Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 35

—–CROW—– 

The hour of Zi, with the moon hanging bright in the sky.

As the sun that illuminated the world hid its face, the blue moonlight of the rising moon gently painted the world in its soft glow.

Among the places bathed in this moonlit enchantment was a separate annex of the Swift Wind Trading Company.

Moonlight, seeping through the slightly open window, warmly enveloped Cheon-hwi, who was sitting in meditation on the bed.

Then,

Flutter—

Cheon-hwi’s closed eyes opened.

Perhaps because he opened them so suddenly, his eyes, still filled with uncontained internal energy, shone even more brilliantly than the pouring moonlight.

His lips slowly parted.

“So they were quietly holding their breath…”

He untied his legs and sat up.

Then, half-opening his eyes, he tilted his head and looked towards the mountain.

The mountain shrouded in darkness was silent.

But in his vision, the presences hidden within the stillness were clearly visible.

Sinister, foul presences.

He picked up the sword he had left on the bed.

“They gathered on their own.”

As if he had no intention of hiding, Cheon-hwi moved, staring at the gazes and killing intent directed towards him.

The moment he lightly tapped his foot.

Tap.

The scenery instantly changed.

The walls of the room that had confined him disappeared from his sight, replaced by the mountain filled with trees and bushes.

He felt the cool breeze brush against his cheek, scanned his surroundings, and walked forward.

“…Tonight, the Swift Wind Trading Company will be erased from existence.”

“Yes, sir!”

He quickened his pace at the resounding cry.

He saw a dense crowd gathered in the darkness.  Clad in black nightclothes, perhaps to blend into the darkness, they easily numbered over fifty.

‘Fifty? Sixty? Around that many.’

He quickly counted them.

Whoosh—

He appeared before them.

“What are you doing here?”

“…!”

Startled by the sudden appearance and voice, Eun-su-chamsal and the Soul Slaughter Squad instinctively distanced themselves from each other and surrounded Cheon-hwi.

‘They’re quite well-trained.’

Cheon-hwi scanned the surrounding figures and stopped at Eun-su-chamsal, who was subtly concealing his presence.

The only one not wearing a mask.

Although he tried to hide it, the aura and presence emanating from him couldn’t escape Cheon-hwi’s eyes.

Judging from the circumstances, he immediately identified him as the leader and spoke,

“I asked what you’re doing here.”

“…”

“Having trouble speaking?”

He sneered at them.

But they didn’t react.

Whether they were maintaining their composure despite the provocation, they didn’t smile or get angry.

But he knew.

It was precisely these types of people who lacked composure and lost it easily.

He glanced at one of them.

The closest one in the encirclement was staring at him with eyes full of tension and wariness.

He pointed his index finger at the man.

Startled by the sudden gesture, the man’s eyes wavered for a moment.

A thud echoed.

In that instant, a hole marked with a plum blossom appeared on the man’s forehead. His bewildered expression suggested he had no idea what had happened as his head tilted back.

Thump.

He collapsed backward.

A moment of silence followed.

It was a different kind of silence than before.

The surrounding air, once thick with vigilance, now felt chillingly still.

Then,

“It was you.”

The presumed leader stepped forward.

Cheon-hwi met his gaze through the mask.

“What? Were you just keeping your mouth shut? I thought you were mute.”

A sarcastic remark, though not entirely.

But Eun-su-chamsal, although surprised by what had just happened, hadn’t lost his composure yet.

“Did you kill my subordinates?”

“You mean those guys?”

Cheon-hwi tilted his head, feigning ignorance, and chuckled, adding,

“Oh! Were the bugs that snuck into the Swift Wind Trading Company your subordinates too? I did kill all of them.”

Eun-su-chamsal’s eyebrows shot up.

The Soul Slaughter Squad was his pride, the reason he held the position of West Guardian among the Four Guardians of the Hundred Ghosts Castle.

And he called them bugs?

His eyes turned fierce, his pride wounded.

But he didn’t act rashly.

The earth spike he had glimpsed earlier was no ordinary technique.

‘Who is this guy?’

Eun-su-chamsal’s eyes flashed as he looked at Cheon-hwi’s robes.

‘Plum blossoms? Mount Hua Sect! Then he’s one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen staying at the Swift Wind Trading Company? No, there was no one like him among them. Then is he the young Taoist priest staying in the annex?’

He quickly figured out Cheon-hwi’s identity and spoke tentatively,

“So you’re an expert from Mount Hua Sect.”

But that was a grave mistake.

Cheon-hwi retorted, picking up on Eun-su-chamsal’s carefully chosen words,

“And you’re from the Hundred Ghosts Castle.”

“…!”

Eun-su-chamsal’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.

“Right. I thought so.”

“…Were you testing me?”

“I was almost certain.”

Cheon-hwi said with a smirk.

It was a question he had been certain of from the beginning. He had already figured it out when the assassins infiltrated.

‘Besides, the only ones who would target the Swift Wind Trading Company now are the Hundred Ghosts Castle, who the Hegemon Clan Leader said were behind them.’

But Eun-su-chamsal, unaware of Cheon-hwi’s thoughts, became even more confused.

‘How did he know we were from the Hundred Ghosts Castle?’

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

‘Did Mount Hua Sect already know that the Hundred Ghosts Castle was involved?!’

Eun-su-chamsal’s eyes deepened.

All his questions were answered, like a tangled thread unraveling.

He frowned and said,

“So Mount Hua Sect already knew that we would attack the Swift Wind Trading Company.  That’s why you set a trap, anticipating that we would move again as soon as the Hegemon Clan’s initial plan failed.”

“A trap?”

Cheon-hwi looked at Eun-su-chamsal, who was completely misunderstanding the situation, with a dumbfounded expression.

“Why would I set a trap for the likes of you?”

“Are you pretending to be ignorant now?”

Eun-su-chamsal didn’t believe him.

Or rather, he refused to believe him.

“Then the Swift Wind Trading Company must be thoroughly prepared for an attack.”

Cheon-hwi shook his head.

‘He’s not listening.’

He was deeply mistaken.

And he was completely convinced that his misconception was the truth.

“Think whatever you want.”

Cheon-hwi said curtly.

He couldn’t be bothered to deal with him any longer.

But Eun-su-chamsal seemed to take his words as confirmation, glaring at him with sharp killing intent.

“But you and Mount Hua Sect have made a mistake.”

Eun-su-chamsal, having said his piece, spread his arms wide like wings.

As if it were a silent signal, the Soul Slaughter Squad’s aura began to shift.

Their killing intent, emanating and gradually engulfing the area within the heavy air.

He, too, exuded his own killing intent, adding,

“If you had run away, you might have saved yourselves, but you dared to walk into the tiger’s den.”

But Cheon-hwi was indifferent.

This level of killing intent didn’t even faze him.

Instead, curiosity piqued, he asked,

“You talk a lot, don’t you?”

Cheon-hwi looked at him curiously, wondering how he had managed to stay silent until now.

Flutter—

The moonlight illuminated Eun-su-chamsal.

His face was unusual.

His left cheek was covered in burn scars, and he was bald.

But his appearance was soon overshadowed.

His eyes, filled with malevolent energy, and his contorted expression overshadowed his unusual appearance.

In particular, the malevolent energy mixed with the blue moonlight, bringing a chill to the air.

After a moment, his lips parted.

“Conceal your souls in slaughter.”

The moment he finished speaking.

Whoosh!

A dreadful killing intent engulfed the mountain, and the Soul Slaughter Squad members’ bodies began to blur.

To be precise, their presences were masked by the immense killing intent that filled the mountain.

Soon, only Cheon-hwi and Eun-su-chamsal remained where the numerous figures had been.

Smirk—

Eun-su-chamsal smiled faintly.

Then, his presence faded, and his figure melted into the darkness.

“Open your eyes wide and witness the true form of the Soul Slaughter Squad…”

His voice, too, gradually faded and dispersed.

“…”

Silence fell.

Cheon-hwi looked around.

The sixty Soul Slaughter Squad members who had surrounded him were gone, and Eun-su-chamsal, the last one remaining, had also disappeared.

As if their encirclement had been a fleeting dream.

But that was only on the surface.

He could see them clearly in his vision.

Their beating hearts, despite suppressing their breath, presence, and everything else.

‘How boring.’

Cheon-hwi, enjoying the sudden silence, recalled Eun-su-chamsal’s words and couldn’t help but laugh.

“So this is the true form of the Soul Slaughter Squad?”

It was laughable.

He had never seen anyone who spoke of their “true form” or “true skills” amount to anything.

Not those who defied or ambushed him.

Not the clans he annihilated.

Not even those who plotted and schemed to usurp his position.

They were all insignificant and worthless.

And he was feeling it again now. Even these people, who had surrounded him and were convinced they had completely deceived his senses, were no different.

‘All talk.’

“Sixty assassins…”

Cheon-hwi scanned his surroundings, then nodded as if he had remembered something.

“Shall I try that then?”

Cheon-hwi’s hand grasped the sword he hadn’t drawn since entering the martial world.

Shing—

The pure white blade was revealed to the world.

—–CROW—– 

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