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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Snow Dissolving Peak
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Snow Dissolving Peak.
The eternal snow mountain where, throughout history, the blizzard had never ceased for even a single day.
Though it lay directly behind Heavenly Mountain, entry was strictly forbidden to a million demons, making it nearly impossible to spot a human form there. Yet one man was climbing it without hesitation.
"This path is such a pain every damn time."
Hyeok Mulin's gaze, sharp as a drawn sword, turned downward.
Pfuk— pfuk—
With every step, his feet sank deep into the piled snow.
The heavy snow battered his entire body, sapping his body heat, and his feet had long since gone numb from the freezing cold.
But even so, he couldn't stop or turn back.
The dice had been cast, and the only path to survival was straight ahead.
Hyeok Mulin silently pressed on, recalling the events from a few hours earlier.
—Divorce? Are you saying what I heard is really true?
Honestly, he hadn't expected that reaction, so it caught him a bit off guard.
She usually kept her emotions tightly reined in, always maintaining a cool, businesslike demeanor.
Even in his previous life, over decades, he'd rarely seen her expression change. But at that moment, surprise had clearly flickered across her face, however briefly.
'Well, can't blame her. It's not every day something like this happens.'
She'd probably never experienced anything as sudden as a divorce declaration.
Suppressing her inner turmoil without showing it in such a situation would have been the real oddity.
Even so, Cheon Seohee soon regained control of her emotions and stared straight ahead.
—In just three months, you've been swallowed up by power. So now you're planning to abandon the Hyeok Clan and look out for yourself?
She seemed to assume he'd been blinded by his position as Cult Leader and made this rash decision.
"No. It was too late a decision as it was."
But she was wrong.
After decades of living like a puppet, unable to even utter the word divorce, only after returning to the past could he finally speak it.
Their timelines were worlds apart.
'And my home clan isn't much different.'
The core reason Hyeok Mulin had accepted the political marriage was his home clan, the Hyeok Clan.
In the past, the Hyeok Clan had led the Seven Great Demon Clans, the most envied house among all demons.
But after losing its patriarch in the Great War of Righteousness and Evil three hundred years ago, it had plummeted into decline. Now, it clung to the tail end of the Seven Great Demon Clans, on the brink of expulsion.
Facing that dire crisis, the Cheon Clan had extended a saving hand to the Hyeok Clan.
Promising solid backing and support, they proposed a political marriage to bind the two houses and elevate one side's candidate to Heavenly Demon.
In the end, with no other options, the young patriarch of the Hyeok Clan, Hyeok Mulin, joined hands with them and ascended to the powerless throne of Cult Leader.
'But as time passed, I realized it was a fatal mistake.'
It was called a bond, but the gap between the clans was like heaven and earth—practically annexation.
To put it bluntly, the Hyeok Clan had become a subordinate of the Cheon Clan, slowly marching toward a leisurely death. No different at all.
It might be tough in the short term, but long-term, cutting ties like this was clearly to the Hyeok Clan's benefit.
But he couldn't explain all that in detail, nor was there any need to.
When he remained silent, Cheon Seohee shook her head slowly and rose from her seat.
—Very well. I've heard your intentions, husband. I'll return to my clan now.
And just before stepping out the door, she paused, speaking in a cold voice.
—However, you must bear the full brunt of the Cheon Clan's and my father's wrath.
"...An enraged patriarch, huh."
Hyeok Mulin brushed the snow from his eyebrows.
'They won't move right away. It'll take at least a few days.'
Faced with this unexpected turn, they'd watch the situation rather than act immediately.
Besides, the Cheon Clan patriarch had no sons.
So he'd married off his eldest daughter, Cheon Seohee, to him, then propped him up as Cult Leader to solidify his power as the Heavenly Demon's father-in-law.
Even if he was a puppet Heavenly Demon on strings, he couldn't just swap him out and discard him like some accessory.
Doing so would erode trust and make it impossible to use the same tactic again.
That wouldn't benefit the patriarch either.
'Not that it puts me in a great position.'
He'd come to realize that in time.
From the outside, his daughter Cheon Seohee had been chased out without even hearing the full reasons for the divorce.
So by all appearances, he had ample justification to rage.
The longer time dragged on, the more fiercely they'd pressure him to change his mind.
And if that failed, they might resort to framing him for some crime and executing him as a last measure.
At first glance, the current situation didn't look all that positive.
'Even so, it had to be done.'
If he hadn't become Heavenly Demon, maybe not. But now that he was Cult Leader...
Failing to divorce right at the start would mean everything around him would fall under the Cheon Clan's sway immediately.
Not just the Hyeok Clan, but the Protectors, Personal Guard, Martial Force Unit—all real power would flow to the Cheon Clan.
Better to sever the current ties with them and renegotiate, even if it meant drawing swords.
"Probably takes about ten days before they erupt in fury."
Plenty of time.
If he could achieve his goal at his current destination, he'd have ample room to negotiate with the Cheon Clan—or even take the strong position himself.
First things first: reach the destination.
"Getting a bit winded."
Exhaling roughly, Hyeok Mulin loosened his stiff neck and looked ahead.
About halfway up Snow Dissolving Peak's slope, a sheer cliff face came into view.
Filling one side of that cliff was a massive iron gate that dominated his vision.
Over thirty feet tall.
Crafted from priceless millennium cold iron, the gate evoked an overwhelming sense of majesty in any who beheld it.
Hyeok Mulin approached and placed his hand on it.
Infusing it with internal energy and reciting the incantation, the door began to open on its own.
Kugugung—
The gate groaned deeply, taking quite some time to fully part.
Step by step.
As Hyeok Mulin passed through the entrance, the door reversed course and sealed shut behind him.
The interior was a sealed passage without a single window, yet far from pitch black.
Every three paces along the straight path ahead, glowing night pearls were embedded densely.
After walking a good distance, another door appeared in his view.
"Finally here."
Halting his steps, Hyeok Mulin lightly pressed his hand to the door ahead.
Kikikikik—
With that, the door creaked open amid a massive cloud of dust.
Hyeok Mulin stepped slowly into the blinding light.
With each step forward, priceless divine weapons and treasures lined the way.
Dragon Tendon Rope, twisted from dragon sinews and said never to break no matter what; Absolute Armor, forged from thousand-year dark iron to withstand any assault.
The Cloudless Lacquer Knife, crafted over fifty years by the legendary master artisan Golden Cat, outshining myriad treasures; and even the imperial relic from distant lands, the Golden Emperor Divine Dragon Sword.
Treasures so supreme that ordinary mortals might never glimpse even one in a lifetime gleamed brilliantly everywhere.
But.
Step— step—
Hyeok Mulin paid no heed to any of them and kept walking.
Reaching the wall, he descended the stairs at its end.
Floors displaying rare elixirs and spirit pills appeared, followed by shelves of martial arts manuals.
Yet he pressed on silently.
Finally, at the very bottom—the lowest level—Hyeok Mulin faced a door streaked in crimson.
Small, yet emanating a profound aura, it blocked his path as if repelling intruders.
Forged from condensed millennium cold iron, it seemed impervious to any ultimate technique.
Approaching its center, Hyeok Mulin placed one hand on it and unleashed his demonic energy.
From west to east, east to south, south to north, north back to west.
As the demonic energy cycled through the cardinal directions in sequence, brilliant light burst from the door's seams.
Grgrgrk—
"It's been a while."
The door swung open to reveal a vast cavern incomparable to the vaults above.
Yet in that immense space stood only nineteen martial arts manuals, each radiating its own domineering aura.
As if screaming to be chosen, but Hyeok Mulin passed them all without a glance.
Until his steps finally halted at one spot.
There sat a shabby old tome, the kind you'd find in a neighborhood bookshop.
Gazing down at it impassively, Hyeok Mulin ran a finger over it.
Dust from centuries untouched piled thick, clinging to his finger.
At the sight, Hyeok Mulin's lips curved into a smirk.
"Found it."
Pure Soul Divine Demon Art.
The core technique absolutely essential for forging a new path—one whose true value he'd only grasped on the brink of death.
"No ordinary demonic art will do."
Thus, he would claim the ultimate demonic art none could rival.
A glint sparked in Hyeok Mulin's eyes as he gripped the manual tightly.