CLS-Chapter 661

Chapter 661:

The Historian looked at Divine Beggar with a tense expression.

He had heard that the situation at Mount Hua was not favorable, but hearing it directly from the person involved was enough to cause tension in the listener.

“Was the Demonic Cult really that strong?”

“What have you heard so far?”

“…No. I know they were strong, but…”

The Historian smacked his lips.

He had heard enough about how strong the Demonic Cult was to be sick of it. But Wei Yan-ho had clashed with the cult’s leaders and survived, and after growing stronger, he had even defeated two of the Demonic Cult’s leaders.

So there was bound to be a gap between what he knew and what he felt.

“I know what you’re thinking. That’s why you still don’t understand Wei Yan-ho.”

“Hmm…”

The Historian nodded heavily. Divine Beggar was right.

“The Demonic Cult is strong. Really strong. Words like ‘the strongest single organization in history’ cannot describe the Demonic Cult. Rather, such modifiers tend to diminish the Demonic Cult’s strength.”

“Diminish it, you say…”

“Saying it’s the strongest single organization in history means it’s the strongest among single organizations, doesn’t it? That also means there were alliances stronger than the Demonic Cult.”

“Ah!”

“That’s how the Central Plains subtly diminishes the Demonic Cult. In reality, the Demonic Cult was stronger than the Righteous Martial Alliance. Even the Righteous Martial Alliance, which is said to have more than fifty percent of the martial world’s total power, couldn’t compete with the Demonic Cult alone.”

The Historian nodded.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“Speak.”

“Just how did the Demonic Cult become so strong?”

“Hm?”

Divine Beggar looked at the Historian with a dumbfounded expression. It was a somewhat out-of-the-blue question.

“When you think about it, isn’t it strange? Don’t the martial artists of the Central Plains dedicate their entire lives to cultivation?”

“That’s right.”

“While demonic arts may be superior to orthodox arts in terms of destructive power, orthodox arts shouldn’t be greatly inferior. Yet the more numerous Central Plains cannot handle a single Demonic Cult – this is hard to understand. In fact, if we coldly examine the situation, shouldn’t we acknowledge that demonic arts are superior to orthodox arts?”

Divine Beggar frowned.

The Historian swallowed nervously.

Saying that demonic arts could be superior to orthodox arts was practically taboo among martial artists. Even though Divine Beggar had stepped back from the martial world, he might have touched a sore spot.

“There’s some truth to that.”

“…Pardon?”

“Demonic arts are somewhat stronger.”

“…”

But Divine Beggar’s reaction was completely contrary to the Historian’s expectations.

“Is, is it alright to acknowledge that so easily?”

“It’s the truth, so what’s the problem?”

Divine Beggar picked his ear and blew on his finger with a puff.

“Your words aren’t particularly wrong. Actually, comparing the situations of the Central Plains and the Demonic Cult is embarrassing. Between us who occupy the fertile lands of the Central Plains and the Demonic Cult living on that barren land, there’s no need to question who has the better environment.”

Divine Beggar shrugged his shoulders.

“But having a good environment doesn’t necessarily make you stronger.”

It’s common for those in harsh environments to harbor poison and become stronger. In most cases, those with better environments tend to be superior, though.

“If the Central Plains and the Demonic Cult switched positions, there’s no guarantee the Central Plains would lose. What’s important isn’t that. It’s a matter of who was more desperate, and who worked harder. Honestly, in this regard, the Central Plains couldn’t match the Demonic Cult. Their obsession was eerie.”

“The Demonic Cult won in their desire for the Central Plains.”

“That’s part of it.”

Divine Beggar chuckled.

“They were a religion to begin with, weren’t they? Religious fanatics often show fervor that’s hard to understand from a normal perspective.”

“Hmm…”

“And what you said is also correct. The demonic arts of that time were definitely superior to the orthodox arts of the Central Plains in many ways.”

“…”

The Historian narrowed his eyes.

Even if that were true, it wasn’t something Divine Beggar should say. He had just probed slightly, but this response left the Historian flustered instead.

“Is it alright for you to say such things?”

“What’s wrong with calling the truth the truth?”

“But…”

“Are you saying martial artists ignore and reject the Demonic Cult?”

“…”

“That’s true. That’s definitely true. But that’s not everything. If you can’t acknowledge an opponent you should acknowledge, you’ll eventually become obsolete without development.”

It could be called a very open attitude.

“And it’s not such a shameful thing.”

“Pardon?”

“If the Central Plains’ martial learning was inferior to the Demonic Cult’s, that’s honestly a bit uncomfortable. But if there were circumstances that warranted it, there’s nothing to be uncomfortable about.”

Circumstances?

The Historian tilted his head. He couldn’t understand what circumstances could justify the Central Plains’ martial learning being inferior to the Demonic Cult’s, no matter how hard he thought.

“Do you know how long the Demonic Cult’s history spans?”

“If we’re talking about history alone, I understand the Demonic Cult’s history is no less than that of the martial world.”

“As expected of someone who studies history, you know well. Then let me ask again. Do you know how long the Demonic Cult has been a threat to the Central Plains?”

“That’s…”

The Historian couldn’t answer.

This was something he hadn’t thought about.

“Wasn’t it always a threatening presence to the Central Plains since the Heavenly Demon appeared in the past?”

“No.”

Divine Beggar shook his head firmly.

“When the Heavenly Demon appeared, the Demonic Cult certainly held an advantage over the Central Plains. The Heavenly Demon was worthy of being called the greatest person of all time.”

“Until the Sword Emperor appeared.”

“That’s right.”

Divine Beggar showed his yellowed teeth and laughed.

“But while the Heavenly Demon’s existence may have led the Demonic Cult, his existence couldn’t change the Demonic Cult. This can be called a chronic problem of the demonic followers.”

“A chronic problem, you say?”

“They can’t unite.”

Divine Beggar shrugged.

“Of course, the major sects of the Central Plains don’t always get along harmoniously either. Sometimes they clash so fiercely it makes the Demonic Cult look pale. But the Central Plains knows when to fight and when to cooperate. And they also exchange with each other.”

“That’s right.”

“But the Demonic Cult is different. Even during wars with the Central Plains, they never stopped their mutual antagonism. The ones with the worst relationships in the world are probably the Demonic Cult’s leaders.”

“…Yet they still pushed back the Central Plains.”

“That’s what makes the Demonic Cult remarkable. We have to acknowledge that. Anyway, the Demonic Cult’s mutual antagonism is a long tradition. The problem is this continues even when a perfect cult leader emerges.”

“Hmm.”

“If a perfect cult leader who seized control emerged, the Demonic Cult should develop to the next level. But in reality, that’s not the case. While they display incredible power when suppressing other leaders with their own strength, that momentum doesn’t continue once that cult leader is gone.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they don’t have the concept of nurturing successors.”

Divine Beggar chuckled.

“Everyone in the Demonic Cult competes with everyone else. So they can be said to be each other’s enemies. That infinite competition makes the Demonic Cult strong, but being buried in competition makes development impossible.”

“Indeed.”

“If an outstanding figure like the Heavenly Demon was produced, the Demonic Cult should have become stronger. But what actually happened? The Demonic Cult failed to inherit the Heavenly Demon’s legacy and lost it all. Then they experienced an endless dark age.”

“Certainly…”

“Isn’t it strange?”

“Pardon?”

“At one point, the Demonic Cult completely lost its presence. The Central Plains might remember the Heavenly Demon, but they didn’t guard against the Demonic Cult. Actually, revival is something you can only aim for when you have some foundation. But the Demonic Cult had completely lost that foundation. Does it make sense to revive from there to the point of pushing back the Central Plains?”

“…But didn’t the Demonic Cult also have an outstanding cult leader called the Great Demon Emperor?”

“No.”

Divine Beggar shook his head.

“There are countless sects in the world, but ultimately, the sects capable of producing the world’s greatest are limited. Even if people with the same talent and effort enter different sects and work equally hard, their levels will differ depending on what martial arts they learn. The Demonic Cult had completely lost the martial arts needed to create the emergence of new strong individuals.”

“Then indeed…”

“Yes, it’s the Heavenly Demon. Thanks to his revival.”

Divine Beggar’s face darkened slightly.

“We had already missed something then.”

The Historian’s eyes filled with questions.

“What was that?”

“…The Heavenly Demon’s revival was faster than we thought. He was already dominating the Demonic Cult before the Great Demon Emperor led the cult.”

“Pardon?”

The Historian’s head snapped up in surprise.

“Before the Great Demon Emperor?”

“That’s right.”

“No, then why didn’t the Heavenly Demon come forward…”

“He couldn’t come forward.”

Divine Beggar sighed.

“We thought this war was the final war to end the long grudge between the Central Plains and the Demonic Cult.”

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“That wasn’t it.”

“…”

Divine Beggar shook his head.

“The regular followers might not know, but for the Demonic Cult’s leadership, this war wasn’t a conquest war. They simply moved as the Heavenly Demon desired. And the Heavenly Demon had a separate purpose.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You’ll know soon. Perhaps all the stories I’ve told so far were for this one moment. That day… yes, that day. The Central Plains fell to the very edge of despair. Even falling into the abyss of a bottomless pit without a single ray of light wouldn’t have been so despairing. We just watched. The destruction of the Central Plains, and the end of an era.”

“…Divine Beggar?”

Divine Beggar’s presence pressed down on the Historian.

Divine Beggar was trembling as if just thinking about that time made him shudder.

Fear.

Just watching was enough for the fear to be contagious.

Just how strong and terrifying was the Heavenly Demon to make this great person tremble even after all these years?

“It was too terrible even for the martial world. But… compared to the shock that fellow would receive, the martial world’s shock was nothing. If we were trapped in an abyss, that fellow truly fell into hell.”

“When you say ‘that fellow’?”

“Yan-ho, Wei Yan-ho.”

The Historian couldn’t understand what this meant at all.

Why would Wei Yan-ho fall into hell when the Heavenly Demon appeared?

“Now I’ll tell you everything. Why Wei Yan-ho became a hero yet couldn’t be a hero, why the world thoroughly concealed Wei Yan-ho’s life. Now you must prepare yourself. Sometimes the truth is too frightening.”

In the dawn filled with twilight,

Divine Beggar opened his mouth with a heavy voice.

“When Wei Yan-ho arrived, the battlefield was reaching its climax. And Wei Yan-ho… displayed a divine prowess never seen before. And… that was the beginning.”