Chapter 785: For My Son

TL: FoodieMonster007

Seo Daeryong led all the Sanzu River Hall investigators and enforcement martial artists, numbering over a hundred in total, into the Demon Village.

At first, everyone in the marketplace stared at them in surprise, assuming it was a procession leaving for somewhere else.

However, the enforcement martial artists entered each house and shouted loudly, "We're evacuating all houses starting now. Everyone, pack only what you need and come out!"

The Sanzu River Hall martial artists acted according to the evacuation plan they had prepared in advance, dispersing to their designated areas and guiding people to safety. They swept through the houses in the Demon Village and brought everyone outside. After that, they began to clear out not only the marketplace shops but also the residents living on the outskirts. The village was larger than it looked, and many people lived outside the main town.

Seo Daeryong took charge of the Alluring Inn himself, catching Jo Cheonbae and those eating there off guard.

"We're evacuating the village. You'll have to stay at one of our Cult's shelters for a while."

"Did something happen?" Jo Cheonbae asked, surprised.

Seo Daeryong replied calmly, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the specifics. Please hurry and pack your things."

The customers hurried home in an orderly fashion. Since the task was carried out by the Sanzu River Hall martial artists who had helped them a lot, the people of the Demon Village were less alarmed and did not panic.

All of this was made possible by Geom Mugeuk, who established the Sanzu River Hall Branch in the Demon Village. Thanks to the hard work of the branch's staff, the martial artists who used to bully and abuse the residents had completely disappeared.

Amid the surprise and confusion, though, Jo Cheonbae worried about one person, thinking some misfortune had befallen the Demonic Cult.

"The Young Cult Leader is safe, isn't he?"

Seo Daeryong smiled. "Of course, he's safe."

Contrary to his answer, however, he was worried about Geom Mugeuk. The order had come down suddenly, so he hadn't heard the exact circumstances, but he figured they were evacuating the residents because Headquarters might be attacked.

And if even Headquarters was in danger, then it wouldn't be any safer outside.

Young Cult Leader! Please be careful.

At first, he had been disappointed that he couldn't follow Geom Mugeuk. Now, though, he felt relieved that he hadn't.

There were people here he absolutely had to protect, including his son, his wife, and his sisters-in-law. He would protect his family even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

Jo Cheonbae packed what he needed and came out. Before leaving the entrance, he looked back and gazed worriedly at the wall on the second floor, praying that it would still be intact when he returned.

When he finally went out, the people who had left earlier murmured amongst themselves. It was the first time they'd ever been evacuated like this, so everyone was tense and frightened. Whispers circulated that a war must have broken out.

Jo Cheonbae found one thing to be a relief. His wife, Yang In, was away at their married daughter's home.

To put it bluntly, he'd lived long enough and had no regrets about dying at any time. However, he couldn't help but worry about his wife, who had suffered her whole life, and his children.

"Visitors from out of town must also evacuate. If any of your family members are outside the village, please inform our martial artists where they went. We'll send a separate warning telling them not to return for the time being."

Despite the task of moving nearly a thousand people, the process went smoothly. No one argued with or harassed the martial artists enforcing the evacuation.

An outsider might have thought they were afraid of the demonic practitioners, but that wasn't the reason. It was their deep bond with the Young Cult Leader and the Sanzu River Hall martial artists, who had protected them all this time, that kept them from thinking the Demonic Cult was going to harm them.

Because now, they had faith in the Demonic Cult. They believed that these actions were being taken to protect them.

"Now, let's all go to Headquarters."

The Sanzu River Hall investigators went to each house to check if anyone had been left behind. Only when they confirmed that the village was empty did they lead everyone into the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The residents of Demon Village were so astonished by the majestic Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that their jaws dropped. For most of them, it was their first time venturing this far inside.

After walking a long time behind the martial artists, they saw hundreds of temporary tents. Inside the shelters, they found water, food, and other necessities, enough to live comfortably for a while.

"Please bear with us, even if the sleeping arrangements are uncomfortable. If you need anything, go to the blue tent over there, and they'll take care of it."

Some distance away, two people watched the villages enter the cult.

They were Geom Woojin and Sama Myeong.

After parting ways with Go Wol, Sama Myeong had made a beeline toward the Cult Leader to report the appearance of the Celestial Killer Star.

Geom Woojin's reaction was exactly as he had predicted.

"Is that so?"

He knew the Cult Leader was a man who didn't believe in astronomy or the signs of the heavens. He believed only in the will of man and the power of martial arts.

Yet, he was also the kind of person who would welcome the appearance of the great star of slaughter.

"For the Celestial Killer Star to appear at a time like this… it can't be a coincidence."

Geom Woojin had just silently nodded, even though he had heard about lighting the Demonic Flames the other day, and now the Celestial Killer Star had appeared.

"That is why I would like to evacuate the Demon Village. If the Celestial Killer Star comes to Headquarters, they will surely pass through the Demon Village. I'm worried that they might massacre all the villagers."

Sama Myeong was cautious. The Cult Leader could have easily asked what all the fuss was about over such a trivial matter, as it made him appear weak to others. After all, just because the Celestial Killer Star appeared in the sky didn't mean the mass murderer would appear immediately. No one knew if they would come tomorrow, in a month, or next year.

Nevertheless, Geom Woojin readily gave his permission.

"Good point. Bring them all into our Cult and protect them."

Sama Myeong had stared at his superior in shock. The Cult Leader's quick agreement was already unexpected, but he went a step further.

"If we send the villagers to another place, won't rumors spread that we're preparing something big? Handle the evacuation quietly."

Sama Myeong was moved. He could tell. This, too, was intended to prevent any harm from reaching the Young Cult Leader, should the enemy come reach Headquarters.

"Yes, I'll take care of it."

Through this process, the villagers were allowed to enter the cult's grounds for the first time.

Just then, the sound of people clamoring rang out.

"Whoa!"

"Look over there!"

A group of demonic practitioners were heading their way. Compared to the enforcement martial artists or the others they'd seen upon entering the cult, these people exuded a much more intense aura.

Seeing the person at the head of the group, the nearby enforcement martial artists bowed politely.

At that sight, the residents of the Demon Village also bowed their heads.

A man who was terrifying just to look at stood at the forefront. He was the Fist Demon, with enormous fists and muscles that looked like they would burst at any moment. Even without his fearsome face, his presence alone overwhelmed everyone there.

Behind him, the Iron Fists of the Eastern Fist Garrison followed. They were all Black Fists, the strongest among the Iron Fists, and their commander was none other than the next Fist Demon, Cheon Sohwi.

A single member of the Black Fists was a master that ordinary martial artists couldn't handle. When they all appeared at once, the pressure was so suffocating it was hard to breathe just by looking at them. Moreover, their gazes were as sharp as if they were heading into war.

The Black Fists lined up in the training grounds, and the Fist Demon continued to walk until he stood before Geom Woojin. "Greetings, Cult Leader."

"You're here. Congratulations." Geom Woojin congratulated the Fist Demon on reaching a new realm.

The Fist Demon respectfully clasped his large fists in greeting and bowed his head. "Thank you."

That was all. Without needing any other words, he knew that Geom Woojin was sincerely congratulating him. They were two people who understood each other's hearts without speaking.

The people of the Demon Village watched, holding their breaths. They'd only just realized that the man standing in the distance was the Cult Leader.

Seeing Geom Woojin and the Fist Demon standing side by side, Sama Myeong recalled how the two of them looked in their youth. The image of their younger selves overlapped with their current appearance.

Just then, other demonic practitioners appeared in that place.

This time, the residents of the Demon Village felt their spirits crushed in a different way. While they had gaped in awe at the Fist Demon and the Iron Fists, this time they clamped their open mouths shut in fear and only swallowed their saliva.

Once again, all eyes focused on the person in the lead. He was a pretty boy with an incredibly youthful face, but he was this murim's most powerful war deterrent—the Poison King.

Moreover, the twelve poison pouches he wore at his waist weren't the ones with the cute zodiac animals he usually wore. If those drawings were frightening because of their cuteness, this time the drawings were openly terrifying.

The twelve pouches were adorned with fearsome images of the zodiac animals. The red-eyed rat was grotesque just to look at, and the tiger looked as if it would leap out of the pouch and tear a person to shreds at any moment.

These were the poison pouches the Poison King wore when he went to war. Those who knew this fact could tell what state of mind he was in just by looking at his pouches.

Behind the Poison King followed Sangseon, wearing nine poison pouches, leading the Poison Fangs of the Thousand Poisons Forest. They each wore a different number of poison pouches at their waists, and only those Poison Fangs with at least five pouches were here.

The Poison Fangs lined up like the Iron Fists, and the Poison King walked to Geom Woojin. Unlike his usual absent-minded self, he greeted the Cult Leader sharply, "Greetings, Cult Leader."

"Welcome."

Because of his overly youthful appearance, he looked like a son or a nephew standing next to Geom Woojin and the Fist Demon. However, his presence was no weaker than that of the Fist Demon.

As if the tension from just those two wasn't enough to make one burst, another person with an overwhelming aura appeared—the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

This wasn't the fat old man who usually spoke nonsense. Right now, he was the absolute ruler of the Outer Regions, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

After walking up to Geom Woojin, he greeted him politely and then asked, "I'd like to pay you back for all the meals I've eaten. Will you give me the chance?"

Geom Woojin nodded. "I would be grateful if you did."

Sama Myeong was inwardly surprised. The Geom Woojin he knew would have politely declined. He would have said this was their Cult's business and told him to rest easy. However, for some reason, he readily accepted the offer of help.

After that, another man who didn't fall behind any of the three masters in terms of aura appeared.

The man who appeared with his hair tied back tightly and a single sword at his side was the Sword King. He walked out without a word, wearing his shoes.

Normally, he was a man who would take off his shoes when he saw the Cult Leader. Him wearing them properly this time showed his will to fight alongside the Cult Leader.

As the Sword King respectfully clasped his hands in greeting, Geom Woojin gave a silent nod. Having promised him that he would help Geom Mugeuk when he was struggling later, the swordmaster was now forced to stay at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult until he was needed.

Therefore, whatever happened at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was also his business.

As the four masters appeared, Geom Woojin gave an order to Sama Myeong. "Light the Demonic Flames."

"!" Sama Myeong was taken aback. He understood summoning the two Demon Supremes and accepting the help of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Sword King, but lighting the Demonic Flames? Just not long ago, hadn't the Cult Leader said he wouldn't light them because if their Cult became an impenetrable fortress, they would go after the Young Cult Leader?

After a moment of confusion, he finally understood.

Ah! The Cult Leader intends to lead these four masters out of Headquarters and stop the enemy at the Demon Village!

He must have intended to do so from the moment he gave permission to evacuate the Demon Village.

Also, it didn't matter if the enemy knew this. No, the Cult Leader probably wanted them to know that the Heavenly Demon had left Headquarters and was in the Demon Village with a small number of people.

He's telling the enemy to focus on him.

Sama Myeong thought Geom Woojin's judgment wasn't wrong. If the enemy was strong enough to invade Headquarters, and if that person was born under the Celestial Killer Star, sending out subordinates would only result in needless sacrifices. Even worse, the opponent might exploit their protection of the weak during the fight.

If Geom Woojin were the type of person to sacrifice all his subordinates to weaken the enemy, then stopping them at Headquarters would be the better choice, but he wasn't that kind of person.

No, he was the kind of person who wanted to stand at the forefront, especially when the enemy was strong.

Knowing the Cult Leader better than anyone, Sama Myeong calmly followed his will. "Yes, please leave the rest to me."

He met Geom Woojin's gaze.

Please be careful, Cult Leader.

Geom Woojin gave a single nod and then started walking. The Fist Demon and the Poison King fanned out to his left and right. Behind them, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Sword King followed.

As they walked out, the demonic practitioners and the residents of the Demon Village all bowed their heads in unison.

Sama Myeong gave an order to a strategist who was waiting a short distance away. "Light the Demonic Flames."

The strategist ran off somewhere, and a short while later.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Heavy drum beats began to echo from all over the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Fire erupted from the brazier held high by the demonic statue.

Simultaneously, the prepared formations and mechanisms throughout the grounds began to activate. Formations would also be spread around the area where the Demon Village residents' tents were to protect them.

BOOM! DUDOOM! BOOM!

As the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult transformed into an impenetrable fortress, five individuals, each skilled enough to turn the Central Plains upside down, strode forth.

Normally, Geom Woojin would have emerged alone to confront the opponent. If not, he might have come out with the Fist Demon, reminiscing about the old days. However, he brought his strongest forces out.

The reason was his son, Geom Mugeuk.

"My son has always feared a certain being."

Geom Woojin confirmed it this time. With the appearance of the Celestial Killer Star, he now understood why his son had worked so hard and striven to become so strong.

Somehow, that boy knew beforehand that this being would appear.

The four people behind him nodded. They too had incredibly deep connections with Geom Mugeuk, and understood what Geom Woojin meant better than anyone.

"If it's a being that even that child feared so much, then I shouldn't take it lightly."

This was a testament to his faith and trust in his son.

If it's an enemy you feared so much, then I, too, will face them with everything I've got.

Geom Woojin looked back at the four people behind him. Truly, these were men who would never back down from a fight. They were men who would get angry if you told them they were second or third best.

"This fight is not for our Cult, nor is it for the murim," he said calmly, his gaze serene. "For my son, I plan to erase that person."