CRS Chapter 48

Tian Mountain^[1].

Also called the Ten Thousand Mountains due to its countless peaks, it was a natural fortress that no one had successfully invaded for hundreds of years.

It was also the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Sect, which boasted the strongest military power as a single faction.

The Heavenly Demon Sect was despised by all righteous factions, but at the same time, they were feared.

The world called the one who stood at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Demon Sect, wielding supreme power, the “Heavenly Demon.”

Historically, when the Heavenly Demon stirred, the Kunlun Sect, being the closest to Tianshan, was inevitably crushed first. The first Heavenly Demon even managed to dye seven-tenths of the Central Plains in blood.

His martial arts were tyrannical, cruel, and without a shred of mercy.

It was so bad that even the evil and righteous factions, usually at each other’s throats, joined hands to try to stop him, but to no avail.

Thus, even in these peaceful times, martial artists of the Central Plains, including the Martial Righteous Alliance, always kept a watchful eye on the Heavenly Demon Sect’s movements.

Bae Hwi-yang, the 8th Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

He was now preparing to journey to the Central Plains.

Although his actual age was certainly not young, his appearance was that of a man in his thirties due to his incredibly high realm.

The man whom Fist King Peng Ji-yeol considered closest to being the Greatest Under Heaven.

Even just sitting still, the air around him felt heavy.

“Are you really going?”

“Of course. How could I not be curious when it wasn’t that Sword King bastard, but some green youngster who wiped out the Blood Cult?”

He slowly rose from his seat, wearing a black robe embroidered with a golden dragon.

“Vice Sect Leader.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“How long do you think youth lasts?”

“Pardon?”

At this somewhat abstract question, the middle-aged man called Vice Sect Leader showed a troubled expression.

“Um… By youth, do you mean the later-stage adepts?”

Sect Leader Bae Hwi-yang smiled gently and shook his head.

“No. These days, young people’s eyes are all dead. Youth should be like me! Always having a burning heart!”

“Ah… yes…”

“I’m off to enjoy my youth now. I won’t be gone too long.”

Although it was a bit bewildering due to the impulsive decision, one couldn’t dare argue with the Heavenly Demon’s words.

“Please travel safely, Sect Leader.”

“If anyone causes trouble while I’m gone, just kill them.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Haha, I’m joking. Well, I’ll be off then.”

***

A quiet night fell upon the Martial Righteous Alliance, which had been buzzing with the excitement of the Dragon Phoenix Contest.

At this hour when all the hot-blooded martial artists of the Martial Righteous Alliance were asleep.

“You really came?”

Eunho was dumbfounded.

He didn’t think she’d actually come when he told her to.

Tang So-so, who had come to Eunho’s quarters, smiled brightly and nodded.

She then raised her finger to point at her throat.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t released the acupoint he had pressed earlier that day.

Eunho released the acupuncture point, and Tang So-so, finally able to speak, said with a shy smile,

“You told me to come, so I came.”

“Did you perhaps forget the ‘if you want to get beaten’ part?”

“Of course I remember. Let me ask you directly. How strong are you?”

It had been exactly half a day since she first met Eunho and met him again now.

During that time, Tang So-so’s excitement had only grown.

Basically, acupoint pressure naturally releases over time, but it’s a different story when a master deliberately presses it.

At least someone of a similar realm to the one who pressed the acupoint must come to release it.

Thanks to this, Tang So-so had visited several renowned masters in the Sichuan Tang family and the Martial Righteous Alliance, but none of them could release Eunho’s acupoint pressure.

As a result, Tang So-so had to live as a mute for half a day.

She should have been angry, but instead, she was delighted.

‘To think he was this kind of man.’

Isn’t he just amazing?

Tang So-so was called the Flower Among Poisons, one of the Three Flowers of Murim.

Any man would show interest at their first meeting, but look at this.

Not only no interest, but a completely emotionless, dry gaze.

Eunho stared intently at such a Tang So-so.

“That was right.”

“What was?”

He recalled what Myungjin and Peng Jeo-ak had said.

-That Young Lady Tang So-so is literally a crazy wom… I mean, a crazy lady.

-Don’t even mention it. I’ve already drunk her concoctions three times. She even fed them to me secretly.

The common point when the two talked about Tang So-so was that their expressions soured as if they had swallowed poison.

Eunho shook his head.

“You’re not in your right mind. Is there no doctor in the Sichuan Tang family?”

“Oh my, do you need a doctor? I’m quite knowledgeable in medicine, you know. Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword.”

Eunho’s eyebrow twitched.

Even though they had barely exchanged a few words, he could clearly see her intention.

Look at that, isn’t she looking at him with expectant eyes while saying Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword?

Eunho was not someone who had ever ignored someone’s sincerity.

Eunho approached her.

Tang So-so also took a step closer, her face reddening.

“Let me ask you one thing. Did you really come here wanting to get beaten?”

“Yes, to be precise, I wanted to experience Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword’s strength…”

Bang-!

Tang So-so’s face was unceremoniously slammed into the ground.

If someone from the Sichuan Tang family had seen this, they would have started a war immediately, but Eunho didn’t care about such things.

As Tang So-so tried to get up using her hands.

Bam!

Eunho pressed her head down and slammed it again.

“Oomph…”

She struggled to get up, but it was futile.

“Ah, if you change your mind in the middle, feel free to say so anytime. I’m not benevolent enough to beat someone who doesn’t want it.”

Looking at Tang So-so’s eyes, he could roughly gauge her personality.

People like her need to be beaten so badly that they tremble at the mere sight of you, to prevent them from being a nuisance later.

Woman or not, it didn’t matter.

Once you’ve learned martial arts and carry weapons, you’re just a martial artist.

Eunho’s solid fist slowly started pounding Tang So-so.

“S-sto… Ack!”

She seemed to be trying to say stop, but Eunho’s palm struck her forehead.

Eunho tilted his head.

“Do you really enjoy getting hit? By now, most people would have asked to stop.”

For a while, the sound of Eunho’s beating echoed through the quiet night.

Thud! Crack! Smash!

***

The Dragon Phoenix Contest proceeded smoothly.

Renowned masters from the martial arts world were present, along with later-stage adepts and ordinary people, all gathered in one place.

It was the moment for announcing the results.

The one in charge of the announcement was Namgoong Hyeok, the Great Elder of Creation Sky of the Martial Righteous Alliance.

Standing on the platform, he infused his internal energy and let out a lion’s roar.

Of course, since it was mild internal energy, ordinary people weren’t harmed.

“I will now announce the results of the Dragon Phoenix Contest.”

All eyes focused on him.

Winning the competition would bring the highest honor a later-stage adept could enjoy.

“First place, Myungjin of the Wudang Sect.”

“Yeah!”

Tae-heo jumped up from his seat and let out a strange cheer.

Sharp glares from around were directed at him.

-How can someone who’s an Elder…

Feeling the stares, Tae-heo quietly sat down.

However, he couldn’t help but feel happy.

To think that the Wudang Sect had won, beating all the outstanding later-stage adepts from the Nine Major Sects and Five Great Families!

Suddenly, he wondered if he should send more Returning Pills to Eunho.

Due to everyone’s attention being on Tae-heo, Namgoong Hyeok cleared his throat to draw attention back.

“Ahem, please focus.”

Once again, all eyes turned to him.

“Second place, Seol Hwa-yeon of the Hwiyeong Manor.”

-Wow!

-Little Sword Empress! Little Sword Empress!

An enormous cheer from the men filled the hall.

Her popularity had skyrocketed.

Already, owners of famous inns in the area had approached Hwa-yeon, inviting her to visit for an excellent meal.

It was clear that just the rumor of her visit would draw countless men wanting to catch a glimpse of her.

“And third place is…”

Peng Jeo-ak swallowed hard.

Eunho’s words before coming to the Martial Righteous Alliance echoed in his mind.

-The minimum is third place.

With Myungjin and Hwa-yeon already taking first and second place, only one spot remained.

Peng Jeo-ak clenched his fist tightly and earnestly prayed.

“Please! Please!”

“Third place is…”

“Please!”

“Third place, Peng Jeo-ak of the Northern Peng Family!”

“Aah!”

Peng Jeo-ak jumped up from his seat and let out an intense shout.

“…”

The problem was that he shouted alone.

Peng Jeo-ak was puzzled.

When it was Myungjin and Hwa-yeon, everyone even applauded, so why was it so quiet this time?

Looking around, he could hear whispers from various places.

-Was Peng Jeo-ak always at that level?

-Well, that kid is quite good, but what about Namgoong Hyeon or Tang So-so?

In fact, Myungjin was originally one of the top contenders among later-stage adepts, and Hwa-yeon had made her debut, so people accepted it.

However, Peng Jeo-ak was quite famous, and his martial prowess was somewhat known.

The general consensus of the crowd was this:

‘Peng Jeo-ak got third place?’

Peng Jeo-ak felt indignant, but he also understood.

After all, they hadn’t seen Eunho’s training.

In reality, Peng Jeo-ak’s first match was against Tang So-so.

The Sichuan Tang family used poisons and hidden weapons.

However, due to the nature of the competition, the use of poison was prohibited, so she only used hidden weapons.

Even so, when Peng Jeo-ak faced her on the arena, he felt intimidated.

He knew Tang So-so’s skills well, and she was such a crazy person that he didn’t know what she might do.

But for some reason, the hidden weapons Tang So-so threw seemed so slow.

To be precise, it wasn’t that they were slow, but he had adapted to Eunho’s wind blades, so they appeared that way.

Tang So-so gritted her teeth and threw her hidden weapons, but she couldn’t hit him even once.

In the end, Peng Jeo-ak succeeded in subduing her.

He did get his finger bitten in the process, but he still managed to achieve the feat of third place.

Myungjin, who took first place, received a sword bestowed by the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader, while Hwa-yeon and Peng Jeo-ak received Returning Pills from Shaolin and Azure Clarity Pills from Wudang, respectively.

Among the three, the one who received the most attention was undoubtedly Hwa-yeon.

“Who on earth is she?”

“Hwiyeong Manor? Have you heard of it before?”

The Dragon Phoenix Contest lasted only two days.

In that short period, Hwa-yeon had emerged as the First Flower of Murim and exited as the Little Sword Empress.

It was only natural that attention was focused on her!

Meanwhile, rumors spread that the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword was at her martial arts hall, the Hwiyeong Manor.

Just then, one of the later-stage adepts blurted out, “Oh? Come to think of it, Young Master Peng and Master Myungjin were with the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword…”, and the rumors instantly grew.

The Hwiyeong Manor, which produced the first, second, and third place winners of the Dragon Phoenix Contest, and the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword.

Stories about those two circulated for days.

The later-stage adepts who gathered after the competition were no different.

“At this point, aren’t all the rumors about the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword true?”

“Come on, how could that be? You didn’t see him either. He looked about our age, but if all the rumors are true, it would mean he’s at least reached the Transformation Realm.”

Transformation Realm? Just hearing it made them laugh hollowly.

“Haha, that’s true.”

“But if the Hwiyeong Manor is a martial arts hall, couldn’t we go there to train too?”

“…”

Suddenly, the eyes of the surrounding later-stage adepts gleamed.

“Ahem. Don’t you have any pride? We all have elders in our own families, why would we go there?”

“Well, that’s true. No matter what, our Five Great Families and Nine Major Sects are still the best.”

The surrounding later-stage adepts nodded at his words.

It was probably due to their remaining pride.

And that night.

The later-stage adepts quietly left the Martial Righteous Alliance, each packing their bags.

The problem was that there were too many people leaving quietly.

“Oh? Young Master! Where are you going so secretly?”

“Uh? I’m just going for a short walk…”

“At this hour?”

“Then where are you going?”

“Um… I, I’m also going for a walk.”

“Ahem, it is good weather for a walk.”

“Yes, indeed it is.”

Of course, these later-stage adepts would dramatically reunite in front of the Hwiyeong Manor a few days later.

1. 천산(天山)[↩]