Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 76

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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 76

 

 

Ok Sayeong’s eyes widened in shock.

Following him, Zhuge Munho who was beside Zhuge Munhyeon, Gwan Hwiping, and even Zhuge Junggi all had their eyes grow wide.

Suddenly? Out of nowhere?

But even under everyone’s gaze, Zhuge Munhyeon remained calm. He simply waited for an answer with even a hint of a smile.

“Pfft, puhahahaha!”

The situation was so absurd that Ok Sayeong burst into loud laughter.

“Such audacity… Fine, I’ll let the informal speech slide. It’s not a situation to argue about, and we were enemies anyway.”

“…”

“But to come under the Zhuge Family? Are you insane right now?”

“No.”

“You’re saying that seriously?”

“Yeah. You have nowhere else to turn anyway.”

“Hah…”

Ok Sayeong’s eyes turned fierce in an instant after letting out a hollow laugh.

The killing intent he emanated chilled the surrounding air, and the warriors who had stepped back all drew their swords in unison, pointing them forward.

‘This damn bastard!’

‘Ah, what do we do with this crazy fool.’

‘If Elder Brother Munho is the Young Family Head, why are you stepping forward and causing trouble!’

‘This isn’t going well…’

‘Is this persuasion! Then don’t ask me for favors!’

Gwan Hwiping, Zhuge Munho, and even Zhuge Junggi became united in heart and mind as they began cursing with their eyes.

They had ruined what could have been a successful persuasion.

Who would like this?

Coming to enemy territory and sitting face to face with the enemy commander, saying ‘Come under me.’

He should have just talked about an alliance.

But it was already spilled water.

The killing intent filling all directions was so thick it felt suffocating.

Even amid such worry and concern, Zhuge Munhyeon spoke with an expression showing not a trace of tension.

“If it’s a refusal, then I’ll just head back. I originally hate having drawn-out conversations anyway.”

“Head back… What a comfortable fellow. Do you think you can return safely after coming here and looking down on me?”

“Mm, I never looked down on you. I just came to make a proposal. Since it was rejected, I should go back. And… it seems like I’ll return safely?”

“This is really… Who do you think I am?”

“Why? What are you?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing special…”

Zhuge Munhyeon was even provoking his opponent with disrespect, fanning the flames of anger.

“Kahaha! How long has it been since I laughed like this. Fine, yes. I was momentarily tempted when I heard the Young Family Head of the Zhuge Family had come. If by chance we could communicate well, I was thinking of temporarily requesting peace and withdrawing the northern warriors.”

“…”

“But to come under the Zhuge Family. No matter how immature you are, don’t you even know where you are right now?”

Ok Sayeong’s pupils gleamed with killing intent.

Zhuge Munho and Gwan Hwiping, who were extremely tense, gripped their swords while protectively placing Zhuge Junggi in the center.

“When you came here, didn’t you think about this? What if I took you hostage and requested peace from the Zhuge Family? Or what if I ordered them to block the Namgung Family? Such thoughts.”

“Mm, that could have happened. But you can’t do it.”

“Does it look that way?”

“Yeah.”

Zhuge Munhyeon, smiling brightly, looked like a carefree child without any worries.

“Puhehe, then I’ll show you. How I’ll use you bastards!”

With those words, Ok Sayeong shot out his hand like lightning.

His straightened fingers aimed for the demon pressure point.

He was trying to subdue with a pressure point strike.

The problem with judging by appearance alone.

Young, or being young, is completely different from being weak.

“Mu, Munhyeon!”

The moment Zhuge Munho was startled and tried to step forward, Zhuge Munhyeon casually stepped back with an unconcerned expression and grabbed Ok Sayeong’s finger.

And.

Crack!

He lightly pushed and bent it.

“Urk!”

When a finger is excessively bent backward, a completely natural movement occurs where the arm bends, the body falls backward, and even the knees buckle.

But Zhuge Munhyeon wasn’t one to stop at just breaking a hand.

Grab!

As soon as Ok Sayeong fell to his knees, Zhuge Munhyeon wrapped his hand around his hair and picked up one of the broken bottle shards scattered messily on the floor.

It had broken very sharply.

No different from a well-honed sword blade.

“You didn’t expect the opposite case, did you? That I could take you hostage.”

“…!”

Ok Sayeong’s eyes widened as he suddenly found himself taken hostage.

No one could move.

Because the series of actions—breaking the finger and pointing the broken bottle shard at his throat—had happened naturally in less than a single breath.

“Now, then… you know what to do, right? Everyone drop your swords. Your Regional Lord dies.”

The warriors hesitated at the smiling threat.

At times like this.

Swish.

Blood trickled down from a scratch that appeared on his nape.

“Dr, drop them! Drop them, you bastards!”

Because it had happened so suddenly that he couldn’t understand what was going on, Ok Sayeong, who was about to have his throat cut, shouted desperately.

This was someone whose expression didn’t change at all while making threats.

He would really die.

Clatter.

Seeing Ok Sayeong screaming as if he would cough up blood, the warriors glanced at each other before putting down their swords.

Swords are important.

Unless one reaches Gang Qi and can use hands like swords, before that point, having or not having a sword can make several times the difference in skill.

Even a powerless old man becomes scary when he holds a weapon.

“Now, shall everyone step back? To the wall. I don’t really like crowded places.”

“Step back! Quickly!”

When he murmured quietly, Ok Sayeong shouted loudly on his own.

As the warriors stepped back, Zhuge Munhyeon released Ok Sayeong.

“…Huh?”

“Eh?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“No, you finally caught a hostage and you’re letting him go? Why?”

It wasn’t just Ok Sayeong who was flustered by that action.

Everyone was bewildered.

Clack, whooooom!

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had released the iron rings from his hands and feet, spoke with a slight smile.

“I can just catch them again anyway, so what’s the problem?”

“…”

Seeing his bright smile, everyone thought the same thing.

Ah, this crazy bastard…

What kind of hostage is like a fish?

No, even fish would be hard to catch again once released. Why would he let go of what he had caught!

Of course, the most surprised among them was Ok Sayeong.

Release a captured enemy commander?

Was it confidence in his skills? Or recklessness from his young age?

But those eyes… hmm.

Though he could have counterattacked immediately, Ok Sayeong, unable to resolve his doubts, spoke while maintaining his mocking expression.

“Iron rings, you say. Does removing them suddenly improve your skills?”

“They do improve. But don’t misunderstand. These serve a training purpose, but they’re also meant to seal the power I possess.”

“Seal?”

“Right, if I use everything, I end up killing without fail. But since I’m from the Zhuge Family, indiscriminate killing would be problematic.”

What absurd nonsense.

Deliberately sealing his power to avoid harming others…

But those iron rings.

Ok Sayeong glanced at the iron rings that had fallen to the ground.

Heavy enough to dig into the floor.

He couldn’t guarantee he could win.

The boy was definitely not ordinary.

And those confident eyes… he believed in his own abilities.

“Surprising. I’ve never heard of someone like you being in the Zhuge Family…”

“You’ll hear about it often in the future… ah, actually you won’t. In a little while, the Blood Shadow Pavilion will be turned into a sea of blood by the Namgung Family.”

“Hmm…”

“Still, I’ll ask just one more time. Really no second thoughts?”

“About coming under the Zhuge Family?”

“You don’t have any other alternatives anyway. You’ll be destroyed like this. Other guys might survive if they surrender, but you absolutely can’t survive. The Namgung Family won’t let you be.”

When a sect falls, its leader shares the same fate.

Perhaps even the leadership…

It was an iron rule not to leave behind future troubles.

Especially for unorthodox sect members like them, they wouldn’t show even the slightest compassion.

“It sounds like you’re saying the Zhuge Family can protect us if they step in.”

“That’s right.”

“That Zhuge Family?”

“Of course.”

“By what means?”

“If you’re curious, make the promise first. You can confirm it afterward.”

“…”

“If you come under us, I’ll guarantee your position. But it won’t be as prosperous as now, so you’ll have to be prepared. You’ll have to follow the tax rates set by the Zhuge Family, and of course only engage in legitimate business. Apart from political reasons, it’s good to maintain the appearance of having guided unorthodox sects.”

“Guided?”

“Right. We’re in a position where we have to be quite mindful of how the orthodox sects view us. For instance, the Wudang Sect, with whom we have friendly relations…”

He just casually mentioned it.

Letting him make his own judgment.

“You, you’ve established friendly relations with the Wudang Sect?”

“Ah, did I say something unnecessary? Well, it doesn’t matter. If we form an alliance, you’ll find out anyway. Otherwise, how do you think we got our hands on Dangang District? Right?”

“Hmm…”

Complex thoughts could be clearly seen passing through Ok Sayeong’s eyes.

“What if I betray you later?”

“Betrayal? Try it if you can.”

“What?”

“Then I’ll make you experience a world so terrible you’ll think it’s hell.”

“…”

“Decide quickly. There’s no time. According to the Beggar’s Sect, the Namgung Family’s momentum is quite fierce. They’re probably continuing to advance north even at this very moment.”

“The Beggar’s Sect?”

“Why?”

“The Beggar’s Sect collapsed ages ago…”

“We rebuilt it. We’ve already united everything in northern Hubei Province under our side.”

“You united the Beggar’s Sect? Then could it be?”

“That’s right. Otherwise, how could we have grasped the Namgung Family’s movements in such detail?”

“Hah…”

Ok Sayeong felt as if all the strength in his body was draining away.

No wonder the nearby beggars seemed to have disappeared in an instant…

Was the Zhuge Family behind it?

“What if I still refuse?”

“Then I’ll have to go to the Demon Shadow Tower.”

“Demon Shadow Tower?”

“Right. The Namgung Family intends to drive out all the unorthodox sects from Hubei Province, and once the Blood Shadow Pavilion falls, they’re next. The persuasion will probably be easier. They’ll have already seen the Blood Shadow Pavilion collapse. They’ll want to preserve their lives even if it means using the Zhuge Family.”

Ok Sayeong stared intently at Zhuge Munhyeon.

It was all part of the plan from the beginning.

Even so, what incredible nerve.

To come deep into enemy territory and have a conversation with him, even attempting to win him over.

“Let me ask one thing.”

“Speak.”

“What level is your martial prowess?”

“Hmm, well… enough to easily handle six warriors of your level?”

“Wh, what did you say?”

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. If you become an ally, you’ll see it firsthand.”

It must be an exaggeration.

Six of them.

But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no other option right now.

Without allying with the Zhuge Family, there was no answer anyway. The guarantee of position and power was sufficient.

Moreover, the Zhuge Family seemed to have been preparing all along.

Wudang and even the Beggar’s Sect…

It meant that destroying Honyeon Territory in Joyang County and taking Dangang District was by no means a stroke of luck.

“I see, even if the Namgung hadn’t invaded, the Zhuge intended to take Hubei.”

“It’s originally our land.”

For some reason, those words sounded natural.

His contemplation wasn’t long.

“Damn, it was checkmate after all.”

“Have you decided?”

“I’ll go under the Zhuge. After stopping the Namgung Family…”

“Good thinking. Then shall we write a temporary alliance document?”

“Temporary alliance document?”

“Of course. There needs to be something to prove it, even temporarily, so I can withdraw the warriors stationed in the north, if not the west. Same goes for the main house.”

“…Understood. I’ll do that.”

“Good. Then write the temporary alliance document and send it to the Zhuge Family at Yungzhong Mountain. This guy will explain the rest afterward.”

Zhuge Munhyeon pushed Zhuge Junggi forward with a sly grin.

“No, why me?”

“Then who else would do it?”

“What?”

“Strategy should be made by a strategist. Don’t you think? Come on, explain what we should do first.”

“…”

Earlier he told me to persuade him, but now he’s doing everything himself.

But he was already carefully examining the territory map that Blood Shadow Pavilion possessed.

“First, we need to withdraw from the Jongsang and Anryuk branch offices.”

“There’s no need to become prey, right?”

“Right. Now is the time to preserve our strength as much as possible. We can reclaim the territory later. As you said, since Blood Shadow Pavilion has joined hands with us, we have justification on our side. We can insist that Namgung Family invaded Zhuge Family’s territory.”

“Hmm… Then first we need to check with Beggar’s Sect how much Namgung Family has moved?”

“We’ll have to. We must withdraw before it’s too late… If they realize we’re fleeing, Namgung Family won’t just sit still. They’ll think that united enemies aren’t easy to crush in one blow.”

“Hmm.”

Zhuge Munhyeon nodded at Zhuge Junggi’s words and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“We need to go to the front lines. It’ll take time to gather and move the warriors, so we’ll go first to help with the withdrawal.”

At his grinning appearance, his companions felt uneasy again.

And.

“That’s a good idea. You mean to save even one more person, right? Go ahead.”

“…”

“Someone needs to stay behind to plan the detailed strategy. We also need to coordinate with the Main House.”

“It’s fine. Beggar’s Sect will come.”

“No. Even if it’s Beggar’s Sect, someone who knows strategy well…”

Thwack!

This time he struck the neck.

He was worried that hitting the head too much might make him stupid.

‘This damn… shit…’

Zhuge Junggi cursed with blurring vision and collapsed weakly.

He should have just listened.

Is it because of adolescence?

“Elder Brother Munho.”

“Yeah?”

“Carry him. And now release the iron rings. We’re going to the front lines at full power. As fast as possible.”

As Zhuge Junggi said, now that we’ve become allies, we can’t turn away from even small sacrifices.

We need to use them as precious assets for Zhuge Family that will expand into All Under Heaven in the future.

—————
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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