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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Evil Ties and Good Ties
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For nearly three hundred years after the fall of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the demonic path had been fractured and divided. The one who unified it all was the Thunderclap Demon Emperor, Gwan Hyo.
A man approached Infinite Sky Pavilion, Gwan Hyo's residence. With every step he took, the killing intent of the warriors guarding the pavilion poured down like sharpened blades. Yet the man's expression remained relaxed, his strides leisurely as if he were out for a stroll.
The one tense was Yul Sarim, the Sky Guard Unit Leader responsible for the pavilion's defense.
"What should we do, Leader?"
Deputy Leader Neung Cho asked, his face stiff with tension.
"No order to let him in. We block him, of course."
Yul Sarim spoke as if affirming it to himself rather than answering.
"What business do you have, Divine Demon Leader?"
Sima Geon halted his steps and replied indifferently.
"I've come to see the Cult Leader."
"Withdraw. The order barring entry hasn't been lifted."
Sima Geon's eyes narrowed slightly, sending a chill rippling through the surroundings.
"Hearing the same thing every day for a fortnight is getting tiresome."
Yul Sarim's unease grew at Sima Geon's cold response. His gaze caught the sword hanging at Sima Geon's waist.
Yul Sarim's face hardened. His eyes trembled wildly, his lips quivering unwittingly with fear.
In Infinite Sky Pavilion, the only ones permitted to carry weapons besides the Sky Guard Unit guards were the Divine Demon Division Leader, Sima Geon.
It was Sima Geon who had made monumental contributions to unifying the demonic path and establishing the new Heavenly Demon Cult, elevating Gwan Hyo of the Divine Demon Clan as its leader.
In gratitude, Gwan Hyo granted Sima Geon the authority to be forgiven once—even for treason—and the right to enter Infinite Sky Pavilion armed with his sword.
Yet Sima Geon had never once entered with his sword drawn until now.
But today was different.
The plain sword dangling loosely at his waist felt unbearably heavy.
It radiated a resolve not to back down this time.
Can we stop him?
Yul Sarim glanced around.
Exactly thirty Sky Guard Unit members encircled Sima Geon.
They were the finest late-stage disciples handpicked from the Divine Demon Clan itself, confident they could hold off any expert in the world.
And then there's the Diamond Yaksha.
Yul Sarim's eyes shifted to the hulking man lurking casually behind Sima Geon.
Diamond Yaksha Cheol Woo, deputy of the Divine Demon Division.
Though somewhat overshadowed by Sima Geon, the name Diamond Yaksha carried no less weight.
A staunch ally to his own, but more terrifying than Yama himself to enemies. What made him all the more frightening now was that he obeyed only Sima Geon's commands.
Not even the Cult Leader's orders or authority could make him so much as smirk—he'd brush them off lightly.
"I must see the Cult Leader. Step aside."
Sima Geon's words sounded like a final warning, making every hair on Yul Sarim's body stand on end, but he held his ground.
"No order to admit you. Please leave."
He tried to sound firm, but the tremor in Yul Sarim's desperate voice betrayed him.
"Will you block me?"
Yul Sarim couldn't answer easily.
His subordinates' lives hung on his words.
Damn it!
He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He desperately wanted to let him pass, but without the Cult Leader's permission, he couldn't allow Sima Geon through.
"Forgive me. Protecting Infinite Sky Pavilion and the Cult Leader is the Sky Guard Unit's duty."
Yul Sarim drew his sword heavily, and the encircling Sky Guard members drew theirs in unison.
"Ha! Have you all lost your minds? Who the hell do you think you're drawing swords on?!"
Cheol Woo, who had been idly minding his own business as if it didn't concern him, bellowed roughly and advanced as the Sky Guard members bared their hostility toward Sima Geon.
Several Sky Guard members moved to intercept Cheol Woo.
"No!"
Startled, Yul Sarim tried to stop them, but Cheol Woo was far faster.
Swords aimed at him snapped like twigs under his casual swing, and a light kick sent a Sky Guard member flipping through the air before crashing down.
Not satisfied, Cheol Woo snorted hot breath and turned toward his next target.
"Enough."
Cheol Woo's feral killing intent halted abruptly at Sima Geon's curt command.
"I told you not to rampage."
At the quiet rebuke, Cheol Woo scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin, his earlier menace gone.
"Those fools drew their swords without knowing their place. Anyway, sorry about that, Boss."
Yul Sarim and the Sky Guard members watched Cheol Woo slink away like a drenched puppy, gripped anew by fear.
The thought of facing the man who could rein in the rampaging Diamond Yaksha with a single word made their legs tremble.
"My patience ends here. If you block me, I'll cut you down."
Sima Geon stepped forward without hesitation. Though his sword remained sheathed, the aura emanating from him silenced everyone.
"B-block him!"
Cold sweat beading on his brow, Yul Sarim shouted desperately. At his order, the Sky Guard members, who had been faltering, renewed their killing intent toward Sima Geon.
"Idiots! Desperate to die, aren't you?"
Cheol Woo sneered mockingly.
"I've warned you."
With his icy voice, the aura Sima Geon had already dominated the area with exploded outward. A gale erupted around him, shaking Infinite Sky Pavilion's roof tiles.
Sima Geon's hand slowly reached for the sword at his waist.
W-we're dead.
The thought filled Yul Sarim's mind—and every Sky Guard member's.
Sima Geon finally drew his sword.
"Urgh!"
As despair etched their faces and they braced to clash, a voice rang out from within Infinite Sky Pavilion.
"Stand down. Even you, Divine Demon Division Leader."
No sooner had the words ended than Yul Sarim bellowed like thunder.
"S-stand down!"
At his frantic cry, the Sky Guard members scattered like the wind, no one waiting for the next.
Cheol Woo sneered at how they vanished in the blink of an eye.
"What a joke."
"Wait here quietly. No unnecessary trouble."
Sima Geon, having sheathed his sword, headed into Infinite Sky Pavilion.
Drained in that short moment, Yul Sarim stepped aside.
"Glad I didn't have to cut down the Leader."
"You got lucky. But did you really think I'd do it?"
Yul Sarim asked with a hollow expression.
"Who knows? Would I have?"
Sima Geon chuckled softly and brushed past him into the pavilion.
Yul Sarim bit his lip, watching Sima Geon's retreating figure.
The Divine Demon Division Leader, Sima Geon, never drew his sword lightly. But once drawn, it always tasted blood. By his nature, he wouldn't hesitate even against long-time acquaintances.
He would've cut us down. No doubt.
Yul Sarim unwittingly stroked his sweat-soaked neck.
"I see the Cult Leader."
Entering Infinite Sky Pavilion, Sima Geon knelt and bowed formally.
Gwan Hyo sat at the center of a long table, flanked by his two sons, both wearing sour expressions.
"Sit comfortably."
Gwan Hyo gestured.
"I'm fine."
Sima Geon rose slowly and politely declined.
Gwan Hyo poured wine into an empty cup before him without pressing further.
As the amber liquid filled it, he flicked his hand lightly.
The cup floated up and flew toward Sima Geon.
Sima Geon caught it effortlessly and downed the contents in one gulp.
"No suspicion at all?"
"No reason to."
Sima Geon set the cup on the table and bowed his head.
"I hoped you wouldn't come."
Gwan Hyo spoke with a bitter expression, and Sima Geon picked up the wine bottle.
"I had no choice. When we first met you in Black Dragon Valley, you promised us freedom after ten years of service to the Divine Demon Clan. Those ten years have long passed, and the condition you set for me three years ago has been fulfilled."
"A promise..."
Gwan Hyo murmured softly and lifted the cup Sima Geon had filled.
"Indeed. It's been five years since you left Black Dragon Valley and reentered the world. Including your time there, that's twelve years?"
"Twelve years and a fortnight."
His cold, emotionless tone sharpened the glare of Gwan Hyo's eldest son, Gwan Pae, who had been listening with evident displeasure.
Sensing Gwan Pae's hostility plainly, Sima Geon ignored it completely, fixing his gaze solely on Gwan Hyo.
"We've unified the scattered demonic path and revived the Heavenly Demon Cult, but it's not yet perfect."
"Three years ago, the condition you gave me wasn't full unification—it was dismantling the Demon World's Ten Strongholds that dominated it. And they all knelt before you."
Gwan Hyo smiled bitterly at Sima Geon's rebuttal.
"True... enough."
He lifted his cup again and stared intently at Sima Geon.
Among the children raised in Black Dragon Valley, he was the most outstanding. But not to this extent. In terms of martial prowess, he was even weaker than Cheol Woo.
His eyes deepened.
Yet when he returned after destroying the Ghost Gate Clan three years ago, he changed. His aura shifted entirely from the bloodthirsty one before, and his skills grew beyond imagination. What exactly happened in the Ghost Gate Clan?
His thoughts didn't linger. Gwan Pae, who had been glaring coldly at Sima Geon, raised his voice.
"So you're leaving?"
"Yes."
Sima Geon replied without even glancing his way.
"What if it's not allowed?"
Feeling ignored, Gwan Pae's voice rose involuntarily.
Sima Geon gave no reply to Gwan Pae, merely watching Gwan Hyo silently tilt his cup.
Gwan Pae spoke again.
"Answer m—"
"I'll take that as permission and withdraw."
Sima Geon cut him off, bowing to Gwan Hyo. Gwan Pae shot to his feet.
"Insolent bastard! How dare you..."
Gwan Pae's words halted.
Gwan Hyo silenced him with a stern glare and slowly spoke.
"This seat foresaw this day three years ago. I tried every way to keep you by my side. But nothing came to mind to change your resolve."
"My apologies."
"Empty words."
Gwan Hyo chuckled, and the cup in his hand crumbled to dust.
"Go. You've worked hard. It may be a dreadful evil tie for you, but it was a good tie for me. Your merits will never be forgotten."
Permission at last. Sima Geon, braced for the worst, suppressed his surging emotions, knelt, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Cult Leader. Take care."
Gwan Hyo watched Sima Geon's back with eyes full of complex emotions.
"I'm off too. Stay well."
Cheol Woo poked his head through the door for a quick farewell, then slammed it shut.