Chapter 1227

< 1227th Chapter > 1227. The Bright Ascension Path

Demon Lord Baek Taek-Joo was having a busy day.

It was the time for results of the third trial’s missions assigned to each candidate of Demon Lord Academy.

“Lord. Number 25 has failed their mission.”

An instructor approached with a report, briefly stating the news.

“What was 25’s mission again?”

Through years of experience, Baek Taek-Joo knew it was faster to ask the instructor directly rather than read the report.

“To investigate Hae Mil Village in the eastern region of Holy Sect territory.”

“Surveillance missions are usually simple; there’s barely any chance of failure. What caused the mission failure?”

“There was a Thousand Cloak Alliance presence in Hae Mil Village. Number 25 engaged in battle with one of their warriors and was defeated. It seems the entire village has now aligned with the Thousand Cloak Alliance.”

“Is Number 25 dead?”

“Yes. Our intelligence confirmed the body.”

“…Damn. This needs to be reported to higher-ups.”

The Demon Lord was accustomed to such reports. Candidates die every year. Each time he hears these updates, he regrets the resources invested, but filtering out mediocrities is unavoidable. The Celestial Demon Sect demands only the finest talents.

“The third trial is almost over. Who’s the top candidate?”

“The most outstanding performer is Number 88, exceeding their mission objectives. Second is Number 567, Yeon Eha. She’s already surpassed our instructors’ skills. Third is Number 366, excelling in strategy and deception.”

Unlike Yeon Eha, daughter of Sword Demon, only Baek Taek-Joo knows the true identity of Little Demon Lord, Number 88.

“The evaluation of Number 88 seems insufficient. Why is Number 88 the top performer? Is their martial prowess superior to 567’s? Or their intellect sharper than 366’s?”

“Well… we’re not entirely sure. While Number 88’s martial and intellectual abilities are excellent, they don’t quite reach the top tier. However, they know how to lead people. Most candidates already look up to them.”

A faint smile crept onto the Demon Lord’s lips—not mocking Number 88, but quite the opposite. He appreciated the instructor’s words. If the next Demon King commands respect, the Celestial Demon Sect will continue functioning smoothly under its current system.

“Number 88 must have been born with something extraordinary. But being the top performer can’t be solely due to that, right?”

“A more concrete reason. We judged based purely on results, disregarding backgrounds or skills. The abilities of 567 and the intellect of 366 merely explain why their outcomes turned out this way.”

“First place: 88. Second: 567. Third: 366.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Fourth?”

“It gets a bit unclear from fourth place onward. There are two contenders: 123 and 290.”

“All five top candidates belong to 88’s first division.”

“Yes. Number 88 has an exceptional eye for talent. Shouldn’t we bring 88 into Demon Lord Academy later? They seem like they’d excel at managing things.”


Hey there, don’t spout nonsense. The top 10 gender-neutral academic elites are under close watch from higher-ups as well.

“It was just a casual suggestion. I believe candidate number 290 is worthy of fourth place.”

“Why?”

“Number 290 flawlessly completed the bodyguard mission. During the process, they encountered the Ho-Haeng-Chae bandit gang and completely annihilated them without leaving a single one behind. There’s absolutely nothing to criticize.”

“What about number 123?”

“…Number 123 also completed their mission. If we only consider the difficulty level of the mission, it ranks at the very top. However, the process was absurd. They used explosive bombs purchased from the merchant they were guarding and obliterated an entire inn, leaving not even a single foundation stone standing.”

“You blew up an entire inn in one go, huh? Looks like Ha-Ga City will be occupied by the Divine Sect now since it’s become a lawless land.”

“Yes. I’ve already heard that a unit has been dispatched. Judging solely by results, number 123 performed better. But the method is problematic. Rumors against the Divine Sect are already spreading in Ha-Ga City. Therefore, I believe number 290 deserves fourth place.”

“Hmm… Here’s my opinion: Number 123 gets fourth place.”

All eyes of the instructors turned toward Bae Taek-Joo, the head of the Demon Horse Division. As an educator, if the instructors had any doubts, he would naturally answer them.

“Number 123 is Ma-In. He’s the kind of talent suitable for the Divine Sect. Understand this—our current era has made the Divine Sect overly tame. With countless rules imposed while watching the emperor’s every move, we can’t even attack martial arts sects without proper justification anymore. Right now, the Divine Sect is a toothless tiger. In this situation, the existence of number 123 will provide a positive stimulus for the Divine Sect. Ah, but don’t think I’m dissatisfied with the current state of the Divine Sect.”

“The real reason is the outcome. By acquiring Ha-Ga City, the future benefits for the Divine Sect will be substantial. The bad rumors about the Divine Sect spreading through Ha-Ga City? Those kinds of rumors can be quelled through manipulation. It’ll be easy since our most troublesome enemy, the innkeeper, has been wiped out entirely.”

“But number 123 used those explosive bombs…”

“Instructors!”

“…Yes, Director!”

“We aren’t rejects of the righteous factions. Don’t think like those righteous bastards. We are the Divine Sect. To win, we do whatever it takes. Got it?”

“It seems we momentarily forgot our role.”

“Fourth place goes to number 123. Fifth place goes to number 290. Now let’s decide from sixth place onward.”

Bae Taek-Joo firmly believed inside that number 123 would bring a wave of change to the Celestial Demon Sect.

Among all the candidates, Yeon Yea-Ha was the first to complete her mission.

She was granted some downtime until the end of the third trial. However, given her personality, she never indulged in leisure. Every day, she swung her sword at the training grounds and returned to her room to sit cross-legged, practicing Qi cultivation.

Her daily routine was mechanical and precise.

Yeon Yea-Ha knew her routine might seem strange, but for her, as a martial artist, it was incredibly efficient. Her life itself was akin to closed-door cultivation.

Humans are lazy. If they’re standing, they want to sit; if sitting, they want to lie down. But Yeon Yea-Ha was different. She lacked the emotions that called for laziness. Without emotion, she could train like a machine.

Yeon Yea-Ha quietly opened her eyes after completing her Qi circulation practice.

The effects of her Qi cultivation had diminished. Just a month ago, she was growing stronger rapidly thanks to the True Martial God Sword Technique transforming her emotions into inner energy and maximizing her training efficiency.

However, ever since a month before the start of the third trial, when the man who had violated her more than four times a week disappeared, her training efficiency had dropped.

“…He must definitely be in the Demon Horse Division.”

Yeon Yea-Ha deliberately thought of him, trying to stir up hatred. The True Martial God Sword Technique would undoubtedly grow stronger using hatred as fuel. Indeed, the True Martial God Sword Technique reacted with a subtle tremor.

“The prime suspect among the four likely culprits is…”

Little Demon Horse, Cheon Yu-Woon.

Everyone…


The circumstantial evidence pointed to Cheonyuun as the culprit.

However, Yeon-yeoha couldn’t confidently say that the perpetrator was Cheonyuun. She’d known him for quite some time—not that they were close—but she understood his personality well enough. There was no reason for Cheonyuun to violate her. If he’d wanted her, he could’ve pushed for their long-discussed engagement.

‘If it wasn’t him…’

There were two likely male suspects next in line:

Jegalmosoon and Yeomgooseok.

Jegalmosoon was a sorcerer. Though she’d witnessed his skills during their last duel, there was a chance it had all been an act.

Yeomgooseok, however, was even more likely to be the culprit than Jegalmosoon.

Over the past hundred or so times Yeon-yeoha had been violated, the perpetrator had often taken on Yeomgooseok’s voice and face. The reason Yeon-yeoha remembered the perpetrator’s face was because he liked burying his face in her ample bosom. And subtly, she’d touched his face with her hands.

“Cheonyuun’s and Yeomgooseok’s faces appeared the most.”

The perpetrator was moody. At least, that’s what Yeon-yeoha thought. So, logically, there must have been instances where he violated her using his real face.

Yeon-yeoha recalled the questions she had exchanged with the perpetrator. Almost all of them pointed to Cheonyuun as the culprit. But more than half of those questions could also apply to Yeomgooseok—unless the perpetrator had been lying.

“Yeomgooseok…”

Yeon-yeoha suspected that Yeomgooseok was the true identity of the perpetrator. There was no solid evidence; it was just a gut feeling.

She delved deeper into her memories, trying to find a critical clue she might have missed while recalling the moments of violation.

“Hmph…”

Suddenly, Yeon-yeoha let out a moan and shivered. Simultaneously, her face turned red.

Surprised, she looked down at her body. Her nipples tingled, and her groin felt itchy. Her body was becoming sexually aroused.

Yeon-yeoha was flustered. But only for a moment. The “Chamjeong Masin Jeom” technique immediately activated. Her confusion dissipated, and her excited body gradually calmed down.

But then her body became aroused again. Without realizing it, she inserted her hand into her pants. She could feel sticky liquid flowing from her smooth, regularly waxed groin.

“The Chamjeong Masin Jeom is active. It’s continuously suppressing my emotions. Yet my body is still aroused…”

The mind controls the body. But Yeon-yeoha found herself in the opposite situation. Somehow, her body’s excitement was causing her spirit to feel lustful, and she couldn’t calm it down.

In her perplexity, she took drastic measures to subdue her body’s arousal.

Masturbation!

She undressed like when he violated her, lay down on the pillar, spread her legs, and inserted her fingers into her womanhood.

Pewh! Pfft pfft!

“Aaaah?!”

Caught off guard by the intense pleasure, Yeon-yeoha involuntarily tilted her head back. Breath escaped through her parted lips. Ridiculously, she climaxed after just one thrust of her finger.

It was clearly abnormal. It made her suspect that the man might’ve done something to her.

Despite her efforts to calm her body, the arousal persisted. She moved her fingers again as the Chamjeong Masin Jeom continued to suppress her sexual desire.

But it wasn’t enough to quell her body’s excitement. It felt exactly like when he violated her.

There was only one way to resolve this situation: to relieve her physical arousal.

Yeon-yeoha began stimulating her vagina with her fingers. Her love juices splattered everywhere, soaking the bedsheet. About an hour later, she was thrusting three fingers into herself.

“Haaaaaah…!”

She finally managed to barely calm her body’s excitement.