Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1089

Episode 1088. What sin did I commit in my past life? (3)

“… … Ten times?”

Ohgeom’s face also hardened seriously.

Of course, I already guessed that the guys I saw this time weren’t the main force of the Demonic Cult. Without even mentioning the others, shouldn’t it be easy to guess just by looking at the existence of the Thousand Years?

‘but…….’

Baekcheon looked back at Cheongmyeong. A look of confusion was clearly visible in both his eyes.

Just the cult members that were there were enough to put the elite of Maninbang and Heukguibo in danger. But what if Danjagang had just waited leisurely instead of defeating the cult members and stepping forward?

Perhaps everyone who entered Hangzhou was buried there.

‘But ten times that power?’

It was truly an absurd statement.

Hyunjong also seemed to feel the same way as Ohgeom, as he shook his head repeatedly.

“… … It’s more than I thought. No… … To be honest, it’s hard to believe.”

The bewilderment and frustration in his voice were conveyed to everyone.

“Of course, the Demonic Cult… … is the place that drove the past martial arts world to the brink of destruction. However… … A whole hundred years have passed since then… … .”

“That’s why.”

Cheongmyeong’s calm reply came back. When Hyeonjong looked at him as if asking what he meant, he added.

“Considering that, it’s about ten times. If it weren’t for that, it wouldn’t have ended up being just ten times.”

Hyunjong still had a look of disbelief. However, there was not a single waver in Cheongmyeong’s eyes. The moment he saw that confident expression, Hyunjong had no choice but to believe all of these words. Whenever that child said something with that kind of face, there was always a basis for it.

“Can you explain the reason a little bit?”

“It’s simple. It’s because of the bishop.”

“bishop?”

“yes.”

Cheongmyeong nodded and continued speaking.

“The bishop we dealt with was young. That means that the Demonic Cult, which was driven out of the Central Plains, is currently expanding its followers and creating new power in some way.”

Cheongmyeong glanced around at the people sitting around him and said.

“And that means… … there could be many more people like that young bishop in the Demonic Cult right now.”

There was silence.

Lim So-byeong, who had been pressing his cheek with a fan, raised one hand.

“No. Just a moment, Dojo.”

His brow was furrowed.

“Of course it is possible. We only saw two bishops. There is a possibility that there are other bishops. But it is not possible to simply assume that… .”

“There are seventeen parishes in total in the Demonic Cult.”

Lim So-byeong kept his mouth shut.

He had heard this before. In the past, Cheonma led a demonic sect consisting of seventeen parishes and invaded the Central Plains.

“And each of those parishes is led by a bishop. In other words, a proper demonic sect has seventeen bishops.”

“Seventeen… … .”

At that moment, Baekcheon felt goosebumps run down his spine.

The image of Danjagang spewing out magic like a storm flashed through my mind. It was a sight that was like the embodiment of fear. It was a fearsome sight that overwhelmed even the mighty men who commanded the world, such as Man Geum Dae Bu, Jang Il So, and even Cheong Myeong.

‘That guy… … is seventeen?’

My fingertips were trembling.

In the suffocating silence, Cheongmyeong’s two eyes darkened.

The number of bishops is generally known to be around ten. However, this is only an approximate number, as the Demonic Cult was unable to replace the bishops who died in the war, pouring its full strength into it.

If the Demonic Cult had proper power, the number of bishops would be seventeen. No, if even those who do not lead a diocese but serve only the Heavenly Horse are called bishops, the number should be more than that.

“Hmm. But the Volcanic Sword Association.”

Dang Gun-ak also opened his mouth with a stern expression, as if he had objected to these words.

“The current Demonic Cult is different from the past. Weren’t they driven out of the Central Plains? It’s hard to say that they have regained their power… … .”

“Then what about before that?”

“… … What does that mean?”

“The previous Demonic Cult was in the Central Plains?”

Danggunak closed his mouth. It was such an obvious logic, but it was something I had never really thought about before.

Cheongmyeong said as if telling me to look at that.

“The previous Demonic Cult also gained power in places other than the Central Plains. Even so, they completely gathered their power centered around the Heavenly Horse and invaded the Central Plains. Is there any guarantee that this time will be different?”

“… … None.”

When Tang Jun-ak acknowledged it, Cheongmyeong nodded.

“They are now building up their strength to invade the Central Plains again. If so, they must be putting all their efforts into training a proper bishop. One bishop is more powerful than training a thousand followers in a half-hearted manner.”

In martial arts, it is more important to recruit at least one more absolute master than simply increasing the number of people.

“And they had a hundred years.”

Cheongmyeong’s eyes became a little cold.

“While the Central Plains were intoxicated with peace, forgetting the past, these bastards were licking their gall, waiting for the day they would take revenge on the Central Plains. For a whole hundred years.”

“… … .”

“But is it really true that he is the only newly raised bishop? Surely not?”

Tang Gun-ak let out a deep sigh.

Raising absolute masters is by no means an easy task. No matter how much effort is put into the sect, if only one person can be raised per generation, it can be considered a success.

But… …what if you were given a hundred years?

What if they had poured all their strength into nurturing their descendants since the moment they were defeated in the Central Plains? What if the Demonic Cult, which had driven the entire Central Plains to the brink of destruction with a single sect, had spent a hundred years gritted its teeth?

‘… … I can’t bring myself to say it’s impossible.’

Tang Gun-ak, who understood the situation, looked at Cheongmyeong with a stern face.

“Then do you think… … that the Demonic Cult has completely recovered its power?”

“To be honest… … .”

Cheongmyeong closed his mouth, thought for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

“In terms of numbers, I don’t think it would have reached the level it did in the past. There would be at most ten bishops. That’s a hopeful view.”

Everyone nodded.

It’s scary to think that there are ten people as tall as Danjagang, but compared to the number seventeen, it’s a more realistic number.

“The problem is the quality of the bishops.”

“hmm?”

“The bishops who survived when Cheonma died in the past are still in the Demonic Cult. Do you know what that means?”

“… … The bishops from that time are still alive? Then how old are they?”

A look of astonishment that could not be hidden appeared in Danggunak’s eyes.

“That’s not the point. What’s important is that they’re stronger than they were before.”

The body naturally deteriorates with age.

Even if you are a martial artist who goes against the laws of nature with no education, you cannot avoid it. However, your inner strength only accumulates as time passes. If the strong people who drove martial arts to the brink of destruction continued to train for a hundred years after that, I couldn’t even guess what level they would have reached by now.

“The young bishop called him a foreigner.”

“… … So you’re saying there’s another archbishop on top of that? Does that mean there are at least two bishops who have survived from the past to the present?”

“Yes, at least at the very least.”

Cheongmyeong bit her lips slightly.

“It is only natural to think that their mere presence makes the total power of the bishops, including those of the past, stronger than before.”

Everyone fell silent. And Qingming understood this silence.

Who would have thought that anyone would have survived all that time?

When Qingming died, Tang Zhaoping, who was only a child, had now become the most senior adult in the Tang family, and his days were numbered.

But who would have thought that the bishops who were not young at that time would still be alive… … .

Of course, it is not completely impossible. Didn’t Qingming already see with his own eyes the Bishop of Beihai, a survivor of the past war?

But this is a different case. The bishop of the North Sea was nothing more than a sham inserted to fill the serious episcopal vacuum of the time. In normal circumstances, he would not have dared call himself a bishop, either because of his age or his inaction.

however…….

‘A thousand years old.’

He is so different, even in different situations.

He was the most notorious of the fearsome bishops of the past. He is still alive. And yet, he has not yet ascended to the position of archbishop.

The implications of that fact were enormous.

“I can say with certainty.”

The moment those words came out, everyone looked at Cheongmyeong with tense faces.

“If the Demonic Cult invades Central Plains again this time, its power will be no less than before.”

The tip of my tongue felt numb as I spoke. Even Cheongmyeong had a hard time bringing up these words. No, not long ago, I wouldn’t have dared bring up these words in front of them.

A moderately large enemy can be a driving force to inspire a sense of triumph, but a hopelessly large enemy can sap what little motivation you have left.

The reason Cheongmyeong avoided mentioning the Demonic Cult as much as possible was not just to hide his true identity. It was because they were not ready to accept the existence of the Demonic Cult.

But now there is no avoidance.

Now that I have seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my own skin, and am certain that their days are numbered, it is time to know the truth.

How big and how strong is the enemy we have to fight against.

‘If there is hope… … .’

It was that very moment.

“There’s something I’d like to check.”

Cheongmyeong’s gaze turned to the side. The one who opened his mouth through the heavy air was none other than Baekcheon.

He met Cheongmyeong’s gaze directly, bit his lip slightly, and then opened his mouth.

“If it’s as you say, and as they mentioned… … didn’t you say that more than half of the power of the past Demonic Cult was due to that Heavenly Demon?”

“… … That’s probably it.”

Baekcheon asked with a frown.

“Then, your statement that the Demonic Cult will be no less powerful than it was in the past is only possible if the Heavenly Demon returns with the same power as before. Right?”

Cheongmyeong nodded slowly.

“Are you sure?”

“… … .”

“If Cheonma really resurrects, will he be resurrected with all his past powers intact? No… … . Resurrection itself is absurd, but isn’t it even stranger to be resurrected with all his powers intact?”

Everyone nodded with a look of surprise at Baekcheon’s question.

Perhaps the most important thing in this discussion is the Thousand Miles, but I missed it because I knew too little about the Thousand Miles.

But Cheongmyeong’s answer was a little different from what they expected.

“I don’t know.”

“……what?”

“I don’t know either.”

Cheongmyeong spoke resolutely with a cold face.

“I don’t know how he will be resurrected either. So I can’t predict. Either he needs time to regain his power after being resurrected, or… …he literally becomes a being worthy of the name ‘Cheonma’ as soon as he is resurrected.”

“… … .”

“Only one thing is certain. No matter how he is resurrected… … if he is given time, the result will be the same.”

Volcanic Sword Association Cheongmyeong. At the same time, Plum Blossom Sword Zone Cheongmyeong.

From his mouth, which had been filled with two identities and two lives, came words that seemed like an unavoidable fate.

“If we fail to stop the Heavenly Horse and the Demonic Cult, what we saw in Hangzhou will happen again throughout the Central Plains. No, perhaps even beyond the Central Plains to the entire world… … .”

Perhaps a prophecy. Perhaps a curse at the same time.

“Destruction is coming.”

The unavoidable reality flowed from Cheongmyeong’s mouth.