Baz had grown very fond of his temple at the mountain peak. The views. The scents of the garden. The solitude. It was home.
Beneath him, the Demonic Citadel was vibrant with
activity. Young demonic cultivators who had graduated from the Cave of
Latent Demons and sought to further their cultivation or master new
Techniques. The cult was still young, relatively speaking, and everyone,
regardless of seniority, were driven by a curiosity and passion to grow
stronger and to learn and to discover new things.
In the past, Baz had been worried about the cult.
The Mansan area had never been exceptionally rich in
terms of natural essence—it was why he moved to the neighboring peak in
the first place, to not dry up the supply for the disciples.
As it turned out, his worries had been unfounded.
He now saw, and understood, that the world’s production of natural essence was like a muscle. If it wasn’t used, it atrophied.
Essence was everywhere, a natural aspect of the world,
but when an area atrophied, the production faltered, not so much in terms of quantity, but of quality. It became skewed,
unbalanced. Void of vitality. Present, yet unfit.
It was a vicious cycle.
The Red Sea was called the Barren Wastelands by outsiders
because the vitality of the area had dried up. Monsters migrated to
areas with more, and higher quality, natural essence, and the people who
needed the monsters to level up followed. With less activity, the
issues compounded. Finally, the Red Sea had become filled with a
singular affinity, one unable to sustain any proper versatility of life.
Only mortals who struggled and fought to live in harsh conditions
remained.
It had now been two decades since the Heavenly Demon
Divine Cult was founded. In that time, thousands of cultivators had
continuously used the natural essence of Mansan Mountain as they
cultivated.
Gradually, as the cult developed, the region recovered.
In time, it grew strong.
Now, it was teeming with essence.
It wasn’t yet anywhere near the level of the Silvervale
Woodlands—the monster zone had developed for tens of thousands of years
after all—but it was improving with each passing day.
Baz no longer required natural essence to cultivate, but
he still very much appreciated the higher density, and the increase in
quality. It made every aspect of cultivation smoother. Techniques were
easier to perform and develop as your internal essence resonated with
the essence of the world. The cult’s formations grew more powerful as
they wielded more essence. And of course, the cult could develop faster
than ever. It was seen as a blessing to the cult's demonic cultivators who improved at greater rates, though their volatile demonic essence remained as that was a result of the cultivation techniques which broke down all essence, regardless of affinity.
It had been about two years since the Heavenly Demon
Divine Cult absorbed the Jeoksa Family into it. There had been a great
deal to consolidate during that time, but the whole process went
surprisingly smoothly.
Even the conflict with the Tang Clan didn’t escalate as
much as they had expected. In large part because, on the surface, the
Jeoksa Family remained independent. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult
remained low profile; only those who needed to know were aware the
Jeoksa Family now had a new ruler. A delegation from the Tang Clan
visited the Family in the months after the events, but Patriarch Jaemin
successfully used his experience as External Elder to negotiate a
peaceful resolution.
The official story was simple, Tang Kimoon had made an
unsanctioned power play against a distant neighbor, and he failed. He
had brought a group of elites from the Tang Clan to attempt a forceful
takeover of the Jeoksa Family, and in the ensuing fight, Tang Kimoon and
his elites fought against Patriarch Hyun and the Jeoksa Great Elder,
and all of them died.
A tragedy, for all parties involved.
Patriarch Jaemin even secured some recompense for the
unprovoked attack. Nothing major, as the Tang Clan would not acknowledge
too much responsibility for the actions of a rogue actor, but resources
that were happily accepted.
Baz himself had to consolidate his own power due to his breakthrough to the next major stage, [Soul Transformation].
His success with the [Heavenly Demon Divine Extermination
Lightning] ambient formation had pushed him to ascend. It was strange,
for the first time since he began his cultivation journey, a
breakthrough to the next major stage was… easy.
He had succeeded in breakthroughs with relative ease before, but even then, it had always been a challenge to overcome.
This time, however, it just sort of happened.
Pushing his control over natural essence to its limits
had made his Soul Seed consume every last piece of the veil that used to
separate the spiritual and the physical. With that barrier gone,
replaced in its entirety by the Soul Seed, there was nothing left for
the Soul Seed to consume, and so it turned inward. It collapsed further
in on itself, a super massive black hole within the depths of his being.
But he didn’t stop there. Over the past two years, he had
kept pushing himself until the singularity burst forth, like a big
bang.
It became a cosmos in and of itself.
His Soul Seed sprouted and formed the initial shape of
his True Spirit. Although the true big bang had expanded quickly, it was
already vast in a matter of milliseconds, the big bang of Baz’ True
Spirit moved at its own leisure.
At first it was just a shapeless blob of infinite
potential, but over time, it grew. Over the course of the past year, the
shapeless blob gradually took shape. Appendages, arms and legs, were
slowly but surely forming.
It would be many years until it was done, but Baz could
already sense that it would take on the shape of himself and become a
duplicate of his physical body, just as his spirit body naturally was. A
third aspect of himself existing in between the two, neither spiritual
nor physical. Created from his intent, his understanding of who he was
and his place in the world. A True Spirit.
***
With the region’s new levels of natural essence, Baz felt it was a good time to expand their growth yet again.
The Cave of Latent Demons was constantly undergoing
changes. The first few generations of sproutlings were still training in
the caves, and it would still be a few more years before they graduated.
To increase the number of disciples the cult could train,
a new facility was constructed on the opposite side of the mountain
range, which he called, the Demonic Caverns. Where the Cave of Latent
Demons would continue to focus on quality, the Demonic Caverns would
focus more on quantity.
Only those with the greatest talents and potential, as
well as those from the upper echelons of the Jeoksa Family and other
vassal factions to come, would be accepted to the original Cave of
Latent Demons.
Thousands upon thousands of sproutlings from all over the Red Sea were recruited and enlisted to the Demonic Caverns.
It was easier said than done to handle such an expansion,
but Chul had managed well. He had been named Education Hall Master and
had operated the Cave of Latent Demons for over a decade at this point.
This wasn’t the first expansion of the cult’s educational facilities,
but it was the largest.
The last expansion was just a few years ago, the first
generation of sproutlings hadn’t even graduated yet, but Education Hall
Master Chul was happy about any and all improvements of the cult’s
Education Hall. Not only because of his Title and the personal benefits
of gaining more power, but because he believed—wholeheartedly—in the
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
He was born and raised in the Red Sea where hope for the
future was never an option, not until the Heavenly Demon arrived and
lifted him and his fellow demonic cultivators up. He took great pride in
his position as Education Hall Master. Being able to guide new
generations onto a path of power filled his heart with joy, and
gratitude.
In the two decades since his own generation, the first
generation of demonic cultivators, first entered the Cave of Latent
Demons, there were a rare few—himself included—who could see the barrier
to the [Nascent Soul] stage appear over the horizon. There were,
however, over a thousand cultivators in [Core Formation]. He had recruited dozens of
[Core Formation] stage demonic cultivators and hundreds of [Essence
Consolidation] stage demonic cultivators to help teach the many
thousands of disciples that trained within the Cave of Latent Demons and
the newly constructed Demonic Caverns.
Baz sat in his gazebo overlooking the Demonic Citadel
when Chul approached on the path through the field of flowers of Baz’
garden.
“I greet the Heavenly Demon!” Chul bowed and greeted Baz.
“Education Hall Master, good to see you,” Baz said as he
put down his cup of tea. “I trust the construction is going well.” He
gestured for Chul to join him.
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The Demonic General sat down opposite Baz. “Yes, Demon
Lord,” he said with a nod. “Construction is nearing completion for the
initial layers. We’ll construct each new layer as we go. With the
current condition of the region, we’ve even been able to discover and
capture some monsters to use in their training.” His tone held an
unbridled pride and excitement. To Chul, the development of the cult was
even more meaningful than his own development. “The Demonic Caverns can
hold as many as 10,000 disciples, per generation. With a lower training
period of five years at the caverns, once we’re fully operational, we
should be able to house 50,000 disciples at any given time. Add to that,
a thousand per generation of the Cave of Latent Demons. If seven out of
ten disciples survive, which is a rather low estimate, we can gain
almost 10,000 Demonic Soldiers each year.”
“Good,” Baz said with a proud smile. “The nine great
sects and five great clans each have about 10,000 to 15,000 disciples
over level 30, if the numbers provided by the Jeoksa Family are true.
Combined with the hundreds of mid-sized sects and clans and thousands of
small Groups under their control, the Great Martial Alliance have
forces numbering on a scale of a million over Minor Accomplishment.” Baz looked out across
the landscape of the Red Sea, and the cult. From the mountain peak, his
view stretched out far into the distance. “If we are to stand any chance
in the war to come, we will need to train as many as we can manage.”
“Indeed,” Chul said solemnly. “If we’re lucky enough to
have a few more decades to develop, our forces of Demonic Soldiers
should number in the hundreds of thousands.”
Baz nodded expectantly. “Add on the forces of the
surrounding Groups, once we conquer them, and we’ll close the gap with
our enemies. We still won’t have enough to match them, but we won’t have
to. Most of their armies remain on the western front against the
Lumerian Kingdom.” Baz took a sip of his tea, taking a moment to savor
the magical taste. He put down the cup and said, “Our greatest weakness
in our lack of true experts. I am the only one who can face the true
masters. Once our campaign to conquer the surrounding Groups is done, we
should have gained about a hundred Peak Practitioners, but Grandmasters
could still raze all of our efforts without much issue.”
“Indeed, Demon Lord. Myself and Haru, along with a few
others, should reach [Nascent Soul] stage in the coming decades,
hopefully that will be enough for us to hold our own.”
***
Baz still spent most of his time in secluded meditation.
He had a room in the temple dedicated to his solitude, it
was extremely heavily enchanted and fortified with the cult’s most
powerful formations.
The room was simple, just four bare walls and mat in the
center. There was no light source and all sounds were blocked. It was a
total sensory deprivation chamber. As he spent weeks, months, years
meditating and familiarizing himself with his True Spirit, the cult
continued its growth.
It had become a living thing in and of itself, completely
dedicated to the Heavenly Demon without the need for him to
micromanage.
Inside his cultivation chamber, Baz was submerged within his mind, body, and soul.
It was strange.
His True Spirit didn’t have a reasonable sense of scale.
From his outside perspective, it was fairly small, like a cantaloupe,
and contained at his center of gravity. When he reached inside with his
mind, however, it was a universe in its own right.
Currently, it was filled with a plasma-like cloud of ever-shifting essence. Gradually, as the years went by, it expanded and
settled. It would be a decade or two until the expansion was complete,
but he could already tell that it would cool and form a massive inner
world, an internal cosmos. Exactly what that inner world was capable of,
only time would tell.
Satisfied that he had gotten as far as he could at the moment, he left the cultivation chamber.
The temple communication wall was filled with various
reports that had come in during his long isolation of several years.
Most were simple updates of the cult’s operations, but others were more
interesting.
The biggest was news of Gawen’s upcoming tribulation. He
had made use of the Jeoksa Family’s training grounds, filled with
monsters powerful enough to help him level up. While he and the others
of the cult’s System path practitioners had thus far leveled up by
fighting bandits and other criminals for many years, there was a limited
supply of people to fight in the region, and the cult had grown to the
point where there were hardly any left.
Once the day of Gawen’s tribulation arrived, Baz took off
toward Muwon, the city constructed on the opposite side of the
mountains.
In the years since it was founded, the new city had grown
large. It was still not quite comparable to the capital, but a major
city nonetheless. As [Guardian], Gawen was essentially the Commander of
the City Guards, a role which shouldn’t have involved much input over
the city’s development. As [Pioneer], however, the [System] recognized
just how great his influence was.
While it had been several decades, which for most mortals
was a large portion of a lifetime, since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was founded,
the people’s reverence for the cult’s practitioners and demonic
cultivators had not faltered.
If anything, it had only increased.
Before the cult, people used to think of powerful
practitioners as myths. Now, however, it was firmly embedded in their
minds that these godlike beings not only existed but walked among them.
Faith was powerful when it was just a belief, but when their god
physically resided on the mountain a day’s journey away, however, it
became fervent.
To most mortals, it was difficult to truly conceptualize
the difference between their guardian at level 49 and Grandmasters at
level 80. As such, Gawen’s thoughts and opinions were treated like
divine revelations.
Muwon ended up adopting a style somewhat different from
most other towns in Mugongji. It was a mix between the east Asian style
more common in the region and the Greek revival of Gawen’s hometown,
Celder. Stone was the main building material, from the cult’s quarries.
The roofs were still mainly tiled with graceful curves and upturned
eaves for the more important buildings and simple hard hill roofs for
the more common houses.
It didn’t take long for Baz to arrive to the site chosen
for Gawen’s tribulation. Each city had their own tribulation sites,
fortified and prepared for anything that might be needed.
A platform had been constructed and enchanted, not to aid
in the tribulation but to protect the platform itself from the
devastation. Several of the cult’s upper echelon were already there.
Some were too busy to bear witness, but most took every opportunity to
experience the event in preparation for their own tribulations to come.
For the four original members of the Wander Wolves Corps, these tribulations were a big deal.
Víctor was the first, Gawen the second. Soon, both Safi
and Eduard would face theirs as well. It was a reminder of how far they
had gotten, and how much they had lost along the way.
Baz appeared like a ghost on the side of the platform, startling everyone.
“Teacherman! I’m glad you could make it.” He was no
longer the young man who left Celder to be a mercenary—he was a grown
man and a great warrior. Even though he now looked like a scruffy man in
his thirties, beard and all, which, when combined with his tall
stature, meant he cut an imposing figure, he still didn’t treat Baz any
different.
It always brought a smile Baz’ face. “I wouldn’t miss it,” Baz said as he shook Gawen’s hand.
The strategy used by Court Mage Ollés to endure his tribulation wasn’t realistic for most people in the cult.
Among the demonic cultivators, many of the officers at
least had some training in formations, but it wasn’t an option for the
warriors of the System path. Gawen simply couldn’t dedicate the time to
gain the Skills and Titles necessary for him to set up Protection
Formations for his tribulation.
With the Jeoksa Family as their vassal, however, the cult
could get their hands on effective elixirs. In his youth, Gawen would
not have hesitated to take on the Major Accomplishment Tribulation
without any protection. As an experienced veteran, though, he was no
longer quite as reckless. While he wanted to maximize his benefits of
surpassing the tribulation, actually surviving was the priority.
When the tribulation lightning finally arrived, it was as fierce as always.
Gawen welcomed the challenge.
He faced the heavens with a defiance few could muster.
There was little fear or trepidation. The tribulation was a always
within your limits to endure, and Gawen knew he would withstand it.
He was right.
Albeit with the help of a protection elixir, Gawen’s
Major Accomplishment Tribulation was successfully endured. It wasn’t
without its price though. The elixir was weaker than what most used so
as to not limit his benefits too much. While he succeeded without too
much issue, it still took him some time to recover. But with that, the
cult’s original inner circle had two Expert Practitioners.
A few others who had been recruited over the years had
also endured their Major Accomplishment Tribulations, but not all had
made it. A handful of the cult’s System path practitioners had failed to
endure the might of the tribulation lightning and died.
It put a great deal of pressure on Safi and Eduard.
Safi took on her tribulation two years later.
Unlike Gawen, she refused to use any elixirs or other
forms of protection. It took everyone by surprise. Decades of fighting
had removed any and all sense of timidness from her. She wouldn’t accept
anything less than the best, and she didn’t even entertain the notion
that she might fail. She was the only cult member who had attempted to
take on her tribulation without any form of protection.
It was a terrifying sight to behold.
The lightning tore through her and burned her skin to a
crisp. She survived, but her right arm was crippled, and she lost her
left eye. The damage to her arm wasn’t permanent; it would heal over the
course of several months, especially with the help of plenty of the
cult’s resources, but the eye was a bigger issue. As with most things in
this world, it was possible to restore it, but the tribulation
lightning had reached deep and scarred her spirit body as well. Which
meant it would need a very long time, and a great deal of luck for it to
heal.
A year later, it was Eduard’s turn. His was the
simplest, the most uneventful. He wouldn’t go overboard his protections,
like some of the spoiled elites of the world would, but he certainly
didn’t hesitate to use anything at his disposal to help his chances of
surviving. By the end of it, he had some burns, but they would heal in a
matter of days and not hinder him in any way.
***
Baz was back on his mountain peak.
He looked out over the region which was gradually coming back to life after thousands of years of drought.
The dry sandy terrain was slowly transforming. Vegetation
was coming back, as was the wildlife. Exactly how monsters populated
certain places in the region was something of a mystery. One day, the
cult’s scouts had simply discovered groups of monsters, seemingly having appeared
out of nowhere. They weren’t very high leveled, but a welcome sight
nonetheless. The cult needed every resource they could get.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult grew exponentially.
With more and more of their System path practitioners
leveling up and surpassing their tribulations to become Expert
Practitioners, and the Demonic Caverns and the Cave of Latent Demons
churning out demonic cultivators roughly equivalent to level 30, the
cult was officially a powerhouse of note.
Nearby sects, Families, and other Groups—who had ignored
what they considered to be wastelands for generations—were now paying
attention.
Plans had already been in the works for years. The cult
would launch a campaign. They would start with the Red Sea, officially
conquer and claim it in its entirety as the territory of the Heavenly
Demon Divine Cult.
Then they would move on the the larger Groups nearby, the
established powerhouses. There were many of them around the Red Sea. It
was hard to get an exact number as Groups came and went, new Groups
were founded and old Groups were destroyed. Their current estimates were
around 70 mid-sized Groups and far over a hundred smaller Groups.
Conquering them all would be difficult but also necessary.
They couldn’t afford to launch any assault on the Great
Martial Alliance without them, even with the alliance’s attention
focused on the endless war with Lumeria. Plans were laid out, targets
had been selected, and the first large scale war of the Heavenly Demon
Divine Cult was at hand.
There was only one thing left before the campaign—Haru,
Chul, and a few more of the older generation demonic cultivators had to
breakthrough to [Nascent Soul] stage.
Hiya! Since we're getting more and more time skips, I thought I'd share a simple timeline of the development of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
I tried to make it look nice, but RR has some global styles that overwrite my basic html skills. The light mode vs dark mode also made me get creative with the text color to ensure it's legible for both.
Timeline:
Year
0
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is founded.
Cave of Latent Demons is created.
Haru, Chul, and the other first generation demons begin cultivating.
Year
0, m 6
Haru and Chul break through to Essence Consolidation
Year
0, m 7
Third demonic cultivator breaks through to Essence Consolidation and dies
Year
0, m 7–9
The remaining 3 reach Essence Consolidation
Year
1
Second generation, over 50 new candidates, begin cultivating
Year
2
Third generation, closer to a hundred candidates, begin cultivating
Year
3
Fourth generation, around 100.
Year
4
Fifth generation, around 100.
Year
5
Sixth generation, around 100.
Demonic mania is discovered.
Aberrant Demon Path is developed
Secondary training area opens for those training the Aberrant Demon Path
Year
6
Haru wins the first graduation tournament
First generation graduates, including Haru, Chul, and Shik
Seventh generation, around 100
Year
7
Second generation graduates, Jum wins the second graduation tournament
Year
7–8
Jum and a few other demonic cultivators reach out to Víctor about magic
Year
8
Third generation graduates, including Joon
Year
9
Baz enters isolated cultivation
Year
10
Baz breaks through to Nascent Soul, about 22–23 years after he was summoned and began cultivating
Year
11
Construction of Demonic Citadel begins
Jeoksa Jaemin arrives and a deal is struck regarding his 2-year-old son
Víctor's magic academy rivals the Cave of Latent Demons in terms of recruitment and graduates
Jum develops Formation Arts
Jum is promoted to Demonic General, third after Haru and Chul (Education Hall Master)
Jum is given the title of Formation Hall Master
Year
11–12
Jeoksa Jaemin holds up his end of the bargain and sends countless resources
Year
12
Demonic Martial Form is developed and spread throughout the cult
The Cave of Latent Demons extends its curriculum, disciples now stay there for 8 years
All demonic cultivators work on developing new Techniques
Whispering Reaper Guild attacks
Marion is killed
Sebastian has an epiphany and his Akashic Connection Talent is upgraded to Akashic Incarnation
Sebastian accepts his place and identity, he becomes Baz, the demon god.
The Unyielding Sword of the Demon God is developed
Mujin is named the capital of the cult and a restructure is begun
Baz bestows new titles for everyone.
Víctor reaches level 50
The training at the Cave of Latent Demons is extended to 10 years
The new city, Muwon, is announced, though the name is not revealed until later
From this moment onward, the cult exclusively recruits sproutlings to the Cave of Latent Demons
Víctor endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
16
The construction of the Demonic Citadel and the entire Mansan mountains has reached a point of minor completion
The Grand Demonic Mist Formation is completed and deployed
Year
17
Demonic General Joon and his Intelligence Hall embeds themselves in the Jeoksa Family
Year
18
The Kam brother attack and are killed
Messaging boards have been installed at important sites of the cult
Demonic General Joon prepares for the takeover of the Jeoksa Family
Jeoksa Jaemin's son, Jaebak, is sent to the Cave of Latent Demons
The plan is executed, and the Jeoksa Family pledges themselves as the first Vassal Family of the cult
Baz kills elites of the Tang Clan
Baz breaks through to Soul Transformation, 8 years after reached Nascent Soul
Year
20
The Mansan mountains are now teeming with natural essence, nature having recovered due to their presence
Baz' singularity bursts forth like the big bang and becomes a cosmos
Baz' True Spirit begins taking shape
The Demonic Caverns are constructed
Thousands upon thousands of sproutlings from all over the Red Sea were recruited and enlisted to the Demonic Caverns
Plans for a major campaign to conquer the region are started
Year
22
Baz' inner cosmos settles and begins its development
Gawen endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
24
Safi endures her Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
25
Eduard endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Thanks for reading!
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