The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 111

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 111.
Whoosh!
Each time I unleashed my inner force through the Baejaggyeol, the ceiling panels began sliding backward with a sharp “screech” sound.
An overwhelming surge of inner power, as if pushing back Mount Tai itself, drove the ceiling panels anchored to the ground.
Boom!
The ceiling panels arrayed behind then swung their great swords, aiming for Bu Eunseol’s back.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Bu Eunseol’s entire body then became hazy, as if shrouded in billowing mist.
She had begun employing Geuksok Muwying, an ancient divine movement technique that allowed her to change direction in place.
Whoosh whoosh! Whoosh!
Using Geuksok Muwying to shift her orientation in place, then employing Baejaggyeol to drive back the ceiling panels.
Bu Eunseol was breaking through the Twenty-Four Ceiling Formation with a simple yet devastating strategy.
“Remarkable inner force.”
Namgung Sae-ah, observing the display, murmured in disbelief.
“At such a young age, to pour out the Baejaggyeol—a technique of pure overwhelming force—without cessation? What sect does this person belong to?”
Her gaze remained fixed on Heuk Pyo, who stood motionless.
Unable to ignore that intense stare, Heuk Pyo stammered his response.
“The young master has been wandering the Murim without fixed purpose, learning martial arts from various places….”
“Learning martial arts from various places?”
“Yes. While drifting aimlessly through the Murim, the young master encountered many eccentric masters….”
Namgung Sae-ah nearly burst into laughter at the absurdity.
Bu Eunseol’s level of inner cultivation—pushing ceiling panels forged from ten thousand jin of steel through sheer inner force alone—was a standard that even the direct disciples of the Shaolin Abbot could not achieve.
Yet she claimed to have learned martial arts while wandering from place to place?
“There must be complicated circumstances involved.”
As Namgung Sae-ah smiled and prepared to move past the matter, So Gung Ju, who had been observing silently, spoke softly.
“I believe we should halt the formation.”
She gazed at Bu Eunseol with a grave expression.
“No matter how exceptional one’s inner force is, expending it in such a manner will inevitably lead to depletion and demonic possession.”
“It appears manageable for now.”
At Namgung Sae-ah’s words, So Gung Ju shook her head.
“The Twenty-Four Ceiling Formation grows stronger toward the end. She may endure now, but from the midpoint onward, it will become difficult.”
Her prediction proved accurate.
When Bu Eunseol reached approximately the two-thirds mark, her inner force depleted, her movement technique slowed, and the ceiling panels ceased to yield.
“Huff. Huff.”
Sweat poured down my face as I came to a halt.
Namgung Sae-ah, observing this, furrowed her brow and spoke.
“Shall we stop it?”
“Yes, we should.”
As So Gung Ju’s answer came, Namgung Sae-ah moved to plant the Sogyojuryeong against the wall. But Heuk Pyo quickly stepped in to block her, saying:
“We must not stop yet.”
Heuk Pyo’s attempt to stop her only deepened the furrow between Namgung Sae-ah’s brows.
“If you don’t halt now, your master will exhaust her inner energy and suffer irreversible internal injuries.”
“That’s not the case. Look carefully.”
“What are you saying?”
“The Master’s expression. There’s no way she’s about to collapse from depleted inner energy, is there?”
At Heuk Pyo’s words, So Gung Ju and Namgung Sae-ah examined Bu Eunseol’s eyes intently.
Strands of wet hair clung to her face, obscuring it. Yet her gaze burned with brilliance, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Still, it cannot continue.”
Namgung Sae-ah clicked her tongue as she spoke.
“An expression can be forced. A true martial artist is defined by actions and skill, not….”
Her words trailed off.
For in that instant, Bu Eunseol unleashed a devastating palm strike, driving the stone slabs back once more.
“She recovered in mere moments?”
Namgung Sae-ah, who had been about to plant the Jade Sect Leader’s Token to halt the formation, widened her eyes in disbelief.
‘This one….’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes, which had remained cold and still until now, burned with fierce intensity. They gleamed as though she savored this very situation.
‘A born warrior, indeed.’
A true martial artist thrives on crisis and adversity.
They view such trials not as obstacles, but as stepping stones to transcend their limits once more.
“Very well.”
She lowered the Jade Sect Leader’s Token, her voice dropping low.
“Let us observe further.”
“My gratitude.”
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol pushed against the stone slabs, drawing ever closer to the far end of the Stone Chamber.
The exit lay but a single step away.
Yet my inner energy had been completely depleted; I could no longer manifest the Eight Trigram Technique.
‘Relying purely on inner energy alone proved insufficient.’
I drew ragged breaths, considering my options. Only one breath of true qi remained.
That is, I had but a single opportunity to unleash one final technique.
‘The stone statues lack killing intent, so the Bone Piercing Sword won’t suffice. It must be the Boundless Heaven Stream.’
If I employed the Boundless Heaven Stream with the Ink Sword—that blade which cuts through steel as easily as tofu—I could topple the stone slabs in one decisive strike.
But the moment I drew the sword, my identity would be exposed.
‘There is no choice.’
Having resolved myself, Bu Eunseol gathered all her strength and drew upon her inner energy with complete commitment.
Boom!
An explosion erupted, and a whirlwind spiraled around my body as faint points of light began to shimmer across my entire form.
Crunch. Clang.
The stone slabs, determined to block my final step, began to close in with grinding sounds, encircling me in a deadly ring.
‘Everything rests on this palm strike!’
In this moment of absolute crisis, I would not unleash the Boundless Heaven Stream—but rather the palm technique of the Gwonma.
If it’s the supreme martial art of Nangya Sect, it would certainly possess power no less formidable than the Munsang Cheonryu.
‘Gwonma Chilsik… Second Form!’
As Bu Eunseol traced a grand circle with both hands, a piercing azure light blazed forth from her eyes.
‘Extreme Lightning Convergence!’
The violent wind erupting from that single strike transformed into five spiraling vortices, sweeping past the ceiling blades that surrounded her.
“….”
For a moment, silence filled the Stone Chamber.
Bu Eunseol, catching her breath in ragged gasps, then moved forward as though nothing had transpired.
Whoooosh!
In that instant, the ceiling blades encircling her descended simultaneously, their great swords crashing down toward her head.
“Young Master!”
Heuk Pyo cried out urgently, but Bu Eunseol walked forward unmoved, as if she hadn’t heard.
Psshhh….
Yet the great swords of the ceiling blades that had been aimed at Bu Eunseol’s head crumbled entirely into dust and scattered.
The power of Extreme Lightning Convergence had reduced every blade of the ceiling mechanisms to powder.
“That’s….”
Not only Heuk Pyo, but even Namgung Sae-ah and So Gung Ju were left speechless at the sight.
Though the Murim contained countless martial arts schools, none had ever heard of a technique capable of reducing tempered steel to dust.
“Truly a master of extraordinary martial prowess.”
As Namgung Sae-ah murmured softly,
Thump, thump.
Bu Eunseol passed through the Stone Chamber’s exit,
Crrrunch.
With the sound of mechanisms, the chamber’s floor flipped over, and the towering ceiling blades began descending into it.
The Twenty-Four Ceiling Blade Formation—which no one had ever penetrated since its installation—had finally been overcome.
“Young Master!”
Heuk Pyo rushed toward Bu Eunseol as she emerged from the Stone Chamber, crying out loudly.
“Congratulations, Young Master!”
Watching Heuk Pyo bounce about like an excited puppy, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“It’s true.”
“Pardon?”
“That martial arts can advance through diverse methods, not merely through combat.”
In passing through the Twenty-Four Ceiling Blade Formation, Bu Eunseol had for the first time poured forth her inner energy with complete force.
And she had deployed the Second Form of Gwonma Chilsik—a technique learned only from secret texts—in actual combat all at once.
In truth, an ordinary martial artist would never have attempted such a thing.
No one would unfurl a martial technique learned solely from secret texts and never before used in real combat during a life-or-death situation.
Yet Bu Eunseol had instead transformed crisis into opportunity.
In that moment of absolute desperation, she had executed a flawless technique through extreme concentration.
“I’m relieved that my words were of help.”
Heuk Pyo was genuinely delighted.
I understood that despite Bu Eunseol’s cold demeanor and strong convictions, she was actually someone who readily accepted counsel from others.
If she listened carefully to the words of a subordinate like myself, she would not dismiss anyone’s advice as worthless.
“Then I shall be able to obtain the Boyeon Divine Pearl.”
Heuk Pyo spoke with a broad grin, but Namgung Sae-ah shook her head.
“What I promised was merely to allow the trial to take place. I made no promise to give the Boyeon Divine Pearl.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Heuk Pyo’s eyes widened, and she spoke again.
“This formation was personally established by the Palace Lord. It exists to test whether So Gung Ju is worthy of receiving the Boyeon Divine Pearl.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening quietly, suddenly brightened.
“So you’re saying whether to give the Boyeon Divine Pearl or not is entirely So Gung Ju’s decision?”
“That’s correct.”
Then something strange occurred.
Crack, crack.
With the sound of bone, the skin on Bu Eunseol’s face began to writhe like a living serpent.
‘I’ve consumed too much inner energy.’
The weakness of the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Technique, which allowed one to alter appearance with ease, was that it continuously drained the practitioner’s inner energy.
After drawing forth the maximum inner energy within the Heavenly Palace Twenty-Four Formation and exhausting all the reversed extreme formation energy, the secret technique had finally unraveled.
“That appearance…”
Sensing Namgung Sae-ah’s gaze, Bu Eunseol quickly covered my face with my sleeve.
Crackle, crackle.
Bu Eunseol barely mustered the depleted inner energy and forcibly redeployed the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Technique.
Yet I could not hide from the piercing eyes of one with Namgung Sae-ah’s keen vision.
‘To possess such beauty…’
Namgung Sae-ah’s pupils wavered like ripples on water as she gazed at Bu Eunseol.
For the brief moment that Bu Eunseol’s true visage was revealed, it was nothing short of a living portrait—the countenance of an incomparably beautiful man.
“Have you been disguising yourself all this time?”
“What do you mean?”
“It seemed as though you were concealing your true appearance.”
“You must be mistaken.”
Unable to find any trace of disguise on Bu Eunseol’s face no matter how intently she looked, Namgung Sae-ah narrowed her eyes.
‘It matters not—the truth will reveal itself in time.’
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol, having perfectly restored the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Technique, approached So Gung Ju, who wore a veil, and asked.
“Have you made a decision?”
“Pardon?”
“Regarding the Boyeon Divine Pearl.”
“I…”
So Gung Ju stared at Bu Eunseol through the eye holes of her veil, then lowered her gaze.
“Do you… desire it so greatly?”
“I do.”
At Bu Eunseol’s resolute answer, So Gung Ju bowed her head and spoke in a soft voice.
“But I don’t even know who this So Hyeop is… or their name.”
‘True enough. I can’t hand over Shin Nyeo Gung’s treasure to someone whose name I don’t even know.’
Though something felt slightly off, Bu Eunseol answered calmly.
“My name is Seol.”
“So Seol Hyeop, then. If I may ask, your master sect is….”
“I am a wanderer of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.”
“A wanderer… I see.”
“Will you give me the Bowon Divine Pearl?”
At Bu Eunseol’s direct question, So Gung Ju lowered her head, uncertain how to respond.
Then Namgung Sae-ah approached her side and whispered.
“So Gung Ju. Give it to her.”
“What?”
“Give her the Bowon Divine Pearl, now.”
“But….”
As hesitation flickered in So Gung Ju’s eyes behind her veil, Namgung Sae-ah spoke with commanding force.
“Trust me. You will not regret this.”
“Not regret… this?”
“That’s right.”
Namgung Sae-ah’s eyes burned with an intensity unlike anything before—like an active volcano blazing with molten heat.
“So Gung Ju. Have I ever spoken nonsense to you?”
Her gaze resembled that of a predator crouched low, ready to seize its prey.
“Trust me just this once. You will absolutely not regret it.”
For reasons unclear, Namgung Sae-ah’s voice brimmed with conviction and an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
So Gung Ju, who had been standing dazed for a moment, gave a slight nod.
“…Very well.”
She lowered her head once more, then spoke softly while gazing at Bu Eunseol.
“Since you risked your life to pass through the formation….”
From her bosom, she withdrew a small wooden box. When she carefully opened it, a softly gleaming crimson pearl came into view.
It was the Bowon Divine Pearl itself.
“Here it is.”
As So Gung Ju extended the box, Bu Eunseol calmly reached out and accepted it.
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eunseol placed the pearl into her bosom, Namgung Sae-ah clasped her hands together with a joyful smile.
“My deepest gratitude. My deepest gratitude, So Gung Ju!”
So Gung Ju turned at Namgung Sae-ah’s words and spoke shyly.
“I’ll head back now. I’ll have Seol Hyeop escorted to the Star Courtyard with proper courtesy.”
“Understood. I will inform the Palace Lord of this news shortly.”
‘The Palace Lord?’
An ominous, heavy weight settles over me.
For the first time since entering the Gangho, a chill runs down the back of my neck. And slowly, that premonition becomes reality.
“Well then, I should head back now.”
As Bu Eunseol turned to leave, Namgung Sae-ah broke into a radiant smile.
“Why the rush?”
“I need to return to Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.”
“Stay a while longer. You’re practically family now, after all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Namgung Sae-ah’s eyes crinkled as she flashed a brilliant smile.
“Rest here at the Star Courtyard for now. I’ll inform the Palace Lord and return.”
Namgung Sae-ah, who had maintained such a cold and composed expression throughout.
Yet now she was gazing with a warmth far more affectionate than when she looked at her nephew Nam Goong Woon.
“I thought the Palace Lord was merely being difficult, but to think a young hero like yourself was hidden away all this time!”
With a thumbs-up gesture, Namgung Sae-ah spun around and departed without waiting for a response.
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eunseol turned to Heuk Pyo.
Heuk Pyo caught her meaning and quickly called out to Si Bi, who was hurrying away.
“Forgive me, but I have a question.”
As Si Bi turned back, Heuk Pyo asked with a serious expression.
“Why did the Namgung Patriarch refer to our young master as… family?”
Si Bi’s face flushed with embarrassment as he lowered his gaze.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“What I’m asking is… didn’t the Patriarch just say to our young master, ‘You’re practically family now’?”
“Young Master Bu will become the husband of our So Gung Ju, so… there’s nothing incorrect about that statement.”
“What did you say?”
Heuk Pyo leaped back as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Husband? What are you talking about? Why would our young master—?”
“The Bowon Orb is a betrothal gift for the one who will become So Gung Ju’s husband.”
“The Bowon Orb is… a betrothal gift?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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