Chapter 529: This is a Dream, a Dream

TL: FoodieMonster007

Kang Dal landed lightly on the wall after a nimble leap.

"There's only one carriage approaching," he reported. "One person is in the driver's seat and…"

His words trailed off as his gaze dropped to the base of the wall. Kang Dal looked down, his eyes widening in shock. Someone was standing there, in a place that should have been completely empty.

It was not just one person. Every three or four steps, a martial artist of immense build stood with his back to the wall, forming a perimeter around the area.

Kang Dal leaped backward from the edge and shouted.

"Get away from the wall!"

The branch martial artists who were standing nearby quickly retreated.

"There's someone outside the wall!"

Kang Dal immediately assumed they were reinforcements for Yeo Gwing and the Seven Roads Pursuit Squad.

He wondered how he had failed to notice them until they had the wall completely surrounded. He had been distracted by the Young Cult Leader and the Sanzu Hall Director, but to be this oblivious was still shocking.

A natural suspicion followed. Even if he hadn't noticed, shouldn't the Young Cult Leader or the Sanzu Hall Director have sensed their presence?

Could it be that those men were more skilled than those two? That seemed impossible.

Kang Dal glanced at Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong. The two men showed no surprise at all upon hearing his report. He could tell just from their reactions.

Ah! They must be the Young Cult Leader's subordinates!

It made perfect sense. The Young Cult Leader would not have traveled alone. Thinking about it now, they had their backs to the wall. If they were enemies, they would have been facing it.

He realized that if they had launched a surprise attack, everyone would already be dead. Kang Dal was once again impressed by the skill of the martial artists from Headquarters.

Of course, they were the ones protecting the Young Cult Leader, so their strength was to be expected. A life should be lived as coolly as this, he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the carriage reached the entrance. Whoever it is, they've picked the wrong day, Kang Dal mused.

Kang Dal took a few steps forward. Even with the Young Cult Leader and the Sanzu Hall Director present, he was still the master of this branch.

Kang Dal spoke to the man in the driver's seat.

"Esteemed guests are visiting our branch today. We aren't accepting any visitors, so please turn back and visit another time."

The carriage, however, showed no sign of leaving.

Kang Dal studied the man driving the carriage. He didn't reveal any particular aura, but Kang Dal's intuition told him this was no ordinary person. If that was true, the person inside the carriage must also have a high status. Even so.

You bastards, he thought, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is here. Scram if you don't want to die!

If he shouted that, they would probably flee without a second thought, wouldn't they?

"I suggest you leave while I'm being nice."

The carriage remained motionless.

The ones who moved were the large martial artists standing at the base of the wall. So the Young Cult Leader's bodyguards are finally making a move, Kang Dal thought.

But the martial artists did not approach the carriage. Instead, they began to enter the branch.

The moment the first martial artist filled the doorway, Kang Dal and the branch members held their breath. A scar ran across his face, and his intense eyes scanned the surroundings. Meeting his gaze sent a shiver through their entire bodies.

He was none other than the Demonic Army General, Jang Ho.

The Demonic Army had been following Geom Woojin's carriage at a distance on their way back to the Cult. They had then received a message from the All-Knowing Hall and came here to attend to the Heavenly Demon.

They could not neglect formalities when the Cult Leader was visiting a branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. For this reason, all members of the Demonic Army wore the formal uniforms that displayed their identity.

Just then, Kang Dal saw it. He spotted the characters embroidered on Jang Ho's chest.

The Demonic Army.

Kang Dal was startled. No way…

At that moment, Seo Daeryong spoke. "Pay your respects. He is the Demonic Army General who leads our Cult's Demonic Army."

The words 'the Demonic Army General' left Kang Dal so shocked he was momentarily dazed. He had truly believed there would be no more surprises today.

The eyes of the branch members sparkled as they looked at Jang Ho. For ordinary members, the Demonic Army held a special significance.

The Demonic Army was their Cult's most elite organization. It was deployed on the most dangerous missions and stood at the forefront of any war. The Demonic Army was the dream and object of admiration for every regular member.

Kang Dal and the branch members performed a clasped hands greeting in unison and bowed their heads.

"We greet the Demonic Army General."

Kang Dal still thought the Demonic Army was here to act as the Young Cult Leader's bodyguard. The limit of his imagination for today's visit was the Young Cult Leader.

With Jang Ho in the lead, the members of the Demonic Army started to file in behind him. Their overwhelming presence, which did not conceal their demonic qi, made not only the branch members flinch but also the kneeling members of the Seven Roads Pursuit Squad. They were intimidating just to look at.

Receiving looks of awe, the members of the Demonic Army filed inside. Even one of them was terrifying, yet they entered in a line that seemed to have no end.

The four women stared, bewildered. They did not know much about the Demonic Army, but they felt a sense of fear from their large builds and intense auras. After seeing Geom Mugeuk and Seo Daeryong, looking at these men felt like seeing true demonic practitioners.

The members of the Demonic Army lined up on both sides of the entrance, forming a path.

They aren't trying to block the carriage?

Kang Dal's gaze shifted back to the carriage. As he watched with a sense of disbelief, the carriage door opened.

The first person to step out was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

Jang Ho announced to the branch members, "This is the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, a Demon Supreme of our Cult."

At those words, the branch members were once again astonished. What business would a Demon Supreme have in a small, rural branch like this? This was the first time Kang Dal and the branch members had ever seen a Demon Supreme in person.

"We greet the Demon Supreme!" they shouted thunderously.

Kang Dal's heart trembled. To think the day would come when I would see a Demon Supreme in person!

He had heard all sorts of terrifying rumors about the Demon Supreme. From this moment on, one wrong breath could mean death. He disciplined his subordinates with a single look.

His gaze sent a clear message. Be careful! Watch your words and actions! Don't even look!

The well-trained subordinates answered with their eyes. Don't worry!

Their surprise, however, was only just beginning. After stepping out of the carriage, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood politely beside it, as if waiting for someone else to alight.

Finally, Geom Woojin stepped out of the carriage.

The moment he saw Geom Woojin, Kang Dal froze. He had seen many martial artists in his life, but he had never felt a presence like this. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had exited first, also had a formidable presence, but it was nothing compared to this man.

Geom Woojin slowly walked forward, moving between the lined-up members of the Demonic Army.

Watching this, Kang Dal's eyes widened. A person to whom a Demon Supreme showed such extreme courtesy? A person who could walk the path created by the Demonic Army in this murim?

Jang Ho announced in a loud voice.

"Everyone, pay your respects to the Cult Leader!"

One of the demonic practitioners let out a yelp before clamping a hand over his own mouth. However, no one paid him any mind.

Kang Dal and the branch members all prostrated themselves at once, shouting.

"The Invincible Divine Cult! The Immortal Heavenly Demon! We greet the august Cult Leader."

Kang Dal was half out of his mind. The Cult Leader had visited his branch?

Is this a dream?

The Sanzu Hall Director came, the Young Cult Leader came, the Demonic Army came, a Demon Supreme came, and even that felt like a dream. But now the Cult Leader himself was here?

Yes, this is a dream. A dream.

He knew it was not a dream, but for a moment, he could not help but think it.

The women, on the other hand, were not as surprised as the men. The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was a figure from another world, like someone out of a story.

In the murim, there is the Heavenly Demon, the Murim Alliance Lord, and the Evil Alliance Chairman. It was similar to the feeling that in the sky, there is a sun, a moon, and stars.

Their surprise was not because the Demonic Cult Leader had arrived, but because that Demonic Cult Leader was someone they knew.

The youngest, Dan Yeon, let out a gasp.

"It's him!"

Seeing Geom Woojin's face, the three women were truly shocked. It was the man they had seen at the inn that day. And more than anything…

The person we served food to was the Heavenly Demon?

The three women looked at each other in shock. The youngest's eyes seemed to say, It was me, me! I was the one who suggested we send him food.

The youngest's taste in men was the Heavenly Demon?

Cho Hwi stood behind them. Unlike her bewildered sisters, Cho Hwi knew just how shocking and unbelievable this situation was.

She was a courtesan of the Thousand Flower Palace. The man over there was the person who appeared most often in the stories told by drunken martial artists. She had heard everything from the bluffs of "Let me tell you about the time I met the Heavenly Demon," to the endless terror of "the Heavenly Demon's descent and the murim's destruction."

Listening to all those stories, she had learned at least one thing for certain. He was someone she would never be able to see even once in her lifetime.

However, that very person was now walking toward her. That was why she knew better than anyone how surreal this moment was.

That surreal person walked between the members of the Demonic Army. The rugged members, who looked as if they would be perfectly suited to guarding the gates of hell, wore expressions more polite than ever. Everything about the scene was surreal.

And so, Geom Woojin reached the end of the line and turned around. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood next to Geom Woojin as if to bodyguard him.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The lined-up members of the Demonic Army moved with discipline, standing guard in all directions. A few members stood in front of the Seven Roads Pursuit Squad, who were kneeling with their inner arts suppressed. Their purpose was not to guard them, but to block the filthy bastards from the Cult Leader's sight.

Under the terrifying glares of the Demonic Army members looking down on them, the men could not even breathe loudly and kept their heads bowed.

Jang Ho had the prostrated branch members and the women rise to their feet. They did not dare to meet his eyes and kept their heads bowed.

Geom Mugeuk went before his father and greeted him.

"You've arrived?"

Geom Woojin nodded once, then looked at Seo Daeryong. His eyes asked how things had turned out.

Seo Daeryong reported respectfully to Geom Woojin.

"Thanks to your concern, we were able to safely rescue Young Lady Dan Ah and her sisters."

Hearing her name mentioned, Dan Ah's heart pounded. Her name was being mentioned in a conversation between the Demonic Cult Leader and the Sanzu Hall Director. It did not feel real to her. Like Kang Dal, she too felt this moment was like a dream.

Just then, as if to prove it was not a dream, came Geom Woojin's calm question.

"Which of these ladies is the one called Dan Ah?"

Dan Ah's heart dropped as if she were falling from a great height. The Demonic Cult Leader was looking for her!

Seo Daeryong was even more flustered. He never imagined the Cult Leader would ask who she was. Seo Daeryong's gaze turned to Dan Ah. His eyes seemed to ask, Will you be alright?

However, she was braver and more daring than Seo Daeryong had thought. Being surprised was one thing. When she spoke, she was articulate and not nervous.

"My name is Dan Ah. It is an honor to meet such an esteemed person. Under the protection of the Divine Cult and with the help of the Sanzu Hall Director, my sisters and I were able to save our lives. I am sincerely grateful."

Geom Woojin's deep gaze seemed to peer into a person's heart, but he had asked to see her not to find out what kind of person she was.

"I'm glad you are safe."

Dan Ah's eyes widened as she stared at Geom Woojin. How could she not be surprised? The Heavenly Demon was telling her that he was glad she was safe.

"Thank you for your concern."

At her trembling words, Geom Woojin simply nodded and said nothing more. That was enough.

Geom Mugeuk could tell. This was his father's consideration for Seo Daeryong. Just as he himself had shown her great courtesy, his father was showing his trust in Seo Daeryong by asking about her well-being.

How could Seo Daeryong not understand that sentiment? I will repay this grace with my life, he vowed internally.

It was the moment a wall of loyalty was completed, one that could not be broken by anything, like the Impenetrable Demonic Wall of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. With a Cult Leader and Young Cult Leader like this, he could die for them, even if they cursed and hated him for the rest of his life.

Seo Daeryong silently bowed his head to Geom Woojin, expressing his gratitude.

There was also the consideration of his drinking buddy, Jang Ho. Jang Ho first paid his respects politely to Seo Daeryong as well.

"Greetings, Director."

"Greetings, General."

Dan Ah was once again surprised to see the fearsome Demonic Army General politely paying his respects to Seo Daeryong. Who Seo Daeryong was was being properly imprinted on her heart today.

Rather, it was too burdensome. The fact that she was receiving the attention of such a great person. However, Seo Daeryong's eyes, which would quickly turn away whenever they met hers, were still full of shyness.

Kang Dal and the branch members lined up before Geom Woojin. Since the Cult Leader had visited, they gave a formal greeting. Standing before the Cult Leader, Kang Dal's heart swelled with emotion. He could die now with no regrets.

I am the only branch chief to have welcomed the Cult Leader to his branch!

This was truly something to gather all the nearby branch chiefs and boast about.

Just then, unexpected praise flowed from the Cult Leader's lips.

"They are well-trained."

Geom Woojin had grasped the skill and spirit of the members just by looking at them. Moreover, their eyes were filled with loyalty to the Cult and the Cult Leader.

Furthermore, Geom Woojin had already learned what had happened here via a messenger pigeon. From branch management and situational judgment to pride in the Cult and the courage to face enemies. Kang Dal was too talented a person to be in a small branch like this.

"Thank you!"

Kang Dal had lived diligently until now. He trained hard and trained his subordinates hard. Because he wanted to leave the small branch, he strived to become a person who was too good for it.

As a result, he became a confident branch chief, and that confidence turned into a pride that asked, "How dare the likes of a pursuit squad look down on us?" It was because of that pride that he was able to take in the women. In the end, everything was connected.

Through this incident, Kang Dal learned that opportunity does not just fall from the sky but ultimately originates from within oneself. And Kang Dal felt that just by meeting the Cult Leader in person like this, a ray of sunshine had entered his life.

Right at that moment, a dazzling sun shone brilliantly upon his life.

"I'll see you at Headquarters."