Cheon Myeong stared intently at the bird in the portrait.
It resembled Baekjo... no, it was more than just a resemblance.
Of course, the bird in the portrait seed much larger than Baekjo, but if Baekjo were to grow up like the bird in the portrait in the future, it seed they would beco completely identical.
"..."
A coincidence... perhaps?
Couldn't Cheon Seon have also raised a bird, just like him?
And that bird just happened to be a bird with a completely white body, just like Baekjo, and by coincidence, of the sa bird of prey species...
'...No, it's too botherso to dismiss it as a coincidence.'
If that bird was drawn in a portrait of all places, he couldn't help but think that the bird was an important existence to Cheon Seon.
In fact, the Three Sacred Treasures drawn in the portrait were later made into replicas and were even made into the sacred treasures of the Demonic Cult.
Although he didn't know the reason, could it be that the bird drawn there also had sothing equivalent to the Three Sacred Treasures?
Cheon Myeong suddenly had that thought.
"Don't they look alike?"
At that mont, Cheon Jin asked Cheon Myeong, who was concentrating on the portrait.
"You were also definitely raising a bird that looked similar to that one."
"..."
"So when you ca in with that bird on your shoulder during the Heavenly Demon Festival, I was a little surprised."
This was the reason why Cheon Jin had smiled when he saw Cheon Myeong at the Heavenly Demon Festival.
Of course, at that ti, he had just thought it was a coincidence and Cheon Jin had also just let it go lightly, but now his thoughts had changed a little.
'So where on earth is the way to reach the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?'
Cheon Myeong also admitted that the bird in the portrait and Baekjo's appearance were similar.
However, there was no way Cheon Jin would have brought him all the way here just to show him sothing like that.
What Cheon Myeong was interested in was, by all ans, the way to the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
"Are you saying that it is related to being able to awaken the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"
"It could be said that it is related."
What on earth was that ambiguous answer?
Cheon Myeong couldn't help but feel frustrated at Cheon Jin's tone, which was like he was giving a riddle.
"There is a story that has been passed down only to the leaders of our cult since ancient tis."
Another old story?
However, since it seed that sothing important would co out, Cheon Myeong silently listened to Cheon Jin's words.
"The first leader and Heavenly Demon of our cult. Cheon Seon is also the person who created the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that we are practicing now."
"..."
"Because of that Heavenly Demon Divine Art, our cult has been able to maintain its lineage until now, and the successive leaders have been able to maintain their powerful authority using that power."
It was all a story he knew.
Originally, that lineage would be cut off after Cheon Jin, but there was no need to say that in this place.
"However."
At that mont, the atmosphere felt from Cheon Jin's voice changed distinctly.
"The martial art that Cheon Seon, that person, used is different from what we are practicing now."
"...What do you an by that?"
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Art that he used can be said to be a perfect martial art that has reached the ultimate aning. However, it ans that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that has been passed down since then is not."
This was a story on a similar level to when he had heard that the Three Sacred Treasures were actually replicas.
Therefore, Cheon Myeong chewed on the story he had just heard inwardly and repeated it.
'So... the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that has been passed down for generations was not actually perfect, and its starting point was after the first Heavenly Demon?'
In the past, Cheon Myeong had thought that the starting point was definitely Cheon Jin's generation.
However, hearing Cheon Jin's words, he could know that that was not the case, and that the current form of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had been continuously passed down from the second leader.
"..."
Then why had the secret formula of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art been lost in Cheon Seon's generation, of all people? Cheon Myeong couldn't help but have that question.
'At that ti, there was no reason for the secret formula to be lost.'
The reason why Cheon Myeong had thought that the secret formula had been lost in Cheon Jin's generation was because the Demonic Cult had begun to be divided at this point.
He had thought that a part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had also been lost in the process of transmission due to the chaotic situation and the lack of a suitable successor.
However, in Cheon Seon's generation, the Demonic Cult would never have been in such a situation.
At that ti, the Demonic Cult had just been established. So it could be said that the authority of the Demonic Cult was rather stronger than at any other ti.
In other words, it would be a natural flow of thought to think that there were no external hindrances in the process of transmitting the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
"Why was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art transmitted in an incomplete state from that ti?"
Cheon Myeong imdiately asked Cheon Jin the question he had felt.
"I don't know."
"...?"
"However, it is said that the transmission of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in an incomplete state was the will of Cheon Seon, that person."
All of this was Cheon Seon's will...?
Why did the person who had founded the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, of all people, do such a thing himself?
The more Cheon Myeong heard, the more questions seed to arise.
"However, there is sothing he said."
"..."
"When our cult faces a crisis, find the Three Sacred Treasures. If you do so, you will be able to awaken the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
"...!"
If he found the Three Sacred Treasures, he would be able to awaken the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
Could it be that that was the thod Cheon Jin had ntioned?
'But the Three Sacred Treasures...'
They must have disappeared from our cult a long ti ago.
So in modern tis, aren't they using replicas modeled after them as the sacred treasures of our cult?
In other words, as long as he didn't know the whereabouts of the real Three Sacred Treasures, it ant that even if he knew the way to awaken the ultimate aning, it was impossible to realize that thod.
'It's no different from a pie in the sky.'
Although it could be said that the situation was better than before just by learning the way to awaken the ultimate aning, there was no change in the fact that he could do nothing.
No, rather, he felt more empty because he knew the thod.
"...However, as the leader said before, since the real Three Sacred Treasures have already left our cult and disappeared a long ti ago, it would be useless even if I know the thod."
"There is a way to find the real Three Sacred Treasures."
"...!"
There's a way like that?
Cheon Jin, this guy was definitely a master at making people's blood boil.
If he had his way, he wanted to ask why he was dragging it out like this instead of saying it all at once, but the words that there was a way to find the Three Sacred Treasures sounded so happy that Cheon Myeong didn't even have ti to have that thought.
"What is it!"
"..."
Swish-.
At Cheon Myeong's question, Cheon Jin silently pointed sowhere with his finger.
Cheon Myeong, who naturally turned his head to the side Cheon Jin's finger was pointing to. Then, he could see that what Cheon Jin was pointing at with his finger now was the bird in Cheon Seon's portrait.
'A bird?'
What about that bird?
While Cheon Myeong was feeling that question, Cheon Jin opened his mouth.
"That bird will be the guide that will lead you to the place where the Three Sacred Treasures are."
"..."
"I had thought until now that that story was just a baseless tale, but isn't it strange?"
As Cheon Jin asked, Cheon Myeong turned his head from the portrait to Cheon Jin.
"You are actually raising a guy that looks just like the bird in that portrait."
"..."
"That guy might lead you to the place where the Three Sacred Treasures are."
Baekjo... a guide that will lead to the Three Sacred Treasures?
As soon as he heard those words, Cheon Myeong shook his head.
"That won't be it. To think that Baekjo can play that role."
"...?"
"The bird I'm raising only knows how to eat a lot of at and can't do anything else."
Cheon Myeong, who was speaking firmly.
At that attitude, Cheon Jin seed a little embarrassed and cleared his throat.
"Ahem... yes, since it's just a story that has been passed down, all of this may not be true."
"..."
"Still, this story is only passed down orally to the successive leaders. So, just like the Three Sacred Treasures, you must not tell anyone what I have just told you."
And yet he told him such a story?
'Does that an Cheon Jin has now recognized as his successor?'
No, it's still too early to make a hasty judgnt with just this.
Just because soone who has been tornting you all this ti does sothing nice once, you can't see that person in a good light, can you?
Because of Cheon Jin's past actions towards him, he couldn't help but still have doubts.
"I understand."
Still, since it was true that Cheon Jin had told him a fact that could be called a secret of the Demonic Cult, Cheon Myeong obediently answered.
Of course, the story so far could have been just sothing Cheon Jin had made up, but since Cheon Jin didn't seem to be good enough with words to make up such a story, it would be okay to think of it as believing him for now.
'By the way...'
It felt like he had taken a long detour. However, to summarize it simply, it was the sa as saying that in the end, he could not awaken the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Well, according to Cheon Jin's words, there might be sothing if he found the Three Sacred Treasures that were sowhere in this world, but since that would just be a baseless tale, it would be unreasonable to have high expectations for that.
Even if the hidden range was within Xinjiang, it would be impossible to find, and if it spread to the entire martial arts world, it could be considered completely impossible to find.
Of course, it would be a different story if Baekjo played the role of a treasure map that guided him to the place where the Three Sacred Treasures were hidden, as Cheon Jin had said.
'That's unlikely.'
Still, should he ask Baekjo once he got back?
Cheon Myeong was secretly harboring that expectation in his heart.
"Co to think of it, I haven't heard it yet."
"...?"
As Cheon Jin suddenly said that, Cheon Myeong looked at Cheon Jin with a puzzled face.
"State your reward for this rit."
"That... didn't I say it before?"
"With my power, I cannot make you awaken the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. So state another reward you want."
Uh... this guy, what's with him since a while ago?
Not only did he kindly bring him here and tell him the secret hidden in the Three Sacred Treasures, but now he's going to give him a reward for his rit?
Cheon Myeong had naturally thought that Cheon Jin would just lump the secret of the Three Sacred Treasures and the reward for his rit together.
But hearing what he was saying, wasn't Cheon Jin saying that he would give him a separate reward apart from that?
At his unusual behavior, Cheon Myeong couldn't help but be suspicious first.
'Ah.'
Could it be that Cheon Jin's view of him had changed because he had overwheld Su Yeongseong at the Heavenly Demon Festival?
Because of that incident, the views of most of the people there towards him would have changed, so it wouldn't be that strange that Cheon Jin's view had also changed.
'He's recognized my true worth and is now trying to be nice to in a hurry.'
I didn't see him that way. As expected, does Cheon Jin also have a snobbish side?
Well, for him, it was better for Cheon Jin to be a snob. Then there would be crumbs like this falling for him.
Of course, to change his perception of Cheon Jin for the better, he would have to offer a rice cake, not crumbs, but since he could get indigestion if he ate in a hurry, Cheon Myeong decided to nibble on the crumbs first.
'But what should I ask for as a reward?'
To be honest, since he had only been thinking of receiving the secret formula of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, nothing ca to mind when he tried to think of another reward.
Asking for wealth or a spiritual elixir seed a little disappointing...
"Leader, would it be okay if I think about it for a mont?"
"I'll give you half a quarter of an hour."
Just half a quarter of an hour?
What a petty guy, he could have given a little more.
However, since ti was already passing even while he was complaining, Cheon Myeong hurriedly began to think.
And after the promised half a quarter of an hour had passed, Cheon Myeong put down the hand that was holding his chin and said to Cheon Jin.
"I've decided."
"..."
"What I want is..."
From Cheon Jin's expression after hearing the reward from Cheon Myeong, a sowhat subtle emotion seed to be felt.
(End of Chapter)
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