Chapter 544

**Chapter 544: The Lazy One Strikes (4)**

“The Central Plains?”

Jangil’s voice trembled. For a moment, he seemed to sink into confusion, as if his mind had gone blank.

The Central Plains? They went to the Central Plains?

“It’s not certain yet, but it seems so.”

Jegal Munin, even in the midst of the situation, remained calm. Although his face paled slightly, at least his voice didn’t tremble.

“What are the odds?”

At Wei Jeonghan’s question, Jegal Munin frowned. Then, he turned his head to look at Wei Yanho.

“My lord.”

“Yes?”

“Of those who were chasing us, how many were worthy of caution?”

“None.”

“None…”

Jegal Munin touched his lip with his fingers, thoughtfully.

*”From the beginning, they had no intention of capturing him.”*

If they had wanted to capture Wei Yanho, they wouldn’t have formed such a mediocre group of pursuers. The members of the Demon Cult might be offended by that description, but considering Wei Yanho’s power and status, at least a Bishop should have intervened. With those types, it was impossible to capture him.

“In the cave.”

“Yes.”

“Of those who entered the cave, how many were worthy of caution?”

“Two?”

“Two…”

Jegal Munin’s face twisted even more.

“A while ago, there was one who blocked the way, remember?”

“Huh? Who?”

“That one, the one who stood in the way at the end when we were leaving!”

“Ah… Mm?”

Wei Yanho scratched his head. He didn’t remember well…

“The one you cut the neck of.”

“Ah, I remember now. So what about him?”

“How many like him were there?”

“Well… not many, I think.”

Jegal Munin’s expression became even more strained.

“Compared to the one who attacked Mount Hua in the past, what was the one you cut the neck of like?”

“The one from Mount Hua was much stronger.”

“…I thought so.”

Jegal Munin began tapping his cheek impatiently.

While Jegal Munin was lost in thought, Wei Jeonghan, with a serious face, asked Wei Yanho:

“If you understood the situation, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I didn’t know. I thought there were no strong enemies, but I supposed that maybe they were preparing a trap separately. Unless the Bishops didn’t appear at all, among those who entered the cave, there were some strong ones.”

“Mmm.”

Wei Jeonghan knew that it wasn’t the time to blame Wei Yanho. But the situation had become so complicated that he couldn’t remain silent.

“They went to the Central Plains.”

Jegal Munin came to a conclusion.

“I didn’t consider that they could do the same as us. If a small group like ours can attack the enemy’s rearguard, the Demon Cult can too.”

“But…”

Wei Jeonghan tilted his head, as if he couldn’t understand it.

*”It doesn’t make sense.”*

If he hadn’t personally seen the fury of the members of the Demon Cult, he would find it strange. But the hatred of those who were chasing them was real. Could that hatred, which drove them to want to tear them apart alive, be artificial?

*”Impossible.”*

If they felt that way, the leaders would also feel the same hatred. And still, they suppressed their fury and acted coldly? At least, according to what he knew of the Demon Cult, that was impossible.

So, there were only two possibilities:

Either the Demon Cult had become much more rational during the long period of truce, or…

“They weren’t angry.”

“…”

Jegal Munin expressed exactly what Wei Jeonghan was thinking.

“But it’s rare. The followers are furious, but the leaders aren’t? Sure, it can happen, but this isn’t that kind of case.”

“Then, there’s only one possibility left.”

Jegal Munin spoke firmly.

“The leaders know something that the followers don’t. Something that makes them consider the Sacred Flame and the Headquarters as insignificant.”

Wei Jeonghan understood immediately.

He couldn’t not understand it. He had also seen that cave.

“…The Heavenly Demon?”

“Yes, if, as my lord says, the Heavenly Demon has really appeared, then the Sacred Flame and the Headquarters are meaningless. The Heavenly Demon is the Sacred Flame, and wherever he is, that will be the Headquarters.”

“But it’s not certain yet.”

“Of course. What is certain is not whether the Heavenly Demon exists or not, but that the true power of the Demon Cult is not here.”

“But…”

Wei Jeonghan closed his mouth.

He was going to ask what they could do with that number, but it was such a silly question that it wasn’t even worth uttering.

What could they do?

There was nothing they couldn’t do.

If Wei Yanho and the others set their minds to it, they could sweep an entire sect or change the course of a battle in an instant.

*”Thinking about it, it’s terrifying.”*

Even in the past, during the war, the power of the Bishops was overwhelming. It was just overshadowed by the majesty of the Supreme Grand Demon. In the whole world, there was no one who could face a Bishop with confidence.

However, the reason why their offensive could be resisted was that they weren’t gathered in one place. The Bishops kept their distance from each other, as if they had internal feuds.

It wasn’t something for which they could be criticized. The Righteous Martial Alliance was the same. There were inevitable aspects. If they gathered all the powerful people in the world and launched them into the attack, the destructive power would increase, but the leaders who guided the troops would disappear.

In the end, the world of experts is a place where strength proves everything. No matter how skilled a strategist is, without the backing of the Supreme Sovereign, he cannot exert his power. Not many are willing to risk their lives following the orders of a scholar.

The Demon Cult is even worse.

The Demon Cult values strength much more than the Central Plains. They don’t follow anyone who isn’t stronger than them. Even if they know that following someone skilled in strategy would give them advantages, their pride makes them ignore those benefits.

To control them, the Bishops have no choice but to disperse. The war they waged was one in which neither side could operate with total efficiency.

But what if those Bishops are freed from the burden of controlling their troops?

It would be like releasing wolves into a flock of sheep. Wei Jeonghan already knew how terrifying the Bishops of the Demon Cult could be.

“And can they be controlled?”

The violent and cruel nature of the Demon Cult also applies to its allies. It is said that the Bishops see each other as enemies. And now they act in perfect sync?

How?

Not even Jeok Moku could subdue the Bishops as if they were his limbs. Although they recognized his authority as Supreme Leader and saw him as their superior, they didn’t hand over the power over their lives nor did they obey his orders without questioning. If not even Jeok Moku, the Great Demon King, could achieve it, who did?

*”Has the Heavenly Demon really appeared?”*

All the circumstances pointed to one thing.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. Even if all this were a mistake, one thing was too clear:

*”This isn’t the movement of the Demon Cult I knew.”*

They had changed too much. They were doing things that in the past they would never have considered, and with total naturalness. So, what should Wei Jeonghan do?

“Damn it, no time to adapt.”

They had to report this to the Master of Divine Abilities immediately. But he couldn’t barge into the territory of the Demon Cult without a plan. There was no way to communicate this information to the Central Plains.

“Jegal Munin.”

“Yes, Great Hero.”

“Think. What should we do?”

Strategic thinking had to be left to the experts. Jegal Munin, with a slightly furrowed face, replied:

“First, we must find a way to inform the Central Plains. And then, return as quickly as possible.”

“Is it possible?”

Jegal Munin fixed his gaze on the distance. Beyond, the army of the Demon Cult was surely still waiting.

*”How many will there be? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?”*

As furious as they were, they wouldn’t be so stupid as to mobilize all their forces to chase them. According to what he knew of the size of the Demon Cult, those who were chasing them wouldn’t be more than ten thousand.

And just that amount was already overwhelming.

The Demon Cult could face the Central Plains on its own. So, even a tenth of its power was equivalent to a tenth of the total power of the Central Plains. The strength of those who were chasing them surpassed that of the Shaolin and Wudang together.

And they had to break through them to return?

*”It’s not a question of whether it’s possible.”*

It was something they *had* to do.

*”The terrain, the situation… everything is against us.”*

It would have been better if they were in a mountainous area with dense vegetation or in a jungle full of beasts and diseases. At least there would be somewhere to hide. But this was a wasteland. A desolate place where they couldn’t hide or escape.

The moment they turned towards the Central Plains, the Demon Cult would realize their intentions. And they would do everything possible to prevent them from arriving.

“It’s not a question of whether it’s possible or not.”

“…”

“Even if we die, even if only our souls remain, we must do it.”

“You’re right.”

Wei Yanho frowned.

“But, what will change if we send a message now?”

“Huh?”

“If the Bishops are heading to the Central Plains with all their power, they will arrive soon. No matter how fast a messenger hawk flies, it won’t be able to surpass them.”

“Even so, we must do what we can.”

“It would be better to keep them busy here. If the six of us can hold back so many enemies, the Central Plains will be better off.”

Wei Yanho’s words made sense.

But Wei Jeonghan couldn’t ignore the unease that grew in his chest. He felt that they *had* to return. More than a feeling, it was a certainty.

*”The Central Plains need it.”*

Wei Jeonghan looked at Wei Yanho with determination.

Neither the Righteous Heavenly Alliance nor the Righteous Martial Alliance could properly unite their forces without Wei Yanho as a mediator. In purely military terms, Wei Yanho was right, but his presence could have a much greater effect on the Central Plains.

“We’re going back.”

“Ay…”

Wei Yanho hit his chest with frustration.

“Better to die than to suffer.”

But he didn’t protest anymore. Surprised by his attitude, Jangil spoke:

“You’re strangely docile.”

“What?”

“Under normal circumstances, you’d be kicking and screaming that you don’t want to die.”

“Because we won’t die.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, we won’t die, so it doesn’t matter. It will be exhausting and annoying, but nothing more.”

“What do you mean we won’t die?”

“Those guys don’t want to kill us.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Wei Yanho twisted his lips.

“I don’t know the reason, but they don’t want to kill us. To be exact, there are many who do want to, but whoever controls them won’t let us die.”

“…Why?”

“That I don’t know.”

Wei Yanho waved his hand in annoyance.

Then, he muttered as he walked forward:

“There’s a reason I suspect, but… I’d rather it wasn’t that. It *mustn’t* be that.”

Jangil tilted his head, confused by Wei Yanho’s words.

Alright! I hope this translation meets your expectations. If you need any further assistance or adjustments, just let me know. 😊