Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 4

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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 4

Before long, the sky was being dyed a deep navy blue.

In front of Geomhongdong, Seventh Elder Namgung Do, seated in meditation on a rock, glared at the tightly closed stone gate and quietly opened his mouth.

“…It’s taking quite long.”

His voice carried obvious annoyance.

Though the sun had completely set in the west and darkness had fallen, the stone gate of Geomhongdong remained firmly closed.

He continued speaking toward Tenth Elder Namgung Baek, who still stood motionless before the stone gate.

“How about preparing your heart for what’s to come?”

Even at the words coming from behind him, Namgung Baek replied without turning around.

“Not yet. The young master will surely return.”

Namgung Baek unconsciously bit his dry lips.

Contrary to his own words, his insides were already burning black with anxiety.

‘Is this truly the end?’

Would that talent he had witnessed wither away in this deep cave without ever fully blooming?

It was precisely at that moment when deep despair cast shadows over Namgung Baek’s face.

Kuguuguung—!

A thunderous roar that shook the earth erupted.

“…!”

Namgung Do’s closed eyes snapped open.

The source of the roar was none other than Geomhongdong.

And there was only one case when Geomhongdong would create such a massive resonance.

“Sword selection…”

An incredulous sigh flowed from Namgung Do’s mouth.

In his lifetime of guarding this place for decades, it was the first time he had experienced such a thing.

Such an intense and pure energy wave resonating throughout the entire cave.

“Could it be!”

On Namgung Baek’s face, which had been drowning in despair, a spark of hope was rekindled along with shock.

He felt goosebumps rising all over his body as he swallowed dry saliva.

Soon, as the thunderous roar that had shaken heaven and earth subsided, the stone gate began to slowly open with a grinding sound against the floor.

Grrrrrrk—.

And finally.

Through that gap, Namgung Cheon revealed himself.

But the person reflected in Namgung Baek’s eyes was not the Namgung Cheon he knew.

His handsome features were the same as before, but the deep shadows that had consumed his face were completely cleared away.

Thanks to this, his originally strong facial features were fully revealed, having regained their proper light.

What had changed most of all was his gaze.

His previously cloudy eyes now held a sharp gleam like a sword blade.

Namgung Baek’s gaze naturally moved to his waist.

The scabbard fastened to his left side was extraordinary at first glance.

The patterns on the scabbard were delicately decorated with white jade and pure silver.

At that moment, Namgung Do’s shocked voice burst out from behind.

“Changcheon!”

That exclamation confirmed that Namgung Baek’s guess was correct.

Changcheon, the treasured sword said to have been used by the great-great-grandfather clan head.

Just being chosen by such a sword was already a tremendous achievement.

But the surprise was brief, as Namgung Baek’s eyes reached the opposite side of his waist and froze solid.

In contrast to Changcheon’s ornate scabbard, a black scabbard dark as pitch was fastened to his waist.

‘A scabbard I’ve never seen before…’

And at that moment, one fact flashed through Namgung Baek’s mind.

‘When entering Geomhongdong, no weapons can be carried.’

In other words, he had received sword selection twice.

“Huh…”

An exclamation unconsciously burst from Namgung Baek’s mouth.

This was the miracle he had so desperately hoped for—no, hadn’t even dared to hope for.

But that emotion was dampened by Namgung Do’s cold voice.

“Young master, may I ask why you carry two swords?”

Though the tone was polite, it was clearly an interrogation.

At those words, Namgung Cheon slowly raised his head to look at Namgung Do.

“Is there some problem, Elder?”

Namgung Cheon’s voice was calm.

At that composure, Namgung Do slightly furrowed his brow.

“Rather than a problem, it’s about the family’s laws. In the past hundreds of years, not a single person has taken two swords from Geomhongdong. I’m concerned this might be excessive greed that clearly violates our laws.”

Emphasizing the word ‘excessive greed,’ he tried to diminish Namgung Cheon’s achievement as a moral flaw.

At those words, Namgung Baek stepped forward indignantly.

“Seventh Elder, your words go too far. This is not greed but a heaven-sent opportunity and cause for celebration. How can you try to condemn it in such a manner?”

“Calm yourself. I’m merely concerned about the family’s long-standing order.”

Just as tense energy was about to flow between the two elders again.

Namgung Cheon looked at Namgung Do with calm eyes and spoke.

“In the Namgung Clan’s laws that you so wish to protect, is there one stating that sword selection must consist of only one sword?”

“…”

Silence.

Namgung Cheon’s question was something no one had anticipated.

Then Namgung Cheon continued speaking.

“If not, then wouldn’t blocking the way by invoking non-existent laws be the true violation of our laws?”

“…!”

Namgung Do’s pupils shook violently.

The spear of principles and laws he had wielded had been turned back on him.

He could no longer say anything more and only trembled his lips.

Namgung Cheon withdrew his gaze as if he was no longer worth dealing with.

Then he lightly bowed his head toward Namgung Baek in greeting and spoke.

“Well then, I shall return to my quarters.”

Though polite, his tone clearly conveyed that he had no further business and should not be detained.

Namgung Do, with a rigidly hardened face, had no choice but to nod slightly as if he had nothing else to say.

Having been completely defeated in justification and logic, he could not dare block the young master’s rest.

Once permission was granted, Namgung Cheon spoke to his guard Baekheun and maid Soso, who were staring at him blankly.

“Let’s go.”

A brief word.

But it carried a weight that hadn’t been there before.

Baekheun and Soso unconsciously bowed their heads and followed behind him.

Namgung Cheon leisurely passed by the two elders and descended the mountain.

There was only one thing the remaining two elders could do.

Watch in a daze until Namgung Cheon, wearing two swords, disappeared from sight.

* * *

Namgung Cheon’s quarters were located in the most remote northern part of the family estate.

It was unbelievably modest and simple for a place where the clan head’s direct son resided.

An old wooden table, creaking chair, and neatly folded bedding were all the furnishings in the room.

“Young master, are you alright?”

As soon as he entered his quarters, his guard Baekheun asked with a worried expression.

His eyes still seemed to hold the shock and excitement from what had just occurred in front of Geomhongdong.

Namgung Cheon silently placed the two swords on the table.

Clank.

A heavy sound filled the room.

“What do you mean?”

“That… the matter with the Seventh Elder. Considering his temperament, he surely won’t let this slide.”

While Baekheun spoke, the maid Soso carefully approached and offered warm tea.

“Young Master, please drink this first and compose yourself.”

She too was trembling with fear, but her desire to care for her master was evident.

Namgung Cheon looked at the two of them for a moment.

One was consumed with worry, while the other was trying to fulfill her duty despite her fear.

If it had been the previous Namgung Cheon, he would have found comfort in their loyalty.

But he was no longer that person.

‘Loyalty, or expectation of new power?’

Cheonma did not trust human hearts.

Especially kindness directed toward him always had to be suspected first.

That was the only survival method he had gained after countless betrayals.

Namgung Cheon accepted the tea and took a sip.

The warmth of the teacup spread through his palm, but his gaze remained cold.

“Don’t worry about it.”

He said as he set down the teacup.

“You two should retire and rest. I want to spend tonight quietly, so let no one enter.”

“…Yes.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

Baekheun and Soso could say nothing more to his dismissal and withdrew after paying their respects.

The door closed, and complete silence returned to the room once more.

Under the candlelight, Namgung Cheon closed his eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

‘Seventh Elder Namgung Do…’

He recalled the face of the elder who had pressed him.

‘Since he’s aligned with the eldest son, I’ll need to be wary of him going forward…’

His thoughts moved to the next person.

‘On the other hand, Tenth Elder Namgung Baek is useful.’

Since he didn’t take anyone’s side, he would acknowledge him to some degree now that he had received the sword selection.

He would be an excellent shield and spear on the path forward.

‘The first stepping stone has been successfully prepared.’

Namgung Cheon slowly opened his eyes.

He looked down at the two swords placed side by side on the table.

The treasured sword of the great-great-grandfather family head, Changcheon.

And his alter ego hiding its true form within an old scabbard, Mukhon.

‘Changcheon should be sufficient.’

Namgung Cheon bringing out Changcheon was a kind of declaration of war.

Announcing to the world that the pushed-aside Namgung Cheon had returned with legitimacy and history at his back.

‘Now the family will have no choice but to acknowledge my existence, whether they like it or not.’

He slightly raised the corner of his mouth, then immediately withdrew it.

‘The real fight starts now.’

He closed his eyes again and directed his consciousness inward.

In his dantian, the internal energy newly forged in Geomhongdong was quietly circulating.

A completely new energy that melded the Namgung Clan’s Changung Daeyeon Mind Method with the destructive and efficient operational principles of demonic martial arts.

While leaving no trace of demonic energy, its explosive power far surpassed the original Changung Daeyeon Mind Method.

He had already completed his first creation in the realm of mind methods.

But this alone was insufficient.

He needed a new sword to contain this new power.

He silently gazed at the two swords placed before him.

That was the second task he had to solve.

Shing—

He first drew Changcheon from its scabbard.

The blade receiving moonlight emitted a cool blue light.

Clear and upright energy.

He lightly swung the sword through the air.

It was the Namgung sword itself.

‘This is my face.’

He set down Changcheon and this time placed his hand on Mukhon’s scabbard.

Shing—

The moment Mukhon revealed itself, the candles in the room flickered threateningly.

A sensation completely opposite to Changcheon.

A suction force that seemed to devour everything and a thirst hungry for power could be felt through his palm.

‘And this is my heart.’

He gripped the two swords, one in each hand.

The two opposing energies faced off tensely with his body as the medium.

He quietly accepted the two forces that refused to mix like water and oil.

‘Two swords, two paths.’

A clear picture formed in his mind.

‘With Changcheon I will act as Namgung, and with Mukhon I will become Cheonma.’

He closed his eyes.

Light and darkness, righteousness and evil finally found their path within a single being.

‘This is the path I will walk…’

The path of Namgung Cheonma.

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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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