Chapter 1525 – 1525. The Ascent Of Radiant Light
I arrived at the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
I had been away for almost a year, but nothing had changed. They say that even mountains and rivers change in ten years, but I can guarantee that this world won’t change much even after ten years.
‘Still, the atmosphere has changed.’
Worry was evident on people’s faces. The war between the Demonic Heavenly Cult and the Martial Alliance was imminent.
Perhaps not for martial artists, but there wouldn’t be anyone among the common people who would like war.
Upon returning to the Demonic Heavenly Cult, I went to the headquarters of the Annihilation Squad.
I could see the members of the Annihilation Squad. Last time I saw them, they seemed somewhat relaxed, but this time it was different. I could feel the tension from them. Some were lightly swinging their weapons in the training grounds.
“The youngest is back!”
“Did you finish your mission well?”
“You haven’t even been in the Annihilation Squad for a few years, and now there’s a war… the youngest’s fate is also unfortunate. Well, that’s how all Annihilation Squad members are.”
The Annihilation Squad members said a word each to me. They weren’t close, but they were people I had talked to a few times before. I hid my annoyance and responded to them.
“The mission failed. It was a mission to recruit the blacksmith, but he didn’t even pretend to listen to me. In the end, I had no choice but to eliminate him.”
I explained about the mission. The Annihilation Squad members nodded with a distant look.
“A recruitment mission… it’s not an easy mission.”
“The ignorant think of the Demonic Heavenly Cult as a den of evil, a hell on earth.”
“That reminds me of the old days. I kidnapped a recruitment target and brought them to the cult. I got an earful from the Lord because of that.”
The Annihilation Squad members each spouted various things. I listened to their words casually and then asked.
“I don’t see Oh Bong-nim. Did he go on a mission?”
Oh Bong, the 6th Squad Leader of the Annihilation Squad. He was the man who could be called my direct superior.
“Oh Bong-nim went on a mission. It was a mission related to the Martial Alliance.”
“Come to think of it, didn’t the youngest come from Mount Jongnam? What exactly happened at the Jongnam Sect?”
Everyone’s eyes were on me. I had, of course, prepared an excuse. It was the moment I was about to open my mouth. A man broke through the crowd and approached me.
“6th Squad Member Yeom Gu-seok! The Lord calls for you! Go to the Lord’s chamber right now!”
The crowd that had surrounded me parted, creating a path. I immediately headed to the Lord’s chamber.
The Annihilation Squad Lord, Red Phoenix Ogre, Shin Ga-gyeom. The red-haired man was sitting on a chair, drinking tea. It was a somewhat mismatched scene with his muscular, massive body and scarred face.
“6th Squad of the Annihilation Squad, Yeom Gu-seok! I have returned!”
“You’re back? You’ve worked hard. How was the mission?”
“The mission target, Hwang So-dong, rejected the offer, so I eliminated him. I killed his family and burned down the smithy.”
“Your work is thorough, which is good. You know how the martial world is turning out right now, right?”
“I heard that war is right around the corner.”
“The war has begun. It wouldn’t be strange if the Martial Alliance bastards attacked today.”
“Do those guys start wars without a declaration of war? Those self-proclaimed righteous sects have no justice.”
“The Martial Alliance is spreading rumors that we attacked the Jongnam Sect first. Most people are swayed by that public opinion and believe that all the fault lies with the cult. They are ignorant.”
“I am ready to slaughter the Martial Alliance trash.”
I spoke in a strong voice. The Annihilation Squad Lord chuckled and nodded.
“You, including everyone in the Annihilation Squad, are not afraid of war. But before the war, there is a question. The Jongnam Sect attack incident. The Martial Alliance says that the cult attacked the Jongnam Sect, but in reality, the cult did nothing. You were dispatched to a city near Mount Jongnam for a mission at that time. Can you tell me what happened?”
I shouldn’t hesitate or show any signs of hiding anything here. In the worst case, they could sell me to the Martial Alliance to stop the war. Of course, it was only a very slim possibility, but being suspected was not good for me.
“At that time, I happened to be in Jongnam City. My purpose was to see how great the Jongnam Heavenly Sword of the Jongnam Sect was.”
“Oh, ho. Did you see the Jongnam Heavenly Sword?”
“I couldn’t. Before I could enter the Jongnam Sect, monsters attacked.”
The Annihilation Squad Lord straightened his back. He already knew from the report, but it was a sign that he would listen to me seriously. Or maybe it was to compare information.
I poured out the words that I had prepared with the Rakshasa Woman.
“How many monsters were there? What was their level?”
“I don’t know the exact number of monsters, but I don’t think there were more than a hundred. Their level was quite high. There were even some monsters that had reached the Origin stage.”
“Didn’t you fight the monsters?”
“I couldn’t reveal my identity, so I quietly hid and watched. A battle broke out between the Jongnam Sect martial artists and the monsters. At first, the monsters were unilaterally massacring people, but as time passed, the Jongnam Sect martial artists defeated most of the monsters. I saw the surviving monsters flee out of the city.”
“Was that all? Were there any unusual things about the monsters?”
“…It seemed like someone was supporting the monsters with sorcery. I am an amateur when it comes to sorcery, so I don’t know the details.”
“A sorcerer. There would have been a barrier set up in Jongnam City, so the monsters would have had to solve the barrier problem to attack. The guys who planned and executed this are not ordinary. There is a rumor that a cult member attacked the Jongnam Sect. Did you see that cult member?”
“I was hiding in Jongnam City, so I didn’t see them directly, but I felt a dense demonic energy.”
“Demonic energy was felt even in the city below the Jongnam Sect?”
The Annihilation Squad Lord’s eyes widened in surprise.
As the person who used the Demonic Heavenly Art, I don’t know how far the Demonic Heavenly Energy spread. However, according to the Rakshasa Woman, ordinary people felt the presence of a chilling demonic energy. That’s why the Martial Alliance is convinced that it was the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s doing.
“I felt it. It was an enormous demonic energy. It felt qualitatively different from the demonic energy I know. Perhaps the Heavenly Demon…”
“Stop!”
The Annihilation Squad Lord’s aura exploded.
I was overwhelmed and quickly shut my mouth. This was not acting. I was actually overwhelmed by the Annihilation Squad Lord’s power for a moment.
‘…Considering the Annihilation Squad Lord’s power, it’s not strange.’
It is said that the Annihilation Squad Lord, Shin Ga-gyeom, is a master who has reached at least the 5th stage of the Three Peaks. And that was quite a while ago. Now, there are rumors that he is looking at the next stage after the Three Peaks, the Creation stage.
The Annihilation Squad Lord sighed and calmed his aura.
“I’m sorry. I got a little worked up. The Heavenly Demon is always staying in the cult. There’s no way the Heavenly Demon would have gone to Jongnam. There’s no reason for him to go. And if the Heavenly Demon had gone… Jongnam would have disappeared.”
“It may be a rude question…”
“What is it?”
“Why isn’t the Heavenly Demon active?”
“…The Heavenly Demon is preparing to reach the stage of All Creation. That’s why you can’t enter the Heavenly Demon Palace carelessly. Don’t question him. We just have to follow him. He is the supreme being of all things.”
The Annihilation Squad Lord said. There was not a single doubt in his voice praising the Heavenly Demon.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
The Human Realm.
The seven stages of human cultivation.
Entry ‣ Origin ‣ Five Energies ‣ Three Peaks ‣ Creation ‣ All Creation ‣ Ascension.
All Creation is a stage beyond the Creation stage. All Creation is practically the highest stage that humans can reach. The moment you reach the stage of Ascension, you are reborn as an immortal, not a human, and ascend to the immortal realm.
‘If it’s like the original story, the current Heavenly Demon is sick and ailing.’
Unlike the original story, it was a Xianxia background, so it might not be a disease. The important thing is that the current Heavenly Demon, Cheon Seong-jin, does not meet anyone except for the important figures of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
‘The Annihilation Squad Lord knows the Heavenly Demon’s condition. Cheon Yu-un must also know the Heavenly Demon’s condition.’
War is inevitable.
The martial world has been too peaceful for the past few decades. It was time for a bloody storm to blow. The Empire, the Demonic Heavenly Cult, and the Martial Alliance. The three forces are looking forward to the benefits they will gain through war.
“Yeom Gu-seok. Did you understand?”
“Of course. I have never doubted the Heavenly Demon. What should I do now? Has a mission been assigned to the Annihilation Squad?”
“Only a few have received missions. The rest will return. The Heavenly Demon has ordered an internal cleanup before the war. His will is absolute, so our Annihilation Squad cannot avoid it either.”
“Internal cleanup… are you talking about a purge? Are we the targets of the purge?”
“Not a purge, but an audit. Do you have anything to hide?”
“No. My loyalty to the cult has never wavered.”
“Then there’s no problem. Wait while the audit is in progress. Ah, someone from another unit will come to find you. You just have to tell them what you experienced at the Jongnam Sect.”
“I understand. May I ask which unit is in charge of the audit?”
The Annihilation Squad Lord’s face was filled with annoyance.
“There’s only one unit that can do this kind of work. The Yama Squad.”
It was the unit that Cheon Yu-un and Je Gal Mo-sun belonged to.
***
Cheon Yu-un and the Yama Squad came to the Annihilation Squad two days later.
The Annihilation Squad members glared at the Yama Squad, who were walking confidently into the entrance, as if they were going to kill them. The Annihilation Squad and the Yama Squad have traditionally had a bad relationship.
Usually, the Annihilation Squad would subtly interfere with the Yama Squad’s audit, but this time they couldn’t do anything. This audit was ordered by the Heavenly Demon. If they interfered with the Yama Squad now, it wouldn’t just end with death. The only best thing to do was to cooperate willingly.
The Yama Squad members began searching the Annihilation Squad’s headquarters. The Annihilation Squad members watched the scene with annoyed eyes.
“From now on, we will begin one-on-one interviews.”
The audit began.
“Annihilation Squad 6th Squad, Yeom Gu-seok.”
Cheon Yu-un called my name. I followed him into a room. We sat facing each other in a closed room with the windows tightly shut.
“It’s been a while, Yeom Gu-seok.”
“…Yeah. It’s been a while. Originally, I was going to meet you as soon as I arrived at the cult, but… I couldn’t.”
“I understand. Given the situation, it’s better to avoid suspicion. You made a good choice. Let’s finish what we have to do first. The Jongnam Heavenly Sword. Tell me about what happened that day.”
