Chapter 72: The Heavenly Demon, God of Lies
The Heavenly Demon, God of Lies
Chapter 72: The Heavenly Demon, God of Lies
Ha Jeon-ik stared at Cheol Myung-ho rising to his feet again and felt the urge to kill him right then and there. But if he killed Cheol Myung-ho, the Eight Dragons Sect would be wiped out as well.
Ha Jeon-ik spoke.
"You truly are an infuriating bastard."
He reached out to his subordinate, and another intact wooden sword was placed in his hand.
Cheol Myung-ho lowered his sword to the lower right, as if preparing to defend against Ha Jeon-ik's attack. There was no deeper reason—it was simply the most comfortable stance for transitioning between downward slashes, horizontal cuts, and thrusts. A posture born from necessity in the heat of battle.
His foundation was the Threefold Sword Technique, but the variations that stemmed from it were instinctive. Cheol Myung-ho glared at Ha Jeon-ik.
He wasn't afraid of getting hit.
Nor was he afraid of Ha Jeon-ik.
After all, he had once nearly been beaten to death by a friend.
And most importantly, losing didn't bother him in the slightest. Because Cheol Myung-ho—
"You're taking the Threefold Sword Technique way too seriously, Sect Leader Ha. Hahahaha!"
Cheol Myung-ho abruptly stopped laughing and roared:
"Come at me!"
Ha Jeon-ik charged forward, pouring energy into his wooden sword. He had underestimated the durability of the Black Iron Umbrella before—but now, the situation was different.
The moment the wooden sword clashed against the umbrella, Cheol Myung-ho lashed out with a kick. A surprise attack, if there ever was one.
Ha Jeon-ik swatted the kick aside with his hand and swung his wooden sword down toward Cheol Myung-ho's skull. But faster than expected, Cheol Myung-ho's umbrella swept horizontally, successfully blocking the strike.
Clang!
Cheol Myung-ho unleashed a relentless barrage of downward slashes, charging forward like a madman. Each strike came from a different angle—first aimed at the head, then at the wooden sword itself, and finally at Ha Jeon-ik's shoulder. The last move was a suicidal exchange—he didn't even try to dodge the sword swinging toward his skull.
A willingness to trade blows.
Startled by the suicidal recklessness, Ha Jeon-ik hastily withdrew his sword and shifted into a defensive stance.
Crack!
The moment Ha Jeon-ik defended, he unleashed a palm strike brimming with energy—enough force to potentially kill Cheol Myung-ho in one hit.
At that instant, Cheol Myung-ho's eyes widened, and without even distinguishing whether it was a palm strike or an energy blast, he swung his umbrella in a furious horizontal slash.
BOOM!
Cheol Myung-ho, struck by the force, was sent flying across the underground training hall before crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.
Silence fell over the training grounds in an instant.
Ha Jeon-ik glanced at his subordinates, who immediately rushed to Cheol Myung-ho's side.
His throat dry, Ha Jeon-ik gulped down water from the table in large swigs. A subordinate spoke up.
"He's still breathing."
Ha Jeon-ik wore a conflicted expression before turning to one of his officers who had been observing the entire time.
"Spend as much as you need. Get me an elixir."
The officer nodded.
"Understood."
As the officer turned to leave and return to the Eight Dragons Sect, Ha Jeon-ik added in a subdued tone:
"It's for Cheol Myung-ho."
The officer showed no surprise as he replied:
"Yes, I'll procure the best available."
Ha Jeon-ik stared at Cheol Myung-ho's unconscious form for a long moment before muttering to his men:
"Now that's a real man."
A thought crossed his mind—that among all the subordinates he had gathered over the years, a man like Cheol Myung-ho might grow stronger faster than any of them. It wasn't about effort, character, or even current skill.
Cheol Myung-ho was simply a strong man.
Even in the eyes of Ha Jeon-ik, leader of the Eight Dragons Sect...
Unchoru
A pleasure house not far from the Namgung family estate. The owner of Unchoru had returned after a long absence and was now reviewing the mountain of reports piled on his desk.
The Heavenly Demon, who had absorbed the youngest of the Twelve Demon Blades and returned ahead of the others, was none other than the owner of Unchoru.
The idea that the Heavenly Demon owned a pleasure house was absurd.
His friend, the Sword Demon, led the Heavenly Sword Alliance, but the Heavenly Demon had no faction of his own.
All he possessed were pleasure houses and small inns scattered across the Central Plains, along with a few sizable brothels and blacksmith shops—common businesses, really. The only common thread was that none of them were too far from martial sects—orthodox factions, demonic factions, even some that paid tribute to certain dark sects.
He was thorough.
Because of that, his true identity had never been exposed.
He moved through the world like a ghost—just as no one knew who the leader of the Gold-Silver Assassin Society was.
All of these were businesses the Heavenly Demon had built alone while wandering the world.
Of course, they earned him a considerable fortune.
But there was one common thread among everything—his subordinates, his businesses, his wealth—they were all things he could discard at any moment.
The Heavenly Demon trusted no one but himself.
The Ten Thousand Demon Palace was his enemy, other demonic factions were mere tools, and the orthodox and demonic sects were just people he could kill without a second thought.
He didn't even trust money.
Not trusting it meant he didn't bother hoarding it. If there was a use for it, he spent it extravagantly, like the richest man in the Central Plains. To him, money was something that could always be taken if needed.
In the midst of all this, the Heavenly Demon never married, never poured his heart into any woman.
His entire life was spent scheming, working, earning money, killing, and absorbing others.
And yet, this man lived well.
He was leisurely, frequently indulging in wine and women.
Pleasure houses were especially easy for him to take over.
One day, the perfectly healthy owner would vanish without a trace, and the Heavenly Demon would step in as the successor. If the original owner's subordinates grew suspicious, they too would disappear from the world.
Thanks to his demonic arts, no corpses of those he killed were ever found.
The Heavenly Demon was the darkness of this world—a man like a shadow.
That said, he ran his businesses well.
He treated people fairly, raised wages when needed, and when bribes were required, he handed over sums far beyond expectations.
And yet, his ledgers always showed a healthy profit.
A man so skilled in commerce he could be called the God of Business.
As the Heavenly Demon sifted through the reports piled in Unchoru, his eyes lingered on a few key details.
▒ The leader of the Eight Dragons Sect, a demonic faction, has been tearing through the Central Plains in search of the Gold-Silver Assassin Society's headquarters. Investigations suggest this sect has sworn allegiance to Lee Jin-eon, the Grand Prince of the Silver River Merchant Group.
▒ The third, fifth, and sixth squads of the Gold-Silver Assassin Society, sent to assassinate the Grand Prince, were wiped out. Traces of ice-based martial arts were found on the corpses. The varying conditions of the other bodies suggest the presence of an ice-wielding ally.
▒ A servant of the Young Palace Master of Ten Thousand Demon Palace visited the Murim Alliance and has not emerged for over twenty days. Presumed dead or captured.
▒ The foremost figure of the demonic factions is tracking the Gold-Silver Assassin Society and has gathered dark sects for a meeting.
▒ The Palace Master of Ten Thousand Demon Palace has emerged from seclusion and begun intervening in major affairs, repeatedly reprimanding the Young Palace Master in front of other demonic faction leaders.
▒ The Emperor's Council has dispatched forces to investigate the death of Moo Yong-chu.
The Heavenly Demon stacked the reports he had finished reading and burned them over a candle. There were mentions of the Silver River Merchant Group, but nothing immediately noteworthy.
A rough knock sounded at the door, followed by the Sword Demon's voice.
"It's me. Can I come in?"
"Enter."
The Sword Demon strode in with a heated expression and sat across from him.
"You've seen the reports?"
The Heavenly Demon nodded.
"I heard Alliance Leader Yoo Jung-hong paid a visit."
"He wasn't alone—the Iron Blood Sword Emperor was with him. That crazy bastard's been hunting the Twelve Demon Blades like a madman. My guess is he tipped off the Murim Alliance, and they mobilized forces. In the chaos, the youngest and Tenth Blade didn't return—probably dead. Damn it..."
The youngest had been killed by the Heavenly Demon himself, and the Tenth Blade had fallen to Dan Woo-sung.
The Heavenly Demon, who had personally slain the youngest, wore a bitter expression.
"A heavy loss. Were the bodies or swords recovered?"
The Sword Demon shook his head tiredly.
The Heavenly Demon frowned.
"You think the Sword Emperor tipped off the Heavenly Sword Alliance's location?"
"How else would the Murim Alliance have found us?"
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes.
"You're saying the bastard we were chasing fooled us completely and led us around? Impossible."
The Sword Demon furrowed his brow.
"Then?"
"I've been thinking about it on the way here. There must be another informant—someone who wants the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Sword Alliance to destroy each other."
In the martial world, if one ranked the top ten schemers, the Heavenly Demon would easily make the list. His instincts were sharp, his strategies flawless. He had already pieced together the truth behind the incident.
A murderous glint flashed in the Sword Demon's eyes.
"Ten Thousand Demon Palace?"
The Heavenly Demon rarely gave direct answers. His conversational style was to let the Sword Demon think things through.
"Possibly. Or it could be another demonic faction's doing."
The Sword Demon asked about their next move.
"What's the plan? Should we strike at Blade Emperor now? You burned the documents, so I assume you've read the reports."
"The Emperor's Council has split their forces as expected. But since Yoo Jung-hong has made his move, they might have been alerted. Let's hold off on attacking Blade Emperor. Something doesn't feel right."
The Sword Demon scowled.
"So we go into hiding again? I get that slow and steady wins the race, but... this hiding business is getting old. My martial arts haven't progressed in ages."
The Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"We've never been hiding. We've just been searching for prey."
The Sword Demon tapped the table with his finger.
"Then where is this prey? I'm done capturing people like the Sword King to steal their techniques. I'll just kill them all. Ignoring your advice was my mistake."
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
"No need for apologies. By the way, I've been thinking about a method to use after dealing with Blade Emperor..."
"Go on."
The Heavenly Demon stood, fetched a small bottle of liquor from a nearby table, and poured a drink before continuing.
"We should wipe out Ten Thousand Demon Palace and all the demonic factions under its influence. However, I'll only assist in planning and killing—I won't absorb any of them. You and the surviving Twelve Demon Blades can take them all. As you know, absorbing just the Palace Master alone would make you stronger than I could ever hope to match. Not that I've ever treated you lightly..."
The Sword Demon stared blankly.
"Are you serious?"
The Heavenly Demon took a sip and replied:
"I figured I'd need to go this far for you to trust me. Once this is over, the first and second of the Twelve Demon Blades might even surpass me. If I don't pursue martial power, our friendship can endure. It's a sad truth, but it's reality. Did you really think everything I said was a lie? If so, that's an insult."
The Sword Demon shook his head.
"Not entirely."
"Or did you think I had some hidden plan to suppress you later? There isn't one. Once you reach the level of a Demon God, neither I nor anyone in the martial world will be able to stop you. I just want to witness the end of this world and its orthodox factions. Let us, who grew up in Ten Thousand Demon Palace, bring about the final apocalypse."
The Sword Demon spoke.
"Ten Thousand Demon Palace... If I can absorb them alone, why would I doubt you? By then, you won't need to doubt me either. I'm still human. A man needs at least one friend."
The Heavenly Demon, a man abandoned by the world, wore an eerie smile as he spoke to his friend.
"You will become a god. I will plan the end."
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