C132
As Cale's mind became complicated, he heard the Sound Transmission from the Heavenly Demon again.
-Now I have an idea of who you are.
Eh?
Do you understand?
How much have you seen of me?
Cale had many questions he wanted to ask, but the Heavenly Demon was about to leave without waiting for an answer.
-I'm afraid we have little time. I will wait for the right moment to talk to you.
Cale looked at the Heavenly Demon in disbelief as he was about to leave after saying his piece.
-Oh yes, I came to tell you this.
The Heavenly Demon walked away from the carriage, leaving some final words.
-The other me is now planning to kill you and all your people to start a major faction war, even involving the government.
"What?"
The words unconsciously came out of Cale's mouth, but the Heavenly Demon had already disappeared.
He had already left the carriage.
"Young Master Kim?"
Looking at the bewildered Eunuch Euni Wi, Cale muttered.
"Choi Han, close the door for now."
"Yes."
Click.
Once the carriage door was closed, and they were alone, Cale spoke.
"That messenger earlier, it was the Heavenly Demon."
"..."
Eunuch Euni Wi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mmm."
Fist King grumbled.
"I didn't notice at all."
He couldn't hide his surprise. He hadn't realized the Heavenly Demon's cultivation at all, even though he had advanced one step further in his Martial Arts cultivation since he met Young Master Kim. This meant that either the Heavenly Demon mastered another type of Martial Arts that concealed his Martial Arts better, or he was more advanced than Fist King.
Fist King naturally assumed the latter. He wondered what the Heavenly Demon had said and turned to Young Master Kim to ask but was quickly silenced.
"..."
Young Master Kim crossed his arms and remained silent, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought.
It was the first time he had seen him so deeply concerned after meeting someone.
'I wonder what his dialogue with the Heavenly Demon was about, but for now, I must stay silent.'
Young Master Kim's thoughts must not be interrupted.
Cale was pondering about it unknowingly.
'Heavenly Demon, what's up with that guy?'
Why did he say what he had to say and leave?
'And what, is he planning to kill us all?'
The "other me" the Heavenly Demon referred to was his brainwashed self. If that were the case, then the Heavenly Demon they saw today was the Heavenly Demon who had realized his brainwashing and was trying to break free.
'First, let's go to the Demon Cult.'
But first, he had to ask the Brain Demon about it.
Did he know what the other Heavenly Demon was up to and still dragged him and his companions to the Demon Cult?
'If that's the case, then we shouldn't trust the Brain Demon either.'
Rather, they should be cautious.
That guy was literally someone who would lead Cale and his group to their deaths for the sake of the Heavenly Demon. Cale's expression turned cold.
Gulp~.
Eunuch Euni Wi observed and thought.
'Something happened.'
He kept his mouth shut.
Then Cale's voice was heard.
"Eunuch Euni Wi."
"Yes?"
Eunuch Euni Wi reacted in surprise.
"Can you get more elixirs and deliver them faster, even to the Demon Cult?"
"Excuse me?"
At Cale's casual question, Eunuch Euni Wi was left dumbfounded, but then she snapped back to reality.
'The workload has increased, so he must break more of his seal!'
It's not an easy task to spill blood to release the seals.
"...I'll try, no, I will definitely do it."
Cale nodded as Eunuch Euni Wi responded with a serious expression.
'As expected, the Imperial Palace communicates better.'
Cale nodded in satisfaction and thought to himself.
'If the other Heavenly Demon shows signs of causing a commotion to kill us, we'll purify him before that happens.'
Although it would be painful for the Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon since if that happened, the Inner Energy in the Heavenly Demon's Dantian would disappear.
Although he hadn't told the Brain Demon about this, it would be a good idea to mention it as a warning about what the Heavenly Demon said earlier.
'Purifying the Heavenly Demon won't be easy.'
He was a Martial Arts Master who had reached the Profound Realm. However, that didn't mean it was impossible.
'The Destruction Fire Seal has already unlocked 72%.'
Compared to when he was purifying Namgung Taewi, the efficiency had increased at least tenfold, or at least fivefold. This would make the process a bit easier for Cale.
'Of course, if I purify the Heavenly Demon, the Blood Cult will notice the strangeness of the current situation and act.'
The situation is different now compared to when Namgung Taewi was in hiding.
'Now we are connected with the leaders of the Three Factions, and many of them will help us.'
Compared to the first purification when there were none, now there were many allies.
Indeed, the more nervous the Blood Cult seemed, the more likely things would work out in their favor.
"...It might be worth a try."
Listening to Cale's muttered words, Eunuch Euni Wi clasped her hands.
'...Could it be that the Heavenly Demon and Young Master Kim are going to fight?'
Eunuch Euni Wi stared at the ceiling in disbelief as she imagined a great battle.
At that very moment.
-I'm leaving.
The Brain Demon nodded to himself and raised his hand abruptly as he listened to the Sound Transmission from the departing messenger.
He instructed the other messengers to withdraw as well.
-Young Master Kim is an interesting character.
-Is that so?
The Brain Demon casually sent a Sound Transmission and then paused.
-He hasn't learned Martial Arts.
"!"
There was no time to be surprised by that statement.
-However, he is imbued with nature in his body. I can't even compare.
"!"
-He might not even be human.
"!"
-He seems to excel in martial arts in a different way. (It seems like he has a different path from martial arts, a higher state.)
"!"
The Brain Demon was astonished.
-And I also told Young Master Kim, the other reason I allowed him to enter is to kill him and his companions.
-I see.
-And the response?
To the Heavenly Demon's question, the Brain Demon responded immediately.
-What the other Heavenly Demon wants will not come true. I will inform the Three Guardians (호법/Hobeop).
-Good. I'm running out of time, so I'll leave it to you.
For a moment, there was a hint of sadness in the Brain Demon's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
He knew what the Heavenly Demon meant when he said there was no time.
It meant that the other Heavenly Demon would awaken soon.
The Brain Demon felt the presence of the Heavenly Demon fading away.
As he faded, he said.
-I'll be fine, think about the Cult first.
The Brain Demon closed his eyes tightly.
He couldn't offer any response to the words he had spoken to the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon separated from the crowd and muttered as he headed toward the Demon Cult.
"The Brain Demon's heart is heavy."
It was the Heavenly Demon who couldn't understand the Brain Demon, who valued him more than the Demon Cult.
Soon, a strange smile formed on his face.
"They are interesting beings."
Young Master Kim and his men.
There was something different about them.
Beyond the Blood Cult matter, they were intriguing.
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon, who was moving quickly using a divine technique, stopped for a moment.
He ran a hand through his hair and turned to the Demon Cult, looking somber.
"I really don't have much time left."
His expression showed no signs of brightening up.
-------------
"Thank you for your hard work, Brain Demon-nim."
"No, Right Guardian-nim."
Cale could see a group of people coming to greet them.
Two elderly figures who appeared older than the Brain Demon greeted them.
-The shorter gray-haired one is the Right Guardian, and the one with the longer gray hair is the Left Guardian.
Cale turned his gaze to the two elderly figures upon hearing Eunuch Euni Wi's Sound Transmission.
-They are the closest aides to the Heavenly Demon.
The two Guardians looked at Cale standing beside the Brain Demon. The Brain Demon introduced Cale.
"This is Young Master Kim."
"It is an honor to meet a man of great prestige."
The Right Guardian bowed gently, while the Left Guardian bowed once to Cale and then raised his head.
"It is a pleasure to meet both of you as well."
The Right Guardian, pleased with Cale's greeting, smiled and spoke again.
"In fact, I was hoping to prepare a small feast for you, but considering the lateness of the hour, we have arranged a meeting for tomorrow."
Cale nodded, looking at the increasingly darkening sky.
"That would be better."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Cale looked at the Right Guardian with a strange expression.
- The Right Guardian is famous for tearing people to death.
The information given by Eunuch Euni Wi resonated in his mind.
'As expected, he's more terrifying than I thought.'
Cale silently took a step closer to the Brain Demon.
The Brain Demon stopped for a moment before coming here to have a brief conversation with Cale.
'The Heavenly Demon told me that the other Heavenly Demon is trying to kill us.'
'I've heard it too, and I've made all the preparations for it.'
'I see.'
Young Master Kim nodded calmly as if in agreement, then threw it.
"Well, you'd better. Before Heavenly Demon-nim loses something big."
The indifferent tone contained only sincerity.
The words sent a chill down the Brain Demon's spine.
He didn't dare look at Young Master Kim. Meanwhile, the Left Guardian greeted the other faction members kindly.
Although Byuk Sun didn't like it, she greeted with a casual nod and displayed her manners. Even this, the Right Guardian smoothly passed, speaking to the leader of this group, Cale.
"I will lead you to a place where you can rest."
He added.
"We have prepared a pavilion for all of you."
In other words, they would not separate them, so they could rest assured.
The expressions on the faces of the members of the Justice Faction and the Evil Alliance relaxed.
In a way, they felt more comfortable with each other than with the Demon Cult.
'It's strange.'
Meanwhile, Cale felt something unusual.
"Aren't the Guardians supposed to be the protectors of the Heavenly Demon?"
Wouldn't they normally stay by the Heavenly Demon's side and not do things like this?
According to Cale's information, the Demon Cult was currently divided into Eight Pavilions and Eight Battalions. Of course, there were many smaller organizations, but if considering only the larger ones, this was what he knew.
Cale finished his greetings, and just as it seemed they were heading to their rooms...
"I will escort you."
At that moment, the silent Left Guardian stood in front of Cale.
Swoosh. Choi Han stepped between them and met the gaze of the Left Guardian.
"What does this mean?"
The Left Guardian calmly responded to Cale's question, which came through Choi Han.
"Someone has requested to see you."
Without the need for further explanation, the group recognized who it was and looked at Cale.
"Just me?"
"That's correct."
Upon hearing that, Choi Han hesitated, and Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo discreetly approached Cale. At that moment, Cale responded.
"Alright."
The other team members looked at Cale in surprise at such a simple response.
Young Master Kim allowed the meeting with the Heavenly Demon. Although he knew his martial arts skills, it wasn't an easy decision to leave and head alone into enemy territory far from the group.
But Cale didn't think too much about it.
-Human, I will go with you!
With the invisible Raon by my side, I shouldn't have much to worry about.
If all else fails, we can use Raon's teleportation to escape.
-I told Choi Han that I will go with you! I also told the smiling Team Leader and the well-fed Choi Jung Soo! But I didn't tell Ron and Beacrox!
Why didn't you tell Ron and Beacrox?
Cale glanced sideways at Ron and Beacrox. Ron was nodding with a benevolent expression.
"So ruthless!"
He quickly averted his gaze.
At that moment, Cale looked at Priest Durst, who remained motionless.
"When the Heavenly Demon boarded the carriage, Priest Durst was there too."
But he didn't vomit.
That didn't mean he wasn't a Living Jiangshi.
"He passed out."
He fainted quietly.
When asked what had happened, he said he got dizzy from the smell and fainted.
That's when Cale could draw conclusions.
The Heavenly Demon is terrifyingly strong.
And it's the hardest to purify of all Living Jiangshi, emitting a terrible stench!
Finally, Cale separated from the other group members who were being guided by the Right Guardian and his subordinates, and followed the Left Guardian.
There wasn't a single person in their way.
The Left Guardian remained silent as well.
"He said there was another Guardian besides the Right Guardian and the Left Guardian, right?
The Shadow Guardian.
He never revealed himself.
Cale, who had been walking while thinking about the structure of the Demon Cult, stopped following the Left Guardian.
A small pavilion, too small to accommodate the Heavenly Demon.
But there were no others around.
It was so quiet that Cale could tell the Heavenly Demon was here.
"I brought him," the Left Guardian said, bowing to the closed door.
But it was silent.
There was no response.
At that moment, Cale saw the first change in the Left Guardian's expression.
-Human! This is not good! Raon shouted in surprise.
At the same time, the Left Guardian spoke urgently.
His gaze turned toward the crack in the closed door.
"Please step back for a moment."
But Cale took a step forward. Rather, he grabbed the Left Guardian's shoulder and pushed him backward.
"What...?"
Cale's grip on his shoulder tightened as he asked, "What are you doing?"
"It's about this, isn't it?"
Black smoke was emanating from the crack in the closed door.
-Human, it's Dead Mana!
The Left Guardian was stunned but managed to open his mouth.
"Yes... I found out that this is quite detrimental to the body, so..."
"That's right, it's not good for the body."
Cale asked indifferently, "Is the Heavenly Demon inside?"
"...Yes."
The Left Guardian's gaze shifted to Cale's hand as he slowly responded.
He stared at the reddish-golden flames with an expressionless face.
Crack, crackle.
The electricity-generating fire flickered freely in Cale's hand.
"Let's get rid of this black smoke first."
Clack~.
Cale opened the door and entered.
A space filled with dark smoke.
At that moment, Raon spoke.
-Human, this is a Spell Formation!
At the same time, he realized that this Formation was blocking sound.
"K-Kughh!"
He heard someone groaning in agony.
A groan that barely escaped, as if breathing could stop at any moment.
Cale could tell, even though he couldn't see it, that the Heavenly Demon was in the center of the pavilion filled with black smoke.
-
