Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 537

#537

Taejonbirok Volume 22, Episode 12

Chapter 120: The Lazy Runaway (2)

“You mean Seonghwa?”

Wi Jeong-han nodded heavily in response to Wi Yeon-ho's question.

“What is that?”

“……It is a flame that can be said to be the symbol of the Demonic Cult.”

“Huh? The flame is a symbol?”

"okay."

“How does a flame become a symbol?”

Wi Jeong-han opened his mouth with a slightly stiff voice.

“What does Buddhism pursue?”

“Buddha.”

Wi Jeong-han looked back at Musan. Then Musan opened his mouth.

"No, sir. This might be a bit difficult to explain, but for your sake, let me explain it as simply as possible… We do not follow the Buddha."

“Huh? You don’t follow the Buddha?”

"Yes. What we follow is the Dharma itself. Buddha refers to one who has realized the Dharma."

“Isn’t that it?”

"No. We respect those who break the law, but we don't expect anything in return. We want to become those who do it ourselves."

“You respect the masters and try to follow in their footsteps, but you don’t follow them?”

“That’s it.”

Musan smiled as if he was amazed. "How could someone like Wi Yeon-ho understand this so perfectly?"

Wi Jeong-han nodded and continued speaking.

“The same goes for Taoism. They worship the Primordial Heavenly Being and serve the Supreme Being, but… what they seek to follow is not the Taoist immortals, but the Tao itself.”

“Well, that’s difficult.”

"The same goes for the Demonic Cult. They don't worship God. What they worship is the Holy Fire."

“What is a holy fire?”

“A flame that accepts everything.”

Wi Jeong-han spoke calmly, to the point of feeling a little creepy.

"The Demonic Cult is the religion of the outcast. The Holy Fire accepts even these outcasts without discrimination. Those who believe in the Demonic Cult believe they worship the Holy Fire while alive and become one with it after death. Those who lived, those who have died, those who will die… all ultimately become one within the Holy Fire. Simply put, the Holy Fire is where they must ultimately return. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wi Yeon-ho nodded.

“I have no idea.”

“……Okay.”

It's easier to explain to a cow.

“Anyway, so that’s what the Holy Spirit is, right?”

"yes."

“It just looks like fire?”

Wi Jeong-han shook his head.

"It doesn't really matter whether that's a true holy fire or just a flame. What matters is that the demonic cultists believe that flame to be holy fire."

Wi Yeon-ho let out a sigh.

But what does it really matter? What matters is that the Demonic Cult treasured that flame and kept it hidden, and Wei Yanhu came here to destroy what the Demonic Cult treasured.

“I wish it were a treasure.”

Wei Yanho puffed out his cheeks.

Even if it wasn't exactly material, it would have been nice if it had some form of value that could be sold.

Since it was a demonic cult item, merchants would not be willing to buy it easily, but the new investigator would have been able to get a good price.

Wi Yeon-ho sighed, erasing the beautiful plan he had drawn in his mind.

“So, you’re saying I should just break it and leave?”

“……Let’s think about it.”

“Come again now?”

"That's no ordinary flame. From the Demonic Cult's perspective, extinguishing it is like digging up the grave where I should be buried and pouring filth on it."

“Wow, that’s bad?”

There was no need to think too deeply. It was easy to imagine how devastating it would be for those who had endured this harsh environment, relying solely on the hope of returning to the Holy Spirit and resting there, to lose their place to return to.

Even if he were to have a drink with the enemy who killed his father, he would probably rush at him foaming at the mouth.

Wijeonghan had always suspected something important was here, but he never imagined it would be the Holy Fire. That's why he's panicking now.

“But there’s nothing particularly special about it. We’re probably enemies already anyway.”

“We are not the problem.”

"yes?"

"You have no idea how terrifying it is for those who have nowhere to turn. If we put this out, the Demonic Cult will have no need to retreat."

"omg……."

Wi Yeon-ho understood why Wi Jeong-han was hesitating.

For them, the main church wasn't this building, but this sacred fire. If the main church disappears, it's not that they have nowhere to return to; if the sacred fire disappears, they have nowhere to return to.

There's no reason to return to Xinjiang. How fearful must a believer be when he denies God? Those who have lost their peace fight without fear of death.

“They’ll probably try to kill every last one, win or lose.”

“Surely you wouldn’t go that far.”

"Probably so. You can say that because you don't really understand what a fanatic means. At least as far as I know, there have been no fanatics more profound than the Demonic Cult."

"eww……."

It was a creepy feeling.

“Then what should I do?”

"that is……."

Even the wise man didn't know what to do.

“What should I do?”

Wei Yanho's cheeks swelled.

“Is that what the person in charge says?”

"Who's in charge? Me? Since when was I in charge? You're the one in charge!"

“I have a father, so why am I in charge?”

“When did you ever treat me like a father?”

“That’s not the point here.”

“And! If I’m the father, then I’m the father. Why should I take responsibility? It’s clearly you who’s responsible!”

"omg……."

Wei Yanho pointed his finger at himself.

“Me?”

"okay."

“Me?”

"okay."

Wei Yanho said with a blank expression.

“I’ve never taken responsibility in my life, and yet I’m the one in charge?”

“…….”

Wi Jeong-han's eyes shook.

I was intoxicated by the atmosphere. Even a three-year-old would know how foolish it was to put Wi Yeon-ho in charge.

“Hey, let’s cancel that for now.”

“You thought well.”

"Anyway, I don't really know what to do with this. It's a bit strange to come all this way and leave empty-handed, but if I touch it, there's a risk of repercussions…"

Seonghwa was a sensitive being, so much so that even Wei Zhenghan, known as the Dog of the Battlefield and the Sword of the Righteous, feared the aftermath.

“So, it’s decided.”

However, Wi Yeon-ho, who had little understanding of the Holy Spirit, did not think much of it.

“Just go.”

"huh?"

Wi Yeon-ho shrugged.

“If the purpose of coming here was to tie those guys’ hands, wouldn’t this be enough?”

Wi Jeong-han nodded quietly.

That's not wrong. They've already burned down the main temple. And beneath that temple lies the Holy Fire. The demonic cultists are probably returning to full strength by now.

Wouldn't this be enough?

They were now stirring up the hive. If they took honey, the bees would calm down, but the moment they killed the queen, they would go berserk.

“Hmm…….”

Wi Jeong-han looked at Seong-hwa with a slightly uneasy expression.

'You're just going to leave this here?'

It wasn't an easy decision. We were only able to reach this place after taking advantage of the enemy's absence. Unless the Demonic Cult is destroyed, outsiders will never set foot here again.

But are you going to leave it like this?

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, right?

Wi Jeong-han couldn't help but hesitate. He understood in his head that Wi Yeon-ho was right. But people aren't creatures who act solely on their minds.

How the cultists, deprived of their sacred flame, will react is merely speculation. If things go well, those who have lost their symbol and the being they serve could be left in disarray.

So isn't it worth the risk?

“Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of it?”

Wi Jeong-han's head suddenly turned.

The person who said those words was Jang Il. Jang Il looked at Seonghwa with a serious expression.

"In a way, that's the very root of the Demonic Cult. They might get angry and throw a tantrum right now, but if they lose that, the Demonic Cult can no longer exist, right? At the very least, its power will be weakened. In the long run, shouldn't it be eliminated?"

“I think so too.”

Zhuge Liang provided support fire.

"I've heard that the Holy Flame is irreplaceable to the Demonic Cult. Seeing that, I think I understand why the Demonic Cultists are so loyal to their religion. Do you understand? To them, that flame is a living god."

"ah……."

"If Buddha were to appear in the world, everyone would believe in Buddhism. With God right before their eyes, it's impossible not to believe. This explains the demonic cult's unnatural bond. To those who don't understand, it's just a strange spark, but to those in the cult, it's God. Why worry about saving your life when God is right before your eyes? Paradise after death is guaranteed."

Everyone nodded.

“So you have to turn it off.”

Zhuge Liang spoke firmly.

"The beggar is right. If we destroy the Holy Fire now, things might get more difficult in the short term. But I assure you, there will be no more outbreaks of the Demonic Cult."

“Hmm…….”

Wi Jeong-han also nodded.

The Demonic Cult and the Central Plains have been fighting for hundreds of years.

The last war was twenty years ago, but there have been wars before that, and before that.

Even if the Central Plains manage to stop the Demonic Cult this time, if they fail to completely eradicate it, the war will continue. Again.

They will forever be after the Central Plains, and the Central Plains will never give up their land to them.

'A chance to end the war!'

Those words pierced Wi Jeong-han's heart.

“Amitabha.”

Musan opened his mouth quietly.

“I don't understand the logic. But one thing is certain: I sense a strangeness in that flame.”

Musan spoke with an unusually serious expression on his face.

"It's a spark that has no good in the world. I think it would be right to get rid of it."

“I don’t think I can just come all this way and go back.”

Peng Do-geuk also shared the same opinion as everyone else.

So in the end, Wi Jeong-han had no choice but to see Wi Yeon-ho again.

“Yeonho, no matter how much I think about it…….”

“Tsk.”

At that moment, Wei Yanhu clicked his tongue.

“I’m possessed.”

"huh?"

“Close your eyes.”

“……What are you talking about?”

“Close your eyes and practice. I have a feeling of guilt in my eyes right now.”

“We are fine.”

“Since you’re fine, why don’t you give it a try? You won’t lose anything.”

"hmm……."

The nobles obediently followed the path of fortune. There was no way Wei Yanhu would order them to do anything that would harm them.

Those who had just finished the light meditation opened their eyes.

'Nothing has changed?'

“Why do I have to turn that off?”

“Well…….”

Wi Jeong-han closed his mouth.

Why did you have to turn it off?

There was a reason, a logic. But the reason felt completely different.

It's a good argument to endure the present for the sake of the future. But why didn't we consider that if we can't overcome the present, there's no future?

If the Demonic Cult were to risk their lives to push through the Central Plains, the damage would be equally severe. Can we truly say to those who died that their sacrifice for the future was noble?

“What is this…….”

“I told you I was possessed.”

Wei Yanho looked at the flames with hardened eyes.

“That’s no joke.”