Chapter 185 : Investigation, or Annihilation
Chapter 185: Investigation, or Annihilation
The Institute of Reason was the intelligence organization of the Bright Cult.
The effort it poured into single-handedly monitoring the entire Orthodox Faction and securing even the intelligence of the Unorthodox Factions without omission was to the point of being tearful.
It was to the extent that there were even jokes that agents of the Institute of Reason dreamed of quitting.
Even within the Bright Cult, which was infamous for training that bordered on self-torture, agents of the Institute of Reason were notorious for being assigned the worst possible posts.
After all, there was even a saying that overwork was breakfast and exploitation was lunch—the workload of the Institute of Reason agents was widely known to be severe.
That very Institute of Reason was in an uproar.
Recently, the number of agents whose contact was cut off had been rapidly increasing.
And it wasn’t agents gathering intelligence in the territory of the Orthodox Faction, where danger was scattered everywhere, but rather those operating in Xinjiang—considered relatively safe—whose contact was being lost with alarming frequency.
“It’s concentrated in two places in particular.”
At his subordinate’s report, the Head of the Institute of Reason asked,
“Where?”
“The Assassination Guest House and White Tiger Village.”
At the subordinate’s answer, the Head of the Institute of Reason’s brows furrowed on their own.
Both were dangerous groups.
Though they were bound within the framework of the Eighteen Demon Sects and bowed their heads to the Bright Cult, both possessed considerable power.
At one point, the Institute of Reason had compared the overall strength of the Eighteen Demon Sects to that of the sects of the Orthodox Faction.
At the time, there were three among the Eighteen Demon Sects that were said to be capable of completely crushing Kunlun—the vanguard of the Orthodox Faction—on their own.
Among them were the Assassination Guest House and White Tiger Village.
The remaining one was Cheonghajin, a place so ambiguous that it was hard to tell whether it was a martial sect or an army.
Perhaps because it had been formed by deserters exhausted from battles against the Mongols, they were a martial sect, yet possessed the perfect structure of a military force.
Then again, the idea of a martial sect capable of mobilizing thirty thousand heavily armed cavalry was absurd in itself.
Perhaps due to their nature, their overall level of martial arts was not particularly high, but in terms of numbers, excluding the Bright Cult’s Main Fortress, they were the largest among the Eighteen Demon Sects.
That sheer number was the strength of Cheonghajin.
No matter how extraordinary a sect’s masters were, going head-on against thirty thousand heavily armed cavalry was a burden.
Even if the masters rampaged and slaughtered all the cavalry, if their homes were burned and their families killed, that could hardly be called victory.
In any case, judging that something had happened to the Assassination Guest House and White Tiger Village—places mentioned in the same breath as Cheonghajin—the Head of the Institute of Reason immediately requested a private audience with the Cult Leader.
Having halted his afternoon training, the Cult Leader sat facing the Head of the Institute of Reason as the report continued.
“So you’re saying the Assassination Guest House and White Tiger Village bastards likely killed our Institute of Reason agents?”
“Yes. Not only covert intelligence agents, but even the regular intelligence agents who operate openly have all lost contact. Such incidents cannot occur by mere coincidence, Cult Leader.”
“The fact that you came straight to me without using the Institute of Reason’s Covert Operations Unit means you judged that unit incapable of handling this, correct?”
“Yes. A considerable number of the agents who lost contact this time were previously members of the Covert Operations Unit.”
In other words, it meant that even the capabilities of the Covert Operations Unit were insufficient to carry out the mission.
“So what do you want? You want me to go there myself?”
“How could I ask that of the Cult Leader… I merely request permission to use what was briefly prepared before.”
“What was briefly prepared before?”
“The order you issued when attacking the Zhuge Clan some time ago…”
“Ah!”
The Cult Leader’s eyes widened as if he had just recalled it.
What the Head of the Institute of Reason referred to was far more serious than expected.
What kind of order had the Cult Leader given?
Some time ago, Yul Han had remained at the Zhuge Clan while the Profound Demon rushed back to the Main Fortress.
Among the series of responses the Bright Cult took at that time, the Head of the Institute of Reason was referring to the Cult Leader’s command.
Back then, the Cult Leader had stopped the Profound Demon, who insisted on rushing there immediately.
The reason was simple.
If it had truly been a situation requiring urgent help, the Vice Cult Leader would have come personally after leaving the Profound Demon to watch over things.
Even if both were in the Manifestation Realm, their movement speeds were incomparable.
Reversing that logic, by the time the Profound Demon arrived at the Main Fortress, it meant Yul Han had already made his move.
Thus, the Cult Leader made the impatient Profound Demon wait.
Because he believed in success and safety.
But what if, as the Profound Demon claimed, something truly happened to the Vice Cult Leader?
To prepare for that, the Cult Leader had issued a full deployment standby order to the entire Bright Cult.
All armed forces of the Bright Cult had been assembled, and over a hundred thousand martial artists stood silently, weapons in hand, awaiting orders.
It was the Cult Leader’s resolve that if something truly went wrong, it would not end with just the Zhuge Clan.
The proof of that was the order he had delivered to the Council of Elders at the time.
<If the order to deploy is given, cut down everything that breathes without hesitation.>
It was said the Council of Elders trembled upon receiving that command.
Because they realized the Cult Leader did not seek to defeat the Orthodox Faction—but to exterminate it.
The one who had delivered all those orders to the scattered Bright Cult martial artists at the time had been the Institute of Reason.
That was why the Head of the Institute of Reason, who knew the order better than anyone, brought it up.
“You’re not asking for the entire Bright Cult, I assume.”
“I request the Red Blade Unit, the Ten Thousand Swords Unit, and at least two units from the Training Hall.”
Two units from the Training Hall alone amounted to twenty thousand.
Moreover, requesting two out of the six main combat forces of the Bright Cult was effectively the same as asking for one-third of its total military strength.
“Are you planning to strike both places at once?”
The Cult Leader’s voice grew heavy, judging the matter more serious than expected.
To that, the Head of the Institute of Reason replied,
“No. We plan to attack them separately. We believe that is the way to minimize casualties.”
“To minimize casualties?”
It sounded natural—but it wasn’t. The Bright Cult had never considered the casualties of its subordinates as a factor.
For them, the priority had always been how quickly and how forcefully they could crush the enemy.
Thus, the Bright Cult had faithfully adhered to the doctrine of ‘light and strong.’
They preferred delivering a powerful blow with as few people as possible.
The more personnel moved, the easier it was to be detected, giving the enemy time to prepare.
Yet here he was, requesting a large force completely contrary to that doctrine—for the sake of reducing casualties.
Naturally, it was difficult for the Cult Leader to understand.
However, that doubt was resolved with a single sentence from the Head of the Institute of Reason.
“If unnecessary casualties occur, then the Vice Cult Leader…”
“Ah!”
There was no need to hear more.
If a mission that could be completed with minimal losses instead resulted in heavy casualties due to carelessness or complacency, then just as he said, the Vice Cult Leader would not remain idle.
Most likely, the Head of the Institute of Reason would lose his head that very day.
“I understand what you mean. But considering that, it’s hard for me to grant permission as well. If I send them out and they suffer losses, I’ll also fall out of favor with the Vice Cult Leader.”
“Then…”
As the Head of the Institute of Reason looked anxious that his request might be denied, the Cult Leader answered,
“I’ll go myself. It’s been a while since I’ve taken the Blood Sword Unit out for a walk, and if there are any fools who’ve lost their fear, I’ll give them a warning.”
“How could the Cult Leader personally go for such a matter…”
“It’s fine. That’s better than getting scolded by that brat Han. And I’ve been itching. Without real combat, it’s boring.”
At the end of his words, a thick killing intent lingered around the Cult Leader’s smiling lips.
By sunset that day, the Cult Leader and the Blood Sword Unit left the Main Fortress.
Only the Head of the Institute of Reason, the Strategist, and the Council of Elders had been informed beforehand.
The Vice Cult Leader had not been informed.
It was because the Cult Leader decided to leave before he could find out—since it was obvious he would try to stop him.
Thus, slipping out of the gates as if fleeing while hiding it from the Vice Cult Leader, the Cult Leader’s face was filled with delight.
He was looking forward to the chance to freely stir things up and spill blood without anyone interfering.
“Lululu—”
He was in such a good mood that he even hummed to himself.
That was, until a familiar voice reached his ears from beside him.
“Heading somewhere nice?”
Startled, the Cult Leader turned his head.
There, walking beside him as if he had always been there, was Yul Han.
And not just him—Iron Demon and the others were seen running toward them in a hurry.
After being kicked out of the Vice Cult Leader’s residence, they had been lingering outside as if protesting, and when Yul Han suddenly moved, they followed him without question.
Iron Demon, Profound Demon, Ghost Demon, Pageuk, and even Gu Yang Demon and Death-Scorching Demon Lord, Lee Tae, and the Thirteen Bloods.
Among them, the Cult Leader glared at Pageuk—the one who was most likely the culprit behind all this.
He assumed that Pageuk, a current elder, had immediately reported the Cult Leader’s orders to the Vice Cult Leader.
But—
“There’s no need to glare at Pageuk. There’s no way I wouldn’t notice you leaving the gates, Senior Brother.”
“Ah!”
If even he could sense it, there was no way Yul Han—who was a step ahead of him—wouldn’t.
The Cult Leader realized his oversight too late.
Then Yul Han asked,
“I heard something’s happening with the Eighteen Demon Sects?”
“Well, it’s not confirmed. Just a possibility. So there’s no need for you to come along…”
“Then I’ll go instead. I was planning to visit the Eighteen Demon Sects anyway because of the integrated training you approved before. And you have your dignity as the Cult Leader—there’s no need for you to personally handle such matters. If you stay at the Main Fortress, I’ll…”
“Let’s go together. That’s better.”
Seeing the Cult Leader cut him off and step forward, Yul Han smiled faintly.
The Cult Leader’s face looked like that of a child whose picnic had been interrupted.
“Shall we, then? That sounds good. It’s been a while since I traveled with you, Senior Brother.”
At those words, the disappointment on the Cult Leader’s face brightened instantly.
For him, traveling with his junior brother was as joyful as freely spilling blood.
“Right? Then should we go somewhere else first? Somewhere nice—enjoy the scenery, have a drink?”
“If we find a good place along the way, we can have a drink there. Wouldn’t that be enough?”
Though slightly disappointed, the Cult Leader thought that wasn’t bad either.
“Fine. But no running the whole way.”
“Haha. Alright. Though in empty places, shouldn’t we run a bit? That way, when we reach a scenic place, we’ll have time to drink together.”
At that, Yul Han took out an elegant bottle of liquor from his robe and shook it.
The Cult Leader’s eyes widened.
“Th-that is…?”
“It’s a hundred-year-aged Monkey Wine. The Golden Flower Manor Lord sent it in gratitude for arranging the marriage proposal with Miss Hwayeong. I brought it to drink with you, Senior Brother.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Cult Leader glared at the group lagging behind.
“You bastards, what are you doing lagging behind?! Run!”
With that shout, he dashed forward in a flash.
Watching him, Yul Han smirked and his figure vanished as well.
Since they had already reached speeds impossible to track with the eyes, everyone began sprinting at full speed, following their senses.
Most of them were at least at the Supreme Peak level, so their speed resembled flashes of lightning.
Lee Tae and many of the Blood Sword Unit members—who lagged behind due to being only at the Peak Realm—had no choice but to run like mad, risking their lives to catch up.