Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 134: Martial Exchange (2)

When it was reported that the Demonic Cult had revealed its presence, Yeon Seong hit the deck. 

Then, along the connected planks, he ran towards the boat where everyone was gathering. 

It was not only Yeon Seong who heard the cry, as the other sect leaders also rushed about. 

Like Yeon Seong, they scrambled over and shouted loudly.

“What are you talking about?”

“The Demonic Cult has finally revealed itself!”

“Where?”

They glanced around the lake with their eyes gleaming.

The fog was thick, but all of them were sect leaders. 

They could not use fog as an excuse for lack of ability. 

Some of them took out telescopes and scanned the lakeside. .

However, no matter how much they looked around, there was no sight of the Demonic Cult. 

One of the annoyed sect leaders shouted, “Where did the Demonic Cult appear? Are you so tired that you’re hallucinating?!”

The soldier who had shouted it pointed towards one corner of the region. 

“If you look over there, you can see the flag of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.”

There was more fog in that direction than anywhere else.

The old sect leader looked annoyed, but looked towards the fog. 

And…

“Ah!”

When he saw something surprising, he dropped the telescope in hand

Yeon Seong titled his head and picked up the telescope.

Looking towards the misty distance, Yeon Seong understood why the other man had been so surprised. 

It was the same for all the sect leaders who took the telescope and looked at the same place. 

“Huff!”

“Wait, aren’t they on the water?”

“How can there be a ship of the Demonic Cult?”

Everyone was surprised. They turned all the blame on the alliance leader.

“Alliance Leader Yeon, what the hell is going on here?”

“I thought you said you took care of all the boats!”

The problem was that Yeon Seong also had no idea what was happening.

He habitually chewed on his nails, the bits of nails being spat out. 

How the hell did those Demonic dogs get ships? Why are there so many too…

As the fleet got closer, the size of the ships became more apparent. 

There were many different kinds, ranging from very large to regular sized. There were even small boats, like messenger ferries. 

“Say something, Alliance Leader Yeon!”

“Look, the important thing right now is not how they got boats. Now that they’re here, we should prepare for battle, too.”

Yeon Seong first deflected the blame away from him. 

The topic had been changed. 

Of course, that would not help him escape condemnation. 

“After the war, you will surely be held accountable for what happened today.”

“Be prepared.”

Yeon Seong ground his teeth at their words. 

Ugh. 

But he couldn’t unleash his anger. For one, they were still one the same side. 

He turned his gaze back on the Demonic Cult’s fleet. 

All kinds of thoughts flew through his head. 

What should I do?

What should we do?

I wonder if we stand a chance against such a fleet.

How far are the reinforcements from the Martial Alliance?

I wonder if I can hold them off until they arrive.

While he was still in turmoil, there was a shadow who approached him.

“The Cult of the Heavenly Demon has appeared.”

A thin, fine voice. 

It was the mysterious master who had visited Yeon Seong and the Great Dragon Gate a few days ago. 

Dressed on dark robes, the others only knew that this was someone Yeon Seong had invited — they didn’t even know whether this person was a woman or a man. 

However, this time, it was revealed that the master was a woman.

She crosses the strait and stares at the tip of the Demonic fleet, which was appearing beyond the fog

The flag of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. 

And the flag with the seals of those who surrender at Qaidam Basin. 

It was clearly the Demonic Cult. 

“Please apply for an honorable martial exchange.”

Yeon Seong was surprised. “An exchange?”

“Yes. Isn’t it impossible to stop them all now with the power of Qinghai? If that’s the case, we need to buy some time with a martial exchange.”

It was as she said.

The situation would be more advantageous if they stalled for time, rather than fighting right this moment. They didn’t even know when the reinforcements would arrive. 

“And if you defeat your opponent in the exchange, their morale will be greatly diminished.”

That was the same as saying she could beat any enemy. 

Yeon Seong, who knew her identity, could not argue with that. 

That was because this woman had been given the title of Qingcheng’s Sword of Earth. 

“Mhm, I see.”

“In the exchange, I will be the first fighter. Please prepare a small boat.”

“Wait one moment.”

After he said that, Yeon Seong made an underling raise a patternless red flag, asking for a honourable exchange. 

Several sect leaders protested.

“Why do you trust such a young woman’s words and apply for a martial exchange? If you’re going to have an exchange, you better have prepared more competent masters!”

Yeon Seong shook his head. 

The red flag had already been up for a long time, and Jang Seo-ah was slowly approaching the cult on a small fishing boat.

Watching her back, Yeon Seong said, “You don’t have to worry about that. ”

“What do you mean we don’t have to worry? ”

The other sect leaders curiously asked, clenching their fists as the woman moved farther. 

“She’s a swordswoman, one of the three Swords of Qingcheng”

* * *

Peek – Peek –

Accompanied by the sound of rowing, a small boat advanced. 

Flying above the boat was a red flag, same as the ones on the other Qinghai boats. 

It was a flag requesting an honorable martial exchange.

Although it was her first time fighting on water, she was confident she would not not lose. 

No, she could not lose. 

I must avenge Master. 

She was Jang Seo-ah. 

After the death of her master and martial brothers, she had become the only Sword of Qingcheng. 

But even at this moment, when she grabbed her sword, she would feel burning anger towards the Demonic Cult, filled with the intent to avenge her master. 

She was talented and skilled in the swordsmanship of Qingcheng. She was told that she would become a pillar of Qingcheng, as the sect did not permit female sect leaders. 

Of course, she was uninterested in all of that. The only thing she cared about was revenge.

She had then heard a rumor about the Cult of the Heavenly Demon attacking Zhongyuan. 

She wanted to take revenge by running ahead of the Demonic Army and slaughtering their men, but the elders of Qingcheng had stopped her. 

But in the end, she was stubborn. 

Although it took some time, she was eventually able to escape from the elders and reach Qinghai Province. 

Of course, since it took some time, she wasn’t able to go to Qaidam Basin. 

But she had joined the Qinghai Alliance. 

Anyway, why did the location matter if she was just going to kill the demonic anyway? 

She was grateful she was able to fight the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. 

Who knew who the culprit was?

But if she slaughtered mindlessly and without rest, she would eventually be able to kill the perpetrator. 

This was a mindset that could not be considered normal. 

In fact, Jang Seo-ah had gone half crazy after the deaths of her master and brothers. 

Her hatred had weakened her judgement. 

I will avenge my master. 

Now that she had seen the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, that was the only thought in her mind. 

Asking Yeon Seong to propose a martial exchange was also something done in a chaotic mindset. 

She just wanted to cut down demonic practitioners. 

And as if responding to her heart, a red flag was raised above the Demonic fleet. 

They had accepted the martial exchange. 

***

Looking at the request, Woon-seong’s lips curled into a smile. 

“Good timing.” 

If the battle at Qaidam Basin was about the overwhelming appearance of Woon-seong, this second battle was about the Cult of the Heavenly Demon itself. 

The Cult had to prove that it was not just the Heavenly Demon, but a group of thousands of masters. 

Thus, Woon-seong was determined to be as uninvolved in this fight as possible. That way, this battle would give the enemies a reason to truly fear the Demonic Army. 

In that regard, a martial exchange was an excellent opportunity. 

It was a good way for the followers to show off their individual skills. 

It seemed that Sang Gwan-chuk thought the same. 

“Nice timing.”

Woon-seong nodded, “It’s convenient.”

And thus, a red flag was raised by the Cult of the Heavenly Demon in return, accepting the martial exchange request. 

The one who would be fighting for the Cult, was of course Gwan Tae-ryang. 

He had a lot of conditions that made him suitable. 

First, he was the captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, one of the Twelve Supporting Units. 

Thus, he was pretty qualified to represent the Cult. 

At the same time, the Charred Dragon Unit, which he led, was working at the frontline. Gwan Tae-ryang could then be considered the leader of the vanguard, or the vanguard itself. 

Elected as the first fighter, Gwan Tae-ryang grabbed a blade in one hand and rowed with the other. 

Shua, shua.

The boat forcefully cut through the water. 

The two stopped several meters away from each other. 

Gwan Tae-ryang felt a sticky sort of energy sweeping across his body. It was obvious that his opponent was openly hostile. 

At this time, the opponent threw off their cloak, revealing long hair. 

The moment he saw that, Gwan Tae-ryang titled his head. 

“A woman?”

Jang Seo-ah leapt towards Gwan tae-ryang.