Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Perfect Revival (4)
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The First Heavenly Demon, Gunryong.
He was the type of person who might forget a favor but never revenge.
In truth, from the very moment he discovered Yang Hui-gun in the Moyong Clan, the Heavenly Demon had already been thinking of vengeance.
'It was just that saving and raising Yang Hui-gun took priority, so I suppressed it with effort.'
Now that he had reclaimed Yang Hui-gun, he planned to proceed as was only natural.
"But before that... Yang Hui-gun, I will make you a transcendent master who has reached the Transcendent Realm."
After speaking of the unforgivable deeds of the Moyong Clan, the Heavenly Demon made a startling declaration.
The content of it was a vow to transform Yang Hui-gun, his right-hand man and the Ghost Shadow Sword, into a transcendent being who had attained the Transcendent Realm.
"A-Are you speaking of me, my lord?"
Yang Hui-gun asked in bewilderment.
"Indeed. It doesn't make sense for my right-hand man to have yet to reach the Transcendent Realm. We will immediately enter closed-door training together. It will end when you have reached the Transcendent Realm."
The Heavenly Demon spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
And rightly so, for the Loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang had already achieved the Transcendent Realm at Yang Hui-gun's age. It was only natural.
"If I may be so bold, I have only just entered the Superlative Realm... Is that even possible?"
Yang Hui-gun inquired politely, maintaining a respectful posture.
It was common knowledge that advancing from elementary to intermediate in the Superlative Realm was exceedingly difficult.
In fact, there had been a warrior who reached the Superlative Realm in his thirties, earning the envy of many, yet despite lifelong efforts until his death, he never advanced even to the intermediate stage, let alone the Transcendent Realm, and fell behind.
"Hui-gun. Like U-ryang, you were born with the Limitless Physique—a talent that could have made you an absolute powerhouse of this era with a stroke of luck."
The Heavenly Demon declared with a serious expression.
In truth, Yang Hui-gun was a genius who had reached the Peak Realm on his own in the barren land of Ghost Sword Manor under harsh conditions.
Moreover, at just mid-twenties upon entering the Superlative Realm, his potential was boundless.
"With my guidance nurturing your yet-unbloomed talent, what's the Transcendent Realm? That's merely the beginning."
It was the unparalleled pride visible only to the First Heavenly Demon, who had sequentially mastered every stage and realm in the Central Plains martial world.
"I wonder if I can live up to the expectations of Ancestor Yang U-ryang and Your Excellency."
As Yang Hui-gun still showed doubt, the Heavenly Demon smiled.
"Even Yang U-ryang, said to be the strongest after me and that damned White Dragon Sword God, didn't bloom until he met me. After receiving my instruction and sparring, he grew by leaps and bounds. So don't worry."
"Phew... That's a relief."
Yang Hui-gun finally relaxed upon hearing that the revered Yang U-ryang had been the same.
But that relief was short-lived.
Creak!
The Heavenly Demon flashed his characteristic bright smile and said,
"However... it might be a little painful. Just a little."
At those words, Yang Dae-un and Yang Yeon-hwa, who had already endured the Heavenly Demon's training once before, paled as past terrors resurfaced, while the oblivious Yang Hui-gun merely blinked innocently.
"What is gained without pain evaporates quickly! I am fully prepared."
The Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun shouted with fierce determination.
As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot." Shortly after he and the Heavenly Demon entered the most secluded cave in Ghost Sword Manor for closed-door training—about the time it takes to drink one cup of tea—
"Aaaagh! Kuaaaaagh!"
Screams that shook not just the training cave but all of Ghost Sword Manor spread far and wide. Yang Dae-un and Yang Yeon-hwa, who knew that agony better than anyone, turned ashen-faced and fell silent.
'Brother Hui-gun, hang in there.'
'Hui-gun. It may be tough now, but you'll feel great rewards later. So... just don't die.'
The Heavenly Demon actively stepped up to mold Yang Hui-gun into a capable subordinate.
In truth, there was a reason he had volunteered for the closed-door training himself.
'My current martial realm is at the entry to the Martial God Realm.'
Considering that Gunryong, the Heavenly Demon, had once reached the unprecedented Divine Realm at his peak, it was a significant drop—about seventy percent of his former prowess, as he had said.
Even so, it was an absurd level.
There was no one officially known to have reached the Martial God Realm currently.
'Still, I can't let my guard down. True powerhouses lurk in the grass, ready to emerge at any moment.'
For example, the White Dragon Sword God Baek Un-hwi.
Though Baek Un-hwi had revealed his talent early despite his youth, he had appeared out of nowhere—not from the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans—and dominated the righteous factions at the time.
Thus, the Heavenly Demon remained vigilant.
Absolute powerhouses could emerge suddenly in this era, just as in his own.
'I'll guide Hui-gun to the Transcendent Realm, and recover my strength to the utmost as well.'
Gunryong, the Heavenly Demon, who had charged ahead until now.
He decided to take time to restore his power.
What results and transformations would await when these two emerged from their closed-door training?
"No issues today as well?"
Moyong Gwi, the clan head of the Moyong Clan titled One Sword Myriad Changes, asked.
It had been over a hundred days since the underground prison collapsed and Yang Hui-gun escaped.
Since then, Moyong Gwi had anxiously monitored every move of Ghost Sword Manor, but strangely, there was no sign of Yang Hui-gun returning or Ghost Sword Manor flying into a rage to confront them.
The only report was of a handsome, unfamiliar young warrior frequently traversing Dome Green Mountain.
"Yes, my lord."
"Peaceful days continue."
The stewards overseeing the clan's affairs, Curved Change Whirling Sword Moyong Yo and his assistant Moyong Jin-hui, bowed politely in response.
"Heh heh, good. Very good."
With his subordinates reporting no anomalies as usual, Moyong Gwi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When he first heard someone had carried Yang Hui-gun away, the shock had been immense—like a child caught red-handed, his heart pounding and appetite vanishing.
He had agonized endlessly over how to silence and eliminate everyone if Yang Hui-gun returned to Ghost Sword Manor and came demanding answers.
'But with no reaction even now, Yang Hui-gun must be dead... or captured by some other faction eyeing the Loyal Ghost Sword's techniques?'
Moyong Gwi's relieved thoughts spiraled.
Upon reflection, no master in Ghost Sword Manor could have demolished their underground prison and entrance.
And the culprit remained unidentified, so he assumed it was some major sect or clan.
Thus, the one who took Yang Hui-gun was a third party coveting Ghost Sword Manor's arts, not the manor itself.
'Then Yang Hui-gun will never resurface.'
Whoever had taken him shared Moyong Gwi's goals, ensuring Yang Hui-gun stayed buried forever.
"Hahaha! I'm planning my sixtieth birthday banquet soon—perfect timing!"
With days of worry proving unfounded amid this peace, Moyong Gwi laughed heartily.
One reason for his anxiety had been the upcoming banquet.
"Your sixtieth birthday? Didn't you say it would be modest this time?"
Moyong Yo tilted his head in confusion.
Those words had been spoken shortly after Yang Hui-gun's escape.
"I've changed my mind. Make it grand. Send invitations not just to sects in Yoneong, but to Hebei and Henan as well. Especially the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans—insist they attend without fail."
"U-Understood."
Though Moyong Yo and Moyong Jin-hui were flustered by the elderly clan head's sudden flourish at nearly sixty, they acquiesced.
As the strongest clan in Yoneong territory, a grand event posed no harm.
The timeline was tight, but dispatching messengers urgently could make it work.
"Oh, right! Should we invite Ghost Sword Manor too?"
Moyong Yo asked in a subdued tone, cautious due to his direct role in the kidnapping.
"Hmm."
Moyong Gwi pondered briefly.
In the past, he would have scorned the declining Ghost Sword Manor and snubbed them deliberately.
But now, having annexed Fine Sword Sect, they were a rising power in Yoneong Province, beyond dismissal.
"Exclude them."
After deliberation, Moyong Gwi decided.
Ghost Sword Manor wasn't frightening, but he wanted to minimize risks.
"We're not close allies anyway, no exchanges. If questioned later, we can say we only invited true friends."
"Understood."
From steward Moyong Yo's perspective, facing the family he had deceived and kidnapped felt awkward, so he was relieved.
"Alright, let's prepare flawlessly!"
With everything going smoothly, Moyong Gwi boomed cheerfully.
'I regret not extracting the Loyal Ghost Sword's arts... but no matter. As long as it doesn't leak, that's win enough.'
Moyong Gwi, the Moyong Clan head, sighed in profound relief.
Oblivious that his downfall was imminent, he savored his fleeting peace.
Did he know that while he laughed, another plotted revenge, drenched in blood and sweat?
In the cave on Dome Green Mountain, where the Heavenly Demon and Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun conducted their closed-door training.
Three months had passed since they began.
"Hm? It's awfully quiet today."
"Come on, haven't we gone quite a while without hearing Brother Hui-gun scream?"
"True, but it's too quiet even for that."
As Ghost Sword Manor warriors training nearby grew puzzled, something astonishing occurred.
Thud... thud!
Shockingly, footsteps echoed from the cave.
After nearly a hundred days without even a sign of life, the manor's people were stunned.
"It's Brother Hui-gun!"
"Lord Gunryong is out too!"
Seeing the two after three months—short yet long—the crowd gaped in awe.
Most shocking was that the Heavenly Demon had promised as much.
They would continue until Yang Hui-gun reached the Transcendent Realm.
For him to emerge before everyone meant... he had succeeded?
"Hurry and tell the Manor Lord and Lady Yeon-hwa!"
The warriors rushed to inform the eagerly awaiting Yang Dae-un and Yang Yeon-hwa.
The Yang family approached with half astonishment, half joy—and sure enough.
'Was Hui-gun always this massive?'
Yang Dae-un rubbed his eyes at his son's suddenly gigantic presence, sensing good omens.
"L-Lord Gunryong, why so early?"
Yang Yeon-hwa asked, surprised by the quicker-than-expected return.
The Heavenly Demon smiled meaningfully, as if waiting for the question.
"I told you. Hui-gun has the Limitless Physique."