Chapter 345: Five Great Halls Conference (2)

After Jin Yeomyung went underground.

Gu Chil frowned as he glared at Jeolyeong.

"Really puts me in a foul mood."

"Likewise, Byeok Cheon-un."

Jeolyeong also looked at Gu Chil with a strange expression.

Gu Chil desperately tried to suppress his emotions.

"To think I'd end up sharing the same table again with the bastard who stabbed me in the back."

"Not yet. Nothing’s been decided."

"Right. Nothing’s decided yet."

Honestly, I wanted to settle this right now, once and for all.

But I couldn’t let personal feelings interfere with my lord's decision.

That fact alone left me deeply conflicted.

"But still…."

Jeolyeong’s lips curved slightly.

"No matter how they say there are no eternal enemies or allies, I doubt we'll ever reach a 'laughing-together' kind of ending."

"I agree. Even if it’s not now, if we ever get to the ending you're talking about…."

Gu Chil glared fiercely at Jeolyeong.

"I’ll make sure the first thing I do is shove that disgusting face of yours into the mud."

"Sorry to disappoint, but you’re not nearly strong enough for that."

"Kh!"

"Kuhuhuh!"

The two of us laughed while staring at each other.

To outsiders, it might have looked like nothing more than two pathetic men clashing over their pride.

But knowing the entanglement between us, it was no laughing matter.

That was when it happened.

"Keuk!"

Myeong-oh, who had been watching Jeolyeong nervously, suddenly covered her mouth with both hands.

Her body bent sharply at a right angle.

Puaahk!

From between Myeong-oh's hands, blood burst out like a broken dam.

"Kyaak! Kyahaak!"

"...Myeong-oh?!"

"...?"

Myeong-oh let out a shriek as her whole body began to tremble violently.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

Her hands began to morph, losing their human form.

'Th-this is?!'

Myeong-oh’s awakened state.

That same nightmare-like blade that had once shredded several Peak Master Level experts in Qinghai with a single strike was showing itself again!

Jeolyeong looked at Myeong-oh's state with a half-lidded gaze and spoke dryly.

"Shouldn't we kill her?"

"Shut up!"

Gu Chil’s face contorted like a demonic fiend.

That was when So Soryu stepped forward.

"Step aside, Brother."

So Soryu pulled out several acupuncture needles from her sleeve and stuck them into Myeong-oh's face.

Soon after, Myeong-oh’s bloody vomiting noticeably began to subside.

Gu Chil’s face immediately lit up, but contrary to his expectation, So Soryu's expression wasn’t good.

"She seems conscious, but… this looks more like a rampage triggered by an external factor."

"An… external factor?"

While examining Myeong-oh’s body, So Soryu came to a conclusion.

"Surprisingly, the Qi flow around her Dantian is intact. This seems more like a mental shock that’s caused her internal organs to twist as an aftereffect."

Gu Chil's face turned pale in shock at those words.

"Don’t tell me… someone is interfering with her mind from outside?"

"I can’t think of any other explanation with the knowledge I have."

"Ugh! Urghh!"

Myeong-oh’s body began to twist again.

"We can't handle this ourselves. Damn it… No, we have to take her to our lord and show him her condition."

Gu Chil didn’t hesitate. He carried Myeong-oh on his back.

And immediately dashed toward the underground chamber.

If anyone tried to stop him, he was ready to cut them down without question.

However—

Surprisingly, Jeolyeong didn’t block Gu Chil’s way.

"This is…."

I quickly examined Myeong-oh’s body.

Cheon Jumun narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

"Myeong-oh? What happened to her?"

"It’s… complicated."

Following So Soryu's advice, I focused on her head.

I saw it.

The moment I activated my spiritual vision, I noticed that something from outside was reacting inside Myeong-oh's brain.

'Tsk!'

Among everyone here, I was the only one who understood how this was happening.

I had fought against people who had undergone this kind of procedure countless times, about half a century ago in my body’s time.

I created a special barrier to block mental waves and directed it into Myeong-oh's brain.

Just like that, her convulsions stopped as if it had all been a lie.

"M-Myeong-oh!"

Though she was a mess, covered in blood and sweat, at least her breathing had returned to normal.

The problem was, Myeong-oh wasn’t the only one.

Seolbaek and Gwanggeun were showing the same symptoms.

'That means….'

Just then, Seolbaek collapsed, coughing up blood from his seven orifices, and died on the spot.

And the last one remaining, the muscular man Gwanggeun, had somehow regained composure and was now half-opening his eyes.

Gwanggeun opened his mouth.

"This is fascinating."

"..."

"..."

Both I, Cheon Jumun, and Gu Chil—

We all immediately recognized that the one speaking was no longer the real Gwanggeun.

Gwanggeun's gaze turned toward me.

"A mental wave-blocking barrier… That’s not a technology that should exist in this era. How did you do it?"

"..."

"Neither a soundproofing barrier, nor a Qi protection field, nor even Sword Intent should be able to block this. Fascinating."

Step, step!

Before I knew it, Gwanggeun had approached me and was looking me up and down.

"You possess 'Forgotten Knowledge' just like me, don’t you?"

I didn’t bother answering and instead glared at him as I spoke.

"You’re the one who created the Awakened Bodies."

"Oh? So you’re not willing to talk? Fine. Forcing it out is my specialty, but I suppose that would be difficult in this situation."

The way this bastard talked was really irritating.

Gwanggeun—no, that thing—looked around at all of us and smiled in satisfaction.

"Today is truly a special day."

Its eyes slowly scanned everyone present.

"A completed body that I didn't craft stands before me, there’s someone here who holds Forgotten Knowledge…."

Finally, its gaze turned to Cheon Jumun.

"And, after more than ten years, I’ve reunited with my dear brother."

"……."

"Isn’t that right, Jumun?"

Cheon Jumun didn’t respond.

Regardless, the bastard continued rambling on.

"Honestly, I’m surprised. Given your personality, I thought you’d come running to kill me the moment you stepped out of the Cult Leader’s shadow."

It really sounded like it knew Cheon Jumun very well.

"I even prepared an extravagant welcome party for you. Tsk tsk, what a pity."

For a brief moment, an indescribable greed overflowed on its face.

"If I had that Transcendent Demon Realm body of yours, perhaps I could have surpassed that bastard Gam Unbi and created the ultimate masterpiece."

"…Juchun."

The name slipped from Cheon Jumun’s lips.

"Wait for me. I’ll be coming for your life very soon."

"Hahaha! Yes, that’s the Cheon Jumun I know! I’ll be waiting with excitement!"

I nervously watched, wondering if Cheon Jumun would abandon the Cult right here and now, but for the moment, he didn’t show any sign of doing so.

"Well, I suppose that’s enough for this little family reunion… Shall we get to the real matter?"

Gwanggeun—no, Juchun—turned its gaze back toward me.

"It was you, wasn’t it?"

"What’s with the sudden accusation?"

"That brat Jin Yeomyung, the one who was the target of the recent assassination attempt."

I didn’t bother hiding the truth.

"So what if it was?"

"Hmm…."

Juchun stroked its chin.

"You don’t seem like the kind of person who could wipe out nearly half of the Ten Heavenly Lords…."

"……!"

"Well, fine. I’m not exactly known for my eye for talent. I suppose I should apologize for underestimating you."

Juchun bowed elegantly, like some kind of nobleman.

Of course, seeing a musclehead like that do something so pretentious was just laughable.

"An apology won’t change anything."

"Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m saying that from now on, I’ll take you a bit more seriously."

Juchun smirked.

"Sending only three to kill someone who survived the blade of the Grand Heavenly Lord… I really should apologize for that."

"……."

"Now that the Heavenly Timing he predicted is approaching, things are about to get even more interesting."

This was my first encounter with Juchun, and he was unexpectedly talkative.

"With that troublesome Cult Leader gone, there’s nothing left to get in my way. Humanity shall soon reclaim its glorious past!"

Yep, just as I heard, he was definitely insane.

But these kinds of madmen always reacted the most when their expectations were shattered.

Let’s shake him up a bit.

"From here to the east… it’s about five thousand li, isn’t it?"

"……!"

I deliberately looked toward the east and continued.

"Judging by how long it's taken you to try reconnecting after capturing these guys, you must be even farther than that."

"……."

Juchun shut his mouth.

"Let’s say a Peak Master Level warrior traveled leisurely for that duration…."

I let out the smuggest grin I could muster.

"That would put you… somewhere near Hebei, wouldn’t it?"

"……."

The smile vanished from Juchun’s face.

Of course, if I went by distance alone, it could be somewhere to the southeast like Henan or Anhui.

But I was certain he was near Hebei.

After a brief silence, Juchun tapped his head.

"Did you torture these guys? No, they’re not the kind who would break under normal methods."

"Of course not. Do I look like the kind of idiot who can’t even trace things properly?"

"……."

"You think you’re the only one who holds knowledge? You think that makes you special? Sorry to disappoint you, but there are plenty of people in this world with talent just like yours."

His expression stiffened.

Apparently, my sharp remarks had struck a nerve.

The bastard didn’t even seem to realize how distorted his face had become with rage.

"Fine, I’ll admit it. I should’ve considered this possibility the moment you defied my expectations…."

He leaned in closer to my face.

"How dare you talk to me about talent… I’ll make sure to tear you apart myself."

I didn’t back down. Instead, I smiled.

"Looking forward to it."

Puk!

As soon as I finished speaking, blood gushed out of Gwanggeun’s seven orifices just like it had with Seolbaek.

His eyes grew dull.

'The link has been severed.'

Now I had his undivided attention.

And there was only one reason I had provoked him this far.

"What do you say?"

I grinned at Cheon Jumun.

"If you side with me, you’ll definitely get to face him again someday."

"……."

Cheon Jumun's expression shifted to one of mild disbelief.

***

It had already been a few days since I met with Cheon Jumun.

Cheon Jumun had clearly fallen into deep contemplation over my words, but he didn’t give me an immediate answer on the spot.

"You don’t have to answer right away. The Five Great Halls Conference is coming soon. Please give it some thought and let me know your decision after the conference ends."

"…Very well."

Cheon Jumun accepted my suggestion to postpone the matter, and that brought our meeting to a close.

After all, it was necessary to stabilize Myeong-oh’s condition and perform a thorough examination first.

‘So many things need to be resolved quickly at the conference.’

The full emergence of Cheon Juchun, the Heavenly Researcher, and the escalating chaos in the Central Plains Murim had to be suppressed at all costs, and as soon as possible.

Thus, several days of hectic preparations passed by in the blink of an eye.

"You’ve arrived, Jin Yeomyung."

The moment I saw Yura’s figure in the waiting room, I reflected on myself a little.

It should have been me waiting for her, not the other way around.

Making her wait was disrespectful.

But Yura didn’t seem to care about such things at all.

"Hmm…."

She gently stroked my cheek and asked softly.

"Have you been overworking yourself lately? I heard the light in your office hasn’t been going out these days."

I felt her touch and smiled faintly.

"Well, it’s bearable in its own way."

That was a lie.

If not for my experience as Inner Administrator, I would have already collapsed from overwork.

But I couldn’t let that show in front of Yura.

"I’ve prepared thoroughly enough, so there’s no need to worry."

I smiled as I reached out my hand toward her.

"Shall we go, Cult Leader?"

"Yes, my husband."

Yura smiled back and placed her hand in mine.

And so—

The first grand conference of the Heavenly Demon Cult since Cult Leader Cheon Yura ascended to the throne…

was just around the corner.

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