Chapter 304: Dignity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: Dignity
The day at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult passed in a flurry of activity.
Although we had bought ourselves some breathing room by defeating two vanguard units, no one was careless in their preparations for the coming war.
Several elders led disciples to the site of my battle to build a defensive position in turn, while the others diligently prepared for the impending conflict.
My Master told me that what I had done was a feat on par with destroying at least two of the Murim Alliance's sects.
Because of this, the burden on the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had been lightened, and the disciples were grateful to me.
It made sense. Taking out two Profound Realm masters in advance was a huge advantage.
Moreover, those two hadn't just invaded blindly; they had come with the purpose of weakening the spiritual energy of the 100,000 Great Mountains.
I had stopped them at the source and even enabled the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to use it to their advantage, so how could they not be pleased?
Having accomplished such a feat, it was only natural that all eyes were on me.
And that wasn't all.
I wasn't just some random spirit beast wandering the 100,000 Great Mountains; the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult herself had acknowledged me as her disciple.
A disciple she had been secretly raising in secret had just made his debut by achieving such a great victory. I was bound to become the hottest topic in the cult.
If I had my way, I would have loved to soak in a hot spring to heal and enjoy a contented rumble, but the people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult kept seeking me out, making it impossible.
My Master did her best to fend them off, but the elders were also quite interested in me, and there were far too many disciples clamoring to get a look at the Cult Leader's disciple.
What was truly annoying was having to assume my human form every time I met them.
It would have been fine if I just stayed in human form, but I had to switch back and forth with my lizard form.
I actually considered revealing that I was a lizard spirit beast, not a human, and just living comfortably in my lizard form.
It probably wouldn't have been a big issue.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was a spirit-beast-friendly group, after all.
But something unexpected held me back.
It was because of the past misdeeds of a certain black lizard.
A cute little lizard had once happened to loiter around the women's bathhouse.
It had only happened a few times, but somehow, a rumor about that lizard had spread throughout the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
A rumor that a tiny lizard was peeking at the bathhouse with a suspicious gaze.
There was even a ridiculous rumor that it was a sexist lizard that would bite the fingers of men who tried to stop it, but would let itself be caught meekly if women tried to grab it.
The disciples, however, didn't seem to mind much.
He was a peculiar-looking lizard, but what thoughts could a lizard possibly have about peeping on women?
He was just there, so he saw what he saw.
They said that if you looked closely at the little lizard's feet, you could see something like webbings, so they figured he was just a lizard that liked water.
But what if the truth came out that the lizard was me?
It would mean that a man, not a cute lizard, had been suspiciously lurking around the women's bathhouse.
And not just any man, but the Cult Leader's disciple.
On top of that, some nasty rumors were already circulating about that disciple.
Utterly baseless rumors, like how he was an extreme womanizer.
I could understand the jealousy, being the Cult Leader's disciple who had appeared out of nowhere.
But still, how could they spread such groundless rumors?
I don't know who started it, but just you wait until I find you.
I'll show you exactly what this mouth of mine is for.
In any case, for these reasons, I had to maintain my human form in front of people.
And as the Cult Leader's disciple, I had no choice but to attend important meetings.
"A northern expedition."
Just like right now.
I sat quietly, maintaining my human form.
I wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed to be a meeting.
My Master sat at the head of the table, with Seol-hwa next to her.
I sat beside Seol-hwa, and the remaining seats were filled by the elders.
I wondered if it was okay for me to be mixed in with humans at a meeting, but my Master said I could just sit quietly and steal Seol-hwa's dango, so I gladly accepted.
Perhaps she hadn't agreed to this arrangement, because every time I secretly stole her dango, she would stare at me with a look of utter disbelief.
But what could she do?
She couldn't exactly grab me by the scruff of my neck and shake me in this situation.
"Mount Hua has been annihilated, the Tang Clan has not joined the war, and even Shaolin has declared its non-participation. Could the situation be any better? With an opportunity like this, why don't we strike first and advance into the Central Plains?"
"First Elder, advance into the Central Plains first? Does that even make sense?"
As I listened to the meeting, I slyly reached for Seol-hwa's dango again.
Huh?
The dango that should have been on the plate was gone.
I turned to look at Seol-hwa's face, and she was wearing a triumphant expression that seemed to say, "I win."
Hiding my dango—what a dirty trick!
"What did you say?"
But I am not one to accept defeat so easily.
This was less about wanting to eat dango and more a matter of pride.
Look at this, hiding the dango between her thighs?
"With the great Shaolin at the forefront, other smaller sects have also refrained from participating. We don't know the reason, but this is a great boon for our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Did she think I couldn't steal it from there?
"But what if we advance into the Central Plains first? Do you think Shaolin will stand idly by then?"
"Third Elder, are you afraid of the likes of Shaolin?"
Snatch!
With a touch as natural as flowing water, I snatched the dango from her thigh.
"Eek!"
Startled, Seol-hwa let out a squeak, just like Soyeong.
Her face instantly turned red, but since everyone was focused on the conversation between the First and Third Elders, it seemed no one else had heard.
"It's not that I'm afraid. If we advance first, we give them a justification to fight, and we'll end up facing those we wouldn't have had to fight otherwise."
"Isn't that the definition of being afraid?"
"Shouldn't we take the easier path rather than the difficult one? Especially when the lives of our disciples are at stake."
Hmm, it seems the discussion is about whether to launch a preemptive strike or not.
Seeing my Master remain silent must mean she intends to hear both sides out first.
I should just keep my mouth shut and listen intently.
Seol-hwa glared at me with a pout.
Then, wouldn't you know it, she tucked the remaining dango into her bosom.
She did so with the baseless confidence that even I wouldn't be able to take it from that location.
Sorry, but I cast off my humanity a long time ago.
Reaching into the Priestess's bosom in front of everyone?
That's nothing to me.
"Stop."
I'm only letting you off because my Master stopped me.
"The Murim Alliance is not our only enemy."
Huh? She wasn't talking to me.
In that case, would it be okay to steal the rest of the dango?
"My disciple eliminated two spirit beasts in one fell swoop. Those two were powerful enough to inflict considerable damage had they charged straight for the cult's main camp. But they didn't. They stopped at playing the role of a vanguard building a base. Do you know what that means?"
My Master continued speaking calmly.
The moment the Cult Leader began to speak, the tense atmosphere started to dissipate.
The elders didn't seem to get along, but they became like meek lambs before my Master.
They were a group gathered to serve their god, the Heavenly Demon, so the Cult Leader's authority was bound to be immense.
And my Master's own martial prowess surely played a part.
"It means the Murim Alliance is not our only enemy. So do not act rashly. To move first is to be played right into their hands."
The First Elder, who had been advocating for a northern expedition, said no more.
It was a sign that he would follow the Cult Leader's command.
That's my Master for you.
Settling the fiery elders with just a few words.
I feel like I'll need that kind of skill when I'm leading the Gaegaek Cult.
As the number of believers grows, there will be more and more situations where opinions clash.
The problem is, the divine beast of the Gaegaek is a lizard with absolutely no dignity, so I doubt I'll be able to control them.
Especially since most of the believers are female, and they could easily exploit my weaknesses.
Hmm, how can I regain the dignity of a divine beast?
...To be honest, I think any chance of dignity went out the window the moment my cry became "Gekgek."
Ah, whatever.
What's the point of gaining dignity now?
I can only pray that my believers will listen to me.
Just as I was thinking that.
Crash!
A loud noise suddenly erupted.
"How dare you cause a commotion when the Cult Leader is present!"
He seemed to be raising his own voice, but my Master didn't seem to mind.
"It's alright. There must be a reason. Let him in."
My Master is so magnanimous.
There must be a rule against interrupting a meeting of the Cult Leader and the elders, but she overlooks it with her generous spirit.
I should learn from her example.
I had wondered why I was even here, but just watching my Master like this seems to be a gain in itself.
Even aside from martial strength, there was much to learn from her as the leader of a group.
"Heok... Hah!"
A man, slightly stained with blood, burst through the door.
It wasn't human blood, but the blood of a beast.
Did he run into a spirit beast in the mountains?
No, he wouldn't dare seek out the Cult Leader for something like that.
Then, was it a surprise attack from Jin-ryong or the Murim Alliance?
"I-It's an attack!"
An attack?
The elders were guarding the place the Ice Dragon and Thunder Bird tried to break through, and other areas should have been well-defended. They broke through already?
It didn't make any sense.
"The ferocious beasts are at the Snake Queen's temple...!"
*
The Snake Queen and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were in a formal alliance.
The Snake Queen provided elixirs and medicinal herbs from her territory, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult sent rare items that spirit beasts couldn't easily obtain.
The Snake Queen particularly requested many types of alcohol, and for some reason, she often asked for liquor that was especially effective on male lizards.
While they exchanged resources like this, the fundamental purpose of the alliance was to share their military strength.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had dispatched troops to exterminate the remnants of Tai Sui.
In return, the Snake Queen had promised to lend her strength to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in times of need.
Of course, it wasn't an alliance that expected her to help with all her might.
It was an alliance formed with the expectation of just a single participation in battle.
A powerful spirit beast like the Snake Queen had the power to turn the tide of a war with that single intervention.
Unlike high-tier spirit beasts who were resistant to petrification or poison, humans had very few ways to counter petrification.
Thus, any martial artist below the Peak Realm would be turned to stone without being able to resist, and even those of greater skill would suffer immense damage.
In a large-scale battle where armies clashed, not just a few strong individuals, the power of a spirit beast like the Snake Queen was comparable to a natural disaster.
That was why the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult treated the Snake Queen with respect.
Of course, there was also the fact that the Cult Leader herself had forged the alliance.
It couldn't have been a surprise attack from the Murim Alliance.
Even if they were to attack, why would they target the Snake Queen?
There was no way the relationship between the Snake Queen and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was known, so it would be a pointless waste of precious forces.
Then who were the attackers this time?
"They were... countless beasts... with red eyes! We even saw some with multiple eyes on their limbs... Keuk... We were no match for them... We all managed to escape thanks to the Snake Queen, but..."
The enemy didn't come from outside the 100,000 Great Mountains.
They were ferocious beasts from within the 100,000 Great Mountains.
Specifically, those influenced by the remnants of Tai Sui had attacked the Snake Queen.
The elders all swallowed hard, waiting for the Cult Leader's word.
It was up to the Cult Leader to decide how to respond.
"Take this man to the infirmary."
Having said that, Baek Yeon-yeong seemed about to continue the meeting as if nothing had happened.
"C-Cult Leader. What about reinforcements...?"
They rarely questioned the Cult Leader's words, but this time, they had to ask.
It was an alliance she herself had forged. Why was she not responding at all?
"Reinforcements?"
"Yes. The Snake Queen is a powerful ally. Her strength is essential for the coming war... Why are you not sending reinforcements?"
Baek Yeon-yeong tilted her head.
She looked as if she couldn't understand why the question was even being asked.
"He just left, did he not?"
Most of the people here did not understand what she meant.
They couldn't have possibly noticed.
That a certain man had slipped out of the room before the messenger had even finished speaking.
"...How can our cult's Divine Being go alone!"
"Cult Leader, we of the Heavenly Cloud Unit will give chase at once...!"
The elders, realizing the situation belatedly, shot to their feet.
Sending support was one thing, but sending him alone was another matter entirely.
Moreover, he was the Cult Leader's direct disciple.
If such a valuable talent were to be injured, it would be problematic in many ways.
"That won't be necessary."
But Baek Yeon-yeong simply shook her head lightly.
She glanced at Seol-hwa, who was fumbling at the spot where her dango had been with a beet-red face, then shifted her gaze to the ring finger of her left hand.
On the spot a certain lizard always used to bite, there was now a jade ring.
The elders were stunned.
The Cult Leader's expression, which had been so cold, had changed.
She had only slightly raised the corners of her mouth, but the change was by no means small.
Spring had come to her face, which was once like winter.
"Hmm, I just hope he doesn't get eaten..."
And she whispered a small worry.
The elders were confused by the Cult Leader's inscrutable actions and words.
She sent him alone and now hopes he doesn't get eaten?
Of course, Baek Yeon-yeong's worry was not of that kind.
She was worried about her disciple, who might find himself ensnared by the tail of that mysterious spirit beast—a woman who bore a striking resemblance to herself.