Chapter 393

by Heavenly Cat

Chapter 393 – Seeing Hell (3)

"Hmm!"

Dan Un-hyang frowned at the sunlight she was seeing after such a long time. Her face was extremely pale and gaunt.

Dan Un-hyang looked around. Then the panorama of a mansion surrounded by dense forest came into view.

The place she was at was a secret branch of the Demon Cult in Yunnan Province. It had already been several months since she came here injured.

Her appearance with severe injuries naturally put the branch on high alert. All the skilled physicians were mobilized to treat her. Treating external wounds didn't take very long.

Treating internal injuries took longer than that, but it wasn't extremely difficult either.

The problem was the mental trauma she had suffered.

The encounter with Dam Ho had inflicted a great wound on her psyche. It was the kind of wound so deep and sharp that it couldn't be completely healed.

When she thought of him, she would have fits even in her sleep and break out in cold sweats all over her body. The lingering echoes of fear that Dam Ho had planted in Dan Un-hyang's heart were embedded so deeply that they tormented her.

For the first while, she couldn't sleep properly and was plagued by hallucinations. Thanks to recuperating for several months, she had now finally become able to live a somewhat normal life.

"Have you come out?"

"We greet the Demon Mother."

The martial artists of the branch came to greet Dan Un-hyang one after another.

The position and symbolic meaning that Dan Un-hyang held within the Demon Cult was by no means small.

As soon as she arrived at the branch injured, masters were dispatched from headquarters to guard the branch watertight.

Then the branch leader came running to Dan Un-hyang.

"Demon Mother. Have you fully recovered now?"

"Thanks to everyone, I was able to recover completely. Thank you."

"Not at all. More importantly, a guest has come from Middle Heaven."

"From Middle Heaven?"

Dan Un-hyang's eyes sparkled for a moment.

"He introduced himself as Blood Elder."

"Guide me to where he is right away."

"Understood. Please follow me."

The branch leader led Dan Un-hyang ahead. Following him, they arrived at the innermost depths of the branch.

As soon as she arrived at the depths, Dan Un-hyang's face brightened completely.

"Blood Elder."

"Demon Mother."

The old man in the depths politely bowed his head in response.

Wrinkles covering his entire face that made his age impossible to guess, and age spots blooming here and there. His eyes buried in wrinkles were full of discharge, and the two hands revealed between his shabby robes covering his entire body were also full of wrinkles reminiscent of old tree bark.

The old man's name was Blood Elder. He was the person Dan Un-hyang trusted most.

Even within the Demon Cult, no one knew Blood Elder's age – he had lived for such a long time. When he began belonging to the Demon Cult was also uncertain.

Dan Un-hyang also didn't know exactly how old Blood Elder was. What Dan Un-hyang remembered was that Blood Elder looked exactly the same now as when she was very young.

Blood Elder wasn't his real name either. At some point everyone just started calling him Blood Elder, and from then on Blood Elder became his name.

Blood Elder raised his head to look at Dan Un-hyang.

"How is your body?"

"Much better."

"That's fortunate. I was very worried."

"Thank you, Blood Elder."

Dan Un-hyang bowed her head to Blood Elder to express her gratitude.

Except for Cult Leader Cheok Gwan-hyeol, Blood Elder was almost the only person she bowed her head to.

Blood Elder looked at Dan Un-hyang intently. Dan Un-hyang's gaunt face was clearly reflected in his eyes from which discharge dripped.

"I heard that Elder Cheon of Sword Stream and the young master of Wall Rock Stream died. Is it true?"

"That's right. They were killed by the Fist Demon's hand. He…"

"Were you frightened?"

"……"

Dan Un-hyang couldn't answer easily and bit her lips hard. Blood Elder stared intently at Dan Un-hyang's face.

Before his gaze that seemed to see through all inner thoughts, no lies could be told.

"I was frightened."

"I see."

"He… was truly frightening. He was like, like…"

"I understand. You don't need to say more. That's enough."

Like a father comforting a young daughter, Blood Elder embraced Dan Un-hyang.

"With this it's certain. The Fist Demon is definitely our cult's mortal enemy, the Demon Immortal."

"The Demon Immortal… you mean?"

"That's right. One who rejects the world of the Venerable One – he's definitely our cult's one and only great enemy."

Dan Un-hyang's pupils wavered.

Middle Heaven wasn't simply an organization that spread doctrine, but one that newly established and supervised the Demon Cult's teachings. Though Dan Un-hyang as Demon Mother held the position of leader, the one who actually moved things was Blood Elder.

Blood Elder had newly established doctrine favorable to the current cult leader based on his extensive knowledge. The Demon Immortal had appeared in that process.

It was Blood Elder's theory that a supreme being without threats was bound to become corrupt. So he introduced the Demon Immortal.

An existence that would unite the believers and raise their vigilance.

The absolute evil that opposed the Venerable One, the god of the Demon Cult.

That was the Demon Immortal.

Dan Un-hyang had thought the Demon Immortal was simply a fictional being. An existence that appeared only in newly established doctrine, not something that could actually exist.

But before her eyes, Blood Elder was declaring that Dam Ho was the Demon Immortal.

Dan Un-hyang shook her head.

"That's nonsense. The Demon Immortal can't actually exist."

"Nothing is nonsense. Everything humans imagine is bound to become reality."

"Blood Elder!"

Dan Un-hyang unconsciously raised her voice. But Blood Elder continued speaking without concern.

"Rather, this turned out well."

"What turned out well?"

"Since it's been proven that the Demon Immortal actually exists, won't the believers trust our cult even more firmly?"

Blood Elder's voice was very low, almost like whispering. But the resonance contained within was very deep, penetrating people's hearts.

Blood Elder's wrinkled lips curled up and his yellow teeth were revealed. He was smiling.

The moment she saw his smile, Dan Un-hyang strangely felt her heart becoming at ease.

"Mm!"

"Crisis is opportunity. Though we suffered much damage because of the Fist Demon, if we use this well, we can gain even greater benefits. If you think about why we're newly establishing all doctrine, it will be easier to understand."

Dan Un-hyang unconsciously nodded her head.

She was completely agreeing, forgetting the fact that she had been resisting just moments before.

"Highlighting the Demon Immortal to induce internal unity? That's what you mean."

"Correct."

"I understand. I'll do that."

"Please also speak well to the Cult Leader."

"Of course."

"And…"

Blood Elder suddenly took out a yellowed book from his bosom and handed it to Dan Un-hyang.

"What is this?"

"A martial manual discovered recently at the Hundred Demons' Tomb."

"From the Hundred Demons' Tomb?"

Dan Un-hyang's eyes lit up.

The Hundred Demons' Tomb was where the remains of past cult leaders were buried. It was naturally designated as forbidden, making unauthorized intrusion impossible. But when defeated in the first Righteous-Demon Great War and cornered, Iron Crown Blood opened the Hundred Demons' Tomb. Because the tomb contained many insights left by cult leaders before their deaths.

Iron Crown Blood and the Demon Cult members were desperate enough to scrape together even the insights of the dead. They opened the Hundred Demons' Tomb with guilty hearts and collected all the insights left by past cult leaders.

Those collected insights became the solid foundation of the current Demon Cult.

"Were there still some remaining? I thought we had collected them all."

"We were lucky."

"Heaven hasn't abandoned our cult yet. Such a martial manual at such an important time."

"As long as the Venerable One watches over us, our cult will be eternal."

"Thank you. I'll use this well."

Dan Un-hyang looked at the pages of the martial manual Blood Elder offered.

"Heavenly Evil Heart Demon Technique? Did our cult have such a martial manual?"

"It seems to be insights organized by the 18th Cult Leader just before entering eternal rest."

"Mm!"

"In any case, I think it's worth examining once."

"I understand. I'll examine the Heavenly Evil Heart Demon Technique carefully once before delivering it to the Cult Leader."

Dan Un-hyang put the Heavenly Evil Heart Demon Technique into her bosom. Blood Elder quietly smiled and bowed his head.

"Now I should go to headquarters. Prepare yourself."

"Me too?"

Blood Elder made a surprised expression.

Dan Un-hyang had kept Blood Elder and Middle Heaven tightly hidden until now, not exposing them much to the outside.

"At times like this especially, I need Blood Elder's help. The Cult Leader also greatly recognizes Middle Heaven's existence, so he'll welcome Blood Elder."

"I understand."

Dan Un-hyang caressed the book in her bosom. Somehow her heart was becoming full.

She took the lead and began walking.

Blood Elder followed behind her, muttering quietly.

"Fist Demon… Demon Immortal, they suit each other well. Very well indeed."

His already wrinkled face creased even deeper as his yellow teeth were revealed.

***

"This way."

Muk Il-gwang led the group ahead.

Anhui Province where Overlord's Stronghold was located was like his front yard. Few people knew the shortcuts and mountain paths unknown to ordinary people as well as he did.

Muk Il-gwang guided the group via the shortest route.

Sometimes they had to cross rivers, sometimes climb large mountains. Still, not one person fell behind.

Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong were that desperate, and Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo were martial arts masters riding famous steeds. There was no reason to fall behind.

Dam Ho just had to follow as Muk Il-gwang guided while mounted on Black Ghost's back.

'Lee Gwan.'

Dam Ho muttered that name quietly.

The one who revived the already fallen Heavenly Evil Cult in this world.

He was still hiding tightly without revealing himself.

Why he was instigating conflict between the Demon Cult and Martial Alliance, what he truly wanted, what he gained from it – nothing was certain.

It felt like fighting fog with no substance.

If not for the meeting with Dan Gong-wol, a fellow member of the Four Death Gods, Dam Ho wouldn't have believed in Lee Gwan's existence at all.

Dam Ho shook his head.

'If he exists, we'll meet eventually.'

At this point, complex thoughts weren't necessary.

Dam Ho decided to focus only on the situation immediately before him.

Then Muk Il-gwang pointed ahead and shouted.

"It's the Yangtze River. We need to take a transport ship here."

As he said, a vast river stretched across their path. It was the Yangtze River, called the lifeline of the Central Plains.

This massive river divided Anhui Province north and south. The Namgung Family existed in the north of Anhui Province, while Overlord's Stronghold existed on Mount Huang in the south. The Yangtze River was the tacit boundary line between orthodox sects and Green Forest.

"Whew!"

"Mm!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong and Bang Jin-bo stopped their horses and sighed.

Though they didn't say it, exhaustion was clearly visible on their faces. They had already been riding for three days. They were somehow enduring with strong internal power and stamina, but their minds and bodies were very tired. They desperately needed some rest.

"Please rest a little until the transport ship arrives, Miss."

"Mm!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong barely nodded while catching her breath.

Meanwhile Bang Jin-bo also dismounted and caught his breath. Even for Bang Jin-bo who was accustomed to martial world wandering, such a forced march wasn't easy.

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho with a flushed face.

'As expected!'

Despite such a forced march, there was no change whatsoever on Dam Ho's face. He was looking at the flowing Yangtze River with an indifferent face.

Just as Bang Jin-bo was about to speak to Dam Ho, a voice calling Dam Ho came first.

"Elder brother!"

It was Muk Il-gwang.

He was pointing upstream of the Yangtze River with his hand.

"That is?"

"A ship?"

Bang Jin-bo and Hwang Hye-ryeong stood up simultaneously.

A large ship was floating down from upstream of the river. It was a transport ship that normally operated on the Yangtze River. But the ship's condition was strange.

There were holes throughout the hull and the railings were broken. The sails that should have been full of wind were torn to shreds, and arms and legs protruded between the railings, swaying limply.

Thud!

The ship that had floated down struck the dock where Dam Ho and the others were and stopped.

Dam Ho and Muk Il-gwang simultaneously leaped up onto the deck.

What they saw there was hell.

0 Comments