Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 251

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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 251
As the saying goes, words without feet travel a thousand leagues.
The news that Nok Lim had attacked Huashan Sect struck all under Heaven with astonishing speed.
Perhaps it was inevitable.
Both sects were the talk of the current Gangho more than anywhere else.
Huashan Sect—one of the Nine Factions and One Gang.
It had been treading a path of decline, yet in recent times its momentum had become formidable.
Had they not toppled Baek Gwi Seong and reclaimed the hegemony of Shenxi for the Orthodox Sect?
When added to the various techniques they had displayed—the Huashan Divine Sword, the Maehwa Divine Cooperation, and the Maehwa Seven Swords in action—the word “decline” no longer suited them at all.
Indeed, some enthusiasts were already saying that the current Huashan Sect could rank among the highest of the Nine Factions and One Gang.
And what of Nok Lim?
The present Nok Lim was no ordinary place.
For decades—no, centuries—they had been dismissed as mere brigands, until the appearance of Nok Lim Dae Je, an incomparable master of unparalleled skill, whose power had begun to grow at a fearsome rate.
And just recently, by joining Sa Hyuk Ryeon, had they not risen to become a colossal sect standing shoulder to shoulder with O Hwang Moon?
All eyes were fixed on the collision between the emergent Orthodox major power and the Sapa major power.
And not long after, the rumors that followed left everyone aghast.
—Nok Lim had retreated!
It was an assault in which Nok Lim Dae Je himself had led the charge, with all four Nok Lim Kings taking part.
A force of over a hundred skilled masters advancing was nothing less than committing more than fifty percent of Nok Lim’s total strength.
And that was not all.
The meticulous ambush by Nok Lim had been so perfect that even Gae Bang, who had been paying close attention, failed to detect it until they reached Shenxi Province.
But what of Huashan Sect?
The Huashan Divine Sword and the Maehwa Seven Swords, those who could be called the sect’s strongest masters, were stationed at the Murim Alliance and could not prepare for the assault.
By the time they grasped the situation belatedly, the Murim Alliance’s reinforcements had also arrived one step too late.
In the end, the remaining disciples of Huashan had to fend off the ambush themselves.
Though they held the defensive position, the disparity in strength was unmistakably evident.
For this reason, nearly everyone had been convinced that Nok Lim would win.
Yet the result was the exact opposite.
“Then… is it true that Nok Lim Dae Je has retreated?”
“Retreated? He abandoned his subordinates and fled with his tail between his legs, or so I heard.”
“How extraordinary. Nok Lim Dae Je abandoning his men and fleeing—it’s hard to believe.”
“Life is precious, is it not?”
“But there’s one thing I’m curious about. How in Heaven did they manage to defeat Nok Lim Dae Je? I heard the Huashan Divine Sword was at the Murim Alliance. Even with a combined effort, wouldn’t the four Nok Lim Kings and Nok Lim’s disciples have prevented it?”
Everyone concentrated on what answer would follow the question.
Nok Lim Dae Je was an Absolute Master whose martial prowess was acknowledged throughout the current Gangho.
Unless it was the Huashan Divine Sword who had defeated Baek Sa Sin, another Daoist of Huashan could not have overcome such a master of different caliber.
Yet.
“He was defeated by a single person.”
A shocking statement followed.
“A… a single person?”
“Who on earth…?”
While all stood disbelieving, one voice after another opened.
“The Maehwa Divine Cooperation.”
“The Maehwa Divine Cooperation!”
“The Maehwa Divine Cooperation, you say…?”
And thus, around the time the epithet “Maehwa Divine Cooperation” was being spoken from the lips of many throughout Gangho.
“I… it is finished now.”
Gwak Cheol Ho, the long-established figure who had run a medical house in Sanyang, Shenxi for many years, finished his words and swallowed hard before the broad-shouldered man whose right eye and entire body were wrapped tightly in bandages.
He was no ordinary person.
Now that the treatment was complete, his wounds were hidden, but when he first arrived, his state had been dreadful.
His right eye was pierced clean through, and slivers of metal were embedded throughout his entire body.
For an ordinary person, such a severe injury would make them scream and lose consciousness rather than move.
Yet he had walked into the medical house with ease and entrusted his treatment to Gwak Cheol Ho.
‘Perhaps these are the ones called masters in the Murim world.’
Gwak Cheol Ho murmured to himself as he recalled the time of treatment.
Muscles honed to the point that even needles had difficulty penetrating, and a fierce internal energy that drove relentlessly forward.
These were things he had felt for the first time in his long life.
Then it was.
“…It stings.”
With the words, the man opened his one eye.
‘Gasp!’
Gwak Cheol Ho’s neck shrank back in an instant.
‘Eyes that green and deep—such a thing exists.’
As Gwak Cheol Ho trembled before that eerie gaze, the man who had been sitting rose slowly to his feet.
He pulled on his tattered Martial Robe and moved toward the door.
“About the medical fees….”
Gwak Cheol Ho heard himself speak before he could think.
The color drained from his face as he realized his mistake.
“Medical fees.”
The man stopped and fixed Gwak Cheol Ho with a steady gaze.
Fear flickered in Gwak Cheol Ho’s eyes as he met that cold green stare.
“I’d nearly forgotten.”
The man spoke softly.
Relief washed over Gwak Cheol Ho’s face.
“Ha-hah, of course… Gah!”
In that moment of relief, the man’s hand closed around Gwak Cheol Ho’s throat.
And then.
Crack!
His neck snapped, and Gwak Cheol Ho breathed his last.
The man—Nok Lim Dae Je—flicked out his tongue and tossed the corpse aside as though it were trash.
As he turned away, sharp pain suddenly seized him.
Surge—
He lifted his hand to touch his right eye, but felt only bandages.
Nothing but wrapping met his fingertips.
“That bastard cost me so much.”
His face twisted into a grin of barely contained malice.
He had prepared meticulously for everything.
Yet one man had destroyed it all.
One man who had overwhelmed him through sheer martial prowess.
“I need time to rebuild my strength.”
Killing intent dripped like venom from the single eye of Nok Lim Dae Je.
Cold and biting.
“Until I’m strong enough to kill him….”
Nok Lim Dae Je muttered and slipped out of the room.
Soon he disappeared into the mountains as the sun began its slow descent.
He moved like a wounded beast.
* * *
Four days had passed since Hyeon Do and Hyeon Jin, along with the first-generation disciples, returned to Huashan.
In that time, the devastated mountain had gradually begun to restore itself.
Fighters from Gae Bang and the Murim Alliance’s local chapter worked tirelessly.
Those from the Affiliated Sects and So Heung Bo had contributed greatly as well.
But the true catalyst was elsewhere.
Cheon Hui swept the surroundings with a keen eye, and the moment anyone dared to rest, he descended upon them like a hawk, driving them relentlessly forward.
“Hey, what are you doing? Your hands are idle!”
So Heung Bo Ju felt a surge of irritation, but at Cheon Hui’s next words, he shook his head and hurried back to work.
“You want the same treatment?”
His gaze drifted toward those filling the ground below—Cheon Yu and the other first-generation disciples.
They looked half dead.
And for good reason.
Weighted Rings hung heavy on their hands and feet, and the toxic fumes from the An Hyang Dan that occasionally rose up tormented them relentlessly.
As Cheon Hui continued his watchful patrol,
“Older brother!”
Jong Hyeon came sprinting from a distance.
As Jong Hyeon picked up speed, desperate to throw himself into Cheon Hui’s arms,
“Don’t run so fast.”
Ha U Jin, of the Flying Swallow Sword Sect, blocked his path and gripped his shoulder.
Then Ha U Jin approached Cheon Hui.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Cheon Hui simply shrugged at the apology.
“That’s not something you should be apologizing to me for.”
Ha U Jin nodded.
Whether apology or consolation, it was a matter for Cheon Hui to address to the Sect Master of Huashan—not to himself.
“Though it seems the contingent is rather small.”
Cheon Hui remarked with a hint of reproach, noting that only Ha U Jin and Jong Hyeon had come.
“……Our sect has encountered some complications, so only Jong Hyeon and I could make the journey.”
Ha U Jin replied with a wry smile.
“Complications?”
Cheon Hui asked, his tone edged with curiosity.
Ha U Jin shook his head, his expression making it clear the matter was not to be discussed.
Some things, it seemed, could not be spoken of.
Cheon Hui had already moved past it when—
“Brother, is it true you defeated Nok Lim Dae Je?!”
Jong Hyeon’s eyes gleamed as he blurted out the question.
“Well, yes.”
“Extraordinary, brother!”
Jong Hyeon leapt up with clasped hands, his excitement uncontained.
“Nok Lim Dae Je—he’s one of the most renowned figures in Kangho today…….”
Ha U Jin too spoke with genuine admiration.
“……Truly impressive.”
When Ha U Jin had first heard the rumor of Cheon Hui defeating Nok Lim Dae Je, he had accepted it without question.
He knew well enough the realm Cheon Hui’s martial prowess had reached.
It was then that Cheon Yu and the other senior disciples came hurrying over.
“We greet the Jade Swallow Sword Master.”
Cheon Yu offered a respectful Fist Salute, and Ha U Jin’s eyes widened in recognition.
“My, it’s been a long time.”
“You remember me.”
Cheon Yu scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
“Ha, how could I forget the chief disciple of Huashan?”
Ha U Jin laughed warmly, then his expression grew concerned as he studied Cheon Yu. “Though your complexion looks rather poor. Did you suffer injuries in the Nok Lim attack?”
Cheon Yu gave an awkward laugh.
“That’s not it.”
“Then what——”
Cheon Hui cut in.
“Training. It’s from training.”
“Training……?”
Cheon Hui glanced at Ha U Jin’s puzzled face and, with an expression that suggested the explanation was tedious, untied the weighted ring fastened around his wrist and tossed it lightly over.
“Hmm?”
Ha U Jin’s eyes widened as he caught the ring, and immediately his hand dropped with the weight of it.
“……This is——”
“That’s it. He wears it constantly.”
Ha U Jin let out a low whistle.
The weight was substantial.
It appeared to be nearly thirty catties.
‘Certainly, living with something like this would be exhausting. But……’
Ha U Jin turned to Cheon Hui. “Does wearing this actually serve as training?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking at him?”
Cheon Hui replied, gesturing toward Cheon Yu.
Ha U Jin understood at once.
Compared to before, Cheon Yu’s frame had grown more solid and compact; though he looked worn, there was an undeniable vitality radiating from him.
“Hmm, I’ve heard that physical conditioning is important, but to employ such a method……”
Ha U Jin murmured, turning the ring over in his hands.
After a moment, he returned it.
“Here. Take it back.”
Cheon Hui caught it easily and fastened it around his left wrist once more.
‘I tried putting these on to build external energy cultivation, but they’re too light. Maybe I should ask for heavier ones.’
Such were Cheon Hui’s thoughts when——

“I’ll go speak with the Sect Master.”
Ha U Jin turned as he spoke.
He would have liked to continue the conversation with Cheon Hui, but he had come with a clear purpose.
“Of course.”
As Ha U Jin moved forward after Cheon Hui’s reply, Jong Hyeon waved and followed after him.
“See you later!”
Meanwhile, Hyeon Sang, Hyeon Do, and Hyeon Jin were gazing down at Huashan through the windows of Ja Ha Pavilion.
“……Everything’s changed so much.”
Hyeon Do spoke with a complicated expression.
While he had been at the Murim Alliance, Huashan Sect had undergone tremendous transformation.
The establishment of three Martial Force Units.
Hyeon Cheong leading the third generation disciples.
It all felt strangely unfamiliar.
“That’s what moving forward looks like.”
Hyeon Sang spoke softly beside him.
He patted the shoulder of Hyeon Jin, who shared the same sense of estrangement, and continued.
“And isn’t it thanks to you two that our sect has achieved such growth?”
“That’s not true.”
“We’ve done nothing of consequence.”
Hyeon Do and Hyeon Jin shook their heads.
“Come now! Don’t say such things!”
Hyeon Sang fixed his gaze intently on the two as they spoke in bitter tones.
“Without you two, Huashan Sect would not exist as it does today. Do you know how great a force your name has become, Hyeon Do?”
Only then did Hyeon Do’s expression soften slightly.
Seeing this, Hyeon Sang smiled gently and turned his gaze to Hyeon Jin as he continued.
“And Hyeon Jin—my gratitude to you cannot be expressed in words alone. Had you not distinguished yourself at the Murim Alliance when Huashan walked the path of decline, there would be nothing—not Huashan Sect as it is now, nor anything else.”
“Senior Brother…….”
Hyeon Jin could not suppress the surge of emotion at those words.
He had never spoken of it, but his time at the Murim Alliance had been agonizing.
Waves of contempt pouring down from all directions.
And with each passing moment feeling as though he were sinking deeper into darkness, there were nights he lay fevered with nightmares.
Hyeon Sang caught sight of Hyeon Jin’s trembling frame and gave Hyeon Do a meaningful glance.
Hyeon Do too looked startled to see Hyeon Jin so vulnerable, but soon offered a small smile.
The two then patted Hyeon Jin’s back.
“Look—thanks to you, Huashan Sect has grown like this.”
“You’ve endured much.”
At their words, Hyeon Jin composed himself and smiled.
For the first time in ages, all his emotions came pouring out.
A beautiful smile.
As the three gazed down at Huashan thus.
“……What about those Martial Robes?”
Hyeon Do noticed a group ascending the Mountain Gate and opened his eyes in slight surprise.
“Do you know them?”
Hyeon Do nodded and answered with a bewildered expression.
“They’re from the Murim Alliance’s Righteous Constabulary.”

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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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