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C37. Prove that You Are the Pillar of Nokrim
County of Liangshan, north of Jining, in the province of Shandong.
In the midst of a deserted forest near the Yellow River, a grand mansion unexpectedly stands. On the plaque of the main gate, the words "Gwangmyeong Manor" are written in powerful calligraphy.
Inside Gwangmyeong Manor, Ung Jaegwi, known as the Demon of Illusion, sat in front of a woman who appeared to be in her fifties. Both seemed to have similar status and showed mutual respect.
Ung Jaegwi placed a stolen ceremonial artifact on the table and shook his head.
"Ugh! This time was not easy at all. We lost half of the Dark Division… Tsk."
The woman, known as Lunar Fairy, opened her eyes in surprise.
"Even with the Great Demon General?"
The Great Demon General of Yoomyung Cult is a figure even the leaders of the Seven Great Sects respect. Although Ung Jaegwi is a sorcerer, he is not someone who loses easily.
"That brat’s skill was impressive. The Chief of the Dark Division couldn't withstand even a single move."
"How did he compare to you?"
"I had to retreat quickly due to the mission to recover the sacred object… But honestly, I'm not sure I could have won even if I had stayed."
"It's surprising. That a Great Demon General couldn't face him…"
"I had never seen such a skill before. When he spun in the air nine times, the energy from his sword fell like lightning... You wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
Lunar Fairy's eyes filled with murderous intent.
"I think I know who he is. I saw a similar sword technique before. How old was that boy for you to call him young?"
"He seemed to be in his twenties."
"Then he might be the son or disciple of him."
"Who?"
"About twenty years ago, the leader of the cult established a temple for the Cult in Jiangnan. But a young man and the heir of the Namgung Family came and caused so much trouble that we had to close it."
"Ah, I think I've heard something about that..."
Ung Jaegwi tried to recall but couldn't evoke specific details. At that time, there were so many temples and Demon Warriors that it didn't attract much attention within the Cult.
The Yoomyung Cult sacrifices monks from various temples as offerings to the Demon God, King Yama. By offering ten, one becomes a Demon Warrior; by offering a hundred, a Great Demon General; and by offering a thousand, a Celestial Demon King. Through these offerings, the Cultists obtain supernatural powers from King Yama. This process is known as "transcendence."
To achieve transcendence, suitable monks are needed, but finding those monks is not easy. They have failed countless times, even offering famous monks.
Since these sacrifices must be kept secret, twenty years ago, they sacrificed indiscriminately, which eventually led to the downfall of their temples. After that, the leader of the cult ordered more caution and discretion. Thanks to this, they have created six Great Demon Generals without raising suspicion.
The leader's goal is to become a Demon King, a figure with almost divine powers. To achieve this goal, the Yoomyung Cult continues to operate in the shadows.
Lunar Fairy gritted her teeth and said:
"Later, that young man earned the title of Moon-Splitting Swordsman. The leader of the cult ordered his name to be kept secret so that no one would speak of him..."
"So, you're saying that boy might be related to the Moon-Splitting Swordsman?"
"I can't be sure without seeing his swordsmanship personally."
"Tsk! If the leader of the cult could become a Celestial Demon King, he would sweep away those insects..."
"With just one or two more Great Demon Generals, it would be possible. The leader also said we must wait until the Seven Demon Generals are complete before acting."
Currently, the Yoomyung Cult has six Great Demon Generals.
It's unknown how long it will take to create another. It could be in a month or in ten years. It all depends on the leader. Great Demon Generals can create Demon Warriors, but only the leader can create a Great Demon General.
"The leader will take care of the Great Demon Generals. We must focus on creating more Demon Warriors."
"For that, we need more ceremonial artifacts. I think at least the elders of the temple should become Demon Warriors."
"Ugh!"
Hwang Yeong-gwi let out a sigh.
Ceremonial artifacts are bound to a person when the sacrifice is made.
Not only the Demon Warriors, but also the Great Demon Generals and the leader of the cult, who aspires to become a Celestial Demon King, possess a ceremonial artifact. The problem is that finding these artifacts is becoming increasingly difficult.
Why?
Ceremonial artifacts are not objects that can be manufactured. They are ancient relics from the east, and their number is limited. As the number of Demon Warriors increases, these artifacts become scarcer.
"I would like to use merchants, but that would only alert the Seven Great Sects. We must continue to search for them carefully."
Ung Jaegwi looked at the ceremonial artifact with greed.
All humans desire power, and he was no exception. As a Great Demon General, he wanted to command more Demon Warriors. Surely, other Great Demon Generals felt the same way.
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Namjick Fortress in the province of Zhile.
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain walked along the road, looking disheveled. Anyone who had spent two months sleeping outdoors would look the same.
But despite their appearance, their eyes shone with determination, different from when they were at the Five Peaks Mountain. They had dedicated all their time, except for walking and sleeping, to studying the Hundred Characters Sword Art.
As they walked, the sixth member, Jang Sobong, looked back and murmured.
"Wow! The look in their eyes is not normal. Could they be participants in the Nokrim meeting?"
The eighth member, Lee Cheolsan, replied.
"Probably. They said we're about three or four days away from Mansapyeong, so it was about time to see some."
"Hmmm! That's right."
"Yes."
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain nodded.
Since the morning, they had frequently seen fierce-looking people. Their stern gazes and strange weapons gave them away as participants in the Nokrim meeting.
The groups usually consisted of about ten men, sometimes fewer, but the most common size was around that number. Probably because they couldn't completely abandon their hideouts, they brought only the minimum necessary men.
Fortunately, although they suspected each other's identities, they didn't start fights. Some even smiled conspiratorially.
Three days later.
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain finally arrived at Mansapyeong.
Hearing the name, they thought it would be a plain, but Mansapyeong was a basin surrounded by mountains.
In the center was a low hill, and people had gathered around it.
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain also settled in a suitable position where they could see the hill well.
Some, tired from the long journey, lay down on their backpacks.
Some, tired from the long journey, lay down on their backpacks.
Tak Gomyung also tried to sneakily join them when Pung Yeoncho called him.
"Gomyung, come with me, we need to go somewhere."
"Where are we going?"
"We've come this far, so we must greet the brothers of the Daebyeol band, don't you think?"
"Do you know where they are?"
"That's why we have to take a walk to find them."
"Brother! We'll meet them sooner or later, why rush?"
"Come on, they took us in their band, it's good manners to look for them first."
"Ugh! What manners are there among bandits...?"
Grumbling, Tak Gomyung had no choice but to get up.
The two walked away, arguing.
Yeon Jeokha lay among the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain.
As he watched the passing clouds, he thought of his parents. However, he couldn't remember their faces.
Although his mother died giving birth to him, why couldn't he remember his father's face?
Upon reflection, he realized that his father didn't take care of him enough. It was hard to see him once every three or four days, so he couldn't remember him.
"Damn father..."
Although he resented his father, he also missed him.
Thinking of his father brought to mind the severe face of his stepmother.
Surprisingly, he could remember his stepmother's face as if he had seen her yesterday. Perhaps because she pinched and hit him several times a day, her face was etched in his memory.
What he wanted to remember was blurry, and what he wished to forget was clear as day. That bothered him.
"Damn it."
Apparently, Ha Sobaek heard his murmurs and asked him.
"What's wrong, brother?"
"I remembered someone I hate."
"Who?"
"Someone."
Yeon Jeokha didn't even want to mention the name of Waryong Manor.
"Wow, I've never seen you with that expression. You must really hate that person."
"That person tried to kill me."
"Really?"
Ha Sobaek opened his eyes wide and looked at Yeon Jeokha.
It seemed he was talking about something that happened in the past. Who could have tried to kill Yeon Jeokha?
"Is that person still alive?"
"I think so."
"Do you know where they live?"
"Yes."
"Then take revenge! With just a flick of your finger, you could kill them."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"It's my stepmother."
"…"
Hearing that it was his stepmother, Ha Sobaek was left speechless.
The other Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain, who were resting and listening to the conversation, sighed deeply. They knew Yeon Jeokha had a difficult story, but they didn't imagine to what extent.
Meanwhile, Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung, searching for the Daebyeol band, found Lee Jeongan and Yeom Sangcheol on the other side of the hill and ran towards them.
"Brothers, I am Pung Yeoncho from the Five Peaks Mountain band. How have you been?"
"I am Tak Gomyung."
Lee Jeongan and Yeom Sangcheol smiled brightly and accepted their greetings. Thanks to the success of the Five Peaks Mountain band, the status of the Daebyeol band had risen in Nokrim.
Especially Lee Jeongan, who had been a great advocate for the admission of the Five Peaks Mountain Band in Nokrim, warmly welcomed Pung Yeoncho, patting him on the shoulder.
"Pung! I've heard that the Five Peaks Mountain band is thriving. I've even heard about the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain. Thanks to you, Yeom and I walk with pride."
It's good to be famous. Although it was only their second meeting, Lee Jeongan treated Pung Yeoncho like a close brother.
Even Yeom Sangcheol, who used to keep some distance, asked amicably.
"Pung, I've heard there's someone among the Ten Heroes who is good with the sword. Did you bring him with you?"
"Are you referring to my sworn brother? Of course, he came. He's resting with the rest of the Five Peaks Mountain band on the other side."
"That's great. Make sure to introduce him to our Boss later. He's curious to meet him."
"Sure."
Soon after, Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung returned.
When they disappeared from view, Lee Jeongan murmured.
"Wow! Last winter they were nothing special, but in a year they've changed so much..."
"I'm surprised too. I thought the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain were just hype… Did you see how their vital energy points stood out?"
Im Wonyeong nodded silently.
Last year, he spoke to them informally, but today he couldn't. He felt proud but also a bit envious, with mixed emotions.
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A day before the start of the Nokrim meeting, the Great Chaeju Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord Seok Muhae and his Twelve Demons gathered.
The Twelve Demons reported to Seok Muhae about the important information they had gathered.
When they finished reporting, Seok Muhae spoke.
"I organized the Nokrim meeting to unify Nokrim's strength. Until now, Nokrim has been fragmented and has not received the respect it deserves. If Nokrim unites, even the Seven Great Sects cannot ignore us."
One of the Twelve Demons, Gui Youngja, spoke cautiously.
"Great Chaeju, everyone has desired this, but no one has achieved it."
"That's because there was no strong leader. I taught you the Dark Heaven Asura Manual so you could become the center of Nokrim. In this Nokrim meeting, you must prove that you are the pillar of Nokrim."
"Prove it?"
"That's right. There will be a tournament to choose the inspectors and guardians of Nokrim. No one will be able to defeat you, so become inspectors and guardians and unify Nokrim. It's time to wake from the thousand-year dream and rise with strength!"
"Trust us!"
"We will achieve it!"
With Seok Muhae's passionate words, the Twelve Demons raised their fists with determination.
At that moment, the Silent Wind Sovereign, who had been hesitating, spoke in a trembling voice.
"Um, master... there is a problem."