Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 278

Chapter 278 – Thinking the Well Is the Entire World (3)

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The Military Strategy Department of the Martial Alliance was, as always, bustling with activity. Countless individuals moved about, gathering and processing information to report to Namgung Chang. Thanks to this, Namgung Chang could sit in one place and know every event occurring across the world as if it were in the palm of his hand.

“Ugh!”

Namgung Chang suddenly let out a groan, pressing his temples with his fingers. A sudden headache had struck him.

“What’s wrong?” a close aide asked with a worried expression.

“It’s nothing,” Namgung Chang replied, feigning indifference.

“You look very tired. How about taking a short rest?”

“I would if I had the time to rest.”

“But…”

“Enough. I don’t want to make a fuss over something trivial.”

“Understood.”

Reluctantly, the aide stepped back, though his face showed he wasn’t convinced.

For the past few days, Namgung Chang had been plagued by headaches of unknown origin. As a result, he often couldn’t sleep properly.

The evidence of this was clear in his bloodshot eyes.

Namgung Chang tried to suppress the headache and organize his thoughts.

‘I need to increase support for the family.’

Although he currently wielded immense power as the Military Strategist of the Martial Alliance, his roots lay with the Namgung Family.

After Dam-ho caused the annihilation of the family head, Namgung Cheon, and the Sword King Corps, the Namgung Family had been on a path of decline. If Namgung Chang hadn’t secretly supported them from behind, they might have been expelled from the Five Great Families.

Fortunately, after much effort, they had found a way to treat the young family head, Namgung Mu-jin, for his qi deviation. Thanks to this, Namgung Mu-jin was gradually recovering his former martial prowess.

‘If I provide just a bit more support under the name of the Martial Alliance, they will surely regain their past glory.’

Namgung Chang ground his teeth.

All of this was because of Dam-ho. If it weren’t for Dam-ho, the Namgung Family would not have fallen so low, and he wouldn’t be in such distress.

‘Just a little longer. The Namgung Family will surely reclaim its former prestige.’

His hands clenched tightly as this thought crossed his mind.

“Military Strategist!”

Suddenly, someone called out to him from outside. Regaining his composure, Namgung Chang responded.

“What is it?”

“You need to come out here quickly.”

The voice carried such urgency that Namgung Chang didn’t question further. He rose from his seat and stepped outside.

“Huff! Huff!”

In the training yard outside the Military Strategy Department, a man lay collapsed, breathing heavily, while other martial artists attended to him.

Recognizing the man, Namgung Chang approached quickly.

“Why are you here?”

The man, struggling to breathe as if he might collapse at any moment, was none other than Moon Su-gyeol, the leader of Dark Cloud Team Two. He had traveled thousands of li from Hanzhong in Sichuan Province to Xiangyang in Hunan Province.

One of his arms and legs were splinted, and his chest and abdomen were tightly wrapped in white cloth, with blood seeping through the bandages.

Namgung Chang hurriedly embraced Moon Su-gyeol and asked urgently.

“Why are you here?”

“They’re all dead. All of them…”

“What do you mean? Explain in detail.”

“They’re all dead. Won-myeong, the entire second team…”

“What?”

At Moon Su-gyeol’s words, Namgung Chang felt his mind go blank. Dark Cloud was an intelligence organization he had painstakingly cultivated. The cost of raising a single team was astronomical.

Now, more than ever, with his fallout with the Hao Sect, he needed the strength of Dark Cloud. To hear that the second team had been completely annihilated left him in despair.

Moon Su-gyeol struggled to continue.

“He… he told me to deliver a message.”

“He?”

“The Fist… Demon.”

“What did he say?”

“Wait… he said he’d come for the Military Strategist soon.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Military Strategist… please, avenge us…”

With those final words, Moon Su-gyeol’s breath ceased.

Namgung Chang stood up. Though Moon Su-gyeol had pleaded for revenge, the words didn’t register with him.

“He’s coming… for me?”

A slight tremor ran through his shoulders, but Namgung Chang didn’t even notice it.

Only then did he realize the source of the persistent headaches that had tormented him over the past few days. At the center of it all were the two characters of Dam-ho’s name.

***

Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung were traversing an unnamed mountain. It was too tall and deep to be considered a mere hill. It was a place they had to pass through to reach their destination, Dujiangyan.

The mountain was as treacherous as the Shu Road. Because of this, the two couldn’t cross it in one go and had to camp outdoors for the night.

Crackle! Crackle!

A bonfire burned, casting a warm glow and light around them.

Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung sat facing each other with the bonfire between them. The flickering flames cast deep shadows on their faces.

Neither spoke. Throughout their journey to this point, they had rarely engaged in personal conversation. They were alike in that they only spoke when necessary.

Though the situation could have been awkward, neither of them felt it to be so. This kind of atmosphere was natural to them.

Eum Yu-kyung stared at the flames for a long time.

The dancing fire strangely stirred her soul.

Suddenly, she spoke.

“Do you know? The Divine Cult wasn’t always called the Demon Cult.”

“…”

“The first leader of the Divine Cult, the Ascendant One, was originally a Taoist. It is said that he had attained such enlightenment that he could ascend to the heavens whenever he wished. But the times were too chaotic… He couldn’t bear to leave the suffering people behind, so he came down from the mountain and founded the Divine Cult. He wanted to share his enlightenment with more people, to make more people happy.”

Initially, it wasn’t called the Divine Cult but rather the Path of Ascension, named after the Ascendant One’s title. And the Path of Ascension grew rapidly.

“The Ascendant One generously shared his enlightenment, hoping for many to find happiness.”

The Path of Ascension spread among the people like wildfire.

“The Ascendant One said that even ordinary humans could become gods through enlightenment. A religion where humans could become gods-some might find it absurd, but people were deeply drawn to the Ascendant One’s teachings. The world was so harsh, and people were so weary of life.”

To those living in an era without hope, the Ascendant One’s teachings were like sweet nectar quenching a long thirst. Many were enthralled by his teachings and became fervent followers. Thus, the Path of Ascension rapidly expanded its influence.

The culmination was the Ascendant One’s ascension. In front of countless followers, he chose the second leader and ascended to the heavens. Literally, he ascended.

“Perhaps the Ascendant One wanted to give hope to everyone by becoming a living god. Indeed, many who witnessed his ascension became even more fervent about the Divine Cult.”

Following the Ascendant One, the second leader of the Divine Cult was Yu Jo-gyeom. Yu Jo-gyeom was gentle and knew how to follow the natural order.

To spread the Ascendant One’s teachings further, Yu Jo-gyeom strengthened the religious aspects of the Divine Cult. It was during this time that the Divine Cult’s structure as a religious organization was established.

Thereafter, the Divine Cult flourished. Their teachings spread widely among the common people, and more sought the Divine Cult’s guidance.

The leaders who followed Yu Jo-gyeom faithfully carried out the Ascendant One’s teachings, expanding the cult’s influence. Thus, the Divine Cult grew without hindrance. However, where there are high mountains, there are also deep valleys.

“The problem arose as the Divine Cult’s influence grew. As more people joined, some began to harbor different intentions. Especially the martial artists-they were the issue. They thought it was a waste for the Divine Cult to remain merely a religious group.”

Among them were truly exceptional martial artists. They possessed superior insight and skill. They realized that the Ascendant One’s teachings were not merely religious but contained profound martial principles.

Surprisingly, the Ascendant One’s teachings were imbued with martial truths of an extremely high level.

These martial artists integrated the Ascendant One’s martial principles into their own techniques. And they rapidly seized control of the Divine Cult’s authority.

“All tragedies began at that time. The martial artists who took control of the cult’s authority interfered in numerous interests, forming factions and clashing with each other. The leader’s authority hit rock bottom, and many, disillusioned with the Divine Cult, left.”

The internal power struggles within the Divine Cult turned into a muddy brawl, causing great harm to the common people. Countless innocents died, and even more suffered immense pain.

It was from that time that the Divine Cult began to be called the Demon Cult.

The followers still called it the Divine Cult and remained loyal, but to outsiders, their actions and appearance were nothing short of demonic.

Thus, the Demon Cult walked a path of deterioration. Many came to fear the Demon Cult, trembling at the mere mention of its name. Successive leaders struggled to quell the internal strife, but to no avail.

The wars within the Demon Cult threw the world into chaos.

Then, the ninth leader, Go Cheon-wol, appeared.

Go Cheon-wol was a genius who could only be seen as heaven-sent. With extraordinary insight, he mastered all the martial arts within the Demon Cult, and by the age of fifty, he unified them into a single system.

After achieving mastery in martial arts, he plunged into the internal conflicts of the Demon Cult. He mercilessly executed those who defied the leader’s authority, carrying out a bloody purge.

No one could stand against him. Death’s hammer fell upon those who disobeyed. Countless martial artists challenged him, but none could match him.

The stronger the resistance, the harsher Go Cheon-wol crushed them. Ultimately, the internal strife of the Demon Cult was quelled by this one man.

Having built a tower of countless corpses and standing alone atop it, people called him the Heavenly Demon.

Thus began the legend of the Heavenly Demon.

Go Cheon-wol emphasized discipline to a ruthless degree. He ruled the Demon Cult through fear.

“The position of Holy Maiden was also created at that time. The first Heavenly Demon established the Holy Maiden as a means to check the leader’s power.”

During Go Cheon-wol’s lifetime, everything functioned well. Even after his death, things remained stable for about a hundred years.

“The problem is that people forget quickly. Though the first Heavenly Demon ruled through fear, after a few generations, many forgot this and once again coveted internal power. And those who seized power sought to dominate the martial world.”

Ultimately, the Divine Cult could not shed the stigma of being called the Demon Cult.

At times, a leader with powerful authority like the Heavenly Demon emerged to restore order, but such periods were short-lived. More often, the cult was embroiled in internal strife.

“Decades ago, when the main base was attacked by the martial world, it was during one such period of internal conflict. A time when victory was within reach, yet internal strife consumed us.”

During the First Righteous-Demonic War, the Demon Cult had victory in sight. They had inflicted significant damage on Mount Hua, and other major sects were in disarray.

The problem was that they became intoxicated by victory too soon. After victory, merit and reward discussions inevitably follow, promising greater rewards based on contributions.

The martial artists of the Demon Cult became obsessed with merit discussions even before securing victory. As a result, internal strife erupted, and the situation deteriorated beyond control.

Ultimately, in the worst possible circumstances, the Righteous Alliance mobilized all their forces to assault the main base. Engulfed in internal conflict, the Demon Cult could not mount a proper defense and was utterly defeated.

“That is the history of the Divine Cult up to now. And it is also the hidden truth behind the First Righteous-Demonic War.”

Finally, Eum Yu-kyung concluded her long explanation. Only then did Dam-ho speak for the first time.

“So, what are you trying to say? That the Demon Cult wasn’t always the Demon Cult?”

“Exactly! But I’m not asking for your mercy. Rather, I’m saying this out of concern for you.”

“Concern?”

“Yes! Thirty years ago, the Divine Cult collapsed due to internal strife, but now it is more united than ever.”

“Because of the leader?”

Dam-ho recalled something Eum Yu-kyung had mentioned before.

“Correct. Cheok Gwan-hyeol, the Primordial Moon Divine Demon, though now he is called by another title.”

“…”

“The Heavenly Demon.”

Eum Yu-kyung’s voice resonated lowly.

In that moment, Dam-ho felt a chill run through his entire body.

The weight of the title “Heavenly Demon” carried far more significance than the three characters of Cheok Gwan-hyeol’s name.

“Is he that formidable?”

“He is the greatest leader in history. Perhaps even stronger than the first Heavenly Demon.”

“…”

“Be careful. You are already his target. You never know when or in what form he might appear. Please, be especially cautious.”

Eum Yu-kyung’s voice carried an unmistakable fear. Her fear traveled through the air to Dam-ho. Yet, Dam-ho remained silent.

His indifferent, sunken gaze was incredibly dark. Only then did Eum Yu-kyung realize that his eyes bore a striking resemblance to Cheok Gwan-hyeol’s.

They both had eyes stained with darkness.