Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 36

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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 36
Sa Ma-chang stepped through the door.
“Inspector, I’ve brought the First Commander. I’ve reviewed five years of ledgers, but it appears difficult to conclude he was involved in any misconduct.”
“Understood.”
Sa Ma-ryang extended his hand, gesturing toward the seat across from him.
“Please sit there.”
As Gwak Ji-ryang moved toward the chair opposite, something suddenly occurred to him, and he spoke to Sa Ma-chang.
“Ah, that water gate guard from earlier—he’s been injured and won’t be able to work for several days. He was quite a diligent fellow. Should I submit a compensation claim to the Military Council?”
“Yes, do so. We shall provide adequate compensation.”
Once Gwak Ji-ryang was seated, Sa Ma-ryang set down the document he’d been reviewing and regarded him with an unwavering gaze.
As the silence stretched, Gwak Ji-ryang swallowed involuntarily.
‘…What is this?’
Those deeply sunken eyes seemed to pierce right through him. Unsettled by the oppressive atmosphere, Gwak Ji-ryang broke the silence first.
“I came along since it’s a formality, but there’s nothing in particular I need to report…”
“First Commander.”
Sa Ma-ryang cut him off sharply.
“Have you ever filed a report regarding the Baek-gwi Squad?”
Gwak Ji-ryang’s fingertips trembled. The faint smile that had lingered vanished in an instant.
“The Baek-gwi Squad? They’re one of the Divine Sect’s combat units. Since they’re filled with hot-blooded individuals who often cause trouble, I may have filed reports about them. You’re asking something obvious.”
“…”
“Did you summon a busy man just to ask such things?”
Sa Ma-ryang maintained his inscrutable expression, his gaze never leaving Gwak Ji-ryang.
Gwak Ji-ryang shook off the strange displeasure and let his irritation show subtly.
“Listen here. If you’ve summoned someone, say something. If you have nothing to say, I’ll take my leave.”
“I was asking about Yang Bong, who was the deputy commander of the Baek-gwi Squad. Do you know anything about him?”
Sa Ma-ryang’s tone had shifted. The atmosphere he exuded was as if addressing a criminal—chillingly severe.
After a brief silence, Gwak Ji-ryang answered.
“Yang Bong? I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Just because I’m a commander of the Law Enforcement Hall doesn’t mean I’m aware of all personnel from previous generations. You’d be better off summoning someone else to ask. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
Sa Ma-ryang picked up a document that lay atop the books.
“That Yang Bong—the one supposedly with his limbs severed—has been spotted moving about quite freely in foreign lands.”
“…!”
“Are you committing perjury through false reports?”
Gwak Ji-ryang, watching the document tremble at his eye level, felt his back grow damp with cold sweat.
He realized the true purpose of this inspection was not ledgers at all—it was to arrest him.
He knew well that if it were revealed he had filed a false report to the Divine Sect’s leadership, to the Chief Military Commander himself, it would be a capital crime worthy of beheading.
‘Then… what was that discord from earlier? Could they have been acting together?’
With his heart sinking, Gwak Ji-ryang answered desperately.
“How could I! How could I verify whether this Yang Bong is truly alive? And just because my name appears there doesn’t mean I’m the one who filed the report…”
Sa Ma-ryang’s eyes flickered with ashen light.
“Are you claiming that this Council presented fabricated evidence in conducting this inspection?”
The air in the chamber froze in an instant. The oppressive weight carried in that voice seemed to spread a biting chill that cut through flesh.
“That is….”
“First Commander.”
“…Speak.”
“Among the countless organizations of the Divine Sect, only the Military Council holds the right of inspection. Do you know why?”
Gwak Ji-ryang rolled his eyes before answering.
“Because you are the…leadership of the Sect, perhaps?”
“Half correct. You must consider the circumstances that led to establishing ourselves as leadership.”
“….”
“This Council has built trust through proving our capabilities over countless ages. We have demonstrated our worth by devising paths forward for the Sect in the face of innumerable crises and pouring forth strategies—and only through such proof have we earned recognition of our current authority.”
Sa Ma-ryang slowly tilted his upper body, bringing his gaze level with Gwak Ji-ryang’s.
“And from whom do you think that recognition originated?”
“…!”
Gwak Ji-ryang’s pupils trembled violently, as though an earthquake had struck them. Hyung Baek, observing from where he leaned against the wall, felt genuine shock rising within him.
‘Have I been misjudging all this time?’
The Chief Military Commander had long been wary of Sa Ma-ryang’s gentle temperament.
He had deemed it a waste of natural talent. The man was clearly material capable of achieving great things.
In his own assessment, Sa Ma-ryang’s nature was far too mild—he would have suited the role of Physician better than the Military Council, which handled countless brutal cases.
‘I was mistaken.’
But now he understood his judgment had been wrong.
Sa Ma-ryang displayed bold and unconventional actions, yet his work was executed with absolute precision.
The recognition Sa Ma-ryang spoke of ultimately stemmed from the Cult Leader himself.
To deny it even knowing this would constitute not merely a false report, but the grave treason of blasphemy. Yet to acquiesce would be to choose a path that made one a criminal in itself.
With merely a few exchanges of words, he had driven the First Commander of the Law Enforcement Hall into a dead end.
Gwak Ji-ryang’s hands trembled in convulsive spasms as he clenched them into fists.
If he fell into the trap of those words, he would plummet into criminality in an instant.
He had to keep his wits razor-sharp.
“I merely questioned the authenticity of evidence—why does the Military Council’s authority suddenly enter the conversation? I say again: I have never even heard of a person named Yang Bong.”
Sa Ma-chang, observing from the side, let out a hollow laugh.
“Do you gather separately for instruction? Your denials have become so familiar they border on tedious.”
“…?”
Sa Ma-chang approached Sa Ma-ryang’s side.
“These are documents retrieved from the First Commander’s office. The ledger appears to have been written by his own hand—perhaps you should examine it.”
“Understood.”
Sa Ma-ryang compared the handwriting in the ledger against that in the report, while Sa Ma-chang also bent forward to examine both documents in turn.
“Let me see…ah, truly dizzying to behold. I was about to mention it earlier, but your penmanship is absolutely abysmal.”
Sa Ma-chang straightened his back as he spoke.
“Your distinctive poor handwriting is evident throughout, so there is no further need to analyze the script.”
“Indeed. Restrain the criminal.”
“W-Wait! Please, just a moment!”
Sa Ma-chang paid no heed to Gwak Ji-ryang’s desperate cry and retrieved a length of rope from the corner.
‘This… this can’t be…!’
Gwak Ji-ryang found himself trapped in an agonizing dilemma.
Should he submit to being bound and dragged away as a criminal, or should he attempt to flee?
Either path led inevitably toward ruin.
‘Still, I must escape first. If I can just break free…’
A cold gleam flickered across Gwak Ji-ryang’s eyes.
The two men bearing the Sa Ma surname before him were at best in their late prime—hardly an age to possess formidable martial prowess.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, he began channeling his demonic energy with full force.
“…!!”
Gwak Ji-ryang’s entire body went rigid in an instant. It was neither a severed meridian nor suppression by inner force.
Killing intent.
An overwhelming aura of murderous intent shook his very soul, freezing his body involuntarily.
Gulp.
Gwak Ji-ryang felt as though his neck might be severed at any moment, and with great difficulty, he managed to lift his head.
“…!”
At the edge of his trembling vision appeared a middle-aged man whose presence had been nearly imperceptible until now.
He gripped a blade etched with grooves like dragon scales, his gaze radiating an icy chill.
‘The Silver Scale Tyrant Blade…?’
The moment I confirmed his identity, the heat that had surged through my body drained away in an instant.
“First Commander, the investigation concludes here. I trust you won’t act rashly.”
An inspection is, by nature, akin to charging into the heart of enemy territory.
Moreover, the Military Council’s verdicts are absolute—there is no leniency in punishment.
Thus, prisoners who refuse to accept their fate often resort to drawing blades in desperate, extreme circumstances.
If death is inevitable anyway, they might as well attempt escape.
Of course, such blades would scarcely reach the Inspectors, who excel in both martial and scholarly arts, yet variables always exist.
Knowing such dangers, the reason the Inspectors could undertake their duties without hesitation lay precisely here.
Hyung Baek let out a low chuckle.
“Well then, shall we proceed to meet with the Deputy Leader?”
One of the Three Generations Swordmasters of Divine Teaching—the Silver Scale Tyrant Blade, Hyung Baek.
He was the foremost instrument of violence wielded by the Military Council, that repository of talent.
* * *
While the Military Council’s delegation had been quartered in a chamber on the first floor, the Deputy Leader’s office was located on this floor. The considerable distance between them meant that word of the First Commander’s arrest naturally spread as they made their way through the corridors.
‘What on earth…?’
‘The First Commander?!’
The members who had been hurrying about their duties came to a halt one by one.
The sight of Gwak Ji-ryang being dragged away in bonds struck them like a thunderbolt. From the absence of any aura emanating from his body, it appeared his dantian had been sealed as well.
Though none dared step forward before the absolute authority of an inspection, the Discipline Hall Members ground their teeth in barely suppressed hostility.
Sa Ma-chang, who held the rope, glanced around at the surrounding faces.
‘This is absurd.’
Did this shameless man truly command the trust of his subordinates?
Judging by the skill with which he’d handled the ledgers, he was certainly no fool when it came to work.
That was when it happened.
[Sa Ma-chang, please proceed to the First Commander’s Office.]
At Sa Ma-ryang’s telepathic message, Sa Ma-chang glanced back at him.
[Really? We’ve already examined all the ledgers and battle records. There was nothing unusual. We don’t even need more evidence yet—so why are you telling me to search?]
[It’s not about the search. Like the First Commander, someone has likely eavesdropped on this interrogation. They may attempt to tamper with evidence, so please head to the office first.]
In other words, he was asking Sa Ma-chang to prevent fabricated evidence from being planted.
Sa Ma-chang’s eyes narrowed.
‘So this thoroughness was genuine.’
Within the Military Council, there had been considerable gossip about Sa Ma-ryang’s appointment.
Though he’d passed the guild examination, it had been years ago, and despite having joined only months prior, he’d been appointed as an Inspector—an extraordinarily rapid advancement.
It was such a flagrant display of favoritism that even Sa Ma-chang had harbored private resentment, but now…
‘He’s quite capable. Truly capable.’
Given the Military Council’s nature of rewarding merit, I found myself unable to deny his competence.
Sa Ma-chang gazed steadily at Sa Ma-ryang walking ahead of him.
The back of his head, which had seemed to blend annoyance with reliability when they’d crossed the main street, now appeared to tilt slightly toward the latter.
Sa Ma-chang immediately handed the rope to Hyung Baek.
“Hmm?”
“I’ll conduct a separate search.”
“Fine, do as you see fit. No need for all three of us to go.”
“Understood.”
Sa Ma-ryang and Hyung Baek headed toward the Deputy Sect Leader’s Office.
As they arrived, Song Ryeong’s voice came from within the chamber.
“You may enter.”
Creak.
Unlike the austere exterior, the office interior was decorated with striking opulence.
A plum bonsai sat beside a miniature landscape meticulously carved from pebbles, with transparent water trickling between them.
It was a space so lavishly appointed that one might mistake it for the residence of a renowned merchant magnate.
There, Song Ryeong, draped in a purple official robe, stood with his hands clasped behind his back and spoke.
“The other Inspectors have already examined this place thoroughly. What more could possibly remain?”
Sa Ma-ryang turned his gaze sideways. At that look, Hyung Baek stepped forward, dragging the bound Gwak Ji-ryang.
“D-Deputy Sect Leader…”
“…”
Song Ryeong’s eyes turned cold. With a rigid expression, he questioned Sa Ma-ryang.
“I require a detailed explanation.”
“I have taken Gwak Ji-ryang into custody as a criminal. The charges are false reporting, perjury, and treason.”
Gwak Ji-ryang shrieked convulsively.
“T-Treason?! What nonsense is this! I have committed no treason!”
Sa Ma-ryang’s ashen eyes flashed with intensity.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you attempting to channel demonic energy and cast a technique before being suppressed? Harming the inspectors of the Military Council during an investigation—such treachery cannot be tolerated under any circumstance.”
“That’s… that’s an unfair accusation. I merely moved my energy reflexively; I never actually executed any technique…”
“Gwak Ji-ryang.”
Song Ryeong cut off Gwak Ji-ryang’s words.
“You’re admitting to perjury and filing false reports?”
“…!”
Gwak Ji-ryang’s shoulders trembled. Song Ryeong’s gaze pierced through him like a blade carving flesh, cold and merciless.
“Pathetic wretch. What is this disgrace? I warned you to guard against corrupting influences, yet you’ve become a criminal regardless?”
“…My sincerest apologies.”
Tsk.
Song Ryeong turned his gaze toward Sa Ma-ryang.
“Indeed, one cannot easily trust people. I believed you capable and appointed you as First Commander, yet I never imagined that trust would return as shame.”
“…”
Sa Ma-ryang met Song Ryeong’s stare without answering.
A subtle light flickered in Song Ryeong’s pupils as he received that gaze.
“You haven’t come merely to guide me toward redemption, have you? The Inspector believes this man is also implicated in the crime?”
Sa Ma-ryang nodded.
“The report filed by the criminal bore the Deputy Sect Leader’s official seal.”
In that instant, Song Ryeong’s eyebrows twitched.

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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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