Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 260

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

260
Fire
Cheon Hui emerged from the Murim Library half a day had passed in full.
“Has so much time slipped away already?”
Cheon Hui murmured, gazing up at the sky.
As he stepped outside the pavilion with Yuk Mu Gwang’s guidance, thick darkness greeted him.
“I stayed far too long.”
Yuk Mu Gwang, watching Cheon Hui scratch his head with a sheepish grin, offered his farewell with a faint smile.
“Travel safely.”
“Yes, and you take care of yourself too.”
The moment Cheon Hui finished speaking and launched himself forward—
Whoosh—
His form vanished like a phantom.
A smile bloomed across Yuk Mu Gwang’s lips as he gazed into the empty space where not even an afterimage remained.
“So that was Cheon Hui of the Huashan Sect.”
He muttered to himself, tapping his back lightly and straightening the posture that had been slightly bent.
Then he lifted his gaze to the sky.
Observing the moon and stars hidden behind clouds, he let slip a mysterious gleam in his eyes and murmured softly.
“Heh heh heh, the Gangho will be in turmoil.”
Meanwhile, Cheon Hui, having deployed the Bicheong Movement, tore through the darkness like an arrow in flight.
‘Was it that direction?’
Spotting the distant pavilion, Cheon Hui leaped onto a nearby rooftop.
Thud.
The landscape blurred in an instant.
A sharp, biting wind that followed swept harshly across his cheek.
After bounding across several more rooftops—
The distance that had felt considerable on the way there, Cheon Hui covered in a single breath, and soon he was back at the Huashan Sect’s quarters.
As he stepped inside the pavilion—
“You’ve returned.”
Hyeon Do, seated at a table, welcomed Cheon Hui.
“You’ve been away so long?”
“Heh heh, the night was still young. Everyone who needed to go has already left.”
As Hyeon Do spoke with a smile, his eyes suddenly brightened when he caught sight of the sword at Cheon Hui’s side.
“Did you obtain that blade?”
“Well, yes.”
Cheon Hui tapped the sword in response, then seemed to recall something and opened his mouth.
“Would you like to see it? It’s quite a fine famous blade.”
Hyeon Do, thinking Cheon Hui was simply boasting about acquiring a new famous sword, laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha, let me see it then.”
Cheon Hui immediately drew the blade.
Slip—
The brilliant blade revealed itself, and a faint crimson radiance emanated softly.
“You’ve obtained a remarkable sword.”
Hyeon Do let out an admiring breath.
It was a captivating, beautiful blade.
Particularly, the faint crimson brilliance flowing from the sword’s surface harmonized with Cheon Hui’s already striking features, creating an even more enchanting atmosphere.
“It suits you so well… wait, hold on!”
Hyeon Do, who had been about to offer praise, suddenly sprang from his seat.
“A faint crimson radiance and a polished blade—could it possibly be…!”
His eyes trembled visibly as they pierced through the sword.
The bearing of the blade now held in Cheon Hui’s hand matched perfectly the famous sword the Huashan Sect had lost—one he knew only from ancient tales.
“Hwawol?!”
Hyeon Do cried out in shock, then urgently placed both hands on Cheon Hui’s shoulders and demanded.
“Where in the world did you obtain this?”
“Naturally, I obtained it from the Murim Library.”
“It was in the Murim Library all this time!”
Hyeon Do squeezed his eyes shut.
As the saying goes, the foot of the lamp is always darkest.
Because it was in the Murim Library of the Murim Alliance, even searching all Under Heaven could not have found it.
He released his hands from Cheon Hui’s shoulders and muttered with a bitter smile.
“……So for hundreds of years, no matter how hard we searched, we couldn’t find it.”
Hyeon Do shook his head with a sigh.
‘So the sword’s name is Hwawol?’
Having learned the sword’s name, Cheon Hui stared at Hyeon Do and opened his mouth.
“You know much about this blade?”
“It’s one of Huashan’s famous swords, passed down through the ages. But it vanished several hundred years ago, so we couldn’t find it.”
“It ended up in my hands.”
At Cheon Hui’s words, Hyeon Do’s eyes gleamed.
‘If it weren’t for Cheon Hui, Hwawol would have been lost forever…….’
Soon after, he broke into a broad smile.
“Is that so? You’ve done wonderfully!”
There was no fortune quite like this.
As Hyeon Do gazed at Cheon Hui with delight,
“So it’s called Hwawol, then?”
Cheon Hui examined the sword carefully, then sprang to his feet and spoke.
“Let me go test it.”
Hyeon Do nodded emphatically, understanding Cheon Hui’s feelings well.
To acquire a new famous blade—and not just any blade, but Hwawol, a treasure of the Huashan Sect.
How could he not wish to wield it?
“Yes, swing it to your heart’s content!”
Watching Hyeon Do speak with hearty laughter, Cheon Hui left him behind and stepped outside, arriving at the Back Garden shortly after.
“It’s quiet—perfect.”
It was an hour when all had fallen asleep.
Deep darkness and silence enfolded him.
In that stillness, Cheon Hui slowly drew Hwawol and raised it skyward.
Moonlight, half-hidden behind clouds, reflected off the blade and scattered with beautiful radiance.
“Then…….”
Cheon Hui poured his Inner Power from the Plum Blossom Divine Art into the blade.
Inner Power shimmering with a faint glow flowed out like threads, caressing the blade.
“Which sword technique should I try first?”
Countless techniques flickered through his mind, appearing and vanishing in quick succession.
But that, too, was fleeting.
‘That would be best, wouldn’t it?’
Cheon Hui recalled Malko, the Daoist who had once owned Hwawol, and moved the sword.
It was the Maehwa Sword Technique that Malko had taken pride in.
Whoosh—
Vivid plum blossoms bloomed from the blade.
And above them, moonlight settled down softly.
It was truly a mystical sight.
Seeing this, Cheon Hui felt that the sword’s current appearance matched its name, Hwawol, perfectly.
‘Flowers and the moon…….’
Within that elegant mood, the sword dance continued.
“There’s a certain satisfaction to wielding it.”
A smile of contentment played at the corners of Cheon Hui’s mouth as he continued swinging the blade.
“I sensed it before, even when facing it in my past life, but it truly is a remarkable famous sword.”
Murmuring to himself, Cheon Hui redoubled his efforts with the Maehwa Sword Technique.
Hwawol, scattering faint luminescence, began unfolding the Maehwa Sword Technique’s forms one by one, starting with the First Form: Maehwa Noobang.
Perhaps because he had begun properly executing the Twenty-Four Forms Maehwa Sword Technique,
Hwawol, which had been swinging quietly, suddenly let out a cry close to a roar.
Woooong—
The sword’s cry struck Cheon Hui’s ears, and he laughed without thinking.
‘In my past life, this blade cried out to kill me. Now it rings with joy in my hands……. How strange that is.’
Caught in thought, he paused for a moment.
Woong—
Hwawol cried out as if sulking.
“Hmm? You want me to swing you more?”
As if in answer, Hwawol burst forth with deep crimson brilliance, and laughter escaped from between Cheon Hui’s lips.
“Your former master would scold me for this.”
Wait—no, perhaps it’s not quite that way?
Thinking about it, the situation was rather amusing.
In his previous life, they were sworn enemies, but now he was a Daoist of the Huashan Sect, was he not.
Moreover, he had even retrieved the Hwawol from the Murim Library—that blade buried in dust and forgotten.
“Come to think of it, shouldn’t you be thanking me instead? Thanks to me, your Hwawol has practically returned to Huashan.”
Cheon Hui, who would have made Sang Un Jin In seethe with indignation had he overheard such words, nodded his head up and down.
“And on top of that, I’ve all but restored the Huashan Sect from the brink of ruin… gratitude alone wouldn’t suffice.”
When Cheon Hui, interpreting the situation entirely to his liking and in excellent spirits, let out a soft chuckle.
Wheeooong—
The blade, no longer able to contain itself, cried out again as if throwing a tantrum.
Cheon Hui, needing no further prompting from the sword’s cry to wield it, adjusted his grip on the Hwawol and smiled to himself.
“Alright, alright. I know. Today I’ll swing you until you’re satisfied.”
* * *
The next morning, heavy mist clung to the early dawn.
The central figures of the Murim Alliance were streaming into the Great Hall at the very heart of the fortress.
‘The air is almost suffocating,’ Hyeon Do murmured inwardly.
He swept his gaze across the surroundings.
Around the vast circular table within the Great Hall, many figures sat in a loose circle, each absorbed in contemplation.
They were all formidable individuals.
Not only those who had come to represent the Nine Factions and One Gang, but also the Chongwu Gate and the Chunjung Sword Gate, both nearly equal in standing.
And that was far from all.
The members of the Murim Alliance’s structure—the One Court, Two Parties, Three Groups, Four Teams, as well as the Three Great Public Services—were seated here as well.
‘And somewhere among these people is a traitor,’ Hyeon Do thought.
His mind grew tangled.
No matter how he looked at it, none of these figures seemed the obvious candidate for such a role.
‘This is maddening. Who could it possibly be?’
A sigh escaped him internally.
‘If the traitors want war with Sa Hyuk Ryeon, then those who support this agenda are the most likely suspects.’
It was then, as Hyeon Do sat in thought watching this formidable assembly, that Gun Sa rose and walked toward the seat of honor.
“Hmm?”
“The seat of honor?”
In that instant, those who had been contemplating stirred, fixing their gaze upon Gun Sa.
The moment Gun Sa took the seat of honor.
“Why would Gun Sa sit there?”
“Where is the Alliance Lord…?”
Voices tinged with objection erupted at once.
Gun Sa regarded them steadily, then produced from his breast a single gold token.
“That is…”
“He has surrendered the Cheonbo Pae?”
A collective intake of breath sounded from all around.
The gold token in Gun Sa’s hand was none other than the sacred vessel that embodied the authority of the Murim Alliance Lord.
Facing this unexpected turn of events, all fell silent.
“The Murim Alliance Lord has entrusted me with all authority over this great council,” Gun Sa proclaimed.
His voice carried through the hall.
Speaking in measured but forceful tones, he swept his gaze across the assembly.
“Does anyone object?”
“……”
At his calm question, not a soul spoke.
To dispute Gun Sa’s words now that he had displayed the Cheonbo Pae would be tantamount to making an enemy of the Alliance Lord himself.
“Then let us begin the Murim Council…”
Gun Sa, observing the quieted assembly and about to return the Cheonbo Pae to his breast and open his mouth to continue, when—
“Wait a moment, Gun Sa.”
A voice interjected.
All eyes turned in that direction.
There sat an elderly man dressed in robes of breathtaking crimson silk.
The lavish garments were so at odds with his withered, gaunt frame that they bordered on the absurd; yet no one present could so much as smile at the sight.
For he was Ok So Sin Geom, an elder of the Original Council and a master of the Gangho from the era before the Guzhou Three Powerhouses had risen to dominance.
Gun Sa inquired with due respect.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“Heh, nothing of great import. It’s merely that it appears someone has not yet arrived.”
As he spoke, he gestured with his eyes toward the surrounding assembly.
Of the thirty chairs prepared around the table, five sat empty.
“They sent word separately that they would not attend.”
Gun Sa spoke in a measured tone.
“They won’t attend?”
Ok So Sin Geom’s brow twitched.
The very survival of the Murim Alliance hung in the balance.
Yet for such a crucial matter, absences were simply inexcusable.
Gun Sa, reading the displeasure in Ok So Sin Geom’s face, quickly added more.
“Those absent are the Sword Tower, the Iron Blood Group’s leader, the left and right enforcers, and the Celestial Fire Lord.”
As Gun Sa enumerated each absence, Ok So Sin Geom’s irritation visibly eased.
“Them, then?”
The absences made a certain sense.
The Sword Tower had always been insular, situated impossibly far away.
And the Iron Blood Group—what of them?
Everyone there wore tall hats and masks, addressing one another only by aliases.
They had never attended such public affairs before.
But the remaining three…
“Why didn’t the enforcers and the Celestial Fire Lord come?”
“They said they would abide by the Alliance’s decision.”
At Gun Sa’s answer, the eyes of those gathered narrowed.
It was simply their way of accepting whatever outcome emerged.
“Shall we resume now?”
At Gun Sa’s next words, Ok So Sin Geom nodded and reclined against the backrest.
“Yes, let us.”
Gun Sa drew a steady breath before speaking quietly.
“I now convene the Murim Great Council.”
Just one sentence.
Yet with those words alone, the atmosphere of the Great Hall transformed.
A suffocating tension crept through the chamber, the air grew taut, and the weight descended like a held breath—
“We shall proceed directly to the matter at hand.”
Gun Sa continued without hesitation.
“The Alliance proposes war with Sa Hyuk Ryeon. Does anyone oppose?”
Before Gun Sa’s words had even finished, those in opposition shot their hands up.
‘Ten of them?’
Gun Sa swept his gaze across the raised hands.
Among them, Seol Geom, the deputy commander, spoke softly.
“If I may be so bold, might I speak first?”
Gun Sa, observing him with courtesy, replied flatly.
“Go ahead.”
Seol Geom held Gun Sa’s gaze and smiled broadly.
“If the Alliance clashes with Sa Hyuk Ryeon, the Bi Cheon Society will seize the opportunity.”
“You voice what I myself was thinking.”
“It seems the deputy commander shares my concern.”
Several others voiced their agreement as though they had been waiting for permission.
Seol Geom took mental note of them and smiled inwardly.
Those who sided with him were sects positioned near the Bi Cheon Society.
‘Everything unfolds according to plan.’
His ambitions ran deep.
To become Gun Sa and manipulate the Murim Alliance through his own hands—that was his dream.
And to achieve that dream, a war that would showcase his intellect would indeed be a fine opportunity, but…
‘There is something that must come first.’
There was an order to things.
And what must take priority in the current situation was nothing else but—
‘Removing Gun Sa.’
Seol Geom fixed his gaze on Gun Sa and spoke.
“Tell me, Gun Sa—do you perhaps have another reason for this war?”
In an instant, every eye turned toward him.
Seol Geom smiled faintly at their scrutiny, his gaze turning glacial.
Gun Sa, observing Seol Geom, asked with an unchanged, serene expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Until now, you have consistently advocated for peace, yet suddenly you urge war. Forgive me, but it arouses suspicion—I wonder if perhaps you seek to profit from this conflict…”
“Stop dancing around it. Say what you mean to say.”
Gun Sa’s bluntness prompted Seol Geom to speak, as if he’d been waiting for permission.
“You deliberately incite war between our Alliance and the Sa Hyuk Ryeon, all to expand the Bi Cheon Society’s power—isn’t that your true aim?”

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