On the night before the clan head’s meeting, First Elder paced restlessly in his room. Shadows flickered across the walls in the wavering candlelight.
“Sado Hwan, Sado Hwan… So he really was Transcendent Peak…”
By official ranking, Sado Hwan had been 23rd in the Cult’s hierarchy.
But among those familiar with the cult’s inner workings, hardly anyone took those rankings at face value. Especially the members of the Sado Clan. It was inevitable.
Those with power always show it. Especially in the Cult, where reverence for strength is doctrine.
But not Sado Hwan. He practically lived in seclusion, rarely leaving his quarters. No one had ever seen him train. The only time he appeared in public was at Sado Gwang’s side. During Sado Gwang’s birthday banquet, he didn’t even perform a sword dance like a proper warrior. He played the flute.
“If he were really that strong, he wouldn’t have groveled before Sado Gwang like that.”
The image of Sado Hwan clinging to Sado Gwang like a dog waiting for jerky after playing the flute was still vivid in First Elder’s memory.
So he had no choice but to doubt. Did Sado Hwan truly possess martial skill befitting his rank?
Given Sado Gwang’s history of concocting unfathomable schemes with ease, the suspicion that Sado Hwan might be a fake was more prevalent within the Sado Clan than outside.
But… he was real.
Sado Hwan had proven it in a matter of days.
He lifted a sword into the air and demonstrated sword flight. He subdued hundreds with sheer presence. He brought down Sado Muyul with a single swing.
And it wasn’t just martial power.
“He’s wiping out the entire Head Faction.”
From the moment he declared his candidacy for clan head, the Head Faction was swept away like dust. Many powerful individuals left the clan in the process.
“But even the Black Shadow Corps vice-captain is Transcendent Peak…”
Losing a few experts was of no consequence. In fact, one could argue that the clan’s overall strength had increased.
“They must’ve sharpened their blades under Sado Gwang, waiting for the day they’d be unleashed on the Martial World.”
It’s a well-known rule: when you hand a general a powerful army and give them a mission, chaos is bound to follow.
The question was—
“Will that chaos reach me?”
Up until this night, the eve of the clan head meeting, Sado Hwan had not touched a single member of the Elder Faction. It was a message in itself.
Submit voluntarily.
Grit!
“That little brat…”
Yes, the Cult reveres strength. But it doesn’t specify how one must be strong. While the highest virtue is to be a supreme individual like the Heavenly Demon, being strong through group power or factional influence isn’t rejected either.
“First Elder! First Elder!”
That’s why the news brought late at night by Sixth Elder caught First Elder’s attention.
“What? Is that true?”
“It is! Here, this letter proves it!”
First Elder accepted the letter Sixth Elder offered. The unique seal of the sender was stamped into the wax. He broke it open and read.
The moment he finished reading—
Ffwoosh!
The letter burst into flames, instantly turning to ash. It was a technique using inner energy to ignite fire—Sammae True Fire.
“Will you be the dragon’s tail, or the snake’s head?”
For a cultist, the answer was obvious.
“It’s humiliating. But…”
It was humiliating.
But if he could endure temporary humiliation, First Elder believed he could raise that snake into a dragon once again.
“Sixth Elder.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who else knows about this?”
“Only you and I, sir.”
“Good. If this goes well, you’ll become the clan’s Chief Elder.”
At those words, Sixth Elder’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“I will serve with utmost loyalty, First Elder!”
“And I, until this ends, will rely on you.”
Watching it all unfold was a certain gentle observer.
Having seen and heard their secret meeting, Saweol quietly rose from her hiding place.
Sado Hwan had told her: the Elder Faction had plans, so just observe for now.
He was right.
“So it was to catch them all in one go. Of course. Not someone to take things lightly.”
Then, without a sound or trace, she vanished.
***
The day of the clan head’s inauguration dawned.
Looking at it plainly, it was a huge deal. Becoming the head of a clan with over four thousand direct members.
And this wasn’t just any clan.
It was one of the six Great Demon Clans that led the Ten Thousand Cult, with countless enterprises under its control—an almost chaebol-level existence in the martial world.
To become its head.
But strangely, I wasn’t that nervous. Understandable, since it wasn’t my position.
That is to say—
[Adjust your collar! It’s slightly off!]
Despite claiming he didn’t care about becoming clan head, Skybreaker was in full-blown panic from dawn. After the previous incident, we agreed he wouldn’t wake me unless it was an emergency—but he roused me before sunrise.
“We’re replacing the inauguration with a meeting anyway. It’s not like it’s some grand ceremony.”
[If you’re going to use my body like this, get out right now!]
“I want to get out.”
I sighed deeply.
Last night, Saweol had visited and informed me that First Elder and Sixth Elder were conspiring together.
She said it with an expectant look, clearly thinking I must have some contingency plan in place.
‘If I could predict that, I’d be Sado Gwang.’
I’m just a Return of the Murim geek, not a genius. I can’t foresee every move like Sado Gwang, who played like he had nukes.
Still, it wasn’t hard to guess what they were planning.
‘They’re probably scheming something for the Six Clan Assembly.’
The Six Clan Assembly was where the heads of the Great Demon Clans convened to discuss major cult affairs.
The Heavenly Demon reigns but does not rule. As a spiritual and absolute figure, the Heavenly Demon sets direction, but doesn’t manage daily operations.
That task falls to the Six Clans—a kind of parliamentary body.
“Though… way more violent than real-world parliaments.”
Even in reality, people obsessed over profits. But at least in politics, no one tried to pass policy through assassination or family extermination.
Here, they do.
“And most of those things were done by the Sado Clan, right?”
Sado Gwang’s accumulated sins were vast, and I had no idea how or when they might explode. That’s likely what First Elder was targeting.
[First Elder isn’t foolish. He’s nearly seventy. He wouldn’t step forward himself.]
‘No, he would.’
[Why are you so sure?]
Because that’s how it happened in Return of the Murim.
In the original, Sado Gwang conveniently died from illness. In the chaos that followed, First Elder revealed his ambition to become clan head. He died soon after from an acute heart condition—a rather anticlimactic exit.
So yes, I agree with Skybreaker. The man doesn’t have much time left.
Anyway.
The only people I could rely on right now were the human weapon Saweol, Tak Horak, and the Black Shadow Corps.
‘That should be enough for most things.’
After absorbing the Demonic Spirit Pill from Poison Demon, the Black Shadow Corps had become the strongest force in the Sado Clan. And its vice-captain was Saweol.
Only other Transcendent Peak-level experts could stand against Saweol. And even then, few could beat her. In terms of lore, she might be the only one capable of challenging the Heavenly Demon.
What if other clans brought out their top experts?
Highly unlikely. Those guys rarely act directly.
Being Transcendent Peak is like being a strategic nuke. If they’re used, it means total war—mutual destruction.
That’s why clashes between such masters are rare, and rankings often reflect cult contributions rather than true combat ability.
That’s why Sado Gwang could casually assign Sado Hwan a lowly 23rd place.
Anyway, the worst-case scenario would likely be avoided. The bigger issue was that handling whatever does happen would rely entirely on my wits.
“Let’s go.”
The time for the clan head’s meeting had come.
I left the Black Shadow Pavilion and headed toward the Assembly Hall.
[Multiple presences detected.]
‘Enemies?’
[Doesn’t seem like it. Go see for yourself.]
I tilted my head at Skybreaker’s words and stepped outside.
From my path to the Assembly Hall, martial artists were lined up on both sides of the road.
“Greetings to the Clan Head!”
At once, the nearly thousand martial artists shouted in unison. Birds startled by the roar scattered into the sky.
I distinctly remember saying not to cause a stir… but I immediately saw the culprit.
Standing proudly in front of the Assembly Hall, flanked by rows of martial artists, was Tak Horak. I was pretty sure I had him working late yesterday—but his eyes were clear, and he wore a proud expression. Beside him, Saweol was shaking her head in visible exasperation.
“Clan Head! Please say a few words to us!”
The gathered warriors’ eyes sparkled at Tak Horak’s words.
Well, regardless of the Head or Elder faction, all common members of the Sado Clan were cultists to the core.
Meaning they revered strength.
[Yo, monster! Say something!]
Thousands of sparkling eyes stared at me. If I could capture them here and now, everything afterward would be easier.
“The problem is, I can’t use inner energy, so I can’t project my voice to the people at the end of the line.”
With Peak-level cultivation, your voice can reach far when infused with qi—not by shouting, but by speaking naturally with internal energy.
I couldn’t do that.
But I’m not just anyone.
I am the spiritual successor of CEO Kim of Siksu Industries, carrying his legacy into this world. It was time to put all that corporate sales experience to work.
At the heart of martial arts lies romance.
Only romance can explain wuxia.
“Hear me, all of you.”
I raised my voice slightly, loud enough to reach only the front rows. It was deliberate, theatrical.
The warriors murmured among themselves. Normally, a speech like this would be enhanced with inner energy.
“Until now, the Sado Clan was not a true cultist clan. The so-called officers fought for petty gains and completely forgot their duties as warriors.”
To those far away, I probably just looked like I was silently mouthing words. Tak Horak tried to whisper via sound transmission, “You have to speak louder!” but I ignored him.
“Not anymore. The Sado Clan will now be reborn as a proper martial family.”
Cries of “Can’t hear you!” rose from various directions.
“I can’t hear!”
“Speak up!”
I raised my hand. Instantly, the clamor ceased.
“Some of you, here and now, may not be able to hear my words.”
I floated Skybreaker into the air.
“Train. Struggle. Overcome. And then—”
I said, with a proud expression,
“Prove that you are one who can stand by my side and hear my voice.”
Expressions began to shift among those who could hear me—and those who heard it secondhand.
“The glory of the Sado Clan, the glory of the Supreme Heavenly Demon, shall be yours.”
I turned away. Skybreaker drifted naturally back into my hand.
‘Did it work?’
No need to ask.
Tak Horak looked on the verge of tears, and even Saweol wore a slightly flushed expression.
As I opened the doors to the Assembly Hall—
Uwaaaaahhhhhh!
A thunderous cheer erupted behind me, as if it would shake the entire Cult to its core.
[...You’re a good talker. Any true cultist would fall for that speech.]
At this point, acting like a cultist was child's play.