Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 29

—–CROW—– 

West of Xianyang County.

A large building stood tall on a quiet street devoid of shops and restaurants.

Three stories high.

The pristine building, seemingly newly constructed, was the headquarters of the Hegemon Clan, the rising power in Shaanxi.

“It’s chilly.”

Jang-sam, a gate guard of the Hegemon Clan, muttered as he rubbed his hands together.

“Hahaha, it’s evening, isn’t it?”

Chuk-go, another gate guard, said with a laugh, and Jang-sam shrugged.

Then his eyes lit up.

“But did you hear?”

Jang-sam stopped rubbing his hands and whispered with a serious expression,

“There’s a commotion because there’s been no news from the Hegemon Scenic Group that attacked the Swift Wind Trading Company.”

“A commotion?”

Chuk-gang chuckled.

“They’re probably celebrating with drinks after finishing their job. Leader Tae-san Il-gwon loves his drinks.”

“Hahaha, that’s true, but…”

Their laughter ceased abruptly.

A presence was approaching from the darkness.

Step— Step—

The approaching figure emerged from the shadows, illuminated by the light emanating from the Hegemon Clan headquarters.

“Huh? Taoist robes?”

Jang-sam tilted his head.

In his five years as a gate guard, he had never seen a Taoist priest visit the Hegemon Clan.

‘And who wears such dark Taoist robes?’

He looked the Taoist priest up and down, his robes a rare combination of black and red, and spoke cautiously,

“What brings you to our clan?”

“I’m here to see your leader.”

The two guards bristled at his disrespectful tone and demeanor, unbecoming of a Taoist priest.

“You impudent brat!”

“How dare you speak of our leader…”

The Taoist priest, Cheon-hwi, looked at their reddened faces with indifference.

“Quiet. Is your leader inside or not?”

“You little…!”

“We’ll teach you some manners!”

As they drew their swords simultaneously, enraged by his even more disrespectful words.

Boom!

A massive explosion rocked the area.

“W-What?!”

“What’s going on?!”

The Hegemon Clan disciples, awakened by the explosion, hurriedly threw on their robes and rushed out of their rooms.

They stopped dead in their tracks, stunned by the sight before them.

“The main gate…”

The massive gate, which had stood for twenty years, was completely destroyed, dust billowing from the wreckage.

Then a group of martial artists appeared.

The roughly sixty martial artists wore grey uniforms with the character “Middle” (中) emblazoned on their chests.

The Hegemon Middle Group, one of the three martial arts groups of the Hegemon Clan, lined up like a wall, passing by the stunned Hegemon Clan disciples.

The sharp-faced middle-aged man leading the Hegemon Middle Group approached the destroyed gate.

The Blood Slaughter Swordsman, once a renowned swordsman in Shaanxi, frowned as he surveyed the damage.

“What in the world…?”

Just then.

Step— Step—

Footsteps approached.

A figure emerged from the settling dust.

“You should have just answered.”

Cheon-hwi, who had destroyed the gate, met the Blood Slaughter Swordsman’s gaze.

“How dare you trespass on our clan’s grounds…”

Cheon-hwi, seeing his serious expression, decided to play along,

“Are you the leader?”

The Blood Slaughter Swordsman’s eyebrows shot up.

“You insolent brat! You’re not worthy of meeting our leader!”

“Then it’s fine.”

Cheon-hwi brushed past him.

“How dare you!”

As the Blood Slaughter Swordsman, enraged by his attitude, was about to draw his sword.

Whoosh—

Cheon-hwi’s fist, moving much faster, struck his face.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The Blood Slaughter Swordsman’s head snapped back.

Perhaps due to the direct hit.

His body crumbled, and he fell to his knees, collapsing weakly.

Groan—

His face was a mess.

His nose was broken, and his teeth scattered on the floor.

“L-Leader?”

As the Hegemon Middle Group members watched in horror, shocked that the Blood Slaughter Swordsman was the one bleeding.

Step— Step—

Cheon-hwi stepped over the fallen Blood Slaughter Swordsman and entered the Hegemon Clan headquarters.

The horrified Hegemon Middle Group members were enraged.

“You dare disrespect our leader?!”

“You bastard!”

Seeing Cheon-hwi’s disregard for the Blood Slaughter Swordsman, they drew their swords and charged at him.

Tap, tap!

Cheon-hwi, watching them rush towards him, cursing, kicked up the sword the Blood Slaughter Swordsman had dropped.

Whoosh!

He caught the airborne sword.

He then circulated his Plum Blossom Divine Art’s internal energy and infused it into the sword.

An astonishing transformation took place.

Crackle!

The sword began to crack, unable to withstand the influx of Plum Blossom Divine Art’s internal energy.

Finally, the sword couldn’t hold on any longer.

Boom!

The sword exploded with a loud bang.

“W-What?!”

“…!”

The Hegemon Middle Group members panicked as the shattered blade fragments shot towards them like projectiles.

Some turned to flee.

Others tried to block the fragments with their weapons.

But before they could react.

Thud, thud, thud!

The fragments tore through them.

The fragments pierced their bodies faster than they could turn to flee, and the weapons they raised to block were shattered.

“C-Cough.”

“Aaagh!”

Screams filled the air.

But the screams quickly subsided.

Replaced by faint groans and desperate pleas for mercy.

“This is quite useful.  Good for dealing with these small fries.”

Cheon-hwi tossed aside the hilt of the sword and looked around.

The battle was over in an instant.

Two-thirds of the Hegemon Middle Group members were dead, killed instantly by the blade fragments.

But were the remaining one-third unharmed?

No.

They had barely survived, but judging by their condition, they were either about to die or would be crippled for life.

Shudder—

The Hegemon Clan disciples trembled in fear as they witnessed the horrific scene.

“W-What is this…?”

They were terrified by the unbelievable sight.

It had all happened so fast.

From the young Taoist priest kicking the sword to this carnage.

Cheon-hwi turned his head.

“Where’s your leader?”

The Hegemon Clan disciples simultaneously held their breath.

Moments ago, they would have reacted angrily, but having witnessed Cheon-hwi’s power, they couldn’t do anything.

Cheon-hwi frowned at them.

“Hmm, not all of you are mute.”

He muttered and tapped his foot.

Whoosh!

His figure vanished.

He reappeared among the Hegemon Middle Group members.

“…!”

As a Hegemon Middle Group member widened his eyes, finally noticing Cheon-hwi.

Grab—

Cheon-hwi grabbed his face.

He slowly tightened his grip.

“Aaagh!”

Cheon-hwi nodded, seeing him scream, and released his grip.

He then stared into his terrified eyes and spoke,

“Where’s your leader?”

“H-He’s inside…”

As soon as he heard the answer, Cheon-hwi tightened his grip again.

Crack!

“He’s inside, you say?”

Cheon-hwi muttered, tossed the corpse aside, and looked up at the Hegemon Clan headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Hegemon Clan disciples nearby, who had been holding their breath, started to sneak away.

Cheon-hwi tilted his head.

They smiled awkwardly as Cheon-hwi’s gaze fell upon them.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Cheon-hwi’s hand moved.

Crack! Thud!

A one-sided massacre ensued.

The Hegemon Clan disciples trembled in fear as they watched Cheon-hwi’s brutal display.

“You bastard!”

“Are you even a Taoist priest?”

“How can a Taoist priest be so cruel?!”

Cheon-hwi looked at them with a dumbfounded expression.

Emboldened, one of the Hegemon Clan disciples pointed at him and shouted,

“You’ll be excommunicated when word of this gets out… Aaagh!”

Crack!

Cheon-hwi broke his finger.

“Who are you pointing at?”

He then grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.  The man, terrified by Cheon-hwi’s deep, abyss-like eyes, shouted,

“D-Do you think the Orthodox Sect will let you get away with this?!”

“Oh really?”

Cheon-hwi tightened his grip.

Crack!

His neck snapped, and the man died instantly, his body going limp.

Cheon-hwi tossed the corpse aside and warned the watching Hegemon Clan disciples,

“Then I’ll just kill all of you. Then no one will know it was me. Right?”

The Hegemon Clan disciples’ faces turned pale.

He wasn’t a Taoist priest.

Although they didn’t like the Orthodox Sect, they still had a sense of righteousness.

But what was this?

He wasn’t righteous; he was simply doing whatever he pleased.

Even evil sects weren’t this ruthless.

Just then.

Creak—

A middle-aged man with a magnificent beard appeared from the open doorway.

A sturdy build and a confident expression.

Cheon-hwi looked at him and smirked.

“Are you the leader?”

—–CROW—– 

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