Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor - Chapter 346
Episode 346
‘They’re like day robbers.’
The owner of the Geumjeong family cursed under his breath after handing over the luggage he had brought to the demon cultist who came to his lodgings.
The word was a gift, but in reality it was closer to a collection of money.
Many of the representatives of the Segawa faction who participated in this event were probably experiencing the same situation as themselves.
‘Sending a small group of believers to collect gifts. ‘What kind of situation is this?’
The family, which was already struggling financially, was able to raise the necessary money by going all out.
Since I was squeezing out money that I didn’t have, I had to return with meaningful results.
For example, meeting high-ranking figures of the Demonic Cult and becoming close friends.
‘Damn it.’
So Gaju lay down on the bed and closed her eyes tightly.
Although it was infuriating and unfair, there was no option to not offer the gift in the first place.
Now was the most important time.
It had to be clearly visible to the upper levels of the Demonic Bridge as much as possible.
If you can’t look good, you shouldn’t look bad at all.
What if the Geumjeong family declined the religious leader’s invitation and announced that they would not attend the event?
‘…I don’t want to think about it that far.’
In the name of celebration, everyone was making up for the goods used to build the castle.
I have a glimmer of hope that my current investment will return with great benefits in the future.
‘At least I have to jump in and make connections…’
The image of the demon cultists walking around outside the window flashed through Sogaju’s mind.
I just couldn’t bear it.
Isn’t it only possible to worry about Sega’s future if you are alive?
‘I guess I’ll have no choice but to wait for the banquet that will be held in the evening. Then we have to somehow win.’
* * *
The banquet has begun.
A banquet filled with alcohol, women, blood, and violence.
‘If the demon world exists, it must be here.’
Sogaju, who was sitting in the assigned seat, looked around with anxious eyes and muttered.
On the platform in the center, two demon cultists were dancing.
Both sides were experts who had reached the pinnacle of skill, and the spirit of speculation was usually not great.
‘Is that really a friendly dance?’
It was a fierce fight.
No matter how you look at it, it was far from a light sparring.
It was clear from the atmosphere that both sides were determined to die.
The fierce battle ended with the warrior holding the long sword being thrown off the stage.
Kwazizig!
The table behind it broke with a loud noise.
Dishes and glasses broke and sharp fragments flew everywhere.
“…What is this?”
The audience, who hastily left their seats, sighed in shock.
There was no lightning like this.
“Ugh.”
The warrior buried in the rubble crouched down, letting out a suppressed moan.
I could tell at a glance that he had suffered severe internal injuries.
“…….”
So Ga-ju, who was watching the scene from the other side, frowned slightly.
What kind of person’s banquet is such a mess?
“Whahahaha!”
“It’s a masterpiece! “It’s a masterpiece!”
Loud laughter erupted from everywhere.
A middle-aged man with a mountainous build held his stomach and shook his shoulders.
A strange man dressed in shabby clothes roared as he struck the table with his palm with the intention of destroying it.
The eye-opening beauty covered her mouth with her hand and let out a sigh.
Except for those who went through a process of indoctrination and became demon cultists, no one felt uncomfortable with the current situation.
‘You’re crazy.’
Su Jiazhu felt goosebumps growing on his forearms.
I felt like my common sense was being overturned.
I couldn’t understand the demons who were calmly enjoying this situation.
Even the major incident that ruined the atmosphere of the festival seemed to be nothing more than entertainment to them.
Something even more shocking happened after that.
“Why is the loser still alive?”
“Ma Ma-kun!”
“You didn’t even know what to do, so you committed an atrocious act, so it wouldn’t be unfair if you lost your life here, right?”
“I was foolish! Please have mercy just once!”
“late.”
Crack!
An old man appeared on the rubble without a sound and stepped on the warrior’s neck.
It looked like the weight had been lightly applied, but a terrible noise echoed throughout the area.
The body of the warrior, whose neck was broken and died, fell limp.
‘…Killed him?’
In front of invited guests?
Sogaju put down the glass in his hand on the table and quietly lowered his head to hide his frown.
The old man called Demon Lord left with an expressionless face as if nothing had happened.
“It’s no big deal. “I can’t believe Ma Seon appears at an official event.”
“I can’t even remember the last time I saw you. “No matter what, you never leave the Demon Temple.”
“Judging by the fact that he came in person, he seems quite angry, but I don’t know what he was thinking when he provoked him.”
“I went crazy because I wanted to die.”
The conversation between the demons reached my ears.
Only then was Sogaju able to recognize the identity of the old man.
Maseon (魔仙), an absolute master who holds the first place in the eight great demon armies.
The head of Maseondang.
A notorious lawmaker known to have killed more people than saved lives.
This was the first time I saw the Eight Great Demon Lords since I converted to the Demonic Cult.
I was able to feel it again.
This is the new base of the Demonic Cult.
‘It would be better not to drink alcohol.’
The savory scent of alcohol tickled my nose, but I didn’t feel like reaching for the glass again.
If I made even the slightest mistake while drunk, I might end up getting hung.
If he died, the next person to visit this place would most likely be one of his family members.
That should never have happened.
The unrest subsided and some time passed.
A man appeared on the podium.
A demon wearing black long robe and wearing an unpleasant aura.
Strangely, his features were blurred, as if there was fog.
“I meet the Lord of the Church, the master of all demons and the representative of the Demon God!”
After recognizing the man’s identity, all of the demonic cultists bowed down in their places and paid their respects.
Sogaju, startled, followed suit and put his head down on the ground.
“…….”
Silence fell in the banquet hall.
No one dared open their mouth.
At the end of what felt like an eon, the Demon Cultist let out a soft cry.
“Today is a happy day.”
Even though he wasn’t shouting, his voice rang throughout the banquet hall.
How much internal energy does he have to be able to perform such miraculous feats?
“The headquarters relocation was completed perfectly. “Let everyone enjoy this historic moment to the fullest.”
A short and concise congratulatory speech.
Wow!
A shout that shook the heavens and earth followed.
Sogaju urgently raised her internal energy to protect her body, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
The man in front of me did not pose any threat to him, nor did he show off his power by showing off his energy.
Nevertheless, I was filled with fear that I could not resist.
I felt like I could understand a little bit why the members of the Demonic Cult, who uphold the banner of strong self-respect, reverence and follow their leader so much.
Soon, Ma Gyoju got down from the podium and left the banquet hall.
So Gaju let out the breath she had been holding and buried herself in the back of the chair with a tired look on her face.
‘A lot of things will change.’
Originally, the headquarters of the Demonic Cult was Cheonsan (天山) in Xinjiang (新港).
However, starting from this moment, the base of Demonicism became Shaanxi.
Because the Demon Lord declared so.
‘I can’t waste any more time than this. It’s late, but we have to move now.’
As he looked around, a middle-aged man with a goatee appeared in his field of vision.
Shaking pupils are acting awkwardly.
I was able to recognize it intuitively.
That he too is in a similar situation to himself.
Sogaju swallowed dry saliva and opened her mouth with courage.
“Where did you come from, brother?”
* * *
‘I see.’
After reading the information sheet that Cheon Ga-ryeong brought, I narrowed my eyes.
The Demonic Cult moved its headquarters.
From Xinjiang to Shaanxi.
‘The angle fits perfectly.’
What the king said a while ago flashed through my mind.
I heard that the Demonic Cult was strangely quiet, and this seems to be the reason.
‘In a way, you could say it was planned.’
The Demonic Cult’s sphere of influence has expanded to an extent that cannot be compared to before.
Cheonghae, Ganshu, Shaanxi, Shanxi.
As many as four regions came under the control of the Demonic Cult.
Of course, it was realistically impossible to smoothly control and govern all regions in Cheonsan, located at the western end of the ruling area.
It must have been difficult to communicate with the demon cultists who were immediately dispatched.
This was precisely the reason why Lord Ma decided to relocate the headquarters.
‘The time has come earlier than my previous life.’
Perhaps the reason was that history changed because of me.
I had a general idea of how it was possible to build a huge castle without being discovered by the outside world.
Thorough control of information.
And top-notch experts mobilized as laborers.
The more skilled a warrior was, the higher his self-esteem was.
Gathering together masters and having them do manual labor was never as simple as it sounds.
Unless someone with absolute power, such as the head of a demonic cult, gives orders.
‘Unparalleled strength and stamina compared to ordinary workers. If you mobilized hundreds of warriors, it would not be impossible to build a castle in a short period of time.’
Of course, there were issues such as location selection and supply of materials, so in reality, it would have taken quite a bit of time.
It occurred to me that the reason why the Demonic Church has not attempted excessive expansion over the past few years may have something to do with this.
“What are you going to do?”
“What should I do? How should I sleep? I should spread the news to the upper echelons of the government and prepare. “The Demonic Cult, which has been quiet for a while, will make a major move again.”
As the martial arts division was divided into North and South, the area of influence of openness was greatly reduced.
This was because the members of the Demonic Cult captured and killed any beggar they believed to be open.
Fortunately, Haomun suffered relatively less damage compared to the opening.
This was because it was difficult to track down members of the clan as they were distributed in all kinds of occupations.
It could be said that it was thanks to him that I was able to access information about the Demonic Cult earlier than other martial arts people of the Hundred Islands.
“Whoa.”
I sighed and put the information sheet down on the table.
The religious leader had a meticulous personality.
He knew well that stabilization and maintenance were more difficult than occupation.
Historically, there was no time when the Demonic Cult overpowered the Baekdo Martial Arts.
Although it was in the distant past, there was a time when the Murim Alliance collapsed due to the Demonic Cult.
At that time, the demon cultists who were happy that the world of magic had become closer were found themselves in Xinjiang again less than five years later.
It self-destructed because it could not handle the expanded area of control.
Rebellions that occur from time to time, quickly wasting money, and collapsing solidarity.
All of that was suffocating them.
In order to avoid following in the same footsteps, the Ma religious leader of the time decided to invest 20 years in the Great Precepts.
‘The fact that the Demonic Church side announced the relocation of its headquarters on a large scale means that the stabilization of the occupied territory is virtually over.’
It felt like what was coming was coming.
Since the internal substance was sufficiently strengthened, it was not difficult to predict that the Demonic Cult would later focus its capabilities on war.
There was a need to be alert and prepared.
I looked in the direction where Cheon Ga-ryeong was and spoke as if making a declaration.
“I’m leaving Panga in two days. Get ready.”