Chapter 383. Keeping Them Close Makes Them Easier to Kill.

Yongmyeong, Elder Heo’s disciple, climbed into the carriage and bowed his head slightly to the Cult Leader.

“Cult Leader, did you call for me?”

The Cult Leader looked at Yongmyeong and nodded.

“Do you have any jerky?”

“Yes.”

Yongmyeong slipped a hand inside his robe and offered the Cult Leader some jerky wrapped in thin paper. The Cult Leader took out a piece and chewed as he spoke.

“Did you learn poison from Elder Heo as well?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you not coat the jerky with it?”

Yongmyeong answered.

“Because you eat it from time to time, Cult Leader.”

The Cult Leader replied while chewing the jerky.

“Elder Heo must have told you to kill me.”

“He did. But if I assassinated you with poison, he would be deeply disappointed.”

“Assassins care about such things?”

“My master does.”

“And you?”

“Yes. Poison was simply something he learned long ago during his own training. It seems my master has never assassinated anyone with poison either.”

The Cult Leader shook his head.

“Elder Heo carried poison on Ilsal for a very long time.”

“I did not know that.”

The Cult Leader looked at Yongmyeong and said,

“I hear Blood Night Palace changed its name to Sacred Fire Palace without even reporting it. Is that a request to be killed?”

Yongmyeong, his eyes startled, chose his words carefully.

“……”

Now that he thought about it, the carriage was merely moving east; the Cult Leader had not set a destination.

Yongmyeong realized that the carriage’s destination would be decided by his answer.

The Cult Leader chewed his jerky and waited for Yongmyeong’s reply.

“I believe I have given you plenty of time to think.”

Yongmyeong kept both hands on his knees as he thought and thought again. If the Cult Leader now gave the order to go to Blood Night Palace, that would be the end of Blood Night Palace.

Yongmyeong barely managed to open his mouth.

“As I understand it, the name was changed at the Young Palace Lord’s suggestion. Since it was named after the Heaven-Destroying Sacred Fire Divine Art, they likely harbored no other intentions. If you give the order, I will go and question them myself.”

“You are only Elder Heo’s disciple. Do you have the right to question a palace lord?”

Yongmyeong’s lips twitched before he answered.

“At present, I am your guard, Cult Leader.”

The Cult Leader stared intently into Yongmyeong’s eyes.

“A man who came to kill me, yet serves as my guard, is still a guard? An assassin and a guard have different states of mind.”

Yongmyeong quickly replied,

“Forgive me, Cult Leader. I misspoke. It was an excuse I blurted out to get through the situation.”

When the Cult Leader nodded, Yongmyeong continued.

“In truth, the name was changed at the Hao Sect Leader’s suggestion. And Sacred Fire Palace was actually built by Young Palace Lord Gyoyeong.”

“Blood Night Palace and Sacred Fire Palace. What difference is there? They are merely the names of organizations belonging to the Outer Hall.”

Yongmyeong answered,

“Blood Night was the sobriquet of the palace lord from two generations ago, so it is not suitable as the name of an organization.”

“Why not?”

“Because he was a tyrant. The general law states that if bands of evil and heretical outsiders reign over the world and commit tyranny, regardless of how strong their power may be, the faithful shall purify them with the Sacred Fire. Thus, as the name of an Outer Hall organization, Sacred Fire Palace is more fitting.”

The Cult Leader gave a slight nod.

“You do have a way of making things fit. Even citing the general law. As you said, Blood Night was indeed a tyrant who committed tyranny. That must be why he died under the combined assault of the scholars.”

“Yes.”

The Cult Leader, who had been watching Yongmyeong, gave him a choice.

“The Outer Hall taking independent action without reporting it violates the general law. A possession of the cult being held by someone who is not of the cult also violates the general law. Shall we go to Blood Night Palace and hold the palace lord accountable, or shall you, as Elder Heo’s disciple, go to Baekeungji and retrieve Ilsal? Choose.”

Yongmyeong stared at the Cult Leader with wide eyes.

“……”

The Cult Leader spoke curtly.

“Shall I choose?”

“I will retrieve Ilsal from the Sect Leader.”

The Cult Leader looked at Yongmyeong.

“Can you retrieve it?”

“Mm.”

“In my view, the Sect Leader also received Elder Heo’s teachings. In terms of timing, Yongmyeong, you would be my last and youngest junior brother. By that logic, the Sect Leader should be considered your junior brother, the last one Elder Heo taught. I mean that is how it would be if one looked at the world through Elder Heo’s eyes.”

“Yes.”

“No matter how I think about it, the Sect Leader’s ultimate technique seems to be the martial art Elder Heo pondered over for many years, completed in his own way. There is no way you, who learned from the same man, did not grasp it as well. With Elder Heo’s eye for talent, he would never have taught martial arts to a fool in the first place. If circumstances were unfavorable, I had planned not to permit it, thinking you might someday use it within the cult. Have you given it a name?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

Yongmyeong answered,

“Ilwoljise (日月地勢).”

“That sounds imprecise. What does it mean?”

“It means the lay of the land upon which the sun and moon have fallen at the same time.”

“It is not an assassin’s martial art.”

“No. He said it was a martial art he devised to face you, Cult Leader. Even if not by his own hand.”

“A martial art that can annihilate allies and enemies alike is one both you and the Sect Leader must exercise restraint with. And……”

“Yes.”

The Cult Leader stroked his chin and said to Yongmyeong,

“It is too slow. To use against masters. Continue to devote yourself to your training.”

“Understood.”

Only after regaining his senses did Yongmyeong realize the reality that he was going to face the Hao Sect Leader. It was nothing he had anticipated. It was also the moment he realized that Elder Heo’s earnest request—to watch the Cult Leader and assassinate him if he strayed too far—had been a futile dream from the very beginning.

The Cult Leader picked up the last remaining piece of jerky and said to Yongmyeong,

“It tastes just like what Elder Heo used to make. A curious thing.”

What was truly curious was Yongmyeong’s own heart. This was the only way all of Blood Night Palace could survive. Before he knew it, Yongmyeong let out a short sigh, and the moment he realized he had made another mistake, he opened his mouth.

“Cult Leader, do you intend to have the Left Envoys fight among themselves to decide a new master for the Sword of Light?”

The Cult Leader nodded.

“I do.”

“Do you have an idea of who will win?”

The Cult Leader shook his head.

“A completed Sword Demon is inherently invincible. The former Left Envoy has become an ordinary swordsman, so it is difficult to predict the outcome.”

Yongmyeong asked as though he were curious.

“Why is the Sword Demon invincible? Master once said something similar out of nowhere.”

The Cult Leader said,

“The first master of the Light Sword was probably like that. The old Sword Demons’ way was to trap their opponents in a supreme technique called the Demon Sword Soul Battlefield and kill them there, but if they fell into qi deviation inside it, there were many cases where they themselves could not escape the Demon Sword Soul Battlefield and died. It is a martial art far too ancient, and things that old are often treated as demonic.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“The Left Envoy originally has the authority to kill those who violate the general law, so the sword he bears is an execution sword. The former Left Envoy seems to think he has left the cult, but in truth, that is not the case.”

Yongmyeong looked at the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader continued with a smile.

“In fact, he is faithfully carrying out the role of Left Envoy. Has he not disposed of countless wraiths?”

“He has.”

“If he does not wish to become a demon, he need only return the Light Sword, yet even I cannot fathom what lies in the Sword Demon’s heart.”

“Does one inevitably become a demon if one wields the Light Sword for too long?”

“Are you saying an executioner of murder is a good man? It is originally a position entrusted to the coldest person.”

Yongmyeong nodded.

“Now that I think of it, Left Envoy Wei is a cold man.”

The Cult Leader replied,

“That bastard goes only that far. If he aims for anything beyond it, you assassinate him. He is the sort who kneels before your eyes, but acts like a king once he turns away.”

“How could you appoint such a man as Left Envoy?”

“Yongmyeong.”

“Yes.”

“It is easier to kill someone when you keep them close.”

Only then did Yongmyeong realize that the Cult Leader truly was his eldest senior brother. It was because this logic aligned with the assassin’s martial doctrine taught by Elder Heo. At the same time, he was flustered because he could not fully understand the Cult Leader’s thoughts. In the midst of that, the thought occurred to him that perhaps the Cult Leader had marked him as his successor, and his heart grew increasingly unsettled, as if he were dealing with his master.

Of course, it was also because of the safety of the Blood Night Palace.

As Yongmyeong traveled in the carriage with the Cult Leader, he came to roughly understand why his master, Elder Heo, had left the cult.

In other words, there was no way to defeat the Cult Leader.

* * *

The Sword Demon waited for morning with Third Brother, who had climbed back onto the wall at dawn. When the sun brightened, he could clearly see the faces of his former subordinates. It seemed quite some time had passed since he left the cult, and familiar faces and unfamiliar ones were mixed together in fitting measure.

All night long, he had imagined countless times climbing down from the wall and massacring his former subordinates, including the Golden Tiger Unit Leader, but he restrained himself.

The reason he held back was simple.

Because, somehow, it felt as though he would be getting caught up in the Cult Leader’s scheme.

He also stared at the Light Sword for a long time, thinking that if he became a demon, the Cult Leader would be pleased, while Third Brother and his disciple would be heartbroken.

But in truth, since long ago, he had harbored the thought that he would become a demon at least once.

Otherwise, he would not be able to face the Cult Leader…….

If one were to name the man in the world who knew the Cult Leader’s level best, it would be the Sword Demon himself. It had already been long ago that he judged that even if he relied on the Light Sword and temporarily entered a demonic state, he still could not gauge the outcome.

He had forgotten that Third Brother was beside him when he heard Third Brother’s voice.

“……Eldest Brother.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s switch shifts.”

The Sword Demon spoke while looking at the cultists.

“I can’t rest because I feel like you’ll use Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven.”

Third Brother said while looking at the cultists,

“Even Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven has to be used depending on the opponent.”

“Very well.”

* * *

When I took out the wooden sword, that is, One Kill, and began wiping the blade, the Golden Tiger Unit Leader asked,

“One Kill is the sword borne by the cult’s greatest assassin. Why does the Sect Master have it?”

“The man who was that greatest assassin gave it to me as a gift.”

“Why?”

I looked at the Golden Tiger Unit Leader, but could not find the words to say. Because no matter what I answered, I could not shake the feeling that I had become the greatest assassin of the Demon Cult.

Perhaps the Golden Tiger Unit Leader read my hesitation as well, for he spoke again.

“When the Cult Leader arrives, return it to him in person. You likely have no intention of becoming a cultist.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

“Or you could have the Cult Leader acknowledge you directly as the First Assassin.”

When the Golden Tiger Unit Leader burst into laughter, only the bastards of high status laughed along with him.

I looked at the blade of One Kill and thought of Elder Heo. As I thought of Elder Heo, I mulled over his words for the first time in a long while.

[……When yin and yang meet, the most efficient moment is regarded as taiji. To oppose this, the demonic path long researched reverse taiji. In the end, when one strives to reach the highest point, one comes to ponder the same things. Whether it is reaching the summit and attaining the extreme or transcending demonhood, in the end, they are merely signposts placed near the road leading toward completion.]

If so, it meant I was not yet complete.

Because not long ago, I had experienced what Eldest Brother and Elder Heo called transcending demonhood.

I had somehow forgotten, but Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven began from Elder Heo’s martial learning. After all, it was a supreme technique I had created after reading several times the book he had passed on, A Study of Yin and Yang. In other words, considering Elder Heo’s origins, the source of Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven was closer to the demonic path.

But I am not a person who harbors only Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven.

To erupt the collision of yin and yang outward is Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven.

Because to take yin and yang into the body at the same time is the Purple Haze Divine Art.

In other words, within my body, taiji and defiance of heaven are occurring in alternation. If one insists on calling taiji a Daoist martial art, then I am using Daoist martial arts and demonic-path martial arts at the same time.

The environment I am in now is the same.

Outside the Purple Haze Inn, the Demon Cult has arrived.

Inside the Purple Haze Inn, the Seven Killers of Yunnan are present, yet I am watching them for now without immediately beating them to death.

In the sense that I am leaving the living alone, I suppose that is Daoist.

Lost in thought, I wiped the sword and contemplated my life in this manner.

Internal arts and external arts.

Yin and yang.

Mad Demon and transcending demonhood.

Even the demonic path and Daoism overlapped.

If I were to force it a little.

I also bear the identities of waiter and Hao Sect Master together.

Suddenly, I thought of the Cult Leader, whom I considered my own opposite pole.

I could not precisely guess the Cult Leader’s age, but he was probably older than Eldest Brother. If so, it meant he had trained broadly in yin and yang far ahead of me. I do not know when the Three Talents met and fought their first battle.

It is only now, after my realm has deepened, that this thought occurs to me…….

Can Senior Divine Beggar and Cheonak handle the Cult Leader as he is now?

If the Cult Leader also trained in sun and moon, a suspicion arose in me that perhaps he had not failed to kill even the men called the Three Talents, but had instead left them alive.

Suddenly, I looked at Eldest Brother lying on the bench…….

If the Cult Leader were to appear even here, I felt that the only things awaiting me would be defeat, flight, or death.

If I wanted to survive.

Naturally, I intended to run.

After that, I would have to combine internal and external arts, harmonize yin and yang, seek the next realm beyond Mad Demon and Demon Transcendence, and interpret both the demonic path and Daoism in my own way. Only then would the waiter live, and the Hao Sect Leader live as well.

In the end, my essence was not that of a good man.

I had no choice but to kill those who deserved killing, spare those who deserved sparing, and accept both the demonic path and Daoism.

Life was this complicated.

As I looked at the troops, the reason I changed my mind and decided I would have to flee from the Cult Leader was, as expected, the Three Calamities. If even the Beggars’ Sect Leader and Cheonak joining forces could not kill the Cult Leader, it meant that neither Im Sobaek nor Eldest Brother could cut off even one of the Cult Leader’s arms.

If he was an absolute master whom no one in the world could face.

Then wouldn’t I have no choice but to become an absolute master myself?

For the moment, a dangerous thought occurred to me—that perhaps I ought to witness the Cult Leader’s skill directly at least once.

Right now, he was hidden by the clouds, so I could not gauge where he was.

Suddenly, I turned my gaze to the left.

More troops were pressing in, and their attire was uniform. As the sun grew brighter, I could clearly see the characters written on their flag.

“……Silver Dragon.”

Since it was a name paired with Golden Tiger, I knew they belonged to the Demonic Cult. Perhaps because they were affiliated with the Outer Hall, their arrival times seemed to vary. A man presumed to be the Silver Dragon Unit Leader spoke as he walked over.

“……I convey a message. The Cult Leader has visited Ilyang County. There, he met the young disciple Jang Yoran, who has inherited the true transmission of Okhwa Palace. Henceforth, the believers, regardless of rank or status, must not touch Ilyang County. Relay this to those who have not been informed.”

The Silver Dragon Unit Leader, who had arrived in front of the Zaha Inn, looked up at me.

“……Did you hear that? Hao Sect Leader.”

When I nodded, the Silver Dragon Unit Leader said with a smile.

“Is that all your reaction to the Cult Leader’s benevolence?”

“Silver Dragon Unit Leader, are you the Cult Leader?”

I looked down at the Silver Dragon Unit Leader. The Silver Dragon Unit Leader looked flustered, then only belatedly returned to his place.

Good heavens…….

A young disciple who had inherited the true transmission of Okhwa Palace…….

The reason the Lust Demon survived in my previous life and became the Left Envoy was probably the same.

Seeing as one corner of my heart felt heavy and uneasy even though the Cult Leader had not yet arrived.

It seemed a sense of burden had formed.

Without thinking, I looked at Eldest Brother. Eldest Brother, who had been lying down, must have been startled as well, for he was sitting on the wooden bench and looking at me.

We had nothing in particular to say.