Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 293

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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 293
Cheon Hui stood at the Mountain Gate, surveying his surroundings.
In less than a day, the Ami-pa had been reduced to a desolate ruin.
The interior of Bokho Temple was nearly destroyed, and corpses lay stacked in the grounds beyond.
The stench of blood hung heavy across all of Ami Mountain.
The brutal aftermath of war.
That devastation now lay bare before his eyes.
“It will take time for them to recover what they had before.”
Cheon Hui muttered as he turned to take in the full scope of the scene.
The Ami-pa’s losses from the Ami Holy War were severe—no, “severe” fell far short of the reality before him.
As he stood observing, Cheon Hui’s gaze fixed on a single figure directing the recovery efforts from the center of Bokho Temple.
“Prioritize treatment! Those still able-bodied are to gather the bodies. Do not neglect the perimeter watch. We cannot be careless. The unorthodox sects may be lurking, waiting for an opening to strike.”
So Hye Sa Tae, with her left arm wrapped cleanly in bandages, gestured as she issued orders in all directions.
The most frantically occupied were the disciples of the Medical Pavilion affiliated with the Ami-pa, working tirelessly to tend the wounded.
“Bring the injured this way!”
“Ugh!”
“Bear with it just a moment longer.”
“I’m applying Wound-Healing Medicine here…….”
They moved with urgent haste.
Surrounded as they were by patients on all sides, there was no room for delay.
“But what troubles me more…….”
Cheon Hui’s eyes shifted to another part of the scene.
It was where the Ami-pa elders had gathered.
The joy they had shown when the Sa Hyuk Ryeon forces withdrew had given way to deep concern and worry etched across their faces.
“The Sect Master…….”
So Un Sa Tae, who lay in their midst, was in a grave condition.
Her complexion was pallid, and her breathing unstable.
The Uiyak-dang Master, who had been carefully checking So Un Sa Tae’s pulse, released his hand with a deep breath.
“So, how is the Sect Master? Will she be alright?”
So Jeong Sa Tae asked urgently, and the Uiyak-dang Master wiped the sweat from his brow before answering.
“……She has stabilized for now.”
“Thank the heavens for that.”
“Indeed, we are fortunate.”
The elders gathered around, including So Jeong Sa Tae, let out sighs of relief when—
“However, properly treating her internal injuries will require at least three to four years of recuperation.”
The Uiyak-dang Master spoke with a bitter expression.
“Three or four years?”
“……Was it truly that severe?”
“It appears she forcibly drew upon her Internal Force and Innate Qi despite her internal injuries. The backlash from that…….”
The Uiyak-dang Master let his words trail off.
But those gathered here were all cultivators at the highest realms. They understood well enough what he left unsaid.
“……Would the Ami-pa’s Jeong Myeong Dan help her recover?”
So Jeong Sa Tae mentioned the sect’s supreme medicine, but the Uiyak-dang Master shook his head.
“Because her internal injuries run so deep, consuming the elixir would prove poisonous rather than beneficial. Continuing with Breathing Cultivation and complete rest is the best course of action.”
A heavy silence fell over them all.
The situation was dire.
Now that the true war with Sa Hyuk Ryeon had begun, So Un Sa Tae’s strength was more essential than ever.
Yet she would need at least three to four years of recovery.
Then, ever so slowly, So Un Sa Tae’s tightly closed eyelids began to lift.
“Sect Master!”
“Are you alright?”
So Un Sa Tae, opening her eyes, smiled faintly at the familiar faces that filled her vision.
It was a dim, weary smile.
She then attempted to raise her upper body from where she lay.
“Ugh.”
As she slowly shifted her weight, she let out a soft cry of pain and winced.
The sharp ache from her severe internal injuries had not yet subsided.
“No, you mustn’t move.”
“You must rest…….”
Those around her, startled, moved to support So Un Sa Tae’s upper body when—
A soft whisper—
So Un Sa Tae raised her right hand.
It was a gesture meaning she was fine.
As everyone paused their extended hands in awkward hesitation, she steadied her breathing and pushed herself upright again.
A brief movement.
But with such deep internal injuries, sweat beaded on her forehead from even that small exertion.
The Uiyak-dang Master spoke urgently.
“You mustn’t move carelessly. Your internal injuries are severe—you need complete rest…….”
“……How could a Sect Master remain lying down in such circumstances?”
So Un Sa Tae cut off her words with a firm tone, drawing a deep breath.
Then.
With a soft motion.
She grasped the Yoonhoe Yukhwan Jang beside her and slowly began to rise, shifting her weight carefully.
At the sight of her, the Uiyak-dang Master and the elders watched anxiously.
A soft sound.
Finally, So Un Sa Tae straightened fully upright.
With her spine held rigid, she gazed out at the devastated Bokho Temple and her expression darkened with somber weight.
Countless bodies lay scattered across the mountainside below.
Her mouth went dry at the sight of such desolation.
“So many have departed from this world.”
She murmured the words softly, grief thick in her voice, then shook her head side to side as though to shed the heavy emotion.
“How are the aftermath efforts proceeding? How extensive is the damage?”
At her question, So Jeong Sa Tae stepped forward.
She reported that they were prioritizing the treatment of the wounded and sending messengers at full speed to summon physicians from external medical institutions…….
So Jeong Sa Tae recounted swiftly the events that had unfolded since So Un Sa Tae lost consciousness, then carefully spoke the words that were difficult to voice.
“……Those who have passed number roughly a hundred, with most suffering severe to moderate injuries.”
“A hundred…….”
Shadow fell beneath So Un Sa Tae’s eyes.
It was already as she had anticipated.
The enemy was Sa Hyuk Ryeon—specifically a fighting force composed of the Ghost Shadow Corps and Blood Shadow Corps.
Deaths were inevitable under such circumstances.
Yet now that the reality crashed down upon her, her heart could not help but recoil.
So Un Sa Tae closed her eyes slowly, then opened them.
And spoke quietly.
“The collection of bodies and repair of the buildings can wait a little longer—prioritize treatment of the wounded above all else, and do everything you can to help them rest and recover.”
“Understood.”
Having received her reply, So Un Sa Tae looked up at the sky with a complicated expression, then turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
At So Jeong Sa Tae’s question, So Un Sa Tae offered a melancholy smile and parted her lips.
“I must offer my gratitude, must I not?”
With those words, she passed through the gathered elders and walked forward without hesitation.
It was toward the Mountain Gate.
Reaching the gate, she stood before Cheon Hui, who was waiting with an idle expression.
“You seem to have recovered a little, I see?”
“Thanks to your care, I was able to rest well.”
So Un Sa Tae held a smile on her face.
It was gentle and warm.
‘They say in times of chaos, heroes are born…….’
Young in appearance, yet the martial prowess he possessed was counted among the rarest in All Under Heaven.
A talent so extraordinary it was rarely seen even in ancient times.
Perhaps he was one so exceptional that even throughout history itself, few could compare.
For even she found him difficult to fathom.
‘For such a talent to appear in this chaos—truly a great blessing.’
She felt an overwhelming gratitude for Cheon Hui’s presence.
Without him, she would have fallen by Nong Jil’s hand, and Ami-pa would have been trampled into ruin.
Still in thought, she brought her palms together reverently.
“Amitabha Buddha.”
She chanted the Buddha Call softly, maintaining her gaze upon Cheon Hui as she spoke.
“My gratitude to you, Cheon Hui.”
Cheon Hui watched So Un Sa Tae’s bowed head and joined palms, and merely shrugged his shoulders.
“You don’t mean that only in words, do you?”
“How could I? This favor, I shall carry in my heart until my final breath.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Cheon Hui spoke without fanfare.
To a Sect Master of the Nine Factions and One Gang, it seemed almost discourteous.
Yet to So Un Sa Tae, it felt altogether different.
‘He’s embarrassed by excessive formality.’
Perhaps because her heart already leaned toward him.
She found herself reading goodwill into his every gesture, interpreting them kindly.
So Un Sa Tae smiled and lowered her hands from the prayer position.
“Should our sect ever need assistance, you need only ask. I would come running barefoot without hesitation. Now, do rest before you leave.”
With those words, So Un Sa Tae turned and made her way among the disciples receiving treatment and the Orthodox Sect’s martial artists, greeting each one personally.
“Are you managing? No further injuries?”
As she expressed concern to her disciples, she offered palms-together thanks to the wounded Orthodox Sect warriors.
“I am grateful for your aid. This kindness I shall never forget.”
Watching So Un Sa Tae move from one person to the next with such care, Cheon Hui turned his head, his gaze settling on another corner.
Where the Myeoljeoldae had gathered.
All of them bore visible wounds.
Their once-white silk robes had become tatters, and bloodstains showed through the tears in their Martial Robes.
Yet perhaps mercifully, there appeared to be no fatalities among the Myeoljeoldae.
Cheon Hui approached them at once.
“Leader!”
“Leader! Ugh—!”
Those tending their wounds brightened at Cheon Hui’s arrival, then winced.
Cheon Hui regarded them and spoke.
“You’ve all held up well despite everything.”
Ho Gwang Gae ran a hand through hair matted with blood and sweat, his smile sheepish.
“Ha, well—we did as you ordered, falling back whenever danger seemed too great.”
At those words, bashful smiles bloomed across the faces of the other Myeoljeoldae members.
Cheon Hui’s eyes swept across them swiftly.
His inner power surged with the Plum Blossom Divine Art, and his pupils gleamed with a soft, colorless light.
……
Those who met his gaze froze like statues in an instant.
The moment they beheld those eyes—limned with a faint crimson—they felt utterly exposed.
‘A few days of rest would serve them well.’
Having thoroughly assessed his members, Cheon Hui quickly grasped their condition.
Despite what the surface wounds suggested, nothing appeared critically serious.
A few days of breathing cultivation and rest would be sufficient for recovery.
“You’ll need to recuperate for a while.”
At his words, every member of the Myeoljeoldae nodded, entranced.
“Rest here at Ami-pa for four days.”
* * *
Pitter-patter—
Tea poured into the cup.
The subtle fragrance filled the cramped room, radiating gentle warmth.
Whoosh—
Yong Ju Gae glanced at the cup held before him, then drained it in one swift motion the moment he took it.
Even though the tea had just been steeped and burned hot, he showed no hesitation.
“Ugh, bitter—so bitter.”
Yong Ju Gae grimaced as though he’d swallowed something unpalatable, then grumbled at the person across from him.
“Why did you call me here?”
Je Gal Goong, who had posed the question with an air of reluctance, raised his own cup to his lips for a sip before answering.
“There is something I hope you might examine.”
“Examine?”
Yong Ju Gae tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“This.”
Je Gal Goong extended a scroll.
Wrapped in gold-tinged binding cord, the scroll appeared important even at a glance.
Without delay, Yong Ju Gae unrolled it.
And the moment he finished reading its contents.
“……!”
His eyes snapped wide open.
The scroll listed the names of quite a few well-known figures within the Murim Alliance.
Without exception, they were all people of considerable renown—elders from the Nine Factions and One Gang, and high-ranking officials of the Murim Alliance itself.
Among them was even the Master of Gae Bang.
“……Those under suspicion?”
Yong Ju Gae asked carefully.
“Indeed.”
Je Gal Goong nodded.
“When did you learn of this?”
“After war was declared, I selected those who moved most actively.”
Yong Ju Gae grasped the intent immediately.
“……In other words, you’re telling me to track these bastards’ recent movements.”
“Precisely.”
“Tch, this will take a while.”
Yong Ju Gae grumbled as he tucked the scroll, densely covered with dozens of names, into his garment.
“So now that business is finished?”
Just as Je Gal Goong nodded in response to Yong Ju Gae’s grumbling question, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
Boom! Boom!
A sudden uproar broke out beyond the walls.
“What is it?”
Yong Ju Gae’s brow furrowed.
“M-Military Strategist!”
A shout came from outside.
“What’s the matter?”
“Sir, an urgent dispatch has arrived.”
Je Gal Goong glanced at Yong Ju Gae, then moved his lips toward the closed door.
“Come in.”
The door burst open.
Beyond it stood a young man whose face was twisted with panic, his entire body trembling.
Though he had noticed Yong Ju Gae’s presence, he showed no surprise or confusion—he rushed directly toward Je Gal Goong instead.
Then he set several letter tubes onto the table from within his robes.
“Th-These are urgent dispatches sent from the Cheol Hyeol Dan, the Shin Yong Dae, and the Sa Sin Dae!”
“What? The Cheol Hyeol Dan?”
Yong Ju Gae stared in astonishment.
It was unprecedented for the Cheol Hyeol Dan to send an urgent dispatch.
But if they had gone so far as to send one, something grave must have occurred.
As Yong Ju Gae gazed in shock, Je Gal Goong calmly picked up a letter tube.
He withdrew the message and examined its contents.
“…….”
In that instant, the light in his eyes turned cold.
What was written inside was something he had never even imagined.
[Cheol Hyeol Dan—routed.]
[Shin Yong Dae—one battalion annihilated.]
[Mission failed. Cheon Geom Jang—faction destroyed.]

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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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