Chapter 537

## Chapter 537. The Lazy One Runs Away (2)

“Sacred Flame?”

Wei Jeonghan nodded gravely at Wei Yanho’s question.

“What is that?”

“…It’s a flame that can be considered the symbol of the Demon Cult.”

“Huh? A flame is their symbol?”

“Yes.”

“How can a flame be a symbol?”

Wei Jeonghan spoke in a somewhat rigid voice,

“What does Buddhism pursue?”

“Buddha.”

Wei Jeonghan looked at Musan, who then opened his mouth:

“No, benefactor. Although the words may be a bit difficult, to explain it in the simplest way possible… we do not follow Buddha.”

“Huh? A monk who doesn’t follow Buddha?”

“Yes. What we follow is the Dharma itself. Buddha is simply the one who has attained enlightenment of the Dharma.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No. We respect those who have realized the Dharma, but we don’t expect anything from them. We seek to become that ourselves.”

“You respect the masters and aspire to reach their level, but you don’t follow them?”

“Exactly.”

Musan smiled as if he were proud. For Wei Yanho, he had understood perfectly.

Wei Jeonghan also nodded and continued:

“Taoism is the same. They venerate the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning and serve the Supreme Grand Venerable… but what they seek to follow is not an immortal who has attained the Dao, but the Dao itself.”

“Hmm, it’s complicated.”

“The Demon Cult is no different. They do not worship any god. What they venerate is the Sacred Flame.”

“What is the Sacred Flame?”

“A fire that accepts everything.”

Wei Jeonghan spoke with an almost chilling calmness:

“The Demon Cult is the religion of the marginalized. The Sacred Flame accepts even those marginalized without discrimination. The believers of the cult venerate the flame in life and believe that upon death they will merge with it. Those who lived, the dead, those who will die… all will eventually unite in the Sacred Flame. In short, the Sacred Flame is the place to which they must ultimately return. Do you understand what this means?”

Wei Yanho nodded:

“I have no idea.”

“…Enough.”

It would be easier to explain it to a cow.

“Anyway, so that over there is the Sacred Flame, right?”

“Correct.”

“But it just looks like normal fire.”

Wei Jeonghan shook his head:

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the true Sacred Flame or just common fire. What’s crucial is that the demonic ones consider that flame sacred.”

Wei Yanho let out a sound of astonishment.

After all, what did it matter what it was? What was relevant was that the demonic ones valued it so much that they hid it carefully, and Wei Yanho had come precisely to destroy something precious to them.

“I wish it were a treasure.”

Wei Yanho puffed out his cheeks.

Even if it wasn’t money, if it had a physical form and could be sold, it would have been great.

The merchants might refuse to buy demonic objects, but the Master of Divine Abilities would surely pay well.

He sighed as he erased his beautiful mental plans.

“So, we just have to destroy that and leave?”

“…Let’s think about it a bit.”

“You’re hesitating now?”

“That’s not common fire. Extinguishing it would be like desecrating the tomb where I should be buried and throwing trash into it.”

“Wow, that’s intense!”

There was no need to think much. In that hostile environment, it was easy to imagine how terrible it would be to eliminate the only hope of rest they had.

Probably, even someone capable of cheerfully toasting with their father’s killer would lash out foaming with rage.

Wei Jeonghan had only thought that there would be something important there, but he never imagined it would be the Sacred Flame. That’s why he was so disturbed.

“But it’s no big deal. After all, we’re already enemies.”

“The problem isn’t us.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t know how terrifying those who have nowhere to return can be. If we extinguish this, the Demon Cult will no longer have a reason to retreat.”

“Wow…”

Wei Yanho understood why Wei Jeonghan was wavering.

For them, the headquarters was not the building, but that flame. If the headquarters disappears, they don’t lose a place to return to; if the flame disappears, they lose their final destination.

There would be no reason to return to Xinjiang. How fearsome would the believers whose god has been denied be? Those who lose their eternal rest fight without fear of death.

“They would probably fight to the last man, win or lose.”

“They won’t go that far.”

“Sure they will. You don’t understand what fanaticism means. As far as I know, no one is more fanatical than the demonic ones.”

“Ugh…”

A chilling sensation washed over him.

“So what do we do?”

“That…”

Wei Jeonghan didn’t know what to do either.

“What should we do?”

Wei Yanho’s cheeks puffed up.

“Is that what the person in charge says?”

“Who’s in charge? Me? Since when am I in charge? You’re in charge!”

“With my father here, how am I going to be in charge!”

“When have you treated me like a father?”

“That doesn’t matter now!”

“Besides! Even if I am your father, why should I take responsibility? You’re clearly in charge!”

“Wow…”

Wei Yanho pointed to himself.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Sure?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yanho made a perplexed face:

“In my whole life I’ve never taken responsibility, and now I’m in charge?”

“…”

Wei Jeonghan’s eyes wavered.

He had gotten carried away in the moment. Anyone with half a brain would know how stupid it is to put Wei Yanho in charge.

“Well, I take it back.”

“Better that way.”

“Anyway, I don’t know what to do with this. It would be weird to leave empty-handed after coming all this way, but touching that could bring consequences…”

That Wei Jeonghan, known as the “battlefield maniac” and the ‘Sword of the Righteous Hero’, feared the repercussions showed how sensitive the topic of the Sacred Flame was.

“Then it’s decided.”

But Wei Yanho, who didn’t quite understand the importance of the flame, saw it as something trivial.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yanho shrugged.

“If the goal was to distract them, this is enough, isn’t it?”

Wei Jeonghan nodded silently.

He wasn’t wrong. They had already set fire to the headquarters. And below was the Sacred Flame. The demonic ones were probably already returning at full speed.

So, wasn’t this enough?

Right now they were stirring up a hornet’s nest. If they only took the honey, the wasps would calm down, but by killing the queen, they would go crazy.

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan looked at the flame uncomfortably.

‘Leave it here and leave?’

It wasn’t an easy decision. They had arrived because the enemy was absent. Unless the Demon Cult was exterminated, no one would set foot in that place again.

And just leave it there?

A unique opportunity?

Wei Jeonghan couldn’t help but hesitate. He understood that Wei Yanho was right. But humans don’t act only with reason.

It was impossible to predict how the demonic ones would react to losing their flame. If all went well, by losing their symbol and object of veneration, they might disperse.

Wouldn’t it be worth the risk?

“Wouldn’t it be better to destroy it?”

Wei Jeonghan turned his head.

The one who spoke was Jangil, who was observing the flame seriously.

“That’s like the root of the Demon Cult. They may be enraged now, but by losing it, the cult will cease to exist. Or at least weaken. In the long term, we should destroy it.”

“I agree.”

Jegal Munin supported him:

“I’ve heard that the Sacred Flame is invaluable to them. Now I understand their loyalty. Do you understand? For them, that flame is a living god.”

“Ah…”

“If Buddha appeared, everyone would be Buddhist. When you see a god, you can’t not believe. The abnormal cohesion of the cult is explained by that. For others it’s just fire, but for them it’s their god. Why fear death when you have a god before you and paradise is guaranteed?”

Everyone nodded.

“That’s why we must extinguish it.”

Jegal Munin spoke firmly:

“The beggar is right. Extinguishing the flame might be difficult at first. But the cult will not resurge.”

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan also nodded.

The cult and the Central Plains had been at war for centuries.

The last great war was twenty years ago, but the conflicts continued before and after.

Even if this time the Central Plains stopped them, if they didn’t completely exterminate them, the war would continue. Again and again.

They would always covet the Central Plains, and these would never cede territory.

‘An opportunity to end the war!’

Those words resonated in Wei Jeonghan’s chest.

“Amitabha.”

Musan spoke quietly:

“I don’t understand much about logic. But I know that flame emanates evil.”

He spoke with unusual seriousness:

“It’s a flame that shouldn’t exist. We should extinguish it.”

“I don’t think we should leave without doing anything either.”

Peng Dogeuk also supported the group.

So Wei Jeonghan had no choice but to look at Wei Yanho.

“Yanho, the more I think about it…”

“Tsk.”

At that moment, Wei Yanho clicked his tongue.

“We’ve been bewitched.”

“Huh?”

“Close your eyes.”

“What are you saying?”

“Close your eyes and concentrate your energy. There’s demonic energy in our eyes.”

“We’re fine.”

“If you’re fine, you lose nothing by trying, right?”

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan and the others followed his instructions. Wei Yanho wouldn’t make them do something harmful.

After completing the circulation of energy, they opened their eyes.

‘Has nothing changed?’

“Why should we extinguish it?”

“Well…”

Wei Jeonghan closed his mouth.

Why did they want to extinguish it?

There were reasons, logic. But now those reasons felt different.

Sacrificing the present for the future is logical. But why didn’t they consider that without a present there is no future?

If the cult attacked with everything, the losses would be enormous. Could they call dying for a future they would never see “noble”?

“What…?”

“I told you you were bewitched.”

Wei Yanho stared at the flame.

“That’s no game.”