Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 283

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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 283
The expressions of the Myeol Jeol Dae members following So Hye Sa Tae were far from pleasant.
It was the whispered voices echoing from every corner as they watched the Myeol Jeol Dae pass through.
“Is that really all the support they’re sending?”
“The Murim Alliance has abandoned us.”
The disciples of the Ami Sect made no effort to conceal their disappointment at the sight of the Myeol Jeol Dae.
The elder nuns managed to maintain composed expressions, but the younger disciples didn’t even bother hiding their disillusionment.
“……How bitter.”
Ho Gwang Gae muttered.
All the other Myeol Jeol Dae members nodded in agreement, cautiously voicing their discontent.
“We came here risking our lives too…….”
“No matter how disappointing our track record, did they have to spell it out so plainly?”
Just as a few of the members were pouting.
“Consider it from another perspective.”
Mu Hong spoke up quietly.
“If your own sect were in danger and a hastily assembled unit arrived composed only of green Later Generation Masters, how would you feel about it?”
“…….”
The entire Myeol Jeol Dae fell silent.
Viewing it from the other’s position, they suddenly understood the disciples’ feelings.
That was when it happened.
“Silence!”
A sharp rebuke rang out.
It came from directly in front of them.
So Hye Sa Tae, her face flushed crimson, could no longer contain herself as she watched the disciples whispering around her, and let out a stern cry.
“Not only do you fail to welcome the benefactors who have come to aid our sect, but you spout such nonsense!”
The disciples shrunk back.
Shame washed over them all at once, and they lowered their heads as if to hide their faces, then retreated further back.
So Hye Sa Tae, who had been glaring at the disciples, turned her body and offered an apology to the Myeol Jeol Dae with palms pressed together.
“I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing sight.”
In response to her apology, the Myeol Jeol Dae members waved their hands dismissively.
“No, no, that’s not necessary!”
“You don’t need to go that far…….”
So Hye Sa Tae shook her head.
“Failing to recognize the gratitude owed to those who come to help is surely a grave error.”
She spoke with emphasis.
She was deeply displeased with her disciples at this moment.
Of course, it was disappointing that the Murim Alliance’s support had been so meager given the circumstances.
But that had nothing to do with them.
These were people who had come to help, risking their own lives—and yet the disciples dared to whisper behind their backs.
Her shame was so acute it burned across her face.
“I will see that the disciples are properly reprimanded for this lapse. We’ve nearly arrived—just a little further.”
With those words, she turned and began walking again.
At the same time, silence settled over the group.
For a while, only the sound of footsteps echoed through that stillness.
Stop.
So Hye Sa Tae came to a halt.
Standing before an elegant pavilion, she spoke with a gentle smile gracing her lips.
“Amitabha Buddha. Set down your things here and rest.”
With palms pressed together, she withdrew.
Shortly after, only the Myeol Jeol Dae remained.
“……Let’s unload the gear.”
Ho Gwang Gae broke the silence with those words.
“Let’s get some rest before Dae Ju arrives. It’s rare to get a moment like this.”
He was deliberately lifting the mood with a brighter tone when.
“I’ll take my leave.”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon turned sharply and walked away.
Ho Gwang Gae was startled by the sudden move, but upon seeing the serious expression on his face, he understood at once.
“You’re going to the Cheong Sung Sect?”
“…….”
There was no response.
Ho Gwang Gae recognized it immediately.
“The Dae Ju won’t let this slide.”
“I know.”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon bit her lip.
Of course, for now the Ami Sect was Sa Hyuk Ryeon’s target, but she couldn’t stop worrying about Cheong Sung.
“But I have to go back. Cheong Sung is in danger—how can I, as a disciple, simply stand by…….”
“That won’t do.”
A quiet voice cut in.
Dan Li Gwan Cheon spun around, startled.
Cheon Hui was approaching with slow, measured steps.
“Dae Ju…….”
“I told you that you cannot leave Myeol Jeol Dae without my permission, didn’t I?”
A shadow fell across Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s face.
After a moment’s silence.
“I beg you, Dae Ju.”
She bowed her head deeply.
The members of Myeol Jeol Dae gasped—someone as proud as her would never lower her head so readily.
But Cheon Hui was unmoved.
“Why should I?”
Completely indifferent to whether Dan Li Gwan Cheon kept her head bowed or not, he answered coldly.
“I gave you two chances to leave, and you chose to stay. You said you’d accept whatever I asked of you.”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s lips tightened.
He was right.
She had been given two opportunities to leave Myeol Jeol Dae, yet she had decided to remain, saying she would accept anything. That choice had been hers.
But circumstances had changed.
“My sect is in danger.”
She spoke urgently.
Though she belonged to Myeol Jeol Dae now, Cheong Sung Sect was far more precious to her.
It was where she had lived and grown up since childhood—a time she could barely remember.
It was her home, her roots.
But Cheon Hui remained unmoved.
“According to the intelligence I received, isn’t the Ami Sect in greater danger than Cheong Sung at present?”
This was information they’d gathered in Sichuan.
Based on Sa Hyuk Ryeon’s trajectory, the Ami Sect lay directly in the path to Cheong Sung. Unless Sa Hyuk Ryeon took a detour, Cheong Sung would face virtually no danger before the Ami Sect did.
And even if Sa Hyuk Ryeon did go around, word would reach the Ami Sect first anyway—there was no risk of being too late.
So remaining at the Ami Sect was the right choice.
“Still, one can never be certain, can one?”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon refused to yield.
The Ami Sect meant nothing to her now. Her mind held only Cheong Sung.
“What? You’re defying me?”
Cheon Hui’s lips twisted into a smile.
The moment the members of Myeol Jeol Dae caught sight of that distorted grin, they tensed involuntarily.
“……What did you just say?”
A cold voice rang out suddenly.
It was a man’s voice, not a woman’s.
And the first to react to that voice was Dan Li Gwan Cheon.
“That voice—could it be……?”
She turned her head quickly.
In the distance, a middle-aged Daoist in Cheong Sung Sect robes was approaching.
“Master Nam Cheon!”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s feet left the ground as she leaped forward.
Nam Cheon, now standing close before her, spoke in an icy tone.
“You’re refusing the task given to you and asking to return to our sect?”
Startled by Nam Cheon’s cold voice—one she had never heard from him before—Dan Li Gwan Cheon stammered her reply.
“Our sect is in danger, so I wish to help…….”
“Who told you our sect was in danger?”
Nam Cheon continued to reprimand her, his voice frigid as ice.
“What is in danger now is not our sect, but the Ami Sect. Yet you are trying to turn a blind eye to that.”
“That is…….”
Dan Li Gwan Cheon trailed off uncertainly.
It was exactly as she said.
Going to Cheong Sung Sect now meant ignoring Ami Sect’s plight and refusing to aid them.
“Our sect has taught you poorly.”
Nam Cheon was nearly trembling with anger.
“Because Mu Jae was so gifted, I poured all my effort into teaching martial arts and neglected to properly instill in you the heart of a Daoist, the spirit of an Orthodox Sect disciple. You have forgotten what you should rightfully uphold—and so the fault lies with us, your teachers.”
“I only meant to help our sect——”
“Silence!”
Nam Cheon’s eyes flew wide as he cut off Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s protest.
“It is not our sect that faces danger now, but Ami Sect. And do you truly believe our sect will crumble without your assistance?”
The sharp rebuke made Dan Li Gwan Cheon flinch.
She had never heard such a thunderous voice within the walls of Cheong Sung Sect before.
Fixing her with a hard stare, Nam Cheon abruptly turned away.
“Forgive me.”
He offered the apology to Cheon Hui in a more measured tone.
No matter that she was a disciple of Cheong Sung Sect—right now, she was merely a member of Myeol Jeol Dae.
To refuse the command of the Dae Ju was a grave transgression.
“It seems our sect has been remiss in your education.”
Cheon Hui merely stroked his chin without much reply.
‘Is Cheong Sung Sect truly like this?’
In his past life, the Cheong Sung Sect he knew was a place where Daoist madmen obsessed with martial arts made their home.
Yet here they displayed such orthodox propriety.
Then Nam Cheon’s eyes widened, and he spoke.
“I shall teach her properly.”
But then.
“No.”
Cheon Hui waved a hand.
“I’ll do it.”
“You will?”
Nam Cheon looked briefly taken aback, then nodded slowly in understanding.
Dan Li Gwan Cheon was now a member of Myeol Jeol Dae.
To reprimand her was the duty not of Nam Cheon, but of the Dae Ju himself—Cheon Hui.
“I had overstepped my place.”
Nam Cheon withdrew.
Crack-crack—
Cheon Hui rolled his neck lightly.
His gaze remained fixed on Dan Li Gwan Cheon.
“Draw your sword.”
Cold sweat beaded on Dan Li Gwan Cheon’s forehead.
In the past, she would have welcomed such a sparring match with joy.
But now something was different.
“I’m going to carve this lesson into your body.”
As he spoke, Cheon Hui lifted his scabbard.
“What happens when you refuse the commands of your Dae Ju.”
* * *
Yibin, Sichuan Province.
A middle-aged beggar wrapped in tattered burlap stood at the dock, gazing through the Yangtze River as if his eyes might pierce it.
How long had he been staring at the vast waters stretching before him?
“Are they coming this way……!”
In an instant, the beggar’s pupils began to tremble as violently as if the earth itself were shaking.
Dozens of boats were converging upon the broad expanse of the Yangtze all at once.
And upon those dozens of vessels, countless people stood crowded together.
Yeon Jeong Gae, the Sichuan branch master of Gae Bang, swallowed silently as he beheld the breathtaking sight that stole his breath away.
“Ominous…… indeed.”
Sweat trickled down his brow.
A single line of cold perspiration traced his forehead.
He knew who they were.
The elite vanguard of Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
They were moving northward at a speed unprecedented.
Normally, mobilizing forces of this magnitude would be hampered by the logistical burdens of supplies and provisions, yet these men moved as if unburdened by such concerns.
It was all thanks to the assistance of the Dae Eun Trading Company, whose name adorned the flags upon every vessel.
The Dae Eun Trading Company bore the costs of their movement, and provisions were replenished at branch offices along the route.
Yeon Jeong Gae shook his head as he read the characters spelling out “Dae Eun” on the flags.
“At this rate, we’ll arrive far faster than expected.”
With so many people in the group, he’d assumed the journey would take considerably longer.
But reality proved otherwise.
Sa Hyuk Ryeon, a tiger of an organization, had sprouted wings in the form of the Dae Eun Trading Company—and the result exceeded all projections by a wide margin.
Whoosh—
Yeon Jeong Gae lifted his sleeve to wipe away sweat, then let his gaze drift naturally.
Toward the vessel leading the procession.
Despite being more ornate and larger than the other boats, it carried what appeared to be only about ten people.
A small force. Yet the oppressive aura emanating from that single vessel was overwhelming enough to dominate all the others combined.
“Once they all arrive, Sichuan will become a hell…….”
The thought alone was unbearable.
As his head shook back and forth, his gaze suddenly froze.
Fixed upon the bow of the vessel.
Perched at the prow, which jutted forward prominently, sat a young woman holding a Long Pipe roughly four feet in length in one hand.
‘That woman…….’
Yeon Jeong Gae’s eyes wavered.
The woman’s appearance was striking.
A veil of cotton gauze draped from her nose, leaving only her eyes exposed—eyes as sharp and keen as a fox’s.
And what of her attire?
Despite the bitter cold, she wore a dazzling, bare-shouldered Palace Dress.
She was a woman whose alluring appearance and gaze would captivate any man in an instant.
Yet Yeon Jeong Gae felt only dread.
Because he knew her identity.
Nong Jil. Blood-Stained Hot Sovereign.
One of the Chil Yo Seon, the direct subordinates of the Sa Hyuk Ryeon’s master.
“I’ve heard she’s well past the age of fifty, yet she looks so young…….”
His clenched fist grew damp with perspiration.
To the eye, she appeared scarcely past her early twenties.
No matter how formidable one’s Ju An Sool, maintaining such a youthful appearance spoke of extraordinary martial cultivation.
“I must send word that they’re arriving soon…….”
Just as Yeon Jeong Gae, having assessed the situation in detail, began to turn his body—
‘Hm?’
Their eyes met.
A chill raced down his spine.
The distance between them was roughly two hundred paces.
Yeon Jeong Gae was currently employing the Cheon An Law, the Gae Bang’s specialized martial art, to observe distant figures.
But for her to be looking directly at him…….
‘I’ve been discovered……!’
In that moment, Nong Jil’s eyes curved upward.
A cold, sinister smile flickered across her face, and Yeon Jeong Gae felt his body stiffen involuntarily.
‘Impossible?!’
Without hesitation, Nong Jil leapt from the boat and alighted lightly upon the water’s surface.
‘Water…… Water Flight!’
Seeing Nong Jil standing upon the water, Yeon Jeong Gae urgently loosened his stiffened body and pushed off with his feet.
Snap!
Then he swiftly deployed the Seon Poong Shin Law at extreme velocity, hurling himself into the forest.
‘I…… I have to flee!’
He had dashed through the undergrowth in panic for perhaps the space of a burning incense stick when—
“Gasp!”
Yeon Jeong Gae, who had been sprinting onward, suddenly halted his Seon Poong Shin Law and went rigid.
“When did—?!”
Sitting on the very branch he was about to step onto was a figure holding a Long Pipe.
The moment their eyes met—
“Exhale.”
As the figure—Nong Jil—breathed out, smoke billowed from behind the veil covering her mouth.
Tap.
She tapped the bottom of her Long Pipe.
Burnt ash scattered downward.
After tapping out all the ash, Nong Jil propped her chin with the hand holding the Long Pipe and lifted her gaze.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone from Gae Bang.”
Her sharp, upturned eyes swept across Yeon Jeong Gae, then her gaze dropped abruptly lower.
“Three knots… so you’re a Distributor.”
Her eyes, reading the knot at Yeon Jeong Gae’s side, narrowed to crescent slits.
“You’ll do nicely as the first sacrifice.”
Before the words even finished, the Long Pipe swept horizontally, tracing a long arc.
In that instant.
A thin whistle cut the air.
A fine line opened across Yeon Jeong Gae’s neck as his eyes bulged wide, and his head separated cleanly, tumbling downward.
A fountain of blood erupted skyward.
In that moment, Nong Jil unfurled a Ki Barrier, blocking the spray of blood from falling on her head.
A display of extraordinary technique.
She watched the blood slide down the transparent barrier for a moment, then packed fresh tobacco into the Long Pipe and struck a flame.
Smoke billowed forth immediately.
And through it, her eyes began to gleam with a peculiar light.
“It’s been so long since I’ve tasted blood. How exhilarating.”
Her voice carried a tremor of excitement, her narrow eyes moving with an unsettling fervor.
Then, after a moment, they fixed upon a single point.
The destination toward which she gazed.
Ami Mountain, held within her sight.
“It’s been far too long since I’ve savored the taste of nun’s blood.”

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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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