CDF Chapter 7

Rustle. Rustle rustle.

An ornate ceremonial robe was carefully draped over his sturdy and imposing shoulders.

The wildness emanating from his unkempt hair and broad physique blended exquisitely with the nobility exuded by the luxurious robe.

A beautiful woman with an expressionless face adjusted his appearance, while other women knelt before his feet with bowed heads.

And far behind them, a middle-aged man kowtowed.

“Congratulations on your great achievement, Cult Leader.”

Swish.

His attire was now complete.

Rustle.

The women bowed their heads and retreated. Their movements were cautious but extremely swift.

The man in the robe picked up a large wine cup placed to one side. His face remained hidden as he kept his back turned.

Gulp gulp.

Slowly, yet without spilling a single drop, he emptied the wine cup and asked.

“What about the Third Disciple?”

The middle-aged man who had kowtowed replied.

“He is currently traveling by carriage. He will arrive at the palace within a quarter of an hour.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

The man in the robe refilled the cup with the wine bottle. The transparent wine pouring out was Jiannan Chun from Sichuan.

And the cup was immediately emptied again.

The pace was not hurried at all. It took nearly half a quarter of an hour for him to empty the large, gold-adorned wine cup three times in a row.

Like most wines in the Central Plains, Jiannan Chun was quite strong.

Even after downing such wine like water, the man seemed completely unfazed.

“First Royal Guard.”

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

“Guide the Third Disciple to the Judgment Pavilion.”

For a moment, the middle-aged man’s eyes wavered.

But only for a moment.

“I hear and obey.”

The middle-aged man politely bowed and left.

The man in the ceremonial robe yawned languidly.

“Is it already winter?”

***

Clop clop clop.

The carriage was not moving very fast. Perhaps thanks to that, the inside of the carriage was extremely comfortable.

Cheon Hajin ran his hand over the chair.

‘Incredible.’

It was no ordinary carriage. Not only was it large, but the interior was gilded with gold and even had plush cushions.

It was so comfortable that one could doze off just by sitting and closing their eyes. It seemed like all fatigue would vanish if one slept here for half a day.

Power was indeed a good thing. If this was the carriage for the disciples, what would the Cult Leader’s be like?

‘The Cult Leader.’

An undisguisable tension lingered on Cheon Hajin’s face.

‘I’m really going to see him.’

While living in the gangho, he had vaguely thought he would meet him at least once.

That damned old man of the Righteous cult, who wasn’t even worth chewing on, would send him to the Demonic Cult sooner or later.

He never imagined he would meet him only after being reborn.

‘What kind of person is he?’

Among those who had enemies in the martial arts world, there was no one who wasn’t curious about the current Heavenly Demon.

It couldn’t be helped. He was possibly the strongest person in the vast Nine Provinces.

Even though he had never properly displayed his martial prowess, he had always been mentioned as a candidate for the title of “Number One in the World,” and still was.

That aura of mystery filled with tension aroused intense curiosity.

‘No. What’s important is not how strong he is, but what kind of personality he has.’

Of course, he wouldn’t be kind. As the leader of the Demonic Cult, the worst group in the gangho, there was no way he could be a good person.

He was definitely a bad guy, but it was hard to gauge just how bad he was.

If he was so bad that Cheon Hajin wouldn’t even want to exchange words with him… In fact, going to meet him now could be dangerous.

He inwardly shook his head.

‘He won’t be the worst kind that can’t be reasoned with.’

While under the Righteous Cult Leader, Cheon Hajin had realized that the righteous and the evil had many things in common.

One of them was that they all hoped their leaders wouldn’t be stupid.

If the Cult Leader was someone who was purely evil, as rumored, the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn’t have lasted until now.

If he was such a simple person, he wouldn’t have been able to rule the massive organization that was the Heavenly Demon Cult.

He would undoubtedly be incredibly intelligent and know how to control his emotions freely.

Someone who knew how to control their emotions could never be deeply absorbed in either good or evil. Because they knew the pros and cons of each.

That’s why Cheon Hajin judged that the Cult Leader wouldn’t be such a vicious person.

Cheon Hajin, who had been indulging in his imagination about the Cult Leader, soon flopped down.

“Enough, enough. Will worrying make things better? I’ve already done it, so I’ll just meet him and see.”

He rolled around on the plush cushion for a while.

But only for a moment.

“Ah, damn it!”

Cheon Hajin sat up abruptly and grabbed his head.

“Damn it! Bloody hell! Should I have been a bit more cautious?”

But still, he was the Cult Leader, right? The current Heavenly Demon, right?

Among the Cult Leaders who had led the Heavenly Demon Cult throughout history, less than ten had received the title of Heavenly Demon.

And one of those less than ten people was the current Cult Leader.

How incredibly strong would one have to be to confidently call oneself the Heavenly Demon?

‘Huh?’

Cheon Hajin snapped his fingers.

Right, could it be that the Demonic Cult deliberately spread rumors?

Maybe he wasn’t actually that strong, but they spread rumors to save face because it would be embarrassing…

“…Damn it.”

There’s no way that’s possible, you idiot!

The term Heavenly Demon was equivalent to a divine name in the Demonic Martial Arts World. There was no way they would attach that noble title just to save face.

In the end, as he had thought before, what mattered was not his martial prowess but his temperament.

‘Still… It would at least be a consolation if he was weak.’

Cheon Hajin, who had been biting his nails out of anxiety, suddenly had a change in his eyes.

‘No? Even so, I’m not someone so weak that I’d be inferior anywhere, right?’

Wasn’t he also one of the top ten experts in the world in his previous life?

Although he specialized in assassination rather than direct confrontation, that was because of what he had learned.

‘Besides, I also fought fairly when I had to.’

He might be looked down upon wherever he went, but it was the truth.

Hiding and cutting people’s throats was fine once or twice.

But later on, out of boredom, he would boldly enter through the front gate wearing a mask, kill only his target, and leisurely walk out.

Moreover, the weapons he wielded were not just one or two kinds.

When people thought of assassins, they would think of daggers, concealed weapons, or charcoal-coated swords – and indeed, most of them used such weapons.

But he was an inventive person who used spears, axes, whips, crescent moon halberds, and even rocks and window frames as weapons.

There was no weapon he couldn’t wield, and no one he couldn’t kill. He was the strongest assassin in history.

That was Cheon Hajin, the master of assassination, the Assassin King.

“Yes, that’s right. Regardless of whether the opponent is the Heavenly Demon or whatever, I’m also someone who made a name for myself.”

Cheon Hajin clenched his fist.

The legend of the assassination world, surpassing the best in the world to become the best in history!

The worst reaper of the gangho, the first assassin to be named one of the top ten experts in the world!

With this much, even if he couldn’t fart, he should at least be able to breathe out his nose, right? Moreover, he had entered the body of the Cult Leader’s disciple.

There was nothing to worry about.

“No need to be scared, Cheon Hajin. Assert your demands with confidence!”

Cheon Hajin, whose face had turned red with overflowing confidence at some point.

But that confidence began to rapidly diminish in line with the slowing speed of the carriage.

“…”

Cheon Hajin’s left leg trembled involuntarily, and his index finger tapped his thigh like crazy.

“Gulp! Are we almost there? Isn’t this way too fast compared to what I thought… Gasp!”

Suddenly, Cheon Hajin’s face stiffened.

‘…?’

What is it? What?

‘My senses…’

Even though there was nothing wrong with his vision, it seemed as if everything around him had darkened.

It felt like he could hear a ringing in his ears and a stuffy smell tickled his nose. Goosebumps rose all over his body.

‘An expert?!’

At that moment, brusque voices were heard from far away near the coachman’s seat.

“This is Seo Ryang, the Third Young Master.”

“Show the entry permit.”

“Here it is.”

“Confirmed. You may enter.”

Clop clop.

The sound of horse hooves pulling the carriage.

Drip. Drip.

Sweat drops fell from under Cheon Hajin’s chin.

‘…Damn it.’

As soon as the carriage stopped, he had only one thought.

‘Shit, I’ve entered the mouth of a monster.’

Whooooooosh!

His superhuman senses, which wouldn’t activate no matter how hard he tried, seemed to manifest involuntarily.

His instincts forcibly heightened the sensitivity of his senses to the point where the atmosphere here was unusual.

‘Why are there so many experts?’

He couldn’t feel their auras. But he could tell their unique atmosphere.

This place was a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den.

Although not at the level of the top ten experts in the gangho, there were at least five supreme masters hidden here who could easily be counted among the top hundred.

And there would be ten times as many experts densely surrounding the area.

It was similar to the feeling of being trapped in the Thousand Rakshasa Formation of the Righteous cult and the Iron Blood cult.

The numbers were incomparable to back then, but the sense of despair was even greater. He felt so suffocated that his head was dizzy.

‘Is this the Demon God Palace?’

It seemed like he had indeed arrived at the Cult Leader’s Residence.

‘The security is incredible. It’s absolutely impenetrable.’

Even the Righteous Cult Leader’s security was tremendous.

He had thought that even if he weren’t addicted to the Blood Mushroom, it would take about three months of preliminary work to capture the Righteous Cult Leader.

And even then, the probability of success wouldn’t exceed half.

This side was even more so.

The numbers were small, but each one was highly specialized in security. Yet their martial prowess was at the peak of the gangho.

It was impossible for a human to infiltrate this place secretly. Even if he became twice as strong as the Assassin King from his previous life, it would be unthinkable.

‘These crazy bastards! Is the Cult Leader that important? Are they deploying this much manpower because he’s some precious guy?!’

Cheon Hajin inwardly grumbled, but that was because he didn’t know the nature of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The Heavenly Demon Cult was both a martial cult and a religion. In other words, the Demon God Palace was both the Cult Leader’s residence and a sacred temple.

For them, protecting the Demon God Palace was equivalent to guarding the temple.

From the moment they started practicing martial arts, they received training specialized in security.

The elite guard warriors of the Cult, handpicked from the best.

Even the God of Death would find it difficult to penetrate, let alone the Assassin King.

Creak!

The sound of a door closing, which he didn’t even notice had opened, was heard.

“Young Master, please get off now.”

“Ah, alright.”

Cheon Hajin got off the carriage, trying his best to hide his tension.

“The Cult Leader has summoned you to the Judgment Pavilion. Please go with the attendant.”

“Understood.”

What the hell is the Judgment Pavilion?

‘There’s so much I don’t know.’

He thought he would be leaving soon, so he didn’t bother to find out the details. He believed it would be better to spend that time fixing his body instead.

But now, he regretted that decision. The brutal atmosphere here seemed to fuel that emotion even more.

Cheon Hajin silently walked, guided by the attendant.

After walking for some time.

Finally, upon arriving in front of a small, dark, and dreary door barely wide enough for one person to pass through, the attendant bowed his head.

“Please enter.”

Cheon Hajin’s head tilted slightly.

‘The Judgment Pavilion? Wasn’t it supposed to be a pavilion?’

No, no. Act as if you know everything. Naturally, like flowing water, don’t invite unnecessary suspicion.

The attendant straightened his body and grasped the door handle.

Creeeak.

Even the sound of the door opening was eerily ominous, befitting the Demonic Cult.

The moment Cheon Hajin stepped through the door.

Whoooooosh!

A light so strong that it was difficult to open his eyes poured down on his body.

‘What the?!’

He had no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut instinctively.

And a moment later.

“…?”

Cheon Hajin’s eyes, which he had carefully opened, suddenly widened.

“What, what is this?”

Before his eyes, a new world unfolded.