Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 88

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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 88
Four days later.
“Guild Master, may I enter?”
“Come in.”
Yu Yang-deok watched as the Chief Administrator stepped into the office.
“Is the work finished?”
“We’re nearly at the final stage. Most of the goods brought from Gwi Jeong Bang have been disposed of, and the remaining items are of such fine quality that they should be cleared soon.”
“Hmm, quite swift.”
“When you’re dealing with rare items that people can’t find elsewhere, it naturally moves faster. I’ve made every effort to secure the most generous prices, as you instructed.”
“You’ve worked hard. Though it’s troublesome, I’d appreciate your continued efforts.”
“Of course. It’s all for your benefit, after all.”
The Chief Administrator’s expression was markedly different from when he’d left for Gwi Jeong Bang. The worry had vanished from his face, replaced by a bright vitality—and Yu Yang-deok felt the same.
“Indeed.”
Before stepping down from the carriage, Cheon So-hyun had made three requests.
The first was to keep their conversation confidential.
It seemed he hoped rumors about Shaolin wouldn’t spread—though such a request was unnecessary. He wouldn’t have revealed this information to anyone but Cheon So-hyun in the first place.
The second request was to dispose of Gwi Jeong Bang’s goods as quickly as possible.
It was a straightforward task. Upon returning to the merchant company, Yu Yang-deok had entrusted full authority to the Chief Administrator, and everything had proceeded smoothly—completion was now within sight.
Meanwhile, Yu Yang-deok had devoted all his attention to the final request.
“Yet the Namgung Family remains silent. And it’s the most critical matter.”
“Ha, Guild Master. Only four days have passed. That’s barely enough time to reach Anhui Province, let alone contact the Namgung Family.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right…”
“We’re hardly strangers to them, and with the generous gifts you’ve sent, a reply should come soon.”
Cheon So-hyun’s third request was to arrange a connection with the Namgung Family, a prestigious clan of the White Path.
-This martial arts journey is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I hear they’re quite proud people, and I’d like to see them, learn from them at least once.
-I see. However, as you know, our merchant company has severed most connections since we aligned ourselves with the Black Path…
-So you’re saying it’s possible? Or impossible?
-Hmm… it must be made possible.
There seemed to be some circumstance preventing Cheon So-hyun from leaving freely due to his sect’s restrictions.
‘Well, with such talent, it’s natural the sect would cherish him. Perhaps it’s because of his uninhibited nature…’
Yu Yang-deok cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing about.
‘Still, I hope to hear news soon.’
His eyes were filled with goodwill.
This wasn’t merely gratitude born from Cheon So-hyun destroying the Black Path and willingly providing the medicine he desperately sought.
Of course, that alone would have been cause enough for thanks, but Cheon So-hyun had gone further—he’d even dispelled the merchant company’s greatest concern.
-…The Young Guild Master’s condition seems more serious than I heard. How long has it been like this?
-Over half a year now. The child was always frail, but the illness has worsened so much that recently he’s conscious only on rare days.
-And that medicine helped?
-Yes. Despite inviting several physicians to seek solutions, nothing worked until now. But when I saw the blemishes on his skin fading, I couldn’t help but cling to hope.
-Interesting. I doubt those Black Path fools know much about medicine at all…
Cheon So-hyun withdrew the medicinal herbs from the pouch and examined them in silence for a long moment.
With a grave expression, he fingered the medicinal materials, then crushed one between his palms—and suddenly his eyes widened as he fixed an intense gaze upon Hyun-i.
-Why… why are you looking at me like that?
-Forgive me for asking so abruptly, but… would it be permissible for me to take your pulse?
It was an extraordinarily difficult request. The child’s condition was so critical that even the faintest infusion of external energy could prove fatal.
Yet as Yu Yang-deok hesitated, the physician’s next words struck him with fresh astonishment.
-I’m not entirely certain how to express this, but… your symptoms resemble an affliction I once suffered.
-What? What do you mean by that, sir?
-Purple spots like millet seeds erupting across the arms, gradually expanding in size—didn’t that occur? Before they became visible on the surface, the interior must have been in turmoil, causing excruciating pain as though your five organs and six viscera were burning away.
-…!
His words were precise.
They matched Hyun-i’s condition exactly.
Because no renowned physician had ever identified such symptoms, he had instead requested the pulse examination.
A miracle had occurred.
-…Father?
Hyun-i had regained consciousness, however briefly!
As the purple spots diminished and the shallow breathing became steady once more, Yu Yang-deok wept openly and repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude.
-Thank you! Truly, thank you!! Cheon So-hyun! How could I ever repay such a debt…
-No, please. Think of it merely as karmic virtue returning to you.
Though he would have gladly surrendered everything the merchant company possessed, Cheon So-hyun’s request was remarkably modest.
Simply to cease his weeping and to provide a quiet annex building.
For some reason, he bore an unmistakably displeased expression, though Yu Yang-deok attributed this to the physician’s distress at witnessing another suffer the very illness that had once tormented him.
“To forge a connection with one of such magnanimous character… truly, this is the fortune of heaven.”
Yu Yang-deok gazed out the window with a satisfied smile.
* * *
At that very moment.
Cheon So-hyun sat in lotus position, grinding his teeth.
‘This is absurd.’
Upon examining the Young Guild Master’s condition, I had reached one inescapable conclusion: no renowned physician or master of the martial arts in all the Realm could resolve this.
The condition was as precarious as a lamp before the wind—the critical moment for medical or martial intervention had long since passed.
And yet the Young Guild Master showed unmistakable signs of improvement.
“Should I call this fortunate, or has disaster truly struck…”
Whoooosh!
The miracle had occurred because I could draw out the turbid qi that had permeated the Young Guild Master’s meridians through the technique of Gung-hup-gwi-jin.
In truth, it was a method that should never be employed, regardless of its efficacy.
Accepting the turbid qi accumulated in a patient’s body was equivalent to consuming deadly poison.
Yet as I had anticipated, my meridians suffered no adverse effects whatsoever. The moment the absorbed turbid qi made contact with the Spiritless Qi, it submitted and flowed entirely into my Dantian.
‘Tsk.’
The implication was unmistakable: the source of the turbid qi originated from demonic energy born of dark cultivation.
Since I had recognized at a glance what technique had afflicted the Young Guild Master, there remained no room for doubt.
‘Corpse Spirit Poison Palm. It was definitely the Corpse Spirit Poison Palm.’
It was the demonic technique Yu Baek had wielded during the Turyong Tournament. I could be certain because I had even experienced being poisoned by it and subsequently detoxified.
In other words, the Yuhyeon Merchant Company had become entangled with demons who had fled beyond the sect’s borders.
“How messily tangled this has become.”
According to Dan Ju’s intelligence, Yong Gol was a member of an organization called the Dragon Night Room.
Furthermore, there was someone named Baek Yeon who periodically supplied spiritual elixirs to Yong Gol, and circumstantially, there was a strong possibility they were the demons who had fled beyond the sect’s borders.
The situation had grown complicated, but….
‘It doesn’t matter.’
This was not something I needed to resolve with my own hands.
Just as one uses barbarians to control barbarians, I could simply sweep up demons using demons.
By now, I had certainly grasped Ryu Jeong-hak’s nature.
A man who valued principles and logic, and who would not spare even his own life for the completion of a mission.
Such a man had made an error.
What had been in the Gwi Jeong Bang Hall was not the Gui Jeong Bang Master, but Yong Gol.
There had been an error in the information I had provided, yet Ryu Jeong-hak did not intervene.
He was confident that he could handle any variable that might arise on his own.
Whoooooosh!
‘Move swiftly, you demons.’
I had already confirmed through my energy perception that the guards frequently left their posts.
Since it appeared they were pursuing the Dragon Night Room’s movements to conclude the matter at Gwi Jeong Bang, I waited patiently for the right moment.
What mattered most right now was reaching Shaolin as quickly as possible!
And to shake off my guards, I needed to seize a moment when their vigilance loosened, however briefly.
* * *
The Dragon Night Room Hall.
“Please examine it. This is the elixir we refined this time.”
“Ah, quite a substantial amount.”
Gok Yo, the master of the Dragon Night Room, received the brown pouch and took a handful of pills to chew.
“The quality is quite impressive. The absorption speed, the potency itself… it’s hard to believe these are the same as before.”
“As expected, you discern it at a glance. This time, even more precious medicinal materials were used. Through repeated refinement, we’ve increased the absorption rate.”
Gok Yo smiled with satisfaction.
“Impressive indeed. At this level, there should be no difficulty in elevating my cultivation realm.”
“Haha, we are delighted to be of service to your advancement, Master.”
The merchant Eun Bo flattered him with an ingratiating smile, then glanced around and asked.
“But why is the Dragon Expert not present today?”
“You mean Yong Gol?”
Gok Yo answered indifferently.
“Recently he was boasting about raising funds, but then went silent. That fool was scheming independence anyway, so it’s likely he deliberately disappeared. I’ve sent subordinates out, so we should hear something soon….”
That was when it happened.
Craaaaaack!
Lightning flashed violently through the heavy downpour.
Thunder roared, and in that instant, the chamber flooded with light. Simultaneously, Gok Yo and Eun Bo’s breathing hitched to a stop.
“…!”
This was the Third Floor Secret Chamber of the Yong Ya Bang—a place where subordinates had been dismissed and security reinforced, making entry impossible for outsiders.
“Found it at last.”
Yet in the shadows, a middle-aged man was methodically reviewing documents.
Massive.
His frame was extraordinarily imposing.
Though his face remained obscured beneath a black hat, his broad shoulders, towering height, and physique as solid as stone commanded immediate attention.
His immaculate black martial robes evoked the armor of a general, and the jet-black greatsword strapped across his back emanated a sinister, ominous aura.
‘This… this is a master of terrifying caliber…!’
Most frightening of all was that even now, he exuded virtually no presence at all.
Gok Yo’s pupils trembled violently.
His heart plummeted. Since discovering the man, he hadn’t dared even the slightest movement.
“Suppress your aura. Maintain absolute silence.”
The man’s voice was as heavy and weighty as his imposing frame.
He continued scanning the documents rapidly as he spoke.
“Is this truly all the intelligence you’ve gathered on Baek Yeon?”
Contempt dripped from his tone—a scathing dismissal that they had managed to learn so little about a figure they intended to conduct business with.
At his arrogant reproach, Gok Yo’s jaw clenched in rage.
“Who do you think you—…!”
Shhhhiiiiing!
“…!”
Eun Bo, drained of all color, collapsed to the ground trembling uncontrollably.
The pitch-black greatsword flashed in an instant, piercing through Gok Yo’s chest and embedding itself deep into the wall behind him.
The Dragon Night Room Master’s pathetic end.
Amid the chaos erupting around him, Eun Bo could barely remain upright—yet the man granted him no such mercy.
“Bring it here.”
Toward the location the man indicated, Eun Bo moved as though entranced.
He could form no thoughts, make no decisions.
Only one certainty consumed his entire being.
Death.
Certain death.
‘Defy this man… and I die without question.’
It was as though he stood before the Grim Reaper himself. This was a monster more vicious than any master he had encountered in his lifetime.
Eun Bo struggled to wrench the greatsword free and carefully laid it before the man.
He bowed his trembling head in submission.
“Is there anything you wish to ask of me, sir?”
The middle-aged man continued scanning the documents, his voice utterly indifferent.
“Was that one the Dragon Night Room Master?”
A question posed despite already knowing the answer. Eun Bo poured forth every scrap of information he possessed.
“That’s correct. The proprietor is Gok Yo, an outsider from beyond the sect….”
The scale of the Dragon Night Room, how their intelligence network was constructed, how far their reach extended, what objectives they harbored—these questions consumed my thoughts.
As Eun Bo’s tongue moved to preserve his life, a sudden intuition struck him: Yong Gol’s silence must also be connected to this man.
“That… Yong Gol is the third son of the Black Serpent Sword Sect, regarded as a disgrace to the faction. Born of the Sword Saint’s bloodline yet unable to master even the most basic sword techniques, he was cast out. His pursuit of a position among the Nine Pillars is ultimately nothing more than an attempt to gain recognition from his father.”
Ryu Jeong-hak, the middle-aged man, gestured for him to continue speaking as he examined other documents.
When the account had concluded, his gaze turned toward Eun Bo.
“Now confess what you know of Baek Yeon, the organization you belong to.”
As Eun Bo hesitated on what to say, the great sword flashed once more.
Splurch!
“Ugh, gah…!!”
It was gone. As helplessly as a sand castle crumbling beneath a hammer’s blow, Eun Bo’s arm severed and fell away.
On the verge of screaming from the excruciating pain and shock, Eun Bo met Ryu Jeong-hak’s gaze and froze entirely.
“I thought you were a man with a desperate will to live, yet you waste effort on needless scheming.”
His eyes gleamed with chilling coldness.
“One final question. Where do you come from?”
* * *
Thunderous explosions erupted in succession from the Yong Ya Bang Hall.
The hall shook violently as if struck by an earthquake, and moments later, Ryu Jeong-hak emerged from within.
The area fell silent save for the patter of rain, as if the preceding chaos had never occurred.
Ryu Jeong-hak’s gaze turned beyond the mountain ridge.
“…So he heads northward. I must make haste.”

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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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