novelraw Chapter 150 : Chapter 150
Chapter 150 : Chapter 150
Chapter 150. You'll See in Time.
“……!”
Dang Cheon-wi was startled when Jin Cheon readily greeted him.
The last time they met, he hadn't even given him a glance and treated him as if he were invisible…….
“Have you been well?”
“B-brother.”
“Of course… you probably haven’t been well. You must have gone through all sorts of hardships because of me.”
Jin Cheon said so and offered Dang Cheon-wi a seat.
“Sit, let’s have a drink after a long time.”
“Ah, yes.”
And so, Jin Cheon and Dang Cheon-wi sat face to face after a very long time.
It had been about six years, but in Jin Cheon's time, it was a long gap of nearly thirty years, exceeding twenty.
“Have some.”
Pour, Jin Cheon poured alcohol into Dang Cheon-wi's cup.
“Brother, you too… have some.”
Dang Cheon-wi also poured alcohol into Jin Cheon's cup.
Clink, the two men's cups lightly touched.
The cups were emptied in one gulp.
“How have you been?”
“So-so…… I've been getting by.”
“You must have resented me.”
“Yes.”
Dang Cheon-wi did not deny the fact.
How shocked and betrayed he had felt after Jin Cheon's defection.
And how long had he been confused, unable to accept reality?
The heartache Dang Cheon-wi had suffered during that time was beyond imagination…….
“Why did you do it.”
Dang Cheon-wi asked a question filled with long-held doubt.
“What is the truth. Were you really a member of the Demonic Cult from the beginning?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why…….”
“I did it to live.”
“Pardon……?”
“The Seven Prodigies of Heavenly Martial, those bastards reported me to the Demon Extermination Squad, claiming I was secretly learning demonic arts.”
“But if you were innocent, brother, you would have been released without any trouble, wouldn't you?”
“Would I have been?”
“Th-that is.”
“My master was disliked by his peers in the righteous faction. As you know.”
“…….”
“If I, who had no background or roots to speak of, was dragged to the Demon Extermination Squad, could I have been released completely? Especially when my master wasn't around?”
At Jin Cheon's words, Dang Cheon-wi couldn't say anything.
It was because everyone and their dog knew that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was hell-bent on erasing the traces of Jin Cheon's master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.
It was just that the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior's heroic deeds during his lifetime were so renowned that it was like trying to cover the sky with the palm of one's hand.
“It was a golden opportunity to tarnish my master's honor. Do you think the Righteous Heavenly Alliance would have missed it? Besides, I was an outcast at the Heavenly Martial Academy.”
“But how could you with the Demonic Cult…….”
“Thanks to the heroic deeds my master performed for the people of my cult during his lifetime, there was a bond. I asked for help from my cult's secret branch located near the Heavenly Martial Academy.”
“S-so you defected?”
“Yes, to live.”
Jin Cheon nodded his head.
In fact, most of it was a lie, but it couldn't be helped.
He could tell the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, but he couldn't tell Dang Cheon-wi that he had traveled back in time.
“Of course, from your perspective, it must have been like a bolt from the blue. I still feel sorry about that. And I probably will continue to feel sorry.”
“Brother…….”
“Have some.”
Jin Cheon once again poured alcohol into Dang Cheon-wi's empty cup.
“You too, brother, have a drink.”
The expression on Dang Cheon-wi's face as he picked up the bottle had brightened.
Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up through his conversation with Jin Cheon, he no longer had to be confused, and sitting together like this and tilting their cups seemed to wash away all the old feelings.
Jin Cheon and Dang Cheon-wi tilted their cups all night, catching up on old times.
Although they were not of the same blood, they had sworn an oath of brotherhood and lived like real brothers, so the joy of their reunion was beyond words.
“What a sight, what a sight.”
Blood Qilin seemed quite displeased with the reunion of Jin Cheon and Dang Cheon-wi.
“He should be nice to his senior brothers. Why is he so happy to see that righteous faction bastard? Hmph!”
“Are you jealous?”
Yeom Bi asked Blood Qilin.
“Why would I be jealous? It’s because our youngest is playing around with a righteous faction bastard.”
“You are jealous.”
“I said I’m not.”
“Then mind your own business.”
“How can I not mind? Our cute youngest is drinking with that righteous faction bastard!”
“You’re just unnecessarily tiring.”
Yeom Bi shook his head as if he couldn't be stopped.
“Are you okay with it, Senior Brother?”
“With what?”
“The youngest is hanging out with a righteous faction bastard.”
“They must have had a good relationship in the past.”
“But not anymore.”
“That's also true.”
Yeom Bi did not particularly deny Blood Qilin's words.
Jin Cheon was the Seventh Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and Dang Cheon-wi was the youngest son of the Sichuan Tang Clan's head, Dang Seong-yeong.
“Senior brothers, don’t just stand there, come over here. Let me introduce you to this friend.”
Jin Cheon called over Blood Qilin and Yeom Bi.
“I don’t need an introduction. Why would I drink with a righteous faction bastard? I won't drink!”
Blood Qilin shouted and stomped upstairs.
It seemed he was quite displeased with Jin Cheon and Dang Cheon-wi's good relationship.
On the other hand, Yeom Bi, though blunt, was a decent person, so he readily approached Jin Cheon's table and sat down.
“I am Yeom Bi. Jin Cheon’s fourth senior brother.”
“I-I greet the Explosion Demonic Lord.”
Dang Cheon-wi looked quite surprised to be joined by the famous Explosion Demonic Lord.
“He’s a good person. He took good care of me when I first defected to the cult.”
“I-is that so?”
Dang Cheon-wi glanced at Yeom Bi and picked up the bottle.
“May I… pour you a drink?”
“There’s no reason why not.”
Yeom Bi readily raised his cup.
It was a strange drinking party.
The sight of a direct blood relative of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the youngest son of the clan head no less, and the young masters of the Demonic Cult tilting their cups and chatting was a scene that no one could have imagined.
They had been killing each other for hundreds of years…….
“Look at you all having fun! You’re all over each other!”
Blood Qilin peeked his head out from the stairs and shouted.
It seemed he was quite vexed that Jin Cheon, Dang Cheon-wi, and Yeom Bi were having a drinking party.
“Senior Brother, don’t be like that, come and sit here.”
“No!”
“Then don’t bother us and go up and rest.”
“Are you ostracizing me now?”
“I’m not ostracizing you, you’re the one being sulky, Senior Brother. I said come and have a drink with us.”
“I said no!”
“I’ll ask one last time. Come and have a drink.”
“Hmph.”
Blood Qilin pouted and reluctantly came down from upstairs.
“If you insist, I’ll drink with you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this because I want to. It’s because you keep asking me to drink with you.”
“Yes, yes.”
Jin Cheon played along as if to say, "Of course."
‘He’s no different from a child.’
Even while thinking that, Jin Cheon did not hate Blood Qilin.
The man was a bit crazy, but as a sworn brother, Blood Qilin was not a bad person.
Although to his enemies, he was a terrifying, bloodthirsty demon.
And so, Jin Cheon, along with Dang Cheon-wi, Yeom Bi, and Blood Qilin, tilted their cups all night and chatted about various things.
The next morning.
Jin Cheon woke up early and had a formal conversation with Dang Cheon-wi over noodles and dumplings.
“The evidence can be verified slowly, so don’t worry about that. It’s reliable information.”
“How can you be so sure, brother?”
“Because it’s information I obtained by annihilating the Heavenly Killing Sect with my own hands.”
“H-how did you… the Heavenly Killing Sect?”
“The Righteous Heavenly Alliance side once tried to assassinate me through the Heavenly Killing Sect. So I gave them a little lesson.”
As Jin Cheon said with a grin, Dang Cheon-wi had a dazed expression.
To think he had annihilated the legendary assassin sect, the Heavenly Killing Sect…….
“Oh, and. The reason your father sent you is to use our friendship to establish a connection, right?”
“……Yes.”
Dang Cheon-wi hung his head low.
He was ashamed of his father Dang Seong-yeong's shallow trickery.
“What's the big deal, it's not like I can't establish one connection.”
“But…….”
“It’s fine.”
Jin Cheon waved his hand as if it were nothing.
“How special is our relationship? Can’t I grant you at least one thing like that? How much hardship have you been through because of me? I have no choice but to be deceived even though I know.”
“Brother…….”
“Anyway, my cult was also thinking of joining hands with the Sichuan Tang Clan, so don’t worry about it. When the true nature of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance is revealed, the Sichuan Tang Clan will also join hands with my cult. And my cult will do the same.”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“You'll see in time.”
Jin Cheon gave a meaningful smile.
“Yesterday you said you were disillusioned with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, right?”
“Yes.”
“What if that’s just the tip of the iceberg?”
“Pardon……?”
“What you’ve seen, Cheon-wi, is just a very small part. The Righteous Heavenly Alliance is a much more ugly and dirty group than you think.”
“Good heavens.”
“We are now going to expose that ugly and dirty side, and you are coming with us. Go and see with your own two eyes. Then you will clearly understand what kind of bastards the Righteous Heavenly Alliance are, and you will realize that my cult is not an enemy but a partner to cooperate with.”
“Haha, hahaha…….”
Dang Cheon-wi could only laugh.
Jin Cheon's words were so outlandish that he couldn't even begin to guess the basis for them.
“You’ll find out soon enough, so just wait a bit.”
“Yes, brother.”
Dang Cheon-wi decided to trust him for the time being and wait for Jin Cheon to prove his words.
At least he knew very well that Jin Cheon was not a person who would make empty boasts…….
That afternoon,
“Let’s go.”
Jin Cheon's party left the inn and headed north.
Dang Cheon-wi did not ask any questions and silently followed Jin Cheon's party.
He knew that even if he asked, they wouldn't tell him, so asking unnecessary questions would only be a waste of breath.
The journey was a forced march.
Jin Cheon's party moved using only deep, deserted mountains and ridges.
The reason was simple.
Since Jin Cheon's party were demonic practitioners who had learned demonic arts, it was impossible for them to move openly along the main roads.
For demonic practitioners reeking of demonic qi to move openly, and in a group at that, would be like offering their necks to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.
That was why the martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult usually moved through deep, deserted mountains or remote areas when operating in the Central Plains.
As long as they couldn't completely hide their demonic qi, this was the only way to move secretly.
So, despite their extremely fast travel speed, Jin Cheon's party only arrived at Mount Li in Shaanxi Province after almost a fortnight.
“Th-that is.”
Dang Cheon-wi was startled to see the towering Mount Hua in the distance.
Mount Hua.
One of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, a famous mountain called the Western Peak.
It had been a sacred ground of Taoism since ancient times, and wasn't it the place where the Mount Hua Sect used to be?
“Is our destination… Mount Hua?”
“Yes.”
Jin Cheon nodded his head at Dang Cheon-wi's question.
“But there’s nothing on Mount Hua…….”
“There is.”
Jin Cheon cut Dang Cheon-wi off.
“The current Mount Hua is a den of demons. A place where all the ugliness of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance is hidden.”
“S-such a thing…….”
“Wait a minute.”
Jin Cheon said so and looked in a specific direction.
“We’re almost there.”
As soon as Jin Cheon finished his words, nearly several hundred people appeared.
“Th-those are.”
Dang Cheon-wi was so surprised that he couldn't continue his words.
Several hundred demonic practitioners… martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult emitting truly intense demonic qi had appeared.
‘With this much power… ugh.’
Seeing the martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who had just appeared, Dang Cheon-wi couldn't even begin to gauge their strength.
However, one thing was certain: no sect of the Nine Sects One Gang would be able to stop the martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who had just appeared.
In Dang Cheon-wi's opinion, it was a force that could turn even the Wudang Sect to ashes in half a day.