Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 104 – Days of Growth (4)

Gal Sa-ryang was walking briskly with Sima Cheon. The two were heading towards the Alliance Leader’s Hall.

As he saw the building of the Alliance Leader’s Hall, Gal Sa-ryang felt overwhelmed with emotion. It had been a really long time since he entered the Alliance Leader’s Hall. During Cheon Hajin’s time, he used to come and go here every day.

“What’s this all about?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Sima Cheon didn’t reveal why he was taking him to the Alliance Leader’s Hall.

The two passed through several layers of strict security before entering the Alliance Leader’s Hall.

The atmosphere in the Alliance Leader’s Hall was coldly subdued. One could tell instantly that Ma Bong-gi, sitting on the Grand Preceptor’s seat, was in a bad mood.

“I greet the Alliance Leader.”

He barely glanced at Gal Sa-ryang, not even bothering to acknowledge his greeting.

Sima Cheon and Gal Sa-ryang stood side by side.

Besides Ma Bong-gi, Ju Cheol-ryong, the leader of the Bright Moon Regiment, was also present in the Alliance Leader’s Hall.

When their eyes met, Gal Sa-ryang was the first to avert his gaze from Ju Cheol-ryong. He must have heard about his recent activities. He thought a subdued appearance would be more fitting.

Gal Sa-ryang was using his secret network to investigate everyone.

He had uncovered important information about Ju Cheol-ryong as well. He discovered that he had deposited an enormous sum of money in the Central Plains Bank under an alias.

‘If the reason for betrayal was money?’

The intensity of revenge would increase even more.

Ju Cheol-ryong ranked quite high on Gal Sa-ryang’s list of revenge targets. Regardless of who was behind it, Ju Cheol-ryong was the direct cause of Ma Bong-gi becoming the Alliance Leader. He couldn’t forgive him for betraying Cheon Hajin’s intentions by using the position he had created for him.

Of course, none of these emotions were visible at this moment. There was only a weak soldier exhausted from his duties.

Two people entered the room. When Gal Sa-ryang recognized them, he was shocked.

Ma Cheol-gun and Ma Ryeong-in had entered.

Surprisingly, Ma Ryeong-in was shackled like a criminal. Ma Cheol-gun had deliberately expressed his will. That he was a criminal.

The two stood side by side in front of Ma Bong-gi.

The gaze looking down from the Grand Preceptor’s seat was displeased.

“It’s unsightly.”

Then Ma Cheol-gun spoke.

“Actions that attempt to kill one’s own bloodline are beyond unsightly, they’re something humans should never do.”

Ma Cheol-gun knew that Ma Bong-gi’s comment about it being unsightly was about the shackles, but he pretended not to understand and answered as if it was about Ma Ryeong-in’s actions.

As irritation flashed across Ma Bong-gi’s face, Ma Ryeong-in quickly spoke.

“I have been wronged, Your Excellency.”

“Explain in detail.”

“My brother is conspiring with someone called the Nameless Great Master to eliminate me.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“My brother confessed this time. He said he’s disliked me since childhood.”

Ma Ryeong-in deliberately used the provocative word ‘confessed’.

“That’s-!”

Although it was indeed something he had said, it wasn’t to the extent of framing his brother to kill him. Ma Ryeong-in shouted with an aggrieved expression.

“I’ve fallen completely into a trap!”

Ma Bong-gi raised his hand to stop him, then asked Ma Cheol-gun.

“Do you have evidence that he tried to kill you?”

“Yes.”

Ma Cheol-gun took out a secret letter from his breast and handed it to Ma Bong-gi.

After reading the contents, Ma Bong-gi said.

“Is this the only evidence?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Isn’t this insufficient as evidence?”

“Ryeong-in acted exactly as described in the secret letter sent the day before. If there wasn’t a prior plot to kill me, how could this Nameless Great Master have known to send this secret letter in advance?”

“That’s true, but this evidence is not conclusive.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s a possibility it was created after Ryeong-in acted.”

For a moment, Ma Cheol-gun was startled.

“Are you saying I fabricated it?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just talking about the possibility.”

“Father!”

“This is an official place!”

“Alliance Leader!”

This time, Ma Cheol-gun looked up at Ma Bong-gi with an aggrieved heart.

But contrary to his boiling attitude, his heart was extremely calm. When they were called here, he had already anticipated that things would turn out this way.

Ma Bong-gi’s gaze finally turned to Sima Cheon.

“Just who is this Nameless Great Master?”

Then Sima Cheon stepped forward and spoke.

“He’s the one our pavilion was investigating for ambushing and killing Yeom Hwa of the Heavenly Blade Sect. Here, Military Officer Gal was in charge of that matter.”

Gal Sa-ryang could now understand why he had been brought here. It was a ploy to shift the blame onto him if any problems arose.

‘Well, that’s just like you.’

Gal Sa-ryang stepped forward and spoke.

“The one called Nameless is known by the names Nameless Wanderer or Nameless Great Master. We’ve been trying to find out his identity in various ways, but all we know is that he uses fist techniques and is in his twenties or thirties.”

“In other words, his identity is unknown?”

In a situation where a thunderous reprimand could have fallen, Ma Bong-gi seemed to want this situation instead.

“In other words, it’s a secret letter from someone whose identity we don’t even know.”

“That is correct.”

Ma Bong-gi’s gaze turned to Ma Cheol-gun.

“Release your brother now.”

Ma Cheol-gun stared quietly at Ma Bong-gi, then sighed and said.

“I will obey your command.”

Ma Cheol-gun personally unlocked the shackles. He had deliberately put them on to emphasize that he was releasing them in front of everyone.

Ma Ryeong-in smiled brightly and said.

“Brother, let’s end this misunderstanding. No matter how much you dislike me.”

Ma Cheol-gun replied with a snort, then bowed to Ma Bong-gi and walked out.

Ma Ryeong-in bowed respectfully to Ma Bong-gi.

“As expected, you are a cold and wise father.”

Ma Ryeong-in’s expression towards Ma Bong-gi was peculiar, as if it were sincere, yet not sincere.

Watching the events unfold today, Gal Sa-ryang could tell.

That Ma Ryeong-in was directly related to the mastermind. That there existed some subtle conflict and distance between Ma Bong-gi and Ma Ryeong-in.

It was truly valuable information discovered due to Sima Cheon’s selfishness.

‘I wonder if this Nameless Wanderer knows about all of these matters?’

If so?

We need to find this Nameless Wanderer. And bring him to our side.

***

Time flowed like a river.

It was the second summer since being reborn as Byeok Ri-dan.

Through the Golden Grand Banquet incident, I could tell that their influence was enormous.

If Im Yeon-jeong survived, the research would resume. Of course, it would take quite some time for the research to be fully restored.

There was no guarantee that the research was being conducted in only one place, nor was there any guarantee that other research wasn’t being conducted.

They were not opponents that someone like Ma Bong-gi could handle. Moreover, Ma Bong-gi’s son, Ma Ryeong-in, was already brainwashed by them.

Could his other children have been recruited as well?

They were not opponents to fight recklessly. I focused solely on growing my own strength and the power of my clan without interfering in their affairs.

I devoted myself to training from morning till night.

I focused on internal energy cultivation, equally dividing my time between the Soul-Reaping Asura Sword Arts and the Immortal Crane Secret Art, and also diligently practiced the White Moon Sword Arts, our family’s martial art.

I truly trained all the time except for eating and sleeping.

Thanks to this, I achieved mastery of the White Moon Sword Arts before summer ended.

The effort and growth weren’t mine alone.

During this time, the Small Sword Squad had their first mission. Gwan Hwi completed the first mission brilliantly. As it was the first mission, Gong Su-chan found a task that required the entire Small Sword Squad to be mobilized.

From the second mission onwards, they went on missions divided into teams. This was because missions that could be handled by all hundred members were rare.

They successfully completed the second and third missions as well.

However, in the fourth mission, two members were severely injured, and in the fifth mission, we had our first casualty.

It was unavoidable. After all, twenty members and a hundred members were different from the start. Imagine a hundred people taking on real combat missions. No matter how careful they were, unexpected incidents were bound to happen.

The Sword Squad fell into sorrow over the death of their comrade.

Having lost numerous comrades before, I knew better than anyone how it felt to lose a comrade. Although my heart ached terribly, I didn’t show my sorrow outwardly and maintained a calm appearance.

I gathered the Sword Squad members and told them:

“If you fear death, you shouldn’t have joined the Sword Squad, but should have been doing business in the marketplace or teaching children in a village school. We will lose many comrades in the future. If we fall into despair and sorrow each time, we won’t be able to move forward, and we’ll lose even more comrades, even faster. So, let’s mourn for just three days.”

It might have sounded heartless, but it was something they had to overcome.

The river of time didn’t stop.

As summer burned away with our efforts, autumn arrived.

Along with it came several pieces of news and rumors related to the Martial Righteous Alliance.

The news was that Ma Ryeong-in had returned to Henan Province, and shortly after, Ma Cheol-gun officially took the position of sect leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect.

Rumors circulated that Ma Cheol-gun had officially become the successor as he became the clan leader, and there were also rumors that it had nothing to do with the official succession. I didn’t bother to dig deeper and investigate their affairs.

When the mountains were dyed with autumn foliage, the Immortal Crane Secret Art, which had been at the eighth level, reached the ninth level.

Now, only one level remained until reaching the tenth level of great mastery. The power of the Immortal Crane Secret Art became even more formidable, and my movements became even more flexible.

The ninth level to great mastery was the critical point. Even within the same great mastery, my achievement would differ depending on how and in what way I attained it. But since it wasn’t something I could change anyway, I could only work hard and hope for good results.

There was good news for our family as well.

The Sword Squad of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor also grew in size. After Yang Minor Faction’s debt was cleared, it had been growing little by little, but using the expansion of the Small Sword Squad as an opportunity, the main Sword Squad also recruited people and increased its size. Even excluding the Small Sword Squad, our rank in Shandong rose significantly.

Baek Pyo focused solely on growing the Dark Panther Squad. I deliberately didn’t go to see them.

The Three-Eyed Pavilion established branches in seventy-two locations across the Central Plains and continued to expand its organization.

The Taeseong Merchant Guild made its first profit in autumn. They earned three thousand five hundred taels by selling goods. Someday, the Taeseong Merchant Guild will grow into a merchant guild that traverses the Central Plains, earning tens or hundreds of thousands of taels.

I was putting into practice what I had once told Gwan Hwi.

That there should be times when efforts are buried in the passage of time.

We were truly burying our efforts in the passage of time.

Before long, cold winds blew, and people’s mouths were filled with regretful words about autumn passing. The first snow fell, and cold weather arrived.

On a morning when heavy snow had fallen, I was sitting cross-legged at the peak of a snow-covered mountain.

The Heavenly Martial Heart-Guarding Technique, an unparalleled supreme internal energy technique in the world, had been cultivating my inner force non-stop throughout the year except for sleeping hours, and now it was finally reaching the moment I had aimed for.

The energy that had circulated through my entire body gathered in my danjeon.

I slowly opened my eyes.

It was another moment that would mark a change in my physical body and in the history of my martial arts.

Finally, my internal energy had reached the second level of the armor realm. I had trained really hard all year for this moment.

“Hahaha.”

Irrepressible laughter burst out.

The moment of reaping the rewards of effort is always joyous.

Now I could use the fifth form of the Soul-Reaping Asura Sword Arts, the Returning Wheel Calamity, which I had longed for.

The fifth form, Returning Wheel Calamity.

The final sixth form, Great Destruction Calamity, is truly the ultimate move. Not only is its power tremendous, but controlling the inner force is also very difficult, making it an attack to be used only at the very last moment.

Therefore, the fifth form, Returning Wheel Calamity, could be considered the practical final move.

Whiiiiing!

The sword began to make a wind sound.

The moment I thrust the sword, a rock far away turned to powder, swept away by the wind of strong energy.

Hooooong!

Wherever the sword pointed, vortexes of strong energy began to swirl.

Vortexes of strong energy formed in the air above the cliff.

The power was tremendous. Rocks would instantly turn to powder, and even if there were iron blocks, they would be torn apart as if peeling fruit.

One, two, three, four… nine, ten, eleven…

These incredibly powerful vortexes kept forming endlessly.

Hooooooong!

Strong energy vortexes whirled all around. It was as if the world was turning upside down in a terrifying natural disaster.

It truly seemed like the end of the world had come. This was the fifth form, Returning Wheel Calamity.

I unleashed the fifth form until my internal energy was almost depleted.

With only a little internal energy left, I withdrew my sword. Strong energy vortexes were still whirling around.

I walked briskly to the edge of the cliff. Without hesitation, I leapt off the edge into the endless abyss.

Whiiiiik.

I fell downwards at a terrifying speed. This was a training I used to do in my prime to improve concentration. It was an extreme training where even a moment’s lapse in concentration could lead to death. But the effectiveness was as certain as its danger.

As I fell endlessly, I twisted my body and expelled palm force into the air.

Papapapang!

As the palm force was released, my falling speed decreased.

I stabbed the Asura Bright King Sword into the cliff again.

Chaaaaaaang.

As the sword cut through the wall, my speed decreased even more.

Whiririk.

In the final moment, I rotated several times in the air, further reducing my speed.

Finally, I landed on the ground. My internal energy was completely depleted. It was truly a heart-pounding moment.

Jin and Su, who were waiting below, looked at me with surprised faces. They had contacted me urgently asking to meet. I had set the meeting place at the bottom of this cliff.

“Did you really jump from the top?”

“I had no choice if I didn’t want to be late for our appointment.”

At my joke, they looked at each other with expressions mixed with bewilderment and surprise.

“Is this even possible?”

“Why don’t you try it yourself?”

“Oh no, please don’t say that.”

The two waved their hands in refusal.

Soon, Jin regained his serious expression.

“We have something to report.”

From their expressions, I could tell that something had happened in the martial world.

But I wasn’t nervous. I had been training so hard that I could deplete all my internal energy and land precisely here. I’m in peak condition right now.

Feeling that I was ready to face them again, I calmly asked.

“What’s happened?”