How the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult Lives

Chapter 147: Suspicion of Suspicion

Amid the outcries of people begging to be spared, Man-Sa Calamity Emperor stood still, listening to the cracking sounds that echoed through the air, staring blankly into the void.

It was not that he was watching someone again through the reconnected Latent Death. Instead, he was retracing time in his mind.

He was recalling his meeting with the veiled man who had just left.

Man-Sa Calamity Emperor had met the veiled man immediately after turning the Ice Palace into a sea of blood.

When he had returned to the Central Plains in search of his next target, it was the veiled man who had come looking for him.

When asked how he had found him, the veiled man had replied, ‘Evil men recognize their own kind.’

At that absurd answer, I had merely let out a faint chuckle, because in his eyes I had glimpsed the same sense of kinship that existed within myself.

An evil man?

By the standards of the world, he was unquestionably one.

Hatred toward the world, denial, and annihilation.

Such eyes were not something a normal person could possess.

Of course, there had been another layer to his gaze, something of a different feeling behind it, but that was something even Man-Sa Calamity Emperor had not understood.

It had bothered me.

Still, it did not matter. Once I obtained what I wanted, I had intended to tear him to pieces and kill him immediately.

In exchange for staking his own death as collateral, the veiled man had asked for only two things.

The first was—

<Remain quiet.>

In other words, stop causing bloodshed.

The more I did so, he had said, the more the Bright Cult would rampage, and in the end I would be captured and killed before the Blood Corpse was completed.

I had not wanted to agree with him, but the abilities of that Vice Cult Leader I had observed through a medium were certainly dangerous.

Not only for Man-Sa Calamity Emperor himself, but even with an incomplete Blood Corpse, he seemed difficult to deal with.

Moreover, at the Vice Cult Leader’s side stood that bastard— that accursed Cult Leader.

In that case, defeat was certain.

There was little room even to hope for a miracle.

There was only one way to crush those two completely.

To complete the Blood Corpse and bring about His descent.

If that happened, there would be no one in this world capable of blocking our path.

I had been worrying about how to endure until that moment, so when the proposal came, Man-Sa Calamity Emperor had accepted the veiled man’s hand without hesitation.

As unexpected as the veiled man’s identity was the place he had provided for us to stay.

And as promised, he had supplied the wealth necessary for the Blood Corpse to grow.

At first, I had arrogantly believed that a space like this could be broken through at any time.

That had been the real reason I had willingly followed him into this absurd place and allowed myself to be confined.

But I could not escape the enclosed space at all.

Only after even the Blood Corpse, whose ferocious radiance had exploded outward, failed to break through did I realize that the walls were not ordinary stone.

They were Gangseok, a rare stone said to be found only occasionally even in Yunnan, which was famous for producing high-quality marble.

Stronger than iron of the same thickness, and said to be impossible to scratch unless with diamond— such was Gangseok.

The reason this stone had become famous was not because of its astonishing hardness.

If it had only been about strength, it would have been better to thicken iron rather than consume costly diamonds to cut stone.

In truth, the reason this stone was famous was because it did not release the aura it contained to the outside.

In other words, it had been used to prevent the energy emitted by rare treasures from leaking outward.

For those who possessed such precious artifacts, consuming diamonds was nothing of consequence.

That was why Gangseok had become renowned.

Staring blankly at the ceiling of the space sealed on all sides with Gangseok, Man-Sa Calamity Emperor recalled the second condition the veiled man had set forth.

<Once the Blood Corpse is complete, you must attack the Bright Cult first.>

Here, his intention was obvious.

He intended to deal with us easily after we had exhausted ourselves fighting the Bright Cult.

He might think that covering his face with a veil had concealed his identity, but Man-Sa Calamity Emperor had long since passed the stage of being hindered by such trivialities.

And the identity I had seen through was……

As I tucked the veil into my robes, a subordinate rushed over and reported to me.

“The message hawk has arrived. Those who deserted without authorization from the Kongtong Successor Cultivation Plan are heading straight toward the Bright Cult.”

“Recall the surveillance team.”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“No matter that this was orchestrated by Younger Generation Talents who danced to our provocation— since they have staked their lives, it is only proper that we prepare a fitting battlefield for them.”

At my words, the subordinate asked,

“Shall we inform those inside the Bright Cult?”

“Yes. Tell them to discreetly notify that Vice Cult Leader.”

“Will he believe it?”

“By now, he has surely already identified them as spies. So there is no reason he would doubt the message. Once he receives it, he will certainly rush out.”

“In whose name shall we send it……?”

“In my name. Sometimes the truth is more lethal than a lie.”

“If your name is mentioned, will it not cause trouble?”

“At most, they will talk about disciplinary confinement again. There is nothing to fear.”

“Understood. I will carry it out at once.”

As I nodded, the subordinate immediately withdrew.

Watching him disappear into the distance, I muttered,

“Now then, the die has been cast. How many steps behind me will you manage to follow?”

My murmur flowed out from the Strategist’s Residence, deep within the Martial Alliance.

One of the low-ranking martial artists assigned to guard the Strategist’s Residence had a heavy look in his eyes.

Startled when a colleague jabbed him in the side, the guard with the weighed-down gaze flinched.

“W-What?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply? I’ve been calling you. It’s time for the shift change.”

“Ah!”

Only then did he notice that the martial artists scheduled to relieve him had already arrived. He stepped aside.

Freed from duty at the Strategist Division and returning to his quarters, a colleague asked him,

“Cheol-yong. You said you’ve got leave in a few days, right?”

“Huh? Ah! Yeah.”

“Don’t just hole up in the dormitory again. Go visit your hometown. I heard Guizhou, where your sect is, has been pretty chaotic lately.”

It was because the Green Forest Main Stronghold had been swept up in what was commonly called the Ghost Cult Bloodshed.

On top of that, quite a number of renowned Green Forest masters had disappeared, and in some mountain strongholds only the buildings remained while the people had vanished without a trace. As a result, Guizhou and Guangxi, led by the Green Forest, were in extreme turmoil.

Moreover, with Green Forest factions fighting over the vacant throne, people were dying almost daily.

The Government Office, which should have prevented such things, was practically neglecting the slaughter in Guizhou and Guangxi, as rumors spread that internal strife had broken out within it, and they were instead focusing on consolidating their own power.

As his colleague recounted this, Na Cheol-yong nodded.

“Yeah. That’s why I’m planning to go this time.”

Truthfully, he was not particularly worried. The considerable farmland had already been sold off, and even the manor once used as the sect headquarters had been sold, with a move made to a small thatched house.

Moreover, the only ones left in that cottage were a couple of elderly servants.

There was no profit or wealth for the Green Forest to spill blood over.

Even so, he intended to go because the signboard bearing the name Righteous Will Sect was being kept there.

At the very least, he thought he should bring that back this time.

As Na Cheol-yong organized his thoughts, his colleague asked,

“But what were you thinking about so hard earlier?”

“Ah! That. I just couldn’t quite understand the identities of the people going in and out.”

“Why their identities?”

“It’s the Strategist Division. I can understand the Treasury Hall people who manage wealth. But the Martial Might Hall, the Training Doctrine Hall, even the Nourishment Pavilion people. It feels like more people are going in and out of the Strategist’s private residence than when we stand guard at the Alliance Leader’s quarters.”

“It’s the Strategist Division. It’s where the Alliance is actually run.”

“If it were the Strategist Division conference hall or office, you’d be right. But for the Strategist’s personal residence to have that many people… doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“What’s strange about it? Every one of them had a name plaque granting entry. Once we confirm that, our duty is done, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Don’t take an interest in what the higher-ups are doing for no reason. And don’t forget you promised to bring a bottle of liquor when you go on leave. You bragged that Guizhou’s Village Clear Brew is so pure and delicious, so prove it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Leaving behind a promise in response to his colleague’s words, Na Cheol-yong headed off to wash.

The gaze of the colleague watching him go was cold.

It was clearly not the gaze of someone waiting eagerly for a bottle of liquor.

Twin Might of the Moon Sword stood beneath a tree in the thick forest, staring at the complex of pavilion residences visible in the distance.

The Martial Alliance.

There was only one reason he had come here.

While pursuing traces of Wave Sword Venerable, he had discovered another trace belonging to the Hae-nam Sword Sect and followed it here.

The internal energy of the Hae-nam Sword Sect left subtle traces in its surroundings.

Though various constraints existed, by using the sect’s unique method, those traces could be found.

That was the direct reason Twin Might of the Moon Sword had reached this place.

The problem was that the trace led to the Martial Alliance.

Wave Sword Venerable was dead.

He had even confirmed it directly from the mouth of the one who claimed to have killed him, so he had no intention of denying it simply because the body had not been found.

Then whose trace was it that connected to the Martial Alliance?

According to inquiries sent back to the island, in the past ten years, Wave Sword Venerable was the only one from Hae-nam to have come to the mainland.

That meant either someone had come out more than ten years ago, or there was a member of the Hae-nam Sword Sect who had secretly gone to the mainland without informing the leadership.

Even if it were the former, it was necessary to find out why they had entered the Martial Alliance, practically an enemy.

If it were the latter, there was no need for further words.

A spy.

Since Hae-nam had sent no spy into the Martial Alliance, it was highly likely that the Martial Alliance had planted one in Hae-nam and then recalled him.

If that were the case…

“Then I’ll find him and kill him.”

Gazing at the Martial Alliance, Twin Might of the Moon Sword steadied his breathing. He had decided to enter.

The reason he dared to contemplate infiltrating the Martial Alliance, as perilous as a dragon’s pond or tiger’s den, was because among the martial arts he had learned was the Illusory Transformation Art.

It could not perfectly disguise him as another person, but this technique allowed him to alter his face to some extent. Used well, it could let him impersonate someone.

Trusting in that, Twin Might of the Moon Sword approached the Martial Alliance alone.

The Blue Sword Unit was still making a noisy show in Guangdong, searching for traces of Wave Sword Venerable.

Naturally, his double was there as well.

While the Blue Sword Unit stirred up commotion in Guangdong, he had followed the traces here.

To bring that pursuit to fruition, Twin Might of the Moon Sword left the forest, scaled the city wall, and entered the city.

Unlike Hae-nam, the streets of Luoyang, one of the largest cities in Henan, were extremely crowded.

Entering a guesthouse located along one of those bustling streets, Twin Might of the Moon Sword took a seat by the window.

It was a position with a clear view of the Martial Alliance across the way.

From there, he carefully observed those going in and out of the Martial Alliance.

After watching for two days, he finally saw someone who matched the conditions he sought. Leaving the guesthouse, he began to follow.

After passing through several winding alleys and reaching a dimly lit spot, Twin Might of the Moon Sword struck.

Clang.

A stronger-than-expected recoil burst out.

The sword he had swung in ambush was blocked.

Twin Might of the Moon Sword was a Supreme Peak expert, evaluated as being on the verge of the Transcendent Realm, to the point of already being able to draw forth Sword Force Energy.

That his sword had been blocked caused a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

His opponent had already drawn a blade.

Though he had appeared to be, at best, First Rate, his aura had now surged to Supreme Peak.

“Well now.”

Twin Might of the Moon Sword’s eyes turned cold.