Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Eternal Divine Thief (3)
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“Inside the warehouse? There's the Unbreakable Jade Canopy there—how could we?!”
Seok Myeongju exclaimed, stunned by the Heavenly Demon's ingenious reversal of logic.
As he said, the standard practice was to layer double and triple formations around warehouses to ensure no thief could ever approach.
Yet the Heavenly Demon's proposal was the exact opposite: fling open the warehouse doors wide. It was like leaving the front gate unlocked for a thief you knew was coming.
“That's precisely because of the Unbreakable Jade Canopy.”
“Pardon?”
“With the Unbreakable Jade Canopy there, it's the perfect bait to lure him in and lower his guard. Besides, a secret warehouse is sealed tight on all sides except the entrance, right?”
As mentioned earlier, the Eternal Divine Thief's lightness skill was even faster and more mystical than the Heavenly Demon's, which was approaching the pinnacle of the world.
Thus, it naturally meant the thief would prefer a tightly enclosed secret warehouse over a vast open space, even if it carried some risk.
'In other words, the underground secret warehouse is nothing but a trap to cage him.'
If he could just trap the Eternal Divine Thief indoors rather than outdoors, the Heavenly Demon wouldn't care how swift his lightness skill was or whether he used illusions to deceive people.
He was confident he could beat him down until he dropped.
“W-Will it be alright?”
Seok Myeongju asked uneasily at the thought of using the Stone Family Manor's greatest treasure—the Unbreakable Jade Canopy, which had been with them since their founding—as bait.
“He's the legendary Eternal Divine Thief. To catch him, we have to go all out.”
If they threw everything into it, the Heavenly Demon was certain he could seize the Eternal Divine Thief.
During the remaining time, the Heavenly Demon spent his days in ordinary routine while summoning the two most trustworthy warriors of the Stone Family Manor.
The Invincible Golden Sword Hajin and the Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun.
And finally.
The full moon night arrived, with its brilliant moon hanging in the sky.
“The day has come at last!”
“Everyone, stay sharp!”
As the date foretold by the Eternal Divine Thief approached, Seok Myeongju and even Invincible Golden Sword Hajin brimmed with tension.
The Stone Family Manor warriors following them mirrored their sharpened resolve.
In contrast.
“Hui-gun! Sogang! What's for dinner tonight?”
The Heavenly Demon showed only his usual nonchalant, sly demeanor.
This drew puzzled looks and glares from those unaware of his greatness, but he paid them no mind.
“If you're tensed up from the start of the midnight hour, you'll just burn out.”
The Heavenly Demon believed that when it was time to give your all, you should instead relax body and mind.
And his words proved spot on.
On the foretold full moon night, from dawn through early evening.
Even deep into the night, not so much as an ant stirred—no sign of the Eternal Divine Thief.
“What is this? Was that letter just a prank?”
“Come to think of it, there are fools who follow the Eternal Divine Thief for the thrill, they say.”
By this point, Seok Myeongju was even wondering if the warning letter was an elaborate fake or a petty prank from rivals envious of the Stone Family Manor.
Then.
Whoosh!
Something astonishing happened.
A sudden massive gust whipped up, throwing everything into chaos.
Torches that had lit the late night flickered out, and even the priceless luminous pearls—used freely throughout the Stone Family Manor—began dimming or shattering one by one.
“Gasp!”
“What's happening?!”
As everyone panicked amid the abrupt crisis, only one person remained different.
The Heavenly Demon.
“Sogang. What time is it now?”
“Just before midnight.”
“Meaning the full moon night hasn't fully passed yet.”
At the moment just before midnight on the full moon night, with all lights extinguished, the Heavenly Demon was convinced this was no prank or imitation—it was the real Eternal Divine Thief.
Fwoosh!
Amid the general confusion, the Heavenly Demon maintained utmost calm, summoning the Threefold True Flame onto his palm.
“Don't waver—hold your positions! Lights or no lights, visibility or not, nothing changes! All control and orders will come directly from me, Gunryong!”
As the Demonic Cult's leader above all others, the Heavenly Demon knew exactly how to handle people.
Especially when pitch-black darkness fell—humans instinctively felt fear.
So he deliberately kindled a flame in his hand, then.
“No need for a crowd. Hui-gun, Hajin—you two go relight the torches.”
If too many moved or scattered, it would only heighten the chaos.
Aware of this, the Heavenly Demon made a wise call.
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Hajin and Yang Hui-gun, who had come to follow the Heavenly Demon impeccably in short order, moved in perfect unison to reignite the torches.
They worked diligently to restore some visibility from the blackout.
“The luminous pearls can't be salvaged. Someone skilled pulverized them perfectly with inner power.”
While Yang Hui-gun poured oil on the torches, Hajin checked the pearls—and the news was bad.
Still, with the torches relit, it was dimmer and harder to see without the pearls, but at least shapes were visible ahead.
“Now, during the blackout—check for signs of intruders! Verify the ally in front of you is truly an ally! Execute!”
The Heavenly Demon commanded.
A brief disruption had occurred, but he didn't falter.
'The Eternal Divine Thief is cunning and sharp beyond measure—he preys on people's gaps.'
Without doubt, he had timed it for the blackout and the ensuing confusion.
Fortune or misfortune, no suspicious intruders or odd allies appeared.
The Heavenly Demon, with Seok Myeongju, thoroughly scanned the surroundings and people.
“Good. Next, Manor Lord Seok.”
“Yes, Gunryong.”
“Move to the wide-open underground secret warehouse.”
“Understood.”
Even in that chaotic instant of blackout, the Heavenly Demon had briefly closed his eyes, focusing solely on the underground secret warehouse.
He had sharpened all five senses and his tactile perception, checking for anyone heading down or toward it.
'No sign of movement toward the underground secret warehouse... but just in case.'
With the Heavenly Demon's senses, error was impossible.
Still, to be thorough, he decided to inspect—and since it was the secret warehouse, he took only the four most trusted: himself, Seok Myeongju, Yang Hui-gun, and Hajin.
“No one in the underground secret warehouse!”
“No traces from outside either!”
Yang Hui-gun and Hajin personally checked, handling the task flawlessly as superhuman experts at the pinnacle of martial arts.
No signs of intrusion or footsteps inside the secret warehouse.
“What about the Unbreakable Jade Canopy?”
Seok Myeongju asked, a trace of anxiety in his voice.
The warehouse's most vital item was undoubtedly the Unbreakable Jade Canopy.
Even if they lost every treasure and asset here, safeguarding just that would leave no regrets.
“The canopy is safe!”
Hajin shouted upon finding the benevolent Buddha statue where the Unbreakable Jade Canopy resided—in the deepest corner of the secret warehouse.
“Good.”
The Heavenly Demon breathed relief that it remained untouched in that short time.
For now, they had thwarted the Eternal Divine Thief's crime.
“Wait. What if during the blackout... he swapped it?”
As everyone sighed in relief, Seok Myeongju showed the sharpness befitting the Stone Family Manor's lord.
“Hm, that's a valid point. But can you distinguish real from fake?”
“Looks can be deceiving, but my first shot at heir status came from the antique trade.”
Seok Myeongju declared confidently.
As he said, during the heir competition, he had profited hugely from selling ancient artworks and antiques.
That honed his eye for spotting genuine articles versus forgeries.
“Excellent.”
The Heavenly Demon stepped aside, urging him to check.
Seok Myeongju reached for the Unbreakable Jade Canopy as if he'd been waiting.
With utmost calm, he even pulled out a magnifying glass for inspection.
After peering long and hard, he exhaled in relief.
“Phew... It's genuine, thank goodness.”
“...Is it?”
At the news it was real, the Heavenly Demon showed no joy.
No—more precisely, no reaction at all.
He stood frozen like someone shocked, then suddenly.
“Now that we know the Unbreakable Jade Canopy is safe, everyone evacuate the underground secret warehouse!”
He raised his voice, herding everyone out?
The order itself was unremarkable, so they obeyed without issue.
Thud!
Then the Heavenly Demon seized someone's wrist.
“Wh-Why are you doing this?”
The owner was none other than Seok Myeongju.
“I have business with Manor Lord Seok alone. Everyone else, withdraw from the secret warehouse!”
At his words of private business with Seok Myeongju, the rest ebbed away like a receding tide.
A few of the manor lord's guards eyed the Heavenly Demon suspiciously, but briefly.
“Out.”
Urged by Invincible Golden Sword Hajin—the most renowned and skilled among the Stone Family Manor's guards—they reluctantly exited.
Soon, the crowded secret warehouse fell eerily silent.
“Gunryong. What business do you have with me? Have you... found the Eternal Divine Thief?”
Seok Myeongju's thoughts reached that point, and he grew more excited and agitated than ever.
The usually mild Gunryong suddenly grabbing him roughly to stay—this could only mean that.
Who was the beast disguised as the Eternal Divine Thief?
“First, one thing. About the Eternal Divine Thief. He's not just a lightness skill master—he's adept at disguise, even controlling his face and body at will, with disguise skills at their peak.”
“Yes. That's why we didn't add more forces, fearing his infiltration and disguises.”
Seok Myeongju nodded as if it were obvious.
“He even memorizes recent memories and records perfectly to mimic his targets.”
“Oh? I didn't know that far.”
The Heavenly Demon vividly recalled how the Eternal Divine Thief had infiltrated Heavenly Mountain, impersonating a familiar Heavenly Demon Guard member.
“So why would someone so thorough make a mistake?”
“Pardon? You've found his mistake? What was it?”
“It was this...”
As Seok Myeongju leaned in eagerly, the Heavenly Demon lowered his voice lest anyone overhear, and beckoned.
Swish!
The instant Seok Myeongju approached, the Heavenly Demon grinned triumphantly.
“No matter what, he promised not to touch the Unbreakable Jade Canopy. And he broke it.”
“...!!”
Seok Myeongju jolted in shock, trembling wordlessly.
“Pleased to meet you, Eternal Divine Thief. Or should I say... the legendary thief?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke with immense satisfaction, long robbed of the Demonic Cult's treasures.