Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 249

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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 249
The night deepened quietly.
Radiant moonlight and starlight flowed like a river, steady and luminous, casting their faint glow below.
And beneath that pale shimmer.
Cheon Hui sat cross-legged atop the peak of Nagan Peak, eyes closed.
He had been strong.
In the depths of his consciousness, gradually sinking deeper, Cheon Hui recalled the Life-Death Duel with the Nok Rim Great Emperor.
The fists and palms he unleashed had carried fierce fighting spirit and subtle mysteries woven together, and whenever he deployed his Speed Technique, movements of divine wonder had revealed themselves.
At the memory, his fingertips trembled.
It was his body’s instinctive response, recalling the residual aura the man had left behind.
He was a master of exceptional skill.
No—exceptional seemed an inadequate word for the realm he had reached, so sublime it was.
Had Cheon Hui not stood against him, the Huashan Sect would have burned in the hands of Nok Rim.
A thin smile traced Cheon Hui’s lips.
Retracing the martial arts the Nok Rim Great Emperor had deployed, his spirit naturally surged higher.
A display of martial arts he had never witnessed before.
That alone set his heart racing.
Thump—thump—
The sound of his heartbeat dominated his mind.
At the same time, in the darkness of his mental visualization, the Nok Rim Great Emperor slowly rose before him.
And within that vision, he began to move.
The martial arts he had unfurled throughout their Life-Death Duel began to consume Cheon Hui’s consciousness.
Deep green eyes moved rapidly, drawing elegant lines like a brush through the darkness as they swept past.
His hands and feet stirred into motion.
The principles of exalted martial learning.
Internal Force accumulated over long years.
A body honed to the limits of endurance.
Having achieved the unified harmony of mind, breath, and body, he wove every breath, every footfall, and every fleeting stance into a single whole.
‘Perfect Matter-Principle Unity.’
From his hands, versed in the sublime principles of martial learning, exalted martial arts manifested.
Watching this, Cheon Hui’s expression twisted.
‘This is why you have to fight true masters.’
No training in the world could match true combat that danced between life and death.
Especially the new martial arts he had never witnessed even in his past life—they expanded his hitherto stagnant martial learning far wider.
Cheon Hui’s mind spun rapidly.
Countless principles of martial learning rose and fell in succession for a moment.
‘I’ll dissect every martial art I’ve been learning. Internal Energy Cultivation Methods, External Techniques—everything.’
In an instant, Cheon Hui’s consciousness became clear.
A serenity like still water reflecting the moon.
Within it, Cheon Hui engaged the Nok Rim Great Emperor in his visualization in fierce exchanges of attack and defense.
To absorb everything he possessed, to ascend to an even higher realm.
Mental Visualization Training accomplished in a heartbeat.
Whoosh—
The collision occurring within Cheon Hui plunged the dark night into a bottomless abyss.
* * *
Four days had passed since the blood-soaked conflict with Nok Rim, yet the Huashan Sect remained in disarray.
While many had hastily recovered and set about tending to the wounded and treating injuries, the reconstruction of damaged structures throughout the grounds—the Mountain Gate, the Pavilions, the Training Grounds, the handling of bodies—could not be rushed.
The Mountain Gate and Pavilions, the Training Grounds, body disposal.
It required money and manpower.
Especially since the Huashan Sect’s numbers were already sparse, and with the injured set aside, coping with such work became all the more arduous.
Yet it was nothing short of a miracle to say.
Fortunately, there were those who came forward to offer their aid to the Huashan Sect voluntarily.
“I’ve brought what supplies I could gather on short notice.”
Director O set down the items he had hastily procured and gazed at Hyeon Sang.
“Infinite Buddha bless. My gratitude is boundless.”
Hyeon Sang, having clasped his hands in salute, smiled.
Though they had conducted trade together, the Tianxia Trading Company was aiding Huashan with both resources and effort.
Numerous requisition forms and a steady stream of arriving goods.
If all of this were properly utilized, it could in fact bring about even greater improvements than before.
‘My choice was not in error.’
When the contract came from Tianxia Trading Company, the Huashan Sect was divided in its opinion.
And with good reason—selling Maehwa Fruit was scarcely different from selling Huashan itself.
Several elders feared it would make them appear too worldly, and they refused the deal.
But Hyeon Sang silenced their objections and pushed the plan forward.
For the Huashan Sect to grow further, money would be essential.
He made the decision prepared to bear whatever criticism the world might offer.
‘That choice has proven wise.’
Hyeon Sang gazed at Manager O, and his lips curved upward.
“Your aid has been invaluable to us.”
“Oh, not at all.”
Manager O waved his hand in protest.
“My resources are limited; I could only offer this much…….”
His regretful tone only softened Hyeon Sang’s expression further.
Though they had conducted business together, Hyeon Sang had not trusted Manager O deeply until now.
After all, the man was a merchant.
Yet Hyeon Sang’s confidence in Manager O had surged.
The man was helping them faster than anyone else.
And as if he understood the gravity of the situation, he had even procured carriages to move the medicine materials on the very day of the attack.
“It has been more than sufficient.”
“Then I am relieved.”
Manager O pressed his hand to his chest at these words.
“Should you require anything further, please contact the Maehwa Inn at any time. I shall come to assist you at once.”
“My gratitude.”
Hyeon Sang smiled, and Manager O returned the smile before carefully backing away.
Soon he descended the mountain path.
“Your choice was the right one, Sect Master.”
Hyeon Heo had appeared and spoke.
He had been the one most vehemently opposed to dealing with Tianxia Trading Company.
And now, watching Manager O’s retreating figure fade into the distance, he seemed to regret his earlier stance.
“……I was too rigid in my thinking.”
At his subdued words, Hyeon Sang shook his head.
“No. In the past, I would have chosen as you did.”
His words carried genuine sincerity.
Before meeting Cheon Hui, he would have made the same choice as Hyeon Heo.
“What matters is that you change from this moment forward.”
Hyeon Sang smiled at the widening eyes of Hyeon Heo, then turned his gaze aside.
Manager O was not the only one who had come to aid the Huashan Sect of his own will.
“Huff, huff.”
Jin Gae and the Gae Bang members were laboring hard, drenched in sweat, filling the many fissures across Taorin Field.
‘Why am I…….’
Jin Gae’s expression was wretched.
It was work he was being forced to do.
Once the situation was stabilized, the Huashan Sect would surely hold Gae Bang accountable for their failure to gather intelligence.
Jin Gae had to prove himself useful by any means.
Nor were the Gae Bang members the only ones laboring.
Throughout the field, martial artists bearing the insignia of the Murim Alliance were carrying supplies.
All of them were struggling to survive.
“Fortunately, this won’t take long.”
Hyeon Sang wore an expression of satisfaction.
Yet his chest ached.
‘So it is true—Kangho is ruled by strength.’
To receive this much aid?
It would have been unimaginable in the past.
Not long before, when the youngest disciples and Maehwa Sword Masters had been annihilated, what had it been like?
Not help—only coldness and disdain.
‘……The past is the past.’
Hyeon Sang shook his head, banishing those painful memories that had made his chest ache.
How long would he cling to what had been?
Now was the time to move forward.
Just as Hyeon Sang had made up his mind to accept things gracefully, he turned his head.
“Hmm……?”
Hyeon Sang’s eyes narrowed as he sensed something.
A group was climbing the mountain path.
Not just one or two.
Around twenty figures in white martial robes led the way, followed by dozens more martial artists dressed in robes of every color imaginable.
Hyeon Sang’s sword sense stirred.
From the dozens of martial artists, each properly garbed, emanated an ominous killing aura.
‘Enemies……? Don’t tell me they think we’ve weakened from fighting Nok Rim and are launching another surprise attack?’
The sight resembled the time when Nok Rim’s disciples had assaulted Huashan, and Hyeon Sang tensed for a moment.
But only for a moment.
“That face…….”
His expression broke into a bright smile.
The figure leading them in the white martial robe was someone he recognized.
“Ah, so you’ve come to help.”
Ju Song, the leader of Ilwol Moon, gazed upon the breathtaking landscape of Huashan Sect spread before him and quickened his pace.
‘Please, let them all be safe…….’
As the Mountain Gate of Huashan drew nearer, his anxiety grew sharper.
He’d heard rumors that they’d defeated Nok Rim, but worry gnawed at him nonetheless.
No matter how decisive a victory, it would have been impossible to emerge completely unscathed.
He pressed his feet harder still.
When he finally reached the Mountain Gate, his pupils trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
“The, the Mountain Gate……?”
The once-solid gate lay in ruins.
His heart lurched.
“Could the rumors be wrong……?”
Just as he turned sharply to rush toward Huashan,
“It’s been a while.”
Hyeon Sang appeared before him.
“Sect Master!”
Ju Song hurried forward at Hyeon Sang’s greeting.
“Are you unharmed?”
At the anxious question, Hyeon Sang offered a gentle smile.
“I’m well.”
“Thank goodness, truly thank goodness.”
Ju Song’s eyes glistened with tears.
As the two soon fell into conversation, inquiring after the state of Ilwol Moon,
“Why do we have to come all the way to Huashan?”
“It’s already over—was this trip really necessary?”
Those who’d followed them, their auras bristling with menace, pouted and grumbled.
They were martial artists of So Heung Bo.
So Heung Bo Ju glanced sideways at his constantly complaining subordinates and opened his mouth.
“If we’ve agreed to a mutual alliance with Ilwol Moon, shouldn’t we help them?”
“But that has nothing to do with helping Huashan Sect, does it?”
When someone voiced this reasonable objection, So Heung Bo Ju’s face twisted.
‘As if I don’t know that!’
Irritation flared hotly within him.
He was well aware that this was an absurd course of action.
But what could he do?
‘If that demon finds out I haven’t come to help, there’s no telling what he’ll do.’
A chill ran down his spine.
If that demon wearing a Daoist’s mask decided to act, he would sever So Heung Bo Ju’s neck without hesitation.
“Help if you’re told to help.”
With that single statement, he silenced his subordinates and carefully scanned the surroundings.
His eyes darted rapidly.
‘Where is that demon?’
As he searched in vain for any sign of the demon, a slow smile spread across his lips.
‘Could he actually be dead?’
His heart surged with wild hope.
The opponent was the Nok Rim Great Emperor.
A peerless master who had raised Nok Rim to its current prominence—a man whose martial prowess was said to rank among the finest under Heaven itself.
He quickly rubbed his hands together.
‘Infinite Buddha! Amitabha Buddha! Lord Shakyamuni, or if not, the Primordial Celestial Worthy, or the Supreme Elder Lord—anyone will do. Please, I beg you, take that demon away!’
While he prayed and pleaded in silence.
“Welcome to our sect.”
At the quiet voice, So Heung Bo Ju snapped awake and found himself face to face with Hyeon Sang, who stood before him wearing a benevolent expression.
“Ah, it’s good to see you.”
“I heard the account from the leader of Ilwol Moon.”
Hyeon Sang’s expression grew complicated.
“I understand you’ve come from So Heung Bo.”
So Heung Bo Ju laughed awkwardly.
When he thought about it, the situation was almost absurd.
Here was So Heung Bo, an unorthodox sect, bringing disciples to aid the Huashan Sect, one of the Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools.
“Ha, ha. Yes, that’s right.”
Hyeon Sang, watching So Heung Bo Ju’s awkward laughter, found himself uncertain how to respond.
It was entirely unexpected.
Yet soon Hyeon Sang shook his head and bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for coming to help. We won’t forget this kindness.”
Before concerns of orthodoxy or heterodoxy, help was help.
Gratitude was the natural response.
Meanwhile, So Heung Bo Ju felt a pang of discomfort.
He hadn’t come because he wanted to help.
He’d been practically shoved into it, left with no choice but to come.
Yet to receive such treatment.
‘……But I must admit, it feels good.’
So Heung Bo Ju’s lips curled upward.
The sect leader of the Nine Major Sects and Four Unorthodox Schools had bowed to him—his pride naturally swelled.
“Ahem, well. That’s not it. As fellow sects of Shenxi, it’s only natural, is it not?”
So Heung Bo Ju, affecting composure, glanced at Hyeon Sang and parted his lips.
“But Sect Master, if I may be so bold as to ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“That is……that demon—no, I mean. Where has the Maehwa Sin Hyeop gone……?”
“Looking for me?”
“Agh!”
So Heung Bo Ju jumped backward.
The demon had appeared close behind him.
‘Damn it all!’
His face darkened.
The hope that had swelled in him shattered like glass, and despair bloomed in its place.
Hyeon Sang, observing the two of them as if he recognized something, asked Cheon Hui.
“Do you know him?”
“I saw him briefly when we went to help Ilwol Moon. Didn’t I?”
At Cheon Hui’s words, So Heung Bo Ju flinched, but soon nodded up and down.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Hyeon Sang, watching So Heung Bo Ju stammer, quickly grasped the situation.
‘So Cheon Hui has done something.’
At that moment, Cheon Hui parted his lips.
“I have something to discuss with this man. May I take him?”
“Go ahead.”
At the sudden turn of events, So Heung Bo Ju broke into a cold sweat.
He gazed desperately at the Sect Master and the leader of Ilwol Moon, grasping at straws, but.
“So many have come to help. There’s little left for us to do.”
“Not at all. We wish to be of whatever service we can.”
The two were too occupied with their conversation to spare him a glance.
As So Heung Bo Ju’s face grew dark, as if the sky itself were collapsing.
“Why are you so despondent?”
Cheon Hui spoke with a hint of mockery in his voice.
“Despondent? What do you mean by that!”
So Heung Bo Ju answered urgently.
“Ha, ha. But in any case, it’s fortunate that you’re unharmed, sir.”
“Do you really think so?”
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“You weren’t hoping I’d die, were you?”
So Heung Bo Ju flinched at the words and gaze that seemed to pierce straight through him.
“That—that could never be the case!”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Cheon Hui twisted his lips.
“Well, fine. Since you’ve come all the way to Huashan, I’ll let it slide this time.”
For a moment, So Heung Bo Ju’s expression brightened.
“But you’ve got work to do. Understood?”
“You mean…….”
“Get to work. Now.”
Shortly after, So Heung Bo Ju and his men were laboring alongside the Gae Bang members to restore the overturned earth.
“Tsk, I should’ve shown more restraint.”
Cheon Hui surveyed the courtyard and scratched the back of his head with a murmur.
Perhaps he’d gotten a bit too carried away.
The traces of destruction scattered across Huashan were far too deep and extensive.
“Well, they’ll manage on their own.”
Cheon Hui brushed it off and turned away.
But then.
A group of people appeared at the Mountain Gate, raising a whirlwind of dust in their wake.
“Where is Nok Rim! Where is Nok Rim!”
“Is everyone all right?!”
“Sect Master!”
They were none other than Hyeon Do and Hyeon Jin from the Murim Alliance, along with the Maehwa Sword Masters.

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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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