Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 222

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 222. The Attitude Toward the Divine (2)
A soft, sinister whisper.
The cool breeze brushed through the grass blades with a sound like a thin blade scraping across skin.
So Gwang recognized that sound, that sensation.
Before pain could even register, my very existence felt as though it were being shaved away by a plane, until nothing remained.
“You’ve detected my presence?”
“The way you speak suggests you’re exactly who I thought you were.”
“….”
“You were watching from a distance beyond my Qi’s reach… It doesn’t seem you’ve learned Evil Arts, nor does it appear you’ve stationed your people throughout the Marketplace to monitor every movement.”
In that instant, Moyong Bi’s eyes gleamed with light.
“Your realm is certainly formidable. But even the Masters of the Sichuan Tang Family, renowned for their mastery of hidden techniques, don’t possess eyesight quite that exceptional. In truth, their strength lies more in dynamic vision than simple sight.”
“….”
“I’ve heard tales of a race whose five senses—some or all—are developed far beyond what ordinary people possess.”
“…!”
“Are you one of them?”
So Gwang made no effort to mask his expression.
“Regardless of what I am, it has nothing to do with you….”
“What’s your name?”
He cut off the words bluntly and relaxed his posture entirely.
From a stance that suggested imminent combat, he shifted to a casual lean on one leg, stretching his arms languidly—like watching an old man who had come to exercise on the Back Mountain.
“You already know my name, don’t you? What’s yours?”
“…I won’t reveal it.”
“Not the most pleasant conversationalist, are you?”
“Rather, let me explain why I summoned you.”
“Sacred Blood Palace, isn’t it? You’re not with them?”
“…?!”
He didn’t bother answering his own question.
He simply asked whatever came to mind, one question after another. It was an infuriating way to converse, yet each question he posed was too significant to dismiss lightly.
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to be with Sacred Blood. Yet you’re not mere rabble either… If I ask whether you’re unconnected to Sacred Blood, that doesn’t seem right either.”
Moyong Bi simply dropped himself to the ground right there.
He had rendered himself defenseless before someone who might well be an enemy. And precisely because of this, his actions exerted a peculiar pressure upon So Gwang.
With his elbows on his knees and his chin resting in his palms, Moyong Bi fixed his gaze upon So Gwang.
“The Hong Clan Sword Family massacre—that was you?”
“…Must I answer?”
“The Jegal Clan incident was also your doing. And the destruction of the four sects—north, south, east, and west—centered on Wuhan, that was you as well.”
“…?!”
“Crude demons couldn’t manage such work. It’s organized, swift, and covert. Far more troublesome than most secret factions.”
So Gwang’s eyelids trembled slightly.
Cold sweat beaded along his spine. He had summoned this man to assess him, yet instead everything was being exposed.
How had this infuriating man, who spoke only what he wished upon first sight, come by such information?
“What makes you so certain we are not the Sacred Blood?”
“I just became certain.”
“What?”
“If you were truly the Sacred Blood, there would be no need to ask such a question. I suspected as much from the beginning, but hearing your words now has confirmed it beyond doubt.”
The corners of Moyong Bi’s mouth lifted.
His face, propped up by his hand and tilted slightly, made the world seem to tilt in So Gwang’s eyes.
“Do you desire to possess this world?”
“….”
“That’s not it, is it? If you truly intended to devour the world, you wouldn’t move in such a manner. Just as the Sacred Blood Palace once did, you would advertise yourselves as ‘We are the Demon People!’ without hesitation. It’s faster and more convenient that way.”
“Now listen here.”
“Is it merely to sow chaos? Yet it’s far too organized for that. You’ve displayed patterns no other organization has ever shown. There is nothing ordinary about you.”
The smile faded from Moyong Bi’s expression, leaving it cold and composed.
“You harbor a purpose unknown to anyone. You yearn for something with fierce intensity.”
“….”
“You won’t answer even if I ask, will you?”
Cold sweat now beaded on So Gwang’s forehead as well.
He had summoned the other party to gauge them when he held all the cards, yet somehow the other was controlling this entire game.
It was difficult even to interrupt mid-conversation. Once you began listening, you couldn’t help but wonder how much they already knew.
They gave no opportunity to speak, created no opening to cut them off.
Whenever they wished, they could seize control of any situation. It was a captivating eloquence built not through nature, but through experience.
Moyong Bi removed his hand from his chin and crossed his arms.
A natural shift in posture. Yet even that alone changed the very density of the air itself.
“You won’t answer anyway, but I at least wanted to see your reaction. While not entirely satisfying, several questions have been resolved. There’s nothing more to say.”
“….”
“So then, why did you summon me?”
So Gwang could not easily open his mouth.
He had intended to burden the other like a criminal dragged before countless judges, yet instead there hung an uncanny sense that any careless question would expose only his own secrets.
“Extraordinary.”
A dry swallow came unbidden.
“Before martial arts, this kind of magnanimity and ability to command the atmosphere—these aren’t things anyone can possess. It’s not innate. This man has clearly faced countless situations like this.”
Which made it all the more absurd.
The other was merely a young man of twenty-three. Someone who had existed in this world for only two decades, an age at which one could hardly speak of ‘experience’ in the realm of true masters.
Yet here he was, thoroughly manipulated by someone who had crossed countless deathtraps throughout his entire life.
Not through martial arts, but through eyes, voice, and words alone.
“If you have nothing to say, shall I simply return to my own affairs?”
“Who are you?”
“What?”
“What exactly is your identity?”
Moyong Bi let out a soft laugh.
“Didn’t you call me knowing my name? Don’t you already know which family I come from?”
“The Eldest Son of the Moyong Family—I understand you’re a hidden dragon who concealed monstrous talent and played the troublemaker for all these years.”
“An itchy description.”
“But you’re not simply exceptional in Martial Talent. I’ve never seen someone like you before.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“Are you truly Moyong Bi?”
“Why ask such a question?”
“Because you’re that remarkable.”
Moyong Bi shook his head.
“You interpreted my words only as they sounded.”
“…?”
“Let me ask again. How could you ask such a question?”
“…What?”
“Regardless of what appearance I present, I am merely a young man who has lived only twenty years. Yet you speak as though, depending on circumstances, anyone could possess this youthful body.”
“…?!”
“If you suspected soul transference, you should ask directly about soul transference. But you cannot suspect soul transference itself either—because I have shown a certain appearance in this marketplace.”
Moyong Bi rose slowly from his seat.
“Is there truly a method to seize a young body?”
So Gwang’s complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.
The more he spoke, the more he lost ground. And he always realized only after reacting that his response was making the other person certain of something.
It was too sharp an intuition to call it merely a rhetorical trap he fell into knowingly.
Of course, such a conversation was only possible because they already possessed foundational knowledge about them.
“In the past, the Demonic Path and Unorthodox Faction conducted all manner of experiments with dark arts and Evil Arts to manipulate the human soul. I’ve heard they revived dead souls and even researched the technique of transferring souls into different bodies.”
“….”
“Are you researching something related to souls?”
So Gwang, who had been gazing at Moyong Bi as if entranced, suddenly widened his eyes.
The opponent’s gaze, brimming with certainty, showed not the slightest wavering.
There was no trace of tension—only a ruthless narrowness of mind that accepted as truth whatever his eyes perceived and comprehended.
‘No, that’s not narrowness.’
Just as Moyong Bi had relentlessly cornered So Gwang and discerned his intentions.
So Gwang too had finally understood.
“You already know much about us, don’t you?”
Remarkably, Moyong Bi did not deny it.
Instead, he even wore an awkward expression.
“Does it show?”
“…!”
“Most fall for it and stumble, but you managed to reflect on yourself. Truly, you’ve lived a life befitting your Martial Arts.”
In this case, affirmation was far more terrifying than denial.
An attitude that suggested no problem, regardless of how the conversation unfolded or how circumstances developed.
‘He’s strong.’
So Gwang bit his lip.
Even one unmoved by the terror of life and death could not help but feel the sting of defeat against such overwhelming prowess.
‘A formidable man. I have never encountered his equal save for my Master. Even the other Apostles did not reach such heights.’
Free from all constraints, certain in all things.
A strength that rendered mere Martial Arts insignificant. The raw power of a human being forged by terrifying talent and experience beyond imagination dwelt within him.
“You came to this place having already deduced much of our nature. That means the man who climbed the hill with you also knows us well.”
“Interesting.”
“Without considerable confidence, one would not come alone. You have steeled yourself to kill us all if things go awry.”
“Well done. Continue.”
“Confidence aside, a man of your caliber would never overlook a feint. It seems the Moyong Family harbors many Masters we know nothing of.”
Moyong Bi offered his honest admiration.
“A clever mind, this one. Why not pursue strategy instead?”
“Forgive me, but I have no interest in the Moyong Family without you.”
“Your words ring true. But just because you feel that way does not mean others share your sentiment, does it?”
“…?!”
“Surely you do not claim to be the highest authority of that mysterious organization? Would someone of that stature lay out such an obvious trap and wait for me? It makes no sense.”
I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut.
So Gwang spoke in a subdued voice.
“Only now do I understand that conversation with someone as sharp and perceptive as you is more terrifying and dreadful than battle with a supreme master.”
“Sometimes the brush becomes more fearsome than the sword. And more fearsome than the brush is the tongue.”
“I sought to understand you. You were simply too exceptional to leave unexamined.”
“Leave unexamined… Those words sound as though you once kept watch over Mu Hwan, but no longer need to. Yet my existence troubled you enough that you kept me behind, is that it?”
“…!”
“Whatever scheme you plot, it seems you intend to pull another dog’s trick.”
Shhink.
Twin swords were drawn.
In that instant, Moyong Bi’s Aura transformed completely.
“Where next? Within Hubei or beyond?”
I truly did not wish to associate with this man.
So Gwang spoke coldly.
“There is nothing left to understand about you save your Military Power.”
“I asked where, you bastard.”
“I shall see the extent of that Martial prowess for which you are called the Northern Dragon.”
Whoosh!
Twenty-odd shadows burst forth from the forests on both sides.

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