The Fourth Successor

Slurp. Sluuuurp.

My bed, a familiar and spacious sanctuary that rarely had a day to dry from semen, was currently groaning under the weight of yet another guest.

"Slurp. Kiss."

"Good girl. Roll your tongue in a tighter circle."

The Heavenly Demon was sucking my cock. Her cheeks hollowed as she clumsily swirled her tongue around the head, sucking on it like a lollipop.

"Sluuurp. Pha. Keep... your promise."

"Don't worry. Have you ever seen me break a promise?"

"Only because I have not is this seat so meekly submitting to this humiliation."

The Heavenly Demon had adapted to sex. After having her womb filled with my seed day after day, having my cock shoved down her throat, and having her body used entirely at my whim, she actually seemed to be enjoying it lately. No matter how much she pretended to be noble and proud, it was hard to remain completely indifferent to primal pleasure. Even if she were a block of wood with zero libido, she was nothing more than a warm fleshlight before the dual cultivation technique Ryeo-ah had given me.

Well, let's overlook the minor details.

The situation was highly problematic. To take the initiative in anything, I felt I needed to at least reach Samgeuk to have some peace of mind.

My plan was simple. Once I reached Samgeuk, the family would grant me massive support, and I would take it a step further by leaking the City Lord's health status. Normally, even a Samgeuk elder would face intense interrogation, but once the truth was revealed, they wouldn't be able to just sit idle. The entire Yagwi City and the Night Goblin race were in deep shit, so what did family politics matter?

With the power of Samgeuk, as long as they couldn't definitively prove I was a traitor, they'd have to use me even if only as a gatekeeper. That was the exact nature of the current crisis. Reaching Samgeuk, selling the information for a massive fortune, and then making a run for it. That was the overall plan.

But as the saying goes, plans are made to be ruined from the very start, and survival usually comes down to split-second decisions on the ground.

I couldn't just run away. There were too many complications.

"Mmm. Sluuurp."

Sowol and Jeongha had no attachment to Yagwi City, so taking them along would be easy. Once they learned the truth, even if they were flustered at first, they weren't stupid or stubborn enough to cling to a sinking ship.

"Slurp. Mph. How is it? Is this... satisfactory?"

"Hmm. Not bad."

But the Heavenly Demon was a problem. First of all, she had a profound affection for the members of her Heavenly Demon Cult. It was as if some maternal instinct had awakened, making her feel she had to protect her weak, tiny cultists. If I wanted to take her, I had to take them too. But dragging a bunch of frail, dying cultists on a thousand-mile escape was a massive stretch.

And then there was my sister, Hayeon. Unlike me, she seemed to possess a deep pride in and affection for Yagwi City and the Kang family.

I'm doing this precisely because I don't want to let go of anything. I absolutely despise compromising. No matter how many logical excuses I make for abandoning my women, they're still just excuses.

First, I need to reach Samgeuk. To do anything, reaching Samgeuk is the absolute priority.

Since I wanted to grasp everything, my hand getting stuck in the jar was inevitable. But... if my muscles were overwhelmingly powerful enough, I could simply shatter the jar and pull my hand out. My knuckles might get scraped by the broken shards, and I might bleed, but if that's what it takes, then so be it.

I made this vow as I ejaculated deep inside the Heavenly Demon—that is, Sehyeon's—mouth. I would absolutely take this incredibly sexy Heavenly Demon fleshlight and my sister with me.

I can certainly do that. It will be on a completely different scale compared to the ritual I performed back when I only had Core Condensation and a tiny bit of Qi Circulation. Why?

Because now, "It's war."

Shortly after, I received an invitation to attend the Family Council.

The Family Council.

It sounded grand, but in reality, it was nothing more than a unilateral announcement where the Patriarch gathered everyone to tell them to shut up and listen. Any actual discussion or debate had long since been settled behind closed doors with the elders. It was essentially a grander scale of family orders being handed down.

Yet, the prestige of the Family Council remained immense. One only had to look at the faces of those gathered here to understand why.

"It seems everyone is here."

Kang Baek-jin's eyes swept over the crowd gathered in the massive main hall. Every single one of them was a warrior of the Qi Circulation realm; not a single Core Condensation cultivator was in sight. It was as if Core Condensation cultivators didn't even have the right to step foot in this space.

During wartime, a Qi Circulation warrior—even at the lowest stage—would command a hundred men as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a centurion. Those with superior skills commanded a thousand as a millenarian. And those with exceptional status and forces under their command would go beyond that to lead ten thousand as a legion commander.

For the record, I wasn't a legion commander. My strength might be on par with the average legion commander, but I didn't have any forces of my own. The only ones capable of leading a legion at the Qi Circulation realm were these three:

"Kang Su-gong. Kang So-ye. Kang Ha-yeon."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Awaiting your orders, Patriarch."

Only those three. They were the only ones who commanded their own forces, possessing the status that left no room to doubt their qualifications. Of course, leaders of subordinate sects might receive the title of legion commander if their numbers were vast enough, but this was a family matter.

Kang Baek-jin nodded as he looked at them, then flicked three thick, golden jade slips toward them.

"I appoint the three of you as legion commanders. Under the command of Elder Do, the army commander, you will cooperate with Snow Demon Valley to annihilate the human sect, the Azure History Sect."

"""Yes, Patriarch."""

They accepted without a moment's hesitation. It was the only acceptable response in this setting. Refusal meant insubordination, and insubordination meant a challenge to authority. In times of war, discipline was absolute.

At the same time, didn't assigning all three successors to the same unit reveal his true intentions?

Kang Baek-jin had thrown the three candidates into the same pot. It was no different from a test to see who performed best. Was he trying to instigate an extreme competition even in the midst of this chaos? No, perhaps it was precisely because of the situation that he was forcing them to compete.

Even if Kang Baek-jin wasn't entirely certain, he likely suspected that something was off with the City Lord. Since no one knew when or how this would end, it made sense to settle the family's succession quickly.

Sure enough, Kang Baek-jin slammed his hand on the table, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Listen well! From this moment forth, by order of the City Lord, we shall slaughter every single human cultivation sect in the vicinity. Not a single one shall be spared!"

The air in the main hall turned ice-cold. Everyone had probably anticipated this, but hearing it spoken aloud was a different matter entirely.

"Do not worry. This is not an all-out war of attrition. It will not escalate to the point where the City Lord or the human Creation Realm monsters clash directly. I, the Patriarch, assure you beforehand that this is not an extreme battle of life and death that will end only when one side is completely wiped out."

I doubted that. I could guess why Kang Baek-jin was lying. He wanted to foster a belief that both sides would play their parts moderately before eventually reaching a truce. That belief alone would significantly reduce the number of deserters.

"However,"

Kang Baek-jin growled like a tiger, unleashing the raw pressure of a warrior who had reached the peak of Samgeuk.

"If anyone dares to harbor soft, naive, or treacherous thoughts, disobeying orders during this war or trying to play clever tricks, they will not be forgiven. I and the Council of Elders will thoroughly punish any such insolence."

Ah, my skin was tingling. So this was the power of a superhuman who had reached the absolute peak of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—able to generate physical shockwaves through sheer pressure alone. Facing it directly made it undeniably clear. Kang Baek-jin had reached the absolute pinnacle of what a monster could achieve. What lay beyond that?

I was certain it wasn't some mundane progression like Core Condensation to Qi Circulation, or Qi Circulation to Samgeuk. I couldn't explain it logically in words, but I knew.

"And I intend to bestow the title of Young Patriarch upon the successor candidate who achieves the greatest merit in this war."

Ah, he finally dropped the bomb.

The reactions in the hall varied. The elder-level figures and Qi Circulation warriors with special status remained expressionless, having already heard the news. Those who were clever or had good information networks nodded as if the inevitable had finally arrived. Others simply nodded half-heartedly, their minds racing to calculate the odds. Meanwhile, the three main parties reacted in unison.

"I will not disappoint you, Patriarch."

"Trust in me. Do we not need a hero in these turbulent times?"

"As always, I shall show you nothing less than perfection."

The three candidates bowed respectfully in agreement. I didn't know why they were bowing so dramatically, but they did. Maybe they wanted to set the mood. Even Kang Baek-jin seemed caught off guard by their sudden, deep bows, awkwardly scratching his hair before clearing his throat.

"Ahem. I expect you to show conduct worthy of the Kang Family's successors. And you..."

Kang Baek-jin began calling out the names of the Qi Circulation warriors, assigning them their roles. This was information that could easily have been sent via document, but these small actions fostered a sense of belonging and engraved pride in their hearts. Having the Patriarch officially bestow titles and offer encouragement in public added a heavy layer of responsibility, making it difficult to desert or slack off.

"Iron Daoist. I appoint you as a millenarian under Elder Sa of the 3rd Legion. Isn't it about time we changed your nickname from 'Slayer of Thousands' to 'Slayer of Ten Thousands'?"

"I shall live up to your expectations, Patriarch!"

The old man ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was surprisingly good with words. He wasn't just stern; he knew how to crack a joke like that.

"And..."

Kang Baek-jin's gaze locked onto me. At that moment, even those who had been indifferent to the other appointments slowly turned their heads to look at me. After all, I was the one who had reached the upper stage of Qi Circulation in the blink of an eye. If given enough time, my ascension to Samgeuk was practically guaranteed, and I had emerged as a major player in the succession struggle.

I didn't even know half the faces gathered here. That was how absurdly fast I had grown despite having joined the family only recently. The gazes directed at me were thick with intense emotions—goodwill, jealousy, anticipation, rivalry, and more.

I didn't give a damn about what the small fry thought, so I focused only on the elders and the Patriarch. Well, it was quite a mix. It was like a stew of goodwill, jealousy, and dark schemes. Only Kang Baek-jin and the elders Ha-yeon had previously identified as her backers showed me any goodwill. The rest were likely those who had invested in the other two candidates. It made sense they'd hate me, seeing me as the threat that might ruin their investments.

Of course, Kang Baek-jin was just grinning from ear to ear. To him, I was probably a future Samgeuk elder brimming with potential.

"I appoint Kang Ha-yun as a millenarian under Kang Ha-yeon's command, in the army led by Elder Do. Your astonishing rate of growth has captured everyone's expectations, so continue to devote yourself as you have."

"I obey your command, Patriarch."

"And I believe I told you when we first met that I would reward you if you performed well. A 'midterm reward', was it?"

Kang Baek-jin's lips curled up slightly.

"Thus, I am deeply, deeply impressed by Kang Ha-yun's incredible growth. With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that pace, you might reach Samgeuk faster than anyone here. That is the mark of a leader. Even the City Lord himself reigns supreme despite having very few forces under his direct command, does he not?"

"Thank you for your high praise?"

"Indeed. A talent that appears once in a thousand years, proving my eye for talent was correct. If only you had been born thirty years earlier, I would have made you the Young Patriarch on the spot."

Wait, Patriarch. Why do you keep making such sensitive remarks and hyping me up? You're starting to make me nervous. Can't you see the faces of our three successors rotting right now? Is this man blind? Or does he just enjoy tormenting his children like Jeongha's father?

"Therefore, I intend to bestow the Yaksha Unit upon Kang Ha-yun, while simultaneously naming him the fourth successor candidate. What do you think?"

Ah. Fuck. You son of a bitch.