39 - Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect

Chapter 39 "……!" "……!" Both Hao Jin and Hyun Do were utterly shocked, though their reasons clearly differed. "How is it possible for him to defeat the Execution Team…?" Hao Jin couldn't contain his astonishment, but Hyun Do had a different reaction. It was indeed surprising to hear about the defeat of the Execution Team, yet he found it plausible. 'Entirely possible.' An existence beyond comprehension—Chunhui was precisely that. Even someone like himself, who had achieved the state of Heavenly Martial Arts, could not grasp the level of martial prowess Chunhui had attained. No matter how formidable the Execution Team might be, with Chunhui standing against them, victory was assured. So why was Hyun Do shocked? His reason slipped into words. "……I never expected them to send the Execution Team." His murmured words were filled with unease. The fact that Baek Gwi-seong sent the notoriously secretive Execution Team, one of the Three Great Ghost Armies, showed just how serious they were about toppling the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild, leaving Hyun Do’s mind in turmoil. Baek Gwi-seong had been a silent force behind their shield, Pae Wang Moon, for years. Sending the Execution Team now shattered that long-standing silence. Of course, it could be a direct reaction to the failure of their plan, as Hao Jin had pointed out, coupled with Pae Wang Moon's movements against them. But to send the Execution Team for just a merchant guild? It seemed excessive. 'What exactly is Baek Gwi-seong's objective?' Hyun Do sifted through the information he had accumulated over the years. The first idea that surfaced was related once again to his own faction. 'Are they trying to cut off Hwasan Sect's financial support by targeting the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild? Or perhaps...' Despite his repeated attempts to reason it out, Hyun Do couldn’t find an answer. 'I don't know.' Accepting that he didn't have the answer, he decided to seek help from Chunhui, who was deeply involved in this incident. "Do you know their intention? Why did Baek Gwi-seong go so far as to send the Execution Team to attack the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild…?" "No." Hyun Do smirked at Chunhui’s terse reply. It was, in a way, the expected answer. "I asked a foolish question. They wouldn’t have revealed their plans even if you asked." "That's not it." Hyun Do was momentarily caught off guard by Chunhui’s response to his bitterly spoken words. "Y-you didn't actually ask them, did you?" "Why would I ask something like that?" "Don't you need to know what Baek Gwi-seong's purpose is?" "Why does that matter?" With a face that showed no understanding of what was important, Chunhui replied. "The most important thing is that they attempted to ambush the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild." "……!" Hyun Do stared at Chunhui, looking as if he had been struck on the back of his head. ‘Have the years made me vengeful?’ Baek Gwi-seong and the Hwasan Sect could not coexist under the same sky. The situation had provided a justified reason to act against them, which should have been welcomed. Yet, here he was, questioning Baek Gwi-seong's intentions. "Hahaha!" After concluding his thoughts, Hyun Do leaned back and let out a hearty laugh. ‘What's so funny?’ Chunhui looked bewildered as Hyun Do suddenly burst into laughter. "You're right." Crossing his arms, Hyun Do agreed. "The most important thing is that they made an attack." Would it serve any purpose to think deeply about Baek Gwi-seong's motives? The crucial fact was that Baek Gwi-seong had targeted the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild. "If they've dared to attack the merchant guild protected by our sect, they must pay for their crimes. Indeed, most certainly." With those words, Hyun Do directed a cold stare in the direction of Baek Gwi-seong's location. At that moment, "When exactly did they try to ambush?" Hao Jin, who had been anxiously listening to their conversation, finally spoke. He was visibly tense. ‘The Execution Team!’ His position differed from Hyun Do's. As a master of the Jongnam Sect, his focus was solely on the fact that Baek Gwi-seong had made a move. The involvement of the Execution Team specifically indicated that Baek Gwi-seong was finally revealing the ambitions they had kept concealed. ‘I must find out what happened.’ Watching Hao Jin, who couldn't hide his urgency, Chunhui spoke up. "It wasn't exactly an ambush." "What do you mean?" "I dealt with them beforehand." Though Chunhui spoke as if it were nothing, Hao Jin found it hard to process. "Are you saying you somehow foresaw the Execution Team's ambush?" "Yes." Chunhui answered as if it were an obvious question, causing Hao Jin to falter. ‘He detected the Execution Team before they could make a move?’ Hao Jin’s eyes widened as he looked at Chunhui, who seemed unperturbed. No one had ever seen the Execution Team, yet they had become infamous. Rumors circulated from when sects antagonistic to Baek Gwi-seong vanished without a trace. It was believed that Baek Gwi-seong possessed an Execution Team so discreet that no one would notice their silent maneuvers. An enigmatic force with only rumors to its name—that was the Execution Team. ‘Which means!’ An assumption formed in Hao Jin’s mind, leading him to gaze at the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild with understanding. ‘So it must have been that a few members of the Execution Team were caught while scouting for the ambush!’ Having reached a hypothesis, he nodded at the merchant guild. ‘Of course. If the entire Execution Team had come, the merchant guild wouldn’t still be standing.’ Misunderstanding the situation, Hao Jin began jumping to conclusions. It seemed only natural. Who would imagine an entire Execution Team was wiped out by a young man who hadn't even reached his coming of age? Such a notion would be dismissed as absurd. ‘The Execution Team might return, excluding the scouts.’ The misunderstanding was only deepening, and there was no one to correct it. ‘I am worried for the future.’ Looking at the merchant guild, Hao Jin shook his head before resolutely speaking to Chunhui. "If it’s not too much trouble, may I stay with the Bi-phoong Merchant Guild?" “What?” Chunhui responded with a perplexed expression at Hao Jin’s determined eyes. "Shouldn't you ask the guild master about that?" * * * Later that night. As Chunhui returned to his room, thoughts of the battle he had engaged in earlier filled his mind—the spectacle of sword energy that had unfolded in all directions. The Rain of Blades technique was even more beautiful and merciless than Chunhui had anticipated, effortlessly severing the life of the Execution Team members in an instant. 'Indeed, martial arts must carry an intent to kill.' His white teeth gleamed between his lips. For those who had reached the divine state, whether or not an attack bore a lethal intention made a significant difference. Especially for Chunhui, who was the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, filled with demonic arts focused on real-life combat and murderous intent. That difference was more pronounced in him than in others. 'Though I've improved somewhat...' He opened his eyelids, lifting the darkness that shrouded his vision. Though the room was dark with the windows and doors shut, it posed no hindrance. The interior appeared as bright as day. When had this begun? His vision had eradicated the boundaries of night and day, making everything appear as if it was always brightly lit. A chilling flame flickered in his eyes. The blue ghostly fire burned violently, as though it might consume the room and himself along with it. 'Not yet.' His gaze, fixed on empty space, slowly unfocused. He wasn't looking at the void; he was peering into the past. There was a man, slim and with jet-black hair cascading over his shoulders. The man's eyes were transparent. So clear and pure that his own reflection seemed to breathe within them. He chuckled quietly. 'So, that's what I used to be.' The man before him was himself—more accurately, his past self, Dokgo Koo-yeon, the Absolute Heavenly Demon. Overwhelming demonic energy and presence, along with his icily cold eyes, seemed to pierce through anyone who dared look into them. 'Now I understand why those who faced me feared to meet my gaze.' Seeing his past form in this vision allowed him to empathize with those who had feared him. As he narrowed his eyes at the illusory form of Dokgo Koo-yeon, the Absolute Heavenly Demon, he thought, 'Reaching that level again will take time.' His current goal was to reach his former self. But he was still lacking. With a gentle motion, he closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, the image of his former life scattered like dust, as if a dream had vanished. He lightly rolled his neck from side to side. Feeling rather stiff from prolonged sitting, the cracking sounds from his bones brought a sense of relief, making his body feel lighter. "The most urgent thing at the moment is…" Recalling the internal energy he had assessed earlier. His current Plum Blossom Martial Arts internal energy was still a mere fraction compared to the overwhelming demonic energy he had accumulated over time. And as for his physical body? While it was mystically enhanced, capable of absorbing and discharging all internal energy, it was still in a stage of continuous growth. 'This might take more time.' While there were numerous methods such as elixirs or pills for internal energy, There was nothing to be done about his bodily development. How could one defy the order of nature? 'Well, I have defied it once.' He shrugged. Had he not already defied the greatest law of nature—life itself? "Hmm, if I can quickly complete my physical growth and accumulate internal energy, I might be able to swiftly reach the prowess of my past." He was confident. The fact was, despite his unsteady physical condition and insufficient internal energy, he reached the Heavenly Martial State starting from Mu Hak. Completing his growth involved walking a path he had already trodden on, making it one of the easiest things in the world. "In the end, time is the only solution." When that time would come, he couldn’t predict. But there was no choice. It was the only solution. He had to patiently wait until his current body finished maturing. "There’s nothing I can do right now." He flopped onto the bed. Then a thought struck him, causing a faint smile to appear on his lips. "I’d like to practice some other techniques as well. Will any opponents come by today?"