The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 35

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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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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 035
Gwangheosan
“Ah, so these are disciples of the Kunlun Sect.”
The mysterious wanderer muttered to himself while examining the appearance of those he had slain.
His tone was utterly devoid of emotion—as if he had casually swatted a fly or mosquito on the road and was now speaking of it.
Watching him, a particular man came to mind.
A man in his forties with a carefree demeanor who killed without hesitation.
In all of Kangho, I could think of only one person who fit such a description.
And it seemed I was not alone in this thought.
“Forgive me, but are you perhaps the senior Gwangheosan?”
“Ho, you know of me?”
To Young Ho Bin’s cautious question, he replied with the same indifference.
They say a person’s name might be mistaken, but never their epithet.
The character for “madness” alone in his title was enough to reveal how dangerous the man before us truly was.
It was not merely a matter of his mental state.
Moments ago, he had swung his blade from a distance and severed a man’s neck.
To create sword energy and send it flying at such range meant he had reached the pinnacle of mastery in this world’s hierarchy of martial power.
A madman of the highest realm who killed without reason.
That was Gwangheosan.
To speak plainly, even if Baek So Cheong, I, and Young Ho Bin attacked together, we would have no chance of victory.
Should I be grateful we had escaped the Kunlun Sect’s grasp?
But what if this madman before us decided to make us his enemies?
Feeling such dread, my introverted nature began to surface once more.
No—even if I were not an introvert, fear would be the natural response in such circumstances.
“If I may ask, is there a reason you sought us out?”
At Young Ho Bin’s question, Gwangheosan rolled his half-lidded eyes and examined each of our faces in turn.
“Why would I have business with the likes of you? I was simply angered by those fools stirring about noisily since morning, disturbing my rest.”
While this brought some relief, it also felt far more unsettling than before.
He had killed three Kunlun Sect disciples without hesitation—all because they had disturbed his nap.
He was indeed as mad as the rumors suggested, and I could only pray his blade would not turn toward us.
“Then we shall withdraw so as not to trouble you further.”
“Wait a moment.”
Yet Gwangheosan showed no intention of letting us leave easily, holding us in place as he began to mutter, as if speaking to himself.
“From listening to those fools talk, it seemed they were searching for someone. They said if there was a group with a young boy accompanying them, they should immediately summon someone called a Master Teacher. You matched those conditions, so you fell into their trap.”
Up to this point, I had anticipated as much, so there was little surprise.
But then.
“I also heard them mention something about the Demonic Cult, saying they had captured you…”
The moment the word “Demonic Cult” left Gwangheosan’s lips, my heart sank.
No one showed it outwardly, but the others must have felt the same.
“Tell me—are you people from the Demonic Cult?”
His dry voice made my heart skip a beat, as if it had stopped entirely.
Though he hadn’t singled out anyone in particular, Young Ho Bin answered on our behalf once again.
“That couldn’t possibly be true. We are all brothers traveling to a village at the foot of the mountain to attend a relative’s wedding ceremony.”
“Hmm… I see. That does make sense.”
His muttering continued unabated.
I couldn’t discern what emotions Gwangheosan harbored toward the Demonic Cult.
Since he wasn’t affiliated with the Orthodox Sects, he might harbor no particular feelings at all.
“I dislike those Kunlun Sect bastards, but I despise the Demonic Cult even more. Their bizarre ideologies, the way that so-called Sect Leader struts about—the mere thought of it makes me sick. Even without disturbing my sleep, I’d kill any of them on sight without hesitation.”
And with that, his piercing gaze fixed directly upon me.
Already tense from this point onward, I felt as though darkness were closing in around my vision.
“But why would those Kunlun Sect bastards search the mountain for a single boy from the Demonic Cult? What do you think, boy?”
“I’m not sure, sir.”
Though I spoke only a few words in response, I had to concentrate every ounce of my being to keep my voice from trembling.
Gwangheosan’s words continued on.
“I heard something recently. The son of the Demonic Cult’s Sect Leader—that boy apparently accomplished some remarkable feats. They say he discovered one of the Demonic Cult’s three sacred treasures, rare artifacts of great value. One of them is supposedly a blade that cuts exceptionally well. Perhaps…? I have no desire to know why those Kunlun Sect bastards are after the Minor Sect Leader, but since I myself wield a blade, I can’t help but covet it. Hmm… though I heard it doesn’t look particularly distinctive.”
Gwangheosan lifted the Heavenly Demon Slaying Blade from the dead Taoist Priest’s grasp with suspicious eyes.
That I had discovered the Sun and Moon Divine Sect’s three sacred treasures was a secret known only to the major officials at the Sect Headquarters.
Yet I had no opportunity to question how Gwangheosan had come to know this fact before his words pressed onward.
“What was it called again? Blood Eyes or something like that—he supposedly has crimson eyes. That Minor Sect Leader from the Demonic Cult. Perhaps even a first-rate Kunlun Sect disciple was intent on examining that boy’s eyes closely. Looking at you now, your eyes do seem rather reddish….”
“My younger brother’s eyes become like that every spring and autumn.”
This time Namgung Eon stepped forward and offered an explanation for my naturally reddish irises, even without the manifestation of Blood Eyes.
Gwangheosan stared into my eyes for a long moment, then chuckled softly and returned the Heavenly Demon Slaying Blade to me.
“I’ve been taking up too much of you travelers’ time. Go on your way now.”
As Gwangheosan’s words concluded, Young Ho Bin and Baek So Cheong exchanged glances, bowed respectfully to him, and turned to leave.
But then.
“Wait. Before you go, answer me while looking into my eyes. I have an exceptional talent for detecting lies. Yes, come here.”
With those two sentences from Gwangheosan, we found ourselves detained once more.
He singled out Young Ho Bin, stepped close, and questioned him while gripping his blade.
His voice was ice-cold.
“If you lie, your head will fly. Are you from the Demonic Cult?”
Young Ho Bin did not answer immediately.
I knew well how resolute his convictions were.
Which made me all the more anxious.
Young Ho Bin possessed greater pride in the Divine Sect’s teachings and ideals than anyone else.
He was the sort who would never deny being a Disciple of the Divine Sect merely to save his own life.
“No, sir.”
Even at Young Ho Bin’s lie, Gwangheosan did not move.
He then singled out Namgung Eon.
“Are you from the Demonic Cult?”
“No, sir.”
Namgung Eon also denied it with a stern expression.
I knew they had not lied for their own survival.
They had done so to protect my life alongside them.
But….
“Next, Miss. Come forward.”
Baek So Cheong stepped before Gwangheosan with a resolute face.
She asked her own question before hearing his.
“Gwangheosan, your reputation is so vast it covers all of Tianxia, yet you would go to such lengths against a mere child and woman?”
“If you were not a Disciple of the Demonic Cult, I would release you at once. So tell me, Miss—do you belong to the Demonic Cult?”
Baek So Cheong’s answer did not come immediately.
As a member of the Sect Leader Family, denying her identity would not be easy.
Yet I could see that she too would lie.
Knowing this, I could not remain silent.
“Sister, that’s enough. Step back.”
I should have done this from the start.
Of course, it was not that I disliked lying.
If lying could save me and my companions, I would do it a hundred times over.
But I simply lacked the confidence.
I did not possess the steel nerves to lie calmly in the face of death.
Nor could I bear to watch Baek So Cheong suffer for speaking the truth.
“Yeon….”
“I will handle this. Young Ho Bin, Namgung Eon—both of you, step back.”
Am I not afraid of death?
Of course I am terrified.
But this is a life I have already died once before, is it not?
If I must die again, it is far better to die doing what I believe is right.
With that thought, my mind grew strangely calm.
“Gwangheosan, forgive my subordinates’ deception. They misspoke only to protect their lord’s life.”
“Ho… then you are?”
“Yes. I am Baek Yeon, Minor Sect Leader of the Great Sun-Moon Demon Cult.”
The trembling ceased, and only one thought consumed me.
-Kill him!!!
The man before me is a master beyond my reach.
But if killing him is the only way for my sister and my subordinates to live…, is there any other choice?
I must find a way.
“Hahahaha!”
Gwangheosan suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
His finger pointed at my eyes.
Now that I thought of it, with the Cheon Ma awakened, my eyes blazed with the crimson light known as blood eyes.
My identity was revealed without needing to speak a word.
“What a masterpiece! To actually confess your identity in this situation. So, you’re the Minor Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult?”
Gwangheosan stared at me with his mouth stretched wide open in a grin.
After laughing for a while with his shoulders shaking, his laughter subsided, and the tension rose higher than ever.
Baek So Cheong, Young Ho Bin, and Namgung Eon were all preparing to engage in combat at any moment.
“You should all be grateful to your master. If the Minor Sect Leader had lied, you would have all lost your heads together in one stroke.”
With that, he unexpectedly sheathed the sword he had been holding at his waist.
Then.
“It would be shameful for a senior of Kangho Murim to mercilessly draw his blade and kill a young boy. So, Minor Sect Leader… Baek Yeon, was it? I’ll give you a chance.”
“What?”
Gwangheosan.
A madman who, true to the name “Hermit,” belonged to no sect and wandered Kangho without purpose.
Beyond his alias, nothing was known—not his real name, his master, his origins, what he desired, or what he pursued.
A supreme master known only to pursue strength itself.
“I’ll concede three moves. If your blade so much as grazes my collar, I’ll let all of you go.”
“Minor Sect Leader. There’s no need to listen to this man’s words. We’ll buy you time…”
Young Ho Bin interjected, trying to dissuade me, but I waved my hand to signal them to step back.
I had no intention of fleeing while using their lives as collateral.
Considering the Void Hermit’s mastery of lightness technique and the realm of his sword wind, escape itself would be a vain hope.
“I gratefully accept your offer.”
“That’s the spirit.”
He chuckled and accepted, then wiped the smile from his face, letting his arms hang naturally as he assumed a relaxed stance.
I too gazed into his hollow eyes and gripped the handle of the Heavenly Demon Annihilation Blade.
‘Just grazing the collar… is it.’
Perhaps a golden opportunity had finally come my way.
My realm was at best mid-tier second-rate, putting me two levels below Gwangheosan, who was at minimum in the supreme realm.
A direct confrontation offered no chance of victory, but…
Through training the Hyeon Ma Nae Hyang Sim Gong, I had reached a realm quite high for my age, and he would have no information about my actual level.
Moreover, if Cheon Ma were activated, I could temporarily display martial arts far stronger than my usual training realm.
Even I didn’t know how strong I would be if I manifested Cheon Ma now.
So this was an incredibly dangerous gamble for both him and me alike.
‘Cheon Ma… are you listening?’
-The collar!!!!
‘Not the collar. You must have the resolve to cut him down in one stroke.’
-Tear his torso in half!!!
‘Yes, go ahead… rampage to your heart’s content.’
With a single breath, I drew up the energy of the Hyeon Ma Nae Hyang Sim Gong, but the violent energy no longer rampaged wildly.
The twisted qi channels within my body created a fierce and silent vortex of demonic energy.
As the power of Cheon Ma joined in, the flow of my vital force became even more magnificent.
‘It doesn’t extend from the hands. It must become part of the circulation of the entire body.’
And a single thread of inspiration gained through Baek So Cheong’s guidance merged with it…
“I shall go.”
“Very well, come forth.”
Whoosh.
A sword strike that contained everything I had cultivated all this time.
The blade of the Heavenly Demon Slaying Sword was wreathed in a mysterious crimson aura of blade energy, tracing a single graceful arc through the void.

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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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