He felt a bit wronged.

Although he was lying on the bed as if he was leaning on it, Cale could clearly feel that his body’s condition was extremely good.

That was why he wanted to say this to the Heavenly Demon who was shaking his head.

“I really am fine.”

He said it seriously so that it did not seem like a joke.

“I can honestly purify all of the living jiangshis in the Demon Cult right now.”

Cale noticed an odd expression that did not suit the Heavenly Demon at that moment. There was a small crack in his poker face.

“Young master Kim, you-”

The moment he was about to say something…

Boom!

Cale got scared at what sounded like a table breaking and flinched. He turned toward the direction of the noise and made eye contact with Raon.

Round dark blue eyes were staring right at Cale. Raon’s cheeks were completely puffed up.

Cale subconsciously gulped.

It was because he saw the sculpture in Raon’s chubby front paws.

The statue of the stone monk looked as if the vicious Dragon’s two front paws would break it at any moment.

“Human, don’t pay any attention to this! Keep chatting with him! I’ll just do what I need to do!”

Raon then flew over to a corner, placed the stone statue there, and started talking to it with his back to Cale.

He seemed to be saying something to Central Plains again. Cale did not dare to ask what he was saying.

Instead, he peeked toward the person who made him flinch.

At the table where Raon looked as if he would break Central Plains’ statue… There were two people sitting down drinking tea.

They were Sui Khan and Ron.

The team leader clicked his tongue as soon as they made eye contact. He just ignored that. However, Ron gently smiled toward him.

“Should I get you some tea, young master-nim?”

“Uhh, yeah-”

He answered in the confusion of the moment.

Cale’s hand soon had a teacup full of tea from Ron. The Heavenly Demon, who had been standing next to the bed, sat on a chair Ron brought over and received the same tea.

“Mm.”

The Heavenly Demon stopped for a moment after taking a sip of tea. Ron returned to his spot and calmly commented.

“This is the young master-nim’s favorite tea.”

“I see.”

The Heavenly Demon nodded before staring at Cale.

“You have quite the peculiar taste.”

“!”

Cale had so many things he wanted to say but he just kept his mouth shut. The Heavenly Demon quietly sipped the tea while Cale quickly changed topics.

The Heavenly Demon had finished what he needed to do and asked to see Cale despite it being late at night, which led to this meeting.

“It was not this hard when I purified Namgung Tae Wi.”

Boom!

Raon slammed the statue of Central Plains on the ground.

Cale quickly continued to speak.

“It wasn’t at that time either, but my body was significantly restricted at that time and a good amount of those restrictions are lifted now.”

“Restrictions?”

“Yeah. There’s something like that. Just figure it out.”

“Ha.”

The Heavenly Demon scoffed before nodding his head. Cale ignored this and continued to speak.

“Your body had exponentially more dead mana, that evil aura, than Namgung Tae Wi’s body.”

“I came after hearing about that.”

“Hearing about it?”

Cale looked confused and the Heavenly Demon wrapped his hand around the teacup as he spoke.

“It is information I gathered from the two spies from the Blood Cult.”

The two spies from the Blood Cult hidden among the Eight Pavilions and Eight Battalions…

“At least for the people of the Demon Cult who were turned into living jiangshis… Different amounts of black death energy were inserted into a person’s body based on their background and potential for growth.”

“Black death energy?”

“Black death energy is how they label what you call dead mana.”

“Mm. Keep going.”

“Furthermore, for someone like me, they continued to add more black death energy into my body at least once a year. It was their way of taking action because of the level of my martial arts.”

Cale nodded his head at the Heavenly Demon’s explanation.

If they continued to add dead mana into his body, it was understandable that so much of it was there.

“That’s a relief.”

Cale was relieved.

“Then I shouldn’t need to use as much energy to purify the other living jiangshis.”

“…….”

The Heavenly Demon did not answer. Cale looked at him and the Heavenly Demon asked with a stoic look on his face.

“You are going to continue the purification?”

“Of course. Are we not?”

‘What the heck is he talking about?’

Cale snorted.

If he had fainted in the middle of the purification and remained unconscious for a few days, he would consider stopping the purification or at least temporarily pausing it.

Purifying living jiangshis was important but Cale had to deal with the Blood Cult right now.

Fainting for a few days was not a good decision in such a situation. His friends might end up in danger.

‘But I didn’t faint and my body actually feels better than before.’

He did cough up quite a lot of blood this time but that was because this Heavenly Demon punk had so much dead mana inside of him.

Shouldn’t the others be easy?

‘At least in the Orthodox faction and the Demon Cult, there is nobody whose position is higher than the Heavenly Demon’s.’

Compared to the Heavenly Demon, both their level of martial arts and their positions were much lower.

That should mean that the amount of dead mana inside of them should not be much. It should be similar to how much was inside Namgung Tae Wi’s body.

In that case, the Fire of Destruction with seventy two percent of its seal removed together with the heater divine item should make it very easy to purify them.

‘If I also get some more elixirs to release even more of the seal-’

That would just be the icing on the cake.

There was no way for it to be difficult.

‘It might be a bit difficult if there is a living jiangshi in the Unorthodox faction whose position is at the level of the Heavenly Demon’s, but…’

At that point, wouldn’t at least eighty percent of the seal be removed?

There was a reason Cale was so certain about that.

‘Young master Kim. Can I ask why your health is like this?’

The Fist King had come over with a stiff look on his face earlier and asked.

‘Mm. It is most likely because the seal is not completely removed yet, sir.’

‘You said you need elixirs for that so-called seal?’

‘Yes sir. I especially need elixirs of the fire attribute. Of course I do need to consume a balance of the attributes as well.’

‘I see.’

Cale could tell based on the serious look on his face.

Once the doors of the Demon Cult opened again in the near future, the Fist King would find him a lot of elixirs.

Cale’s face relaxed as he thought about that happy future. However, his face quickly turned serious.

“Isn’t there something more important than the living jiangshis right now?”

His concern was elsewhere.

The Heavenly Demon blankly looked at Cale after hearing that question. Cale scowled quite a bit after seeing that the Heavenly Demon did not understand what he meant at all.

“There is no way that the Blood Cult does not know about the current situation.”

“Ah.”

The Heavenly Demon finally understood and gasped.

Cale let out a sigh.

“We covered up Namgung Tae Wi’s purification with all sorts of rumors, but… They lost contact with the two spies in the Demon Cult and you were purified. That is not something the Blood Cult will just brush aside.”

“That is true. They should have sensed that the situation around them is changing.”

The numerous rumors about the Blood Cult that suddenly appeared in the Central Plains.

The Blood Cult would not be able to ignore them. They would take some sort of action or do something to respond.

“The number of variables will increase.”

Cale was concerned about that.

“It is possible that there will be more and longer useless fights and that things will get complicated.”

Cale wanted to avoid that.

He had already been in the Central Plains for a long time.

‘I want to go home.’

Cale really wanted to go home and get some rest.

“Kim Hae-il.”

“What is it?”

Cale grumbled back at the Heavenly Demon who suddenly called out to him in a serious tone. He then flinched.

A smile was slowly appearing on the Heavenly Demon’s face.

“The fight will not extend.”

“…Huh?”

Cale subconsciously asked back after getting the chills.

“You said that you have a pretty good idea about the location of the Blood Cult? Sichuan, Yunnan, and Nanman, was it?”

“Uhh-, I think that those locations are likely to be it. But I may be wrong.”

“Even if they are not there, you think that there are some organizations in those places with connections to the Blood Cult, don’t you?”

“Yes……?”

Cale was subconsciously being cautious. It could not be helped.

‘This bastard’s gaze is weird.’

He did not look crazed. However, it made Cale feel oddly uneasy.

The smile on the Heavenly Demon’s face slowly became thicker.

Cale finally realized why that gaze made him feel so uneasy.

‘This bastard is the Heavenly Demon.’

The leader of the Demon Cult. He was someone who embodied the concept of survival of the fittest and rose to the top.

The Heavenly Demon calmly spoke.

“Kim Hae-il. It does not matter whether the enemy knows about us and prepares for us.”

He sounded completely at peace as if he was saying something obvious.

“We just destroy anything and everything they planned.”

“Huh?”

Cale blankly asked back when Raon suddenly flew over to him.

“Heavenly Demon, Heavenly Demon! What did you say? You said you’re going to destroy things? Are you going to destroy the Blood Cult?”

Raon looked at the Heavenly Demon with a sparkling gaze and the Heavenly Demon calmly spoke without being surprised at seeing a Dragon.

“Of course we are going to destroy them. We can’t just let them be, can we?”

“Heavenly Demon, I’m glad you and I see eye to eye!”

“Hooo.”

Cale flinched after hearing Ron’s quiet gasp. Sui Khan was still snickering while shaking his head.

Even that made Cale feel uneasy. Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo did not have much reaction after seeing him cough up blood. Sui Khan simply stayed by Cale’s side without leaving while Choi Jung Soo disappeared with Choi Han for a bit.

Cale felt the mood in the room going differently from what he imagined and cautiously started speaking.

“Mm, that may not be the central location of the Blood Cult and may just be a branch or something-”

Isn’t destroying everything right away a bit much?

That was what he wanted to say.

However, he could not say that after hearing the Heavenly Demon’s response.

“Why is that important?”

The Heavenly Demon asked if he was confused.

“Whether it is a branch or just a small base, the head will show up if we destroy them all. Don’t you agree?”

‘Wow.’

Cale was amazed.

The Heavenly Demon savored the tea as he continued to speak.

“Even if it is all wrapped up in this quest for justice and chivalry… Or in the grandiose name of martial arts… In the end, this is just a battlefield. And Kim Hae-il.”

The Heavenly Demon’s gaze turned cold as he looked down at the teacup. Cale subconsciously started rubbing his arm that was covered in goosebumps.

“I have already said it. I said that the Blood Cult will be destroyed.”

He truly seemed a bit scary saying this with clear and rational eyes.

Cale’s eyes clouded over after hearing what the Heavenly Demon said next.

“The brainwashed me has prepared quite a lot of manpower to invade the Central Plains. They are truly enough to fight against both the Orthodox faction and the Unorthodox faction at once.”

That was the truth.

The Demon Cult had been preparing to start the Great War of the Triumvirate. Furthermore, the Demon Cult was to be the starting point of that Great War.

That helped Cale understand why the Blood Cult wanted to focus on maintaining the Demon Cult. And why they put so much dead mana into the Heavenly Demon to tie him down.

He also understood why the Heavenly Demon was so confident that he could destroy it all.

“I plan on taking on the Blood Cult with those troops. The top executives of the Cult have all agreed.”

The Heavenly Demon and the Demon Cult truly were planning on getting rid of the Blood Cult.

The Heavenly Demon looked at Cale, whose eyes were sparkling as he sat there deep in thought after hearing his comment, and recalled the meeting he just had with the top executives in the Grand Pavilion.

That uptight old woman, Pavilion Master Gong, had shouted with the veins in her neck all tensed up.

‘We must destroy the Blood Cult that dared to infiltrate the Demon Cult!’

‘Furthermore, I request that we name young master Kim-nim, the benefactor of the Demon Cult, as an Elder! That sir is truly the person who saved the Demon Cult. We must gift him a position and reward befitting his merits!’

The Demon Cult currently did not have any elders.

It could not be helped as he had gotten rid of all of the Elders who were in cahoots with the former Heavenly Demon when he took over.

Pavilion Master Gong was at a fitting age to be an Elder but she still wanted to be in active service.

The Heavenly Demon recalled what the Sage Demon asked in regards to her request.

‘Pavilion Master Gong. Currently, the positions of Elders are empty. You know that based on the laws of the Demon Cult, the first person to become an Elder becomes the Grand Elder.’

‘Sage Demon. I am the Pavilion Master of the Law and Etiquette Pavilion. Do you think I speak without knowing that?’

‘Mm. In that case, I have no objections.’

Grand Elder.

Although this person could not compare to the Heavenly Demon, it was a position that allowed the person to make three requests that went against the will of the Heavenly Demon.

That was the reason that the former Pavilion Master of the Law and Etiquette Pavilion usually became the Grand Elder, but Pavilion Master Gong was nominating young master Kim for the position.

The Heavenly Demon recalled how the other top executives did not object to her and looked at Cale.

“What is it?”

The Heavenly Demon shook his head at Cale who looked at him with a suspicious gaze.

‘I don’t think he would want the position of Grand Elder. He is not the type to be tied down to one place and seems to be the type who would find something like that to be cumbersome.’

The Heavenly Demon had quite accurately figured out Cale’s disposition. Knowing this, he had responded this way to Pavilion Master Gong.

‘Pavilion Master Gong, please meet with young master Kim and make the offer. If he responds positively towards it, I will take it into serious consideration as well.’

Pavilion Master Gong had accepted his order with a solemn look on her face.

“Hmm.”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

Cale had this unexplainable uneasiness as he asked the Heavenly Demon again but paid no attention to it when the Heavenly Demon did not say anything and shared his thoughts.

“Anyway, if the Demon Cult will use that much manpower to take on the Blood Cult…”

If that was the case…

“That method of destroying everything isn’t bad either.”

Honestly speaking, he had been doing things quite quietly in the Central Plains without any major fights.

It would not be that bad to clash face to face with the Blood Cult.

“That is the easiest method.”

The Heavenly Demon agreed with Cale and said one more thing before making a suggestion.

“I plan on meeting with the people of the Orthodox faction and the Unorthodox faction tomorrow to share our plan and ask for their thoughts. Kim Hae-il, if you are able to move, I think it would be great for you to participate as well.”

“Ah. Of course I’ll go.”

Cale agreed without any issues.

Since they all saw him purify the Heavenly Demon, the meeting should go as Cale wanted.

“I’m completely fine so I can definitely go.”

His condition should be even better by tomorrow.

Cale smiled with satisfaction. Things seemed to be going well one after another.

* * *

The next day.

The Demon Cult, Orthodox faction, and the Unorthodox faction. A meeting of pretty important figures from the three major forces.

‘Why are they all looking at me like that?’

Cale scowled after seeing the gazes of the people in the room as soon as he entered.

They were all looking at him with sentimental and sorrowful looks on their faces.

Everybody but the Heavenly Demon was doing that.

—

Translator’s Comments

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

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