Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 298
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 298
Dawn broke.
The dense darkness that had blanketed All Under Heaven retreated before the elegant sunlight layered and spreading in delicate bands, and the world grew gradually bright.
It was dawn.
The shimmering light of dawn spilled across the morning sky, and the world that had lain in long sleep began to stir and wake.
And in Guizhou’s capital, Guiyang too, the city rose from slumber to prepare for a new day.
But the room on this floor of the Chunpung Inn had long since opened to the day.
“The Immortal Heavenly Cult’s main headquarters currently has five of the Thirteen Death Users present.”
Yuk Won, a disciple of the Heavenly Force school, spoke these words.
He looked at each of the four people seated around the circular table in turn.
“Mm? That’s fewer than I expected.”
Cheon Hui tilted his head.
He had heard they were trusted aides who served the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master at close range.
Yet there were merely five of them.
‘Has something happened?’
Yuk Won, seeing Cheon Hui’s confusion, spoke aloud the information that Je Gal Goong had conveyed.
“Five of the Thirteen Death Users are stationed at branch headquarters, one is away on a mission, and two of the Death Users are stationed at Sa Hyuk Ryeon in the Cult Master’s stead.”
Ah, so that was it.
Cheon Hui understood at once.
By all accounts, the number of Immortal Heavenly Cult followers scattered throughout All Under Heaven was beyond counting.
At the very least, estimating conservatively, over a hundred thousand.
There were that many branch headquarters scattered across All Under Heaven, and they needed people to govern them.
The Immortal Heavenly Cult Master would have sent his most trusted aides—the Thirteen Death Users, masters of the highest caliber—to oversee those branches.
‘And if he were the Cult Master himself, he would send subordinates rather than travel directly to Sa Hyuk Ryeon.’
As one who had once been an immortal sect’s leader, Cheon Hui understood the Cult Master’s reasoning.
“Then the likelihood of successfully completing this mission has increased.”
Gi Jung Hak, Master of the Eternal Spear, fingered the shaft of the spear in his hand as he spoke.
“It still won’t be easy.”
Go Young Nak spoke with tension etched across his face.
“That’s true.”
Yuk Won nodded in grave agreement.
Even if fewer than half of the Thirteen Death Users remained, they were masters.
And not merely ordinary masters at that.
Some of them possessed martial prowess sufficient to be called the leaders of major sects.
“Though only five of the Thirteen Death Users remain, the number of the Immortal Heavenly Cult’s elite has not diminished. At a conservative estimate, there are at least two hundred. And the number of followers stationed at the main headquarters is overwhelming…”
Yuk Won clicked his tongue, muttering.
In truth, the numbers alone were daunting, but the most terrifying aspect of the Immortal Heavenly Cult was neither the martial artists they had cultivated nor their sheer numbers.
It was blind faith.
They would commit any atrocity in the name of the cult’s doctrine without hesitation.
There were countless followers willing to sacrifice their lives without wavering, even unto death itself.
That was a formidable threat indeed.
Yuk Won, setting aside thoughts of this for the moment, continued immediately.
“We won’t be able to hold out at headquarters for long. At best, perhaps a double hour—that would be the limit.”
Yuk Won spoke with cold precision.
A war of attrition worked against them.
This was Gangnam, territory of the Sapa sects.
And the war would unfold in the heart of Guizhou, where the Immortal Heavenly Cult had taken root.
They had to end it in the shortest time possible.
“We will have to pay a terrible price.”
“It will not be easy.”
“We must take the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master’s life before we pay too steep a price.”
As the three fell into heavy silence.
“Wait—take a look at this.”
Breaking through their worry, Yuk Won spoke and produced a scroll.
He unrolled the tightly wound scroll and cast it across the table with a sharp motion.
The paper spread open at once.
Within it was drawn a map.
“Could this be…the layout of the Immortal Heavenly Cult…?”
“When did you obtain something like this…?”
“Such meticulous detail.”
The three of them’s eyes gleamed.
Cheon Hui studied the map intently as well.
‘Quite detailed, isn’t it?’
The map displayed remarkably thorough information—how many pavilions stood in the compound, who occupied each chamber.
One could grasp the layout at a glance.
‘Had they mapped this out beforehand?’
This wasn’t something assembled in a day. It was clear they’d invested years in its creation.
‘Well, of course. Peace, my foot.’
Cheon Hui let out a soft laugh.
On the surface, the Guzhou Three Powerhouses had ushered in an era of peace—but beneath the waters, fierce struggle raged on.
The war between Sa Heuk Ryeon and the Murim Alliance wasn’t something waiting to explode tomorrow; it was powder keg that would ignite eventually.
“We should go this way,” Yuk Won said.
As he spoke, he extended his index finger.
Toward the most exposed section of the Immortal Heavenly Cult Main Headquarters.
“Great Master, if we head there, won’t the Immortal Heavenly Cult surely discover us?” Gi Jung Hak asked with evident doubt.
There were plenty of other secluded spots.
Yet he insisted on the open one.
Yuk Won shook his head at the comment.
“No, this is the only way.”
“What do you mean by that……?”
“This spot is the weakest point in the Immortal Eternal Life Formation spread across the perimeter of the Immortal Heavenly Cult Main Headquarters.”
In that instant, Gi Jung Hak’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open.
And it wasn’t only him.
The others, save Cheon Hui, betrayed expressions of astonishment.
“A weak point?”
“How did you uncover such a thing?”
The Immortal Eternal Life Formation had protected the Immortal Heavenly Cult Main Headquarters for a century—an ancient Ultimate Formation hailed as the synthesis of both Sagehood and Array Formation mastery.
Some even claimed that the Immortal Heavenly Cult’s roots ran so deep in Guizhou precisely because of the Immortal Eternal Life Formation’s existence.
For such a legendary formation to have a vulnerability—all of them could only be amazed.
That was when it happened.
“So that’s why you called it a Diversionary Tactic,” Cheon Hui said flatly.
This business about the Immortal Eternal Life Formation and all its mystique—he didn’t grasp it well. But the intention was clear.
“We have to go through an exposed place like this. We must draw the Immortal Heavenly Cult’s entire attention so we can slip in undetected.”
Yuk Won nodded in agreement.
This passage was the crux of it all.
The crucial part was facing the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master directly, nothing more.
“There’s no fallback.”
“So it all comes down to whether we kill the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master within the time limit—or die trying.”
“It wasn’t just a Diversionary Tactic after all.”
The three men’s expressions hardened.
From the moment they learned they’d have to strike at the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master from behind, they knew it was a perilous mission. But reality was harsher still.
There was only one chance.
Within a single hour, they had to sever the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master’s lifeline.
“What if the intelligence is flawed and there are more than five of the Thirteen Death Users? What then?” Gi Jung Hak asked carefully.
It was the worst-case assumption.
Yuk Won smiled bitterly at the question.
“Well, what can we do? We’d simply be unlucky.”
“…….”
“All we can do is hope that the Pa Ma Unit Master and the Hyeop Wi Unit Master draw them out as thoroughly as possible.”
Silence descended.
As he said, there was no other way.
With an operation that left no retreat, the three men furrowed their brows, their expressions growing troubled.
“Simple, then. I like it,” a bright voice sounded.
It came from Cheon Hui’s lips.
Having shed his listless demeanor, he wore a cold smile as he spoke again.
“So all we need to do is kill the Immortal Heavenly Cult Master.”
The four of them stared at him with slack-jawed expressions, then burst out laughing.
“You’re right,” one murmured.
“Exactly. Just kill that bastard and we’re done.”
“That’s all it takes to end this,” another said.
“True enough.”
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
They were infiltrating the Immortal Heavenly Cult Main Headquarters, and their target was one of the most celebrated absolute masters in All Under Heaven.
The Immortal Heavenly Cult Master himself.
But what good would more deliberation do at this point?
The mission had already been accepted, and the operation was underway.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
So it was better to think as simply as Cheon Hui did.
That was when it happened.
“They’re coming,” Cheon Hui said.
He gazed out the window.
Through the open casement, he could feel more than a thousand Qi presences drawing near.
A vast force, turbulent as a rolling wave.
Not just Cheon Hui, but all of them felt that army and rose from their seats.
Each drawing their weapons.
Yuk Won tightened the sword at his waist with a firm knot and his eyes flashed sharp.
“Let’s move.”
* * *
Before the vast Estate Grounds of the Immortal Heavenly Cult.
In front of the heretical sect’s main headquarters that controlled all of Guizhou, martial artists radiated orderly composure as they lined up.
The Pa Ma Unit, the Hyeop Wi Unit, and the Myeoljeol Unit.
More than a thousand martial artists stood firm, their combined Qi presence giving off an overwhelming aura.
At that moment.
Creak—
The great gates swung open and a figure in pristine white robes stepped out.
The middle-aged man wore a gentle smile across his face, and emanated no particular aura.
He looked like any scholar you might encounter anywhere.
Yet the martial artists before him stood rigid, their expressions completely frozen.
The man smiled at ease despite such a massive force arrayed before him.
And that was merely the beginning.
Stroking his mustache, he approached with hands clasped behind his back, his manner supremely casual as he spoke.
“What brings the Murim Alliance’s warriors to our humble sect?”
His tone remained serene throughout.
As if the vast army before him inspired no fear whatsoever.
“Have you come to petition for entry into our order?”
As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly.
A gesture of looking down upon the Alliance’s martial artists arrayed before him.
That was when.
“It’s been a long time,” came a low voice.
Pa Ma Dae Ju materialized abruptly before the middle-aged man, where moments before there had been empty air.
It was a wondrous Speed Technique.
Yet the middle-aged man didn’t lose his serene smile at Pa Ma Dae Ju’s sudden appearance.
Rather, he opened his mouth as if delighted.
“How long it’s been. Pa Ma Dae Ju.”
He spoke in a languid drawl.
“Have you come to join our sect?”
“Would I look like the sort to enter such a heretical organization?”
“Heh, one never knows what the world holds in store.”
The corners of the middle-aged man’s eyes crinkled with amusement.
Then something extraordinary occurred.
Those watching him suddenly experienced a vivid hallucination—as though the world itself had frozen.
His pupils blazed with light.
In the depths of his dark irises, a faint hidden thunder flickered, and in an instant, it unleashed its power upon the world.
“Gasp!”
“Ugh!”
Several martial artists standing behind Pa Ma Dae Ju felt their breath catch, their hands clutching at their chests.
It happened in that instant.
A piercing shriek tore through the air!
Tremendous Internal Power surged from Pa Ma Dae Ju’s entire body, his robes billowing outward.
“Where do you think you’ll deploy your sorcery?”
Pa Ma Dae Ju’s voice grew cold and measured.
It carried with it a steady, pervasive force.
“…The Huicheon Palyeok Qi.”
A middle-aged man with furrowed brows muttered as the energy ripples spread from Pa Ma Dae Ju’s frame.
The Huicheon Palyeok Gong.
With power to repel both demons and the wicked—Internal Power that did not pale when measured against Sorim’s Martial Arts—the force permeated all directions.
“Gwangmyeong Saja.”
Pa Ma Dae Ju, wreathed entirely in the Huicheon Palyeok Qi, opened his eyes wide and spoke.
He was addressing the middle-aged man by his rank.
“Your words are sparse.”
Gwangmyeong Saja, one of the Immortal Heavenly Cult’s Four Death Users, narrowed his eyes at the address.
Seeing this, Pa Ma Dae Ju drew his sword.
The blade reflected the soft light of dawn with a beautiful radiance.
“Today, the name Immortal Heavenly Cult will vanish from history.”
As he spoke, he unleashed his Internal Power with explosive force.
A shockwave of energy, branching like a spider’s web into countless paths, descended upon Gwangmyeong Saja.
A thin smile spread.
Gwangmyeong Saja’s lips curved upward.
He loosened his stance and spread his arms wide.
His laughter was suffused with delight.
“Ha, ha, ha!”
As he laughed, he slowly opened his eyes to mere slits.
In those gleaming eyes, a darkness descended, and in an instant, an aura erupted outward, consuming everything in the vicinity.
It was but a moment.
A low, resonant hum emanated.
The hum spread from his entire body.
It came with a tingling wave of energy.
Crack!
Simultaneously, a deafening boom erupted.
The shockwave Pa Ma Dae Ju had unleashed tore through his aura to shreds.
The Amryae Cheon Hoong Gong.
Gwangmyeong Saja, having drawn upon one of the Immortal Heavenly Cult’s most devastating Martial Arts, twisted his lips even in that moment.
From the pristine smile at the corners of his mouth flowed a demonic power that pulled at those who beheld it.
Some were struck nearly senseless by it.
Bearing the wicked art—the Seophun Myeolshim So, which grasped the very soul and destroyed the mind—he spoke in low tones.
“You cling to empty hope.”
The resonance of Internal Power burst outward in all directions.
Several Pa Ma Unit soldiers behind Pa Ma Dae Ju staggered back, their eyes wide.
“What is…!”
“He was hiding that much power?”
The Internal Power that emanated was so profound and sonorous that it seemed impossible this was the same person who had shown no aura moments before.
“The affairs of the world are unknowable.”
Pa Ma Dae Ju turned back the words Gwangmyeong Saja had spoken and raised his sword high.
Gwangmyeong Saja’s laughter ceased abruptly.
In its place, a cold expression claimed his face.
He gazed steadily at Pa Ma Dae Ju, then slowly licked his crimson lips.
Very slowly.
Yet suffused with subtle Internal Power.
“Followers of our faith—punish these wretches who show such contempt for our cult.”
Before he had even finished speaking.
A violent torrent erupted.
From the Main Headquarters poured forth frenzied Martial Artists clad entirely in white robes.
It happened in an instant.
Pa Ma Dae Ju gazed upon the flood of Immortal Heavenly Cult disciples pouring forth and lowered his eyes.
It was already anticipated.
And matters were proceeding exactly as planned.
He drew in a deep breath.
The moment his chest swelled with air, he released the breath he’d been holding and roared with all his might.
“Eliminate every heretic and sapa that brings chaos to All Under Heaven!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————