MTLNOVEL Chapter 178
Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
The Palace of Light.
The Divine Cult, a group with the longest tradition and history in the martial world.
At the very heart of this Palace of Light, where the brain of the Divine Cult resides, a figure lounges indolently.
Their gaze is both vacant and profound. The deep meaning contained within their crimson eyes is inscrutable.
The Young Lord of the Cult, second only to the Demon Queen in status, sits there idly.
“Hmph.”
At this soft utterance from the Young Lord, the air in the Palace of Light froze momentarily.
The Elders, the Grand Elders, the Great Masters, the Hall Masters—numerous key figures of the Cult swallowed their fears.
Amidst this chilly atmosphere, the Young Lord alone opened their mouth.
“You all are truly ugly.”
“…”
“Someone must be stupid to say that humans are better than beasts…”
None of the subordinates replied.
They were already quite accustomed to such remarks from the Young Lord.
Occasionally, the Young Lord would be like this, especially when it rained heavily and the high-ranking officials all gathered at the Palace of Light.
“…What’s the point of telling you all this when nothing will change…”
The Young Lord muttered self-deprecatingly and lightly waved their hand in the air.
Their slender fingers gestured gracefully.
“Go on, all of you.”
“Huh?”
“Our mother is coming.”
At this nonchalant statement from the Young Lord, the officials kneeling in the Palace of Light gulped nervously.
The Demon Queen, mother of the Young Lord.
Though her direct rule of the Cult lasted less than ten years, the impression she left was unforgettable to any official.
How could they forget? She would neglect all state affairs and only fawn over her husband.
Yet no one dared to complain. After all, even though the Demon Queen showed no interest in conquests, the frontier tribes and external forces feared her anyway.
Specifically, they feared her extreme martial prowess.
Just the mention of the Demon Queen’s name would make those from outside the Central Plains tremble. That was the caliber of this Demon Queen.
Moreover, when superiors were having fun, it meant they could relax too. During the Demon Queen’s reign, the Cult operated rather leisurely.
That changed when the current Young Lord ascended, whose meticulous nature contrasted sharply with the previous Demon Queen. The Cult now operated busily under this new leadership.
“Are you all still here not leaving?”
“Young Lord, if Lady Demon Queen is coming, we should properly welcome her…”
“It’s unnecessary. Your ‘likes’ are simply disgusting to even imagine.”
“…!”
At this terrifying insult without cause, the White Dragon Patriarch’s anger and frustration soared.
This was anger that must not be expressed outwardly.
He wanted to tear the Young Lord apart right there, to shred their small and delicate body.
No, before that, he wanted to defile their relatively handsome face, to crush their pride.
He entertained a barbaric ‘thought’ characteristic of someone versed in demonic arts.
“…You’re hopeless.”
Yes, the Young Lord somehow perceived just the ‘thought’.
Swoosh.
Why?
“This Cult is fundamentally disgusting from its roots, but you are outstanding among that.”
“!”
“If your momentary anger can escalate to such foul thoughts, a person like you is simply unnecessary to our Cult.”
Through some unseen move of the Young Lord, the White Dragon Patriarch’s head was instantly severed and rolled across the floor.
His body fell face down on the floor of the Palace of Light, yet curiously, no blood flowed.
“Clean up while you go out.”
Without any warning, the Young Lord had killed a subordinate. The officials reacted as if this was a common sight, perhaps too frightened by the frozen atmosphere to say anything.
It was indeed quite common when one was with the Young Lord. Those who dared to entertain audacious thoughts about the Young Lord, or revealed their true nature in a revelry, were often killed without reason.
Though the Young Lord claimed it was for a reason.
Rustle.
At this sharp command, the officials of the Palace of Light quickly lined up and left in haste. The Young Lord sat on the throne waiting patiently.
After about half an hour’s wait…
Wooom.
The air rippled. Though under normal circumstances, this phenomenon would be dismissed as an illusion.
“Have you arrived, Mother?”
This was not the case now.
The Young Lord greeted the guest with a taciturn face. The visitor, who bore some resemblance to the Young Lord but was slightly larger in stature, gracefully descended into the Palace of Light.
Neither of them questioned the appearance of a person out of nowhere. It was natural.
For a person to traverse the boundaries of space…
“What is the status of the task I entrusted you with?”
The Young Lord inquired.
“Hmm… Well, I got that child to promise not to return, but…”
The Demon Queen’s expression was not good.
“Then that’s that. As long as the mandate is not disturbed, whatever happens is not my concern.”
“There are conditions.”
At the Demon Queen’s words, the Young Lord’s thick eyebrows twitched.
“Conditions, you say?”
“Yes.”
“…To me?”
“Yes.”
How many could dare to offer conditions to the leader of a hundred thousand demon sects?
Thinking that this person had quite the nerve, the Young Lord asked,
“Let’s hear it.”
“You…”
“?”
“Before you proceed with the destruction of humanity…”
“! Did you know about that?”
“In the Central Plains, a tour for a year. Without killing anyone.”
“…”
The Young Lord’s expression turned cold.
It was astonishing that they knew of their plans, but more importantly…
“A year in the Central Plains. Quite arrogant, aren’t they?”
“Hmm…”
“Not to kill anyone… What could be the intention? Trying to buy time?”
“Who knows,” said the Demon Queen.
“Tch.”
After a brief scoff, the Young Lord descended from the throne. The overly long Cult Leader’s robes trailed on the ground.
Yet no dust adhered to the robes, as if the very dust feared contact with them.
This was evidence of the Young Lord’s mastery of martial arts.
“Where are you going?”
“I should visit the Central Plains.”
“! Are you simply going to comply with the condition?”
“Can I keep breaking the mandate, can I?”
“The Demon Queen’s dignity is ruined.”
“It has no meaning.”
Sometimes, the Demon Queen could not comprehend her daughter.
Showing unnecessary hostility to strange things when others kept quiet.
Obsessing excessively over natural principles and deeply hating humans.
These were aspects the Demon Queen found hard to understand.
“When will the year start? Now?”
“It begins when you set off.”
“How would they know when I will leave?”
“It was mentioned that you don’t need to worry. There are ways.”
“…Can we trust that?”
“What will you do if you don’t trust? Go argue again?”
At the Demon Queen’s nonchalant retort, the Young Lord closed their mouth.
Instead of arguing, they walked out of the Palace of Light with measured steps.
“To not kill anyone for a year, that’s almost impossible outside of infancy.”
“…If only you could control that short-temper…”
“I’ve never ‘lost my temper.’ I always give three chances, and only kill when they exceed the last. Those who dislike it, should contemplate their thoughts.”
With that, the Young Lord left the Cult without looking back, indifferent to its state of disorder.
In the blink of an eye, the Young Lord became a dot in the sky heading towards the Central Plains.
The Demon Queen quietly watched their departure.
“How strange…”
Muttering to herself,
“Why… can’t I remember? The memories with that child…? It can’t have been just once or twice…”
*
The head of the Taewon Jin Clan, Gayoung Jin.
She typically starts her day very early.
This habit stems from her past experience competing with her family for the successor position, during which she tried to avoid making even a single fault.
Therefore, Gayoung Jin often woke up early to rouse Byul Rak, who was still asleep, though she would wait until he had slept enough.
Recently, with a growing sense of urgency from rivals, she had increasingly spent her mornings in Byul Rak’s bedroom.
Seeing him sleep soundly provided her with much peace of mind.
But today…
“Oof… Haa… ”
“Umm… Lord… Hehe… I love you…”
“…Hm?”
Things seemed less comfortable today…
“Is this… a direct approach?”
At this moment, Hong Ryun, previously her foremost rival, was replaced by Soeun Yu as her top priority concern.