Chapter 218: Different Paths Lead to Different Destinations (3)

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If there was anyone busiest among the Demonic Cult warriors in Hengshan, it would be the Strategist Sang Han-cheon.

The library of the Hengshan faction became Sang Han-cheon’s residence. The Demonic Cult warriors thought Sang Han-cheon would move immediately. However, contrary to expectations, Sang Han-cheon stayed holed up in his quarters without going out.

Many Demonic Cult warriors came to see Sang Han-cheon, but none of them actually met him in person.

The library that became Sang Han-cheon’s quarters was empty. The bookshelves and books that once filled the room had long been discarded, and the spacious quarters now only contained one desk, one chair, and one bed.

Sang Han-cheon sat in the only chair, facing forward. On the wall in front of him hung an enormous map of the Central Plains.

The only thing Sang Han-cheon had done since entering this place was stare at the map of the Central Plains. He spent most of the day sitting and looking at the map without taking any other action.

“Hmm!”

Life began to stir in Sang Han-cheon’s face, which had been expressionless like a stone statue. This change occurred four days after he entered this place.

Sang Han-cheon stood up from the chair.

After sitting motionless for days, every joint in his body ached. Still, Sang Han-cheon didn’t show any sign of discomfort.

He called for someone.

“Il-mong.”

“Yes, Sri Strategist.”

Suddenly, a white figure appeared before him without a sound.

His hair was white, his eyebrows were white. Even his eyes and skin were white. He was a man who looked unreal.

Il-mong was Sang Han-cheon’s confidant.

He only listened to Sang Han-cheon’s orders and obeyed no one else. In fact, very few even knew of his existence.

“What changes have occurred while I’ve been here?”

“Two more of the Seven Great Demon Masters have arrived.”

“Who?”

“The Full Moon Immortal Jin Hye-won and the Invincible Spear Dan Ho-sang have come. The Sect Leader said he would send the rest of the Seven Great Demon Masters if you wish.”

“Yun Gwang and Lee Seon-chang didn’t come?”

“They can arrive within three days if you command, Sir Strategist.”

“No, that’s fine. It’s better this way.”

Sang Han-cheon smiled.

Yun Gwang’s title was Heavenly Killing Divine Whip, and Lee Seon-chang’s title was Swift Wind Divine Fist. They were also strong members of the Seven Great Demon Masters.

“I will give them separate orders.”

“Understood.”

“And gather all the leaders here.”

“Right now?”

“Yes!”

“Even the Holy Maiden?”

“Although she’s just a pretty shell, she’s still a member of the leadership.”

“I will call her too.”

“You should!”

Sang Han-cheon smiled gently.

Il-mong disappeared as suddenly as if he had never existed. Still, Sang Han-cheon wasn’t surprised.

He leaned against the window and looked outside.

Spring was in full bloom. Green buds were sprouting on branches that had been barren, and flowers were releasing their fragrance.

Sang Han-cheon enjoyed the warm spring breeze.

Meanwhile, Deung Cheon-so and the other Seven Great Demon Masters entered his quarters first. The leaders followed, and Eum Yu-gyeong was the last to enter before the door closed.

Despite the many people gathered, not even a breath could be heard in the room. Their gazes were fixed on Sang Han-cheon’s back as he looked out the window.

‘Sir Strategist.’

Sang Han-cheon was called the Demon Sky Thousand Thoughts.

Although his appearance was ordinary, it was said that the strategies contained in his small brain reached the heavens.

Whenever he gathered people like this, countless people died and blood flowed like rivers. So they couldn’t help but be tense.

The one who broke the suffocating silence in the room was Deung Cheon-so.

“Sir Strategist, everyone has gathered.”

“Is that so? I was lost in thought and committed a discourtesy. Have you all been well? It’s good to see your faces like this.”

Sang Han-cheon slowly looked around at the people gathered in the room with a smiling face. The warriors who met his eyes slightly lowered their heads in acknowledgment. However, Eum Yu-gyeong’s face was noticeably hardened.

‘Has that monster finally started to move?’

There was no one here who wasn’t a monster. In terms of pure martial arts, they were among the best in the demonic cult. But even such people feared Sang Han-cheon.

For them, killing dozens or hundreds of people was not an issue. But Sang Han-cheon used them like his limbs.

When Sang Han-cheon moved, thousands or tens of thousands of lives lost was not even a problem.

In Eum Yu-gyeong’s eyes, she could already see a sea of blood.

At that moment, Sang Han-cheon’s gaze stopped on Eum Yu-gyeong.

“The Holy Maiden seems to have concerns.”

“No, Sir Strategist. I was just lost in thought for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“No, that can happen.”

Sang Han-cheon smiled meaningfully. His smile somehow felt ominous.

“Holy Maiden.”

“Yes?”

“I have a favor to ask of you. It’s for the sake of our cult, so I believe you will certainly grant it.”

As Sang Han-cheon spoke, his smile deepened, and Eum Yu-gyeong’s face gradually hardened.

***

To the left of the main gate of the Shouzhou branch, there were rows of newly built barracks. They were created to accommodate the recently influx of warriors.

Immediately after the outbreak of the Righteous-Demonic War, numerous warriors entered the Shouzhou branch. Most were dispatched from the Murim Alliance, but there were also many who came on their own with the sole intention of upholding justice in the martial arts world.

They were not from large sects like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families. Most were from lesser-known small and medium-sized sects or were wandering warriors, but their spirit was as high as the sky.

When their numbers exceeded four hundred, the Murim Alliance grouped them into a unit. They were called the Demon Extermination Unit.

The Demon Extermination Unit was assigned the role of being the first to enter the battlefield when war broke out in Shouzhou, to break the spearhead of the demonic cult. So their quarters were located on the outermost part of the Shouzhou branch.

People were lined up in front of the Demon Extermination Unit’s barracks. They were all men in shabby clothes, holding poor wooden bowls and spoons in their hands. The warriors of the Demon Extermination Unit were waiting to receive their meals.

At the front of the line was a large cauldron. Inside the cauldron, a white porridge of unknown ingredients was boiling.

A cook who seemed to have been dispatched from the kitchen was ladling out one bowl of porridge at a time with a large ladle.

“What is this?”

The warriors made dumbfounded expressions as they looked at the porridge in their bowls. When they stirred with their spoons, the contents floated up, and it was mostly vegetables.

“How can there not be a single piece of meat? How are we supposed to fight eating this?”

“Damn! Whose mouth is it, and whose snout is it?”

“Shit! How are we supposed to fight well eating this?”

Complaints burst out immediately.

Some impatient ones confronted the cook.

“Why is the food like this?”

“Well…”

“We need meat to fill our stomachs, what is this? Did you embezzle all the meat?”

“That’s not true. We just cook with the ingredients we’re given. We’re also at a loss because this is all we received.”

The cook desperately tried to explain.

In fact, the cook was also wronged. The ingredients that came down from above were all there was, and he did his best to fill everyone’s stomachs with the insufficient ingredients.

The warriors who received the food were at a loss for words at the cook’s desperate explanation. They came all the way here with the intention of protecting the martial arts world, but they didn’t expect the treatment to be this poor.

The discriminatory treatment towards wandering warriors and those from small sects was not just today’s issue, but they didn’t expect it to be like this even for those who voluntarily gathered with the intention of saving the martial arts world from crisis.

“Damn it!”

“It looks like things are going downhill.”

The warriors shook their heads as if they had lost the energy to argue further and dispersed.

Among them was Song Gyeong.

Song Gyeong was a warrior from a wandering background. He was only twenty years old, but he knew well how important it was to uphold justice in the martial arts world. That’s why he came here. To contribute his meager strength.

“Still, this kind of treatment?”

“It will get better. Just be patient a little longer.”

The middle-aged man comforting Song Gyeong was Jang Il-wan.

Jang Il-wan was a wandering warrior in his early forties. He was a legend who had survived for twenty years in the world of wandering warriors where even the next day couldn’t be guaranteed. And he was also the person Song Gyeong respected the most.

Song Gyeong pouted his lips at Jang Il-wan’s comfort.

“When exactly?”

“I heard it’s because the supply isn’t smooth. Once the supply line is secured, proper supplies will come in.”

“I’ll starve to death before we get proper supplies.”

Song Gyeong stirred the pale porridge with his spoon. Again, there was nothing substantial.

Jang Il-wan smiled.

“Still, isn’t it better than not eating anything?”

“You’re always too kind, big brother.”

Song Gyeong started eating the porridge as if he had no choice.

“Damn! It tastes awful.”

Jang Il-wan looked at the constantly grumbling Song Gyeong as if he found him cute.

At times like this, he was like an immature youngest brother, but once deployed in battle, Song Gyeong was more reliable than anyone else.

Contrary to his gentle appearance, Song Gyeong was quite a skilled warrior. Although he couldn’t compare to disciples from large sects, he was still a reliable helper to Jang Il-wan.

The two quickly emptied a bowl of porridge. There was hardly any solid content, so it didn’t feel like they had eaten anything.

Song Gyeong licked the porridge off his fingers.

“Just ruined my appetite. Tsk!”

“Stop grumbling. You’re not a child anymore.”

“I am still a child. I’m only twenty years old.”

“That’s old enough to be an adult.”

“Tch!”

“Wait here for a bit.”

Jang Il-wan dusted off his bottom and stood up. Song Gyeong looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Where are you going?”

“To the dining hall.”

“What?”

“How can an older brother sit still when his younger brother is hungry? I’ll go see if there’s any leftover food in the dining hall.”

“But the cook said this is all there is.”

“That’s just for the dining hall assigned to this side.”

“Huh?”

“Do you think there’s only one dining hall here? With so many people who have come here. There must be other dining halls. If we search there, there might be some leftover food.”

“But…”

“Just wait a little bit.”

“You don’t have to.”

Despite his words, Song Gyeong was smiling.

It had been over five years since he started following Jang Il-wan. Jang Il-wan had excellently guided and cared for him until now.

To Song Gyeong, an orphan, Jang Il-wan was both a brother and a father. For the past five years, Song Gyeong had trusted and followed Jang Il-wan, and Jang Il-wan had comforted Song Gyeong and brought him this far.

If Jang Il-wan hadn’t come here, Song Gyeong wouldn’t have come either. For him, his relationship with Jang Il-wan was more important than justice in the martial arts world.

Song Gyeong leaned against a sunny wall, waiting for Jang Il-wan to return.

How much time had passed?

“Song Gyeong, Gyeong-ah!”

Suddenly, someone called out to him and came running. Song Gyeong stood up with a bright expression.

“Ah! Hyung.”

The name of the big man running towards him calling his name was Woo Yang-chun. Like Song Gyeong, he was a wandering warrior following Jang Il-wan.

But Woo Yang-chun’s expression was not normal.

“What’s wrong?”

“So, something terrible has happened.”

“What?”

Song Gyeong jumped up from his seat.

An ominous feeling swept over him.

“S, Senior brother…”

“What about Senior brother?”

“Well! Senior brother, senior brother…”

Song Gyeong dashed off in the direction Woo Yang-chun had come from.

‘Please!’