Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Parting Instructions
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The maid headed not to the Demon Hall.
The place where my second life had begun.
The Heavenly Demon's training chamber.
I followed the flickering flames down into the underground training chamber, where one person sat.
A familiar back. The thick scent of demonic energy.
The First Demon stepped back, keeping her distance. The maid retreated to the wall.
I slowly walked toward the back before my eyes.
"Cult Leader."
"You've come."
Heavenly Demon Cheon So-so.
She waved her hand.
"Puppy. Come sit beside me."
"Yes."
I did as instructed. Sitting next to her, I looked up at the wall just like she was.
The vast training chamber. Countless strokes etched above it.
The Heavenly Demon asked.
"Puppy. Doesn't it bring back old memories?"
"It does."
"Before, you couldn't even properly discern them and just thought they were amazing. So, what about now?"
I stared intently. At the countless grooves carved following the Heavenly Demon's hand.
Adamantite Unbreakable Iron.
The training chamber was built from the world's hardest metal. Even if I drew my sword and struck down now...
I couldn't leave marks so vivid, so deep and elegant.
"I can only admire Your Excellency's skill."
"If you say that assuming I held back my strength, what does that make me?"
Held back her strength.
If anyone else had said it, I might have doubted it slightly. But the one before me was the Heavenly Demon.
A warrior whose depths I couldn't even fathom.
"If I used my full power properly, this whole place would crumble. These are just simple lines I scratched while reminding myself not to lose the feel-nothing more. Red Cloud. What you must surpass lies beyond that."
"I will keep it in mind."
"Keep it in mind. Good. But that resolve mustn't end as mere words. Otherwise..."
The Heavenly Demon let out a lazy sigh.
"You won't surpass not just me, but the one you must chase from now on."
"......"
"Red Cloud. Have you finished your farewells?"
"Thanks to Your Excellency's consideration, I was able to end them all safely."
"Consideration? I merely protected your comrades. One who has a place to return to is strong. What I did was simply give you a reason to complete your mission and come back. I'm openly using you, so no need to be grateful."
"Even so, thank you."
"If you're thanking me even so, I'll accept it without refusing."
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
"Red Cloud. The one who acted as your stand-in sent a letter to the Murim Alliance. And a reply came at the same time. Return with the intelligence. Do you know feigned feints?"
"Mixing truth with fakes, you mean?"
"The information you'll take is real. Quite valuable intelligence. I've written down some secrets from inside the Demon Hall. Don't forget to unroll and memorize it on the way."
The Heavenly Demon snapped her fingers. The First Demon handed me a tightly rolled scroll.
"It's high-grade info for a mere gatekeeper to obtain. So, we'll say you seduced one of the Demon Hall's maids to get it all. And that seduced maid is the one who's been guiding you along the way."
The expressionless maid slightly bowed her head.
"Remember me as Sam-wol. I fell for Red Cloud. After you leave, I'll wail in the streets that you're gone."
"Sam-wol. It's her real name too. On the surface, just one of many Demon Hall maids, so the Murim Alliance will be convinced of the info's authenticity. Everyone will be impressed by the intelligence from a third-rate Murim Alliance warrior returning after years. You'll get a nice reward. The important part comes after."
"After that...?"
"Even so, the Murim Alliance will suspect you who was in the Demon Hall. Create a stage where they can feel at ease and let you act freely. Your mission starts only after all that's prepared."
The Heavenly Demon handed me a paper.
"There were quite a few spies who infiltrated our cult. Their numbers reached up to hundreds at most. So, we can't eliminate them all. Besides, I have no particular interest in them. How much could riffraff steal anyway?"
"Then..."
"The ones I want aren't all of them. I want the three who targeted my neck."
"Your Excellency's... neck?"
"Yes. And they've succeeded to some extent."
"Pardon?"
The maid walked over and offered her tea.
The Heavenly Demon smirked and quenched her throat.
"No matter how much I drink, I can't get used to this."
"...No way..."
The tea she'd occasionally sipped even in front of me until now.
She tilted the tea again.
"The Demon Hall's apothecary calls this Soul-Cutting Demonic Poison. A vicious toxin. There's only one righteous faction place that could make such a deadly poison."
"Are you speaking of the Sacheon Tang Clan...?"
"Spot on."
The Heavenly Demon grinned wickedly.
"Probably poison made there. Of course, it's a guess. Even I, who passed the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity long ago, nearly wandered in agony after consuming it, so it wasn't made solely by the Sacheon Tang Clan. Others were likely involved too. The tea I drink slows the poison's progress. But even that's not fully effective-it's slowly eating away at my body."
"...Why... would you..."
"Isn't it obvious I can't speak of it? I'm the symbol of the Demonic Cult. Order is maintained because I stand firm. The name Heavenly Demon carries weight. And besides, this petty poison is nothing to me."
The Heavenly Demon rolled up her sleeve and lifted her arm.
"Even poisoned by a poison of the century, I'm still strong. That's why I'm the Heavenly Demon."
"...What should I do?"
"No need to worry about the poison. I'm leisurely detoxifying it. Analyzing it bit by bit on my own without relying much on medicine. Heavenly Tribulation also grants the ability to analyze poisons. You know that too. Of course, being such a vicious poison, it takes time-that's the issue. Anyway, that's why I said not to worry. But the other matter is different."
"......"
"I could have laughed off the escaped spies. Warriors must accept death from the moment they grip the sword. Broadly speaking, intelligence warfare is a confrontation too, so it's like they clashed with me in an unseen duel of life and death. They risked their lives to strike and flee, so it's fair to say I took a hit. But this time is different. Among them are ones I can't just laugh off. For our cult's honor, I must behead three as examples and display them publicly."
The Heavenly Demon smiled chillingly.
"First is the one who poisoned me. The woman closest to me. I quite favored her subordinate. Not quite on the First Demon's level, but suitable to keep by my side. But on the day of her escape, she killed and fled, slaughtering countless innocent maids and servants in the Demon Hall. Sam-wol's sisters over there were among them."
The ever-expressionless maid bit her lip. Unable to comprehend, I asked.
"...Not even warriors-why the servants and maids...?"
"The corpse desecration was brutal. I tried to find the meaning behind it. But I couldn't. All I found was pure malice."
"Malice...?"
"She did it purely to mock me. Probably mixed with frustration from realizing she couldn't kill me."
Frustration?
"What kind of... warrior does that?"
"The world has ideologies. The more obsessed someone is, the more they divide clearly into black and white. Some go further, thinking anything 'black' can be toyed with. Treating them not as people, but as mere playthings."
The Heavenly Demon looked up at the sword marks on the wall.
"Warriors must know from the moment they grip the sword that they can be cut too. Even I, no matter how strong, carry that truth in my heart. Strong and weak. Superior and inferior are inevitable-that's our cult's creed. But that's only for warriors who grip the sword. Those without swords must be treated separately."
"......"
"Yet she crossed the line. Dragged in the unrelated, decorated the Demon Hall with their corpses. Does belonging to our cult make us all villains? Must those who don't wield swords be toyed with just for being cultists?"
"......"
"I personally select every worker who enters the Demon Hall. They follow only my back and voice. If I stay silent after their deaths, the name Heavenly Demon would lose all weight."
The Heavenly Demon regulated her breathing. She closed her eyes, then opened them and murmured.
"...That was a long explanation. The second is simpler than the first. The one who stole our cult's forbidden sorcery."
"Forbidden sorcery...?"
"Ghost Bell Soul-Seizing Great Law. A vile sorcery that manipulates dead warriors. Like hollowing them out and leaving only the shell intact."
"......"
"The former White Snake Squad Leader who took the Ghost Bell Soul-Seizing Great Law turned the entire White Snake Squad into puppets and returned to the Murim Alliance. Some were ones I'd personally reviewed their martial arts."
The Heavenly Demon smiled bitterly.
"It was possible because that damned bastard's skills weren't low. Horrific sorcery. Must recover it. Dispose of all those already little more than corpses. Being ensnared by the Ghost Bell Soul-Seizing Great Law is as good as death anyway. After killing them all... bury them in my stead."
"Understood."
"The last one you know too."
I knew who those words referred to.
"Seventh Demon of the Heaven-Earth Eight Demons... right."
"Correct. Laughably, aimed for my neck. Also deceived me by my side for over ten years."
"......"
"What's there to say. I originally planned to handle it myself. But I couldn't. He hid, then fled. Probably lurking somewhere in the jianghu. Since he was a spy, he might even hold a key position in the Murim Alliance."
The Heavenly Demon spoke lowly.
"That day, countless warriors died protecting the poisoned me. Not just that-numerous cultists' corpses were found in the Seventh Demon's estate. He'd sucked them dry plenty. The martial arts he used against me had deviated far from righteous paths. Martial arts built on karma. Most of the disappearances circulating in our cult were tied to him."
"......"
"Practically stirred up an invisible blood tribulation alone. Much to watch out for. Kill him. Even if he looks fine on the outside, born under the Heavenly Killing Star's energy... don't be fooled by his innocent appearance. Like I was."
"Understood."
"Clean and neat. I like that."
A brief silence flowed.
The Heavenly Demon rose.
"All three undoubtedly wandered wearing human skin masks. High chance they were all fake. But even so, there's a connection between them. They led the spying and seemed personally close, so uncovering one will reveal the other two."
"...Then start with that White Snake Squad Leader."
"Correct. Took the most with him, so traces of the rumors must remain. Gather info inside the Murim Alliance. Build their trust, and you'll get chances at high-grade intel. Like I said earlier, rummage through the Sacheon Tang Clan too. Might learn the poison's origin."
"......"
"What you must do is simple, Red Cloud. I'm not telling you to steal secrets or kill high-ranking figures for our cult. Just show what happens when you touch our cult. At the site where you kill the three, leave our cult's unmistakable traces. Etch there that our cult never forgets grudges, so no one can miss it. Show the Murim Alliance our silence isn't from lack of power."
"Understood."
"I have high expectations for you. After these events, I won't trust people easily... but I think I can trust you. You've shown plenty in the meantime, so no need to ask... but still, I'll ask."
The Heavenly Demon looked straight at my face for the first time.
"Are the words you spoke still valid?"
I immediately knew what she meant.
I clasped my hands and bowed to her.
"My intent remains unchanged."
"...You must remain mine. As long as you don't surpass me."
"Even if I do surpass you, I won't stand on Your Excellency's opposite side."
"...Kuhuhu."
The Heavenly Demon pulled me in.
Her voice, which had been coldly frozen, slowly melted.
"Seems we'll be apart long, so I might feel a bit lonely. But I'll endure it."
"I'll return as soon as possible."
"Before that, there's something you must do first. If you, who was just a gatekeeper, appear having reached the Transformation Realm, won't they naturally suspect? But you're not good at hiding your prowess anyway."
"That's... true."
"Anyone could tell just by taking your pulse. That your body is unusual. So, from now, you have a few things to do."
The Heavenly Demon spread her fingers.
"First, manipulate Heavenly Tribulation to conceal your body's state."
"Am I not already doing that?"
"You and Heavenly Tribulation are practically fused now. My great law elevated it further. I can do it lightly, so you should too. Wrap your dantian with the Heavenly Tribulation inside you. Artificially block your meridians and feign being a low-level martial artist."
"How do I..."
"If your Heavenly Tribulation were still fully at odds with you, I wouldn't suggest it. But it was biting at you nonstop early on-now it's tame like a trained beast, isn't it? You can do it."
As the Heavenly Demon said, I moved Heavenly Tribulation.
Grumbling lazily as if annoyed, Heavenly Tribulation slowly stirred. Unlike before when it was hard to control, its movements were incredibly fluid.
First, seal the meridians.
I personally sealed a few acupoints and halted the circulating qi. Then, I wrapped the dantian with Heavenly Tribulation.
As if complaining about the bothersome task, Heavenly Tribulation grumbled, but that was it. Fully enveloping the dantian, it fell back asleep on its own.
The Heavenly Demon was satisfied.
"It really works."
"...Your Excellency?"
"Kidding. Joke. Let's see... First one's done... Next is the second. Even simpler. Remember your old specialty?"
"Specialty...?"
"Three Disasters Swordsmanship. The sword you honed obsessively. That's the martial art you'll claim in the righteous faction. Pretend you reached the realm purely through external arts by swinging the Three Disasters Swordsmanship relentlessly. Best not to show the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword in front of people."
"Understood."
"And carrying four swords around draws eyes... Always have an outer robe that conceals your build. Flying Wind Ghost Robe should do. The one you're wearing suits you-take it as is. It'll hide your internals, so the four swords won't stand out much. Unless necessary, leave two at your lodging and carry just two. Or whatever works."
"Yes."
"I'll soon step down from the Heavenly Demon seat. Not long until I'm no longer called Cult Leader. But even after, I'll act as Supreme Cult Leader for a while, so no need to rush. Power doesn't vanish instantly upon stepping down."
The Heavenly Demon patted my shoulder, brushing off the dust.
"Don't botch things out of impatience-move slowly. The more trust you build with the Murim Alliance, the better for you, so meddle plenty."
"Understo...?"
"Basically, do as you've been doing. Following your heart, you won't stray from their sight."
The Heavenly Demon spread her arms. She grinned stickily at me.
"So much more I'd like to say, but it'd just increase the reluctance. Grown quite attached in the meantime... might not want to let you go. But I must. The ones I decide to catch are all quite skilled. Especially the Seventh Demon. So... I need you. You, the cult's dog who won't be suspected in the righteous faction. Even that power now fits my taste perfectly-you're the ideal one. You far exceeded my expectations. Who'd have thought the half-curious pickup would grow this big."
"......"
"No more long talks. Red Cloud."
She hugged me.
"Go. I'll be waiting."
"...Yes!"