Chapter 1832 – 1832. Ascent To The Light
Cheon Yu-un and his right-hand man, Je Gal Mo-sun, stared at a document placed on the table.
The document contained an outline of the incident that had occurred through Maga. It was a kind of report, and also an order.
“This is absurd…”
Je Gal Mo-sun muttered.
The document stated that the Imperial First Guard had investigated Yu-un Commerce and used its inspection rights on the Cheonma Church. In addition, So Cheonma Cheon Yu-un was placed under indefinite house arrest as a suspect. It was an order from the Cheonma Church to not move.
“The connection with Yu-un Commerce is that they have the same name? Are they kidding me? Does this First Guard even have a brain?”
That alone was ridiculous, but what was even more shocking was the reaction of the Cheonma Church.
The Cheonma Church was in an uproar. Despite being busy with the war against the Martial Alliance, they had stopped all activities and were trying to negotiate with the First Guard.
“…I didn’t expect them to come out like this.”
Cheon Yu-un was calm. No, he only appeared calm. He was feeling anxious and uneasy.
A variable.
A variable that he didn’t know why it had occurred was what he disliked the most. He had tried to avoid getting involved with the Imperial Family as much as possible, and in fact, none of the things he had done were related to the Imperial Family.
“…My lord. What is your relationship with Yu-un Commerce?”
“It’s a sponsorship relationship. I had some transactions with the head of the commerce.”
“The name of Yu-un Commerce…”
“It was that name even before I traded with them. When I asked, they said it was named after their parents. You know very well that there are many people in this world with the same name as me.”
“Did you really have a relationship with Yu-un Commerce? You handled things carelessly, unlike you, my lord.”
“Careless or not, the head of the commerce doesn’t know my identity. Of course, they don’t know my name either. There are definitely no traces of me meeting them. I’ve checked it several times.”
“…Are you saying that they linked Yu-un Commerce and you just because of the name? I somehow found out the information of the First Guard. It’s a woman. Her name is Baek Ran. Her father, Gu Saeng-to, recognized her talent when she was young and adopted her as his daughter.”
“What is that eunuch’s affiliation?”
Not all eunuchs were the same. There were eunuchs who were worse than dogs, and there were eunuchs whom even powerful figures dared not look up to.
“…They are from the Directorate of Ceremonial. They are one of the top five most powerful eunuchs.”
“An absurd backer.”
“Have you never met that First Guard?”
“No. There’s no good in contacting the Imperial Family right now, so I deliberately avoided it.”
“There are also rumors that they are tracking the Reverse Demon Divine Art.”
“Do you think they are pressuring me because of Muk Ji-ryeon?”
“Wouldn’t that be reasonable? What doesn’t make sense is that they aren’t pressuring you right away. If I were the First Guard investigating the Reverse Demon Divine Art, I would have immediately summoned you using the power of the Imperial Family. And then I would have investigated slowly.”
“I’ve already taken care of all the evidence. Even if Muk Ji-ryeon’s Rakshasa woman mentions my name, I’ve thought of a way to get out of it. The First Guard is aiming for something else.”
“……”
The two fell into thought. They were racking their brains.
The Cheonma had ordered them to cooperate with the First Guard as much as possible. He still didn’t seem to have any intention of moving directly. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that he couldn’t move directly.
“We need more information.”
“…It seems like it’s coming.”
Je Gal Mo-sun rose from his seat. He took out a scroll from his chest and unfurled it. Ink spread across the scroll, turning into letters. He quickly read the letters and said,
“The First Guard has ordered the summoning of the elders. They specifically requested the Third Elder.”
“…Summoning the elders? The Third Elder is the Sword Demon.”
“Yes. The reason is interrogation. They say they will interrogate the heads of the Maga family and the elders together.”
“Outside the Church?”
“They say they are worried about pressure within the Church.”
“They’re crazy. They’re doing whatever they want. Are they deliberately trying to call the elders? Isn’t this an abuse of power?”
“It is an abuse, but we can’t complain to anyone. Would we dare complain directly to the Emperor?”
The only person in the Cheonma Church who could do that was the Cheonma, the leader. However, the Cheonma was currently in a state of being possessed by the devil after meeting the Emperor. If he were to meet the Emperor again in this state? It might not end with just being possessed by the devil.
They discussed countermeasures for about an hour, when the letters on the scroll changed again.
“…The Cheonma has dispatched three elders.”
“Four are outside the Church due to the war with the Martial Alliance… So one remains in the Church.”
“Yes. It seems the Eighth Elder, Cheong Su-saekma, has decided to stay.”
“Tsk. Why that guy of all people.”
“It’s a good thing. If Cheong Su-saekma were sent out, our forces would be weakened.”
“It’s unlikely that only the elders will leave.”
“A military force that follows the elders will accompany them.”
They exchanged glances. They had a premonition that something unusual was approaching.
“…What about Yeom Gu-seok?”
“He was said to be with the First Guard… but he disappeared after they parted ways. There’s no information after that.”
“Did he betray us?”
“He might have been killed by the First Guard.”
Cheon Yu-un thought it was unlikely that Yeom Gu-seok would betray them. He knew the Yeom Gu-seok from the original story. The Yeom Gu-seok in the original story was a person far from betrayal. He was one of the people who did not betray them until the end of the original story.
“Mo-sun. What about information about the Cheonma Mausoleum?”
“I’m sorry. There’s no information except that someone absorbed the Yin Cold Water there and reached the Three Realms. They suddenly disappeared.”
“I heard that sorcerers can use teleportation from the Three Realms. Did they disappear using teleportation?”
“That’s the most likely possibility. The worst-case scenario is if they have mastered the Cheonma Divine Art. As you know, the Cheonma Church is not a force of the Cheon family. They gathered to see the Cheonma who mastered the Cheonma Divine Art, the master of demons. If another person who has mastered the Cheonma Divine Art appears… we can’t treat them carelessly. The Cheonma Divine Art is the foundation of the Cheonma Church. In the worst case, they might appear and demand the position of So Cheonma. A new faction could be created.”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“The Cheonma Divine Art is not something you can get just because you want it. Those who are not recognized cannot obtain it. I want to check the state of the Cheonma Mausoleum myself, but… I can’t because of the house arrest.”
And a few days later, new information came in. They looked at each other with serious eyes.
“The Martial Alliance’s attacks have intensified.”
“The information that the First Guard is inspecting the Church must have reached the Martial Alliance.”
“Yes. The tide of the war has begun to turn… and the leader has dispatched combat units, including the Annihilation Corps.”
“…My father is in the Church, but he can’t move. In reality, the Church is empty right now.”
“Yes. If they were to target the leader, now is the perfect time.”
“No, the guardians and the personal guards are always protecting my father. So unless the leader of the Martial Alliance comes forward himself, there is no danger to my father. So if they were to target someone…”
“They would target you, my lord. If the person in the Cheonma Mausoleum has obtained the Cheonma Divine Art, the biggest obstacle is you, my lord. They will definitely try to get rid of you.”
“It’s no coincidence that the First Guard appeared either. Je Gal Mo-sun, go to Cheong Su-saekma. We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
“Understood.”
• • •
Mireyeong and I appeared at the edge of the continent. We had flown here using Mireyeong’s teleportation. It was very far from Nakwol Mountain.
Teleportation basically requires you to have been to the location before. Also, the amount of energy consumed varies depending on the distance. With Mireyeong’s current energy, she couldn’t cross the continent, but she could go to a city at the edge of the continent.
Mireyeong and I looked down at the city from the sky. This place, which was adjacent to the sea, was called Haeo City. It was quite large for a city at the edge of the continent. The population alone seemed to be over 2 million. There weren’t many cities with over 2 million people even in Korea.
“I like that the city is big. Just by looking, the population seems to be over 2 million. And it’s in the boonies, so the influence of the Emperor and other martial arts forces is minimal. Good.”
“It’s just a large population. What’s really strange is that the population is several times, several tens of times larger than your Earth, but civilization isn’t developing. How is it that it’s the same as it was 10,000 years ago?”
“Then why don’t you try to develop civilization? You have a long lifespan, so it’s not bad, right?”
“Eeeh? No, thank you. It’s too much trouble. And there will definitely be interference. From the Emperor, or other forces.”
Mireyeong and I headed to the place with the largest building in the city.
A large signboard with the words “Dong Family” was attached above the gate. Ten warriors were guarding the entrance. They seemed to be warriors from the countryside… but now they all felt like trash to me.
Mireyeong linked her arm with my left arm. I could feel the sensation of her breasts that I had massaged this morning.
“Is that the family that rules this city?”
“Yes. Can you feel the energy inside? Excluding the riffraff… there are about 10 experts in the Five Qi. It’s a lot for an ordinary family.”
“But there are no absolute experts, right?”
“The Three Realms is a realm that is not easy to reach. Even if you reach the Five Qi, you can’t dream of reaching the Three Realms unless luck and talent follow you. That’s why you are special, my lord.”
“And you’re special too?”
“Of course. I’m the woman of a special lord.”
We walked confidently towards the gate.
“What are we going to do for a week?”
“What else? We’re going to play and eat. What about you?”
“Hmm. First, I’m going to get some clothes and jewelry. The family seems to have a lot of power, so they must have good quality items.”
“Ah, give me the heavenly jade. I need it for something.”
“I need the heavenly jade too?!”
“Let’s split it in half.”
“Okay.”
The 10 gatekeepers stood in front of us. The middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader of the gatekeepers approached us with a nervous look and bowed.
“Elders, welcome to the Dong Family. May I ask what brings you here?”
“Ha, fuck.”
A curse suddenly came out. The other party was taken aback.
“E, Elder?! Did I make a mistake…? If you tell me, I will correct it immediately!”
“You should have asked if it was okay to ask what brought me here. And when I arrived, you should have bowed your head, saying, ‘The absolute expert has descended.’ ”
I raised my fist.
“I can’t stand it.”
Cheonma Divine Art, Dragon Fist.
From the gate to the main building. A huge hole was created in a straight line.
