Chapter 160 : A New Powerhouse
Chapter 160: A New Powerhouse
Changing the rough and savage martial artists of the Bright Cult required far more mental effort than one might think.
To outsiders, it merely looked like the training had been strengthened, but through it, Yul Han had completely subdued the leadership of the Bright Cult.
If people knew how sincerely he was striving just to maintain that situation, they would be greatly astonished.
In fact, ever since he decided to reform the Bright Cult, Yul Han had never slept for more than one shijin.
Because if he slept well and comfortably, he would never be able to keep them suppressed.
He had to stay ahead of those who might one day surpass him, and he even had to guide them so that they would look up to him.
If he failed to earn their overwhelming respect, they would never try to change the course they had followed until now.
On top of that, he worked tirelessly day and night to prevent any backlash.
One such effort was desperately searching for methods and presenting training techniques for demon arts that had previously only been possible through Unsealing Training.
And even now, countless things within the Bright Cult still needed to be changed.
But love?
Yul Han slowly shook his head.
“My partner is the Bright Cult—and all of you.”
At Yul Han’s answer, the Poison Demon, who had been smiling widely without restraint, slowly stiffened.
It was certainly good that the Vice Cult Leader valued the Bright Cult so highly, but it did not necessarily mean it was good for him to continue living alone forever.
Because there was something that troubled the heart of the Poison Demon—and almost every member of the Bright Cult.
‘Could it be… that wound from fifteen years ago still…?’
The Poison Demon’s face hardened.
No matter what kind of wound it was, if it was simply left alone, it would eventually fester. And when a festering wound burst, the price to pay would be far greater.
In Yul Han’s case, that wound could turn into poison. If one day it drove him into a heart demon, the Bright Cult would be finished from that very day.
Because there was not a single person who could stop the Vice Cult Leader if he became a Murderous Ghost and rampaged.
Such a thing must never happen.
So…
“Still, the Bright Cult is the Bright Cult, and women are women. You must marry.”
Perhaps it was an unexpected remark, because Yul Han asked with a slightly surprised expression.
“I was under the impression that the Bright Cult does not place much importance on marriage.”
“Why not? Of course we all want it. Having a woman of your own—who wouldn’t like that?”
It was an interpretation of marriage befitting a martial artist of the Bright Cult. Yul Han gave a bitter smile at those words and asked,
“As far as I know, the Poison Demon himself has not married either.”
“Ah! I should as well. I want to so badly I could go mad. But with both the Cult Leader and the Vice Cult Leader unmarried, how could I possibly get married first?”
Yul Han had been chuckling at the Poison Demon’s grumbling, but the smile on his lips slowly faded.
It was because of the serious expression with which the Poison Demon was looking at him.
“So… you truly mean it.”
“Yes, truly.”
Was it the truth?
Neither a lie nor the whole truth. But it was true that he had drawn out a desire he had long buried deep in his heart.
What did that mean?
From the beginning, it was impossible to deceive the Vice Cult Leader, who possessed Ghost Eyes.
Therefore, if one wished to persuade him, it had to be sincere.
And so the method the Poison Demon chose was to bring forth the affection he had suppressed for a long time at the bottom of his heart.
The affection he felt toward Demon Flower—the only woman among the Five Demons and his fellow disciple.
Perhaps thanks to that effort, Yul Han’s Ghost Eyes accepted his words as the truth.
Which was why Yul Han could not help but feel flustered.
And the Poison Demon drove the nail in.
“So, Vice Cult Leader! Please let us get married!”
The confusion in Yul Han’s expression only deepened.
---
While training intensely, the Iron Demon suddenly asked the Ghost Demon,
“Whose side are you on?”
“Side?”
“West Pavilion—or Golden Flower Manor.”
The pavilion residence located west of the Vice Cult Leader’s quarters was called the West Pavilion, and it was where Namgung Hee-yeon was staying.
In other words, the Iron Demon was asking whether he supported Namgung Hee-yeon or Ga Hwa-yeong, the daughter of Golden Flower Manor.
At the Iron Demon’s question, the Ghost Demon wore a deeply troubled expression.
“In terms of conditions, Golden Flower Manor wins. But when it comes to looks, the West Pavilion overwhelms everything.”
“Golden Flower Manor isn’t lacking in looks either. Well, the West Pavilion might be a little prettier.”
“A little? Are your eyes crooked?”
The voice that suddenly cut in belonged to Pageuk.
At that, the Iron Demon grumbled at him.
“You’re disqualified. You’re already calling the West Pavilion ‘Mistress’ and flattering her like a lapdog.”
“Well, she is the Mistress!”
“Did the Vice Cult Leader decide that?”
“Well… that…”
“A bastard who calls himself the Vice Cult Leader’s servant making decisions before his master does. If I were the Vice Cult Leader, I would’ve thrown you out long ago.”
At the Iron Demon’s rebuke, Pageuk wore a flustered expression and could not say a word.
He had never realized what his actions might imply.
The Cult Leader had called her “sister-in-law,” and rumors everywhere said she was the Vice Cult Leader’s partner—so he had simply believed that was the case.
‘Wait! Come to think of it…’
“Aren’t you the one who spread those rumors?”
“Th-that’s because it was the Cult Leader’s order! I had no choice…”
“Even I only said it because the Cult Leader called her that!”
Before the Iron Demon could raise a rebuttal to Pageuk’s answer, another voice cut in.
“The Cult Leader? You little bastard. Am I your friend?”
The figure of the Cult Leader entered while shouting angrily, and Pageuk’s face immediately filled with panic.
<Never be disrespectful to the Cult Leader. When he gets angry, he’s truly terrifying. Especially if I’m not there—if that happens, run immediately. If you get caught wrong, you might die.>
It was a warning the Vice Cult Leader had once given with a serious expression.
And Pageuk judged that now was exactly the moment to follow that warning.
Thud—!
Ignoring the countless Lightness Skills he possessed and running purely with the strength of his legs, Pageuk fled.
Watching him run away in disbelief, the Cult Leader snorted with a laugh.
“The bastard. Looks like he really is scared.”
“You have arrived, Cult Leader.”
The Iron Demon and the others who had been training at the Vice Cult Leader’s residence all raised their fists in salute and bowed their heads.
After glancing over them, the Cult Leader asked the Iron Demon,
“So whose side are you on?”
“Well…”
“From the look in your eyes, it doesn’t seem to be the West Pavilion.”
“My apologies, Cult Leader.”
As the Iron Demon lowered his head, the Cult Leader asked,
“Why Golden Flower Manor?”
“Well, a man must have loyalty… So even if I’ve never met the West Pavilion before, shouldn’t I support Golden Flower Manor, with whom I at least share some ties?”
Thinking about it, the Iron Demon had indeed interacted with Golden Flower Manor several times.
“Is that so? Then we’ll count you as Golden Flower Manor. What about you, Ghost Demon?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, the Ghost Demon could not remain silent. The weight of the question was entirely different compared to when the Iron Demon had asked it.
“I will follow the will of the Cult Leader I serve—”
“Are you deaf? I said not my will. Tell me what you think.”
At the Cult Leader’s blunt remark, the Ghost Demon laughed awkwardly and answered,
“I-I also choose Golden Flower Manor.”
To be honest, the Ghost Demon’s heart leaned toward the West Pavilion. She was unbelievably beautiful.
But because the Cult Leader kept prodding him, he chose Golden Flower Manor out of spite instead of the West Pavilion, which the Cult Leader was clearly supporting.
Whether he knew the Ghost Demon’s inner thoughts or not, the Cult Leader nodded and turned his gaze to the Profound Demon.
“And you?”
“I also choose Golden Flower Manor.”
In truth, the Profound Demon also leaned toward the West Pavilion.
Frankly speaking, it was impossible for any man not to be captivated by Namgung Hee-yeon’s face.
Yet he chose Golden Flower Manor because the Cult Leader was supporting the West Pavilion.
One day, for the sake of avenging the Blood Cult, he intended to kill the Cult Leader.
He could not allow things to flow according to the Cult Leader’s wishes.
He knew it was petty.
Still, he felt as though he was repaying a little of the revenge he had postponed for later.
At the Profound Demon’s answer, the Cult Leader clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
The Cult Leader looked displeased as he turned toward the Thirteen Bloods standing in a row.
Under his gaze, they reluctantly opened their mouths.
“I also choose Golden Flower Manor.”
The first to answer was the Flashing Light Blood.
Following him, the Cold Blade Blood also answered.
“Me too…”
The Cold Blade Blood and the Flashing Light Blood had been present when Yul Han first met Hwa-yeong.
In other words, their connection with her was the deepest.
Of course, their relationship had not begun well, but even ill feelings could become a kind of bond. Compared to the Namgung daughter whom they had never even met, they felt it was more fitting to support Hwa-yeong.
As for the remaining members of the Thirteen Bloods, the fact that their two comrades had chosen Golden Flower Manor influenced them.
Though they often bickered and fought among themselves, the Thirteen Bloods always presented a united front to outsiders.
That principle held even in response to the Cult Leader’s question.
All of them chose Golden Flower Manor.
“All you bastards are blinded by money!”
Leaving that reproach behind, the Cult Leader stomped away, his entire demeanor filled with dissatisfaction.
---
While the Bright Cult was in turmoil over the issue of the Vice Cult Leader’s partner, the Namgung Clan was facing an unexpected situation.
The Righteous Will Heroes who had recently taken refuge under the Namgung Clan were strongly insisting on punishing the Bright Cult.
In truth, it was not entirely unexpected.
Those who called themselves Righteous Will Heroes and wandered freely on their own tended to be extreme radicals when it came to the Bright Cult.
Nevertheless, the Namgung Clan had accepted them because they believed they could control them sufficiently.
No matter how much they talked about justification or righteousness, the Martial World was ultimately a place ruled by strength.
That was true for the Hundred Paths and for the Righteous Will Heroes alike.
Thus, the Namgung Clan had planned to pressure them using the Azure Dragon Sword King, who had reached the Manifestation Realm, and suppress their hardline demands.
But someone appeared who disrupted that plan.
It was the Flowing Stream Sword, Po Yang.
A master from three generations before—someone believed to have died long ago—had reappeared.
And he appeared with the appearance of a man in his thirties.
The reason the Namgung Clan was shaken by his appearance was his realm.
The Manifestation Realm.
And—
The Number One Under Heaven of his era.
During the time when he was active, the Bright Cult had been suppressed by the strength of the Hundred Paths.
That was because the previous Bright Cult Leader had been completely defeated by the Flowing Stream Sword, Po Yang.
Because of that, people of the Martial World did not hesitate to call the era when the Flowing Stream Sword was active the period of the Hundred Paths’ revival.
One day, after leading that revival, the Flowing Stream Sword suddenly declared that he would ascend to immortality and climbed the Five Dragon Peak of Mount Wudang.
After that, all news of him disappeared.
Since no one had seen him again, everyone firmly believed he had already died.
And yet—
He had suddenly appeared and joined the current trend, taking refuge with the Namgung Clan like the other Righteous Will Heroes.
His appearance was met with cheers from the orthodox martial artists, but the Namgung Clan could not simply rejoice.
Because the moment he joined them, he strongly insisted that the Namgung Clan should take the lead in raising the banner to punish the Bright Cult.
Because of this, the Namgung Clan’s plan to suppress the momentum of the newly arrived Righteous Will Heroes by using sparring matches under the pretext of testing them—placing the Azure Dragon Sword King at the forefront—collapsed before it even began.
After all, someone who had been the Number One Under Heaven in the Manifestation Realm ninety years ago was unlikely to be suppressed by the Azure Dragon Sword King, who had only just reached the Manifestation Realm.
If they ignored that and forced a sparring match, and the Azure Dragon Sword King ended up defeated, the backlash would be far greater.
Thus, while the leadership of the Namgung Clan hesitated, unable to act one way or the other, disaster eventually struck.
Without the leadership’s approval, the Righteous Will Heroes—including the Flowing Stream Sword, Po Yang—raised the banner of punishing the Bright Cult and rushed out of the Namgung Clan.
And they did so with some hot-blooded Younger Generation Talents of the Namgung Clan, marching under the Namgung Clan’s banner.