Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Sword Demon Invades
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Clang! Crash!
The forms of the Shaanxi Freaks tumbled across the floor.
“Urk!”
“Guh!”
They clutched at their mouths, blood pouring through their fingers from burst insides.
‘D-Damn it….’
Broken teeth rolled around inside their mouths. But they didn’t dare spit them out in front of the hooded man. They feared provoking his ire.
“……!”
Only then did the Zhongnan Sect disciples spot the hooded man and let out shouts of alarm.
“Ah!”
A Zhongnan inner disciple on nearby guard duty rushed toward him.
“Who are you? How dare you cause a scene at the Huashan-Zhongnan Assembly?”
“Me?”
The corner of his mouth curved up beneath the hood. At the same moment, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.
“……!”
The Zhongnan disciple felt a crushing pressure squeeze his entire frame.
“Guh… C-Can’t… breathe…”
His face turned deathly pale as he gaped wordlessly, then collapsed to the floor.
Thud.
“Ah! Junior Brother Samyeong!”
“Samyeong’s down!”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zhongnan disciples swarmed in, but the hooded man had already kicked off the ground.
Twing!
Whirr!
In an instant, he soared over the VIP seats and landed on the sparring platform.
“Gasp! Incredible lightness skill…!”
But he had dropped right in the middle of where two second-generation disciples were locked in combat.
“Huh?!”
“Gasp!”
The two froze in shock at the sudden intruder. But it was too late to pull back their already-thrust swords.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
Suddenly, a dark gleam flashed across the platform.
Clang!!
“Kuh!”
“Urk!”
The two second-generation disciples reeled back from the massive impact, clutching their wrists.
‘An unbelievable sword strike!’
Sometime in that moment, a sword had appeared in the hooded man’s hand—a massive blade twice as thick and wide as a typical longsword.
“So the famed sword sects of Shaanxi, Huashan and Zhongnan, only field second-generation disciples of this caliber.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Jinmun, withdraw.”
He turned at the sudden voice to see Huashan elder Sang Wungeon standing there with a stern expression.
“Hyomyeong, you too. Fall back.”
Beside him stood Zhongnan elder Dan Wiyeon.
Puzzled, the two second-generation disciples obeyed and retreated.
Elder Dan spoke gravely.
“It’s been a while, Sword Demon.”
His tone was calm, but he infused it with inner energy so his voice boomed through the hall, deliberately heightening the tension.
“Sw-Sword Demon?!”
“You don’t mean that Sword Demon, one of the Four Demonic Saints?!”
Sword Demon Cheol Yu-han.
Leader of the Demonic Sword Pavilion based in Gansu Province, counted among the Four Demonic Saints as a peerless master.
The Demonic Sword Pavilion, a gathering of sword-mad experts, wasn’t affiliated with the Demonic Alliance but rivaled the Eight Demonic Sects in power.
It wasn’t as if the Demonic Alliance hadn’t applied pressure. But the arrogant Sword Demon had ignored them. Infuriating as it was, they could do nothing.
The Pavilion’s strength was no joke, and it was simply too far away geographically.
Elder Sang asked,
“What brings Sword Hero Cheol here?”
“Keuk.”
The hooded man tossed off his hood. Disheveled graying hair, a long scar running from his left eye. It matched the known appearance of the Sword Demon exactly.
He scanned the two elders.
“At least the elders seem decent.”
“…….”
“I was originally headed for Zhongnan Sect.”
Elder Dan’s face changed.
“What business do you have with our sect…?”
“To take down that ridiculous Zhongnan leader calling himself the Taiyi Sword Star.”
Taiyi Sword Star Baek Un-jeong.
Zhongnan Sect leader and one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Orthodox Factions.
“What nonsense is this?”
The Sword Demon exuded thick killing intent.
“It’s exactly as I said. To prove I’m the world’s greatest swordsman, I plan to cut down the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Orthodox Factions one by one.”
“……!”
The Sword Demon pointed at Elder Sang with a finger and continued.
“Next up is Huashan. They’ve got the Plum Blossom Wind Sword, don’t they?”
Plum Blossom Wind Sword Jo Il-hoe, a Huashan elder and also one of the Ten Great Swordsmen.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll topple anyone decent with a sword, orthodox or demonic alike.”
Mad words, no doubt. But with the overwhelming aura pouring from the Sword Demon, no one could call him out on it.
“Then why crash the Huashan-Zhongnan Assembly?”
“I was just going to pass by at first. But then I heard these rats spouting something amusing.”
“Gasp!”
His gaze turned to the VIP seats, and the watching Shaanxi Freaks flinched and bowed their heads.
“For nobodies like Huashan and Zhongnan to claim the title of Shaanxi’s top swordsman.”
Only the Sword Demon would dismiss two of the Nine Great Sects—top-ranked at that—as “nobodies.” His prowess was that overwhelming.
“Perfect, plenty of spectators. Time to issue my declaration of war and send your elders’ heads back to Huashan and Zhongnan.”
“……!”
A razor-sharp invisible sword qi shot from the Sword Demon’s body toward the two men.
Boom!
‘Kuh!’
‘Worthy of the Sword Demon!’
Even these Nine Great Sect elders felt intense pressure from the skill gap. But the Sword Demon thought differently.
“Elders indeed. You hold up well. Now, I’ll take your heads.”
As terrifying killing intent flooded outward, the disciples of both sects realized the situation was far graver than expected.
“Elder!”
Worried for their safety, disciples from both sects surged toward the platform.
“Dream on.”
Whoosh!
Ten hooded figures suddenly appeared, blocking the way to the platform.
“……!”
Only ten, but each one’s aura was formidable. Their presence alone overwhelmed the second-generation disciples.
“This is a duel between our Pavilion Lord and the Nine Great Sect elders. No one interferes.”
“What the…!”
“Outrageous!”
But the disciples from both sects couldn’t charge in easily.
The slightest move felt like it would bring a sword to their throats.
The hooded men warned the VIP seats.
“Stay out of it. This is between our Pavilion, Huashan, and Zhongnan. Interfere, and you’ll be considered enemies of our Pavilion!”
“……!”
The martial artists in the VIP seats couldn’t help but flinch. The Demonic Sword Pavilion’s name carried that much weight.
Watching the scene, Seol Hwa-un asked,
“If that’s the Sword Demon, who are those ten?”
Eom Mu-hwi replied,
“Judging by their auras, the Demonic Sword Ten Guards. The ten strongest swordsmen in the Pavilion besides the Sword Demon himself.”
“Hm.”
Clang!
Then, a sharp metallic ring echoed. Turning, they saw the two elders staggering back.
The Sword Demon approached them, sword dangling loosely. Just one exchange of blows, and the power gap was clear.
Seeing this, Jo Jin-hong’s expression darkened.
‘No helping it.’
He turned to the second- and third-generation disciples and said,
“Regrettable, but if we leave it like this, Elders Sang and Dan will be done for.”
“…….”
With a resolute look, he declared,
“All second-generation disciples, go rescue the elders. Third-generation, all of you withdraw.”
Immediate objections erupted.
“Fourth Uncle!”
“We can’t!”
Jo Jin-hong bellowed with fierce eyes.
“Withdraw, I said!”
“……!”
The third-generation disciples flinched. It was the first time they’d seen Jo Jin-hong angry.
“You’re Huashan’s future! We can’t risk anything happening to you here!”
“B-But…”
“Go back to the main sect right now. Request reinforcements, even if it might be late!”
The distance from Zhongnan Mountain to Huashan was considerable. Round trip would take at least half a day at best.
Reinforcements were an excuse; it was to save them.
“That’s an order—go!”
“Urk!”
Reluctantly, the third-generation disciples turned as Jo Jin-hong addressed the other second-generation disciples.
“Sorry… but stake your lives.”
“Senior Brother, no need for such talk.”
“We’re prepared.”
Zhongnan Sect was doing the same. Being at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, their third-generation could return with reinforcements in under an hour.
The question was surviving until then.
Head disciples Pyo Il-rib and Jo Jin-hong exchanged glances. With resolute expressions, they nodded in unison.
Coincidentally, Zhongnan had ten second-generation disciples, as did Huashan. Two per opponent on paper, but odds of victory were under thirty percent.
Jo Jin-hong shouted,
“Save the elder!”
“Break through!”
Pairing up two-by-two, the second-generation disciples charged the Demonic Sword Ten Guards.
“Fools.”
The Ten Guards didn’t budge from their spots, parrying the assaults.
Clang clang clang!!
Soon the hall filled with clashing steel and battle cries.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un, in the VIP seats, glanced aside. Jin Pyo was clenching his fists, trembling.
Seol Hwa-un praised him.
“You held back well without jumping in, Vice Sect Leader.”
Jin Pyo gave a bitter smile.
“I know my place. I wouldn’t help—in fact, I might even cause trouble for my sect…”
Surprisingly composed, despite his earlier triumph in the matches.
“And the Little Palace Lord…?”
Jin Pyo trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to ask why he wasn’t stepping in.
“Hm?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Clearly, his calm demeanor showed no fear of the Demonic Sword Pavilion.
At a glance, it seemed the Pavilion had launched a surprise attack, but that wasn’t the whole story.
The Sword Demon had formally challenged the two elders to a duel, and the Ten Guards were only preventing interference—no joint attacks.
It remained a contest between Huashan, Zhongnan, and the Demonic Sword Pavilion.
Even without the warning, for a third party like the North Sea Ice Palace to intervene casually would be discourteous to Huashan and Zhongnan.
“…….”
The North Wind Brigade Leader watching Seol Hwa-un looked surprised.
‘I thought he’d jump in right away…’
Seol Hwa-un simply stood and observed. His expressionless face gave nothing away.
Then, someone approached him.
“Little Palace Lord!”
It was Huashan Sword Prodigy Ma Seong-gyun.
“Ma young hero?”
He had left his seat on Jo Jin-hong’s orders but returned.
Ma Seong-gyun bowed desperately.
“Please help us!”
“……!”
“Unfortunately, not even our fourth uncles or the elders can handle the Demonic Sword Pavilion. Little Palace Lord, lend us your aid!”
“…….”
As Seol Hwa-un stood silent, Ma Seong-gyun dropped to his knees.
“Please…!”
“Rise, Ma young hero.”
Seol Hwa-un pulled him up.
“You wondered if I’d help?”
“If the second-generation disciples had swallowed their pride just a bit, it would’ve been fine. In that regard, you’re a cut above, Ma young hero.”
He’d wanted to help but held back for the pride of these Nine Great Sects. Jumping in immediately would’ve earned their resentment.
A faint smile touched Seol Hwa-un’s lips.
“I’ll help you.”