Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: A Name Too Blatant
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A member of the Underworld Sect brought a chair down to the underground dungeon. Then, he diligently cleaned the surrounding area.
Seung Doheung frowned at the sight.
"Who are you? And what are you doing?"
Watching him closely, Seung Doheung noticed his movements were far from ordinary. He was definitely not a common laborer.
And for some reason, he didn't seem like a member of the Society either.
A sense of unease crept over Seung Doheung. It occurred to him that the man who had come to rescue him earlier might not have been from the Society.
But Seung Doheung shook his head.
*No. I definitely smelled the Tracking Incense earlier.*
It was the scent of the very incense he had mixed himself. That meant the man had used it to find his way here.
To get that incense, one had to be connected to the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
*But he said he wasn't from the Cult, so he must be from the Society. Of course.*
Answering "no" when asked if he was from the Cult was a kind of password. Someone not from the Society wouldn't know that.
As Seung Doheung was lost in thought, someone came down.
It was him—the man from the Society. The one who had only heard his name, told him to wait, and then promptly left.
Byeok Taesan glanced at Seung Doheung before walking to the chair and sitting down.
Separated by the iron bars, Byeok Taesan on the chair and Seung Doheung on the floor faced each other.
"Hey, isn't it about time you let me out? Can you tell me who you serve? You see, I report directly to the Elder. I can definitely put in a good word for you later."
"The Elder?"
Byeok Taesan was genuinely curious who this Elder Seung Doheung was talking about.
"Yes, the Elder. The one you and I both know."
Byeok Taesan frowned. He was getting slightly annoyed by the man's evasiveness.
Seung Doheung was more concerned about the Underworld Sect member standing behind Byeok Taesan than Byeok Taesan himself.
Noticing Seung Doheung's furtive glances, Byeok Taesan spoke to the Underworld Sect member.
"Go upstairs. And don't let anyone come down until I return."
"Yes, sir. What should I do with the items we brought from that place earlier?"
"Ah, those... Organize them as you see fit. Make copies for yourselves and deliver the originals to the Black Iron Workshop."
"Yes, sir. I will see to it."
The Underworld Sect member bowed respectfully and quickly went upstairs.
Only then did Seung Doheung's expression relax a little.
"Now we can talk. I was being cautious because that fellow didn't seem to be one of our Society's members. I hope you understand."
Byeok Taesan smirked. The man was clearly mistaken about something.
"I don't usually resort to torture, but when I do, I don't like an audience."
Spoken in such a dispassionate tone, the words were far more chilling and terrifying than if they had been laced with emotion.
"T-Torture? What are you talking about? A-Aren't we on the same side?"
Byeok Taesan paid no mind to Seung Doheung's words or reaction.
"Let's start by talking about the Society."
Seung Doheung's expression hardened instantly.
"You don't know the Society? You deceived me. Heh, so it's already been exposed? And after I was so careful."
"I never deceived you."
"You said you weren't from the Cult!"
"Of course I'm not."
The opposite might be true, though.
Byeok Taesan stared silently at Seung Doheung.
"If you're not from the Cult, how could you use the Tracking Incense?"
Byeok Taesan stood up.
"I suppose I'll have to start with torture after all. It'll be much easier once I've extracted your soul."
Seung Doheung interpreted "extracting your soul" to mean a pain so excruciating it would feel like his soul was being ripped out.
Seung Doheung's face turned pale. Deciding he had to give something up, he spoke quickly.
"It's called the Heaven-Changing Society."
Seung Doheung considered this a minor concession. It was just a name, after all. Besides, a foreboding feeling that he absolutely must not be tortured kept nagging at the back of his mind.
"The Heaven-Changing Society?"
Byeok Taesan muttered, tilting his head slightly.
"The name is a bit too blatant, isn't it?"
Frowning, Byeok Taesan sat back down in the chair. He tapped his fingers on the armrest.
Seung Doheung watched Byeok Taesan cautiously. What was so blatant about the name?
The atmosphere was growing heavier.
Seung Doheung was being crushed by a pressure so intense it was becoming difficult to breathe.
That was how grave Byeok Taesan's expression was.
The reason for his grave expression was that he was recalling the circumstances of his death.
When Byeok Taesan, the Heavenly Demon at the time, died, he had melted all the high-ranking leaders of the Heavenly Demonic Cult into pools of blood.
No matter how mad Byeok Taesan had been, he wouldn't have hunted them down one by one. They had come at him first.
Of course, the situation had been strange, but that was how it happened.
The Heaven-Changing Society must be a group of bastards who want to change the heavens.
And in the Heavenly Demonic Cult, "heaven" could only mean one thing: the Heavenly Demon. Or the Cult itself.
Byeok Taesan looked at Seung Doheung with cold eyes.
"So it was you."
For a moment, Seung Doheung's heart seemed to plummet.
"W-W-What are you talking about?"
He trembled, not even realizing his tone had changed.
"Killing the Heavenly Demon."
Seung Doheung was startled. He frantically waved his hands in denial.
"No! Absolutely not! It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding? With a name like the Heaven-Changing Society, you call it a misunderstanding?"
"No, I mean, anyone can make a grand plan, right? We only made a plan; we haven't actually tried to do anything yet! And our plan wasn't like that! I swear!"
"Seeing how things are unfolding, the Illusion Demon must be involved... And since you're a formation master, the 'Elder' you mentioned must be the Illusion Demon, right?"
Hearing that, Seung Doheung froze. He looked at Byeok Taesan with a deeply suspicious expression.
"Are you really... really not from the Society?"
Byeok Taesan's gaze turned cold again.
Startled by this, Seung Doheung once again waved his hands with desperate urgency.
"No! It was a slip of the tongue! I'll believe you! No, I already believe you!"
Byeok Taesan leaned back in the chair, rested an elbow on the armrest, propped his chin lightly on the back of his hand, and crossed his legs.
"Explain."
Seung Doheung confessed everything he knew. Even as he did, he was bewildered, occasionally wondering why he was spilling everything without holding back.
So, the Heaven-Changing Society wasn't a group aiming to install a new Heavenly Demon, but one that sought to change the Heavenly Demonic Cult itself.
Therefore, they had no plans to leave the Cult and form their own faction. It was merely a group to solidify their standing within the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
They were still in the planning stages, with at least two to three years remaining before execution.
But with the Heavenly Demon's sudden death, things had become complicated.
"To be honest, I was also in a very bewildering situation. If Elder Illusion Demon hadn't contacted me right before the Heaven-Revolving Formation was deployed, I probably still wouldn't have grasped what was going on."
While Seung Doheung explained, Byeok Taesan observed him carefully.
By examining his soul, he could tell whether his words contained more truth or lies.
"What did the Illusion Demon say?"
"He said that since things had blown up, we should lay low for a while... and that he would contact us again later."
"So, with the Heavenly Demon dead, he plans to seize power when the opportunity arises. Is that it?"
Seung Doheung didn't answer. No, he couldn't. Even he thought the Illusion Demon likely had such intentions.
After confessing everything, he felt a sense of relief. Seung Doheung cautiously asked Byeok Taesan.
"But... may I ask who you are?"
He couldn't be just anyone. It wasn't common for someone to refer to the Illusion Demon so casually, as if he were a friend.
Even if the Illusion Demon's martial arts and standing within the Heavenly Demonic Cult were somewhat lacking, he was still an elder by title.
It would be one thing among friends, but to do so in front of the Illusion Demon's direct subordinate, whom he'd never met before, implied a commensurate status.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall anyone so young in such a high position.
Of course, since he operated mostly outside, he wasn't acquainted with all the Cult's leaders, but he always kept his ear to the ground.
Seung Doheung's eyes were a mixture of curiosity and intrigue.
"I am Byeok Taesan."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Seung Doheung tilted his head. He still didn't know. He didn't know anyone by the name of Byeok Taesan.
Just then, the voice of the Underworld Sect member came from above.
"Young Master, I have something to report!"
His voice sounded rather urgent.
"Come down."
The Underworld Sect member hurried down and spoke to Byeok Taesan.
"Someone is searching Seung Doheung's house."
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly. He glanced at Seung Doheung.
Seung Doheung's expression tensed slightly.
Byeok Taesan asked the Underworld Sect member.
"How many of them are there?"
"Three have entered the house. But there are more in the vicinity who appear to be their comrades. We've identified up to twelve."
Byeok Taesan frowned and asked.
"That house, did you clean it up properly?"
"We cleaned it perfectly. They won't be able to find anything. We even filled the pit seamlessly."
Byeok Taesan nodded as if to say, "Good job."
"Don't engage them needlessly. Just keep them under surveillance. And find out if there are more."
"Yes, sir. I will give the order."
After the Underworld Sect member left again, Byeok Taesan looked at Seung Doheung.
"How did you end up imprisoned here?"
Seung Doheung's face crumpled.
"I was caught trying to get out."
Seung Doheung was not widely known by name, but by gradually demonstrating his considerable skill, he had established himself as a formation master known only to a select few.
And that became his undoing.
Nameless had approached him, deeming him a good recruit or a useful tool.
After that, he was forced to slave away like a dog under Seo Dogun and Go Jungwang.
"They're truly vicious bastards. My main job was teaching formations to the men Go Jungwang brought in."
And occasionally, he also set up formations. It was Seung Doheung who had installed the formation at the Black Iron Workshop.
"Your skills are rather clumsy."
At the word "clumsy," Seung Doheung forgot his predicament and flared up.
"What an insulting thing to say. My skills were acknowledged by Elder Illusion Demon himself."
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"The Illusion Demon is generous with his praise. To someone he truly acknowledges, he bows his head."
"What? What kind of cra—... Ah, never mind."
He had almost blurted out, "What kind of crazy talk is that?" Seung Doheung felt a cold sweat run down his spine as he cautiously watched Byeok Taesan.
"I may not know much about formations, but I have a decent eye for them."
"Ha, I can't exactly open up my head to show you. How frustrating."
Seung Doheung said, thumping his chest with an aggrieved expression.
Watching him, Byeok Taesan gave a meaningful smile.
Would he still say that if he knew I could actually pull out what's inside his head?
"Anyway, how many members does this Heaven-Changing Society, or whatever it's called, have?"
"W-Well. I... don't really know that."
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Then think hard. I'll give you some time. You'll have colleagues soon, so you can discuss it with them."
Byeok Taesan stood up and walked out.
Seung Doheung couldn't hide his bewilderment as he watched Byeok Taesan simply leave.
"Hey, Young Master? How can you just leave like this? Y-Young Master?"
Without a word, Byeok Taesan went back upstairs.
"Ah... I think I've really gotten myself into trouble this time."
In his mind, Seung Doheung pondered and pondered just who Byeok Taesan could be.
* * *
Seung Doheung stared in horror at the people coming down the stairs. His jaw dropped open without him realizing it.
They were his colleagues from the Heaven-Changing Society.
They were clearly the ones who had come after receiving his signal.
A total of twenty-two people had come.
And following behind them all was Byeok Taesan.
"You wanted to change something with a clumsy bunch like this?"
Only six hours had passed since Byeok Taesan had left.
But how could it be possible that twenty-two of his colleagues had been captured and brought here?
Moreover, contrary to what Byeok Taesan said, they were by no means a clumsy bunch.
They might be a bit weaker than other warriors of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, but they were plenty strong.
Yet all of them had been captured.
Seung Doheung stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
Suddenly, the locked cell door clanged open. Seung Doheung's eyes widened.
"Get in."
As soon as Byeok Taesan's words fell, they all filed into the cell.
With twenty-two more people crammed into the already small cell, they had no choice but to sit packed tightly together.
"Now then, discuss it well."
Leaving only those words behind, Byeok Taesan went upstairs again.
Seung Doheung stared at Byeok Taesan in disbelief, then turned his head to look at his captured colleagues.
There were faces he knew and faces he didn't.
Just as Seung Doheung was about to ask how on earth they had all been caught, someone else spoke first.
"Who in the world is that man?"
Seung Doheung closed his mouth and looked at him.
"I was taken without being able to lift a finger. I suddenly lost consciousness, and when I opened my eyes, a few men were carrying me. As you can see, my internal energy is completely blocked."
Hearing this, Seung Doheung looked around at the others. Everyone was nodding.
It meant they had all been captured the same way.
"Heh, what is this..."
It felt like he was being haunted by a ghost.