Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

Tae Heo-jin looked at the Iron Cannon Twin Fists’ head rolling on the ground with bitter eyes. Sobering up, he asked, “Must you have used your hands so cruelly?”

Woon-seong grinned with his White Night Spear in hand. 

Drip, drop. 

Red blood dripped from the end of the spear. 

It was the blood of the man he had just beheaded. 

He pointed the still dripping spear at Tae Heo-jin. 

“Why should I let those who tried to kill me live?”

When asked, Tae Heo-jin sighed. “Is this not a war the Cult Leader waged? If the Cult Leader had not started the war, none of this would have happened.”

“Idiot.”

Woon-seong swung the spear, shaking the blood off. Chunks of flesh unstuck from the spear and flew through the air. 

“It is like you are imitating a speaker, but you are blindfolded and deaf.”

Woon-seong mocked Tae Heo-jin, “You are playing the hypocrite, not the hero.”

Tae Heo-jin’s eyebrows twitched. He was someone who claimed to have walked the path of a righteous man, not wavering an inch since birth. 

But he was now hearing that he was playing the part of a hypocrite; words denying Tae Heo-jin’s life. 

“What do you mean?”

“Do you not even know what I mean?” Woon-seong responded, twirling his spear. “It was not me who started this war, but you.”

Tae Heo-jin furrowed his brows. “Even if you try to shake me with your nonsense, it will not work. This one is willing to risk his life today to stop the Cult Leader.”

“And if it is not nonsense?”

“……”

Tae Heo-jin paused. 

Woon-seong continued, his voice containing only confidence. “Have you not heard from Jwa Do-gyul? It was your side who started this war.”

“What are you talking about?”

Woon-seong tilted his head back and burst into laughter, “Hahaha, how naive.”

When he lowered his head, there was not a trace of a smile on his face. 

The Divine Flame burned in both of his eyes. 

He stared at Tae Heo-jin with his blazing eyes. 

“An ignorant coward is just playing the righteous. Yet, he swears to be a righteous man, knowing nothing of the before or after.”

Woon-seong clenched his fists. 

“The Martial Alliance attacked the branches of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon in Zhongyuan. You started this war!”

Tae Heo-jin trembled. 

In fact, there was a rumor that everyone had heard. 

One that Tae Heo-jin had heard, but one he did not believe. 

Tae Heo-jin firmly believed that the Cult of the Heavenly Demon started the war. This was because he believed too strongly in Jwa Do-gyul. 

He trusted in the good of people so much he believed the Lord of the Martial Alliance at once.

And that was why he could not accept Woon-seong’s words. 

“No way…”

He shook his head. 

Woon-seong roared, looking around at the other soldiers too: “You accused us of starting this war, but it was you who attacked our branches first! So cut off your ears that refuse to listen! If that is your unseeing eye, pluck it out. Lose those tongues you have used to brag about yourselves!”

Woon-seong’s words shook Tae Heo-jin, for his words were filled with confidence. 

Can a man tell a lie so confidently, unless it is actually the truth? Tae Heo-jin had no choice but to ask, “Are there no lies in your words?”

Woon-seong shrugged. “If you call yourself a righteous man, if you want to live like that, turn around and see for yourself. Jump to your feet and find out what happened. Are you prepared to do that?”

Tae Heo-jin hesitated. 

Since he talks so confidently, it is only right to get to the bottom of this. It is right to tell the Wudang disciples to retreat, to return to Wudang Mountain and to collect the correct information about the situation.

But, 

“If I leave the Cult Leader as he is, will you continue your slaughter? I must stop you.”

Tae Heo-jin chose to raise his sword.

Woon-seong laughed. “That is a good excuse.”

“An excuse?”

“You are afraid to recognize your own faults, to learn that I am right. So you are staying here to make sure you do not feel your whole life has become a lie. If this is not an excuse, then what is it?”

Tae Heo-jin trembled. But after a moment, he gripped the sword tighter. “You can say what you want, but I will stop the Cult Leader here today.”

“If you can. Stop me as much as you can.”

Tae Heo-jin was definitely a strong man. 

In terms of how strong, he was probably one of the strongest in Murim. Among the tens of thousands of martial artists, he could be considered amongst the top ten. 

This was, of course, excluding the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, but it was still a really great rank. 

In fact, his skill was on par with one of the Ten Demonic Masters, Demonic Teacher of Sun and Moon Lee Shin-jung. 

But what did that mean to the Heavenly Demon?

Kuang—

Tae Heo-jin was pushed back. 

The man flew into the air like a broken kite and barely landed on the ground. However, his body was shaken and the shock did not completely subside. 

It meant absolutely nothing.

Tae Heo-jin bit his lips. 

Even though Tae Heo-jin was strong, he could not be compared to the Heavenly Demon, the ‘One Demon’ of the ‘Twin Stars, One Demon’ of the Semi-Divine Beings. 

“But!”

Tae Heo-jin raised his spirits. He, too, did not come here with a normal resolution. 

He had come here today prepared to lay down his life to stop the Heavenly Demon. 

At the same time, he recited a mantra and a mighty power rose from his body. Its strength was undiluted, like a draconic wind hurtling towards the skies. 

When Woon-seong saw it, he paused for a moment and muttered, “Heavenward Soul Earthen Body?”

It seemed a little similar. 

But Woon-seong shook his head. Nope, the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body can’t do that.

It was only able to encourage the flow of innate essence qi. 

But what was this?

Burning the soul to draw the power out. 

“Are you trying to stop me by burning yourself?”

Woon-seong grabbed his spear. 

Maybe if he, Tae Heo-jin, saw the world a little more broadly… 

If only you didn’t believe in the information given by Jwa Do-gyul…

If so, he might have been a real chivalrous man. Like his master, Nok Yu-on, who sacrificed his whole body to prevent the conspiracy in the dark. 

But it is already too late. 

Tae Heo-jin was already burning through his dantian. 

It was the maximum power of a Taoist of Wudang who had the root of a hero, yet was not a hero. 

Woon-seong decided to face him. 

Kwaarnee-

There was an explosion inside Woon-seong. At the same time, Intimidation Qi wrapped around his body. 

A fire was burning. 

Fwoom—

The flame spread from Woon-seong’s back, tendrils licking up his arms. 

Balls of it floated through the air like little firecrackers. 

It was the Divine Flame.

A fire that burned the world, manifested Hell, and brought Demons to the pinnacle. 

Woon-seong made his decision as a scholar. 

In this situation, if you are the head of the Wudang, you will show me the ‘Seven Celestial Stars Sword’…

In the meantime, Tae Heo-jin moved his sword. 

“Stop your advance, Heavenly Demon!”

His sword drew seven stars across the night sky. These seven stars swirled around the Taegeuk blade and rushed towards Woon-seong in a flash. 

The Seven Celestial Stars Sword, as expected!

Fwoom—

In response, Woon-seong changed the shape of the Divine Flame. The ghost fires floating in the sky united into the shape of a sword, colliding with the Seven Celestial Stars Sword. 

Boom—

Rrrrrrrrrrrr!

Kuakuakua—

Bang!

There was a large explosion, like a single bullet had been shot. A huge shockwave exploded in all directions. 

The ground flipped. It cracked and split, revealing its insides. 

The world turned white. 

Inside, Woon-seong moved his spear. 

In a pure white world, he could not see, but that was no problem. He had raised his senses during the chaos, allowing him to perfectly capture the world, even without sight. 

The Taegeuk Dispelling Sword. 

A technique of the Wudang Sect that unraveled the spearmanship of Woon-seong from the ground up.

A sword that contained the flow of the world’s cosmic powers.. 

The Taegeuk Dispelling Sword would unleash its own power to the Taiji (supreme), while dismantling the opponent’s martial arts through Taiji at the same time. 

As a scholar, this is the greatest honor! 

Woon-seong met the sword with his own blade. No, it should technically be called a spear. 

Woon-seong’s spear moved. Every time the Taegeuk sword moved, it would also move. 

Boom—

Shua—

Shick—

The spear version of the Taegeuk Dispelling Sword began to be released from Woon-seong’s hands. 

There was no one who could compete with the Spear Master Sect in academia, unless they were Jegal Sung. 

And Hyuk Woon-seong was the last person to succeed the Spear Master Sect!

It was a mistake to fight against him with a weapon. 

Tae Heo-jin, who burned his dantian, had less energy than Woon-seong, but was able to at least use it to the best of his abilities. 

Woon-seong was simply a step ahead. 

And finally. 

Clang—

The Taegeuk Dispelling Sword was completely broken. All of the martial arts contained in that swordsmanship were completely destroyed under Woon-seong’s spear. 

When the Taegeuk Dispelling Sword disappeared, there was only one thing left. 

Woon-seong stared at Tae Heo-jin’s blade, then shot forward. 

Kuakuakua—

Dozens of swirls burst in the air. 

It was a technique that contained the heart of Woon-seong, who had dealt with five of the 72 Supreme Masters. 

Dozens of these swirls tangled together, surrounding the sword. It was not just the sword. They rushed towards Tae Heo-jin too, wrapping like serpents.

Even though it is not enough to call it One Thousand Absolute Routes…

It should be enough to deal with Tae Heo-jin, whose sword had disappeared. 

As Woon-seong thought, dozens of bundles of flame and energy swept across the man. 

Kuakuakua—

“Haha.”

When the man woke up, he saw a blue sky and emptiness. 

The sky was unbelievably clear for a battlefield. There was not a single cloud in sight. 

Maybe it was because it was autumn. 

The autumn sky was beautiful. 

I do not remember the last time I looked up at the sky with a hopeful heart. I have been in too much of a hurry to save this dying world. 

Tae Heo-jin sighed to himself, almost subconsciously. He then raised his hand and tried to scratch his head. 

Hmm. 

But nothing moved. 

He could barely move his eyes, but he turned to look at his body. 

He had no arms. 

It was not the only thing missing. 

He had also lost his lower half. 

It was because they had been swept away by a tremendous flood. 

Tae Heo-jin sighed. 

Somehow, I feel lighter. 

Woon-seong approached Tae Heo-jin. 

That spear is my death, sighed Tae Heo-jin. 

Everytime he sighed, he could feel his life draining away. His body became lighter. 

“In the eyes of the Leader, was I really just playing the role of a righteous man?”

At the question, Woon-seong stabbed the White Night Spear into the ground. With an almost tired expression, he responded, “A fool who was obsessed with heroics.”

“Haha, ha-ha-ha…” 

To his words, Tae Heo-jin sighed emptily. He closed his eyes slowly. 

Woon-seong told him, “But you were quite devoted to your role as a fool.”

Tae Heo-jin smiled. “Was I?”

“Yes.”

“Then, can this fool who was loyal to his role ask for a favor?”

“Greedy, too.”

Woon-seong clicked his tongue, but he did not refuse. 

Perhaps it was out of pity for a man who could have walked the path of a hero. 

For a moment, perhaps the figure of Nok Yu-on had overlapped with this man. 

Seeing him, Tae Heo-jin sighed once again, smiling as he spoke. 

“I…”