The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 28

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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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Cangitian Celestial Demon, Episode 028
Time passed, and the seasons turned twice over.
Beyond spring’s awakening sowing that stirred all living things, Cheonju Mountain had weathered summer’s scorching heat.
Now the wind brushing against one’s cheek carried the cool touch of autumn’s approach.
It was the first harvest season since Namgung’s reconstruction.
“Heave! Heave!”
Endless fields and paddies spread across the mountainside below.
At first, reclaiming the barren earth and tilling the fields had brought no shortage of hardship.
But through their unified effort and sweat shed together,
the once-bleak land had transformed into a brilliant golden hue.
The abundant waves rippled and danced, and all who watched rejoiced.
More precious than relief from arduous labor was the promise of full bellies.
The construction of strategic facilities also progressed steadily to completion.
The faction had now established a complete production foundation.
Clang! Claaang!
In the smithy, the heat of the forge and the spirited ring of hammers echoed without cease all day.
High-quality iron ore mined from Cheonju Mountain’s quarries passed into the hands of master craftsmen, led by Han Seok San.
“Lower the blade’s center of gravity!”
“Yes, master!”
Through the craftsmen’s hands were born Namgung’s distinctive sharp weapons.
Sturdy farming tools for the villagers flowed without interruption from the forges.
Beside them, the sawmill and carpentry workshop processed timber felled from the mountains, churning out carts and furniture.
Most secretive of all was the textile workshop established near Eun Wol Cave.
There, work proceeded to weave the strange silken thread gathered from the cavern—Heavenly Silkworm Thread—into bolts of cloth.
The resilient fabric woven with Heavenly Silkworm Thread was fashioned into sturdy Martial Robes for the trainees to wear during training, and garments for the household members.
Whatever surplus remained beyond the territory’s consumption was sent outward.
By way of supply carts run by the Namgung Trading Company, which Dang Suk led.
“Come now, bind the goods firmly so nothing is damaged! Hurry!”
Before the branch house of the Trading Company, newly built at the village entrance, workers bustled with loading and unloading.
Iron tools bearing the Namgung name, sturdy woodwork, and rare textiles interwoven with Heavenly Silkworm Thread.
Though production volume remained modest, the market had begun to recognize these goods as exceptionally valuable.
And so, gradually, the name of Namgung spread through the Gangho.
“Hah!”
Simultaneously with strengthening internal foundations, martial prowess was cultivated at a rapid pace.
“Form the array!”
The armed Hyokmyeong Squad moved with perfect discipline, establishing a formation.
Its backbone was the Cangitian Taeoak Formation, the traditional method of the Namgung clan.
A defensive formation that raised walls of swordplay like towering mountains, yielding not an inch to the enemy.
To this, they incorporated the footwork and killing intent of the Asura Absolute Death Formation, favored by the Demonic Sect.
The Asura Absolute Death Formation was originally an extreme killing formation that, caring nothing even for its own wounded, attacked the enemy’s vital points from all directions like a raging beast.
Two formations of entirely different natures were divided into defense and offense, compensating for each other’s weaknesses.
“Hold!”
The Taeoak Formation’s defensive structure deflected enemy attacks, toppling their footing,
“Strike!”
and immediately the flanking formations spread their wings and enveloped the foe.
From all sides, fierce attacks laden with killing intent were unleashed.
Since one had to think ahead at every moment, the initial coordination was clumsy.
“Cross without pause! Your feet are sluggish! Never forget that a formation crumbles into farce the moment a single person falls behind!”
But who was commanding them? Pacheonsma, master of tens of thousands of Demonic Sect practitioners.
Moreover, he was an absolute master versed in the martial arts, and so he pinpointed each error and had them corrected.
With Yu Hwa also mingling among the trainees to set an example, they managed to follow the difficult movements quite well.
Through repeated training during that sweltering summer, a formation capable of real combat finally took proper shape.
As offense and defense wove and rotated without break, it resembled watching the constellations undulating across the night sky.
“The Heavenly River Stellar Array Formation—the name suits it well.”
Flowing flexibly like the river of heaven, weaving a dense net of countless stars to trap and annihilate the enemy.
With this formation, the Hyokmyeong Squad would possess sufficient advantage even against enemies stronger than themselves.
Now that they were adequately prepared for multiple engagements, it was time to grow through actual combat.
“Household Master! We have completed reconnaissance of the surrounding areas!”
Just then, Namgung Kyung came rushing up, breathless, to report on enemy movements.
With Namgung’s collapse, all manner of brigands and third-rate villains had run rampant.
An opportunity to maintain order and give the troops experience.
“Show us the way.”
I immediately led the unit out of Namgung alongside Yu Hwa.
The first place we reached was a mountain stronghold that commanded a pass at the base of the ridge.
“When did the enemy become Namgung? These youngsters have gone mad! Attack!”
The bandits looked down on us and charged with menacing fury.
“Hold formation!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Hyokmyeong Squad hastily unfurled the Heavenly River Stellar Array Formation, but real combat proved far different from training.
When blood and flesh scattered from the blade in their hands, they went pale with shock.
Taking a life.
The weight of killing for the first time and the stench of blood held them back.
‘We’ve trained fiercely enough, but this is something else entirely.’
If the formation collapsed, I poured my inner force into a shout that carried weight.
“Remember this! The moment you hesitate with your blade, the comrade beside you loses their head!”
I made them remember who they were facing.
“Your enemies are demons that prey upon the weak and slaughter innocents. They are worse than beasts, corrupting the world—how can we who call ourselves martial artists stand idle and watch?”
Rather than merely intimidating them, I awakened the responsibility their swords carried.
“You speak truth, Household Master!”
“What is there to fear?”
“Fight for your comrades and families!”
The fire in the Hyokmyeong Squad’s eyes shifted in an instant, burning sharp.
They stopped their retreat and met the advancing enemies with fierce determination.
I too cut through the bandits and kept the formation intact.
And yet.
‘What did I just say?’
My own voice stirring the troops felt strange to me.
‘Pacheonsma, the great power of Gangho, concerned with others during battle.’
In my past life, when I ruled as a solitary tyrant, such a thing had never once occurred.
What did it matter what became of those who had chosen to serve me drawn by my strength?
Yet in this life, I found myself wanting to protect those beneath me.
Baffled by this version of myself, I clicked my tongue—
“Die, woman!”
Yu Hwa, who had been cutting down brigands beside me, suddenly found herself in danger.
A bandit I thought had fallen struck out with his blade in a sudden ambush.
“Ah!”
Yu Hwa caught the killing intent too late and hurried to recover her sword. But she was half a beat too slow.
My body moved before my mind could think.
I pushed her aside and swiftly cut the bandit’s throat.
A wet spray of blood.
I flicked the blood from my blade and spoke harshly to Yu Hwa.
“Lose focus against these wretches and you’ll die. Get your head straight!”
At my sharp rebuke, Yu Hwa rose and gripped both her swords firmly.
“Right! I understand, Hyuk. Thank you!”
Having someone guarding her back seemed to give her considerable confidence.
“Tch.”
Now I understood why I had changed.
Unlike in my past life when I valued only myself, I now had people precious to me.
Unwilling to let anyone see these strange and unfamiliar feelings, I surged forward and shouted.
“What are you doing? Follow me!”
Cangitian Demonic Qi roiled from my dantian, and a suffocating pressure crushed the battlefield.
My frame was small and slender as I led the charge, yet to those watching, I had never looked more magnificent.
“Follow the Household Master!”
“The Household Master protects us!”
Starting with Yu Hwa’s voice, the Hyokmyeong Squad erupted in a thunderous shout.
“Attack!”
The wings of the Heavenly River Stellar Array Formation unfurled fully, and fierce techniques poured down.
We clashed with the villains across mountains and fields, and even across rivers.
The small sects that had been cowering at Namgung’s strength found their courage and began to lift their heads once more.
Soon, joining forces together, we swept clean every villain that had plagued the region.
And so Anhui Province at last recovered the peace it had lost.
“Waaah! Namgung has returned!”
“The Azure-bannered heroes have come back!”
The nearby residents, the officials from the magistrate’s office, and martial artists from across the land all converged on Cheonju Mountain, their cheers erupting at Namgung’s resurgence.
With one voice, they proclaimed that when Namgung had represented the region, those had been the safest, most prideful times.
At the sight of such dazzling reverence and bright accolades, I furrowed my brow.
‘How utterly strange.’
In my past life, as the Heavenly Demon ruling absolute, only fear and oppression had existed.
I had never experienced such pure admiration, such cheers for righteousness, and the novelty left me unsettled.
Still mounted on the Black Horse, I turned toward the cheering crowd and spoke with deliberate harshness.
“Do not deceive yourselves. I needed only targets to hone my strength and that of my subordinates. The peace of your region holds no interest for me.”
Yet the crowd’s reaction to those words was peculiar.
“Ah! Knowing we might feel indebted and burdened, you graciously diminish your deeds as mere commonplace acts!”
“It is clear you drew your blade not for gain, but purely for the peace of this region!”
“At such a tender age, how profound your depths! Truly, you are the new master of Cangitian! How magnificent!”
They piled misunderstanding upon misunderstanding, until at last tears of moved emotion began to fall.
And so Namgung’s renown soared higher with each passing moment.
Days later, village elders and merchants arrived at Cheonju Mountain bearing heavy chests filled with silver.
“These riches would only have been plundered by bandits anyway. We humbly beg you to collect protection fees from us. We shall present this amount every month.”
Without even demanding it, they brought forth what they had and offered it freely?
Even in my past life, when I wielded far greater power, such a thing had never occurred.
Did they truly believe I would be pleased by this? How laughable.
“Hmph! So you think to use Namgung with mere pittance like this?”
I deliberately twisted my expression into something menacing as I looked down upon those who had come.
“If you have resolved to place yourselves beneath Namgung, then you must bear the appropriate responsibilities.”
I had the Azure Banners inscribed with Namgung’s seal brought forth and cast them at their feet.
With a contemptible smile playing at my lips, I made my declaration.
“Take these banners and plant them at the highest point of your villages. You shall serve as a buffer shield beneath Namgung’s shadow!”
I laid bare my intent to exploit them thoroughly.
And yet, at that very moment.
The faces of the village elders and merchants who gazed down at the banners lying on the ground—far from showing fear, began to radiate overwhelming joy.
“Oh! You bestow upon humble folk such precious banners of Namgung!”
“The Household Master graciously lends us the exalted prestige of Namgung itself to shield us!”
“Surely that is not all! You intend to forge a great alliance, to bar enemies from ever breaching our gates!”
“Ah, while you speak so coldly of us as a mere buffer shield, inwardly you harbor such boundless compassion for us all!”
They clutched the fallen Azure Banners to their chests as though they were sacred objects descended from heaven itself, bowing repeatedly with reverence.
They had transmuted my words of using them as human shields into a miraculous logic whereby they would be bound together as one vast protective alliance.
“No, that is not what I—”
I stood slack-jawed at the absurdity, but my voice seemed to reach no ears.
Not to be outdone, Namgung Kyung, who had been watching from behind, trembled as if struck by lightning.
Almost at once, his eyes began to gleam with the fervor of sudden revelation.
With a soft rustle.
His hands moved as though possessed as he withdrew from his robes a thick tome—the Cangitian Household Master’s Record—and a brush laden with ink.
“The Household Master has declared thus: A shield’s true purpose is revealed only when held firmly in hand and cradled in the breast. By graciously bestowing these banners, you embrace the naked and impoverished beneath Namgung’s name, fashioning all of Anhui Province into one great shield to defend them against every threat! Ah, what radiance! What nobility in this mercy!”
“Hey, you madman! When did you pull that out?! Give it back this instant!”
I lunged forward in alarm to snatch the tome, but Namgung Kyung swiftly clutched it to his chest and fled.
“Strike me down if you will! But not even death can erase the great footprints of the Household Master who embraces all the people!”
Simultaneously, the residents of Anhui Province set Cheonju Mountain ringing with their cheers.
“Waaah! To the new Namgung and the Household Master!”
What in heaven’s name were righteousness and heroism?
How did they kindle such fervent, blazing support?
I pressed my fingers to my throbbing temples, my expression vacant as I muttered.
“This is maddening. These insufferable righteous types.”

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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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