Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 15

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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 15

Ten days in Hefei.

After the tumultuous martial competition ended, Namgung Cheon finally found peace and quiet after a long time.

He still remained in his original residence, the most remote and shabby place in the family compound.

Although the servants sent by Jegal Hwa had decorated it more and replaced some of the old furniture, the worn and desolate atmosphere remained unchanged.

Last night, it was an infinitely shabby space for someone who had defeated the renowned Jeokmeolgeom of the realm to reside in.

But Namgung Cheon didn’t mind.

In this Namgung Clan, except for Changryong Hall and a few other pavilions, there wasn’t much significance.

‘And what’s important isn’t some pavilion, but my martial arts.’

Standing by the window, he quietly reviewed his actions over the past ten days.

Ten martial duels.

Starting with Gwak San, then Galmuseong the Blood Demon Sword, Jinhyeon the Falling Flower Sword, and finally his last opponent, Mujin of the Jeokmeolgeom.

Each of them had been masters who dominated Hefei, and it was also true that they had each reached their own level of mastery.

‘However, none of them posed a threat to me.’

Except for one person—Mujin.

Namgung Cheon meticulously retraced the moments of that final duel.

The gray sword energy that returned everything to nothingness.

And the desperate fighting spirit that didn’t fear even mutual destruction.

He was certainly a master who had reached the ranks of the transcendent realm like himself.

‘If judged purely by realm, he was evenly matched with me.’

Then what determined victory and defeat?

Namgung Cheon looked down at his hands.

Not Namgung Cheon’s hands, but Cheonma’s hands.

The countless blood stains on those hands came vividly to mind.

In the end, that was the difference.

‘Experience and instinct.’

Decades of battles fought at the pinnacle of the demonic path, risking thousands upon thousands of lives.

The overwhelming instinct as Cheonma to read the opponent’s next move from just their breathing or the slightest tremor in their gaze.

Mujin was strong.

Whether in total internal energy or the profundity of his swordsmanship.

There were many reasons to cite for his strength.

‘However, this was merely strength as a pure martial artist.’

He was different.

He was both a martial artist and a ruler who had reigned at the summit.

That’s why he knew well.

One could never reach the pinnacle by pursuing strength alone.

‘In the end, what matters is winning the fight.’

Receiving Mujin’s mutual destruction attack without wavering and shattering his composure.

That was the turning point of the battle.

‘I can say I’ve regained my instincts to some degree.’

The martial sense regained through ten real combat duels.

‘And my realm is…’

A mature realm that had surpassed the beginning stages of the transcendent level.

Namgung Cheon shook his head.

‘Compared to my previous life, it’s woefully insufficient.’

He was not satisfied.

Rather, through his final fight with Mujin, he had realized his own problems.

‘The Celestial Boundless Sword Technique.’

The peerless swordsmanship that made the Namgung Clan the realm’s greatest swordsmen.

There was no doubt it was an excellent sword technique that, by itself, was not inferior to any martial art in the martial world.

Now, with the addition of demonic sword principles and a new interpretation, the Celestial Boundless Sword Technique had become martial learning of a different dimension.

However.

‘It’s still incomplete.’p>

Mujin’s final question came to his mind.

—The variations contained within were not those of the Namgung I know.

His words were correct.

He had already melted the philosophy of the demonic path onto the framework of the Celestial Boundless Sword Technique.

But it was still nothing more than something half-baked.

Two different paths were merely forcibly mixed together, not achieving perfect harmony.

It worked against an opponent like Mujin, but against those at higher realms than himself.

It wouldn’t work against the masters who roamed the world.

‘I must complete it.’

Not simply mixing two paths, but perfectly melting them into one.

His own sword where Namgung and the demonic path become one.

To complete that.

‘The answer won’t come from just thinking in my head.’

Namgung Cheon no longer remained lost in thought.

To unite two opposing paths into one, he ultimately had no choice but to swing his sword.

He picked up Changcheon that had been hanging on the wall.

Then he opened the door of his residence and stepped outside for training.

That was the moment.

“Oh, young master. Good morning.”

He came face to face with a man who had been strolling leisurely from afar, walking in this direction.

His appearance was much more neat and clean than before, having apparently treated his wounds.

But his expression alone showed the insufferably sly attitude of a smooth-talking man.

It was Mujin.

* * *

At Mujin’s greeting, Namgung Cheon’s brow furrowed for a moment.

An unwelcome guest who appeared just as he was about to step out for training.

There was no way he would be pleased.

“You seem to have time to spare from early morning.”

At Namgung Cheon’s cold tone, Mujin chuckled and patted his chest.

It was the area of the wound that had been bleeding just yesterday.

“Thanks to you, I met a good physician and was treated well. The prestige of the Namgung Clan is remarkable. They didn’t spare the finest medicinal ingredients, did they?”

“You didn’t come here to boast about that.”

“Hey, don’t be so cold. Weren’t we at each other’s throats just yesterday?”

Saying this, Mujin shamelessly approached closer to Namgung Cheon.

Namgung Cheon crossed his arms and silently looked at Mujin.

Then Mujin smiled awkwardly and subtly turned his gaze to look around the surroundings.

“But is this really your residence, young master?”

His gaze lingered on various parts of the residence.

“No matter what, for a place where the realm’s sword demon resides… this is, well, more shabby than our master’s dwelling. That old man deliberately lives in a thatched cottage, but this place really feels poor.”

Namgung Cheon’s gaze sharpened.

Then Mujin continued in panic.

“No, that’s not what I meant… Yesterday when I saw you from the main gate, you seemed to be glaring at some very flashy pavilion called Changryong Hall or something. I naturally thought you would have moved there. Not yet?”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Why wouldn’t it concern me!”

Mujin suddenly shouted with a serious expression.

“Since I’ll be becoming the young master’s retainer from now on, this will be my home going forward, won’t it? Hmm, by the way, where should I stay?”

When Mujin asked as if it were obvious, Namgung Cheon looked him over for a moment, then pointed to a corner with his finger.

At the tip of his finger was a small wooden building that looked shabby even at a glance.

“…Isn’t that a storehouse?”

When Mujin asked incredulously, Namgung Cheon answered nonchalantly.

“It used to be where we stored firewood, but it’s empty now. Are you dissatisfied?”

Mujin, who was momentarily speechless at those words, soon burst into loud laughter.

“Haha! No, no. As long as I can lay my body down, that’s enough. I quite like it!”

He had already approached the storehouse and began looking around and evaluating it as if it were his own home.

The sharp warrior from yesterday had completely disappeared, replaced by some idle wanderer.

“What is it that you want.”

At Namgung Cheon’s words, Mujin grinned.

“Didn’t you say so yesterday at the main gate. To do as I please.”

“I meant for you to get lost on your own, but it seems you misunderstood.”

“Isn’t interpretation originally the listener’s responsibility?”

Mujin simply plopped down in front of the door.

Then he pondered Namgung Cheon’s words.

“What I want, huh…”

He looked up at the sky and thought for a moment, then smiled and spoke.

“First, please give me some food. I lost too much blood yesterday and I’m terribly hungry. Since I’ve become part of the Namgung Clan household, you should provide meals, shouldn’t you?”

Namgung Cheon chuckled at Mujin’s still nonchalant words and called for a servant.

A short while later, neat breakfast settings for two were laid out on the old table in the residence.

Mujin began devouring the food like a crab hiding its eyes.

For a long while, only the sounds of smacking filled the room.

Finally, Mujin, who had completely emptied his bowls, patted his stomach satisfyingly and opened his mouth.

“I ate well, young master.”

“Well then, please leave now.”

Then the smooth smile disappeared from Mujin’s face, and yesterday’s serious gaze returned.

“My request to become a retainer was sincere.”

Mujin’s voice dropped low.

“Young master, what I want to become is not a retainer of the Namgung Clan. I want to be Namgung Cheon’s retainer.”

His gaze turned toward the sword at Namgung Cheon’s waist, Changcheon.

“In yesterday’s duel, I saw the limits of my sword. On the other hand, I saw a new path in your sword. That’s why I want to see with my own eyes where that sword tip leads—the sword that breaks established frameworks and creates its own path.”

His eyes blazed with pure longing and fighting spirit.

It was close to the pure admiration of one seeker of the Way wanting to walk alongside another seeker who was ahead of him.

Namgung Cheon was silent for a moment.

He thought it would be troublesome.

But at the same time, he also thought the proposal wasn’t bad.

To complete his own sword, he needed a solid whetstone that could receive everything.

And there was no one better than Mujin right now who could face his sword head-on.

Creak—.

Instead of answering, Namgung Cheon rose from his seat, gripped Changcheon, and walked out to the courtyard outside the residence.

At his sudden action, Mujin sat there dumbfounded for a moment, then soon grasped his intention and followed with a grin.

The two men faced each other in the center of the empty courtyard.

Namgung Cheon slowly pointed the tip of his sword toward Mujin.

Then a childlike bright smile appeared on Mujin’s face.

“Well, this is quite an intense welcome greeting.”

Shing—.

Mujin also drew the sword at his waist.

“Since it’s a welcome greeting, you won’t be as serious as yesterday, right?”

“I’m always serious with my sword.”

Mujin chuckled.

“That’s quite good. I’m the same way.”

The air between the two men grew taut again.

Their auras clashed, stirring up the dust in the courtyard in swirls.

And Namgung Cheon moved his sword first.

Mujin’s pupils contracted sharply as he faced that sword.

‘This is…!’

In just one day, an even deeper energy flowed from the sword.

‘…What a monster.’

Mujin instinctively drew out his full power to receive Namgung Cheon’s sword.

Crash—!

And just as their swords were about to clash once more.

Stop.

Both men’s swords stopped in midair as if by agreement.

Namgung Cheon and Mujin’s gazes turned toward the same place simultaneously.

Toward the direction where the main gate of the clan was.

“…What is this energy?”

Mujin muttered incredulously.

A massive and overwhelming energy that seemed to press down on the entire clan.

Namgung Cheon’s eyes trembled as he realized the identity of that energy.

At that moment, a man came running toward them from the distance with an urgent voice.

It was Baekheun, Namgung Cheon’s guard.

He hesitated briefly at the strange sight of two masters stopping their fight and staring at one place, but soon ran over and spoke.

“You need to go see right away!”

Baekheun swallowed dryly and continued.

“The Head of the Clan has returned!”

His only worthy opponent from his previous life.

It was the return of Sword Emperor Namgung Mugang.

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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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