Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 96

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

 

 

Chapter 96

 

 

The gazes of those inside focused on Zhuge Munhyeon, who was asking with a sly smile.

The people inside were surprised, but the most shocked was Mujin who was beside him.

He thought that if it was a Zhuge, they would approach more strategically or resolve things through dialogue, but to suddenly enter inside, slam a shopkeeper who was clearly a Black Cat Sect member to the ground, and gather people’s attention.

Wasn’t this no different from barging in asking for a fight?

“Mu, Munhyeon Young Master.”

“Let go.”

“But this kind of approach could cause problems…”

Setting aside that this was demonic sect territory, to suddenly attack after visiting another sect.

So Mujin tried to stop him, but Zhuge Mujin shook off the hand grabbing his sleeve.

“Problems? Who even knows us?”

“…”

“We even changed our clothes.”

“Th, that’s true, but.”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. More importantly, we don’t have time to weigh this and that right now. We need to locate the water prison as quickly as possible.”

“Ah…”

Mujin couldn’t grab his sleeve again.

It was righteous action.

Even at this very moment, he was worrying about the people captured in the water prison.

‘Such a fool… what was I even worrying about? Mujin, Mujin. You still have a long way to go. How could you fail to understand Young Master Munhyeon’s great intentions…’

Mujin, reminded that saving the common people was more urgent than friction between factions, gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve.

Meanwhile, the Black Cat Sect members inside the giru approached with fire blazing in their eyes.

“These kids! Where do they think this is!”

He who approached boldly with raised eyes did a backward aerial somersault in place from one short and concise punch.

Then he slammed his face straight into the floor.

Thwaaack!

Though he already seemed to have lost consciousness, Zhuge Munhyeon drew the Eunhangon he had tucked at his waist and struck his back.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three times in succession.

At that level, his spine couldn’t possibly be intact.

Even Mujin beside him frowned and looked disgusted, so how much more so for those watching?

But Zhuge Munhyeon, who calmly looked at those who had stopped in fear, asked again.

“Now, anyone want to speak up?”

“…”

“No one?”

Chilling eyes.

His expression, grinning with both corners of his mouth stretched wide, was even eerie.

But the most important thing to martial artists was pride, and they were bound to think that no matter how strong the opponent, they could win if they banded together.

“This bastard! What are you doing, attack!”

One man’s shout.

And simultaneously, Black Cat Sect members drawing their respective weapons and charging forward.

Since their numbers weren’t small, Mujin also immediately drew his sword to help.

But.

“Hehehe, they’re distinguishing themselves so helpfully?”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who laughed so sinisterly that it made one’s body shudder, stepped forward without giving Mujin a chance to move.

Only then did Mujin realize.

“Ah!”

The people inside the giru were clearly distinguished.

Guests and Black Cat Sect members.

And among those Black Cat Sect members, which one held the highest position.

Zhuge Munhyeon, who advanced like sliding in an instant, penetrated between the charging Black Cat Sect members, and each time the Eunhangon was swung, those who were clustered together shattered completely.

Craaack!

Either slammed down breaking the floor, or flying to the wall and collapsing with bodies folded in half.

His unhesitating actions seemed even cruel, but Mujin couldn’t help but admire.

‘Concise. Not a single unnecessary movement.’

He had fought with him before, but couldn’t remember since he was out of his mind, intoxicated by demonic energy.

But now.

His movements beating up the attacking Black Cat Sect members were truly at an amazing level.

There’s a saying that you see as much as you know.

To someone else, it might just look like crude iron club swinging, but to Mujin’s eyes, he could see the mysterious trajectory contained in those movements.

Exactly the necessary movements, and the concentration of force occurring at the striking points.

He had never seen such things even among Wudang Sect’s first disciples. If he had to compare, it was at a level only achievable by a few of the elders.

And.

“R, run away!”

Only after more than ten had fallen did they think something was wrong, as several got scared and tried to flee.

But they were already inside the whirlwind.

The trajectory of the Eunhangon drew them in and soon swallowed them.

It was like a fierce dragon trapped in a small space, bursting with rage.

‘That’s why… he’s called Violent Dragon.’

Mujin, realizing there was no need for him to help, quietly sheathed his sword.

Meanwhile.

“Eek! D, don’t come. Don’t come!”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had turned the Black Cat Sect members inside the giru into bloody pulp, approached one person.

The one who had given orders, revealing himself to have the highest position.

“So I told you, where’s the branch manager? You seem like you’d know?”

“Th, that’s…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to speak right away. I’m surprisingly talented at making people talk. Let’s start by breaking finger joints first.”

At Zhuge Munhyeon’s threat, cracking his spread fingers with popping sounds, the face of the man who had collapsed and was struggling turned deathly pale.

What the hell was this guy?

Though it was the outskirts, this was Black River Gate’s territory.

Yet knowing it was a Black Cat Sect branch office, he boldly barged in and created this chaos.

Looking at his words and actions, he was definitely from a demonic sect, but why would a demonic sect target another demonic sect… Ah! Was it possible because they were demonic sects?

“Which hand do you eat with?”

“Pardon?”

“You need to eat to live.”

When Zhuge Munhyeon, who had approached and crouched down, asked kindly, the man shouted before his fingers could even be grabbed.

“B, back garden! He’s in the back garden.”

“Back garden?”

“That’s right. We’re in the middle of educating the guys who caused a rebellion.”

“Rebellion?”

“Yes!”

The man, who nodded so vigorously one might worry his neck would break, spilled out things he wasn’t even asked about.

Where he sat was soaked with moisture.

Well, it was understandable to be scared.

“They’re followers of the former branch manager who secretly gathered forces and staged a rebellion. Since we caught a few of them, the branch manager is interrogating, no, questioning them.”

“Hmm, I see. You should have said so earlier. You held out for nothing and now the giru is destroyed, people are hurt too. Don’t you think?”

“Of course! Of course! You speak wisely. We failed to recognize your noble status…”

“But it’s too late.”

“What? What do you meaaaaaaahhhhh!”

Zhuge Munhyeon smiled coldly, interlocked his fingers with the man’s, and snapped them.

“You bastard…”

Crack!

The curse born from resentment that he screamed out in pain was blocked by a fist.

As the man collapsed, Zhuge Munhyeon wiped the blood from his knuckles, stood up, and said to Mujin.

“See, that was quick?”

“Indeed it was.”

“Let’s go, he’s in the back garden.”

“…Yes.”

How can he create such chaos and smile so brightly…

What a strange man.

When fighting, he’s more vicious than a demon, yet his face is full of smiles… If good and evil could coexist, it would probably look exactly like that.

“By the way, that was impressive.”

“What was? You can do this much too.”

“That’s true, but I was amazed watching you control your internal energy to exactly the right amount so as not to harm innocent people.”

“Huh?”

“Even in an angry situation, you worried about innocent people inside the giru. I can only admire that. Amitabha.”

“…”

Hmm, did I?

I just didn’t feel the need to use internal energy on such lowlifes…

Since he’s so impressed, let’s go with that.

 

* * *

 

The spacious back garden attached to the rear of Soxiang Tower.

In the courtyard surrounded by three pavilions in the shape of the character , brutal torture was in full swing.

Dozens of beggars bound with rope and kneeling, and those seated in chairs before them.

“Brand them.”

At the low voice of Branch Manager Hwa Jacho, who sat with a languid expression in the shade created by the eaves, red-hot branding irons were applied to the bodies of the men in chairs.

“Mmph…”

Though their expressions were agonized, with cloth stuffed full in their mouths, they couldn’t even scream properly and could only writhe their bodies.

Rather, the creaking sound of chairs from their struggling was much louder.

It was a measure taken because this was a giru.

There was no need to spoil the guests’ drinking mood.

“Stop!”

After a long while of branding, the iron was removed, and Hwa Jacho approached one of the branded men and asked.

“Jeokju, where is Yacho?”

“Ugh… I don’t know, you bastard.”

When the cloth in his mouth was removed, the man Jeokju refused to confess despite his pain.

“Don’t know? You bastard… You’re stubborn. But if you, Yacho’s sworn brother, don’t know, who would?”

The cloth was stuffed back into Jeokju’s mouth.

Hwa Jacho chuckled and personally picked up a branding iron glowing red-hot from the brazier.

“I’ll make you a complete eunuch.”

The moment the branding iron in his coldly smiling hand moved toward Jeokju’s groin.

“Branch Manager! Branch Manager!”

“…?”

One of his subordinates from the inner house came running breathlessly, shouting.

“What is it?”

“Enemies! Enemies have attacked the giru!”

“Enemies?”

Hwa Jacho’s face scrunched up.

Enemies all of a sudden?

Could it be that bastard Yacho trying to rescue his subordinates?

As his thoughts went in that direction, a smile appeared on Hwa Jacho’s face.

But then.

“Two young men turned the giru into a complete mess. All the sect members inside were beaten to a pulp.”

“Young men?”

“Yes!”

“What were they wearing?”

“Pardon?”

“What were they wearing? Nine Mends Hundred Patches?”

“…No, they weren’t?”

“They weren’t?”

“Yes, their clothes were decent.”

“Hmm…”

Then they probably weren’t sent by Yacho.

Those damn bastards treasure Nine Mends Hundred Patches like their lives.

Then who the hell could it be?

The signboard is clearly posted outside, yet what bold bastards would cause trouble in Black Cat Sect territory…

“Seompae.”

“Yes, Branch Manager.”

“Go take a look. See what bastards are fearlessly causing a commotion.”

“Understood.”

Seompae chuckled and swaggered toward the inner house with a few subordinates.

And then.

Smack! Crack! Crash!

The successive sounds of beating and bodies being thrown.

Just as he was tilting his head in puzzlement, some young man came dragging Seompae by the hair, looked around the back garden, and said.

“Who’s the branch manager?”

For Hwa Jacho, the Akju branch manager of Black Cat Sect, it was simply absurd.

Just two of them.

And young greenhorns at that, barging in and asking who the branch manager is?

“Well, I’ll be damned. Well, I’ll be damned. The Black Cat Sect branch isn’t some neighborhood doghouse.”

Hwa Jacho scowled and asked Zhuge Munhyeon, who was gripping the unconscious Seompae’s hair.

“What are you, you little brat? Looking at your clothes, you don’t seem to be one of Yacho’s subordinates?”

At those words, Zhuge Munhyeon immediately realized.

Though he didn’t know who Yacho was, that bastard must be the branch manager.

But seeing the situation unfolding before his eyes made him frown involuntarily.

“Tsk, no matter how much you’ve changed sides… Don’t you people have any compassion?”

“What?”

“The captured people are all wearing rags, so they seem to be from Gaebang Island… Is it right to torture former comrades like this? And that’s a branding iron. It’s made for pressing clothes, so why are you using it to brand people?”

At his accusatory words, Hwa Jacho was about to respond with a sneer.

That it wasn’t something for the likes of them to worry about.

But before he could even open his mouth, Zhuge Munhyeon waved his hand dismissively as if annoyed and spoke first.

“Well, never mind. That’s something to think about later. You’re the branch manager, right?”

“You? What kind of crazy bastard… Fine, I’m Branch Manager Hwa Jacho.”

“So it really is you? I had a feeling it might be.”

“What?”

“I have some things I want to ask you from now on, but you’re not going to answer just because I ask, right?”

“This crazy bastard!”

“I figured you’d react like that. Then for now… let’s fight. I don’t have time to explain everything step by step.”

“What do you mean… ugh!”

The moment he saw that bright, innocent smile, Hwa Jacho found himself looking into Zhuge Munhyeon’s eyes as he approached right in front of his nose.

And then the fist that flew right after!

Thwaaack!

Hwa Jacho’s body, struck squarely in the face, swayed greatly before tumbling to the ground.

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