How the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult Lives Chapter 117 : Information Manipulation

Chapter 117: Information Manipulation

Perhaps because they had reached the Manifestation Realm, just as the sparring was becoming truly entertaining, the Vice Cult Leader’s ntal Voice Transmission reached the Cult Leader.

—Senior Brother. May I establish a physician training institution?

Wondering what kind of sudden, out-of-the-blue remark that was, the Cult Leader turned his head and saw the Poison Demon sitting pressed closely beside Yul Han.

Only then did the Cult Leader realize whose head the idea of a physician training institution had co from, and he shot a glare at the Poison Demon.

Receiving that gaze directly, the Poison Demon’s head bowed of its own accord.

Retracting his gaze from him, the Cult Leader looked at Yul Han with eyes so gentle it was hard to believe they had ever been fierce.

—Is it sothing that must be done?

Sensing from his Senior Brother’s strange tone that there was sothing he did not yet know, Yul Han asked,

—Is there a problem?

—It is one of the taboos. Other than martial arts, do not learn or research anything.

—But you permitted what I have been studying lately, didn’t you?

Startled, Yul Han asked, and the Cult Leader replied,

—Because it was necessary for martial arts training. You said studying was required to read the secret manuals.

That was why he had allowed it.

At those words, Yul Han wore a troubled expression for a mont, then as if a brilliant idea had struck him, he slapped his knee and said,

—Training physicians is also necessary for martial arts cultivation.

—What are you talking about?

—Training within the Cult has beco frequent, and as group training has beco active, injuries seem to be occurring in succession. If left unattended, more and more will fail to receive proper treatnt.

—So for the sake of training… Good grief. H-hey, that bastard Iron Demon is doing that on purpose, isn’t he?

Though he was conversing through ntal Voice Transmission, his gaze must have returned to the sparring platform, for the Cult Leader let out a sigh.

Iron Demon, who had just seized complete montum, made what appeared to be a mistake, allowing the Profound Demon room to escape.

At the Cult Leader’s words, Yul Han sent back a wry smile through ntal Voice Transmission.

—Iron Demon did not make a mistake.

—Hm? What do you an— Ah!

The Cult Leader’s transmission cut off midway.

Though it had seed the Profound Demon had escaped, at so point Iron Demon’s blade had already co to rest upon his shoulder.

As the Cult Leader stared in surprise, Yul Han continued,

—Recently, Iron Demon has been skillfully mixing Iron Crushing Mad Blade and Asura Sword Form.

—Then the opening that appeared just now?

—Yes. It was the transitional interval from Iron Crushing Mad Blade to Asura Sword Form, so a slight opening appears. Instead, the following Asura Sword Form is fast, so that opening often becos a trap.

The Cult Leader nodded at the explanation. Yul Han then asked,

—So what do you think, Senior Brother?

—The Profound Demon is the fool. If he trained together with him, he should have known that much—

—Not that. I ant the physician training institution.

—Ah! That. You truly want to do it?

—Yes, Senior Brother. Is it not possible?

—It is not as though it cannot be done. Try it first. It seems you have secured justification, so push forward with that.

A smile settled at the corner of Yul Han’s lips at the Cult Leader’s answer.

—Thank you.

—For what? It is not sothing you are doing for your own sake. Do not treat the children too well. Occasionally, you must harass them on purpose. Otherwise, they will climb over your head.

At those words, Yul Han smiled bitterly once more and replied,

—Yes.

From the laughter woven into the ntal Voice Transmission, the Cult Leader realized that the Vice Cult Leader had no intention whatsoever of doing such a thing.

‘Ah, that brat. So soft-hearted—what am I supposed to use him for? A man must be ruthless.’

Had anyone else heard those words, they would have been horrified.

Though his tone had softened at so point, from the Taiji Sword Emperor of Wudang to the annihilation of the Kongtong Sect—

In others’ eyes, the Vice Cult Leader had not changed at all, past or present.

If they were right, he laughed together with them.

If they were wrong, he beheaded them.

And such a man was soft-hearted?

It was fortunate no one else heard.

Unaware of that, the Cult Leader rely looked at Yul Han with worried eyes.

The Treasury Throne ultimately concluded with a showdown between Iron Demon and Ghost Demon.

Their final match, like the team finals, was scheduled to take place on the fifth and final day of the festival.

On the fourth day, the Great Heavenly Martial Festival was brought to its climax by the final rounds of the one-on-one sparring.

Those who won here would gain the right to challenge an Elder.

If they won even there, they would imdiately beco an Elder.

Perhaps because of that, the sparring matches held in the afternoon were rough and fierce.

The martial artists, stirred by the cheers and whistles of the crowd, exerted themselves to the utmost.

Thus, the twelve who erged victorious in the final sparring would, on the last day, face the Elders.

As the sun dipped beyond the western mountains and the fourth day of the festival ca to an end, the Poison Demon rushed to the Strategist with an excited expression.

He intended to request that plans be drawn up and funds allocated for the physician training institution.

Watching him with a faint smile, Yul Han’s gaze then shifted to the Blood Sword Unit Commander, who was whispering sothing to the Cult Leader with a grave expression.

Following the Cult Leader’s hurried turn of the head at the Blood Sword Unit Commander’s whisper, Yul Han’s eyes moved in the sa direction.

There, he saw several individuals walking briskly, leaving the festival grounds where the sparring had just taken place.

After confirming their faces, Yul Han’s eyes turned cold.

They were not martial artists of the Bright Cult, but those who had co seeking to beco believers and were living in the Military Farm Village.

The Vice Cult Leader, who was staring at them with eyes just as cold as the Cult Leader’s, already knew why the Cult Leader’s gaze had turned toward them at the Blood Sword Unit Commander’s report.

In truth, they were individuals the Guardian Division had been keeping an eye on after receiving reports that sothing about them had seed suspicious for so ti.

Perhaps because of that, when the Cult Leader gave the order and the Blood Sword Unit Commander was about to move, Yul Han stopped him.

“Leave them be.”

“But, Vice Cult Leader, they are—”

“I know. They are likely spies.”

“If you know that, how can you tell us to leave them alone?”

“If rely watching with their own eyes were enough to leak sothing outside, then our martial arts would have long since had their counterasures devised by them.”

In other words, simply observing could not allow one to infer the countless variations and combination forms contained within.

Thus, even if they watched a few moves or a handful of exchanges, they could not leak the Bright Cult’s martial arts to the outside world.

Though he understood that, the Blood Sword Unit Commander turned toward the Cult Leader with an awkward expression.

He had already received the Cult Leader’s command.

eting that gaze, the Cult Leader spoke up.

“I know they will not understand much. Even so, can we simply allow them to carry out espionage?”

“For now, it may be espionage. But later, we might let them carry out the information we want.”

“The information we want?”

At the Cult Leader’s puzzled question, Yul Han turned to Lee Tae, who had co to stand at his side at so point.

“The thing prepared earlier—do you have it ready?”

“Yes, Vice Cult Leader. Shall we proceed?”

“Yes. Proceed.”

With Yul Han’s permission, Lee Tae grinned and quickly moved to follow after the spies who were leaving the Main Fortress in haste.

Watching him go, the Cult Leader asked,

“What is that fellow planning to do?”

“Information manipulation.”

“Information manipulation?”

“Yes. We let out the information we want to spread, and suppress the information we do not. This Squad Leader happens to be quite skilled in that area.”

Though he did not fully understand, the Cult Leader simply nodded. If his junior disciple said it was good, then that was enough.

“Well, if you say so, then it must be so. If problems arise later, co to this Senior Brother. We can resolve it then.”

The Cult Leader cracked his knuckles like a back-alley ruffian.

Yul Han smiled. It ant that if it ca to that, the Cult Leader would personally step in and resolve it with force.

Yul Han replied,

“Yes. Then I will trust only in you, Senior Brother, and act first.”

At the unexpectedly wholehearted response, the Cult Leader nodded broadly with a beaming smile.

“Of course! Do it! Do whatever you want. As long as this Senior Brother stands here, you may do anything at all.”

Yul Han laughed brightly at those words. That was the kind of Cult Leader he liked.

He was the junior disciple who had been deeply wounded because of him. That was why he had resolved that from now on, rather than oppose him, he would help him—whatever it might be.

During those long fifteen years, it was not only Yul Han who had lived with regret.

As those who left the Bright Cult’s Main Fortress in hurried steps moved along, Lee Tae passed beside them together with Myeongho.

“I am telling you, whenever I look at our Vice Cult Leader, I get chills. Turning those in the Transcendent Realm into Manifestation Realm experts, and those in the Super-Peak Realm into Transcendent Realm—how incredible is that?”

At Lee Tae’s whispered words, Myeongho chid in.

“And what about planting Elder Demon Flower into the Sacred Fla Lord selection? Ha! With soone in the Transcendent Realm struggling to win first place, who would guess they were actually Super-Peak Realm?”

“Exactly. Truly an extraordinary man.”

Nodding, Lee Tae was asked by Myeongho,

“But why is he going to such lengths?”

“There are bound to be spies. After all, many have entered from outside.”

“Then is it just bluffing?”

“Rather than bluffing, it is more that he finds it troubleso. The Hundred Paths bastards keep clinging to us. It is like saying, ‘Preposterous nonsense. Do not even turn your gaze this way.’ Sothing like that.”

“Well, if there are six Manifestation Realm experts, who would dare try anything? Heh.”

“Honestly, the spies reporting that as information are ridiculous enough, and the Hundred Paths fools who hear it and panic are no different. Since when are Manifestation Realm experts children’s play? For six to pour out in a single era, and from a single sect at that?”

“Right. Anyone who believes that would be an idiot. Heh.”

Their conversation, filled with suppressed snickers, was spoken so softly that ordinary people could never have heard it.

The Military Farm Village residents they passed by were, by all accounts, the type who certainly should not have heard it.

And yet, for so reason, their eyes glead brightly, and aningful smiles curved at their lips.

After walking so distance past them, Lee Tae and Myeongho looked at one another and grinned.

That night, a considerable number of ssage Hawks rose from the Military Farm Village.

Several of them were seized by the hawks released by Lee Tae and Myeongho, who were waiting on a hill outside the village. But a significant number of ssage Hawks flew far to the east.

There were simply too many.

Clicking his tongue at the sight of so many, Lee Tae muttered,

“It is a complete den of demons.”

“What should we do? Shouldn’t we have caught all of them?”

“Not all, but I thought we could catch at least half. Well, it cannot be helped. Let us examine the ones we caught first.”

At Lee Tae’s words, Myeongho removed the dispatch from the leg of a ssage Hawk pinned beneath their hawk’s talons.

Among the dispatches carried by the five captured ssage Hawks, three contained reports stating that the Bright Cult possessed six Manifestation Realm experts and nine Transcendent Realm masters, including Demon Flower and the Poison Demon, who had not participated in the sparring.

However, the remaining two dispatches stated that all the Manifestation and Transcendent Realm experts were disguised, and that aside from a newly joined master nad Pageuk, who appeared to be in the Transcendent Realm, there had been no real change in the number of existing masters.

After confirming this, Lee Tae released the two ssage Hawks carrying the information they wanted to spread.

That night, Lee Tae and Myeongho drank on the hill. The quiet atmosphere beneath a sky spilling with stars made for a pleasant drink.

The three roasted pigeons they had enjoyed after so long were not bad either.

At dawn’s dim light, the Kunlun Sect was the first to receive the dispatches. Three ssage Hawks landed at once, and the number of dispatches they delivered was likewise three.

They were reports sent by secular disciples who had infiltrated the Bright Cult despite opposition from the main mountain.

In short, they were reports on the Bright Cult’s secrets, seized at the risk of their lives.

A grave problem arose with those crucial dispatches.

The three intelligence reports that had arrived simultaneously all contained completely different information.

With those three conflicting dispatches laid out before them, the Kunlun Sect Master and the Elders sat with grave expressions.