Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 22

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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 22

Cheonmajeon within his mind.

The entire space was submerged in blood-red darkness.

Namgung Cheon stood face to face with his past self, Cheonma.

Cheonma looked at Namgung Cheon as if he had been waiting for him for a long time, raising one corner of his mouth.

An overwhelming presence that seemed to distort the entire space just by standing there.

He could feel through his skin the gap in power that he once possessed, but now could not even dare to measure.

Cheonma looked at Namgung Cheon with indifferent eyes.

Arrogant eyes that seemed to say ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

However, Namgung Cheon smiled instead and spoke quietly.

“Yes, I’m still far from it. Far from reaching you. But…”

Cheonma was fully captured in his gaze.

“I will fight. No matter how many times I die.”

Cheoncheon pointed toward Cheonma.

“That is the demonic path that you and I know, the struggle, is it not?”

At those words, the contempt that had been hanging on Cheonma’s lips disappeared.

And at that moment.

Wooong—.

As Cheonma reached out his hand into the void, a sword revealed itself from the darkness.

It was Mukhon.

Mukhon in the hands of its original master howled like a living beast and spewed out pitch-black demonic energy.

At that sight, Namgung Cheon drew up all his internal energy.

Hwaryeok—.

Blue sword energy blazed like flames, but compared to the massive darkness that Mukhon emitted, it looked infinitely precarious.

Cheonma took a step forward with a sneer.

Bang!

Centered on the point where his foot touched, the floor of Cheonmajeon cracked endlessly.

At the same time, a quiet incantation flowed from Cheonma’s mouth.

“The True Demon reigns over all under heaven.”

Demonic energy explosively spreading along with the incantation.

Namgung Cheon’s eyes sank coldly.

‘Cheonma Gunrimbo.’

A movement technique that embodied the demonic path itself.

It was a martial art that dyed all directions with demonic energy, making it completely his own domain.

‘Once the domain is complete, I cannot win.’

Bang!

Namgung Cheon kicked off the ground and charged forward.

The Neungunbo that he had modified while facing the Blood Shadow Spear Demon.

Movement enhanced with the irregularity of the demonic path turned his body into a streak of lightning.

Celestial Boundless Sword Technique First Form, Jungsankaecheon.

‘I’ll destroy the center of the domain.’

The distance between them closed in an instant.

But the past Cheonma did not dodge.

Rather, he waited for Namgung Cheon’s sword within the spreading domain of demonic energy.

Kwaaaaang—!

Their swords clashed.

The blue sword energy wrapped around Cheoncheon and Mukhon’s dark sword energy swept through Cheonmajeon.

Kwadeuk—!

Hundreds of sword shadows received the solid force of Jungsankaecheon.

‘As expected…’

A chill ran down Namgung Cheon’s spine.

Every technique, every movement that his past self displayed was the very essence of the demonic path.

‘I can’t use what I learned in my past life.’

A bitter smile crossed Namgung Cheon’s lips.

Kwagwagwang!

Blue sword energy poured out several times.

But the past Cheonma easily blocked it with various transformations.

Meanwhile, the domain of Cheonma Gunrimbo was completed.

Swoooosh—!

“Kuk.”

A crushing pressure like being stuck in a quagmire pressed down on Namgung Cheon’s body.

In that moment when his movements became sluggish.

Swaek!

Mukhon’s sword, having pushed Cheoncheon aside once, pierced into Namgung Cheon’s body.

Puwook.

The chilling sensation of his heart being pierced.

‘I lost.’

With that brief reflection, Namgung Cheon opened his eyes again.

The quiet Cheonmajeon.

Cheonma was sitting on his throne again, looking down at him.

The fight resumed immediately.

Bang! Kwadeuk!

Five exchanges.

Namgung Cheon focused on reading his opponent’s sword path, but his neck was cut by the overwhelming speed.

Twenty exchanges.

He tried to create distance with his newly modified Neungunbo, but his feet were bound within the domain and his entire body was pierced.

Fifty exchanges.

He died, and died again.

He couldn’t inflict a single wound. He couldn’t even graze his collar once.

The sensation of defeat was terrifyingly vivid.

His past self was overwhelmingly strong.

It felt like an insurmountable wall for the current Namgung Cheon.

‘I was strong. Back then.’

However, through hundreds of repetitions of death, Namgung Cheon’s sword began to change.

The Namgung sword techniques and the mysteries of the demonic path naturally harmonized, and the footwork that had firmly maintained its center began to bend at increasingly varied angles.

And after exchanging one hundred bouts.

Hwareureureuk—!

Cheonma blazed demonic energy like flames from his entire body.

Namgung Cheon unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

‘Cheonma Divine Art.’

The beginning and end of all demonic martial arts.

It was Cheonma’s martial art that contained the arrogance of dyeing the heavens with demonic power.

‘Can I break through the Cheonma Divine Art with the Namgung martial arts I know?’

Namgung Cheon soon shook his head.

The Imperial Sword Form that only the family head could learn.

Without something of that caliber, he could not dare to compete.

‘But I cannot stop this fight here.’

If he cannot stop, he must advance.

But with his current sword, he cannot cut down that demon.

Then there was only one path.

Namgung Cheon’s gaze turned toward his sword, Cheoncheon.

‘I’ll create my own azure sky to cover that demon.’

Then, what exactly is the azure sky?

The azure sky contained within the Celestial Boundless Sword Technique is.

‘Steadfastness and infinity.’

It was an interpretation befitting Namgung’s heavy sword.

But the Heavenly Demon Divine Art possessed power enough to cover even that infinity and more.

‘Then….’

At that moment, Cheonma’s sword moved first.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art

First Form

Descent of Myriad Demons.

Kwaaaaang―!

Hundreds of strands of demonic energy rushed toward Namgung Cheon.

Even so, Namgung Cheon was still looking down at his sword.

His consciousness was focused solely on the two characters engraved on his sword, Cheoncheon.

‘Is the sky merely steadfast?’

No.

‘Sometimes….’

The blue sword energy swirling around Namgung Cheon’s sword began to change.

The sword energy that had been heavy enough to split mountains spread out softly and broadly.

“The azure sky is sometimes veiled by a sea of clouds.”

Sea of Clouds Veiling Heaven.

Namgung Cheon lightly swung his sword.

The sword energy pouring from Cheoncheon became a vast sea of clouds that swallowed the rushing demonic energy.

Kwadeudeuk―!

“….”

A gleam appeared in Cheonma’s eyes.

Immediately following was the second technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Demon’s Ultimate Heaven Collapse.

Kwakwakwa―!

Dark sword energy split the ceiling of Cheonmajeon as it aimed for Namgung Cheon’s crown.

The sky visible through the broken ceiling.

Toward that sky, Namgung Cheon raised his sword tip.

Heavenly Thunder Shaking Heaven.

“And it trembles at the sound of thunder.”

The moment his sword tip touched the sky, all of Cheonmajeon was dyed in blue light.

Then blue lightning struck down toward the pitch-black demonic energy.

Kwaaaaang―!

The demon’s arrogant will to shatter heaven weakened.

“Hyup!”

And was deflected by Cheoncheon swung with a battle cry.

“…!”

Cheonma’s eyes shook violently.

But that was only for a moment.

Soon, dark demonic energy filled his eyes.

And the demonic energy that had been blazing throughout his body disappeared.

Kwaaaaaa―!

It became a torrent and gathered into his sword.

Heavenly Demon World Annihilation.

The final technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and the ultimate move that returns everything to nothingness.

Swoooosh―!

A wave of darkness that devoured everything surged toward Namgung Cheon.

Neither the intensity of heavenly thunder nor the gentleness of the sea of clouds meant anything before that darkness.

Namgung Cheon’s consciousness turned toward Cheoncheon, toward its origin.

That darkness where all light had vanished, like the Heavenly Demon World Annihilation.

Does the azure sky truly exist even in that darkness?

Then, gentle moonlight seeped through the crack in the broken ceiling.

That light quietly settled on the tip of his sword.

‘…It exists.’

All the energy that had risen in Namgung Cheon’s sword subsided.

And he quietly opened his mouth.

“Even in the black night, the azure sky continues.”

A cool yet brilliant light.

“Moonlight shall carry on the azure sky.”

Namgung Cheon’s body shot forward like a beam of light.

A single point of blue light blooming from his sword tip flew toward the pitch-black wave of darkness.

For the first time, faint interest crossed Cheonma’s eyes.

He briefly watched that small light trying to crack his absolute martial arts.

Kwaaa―!

The blue light of Moonlight Azure Sky blazed fiercely, gradually pushing back the pitch-black demonic energy.

But that was as far as it went.

It had barely carved out a single path through the wave of darkness, but was insufficient to block that massive flow.

Eventually, the darkness swallowed the light.

And from within that darkness, a single black flash shot out.

A single sword strike without any technique or variation.

Puuk.

Along with the cool sensation of piercing Namgung Cheon’s heart, his consciousness faded.

In his collapsing mental image, he saw Cheonma looking down at him.

The unchanging, towering, insurmountable vast sky, Cheonma.

It was an overwhelming defeat.

But a smile lingered on Namgung Cheon’s lips.

‘Yes, this time I couldn’t reach you.’

But after hundreds of deaths, he had seen it.

The sky he must surpass and his own sword that would reach that sky.

‘Next time we meet, I will surely reach you.’

My own azure sky, Namgung Cheon’s.

‘With the Azure Sky Myriad Forms Style.’

* * *

The sun tilted westward, and long red shadows fell over the Namgung Clan.

In front of the quiet Namgung Cheon’s quarters.

Mujin stood guard there with his eyes closed.

Even after a long time passed, he remained motionless at his post.

Only his clothes fluttered slightly in the occasional breeze.

“…Mm.”

With a quiet sound, Mujin opened his eyes.

In his line of sight came a person running toward him urgently.

It was Namgung Un, the internal steward of the clan.

Eventually, Namgung Un stopped in front of Mujin and glanced at the tightly closed door before parting his dry lips.

“By any chance, is he still….”

Instead of answering, Mujin slowly nodded his head.

At that subtle movement, despair flashed across Namgung Un’s face.

“It’s already been three days, how could….”

Without answering, Mujin turned his gaze to the tightly closed door.

Beyond the firmly shut door, there was complete silence without a single sound.

But Mujin knew.

He knew this silence was the calm before the storm that would devour everything.

When he first felt this sensation three days ago, he had instinctively realized that Namgung Cheon had entered a state of selfless absorption.

He just hadn’t expected this state of selflessness to continue for so long.

Mujin turned his gaze again to look at Namgung Un, whose lips were drying up from anxiety.

“What on earth is happening that has you like this?”

At that question, Namgung Un hesitated for a moment.

Was it proper to speak of the clan’s internal affairs to an outsider?

But the man before him was no ordinary outsider.

He was the Wandering King’s disciple and Namgung Cheon’s retainer.

In a way, he could be called part of Namgung Cheon’s ‘faction.’

‘And the Head of the Clan is also keeping watch over the third young master.’

After organizing his thoughts, Namgung Un looked around and then spoke quietly.

“The Hwangbo Clan and the Shandong Sect have come to visit.”

Mujin’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The Hwangbo Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.

And the Shandong Sect, which wasn’t one of the Five Great Clans but held comparable authority in the martial world.

These two had come to visit the Namgung?

‘Well, it’s certainly possible.’

Especially now that Namgung Mugang, the family head, had returned to the clan after a long time.

But fundamentally, all three including the Namgung were martial clans.

There was no particular reason to seek out the third young master who was in a state of selfless absorption.

‘The family head is here, and the second young master is available too.’

Mujin stared intently at Namgung Un.

Understanding the meaning behind that gaze, Namgung Un parted his dry lips and added more.

“The Junior Head of the Hwangbo Clan… says he wants to have a martial duel with the third young master. So right now, everyone has been waiting for the young master for three days.”

Mujin’s mouth fell wide open.

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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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