Chapter 114: The Extreme Pa Clan (1)
The Cheon Clan, revered as the peak among the Ten Thousand Mountains, was rarely seen in public despite its formidable reputation.
Though the Cheon Clan held the seat of power, its reclusiveness earned it the title of “The Mysterious Clan,” making them a subject of both awe and distance among the Cult's followers.
There was only one reason for their isolation.
Among the Cheon Clan’s strict codes, one rule stood absolute: “Those who are incompetent must not engage in any external activity.”
Because of this regulation, even within the Heavenly Demon Cult’s premier educational institution, the Demon Dragon Hall, members of the Cheon Clan were never seen.
At best, the True Blood Unit, a later-stage training corps, occasionally went out in groups to gain real combat experience.
The Cheon Clan’s standard of “competent” varied depending on the time, but there was only one way to be acknowledged.
Recognition by multiple elders of the Cheon Clan in their presence!
That was why most descendants of the Cheon Clan didn’t leave the cradle until they were well past the age of thirty.
But now—
“Excellent.”
For the first time in this generation, that rare one-in-ten-thousand probability had come to pass.
Five venerable elders, standing around a kneeling young woman in formal meditation posture, solemnly addressed her.
“Cheon Yujeong. The five elders hereby acknowledge that your abilities qualify you to carry the name of the Cheon Clan in active duty.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed quietly—bearing a striking resemblance to Cheon Yura (a comparison that would have infuriated her if she heard it).
“You have inherited our internal energy and martial arts, and opened a realm of power far beyond what’s possible for your age.”
“At your current level, you could even defeat the Young Cult Leader.”
This was no empty praise.
The elders of the Cheon Clan truly believed that Cheon Yujeong had a real chance of victory.
“Normally, you would start as a Hundred-Man Captain in the Thirty-Four Demon Squads, but that’s not your aim, is it?”
Cheon Yujeong nodded.
“I understand. My sole purpose in life is to become the next Supreme One of the Cult.”
“And once you become the Supreme One?”
“To wipe out all forces of the Central Plains for the sake of the Demonic World.”
Only then did satisfied smiles appear on the lips of the elders.
“Indeed. Despite possessing absolute power, the current Cult Leader has shown no interest in the outside world.”
“Preoccupied with unknown enemies hiding somewhere in the Central Plains, he’s neglected the mission of establishing the dominion of the Demonic World.”
“He’s far too unworthy of the name Heavenly Demon.”
The elders of the Cheon Clan had always harbored such dissatisfaction.
“The Cheon Clan and the Cult’s strength is absolute.”
“The weaklings of the Central Plains would never be able to stop us.”
“Then why are we sitting idle!”
There were twenty known Master-Level experts officially ranked in the current era.
And that was just the official count.
Among the shadow operatives like these five elders, hidden within the Six Great Demonic Clans or the Cheon Clan, there were just as many Master-Level warriors.
Of the five standing here, three had already reached the Master Level.
It was truly the golden age of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
With this power, a complete conquest of the Central Plains was more than just a dream!
Of course, regardless of what the elders thought, Cheon Yujeong didn’t care in the slightest.
“Don’t worry. Cheon Yura will die by my hands, and the title of Young Cult Leader will become mine.”
Their goals happened to align to a certain degree, so she simply played along.
“As long as the current Cult Leader remains, we can’t simply push the Young Cult Leader aside.”
“She’ll need to be defeated on an appropriate stage.”
The ideal scenario would be Cheon Yujeong defeating Cheon Yura in front of all witnesses.
“But to create such a stage, we’ll need help not just from ourselves but also from other Great Clans.”
“The Illusion Clan has already taken our side, but that’s not enough.”
“We’ll need at least two more families on board to override the Cult Leader’s will.”
The elders, now entirely engrossed in their own schemes, began muttering among themselves as if Cheon Yujeong weren’t even there.
But she didn’t care.
Cheon Yujeong was already lost in her own world.
“What would it take to say I’ve truly stolen everything from Cheon Yura?”
Her obsession with Cheon Yura had twisted into something bizarre.
Simply taking her position wouldn’t satisfy her.
Everything Cheon Yura possessed had to become hers.
And only when she saw Cheon Yura’s face twisted in agony would she feel satisfied.
Her status, martial arts, subordinates… and even that man.
The moment the word “man” crossed her mind, a face surfaced unbidden.
Jin Yeomyung!
The audacious traitor who rejected her and chose Cheon Yura instead.
Even when she offered him the position of the Cult’s Second-in-Command, he had turned her down—a shocking experience even for her.
“Which only makes me want him more.”
Lately, Jin Yeomyung had announced that he would no longer participate in the Exchange Ceremony with Cheon Yura, but Cheon Yujeong didn’t believe it.
He must have left her side temporarily for some reason.
How exhilarating it would be if such a devoted man abandoned Cheon Yura and came to her instead!
As she indulged in a fantasy of Jin Yeomyung kneeling before her, the elders’ plotting reached its climax.
“We must find flaws in the Young Cult Leader and drag down her reputation and qualifications.”
“There’s no need to confront her head-on.”
“What about using them?”
“You mean those vermin?”
“They’re perfect pawns to use and discard. And if things go awry, the Cheon Clan can just erase them.”
“Hmm! I heard a rumor that the Yin-Yang Fist Demon turned into a monster and played around with the Grand Protector?”
One of the elders brought up something he had heard—which, in truth, was no rumor, but a fact.
Still—
“Must be nonsense.”
“Even if it were true, the five of us could easily handle it.”
Their ambition had already clouded their judgment. Such trivial rumors were nothing to them.
Even the elder who brought it up quickly took back his words.
“Fine. Let’s contact him. He’s the only one currently connected to those vermin.”
“I agree.”
“Hehehe, the Cult is about to become very entertaining.”
Cheon Yujeong, listening in silence, slightly furrowed her brows.
“Tarnish her reputation and qualifications?”
If Cheon Yura fell by her own mistake, she would welcome it.
But having her reputation smeared by conspiracies—now that wasn’t something she found appealing.
Cheon Yujeong only wanted to strike her down when Cheon Yura was still shining like a brilliant sun.
“This... doesn’t sit quite right with me.”
* * *
A week had passed.
The straight saber I now wielded instead of a sword felt perfectly familiar in my grip, as it unleashed saber wind and saber qi.
‘Saber techniques are quite fun in their own way.’
There was something… a different kind of manly charm, distinct from the sword.
Swinging this saber—originally the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, now temporarily turned into the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Saber—made it clear just how fundamentally different sword techniques were from saber techniques.
‘And yet, even after transforming it into a saber technique, I don’t feel any sense of discord… That proves the Ten Heavenly Record Sword is truly a peerless divine art.’
Usually, when converting a sword art into a saber form, there was always a unique sense of incongruity.
But not with the Ten Heavenly Record Sword.
Why was that?
Just as I was about to slip into contemplation—
Yama Blade, who had spent the past week teaching me saber techniques, opened his mouth.
“Truly, a genius is a genius.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Aside from the first day, Yama Blade hadn’t given me a single theoretical lecture throughout the week.
He had simply pushed me relentlessly through endless practical combat.
“No need to thank me. Like I said in the beginning, I didn’t think it was possible.”
Yama Blade stroked his chin, casting a curious gaze at me.
“You achieved Sword-Unity, so I thought Saber-Unity would come easily too… but separate from that, your proficiency in saber techniques is unbelievably fast.”
So, even Yama Blade had noticed the unique traits of the Ten Heavenly Record Sword?
But what he said next was something completely different.
“Have you considered seriously pursuing saber techniques?”
“…Excuse me?”
“At your current level, it wouldn’t be strange at all for you to fully switch to the saber. You’ve already learned martial arts outside your lineage, so there’s no reason to cling to swordsmanship, is there?”
Uh… well, that was true.
The realm I had reached was thanks to a fortuitous encounter that forcibly elevated my abilities.
My actual swordsmanship still had a long way to go.
Especially compared to the beautiful sword techniques shown by Yoo So, the Heavenly Maiden of the Nine Heavens.
‘I could switch paths right now if I wanted to, but…’
“I’m sorry.”
“What if I offered to become your patron, should you choose to learn saber techniques?”
“…!”
My eyes widened slightly.
A patron elder!?
That was leagues beyond having a “mere” Master-Level expert as a supporter.
Even if Yama Blade was the lowest-ranking among the elders, the fact that he held voting power in the Elder Council basically meant I’d have another Jin Gun-ak standing behind me.
Of course, Yama Blade’s influence couldn’t compare to Jin Gun-ak’s, but still.
I shut my eyes tightly and cleared the conflict from my mind.
“I’m truly grateful for the offer, but I’m still struggling to fully grasp the essence of the sword my predecessor left behind.”
“I see. A shame.”
Yama Blade smacked his lips like he genuinely meant it.
“Well, fine. My offer stands, so if you change your mind, come find me. I’ve finished what I needed to do, so I’ll return to the training grounds.”
“I won’t forget the guidance you’ve given me this past week.”
“Mm. I hope next time, we get to truly cross blades.”
“…I’ll respectfully decline that.”
“Cluck cluck cluck!”
Yama Blade turned and left without a hint of regret.
With his level of expertise, it wouldn’t be strange for him to question why I needed the approval of the Pa Clan or why I was going through all this trouble.
And yet, his unrestrained exit showed how well the nickname “Saber Madman” suited him.
“Young Master.”
“Master!”
Only after Yama Blade disappeared did Gu Chil and Myeong-oh, who hadn’t dared to approach until now, finally come over.
I sheathed the straight saber and spoke.
“Let’s go. To the Extreme Pa Clan.”
* * *
The Extreme Pa Clan was, along with the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, considered the number one or two among the Six Great Demonic Clans in the current era.
Truthfully, in terms of scale, the Pa Clan wasn’t as large as the Jin Clan or even the Blood Dragon Clan.
According to Chief Byeok’s report, the Pa Clan had around thirty thousand members.
Even compared to the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, which had over forty thousand, the Pa Clan was relatively small.
But what made the Extreme Pa Clan considered greater than even the Jin Clan was quality over quantity.
All of its members were martial artists obsessed with the saber, and it was widely acknowledged that their average martial prowess was the highest among the Six Clans.
Above all, there were three officially recognized Master-Level experts in the clan—no further explanation was needed.
“This is my first time visiting the Pa Clan’s main stronghold.”
Without any formal escorts, I entered the clan’s base with only Gu Chil and Myeong Oh.
There was no need to draw suspicion by bringing along the Jin Clan’s martial artists.
Though this visit would surely be known throughout the Six Clans within a few hours anyway, still.
“The First Blade Peak of the Nine Heavens, huh.”
The First Blade Peak of the Nine Heavens, one of the Cult’s Eight Demonic Peaks, perfectly symbolized the essence of the Extreme Pa Clan.
Dozens of large pavilions stood on the mountainside of a massive range.
In terms of splendor and grandeur, it was certainly no less impressive than the Jin Clan.
I stopped before the enormous gate of the Pa Clan, guarded by over ten sentries.
“I am Jin Yeomyung of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan. I’ve come to see Lady Pa Yeongyeong, the Young Head of the Clan. Please send word inside.”
“You said you’re a guest of the Young Head?”
“That’s correct.”
Just when I thought they would begin a formal identity check, the saber-wielding guards suddenly exchanged glances among themselves…
“If you wish to pass through this gate, you must answer a single question.”
…Huh?
Were they seriously pulling this stunt—posing a riddle to a guest of the clan!?
“If you’re truly acquainted with the Young Head, you’ll definitely be able to answer this.”
I was too dumbfounded to reply at first and hesitated, but the one who seemed to be the head gatekeeper actually asked the question.
“What is the nickname of the famed martial artist, Lord Heonyang?”
I responded instinctively.
“…Saber Supreme?”
“Correct!”
“…”
“…”
Creeeeak!
As if nothing had happened, the massive gates of the Pa Clan—which had looked like they’d never open—swung wide with a loud metallic groan.
“Please, come inside.”
The guards lined up on either side, bowing respectfully as they saw us in.
“They’re seriously insane, aren’t they?”
“Keep that comment to yourself.”
I hushed Gu Chil’s grumble in a low voice.