Chapter 109: Swaying Flame (2)
‘It feels chaotic.’
The moment I stepped into the Lesser Demon Hall, I sensed an atmosphere unlike the usual.
Countless servants and martial artists bustled about, busy preparing for the Exchange Ceremony.
Normally, they would’ve moved in perfect coordination, but was it just my imagination that everything today felt out of sync?
‘With the conductor gone, cracks are already beginning to show.’
If things had gone as usual, Sa Biyeon, Cheon Yura’s confidante, would have taken the lead and ensured everything was handled meticulously by now.
However, due to the internal strife within the Black Gold Sa Clan, Sa Biyeon was in no position to intervene.
Knowing her meticulous nature, she must’ve left someone to act in her place—but judging by the current disarray, that person clearly wasn't up to her standards.
“You’ve come, Jin Yeomyung?”
Even amidst the disorder, one person welcomed me without wavering.
“Yes, I have, Lady Yura.”
“Has anything happened since then?”
I was quite surprised to hear Cheon Yura ask me that.
‘Has she already found out that I met Cheon Yujeong? Or is she just making small talk?’
Should I be honest? Or should I keep it hidden so she doesn’t worry?
Despite my hesitation, my mouth answered on its own.
“No, fortunately, nothing happened.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
Cheon Yura smiled softly at my words.
That unexpected expression made me drop my arms and stare blankly at her for a moment.
Crack!
The moment I saw her reaction, I realized I had made a mistake.
‘I should’ve been more honest.’
She was changing.
And in the direction I had hoped for.
In a positive, heartening way.
But what I was about to do today would throw a wrench into that change.
Even knowing how much she might be hurt by it.
Even if I understood that this was something only I could do.
Today, I would go against her will.
“Today’s Exchange Ceremony will likely be uneventful. The Cult Leader has even banned performances, so it’ll probably end as just a light meal gathering.”
“Is… that so?”
“It’s a shame I won’t get to see you shine again, but today isn’t the only opportunity.”
Was it because she was feeling a little excited?
Cheon Yura didn’t notice the subtle change in my tone.
“Young Cult Leader.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“After today’s Exchange Ceremony ends… please give me a moment of your time.”
Bitterness. Regret. And guilt.
Cheon Yura showed no sign of understanding why I had such an expression on my face.
“There’s quite a bit I need to say.”
***
For me, this was the third Exchange Ceremony.
Ever since the first one, Ma Jinyoon and I had become regular participants.
Thanks to So Jeongwon of the So Clan not having made any critical mistakes, he had been allowed to attend again.
Aside from us, the seats for the Black Gold Sa Clan and the Extreme Sword Pa Clan were left vacant, and in Hwan Ryung’s place, a pale woman named Hwanyul appeared on behalf of the Illusion Clan.
‘The Illusion Clan might not even attend the next ceremony.’
The Illusion Clan probably sent a woman this time in response to the precedent set by the Pa Clan last time.
If that was the case, then that woman named Hwanyul likely held a high position within the Illusion Clan.
“This atmosphere is much more subdued than before, wouldn’t you say, Brother So?”
“Huh? Ah, ah! Y-Yes, it certainly is, Brother Jin. Haha, ha…”
So Jeongwon flinched when I suddenly spoke to him, and gave an awkward, forced laugh.
Judging by how he was blatantly avoiding my gaze, it was clear he found me quite unsettling...
‘Tsk.’
And across from me, Ma Jinyoon was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me, but aside from that, I didn’t feel much change from him.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t they say he killed someone during a duel?’
Even among the Demonic Cult, it was rare for someone to die during a sparring match.
‘But he doesn’t seem all that different?’
Since I couldn’t see through his inner thoughts, I couldn’t sense any changes in him just from his aura or demeanor.
‘I won’t know for sure until we actually fight. I know plenty of demonic arts that can twist a person’s nature… but I can’t think of any that someone like Ma Jinyoon would bother learning.’
The Blood Dragon Demonic Clan’s internal cultivation method was far superior to most Qi Explosion Arts.
Unless their family’s martial arts didn’t suit them at all—like in my case—there was no real need for someone like him to look elsewhere.
‘Should I just pick a fight?’
I felt like I could figure it out with just a little clash of fists…
Temptation welled up inside me for a brief moment, but I quickly shook my head.
This wasn’t the time to crush their spirits and make enemies. It was time to give them hope.
For a while, only the soft clattering of tableware echoed through the air.
There was no Sa Biyeon to lead the atmosphere, and no one would even respond if I tried to talk, so this was truly more hellish than the previous ceremony.
Then, once the atmosphere had settled to a certain degree, I slowly rose from my seat.
“…?”
All eyes turned toward me at my sudden action.
“Young Cult Leader.”
“What is it, Jin Yeomyung?”
Cheon Yura, who had just finished her meal and was quietly drinking tea, answered calmly.
It seemed true that performances had been banned—today, she had remained silent, refraining from even the slightest provocation toward the others.
“I have something to say.”
“Go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
“This isn’t just something I wish to say to the Young Cult Leader—it’s something I wish to say to everyone present here.”
“…??”
So Jeongwon, Ma Jinyoon, and even Hwanyul, who had shown no presence until now, all looked puzzled.
With everyone’s attention on me—
I brought my hands together and made my declaration to the hall:
“I, Jin Yeomyung, due to personal reasons… will be withdrawing from this Exchange Ceremony.”
Clatter!
The teacup in Cheon Yura’s hand fell to the floor.
Two weeks ago, at Heavenly Reflection Pavilion, Cheon Yeongha said to me,
"Before you win over some of the Six Great Demonic Clans to your side, there’s something you absolutely must do first."
"What is it?"
Cheon Yeongha reminded me of the most basic fact.
"Although the chaos is said to be spreading beyond the Cheon Clan and throughout the Six Clans, the core and root of this situation still lies with the Cheon Clan. Naturally, before pulling the other clans into your camp, you must first bring members of the Cheon Clan over to your side."
"Hmm, that’s true."
I had quietly expected Cheon Yeongha to handle that task for me.
But judging from what she was saying now, she had no intention of acting on my behalf.
Cheon Yeongha gave me a wry smile and scolded me.
"Didn’t you say what you wanted from me was information?"
"Ahem!"
"I told you—show me your ability. I won’t feel confident supporting you unless you can at least handle something like this."
"You’re right."
I nodded.
"Surely not all of the Cheon Clan elders support Cheon Yujeong and the other branch members. I imagine many elders still support Lady Cheon Yura."
Even though the Cheon Clan had splintered into multiple factions at this point, legitimacy still carried immense power.
There must be quite a number of elders within the Cheon Clan who supported Cheon Yura, the one who had overcome so many trials and taken the position of Young Cult Leader.
Wasn’t Cheon Yeongha, right before my eyes, the prime example?
"Exactly. What you need to do first is to unite those elders and factions into one group to support Yura."
Whether you planned to recruit or crush the opposing side, this was the top priority before doing anything else.
"Is there a way to do that?"
"There is a simple way."
I lit up at her casual response.
"Oh? And what is it?"
And yet, it didn’t even take a second for my brightened expression to twist again.
"Enter the Heavenly Thunder Corps."
"……!?!?"
"You look like you don’t understand."
I stammered before I even realized it.
"W-Why… the Heavenly Thunder Corps?"
"I told you. You have to bring together the Cheon Clan elders who support Yura."
Cheon Yeongha spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"And that’s exactly where those elders are—inside the Heavenly Thunder Corps."
"……Ah!"
"The Heavenly Thunder Corps was created specifically to support Yura as the next Cult Leader. Naturally, a considerable number of Cheon Clan elders who back her are embedded there."
Indeed, if the Heavenly Thunder Corps didn’t have at least that much influence, it would never have claimed one of the Five Great Hall seats.
"Of course, once she becomes the Cult Leader, most of those elders are bound to retire… but for now, they’re still a powerful force."
It was something I hadn’t considered at all.
I had been so focused on the corrupted future version of the Heavenly Thunder Corps that I hadn’t bothered to learn how it functioned in the present.
I reflected on my shortsightedness.
"If you want, I could write a letter of introduction to the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Thunder Corps."
I slowly shook my head.
"No need. I met the Pavilion Master not long ago."
"Oh? That reclusive loner who does nothing but stew in twisted thoughts in his corner?"
Cheon Yeongha blinked, seemingly quite surprised.
"What did that guy say?"
"He told me to come to the Heavenly Thunder Corps."
Cheon Yeongha clicked her tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. He’s still as greedy as ever."
A faint hint of contempt crossed her expression.
"Be more cautious of him than even the other elders. He might be the most dangerous person in the Cheon Clan right now."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Cheon Yeongha’s insight was accurate.
The one I truly needed to watch most carefully was none other than Cheon Jumyeong—someone who might be the second-strongest supporter of Cheon Yura, right after Cheon Yeongha herself.
Even now, I hadn’t forgotten that for a moment.
"The choice is yours. But let me give you one piece of advice—there’s no way to contact those people without entering the Heavenly Thunder Corps. And even more so, no way to persuade them."
"No, I’ve already made my decision."
It was a decision that overturned all the plans I had made up to this point, but I knew it was the best path for her.
"I will join the Heavenly Thunder Corps."
"Yura will be devastated."
"Even so, if I want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, this is the best way."
"That may be true…"
Cheon Yeongha gave me a silent nod.
‘The problem is, how do I convince Cheon Yura?’
There was no way she’d ever understand my decision.
‘She’s probably going to be furious.’
***
"What… did you just say?"
Chill!
"I said—what the hell did you just say, Jin Yeomyung?"
A terrifying demonic energy radiated from Cheon Yura’s entire body, dominating everyone present.
Even the experienced Guardian Lions, who had been through countless battles, were trembling slightly from the sheer killing intent.
"Young Cult Leader."
"Say it again. What do you intend to do?"
"Before the Exchange Ceremony began, I told you I had something to say."
Twitch!
Cheon Yura’s aura slightly diminished.
But she still looked far from convinced.
"I said I’d explain after the ceremony."
"Is that so? In that case—"
Bang!
With a casual strike, Cheon Yura split the massive round table—where five people had been seated—in half.
"Everyone get out. Except for Jin Yeomyung."
"……."
"……."
"I said GET OUT!"
The other attendees, unsure of what to do, began hesitantly rising from their seats only after Cheon Yura’s furious shout.
In their eyes, I could see the same question—“What were you thinking saying something like that?”
I thought there was no way anything could top the disaster of the second Exchange Ceremony a month ago…
But there’s always a deeper bottom beneath the bottom.
Hmm…
Will I even make it out of here alive?