The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 53

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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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Cangxian Heavenly Demon, Episode 53
Shanxi.
Situated at the northwestern edge of the Central Plains, bordering part of the frontier with the north, it is a barren and harsh land.
Since ancient times, frequent invasions by foreign peoples and the escape of ruthless brigands fleeing the gaze of the Central Plains had kept the fires of war burning without cease.
In the past, this was a place where countless legends of generals who repelled foreign invaders were written, but now that the authority of the magistrates has weakened and the peace of the world rests entirely in the hands of the Martial World, the great clans and sects have taken the place of the imperial armies in protecting the regions.
However, owing to the region’s character of endless warfare, few powers had taken deep root.
When the Seomun Clan, the greatest pillar, suffered a blow near total annihilation in a surprise attack by the Blood Cult and was driven out, Shanxi became a true Masterless Mountain.
The remnants of the Blood Cult, all manner of villains who crossed over from the north, and heretics began to fill that void, coiling around it and forming massive forces.
But fortunately, I was not sitting idle with my hands folded, merely watching them expand their power.
First, I deployed the iron cavalry of the Sandong Ak Clan and the Hwangbo Clan to the forward positions, having them strictly guard the border between Shanxi and Shandong.
Through a display of force, I pressed hard so the enemy would not dare set foot toward Shandong, and I successively gathered up the refugees fleeing for their lives.
At the same time, the Hengshan Sect—the sacred mountain of Shanxi and the Northern Peak.
I sent word to the nuns there, requesting they be vigilant against and intercept the villains crossing over from the north.
Below them, I also sent word to the martial monks of the Wutai Sect, situated on Wutai Mountain, one of Buddhism’s four sacred peaks, instructing them to take measures to pressure the Blood Cult.
Next, I sent messengers to the Murim Alliance, informing them in detail of Shanxi’s plight and urging them to cooperate.
Though the Murim Alliance had acted with hesitation until now, thinking only of their own safety, they have now stopped turning a blind eye and dispatched their main forces to take a stand.
They know that if Shanxi falls, they are next.
This is what happens when the fire lands at their own feet.
This is the reality of the Orthodox Sects today.
As a result, the Blood Cult succeeded in occupying Seomun Clan territory and planting their flag, but due to the pressure closing in from east, north, and south, and the watchful eye of the Murim Alliance, they have become trapped and cannot recklessly extend their power beyond Shanxi.
A conference chamber arranged at the compound on Taishan.
After hearing my account of all these countermeasures and reports of the military situation, deep sighs settled on the faces of the three Clan Heads.
“How…… how can such a thing be possible?”
Ak Cheol San, the Clan Head of the Sandong Ak Clan, looked at me with astonished eyes.
Hwangbo Moo Gwang likewise opened his mouth, stroking his jaw.
“With Cangxian and the Martial Power it grants, and the Medical Art that can cut through bone, one would already be enough to astonish the world. Yet you perceive the state of affairs, dispatch correspondence to precisely the right places, and bind the enemy’s limbs—your insight and strategic wisdom defy belief in one so young.”
Seomun Ho, who could only now move about with the aid of a cane, added his words.
“On the battlefield, you seem more familiar with the flow of war than weathered generals of long standing. How can you possess such wisdom?”
I touched the teacup, evading the weight of their pressing gazes.
“People naturally grow by leaps and bounds when facing great trials, do they not?”
I am a Heavenly Demon with far greater fortune than you.
Would I have faced such things only once or twice?
Such words would not convince them. I answered evasively, with a hollow tone.
“I have carried a falling house on my shoulders and crossed death’s threshold many times amid countless plots. My vision had to open and I had to grow stronger—the circumstances demanded it.”
When recalling a life so harsh, it was no mere excuse or falsehood.
The three men imagined for themselves the suffering of a young Clan Head who had raised a fallen house from ruin and swallowed tears of blood, and with solemnized faces, they quietly let out a sigh of admiration.
“……Indeed. Heroes are born from the trials of chaotic times.”
“How could we presume to fathom the hardships the Clan Head has endured.”
“There’s no need to praise so highly. I simply proposed first what you Clan Heads are more than capable of doing.”
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I redirected the conversation to the matter at hand.
“In any case, I’ve temporarily extinguished the urgent fire in Shanxi, so I intend to return soon.”
“Ah, you leave already? It is a pity. We would wish to spend more time with the Clan Head.”
“It cannot be helped. With this affair, Namgung has once again fallen firmly into the Blood Cult’s sights. They will seek by any means to destroy Namgung and make an example of us.”
At these bitter words, a heavy silence settled over the conference chamber.
Then Seomun Ho, leaning on his cane, struggled to rise.
“All of that was to save the Seomun Clan—how could I merely stand and watch?”
His amber eyes blazed with fierce resolve.
“I and all my kin will go with the Namgung Clan Head to Cheonju Mountain. Until we have a place to return to, let us make Namgung our new foundation and become a sturdy pillar supporting the Namgung Clan!”
Hwangbo Moo Gwang and Ak Cheol San showed signs of agreement with this weighty declaration.
But I narrowed my brow and did not immediately give my consent.
“Can you truly steel yourselves again, risking your lives against the Blood Cult?”
“Wh—what do you mean?”
“As I just said, Namgung will now become the Blood Cult’s primary target. Has the Seomun Clan not already been trampled horrifically by the Blood Cult once? Fear must be deeply rooted in your hearts—can you stand firm without wavering? The Blood Cult are the sort who burrow into the weak places of the human heart.”
It would be difficult to stand with them on shallow vengeance alone. At this cold observation, Seomun Ho’s lips hardened.
“Why not remain here on Taishan instead? If you coordinate with the Hwangbo and Ak clans to check the Blood Cult from the east, that alone will greatly ease Namgung’s burden—there is no need to force yourselves to follow.”
It was not kindness on my part that made me worry for them.
In war, the most crucial element is morale.
Those seized by fear would inevitably break formation in critical moments.
They might even become a cumbersome burden to well-trained martial artists.
And so I wished to confirm their resolve before they joined us.
But my words seemed to reach Seomun Ho’s ears in an entirely different light.

* * *
‘Ah……!’
Seomun Ho’s lips trembled faintly as a deep tide of emotion washed over him.
Here was this young Clan Head, not merely refraining from reproaching them for drawing the Seomun Clan into peril, but tenderly soothing the deep wounds buried in the hearts of the clan’s remaining members.
To ease their burden—their desire to aid their benefactor—he even offered plausible excuses, claiming that remaining at Taishan would be of considerable help.
“How, how remarkable! To possess such a vast and profound heart…….”
Seomun Ho’s eyes reddened.
Beyond his glistening gaze, the face of his dead son Young-i flickered once more across the shoulders of Namgung Hyeok, who sat in the chair with his chin propped brusquely in his palm.
The image hovered there, gazing down fondly at his benefactor, the Clan Head.
‘My son Young-i—he cannot have found peace in the next world. It is certain he has chosen me to protect this good-hearted youth who brought his death to light!’
The searing resentment and guilt of a father who had failed to protect his son in life now kindled into paternal love for the Clan Head before his eyes.
Whatever fear and regret might block the road ahead, he would summon courage and press forward.
For that was surely the final plea his dead son held for his inadequate father.
“Hnngh……Young-i……!”
Seomun Ho suddenly cast aside his walking stick and wept openly, limping toward the Clan Head.
“No, it’s Hyeok, not Young-i! Don’t come near me! This is creepy—what are you doing?”
The young Clan Head recoiled in alarm, but Seomun Ho, his leg still lame, bore forward with the astonishing strength of a martial master and wrapped his thick arms around him in a crushing embrace.
“I swear upon this body—I shall protect the Clan Head, protect Namgung, with my very life!”
“Are you insane?! Let go! Release me this instant! What are all of you doing—set me free!”
He thrashed and called for help, but Hwangbo Moo Gwang and Ak Cheol San merely sniffled at the touching scene.
“Ah! How beautiful a sight this is. Those who have endured hardship, now bound together, each devoted to the other!”
“These fools—they’re reading into it whatever suits them!”
In the center of the council chamber, where the brotherhood of men overflowed, only the curses of the Heavenly Demon from his past life echoed back.

* * *
Several days later.
Our party had set out small and lean—myself, Yu Hwa, and Namgung Gyeong.
But by the time we were ready to return to Cheonju Mountain, our numbers had swelled to well over a hundred.
All the remaining members of the Seomun Clan had chosen to join Namgung.
Since Seomun Ho had not long recovered from such radical surgery—having bone scraped raw—I arranged for him to ride in a carriage with cushioned seats rather than on horseback.
“I am grateful for the Clan Head’s thoughtfulness.”
Seomun Ho, reclining in the carriage, turned toward me with a luminous smile.
“The surgery was difficult enough. If infection sets in, everything we’ve done becomes worthless. And why do you keep looking at me like that? It’s unsettling.”
“Heh, it is nothing. Merely steeling my resolve to serve you faithfully.”
From some point onward, he had begun to cherish me as both his benefactor and his one remaining child.
Receiving such affection for the first time in my life sent a subtle prickle of unease down my arms.
‘Absorbing the full strength of the Seomun Clan—masters of Shanxi—along with the Clan Head himself, is doubtless a gain worth its weight in gold…….’
Not merely from Seomun Ho, but from all the Seomun clansmen came looks of reverence.
Yet somehow, rather than gaining tremendous military power, it felt as though I’d acquired an unwieldy burden, a troublesome weight upon my shoulders.
And this ominous premonition did not end with the Seomun Clan alone.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Just as we were preparing to depart, twenty elite cavalry thundered from within the Taishan estate, kicking up clouds of dust.
At the vanguard rode two familiar Young Clan Leaders—Hwangbo Gang and Ak Jin, weapons held at the ready.
“Clan Head Namgung! We wish to accompany you to Cheonju Mountain!”
Hwangbo Gang hoisted his hefty Moon Blade across his shoulder as he shouted.
I narrowed my eyes sharply and pressed them.
“And what are you two doing here? You should be defending your own clans.”
“Shandong is well fortified by the combined defense of the Hwangbo and Ak clans. The Blood Cult will not find it easy to strike at us immediately. However…….”
Ak Jin took up the thread, pointing southward with the sharp tip of his spear.
“As you have said, we have repeatedly thwarted their schemes and dealt them grievous blows. And Namgung, now sheltering even the Seomun Clan, will almost certainly become the Blood Cult’s primary target. How can we, as allies in the Orthodox Sects, feign ignorance of the burden you bear?”
Behind their words, Hwangbo Moo Gwang and Ak Cheol San appeared.
“You two Clan Heads. What is this? You’re sending your heirs?”
In response to my question, Hwangbo Moo Gwang stroked his beard with a low chuckle.
“What father would not feel trepidation at sending his precious children into a perilous battlefield where blood flows? And yet these youngsters are warriors in their own right, and as adults to lead our clans in the future, they have the right to choose their own path.”
Ak Cheol San, too, regarded me with eyes both gentle and keen.
“To cross the threshold between life and death at the side of Clan Head Namgung—versatile and masterful in strategy—will grant these children countless precious experiences that will become the flesh and blood of future leadership. For the prosperity of our sect, I should like to entrust these two to your care.”
On the surface, they invoked the righteous cause of aiding allies; but their true intent was transparent.
They meant to sharpen their sons at my side—this prodigy—and forge them into worthy heirs to lead their clans.
‘Well, if two young clan leaders and the elite of Taishan join forces, it would certainly bolster Namgung’s strength considerably.’
I glanced back and forth between Hwangbo Gang and Ak Jin, both standing with unmistakable pride.
“But there’s real danger—you could lose your lives. Are you certain about this?”
Ak Jin drove his Iron Spear hard into the ground in response to my testing question, his resolve blazing forth.
“If Namgung’s shield shatters, then Sandong will be next—so why should we cower and hesitate? Protecting Namgung is the same as protecting Taishan! And the Namgung Clan Head saved my life at the last gathering. How could I refuse to help an elder who has been my savior?”
Hwangbo Gang then hoisted his enormous Moon Blade high, his voice ringing out clear and strong.
“Namgung has risen and stands as a hero of the Martial World, having defeated the Blood Cult once more—how could we turn our backs and tarnish our names as men? More than that, with Namgung standing firm, we’ll be able to keep watch over our beautiful Yu Hwa as well!”
“…….”
“…….”
In that instant, a heavy silence fell over the gathering.
Hwangbo Gang’s face flushed a deep crimson—like embers glowing in a brazier—the moment he realized what he’d blurted out without thinking.
“No, wait! That’s not what I meant! I only meant that standing together with Yu Hwa to protect Namgung as a pillar of the Orthodox Sects would be beneficial for peace throughout the Martial Realm! Ahem, ahem!”
Hwangbo Gang stood stammering excuses into empty air, cold sweat pouring down his face.
“Hm?”
Yu Hwa, standing behind him, simply blinked in confusion, while Ak Jin pinched the bridge of his nose as if witnessing something truly pitiful.
“Cool your face before you speak. You’re riper than an overripe persimmon. What’s with the theatrics?”
“Don’t you dare slander me with such nonsense! It’s true I admire the great general and wear a Moon Blade and grow my beard long, but that’s merely…….”
The pointless bickering between the two lightened the heavy atmosphere at last.
Laughter erupted from here and there, and in the midst of it, I found myself lost in old memories.
The Ten Thousand Mountains of my past life.
Behind me, the Heavenly Demon, there had been only assassins eager for my death and followers trembling with fear.
Not a single companion willing to charge into certain death alongside me with such noise and joy, shoulders touching.
‘……How strange.’
Yet strangely, my blood burned.
A bitter, joyful smile spread thick across my lips.
With the moonlight at our backs, I led the procession forward, slow and steady.
“Then we depart.”
“You grant us leave?”
“I do.”
Together with companions, shoulder to shoulder.
“Guide me to my Namgung.”

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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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