Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 101

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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 101
“Wow! Huashan Sect!”
“I’m going to become a disciple of the Huashan Sect!”
The rumor that the Huashan Sect would open its gates to recruitment had spread only two days ago, yet already a long queue stretched up the mountain.
The faces and eyes of the countless boys and girls climbing the mountain path shone with undisguised anticipation.
But not all shared the same sentiment.
“Ugh, I don’t want to be a Taoist priest.”
“Stop your whining and hurry up!”
A few seemed to have been dragged here against their will, their discontent plain to see.
Creak—
Then the Mountain Gate of Huashan swung open, and an old Taoist priest emerged.
It was Hyeon Sang, the Sect Master of the Huashan Sect.
“Who is that Taoist priest…?”
“Who is he? An elder?”
But most of the crowd could not identify the Sect Master.
That was only natural.
The Sect Master had rarely stepped into the Kangho directly, and most of the reputation the Huashan Sect had built recently belonged to Hyeon Do—
that is, the Divine Sword of Huashan.
While people recognized the Divine Sword’s appearance, few yet knew the Sect Master well.
The Sect Master might have felt disappointment at not being recognized.
‘How splendid.’
Not the slightest sign of it showed.
Or rather, he was too elated at this moment to entertain disappointment.
The mere sight of all these people gathered to join the Huashan Sect filled him with joy.
‘I never thought it would be revived in my generation…’
Emotion welled up within him.
‘Now I can face my ancestors.’
In truth, though he did not show it outwardly, he had long tormented himself.
The weight of guilt for the Huashan Sect’s decline was so heavy that nightmares plagued his sleep each night.
‘But now…’
The Sect Master’s gaze swept across the mountain.
What did he see?
Countless multitudes!
People from every corner of All Under Heaven had come seeking to become disciples of the Huashan Sect.
Just as his elation peaked—
‘No. This is not the time for contentment.’
He deliberately composed himself.
This was not yet the moment to celebrate.
‘Now the true work begins.’
The Sect Master, regaining his focus, channeled the Jaha Divine Art through his Cloud Movement and brought his palms together in respect.
“Infinite Buddha.”
In that instant, a majestic wave of power infused with the Jaha Divine Art’s inner force swept over them all.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, a soft twilight glow emanating from the Sect Master spread outward, dyeing the Mountain Gate, Huashan itself, and even the sky.
“Ahh.”
“…!”
Every person in the crowd stood transfixed.
When had they ever witnessed such a sight?
The heavens themselves transforming before their eyes!
“He is… an immortal!”
“I’ve heard that only immortals dwell on Huashan.”
As this spectacle burned itself deeper into every watching eye than anything else could—
‘Watch carefully.’
The Sect Master, who had conjured this vision, swept his gaze across the crowd, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Everything about this moment had been planned.
The display of the Jaha Divine Art, the Lion’s Roar released—the usually modest Sect Master had unleashed them deliberately for this spectacle.
It was to demonstrate his martial prowess while simultaneously issuing a warning to those lurking among the crowd.
Those who belonged to the Nine Factions and One Gang.
Or surely, there were those sent from the Eight Great Families and the Bi Cheon Society mixed in as well.
‘From this moment forward, this sect is no longer a place to be trifled with.’
The Sect Master turned slowly.
“I am grateful for your long journey to support Huashan Sect. This humble Daoist is called Hyeon Sang, Sect Master of Huashan.”
The crowd stirred.
“Gasp! The Sect Master!”
“Is… is that the Sect Master of Huashan?”
The appearance of the Huashan Sect Master, of whom there was scarcely any rumor, filled the air with tension.
The Sect Master surveyed the now-quiet surroundings and nodded.
‘At last, the day has come.’
A warm smile spread across his lips.
He then turned to the Daoists guarding the Mountain Gate and spoke in a low voice.
“Is everything prepared?”
“Infinite Buddha. All is ready, Sect Master.”
The Daoist answered respectfully.
“Excellent.”
The Sect Master raised his hand lightly.
A roar erupted from the crowd!
A simple gesture, yet the ripple it created set all of Huashan ablaze with fervor.
Watching them cheer, the Sect Master felt his chest swell with emotion.
A sight he had dreamed of his entire life.
It began now.
‘From this day forward, Huashan shall rise.’
Eyes gleaming with light, the Sect Master unleashed the Lion’s Roar toward the crowd.
“I hereby open the Mountain Gate.”
After the Sect Master’s welcoming address ended, boys and girls gathered together on the Training Grounds prepared at the Mountain Gate.
“Who might come?”
“Could it be the Maehwa Sword Masters?”
The young children, their cheeks still full and round, bounced on their feet with anticipation, waiting with flushed faces for but a moment.
Footstep after footstep—
Two young Daoists entered.
The two Daoists, Cheon Hui and Jeok Geom, draped in contrasting black and white Sect Robes, looked down at the children staring up at them with wide, unblinking eyes.
Cheon Hui’s brow furrowed.
“Why are there only children here?”
“Ha, haha.”
Jeok Geom laughed awkwardly.
“It… was the Sect Master’s order.”
Ah, he’s really going all out with this recruitment.
There were many others besides himself who selected disciples for Sect Recruitment.
But judging by their ages, the children gathered here were no more than fourteen.
It was clear that the Sect Master intended to find talented youths who would bear responsibility for Huashan in the future.
“Once we’re done here, I can leave, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Fine.”
Cheon Hui stood before the foremost boy.
“Your name?”
“Jo, Jo Ung, sir.”
“What martial arts have you learned?”
“None!”
“Is that so? Then hold out your right hand.”
“Here it is!”
After feeling the boy’s pulse as he extended his hand with a tense expression, Cheon Hui spoke.
“Your aptitude is ordinary. But if you master the Taoist Method, you will flourish greatly.”
“Ah, I understand.”
As soon as Cheon Hui named the martial arts suited to his nature and his aptitude, Jeok Geom, who had been following behind, swiftly moved his brush.
“Did you write it all down?”
“Yes!”
After confirming that Jeok Geom had written everything, Cheon Hui waved his hand dismissively.
“You can go now.”
“Yes, yes!”
As the boy scurried off, Cheon Hui turned to a girl standing behind and opened his mouth.
“Your name?”
“I… I….”
The process repeated itself again and again.
Once Cheon Hui confirmed that all the dozens of children had vanished, he spoke up.
“That’s everyone, then?”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
Jeok Geom wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with his sleeve and scanned the roster.
“Well, among the children we assessed today, these two stood out as exceptional.”
As Jeok Geom reviewed the densely written names, aptitudes, and potential of the two standout children,
“Cheon Hui!”
A sharp cry came from outside.
What? That voice…
The moment Cheon Hui turned toward the familiar sound, he spotted a woman he recognized running toward him from a distance.
“Dan Mok Rin?”
What was she doing here?
He watched the unexpected arrival approach.
“Who is that, sir?”
Jeok Geom asked from beside him.
“Someone I saw briefly before.”
“I see.”
Jeok Geom scratched his head.
For someone he’d only seen in passing, the expression on the woman’s face seemed remarkably bright.
‘My master will handle it however he sees fit.’
By then, Dan Mok Rin had already reached Cheon Hui’s side and caught her breath.
Then she looked up at Cheon Hui and spoke.
“Cheon Hui, it’s been so long.”
“It certainly has.”
Unlike her, who greeted him with a bright smile, Cheon Hui looked indifferent.
“I heard that the Huashan Sect’s Mountain Gate was opening today, so I came to see you.”
“Is that so?”
Cheon Hui didn’t ask further.
He simply accepted it as it was.
‘She’s completely recovered, though.’
Though Dan Mok Rin was still small in stature, she had shed most of her girlish features.
“You’re in perfect health now.”
“Yes! It’s all thanks to you, Cheon Hui.”
The moment she spoke with a radiant smile, Jeok Geom’s face, who had been quietly observing the two, turned crimson.
‘Such beauty….’
With her damp hair clinging to her cheek and a flustered expression, she was captivating enough to shake the carelessness of someone who had dwelt only in the Huashan Sect for so long.
“Master, who is this young lady…?”
At Jeok Geom’s careful question, Dan Mok Rin smiled softly and clasped her fist in salute.
“Ah! My name is Rin.”
“Namo Amitabha. I am Jeok Geom.”
“Ah! So you’re Jeok Geom!”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
Jeok Geom’s voice brightened with enthusiasm.
“You’re quite impressive.”
At the compliment, Jeok Geom’s eyes widened and he gazed at her dazedly.
This was an entirely new experience for him.
Of course, he had seen beautiful women before.
Seol Ran and the Princess of Sohui were both beauties counted among the finest he’d ever laid eyes on.
But Dan Mok Rin was different somehow.
Just looking at her made his reason seem to melt away and blur.
‘Tch. He can’t even resist that.’
Cheon Hui regarded the dazed Jeok Geom with disdain.
‘If he encountered even a master of charm, he’d be completely bewitched.’
The reason Jeok Geom continued to lose his wits was simple enough.
While she was indeed beautiful, Dan Mok Rin was something different from others at this moment.
Perhaps because she had overcome her Taiyin Qi Deficiency Condition.
An immeasurable, powerful Yin Qi saturated her body, and one could not help but be drawn to such an aura.
Especially for a youth with hot blood like Jeok Geom, it would have been no wonder if his eyes had flipped backward the moment he saw her.
At that moment, Dan Mok Rin approached him.
“Silver Master. I’ve come to honor our promise.”
Watching her speak with shy hesitation, Cheon Hui’s mind raced.
‘A promise? Ah, that one!’
He recalled the bargain they’d struck.
That she would give him everything.
“I don’t need it right now, though.”
“No!”
Dan Mok Rin shook her head firmly.
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“I’ve already taken care of everything.”
Everything? Taken care of what?
He was puzzled.
All he’d asked of her was that the Danmok Clan help when danger arose.
Just that much.
But that confusion dissolved the moment she opened her mouth.
“I’m going to become a disciple of Huashan Sect and help you from right beside you!”
* * *
“This girl bows before the Sect Master.”
“This girl respectfully greets the Sect Master of Huashan Sect.”
“Infinite Buddha.”
The Sect Master watched Dan Mok Rin’s composed greeting and Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop, feeling perplexed.
‘Hmm, the renowned Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop of the Danmok Clan and his youngest daughter, no less.’
The Danmok Clan was one of the pillars of the Eight Great Families and stood in opposition to Huashan Sect.
Contact between them had long since ceased, yet here they were, visiting his sect.
‘No, it’s more than just a visit.’
“…Does the young lady wish to become a disciple of our sect?”
“Yes.”
Dan Mok Rin smiled brightly.
Seeing her innocent, radiant smile, the Sect Master felt his head beginning to throb.
‘Complicated. Very complicated.’
Who could have imagined it?
That the precious youngest daughter of the Danmok Clan would come seeking to become a disciple of Huashan Sect.
“Do you understand the relationship between our sect and your family?”
“No. I understand it well.”
“And yet you still wish to become a disciple of our sect?”
“Yes.”
Dan Mok Rin answered with firm resolve, her voice crisp and clear.
The Sect Master’s head pounded.
“But if you were to enter our sect, how would the Danmok Clan ever…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Dan Mok Rin cut him off, then added something shocking.
“I’ve already severed my ties with the clan.”
“Severed your ties…?”
Unable to believe such words, the Sect Master stared at Dan Mok Rin in a daze, then turned his gaze to Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop, who wore a wry smile.
“Is what she says true?”
“It is.”
Hearing Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop’s confirmation, the Sect Master felt his mind growing even more tangled.
“So you severed ties with your family in order to become a disciple of our sect?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
The Sect Master pressed his fingers to his forehead.
A child of one of the Eight Great Families severing family ties to enter Huashan Sect?
No matter how much authority he wielded as the Sect Master, such a thing was difficult to comprehend.
“What possible reason could drive you to go to such lengths to join our sect?”
“That’s…”
She faltered, her cheeks flushing crimson, then whispered softly, fidgeting with her fingers.
“To be near Cheon Hui.”
At the unexpected mention of Cheon Hui’s name, the Sect Master’s eyes widened.
“He’s my benefactor—the one who saved my life.”
Dan Mok Rin’s expression bloomed like a flower.
Simply speaking of Cheon Hui was enough to make her face brighten with joy.
“Ah, I see.”
The Sect Master watched as Dan Mok Rin’s cheeks flushed with shyness, then laughed helplessly.
‘Well, well. Cheon Hui’s charm has completely captivated the daughter of one of the Eight Great Families.’
It was a truly absurd reason.
Yet it made sense.
After all, this was Cheon Hui we were talking about.
Yes, with his talent and appearance, such a thing was entirely possible.
“Very well, I understand.”
He then turned his gaze to Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop.
“And so you wish to join our sect as well——”
“No, sir.”
Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop shook his head.
“I came only to escort her. I intend to depart shortly.”
“Is that so?”
The Sect Master felt relieved.
‘Coming from him, that’s credible enough.’
Had Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop also claimed to sever ties with the clan, matters would have grown complicated.
“Then I understand.”
The Sect Master rose from his seat.
“I will give this matter careful consideration and decide accordingly.”
Cheol Geom Ki Hyeop quickly stood as well, bowing deeply toward the Sect Master.
“Please look after her well.”
Dan Mok Rin pressed her palms together respectfully.
“I’m grateful for your consideration.”
The Sect Master smiled at the two of them.
“I’ll do my best.”
After his brief meeting with them concluded, the Sect Master immediately summoned the core members of Huashan Sect.
“Everyone has gathered.”
The Sect Master spoke, surveying those around him.
Despite the sudden summons, Yunzhong Tower was filled with numerous people.
“Have you all heard the matter?”
“You mean the daughter of the Danmok Clan?”
“Yes, we’ve heard.”
Word had already spread, and everyone responded at once.
“I wish to hear your thoughts.”
Before the Sect Master’s words even finished——
“I oppose it.”
The Wulian Pavilion Master spoke with a stern expression.
“Thanks to the recent efforts of Hyeon Do and Hyeon Jin, we’ve grown closer to the Murim Alliance. But if we accept the Danmok Clan’s daughter as a disciple, we’ll unravel the relationship we’ve barely restored.”
“That’s right.”
“She could even be a spy, couldn’t she?”
“We’ve only just opened the gates of Huashan Sect. We cannot afford such troublesome complications.”
Others added their own voices in support of his logical argument.
Huashan Sect was on the verge of ascendance.
And now they would invite disaster?
It was inviting calamity.
Yet not everyone shared that view——Hyeon Ryeo immediately countered.
“They are an Orthodox Sect. Those who care for their reputation would never be so foolish as to play spy so openly.”
At her rebuttal, those who had supported the Wulian Pavilion Master fell silent.
The Sect Master voiced his own opinion to the now-quiet assembly.
“I intend to accept her as a disciple.”
Those who opposed, including the Wulian Pavilion Master, stood up abruptly from their seats.
“But——”
“How can——”
The Sect Master spoke to them calmly.
“How can I, as a Taoist, refuse one who wishes to take refuge in our sect?”
“But surely that alone cannot justify——”
“Her talent is exceptional, indeed.”
Everyone flinched at once.
“Talent?”
“What do you mean by that, sir?”
“One day, the greatest female master of all under heaven will emerge from Huashan Sect.”
“……!”
The hall stirred violently, as though an earthquake had struck.
The statement was that extraordinary.
“Are you saying her talent rivals that of the Sword Queen?”
The Wulian Pavilion Master posed the question, and the Sect Master nodded silently in response.
“…….”
The eyes of the Wulian Pavilion Master and the opposition faction trembled at that gesture.
“Perhaps even beyond that…….”
The Sect Master’s lingering words struck Yunzhong Tower like a thunderbolt.
It was a shockingly audacious claim—one that left almost no one convinced.
“That’s absurd!”
“The Sword Queen was already a later period expert at that age—and she dominated Kangho.”
“We can verify it directly when the time comes, can we not?”
The Sect Master spoke with confidence.
―A talent unparalleled under heaven.
He had already heard of Dan Mok Rin’s talent from Cheon Hui himself.
‘Cheon Hui’s judgment is never wrong.’
The Sect Master spoke again.
“Is there anyone in opposition?”
Whoosh!
Hyeon Ryeo’s hand shot up.
When Hyeon Ryeo, who had supported the proposal until now, raised her hand, everyone’s expression turned bewildered.
“Weren’t you in favor?”
“Yes, I was.”
The Sect Master’s brow twitched.
“Then why did you raise your hand?”
“I wished to voice an opinion, so I raised my hand.”
“What is this opinion?”
“It seems improper to take a child with such talent as a third generation disciple.”
“Hmm, you make a fair point.”
The Sect Master stroked his beard.
Dan Mok Rin’s origins and talent were both too exceptional to receive as a third generation disciple.
“If she trains alongside the younger disciples here, they will suffer a grave blow to their spirits.”
Everyone understood her meaning.
When one encountered talent so far surpassing one’s own, most felt not envy but a hollow despair mixed with self-reproach.
Had not many in this hall experienced such feelings themselves at some point?
“Therefore, I wish to make a proposal.”
“Is there a way?”
As though she had been waiting for precisely those words, Hyeon Ryeo’s eyes brightened and her lips curved.
“I wish to take her as my direct disciple.”

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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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