By Zephyria 
“My uncle definitely followed the Great One, so why is the Great One here alone?”
Soho asked anxiously.
“Could it be that my uncle was caught in the landslide…?”
As Soho, unable to hide his anxiety, looked as if he were about to cry, the two youngest children huddled behind him also began to whimper.
“I have to go look for my uncle!”
Hee-un tried to move past Mu-gyeong to go outside. Mu-gyeong blocked her path without moving a single step. Only then did she realize he was holding a sword, but Hee-un was not wary. To her, he was a very kind Great One.
“He is safe.”
No demonic energy leaked from any part of Mu-gyeong’s body.
“For the North Sea to remain safe, he must be.”
While the two young children were a different story, the words were cryptic even to Hee-un and Soho.
“Great One, so you mean my uncle is safe regardless?”
Even though he gave a single nod, the children could not shake their anxiety. Cheon Mu-gyeong straightened the furniture and braziers that had been messed up by the earthquake without even touching them.
“Jangun.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
A masked man, whose presence they hadn’t even noticed, emerged from the shadows near the door. Unlike the youngest children who didn’t see it clearly, the older children could not hide their surprise.
Meanwhile, the youngest, Ha-dong, who was holding a bowl of thin noodles frosted with thin ice in one hand, trotted over. He then grabbed the hem of Mu-gyeong’s trousers with his other hand.
“Uncuu… why not here?”
With his frozen hands, he even began to munch on the noodles, which had been boiled without any seasoning. Jangun radiated a killing intent that went beyond wanting to slice the child’s wrist; he looked as if he wanted to slaughter him as an example. To dare touch the Cult Leader’s precious body with such a thing was absolutely unacceptable.
Mu-gyeong neutralized the killing intent directed at the child in an instant. Killing intent infused with demonic energy alone could have put the child’s life in immediate peril. Jangun slammed his head against the floor once more, begging to be killed.
“At the very least, these things shouldn’t freeze to death by the time Wi Ho-yeon returns.”
“As you command!”
Understanding Mu-gyeong’s meaning, Jangun rose from his prostrate position. It was essentially an order to repair the broken house and make the interior warm. It went without saying that he must never show his killing intent again.
As Mu-gyeong stepped outside, Jangun picked up the fallen door and began repairing it. With that alone, the biting wind that had been relentlessly sweeping into the house no longer raged. Jangun focused solely on his task, not sparing a single glance for the children.
Tasks that would have been impossible for the children were swiftly organized by the adult’s hands. Hee-un was not afraid of the stranger who had entered her home, but she remained wary. This was because she had been learning martial arts, albeit only the basics.
Hee-un had noticed that the masked man had directed killing intent toward the youngest, Ha-dong. However, she could find some peace of mind knowing that the Great One had protected Ha-dong and that the man’s loyalty seemed immense, so he likely wouldn’t cause further harm.
“But Soho.”
Hee-un whispered to Soho, who was standing beside her, about something that had been lingering in her mind.
“Didn’t that person just call the Great One… Cult Leader?”
Soho nodded, meeting her gaze seriously. It was a lingering discomfort that Soho shared. As far as they knew, the only being in the Central Plains who could be called a Cult Leader was the master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
* * *
The Blood Cult had over twenty Blood Demon Valleys, but currently, only five remained. Since the Demon Sect was wiping out the Blood Demon Valleys, it was enough to make the Blood Cult even more spiteful.
Eum Yohwa, who had been leaking information from within the Demon Sect, was dead, and the Sword Demon, one of their powerful assets and the Cult Leader’s teacher, had also lost his life.
The Blood Cult’s long-cherished desire was to destroy the Demon Sect that had driven them out and seize the entirety of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. To achieve this, they had crouched in the shadows for a very long time, building their strength.
In the process, they won over demonic practitioners who desired power even through the use of dark arts, and this was achieved more easily under the current Cult Leader’s reign than under the previous one.
It was precisely because of the existence of Cheon Mu-gyeong.
The cultists revered the one who had reached transcending demonicity before the age of thirty, but this also led to an increase in those consumed by inferiority, like the Sword Demon. In a place that worshipped strength, the longing for even greater power was fanatically prominent.
“The martial prowess of Wi Ho-yeon, who uses ice art, was unusual. With that level of internal power… he is estimated to be at least in the Transcendence Realm.”
Hyeol-jon had already received this fact via courier. However, hearing it directly from a subordinate’s mouth was different.
After confirming that Cheon Mu-gyeong had left the cult, they had planned to deploy a large number of blood-flame jiangshis to deal a massive blow to the Demon Sect. Furthermore, Wi Ho-yeon had certainly headed for the ice palace. According to information from the Hao Clan, it was certain that Wi Ho-yeon had passed through the lands of the foreign tribes.
But by what means had Wi Ho-yeon suddenly returned to the Demon Sect? Moreover, it wasn’t as if the Cult Leader had shown himself. There was no way to know where Cheon Mu-gyeong was or what he was doing.
“It is said that he froze an entire radius of several dozen zhang.”
Hyeol-jon’s subordinate had not witnessed it personally but had received the information from a spy planted in the Demon Sect. A master of ice art, the polar opposite of the blood-flame jiangshis… Hyeol-jon suffered a headache over the situation not going as planned.
But why on earth was a North Sea bastard saving the Demon Sect bastards? And a bastard who had been a forced hostage at that. He was either an idiot or putting on a facade of hypocrisy like those orthodox sect bastards.
Wi Ho-yeon became a primary target for elimination for Hyeol-jon. Considering how much effort had gone into the blood-flame jiangshis sent into the Demon Sect, it wouldn’t be enough to grab that white hair and dye it all in blood right now.
After dismissing his subordinate, Hyeol-jon headed toward Cheon Beom-yeong, who had settled in a new Blood Demon Valley.
In Hyeol-jon’s hand was a Blood-Cleansing Pill, which prevented the Qi and Blood Disorder caused by the Blood Soul Essence Absorption Art. Things had become a bit complicated with Eum Yohwa’s death, but it had only taken some time; he was able to prepare sufficient human sacrifices for Cheon Beom-yeong.
Cheon Beom-yeong, soaking his body in a bath full of blood, reached out as he saw Hyeol-jon enter. Then, the porcelain containing the Blood-Cleansing Pill in Hyeol-jon’s hand landed in Cheon Beom-yeong’s hand as if drawn to it.
“Congratulations on achieving great success once again.”
Cheon Beom-yeong, who drank the Blood-Cleansing Pill with a rattling throat amidst the blood, was not in a state that could be called sane. His eyes were bloodshot, redder than the blood itself, and every vein in his body bulged as if about to burst. Cheon Beom-yeong made guttural, beast-like sounds as he greedily devoured the Blood-Cleansing Pill.
Crash! The porcelain, thrown aside carelessly, shattered on the floor, and several vacant-eyed maids came and picked up the shards with their bare hands. Because they were under the influence of dark arts, they didn’t care even if their hands were cut.
“What about Cheon Mu-gyeong? Did you find him?”
Only after drinking the Blood-Cleansing Pill did Cheon Beom-yeong’s half-gone eyes return to their place.
“It is certain that he is not within the cult. We are tracking him, so please wait a little longer.”
Hyeol-jon knew well that no matter how much Cheon Beom-yeong had reached the extreme demon realm through the Blood Soul Essence Absorption Art, he would be no match for Cheon Mu-gyeong. Only Cheon Beom-yeong was unaware of this.
“Bring more Blood-Cleansing Pills!”
The maids hurriedly brought more pills, and Hyeol-jon smiled while bowing obsequiously to Cheon Beom-yeong. Since the man’s usefulness was gradually ripening, he could tolerate any amount of such tyranny.
After all, that man was indeed a descendant of the First Heavenly Demon.
Hyeol-jon’s ultimate goal was to find the First Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, ‘Cheon Tae-seong.’ The being who had cut off their Blood Cult, which had originally been one with the Demon Sect, and tried to wipe them out.
The body of one who has reached the level of a Demonic Immortal does not rot. And the method to find the body of the First Heavenly Demon also lay with the descendants who inherited his blood.
What if he got hold of the First Heavenly Demon’s body and turned it into a blood-flame jiangshi?
No matter how great Cheon Mu-gyeong was, he would have no way to withstand it. Cheon Mu-gyeong was called the incarnation of the First Heavenly Demon, but compared to the legendary First Heavenly Demon, he would be at a trivial level.
Cheon Beom-yeong, who had been drinking the Blood-Cleansing Pills like wine, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Hyeol-jon nonchalantly transferred that blood into a jar covered in talismans. Cheon Beom-yeong was so intoxicated by the madness provided by the Blood Soul Essence Absorption Art that he didn’t know what Hyeol-jon was doing.
However, unless Wi Ho-yeon was eliminated immediately, the power of the blood-flame jiangshis would be infinitely reduced.
“What happened to the North Sea bastard?”
Cheon Beom-yeong, who had finished five bottles of Blood-Cleansing Pills, suddenly mentioned Wi Ho-yeon. Since there was no way this matter had reached Cheon Beom-yeong’s ears, Hyeol-jon spoke calmly.
“Are you referring to Wi Ho-yeon?”
“Was that his name?”
“Yes. It is said that the Cult Leader let him go, and he has headed back to the North Sea.”
Hyeol-jon did not share accurate information with Cheon Beom-yeong. There was no need to.
“Then how about capturing that fellow and making a Blood-Ice Zombie?”
Cheon Beom-yeong was chuckling, drunk on blood and wine. Whether he said it without much thought or was just talking nonsense in his intoxication, Hyeol-jon mocked him inwardly, thinking that even this idiot was useful sometimes.
‘A Blood-Ice Zombie, not bad.’
Hyeol-jon moved again, clutching the jar brimming with blood.
* * *
“What about the letter?”
“It should be flying through the lands of the foreign tribes by now. It will arrive in the North Sea in a day or two.”
Il Gang-gun answered Chief Han’s question. As luck would have it, Left Guardian Ji Hyeok-gyeong was also away to repair the magic arrays.
After repairing the magic arrays inside and outside the headquarters, Ji Hyeok-gyeong had left, saying that the entire area of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains near the cult needed to be looked after. It would take at least a month for him to return.
Chief Han held Ho-yeon’s hands with both of hers, as he exhaled white breath and panted feverishly. Even though several layers of blankets had been spread on the bed and heated stones had been placed between them, the frost energy emanating from Ho-yeon showed no sign of cooling down even after several days. It was so full of frost energy that one might wonder if this is what it’s like when a person becomes a snowy mountain.
Since braziers were placed here and there, Chief Han and Il Gang-gun were sweating as if they were standing in the scorching midsummer sun. However, they didn’t think it was difficult at all. He was the benefactor of the Divine Cult. If it weren’t for Wi Ho-yeon, this Demonic Shadow Martial House would not have survived the flames.
To protect Ho-yeon, who would have been exposed to the Blood Cult, Chief Han mobilized all the manpower in the house. Having even given up her own room, she constantly massaged Ho-yeon’s hands.
Boom—! At the sound of another roar, Chief Han and Il Gang-gun looked at each other with apprehensive expressions. If the Blood Cult’s blood-flame jiangshis had once again broken through the magic array and intruded, there would be no way to stop them this time.
“Protect Young Master Wi.”
It was just as Chief Han gave the order to Abok and the other subordinates. Ho-yeon’s hand, which she was holding, flinched, and almost simultaneously, his softly closed eyes snapped open.
Clear and vivid blue-gray eyes widened in an instant. A low murmur, “Mu-gyeong…,” scattered from Ho-yeon’s lips.
“Young Master, are you awake?”
Ho-yeon’s gaze slowly shifted toward Chief Han. Then, his lips parted.
“The Cult Leader… is coming.”