Chronicles of the Demonic Cult Conversion Chapter 83
“The third time… what do you mean by that?”
“It means exactly three times.”
“……?”
“The first time I killed him was at Mount Hua at the end of the Righteous-Demonic War.”
That was something Jin cheon was well aware of.
It was a fact well known to the whole world, so there was nothing particularly new about it.
“The second time was ten years ago in Yunnan. As soon as I received the information, I went to Yunnan, and he was really there.”
“Reincarnation?”
“No.”
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God shook her head.
“He was too old to be a reincarnation. He was an old man in his early sixties.”
“How is that possible?”
“Possession.”
“……!”
“It is presumed that his soul had taken residence in the body of an old man in Yunnan Province.”
At that moment, Jin cheon felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and his mind went blank.
Reincarnation alone was beyond the realm of common sense, but now, possession.
“However, he was not in a complete state, so I was able to kill him without difficulty.”
“What do you mean by he was not in a complete state?”
“The old man’s body could not handle his soul. The body was gradually collapsing. Furthermore, his mind did not seem to be sound either.”
“How can you be certain that the old man was the Heavenly Demon?”
“He used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, so there is no room for doubt.”
“Ah.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art that could only be used by someone who had read and interpreted the Heavenly Demon Scripture.
Therefore, it would not be strange at all for the Iron-Blooded Demonic God to be certain that the old man was the Heavenly Demon.
“It was the same when I was briefly absent a while ago. This time, he was occupying the body of a woman living in Eastern Expanse.”
“Did he switch?”
“It is highly likely that he did.”
“……”
At the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s words, Jin cheon’s vision went dark, and he felt as if his breath was caught in his throat.
Perhaps the Heavenly Demon had achieved true immortality.
No matter how many times he was killed, he kept resurrecting; what was he supposed to do?
It seemed that it was not for nothing that the Iron-Blooded Demonic God and the resurrected Heavenly Demon had mutually annihilated each other before Jin cheon had regressed to the past.
“Is there no way? To kill him completely?”
“I have not yet found the answer. I am still searching, but there is no such content in the Heavenly Demon Scripture, so it is true that it is not easy to find a clue.”
“……”
With even the Iron-Blooded Demonic God unable to find an answer, he could only think that things were getting more and more difficult.
“However, there is a reason for everything in the world. Is it not the same for you having regressed to the past? I believe it is your duty to completely annihilate him.”
“Do you really think so?”
“If not, there would be no reason for a Heavenly Demon’s Physique to regress to the past.”
“Ah……!”
Only then did Jin cheon realize his destiny.
It was no different from Jin cheon’s own will.
Revenge on the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was one thing, but what was more important than anything was to protect the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult from the coming threat.
To do so, the annihilation of the first Heavenly Demon, Dokgo Seong, was indispensable.
A fully resurrected Heavenly Demon was a greater enemy to the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult than the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.
“I will find a way and annihilate him.”
Jin cheon willingly and gladly accepted the destiny the Iron-Blooded Demonic God had spoken of.
***
Even after Jin cheon returned to the Divine Land, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s teachings continued.
‘There is no end.’
Despite having reached the state of Extreme Demon and mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Qi’s Demonic King, the path of martial arts was still far.
He even began to think that what he knew so far might just be the tip of the iceberg.
It was a certain day when he was receiving the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s teachings day by day.
“The reason I was able to kill him at Mount Hua was thanks to his help.”
“By his help, you mean……”
“The Azure Heaven Divine Warrior. Your master.”
“……!”
Hearing the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s words, Jin cheon could not help but doubt his own ears.
Wasn’t it known to the world that the main figures who killed the Heavenly Demon were the Iron-Blooded Demonic God and the masters of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance?
“The ones who killed him were I and the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, not the trash of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.”
“I-is that really true?”
“Your master’s skills, as known to the world, are undervalued.”
“……!”
“It’s embarrassing to even call it an undervaluation. Without his help, I would not have been able to defeat the Heavenly Demon. If not for the intentional distortion and erasure of records by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, he would have been rightfully called the number one in the world.”
“How could such a thing……”
Jin cheon could not believe the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s words.
The master he knew was someone who boasted more than his skills warranted.
It was also the public’s evaluation that, compared to his fame as the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, his martial arts level was at best at the peak.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“To be honest, I don’t.”
“The reason he is not properly evaluated is because of the nature of the martial art he learned.”
“Yes……?”
“Oppression Suppression True Qi. It is his unique martial art. Although he did not teach it to you.”
“How could such a thing……”
“There was a pact.”
“What kind of pact?”
“Your master had the martial prowess of the number one in the world, but he could not form a faction. After the battle with the Heavenly Demon, the aftereffects were so severe that he was in a state of having almost lost his martial arts, so it would have been difficult for him to even take care of himself. In the midst of that, he took you as a disciple, so it would not have been easy to withstand the pressure from the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.”
A secret history unknown to the world flowed from the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s mouth.
“The Righteous Heavenly Alliance demanded that he hand over the Oppression Suppression True Qi, but your master refused their demand to the very end. Instead, with a vow to not pass on the Oppression Suppression True Qi to anyone, he divided the secret manual into two, giving one to our cult and the other to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.”
“……Is that so.”
Anger filled Jin cheon’s two eyes.
To think that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance had persecuted not only him but also his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, a fire raged within him.
The grudge that was already piled up like a mountain was not all there was…….
“But the truth is.”
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God handed Jin cheon a thick secret manual.
On the manual, in what seemed to be the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s handwriting, the words Oppression Suppression True Qi were written with an overwhelming presence.
“This is the complete secret manual of the Oppression Suppression True Qi.”
“……!”
“Your master trusted me more than the Righteous Heavenly Alliance. Thus, he entrusted the secret manual of the Oppression Suppression True Qi to me, so that I could prepare for the possible resurrection of the Heavenly Demon. For the great cause, he unhesitatingly handed over the number one martial art in the world. That is why he is not lacking in being called by the heroic name of the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.”
“Master……”
Jin cheon could not finish his words.
‘How could you live like that.’
It was a foolish life.
To completely disregard personal wealth and glory, and to sacrifice oneself only for the sake of the world…….
It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had walked a path that ordinary people would not dare to even dream of, let alone empathize with, even if they died and were reborn.
‘Master, I cannot live like that.’
Jin cheon did not have the confidence to live like his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, nor did he want to.
In the first place, if he had wanted to be like his master, he would not have tried to walk the demonic path.
Was it because of that?
‘Yes, you should not live like me.’
It felt as if he could hear the voice of his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.
“From today, you shall also learn the Oppression Suppression True Qi.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Thus, following the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Jin cheon also came to learn his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior’s unique martial art and the number one martial art in the world, the Oppression Suppression True Qi.
***
Even after returning to the Divine Land, Jin cheon’s daily life did not change much.
Only training, and more training.
He only focused on receiving the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s teachings and learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Oppression Suppression True Qi.
In the midst of such focused training, an order was given to Jin cheon.
“I have a task to entrust to you.”
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God said to Jin cheon.
“Just give me any command.”
“You must go to Xining.”
Xining was the provincial capital of Qinghai Province, and since it was located at the western edge, it was a place where the influence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult did not reach.
In other words, since it was a territory ruled by the Central Plains Imperial Court, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the influence of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was also strong there.
“You remember the Taoists of the Qingcheng and Moshan Sects that you captured before.”
“Ah.”
He had been so busy that he had forgotten for a while, but now Jin cheon remembered.
“What were the results of the interrogation?”
“We couldn't find out any significant information. The Righteous Heavenly Alliance side thoroughly controlled the source of the information.”
“Hmm.”
Jin cheon sighed.
Wasn’t it a very important task to find out who had leaked the information about the Divine Spirit Tree?
To have captured them and gained nothing, it was truly a shame.
“Your mission is to take them to Xining and hand them over to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance side.”
“I believe there must be a reason for you to command so.”
The reason Jin cheon asked that was because there must be a reason why the Iron-Blooded Demonic God would hand over the Taoists of the Qingcheng and Moshan Sects to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance instead of executing them.
“Our cult is not the only one that takes prisoners. A considerable number of our cult’s warriors are also being held by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance side.”
“Ah.”
“Hand them over and bring our cult’s warriors back to the Divine Land.”
“As you command!”
Jin cheon accepted the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s command without a word.
His desire to kill the Taoists of the Qingcheng and Moshan Sects was as strong as a chimney, but thinking of it as a prisoner exchange, he was able to somewhat calm his killing intent.
He had wondered why there had been no news of the execution of the Qingcheng and Moshan Sect Taoists all this time; it seemed such an agreement was being negotiated with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance behind the scenes.
“You can hear the detailed contents from the Chief of External Affairs, Elder Yi Ja-yeong.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Jin cheon bowed his head to the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.
Exchanging enemy prisoners for allied prisoners was not a choice that could be made easily.
Unless one prioritized their allies, the members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, over their emotions, they would never be able to make such a judgment.
“I greet the Seventh Young Master.”
“It has been a long time.”
Jin cheon smiled at Elder Yi Ja-yeong.
Perhaps because he remembered how kindly she had treated him when he first defected, Jin cheon’s attitude towards her could not help but be very favorable.
“I heard you have achieved great success in your martial arts. Congratulations.”
“It is just a small achievement.”
“To call the state of Extreme Demon a small achievement is excessive modesty. With such a level, you would be hard-pressed to find an opponent within the cult.”
“You praise me too much.”
After a bit of pleasantries.
“I heard that you have been given a mission by the Cult Leader.”
“Yes, it has come to that.”
“The mission itself is simple. You just have to go and exchange the prisoners. However, depending on the situation, you could be in great danger, so you will have to move carefully.”
“I am prepared.”
Xining was the territory of the Central Plains Imperial Court and a place where the influence of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was strong, so it was as good as a land of death for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
If by any chance things went wrong, it was needless to say that not only the prisoner exchange but even Jin cheon himself would be in danger.
“By the way, why Xining of all places? We could have met and traded in a neutral place.”
“It’s because the Righteous Heavenly Alliance side refused the prisoner exchange unless it was on their home turf.”
“……”
“They never make a deal where they lose. They would rather not do the prisoner exchange at all; even if the heavens and earth were to be overturned, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance would never risk a threat.”
“Are you saying our cult is in a desperate position?”
“When it comes to the prisoner exchange, that’s right.”
Yi Ja-yeong nodded her head.
“The Righteous Heavenly Alliance doesn’t have much attachment to those captured as prisoners. In fact, they think of them as already dead cards.”
“Good grief.”
Jin cheon shook his head as if he understood.
He could assert that there was probably no group as consistent as the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.
Their actions never deviated from expectations…….
“The available military force is not large. It is no exaggeration to say that this mission depends almost entirely on the Seventh Young Master’s capabilities.”
“If it were an easy mission, the Cult Leader would not have entrusted it to me. Don’t I need to accomplish at least that much to be worthy of being her disciple?”
Jin cheon grinned, showing his confidence.