The celestial demon church’s former military commander, Yaliuhuan, fell into deep thought.
To perform the ritual, he absolutely needed the Dragon Vein, but that area was already occupied by powerful factions.
Having secured most of the command of the task force that had come out for the operation, it wouldn’t be difficult to forcefully seize the Dragon Vein if he desired…
“The larger the scale of the Dragon Vein, the greater the effect of the ritual. But the more powerful the faction occupying a good spot, the stronger their forces will be.”
It was inevitable that losses would occur in that process.
Should he aim for a weaker location to minimize casualties but suffer reduced efficacy, or should he greedily pour all his power into maximizing the ritual?
Just occupying the Dragon Vein doesn’t mean everything ends, and with limited resources and time to operate, he needed to choose carefully.
‘…No, do I really need to look for a new Dragon Vein?’
At that moment, a certain location suddenly flashed through his mind.
There was a place that had no factions to occupy it, requiring no power expenditure, which could be described as the world’s largest.
“Dragon Heart.”
Now a completely abandoned site of the Imperial Palace located in Beijing.
As it happened, he wasn’t too far from his current location, saving him time.
‘Moreover, now that it has become completely cursed land, there will be less worry about exposure to the outside.’
Though the central core had been forcibly ripped away, losing all functionality, that place had once been the strongest sacred site on the continent.
Now, it had become a center draining the world’s energy like a bottomless pit, rendered so desolate that not even an ant could survive, but its symbolic meaning wasn’t lost.
‘After all, I’m not planning to communicate with extraterrestrial gods or make deals. There’s no need to cling to a well-functioning Dragon Vein.’
What he desired was to completely absorb the energy of the dragon spirits embedded in the Dragon Heart.
As long as he met the qualifications for the altar, it wouldn’t matter if he performed the ritual at the inverted Dragon Heart.
‘No, it might even be better. Taking the dragon children from the world’s center, which lost its function while being deprived of the Dragon Heart…’
Where else could a more perfect cause-and-effect exist?
The dragon children were born to restore the Dragon Heart, so if he performed the ritual there, the effects would surely be doubled.
This was an opportunity.
Until now, he had been secretly accumulating power hidden in the shadow of the Celestial Demon, but that method had its flaw: it took an exceptionally long time to build up the necessary merit.
But if this method allowed him to achieve rank in one go…
“Hehe, lucky me in my later years. When the Celestial Demon dies, would all my previous efforts become meaningless?”
Yaliuhuan erupted into hearty laughter, his eyes softening.
With deep wrinkles, his eyes folded like a crescent moon.
At the center of those black pupils, a bright yellow slit like a reptile emanated a chilling light.
*
Celestial Demon Church’s Kaehwa Palace personal study.
“Celestial Demon Commander. Are you gathering only the dragon children in one place?”
Hans removed his hand from the blackened corpse, tilting his head while stroking his goatee.
Beside him lay dozens of other blackened corpses sprawled across the floor.
All were warriors of the Celestial Demon Church who had clashed with Harley far from this place, those who ventured out and finally returned home through “Avatar Cloud.”
Although it wasn’t in the form they had wished for.
“Tsk, overly ambitious. If they had surrendered quietly, it would have been comfortable for both sides.”
He could guess what they had been thinking.
To someone like him who mastered the magical path, dragon children were no different from legendary elixirs.
Having been forced to concede to the Celestial Demon until now, it was only natural for one to lose their mind upon such an opportunity to monopolize everything.
‘Still, it’s strange. Even if he successfully completes the ritual, he knows it’s meaningless as long as I, who killed the Celestial Demon, remain unchecked. Could it be that he is that confident?’
Recalling the information he had gathered on Celestial Demon Commander Yaliuhuan, there were no particularly notable issues.
As a military man, he was very intelligent and achieved a high level among the entire Demon Cult in magical aspects, making remarkable contributions during the war against monsters.
“Hmmm, did he think that once he captures the dragon children, he could possibly drive me out? Or could it be due to loyalty, believing he can’t follow me, who killed the leader?”
Hans, who had been pondering for a while, frowned.
He was already piled with work, and the addition of such a pesky issue irritated him.
‘Before he starts the ritual, I must retrieve the dragon children, including Je Gal Hye-mi and Joo Gang-in. As for those in charge of transportation, they probably have little knowledge about the destination… Still, even if they knew, they’ve likely already changed locations.’
In the limited information networks of the Ganghwan Realm, this was a troublesome issue.
No matter how great he was, there were limits to utilizing just a few avatars, right?
‘If only Olivia and the spirits were here, I wouldn’t need to worry about this. It would have been nice to actively utilize the information network of the factions here… Hmm? Wait a minute.’
As Hans continued his contemplation, he suddenly halted.
Thinking about other factions made him realize that this was not solely his problem.
‘Why am I worrying about this alone? The matter concerning the dragon children and Dragon Heart is an issue for the Ganghwan Realm, isn’t it? Then, the people here should take more initiative!’
Of course, he knew that Gonmudo was doing their best, but it was a fact that their secretive movements alone were far from sufficient.
‘First, let’s involve the other factions as well. The more participants, the easier the task will become.’
He could fully understand why they had been struggling alone until now.
The scheming of the Demon Cult had, over many years, caused the royal family to disintegrate entirely, so they must have reasoned that no one should be trusted easily.
‘But now the situation is different.’
The target of their vigilance, the Demon Cult, was already consumed by him, wasn’t it?
Though he hadn’t dealt with all those who had gone outside, there was a limit to the tricks they could execute without help from their main temple.
If they remained hidden like this, they wouldn’t have the luxury to do so.
“Ha, ha, ha— well then, shall we get started right away?”
Compared to Auterica, his time spent in the Ganghwan Realm hadn’t been long.
The information network was terribly underdeveloped, and the foundation he had just started to establish still had much ground to cover.
‘First, let’s start with Gonmudo.’
However, he possessed a power that surpassed all of that.
The power to move this world.
*
Gonmudo didn’t readily agree to that plan.
But after cross-validating the information presented seriously by Horus, they came to realize the gravity of the situation and had no choice but to concede that it was the best course of action.
Given how critical the situation was, they were willing to take on a certain level of risk.
The result could be directly seen in the Yung Jung Mountain where Hugo was staying.
“Greetings. I am Cheong Gwan from the Mosan Faction. I took the liberty of coming here to deliver urgent news.”
Dressed in a worn-out martial outfit, the Dosa Cheong Gwan politely greeted.
The representative of the Zhuge family showed a startled reaction to his unexpected visit, but they had no choice but to let him in.
Initially, they intended to send him back due to the chaos their family was in, but they couldn’t dismiss what he had to say.
“It’s about Je Gal Hye-mi and the Demon Cult who abducted her. It’s a matter of utmost importance, so please spare a moment.”
Though both were factions renowned in the world of magics, unlike the Zhuge family who actively participated to the extent of being a major power, the Mosan Faction was famous for its closure.
Compared to other major factions, the Zhuge family was not significantly lacking in martial arts; however, the Mosan had focused solely on magics, growing by sending their manpower to places needing magical aid rather than conducting regional activities.
Thus, the visible power disparity was immeasurable, but when limited to the field of magics, the public perception viewed the Mosan Faction slightly above, which naturally made the Zhuge family a bit uneasy.
Given that backdrop, the words of Cheong Gwan, who had come as a representative of the Mosan Faction, would undeniably leave a profound impact on them.
“…So, you’re saying our Hye-mi was born to be sacrificed to reconstruct the Dragon Heart, known as the dragon children?”
Among several key figures of the family who were present, Zhuge Ho-won spoke in a grave tone.
He couldn’t hide his displeasure along with that of others seated around him.
Naturally, they couldn’t help but feel that way.
How could anyone feel good knowing that a family member they had known for years was predetermined to sacrifice themselves for the world right from birth?
Moreover, there was a matter of pride involved.
No matter how different their fields of expertise were, how could they easily accept that something they hadn’t been able to uncover was revealed first by someone they considered competition in the same industry?
Yet, having lived a life where reason was prioritized over emotion since childhood, they worked to calm their excitement and began a calm discussion.
And after analyzing the collected information and related data they had so far, the conclusion reached was that Cheong Gwan’s words had a very high possibility of being true.
Most crucially, the fact that the Shaolin Temple’s emperor, who had shown similar symptoms as Je Gal Hye-mi, had also been abducted by the Demon Cult on the same day was decisive.
“The Demon Cult is using those abducted for the purpose of enhancing individual strength. According to our checks, the main reason the Celestial Demon’s level has risen sharply recently is that several of the dragon children have been sacrificed…”
Cheong Gwan continued speaking.
The faces of the Zhuge family members became rigid.
This wasn’t merely an issue concerning the safety of their family member, Je Gal Hye-mi.
They had often heard of the Celestial Demon’s might.
Even amid the abundance of Buddhist and Taoist spells suppressing the demon in Shaolin Temple, he had severed one of Shin Seung’s arms and continued to dominate the fight with the latecomer from the new Current Realm.
Yet, for such a being to conduct rituals for additional sacrifices to grow stronger?
The fact that the required scapegoats were those needed to normalize this chaotic world—
“…Phew, this can’t be an issue we can resolve on our own.”
Thoughts regarding the reconstruction of the Dragon Heart could be addressed later.
Even if they had to force sacrifices later, the march of the Demon Cult had to be halted at all costs.
“I came for that reason as well. If the Zhuge family lends a hand, it wouldn’t be too difficult to spread this information to other major factions.”
The mainstream mystique of this world is martial arts, and other factions were well aware of the utility of magical arts.
It’s just that they faced too many restrictions in learning and mastering it, which prevented them from producing results easily.
While the Zhuge family was equipped with both connections and infrastructure, they had the capacity to disseminate desired information rapidly across the continent.
“…Very well. Then let’s get started. I’ve got so much to do already, but I suppose I’m to be buried in work.”
“Our Dosas spread across the continent can assist in conducting the rituals too. If they can facilitate communication, it would minimize the consumption of power according to the distance.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll count on you.”
Long-distance information transmission is a substantial effort, hence why it wasn’t often employed. However, if the Mosan Faction could lend a hand, it would allow them to wrap up things more easily than anticipated.
Thus, based on the cooperation of the two organizations regarded as the main pillars in the world of magical arts, news began to spread one by one to the powers governing regions across the continent.
Concerning the schemes of the Demon Cult and the dangers posed by their leader, the Celestial Demon.
And about the potential capable of putting an end to the current chaos.
*
‘Alright, things are progressing smoothly.’
The fact that the Celestial Demon was dead was still unknown except to the Demon Cult members, thus providing the perfect excuse to rouse the public’s sense of crisis and unite them.
Everyone was plenty aware of the might shown by the Celestial Demon in Shaolin Temple.
‘As the attention of the entire continent gathers, I won’t be able to remain hidden quietly like this. My whereabouts will become evident eventually.’
Of course, by spreading this information broadly, some of those who heard it would harbor errant ideas.
Likely at this moment, there were quite a number of those starting dark schemes to use the dragon children according to their desires.
That could lead to the trigger for yet another tragedy…
‘I don’t care.’
Hans didn’t bother with such trivial issues.
He wasn’t being dismissive of what happened to the dragon children; it was just that, in essence, he now truly didn’t care.
The answer to that was just completed.
“Now— rise.”
Hans’s low voice resonated softly.
Wiggle—
In response to that sound, the figure lying on the bed twitched.
At first, it sporadically reacted, then gradually began to move rapidly as if undergoing convulsions.
Then in an instant, all movements ceased.
Hiss—
The next moment, the being had somehow risen and was kneeling before Hans, bowing respectfully.
With eyes as black as coal, shining without whites.
“…Glory to the Lord of Death. Please give your command.”
The Celestial Demon, who had ultimately succumbed to the karma of his numerous deeds, now reborn as a new undead through his corpse—a destined opponent prepared as the Head of the Buncheon Society.
Tentatively named, ‘Karma Jiangshi.’
