Chapter 364
Chapter 364
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 364
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Disappearance
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Cheonhwi quickly rolled his eyes.
Wondering if he had misread it, he read it again.
But the text remained unchanged.
In an instant, his mind cooled sharply.
‘The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has vanished...?’
A furrow formed between his brows.
The followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were destined to conquer the Central Plains and establish demonic supremacy.
Revenge against the people of the Central Plains who had driven them to the Tianshan Mountains long ago had always been the demonic path's burning desire.
Yet such a cult had vanished. Not for a mere ten or twenty years, but for a full three hundred.
‘Is that why there were almost no mentions of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?’
Thinking back, it made sense.
If the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were still active, no one could ignore the threat it posed.
But what about now?
Far from sensing any crisis from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Nine Great Sects and the Nine Supremes of the Nine Provinces were busy checking each other's power.
During his time as the Heavenly Demon, he had even witnessed the Nine Great Sects and the martial world factions, who once united against any threat, now divided.
‘...Then why did they vanish?’
Cheonhwi racked his brain.
‘For now, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult hasn't collapsed.’
That was his first thought.
It was almost a certainty.
Hadn't he personally met and spoken with two followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
The woman named Choryeon, who had mastered the Raksha Ice Demon's Bare Hand Demonic Art.
And Cheonyanggong, who had learned a partial version of the Nine Nether Demonic Flame Art from the Annihilation Heavenly Family.
Having seen them, he couldn't believe the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had completely vanished.
He had merely assumed they were preparing for some grand scheme or taking time to regroup.
‘What on earth happened...?’
His eyes hardened as he naturally thought of Cheonyanggong after Choryeon.
It only made things more incomprehensible.
Why had they hidden for three hundred years?
And why had they infiltrated the Central Plains disguised as an unorthodox faction?
‘Did something happen after I left?’
That was his immediate thought.
It said they vanished fifteen years after he disappeared, so something must have occurred then.
Otherwise, it made no sense.
What had the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult been like during his reign as Heavenly Demon?
‘It was stronger than ever before.’
The Heavenly Peak Fragrance Family had been exterminated by his own hand, but the remaining four great families and eight demonic sects had all submitted.
Thus, unlike the past where they competed and devoured each other under the law of the strong, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had united under his feet.
Each family and demonic sect already possessed power comparable to the Central Plains clans.
Uniting their strength...
Its full might was immeasurable.
If he had willed it back then, he might have achieved the long-cherished demonic supremacy over the world.
Yet they had suddenly vanished.
‘Unless they suffered a blow great enough to immobilize them for three hundred years...’
Cheonhwi's eyes sank as he pondered.
It was the most reasonable conclusion.
For a moment.
‘For now, I should finish reading the rest. There might be something written.’
Cheonhwi pushed his thoughts aside and resumed turning the pages.
Flip!
One sheet of paper turned.
His pupils filled with coldness as he read the facing text.
‘...Details cannot be ascertained?’
He had half-expected it, but seeing it still soured his mood.
No matter how superior the Beggars' Sect was as an information sect, this was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The most secretive faction of all.
‘And at the time, the Demon Brain had thoroughly controlled all information.’
Cheonhwi paused as he rolled his eyes.
Right below was a list of hypotheses the Beggars' Sect had predicted for why the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had vanished.
一. After the Absolute Heavenly Demon disappeared, the cult members fought among themselves to seize the Cult Leader position, leading to mutual destruction.
二. The Blood Cult, destroyed by the Absolute Heavenly Demon's hand, or its remnants, united and ambushed the cult.
三. Outlanders, learning of the Absolute Heavenly Demon's absence, attacked the cult.
四. It collapsed due to the Absolute Heavenly Demon falling into qi deviation.
Various hypotheses were listed.
From the first one, which he had somewhat anticipated, to the fourth, which was utterly absurd and ridiculous.
‘Probably the first one, or perhaps...’
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
‘The Demon Brain is the most likely culprit for such a scheme.’
It was a hypothesis he could posit because he held the Demon Brain in such high regard.
The Demon Brain was merely the cult's military strategist.
Not even the Beggars' Sect had considered him a variable in their hypotheses, basing them on wild guesses like the peerless expert Absolute Heavenly Demon falling into qi deviation.
But Cheonhwi believed it was possible.
Of course, his martial arts were lacking compared to the heads of the four great families or the eight demonic sects.
Probably not even one-tenth of theirs.
But his intellect and cunning surpassed them all combined.
Moreover, if he had used the Heavenly Demon's disappearance to solidify his position as strategist even further, he could have manipulated the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as he pleased.
‘But why would he need to? What would he gain from reshaping the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult like that?’
The sudden thought made Cheonhwi start to shake his head inwardly, then stop.
‘No. He had already done something incomprehensible before.’
The Demon Brain had precedents.
While planning to destroy the Heavenly Peak Fragrance Family, he had smuggled one member to the Central Plains.
That had cracked the solid trust he had built.
As Cheonhwi's eyes deepened while thinking of the Demon Brain, and his internal energy began to stir.
“Hmmm.”
Ban Woogong let out a groan.
His breath caught at the sudden surge of Cheonhwi's intense presence.
Regaining his breath urgently, he asked,
“Is there a problem?”
Cheonhwi gathered his internal energy at the question.
And countered with a question of his own.
“Is there more information here on this Demon Brain fellow?”
“Demon Brains aren't just one or two.”
Ban Woogong scratched his head awkwardly as he replied.
“Anyone smart in the cult gets called Demon Brain...”
“This one.”
Cheonhwi pointed with his index finger.
Ban Woogong checked the book Cheonhwi indicated, muttered “Ah,” and smacked his lips.
“The one who served the Absolute Heavenly Demon? It should be in one of these books. I don't remember which, though.”
“I see.”
Cheonhwi quietly eyed the stacked books.
But only briefly. He began flipping through the remaining pages rapidly, his eyes gleaming.
‘I'll have to read them all anyway.’
The pages turned faster and faster, the densely packed information etching into his mind, stacking layer by layer.
About an hour passed like that.
Thud.
Finally, Cheonhwi closed the book.
Gazing at the stack of finished books beside him, he appeared as calm as still water. But his pupils emanated a chill like a biting north wind.
“Is this all the information?”
Cheonhwi asked softly.
His gaze fixed on the books.
“It's a summarized version, but the content itself isn't reduced. That's all the information our sect has gathered on the cult.”
Ban Woogong nodded as he spoke, then frowned and added,
“Truth be told, our sect doesn't know much about the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult either. They settled in the vast Tianshan Mountains. If they decide to hide, even we can't easily find out.”
Cheonhwi narrowed his eyes.
As he said, the Tianshan Mountains were vast and treacherous. For Central Plains folk to seek out the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was no different from seeking death.
“Unless the cult comes to the Central Plains, what we can learn is limited.”
“So the information cuts off three hundred years ago?”
“Yes.”
Cheonhwi tore his gaze from the books.
“Then, have you seen any recent movements from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”
Cheonhwi probed subtly.
He had recently encountered Choryeon himself.
This was to check if the Beggars' Sect knew of her existence.
And the answer came.
“None.”
As expected.
‘Of course. If they knew this much, the information on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wouldn't end so sparsely.’
Cheonhwi rose immediately.
Judging by his demeanor, this was all the information on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes. I've read it all.”
As Cheonhwi moved to leave.
“If you need any information, come to our branch anytime.”
Ban Woogong said in a low tone.
With a wrinkled smile.
“The Sect Leader said to give you whatever information you want.”
“That's good. I'll ask later if I need something.”
Cheonhwi replied indifferently, then swiftly left the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Leaving the Beggars' Sect branch, Cheonhwi rented a room at an inn and lay on the bed.
Originally, he had planned to obtain the Beggars' Sect's information and leave right away.
But he decided to rest for the night.
To organize the information he had gained.
‘The more I think about it, the stranger it gets.’
Most of the contents in the twenty books were things he already knew.
The history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, its organizational structure, and so on.
In truth, that much was common knowledge spread throughout the Central Plains; it was merely compiled neatly.
So he had skimmed most of it.
The important part was just one: the Demon Brain.
Cheonhwi's eyes slowly closed.
He slowly recalled and organized the information on the Demon Brain from the books.
Even the Beggars' Sect, the Central Plains' premier information sect, hadn't properly tracked the Demon Brain's movements after he left.
Not just the Demon Brain.
There was a significant gap between the date he vanished and when the Beggars' Sect recorded it.
‘Ten years after I entered secluded cultivation to perfect the Eternal Life Immortal Dominion Great Law, that's when the Beggars' Sect learned I had disappeared.’
In other words, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had pretended he was still there for ten years after his disappearance.
‘The Demon Brain did that.’
It had to be the Demon Brain's doing. No one else could have fooled the Beggars' Sect so perfectly.
‘The problem is this.’
Cheonhwi recalled one sentence.
— Ten years after the Absolute Heavenly Demon vanished, the Demon Brain also disappeared.
Even though he already knew it, just recalling it made him frown slightly.
If he had vanished along with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult fifteen years later, it would make sense.
But he disappeared before that?
Something felt off.
‘What the hell did he do?’
For a moment, as Cheonhwi delved deeply into thoughts of the Demon Brain, he clicked his tongue.
‘Tch.’
No new information would come from this.
‘I should just ask Cheonyanggong.’
Thinking of Cheonyanggong at the Plum Blossom Inn, Cheonhwi opened his closed eyes.
Though he had left the cult, as a member of the Annihilation Heavenly Family, he should know about the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's past.
“Tch, I should have asked him back then.”
Cheonhwi smacked his lips.
At the time, he had dismissed it as past life matters regarding the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and shown no interest. He had thought they were doing fine anyway.
Especially since it was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But the situation seemed different from his assumptions.
‘Should I stop by Mount Hua later?’
Cheonhwi sat up, organizing what to ask Cheonyanggong when he visited Mount Hua later.
Suddenly, he saw the sunset sky and people on the street busily preparing for evening business.
Among them were young errand boys and courtesans.
Watching them, Cheonhwi's eyes lit up.
It suddenly reminded him of another sect that, alongside the Beggars' Sect, handled the world's information.
“Since it's come to this, I should gather information from somewhere besides the Beggars' Sect.”