Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 38

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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 38
Sa Ma-chang regarded him with a puzzled expression.
‘What in the world has he done?’
After striking Gwak Ji-ryang’s pressure points and pouring inner energy into him, he pressed down on the back of his hand with the judge’s brush, then threatened to gouge out his eyes next.
It was a threat that should have been ineffective.
Even without Gwak Ji-ryang specifically, any martial artist who had learned combat techniques would have scoffed at such a trivial threat.
It should have been that way, yet suddenly Gwak Ji-ryang trembled like an aspen leaf.
“N-next? You mean… next?”
Cold sweat poured down him so profusely that his clothes were visibly drenched, and the way he drooled suggested he might collapse at any moment.
All of this had transpired in barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
What could Gwak Ji-ryang have possibly endured in that brief span?
‘In that fleeting moment… did he experience some form of horrific torture?’
It meant that some technique had been layered atop the Sa Ma Heart Sutra’s functions.
Sa Ma-chang could not even begin to fathom that this method was the inverse of heavenly celestial arts, yet he remained equally bewildered.
‘It’s possible to apply it in such a manner?’
Overlaying the Sa Ma Heart Sutra’s functions onto another person—such a technique was utterly unheard of.
Merely touching the lower dantian was a perilous technique that could reduce one to an idiot with the slightest error, yet to execute it not on oneself but on another’s body?
One would need to possess profound knowledge of over three hundred meridian points throughout the entire body, and simultaneously understand each one’s precise function while manipulating true energy with meticulous care.
The very concept was grotesque, and executing it bordered on the impossible.
Sa Ma-chang stared fixedly at the back of Sa Ma-ryang’s head.
‘So he was always this insufferably unlucky?’
“Uuuugh…”
Gwak Ji-ryang clenched his teeth repeatedly, suffering from an excruciating headache that felt as though his skull might split.
Memories etched throughout his entire body screamed in agony.
Never again, they wailed—it felt like falling into hell itself, and he would rather bite through his own tongue and die right now.
There was a clear reason why Gwak Ji-ryang, who had always valued his own life above all else, had descended into such extreme thoughts.
‘The Inspector Chief’s mouth shape clearly ended at the eyes. But if he said next he’d gouge out the eyes…’
In other words, even that torture which had felt like an eternity had actually stopped midway. He had escaped early because the dantian’s seal had broken, but if that torture had continued to completion…
“No, I can’t!”
Gwak Ji-ryang, consumed by overwhelming terror, cried out.
“Gwak Ji-ryang.”
At Sa Ma-ryang’s voice, Gwak Ji-ryang felt a bottomless despair as if plummeting into an abyss.
‘…!’
The man before him no longer appeared human, but rather the grim reaper himself. Completely seized by panic, Gwak Ji-ryang’s mouth moved of its own accord in a desperate struggle for survival.
“P-please speak. I’ll confess to anything. So please! Please! If you say I should rot in prison for life, I’ll rot. Please spare my life. I, I beg you. Give me a chance… just give me a chance!!”
“What was your relationship with Yang Bong?”
They say humans are vulnerable to relief immediately after suffering.
The question that came after an eternity of agony struck him like a lifeline. It approached with such mercy—as if answering correctly would earn him a place in the Demon Prison.
Gwak Ji-ryang answered swiftly.
“I-it wasn’t a deep relationship! A-after I captured him, while I was interrogating him… a decent proposal came in, so I simply released him! But I didn’t know, I didn’t realize he’d been caught at the Borderland.”
A heavy silence settled briefly. Sa Ma-ryang spoke again.
“If so, are there others you released?”
“Y-yes! I can provide detailed descriptions and physical characteristics! Please, please spare my life!!”
It was then.
“I’ll go check first.”
Hyung Baek, who had drawn his blade at some point, spoke with an unprecedented gravity etched across his features. A sinister aura of killing intent radiated from his entire being. Through the sensory web he had spread far and wide, he had detected someone hastily fleeing the Law Enforcement Hall.
Sa Ma-ryang sent him a telepathic message.
[Is it the Deputy Leader?]
[No. Based on the aura I’m sensing, they’re at most a mid-tier cultivator. Song Ryeong remains on this floor—unmoved the entire time. Perhaps his claim of uninvolvement might be true after all.]
[Understood. Then… when you return, please summon the Deputy Leader.]
[Very well.]
Hyung Baek vanished outside in an instant.
A faint creak echoed.
The Inspectors naturally exchanged glances.
They had anticipated the possibility of eavesdropping from the start.
If someone had been certain that their name would spill from Gwak Ji-ryang’s lips, flight was the natural course of action.
Judging that they needed to extract information first, Sa Ma-chang spoke.
“My, how tense things have become. I wonder whose name will come next. How many eavesdroppers out there are listening with bated breath? First, let’s hear how far this conspiracy extends. Are there accomplices above your station?”
“N-no, there aren’t!”
“None? You’re claiming that privately exploiting prisoners from the Demon Prison is possible even at the level of a mere jailer?”
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
Through Sa Ma-ryang’s voice flowed the power of the Sa Ma Heart Seal.
The aura was weaker than before, as if revealing how his vital energy had been depleted by the inexplicable technique.
Yet it was more than sufficient.
“Aaaaahhh!!”
Gwak Ji-ryang lurched to his feet as though burned by fire, crying out.
“I-I swear there are none! If there were, I’d submit to further torture—yes, yes. Even then I’d have nothing more to say. That Yang Bong would commit human trafficking so brazenly… I truly, truly had no knowledge! It has nothing to do with me!”
Sa Ma-chang’s brow furrowed with displeasure. The man had released him with his own hands, yet such heinous crimes had been committed—and now he dared claim innocence. The hypocrisy was repugnant.
Gwak Ji-ryang continued desperately.
“And using the prisoners was only possible because I seduced a guard from the Demon Prison. I would forge reports and send them to the Military Council, then extract them at the appropriate time!”
“Then start naming names.”
“F-first, from Unit One: Gok Jin-hon and Gwa Jong-cheon—they handled the prisoner transfers…”
Names of his co-conspirators, their roles, and the specific methods of their crimes began pouring out.
Sa Ma-chang’s brow tightened.
“Five for now. I’m going out.”
“I’m coming with you!”
Sa Ma-chang and Seo Rin hurried outside. There was no time to waste—more fugitives might be escaping.
“Hah…”
Alone in the chamber, I brushed back my disheveled bangs.
My breathing trembled and my vision blurred. Whether from a loss of equilibrium or something else, a dizzying sensation swept over me as the ceiling seemed to spin.
But such trivial matters were of no consequence to me.
‘Now… what should I do next?’
The Inspection Bureau would conclude successfully.
What remained was merely the follow-up work of apprehending Law Enforcement Hall personnel for interrogation and excising the rot. I had already devised a more efficient method to conclude the matter.
‘I must advance further.’
Yet Sa Ma-ryang drove myself forward relentlessly.
Separate from the inspection, the greater cause of blocking the Great Sect still remained.
Thud!
“Ugh—!”
Suddenly, Gwak Ji-ryang lost his balance and collapsed forward.
He hastily steadied himself and bowed his head.
“I-I apologize! I momentarily lost consciousness. There was absolutely no other intention—”
“Sit properly.”
“Yes!”
Sa Ma-ryang regarded Gwak Ji-ryang intently.
His capture as a criminal was undeniable due to irrefutable evidence, not because he was a careless man.
Through the surprise inspection, I had sifted through records meticulously, yet no major issues surfaced. Only minor flaws that appeared deliberately left behind.
Considering the trust his subordinates showed him, and that he had committed such transgressions yet only now had his tail caught, his competence was undeniable.
‘He must have prepared with meticulous care.’
A man of such character would have arranged contingencies—a lifeline for emergencies.
Even rabbits dig three burrows, do they not?
Unable to endure the silence, Gwak Ji-ryang spoke desperately.
“I-Inspector Chief, please command me with anything. Silence is death to me. I will obey anything. Please, I beg you, any order at all—”
Had he completely lost his reason?
The man who had been so arrogant now babbled incoherently, drool dripping from his lips—a sight grotesque beyond measure.
“Tell me of those who proposed the transaction. Do you comprehend where they belong, what connections they maintain?”
“…!”
Gwak Ji-ryang’s eyes trembled as though an earthquake had struck. He found no composure to conceal his emotions, nor reason to do so.
“Yes, yes! I know! Conducting external transactions is tantamount to exposing my vital points, so I investigated thoroughly before beginning. Though it’s been so long the details blur, I remember certain specifics.”
“Continue your confession.”
At that piercing gaze, Gwak Ji-ryang flinched.
He had to provide a satisfactory answer by any means. Gwak Ji-ryang racked his mind desperately, unraveling memories from that time.
The merchant guild that proposed the transaction, those who belonged to it, the person who handled the intermediary when documents were exchanged for payment and Yang Bong was sent out—he recounted each detail meticulously, tracing back through memory.
Then suddenly, I raised my index finger to my lips.
“How sordid. I’ve grasped the essence, so remain silent until the Inspectors return.”
Then I sent a transmission to Gwak Ji-ryang.
[From now on, answer via transmission. This intermediary you speak of—did he wield an iron fan as a weapon?]
[What? Yes! That’s correct! It was an uncommon weapon, so I remember distinctly. He used fan techniques to appear like a phantom, yet it was strange how he maintained anonymity. His behavior was so ridiculous I conducted separate investigations! His appearance was…]
At such detailed information, my eyes flickered with recognition.
‘Heuk Si, then.’
Though his name differed, the rare martial technique he displayed and the physical description I had gathered as the Law Enforcement Hall’s leader all matched what the Third Prince had conveyed to me.
Only then did Sa Ma-ryang’s lips curve upward. He withdrew a sheet of paper from his robes and extended it.
[Write down everything you know related to that man… and forget all matters concerning him.]
* * *
The General Commander’s Office, suffused with the subtle fragrance of ink.
Hyung Baek entered with a smiling countenance.
“I have completed the inspection and returned. Those young men are so brilliant and meticulous that I scarcely needed to intervene. Haha!”
“You have labored well. However…”
Sa Ma-hyuk set down his brush.
Normally, the Inspector Chief would submit reports on inspection results. That Hyung Baek was presenting the report meant something had occurred with Sa Ma-ryang, and Sa Ma-hyuk’s eyes narrowed accordingly.
“Ah, I should explain the details first. To begin…”
Hyung Baek methodically recounted everything that had transpired from the Law Enforcement Hall’s entrance to the interrogation chamber. The narrative naturally centered on the extraordinary actions and decisions Sa Ma-ryang had displayed.
“…Sa Ma-ryang conducted the inspection in such a manner?”
“Yes. It seemed he had not embarked upon this with ordinary resolve, for he behaved as though transformed. They say youth changes a dozen times a day, but this was certainly beyond my expectations.”
“…”
“The swift conclusion of the inspection owed much to the Inspector Chief’s efforts.”
Sa Ma-hyuk nodded.
“Having assumed the role of Inspector Chief, he ought to perform as such.”
Despite his bland tone, a faint smile played across his features.
He had believed that though the boy was brilliant enough to conceal his gentle nature, he could not hide his inexperience in practical matters.
The capacity to command and supervise people stemmed not from learning, but from experience accumulated through years.
“A remarkable talent is indeed remarkable. I have come to deeply appreciate why you regarded him so carefully. However… he sustained internal injuries from overexertion during the interrogation and has now proceeded to the Medical Hall.”
Sa Ma-hyuk’s brow furrowed.
“Internal injuries? How was the interrogation conducted?”
Hyung Baek scratched his head as though troubled.
“That is… it is a technique I encountered for the first time, so I cannot provide a definitive answer.”
“…”
“From what I could discern, he combined a medical technique that heightened sensory acuity with the Sa Ma Heart Sutra, appearing to seize control of the opponent’s lower dantian… though I question whether such application is even possible in the first place.”
“…”
“Does the Sa Ma Family possess such a technique?”
Sa Ma-hyuk’s complexion stiffened subtly. Though the change was minute, it loomed large to Hyung Baek, for this man was known as the Iron Face for his usual emotional restraint.
“Were only the prisoner and the inspectors present at that location?”

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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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