867 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

There were several things I wanted to confirm with the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader. First, if one could wield demonic energy despite having an aura similar to the Heavenly Demon. If my flame has now gained the ability to burn other foreign energies, what would happen to the demonic energy within me? Conducting an experiment for this wasn't a major problem. Whether I should be relieved or not, the power self-proclaimed as Heavenly Demon did not erase my demonic energy and continued to allow me to transform as usual. The demonic energy was still coexisting separately. Using that, I was able to transform the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader into a demon. During this process, the Nine Wheels Flame Technique showed no reaction whatsoever. A completely different energy. It was as though it didn't even consider it an enemy. Strange and foreign, yet that was the simplest explanation. ‘Fascinating.’ Does it purify what needs to be purified and leave the rest untouched? Since I haven't yet grasped the altered effects of the flame, I can’t tell in detail. Regardless, the demonic energy remained usable. I had transformed the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader into a demon, and now it was time to question him about the things I was curious about. The first question: -What is the One Heaven Sect? What on earth is the One Heaven Sect, and why is the Heavenly Golden Sect tied to it? Regarding this question, the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader replied: -...The One Heaven Sect is... the true justice. -True justice? -Yes... the One Heaven Sect is... true justice within this rotten world. We merely follow its purpose. True justice. It was a ludicrous notion. Where could one find true justice in this world? It was a world of fools disguised as righteousness and justice. -Try to explain in more detail. Why is the One Heaven Sect considered true justice? -Because it's fundamentally different... the current alliance... is fake. -That’s not a detailed explanation. Speak properly. I frowned during the conversation. This guy seemed off. ‘His words are always short.’ It wasn’t only the informal language that irked me. When transformed into a demon, they are supposed to obey me because of the demonic energy. It implies a forced manner of respect. ‘It didn’t work properly.’ Even though he had become a demon, he didn’t fully submit to me. It felt like something was resisting? -The One Heaven Sect... follows His will... Even now, in front of me, he refers to someone as Him. It was proof that something was wrong. With a calm gaze, I inquired further. -Who is He? -He is God. The God who will save this world... -Are you saying that this so-called God created the One Heaven Sect? -...uh... Halfway through, he moved in pain as if something was torturous. -Answer me. I pressed again. -...He... doesn't interfere with such matters... having left His will behind... we simply follow it. -What do you mean by His will? -His sacred purpose is to restore this tainted world to its original state. -Ah... Frustrating. Am I asking the questions wrong? With such vague answers, there was nothing I could understand. So, I asked differently. -The person you call ‘He,’ is he still alive today? -...He cannot be comprehended in such a manner. -For crying out loud. Have you met him in the last decade? Just answer that. -I have. I nodded upon hearing the answer. This was it. Validate assumptions by getting yes or no answers. This seemed like the best approach. Though it was mentally exhausting, there was no other way. -Then, is this current situation also something that person arranged? The mysterious corpse in the pond and the undulating energy within it. Judging by the condition, it wasn’t something a normal human could create. The environment itself was an issue from the start. ‘Besides perception blurring, soundproofing, and a peculiar formation-like setup is here as well.’ There were more than a few installations around. I could tell at a glance. ‘This isn’t just a formation.’ For something to be called a formation, there were too many oddities. Even if I'm unskilled in formations, this was blatantly obvious. It was that bizarre. Upon asking, the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader replied: -...This is His blessing... I considered his convoluted answer as a reluctant confirmation. So, that mysterious person is responsible for this situation? -Then, what purpose do the corpse and the energy core serve? It's unsuitable to ask a yes or no question on this. Acquiring information seemed prudent first. As I worried whether another obscure answer would follow, at that moment: -It was left by Him to create a vessel. -To create a vessel? What kind of vessel and how is it created? -His... Upon hearing the explanation, I furrowed my brow. Some exceptional individuals picked by the Heavenly Golden Sect are immersed in that pond. After being submerged for a minimum of two hours a day over five years, physical changes begin to manifest. ‘Can mere immersion have such effects?’ It's not like a medicinal bath or anything. Or perhaps something like a snake stew. Regardless. ‘Could that be why the Heavenly Golden Sect's members had a higher complexion and realm than expected?’ The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader’s black hair. His realm, contrary to information, having reached the transforming stage. Was it all due to this pond? ‘A pond artificially elevating realms.’ Apart from the white corpse and yellowish water, nothing seemed particularly notable. But if it had such an extraordinary effect... ‘In previous life, it was obtained as a miraculous blessing from a secret repository.’ The doubts surfaced. The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader in his previous life had claimed to have seen a tree with white leaves. It was possible it was the sapling hidden underground. ‘If.’ A very big if. ‘If this is a transformed future because of the absence of the secret repository?’ Had I altered something because I found the secret repository earlier than in my previous life? ‘It’s a possible scenario.’ Having experienced such divergences multiple times, it was a worthwhile suspicion. It was known that the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader strengthened himself with a blessing from a secret repository, and if this leader ended up like this despite altering that future... ‘It’s one of the two.’ Perhaps instead of obtaining the secret repository, this was something from my past life. 'Or maybe issues arose with the secret repository, and this situation was created to rectify it.' I can only think of two scenarios. What these two have in common is that: 'Regardless of which it is, someone interfered.' It wasn't something the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader orchestrated alone; someone was behind him. And that someone is likely: 'The one whom the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader praises so highly.' As I pondered, the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader added more words. - Once the process of cleansing the vessel is complete... we will finally be able to hold the Yeouiju. - The Yeouiju, do you mean those energy cores? -To compare it to energy cores is... ugh...! The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader clutched his head and staggered. He seemed to be in poor condition. I needed to ask everything I could, quickly. - Answer me. - The Yeouiju is... the only path for a lowly human to become a great... being. - A great being, you mean... I frowned, recalling their visage. -A dragon? -…! The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader widened his eyes. It seemed I was right. They change their bodies in that water, and when the time comes, they consume the Yeouiju to fully transform. ‘So that’s why... he felt similar to the Dark King.’ A half-dragon, similar to the cursed dragon-man, the Dark King. More accurately, ‘Rather than the Dark King...’ A white-grade monster. That aura was stronger. Moreover, ‘The reason they hadn't consumed the energy cores until now must have been because...’ It hasn't been quite five years yet. ‘If five years ago was right after I plundered the secret repository...’ Only about a year would have passed. The timing was suspicious. - As expected... you too... He was about to call me a bastard but changed his words. It felt like something within him was clashing with the demonic energy. - Fine. All right, but… Setting aside everything earlier, - What were you trying to do with this? What was the Heavenly Golden Sect, under the name of the One Heaven Sect, plotting? That was what I needed to know. -...We...we are... -We are. - Establishing... a new justice... according to His will... I quickly interpreted. - Let me ask again. I met his gaze and asked once more. - Establishing a new justice... Does that mean you plan to eliminate the Martial Alliance and take its place? -...Ugh... The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader began to tremble. - Speak. -...Yes. With difficulty, I got an answer and grit my teeth. ‘After all, was their goal a revolution?’ They had an oddly negative view of the Alliance. The reason they were plotting such things under someone’s influence. That reason could be called rebellion, or reform. The problem is, 'This didn't happen in my previous life.' If they truly were gathering forces and preparing for war, something should have happened in the past. ‘But there wasn’t.’ The only war in my previous life was the Great War of Good and Evil. This means: ‘They either crumbled before they began... or the events unfolded after my death.’ That seems like the right assessment. ‘This isn't easy.’ Although I've determined their reason and objective, lacking a clear outcome from my past makes it all ambiguous. ‘Especially that so-called Him. That guy bothers me.’ What kind of person is he? He's not only created this situation but actively facilitated an artificial transformation into dragons. He could never be considered human. If so— ‘A Blood Demon?’ The thought came naturally. The Blood Demon — the one I've been wary of. Could this be the place where he started some scheme? While entertaining that thought, I unconsciously spoke. - If that's the case... he picked an awful name. What even is the One Heaven Sect? Of all things, why "One Heaven"? I let out the comment incredulously. - Watch… your words… It is named after His great… name… -What? I chuckled at the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader's remark. -Named after? What nonsense. Are you saying "One Heaven" is a name? -Yes... I frowned at the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader's reaction. Something felt eerily off. As soon as I noticed it, I asked. - You’re not saying... his name is Yeon Ilcheon, right? -... No answer. That silence only irritated me more. - Speak. Are you saying Yeon Ilcheon is alive? Answer me definitively. I grabbed him by the collar and questioned, simultaneously drawing up demonic energy. I needed answers, no matter what. In that instant, - ...He is... He answered me. - He… Yeon Ilcheon… lives... With that statement, the Heavenly Golden Sect Leader lost consciousness, and the atmosphere turned ice-cold in an instant. ****************** Yeon Ilcheon is alive. That statement held multiple implications for me. The hero who was the center of stopping Bloodshed. Known as the greatest martial artist of all time, Geum Chun Kwon Wang Yeon Ilcheon. A presence known for leaving a historic name and playing the most significant role in forming the current Martial Alliance. Also, 'A person who experienced something similar to me.' A regressor, like myself, who turned back time. And, ‘He deemed me a calamity.’ He evaluated that I was the disaster that would devour the world, that was Yeon Ilcheon's assertion. But— ‘Alive?’ Is he alive? How can that be? The One Heaven Sect. I didn't like the name from the beginning, and now it turns out it was named after Yeon Ilcheon. ‘No wonder it seemed strange.’ Root, true justice. I wondered what nonsensical things they were saying. Was it all because it was related to Yeon Ilcheon? My head spun. Did Yeon Ilcheon appear and orchestrate all of that? Unbelievable. Centuries have passed. How can Yeon Ilcheon still be alive? ‘Could this be what Cheon Ilgeom meant?’ There was a message from him, who borrowed Woo Hyuk's body in the North Sea, that stays with me. -Don’t trust Yeon Ilcheon. I never understood why a comrade, whom I once trusted and fought alongside, would utter such a warning. ‘Is it because of this?’ He might have known something. ‘If so, then I must go.’ As problems arise, my destination becomes clear. The place most related to the incidents now unfolding. ‘Xinjiang…’ The previous location of the Heavenly Demon Sect in my past life. It seemed inevitable that I needed to head there. My instincts told me so. No, even if not for instinct, it was clear. Whenever strange things occurred, everyone said it. To come quickly to Xinjiang. “Sigh…” I took a deep breath and moved my body. Alright. I knew I had to go, and I was going regardless. To do so, I needed to quickly deal with the task at hand. Step. After leaving the underground and returning to the Martial Alliance, the place I headed to was none other than the abode of the Azure Dragon Division. When I arrived at the location, countless figures inside turned their eyes to me. As I gauged the stares, I called out. [Hear me.] Whhoooo---!!! My voice, laden with energy, reverberated around me. Was he awake? It would be good if he was, but it didn’t matter if he wasn’t. [The Azure Dragon Lord informs you of the current Martial Alliance's findings. The Heavenly Golden Sect had indeed conspired with the Demonic Cult as we suspected.] --!! Those who heard my proclamation widened their eyes. It was sudden information that dropped like a bombshell. But that wasn't the end of it. [Furthermore.] I continued, my voice rising as the fervor around me intensified. [The Heavenly Golden Sect Leader, who conspired rebellion with the Demonic Cult, and one of this alliance's Taishan figures.] Crackle. The compressed energy spread around my body. [Evidence has been gathered implicating the Azure Dragon Lord, Il Cheonggeom.] Shiiing--!! Behind me, the members of the Star Dragon Division raised their energy, readying for battle. [In the name of the Star Dragon Division, the culprits will be swiftly executed.] I declared with calm indifference as I began moving. Before tackling the important matters, it was time to clean house.