Chapter 187 : A Person’s Heart
Chapter 187: A Person’s Heart
The summoning of the leaders of the Eighteen Demonic Sects was the Cult Leader’s order.
It had been due to the Cult Leader’s sudden change of decision at the sites of the annihilation of the Guest Assassination House and White Tiger Village.
It meant that this had not been part of the original plan.
Yul Han had opposed it, but for some reason, the Cult Leader had been firm.
He had even issued a separate order to Yul Han to use the cruelest methods possible.
Even so, the reason Yul Han had subdued the White Tiger Village Chief alive was because, unlike the Guest Assassination House Master who had reeked strongly of blood, he had seemed different—so he had wanted to save him somehow.
Of course, he had been dragged away by the enraged Cult Leader and met his end.
To be honest, as they had nearly reached White Tiger Village, he could not understand why the Cult Leader had suddenly changed his mind.
Nor could he understand why someone who had been smiling the entire time as if on a picnic had suddenly been filled with nothing but fury.
Since something incomprehensible had occurred, he could not help but ask.
But the answer that returned from the Cult Leader to those questions was cruel.
<It is the Cult Leader’s order!>
At the Cult Leader’s attitude that allowed no questioning whatsoever, Yul Han stepped back.
Because he thought that when his Senior Brother invoked the authority of ‘Cult Leader’—something he had never used even once until now—it was right not to overstep.
It was the same now.
At the Cult Leader’s single remark, “Do not attend,” he remained at a distance like this, silently watching the leaders of the Eighteen Demonic Sects enter the Council of Elders Hall.
Toward such a Yul Han, the Strategist who had been heading to the Council of Elders Hall turned his steps and approached.
“Are you not going in?”
“My Senior Brother told me not to come.”
At Yul Han’s answer, the Strategist looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“Even though it is something that would make one feel slighted, you do not look displeased.”
“There must be a reason for it.”
At Yul Han’s answer, a smile formed at the corners of the Strategist’s lips.
“Good. It means the Cult Leader’s trust and affection are not one-sided.”
“You misunderstand something. I do trust my Senior Brother, but it is not affection. Affection between men is a bit….”
The Strategist, who had tensed slightly at Yul Han’s words, relaxed at the latter half and laughed.
“Khahaha. You’re right. Affection between men is a bit much. Puhahaha.”
Yul Han asked the loudly laughing Strategist.
“Do you also believe that a Peak Realm expert in one’s own house is better than a Manifestation Realm expert in another’s?”
“That must be something the Cult Leader said.”
The Strategist forced down his laughter as he answered, and Yul Han nodded.
“That’s right. It was what he said when I suggested we try to spare White Tiger Village and the Guest Assassination House according to the original plan.”
“I suppose the Vice Cult Leader said that another house is still another house in its own way?”
At the Strategist’s question, Yul Han widened his eyes in surprise.
“How did you know?”
“Seeing your recent actions, it felt like you would have said exactly that.”
“That’s right. I said that, but it was rejected outright. It must have been a decision made with intent, but it was regrettable.”
“Because you lost Manifestation Realm masters of the Demonic Path in vain?”
“No. Because it gave the world an excuse to belittle my Senior Brother’s tolerance, saying he could not tolerate Manifestation Realm experts from other sects.”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s answer, which diverged completely from all the responses he had expected, the Strategist opened his eyes in brief surprise before smiling again.
“Hahaha. As expected, good. Very good.”
With repeated words of praise and laughter, the Strategist headed toward the Council of Elders Hall.
Without answering the Vice Cult Leader’s original question.
Yul Han watched the Strategist with regret.
Because it felt like he had lost the chance to persuade the Strategist to prevent the Cult Leader from shedding more blood of the Eighteen Demonic Sects.
Inside the Council of Elders Hall, which Yul Han watched with regret, the atmosphere was filled with tension as if it might explode.
After the leaders of the Eighteen Demonic Sects—excluding the annihilated White Tiger Village and Guest Assassination House—waited in such tension for a short while, the Cult Leader finally entered.
Everyone rose at once and bent their waists.
Given the atmosphere of the Five Demons and Thirteen Bloods standing in formation with weapons drawn inside the hall, it felt like if they merely made do with a fist salute, blades would fly at them immediately.
And so, the bent waists of the leaders of the Eighteen Demonic Sects did not straighten.
Because another voice interrupted the Cult Leader’s voice that would have told them to rise.
“You should have trusted him.”
At the Strategist’s reproachful words, the Cult Leader asked back.
“Who?”
“Who else? The Vice Cult Leader.”
“…….”
At the Cult Leader, who remained silent with an awkward expression at his answer, the Strategist continued.
“Even in this situation, he kept calling you Senior Brother and was deeply worried.”
“So he still calls me Senior Brother. He doesn’t call me Cult Leader again like before?”
The Strategist nodded at the Cult Leader, who showed slight interest.
“That’s right.”
At the Strategist’s answer, the Cult Leader smiled faintly and asked.
“But what do you mean he was worried?”
“He was worried that by not tolerating Manifestation Realm experts from other sects, you might have given the world an excuse to belittle your tolerance.”
“That brat. Why worry about something like that?”
Though his tone sounded like grumbling, the corners of his mouth stretched so wide it seemed they might tear.
The Strategist asked him.
“Even so, will you just leave him? You won’t call him in?”
“Ahem. Since when did that brat listen to me so well?”
At the Cult Leader’s grumbling, the Strategist signaled with his eyes, and Flashing Light Blood quickly moved after understanding the intent.
When the leaders of the Eighteen Demonic Sects were finally able to straighten their waists after bowing for so long, they could see the Vice Cult Leader sitting beside the Cult Leader.
The tension rose even higher than before.
Because according to rumors, the Vice Cult Leader was far more ruthless than the Cult Leader.
As they looked on with tense gazes, the Cult Leader’s question flew toward them.
“If there is anyone who has recently obtained a Secret Manual or Spirit Medicine by chance within your sect, raise your hand.”
Five or six among the leaders hesitated before raising their hands.
After checking their faces, the Cult Leader asked again.
“If there is anyone to whom a merchant came offering to sell a Spirit Medicine or Secret Manual, raise your hand.”
Again, about five or six leaders raised their hands.
From the nature of the Cult Leader’s questions and the leaders’ reactions, Yul Han became certain that something was indeed going on. Then he heard the Cult Leader’s final question.
“If there is anyone who was approached by something calling itself the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens, raise your hand.”
This time, three raised their hands—all of the remaining leaders of the Five Provinces of Xinjiang.
Rather than the fact that there were those who raised their hands, Yul Han was shocked that the name ‘Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens’ had been mentioned.
The Cult Leader’s voice continued into his ears.
“If a hand has reached the top, it means at least several, and at most dozens, of people from the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens have infiltrated your sects.”
At the Cult Leader’s words, amid the murmuring leaders, a hand rose.
It was the Alliance Leader of the Fierce Camel Alliance, one of the Nine Demonic Sects of Qinghai.
“What is it?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, Mad Bear spoke.
“What kind of group is the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens that they infiltrate other sects?”
“They are those who claim to move the world peacefully without revealing themselves.”
“If it is peaceful, then they are not bad people, are they?”
At Mad Bear’s question, a faint sneer passed the Cult Leader’s lips.
Because it was the Fierce Camel Alliance—composed of horse bandits—speaking of ‘bad people.’
But that smile vanished as quickly as it appeared.
“That depends on what kind of peace they believe in.”
At the Cult Leader’s answer, a cold silence fell. Within it, the Ghost Lotus Sect Master asked.
“Then the incidents at the Guest Assassination House and White Tiger Village as well…?”
“Complete independence from the Bright Cult. That was what White Tiger Village and the Guest Assassination House desired—and the reason they disappeared.”
At last learning the reason the two sects had been annihilated, the leaders stirred.
Amid that, the Ghost Lotus Sect Master asked again.
“I heard rumors that Manifestation Realm masters had appeared in both sects. Could it not be that they were intoxicated by their own power rather than influenced by the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens?”
“Why? Do you think the one from the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens who approached you was not such a person?”
“Th-that is….”
Staring intently at the flustered Ghost Lotus Sect Master, the Cult Leader spoke.
“It could have been a predecessor master of your sect thought to be dead, or a famous former master of the Demonic Path. I don’t know who approached you, but what they want is only one thing.”
At that point, the Cult Leader’s gaze, which had passed over the leaders, stopped at Yul Han.
“That the world moves according to their will.”
After meeting the woman who claimed to be a Reception Envoy of the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens in the past, the Cult Leader had given no answer even to Yul Han’s questions.
Thinking that he was now giving the answer he had not given then, Yul Han asked.
“They are indeed dangerous people.”
“It is impossible to completely cut them out. It is difficult even to dig them out.”
“Then that means…?”
“Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t only Kongtong that was swept by a storm of blood. Our Bright Cult also faced such a storm.”
All things have a cause.
If his decision had been wrong, the Cult Leader knew very well that there would be a cause behind it.
So he dug, and dug again—only to discover that the shadow of the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens had spread quite deeply within the Bright Cult.
From that day, the battle between the Cult Leader and the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens began.
Not knowing whom to trust and whom not to trust, the Cult Leader fought that battle with only the Strategist and the Blood Sword Unit Commander as his allies.
At that time, eight Elders were replaced, and countless masters lost their heads to the Cult Leader’s blade for no reason.
Even after such a blood-soaked purge, he could not guarantee that the shadow of the Assembly of the Beyond-Heavens had been completely uprooted.
Reading all those unspoken stories from the gaze of his Senior Brother, Yul Han smiled faintly.
“Do not worry. I never trusted them from the beginning.”
At Yul Han’s words, the faint smile that had lingered disappeared, and the Cult Leader’s gaze returned to the leaders.
“The reason I called you was to determine your involvement and decide where to begin the annihilation.”
The moment the Cult Leader’s words fell, an aura so cold it was sharp tightened around the leaders from all directions.
It was the pressure deliberately released by the Five Demons and Thirteen Bloods standing in formation surrounding the hall.
In the case of Iron Demon, he even floated Fist Energy above his fist.
There was no one here who did not know what it meant for Fist Energy to leave the hand and remain suspended in the air.
The leaders, whose faces turned pale at that, had to witness three more instances of Force Energy floating in the air besides Iron Demon’s.
Ghost Demon and Profound Demon, who understood Iron Demon’s intent, joined in, along with Pageuk.
Was that all?
Even the weapons of four among the Thirteen Bloods who had reached the Transcendent Realm were imbued with Force Energy.
Excluding the Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader, there were four Manifestation Realm masters and four Transcendent Realm masters.
It was a force that made it believable they could annihilate all of the Eighteen Demonic Sects.
To the despairing leaders, the Cult Leader’s voice was heard.
“However, despite that, I intend to take a gamble once, trusting the Vice Cult Leader who wishes to spare you.”
At the unexpected words, the leaders’ gazes gathered.
“Return. Go back, and if you can dig them out, then dig them out. If you wish to raise the banner and resist, then choose resistance. Whatever it may be, the Bright Cult will act accordingly.”
In other words, if they tried to root them out, they would be helped; if they raised the banner of resistance, they would be cleanly annihilated like White Tiger Village and the Guest Assassination House.
Contrary to Yul Han’s thought that the choice would be easy, deep conflict appeared on the faces of the leaders.
Seeing that, the Cult Leader’s Mental Voice Transmission reached Yul Han.
—That is the nature of people. It means that those who repay trust with betrayal are everywhere.
At the Cult Leader’s words, Yul Han’s gaze toward the leaders grew heavy.