Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon
Chapter 123 – Palace of the Sun Devil (1)
Translated by : moonchildkhz
***
The advance of the 50,000 troops that began in the Heavenly Mountains was truly spectacular.
An army of magnificent size; the warriors marched in line.
They traveled along the Silk Road, which merchants used as a trade route, without slowing down their march.
As this imperious army began to move, and all the nearby sect-gates went silent.
Most of them were under the rule of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, but held their breaths believing that if they made a mistake, they might spark a fire.
The soldiers of this armed force wore black robes that symbolized the Demonic Cult.
On the backs of their robes, the word ‘demon’ was clearly embroidered.
At the center of the army, a flag fluttered in the wind.
In addition to the small flags representing each unit, there was also a flag representing the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
But there was also a flag that symbolized the Heavenly Demon.
It was a giant flag with a black dragon.
A six-legged and three-headed black dragon painted in dynamic flight.
Asuras, the mighty demonic beings.
Dragons, the divine creatures.
The two beings seemed to be merged.
That creature, which combined the Asura and the dragon, was the symbol of the Heavenly Demon.
A symbol of destruction and opposition, but was sacred at the same time.
Woon-seong stood just below the flag. Next to him was the man known as the Brain of the Heavenly Demon, as well as several shadows.
Woon-seong was wearing a set of majestic black robes. On the back was embroidered the same creature that flew across the Heavenly Demon’s flag.
Formal attire, the Black Dragon Robe.
The Heavenly Demon wore the robes representative of the Cult of Heavenly Demon, revealings its pride and determination to never run away
Apart from the ornate embroidery, the clothing itself was light and breathable so that the wearer would feel no discomfort.
There weren’t many ornaments decorating his waist.
What was surprising was that wearing this Black Dragon Robe would enhance the user’s defense, becoming near impregnable to the blade.
It was possible because the material of the Black Dragon Robe was silk of the Golden Orb-Weaving spider, traded from Hong Kong.
Woon-seong asked the Strategist, “How much longer?”
“We will need three more days to reach the Great Wall.”
“The Great Wall…”
The boundary dividing Xinjiang and Zhongyuan.
Once you crossed that line, you would be in the Central Plains.
***
“Demonic Cult has begun to descend south.”
The Grand Chancellor reported.
The Emperor giggled and laughed at the man’s words. Before his eyes was a map of the world, filled with red and blue dots.
There were also yellow dots scattered across the map.
The red dots represented the forces of the Demonic Cult and the blue dots represented the Orthodox forces.
What about the yellow dots?
The yellow represented the Imperial Army. As if to prove its strength, the Imperial Army’s forces stretched along the Great Wall and the Jade Gate.
“What shall I do?”
The Grand Chancellor asked, looking at the map with him.
The emperor raised his cup, emptying it in a heartbeat, then said:
“Let them through.”
He put a piece of meat into his mouth like a snack and chewed on it comfortably. Between his fang like teeth popped out a bone.
But the emperor cared about neither the throne nor the Orthodox sects.
More interesting things would be going on in the world.
“We’re going to have to fight with Murim and the Demonic Cult. Isn’t that what we wanted?”
At the words of the emperor, the Grand Chancellor chuckled and nodded.
Murim and the Demonic Cult would be punished and destroyed, as the flag of the Cult of the Inverted Sky flew high above the land.
It was they who forced the Orthodox sects to attack the Demonic branches.
The Grand Chancellor laughed to himself, thinking of Jwa Do-gyul. He’s greedy in comparison to his skills, but he sure does what he’s told.
The emperor glanced at the the map, then repeated:
“So let them go through. Let them destroy each other. ”
At the emperor’s words, the Grand Chancellor bowed and slowly stepped away.
***
While the emperor and the chancellor were talking in the Imperial Palace, an unexpected guest visited the Demonic camp.
He arrived when the Demonic army was about two days away from the Great Wall.
The visitor was neither expected nor someone Woon-seong recognized.
Mottled skin that looked tanned from the sun. On top of that, the guest’s muscles were clearly defined.
What about the guest’s clothes?
The garments were thin to prevent heat, but long to protect the skin from seeing the sunlight.
At the same time, there was a strong force of qi emanating from the visitor’s body.
Based on the qi…
On the level of a Demonic Master?
A master of the Absolute Realm.
Even amongst them, someone of the highest tier.
There were not so many people like that in Xinjiang.
“The Palace of the Sun Devil,” Woon-seong looked at the visitor and said.
The person of the Sun Devil’s Palace bowed his head and replied,
“I present myself to the leader of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.”
It was the Lord of the Sun Devil’s Palace (太陽魔宮主).
Although the Palace of the Sun Devil was not a sect under the Demonic Cult, they acknowledged that the Lord of Xinjiang was the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
His attitude was quite polite.
Woon-seong nodded. “Raise your head.”
To his words, the Sun Devil Lord lifted his head slightly.
The Strategist glanced at Woon-seong and the Sun Devil Lord, then warmed up some tea.
Silence stretched while the tea was heated.
Why has the Sun Devil Lord come to see me?
While Woon-seong was mulling this over in his head with a fierce gaze, the tea was ready.
Hoo—
The Sun Devil Lord blew on the tea to make sure it wasn’t too hot. He took a sip before lowering the cup and opening his mouth.
“I heard that you will advance into Zhongyuan and march against the Martial Alliance.”
At that, Woon-seong laughed.
“Against the Imperial Palace, to be precise.”
That did not mean the rest of Murim would be forgotten. It was clear that the Alliance, including Jwa Do-gyul, were Woon-seong’s enemies.
At Woon-seong’s words, the Sun Devil Lord closed his eyes and said, “Regarding that, my Palace would like to join the Cult.”
At that moment, Woon-seong still had tea in his mouth. After taking a moment to swallow the tea, he cocked his head. “Why?”
“…”
“Is there a reason for the Palace of the Sun Devil to join? In the event of failure, the entire group will face execution. Was the Palace’s loyalty to the Cult so strong that it would support the Cult’s efforts despite such a threat?”
Woon-seong glanced at the Strategist as he spoke. Sang Gwan-chuk shook his head.
Silence followed for a while.
It was the Sun Devil Lord who opened his mouth to end the silence.
His voice was heavy, but it also seemed to be a little wet.
“My son…” He briefly paused to take a deep breath. “My son is dead.”
“What do you mean?”
The Sun Devil Lord clenched his fists at Woon-seong’s question. “My son died when he was caught in the tomb of the Sword Emperor.”
Somehow, Woon-seong felt that the name was familiar.
In a timely manner, the Strategist sent Woon-seong a message.
— He’s probably referring to the Secret Vault of the Sword Emperor of Ice and Light, which was discovered a while ago. We felt like the situation had been manipulated and did not get involved.
Only then did Woon-seong recall the incident, going, “Ah.”
In the meantime, the Sun Devil Lord continued with his story.
“When I heard my son had been caught in the incident, I felt that it was an unfortunate accident. But I soon realized that was not the whole story.”
“…”
“To my knowledge, all news regarding the Secret Vault were forged. It was a case of manipulation within the Martial Alliance. ”
“…”
“While some things have been reported to the Alliance, none of newly joined sects were seriously harmed.”
Woon-seong glanced at the Strategist to ask whether or not this was true. Sang Gwan-chuk nodded.
This matter had been reported to Cheon Hwi, since he was the cult leader at the time. Naturally, as the young leader, Woon-seong had not been notified.
“A little further investigation revealed that all the rumors about the discovery of the Secret Vault originated from the Martial Alliance. They made the decision. They decided to reduce the power of Murim, pushing all forces that did not cooperate with the Alliance to their deaths!”
The Sun Devil Lord clenched his fists. Along the back of his hand, flames appeared.
It was the sacred fire of the Sun Devil.
“I filed a complaint with the Martial Alliance, but they said my findings were irrelevant.”
“Hypocrites, most of them.”
When Woon-seong commented, the Sun Devil Lord nodded.
Woon-seong sympathized with the Sun Devil Lord, “It must have been hard. Even if you tried to take revenge for your son, you cannot move so easily against such an enemy. ”
“Yes. While the Palace of the Sun Devil is the second strongest organization in Xinjiang, after the Demonic Cult, it is not strong enough to take on the whole of Murim. ”
“And then you heard that the Demonic Cult was on the move?”
As Woon-seong spoke, the Sun Devil Lord nodded and then smacked his head against the table.
Bang—
The tea cups shook and tea sloshed onto the table. At the same time, blood flowed from the Sun Devil Lord’s forehead.
The man’s forehead had been injured because he slammed his head against the table without protecting himself with internal force.
But he did not show any pain at all.
“Please help me. Help me repay the enemy, burn their sects to the ground and avenge my son.”
“…”
When Woon-seong did not respond, the Sun Devil Lord once again smashed his head into the table.
Bang—
“You can call upon me like a believer. As long as I can see the end of the Martial Alliance, the 5,000 troops of the Palace of the Sun Devil will support you.”
5,000.
It was not a small force.
The army of Cult of the Heavenly Demon was currently about 50,000 strong, so that would increase the amount of people available.
In addition, martial artists from the Palace of the Sun Devil were masters of fire. Harnessing the what of the sun, they were skilled at offense.
Woon-seong stared at the man across from him silently.
He lost his masters to the Martial Alliance and its forces; the Sun Devil Lord had lost his son.
There was a difference in the relationship, but they had both lost someone precious to them.
It was at that moment that the Strategist sent Woon-seong another message.
— Please accept. The Sun Devil Lord is a strong man. Moreover, he has never been a follower of the Cult. Now that he is willing to follow the Leader, the Cult’s influence in Xinjiang will be stronger than ever.
Empathizing with the Sun Devil Lord, Woon-seong would have accepted even if the Strategist had said nothing.
In this situation, the Strategist’s words gave Woon-seong a more legitimate reason.
As Sun Devil Lord looked at him with uncertainty, Woon-seong said:
“I allow the Palace of the Sun Devil to join.”
At that moment, the power of the Demonic Cult had just grown stronger.
