Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 60
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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 60
At Do Je’s greeting, the spectator stands erupted with a roar that shook the heavens.
“It’s the Cult Leader of Baek Myun Valley! Our leader!”
Do Je smiled and waited for the cheers to subside. He swept his gaze across the faces of the crowd before continuing.
“The Tuyong Tournament comes to a close today. Thanks to all of you who made time in your precious schedules to visit Baek Myun Valley, this journey has become a cherished memory for me as well.”
Do Je gazed around the spectator seating with eyes full of emotion.
“One might say this is the moment a long-held dream has been realized.”
The densely packed crowd, shoulders pressed together in rapt attention, was a sight to behold in itself.
“Every disciple of the Divine Sect has heard a story since childhood until their ears grew weary of it. That before true heaven, rank and station are meaningless. That the Cheon Family exists in the unreachable Beyond Heaven.”
Someone in the crowd raised their voice.
“That’s right!”
“To be honest, I once harbored doubts. I wondered if such a realm, unreachable no matter how desperately one struggled, truly existed between heaven and earth. It was less suspicion than pure curiosity.”
Do Je smiled gently.
“Having begun my journey through Jianghu driven by mere curiosity, how could I abandon it without verification?”
He walked slowly across the platform. The words he spoke in a measured cadence resonated clearly in the ears of every spectator.
“I resolved to verify the truth myself. After accumulating martial prowess, achievements, and renown, the opportunity finally arrived. At last, I entered the Palace.”
By now, the crowd held their breath, completely absorbed in his narrative.
It was a yearning that every member of the Divine Sect harbored, and their hearts naturally began to surge with emotion.
Do Je stopped walking and gazed upward at the sky.
“It was when I finally became The Demon Master.”
The landscape, atmosphere, and emotions of that moment returned to me with crystalline clarity.
An endless expanse of azure sky, a hundred blades embroidered across that firmament, a presence sharp enough to flay the skin, and a weighty, suffocating pressure.
As the silence stretched, one spectator suddenly cried out.
“So what did you experience?!”
“What indeed—the moment I faced them, I understood immediately. That before this person, everything becomes utterly meaningless. It was the instant I felt in my very bones that the legends I had heard until my ears ached were no mere falsehoods.”
Do Je’s eyes blazed as his voice rang out with power.
“And in this Tuyong Tournament as well, I sensed something similar. Though still unrefined… the Cheon Family. No different from what I had witnessed before.”
He raised his hand and pointed toward Cheon So-hyun.
“Let us greet him once more with your acclaim. The champion of the Tuyong Tournament, Cheon So-hyun!”
Roooaaaarrrr!!
The cheers filled the arena once more as Cheon So-hyun’s name was chanted in unison.
Amid the tumult, Cheon So-hyun looked around with a bewildered expression.
‘What is this?’
He had long since made his name known throughout the Realm as Martial Monk of Shaolin, called Divine Fist and lauded by the masses of the world.
Certainly, this was a situation he should have been accustomed to, yet something felt strange. There were those whose faces flushed crimson as they screamed, those who wept with such overwhelming emotion they eventually sobbed uncontrollably, and those who had clasped their hands together in prayer.
‘They’ve lost their minds.’
Perhaps this was why the Heavenly Demon Cult was called a den of fanatics.
They were not offering praise—they were displaying faith. Beneath this bizarre fervor, Cheon So-hyun looked toward Do Je.
“This feels decidedly strange. What are you trying to do?”
If the purpose was merely a congratulatory address, one would announce the champion and present the promised elixir, and that would be the end of it.
Blade Emperor was subtly manipulating the crowd’s emotions, drawing out their reactions.
As if there were some deliberate intention behind it.
“Did I not say so? Let us first sweep away the obstructions. We cannot allow things to crumble pathetically—let us overturn the very board itself.”
Blade Emperor’s gaze turned once more toward the spectator stands.
The Third Prince’s ambitions would only gain traction when they transformed from the whims of a mere successor into a righteous cause that The Demon Master himself championed.
The first thread of that cause was the thousands of cultists gathered here.
“However, setting aside the achievements from the Tuyong Tournament, rumors of various scandals have been dogging the Third Prince of late.”
The crowd began to murmur at this unexpected statement.
“Pardon? Scandals, you say?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You all must know—the sect’s circumstances have become unprecedentedly chaotic in recent times. Heinous criminals have been apprehended in droves, and now their corpses hang displayed in the plaza of the Inner Fortress.”
The arena fell into sudden silence. The joy drained from the crowd’s faces, replaced gradually by anger and hatred.
As they recalled how the cultists had suffered due to the treacherous machinations of the Central Plains, naked hostility surfaced.
“And yet, in the midst of all this, a so-called successor is caught lingering about mere gambling dens, and whispers of scandal erupt.”
The crowd stared at him with their lips pressed firmly shut, their expressions betraying inner agreement. It would hardly be surprising if such rumors circulated.
And yet.
“How contemptible. A mere gambling den, you say? Is that not language that takes me far too lightly?”
Blade Emperor let out a scoff and raised his voice.
“Many revere the sect leaders and The Demon Master, but my essence is identical to yours! Reverence and faith have become instinctive to us cultists. For such a devotee to drag the successor into gambling dens? It cannot be—it must not be. It is a base act that cannot be chosen, and should never be chosen.”
At this pregnant statement, questions naturally flowed from the spectator stands.
“Then why….”
“As I have said repeatedly, the Tuyong Tournament was arranged to breathe vitality into the Divine Sect. It was not mere entertainment, but held with the purpose of alleviating the cultists’ worries and infusing them with vigor.”
Blade Emperor’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a bluish-green light. The cold, murderous gaze was so eerie it sent chills down the spines of all who beheld it.
“I shall now reveal a fact not yet made public. Those criminals I mentioned earlier—the ones who engaged in human trafficking while evading the leadership’s eyes—it was in fact the Third Prince whose merit was decisive in their capture.”
“…What?”
“Is that truly so?!”
As astonishment and doubt crossed the crowd’s faces, Blade Emperor proceeded to unfold his narrative with measured calm.
How he had annihilated the Jagwi Gate, which had engaged in human trafficking, and provided decisive evidence to the Military Council. How, moved by this, Baek Myun Valley had also lent its strength, and information gleaned through such connections had come to light.
His rhetoric was concise and unadorned, yet it contained the essence of his argument, and possessed a peculiar power that drew the audience in.
‘…This is dangerous.’
Cheon So-hyun sensed an intense mania lurking beneath Blade Emperor’s gaze, gestures, and resonant voice.
He had witnessed countless individuals consumed by such mania.
Madmen filled with a toxic determination—that regardless of right or wrong, if they had chosen a path, they would see it through to the end.
Had such toxicity been directed toward the White Path and possessed impartiality, it might have earned praise as righteousness or solidarity….
But unfortunately, Blade Emperor was a figure of the Demonic Path.
“How utterly repugnant. There is another who has endured every humiliation to save the cultists, yet to see him slandered from behind?”
“That is right!”
“There are no greater dogs than those!”
The crowd’s animosity grew ever more intense. They were completely ensnared by Blade Emperor’s eloquence.
Blade Emperor punctuated his words with a sharp tone.
“These fat pigs barking in fear of losing their territory disgust me. That’s why I, Baek Myun Valley, and Yi Ma-je above have decided to support the Third Prince.”
“Waaaaaah!!”
Do Je stretched his hand toward the sky, bathed in the tremendous roar of the crowd.
“Let me show you one final spectacle.”
Crash!
A thunderous sound like falling boulders echoed across the arena, and something massive hurtled into Do Je’s grasp.
It was a grotesque form—dozens of swords, blades, judge’s brushes, crescent staffs, and daggers tangled chaotically into the shape of a massive sword.
Gripping the bizarre blade, he turned toward the VIP Platform where the sect leaders gathered.
“Come down.”
* * *
“W-what in the world is happening here?”
Thousands of disciples glared at the VIP Platform with fierce hostility. Even Heon Won-mok, seasoned by countless experiences, couldn’t hide his shock.
“Do Je, why have you suddenly… who are you…”
Then.
“Your only path to survival exists down there. If you wish to find a way out, go down and struggle with all you have.”
Yi Ma-je’s voice emerged low and rough. His tone was cold, unlike his usual demeanor.
Heon Won-mok’s expression hardened at the contempt and disdain laced through every word.
“What… what is this…”
Heon Won-mok fell silent for a moment, then turned his head to follow Yi Ma-je’s gaze.
“What have you done?”
At the end of that gaze stood Tak Mu-won, the sect leader of the Wuzhong Sect. Confusion was written plainly across his face.
“I… I don’t understand either. It seems there’s been some misunderstanding.”
He spoke with a voice full of grievance and rose from his seat.
And just as he was about to open his mouth.
“If you have an explanation, come down and provide it.”
At the resolute voice, Tak Mu-won turned around. His face went deathly pale as if he’d encountered a ghost.
“…”
He was a young man not yet twenty years old.
His skin was flawless, his features refined and graceful, and his deep eyes held a piercing brilliance.
Draped in an elegant scholar’s robe with a pure white outer cloak, he resembled a living painting, yet the cool aura and the character for “Inspection” inscribed on his shoulder emanated an overwhelming pressure that made him untouchable.
The meaning was unmistakable.
A Military Council inspection was underway.
Sa Ma-ryang, the Inspector Chief, regarded him with an expressionless gaze.
“Don’t cause unnecessary trouble. Comply.”
At his icy words, Tak Mu-won could only clench his mouth shut.
* * *
Thud.
Tak Mu-won descended to the arena floor.
His steps were measured, but he couldn’t hide his tension.
Standing before Do Je, Tak Mu-won bowed his head and spoke respectfully.
“Blade Emperor, I believe there has been some misunderstanding.”
Do Je answered with the Deformed Great Blade resting across his shoulder.
“Misunderstanding?”
“I swear I had no knowledge that you shared intentions with the Third Prince. If our meeting with the Iron-Blooded Demon Master’s faction displeased you….”
“How could I be displeased by a bunch of fools huddled together sipping tea?”
Pssshhh.
Between Do Je’s breaths, a bluish-green demonic aura flowed forth.
“Have you not heard of the Third Prince’s achievements? Criminals were arrested in droves, yet not all of them were uprooted.”
Tak Mu-won’s face hardened.
“You understand the implication better than anyone. Suppressing that foul stench has become increasingly burdensome. I’ll give you a chance—draw your blade.”
Tak Mu-won stared blankly at Do Je.
‘…He knew everything all along?’
A torrent of questions crashed down upon him in an instant, sowing confusion.
‘Since when? And tea? I detected no trace of surveillance. Did he conceal himself?’
His mind became a tangled mess. Confusion transformed into rage. The emotions he had suppressed erupted violently at the realization that he had been mocked and toyed with.
“I never knew that someone of your stature, the Demon Master, took pleasure in ridiculing people. Yet surely you wouldn’t utter falsehoods.”
Tak Mu-won’s aura grew increasingly sharp.
“I hear there’s an exit below. If I sever that throat, would it provide me with a way out?”
Do Je let out a short laugh.
“Only when death approaches do you reveal your true nature. Well, I cannot dispose of Ma In, who toppled the Demon Master. Such was our agreement….”
Do Je stepped forward.
“Do your best.”
Whiiissshhh!
Pale smoke suddenly swirled around Tak Mu-won, coalescing into the form of a human figure.
“…!”
Despite all eyes being fixed upon the center of the arena stage, most could not follow the movement.
The moment his eyes registered the action, Do Je was already unleashing his qi, bringing the Deformed Great Blade down in a diagonal slash.
It was Do Je’s exclusive martial technique, the Shadowless Blade Method. The connection between revealing himself and launching the attack was nothing short of instantaneous.
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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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