Chapter 248
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 248
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon of the Era: Three Great Clans' Fury (2)
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To be honest...
I had no plans to come out about mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art anytime soon.
No matter that I was the future of the orthodox sects, their pillar, their last shred of pride, the top handsome man of the righteous factions, and the one dragon among the martial world's One Dragon Seven Phoenixes.
I was a little worried about the biased stares I'd get from the demonic cult the moment they found out.
So if I was going to reveal it, at least at the Profound Realm or higher.
I figured I should wait until I reached a level where the warriors who could match me could be counted on one hand.
But.
At least right now.
I wasn't so cool-guy chill that I'd play pretend-strong games in a place where lives hung in the balance.
"Uh, uh? Hero Geum Sihyeon?"
But of all the luck, a Wudang friend I knew happened to be in the temple grounds.
Should've grabbed a mask...
Not that it would've mattered with Luri glued to my side anyway.
After flicking away the swarming jiangshi with a single gesture.
I gracefully stepped into the Wudang temple grounds.
The warriors were mostly in dire straits.
Young Taoists barely suppressing their reversing qi and blood.
Elders spreading qi barriers with everything they had to protect them.
And first-generation disciples who could hold out halfway but weren't quite up to maintaining barriers, desperately fending off the jiangshi onslaught.
"Your training is lacking, Yeon Hongun."
"...I'm holding back because this is Taoism's sacred ground!"
I could guess what he was holding back on.
Cloud-Rain Color Art special trait.
Gets stronger with women he's connected to nearby.
...Even stronger with all sorts of skinship with them.
"I'll guard this place, so scram and recharge your strength."
Yeon Hongun's face bloomed with delight.
Even in this desperate crisis, his features softening at thoughts of womanizing proved he was the insane lecher I could never match.
After the lecher led his wives to the jiangshi hotspot—the mountain gate.
I ignored the distant jiangshi screeches.
And the utterly out-of-place moan of ecstasy that drifted in.
All with superhuman patience.
"Luri. Cover me."
"Okay."
After setting up a temporary Heavenly Demon Death Beam turret, I immediately checked the Wudang folks' conditions.
The elders' reactions were all over the place.
"Hero Geum, embarrassing to show you this mess."
"No worries. All rivers run to the sea—if the chance arises, I've always planned to repay Wudang's grace."
Though I was the one who'd granted that grace.
Anyway, some treated me warmly due to our acquaintance.
"Primordial Heavenly Lord..."
Others just chanted incantations after witnessing my Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon earlier.
And Luri blasting away with Heavenly Demon Death Beams.
Some even shot us suspicious looks, wondering if we were the evil omens.
Well.
Even with orthodox and demonic sects agreeing to a full truce, uprooting decades of deep prejudice would take time.
But I wasn't just the Heavenly Demon.
I was also the successor to the Northern Bright Divine Art—a cheat-level technique no one in Taoism could touch.
So here, let's unite under Buddha's will!
"Amitabha—!"
Tensing my core, I unleashed the authentic lion's roar the monk taught me.
With full sincerity and power.
The cry, infused with Breaking Evil and Manifesting Truth energy, spread everywhere via the Northern Bright Divine Art's might.
"Kiek—!"
"—!"
"Grrr—"
The charging jiangshi melted away, dropping to their knees at my roar—or vanishing outright.
"Kyaang!"
Even Little Heavenly Demon—er, not that the Northern Bright true qi I'd infused in her body was that much yet—winced in pain for a moment.
An unexpected side effect.
But great power always comes with a little zap.
Even so, my voice's profound power, combined with the Northern Bright true qi surging through me, swept the grounds clean.
"Hoo..."
"The, the qi and blood is stabilizing..."
"Focus! Drive out the evil qi like this!"
Vitality returned to the young Wudang disciples who'd seemed moments from melting into pills.
Was it the deep power in my shout, or the pure, refreshing righteous energy?
Fear and unease faded from eyes that had first widened in terror at seeing Heavenly Demon Geum Sihyeon.
Replaced by awe.
Yeah. That's right, bro.
Bro's internal arts are dual-track.
My nose rose a tad, but no time for gloating now.
I rushed to wobbly Luri, stroked her soft back to calm her bouncing chant.
"Hmph."
"Couldn't be helped. Can you hold this place?"
"Yeah. If you ask."
True to her demonic cult roots, she resisted guarding orthodox sects for free.
So from an angle out of sight, I nipped her lip lightly to fire her up.
Turning back to the Wudang Taoists, I assessed the situation.
"Long time no see. No time for chit-chat, so I'll keep it brief—here's what I saw coming up."
The formation itself was very similar to the Illusion Demon's.
And layered with Hong Sundok's—the Ghost Demon's—jiangshi arts.
But at its core, sorcery.
Qi flows converging in one spot—like the massive energy absorption formation the Illusion Demon used at Lake Dongting.
Tailored for Taoist internal energy.
"To think such a massive formation went up around Wudang Mountain without us noticing..."
A sigh drifted from somewhere.
Honestly, embarrassing for one of the Nine Great Sects to fall for this.
But.
"Formations are hard to detect before activation by nature. And it's cleverly exploiting the mountain's spiritual energy—must be a delicately prepared trap spanning years."
The martial world runs on 'if you don't know, you die' too easily.
"But Hero, how do you know so well...?"
Someone still doubted my sharp insight.
Here, 'then die!' would be more effective than lengthy rebuttals.
But alas, orthodox Geum Sihyeon doesn't stoop to crude words.
"I've been on the receiving end."
Key was the wistful, poignant expression.
And since it was 100% sincere, based on real events—not mere acting—even the challenger nodded in agreement.
So.
Time to dismantle this formation.
"Hoo, damn geezer. If you're old, die peacefully..."
Hong Sundok grumbled curses while checking his condition.
Instead of supporting his grand plan, the old man swung his sword without warning, declaring he couldn't stand by.
Senility from age? Or stubbornness from rotting too long on Mount Hua?
Why resist devouring the useless, unconnected riffraff?
Still a soft-hearted fool.
Thanks to that, he'd avoided a fatal wound.
"Need to replenish the body..."
He hadn't brought many jiangshi, so escaping alone had drained his vital energy considerably.
But it didn't matter.
Whether his three senior brothers joined his plan or not.
Too bad about failing to swallow Mount Hua.
But Wudang would merge with him regardless.
Granting eternal life.
And someday, when he ascended beyond this worthless world, the glory of living as one in his veins.
How merciful.
"Heh heh huh..."
Stroking his grotesquely scarred chest, crimson lotus bloomed from his fingertips, healing the wound flawlessly.
Hong Ryeon's touch then caressed his body wildly.
In that frenzy, holding the sole pleasure this world offered at his upper dantian.
"A bit tangled, but let's swallow one as consolation."
How much spiritual energy had accumulated?
How much blood had spilled?
Savoring anticipation, Hong Ryeon focused, linking with the jiangshi.
But.
What her eyes—fused with jiangshi bodies—saw.
Was an unforeseen scene.
With experts mostly gone, plenty of time to clump the mountain's spiritual qi and survivors into blood pills.
Yet over half her cherished jiangshi—souls devoured, skins preserved—were gone.
At the end of that gaze.
The face of the insolent wretch disrupting her plan.
That instant.
"Kyaa!"
Hong Ryeon twisted her thighs in ecstatic thrill.
Ahh, young lord.
How gloriously you've grown in our time apart.
So very...
I want him.
I want to ravish him.
Too precious to kill and absorb.
Make his body and soul her slaves.
Day and night, anytime she desired.
A puppet serving only her for life.
He alone deserved that glory.
"Ahng, hngh huh..."
Jiangshi heads exploding, shattering, severing, erasing—over and over.
Yet her gaze stayed locked on Geum Sihyeon.
Upon her second climax.
"Today, this queen will have you..."
Confirming her state normalized, Hong Ryeon shyly smiled.
"I won't let you escape, young lord."