Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 720

Deliberation (3)

“What did you say?”The voice was full of majesty. However, Chai Ke-chang didn’t miss the hint of panic within that majesty. ‘He must be flustered.’ He himself was so flustered that he had rushed here in one breath. Even Hong Wang, who had reached the level of observing the world [a high level of martial arts mastery], couldn’t help but be flustered. “It’s hard to believe, but it seems Kang Jin-ho has entered China.” “China, you say?” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Chai Ke-chang subtly raised his head and gazed at the Grand Preceptor. From the top of the stairs, Hong Wang, with his chin resting on his hand, was looking down at him with a majestic air. “Chai Ke-chang.” “Yes!” “You’re not making fun of me, are you?” “How could I dare to do such a disrespectful thing? Your Majesty, I too find it hard to believe. But it is the truth.” “China…” Hong Wang let out a soft laugh. He seemed a bit bewildered, and also a bit dumbfounded. But more than any other emotion, the most obvious was ‘interest’. “Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho… Is he ignoring me? If not, he wouldn’t have dared to set foot on my land.” Chai Ke-chang cautiously observed Hong Wang’s mood. From Hong Wang’s perspective, it was something to be furious about. They couldn’t handle a martial artist from a small country, and they even considered forming an alliance with him. Hong Wang was against it, but if the situation had remained stagnant, the Hong Wang faction would have had no choice but to make that choice. But now, he comes to China on his own? To China, where he can’t receive any protection? This was an act of disregard for the Hong Wang faction. Either he thought the Hong Wang faction wouldn’t notice him in China, or he didn’t care if he was discovered. Either way, the result was the same: he had disregarded the Hong Wang faction. However, Hong Wang didn’t seem too upset. “He’s truly an unpredictable man.” Chai Ke-chang sighed softly. He had predicted several reactions, but this was not a bad one. Either way, it was a hundred times better than facing Hong Wang’s anger directly. “So, where is Kang Jin-ho now?” “We are tracking him.” “Tracking…” Hong Wang’s eyebrows twitched. “The Central Plains [the heartland of China] are vast. Can you capture him?” “It won’t be easy, Your Majesty. But we will definitely do it.” “Good.” Hong Wang nodded lightly. “Chai Ke-chang.” “Yes, Your Majesty!” “Don’t be picky about the means. Find Kang Jin-ho’s location by any means necessary.” “Yes, Your Majesty. I will offer Kang Jin-ho’s head to you.” Hong Wang stared at Chai Ke-chang silently. That gaze. Chai Ke-chang slammed his head on the floor at the weight of that gaze. He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but it was clear that Hong Wang was not in a good mood. “It seems you didn’t understand my words.” “I, I am foolish…” “I told you to find his location. I didn’t tell you to kill him. Do you understand what I mean?” “Yes! I understand, Your Majesty.” Chai Ke-chang subtly raised his head and observed Hong Wang’s mood. ‘Does he have goodwill towards Kang Jin-ho?’ Chai Ke-chang was hiding his goodwill towards him, but was Hong Wang also harboring goodwill towards Kang Jin-ho? If not, there would be no reason to keep Kang Jin-ho alive? He couldn’t dare to commit the disrespect of guessing Hong Wang’s true intentions. But the fact that something felt amiss was also true. “Don’t you understand?” “How could I dare to guess Your Majesty’s intentions?” A soft clicking sound was heard. “You cannot capture Kang Jin-ho.” Chai Ke-chang’s head shot up. His eyes were filled with doubt. And even a hint of disbelief. It was impossible to doubt Hong Wang’s words. But Hong Wang’s words were so shocking that they made him break that taboo. “Y-Your Majesty.” “It’s as I said. You cannot capture Kang Jin-ho.” “But… but this is China. There is nothing to protect him here. Do you think he has gathered people to protect him in China?” “That doesn’t matter.” Hong Wang’s heavy voice pressed down on Chai Ke-chang. “Whether he gains power or not, you cannot handle Kang Jin-ho.” Chai Ke-chang didn’t dare to refute Hong Wang’s words. But that didn’t mean he understood. ‘We can’t handle him?’ That’s impossible. It would be understandable in Korea, but this is China. Moreover, Kang Jin-ho is, in all likelihood, within their territory. If they are within their territory, no one can leave alive. This was the pride of Chai Ke-chang, who had served Hong Wang and built the Hong Wang faction. “Foolish man.” Hong Wang, noticing Chai Ke-chang’s expression, spoke softly. “When you sent Bator to Korea, did you consider the possibility of failure?” “…No, I did not.” He had to admit it. He thought Bator would naturally bring back Kang Jin-ho’s head. “I thought Bator would fail.” Chai Ke-chang’s eyes wavered. “But that doesn’t mean I was right. You probably thought that even if Kang Jin-ho had help, Bator would be able to defeat him. I thought that if someone helped Kang Jin-ho, even Bator could fail. But Kang Jin-ho defeated Bator alone.” Chai Ke-chang nodded blankly. “Based on the traces of Kang Jin-ho’s martial arts, his skill was far below Bator’s. He was at a level where he could never face Bator. Do you know what this means?” “…It means Kang Jin-ho is getting stronger.” “That’s right.” Hong Wang looked satisfied. Whether he was satisfied with Chai Ke-chang understanding his words, or with the fact that Kang Jin-ho was getting stronger, Chai Ke-chang couldn’t know. “He’s getting stronger. And at an alarming rate.” Hong Wang declared. “Defeating Bator means he is a formidable opponent. And now, he must be even stronger. You cannot handle him.” “But, Your Majesty.” Chai Ke-chang said, slamming his head on the floor. “What you say is a thousand, ten thousand times correct. But even if there were two Bators, they could not handle us. The Hong Wang faction is not that weak. Please trust us.” “You are right. Even two Bators could be dealt with easily. But Kang Jin-ho is different.” “You don’t know about demonic arts. You don’t know why the immortals were so wary of demons. A demon who has reached the peak of demonic arts is no different from a disaster. Demons are stronger when fighting against many than when fighting alone. If you face Kang Jin-ho, you will collapse without even being able to show your full strength. Even if you capture him, you will have to endure irreversible damage. Neither of those outcomes is what I want.” Chai Ke-chang looked at Hong Wang with slightly dazed eyes. Hong Wang’s words might be right. Even so, Chai Ke-chang felt a strange feeling. ‘He seems happy.’ From a while ago, Hong Wang had been saying that their situation was not easy, and that Kang Jin-ho was not an easy opponent. But how could he look so happy? “I will follow Your Majesty’s orders. Then, if we find Kang Jin-ho…” Chai Ke-chang asked tentatively to ease his mind. A probing question. It was an act of utter disrespect, but now he wanted to confirm Hong Wang’s true intentions, even if it meant committing disrespect. “Of course.” Hong Wang slowly straightened his back, which had been leaning against the Grand Preceptor’s chair. With that simple movement, everything around him seemed to tense up. “I will have to step in myself.” “Y-Your Majesty!” Chai Ke-chang’s guess was correct. Strangely, Hong Wang seemed a bit excited, and it had finally come to this. “Your Majesty, I don’t think you need to step in personally to deal with such a person.” “Chai Ke-chang.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “Don’t underestimate Kang Jin-ho.” Hong Wang’s voice was resolute. “The fact that the situation has come this far is due to your arrogance, and mine. If we had mobilized all our forces to eliminate him the moment we discovered Kang Jin-ho’s existence, we wouldn’t have come this far. Now, unless the time and luck align, we can’t even dare to touch him.” “It is my incompetence that has caused this. Please punish me.” “I’m not trying to blame you. I said that my arrogance was also a factor. I didn’t think he would push me this far either. We must cut him off here before he becomes a bigger problem. Otherwise…” Hong Wang closed his mouth with a subtle expression. After a long silence, Hong Wang opened his mouth again with a slightly relaxed face. “The immortals always warned us to be wary of demons. They said that if they regained their lost demonic arts, we don’t know what would happen. As one who carries a lineage of the martial arts, I cannot allow such a rebellious martial art like demonic arts to roam the world again. This is not my will as Hong Wang, but my will as a martial artist.” “If that is Your Majesty’s will, then I, Chai Ke-chang! Will accept Your Majesty’s command with my life.” “Good. I look forward to good news.” Chai Ke-chang retreated backward while prostrating on the floor. Chai Ke-chang, who had left the main hall, stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Bearing Hong Wang’s aura was still a burden. ‘He must be happy.’ From the perspective of the second-in-command of the Hong Wang faction, it was not a good thing for Hong Wang to move personally. A king should not move carelessly. There are always those who seek to take the king’s place. But as a martial artist, he understood Hong Wang. Hong Wang had not been challenged for too long. The battles with the Three Kings had become stagnant, and no one had appeared to threaten his position. The peaceful reign as a king meant boredom as a martial artist. So, he wanted to face him personally. Even if the opponent was not worthy of Hong Wang’s level. Then everything made sense. However… Just one thing. “We must cut him off here before he becomes a bigger problem. Otherwise…” Those words kept echoing in Chai Ke-chang’s ears. ‘What was the word that would follow?’ It didn’t seem to mean just a threat to their power. Then, could it be… ‘A foolish thought.’ It was an utterly disrespectful thought. Chai Ke-chang shook off the disrespectful thoughts that filled his head and turned around. One thing was certain. “I will find him, and I will kill him.” There was no need to confirm what the following words were. Kang Jin-ho would be buried here. What possibilities could a dead man have? Perhaps this was the last chance given to them. Chai Ke-chang licked his lips. ‘You should have waited a little longer.’ Ten years. If he had just stayed in Korea for ten years, Kang Jin-ho might have ruled the world. Not being able to endure those ten years had decided Kang Jin-ho’s fate. Chai Ke-chang began to walk with a stern face. It was time to start the fox hunt.

Descent of The Demon Master [EN]

Descent of The Demon Master [EN]

Descent of the Demonic Master, 마존현세강림기
Status: Ongoing Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In "Descent of the Demon Master," Gang Jinho's life has been a series of tragic twists. In his first life, a devastating accident claimed his family and left him disabled, leading him to end his own life. Reincarnated into a medieval world, he rose to prominence as the feared Red Demonic Master, only to be betrayed by his closest ally. Now, in his third life, Jinho finds himself back in the modern world, determined to live an ordinary existence. However, his past experiences have left him ill-suited for normalcy. As remnants of his former life resurface and new threats emerge, Jinho must confront the question: Can a man shaped by such extraordinary pasts ever truly find peace in a mundane life? Dive into this gripping tale that weaves action, fantasy, and the complexities of reincarnation.

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