Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 26

—–CROW—– 

Thud!

The lifeless Cold-Faced Blade Demon collapsed to the floor with a loud thud.

“What…?”

Go Gye-yeong looked back and forth between the Cold-Faced Blade Demon’s corpse and Cheon-hwi, who wore an indifferent expression, dumbfounded.

‘Why is the Cold-Faced Blade Demon…?’

His mind raced.

Moments ago, the Cold-Faced Blade Demon had lunged at them, wielding a sword imbued with a chilling Yin energy, palpable even to him, who knew nothing of martial arts.

In contrast, Cheon-hwi had simply raised his index finger, showing no aura whatsoever.

The outcome seemed obvious.

But what was this?

A crimson light had suddenly flashed from Cheon-hwi’s index finger, and the result was the opposite of what he expected.

Cheon-hwi stood there, his index finger still raised, while the Cold-Faced Blade Demon, who had been wielding his chilling sword, lay dead, a corpse colder than the Yin energy he had exuded.

‘Judging by their auras, the Cold-Faced Blade Demon seemed about to cut him in half…’

Gulp—

Go Gye-yeong’s throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously.

But only for a moment.

‘It’s beyond my comprehension, a merchant who’s lived his entire life as such…’

He quickly stopped his train of thought.

It was something he, who knew nothing about martial arts, could never understand.

Dwelling on it would only give him a headache.

There was only one thing he had to do now.

To express his gratitude to the Taoist priest from Mount Hua Sect, his benefactor, who had saved him, his wife, and the Swift Wind Trading Company.

“Thank you for your help.”

He immediately bowed to the young Taoist priest before him.

“Th-Thank you for your help.”

Her face was pale, and she clasped her trembling hands with difficulty.

It was understandable, considering the horrific scenes she had witnessed in less than an hour.

From the sudden attack to the deaths of the guards who tried to protect her, the raging fire within the trading company, and the screams.

And that wasn’t all.

The acrid smoke still stinging her nose was enough to disorient her.

An ordinary woman would have been in shock, unable to think straight, but she desperately clung to her sanity.

She was the madam of the Swift Wind Trading Company.

Cheon-hwi, however, was unmoved by their sincere gratitude.

Or rather, he wasn’t even paying attention.

He was staring at the Cold-Faced Blade Demon, who lay sprawled on the floor.

His body had been excited by the killing intent he hadn’t felt in a long time, so he had waited for his opponent to unleash his ultimate technique…

‘Why is he so weak?’

His excitement quickly dissipated.

He was deeply disappointed by the Cold-Faced Blade Demon, who had died instantly before he could even properly unleash his skills.

He turned his gaze away.

The man and woman were still trembling, seemingly terrified.

“I’ve taken care of everything.”

He replied indifferently, glanced at the two, and turned around.

‘I’ve saved them, so I’m done here.’

As he was about to leave through the broken door, having completed the most important task of protecting the head of the Swift Wind Trading Company.

“W-Where are you going?”

Go Gye-yeong asked hurriedly.

Perhaps because he had been cornered moments ago, he couldn’t hide his anxiety as Cheon-hwi was about to leave.

Cheon-hwi turned his head and looked at him.

Instantly grasping his feelings, he said with an annoyed expression,

“Follow me if you’re anxious.”

He then stepped out the door.

“Sob.”

“My wife.”

Go Gye-yeong and Yeon Su-ran exchanged glances and followed him with hardened expressions.

“Gasp!”

“Oh!”

Go Gye-yeong and Yeon Su-ran gasped and covered their mouths with their hands as they followed him out.

The hallway was filled with corpses.

“When did all these bodies…!”

Go Gye-yeong’s eyes widened.

Most of them weren’t wearing Swift Wind Trading Company uniforms, so they must have been the intruders.

That meant only one thing.

The Taoist priest in front of him was responsible for this carnage.

Moreover, he had carried out this massacre so stealthily that even the Cold-Faced Blade Demon hadn’t noticed.

“As expected of Mount Hua Sect…”

Go Gye-yeong’s eyes sparkled as he stared at Cheon-hwi’s back.

Step— Step—

A Taoist priest walking among corpses was a bizarre sight.

Moreover, his methods were brutal, but what did it matter now?

He was an ally, not an enemy.

‘He’s like a one-man army.’

Go Gye-yeong’s face brightened.

Just then, Cheon-hwi, stepping outside, frowned.

‘What? It’s not over yet?’

As soon as he left the residence, he was greeted by the scene of a battle, the acrid smoke stinging his nose.

***

“Ugh!”

Jeok-geom gritted his teeth as he fought the endless stream of enemies.

They were outnumbered.

There were only five Plum Blossom Swordsmen, but there were easily over fifty unidentified martial artists.

“This is not the time!”

Jeok-geom shouted.

He was extremely anxious.

‘I have to get inside quickly!’

He had been frantic since seeing the state of the Swift Wind Trading Company.  Moreover, he was worried about his parents’ safety.

“Get out of my way!”

As he swung his sword frantically.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound pierced the air towards him.

“…!”

Jeok-geom turned his head sharply.

A martial artist’s sword was aimed at his temple.

He hurriedly changed the direction of his sword.

Clang!

He barely managed to deflect the attack with his sword, but the impact made his sword tremble.

“Senior Brother!”

Seol-ran shouted.

She quickly distanced herself from the martial artist in front of her and shouted again,

“Get a grip! What would Senior Disciple think if he saw you like this?”

Jeok-geom flinched at her sharp words.

Cheon-hwi was someone he both respected and feared.

He was usually indifferent and careless about everything, but when it came to martial arts, he was incredibly thorough and strict.

If he saw him like this…

Shudder—

Jeok-geom shuddered.

“…Thank you, Junior Sister.”

He calmed down, assessed the situation, and lightly gripped his sword.

His sword moved.

Whoosh!

A strong fragrance of plum blossoms filled the air.

It was his own Plum Blossom Sword Technique, honed through daily practice for a year.

Slash!

He severed the attacking martial artist’s arm.

“Aaagh!”

The martial artist screamed in pain and rolled on the ground, clutching his severed arm.

Jeok-geom’s eyes were indifferent.

If he had been a novice, he would have been shaken by the scream and the unfamiliar sensation in his hand, but he remained calm.

‘…The training wasn’t in vain.’

Perhaps thanks to the practical experience he gained through hunting.

He was no longer the nervous young man who had succumbed to the pressure of the duel five years ago.

He was Jeok-geom, the Plum Blossom Swordsman.

Swish!

Jeok-geom continued to execute the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

His sword, carrying the fragrance of plum blossoms, struck down his opponents without hesitation, and Seol-ran also cut down her enemies one after another.

“They’re somewhat decent.”

Cheon-hwi muttered as he watched.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have impressed him, but there was something else that made him frown.

“Compared to those guys, at least.”

Cheon-hwi looked at the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen with a disappointed expression.

“Huff, huff.”

“Is everyone alright?”

“I’m dying.”

Jeok-jae, Jeok-un, and Jeok-bi were struggling against the Hegemon Clan disciples who were attacking them in groups.

‘Tsk, are they also lacking practical experience?’

Their skill and martial arts were clearly superior to the Hegemon Clan disciples.

But what good was that?

They were getting beaten like dogs.

‘Compared to those three, Jeok-geom and Seol-ran are angels.’

As Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue.

“A fair one-on-one…”

Jeok-un said, glaring at his opponents.

“Hahaha!”

But before he could finish, the Hegemon Clan disciples burst into laughter.

“You fool.  What fair fight in the martial world?”

“What was Mount Hua thinking, sending these naive fools?”

Cheon-hwi watched Jeok-un and Jeok-jae charge at their opponents in anger and sighed in disappointment.

“They’re struggling against those weaklings.  Sigh.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“It’s a waste of their martial arts.”

As he was evaluating them, he felt a killing intent from beside him.

“Die!”

Swish!

A Hegemon Clan disciple suddenly appeared and thrust his sword towards Cheon-hwi’s side.

In that split second, as the sword tip approached.

Boom!

An explosion echoed, and a pillar crumbled.

Thud—

The disciple, having been sent flying through the pillar, rolled among the other Hegemon Clan disciples, his body mangled beyond recognition.

A silence fell among the fighting Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Hegemon Clan disciples.

“Senior Disciple?”

“When did you get here?”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran smiled brightly.

Cheon-hwi’s appearance was like a beacon of light in their dire situation.

“There was another one?”

On the other hand, the Hegemon Clan disciples glared at Cheon-hwi and adjusted their grips on their weapons.

“You!”

“How dare you harm our clan’s disciples!”

“Kill him!”

Cheon-hwi let out a chilling laugh as he watched them charge at him from all directions.

A cold, terrifying laugh.

“You have a death wish.”

Thud! Thud!

Five martial artists collapsed to the ground, spraying blood.

Grab!

Cheon-hwi turned around and grabbed the neck of a Hegemon Clan disciple who was trying to attack him from behind.

“S-Spare me…!”

Cheon-hwi snapped the man’s neck with an indifferent expression.

Crack—

A sickening sound echoed, and the Hegemon Clan disciples’ faces turned pale.

The deaths of six of their comrades in the blink of an eye were enough to plant seeds of fear in their hearts.

But they didn’t know.

That this was only the beginning.

Blur—

Cheon-hwi’s figure blurred, and he reappeared among the Hegemon Clan disciples.

“Gasp!”

“…!”

They hurriedly swung their weapons at Cheon-hwi.

Whoosh!

But their weapons sliced through empty air.

A loud booming sound, like a drum being struck, echoed, and their robes puffed up.

“Cough!”

“Gurg—

They coughed up blood, fell to their knees, and collapsed slowly.

Shudder—

“I-Internal Style Heavy Hand Technique?”

Someone recognized the technique Cheon-hwi had just used and turned pale.

The Internal Style Heavy Hand Technique wasn’t something easily mastered.

Only someone of the level of a sect leader could wield it with such proficiency.

Yet, this young Taoist priest was using it skillfully.

Trickle—

As the approaching Cheon-hwi loomed over him, a drop of sweat trickled down the Hegemon Clan disciple’s forehead.

“What are you waiting for? Come on. If you don’t come, I will.”

Cheon-hwi kicked off the ground.

As he shot forward like an arrow.

“You!”

A man with a large build appeared and blocked Cheon-hwi’s path.

“Leader!”

“The Leader is here!”

The Hegemon Clan disciples’ faces brightened.

The man in black robes was Tae-san Il-gwon, the leader of the Hegemon Scenic Group that had attacked the Swift Wind Trading Company and one of the top three experts in the Hegemon Clan.

“You! Stop your cruel massacre…”

As he shouted, blocking Cheon-hwi’s path with a stern expression, Cheon-hwi threw a punch.

Thud!

“Cough!”

The large man was sent flying and crashed into the wall.

Boom!

“…!”

The Hegemon Clan disciples’ jaws dropped in shock, and Cheon-hwi, who had sent him flying, tilted his head and spoke,

“Who’s that?”

—–CROW—– 

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