Ten Thousand Mountain Range-The Demonic Sect
A young man, no older than nineteen, knelt beneath the majestic statue of the Heavenly Demon, tightly bound by coarse ropes held firm by two guards.
The bindings dug deep into his pale, malnourished flesh, and even the slightest movement brought a sharp sting of pain, unnoticed by the audience but almost unbearable for the victim.
A large crowd had gathered before the Heavenly Demon's statue to commemorate and punish the so-called traitor of the Demonic Sect.
All the leaders, exept for the few, of the Inner Sects watched him with satisfied, scornful grins.
"Punish the traitor who has tainted the legacy of the Demonic Sect!"
Voices erupted from the gathering, a cacophony of fury and sarcasm.
The young man gritted his teeth, cursing his very existence, and those who had brought him to this fate. His neck strained against the harsh ropes, chafing raw against his skin.
A long sword hovered above, its cold gleam ready to end his pitiful, meager life.
'So, this is how I die.'
He thought bitterly, recalling how, despite being an outsider, he was once chosen as a disciple of the Demon Lord.
Now, the other disciples and elders, draped in pristine robes, looked on with mocking eyes, as though plucking out a weed that had dared to grow among noble flowers.
"What are we waiting for? Dispose of this traitor who mocked our sect!"
One of the Young Masters of the Six Inner Sects as well as the disciple of the Demon Lord shouted with fury.
An old man, who was standing beside the sacred statue of the First Heavenly Demon, stepped forward, and at once, the murmuring crowd fell silent.
"By the decree of the Demonic Sect, Seo Reyan, Seventh Disciple of the Heavenly Demon, is hereby stripped of his title, his martial arts, and his cultivation. He is sentenced to execution for his betrayal against the Demonic Sect."
Seo Reyan slowly turned his gaze, meeting the smug faces of his six fellow disciples.
'Why me? I never even learned proper martial art...When did everything go so wrong?'
His heart ached with grief, despair washing over him. Struggling was utterly pointless now.
'At least I'll be free of this wretched life…'
As the world around him grew dim and the noise faded from his ears, he quietly accepted his fate.
'Not that life was any better before I became a disciple…'
Deep memories surfaced, a harsh life on the streets, of hunger and ridicule, and of the mockery he endured even after entering the cult.
'What could a third-rate, garbage martial artist like me possibly do? And that so-called master… he didn't even bother to teach me properly.'
Seo Reyan's heart swelled with anger, anger not at his fate, but at the very man who had brought him here, only to abandon him.
'He led me from the jaws of danger, only to cast me into the heart of a greater storm. Why did it had to be me though?'
He couldn't understand. While his fellow disciples basked in comfort and status, he had been left to rot away, oppressed, mocked, and ignored.
"When is the Lord arriving? We cannot delay further. Even this traitor's breath taints the sacred air of our Demonic Sect!"
The booming voice of the First Elder, Hwan Jin-seok, shattered his thoughts, dragging Reyan back to the grim present.
"If the Demon Lord truly exists," Reyan muttered inwardly, "then I swear on my very existence…if I survive this hell, I'll make this sect suffer for what it forced me to endure."
"All demons bow to the Demon Lord!"
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The crowd stilled. Chants became lowered to whispers, then fell into deep silence.
Seo Reyan felt his heart tighten. Though he couldn't turn his head, he could sense the change around him. A heavy silence blanketed the atmosphere.
He glanced around, watching as every figure lowered their heads.
'If things had gone differently…would I have had a chance to earn only a fraction of their respect? To wield even a shred of authority?'
He quickly buried the thought. It was too absurd, too distant for someone like him to entertain.
Then, amidst the silence, his eyes met those of the Third Elder, Seo Myung-tak.
The old man's fists were clenched tightly at his sides. His gaze was fixed not on Reyan, but on the approaching figure flanked by two guards. He seemed to be lost in thoughts.
'He's here…'
'I thought the Demon Lord was bedridden… poisoned beyond recovery. The last time I saw him, he could barely even sit, let alone walk. Then how? Don't tell me…did he actually come to save that boy?'
The Third Elder's gaze shifted back to Reyan, whose body remained kneeling and bound, yet whose eyes still held a defiant spark.
"All demons kneel before the Demon Lord!"
At once, the entire crowd dropped to their knees in reverence as the Demon Lord, assisted by his guards, took his seat upon the high platform.
"Today, I will address the matter of execution concerning my Seventh Disciple, Seo Reyan."
Hearing the voice of his master, Seo Reyan's body stiffened, not from respect, but from burning anger.
'Why now? Has he come just to watch me suffer?'
"Seo Reyan, listen closely."
"!!?"
Reyan's eyes widened. The voice echoed directly inside his mind. Only two possibilities came to him, the Demon Lord, and the use of the Thought Whispering Technique.
'Demon Lord?'
'Quiet. Listen carefully, I don't have much time. The poison has spread beyond my control. My life won't last much longer. I can't protect you any further…This is the last thing I'll ever do for you. Use this chance. Flee from this cult.'
'Flee...? How? And where were you when I begged to meet you all those times?'
'Meet me? Don't make me laugh. The other disciples claimed you refused to learn martial arts. They blocked your path while I was bedridden and blind to it all.'
Just then, the First Elder bowed and interrupted the tense silence.
"Demon Lord, please proceed with the execution of this traitor."
Murmurs rose in the crowd.
The Demon Lord slowly stood, raising a hand.
"I, the 12th Lord of the Demonic Sect, hereby announce—"
Suddenly, he staggered, his body jolting violently.
Cough!
A violent burst of blood erupted from his mouth, splattering across the sacred platform.
Attention shifted away from Seo Reyan and turned toward the Demon Lord.
Some high-ranking members blinked with interest in their eyes, while others were genuinely worried.
The atmosphere, once heavy, now shifted into panic and unrest.
'Now… is your chance.'
The Demon Lord's whisper came again, hurried, more strained.
With trembling hands, he gathered his internal energy and extended it toward the massive statue of the First Heavenly Demon.
A radiant pulse surged from his palm.
BOOM!
The statue shattered into countless pieces.
===