Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 251

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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 251

“What, what did you say?”

“The Jungakgye mission has ended in failure. It seems the aphrodisiac didn’t work on him.”

Hwangbo Yun had stayed awake all night in anticipation of the success story that would be delivered when morning came.

But the words delivered by Hwang Wol-hyang, who had come to his chambers before dawn, were truly shocking.

The failure of the scheme.

And the warriors captured at the Zhuge Family’s lodging.

“These idiots!”

“I apologize. Fortunately, the warriors like Yang Yeo and Gwak Soon don’t know the details. They only know up to my instructions.”

“….”

“We must quickly devise countermeasures. Please give your orders.”

Hwangbo Yun’s face, as he looked down at Hwang Wol-hyang who was prostrating and reporting, became so cold that not a trace of emotion could be felt.

“Can you guarantee they know nothing?”

“Yes. They only know it was my instruction.”

“Who else knows?”

“Only Physician Jang Saeng who used the medicine knows. He said he saw him drink the medicine directly.”

“The physician… I understand.”

“Then what should we do now….”

Hwang Wol-hyang, who had raised her head, stopped speaking at the shadow cast over her.

‘Wh, when did he?’

Hwangbo Yun had approached and knelt in front of her.

And in his hand was a dagger he rarely used.

“F, Family Head, why…?”

She didn’t get to hear an answer to her question.

Thunk!

The blade pierced deep into her throat.

“Gurgle….”

Hwangbo Yun looked down at her as she collapsed in his arms, making sounds of air escaping.

“You worked hard.”

He praised her efforts as she trembled from betrayal while dying.

“Didn’t you always say it yourself? That you would sacrifice your life for the Hwangbo Clan. Now is that time. The time when you must protect the Hwangbo Clan with your life.”

With a cold smile, Hwang Wol-hyang lost the light in her eyes without being able to give any reply.

Thud.

The blood that spread from her fallen throat formed a pool and swallowed her.

“Baek To.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

At the quiet call, a warrior appeared and knelt with his head bowed.

Despite witnessing the death of a household member, no disturbance could be felt from him.

“Unsightly. Clean it up.”

“Yes.”

Baek To cleaned up the place where Hwang Wol-hyang died as if it were his calling.

“Hmm, he was fine even though she confirmed he drank the medicine? Why is that?”

Hwangbo Yun’s interest was only in that.

What went into that medicinal brew wasn’t something that could be stopped by human strength.

Snake Heat Flower.

Called ‘snake grass’, it was a spiritual herb he had discovered by chance while training at Mount Tai.

Similar in appearance to goji leaf grass.

It possessed the strange power to amplify internal energy, but had a clear drawback.

Yang energy rampage.

It was then that the Mount Tai Medical Sage appeared like fate and saved him.

He didn’t know how long he had been at Mount Tai.

His age, his name – nothing.

He said there was only one way for his dying self to live.

The Immortal’s Taoist Arts, Yin-Yang Unity.

He also had to make a choice.

To live through intercourse, the other person had to die.

Because it was intercourse conducted according to procedures thoroughly designed to steal the other’s energy, excluding pleasure.

The first one he killed was a young servant.

It was humiliating.

Because as a righteous sect member, he had harmed someone to save his own life.

And because it was no different from practicing the demonic art of energy absorption.

But then he realized.

His internal energy had greatly increased.

He had passed through the wall that had blocked him and reached a new realm.

Greed arose amid the humiliation.

Perhaps he might reach the realm of strength he had only dreamed of but never achieved.

The Hwangbo Clan would soar to even greater heights.

He compromised.

He decided to become evil for his family.

Driven by such greed, while searching Mount Tai, he met the Mount Tai Medical Sage again.

Naturally, he was refused.

But already consumed by greed and ambition, he endlessly persuaded him, and finally made a secret contract to obtain the Snake Heat Flower.

But the tail was long.

His son had discovered it.

-Isn’t this for the family? Why do you try to bear it alone? I will share the burden.

He should have refused those words, but already addicted to the Snake Heat Flower, he let even his own son enter the same path.

No matter the process, as long as the result was good.

Ten years of living with such rationalization.

The deeds committed by father and son had not been revealed to the world.

An era of warring heroes.

Justice?

When had such a thing disappeared?

Forces everywhere were busy securing their own rice bowls and didn’t care what happened in other regions.

Thus, ten years.

Hwangbo Yun had achieved the realm of strength.

His son was approaching the realm of strength.

The Hwangbo Clan had regained control of Shandong and could now aim for All Under Heaven.

‘Zhuge….’

His teeth ground together.

Those damn bastards were suddenly interfering with their plans.

Mere bookworms.

Those who should grovel under the Hwangbo Clan that would become masters of All Under Heaven!

Become the leader of the martial families?

What had he sacrificed for that position, and how dare those bastards dream such empty dreams?

So he used the Snake Heat Flower.

A spiritual herb that increases internal energy, but a terrifying aphrodisiac that would ultimately take one’s life if not following the Immortal’s Taoist Art of Yin-Yang Unity – a poisonous herb.

Because of this, the Zhuge Family would be condemned for having a descendant who violated a powerless servant girl.

No evidence would remain.

Even the Tang Family, with their deep knowledge of poisons and medicinal herbs, would find nothing if they performed an autopsy on the corpse.

He had never anticipated failure.

Rather, by now the Zhuge’s leash should have been in his hands.

And yet…

‘Why on earth didn’t it work? The Sage of Mount Tai said that Four-Heat Flower was a spiritual herb that only grew wild on Mount Tai. There’s no way that bastard could know its true nature…’

But this wasn’t the time to waste pondering.

Since things had gone wrong, he needed to cut off the tail first.

No matter how much those bastards prided themselves on being the smartest in the world, they couldn’t possibly figure out his scheme.

Zhuge Munhyeon?

That bastard might be impressive, but he was still young.

He was merely responding because he had been attacked.

He needed to hurry.

“Jwapyeong.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

“Go and cut off the head of that physician bastard named Jang Saeng. If there’s anyone who made contact with that bastard last night, cut off their heads too.”

“Understood.”

Though it was a cruel order, the warrior called Jwapyeong answered without a moment’s hesitation and disappeared.

“Jeon-ak.”

“Yes.”

“Immediately summon all warriors of the Seongmu Hall and secure Gwak Soon and his subordinate warriors who are being held at the Zhuge Family’s lodging.”

“Understood.”

Having given his orders, Hwangbo Yun quickly donned his outer garments and headed toward the lodging where the Zhuge Family was staying.

The three halls of the Hwangbo Clan moving under the Family Head’s direct authority.

It had taken ten years.

To make them like his own limbs and brainwash them to follow only his commands.

These were bastards who had never hesitated to commit injustice for his sake until now.

He had always used them.

To clean up the things he had done.

In the end, this time would be no different.

Before attention focused on the situation, he would have the Seongmu Hall warriors control the scene and use the Family Head’s authority to cover up the incident.

There might be some resistance, but if he emphasized that all authority over unseemly incidents occurring within the family belonged to them, no one would be able to object.

Meanwhile, the timing was good.

He could frame it as the independent actions of Hwang Wol-hyang and Jang Saeng, who bore grudges over the Young Family Head being injured at last night’s banquet.

The response needed to be swift, but the investigation would proceed slowly.

People’s interest was shorter than expected, so once the investigation dragged on, they would soon turn their attention elsewhere.

‘I’ll need an incident big enough to cover up this affair.’

Hwangbo Yun quickened his pace, pondering his next plan rather than the current situation.

However.

“What the hell is this?”

Arriving at the lodging where the Zhuge Family was staying, Hwangbo Yun frowned as he saw the Seongmu Hall warriors only maintaining a standoff without being able to enter.

“The Zhuge Family has set up a formation around the lodging.”

“What? A formation?”

“Yes. We cannot determine what type it is…”

“You idiotic bastards! You’re hesitating because of a mere formation? You should have forced your way in!”

“Th-that is…”

Jeon-ak, who had rushed over upon seeing Hwangbo Yun, made a troubled expression and pointed to one area of the lodging.

People gathered densely in front of the lodging’s main gate.

‘Namgung Ilhak?’

That wasn’t all.

Even the Young Masters of the Tang and Namgung Families were there.

Most importantly, those having a serious conversation with them were the Young Family Head of the Zhuge Family and Zhuge Munhyeon.

“Th-this…”

This was why Jeon-ak couldn’t force his way into their lodging.

When exactly?

The Zhuge Family’s lodging had been assigned together with the minor families.

Since it was quite far from where the major families stayed, most disturbances wouldn’t even be heard.

‘Don’t tell me these bastards summoned them directly?’

If not, the situation before his eyes couldn’t be explained.

Setting up the formation, summoning the key leaders of the attending families.

Even the fact that only the Paeng Family was conspicuously absent.

‘Too late. I’m one step too late.’

His face grew even more grim.

His plan to quickly secure those confined in the lodging and cover up the incident had failed spectacularly.

But he couldn’t just leave it alone.

Hwangbo Yun suppressed his anger and ran toward them with an expression containing slight surprise.

“My, you’ve all gathered already?”

“…?”

Everyone turned their heads at his voice.

“I just received a report and came running myself.”

“Please come over, Family Head.”

Namgung Ilhak offered a stiff greeting as if representing them all.

“You must have been quite shocked?”

“The Zhuge Family people were more shocked than I. To be suddenly attacked before dawn broke. And by Hwangbo Clan warriors, within the Hwangbo Clan estate at that.”

“My goodness, I can’t even lift my face.”

Hwangbo Yun looked at Zhuge Munho with a troubled expression.

“I’m sorry this happened. I never anticipated such a thing would occur.”

“…”

“It’s someone called Hwang Wol-hyang who handles the Yeonbi under the Three Halls, and since she was originally close to the Young Family Head, it seems she committed this absurd act.”

Hwangbo Yun began the conversation as he had planned beforehand.

Cutting off the tail.

Shifting the blame.

“Family Head.”

“Oh, yes. Please speak.”

“Hwang Wol-hyang, you say?”

“That’s right. She…”

“Hmm, that’s completely different from what we heard from the attackers.”

“…D-different?”

Zhuge Munho’s opening move was very sharp, and bewilderment flashed across Hwangbo Yun’s face at that unexpected strike.

This was just the beginning.

Whatever plan he had made, whatever words he had prepared.

Different, he said?

What on earth had those captured bastards said?

Such thoughts would have complicated his mind.

“We cannot speak in detail as the investigation isn’t finished yet.”

“…”

“We were planning to explain the situation and then seek out the Family Head, since people from the Tang and Namgung Families came after hearing the commotion. But since you’ve come here, we’ll speak here.”

“Ah… mm…”

Hwangbo Yun closed his mouth with a displeased expression.

‘Tsk tsk, trying to win a war of words against the Zhuge Family?’

Go ahead and make all the plans you want.

The person you’re facing today is Zhuge Munho, the Young Family Head of the smartest family clan in the Central Plains.

Go ahead and play around to your heart’s content!

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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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