Obtaining Heavenly Demon Martial Arts in the Magic Era - Chapter 57

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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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57
At the threshold of the Outer City that Ma-ryeong had indicated.
Do-hyeon stepped forward slowly.
Crunch—
Beneath his feet lay an ancient street paved with black gravel.
The stones shifted and scattered with each step he took.
As if welcoming a visitor after so long.
Along the city wall stretched the remains of black lanterns, strung in a long line.
To judge by them, though they had lost their light now,
once they must have shone so brightly that night itself was forgotten.
The streets lined on both sides still bore the deep imprint of an ancient marketplace.
Collapsed stalls.
Shards of black porcelain.
The ruins of a tower, tilted against one wall and fallen.
A place where time had stopped, untouched by any hand for long ages.
Lee Dae-gwang adjusted his glasses and opened his mouth briefly.
“……So even the Ten Thousand Great Mountain has places like this, hm.”
“Signs of human habitation….”
The party followed where Ma-ryeong led, moving deeper along the streets of the Outer City.
When they reached the middle of the avenue—
A massive tower came into view.
The walls were cracked, and vines and moss had consumed half the structure,
yet the building possessed a strange, imposing presence.
Carved ornaments hung from the eaves,
but time had shattered and weathered them until their original forms were beyond guessing.
“There’s something written there, isn’t there?”
An old wooden plaque hung askew at the spot Cheon Do-hyeon pointed to.
Je-gal Seo-rin, familiar with Chinese characters among the party, read the faint inscription aloud.
“It says ‘Outer City Central Tower.'”
That was when—
To his eyes attuned to Demonic Energy, three currents of power registered, emanating from the Central Tower.
“……Wait here for a moment, please.”
Do-hyeon turned his gaze slowly toward the party.
“……What?”
Lee Ye-rim asked curtly.
“I felt the same aura as before. I should go check it out.”
“……Alone?”
“Yes.”
Do-hyeon answered shortly.
“Divine Artifacts are sleeping scattered throughout the Outer City. My eyes can see their exact locations.
So it’s more efficient for me to go alone and gather them all at once.”
Je-gal Seo-rin opened her mouth softly.
“……Master, surely there’s no danger…?”
“Ma-ryeong will be with me.”
Do-hyeon smiled faintly.
“And they’ll protect all of you here.”
The moment those words ended, some of Ma-ryeong peeled away and took position beside the party.
“……”
Still unsettled by Ma-ryeong, Lee Dae-gwang adjusted his glasses once and nodded, affecting composure.
“Well, since things are as they are, we’ll rest here. My legs are aching anyway…… You take your time, master.”
Lee Ye-rim nodded reluctantly.
“……Come back quickly.”
With the party’s permission, Do-hyeon moved without delay.
Whoosh—
His feet carried him forward at a brisk, nimble pace.
To his vision attuned to Demonic Energy, the locations of the Divine Artifacts stood clear.
Hum— hum—
The place where the first resonance emanated.
Dark Hall
An old plaque hung askew.
A division of the Tianma Sect responsible for intelligence and assassination.
As Do-hyeon cautiously pushed open the door and stepped inside, the weathered wood released a soft groan.
Creeeeeak—
The interior was dark.
He channeled his Inner Power to sharpen his vision, and only then could he make out the countless weapons and tools arrayed along the walls.
Sharp Flying Knives.
Black Cloaks for concealment.
Poisoned arrows.
Do-hyeon picked up one Flying Knife and examined its condition.
The preservation was quite good.
He gathered as many as he could carry and stuffed them into his robes.
Then his gaze halted on the display shelf set deepest into the alcove.
A palm-sized short blade that gleamed with a deep crimson hue.
A thick wave of energy pulsed from that spot.
Up close, its form was unusual.
The blade was slightly folded inward, like a modern folding knife.
Do-hyeon picked it up.
Whissht—
The moment it touched his hand, the blade unfurled smoothly.
The deep crimson blade glittered with a sharpness as though freshly honed.
Do-hyeon carefully sheathed the short blade.
The second location had an entirely different atmosphere.
Unlike the Dark Hall building, which hung heavy with martial implements,
this building revealed, upon pushing open the door, countless bamboo slips and scrolls packed tightly into display shelves.
He unrolled a few scrolls, but couldn’t make out a single character.
……
He gathered up several that looked important, tucking them into his robes, and moved deeper inside.
Shortly after, he arrived at a location radiating a thick wave of energy.
It was the display case of the innermost bookshelf.
But the dark wave of energy flowed from somewhere even deeper within the case.
“There must be a hidden space inside……”
The display case was covered with a faint Demonic Energy, as if to bar entry to outsiders.
As if it were sealed.
How could he break through this?
Pondering the question, he unconsciously reached out his hand—
Click—
The moment Do-hyeon’s hand touched it, the seal shattered with anticlimactic ease.
Within the sealed display case, two Divine Artifacts lay dormant.
One was a small scroll wrapped in black silk.
The other was an ancient pair of glasses rimmed in deep gold.
Do-hyeon reached for the scroll first.
Rustle—
The moment he partially unrolled it, the method of use was instantly etched into his mind.
It was identical to the process by which the Tianma Divine Art transmits martial knowledge.
“……This is quite a remarkable Divine Artifact.”
The scroll’s true name was the Xuanhuan Scroll.
The Xuanhuan Scroll could store Formation Arrays and Illusions,
and after storage, the moment the scroll is unrolled,
it allowed the Formation Arrays and Illusions to be deployed instantly without any separate preparation.
It seemed to have belonged to a Formation Master of the Tianma Sect.
Next was the glasses.
As Do-hyeon picked up the glasses to examine them—
faint black inscriptions were carved into the surface of the lenses.
The Heart Eye Glasses.
Glasses that clearly revealed the information of all objects within the wearer’s field of vision.
Demonic Energy. Inner Power. The core of Formation Arrays. The true form of Illusions.
The moment the eyes perceive them, the information surfaces upon the lenses.
Each Divine Artifact reminded him of his companions.
Do-hyeon smiled faintly and carefully stored the Xuanhuan Scroll and Heart Eye Glasses in his robes.
Third, fourth.
Do-hyeon swept through the Outer City, rapidly collecting the treasures scattered across its expanse.
Cinnabar Pills and Spiritual Medicines.
Protective Charms and Protective Armor.
The Tianma Three Absolutes, Blood Demon Qi, and Demon Mark Formula.
Though they could not compare to the Tianma Divine Art,
even the forgotten secret texts of the Tianma Sect were among them.
In this way, he moved through the Outer City in a single breath, conducting what could hardly be called plunder at all, and completed his gathering.
When Do-hyeon returned to the Outer City Central Tower,
the group waited for him, surrounded by Ma-ryeong’s followers.
“……Young Master.”
Je-gal Seo-rin recognized him first and rose to her feet.
“You’ve returned safely, I see.”
Do-hyeon nodded faintly and untied the large bundle he carried on his back.
Whoosh—
Treasures whose very aura was extraordinary spread before the group.
“……Wow.”
Lee Dae-gwang let out a short exclamation.
“……What is all this?”
Do-hyeon answered him briefly.
“……Treasures of the Tianma Sect.”
Do-hyeon reached out first.
A single Flying Knife with a blood-dark grain.
Swish.
The blade fanned open slightly.
Do-hyeon offered it to Lee Ye-rim.
“Want to try it?”
“……What is this?”
Lee Ye-rim took the Flying Knife and asked briefly.
That was when Je-gal Seo-rin read aloud the characters engraved on the blade.
“It says ‘Blood Shadow Flying Knife.’ I’ve only ever seen it in ancient texts…! I heard it was a Divine Artifact used by the Tianma Sect’s flying knife masters.”
“……Flying knife? That’s something you throw, then.”
The moment Lee Ye-rim learned the weapon’s nature, she hurled the Blood Shadow Flying Knife into the air.
Whistle—whirrrrr—
Though not quite at the level of Lee Sang-won, she too possessed considerable skill in throwing arts.
The Blood Shadow Flying Knife flew from Lee Ye-rim’s hand in a sharp, straight line.
That was when it happened.
Whiss—whiss-whiss-whiss—
The Flying Knife in flight split apart, multiplying into no fewer than seven copies in that brief instant.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
The sound of them embedding in the wall was like a downpour of rain.
Lee Ye-rim’s eyes widened slightly.
“……This isn’t just an illusion.”
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz—
The Blood Shadow Flying Knives embedded in the wall began to vibrate violently,
Whirrrrrrr—
and returned to Lee Ye-rim’s hand in exactly the same form she had thrown them.
“……!”
“It has an auto-retrieval function?”
Lee Ye-rim gazed down at the Flying Knife in silence.
The folding knife she usually carried, so familiar to her hand.
And now the Blood Shadow Flying Knife unfolding its blade naturally in her palm.
It fit her grip as though it had always been hers.
“……”
Lee Ye-rim drew in a short, steadying breath.
“……This is far too much. Thank you.”
Next came the Xuanhuan Scroll and the Heart Eye Glasses.
He offered a small scroll wrapped in black silk and a pair of spectacles rimmed in gold to Je-gal Seo-rin and Lee Dae-gwang respectively.
“……Young Master?”
“Young Master Cheon?”
He even explained the Divine Artifact’s capabilities to both of them.
And then—
“To store Formation Arrays and illusions…. Such a thing couldn’t possibly be….”
“You’re telling me it can reveal things invisible to the eye? What do you mean?”
Yet after using the Divine Artifact themselves,
they could confirm that Cheon Do-hyeon’s words were true.
“……I will treasure it and use it carefully.”
“……I’m grateful. I’ll use it real good.”
Both of them clutched the Divine Artifacts to their chests, afraid of letting them slip away even for a moment.
Once the party had finished distributing the items and completed their preparations with the help of Ma-ryeong’s people, they began readying themselves to enter the Inner City.
Boom-boom-boom-crash!
A massive explosion that shook the Ten Thousand Great Mountain itself.
A towering column of flame erupted from the direction of the Stone Gate that Cheon Do-hyeon’s group had passed through.
The surge of Mana felt as vivid as the distant flames themselves.
“……!”
“It’s the Huanyun Sect bastards.”
“They caught up with us this quickly?”
Dan Cheon-woo, having gathered his wits, followed Cheon Do-hyeon’s group and stepped through into the Tianma Sect Headquarters.
“Hahahaha! Thanks to those stupid bastards, I finally found it! The main base of the Tianma Sect!”
Dan Cheon-woo, his cheeks and nose still streaked with tears he hadn’t bothered to wipe away, let out a vile laugh as he crossed through the Stone Gate.

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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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