Chapter 10: The Heavenly Demon’s Intuition

‘I must hide my identity, no matter what.’

At least until Jin Seo-a reaches the Transcendence realm. And if possible, forever.

Seeing the venom in her eyes, so intense it seemed to spark, a cold sweat trickled down my back.

Following the mid-ranking warrior, the low-ranking warriors, save for a few stragglers, arrived safely at the Demonic Cult.

“…This is the Demonic Cult?”

“What? It’s nothing special.”

Contrary to their expectations, the Demonic Cult’s headquarters was underwhelming.

A vast, desolate plain.

It was surprising to find such a large open space within the mountains, but there were only a few small buildings scattered about.

For a Demonic Cult that was constantly under scrutiny from the Martial Alliance, it was a surprisingly unimpressive sight.

“I wouldn’t have come if I’d known. Damn it.”

“The Demonic Cult’s power has diminished this much?”

Most of the low-ranking warriors were disappointed, but some waited patiently.

The mid-ranking warrior at the head of the group scoffed at their reactions and entered a small, dilapidated building that looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Inside, an old man looked at them with a questioning gaze.

“What brings you to this remote place?”

“Mid-ranking warrior Jin Seong-ho, reporting back with the low-ranking warriors.”

“What warriors? What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t know you, so get out!”

“Understood.”

The low-ranking warriors were puzzled to see the mid-ranking warrior, who wouldn’t hesitate to stab anyone who complained, showing such deference to an old man.

“…Has he finally lost his mind?”

“What’s with the sudden politeness?”

Ignoring their reactions, the mid-ranking warrior led them back outside.

The low-ranking warriors grumbled inwardly but followed him without voicing their complaints.

Just as their frustration reached its peak,

The low-ranking warriors at the front stopped abruptly.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Hurry up… Huh?”

The warriors at the back complained, then stopped as well, their eyes widening in astonishment.

“…No way.”

The scene before them was no longer a desolate plain.

It was immense, awe-inspiring.

The previous emptiness had been replaced by towering, magnificent structures, a vibrant city bustling with activity.

Even the air was different. Gone was the thin mountain air, replaced by a refreshing, invigorating breeze.

Those with keen senses could feel the abundant qi overflowing in the surroundings.

The low-ranking warriors realized they had underestimated the Demonic Cult.

Jin Seo-a felt the same.

“This… is the true Demonic Cult.”

Far grander and more powerful than even the Blood Cult at its peak.

A strange sense of resentment flickered within her.

As if instinctively, she stayed close to Myeong, her demeanor almost clingy.

Oblivious to her behavior, Myeong was captivated by the sight of the Demonic Cult.

‘It’s been a while… I wonder if Su-yeon is doing well.’

Han Su-yeon, the Heavenly Demon.

Remembering their time together, Myeong gazed towards the Heavenly Demon Palace at the summit.

As Myeong’s attention was elsewhere, a strange feeling of unease stirred within Jin Seo-a.

‘Hmph. If the Blood Cult hadn’t been destroyed, it would have been far greater than the Demonic Cult.’

As she rationalized internally, the mid-ranking warrior chuckled at the awestruck expressions of the low-ranking warriors and led them towards their quarters.

Some time after the low-ranking warriors departed,

A suspicious group arrived at the old, dilapidated house where the old man remained.

“…Damn it. How many died?”

“Heuk, heuk. Captain, is this really the Demonic Cult?”

They were dispatched by the Martial Alliance to scout the Demonic Cult’s location.

Unlike the low-ranking warriors who had a relatively safe journey, they had suffered greatly on their way up the mountain.

It wasn’t enemy attacks or powerful warriors that had plagued them, but surprisingly, food.

The Martial Alliance warriors had believed they’d packed enough supplies, but they soon realized their mistake.

The path seemed endless, repeating itself over and over.

The never-ending journey drove them to the brink of madness.

Days later, they finally realized they were trapped in an invisible formation, but their situation didn’t improve.

There were no animals to hunt, no edible plants, and no water.

They grew increasingly desperate.

The only water source they eventually found was poisoned, causing days of diarrhea and vomiting.

The valuable warriors dispatched by the Martial Alliance were dying of starvation and succumbing to stress-induced infighting, their numbers dwindling rapidly.

What had begun as a group of several dozen was reduced to a mere handful by the time they finally broke free of the formation.

They finally understood why the Ten Thousand Great Mountains were forbidden territory.

Emerging from the hellish formation, they stumbled upon the dilapidated house and met the old man.

The old man’s eyes narrowed as he saw them, but he kept his composure and spoke.

“What brings you to this remote place?”

“You, you old man, how dare you speak to us…!”

The Martial Alliance warriors wanted to draw their swords at the old man’s curt question, but their captain raised his hand, stopping them.

He was equally irritated, but he couldn’t afford to jeopardize their mission. He calmed himself and asked the old man.

“Old man, is this the Demonic Cult?”

“Demonic Cult? What nonsense are you talking about? This is just an ordinary mountain village.”

Grit-

A vein throbbed on the captain’s forehead.

An ordinary mountain village with a deadly formation and poisoned water?

The captain sighed and spoke again, his voice cold.

“I’ll ask again. Is this the Demonic Cult?”

Ready to strike if the old man didn’t cooperate, he glared at him, his killing intent palpable.

But the old man remained unfazed, even chuckling.

“Are you deaf? You couldn’t understand me the first time?”

He even feigned picking his ear, mocking them.

The warriors behind the captain bristled, drawing their swords.

“That old man’s lost his mind! How dare he insult the captain?!”

“Captain! Leave him to me. Give me a moment, and I’ll make him talk.”

Ignoring his enraged subordinates, the captain swiftly drew his sword.

“…I gave you a chance, but you leave me no choice.”

“What? Are you really going to kill this innocent old man?”

“You avoided my question, and any old man living in such a suspicious place is undoubtedly connected to the Demonic Cult.”

Under normal circumstances, the captain wouldn’t have resorted to violence.

But driven to the edge by the formation, he needed an outlet for his frustration.

He’d found a flimsy justification to attack the old man, but the old man just laughed.

“Tsk, tsk. You call yourselves members of the Martial Alliance, righteous warriors, yet you accuse someone without evidence.”

“Wait. How did you know…?”

How did he know they were from the Martial Alliance?

Before they could ponder the question, the old man clapped his hands sharply.

Clap-

Their vision flickered, and when it cleared, they found themselves…

“Huh? C-Captain? This is… no way…”

“…It, it can’t be.”

“Haha… No… No!”

…back inside the dreaded formation.

As the Martial Alliance warriors descended into despair, the old man in the dilapidated house clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Tsk, tsk. I need to reinforce the formation… Where is the flaw?”

If the formation had been intact, the Martial Alliance warriors would never have reached this place, at least not without Transcendence level experts.

Why, after decades of flawless operation, had the formation suddenly malfunctioned?

The old man grumbled, but there was no one to hear his complaints.

In the office of the Heavenly Demon Palace,

The Heavenly Demon was studying martial arts.

Apart from her duties as the Heavenly Demon, she dedicated most of her time to cultivating her martial arts.

Today, she was meticulously revising the scriptures of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, passed down through generations.

Her ability to effortlessly undertake a task that even past Heavenly Demons had approached with caution marked her not as a mere genius, but as a force of nature.

Deep in her studies, her intuition suddenly flared.

“…Hmm?”

Having reached the Transcendence realm, her intuition transcended mere gut feelings, bordering on precognition.

If her intuition was sending her a signal, something significant was about to happen.

She paused her work and stepped outside.

Breathing in the fresh air, she fell into thought.

This premonition was different from any threat she’d sensed before.

Even before reaching Transcendence, she rarely felt threatened.

Not only was she an exceptional talent, but few dared to provoke the Demonic Cult.

But this time was different.

‘It’s more than just ominous, my body is trembling.’

What could be causing such a strong reaction from her intuition?

The Heavenly Demon pondered, but found no answers.