The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 46

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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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Azure Heaven Heavenly Demon 046
As frozen earth thaws and green shoots push through the soil, my body too was undergoing a gratifying transformation.
“Ahh…….”
Standing in the center of the Yeonmujang, I exhaled lightly.
The Manyeol Daewon Gong, lodged deep within my heart, throbbed ceaselessly with each breath, bellowing through every blood meridian in my body.
Though the lingering chill of the Severed Yin Meridian remained formidable and my complexion pallid, the density of my flesh had undeniably transformed.
Lean wrists and thighs that had shown no progress no matter how relentlessly I trained now bore taut, defined muscle, and I could feel my joints hardening.
At last, I had entered the trajectory of true growth.
“Clan Leader! Come at me!”
Whoosh—! A sharp shout burst forth from ahead, and rough spear force came hurtling toward me.
It was Jang Ho, the Gaebang’s staff-wielder, who sparred with me each morning.
“Heave!”
Jang Ho’s footsteps wavered as though drunk, then a heavy fist surged upward from an unpredictable angle—the Drunken Fist, one of Gaebang’s signature techniques.
“Mm.”
I stepped back half a pace and let the trajectory slip past, while simultaneously twisting my waist sharply to draw up rotational force.
Power that began at my toes traveled up through my lower body, gathering at my fist.
My strike, infused with the energy of the Manyeol Daewon Gong, tore through the air and drove into Jang Ho’s chest.
Crack—!
In the instant my fist extended, brilliant flames roared into the shape of a fierce dragon. It was my newly created Azure Dragon Fist.
“Ugh!”
Jang Ho gasped in surprise and crossed both arms in defense, but the tremendous destructive force drove him backward.
“Krgh……! You’ll drive me mad, truly.”
He shook out his arms and clicked his tongue.
“How in blazes did this happen? Just moments ago it looked rough, yet now you unfold your forms with the perfection of a martial master who’s spent a lifetime with nothing but fists and feet!”
Well, it could hardly be otherwise. My mind was brimming with countless techniques.
Adapting them to a prepared body was scarcely difficult.
I rolled my wrist casually and replied without fanfare.
“Don’t make a fuss. You know perfectly well I’m still holding back.”
“Holding back?! My legs feel weak from the impact!”
“That’s enough training for today.”
“So be it. A good bout indeed.”
Jang Ho wiped his lips with a waterskin filled with liquor instead of water, laughing broadly.
After finishing our sparring, I washed away the sweat and made straight for the Seojae.
‘The Azure Dragon Fist is an excellent defensive art. Yet it remains only my technique—one that requires the Manyeol Daewon Gong to manifest.’
The Namgung’s warriors, including Hyomyeong’s disciples, needed a fist technique uniquely Namgung’s own—one that could sustain their lives and subdue enemies when they’d lost their blades.
I withdrew the partially charred secret manual I’d kept stored in one corner of the Seogo and unrolled it.
Nine Cleave Divine Fist.
It had been an upright fist technique passed down through the ancient Namgung house, but most of its forms had been lost.
Fortunately, the core principles containing its essence had survived intact even within the soot.
[The principle of Nine Cleaves lies in parting the distant heavens’ river and shattering falling stars. Nine successive strikes at last converge into one great azure heaven.]
The overwhelming martial knowledge I’d accumulated through tens of thousands of real battles in my past life.
Added to the insights I’d gained as Namgung’s clan leader these years.
Scratch, scratch.
Beyond merely restoring the lost forms, I refined them further with increased practicality, ensuring they now meshed perfectly with Namgung’s current Azure Heaven energy and flowed as one.
Before long, the straightforward Nine Cleave Divine Fist, thrust and defended with proper form, had reclaimed its ancient strength.
I stepped outside and called to Yu Hwa, who was instructing Hyomyeong’s disciples.
“Take this and master it. Spread it among Namgung’s talents as well.”
“This, this is……!”
Yu Hwa’s eyes widened enormously as she confirmed the secret manual.
No wonder she was astonished—a lost secret technique of the bloodline had been resurrected.
“Hyeok…… you truly are our house’s miracle. Remarkable!”
Eyes like a fawn gazing up in reverence, she clutched the manual close to her chest.
Heat crept up my neck; I cleared my throat awkwardly and quickly turned my gaze away.
“Miracle, nonsense.”
My voice came out gruff.
“No matter how splendid a martial art may be, if one doesn’t make it one’s own through blood and sweat, it’s merely scraps of paper. If you’re truly grateful, then work hard.”
At my words, Yu Hwa clenched both fists and ignited her resolve.
“Yes! I’ll remember! I won’t let your effort go to waste!”

* * *
After that, he set out across the Beonga estate to inspect the ridge.
The structure he had requested from Yeon Hwa that previous winter now revealed itself in its magnificent form.
It was Taehak, an educational institution.
“Well now, impressive.”
An exclamation escaped him unbidden at the sight before his eyes.
In the most serene and auspicious location, where the beautiful vistas of Cheonjusan could be surveyed at a glance, graceful buildings crowned with blue-glazed tiles stood in elegant succession.
At the center, a clear pond and pavilion had been created for scholars to compose poetry and enjoy landscapes, and surrounding it stood lecture halls and comfortable dormitories capable of housing several hundred people.
Indeed, it bore Yeon Hwa’s unmistakable touch—the handiwork of one possessed of innate genius for construction and creation.
Then, at the entrance to the lecture hall, Seol Hwa, the third daughter, who had been checking the ledger, caught sight of him and rushed over with a delighted expression.
“How perfectly timed! Today, all the first cohort of talented students who will begin their classical studies have finally assembled.”
Seol Hwa pointed behind her with unmistakable pride.
“I followed your instructions precisely—we gave no consideration whatsoever to social status or origin. From the children of peasants to the dependents of Namgung, even street urchins who wandered the roads are mixed among them, yet all possess brilliant minds, speak with measured courtesy, and conduct themselves with propriety. They are the splendid talents who shall become a great asset to Namgung in the years to come!”
Dozens of boys and girls, dressed in garments varied in material and appearance, stood arrayed in neat rows across the lecture hall courtyard.
Yet.
“Hmm?”
He scratched his cheek and furrowed his brow.
The eyes of the assembled talents regarding him seemed oddly—deeply—wrong.
Though their origins differed, their gaze was bizarrely unified, yet it surpassed mere reverence for the patriarch of Namgung by far.
It resembled the way one might receive a legendary savior from mythology, or welcome a descended Jade Emperor himself.
The sight of them with mouths sealed shut, eyes gleaming brilliantly, not even daring to breathe, unsettled him profoundly.
‘Why are they acting like this? What have I done for them?’
Looking more closely, he noticed that each and every one of them clutched a thin book of identical appearance close to their chests as though it were a precious treasure.
“What are those books? Are they textbooks for Taehak?”
At his question, Seol Hwa covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
“Oh, those? The patrol commander compiled them—teachings that left a deep impression on him during his time with you. The Namgung Clan Leader Record, Volume One!”
“…What?”
“You compiled them yourself and had them copied day and night before distributing them freely to the common folk and students. It seems they’ve become extraordinarily popular. Everyone and their neighbor is carrying one around, constantly reflecting on the patriarch’s sacred wisdom.”
His mind went blank. He snatched the book from the hands of the nearest student and flipped through the pages.
[The patriarch was en route to the Beonga estate when he encountered a starving commoner collapsed upon the road, whom he personally saved through wondrous healing technique. While the patriarch made mention of the price of life to awaken the common people to its weight, he immediately refused payment to ease the burden of the impoverished.
Moreover, by forgiving their debts, he granted them purpose and hope for their survival, and finally, by revealing the Namgung name, he scattered the righteousness of that fallen house throughout the martial world anew!
Ah! Though he appears cold-hearted and mercenary on the surface, within dwells the vast and noble purpose of azure heaven—to nurture the people and restore the house!]
“…”
His ashen face flushed a violent crimson.
They had twisted his own words with cunning artistry and packaged him as some paragon of virtue!
During his years with the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, countless believers had revered him as a god.
But that veneration had stemmed entirely from fear and terror of his overwhelming martial prowess.
Rather than reverence, they had busied themselves prostrating their heads beneath his feet and trembling.
This life was different.
Every blunt word he’d carelessly uttered, every calculated scheme, these righteous madmen twisted into compassion and sacrifice, worshipping him for it.
He would have preferred their curses and to have blood spilled upon him; such shameful theatricality was utterly unbearable to his filthy nature.
“Who’s the crazy bastard responsible for this!!”
As he gestured wildly, a shadow stiffened behind one of the lecture hall pillars.
A figure holding inkstone and brush in hand, face radiating rapture even now—Namgung Gyeong.
“You there, Namgung Gyeong! Get over here at once!”
He pointed with the force of someone ready to grab the man by the collar.
“Confiscate every single copy of this garbage and burn them all immediately! We’re already scraping by with the budget for building Taehak and running the trading house—this is wasteful, precious paper squandered! Do you know what paper costs? Destroy it all at once!”
Flushed to the roots of his ears, he roared with all his might. Surely such a thunderous reprimand would frighten the man into immediately collecting the books.
Yet.
Namgung Gyeong’s eyes widened as though they might burst, and the brush in his hand began to dance through the air at frenzied speed.
“Ah…! The patriarch…!”
“What—burn them now!”
Namgung Gyeong’s hot tears streamed down his face as he raised his brush high.
Then, his voice booming so all the students and household members could hear, he proclaimed:
“Hear me, all! In this chaotic age when every martial person strives obsessively to elevate their own status and renown, only our patriarch shows not the slightest hesitation in diminishing his own worth!”
“…What?”
“How he blushes at being revered, calling himself garbage, yet concerns himself meticulously with the village’s economy and the waste of even a single sheet of paper—such perfect love for the people! How can one witness such heroic conduct without tears!”
“This is driving me insane, truly…”
“I shall make this sacred instruction from the patriarch today the preface to Volume Two of the Azure Heaven Patriarch Record!”
At Namgung Gyeong’s tearing cry, the students and surrounding household members who had stood motionless as mice fell silent, opening their clasped hands as if by prior agreement.
Soon, a torrent of tears of profound emotion began pouring from their eyes.
“Ah! My lord!”
“How could we possibly grasp the full depth of your meaning!”
“Hero of the azure heaven!”
In an instant they became one, calling out to their leader as if to shake Cheonjusan itself from its foundations.
“…….”
Gripped by a wave of vertigo, I clutched my neck and swayed.
There seemed to be no way in this world to overcome such madness and delusion.
That the legendary Demon Subduer of All Under Heaven should feel so utterly powerless.
“Elder brother!”
I was standing with my hand pressed to my throbbing temple.
Yu Hwa, who oversaw all patrols and sentries in the village’s outer reaches, approached with quick strides.
“Scholars dispatched by the Jegal clan have arrived at the mountain gate. They brought quite a lot of luggage.”
“At last. Go help them. Just show them the way here.”
Presently, dozens of scholars and carts gathered before the main gate of Taehak.
But the figure leading the procession looked familiar.
Smiling leisurely over a fan—it was none other than Jegal Woon.
“I didn’t expect the young master of the Jegal clan to come in person.”
As I approached, Jegal Woon bowed respectfully with a fist salute.
“I greet the Namgung clan leader.”
“Can the Jegal heir really afford to leave his main house and stay here in the Namgung—a distant place at that? It seems you’re planning quite a long visit.”
At my question, Jegal Woon smiled broadly and gazed up at the imposingly constructed Taehak.
“How could I regard this place as distant when you have provided such a magnificent academy and lodgings, treating us as honored neighbors?”
His gaze swept across the pond and pavilion, along the graceful eaves, painted with admiration.
“To polish one’s scholarship in such an excellent place is a valuable experience for one who will lead the clan in the future. I have persuaded the elders of my house and received permission to remain here until Taehak is fully established.”
Jegal Woon added, fanning himself gently.
“It is also a sign that the Jegal clan holds both Namgung and you in the highest regard.”
His answer was measured and logically sound.
Faced with his utterly sensible and courteous manner, I found the corners of my eyes lifting slightly.
‘Well, at least there’s one normal person among them.’
Exhausted by Namgung Gyeong and his household’s blind fervor, I found myself genuinely relieved that Jegal Woon existed as someone rational enough to converse with.
Yet his eyes glinted strangely for a moment.
At the same time, his gaze flicked sharply toward Namgung Gyeong, who stood hugging a notebook behind a pillar.
Namgung Gyeong, refusing to yield, glared at Jegal Woon with a growl.
I had no idea what they were squaring off about so fiercely.
“Ah, one more thing. I couldn’t arrive empty-handed, so I’ve prepared a small gift.”
Jegal Woon, conscious of Namgung Gyeong’s presence, gestured to his attendants behind him, and a long hanging scroll was brought forward.
“A gift?”
“Yes. As this academy opens its doors, I gave considerable thought to what might serve as guidance for the students, and took brush in hand myself.”
With a sharp swoosh, Jegal Woon unrolled the scroll for all to see.
“……!”
The moment the scroll opened, a gasp of wonder burst forth from the gathered servants and students.
Within the scroll lay an exquisite painting.
A man soaring through the air, threading through a dense forest, cutting across the void.
His azure robe billowing, his white sword displayed in magnificent form.
It was none other than me.
The brushwork and texture were rendered so vividly you could feel them.
Painted with stunning detail and grandeur.
“Wondrous! Your lordship’s majesty is captured perfectly!”
“What remarkable skill! Where does such vitality come from!”
The residents and students who saw the painting were left awestruck and deeply moved.
I, caught off guard, felt as though I’d been struck across the back of the head with full force.
First came Namgung Gyeong’s embarrassing inscriptions, and now my own face, enormous as a gate, had appeared in a painting.
“Why—why did you paint this!”
My face flushed red enough to burst, and I pointed accusingly as I shouted.
Unmoved by my outburst, Jegal Woon had his attendants hang that enormous scroll right in the center of the academy’s main gate.
“Why are you hanging it there! Take it down at once!”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.”
Jegal Woon smiled knowingly, folded his white fan, and pointed to the gate.
“Since you have named this building the Jegal clan’s Taehak, while I remain here, am I not the master of this space?”
Just moments ago, I had thought him a rational man with whom one could actually converse.
Yet the murky obsession and madness swirling in that wretch’s eyes were no less fierce than Namgung Gyeong’s own.
“As a teacher, I hung the portrait of our great Clan Leader to inspire the students’ diligence and courage. If you demand I take it down, does that not contradict the Clan Leader’s own words about treating Jegal as a valued neighbor?”
Jegal Woon sealed off my escape route with flawless, airtight rhetoric.
Seeing this, Namgung Gyeong’s jaw clenched as he gripped his brush as if to snap it in half.
One man immortalized greatness through words; the other sought to enshrine it in paint.
The competition for loyalty between these two madmen had truly ignited.
“Clan Leader! A thousand pages of precious words I have inscribed will etch your magnificence far deeper into history than some trivial portrait!”
“Nonsense! One glimpse of this radiant visage burns brighter in the mind than a hundred readings! Tomorrow I shall capture the scene of you shattering the corpse demon’s skull upon canvas!”
I dragged both hands down my face as they growled at each other, each vowing to immortalize my supposed greatness(?) for posterity.
Now it wasn’t just writings—portraits would soon plaster the entire compound.
“Enough, you damned fools…”
Beneath the warm spring sun, the former Heavenly Demon’s sigh scattered helplessly into the breeze.

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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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