Chapter 172: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 2)-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 2)-1
Four years had passed since the death of the Flame Wheel Master’s disciple.
The martial arts world was in an uproar over a series of murders targeting warriors from prestigious clans and sects.
More than twenty victims had already fallen, yet no clear connection could be found to link them—save for one chilling commonality. Every single corpse was scorched and charred black.
Publicly, the Murim Alliance announced that a wicked eccentric was attacking martial artists. However, the leadership of the Alliance knew the true identity of the monster.
The 37th Flame Wheel Master, Namgung So-yu.
She was the protagonist of this gruesome affair.
Some speculated she had gone mad while training. Others asserted she had abandoned the Righteous Path out of a thirst for power. Some believed she was on a quest for vengeance.
They knew what she might do next, but they did not know what she truly wanted.
Dokgo-nam, who had recently inherited the position of Alliance Leader, was nursing a massive headache, unable to find a clear solution to the crisis.
"I hear even the Jegal Family has been damaged beyond recovery..."
At the report, the room fell into a heavy, stunned silence.
"What if we summon the previous Flame Wheel Master? She is the girl's master; perhaps she can suppress her," someone suggested cautiously.
Ice Sword, who had by now laid down the title of Ice Wheel Master, shook his head.
"The previous and current Thunder Wheel Masters are already dead. The Thunder Wheel Art is the most defensive of the inherited martial arts. I believe Namgung So-yu’s realm has already surpassed everyone in this room."
"Then we have no choice but to form a punitive force. Just as we did when we hunted the Blood Demon..."
Dokgo-nam’s quiet voice rang firmly through the room.
"First, the Blue Dragon Corps Commander will confirm the location of the previous Flame Wheel Master. She will be a significant asset. Military Counselor Gong will select the members of the punitive force."
With Dokgo-nam’s orders, the meeting concluded.
The crowd poured out of the room, Ice Sword among them. He slowed his pace and eventually came face-to-face with Cheong-yeon, who was walking at the very back of the hallway.
Ice Sword saw his disciple’s eyes trembling violently.
"Yeon-ah."
Ice Sword called out to her.
"...Yes, Master," she replied.
"Was it you who told So-yu?"
At his piercing question, Cheong-yeon swallowed hard. She was deeply regretting telling So-yu to look at the Alliance’s records. She had thought that, perhaps, this was a chance to break the tragic cycle of the Flame Wheel Masters that had been passed down for generations.
However, So-yu had acted contrary to her expectations.
"...It wasn't... it wasn't me."
Cheong-yeon squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
Ice Sword gave a bitter smile at his disciple’s reaction and turned around.
"Perhaps the problem was that I told you the secret of the Flame Wheel Art in the first place."
"The reason I told you about it was because I was worried you might become obsessed with growing stronger."
Ice Sword tried to force a smile, but he couldn't hide his bitterness.
"Master..."
At her master’s show of weakness, Cheong-yeon’s lips quivered.
"Cheong-yeon. Of all the children I have seen while wandering this Murim, you are the most considerate and compassionate."
"That is why I could teach you the Ice Wheel Art without any worry."
—Because using the Ice Wheel Art for a long time turns a person’s heart cold, Ice Sword added mentally.
"I believed that with your warm heart, you would not take a life recklessly even if you deployed the Ice Wheel Art for a long time. And you have always lived up to that trust."
"But... it seems your warm heart has produced a terrible result this time."
Ice Sword began to walk away slowly.
Cheong-yeon instinctively reached out, but she did not grab her master’s sleeve. She realized just how grave her mistake had been, and she couldn't bring herself to touch him.
Until they cleared the hallway, Ice Sword kept his back turned to his disciple.
*
Carrying daily necessities bought from the market, a woman with a short brown bob climbed the mountain path.
She ascended the peaks, stepping across rocks as nimbly as an immortal. Upon reaching the mountainside, the hut where she had lived for the past six months came into view.
The hut was small, but it looked sturdy and well-maintained, as if recently built. Passing through a fence made of loosely woven branches, she was greeted by a small yard.
"......"
The woman stared at the hut for a moment before setting her bundles down on the ground.
"Come out," she said toward the house.
Creeeak.
The door opened, and the person who emerged was someone she knew all too well.
Black martial robes, a white overcoat. An earring in one ear, and long hair tied back.
It was her disciple, her eyes glowing redder than blood.
Namgung So-yu.
Yeom-jin was not ignorant of the world's affairs. In fact, she knew them better than anyone. And she had known that So-yu would come for her eventually.
"It has been a long time."
"...I don't think we're in a position to exchange pleasantries."
So-yu’s eyes flashed sharply, yet she did not abandon her manners. The killing intent radiating from her small frame pricked at Yeom-jin’s skin.
"I see. Since you've come all this way, you must know everything."
Yeom-jin laughed freely. It wasn't the laugh of someone who had resigned themselves to fate, and that only served to irritate So-yu further.
"Do you find this situation funny?"
"I am not laughing at you. I was simply remembering the old days."
"I could have found you much sooner. But I didn't."
Stepping into the yard, So-yu looked up at Yeom-jin.
"And why is that?"
"Because I had to find the records regarding the Flame Wheel Art. There was so little known... but by gathering rumors, verses, and even graffiti, I discovered an interesting fact."
"What would that be?"
"That whenever the time for succession came, there was a strange custom of the master taking a 'disciple' for their own disciple."
"......."
"You told me that taking In-ho was a loophole, a deceptive practice, but every Flame Wheel Master in history has used that same loophole."
"However... there were no such records in the Murim Alliance. It was only recorded that the one who inherited the name of the Flame Wheel Master took a disciple after their succession."
So-yu’s lips curled into a twisted smirk.
"Isn't it strange? They clearly took disciples, yet there are no records of them."
So-yu’s eyes gleamed.
"And those disciples taken through that 'loophole' share two things in common."
"And what are those?"
"One is that they all lost their lives in 'unfortunate accidents.'"
So-yu took a step toward Yeom-jin.
"The other is that they were all intimately close to the one who inherited the name of the Flame Wheel Master."
So-yu took another step forward.
"I learned the name of this act from the diary of a village head."
"Forcing someone into a state of Heart Demon, then using that Heart Demon as fuel to drastically increase one's internal energy..."
"Forced Growth."
So-yu growled as she glared up at Yeom-jin.
"Yes, you've figured it out well."
Yeom-jin looked down at So-yu with an expressionless face.
"Wasn't the mastery of martial arts what you desired?"
"You must have gone through the same thing I did, Master. How could you commit such a horrific act?"
"Yes, I resented it at first, too. But So-yu, think carefully."
Yeom-jin began to persuade her disciple with a serene face.
"You feel it too, don't you? The difference between your past self and your current self is like heaven and earth."
"By killing one person, you gained the power to save hundreds. You achieved in two years a realm that others spend their entire lives trying to reach."
Just as her own master had done to her long ago, Yeom-jin gently placed her hands on So-yu’s shoulders.
"...Do you not feel sorry for In-ho, Master?"
When So-yu asked the question, Yeom-jin laughed as if she couldn't understand the point.
"Are you asking me to feel sorry for a pig raised to be eaten?"
At those final words from Yeom-jin, the light in So-yu’s eyes vanished.