Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Demonic Cult’s Chilryun.

Comparable to Central Plains’ Sipcheon, or perhaps even stronger, almost nothing is known about them in Central Plains.

Actually, that might be natural. Chilryun becoming known means Chilryun has begun activities, and Chilryun beginning activities means there’s no one who can stop them unless they’re of the same level, the Sipcheon.

In recent decades, there hasn’t been a blood calamity in the war with the Demonic Cult. That means Chilryun has never stepped forward and operated on the front lines.

Therefore, regrettably, even though Jeokyeol introduced himself, Seomun Cheok couldn’t know who Jeokyeol was.

Because nothing is known about Chilryun.

Tuk!

“Eat.”

Looking at Jeokyeol speaking while throwing a well-sealed leather pouch, Seomun Cheok, who kept silent, cautiously opened the leather pouch. Inside the large leather pouch were dozens of silver pills.

“What is…… this?”

“Jeongmyeongdan.”

“Jeongmyeongdan?”

“It’s medicine for Central Plains people like you to survive here. It has the role of condensing internal power so you’re not affected by demonic energy. One pill can last about a day.”

“Anyway.”

At the sight of Seomun Cheok looking at him with wary eyes, Jeokyeol clicked his tongue and flicked his hand, then forcibly opened Seomun Cheok’s mouth. Unable to resist at all due to the overwhelming internal power pressing down on his entire body, Seomun Cheok’s mouth opened.

“Euup!”

“It’s troublesome to persuade you too, and you can’t resist anyway, so wouldn’t it be nice if you just ate?”

“I, I’ll eat on my own!”

“Too late.”

Jeokyeol threw the Jeongmyeongdan into the opened mouth and tapped the uvula, making Seomun Cheok reflexively swallow. And at that moment, the air clearly changed.

“……The demonic energy.”

“More comfortable now?”

“……Yes.”

“That’s fortunate. Use it sparingly. It’s expensive.”

Looking at Jeokyeol snorting, Seomun Cheok mumbled then bowed his head and took the pouch, feeding Jeongmyeongdan to Seohwa and Wangpal as well. And Jeokyeol, who watched that scene for a moment, then spoke.

“Anyway, I can’t understand it. You greenhorns came this deep without even having Jeongmyeongdan.”

“This deep……?”

“Yes. Didn’t you know where this is?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s the center of Daemak. A place at least five hundred li away from even the border.”

“Five hundred li…….”

Why did we fall in such a place?

At the sight of Seomun Cheok involuntarily letting out a contemplative sound, Jeokyeol shook his head.

“Seeing how things are, it doesn’t seem like you fell here intentionally, so I’ll guide you to the way out. Leave quietly. It’ll be troublesome if it’s discovered you’re Central Plains people.”

“……Pardon? You’re not capturing us?”

“What for?”

“……Aren’t you a Demonic Cult person?”

“I’m certainly a Divine Cult person, but if you think all Divine Cult people hate Central Plains people, that’s a mistake. Well, even someone like me thinks Central Plains people are quite wicked, but still.”

Jeokyeol, who let out a chuckle, shook his head and looked at the collapsed ones.

“Do you know there are two factions in the Divine Cult?”

“……I don’t know.”

“Then you should listen carefully to what you’re hearing now. The Divine Cult is divided into two factions. The war faction led by Ilryun and the peace faction headed by the Divine Maiden.”

“Ilryun and Divine Maiden…….”

At names that seemed vaguely familiar, Seomun Cheok let out a contemplative sound and listened carefully, while Jeokyeol smiled and continued speaking.

“What is the war faction?”

“Isn’t it a faction that advocates war?”

“Correct. Then you can guess who the war is against, right? The war faction is a faction that advocates waging war with Central Plains martial world. A faction that argues the Divine Cult should throw off its shackles, leave Xinjiang, and establish themselves in Central Plains martial world.”

“Most of those you Central Plains people fight tooth and nail are people from this faction. Though there are occasional cases of fighting with peace faction members who went on excursions, the ratio would be low.”

After pausing for a moment, Jeokyeol continued speaking while blocking the swirling sandstorm with protective energy and furrowing his brow. The wind growing stronger.

“The weather is damn annoying when it’s clear. Anyway, the war faction is like that.”

“What kind of people are the peace faction?”

“As the name suggests, they’re principled people who follow the Divine Maiden. That we must not abandon the Divine Cult’s duty. That doing our best in our respective positions is the proper way as humans. Such people.”

“……The Divine Cult’s duty?”

“You don’t need to know what the duty is. Just think there are such people. Anyway, unlike the war faction, the peace faction isn’t hostile toward you. Though they’re not friendly either.”

“……Then Jeokyeol elder, are you from the peace faction?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s different. I’m neutral.”

“Neutral?”

“The person I served was just the previous generation’s Divine Maiden. I’m neither war faction nor peace faction. I think both sides’ opinions are all valid.”

Seureurung!

Jeokyeol, who smiled stickily, drew his short sword and pushed the blade with his finger while continuing the story.

“The current peace faction is half-baked.”

“You won’t understand, so let me explain a bit more. The one currently leading the Divine Cult’s peace faction is the Divine Maiden Deputy.”

“Divine Maiden…… Deputy? Not the Divine Maiden?”

“Right. Currently, our cult’s Divine Maiden position is vacant. The bloodline was severed after the previous previous Divine Maiden passed away.”

“For our cult, the Divine Maiden is a very symbolic existence. The reason the peace faction has been able to maintain its position despite being pushed back in power compared to the war faction until now is because the existence called the Divine Maiden was guarding the peak of the peace faction.”

Even saying she’s symbolic doesn’t mean she has no real power. Especially, the Divine Maiden is the person who presides over all the Divine Cult’s rituals and official ceremonies.

As long as the Divine Maiden is alive, no matter how much the war faction holds power, they cannot ignore the peace faction’s opinions. Because the Divine Maiden is the Divine Cult’s symbol, like a lamp.

But now that there’s no Divine Maiden?

“There’s no one to check Ilryun.”

“The peace faction, which was already pushed back in power compared to the war faction, is now almost unable to raise its voice. Including Ilryun, most of Chilryun are lending their voices to the war faction, and including me, there are only two Chilryun who are neutral or supporting the peace faction. Do you understand what this means?”

“……It means most Demonic Cult people hate Central Plains people.”

“Right. And don’t call the Divine Cult the Demonic Cult in front of me. I know you were educated that way, but it’s not a very pleasant name to hear.”

“……Understood.”

“You’re quick to understand.”

Looking at Seomun Cheok answering solemnly, Jeokyeol smiled and spun his short sword before sheathing it at his waist. And the words that followed.

“I’m not like that, but most Divine Cult people won’t look favorably on you. Enough to want to kill you if they see you.”

“So it would be better to get out before being discovered. If you navigate the path well, you can get out in about three weeks, so don’t worry too much. Since I have ties with you, I can guide you that much at least. You and…….”

“I apologize, but that won’t be possible.”

“Hm?”

“Actually, there are companions who got separated.”

“Separated…… companions?”

“Yes.”

At the sight of Seomun Cheok explaining the circumstances while nodding his head, Jeokyeol, who had been listening quietly, furrowed his brow. It was a troublesome situation.

“So you’re saying one of your companions went ahead to find a settlement?”

“Yes.”

“How long has it been since they left?”

“Quite a while. About half a shichen…….”

“Then they’re already dead.”

“Pardon?”

“You must have made that decision because you didn’t know what region this area is.”

Jeokyeol, who shook his head repeatedly, continued speaking.

“This Daemak is a place teeming with yokai. Do you know that?”

“Well, I know there are yokai like that…….”

“It’s not to that extent. Those yokai that attacked you are the lowest class in this place, literally trivial weak yokai. There are yokai teeming here that even I, a Chilryun, can’t look down on easily.”

“Someone of similar level to you going to such a place? The moment they encounter a yokai, you can consider them dead. Settlements receive our cult’s protection so they’re relatively safe, but the nearest settlement is at least two hundred li away from here.”

“In the first place, even arriving at a settlement doesn’t guarantee safety. As I said, settlements receive our cult’s protection, and the moment you people catch our cult members’ eyes, who knows what will happen.”

In the center, it would have been fine. The center is barren, so yokai rarely roam around there.

Where there’s no prey or anything to drink, there’s no reason for yokai to specifically be in the desert’s center. Rather, yokai are concentrated toward the edges of Daemak. That’s why they only encountered yokai around here, which is relatively closer to the edges than the center.

“You said it’s been half a shichen since they left?”

“If half a shichen has passed, there’s nothing that can be done now. The probability is high that they already encountered a yokai and died.”

Give up.

Looking at Seomun Cheok’s expression gradually becoming gloomy, Jeokyeol, who shook his head, sighed. And.

“I don’t understand why you made such a decision in the first place. If they’re similar level to you all, their situation would have been similar to yours anyway. Did you send them with the heart of grasping at straws?”

Just as Jeokyeol, who guessed the situation, was about to speak reproachfully.

“……San wasn’t affected by demonic energy.”

At Seomun Cheok’s words, Jeokyeol, who had been reproaching Seomun Cheok, froze stiffly.

“……What did you just say?”

For him, it was something he couldn’t overlook.

“What did you just say? Who wasn’t affected by demonic energy?”

“Our companion San. That one wasn’t affected by demonic energy…….”

“Is the name San? The surname, what’s the surname?”

“Pardon? The surname is Baengri…….”

“Damn it all.”

Jeokyeol, who spat out a curse, slightly turned the tip of his foot and gritted his teeth. The worst situation that could be imagined.

“Which way did they go?”

“Pardon? That way.”

“Don’t go anywhere and wait here.”

“What do you mean…….”

Kwaaaaang—!!!

His form stretches out.

Jeokyeol, who unfolded lightness skill with all his power, clenched his fist while repeating thoughts. A heart that absolutely won’t calm down.

‘Why is the Young Lady here……?’

He remembers leaving a warning when he saw Baengri Un two years ago. To hide more carefully if hiding. That he would visit soon.

After that, he didn’t specifically visit. He heard news that they had secluded the sect, and he thought the clever Young Master would handle it well. Because Young Master knew what would happen if Young Lady caught others’ eyes.

‘Young Lady came here?’

The name Baengri San. A body not affected by demonic energy.

There can’t be more such characteristics. There’s no way Sword Emperor Baengri Gang took a new wife, and even if he did, wouldn’t they be unaffected by demonic energy due to different bloodlines?

‘Young Lady must not be injured or go to a settlement.’

If they’re ordinary cult members, it’s fine. However, the moment she catches the eyes of experienced cult members who remember thirty years ago, Young Lady’s identity will be exposed.

Jeokyeol, who raised his lightness skill to full power, unfolded it in the direction Seomun Cheok had indicated. And.

After one gak.

“……Damn it.”

Jeokyeol, who stopped while unfolding lightness skill, quietly spat out a curse.

A tremendously large sand dune was split in half along with a house-sized yokai’s corpse.

As if struck down by a giant deity’s sword, very sharply.