Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 195

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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 195
A brilliant light shattered away—
The radiant glow that had enveloped the Arena fractured into fragments, and a gentle breeze swept through.
Perhaps because of that.
“What… what just happened?”
“The… the result?”
Vision returned to the crowd one by one as the blinding light released its hold.
And soon their eyes turned toward the Arena, bathed in sunlight.
“…!”
“That can’t be!”
Everyone erupted in shock.
“Huff, huff.”
Ha U Jin stood with his sword hanging slack at his side, breathing in ragged gasps.
By contrast, Cho Ryeon appeared composed.
Or rather, she affected composure.
‘That was an intense strike.’
She clenched and unclenched her right fist.
A fresh wound had opened across her palm and stung sharply, but she forced her lips upward into a smile.
‘The Bi Yeon Sword Technique—I’ll need to study it.’
With a meaningful smile, she drew her sleeve up to veil her mouth as she spoke.
“Will you concede?”
It was a gentle invitation, unbecoming of the Sapa.
But that too was part of the plan she had laid out.
‘The strong dominating the weak only works within Kangho.’
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
Most of them were not people of Kangho, but common folk.
Merchants, escort services, innkeepers.
All of them were those who drove the economy of Shenxi, and so she had shown mercy in her technique to plant a good impression.
Then Ha U Jin opened his mouth.
“I acknowledge my defeat.”
He spoke calmly, then sheathed his sword.
“Did… did the Bi Yeon Sword Technique lose?”
“That woman… she defeated the Bi Yeon Sword Technique…?”
Rather than cheering, the crowd murmured among themselves, unable to hide their bewilderment.
And little wonder.
The Bi Yeon Sword Technique was numbered among the top five masters of the Jongnam Sect, with scarcely a rival in all of Shenxi.
Yet he had lost.
Confronted with a result beyond their wildest imaginings, the crowd stared blankly into the Arena with dazed expressions.
Meanwhile, Cho Ryeon’s eyes narrowed.
‘He conceded already?’
This was a martial match upon which the fate of Shenxi hung.
She had expected him to struggle to the bitter end, but…
The Bi Yeon Sword Technique had yielded without hesitation.
As the situation unfolded in an unexpected direction and her brow furrowed,
“Why give up so soon? It looked like you could have fought a bit longer.”
A voice suddenly cut through.
Cho Ryeon turned in surprise to look ahead.
A young man now stood beside Ha U Jin.
‘When did he arrive?’
Her eyes widened.
She had perceived neither his approach nor his presence.
And in that same moment, she understood why the Bi Yeon Sword Technique had yielded so readily.
‘He trusted in this man?’
Then Ha U Jin spoke.
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
At Ha U Jin’s words, the young man Cheon Hui opened his mouth with an expression of exasperation.
“You’re trying to dump this all on me?”
“It just happened to work out that way.”
“You concede right away over just that much of a wound? That doesn’t seem right.”
“Ha ha! You’ve got a point.”
Ha U Jin burst into laughter.
In the old days, he would never have admitted defeat over an injury like this.
But things were different now.
“Still, now that I have disciples, I suppose I must be careful with my body, mustn’t I?”
“Hmm, but are you certain that’s wise? The Jongnam Sect’s reputation will take a considerable blow. And it’s not just the Jongnam Sect, either…….”
Cheon Hui swallowed the rest of his words and fixed his gaze on Ha U Jin. He said nothing, but it was clear that Ha U Jin himself stood to lose the most.
Ha U Jin’s reputation would fall even further than the Jongnam Sect’s.
Ha U Jin seemed to know this as well, but he smiled as though he didn’t care and spoke.
“Reputation, after all, cannot be eternal…… it is nothing but a handful of mirage. Why should one stake one’s life on such a thing?”
“Your words flow like a stream.”
Cheon Hui let out a small laugh.
“Still, you chose well. Had you fought much longer, you would have suffered a mortal wound.”
Ha U Jin nodded.
It had been a brief exchange.
Yet it had been enough.
Enough to know that the woman was a level above him, an opponent he could not defeat.
“I shall take my leave now.”
“Very well.”
“I entrust the rest to you.”
Ha U Jin turned and descended.
……
Only two remained on the Arena.
Silence descended upon the Arena.
The crowd said nothing, and neither did the representatives from either side.
This was a turn of events no one had foreseen.
A skilled woman had defeated the master of the Bi Yeon Sword Technique, and the one who appeared to face her was a young Daoist from the Huashan Sect.
Most could not make sense of this situation.
Then Cheon Hui’s gaze turned toward Cho Ryeon. As she revealed her complicated feelings in her eyes, Cheon Hui spoke.
“Finally caught you.”
“Who, who is that man?!”
“Wait! Who, who is he?!”
At that moment, an uproar erupted from the Sa Gwi Bang’s section.
‘Why is it so loud?’
Cho Ryeon turned her head at the sudden commotion and frowned.
The Sa Gwi Bang disciples shrank back in fear, while the Sa Gwi Bang Master, who had been sitting in his chair, began to thrash wildly.
White foam gathered at the corners of his mouth as he trembled violently, and he lost control of his bladder.
“Save, save me……! Hack, hack!”
After his violent fit, the Sa Gwi Bang Master rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness.
Cho Ryeon’s eyes widened.
It was only the second time the Sa Gwi Bang Master and his disciples had shown such a violent reaction.
The day Sa Gwi Bang was destroyed!
‘……Could it be?’
In an instant, her head turned.
Recalling the detailed account the Sa Gwi Bang Master had given of the attack, she scanned Cheon Hui up and down rapidly.
A youthful face and an unrefined manner.
And a slightly sharp yet undeniably handsome expression, along with his sect robes.
Everything matched.
‘So the remarkable Daoist who attacked Sa Gwi Bang was this one…….’
She opened her mouth.
“You—you’re the one who left the Master in such a state?”
Cheon Hui picked at his ear and spoke.
“Huh? What did you say?”
……
At Cheon Hui’s pretense of not hearing, Cho Ryeon’s eyebrows twitched.
“Are you feigning ignorance?”
“What are you talking about?”
Cheon Hui cut off his words as though the matter wasn’t worth discussing and flicked his index finger.
“Instead of asking such things, why don’t you come at me?”
It was a provocative gesture, but Cho Ryeon remained composed and moved her lips.
“……How terribly obvious. How amusing.”
The Cold Woman let out a laugh.
“Before the martial match, won’t you reveal your name? Or perhaps your Sect Token?”
Cheon Hui’s expression turned dismissive.
“Is a formal introduction necessary?”
“Even if this is a match between sects, shouldn’t we at least observe proper courtesy?”
“Courtesy?”
Cheon Hui’s face twisted in disbelief, as though he’d just heard something utterly absurd.
“I’ve lived a long time, but I never thought I’d see the day when outsiders spoke of courtesy.”
Cho Ryeon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
A youth barely past his early twenties spouting such nonsense had struck a nerve—that was all it took to ruffle her composure.
“If you’re so desperate to hear it, then fine. I’ll tell you.”
Cheon Hui spoke as though he were doing her a favor.
“Cheon Hui. That’s my Sect Token.”
‘Cheon Hui…?’
Cho Ryeon turned the name over in her mind.
Yet no matter how many times she repeated it, she’d never heard that Sect Token before.
‘Has the Huashan Sect been raising him in secret?’
Her gaze fixed on Cheon Hui.
He had the appearance of someone in his early twenties.
Yet the presence and composure he exuded rivaled that of seasoned masters, showing scarcely any difference.
‘If the Bi Yeon Sword Technique withdrew so readily, then he’s no ordinary master…’
Then Cheon Hui let out a cold chuckle.
“Ha, I can hear your mind turning from here.”
“What do you mean?”
“It won’t help you to scheme. I don’t plot and connive behind the scenes like you all do. I simply step forward and smash everything.”
Cheon Hui fixed his gaze on her.
“The way I brought down Sa Yu Gok.”
Cho Ryeon’s shoulders jerked slightly.
For a moment.
“Is that so?”
Cho Ryeon pushed off the ground lightly.
Her body technique vanished in an instant, and in the next breath she was beside Cheon Hui.
“But if that’s the case—”
She thought she had his back, but mid-strike she suddenly drove her feet into the ground in panic.
‘Where did he—?’
Cheon Hui was gone.
Whether he’d shot skyward or burrowed into the earth, she looked in all directions but saw nothing.
But then.
“What are you looking at?”
His voice came from ahead.
Exactly ten paces forward.
There stood Cheon Hui.
As though bewitched by a spirit, her pupils shook violently at the bewildering scene, trembling as if struck by an earthquake.
“Your technique is sharp.”
Cheon Hui’s mouth curved with mockery.
“But your Movement Technique? Mediocre.”
……
Cho Ryeon bit her lower lip hard.
It was absurd—what he was saying made no sense.
The Residual Shadow Movement had been ninety percent responsible for bringing her to where she stood today.
As if to refute his words, she concentrated her Internal Force to the tips of her toes.
Then she pushed off the ground.
Pop!
A faint breeze swept up from below, and Cho Ryeon’s figure vanished.
Cheon Hui tilted his head slightly.
Whoosh!
A violent wind rushed past belatedly, and Cheon Hui’s hair fluttered and scattered in the currents.
“You want to compete with me in Movement Technique?”
Cheon Hui jutted his chin forward.
“I like that.”
Cheon Hui finished speaking and vanished.
There was no sound, no movement.
He simply disappeared, as though he had never been there at all.
“What—what was that?”
“Where did the two of them go?”
The crowd holding their breath, eyes fixed on the Arena, watched in confusion as both fighters vanished without a trace.
Crack!
A shockwave erupted outward.
Not just one.
From all four sides of the Arena, the air suddenly warped and shockwaves scattered in every direction.
Ha U Jin, back at his camp, shook his head as he gazed at the Arena.
“…My disciple will have his hands full.”
His disciple came to mind.
His disciple’s goal was Cheon Hui.
But seeing this display now, that dream seemed impossibly lofty, beyond reach.
Yet Ha U Jin smiled.
Cheon Hui was not a distant relation.
The disciple of a sworn friend.
And bound to his disciple as sworn brothers besides.
In a way, he was close enough.
“What brings on that smile?”
It was then that Im Young offered a rebuke.
Ha U Jin turned to Im Young, clasped his hands together respectfully, and bowed his head.
“My apologies. My disciple has proven inadequate and brought shame upon the Jongnam Faction’s honor.”
“You understand well.”
Im Young’s expression grew grave.
“Your defeat will drag down this sect’s reputation. How will you take responsibility for this?”
“I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”
“Any punishment at all, you say?”
In that moment, Im Young laughed.
“Then perfect that sword technique of yours as quickly as you can.”
Im Young spoke matter-of-factly, then lifted his gaze to the Arena and continued.
“And defeat that youth.”
Ha U Jin’s eyes widened.
Then a faint smile crossed his face.
“That seems unlikely.”
“Hmm, you think you cannot win?”
“That is not it.”
To Im Young’s question, Ha U Jin shook his head slowly and spoke softly.
“It will not be I who defeats Cheon Hui with this sword technique—it will be Jong Hyeon.”
Im Young stared at Ha U Jin in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Now that is splendid!”
As the master and disciple laughed in good spirits.
Thud.
When the shockwaves ceased, Cheon Hui and Cho Ryeon stood facing each other atop the Arena.
Their conditions were starkly different.
Cheon Hui stood at ease, his drawn sword draped casually across his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Cho Ryeon’s hair was disheveled as she breathed heavily.
“Is it over already?”
Seeing the mockery in Cheon Hui’s expression, Cho Ryeon slowly steadied her racing breath, sweeping her bangs back from her face.
And she maintained her smile.
“It’s only just beginning.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Cheon Hui watched her struggle to maintain that composed facade, and his lips curved upward.
“But why did you come to Zhongyuan? Planning to conquer it?”
For a moment, Cho Ryeon flinched.
But it was only brief.
She quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve and tilted her head to one side.
With exaggerated gestures on full display, she suddenly furrowed her brow sharply and let loose a voice tinged with feigned annoyance.
“Conquer Zhongyuan? What are you talking about?”
Cho Ryeon tried to play innocent, but Cheon Hui let out a soft laugh.
Though she’d shown quick reflexes in that brief moment, to Cheon Hui’s penetrating gaze, it was merely amusing.
“You’re using the Jade Shadow Divine Demon Technique and then playing dumb? Isn’t that a bit late?”
“……!”
Cho Ryeon’s pupils trembled visibly.
Yet she tilted her head as if nothing had shaken her and opened her mouth.
“Jade Shadow Divine Demon Technique? What’s that? Some technique you’re about to unfold?”
In that instant, Cheon Hui’s expression turned to mockery.
Unlike her earlier feigned ignorance, the way she was now rushing her words made it clear her composure had shattered long ago.
“Sure, keep pretending you don’t know.”
With his words, he drew up his Internal Force.
A soft bloom of light—
The transparent inner power of the Plum Blossom Divine Art blossomed beautifully, wreathing his palm.
“It might look a bit different because of the Heart Technique, but……”
Cheon Hui spread his palm wide open.
Then the inner power gathered into one.
Flash!
A brilliant light surged forth.
“Wh-what is that?!”
Cheon Hui released the gathered inner power from his palm toward the shocked Cho Ryeon.
In that instant, the light streaked past beside her face and struck the Arena floor.
Crash!
The floor of the Arena caved in.
“…….”
Cho Ryeon stared at the spot beside her with her mouth agape, swallowing hard.
A clear handprint, some three inches deep, remained etched in the floor.
It was the mark of the Jade Shadow Divine Demon Technique.
“How’s that? Pretty close, isn’t it?”
“H-how……”
“How? Can’t you see? I just unfolded it—what else is there to it?”
Watching Cho Ryeon’s shock, Cheon Hui turned up the corners of his mouth as he continued.
“And if it’s the Jade Shadow Divine Demon Technique, I know it better than anyone. Better than anyone else.”

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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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