Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Debt from 200 Years Ago (2)
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'Debt from 200 years ago? Who could it possibly be?'
The bizarre letter whose sender was unknown left Flame Flower Hall Leader Chu Jeong-yong deep in thought, pondering endlessly.
"Debt from 200 years ago? That's so long ago, I don't even have a clue."
Vice Hall Leader Yeom In and Tae In-geol were just as flustered.
At first, they suspected it might be from the Black Heaven Alliance, the unorthodox coalition, but that group hadn't risen to prominence until just over a hundred years ago.
"Hmm, 200 years ago... That was around the time our Flame Flower Hall had been established for less than a decade."
The reason it was so hard to recall was that 200 years ago marked the very beginnings of the Flame Flower Hall.
Back then, as a fledgling unorthodox sect in Henan Province, they were squeezed between the supreme power of Shaolin Temple and all the other established sects, getting battered from every side.
"Couldn't we check the hall's historical records or annals?"
At Tae In-geol's suggestion, Chu Jeong-yong pulled out the Hall Leader's Ledger for the first time in ages.
In other words, the official diaries recorded by successive leaders of the Flame Flower Hall.
Without a doubt, if the Flame Flower Hall hadn't been enjoying such a peaceful—nay, downright boring—era, they wouldn't have put this much effort into investigating a mere strange letter.
Sruruk!
As Flame Flower Hall Leader Chu Jeong-yong leafed through the ledger page by page, he came upon the diary from 200 years prior—the reign of the founding leader. Watching with curious eyes, he suddenly exclaimed.
"Ah!"
He managed to unearth a memory he'd heard long ago and all but forgotten.
It was so ancient that even he found it unfamiliar and strange.
'That's right!'
The memory was none other than from the day Chu Jeong-yong had just become the new leader of the Flame Flower Hall and was announcing his debut.
It was a secret tale of the hall that the previous leader had shared with him.
And it was something mentioned only in passing as a joke.
"Do you know about that, lad?"
"Our Flame Flower Hall owes a massive debt to the Demonic Cult."
When the newly appointed leader Chu Jeong-yong showed interest, the previous leader continued with a half-doubting, half-believing expression.
"Originally, our Flame Flower Hall was just another dime-a-dozen, run-of-the-mill sect in this Henan Province."
"We had potent extreme yang martial arts with great potential, but as a new sect, we could have collapsed at any moment. The one who raised us up and secretly supported us was none other than... the Heavenly Demon—the First Heavenly Demon, no less."
"What? The First Heavenly Demon?"
Chu Jeong-yong gaped in shock, unable to believe his ears.
In truth, the previous leader was skeptical too.
"Just take it as an amusing tale."
"I heard it from the leader before me, after all."
"Anyway... You're well aware of that grand incident when the First Heavenly Demon and his entourage set out to conquer the Central Plains, right?"
"They struck unexpectedly, starting from North Sea Province instead of Qinghai, pushing eastward with victory after victory."
"North Sea Ice Palace in North Sea Province, the Moyong Clan in Liaoning Province, the Beggars' Sect and Hebei Pang Clan in Hebei Province—they were utterly crushed."
"The Moyong Clan and Beggars' Sect were among the few that got off relatively lightly."
"But Henan Province was never going to be easy."
"Because this land of Henan was home to Shaolin Temple, the pinnacle of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Schools."
It was common knowledge among all martial artists that when the First Heavenly Demon and his group ventured to conquer the Central Plains, their first major obstacle was Shaolin Temple.
"In the end, even that mighty Shaolin Temple surrendered after just half a month, didn't they?"
Chu Jeong-yong said.
But even Shaolin hadn't held out the full half-month before crumbling, and afterward, the Central Plains was gripped in terror that it might be conquered for the first time in history.
In fact, holding out for half a month was an impressive feat.
"True. But do you know that the sect which reaped the greatest rewards after Shaolin's fall was none other than our Flame Flower Hall?"
"...?!"
After declaring surrender and sealing their gates due to the First Heavenly Demon's assault, Shaolin left Henan martial society as a leaderless vacuum.
The First Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cult sought to cultivate a rival to ensure Shaolin could never rise again—and astonishingly, they chose the fledgling Flame Flower Hall for that role.
"The First Heavenly Demon highly valued the talent of our founding leader, Flame Flower Divine Lord Eul Baek-hyeon, and provided all sorts of support to our nascent hall, enabling us to grow swiftly into a powerhouse of Henan martial society."
Now that the First Heavenly Demon and his group had vanished, and their ambitions to conquer the Central Plains had failed, it was a story that had been hushed up and faded away.
The close bond between the First Heavenly Demon and the first Flame Flower Hall Leader—treated almost like sovereign and vassal—had become a secret known only to the early days of the Flame Flower Hall.
"That's how our Flame Flower Hall was able to establish itself so quickly."
Chu Jeong-yong now understood the hidden secret of the Flame Flower Hall.
"It's a tale passed down secretly from previous leaders, so even I don't know if it's true."
"Still, the founding leader clearly had ties to the First Heavenly Demon."
"After the Heavenly Demon was sealed and the Demonic Cult began its downfall, he hid the past connection—and when Shaolin lifted their gate seal, he kept it quiet to avoid any friction with them."
This was the debt and karma of the Flame Flower Hall.
As soon as the First Heavenly Demon was sealed and the Demonic Cult's collapse began, the founding hall leader acted as if no aid had ever been given, staying silent. From then on, they formed the unorthodox alliance and took a path opposing the Demonic Cult.
"So you should just hear it as a fun story. But if it ever comes to mind later... pass it on to your successors."
"If you ever encounter someone from the Demonic Cult, don't treat them coldly—help them if you can."
"They say the founding leader felt remorse in his final years and earnestly implored as much."
The founding Flame Flower Hall Leader, Flame Flower Divine Lord Eul Baek-hyeon, only in his dying moments felt sorry toward the First Heavenly Demon and Demonic Cult figures. He left those words for the second leader, instructing them to pass on the message to future hall leaders not to treat the Demonic Cult coldly.
'Could it be... Demonic Cult remnants are still around?'
Finishing his long reminiscence, Chu Jeong-yong thought of the Demonic Cult's current state.
But he soon shook his head.
'No, that can't be.'
Because it was known that after the Four Heavenly Demons, nearly all of the Demonic Cult had been massacred and completely scattered.
Even if Demonic Cult survivors belatedly sought the Flame Flower Hall's aid, Chu Jeong-yong wouldn't care.
"You seem to have some idea."
Tae In-geol asked, reading the change in Chu Jeong-yong's expression.
He gave Tae In-geol a brief account of the whole story.
"I had no idea we had such a connection. If the letter's senders are Demonic Cult remnants or their last faction... would you help them?"
Tae In-geol probed the leader's intentions with a shocked expression.
At this point, aiding the Demonic Cult would draw condemnation not just from the unorthodox Black Heaven Alliance, but from the Nine Great Sects, Eight Great Schools, and the Martial Alliance.
"No, nothing changes. No matter who it is or who shows up..."
The merciless world of martial arts.
The rivers and lakes were cold and ruthless.
They say mountains change in a decade.
Yet 200 years had passed.
In a world where few even remembered to repay debts from ten years ago, who would recall a debt from 200 years past—one incurred not by themselves, but by another?
"We represent only the interests of the Flame Flower Hall."
The Flame Flower Hall had long forgotten such old ties and debts.
The Heavenly Demon Gunryong was en route to Henan Province's Flame Flower Hall after a long journey.
This matter needed to be handled swiftly for Yang Hui-gun's sake, so the Heavenly Demon went alone.
He pushed on relentlessly toward Henan, running for three days straight and resting one, repeating the cycle as he indulged in the sweetest sleep.
Gunryong was deep in slumber, wandering through past memories.
In his dream, it began just before toppling the impregnable Shaolin Temple, with someone arriving to plead desperately.
"Great Heavenly Demon!"
"Please, I beg you."
"Make our fledgling Flame Flower Hall the new master of Henan martial society, lest it become a barren wasteland!"
Despite objections from the Demonic Cult's renowned figures on the Central Plains conquest, Eul Baek-hyeon—the rising master of the era—prostrated himself flat and begged.
"Why? Why should I support you and the Flame Flower Hall?"
The Heavenly Demon asked, prickly and mischievous as ever, past or present.
Eul Baek-hyeon opened his mouth as if he'd been waiting.
"Shaolin has declared a gate seal now, but if their situation improves, they'll surely renege."
"In other words, a new sect emerging in Henan to suppress and check Shaolin would benefit the great Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cult."
Eul Baek-hyeon wielded not only scorching extreme yang martial arts but also keen intellect.
He had grasped the Heavenly Demon's intentions—or more precisely, those of Sima Hui, the Demonic Eye Thousand Brains, his intellectual powerhouse.
Sima Hui judged that Shaolin's seclusion and decline wouldn't last, and having witnessed the terrifying potential of the millennium-old Shaolin, believed a rival was needed to counter them.
Thus, the plan was to share some of the Demonic Cult's abundant resources and wealth to nurture such a rival sect.
Direct Demonic Cult involvement would look bad and invite backlash, so they wanted a sect that could naturally form a rivalry with Shaolin.
"That's not a compelling reason."
"Henan already overflows with unorthodox sects to check righteous Shaolin—like Black Sword Sect, Rakshasa Pavilion, and more."
The Heavenly Demon scoffed.
This insight came, of course, from Sima Hui's intelligence.
In fact, Sima Hui had pushed candidates like Black Sword Sect and Rakshasa Pavilion.
"Certainly, our Flame Flower Hall is weaker than Black Sword Sect or Rakshasa Pavilion, not to mention Crimson Robe House or Golden Sword Tower below them. However..."
One might expect him to quail before the era's greatest and worst figure, the Heavenly Demon—but Eul Baek-hyeon was different.
He continued without flinching.
"My martial arts, Eul Baek-hyeon's, will surpass even the Black Sword Sect Leader or Rakshasa Pavilion Master!"
"Puhahahahaha!"
The Heavenly Demon burst into laughter, doubled over.
"Look at this cheeky old geezer."
"What a riot."
As the Heavenly Demon took a liking to Flame Flower Divine Lord Eul Baek-hyeon, the stunningly beautiful man resembling a peerless beauty—Sima Hui—narrowed his eyes in jealousy.
"Heavenly Demon, no!"
"What's no? I haven't even spoken yet."
"You're going to designate Flame Flower Hall as Shaolin's rival, aren't you?"
"Correct! Spot on!"
The Heavenly Demon was quite taken with Eul Baek-hyeon, who brimmed with absolute confidence despite having nothing to his name.
It reminded him of his own Demonic Cult initiation days.
"Sigh, I'm doomed."
In the end, Sima Hui sighed deeply and stepped back.
He knew well that when Heavenly Demon Gunryong wore that expression, not even the Jade Emperor descending could sway his decision.
Best to acquiesce and save time.
"Eul Baek-hyeon, was it?"
"Yes, Heavenly Demon!"
Flame Flower Divine Lord Eul Baek-hyeon had braced for outright rejection—or worse, death at the terrifying Heavenly Demon's hands.
As things turned unexpectedly positive, he answered with swelling hope.
"As you say, we'll select Flame Flower Hall and support it fully."
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
With his long-cherished dream becoming reality, Eul Baek-hyeon bowed repeatedly in joy.
"I will prove your choice was right!"
"We'll grow the Flame Flower Hall to surpass Shaolin, become Henan's undisputed top sect, and pledge eternal loyalty to you and the Demonic Cult."
The Heavenly Demon flashed his signature impish grin at the emotional Eul Baek-hyeon, whose eyes were reddening.
"Will you, really?"
"Pardon?"
"Will you—and the Flame Flower Hall—truly never change?"
At words that seemed to test him, Eul Baek-hyeon nodded with unshakable resolve.
"Flame Flower Divine Lord Eul Baek-hyeon and the Flame Flower Hall will never change."
"Eternally."
With that scene, the Heavenly Demon finally awoke from the dream.
Left alone without his loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang or Demonic Eye Thousand Brains Sima Hui from back then, he suddenly felt lonely and murmured.
"Nothing lasts forever. Right, Hui?"
Now, the Heavenly Demon planned to make a fitting demand of the Flame Flower Hall, which had forgotten the debt and promise from 200 years ago.