Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 130

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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 130
Half a day had passed since Cheon Hui’s followers began tailing him down the mountain path.
They had been tracking him in silence.
“Though…….”
Hwangbo So Hyeon glanced sidelong at Cheon Hui’s back as she whispered softly to those around her.
“Who in heaven is this man?”
His identity gnawed at her relentlessly.
Barely past his early twenties in appearance, yet possessing overwhelming martial prowess.
Such individuals hardly walked the Kangho like ordinary folk.
If one were to count them, there were perhaps only three names rising to prominence in Kangho at present.
Ok Ki Rin, the senior disciple of the Mudang Sect.
Heuk Ya Cha, the youngest disciple of the Sa Hyuk Ryeon master.
Cheon Ryong, the eldest son of the Je Gal Sega clan.
Hwangbo So Hyeon fixed her gaze upon Je Gal Seung Ho.
“It cannot be Cheon Ryong…….”
That left Ok Ki Rin and Heuk Ya Cha.
Yet judging by the merciless techniques displayed moments ago, it was certainly not Ok Ki Rin; and while Heuk Ya Cha seemed a possibility, that too felt uncertain.
Nothing fit cleanly.
“But having clashed with the Ilwol Moon, it hardly seems like Heuk Ya Cha either…….”
Hwangbo So Hyeon sank into contemplation.
“He could be a reclusive master or someone who has never involved himself in Kangho affairs until now.”
Je Gal Seung Ho, who had been listening quietly to her murmured doubts, spoke in an even tone.
It was the most plausible answer they had yet found.
How could they possibly know who he was?
And before that—where he came from.
They didn’t even know if he was a man of Zhongyuan or from beyond its borders.
‘Though there is one thing I am certain of.’
Despite the fog of uncertainty surrounding everything else, Je Gal Seung Ho held to one conviction.
He was none of those three.
“So he is a stranger to us, then.”
Hwangbo So Hyeon’s lips parted slightly, a hint of frustration crossing her features.
‘I wanted to know who he was…….’
There was something about him that captured her interest.
The skill to dispatch the entire Banwol Dang faction.
Combined with his cold indifference, yet enhanced by striking looks, he emanated a peculiar charm that was impossible to ignore.
Of course, she had been startled by his brutal interrogation methods, but at her young age, she could not quite shake the distraction that had begun to take root.
It was then that Yang Se Ryeong, who had been walking in silence, furrowed her brow and spoke.
“He walks at quite a slow pace.”
Her expression seemed displeased.
It was decidedly strange.
After an attack like that, they should have been moving as quickly as possible to put distance between themselves and danger, yet the young man ahead continued his leisurely stroll.
As if taking a casual walk through the countryside.
At her words, both Peng Cheol Wi and Je Gal Seung Ho’s expressions darkened and grew grave.
“When we’re already pressed for time, this unhurried pace makes no sense. Is there something happening in this area?”
“Or perhaps he has another agenda entirely.”
Though Je Gal Seung Ho spoke almost unconsciously, in truth he could not fathom the reason.
It was definitely strange behavior.
After being attacked, how could he afford such composure?
Normally, they should have crested the ridge long ago, yet they hadn’t even escaped the mountain range.
‘Though surely he’s not walking slowly on purpose……!’
In that instant, lightning split through his thoughts.
Je Gal Seung Ho, struck by an absurd realization, stared at Cheon Hui’s back with widened eyes, his trembling lips parting with difficulty.
“C-could it be that what he’s aiming for is…….”
At the sight of him seemingly grasping something, the followers reacted.
“Do you know something?”
“Do you have a suspicion?”
“You’ve figured something out?”
“I’m not certain, but…….”
Je Gal Seung Ho, his expression now taut with tension, was about to speak when—
“……!”
He closed his mouth at the sudden stare.
The youth ahead had been watching him.
“Still following along, I see.”
When they stiffened, Cheon Hui turned his gaze away again.
‘Doesn’t matter.’
And with that, he cut off his interest.
Whether they followed or not was irrelevant.
There were more pressing concerns at hand.
Then Cheon Hui’s footsteps halted.
“Already getting dark.”
The sun had already hidden itself, and the moon that replaced it now showed half its face through the clouds.
Beneath the soft, gentle moonlight.
“They were probably waiting for this moment.”
Cheon Hui’s eyes, lowering slowly from the sky to the earth below, gleamed with an eerie light.
Dozens of presences felt from a distance.
Like beasts that had found prey, they were slowly closing in.
Just as they drew near enough to strike.
Bang-bang-bang!
Throwing Blades poured down from all directions.
“Throwing Blades again? Isn’t this getting tiresome?”
Cheon Hui swept the incoming Blades away while enveloping the darkness, then unfurled the Shadow Flash technique.
……!
Those hidden in the darkness hurling Blades moved their heads, searching for Cheon Hui, who had suddenly vanished.
……?!
“Where did he go?”
“Right here.”
At the voice that suddenly came from beside them, the assassins quickly flung the Throwing Blades they’d kept hidden in their sleeves toward that direction.
Whoosh!
The Blades buried themselves in darkness as they flew.
Subtle and ingenious Blade technique.
Yet.
Snap.
The Throwing Blades they’d released were caught between the fingers of Cheon Hui, who had materialized beside them.
Cheon Hui tossed the Blades lightly upward, then caught them in his palm.
And then he infused them with Internal Force.
Whoom!
The Flying Blade sang out, crackling with lightning.
The assassins, startled by the ominous transformation of the Flying Blade, began to unfurl their Lightness Skill to widen the distance, but.
“I’ll return them, so catch them well.”
Cheon Hui threw the Flying Blade as he spoke.
Rumble!
In an instant, a faint thunderclap sounded, and five bolts of lightning flashed through the darkness.
The thunder released in the shadows shot forward at a terrifying speed, engulfing them, and.
Crack! Crack!
Five clean, sharp sounds burst forth.
The moment large holes opened in the assassins’ foreheads, the stench of burning flesh shuddered through the air.
“Among Flying Blade techniques, that’s not bad at all.”
Cheon Hui flicked his fingers and turned his gaze toward where the Flying Blade had been released.
The Flying Blade technique he had just deployed.
The Flying Thunder Blade not only pierced through the foreheads of the five who had thrown the Blades but even bored through a tree before finally losing power and dropping to the ground.
“Let’s see. The remaining ones are…….”
He rapidly expanded his Qi Sensing.
In an instant, his Qi Sensing, which now commanded a radius of fifteen paces, caught the presence of those lying in ambush with bated breath.
“There.”
Cheon Hui’s figure vanished.
The Heavenly Walking Step made his body lighter than air itself, allowing him to close vast distances in a single breath.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Gahhk!”
Screams rang out sharply through the night.
His hands and feet moving in dizzying patterns, Cheon Hui bore down upon the assassins he had discovered.
Saber techniques, blade forms, palm strikes, and countless others.
An array of martial arts unfurled, claiming their lives one by one.
“…!”
“Such martial arts….”
The rear-guard troops who had thrown up a defensive formation against the sudden assault stood slack-jawed.
In the span of a few blinks.
During that brief moment, Cheon Hui was displaying astonishing skill.
And that was merely the beginning.
He was toying with them overwhelmingly.
What this meant was that the gap in martial prowess between him and these assailants was immeasurable.
“How did he take down three with a single strike….”
“Is that even real martial prowess?!”
“He must be at the Extreme Martial Realm at minimum….”
The rear-guard troops could not suppress their shock.
They had known he was strong, but witnessing it firsthand was entirely different.
“….”
In particular, Peng Cheol Wi, the only one who could properly observe Cheon Hui’s rampaging martial prowess, clenched his teeth with an anguished expression.
‘Heaven Beyond Heaven… is that what this is?’
An indescribable emotion churned within him.
His chest grew tight and suffocating.
It was the bitter sting of defeat.
‘Cheol Wi. The world is vast, yet how have you been content with your reputation as Do Ryong?’
He squeezed his eyes shut, gripping the Great Saber in his hand firmly. Then, moments later, he snapped his eyes open and let out a fierce shout.
“Argh! Come at me all together!”
As though venting his frustration, he hurled himself at the charging assailants and ignited his internal force.
“Lord Peng?”
Mo Yong Sang watched Peng Cheol Wi suddenly cry out like a beast and felt bewildered.
‘He won’t be able to endure unless he lets it out.’
Je Gal Seung Ho understood his state of mind.
Inferiority and defeat.
Weren’t these emotions he himself had experienced countless times watching his brothers in the past?
‘Shaking it off will cost him dearly.’
A pang of sympathy stirred in him.
His life had been smooth sailing until he earned the name Do Ryong, so this upheaval must be hitting him even harder than it had struck Je Gal Seung Ho himself.
“Watch out for ambushes and throwing blades.”
Je Gal Seung Ho spoke, uncertain whether Peng Cheol Wi had heard, and steadied his breath.
‘Peng Cheol Wi is his own concern.’
He was in no position to worry about others.
For now, his own life mattered most.
‘I must protect my own life. That man is handling the assailants, but he’s no savior for us.’
Though they had been together for barely a day, Je Gal Seung Ho had already grasped the young man’s nature.
Only I Am Honored.
That phrase fit him perfectly.
‘I just need to survive the ambushes.’
Standing at the threshold between life and death seemed to sharpen his mind like never before.
Soon, as he drew a Fan Blade from his sleeve and began slowly drawing up his internal force.
“Ugh!”
Peng Cheol Wi clutched at his waist.
“…Vicious!”
He ground out the words.
These opponents were relentless.
Not only did they block his routes with throwing blades and flying blades, but their sporadic ambushes targeting every opening were far too cunning to defend against.
Then it happened.
“Cough!”
Peng Cheol Wi turned his head in alarm to find Mo Yong Sang spitting blood from his mouth.
He appeared to have sustained an internal injury, unable to withstand the relentless assault.
“Lord Mo?!”
“…!”
Just as Hwangbo So Hyeon and Yang Se Ryeong, who had been helping construct the defensive formation beside him, flinched at the sight.
“I will hold back their attacks. The two of you, please tend to his wounds.”
Peng Cheol Wi bit his lip.
“Are you sure you’re all right on your own?”
Hwangbo So Hyeon pressed close to his side.
During the ambush, it was none other than Peng Cheol Wi who had shielded her without cease.
She asked him with worried eyes.
He was in terrible shape.
Unable to deflect all the throwing blades in time, several were embedded in his forearm, and his once-immaculate Martial Robe was soaked dark with blood.
“This much is nothing.”
“But you’re already wounded——”
“I’m fine. Ugh!”
Peng Cheol Wi clenched his teeth.
It had been his own mistake.
He could have evaded the throwing blades, but startled by the shock of Cheon Hui’s Martial Arts, he had chosen to meet the attack head-on and exposed his weakness.
These wounds were the result.
“This is my mistake.”
Peng Cheol Wi met Hwangbo So Hyeon’s gaze and spoke in a low voice.
“If I should fall here, go straight to him at once.”
“But what will you do——”
“Abandon me.”
“How could I just leave you?”
“I don’t want to be an anchor around your ankle.”
Faced with Peng Cheol Wi’s resolute words, Hwangbo So Hyeon could only nod in agreement.
“All right! If you live through this, I swear I’ll avenge you.”
“That’s enough.”
Peng Cheol Wi smiled with satisfaction and exhaled his ragged breath very slowly.
Then his eyes snapped open.
“Now step back.”
“…Yes.”
At Peng Cheol Wi’s request, Hwangbo So Hyeon bit her lip and widened the distance between them.
Then she moved closer to Yang Se Ryeong.
Whoosh!
Peng Cheol Wi drew up his Internal Force.
A torrent of energy flowed through his body, slowly coiling around his entire frame.
The family martial art of the Haebok Peng Clan.
The Inner Force of the Qian Kun Mi Xu Shen Gong, as if perceiving his will, wrapped around him calmly rather than ferociously, and began to saturate his being.
But in his concentration on gathering his Internal Force, a gap appeared.
Crack!
Not missing the opening, five disciples of the Ilwol Moon materialized silently and thrust their swords at Peng Cheol Wi’s back.
“Not so fast!”
Peng Cheol Wi’s eyes widened at that moment.
He pivoted on his left foot and twisted his waist.
The Ilwol Moon disciples’ eyes widened at the tremendous speed that belied his build.
Then Peng Cheol Wi’s saber flashed with light.
Whoosh!
The startled disciples hurriedly withdrew their blades and dodged, their movements panicked.
They had sensed something ominous in his saber.
Yet the blade moved faster still, cleaving through them.
A cruel, wet sound of flesh being sliced, followed by short screams.
Peng Cheol Wi looked at the fallen men, and his brow twitched.
A trickle ran down.
Blood flowed from his mouth in that instant.
The same dark, murky black blood that had poured from Mo Yong Sang just moments before.
Peng Cheol Wi wiped the blood away with his sleeve.
Then he cried out with force.
“Come! I am Peng Cheol Wi of the Peng Clan!”
The ringing shout reached Cheon Hui’s ears.
‘An interesting one, this.’
Calling out to his enemy while in such wretched condition.
It was tantamount to suicide, yet he remained unshaken as a mountain.
Instead, he displayed a remarkable Martial Prowess.
‘A match with Jeok Geom would be worth watching, actually.’
Seeing the Taoist techniques unfold against dozens of Ilwol Moon disciples gave him that thought.
Cheon Hui kept his eyes on Peng Cheol Wi, and the Ilwol Moon disciples who’d been locked in stalemate seized the moment, stamping the ground in unison.
The disciples deployed the Moon Shape Divine Step and closed the distance to Cheon Hui in a single breath.
Whoosh!
Seven blades suddenly erupted from their weapons.
Cheon Hui sidestepped with a subtle shift of his body, evading six of the blades, then caught the seventh bare-handed.
And pulled.
“Gasp!”
A man whose face had gone ashen with shock was dragged forward in one smooth motion.
In that instant, Cheon Hui’s hand moved.
With a sickening crack, the man’s head twisted in a direction nature never intended.
“I’m curious who this Ilwol Moon Master is.”
Now that’s an interesting fellow, isn’t he.
Whether or not he knew who the Ilwol Moon Master was, the disciples under his command kept hurling themselves at him with single-minded purpose—indifferent to whether their comrades lived or died.
It was happening even now.
“It’s not loyalty, that’s for sure.”
Cheon Hui smiled coldly.
There was one thing he could make out.
“It’s their Heart Technique doing this.”
He studied their eyes closely.
Their pupils were slightly dilated.
Like men addicted to opium, or those drunk on bloodlust and running wild.
‘Fascinating Heart Technique they’ve crafted.’
Cheon Hui hurled the corpse aside.
It flew straight into the path of an incoming saber strike and was impaled.
“You bastard!”
“Using a corpse as a shield?!”
The disciples who’d been glaring savagely at Cheon Hui launched their assault.
Cheon Hui watched them and smiled faintly.
“Expecting mercy from an enemy?”
“You—you! Cruel devil!”
“I’ll tear your limbs to shreds!”
At their words, Cheon Hui smiled faintly again.
“What’s the difference? You’re no better.”

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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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