Reincarnation of the Blood Demon - Chapter 23

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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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Blood Demon Reincarnation
Chapter 23
Right now, this instant.
‘This is beyond what any individual could manage.’
No matter how you looked at it, the Hyeol Cheon Sin Gyo was the premier martial sect of the age.
To have made a move against such a power was impossible without thorough preparation.
This could never be the work of just any ordinary faction.
‘Come to think of it, there were suspiciously many who revered the Magic Arts.’
Based on the doctrine of Strong Respect, there had been many who secretly cultivated the Magic Arts even during his tenure.
Back then, he’d personally cracked their skulls one by one to keep them in check, but looking back now, that too seemed worth questioning.
“……Who could it be.”
In Jeok Unhwi’s eyes, a heat as crimson as blood rose to the surface.
Whoever they were, whatever their purpose.
If they still remained now, or even fragments of them lingered somewhere in this world.
“Even Five Limb Dismemberment wouldn’t suffice.”
At minimum, he’d need to tear them apart with his own hands to feel any satisfaction.
But for now, such things were beyond reach.
“Haaah…….”
Jeok Unhwi shut his eyes firmly. With a deep breath, he tamped down the fury, pushing the rising bloodlust to a corner of his mind.
It was a familiar exercise. Jeok Unhwi, the man who had pacified the martial world, could never be called peaceful, but neither was he the sort of fool to be ruled by mere anger.
When he opened his eyes again, they held an emotion coldly composed and settled.
And right on cue.
“Young Master, they’ve all arrived.”
Ju Igyeom entered through the door and, after casting a glance at the stack of books piled across the table, delivered his report.
“I’ll give the orders now——”
He stopped mid-sentence, startled by something he’d just noticed.
The eyes of Jeok Unhwi, which he’d only now properly seen while checking the books.
In those deeply sunken eyes, instead of the familiar warmth, there emanated only a cold so piercing it seemed to freeze everything it touched.
While Ju Igyeom stood rigid, pressed down by the weight of the atmosphere, Jeok Unhwi gave a light nod.
“Ah, yes. That’s how it should be.”
His internal injuries had nearly healed during the return to Namhwa District, so it was time to get back to work.
Jeok Unhwi rose to his feet without a care, brushing himself off lightly, and gestured for Ju Igyeom to follow.
“What are you doing? Let’s move.”
“……Yes, of course.”
The two of them stepped out from Jeok Myeong Palace.
“We pay our respects to the Young Master!”
“We pay our respects to the Young Master!”
Several hundred strong men bowed their heads in unison.
From the Jeok Sahangbu led by Ma Hyeoljin, to the Namho School and Heuk Rangdae, along with various smaller factions, and finally the Cheon Ryuhoe.
Every power, large or small, had been absorbed under Jeok Unhwi.
Combined, they far exceeded a hundred men—essentially, every real combat force in Namhwa District had assembled here.
Their faces were filled with fear and tension.
‘What could he possibly say…….’
It had been only days since he’d gathered the faction leaders and carried out that shocking incident.
Because of this, Jeok Unhwi’s dominion over the martial artists of Namhwa District had reached its absolute peak.
Moreover, for some reason, Jeok Unhwi had ordered them to come armed, so the martial artists wore even stiffer expressions, stealing glances at one another.
Then came a calm voice, cutting through the awkward silence.
“Why are you all so nervous? Did you come to a training session?”
Jeok Unhwi, gazing at the assembled men, gave a slight nod.
“The reason I’ve summoned you here today is…….”
Everyone watched him intently, tense with anticipation, and he continued evenly.
“To announce the founding of an organization.”
“……?”
They were all confused, but Ma Hyeoljin alone’s eyes widened with a look of realization. Something had clicked into place for him.
“My seniors all have their own, so it’s only fair I have one too.”
Immediately after, Jeok Unhwi declared it.
“The organization is called Jeok Undae. From now on, you will all operate as members of Jeok Undae.”
Truly uninspired naming. It was obvious he’d simply taken his own name for it.
Ma Hyeoljin opened his mouth slightly.
‘So that was real…….’
When he’d passed the title of Organization Leader to Ju Igyeom, Jeok Unhwi had mentioned that Jeok Sahangbu would be absorbed into his own forces.
‘I thought he was just talking off the top of his head back then…….’
But here he was, having actually established a Military Unit.
It had seemed terrifying at first, but now, with time having passed, it didn’t feel quite so dire anymore.
After all, this was the man who’d unified Namhwa District in such a short span—hardly an ordinary figure.
By now, there was no denying his exceptional nature, however much one wanted to.
‘If I can’t escape it, I should join.’
Ju Igyeom was reassuring himself that this was the right choice when Jeok Unhwi’s gaze swept across the leaders of each faction assembled before him.
“Just so there’s no misunderstanding, let me be clear about something.”
The gathered warriors exchanged confused glances.
“I founded Jeok Undae not merely to consolidate my own forces, but for a far more important reason—to build a fence.”
The expressions on their faces shifted subtly.
‘A fence……?’
A fence for whom, exactly?
Before anyone could ask, Jeok Unhwi cut them off with a gravely weighted tone.
“A fence to protect the outside world from ruffians like you.”
“……!”
With a sharp whistle and a crack, the stone floor beneath them split clean open as he drove his blade into it.
The ease with which he pierced the stone was nothing short of terrifying.
“I don’t expect much from you.”
Jeok Unhwi fixed each of them with a cold, measuring gaze.
“Just stay within the bounds I permit. That’s all I ask.”
At the chill that descended over the courtyard, every person gathered there swallowed hard.
None of them were weak, not by any standard, yet something in Jeok Unhwi’s words made them certain that contradiction would be fatal.
‘This is the man who wiped out entire schools for human trafficking…….’
The instinct was bone-deep. If any of them were caught crossing lines, there would be no walking away unscathed.
As the warriors tensed in unison, Jeok Unhwi’s expression shifted as though nothing had happened, and he sheathed his sword.
“Mind you, if I put it that way, it sounds more like a prison than a fence. It won’t be like that, though.”
Sling the blade casually across his shoulders, he continued in an almost leisurely tone.
“So long as you respect the line, I won’t lay a hand on you. You’ll see no tribute demands, and I won’t interfere with your authority—barring necessity, of course.”
Though naturally, when summoned, you would be expected to answer.
Jeok Unhwi nodded to himself and glanced around the room.
“Anyone opposed to this arrangement?”
There shouldn’t have been, yet someone raised a hand—a man who looked unmistakably foolish.
“Isn’t forming an illegal organization considered a serious crime?”
“I did it with permission, you simpering idiot.”
The foolish-looking man clamped his mouth shut and lowered his hand, but immediately another rose—Cheon Ryuhoe Master.
“What should become of our existing forces, then?”
“No need to change anything. They’ll simply become part of the Military Unit as they are. In your case, you’ll be both Cheon Ryuhoe Master and Vice Leader of Cheon Ryuhoe.”
“Understood.”
Cheon Ryuhoe Master, looking reassured, lowered his hand, and it was Heuk Rangdae Master’s turn to ask.
“If you’re absent, Organization Leader, who holds authority to make decisions in your stead?”
This was a necessary step—establishing the hierarchy of command within the organization.
The faction leaders watched him expectantly, but Jeok Unhwi simply pointed with a casual finger at one man.
An intellectual-looking man, untypical of a Hyeol Cheon Sin Gyo member. Ma Hyeoljin.
“If I’m not around, find Ma Hyeoljin. He’ll be the Organization Leader’s Proxy.”
In that moment, hundreds of eyes fixed on Ma Hyeoljin.
The gazes of the faction leaders in particular burned with an unsettling intensity.
‘Who does this man think he is, serving as Proxy Leader?’
The thoughts behind those expressions were painfully obvious.
Ma Hyeoljin felt the weight of becoming everyone’s target alongside the thrill of sudden advancement.
‘So this is the taste of buying low.’
In the midst of thinking how shrewd his choice had been, he bowed his head deeply, his face taut with tension.
“I will do my utmost to justify your trust.”
The warriors, of course, continued to regard Ma Hyeoljin with obvious displeasure.
Jeok Unhwi, with calculated courtesy, added a parting thought.
“If anyone dares mock him for looking weak, I’ll take it as mocking me. Keep your eyes to yourselves.”
The hostile stares vanished in an instant.
Jeok Unhwi turned his head sharply.
“Anything else? No? Then we’re all in agreement.”
At last, the historic moment when the Third Young Master’s personal military force came into being.
Yet Jeok Unhwi’s business was far from finished.
“Now I’ll tell you about your first assignment.”
With the task handed down the moment the organization was formed, everyone’s attention sharpened.
None of them had expected there would be anything more—they were caught off guard.
They fixed uncertain gazes on Jeok Unhwi, who continued without the slightest hesitation.
“You all know there’s a mountain stronghold of bandits in Nok Rim, just beyond our school grounds, yes?”
The martial artists nodded absently. Jeok Unhwi nodded as well.
“Since you all know, the explanation’s easier then. Our first mission is to crush them.”
“……?”
The martial artists’ expressions went blank again.
This was only the second time they’d met him properly, and each time he seemed to pour out only astonishing words.
“When… when does the mission begin, sir?”
At Ma Hyeoljin’s bewildered question, Jeok Unhwi laughed, driving his point home like a wedge.
“Right now.”
* * *
“Why Nok Rim all of a sudden, sir?”
Ju Igyeom’s question, thrown at Jeok Unhwi walking ahead.
Jeok Unhwi answered as he continued forward.
“I told you—it grates on me, so I’m going to settle it.”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”
At Ju Igyeom’s fixed gaze, Jeok Unhwi let out a soft laugh.
“The reasons number roughly thirty-eight thousand, but I’ll share a few.”
“…That’s quite a lot.”
Jeok Unhwi nodded.
“First, there’s the matter of severing that dog Yuk Jangnoh’s limbs—it’s clear the Heung Ryong Mountain Stronghold has some corrupt connection to him, however it might be disguised.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“Second, it was necessary to properly verify whether anyone in the Jeok Undae harbors divergent thoughts.”
“Yes.”
“And obtaining a foothold outside the school is quite important too. Once we sweep away every bandit scum, the rest becomes ours.”
Even if Namhwa District is Jeok Unhwi’s domain, as long as it lies within the school’s sphere of influence, there’s a clear risk of information leaking out.
“That’s certainly true. On Heung Ryong Mountain itself, no one would ever know what we’re doing—not there.”
“Right. As long as there are no traitors.”
“Hmm…….”
“That’s why this mission is so crucial. We need to root out any rotten prospects while we’re at it. In any case, word of the Heung Ryong Mountain Stronghold’s subjugation must spread as late as possible.”
If they’re to establish themselves on Heung Ryong Mountain, it’s better that the stronghold’s fall remains hidden for as long as it can.
“Ah… Young Master, you had it all planned out.”
Ju Igyeom nodded in admiration, and Jeok Unhwi added in a quieter voice.
“But the most important thing is something else entirely.”
“Sir?”
“To catch and execute those vermin who dared conduct human trafficking in my territory.”
“…….”
At the sudden shift in Jeok Unhwi’s atmosphere, Ju Igyeom swallowed hard and thought to himself.
This job—he couldn’t afford to handle it carelessly like usual.
Yet even so, Ju Igyeom called out to the back of Jeok Unhwi’s head curtly as they walked.
“What about me, then? Don’t I get anything?”
“Anything? What?”
“That Ma Hyeoljin or whoever—he’s being called Vice Leader, isn’t he?”
Jeok Unhwi paused for a moment, then spoke with a look of sheer absurdity.
“Why would my personal guard need a title?”
“I’m your closest aide, am I not?”
“Fine then—call yourself Vice Leader.”
Jeok Unhwi’s offhand remark. Ju Igyeom clenched his fist and spoke with an expressionless face.
“Done.”

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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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