Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102

First destination, Punggokcheun Village.

As soon as they entered the village entrance, a foul stench and bizarre wailing sounds greeted the group.

“Grrrrrr…”

Undead staggering and walking out from everywhere.

“What a grand welcoming party as soon as we arrive.”

Mujin sighed and drew his sword sheath.

From their experience at Nakwachin Village, Namgung Cheon and Mujin had already adapted somewhat to the sensation of not using internal energy.

But one person had not.

“Dangmu.”

Namgung Cheon quietly called to Dangmu.

It was the moment when Dangmu was instinctively trying to draw up his internal energy while taking out his hidden weapons.

“The moment you use internal energy, you too will become like them.”

“…!”

Dangmu’s hand hesitated.

Namgung Cheon gestured with his chin toward the men in green martial robes mixed among the undead.

“Look at them. They are warriors of the Dang Clan. They tried to draw up internal energy to drive out the demonic energy, but were instead consumed by it.”

Dangmu’s eyes wavered.

Familiar clothing.

Colleagues he might have known had been transformed into beasts.

The horrific scene before his eyes proved that the warning not to use internal energy was not mere bluffing.

“You must move only with your body’s natural strength. Keep your breathing to a minimum as well.”

“…I understand.”

Dangmu swallowed dryly and gathered his composure.

At that moment.

“Kraaaak!”

The undead all rushed at them at once.

“Hup!”

Mujin took the lead.

Clang! Thwack!

Namgung Cheon and Dangmu also subdued the undead with sword sheaths and bare hands without using internal energy.

After about an hour had passed.

“Huff, huff…”

Mujin sat down on the ground, breathing heavily.

Around him, nearly dozens of undead were all sprawled on the ground, groaning.

Namgung Cheon immediately examined the fallen undead.

Red bloodshot eyes, bizarre movements as if they felt no pain.

The symptoms were identical to those at Nakwachin Village.

“We need to look around the inside of the village.”

Namgung Cheon got up.

Dangmu wiped his sweat and looked at the Dang Clan warriors who had become undead with pitying eyes.

Seeing this, Namgung Cheon quietly spoke.

“We must find the cause to save both these people and those people.”

At Namgung Cheon’s words, Dangmu nodded.

The three men left the fallen undead behind and moved deeper into the village.

Undead continued to jump out from various places, but the three men easily subdued them and thoroughly searched the village.

From inside houses to wells, granaries, and livestock pens.

They checked everything in the village.

But they found no notable peculiarities.

Except for the fact that all living creatures had gone mad.

“I didn’t expect even the animals to show such symptoms.”

Mujin said, pointing to the chickens in the coop.

As he said, the chickens were fighting each other to death as if they were cockfighting.

There were even chickens eating corpses.

“This demonic energy doesn’t only affect humans.”

At Namgung Cheon’s words, Mujin scratched his head and said.

“But if it’s not the water, and not the food, then what could it be? Moreover, even the beasts are showing such behavior…”

Dangmu nodded silently.

He kept sniffing around, but there was nothing special other than the smell of blood and rotting corpses.

However, Namgung Cheon kept moving as if there was something he needed to find.

At this, Dangmu cautiously spoke up.

“May I ask what the clue you mentioned knowing was…”

At that moment.

“Found it.”

Namgung Cheon’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

At his words, Mujin and Dangmu looked around, but there was nothing visibly apparent.

Then Namgung Cheon pointed to the base of a house’s wall.

“Look over there.”

Where his finger pointed, purple wildflowers were blooming.

Not even a profuse cluster, but exactly two blossoms.

“…Aren’t those just ordinary wildflowers?”

At Mujin’s words, Dangmu also nodded in agreement.

The color was a bit strong, but they gave off no poisonous scent, nor could any demonic energy be felt from them.

At their lukewarm response, Namgung Cheon asked Dangmu.

“What season is it now?”

“It’s autumn.”

“Then, have you ever seen such wildflowers bloom in autumn in Sichuan? There may be many types of wildflowers, but the Dang Clan, which studies all kinds of poisonous herbs and flowers, would know.”

Dangmu closed his eyes briefly and fell into thought.

Then soon.

“…There aren’t any. There are some similar ones, but not wildflowers like those.”

At those words, Mujin’s eyes widened greatly.

“Then you’re saying those flowers were artificially cultivated by someone?”

Namgung Cheon nodded.

In his mind flashed the moment yesterday when he desperately escaped from Nakwachin Village.

In the village that had turned nearly colorless except for blood, one purple flower that had caught his eye with particular vividness.

‘It didn’t look exactly like that, but… there was something similar.’

Namgung Cheon closed his eyes briefly.

The Lü Clan, the only one among the Seven Great Demonic Families that dealt with plants and poisons.

And the flowers imbued with demonic energy that they cultivated, the Jinmahwa.

The greatest characteristic of this Jinmahwa was that the demonic energy came not from the flower, but.

‘Only from the pollen.’

Namgung Cheon slowly approached the flower.

“Don’t go near it. It could be dangerous.”

Dangmu tried to stop him, but Namgung Cheon bent down and examined the flower closely.

“It’s already too late.”

“Pardon?”

“Look. The stamens are empty.”

At Namgung Cheon’s words, Dangmu cautiously approached and examined the inside of the flower.

It was as he said.

“So… the pollen has already been scattered. That pollen must be the culprit.”

Dangmu muttered.

“That’s right.”

Namgung Cheon continued.

“The flower itself may not be poisonous, but the powder that flew from those empty stamens… must have been mixed with demonic energy.”

Though his tone was confident, one question lingered in Namgung Cheon’s mind.

‘The True Demon Flower, as its name suggests, only emits demonic energy but doesn’t contain poison.’

The reason was simple.

Because demonic energy corrupts poison.

‘That’s why the Lü Clan used the True Demon Flower as a kind of spiritual medicine within their sect, not as an ingredient for poison.’

Then there was only one conclusion.

‘The poison and the flower are separate.’

Namgung Cheon picked the flower and asked Dangmu.

“Are there any other groups in Sichuan besides the Dang Clan that know how to handle poison?”

Dangmu, who received the question, remained silent for a moment as if searching his memory, then answered.

“…There is one. Not an orthodox poison sect, but a place that handled poison quite well.”

Dangmu continued.

“Seven Killer Gate. Originally an assassin group based in Chengdu. After being defeated by us in the past, they moved their base to Jayoung, a day’s distance from Chengdu.”

“Seven Killer Gate.”

As Namgung Cheon quietly repeated the name, Dangmu spoke again.

“Since they’re close by, our Poison Shadow Hall has been constantly monitoring them, but there haven’t been any unusual movements recently. So, for them to have committed such a bold act…”

“We’ll know when we go see.”

“…”

Namgung Cheon brushed the dirt off his hands and stood up.

“Once we finish checking the remaining four places, we’ll head to Seven Killer Gate. Ah, I don’t mean I’ll go alone.”

Dangmu asked with puzzled eyes.

“Then…?”

“Shouldn’t we bring along the Dang Clan’s warriors? If they’re really the ones behind this incident.”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes narrowed coldly.

“We’ll have to make them spit out their backers, even if it means annihilating their sect.”

* * *

“…”

Namgung Cheon sat alone in the guest room, looking out the window.

‘The other four villages were the same.’

Purple flowers bloomed everywhere, and those flowers had already scattered their pollen.

The cause of the situation became clear.

‘Demon flowers similar to the True Demon Flower. And Seven Killer Gate.’

Namgung Cheon fell into thought for a moment.

Attacking Seven Killer Gate wouldn’t be difficult.

The problem was that they likely weren’t the real masterminds behind this.

‘Seven Killer Gate is likely a disposable pawn.’

Even without him, if the Dang Clan noticed the poisonous energy, Seven Killer Gate would be the first place suspected.

There was no reason for them to move so conspicuously.

‘Unless someone ordered them to.’

Knock knock.

Just then, there was a sound of knocking on the door.

“It’s Dangmu.”

“Come in.”

Dangmu carefully opened the door and entered.

In his hand was a sealed letter.

“It’s an urgent message from the League. The military advisor specifically wrote to deliver it directly to you, young master.”

Namgung Cheon received the letter.

“Thank you.”

As Dangmu bowed and was about to leave, Namgung Cheon quietly called him.

“Dangmu.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

Dangmu tilted his head.

“There’s nothing like that. What are you curious about? Ah…”

As if realizing something, Dangmu thought for a moment before continuing.

“Do you mean reporting everything I see and hear while accompanying you to the Head of the Clan? That can’t be helped. That’s why he assigned me in the first place.”

“…”

Namgung Cheon was speechless at the overly honest words.

But that wasn’t what Namgung Cheon was thinking about.

‘Something feels off.’

But he couldn’t just tell someone outright that he felt something was off about them.

“Never mind. But keep one thing in mind. I can’t continue traveling with someone who tries to deceive me.”

“Then I shouldn’t report to the Head of the Clan. I understand.”

“No, that’s fine. It would be stranger if you didn’t report. But now that I think about it, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, please speak.”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s your position in the Dang Clan? If you can report directly to the Head of the Clan, it can’t be low.”

“Hmm…”

Dangmu pondered Namgung Cheon’s question.

Soon he answered.

“I’ll answer that I’m a retainer cherished by the Head of the Clan. Anything beyond that is family business, so it’s difficult for me to speak of it carelessly.”

An unsatisfactory answer.

But asking further wouldn’t yield a proper response.

While Namgung Cheon was briefly lost in thought, Dangmu opened the guest room door and said quietly.

“Ah, the Green Scale Unit will accompany us to Seven Killer Gate. In terms of the Namgung Clan… they’re one of the elite military units like the Cheonggung Four Swords.”

Namgung Cheon nodded.

Just he and Mujin alone were enough to handle most small to medium sects.

With the Dang Clan’s elite military unit added, they would have more than enough force to respond even if armed conflict broke out with Seven Killer Gate.

“Understood. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With those words, Dangmu left the room.

Click.

Namgung Cheon stared at the closed door for a moment.

‘It’s not immediately important.’

Whoever he was, whatever story he had, he would be under the Dang Clan’s tacit approval anyway.

Namgung Cheon turned his gaze and opened the letter in his hand.

It was Jegal Hyeon’s message about the Kunlun incident.

Namgung Cheon quickly skimmed through the long content.

‘To summarize, the Jangmunin confessed everything and will enter thirty years of seclusion.’

Thirty years of seclusion was long enough for a sect to be forgotten from people’s memories.

‘But…’

His gaze turned to one word written in the letter.

‘Gold Insect Sect.’

Namgung Cheon’s brow furrowed.

It was a name he had never heard before.

‘Is it a newly formed organization under the Demonic Sect?’

However, Namgung Cheon soon shook his head.

‘If that were the case, they wouldn’t have sought Kunlun’s help. They wouldn’t have even tried to open the Seolying Secret Vault.’

It was more reasonable to interpret that they simply possessed considerable knowledge about the Demonic Sect.

‘Perhaps they were the ones who taught the Seven Killer Gate how to handle the True Demonic Transformation.’

After briefly organizing his thoughts, Namgung Cheon’s gaze turned to the last line of the letter.

—Compensation will be discussed after return.

Namgung Cheon nodded calmly.

Since they had dealt with one of the massive pillars that was the Nine Sects, they probably couldn’t easily decide on the appropriate reward.

‘I’ll think about it gradually…’

Namgung Cheon calmly folded the letter and burned it in the fire.

Leaving behind the letter that had turned to ash and disappeared, Namgung Cheon leaned back deeply into his chair.

‘Taeju Trading Guild, spies within the League, Gold Insect Sect, Seven Killer Gate. And even demonic energy.’

A tangled web that complexly intertwined the righteous, evil, demonic, and commercial without distinction.

Where could be the center of this complicated web?

A cold smile played around Namgung Cheon’s lips.

‘There’s only one place.’

Among the Four Heavenly Tyrants, the only ones who could grasp and manipulate the bloodlines of the other three tyrants.

‘Sangdocheon.’

In the end, they must be the source of all this turbid current.

If that’s the case.

‘Whatever sinister plot you’re hatching, whatever preparations you’re making…’

I will cut through all of it.

That is the only answer I can give you.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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