Chapter 230: Scheme - It's the Demonic Cult Leader
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 230: Scheme - It's the Demonic Cult Leader
After Tang Seong-ik, the patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan, fell ill with an unknown disease, the conflict between the radical and moderate factions intensified.
The division wasn't strictly between the direct and collateral branches; sides were drawn based purely on ideology. It reached a point where members were poisoning each other within the Tang Clan's own estate, a situation that could only be described as an unprecedented crisis.
The moderates suspected the radicals were behind the patriarch's collapse, but it was only a suspicion. After all, using poison on Tang Seong-ik, who was said to have achieved Myriad Poisons Immunity, would be pointless.
It might have made sense if they had brought in a third party, but there were no leads. Who could they possibly have brought into the notoriously reclusive Tang Clan? Besides, the radicals were more inclined to such methods than the moderates.
As time passed, the moderates grew increasingly desperate. With the patriarch, a moderate, out of commission, their influence naturally began to wane.
This wasn't just about their standing within the clan; the situation was the same when looking outward.
By its very nature, the Sichuan Tang Clan was bound to make many enemies. Of course, no one would dare speak of revenge against the Tang Clan—a family that repays favors twofold and grudges tenfold—but with the patriarch incapacitated, the story changed.
'Maybe now's our chance.'
There were always those who would think such thoughts and try their luck. Of course, they all ended up vomiting blood and dying before they could even act.
Even in decline, the Tang Clan was still the Tang Clan. Their poisons were as potent as ever.
The problem, however, was that people who dared to even think of opposing the Tang Clan in Sichuan were beginning to emerge. Although they hadn't officially acknowledged the patriarch's collapse, it had become an open secret.
As a result, the radical faction's arguments started to gain traction. They argued that with the patriarch fallen and even common thugs looking down on them, the situation was unacceptable.
To protect the clan, they insisted, they had to use the spirit beast.
Of course, by 'use,' they meant in the Tang Clan's own unique way.
Tang Muyeong, the young master of the Sichuan Tang Clan, let out a soft sigh.
The situation was dire.
With the patriarch incapacitated, he had to act as regent, and he certainly had the skills for the role. He was slightly lacking compared to his father, but he was a master who had reached the Supreme Peak Realm nonetheless.
And yet, despite his power, nothing was going his way. The radical faction was constantly scheming, chipping away at the moderates' influence.
Not only had his father collapsed, but his younger sister—the self-proclaimed precious jewel of the family—was also missing.
She had disappeared, leaving behind a letter saying she was going to find a spirit elixir.
At first, he thought she had just gone to a nearby mountain. Her eccentric behavior was nothing new. Besides, she had said she was taking the clan's spirit beast, Dilopho, with her, so he hadn't been too worried.
But it turned out she had headed for the 100,000 Great Mountains.
It was the work of the radical faction. The radical elders had sent her to the 100,000 Great Mountains on a different mission and deceived the moderates with a forged letter.
The patriarch had fallen, and now his youngest sister was missing. On top of that, Dilopho—a young spirit beast, but one training in the clan's secret art, Sky-Filling Flower Rain—was gone. And so was Duulli, the green spirit beast said to have reached a profound level in the art of Void Grasping.
Tang Muyeong knew he could delay no longer.
Even though the radicals were making unsettling moves, he hadn't been able to act rashly against them. It was, after all, a family matter. All members of the clan were bound by blood.
If he had clear proof, he would have cut them down in one fell swoop, family or not. But true to the Tang Clan's nature, they left no evidence.
But he could hesitate no longer.
He opened the doors to the Tangmun Pavilion, ready to confront the elders.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting. However…”
He tried to deliver his prepared speech, but the words caught in his throat.
A sickening stench of blood filled the Tangmun Pavilion.
All the elders of the radical faction lay strewn across the floor, their bodies mangled horribly.
“Wh-what is this…!”
And there, gazing down at them with cold eyes, was a woman.
When Tang Muyeong saw her face, his world started to spin.
Silky black hair and a flawless, pale face. Her face was so small it was a wonder how all her features fit.
And those features… Nothing was lacking, nothing was in excess.
Each feature, taken on its own, was enough to qualify her as a peerless beauty. But when combined in perfect harmony, her appearance was so breathtaking that even the moon would shyly hide behind the clouds.
If there was one small flaw, it was her blue eyes, which seemed utterly devoid of emotion. So much so that he felt a pang of regret at the thought of never seeing such a face break into a smile.
He stood there dazed for a moment, his mind reeling from the surreal scene. But Tang Muyeong quickly grasped the situation.
This was no time to be captivated by her face.
The only fact before his eyes was that an outsider had murdered the elders of the Tang Clan.
“You… you’re…!”
He tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Those emotionless eyes were staring right through him.
“You’re quick on the uptake. It would have been a nuisance if you’d screamed.”
Tang Muyeong’s heart hammered in his chest. He instantly recognized the feeling that gripped his entire body.
It was instinctual fear.
To think that he, a master of the Supreme Peak, could be so terrified. Tang Muyeong’s poisons were potent enough to affect even a master of the Transformation Realm. That was why even masters of the Transformation Realm were reluctant to fight him.
But this woman was different.
Here, in the heart of the Tang Clan's estate, having just killed their elders, she stood before their young master without a hint of agitation.
Tang Muyeong had no trouble deducing that the woman before him was a master of the Profound Realm.
But no one from the Orthodox Factions would attack the Tang Clan. Besides, he didn't recognize her face. The same went for the Unorthodox Factions. This wasn't some simple assassination; no one would dare invade their headquarters and commit such an atrocity.
Moreover, there were so few masters of the Profound Realm that someone of his standing knew most of them by name and face.
So, who in the world was she?
Black hair. Blue eyes. A cruel nature, and a master he didn't recognize.
Tang Muyeong realized who the woman standing before him was.
“De… De…”
Baek Yeon-yeong, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
For some reason, he felt an overwhelming urge to shriek, 'Aieee!', but it was obvious that if he did, he would end up just like the elders on the floor.
But he couldn't bring himself to say the words 'Demonic Cult'. He had a strong feeling that if he did, he'd get a firsthand look at his own spine.
“I was just taking a look around the village, and I come back to… what is all this…”
I have nothing to do with these guys, and I have no idea you're the Demonic Cult Leader.
He muttered softly, trying to convey that message.
He wondered if he was dreaming, or if one of the radicals had used a hallucinogen on him, but there were no such signs. Yet the scene was too bizarre to be real.
Why on earth was the Demonic Cult Leader, who should have been in the 100,000 Great Mountains, here?
If it had been some other member of the Demonic Cult, he could have cursed them out while still making some sense of it. After all, the radicals had their Gu-poison jar stolen once before.
But for Baek Yeon-yeong herself to make a move was unthinkable.
Masters of the Profound Realm did not act lightly. Their very existence was a massive strategic force, a deterrent in itself. If one Profound Realm master made a move, another would inevitably move to counter them.
And this was the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. She was rumored to have reached the late stages of the Profound Realm; if word got out that she was on the move, it would take at least three other Profound Realm masters to stop her.
She knew this, which was likely why she never ventured outside the 100,000 Great Mountains.
So why in the world had she come here herself? This wasn't a place of great symbolic importance like the Shaolin Temple or the Wudang Sect. So why the Tang Clan?
An unwelcome hypothesis formed in Tang Muyeong's mind.
What if the Tang Clan had crossed a line they never should have crossed with Baek Yeon-yeong? What if, for reasons unknown to him, something had happened that forced the Demonic Cult Leader to act personally?
The backs of his knees grew weak, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.
A master whom all the warriors of the Tang Clan combined couldn't even scratch was staring right at him.
“The young master of the Tang Clan, I presume.”
Showing little interest, Baek Yeon-yeong turned to finish what she had been doing.
Crack.
She grabbed an elder’s neck.
Riiip!
And pulled it right out.
Tang Muyeong had no time to stop her. Not that he could have, even if he’d tried.
“Wh-what in the world…!”
Tang Muyeong cried out, bracing himself for death.
He had heard plenty about the Demonic Cult Leader’s cruelty. But this… this was far beyond the pale.
The sight of her plunging her hand into the neck of an already incapacitated elder to pull out an insect…
An insect?
For a moment, Tang Muyeong doubted his eyes. The insect squirming in her hand looked utterly sinister.
“Gu-poison is supposed to be a lost art, yet you’re breeding them as if it’s perfectly normal.”
“D-did you just say Gu?”
Gu-poison.
He’d heard rumors that the radical faction was secretly researching it, but he had assumed it was only research. It was an art that had been lost long ago.
But to think it was actually Gu-poison. And that the elders themselves were hosts to it.
What did this mean?
“If I had my way, I’d wipe the entire Tang Clan right off the map.”
Tang Muyeong swallowed hard.
An opponent he could never hope to defeat was casually speaking of his demise. And he knew her words were no empty threat.
But at the same time, a glimmer of hope appeared.
Hadn't she said, 'If I had my way'? That meant she was holding off on wiping out the Tang Clan for now. And seeing as she was removing the Gu-poison from the elders' bodies, whatever had provoked her must be related to it.
Tang Muyeong took a deep breath and did what he had to do.
“Hah! To think you would use such a forbidden sorcery!”
“Kugh…”
He grabbed the collar of an elder who was still breathing. After putting on that show of anger, he bowed his head to Baek Yeon-yeong.
“As the young master of the Sichuan Tang Clan, I apologize. I was unaware that the elders of our clan were cultivating Gu-poison; the fault is mine for being so incompetent. I will cooperate with our distinguished guest in any way I can. If you would please quell your anger, I would be indebted to you for life.”
I didn't know. They did this on their own. I swear I had nothing to do with it, but I'll find everyone involved if you want. So please, just spare us this once. I'll give you poisons, money, information—anything, just let us live.
He spoke, carefully gauging her reaction.
Baek Yeon-yeong paid him no mind and continued to retrieve the Gu-poison. As if she had some use for them, she herded the insects into a wooden box she had prepared in advance.
Gu-poison has fallen into the hands of the Demonic Cult! And Gu-poison created by the Tang Clan, no less!
If this ever got out, he, Tang Muyeong, would become a public enemy of Murim.
In truth, that was the least of his worries. His head was about to be lopped off by the Demonic Cult Leader long before that could happen.
Baek Yeon-yeong spoke in a flat, dry voice.
“Consider yourself lucky. I happened to form a bond with a child of your clan, so I will refrain from any unnecessary bloodshed.”
Tang Muyeong let out a huge sigh of relief.
At least his life was guaranteed, for now. But he couldn't let his guard down.
Baek Yeon-yeong asked him a few questions and told him what needed to be done. Tang Muyeong had no choice but to obey.
Her questions about how to use the Gu-poison, and who would become the acting sect leader if the head of the Mount Hua Sect were to suddenly die a mysterious death, were highly suspicious, but he had no other choice.
Casting aside his dignity as the young master, he answered her questions with the utmost sincerity and a subservient posture.
“How admirable.”
Tang Muyeong couldn't believe his ears.
He thought he had answered well, but to actually receive praise from the Demonic Cult Leader…
Could this be an opportunity to form a connection with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
It was a thought worthy of a public enemy of Murim, but with his father incapacitated and the elders dead, Tang Muyeong desperately needed a new lifeline. The only problem was that this lifeline had been the one to kill his elders.
But his hopes were quickly shattered.
Baek Yeon-yeong had merely been muttering to herself.
“He could have just told me, but he kept silent, worried that harm might come to me… How admirable, and how vexing, that little one is.”
She was gazing at her left hand.
“What did he think he could do with that tiny body of his.”
Tang Muyeong wondered if this whole situation was a dream.
The Demonic Cult Leader suddenly invading, killing all the elders, and then pulling Gu-poison from their corpses—it was all nonsensical from the start.
But then, something even more unbelievable happened.
The Demonic Cult Leader… was faintly smiling.
And she was smiling at a single ring on her left ring finger.