C144
Something was amiss.
Lying on the bed, Cale was fully aware that he was doing too well.
He told the Heavenly Demon, who was shaking his head, "I'm really fine."
He said seriously, trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"I can even purify the Living Jiangshi of the Demon Cult right now."
At that moment, Cale noticed something strange in the Heavenly Demon's expression. As if his poker face was cracking, a tiny crack appeared.
"Young Master Kim, you..."
Just as he was about to say something...
Bang!
Cale startled at the sound of something breaking. He then turned his head in the direction of the sound and found himself locking eyes with Raon.
Raon's round, blue eyes stared at him, bulging wide.
Unconsciously, Cale swallowed hard.
He swallowed forcefully because he could see a statue on Raon's chubby front paws.
It looked like the stone statue of a young monk would be crushed by the dragon's two front paws at any moment.
"Human, don't worry about this here! Keep talking to that guy! I'll do my thing!"
Then, he flew to a corner of the room and placed the statue in the corner while talking to it.
Cale couldn't ask about the content of their conversation.
Instead, he glanced sideways, which made him feel uneasy.
Next to the table where Raon was causing a ruckus with Jungwon, two people were sitting and drinking tea.
They were Sui Khan and Ron.
When his eyes met Sui Khan's, the latter stuck out his tongue. Cale ignored that. But Ron smiled gently.
"Young Master, shall I bring you some tea?"
"Uh, uh-"
Cale stammered.
Unbeknownst to him, Cale was holding a teacup full of tea that Ron had prepared for him. The Heavenly Demon also sat in the chair that Ton had brought him, receiving a teacup in the same manner.
"Mmm."
The Heavenly Demon, who was drinking tea, paused for a moment. Then, Ron returned to his seat and spoke casually.
"This is Young Master's favorite."
"I see."
The Heavenly Demon nodded, then stared at Cale.
"You have unique tastes."
"!"
Cale had so many things to say in response, but he kept quiet, so the Heavenly Demon silently sipped his tea, and Cale quickly changed the subject.
Late into the night, the Heavenly Demon had requested a meeting with Cale after finishing his work.
"When I purified Namgung Taewi, it wasn't so difficult."
Bang!
Raon abruptly dropped the Jungwon statue on the floor.
Cale opened his mouth again quickly.
"Back then, it wasn't easy either, but my body was in a state where my powers were sealed, and now I've released some of that seal."
"Seal?"
"Yes, there is something like that. Understand it roughly."
Smile~
The Heavenly Demon chuckled but soon nodded. Cale, ignoring this, continued.
"Your body contained a lot of Dead Mana, a lot of dark energy, to the point that it was tens of times more than Namgung Taewi's."
"I had already heard about that part."
"About what?"
To Cale's confusion, the Heavenly Demon tightened the teacup in his hand and spoke.
"It's information obtained from the two spies of the Blood Cult."
The two spies of the Blood Cult who had infiltrated the Eight Factions.
"In the case of those who became Living Jiangshi within the Demon Cult, they say that different amounts of Black Death Energy were inserted based on their background and growth potential."
"Black Death Energy?"
"The Dead Mana you're talking about, they call it Black Death Energy."
"Hmm. Go on."
"They also said that in my case, they injected an additional amount of Black Death Energy once a year as a measure of my martial prowess."
Cale nodded as he listened to the Heavenly Demon's words.
If Dead Mana was constantly injected, it was understandable that he had that amount in his body.
"You're fortunate."
Cale felt relieved.
"Does that mean I won't have to use as much energy as today to purify the other Living Jiangshi?"
"..."
The Heavenly Demon didn't answer, and Cale stared at him, then asked casually.
"Are you going to continue purifying them?"
"Do I? Or don't I?"
"What are you saying?"
Cale chuckled.
If he had passed out during the purification, if he had remained unconscious for a few days, he might have halted, or potentially stopped, the purification.
As important as purifying the Living Jiangshi was, right now Cale also had to face the Blood Cult.
Passing out for a few days was not a good option in that situation. It could put his colleagues in danger.
'But instead of passing out, I feel even fresher.'
This time, he had vomited a bit of blood, but that was because the Heavenly Demon had too much Dead Mana.
Shouldn't the others be easier?
'At least in the Justice Faction and the Demon Cult, there's no one with as high a status as the Heavenly Demon.'
Compared to the Heavenly Demon, they had a much lower level and status.
Therefore, the amount of Dead Mana injected into them wouldn't be as high. It would be roughly at the same level as Namgung Taewi's.
If that's the case, they should be able to be purified quite easily with the 72% of the Fire of Destruction released and the Heater.
'And if I can get some more elixirs to break the seal...'
That would be the icing on the cake.
It shouldn't be difficult.
'Of course, if there's someone in the Evil Faction with the status of the Heavenly Demon and is also a Living Jiangshi, it might be a bit more challenging.'
At that point, maybe more than 80% of the seals will be released?
There was a reason why Cale was so confident.
"Young Master Kim, may I ask why your health is in such a state?"
Earlier, Fist King Mok Hyun had approached with a serious expression and asked.
"Hmm. It's probably because the seal hasn't been fully released yet."
"You said you needed elixirs for that seal, right?"
"Yes. Especially elixirs with fire properties. Of course, I need to take them evenly."
"I see."
Cale could tell from his expression.
When the doors of the Demon Cult open soon, Fist King will get many Divine Medicines* for himself. (Note: The name of 'Elixir' will be changed to 'Divine Medicine')
Cale's face relaxed at the pleasant thought. But soon, his expression turned serious.
"Isn't there something more important to think about right now than the issue of the Living Jiangshis?"
Indeed, he had other things to worry about.
At Cale's question, the Heavenly Demon looked at him in confusion. He didn't seem to grasp the slightest hint of the meaning behind Cale's words, and Cale frowned.
"Now the Blood Cult can't ignore the current situation."
Ah.
Finally, the Heavenly Demon seemed to understand and let out a sigh of amazement.
Cale sighed.
"Before that, Namgung Taewi was purified, although it was covered up by various rumors. The Blood Cult won't overlook the fact that the two spies from the Demon Cult lost contact, and you were purified."
"Yes. I'm sure they are aware that things are changing around them."
Suddenly, various rumors about the Blood Cult had arisen in the Central Plains.
This would be a situation that couldn't be ignored. So, in the future, whatever action they take, they will try to respond.
"There will be more variables."
That was Cale's concern.
"There could be unnecessary fights, and things could get more complicated than necessary."
That was what Cale wanted to avoid.
He had spent quite some time in the Central Plains already.
'I want to go home.'
Cale really wanted to go home and rest a bit.
"Kim Haeil."
"What's up?"
At the Heavenly Demon's suddenly serious call, Cale responded sharply and looked at him. Cale was startled.
A smile began to spread at the corner of the Heavenly Demon's lips.
"There won't be long fights."
"What...?"
For some unknown reason, the Heavenly Demon asked Cale, with a strange feeling of hostility in the air.
"You mentioned the approximate location of the Blood Cult, didn't you? Sichuan, Yunnan, and the Southern Barbarians, right?"
"Uh, it's probably that side. But it could also not be."
"Even if it's not, don't you think there's some organization related to the Blood Cult in that area?"
"Well..."
Cale cautiously replied, not realizing that he was nodding in agreement. He had no other choice.
'He has a strange look.'
It wasn't a look that indicated wisdom. It was just a bit unsettling.
The Heavenly Demon spoke calmly at that moment.
"Kim Haeil. It doesn't matter if the enemy knows about us or is preparing for it."
His tone was clear, as if stating the obvious.
"We just need to crush them."
"Eh?"
In the moment Cale was left dumbfounded, Raon flew towards them.
"Heavenly Demon! Heavenly Demon! What did you say? Destroy them? The Blood Cult?"
Raon looked at the Heavenly Demon with sparkling eyes, and the Heavenly Demon responded calmly, not at all surprised by Raon's appearance.
"Of course, destroy them. We can't just leave it be, can we?"
"Heavenly Demon, you're right!"
Hoho.
Cale paused as he heard Ron's small exclamation. Sui Khan was still smiling and shaking his head.
Even Cale felt uncomfortable about that appearance. Seeing him vomit blood, Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo didn't react much. It's just that Sui Khan continued to stay by Cale's side and didn't move, and Choi Jung Soo had disappeared with Choi Han for a while.
Feeling that the atmosphere in the room wasn't what he expected, Cale cautiously opened his mouth.
"Um, that might not be the center of the Blood Cult; it could be just a branch or something-"
Wouldn't it be a bit hasty to destroy it all at once?
That's what Cale was going to say.
However, his response was interrupted by the Heavenly Demon's words.
"And what does that matter?"
The Heavenly Demon asked as if he really didn't understand.
"Whether it's a branch or a small outpost, if we hit them until they crumble, they will surely come to light, don't you think?"
Oh, my.
Cale let out an astonished sigh.
The Heavenly Demon continued to speak as he savored his tea.
"You can wrap it in righteousness and covenant. You can dress it up with a grand name, but in the end, it's nothing more than a battleground. And Kim Haeil-."
The Heavenly Demon's gaze over his teacup turned icy. Cale felt a chill running down his arm, not knowing why.
"I said it clearly. I will destroy the Blood Cult."
It was truly a bit frightening to hear him say that with such direct and rational eyes.
But Cale's eyes lit up at the Heavenly Demon's next words.
"My brainwashed self has been preparing a great force to invade the Central Plains. So much so that I could fight both the Evil Faction and the Justice Faction."
That's right.
The Demon Cult had been preparing forces to trigger the Great War. Furthermore, the Demon Cult would be the starting point for this Great War.
Finally, Cale seemed to understand why the Blood Cult was monitoring the Demon Cult so closely. And also why the Blood Cult had invested so much time and energy in injecting so much Dead Mana into the Heavenly Demon.
He also understood why the Heavenly Demon was so confident that they could completely defeat them.
"I'm thinking of dealing with the Blood Cult on that scale. And all the Masters and Generals of the Cult are in agreement."
The Heavenly Demon and the Demon Cult had a sincere intention to eliminate the Blood Cult.
With a bright look, the Heavenly Demon looked at Cale, who seemed lost in thought. He remembered the meeting he had with the Masters and Generals of the Cult during the prelude to the Great War.
The grumpy old woman, Pavilion Master Gong, had stood up and shouted.
"We must eradicate the Blood Cult that has invaded the Demon Cult!"
'Furthermore, I request that Young Master Kim, the Benefactor of the Demon Cult, be named as the Great Elder! He is the one who saved the Demon Cult. We must give him a proper place and reward!'
Currently, the Demon Cult had no Great Elders.
It had to be that way because after the previous generation's Heavenly Demon was defeated, all the Great Elders who had led a dissolute life alongside him in the Demon Cult had been executed.
Pavilion Master Gong was the only one old enough to be a Great Elder, but she wanted to remain active.
The Heavenly Demon recalled the question the Brain Demon had asked in response to Pavilion Master Gong.
"Pavilion Master Gong, the position of Great Elder is vacant. Don't you know that in such a case, according to the Laws of the Demon Cult, the First Elder to occupy the position becomes the Great Elder?"
"Demon Brain, I am the Pavilion Master of the Laws and Manners Pavilion. Do you think I wouldn't know something so essential?"
"Well, if you know, then it's fine."
Great Elder.
Of course, this position couldn't be compared to the Heavenly Demon, but it was a position that had the right to make requests against the Heavenly Demon's will only three times.
That's why, generally, generations of Pavilion Masters of Laws and Manners sat in this position, but this time, Pavilion Master Gong had mentioned Young Master Kim for that position.
The Heavenly Demon looked at Cale, recalling the other Masters and Generals who had no objections to his words.
"What?"
The Heavenly Demon tilted his head in response to Cale's uncomfortable look.
'I don't think he really wants the Great Elder position. He's not tied down by anything, and he seems like the type of person who would be bothered by that.'
It was the Heavenly Demon who accurately grasped Cale's tendencies. That's why he told Pavilion Master Gong.
"Pavilion Master Gong, meet with Young Master Kim and make him an offer, and if you get a positive response, I will look upon it favorably."
Pavilion Master Gong accepted the offer solemnly.
"Mmm."
"Why do you keep doing this?"
Cale asked the Heavenly Demon why he was doing this, feeling uncomfortable, but when the Heavenly Demon didn't say anything, he suppressed his nerves and said what he thought.
"Anyway, if the Demon Cult were to confront the Blood Cult with that level of strength..."
In that case...
"Destroying them wouldn't be a bad idea."
In fact, everything had been quiet since they had arrived in the Central Plains, without major battles.
Therefore, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a real confrontation with the Blood Cult now.
"It's the simplest way."
The Heavenly Demon agreed with Cale's words and then made another suggestion.
"Tomorrow, we plan to call members from the Justice and Evil Factions to tell them our thoughts and ask them what they think. Kim Haeil, if you're in a condition to move, I hope you can participate as well."
"Ah, yes, I'll be there."
Cale nodded positively.
Having witnessed the purification process of the Heavenly Demon, he was confident that the meeting would go the way Cale desired.
"I'm in pretty good shape, so I can attend."
Surely I'll be in better shape tomorrow.
Cale smiled satisfactorily. It seemed like things were falling into place for him.
-----------
And the next day.
The meeting took place with influential figures from the Demon Cult, Justice Faction, and Evil Faction present.
'Why is everyone looking at me like this?'
As soon as Cale entered the conference room, his expression wrinkled as he saw the gazes directed at him.
Everyone was looking at him with a melancholy and sorrowful look in their eyes.
Except for the Heavenly Demon.
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