167. Blood Cult Lord (3)
I barely suppressed a hollow laugh.
What the hell was I supposed to do with the Heavenly Demon?
[How dare you speak such blasphemy! And you're a heretic to boot!]
'Calm down. The problem isn't the blasphemy—it's the impossibility.'
There's a term people often use: the Absolute. It's reserved for those untouchable beings who reign supreme over heaven and earth, utterly unique and unrivaled.
The Heavenly Demon, Yi Se-ryeong, was one such Absolute. Not just close to it—she was it.
That was the canon setting in this Murim Returner world.
All the feats I'd described and explained about Yi Se-ryeong in Murim Returner had been accomplished while she was suffering from severe internal injuries.
To put it simply, even operating at 20-30% capacity, she'd single-handedly wiped out the North Sea Ice Palace and reduced the Blood Demon to a withered old hag.
The Heavenly Demon was like a force of nature. You didn't fight or comprehend her—you endured her.
She was merely dormant, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
The problem was that those who hadn't witnessed her firsthand tended to underestimate and belittle her. Being a young woman who became the Heavenly Demon only made them look down on her more.
This was especially true outside the Divine Cult.
Jin So-cheong was a prime example right now.
Idiots.
The Divine Cult was a stronghold of the strong. They had no grasp of what it meant to rise to the pinnacle among ten thousand believers.
'No wonder the Blood Cult gets cocky and shattered in Murim Returner.'
From what Jin So-cheong had shared, the Blood Cult had meticulously plotted a blood apocalypse across the martial world.
But no scheme, no matter how elaborate, stood against overwhelming power.
The Heavenly Demon was untouchable.
Still, I couldn't let that show.
Fake or not, the moment my dignity slipped, Jin So-cheong and the Blood Cult would turn on me.
'But there's another way.'
A way to turn this situation to my advantage and make the Blood Cult even more useful.
I tore open the healing wound on my palm.
"You don't crave blood itself, but blood arts draw energy through blood, correct?"
"Yes."
"Take my blood."
Jin So-cheong's eyes widened at my words.
For blood arts cultivation, pure blood or blood infused with refined energy was ideal.
In that sense, my blood could be an incredible boon.
"C-can a wretch like me accept such an honor?"
"It's no honor. My blood will be poison to you."
"How could the Cult Lord's blood be poison? Even if you've mastered poison arts, it won't matter. Our blood arts can neutralize it."
"You'll see. Open your mouth."
Blushing furiously, Jin So-cheong parted her lips. I carefully squeezed my palm, feeding her exactly one drop.
[What are you doing?]
'Remember Jin Yeong Ryeong? She tasted my blood and cowered completely. She felt the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy within it.'
I might not be her, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy belonged to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. Even in another body, it would rampage like it owned the place—especially since I'd been playacting as master.
[You're going to make Jin So-cheong kneel for good, huh.]
'Exactly.'
Jin So-cheong swallowed the drop in rapture, but soon...
"……!?"
She shuddered as if struck by lightning. Her expression slackened, drool spilling out. Even without medical or martial knowledge, it looked dangerous.
'Jin Yeong Ryeong actually vomited blood and lost her realm.'
Jin Yeong Ryeong, a Super Peak expert even after I left the Divine Cult, hadn't recovered.
That was mild by comparison. Hence, just one drop.
Convulsing violently, she closed her eyes and assumed the lotus position.
I watched silently.
About fifteen minutes passed.
Jin So-cheong opened her eyes. They still held—
"Ahh!"
—madness. Eyes stained with terror, yet gleaming with ecstasy.
"Such ferocious, overwhelming energy... Truly... utterly divine. You are undoubtedly the vessel for the Blood God, the Blood Cult Lord."
Swaying unsteadily, yet spouting that nonsense. She was thoroughly insane.
'Definitely the type who enjoys the pain.'
A yandere obsessed with the Heavenly Demon was terrifying, but Jin So-cheong? Not so much. I could exploit it.
"Did you feel that power?"
"Yes. I felt it clearly. The Blood God's energy that denies, seizes, and destroys all!"
"And yet, the Heavenly Demon would still win."
"What do you mean? Why would the Blood God's vessel say such a thing?!"
Her reaction was exactly as expected—fierce.
"For now."
"!"
"You wouldn't understand. But I've witnessed the Heavenly Demon's power firsthand. Even without the Blood God's energy, it was beyond mortal limits."
"How could a human possess such power?"
"I said it already—beyond mortal. The current Heavenly Demon is strong enough to defy classification as human."
Jin So-cheong bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, not just gnashing but tearing into it.
I frowned.
"Don't spill blood carelessly before me."
"Ignore this worthless wretch."
"Silence. That blood is for the day of the blood apocalypse. Don't waste it until then."
"……!"
With a squelching sound, her wound healed. Even the blood staining her robes reversed, flowing back and absorbing into her skin.
"As I said, even this power falls short. Ten years. Exactly ten more years are needed."
"Ten years...! We've waited centuries. Ten years is nothing."
The Blood Cult's apocalypse kicked off in 2-3 years in canon.
That meant massive groundwork already laid.
Pushing it back a decade bought the martial world peace—for now.
'Time to squeeze every last drop from them.'
The Blood Cult had infiltrated high echelons across righteous and demonic factions alike. Endless treasures to plunder.
'Maybe snag some family heirloom they couldn't crack.'
Even spirit herbs—useless to me—could empower Sa Wol or Tak Horak.
The Tang Clan could handle themselves.
Guilty conscience?
None.
Survival and return were my top priorities.
Besides, the Blood Cult were heretics dead-set on drowning the world in blood.
Draining them preserved peace.
"However, Cult Lord, there's one issue."
"What?"
"I've witnessed your power, so I harbor no doubt. But others might."
"They'll doubt me?"
I furrowed my brow in displeasure. Jin So-cheong paled and bowed deeply.
"As Blood Cult Lord, display your majesty and punish those blind and deaf fools who fail to recognize you!"
"Enough. What must I do?"
"Come to our headquarters and prove it. We possess the Blood God's relic grander than any legacy dust."
"Release it?"
Easy for me—and necessary.
The Demonless Trace Wall they called the Blood God's relic held the First Heavenly Demon's records.
"Where is your headquarters?"
"Shanxi Province."
Shanxi: grasslands to the north, Shanxi proper left, Hebei right, Henan below.
No major sects or clans, but ringed by righteous giants.
Perfect for a blind spot.
Who'd suspect Blood Cult heretics hiding in righteous territory?
Disguised as physicians, they excelled at striking vulnerabilities.
"Understood. I'll visit."
I'd been pondering how to avoid returning to the Divine Cult while consolidating power.
The Blood Cult warranted Divine Cult attention—a report might trigger pursuit orders.
"But first, a question."
"Ask away."
"You mentioned collaborators in the Divine Cult. Who were they?"
"Two. Ones you'd know well."
"'Were'?"
"Yes. They died uselessly."
No way.
Right?
"Who?"
"Sado Gwang. Your blood kin."
"……."
[…….]
Pa Cheon and I fell silent.
That bastard... was he even human?
No telling how deep his schemes ran.
'Good thing I eliminated him early.'
Soul Swap Great Law meant a new body, but rebuilding would take time. And I'd absorbed his Blood Cult foothold—unexpected gains.
"Mere mortal ties mean nothing. Who was the other?"
Jin So-cheong smiled approvingly at my cultish tone.
"One of the Mad Demon Six Families: Il Wol Chu Clan head, Chu Tae Su."
Of course.
That tracked for 0.7 Sado Gwang.
"Can you sever ties with Chu Tae Su?"
"Yes. I'll inform Ilmajon."
"Good. But he's cunning and suspicious—sudden cutoff might provoke him. Ultimately, we must oust him. It'll ease my operations in the Divine... Demon Cult."
"We'll lure him into a mistake with false intel. Leave it to us."
"Handle it to my satisfaction, and I'll grant more blood."
"……Thank you!"
She beamed radiantly. Promising poison, yet thrilled. Terminal case.
"One more thing. No blood arts on Paeng So So."
"A potential mate, perhaps?"
"Remember what I said about pulling tongues?"
"S-sorry!"
I stopped her from actually yanking it out and vaguely explained my contract with Paeng So So. Told her to lift it from Namgung Jin too.
"As expected of one so exalted—you'd already planned ahead without us. We nearly ruined your grand design."
Her eyes sparkled at every word. Like Tak Horak with a few screws loose.
"Accompany me to headquarters. And as you know, no approaching or acknowledging me. Avoid misunderstandings."
"……Understood."
She replied glumly but wouldn't defy the Blood Cult Lord.
Now, I'd tell Gongjin to wait at Shaolin instead of returning to Sichuan.
Shanxi was Shaolin's backyard—kill two birds, especially with my Paeng Yu-gun free pass.
'What a ridiculous lineup.'
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult successor.
Dao King.
Blood Cult fanatic.
Murim's greatest mess?
"By the way. Anything from Namgung Jin about the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament? You must've chatted during the blood arts."
"Yes. Hunting spirit beasts—the finest hunter wins a treasure."
"Hm. I see."
Underwhelming. I already had Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa, top-tier spirit beast. What treasure could Namgung Jin offer?
Still, curiosity prompted:
"Know what it is?"
"Azure Red Ring. A pair of earrings—a treasure artifact linking wearers' statuses."
Underwhelming? Retracted.
Jackpot.