Chapter 359: Truth
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Heavy and deep silence descended upon the courtyard.
Everyone wore surprised expressions.
A divine being from another world.
Could such a thing truly exist?
In the midst of the quiet gathering, Hae Su-yeon spoke in a low whisper as if to herself.
“If the being Heuk Ma-yung called a great demon god is perhaps the Heavenly Demon…”
Namgung Sang-rin immediately responded.
“My thoughts are the same, Young Miss.”
The reactions of others were not much different.
Mun Bin, having nodded slightly, opened his mouth with a distinctive light in his eyes.
“Perhaps that could be interpreted as meaning to summon the spiritual form of the Heavenly Demon to this mortal world. I don’t know if it’s actually possible, but…”
The other world signified realms such as the celestial world and the Hell realm that coexisted with but were difficult to directly confirm from the mortal world.
The Heavenly Demon, the first owner of the Divine Martial Sword a thousand years ago, was revered as a divine being upon concluding his life.
That lofty status was not limited to Heavenly Demon Cult alone.
The entire demonic path beyond the borders revered him as an absolute divine being.
It couldn’t be helped.
The Heavenly Demon was the progenitor of all demons and the pioneer who established the foundation and framework of the demonic path Jianghu.
The Asura Demon Cult and Illusory Demon Cult that were born afterward each revered their founding cult leaders as divine beings, but in reality, it was difficult to surpass the Heavenly Demon’s lofty status.
Even after a long passage of time until now.
Thus, the Heavenly Demon was no different from an absolute divine being who looked down upon all demonic people under heaven.
Would the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan be an exception?
Therefore, the demon god that Heuk Ma-yung mentioned was nine times out of ten the Heavenly Demon.
It was a reasonable suspicion and inference.
However, Cheol Ryu-heun immediately denied it.
“What? no.”
An attitude that showed some kind of certainty.
At that, the expressions of the group including Mun Bin subtly stiffened.
“…!”
Cheol Ryu-heun again looked around at the crowd and emitted his indifferent voice.
“It literally means trying to summon a demon god that exists in another world to this place. It’s not trying to summon a spiritual being that was elevated to divine status in this land.”
Gun Mu-ak to one side chimed in.
“I also agree.”
Then he threw a bland voice toward the crowd.
“Are you overlooking the fact that he is a defector from our cult? He has already abandoned his faith in the First Cult Leader. Otherwise, he would have been satisfied with the newly revived position of Four Dharma-Protecting Kings and remained as this seat’s subordinate.”
Since it was a sensible point, everyone quietly acquiesced.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun’s gaze turned toward Gun Mu-ak’s face.
“At this point, you too must have something that strikes you. Some kind of trigger that made Heuk Ma-yung decide to leave the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“Yes. The moment the demon god of another world was mentioned… I intuited it.”
“I can roughly guess too.”
Having replied expressionlessly, Cheol Ryu-heun suddenly gazed at the Demon God Sword.
However, he soon withdrew his gaze and opened his mouth again.
“I’ll hear your story later. Then it seems the full picture will be complete.”
At that, Gun Mu-ak smiled inwardly.
‘Hoo. Truly amazing insight.’
Just like himself, he too seemed to have realized.
That some kind of trigger, in other words the starting point of Heuk Ma-yung’s decision to betray, was connected to the Demon God Sword.
Just as he had precisely inferred that his party’s pursuit target was the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan in the past.
-The ones who betrayed the Heavenly Demon Cult, the ancient Darkness-Craving Blood Clan, right?
-Since I’ve decided to cooperate, there’s no need to hide it. That’s right. The Darkness-Craving Blood Clan betrayed our cult.
-Indeed, my expectations were correct.
-How did you know that?
-I calculated based on experience. The appropriate number of possibilities.
It didn’t end there.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s amazing foresight had pinpointed precisely even the hidden parts behind it.
-The rumor spreading the news of the Divine Martial Sword rapidly is a tactic to lure in the Jianghu. So that various figures from Orthodox and Unorthodox factions without exception would gather… In that case, naturally from the enemy’s standpoint, they would need large-scale combat strength. I racked my brain as to what the fastest method for that would be. Then it seemed only the combination of Heretic Cult and Darkness-Craving Blood Clan was foremost among the possibilities I mentioned earlier.
-I see. Because the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan’s power is optimal for multiplying numbers.
-Exactly. The Darkness-Craving Blood Clan makes the Shiwan Mountains their new home, and the Heretic Cult, which gave up that seat, secures sacrificial offerings to complete their incantation in return. Furthermore, what’s moving those two from behind is…
-The mysterious group that secretly helped Ahryo-nan.
-Right, it seems to fit perfectly, doesn’t it?
-The ultimate purpose the mysterious group pursues, separate from the Heretic Cult or Darkness-Craving Blood Clan, would be weakening the Orthodox and Unorthodox martial forces.
-But that task will eventually be derailed. Now that we’re going there to wreak havoc.
-In any case, I’ll trust your predictions and calculations.
‘The things that happened after coming here… He guessed everything right.’
At this point, it wasn’t even surprising anymore.
Having experienced various events while accompanying Cheol Ryu-heun thus far, he had come to accept his amazing skill and insight.
Still, there were questions.
No matter how much he had absorbed the various providences of the previous generation’s Jianghu, the accuracy of a series of things to simply call it great insight was excessively high.
To call it extraordinary was insufficient.
It was truly incomprehensible at a level.
That’s right.
It was phenomenal.
In fact, Gun Mu-ak himself also possessed insight transcending his age.
Befitting the youngest Grand Prelate in Heavenly Demon Cult history…
Setting aside his martial prowess level, honestly, he had prided himself on insight to the extent of even surpassing Abbot Won-gong, the current great sage of the era and revered high monk of Shaolin Temple.
Yet Cheol Ryu-heun’s words and actions were no different from a transcendental prophetic deity.
It gave the feeling that all worldly affairs were occurring within the range he had reckoned.
If compared to divine weapons, it was like the Divine Martial Sword with its unequaled status.
Meanwhile,
Cheol Ryu-heun soon turned his head and gazed at Shin So-sul.
“Did the two disciples also visit that place after Heuk Ma-yung came?”
“Yes, a few days after that…”
Thus Shin So-sul recalled the memories of that time.
* * *
A place blocked on all sides by towering cliffs.
The scenery was reminiscent of a prison of rock walls.
Moreover, waves of current like heat haze occurred frequently and covered the grass field in the center.
As if erecting a transparent barrier to imprison a person.
Heavenly Stem Formless Prison.
A kind of golden prison where Nature’s wondrous formation power was combined with sorcery.
That was why it had been designated as a forbidden zone since ancient times.
Shin So-sul, lying powerlessly on one side of the grass field, gazed at the sky revealed like a hole.
“Huuu…”
The sigh leaking through his parched lips was telling of that heavy heart.
At a certain moment, his brow furrowed.
‘Ugh!’
It was because pain had occurred in his body due to the aftermath of deep internal injuries.
There was no improvement because the mysterious and strange energy of this Heavenly Stem Formless Prison interfered with energy circulation healing.
‘Ugh… I can’t just stay trapped like this…’
Suddenly, he was reminded of what Heuk Ma-yung had said when they met a few days ago.
-The two children had bigger dreams than you.
-Big dreams…?
-It means their interest in the incomplete sorcery research you had once forsaken was tremendously great.
-…!
-So, I gave them a bit of help. People’s souls, that is. By sacrificing countless slaves.
-Don’t tell me…
-Do you understand now? The two children have been conducting research in secret. While deceiving their master’s eyes. Then by chance, they made contact with us, and formed an alliance. For the same goal, to open the gate to the other world.
He had let his guard down.
No.
He had trusted people too much.
To think that the two disciples would actually betray him…
The Darkness-Craving Blood Clan, it was a behind-the-scenes force he had never anticipated.
However, what had already happened couldn’t be helped.
He was not a divine being who could turn back time at will, after all.
‘Right, one by one… step by step… I must unravel this. Accepting the reality I face…’
First, he would focus on healing his internal injuries, then devise a method to escape the Heavenly Stem Formless Prison.
Of course, it would be very difficult, but he must not give up.
For the future of the Heretic Cult.
He had declared in front of Heuk Ma-yung.
That he would absolutely survive.
That he would somehow set right this twisted situation.
Right, who was he?
He was an outstanding sorcerer called the Defying Heaven Evil Wind.
Based on his genius qualities, he had even revised the foundation mental method.
‘I must believe in that talent!’
Indeed, it was just a matter of making up one’s mind.
He could do it.
From now on, he had to raise his challenging spirit against the impossible.
As the old saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way…
Indeed, where there’s a will, there’s a path…
At that moment.
The bottom of the cliff on one side moved.
Precisely, a hidden entrance that had been concealed opened its mouth.
SEUSEUSEUT, SEUSEUSEUT……
It was in the form of a small cave.
In fact, it was an entrance that changed positions, not staying in one place.
That’s why escape was impossible without external cooperation.
The moment the large hole opened, two figures slowly walked into the Heavenly Stem Formless Prison.
A young man and woman in their late teens.
The man looked about nineteen years old, the woman about seventeen.
Shin So-sul forcibly raised his aching body and radiated a fierce gaze.
“You wretched creatures…!”
Anger swirled in his pupils.
It was a natural reaction.
The identity of the man and woman was none other than Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong.
The moment the two approached close by.
PAPAT-
Snake-Robed Hwa-nong suddenly chanted an incantation and unfurled a talisman.
A black background with bright red mystic script.
At the moment Shin So-sul was startled upon seeing that.
FLASH!
The talisman emitted a bizarre light, burning and turning to ash.
Simultaneously, an illusory chain quickly constricted Shin So-sul’s entire body.
“Kuk…!”
Illusion Chain Capturing Binding Secret Technique.
It was a high-tier incantation of sealing application that restrained the opponent’s body with iron chains created by sorcery.
If one just made up one’s mind to kill, one could also squeeze tight and burst apart the entire body at any time…
It appeared easy at first glance but was a difficult study to master.
However, Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, being only seventeen years old but a disciple of the Heretic Cult Leader, had early on awakened to it.
She asked mockingly.
“How is my skill?”
“Keugh… You’re still far from it. If only my body weren’t injured…”
Thus Shin So-sul replied with a pained expression.
It was true.
If he were his normal self, he would have easily broken the Illusion Chain Capturing Binding Secret Technique.
But right now, due to the influence of internal injuries, it was difficult to even operate mid-to-low tier incantations.
Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, having smoothed her hair, spoke again.
“Though you’re a body that cannot do anything… your eyes are still alive. That’s why you somehow look even more pitiful. Master.”
Shin So-sul, glaring with bulging eyes, shouted.
“Shut up! Who is your master! I… never had disciples like you! Keug…”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, gazing at him, retorted in a cold tone.
“That title also ends as of today.”
“Ends?”
“My younger sister and I have been officially elevated to Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader. By unanimous vote from everyone including those who had sided with you.”
“H-how could…!”
“Meaning, Master’s status is now… merely a captive.”
Shin So-sul, shaking his cheek in fury, asked in a sunken voice.
“When was it? When did you plan this filthy rebellion… After entering the sect, I thought you were well following my teachings, but at what point…”
“You’re wrong. You’ve misjudged.”
“What…?”
“Do you think we changed our minds after entering the sect?”
“Don’t tell me…?”
Shin So-sul flinched in surprise, and Snake-Robed Hwa-rang nodded.
“That ‘don’t tell me’ is correct.”
“…!”
“We entered the sect with the purpose of usurping authority from the beginning. After crossing the sea with great difficulty.”
“The sea…!”
“The eastern lands beyond the borders.”
“…!”
“We siblings are originally from the Hidden Endurance Curtain of that place.”