Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 81

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 81
One of the Four Great Demon Families, the Howeol Demon Family.
In the Training Ground, separated from the main residence, senior members gathered in heated debate over martial arts.
“You do understand the forms correctly, don’t you? The Divine Wind Blade Method advocates strength, yet is fundamentally rooted in speed. How can you call it sluggish?”
“If it’s rooted in speed yet leaves its tail exposed, then it is sluggish. When transitioning to the second form, doesn’t your left shoulder open significantly? Any master would certainly exploit that gap, and it would be utterly defeated.”
At this sharp criticism, Elder Hyung Gang, who wore a long white beard, stiffened.
He was a Taoist who had cultivated the Divine Wind Blade Method for over a decade.
When his martial art’s flaws were pointed out, his emotions stirred for a moment, but he soon composed himself and steadied his breathing.
“The flaw you’ve identified is an intentional trap I’ve laid. Those who carelessly exploit it will fall into the snare, and any master perceptive enough to see through it will certainly guard against the next false opening. Even a simple form contains ten thousand intentions.”
“Even so, it remains the same. Regardless of the intent….”
Just as the rebuttal was about to continue.
“That will suffice. I’ve heard enough.”
A young master seated in the center spoke. As he waved his hand dismissively, the overheated atmosphere instantly subsided.
“Yes.”
The elders’ gazes fixed upon him all at once. An air of gravity, incongruous with his youth, enveloped his entire being.
The debate conducted with martial techniques deactivated was ultimately to find a suitable martial art for him. Anticipation gleamed in the elders’ eyes.
“Does the Divine Wind Blade Method suit your preferences?”
The young master spoke slowly.
“I understand that the depth of that school is considerable. However, it falls short nonetheless. Swift as it may be, the weakness in its fundamental power is an undeniable flaw, is it not?”
Hyung Gang could offer no rebuttal.
“Regarding the gaps in the forms as intentional traps borders on sophistry. Since the arrangement of the movements is clearly awkward, any deficiency can be concealed for now, but once you delve deeper seeking harmony, it will become a glaring flaw.”
It was a truly incisive observation—the very limitation Hyung Gang had personally experienced through years of refining the Divine Wind Blade Method.
Of course, Hyung Gang possessed both the mental cultivation and footwork techniques for supplementation, and had intended to transmit all of it, but he could not deny the truth of that assessment—that one must take a roundabout path.
‘As expected, this person….’
At that sharp insight, Hyung Gang found himself involuntarily clicking his tongue.
“Then I shall search for another method. Crown Prince.”
Crown Prince Cheon Yu-ryong nodded.
He was the first among the five Young Masters of the Divine Sect and was regarded as the most talented in martial prowess among the potential successors.
His distinct features were flawless and elegant, and his unusually deep black eyes gleamed with a cool light.
“There is still a long road ahead, yet I find myself obstructed in an unexpected place. Has Elder Hyung Baek sent no word?”
Another Elder spoke cautiously.
“I conveyed the request, but he shows no intention of returning. My apologies.”
“Then we must find another path. Are there not still two of the Three Great Taoists remaining?”
At that quiet question, all the elders fell silent.
The Howeol Demon Family was founded by scholars who once studied martial arts, and through generations of managing the Demonic Path Archive, they had accumulated knowledge and experience to establish an unparalleled position.
Despite possessing numerous martial arts and rare secret techniques, the Crown Prince’s gaze always looked beyond them.
With his innate talent, he had thoroughly excavated the family’s teachings, and was in the process of creating his own secret technique by gathering martial arts and formulas that could serve as foundations.
Currently, his aspirations turned toward the Taoist path, yet it was extremely difficult for the family to satisfy that thirst.
This was because the Howeol Demon Family was fundamentally a sword family.
Through the process of exchanging the Crown Prince’s growing questions, insights, and martial discourse, they encountered numerous obstacles, and ultimately had no choice but to seek Taoists from outside.
Of course, his path was hardly smooth either.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince… if I may be so bold, the Divine Sect’s three great Blade Masters consist of Hyung Baek Elder and Do Je, who serve in the Military Council, and Geum Sang, known as the Platinum Blood Blade.”
Cheon Yu-ryong’s gaze turned toward him.
“Do Je, regardless of his inclinations, independently cultivated his own techniques, so recruiting him would be futile. And Geum Sang, as you know, is a Blade Master of the Baekgeum Family, so bringing him into the fold would be…”
“You speak in peculiar terms.”
Cheon Yu-ryong cut him off with a sharp tone.
“Did I ask for your reasoning?”
An intense gaze pierced through the Elder’s entire being—a cold, cutting look that brooked no dissent.
Though he was less than half the Elder’s age, the presence he emanated was distinctly formidable.
The attendants often felt the illusion of standing before the Cult Leader himself, for in both appearance and in the commanding aura that bent others to his will, he was the very image of the Cult Leader from thirty years past.
“…My apologies. I shall find a way forward.”
The door creaked open.
At that moment, the Messenger of the Cheon Family entered the Training Ground. The Elders regarded him with puzzled expressions.
“What is this commotion?”
“It is… the Second Prince has arrived at the Main Family Residence.”
Hyung Gang’s brow furrowed.
“The Second Prince?”
“Yes, he wishes to speak with the Crown Prince.”
In that instant, something flickered in Cheon Yu-ryong’s eyes.
* * *
A young man with snow-white hair tied back muttered with displeasure.
“Tch, these tactless fools. I brought several bottles of fine liquor, and the best they can offer is the Training Ground?”
Ornate jewelry hung in abundance from his ears, wrists, and nape—each piece distinct in shape and luster, gleaming as if to proclaim its own significance, yet creating no sense of discord.
The young man’s presence was so commanding that it overshadowed everything else.
“Did they perhaps forget who was coming?”
It was Cheon Se-hui, the Second Prince of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The Servant could not meet his piercing gaze and bowed his head.
“The Crown Prince awaits you. We shall safeguard the liquor.”
Cheon Se-hui shook his head dismissively.
“Dull. How dull.”
Moments later, Cheon Se-hui pushed open the Training Ground door and entered. Gazing upon the Crown Prince seated in meditation, he drew his lips into a slanted smile.
“Sitting there like a stone monument—what are you doing? Have you been well all this time?”
“Se-hui.”
Cheon Yu-ryong turned his head to regard him. The two exchanged a brief glance, each taking the measure of the other.
“Your hair has turned completely white. Have you made progress in your endeavors?”
Cheon Se-hui laughed softly.
“Progress? Nothing of the sort. I suffered greatly from learning a martial technique incorrectly. One must maintain vigilance with every step, yet I lowered my guard far too easily.”
Cheon Se-hui glanced around the surroundings before scrutinizing the Crown Prince’s entire form.
“I hear you’ve been in seclusion recently. Have you made any headway?”
“I am still searching. It is quite a distant path… but what brings you to seek me out?”
At the low-toned question, Cheon Se-hui’s smile deepened.
“Why don’t we gather and discuss how to strengthen the Sect? Yet the Sect remains quiet—has something changed?”
“Are you speaking of the Third?”
Cheon Se-hui nodded.
“Whether it’s Ma Gun or whatever organization he’s built, I hear White Lotus capital is flowing into it. Have you heard anything?”
Cheon Yu-ryong wiped the sweat from his brow and answered casually.
“I’ve heard. Isn’t it the Five Moon Alliance?”
“Precisely. Supporting it in secret despite inevitable backlash means he’s aiming for something greater. Conversely, it suggests the Third’s talents are sharp enough to warrant vigilance from those close by.”
Cheon Yu-ryong gazed at him as if inviting him to continue. At that indifferent stare, Cheon Se-hui began pacing the Training Ground with his hands clasped behind his back.
“But that’s not what truly troubles me. Since returning from the Cult Leader’s Hall, I hear he’s preparing for expulsion from the Sect.”
“Expulsion?”
“The intelligence comes from Hyun Yu Won, so there’s no room for doubt. Such a matter would certainly interest the Cult Leader. Since the extent of that possibility is difficult to gauge, I’ve come to seek your counsel.”
Cheon Yu-ryong let out a short laugh.
“Unusually verbose. While I’m glad for this reunion after so long, I haven’t the leisure for lengthy conversation. State your purpose plainly.”
“Always so cold. Can brothers not show warmth toward each other?”
“So, your purpose?”
Cheon Se-hui crossed the Training Ground and sat across from him.
“Let us join as well—the Five Moon Alliance.”
At this unexpected proposal, Cheon Yu-ryong’s brow furrowed deeply.
“…What?”
“The pressure from below grows increasingly irksome. Even the Fourth, who once couldn’t manage himself, has recently found his footing. While cooperation between families may be difficult, surely crushing the seedling together wouldn’t be beyond us?”
Cheon Se-hui’s eyes gleamed with sharp intensity. Those eyes, like a blade honed by a master craftsman, remained fixed, unwilling to miss a single reaction from Cheon Yu-ryong.
“After all, succession struggles only gain meaning once only two remain, do they not?”
Cheon Yu-ryong’s lips curved upward slightly.
“A foolish notion. What difference does it make—two or five?”
The outcome was already determined. Boundless confidence filled the Training Ground in his measured tone.
“One must focus on perfecting oneself, not on external noise. The Cheon Family’s duty is to prove through steadfast martial prowess that we ourselves are Heaven. Do you or the Third have the luxury to turn your gaze elsewhere?”
Cheon Se-hui swallowed his laughter inwardly.
‘Exactly as expected.’
The Baekgeum Family, to which Cheon Se-hui belonged, was the Divine Sect’s foremost merchant house, having operated trading enterprises since ancient times. Giving the least while gaining the most was both their philosophy and instinct.
Even now, knowing this was a crucial moment, he had been probing and observing his counterpart—a trait born of such temperament.
“Then, shall we have a more constructive conversation? I hear the Hoyeol Family has summoned the Silver Scale Tyrant Blade. Is that true?”
“You’re well-informed about Sect matters. You don’t even seem inclined to hide it.”
“Unlike your noble scholars, we merchants gather intelligence naturally.”
Cheon Yu-ryong’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you driving at?”
“Hyung Baek, being one who swore to become the Sect’s blade, would naturally refuse. Aren’t you seeking an alternative?”
Cheon Yu-ryong fell silent for a moment before asking.
“Are you offering to become that alternative?”
“Precisely. Petitioning the elders of the Main Family Residence is hardly difficult.”
Cheon Se-hui, studying his expression, wore a deep smile.
“Your appetite is starting to show, it seems.”
Cheon Yu-ryong regarded him in silence.
I stood at the threshold of a summit that had to be reached regardless of what sacrifices lay ahead. Because of this, the Five Moon Alliance was of little consequence.
The problem was that Cheon Se-hui had made the proposal.
Since Cheon Se-hui was the sort to smile vacuously while harboring murderous intent beneath, I had to discern his true motives precisely.
“This time, what you’re offering is greater. Such unusually generous goodwill must surely have its reasons. What is it you desire?”
“Nothing grand enough to call a purpose. I simply hoped we might study together as brothers, rubbing shoulders and sharing discourse on the martial arts.”
Cheon Yu-ryong’s gaze flickered with keen intensity.
“You were curious about what technique I’ve been cultivating?”
“Well, that among other things?”
Despite striking the mark, Cheon Se-hui maintained his composure.
The Crown Prince’s seclusion at the family estate and his repeated meditation had begun after his visit to the Cult Leader’s Hall. I had long harbored questions about what teachings he received there and what influence they wielded.
Cheon Yu-ryong answered the question without fanfare.
“When I entered the palace in the past, I exchanged techniques with the Cult Leader. I’ve been training by revisiting that experience.”
“…Techniques?”
“Yes. He wielded a blade forged from demonic energy. The sight I witnessed then became etched in my mind—a revelation so intense it overturned all my previous martial philosophy.”
The smile that had lingered at Cheon Se-hui’s lips vanished for the first time. His gaze swept slowly across every corner of the Training Ground.
Wherever his eyes fell, the various weapons arrayed there bore the marks of hands and the unmistakable traces of rigorous training.
“So you’re mastering all of those weapons?”
“Precisely. To become proficient with all eighteen weapons of the Realm. I am convinced that beyond lies a formless realm.”
Cheon Se-hui detected sincerity in his tone.
These countless weapons were no mere decoration. A sudden instinct struck me—that whatever weapon Cheon Yu-ryong seized, it would prove formidable beyond measure.
‘So he’s conquered roughly half of them…. Troublesome indeed.’
I felt I had arrived at an opportune moment. By watching and probing from his side, I could find the cracks to exploit.
“You’ve chosen quite a demanding path. In any case, can I consider us to be in the same boat now?”
A faint, sardonic smile spread across Cheon Yu-ryong’s lips as he regarded him.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————