Chapter 183

At the Four Divine Demons’ question, Hyeol Jingwi burst into tears.

“A-are you truly the Four Divine Demons?”

“We keep telling you we are.”

“Please forgive this unworthy servant for failing to recognize you!”

BANG— BANG— BANG—

He repeatedly smashed his forehead against the ground as he begged forgiveness.

“Hey, hey. You call that enough to crack your skull?”

Jin Muryang’s grumbling only moved Hyeol Jingwi further.

“Ah! As expected! How merciless! Yes! I shall strike harder!”

Tears of rapture streamed down his face at that single cruel remark, and he was about to slam his head down even harder when—

“Enough.”

A quiet voice rang out.

CLACK—

Someone caught Hyeol Jingwi before he could continue.

He looked up.

It was Jin Muryang.

“Ah!”

Overcome by the thought that Jin Muryang had stopped him out of concern, Hyeol Jingwi began weeping like a waterfall.

“D-did you stop me because you were worried for this servant?”

“No. Elder Brother told you to stop. Keep going and someone’s going to die.”

“This much would never kill me.”

“No, I mean I’m going to die.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Hyeol Jingwi’s tears instantly dried up, leaving him staring in confusion.

Come to think of it, Jin Muryang had been calling that young man Elder Brother all this time and treating him with remarkable respect.

Jin Muryang chuckled.

“We’ll explain the details later. Where is the Sichuan Divine Cult?”

Hyeol Jingwi straightened respectfully.

“Lost Soul Mountain in Fujian.”

“Then let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Yes! It would be my honor!”

*****

Lost Soul Mountain, Fujian Province.

The mountain was forbidden ground.

It had earned the name Lost Soul Mountain because those who entered were said never to return alive, and in truth, only a handful of those who ventured inside had ever made it back out.

For some reason, the mountain teemed with unusually large numbers of wild beasts and venomous creatures.

Worse, the terrain itself resembled a formation. Anyone who took a wrong step would lose their way, wander until exhaustion overtook them, and eventually die without ever finding the path out.

Mist rising from the wetlands scattered throughout the mountain robbed travelers of even their sense of direction.

So many people had died there that provincial authorities eventually declared the entire area forbidden and barred all approach.

There were no guards.

No one wanted to come near a mountain widely believed to be cursed in the first place.

Jeok Wigang examined the flow of energy through the mountain and nodded.

“This really is a mountain built to kill people. The energy here is tangled into a complete mess.”

Baek Ryeongso nodded.

“That central range is trapping the energy inside. It seems to have created an extremely powerful natural formation. Anyone caught within it would lose all sense of direction, wander aimlessly, and eventually die.”

Ye Yahyeon sniffed the air and shook his head.

“There’s even a faint trace of poison in the air. It causes hallucinations. Once people started seeing things that weren’t there, escaping would have become even harder.”

Baek Ryeongso shook his head.

“It’s a naturally formed formation, so there’s no way to dismantle it directly. To break it, we’d have to blow away that eastern peak over there—”

WHOOOOM—

Something seemed to sweep past like a gust of wind.

And then the eastern end of the enormous mountain range simply disappeared.

The formation covering the mountain vanished in an instant.

The dense mist dispersed, revealing a brilliant, cloudless sky.

Baek Ryeongso stared at the sight and muttered,

“Ah... Right. We do have someone who can blow it away.”

He had forgotten for a moment.

Jeok Wigang was that kind of monster.

Hyeol Jingwi’s eyes looked ready to pop from their sockets.

What did I just see?

He rubbed his eyes again and again.

No matter how many times he looked, the scene before him remained unchanged.

What the hell...?

That’s terrifying.

Hyeol Jingwi’s gaze naturally drifted toward Jeok Wigang.

Now he understood.

He finally understood why the Four Divine Demons behaved so carefully around him.

And in the heart of Hyeol Jingwi, who had always worshipped strength, Jeok Wigang began carving out a place beside the Four Divine Demons themselves.

With the formation gone, another sight came into view.

Deep within Lost Soul Mountain stood clusters of halls painted a dense, oppressive black.

“Looks like that’s the place. Let’s go.”

*****

The Black Palace of the Four Heavens.

Headquarters of the Sichuan Divine Cult.

The entire place had descended into chaos.

A tremendous roar had shaken heaven and earth, and then a portion of the massive mountain range behind the palace had vanished.

At the same moment, the naturally formed formation disappeared, exposing the cult’s headquarters to the outside world.

“What in the world is happening?!”

The master of the Sichuan Divine Cult, the Sichuan Godfather, rushed outside in alarm.

The Four Heavenly Divine Guards answered him.

“We don’t know. There was suddenly a tremendous explosion, and then that mountain peak over there disappeared.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes. Could this perhaps be a sign that the Four Divine Demons are about to emerge into the world?”

One of the Divine Guards spoke with eyes full of anticipation.

The Sichuan Godfather looked outside.

The entire cult was in complete turmoil.

Then, hearing the Divine Guard’s words, a good idea occurred to him.

His body suddenly began trembling.

His eyes rolled back until only the whites showed, and he started muttering incomprehensible words.

The Four Heavenly Divine Guards immediately prostrated themselves before him as though this were a familiar sight.

After muttering for quite some time, the Sichuan Godfather walked toward the railing.

From the tenth-story balcony of the hall, he looked down upon the cultists running about in confusion.

He unleashed a lion’s roar.

“All members of the cult! Attend!”

At his booming shout, the milling cultists stopped as one and looked up.

“I know that what just happened must have frightened all of you. But there is no need for alarm.”

At the implication that a prophecy was coming, the cultists’ eyes lit up.

“I have received a revelation from Them! On the day the mountain range falls and the mist vanishes, They shall come! Today is that very day! So do not panic. Prepare yourselves to receive Them!”

For a moment, the cultists merely stared in bewilderment.

Then their expressions transformed into pure ecstasy.

“Oooooh!”

A tremendous cheer erupted.

The Four Heavenly Divine Guards joined in before one of them eagerly asked,

“Godfather! Are the Four Divine Demons truly ending their seclusion and emerging into the world?”

The excitement in the Divine Guard’s eyes was almost painful to behold.

How could he possibly tell them no now?

The Sichuan Godfather quietly nodded.

He had already committed himself.

Later, he could always claim to have received another revelation and smooth things over somehow.

“To think this day has finally come!”

“We’ll finally behold their honored faces!”

“What a blessing! What an incredible blessing!”

“And of all times, the Blood-Calamity Divine Guard had to be away today. What terrible luck.”

“Enough making a fuss. You should all go prepare to welcome the Four Divine Demons as well.”

“Yes!”

The Four Heavenly Divine Guards hurried away excitedly.

Between them, the portraits of the Four Divine Demons could be seen hanging along the walls.

The Sichuan Godfather sighed.

“Four Divine Demons... what am I supposed to do now? If you intend to emerge into the Central Plains eventually anyway, please... just make it today.”

It was an absurd prayer.

But he prayed with all his heart nonetheless.

*****

“Wow. They look busy.”

“Seems like they’re preparing some kind of celebration.”

“Almost looks like they’re getting ready to welcome us.”

Hearing the Four Divine Demons talking among themselves, Hyeol Jingwi turned toward the cult.

It truly was bustling.

Everyone he could see looked delighted.

Had something happened while he was gone?

“It seems something fortunate has happened within the cult.”

“Really? What?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been away myself, so I don’t know the details...”

Even Hyeol Jingwi was confused.

Then—

“Hey, hey! Look over there.”

Everyone turned toward where Jin Muryang was pointing.

Four enormous portraits framed in gold had been enshrined with extraordinary care upon something resembling an altar.

“Whoa!”

The Four Divine Demons stared in amazement.

“That’s... impressive.”

“Anyone seeing this would think we were actual divine beings.”

“This is getting uncomfortable. What if we can’t live up to their expectations?”

“Look at that. People are bowing to our portraits as they pass.”

“Seriously... what the hell is going on here?”

“I want to meet their cult leader—or Godfather, or whatever he is—already. I want to see what kind of man set all this up.”

“Think he actually knows us?”

Jin Muryang looked toward Jeok Wigang.

“Elder Brother. Could you leave this place to us?”

“Why?”

“They follow us because they believe in us. We’ll talk them around and dissolve the cult peacefully.”

“No. We’re going together.”

“Why?”

“I just thought of a good use for them.”

“A good use?”

“Yeah. The martial world in the Central Plains has been feeling a little too relaxed lately. I think it could use some tension.”

“You intend to reveal the Sichuan Divine Cult to the world?”

Jeok Wigang grinned.

“I’ll explain once we’re inside. For now, let’s go.”

*****

The Sichuan Divine Cult was in a festive mood.

The main gate was no exception.

Normally, there was hardly a soul to be seen outside, but guards were posted there just in case.

No one ever entered these forbidden mountains anyway, so the guards usually spent their shifts bored out of their minds before eventually being relieved.

But today was different.

Today was the day of the revelation declaring that the Four Divine Demons they had waited so long for would finally emerge into the world.

Just knowing they might finally escape this miserable guard post had the martial guards in high spirits.

Then the smile on one guard’s face slowly froze.

He rubbed his eyes furiously and stared into the distance again.

“Th-that...”

He stammered as though he had just seen something unbelievable.

His companions turned in the same direction.

A moment later, their faces changed as well.

They rubbed their eyes and looked again.

“Th-that’s them, right?”

“I-I think so.”

“We’re not hallucinating, are we?”

“How would all of us hallucinate the same thing?”

“Look! The Blood-Calamity Divine Guard himself is escorting them!”

“Then they have to be real!”

One of the guards burst into tears.

“The... the revelation was true... They really came.”

Walking toward them were Jeok Wigang, the Four Divine Demons, and Hyeol Jingwi.

Suddenly one of the guards sprinted forward, threw himself flat on the ground, and shouted until his throat seemed ready to tear.

“FOUR DIVINE DEMONS! DIVINE DEMONS BENEATH HEAVEN!”

At his cry, the other guards rushed forward as well and prostrated themselves.

“FOUR DIVINE DEMONS! DIVINE DEMONS BENEATH HEAVEN!”

Their voices carried deep into the palace.

Soon, cultists began pouring out in droves.

The moment they confirmed the identities of the Four Divine Demons, they broke into tears of joy and dropped to the ground as one.

“FOUR DIVINE DEMONS! DIVINE DEMONS BENEATH HEAVEN!”

The chant spread through the entire cult.

Before long, it reached the Sichuan Godfather’s ears.

“What is that?”

The cult’s chant was ringing out from every direction.

No.

Surely not.

It can’t be... right?

He hurried to the railing.

Below, the cultists had formed an enormous circle, all kneeling and bowing toward someone at its center.

He focused his eyesight.

“Gasp!”

An impossible sight appeared before him.

The Sichuan Godfather rubbed his eyes again and again.

He checked.

Then checked again.

There was no mistake.

“Wh-what in the...”

He had fabricated the revelation on the spot merely to calm everyone down.

And somehow, it had actually come true.

Goosebumps rose across his skin.

“Could I... actually have divine powers?”

He even pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

It hurt.

The moment he realized this was reality, his expression transformed into one of overwhelming emotion.

No one in the Sichuan Divine Cult had admired the Four Divine Demons more than he had.

And now the very objects of his lifelong reverence were standing inside the cult he himself had created.

Without another thought, he leaped from the tenth-story balcony and shot toward them.

Huge tears streamed from the Sichuan Godfather’s eyes, scattering behind him in a glittering trail as he flew.