Chapter 199
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: The Battle of Three Demons (9)
-Before Baek Mu-heun reached his destination.
Mu-heun had given Cheon-hyang another mission.
"Cheon-hyang."
[ Yes! ]
"Go to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult at once. And find the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden of the Sacred Fire Palace. You know who she is, right?"
[ Yes! Of course! ]
"And deliver this letter."
[ Understood! ]
Cheon-hyang, the mystical beast of the Heavenly Mountains, flew through the sky at near-supersonic speed.
*Swoooosh!*
And so, it arrived at the Sacred Fire Palace.
*Tweet!*
Just then, the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden, Mi-wol, who was strolling through the gardens of the Sacred Fire Palace, noticed Cheon-hyang approaching from a distance at incredible speed.
'I don't know what that is, but it seems to be coming for me...'
*Tweet!*
As Mi-wol expected, Cheon-hyang flew to her and soon began to speak in ultrasound.
[ I am my master's subordinate! I have come to deliver this letter! Hurry and open it! ]
Mi-wol saw an owl with white wings, which it bent like hands to point at a letter tied to its leg.
'An owl that communicates thoughts via ultrasound... this is no ordinary owl.'
Mi-wol promptly took the letter tied to Cheon-hyang's leg and unfolded it.
"This is...!"
She then immediately went to find the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit.
* * *
-The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit
"Commander! Are you there? Left Emissary! Right Emissary!"
The members of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit couldn't hide their bewilderment.
Never before had anyone from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult come looking for the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit and called for the Commander so urgently. This was because the unit was the Cult Leader's direct escort.
The Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit treated everyone equally, regardless of whether they were a Palace Lord, an Elder, or one of the Cult Leader's disciples.
Furthermore, for anyone within the cult,
there were unspoken rules that were always followed.
The first.
The Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit is the one that does the visiting.
Unless it is a critical matter affecting the entire cult, do not come to the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit directly.
The second.
If you must see the Commander, Left Emissary, or Right Emissary on business, you must schedule an appointment in advance. Otherwise, you will not be granted a meeting.
However, the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden, Mi-wol, had disregarded all these rules, coming to the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit and shouting for Commander Jin Mu.
Normally, she should have been turned away at the gate. But the unit members were conflicted.
After all, she was the Lord of the Sacred Fire Palace. Not the Lord of the Killing Palace, nor the Lord of the Law Palace, but the Lord of the Sacred Fire Palace. The Sun and Moon Divine Maiden, Mi-wol.
She was the cult's high priestess, favored by the Cult Leader.
The guard at the main gate was at a loss, completely flustered.
'Lady Mi-wol, who has never once visited the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit before! And I've never seen her in such a rush in my life. What if stopping her now interferes with a critical matter for the cult?'
Should he rigidly enforce the rules, or show some flexibility? The answer was obviously flexibility.
"M-My Lady! Please wait a moment! I have sent another guard to report to the Commander! Once he receives the report, there will surely be a response."
"No! Every moment is critical! We must hurry! There's no time for this! Let me in!"
"Ah, ah... well."
"Hmph! Forget it!"
In that instant, Mi-wol vanished from before the guard's eyes.
"Ah, ah..."
The difference in martial prowess between the guard and Mi-wol was like that of heaven and earth. It was impossible for the guard to stop her in the first place.
"Haha, well... she could have just done that from the start."
Leaving the grumbling guard behind, Mi-wol entered the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit's compound. The training grounds, sparring arenas, archives, and various halls for administrative work.
In the center of all those buildings stood the largest hall.
'He must be in there.'
Just then.
"What is the matter?"
A voice came from behind Mi-wol. It was Commander Jin Mu. Mi-wol immediately stopped and paid her respects.
'So his title, the Wind Demon Ghost, is no empty name. To think that even I couldn't sense his presence...'
"Commander, please forgive my rudeness. I have come because I have something urgent to report."
"Rudeness, my lady? I was just thinking I've been too distant lately. But, something to report?"
"Yes, please read this letter."
"A letter?"
Jin Mu unfolded the letter from Mi-wol and read it.
[ The favor I mentioned before. I am asking for it now.
Come to the Villain's Valley in the Sidalmok Basin and assess the situation. And become a witness to the fight between the candidates for Cult Leader. ]
"...!?"
Jin Mu was momentarily confused.
"What is... this...?"
Just then, Mi-wol added an explanation.
"Lord Mu-heun is in charge of the Dragon Demon Pavilion. It is said the Dragon Demon Pavilion has taken on the duties of the Red Demon Pavilion, specifically trade with Sichuan. Furthermore, a large number of Lord Mu-heun's—that is, the Dragon Demon's—subordinates are said to have accompanied the first trade caravan."
"...! Then, the recent report that the Ice Demon and the Flame Demon were going out on reconnaissance...!?"
"It seems so."
"I understand. I will go at once. May I entrust the report to the Cult Leader to you, my lady?"
"Of course. Ah, and a white owl will go with you. That owl is bound to Lord Mu-heun, so please listen to what it says."
"Ah... yes. An owl... I understand. Thank you."
Jin Mu cupped his fist to Mi-wol and then vanished like the wind.
And on that day.
The Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit moved.
Upon hearing Commander Jin Mu's words, Left Emissary Seo Deung and Right Emissary Ma Ji-seung led their troops and rushed out, unable to contain their admiration.
On the day the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit had summoned Baek Mu-heun to ask him to resolve the dispute with the Sichuan Tang Clan, Baek Mu-heun had asked them to grant him one request.
At that time, they had all replied in unison. They could grant his request, but there was a condition. They were the Cult Leader's direct escort. Therefore, they could not grant any request that might influence the succession.
However, Baek Mu-heun's request had completely overturned their expectations.
To assess the situation and act as witnesses to the fight between the candidates for Cult Leader.
It was truly a request with no grounds for refusal.
And so, they led the elite forces of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit and arrived at the Sidalmok Basin. However, before they reached the Salt Lake, an owl sent them a signal.
*Tweet! Tweet!*
[ Conceal your presence now and hide behind that large hill and those rocks! ]
Jin Mu, Seo Deung, and Ma Ji-seung quickly hid themselves behind the hill and the rocks. And they were astonished.
"C-Commander... is that truly the aura of the sixth disciple, Lord Baek Mu-heun?"
"...I can't believe it myself."
"It's unbelievable. He wasn't at this level during the Divine Dragon Assembly."
"Indeed... that is a realm one can only reach by mastering the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon to the pinnacle of the Transcendent Demon stage. The stage of Ascension."
"Ha... haha. Lord Baek Mu-heun was exceptional, but I thought it would be difficult for him..."
"I thought so too. He is young, and there are less than three years left until the succession. But."
"That's right. Three years? He has already caught up."
"I can't believe it even as I'm watching."
The three leaders of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit, while marveling at Mu-heun's energy, listened carefully to the conversation between the Ice Demon, the Flame Demon, and Mu-heun.
A truly earth-shattering conversation.
Actions that ignored the cult's rules.
First, resolving things with force,
and then fabricating the story later.
However, it was understandable why they would commit such bizarre acts. After all... this was the Demonic Cult, and their opponent was Baek Mu-heun.
But a promise was a promise. Since they had already agreed to grant it, they had no choice but to follow through.
The moment Jin Mu saw Mu-heun withdraw his aura, he spoke in a low voice.
"We heard everything... you just said."
* * *
The masters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who had come to support the Ice Demon and the Flame Demon.
The cult's 3rd Elder, Seo Mu-yeol, a master of the Transcendent Demon stage. The reclusive master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who supported the Ice Demon, Yeon Hak-ja. He too was a master who had reached the Transcendent Demon stage.
Also, the cult's 5th Elder, Mu Un, a master of the Profound Demon stage. The Lord of the Guizhou Pavilion, Cheon O, a master of the Profound Demon stage. And Cho Geum-hwa, a Profound Demon master who supported the Flame Demon.
Besides them, numerous other masters were waiting for the downfall of the Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun.
But then, the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit appeared before them.
Jin Mu spoke, his voice infused with profound internal energy that echoed across the Salt Lake.
"Ice Demon! Flame Demon! You seem to have gone too far this time!"
"Kuh..."
The Ice Demon and the Flame Demon realized they had fallen into Baek Mu-heun's trap. Their pride was wounded, and anger surged within them.
The Ice Demon caught the Flame Demon's eye and sent a telepathic message.
[ We must kill Baek Mu-heun now. ]
[ I know. ]
The two decided to kill Baek Mu-heun, regardless of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit's presence. They wanted to wipe the smile off Baek Mu-heun's face. But even without such emotional reasons, it was something that had to be done.
[ Now that things have gone this wrong, we must succeed. Otherwise... we will be the ones to die. ]
[ You're right. But what pretext can we use to start a fight? Jin Mu is right there... ]
Mu-heun realized why the Ice Demon and Flame Demon were wary of Jin Mu.
'So he was hiding his true strength.'
The publicly known strengths of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit's leaders were as follows.
Commander Jin Mu, Transcendent Demon.
Left Emissary Seo Deung, Profound Demon.
Right Emissary Ma Ji-seung, Profound Demon.
However, after Mu-heun had entered the stage of Ascension, what he actually saw of their prowess on the battlefield was this.
Commander Jin Mu, Ascension.
Left Emissary Seo Deung, Transcendent Demon.
Right Emissary Ma Ji-seung, Transcendent Demon.
'Since their skills are at that level, the masters behind them won't dare to rush in recklessly. This should prevent an all-out brawl.'
Mu-heun felt that all preparations for the stage were complete.
And, smiling faintly, he spoke.
"To my senior brother, senior sister, the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit, and all the masters of the cult gathered behind me..."
In that moment, everyone surrounding the Salt Lake turned to look at Mu-heun.
"I have a proposal."
The Ice Demon and Flame Demon were dumbfounded by Mu-heun's absurd words, while Jin Mu thought, 'Here it comes.'
"Yes. No matter if the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit has come to mediate, my senior brother, senior sister, and I have already shed blood. They mercilessly slaughtered my subordinates, and I tore theirs to shreds."
"Hah... this bastard is running his mouth again."
"I am simply stating the facts. This whole situation is already spilt water. Even if you try to scoop up spilt water, can you drink it? Can our relationship, where slaughter has already occurred, ever be repaired?
It's impossible. In that case..."
The Ice Demon and Flame Demon knew Mu-heun's words were sophistry, but they listened in silence.
Repairing the relationship? Bullshit. Their relationship was never good to begin with, and a battle to the death had been inevitable ever since Mu-heun killed the Flame Demon's subordinate, Chu Mu-yeol.
Nevertheless, there had to be a reason for him to spout such nonsense. And if it was a proposal to settle their grudges here and now, nothing could be better.
The Flame Demon sent a telepathic message to the Ice Demon.
[ Senior Sister. I think he's going to suggest we settle our grudges. ]
[ A life-and-death duel... perhaps. ]
[ That seems likely. In that case, I will go first. I won't get another chance to use the Red Pearl I've been saving, so I will use it to finish him. I can still do it. And... if it looks like I'm going to lose... ]
[ Right... I will step in and kill him. Just create the largest explosion possible to obscure their vision. I will unleash my strongest attack and kill him. ]
[ Hah... the dead tell no tales. It seems we'll have to join hands this time. ]
[ You're right. But... looking at that bastard's expression, I have a feeling it won't be that simple. ]
Mu-heun smiled faintly and said.
"The three disciples of the Cult Leader present here will fight simultaneously. And only the survivor will earn the right to continue in the succession."
"...!?"