Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 39

—–CROW—– 

“…!”

“…!”

Not only Ha Woo-jin, but even Hyeon-do, who had been listening alongside him, couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

However, the reasons for their shock were distinctly different.

“How did you defeat the Soul Slaughter Squad…?”

While Ha Woo-jin couldn’t hide his surprise, Hyeon-do was different.

Of course, the news of the Soul Slaughter Squad’s defeat was astounding, but he wasn’t entirely incredulous.

‘It’s entirely possible.’

An existence outside the norm, defying comprehension.

That was Cheon-hwi.

Even he, having reached the Heavenly Martial Realm, couldn’t grasp the extent of Cheon-hwi’s current prowess.

No matter how formidable the Soul Slaughter Squad was, if Cheon-hwi faced them, victory was certain.

Then why was he so shocked?

The reason escaped his lips.

“…They actually sent the Soul Slaughter Squad.”

His whispered words were heavy with unease.

The fact that the Hundred Ghosts Castle was serious enough about destroying the Swift Wind Trading Company to send the Soul Slaughter Squad, known as the most secretive of the Three Squads of the White Ghost, made his heart heavy.

The Hundred Ghosts Castle, hidden behind the Hegemon Clan as a shield, had remained silent for years.

And now, they had broken that long silence by sending the Soul Slaughter Squad.

Of course, as Ha Woo-jin had suggested, it was possible they acted because their plan had failed and the Hegemon Clan had been annihilated.

But even so, sending the Soul Slaughter Squad to deal with a mere trading company?

Wasn’t that excessive?

‘What is the Hundred Ghosts Castle’s objective?’

He searched his mind, sifting through the information he had accumulated over the years.

After some thought,

The first thing that came to mind was, as expected, related to his own sect.

‘Are they trying to cut off the Mount Hua Sect’s funding by attacking the Swift Wind Trading Company? Or…’

Hyeon-do continued to ponder, searching for an answer to the question that arose, but,

‘I don’t know.’

He couldn’t find an answer.

He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts, and finally turned to Cheon-hwi, who was deeply involved in this matter, for help.

“Do you know their objective? Why did the Hundred Ghosts Castle send even the Soul Slaughter Squad to attack the Swift Wind Trading Company…?”

“No.”

Hyeon-do swallowed his disappointment at the curt reply.

It was an expected answer.

“I shouldn’t have asked.  They wouldn’t have told you even if you asked.”

“That’s not it.”

Hyeon-do, wearing a bitter expression, was taken aback by Cheon-hwi’s response.

“W-Wait, you didn’t even ask?”

“Why would I ask something like that?”

“You need to know the Hundred Ghosts Castle’s objective!”

“Why is that important?”

Cheon-hwi looked at him as if he didn’t understand at all.

“The important thing is that they tried to ambush the Swift Wind Trading Company.”

“…!”

Hyeon-do stared at Cheon-hwi, dumbfounded, as if he had been struck on the back of the head.

‘Has his desire for revenge faded over time?!’

The Hundred Ghosts Castle were sworn enemies of the Mount Hua Sect, enemies they couldn’t coexist with.

Now that they had a justifiable reason, he should be pleased.

And yet, he was questioning their objective.

“Hahaha!”

After pondering, he threw his head back and burst into hearty laughter.

‘What? Why is he laughing?’

He stared blankly at Hyeon-do, who was suddenly roaring with laughter.

“You’re right.”

Hyeon-do said, crossing his arms.

“The most important thing is that they attacked.”

What was the point of agonizing over the Hundred Ghosts Castle’s objective?

The crucial fact was that they had dared to touch the Swift Wind Trading Company.

“If they dared to touch the Swift Wind Trading Company, which is under our sect’s protection, they must pay the price.  Indeed, they must.”

With those words, Hyeon-do’s eyes turned cold as he glared in the direction of the Hundred Ghosts Castle.

Then,

“W-When did they ambush?”

Ha Woo-jin, who had been anxiously watching their conversation, spoke up.

He was quite agitated.

‘The Soul Slaughter Squad!’

His perspective differed from Hyeon-do’s.

As a Taoist priest of the Mount Zhongnan Sect, he was focused on the fact that the Hundred Ghosts Castle had made a move.

Especially the deployment of the Soul Slaughter Squad signified that the Hundred Ghosts Castle was revealing their hidden ambitions.

‘I need to understand the situation.’

Cheon-hwi, seeing Ha Woo-jin’s unconcealed anxiety, spoke,

“It wasn’t an ambush.”

“What do you mean?”

“I killed them before they could.”

Cheon-hwi spoke as if it were nothing, but Ha Woo-jin couldn’t take his words at face value.

“You’re saying you knew about the Soul Slaughter Squad’s ambush beforehand?”

“Yes.”

Cheon-hwi answered as if it were obvious.

Ha Woo-jin was the one who was taken aback.

‘He sensed the Soul Slaughter Squad’s presence beforehand?!’

Surprise filled his eyes as he looked at Cheon-hwi, who appeared so nonchalant.

Why had the Soul Slaughter Squad become so infamous, even though no one had ever seen them directly?

It was because of the rumors circulating within the Six Grand Sects about the silent annihilation of evil sects that had crossed the Hundred Ghosts Castle.

It was said that the Hundred Ghosts Castle had a Soul Slaughter Squad, capable of stealth techniques so subtle that no one could detect them.

They were a force shrouded in rumors, with no concrete evidence of their existence…

‘Then!’

Ha Woo-jin’s eyes widened.

‘Some members of the Soul Slaughter Squad must have been discovered while scouting for the ambush!’

He came to this conclusion and looked at the Swift Wind Trading Company with a knowing gaze.

‘Of course. There’s no way the Swift Wind Trading Company would be intact if the entire Soul Slaughter Squad had come.’

Ha Woo-jin began to misunderstand.

It was understandable, in a way.

Who would believe that the entire Soul Slaughter Squad of the Hundred Ghosts Castle had been annihilated by a young man who hadn’t even reached adulthood?

It was preposterous.

‘Then the rest of the Soul Slaughter Squad, excluding the scouts, might return.’

His misunderstanding deepened, and there was no one to correct him.

‘I’m worried about what will happen later.’

Ha Woo-jin shook his head, looking at the Swift Wind Trading Company, then turned to Cheon-hwi with a determined expression and spoke,

“If you don’t mind, could I stay at the Swift Wind Trading Company?”

“Huh?”

Cheon-hwi looked at Ha Woo-jin’s resolute eyes and replied with a dumbfounded expression,

“Shouldn’t you ask the Trading Company Leader?”

***

That night.

Back in his room, Cheon-hwi’s mind was filled with the Falling Plum Blossom Rain of Heaven he had unleashed earlier.

A spectacle of sword energy spreading in all directions.

The Falling Plum Blossom Rain of Heaven had been more beautiful and cruel than he had imagined, instantly severing the lives of those Soul Slaughter Squad bastards.

‘Martial arts should be imbued with killing intent.’

A faint smile played on his lips, revealing his pearly white teeth.

With or without killing intent.

For those who had reached the transcendental realm, that alone made a huge difference.

Especially for him, who had been the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Having spent his entire life wielding demonic martial arts filled with demonic energy and killing intent, the difference was even greater for him.

‘It’s gotten better, but…’

He opened his eyes.

The room was dark, with the windows and door closed, but it didn’t bother him at all.

He could see the interior as clearly as if it were daytime.

Since when had it been like this?

His eyesight had not only transcended the boundaries of day and night but also allowed him to see clearly, as if it had always been this way.

A chilling flame ignited in his eyes.

A blue ghostly fire blazed, as if it would consume not only the room but also himself.

‘Not yet.’

His pupils, staring into the void, slightly dilated.  Or rather, he wasn’t looking at the void but into the past.

A slender man with jet-black hair cascading down his shoulders.

The man’s eyes were clear.

So clear and pure that his own reflection seemed to breathe within them.

He chuckled briefly.

‘Was I like this?’

The man before him was himself.

More precisely, his past self, Dokgo Gu-yeon, known as the Absolute Heavenly Demon.

His overwhelming demonic energy and presence, along with his icy gaze, seemed to pierce through everything.

‘Is this why everyone who met me feared looking into my eyes?’

Now, facing this image, he could understand their fear.

He narrowed his eyes, observing the illusory image of Dokgo Gu-yeon, the Absolute Heavenly Demon.

‘It’ll take some time to reach that level.’

His current goal was to reach the level of his past self.

But he wasn’t there yet.

Slide—

As he closed and opened his eyes, the image of his past self dissipated like dust, as if it had been a dream.

He lightly moved his neck from side to side.

Crack— Crack—

His neck had been stiff from sitting for so long, and as the bones cracked, he felt lighter.

“The most urgent thing is…”

He recalled checking his internal energy.

His current Plum Blossom Divine Art’s internal energy was a far cry from the demonic energy he had accumulated over a long time.

And what about his physical body?

It was a mystical and wondrous body capable of absorbing and wielding all forms of internal energy, but it was still developing.

‘It might take longer.’

There were many ways to increase internal energy, such as elixirs and internal alchemy, but,

There was nothing he could do about his physical body.

How could he defy the laws of nature?

‘Well, I did defy it once.’

He shrugged.

Hadn’t he defied the greatest law of nature, life itself?

“Hmm, once my growth is complete and I accumulate enough internal energy, I should be able to quickly reach my past level.”

He was confident.

Even with an unstable body and insufficient internal energy, he had reached the Heavenly Martial Realm, surpassing the Peak Master Realm, solely through his martial arts skills.

So, what would happen once his growth was complete?

Nothing was easier than retracing a path he had already walked.

“In the end, only time will tell.”

He couldn’t predict when it would happen.

But what choice did he have?

It was the only solution.

He had to patiently wait until his current body reached its full potential.

“There’s nothing I can do right now.”

He lay down on the bed.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“I want to try other techniques, but I wonder if those guys will come again today?”

—–CROW—– 

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