Chapter 611: If I Go There

RUMBLE...!

As an ominous vibration rolled in from afar, the Patriarchs of the Blood Cult’s Eight Great Clans halted their meeting.

“An earthquake all of a sudden?”

“That direction is...”

A chilling glint shone in every pair of eyes around the table, and a menacing aura loomed over them all. Suffocating demonic qi poured off their bodies as naturally as breathing.

“That’s the direction of the prison,” a large-framed old man at the head of the table said, before raising his voice. “Is anyone out there? Find out what is happening.”

A voice outside acknowledged the order.

He was Ju Ilcheon, the Patriarch of the Ju Clan. With the Head Elder dead and the Apostles missing, he was now the Blood Cult’s de facto leader.

Ju Ilcheon looked around at the assembled Patriarchs. “It has been nearly ten days since the Apostles disappeared. I decided that we could no longer wait, so I urgently summoned you all.”

The Patriarchs of the seven remaining Clans nodded in agreement.

“The Cult was already in turmoil after the Head Elder’s death, and now the Apostles are acting on their own.”

“What in the world are they doing? Why can’t they just report their whereabouts?”

“I hate to even consider the possibility... but we must not forget the precedent set by that traitor, Wiji Yeol.”

“Surely not...”

Discontent and distrust spilled around the table, with every word aimed at the Apostles.

Although the Apostles had contributed greatly to rebuilding the Blood Cult over the decades, their recent conduct was another matter.

First, the First Apostle had returned from the Shandong Ak Clan Branch Estate without killing the Azure Dragon Hero, despite the immense losses they had suffered there. Next, they locked the Fourth Apostle in prison and interrogated him in private. Finally, one fine day, all the Apostles left without announcing their plans.

Combined with the recent failure of nearly every plan the cult had set in motion, the cultists’ faith and loyalty toward the Apostles had been shaken to the core.

Ju Ilcheon listened to the denunciations in silence, then said, “While investigating the Apostles’ movements, I found something hidden deep within the underground prison.”

He gestured to a coffin on the side of the hall, which opened on its own to reveal a half-rotten, withered corpse. Everyone, even the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Clans, clicked their tongues at the ghastly spectacle.

“Arise, Wraith.”

The Demonic Strategist strained to open his eyes inside the coffin. [...A mere subordinate of our Cult dares summon me so carelessly?]

His voice was imbued with the Blood Demon’s heaven-defying sorcery, striking fear into the hearts of the weaker Patriarchs.

However, Ju Ilcheon was completely unfazed. Looking down at the Demonic Strategist with a chilling glint in his eyes, he sneered, “You’re very arrogant for a monster that is neither alive nor dead. Now, answer my questions.”

[Kekeke! How droll! This old man served the Supreme Lord when you were still pissing and shitting yourself. If you want answers, old brat, you must first show some respect.“

A massive hand snatched the Demonic Strategist by the neck—the same neck Sagon had once broken—and lifted him off the ground, letting him dangle limply.

“I can turn you to dust right now. Or I could simply tear that smelly, useless body off your neck.”

The glint in Ju Ilcheon’s eyes turned purple, a phenomenon seen only in masters of the Purple Lightning Demonic Art, one of the Blood Cult’s Ten Great Demonic Arts. He had held back from asserting his authority all these years purely because he was younger than the Head Elder. In strength, he was one of the Blood Cult’s greatest martial artists.

[Do you seriously believe that a threat as pitiful as that will make me spill the beans? How amusing. How trivial. Fufufu... Puhahahaha!]

The Demonic Strategist had transcended life and death long ago. The seven emotions and five desires of an ordinary human meant nothing to him. He existed for one reason and one reason only.

[The Supreme Lord’s return is imminent. I can feel it. When the heaven-defying energy spreads across the world and the Eye of the Sky grows murky, mysterious phenomena will run rampant. No one will be able to stop their spread. And on the day the Supreme Lord returns, I will stand at his side once more. Fufu, huhahaha...!]

The maddened zombie babbled and laughed incessantly, disgusting even the Patriarchs of the Blood Cult.

The Demonic Strategist abruptly halted his laughter and fixed his pale, dull eyes on them, as if a switch had been flicked. [This old man is in a good mood today, so I will make an exception. Aren’t you curious where the apostates went?]

“...Are you saying the Apostles have committed apostasy?”

[Kekeke! Foolish creatures. So you truly knew nothing. The ones you call Apostles are now...]

HISSSSS...

Just as the Demonic Strategist was about to tell them what he had seen and heard in the underground prison, a mysterious darkness crept across the meeting hall.

The Patriarchs of the Blood Cult’s Eight Clans practically lived and breathed demonic qi. Even accounting for how similar energies muddied the senses, the fact that not one of them had noticed an unfamiliar presence until it stood this close was shocking.

Several faces had already turned deathly pale.

“Who dares!” Ju Ilcheon roared, hurling a palm strike at the door to drive the invading darkness back outside.

A moment later, a man walked in through the shattered doorway. “So you were all gathered here.”

He was a beautiful young man, the sort rarely seen in the mortal world. His hair was completely white, and his complexion was as pale as a sick person’s. His cheeks were hollow, and his frame was gaunt, as if he had not eaten properly in a long time.

He wasn’t even dressed. Instead of clothes, an ominous shimmering darkness draped around his body like a cloak.

“Eww! Old men sure stink,” he said, pinching his nose.

Under ordinary circumstances, that statement should have gotten him torn to shreds. Nevertheless, not a single Patriarch showed a flicker of anger. They could only stare at him, their faces frozen in disbelief.

“Fifth Elder...!”

“Night Emperor! How are you here?”

“He should be locked in the underground prison... Wait. Don’t tell me that vibration earlier was...”