Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 120

 

 

 

 

 

The bone in the upper part of the arm is called the humerus, and the long, thin bone located below the neck toward the chest is called the clavicle or collarbone.

 

What connects these two is precisely the shoulder.

 

“Grrgh…”

 

A massive blade that could well be called a Horse-Cutting Blade was embedded there.

 

And the man, Lee Eungbaek, was hung on the wall with his shoulder pierced by the sword.

 

“So it would have been better if you’d answered at once. What the hell is this supposed to be?”

 

A large-framed man who appeared to be the blade’s owner approached with a sneer.

 

Whether he had no intention of concealing his footsteps or not, the floor thundered with each step.

 

He was a man large enough to fill the entire room.

 

At a glance, he looked like a bear that had come down from the mountains, and when he approached, one had to look up considerably even though Lee Eungbaek was hanging on the wall.

 

“You, you bastard… do you know where this place is…”

 

Lee Eungbaek, covered in blood, glared at the man while gritting his teeth.

 

He tried to pull out the blade, but it was not only large in size, his hands couldn’t reach the handle to grasp it properly.

 

In truth, he had no strength either.

 

His arms and legs were broken and limp, and even his dantian had been destroyed.

 

It was the work of the man before his eyes.

 

Around the time dinner was ending, he had come knocking politely at the door, then massacred the martial artists within the manor while wearing a bright white smile that fully revealed his teeth.

 

And then he asked Lee Eungbaek.

 

 

 

-I’m looking for On Ryu. Do you know him?

 

 

 

What the hell, whether it was On Ryu or Han Ryu, what would he know about it?

 

If you’re going to ask, at least be polite about it.

 

His eyes had rolled back at the sight of him suddenly killing his subordinates, so he’d cursed a few times, and this was the result.

 

He’d been beaten to a pulp.

 

Without asking anything more, the man had broken his arms and legs, destroyed his dantian through formation breaking to inflict internal injuries, then used the sword as a nail to hang him on the wall.

 

He’d instinctively realized the man was a master, but his pride reached the heavens, so he’d gritted his teeth and brought up his backing.

 

Only his mouth could move, after all.

 

But that had been a mistake.

 

Crack!

 

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

 

The bear-like man with the sneer slightly twisted the sword that was embedded through his body.

 

But the blade was massive.

 

Even with that small movement, his shoulder bone shattered and his flesh tore open, so a scream burst out involuntarily.

 

“Where is where? This is the former Saha Faction, current Black River Gate Danghyeon Branch Office.”

 

He smiled with narrowed eyes as if laughter was his only means of expression.

 

But Lee Eungbaek felt the chilling killing intent and mockery flowing through those thin eye slits.

 

And his eyes… were grayish-white.

 

Like a dead person.

 

He hadn’t noticed because they were constantly narrowed, but now that he was close, he could finally see.

 

Tension naturally amplified and he gulped down his saliva.

 

That’s when he realized.

 

This bastard didn’t give a damn about Black River Gate’s name.

 

If he stubbornly maintained his pride, things would become much more painful than now, and in the end, not even a single dog would survive in the branch office.

 

For now, he had to cooperate.

 

He had to survive to plan for the future.

 

Lee Eungbaek tried to match the other’s mood with the most humble attitude possible.

 

“…I was just asking in case you might know.”

 

“Why the formal speech? Just a moment ago you didn’t hesitate to curse.”

 

“It was a mistake. People are always like that, aren’t they?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

“Now that I’ve realized it, please…”

 

“Anyway, Central Plains bastards are really good at speaking fancy words.”

 

With a smirk, he pulled out the blade.

 

Simultaneously, Lee Eungbaek’s body crashed down to the floor.

 

There was no support.

 

After all, it was Lee Eungbaek who was in pain.

 

The bear-like man crouched down in front of him as he slumped against the wall and asked.

 

“On Ryu, that’s who I’m looking for.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“Not keep in mind, have you ever heard of him? Or do you know where he is? That’s more important.”

 

“Th, that is…”

 

He’s insane.

 

He’d never heard such a name in his life.

 

Who would raise their hand and answer “That’s him!” if someone suddenly came asking who “Mr. Wang” was?

 

But right now, he had to get through this situation somehow.

 

If he couldn’t give a proper answer, he would die.

 

This bastard was more than capable of that.

 

“…I’ll search for him.”

 

“Search?”

 

“Yes! One hour, no, half… one meal’s time will do! There are books in the library with the names of residents written down.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

The bear-like man frowned.

 

He seemed to be pondering.

 

Lee Eungbaek could only wait anxiously for that mouth to open.

 

Soon the frowning face relaxed and his narrowed eyes curved.

 

It was a smile.

 

His answer was satisfactory…

 

The moment he felt hopeful, the bear-like man’s hand swept concisely and Lee Eungbaek’s head dropped with a thud.

 

Splash!

 

Blood spurting from his neck shot up to the ceiling before gradually settling.

 

“Using your head? Buying time to call other guys?”

 

The bear-like man laughed while looking at the head rolling in the pool of blood, unable to even close its eyes.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Yang Ung! You again!”

 

A small, thin man who rushed into the room frowned and pressed his forehead as if this kind of thing happened often.

 

“Ah, Elder Brother. Well…”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“Okay.”

 

The bear-like man, Yang Ung, who had shown a terrifying appearance just moments before, made a sullen expression with his smile completely gone.

 

Though there was a considerable difference in build, he looked like a younger brother being scolded by an elder brother with a significant age gap.

 

“You’re driving me crazy. I told you to handle it quietly. There’s nothing good about drawing attention.”

 

“I was going to do that too, but as soon as these bastards let us in, they started cursing, so I got angry and…”

“Yang Ung.”

 

“I, it’s true. This bastard really cursed first, I’m telling you!”

 

“Yang Ung!”

 

“…I only cut down a few guys. They were trying to block my way.”

 

“Haah…”

 

Only after calling his name repeatedly in anger did Yang Ung pout and admit it.

 

In the meantime, it wasn’t just a few guys but dozens who lay dead.

 

“Yang Ung.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“This is the Central Plains. If you keep causing incidents like this, you’ll draw attention quickly.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

“You know what happens if we can’t find that guy On Ryu, right?”

 

“…”

 

“The Great Evil will be very angry.”

 

At those quiet words, Yang Ung’s eyes grew wide.

 

It was an expression of fear.

 

“Please, let’s handle things quietly. Okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Yang Ung nodded his head, then spoke as if remembering something.

 

“Ah, right! This guy said there were books with the residents’ names written down.”

 

“Books?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Where are they?”

 

“Well… I don’t know either.”

 

Yang Ung scratched his head vigorously and smiled brightly.

 

It was an innocent smile like a child’s.

 

“This damn fool is laughing…”

 

“Should we look for them?”

 

“Look for what? Are we going to search the entire Branch Office?”

 

“Still…”

 

“Let’s go. The smell of blood is overwhelming, so people will come rushing in soon.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Yang Ung followed the man who went ahead, looking back regretfully at the books he couldn’t find.

 

And then fire erupted.

 

The fire spread in an instant, burning the manor to black ash.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Southern Hubei Province, Dangyang County, a village near Uichang.

 

The day was bright and the wind blew gently – truly good weather for those setting out on journeys.

 

In every field they passed, autumn harvesting was in full swing.

 

Perhaps even Heaven was pleased with the Zhuge Family’s prosperity, as an unprecedented bumper crop had arrived, and though the working farmers constantly wiped away sweat, smiles never left their faces.

 

“Nice.”

 

Zhuge Munhyeon, seated on a horse slowly lifting its hooves, wore a pleased expression.

 

This was truly the season of high skies and fat horses.

 

The high sky was clear and vegetation was lush with abundant food, so it was the season when horses grew fat.

 

But people’s hands were busy.

 

Hubei’s autumn was short, with winter arriving quickly.

 

Winter was also not very long, but it was harsh and severe, no less than the Northern Region.

 

They had to hurry to finish the autumn harvest and prepare for the cold wave.

 

Zhuge Munhyeon, passing among those busy people, enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

 

Wasn’t this good?

 

It was a good season to nourish one’s heart while observing the scenery that had turned colorful with the full arrival of autumn along the way.

 

Why hadn’t he felt such sentiments before?

 

Probably because once he set a goal, he would rush straight toward it, never trying to see what was around him.

 

“By the way, you’ve become quite skilled too?”

 

“Haha! I worked hard at it.”

 

At his casual remark as he turned his head slightly, Mujin laughed heartily with pride.

 

His horsemanship had improved considerably.

 

Having his buttocks get sore when heading to Danpung County must have been quite an ordeal.

 

He had tormented Nam Chief Manager, who managed the Zhuge Family’s horse stables, so much, but now he knew how to entrust his body to a horse fairly well.

 

“Shall we try galloping?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“To check how much you’ve improved.”

 

“…Um, let’s do it after I get a bit more familiar.”

 

“Pfft!”

 

Laughter burst out at the sight of Mujin subtly avoiding his gaze.

 

He was acting confident but then getting scared.

 

Well, it wasn’t an urgent journey.

 

Delivering the Young Family Head’s birth chart to the Tang Family couldn’t be accomplished in one go.

 

According to protocol, a marriage proposal group would be formed, and an envoy would be assembled to deliver the birth chart.

 

Zhuge Munhyeon was included in the envoy heading to Sichuan.

 

The envoy would arrive at the Tang Family in about two months.

 

Zhuge Munhyeon had a place to stop by briefly, so he promised to meet the envoy at the entrance to Sichuan and set out first with Mujin.

 

“By the way, who is this Jeong Jocheong person that you’re trying to find?”

 

Perhaps feeling awkward, Mujin changed the subject.

 

“A craftsman.”

 

“A… craftsman?”

 

“Yes, a craftsman who carves writing or patterns on objects.”

 

“Oh? Such a profession existed? But why him?”

 

“Just in case. If I show him the characters carved on the Silver Cold Staff, he might be able to tell whose work it is.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Mujin, who knew something about the Silver Cold Staff, nodded.

 

Craftsman Jeong Jocheong.

 

This was the reason Zhuge Munhyeon had departed before the envoy.

 

When he told the Family Head that he wanted to find the origin of the Silver Cold Staff, the Family Head said that while blacksmiths make objects, it’s craftsmen who carve something on them, so he should look for one too.

 

It made sense.

 

Perhaps, as Mujin said, it might be an object with origins in Taoism, but what directly carved the characters would have been neither a Taoist nor a blacksmith.

 

Everything needed a specialist.

 

Especially for something like the Silver Cold Staff that responded to spirit energy, there was a high possibility that an excellent craftsman had carved the characters.

 

Moreover, he heard that the profession of craftsman required very delicate skills, so there weren’t many famous ones.

 

“Seeing that the Beggar’s Sect recommended him, he must be quite a famous person?”

 

“It seems so. He was once an imperial engraver at the Imperial Palace’s Engraving Department.”

 

“An imperial engraver? You mean someone who made sculptures for the Emperor’s use?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“He’s quite skilled then. You could say he’s the best in All Under Heaven when it comes to carving alone. But why is such a person in Hubei Province instead of in government service?”

 

“He seems to have gotten involved in treason. He wasn’t punished, but afterward he’s been living as a hermit while hiding his identity.”

 

“The Beggar’s Sect did well to find such a person.”

 

“They didn’t find him. They found his disciple. If they had more time, they probably would have found the man himself, but since I was heading to Sichuan anyway, I said I’d go see him.”

 

“I see. In any case, the Beggar’s Sect is an amazing organization.”

 

Mujin clicked his tongue in admiration.

 

The Beggar’s Sect was that kind of place.

 

Though they were now scattered in all directions, when they were at their peak, there was no one in All Under Heaven they couldn’t find.

 

The saying that the Beggar’s Sect was supreme for information outside the walls, while Haomen was best for information inside the walls, didn’t exist for nothing.

 

When he was the Sect Leader, he had once challenged himself to create an information organization that could rival the Beggar’s Sect out of sheer boredom, but failed.

 

How could one possibly defeat those who had a hundred thousand Bangdo?

 

Meanwhile, the Demonic Sect bastards thought strength was everything, which made it even more problematic. They tried to solve everything with force.

 

Well, since he was the one who taught them, it couldn’t be helped.

 

The name was Mil…

 

‘Hmm, it’s been so long that it’s getting hazy.’

 

Anyway, that’s how it was.

 

It probably doesn’t exist anymore now.

 

After his death, he heard that those vying to become Sect Leader sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, causing internal strife.

 

In any case, the help of the Yungzhong Mountain Beggar’s Sect was significant.

 

Thanks to this, finding the Ascension Method or catching the tails of those Half-Immortal bastards might become easier.

 

To think a well-raised beggar would be of such great help.

 

It was just when he couldn’t contain his satisfaction.

 

“Huh? Young Master Munhyeon.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“The village atmosphere seems strange?”

 

Mujin tilted his head while looking at the village entrance that was beginning to come into view in the distance.

 

Following that gaze, Zhuge Munhyeon also tilted his head.

 

What are all those warriors doing… Is there some kind of festival?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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