Chapter 310
Chapter 310
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 314
Chapter Title: The Demonic Path
-----------------------------------------------------------------
One day, out of nowhere, they appeared and set the world ablaze—a vicious horde known as the Demonic Path.
No one knew when, how, or where they had begun.
Everywhere they went, corpses piled up, and the land ran red with blood.
Countless stars fell from the heavens, and even the night sky burned crimson.
Innumerable sects vanished, and graves for countless masters were dug.
It was no exaggeration to say the world was drowned in blood.
No sect escaped the flames of the Demonic Path unscathed.
The Demonic Path was synonymous with terror.
Even now, over a decade later, the dread inspired by the name "Demonic Path Blood Calamity" still bound the people of the world.
Not even the heads of the Five Great Families were free from this noose of fear.
After all, weren't the Five Great Families the ones who had faced the Demonic Path most directly?
That was why the name hit them all the harder.
"The Demonic Path... is that what you said?"
Paeng Cheon-wi groaned the words.
The atmosphere froze solid at the mention of the Demonic Path.
Namgung Hyeok chewed on his wild ginseng and spoke, crunching away.
Casually, yet firmly.
"Yes. The Demonic Path."
Crack!
The armrest Paeng Cheon-wi gripped screamed as it crumpled.
It was an astonishing grip strength that dented a rosewood armrest.
'Ah, that thing's expensive.'
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue and eyed Paeng Cheon-wi.
The family heads' faces were uneasy.
Not that anyone could blame them.
Few in the world could remain unmoved before that name.
Even decades after the Blood Calamity ended, even after their ancestors had all returned to dust, it remained pure terror for them.
Passed down through generations, it had swollen into a monstrous fear etched in their minds.
'And distorted, too.'
If you're going to pass it down, at least get it right.
"Precisely... why do you think that?"
Paeng Cheon-wi asked quietly.
Namgung Hyeok replied in a calm, clear voice.
"First, the martial arts they used were demonic arts."
"After the Righteous Heaven Alliance triumphed in the Demonic Path Blood Calamity, they collected demonic arts relentlessly. But the world is vast—they couldn't have recovered them all. Couldn't this just be one they missed?"
"Collected, you say."
Namgung Hyeok muttered with a subtle expression, then shrugged.
"Were the core demonic arts recovered?"
"The cores...?"
"Black Flame Demonic Beast. Heavenly Secret Demonic Art. Cycle Demonic Art."
"......!"
Paeng Cheon-wi, Namgung Jangcheon, and Tang Uicheon—all their eyes wavered.
Their bodies trembled faintly, color draining from their faces.
And with good reason.
'Countless warriors died to those demonic arts.'
Hundreds? No, thousands upon thousands.
No matter how distorted or altered, no one could forget those three.
"For the Divine Demon's martial arts to appear..."
Righteous sects, Demon Sovereigns, whatever.
Namgung Hyeok scowled, then relaxed.
It was no laughing matter—a memory laced with pain and twisted history.
Tang Uicheon spoke gravely.
"But demonic arts alone don't prove they're the Demonic Path. It's been over sixty years since they were utterly annihilated..."
"That's right."
"......"
"Could the ruins of the Central Plains and the half-destroyed Righteous Heaven Alliance have tracked down every last one of those supposedly annihilated bastards?"
Silence fell for a moment.
Doubt and disbelief flickered across Paeng Cheon-wi and Tang Uicheon's faces.
They murmured unconsciously.
"The Divine Demon and the Four Great Demon Sovereigns died, ending the war with the Demonic Path..."
"The Alliance's main force swept up the remnants, recovered the demonic arts, and imprisoned their leaders."
"Even now, the Alliance hunts down every last trace of the Demonic Path..."
"The Demonic Path..."
Namgung Hyeok listened to their mutterings and let out a hollow laugh.
That short exchange was riddled with distortions.
Anything else, fine, but...
'Form a pursuit squad?'
What kind of nonsense was that?
During the near-decade war with the Demonic Path, the Righteous Heaven Alliance's losses had spiraled out of control.
The Demonic Path had suffered too, but still.
'That pursuit squad came after me. Me.'
And I cut them in half.
Damn it.
Recalling it just pissed him off.
Ugh, I should've dismantled those Righteous Heaven Alliance bastards back then!
Namgung Jangcheon stared at Namgung Hyeok.
"Are you in pain somewhere?"
No, my heart hurts.
Namgung Hyeok shook his head, composed himself, and spoke.
"The Blood Calamity ended because the war did—not because they were wiped out."
"That..."
"Exterminating a sect isn't that easy."
"......!"
Paeng Cheon-wi and Tang Uicheon groaned at Namgung Hyeok's words.
Having desperately denied it, they were caught off guard and had no retort.
Namgung Hyeok pressed on.
"And do you family heads really believe that story?"
"......"
"History belongs to the victors. Easy to twist to their taste."
Seeing the sneer on Namgung Hyeok's lips, Namgung Jangcheon, Paeng Cheon-wi, and Tang Uicheon's expressions darkened.
Paeng Cheon-wi asked in a heavy, sunken voice.
"Do you think it's been distorted?"
"Not distorted, exactly... but full of holes."
"Reality can seem sloppy at times. Conversely, things more absurd than imagination do happen. The Righteous Heaven Alliance still stands strong, doesn't it?"
The martial world, the rivers and lakes, were places where the unimaginable occurred.
Namgung Hyeok grinned.
"Then the Demonic Path surviving isn't so far-fetched, is it?"
"Such..."
"Fine, say it's not the Demonic Path. They use demonic arts, manipulate unorthodox sects, haven't been caught—yet still not the Demonic Path."
Heirs of the Demonic Path, successors, or some shadowy force that luckily got their demonic arts.
Didn't matter.
"Then we're targets of some terrifying unknown bastards, right?"
"......!"
"Think about it: scum manipulating unorthodox hordes like chess pieces, right under our noses. Demonic Path or not, the key is this massive force has emerged."
Paeng Cheon-wi and Tang Uicheon's faces darkened sharply.
Yes. That undeniable fact.
A mighty enemy.
Scheming in the shadows.
Even invisible arrows are fearsome—this was beyond comparison.
"The third reason..."
"There's more? Proof you can be certain of?"
"Hold on."
Well, they've probably all seen this anyway.
Clank!
Namgung Hyeok untied the demonic sword at his waist and placed it on the table.
"This."
The family heads looked at him quizzically.
"This?"
"Isn't that your personal blade?"
"Fine sword. Impressive edge, indeed."
Namgung Jangcheon eyed Namgung Hyeok curiously.
This sword as proof of the Demonic Path?
'It has an unusual aura, but how does it connect to them?'
Even he hadn't heard this from Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Jangcheon pondered briefly, then grasped the demonic sword.
Shing.
"Urgh!"
As the blade slid free, its icy edge pierced to the bone.
It was no exaggeration to say this was their first time seeing it drawn up close.
A red glow flickered like eerie flames—stunning. Its near-perfect balance tempted even non-swordsmen.
And above all.
"Something that chills the spine..."
"It's demonic energy."
"Right, that's what I thought... What did you say?"
"This is the divine relic used by that Demon Sovereign bas—er, the Divine Demon. Damn it. Anyway, the Grand Master of the Demonic Path."
Namgung Jangcheon flinched and stared at Namgung Hyeok.
What?
Grand Master of the Demonic Path?
Divine Demon?
The Divine Demon's sword?
This one?
"You bastard! Why do you have this? Since when? No, since when!"
Whoosh!
"...Put the sword away. You'll cut me."
Namgung Hyeok pushed aside the flat of the demonic sword pointed at his throat.
Namgung Jangcheon, face a mix of shock and bewilderment, looked to Paeng Cheon-wi and Tang Uicheon.
This was like possessing a traitor's artifact in imperial terms.
Even if branded a public enemy of the martial world, no one could argue.
'What the hell was this kid thinking, carrying it around openly!'
As shocked as he was, Paeng Cheon-wi and Tang Uicheon were equally stunned.
They knew the sword's symbolic weight.
But Namgung Hyeok, the owner, was nonchalant.
Beyond nonchalant—like it was no big deal.
"It came up when I ransacked the Black Dragon Sect."
"Why speak of it now...?"
"You wouldn't have known even if I showed you."
"......"
The three family heads gaped at Namgung Hyeok's retort.
As he said, until he called it the Divine Demon's demonic sword, it had just seemed an exceptional blade.
Tang Uicheon nodded and asked.
"But I heard the Divine Demon's personal weapon was a sword. If it's their symbol, it should be..."
"Damn, they're spot on about that."
"Hm?"
"Nothing. History distortion—leave it at that. As for this demonic sword, those guys confirmed it once each."
Now there was no denying it.
Groans escaped the three family heads in unison.
A shadowy force rivaling—no, perhaps surpassing—the Righteous Heaven Alliance, tied to the Demonic Path at minimum...
"...But how do you know this?"
At Paeng Cheon-wi's question, Namgung Hyeok flinched but answered.
"You pick it up when you're tangled up in it."
"......."
"Anyway, the point is this."
Namgung Hyeok casually pocketed the demonic sword back at his waist.
The kid knows it's a demonic sword and wields it without hesitation.
A mix of admiration and sigh leaked out.
Namgung Hyeok continued.
"Weak alone, strong together."
The family heads' eyes sharpened.
"If you can't trust the Alliance, withdraw. But if you can't yet..."
"......"
"Isn't it best to keep untrustworthy allies close?"
Namgung Hyeok grinned.
An odd statement.
Speaking of the world's greatest, the Righteous Heaven Alliance, like mere underlings.
The family heads' faces grew grave.
Namgung Hyeok stared at them a moment, then turned to leave.
They're the leaders of their families.
They'll have things to discuss among themselves.
'Securing allies.'
A powerful reason to bind together had emerged.
The Namgung Family needed unity.
If unrivaled supremacy wasn't possible, forming a pack was natural.
'Now, time to tighten up internally?'
Sigh, somehow I'm the busiest.
Damn it.
Fine, it's karma.
"I raised you to be on my side, so how'd it turn into this?"
Pretty sure that's how it started.
Hm...
Namgung Hyeok quietly left the Grand Palace Hall and headed to his quarters.
* * *
Red energy flickered in the Commander's eyes, then faded.
Mukyeong, prostrated before him, lowered himself further at the chilling aura.
"The warriors from headquarters—all annihilated?"
Disbelief mingled with a terrifying pressure; Mukyeong's throat burned.
He gave no answer.
The Commander hadn't truly asked.
It was too hard to believe.
'Annihilated... mutual destruction?'
If Jang Taesan and the Heavenly Secret Demon Clan's warriors from headquarters sensed defeat and chose mutual destruction to eliminate the target...
'The Paeng and Tang Families intervened, and even the Beggars' Sect lent support.'
Even two family heads appeared on site, they said.
"Why..."
Why did things keep going wrong whenever the Namgung Family got involved?
Namgung Hyeok.
The name burned fiercely in his mind.
Grind!
The Commander's teeth ground with a spine-chilling screech.
Mukyeong shook like an aspen leaf.
It was the first time he'd seen the Commander so openly emotional.
'Keeps exceeding expectations, over and over.'
The war had ended too smoothly, too predictably.
That was never his desire.
But one thing was clear.
Never borrow others' hands sloppily.
"The Namgung Family..."
"Give the order!"
"Watch for now."
The plan failed, and Alliance warriors were in the Namgung Family.
No good letting it escalate further.
"Head there straight away. That's more urgent now."
"...Yes!"
"Tell them the Commander, who contacted the Council, is moving personally."
Light gleamed in Mukyeong's eyes at the Commander's low voice.
He replied.
"I'll relay it at once."
Mukyeong melted into shadow and vanished.
The Commander gazed out the window somewhere, then turned.
Dawn was breaking.