Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 167

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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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Episode 167
A suffocating silence fell over the rooftop.
In that hush, Cheon I Gae glanced back and forth between Cheon Hui and the eaves above, cold sweat beading on his temples.
‘He’d been hiding all this time……?’
His back was damp with perspiration.
Though he had never devoted himself to the martial arts, he had still attained the Wuji Realm.
Yet he had sensed nothing.
Not from the moment the figure ascended from the Stone Wall to the eaves above.
What that meant was clear: whoever remained hidden was at least a tier above him.
‘……Was it the body, not just the tail?’
His heart hammered in his chest.
For years he had pursued them, yet could barely grasp even a trace of their passing.
But now—the outline was becoming visible.
‘Damn it. If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve brought the Tai Chi warrior along, at least in secret.’
Once he learned that Hyeolryongmun had mastered Wiyushimgong, he’d kept his distance from the Tai Chi warrior to move covertly.
But now that matters had escalated this far, he regretted not bringing him along.
‘Is he the only one I can trust?’
His gaze turned toward Cheon Hui.
It was fortunate that he had earnestly requested this from the Sect Master of Huashan—just in case.
‘Young as he is, his skill was acknowledged even by the Sword Saint…….’
Then a desolate voice echoed through the silence, slowly breaking the stillness.
“You’ve brought an amusing one. Cheon I Gae.”
At the tone—as if the voice knew him—Cheon I Gae’s nose bridge twitched.
“You know me?”
“Heh heh, know you…….”
Laughter suffused every syllable.
“Has Hyeolryongmun not been waiting continuously to receive you?”
“……!”
Cheon I Gae’s eyes widened.
That was knowledge possessed by only a very few.
The fact that this figure knew it meant…….
‘No. Could it be a spy?’
Then.
“So when are you going to show yourself?”
Cheon Hui cut in.
He was eager now.
The reason was that Wiyushimgong was deeply connected to the sound arts he himself had mastered.
At a higher level, moreover.
“If you won’t come down, I’ll come up.”
With that, he unfurled the Pibeonhaengbo.
With each step he took, the surrounding landscape compressed and shifted in an instant.
“……!”
The elderly man in shabby scholarly dress startled and rose as Cheon Hui appeared.
“That’s the face you had? Nothing like that forceful voice you were using.”
The old man’s countenance was benevolent.
An kind-faced grandfather who seemed never to have struck anyone, let alone taken a life.
‘But inside—he reeks of depravity.’
Cheon Hui caught the stench hidden beneath the gentle expression and neat attire.
Though he tried to conceal it, a thick smell of blood seeped from the old man’s body. And his narrow eyes, half-hidden beneath long-grown brows, were scattering a killing intent so vicious it was tangible.
He had not killed merely one or two.
After a brief exchange of glances, a heavy sound emerged from the old man’s mouth.
“You’re no ordinary one.”
“That so? You look pretty ordinary to me. Can’t even follow my movements with those eyes.”
At the provocation, his gaze turned cold.
Yet the seething rage burning within him was etched plainly across his features.
“Is that so? Then will you teach me what true terror is?”
“…….”
The old man straightened his hunched spine.
In that instant, the air grew heavy, and his presence became seared into Cheon Hui’s perception.
‘Considerable inner power.’
Cheon Hui’s gaze swept over him in an instant.
The Inner Power he radiated ranked among the highest Cheon Hui had ever encountered.
“But Inner Power isn’t everything.”
Cheon Hui flicked his hand dismissively.
The old man’s aura scattered at once, and the air rushed back into place.
The old man’s eyebrows twitched.
“You possess skill refined enough to carry such overconfidence—so much so it’s hard to believe you’re merely Hu Gi Ji Su. And yet…….”
The old man’s beard rustled.
“You’re still a fledgling.”
“Me? Or you?”
“Heh. The very fact that you spoke those words now proves you’re a fledgling.”
He remained composed even under provocation.
“The Gangho is a place where swordlight can fall from anywhere, at any moment. Excessive confidence only hastens death—a truth you should…….”
“That’s only for the weak. If you have strength, why hide it?”
Cheon Hui cut him off sharply.
“……Your arrogance pierces heaven. One day it will be your undoing.”
Cheon Hui idly scratched his ear as he spoke.
“Fine, I’ve heard enough. Now come at me?”
As he spoke, his gaze fixed on the Stone Wall.
“No matter how well they practice the Guishidafa, they’ve long exceeded their limit. At this rate, won’t those fools suffocate to death?”
“……!”
The old man’s eyebrows shot upward.
“Kill him.”
His voice turned cold and sinister as he issued the command.
Whoosh!
Before his words even finished, ten martial artists exploded from behind the Stone Wall.
They rose skyward with Divine Footwork.
Their movements were swift and fluid, yet carried an intense, almost ethereal power.
‘Did he gather a handful of masters?’
Cheon Hui looked up at them.
In midair, their bodies spun in unison.
Crash-crash-crash-crash!
Hidden Projectiles and Flying Blades rained down like torrents.
In that fleeting instant, they descended with razor sharpness and blinding speed, poised to skewer him where he stood.
The projectiles covered Cheon Hui, and as they struck, a bloody smile played across the attackers’ lips.
But the smile vanished in the next breath.
The Hidden Projectiles and Flying Blades had passed straight through Cheon Hui as though he were not there.
Thunk! Ping—
The martial artists, watching the projectiles bury themselves in the earth or ricochet away, snapped to awareness and scanned their surroundings urgently.
As they turned their heads in all directions.
“That’s all you prepared?”
A voice came from behind them.
At once, they leapt backward reflexively and reformed their ranks.
Their eyes met in quick understanding.
Bang!
Dust clouds scattered in all directions.
Strike First to Seize Victory!
They rushed Cheon Hui before he could attack.
Against a master of his caliber, hesitation would only increase the odds of their defeat—they knew this well.
‘These ones are solid.’
They possessed remarkable decisiveness.
More than that.
Their movements were far more systematic than the Hyeolryongmun disciples—far more coordinated.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Hyeolryongmun.
Their skill surpassed any military unit Cheon Hui had encountered in his current life.
‘Each one at least at the Jeoljeong level. Have they gathered nothing but masters?’
Had this been Cheon I Gae, their assault might have rattled him.
But Cheon Hui was not Cheon I Gae.
Cheon Hui absorbed their attack with his eyes, then lifted his left foot and brought it down with force.
Halberd Step!
His heel, charged with inner power, crashed down like a falling axe, shattering their weapons to pieces.
Crack!
The impact sent those wielding the weapons reeling backward, their bodies wracked with internal injuries.
“Ugh!”
“Hrgh!”
“Aaaaugh!”
Six or so martial artists coughed up blood.
The wounds ran deep—dark blood mingled with fragments of organs.
“Don’t stop!”
One of the uninjured warriors shouted and readied his attack, but—
“……!”
Cheon Hui was already gone from that spot.
Thud!
The warrior’s spine buckled forward.
He couldn’t even scream—just sank silently to his knees.
“…….”
The remaining warriors swallowed hard, watching as Cheon Hui appeared before them.
Their minds were in turmoil.
They had prepared a coordinated assault difficult enough to handle—all to eliminate Cheon I Gae, every preparation flawlessly executed.
But what was this?
Their plan had crumbled. Instead of Cheon I Gae, they now faced a stranger.
That alone would have been troubling enough, but their opponent was no mere skilled master.
The warriors hurriedly began transmitting through sound.
‘Pull back for now.’
‘And then regroup for another coordinated strike…’
As they shared their thoughts through sound transmission—
“Stop your mumbling through sound transmission. Just speak. Why go through all that trouble?”
The moment Cheon Hui’s gaze fixed on them, the two transmitting faltered.
“……!”
“H-how did you…”
“Easy.”
Cheon Hui smiled coldly.
The method for reading sound transmission was simple enough.
The fluctuations of Qi were flowing between the two of them.
But noticing it required a mastery that could control all the internal energy in the vicinity—a feat beyond the reach of ordinary strength.
Cheon Hui spoke to the astounded pair.
“I’ll give you a chance. Try using that strange internal art those Hyeolryongmun disciples employ. Who knows? You might win.”
He gestured toward the Hyeolryongmun fighters.
They still trembled uncontrollably, showing no sign of moving.
The warriors’ faces twisted.
The Wiyushimgong was indeed a martial art that excelled at amplifying strength. Yet it harbored one catastrophic flaw that would offset any advantage…
Using the Wiyushimgong meant losing all the internal energy accumulated until now.
Seeing their hesitation, Cheon Hui spoke in a soft voice.
“So you won’t do it even now?”
With his words, he slowly drew his sword.
“Then I have no choice.”
In an instant, his form vanished.
And at that same moment—
Slash!
One of their heads flew through the air.
The severed head tumbled through space before landing on the ground and rolling forward, coming to rest at their feet.
Meeting the glazed, bewildered eyes of the head, they felt their spines crawl with ice.
Then came a calm voice.
“Decide for yourselves: die as you are, or activate the Wiyushimgong and die anyway.”
Having claimed a life with a single blade, Cheon Hui locked eyes with the survivors.
In the face of his gaze—dark and fathomless as an abyss—fear began to take root in their hearts.
“…….”
Yet they clenched their teeth, suppressing the rising terror.
They were veterans of countless trials—too seasoned to surrender to fear over something like this.
“Do not forget our purpose.”
“I know.”
“Wiyushimgong isn’t the right moment yet.”
With their resolve steadied, they attacked again without hesitation, as if moving as one.
“Still not regaining your senses.”
When they failed to draw upon Wiyushimgong, Cheon Hui moved.
His form shot forward in a blur.
The martial artists watching gasped in alarm, then scattered in all directions.
‘Pointless fleeing.’
But Cheon Hui didn’t lose them.
Shriek!
A sharp blade of Sword Qi slashed through the air.
“……Gasp!”
The martial artist wielding the long sword desperately tried to deflect the incoming Sword Qi. But the blade passed through his shoulder, cleaving deep.
An arm flew skyward.
And then.
Whoosh—
Cheon Hui surged forward.
His blade descended without mercy.
Sharp arcs of sword light erupted in all directions, and one by one the martial artists fell.
“You’re the sixth.”
Cheon Hui swept his blade across the throat of a martial artist whose complexion had turned ashen from internal injuries.
That was when it happened.
Crash!
A powerful rebound sent Cheon Hui back a step, his blade held steady as he faced the figure that had suddenly appeared before him.
“Hmm? You’re stepping in yourself?”
The old man’s expression twisted.
“So you’ve been raising a monster behind our backs.”
The man who had been muttering fell silent and looked at his palm.
Since mastering Myeongoksu, he had never suffered so much as a scratch on his hand—yet now a long trail of blood marked it.
At that moment.
“Y-you’re Shin Pil Yusa?!”
A voice rang out, trembling with shock.
Cheon I Gae stood wide-eyed, staring at the old man.
Shin Pil Yusa?
Cheon Hui observed quietly.
“It’s been a long time.”
Shin Pil Yusa spoke without inflection.
“Why are you here……?”
Cheon I Gae’s mind reeled with confusion.
Shin Pil Yusa was a master who had emerged into the Gangho thirty years prior, a paragon of righteousness who had eliminated countless evildoers and scourges of the realm.
Five years ago, when he declared his retirement from martial affairs, both the Murim Alliance and the Bi Cheon Society had celebrated his righteous deeds with great ceremony.
That such a man should be here meant—
Cheon I Gae’s body trembled.
“How could you do such a thing……!”
Shin Pil Yusa’s eyes narrowed to crescents as he heard the rage in Cheon I Gae’s cry.
“You dog! When we spoke of the future of the Orthodox Sects, you seemed so willing!”
“This is for that future.”
“What madness is this……!”
Shin Pil Yusa’s smile faded, and he closed his mouth.
“The preparations are complete. Activate it.”
At his command, the martial artists moved with sudden purpose, piercing the hearts of the Hyeolryongmun master and his disciples.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
In the same instant, the disciples’ bodies convulsed, and blood began pouring from their eyes.
As droplets fell to the ground and one by one they collapsed.
Whoosh—
The martial artists who had driven the blades withdrew, climbing onto the stone wall and beginning to chant.
“What are they doing?”
Cheon Hui watched them intently.
“We have to get out of here!”
Cheon I Gae, sensing something was amiss, tried to bolt for the exit—but hesitated.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’ve prepared this Array Formation just for you.”
Shin Pil Yusa blocked his path.
“An Array Formation…?”
“You have my gratitude, Cheon I Gae. I’d meant to deal with only you, but he was kind enough to bring along this troublesome rival of mine—saving me the effort.”
“You bastard!”
Cheon I Gae unleashed the Paoksinijang.
Bang!
Yet his strike passed clean through Shin Pil Yusa’s body, dissipating into empty air.
“…!”
“The Array Formation has already been activated.”
Shin Pil Yusa’s form grew translucent, fading like a ghost.
“Go in peace. At least your final moments won’t be spent alone—isn’t that a comfort?”
Cheon I Gae hurled a curse at the vanishing figure, his voice trembling with rage.
“You wretch! You’ll never know a peaceful death!”
“I’m well aware of that.”
Shin Pil Yusa spoke those words without inflection, his eyes sliding toward Cheon Hui.
“Ah yes—I owe you my thanks as well. By refusing to slaughter your men outright and dragging out the engagement, you gave me the time I needed to complete this Array Formation.”
His mouth twisted into a thin smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? Your arrogance would become your undoing one day.”
With those final words, he vanished entirely, and the world bled crimson.
Blood-red, vivid and stark.
Cheon Hui’s pupils dilated as he felt the shift rippling through the space around him.
‘He’s deploying the Array Formation…?’

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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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