Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 14

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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 14
Sa Ma-hyuk rose from his seat.
“The meeting has stretched longer than anticipated. I believe we’ve exchanged sufficient words, so I shall take my leave now.”
“Eh? You’re leaving already? We haven’t even had a meal yet, and the white liquor hasn’t been brought out. Won’t you stay a bit longer?”
He asked with a bewildered tone.
“White liquor, you say?”
Cheon So-hyun nodded.
“Ruju takes great pride in his spirits, so it must be exceptional. Since you’ve come all this way, why not wet your throat before departing? It would be absolutely magnificent.”
Sa Ma-hyuk, momentarily stiffened by the unexpected suggestion, opened his mouth once more.
“I would not wish to refuse a drink offered by the Prince, but I cannot leave my post unattended for long. I must beg your understanding.”
“Then it cannot be helped. Thank you for making time despite your busy schedule, Chief Military Commander. I look forward to our continued cooperation.”
“Yes, understood.”
Sa Ma-ryang bowed deeply at the waist.
“Safe travels, Uncle.”
“Very well. Come to the Military Council once your arrangements are complete.”
“Yes.”
Sa Ma-hyuk took his leave, his gait as solemn as when he had entered.
Yet the emotions underlying that measured stride had shifted unmistakably from before.
‘It was wise to observe him directly.’
Given how pressing matters were, he had harbored doubts about whether a personal visit was worthwhile. But now, he was certain—had he merely sat at his desk receiving reports from subordinates, he would never have believed it.
The transformation of the Third Prince, as if he were a different person entirely.
‘No, I wouldn’t have even perceived it at all.’
Creak.
As he organized his thoughts, he opened the door and stepped outside.
‘He has changed. Unmistakably changed.’
Though he had concealed it, unexpected developments had unfolded from the moment he entered the chamber.
Most disconcerting was the complete absence of murderous intent from the Third Prince. Knowing that he bore the fate of the Heavenly Slaughter Star, this was a matter that could only astound him.
Thus, throughout the conversation, he had periodically channeled his inner force to deploy his perception technique, repeatedly verifying whether the killing intent was being concealed through some extraordinary method. Yet no such signs emerged.
Moreover, when blood scent should have lingered in the Main Hall where Ruju had committed his transgression, none was detected. This naturally solidified his conviction.
‘The Heavenly Slaughter Star has vanished.’
That alone was remarkable, yet the Third Prince had further expressed opposition to the succession plan.
Had the roots of that opposition stemmed from the weakness a successor should never possess, he would certainly have been disappointed.
However, the Third Prince had articulated his position with sound reasoning to support his views and even fashioned a plausible justification for them.
Even accounting for Sa Ma-ryang’s assistance, his perspective on Shaolin Temple was entirely his own, suggesting he possessed considerable insight.
‘So that was why the Sect Master took interest.’
The Sect Master of Ten Demons must have perceived everything during their previous encounter—that the inauspicious stars had vanished from the Third Prince, leaving only the auspicious ones in their pure form.
It was a blessing for both the Sect and himself.
As he organized these thoughts.
‘…?’
Sa Ma-hyuk’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. A ferocious aura permeating the air caused his brow to furrow subtly.
Soon his gaze swept downward toward the railing. What first came into view was a group of over twenty individuals—Jeom So-i and her attendants.
“U-ugh… I-I’m terribly sorry.”
“We have committed a crime worthy of universal condemnation. Please, I beg you, forgive us.”
Prostrate on the floor with heads bowed low, they trembled in unison, their shoulders quaking as though seized by terror itself as they offered their apologies.
And among them, a Warrior held Song Eum Ru-ju precariously suspended in his iron grip.
“I-I’m sorry. Our Main Building was inadequately prepared…”
Crack! Slap! Slap!
The Warrior, gripping his collar, struck his cheek mercilessly without hesitation.
Ruju’s face swelled instantly as his head snapped to the side, blood trickling from his lips.
“If it was inadequate, you should have prepared more diligently, you pathetic fool. Did I not inform you of today’s visit?”
“…”
“I ordered you to make complete preparations. What is this mess?”
He pointed to wooden fragments scattered across the floor.
They were remnants of the shattered table from earlier. Though Jeom So-i and her attendants had hastily cleaned up, several splinters remained due to their lack of time.
“I-I have committed a capital offense. Please, show mercy…”
The man’s brow furrowed sharply.
“If you’ve committed a capital offense, you should die. What nonsense is this talk of mercy?”
Crack.
Power gradually accumulated in his right hand. A chilling murderous aura seeped from the man’s entire body as he strangled Jo Maeng-gil’s neck.
“Pathetic wretch, asking for mercy from a Demonic Path master? Do I look like a Buddhist monk to your eyes?”
“…Ugh.”
Just as Jo Maeng-gil’s consciousness began to fade under the suffocating agony of asphyxiation—
“Enough.”
A man who had been quietly observing from behind stopped him.
Reclining with his chin resting on his hand in a leisurely manner, he was a figure reminiscent of a noble heir. His imposing frame suggested formidable strength, and his refined features were striking enough to turn heads.
“Jin Gyu, what is this commotion on such a fine day? You need to first cure yourself of that hasty temperament.”
A refreshing gaze swept across his features, radiating an open and magnanimous presence.
“My apologies, Young Master.”
It was Cheon Mu-tan, the Third Prince of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“Tsk.”
Jin Gyu cast Jo Maeng-gil aside. Before he could even cry out in pain, Jo Maeng-gil hastily bowed his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he rushed to speak.
“Th-thank you, Third Prince. I am grateful for your boundless mercy…”
“Mercy?”
As Cheon Mu-tan waved his hand, a sharp and ominous aura emanated around him.
“You actually mistook this for mercy?”
Exposed to a sinister energy unlike anything he had ever felt before, Jo Maeng-gil’s breath grew shallow and trembling, as though it might cease at any moment.
“Ugh… cough!”
“Abandon such foolish misunderstandings. It is not because your death alone would resolve this matter.”
“…!”
At Cheon Mu-tan’s gesture, Jin Gyu seized Jo Maeng-gil by the hair and dragged him forward.
“Ruju, soon enough the others will come flooding in. Whether they’re senior family members or unnamed old-timers from the borderlands, they’ll stream into the Main Hall one after another.”
“…Yes.”
“But what happens when they learn that the price for disgracing my face amounted to nothing more than your neck?
Jo Maeng-gil’s eyes trembled as though an earthquake had shaken them.
“…!”
“Wouldn’t I become nothing but a laughingstock?”
Jo Maeng-gil’s complexion drained to ashen in an instant.
His heartbeat grew louder and louder. It was as though he were screaming beneath the shadow of death descending upon him.
“A successor of the Cheon Family reduced to a laughingstock. Here in this Main Hall. All because of you alone.”
Whoooosh—!
The aura radiating from Cheon Mu-tan grew increasingly dense.
His lips curled into a long, cruel smile. Murderous intent swirled thickly through his chilling tone.
“Such shamelessness is beyond measure. My face burns so hot I cannot bear to show it, yet how do you intend to make amends?”
Jo Maeng-gil spoke with his eyes clenched shut.
“P-please. Young Master, I beg you, spare my life. I have an elderly mother and a young daughter at home. Whatever you desire, I will….”
“Silence. Spare me such hollow nonsense. Say something worth tempting me with.”
His tone was remarkably arrogant and authoritative. Despite his youth, such bearing seemed utterly natural to him.
Jo Maeng-gil found himself on his knees, meeting Cheon Mu-tan’s gaze.
“Yes, I’ve had a splendid idea. You said you’d do anything, didn’t you? Then….”
As Cheon Mu-tan smiled with a bloodthirsty edge and lowered his head.
“That will be enough.”
A stern voice cut through the air.
Cheon Mu-tan jerked his head up irritably.
“Who in blazes——”
And his eyes widened. He had recognized the newcomer’s identity at a glance.
“The Chief Military Commander?”
Sa Ma-hyuk, the Chief Military Commander, descended the stairs with a hardened expression.
‘Why is the Chief Military Commander here?’
Cheon Mu-tan stared at him intently, concealing his shock.
Why had the Chief Military Commander suddenly appeared? Was there business with the family or with himself?
These questions naturally arose since he had reserved the entire Main Hall under his own authority.
‘…Of all times to cross paths.’
Cheon Mu-tan spoke with an amiable smile.
“How refreshing to encounter the Chief Military Commander in such a place. These men merely committed rudeness, and I was offering them correction. Please, harbor no misunderstanding.”
Sa Ma-hyuk looked around without responding.
‘Tsk.’
Cultists. He saw them—each with their head slightly raised, gazing pitifully. What rudeness had they committed to warrant this? What had they done that their lives could not settle the debt?
Though the Demonic Path’s martial world favored tyrannical temperament over weakness as a lord’s virtue, this current spectacle was nothing but a vulgar farce.
In that moment, the Third Prince’s words flashed through Sa Ma-hyuk’s mind.
-Protecting the cultists is only natural. There is no need to question it.
He understood the fundamental truth: without believers, the Cult itself could not exist.
‘How could they be so different?’
As Chief Military Commander, Sa Ma-hyuk was obligated to maintain strict neutrality, yet he could not suppress the doubts that suddenly bloomed in his mind.
Cheon Mu-tan approached him with an awkward smile.
“So what brings you here?”
“Perhaps we should wake the believers first?”
At the frost-laden coldness in his tone, Cheon Mu-tan’s eyebrows twitched.
‘…Believers?’
It was an utterly disagreeable response.
Not only had he deliberately referred to someone like Jeom So-i—trampled beneath his feet—as a believer, but he also spoke only his own words without any proper greeting, which irritated him greatly.
Had anyone else shown such a reaction, he would not have been satisfied even if he reduced them to pulp, but his opponent was the Chief Military Commander of the Divine Sect.
Crunch.
Cheon Mu-tan forcibly suppressed the anger that surged up in an instant. He glanced around and spoke with deliberate composure.
“It seems the teachings of the Cheon Family have grown lengthy. This should be sufficient as a warning. Rise now.”
The Jeom So-i and Suk-su who had been watching his expression quickly straightened and stood. However, Jo Maeng-gil could only rise awkwardly due to his throbbing tailbone.
‘Even gratitude would not be enough….’
Cheon Mu-tan’s irritated gaze turned toward Jo Maeng-gil.
“Ruju, are you badly hurt?”
“No, sir. I’m fine!”
“Then why are you shuffling about like that? Even if it’s merely the Main Building, shouldn’t its master move with more grace?”
“I’m s-sorry….”
“What I said before was merely jest, so there’s no need to take it to heart. Forget it all.”
Jo Maeng-gil spoke while bowing.
“Y-yes, of course. I shall carve it into my bones, and I’m grat….”
“Silence.”
Cheon Mu-tan cut off his attention from Ruju and looked toward Sa Ma-hyuk.
“Chief Military Commander, what brings you to the Main Building?”
“I had business to attend to.”
It was a response that suggested there was no need for detailed explanation. At this dismissive reaction once again, Cheon Mu-tan’s lips stiffened.
“…It must have been quite important business. To see someone so occupied visit the Main Building.”
“Yes.”
Cheon Mu-tan offered a dry laugh.
“Haha, your unexpected arrival surprised me greatly. Not only because you’re the Chief Military Commander, but I heard there would be no other guests.”
His gaze turned toward Jo Maeng-gil once more.
At the fury crystallized in Cheon Mu-tan’s pupils, the complexion of the Songeum Pavilion master grew even paler.
“I-I apologize, Young Master. I failed to notice the prior reservation. I took immediate measures to have the guest removed, but the guest’s status was also….”
Grind.
Cheon Mu-tan’s molars ground together in his mouth.
“Another reservation? Then why didn’t you give me notice beforehand? If you had, I wouldn’t have been caught off guard in such an unsightly manner….”
As his voice sank to a deeper register, the atmosphere of the Main Building grew ominous once more.
“Owner! When are you taking orders here? Did you go out to make baiju?!”
A clear, ringing voice echoed through this floor.
Cheon Mu-tan’s face froze in an instant.

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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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