Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Infiltration

“...This is the work of the Demonic Cult.”

Moyong Cheonhwi's words fell into the Demon Expulsion Pavilion like a declaration.

The reaction was immediate.

“The Demonic Cult?”

“Are you saying the Demonic Cult has reached even inside the Righteous Alliance?”

“H-How could this happen?!”

The moment the name Demonic Cult was spoken, fear spread visibly across the faces of the martial artists.

“A-Alliance Leader....”

Heo Seongbaek looked at Moyong Cheonhwi in confusion.

Moyong Cheonhwi shook his head.

“Now that things have come this far, we can no longer keep concealing it.”

Every gaze inside the Demon Expulsion Pavilion turned toward him.

Moyong Cheonhwi slowly looked around.

The promising young martial artists lying injured on the bloodstained floor.

The corpses of Yu Munha and Baekri Doyun.

And Paeng Dohyeon, unconscious with his body twisted unnaturally.

After taking it all in, he continued in a grave voice.

“Recently, strange incidents have been occurring throughout the righteous martial world.”

Everyone held their breath.

“At the Namgung Family, Kongtong, and the Sichuan Tang Clan...”

He spoke slowly.

“those expected to lead the next generation suddenly fell into madness and attacked their masters and fellow disciples.”

His gaze shifted toward the corpses of Yu Munha and Baekri Doyun.

“Not long afterward, some died suddenly for unknown reasons...”

“while others disappeared without leaving a trace.”

Moyong Cheonhwi released a deep sigh and looked into the air.

“At present, the Righteous Alliance has officially confirmed only those three incidents.”

His voice grew heavier.

“But we believe there may be more victims who have yet to come to light.”

Whispers spread through the pavilion.

An anxious atmosphere filled the room.

Then Moyong Cheonhwi raised his voice.

“And all of you should remember...”

His tone became declarative.

“that our martial world has already experienced something like this once before.”

At once...

the Demon Expulsion Pavilion fell silent.

It was as though the same name had appeared in everyone's mind.

Lee Munjeong.

During the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament, Lee Munjeong had suddenly been consumed by madness and brutally slaughtered Righteous Alliance martial artists.

Later, the Righteous Alliance investigation had uncovered traces of Demonic Cult martial arts within his sect.

In the end...

the Lee Munjeong incident had been officially concluded as an event involving the Demonic Cult.

And what was happening now looked far too similar.

Moyong Cheonhwi spoke firmly.

“If not the Demonic Cult...”

His gaze hardened.

“who else could orchestrate atrocities like these?”

Then he continued,

“More importantly, immediately after the founding of the Demon Expulsion Unit was announced to the world...”

“young talents of the righteous faction began suffering one incident after another.”

His voice deepened.

“And now the same thing has happened here...”

“inside the Demon Expulsion Pavilion itself.”

Moyong Cheonhwi slowly raised his head.

“There is no possibility that all of this is mere coincidence.”

His expression hardened.

“We can no longer retreat.”

Then—

“No.”

“We must not retreat.”

Everyone waited for his next words in silence.

“Before it is too late, we must root out the Demonic Cult forces hiding throughout the martial world.”

His voice rang throughout the pavilion.

“Those who seek to crush the future of the martial world...”

“must be eradicated completely.”

Moyong Cheonhwi's gaze slowly moved.

“I believe...”

And then his eyes stopped.

On me.

“that Kunlun’s Young Hero, Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit, will stand at the forefront of eradicating the Demonic Cult.”

The moment he finished—

shouts erupted throughout the pavilion.

“Eradicate the Demonic Cult!”

“The Demon Expulsion Unit!”

“Kunlun’s Young Hero!”

At first, only a few voices shouted.

But soon...

the cries spread like fire.

Countless voices mixed together and filled the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.

My gaze remained on the bloodstained floor.

More precisely...

on the dead.

Someone's senior brother.

Someone's junior brother.

Young martial artists who had each been expected to lead the future of their sects.

And already...

their deaths had become firewood used to feed hatred toward the Demonic Cult.

The fear created by that name was being buried beneath anger and hostility.

Eradicate the Demonic Cult.

That slogan was swallowing everything.

"..."

I quietly looked at Moyong Cheonhwi.

He stood amid the pouring cheers with a grief-stricken expression.

To everyone else...

he looked like the righteous Alliance Leader worrying over the future of the martial world.

But to me...

it looked entirely different.

He turned their fear into rage against the Demonic Cult.

In silence...

I watched the monster known as Moyong Cheonhwi.

The corpses of Yu Munha and Baekri Doyun were collected and removed.

Paeng Dohyeon, still unconscious, was also moved to the Jesaeng Pavilion, the medical facility inside the Righteous Alliance.

The martial artists inside the Demon Expulsion Pavilion gradually began leaving as well.

I headed back toward the inn with Jin Gwangung.

For a while...

neither of us spoke.

Only after we left the inner grounds of the Righteous Alliance and reached a quiet road did Jin Gwangung finally speak.

“What do you think?”

Then he asked more directly.

“Do you really believe the Demonic Cult did this?”

I remained silent briefly.

Then answered carefully.

“I don't know yet.”

Jin Gwangung's eyes narrowed.

“You don't know?”

“If I only look at what we've seen so far, it certainly resembles the work of the Demonic Cult.”

I slowed my steps.

“Like Moyong Cheonhwi said, it does resemble the Lee Munjeong incident.”

Then—

“But there are still things that don't sit right with me.”

“Hmm.”

Jin Gwangung released a short breath.

He didn't ask anything more.

He seemed lost in thought himself.

He probably also sensed that something about the entire situation was wrong.

And although I had answered cautiously aloud...

inside, I was already close to a conclusion.

The Demonic Cult didn't do this.

I knew better than anyone.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had little interest in the martial world of the Central Plains.

It didn't even possess a proper organization dedicated to gathering information about the martial world.

And right now...

the Divine Cult was far too busy restoring order internally.

The restoration of the Sacred Flame.

The return of Cult Leader Dokgo Jinak.

Reestablishing the internal structure that had fallen into disorder.

They barely had enough time to deal with their own problems.

And they were supposed to be plotting attacks against promising young martial artists across the Central Plains?

It didn't make sense.

Someone else was behind this.

And that person was—

Moyong Cheonhwi.

I was nearly certain he stood behind everything.

Even the timing was too perfect.

The entire martial world's attention had turned toward the Righteous Alliance because of the formation of the Demon Expulsion Unit.

Then young martial artists began losing their minds.

And eventually...

the same thing happened inside the Demon Expulsion Pavilion itself.

Moyong Cheonhwi had originally insisted the incidents be handled in secret.

Yet suddenly, in front of everyone...

he openly declared the Demonic Cult responsible.

That couldn't be dismissed as coincidence.

I knew what kind of man Moyong Cheonhwi was.

If necessary...

he was fully capable of treating human lives as pieces on a board in order to create justification.

But one question remained.

Why create an incident this large?

Was he trying to use the conquest of the Demonic Cult to strengthen his control over the righteous martial world?

Or was there something even larger behind it?

There's something here.

Something I hadn't yet uncovered.

And there was only one way to find the answer.

I need to see it for myself.

I silently made my decision and continued walking.

That night.

In the deepest hours before dawn, once everyone had fallen asleep...

I left the inn alone.

My destination was the Jesaeng Pavilion within the Righteous Alliance.

The place where Paeng Dohyeon was being treated.

I need to check Paeng Dohyeon's condition.

During the day, there had been too many eyes around to examine him properly.

There was no way I could openly investigate him while Moyong Cheonhwi and the other Righteous Alliance officials were watching.

So I wanted to inspect his condition quietly.

Without anyone knowing.

I activated Void Night Shadow Step and quickly moved toward the Righteous Alliance.

Not long afterward...

I reached the headquarters.

Their nighttime security wasn't lax.

But with Void Night Shadow Step...

it was easy enough to slip past their eyes and enter.

When I reached the area around the Jesaeng Pavilion, something immediately felt strange.

No guards?

This was the place where the only survivor of the incident in the Demon Expulsion Pavilion was being treated.

And yet...

there was no one guarding the surroundings.

...That's strange.

It almost felt as though the guards had been deliberately removed.

Still, I suppressed my presence and entered the Jesaeng Pavilion.

Whether by coincidence or not...

Paeng Dohyeon appeared to be the only patient inside.

It didn't take long to locate the room where he was being treated.

I quietly entered.

Paeng Dohyeon lay on the bed.

His entire body remained twisted unnaturally, and he was barely breathing.

His complexion was as gray as a corpse.

The same strange dark veins I had seen earlier spread downward from his neck.

I slowly approached.

First, I'll check his pulse.

My hand moved toward his wrist.

Then—

Hm?

I sensed someone outside the door.

I immediately withdrew my hand and activated Void Night Shadow Step, concealing myself within the shadows.

A moment later...

the door opened.

The person entering wasn't a physician.

It was a man wearing a Righteous Alliance martial uniform.

Who is he?

Why is he here at this hour?

I held my breath and watched.

The man glanced around once...

then approached Paeng Dohyeon's bed.

After confirming no one else was present...

he took a small bottle from inside his robes.

I immediately prepared to move.

But he was faster.

He forced Paeng Dohyeon's jaw open...

and poured something resembling a black pill into his mouth.

The pill slid down Paeng Dohyeon's throat.

Too late.

“Kugh!”

Dark red blood burst from Paeng Dohyeon's mouth.

At the same time...

his body convulsed violently.

But only for a moment.

Then his body went limp.

The man checked Paeng Dohyeon's pulse.

Apparently confirming he was dead...

he calmly turned around and left the room as though nothing had happened.

I have to follow him.

Part of me wanted to confirm Paeng Dohyeon's pulse myself.

But if I moved now...

I might lose that man.

The dead couldn't speak.

But that man might lead me directly to the answers I was looking for.

I immediately activated Void Night Shadow Step and followed him.

He didn't go far.

His steps stopped behind the Jesaeng Pavilion...

at an old medicinal storage building.

Why here?

The man entered as though he knew the place well.

I followed.

The storage room was filled with old herbs and empty medicinal crates.

He continued deeper inside...

then stopped in front of a worn shelf.

He reached toward the lower part of it.

His hand seemed to press something hidden beneath the shelf.

Then—

RUMBLE.

With a heavy sound...

the wall opposite him shifted slightly.

Cold, damp air flowed out through the opening.

The man disappeared beyond the hidden wall.

I remained still for a moment...

staring at the gap.

The damp smell drifting from beyond it.

A foul scent mixed with medicinal herbs and blood.

I could never forget it.

For decades before my regression...

that underground smell had wrapped around my throat like a noose.

In that instant—

Found it.

A memory from my previous life surfaced with terrifying clarity.

A memory of agony I had buried deep inside myself.

The Shadow Corps.