The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 281

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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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Chapter 281
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‘The Divine Maiden?’
I was speechless.
I wanted to curse, but Yalyu came first in my thoughts.
Yalyu was already covered in wounds from head to toe. He had drawn upon every last ounce of his strength, and his vital energy was severely twisted and distorted.
Blood from internal injuries stained the corner of his mouth, and even the downpour couldn’t wash it away.
I wanted to rush toward him immediately, but the Left Envoy blocked the space between us.
The Left Envoy appeared to be in his early thirties at first glance, but his actual age was mid-forties.
He was of a similar generation to Father and Namgung Wan, and his position as the Left Envoy—the third-ranked figure in the Demonic Cult—was connected to the Cult’s circumstances.
Demonic martial arts were evil and cruel not merely in their methods of learning.
They were demonic because they harmed even the very practitioners who wielded them.
Above all, those who mastered demonic martial arts did not live long. The stronger they became, the shorter their lives.
Either they lost control and went berserk, dying in the process, or demonic energy invaded their minds, driving them to madness before death claimed them.
To rise to high positions, one must grow strong, yet the stronger one becomes, the sooner one descends into madness. This was why the masters of the Demonic Cult were so young.
This was the reason why the unified mad sect centered around Cheon-ma could still be opposed by the fragmented Murim Alliance.
The Left Envoy spoke.
“I was merely executing a traitor, so you need not concern yourself, Divine Maiden.”
“What are you talking about? You kept him alive to lure me out.”
The Left Envoy’s eyebrows twitched.
When had the Left Envoy of the Demonic Cult ever been treated this way? The stronger one became, the less need to read others’ moods, and the higher one’s pride soared.
I smiled crookedly and spoke.
“So when did I become the Divine Maiden?”
“You certainly… have no fear.”
His respectful tone vanished instantly.
“If I had fear, would I have survived this long?”
The Left Envoy laughed viciously.
“True enough. But it seems that appearance will end today.”
Today?
I narrowed my eyes.
Until now, the Demonic Cult had sought to capture me alive, not kill me.
If they had wanted me dead, they would have killed me when I was trapped within the Heavenly Net. The fact that they wanted me alive was the only reason I could keep fleeing.
But today?
‘Does he mean they’ll kill me now, or was that merely a slip of the tongue?’
“Well, that works out. I’ve been curious about something all this time.”
I continued speaking as if nothing were amiss.
The Left Envoy regarded me with the gaze one might give a performing pet, curious to see how far I would go.
“Curious about what?”
“About Cheon-ma. What’s going on with him?”
“That one has only his own thoughts.”
There was no hesitation whatsoever. It felt as though she were merely reciting a predetermined answer.
Cheon-ma had not revealed herself even once despite this chaos unfolding.
Not when I escaped from the Demonic Cult’s Heavenly Net, not when the Murim Alliance clashed with the Demonic Cult, and not when the 7th Division Commander fell in battle against Taego Jinperson.
“Is it truly her will that I be taken away?”
The personnel surrounding and watching the Left Envoy and Yalyu appeared to be the Left Envoy’s subordinates.
They showed no interest whatsoever in the battle between the Left Envoy and Yalyu. They were solely vigilant against those approaching from outside.
At first, I thought they were indeed using Yalyu as bait while waiting for me. But even now that I stood before the Left Envoy, their vigilance remained directed outward—not toward this place, not toward Yalyu and me.
“What are they so afraid of that they guard the outside? Are they worried the Murim Alliance might appear and interfere?”
“Those eyes after all….”
The Left Envoy, whose words trailed off, gazed at me with unmistakable covetousness.
The high-ranking members of the Demonic Cult already knew of my eyes’ abilities. And the second reason I could flee through the Heavenly Net was because of these eyes.
Because of my eyes, it was impossible for others to hide and ambush me, and any encirclement would be exposed the moment they drew close enough.
“It’s not my eyes—it’s that I’m clever.”
“I can hear the gears turning in that head of yours from here. With the abilities you and that wretch possess, you cannot escape before me. If you attempt to flee, I guarantee I can tear at least one of you to shreds. Come along obediently.”
After accepting the will contained within the Cheonma Jibow, I did not perceive it at first, but as time passed, a certain question began to gnaw at me.
The Cheonma Jibow was an arrangement for the next Cheon-ma. The problem that arose from the Jegal Family Heads passing down memories across generations was that the human mind could not endure it, and the amount lost grew ever greater.
What was lost, I could not even remember. Because it was lost.
Cheon-ma was likely concerned about that loss. But if preserved in the form of the Cheonma Jibow like this, it could be maintained intact.
That is why she created it in this form of the Cheonma Jibow, and since it would be absorbed the moment anyone touched it, Cheon-ma herself could not keep it constantly at her side.
That is why the Murim Alliance seized it, and she sought to reclaim the Cheonma Jibow from them through me.
Now came the problem.
How could Cheon-ma reclaim the Cheonma Jibow that I had absorbed?
Amusingly, among the will I obtained from the Cheonma Jibow, only that particular aspect was conspicuously absent.
Cheon-ma’s divine techniques, her extraordinary abilities, her will—all were contained, yet that part alone was missing.
I spoke toward the Left Envoy.
“You’ve slipped away in secret, haven’t you?”
The Left Envoy wore an expression of utter composure, as though he had no idea what I meant. But I had already solidified my conviction.
“What foolish talk. The Murim Alliance has planted spies even within our sect. If I moved, they would be watching.”
“No, it’s not because of the Murim Alliance. It’s because you’ve been scheming something the other cultists would not approve of.”
“Divine Maiden.”
“You’re after the Cheonma Jibow, aren’t you?”
“….”
“You have no intention of bringing me to Cheon-ma. You mean to claim it for yourself.”
“….”
“You’ve discovered a method to seize this power, haven’t you?”
A method?
I do not know. But if killing me would cause the Cheonma Jibow’s will to simply vanish, then surely there must be a way to transfer or steal the will from me?
The Cheonma Jibow. Among all, it would be the cultists of the Demonic Cult who would covet it most.
To the point of abandoning their loyalty to Cheon-ma.
Especially now, when Cheon-ma herself faced difficulties.
If I could seize the Cheonma Jibow in this chaos, and the Left Envoy claimed he had come alone without the other Demonic Cult members knowing, then this situation could be explained.
Of course, this was merely my hypothesis, my conjecture. But in most situations, my hypotheses proved correct.
I spoke with a scornful laugh.
“Apostate.”
All expression drained from the Left Envoy’s face. He should have wavered, yet neither anger nor panic flickered across his features.
His blade emerged as if by sorcery—a broad-faced greatsword that thrust toward me in an instant. I couldn’t even discern when he’d drawn it.
But I was confident in my ability to evade.
I quickly ducked low, slipping beneath the sweeping arc of his blade.
The strands of hair trailing behind me were severed with a whisper, each one falling visibly before my eyes. Yet one thing was certain: there was no killing intent behind that blade.
‘How long can I keep dodging?’
In the moment I evaded with every ounce of strength, the ground where I’d stood vanished without a trace.
True to his title as Left Envoy, his skill was indeed formidable—comparable to Taego Jinperson, perhaps.
And though not quite as potent as immediately after absorbing the Cheonma Jibow, as I drew closer to the Heavenly Demon Grand Vault, the functions of the Cheonma Jibow I could wield grew exponentially stronger.
If I unleashed them, could I defeat the Left Envoy?
Schwick.
I abandoned all dignity and rolled across the damp ground, evading the blade.
The sword passed with barely a finger’s breadth to spare. I felt my protective qi barrier tear asunder.
The greatsword pursued relentlessly. Rising from my roll, I swept my foot across the wet fallen leaves, scattering them like a broom. The leaves obscured the Left Envoy’s vision.
“Yalyu!”
In that same moment, I called out to him as if commanding an attack, hurling a hidden blade behind the veil of leaves.
The projectiles flew like a comb’s teeth, parting the raindrops as they went.
“Such trivial tricks!”
Whatever martial art it was, the protective qi surrounding the Left Envoy’s body incinerated the leaves instantly, reducing them to ash. They vanished without a trace.
The hidden blade I’d thrown was caught in the Left Envoy’s hand.
“I’ve heard tales of the Divine Maiden’s abilities. Did you truly think such tricks would work on me? First, I must eliminate this nuisance….”
He gripped the blade in one hand and twisted as if to crumple it, but the projectile didn’t budge.
‘Of course not! It’s forged from Baek Lotus Steel!’
Even so, crushing an iron blade barehanded was no feat an ordinary master could accomplish.
That was when it happened.
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt.
At a sound rarely heard in such a place, the Left Envoy turned toward Yalyu, his eyes widening.
In Yalyu’s hand, the flames of the Nine Crimson Flame Formation—a technique of the Tianshan Flame Emperor—flickered, and within his palm lay a signal flare.
Obtained from Seo Ha-ryeong, it was something I’d thrown to Yalyu along with the hidden blade. From the start, the blade had merely been a smokescreen.
The Left Envoy laughed derisively upon seeing the signal flare.
“Will that even ignite properly?”
The modified explosive signal flare was extraordinarily vulnerable to moisture. On a rainy night like this, ignition was impossible.
“You boast of being clever, yet you’re utterly foolish….”
Whoosh-!
With a sharp whistle, the signal flare shot skyward. Then, with a thunderous boom, it exploded.
Between the suspended raindrops, brilliant light erupted in vivid clarity.
A signal flare briefly illuminated the overcast sky laden with clouds. Anyone versed in martial arts would easily spot it from a great distance.
I let out a wry chuckle.
“Well, would you look at that—it went off beautifully.”

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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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