Chapter 3-10

At Bai Shixuan’s words, Dan Yeryeong let out a small sigh. It was the first time Bai Shixuan had ever seen her sigh, so he realized that this was not merely about passing down martial arts.

“The reason I am teaching you martial arts is because I have one request to make of you.”

“Mother. We may not share blood, but having no parents of my own, I have lived thinking of the two of you as my real parents. Do you two not feel the same way?”

Dan Yeryeong stared at Bai Shixuan in surprise. Soon, anger began to appear on her face. Dan Yeryeong had never once shown Bai Shixuan such an expression, so he could tell just how angry his words had made her.

“What are you saying? Both he and I have cherished and loved you like our own son. How could you say such a thing…….”

“Then why! Why are you looking at me with such apologetic eyes?! Why are you acting as though you must apologize for asking me to do something difficult? We may not share blood, but I am your son, Mother. We have lived that way for more than three years. I am Mother’s son, and I am Master’s son. Your son is not that weak.”

Dan Yeryeong’s body flinched at Bai Shixuan’s words. This child was more mature than even their own children had been. While her biological children had been far too immature for their age, this child was far too mature for his. He was precisely the kind of son she had always wished for, which only made it impossible for her not to love Bai Shixuan even more.

“Yes. I was thoughtless. I’m sorry. And thank you. Truly.”

“I still have a long way to go before I can repay everything the two of you have given me. Later, I’ll bring Xuelan here, and we’ll spend the rest of our lives taking care of you both.”

Dan Yeryeong nodded at Bai Shixuan’s words. But moisture gradually gathered in her eyes, and Bai Shixuan noticed it as well. Neither of them showed it openly, however, and they simply looked at one another.

“Where should I begin? Do you know of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult?”

“The Sun-Moon Divine Cult? I’ve never heard of it.”

“I see.”

At Bai Shixuan’s answer that he did not know it, Dan Yeryeong sighed before speaking again.

“The Sun-Moon Divine Cult is what people commonly call the Demonic Cult. It is called the Demonic Cult because it reveres strength. And this mother of yours is its Sixth Heavenly Demon. And he is the Demon Shadow, the Guardian who protected me.”

“Demon Shadow…….”

He had heard that name somewhere before. He had heard the title Heavenly Demon as well. Heavenly Demon and Demon Shadow. Demon Shadow and Heavenly Demon. Where had he heard them? While Bai Shixuan struggled to remember, Dan Yeryeong’s voice reached his ears again.

“It happened a very long time ago, so there is nothing strange about you not knowing. And as you already know, he and I had one son and one daughter. We did not pass all of our martial arts down to them. Instead, we altered them slightly, imposed limitations, and taught them those versions. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art are two of the Three Great Martial Arts Under Heaven. Because of that, neither he nor the man who shared your name wanted those two martial arts to throw the world into chaos, so they were not passed down to our children. That was where the mistake began. They were children whose father and paternal uncle were the two men competing for the title of strongest under heaven, so naturally, their personalities gradually worsened. He and I adored them too much even when they behaved that way, so we simply let it happen. Not long after we left, our daughter departed from the Divine Cult and established a sect of her own. It belonged to neither the Orthodox, Unorthodox, nor Demonic Factions. In any case, our daughter left the Divine Cult, while our son became its Cult Leader. He became the Seventh Heavenly Demon. But not long afterward, our son came looking for us. He said the Divine Cult was in danger, and that it seemed a rebellion would soon occur. While we were there, everyone feared our strength enough to endure whatever the children did. But the moment we left, they rebelled against our son because of his violent temperament. His personal martial prowess was not weak, so he escaped death, but apparently they gave him a house in some remote corner of the Divine Cult. In other words, they exiled him. But we did not help that child. He told him that it was his own mistake, so he should deal with it himself. And so the Cult Leader of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult once again became the Blood Demon.”

“Again?”

If he had “become the Blood Demon again,” then that meant the leaders of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult had been known as Blood Demons before they were Heavenly Demons. When Bai Shixuan noticed that implication, Dan Yeryeong nodded.

“More than five hundred years passed between the Fifth Heavenly Demon and the Sixth Heavenly Demon as leaders of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult. A rebellion also occurred during the time of the Fifth Heavenly Demon, and a Blood Demon became Cult Leader, with that title then being passed down. Back then, they at least continued using the name Sun-Moon Divine Cult, but now it seems they have even changed the organization’s name entirely to the Blood Cult. That happened roughly two hundred years ago. Or, to be more precise, perhaps it was about one hundred and seventy years ago?”

“Two… hundred.”

Then just how old were these two? The Heavenly Demon and Demon Shadow from two hundred years ago? As Bai Shixuan thought about it, something suddenly flashed through his mind.

‘Ah! The Heavenly Demon and Demon Shadow! The masters who contended for the title of strongest under heaven two hundred years ago. Then the man who shared my name was the Invincible Divine Dragon!’

If this story was true, then that had to be it. To think these two were masters from two hundred years ago. And not just any masters, but Demon Shadow and the Heavenly Demon—the very names that still made members of the Orthodox Faction grit their teeth in hatred while trembling in fear. Jin Yuha and Dan Yeryeong were those very people.

“Do you regret calling me Mother now that you know I am much older than you thought?”

“No. You both look far too young. Even if I had known from the beginning, nothing would have changed.”

“Yes. Thank you for saying that. Then do you understand what I am going to ask of you now?”

At Dan Yeryeong’s question, Bai Shixuan nodded.

“Do you want me to help your descendants restore the Sun-Moon Divine Cult and make one of them the Heavenly Demon again?”

When Bai Shixuan voiced what he had been thinking, Dan Yeryeong shook her head.

“No. You are right that I want you to help them. And I do want the Sun-Moon Divine Cult restored. But you must become the Eighth Heavenly Demon.”

Bai Shixuan stared at her in shock when Dan Yeryeong said that he had to become the Heavenly Demon. Her expression, which had remained serious throughout their conversation, softened again.

“In truth, this is what I desire most. Once you achieve complete mastery of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art, and once you master my swordsmanship as well, you will possess overwhelming martial power. I want you to become the next Heavenly Demon of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult. But perhaps that is asking too much. Just as you said, you could simply…….”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?”

Dan Yeryeong stared at Bai Shixuan in surprise when he interrupted her with his answer.

“If that is what Mother wants, I will do it. I will become the Eighth Heavenly Demon of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult. But I can bring Xuelan with me too, right?”

Bai Shixuan had spoken with a resolute expression, but then a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he asked the question. Dan Yeryeong nodded. Tears were streaming from her eyes. Though not a single drop of blood connected them, he was an incomparably precious child to her. She had grown even more attached to him than to her own biological son, and she loved him dearly. And now that very child was carefully wiping away her tears.

“Thank you, my son.”

“It’s only natural. I’m your son.”

At Bai Shixuan’s words, Dan Yeryeong could no longer speak and simply nodded. Even though Bai Shixuan wiped them away, her tears continued to flow.