Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 265

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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 265
“You’re already heading out on a mission?”
Go Yeong Jin In, an elder of the Kunlun Sect, furrowed his brow at the news he’d just received.
But that wasn’t all.
A single furrow of concern lined the brows of all the many people seated around the table.
Barely two days had passed since the end of the Murim Council meeting.
What had been announced that day was the establishment of the Byeol Dong Dae.
Yet already the Byeol Dong Dae was conducting a mission.
“Have the members of the Byeol Dong Dae been selected?”
Go Yeong Jin In asked with evident bewilderment.
Selecting the Byeol Dong Dae’s personnel in merely a single day bordered on the absurd.
And yet.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’re telling me you decided in just one day?”
“How on earth did you select them…….”
Those who hadn’t yet heard how Cheon Hui had chosen the Byeol Dong Dae expressed their confusion.
Normally, selecting subordinates required careful deliberation—it was natural to spend at least several days sifting through and choosing candidates.
Yet all the personnel had been selected in merely one day?
It felt as though they’d been picked at random, didn’t it?
“However, Gun Sa. No matter that you’ve selected personnel, isn’t this moving rather hastily? Only two days have passed.”
“Amitabha Buddha. This humble monk also agrees with the esteemed elder’s words.”
“Cheon Hui, the young master—or rather, Cheon Hui, the Supreme Master. We heard that he selected all the members, but to send them on a mission without any training whatsoever is tantamount to deliberately throwing them into danger.”
Worried voices rose from all directions.
It was understandable, truly.
The Byeol Dong Dae would be the unit treading the front lines in the coming war against Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
Not only was it unsatisfying that the personnel for such a vital unit had been selected in mere hours, but now they were being sent directly into a mission?
This was as good as a death sentence.
As all present voiced their objections, Gun Sa finally spoke.
“Have you forgotten the purpose for which the Byeol Dong Dae was established?”
Everyone flinched at once, and seeing this, Gun Sa continued calmly.
“The purpose of our Alliance in creating the Byeol Dong Dae is to conduct missions in the immediate war. If we were to wait for them to train and grow, there would be no need to establish the Byeol Dong Dae at all.”
His voice was unfeeling.
Yet the substance of what it contained was enough to silence those who had been worrying.
At that moment.
“I understand the reason for establishing the Byeol Dong Dae. But do you think it’s possible?”
Do Yang Heun, an old man with white hair and white eyebrows who had been sitting quietly, an elder of the Cheongseong Sect, fixed his gaze on Gun Sa and spoke.
“I hear the Byeol Dong Dae’s numbers are quite sparse.”
“As you say, the numbers are limited. I was informed that there are forty-two members, falling short of fifty. Including Cheon Hui the Supreme Master, that makes forty-three.”
“With such limited numbers, can they truly conduct a mission—no, can they succeed?”
Along with his words, Do Yang Heun studied Gun Sa intently.
His eyes beneath beautiful snow-white brows shone with a cold, piercing light. At the same moment, he opened his mouth again, and his beard trembled noticeably.
“That’s not all. Though fewer than fifty, these people have each learned martial arts from their respective sects. You’ve gathered people of different inclinations—can they truly succeed in a mission without any training whatsoever?”
“Though the numbers are limited, Cheon Hui the Supreme Master has judged them sufficient to conduct the mission, and has requested it of me.”
Even as he received the intensity of Do Yang Heun’s gaze, Gun Sa spoke without emotion.
“Should the mission fail, the responsibility for it will fall not on anyone else, but on Cheon Hui the Supreme Master himself.”
At that moment, Do Yang Heun’s eyebrows twitched, and his eyes flashed with a chilling gleam.
“……Are you attempting to shift the responsibility?”
“It is what Cheon Hui the Supreme Master directly requested.”
Gun Sa’s eyes narrowed.
“All authority lies with him—whom to recruit for the Byeol Dong Dae, how to train them, and what method to employ for the mission. And authority of such measure carries responsibility with it. Surely you all know this, don’t you?”
“…….”
Do Yang Heun sealed his lips shut.
Those who had been listening were the same.
Not a single person present was one who shirked responsibility for their actions.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, Do Yang Heun glanced to his side and asked.
“Will you be all right?”
Hyeon Do cast a brief glance at Do Yang Heun, who was asking him, then gave a slight nod.
It was something he’d already heard from Cheon Hui.
“It doesn’t matter.”
As Hyeon Do also agreed with those words, Do Yang Heun said nothing further and simply nodded.
His worry boiled down to a single point.
That Dan Ri Gwan Cheon belonged to Cheon Hui’s Byeol Dong Dae.
Yet hearing Cheon Hui take responsibility not just for Gun Sa but now for Hyeon Do as well had eased his mind considerably.
It was then that Gok Pyeong, a Kunlun Sect elder who had been waiting for his moment to speak, finally broke his silence.
“Why not wait just a little longer? Consider it—hasn’t Shin Ui not yet fully selected the Byeol Dong Dae’s personnel? It would be far better to carry out the missions together, no? Both for appearances and for mutual support.”
“A rather carefree notion, elder.”
From between Gun Sa’s lips came a voice cold as the bitter depths of winter.
“War has already begun. This is the moment to move swiftly, every hour counting—and you would delay our duties for such a reason?”
The aggression in his words caused the corners of Gok Pyeong’s eyes to twitch slightly.
“As it happens, the timing is perfect.”
Gun Sa added the remark in an indifferent tone, his gaze drifting sideways.
At this, Seol Geom, the deputy commander who had been sitting quietly nearby, lowered his head once in acknowledgment.
The moment he lifted his head and rose from his seat.
“Hm?”
“What is that?”
In Seol Geom’s hands lay an enormous scroll.
“Pardon the interruption.”
With those words, he untied the crimson cord binding the scroll and rolled it across the table.
Thump-thump—
As the massive sheet unfurled across the table, the eyes of all who beheld it widened in astonishment.
“A map of Zhongyuan?”
“But it’s unlike any ordinary map.”
Their gazes fixed upon the Zhongyuan map.
At first glance it appeared a common map, yet closer inspection revealed its peculiarity.
Red circles had been drawn throughout—dozens of them, in fact.
As they focused intently upon these markings.
“The red circles represent factions currently belonging to Sa Hyuk Ryeon.”
“Ah.”
“……There are truly so many?”
Gun Sa offered his explanation, and from all sides came sharp intakes of breath.
While they had suspected the Sapa to be numerous, seeing it marked upon the map proved a far different matter.
One could truly sense why they were reckoned among the Guzhou Three Powerhouses.
Gun Sa then directed their attention to the Changjiang, which bisected the center of the map, and spoke.
“As you can see, most factions belonging to Sa Hyuk Ryeon are positioned below the Changjiang, in the Southern Bank.”
His finger traced toward the lower portion of the map.
Indeed, the red circles clustered thickly below the river.
Yet no one found this surprising.
Since ancient times, the Orthodox Sects and Sapa could not mix, like oil and water.
Thus they had long maintained their distance, building their power bases separately.
And the Changjiang had become their dividing line.
Orthodox Sects on the Northern Bank. Sapa on the Southern Bank.
They had thus carved out their respective domains and refrained from encroaching upon each other.
“In an earlier age, before the Guzhou Three Powerhouses, the Alliance would have concentrated its full strength along this river. But now……”
Gun Sa’s finger stretched past the Changjiang, tracing upward.
“We cannot do so. There are now Sapa factions belonging to Sa Hyuk Ryeon even here, above the river, on the Northern Bank.”
Normally, it would have been difficult for Sapa to establish footholds in the north, but once clans led by the Je Gal Clan had withdrawn from the Murim Alliance, the situation began to shift dramatically.
The original struggle between Orthodox and Sapa had now been complicated by the schism within the Orthodox itself.
The Sapa seized that moment to advance northward.
Among them, Baek Gwi Seong was the faction that had successfully taken root—only to be destroyed since.
“The Gwui Young Moon, the Hyeol Woo Geom Clan……”
His hand traced across several of the red circles above the Changjiang, naming each faction.
Having pointed out roughly a dozen red circles in this fashion, he finally paused at one location.
At the same moment, his voice turned glacial.
“And among the Sapa forces on the Northern Bank, the most formidable threat we face is the Nok Lim.”
He paused, pointing to a fortress nearest to the Murim Alliance, then looked up.
“Do you know the current state of Nok Lim?”
“……”
All shook their heads.
Preoccupied with the recent great council of Murim and the war against Sa Hyuk Ryeon, they had no time to gather intelligence on Nok Lim.
Yet there was one among them who was different.
“There’s been a split.”
Yong Ju Gae chuckled, then spoke.
“I heard that with Nok Lim Dae Je missing, the main fortress Hyeongsan Fortress has fallen into chaos—everyone scrambling to become the new Supreme Master. And the other fortress lords are taking advantage of the vacancy, filling their own pockets. That’s how it stands, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
Gun Sa nodded.
“Nok Lim is in turmoil. Now is our moment to strike them.”
Only then did everyone grasp his meaning.
“You’re thinking of sending the Byeol Dong Dae.”
“Yes. We must crush the Sapa groups on the Northern Bank before they can join forces with the Sa Hyuk Ryeon.”
Everyone relaxed at Gun Sa’s words.
Moving against the Sa Hyuk Ryeon’s main forces would be dangerous, but facing the Sapa on the Northern Bank? That would be valuable experience.
“With Baek Gwi Seong gone—the most formidable threat on the Northern Bank—this is actually favorable.”
“If that was the case, you should have said so from the start. With a mission like this, I wouldn’t have spoken so sharply either.”
Gok Pyeong, thinking he’d worried for nothing, smiled and offered his rebuke.
“But there is still cause for concern.”
Gun Sa shook his head slowly.
“Just as we’ve discovered their movements, the Sa Hyuk Ryeon has caught on. We’ve received word that several masters have moved out.”
“Masters?”
“Who are they?”
“…The Sa Hyuk Ryeon Lord’s youngest disciple, Black Rakshasa, and his Dharma protectors.”
* * *
The night had settled into deep darkness.
The northern gate of the Murim Alliance, which should have remained sealed, opened, and a group of figures emerged into the night.
“Please, proceed with caution, sir.”
The gate warden, watching the young Daoist before him, wore a stiffened expression.
He had every reason to.
For the figure before him was Cheon Hui of the Maehwa Divine Cooperation—whose name now rang across the entire Kangho.
Cheon Hui gave the gate warden a curt nod and glanced behind him.
Those following him still seemed bewildered, not yet grasping their circumstances.
‘Real combat is the best teacher.’
Training? Cultivation?
Those were fine in their own way.
But that was for times of peace.
Now, war stood at their doorstep.
There was no point drilling these untested children in conventional forms when battle loomed—they’d simply die fumbling through their techniques.
Better to learn by facing steel.
‘And I know just the place.’
Cheon Hui recalled the Nok Lim fortress that Yong Ju Gae had informed him of, and spoke.
“Follow me.”
With those brief words, Cheon Hui unfolded the Bicheong Movement.
“Gasp!”
“So f-fast, impossibly fast!”
Those watching gasped in shock.
He’d barely pushed off the ground before Cheon Hui had shrunk to a distant speck.
It was a Sinbeop that left mouths agape.
Ho Gwang Gae of Gae Bang, who ranked among the finest in Sinbeop alone alongside the Kunlun Sect, clicked his tongue in admiration.
‘If I unleashed the Man Ri Chu Poong Sinbeop at full strength, I might barely keep pace… but.’
He shook his head as the thought crossed his mind.
‘Overtaking him would be impossible.’
He wasn’t even using his full power.
His stride showed no strain whatsoever.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh—
A shadow streaked past like an arrow.
It was Dan Ri Gwan Cheon.
“…I’ve heard that the Selyuu disciples are weak in Sinbeop, but that must have been false.”
Mu Hong muttered quietly.
“That’s why you should take half of what the world says with a grain of salt.”
Ho Gwang Gae shrugged his shoulders.
The world was full of rumors, yet many proved exaggerated or pure fabrication.
That was why one needed to filter rumors through discernment rather than accept them blindly.
Such was the way of Gae Bang.
Ho Gwang Gae, who had been answering while watching Dan Ri Gwan Cheon race ahead, suddenly caught himself and drew up his Internal Force.
“At this rate, I’ll lose them.”
In the brief span of their conversation, Cheon Hui and Dan Ri Gwan Cheon had already faded from sight.
“I’m going ahead.”
Ho Gwang Gae tossed the words at Mu Hong almost carelessly before hastily unfurling his Sinbeop, and Mu Hong, without hesitation, surged forward in his wake.
The four of them drew farther away.
“No!”
“We have to catch up—”
The rest, flustered, unfolded their Speed Techniques one by one and gave chase.
“The air is so clear.”
Once Cheon Hui confirmed everyone had departed, he gazed around and murmured to himself.
Perhaps it was the mountain air at night, which he hadn’t breathed in so long—the moment he inhaled, his sinuses opened wide.
Then someone caught up to him.
“You’re not concerned about the others?”
Cheon Hui regarded Dan Ri Gwan Cheon, who had fallen into step beside him, with a stolid expression.
“Hmm, does it bother you?”
“……At this pace, some will fall behind before we reach the destination.”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon glanced subtly backward.
Most of those following had gone pale, their breathing ragged.
Several looked to be gasping for air.
But.
“If they can’t even keep up with this much, they’d be better off dropping out now rather than dying in war later.”
Cheon Hui spoke coldly.
Anyone too weak to manage this pace was marked for death on the battlefield.
‘Besides, no one here would collapse from just this.’
Once his thought settled, Cheon Hui turned to the two who had been pressing close behind him. “You two think the same, don’t you?”

Mu Hong and Ho Gwang Gae had not expected to be asked, and inwardly they were startled.
“You’re right, Supreme Master.”
“Better to drop out now and live than to die later.”
They answered at once, their agreement swift.
“Well, if you dislike my methods, I’d tell you to leave right now.
Cheon Hui spoke while fixing his gaze on Dan Ri Gwan Cheon.
“……!”
Dan Ri Gwan Cheon’s breath caught in his throat.
Black and white divided so sharply in those eyes.
The indifference held in pupils darker than the shadow itself made his hands tremble.
“Since I’ve missed my last chance to leave Byeol Dong Dae, I can’t go now anyway.”
Cheon Hui, whose gaze had turned frigid, held his stare while twisting his lips slightly.
“Not unless I grant you permission.”

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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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