Chapter 276: Heavenly Demon Cult (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Heavenly Demon Cult (2)
An old man with muscles that looked ready to burst.
This man was one of the two Dharma Protectors who assisted the Heavenly Demon, and the creator of the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art.
"It's been a while, Master."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"Indeed. You must have had a hard time traveling such a long way. I was worried you might have grown weaker since we last met, but it seems my fears were entirely unfounded."
The Dark Emperor let out a hearty laugh.
Beside him, Baeksa, whom Jinhyuk had met in the Empire, and the experts of the Shadow Unit were also visible.
"Hahaha. You even sent a Jiangshi just to check if your fears were unfounded. I almost ended up going to Bukmang Mountain instead of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. If you were going to do that, why didn't you just send a Yin-Yang Jiangshi? That way, I could have just bitten my tongue and died."
"Well, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters. Don't complain so much. If you're going to call yourself my disciple, you should be able to handle something of this level with your eyes closed."
"But I haven't actually learned anything from you yet..."
"Ahem! Ahem!"
The Dark Emperor cleared his throat awkwardly.
Embarrassed, he quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, I didn't know we had another guest besides Wolyeong. Is that person your companion?"
The Dark Emperor's gaze shifted to Alice.
Though her face was hidden behind a mask, she couldn't conceal her true essence.
A sharp, piercing energy pried beneath her mask.
However, Alice was not one to easily succumb to the Dark Emperor's pressure.
Bzzt!
Sparks flew as the clashing, disparate energies neutralized each other.
In that instant, a pebble on the ground shattered into dust with a sharp pop.
"Oh?"
An intrigued exclamation escaped the Dark Emperor's lips.
A suffocating war of nerves ensued.
The atmosphere shifted rapidly.
"..."
Alice tilted her head slightly.
As if refusing to back down from a fight, she looked ready to pull out her Unique Sacred Chant at any moment.
'Damn it. This is why people with massive egos are so troublesome.'
If even the slightest thing displeased them, they would flip the table and start a fight.
Right then.
"...My boy. It seems you've found quite an excellent partner. Her skills are outstanding, and the energy within her is just like that of our Demonic Cult. Hmm. Someone like her is more than welcome to enter our cult. I shall grant my permission."
"...What?"
"Huh?"
Jinhyuk and Alice blurted out at the same time.
"Now, let us go. We've been delayed, so we must hurry if we want to arrive before sunset."
Before they could even reply, the Dark Emperor took the lead.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
As if her mood had suddenly soared, Alice hummed a cheerful tune.
For some reason, the hostile energy she had been radiating just moments ago had completely vanished.
"Why are your mood swings so extreme? Didn't you say you disliked my master?"
"I did, but now I like that old grandpa. Hehe."
Alice skipped along with light footsteps.
Was she really that pleased that a vampire's unique mana was similar to the demonic qi of the Demonic Cult?
Seriously, it was impossible to understand what went through the minds of these absolute powerhouses.
How long had they been walking?
By the time a fair distance had grown between Jinhyuk and the Dark Emperor,
Baeksa approached the Dark Emperor at the front.
The tension on his stiff face was clearly born of worry and anxiety.
"Do you truly intend to take him as your disciple? A man who does not belong to our cult, let alone the Murim..."
Baeksa spoke cautiously.
"I know what you are worried about. But do not fret."
"...But, Sovereign. The three great masters who were scattered have all returned to the cult. Furthermore, during your ten years of seclusion, three new masters have been added, have they not?"
"Are you speaking of the ones the Left Dharma Protector recruited himself?"
Today, a total of ten masters—including the Heavenly Demon, the two Dharma Protectors, and Shimmasaryong—would gather in one place.
"Yes. The situation is already as tense as walking on a knife's edge, so I believe it would be best not to provide any unnecessary provocation. Especially since the Left Dharma Protector is... an inscrutable man."
Though they had all gathered under the massive pillar that was the Heavenly Demon, the Left Dharma Protector was different.
Ambition.
Even if he didn't show it openly, molten iron and calamity fire boiled furiously within him.
To give such vipers an excuse to exploit a weakness made Baeksa incredibly anxious.
It was only natural.
After all, the Demonic Cult was originally a gathering of those who killed others and plundered what they had to make it their own.
However.
"Baeksa."
The Dark Emperor's expression remained unchanged.
"Y-yes?"
"I clearly said it is fine."
He simply spoke.
He made his decisions entirely on his own.
For no one but the Heavenly Demon could command him.
And once he decided to take someone under his wing, he would never abandon them under any circumstances.
"Indeed, the time we have known each other is short. And as you said, his roots do not lie in the Murim. Nevertheless, I have decided to accept that boy as my disciple."
He didn't know why.
It was just... he felt a sense of familiarity and longing, as if they had spent ages together.
"I wish to trust my instincts."
Beyond the drifting wind, a faint smile touched the corners of the Dark Emperor's mouth.
It was a smile the Dark Emperor had never shown to anyone before.
"I obey your command."
Baeksa bowed his head.
* * *
The main hall of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
The Heavenly Demon Hall.
To the left and right of the empty seat of honor sat six men and women.
These were the Ten Great Masters of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"Setting aside the two Dharma Protectors and Shimmasaryong, is the Heavenly Demon still not here? We have barely seen him since he entered seclusion. I am starting to worry if something has gone wrong."
An old man with age spots and a gaunt, skeletal appearance spoke up.
Ranked 8th, he was Dokgoryong, who held the moniker of the Poison Lotus Hand.
Rather than genuine concern, his tone suggested he was hoping something had indeed gone wrong.
"My, my. Is an old man like you coveting power? The Heavenly Demon is in perfect health, so you need not worry. I can guarantee it."
So Ho-hyang, the Bare-Hand Illusion Maiden, flashed a seductive smile.
Ranked 5th, she was a master who had reached the pinnacle of the Bare-Hand Demonic Art; her smile alone made the surrounding air turn sweet.
"Tsk! You sly vixen, who are you calling power-hungry?"
"Well, that's exactly what it looked like to me. But if you say so, I suppose not."
So Ho-hyang smiled brightly.
"Honestly, engaging in a war of nerves after not seeing each other for so long. How vulgar."
"Keke. Indeed, we aren't exactly the type to exchange warm pleasantries."
"How boring."
The others chimed in one by one.
But right at that moment,
Crash!
The door to the inner hall shattered with a deafening roar.
"Hahaha! It seems I am quite late. The Heavenly Demon... Hmm? He hasn't arrived at the inner hall yet, I see."
It was the Dark Emperor.
His reckless behavior was nothing new. Damaging property was also a familiar sight to everyone.
However.
Even for his eccentricities, there was a line that should not be crossed.
Especially for one of the two Dharma Protectors assisting the Heavenly Demon...
...and even more so for the one holding the position of the Right Dharma Protector.
"Dark Emperor—no, Right Dharma Protector! Who on earth are those people?"
Dokgoryong's voice was sharp.
This was the Heavenly Demon Hall.
A sanctuary where none but the permitted could set foot.
Yet, a complete outsider had boldly walked right in, so it was only natural for them to be flabbergasted.
"Keep your voice down. I can hear you perfectly fine. This is my disciple and... well, his fiancée."
"A d-disciple?"
"...Are you saying the Right Dharma Protector has taken a disciple?"
"No way..."
At the Dark Emperor's words, gasps of disbelief erupted from all sides.
Though the Dark Emperor had risen to the position of Right Dharma Protector solely through his absurdly overwhelming strength, he had never taken a single disciple over the years.
This was because no one in the Heavenly Demon Cult had ever caught his eye.
"Then... does that mean he can use the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art?"
"Yes. He can."
The Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art.
It was the Dark Emperor's signature martial art, which countless geniuses had tried to learn, only to fail.
At best, they could only mimic the Black Heaven Art, a simplified version of it.
Yet, he had mastered it.
If the Dark Emperor hadn't said so himself, they would never have believed it.
"Indeed, if that is the case, it is understandable why the Right Dharma Protector took an interest in him. May I ask what stage of mastery he has reached?"
"The 4th stage. While it may not be exact, I have personally witnessed him execute martial arts equivalent to at least that level without any difficulty."
"He... he didn't just perform the basic forms, but has actually entered the 4th stage of mastery?"
"To think such a thing is possible at his age."
"...Does this mean he is a monster?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to Jinhyuk.
Seeing him stand calmly even under such suffocating pressure, he was certainly no ordinary fellow.
But the 4th stage of mastery?
Even Yang Ho-myung, the leader of the Black Wind Society, had taken ten years just to reach the 3rd stage of the Black Heaven Art, which wasn't even the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art.
"So, you brought him here to have him join our cult."
"No, I wish for my disciple to be granted the same authority as myself."
"The s-same authority as the Right Dharma Protector? Surely, I must have misheard?"
"You heard perfectly fine, so why ask again?"
"So, in other words... he will be the Right Dharma Protector's disciple and have free rein to enter and leave the cult as he pleases, but... he won't have to follow our doctrines. Simply put, you are asking us to let him act entirely as he pleases, are you not?"
"That is exactly what I am saying."
The Dark Emperor nodded in agreement.
"That is preposterous!"
"Right Dharma Protector! Have you lost your mind?"
"Bwahaha! Has the old man gone senile? Did your brain rot away during your ten years of seclusion?"
"Just because he is a somewhat useful talent, such special treatment makes absolutely no sense. Besides, we have no way of proving any of this other than the Right Dharma Protector's word."
"Hmm. I expected as much."
The Dark Emperor shrugged at Jinhyuk.
"Well, I anticipated this."
"Then, show them. Why you deserve such special treatment."
And.
"Why I decided to take you as my disciple from the very moment we met."
Show them everything.
"Understood."
Jinhyuk stepped forward.
* * *
The Ten Great Masters of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Though a few were missing, they were powerhouses whose very names could send shivers down one's spine.
Each had mastered a specialized martial art, and their real combat experience was on a completely different level compared to the Murim people he had faced so far.
'They really are impressive.'
Jinhyuk scanned the faces of the masters before him.
From rank 5th to 10th.
Every single one of them was a monster.
However, he didn't need to worry about them all attacking at once.
Since they held high positions, their pride would prevent them from acting recklessly.
"It would look ridiculous if we personally stepped forward to face the Right Dharma Protector's disciple. We shall also call upon our disciples to face him. Ja So-hee."
"Yes, Leader."
At So Ho-hyang's call, a young girl appeared.
She had been waiting outside, but upon receiving So Ho-hyang's permission, she was able to enter the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Sring!
The sword drawn from its scabbard scattered a dazzling flash of light.
Judging by the heavy, chilling yin energy settling in, it seemed this girl had also mastered the Bare-Hand Demonic Art.
But right then, Dokgoryong intervened.
"No, do not interfere. I will settle this matter myself."
"My, my. For you to take the initiative. What's gotten into you?"
"Do I need a reason to step forward?"
"Fufu. Well, do as you please. Since you have so many unresolved feelings toward the Right Dharma Protector, I shall specially yield this turn to you."
Thud!Thud!
Dokgoryong struck the floor twice with his staff.
"Paegak!"
At his sharp voice, a shadow materialized.
"Did you call for me?"
"Yes. It seems the Right Dharma Protector has taken a disciple. Go and personally teach him how absolute the hierarchy of our cult is."
"Hehe. If that is the case, leave it to me."
With a sinister smile, Paegak approached Jinhyuk.
"It's been a while since I've had the chance to 'pamper' a young junior. So, how does it feel to be at our cult? It would have been nice if you had taken in more of the scenery before you ended up confined to a hospital bed."
"The natural scenery was great, and everything was fine. It was a perfectly wonderful day—right up until an old senior started acting like a condescending boomer."
"W-what? A condescending boomer?"
"And if you're going to do some 'pampering,' don't go touching other people's bodies. Why don't you pamper your own face first? It's practically dripping with grime. Sure, training in martial arts and cultivating internal energy is all well and good, but shouldn't you at least wash your face once in a while?"
Seriously. It was impossible to tell whether he was a beggar from the Beggar's Sect or a master of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Though it was somewhat understandable since he did nothing but eat Fasting Pills and swing his sword...
"For someone who calls themselves a 'Dark Hand,' you reek of the sewers so badly that even Yu-seong, walking a hundred miles away, would probably be able to pinpoint exactly where you're hiding."
At this point, he was practically a walking billboard.
"Do... do you even know what kind of nonsense you are spewing right now?"
"Come on. I'm the one who said it, so of course I know what it means. It's not like I'm a brainless idiot like you, senior."
"Argh... Aaaaargh!"
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Paegak lunged forward.