Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 18

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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 18

Three days later, in the blue dawn just before sunrise.

Namgung Cheon, having organized all the information obtained from the Haowen Clan in his mind, left Chwiweoljeom.

The cool dawn air cleared his head, which had grown heavy from wrestling with information all night.

Mujin, who came out with him, shrugged his shoulders and asked.

“What do you plan to do now? You were staring at something so seriously all night long.”

At that question, Namgung Cheon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around.

He looked at Mujin silently for a moment, then asked quietly.

“I’m going to deal with things that aren’t even human. What will you do?”

“What do you mean?”

Mujin asked back.

Namgung Cheon lightly tapped the scabbard of Mukhon at his waist and answered.

“I’m saying there will be bloodshed. Does that matter to you?”

It was Namgung Cheon’s way of showing consideration, saying that since he was just a guest, he didn’t need to accompany him.

Mujin, understanding his intention, chuckled lightly and said.

“For a wandering warrior, seeing blood is commonplace. Of course, it’s rare to do so without compensation.”

Mujin stepped forward and stood alongside Namgung Cheon.

“Let’s go. If you say they’re not even human, I need to see with my own eyes just how remarkable these bastards are.”

Namgung Cheon slowly nodded and began walking again.

The first target was Jabongsan, located west of Hefei.

It was the Heukho Gang located there.

* * *

Kwaaaaang―!

With a thunderous roar, the massive wooden fence of the Heukho Gang was torn apart like paper.

Amid wood fragments and dust flying in all directions, two figures leisurely entered.

“En-enemies!”

An urgent cry from the watchtower echoed throughout the mountain fortress.

The quiet mountain fortress instantly became a scene of chaos.

The shouts of bandits still drowsy from drinking since daytime and bandits frantically grabbing their weapons mixed together.

In the center of the destroyed main gate, two people, Namgung Cheon and Mujin, stood side by side, indifferently watching the bandits pouring out like a swarm of bees.

“What bastards dare attack the Heukho Gang!”

The gang leader at the front, wielding massive twin axes, roared like a beast as he charged forward.

Just as Namgung Cheon was about to step forward, Mujin blocked his path first.

“Young master. Leave this to me.”

Namgung Cheon nodded once.

Then he immediately flew toward the deeper parts of the mountain fortress, heading for the most ornate pavilion.

“You bastard! Where are you going!”

The gang leader tried to chase after Namgung Cheon, but what blocked his path was Mujin’s blade.

Clang―!

With a clear sword ring, Mujin’s sword clashed with the gang leader’s twin axes.

“Your opponent is me.”

Mujin’s cold voice echoed as the bloody battle began.

Leaving Mujin behind and penetrating deeper, Namgung Cheon showed no mercy toward the bandits.

“Kraaak!”

The head of the first bandit to charge flew into the air.

Namgung Cheon’s movements were surprisingly cold and efficient.

Swoosh―!

Each time Mukhon’s black trajectory cut through the air, exactly one life disappeared.

Only slashing and stabbing.

With the most efficient movements, he cut off enemies’ breath most certainly.

“Th-this monster!”

The bandits stepped back in terror, but it was already too late.

Swoosh―.

As another head was severed, the bandits dared not attack.

Seeing them hesitate, Namgung Cheon lowered his sword and moved forward.

His target was only one.

Their leader, the fortress master.

Finally, when he reached the pavilion located at the innermost part of the mountain fortress.

Bang―!

The pavilion door shattered, and a massive man appeared wielding an iron mace.

Namgung Cheon recalled the information he had received from the Haowen Clan.

‘Heukho Gang leader Majoongsan, his appearance matches exactly.’

Majoongsan saw the sea of blood around him and his eyes rolled back.

“Which son of a bitch dares in my territory!”

Soon, his gaze reached Namgung Cheon standing in the middle of the pile of corpses.

“So it’s you!”

Majoongsan lost his reason and roared as he charged toward Namgung Cheon.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The earth shook with each step he took.

Whoosh!

His iron mace struck down at Namgung Cheon’s head with the force to collapse a mountain.

Namgung Cheon did not dodge.

He simply raised Mukhon indifferently.

Flicker―!

Blue flames rose from Mukhon’s blade.

Sword energy.

Majoongsan’s eyes filled with shock.

“Tr-Transcendent realm!”

But it was already too late to withdraw the iron mace he had swung with full force.

His iron mace struck the blue sword energy directly.

Swoosh―.

“…!”

Majoongsan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

What he held in his hands was no longer an iron mace.

It was nothing more than a lump of metal cut off with a smooth cross-section.

No matter how skilled Majoongsan was as a peak expert, he could not overcome the sword energy of the Transcendent realm.

Urgency appeared on Majoongsan’s face.

Thud!

He threw his massive body to the ground, bowing his head until his forehead touched the earth.

“I’ll give you anything! Just spare my life, great hero! Money, women, whatever you desire!”

Majoongsan, who had lost all his earlier momentum, was now begging for his life.

Namgung Cheon looked down at him coldly.

“What value does your life have?”

“…What?”

Information he had received from the Haowen Clan flashed through Namgung Cheon’s mind.

Facts too disgusting to even put into writing.

―Twenty-three children have gone missing near Hefei in the past six months. The main targets were orphans wandering the streets or young slaves sold due to debt. All appear to be the work of the Heukho Gang, and they are selling the kidnapped children to the notorious human trafficking organization Gwimyeon-gye in Honam.

During his time as Cheonma, he had witnessed countless evils.

Betrayal and slaughter, greed and madness.

The demonic path, Makyō was such a place.

But even he had a line he would not cross.

Using powerless children as tools to satisfy one’s greed.

That was something even Makyō despised.

The final passage of the intelligence flickered before Namgung Cheon’s eyes.

—Not a single child sold to Gwimyeon-gye has ever returned alive.

That one line was enough.

There was no longer any reason to listen to this beast’s voice.

Namgung Cheon’s gaze turned coldly distant.

And he asked quietly.

“Are you saying your life can bring back the children who have already been sold?”

“Th-that is…!”

Just as Majoongsan tried to make some excuse, a black flash crossed his vision.

Swish—. Thud, roll.

That was the last sight he saw.

Majoongsan’s head rolled across the floor.

The bandits rushing in from all directions suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Namgung Cheon kicked Majoongsan’s head toward them and said quietly.

“Get lost before I kill you all.”

A chilling statement.

As soon as those words fell, the bandits began fleeing like arrows.

Then, Mujin, who had finished dealing with all the commotion at the mountain fortress entrance, approached.

He glanced at the emptying fortress and Majoongsan’s head rolling on the ground, then clicked his tongue.

“He was just noisy and pathetic.”

Mujin asked Namgung Cheon.

“Why didn’t you kill them all?”

“Weeds grow back even when pulled. There’s no end to it.”

Namgung Cheon turned around and asked.

“Would you pull all the weeds every time?”

Mujin chuckled and shook his head.

Namgung Cheon wiped the blood from his sword and continued.

“These rabble naturally self-destruct once you cut off their head.”

“Just like the Bloodsword Sect did?”

Namgung Cheon nodded silently.

Mujin looked at Namgung Cheon and inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘How does a young master who’s barely reached adulthood know such things…’

Acting like a seasoned expert.

But Mujin soon shook his head.

Now wasn’t the time to be lost in such thoughts.

These were just the beginning.

“So where to next?”

Namgung Cheon answered with his sword hanging at his side.

“We’ll go to Bisalpa.”

* * *

The sect leader’s office at Geumokru, the headquarters of Jinquanpa, was as noisy as ever with the sound of abacus beads clicking.

“Damn it!”

Sect leader Baekdwang shrugged his broad shoulders and slammed the ledger shut with a bang.

Beads of sweat dotted his shiny bald head.

“Naengcheolsan! Those beast bastards from Black Tiger Sect are already five days late paying back the money they borrowed! Go collect it with interest right now!”

Strategist Naengcheolsan frowned and said quietly.

“Sect leader, our opponent is the Black Tiger Sect. If we provoke them needlessly…”

“Shut up! When it comes to money, what’s Black Tiger Sect or White Tiger Sect! They borrowed money from us to buy weapons! Go use my name and collect it! If they say to cut their belly, really cut it!”

At his words, Deputy Sect Leader Cheolgwi, who had been standing stoically by the door, clenched his fist and stepped forward.

“Good! I’ll go slice open those Black Tiger Sect bastards’ bellies right now!”

Baekdwang’s face instantly turned pale at the sight of Cheolgwi’s straightforward back as he turned without hesitation.

“Hey, hey! Wait! Come here!”

He frantically grabbed Cheolgwi’s arm.

When Cheolgwi looked back with a puzzled expression, Baekdwang cleared his throat awkwardly and lowered his voice.

“You blockhead! Just with words! Just words! Act menacing like you’ll cut them and come back! You have no flexibility, no flexibility!”

After pacifying Cheolgwi, Baekdwang slumped into his chair and let out a long sigh.

‘Those Black Tiger Sect beast bastards are looking down on us too…’

It had already been five years since fleeing Gangeo, abandoning everything.

Leading a gang of ruffians, struggling desperately to establish this much of a position.

They were finally living somewhat decently, but there was still a long way to go.

Then, the door burst open roughly and a gang member rushed in.

“Sect leader! The new recruits caused trouble at an inn and beat someone up!”

“Which bastards!”

Baekdwang shot up from his seat.

His face flushed bright red with rage.

It wasn’t simply anger about subordinates causing trouble.

This touched a taboo that struck his deepest survival instincts.

“Tell those bastards to crawl here with their heads down right now!”

A while later, facing the new gang members who had been dragged in and were bowing their heads, he exhaled a long puff of forget-worry grass smoke and spoke quietly.

“…You guys, have you ever seen wolves hunt?”

As the gang members looked puzzled at the unexpected question, strategist Naengcheolsan, standing beside them, casually chimed in.

“Haven’t you never seen it either, sect leader?”

“…”

Baekdwang cleared his throat, glared at Naengcheolsan, and continued with forced composure.

“Anyway, even when a hungry wolf pack attacks a village, the old wolves never go for the chicken coop first. Know why? The chickens’ crowing wakes the entire village. Then instead of hunting, they lose their own lives.”

He tapped the recruit’s head.

“Are you planning to call all the village dogs over just for coveting a few chickens? Don’t do stupid things. Jinquanpa has just one rule. Don’t bark unnecessarily. Got it?”

At his rebuke, the gang members nodded frantically in fear.

Baekdwang clicked his tongue and sent them away.

The peaceful streets of Hefei visible through the window.

He recalled the past.

The organization he had belonged to in Gangeo also had its own rules and order at first.

It was a clever wolf pack.

But one day, unknown figures began infiltrating the organization’s leadership.

And they burned villages and killed indiscriminately.

Merciless slaughter and extortion of common people.

At the end of it all, Baekdwang witnessed it.

The disgusting sight of yesterday’s comrades gradually transforming into mindless beasts.

He had an intuition.

That heaven would not leave that madness alone forever.

And finally.

A single swordsman who appeared from nowhere.

All of those who had rampaged like beasts under that one person’s command were completely slaughtered in a single night.

‘They’re all dead.’

The memory of that day, like divine punishment.

Having been outside at the time and thus surviving, he abandoned everything and fled to this place, Anhui, with a few subordinates.

He had sworn then.

That he would never become a beast like them.

At the same time, a bitter feeling arose.

‘But what’s the point? The world is full of such bastards.’

He exhaled the smoke from his pipe bitterly.

And at that moment, a subordinate drenched in sweat rushed in with a pale face.

“Boss, boss! Something terrible has happened! The Black Tiger Sect has… been annihilated!”

“What?”

At the sudden news, Baekdwang jumped up in surprise.

“The Black Tiger Sect? By whom exactly!”

“We couldn’t tell. When we went to collect payment, there were corpses everywhere and both the sect leader and deputy leader were dead. There was no one else there!”

A chill ran down Baekdwang’s spine.

The power to annihilate the Black Tiger Sect in a single night.

Aside from the Namgung, was there such an existence in Hefei?

Anxiety crept in.

And his anxiety became reality once more before the sun set.

“They say even Bisalpa has been annihilated!”

All color drained from Baekdwang’s face.

The Black Tiger Sect, and now Bisalpa.

Two massive forces had disappeared in a single day.

And they were all from the Heterodox Faction.

“Damn it, what kind of bolt from the blue is this!”

Just as he clutched his head, the final news arrived.

“They say even the Guangxie Sect has been annihilated!”

Truly an unstoppable force.

The Bloodsword Sect had fallen, and the three massive Heterodox Faction forces that had tried to fill that void had all collapsed.

‘Then that means…’

Baekdwang dropped the teacup he was holding.

The Black Tiger Sect, Bisalpa, the Guangxie Sect.

‘Then now there’s only one place left.’

The Gold Money House.

It was them.

Only heavy silence filled the leader’s office.

Even the subordinate who had finished his report held his breath and watched his leader’s expression.

After a long while, Baekdwang quietly muttered toward Naengcheolsan who was standing beside him.

“…Cheolsan.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Should we… take down our sign for exactly one year?”

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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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