Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 131
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 131
Cheon Hui smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
Within the range of his aura perception—stretching more than fifty paces in every direction—he felt the presences of multiple enemies.
His eyes gleamed as he counted them.
Dozens of figures, holding their breath in ambush, drew closer with measured precision, like a net herding fish slowly together.
And the moment they entered striking distance—
Whoosh!
Those hidden in the brush, who had been waiting for their opening, finally moved.
As if all their preparations were at last complete.
“Now!”
Someone’s cry rang out.
Clatter-clatter!
Chains flew at him from all eight directions.
Like serpents darting through darkness, they moved with blinding speed, binding Cheon Hui in their coils.
“He’s caught!”
A shout erupted from somewhere.
“Now! Pull with everything you have!”
In an instant, the chains drew taut, stretched to their limits.
With Cheon Hui’s limbs immobilized, their eyes sharpened—and then, without hesitation—
Bang!
Those behind surged forward.
Sickles, fists, feet, swords, and blades.
As assailants wielding a mismatched array of weapons—none unified in design—rushed in—
“Interesting.”
Bound from head to toe in chains, Cheon Hui watched them with an expression of cold indifference.
Yet even that lasted only a moment.
Crack!
Cheon Hui yanked his hands free from between the taut chains, seized them, and then—
Heave!
He pulled with all his might.
“What—?!”
“What is this?!”
The instant the assailants felt the tremendous force transmitted through the chains they held—
Snap!
Like fish hooked on a line, they were yanked toward Cheon Hui.
“Get away!”
Those wielding weapons and those being dragged by the chains collided in a tangled mass.
“Ugh!”
As they crashed into one another, senseless from the impact—
Whip!
Cheon Hui twisted his arm to the side.
Their bodies spun through the air and crashed hard against the earth.
Crash-crash-boom!
The ground erupted, and the forest was torn to shreds as if caught in a tempest.
Grrr—
When the dust that had billowed up finally settled completely, the scene revealed before them was utterly transformed from moments before.
The once-verdant earth lay stripped and churned, and trees lay uprooted all around, their roots exposed.
And scattered throughout—
“Nngh… nngh…”
The assailants lay convulsing, coughing blood.
Only one figure remained standing.
Only Cheon Hui, still coiled in the chains.
“They’re tougher than I thought.”
Watching them writhe with faint groans, Cheon Hui tossed aside the now-slack chains.
Crack!
The chains, infused with Internal Force, fell upon those who had lost consciousness like a meteor.
Crack!
A sickening sound erupted.
Blood from the corpses—crushed and shattered beyond recognition—soaked the chains and the earth.
“That’s done.”
The moment Cheon Hui released the chain.
“Bleeegh—”
“U, ugh.”
The sound of retching filled the air.
Having witnessed the entire sequence of events, the Rear Guard Members could not suppress their nausea.
Retching was a mercy, compared to worse.
Hwangbo Sohyeon stood motionless, her complexion ashen, her spirit vacant.
After the Rear Guard Members had finished expelling the contents of their stomachs, they stared aghast at Cheon Hui, who remained utterly composed in the face of such carnage.
And among them, one man.
Je Gal Seung Ho’s eyebrows trembled.
“Y-yes, it seems my suspicion was correct.”
“Your suspicion?”
At his words, Yang Se Ryeong—the only one among the Rear Guard Members still in reasonable condition—pressed for clarification.
“That man walked slowly on purpose.”
“To wait for the Ilwol Moon to attack!”
At such an absurd claim, not only Yang Se Ryeong but also Paeng Chul Wi, who bore Internal Injuries, and Hwangbo Sohyeon, whose senses had abandoned her, all furrowed their brows.
“That… makes no sense.”
“Waiting for an attack? Does that even sound reasonable? The Ilwol Moon is one of the Five Emperors Sects—surely they wouldn’t….”
“Need to resort to such a thing?”
At their words, Je Gal Seung Ho pressed his upper lip tightly and widened his eyes.
“After witnessing such Martial Prowess, you still speak like that?”
“……….”
In that instant, everyone fell silent.
The proof was undeniable—he had completely overwhelmed the Ilwol Moon.
Then Hwangbo Sohyeon’s body trembled.
“Then… then does that mean this was a situation that man orchestrated?”
“…Yes, it must be.”
Hwangbo Sohyeon clutched her Martial Robe tightly.
“Then… is following that man truly the right choice?”
In her eyes, Cheon Hui no longer appeared human.
He was a monster without equal in all the world, an unseen malevolent spirit.
As she spoke in terror, trembling:
“H-hm… w-we… have no choice.”
Paeng Chul Wi answered at last.
His gasping breath came hard, his hand pressed to his chest, cold sweat streaming down his face.
“If… if that man had not been there… we would already be dead. Cough!”
“Lord Paeng!”
As Paeng Chul Wi coughed up blood, Hwangbo Sohyeon moved at once to his side, steadying him.
“A-are you alright?”
“…I’m still… manage….”
“Don’t speak now.”
“But to such a degree….”
“I said don’t speak!”
Hwangbo Sohyeon spoke with force, then squinted and abruptly rummaged through her inner robes.
From within, she drew something out.
It was a small Wooden Case, no larger than the palm of her hand.
She opened the case and withdrew a tiny, pristine white pill from within.
“Take this. It’s Internal Injury Medicine.”
Paeng Chul Wi startled.
A rich fragrance tickled his nose, and in that instant, his mind grew calm and composed.
Even he, ignorant in matters of Spirit Medicine, could recognize its extraordinary potency—this was no ordinary Internal Injury Medicine.
“This is just Internal Injury Medicine….”
“Swallow it quickly.”
Hwangbo Sohyeon’s eyes sharpened.
“With Lord Paeng alive, our chances of survival increase.”
At her steady words, Paeng Chul Wi finally nodded and placed the pill in his mouth.
“I shall stand as your protector.”
Paeng Chul Wi nodded in acknowledgment.
Then he settled himself heavily onto the ground and gradually sank into the Qi Circulation and Breathing Method.
Hwangbo Sohyeon watched over him with eyes full of concern, her hands clasped together in prayer.
“It has to be all right…….”
What she handed to Paeng Chul Wi was a Spirit Medicine—a Tianwang Pill from the Hwangbo Family.
Even though the Hwangbo Family had only ten of these Spirit Medicines in existence, she offered it without hesitation.
Je Gal Seung Ho stepped back, watching the two of them.
‘Paeng needs to be all right.’
Among their party, Paeng Chul Wi was undoubtedly the one with the greatest Martial Prowess.
Hwangbo Sohyeon evidently thought the same, for she handed over the Spirit Medicine without delay.
‘……but that doesn’t seem to be all of it.’
Je Gal Seung Ho scratched his head.
Though the exchange had been brief, he’d caught the subtle shift in the atmosphere between the two of them.
Sensing the change, he distanced himself from them and examined Moyong Sang’s complexion as he lay unconscious.
Unlike Paeng Chul Wi, whose Internal Injuries ran deep, Moyong Sang’s complexion was far worse.
“I should have brought Internal Injury Medicine…….”
He swallowed back the sigh that threatened to escape.
Sighing here would only make the mood worse.
Then Yang Se Ryeong approached.
“Is the Internal Injury severe?”
“His vital channels are completely twisted.”
“Don’t you have any Internal Injury Medicine you brought along?”
“I checked, but all I found was Wound Medicine.”
“…….”
Yang Se Ryeong’s brow furrowed.
When setting out on a journey through Kangho, it was basic practice to carry Wound Medicine and Spirit Medicine.
No one could predict when, where, or what kind of incident would occur.
“Ah.”
With a sigh, she rummaged through her sleeve and produced a small wooden case similar to the one Hwangbo Sohyeon had retrieved, handing it over.
“Make him take this, at least.”
At her firm tone, Je Gal Seung Ho accepted the wooden case and opened it.
Inside lay a brilliant red Internal Injury Medicine, its scent crisp and clean.
“Hurry.”
Spurred by the subtle pressure in Yang Se Ryeong’s words, Je Gal Seung Ho removed the medicine, compressed it finely between his palms, and very carefully administered it into the unconscious Moyong Sang’s mouth.
He poured it down with extreme care.
“Ungh, ungh…….”
Moyong Sang, who had lain perfectly still, let out a faint moan.
At the same moment, his ashen complexion began slowly to return.
But that was all—his eyes remained closed.
“He hasn’t regained consciousness, but at least his color is coming back. That’s something.”
Je Gal Seung Ho smiled wryly as he spoke.
Failing to regain consciousness was troubling, but the fact that he lived—that was what mattered.
“……that is a mercy.”
Yang Se Ryeong exhaled with relief.
Yet even so, she did not relax her guard.
There was no telling when they would strike again.
There was no way to know anymore.
She asked Je Gal Seung Ho while extending her Aura Perception, keeping watch over their surroundings.
“What do we do now?”
“For now, let’s gather in one place and talk things through.”
Then Yang Se Ryeong’s eyes went rigid.
“Je Gal.”
At her ominous summons, Je Gal Seung Ho swallowed dryly.
“……what is it?”
“Do you think we can hold out on our own like this?”
“We cannot stand against them alone.”
Je Gal Seung Ho spoke with certainty.
The enemy was Ilwol Moon.
How could they, mere Rear Guard Members, hope to stop them?
It was impossible.
“I see.”
Yang Se Ryeong’s eyes wavered.
The fear and dread she had felt from the attackers’ assault still dwelt in her heart.
‘I thought I was going to die.’
She forced herself to remain composed, but her fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
If that man leaning against the tree hadn’t been there, she would surely be dead.
Watching Cheon Hui with his eyes peacefully closed, she bit her lip.
‘I can’t die…….’
Her eyes opened a fraction wider.
She had chosen to participate in the Yong Bong Ji Hoe of her own volition. And now, because of that choice, she was going to die?
There was no greater filial impiety than this.
‘I’ll survive this no matter what.’
Yang Se Ryeong steeled her resolve and spoke.
“Then please go on ahead.”
“But where are you going, my lady…….”
Her gaze turned toward Cheon Hui.
“I’m going to ask him for his help.”
Je Gal Seung Ho’s eyes widened.
Despite having just witnessed such a brutal display of martial prowess, her courage in attempting to negotiate struck him as remarkable.
“Then I’ll accompany you.”
“No. I’ll go alone.”
Yang Se Ryeong refused his offer.
“……Very well.”
Je Gal Seung Ho regarded her a moment longer, then hoisted Moyong Sang onto his back with a bitter smile.
He turned and spoke.
“Then I entrust this to you.”
With that, Je Gal Seung Ho departed.
“Phew.”
She steadied her breathing and began to move.
Meanwhile, Cheon Hui sensed the presences all around him, then turned his gaze toward Yang Se Ryeong as she approached.
The moment their eyes met, she assumed the Fist Salute and bowed her head respectfully.
“Young hero.”
“What is it?”
Cheon Hui replied indifferently, but Yang Se Ryeong’s vigilance did not waver.
This was no ordinary person.
Overwhelming martial prowess paired with ruthless technique.
Persuading such a man with ordinary words would be difficult indeed.
“Could you help us?”
“Why should I?”
Yang Se Ryeong bit her lip.
His words left her with nothing to refute.
“I’m begging you.”
Instead, she bowed her head deeply.
Had anyone else witnessed this moment, they would have been astonished beyond measure.
She had lived a life that lacked for nothing.
The precious only daughter of the Shin Chang Yang Family—blessed with a lineage of consequence and beauty that wanted for nothing.
Because of this, she had never once bowed to any man her own age.
And yet now.
For the first time in her life, she bowed her head deeply to a man of her years.
“Please, I beg you to help us.”
What kind of game is this?
Cheon Hui felt a spark of irritation.
He hadn’t minded them following him, but making requests of him was another matter entirely.
Especially after he’d already refused once—and still she persisted.
The light in Cheon Hui’s eyes began to grow colder as he regarded Yang Se Ryeong.
His lips moved.
“……How tiresome.”
“Young, young hero?”
The moment Yang Se Ryeong heard his cold, warning murmur, fear seized her.
She was acutely aware that her behavior was discourteous.
Asking for help from a stranger whose identity she didn’t even know.
But what choice did she have?
If she withdrew now, death was certain!
‘I don’t want to die. I want to live.’
The hunger for life surged through her, and she forced down her fear, fixing Cheon Hui with an unwavering gaze.
The moment she met his eyes, her breath caught, and a thick terror crawled up from the pit of her stomach.
But she gritted her teeth and held it back. Then, steeling herself, she bowed her head deeper still.
“Great Hero—or perhaps Young Hero—would it not be possible for me to travel with you? Whatever you wish for, I will do it. If you need someone to attend to your needs, I can—”
Cheon Hui, regarding her desperate plea with cold eyes, caught on a single word.
‘Attend to my needs? Hmm, I’ve grown weary of the inconvenience these past days without Jeok Geom and Seol Ran.’
For a moment, Cheon Hui’s gaze drifted toward her and then beyond, to the cluster of people gathered at a distance.
At length, his lips parted slowly.
“Can you cook?”
“C-cook, you mean?”
The unexpected question startled Yang Se Ryeong, but she nodded eagerly.
“Yes, I can.”
“Good. Then come with us.”
“Is it… truly possible?”
Yang Se Ryeong’s face lit up.
“But you’ll have to do it properly.”
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
As Yang Se Ryeong flinched at that cold stare, Cheon Hui added his final words.
“Fail, and you’ll know the consequences.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————