The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 24

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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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Chang Cheon, the Cheon Ma of the Firmament (Episode 24)
Some time after that.
Crunch—! He climbed the mountain path, his footsteps crushing the thick carpet of fallen leaves beneath him.
It was the way of all great sects under heaven: each possessed a vast Young San of their own.
The Mu Dang Sect held Mu Dang Mountain, the Hwa San Sect held Hwa Mountain, and Shaolin held Sung Mountain—just as the pattern went.
For those in the martial world who wielded Young Gi, a Young San suffused with celestial energy and overflowing with nature’s bounty carried a value vast enough to determine a sect’s rise or fall.
The Nam Gung was no exception.
This colossal Cheon Ju Mountain, piercing through the clouds, was the lifeblood and living pillar of Nam Gung itself.
Yet since the clan’s collapse, the mountain had long fallen silent—no footprints marking its paths.
Schwick—.
He drew his sword halfway and hacked mercilessly through the rough undergrowth and branches that climbed as high as his waist.
“It’s gone completely wild.”
He unfolded his map and walked carefully, examining the surroundings with meticulous attention.
The rest stops and watchtowers scattered throughout the path lay in ugly ruin.
He withdrew a brush and meticulously recorded each change in terrain.
“Exhale.”
A Gwol Ryeon hung between his lips, exhaling wisps of violet smoke.
The steep climb had taken its toll on his body.
It was arduous work, hacking through the undergrowth and exploring every inch on foot,
yet it did not bore him or feel like a chore.
‘If anything, my blood burns hotter.’
I was always one to seize more, to explore endlessly, to adventure without rest.
To grow stronger by any means, there were countless days when I would grasp but a single thread of some minor Gi Yeon and set off into the unknown frontier.
The vast Young San of the Ma Gyo, upon which tens of thousands of disciples relied.
It was I who developed the Ma Gyo’s own unique specialties by searching through the Sip Man Dae Mountain Range.
‘I had quite a bit of fun in those days too.’
Cheon Ju Mountain was likewise an unopened treasure box.
Crackle, crackle.
He went on to discover Nam Gung’s lumber mill and iron mine in succession.
Their entrances too had crumbled and been swallowed by undergrowth, yet the sites themselves were sound enough that with only modest effort they could be put back to use.
‘Once the village restoration gains proper momentum, I’ll send workers here to draw out Cheon Ju Mountain’s resources.’
Centuries-old trees, their roots deep in Cheon Ju Mountain’s fertile soil, and high-quality iron ore that had absorbed the spiritual essence of the Young San over countless ages.
Simply selling these would provide excellent specialty goods and become a mighty source of wealth for the clan.
“And yet…….”
He gazed down at the mountain scenery spread beneath his feet, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
These were certainly fine resources, but something felt lacking.
‘If only there were something unique to Cheon Ju Mountain—something that could capture the attention of the entire martial realm wherever it was shown.’
He lifted his gaze to the distant summit cradled in perpetual snow, then resumed his search, seeking the hidden value of the Young San that must lie somewhere on these slopes.
Scrape, scrape—.
He hacked through the tough brambles blocking his way, carving out an easier path, and periodically carved markers into the rocks.
So that the clan’s members would not lose their way when they ascended and descended Cheon Ju Mountain in the future.
After pressing onward like this for some time, he reached the middle slopes of the mountain.
“Ah.”
A subtle fragrance drifted across his nose from the crevices between jagged boulders.
Drawing closer, he found Young Cho herbs with leaves flushed red growing in clusters within the sparse rock gaps.
In an ordinary mountain these medicinal plants would have withered long ago, yet nourished by Cheon Ju Mountain’s potent energy, they persisted with stubborn vitality even in the depths of winter.
He carefully harvested the Young Cho herbs by their roots and stowed them in his pack, then withdrew his map to mark their location.
‘Baek Yi-won would be pleased to see these.’
Satisfied with his find, he was about to set off again when—
“Hmm?”
He sensed the currents of energy around him rippling in an odd way.
It was no ordinary mountain breeze. Within the wind itself flowed a faint, crystalline Young Gi of remarkable purity.
Nature’s law is honest by its very nature.
Wherever such concentrated Young Gi gathered and lingered, there must surely exist some extraordinary Gi Yeon hidden from the world’s eyes.
He closed his pack and drew another Gwol Ryeon from his breast, placing it between his lips.
This too was an elixir crafted from nature’s rarest gifts. It would allow him to ride the flow of energy.
Exhale—.
The violet smoke he exhaled did not easily dissipate into emptiness.
Like a living serpent, it began to flow along a distinct current of energy.
He had visually traced the flow of Young Gi hidden within the mountain wind.
“Shall I show you the way?”
I followed the direction the spirit indicated, moving forward.
For half a double hour, I climbed over rugged mountain terrain without a path and carved through deep ravines untouched by human presence.
As I reached a region where the concentration of Young Gi grew increasingly dense, a small living creature drifting through the air caught my eye.
A moth. But it was no ordinary insect.
With each flutter of its wings, it scattered luminous powder of the clearest blue, moving slowly and gracefully through the empty air.
“Hm.”
Young Mul creatures are naturally wary.
Rather than reaching out carelessly, I surveyed my surroundings. Soon after, I plucked a rare wild flower from the cliff face.
It bore the essence of Cheon Ju Mountain, and clear flower nectar glistened upon it like dew.
I carefully extended my arm and offered the petals toward the moth.
Flutter—
The moth, which had been circling hesitantly, soon let down its guard and alighted softly upon the stamen.
The way it folded its luminous wings and sipped the nectar held a certain magic to it.
After a time, the moth took flight again, belly sated.
But instead of flying off in some random direction, it circled around me once before gliding forward with unhurried grace.
Blue powder scattered in the wake of its flight, tracing an arc through the air.
It moved like a guide leading me toward my destination.
“Is this your way of repaying me?”
A creature of remarkable intelligence, without question.
A faint smile on my face, I followed the moth’s trail of blue light, stepping forward once more in silence.
It flew ahead of me, marking the path with increasing precision.
Before long, darkness fell over the mountains, and the moth was drawn into a narrow crevice in a shadowed cliff face.
As I carefully squeezed my body through, the narrow passage opened suddenly, and a vast underground cavern appeared before me.
“In a place like this……”
The cavern’s ceiling had opened dramatically to the sky above.
The full moon, risen at that very moment, poured silver moonlight like a waterfall through the opening.
Bathed in this mysterious radiance, covering the cavern floor, were vast mulberry trees.
Unlike ordinary mulberry trees, their leaves bore a frosty blue luminescence.
Upon the branches of the moon-lit mulberry trees, which glowed softly with captured moonlight, remarkable creatures crawled about.
Wild silkworms, white as snow and thicker than an adult’s thumb.
Despite the winter season, they moved with undiminished vigor, gnawing eagerly at the leaves.
And from the branches they wove thick clumps of pale silk.
If such a thing as an immortal’s garden, cut off from the world, truly existed, surely it would look like this.
“Myeong Ju Sil infused with frost and moonlight……”
I released a burst of lightness energy and ascended into the trees.
I carefully took hold of a cocoon the silkworm had produced.
Ordinary silk would normally fray or droop in cold wind.
But these possessed a cool, resilient elasticity.
“This is…… Cheon Jam Sa?”
Cheon Jam—silkworms infused with special Young Gi, Young Mul creatures of the rarest kind.
In the days when I reigned as the Cheon Ma, master of the Sip Man Dae Mountain Range.
I had accumulated rare and precious treasures of the realm in mountain-sized quantities.
Yet the silk produced by Cheon Jam was so difficult to obtain that it remained extraordinarily precious.
It was found only in the most remote reaches of Young San, and only in the smallest quantities.
Because of this, it absorbed the nature and characteristics of its surroundings completely.
The Cheon Jam Sa of Cheon Ju Mountain was no exception.
From the cocoon emanated the subtle, clear energy of wind.
I drew Young Gi up from my core and pierced the cocoon sharply with my fingernail.
Then came an astonishing transformation.
The threads detected the threat and responded with keen alertness.
The strands that had been flowing smoothly interwove densely in an instant.
They hardened like steel armor and rebounded forcefully from my fingertip.
“Well now, would you look at that.”
An exclamation escaped my lips. So it hardened in response to danger.
It seemed to have evolved to survive the keen blade-winds that sweep across Cheon Ju Mountain.
Though working with it would prove more difficult than ordinary silk, once completed, its defensive power and practical utility would be doubled.
It would be a tremendous asset to the clan’s capabilities. And moreover—
“I’ve found it. A Nam Gung specialty worthy of capturing the attention of all under Heaven.”
It would become a strong and reliable financial pillar for the Nam Gung clan.
Looking down at the blue cocoons undulating softly like waves, a dark, metallic smile spread across his lips.
“I’ll call this place Eun Wol Cave.”
He retrieved a brush and map, recording the location with meticulous care.
Young Mul by nature were extraordinarily sensitive to their living environment.
To artificially fell mulberry trees or lower silkworms down the mountainside risked corrupting or annihilating the unique properties of the Cheon Jam Sa.
Leaving it untouched in its natural state.
That alone was the only method to preserve the overwhelming quality forever.
He carefully erased his traces and slipped out of the cave.
The moment he emerged, the cold night air pierced his lungs.
Lifting his gaze, beyond the silver halo of the moon, the distant peak of Cheon Ju Mountain, crowned in ten-thousand-year-old snow, came into view at a glance.
“As the new master of Nam Gung, it would be shameful not to reach that summit.”
Survival atop a Young San—where sheer frozen walls and wind that flayed flesh howled without mercy.
Pushing oneself to the brink of one’s limits; that was the ultimate training.
He tucked the map into his robes and set forth without hesitation.
What followed was a descent into living hell.
Snarl—!
The moment he crested the mountainside, a starving pack of wolves descended upon him.
In the darkness: eyes gleaming like flint, fangs sharp as daggers.
The beasts that dwelt on a Young San were unmistakably larger and fiercer than any below.
They surrounded him at once, and thinking himself no different from one of them, he threw himself into an endless struggle.
After days of pursuit and being pursued, bleeding all the while.
Thrust—! He drove his blade through the throat of the alpha that lunged at him.
He cut down the rest as they came, but not before a claw raked deep across his flank.
“Ugh……!”
Bone-deep cold seeped through the wound. It felt as though his very marrow was freezing.
The barren snowscape offered no proper sustenance, no shelter to mend in.
He carved meat from the dead wolves and roasted it over a fire-pit, swallowing it whole; he dug Young Cho from cracks in the frozen rock and brewed it into medicine.
Into his torn wound he stuffed crushed medicinal herbs to stanch the bleeding, and when night fell, he fashioned crude shelters from skeletal branches and snow.
“Cough!”
Overexertion of his Young Gi, perhaps.
His Jeol Eum Maek screamed in protest, forcing up a clot of blood.
A pain so terrible it felt as though every vessel in his body would burst—a moment so dangerous that an ordinary martial master would have lost consciousness and frozen to death.
Yet even as blood sprayed across the snow, a grotesque laugh hung from his lips.
“Heh, haha!”
This was joy.
There were limits to the strength gained by sitting peacefully in a comfortable chamber and meditating.
But the wild terror of never knowing when one’s life might end—
That grueling crucible of suffering was what would truly temper him, forge him into something stronger.
He drove himself forward even more mercilessly into the abyss.
After more than ten days of bloody combat and cultivation, climbing ever higher.
Whistle—!
The fierce blizzard that had obscured his vision suddenly broke, as if by a lie, and beneath his feet stretched an endless sea of clouds.
Nowhere left to climb. The place most intimate with heaven itself.
At last, he had reached the summit of Cheon Ju Mountain.
“Haah…….”
Drawing rough breath, his gaze swept the peak and came to rest on one spot.
There, in the very center of the snow-covered summit, stood a small, weathered shrine—ancient and humble, bearing the scars of countless ages.
Creak—! He moved slowly and stepped inside.
On a faded altar, countless spirit tablets were arranged in dense rows, as if bearing witness to a thousand years of Nam Gung history.
‘The ancestors of Nam Gung.’
On the summit of a Young San closest to heaven, a sanctuary built to console the spirits of past family heads who had guided the house.
He moved slowly, reading the names of successive household masters with his eyes.
Then, in an instant.
Still.
His footsteps, flowing like water until now, came to an abrupt halt before one tablet.
The spirit tablet of the household master who had led Nam Gung more than a century ago.
Nam Gung Wi
The moment he beheld those three characters carved into the tablet.
Complex emotions that had been sinking in the depths of an abyss began to surge and churn.
A lonesome past life in which no one had ever taken his hand—
Even I harbored a presence that could not be erased—a shadow dark and indelible.
I reached toward the faded tablet, my lips curving with bitter irony.
“I never thought I would see you in this place.”
I extended my sleeve and carefully wiped away the dust that had settled on the tablet, then set it down again in its proper place with deliberate care.
“There is much I could say, but my feet cannot be held captive by the regrets of the past—the path ahead demands all my attention.”
Without hesitation, I turned and crossed the threshold of the shrine.
With my back to the painfully brilliant azure sky, I turned slowly to look once more.
“Instead, I make you a promise.”
I offered a faint smile toward the darkness settling within the shrine.
“The Nam Gung clan, which was once your everything—I will ensure that no one in this world ever lays a hand upon it.”

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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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