Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Dragon Demon Pavilion Lord
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-Flame Demon Palace-
The Flame Demon, having received the official notice from the Cult Leader's Hall, shattered the table before him with a deceptively pleasant smile.
“Baek Mu-heun... so he's not such an easy target after all...”
Chu Mu-yeol, the guide he had assigned to kill Baek Mu-heun of the Heavenly Dance Family, was dead. But he couldn't protest. He had received a report that Mi-wol, the Sacred Fire Palace Lord, had predicted the incident and informed the Cult Leader. Moreover, two Palace Lords, dispatched by the Cult Leader's order, had been present.
Killing Palace Lord Cho Seon-neung, and Law Palace Lord Cheon Ji-gyeong.
The two of them had personally vouched for Baek Mu-heun's innocence.
In short, the Cult Leader knew everything about the series of events.
The final words of the announcement from the Cult Leader's Hall...
[Furthermore, as the Heavenly Dance Family was merely defending against the Red Demon Pavilion's attack, they will not be held responsible for this incident in any way.]
...judging by that, it was a clear warning not to cause any more trouble if he didn't want to end up like the Red Demon Pavilion Lord.
Still, seeing as no action was taken against him or the Ice Demon, he hadn't fallen completely out of the Cult Leader's favor yet. As long as he didn't cross the line here, he would be fine.
“Ha, that bastard... I thought he was just a slippery eel...”
“What are you going to do now?”
The Ice Demon, Yeon Ah-ryeong, who was beside him, asked.
“What can I do? With such powerful figures protecting him, one wrong move and I'll be the one to suffer greatly. I'm backing out for now and will focus on my martial arts training.”
There was no trace of levity in the Flame Demon's voice as he spoke of training. And the Ice Demon shared his sentiment.
“The sixth... it seems his talents aren't limited to martial arts.”
This was the moment Mu-heun became a fearsome competitor to all five of the Cult Leader's disciples.
Just then, the Ice Demon made a suggestion to the Flame Demon.
“But what if... he were to go outside the cult's territory? Would the family heads and palace lords still be able to protect him then?”
“What do you mean...”
“I hear he's heading to Sichuan soon.”
“......!”
With that, the two disciples of the Cult Leader exchanged a few promises.
***
Early in the morning, Mu-heun visited the Cult Leader's Hall. Stepping inside, he knelt on one knee and spoke.
“I have come to see you, Master!”
From his lofty seat, the Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin, spoke with the same indifferent gaze.
“You did well to win.”
“I am pleased to have kept our promise.”
A promise.
In truth, they hadn't exactly made a promise.
He had simply asked the Cult Leader to grant him one request if he won, and the Cult Leader had accepted. But Mu-heun deliberately emphasized the word 'promise'.
“You killed the Red Demon Pavilion Lord.”
“Yes. I heard you received a report from the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden.”
“How did you know and lure everyone into a trap?”
“I had a subordinate tail the Red Demon Pavilion Lord.”
“......”
A subordinate under Mu-heun tailed the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, a master of the Transcendent Demon level? It was absurd. Mu-heun was still just a rising star, and his family background lacked a master of that caliber.
However, Mu-heun's words were true.
Even if it wasn't a person, the Heavenly Fragrance Owl was his subordinate. Even if it was already dead, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse was also his subordinate.
There was no lie in his statement that he had a subordinate gather information and set a trap.
“Fine. What is your request?”
“I heard that the Red Demon Pavilion was previously in charge of trade with Sichuan. Now that the Red Demon Pavilion Lord is dead, I would like you to entrust the affairs of Sichuan to me.”
“...Entrusting the affairs of Sichuan to you is not difficult. I was just looking for a suitable person. However, should you venture outside the cult's territory, you would do well to discard any notion that someone will protect you as they did this time.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Then, I shall now bestow upon you the prize for winning the Divine Dragon Assembly.”
“Yes.”
Mu-heun waited for the Cult Leader's words, half tense and half excited.
A prize from the Cult Leader himself. What could it be? An elixir? Riches?
“To fully take on the affairs of Sichuan, you too must hold the position of a Pavilion Lord. I will rename the former Red Demon Pavilion as the Dragon Demon Pavilion. You are to inherit all of its duties.”
“......!”
Mu-heun was momentarily stunned.
“You mean for me to take over the duties of the Red Demon Pavilion?”
“That is correct.”
Something was wrong.
‘I expected someone would take over the Red Demon Pavilion's duties when it was dismantled. But I never thought it would be me. Does he intend to make me a Pavilion Lord, in addition to being his sixth disciple?’
But... the Dragon Demon Pavilion? The Dragon Demon? Could it be...
After the Sword Demon, Ice Demon, and Flame Demon... is he referring to the Dragon Demon ? Is it because winning the Divine Dragon Assembly was my debut?
“Furthermore, I will entrust the management of Blade Leaf Valley to you as well.”
Since Blade Leaf Valley was originally under the Red Demon Pavilion's management, this was perhaps a natural step.
‘Management of Blade Leaf Valley... That's a relief.’
“Loyalty! I accept your command.”
‘In truth, even if the Cult Leader hadn't said anything, I was planning to consolidate the forces connected to me anyway, like the Heavenly Dance Family and Blade Leaf Valley's Azure Dragon Unit.’
‘But, the Dragon Demon Pavilion... I never expected this.’
But is this really a prize? Isn't he just dumping all the leftover work on me? Was the Cult Leader's grand plan to cut out the Red Demon Pavilion Lord and place me in his seat from the very beginning...?
A train of thoughts followed, one after another, but one thing was clear: Mu-heun had received the rank of Pavilion Lord from the Cult Leader.
Mu-heun had yet to realize the full extent of the benefits he was receiving from this situation. The Cult Leader spoke again, indifferently.
“You may leave.”
“Loyalty!”
Something felt unsettling, but looking only at the results, everything had turned out well. And so, Mu-heun's title became the Dragon Demon .
***
Leaving the Cult Leader's Hall, Mu-heun steeled his resolve in the face of his growing position and responsibilities.
“The Dragon Demon...”
‘Looks like I'll have more things to worry about from now on.’
Just then, someone called out to Mu-heun.
“Fourth Young Master.”
‘I didn't sense his presence...’
When he turned, Jin Mu, the Commander of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade, was there.
“Did you call for me?”
“Could you spare a moment?”
“Of course.”
And so, Mu-heun visited the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade for the first time and entered Jin Mu's office. Two men were seated there, waiting. One of them had a familiar face.
The Radiant Left Emissary, Seo Deung.
He had met him at Blade Leaf Valley, and he was the one who had greeted Mu-heun upon his arrival at the Heavenly Mountains. The other man was the Radiant Right Emissary, Ma Ji-seung. He had never met him personally, but he knew his name and that he was a master of at least the Transcendent Demon level.
Everyone seated here was a master renowned throughout the cult. In particular, the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade Commander, Jin Mu, was known to be a master of the Extreme Demon level, ranked fifth within the cult and considered stronger than Law Palace Lord Cheon Ji-gyeong and Killing Palace Lord Cho Seon-neung.
‘Looking at him now, it seems to be true.’
Though not in its entirety, he had witnessed the skills of the Law Palace Lord and the Killing Palace Lord at Blood Tear Valley. Both were terrifyingly strong, but he could tell that this man, Jin Mu, despite concealing his power, was at least their equal, if not superior.
“I hear you've become the new Pavilion Lord and will be inheriting the duties of the Red Demon Pavilion.”
“That is correct.”
“I would like you, Lord Dragon Demon, to resolve the issue with the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“The issue with the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
Mu-heun had anticipated this to some extent, but he feigned ignorance. After all, he didn't know all the intricate details.
“First, I should explain our cult's situation. Currently, we are in a standoff with the Orthodox Sects on all trade routes leading to the Central Plains. They are blatantly obstructing us.”
“You're saying the Sichuan Tang Clan dares to do such a thing against our cult?”
“No. It's not just them. The Kunlun, Qingcheng, Emei, and Kongtong Sects, including the Tang Clan—all the sects near Gansu and Qinghai—are involved in the obstruction.”
“Is their pretext justice and righteousness, by any chance?”
“On the surface, yes. But according to our intelligence, the truth is that it was at the request of the Sichuan Tang Clan. They are claiming that the Golden Fang Poison Claw of the Tang family was murdered by the Demonic Cult and have asked for help.”
“Hah...”
Mu-heun couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
‘The Golden Fang Poison Claw of the Sichuan Tang Clan tried to kill me, one of the three great Divine Doctors of the Central Plains. He then conspired with the Demonic Cult's Red Demon Pavilion Lord in Blade Leaf Valley, only to die by my hand. And yet they have the audacity to spin such a shameless lie and use it as a pretext. How amusing.’
But, there was something strange.
While it wasn't technically false that the Golden Fang Poison Claw was killed by the Demonic Cult, it was strange that the great sects belonging to the Nine Sects, One Alliance would blindly believe the Sichuan Tang Clan's word and follow them.
The Golden Fang Poison Claw wasn't one of the well-known figures of the Tang Clan, but warriors who knew of him were aware of the kind of dirty work he engaged in. And yet... the major sects were making a move and antagonizing the Demonic Cult because of his death?
Their opponent was the Demonic Cult.
One wrong move could lead to the annihilation of their own sect. For them to go out of their way to obstruct the Demonic Cult's trade like this felt off.
However, looking back on the memories of his past life...
‘I think I know what's going on. If I'm right, I'm probably the only one in this cult who can resolve this matter smoothly.’
The Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade Commander Jin Mu's explanation continued.
“Of course, it's possible for our cult to wipe them out with our full military force, but doing so would likely trigger a full-scale war between the Orthodox and Demonic factions. Therefore, the Cult Leader has instructed us to find one of his disciples and delegate this task.”
“And you're saying that person is me?”
“That is correct. If we were to ask the other disciples, they might solve it through force, but a great war would be unavoidable. However, Lord Dragon Demon, you are different from the other disciples.”
“......”
“You know how to properly use all the cards at your disposal and how to maintain balance. That is why we are entrusting this matter to you, Lord Dragon Demon.”
‘A request...? No, this is an order. But, a welcome one, I suppose.’
This was precisely why he had desperately proven his abilities in the Divine Dragon Assembly, so Mu-heun felt quite relieved.
‘I also don't want the Orthodox martial world and the Demonic Cult to destroy each other. And from what I've heard, this incident occurred because of me. Yes, as they say, let the one who tied the knot untie it.’
“Understood. I will go and resolve this peacefully.”
“Hah, for you to accept so readily, Lord Dragon Demon, we are grateful.”
“However, I have conditions.”
‘Judging by my past life's memories and the current situation, I'm the only one in the cult who can solve this smoothly. In that case, it wouldn't be a bad idea to show them my capabilities and put them in my debt.’
Having organized his thoughts, Mu-heun confidently stated his conditions.
“Conditions... you say?”
“Yes. You must agree to two conditions.”
“...Please, state them.”
“First, when I go to Sichuan, help me so that I can take the people I want with me.”
“Ah, of course. Whoever you wish to take, I will do my utmost to accommodate your request.”
“Seol Ha-ryeong of the Sacred Fire Palace, and Gu Yang-baek of the Killing Palace.”
The essential personnel for this journey were Seol Ha-ryeong, who practiced ice arts, and secondly, Gu Yang-baek, who specialized in assassination. That's why he made such a condition.
Realizing Mu-heun's intentions, the executives of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade understood that he already had a clear picture in his mind of how he would resolve the issue with the Sichuan Tang Clan.
“You are referring to the rising talents who distinguished themselves during the Divine Dragon Assembly.”
“That is correct.”
“Yes. Very well. Then, we will send official notices to each palace.”
“Thank you. Then. I will state my second condition.”
“Please, go on.”
“When I return from Sichuan, I ask that you, the Commander, the Left Emissary, and the Right Emissary, grant me one favor.”
“...A favor.”
Jin Mu, Seo Deung, and Ma Ji-seung exchanged glances for a moment before speaking.
“We can grant it, but anything that goes against the will of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade is impossible.”
“Of course.”
After stating his second condition, he rose from his seat and bowed his head in farewell.
Just then, someone called out to Mu-heun.
“Lord Dragon Demon.”
“......?”
It was the Radiant Left Emissary, Seo Deung.
“As you may know, the competition among the disciples is not confined to the cult's grounds. Please, take care of yourself.”
Mu-heun looked at Seo Deung and gave a slight smile.
“Would such great figures really pay any mind to a novice like me?”
With those final words, Mu-heun opened the door and left.
As the door closed, the Radiant Right Emissary, Ma Ji-seung, burst into a hearty laugh and said,
“Ha, hahaha! He's extraordinary. Truly extraordinary!”
“That's what I'm saying. For someone who has just passed the age of twenty, his insight into the flow of events is anything but ordinary. It was clear he already had a plan in his head for resolving the issue with the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“Indeed. Just the fact that he specifically chose to take the one who practices ice arts and the assassin from among the rising talents proves it.”
“If he safely completes this journey into the martial world, we'll be in for quite a show.”
“Let's watch and see.”
All the executives of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade regarded Mu-heun with great interest. And they mulled over the second condition he had stated.
“A favor from us...”