Descent of the Demon Master

"Calm down, you fools!"

"Dammit! Get a hold of yourselves, you bastards!"

"Before our noble demon emperor loses his temper, get back into your positions!"

That last threat about the demon emperor getting angry worked.

The demonic cultivators were trying to get to the front while resorting to things like grabbing and yanking at the heads of people ahead of them, but that warning sobered them right up. Even as they sneakily backed away, the demonic cultivators didn't forget to cautiously study Kang Jin-Ho's moods.

Click...

However, Kang Jin-Ho lit up a new cigarette and leisurely puffed away as if nothing of note had happened. After blowing some smoke away, he casually addressed the crowd. "Why don't you all take a breather first?"

"Yes, sir!"

The reply was thunderous.

Kang Jin-Ho noticed the burning gazes of the demonic cultivators locked in on him, then tutted loudly in the direction of the elders. "Just how badly have you been treating these people...?"

Chang Min was left aggrieved by Kang Jin-Ho's rebuke.

'But, my liege! What can we do when we don't have any money?'

The current demon cult was not a cult but a den of paupers! Obviously, money could do pretty much anything. However! Since the cult didn't have any, the cult believers inevitably had to wallow in squalid conditions.

"...Please forgive us, my liege."

Although Chang Min had a lot to get off his chest, he couldn't say anything. It wasn't as if he could openly tell the demon emperor, "My liege, this is all because we don't have any money, so please don't get too angry with us."

Kang Jin-Ho studied with some interest the wildly-excited demonic cultivators.

'It's a mystery how they still stuck around all this time.'

Didn't that indicate how tough and unforgiving life had been for these demonic cultivators? Despite knowing that sticking to the demon cult wouldn't really help their situation, these people couldn't walk away and choose another life.

All they had was the demonic cultivation, so abandoning their identity as a demonic cultivator was unfeasible. On top of that, they had to live with the constant threat of demonic qi clouding their brains, too.

That was why these people were so weak.

'The Fallen back then was several times stronger than these people...'

The very first demonic cultivator... No, the demonic arts practitioner Kang Jin-Ho had encountered after his return to the modern era was the Fallen. And that man was much stronger than these demonic cultivators. The thing was... These people could have gotten just as strong if they didn't care about demonic qi frying their brains and focused only on mastering demonic arts. Which would've eventually turned them into inhuman monsters.

They needed to get stronger but couldn't. That was the dilemma plaguing these demonic cultivators.

"However, things will change from now on," Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered while rubbing his chin.

What these people needed was a path leading to greater strength. And the suitable compensation for all their effort. No one in this world could continue working hard without receiving appropriate compensation, after all.

That also applied to Kang Jin-Ho. He was able to constantly grow stronger back then because he had a valid reason to do so—his survival. That reason kept pushing Kang Jin-Ho forward toward ever-greater strength.

Survival became the ultimate reward for all his hard work. However, these people were different from him. In that case, they needed to be rewarded differently for getting stronger.

'And that's where money comes in.'

Kang Jin-Ho didn't have any romantic or idealistic views of the world. The Martial Assembly and the Yeongnam Group were arguably in a far better situation than these demonic cultivators, yet they still entered the spiral of kill-or-be-killed for more perceived benefits. In the end, humans... could get rather prickly about potential benefits.

So, what would happen if one party demanded responsibility and a sense of duty from another without providing appropriate benefits? That would be a shortcut to a complete breakdown of relationships.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn't being generous because he took pity on these people. To make proper use of these people and their abilities, appropriate compensation and stability in their daily lives were an absolute must.

"Hmm..." Kang Jin-Ho leisurely exhaled cigarette smoke from his lungs, then casually addressed the crowd. "Any other questions?"

Maybe because their moods had improved somewhat, a flood of questions quickly inundated Kang Jin-Ho. However, he focused on one question at a time.

"My liege! Our family! Can we go together with our family members?"

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. "Of course. However, they won't accompany you. Their method of travel will be different from yours. Initially, you will enter Korea first, then your family members will follow via official channels afterward."

"How long will that take, sir?"

"I don't know, but it won't take too long. That I promise you."

Kang Jin-Ho spotted many unhappy-looking faces among the crowd after questions regarding family were brought up. They probably didn't want to ruin the mood by introducing real-world topics like family matters while discussing new goals and starting a new life.

However, to Kang Jin-Ho, the questions regarding one's family were definitely worthy of answering. After all, his family was one of his life's goals.

He already knew all too well how empty and hollow it was to only pursue strength while forsaking things like families and friends.

"My liege! Will the demon cult move base to South Korea?"

"If the people staying back wish to hold on to the title of the demon cult, I won't stop them. I don't see a reason for it. Also, those coming to Korea with me will have to throw away the antiquated customs of the cult," Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the person asking that question and spoke in a calm yet forceful voice. "The cult's ways are too outdated to adapt to the modern era. New alcohol should be put inside a new bottle, wouldn't you say? The title of the demon cult shouldn't be attached to the ancient customs but to where cultivators pursuing demonic arts and strength are. That's where the true demon cult is. And..."

Kang Jin-Ho paused there and silently scanned the crowd before declaring in no uncertain terms.

"Where I am is where the demon cult is!"

Shudder!

Kang Jin-Ho remained calm, still, as he spoke. He wasn't trying to threaten. Nor was he full of arrogance and ambition. It was as if he was merely stating an obvious fact, like the sky being blue.

That was why everyone in this underground space could sense it. They could sense Kang Jin-Ho's pride and confidence!

The demonic cultivators shuddered at the immeasurable depth of pride contained within Kang Jin-Ho's voice. Was there a demonic cultivator who was as proud of cultivating in demonic arts as their demon emperor? At the very least, they hadn't met anyone like that in their lives.

Maybe the demonic cultivators from the ancient past were proud of who they were, but what about now? To these people, being a demonic cultivator was a fatal and shameful weakness they had to hide from everyone.

Powerful emotions welled up from deep within their hearts. Not being able to stand firm and proud of who they were...! Just how much heart did they have to lose from that shame? Just how many sleepless nights did they have to suffer through until now!

Before the demonic cultivators could calm their strangely agitated emotions, Kang Jin-Ho continued to address them. "From this moment on, all useless formalities and authority will be discarded. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask. If you need to voice your grievances, don't bottle it up and tell us. I shall create a system that everyone can agree on. And I shall give you a life that everyone will be envious of!"

"My liege!" Another demonic cultivator cried out. "Isn't the reason for our journey to South Korea to establish the Dao of Demonic Under the Heavens?"

Kang Jin-Ho's brows quivered. "What's this Dao of Demonic Under the Heavens thing?"

"Sir! It's the world ruled by the demon cult!"

"What a stupid notion that is," Kang Jin-Ho tutted and expressed his firm disapproval. "The demon cult isn't about ruling over others. It's just that there couldn't be peace without lording over the other groups."

Even the elders were confused by what Kang Jin-Ho said just then. What was their demon emperor even saying?

"The reason for us fighting was simple. It was to find stability and happiness in our lives. Unfortunately, the demon cult was driven to the remote outskirts. Finding happiness for everyone was impossible. That was why we struggled. To ask them to give up just a little bit more of their fertile land. However, the orthodox faction people didn't want to give up even an inch of their territory. They insisted on fighting to the last man. That was how the war started. And the blood-soaked history continued from then on," Kang Jin-Ho spoke with conviction in his voice. "As for you... All of you have already stepped foot inside this warzone. You must have realized by now that walking away from here will not give you the happiness you've been searching for."

The demonic cultivators all slowly nodded. It didn't take a genius to realize that the orthodox faction martial artists would never leave them alone if they tried to gain more strength. Especially the Three Kings and their factions—those bastards would definitely not sit idly by and watch that happen.

"To protect, we must fight. If our enemies willingly stepped back and brought stability and peace, no one would care about this Dao of Demonic Under Heavens or whatever. Unfortunately, you and I know that such a thing won't happen. And that is why you'll be thrust into battles in the future. Not for this Dao of Demonic nonsense, but for your own sakes!"

The end result would be the same, but the road leading up to it was different. That was what Kang Jin-Ho tried to say.

Kang Jin-Ho slowly got up from the taishi armchair. "It seems some of you are still under the wrong impression about who I am. Let me clear any doubts, then."

Demonic qi suddenly began gushing out of Kang Jin-Ho's figure. This black energy resembled flames that burned its host's body. This demonic qi billowed and roared while enveloping Kang Jin-Ho from top to bottom.

"I am not your savior. And I am not the messiah in your prophecies about establishing the Dao of Demonic under whatever. No, I'm just another demonic cultivator breathing the same air as you. It's just that I simply possess a little more things than you. And I also know the path you must walk on."

A devil with a pair of glowing crimson eyes had revealed itself to demonstrate its undeniable authority. And every demonic cultivator who saw this otherworldly figure collapsed on their butts almost immediately.

"Do not follow me if you intend on pursuing stupid illusions like this Dao of Demonic Under the Heavens. I do not wish for war. However, I fight for one simple reason. Because the enemy attacked me first!"

His appearance and the contents of his words didn't match. Such words seemed too moderate and mild when coming out of a devil that seemed capable of dyeing the entire world in malice and darkness! However...

At least now everyone understood something. That man, their demon emperor... He was indeed the Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor from the legends!

However, this Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor was not the person they thought they knew. This man was not a monster who thirsted for bloodshed and destruction. And he was not a monster who desired to cover the world in the veil of darkness and evil. No, he was just another ordinary man trying to walk his own path. Yes, ordinary. Exceedingly ordinary, but that only made him extraordinary...!

That was who their demon emperor was!

"I can't give you a land of peace. What I can give you is an opportunity to create such a land. There is only one thing I can promise you. As long as you put in the requisite effort, I shall grant you a life where, at the very least, you won't be ashamed of yourself."

Zhu Gang reflexively muttered out of the blue. "And give us houses and money, too."

"...That, too."

Demonic qi enveloping Kang Jin-Ho dissipated in an instant like smoke to reveal an ordinary-looking young man.

After returning to his original appearance, Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, those things are important, aren't they?"

"Yes, my liege. More important than anything," said Zhu Gang with some conviction in his voice. By now, he no longer held fear or terror in his heart. "My liege. I have so many questions to ask you. But I'm sure we will have plenty of time in the future to ask those questions. So, may I ask you this one thing?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Those who have made their decision... What should we do?"

Kang Jin-Ho quietly studied Zhu Gang for a few seconds before nodding slightly. "We'll set up an application booth or something of that nature. Elders will be responsible for accepting your applications, so let them know of your decisions. Also, compile a list of family members who will be migrating together with you and give it to the elders. Unfortunately, I can't give you a lot of time. Finish everything within two days."

"We shall obey!"

When Zhu Gang kowtowed, the demonic cultivators filling up the underground space also followed suit in unison. The spectacle of thousands of demonic cultivators kowtowing was not something one could witness often.

'Ah! Aaaah!'

Chang Min shuddered in ecstasy.

'This... This is it!'

This scene was what the demon cult must've looked like when it still had a cult leader!

Demonic cultivators overflowing with loyalty, and the lone majestic figure standing before them to lead them forward! This was the scene Chang Min dreamed of witnessing one day, and it had finally happened before his eyes.

The flames of aspiration and heroic spirit burned vigorously within Chang Min's heart. He had faith. He did not doubt it for once. However, even he didn't expect the cult believers to submit this quickly and painlessly.

The demon emperor didn't even resort to violence to instill discipline in the believers. No, he only needed to say a few things, but that was enough to make these people swear loyalty to him. How could Chang Min not be moved by this incredible spectacle!

"M-my liege!"

Just as Chang Min fell into a dilemma, wondering how he should express this powerful wave of emotions...

Kang Jin-Ho muttered disinterestedly. "Money's still the magic ticket that solves everything, huh?"

"...!"

Chang Min's swelling emotions instantly flat-lined.

Kang Jin-Ho grunted. "Whether it's now or back then, nothing's changed. Nothing, I tell you..."

Chang Min cautiously asked, "...Did something like this happen in the past as well?"

"Yeah. The cult members were extremely dissatisfied by something, but when I said I'd double their stipends, they all shut their mouths up real quick. I can't tell whether it's human nature to drool over money or only the demonic cultivators do that."

"..." Chang Min kept his mouth shut, but his cheeks still twitched nonetheless.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at him. "In any case. This situation has been resolved, right?"

"Y-yes, my liege. I believe so."

"And all of you now know what kind of a person I am, right?"

Chang Min involuntarily nodded at that rhetorical question. At least one thing became clear in his mind with this event.

'My liege is rich.'

That fact was more comforting to know than anything else, really.

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