Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Needle in the Satchel (12)
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The Demonic Cult.
For Paeng Hyeoncheol, the chancellor of the Orthodox Martial Academy and bearer of the title Blade Emperor, hearing that name was almost inevitable. He had long harbored suspicions about the Sword Demon's movements.
Of course, the orthodox warriors were busy denouncing him as a indiscriminate murderer who slaughtered without mercy. But when you looked closely, every single one of his victims turned out to be scoundrels with terribly sordid pasts.
Some among them were even sects expelled from the orthodox faction after their grave crimes came to light belatedly. A one-off or two could be dismissed as coincidence.
But when it exceeded that, it stopped being coincidence and became a deliberate scheme orchestrated by someone. From that moment, Paeng Hyeoncheol had sensed something amiss and secretly investigated the Sword Demon's disappearance.
However, in the process, he encountered an unexpected obstacle. For some reason, not only records related to the Sword Demon but even eyewitnesses had vanished without a trace.
'Someone is deliberately erasing the Sword Demon's tracks? No, that's not quite right.'
The Sword Demon, a legend of the unorthodox sects who had left massive scars on the orthodox world, was an indelible wound. In other words, they weren't erasing the Sword Demon himself, but something connected to him.
Paeng Hyeoncheol urgently informed everyone in the Murim Alliance of this fact, but all he got in return was cold ridicule. They even accused him of defending the unorthodox, nearly expelling him from the Alliance.
'After all that effort, the only thing I managed to uncover was the name "Demonic Cult," and now here I am, hearing it straight from the man himself.'
The weight of it was far heavier than he had imagined. Especially right after such an unfortunate incident. Paeng Hyeoncheol moistened his parched lips with tea from his cup and continued.
"So, what you're saying, Great Hero... is that these villains of the Demonic Cult are lurking in the shadows, manipulating both the orthodox and unorthodox factions at will?"
"That's right."
"Even coming from you, Great Hero... it's too grave a claim to accept without evidence."
Suspicious circumstances abounded, certainly. But without concrete proof to back them up, that was the reality. Nameless nodded as if understanding, then replied.
"I get what you mean. But those harmed by the Demonic Cult aren't just me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Are you aware of what the Moyong Clan has been through lately?"
"I know their patriarch turned the whole clan upside down."
Someone of the Blade Emperor's stature, with considerable influence even in the Murim Alliance, naturally heard all sorts of rumors whether he wanted to or not. Especially the louder ones.
"Then do you know the reason why?"
"No, I don't. They've been in talks with the Murim Alliance recently, but before that, they had cut off all contact... Are you saying the Demonic Cult was behind that uproar?"
"Exactly. The Demonic Cult cunningly infiltrated the Moyong Clan, trying to seize control."
"To think such a thing happened."
He had heard about the recent scandal in the Moyong Clan. But he hadn't known the exact reason—never dreaming their patriarch had joined the Demonic Cult.
"Could there be some mistake? Even if they severed ties with the Murim Alliance, the Moyong Clan is still one of the Five Great Clans, a prestigious family..."
"Even this Orthodox Martial Academy, right in the orthodox faction's front yard, had Demonic Cult lackeys hiding inside. You know what that means better than anyone."
"......"
"Nothing can be 'absolutely' certain anymore. We must suspect and double-suspect everything ceaselessly."
Nameless's sharp words left Paeng Hyeoncheol unable to retort. Naturally, the Academy selected instructors through rigorous processes. But it was also true that those procedures had recently grown lax.
"If you still doubt this, go visit the Moyong Clan yourself. Mention my name, and they'll explain kindly."
"No need for that. Who else knows about this?"
"Aside from the Moyong Clan, the Evil Path Union."
'The Evil Path Union... the heart of the unorthodox, ruled by the Sword Demon's blood kin as its lord. So, he informed his kin first, one step ahead.'
He didn't want to admit that the orthodox faction—the origin and root of all martial arts—lagged behind the unorthodox. But right now, he had no luxury for pride.
The suffocating fog that had obscured everything finally began to clear. Acknowledging the Demonic Cult resolved all the mysteries that had piled up.
And at the same time, Paeng Hyeoncheol realized what the Sword Demon was after. From the story, the Demonic Cult was undoubtedly too much even for the Sword Demon alone.
What did that imply?
'The Sword Demon is clearly recruiting allies to oppose the Demonic Cult.'
The Moyong Clan and the Evil Path Union—orthodox and unorthodox joining forces? Absurd. But Paeng Hyeoncheol had already discerned through his investigations that the recent currents in the martial world were far from normal.
'Perhaps... it really could happen.'
An unprecedented alliance between mortal enemies, orthodox and unorthodox.
'This should convince him.'
Though the man himself had no such thoughts whatsoever.
The Demonic Cult had always believed in and worshipped power above all. They pursued overwhelming strength and believed it to be the truth. That was why they mocked the current martial world as mere pups.
Yet even the Demonic Cult acknowledged one warrior above all: the Sword Demon. In truth, he perfectly embodied the essence they sought—an overwhelming might no one could touch.
Thanks to the Sword Demon single-handedly devouring seventy percent of their forces, the Demonic Cult lost all its power and teetered on the brink of dissolution. It was only because the orthodox factions allied with them back then that they survived.
Had that not happened, the Demonic Cult wouldn't have endured to rebuild their strength. But that alliance created a problem. The Demonic Cult, once united under one doctrine, splintered.
[Overwhelming power alone is the pinnacle we ultimately pursue. Nothing else is worth considering.]
[Does power mean only martial might? People, silver, land, buildings—all can be weapons and power.]
[All talk, no action. Because of scum like you, the Demonic Cult grows weaker.]
[Oh my, how amusing. Without us, you'd have been crushed by the Sword Demon long ago, without a trace left.]
[We merely lost a clash of strength against strength. Better to have vanished then than suffer this filth.]
The Asura Cult pursued only raw martial dominance, while the White Serpent Cult viewed not just force but money and manipulation as power. Split into these two doctrines, they checked each other constantly.
The plot to swallow the Moyong Clan had come from the White Serpent Cult. In contrast, the Asura Cult eliminated obstacles with brute force—same roots, utterly different approaches.
Because of the brutish Asura Cult, Elder Jeok Yeong, who personally led the White Serpent Cult, let out a deep sigh that belied her beautiful face. worries piled up like mountains on all fronts.
'The Sword Demon's existence is no longer just Henan—it's spread across the entire Central Plains.'
Fortunately, not all their schemes of division and intrigue had been exposed. But some sects and families had grown suspicious and begun digging.
'The Blade Emperor of the Orthodox Martial Academy, the Jeon clan, and that damned woman from the Evil Path Union. Even hidden masters in the shadows are starting to move.'
Rumors spread like wildfire, a single horse galloping a thousand li. They tried desperately to bury them, but suppressing the Sword Demon's fame was nearly impossible.
Even worse, the Moyong Clan and Evil Path Union were secretly making contact, plotting something. One of the Five Great Clans allying with the unorthodox Evil Path Union? Preposterous.
Except for one man.
The existence that made it possible.
"Sword Demon...!! You've returned as a far more irritating foe than expected."
It didn't mean the past Sword Demon had been easy. His overwhelming power had even commanded respect from Jeok Yeong, who saw humans as insects. But even he had limits alone.
In the end, even that Sword Demon had suffered a fatal wound from the joint assault of orthodox and Demonic Cult forces, forced into seclusion for decades. Yet now, he was quietly rallying forces.
'He learned from his last defeat? If he succeeds in uniting them like this...'
Jeok Yeong felt chills down her spine for only the second time in her life.
She had to stop it at all costs. For the survival of the Demonic Cult.