So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon? Chapter 372 : Who Is the Villain Here? (2)

Chapter 372: Who Is the Villain Here? (2)

A middle-aged man nad Won Gyu was a lifelong native of Gulang County in Gansu Province.

When the black-market thugs known as the Red Serpent Gang had forced debt onto him, and his daughter was on the verge of being sold off to repay it, the ones who'd saved her were the Maitreya Luminous Cult.

Ever since that fateful day, Won Gyu had been a devout mber of the Maitreya Luminous Cult. Now with a broken arm, he was being looked after by the sa daughter who had almost been taken from him.

"Those rotten Taoists..."

His daughter muttered under her breath, eyes glistening with tears as she looked after her father.

Won Gyu imdiately frowned. "Hush. You never know who might be listening."

His daughter turned away with a sorrowful expression and looked out through the window.

A few Taoists in plum-patterned robes were making their regular rounds through the streets of Gulang County. Most of the Mount Hua Sect’s Taoists had moved on to other counties after finishing their looting and torture, but a handful had stayed behind to keep watch over the locals.

‘If only they were still here…’

The thought she couldn’t say out loud brought back the mory of a man in a mask.

Won So-cheong, called "Cheong’ah” by the village elders, had nearly suffered sothing horrible at the hands of the Red Serpent Gang's leader about six years ago. And on that very day, a masked man had defeated the gang leader and saved her.

Thinking back on that day, Won So-cheong prayed every single day for the day of that masked man's return to save them once more.

Just then, a Taoist’s coarse shout ca from beyond the window.

"I-It’s the Demonic Cult bastards!!”

Startled by the cry, Won So-cheong rushed to the window and looked outside.

Slick.

What she saw was a young man's sword cleaving clean through a Taoist's neck.

It was a grueso sight, and yet, the first thing she felt was relief. She held too much of a grudge to feel sad about seeing one of those Taoists get killed.

"Father! They've co back!!"

She turned and called out to Won Gyu, then helped him up and stepped outside with him.

Just then, a group of people was approaching the young man who had just cut down two Taoists.

"Young Master, the remaining Mount Hua Sect’s disciples in the county have all been dealt with."

When she saw a cold-faced woman delivering her report to the young man, Won So-cheong’s intuition told her one thing.

It told her that the young man was the masked man who had saved her in the past.

"The Advent of Maitreya! Salvation for All!!!!!"

She called out and bowed deeply, her voice filled with genuine reverence, and she was not alone. Hearing the noise from the Taoists being killed, people started coming out from all over the village and began to bow to the warriors.

After watching quietly for a mont, Il-mok spoke in a calm tone.

"By now, I think you all already know that before we are the Maitreya Luminous Cult, we are people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

The villagers hesitated at his words, but Won So-cheong bowed again and cried out.

"The Heavenly Demon Descends! Ten Thousand Demons Obeys!!"

Won So-cheong was a devout believer who had attended the cult's Faith Education Center and had already been told the true identity of the Maitreya Luminous Cult. Funnily enough, she had been so swept up in devotion at the ti that she had accepted their teachings without question, but now it felt a little different.

The instructors at the Faith Education Center had taught that the Heavenly Demon was a being who governed all the evils of the world by using an even greater evil.

‘Ahh… so it’s really true.’

The man who had just struck down the evil n hurting the villagers was a perfect example of what the doctrine talked about.

"The Heavenly Demon Descends! Ten Thousand Demons Obeys!!"

Swept up in the teaching, she yelled the chant again. Inspired by her, the other villagers started bowing to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s warriors too.

"The Heavenly Demon Descends! Ten Thousand Demons Obeys!!"

Seeing the sincere devotion of the Gulang County residents, the cult's warriors each nodded with expressions of quiet elation or smiled with warmth.

Just then, the broken-ard Won Gyu let out a booming shout.

"O Heavenly Demon!! The vile Mount Hua Sect Taoists who have been tornting the common people have all moved northward!!"

Hearing Won Gyu's well-aning cry, Il-mok gestured for the warriors to settle down and replied. "First, I am not the Heavenly Demon. Second, thank you for telling us which way the Mount Hua Sect Taoists went."

Won Gyu moved to bow again with his broken arm, but Il-mok quickly stepped forward and stopped him. "Your intent is more than enough. We have to leave now to chase after those Mount Hua Sect bastards, so all of you should get so rest.”

Wanting the injured villagers to be able to rest, Il-mok simply turned and left Gulang County. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors followed right behind him.

"We'll make for Wuwei County next."

"Yes, sir!"

The warriors answered his command in unison.

In truth, even without Won Gyu's shout, Il-mok and the cult's warriors had already known the Mount Hua Sect Taoists had gone north. The reason they had gone out of their way to reach Gulang County, which was close to Lanzhou rather than the north near Xinjiang, ca down to two things.

The first was to wipe out the Mount Hua Sect in one sweep.

The second was to avoid the Orthodox Faction's main force.

If they had started from the north and swept southward, they risked running into the Orthodox Faction's main force as it marched north from Lanzhou. Likewise, if they attacked from the north, there was a risk that Mount Hua’s Sect Leader might flee south and slip past them as they scrambled to avoid the main force.

So Il-mok and the warriors had traveled in secret from Xinjiang to Gulang County via mountain paths that were largely deserted. It was a move they could only pull off because they had controlled Gansu for years and knew the lay of the land like the back of their hands.

***

anwhile, two new additions showed up in Lanzhou.

One group was shaven-headed monks dressed in orange robes, and the other wore matching uniforms of blue robes embroidered with the characters for "Azure Heaven."

Word reached Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong that these groups were approaching the manor that had once been the Maitreya Luminous Cult's scripture hall but now served as the Orthodox Faction's main base of operations. He went out to greet them with a pleased expression.

"The Buddha Venerable and the Namgung Family Head! I am truly grateful you've co all this way."

Cheok Pae-myeong offered a cupped-fist salute, and Gong Hwan, the monk known as the Buddha Venerable, pressed his palms together and recited a Buddhist chant.

Namgung Jin, the Head of the Namgung Family and known as the Sword Venerable, returned the salute with his own clasped fists.

"Amitabha."

"It has been a while, Alliance Leader."

Just as you’d expect from their titles, both of them are among the top five martial artists in the Central Plains, alongside Cheok Pae-myeong and the Supre Ultimate Sword Immortal.

Cheok Pae-myeong welcod the Shaolin and Namgung representatives and led them inside the scripture hall.

Once they arrived at the hall being used as a temporary Alliance Leader's chamber, Gongsun Hyeon ca and briefed them on what had transpired.

"So we plan to wait here a few more days for the remaining reinforcents to arrive, then advance on Xinjiang."

Namgung Jin looked bored while the Buddha Venerable recited a chant with a troubled expression.

"Hmph. That sounds tedious."

"To be chasing personal gain in the face of the great evil that is the Demonic Cult. Truly lantable, Amitabha."

After the short eting was over, the two leaders went back to their n.

"I'm less worried about the Buddha Venerable, but I'm concerned about how the Namgung Family Head might act."

Cheok Pae-myeong nodded at the words of his Chief Strategist.

If the Namgung Family started moving on their own like Mount Hua and Zhongnan had, it would create all sorts of headaches.

"Hah. We need to advance on Xinjiang as quickly as possible before our forces break apart completely.”

The very next day, while Cheok Pae-myeong was anxiously waiting for his allies to hurry up and assemble, so shocking news arrived.

"Alliance Leader!! It's the Demonic Cult!! The Demonic Cult has massacred Mount Hua's Taoists in Gulang County!!"

***

By the ti news of the Demonic Cult’s attack had just reached the Martial Alliance, Il-mok and the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had already passed through Wuwei County and were on the verge of reaching Jinchang County.

The gap between them and Lanzhou was now wide enough that a full day of riding without rest would be needed to close it.

Soon enough, they reached Jinchang County and did the sa thing they’d done in Gulang and Wuwei.

The common people who had been suffering under Mount Hua's Taoists welcod them warmly.

"The Heavenly Demon Descends! Ten Thousand Demons Obeys!!"

Il-mok watched for a mont, then issued an order to his warriors.

"We'll take turns resting in shifts."

First, they had secretly snuck through the mountains from Hami to Gulang. Then, they had ridden without a break from Gulang all the way up to Jinchang, killing Mount Hua Taoists as they went. Even the toughest warriors had to be starting to wear down by now.

When Il-mok gave the order, his n started looking for rooms in taverns, and if there weren't any, they got ready to sleep outside. Seeing this, the villagers rushed over in a panic.

"W-we have a spare room!"

The townspeople did everything they could to help, practically creating new spare rooms to offer them. They even brought out all kinds of food for the resting warriors.

Thanks to the villagers' help, the warriors were able to rest properly for a full day and left Jinchang early the next morning feeling much lighter on their feet.

They continued moving in the direction of Xinjiang, stopping at every town and village along the way to finish off the Mount Hua Taoists.

By dawn the next day, they reached Jiuquan County.

Jiuquan County is connected to Dunhuang to the west, which was a gateway toward Xinjiang. To the north, it linked to the steppe territories of the nomads.

Back when the Maitreya Luminous Cult had controlled Gansu Province, the Heavenly Light rchant Guild used to stock up here in Jiuquan before heading north.

And right now, Mount Hua's Sect Leader, the man so busy snatching up everything the cult had left behind, was staying right here in Jiuquan.

Il-mok surveyed the moonlit Jiuquan County and gave a signal and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's warriors slipped into the county under the cover of darkness.

As the warriors split into small groups and fanned out across Jiuquan County, Il-mok moved in a straight line toward a specific destination.

Among the relatively rundown buildings typical of a town at the edge of the Central Plains, one establishnt managed to give off sothing of an upscale atmosphere.

It was a place by the na of Yellow Virtue Pavilion.

Il-mok arrived at the front of the building, then launched himself straight up using his Sky Walking, sending himself directly toward the fourth and top floor in a single bound.

Slick!

With a casual flick of his sword, Il-mok sliced the window open.

The moonlight fell on his back and elongated his shadow.

Inside the building, an old Taoist was scrambling out of bed and grabbing for his sword.

Just then, screams, shouts, and the sound of weapons crashing against each other started ringing out all over Jiuquan.

The startled old Taoist shouted. "Wh-who are you?!"

Hearing the Mount Hua Sect Leader yell at him, Il-mok let out a blatant sneer.

"Funny. You've been throwing our na around to terrorize common people, and now you're asking who I am?"

"Y-You’re from the Demonic Cult!”

Just as Mokseonja roared finally putting together a rough picture of who Il-mok was, the door to his room burst open.

"Sect Leader!!"

They were the most elite swordsn Mount Hua had to offer, known as the Plum Blossom Sword Masters.

But even with their sudden intrusion, Il-mok didn't hesitate.

He launched himself forward with a burst of lightness skill and drove straight for the Mount Hua Sect Leader.

"You bastard!!"

Rattled as he was, Mokseonja channeled his signature technique, the Purple Mist Divine Art.

The second Il-mok’s Ascension Sword hit Mokseonja’s purple sword—

BOOM!!

A thunderous impact rang and Mokseonja was sent flying backward with blood spitting from his mouth.

"Ugh..."

It wasn't a flaw in the Purple Mist Divine Art.

The gap in their cultivation was simply too great, and he couldn’t withstand the raw force packed into the Ascension Sword.

Il-mok had sent Mokseonja flying in a single exchange, but all his reaction was nothing but a click of tongue and a look of mild disappointnt.

"Tch."

In a flash, seven Plum Blossom Sword Masters had him surrounded and were already attacking.

"Kill that Demonic bastard right now!!"

And Mokseonja was now screaming his head off and charged at Il-mok with a renewed sense of vigor despite the previous exchange.