Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

“How is everyone so stupid?!”

At the heart of the Martial Alliance, a man burst in fury. 

The man’s name was Kang Sook. He was one of the many elders of Murim, but was usually called the ‘Iron Swordsman’ rather than his name. 

He always said what he wanted with a stiff face, but now his expression was twitching. That wasn’t enough so he raised his voice. 

An Iron Swordsman like this appeared once or twice every few years. 

And the reason?

The poor decisions made by executives of the Martial Alliance. 

“How can you change your opinions as easily as flipping a hand?”

Boom!

He hit the table in front of him. 

Currently, the Martial Alliance was divided into two factions and had a sharp confrontation. 

It was because of something a few days ago. 

Among them, the faction that belonged to the Iron Swordsman supported not a decisive battle, but recommended retreating and rearranging their ranks. 

A few days ago, the Lord of the Alliance secretly summoned members of the opposing faction. Since then, anyone who spoke with the Lord of the Alliance changed their opinions. 

“You are all fools. Why do you not understand that fighting the Demonic Cult like this means annihilation?!”

Kang Sook was red with anger. 

It was then that he felt someone’s presence at the entrance of his room. 

“Who is it?” the man shouted. 

“The Lord is looking for the Elder.”

The moment he heard that, the Iron Swordsman clenched his fists and thought: Finally, it’s my turn. 

And he pledged that he would not change his mind so easily like everyone else. 

Once Kang Sook reached the office located at the very center, he swallowed. The office of the Lord.

Then, once again, he mentally prepared himself. 

If there was an all-out battle, the Martial Alliance would definitely lose. 

If the Martial Alliance was defeated, Murim’s morale would fall through the floor. 

I must stop that with my own hands. 

After checking his resolution, he approached the office. 

“Lord, I heard that you called for me.”

As Kang Sook walked closer, he could hear the voice of the Lord. 

“Oh, Elder Kang. Come in.”

He opened the sliding door, which revealed the interior. 

Kang Sook stepped inside.

No, he hesitated before stepping inside. 

An unusual scent tickled his nose. 

Hibiscus incense?

It was the scent of hibiscus blossoms blooming in water. 

As Kang Sook stepped inside, the scent disappeared and Jwa Do-gyul turned towards the man. 

“Are you going to stand and talk? Please come in and have a seat.”

At that, Kang Sook nodded and put his thoughts about the incense away. 

Looking at the man, Jwa Do-gyul smiled faintly. 

And the next day, ‘Iron Swordsman’ Kang Sook shouted around the Martial Alliance. 

***

“I’m sure there is something suspicious going on.”

Woon-seong listened to Sang Gwan-chuk’s reports and nodded in agreement. 

It was not unusual for a person had changed his opinion. 

But just one meeting turned your opinion on a critical issue related to the Martial Alliance’s destiny?

That was definitely suspicious. 

Closing his eyes, his eyebrows twitched. It was clear that it had something to do with Jwa Do-gyul, but he wasn’t sure what it was. 

The effects were clear, but there was no physical evidence. 

I look like a man of justice now.

Woon-seong smiled bitterly. 

“Let us continue our investigation into that first. And if anything comes up, report it to me immediately.”

“Understood.”

The Cult of the Heavenly Demon continued to move. 

Following Qinghai and Gansu, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon reached Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. 

The other parts of the army also advanced and joined the Western Forces. 

With two parts gathering in one place, the forces of the Demonic Army reached 20,000. 

Since there were about 7,000 men in the Martial Alliance who claimed for a decisive battle, the Demonic Army had about 3 times as many people. 

Moreover, the power of the Demonic Cult was not limited to only that. 

After the Demonic Teacher of Sun and Moon had been sent back to the headquarters for care, another Demonic Master, the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign, had joined to fill that position. 

“Hail the Heavenly Demon, the Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign greets you.”

She was the only woman ranked in the Ten Demonic Masters, making her a dragon amongst men but a lotus flower amongst dragons. 

The Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign was a middle-aged beauty reminiscent of a lotus flower. She exuded an irresistible glamor, emphasizing her youthful looks. 

Woon-seong nodded at her. “You realize how important your mission is, right?”

The Lotus Demon Ballad Sovereign nodded softly. “I understand that this is on behalf of the Demonic Teacher. I will do my best not to disappoint you.”

Woon-seong nodded. He then slowly stood up from his seat to address the other demons. 

“I do not know what the numbers are, but right now, the Martial Alliance is united and insists on an all-out war. They way they talk, it is as if they have become immortal.”

The faces of the demons gathered hardened. 

“Do not forget one thing. This is a war of vengeance and also a memorial service to avenge the former Cult Leader who died in their vile plot.”

At his words, Cheon Ah-young clenched her fists. 

It was not just Cheon Ah-young. All of the executives gathered focused. 

Woon-seong spoke, as if proclaiming, “I will not tolerate defeat.”

At his words, the demons all kneeled and shouted,

“Hail the Heavenly Demon!”

***

It was often said that the headquarters of the Martial Alliance was in Wuhan. 

Strictly speaking, the headquarters was only near Wuhan, not inside the City of Three Garrisons. 

A wide plain near Wuhan, about a day’s travel away. That was where the Martial Alliance’s headquarters were truly located. 

Why was it there?

If they were inside the city, they would be able to attract more people. Why were they located on an empty plain?

There were two answers to that question. 

The first was the size of the Martial Alliance. 

300 meters wide. 

300 meters long. 

What were those? Those were the measurements of the wall surrounding the outside of the Alliance building. 

There was no plot of land within the city that could house such a massive structure. 

Even if there was, it would only be possible by destroying the surrounding buildings. 

For this reason, the Martial Alliance was established a little outside Wuhan. 

Of course, with the wealth and power of the Martial Alliance, it was not impossible to buy land and buildings nearby and destroy them. 

Yet, there was another reason the Martial Alliance was outside of the city. 

The second reason…

It was the Imperial Court. 

Although the Imperial Court had now been handed over to the Cult of the Inverted Sky, it had not been so when the Martial Alliance first appeared. 

At that time, the emperor objected to the establishment of the Martial Alliance within the Wuhan city confines. 

Imperial power and Murim were supposed to stay strictly apart, but the imperial family had been involved in the establishment of the Martial Alliance. 

The reason for this was that if fighting in Murim took place, the damage would affect the common people if the Alliance was within the city. 

And since this was reasonable, the founders established the Martial Alliance away from Wuhan. 

And it was on these very plains that the Cult of the Heavenly Demon stepped. 

“I see the Martial Alliance.”

Woon-seong looked forward, standing at the forefront of the army. 

He had visited the Martial Alliance a very long time ago, with Nok Yu-on. 

Was there no iron at the time?

Or was it because he had been young?

The Martial Alliance’s building was not — had not been — very cool. 

He used to think that it was a place full of heroes and righteous men. 

There were few righteous men in the Martial Alliance. 

It was like they were laughing at the sympathetic heart of a young Hyuk Woon-seong…

Woon-seong gripped the White Night Spear. 

There was still distance from the Martial Alliance, but it was short for a Semi-Divine Being. 

Jwa Do-gyul is inside the Martial Alliance. 

There was an enemy here. 

How long had it taken to get here? 

It was said that vengeance for a soldier might take ten years, but Woon-seong was not a man worthy of being called a soldier. 

The past ten years had truly been a journey. 

But after all those years, he now had the opportunity to strike the head of the enemy. 

Woon-seong slowly collected his energy. 

His energy was pulled from the dantian, circulating through his limbs and flowing into the White Night Spear. 

The heart prompts the qi, the qi prompts the heart. 

The heart is the mind, the breath, and the conviction. 

Woon-seong’s heart was cold fury and the long-standing venom of a viper. So, the energy that flowed into the White Night Spear was also cold anger and enduring poison. 

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

As if it were reacting, the White Night Spear trembled. 

At the same time, Woon-seong’s eyes turned molten gold. 

A gray fog seemed to surround him, fluttering in the wind. 

Not only that.

Glug-ug-

A flame broke out across Woon-seong’s entire body. 

“Oh!”

“Woah!”

Each of the demonic practitioners widened their eyes because of the appearance of the Divine Flame. 

In the meantime, the distance between the Martial Alliance and the Cult of the Heavenly Demon continued to close. 

Blah, blah.

The flames around Woon-seong surged and the ground split apart. 

There were vivid traces, like spiderwebs, where Woon-seong stepped. 

Perhaps the members of the Martial Alliance were also watching. 

They would see Woon-seong enshrouded in Intimidation Qi, wielding the Divine Flame, and radiating massive waves of fury. 

What would they think watching this?

Do you feel fear?

Woon-seong thought of Jwa Do-gyul. Would he be afraid?

It doesn’t matter. 

Not holding the White Night Spear, Woon-seong raised his empty hand slowly. 

I will make you feel it soon.

His arm fell and pointed at the front door of the Martial Alliance. 

In that position, his voice was low but clear. 

“Let’s go!”

These words reached the demonic practitioners gathered. 

The demons holding the drums pounded the drums. 

Boom-boom—

Along with the sound of the drums, the Demonic Emperor’s Roaring Laughter cracked open the skies. 

Heheheheheheheheheehe!