Obtaining Heavenly Demon Martial Arts in the Magic Era - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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54
Shipman Mountain earned its name from the countless peaks that stretched endlessly across the landscape.
True to its reputation, the eye beheld an uncountable array of summits arranged in spectacular majesty.
The moment one’s feet touched the ground, it was easy to lose the path among the labyrinthine gorges and sheer cliffs.
But that was only the beginning. The real terror of Shipman Mountain lay in its brutal ecosystem.
Throughout the mountain’s natural meridians, Demonic Energy surged forth uncontrolled. Over countless ages, the surrounding flora and fauna had been warped by this energy, mutating into creatures of unknown origin—Demonic Beasts.
This had naturally transformed the place into an impregnable fortress, inaccessible to outsiders. It was said to be particularly hostile to Mages, whose power drew heavily from ambient magical currents—a place as forbidden to them as a tomb.
“Damn it all…! We can’t push forward!”
“Argh! What bit me? What was that!”
Unprepared and lacking foresight, the Mages of the Hwan-un Clan had paid a terrible price upon first stepping into Shipman Mountain’s unforgiving terrain.
“…Establish a base camp at the foothills. We’ll proceed with the search methodically.”
This was why the Hwan-un Clan had built their structure at the mountain’s entrance.
Some distance from the Temporary Structure, Cheon Do-hyeon and his companions lay concealed.
It was a vantage point from which they could observe the Hwan-un Clan’s movements.
“The good news is they seem to still be in the reconnaissance phase.”
Lee Dae-gwang spoke after returning from his patrol of the area.
“That’s right. Shipman Mountain is classified as a death zone even by the Hwan-un Clan. For Mages especially, the conditions are absolutely brutal.”
Then Lee Dae-gwang adjusted his glasses and continued.
“But guess who I spotted down there?”
“Why do you always drag it out like this? Just tell us already—who?”
Lee Ye-rim’s impatience drew a sheepish grin from Lee Dae-gwang, who rubbed his nose.
“Dan Cheon-u. That’s probably his name, right? The one whose arms Do-hyeon broke.”
“…Why would that bastard be here?”
The same one who’d been pestering Jegal Seo-rin. The architect of this entire mess.
“Now the picture becomes clear.”
After hearing Lee Dae-gwang’s report, Jegal Seo-rin nodded as though everything had suddenly fallen into place.
“Dan Cheon-u, the third son of the Hwan-un Clan. He’s probably running some pet project of his own to earn recognition from the family. I’ve heard more than a few whispers that he’s recently fallen out of favor with the clan head.”
A third son, distant from the succession line, overreaching to prove himself—a thoroughly familiar pattern.
“No sane Mage would set foot in a place like this without compelling reason.”
Cheon Do-hyeon clicked his tongue, thinking of Jang Gi-jun.
“Is there some plague of desperation among them all? Why are they so hungry for recognition they can’t afford to wait?”
……
“Forgive me. I was thinking of someone I know.”
The group proceeded to conceal all traces of their vehicle before moving inward to formulate a plan.
“While we’re at it, keep an eye on the Hwan-un Clan’s positions.”
Cheon Do-hyeon’s party decided to observe the Hwan-un Clan, who had entered Shipman Mountain earlier than they had, and gather what intelligence they could from the surroundings.
“And if the opportunity presents itself, we’ll interfere.”
The group moved slowly along the hillside behind the Temporary Structure.
Grass and leaves, saturated with Demonic Energy, felt unnaturally rigid beneath their feet.
The insects visible here were uncommonly large.
Growwwwl—
“Is that a wasp…a butterfly…or some kind of bird? It’s growling?”
The rough terrain made it difficult to move silently.
Crunch—crunch—
The ground beneath Jegal Seo-rin’s feet proved unstable, sending loose stone fragments cascading downward.
The party held their breath.
Just below them, the Hwan-un Clan’s guards could be seen patrolling at regular intervals.
……
It was then that Cheon Do-hyeon’s feral instincts caught something amiss.
He pointed with one finger toward the rear of the Temporary Structure.
Without a word, the rest understood his meaning and moved in perfect unison.
Only thoroughly trained fighters could execute such coordinated movement.
Do-hyeon took the lead, his body pressed flat against the slope as he sprinted.
Lee Ye-rim matched his pace, staying at his side.
Lee Dae-gwang and Jegal Seo-rin covered their rear.
Do-hyeon raised his hand briefly.
Shortly after, a patrol of guards passed by.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Only after visually confirming the path clear did Do-hyeon signal with hand signs.
‘I’m running.’
Whoosh—
A narrow passageway stretched along the outer wall of the Temporary Structure.
As they passed through, the space that the Temporary Structure had been concealing finally came into view.
A flat plain, carved out as if the mountain had been artificially hollowed.
Simple tents were pitched here and there, and equipment of unknown purpose was arranged by type.
At a glance, it was clear that a considerable number of personnel were stationed throughout.
Particularly from the tent pitched closest to Shipman Mountain, people in Protective Suits moved in and out constantly.
A person emerging in a soiled Protective Suit.
A person entering in a clean Protective Suit.
From the pattern alone,
it appeared they were taking turns searching Shipman Mountain.
“Return them properly.”
“Keep the lines straight!”
Supervisors barking orders at the workers were visible.
And behind them,
a man sitting in a chair, leisurely surveying the site, caught the eye.
Silver-gray hair. Shoulders relaxed and loose.
Hands thrust casually into his chest, he looked as if he’d simply come out on a camping trip.
“……Ha-ah.”
It was Dan Cheon-u.
The moment Jegal Seo-rin saw him, her face went rigid.
Noticing her reaction, Cheon Do-hyeon spoke in a low voice.
“……Even cursed fate rarely runs this deep.”
Throughout the tents, flags bearing the cloud emblem of the Hwan-un Clan fluttered in the wind.
As if to flaunt that this place was their domain.
* * *
After confirming the Hwan-un Clan’s military strength, Cheon Do-hyeon’s party decided to gather opinions once more on how to proceed.
“Those people in Protective Suits. I think it would be best to track where they go.”
“That does seem like the wisest approach. We can determine how far they’ve already searched.”
“But it won’t be easy to approach them undetected. I can feel that Barrier Magic is laid thick around this area.”
Jegal Seo-rin possessed the keen spatial perception befitting a member of the Jegal Family.
“They’re probably worried that someone might spirit away treasure after the search is complete.”
As various opinions were exchanged, one person remained notably quiet.
“Cheon Do-hyeon? Why have you suddenly gone so silent?”
“……”
Cheon Do-hyeon, who usually voiced opinions actively regardless of circumstances, was unusually taciturn.
There was a reason.
“Something feels wrong with my body.”
In fact, Cheon Do-hyeon was experiencing strange symptoms in his own body.
From the moment he entered Shipman Mountain, he had felt a twisted sensation, as though his perception was warping.
The full onset began when the Heavenly Demon Divine Art Scripture in his chest suddenly resonated and vibrated.
“What? Since when?”
“Since we passed through the entrance….”
His vision blurred, and nausea churned in his stomach.
It felt like he’d caught the flu.
Since gaining inner power, he had never felt his body ache from natural illness.
A pain he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Lee Dae-gwang grasped Cheon Do-hyeon’s wrist and checked his pulse.
“…Your pulse is irregular, it seems. Something’s definitely wrong.”
Thump, thump.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears.
It was the moment Lee Dae-gwang’s hand made contact.
The fever in his body began to rise uncontrollably and rapidly.
As if responding to an external stimulus.
“Ugh—”
His entire body grew burning hot.
As Cheon Do-hyeon’s body lurched forward and collapsed, an alarmed Jegal Seo-rin rushed to support him.
“Do-hyeon! Come to your senses!”
But her words never reached Do-hyeon’s ears.
Instead, strange voices began echoing in his mind.
[The master of Shipman Mountain has returned…. You who carry the Heavenly Demon Bloodline…. Perform the Succession Ceremony with rightful authority…. The master of Shipman Mountain has returned…. You who carry the Heavenly Demon Bloodline…. Perform the Succession Ceremony with rightful authority….]
The sound swirled through his skull as though hundreds of voices were murmuring at once.
“Ngh—”
Cheon Do-hyeon began turning his awareness inward to identify the source of the disturbance.
Within moments, he sensed a transformation taking hold in his body.
An unidentified black Magical Power was seeping into him from outside.
It had to be the Demonic Energy they spoke of.
‘It was the Demonic Energy.’
The Demonic Energy of Shipman Mountain was wreaking havoc in Cheon Do-hyeon’s body.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
The more Demonic Energy he took in, the more abnormally his body activated.
Excess proved as bad as shortage—or so the saying went.
The phenomenon was overloading his physical frame. Yet still his body greedily devoured the energy.
‘My body is drawing in the Demonic Energy.’
As though he were a vessel crafted from the beginning to receive it.
Then, the moment the Demonic Energy flowing through him crossed a threshold, his eyes began to perceive something strange.
Whoooosh—
Objects radiating black waves came into focus before him.
The first to catch his eye was the tome resting in his own breast—the Heavenly Demon Divine Art Scripture.
It poured forth an aura dark and dense, like a black hole.
‘I can see the aura of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art Scripture?’
Next came the interior of the tent positioned behind the chair where Dan Cheon-u sat.
Though it could not compare to the aura radiating from the Scripture, faint wisps of energy rippled within.
‘What is this…?’
Cheon Do-hyeon knew by instinct: something connected to the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect lay hidden there.

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