Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: The Master Sheds Tears, the Disciple Roars like a Lion (3)
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Deng Cheon-so's eyes, fixed on the corpse shrouded in white cloth, were stained red. The mix of killing intent and madness in his gaze was so terrifying that no one could meet it head-on.
"Cheon... san."
The corpse was none other than So Cheon-san.
Before anything else, as fellow members of the Seven Great Demons, So Cheon-san had been Deng Cheon-so's closest friend.
Deng Cheon-so was furious. At So Cheon-san's death, and at himself for failing to prevent it.
By the time he tried to avenge his friend, the situation had deteriorated beyond repair. He had no choice but to retreat.
"I will... I will definitely kill you."
Deng Cheon-so burned with hatred toward Dam-ho. His hatred was so fearsome that even the nearby warriors felt chills.
A young warrior approached him.
"It's a shame that Young Hero So passed like this. He wasn't someone meant to go so meaninglessly."
The man offering condolences to So Cheon-san was Jo Ja-kyeong.
Jo Ja-kyeong's eyes gleamed colder than ever.
'The Despair Demon.'
At some point, the Demonic Cult warriors had begun calling Dam-ho that. Dam-ho's prowess, which had overwhelmed So Cheon-san, was downright horrifying.
At the moment Dam-ho attacked So Cheon-san, Jo Ja-kyeong had been searching for Cho Yeon-un. That's why he couldn't help So Cheon-san.
He hadn't even met his target, Cho Yeon-un, and could only watch powerlessly from afar as So Cheon-san died.
He felt both rage and fear.
Rage at himself for having to witness So Cheon-san's death, and fear of Dam-ho, who had mercilessly slain him.
These utterly mismatched emotions swirled in the depths of his chest.
'If that monster sides with the Murim Alliance, our cult will suffer a massive blow.'
He gritted his teeth.
Last night's operation had ended in utter failure.
The Demonic Cult's momentum was broken, and the warriors' morale had hit rock bottom. It was the first failure since the cult had reemerged into the world. The shock was all the greater for it.
Just then, someone walked into the room where they were.
It was a man in his early forties, clad in a blue robe.
His pale skin, as if he'd never seen sunlight his whole life, contrasted sharply with his deep, dark eyes.
He had a lean, overall impression, drawing the eye with a calm aura like a deep lake.
Deng Cheon-so and Jo Ja-kyeong both looked slightly startled at the man's appearance. He was no one who should have been here.
"Why are you here, Senior Brother?"
Demon Heaven Cultivator Sang Han-cheon. That was the man's name.
Unknown in the martial world, but within the Demonic Cult, Sang Han-cheon's influence was far from insignificant.
He was the cult leader's closest confidant and the cult's strategist.
All of the Demonic Cult's policies and operations sprang from his mind.
He held a special position where he could command everyone except the cult leader's closest aides, the Black and White Emissaries, and the cult's final bastion, the Guardian Wall.
Even the Four Great Army Commanders and Seven Great Demons had to obey his orders. As a core figure among the cult's leadership, he wasn't someone who moved lightly.
Sang Han-cheon's gaze turned to So Cheon-san's corpse under the white cloth.
"The Ten Ri Lifeless is dead? What a waste of talent."
His voice was chillingly cold. Devoid of any emotion, it sounded like a lifeless doll speaking.
Even Deng Cheon-so and Jo Ja-kyeong, who prided themselves on their iron wills forged through countless battles, felt goosebumps from Sang Han-cheon's voice.
Deng Cheon-so asked,
"Why have you come here, Demon Heaven Cultivator? Shouldn't you be at the main base?"
"By the cult leader's command. The leader doesn't want this battle to drag on."
"Hmm!"
"But it seems I'm a step too late. For the Ten Ri Lifeless to die so pointlessly. Who was it? Was there an expert in Sakju capable of killing the Ten Ri Lifeless?"
"Dam-ho killed him."
"The Fist Demon?"
"Yes!"
Sang Han-cheon fell silent at Deng Cheon-so's answer. His thin, blood-red lips stood out starkly.
"Fist Demon... Quite the nuisance. Killing the Heavenly Poison Lord and now the Ten Ri Lifeless."
"Heavenly Poison Lord? You mean the Heavenly Poison Lord died by his hand too?"
"Indeed."
"Hmm!"
Deng Cheon-so's face showed disbelief at Sang Han-cheon's response.
The Heavenly Poison Lord Sa U-yeon, alongside the Ten Ri Lifeless So Cheon-san, was a special existence in the Demonic Cult capable of mass slaughter. His poison arts were so formidable that even the Seven Great Demons shrank before them. The fact that such a man had died to Dam-ho was that much more shocking.
Sang Han-cheon muttered,
"Now it's certain."
"What?"
"The Fist Demon is undoubtedly our cult's natural enemy."
"Hmm!"
"If we can't kill him, the cult has no future."
"I'll kill the Fist Demon with my own hands. So that will never happen."
Deng Cheon-so replied, his killing intent flaring.
Sang Han-cheon stared fixedly at him. Deng Cheon-so glared back without yielding.
Jo Ja-kyeong watched the two men alternately with deeply sunken eyes.
The air grew thick with the scent of blood.
The battlefield, already heavy with the air of war, heated up like a powder keg on the verge of explosion. All because of a single man, Dam-ho.
With Sang Han-cheon here, the Demonic Cult's forces would concentrate here too. And the Murim Alliance would pour in their strength accordingly.
The blood already spilled would seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the mountains of corpses and seas of blood to come.
Sang Han-cheon muttered,
"This won't be boring from now on."
His indifferent voice faded, leaving a deep echo.
***
Dam-ho's appearance had caused a huge stir in the Murim Alliance as well. Especially among the warriors in Sakju, he was the hot topic.
Most had been saved by Dam-ho, yet they looked at him with fearful eyes. His power had been that shocking.
Whenever two or more gathered, they talked about Dam-ho.
"Is he planning to stay in the annex forever?"
"Probably. His master, True Person Hyeon-so, is there."
"Whew! That's worrying. The Sakju branch might collapse before the Demonic Cult does."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know?"
"I don't, so spit it out. Don't beat around the bush."
"The Murim Alliance has branded him a public enemy of the martial world, hasn't it? And Namgung-sega suffered big losses too. This is going to be a huge problem."
"But the Sakju branch was saved by the Fist Demon..."
"Don't underestimate the pride of the prestigious sects that form the Alliance's foundation. They never forget even the smallest grudge. No matter how much we owe the Fist Demon, they'll find a way to settle the score."
"No way?"
"Just watch. You'll see I'm right."
The warrior assured his skeptical friend.
The atmosphere in the Sakju branch was that chaotic.
Dam-ho was like a red-hot sword. It could pierce and slay enemies, but gripping the scorching hilt wasn't easy.
It was a choice no one wanted. So many observed the situation instead of stepping forward. But any warrior with a shred of insight knew disaster was coming soon.
Dam-ho opened the door and stepped outside.
He had spent a full day and night talking with his master.
True Person Hyeon-so had done most of the talking, while Dam-ho listened. The true person repeated stories she'd told many times before. Yet Dam-ho never complained once, attentively hearing her out.
With the tension released, True Person Hyeon-so fell into a deep sleep like fainting. Even in sleep, she clung tightly to Dam-ho's hand, unwilling to let go.
Dam-ho stood blankly in the annex's front yard, gazing at the sky. The starless sky was as dark as his heart.
After thirteen years, his master had welcomed him warmly, just as before. Him, shunned by the entire world.
"Cheon-kyeong."
Then a cautious voice called to Dam-ho.
Turning, Dam-ho saw a middle-aged Daoist entering carefully through the collapsed annex wall.
The moment he saw the man's face, Dam-ho's eyes grew even colder. The middle-aged Daoist spoke cautiously.
"Long time no see, Cheon-kyeong."
It was Un-kyeong.
Un-kyeong's usually icy face held emotions too complex for words.
No one had been more shocked than him when Dam-ho appeared on the battlefield.
He still limped as before. But the aura Dam-ho exuded was murderously fierce, incomparable to the past.
Above all, his power was shocking.
The strength that slew the Ten Ri Lifeless So Cheon-san in an instant far surpassed Un-kyeong's imagination.
The weak, youthful Dam-ho of old was gone.
The man before him was the absolute master called the Fist Demon. No matter their past ties, he had to tread carefully.
Dam-ho stared at Un-kyeong wordlessly. Un-kyeong gave a bitter smile.
"Have you been well?"
"......"
"You look good. That's a relief."
Dam-ho still said nothing. Instead of anger at Dam-ho's frigid attitude, Un-kyeong let out a soft sigh.
"Do you still resent me? I understand. You have every right. The Mount Hua Sect treated you abominably."
"What do you want to say?"
"Cheon-kyeong-ah."
"My name is Dam-ho."
"I see."
Un-kyeong sighed again at Dam-ho's cold words. But he soon smiled and continued.
"Yes, Ho-ya. I..."
"Even so, I'm grateful to you. You treated me coldly on the outside during my Mount Hua days, but warmly inside. Compared to Mu-kyeong, who was warm on the outside but turned his back in reality, you're a hundred times better. But that doesn't mean you can demand anything from me."
"I have no intention of demanding anything from you."
"Then what about the Mount Hua Sect? Does the sect leader have no demands either?"
"......"
Un-kyeong felt at a loss for words.
Dam-ho's question pierced to the heart.
He had to admit it. Dam-ho wasn't just a martial prodigy strong in skill. He was a seasoned warrior with the cunning insight of a veteran who saw through worldly affairs.
Un-kyeong decided to be honest.
"The sect leader thinks only of reviving the Mount Hua Sect. If it means revival, he doesn't care about the means."
"I figured as much."
"If... just if you returned to the Mount Hua Sect, the sect leader would spare no support, material or otherwise. And he'd protect you from the Murim Alliance's pressure."
Un-kyeong's lips trembled.
His body reacted naturally to words he didn't want to say. He didn't want to, but he had to. After all, he'd come on the sect leader's orders.
"True Person Hyeon-so would get a position befitting her, and the Mount Hua Sect would spare no support for you. That's what the sect leader offers. I'm just the messenger. The decision is yours alone."
With that, Un-kyeong fell silent.
Dam-ho's expression remained cold.
Un-kyeong knew it too. How meager and unrealistic his words were against Dam-ho's expectations.
He'd agonized the whole way here. But having delivered the sect leader's message, he felt relieved, whatever the outcome.
Dam-ho's reply was immediate.
"Bullshit!"
"I understand."
"I won't return to Mount Hua of my own will."
"That's fine too. Your wings are too grand and strong for Mount Hua to cage. Fly as you will. Just be careful. Not everyone sees you favorably."
"What do you mean?"
"Many are targeting you. Of course, you know that."
"Doesn't matter."
"Still, take care. The world isn't decided by strength alone."
Un-kyeong genuinely worried for Dam-ho.
The too-strong were prone to breaking.
Dam-ho was too strong. That's why he feared greater threats.
Un-kyeong wanted to give sincere advice. But he couldn't.
"You're meddling needlessly, Un-kyeong."
A cold voice came from behind.
"Martial Uncle?"
Emerging suddenly from the darkness was True Person Hyeon-geom.
True Person Hyeon-geom's chilling gaze turned to Dam-ho.
"You dare stand before your sect elder without even greeting?"
The air in the room turned icy in an instant.