Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 51

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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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Episode 51
Cheon Hui pulled the sword from the heart of the dead Baek Sa Sin.
Squelch.
Blood streaming from the gaping wound bloomed across his pristine white robes like plum blossoms unfurling.
Cheon Hui turned his gaze from Baek Sa Sin’s corpse, now cold and motionless, and muttered under his breath.
“Have I underestimated Kangho so badly?”
He had felled Baek Sa Sin, yet his expression showed anything but satisfaction—far from the look of a victor.
‘I didn’t want to use Demonic Art.’
Five years ago, when he became a Taoist of the Huashan Sect, he had sworn never to draw upon those forbidden techniques again.
And yet here he was.
The inner force of the Plum Blossom Divine Art alone had proven insufficient to break through Baek Sa Sin’s Qi Technique—he’d had no choice but to unleash the power of the Absolute Supremacy Art.
“That’s what irritates me most. The very fact that it was unavoidable.”
His brows knitted together sharply.
“But what was it he called himself? Eight Martial Divine? I feel like I’ve heard that name before somewhere….”
In that instant, he recalled Baek Sa Sin’s final words—his last testament before death.
“Cheon Hui!”
He turned at the sharp cry that rang out from behind him.
“Are you all right? Where is Baek Sa Sin?”
“We’ve come to help!”
To the urgent questions from Hyeon Do and Ha U Jin, who had arrived late to the scene, Cheon Hui pointed his sword toward Baek Sa Sin, whose body lay cold and stiffening.
…!
Both men’s eyes flew wide open.
They stood frozen in disbelief, mouths hanging slack as if witnessing something utterly incomprehensible.
Ignoring the stupefied expressions on their faces, Cheon Hui swung his blade sharply, flinging the dark blood that clung to the steel.
Swoosh.
At the sound, Hyeon Do’s head turned.
His throat worked visibly as he swallowed hard before he spoke.
“You… you did this?”
“Yes.”
Cheon Hui met Hyeon Do’s stammering gaze with a blunt, matter-of-fact answer.
“Baek Sa Sin….”
Hyeon Do had lost the words to continue, his face blank as he stared at Cheon Hui.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
The fortress of Baek Gwi Seong began to tremble, unable to withstand the force of the clash between Cheon Hui and Baek Sa Sin.
“We should get outside. It looks like it’s going to collapse very soon.”
The moment those words left his lips, cracks throughout the structure widened and dust rained down as if the entire structure might crumble at any second.
Thud, thud, thud.
When chunks of stone finally began falling on their heads, both Hyeon Do and Ha U Jin—who had been in a daze—snapped back to reality and shouted in unison.
“Let’s get out of here, quickly!”
“We need to go, now!”
* * *
“What… what’s happening?”
Outside, the streets were swarming with people.
The Breaking Sound that had continued to echo from Baek Gwi Seong had drawn even those lost in revelry with curiosity, and crowds had gathered near the fortress.
“Baek Gwi Seong is….”
“Collapsing!”
Those who arrived at Baek Gwi Seong could not conceal their shock.
The destruction of the great gates—which had once been impregnable as iron walls—was startling enough, but the interior reeked of corpses and blood.
All of them martial artists of Baek Gwi Seong.
Crack, crack, crack.
Then came an ominous sound.
As the ground shook as if struck by an earthquake, the onlookers cried out in terror.
“Ahhhhh!”
“It’s an earthquake!”
Crash, crash, crash, boom!
Like a bolt from a clear sky.
As Baek Gwi Seong—the fortress that had dominated Nakteon County—crumbled to dust, the crowd watching fell silent.
“I always said you have to uproot it completely.”
Standing apart from the masses, Cheon Hui wore a satisfied smile.
Like something long festering finally drained, his heart felt light and relieved.
“At last…….”
Hyeon Do, his voice trembling as he spoke softly, found himself at a loss for words, overcome with joy.
Was he truly so happy?
Cheon Hui tried to hold back his own surging elation but couldn’t help himself, and as he watched Hyeon Do’s eyes well up, he merely shrugged.
“M-master!”
Jin Gae, who had been hiding in the alley all this time, spotted Cheon Hui and the others and came rushing over.
He stared at the three of them with an expression as though he were witnessing something utterly unbelievable, then swallowed hard.
“Did the three of you truly bring down Baek Gwi Seong?”
As Cheon Hui was about to answer, Hyeon Do raised his hand to stop him and replied instead.
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
Jin Gae’s mouth fell open.
Was that really what one ought to say?
Baek Gwi Seong was one of the Six Pillars—the six pillars that sustained Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
It was a great faction, said to be on par with the Nine Factions and One Gang, yet merely three people had brought it down.
Had it not been for Hyeon Do, he would have been told to stop spouting nonsense.
“W-what became of Baek Sa Sin?”
Jin Gae asked carefully, gauging Hyeon Do’s reaction.
“He’s dead.”
Jin Gae’s mind reeled at the shock.
‘They defeated Baek Sa Sin?’
Jin Gae’s thoughts were in turmoil.
The Huashan Sect’s reputation had fallen to the ground—incomparably worse than before.
Even the First Sword of Huashan was said to be merely on par with an elder of any other faction among the Nine Factions and One Gang.
And yet they had defeated Baek Sa Sin?
A spark ignited in Jin Gae’s eyes.
‘This is an opportunity!’
Jin Gae’s mouth went dry with anticipation.
In the competition for intelligence, he was certain this information would yield him great advantage.
“D-did the master defeat him himself?”
Hyeon Do nodded.
“I’ll step away for just a moment.”
Jin Gae bowed his head quickly and rushed toward Baek Gwi Seong.
Watching Jin Gae’s retreating form, Hyeon Do spoke to Ha U Jin and Cheon Hui.
“Let’s say I killed Baek Sa Sin.”
“But… it wasn’t you who defeated Baek Sa Sin, it was—”
Ha U Jin trailed off and glanced sideways at Cheon Hui, whereupon Hyeon Do shook his head.
“Do you wish Cheon Hui to walk the same path as the youngest disciple?”
“……!”
Ha U Jin grasped it at once.
“But are you certain this is wise? If word of this spreads, the Huashan Sect could gain great renown, quite unlike before…….”
Baek Sa Sin had been an Undefeated Master.
If it became known that such a man had been defeated by one so young as Cheon Hui, it would shake the Kangho—nay, all Under Heaven itself.
“What is such fame but a trivial thing? So long as Cheon Hui walks the earth, we may claim it whenever we wish.”
Hyeon Do regarded Cheon Hui with gentle eyes. To him, Cheon Hui was more precious than anything in all Under Heaven.
“Cheon Hui’s safety comes before all else.”
“But if Cheon Hui were known as the one who defeated Baek Sa Sin, then surely no one in all the world would dare—”
Ha U Jin halted mid-sentence.
There were those they had forgotten in this age of peace under the Three Rivals of the Nine Provinces.
‘Those beings… they still existed.’
Ha U Jin opened his mouth again.
“……I understand.”
What was all this about?
Cheon Hui watched the two of them make a fuss before him as though he found it pitiful, then shook his head.
“Let’s head back anyway. There’s nothing more to see here.”
“Indeed.”
“I should take my leave separately.”
Ha U Jin spoke with a grave expression.
“Were you thinking of heading straight to Jongnam?”
“Since I acted independently in this matter, I felt I ought to report separately to my sect.”
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Cheon Hui.
“That way, we can prevent rumors about Cheon Hui from spreading too far.”
Hyeon Do chuckled and gave Ha U Jin’s shoulder a couple of friendly pats.
“I’m grateful.”
“Not at all. It’s only right that I do it.”
Ha U Jin smiled faintly, turned to leave, then paused as though something had occurred to him. “One more thing, senior. May I visit the Huashan Sect sometime later?”
Hyeon Do nodded vigorously.
“Come whenever you wish. Even if relations between the Huashan Sect and the Jongnam Faction are strained, everyone will welcome you.”
“Haha! Is that so?”
Ha U Jin, his expression lightened, bowed respectfully and departed.
“Then I shall visit again in the future.”
* * *
All Under Heaven was in upheaval.
A single rumor spreading from Shenxi had set it all in motion.
‘The destruction of Baek Gwi Seong.’
It was so shocking that upon hearing it, people wanted to dig out their ears in disbelief.
Baek Gwi Seong was hardly an ordinary sect.
It was one of the Six Pillars and ranked among the greatest factions in All Under Heaven.
Most dismissed the rumor as baseless, but Gae Bang—the very source of the news—insisted it was the truth, and backed it up with a startling detail.
‘The First Sword of Huashan and the Flying Sword Virtuoso killed Baek Sa Sin and toppled Baek Gwi Seong!’
Everyone was aghast.
It was astonishing enough that merely two people had done it, but the identities of those two were even more astounding.
At least the Flying Sword Virtuoso was a figure who had gained renown through recent activity in Kangho.
He was the one the Jongnam Faction called the next First Sword, successor to the Jongnam Sword Saint.
But the First Sword of Huashan?
No one knew anything of him.
His Sect Token, naturally, and even his gender remained a mystery.
There had been no interest in the declining Huashan Sect, and it had been more than a decade since the one called the First Sword of Huashan had been active in Kangho.
But this incident changed all perceptions.
Various factions began to move, desperate to discover who the First Sword of Huashan truly was.
The Huashan Sect was showing its face in Kangho for the first time in ages.
Like a stone dropping into still water.
Soon all Under Heaven began to stir.
And with it, the attention of the realm focused precisely on Shenxi—on the Huashan Sect, the Jongnam Faction, and Sa Hyuk Ryeon.
It was a grave matter, for how Sa Hyuk Ryeon responded might well determine whether a factional war would erupt.
And Cheon Hui, who had set all these tangled threads in motion, had arrived at the Bi Poong Trading Company.
“We’ve arrived.”
Jin Gae, standing by the carriage driver’s seat, flashed a broad grin as he watched Cheon Hui and Hyeon Do approach.
Thanks to his having spread detailed information about Baek Gwi Seong’s collapse to Gae Bang, he had drawn closer to the master than anyone else before.
‘I need to build our bond even further!’
Jin Gae gazed at Hyeon Do with a sticky, scheming look and grinned from ear to ear.
Cheon Hui, unaware of such thoughts, regarded Jin Gae as though he were a madman.
‘No, he really is a madman.’
Remembering how Jin Gae had smiled while looking at Baek Sa Sin’s corpse, Cheon Hui could be certain of it.
Cheon Hui turned his gaze from Jin Gae and opened the carriage door.
The shattered main gate of the Bi Poong Trading Company remained broken, the interior wide open.
Then Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
Beyond the smashed gate, a familiar middle-aged woman was in conversation with Go Gye Young.
“…the silver lord’s help was invaluable.”
“So I’ve heard.”
In that instant, their eyes met.
“Lady Seon?”
Go Gye Young called out in confusion at the woman’s reaction, but she stepped forward as if entranced. Before anyone could blink, she had already deployed the Jade Ring Wonderful Step and stood urgently at Cheon Hui’s side.
“Hui!”
The sharp cry drew the attention of everyone at the Bi Poong Trading Company toward the gate.
Cheon Hui turned his head.
‘Hyeon Ryeo?’
“Ah, you’re safe.”
She had drawn close without a sound, and now she placed a relieved hand over her heart.

“Heh heh. So you only have eyes for Cheon Hui, and none for me.”
Hyeon Ryeo’s head snapped up.
“Elder Brother!”
Despite her sharp tone, Hyeon Do smiled gently.
“I’m only teasing. But you always said you hated stepping into Kangho—what brought you out?”
“Cheon Hui and you were in danger, and I…”
She faltered mid-sentence, then something seemed to strike her, and she pressed on urgently.
“How did things turn out?”
“Well.”
Hyeon Ryeo’s expression shifted moment by moment.
From uncertainty to understanding, and finally to joy.
She stared at Hyeon Do with a face alight with emotion, her trembling lips parting with effort.
“You don’t mean…”
“The youngest disciple’s vengeance is avenged.”
“Is it… truly?”
As Hyeon Do nodded firmly, Hyeon Ryeo bit her lip and wept.
“Oh… at last…”
“What tears on such a joyful day?”
Hyeon Do patted Hyeon Ryeo’s shoulder.
“Don’t weep—smile instead. That’s what the youngest disciple would want.”
Just as Cheon Hui moved to comfort the weeping Hyeon Ryeo, Hyeon Do subtly created distance.
“I’m relieved you’ve returned unharmed.”
Go Gye Young approached.
“There were no further attacks, it seems.”
“Fortunately, none at all.”
“Is that so?”
As Cheon Hui turned to leave, Go Gye Young asked in a carefully measured tone.
“Might I impose upon you with a single question?”
“What is it?”
“How did the matter resolve?”
Cheon Hui smiled slightly at the worry etched across his face and answered.
“There will be no more attacks.”
Go Gye Young’s eyes widened noticeably.
No more attacks?
The meaning was unmistakable.
Either negotiations had succeeded, or the enemy had been destroyed entirely.
But the notion of negotiating with Baek Gwi Seong, his sworn enemy, was absurd.
That could only mean one thing.
‘Baek Gwi Seong’s faction has been destroyed!’
The instant this thought crystallized, Go Gye Young bowed deeply and swiftly, his hair whipping in the motion.
“My gratitude knows no bounds. I don’t know how to repay such kindness… Ah!”
In the midst of expressing his thanks, Go Gye Young seemed to remember something and began rummaging urgently through his robes.
“Here…”
A moment later, he withdrew a resplendent Gold Token from within and handed it to Cheon Hui with care.
“Should you present this token at any of the renowned trading establishments throughout Zhongyuan, you’ll receive a modest sum of coin.”
A spark of interest flickered across Cheon Hui’s eyes.
‘Money? I could use that right now.’
Thinking it might prove useful for future activities in Kangho, Cheon Hui accepted it readily.
“That’s excellent.”
“Ha ha. I’m delighted it pleases you.”
Go Gye Young broke into a broad smile.
The Gold Token was something of tremendous importance to the Bi Poong Trading Company he had built, yet he surrendered it without hesitation.
‘The loss of the token stings, but if it buys me his goodwill and friendship, there will be nothing to fear under heaven.’
In a fleeting moment of calculation, Go Gye Young had already resolved his path.
What mattered most to a merchant?
Money and trust, certainly.
But above all—connections.
And so he had absorbed a small loss and given Cheon Hui the Gold Token for the sake of those very connections.
Perhaps it was the greatest gamble of his life, betting the future of the Bi Poong Trading Company itself.
Go Gye Young watched as Cheon Hui tucked the token into his sleeve as though it were nothing, and his lips curved upward.
“What are you planning to do now, Elder?”
“I still have the task of protecting the Bi Poong Trading Company, so I thought I would remain here and—”
“No. That won’t do.”
Hyeon Ryeo cut him off sharply, stepping closer.
“You must return to the Huashan Sect starting now.”

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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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