Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Another Heavenly Demon (1)
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Ghost Sword Manor Leader Shadowless Sword Yang Dae-un let out a joyful cry and laughed.
Ever since the Heavenly Demon returned, everything at Ghost Sword Manor had been going smoothly.
Not only had they received massive support from the Moyong Clan, giving them their own momentum for future growth...
"Heartless Slaughter Physician Yuchun Baek has successfully treated Ten Thousand Sword Slayer Moyong Jeon."
Ghost Sword Manor, which owed much to Moyong Jeon, had opened a path of mutual aid through Yuchun Baek.
Moyong Jeon, who had been worn down by long years in prison, regained some of his health and youth under Yuchun Baek's treatment.
In fact, he was elected as the new head of the Moyong Clan, which had declared its gates sealed, marking the start of true friendship between the Moyong Clan and Ghost Sword Manor from this generation onward.
"Physician Yuchun Baek, thank you."
Yang Dae-un offered a respectful cupped-fist salute to Yuchun Baek, who had used his skills for Ghost Sword Manor.
"No need for thanks. It was all possible thanks to Gunryong's orders."
Strictly speaking, Yuchun Baek followed not Ghost Sword Manor but the Heavenly Demon Gunryong directly.
Still, since he had bestowed many favors on Ghost Sword Manor, Yang Dae-un treated him with utmost respect.
And rightly so, for Yuchun Baek had not only saved Moyong Jeon but also the other prisoners who escaped with him.
In other words, Whirling Twin Swords Jwa Gong-un and the merchant Great Hero Jin.
And Scholar Jo Gun-bi. He had successfully treated and prolonged the lives of all three in succession.
As a result, Whirling Twin Swords Jwa Gong-un recovered his martial arts and beloved weapon from the Moyong Clan, while merchant Great Hero Jin reclaimed at least some of his fortune.
Jo Gun-bi also restored his honor, making for a truly happy ending.
"If it's alright, may we entrust our remaining years to Ghost Sword Manor?"
Even more surprising was that all three—each a standout figure in their respective fields whom Yuchun Baek had saved—chose to spend their remaining days at Ghost Sword Manor.
Their joining was a tremendous blessing for Ghost Sword Manor.
"Of course. I wish to appoint Great Hero Jwa, Great Hero Jin, and Great Hero Jo as our Three Great Protectors and serve them with utmost care."
Yang Dae-un and Yang Hui-gun, who knew their talents better than anyone, welcomed them with open arms.
"First, Great Hero Jwa, please serve as our manor's chief instructor and elder."
Whirling Twin Swords Jwa Gong-un had recovered 90% of his prime strength through Yuchun Baek's treatment, making him an outstanding peak-level expert.
For Ghost Sword Manor, which sorely lacked a single peak expert and needed someone of middle age to lead its young disciples, he was a huge help.
"Great Hero Jin, with your exceptional merchant talents, please take the role of chief steward managing our household and finances."
The fact that Great Hero Jin, the great merchant, had risen from poverty—selling mats as the eldest son of a poor family—was already legendary.
As a rags-to-riches icon, his business acumen made him perfect for handling Ghost Sword Manor's stewards and accounts.
"Great Hero Jo Gun-bi, with your sharp mind and insight, please serve as our strategist and advisor."
Scholar Jo Gun-bi had been hailed as a child prodigy around Gongnok Mountain in Yoneung Province since he could walk.
His brilliance and wisdom made him ideal as Ghost Sword Manor's military strategist, directing operations.
Ghost Sword Manor had recruited three heavyweight talents, each with rare abilities.
If the Heavenly Demon's revival had been the spark for them, bringing in these Three Great Protectors turned it into a roaring blaze.
With their addition, Ghost Sword Manor now had all the conditions to rise as a proper major sect.
Since the opportunity came from the Moyong Clan's underground prison, it was truly a case of "blessing in disguise" or turning calamity into fortune.
Ghost Sword Manor's current situation remained smooth, and the Heavenly Demon and Sogang were enjoying rare peaceful days.
That day, as usual, the Heavenly Demon and Yang Hui-gun were slowly sparring.
"Gunryong! Gunryong!"
From early morning on Gongnok Mountain, someone was desperately calling for him.
A very familiar voice.
"Dae-un? What is it?"
Recognizing it as Ghost Sword Manor Leader Yang Dae-un's voice, the Heavenly Demon asked.
"Gunryong, please listen without being too shocked!"
Yang Dae-un was more serious than ever.
Sensing something ominous, the Heavenly Demon and Yang Hui-gun turned grave and listened intently.
"Great Hero Jin, our chief steward, and I were heading to Shandong Province to sell our abundant herbs."
Recently, to expand Ghost Sword Manor, Yang Dae-un had been traveling like a merchant caravan, mainly to Henan, Hebei, and Shandong.
He knew Henan and Hebei well but was cautiously entering unfamiliar Shandong.
"But near there, a group calling themselves... the Heavenly Demon is holed up deep in the mountains."
"What? Heavenly Demon?"
As the First Heavenly Demon, he couldn't ignore the name.
"Yes."
Yang Dae-un was still sweating from shock.
'If that's true, we can't take it lightly.'
From what the Heavenly Demon had learned through Sogang and others, the Demonic Cult was completely eradicated, and with the Fourth Heavenly Demon decades ago, the cult leader Heavenly Demon had officially vanished.
Yet a group calling itself the Heavenly Demon and its followers meant...
'A faint thread of my cult's lineage still survives?'
The Heavenly Demon's thoughts reached that point, filling him with hope.
Even a tenuous survival of the Demonic Cult's lineage, combined with his return as the First Heavenly Demon and the growing major sect Ghost Sword Manor, was enough to spark revival.
"To check if it was rumor, I asked the locals buying our herbs. They said a few years ago, someone claiming to be the Heavenly Demon and his followers hid in the mountains, biding their time."
Yang Dae-un had been stunned hearing this while traveling to Shandong and investigated to verify.
The result.
"Their existence is confirmed, and sometimes when things don't go well, they appear in villages."
"Appear in villages?"
The Heavenly Demon Gunryong's heart raced at the news that the Demonic Cult might still linger.
But hearing they harmed villages chilled him.
In this uncertain situation, the Heavenly Demon had one judgment.
"Hui-gun. We have to go see."
"Of course."
Yang Hui-gun bowed respectfully in answer.
The reason they would rush there was simple.
"If those daring to claim the Heavenly Demon name are truly survivors of our cult, we must welcome them. But if they're fakes..."
As the right-hand man of the First Heavenly Demon's emerging force, Yang Hui-gun was more determined than anyone.
"We punish one to warn a hundred and exterminate them."
The Heavenly Demon nodded approvingly at Yang Hui-gun's response, then turned to Yang Dae-un.
"Right. Where is this place?"
Shandong Province was dominated by the five great clans, including the Jeon-Gak Clan and Hwangbo Clan, making it hard for lesser clans or sects to establish themselves.
Accordingly, bandits or mountain thieves rarely raided villages, but one small village at the base of a remote mountain far from the Jeon-Gak and Hwangbo Clans was an exception.
"Th-the Heavenly Demon is angry!"
"We must offer tribute!"
The residents of this so-called Base Mountain Village were busy preparing tribute every month-end.
The tribute was an offering of sincerity to the 'Heavenly Demon' entrenched deep in Base Mountain—a sacred ritual of sorts.
"Village head! Wasn't this a bad harvest year?"
"We slash-and-burn farmers fled corrupt officials to this deep mountain, only to be extorted here too."
"Without that grain, our families will starve!"
They had gathered grain from households to meet the minimum tribute, but some struggled immensely.
They groaned, begging for mercy.
But the village head, tasked with tribute, had his own plight.
"We've already delayed twice. If we miss again, the Heavenly Demon will surely rage and slaughter us all!"
He shuddered.
The village head had once witnessed the Heavenly Demon's power.
Thus, he feared the Heavenly Demon and his group more than anyone.
When they first settled here and contacted the village, they had made examples of a few, terrifying the residents.
"Why would that almighty Heavenly Demon hole up here demanding tribute?"
A desperate slash-and-burn farmer uttered blasphemy.
"Watch your tongue! You don't know central murim affairs. The Demonic Cult is persecuted now. And... haven't we all seen the Heavenly Demon's fearsome skills?"
The somewhat learned village head's words left the farmers speechless.
Truth be told, they too feared the Heavenly Demon and his group.
"That massive build and innate divine strength! He must be the Demonic Cult Leader Heavenly Demon, supreme over all!"
The village head dreaded the Heavenly Demon descending again to turn the place into a sea of blood.
"So this time, no matter what, we offer tribute! No objections."
He knew the farmers were all destitute.
But nothing mattered more than the Heavenly Demon's tribute.
Thus, he sternly forced the minimum tribute and awaited the day.
The next day, the tribute day, dawned.
The village head and residents rose early, preparing a lavish meal from meager means—steamed wild herbs and grains, even roasted precious wild boar—for the Heavenly Demon and his group descending from deep in Base Mountain.
"Is anyone there?"
A calm, gentle voice called.
Already on edge for tribute day, the village head and residents jumped and looked toward the voice.
Surprisingly, it wasn't the Heavenly Demon's group.
"You? Weren't you last time... from some small manor?"
Recognizing a familiar face, the village head subtly signaled to stand down.
But he couldn't fully relax.
The middle-aged man, who had introduced himself as leader of a small manor, had returned with several young warriors, even more modestly equipped than before.
They were, of course, Ghost Sword Manor Leader Shadowless Sword Yang Dae-un, the Heavenly Demon, Yang Hui-gun, Sogang, and others.
Upon hearing of the Heavenly Demon group in the Base Mountain area, the Heavenly Demon and Yang Dae-un had rushed like arrows.
"Yes."
"But what brings you? As you see, our village is terribly busy right now..."
It was then.
Bwoooo!
A horn made from a water buffalo's horn echoed across Base Mountain.
With it came a majestic voice.
"The Heavenly Demon, who shall soon cross Base Mountain to rule the central plains, has descended!"