Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 317

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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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317
Chapter
A shock rippled through the Great Council Hall.
Those who read the words “Bi Cheon Society enters the war” stared as though they’d witnessed something unspeakable, their eyes trembling visibly.
They looked as if struck by lightning.
And with good reason—even amid the war against Sa Hyuk Ryeon, the Murim Alliance had never ceased to monitor the Bi Cheon Society’s movements.
Nor was this vigilance unique to the Alliance; Sa Hyuk Ryeon surely watched with the same intensity.
After all, there were the Nine Factions Three Hegemony System—outside these two powers, the Bi Cheon Society stood.
It was inevitable that the balance of war between the Murim Alliance and Sa Hyuk Ryeon would shift according to how the Bi Cheon Society moved.
This was precisely why the Murim Alliance had dispatched the Biun Party—one of their two branches—to keep watch on the Society’s doings.
Those who had stood trembling before the paper suddenly snapped to attention, and without waiting for anyone to speak first, they cried out.
Nearly in unison.
“The Bi Cheon Society is entering the war?!”
“What did you say?!”
“This makes no sense!”
Voices rose in agitation, sharp and strained.
Some slammed their palms against the table and surged to their feet, their chairs scraping backward.
In that same instant, the air of the Great Council Hall grew taut as a drawn bowstring.
The anxious, razor-edged True Energy of those assembled roiled and pressed outward, enveloping the entire hall.
It happened in a moment.
Everyone gathered here bore the title of Master—a skilled expert of the Kangho.
Their emotional turbulence had become intent, and their intent had manifested as True Energy.
This itself attested to how formidable they were, yet it also meant that even these masters were deeply unsettled by this information.
“Just days ago they were silent, and now suddenly—”
“I thought their quiet meant they wouldn’t join the war at all!”
“Could they be plotting to strike from behind?”
Theories flew from all directions.
Then a dozen pairs of anxious, wavering eyes shot toward the Alliance Leader and Je Gal Goong at the head seat, their gazes like arrows loosed from a bow.
Questions followed at once.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What has happened?”
Their eyes and tone carried an urgency that bordered on accusation.
It was perhaps only natural.
The Bi Cheon Society had shown little movement and maintained a neutral stance for so long that they had unconsciously convinced themselves all was well.
But now came word that the Society had entered the war at a time no one had foreseen.
Yet the Alliance Leader paid their reaction no mind whatsoever.
The sharp stares directed at him seemed not to trouble him in the slightest—he remained unmoved.
For a moment, he sat thus.
Then—
He slowly lowered his gaze.
His eyes, dark as an abyss, gleamed with an almost preternatural light, and like dew falling, dropped straight down with a soft sound.
It was a look of such utter composure, such casual indifference, as if beholding people fretting over something trivial.
His transparent eyes swept across those seated around the circular table one by one.
“What more need be said?”
His lips parted without warning.
His voice carried a Spiritual Aura as it spilled forth.
Perhaps because of this.
The air seemed to clarify, and the churning energy subsided.
At once, silence fell across the room.
His voice had conjured stillness.
The Alliance Leader watched those who had fallen quiet, then opened his mouth once more.
“That is precisely so.”
He turned his gaze slowly toward Je Gal Goong as he continued.
“The details—let the military strategist explain them.”
Je Gal Goong nodded.
The moment the call was given, he moved.
He stepped close beside the Alliance Leader where he sat and opened his lips.
“Four days ago, we received word from the Biun Party that roughly a hundred martial experts of the Namgung Clan had slipped away from Anhui Province.”
Whispers drifted through the hall.
The Namgung Clan was one of the Eight Great Clans, contending for preeminence among them.
That they had moved was as good as concrete proof that the Bi Cheon Society had joined the conflict.
It was then that Cheol Su Bi Geom spoke urgently.
“Where is the Namgung Clan headed?”
His voice trembled.
His sect, the Cheonjung Geom Moon, lay in a location perilously close to Anhui Province.
The moment he’d heard that the Namgung Clan had mobilized, he’d grown anxious lest they march against his sect — and finally, he could contain himself no longer and posed the question to Je Gal Goong.
“Their destination appears to be Zhejiang.”
Je Gal Goong turned to him and spoke.
His voice carried the same dispassionate tone as always.
“The target is believed to be the Mansu Moon.”
“The Mansu Moon!”
“That place is….”
In an instant, all eyes widened.
The Mansu Moon was a colossal faction of the Sa Hyuk Ryeon, one that wielded considerable power and held dominion over Zhejiang.
Moreover, it was an ancient enemy of the Namgung Clan — a bitter rivalry that had persisted to this very day.
“Revenge, then.”
“They mean to settle their debts while our Alliance and the Sa Hyuk Ryeon tear each other apart.”
Those gathered murmured in response to Je Gal Goong’s words.
The rift between the Namgung Clan and the Mansu Moon ran deep.
It was hardly a puzzling move.
Had not a promising Later Generation Master of the Namgung Clan perished at the hands of the Mansu Moon’s leader?
Because of that, the Namgung Clan Leader at the time had nearly led his retainers in an assault on the Mansu Moon to exact vengeance.
But it had come to nothing.
The Sa Hyuk Ryeon had issued threats — any move against the Mansu Moon would mean war.
Even the mighty Namgung Clan could not afford to face the Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
Meanwhile, Cheol Su Bi Geom’s hand moved to his chest.
Relief flooded through him at the knowledge that his sect was not their target.
Then his eyes suddenly gleamed with understanding.
“Then the Bi Cheon Society intends to strike at the Sa Hyuk Ryeon?”
His voice rose slightly.
For the Namgung Clan to target the Mansu Moon was tantamount to the Bi Cheon Society striking at the very heart of the Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
And to that question—
“That appears to be the case.”
Je Gal Goong replied with measured calm.
The Great Council Hall stirred with sudden energy.
The enemy of one’s enemy is one’s ally, it was said.
If the Bi Cheon Society was indeed targeting the Sa Hyuk Ryeon, this war might well end far more swiftly.
It was then that Won Jong Dae Sa posed a question, his tone subdued.
“Is there no possibility that the Namgung Clan has acted unilaterally?”
It was an unusually cautious inquiry.
In the heightened mood that had taken hold of the Great Council Hall, such a question risked dampening the spirits of those assembled.
Yet—
“The Namgung Clan.”
Je Gal Goong dismissed the question with a single phrase.
Won Jong Dae Sa, who had posed it, nodded and closed his eyes.
Understanding bloomed at once.
The Namgung Clan.
Those words carried singular weight.
They were the family with the longest history among the Eight Great Clans, and though they now stood in the shadow of the Sa Cheon Tang Family and the Je Gal Clan, they had long occupied the seat of the greatest family under Heaven.
“The Namgung Clan would never take action that would create friction with the Bi Cheon Society. And no matter how formidable the Namgung Clan may be, had they attempted to move independently, the Bi Cheon Society would have restrained them.”
Je Gal Goong concluded his explanation.
Won Jong Dae Sa could muster no rebuttal.
The logic was sound.
At present, the Bi Cheon Society stood at a pinnacle of prominence unlike any before.
While both the Murim Alliance and the Sa Hyuk Ryeon were weakened by war, the Bi Cheon Society had preserved its strength.
Under such circumstances, would the Namgung Clan move alone, without even the Bi Cheon Society’s consent?
The likelihood was vanishingly small.
“Besides, the Namgung Clan Leader is not the sort to blunder about carelessly.”
Yong Ju Gae added weight to Je Gal Goong’s words with his own.
All present nodded in agreement.
The current Namgung Clan Leader was known throughout Kangho for his meticulous calculations of profit and loss.
It was difficult to imagine such a man acting on emotion.
“But this is truly unexpected. I thought that cunning bastard would move after the war ended…….”
As Yong Ju Gae was speaking, recalling the Namgung Clan Leader’s ruthless pragmatism.
“He could not stand by and watch his enemy, the Mansu Moon, be destroyed by another’s hand.”
Hyeon Do responded immediately.
His voice had an edge to it.
He understood the Namgung Clan Leader’s heart completely.
Had he not felt the same way?
To have your enemy standing right before you, yet be unable to strike properly and forced merely to watch—it was like having a blade carved through your chest, a pain that gnawed at the soul.
And if your target disappeared before you could even take proper revenge?
It was unthinkable.
“I see.”
Yong Ju Gae nodded, watching Hyeon Do’s face twist like a malevolent spirit.
“There’s nothing quite as hollow as watching your enemy die by another’s hand.”
Then he suddenly turned his head sharply upward.
He spoke, looking at Je Gal Goong and the Alliance Leader.
“So that’s why they’re rushing the mission.”
Yong Ju Gae’s eyes grew cold and still.
He was the man who commanded a hundred thousand Gae Bang disciples, the patriarch of an organization said to hold all the information under heaven beneath its feet.
It was not difficult for him to discern the military strategist’s intentions from information of this caliber.
“That is correct.”
Je Gal Goong replied flatly.
Then, looking at those whose eyes kindled with anticipation, he released a chilling gaze.
His voice was ice itself.
“We must make good use of this moment while the Namgung Clan moves against the Mansu Moon, must we not?”
* * *
Cheon Hui read the detailed information written on the paper he held, then clenched his fist.
The paper crumpled.
Whoosh—
It burst into flames in his palm in an instant.
The Sammai True Fire.
Seol Geom watched the sequence of events unfold in the blink of an eye and gripped his fan.
The hand holding the fan grew damp with sweat.
‘He’s changed.’
His eyes grew distant.
Cheon Hui’s fundamental nature had transformed.
Even standing before him, he seemed absent.
Like a ghost.
‘He shut himself away in the bedchamber for days—did he achieve an enlightenment?’
When he had visited before with the others, he had been too flustered to properly perceive it. But now, facing him directly like this, the presence he emanated was far stronger than before.
A chill crept up his spine from the base.
At the same time, a smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth.
‘A fine choice.’
His eyes deepened.
The Cheon Hui before him was the commander of the Myeoljjeol Corps that he personally oversaw. The higher his reputation rose, the better it was for himself.
Seol Geom, who had been watching Cheon Hui, unfolded his fan and carefully concealed the smile that would not fade from his lips.
“Have you reviewed everything?”
At the question, Cheon Hui brushed the ash from his palm and smacked his lips.
“I gather the gist. While all eyes are fixed on the Namgung Clan, I’m to discern the purpose of the Black Fiends and Wind Spirits who appear secretly in Muwhyeol…….”
Cheon Hui laughed softly as he spoke.
“In the end, you want me to kill them, don’t you?”
“Ha ha ha. Precisely so.”
Seol Geom laughed awkwardly.
That was exactly it.
Though he had said to ascertain their purpose, to extract information from those moving in secret would ultimately require direct confrontation.
“Hmm, that works well.”
Cheon Hui twisted his mouth into a smirk.
Rather than skulking about, tailing them timidly to ferret out information, a straightforward collision and destruction was far more convenient.
“So when do we depart?”
“If the Myeoljjeol Corps is ready, I’m prepared to leave whenever. I’ve just come from hearing that Cheonjeong-dae has finished their preparations as well.”
“Is that so? Then let’s go right now.”
Cheon Hui rose from his seat immediately.
“Right now, you mean?”
“You said you’re ready on your end, didn’t you? Why waste time dawdling? I even noted that this is an urgent situation.”
With those words, Cheon Hui turned and draped the Pure White Wind Cloak—which had been left on one side of the room—lightly across his shoulders.
The snowy white fabric settled gently over his crimson-black Sect Robes, trembling slightly in the breeze.
It was as if the hem danced of its own accord.
“Send me a Communication Talisman if you come across any other information later.”
Cheon Hui spoke as he stepped forward.
“Ha, don’t worry yourself. That is precisely my duty.”
Hearing Seol Geom’s reply from behind, Cheon Hui left the Pavilion at once.
“Hah!”
Outside the Pavilion, members of the Myeoljjeol Corps and the Hwa Ryeong Dan were mingling together in the Training Grounds, absorbed in their usual practice as ever.
Cheon Hui, watching them, opened his mouth.
“We’re deploying. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
His luminous voice spread like the evening glow.
Those training suddenly snapped to attention at Cheon Hui’s voice, their eyes blazing with fervor.
“Deployment…!”
“At last!”
The order they had waited for so long had finally come.
“Understood!”
“We’ll prepare at once!”
They hurried into the Pavilion.
Moments later, the Myeoljjeol Corps and the Hwa Ryeong Dan stood lined up in the Training Grounds.
Every single one of them wore the Pure White Wind Cloak, which had come to feel like the uniform of the Myeoljjeol Corps itself.
“Let’s go.”
Cheon Hui spoke and took his first step.
The Myeoljjeol Corps and Hwa Ryeong Dan followed in his wake.
Thump, thump.
Their steady footsteps rang out as they passed through the Pavilion’s great gate.
How long did they walk?
As they passed through the heart of the Murim Alliance, the air around them began to stir.
“The Myeoljjeol Corps…!”
“Are they deploying?”
People had begun to recognize them.
But it was only brief.
……
The commotion died down quickly.
Instead, they began offering the Fist Salute in tribute to the Myeoljjeol Corps.
It was a magnificent sight.
Most of the Myeoljjeol Corps felt their chests swell with emotion at this spectacle, while the Hwa Ryeong Dan were struck with awe at the grandeur of the Myeoljjeol Corps.
The scene continued unfolding.
Until they reached the Main Gate of the Murim Alliance.
“Great Master, we wish you victory.”
The gate keeper, upon seeing Cheon Hui, bowed his head deeply and spoke.
Then he pushed the gate open wide.
Creeeeak—
As sunlight poured through the widening gap, spilling like watercolors to envelop Cheon Hui and the Myeoljjeol Corps.
Thump.
Cheon Hui crossed through the light and moved forward.
It was a departure.

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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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