Chapter 40
Chapter 40
『 Translator – Divinity 』
If Cheon Ha-seong had not been the father of his grandchild, he would not have just listened to such words. He probably would have burst into anger before he could even finish speaking. But he could not. He found himself listening to what Cheon Ha-seong said and paying attention to it. And he began to think.
“Listening to you ask that, it seems you do not think so, son-in-law.”
“Yes, Cult Leader. I want to give our child, whom Head Instructor Seo will bear, a good world. I think I would be very sorry if the world that child sees is still a place like this. I think I would be ashamed if I were to pass down a world like this, where we live clustered together as if in hiding on a desolate land, where the Demonic Clans divide their power and launch surprise attacks to enjoy a little more power.”
That was a way of thinking the Cult Leader had never considered before. After having Hyo-eun, he had been proud to pass down such a world to her.
He thought he had let her live, enjoying everything to her heart's content, having been born with the noble status of Young Supreme One. Because Hyo-eun was a daughter, and because of the Divine Cult's tradition and history, he had not made her the Young Cult Leader, but he had thought that Hyo-eun must have lived with satisfaction.
But listening to Cheon Ha-seong point things out one by one, he too began to think it was strange. And his heart felt as if it were growing heavy.
The world his grandchild would inherit would easily become just as Cheon Ha-seong had described, unless the current situation changed dramatically.
Even then, the various families would continue to fight to grow their own power. All while occupying such a desolate land. All while living clustered together as if in hiding in a place like this.
The Cult Leader looked at Cheon Ha-seong.
“Do you have a good idea?”
“First, since the So Demonic Clan made the proposal, how about we start with them and extend our influence into the Central Plains? Even if it is not to achieve a Demonic Hegemony through bloody subjugation, I think it would be good to at least lay the groundwork so that the followers of the Divine Cult can live like the other people who live ordinary lives in the Central Plains. I say this because I feel your grandchild might find this place too small.”
How grand and magnificent were those words.
The Cult Leader thought about those words. His heart pounded like crazy.
Before hearing those words, he had even been thinking of capturing the bastards of the So Demonic Clan and ordering them all to cut off their right arms. He had intended to do so to ensure that no other faction in the Divine Cult would dare challenge him again.
But after hearing Cheon Ha-seong's words, he realized that wasn't the way. He felt he now understood why he had spoken of the limbs.
If they were to die anyway, wouldn't it be better to have them die while doing something for the Divine Cult?
The Cult Leader nodded his head.
“Good. That's a good idea.”
Cheon Ha-seong was relieved that the Cult Leader looked upon his words favorably.
“However, the bastards of the So Demonic Clan alone will try to go back on their word at any time. What do you think? They are not trustworthy people. In fact, it's not just the So Demonic Clan; they're all pretty much like that.”
Cheon Ha-seong thought that might be right. The Cult Leader would know them well, and it seemed he shouldn't take his words lightly.
“The So Demonic Clan and the Danmok Demonic Clan will soon join hands and try to attack me. I believe that could be a good opportunity. If I show them my true strength then, wouldn't they also be forced to submit?”
However, the Cult Leader could not be immediately reassured by those words.
“Victory and defeat in a real battle are not decided solely by the level of one's martial prowess. It is common for masters to die after being hit by a despicable trick. You must never be overconfident in your skills. Who are you planning to take with you? You don't have anyone to go with you, do you? Fighting against many alone is a very difficult thing.”
It wasn't as if Cheon Ha-seong didn't know that.
“What about Cheok Gyo-woon? If you take even just Cheok Gyo-woon, he might be of some help. He could at least tell you who is where, and who is pulling any foolish tricks.”
If Cheok Gyo-woon knew that the Cult Leader thought of him in this way, his face would likely turn red with shame.
“Cult Leader, actually, there is something I haven't told you yet. It's about what you told me regarding the markings of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art. I tried it just as you said, and a tremendous power appeared. In fact, the So Demonic Clan may be afraid of me. That is why I believe I may have a chance of winning.”
Hearing that, the Cult Leader immediately showed interest.
“Can you go to the training ground and show me?”
“Of course.”
Now, Cheon Ha-seong was no longer hiding anything from the Cult Leader.
Even on the way to the training ground, the Cult Leader's questions continued. Cheon Ha-seong thought that the roles of the one asking about martial arts and the one answering seemed to have been reversed, but he still explained in as much detail as he could within the scope of his ability to answer.
He too had had new realizations while watching the candidates at the Martial Arts Academy. So he figured that regardless of the level of one's martial arts or accomplishment, one could still gain clues for enlightenment by listening to another martial artist's story.
Unlike what Cheon Ha-seong was thinking, the Cult Leader had high expectations for him. The Cult Leader was so surprised by this that he even let out a hollow laugh to himself.
When talking with Cheon Ha-seong, the thought that he was talking with someone of a much lower generation would disappear. Instead, it felt like he was talking with people on an equal footing, such as the Protectors of the Divine Cult or the Family Heads of the Demonic Clans.
In fact, it might have been much more comfortable and even deeper than talking with them. Although Cheon Ha-seong was still young and had far less real-world combat experience, so the terms he used and his explanations were lacking, that was something that could be supplemented by the Cult Leader's own ability.
“How far have you tried it? As you go towards the later parts of the techniques, does it require an even greater injection of internal energy?”
“I do not know that either, Cult Leader. That is why I wanted to confirm it. In fact, I also thought that the incident at the So Demonic Clan's residence was a great help to me. If that incident hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been able to exert my full power to that extent.”
The Cult Leader stared at Cheon Ha-seong with blank eyes. Wasn't he saying that it was good because he had met an opponent he was allowed to kill and was able to freely unleash his killing moves on them?
“I didn't see you that way, but you have a cruel side.”
Hearing those words, Cheon Ha-seong smiled.
“That may be so. But it's also a necessary task. It seems it cannot be helped.”
“Right. Right.”
The Cult Leader was anxious, wanting to go and see Cheon Ha-seong's techniques as soon as possible.
As the two were on their way, several people approached the Cult Leader on business, but the Cult Leader told them to do it later and went straight to the training ground. At that, Cheon Ha-seong, seeing how much the Cult Leader was hurrying, immediately began to display his techniques.
The Cult Leader knew the mnemonic verses of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art well, and he had recently had the chance to see the original copy again. For a while, thinking it couldn't be mastered, he hadn't gone near it or even spoken of it and had forgotten about it, but now his interest had returned.
So as Cheon Ha-seong executed the techniques, he watched, thinking they were familiar.
He even felt that he could perform the early techniques almost as well as Cheon Ha-seong. In fact, while Cheon Ha-seong was executing the techniques according to the mnemonic verses, he moved his own hands and feet, retracing his memory.
Then, when the point came where Cheon Ha-seong's internal energy was suddenly and rapidly injected, the Cult Leader watched the sight intently.
“Do it for real. This training ground should be able to withstand it.”
He said, thinking that Cheon Ha-seong seemed to be restraining his power.
“Understood, Cult Leader.”
Cheon Ha-seong had been hesitating for a very brief moment, but upon hearing the Cult Leader's words, he thought there was no need to worry from then on and swung his sword.
In that place, only the sound of the training ground groaning under Cheon Ha-seong's bombardment could be heard. The Cult Leader couldn't say a single word.
Cheon Ha-seong was ecstatic, displaying what he had been wanting to confirm all this time in front of a person he could trust. It felt like he had never experienced such a feeling before.
After executing the techniques up to the middle part, Cheon Ha-seong felt a sense of crisis.
‘If this much internal energy has to be injected at this stage, the next stage will be difficult, won't it?’
However, that was something only Cheon Ha-seong, who was executing the techniques, could feel; the Cult Leader, who was watching him, had no idea.
What he was thinking was that he had done well to bring Cheon Ha-seong to his exclusive training ground. He had thought that the Young Supreme One's exclusive training ground he had given to Hyo-eun was also well-built, but if he had done it there, the training ground would not have been able to withstand it.
‘I really built one fine training ground.’
He was admiring it for a moment, then thought that now was not the time for that and pulled himself together.
But just then, the movements of Cheon Ha-seong, who had been executing the techniques as if in a full-speed sprint without any sign of tiring, gradually slowed down.
The Cult Leader thought that Cheon Ha-seong was about to stop because he had noticed him not concentrating and thinking of other things.
“What's wrong, son-in-law?”
When Cheon Ha-seong finally stopped completely, the Cult Leader asked in surprise.
“This seems to be the limit, Cult Leader. For the next stage, I have to inject about twice the amount of internal energy again.”
“Hah…”
The Cult Leader, as if he couldn't believe it, looked at him and then shook his head.
“Didn't you reach the sixth stage in an instant, son-in-law? After realizing the meaning contained in those markings, I mean.”
Hearing those words, Cheon Ha-seong realized that was correct.
The Heaven-Shattering Will Art had twelve stages in total, and upon reaching the twelfth stage, one would master its ultimate secrets.
Cheon Ha-seong seemed to think it was enough that he was able to confirm his own level of skill. However, the Cult Leader could not think so.
Even setting aside their personal relationship and thinking only in terms of the Divine Cult's power, Cheon Ha-seong was a figure one couldn't help but be greedy for.
“This is a problem.”
At the Cult Leader's words, Cheon Ha-seong looked at him, wondering what he meant.
“We can't postpone the spiritual elixir.”
“Ah…”
Cheon Ha-seong, knowing his internal energy was insufficient, thought the Cult Leader had now decided to give him the spiritual elixir. However, that was a topic that had come up before, so he didn't think it was of great importance. But just then, the Cult Leader spoke.
“If I had known it would turn out like this, perhaps I should have stayed on good terms with the Family Heads of the Demonic Clans for a while. No. No. We were standing still, and they were the ones who struck first.”
“Why… do you say that, Cult Leader?”
The Cult Leader thought about how best to say it, then opened his mouth.
“I believe you know, son-in-law, that I have been agonizing for a long time over what kind of spiritual elixir to give you. What I decided on was the Azure Sky Stone Milk and the inner core of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp. They possess the energies of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang respectively, so if you use them together, the effect is at a level that defies imagination. However…”
Cheon Ha-seong was momentarily speechless, wondering if he had really intended to give him two such incredible spiritual elixirs when even one was amazing. At that, the Cult Leader hurriedly waved his hands. It was because he thought Cheon Ha-seong seemed to be getting emotional in advance when the problem wasn't even solved yet.