The Fruit of the Demonic Cult
I've lived long enough to see it all, Jeok-un thought.
Seriously, the back of my neck is prickling like crazy.
It was a bizarre sensation, walking with an assassin right at his back.
And not just any assassin, but one who had once been considered the greatest in the world. It left a lingering, itchy discomfort right at the base of his skull.
But the feeling was fleeting. Jeok-un soon put it out of his mind.
He's a man who dedicated his entire life to revenge. He isn't the type of old man to resort to petty tricks.
Besides, even if the old man did try to strike, Jeok-un could easily subdue him.
Step, step.
"Alright, we're here. This is the place."
The place where Jeok-un stopped was another abandoned mine, not far from where they had first met.
Old Hwang, who knew the area well, looked around and frowned.
"...Leader, are you mocking me?"
"Hey, now. Why would I do that?"
Naturally, they hadn't come for the waste stone. Old Hwang had no need for salt, and Jeok-un had no reason to brag about owning so many abandoned mines.
"Old Hwang, you've been settled in Changsha for over twenty years, right?"
"You already know that."
"Then have you heard the rumor?"
"...?"
"The rumor that fifteen years ago, a mine near Changsha shut down because it was completely haunted by ghosts."
"...!"
The mine they had arrived at was indeed that very haunted, abandoned mine.
It had closed down fifteen years ago. Unlike the other mines Jeok-un had bought, the ore vein hadn't run dry. Rather, all sorts of bizarre and horrific incidents had occurred, as if the place were truly cursed.
It's no wonder they thought it was haunted.
Dangerous, toxic fumes had erupted inside the shafts, making it impossible to breathe. On top of that, miners had died in endless succession from mysterious accidents and sudden illnesses.
As the tragedies piled up, the successive owners had tried their best to find the cause. Shockingly, even the owners began to die one by one.
In the end, the mine was declared cursed, and it became a desolate place that no one dared to visit.
"And I bought it," Jeok-un said with a smirk.
"?!"
Old Hwang harbored deep doubts as he listened to Jeok-un's explanation. He had heard of the haunted mine before.
But why bring him here? Was it to kill him in a place where no one would ever find the body? Or was there another reason?
While various thoughts swirled in the old man's head, Jeok-un spoke nonchalantly.
"Now, let's go kill our enemy."
Whether he knew what was going through Old Hwang's mind or not, Jeok-un gestured for him to follow with a bright smile.
Stepping into the pitch-black shaft, which gaped like the throat of a giant, Jeok-un fell into deep thought.
"Whoa, Big Brother! I went to get some waste stone and found a spiritual herb! Well, to be precise, just the root of one."
He could almost hear Yeo Da-il's voice.
The fellow who, along with the Blood Empress and Hae-yeon, had been known as one of the Four Pillars of the Black Heaven and had served as his loyal subordinate.
Before his regression, Yeo Da-il had suddenly brought him a few roots of a spiritual herb he had dug up from this very abandoned mine. In terms of the current timeline, that would happen about ten years from now.
A rare spiritual herb was hidden here.
The spiritual medicines circulating in the martial world fell into one of two categories.
One was the raw, unprocessed spiritual herbs themselves. The other was the refined elixirs created by processing those herbs.
What lay here was a naturally grown spiritual herb, and its efficacy was incredibly potent. The only disappointing part was...
"Ah, but only the roots were left. Big Brother, if we had gone ten years earlier, wouldn't we have found the main body and the fruit instead of just a few strands of root?"
Only the roots had remained. If they had come earlier, they might have obtained the fruit, which held the greatest efficacy.
The moment Jeok-un recalled this abandoned mine, he had reached that conclusion. Thus, his primary objective in coming here was to claim the fruit.
In my current state, it will be an invaluable tonic.
In truth, Jeok-un's current internal energy was severely lacking compared to his martial comprehension and insights.
That was the nature of internal energy. It was a power built upon accumulated years.
There were ways to shorten that time, though they were limited to a select few methods. One of them was consuming the roots or fruits of a rare spiritual herb.
It was time for Jeok-un to accelerate his progress.
Once my house arrest ends, I'll be deployed on a Black-grade mission immediately. When that happens...
He could succeed in the mission even now. However, to finish it as quickly as possible and save time, and to obtain a new divine relic afterward, he needed to bolster his internal energy with the spiritual herb and enter the early stages of the Transformation Realm.
Once he crossed the threshold of the Transformation Realm...
It will be my chance to awaken the third star, Nok-jon.
With that, he would ascend to the Transformation Realm.
As a sharp light gleamed in Jeok-un's eyes and he hardened his resolve, Old Hwang's voice transmitted directly into his mind.
"...Can I truly trust you, Leader?"
Before entering the shaft, Jeok-un had warned him in advance. Since the enemy was coiled inside, they had to silence their footsteps and communicate only through sound transmission.
"For someone who was once the world's greatest assassin, you sure are impatient. Just wait a bit."
Since they had to minimize both footsteps and voices, they naturally hadn't lit a fire striker. Because there was no light source, it was pitch-black, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Yet, Jeok-un walked through the abandoned mine's shafts as if strolling through his own bedroom. Having enhanced his vision with internal energy, everything was clear to him.
In fact, in the previous mine, he had only held the fire striker for Hae-yeon's sake, not because he needed it himself.
He is certainly out of the ordinary.
Old Hwang was also astonished by Jeok-un's movements. Enhancing one's vision did not make them omnipotent.
To distinguish and avoid objects in the dim light required immense experience, yet Jeok-un dodged obstacles and stepped over pitfalls as naturally as breathing.
It's natural for me since I was an assassin, but how is the Leader doing this?
Night travel was a discipline that could not be mastered without rigorous training. Unless one was born blind and later gained sight, it should have been impossible.
Even as Old Hwang questioned Jeok-un's identity, Jeok-un's pace did not slacken.
Though the path was as twisted as a maze, it could not slow them down.
Hiss!
Every now and then, as they inhaled, toxic fumes rushed in as if to burn their lungs. It was incredibly potent, proving that the rumors of it claiming the lives of countless miners were no exaggeration, but it was not enough to stop the two of them.
They continued forward for about a quarter of an hour. Then, Jeok-un suddenly raised a hand.
It was a signal for Old Hwang to stop.
...Grrr!
As if in response, the low growl of a beast echoed through the dark. Just hearing it was enough to send a shiver down one's spine and make their hair stand on end.
"...Is it a spiritual beast?"
Naturally, spiritual beasts often guarded spiritual herbs. Spiritual herbs grew in places where the energy of nature gathered, and spiritual beasts were drawn to such locations. In folk tales and legends, spiritual herbs and spiritual beasts always appeared together.
However...
"Not a chance."
What guarded this place was no spiritual beast.
Grrr!
The growl echoed once more, louder and clearer this time. They were drawing closer to the source of the sound.
After walking about another hundred paces...
"...!"
Old Hwang's eyes shook as if struck by an earthquake. He had spotted "something" in the distance.
Seeing the same thing, a memory of Yeo Da-il's words flashed through Jeok-un's mind.
"Ah, but Big Brother. It seems the ones who took the spiritual herb's fruit were those bastards from the Demonic Cult. Man, they must have spent years cultivating it. Just thinking about that fruit sliding down the Heavenly Demon's throat makes my blood boil!"
Indeed. The one guarding the rare spiritual herb was not a spiritual beast, but the Demonic Cult.
Well then, let's consume the spiritual herb and snap some Demonic Cult necks while we're at it.
Jeok-un smirked.
Hehe, excellent! Finally, I can harvest the fruits of fifteen years of labor!
Yul-gi, the Beast Poison Demon and one of the Five Elders of the Demonic Cult, was filled with joy as he stared at the object before him.
At the very end of the shaft, rooted in the earth, grew a single spiritual herb.
It was the Golden Spirit Fruit, considered a supreme treasure even among the countless rare spiritual herbs of the martial world.
True to its name, the Golden Spirit Fruit emitted a faint, crimson auspicious energy around its golden body. The energy flowed around the fruit like a garment, a natural defense mechanism of the herb itself.
"Grrr, grrr."
Staring at its brilliant form, Yul-gi let out a beastly growl without realizing it. It was a side effect of the Beast Mind Art, the ultimate technique that had elevated him to his current position.
The Beast Palace was a branch of the Demonic Cult, and Yul-gi had mastered the Beast Mind Art to claim a seat among the Five Elders. Originating from the Southern Barbarian lands, the Beast Palace was highly adept in the study of poisons, and Yul-gi was no exception.
He occasionally ventured out to find ingredients for spiritual elixirs, and during one of those trips, he had stumbled upon the Golden Spirit Fruit here.
The only problem was that the mine had been in active operation at the time.
But to Yul-gi, that was no obstacle.
The toxic smoke and the resulting deathly energy filling the shafts were all his handiwork. After killing miner after miner to force the mine to close, Yul-gi had secretly nurtured the Golden Spirit Fruit with utmost care.
With this, my position as one of the Five Elders will be secure.
Even as Yul-gi assessed the situation coldly, he could not stop the greed from burning in his eyes. He couldn't help it.
If I consume this, my martial prowess will reach the realm of the Ultimate Demon.
Currently, Yul-gi's martial realm was at the peak of the Transformation Realm, which in the Demonic Cult was known as the stage of Entering Demonhood. However, he had been stuck for too long, unable to cross the threshold into the Profound Realm—the realm of the Ultimate Demon—or even reach the absolute peak of his current stage.
Because of this, there was much chatter within the Demonic Cult. If things continued like this, he might have to yield his position to the rising stars snapping at his heels.
The only reason he had managed to hold onto his seat was due to his achievements in poison arts rather than pure martial skill. Within the Demonic Cult, Yul-gi's poison arts were overwhelmingly superior, leaving others far behind.
Yet, even that had its limits, and he was barely hanging on.
Once I obtain this, all that contempt will end!
For that reason, he had kept the existence of the Golden Spirit Fruit a strict secret, enduring fifteen long years. No one knew Yul-gi had come here. He had hidden it even from his fellow cultists to prevent them from stealing it.
I raised this herb with my own hands. Why should I hand it over for nothing?
If the Golden Spirit Fruit's existence were revealed, Yul-gi wouldn't even get to keep a single root hair; he would have to present it to the Heavenly Demon.
Shhh!
Just then, a soft glow emanated from the Golden Spirit Fruit. Having gathered spiritual energy for so long, the fruit was finally manifesting its essence—the Golden Spirit.
"Ohhh...!"
His heart pounded furiously. A sigh of awe escaped his lips without his consent.
Fifteen years. The culmination of fifteen years of waiting was right before his eyes. All he had to do now was take it.
But just as Yul-gi was about to reach out...
Swish!
He felt an unusual movement and sound from his sleeve. It was his pet Seven-Spotted Viper, which was highly sensitive to noise and vibration, making it an excellent alarm. For it to react like this meant...
An intruder!
In an instant, Yul-gi's gaze shifted. The man who had been marveling at the spiritual herb vanished, replaced by the cold-blooded Beast Poison Demon.
"There you are!"
Yul-gi unleashed his killing intent and demonic energy toward the direction of the intruder.
Whoosh!
At the same time, a black shadow shot out from his sleeve like a bolt from a crossbow.
It was the Seven-Spotted Viper. The snake flew like an arrow, aiming to tear out the intruder's throat.
Slash!
But its attempt was futile. It was sliced cleanly in two and fell to the ground.
"Who is there?! Reveal yourself!"
At Yul-gi's shout, Jeok-un stepped out from the shadows. The soft, auspicious glow of the Golden Spirit Fruit illuminated his figure.
"Who else?"
Jeok-un smiled brightly, looking thoroughly pleased with the identity of his opponent.
"I'm the Grim Reaper."