Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 22

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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 22
Cheon So-hyun gasped for breath, wiping the sweat that streamed down his forehead.
“Phew. This place is ridiculously vast, truly.”
Running until his soles burned, he came to a fresh realization of just how expansive the Demonic Sect’s domain truly was.
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
A mountain range composed of ten thousand peaks—or so the name suggested. While no madman had ever counted each peak individually, making the name somewhat hyperbolic, the endless expanse of the mountain range lived up to its grandiose title.
After four days of wandering through inns and crossing several ridgelines, he finally arrived at the base of a vertiginous cliff.
“…So I have to climb this now.”
The fastest route to Unam Peak was to scale the cliff face directly.
Cheon So-hyun began climbing without hesitation. Ascending, pausing, searching for footholds—he climbed for some time in an ungainly manner, like a clumsy lizard.
Craaaaaash!
A tremendous roar erupted.
“What—what is this?”
The impact shook his body as if an earthquake had struck, and the stone he gripped crumbled. Cheon So-hyun quickly regained his balance and kicked hard against the wall.
He vaulted to the midpoint in one motion, but a peculiarly thick white mist obscured everything from view.
From within it came an unfamiliar voice.
“Is that really all? Surely not? You wouldn’t have boasted so much with only this level of strength, would you?”
“Cough… Does it seem like the end? We will not forget our grudge….”
Crack!
“Aaaaagh!”
“Grudge, my ass. I’ll take on as many as you like, so take your trembling cowards and get out of here. You should preserve your worthless lives, shouldn’t you? These pathetic men came swarming like fools without a shred of shame… What’s this? There’s still one left?”
Boom!
Sensing danger, Cheon So-hyun dispersed his energy to sweep away the fog. As expected, a man wielding a broad saber came charging toward him.
“How absurd.”
Whoosh!
Even against this sudden assault, Cheon So-hyun remained composed. He deflected the incoming saber, seized the man by the collar, and hurled him over the cliff’s edge.
“Uuuugh!”
The man twisted his body with a strange cry. Embedding his saber into the wall to stop his fall, he clawed his way back up to the midpoint.
“Ha, what an embarrassment. So the most capable one was still here. Were you waiting for your chance all along?”
“Listen, I think you’re misunderstanding something….”
“Misunderstanding, my foot.”
The man wielding the saber, Kang Hyun, bellowed.
“Did you think I’d fall for that pretty-boy act? Now? It won’t work on me. Come on, you bastard!”
Cheon So-hyun regarded him quietly.
‘What is this guy?’
Whether the blood had rushed to his head or if this was simply his nature, I couldn’t tell, but one thing was certain: this was a demon beyond reason.
There was no other recourse—as one who had taken vows, I could only guide him toward enlightenment.
“Very well. I suppose I’ll have to correct your manners first.”
“Oh, such confidence! Let’s see how long that lasts!”
Kang Hyun drew another saber and struck the ground with it.
The handles of the twin blades he wielded bore long chains, their surfaces caked with dried blood.
Screech!
Kang Hyun closed the distance in an instant, unleashing a strike sharp as lightning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Cheon So-hyun sidestepped the blade with a tilt of his head while deploying his fist techniques, striking the sword, blocking the leg sweeps rising from below, and repeatedly dismantling his opponent’s formations.
The vibrations transmitted through his hands caused Cheon So-hyun’s eyes to narrow.
‘This one is no mere novice.’
He had assumed the man was an incompetent bandit, yet the techniques driven by raw power and flexibility proved surprisingly threatening. The opponent maintained the upper hand throughout, wielding a dazzling blade technique that traced clean lines and dizzied the eyes.
Appearing barely past twenty, he clearly had studied under an exceptional master or sect. In other words, this was a ruffian who had properly learned and cultivated martial arts.
“After all that training, you use it to kill innocent people through misunderstanding?”
“Blah blah blah, what nonsense are you spouting alone!”
As Kang Hyun pulled hard on the chains wound around both his arms, the twin blades flashed in a straight line.
Boom!
Cheon So-hyun drew upon his inner energy to deflect the broad blade, then grasped the chain with his other hand. His counterattack had been blocked, yet Kang Hyun did not lose his momentum.
“Got you, you bastard!”
“Huh?”
From Cheon So-hyun’s palm to his elbow, a chilling cold spread, and soon a freezing pain shot up through his grip.
‘Ice technique?’
Kang Hyun smirked.
“Hehe. How does it feel? Bone-chilling, isn’t it? You who hide on cliffs and send your subordinates to their deaths…”
“Shut up.”
Cheon So-hyun immediately gathered his inner energy into his palm.
Between his rough breaths, pure white flames bloomed. The cold vanished in an instant, and Kang Hyun’s eyes widened in shock.
“What, how?”
“Stupid expression you’re wearing.”
Thud!
Cheon So-hyun stamped his foot firmly and pulled the chain he gripped. Drawing earth energy up through his soles, he twisted his entire body through his knees, waist, and shoulders in sequence, channeling his strength.
“…!!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected force, Kang Hyun lost his footing and was dragged forward. As his body flew toward Cheon So-hyun off-balance, a fist flashed out to meet him.
Crash!
A single punch that bored through his solar plexus like a drill.
“Ugh, cough!”
Barely managing to activate his defensive technique, Kang Hyun was sent flying backward, rolling across the ground several times. Covered in dirt, he struggled to his feet.
‘…What is this man?’
Kang Hyun gripped his blade firmly, glaring at his opponent. Though they appeared to be of similar age, an oppressive force bore down on him as if facing Mount Tai itself.
No matter the angle from which he thrust, his opponent remained unmoved, deflecting or parrying with such ease that it felt like striking stone.
‘My martial arts aren’t working?’
Having always considered himself without peer among his generation, he could not help but feel bewildered. Yet instead of helplessness or despair, rage surged through Kang Hyun.
“I learned this crippled martial art because of bastards like you. Today, you’ve met your match, you dog.”
“What are you suddenly—”
“Shut your mouth and get in here!”
Kang Hyun crossed two broad swords and unleashed a wave of blade energy.
A piercing shriek tore through the air.
Meanwhile.
“Deputy Chief, it seems that demon is about to lose.”
“Indeed.”
The Ja Gwi Moon disciples, feigning unconsciousness as they lay sprawled on the ground, whispered among themselves.
“What should we do? Should we escape while his attention is divided?”
“No. We wait.”
“Wait, sir?”
Geum So, the Deputy Chief, smiled with cunning intent.
“Look carefully. That demon seems to have mastered the Icy Palm technique.”
During the fight, they hadn’t noticed this fact because he’d only wielded the broad swords.
“It does seem that way, but is that truly important?”
“You fool. To overlook treasure right before your eyes.”
“Treasure, sir?”
“Yes. I once heard from Moon Ju that a man who masters the Icy Palm is himself worth as much as gold and jewels.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Geum So’s gaze shifted toward Cheon So-hyun.
“And that one who appeared so suddenly—I don’t know where he came from, but look at his appearance. Whether man or woman, there will be demand from those swine who lust after beauty.”
“Hmm, honestly, he looks more skilled than us. Will it be possible to capture him?”
“Absolutely possible.”
“Sir?”
“You brought the feather needles, didn’t you?”
The Subordinate answered, startled.
“D-Deputy Chief, I did bring them as you ordered, but will you truly use them? If Moon Ju were to find out….”
“Silence. Didn’t he say we should spare no means to earn great wealth? If you’re so worried, shall I embed one in your forehead first?”
“…My apologies.”
Geum So opened the wooden box the Subordinate handed him.
A soft click echoed.
Inside lay feather needles, thin as threads. They were a common hidden weapon in the Jianghu, but the feather needles of Ja Gwi Moon were of a special caliber.
‘Excellent.’
Tempered with materials expensive enough to uproot pillars, they possessed the property of becoming colorless when infused with inner force.
Who could evade colorless hidden weapons flying through the air during combat?
“Hehehehe. When I throw the feather needles, rush in immediately. Then all of you will overturn your wretched fates. You’ll have a new lease on life, understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
At that moment, Kang Hyun was utterly battered from the relentless assault.
Knowing that continuing would leave him beyond recovery, he made his decision and hurled his broad swords away.
“Now let’s end this, you bastard!”
Kang Hyun’s hands blazed white as he charged forward. The instant his feet struck the ground and his palms collided with Cheon So-hyun’s.
Tsssssh!!
Frigid energy erupted from his entire body in a violent burst. The air itself turned pristine white wherever contact was made and beyond—a technique of glacial spheres and transforming snow, the White Snow Transmutation.
It was a decisive gambit to overturn the tide of battle, a lethal strike aimed at piercing through the thinnest of openings.
“Ah, quite refreshing, I must say.”
Yet Cheon So-hyun’s demeanor remained utterly composed. He casually unleashed his inner energy through his palms without the slightest concern.
Extreme heat. A temperature so intense it seemed impossible for a human body to produce it, accompanied by shimmering waves of white haze rising into the air.
‘…What?!’
Kang Hyun’s pupils trembled violently. His mind reeled as his trump card crumbled before him.
He had known his opponent wielded martial arts of the extreme yang lineage, but he never anticipated such overwhelming firepower.
The flowing counterattacks, the dynamic vision and reaction speed, the sheer power of the fist techniques—all remarkable—but to neutralize the White Snow Transmutation so effortlessly….
‘How does a monster like this belong to a garbage heap like Ja Gwi Moon?’
As fundamental doubt took root, only then did he truly see his opponent’s expression.
“Could you possibly….”
“Possibly what? I told you—you’ve got the wrong person.”
“Oh! I apologize…!”
Kang Hyun’s words never reached their end. The sight unfolding behind his opponent’s shoulders cut him short.
Geum So had risen at some point and was scattering poisoned needles, while other sect disciples were charging forward with explosive force.
‘Those bastards!’
Whoooosh!!
Kang Hyun immediately wrung out his remaining inner energy and deployed the White Snow Transmutation once more.
Frigid qi, squeezed to its absolute limit, chilled the air in an instant. Even the blood Kang Hyun coughed up from the strain froze solid in a heartbeat.
“…?”
Cheon So-hyun responded with perfect ease. He drew forth his inner energy again, summoning heat to counter.
“Well then, my apologies….”
Kang Hyun lost consciousness and collapsed where he stood. The poisoned needles that had been rushing toward them froze solid, then melted away in the searing heat, vanishing without a trace.
‘What manner of demon is this.’
Cheon So-hyun watched Kang Hyun fall, then suddenly turned his head as he sensed a presence.
At some point, those who had been fighting this man were staring at him with expressions of utter shock.
Some were quietly attempting to slip away, so Cheon So-hyun stopped them in their tracks.
“Wait a moment. You there, hold it.”
“…Are you speaking to us?”
“Who else? Is there anyone else here? What was it you called yourselves—Ja Gwi Moon?”
“That is correct, but why do you ask?”
Cheon So-hyun approached them, studying their faces carefully.
“It seems you came in a mob and fought. Could you tell me the reason?”
A man with a fierce expression answered from among them.
“Why would you care about that?”
“I’m simply trying to figure out whether you’re people I should let go. Is this a matter of personal grudge?”
“We’ve merely come to this point over a trivial dispute.”
Cheon So-hyun slowly drew up the corners of his mouth.
“What exactly does Ja Gwi Moon do?”
“It’s merely a sect where those with aligned intentions gather to train with their blades. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about it. Though I confess, I’m uncertain why I should even be explaining this.”
“I see—you have no intention of answering properly. Well, I can always inquire around the vicinity to learn what sort of sect this is. Is there an inn or tavern nearby? Let’s go check it out together.”
“….”
As the man clamped his lips shut, a subordinate with long, slitted eyes and a base expression quickly interjected.
“This region is far too remote for such establishments. It’s notorious for its treacherous terrain—an inn could never take root here. Surely the master didn’t climb up these cliffs without knowing that?”
“Ah, right. How could I have forgotten?”
“Haha, it happens. We merely gathered to avenge our master, who suffered greatly at the hands of that demon. Though we came in such numbers, we still fell short….”
Cheon So-hyun regarded the interjecting man with keen interest.
‘A moment ago it was a trivial dispute, and now it’s vengeance?’
The man continued, his expression growing suitably somber.
“Now that we’ve confirmed the demon’s shameful defeat, our master resting in his sickbed will surely be satisfied. We are grateful.”
He bowed deeply at the waist, assuming a respectful posture.
“Having recognized our shortcomings, we shall withdraw and dedicate ourselves to further training.”
Just as the Ja Gwi Moon disciples hurried to depart, a frigid voice seized them in place.
“But here’s the thing.”
Cheon So-hyun approached them with a cold smile, and the disciples’ eyes widened in alarm.
“According to my records, there’s supposed to be an inn around here.”
Cheon So-hyun unfurled a scroll from his robes, waving it before them. A sinister glint began to kindle in his gaze.

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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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