Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 294

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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 294
Four days had passed since the Ami Mountain Fortress battle.
In that time, Sichuan had been seized by talk of the clash that had erupted at Ami Mountain.
“Did you all not see it four days ago? The way Ami Mountain trembled as if a landslide were sweeping through it!”
“Ha! And not just one or two men—two thousand! Two thousand soldiers launched an assault on Ami Pa!”
“Nong Jil, the Unorthodox Sect’s supreme master and one of the Seven Celestial Immortals, fell to the blade of the Maehwa Divine Cooperator, who bloomed with a beauty like plum blossoms….”
In the streets and inns near Ami Mountain, enthusiasts competed with one another to discuss the Ami Mountain Fortress battle, their lips never ceasing their chatter.
For a region that had long been quiet, this fresh tale was more than enough to fill the storytellers’ coffers richly.
And so the rumors spread with remarkable speed.
The more they spread, the more overwhelmingly the attention of the people turned toward Cheon Hui, whose divine power had been displayed so strikingly.
In the midst of such commotion, Cheon Hui suddenly welcomed two unexpected visitors inside.
The visitors were a man and a woman.
‘What brings them here?’
Cheon Hui regarded them with a steady gaze.
They were those who had arrived at Ami Pa two days before, each serving as a deputy commander of the Hyeop Wi Dae and the Pa Ma Dae respectively.
“Forgive our sudden intrusion.”
A middle-aged man with a striking dark complexion scratched his head with an awkward smile.
He was Dong So Gang, the deputy commander of the Hyeop Wi Dae, and a figure whose name resounded with honor even in the Murim Alliance under the alias Eight Flying Phantom Sword.
Cheon Hui looked at him and asked,
“What brings you here, then?”
“Well, it’s a rather delicate matter….”
Just as Dong So Gang was about to speak.
“We’ve come to deliver something to you, Young Master Cheon Hui.”
The woman beside him interrupted his words.
She could not have been more than twenty years of age.
Her face, framed by glossy cascading hair, was so pale it seemed almost luminous.
Seong Ye Bin, Jade-Skinned Beauty.
Before Cheon Hui, she had become the youngest deputy commander of a major corps in the Murim Alliance—a master of exceptional skill.
She drew forth a scroll from her sleeve, placed it upon the table, and spoke softly,
“It is a summons from the Alliance.”
* * *
The Grand Hall of the Murim Alliance.
Despite the sudden summons by Gun Sa, Je Gal Gong, more than half of the thirty or so seats surrounding the round table were now filled.
Save for the Three Corps and Four Unorthodox Schools on missions, and the Alliance Master and Sword Master who had been absent all along, everyone had assembled.
Je Gal Gong surveyed the tight-lipped figures in the heavy atmosphere with a measured look.
Then he slowly parted his closed lips.
“The Heaven Sword Fortress has fallen.”
“Huh.”
“The Heaven Sword Fortress….”
From all corners came soft sighs as though held breath were finally released.
Then, abruptly, someone broke the silence.
“I heard you dispatched reinforcements to the Heaven Sword Fortress beforehand…. How could such a thing happen?”
Cheol Su Bi Geom, an elder of the Cheon Jung Geom Moon, spoke sharply, his eyes fixed upon Gun Sa with intensity.
He was now visibly agitated.
This was because the bond between the Heaven Sword Fortress and the Cheon Jung Geom Moon had long been exceptionally close.
Centuries before, when the forebears—Heaven Sword and Thousand-Perfected Ten-Thousand Swords—had founded their respective sects as sworn brothers, this bond had naturally been established.
“Surely you didn’t send just any mediocre rabble because the Heaven Sword Fortress is not a major sect?”
As Cheol Su Bi Geom’s anger mounted and his voice rose, his upper body began to surge forward in fury.
“The Geumwi Corps was dispatched.”
Gun Sa’s low, measured words came forth with striking calm, and the situation reversed entirely.
“The Geumwi Corps was sent…?”
“Then how could it have been destroyed?”
Not only Cheol Su Bi Geom, but those around him drew in sharp breaths of astonishment.
At the same moment, their eyes wavered.
The Geumwi Corps was among the Three Corps of the Murim Alliance, distinguished for its exceptional mission-execution capability.
It had suffered no failures in over a decade, and had performed its assigned tasks with perfect completion, going well beyond mere success.
Yet for such a force to be deployed was a matter of the utmost importance to the Murim Alliance….
Cheol Su Bi Geom swallowed hard.
The fact that the Geumwi Corps had been sent—not some other force—meant the Murim Alliance had taken the greatest possible care with the Heaven Sword Fortress.
“How, then, did this come to pass?”
Cheol Su Bi Geom’s voice wavered.
The Geumwi Corps was a faction with the power to annihilate even minor sects in a single stroke.
Yet despite their support, the Heavenly Sword Master had been destroyed—that’s what it meant.
“The Thousand-Faced Fox, the True Lord of Yin and Darkness, the Ghost Mother of the Vast Cold, the Blood Eagle……”
Without warning, Gun Sa began listing aliases.
The faces of all who heard them grew rigid.
The owners of those aliases were all sect leaders of minor factions renowned in their respective regions, and they were all masters of the Wuji Realm.
After quietly naming some ten aliases, Gun Sa paused briefly, swept his gaze across those assembled, and spoke again.
“Each of them led their disciples and launched a surprise assault on the Heavenly Sword Master’s faction.”
“……”
Silence fell over the great hall.
Even if the Heavenly Sword Master and the Geumwi Corps had joined forces, they could not have prevented faction destruction if the strength Je Gal described was true.
Ten masters of the Wuji Realm.
And their disciples besides.
It was no ordinary force.
Je Gal Gong swept his gaze across those who had fallen silent and continued his account.
“Fortunately, the Heavenly Sword Master’s successor and several of his disciples managed to escape with the Geumwi Corps and reach safety at the branch in Yi County.”
“……That much is a mercy, at least.”
Cheol Su Bi Geom spoke bitterly.
His initial anger had faded as he listened to Je Gal’s words, and he came to see that the Murim Alliance had done all it could.
It was almost fortunate that even a small number had survived.
“But that is not all.”
Je Gal Gong spoke with measured calm.
“The Four Divisions of the Shin Ryong Dae, which were guarding the Yangtze River region, were annihilated, and the Cheol Hyeol Dan attempted to prevent a secret meeting between the Master of the Sip Ya Moon and the Master of the Gui Won Shin Goong, but instead suffered defeat.”
“Such a thing……”
“The Shin Ryong Dae and the Cheol Hyeol Dan have both failed their missions?”
As everyone stood speechless,
Song Baek, an elder of the Jeom Chang Pa, spoke hurriedly with anxious eyes.
“Y-you mean all four divisions of the Shin Ryong Dae have been completely annihilated?”
“Yes.”
“This cannot be……”
Song Baek closed his eyes, his face drained of color as if the world itself had collapsed.
And he was not alone.
All the elders of the Nine Factions and One Gang were the same.
There could be no other reaction.
The Shin Ryong Dae was a corps composed entirely of Later Generation Masters from the Nine Factions and One Gang.
“What of the Cheol Hyeol Dan? Did they merely retreat, rather than face annihilation?”
Ok So Sin Geom, the representative of the Council of Elders, asked with narrowed eyes.
His expression was sharp.
Each successive report had honed it further.
“Forty-eight have been killed, two hundred are wounded, and a hundred have suffered injuries severe enough to require at least a year of recovery, according to a message sent by the master of the Cheol Hyeol Dan.”
A gasp of shock rippled through the hall from all sides.
No one had foreseen such a result.
“What of the other sectors?”
Won Jong Dae Sa of Sorim spoke.
“There have been no casualties elsewhere. In fact, the Hyeop Wi Dae and the Cheon Mu Dae, who were guarding the Yangtze River region, discovered members of the Sa Hyuk Ryeon attempting to cross the river in secret, apprehended them, and turned them over to the authorities.”
Hearing good news for the first time, everyone drew a collective breath of relief.
The heavy atmosphere lightened, and color gradually returned to faces that had gone utterly rigid.
It was then.
“Gun Sa.”
Do Yang Heun of the Cheong Seong Pa, who had been restless since earlier, spoke eagerly as if he had been waiting for his chance.
“What has become of the Blood Shadow Corps and Ghost Shadow Corps that crossed into Sichuan?”
Beside him, So Yeon Sa Tae, wearing a similarly anxious expression, added to his question.
“Has the Third Division of the Pa Ma Dae and the Second Division of the Hyeop Wi Dae arrived in time?”
There was urgency in her tone.
Je Gal Gong turned his head in silence and looked at Seol Geom, who sat nearby.
“The Deputy Commander will explain those matters in detail.”
All eyes shifted toward him.
“Ha-ha.”
Seol Geom laughed with a somewhat awkward smile.
He followed with a folded hand fan, scratching his head, and smacked his lips.
“The moment they crossed the Yangtze and entered Sichuan, they moved directly toward Ami Pa.”
Seol Geom spoke slowly, then turned his gaze away.
“You received clear intelligence from Gae Bang, did you not? Is that not so, master?”
Yong Ju Gae looked at Seol Geom’s questioning expression as if finding it absurd, then opened his mouth.
“That’s right.”
At Yong Ju Gae’s confirmation, everyone stiffened.
It was then.
“S-so then…….”
So Yeon Sa Tae stammered.
Now that she had heard the details, her state of mind had grown even more turbulent.
Knowing that it was nearly impossible for Ami Pa’s forces to hold them back, her expression had darkened considerably.
“……What became of our sect?”
Seol Geom smiled faintly and answered.
“Ami Pa achieved victory.”
“Is—is that truly so?”
“Why would I lie?”
At Seol Geom’s words confirming Ami Pa’s victory, So Yeon Sa Tae seemed to slump suddenly, her strength draining away.
The tension had fled.
“Infinite Buddha. What a mercy.”
“Truly, Ami Pa is remarkable.”
Words of relief came from here and there.
“It seems Pa Ma Dae and Hyeop Wi Dae arrived faster than expected.”
Do Yang Heun added one final remark.
“That is not the case.”
Seol Geom cut his words short.
‘That won’t do if we gloss over it like that.’
Eyes bright, he continued.
“Pa Ma Dae and Hyeop Wi Dae arrived only after all the attacks had ended.”
“Pa Ma Dae and Hyeop Wi Dae were not there?”
“Then you are saying Ami Pa held them back alone?”
Seol Geom smiled broadly.
As if he had been waiting for this question.
“Before that, there were those who came to aid Ami Pa. The Grand Master of Cheong Seong Pa, Nam Cheon, led his disciples toward Ami Pa, and the martial masters at the Murim Alliance branch also moved swiftly.”
“Remarkable indeed. That our sect would send disciples to aid an Orthodox ally even in such peril.”
“A model for the Orthodox Sects.”
Exclamations of admiration rose from all around.
Do Yang Heun wore a pleased smile at this, while So Yeon Sa Tae expressed her gratitude.
“I am deeply grateful.”
“Hah, no, no. As fellow Orthodox Sects, it is only our duty. If our sect were attacked, would Ami Pa not do the same?”
“Truthful sir…….”
As So Yeon Sa Tae gazed at Do Yang Heun with eyes full of emotion, Seol Geom opened his mouth again.
“And among those gathered, there was one who displayed the greatest prowess.”
Everyone turned their attention to Seol Geom’s words.
“Greatest prowess?”
“Who is it?”
“The Lord of Myeol Jeol Dae, the Maehwa Divine Cooperator.”
Seol Geom deliberately mixed in the title ‘Lord of Myeol Jeol Dae’ as he let his words fall softly.
“Do you know who commanded two thousand troops while leading the Blood Shadow Corps and the Ghost Shadow Corps?”
“Was it not the Lord of the Blood Shadow Corps and the Lord of the Ghost Shadow Corps?”
“There can be no one else.”
“I have heard that the Ghost Shadow Corps and Blood Shadow Corps obey none but their lords.”
As most nodded in agreement with Song Baek’s words, a Jeom Chang Pa elder.
Seol Geom uttered something unprecedented.
“Nong Jil commanded them.”
“N-Nong Jil?”
“The Blood-Drenched Queen……?”
Most could not hide their shock.
One of the Seven Celestial Immortals, the Blood-Drenched Queen, Nong Jil.
Her name was widely known throughout All Under Heaven as a master who ranked among the very highest, beyond even the Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
At that moment, Seol Geom spoke again, his words landing with even greater impact.
“And she met her end at the hands of Cheon Hui, the sect leader of the Maehwa Divine Cooperator and commander of the Faction Destruction Corps.”
“……!”
“What—what did you say?!”
Those gathered in the chamber fell silent, their mouths agape.
Especially those who had once witnessed Nong Jil’s martial prowess firsthand—their eyes widened as though they might burst from their sockets.
“He drove back the Nok Lim Dae Je, and now Nong Jil as well…….”
Murmurs rippled through the room as several swallowed hard.
Martial prowess that belied his years.
A realm of cultivation that seemed impossibly distant.
And without anyone directing it, all eyes turned toward a single point.
Toward where Hyeon Do sat.
‘At last they recognize what our Hui is capable of.’
A satisfied smile played across his face.
“Though we’ve received word of several victories, the situation remains grave, as I mentioned before.”
Je Gal Gong shifted the mood of the gathering.
The joy was brief.
“If we remain on the defensive, merely holding the Yangtze River and refusing to cross, we’ll eventually be overwhelmed by the Sa Hyuk Ryeon’s offensive.”
Yong Ju Gae reacted to this.
“In other words, we should strike first?”
Je Gal Gong nodded.
“……It won’t be easy?”
“If we continue as we are, the war will drag on endlessly—victories and defeats alternating without resolution.”
“That’s true enough.”
Yong Ju Gae was convinced.
Ultimately, for the war to end, either the Sa Hyuk Ryeon had to fall, or the Murim Alliance had to crumble.
“……Do you have a target in mind?”
Won Jong Dae Sa asked carefully.
If they were to shift to an offensive, which faction to strike first was of paramount importance.
“The Sip Ya Moon and the Gui Won Shin Goong have joined forces through recent negotiations, making them too difficult to target. And the Pa Am Mountain Fortress lies in Guangxi—too distant. If we’re to mount a swift strike, we lack the time to reach it.”
Everyone agreed with Je Gal Gong’s assessment.
Indeed, if the Sip Ya Moon and Gui Won Shin Goong had truly united their strength, a preemptive strike would be too dangerous.
And the Pa Am Mountain Fortress was simply too far away.
“Then the Ilwol Moon seems ideal. Their forces have been significantly depleted by the recent war with the Shinchangyangga.”
Gok Pyeong, an elder of the Gon Ryun Pa, nodded in agreement.
But then.
“We should exclude the Ilwol Moon as well.”
“The Ilwol Moon?”
“Do you have reason?”
“The Ilwol Moon’s leader would have arrived at the same conclusion. The moment war breaks out, they’ll almost certainly send an urgent request for reinforcement to the Sa Hyuk Ryeon.”
“Hmm.”
Sighs of acknowledgment drifted through the chamber.
If Sa Hyuk Ryeon reinforcements were added to the Ilwol Moon’s strength, the opposition would be formidable indeed.
“Then the last remaining target……?”
In response to Gok Pyeong’s question, Je Gal Gong nodded.
“There is no other choice. Located in nearby Guizhou among the O Hwang Moon, yet the most alien of all unorthodox sects in Zhongyuan…….”
Je Gal Gong’s eyes narrowed as he spoke.
“The Bul Sa Cheon Gyo. They are the faction the Alliance will strike this time.”

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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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