Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 307

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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 307

Huashan.

A massive rocky mountain made of white granite.

At its peak, starting from the Palace Concubine’s Quarters of Yeonhwabong that directly received the energy of heaven, countless pavilions clung together in a line along the narrow path.

Their appearance, clinging on while enduring years of harsh wind and rain, looked almost tenacious.

Dochang was an old Taoist boy belonging to a pavilion located somewhere on the middle slope.

Being a Taoist boy was one of the processes that everyone who set foot in Huashan at a young age went through, but Dochang’s circumstances were a bit different from others.

A foundling, so to speak.

That’s right.

He had been abandoned in front of the mountain gate one day.

While his mother would have given birth to him, since he was abandoned wrapped in swaddling clothes as an infant, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Huashan had raised him.

But unfortunately, he lacked talent.

Taoist teachings made him drowsy with immediate effect, so he couldn’t make academic progress, and his body was so dull that he was stuck in place even with martial arts.

Though he hadn’t yet gotten his name on the Taoist registry, the young Taoist boys who used to call him “Senior Brother, Senior Brother” informally received their Taoist names one by one and donned plum blossom robes, while he remained a Taoist boy.

And so he reached eighteen.

Though he still hadn’t decided on his path forward, he had reached an age where he could no longer remain at the temple grounds.

It had been quite a while since his coming-of-age ceremony, so he had to leave tomorrow.

Clang, clang.

The bell rang.

It was the signal that the diligent Taoists within the mountain gate had finished their daily tasks.

“Phew, I can just go down and live as a shopkeeper. The Regional Lord even found me a good position.”

That’s right.

Before leaving Huashan, he had already secured a job.

The largest inn in Hwaeum County.

It was something to be grateful for.

No matter how much Hwaeum belonged to Huashan’s territory, it wouldn’t have been easy for someone with Taoist status who had left the secular world to make such a request of others.

It would be a kind of exception.

Because they pitied Dochang’s situation of being born and raised in Huashan but unable to establish himself and having to go back out into the world.

“I should work hard for as long as I’m staying. Since they’re all looking after me.”

Clenching his fist in determination, Dochang picked up a bucket of rags and headed toward the pavilion in front of him that had been emptied after the day’s work ended.

The first section of the Immortal Medicine Hall.

It was one of the places where medicinal pills were prepared according to Huashan’s alchemy.

Usually, when mixing medicinal ingredients, there was often pounding, grinding, and extracting juices, so the floor frequently became dirty and stains appeared everywhere.

Therefore, it was among the most difficult places to clean in all of Huashan’s pavilions.

Dochang intended to fulfill his last duty before leaving.

“Huh? Dochang, why are you here?”

A figure who appeared to be a senior among the patrolling Taoists recognized Dochang and approached him.

“What do you mean why?”

“You could leave cleaning the Immortal Medicine Hall to other guys… Aren’t you going down tomorrow?”

“Other guys who?”

“There are plenty of Taoist boys. It doesn’t have to be you…”

The Taoist who frowned and trailed off was Unyoo.

A second-generation disciple full of talent, and a contemporary who had endured the difficult Taoist boy life together with Dochang in childhood.

He was a good guy who looked after Dochang so he wouldn’t be looked down upon for remaining a Taoist boy even as he aged.

It was the same now.

He was asking why Dochang himself was doing the cleaning of the Immortal Medicine Hall that everyone avoided, instead of the youngest ones.

“The kids won’t listen?”

“Won’t listen? Who could withstand your nagging?”

“Nagging? I’m just saying what’s natural. No matter how generations are divided according to when one receives their Taoist name, the one who’s been at Huashan the longest is…”

“Enough, enough. You really never change.”

“That’s not it…”

When Unyoo frowned, Dochang grinned and patted his shoulder.

“Chusam. Thanks for everything.”

“…”

“If you ever have occasion to leave the mountain gate, be sure to visit the inn where I work.”

Chusam was Unyoo’s secular name.

He was saying farewell not to a Taoist but to a friend.

Since there were shift changes for the duty of patrolling pavilions, Unyoo wouldn’t be guarding the Immortal Medicine Hall indefinitely.

Also, seeing him off would be difficult.

Even though he was a senior among the patrol Taoists, he was still a second-generation disciple.

He couldn’t skip his duties to see off a friend.

Rather, he might get in trouble for not cutting ties with secular connections.

So he was saying goodbye in advance in case they couldn’t meet.

“Of course I have to go! Did you think I wouldn’t? Prepare a feast every time I visit.”

“You bastard…”

He got angry for no reason.

Unyoo probably wanted to share the sadness of parting that way.

“Still, it’s fortunate. Since you’re a second-generation disciple, you won’t be able to come often.”

“What?”

“If you came every day asking for a feast, how could a shopkeeper handle it?”

“Kuk!”

When Dochang frowned, Unyoo burst into laughter.

“Go on, the junior brothers are waiting.”

“Right. But you know you have to come up the mountain often, right? Since I can’t go, you have to come.”

“Hey, would I have time for that? If I want to establish a proper inn and become an inn owner, I have to work hard.”

“Hey, don’t do that…”

Even with the hand pushing his back, Unyoo looked back several times in his sadness.

It was the Huashan temple grounds where he had lived for eighteen years. It was home, his hometown.

Would the sadness only belong to the one leaving?

Watching Unyoo made it seem like his feet wouldn’t want to leave, so Dochang deliberately turned away from him and entered the pavilion.

As soon as he opened the door, an acrid scent stung his nose.

He didn’t dislike it.

That too was one of the fragrances that Huashan held.

Splash, splash.

Taking out a rag from the bucket of water, Dochang began wiping the floor starting from the pavilion entrance.

He worked harder than ever before.

Since today would be the last day of cleaning.

A full eighteen years.

Even counting only what he could remember sporadically, it had been thirteen years.

Each time he washed the dirty rag, wrung out the water, and wiped the floor, memories of his years at Huashan transformed into reminiscences and accumulated in his heart.

While sweat dripped onto the floor and soaked his clothes, Dochang’s face showed a strange sadness and regret.

Heaven was truly indifferent.

If only it had given him just one small talent.

Then, even if he couldn’t achieve great success like others, he wouldn’t have had to leave Huashan, his hometown.

But he didn’t harbor sadness or regret in his heart.

Because he had already received much from Huashan.

His momentarily turbulent heart gradually became clean like the wiped floorboards, and soon only gratitude remained.

Good memories and the faces of people who had helped him flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

A smile naturally formed on his lips.

Perhaps because he was intoxicated by the wine called memories, cleaning was no longer difficult.

‘Tsk, if this keeps up, I might spend all day just cleaning.’

Dochang, who momentarily found his own thoughts amusing, straightened his body to stretch his back for a moment.

But at that moment.

Krraaaaa….

A sound came from somewhere.

Feeling chills, Dochang turned his head frantically with wide eyes.

Inside the empty pavilion….

“W-wind sound perhaps?”

Sometimes that happens.

When wind escaping through a slightly open window gap sounds like a spine-chilling scream.

Dochang, swallowing his saliva, carefully examined the windows.

Had someone left a window not fully closed after opening it for ventilation?

But there were no gaps in any of them.

Goosebumps rose along his spine.

He definitely heard it….

He wanted to ignore it and pretend he didn’t hear it, but once a person becomes fixated on something, it doesn’t go as one wishes.

Dochang perked up his ears as if trying to identify the strange sound he heard, rolling his eyes to examine the interior of the pavilion.

That’s when it happened.

Save me. I want to live. Hey, you bastards! Krraaaak, it’s hot! Please, please save me.

Voices mixed together to the point of being difficult to distinguish pierced Dochang’s ears.

He tried covering his ears in surprise, but it was useless.

The voices were becoming clearer and clearer, as if speaking right next to him.

He wanted to run out of the pavilion, but his feet wouldn’t move. They wouldn’t budge like roots deeply embedded in the ground.

Dochang trembled in fear, exposed to countless voices and agonizing screams.

Please take me out. Then I won’t torment you. Please.

Dochang stood up as if entranced.

His bulging eyes had already become bloodshot, turning red like a rabbit’s.

Only one thought filled his mind.

Taking them out.

Liberating the owners of those voices.

And thereby being freed from those spine-chilling sounds.

Step.

As soon as he made up his mind, his feet came unstuck.

His steps gradually quickened.

Crash….

Objects on the table he bumped into spilled and furnishings broke, but Dochang didn’t care.

And soon he arrived in front of a small storage box.

He didn’t know where it was.

No, he didn’t need to know.

The sounds were flowing out from inside that storage box.

Click.

Whether it hadn’t been locked, the lid opened easily.

“Ah….”

Discovering an object emitting brilliant light inside the box, Dochang let out an exclamation.

It was a small orb.

As if the voices that had tormented him until now were hallucinations, it tempted him while scattering beautiful light.

Take me….

It seemed to say it would fill whatever was lacking, whether it was talent he couldn’t possess or anything else.

Grab.

There was no hesitation.

His hand, tainted with greed, grasped the orb and shoved it into his gaping mouth.

Like what are called spirit pills, the orb melted before he could even chew it and flowed down his throat.

The liquid that entered his stomach in one gulp soon began emitting strange heat.

“Uuuuu….”

It felt like burning in fire.

Since it was painful as if branding iron was searing not his skin but inside his flesh, Dochang collapsed with a thud and had to writhe his entire body.

Countless voices echoed in his head.

At some moment while he was writhing his entire body to the point where one might wonder if his joints would remain intact, Dochang’s movements stopped as if it were a lie.

“…Save me. Please take me out.”

For a moment, the exact same words that had been echoing in his head flowed from Dochang’s mouth.

Blink.

In his eyes that closed and opened, only the whites remained.

He kept blinking and made an expression of wonder as if seeing the world for the first time.

And he slowly stood up.

His arms hung limply and his back was hunched.

The moment he tilted his head and grinned with a torn smile, he began to see the world beyond the walls.

Other pavilions.

And the beating heart of a person passing by.

“Krrrrr.”

Saliva dripped from his mouth that made grotesque sounds.

* * *

“So you’re saying immortals really exist? In this world too? Living together with us?”

“Yes.”

“….”

They were on their way to Huashan to bid farewell.

At Mujin’s calm answer, Jin Yalim could only make an expression of disbelief.

Immortals, yokai, ghosts.

What kind of nonsense was this?

“You saw it yourself. Him flying around.”

“Hmm….”

Mujin pointed with his finger at Sword Ancestor walking ahead with Zhuge Munhyeon.

It was absurd but he couldn’t help but believe it.

When he saw him not only shooting up from the cliff but also floating around, his heart nearly jumped out.

“Fine, I get it. Let’s say they exist.”

“It’s not ‘let’s say’ – they really exist. There are fish immortals and tiger immortals too. I saw them myself.”

“I said I got it, let’s say that’s true.”

“…?”

“Then what is that human?”

Jin Yalim pointed at Zhuge Munhyeon and asked in the smallest voice possible.

“I’d say he’s about a Half-Immortal.”

“Half-Immortal?”

“Yes. He’s cultivating for Ascension to Immortality. He handles Spirit Energy instead of Internal Energy too. From what I heard, Confucius also possessed Spirit Energy?”

It still didn’t make sense.

Spirit Energy and whatnot….

But he felt like he understood one thing.

‘As expected, that bastard wasn’t human. No wonder he was so strong. That’s why I lost, that’s why.’

It was fortunate.

Thinking that he had been defeated by some non-human being made his pride feel somewhat restored?

But that’s when it happened.

But that was when it happened.

Kwaaaaang!

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from Mount Hua.

“What!”

“Wh-what is that?”

Sword Ancestor and Zhuge Munhyeon, who had simultaneously raised their heads, looked at each other as if startled by something.

It wasn’t because of the explosion.

Something that might perhaps be the cause of the explosion.

With uneasy expressions, they ran toward Mount Hua without hesitation, as if they had made a promise.

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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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