Through their conversation, Yu Cheong realized something.
That bastard and he could never exist beneath the same sky.
No—
They already could not.
Perhaps Seol Unhwi thought the same way.
What mattered was that Yu Cheong did.
And now that man had entered the Blood Heaven Sect.
An entirely new position had even been created for him.
Blood Heaven Arbiter.
One man beneath heaven, above ten thousand others.
Formally, it stood on a level similar to his own position, yet in practice—
...It may even stand above it.
Yu Cheong’s fist clenched tightly.
The Heavenly Wayfarer was impossible to read.
Everything that was happening was part of a carefully orchestrated scheme he had prepared in advance.
And on this board, Yu Cheong needed to choose the best possible move, yet he could not reach any conclusion.
The Heavenly Wayfarer was not an easy man to understand.
Whenever he laid out a board, countless layers were intertwined beneath it.
Just when one thought they had understood a single move, another hidden meaning would emerge beyond it.
That was the kind of person he was.
Yu Cheong exhaled deeply.
This world—
Every person in it had been easy to deal with. Living had been easy. Schemes had been easy.
But there was one thing he could never overcome.
The Heavenly Wayfarer.
Watching his expression.
Appeasing his moods.
Tch.
Yu Cheong clicked his tongue.
In the end, it meant only one thing.
That crazy old madman had made another move.
And now Yu Cheong had to respond to it.
At that moment, the door opened and a man entered.
A man in his mid-forties with sharp features.
Above all else, his eyes were profoundly sinister.
This man was Jeong Docheon, cult leader of the Thunder Demon Cult.
He gave Yu Cheong a fist salute.
“Vice Leader.”
Yu Cheong turned toward him.
“You came.”
“Yes.”
“Sit.”
Jeong Docheon sat down, and Yu Cheong followed.
Silence settled between them.
Jeong Docheon spoke first.
“I heard.”
“Heard what?”
“That Seol Unhwi became the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
Yu Cheong did not answer.
He merely drank his tea.
Jeong Docheon continued.
“I am uneasy.”
“What troubles you?”
Jeong Docheon’s voice lowered.
“......What happened at Windwall.”
“It did.”
“The matter of collecting the corpses of the Chaotic Heaven Ones. We handled it through the Northern Wind Merchant Group.”
“......”
“But we were discovered. By Seol Unhwi.”
Yu Cheong’s eyes narrowed.
“How much did he learn?”
“......The Merchant Head of the Northern Wind Merchant Group must have spoken my name.”
“Are you certain?”
“I am. They would have tortured him.”
Jeong Docheon’s hands trembled.
“My name definitely reached Seol Unhwi.”
“......”
“And now that man has entered this place. As the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
Jeong Docheon’s voice grew urgent.
“There is no way he does not know me.”
Yu Cheong set down his teacup.
“Calm yourself.”
“But—”
“Even if he knows, what changes?”
Yu Cheong looked directly at him.
“You are the cult leader of the Thunder Demon Cult. One of the branches of the Blood Heaven Sect.”
“......”
“Even if Seol Unhwi knows your name, he cannot act recklessly.”
“Is that truly so?”
Jeong Docheon’s expression remained uneasy.
“That man... is different.”
“What makes him different?”
“I heard the rumors. About what he did at the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace.”
Jeong Docheon’s voice shook faintly.
“Would someone like that truly leave me alone?”
Yu Cheong smiled.
Coldly.
“So what is it you want to do?”
“......My apologies.”
“For now, should we not simply play along with the rhythm?”
Yu Cheong’s voice lowered.
“Seol Unhwi has become the Blood Heaven Arbiter. He now holds the position that governs the branches.”
“......”
“You too are the leader of a branch. Therefore, you must show him proper respect.”
Jeong Docheon frowned.
“......Respect?”
“That is right. To the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
Yu Cheong took another sip of tea.
“For now, pretend to obey him. Do not invite suspicion.”
“But he knows my name—”
“And does he possess evidence?”
Yu Cheong smirked.
“The words of the Merchant Head of the Northern Wind Merchant Group? Does that count as evidence?”
“......”
“The words of a tortured man carry no credibility. They could easily be lies.”
Yu Cheong’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“And even if he knows your name, he cannot move recklessly within the Blood Heaven Sect.”
“......”
“This is not the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace. This is the Blood Heaven Sect.”
Yu Cheong rose from his seat.
He walked toward the window.
“The Heavenly Wayfarer accepted Seol Unhwi. But that does not mean everything.”
“......What do you mean?”
“The Blood Heaven Sect has its own rules.”
Yu Cheong looked outside.
“No matter how great a genius he may be, he cannot ignore those rules.”
Jeong Docheon’s expression eased slightly.
“......Then.”
“For now, simply watch.”
Yu Cheong turned around.
“Watch what Seol Unhwi intends to do.”
“......”
“And when the opportunity comes, move then.”
Jeong Docheon nodded.
“Above all else, are you not one whom this seat also uses for ‘great matters’?”
At those words, Jeong Docheon’s eyes flashed brightly.
“That is true.”
“Then what is there left to worry about?”
“Nothing.”
“Good. Then do not forget—our role for now is to move in step with the rhythm.”
“......Understood.”
“You may leave.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Docheon rose and departed.
Thunk.
The door closed.
Left alone once more, Yu Cheong looked back out the window.
Jeong Docheon.
He was unquestionably a useful man.
Setting aside his personality, his abilities in certain fields were extraordinarily exceptional.
To the point that no one could rival him.
Though cowardly, paradoxically, that cowardice made him exceptionally skilled at finding escape routes for himself.
Whenever matters became difficult, he would become shaken like now, but once someone showed him a path, he could °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° always wriggle free on his own.
And now, with the mere arrival of Seol Unhwi, the Thunder Demon Cult itself had begun to waver.
The appointment ceremony would be held tomorrow.
What would Seol Unhwi say in the grand hall?
What sort of actions would he take as the Blood Heaven Arbiter?
Outside, the sun was setting.
At the same time, the moon was rising.
The One-Origin Plateau.
A place where light and darkness coexisted.
Yu Cheong stood there watching it.
For a long time.
***
The central grand hall of the Blood Heaven Sect.
Today, it was more crowded than usual.
Not only the Six Great Elders of the main sect were present, but representatives from all the branches had gathered as well.
Jeong Docheon, cult leader of the Thunder Demon Cult.
The Poison Marquis Witch, master of Viper Valley.
Im Socheon, master of the Heavenly Demon Palace.
The Red Demon, master of the Red Spirit Court.
And the Wandering Soul Witch, master of the Palace of Wandering Souls, along with the close aides supporting them.
There were more than thirty people present in total.
The weakest among them stood in the Heaven-Human realm.
The strongest stood in the Supreme Void Realm.
Interestingly enough, only five among them were at the Heaven-Human realm, making them the smallest group.
Nor were they the only ones present.
The Blood Spirit Regiment—
The absolute elite organization of the Blood Heaven Sect.
Its commander and every division leader had arrived as well.
Namgung Ho, commander of the Blood Spirit Regiment, wore a strange smile as he sent a voice transmission to his subordinates.
—No matter what happens today, do not step forward.
He was not a fool.
Something was absolutely going to happen in this grand hall today.
Remaining uninvolved was the wisest choice.
Despite the immense number of people gathered inside, the grand hall was deathly silent.
Even breathing seemed restrained.
Yet although no one spoke, their expressions varied greatly.
Some were tense.
Others displeased.
There were many of both.
It was rare for the Heavenly Wayfarer to summon everyone personally, and everyone already knew why they had been gathered.
Rumors had spread long ago that a new figure had entered the Blood Heaven Sect and that an entirely new position had been created.
This was the Blood Heaven Sect.
When even the smallest rumor could spread a thousand li within a day, it would have been stranger if people had not known.
Jeong Docheon stood in the corner, surveying the surroundings.
Sweat formed in his palms.
......Given his personality, he will definitely make an example out of someone.
Jeong Docheon was not stupid.
He understood what kind of person Unhwi was.
No matter where he went, he always established an example first.
That made everything easier afterward.
Whether it was the Blood Heaven Sect, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace, or even the Murim Alliance—
Unhwi always acted the same way.
And the most likely candidate to become that example was none other than Jeong Docheon himself.
That was why he felt so uneasy.
He cautiously turned his head.
At the highest seat sat the Heavenly Wayfarer, smiling as though this entire situation amused him greatly.
Beside him sat Yu Cheong.
The seat of the Vice Leader.
His expression appeared calm, but his eyes remained cold.
Then someone broke the silence.
“Enter.”
It was the Heavenly Wayfarer.
At his heavy voice, the doors of the grand hall swung open.
And from beyond them, a man slowly walked inside.
Ash-gray hair.
Sharp, unwavering eyes.
There was not the slightest hesitation in his steps. If anything dared stand in his way, it felt as though he would shatter it immediately through sheer dominance alone.
The Snow Mountain Demon Lord, Seol Unhwi.
He stopped at the exact center of the grand hall.
The hall fell silent.
Once again, it was the Heavenly Wayfarer who broke the silence.
“There is only one reason I summoned all of you today.”
“......”
“As many of you already know, the Blood Heaven Sect will establish a new position.”
Murmurs spread among the branch representatives.
The Heavenly Wayfarer continued.
“Blood Heaven Arbiter.”
Silence.
“A position that stands at the center beneath the heavens of the Blood Heaven Sect and preserves righteousness.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer’s voice echoed throughout the hall.
“One man beneath heaven, above ten thousand others. A position equal to the Vice Leader, yet holding even greater authority.”
The eyes of the branch representatives widened.
Naturally, their gazes shifted toward Yu Cheong seated beside the Heavenly Wayfarer.
Could this—
Could something like this truly exist?
Surprisingly, Yu Cheong merely watched Unhwi quietly without even the slightest change in expression.
Still smiling, the Heavenly Wayfarer spoke again.
“It seems all of you are confused.”
“......”
“But did you not already know? I had no intention of hiding it, which is why I prepared an official notice detailing the name of the new position and the authority it would possess.”
“......”
“Rumors travel a thousand li in a single day despite having no legs. More than a day has already passed upon this small patch of land. By now, everyone should know. And if I made no effort to deny those rumors, would that not mean they were true? Or should I instead conclude that the discipline of this sect has become lax?”
The sect members immediately shouted in unison.
“No, this seat!”
“Good. Of course not. Heh heh heh. Then shall I continue?”
“Yes!”
Smiling, the Heavenly Wayfarer continued.
“The position of Blood Heaven Arbiter exists to connect the main headquarters and the branches.”
The Heavenly Wayfarer looked toward Jeong Docheon.
“It is a position that hears your voices, conveys my will, and binds the Blood Heaven Sect into one whole.”
“......”
“The man I personally brought here is the first Blood Heaven Arbiter—Seol Unhwi.”
Silence.
A heavy silence filled the hall.
Then—
The Poison Marquis Witch rose from her seat.
“Cult Leader.”
“Speak.”
“Is that man truly suited for the position of Blood Heaven Arbiter?”
She had no particular desire to deny the current situation.
The Poison Marquis Witch was simply curious.
“He is an outsider. And one from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace at that.”
“......”
“He does not understand the Blood Heaven Sect. Nor does he understand the Blood Heaven Sect’s ways.”
Her voice grew louder.
“Of course, I have no intention of opposing this seat’s will. If that man takes the position of Blood Heaven Arbiter, I will obey him. I am simply curious.”
“Curious, hm...... Very well. Then perhaps we should hear from our Blood Heaven Arbiter himself.”
Naturally, every gaze turned toward Unhwi.
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