Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 274

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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 274
A sharp tension hung in the air.
A sect’s main gate is the face of the sect itself.
To shatter the main gate was tantamount to declaring war on the entire faction.
So Gwang Pae’s eyes narrowed as he studied the young man.
The arrogant youth not only destroyed the gate but stood atop its ruins, spouting insolence.
As So Gwang Pae took in his appearance—
‘That attire……!’
His gaze faltered.
The youth’s appearance was truly peculiar.
While most sect robes were white, this youth wore black and crimson, with red plum blossoms embroidered along the sleeves.
And that was merely the beginning.
Two swords of different shapes hung at his side.
For a swordsman, his blade was his lifelong companion.
What madman carried two swords?
It was absurd.
Yet So Gwang Pae could not laugh.
This was the appearance of one who now surpassed all others in renown across Gangho.
So Gwang Pae bit down on his lip.
“……Maehwa Shin Hyeop.”
The name slipped between his clenched teeth, laden with bitter recognition.
“Maehwa Shin Hyeop……?!”
“The one who toppled Nok Lim Dae Je!”
“Why has such a one come to this place……?”
In an instant, shock and confusion seized those around them.
And little wonder.
Who was Maehwa Shin Hyeop?
A later generation master who now held sway over all Gangho, his renown had already transcended his status as a rising talent to stand shoulder to shoulder with the masters of the realm itself.
That such a one had appeared here—
How could it not inspire dread?
Then came his voice.
“So you recognized me at once. I’m impressed.”
Cheon Hui spoke with an amused smile.
Indeed, until now, no one had identified him on sight.
‘They always just asked who I was.’
Recalling the tiresome refrain, Cheon Hui leaped down from the ruined gate, landing lightly upon the snow-covered ground below.
Soft.
Despite falling from a gate more than eight feet high, his body touched down without the slightest tremor, standing serene and composed.
Those watching from Hyeol Woo Geom Ga felt a chill run through them.
“That’s the Snow-Treading Without Trace technique!”
“At such an age, to have reached such a realm of the Guardian Spirit Scripture! The rumors were true!”
It was the manifestation of a qualitatively higher realm.
As the warriors of Hyeol Woo Geom Ga instinctively retreated a step—
“Stand your ground!”
So Gwang Pae unleashed a Lion Roar.
The deep, resonant Internal Force woven through his voice rippled like waves, violently sweeping away the snow beneath his feet.
A burst of Internal Energy deployed in a single, practiced instant.
Indeed, the remarkable power of a man who could claim the title of Hyeol Woo Geom Ga’s patriarch.
‘Not bad at all.’
A faint smile tugged at Cheon Hui’s lips.
The display of overwhelming momentum and fierce pressure was impressive.
‘This much would make for decent practical experience.’
As Cheon Hui’s gaze settled and sharpened—
“What is your purpose here?”
So Gwang Pae fixed him with a scrutinizing stare and spoke.
His voice carried an unmistakable hunger for confrontation.
“Have you come to destroy the Main Clan House?”
Despite his unremarkable stature, the resonance of his voice ran deep.
He had woven his Internal Force into his words.
Ordinary warriors might have been intimidated by such a display, but his opponent was no ordinary man.
Cheon Hui twisted his lips slightly and replied with practiced indifference.
“I’m well aware.”
……
So Gwang Pae fell silent.
Yet his expression remained unchanged.
He had expected that answer.
He glanced sidelong at Hyeol Gak Ju standing beside him and So Un Bo, the elder and his uncle.
Then he sent a transmission at once.
‘Prepare an escape route.’
Both their eyes widened slightly.
In that same moment, they grasped what So Gwang Pae was plotting and exchanged a quick glance before quietly retreating.
In response, So Gwang Pae glared at Cheon Hui again, his eyes blazing with intensity.
“Your arrogance knows no bounds. Do you truly think you can topple the Main Clan House alone?”
His voice rang out with unyielding force.
Still radiating fierce momentum, he unleashed a colorless aura of power.
“No matter that you’ve laid low Nok Lim Dae Je, the Gangho is a place where no single man can stand against the many.”
As he spoke, the air around him began to ripple.
A secret family art of the Hyeol Woo Geom Ga.
The released Hyeol Geom Gyeol was so powerful the very air around them could not withstand it.
In response, the warriors of the Hyeol Woo Geom Ga came to their senses and released a deadly killing intent toward Cheon Hui.
Several of them already gripped the hilts of their blades at their waists, ready to draw at any moment.
A moment on the brink of eruption.
Swift as wind—
Cheon Hui suddenly raised his hand.
In that instant, dozens of shadows burst forth from beyond the garden wall and lined up in formation.
“What—!”
……!
The warriors of the Hyeol Woo Geom Ga stiffened in shock.
Those who appeared were no ordinary fighters.
Though all were young, the martial technique they had just displayed was nothing to dismiss.
Watching the Hyeol Woo Geom Ga warriors stiffen, Cheon Hui’s eyes widened with sharp intensity.
“When did I ever say I was alone?”
Then Cheon Hui issued a command.
“Continue with the mission.”
The moment the order fell from his lips, the Myeol Jeol Dae warriors surged forward.
* * *
Cheon Hui watched the scene unfold before him.
Clashes erupted from all sides, and the once-neat Estate Grounds descended rapidly into ruin, blood and screams filling the air.
‘They’re finally coming to their senses.’
Cheon Hui smiled with satisfaction.
The Myeol Jeol Dae warriors showed no mercy in their methods.
It was hard-won wisdom from real combat and sparring.
In battle, mercy toward an enemy could endanger not only oneself but one’s comrades as well.
Then.
Crash!
The explosive sound struck his ears.
Cheon Hui’s gaze turned toward the epicenter of that blast.
In the center of the Estate Grounds, now a hellscape.
So Gwang Pae, who had drawn his blade at some point, was now unleashing a flurry of sword strikes against the Myeol Jeol Dae warriors.
It was a relentless succession of devastating cuts.
Each time he swung his sword, a fierce aura burst forth, sending Myeol Jeol Dae warriors flying.
The warriors, unable to withstand even a single exchange, recoiled with teeth clenched.
His realm was different.
Solidified internal power wrapped around his blade, radiating a vicious vital force.
‘Stronger than the intelligence suggested.’
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
The intelligence had claimed he had reached the Wuji Realm, but the man before him now was something else entirely.
He had attained a realm of true mastery.
A martial prowess capable of claiming a seat among the Nine Factions and One Gang itself.
‘The Myeol Jeol Dae alone won’t be enough.’
Around the time Cheon Hui was stroking his chin.
“Do you really think you can topple the Main Clan House with just yourselves?”
Clang! Bang!
“Gasp!”
So Gwang Pae pressed forward, overwhelming them.
That wasn’t all.
Bolstered by So Gwang Pae’s prowess, the martial artists of Hyeol Woo Geom Ga drove Myeol Jeol Dae into retreat.
The deadlocked momentum crumbled in an instant.
The majesty of a master who had reached the peak.
That was what had turned the tide of battle.
‘In a war between sects, the presence or absence of a master certainly makes a difference.’
Cheon Hui recalled his past life.
A master who had attained an exalted realm was as formidable as an entire legion.
That was why every sect burned with ambition to nurture such masters.
“Tsk, do I have to step in?”
Cheon Hui scratched his head.
Originally, he had no intention of intervening.
But watching So Gwang Pae’s martial prowess, Myeol Jeol Dae’s defeat seemed inevitable.
“I suppose I have no choice. I’ll deal with So Gwang Pae myself and leave the rest to the others.”
Just as Cheon Hui, judging the situation dire, was about to move—
Whoosh!
Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s feet struck the ground violently.
With an extreme burst of speed, he closed the distance between himself and So Gwang Pae in a heartbeat.
‘Hmm?’
In his eyes, as he charged toward So Gwang Pae, a cold killing intent burned.
‘Well, well… what have we here?’
Cheon Hui’s gaze filled with intrigue.
Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s martial prowess was considerable within Myeol Jeol Dae, yet it paled before So Gwang Pae, a master of the Wuji Realm.
But the blade he wielded now, coupled with the raw killing intent he unleashed, held its own against So Gwang Pae standing before him.
‘Perhaps I should watch a bit longer.’
He released the hand that gripped Hwa Weol.
As Dan Li Gwan Cheon finally reached So Gwang Pae, he drove his foot down with tremendous force.
Boom!
The earth trembled with a violent impact.
His foot sank nearly an inch deep into the ground.
Using that momentum, Dan Li Gwan Cheon bent his torso forward sharply and poured all his strength into his blade, the Tan Yeon Do.
His center of gravity plummeted.
His face dropped nearly to his knees, and the blade in his grip drew perilously close to scraping the earth.
Yet Dan Li Gwan Cheon did not stop.
‘Lower, faster, deeper!’
Dan Li Gwan Cheon gritted his teeth.
Simultaneously, he twisted his forearm with tremendous force.
It was an grotesque motion of the hands.
But because of it, the Tan Yeon Do, which had been heading downward, gained rebound and could surge upward.
The blade shot upward like a thunderbolt.
It was the technique he had displayed during his sparring match with Cheon Hui.
The manifestation of the Poong Noe Do.
“…!”
Surprise flickered across So Gwang Pae’s eyes.
The blade rising from below carried a killing intent rarely seen even among the unorthodox sects.
‘Such a blade technique exists in an Orthodox Sect…!’
But his surprise was fleeting.
Whoosh—
He took a step and brought his sword down in a heavy strike.
Clang!
So Gwang Pae’s sword met the Poong Noe Do.
A violent shockwave erupted, birthing a gale.
Both their hairs whipped in the air, and between them, their eyes met.
It was only an instant.
In that same moment, So Gwang Pae swiftly withdrew the heirloom in his hand, the Hyeol Woo Geom.
And he swung his sword once more.
In an instant, the howling wind was cleaved in two.
It was a single stroke infused with the power of the Hyeol Geom Gyeol.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon, who had hastily raised his blade to block the sword, let out a groan.
The force was devastating.
His muscles screamed from merely managing to deflect it.
Dan Li Gwan Cheon lifted his head.
Between the crossed sword and blade, he could see So Gwang Pae’s gaze bearing down on him.
His expression was impassive as a mask.
That very blankness was unsettling.
And as their eyes met, Dan Li Gwan Cheon felt his spine go cold.
In that moment, So Gwang Pae released the force he had been matching and instead withdrew it, then swung his sword again.
The blade writhed like a serpent, then in a breath seized all eight directions, driving Dan Li Gwan Cheon back relentlessly.
A succession of brilliant arcs.
A continuous chain of sword strikes unfolded.
Clang! Clang!
Blade and sword collided one after another with tremendous force.
Each time, Dan Li Gwan Cheon had to swallow down the internal injury threatening to rise.
Each attacking stroke carried overwhelming power.
It surpassed ten exchanges, then twenty.
“Hack!”
Unable to withstand the relentless assault, Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s knees finally buckled.
“……You lasted longer than expected. Now it ends.”
So Gwang Pae looked down at Dan Li Gwan Cheon and sneered.
Then he raised the Hyeol Woo Geom high.
Threads of blood energy coiled and twisted around the sword, wrapping the blade in a crimson haze.
He meant to sever the head in one motion.
“Master of the Subsidiary Clan!”
“Dan Li, our cooperating ally!”
The Myeol Jeol Dae fighters engaged with the Hyeol Woo Geom Ga warriors desperately tried to rush forward to save Dan Li Gwan Cheon.
But.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“Did you think you could slip away?!”
The Hyeol Woo Geom Ga fighters had no intention of letting them pass.
“Damn it!”
“The Master of the Clan……!”
While the Myeol Jeol Dae members were held fast by the relentless Hyeol Woo Geom Ga fighters.
Slash!
The Hyeol Woo Geom was drawn downward in a diagonal arc.
As if pronouncing Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s death.
And just as the swung Hyeol Woo Geom was about to take Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s neck.
Whoosh!
The Hyeol Woo Geom cut uselessly through empty air.
“……What?!”
So Gwang Pae’s shock burst forth.
“Well. You had the will for it, but your opponent turned out to be stronger than you thought.”
A quiet voice spoke.
He quickly looked up.
There stood a familiar figure, holding Dan Li Gwan Cheon by the nape of the neck, standing calmly.
“The Maehwa Shin Hyeop……!”
As the one who had been glaring at Cheon Hui growled like a beast, Cheon Hui released his grip on Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s nape.
“I’ve told you dozens of times—if it looks like you’re going to die, run. Why did you insist on fighting? Sigh.”
“M-Master…….”
“Don’t speak. Just tend to your internal injuries. I’ll let this slide this time.”
“…….”
After rebuking Dan Li Gwan Cheon, Cheon Hui tilted his neck and fixed his gaze on So Gwang Pae.
“Then let’s finish what we started.”
As Cheon Hui met So Gwang Pae’s murderous gaze, he slowly twisted his lips into a smile.
“Your next opponent is me.”

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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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