The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 61

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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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Cang Tian Mo Qi — Episode 061
Crack-!
The instant the two blades collided, a deafening boom tore through the forest’s air, and a violent wind erupted outward.
‘Remarkable. Just like a hundred years ago.’
I slipped backward with a smooth leap, marveling quietly to myself.
In my former life, when I reigned as Pa Cheon Ma Jon, I had once set foot in Seomun Clan territory while advancing to purge the heretics of the north.
The sword paths of the Seomun Clan masters who had stood before me then matched perfectly with the swordsmanship of Seomun Ho unfolding before my eyes now, a hundred years later.
It meant the clan had preserved its secret techniques wholly and completely, untouched by the ravages of time.
Just as Namgung derived its name from royal descendants gathering to dwell in the southern palace, their clan’s sword technique bore the regal character of looking down upon enemies as sovereigns—
Seomun too was a clan founded long ago by royal families who had gathered in the west.
The nature of their sword likewise possessed the character of the Conquering Blade, subduing enemies with not an inch of retreat.
As the centuries passed and the nation’s name changed, the peculiarity of royal bloodline gradually faded.
Yet the noble spirit each family held—to divide and protect all under heaven—had taken deep root in the Martial World.
The people of the realm bestowed upon these descendants of kings the names of auspicious creatures symbolizing virtue.
If Namgung was represented as the Azure Dragon, Seomun was symbolized by the Vermillion Bird.
Those symbols were wholly incorporated into each clan’s secret arts and techniques.
If Namgung’s Cang Tian bore the power of clear wind and lightning, then the Seomun Clan’s secrets carried the force of fierce wind and blazing flame.
Whoosh-!
It was no different now. Seomun Ho’s heavy blade was wrapped in crimson flames that evoked the wingbeats of the Vermillion Bird, raging fiercely.
‘Tsk, this won’t be easy.’
I strung Tian Can Si between the trees and unleashed a dazzling barrage of unconventional Cang Tian Mo Yan Sword strikes through the void, without pause.
Yet the authority of a leading Orthodox Sect master, renowned throughout the Martial World for long years—
Seomun Ho, with his injured leg, did not retreat a single step, deflecting every one of my swift strikes with movements both weighty and precise.
At my current level of inner power and physical capability, he was far too formidable an opponent.
Had he been attacking rather than merely defending, my head would have already been severed.
Ching! Ching-ching-!
After dozens of fierce exchanges, the distance opened, and silence fell upon the forest in an instant.
A flicker of interest crossed Seomun Ho’s eyes.
“Truly… truly remarkable. Your prowess as clan head has already far surpassed what I perceived as a young prodigy.”
Seomun Ho gazed quietly at the aura clinging to his blade and spoke softly.
“Moreover, this aura…. I have never once witnessed it from any warrior of Namgung until now. Truly formidable and beautiful. What in heaven’s name…. What transformation has occurred in Namgung’s martial disciplines?”
The Cang Tian Mo Qi I unleashed adhered to Seomun Ho’s blade pressure, suppressing the flames.
I alighted softly on the ground and withdrew a tobacco pipe from my breast, placing it between my lips.
Exhale-.
Drawing the smoldering smoke out in a long trail above the forest air, I steadied my labored breathing and answered plainly.
“When Namgung faced the crisis of annihilation and was reduced to ash, all that remained was a bitter hatred and thirst for vengeance against the Blood Cult.”
At my words, Seomun Ho’s shoulders went rigid.
“The clear color of Cang Tian darkened and deepened because of that.”
It was not entirely false.
The ruined Namgung had summoned forth a dead Heavenly Demon, after all.
At my composed response, Seomun Ho’s lips tightened as though remembering the grief of losing a son and his clan’s collapse.
Soon, resolute will bloomed across his lined face.
“Indeed…. If Namgung has swallowed its pain and become a deep and vast night sky—”
Seomun Ho gripped his blade anew. The crimson flames enveloping it surged far more intensely than before.
“Then our Seomun Clan shall likewise grow hotter and more fierce, and we shall gladly become a meteor shower to pierce Namgung’s Cang Tian.”
It was a blood-boiling fervor on behalf of Namgung, directed toward the Blood Cult.
I exhaled tobacco smoke and smiled with satisfaction.
“As you wish.”
I let my right hand, gripping the blade, hang diagonally downward. At the same moment, a deep violet Cang Tian Mo Qi erupted along the sword’s edge.
Then I raised my empty left hand and slowly clenched my fist.
Roar-!
In that instant, the foreign inner power residing in my heart—the Wan Xue Da Yuan Gong—surged violently, and a clear, cool sky-blue flame flickered and rose above my left palm.
On the right, a deep violet wind; on the left, a cool sky-blue flame.
“Shall we continue then?”
Power granted only to me—Pa Cheon Ma Jon and Clan Head of Namgung.
I smiled wickedly at Seomun Ho while controlling both forces with ease.
“From now on, I intend to fight with full strength. I ask that you too show no mercy and face me with all you have.”
“Clan… clan head. You mean everything shown until now was not your full power!?”
Seomun Ho could not hide his shock. I swept back my sweat-dampened hair and smiled wickedly.
“Unfortunate you say so. Now we truly begin.”
The Heavenly Demon’s distinctive, ominous Demonic Nature—honed across a lifetime soaked in blood—began to bear down upon Cheonju Mountain.
“Where else in this world is there pleasure to match the thrill of fighting as though your very lives hang in the balance?”
Bang!
With a single push of his feet, the ground caved inward, and he surged forth as though to prove his point.
In moments, the vast forest sprawling across Cheonju Mountain began to tremble from its roots.
* * *
A month passed thereafter, time flowing on with impassive diligence.
All that while, the clash of steel resounded ceaselessly through Namgung.
It was not only the sparring matches with Seomun Ho. The young talents of the Seomun Clan—who had lost so many masters in their war against the Jinjueon Clan and fallen into despair—now trained alongside Namgung’s Hyo Myeong Unit, sweating through grueling sessions day after day.
The youth of Namgung walked the path of the sword with courage born of hope for a new future.
That brilliant determination reached the people of the Seomun Clan without diminishment.
Once the sparring match ended, Seomun Ho wiped his brow and spoke with a voice brimming with emotion.
“Thanks to those young trainees of Namgung—who grip the sword and give their all, day after day—we too have found the courage and hope to begin anew. And now that the Clan Head has arranged supplies for our training and spared no expense in providing precious tonics… I wonder if we, who merely lodge in another’s house, deserve such generosity.”
To that, I wrapped a towel around my neck and replied curtly.
“It’s fine. I’m simply spending you down to the bone for my own benefit.”
An utterly honest and calculating admission. Yet—
“Ha! Ha! Ha! I see through your kindness, deliberately veiling it as indifference lest we feel burden. Every soul in our household already knows the warmth that truly dwells in your heart, and we are deeply grateful. Since we are repaying our debt, do not hesitate to work us to our fullest in whatever future trials await!”
Seomun Ho’s eyes were shrouded in layers of affection.
I sighed briefly, resigned.
“I’m already making full use of you.”
No lie in that. Had I not freely displayed my techniques against Seomun Ho, who was far stronger than I?
Because of it, my body had grown accustomed to Namgung Hyeok’s frame, and the martial arts I possessed had been honed to a keen edge.
And today, at last, that cultivation bore fruit.
Throughout the entire match, though I had not yielded a single step, I had finally forced Seomun Ho’s weighty footwork to retreat.
“What a fearsome talent. To be pushed back by one so young and of such lower aptitude than myself—a thing that should not occur even in dreams.”
Seomun Ho, too, looked down at his own feet in disbelief, marveling at what had transpired.
“The first step backward is always the hardest wall to overcome against a true master. But once that wall has cracked, from the second step onward, retreat comes far more easily. Your growth is truly terrifying, Clan Head.”
“This is only the beginning.”
“Again with that talk! Must you say it? Have you not exhausted yourself?”
Seomun Ho departed with a smile, as though he could bear no more.
“Well, I’ve been difficult to face while holding back.”
It is equally hard to yield ground as one advances.
But the advantage is that there are many others willing to spar with me.
Yu Hwa, Hye Gwang, Jang Ho, Jegal Un, Ak Jin, Hwangbo Gang, and Dang So Yeon.
Whenever time allowed, we drew lots for order and clashed ceaselessly.
Through opponents representing diverse factions, I honed myself without rest.
Clang!
And now, in the darkened forest. Silver Hidden Weapons poured down like a downpour from the shadows on all sides, accompanied only by the faint whisper of rustling leaves.
Ting! Cling!
I swept my blue robe through the air and, wielding the Qing Hai Gao Yue, deflected every Hidden Weapon that came flying toward me.
Then, in a single breath, I found the shadow’s position where she lay hidden and pressed the cool edge of my blade against her neck.
“It’s over.”
At my impassive pronouncement, the masked Dang So Yeon bit her lip and clenched her empty fists helplessly.
“Ugh… I lost.”
Though she conceded defeat, she kicked the innocent ground in frustration.
“Assassins and those who use Hidden Weapons run out of ammunition and have nothing left to do, and that’s unfair!”
Huffing indignantly, she squatted down and carefully extracted the silver Hidden Weapons embedded in trees and ground throughout the forest, one by one.
“Besides, these Hidden Weapons are keepsakes from my mother, so they’re deeply precious to me. They’re all valuable, and I can’t just abandon them once I’ve thrown them. Every time I hesitate, thinking ‘I can’t lose this,’ a gap opens in my defense, and that’s my biggest weakness in battle.”
The way she grumbled over her recent loss was unmistakably childish.
I offered her a piece of counsel.
“There is no assassin more careless and foolish than one who hesitates to throw for fear of loss. If you know this and still hesitate, why not change your method of combat entirely?”
“Change my method? I’m not some master of the Yi Qi Yu Jian technique who can wield swords freely through the air. How could I possibly recover my thrown Hidden Weapons?”
At her sullen rebuttal, I shrugged.
In my former life, I had cared nothing for pride if it meant growing stronger—I used any means necessary.
“If you lack teeth, use your gums. Just as I, infirm and unable to move freely, used tools to compensate for my weaknesses.”
I then raised my left arm.
Soft rustle.
The wide sleeve of my robe fell away, revealing a peculiar tool of dark iron bound firmly at my wrist—the Dark Weapon Gauntlet.
“Inside lies a pouch of Tian Can Si—thread so light and resilient it is beyond measure. I used it to grapple and traverse the void through the terrain itself, but with your speed and versatility, you could employ it quite differently.”
I extended my hand to Dang So Yeon and took the Hidden Weapons she had gathered.
And just before hurling the hidden weapon far into the air, I activated the Dark Weapon Gauntlet on my wrist, precisely shooting the thin end of Tian Can Si thread to the weapon’s handle.
Whoosh—!
I then sent the Cang Tian Mo Qi flowing through the Tian Can Si thread and flung it sharply into the emptiness.
In the dark forest where even moonlight struggled to reach, the silver hidden weapons strung with gossamer threads began to weave freely through the air in response to my gestures and energy.
A mysterious trajectory, as if the Milky Way itself descended from the deep night sky, leading a brilliant assembly of stars in an elegant dance.
“This… this is…! It’s just like witnessing the pinnacle of the Yi Qi Yu Jian technique!”
Dang So Yeon clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.
“This means I could twist the trajectory of the weapons I’ve thrown whenever I want! And I could retrieve them again whenever I wish!”
She continued to pour out exclamations, unable to close her lips.
I gathered the hidden weapons back into my palm by pulling the threads and added my thoughts.
“Of course, the drawbacks are equally clear. Since the weapons are bound by thin threads, it’s not simply a matter of throwing and being done—you must constantly distribute and control your energy, which means your mental stamina will suffer twice as much. You’ll need refined hand technique as well. Moreover, in a place like this with dense undergrowth, the threads can catch on branches or tangle, which actually limits your movement and exposes your position to the enemy.”
I returned the recovered hidden weapons to Dang So Yeon’s embrace.
“Most importantly, whether this unconventional method will harmonize well with the traditional martial arts of the Sichuan Dang Clan remains uncertain. All of this depends entirely on how you train and control it. Since you won’t know until you try, if you wish, I’ll order our workshop to craft a Dark Weapon Gauntlet tailored specifically to you.”
At my suggestion, Dang So Yeon’s pupils trembled.
“The elite masters of the Dang Clan spent their entire lives investing vast amounts of time to find and hone weapons perfectly suited to them, building their reputations along the way. As the young clan head of the Dang, if I could only break through my current limitations and develop further… I want to challenge this no matter what. Please.”
She then glanced at the Dark Weapon Gauntlet and twisted her small frame bashfully.
“Besides, this would become something precious that only you and I possess in this world…….”
She clutched the hidden weapon and murmured in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
Her face beyond the cloth mask flushed as deeply red as a ripe apple.
Meanwhile, I was too busy calculating in my head to properly hear her words.
‘The more meticulous and ferocious that woman becomes in wielding the Dark Weapon Gauntlet, the more perfectly suited she’ll become as my training partner. And she’ll be useful to deploy in the coming battles against the Blood Cult.’
Beyond that, by recognizing what she needed before anyone else and providing it to her, I could place her deeply in my debt.
When the time came to extract exquisite techniques or substantial rewards from the Dang Clan later, what better justification could there be than this?
“Very well. I’ll have something special made for you.”
My calculating expression quickly softened into a satisfied smile that spread across my lips.
* * *
Along the dark forest path, Dang So Yeon watched Namgung Hyeok’s reassuring silhouette as he walked ahead, struggling to calm her racing heart.
He had seen through her limitations in an instant, offered her a new solution to protect her precious mother’s keepsake, and more besides.
And that gentle smile he’d flashed while promising to craft a Dark Weapon Gauntlet just for her!(?)—
‘Really, you can never quite figure him out. He acts so cold on the surface, yet inside he cares for me and treasures me like this.’
Unable to contain the swelling emotions, she carefully moved her lips.
“Hey… why do you treat me so well?”
To her shy question, Namgung Hyeok, who had been walking ahead, replied bluntly.
“What kind of question is that? It’s good for me if you get stronger.”
An answer utterly devoid of warmth—purely instrumental.
But Dang So Yeon, already drowning in love’s depths, heard only the unspoken words that floated between the lines.
[I… like you.]
“……!!”
In that instant, Dang So Yeon’s mind went completely white, and her lips quivered before she even realized it.
“I, I too! I also… like you…….”
Namgung Hyeok’s footsteps, which had been leading the way, stopped abruptly. He immediately furrowed his brow and spun around sharply.
“…… What did you say?”
The moment her eyes met his cold, bewildered gaze, Dang So Yeon realized what enormous words had just tumbled from her lips. All the blood in her body rushed to her face.
“N-no! I mean, I too! I also just like getting stronger myself! Yes! You’ll see! I’ll become so strong you won’t even have a chance, and next sparring match I’ll tie you up tight!!”
Dang So Yeon babbled frantically to hide her burning face, her voice cracking as she spoke.
At her bold and preposterous excuse, Namgung Hyeok let out a soft, incredulous laugh.
“We’ll see about that.”
He turned his back again and began walking with long strides, parting the undergrowth.
“W-wait! Come along! Don’t go alone!”
Dang So Yeon’s voice, desperately chasing after him with her burning cheeks cupped in her hands, lightly cut through the cool night air of Cheonju Mountain bathed in moonlight.

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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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