Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 153

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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 153
“M-Master!”
Ju Song, the Ilwol Moon master who had been treating his disciples, furrowed his brow at the sight of a disciple bursting through the door.
“What is it?”
“The G-Gwi Yu Moon master has arrived!”
“What?!”
The moment Ju Song rose to his feet.
Boom!
An explosion thundered from outside.
“What in the—”
By the time the bewildered Ju Song could stare blankly at the gate, now reduced to splinters.
Crunch.
A powerfully built man of middle years strode through the wreckage that had moments before been a door.
“Is the Ilwol Moon master inside?”
“…The Gwi Yu Moon master.”
Ju Song swallowed hard.
The Gwi Yu Moon master was universally acknowledged as the foremost master in all of Yanan, without equal.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Hah, the meaning of what?”
The Gwi Yu Moon master’s eyes narrowed.
“Your sect accepted our formal declaration of war, did it not?”
As he spoke, he hefted his blade aloft.
It was the Nine Ring Blade—the weapon he had wielded since long before founding the Gwi Yu Moon, back when he earned the alias Blood Ghost Blade.
“What are you saying… Hup!”
The Ilwol Moon master leaped backward.
Whoosh!
A razor wind carved past his sleeve, sending his robes billowing.
“…You mean to see this through to the end?”
“Did I not just say so?”
The man wielding the Nine Ring Blade’s eyes blazed.
“Your sect accepted our declaration of war.”
Ju Song bit his lip.
“Everyone, evacuate inside!”
“But Master!”
“Go, now!”
At Ju Song’s cry, the Ilwol Moon disciples squeezed their eyes shut, then hurried to obey.
“Ho, so you are a true sect master after all.”
The Gwi Yu Moon master, watching Ju Song stand alone to defend the gate, twisted his mouth into a smile.
“But you’ve mistaken matters. Did you think I would face you alone?”
He rested the Nine Ring Blade against his shoulder.
“All of you, come in!”
Before the words had even finished.
“We’re here!”
“Master!”
The Gwi Yu Moon disciples streamed through.
Seeing his sect hall now occupied by Gwi Yu Moon disciples, Ju Song found it difficult to hide his shock.
“So you did not intend a duel after all?”
“Why would I do such a thing?”
The Gwi Yu Moon master chuckled darkly.
“Superior numbers favor us.”
The Gwi Yu Moon master turned to his disciples.
“Slaughter every Ilwol Moon disciple.”
“Yes, Master!”
“All of you hear this? The Master commands the complete destruction of the Ilwol Moon!”
A cheer erupted from the Gwi Yu Moon disciples.
The unorthodox sect war, which had dragged on so long without resolution, was finally reaching its conclusion.
Just as they were about to unleash their killing intent.
“Master!”
One of the Gwi Yu Moon disciples called out urgently.
Whatever the matter was, the Gwi Yu Moon master watched the disciple rush toward him with a deepening scowl.
“Master, there are people attacking from behind us right now.”
“What?”
The Gwi Yu Moon Master’s face twisted.
‘I heard they’d gone to Heuk Ho Bang just moments ago, so I rushed straight here,’
he asked quickly.
“Have the Maehwa Sword Masters already arrived?”
“No, it’s not them…….”
“Not them?”
The Gwi Yu Moon Master’s brow furrowed.
“Then who is it?”
“It’s the So Heung Bo!”
At his words, everyone froze as if time itself had stopped.
“What? So Heung Bo? Why would they……?”
The bewildered Gwi Yu Moon Master spoke as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Ju Song felt the same way.
“So Heung Bo?”
So Heung Bo was an unorthodox faction—the notion that they would help him made no sense whatsoever.
Then.
“Everyone, attack the Gwi Yu Moon!”
A thunderous roar echoed from outside.
At the same moment, the Gwi Yu Moon Master and Ju Song snapped to attention, their eyes darting toward the door.
“These bastards!”
“Why……?”
There stood So Heung Bo Master at the head of dozens of So Heung Bo martial artists.
“Master, is this truly the right course?”
“No matter what, helping the Orthodox Sects…….”
So Heung Bo Master’s brow creased at his subordinates’ hesitant words.
Even he felt as though he were losing his mind.
What unorthodox faction under heaven would ever strike its own kind to aid an Orthodox Sect?
So Heung Bo would surely be the first.
But what choice did they have?
‘That demon told me to help when Ilwol Moon was in danger…….’
Remembering Cheon Hui for a moment, he trembled slightly, then cast a quick glance across his protesting subordinates and opened his mouth.
“This is all part of the plan.”
“Sir? A plan?”
“What sort of plan…….”
The subordinates perked up their ears.
“We’ve just allied with Huashan Sect.”
“What?!”
“……Is that even possible?”
Everyone grew suspicious at those words.
Huashan Sect was one of the Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools—a Taoist faction that despised the unorthodox paths with intensity.
And yet they’d formed an alliance with them?
It seemed impossible to believe.
Then So Heung Bo Master added an explanation.
“Think about it carefully. Why would the Maehwa Sword Masters have stopped their attack and left you all standing without a scratch? Even if you’d surrendered, wouldn’t something have seemed off?”
“Ah!”
“Then the sudden halt in their assault…….”
Murmurs of realization rippled through the subordinates.
They’d thought it strange, but now that the Master explained it, every doubt evaporated.
At the same time, their eyes gleamed with admiration as they looked up at So Heung Bo Master.
To have forged an alliance with Huashan Sect itself.
It was something no other unorthodox faction could possibly have accomplished.
“Magnificent!”
“Truly, Master is unparalleled!”
Just as the mood among them grew charged with excitement—
Whoosh—
So Heung Bo Master raised his hand sharply.
“Now that you understand, attack the Gwi Yu Moon at once!”
The moment his command fell, the So Heung Bo martial artists surged toward the Gwi Yu Moon.
A roaring cry!
The disciples of Gwi Yu Moon froze at the sight of So Heung Bo’s warriors rushing toward them like a swarm of bees.
“What—what is this?”
“They’re actually fighting? Ignoring Ilwol Moon to come after us?”
They’d expected nothing more than their arrival, never imagining they would clash directly with them.
“We attack too!”
“Show those dogs what we’re made of!”
Within moments, the two forces collided.
Clang! Clang!
The So Heung Bo Master, watching his subordinates fight from a distance, exhaled slowly.
‘We’ve crossed the first threshold, at least.’
Then a cold wind swept across the grounds, and the Gwi Yu Moon Master materialized before him.
“So Heung Bo Master.”
“…It has been a long time, Gwi Yu Moon Master.”
The Gwi Yu Moon Master’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Should you not be attacking Ilwol Moon first?”
The So Heung Bo Master snorted.
“When have we ever concerned ourselves with such matters?”
“Unorthodox as we are, yet aiding the Orthodox Sect of Ilwol Moon—how shameful for Sapa.”
“I’m not aiding any Orthodox—”
The So Heung Bo Master opened his mouth to shout at this jab at his pride as a Sapa master, then stopped.
Or rather, he froze entirely.
Standing at the gate of Ilwol Moon was a familiar face—unmistakably familiar.
‘When did he arrive?’
And then the demon smiled.
Seeing that wicked grin, the So Heung Bo Master’s lips trembled, tears of blood welling in his eyes.
“Is it not natural to aid a sect that has long dwelt in Yanan, as we have?”
“What nonsense is—”
Before the Gwi Yu Moon Master could finish his incredulous protest,
“Enough talk. Come!”
The So Heung Bo Master drew his blade.
“…Words will not work with you, it seems.”
The Gwi Yu Moon Master raised his Nine Ring Blade.
The two collided immediately.
Clash! Clash!
The sharp ring of steel exploded through the air, and those nearby scrambled back in panic.
Meanwhile, chaos reigned within Ilwol Moon.
As the Gwi Yu Moon disciples who had occupied the Estate Grounds rushed desperately outside, Ju Go Ryul made his way in.
“Father!”
He found his father Ju Song sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, and rushed to his side.
“Are—are you all right?”
A deep wound gaped across Ju Song’s chest—the mark of a strike from the Gwi Yu Moon Master.
“Ugh… Ugh. Is… is that you, Go Ryul?”
“Don’t speak! We must treat your wounds at once—”
“Hah… No. It’s… already too late. The wound… is too deep.”
“That can’t… we can’t—”
Ju Song, his face drained of color, gazed quietly at the tears streaming down his son’s cheeks.
“As you said… we should have sought aid from Huashan Sect earlier. I’m… leaving you a heavy burden.”
“Father…”
As father and son wept together,
“A mere scratch, and yet such dramatics.”
A shadow fell across them.
It was Cheon Hui.
“Even for someone so irreverent, such words are too cruel…”
Cheon Hui could not hold back his anger as he sat beside the trembling Ju Go Ryul and moved his hands.
Tap-tap-tap—
He struck forty-two vital points in rapid succession.
Color began to return to Ju Song’s face.
“Let’s see. Just a bit of blood, then.”
Cheon Hui examined the wound, drawing Internal Force into his fingertips.
“S-Strong Inner Force?!”
“……!”
Ju Go Ryul and Ju Song, who had never seen such vivid Strong Inner Force, gasped in shock.
Cheon Hui tore his sleeve into a thin thread.
The fabric grew gossamer-fine, and soon he drew it long and clean between his two fingers.
“There. That should do it.”
Cheon Hui’s hands moved swiftly.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The thread-thin cloth flowed gracefully, stitching the wounds closed in a single breath.
At that remarkable Divine Technique, Ju Go Ryul’s jaw fell open, his eyes wide as saucers.
A moment later, Cheon Hui dusted off his hands.
“The blood stoppage will wear off eventually, but he should be fine once you feed him.”
When Cheon Hui spoke, Ju Go Ryul snapped back to himself and gripped his hand tightly.
“Th-thank you so much!”
“It’s nothing.”
Cheon Hui waved his hand dismissively.
‘If the Ilwol Moon Master dies here, it’ll just become more of a headache.’
Cheon Hui turned his head slightly away.
“I’ll handle the cleanup.”
Startled by those words, Ju Go Ryul tried to look for him, but Cheon Hui had already vanished.
“So there was a reason the Sect Master told us to be at ease.”
“There’s really nothing like real combat.”
Cheon Hui nodded as he watched Jeok Geom and Seol Ran fighting the Gwi Yu Moon disciples.
Right now, these disciples were perfectly adequate opponents for them.
Even at their most generous, these were third-rate to second-rate martial artists whose skills posed no real threat—yet there was something else.
A dazzling display of weapons one rarely saw in peacetime.
Some wielded the Sawtooth Blade with its irregular edge with brutal force, while others hurled sickles bound by chains.
To encounter such a variety of weapons in Kangho was a stroke of good fortune.
“Still, they’ve grown considerably.”
Even having seen these strange, unheard-of weapons, the two didn’t act recklessly.
‘So this is how you wield it.’
‘Compared to Master’s sword technique and the iron spheres of the Plum Blossom Gateway Trial……’
Instead, they responded with remarkable composure.
Jeok Geom and Seol Ran calmly blocked the weapons being swung at them.
Compared to Cheon Hui’s grueling training and Seol Ran’s mere day of experience with the Plum Blossom Gateway Trial, these attacks were far too crude.
After parrying or evading several strikes, the two naturally met each other’s gaze.
‘Then I’ll take the left, senior.’
‘Sounds good!’
The two communicated through their eyes and moved as one.
Tap!
The Seven Star Step—a stepping technique they had continuously refined under Cheon Hui’s guidance—manifested in perfect form.
“They’ve improved.”
Cheon Hui smiled broadly.
The effort he’d spent teaching them was bearing fruit—they were far better than before.
“Once we return to Huashan, I should teach them some other martial arts too.”
Cheon Hui, who had let slip a remark the two would have whooped with joy to hear, moved his feet.
Whoosh—
Outside Ilwol Moon, the ground was a battlefield.
Since both were unorthodox sects, the war between the two factions was truly filthy and merciless.
Sneak attacks were standard in one-on-one fights, and some even played dead to gain advantage.
And that wasn’t all.
Splatter!
They even threw sand in each other’s eyes.
Cheon Hui walked between them.
“Huh?”
“What was that just now?”
Those fighting sensed something strange pass through, though none could quite grasp what it was.
In truth, Cheon Hui had already moved past them before they could feel anything at all.
A short while later, he arrived at the spot where the most intense Breaking Sound was echoing.
“Ah, this is fierce.”
The battle between So Heung Bo Master and Gwi Yu Moon Master was indeed as fierce as Cheon Hui had said.
“You coward, throwing sand like that!”
“Pfft! I was about to seize victory, and you started it first!”
“After unfolding that pathetic technique of yours!”
The two were too busy working their mouths with rasping voices to focus on their martial arts.
“Try dodging this!”
“Hmph! That kind of technique is nothing to me!”
“All you know is running with your tail between your legs!”
Quite the sorry spectacle, really.
Cheon Hui started to step in, then stopped.
‘If I get involved here, it’ll get messy. Better to let So Heung Bo Master win this.’
He smirked to himself.
『Your left foot goes behind this stance. And raise the blade in your hand up to your chest.』
“……!”
‘That voice is…?’
Startled by the sudden Sound Transmission, So Heung Bo Master hastily followed the instruction.
‘Well, whatever!’
In that instant.
Thud!
“What—how…….”
Gwi Yu Moon Master’s eyes went wide.
He had been steadily seizing the advantage.
So he’d deliberately moved in closer for one final killing blow.
“That gap—he caught it, and—ugh—”
Gwi Yu Moon Master crumpled to the ground.
Thump!
As his massive frame fell, the Gwi Yu Moon disciples around him gasped in horror.
“Master—he…….”
In sharp contrast, the So Heung Bo warriors threw their hands up at the sight of So Heung Bo Master.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Master has slain Gwi Yu Moon Master!”
Meanwhile, So Heung Bo Master stood bewildered.
‘What—what just happened?’
It was enough to make even a ghost weep.
He had simply followed the voice’s instruction, and his blade had pierced straight through Gwi Yu Moon Master’s heart, taking his life.
‘Why is he just staring at the corpse like that?’
Cheon Hui shook his head slowly as So Heung Bo Master stood slack-jawed before Gwi Yu Moon Master’s body.
He had merely read the flow of Gwi Yu Moon Master’s martial arts and pointed out the moment to sever it.
Yet what he had done was a realm of skill so astonishing it defied imagination.
How could anyone under Heaven read the flow of an unfamiliar martial art at first sight and perceive the precise moment to break it?
Only Cheon Hui could accomplish such a thing.
And yet Cheon Hui himself did not regard it as remarkable.
『What are you spacing out for?』
“Oh!”
Snapped back by Cheon Hui’s Sound Transmission, So Heung Bo Master regained his wits.
At the same moment, he raised his blade high and shouted.
“Gwi Yu Moon Master has fallen by my hand!”
The sound, infused with Internal Force, rippled outward.
Clatter, clatter.
The Gwi Yu Moon disciples dropped their weapons.
With their master defeated one-on-one, there was no reason for Gwi Yu Moon to continue fighting.
“We yield.”

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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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