The Heavenly Demon of the Blue Sky - Chapter 69

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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’s Heavenly Demon — Episode 069
Long ago, the Jinju Eon Family was driven back in a fierce battle against the Heterodox Sects and forced to abandon Jinju in Honam Province, where they had dwelt for generations.
When word spread that a prestigious house had taken to the roads of exile, every breed of villain and scoundrel watched like hungry dogs for their moment.
No matter how many masters of high cultivation one possessed, they remained, in the end, only human.
Beneath the relentless hammer of attacks day and night, the Jinju Eon Family grew steadily weaker.
At last came the tragedy: the Clan Head’s household scattered to the winds.
At the heart of that chaos.
Crash! Crack!
The carriage carrying the infant Eon Tae Gyeong overturned violently.
The outriders and even the wet nurse fell to the cascade of blades, meeting their deaths.
In the pitch-dark forest, there was nothing but the wailing of a small bundled form, soaked in blood.
“Hehehehe, a child of the Eon clan! He’ll fetch us a fine price!”
The villains’ eyes gleamed with greed as they reached for Eon Tae Gyeong to seize him.
“Stop!”
It was Eon Cheol, the Clan Head’s personal bodyguard, who appeared as if from nowhere.
He crushed the skulls of those reaching for his young charge, then bound the child to his chest with a cloth and held him close.
Thereafter, as blades rained down from all sides, he shielded the infant with his own body, holding him more dear than his own life.
At last, he broke through the encirclement, and bleeding from mortal wounds, he fell to his knees before Clan Head Eon Mu Gang.
“Bodyguard Eon Cheol begs your forgiveness for abandoning his post.”
With both hands, he offered the safely rescued infant to his master.
But the fatal injuries he had sustained gave him no strength to stand, and he collapsed to the ground.
Driven only by the will to protect, he had run on even as his life drained away, unaware of his own approaching death.
Eon Mu Gang scarcely glanced at the child his bodyguard had brought him, passing the infant to his servants instead.
His gaze remained fixed on Eon Cheol, his trusted subordinate, and with trembling hands he gripped the dying man’s arm.
“I am here. Jinju Bodyguard Eon Cheol — how can you rest easy when your master still stands? Rise, I command you!”
Hot tears spilled from Eon Mu Gang’s eyes, falling upon Eon Cheol’s nose bridge.
But Eon Cheol no longer had the strength to open his eyelids.
Instead, a faint smile crossed his face as he spoke his final words.
“I was a child orphaned and adrift when you granted me the Eon surname, taught me the martial arts, and kept me at your side as family all my life. It is my great fortune to have given my life for your precious blood. Should I be born again… I, Eon Cheol, would live again as a bodyguard of the Jinju Eon Family.”
How precious it is to live and weep. Hearing the lusty cry of the young Eon Tae Gyeong he had saved, Eon Cheol breathed his last, at peace.
Eon Mu Gang wept as he gathered his fallen bodyguard’s remains. Later, with the aid of Clan Head Namgung Cheon of the Namgung Clan, he established a new home north of Anhui Province and held a grand memorial rite in Eon Cheol’s honor.
Thus did Eon Cheol, the Jinju Bodyguard, come to rest as a man of honor.
Yet that noble Righteous Loyalist, after more than a decade, has been twisted by the vicious sorcery of the Blood Cult into a Corpse Demon devoid of reason.
The deep scars of countless blades still mark his face and body.
* * *
And again, blood-soaked ground at Namgung.
“Ah…….”
Dang So Yeon and Yeu Hwa gazed upon the Corpse Demon Eon Cheol with eyes heavy with sorrow.
In those days, Eon Cheol’s loyalty had stirred the Martial World.
Heroic tales centered on him had spread across the realm and captured the public imagination.
Both Yeu Hwa and Dang So Yeon had grown up hearing stories of Eon Cheol.
Now the hero of a childhood tale walked the earth again as a Corpse Demon.
Dang So Yeon’s lips compressed in fury, her face flushing with rage.
“To desecrate so the honor of a warrior who lived his entire life in righteousness!”
The Blood Cult’s sorcerers let out bitter, mirthless laughter, their voices dripping with contempt.
“Khihihi! Is there any joy greater than corrupting the talents of the Orthodox Sects, those they call heroes!”
“Now he shall become our loyal hound and write a new legend!”
“Don’t worry, you women. We’ll remake you just the same!”
“Such pretty faces — let us enjoy ourselves first before we hand you over!”
Their crude words spilled out easily, and they shoved Eon Cheol forward as though showing off a prize.
“Go! Seize those women and bring them to us!”
But what was this?
Though the Corpse Demon was consumed with madness and slaughter.
“Grrrrrhhhh…….”
Eon Cheol did not attack Dang So Yeon and Yeu Hwa. Instead, he turned his body slowly and began limping toward the distant Clan Head Eon Mu Gang.
The duty of protection had burned so deeply into his dead spirit that even the Blood Cult’s sorcery could not suppress it.
“Wh-what is this!”
The sorcerers, witnessing something they had never seen before, cried out in panic, their voices shrill.
“This beast refuses to obey us! Where does it go!”
“Could it be that even in death, it would serve its former master!”
“If you turn your back and leave like this, we’ll be slaughtered by those women—how could you abandon us?”
The sorcerers, desperate now, scrambled to reassert control.
Yet no matter how they strengthened their incantations, Eon Cheol only hesitated.
He turned away from his masters and moved toward Eon Mu Gang.
“Insolent wretch! Then try this!”
At that moment, one of Shin Ma’s lieutenants slammed his palm against the ground and shrieked.
“Rise! You witless thing!”
Crack! The earth split open, and another decrepit coffin burst upward.
The lid shattered. What emerged was none other than Eon Tae Gyeong.
He had once served the Blood Cult as a lackey, until Seomun Ho’s blade took his life.
Afterward he was buried in the Jinju Eon Family Ancestral Burial Ground, and the Blood Cult had desecrated his grave to turn him into a Corpse Demon.
Not long dead, his body still retained an almost lifelike appearance.
A long, ragged scar ran across his neck where the blade had stitched through his flesh.
With a face drained of all blood and eyes rolled back, Eon Tae Gyeong’s vengeful spirit remained consumed by the inferiority and hatred of his former life.
“Kill…… I will kill…….”
His voice came warped and strange, like fingernails dragging across slate.
Dang So Yeon felt her spine prickle with dread.
“You chose only wickedness, then died shamefully—at least have the shame to crawl back into the earth!”
Shwoosh! A throwing star flew from her fingertips, aimed at Eon Tae Gyeong’s forehead.
Clang!
The Corpse Demon Eon Cheol, who moments before had been turning back toward Eon Mu Gang, suddenly lunged forward with lightning speed and caught the throwing star bare-handed.
Crunch!
He crushed it to splinters with a vicious grip, then positioned himself before Eon Tae Gyeong like an immovable boulder.
Though bound now by sorcery and stripped to a mere husk, he still remembered—still recognized—the small master whose entire world he had once carried.
The pitiful instinct of a bodyguard to defend his lord, even in death.
“Khahahaha! Magnificent! Even that worthless whelp has his uses!”
The Blood Cult sorcerers erupted in savage laughter at their plan’s success.
“Go, Eon Tae Gyeong! Keep dancing as our puppet even in death!”
“I will kill…….”
Unlike Eon Cheol, Eon Tae Gyeong’s vengeful spirit proved far simpler to control.
He obeyed the sorcerer’s command without hesitation, moving with grotesque footwork toward Dang So Yeon.
“This fool doesn’t even know whose fault it was that his clan fell!”
Hastily promoted to Clan Head, Eon Tae Gyeong had accomplished nothing and possessed meager skill for his age—he posed no real threat.
She sidestepped his clumsy strike with ease and prepared her counter.
“Krrraaagh!!”
The real danger was Eon Cheol. In a heartbeat, he found her blind spot.
Eon Cheol could not draw upon the Jinju Eon Family’s secret arts—his blood had ceased to flow.
So the Clan Head Eon Mu Gang had prepared something special for him instead.
Jinju Iron Fist, Iron Armor Powder Star.
Eon Cheol’s massive fist gleamed with a metallic sheen, like a cast-iron cannonball.
It tore through the air and struck down with overwhelming force.
An absolute chasm between him and Eon Tae Gyeong—incomparable in every way.
And before she could even dodge, death had arrived at her door.
“Get down, Miss Dang!”
It was then.
Tap-tap-tap! Yeu Hwa shot in from the side, crossing her blades high.
Cangqiong Feyan Sword, Feyan Crossing Wings.
Like two swallows joining their wings to trace a full moon, Yeu Hwa’s blades formed a perfect circular shield.
Boom!!
Yet even the shockwave unleashed by Eon Cheol—who in life had stood at the pinnacle of mastery—was too much to bear.
Yeu Hwa was hurled backward; Dang So Yeon caught her and they tumbled through the dirt without mercy.
A thin trickle of blood traced her lip; her sleeve was torn to shreds.
It was a blow severe enough to break anyone’s spirit.
Yet both women gritted their teeth, shook the dust from their clothes, and rose to their feet.
They turned to face Eon Cheol, their expressions bitter, and spoke in hushed tones.
“When we were children…… whenever we played at princes and princesses, the imaginary bodyguard who always protected me was you. Always you, Eon Cheol.”
Yeu Hwa’s eyes remained steady and clear as she nodded in agreement.
“Even in death, your sacred loyalty to your former master—I hold it in the deepest respect as a martial artist.”
She opened her twin blades wide to either side, holding the image of her cherished brother before her eyes.
“But we too are prepared to give everything to protect those we love. We cannot retreat. Not now.”
Not just the two of them.
Every soul belonging to the Namgung Clan held the same fervent wish: that Namgung Hyeok would claim victory in this brutal battle.
“Master!”
“I’m fine!”
Now that I am no longer alone, I will hold this line.
The weakness she’d shown before had vanished without a trace.
Yeu Hwa issued orders to her subordinates as their commander.
“Hyomyeong Unit! Deploy the Heaven and Earth Star Array Formation! Prevent the Blood Cult’s demons from crossing this line!”
“We obey!”
Dang So Yeon gestured to her operatives in the darkness.
“Haewon Unit, protect the warriors of Namgung. They can’t manage alone.”
At Dang So Yeon’s command, the elite fighters of the Haewon Unit exchanged worried glances.
If they withdrew, the entire front line would collapse.
And yet their young clan head now faced a formidable opponent.
“B-but young clan head!”
Part of them wanted nothing more than to spirit Dang So Yeon away from Namgung.
But the eyes that met theirs were frozen with resolve.
“I’ve committed myself to staying and fighting. I won’t live as a member of a shameful clan—I’ll die here at Namgung if I must. Don’t make me say this twice.”
In that moment, as the spirited girl shed her recklessness and the bearing of a future clan head blazed forth,
the masters of the Haewon Unit widened their eyes and brought their hands together in quiet deference.
“We shall obey your command, young clan head.”
They understood that their best course was to dispatch their enemies swiftly and return to her side.
During their time at Namgung, they had grown close to the members of the Hyomyeong Unit as well.
And so the warriors of Namgung and the elite of the Sichuan Dang Clan surged forward as one, and a chaotic melee erupted.
Yeu Hwa and Dang So Yeon tightened their grip on their weapons as Eon Tae Gyeong and Eon Cheol drew near once more.
The crushing blow Eon Cheol had unleashed moments before still thrummed through her palms.
She had steeled herself, but could she truly prevail against an opponent of such overwhelming power?
Yeu Hwa bit her lip. Yet she could no longer remain in that helpless position, forever sheltered and protected from behind.
Now, as the sister of the Namgung Clan Head and a warrior in her own right, she had to take the lead.
In that instant, a vivid memory surfaced—a lesson her brother had once taught her.
The Namgung Training Ground.
Yeu Hwa sat collapsed on the floor, sweat pouring from her in sheets.
“Hah, hah… I lost again.”
Each time she sparred with her brother, she poured everything into it, only to suffer another hollow defeat. The futility gnawed at her.
Seeing her spirit broken, wondering if this was the limit of her talent, her brother handed her a towel and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Sister, though your internal mastery may yet be unrefined, the swordsmanship etched into your body is beyond reproach. Sincerity itself is a talent.”
Yeu Hwa looked up at him in surprise.
“Really? Then what is the problem?”
Her brother shrugged and tapped her chest lightly.
“For all these years, you’ve seen yourself as lacking, and your heart has grown passive and defensive without your realizing it.”
Next, he touched her rounded forehead gently.
“And because you’re too hard only on yourself, your mind is plagued endlessly with negative thoughts. That is the true obstacle.”
Heat rushed to Yeu Hwa’s face. His words had struck home.
“You’re too caught up in yourself right now. Trust in the sword you’ve honed through all these years of training. And focus entirely—not on yourself, but on your opponent.”
He wrapped her hand as she gripped her sword and spoke with quiet conviction.
“No matter how formidable the enemy, they always have weaknesses. If you coldly assess your own and your allies’ strengths, and then grip relentlessly at that fatal flaw in your opponent… there is no battle in this world you cannot win.”
His steady voice still echoed in her ears.
‘What I need now is to Know Thy Enemy and Know Thyself, and to Never be Defeated in a Hundred Battles.’
She drew a deep breath and shed the fear that had bound her.
With eyes grown keener, she gently touched Dang So Yeon’s tense shoulder.
“Dang So Yeon, look at me. I have a plan.”
When Dang So Yeon met Yeu Hwa’s unwavering, calm gaze, a strange comfort bloomed in her heart.
“…Thank you for saving me just now. Don’t call me ‘Dang So Yeon’—just call me So Yeon, please.”
Dang So Yeon’s voice trailed off slightly before she smiled warmly and added,
“Sister…”
Yeu Hwa smiled back gently and nodded.
“Yes, So Yeon.”
She turned her gaze sharp and fierce toward the enemies closing in.
“The greatest overwhelming force on their side is Eon Cheol. And as we just saw, he’s absolutely committed to protecting Eon Tae Gyeong.”
Dang So Yeon’s eyes gleamed with understanding.
“If we can bind Eon Tae Gyeong’s feet first, then Eon Cheol won’t be able to leave his side to protect him—which means his range of movement will shrink dramatically. If we control the distance, we might even be able to pinpoint where the Talisman is hidden, the Corpse Demon’s weakness.”
What would be difficult alone becomes possible with two.
“I’ll draw Eon Cheol’s attention from the front, even if it costs me my life. In that opening—can you strike at Eon Tae Gyeong?”
As Dang So Yeon received the strategy, Namgung Hyeok’s face suddenly began to overlay itself across Yeu Hwa’s.
That steadfast presence of Namgung Hyeok at the Yongbong Gathering—reading the board with icy clarity even in the most desperate of circumstances, never wavering.
Yeu Hwa’s words and actions now mirrored his exactly.
‘Both siblings are truly impressive.’
Dang So Yeon breathed softly in admiration and drew from her bosom the exquisite dagger—Eunha—a keepsake of her mother.
Unlike the despair that had weighed on her before, her mind narrowed to a single, crystalline purpose, and a brilliant jade light kindled in her sharp, focused eyes.
“Yes, I can do this. Sister!”

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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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