Chapter 91: Preparations (1)
Chapter 91: Preparations (1)
In fact, Do Jin-myung’s words could be a good opportunity not only for Woon-seong, but also for the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
If what the Sage said was true, the Demonic Cult would have a great excuse to wage war against the Martial Alliance and conquer Zhongyuan.
It was clear that King Jinseong would then use that opportunity to weed out the conspirators posing as the emperor.
Since the Cult of the Inverted Sky was deeply embedded in both these groups, this move would bring peace and balance back into the world.
What better justification for these actions?
However, what if all of that was a lie?
What if the Cult was just being used by King Jinseong for treason?
Then, there would be nothing left for the Cult.
No, it wasn’t even a question of no gains.
If this plan failed and the Imperial Court became an enemy, Woon-seong was sure that the Cult would suffer greatly.
Even the most powerful martial artists could not defeat the numerous legions of the Imperial Army.
The punishment for rebellion would be destruction.
Failure would threaten the very existence of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
Thus, Woon-seong had to ask.
“What reason is there for us to join you while taking such a risk?”
The Sage swallowed his saliva. The young man spoke with an aura of authority that only someone with absolute strength could have.
Of course, the Sage had already expected this question, otherwise he wouldn’t have qualified as a messenger.
The Sage calmly replied.
“First of all, King Jinseong has promised that if the Demonic Cult assists his plans, he will acknowledge the Cult of the Heavenly Demon as the state religion, and also appoint the leader as the grand historian.”
The Demonic Cult as the state religion!
If so, the normal citizens would naturally learn the teachings of the Heavenly Demon.
It would only be a matter of time before the Cult of the Heavenly Demon became as influential as Confucianism, Buddhism, or Taoism.
Not only that… Appointing the Cult Leader as the grand historian meant that the emperor himself would learn the teachings of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon!
Essentially, the emperor would become a believer of the Cult.
King Jinseong said that the Cult of the Heavenly Demon would become the state religion, but it also meant that he would give the Cult unprecedented support.
Given what the Cult’s greatest wish was, the war against Murim was imminent.
King Jinseong’s support essentially meant that the Cult would be able to fulfill its goals.
In fact, Woon-seong was quite surprised by this offer.
State and national affairs were not an easy thing to decide.
The fact that King Jinseong was willing to make this offer showed how important this matter was.
“You’re saying that you’ll fulfill our Cult’s oldest wish?”
Woon-seong slowly made eye contact with the Strategist as he tapped his chin.
To be honest, the previous me would not have hesitated to wage war against Zhongyuan…
Not for the Cult, but for my own revenge…
But things are different now.
I haven’t forgotten my revenge, but the Cult of the Heavenly Demon that Master Chun Hwi has left behind is also important.
Now, Woon-seong had to consider both his vengeance and the safety of the Cult.
His thoughts slowly deepened.
It didn’t take long before he opened his eyes.
There was something he had to check.
“How do we trust you?”
Instead of answering, the Sage took out another small scroll from his sleeves.
“This is a letter signed and sealed by King Jinseong.”
Woon-seong took the letter and read through it.
Once done, he folded up the letter.
Do I lead the demonic practitioners like this?
Do I point my spear towards Zhongyuan?
Seeing that Woon-seong was still stuck in thought, the Sage pulled out a small vial from his sleeves.
“Do you know what this is?”
Inside the vial was a purple liquid.
Just a simple glance was enough to know that whatever the liquid was, it was an ominous sign.
Woon-seong and Sang Gwan-chuk’s attention naturally focused on the vial.
“What is in this bottle… is poison.”
The countenance of both Woon-seong and the Strategist suddenly changed.
It was because they had to figure out what the Sage was trying to do by taking out this bottle of unknown poison.
The first rule of poisoning someone was to do it silently.
Of course, neither Woon-seong nor the Strategist were easy people to assassinate. Unless it was the same kind of poison that killed Chun Hwi, the poison would be naturally detoxified.
As soon as Woon-seong and Sang Gwan-chuk focused on him, the Sage spoke again.
“This is the poison that was injected into the leader… I mean, the former leader of the Demonic Cult.”
Boom!
At the end of his sentence, the Sage felt a force slam into him and he flew into the wall.
Krrr!
“Cough!”
The pain of a fractured spine lanced up Do Jin-myung’s back.
If he hadn’t focused his energy on protecting his lower back at the last moment, his spine would have protruded from his dead body.
The Sage could only gasp and cough up blood.
I did expect that, but it still almost killed me.
Raising his head, the Sage endured the pain.
There was a huge hole in the palace walls now.
Through the hole, Do Jin-myung was able to look inside.
The Heavenly Demon was slowly rising up from his throne.
Fwoom—
A flame rose from Woon-seong’s body.
At the same time, Woon-seong stood up.
Then he rushed forward.
Weng—
In an instant, Woon-seong had appeared before the Sage.
Reaching out, he grabbed Do Jin-myung by the neck.
Even like that, the Sage did not fight back.
Even though it was a matter of his life and death, the overwhelming difference in strength forbade Do Jin-myung from even trying to resist.
Woon-seong held the man by his neck, letting him dangle above the ground.
“Gasp!”
The Sage cleared his throat a few times, testing his lungs to see if he could still breath.
Whatever was going through Do Jin-myung’s mind, Woon-seong had no intention of letting him go.
Woon-seong eyes shone gold, slitting into a glare.
The reptile-like sharp gaze examined the Sage.
The pressure and heat of the Divine Flame surrounded the two.
“Ugh.”
The Divine Flame seemed to have gained sentience, coiling around Woon-seong’s body and flicking its tongue like a viper.
Even though the flame touched nothing, Do Jin-myung felt himself burning.
Finally, Woon-seong asked a question.
“Why do you have that poison?”
Woon-seong’s voice was neither abnormally high or low-pitched.
Still, the Sage could not help but see an Asura. It was just a voice, but it gave him goosebumps.
“I-I stole it from the Cult of the Inverted Sky.”
Woon-seong’s eyes glinted at these words.
Obviously, he had not been overtaken by the spirit of the Divine Flame or by his anger.
“The Cult of the Inverted Sky?”
Woon-seong loosened his grip a little to make it easier for the Sage to talk.
“T-That’s right.”
Able to properly breathe once more, the Sage panted.
“You’re saying that the Cult of the Inverted Sky had this poison?”
Woon-seong’s eyes focused on the vial of poison, which he took out of Do Jin-myung’s grasp.
He stared at it for a long time.
There were a lot of complicated questions he had.
Why was Master Nok Yu-on poisoned by the Cult of the Inverted Sky?
Master Nok Yu-on…
Woon-seong closed his eyes.
“Are you sure this belongs to the Cult of the Inverted Sky?”
“Y-Yes.”
“The Sichuan Tang Clan, the Martial Alliance, the Orthodox Sects of Murim… Do you know if any of them are capable of making this poison?”
“I don’t know that far.”
“…”
“But remember what I told you. The Cult of the Inverted Sky has already set its roots not only in the Imperial Court, but also in Murim. They might as well have this poison too.”
Woon-seong opened his eyes and calmed his trembling fingers.
It felt like piecing back together a broken vase.
Everything had a purpose, but some of the pieces were jagged and could not be used by itself.
Woon-seong dropped Do Jin-myung onto the floor, finally letting him breathe normally.
“Jwa Do-gyul, the Master of the Martial Alliance. Is he also a member of the Cult of the Inverted Sky?”
“Huff, I believe there is a high chance for that to be so. Huff-puff.”
“A high chance?”
When Woon-seong asked once more, Do Jin-myung took a break and nodded.
“I say at least 80%.”
80% means that it’s safe to assume it’s true. Woon-seong closed his eyes once more.
Then he tossed the vial in his hand to the Senior Strategist, who had been standing to the side.
“Strategist.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sang Gwan-chuk lowered his head slightly.
“I believe you already know what to do.”
“Understood.”
***
After exactly two weeks, the Senior Strategist returned to Woon-seong with the vial and a report.
“After testing the poison on imprisoned criminals, I must conclude that this is the same poison. The poison’s symptoms and progression were identical.”
Sitting there, Woon-seong’s mind was flooded with thoughts.
Thoughts about his death, of his first life.
What exactly did Master Nok Yu-on find out back then? What was he involved in?
Now that I think about it my Spear Master master was full of secrets.
It wasn’t the kind of secret where he had some hidden evil identity or something out of his character, but he would go off traveling for two weeks every three months or so, without a word even to me, his only apprentice.
He never told me where he went or what the purpose of the journey was.
Nor was there any story of people seeing him during those two weeks of travel.
Which meant that he wasn’t off on a simple journey to travel around Murim.
Master never ended up explaining anything to me.
Nothing about why the Martial Alliance had framed him and was after him…
I never solved this mystery, but from what I remember of his expression, I’m sure Master Nok Yu-on knew exactly why it happened.
Then why didn’t he tell me?
If there was a problem, you simply needed to solve it.
I might not have been the most reliable apprentice, but two heads should still be better than one.
Maybe, as a master, he never wanted to rely on me and make me worried.
However, Master Nok Yu-on was not that kind of person.
He never hesitated to open up about his problems when he found it to be necessary.
And if such a person kept it a secret… There has to be a reason for it.
Do Jin-myung’s story revolved around Woon-seong’s mind.
The Imperial Court.
The Cult of the Inverted Sky.
The influences of the Cult of the Inverted Sky, which were deeply rooted in Murim.
What if Sage Do Jin-myung’s words are the truth and what Master Nok Yu-on found out was the secret link between the Imperial Court and the Cult of the Inverted Sky?
And what if he found out that even the Martial Alliance was part of the corruption?
Woon-seong felt like a cog had just started turning.
He had a guess as to why Master Nok Yu-on had kept everything a secret.
Was it to keep me alive?
Being ignorant of the truth would give me a higher chance of survival.
He was that type of person…
My master… was someone who worried about me even as he breathed his last.
Just like Master Chun Hwi…
Woon-seong clenched his fists.
Subsequently, he remembered something Master Nok Yu-on had said as they were chased through Changsha.
“Woon-seong, my apprentice… If you make it out of this place alive, if you successfully escape this situation, go to the safehouse of our sect in Gansu.”
It looked like Woon-seong was due for a visit to Zhongyuan.