Chapter 213
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: Aren't You a Little Too Strong?
-The Dragon Demon Pavilion Estate
Mu-heun came face to face with beings he had all but forgotten.
“Um… what should we do from now on?”
They were the three warriors from the Southern Wilds. Chu Hon-ga-ha and her companions, who had been captured by the Ice Demon and subsequently sworn allegiance to Mu-heun.
“Hmm… Right, you were here.”
“…?? Did you perhaps forget about us…”
“No, no. That’s not it. I was asking how you ended up here.”
“Ah, yes. I misspoke. I apologize.”
“Alright, tell me. Why was the Ice Demon’s Gu poison inside your bodies?”
“Yes. We are warriors from the Beast Palace of the Southern Wilds, and we primarily served as scouts.”
“A bird, a snake, and a wolf. I suppose that makes sense.”
“…Yes. A few years ago, strange movements began in the Southern Wilds, and we came to the Central Plains to investigate.”
“Strange movements?”
“Indeed. They were like monsters, like ghosts, and at times, like immortals… I couldn't discern their true identities.”
“Tell me in detail.”
“Among the warriors of the Southern Wilds, some can communicate with small creatures like rats and birds. One of them overheard the conversation of these immortal-like beings and learned that one of their strongholds is on Mt. A-hap-rap-dal in Qinghai Province.”
“So, you came near Qinghai Province to investigate them and were captured by the Ice Demon?”
“Th-that is correct.”
Mu-heun recalled his previous encounter with Yeok Mu-gi in Qinghai Province.
‘Right, he definitely told those courtesans that he had seen some kind of palace on Mt. A-hap-rap-dal. He also mentioned immortal-like beings there… I thought he was just spinning tales to win the women’s favor, but was it true?’
“I understand the situation. First, I will remove the Gu poison from your bodies.”
“““Th-thank you!”””
Just as he had done for Chu Hon-ga-ha, Mu-heun removed the Gu poison from the bodies of her companions, Dae-rang and Hyeol-sa.
“It might hurt a little, but bear with it.”
“Yes. Aaaaargh!”
Despite Hyeol-sa’s pain, the Gu poison was extracted smoothly.
*Screeeech!*
*Crunch!*
And it was the same for Dae-rang.
“Aaaaargh!”
*Screeech!*
*Crunch!*
“I will give you a choice. After I’ve dealt with some matters in the Cult, I will go to investigate Mt. A-hap-rap-dal in Qinghai Province, which you mentioned. So, decide whether you will leave now or go with me.”
“A-are you serious?”
Chu Hon-ga-ha was aware of Mu-heun’s martial prowess. She had assumed that since he was a member of the Demonic Cult, they would be forced to serve him just as they had under the Ice Demon.
But a choice? A choice between leaving or investigating together?
“Alternatively, you can stay for a while and then decide. I will be busy from now on, so if you intend to stay, you can use the guest quarters over there.”
“Y-yes! We are grateful for your consideration, Lord Dragon Demon!”
Bewildered, Chu Hon-ga-ha and her companions did as Mu-heun instructed.
“Oh, and banish any thoughts of trying anything foolish. I have saved your lives once. Consider that my final act of mercy.”
“Yes! We would not dare!”
Mu-heun turned and began preparing for the duel.
The Dream of a Butterfly on his left wrist.
The Yin-Yang Twin Dragon Robe over his torso.
The Sun and Moon Sword in his hand.
Nothing else was needed.
He had torn off the Sealing Talismans.
The dueling ground was the summit of the Heavenly Mountain.
The same stage where the Divine Dragon Assembly had been held.
He would strike down the Blood Demon before the Cult Leader’s very eyes.
***
The Blood Demon felt his heart pounding.
‘Does this even make sense…?’
When he had seen him at the banquet yesterday, he hadn’t felt any aura at all.
Right, for a member of the main Cult to travel in the Central Plains, they would use a Sealing Talisman, so it was understandable not to sense any aura from him… Yes, he could understand that.
Usually, when a master at the Realm of the Ultimate Demon conceals their aura, a master of the Transcendent Demon cannot detect it. And when a master of the Transcendent Demon conceals their aura, a Peak Master cannot detect it.
However, the man clearly had Sealing Talismans wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Therefore, the reason his aura was undetectable wasn’t due to a difference in realms, but because of the Sealing Talismans.
That should have been the case.
‘What is this aura…?’
Having inherited the early stages of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon and cultivated his martial prowess with the Blood Heaven Arts, the Blood Demon, Cheon Se-geuk, had reached the Realm of Demon Transcendence.
He was a master who could even reach the mid-stage of Demon Transcendence. If he were to fight the Ice Demon and the Flame Demon now, he would surely be victorious.
Yet, he felt a cold sweat run down his back, sensing his impending defeat.
As the Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun, ascended the Heavenly Mountain and walked onto the stage, the aura emanating from him was beyond the Blood Demon's imagination.
With each step Mu-heun took, it felt as if the Heavenly Mountain itself was trembling.
‘Damn it! What in the world is that realm!’
***
Mu-heun climbed the Heavenly Mountain.
One step.
Another step.
And he revealed his realm without reservation.
A stage was set upon the Celestial Lake, and on it stood the Blood Demon.
Spectator seats surrounded the lake. However, there weren't many people, unlike during the Divine Dragon Assembly. In fact, there were almost none.
Much had changed since the Divine Dragon Assembly.
But one thing remained unchanged. The summit of the Sun and Moon Hall, which overlooked the lake. Seated there was the man known as the Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin.
The Cult Leader felt the aura radiating from Mu-heun.
‘That… is a man worthy of the name Heavenly Demon.’
The duel was officiated by Jin Mu, Grandmaster of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit, and Grand Protector Yu Jong. Both were masters who had reached the early stage of Demon Transcendence, contrary to their publicly known prowess, so there was no fear of them getting caught in the crossfire and killed.
Or so they thought.
“Now! Let the duel between Lord Blood Demon, Cheon Se-geuk, and Lord Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun, begin!”
Mu-heun and the Blood Demon simultaneously cupped their fists, then kicked off the ground and leaped at the same time. And then.
*Claaang!*
A one-sided beatdown began.
Cheon Se-geuk’s prowess was at the early stage of Demon Transcendence. However, using the energy amplification of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, he had raised his realm to the mid-stage.
In other words, his current strength was on par with the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong, whom Mu-heun had seen in Hubei, or the Martial Alliance Leader, Du Baek.
But the duel was completely one-sided.
The first thing Cheon Se-geuk saw as he leaped was Mu-heun’s Sun and Moon Sword.
*Clang!*
He managed to block it with an almost instinctual defense, but the powerful impact sent him flying, crashing into the ground.
The harmony of energy in his dantian and the Blood Heaven Arts flowing through his blood vessels began to twist.
But what appeared in his vision again was the Sun and Moon Sword.
*Clang!*
Cheon Se-geuk couldn't keep up with Mu-heun’s speed at all. There was no time to execute a technique, no time to process his energy and compose himself, no chance to even think of a counterattack.
There was only…
*Clang!*
*Claaang!*
*Claaang!*
A one-sided beatdown.
Cheon Se-geuk realized it.
With his current skill, he could never defeat Mu-heun, not even if he died and came back to life. The gap was simply too vast.
‘His prowess is at least at the peak of Demon Transcendence, no… perhaps, the Life and Death Realm.’
A stark difference in realms. The Blood Demon felt all his blood vessels twist and the strength drain from his wrists. Since there was no future if he lost anyway, he didn't want to give up, even if it meant death. He wanted to throw everything he had polished over the years at his opponent.
However, his opponent was not on that level.
His body was already a wreck, unable to move. Yet, his opponent was still nowhere to be seen. All he could occasionally glimpse was the Sun and Moon Sword, followed by a massive impact.
Grandmaster Jin Mu and Grand Protector Yu Jong, who were watching the duel, were at a loss for words.
“This… is no longer a duel.”
Just then.
Mu-heun appeared before Yu Jong and Jin Mu with imperceptible speed.
“He’s unconscious.”
“Uh, uh. Lord Dragon Demon. What do you mean?”
Mu-heun pointed toward the stage, which was shrouded in a thick cloud of dust.
“Senior Brother Blood Demon has fainted. You should take him to a physician.”
“Uh, uhh…”
Only then did Jin Mu and Yu Jong focus their vision and scan the stage. And they found him. The collapsed and unmoving Blood Demon, Cheon Se-geuk.
But they couldn't understand. Everyone gathered here had expected the Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun, to kill Cheon Se-geuk… Not only did he spare him, but he was telling them to take him to a physician?
Though they didn't immediately understand, Jin Mu and Yu Jong rushed to the stage. Soon, the thick dust settled, revealing the battered form of the Blood Demon.
Yu Jong took the Blood Demon to the Hall of Medicine, while Jin Mu looked toward the Sun and Moon Hall and declared.
“The, the winner of the duel is Lord Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun!”
There was no applause, no cheers. Only the speechless masters of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Unit and the Protectorate Unit remained.
But the news spread quickly.
***
-Mad Demon Palace
“What?”
The Mad Demon, Wi Ryeon-gwang, dropped the teacup he was holding and burst into laughter.
“Puhahahahahahaha! This is hilarious! So hilarious! Puhahahaha!”
The retainers who followed the Mad Demon worried for him, but his attention was elsewhere.
“So, he didn’t kill the Blood Demon, you say? Even with such overwhelming skill? Puhahahaha! Now I get it. Why he made such a ridiculous proposal.”
“May… may I ask the reason?”
“He didn’t want to kill us. After killing the Ice Demon and the Flame Demon, he didn’t want to lose other strong fighters like me, the Blood Demon, and Senior Brother Sword Demon.”
“…Pardon?”
“I don’t know the exact reason myself. But this is the only explanation for why he chose this method. To imprint his overwhelming power on us. It must be to subjugate his opponents with the logic of the strong devouring the weak, the survival of the fittest.”
“Such a thing…”
“Fuhuhu… I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Just how strong is he!”
He wasn't sure about Senior Brother Sword Demon, but the Blood Demon’s skill was on par with his own. That meant the outcome of tomorrow's duel was as clear as day.
‘Even so, I couldn't have avoided this unexpected turn of events.’
The outcome the Mad Demon had predicted was Senior Brother Sword Demon’s victory. The rest would die. Thus, the Cult would welcome a powerful new leader. The only variable was Baek Mu-heun.
That was why he had been observing him with such interest.
But now, Baek Mu-heun was no longer just a variable.
***
The next day.
Facing Mu-heun on the stage above the Celestial Lake, the Mad Demon felt a shiver run down his spine, sweat trickling down the back of his neck, and a chilling sensation that seemed to freeze his entire body.
‘Damn it… It gives me the creeps. What kind of realm is this?’
“Now, let the duel between Lord Mad Demon, Wi Ryeon-gwang, and Lord Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun, begin!”
The duel began. The result was the same.
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
“Hey, take it easy!”
*Clang!*
“No, hey! You bastard!”
*Thwack!*
“Aren’t you a little too strong? Ugh!”
*Clang!*
“Senior Brother Mad Demon is unconscious.”
“…Yes. We will move him to the Hall of Medicine.”
That day, the Mad Demon and the Blood Demon were reunited in the Hall of Medicine.
And the rumors spread just as quickly.
***
-Sword Demon Palace
The Sword Demon, Cheon Jeong-mun, was dumbfounded.
“Is, is that really true?”
“Yes…”
Ma Yeon, the head of the Sword Demon Family, who was hearing the news alongside him, refused to accept reality.
“I-it can’t be real.”
But the Sword Demon, Cheon Jeong-mun, was different.
“Regardless of his level of prowess, I am surpassing the mid-stage of Demon Transcendence. If I amplify my energy and raise my realm to reach the power of the peak of Demon Transcendence, I should be able to face him, even if he did defeat the Blood Demon and the Mad Demon in an instant.”
“Th-that’s right. Who are you, Lord Sword Demon! You are the pride of our Sword Demon Family, the one who has received the most trust as the next Cult Leader until now!”
“Family Head. Trust in me.”
“O-of course.”
However, Ma Yeon, the head of the Sword Demon Family, was trembling inwardly.
The realization that Baek Mu-heun, whom he had simply thought of as a tiger cub, was in fact a divine dragon poised to swallow everything in the Cult, starting with the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, Hwang Cheol-ung, struck fear into his heart.
***
Meanwhile, the Mad Demon, having regained consciousness in the Hall of Medicine, looked at the Blood Demon lying in the adjacent bed and spoke.
“Junior Brother.”
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
“Seeing as we woke up before the day was over, it must mean he’s strong enough to have calibrated his attacks on us to that precise degree, right?”
“That is correct.”
“Are you not humiliated?”
“Senior Brother.”
“Speak.”
“If I had lost to you or our Eldest Brother, I would have been more humiliated than this, even while accepting reality. Not that I would want to kill you, but I would have been filled with anger at why I am weaker than my senior brothers. But.”
“But?”
“I don’t even feel anger towards him.”
“Why is that?”
“Because even if I were to go back in time and train with more diligence and dedication, I don’t think I could ever beat him.”
The Mad Demon immediately understood the Blood Demon’s words.
It was a matter of possibility.
He realized that it was pointless to regret the past when the domain his opponent occupied was impossible to reach from the very beginning.
“Yes, I feel the same.”
“But, Senior Brother.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think Senior Brother Sword Demon can defeat him?”
“Do you need to ask?”
“No. I just need confirmation.”
“…It’s impossible.”
“As I thought… Is there not even a sliver of a chance?”
“None at all.”