Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 192

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 192
“One Gold Yuan Treasure might not be enough, then?”
Cheon Hui smacked his lips thoughtfully.
“What’s a Daoist doing obsessing over money like that?”
A voice of reproach drifted from beside him.
Cheon Yi Gae, who had been lurking hidden among the crowd, shuffled up to Cheon Hui’s side, grumbling.
Cheon Hui raised an eyebrow.
“Even a beggar stakes wealth that common people couldn’t touch in a lifetime. Why should it matter if a Daoist cares a little for money?”
“Ahem, hem—what kind of logic is that?”
Cheon Yi Gae launched into a series of throat-clearings.
At that, Cheon Hui let out a dry laugh.
“Still, since I’ve watched you for quite some time now, I’m only asking for fair wages for the work.”
“That’s nonsense!”
Cheon Yi Gae practically bounced with indignation.
But Cheon Hui remained firm.
“Thanks to you, I’m making money for free anyway.”
“It’s my money on the line.”
“So you don’t like it?”
When Cheon Hui asked flatly, unease suddenly welled up inside Cheon Yi Gae.
“Bah! Fine, fine! Forget it. Ptooey! I don’t want to sully my hands. Take the blasted money.”
“Isn’t it you who’s soiled, not me? You haven’t even wiped the sleep from your eyes yet—”
“This brat turns a person’s insides out! Oof! I’m dying, I’m dying here!”
As Cheon Yi Gae began beating his chest as if bursting with fury,
“By the way, what did you do with Man-byeok-gwoe?” Cheon Hui asked, shifting the mood.
He asked the question smoothly.
Cheon Yi Gae clicked his tongue sharply and stopped his ranting at once.
“I handed him over to the Murim Alliance’s Shenxi branch for now.”
“You handed him over? Didn’t you say we’d extract information from him?”
“He’ll be escorted to the Murim Alliance headquarters anyway. The Alliance Lord will handle it himself.”
“That’s rather irresponsible.”
Veins bulged across Cheon Yi Gae’s forehead.
“What? It’s all because you dragged me into this! I wanted to dig up everything that bastard had been hiding too.”
Cheon Hui tilted his head as he watched Cheon Yi Gae grumble.
“I never directly called for you, though.”
Cheon Yi Gae’s eyebrows shot up.
“Then besides me, who else were you supposed to ask when you said you needed an information broker?”
“Yes?”
“You think I’m so mad I’d hand your dirty work over to just anyone?”
“Why not? Any ordinary Gae Bang member would be enough for work like this, wouldn’t they?”
Cheon Yi Gae was at a loss for words.
Everything Cheon Hui had been involved in was hardly the sort of job ordinary Gae Bang operatives could handle.
Faction destruction, a duel with Jongnam Geom Seong himself.
Each one would send shockwaves through Kangho if word spread.
His head throbbing, Cheon Yi Gae pressed his fingers to his brow and shook his head wearily.
“Sigh. Forget it. I shouldn’t be talking.”
Then Cheon Yi Gae’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“More importantly, with the word that Jongnam and Huashan are making their moves, plenty of people have shown up.”
“Anyone you recognize?”
“Recognizable people? That’s not even half of it. There are faces here that shouldn’t be showing themselves at all.”
Cheon Yi Gae’s gaze swept across the crowd, picking out familiar features.
“Tch—even the Bi Cheon Society and Sa Hyuk Ryeon sent representatives. Looks like Nok Lim came too…”
As Cheon Yi Gae muttered on,
“Waaah!”
A roar erupted from the distance.
“Hmm?”
Cheon Hui turned his head toward the sound.
“Are they here already?”
The crowd’s attention shifted toward the great martial arena that stood on Cheongya Field.
It was a hastily constructed arena, rough and unfinished.
Yet when figures of true stature emerged from both sides, the arena itself seemed suddenly to shine.
They were not ordinary folk.
“Huashan and Jongnam!”
“The Shin Joo Sa Pae!”
Cries erupted from both sides.
Their eyes fixed on the figures emerging from either direction.
Two forces vying for control of present-day Shenxi.
Jongnam, Huashan, and the Shin Joo Sa Pae.
In particular, they were busy swallowing hard as they watched the Daoist priests of Jongnam and Huashan emerge from the left.
The Daoists of both sects walked forward with confidence, each wearing their respective sect robes.
Cloud patterns embroidered on robes of pale blue and white.
Plum-blossom patterns embroidered on robes of red and white.
The sight of Jongnam Sect and Huashan Sect—the two Daoist sects boasting the longest histories in Shenxi—appearing together was a spectacle.
Some gazed upon them with rapturous eyes.
“Huashan and Jongnam, together.”
“And look—the sect leaders themselves. Is this not as if immortals have descended to earth?”
“When shall we witness such a sight again?”
On the opposite side, the atmosphere stirred as well.
Yet it was a different feeling entirely from those watching Jongnam and Huashan.
“P-Positively murderous killing intent.”
“Such formidable momentum.”
The Shin Joo Sa Pae’s aura was heavy and oppressive.
In particular, three men and women walking alongside the sect leaders of the Shin Joo Sa Pae—excluding Sa Yu Gok—commanded unwavering attention.
A tall man with a tall hat pressed firmly upon his head.
A beautiful young master wearing a smile across his face.
And a lovely woman of tender years, supporting the aging sect leader as she came into view.
The three, each possessing a subtle and distinctive charm, were more than enough to overshadow the sect leaders of the Shin Joo Sa Pae standing beside them.
“The Shin Joo Sa Pae is… no minor threat.”
“I cannot say who shall prevail…!”
Thus, as the two forces positioned themselves with the martial arena between them and began forming their ranks—
“I’ll be taking my leave now, Elder. See if you can gather some information here.”
Cheon Hui, having left behind words that brooked no argument, vanished. Cheon Yi Gae only wrinkled the bridge of his nose upon seeing Cheon Hui’s afterimage already gone.
“I didn’t need you to tell me that!”
Muttering his complaint, his eyes gleamed with intensity.
Cheongya Field, where countless people had gathered, was an unprecedented repository of information.
He immediately turned his attention inward, ears keen.
“I heard this too…”
“About the Shin Joo Sa Pae…”
* * *
When Cheon Hui arrived at the left encampment where the Daoists of Jongnam and Huashan had gathered—
“You’ve come?”
The Sect Master approached and greeted him warmly.
Yet Cheon Hui’s gaze was directed not at the Sect Master, but at those assembled in the camp.
“The atmosphere here is rather curious.”
Though Huashan Sect and Jongnam Sect stood in the same encampment, they kept their distance like oil and water, showing no inclination to draw closer.
More precisely, neither Huashan nor Jongnam seemed willing to initiate an approach or exchange words.
“Can one bridge a rift carved deep over long years in merely a few days?”
The Sect Master spoke matter-of-factly.
His gaze turned toward the Jongnam Sect side.
Some among them did show goodwill, but no more than that.
They made no attempt to draw closer.
‘And judging by the way they watch each other…’
Cheon Hui perceived their true sentiments.
The emotions Jongnam and Huashan displayed toward one another seemed, at first glance, mutually grudging, but upon closer observation, one could discern a subtle yet distinct difference.
Most of the Jongnam Sect’s Daoists, without making it obvious, subtly looked down upon and disdained the Huashan Sect.
And likewise, the Huashan Sect’s Daoists found the Jongnam Sect equally displeasing.
‘They cannot draw near.’
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
As Cheon Hui turned his head—
“It begins now.”
The Sect Master, speaking softly, raised his gaze toward the martial arena in Cheongya Field.
Ordinarily, the Sect Master would never leave Huashan, but this time was different.
A martial match in Shenxi that would determine the fate of the region.
For Huashan, riding the crest of its ascending power, wasn’t this match the very crossroads that would decide whether they’d soar even higher or plummet to ruin?
‘We must win. We have no choice.’
While the Sect Master wrestled with tension, Cheon Hui stifled a yawn and tilted his head lazily.
It was then.
“Hm?”
A familiar face caught his eye.
The moment Ha U Jin’s gaze met Cheon Hui’s, his entire face lit up with delight.
He waved and rushed over.
“Cheon Hui!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Indeed it has.”
Ha U Jin broke into a grin.
For a moment, he scanned the Huashan Daoists behind Cheon Hui, then his expression hardened as he leaned closer.
He asked carefully near Cheon Hui’s ear.
“Surely the representative of Huashan isn’t…”
“It’s him. Why?”
“Hah.”
Ha U Jin’s face grew complicated.
“You’re not hiding it anymore?”
Worry threaded through his tone.
Cheon Hui almost laughed outright at that.
‘Who’s worried about whom?’
Cheon Hui swallowed his amusement and spoke.
“They call it an awl in the pocket.”
“…That’s fair enough.”
Ha U Jin let out a bitter laugh.
When you thought about it, it was almost remarkable how long they’d managed to keep Cheon Hui hidden at all.
‘Since he’ll come to light eventually anyway, perhaps they mean to seize the fame before others do.’
It was a decision that made sense.
Understanding Huashan’s choice, Ha U Jin nodded slowly and opened his mouth.
“Then we’ll both step forward in this match—you and I.”
“What? You’re competing?”
Cheon Hui tilted his head in confusion.
“What’s so surprising? Is it strange that I would enter the match?”
“Well, I thought the Sect Master of Jongnam would step forward personally.”
Cheon Hui spoke as though it were obvious.
Of course, Ha U Jin’s skill was respectable enough.
Since his decisive bout with Baek Gwi Seong, he seemed to have gained some new insight—he’d broken through a barrier and now radiated a different momentum than before.
But.
‘He’s still not quite there yet.’
Compared to the Sect Master, he fell short.
‘A match staking the fate of Shenxi—I thought he’d come out personally.’
A smile played across Ha U Jin’s lips.
“Do I not seem trustworthy to you?”
“It’s just that the Sect Master is stronger.”
Ha U Jin’s eyes widened.
He glanced around nervously, then bent close and whispered.
“…How did you know that?”
“Pardon?”
Ha U Jin’s expression turned grave.
“The Sect Master’s martial prowess is said to have only just reached the Wuji Realm in the current Kangho. So how could you possibly…”
“You can tell just by looking, can’t you?”
“What do you…?”
Ha U Jin stared at him in astonishment.
Then he burst out laughing.
“Never mind. Pointless question.”
His conversation partner was Cheon Hui, after all.
By his own standards, such things were impossible to grasp.
As Ha U Jin was forming a smile,
Thump—thump—
a white-haired, sturdy old man approached.
Seeing him, Ha U Jin clasped his fists in greeting.
He was Baek Pa Gun, the sect leader of the Sogeom School, a single lineage transmission faction, and one of the participants in this Martial Match.
“It has been a long time, Master Ha.”
“I heard you’d entered this Martial Match as well… is that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
In that instant, Baek Pa Gun’s eyes deepened.
“Then I have one request.”
“What might that be?”
“Would it be possible for me to compete first?”
Eager to step into the arena as soon as possible, he clenched his fists tight.
“I shall arrange it.”
Ha U Jin’s eyes widened.
Baek Pa Gun was renowned as a lone general. Yet here he stood, bowing his head.
“I have no objection.”
Baek Pa Gun clasped his fists in gratitude.
“I appreciate your generosity.”
“Ha, not at all.”
As Baek Pa Gun straightened and turned to depart, he paused—as if remembering something—and asked,
“By the way, do you know who from Huashan Sect will be competing?”
The moment his question ended,
“Me, sir.”
Cheon Hui, standing between them, spoke.
“…!”
Baek Pa Gun’s pupils trembled.
The fate of Huashan Sect itself hung in the balance.
He had assumed they would send a master of Yun-un Geom’s caliber or someone comparable.
Yet the one before him was barely more than a boy.
‘What are they thinking, sending such a young one?’
After a moment’s reflection, he shook his head.
Huashan Sect’s reasoning was no concern of his.
What he wanted now was singular.
“If you don’t mind, would I be permitted to compete first?”
Baek Pa Gun’s words carried weight.
Regardless of youth, his opponent was a Daoist from Huashan Sect.
And a participant in this Martial Match no less.
“Do as you wish.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“It’s nothing to thank me for. Not such a remarkable thing.”
When Cheon Hui spoke so casually, Baek Pa Gun smiled—for the first time.
“Ah-ha.”
For a moment, Baek Pa Gun held a gentle smile, as though gazing upon his own grandson.
Then—snap.
The smile vanished. He stamped his foot and shot skyward in a single bound.
Ascending to the martial arena in one breath, he turned his gaze toward the Shin Joo Sa Pae and opened his mouth.
“I am Baek Pa Gun of the Sogeom School!”
His Lion Roar erupted, resounding and fierce.
The sound was so tremendous and powerful that the crowd, ready to cheer at his arrival, covered their ears instead.
Yet Baek Pa Gun, as if indifferent to such things, roared again.
“Sect Leader of the Absorbing Soul Sect—come forth!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————