By Zephyria 
HF 43
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* * *
In the Heavenly Demon Palace, two guardians and Chief Administrator Han Hee-ryeong were paying their respects to the Cult Leader. The Cult Leader rarely showed himself even for regular reports, but today was an exception.
Mu-gyeong’s formal attire had become meaningless; he was now merely draped in a long robe.
“There is no excuse. It is entirely my negligence that I failed to provide proper security on such an auspicious day. Please, kill me.”
Il Gang-gun, who was confessing his sins, repeatedly slammed his head against the floor. Beside him, Ji Hyeok-gyeong and Han Hee-ryeong also bowed their heads low. As Il Gang-gun struck the floor again, blood splattered across the floor of the Heavenly Demon Great Hall, which was already thick with demonic energy.
“Stop.”
Il Gang-gun wanted to keep smashing his head until the bone shattered, but he could not disobey the Cult Leader’s command. As Il Gang-gun lifted his head, Mu-gyeong—his upper body fully exposed beneath his loosened robe—tilted a wine glass.
As usual, a bottle and glasses sat upon the obsidian table beside the throne. However, no one in that room dared to pour wine for him.
The Cult Leader never kept anyone close. Because the fire energy of his body was too excessive, he could not tolerate even the slightest warmth from another. In that sense, the two guardians and Chief Administrator Han Hee-ryeong were considered quite favored by the Cult Leader.
“Begin the report.”
Originally, the elders’ meeting was held in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, but since it had been devastated by the Blood Cult, the proceedings took place in the Hall of Law. The discussions held in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had lasted only about half a shijin(1). The filtered agendas from there were now presented to the Cult Leader.
“I estimate it will take at least three months to restore the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.”
Han Hee-ryeong added the expected restoration costs. While it was an amount the sect could easily afford, Han Hee-ryeong gnashed his teeth at the Blood Cult over the unexpected expenditure. He plotted for the future, vowing to take it back several hundred times over.
He also reported that a certain amount of funds would be allocated for those injured or killed, and then Left Guardian Ji Hyeok-gyeong took over.
“This is the list of those suspected of being spies for the Blood Cult.”
Standing below the sixteen steps of the throne, Ji Hyeok-gyeong held the list up with both hands. The list was drawn from Ji Hyeok-gyeong’s hands as if sucked into the Cult Leader’s grasp.
“The Inner Hall Master, huh.”
Mu-gyeong spoke indifferently, his eyes scanning the list. The Inner Hall was the place that managed the funds necessary for the sect’s upkeep, and the Inner Hall Master was the chief officer of that department.
Han Hee-ryeong glared sharply at Ji Hyeok-gyeong. The Inner Hall was practically under Han Hee-ryeong’s jurisdiction. If Han Hee-ryeong managed all the revenues and expenditures of the Demon Sect, the Inner Hall Master handled the internal household affairs. However, since he was before the Cult Leader, he quickly suppressed his sharp gaze.
As Mu-gyeong scanned the list with the hand that had set down the wine glass, several names were scorched away by fire. The list returned to Ji Hyeok-gyeong.
“The Inner Hall Master does not betray.”
At the Cult Leader’s firm words, Ji Hyeok-gyeong shouted, “As you command!” Han Hee-ryeong could not hide the look of deep emotion on his face. Inner Hall Master Yun Hwa-won had been a benefactor who helped Han Hee-ryeong in every possible way since the moment he suddenly appeared as the master of the Demonic Shadow Martial House. Since they were now like biological siblings, there was no way Han Hee-ryeong wouldn’t have known if there were any suspicious corners to Yun Hwa-won.
However, the Hall Master of Law, Cheol Oh-jin, remained on the list. The list had been arranged from the most suspicious at the top to the least at the bottom, and Cheol Oh-jin was at the very bottom. He was even the one who had shouted at the Blood Cult member on the martial arts duel stage, telling them to get down.
“Monitor those remaining on the list without a single moment’s lapse.”
But without asking any questions, they once again shouted their obedience and followed the Cult Leader’s will. After giving the final order to track the Blood Demon Valley, Mu-gyeong dismissed the three and tilted the bottle into his glass.
He enjoyed drinking, but he never drank straight from the bottle. Only the clear sound of the falling liquid filling the glass faintly soothed his boredom. But now, the wine had overflowed the glass and was flowing across the table.
By now, Wi Ho-yeon might be muttering curses. He hadn’t predicted how Ho-yeon would react upon discovering that he was the Cult Leader who had threatened the Ice Palace. To him, whose senses had worn away, such imagination no longer existed. However, Ho-yeon’s actual behavior when the truth hit was quite unexpected.
Far from raising his voice in anger or being unable to speak due to rage, he was remarkably calm. As calm as the breath Wi Ho-yeon exhaled.
And how long had it been since he had thought about another person? It felt as distant as the memories of his repeated past lives.
The first time Mu-gyeong had seized the position of Cult Leader was during his fifth regression. He had executed the previous Cult Leader and Cheon Beom-yeong in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons and wiped out the Demonic Shadow Guard, the Cult Leader’s direct subordinates.
He similarly eliminated all the forces of the former Cult Leader who had sworn loyalty to the new leader. He stopped at nothing to find a way to erase the curse, plunging the sect into terror.
He sought out those with the extreme yin constitution to seize their dantian, and he even dabbled in forbidden dark arts to suppress the fire energy. But no matter the method, he could not cross the mountain of twenty-nine years. He had ascended to the position of Cult Leader several times and tried everything, but it was all a useless struggle.
Out of ninety-nine lives, Mu-gyeong had ascended as the Cult Leader only twelve times. For the rest, he wandered across the Central Plains, sometimes bringing storms of blood, and there were times when the Great War of Righteous and Demonic broke out again because he didn’t bother to hide his identity.
After countless attempts, perhaps it was after the seventieth regression. For ten consecutive lives following that, Mu-gyeong did not leave the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. He didn’t do anything. He simply spent his time lying in a dilapidated thatched cottage.
There were no variables in Cheon Mu-gyeong’s life, and after too many attempts, his path had become fixed. Before he knew it, his repeating lives were swallowed by the emotion of boredom.
Yet, why had he desired the position of Cult Leader in this life?
Just as he had no memory of the moments immediately after subjugating the Fire Dragon, the reason seemed to have been carved out. But it was no surprise. He hadn’t been in his right mind to begin with. Having exhausted his emotions over ninety-nine lives, he had gradually begun to act without purpose.
However, since this was the first time Wi Ho-yeon had appeared, he had acted with a clear purpose this time. Because of that, he had done things he had never done before, and for the first time, he protected the hostage from the Ice Palace. In the previous eleven instances, those from the Ice Palace had all been slaughtered by the Blood Cult. And every time, the Ice Palace had remained silent.
The impulse to kill the variable, Wi Ho-yeon, still existed within him. However, if he took Ho-yeon while the seal on his internal energy was not fully released, there was a high probability it would end without any gain. He could not forcibly break the seal himself.
He did not yet accurately understand what was inside Ho-yeon. However, since he could withstand the internal power Mu-gyeong injected, his actual realm must be considerable.
Looking back, the martial prowess Ho-yeon showed during the Blood Cult’s attack was merely at the Peak stage. It was a realm far below his inherent internal power. Since he fainted immediately after, it seemed Ho-yeon could not freely control his sealed internal energy.
If he kidnapped Wi Ho-yeon’s child from the Ice Palace and used them for blackmail, perhaps the seal would be released one way or another.
It was simply absurd that someone who was practically a child himself had a child. Mu-gyeong let out a short, conscious laugh and drank from the bottle instead of the glass.
“I’m originally… not built to learn martial arts. It hurts when I use internal energy.”
Ho-yeon’s face, speaking while clenching his fists, was vivid in his mind. Mu-gyeong rose from the throne and headed toward where Ho-yeon was.
* * *
Ho-yeon lay quietly on the bed, covered by a silk duvet over a layer of fox fur. Thanks to Jangun repeatedly replacing the charcoal in the bronze brazier, the bedchamber was sweltering. He had arranged it so that the blood paths would open naturally over time, and Ho-yeon remained fast asleep without throwing a tantrum or attempting to flee.
It was strange, as Ho-yeon was a heavy sleeper but not oblivious. Mu-gyeong approached the bed, trapped Ho-yeon’s body within his arms, and leaned in slowly. Just as he was about to take a deep breath, a slender hand shot out and tightened around Mu-gyeong’s neck.
Blue internal power, as vivid as his slate-grey eyes which held no trace of sleep, swirled around his hand. Ho-yeon had awakened his sealed dantian. Of course, compared to his latent energy, the internal power he displayed was utterly minuscule.
“I’ll have to teach him some manners first.”
Contrary to his words, Mu-gyeong allowed his neck to be held, breathing slowly and closing his eyes. Ho-yeon could feel his energy being sucked into Mu-gyeong. Just as his own cold body found stability whenever he was by Mu-gyeong’s side, this was an experimental action to see if Mu-gyeong was also taking something from him. And Ho-yeon’s experiment was correct.
Like lava pouring over the frozen eternal snow mountains, the blue light evaporated in an instant. Soon, when Mu-gyeong opened his eyes, a serene crimson light resided within them.
“Cheon Mu-gyeong.”
Ho-yeon dared to utter his name.
“Make a deal with me.”
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Approximately 1 hour.