The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 116:

The Hao Clan scout placed a chair in the underground prison and diligently cleaned the surrounding area.

Seung Doheung frowned as he watched the scene unfold.

"What are you up to now? And what are you doing here?"

Upon closer inspection, the movements of the scout seemed unusual. This was no ordinary laborer.

And strangely enough, it didn’t seem like he was from the Society either.

Anxiety crept over Seung Doheung. Perhaps the one who had saved him earlier wasn’t even from the Society, as he had initially assumed.

But Seung Doheung shook his head.

"No, that’s not it. I distinctly smelled the Scent of Pursuit earlier."

It was the exact Scent of Pursuit that he had personally concocted. The fact that it was used to track him down and find this place was undeniable.

To obtain that incense, one would need to be affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Cult.

"But if he claims not to be from the Cult, then he must have come from the Society. Surely, that makes sense."

When asked if he was from the Cult, his denial had to be a coded signal. Only someone from the Society would understand such a response.

As Seung Doheung mulled over these thoughts, someone descended into the prison.

It was the same person from earlier—the one who had only asked his name and told him to stay put before leaving.

Byeok Taesan glanced at Seung Doheung before walking over and sitting in the chair.

With the iron bars separating them, Byeok Taesan sat on the chair while Seung Doheung remained seated on the floor.

"Look, why don’t you release me now? Can you at least tell me who you’re working for? I might not look it, but I’m directly under the Elder. I can give you solid support in the future."

"Elder?"

Byeok Taesan’s curiosity piqued at who this so-called Elder might be.

"Yes, the Elder. The one we both know and respect."

Byeok Taesan frowned. The man’s roundabout way of speaking, refusing to get to the point, was beginning to irritate him.

Seung Doheung was more focused on the Hao Clan scout standing behind Byeok Taesan than on the man himself.

Noticing Seung Doheung’s repeated glances, Byeok Taesan turned to the scout and said, "Go upstairs. Don’t let anyone else come down until I return."

"Understood. What should I do with the items we retrieved earlier?"

"Ah, those... organize them appropriately. Make copies of the records for yourselves and deliver the originals to the Black Iron Workshop."

"Yes, I’ll see to it."

The scout bowed politely and quickly went upstairs.

Only then did Seung Doheung’s expression relax a little.

"Finally, we can have a proper conversation. That fellow didn’t seem like one of us, so I had to be cautious. I hope you understand."

Byeok Taesan smirked. The fool clearly misunderstood the situation.

"I don’t usually enjoy interrogations, but when I do, I make sure no one else is around to witness them."

The cold, emotionless tone of his statement was far more chilling than if he had expressed anger.

"Interrogation? Why would you do this? Aren’t we on the same side?"

Byeok Taesan ignored the man’s words and his rising panic.

"Why don’t we start with Society? Tell me about it."

Seung Doheung’s face immediately hardened.

"You don’t know about the Society? You tricked me! So it’s already been exposed, hasn’t it? I was so careful..."

"I’ve never deceived you."

"You said you weren’t from the Cult!"

"Of course I’m not."

The opposite couldn’t be truer.

Byeok Taesan stared at Seung Doheung calmly.

"If you’re not from the Cult, how did you manage to use the Scent of Pursuit?"

Byeok Taesan stood up.

"Looks like I’ll have to interrogate you after all. Extracting your spirit first should make things much easier."

Seung Doheung interpreted the phrase about extracting his spirit as a horrifyingly painful process and turned pale. Deciding to spill something to avoid torture, he blurted out, "It’s the Heavenly Reversal Society!"

He thought revealing the name wouldn’t matter much. After all, it was just a name. Yet an ominous feeling gnawed at him, warning him that he must avoid interrogation at all costs.

"Heavenly Reversal Society?"

Byeok Taesan repeated the words, tilting his head slightly.

"The name is too obvious, don’t you think?"

Byeok Taesan frowned, returning to his seat. Tapping the armrest of the chair with his fingers, he observed Seung Doheung closely.

Seung Doheung nervously gauged Byeok Taesan’s mood. What about the name was so "obvious"?

The tension in the room grew heavier.

Seung Doheung felt as if he was being crushed under the weight of the pressure, finding it harder to breathe.

Byeok Taesan’s expression had turned grave, though for reasons Seung Doheung could not fathom.

The reason for Byeok Taesan’s somber demeanor was the memory of his own death.

When Byeok Taesan, then the Heavenly Demon, had perished, the upper echelon of the Heavenly Demon Cult had drowned in a sea of blood.

As ruthless as Byeok Taesan had been, there was no way he had hunted them all down individually. They had come for him first.

Though the circumstances of that time were peculiar, that much had been true.

The Heavenly Reversal Society—a group intent on overturning the heavens.

And in the context of the Heavenly Demon Cult, "heavens" could only mean the Heavenly Demon himself or the Cult as a whole.

Byeok Taesan gazed coldly at Seung Doheung.

"It was you."

Seung Doheung felt his heart plummet as if it had dropped out of his chest.

"W-what... what do you mean?"

He stuttered, not even realizing that his tone of speech had changed. His whole body trembled.

"You killed the Heavenly Demon."

Seung Doheung flinched violently, his face pale. He waved his hands frantically.

"No! Absolutely not! It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding? Even with the name 'Heavenly Reversal Society,' it's a misunderstanding?"

"Well, I mean, anyone can come up with plans, can't they? We just made plans! We haven’t actually attempted anything concrete yet! And our plans weren’t like that! I swear!"

"The way things look, it's clear the Phantom Demon intervened… and judging by the fact that you're a formation master, the elder you were referring to is the Phantom Demon, isn't it?"

Seung Doheung froze at those words. He turned to Byeok Taesan with a deeply suspicious expression.

"You're… really not someone sent by the Society?"

Byeok Taesan’s gaze turned icy once again.

Seeing this, Seung Doheung flinched and desperately waved his hands again, his urgency palpable.

"No! That was a slip of the tongue! I believe you! I already believe you!"

Byeok Taesan leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on the armrests, lightly propping his chin on the back of his hand, and crossing his legs.

"Explain."

Seung Doheung spilled everything he knew. As he spoke, he found himself puzzled at times, unsure why he felt compelled to reveal so much without holding anything back.

The Heavenly Reversal Society wasn’t an organization aiming to establish a new Heavenly Demon but rather a group seeking to reform the Demonic Cult.

They had no intention of breaking away from the cult to establish a separate faction. Instead, it was a group formed to solidify their influence within the cult.

Their plans were still in the development phase, with at least two to three years needed before execution.

However, the sudden death of the Heavenly Demon had thrown everything into disarray.

"Frankly, I was as shocked as anyone else. If Elder Phantom Demon hadn’t contacted me right before the Heaven-Sealing Array unfolded, I’d probably still be struggling to grasp the situation."

Byeok Taesan studied Seung Doheung carefully as he spoke.

By observing his spirit, it was possible to discern whether his words leaned more toward truth or falsehood.

"What did the Phantom Demon say?"

"He told me to lay low for the time being because things had gotten messy… and that he’d contact me later."

"So, with the Heavenly Demon dead, he plans to seize power when the opportunity arises, doesn’t he?"

Seung Doheung couldn’t answer. No, he didn’t dare to. Even he felt that the Phantom Demon might have such intentions.

Having confessed everything, Seung Doheung felt a strange sense of relief. He cautiously asked Byeok Taesan a question.

"May I ask… who you are?"

He wasn’t an ordinary person, that much was clear. There weren’t many people who could address the Phantom Demon so casually.

Even if the Phantom Demon’s martial arts and standing within the Demonic Cult had waned, he was still a respected elder.

Maybe among friends it would be fine, but to speak like that in front of someone under the Phantom Demon’s direct command suggested an equal or higher status.

However, no matter how hard Seung Doheung thought about it, he couldn’t come up with anyone so young in such a high position.

He spent most of his time outside, so he wasn’t personally acquainted with the entire cult leadership, but he always kept his ears open.

Curiosity and suspicion flickered in Seung Doheung's eyes.

"Byeok Taesan."

At Byeok Taesan’s words, Seung Doheung tilted his head, confused. He didn’t know anyone by that name.

Just then, a voice called from above.

"Young Master, I have something to report!"

The voice sounded urgent.

"Come down."

Hao Clan scout hurriedly descended and approached Byeok Taesan.

"Someone is investigating Seung Doheung's house."

A faint smirk appeared on Byeok Taesan's lips. He turned to look at Seung Doheung.

Seung Doheung’s expression stiffened slightly.

Byeok Taesan asked the Hao Clan scout.

"How many are there?"

"Three have entered the house. But there are others nearby who seem to be their comrades. We’ve identified up to twelve individuals."

Byeok Taesan frowned.

"Is the house properly cleaned up?"

"Yes, it’s spotless. They won’t find anything. Even the pit has been seamlessly covered."

Byeok Taesan nodded in approval.

"Don’t engage unnecessarily. Just keep watch and identify if there are more."

"Understood. I’ll give the orders."

As the Hao Clan scout departed, Byeok Taesan turned his gaze to Seung Doheung.

"So, how did you end up captured here?"

Seung Doheung’s face twisted with frustration.

"I got caught trying to make an escape."

Though not widely known, Seung Doheung had established himself as a recognized formation master among those in the know, slowly earning his reputation.

But that had turned out to be his downfall.

The Nameless Sect had deemed him a valuable asset and approached him for recruitment.

From then on, he had been forced to work under Seo Daegun and Go Jun-kwang like a dog.

"They're truly ruthless people. I mostly taught the formations to those Go Jun-kwang brought in."

Occasionally, he also assisted in setting up formations. The formation installed at the Black Iron Workshop was also Seung Doheung's work.

"Your skills seem sloppy."

At the word "sloppy," Seung Doheung momentarily forgot his situation and retorted indignantly.

"What do you mean by that? My skills are good enough to be acknowledged by Elder Phantom Demon."

Byeok Taesan smirked.

"Phantom Demon is generous with his compliments. But when he truly acknowledges someone, he bows his head."

"Pardon? What do you mea— No, never mind."

He nearly blurted out, What kind of nonsense is that? A cold sweat trickled down Seung Doheung's back as he cautiously observed Byeok Taesan.

"I'm not an expert in formations, but I do have a keen eye."

"Well, I can't exactly show you the inside of my head, so this is frustrating."

Seung Doheung thumped his chest in frustration, wearing an aggrieved expression.

Byeok Taesan watched him with an enigmatic smile.

Would he still dare to say that if he knew Byeok Taesan could actually extract the contents of his mind?

"Anyway, how many members does this Heavenly Reversal Society have?"

"Uh, well… I'm not entirely sure."

Byeok Taesan chuckled softly.

"Then think about it carefully. I'll give you some time. Soon, you'll have companions to discuss it with."

Byeok Taesan stood up and walked out.

Seung Doheung watched him leave, unable to hide his confusion.

"Uh, Young Master? Are you just leaving like this? Y-Young Master?"

Byeok Taesan didn’t reply and ascended the stairs.

"Oh no… I really got tangled up with the wrong person."

Seung Doheung sat there, repeatedly pondering over Byeok Taesan's identity.

Seung Doheung stared in astonishment at the individuals descending the stairs. His jaw dropped without him realizing it.

They were members of the Heavenly Reversal Society.

They had come in response to the signal he had sent.

A total of twenty-two people had arrived.

Trailing at the very back was Byeok Taesan.

"And you wanted to change things with these amateurs?"

It had been only three shijins {approximately six hours} since Byeok Taesan had left.

Yet here they were—twenty-two comrades, captured and brought in. How could this be?

Moreover, as Byeok Taesan had said, they were far from amateurs. While not on par with the stronger warriors of the Demonic Cult, they were certainly capable fighters.

Yet, every one of them had been captured.

Seung Doheung stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.

Suddenly, the prison cell door creaked open. Seung Doheung's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Go inside."

The moment Byeok Taesan gave the order, everyone obediently entered the cell.

The already cramped prison became even tighter with twenty-two more people packed in. They had no choice but to huddle closely together.

"Now, discuss amongst yourselves."

Leaving those words, Byeok Taesan ascended the stairs once again.

Seung Doheung stared at him in bewilderment before turning to look at his captured comrades.

There were both familiar and unfamiliar faces among them.

Just as he was about to ask how they had ended up captured, someone else spoke first.

"Who the hell is that man?"

Seung Doheung closed his mouth and looked at the speaker.

"We didn’t even get a chance to fight back. I suddenly blacked out, and when I woke up, I was being carried away. As you can see, my internal energy has been completely sealed."

Seung Doheung glanced around at the others. They were all nodding in agreement.

They had experienced the same thing.

"Good heavens, what is this…?"

It felt as if they had been bewitched.