Chapter 209
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Overwhelming Power 2
Ha Na-rin promised to meet Seo-bong again next time and left Gyeokimok, heading back to Mount Emei.
She had never felt so lighthearted in her entire life, making her realize just how heavy the burden on her heart had been. Now, she was grateful that the weight had been lifted.
Furthermore, in terms of martial arts, the anguish she had harbored in her heart melted away, leading to an enlightenment that greatly expanded her pure internal energy.
An enlightenment of the Nine Yin Divine Arts came to her heart, now free of torment.
Yeo-rin watched Ha Na-rin's transformation and made a vow.
That the Emei Sect, and she herself, would act as a buttress for this child who was like a fresh new wind.
The nuns of the Emei Sect, led by Elder Yeo-rin, returned to Mount Emei, and Yeo-rin reported everything to the Emei Sect's Leader without omission.
* * *
Jin Mu, the Lord of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade, was lost in thought about the upcoming life-or-death battle between the Cult Leader candidates. He then stared intently at a document on his desk.
It was a ledger detailing the factions that supported Mu-heun.
The Heavenly Dance Family and its Head, Baek Gun-hak.
Baek Gun-hak was a master who had reached the Transcendent Demon realm, but since he wasn't an active combatant, he was excluded as a military asset.
However, just as the Heavenly Dance Family was proficient in formations, academics, and medicine, Baek Gun-hak himself was a brilliant sage, making him a force that could not be ignored.
A foundational power, so to speak.
Blade Leaf Valley and the Blade Leaf Demon.
Blade Leaf Valley was the first village Baek Mu-heun had acquired, a mountain hollow where various rare medicinal herbs grew. Its ruler, the Blade Leaf Demon, was originally at the Transcendent Demon realm, but he had ascended to the Supreme Demon realm thanks to an elixir Baek Mu-heun obtained after killing the Golden Fang Poison Claw.
His subordinates had also mostly achieved advancements in their realms, and with abundant crops, this was another faction that firmly supported Baek Mu-heun.
The Violet Poison Demon Family and the 9th Elder, Yu So-jeong.
Yu So-jeong was a master who had reached the Transcendent Demon realm and the head of a family that specialized in powerful, extreme poisons.
The Sacred Moon Demon Family and the 10th Elder, Mu Hwa.
Mu Hwa was also a master who had reached the Transcendent Demon realm and possessed monstrous strength, wielding a giant axe as if it were a tree branch.
The Sun and Moon Demon Family and the 11th Elder, Ma Yun-chu.
The Sun and Moon Demon Family was a powerful faction that had existed since the early days of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Although they had now fallen to the lowest rank among the Elders, the bonds of their network were not to be underestimated.
The Dream Plume Pavilion and its Lord, Bul-wi.
They were a force the Cult Leader himself had assigned to Mu-heun. Not only were they powerful, but their lord was a resourceful man who would lend even more strength to Baek Mu-heun.
Then there was Gocha County, which Baek Mu-heun visited before going to the Central Plains. The residents there revered him as if he were a god.
Even the Fierce Tiger Family, dispatched to Gocha County, and their young master, Yi Baek, seemed to support Baek Mu-heun.
*He's a figure beloved by the younger generation.*
That meant he had won over numerous families not part of the Twelve Elders... The turning point was likely the Divine Dragon Assembly.
It seemed that, due to the nature of the Palaces, they couldn't openly declare their support, but the Sacred Fire Palace, Killing Palace, and Law Palace had more or less made up their minds.
The Lord of the Killing Palace seemed to have solidified his resolve even more after sending Gu Yang-baek to the Central Plains with the Dragon Demon.
*Hmm... If that's the case, the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade is no different.*
And then there were the forces gained from killing the Ice Demon and the Flame Demon.
The Crimson Flame Demon Family and its Head, Cho Geum-hwa.
The Ice Soul Demon Family and its Head, Yeon Hak-ja.
They were masters of the Transcendent Demon and Supreme Demon realms, respectively, at least at the level of an Elder.
The Ghost Soul Demon Family and the 3rd Elder, Seo Mu-yeol.
Seo Mu-yeol was a Supreme Demon master and the only high-ranking Elder who had supported the Ice Demon.
The Dark Trace Demon Family and the 5th Elder, Mu-un.
*Mu-un was the only high-ranking Elder who supported the Flame Demon.*
The Ghost Pearl Pavilion and its Lord, Cheon-o.
*He was a Pavilion Lord who supported the Flame Demon, but now he's a Pavilion Lord who supports the Dragon Demon.*
The Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun.
He is truly a remarkable person.
The three great powers of the Cult: the Council of Twelve Elders, the Three Great Palaces, and the Five Pavilions.
Among them, he has brought six Elders, three Palace Lords, and two Pavilion Lords to his side, and he himself has even risen to the position of a Pavilion Lord.
The capacity to win over the younger generation and other families.
The strength to embrace even the powerful who were pushed out from the Cult's center, like the Blade Leaf Demon.
His martial prowess as well... Truly astonishing.
*If he becomes the next Cult Leader, then I...*
Jin Mu quietly, without anyone knowing, steeled his resolve.
* * *
Seol Ha-ryeong, who was staying at the Sacred Fire Palace, received a gift sent by Mu-heun.
The gift was a treasure that could not be bought even for a thousand gold pieces, yet it was a familiar object to Seol Ha-ryeong.
The Ice Soul Demon Fan.
The divine weapon of the Ice Demon, Yeon A-ryeong.
Seol Ha-ryeong felt a profound sense of awe, but she accepted the Ice Soul Demon Fan.
*I know why he gave me this divine weapon.*
It was a request for her to become a source of strength in the coming battle.
In that case, this was no time for her to be satisfied with her current realm.
Seol Ha-ryeong immediately went to the office of the Sacred Fire Palace Lord. Strictly speaking, the two had a master-disciple relationship. Seol Ha-ryeong clasped her fist and spoke.
"I greet the Palace Lord."
"What is it?"
"Palace Lord. Please teach me the ice arts so that I may advance further."
"...You've received the divine weapon of the Ice Demon, that child."
"Yes."
"Was it a gift from the Dragon Demon?"
"It was."
Although Seol Ha-ryeong had learned the ice arts under Mi-wol, the Lord of the Sacred Fire Palace and the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden, she had originally been entrusted to her at the Ice Demon's request. Now that the Ice Demon was dead, Mi-wol, the Palace Lord, had no reason to teach her the ice arts.
However, Seol Ha-ryeong believed. She believed in the trust and goodwill Mi-wol had for Mu-heun.
"...Very well."
Mi-wol agreed as if she had no other choice, and Seol Ha-ryeong, overjoyed, exclaimed.
"Th-thank you!"
"However, you must be prepared. The ice arts allow one to grow strong quickly, but they are just as frightening."
Seol Ha-ryeong slammed her knee to the ground and declared.
"I will give it my all!"
* * *
Mu-heun unfurled a sack containing the fragments of the Flame Demon's divine weapon, the Blazing Hell Saber. It was clearly not ordinary cold steel. It was a metal like molten lava, crafted to withstand intense heat.
Then, he looked at Pa-sun's Annihilator Spear and Un-pyo's Black Cloud next to it. His subordinates' weapons, shattered by the Flame Demon.
Mu-heun judged that even the broken fragments could be of some use and gathered the pieces of the Blazing Hell Saber and his subordinates' weapons together.
*Come to think of it...*
On the day Mu-heun returned after dealing with the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin, had said this to him.
-I shall reward you according to your achievements. Is there anything you need?
-…My subordinates were attacked by my senior brothers and sisters this time. Their weapons were broken then. So, would it be possible to receive new weapons?
-It is possible. What should I give you?
-A great saber and a long spear.
-Understood. I will have the most skilled blacksmith in the Great Ming Cult's forge craft them. Relay the necessary specifications for the weapons to Jin Mu.
-I thank you for your grace, Cult Leader.
*Right, he said he would entrust it to the most skilled blacksmith in the Great Ming Cult's forge. And I relayed the desired functions for the saber and spear to Jin Mu, the Lord of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade.*
Come to think of it... Materials are also needed to make weapons. If I bring him the fragments of the Blazing Hell Saber, the Flame Demon's divine weapon, and the pieces of the Annihilator Spear and Black Cloud, which were forged from cold steel from Blade Leaf Valley...
...the work would be much easier.
Mu-heun immediately set out to find the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's greatest master craftsman.
The Great Ming Cult's forge happened to be not far from the Dragon Demon Pavilion. When Mu-heun arrived, all the blacksmiths stopped their work, prostrated themselves, and paid their respects.
"May I see the most skilled blacksmith here?"
At that, a man who appeared to be the master of the forge stepped forward and spoke.
"I greet the Dragon Demon of the Cult. I am the blacksmith Geum-cheol, the master of this Great Ming Cult forge. The most skilled blacksmith here at present is a man named Hang-po, but he is currently selecting ore at the iron mine behind the forge."
"Thank you. In that case."
"Um... Lord Dragon Demon. If it's about the spear and saber the Cult Leader ordered for you, we are already preparing them... May I ask why you are looking for him?"
"Well, the reason a martial artist who commissioned a weapon visits a forge is obvious, isn't it? I intend to give him the materials to complete the commission."
"Ah, ah... No, in that case, may I perhaps accompany you? It's just that... that fellow has a terrible eye for people."
Mu-heun smiled warmly at Geum-cheol and said.
"It's fine, it's fine. I will go alone. Oh, and I am well aware that craftsmen are eccentric. Don't worry about that."
Mu-heun knew. He knew the peculiar crankiness of craftsmen. But it wasn't just that. When they encountered good materials, they would be unable to resist the urge to create.
What's more, someone bringing rare materials while he was selecting ore for a commission? He wouldn't be able to refuse.
Mu-heun went straight to the mountain behind and found Hang-po.
Finding him wasn't difficult.
While the miners were resting, he was rummaging and digging through various parts of the mine.
The blacksmith, Hang-po.
He examined an ore closely, even biting it with his teeth and licking it with his tongue. Then, shaking his head, he left to find another vein in the mine.
Mu-heun completely concealed his aura and approached the blacksmith, Hang-po.
"They say you're the best in the Great Ming Cult's forge. Is that right?"
Hang-po glanced back at Mu-heun, then waved his hand dismissively and said.
"I don't know what you're here for, but I have nothing to give a young punk, so go away."
"A young punk? Why do you think that?"
Hang-po became annoyed when Mu-heun continued to speak even after he'd told him to leave, effectively refusing his commission.
"Hey! I don't care if you're a young punk or a flower boy! I don't have time to take your commission right now, so get lost!"
Mu-heun smiled warmly as he watched Hang-po, who was waving his hand dismissively while continuing to inspect the ore.
"What has you so busy? You don't even have a moment to listen?"
"What? Hey, this guy. You just don't get it. Who in the world are you?"
"If you knew who I was, would you take my commission?"
"..."
Hang-po hesitated for a moment. A person so confident in his status... He didn't even look to be thirty yet. Could he be the son of one of the Cult's Elders?
Things could get complicated if he wasn't careful.
In that case, he had no choice but to give a reason to avoid a dispute.
"I don't know who you are or where you're from, but I cannot grant your request."
"You can't grant my request? Why?"
"Because I have already accepted a commission."
"From whom?"
"...The highest person in the Cult, the sky of the Cult, the Cult Leader himself."
"Then you have all the more reason to listen to me."
"Wh-what? How can you be so insolent!"
"No, no, it's not that. When the Cult Leader commissioned you, for whom did he tell you to make the weapons?"
"That would be... the Dragon Demon."
"I am that Dragon Demon."
"...!!"
For a moment, Hang-po couldn't believe his ears. The most famous person in the current Cult. The figure being discussed as the next Cult Leader. That person was the one standing right before him!?
"Uh, uh..., well..."
"Let's just move past the trivial matters. In any case, you'll listen to me now, won't you?"
"Yes! Yes! Of course!"
"They're already broken weapons, but can you make use of these fragments again? Ah, of course, I will melt them down for you."
Mu-heun untied the bundle and showed him the fragments of the Blazing Hell Saber, the Annihilator Spear, and the Black Cloud.
"Th-this is...! Cold steel, and Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Steel!"
"Can you do it?"
"I-if you can melt it down! Of course!"
"Then let's return to the Great Ming Cult's forge."
"Ah, no, it's just that, I have my own personal workshop."
"Oh? Where is it?"
"It's a place I've never allowed an outsider, a non-blacksmith, to enter... but... well..."
"Can you melt these by yourself?"
"Ah, no. Let's go together."
Following Hang-po's guidance, Mu-heun headed to a cave in the Heavenly Mountains. It was quite a rugged place, one that those who neglected their physical training could never reach. However, it posed no obstacle for Mu-heun.
"Should I go in there?"
"Yes, that's right."
Entering the cave, he found Hang-po's personal workshop. Inside was a furnace that other forges wouldn't even dream of having, which, according to Hang-po, was built to withstand incredible heat.
Mu-heun looked at the deeply hidden cave, the wide space, the workshop, and the furnace, and thought.
*A cave this spacious and able to withstand high temperatures... It's the perfect place to train for advancing to the next realm.*