Chapter 541: The Era of Upheaval (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: The Era of Upheaval (3)
Time flashed by in the blink of an eye.
Summer gave way to autumn, and before the vibrant colors of fall had fully faded, winter’s chill returned once more. This cycle of farewells repeated, and before anyone realized it, three years had passed.
To some, three years might have seemed brief. But in that short span, the Central Plains had been shaken by countless upheavals.
The first major news was the Murim Alliance’s official condemnation of the Tang Clan’s atrocities. The announcement revealed that the Sichuan Tang Clan had been conducting human experiments for their own benefit, kidnapping children for many years to fuel their research.
Public outrage was immediate and fierce.
“Punish the Tang Clan!”
“How could a prestigious Orthodox clan commit such evil!”
The shockwaves were far greater than anticipated. Although the Tang Clan had executed the elders responsible, it was not enough to quell the fury. Whispers began to spread:
“The Tang Clan no longer deserves to be called one of the Four Noble Clans.”
“How can we honor a family that has committed such atrocities?”
What started as murmurs in quiet corners soon echoed across the Central Plains. The Tang Clan’s decision to halt all business and enter seclusion—accompanied by a formal apology—only fueled the sentiment. As the seasons turned, fewer and fewer people referred to the Tang Clan as one of the Four Noble Clans. The fiery scandal eventually cooled, replaced by speculation over which family would rise to claim the vacant spot among the Great Clans.
Then came the second incident.
A report from Sichuan triggered an Alliance investigation, which confirmed that Red-Grade Gates of Demons had begun to open. The news sent tremors throughout the martial world. Red-Grade Gates had not been seen for centuries, and the initial damage was severe.
Until then, the Central Plains had maintained relative peace because the Green and Blue-Grade demonic beasts posed limited threats, manageable by martial artists of lower realms. Red-Grade monsters, however, were different. They required groups of Peak-level Martial Artists working in concert to hunt just one. The value of such experts skyrocketed overnight.
The only silver lining was this: although projections warned of catastrophic damage lasting five to ten years, the actual devastation was far less than feared. The reason? Shortly after the Gates appeared, an anonymous informant distributed a guide through the Beggar’s Sect on how to combat Red-Grade monsters.
Red-Grade monsters possess a rotating qi barrier that protects their entire body.
This barrier can absorb internal energy, but a Peak Realm martial artist who concentrates to the extreme can identify a gap in its rotation.
Aim for that spot.
At first, few believed it. But the method was soon proven effective. As the counter-strategy spread, the potential for catastrophic damage was minimized. The fact that Red-Grade Gates appeared far less frequently than others also helped. Yet, one truth remained: the era of peace had been shattered.
The third incident was a change in leadership.
After Harmonic Sword Jang Cheon stepped down, the Murim Alliance faced a fierce political battle to appoint his successor. The selection process was conducted in secret, but leaked information suggested the Sect Leader of Wudang and the Lord of the Peng Clan were the main contenders. Not long after, news broke that the Sword Immortal of Wudang had ascended to the position of Alliance Leader, succeeding Jang Cheon. This was unprecedented—the first time in the Alliance’s history that a sect martial artist had taken the helm.
And the fourth incident…
A Red-Grade Gate of Demons ran rampant in Qinghai. In the aftermath, Qinghai Sword Eui Bijin, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, was reported dead.
* * *
On a plain in the Guangdong region, a man knelt, bleeding heavily.
“Keoheok…”
He braced himself against the ground and coughed up dark, lifeblood. His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his chest was caved in grotesquely. The pain was excruciating, yet the man laughed through it.
“Haha…”
His name was Domungang. Not long ago, he had been known as one of the Five Emperors of the Demonic Factions Nine-Fisted Devil Domungang, a Fusion Realm master famed for pulverizing opponents within nine strikes.
Now, he was dying on Guangdong soil.
“…How absurd,” he muttered, lifting his blood-soaked head.
Standing before him was a figure in a blue-and-black martial robe, hands clasped calmly behind his back. Domungang’s lips trembled as he spoke.
“…Did I not even reach you?”
“It grazed me,” came the casual, almost boyish reply.
Despair washed over Domungang. His martial art was said to be peerless, never missing its mark—or at least, it had been. Now, it had been utterly dismantled by a young man who looked barely past twenty. His life’s work, decades of refinement, had barely grazed his opponent.
“Heh, heh…” Domungang chuckled weakly, his head drooping. He no longer had the strength to hold it up. As his vision dimmed, he asked one last question.
“…May I ask your name?”
He wanted to know the identity of the martial artist who had broken him so completely—the man who seemed destined to become the Zenith of All Time.
The young man’s pale blue eyes glinted. “My name isn’t important. I’m just the third son of the Gu Clan.”
“…The Gu Clan…”
A face flashed in Domungang’s mind—a monstrous man who had once shackled him. They shared the same surname. Could this be his son? He had heard the man had a son, but he couldn’t recall the name.
Still, he quickly dismissed the thought. That monster used flame arts; this youth had relied purely on hand-to-hand combat. They couldn’t be from the same family.
With his last breath, Domungang asked another question. “In that case… do you have… a title…?”
“A title?”
The young man rolled his eyes, pausing briefly as if in thought—or hesitation. A few seconds later, he replied,
“Heavenly Demon.”
...Heavenly Demon…
A demon sent by the heavens. It was an arrogant title, yet it fit the young man perfectly. With that final thought, Domungang’s head slumped forward. Thud… His story had ended.
“Hmm.” The young man dusted off his hands, his expression unreadable. He showed no particular emotion toward the corpse.
He then retrieved a letter from his robes—a gift from his master. It bore the seal of the Beggar’s Sect, and from the shape, it was sent by the sect leader himself. The young man’s face soured. What kind of bullshit did he send this time? He was already on edge.
He unfolded the letter and scanned the contents. “Ah.” His eyes widened at the first line.
The Heavenly Dragon Festival is being held.
A random, unforeseen message. Why is this popping up all of a sudden? It was baffling. Yet, for some reason, a smile touched his lips. Perhaps it was a relief.
“It was about time I started moving anyway.” He crumpled the letter roughly and stuffed it back into his robes. Then he looked up at the sky.
“Come down now.”
As he glared at the sun, a rough cry echoed from above.
“Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Swoooosh—!
Something plummeted from the sky and slammed into the earth.
Kuuuuung—! Kwaaaaaaa—!
A tremendous gust of wind erupted, scattering dust everywhere. When the air cleared, the young man was standing atop a giant demonic beast with blue scales.
Grrrrr…
The creature growled lowly as the young man stroked its scales.
“Let’s head home for now. If we’re late, that damned old man will raise hell again.”
Grrrrr—!
The demonic beast shot upward with immense force, moving through the sky as if swimming. Its speed was staggering—the surrounding scenery blurred and changed in an instant.
As the wind whipped through his hair, the young man clenched and unclenched his fist.
These preparations should be enough.
It had taken longer than expected, but the foundation was solid. He felt ready now.
Yes, the time had finally come.
Let’s begin.
It was time to truly let loose.
End of Part 1