Chapter 58

Hidden Cloud Pavilion had been busy since dawn.

It was all to prepare me, the main figure of the Sacred Flame Festival.

“Young Lord, did you sleep well? I have brewed tea to calm your mind and body.”

The moment I opened my eyes, I drank the warm tea the maid handed me.

“Young Lord, your bath is ready.”

I bathed and purified myself.

“Young Lord, please sit here. I will straighten your robes.”

I also put on the clothes prepared specially for today.

It was ceremonial attire that blended black and red in a subtle way.

It was silk and soft, but the hem was long and the sleeves trailed so much that moving around would be anything but convenient.

On top of that, the character Demon (魔) was embroidered on the back. Was that really necessary?

It was not as if anyone here did not know this was the Demon Cult.

“Here is today’s order of proceedings.”

By the time preparations were nearly finished, my Chief Steward arrived.

I was to head for Ten Thousand Demons Hall amid the Faithful’s cheers, ascend the altar set up there, receive the Sacred Decree from the Heavenly Demon, depart for the Fire Spirit Grounds, and bring back the Sacred Flame.

The Chief Steward repeated the same explanation he had given several times over the past few days.

I knew it was because he wanted everything to go without a hitch, so I pretended to listen carefully.

Although I had already experienced it twice in my previous life, so there was little chance I would slip up.

“Let us depart now.”

There was nothing left to do at Hidden Cloud Pavilion.

When I stepped out of my room, I saw Im Yeon’s tense face. The skin under her eyes was bluish, as if she had not slept a wink all night.

“Guard Im, are you not a bit too tense?”

“Well, it is such an important day…”

“Just do as you always do and relax.”

“Yes.”

“How about what I asked you to do?”

“Ah, I left it at the place you mentioned, Young Lord.”

“Good.”

Smiling in satisfaction, I stepped out of Hidden Cloud Pavilion.

As I rode the carriage to Ten Thousand Demons Hall, I could clearly feel that the atmosphere was different from usual.

On the Sacred Flame Festival, ordinary followers who did not work at the main altar were allowed to enter it.

Because of that, the streets were packed with people.

“It is the Seventh Young Lord’s carriage.”

“Really. It has the Seven character flag on it.”

When I waved to those who recognized my carriage, cheers broke out.

‘This is what makes being famous worth it.’

While savoring a feeling similar to what I had felt in Shufu, I arrived in front of Ten Thousand Demons Hall.

There, a three-tiered altar loomed in all its grandeur.

On the top tier was the Heavenly Demon’s Great Council Seat, on the middle tier a massive brazier where the Sacred Flame would be transferred, and below that the seats of the Demon Cult’s key figures were arranged.

‘In my previous life, I had only watched from afar as Great Sahyung ascended that middle tier.’

Looking up at the altar, I suddenly felt strange.

During the seven years I had stayed in the Demon Cult in my previous life, there had been two Sacred Flame Festivals.

Back then, Great Sahyung had been the star of the Sacred Flame Festival.

At the time, I had not even imagined that I would regress and end up standing here.

‘I hope it will be worth it.’

The reason I was so desperate to carry the Sacred Flame was different from Great Sahyung’s.

He had done it for honor and the desire to show off, while I was after tangible rewards, especially for ‘that’ I would encounter in the Fire Spirit Grounds.

If everything went according to plan, I would take a big step toward the first elixir that could cure the True Blood Severed Meridians.

“We will begin once the Cult Leader arrives, so please wait here for a moment.”

Gal So-ye, who had arrived before me, offered me a chair with a tired face.

I thanked her and sat down quietly.

She stifled a small yawn, then asked me.

“Are you not nervous?”

“Not particularly.”

“You are bold. All these countless eyes are fixed only on you, Seventh Young Lord.”

It was just as Gal So-ye said.

Here, where every power in the Cult besides the Heavenly Demon was gathered, almost everyone was looking at me.

I met each of those gazes one by one.

Wi So-rang was cheering with her eyes, while Yuk Ja-heung had his arms crossed, looking displeased.

On the opposite side I saw Wi Geum-myeong, Clan Head of the Iron Shield Wi Clan.

I remembered the conversation I had had with him a few days earlier.

First, the cold-iron staff I had asked him to make was completed. Im Yeon had taken good care of it.

-By the way, about that cold-iron dagger you lent me, Clan Head. Could I borrow it a little longer? It turns out it is really handy.

-I thought you were just going to swallow it for good since you never mentioned it. Hahaha.

-Would that be all right?

-…

-I am joking. Haha.

Thankfully, Wi Geum-myeong told me to keep the cold-iron dagger for the time being.

He said it seemed far more necessary for me than for him.

That was how the cold-iron dagger still remained in my possession.

‘Hmm.’

My eyes met those of Heuk Jin-pung, Patriarch of the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan.

Those eyes that should have been flashing with murderous intent toward me were far too calm.

It was as if he had already taken his revenge.

‘You are saying it will be over soon, is that it?’

There was something I had heard in passing from Ju Ok-hwa.

That roaming mercenaries who would do anything for money were on the move.

They might be lying in wait at the Fire Spirit Grounds, so I was to make full preparations.

It was something I had fully anticipated as well.

As long as no evidence was left behind, my death would not become a problem for him.

‘That is a naive way of thinking.’

If his opponent were only me, that might be so. But is that really how it will go?

“The Cult Leader is arriving.”

It was at that moment.

Doong, doong, doong.

The drum sounded and the Heavenly Demon appeared.

Everyone rose and knelt on one knee. I knelt as well and stole a glance at the Heavenly Demon.

Perhaps because it was a special day.

Instead of the white robes he usually wore, he had on a black long robe.

In contrast with his pale skin, the already unreal presence I usually felt from him was magnified even further.

The Heavenly Demon did not spare a single glance for anyone and walked straight to the Taishi Armchair prepared on the top platform.

Once he sat down, Gal So-ye stepped forward and declared the beginning of the Sacred Flame Festival.

“From this moment, we will hold the Sacred Flame Festival rite.”

After explaining the origins and meaning of the Sacred Flame Festival, Gal So-ye called me forward.

“Seventh Young Lord Baek Su-gyeong, please step forward.”

Then she handed me a jade box and a wooden tag.

“This is the carrying box that will hold the Sacred Flame, and this is a ritual implement that prevents the Sacred Flame from leaping onto you. You must have both of these items on you when you stand before the Sacred Flame.”

“Yes.”

“Offer your respects to the Cult Leader.”

Just as the Chief Steward had gone over with me many times, I climbed to the top of the altar, knelt before the Heavenly Demon, and bowed.

In the silence, the Heavenly Demon’s low, deep voice sounded.

“It is the flame you must bear. Do not let it be extinguished and do not let it overflow. All consequences are yours alone.”

What was that supposed to mean?

For a moment I almost asked.

“Can you bear it?”

This, I understood.

It seemed a report about the mercenaries had reached the Heavenly Demon.

Of course, there was no way the Demon Eye Pavilion would not know what Ju Ok-hwa knew.

Seen this way, Heuk Jin-pung’s plan had been flawed from the very start.

Too many people knew about it.

“I am more than enough on my own.”

“…Rise.”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

I bowed my head to the Heavenly Demon once more and descended the steps.

With each step I took, I could feel the crowd’s expectations directed at me.

It was a simple task of fetching a flame, so it seemed no one thought I would fail.

Except for Heuk Jin-pung.

In any case, things were solemn now, but the moment I brought the Sacred Flame back and transferred it to the brazier, everyone in the Demon Cult would cheer loud enough to shake the ground.

The Sacred Flame would brightly illuminate the dark night, and everyone would eat, drink, and make merry.

“There are many variables on the path to the Sacred Flame. I hope you return safely.”

Gal So-ye spoke in a meaningful tone.

She was, of course, talking about the mercenaries.

“Thank you.”

With Gal So-ye seeing me off, I left Ten Thousand Demons Hall.

From here to the Fire Spirit Grounds, I had to go alone.

Neither Im Yeon nor Ak Mu-jin could help me.

That much was fine, but there was one thing that weighed on my mind.

I was expected to walk all the way to the Fire Spirit Grounds.

There was no rule that said it had to be done that way, yet everyone apparently did so by custom.

There was no need for me to follow that as well.

So I had a horse prepared in advance.

“Here it is.”

As soon as I turned a corner, one of Ak Mu-jin’s subordinates held out the reins.

I thanked him and mounted the horse, then spurred it on.

Once I left the main altar’s bounds, I dismounted and changed clothes.

I had told Im Yeon beforehand to tie a set of martial attire that was easy to move in to the saddle.

If I stayed in the trailing ceremonial robes, my movements would be restricted.

In this way, I rode hard for about two hours straight.

In the distance, under a sky heavy with dark clouds, a dense forest spread out.

That place was the Fire Spirit Grounds.

The Four Great Forbidden Zones were all places surrounded by different kinds of demonic qi.

Two of them were artificial demonic fields created as a side effect when the Eight Great Cult Leaders constructed the vast formation around the Demon Cult.

The other two were natural demonic fields that had existed from the beginning.

Demon Valley was one of the former, and the Fire Spirit Grounds one of the latter.

In the Fire Spirit Grounds there were many animals that had fused with demonic qi and transformed, and these were called demonic beasts.

They had become vicious and strong, so ordinarily it was best not to go near them, but right now there was no major issue.

Third Sahyung had already swept the place clean once.

However, he had not cleaned it out perfectly.

There had been one creature slumbering beneath the ground of the Fire Spirit Grounds.

I intended to capture that creature today.

My helpers were conveniently standing by as well.

‘More precisely, they were bait.’

Relying on my naturally spread sense for qi, I crossed the Fire Spirit Grounds.

I could sense up to about ten meters, so I would be able to find where the mercenaries were hiding quickly enough.

Though I already had a rough guess where they would be.

After walking for quite a while, a cave appeared, with a strange blue light spilling out from within.

That was the Sacred Flame Cave, where the Sacred Flame burned.

In front of it, my sense picked up five presences. They were the mercenaries.

This was the one spot where they were guaranteed to run into me, so they had waited here.

“I know you are hiding, so why do you not all come out?”

I said it from horseback.

At that, six men appeared.

“They call you the new star of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It seems you are worthy of the title.”

A middle-aged man holding a sabre spoke.

My sense for qi had picked up five.

Yet there was one more.

He had completely slipped past my senses.

‘An incredible master.’

I could tell just by the way he stood.

His martial level was at least the entry of the Transcendent Realm.

He was someone even Heuk Un-hwi and I together could not be sure of defeating.

No wonder Heuk Jin-pung had been so relaxed.

‘No matter how transcendent he is, he will not be leaving this forest alive.’

Feigning ignorance, I asked.

“It seems you were waiting for me. Do you have business with me?”

“Do not play dumb. There is someone who earnestly wishes for your death.”

“I think I know who that is. Are you sure you should be giving me this hint?”

“You’ll be dead soon anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

The corners of the middle-aged man’s mouth twisted up.

“Is that so? Then there is no need for either of us to talk at length.”

I hopped down from the horse.

Then I set the long pole that had been resting on the horse’s back on the ground.

“Know what this is? It is a staff made of cold iron.”

“And?”

His brows drew slightly together.

I took out the cold-iron dagger.

“Know what this is? It is a dagger made of cold iron.”

“Are you bragging all of a sudden?”

“It is worth bragging about. Put all this together and it is incredibly expensive.”

At my words, their eyes briefly glistened with greed.

‘Take a good look while you can. Today will be the last day of your lives.’

I could not simply leave alive the men who had come to kill me.

This place would be their grave.

“Who should I give it to? First come, first served.”

I spoke with a wide grin.

One of them shouted.

“Where do you get off with this crap, you brat!”

The middle-aged man with the sabre, however, remained calm. He grinned and spoke.

“You can give it to me.”

“If you want it, I should give it to you. I have to do this first though.”

Kkagagagang!

Channeling internal energy into it, I struck the cold-iron staff hard with the cold-iron dagger.

The ear-splitting shriek of metal tore through the quiet Fire Spirit Grounds.

“What are you doing?”

“You do not need to know. Here, take it.”

I hurled the cold-iron staff at him.

It was heavy enough that I had to throw it with both hands, and he did not foolishly grab it, instead swinging his sabre to knock the staff to the ground in front of him.

While he was inspecting the cold-iron staff in confusion, I quickly pulled back.

“Everyone fall back behind this length!”

Did he think it was going to spew poison or something.

The middle-aged man ordered the mercenaries to keep away from the cold-iron staff.

However, it was already too late.

Gu-gu-gu-gu.

“What is that sound?”

The mercenaries looked around in puzzlement.

The middle-aged man with the sabre was quick to sense it, as befitted an expert.

His gaze turned to the ground.

“Below!”

As he tried to leap straight up.

Kwaaak!

Something burst up through the ground and bit into the lower half of the middle-aged man’s body.

“Keoheok!”

“A demonic beast!”

The instant the demonic beast revealed itself, the air grew heavy.

Ominous purple scales, teeth so sharp they were savage, a choking stench, and a natural killing intent.

Just looking at it was terrifying. This creature was an acid dragon.

An alligator-shaped demonic beast that spat acidic fluid, just as its name implied.

Right now, it had clamped its jaws around the sabre-wielding man’s lower body and was leaping into the air.

“Kraaaagh!”

The middle-aged man let out a wretched scream as he pounded on the Sanggyo’s head.

The acid dragon spat him out with a “pweh.”

Amazingly, parts of the man’s lower body were melting, giving off green smoke.

“W, what in the world is this thing?”

Chaos spread.

Inwardly, I clicked my tongue.

‘He managed to kill something like this.’

On this day in my previous life.

Great Sahyung had dragged this demonic beast back to the Ten Thousand Demons Hall.

While everyone was too stunned to speak, he had hauled the Acid Dragon up onto the altar, lit the Sacred Flame, and shouted that he had personally slain the demonic beast that threatened the Sacred Flame.

Thunderous cheers had erupted.

“Your unworthy disciple dares to beg his master. Please take this beast’s inner core and live in peace and health for a thousand, ten thousand years.”

Then he had slit open the beast’s belly, and something other than an inner core had come out, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

‘Fortunately, everything is proceeding according to plan.’

The Acid Dragon lived in the waterways flowing beneath the Fire Spirit Grounds and was extremely sensitive to sharp sounds.

I don’t know by what steps Great Sahyung had lured it out in my previous life, but since I knew how now, I had been able to draw it in with ease.

“I’m going to catch this thing and grill it to eat!”

The middle-aged man pushed himself upright, using his sabre as a crutch.

Soon, a desperate battle between the Acid Dragon and the mercenaries began.

I hid behind a safe rock some distance away.

‘All right then, let us see who wins.’