AR Chapter 58

Blood Heavens Saber Demon looked for alcohol as soon as he sat down.

I brought out some liquor I had at home and poured him a full cup.

“Did something unpleasant happen?”

Only after drinking several cups in succession did Blood Heavens Saber Demon reveal the reason for his anger.

“Those idiots openly ostracized me.”

“Hahaha.”

“I’m not joking.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think there would be a Demon Supreme who gets ostracized.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon glared at me even more fiercely, as if to say this was no joke.

“I’m sorry. How exactly did they ostracize you?”

“No one would speak to me.”

“Isn’t that how it usually is?”

“Well, they didn’t talk much normally, but not like today. If they had openly confronted me, I wouldn’t be this angry.”

“What would they confront you about?”

“You! It’s about you!”

“Me? What about me?”

“They suspect that you and I conspired to kill Soul-Seizing Demon. That’s why they’re ostracizing me.”

“Did we do that?”

“We didn’t.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon glared at me with cold eyes.

“You did it. You killed him, didn’t you?”

“Why does everyone suspect me?”

“Because you’re the one with the most blood on your hands these days. There’s no rule saying Soul-Seizing Demon’s blood can’t be on those hands, is there? It was you, right?”

Instead of answering, I stared at Blood Heavens Saber Demon. He would have read in my eyes. That I had killed Soul-Seizing Demon.

“Why are you telling me the truth?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Right, you didn’t say it with words. You said it with your eyes.”

If I had intended to deny it completely, I would have. There were two reasons I didn’t.

First was to make him stay alert. We’re close, but he and I will be in a lord-servant relationship. It’s to make him follow and trust me without having other thoughts. A proper tension in human relationships can reduce mistakes.

The second reason was that I trusted him. I wanted to tell him the truth, and I believed there would be no problem even if I told him.

“You really trust me.”

“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have made you my Left Advisor.”

“I am one of the Eight Demon Supremes before I am your Left Advisor.”

“You’re a Demon Supreme, but you’re my Left Advisor.”

“If you trust people this easily, someday you’ll get stabbed in the back.”

“I didn’t trust you easily. Think about what’s happened between us, Elder.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon suddenly asked:

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Of becoming the enemy of the Eight Demon Supremes.”

“Precisely, it’s four Demon Supremes.”

“Four Demon Supremes?”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon, who had been staring at me blankly for a moment, suddenly stood up, slamming the table with his cup.

“What? When did you kill three more? Who did you kill?”

To him shouting angrily, I quickly said:

“Calm down, that’s not what I meant.”

It was really just a brief moment, but it’s surprising that Blood Heavens Saber Demon thought that way. How amazing does this person think I am?

“Then what do you mean by four Demon Supremes?”

“Listen to my calculation. With Soul-Seizing Demon dead, there are seven Demon Supremes now, right? Minus you, it’s six. Half of Sword Supreme has come to my side, so five and a half. Let’s say five and a half Demon Supremes are my enemies for now. In this situation, you and Senior Sword Supreme won’t be idle, right? If you two handle one and a half Demon Supremes together, exactly four Demon Supremes remain. That’s why I said my opponents are four Demon Supremes. Actually, it could be even fewer. If just two more among the seven Demon Supremes join hands with me, I only need to deal with two Demon Supremes. Easy, right?”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon looked at me with the most incredulous expression since we met.

“Alright, I know you’re this crazy, so let’s move on. There’s one thing you’re not considering.”

“What is it?”

“Neither I nor Sword Supreme will ever fight against the Demon Supremes.”

I know this too. It’s an iron rule of the Demon Supremes that has been passed down for a very long time.

“I know. I’ll do the fighting, you just need to not betray me.”

“Betrayal isn’t something people do. Situations do. So you shouldn’t trust me.”

“Yes, I won’t create a situation where I’ll be betrayed. So please help me, Elder.”

I treated Blood Heavens Saber Demon with trust. I thought that was the best way to make him my person.

After drinking, he blurted out:

“You’ll die if you make one wrong move, you bastard!”

For a moment, my heart stirred. I felt sincere concern in his angry outburst.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

We drank in silence. When a cup was empty, we refilled it and drank again. As the bottle was nearing empty, he told me one fact.

I had said before. That Blood Heavens Saber Demon was more emotional than me. He denied it then, but he is clearly an emotional person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told me this now.

“The Demon Supremes have called in someone to clarify this incident.”

“Who?”

An unexpected name came from his mouth.

“The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.”

I was shocked. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader of all people? The very Heavenly Wind Cult where I had obtained the Sound Thunder Bell and the Blood Eye Essence.

“Why the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader?”

“Soul-Seizing Demon’s dark arts are based on the Blood Cult’s demonic techniques. As you well know, the Blood Cult was the predecessor of the Heavenly Wind Cult. So they judge that if the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sees Soul-Seizing Demon’s corpse, he’ll be able to determine the exact cause of death.”

“I heard the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader never leaves his throne.”

“He will definitely come.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because they’ll make him come somehow. Don’t underestimate the power of the Eight Demon Supremes. They’ll make the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader come here somehow. Whether by threats, offering treasures, or whatever means.”

This would have been impossible in the Blood Cult era. There had been several wars with our cult, and they were forces that couldn’t coexist.

But the relationship changed after they became the Heavenly Wind Cult. As the Eight Demon Supremes joined hands with them, the Heavenly Wind Cult became an unofficial ally.

“What about the sacred objects of the Heavenly Wind Cult?”

“They’ll figure it out. If they’re really worried, they might bring everything with them.”

“Couldn’t they just send the corpse there?”

They could send it by carriage after treating it to prevent decomposition.

“The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader coming here isn’t just for the autopsy.”

“Is there another reason?”

“There are three more reasons. First is to show their determination to find the murderer no matter what. They want to show not only our cult but also the Righteous Alliance and the Four Great Sects that the Eight Demon Supremes must never be touched. This is the most important purpose.”

“They’re trying to show that even the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader is moving. That they’ll definitely take revenge if a Demon Supreme is touched.”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the second reason?”

“It’s because of the Cult Leader.”

“Father?”

“They want to show the Cult Leader. To demonstrate that the current friendly relationship between the Heavenly Wind Cult and the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult is not because of the Cult Leader, but because of the Eight Demon Supremes.”

The Eight Demon Supremes have been constantly keeping Father in check. Perhaps Father bringing me in was also a result of that conflict.

“What’s the third reason?”

“It’s you.”

“Me?”

“If you killed Soul-Seizing Demon, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader will definitely find out through you. He’ll figure out what kind of method you used to kill him by understanding what kind of person you are.”

That was true. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader might even discover that I put the Blood Eye Essence in my eyes.

I must absolutely hide the fact that I killed Soul-Seizing Demon. If it’s revealed, not only will I face the revenge of the Eight Demon Supremes, but their desperate opposition will prevent me from becoming the successor.

“But are you okay?”

“Me? Why?”

“You’ve become my accomplice, haven’t you? Since you drank with me all night, they might think we acted together.”

“Maybe I dozed off a bit while drinking.”

I chuckled at his words, implying he’d escape that way if necessary.

“Who among the Eight Demon Supremes went to fetch him?”

“How did you know a Demon Supreme went?”

“Of course, an important person would go. Isn’t this a situation where it wouldn’t be strange even if all of them went?”

“That Demonic Buddha went.”

Demonic Buddha, one of the Eight Demon Supremes, was close friends with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. Sending him shows their determination to definitely bring the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

I smiled and asked Blood Heavens Saber Demon:

“Should I go after and kill Demonic Buddha? Or should I kill the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader as he departs? Or… should I kill both?”

“If you do that, a war will break out with the martial world outside the borders. If we’re divided, those idiots from the Righteous Alliance will suddenly start shouting about eliminating the demonic sect. The Four Great Sects will be red-eyed looking for something to gain.”

“Let’s get covered in blood together, refreshingly.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon stood up and said:

“If you want to die, die alone.”

“Weren’t we supposed to live and die together, Elder?”

“Second Young Master, from birth, our lives are about each person fending for themselves. I’m leaving.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon left my room.

I downed the last of the alcohol.

‘So the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader is coming?’

***

The next morning, when I arrived at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion after being summoned by Father, he wasn’t sitting on the Grand Preceptor’s seat but standing by the window.

“You called for me, Father.”

“Come here.”

I slowly climbed the stairs and walked to where Father was standing.

“I heard Western Illusion Array is already in an uproar.”

“How are sorcerers any different? The power struggle must be starting.”

Western Illusion Array, which had lost its master overnight, was in chaos.

There was no sorrow at the center of that chaos. Since Soul-Seizing Demon had always been immersed in his own world, no one mourned his death. The Demonic Sorcerers were only on edge about who would become the next Soul-Seizing Demon.

“Go out for a while.”

“Where do you mean?”

“Isn’t it time you went around to check on the Underworld Pavilion branches in the Central Plains?”

I could tell. Father also knows that the Eight Demon Supremes have called the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. That he’s trying to send me out because he’s worried about me.

“Please reconsider sending me away.”

“Why?”

“The Eight Demon Supremes have called the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader to investigate Soul-Seizing Demon’s death.”

As expected, Father wasn’t surprised at all. He already knew. I thought that perhaps someone among the Demon Supremes might be Father’s agent. Or maybe a skilled spy is providing accurate information about the Eight Demon Supremes’ movements.

“If I leave the sect at a time like this, they’ll suspect me.”

“They’re already suspecting you. That’s why they called the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader is not an easy person to deal with. I don’t know how you killed Soul-Seizing Demon, but he will definitely find out it was your doing.”

“It wasn’t me, Father. Couldn’t the Righteous Alliance have sent an assassin?”

“That would mean they want to go to war with us, but they’re far from war right now.”

We knew each other inside out with the Righteous Alliance. If a war were to break out, even if carried out in utmost secrecy, we would detect signs at least three days in advance.

“Are you really confident you can get through this unscathed?”

“Yes.”

“Where does this confidence come from?”

He had asked the same question before. I gave the same answer in a different way.

“If you were me, Father, would you have left the cult?”

“No.”

“I am your son.”

“Yes, you’re my son, not me.”

“But I can imitate you to some extent. If the subject of imitation is you, Father, even imitation is enough.”

Father thought he couldn’t break my will anymore.

“Fine, then remember one thing.”

I thought he would tell me to be careful. I naturally thought so, but.

Father turned around and said as he walked away:

“You must not kill the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.”

At that moment, I realized.

“Could it be? All this time, you weren’t worried about me, but about the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader?”

Father added as he strode out:

“Don’t kill the other Demon Supremes either! Don’t kill anyone for a while.”

“I told you I didn’t kill him!”

I denied it to the end, but Father had already closed the door and left.

I slowly descended the stairs, walked along the Blood Path, and left the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

Kill the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader? How well do you think I know the Heavenly Wind Cult and its leader? He’s as precious to me as a treasure vault. However, if he comes here and pressures me… he might become even more precious to me.