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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Audience (2)
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"Good. You're sharp."
The Divine Maiden smiled in satisfaction.
It was as if she were saying, "If you lacked even that much insight, we couldn't possibly work together."
"You flatter me."
"I knew you had changed the moment I first saw you today. Your soul has stabilized."
"...!"
She knew about the rift in my soul?
As a shamaness, had she opened her spirit eye?
'So, the reason the Divine Maiden acted like she noticed something when she saw me at the Heavenly Dance Festival was because she saw my incomplete soul with her spirit eye.'
"Huhu. There's no need to be so tense. Neither the Cult Leader nor I intend to do anything to you just yet, so relax and follow me."
Just yet...? What was that suspicious remark?
"Ah, yes."
I followed the Divine Maiden to the innermost part of the Sacred Fire Palace, to the place where the Central Sacred Fire, said to have been passed down since the time of the founding Heavenly Demon, was kept.
"Please, go inside."
"Aren't you coming with me, Divine Maiden?"
"The Cult Leader summoned only you, Fourth Young Master."
"Ah, yes."
'Damn, it's a private audience with the Cult Leader?'
I suddenly felt tense. How many people in the Central Plains' martial world had ever seen the head of the Demonic Cult in person? I never imagined I'd become one of them.
'Calm down.'
The Sun and Moon Divine Maiden knew my soul had been unstable. She must have reported it to the Cult Leader. If so, how would he see me?
'Tch—worrying about it won't change the fact that I can't back down.'
I raised my hand and pushed open the doors to the Central Sacred Fire Palace.
Having come this far, there was no retreat.
The doors were heavier than I expected, forcing me to put more strength into it.
As I struggled to open the doors and stepped inside, a lofty energy filling the space wrapped around my entire body. A sensation I could feel on my skin. The vast, distant gap in power between the being inside and myself.
The crushing pressure was like an ant before an elephant. But the one before me was no dull, grass-eating elephant.
He was an apex predator, the one who reigned at the pinnacle of the current demonic path. His sharp gaze felt like an awl piercing my body from every direction.
For a moment, I almost stumbled backward.
My throat felt parched.
I swallowed hard against the tension.
Steeling my trembling heart, I took a step forward.
Its size was incomparable to the sacred fire I had seen during the Heavenly Dance Festival. The energy was on another level. A colossal, primordial sacred fire cast a violet light across the entire area. Before it sat a man with his back to me, his presence immense.
Exuding a presence even greater than the violet inferno, the Cult Leader sat on a dark red throne, chin resting on one hand as he watched me.
The place where the Cult Leader sat, where the Central Sacred Fire burned, was the highest point in the palace. It was a perfect position for me to look up at him.
Torches lined the path in long rows on both sides, from the foot of his throne to the main entrance.
Black silk robes with golden dragon patterns. A red sash. Jet-black, long hair. Eyes that shone with an inner light.
He appeared to be in his forties, but in reality, he was an old master over eighty, and the aura he exuded resembled that of my master, the Heavenly Demon.
'So this is the man who succeeded my master, even if only in name.'
The aura he emitted gradually intensified, and I began to feel the pressure.
'So that's the current Cult Leader...'
At my current level, I couldn't even begin to fathom the power he possessed.
'Of course, he's still not on the level of the old Heavenly Demon.'
I slowly walked to the center of the Sacred Fire Palace's main hall. As soon as I reached the middle, I dropped to my knees.
"I greet the Cult Leader, the sky of the Divine Cult!"
I cupped my hands to show my loyalty, and the Cult Leader gazed down at me. His eyes were like a tranquil lake, making it impossible to read his thoughts or feelings.
Just then, the Cult Leader's luminous eyes began to glow violet. They widened as if he had discovered something, then narrowed again.
If I wasn't mistaken, he had definitely discovered something about me.
'Hoo... Whatever it is, I must be extremely careful here. This is a situation where a single slip of the tongue could cost me my life. For now, I'll wait for the Cult Leader to speak first.'
I waited tensely for the Cult Leader to speak, and finally, his lips parted.
"You have learned the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon."
"...!"
For a moment, my brain stopped functioning, and I couldn't utter a single word.
'Damn it! I thought I concealed my energy, but he still found out? What should I say? That I met the founding Heavenly Demon in a dream and learned it? Would he even believe that? The Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon is a martial art that only the Cult Leader and his disciples can learn. Will he let this slide?'
My mind raced but couldn't come up with an answer. In that time, the Cult Leader rose from his seat.
'No way. Am I going to die just like this?'
A truly ominous and destructive energy erupted from the Cult Leader's body.
"I... will test you."
The Cult Leader's surging energy created a pressure like Mount Tai was crashing down on me. As if resonating with his power, the Central Sacred Fire flared up, roaring to life.
It was a truly terrifying sight.
"If you have truly learned the proper Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon... prove it to me."
As the Cult Leader finished speaking, his ominous energy and the flames of the sacred fire shot toward me, beginning to envelop me from all directions.
Feeling death loom over me once again, I screamed internally.
'What the hell! What kind of test is this, where words are useless? Logically, if I've learned the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, shouldn't he ask where and from whom I learned it first? What is this madman doing?!'
The flames, intertwined with the Cult Leader's energy, were clearly fire, yet they poured down on me with a thunderous roar.
This was truly...
He was definitely a madman.
If I get hit by that, I'll die.
Not even ashes will remain from those flames.
There was only one way to survive.
I had no choice but to circulate the energy of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
A technique I learned from the old man, one that uses the opponent's strength against them. The ancient martial art, Heaven and Earth Reversal. Using it in my current state could lead to internal deviation, but this was no time to be picky.
Anything was better than dying!
I refined the energy in my dantian, shaping it into threads and spinning them. I then transferred the spiraling energy to both arms. Processing the transferred energy, I drew out lines of demonic energy from my fingertips and spun them like a storm.
Simultaneously, I extended both arms, used footwork to rotate rapidly, and twisted the incoming energy with my fingertips.
In that vortex, which seemed to twist reality itself, the Cult Leader's ominous demonic energy was distorted, and the flames of the sacred fire were twisted as well.
I continued this tightrope walk, twisting the ferocious energy that could kill me with a single touch, keeping it just shy of reaching me.
Then, something strange happened.
The Cult Leader's energy and the sacred flames stopped their assault, changed direction, and returned to the Central Sacred Fire.
I looked at the Cult Leader with a puzzled expression, wondering what had just happened, but he stood with his hands behind his back, not even glancing at me.
'Is he really a madman? Is he saying he doesn't care if I die?'
Flustered, I felt a fire of anger boiling inside, but there was nothing I could actually do.
Just then, the Cult Leader spoke.
"How did you learn the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon?"
'Damn it, I thought he was a madman who would just let it go...'
The inevitable had come. But there was no need to be tense. I had a story prepared.
"On the night I was chosen by the sacred fire, I received a revelation from the Founder."
"..."
Upon hearing the words "revelation from the founding Heavenly Demon," the Cult Leader fell silent for a moment.
Logically, it made no sense, but that's precisely why it did. Otherwise, there would be no plausible explanation for how the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, a known delinquent, could use the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Besides, being chosen by the sacred fire was also a first in the history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, so nothing was impossible. Of course, from my perspective, it just seemed like my master, the Heavenly Demon, was playing a prank from the celestial realm.
Anyway, that wasn't the important part. It would be faster to prove my practical use than to awkwardly try and explain the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
I had to change the subject quickly, using the memories of my past life and my understanding of the Cult Leader's intentions to make an exquisite move.
"I have a request to make of you, Cult Leader."
My opponent was the head of the Demonic Cult, one of the three great powers of the martial world.
And one known as one of the strongest in its history.
Yet, for someone in my position to make a request...
It was, in fact, absurd.
'But I have to do it now!'
I swallowed hard again.
The tension hadn't faded; I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
"Speak."
"Please, allow me to go to Blade Leaf Valley."
"..."
"Your humble servant received a revelation from the founding Heavenly Demon after dying and coming back to life. Blade Leaf Valley is currently being threatened by the Sichuan Tang Clan. If you give me a chance, I will prove myself."
"..."
He was a Cult Leader skilled not only in power but also in intelligence. It was unbelievable that such a man would be unaware of the current situation.
Therefore, the best move I could make right now was to grasp the situation and make a bold proposal. That was the best I could do.
"Very well."
"...!"
'It worked...!'
It worked. I didn't show it on my face, but it seemed my move, based on the sum of all the information I had, had paid off.
"You may leave."
"Loyalty!"
I remained kneeling, offered a fist-and-palm salute to the Cult Leader, and then turned to leave.
I didn't know what might happen if I stayed there any longer.
As I was leaving the Sacred Fire Palace, I ran into the Divine Maiden.
"You made it back alive?"
"..."
What an ill-omened Divine Maiden. "You made it back alive?" Why the question mark? Did she want me to die in there? What a nasty person.
"Yes. The Cult Leader has ordered me to go to Blade Leaf Valley."
"Yes. Then, I will visit the Heavenly Dance Family early tomorrow morning and give you the details then. You will likely have to depart immediately after receiving the information from me, so please prepare in advance."
"Understood. Then, I shall return and prepare."
"Furthermore, the mission I will be entrusting to you will be conducted in utmost secrecy. You must not disclose it to anyone, including the Head of the Heavenly Dance Family."
"...Understood."
I gave the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden a deep bow, covered my face with the cloth again, and returned to the Heavenly Dance Family estate.
I prepared to go to Blade Leaf Valley. I stopped by the family storehouse and gathered various poisons, medicinal herbs, and needles.
This time, I wasn't just taking things as I pleased. I took them with the permission of my father, the Family Head. However, the family thought I was going to another branch of the Divine Cult for a medical exchange, not to Blade Leaf Valley.
After finishing all my preparations, I went to my room and got into bed. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Jang-bong all day.
I wondered where he could have gone, but I was too tired to go looking for him.
Exhausted from the tense, fast-paced day, my eyes slid shut the moment the tension left me, and I fell asleep.
* * *
-The Sacred Fire Palace
The Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin, was watching the blazing sacred fire when the Divine Maiden came to see him.
The Divine Maiden bowed to the Cult Leader and asked.
"Regarding the matter of Blade Leaf Valley... is it alright to send him?"
"Yes. I needed someone to send to Blade Leaf Valley discreetly, and I was planning to send him. But he volunteered himself."
"...!"
'Impossible. No one besides the Cult Leader and I knows about the situation in Blade Leaf Valley. And yet, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family volunteered?'
"He volunteered, you say?"
"According to him, the Sichuan Tang Clan is involved."
"...!"
'I suspected there was someone within the Cult colluding with an outside force. That's why I began preparing for an audit recently, but for him to claim the Sichuan Tang Clan is involved...'
After some thought, the Divine Maiden finally voiced the question in her mind.
"He could be the traitor."
Hearing the Divine Maiden's words, the Cult Leader remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low tone.
"The boy has learned the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon."
"...!"
The Divine Maiden was so stunned she was at a loss for words.
The Cult Leader looked at her, paused, and then continued.
"He has built the most suitable foundation for the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, even incorporating the enlightenment I gained through my own secluded training. It's an impossible event, yet it happened. And without his explanation, none of this makes sense."
"..."
The Divine Maiden's eyes widened.
What kind of martial art was the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon?
This was no ordinary matter.
Amidst the restructuring of the Cult's power dynamics around the Cult Leader's five disciples, a new possibility was emerging.
What kind of person was the Cult Leader?
He was a man with a profound love for martial arts, one who would do anything to see the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon perfected.
Was a new wind blowing through the Divine Cult?
If so, even if it were a wind of blood...
Just then, the Cult Leader began to walk as he spoke.
"We will have to wait and see..."
"Everything will happen according to your will, Cult Leader."
"Proceed with the audit as planned."
"Yes."
With those words, the Cult Leader departed. The Sun and Moon Divine Maiden organized the orders she had received from him and relayed them to the Bright Heavenly Demon Unit and the Law Palace.