Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 74

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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 74
Military Council Chamber.
“Look at the state of him. You’d think a ghost had latched onto him. His complexion grows worse by the day—wouldn’t it be wise to rest for a while?”
Sa Ma-ryang shook his head.
“There is much work accumulated during my absence. I believe there is still more to review.”
“Stubborn fool. Be more pragmatic about it. If you ruin your health, it won’t just be you who suffers—we’ll all face consequences. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I will keep it in mind.”
“Tch, as if words alone matter.”
Munsah regarded him with a disapproving gaze before departing.
Since Sa Ma-ryang’s rise as Inspection Chief and his subsequent achievements, his standing within the Military Council had grown considerably.
However, his reputation among the Munsah had plummeted. The Killing Register—the most crucial prize—had been obtained by Baek Myun Valley, shifting the initiative to them.
Moreover, suspicions had arisen that Sa Ma-ryang himself had leaked the information.
Without physical evidence, no formal disciplinary action had been taken, but he could not escape the barrage of rumors that followed.
Indeed, it was on this foundation that the Third Prince’s reputation was rising.
‘It matters not.’
Once Sa Ma-ryang confirmed the presence had vanished, he withdrew a letter from his robes.
In accordance with the Third Prince’s wishes, the organization’s name has been finalized as the Ma Gun.
It was a message conveyed by the Messenger from Baek Myun Valley.
‘Ma Gun… a fitting name indeed.’
Concise yet commanding, it felt perfectly suited to uniting their purpose as one.
Talented individuals from across the realm continue to gather, and Baek Myun Valley now thrives with activity.
We are currently classifying over two hundred personnel according to their aptitude and aspirations. Yi Ma-je has made contact with the individual you had in mind as the head instructor, and the Wuzhong Sect has welcomed a new sect leader…
The further Sa Ma-ryang read, the deeper his contemplation became.
‘Things will only grow busier from here.’
To establish a complete force, merely cultivating martial strength and gathering talent would not suffice.
He needed to establish discipline and laws for stable operation, find a skilled instructor to teach martial arts, secure the martial knowledge to support them, and acquire the capital to encompass everything.
His concerns multiplied with each passing day, yet they did not burden him.
Rather, they were welcome worries. Compared to his former circumstances, the transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
“First, then…”
Sa Ma-ryang began organizing his plans and drafting a response. By the time midnight arrived.
Creak.
“So you were here after all.”
A man entered the office without a sound, startling Sa Ma-ryang.
“Why so surprised? You’re embarrassing me. Did you think this was a place I couldn’t visit?”
“Y-Your Highness? How did you…”
“I asked around until I found it.”
Sa Ma-ryang smiled at the casual tone and gestured to the seat across from him.
“Please, be seated, Your Highness.”
“Very well.”
Cheon So-hyun looked around the surroundings before taking his seat.
One might call it the office of a typical workaholic. It was generally neat, yet documents were piled high across the desk.
In the center of it all sat Sa Ma-ryang, his exhausted visage exactly as I had anticipated—hollow-eyed like a prisoner locked away in a dungeon.
“They say this place gathers all manner of records, yet it seems that’s not entirely true. Do you handle all the Military Council’s affairs yourself? Is there truly such a shortage of people?”
Sa Ma-ryang let out a small laugh.
“Indeed, that’s the problem. Though reinforcements should arrive soon, so things will improve. Are you returning from the Baekryeon Demon Sect?”
I nodded.
“I stopped by on my way back. There were certain matters I needed to clarify.”
“It seems you’ve concluded things successfully this time as well.”
“Hmm?”
“You appear to be in unusually high spirits.”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
“Your perception is uncanny. Heh, truthfully, it’s far more than merely concluding things successfully.”
Sa Ma-ryang’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean by that?”
I calmly laid out everything I had experienced over the past seven days and nights at the Baekryeon Demon Sect.
Meeting with Cheon Woo-shin and discussing our intentions regarding the Great Sect. Proposing a deal in exchange for aiding the Baekryeon Demon Sect’s long-cherished wish, and the successful outcome that followed.
‘Extraordinary…’
Each word I spoke matter-of-factly described something astonishing.
Drawing in two powerful Demon Masters was naturally something that would attract the interest of other senior figures.
But the Four Great Demon Families were different.
As vassal clans of the Heavenly Demon Cult, bound by blood and history, they were entangled in complex interests and power struggles.
Moreover, the Baekryeon Demon Sect harbored the Fifth Prince, another heir candidate.
Sa Ma-ryang asked with a bewildered expression.
“So in summary, the Baekryeon Demon Sect has accepted the deal? Would you elaborate on its details?”
I recalled my conversations with Chief Administrator Heon Won-rim and Heon Won-cheong.
* * *
“Do you truly believe it’s possible to overturn the Great Sect?”
“Of course. I have no hobby of expending effort on things that cannot be done. I see sufficient possibility.”
“Then share your evidence.”
I paused briefly in thought.
‘Evidence?’
In truth, I had charged forward without even considering possibility or evidence. There was no real basis to speak of, but fortunately, I possessed the one card that would most tempt the Demon Masters.
“Are you aware that I recently visited the Cult Leader’s Hall?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”
“During that meeting, I discussed the Great Sect with the Cult Leader himself. As you know, he is not one to be deceived, so I made my opposition clear.”
Heon Won-rim’s eyes trembled violently.
“Then… the Cult Leader has given his approval?”
“Not approval, exactly. However, he did not forbid me from pursuing this matter. Since I’ve even obtained the opportunity to leave the Sect, there is more than sufficient possibility.”
Heon Won-cheong asked with a stern expression.
“Leave the Sect? Then you mean to venture into the Central Plains?”
Cheon So-hyun nodded.
“There are some things I must accomplish first, but it won’t be long before that comes to pass.”
Heon Won-rim and Heon Won-cheong exchanged a fleeting glance. Multiple emotions swirled in their eyes.
It was entirely unexpected news.
The Sect’s successor was venturing into the Central Plains—no one else, but him?
It carried a significant risk of discord. It was an issue that would inevitably become a double-edged sword for both the Third Prince and the Sect.
‘What could the Cult Leader have seen to make such a decision to leave the Sect….’
After a brief silence, Heon Won-rim asked.
“By leaving the Sect now, you’re seeking a justification to defy the Great Sect, aren’t you?”
“You’re quick with your calculations. That’s right. I intend to run about with fire at my heels, searching for one.”
More precisely, I planned to meet the bald-headed senior brothers of Shaolin and unseal the Sealing Restriction.
“Then let us clarify the terms of our transaction. In exchange for sustained contact with the Fifth Prince, the Main Family will maintain neutrality.”
“Neutrality?”
“Yes. Mere words of promise won’t suffice, so we shall send financial support to Ma Gun. Later, if you procure a proper justification, we will reconsider positively at that time. What do you say?”
* * *
Sa Ma-ryang burst into admiration.
“Neutrality… truly an unexpected windfall.”
When building a faction, the most crucial element was overwhelming capital that could control and encompass all variables.
Most of the difficulties Sa Ma-ryang had deemed obstacles stemmed from the process of deliberating how to utilize limited resources efficiently.
But if I received financial support from the Baekryeon Demon Sect, all those worries would prove groundless.
With their capital as a foundation, I could establish a more solid framework, and my existing resources could be deployed in other ways.
In essence, it was no different from providing a stepping stone for Ma Gun to soar even higher.
Sa Ma-ryang burst into admiration once more.
“Truly remarkable. You’ve worked hard, Your Highness.”
“Ha! Hard work? I was simply fortunate.”
Cheon So-hyun genuinely believed this. Without Cheon Woo-shin’s assistance, the transaction wouldn’t have materialized, nor would a proper conversation have even taken place.
“Then you must have sparred with the Fifth Prince for seven days and nights.”
“That was the condition. While I was at it, I continued my own cultivation and exchanged pointers with him. The environment there was absolutely magnificent. Oh, and.”
Cheon So-hyun withdrew a wooden box from his robe and offered it.
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
“I received it from the Fifth Prince, but it has little use for me. Since I promised to use it appropriately, you should take it.”
“…Pardon?”
Sa Ma-ryang opened the wooden box with a puzzled expression.
Inside lay a thick, reddish-brown Polygonum multiflorum root. From its gnarled form, weathered by countless years, an extraordinary aura emanated.
As a Physician who had handled rare medicinal materials, Sa Ma-ryang instantly recognized it as a Polygonum multiflorum root well over a hundred years old.
‘…Is this why you came to give it to me.’
Sa Ma-ryang’s fingertips trembled slightly.
He knew his own condition better than anyone.
His vital essence was continuously depleting as the price for performing the forbidden technique on the Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall. The degree was noticeable enough for the Munsah to detect, so His Highness must have felt it even more clearly.
Sa Ma-ryang closed the wooden box and handed it back to Cheon So-hyun.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but it would be shameless of me to take something that belongs to you. Isn’t it you who needs the spiritual elixir right now?”
“If I needed it, I would’ve swallowed it whole long ago.”
“Pardon?”
“It won’t be effective for me anyway. The essence of the Investiture Elixir hasn’t fully integrated into my body yet.”
Excessive medicine becomes poison, yet poison used appropriately can become medicine. Carrying undigested spiritual energy in one’s body could make consuming other spiritual elixirs harmful.
Sa Ma-ryang understood this well, yet he refused to yield.
“Then it would be better to store it for emergencies or consume it after your integration is complete.”
“Just take some, will you? Watching you shuffle around like that is more exhausting than anything.”
“I’ll only accept your kindness. Using this on me would be wasteful. Didn’t you say that achieving mastery in new martial arts is a condition for leaving the sect?”
“Who knows when that’ll be. Stop talking my ear off and just take it.”
As Sa Ma-ryang clamped his mouth shut, Cheon So-hyun reached out his hand.
“You really hate it that much? Fine then, let’s burn it instead. Roast it until it’s golden and use it to satisfy hunger.”
Whoooosh!
At the sight of him grasping the ho-shou root with heat-wrapped hands, Sa Ma-ryang hastily waved his hand.
“W-wait, young master!”
“What?”
“What if… you refined it through alchemy instead?”
Cheon So-hyun’s eyes narrowed.
“Alchemy? You’re saying you’d refine a spiritual elixir?”
“Yes. A century-old ho-shou root serves as a spiritual elixir on its own, but if utilized as a medicinal ingredient, its effects could be doubled. During my time at the Medical Authority, I learned several alchemical methods involving ho-shou root.”
Cheon So-hyun withdrew his hand and asked.
“That’s not something simple, is it?”
Even at Shaolin, renowned spiritual elixirs like the Soul Restoration Pill or the Great Restoration Pill were refined only once every few decades.
Though cultivators flocked from all corners of the Realm, providing ample financial resources, there was a reason for such intervals.
The cost was staggering enough to deplete even substantial reserves, and the time and manpower required were equally immense.
“Securing other medicinal ingredients and techniques will be challenging, but I’ll manage it. With a root this substantial, I can produce two batches, so you can consume them separately.”
Cheon So-hyun looked at him with exasperation.
“Fine, let’s do it that way then.”
It would be simpler to just consume it directly without all this rambling, but he showed no sign of relenting.
“Thank you for understanding. Now, regarding future contact with the Chief Administrator of the Baekryeon Demon Sect…”
Sa Ma-ryang’s words trailed off. A presence was felt from outside.
Both their gazes turned simultaneously toward the office entrance.
“May I enter?”
A deep voice resonated from beyond the door. With the thought ‘He’s arrived,’ Cheon So-hyun rose from his seat.
“Please, come in freely.”
Creak.
As a man of sturdy build stepped inside, Cheon So-hyun greeted him with proper courtesy.
“I’m the guest here, yet you ask permission—how embarrassing. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. Third Prince, you seem to have been quite busy yourself.”
Chief Military Commander Sa Ma-hyuk’s eyes gleamed with fierce intensity.

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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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