The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 137

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

Chapter 137.
Bu Eunseol sank into deep contemplation.
One born into the Orthodox Sects could never master the Demonic Path’s sword techniques.
Yet the final sword technique Yeo Hwan Jin had unleashed was a cunning method that exploited the weaknesses of Demonic Path swordplay—designed to sever an opponent’s life force swiftly.
―Because the great masters of the Orthodox Sects have each inherited secret methods to counter the Ten Demonic Gates’ martial arts from long ago.
Suddenly, Sim Wol’s words from the Demon Palace echoed in my mind.
“It matters not. Whatever they have learned.”
Regardless of what martial techniques one had mastered, one need only clash with full force and break through them.
Bu Eunseol staggered to his feet.
Though the Rhombus Sword had defended against the sword energy, deep marks remained in several places—evidence that the Rhombus Sword was not yet perfect.
“I survived….”
Bu Eunseol’s gaze deepened as he looked up at the darkened night sky.
In truth, it had been a victory born of fortune.
Had Yeo Hwan Jin not come to the Blacksmith Shop. Had the extreme perception of the Beast Path not activated, allowing me to discover his habits and mannerisms….
I could never have defeated Yeo Hwan Jin.
“Let us return.”
Bu Eunseol gazed at Yeo Hwan Jin, who lay breathing faintly against a tree, and reached out to close his eyes.
Then I propelled myself toward the Dangsan Iron Family.
* * *
―A great master from the Jongnam Sect, Yeo Hwan Jin, had been murdered.
Yeon Myeong Jin, the master instructor of the Dangsan Martial Training Ground, who was supposed to receive sword techniques from Yeo Hwan Jin.
He discovered Yeo Hwan Jin lying dead beneath a tree stump near Jangsan Gorge.
Who had killed Yeo Hwan Jin, who had been quietly training in this place?
An emergency was declared throughout Dangsan.
―Seize the culprit!
The fortunate aspect was that Dangsan was filled with members of the Jongnam Sect—it was hardly an exaggeration to call it the Jongnam’s main stronghold.
No matter how swift the murderer’s feet, they could not have fled far.
From that day onward.
All the martial artists of Dangsan and the government’s warriors constructed a dense encirclement, ensuring no one could escape beyond Seong Do.
―The culprit may still be within Dangsan!
As days passed without any trace of the murderer, they began to search Dangsan thoroughly.
The same was true within the Dangsan Iron Family.
“Has anyone escaped?”
Woong Hwa, the chief master instructor of the Dangsan Martial Branch of the Jongnam Sect, shouted to his disciples as they searched the Iron Family.
“I ask if anyone has left the Iron Family recently.”
“None, save for the Great Master who departed for Zhejiang a month ago.”
Despite thorough searching, there was no sign of anyone fleeing in the night—not even anyone who had left the Iron Family.
There was a new craftsman who had recently arrived, but was he not the one who exceptionally maintained the swords of the Jongnam Sect?
‘This makes no sense.’
To kill Yeo Hwan Jin, who possessed outstanding skill even among the first-generation disciples, the culprit would have to be at least a middle-aged Demonic Path master.
‘Wait, haven’t the Ten Demon Experts been causing trouble lately?’
I’d heard that all the Ten Demon Experts were young men.
The young apprentice was certainly too young, but I couldn’t rule out suspicion entirely.
Woong Hwa spoke to his disciple again.
“Did you interrogate him?”
“Of course. He showed no signs of martial prowess, and he was too preoccupied repairing swords all day to be involved.”
“Hmm.”
Woong Hwa clenched his teeth.
“Even if I can’t find him now, I will find him eventually!”
Lee Bok, the chief steward of the Dangsan Iron Family who had been watching the Jongnam warriors depart, let out a weary sigh.
“I have no idea what’s happening here.”
To kill a Jongnam Sect master-level expert who was in seclusion in Dangsan? It was like carrying firewood into a burning house.
“Since this is Dangsan… he’ll be caught soon enough.”
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly echoed through the air.
Lee Bok rushed over in alarm, only to find blood pouring from Bu Eunseol’s hand as she repaired a sword in the Blacksmith Shop.
“What on earth happened!”
As Lee Bok asked in shock, the young apprentice So Dong beside him trembled.
“I was being so careful with the hammer strikes… I don’t know why, but I ended up hitting Master Bu’s hand…”
“What?”
“I was definitely doing it right, but…”
Lee Bok’s vision darkened.
Due to the recent surge in workload, he had assigned a young apprentice to assist Bu Eunseol.
Yet instead, the boy had caused an accident.
“Is anyone there? Take Master Bu to the Cheongwha Medical Clinic at once!”
* * *
That evening, as Lee Bok looked at Bu Eunseol returning from the Cheongwha Medical Clinic, his mouth fell open.
“What did you say? Say that again.”
Lee Bok stared at Bu Eunseol’s right hand, wrapped tightly in white bandages, and asked again.
“You can no longer grip a hammer?”
“That’s correct.”
Bu Eunseol’s fingers, struck by the iron hammer, had their flesh crushed and bones shattered beyond repair.
“The nerves were severed, so the hand cannot move, he said.”
“The Cheong Physician said this?”
Lee Bok spoke again with urgent desperation.
“Recovery is impossible? You’re saying I must live as a cripple from now on?”
“That’s correct.”
Lee Bok’s expression turned hollow.
If the Cheong Physician, who possessed the finest medical skills in Dangsan, had said it, it must be true.
The only consolation was that Bu Eunseol had completed most of the sword repairs entrusted by the Jongnam Martial Training Ground. But the swords arriving in the future could no longer be repaired.
“This all happened within the Main House. I will take full responsibility.”
He offered warm consolation, patting Bu Eunseol’s shoulder as he spoke.
“For now, rest yourself. Once the Master returns, we shall discuss this further.”
“Understood.”
As Bu Eunseol departed, the affectionate smile that had graced Lee Bok’s face faded into cold indifference.
‘A craftsman who cannot work is of no use.’
No matter how skilled a blacksmith might be, useless hands render all talent worthless.
Unable to work, I was no longer merely a blacksmith—I could not even be assigned menial tasks. I had become utterly expendable within the Dangsan Iron Family.
Ten days later.
A young craftsman quietly departed from the Dangsan Iron Family.
Unable to accomplish anything with my injured hands, I could no longer endure the suffering and the cold glances within the household.
When I was valuable, they had treated me with every courtesy. Now that I was useless, no one came to see me off.
The only mercy was that Lee Bok, under the guise of consolation, had provided five hundred silver taels and lent me a carriage from the Dangsan Iron Family.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage bearing the Dangsan Iron Family’s insignia rolled beyond Dangsan and onto the road toward Gwan Do.
Sitting within the carriage, I recalled the cunning smile that had flickered across Lee Bok’s face.
When repairing swords, he had fawned as though he would pluck out his own liver for me. Once I became useless, he turned away without hesitation.
“In a way, he has helped me.”
Had the compassionate Master, Yuk Man Ho, been present, I could not have departed so easily.
A man of such righteous conviction would have dissuaded me by any means and secured a position for me within the Dangsan Iron Family.
“Such is the way of the world.”
Loyal men are rare; those who are cunning and profit-driven are plentiful.
By exploiting this truth skillfully, one can infiltrate anywhere with ease and depart just as readily.
Clatter, clatter.
The swaying of the carriage sounded like a lullaby. My eyes grew heavy with fatigue, and I closed them.
Thus I had dealt with the master and departed Dangsan quietly.
Beyond Dangsan’s borders, I returned the Dangsan Iron Family’s carriage and stopped at a station to board a new one.
‘I must go to a quiet place.’
Through my duel with Yeo Hwan Jin, I had gained profound insights beyond measure.
Moreover, having dealt with the master, I had secured another precious four months of time.
To fully digest this, I needed to return to the Nangya Pavilion as soon as possible.
“Master.”
Yet upon entering the station, a young man bowed respectfully to me.
He appeared utterly ordinary in every way, yet his eyes occasionally gleamed with a sharp, penetrating light.
At a glance, he was unmistakably a member of the Fengyun Corps.
“Would you care to try this carriage? It was built for long journeys and is exceptionally sturdy.”
“Very well.”
As I boarded the carriage, the man who followed spoke in a low voice.
“The Chief has ordered that you not return to the Main House.”
As I had anticipated, he was indeed a member of the Fengyun Corps under the Nangya Pavilion.
“For what reason?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Dae Won’s eyes gleamed with a hint of respect.
“Word of the Master’s elimination of Dae Ui Go Su has spread throughout the Murim. Because of this, not only Jongnam Sect but even Hua Shan Sect has mobilized.”
“Hua Shan?”
“Indeed. Both Jongnam and Hua Shan are searching for the movement paths of the Ten Demon Immortals who dealt with Yeo Hwan Jin. If the Young Master were to return to Nangya Sect now, it would only invite troublesome complications.”
“What did the Sect Leader say?”
“He sent word that you should remain quiet for a couple of months while cultivating your martial arts. After things settle down, he will contact you again through a messenger.”
‘Indeed. The Sect Leader truly understands.’
Baek Yeon, who read Murim intelligence like the lines of his own palm, was even accounting for the time Bu Eunseol needed to digest the insights gained from the fierce battle.
“Does it matter where?”
“It does not.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been lost in deep thought, soon nodded.
“I understand.”
* * *
Jinhyang Pavilion.
This was one of five annexes of the Unrae Guest House, the most luxurious inn in Jinyang.
With a daily rental cost exceeding three hundred taels, only high officials and wealthy merchants occasionally stayed here.
Yet a month ago, someone had rented not just Jinhyang Pavilion but all five annexes of the Unrae Guest House at once.
―I detest noise and commotion.
To rent five annexes, each costing three hundred taels a day, for such a reason alone?
Moreover, he was an exceptionally young and handsome man, barely past his coming-of-age.
Some said he was the son of a merchant trading beyond the frontier, while others claimed he was the son of a high official.
Whatever rumors circulated, the young man spent his days leisurely touring the scenic spots and mountains around Jinyang like a carefree nobleman.
Inside Jinhyang Pavilion.
A small pond had been constructed in one corner of a beautiful garden surrounded by exotic flowers and rare plants.
Beside it stood a small pavilion, and within it sat a man in composed stillness, eyes closed.
He wore robes of heavenly silkworm silk, the finest grade produced by the Gyeongseong Gongsun Family—so expensive that even wealthy merchants hesitated to purchase it.
His face, reflected in the softly cascading sunlight, was like a masterpiece sculpted by the gods themselves with all their might.
Skin so transparent it seemed luminous, pale and white; a nose both prominent and gracefully curved; and above it, eyes like jewels gleaming in darkness.
Once seen, such a visage could never be forgotten.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Upon hearing the words of the Fengyun Corps member, he had remained in Jinyang rather than return to Nangya Sect.
―Find the one who killed Yeo Hwan Jin!
Jongnam Sect and Hua Shan Sect were still pursuing Bu Eunseol.
The lamp beneath the lantern casts the darkest shadow.
Bu Eunseol remained in Jinyang, which bordered Seomseong where Jongnam and Hua Shan held sway.
This place saw many Orthodox Sect members, but it was also a battleground where Demonic Path practitioners frequently clashed.
With multiple factions intricately entangled, it was the perfect place to conceal one’s identity.
Bu Eunseol gazed up at the clear sky and took a deep breath.
Nearly two months had passed since arriving here. And every early morning, I cultivated my inner strength in this pavilion.
A deep resonance echoed forth.
As I began circulating my inner energy, subtle points of light emanated from my body.
Time flowed swiftly, and morning arrived once again.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
As the sun rose anew and the songs of birds echoed across the land.
My cultivation had reached its final stages, and a faint radiance flowed from my entire being.
Whooom!
With a low vibration, my body hovered half a foot above the pavilion.
Floating Void Meditation.
The vital energy circulating within my body had grown so powerful that my physical form temporarily levitated into the air.
Flash!
As I opened my eyes, a shimmering haze of vital energy danced across my pupils.
A subtle radiance enveloped my body, and a gentle breeze seemed to blow across my entire frame.
“This is….”
Sensing the shift in my inner power, I gazed down at my own body.
Since my fierce battle with Yeo Hwan Jin, my vital energy had grown increasingly vigorous.
And now, two months later, the flow of my vital energy had finally become visible and distinct.
“I’ve reached the Fourth Tier!”

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