Chapter 212 Blood Cult (1)
The road to the Blood Cult headquarters was eerily quiet.
Tak Horak even grumbled, "It's so boring. Not even a single band of bandits shows up."
"This place is bordered by great barriers to the north, and the righteous factions' territories on the other three sides. No bandits would dare linger here."
"I figured there might be some small-time bandits, even if not a full-scale Green Forest outfit. Heh heh."
Well, not all bandits were Green Forest affiliates, so it wasn't an unreasonable thought.
And soon enough, we learned why.
"There's a village up ahead."
Sa Wol spoke up.
Beyond the narrow mountain path—barely wide enough for our carriage—a village came into view in the distance.
It had been two days since we'd camped out in the wilds, and our backs were aching. I was craving a proper bed.
"Go check if we can stay the night."
"Understood."
Sa Wol's figure vanished in a blur. Mere seconds passed—truly just a few heartbeats—before she returned.
But doubt clouded her eyes, visible even above her mask.
"It's strange."
"What's strange?"
"It's definitely a village. About fifty households, by the look of it... but there's not a soul in sight."
"Maybe they're all out farming?"
Sa Wol shook her head at Tak Horak's question.
"The houses are all intact, everything left as is. It's like... they all vanished into thin air in an instant."
At her words, I instinctively glanced at Jin So-cheong. She wore an enigmatic, serene smile, her thoughts unreadable.
"Let's go see."
Moments later, upon reaching the village, Sa Wol's report made perfect sense.
The settlement was shrouded in silence, devoid of any human presence.
Yet traces of daily life remained untouched.
Pots even bubbled with stew over open fires.
It was a bizarre scene, like a computer-generated backdrop stripped of all its characters.
Jin So-cheong must have pulled some strings.
'Agreed.'
Unlike our bewilderment, Jin So-cheong—
She met my gaze and gave a subtle nod.
A look of utter satisfaction on her face.
Sending that messenger hawk wasn't just to clear the path ahead.
'...To remove anything in our way.'
Why else would there be no bandits? They usually swarm anyone on the move like us.
The problem was, they hadn't just cleared out threats—they'd wiped an entire civilian village off the map.
It was clear now.
The Divine Cult was extreme and eccentric, but it spared places where people lived. The Blood Cult? Pure evil incarnate.
Before questions of justice or hypocrisy even arose, their actions repulsed on a primal, instinctual level.
And after such atrocities, that smug look of pride? As if begging for applause.
Tak Horak shuddered as he spoke.
"Ugh... a whole village empty like this. Gives me the creeps. Should've asked those Hwasan Taoists for some talismans."
"We'll pass through."
"Pardon? Sunset's in about two hours up here in the mountains."
"No one's home. We can't just barge into someone else's village."
A true Cultist mindset would blame the absent owners, but right now, I had no appetite for it. The mood was foul.
"Got it. What's one or two more nights camping? Leave it to me."
Sa Wol and Tak Horak nodded readily at my words, but Jin So-cheong looked a touch flustered.
I sent her a transmission.
— Pull any stunts, and you're first to die. Don't make it obvious.
Yet upon hearing it, Jin So-cheong pressed her hands to her cheeks. Utterly mad.
Her subordinates noticed her flushed face and grew concerned.
"Miss? Are you unwell?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Are you sure you're not overexerting? Young hero Dongbang Geom-ryong, our lady seems fatigued. Why not rest here?"
"No. I can't hold everyone back on my account."
Soon, Jin So-cheong turned to me.
"Over that next ridge, there's another small village. How about staying there? Too many nights camping can let chill seep into the body—could make you ill."
"...Very well."
She beamed at my response.
Sa Wol was on edge.
Where exactly are we headed?
Normally, the young master announced destinations in advance. It allowed preparations.
Not this time.
We were simply following Jin So-cheong.
Yes, that woman was the source of her unease.
Jin So-cheong of Seongsu Bong.
Why? How?
Sa Wol was a Super Peak master.
Even before reaching that realm, she'd trained in assassination, tracking, and interrogation.
She knew people inside out.
Every action betrayed thoughts and emotions, even unconscious ones.
Why is the young master watching Jin So-cheong's reactions?
From what Sa Wol observed, he was.
Just moments ago, too.
Upon hearing the village was empty, he'd looked to Jin So-cheong, who smiled.
After searching the houses, their eyes met again.
And—
Jin So-cheong touched her cheeks.
Her subordinates fretted over her health, but Sa Wol knew better.
That expression wasn't fatigue. It was ecstasy.
No one blushes like that out of nowhere upon seeing a face. Some exchange had occurred.
Likely a transmission.
The young master, at his supreme realm, could send them without moving his lips.
Sa Wol pondered.
What words could elicit such bliss in an instant from that woman?
Unless it was sweet, whispered words of affection—impossible otherwise.
But.
He said it wasn't.
She should trust his word, yet suspicion kept bubbling up.
No other meaning.
Merely concern that the Heavenly Demon's future consort might be led astray.
Is that really all?
Her brother's voice seemed to echo, but Sa Wol shook her head firmly.
"Something wrong?"
"...Nothing."
"I see."
Sa Wol bowed her head.
We crested the ridge, and dusk began to fall.
"Lights ahead!"
At Tak Horak's call, I peered out the carriage window.
Clusters of lights flickered not far off.
Pa Cheon confirmed multiple presences on his senses.
"We'll make it before dark. Hya!"
Tak Horak urged the horses on.
We entered the village outskirts. It was about the same size as the last one.
A wizened elder—likely the village head—greeted us.
There were a couple of empty houses available, he said.
The homes were clustered tightly.
Jin So-cheong and I each picked one.
As Tak Horak inspected his, he muttered,
"These empty houses in a remote mountain village seem awfully grand. Even stables for the horses."
'Must be pricey,' he concluded with a grin.
"The headman's sending over some side dishes. Rest up—I'll fetch them!"
Tak Horak left.
Then Sa Wol approached me.
"This is suspicious."
"What is?"
"A remote mountain hamlet like this? Strangers usually react with wariness or curiosity—one or the other. But these villagers..."
"Couldn't care less about us. Shockingly so."
It wasn't fear of intimidating warriors, eyes downcast.
More like they'd been sternly warned not to look our way.
"I'll interrogate them."
"No need."
"But young master."
Sa Wol fixed me with a stare.
Alone together, perhaps.
Her unmasked face held a rare urgency.
"That's an order. Stand down."
"...Understood."
Her trailing tone suggested dissatisfaction.
"...I'll scout the perimeter and return shortly."
"Do that."
A night stroll to cool off her irritation.
Demon.
"I know. Blood Cult bastards."
One ridge away, and a village vanishes.
Could the next one possibly be spared?
Just because it lay on my path? The Blood Cult evaporating innocents for it?
"They slaughtered everyone, then dressed up as the villagers."
Fools the others, but not me. In this world, no one acted better than I did.
The headman was convincing enough, but the rest? Amateurish.
"Did the deed, then staged this cleanup."
It only took us two hours to cross that ridge.
"Yeah. They arrived ahead and set the stage."
Meaning the Blood Cult already controlled this region.
We're shoving our heads into the tiger's jaws.
"I'm fine."
Sa Wol and Tak Horak were the issue.
Jin So-cheong's absolute loyalty was mine alone.
No—given her fanaticism, she likely saw them as obstacles. Spouting nonsense about worldly ties.
The closer to headquarters, the riskier. And what about telling Sa Wol and Tak Horak about the Blood Cult Lord?
"We'll leave them behind."
Denying the Heavenly Demon while posing as Dongbang Geom-ryong? Plausible for a spy.
But the Blood Cult Lord? Different story.
Same roots as the First Heavenly Demon, yet irreconcilable foes: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult versus Blood Cult.
Dangerous.
"Risk we take."
In wuxia tales, they say "Hide thirty percent of your power." National rule: always hold an ace.
The Blood Cult was my joker card.
"First, figure out what's eating Sa Wol. Maybe she's antsy leaving big bro behind."
...Handle it yourself.
"Trust me. Ex-salesman from a top firm."
Pa Cheon fell silent. Then—
Someone's coming. The headman.
I opened the door.
There he stood, the wizened elder beaming benevolently.
"Heh heh, may I come in, young hero?"
Clumsy improv, but I'd play along for now.
"Please do."
The headman crossed the threshold slowly.
But then—
As he stepped inside, his aura shifted.
A sticky, fishy stench accompanied it. His graying hair gradually turned red—white strands now streaked with crimson, like premature grays in reverse.
His eyes gleamed with swirling red energy as they fixed on me.
One look, and it hit me—someone he resembled perfectly.
"Ilmajon greets the Lord candidate."
Ilmajon.
Jin So-cheong's grandfather.
Publicly a divine physician named Uiseong, but truly one of the Blood Cult's Three Great Lords.
And here he was, brazenly unleashing that prickling aura.
So I asked,
"Where are Sa Wol and Tak Horak?"
My subordinates.
If they were safe, Ilmajon wouldn't dare reveal himself like this.
The Blood Cult never exposed themselves openly.
Which meant trouble for my people.
Hot rage surged.
"To become the Cult's true Lord, one must sever worldly attachments."
Ilmajon eyed me appraisingly. Jin So-cheong had tipped him off, no doubt, but trust didn't come easy.
Unlike her calling me "Lord," he said "candidate."
Time to show him.
I summoned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's power, layering it with Latent Blood Explosion, then drawing it forth through the Blood Explosion Jade.
"Touch what's mine—"
One drop.
A single drop of blood hovered above my palm.
"—and I'll tear down your entire cult."
Ilmajon—
"They're alive."
Grinned ear to ear.
"My Lord."
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon