Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 21

—–CROW—– 

‘Is this really that surprising?’

Cheon-hwi stared at Hyeon-cheong, who was gaping at him with wide eyes.

He couldn’t understand Hyeon-cheong’s reaction.

To be so shocked by the mere restoration of some martial arts.

‘Most of them couldn’t even properly interpret the mnemonic verses.’

To him, who had reached a transcendent level, all the martial arts in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion were as clear as day.

Especially since some of the transcendent techniques, like the Jade Ring Cat Steps and the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, were techniques he had personally encountered in the past, restoring them was incredibly easy.

But that was only from his perspective.

For those who weren’t martial artists… or rather, for those who weren’t him, it was different.

Restoring martial arts required reaching a transcendent level or mastering them through arduous training.

Even then, there was no guarantee of success.

Just then.

“M-Most of them?”

Hyeon-cheong, snapping out of his daze after shaking his head frantically, asked.

“Yes.”

Cheon-hwi replied indifferently.

And from that, Hyeon-cheong realized that Cheon-hwi wasn’t lying.

‘Not just one, but most of them?’

Hyeon-cheong, still reeling from Cheon-hwi’s answer, asked again,

“D-Do you mean to say you’ve read all the martial arts manuals in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion?”

“Not all of them yet.”

“Haha.”

Hyeon-cheong let out a disbelieving chuckle.

That answer sounded even more believable.

‘He read all of that?’

There were countless martial arts manuals in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion.

At least several hundred.  It had taken him at least four years to read them all.

‘And he’s read most of them?’

Cheon-hwi looked indifferently at Hyeon-cheong, who couldn’t hide his astonishment.

‘That look again.’

Hyeon-cheong’s expression was very familiar.

Most of the looks he had received were like Hyeon-cheong’s—unable to hide their shock, or filled with awe or fear.

‘To be so surprised by this.’

Cheon-hwi felt indifferent.

‘I read all the manuals in the Heavenly Demon Library in less than six years.’

His standard was the Heavenly Demon Library.

But he didn’t know.

That the Heavenly Demon Library was an unparalleled treasure trove of martial arts manuals.

It contained not only all the demonic manuals in existence but also the manuals seized from the Central Plains when the Heavenly Demon Cult ruled the martial world.

As Cheon-hwi remained indifferent.

‘I-Is he telling the truth?’

Hyeon-cheong, oblivious to Cheon-hwi’s thoughts, was still in a state of confusion.

Then he suddenly thought of a way to confirm Cheon-hwi’s claims.

‘If I compare it with the mnemonic verses of the recently restored martial arts, I’ll know if he’s telling the truth.’

He spoke with trembling lips,

“Then do you know the mnemonic verses of the Great Net Sword?”

“The Great Net Sword?”

As soon as he heard the name, the mnemonic verses of the Great Net Sword surfaced in Cheon-hwi’s mind.

The Great Net Sword was a sword technique that had once brought fame to Mount Hua Sect, but it had been lost five hundred years ago and become obsolete.

“Ah, that? Yes, I know it.”

“Then can you show me?”

“…”

Cheon-hwi looked disapprovingly at Hyeon-cheong, who seemed to be testing him.

‘How bothersome.’

If he were his past self, he would have lashed out, asking, ‘Are you testing me!’

But what could he do?

He was a junior disciple, and Hyeon-cheong was a senior disciple.

“Sigh, alright.”

He stood up with a sigh.

Hyeon-cheong, slightly surprised by Cheon-hwi’s sudden movement, asked,

“Why are you standing up?”

“You asked me to show you the Great Net Sword, didn’t you?”

“…!”

Hyeon-cheong’s eyes widened.

“Are you going to demonstrate it yourself?”

“Is there another way?”

Hyeon-cheong stared at Cheon-hwi, who replied nonchalantly, his eyes wide with surprise.

He had expected Cheon-hwi to simply recite the verses, but he was going to demonstrate the technique itself.

‘Reciting the verses and demonstrating the technique are on completely different levels…’

Cheon-hwi looked down at Hyeon-cheong, who couldn’t hide his surprise.

Contrary to Hyeon-cheong’s thoughts, demonstrating the technique was easier for Cheon-hwi than reciting the verses.

‘When would I finish reciting all the verses?’

The mnemonic verses of the Great Net Sword were unnecessarily long.

He would have to talk for at least two hours.

“Aren’t you going to watch?”

As Cheon-hwi looked down at him expectantly, Hyeon-cheong placed his hands on the floor and stood up, asking,

“Can you really execute it?”

At the repeated question, Cheon-hwi replied with an openly annoyed expression,

“You’ll see.”

Cheon-hwi immediately exited the hut.

A moment later, the two stood facing each other in the courtyard.

The courtyard was shrouded in darkness, but it didn’t hinder Cheon-hwi or Hyeon-cheong’s vision.

“Here I go.”

Cheon-hwi spoke casually, and Hyeon-cheong waited, gulping nervously.

Sweep—

Cheon-hwi immediately raised the wooden sword he had brought.

He then spread his feet shoulder-width apart and aligned the tip of his sword with his eye level.

Hyeon-cheong’s eyes widened.

‘T-This is!  Identical!’

He was inwardly shocked.

It was a completely different stance from the one described in the manual, but it perfectly matched the starting stance of the Great Net Sword he had restored.

Hyeon-cheong’s throat felt dry.

Then the wooden sword moved in a wide arc.

Whoosh!

The wooden sword, slicing through the darkness, was aimed at the brightly shining full moon.

Dozens of sword lights appeared instantly.

Flash!

The sword lights, flashing like lightning in the darkness, split into several strands, slicing the full moon into pieces and capturing it completely.

Great Net, like a giant net.

‘T-This is even more powerful and perfect than the Great Net Sword I restored…’

As he was mesmerized by Cheon-hwi’s Great Net Sword, aimed at the moon.

Crackle!

The fragments of the shattered moon, like shooting stars, escaped the net and fell from the sky.

As Hyeon-cheong stared blankly.

“Is that enough?”

Flinch!

Hyeon-cheong, who had been lost in thought while watching the meteor shower, snapped back to reality.

‘An i-illusion?’

The meteor shower that had filled the sky moments ago was gone.

Or rather, it had never been there in the first place.

“…It’s true.”

Perhaps due to witnessing the incredibly realistic Great Net Sword, he spoke weakly.

“…!”

Then his eyebrows shot up.

He suddenly stroked his beard, turned his head sharply, and looked at Cheon-hwi.

‘If the Great Net Sword I mentioned first is this powerful, then the other martial arts…’

Gulp—

He swallowed hard.

He then carefully asked,

“D-Did you really restore most of the manuals you read, just like the Great Net Sword?”

“You still don’t believe me?”

At Cheon-hwi’s indifferent reply, Hyeon-cheong clenched his fists involuntarily.

Feeling his sweaty palms, he nodded.

He then spoke in a low voice,

“…Hwi.”

“Yes?”

As Cheon-hwi looked at Hyeon-cheong, he carefully asked,

“Could you help me restore the martial arts?”

“Restore the martial arts?”

“Yes.”

Cheon-hwi’s face contorted instantly.

‘So that was his goal.’

Restoring martial arts was easy, but helping someone else restore them was a different story.

He would have to write down the contents from his memory and add annotations to interpret the mnemonic verses.

How bothersome.

“I’m sorry, but I need to practice martial arts.”

Cheon-hwi expressed his refusal indirectly rather than rejecting him outright.

‘I don’t need to go to the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion anymore anyway.’

Hyeon-cheong fidgeted anxiously, racking his brain.

‘With Cheon-hwi’s help, we can quickly restore the manuals with lost mnemonic verses. I have to keep him here somehow.  If I tempt him with something he’s interested in…’

As Hyeon-cheong was lost in thought, even resorting to the word “tempt,” which a Taoist shouldn’t even consider,

Flash!

An idea struck him like lightning.

‘That’s it!’

There was only one thing that could pique Cheon-hwi’s interest.

He voiced his thought,

“Wouldn’t you like to see new martial arts manuals that aren’t in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion?”

Cheon-hwi’s body twitched.

His eyes sparkled like the stars in the sky, and a quiet voice escaped his lips,

“New martial arts manuals…?”

***

The Cloud Gazing Hall, which had been empty since the end of the Five Mountains Gathering, was filled with Taoist priests for a grand meeting.

“Have there been any rumors about our sect circulating in the martial world recently?”

The Sect Leader’s quiet words were met with shakes of the head.

“It’s been quiet.”

“The other sword sects seem to be keeping a low profile after the results of the Five Mountains Gathering.”

The Sect Leader smiled in satisfaction at their replies.

“The rumors haven’t spread as much as I feared.”

“It’s all thanks to Cheon-hwi.”

Hyeon-ryeo, who had been listening quietly, replied with a bright smile, and everyone agreed.

It was true. It was thanks to Cheon-hwi.

Although they had won the Five Mountains Gathering, they couldn’t boast about it.

Cheon-hwi had overwhelmingly defeated the strongest successor at the gathering.

In such a situation, spreading rumors about their victory would be like slapping themselves in the face.

Then the Sect Leader spoke,

“That’s good.”

He stroked his beard with a relaxed expression and added quietly,

“We don’t want him to become like Hyeon-gang.”

“Hmm…”

Everyone sighed in relief.

Why did Hyeon-gang have so many enemies?

Because those who envied his exceptional talent and skill had targeted him.

As everyone was feeling relieved.

“I heard rumors that smoke has been rising from Nakan Peak recently.”

The Martial Arts Instructor changed the subject to lighten the slightly somber mood.

‘Oh dear, Cheon-hwi.’

Hyeon-do’s face paled.

Having frequented Nakan Peak recently, Hyeon-do had been the first to notice the smoke and had already figured out what Cheon-hwi was doing.

Eating meat.

He had been shocked at the unthinkable sight and tried to stop him, but Cheon-hwi had been adamant.

‘You must abstain from eating meat.’

‘Why?’

‘A Taoist must refrain from killing…’

‘Really?  Then I’ll just stop being a Taoist.’

Hyeon-do had been startled by Cheon-hwi’s attitude, as if he would leave immediately if he was forbidden from eating meat.

In the end, he had given up.

‘Just don’t get caught.’

Hyeon-do’s throat felt dry.

‘I can’t tell anyone about this.’

But the others, unaware of Hyeon-do’s predicament, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Smoke?”

“Have you seen the smoke?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Who started a fire?”

As those unaware of the hidden truth reacted, Hyeon-do squeezed his eyes shut.

“Cheon-hwi has been boiling water recently, perhaps because he’s cold.”

“Cheon-hwi?”

“Cheon-hwi?”

“Yes.”

Hyeon-ryeo, who was the only other person besides Hyeon-do who knew about it, interjected.

She winked at Hyeon-do.

“Come to think of it, Cheon-hwi did mention feeling chilly recently.”

Hyeon-do, reading her urging gaze, quickly chimed in, seizing the lifeline she had extended.

“He’s still recovering…”

“…He must still be cold.”

The elders looked at each other with concern.

Although Cheon-hwi had recently displayed amazing skill, the image they had of him was mostly of him being bedridden.

“Senior Brother Hyeon-do, is Cheon-hwi alright?”

At the Martial Arts Instructor’s concerned question, Hyeon-do replied with a gentle smile,

“It’s nothing serious.”

“That’s a relief.”

The Taoist priests, concerned about Cheon-hwi, had already forgotten about the smoke.

‘Phew.’

Hyeon-do glanced at Hyeon-ryeo, and the two nodded in satisfaction.

‘Good job, Junior Sister.’

‘It’s for Cheon-hwi.’

After smoothly covering up the situation, the Sect Leader looked at Hyeon-il and asked,

“…What is the reason for this grand meeting?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Hyeon-il.

He was the Records Keeper, responsible for all information within Mount Hua Sect.

The atmosphere became tense as they looked at the Records Keeper, who had remained silent with a serious expression since the beginning of the meeting.

This grand meeting had been convened at his urgent request.

Hyeon-il, given the floor, nodded and opened his eyes slightly.

Then he spoke, and the air grew cold.

“The Hundred Ghosts Castle is making its move.”

—–CROW—– 

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