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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Like most demonic sects, the Sun Moon Holy Cult was divided into internal and external divisions.
The internal division managed the sect’s internal affairs, trained lower-ranking members, and handled miscellaneous tasks, including farming.
It might seem strange for a demonic sect to engage in agriculture, but one needed food to attract and retain followers.
Raiding and purchasing supplies were short-term solutions, unsustainable in the long run, too costly.
And frequent interactions with outside merchants risked exposing the sect’s location to the Martial Alliance, so self-sufficiency was essential.
Of course, this wasn’t a concern for sects like the Heavenly Demon Sect or the Zoroastrians, whose headquarters were located far from the Central Plains…
“In any case, while the internal division handles production, the external division is responsible for acquiring funds.”
“The burden of a breadwinner… is heavy indeed.”
Ninth Elder Xuan Hu of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, known in the outside world as the Curse Merchant, smiled, his fox-like face strangely charming, as he spoke.
A man, his face hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, even at night, replied,
“You needn’t tell me. Which is why I accepted this mission from the Heavenly Demon Sect, those half-witted fools without their Heavenly Demon.”
Fourth Elder Wu Gong, originally from the Diancang Sect, rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked towards the Jegal Estate, a private residence located within the Martial Alliance headquarters.
“We’re here to kidnap that brat, the so-called descendant of the dragon, whether she’s worthy of the title or not.”
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“[Hey! Hey! Wake up! This isn’t the time for meditation!!]”
Gwahae’s beautiful blue eyes fluttered open at the sound of the black serpent’s voice echoing in her mind.
“…….”
A strange silence. There was no sound of wind, no chirping of insects.
Gwahae, sensing a creeping malevolent energy, rose from her seat on the garden rock, where she had been composing a letter to Mancheon.
“Jjaek-bong, Jjaek-hwang… stay back.”
“Chirp?! Tweet-tweet-!!”
Her two plump sparrows, Jjaek-bong and Jjaek-hwang, who had been dozing on her shoulders, took flight at her command.
“A human sacrifice to resurrect the missing Heavenly Demon… how ludicrous.”
“They rejected such practices when the Heavenly Demon was still around. A sect without a leader loses its way, its very identity crumbling.”
A figure emerged from the darkness, his movements silent, his voice a mocking whisper.
Xuan Hu, a man with narrow eyes and an unsettling smile playing on his lips. And then…
“Ugh… Grandfather will… be here soon…”
A beautiful young woman, clearly a lady of noble birth, bound and restrained by a dark, undulating energy, like a fox’s tail, emerging from Xuan Hu’s shadow.
Jegal Yeon, granddaughter of Jegal Liang, the closest person to Gwahae within the Jegal Estate, aside from her martial arts master.
“Don’t… worry about… me…”
Jegal Yeon was dragged forward, her body limp.
“Ahahaha~ I hate to disappoint you, but Jegal the Monstrous Dragon is a little… preoccupied at the moment, enjoying himself with my… associate. He won’t be coming to your rescue.”
“…….”
Xuan Hu, having crushed any hope of rescue, smiled at Gwahae, who glared at him silently.
The dark energy tightened around Jegal Yeon, as if to emphasize the girl’s vulnerability, a display of power meant to intimidate Gwahae.
“So, to use a cliché, if you want your hostage to remain unharmed, I suggest you cooperate and allow me to kidnap?!”
Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – The Flying Dragon in the Heavens.
Xuan Hu had made one crucial mistake. Gwahae hadn’t been simply staring at him, she had been measuring the distance.
Before he could react, a gust of wind and a flash of silken black hair swept past him.
Like a flying dragon snatching its prey, she tore through the shadows, freeing Jegal Yeon.
“I’m sorry,” Jegal Yeon whispered, her voice weak, her mind clouded by the malevolent energy that still lingered in the estate, as Gwahae held her close.
“It’s alright. Rest.”
Gwahae, her voice calm and reassuring, gently lowered Jegal Yeon to the ground, leaning her against a nearby tree.
“Jjaek-bong, tell Jegal Liang to stop playing around.”
“Chirp! Chirp-chirp!!”
“Jjaek-hwang, I’m entrusting Yeon to you.”
“Tweet-tweet!!”
Xuan Hu’s narrow eyes widened in surprise, an incredulous chuckle escaping his lips.
“Ha! Haha!”
His advantage, the captured hostage, was gone. But what surprised him even more…
was the way his laughter faded, replaced by a growing unease, a lump forming in his throat.
He looked at Gwahae, her back to him, her calm voice belying the chilling aura she radiated.
The malevolent energy that had filled the estate recoiled from her dragon aura, unable to approach. The demons and spirits scattered, their power diminished in the presence of a celestial being.
‘The rumors… about the Jegal child inheriting the blood of the dragon… they were true…’
He hadn’t taken the Heavenly Demon Sect’s request seriously.
He had assumed it was just a superstitious misunderstanding, the ignorant martial artists of the Jegal Clan mistaking a talented, fatherless child for a dragon’s descendant.
After all, martial artists loved dragons so much they incorporated the creature into their titles at every opportunity.
They were mindless killers, wielding the power of dragons without any understanding of the true majesty and mystery of the Eight Legions of Devas.
He had thought it would be an easy capture.
He had been wrong.
“I believe I’ll have to double my fee.”
Or perhaps he should take her to the Sun Moon Holy Cult. That would be even more beneficial to the sect.
Of course, that was assuming he could capture her.
The noble dragon, having secured the safety of her hostage, turned to face him, her blue eyes, like the winter sea, gleaming with a chilling light.
The temperature plummeted.
“Come at me.”
“You… underestimate me.”
But he couldn’t afford to prolong this fight, so he obliged, accepting her challenge, and attacked.
The Five Poisons Fist.
A secret technique of the Five Poisons Sect, mimicking the movements of five venomous creatures: the centipede, the snake, the toad, the scorpion, and the lizard. A deadly assassination technique that concealed a fatal strike amidst a flurry of feints.
He launched his attack, dozens of deceptive movements concealing the single, deadly blow, aimed at Gwahae…
“?!?!?!?!”
but it never landed.
The stars, governing destiny and fate, shone in Gwahae’s eyes.
She had already seen through his deception, predicting his movements with the Heavenly Mystery Evasive Steps, and, using the Emptiness Illumination Fist, neutralized his attack, seizing his arm.
It was like an adult effortlessly restraining a child.
Xuan Hu stumbled, his balance broken by the unexpected strength in her slender arm, his body spinning 180 degrees.
The world turned upside down.
As he spun, Gwahae released his arm and drew back her right leg.
Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – The Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail.
She spun, unleashing a powerful kick.
“Gah-! Ugh-?!”
The kick, like a dragon’s tail striking the clouds and summoning thunder, connected with his abdomen with a sickening thud.
His body, unable to withstand the impact, flew through the air, crashing to the ground, rolling in the dirt.
“Ugh-! Gah-! Urrrrgh-!!”
He finally stopped rolling, his face contorted in pain, his composure forgotten, as he coughed up blood.
If he hadn’t used his protective qi in time, his ribs would have shattered, his organs ruptured, killing him instantly.
‘Th-this is… a-aspiring martial artist…?’
He looked up at Gwahae, her expression impassive, her eyes cold and calculating as she prepared for her next attack, ready to take his life.
He felt paralyzed by her aura, the overwhelming presence of a girl barely sixteen.
She was more than just a dragon’s descendant. She was a prodigy, a true martial arts genius.
He knew, instinctively,
that he had to use everything he had, to survive. He scrambled to his feet, his body aching, preparing his technique.
‘I… I can’t win this fight unless I use everything I have…!!’
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[he’s preparing something… Finish this quickly, with a powerful attack.]
‘I know.’
Gwahae, hearing the black serpent’s warning, focused her energy into both hands.
Twin Hand Combat.
Left and Right – Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – Repentance of the Ascendant Dragon.
Twin Dragon Wave.
Two dragons, formed of pure energy, roared, their bodies coiling, one yin, one yang, surging forward, obliterating everything in their path.
-Crash-!!
The Jegal Estate’s garden was decimated by the powerful blasts of energy.
“During the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla, his steward, Bihyeong, would disappear every night. Curious, the king questioned him.”
“Bihyeong replied that he would ride on his shadow and play with goblins.”
But the attack didn’t hit Xuan Hu. He had narrowly avoided it, dodging at the last possible moment.
His upper body emerged from the shadows cast by the trees in the moonlight, as if he were rising from the earth.
“Shadow Shifting Technique. A sorcery from the lost kingdom of Silla.”
-Screech-! Hiss-!!
As he spoke, venomous centipedes, released from the jar he kept hidden in his shadow realm, swarmed out from beneath Gwahae’s feet, their venomous fangs bared.
“…?!”
She leaped back, avoiding a direct hit, but the poison, spreading through the air, clouded her mind.
“Dragons are powerful creatures, but they have two weaknesses: their reverse scales and the venom of the five-legged centipede.”
Xuan Hu, wiping the blood from his lips, looked down at Gwahae, her body swaying unsteadily, the poison taking hold.
“Of course, few can withstand the venom of the five-legged centipede.”
He maintained his distance, waiting for the poison to take its full effect, for her to collapse.
“It simply illustrates how resilient dragons are, how difficult they are to defeat unless their weaknesses are exploited.”
“Chirp! Chirp-tweet-!!”
Jjaek-hwang, sensing its master’s distress, flew towards Xuan Hu, hoping to buy time until Jjaek-bong returned with Jegal Liang, but
“What’s this? A plump little sparrow?”
“Chirp-?!”
Xuan Hu swatted the sparrow out of the air, sending it tumbling to the ground.
‘Whew… that was a close call,’ he thought.
He had nearly died, but he had almost defeated a half-dragon, a creature with strong dragon blood. He looked up at the sky and sighed in relief.
-Drip… drip, drip…
And then, he felt raindrops on his face, his narrow eyes widening in surprise.
‘Water? Rain? That’s impossible…!!’
Based on the weather patterns and the celestial alignments, it shouldn’t be raining. And yet, it was.
As someone versed in sorcery, he knew what this meant.
Someone was manipulating the weather, forcing it to rain.
It was impossible. Unthinkable.
Such a feat… could only be accomplished by…
As if mocking his fear, the rain intensified.
A figure, dressed in black imperial robes, appeared suddenly, a mirage amidst the downpour.
Pale skin, blue eyes that seemed to reflect the depths of the ocean, a hint of sadness in their depths.
A handsome man with an icy demeanor, his features striking, unforgettable.
But what stood out the most…
were his sharp, pointed teeth, unlike those of any human.
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Gwahae dad coming?!
Awesome!
Uh oh, papa showed up.