Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 3

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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 3
Thick mist blanketed the dead of night.
Crimson halls suffused with moonlight stretched endlessly in orderly rows, as if flaunting the grandeur of the estate.
This was the domain of the Iron Blood Demon Family, one of the Four Great Demon Families that formed the foundation of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Tap!
At the end of the grand avenue leading to the Family Head Hall.
A man who had rushed here in haste burst through the massive doors, his ragged breathing tearing from his chest.
Creak!
The heavy sound of the doors swinging open drew the gazes of all the elders gathered within the Family Head Hall to a single point.
“We were told the Family Head meeting was in session. What is the meaning of this recklessness?”
The elder’s eyes gleamed with barely suppressed anger.
The reactions of the others were little different.
Was this not the day when long-awaited news had finally arrived?
To interrupt the flow of such momentous deliberation could only sour their spirits.
“What is this commotion?”
“I-I apologize, Elder. I have just obtained urgent information….”
“Information? Does it concern the Great Seal?”
“It does not concern the Great Seal.”
“Then what?”
“It is… the Third Prince has awakened.”
At this unexpected revelation, the elders stirred with astonishment.
“What?”
“…Cheon So-hyun?”
As confusion rippled through the assembly, the massive figure seated at the head of the gathering spoke in a low, measured voice.
“Is this information certain?”
“Yes, Family Head. I have repeatedly confirmed it with the physician-attendants who come and go from the Third Young Master’s Residence. He regained consciousness yesterday.”
“His condition?”
“Severe internal injuries, and the muscles throughout his body have stiffened. Even simple movement will be difficult for him.”
Elder Jin Ja-hyuk’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“So that eyesore has crawled back after all. Tsk, this has become troublesome.”
“…Indeed, it has.”
Just as concerned murmurs naturally began to flow, a relatively young elder opened his mouth.
“Forgive my interruption, but is there truly a need to concern ourselves with this?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He lost consciousness for a full half-year at a time when every moment should be devoted to cultivation. His muscles and tendons have stiffened, and his vital essence has scattered—as a martial artist, he is as good as dead.”
He continued in a measured tone.
“Moreover, he possesses no faction of consequence to speak of. Is he not like a kite with its string cut? Unlike the other heirs, the very fact that he dwells outside the Inner Fortress speaks to his pitiful circumstances.”
“You speak amusing words indeed.”
“What did you say?”
“I said it was amusing. Have you forgotten what reputation that man without a faction has earned, what opportunities he has seized? Was half a year truly so long?”
“….”
“This is absurd. If we truly care for the Family’s prosperity, the Third Prince is someone we absolutely cannot ignore.”
Her words carried a sharp edge tinged with reproach—a reaction born from how deeply the Third Prince’s existence had been etched into their minds.
Cheon So-hyun.
Among the Cult Leader’s five children, he surpassed even the most gifted in talent and was acclaimed as the finest martial artist in the Divine Sect.
Unlike the other princes, who relied on the tremendous backing of the Four Great Demon Families, his reputation was earned purely through his own abilities.
The problem lay not in that evaluation itself, but in the opportunity it had granted him.
An audience with the inner sanctum.
A miracle that meant a private audience with the Cult Leader.
Every devotee of the Divine Sect yearned for such an encounter, yet he had experienced it multiple times.
Even for one of Cheon Family blood, it was excessive.
Though all five princes were called disciples and successors, private audiences with the Cult Leader were extraordinarily rare.
The image of Cheon So-hyun, who had achieved enlightenment after his audience and advanced his martial cultivation, remained seared into Jin Ja-hyuk’s mind like a brand.
The Young Elder spoke again.
“All of that occurred before he came of age. Impatience led him into demonic possession, leaving him barely able to move. What can he possibly accomplish now, even if he has regained consciousness?”
“….”
“He was caught between life and death from the aftermath of that possession. Surely you’ve all heard how grave his condition is. There’s no reason for the main Family to concern itself any further with….”
The Stern-Faced Elder’s brow furrowed.
“How frustrating, how utterly frustrating. When did the man once called the Sword Ghost become so timid? What certainty do you possess that the Third Prince cannot recover swiftly? If he were truly incapable of such recovery, there would be no reason to call him the Third Prince in the first place, would there?”
“….”
“I’m not criticizing—I’m genuinely curious. If you possess such certainty, please enlighten me. Where does your confidence come from that the Cult Leader will not extend his grace….”
“Enough.”
Jin Mu-hui, the Family Head of the Iron-Blooded Family seated at the head position, cut him off.
“To even presume to gauge his intentions is a transgression. Restrain yourselves.”
“….”
As the Stern-Faced Elder fell silent, the Other Elder interjected.
“I understand your concerns. Though likely unfounded, it remains a matter requiring attention, given its potential impact on the succession.”
His gaze turned toward Jin Mu-hui.
“Would it not be prudent to probe the other Great Demon Families first and gauge their reactions?”
“A poor strategy.”
“Then what should we….”
Flash!
Crimson light blazed from Jin Mu-hui’s eyes like lightning.
“Send word to the Dharma Protection Institute. Only by observing their response can our strategy hold meaning.”
* * *
The Cult Leader’s Hall lay shrouded in profound silence, as though consumed by darkness itself.
Only the sound of torches wavering in the wind, burning precariously, filled the vast space.
The expansive hall bore no ornate decorations whatsoever—only a blood-red carpet stretched its length, lending color to the emptiness.
Footsteps echoed softly.
A figure walked across it with meticulous, reverent bearing.
‘This is our first meeting since you emerged from seclusion.’
He came to a halt at the foot of the carpet, dozens of steps below.
Then, bending one knee, he waited for acknowledgment.
Taking care not to displease the Cult Leader.
How long did that interminable wait stretch on?
“Left Envoy.”
A solemn voice echoed through the vast hall.
The man bowed his head even deeper.
“The Divine Sect’s Gwangmyeong Left Envoy pays respects to the Cult Leader. I trust you have been well.”
“All has been well. The seclusion took longer than anticipated.”
Upon the Throne Dais, positioned dozens of steps above.
There, the Cult Leader sat casually draped in an ornate dragon robe embroidered with brilliant gold thread, gazing down without expression.
“Then, what brings you here?”
A flinch.
Though it was a simple question, the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy’s body stiffened. He cleared his throat before answering respectfully.
“The Third Prince has regained consciousness.”
Uuuuoooong!
In an instant, a crushing pressure seized the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy’s entire body.
“…!”
From the Throne Dais down the steps, a thick darkness descended, and a ferocious aura undulated with such intensity that the mind reeled.
It was demonic energy born from the Heavenly Demon Scripture—a technique that could only be mastered upon ascending to the Cult Leader’s position.
“Kugh.”
A small groan escaped the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy’s lips.
He who had risen from a mere outsider to a position second only to one—a rank where few could match his power—was but a mere disciple before the Cult Leader.
Immense ecstasy flooded the Left Envoy’s eyes.
‘He has achieved another breakthrough in the interim.’
He had neither unleashed killing intent nor detonated his energy. He had merely expressed interest in news of the Third Prince.
Uuuuoooong!
Yet still, a pressure so extreme that it could split the earth itself bore down upon him.
‘As expected of the Cult Leader….’
The corners of the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy’s mouth trembled convulsively before curving upward.
The crushing pressure coursing through his entire body mattered not at all. He felt blessed merely to endure it.
How long had he waited? How desperately had he yearned?
Before him stood one who approached the divine realm he had endlessly craved and longed for.
‘The return of the Heavenly Demon draws near.’
His eyes were dazzled as if beholding a sacred dragon ascending to heaven. All the colors of creation would pale before such transcendence.
Thud!
The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy dropped to both knees and struck his forehead against the floor.
“The Heavenly Demon returns! Ten thousand demons bow in reverence!”
Thud!!
I screamed repeatedly, my skin tearing from the force of my own strikes.
“The Divine Sect is invincible!! Radiance across the Realm!!”
Blood streaming from my forehead began to drench my face.
Only after the scalding crimson traced past my eyes and pooled at the corners of my mouth did a serene smile finally bloom.
Breaking the brief silence, an indifferent voice resonated through the chamber.
“How long?”
“A month has passed. The damage to his muscles and the depletion of his vital energy appear to be lingering heavily from the backlash of his inner demons.”
“Is that all?”
“Since the Third Prince regained consciousness, letters requesting an audience have arrived from the Family Heads of the Four Great Demon Families. Will you make time for them?”
The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy, having received his answer in silence, slowly lifted his head.
“Then I shall handle it accordingly.”
The Cult Leader seated upon the Throne Dais merely radiated a profound gaze.
In that cool, downward-looking stare dwelt the transcendence unique to an absolute being.
Even beneath the black imperial robe, the rippling musculature and imposing frame were sufficient to emanate an overwhelming presence despite his motionless posture.
‘Indeed.’
Everything about the Cult Leader approached the divine realm.
The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy bowed once more with the utmost reverence.
“I congratulate you on your achievement, Cult Leader. I shall now take my leave.”
Thud, thud.
The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy began retracing the path by which he had come.
His gait was unremarkable, yet his heart surged with an almost overwhelming sense of exultation and trembling awe.
‘Nothing must become an obstacle. Not the Four Great Demon Families, nor anything else.’
I must clear away everything that might hinder the Cult Leader’s path to supremacy.
This was the heavenly mandate bestowed upon those who serve the divine, the duty I must rightfully uphold.
His eyes sharpened in an instant.
‘What should be done about the Third Prince?’
News of his regaining consciousness had already spread rapidly throughout the Divine Sect.
The Four Great Demon Families, viewing this as a variable in the succession struggle, had already attempted contact, making it highly likely that all manner of disturbances would arise around him.
‘No, that is not a matter I should concern myself with.’
The Left Envoy, having deliberated, swiftly cast aside his idle thoughts.
Even if he were utterly broken, he remained blood of the Cheon Family.
If he cannot stand alone, he proves himself unworthy of the position; if he overcomes the calamities that befall him through his own strength, then he requires no aid in the first place.
Either way, there is no reason to extend a hand.
Then, a noble voice rang out.
“Bring the Third to the Cult Leader’s Hall.”
The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy’s steps halted abruptly. He expelled his thoughts with a single breath and bowed his head.
“Yes, I shall obey your command.”
Every word from the Cult Leader was doctrine itself. To harbor even the slightest doubt would be an act of utmost disrespect, so the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy offered his obeisance respectfully and withdrew.
Creak.
The Cult Leader, leaning back against the Throne Dais, remained utterly composed.
“Demons entering the mind….”
He lifted the wine bottle and slowly filled his cup.
His gaze laden with profound ennui.

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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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