Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 309

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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 309

He was still uncertain.

No, looking at the fellow who had transformed like a beast, it felt like it might be something entirely different.

But somewhere in between.

The same energy he had felt from the elixir obtained after destroying the Blood Sect’s stronghold flowed through.

If that was the case, it meant he had taken it…

‘Damn, whatever the Blood Sect had couldn’t have been ordinary. I should have been more careful.’

Surely that elixir must have been imbued with the Blood Sect’s wicked sorcery.

No matter how deep Huashan’s knowledge of alchemy, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t fall victim to the Blood Sect’s dark arts.

The one examining that item might not necessarily be a Taoist well-versed in the Way with excellent alchemical skills.

‘Still, how could they carelessly let such a young fellow take it?’

Zhuge Munhyeon blamed not only himself but also Huashan’s negligence as he looked at Hyeonmun.

Judging by his robes, he was the highest-ranking person here.

He didn’t know his Taoist name, but he was probably a first disciple like Hyeonmuk, whom he was acquainted with.

“You there, Taoist.”

“I am Hyeonmun, Zhuge Gongja.”

“Ah…”

Hyeonmuk, Hyeonmun.

These Taoist fellows really do give simple names.

Their consistency is remarkable.

“Let’s dispel the formation and retreat to treat the wounded first. The injuries look worse than expected.”

“Ah, that, yes?”

Hyeonmun couldn’t quite understand the current situation.

The one speaking to him was definitely the distinguished guest staying at Huashan, Violent Dragon Zhuge Munhyeon.

He was someone to whom the Sect Leader had shown the exceptional gesture of providing a retreat, despite being an outsider.

But why was he…?

And who was that old man who hardly looked human?

From their conversation, they seemed to know each other…

“Hyeonmun Taoist, even in the moments you hesitate, your fellow disciples could die. Leave That Fellow to me and retreat for now.”

“That’s…”

“Hurry.”

“But the Sect Leader and Elders will arrive soon…”

“Is that so? Then shall we just let however many die?”

At the words that sounded coldly indifferent, Hyeonmun’s brow furrowed.

Though he was a distinguished guest, he was still an outsider.

He couldn’t entrust the suppression of his fellow disciple Dochang to him.

But even now, his fierce aura was growing stronger, and Dochang, who had hesitated at the appearance of the old man and Zhuge Munhyeon, was continuing his attacks on the disciples forming the Ten Thousand Flowers Heavenly Sword Formation.

“…I’ll entrust it to you.”

“You should have done that from the start. Just needlessly increasing casualties.”

As Zhuge Munhyeon grumbled and approached Dochang with the Silver Cold Staff, Hyeonmun shouted to his disciples.

“Huashan, dispel the formation and retreat!”

“Yes!”

Dispelling the formation while Dochang wasn’t suppressed was somewhat puzzling, but the Taoists who received the order retreated without complaint, creating distance.

Though they maintained their guard, the formation’s aura that had been constantly suppressing Dochang disappeared.

But at the same time, Dochang’s movements, which seemed like he would pursue and attack, were different from expectations.

The one who had feared neither swords piercing his body nor the pain of being cut somehow hesitated and stepped backward.

Like a frightened beast would.

“Hmm, doesn’t seem like he’s in a state for conversation.”

Grrrrr.

As he muttered to himself and took another step forward, the startled Dochang bared his sharply elongated teeth and growled.

If he had fur, he might have bristled it.

He was probably afraid after sensing his spiritual power.

“But… where do you get off baring your teeth?”

Whoosh!

But the Silver Cold Staff futilely cut through empty air.

His movements were quite good.

But avoiding was all he could do.

The Silver Cold Staff that had cut through the air traced a clever curve and returned to strike Dochang’s head.

Thwack!

After staggering briefly from the dull impact, Dochang counterattacked with fierce momentum.

Crack!

He merely clawed vertically with his fingers raised, but the energy contained within tore the ground.

“…”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had retreated slightly to avoid the attack, grimaced.

His fluttering front lapel.

He hadn’t completely avoided the attack.

Was it because of that?

Dochang’s eyes flashed with murderous intent, thinking his attack had worked.

“Hmm…”

What a strange fellow.

The color of the energy seen through his spiritual sight had grown darker than before. Also, the flow within his body had become more vigorous.

‘His energy increased?’

It didn’t seem like he had been hiding it.

But what was strange was the fellow’s condition.

Blood-red vapor was rising from his body like a mirage.

“It’s blood steaming.”

“What?”

“Because he took power his abilities cannot accept, the blood in his body is burning.”

“Then?”

“When his life force is exhausted, he’ll scatter.”

“Scatter?”

“It’s the price for coveting power he cannot possess. Looking at his condition, he won’t last much longer.”

At the Sword Ancestor’s explanation as he approached, Zhuge Munhyeon’s heart grew urgent.

He’s going to die?

That won’t do.

There are mountains of things to ask him.

“I can’t go easy on him.”

“What are you planning?”

“What do you think? I have to subdue him.”

“What?”

“There’s only one medicine that works on beasts that won’t listen. Ptui!”

Zhuge Munhyeon spat into his palm, rubbed it, and gripped the Silver Cold Staff tightly.

He couldn’t communicate with words anyway.

Then naturally, he had to start with a beating.

“Hmph! He’s already lost his reason. Do you think you can make him come to his senses with a beating?”

“That’s something I’ll know after trying!”

Zhuge Munhyeon grinned and his form quickly approached Dochang.

The Sword Ancestor could only be dumbfounded.

He was already a ghost, possessed by a vengeful spirit.

A beating…

Thwack!

“Huh?”

But the moment Zhuge Munhyeon’s beating began, Sword Ancestor could only stare with wide eyes.

The momentum was changing.

Each time the iron club filled with bright light struck Dochang’s body, the demonic energy that had been overlaying his body began to disappear one by one.

The power that had been exponentially increasing while consuming his life force also gradually diminished.

“Wh-what is that?”

Even he, who had entered the path of immortals, found this phenomenon difficult to explain.

He had never seen anything like this before.

It wasn’t using immortal arts to suppress ghosts, but only through beating was he annihilating the demonic energy that had become one with the body?

What exactly was that bastard who was accomplishing what even Taeul Dongju would find impossible? And that weapon emitting light…

Thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!

Even during this, the possessed beating did not stop.

Kraaaah!

Dochang screamed and tried to counterattack, but he couldn’t avoid Zhuge Munhyeon’s club strikes.

Watching Dochang repeatedly get hit and thrown down, becoming covered in dirt, even the observers unconsciously tensed up and gulped.

Dochang, who had lost his reason and become a beast.

He who had been strong enough to make the Ten Thousand Flower Heaven Sword Formation seem useless was being beaten defenseless.

It was pitiful enough to feel sorry for him.

‘Did Zhuge… have such club techniques?’

‘So that’s why he’s called Violent Dragon.’

The Taoists, intimidated by the truly terrifying power of the club strikes, showed the strange phenomenon of flinching every time they heard the impact sounds.

And shortly after, Sect Leader Ok Hwan, who had rushed over with the elders, could only be bewildered.

Someone in Huashan robes was being beaten by Zhuge Munhyeon, and everyone was blankly watching the scene.

He had heard that Taoist Dochang, who was scheduled to leave the temple grounds the next day to return to the secular world, had fallen into the demonic realm for no reason…

“What is this about? Why is Zhuge Gongja…”

“Well…”

At Ok Hwan’s question, Hyeonmun explained the preceding events in detail with a troubled expression.

In other words, he was suppressing him.

…That?

It just looks like he’s beating him up though?

“And that old man…”

Hyeonmun pointed to the old man watching Zhuge Munhyeon’s beating from the side.

“He flew through the sky?”

“Yes.”

“He created a sword from light?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

Ok Hwan silently stared at Hyeonmun.

Has this guy gone crazy…

Unable to voice those words, Ok Hwan could only quietly chant a Buddhist prayer.

“Amitabha…”

* * *

The situation only came to an end after Dochang lost consciousness.

“Huff, huff, the bastard was disgustingly tough.”

Zhuge Munhyeon, out of breath from the beating, wiped the sweat from his chin and looked at Sword Ancestor.

“How does it look?”

“What do you mean?”

“This guy, does he seem to have returned to normal?”

“Can’t you see it too? It’s a strange matter that I don’t understand either, but all the demonic energy that was devouring his soul has disappeared.”

“I can see that too. I beat him until it completely disappeared. Thanks to that, this guy seems to have lost consciousness too.”

The original Dochang would have lost his mind the moment he was captured by the demonic energy.

What moved his body during that time was probably another soul.

Zhuge Munhyeon had beaten continuously to shake off every single one of them.

But he couldn’t tell if he was in a complete state.

There was still power remaining.

It wasn’t demonic energy though…

“Are you asking whether he can regain his senses?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know either. Even if it’s demonic energy, it’s a force that has crossed the boundary of humanity. Since it flowed through his body, I can’t guarantee his mind will be intact even if he awakens.”

“Damn, that’s troublesome.”

“What’s the reason? It would have been clean if you had just annihilated him. Don’t you have that capability?”

“Well… as I said before, it seems like it’s because of me somehow.”

“Right. You certainly said that. What exactly does that mean?”

“Actually, I made a request to Huashan.”

“A request?”

“Well, let’s talk about that part again later. There are things I want to ask you about, and it seems like there are plenty of people waiting to have a conversation with me.”

“Hmm…”

Sword Ancestor glanced around.

As he said, everyone was looking at Zhuge Munhyeon from a distance.

Zhuge Munhyeon turned and approached Ok Hwan.

“Sect Leader.”

“Zhuge Gongja, could you explain what happened? For some reason, you seem to know a bit more about this matter than we do.”

“Not everything, but I seem to know a little more than Huashan.”

“Tell me.”

“First, I need to ask if the elixir I requested you to investigate was indeed inside that collapsed building.”

“An elixir…”

When Ok Hwan glanced to the side, an elderly female Taoist nodded with a serious expression.

It was Seon Yak Won Master Ok Jeong.

“It seems to be correct.”

“As I thought. I could feel the same energy.”

“But why is that?”

“As I mentioned, it seems this incident occurred because of taking that elixir.”

“What?”

“I’m not certain of the details. What kind of power the elixir possessed. But I suspect… it seems to be something made by refining the people the Blood Sect bastards kidnapped.”

“Wh-what? You said they refined people?”

“Yes. It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. I’ve seen something made in a similar way before.”

It was about the bamboo fruit he had obtained at Dongho Lake.

A fruit grown using a child born with spiritual roots as fertilizer.

Though he had gained power from it, it was needless to say that it was an act that would anger both heaven and humanity.

The Blood Sect had probably committed similar acts.

The cauldron that had been boiling that day was full of human traces.

“Amitabha, Amitabha. How could they commit such terrible acts? How…”

“It seems you should inform the entire Murim about this. You should immediately unite all factions and eliminate the Blood Sect as soon as possible.”

“Hmm… I understand.”

The situation was much more serious than he had thought.

It wouldn’t just be the Yu family estate in Shanxi.

Kidnappings were happening throughout the Central Plains.

If the Blood Sect hidden everywhere was refining people to make similar elixirs?

‘Damn it, tremendous chaos will break out.’

But that’s when it happened.

Sword Ancestor, who had been listening to the conversation, approached and asked.

“Did you just say it was an elixir made by refining people?”

“That’s right.”

“Who did this?”

For some reason, his expression looked much more serious than before.

“Remnants of the Blood Cult.”

“Blood Cult? You mean humans learned the Living Human Refinement Method?”

“Living Human Refinement Method?”

“It’s an evil forbidden art. But that’s something humans could never learn or master….”

Sword Ancestor’s face darkened as he trailed off, saying nothing more and only frowning.

Living Human Refinement Method….

It seemed necessary to investigate the details of this.

The fact that remnants of the Blood Cult, which he had sealed away long ago, had revealed themselves to the world, and that they knew forbidden arts serious enough to bring worry to Sword Ancestor’s face.

“Sect Leader.”

“Speak.”

“I ask that you make this matter public. And please mobilize the Murim. Also, please take strict precautions to prevent tragedies like this from happening during the process of hunting down the Blood Cult.”

“I shall do so. But what about you?”

“There’s a place I need to visit.”

“….”

“I’ll take this friend with me as well. He might know something.”

As he pointed to Dochang, Ok Hwan fell into brief contemplation.

There were many things he wanted to ask.

What exactly was that old man’s identity, what was their relationship, and what kind of secrets was Zhuge Munhyeon hiding.

But Ok Hwan chose only one thing among them all.

“That child… can you save him?”

“I’ll try my best for now.”

“Thank you.”

Even though it wasn’t a definitive answer, Ok Hwan expressed his gratitude with sincere emotion.

Thus, another reason to meet Taeul Dongju was added.

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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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