Chronicles of the Demonic Cult Conversion-Chapter 13 : Chapter 13

Chapter 13. I Will Never Abandon My Comrades.
However, Jin Yeong-in did not show his tears in the end.
He suppressed the surging emotions in his chest and clenched his teeth so hard they could have shattered.
He could not show tears in front of the Cult Leader on his very first day of joining.
“……”
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God waited until Jin Yeong-in had suppressed his emotions.
“Follower Jin Yeong-in greets the Supreme One of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
Jin Yeong-in performed a full prostration towards the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.
“Heavenly Demon’s Reign! Demonic Path’s World! Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten ten-thousand years!”
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God nodded as if that was enough, accepting Jin Yeong-in’s respects.
“I hope it was worth defying the heavenly secrets.”
Jin Yeong-in could not understand the meaning of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s words at all.
Even if she had explained, would he have understood?
Jin Yeong-in was not yet at a level where he could comprehend the words of one who saw through the principles of all creation and encompassed the past, present, and future.
“A thousand, ten thousand words are futile. Prove yourself only through action. I will watch to see whether you truly say that because your path is different from your master’s, or if it is merely the cowardly excuse of a fugitive.”
“Yes.”
“When your brothers awaken, gather the bodies of the fallen warriors with them and come to the Main Mountain. That is the first mission this cult bestows upon you.”
“I will be sure to complete it.”
Jin Yeong-in knelt on one knee and accepted the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s command.
“I will be on my way now.”
Leaving those words, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God vanished abruptly.
***
Not long after the Iron-Blooded Demonic God left, Danmok Cheong and the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult awoke.
“Are you conscious?”
“Young Master Jin? The Heavenly Demon is……”
“She ordered me to gather the bodies of the fallen warriors with my brothers and come to the Main Mountain, and then she disappeared.”
“Ah!”
At Jin Yeong-in’s words, Danmok Cheong and the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult shot up and prostrated themselves towards the west.
“Heavenly Demon’s Advent! Demonic Path’s World! Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten ten-thousand years!”
In the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Heavenly Demon was revered as a god, and it seemed that was not an exaggeration at all.
“The Cult Leader’s grace is as vast as the sea. Is it not so? Young Master Jin?”
“Yes, you are right.”
Jin Yeong-in also actively agreed with the opinion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s warriors, no, his brothers.
“I do not know where to put myself, receiving such great grace. When else would one receive the grace of being saved by the Cult Leader? Is that not so?”
Danmok Cheong asked, looking back at his subordinates.
“That’s right!”
“How could such great grace…… sob!”
“From now on, I will work even harder, grinding my bones to powder, to repay the Cult Leader’s grace!”
His subordinates also had tears in their eyes, deeply moved by the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s grace.
Indeed, for them, it would be a rare occasion to even see the Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, up close.
But to have even been rescued by the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, it was natural that they would not know what to do.
“Then, as for Young Master Jin……”
“The Cult Leader has granted my entry into the cult.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
Jin Yeong-in replied with a smile towards Danmok Cheong.
“That is truly wonderful news.”
Danmok Cheong grabbed Jin Yeong-in’s hand, overjoyed as if it were his own affair.
“Did you not wish to join the cult anyway? I am also delighted that you, Young Master Jin, have become a brother of our cult.”
“Please speak comfortably. As I said before, it is uncomfortable.”
“I cannot do that.”
Danmok Cheong shook his head as if it was out of the question.
“How can I speak comfortably to someone the Cult Leader personally takes care of? Moreover, are you not someone who has converted from the righteous faction to our cult?”
“Ah.”
“We do not know what will happen in the future, so it is difficult for us to dare to speak informally. So please do not mind it.”
“I understand.”
Since Danmok Cheong put it that way, Jin Yeong-in could no longer ask him to speak comfortably.
“But this place is……”
Danmok Cheong looked around.
“Good heavens. We’ve traveled this far.”
“What is it?”
“Look over there.”
Danmok Cheong pointed to a shabby inn standing alone in the distance.
“It is the Dragon Gate Inn.”
“Dragon Gate Inn?”
“It is an inn operated by our cult under the same name in various places. Judging by the surroundings, this is definitely near the Southern Tianshan Road, Aksu.”
From ancient times, the northern trade route centered around the Ten Thousand Great Mountains where the Tianshan Mountains are located was called the Northern Tianshan Road, and the southern trade route was called the Southern Tianshan Road.
Together, these were called the Silk Road.
If so, the desolate landscape visible now must be the Taklamakan Desert.
“It seems we can rest there and then collect the bodies of our brothers and head to the Main Mountain.”
“Understood.”
Jin Yeong-in helped Danmok Cheong and his subordinates move the bodies of the fallen warriors to the inn.
In the process, he learned that the Iron-Blooded Demonic God had brought every single fallen warrior here to Aksu without leaving anyone behind.
When Danmok Cheong counted the number of survivors and fallen warriors, the numbers matched perfectly.
“Since you, Young Master Jin, have now become a brother of our cult, I will let you know. Our cult never leaves the bodies of fallen warriors behind. Even if we have to retreat due to difficult circumstances, we must always retrieve their bodies later.”
“This is the first I have heard of this.”
“It was originally a culture of the Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad, but I heard it spread to all combat units after the Cult Leader ascended to her position. It is a matter stipulated by the laws of our cult, so please be sure to remember it.”
Jin Yeong-in was well aware that the current Heavenly Demon, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, was from the Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad.
So, it was not strange that the culture of the Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad had spread within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Jin Yeong-in quite liked this culture.
Was it just about the bodies?
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s command to bring back even the bodies of the fallen warriors clearly contained a strong will to never abandon comrades-in-arms.
***
After moving the bodies of the fallen warriors to the Dragon Gate Inn, Jin Yeong-in’s party immediately took a rest.
After washing, treating their wounds, and enjoying a warm meal with a glass of wine, the tension eased and drowsiness washed over them.
“It is safe here, so please get some rest for now. We plan to get some sleep as well.”
“Understood.”
Since the Dragon Gate Inn was run by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jin Yeong-in’s party could sleep with peace of mind.
“Hoo.”
As soon as he woke up, Jin Yeong-in let out a sigh of relief.
The events of the past few days still did not feel real.
How many things had happened in less than two weeks, and how urgent the situation had been…….
‘First, let’s check my body’s condition.’
He sat cross-legged and examined himself.
‘It has definitely gotten better.’
Ninety-nine percent of his internal energy had disappeared, but his body’s condition was incomparable to before.
Not only had the turbid energy that had accumulated in his blood vessels and dantian vanished as if by a lie, but he could also feel his tattered dantian slowly recovering.
Furthermore, his twisted limbs and muscles seemed to be loosening, making it much easier to move his limping leg.
If he were to scatter all of his remaining internal energy, his body, which had been no different from a half-cripple, would surely return to its original healthy state.
‘Let’s scatter the remaining internal energy first.’
Looking at the remaining internal energy, it seemed it would take about ten days to scatter it all.
Building up internal energy takes a long time, but scattering it also requires a certain amount of time.
Of course, it was not comparable to the speed of accumulation…….
After scattering his internal energy through meditation for about two hours, he suddenly felt hungry and left his room, heading down to the inn on the lower floor.
“Ah, did you sleep well? Please, come and sit here.”
Danmok Cheong and a few of his subordinates, who were already there eating, greeted Jin Yeong-in.
“We are almost finished, so please take your time eating and get some more rest, Young Master Jin. We have something to do, so we will get up first.”
“Something to do, you say?”
“Ah, we need to perform the rites for the bodies of the fallen warriors before decomposition sets in. It is a two-day journey from here to the cult, but if decomposition progresses, it will be difficult during the funeral, wouldn’t it? The hearts of the bereaved families would be even more sorrowful.”
Hearing Danmok Cheong’s words, Jin Yeong-in spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“Please let me join you.”
“Pardon? But……”
“They are people who died protecting me. It is right for me to help.”
Jin Yeong-in could not bring himself to turn a blind eye to the fallen warriors.
Since they were people who would not have had to die if things had been different, he felt a deep sense of guilt.
‘I owe them my life, can I not do at least that much?’
Thinking that, he felt he could not miss out on the funeral preparations even more.
“I will definitely join you.”
“If you insist……”
The funeral preparations were conducted in a very solemn atmosphere.
The process was not something a person who had not done it before could do with a clear mind.
Washing and sewing the bodies, as well as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s special treatment method to prevent decomposition, was an ordeal that someone with a weak stomach would not even dare to attempt.
However, Jin Yeong-in helped with the work silently without a single word of complaint, and by the time the night grew deep, they were able to smoothly finish the funeral preparations for all the fallen warriors.
“You have worked hard, Young Master Jin.”
“Not at all. It was a meaningful task for me as well.”
“Still, you are amazing. It must not have been easy since it was your first time doing this……”
“These are the bodies of the brothers who died for me. It was not difficult at all.”
At that, one of Danmok Cheong’s subordinates shouted.
“Young Master Jin! You have already become a full-fledged follower of our cult! Hahahaha!”
Hearing this, the others also chimed in one by one.
“Why did you hang out with trash-like righteous faction bastards in the first place when you could have joined our cult from the beginning! Hahaha!”
“Young Master Jin has truly become a brother of our cult!”
Jin Yeong-in felt a strong sense of camaraderie from the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was a feeling he had never once felt in the righteous faction…….
“Young Master Jin, would you like to have a drink with us?”
“That sounds good.”
Jin Yeong-in gladly accepted Danmok Cheong’s suggestion.
The drinking party continued until dawn, but Jin Yeong-in did not even feel tired.
It wasn’t because it was a drinking party he had had in a long time, but because he was drinking with people with whom a bond had formed, the alcohol felt particularly sweet.
***
That afternoon.
Jin Yeong-in’s party loaded the bodies of the fallen warriors onto funeral carts and headed for the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“If we ride on horseback, we could arrive in a day or two, but since we are transporting the bodies, it will probably take another full day.”
“Is there a need to hurry?”
“Of course, that is true, but the Great Desert is a very dangerous place.”
Danmok Cheong said, vigilant of his surroundings.
The Great Desert referred to the Taklamakan Desert of the Southern Tianshan Road and the Gobi Desert of the Northern Tianshan Road.
Since these two massive deserts were adjacent to the north and south, they were collectively called the Great Desert.
“The Great Desert is not just our cult’s territory; it is a battleground for various forces. Not just our cult, but descendants of various dynasties, government troops from the Central Plains, bandit groups, nomads, various merchant guilds and escort agencies, and even the Righteous Heavenly Alliance—dozens of forces are engaged in a fierce struggle here.”
“Excuse me……?”
When Jin Yeong-in was greatly surprised to hear that the influence of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance extended even to the Taklamakan Desert, Danmok Cheong said with a laugh.
“Have you forgotten? This is the trade route connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Wouldn’t its monetary value be worth hundreds of millions?”
“Ah!”
“The area around Aksu here is relatively safe as it is controlled by our cult, but it is too early to be completely relieved. Occasionally, some bastards who have lost their sense of fear invade our cult’s territory……”
Just then.
“Enemies to the rear! They look like a bandit group!”
One of the party members shouted loudly.
“……!”
“……!”
When Jin Yeong-in and Danmok Cheong turned around, they saw a group of bandits in the distance, kicking up dust and rushing towards them at a frightening speed.
“……Speak of the devil.”
Danmok Cheong muttered with a look of dismay.
‘There isn’t a single smooth day. Am I cursed or something?’
At this point, he wondered if he should hire a sorcerer with outstanding spiritual power to perform an exorcism.
How could they be attacked by bandits just a few hours after leaving the Dragon Gate Inn?
‘Will we even be able to get to the cult?’
As Jin Yeong-in thought that and was about to draw his sword, Danmok Cheong’s hand stopped him from grabbing the hilt.
“Over there, they are allies.”
The place Danmok Cheong’s fingertip pointed to.
Dudududududududu―!!!
A group of cavalry that had appeared out of nowhere was galloping towards the flank of the bandit group.
They were riding warhorses with massive builds and were heavily armed in black armor.
Jin Yeong-in could recognize them at a glance.
‘The Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad!’
It was undoubtedly the group that was at its peak among the five major military forces of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the very unit that the Iron-Blooded Demonic God had led in the past.