The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 166

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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 166.
Bu Eunseol emerged from the main gates of the Holy Demon Pavilion.
Yet the sight that greeted her was entirely unexpected.
Before the Holy Demon Pavilion stood some thirty martial artists, standing with perfect composure and respect.
Judging by the twin dragons contending for a pearl embroidered upon their sleeves, they appeared to be the leaders of various organizations awaiting Ma Cheon Je’s summons.
―So this is the disciple of Nangya Sect who has come this time.
The eyes of the martial artists observing Bu Eunseol’s emergence were all marked with the same contemptuous smirk.
“It is regrettable, but a successor cannot be determined by martial prowess alone.”
As one of the martial artists muttered this, a low voice echoed in agreement.
“How absurd—for a disciple of Nangya Sect to become the successor of Demon Palace? It makes no sense.”
The position of successor to Demon Palace required subjugating more than half of the Ten Demonic Gates and securing their power and support.
Yet Nangya Sect devoted itself solely to martial cultivation, cultivating no faction and maintaining no particular relations with other Demonic Path sects.
In essence, they had confined themselves for the sake of martial arts. And now a master of that sect becomes a candidate for successor to Demon Palace?
It was something they could not accept.
“Bu Xiaoxia.”
At that moment, a pale pink silhouette passed through the gathered martial artists and approached Bu Eunseol.
It was a beautiful woman dressed in flowing azure robes, golden ornaments adorning her hair.
She was Dan Seo Ok, the daughter of Ji Ma Bu Ju, who had once saved Bu Eunseol from assassins when she served in the Guusal Unit.
“So you truly were the Ten Demon Immortals of Nangya Sect.”
Dan Seo Ok flashed a brilliant smile, revealing white teeth, and Bu Eunseol clasped her hands in greeting.
“It has been far too long.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
As Dan Seo Ok treated Bu Eunseol with such familiarity, the martial artists watching from afar tilted their heads in confusion.
―Is that not Dan Ling Ju, already marked as the next chief instructor of Demon Palace?
―How does she, who is always at Ji Ma Bu Ju’s side, know a Ten Demon Immortal of Nangya Sect?
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Then, a figure surrounded by dozens of guards approached.
The eyes of the martial artists grew sharp.
For only a select few could appear before the Holy Demon Pavilion, leading dozens of warriors, in Ma Cheon Je’s presence.
A deep rumble of movement.
The guards took their positions before Bu Eunseol, standing in solemn formation.
As the ranks parted, a broad-shouldered middle-aged man in a black robe strode forward with commanding steps.
The martial artists before the Holy Demon Pavilion immediately lowered their heads and hastily paid their respects.
A swift movement.
The broad-shouldered middle-aged man approached Bu Eunseol with long strides and opened his mouth.
“Are you Bu Eunseol?”
An overwhelming dignity emanated from the man’s entire being, commanding the respect of all present.
“I am.”
As Bu Eunseol answered respectfully, Dan Seo Ok whispered softly.
“This is our father, who oversees the Jipma Clan. Dan Wol Hon, the patriarch.”
Inverse Heavenly Night Star, Dan Wol Hon.
He was the vice-commander of the Jipma Clan, holding authority over all military forces of the Demon Palace except those under the direct command of Ma Cheon Je and the Elder Council.
“Bu Eunseol of the Nangya Sect pays respects to the vice-commander of the Jipma Clan.”
Dan Wol Hon nodded and spoke in a low voice.
“So you risked your life to save So Yok.”
“I merely fulfilled my assigned duty.”
Dan Wol Hon glanced around before placing a hand on Bu Eunseol’s shoulder and speaking.
“Let us move to a different location first.”
He then led Bu Eunseol away with surprising familiarity.
The martial artists watching this exchange turned pale.
―So the expert from the Nangya Sect was acquainted with the vice-commander of the Jipma Clan?
The vice-commander of the Jipma Clan, one of the top ten most influential figures in the Demon Palace’s protocol hierarchy, treating Bu Eunseol with such warmth?
“….”
The martial artists who had been regarding Bu Eunseol with disdain now averted their gazes as if nothing had happened, offering only awkward coughs.
The Jipma Clan’s Jeong Ma Gak.
This hall was reserved for entertaining those who had rendered merit or distinguished guests.
Dan Wol Hon brought Bu Eunseol before the Jeong Ma Gak.
Was he preparing a grand banquet to welcome her?
Yet the interior of the Jeong Ma Gak was empty, with no banquet tables prepared.
Moreover, the warm and affable expression Dan Wol Hon had displayed moments before had vanished without a trace.
But Bu Eunseol stood composed in the silence, as though she had anticipated everything.
“You don’t seem particularly surprised.”
Dan Wol Hon’s tightly closed lips slowly parted.
“Then you must already know why I brought you here.”
“As I mentioned, it was merely a task entrusted to me.”
Bu Eunseol clasped her hands together and bowed once more.
“Yet I am grateful for the kindness you have shown me regardless.”
Dan Wol Hon’s expression grew cold.
“To speak frankly, today’s reception was not of my own will, but rather a request from So Yok.”
He paused before continuing.
“Ever since learning that you were heading to this palace to meet with Ma Cheon Je, she has been pleading with me daily.”
Bu Eunseol had already suspected as much.
The reason the vice-commander of the Jipma Clan had suddenly come to welcome her was because of Dan Seo Ok’s request.
Though she was mentioned as a candidate for Ma Cheon Je’s successor, Bu Eunseol still lacked any foundation or supporting faction within the Demon Palace.
Knowing this all too well, Dan Seo Ok had asked Dan Wol Hon to help establish Bu Eunseol’s standing.
“In fact, So Yok even anticipated that the leadership would be gathered on the path as you departed from your audience with Ma Cheon Je. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Bu Eunseol nodded lightly.
Since Dan Seo Ok was mentioned as a candidate for the next leader, she could easily have predicted Bu Eunseol’s movements within the Demon Palace.
Dan Wol Hon’s gaze grew increasingly profound.
“The Nangya Sect may hold considerable standing in the Murim, but from this palace’s perspective, it is merely the lowest rank among the Ten Demonic Gates. Nothing more, nothing less.”
He swept his sharp gaze across Bu Eunseol’s face.
“If you were to leave with merely the acknowledgment of succession as it stands, certain members of the Demon Palace’s leadership might very well send forces against you.”
Being a successor candidate to the Demon Palace was a position that demanded bearing immense peril.
The Demon Palace would regard every trial as a test for becoming the true successor.
“So Yok arranged for me to step forward out of concern for such matters. Do you understand?”
“I see. I am truly grateful for the Clan Leader’s kindness.”
“Kindness?”
In that instant, Dan Wol Hon’s eyes turned glacial.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“….”
“That child has never once begged anyone, never once knelt before another soul.”
His pupils dilated as he continued speaking.
“Yet for your sake, she knelt before me—even as I stood opposed to the very end.”
A murderous chill began to permeate Dan Wol Hon’s gaze.
“By my acceptance, you were able to leave the Demon Palace unscathed. And yet you offer nothing but words of gratitude?”
Bu Eunseol’s brow twitched slightly.
She had received his favor and expressed her sincere gratitude. What more could he possibly demand?
“Then is there something further you wish to command of me?”
This time, it was Dan Wol Hon’s brow that twitched.
Even the leadership of the Demon Palace trembled before him and bowed their heads—yet here stood a mere young disciple of the Nangya Sect, speaking to him with unbending pride?
“It seems you do not grasp what it means to be a successor candidate of the Demon Palace.”
Dan Wol Hon’s eyes blazed crimson.
The Jipma Clan Leader held a position equivalent to supreme commander of all the Demon Palace’s forces.
And yet Dan Seo Ok—the next supreme commander of the Demon Palace, raised as his most precious treasure—had knelt before a mere martial artist….
His pride had been grievously wounded.
“I shall teach you directly what manner of place the Demon Palace is, and what manner of man I am.”
Crack.
As Dan Wol Hon extended his hand lightly, the sound of bone echoed from Bu Eunseol’s spine.
He was using his formidable inner power to force her waist to bend.
“When expressing gratitude to one of equal standing as the Clan Leader, you must bow. Do you understand?”
Whoosh.
In that moment, crimson light began to bloom across Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
Simultaneously, a blood-red Half-Extreme Blood Light began to form in her eyes.
Had he asked politely, I would have gladly bowed.
But as he attempted to force my waist down, resentment flared instead.
As Bu Eunseol kept her head held high, Dan Wol Hon’s thick brows shot toward the heavens.
“From your bearing… surely you do not intend to refuse to bow?”
“I will not bow.”
“What did you say? You will not?”
“No one can force my decisions upon me.”
Crack, crackle, crackle.
A subtle luminescence flowed from Bu Eunseol’s entire body, pushing back against the overwhelming force that Dan Wol Hon was unleashing.
‘How dare this wretch….’
Dan Wol Hon, his pride subtly wounded, doubled his internal power.
Crack, crunch.
As a pressure like Mount Tai descended upon her, Bu Eunseol’s body resonated with the sound of bones once more.
Yet her head and spine remained rigidly upright, her gaze fixed unwavering upon Dan Wol Hon.
‘She withstands the Five-Tier internal power of this Palace Master?’
The inner strength Dan Wol Hon now displayed exceeded even his own rank.
And yet Bu Eunseol continued to meet his gaze steadily, offering no submission.
‘Could it be that her power surpasses even this Palace Master’s?’
Dan Wol Hon’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The Demon Palace was a place where the most exceptional talents gathered like clouds.
Yet not a single soul beyond their twenties possessed such a level of inner cultivation.
“Excellent. This Palace Master shall show you that there exists heaven above the heavens!”
Boom, rumble, rumble.
Accompanied by the sound of an enormous temple bell, an intense vital force erupted from Dan Wol Hon’s body.
Crack, crackle, crackle.
Simultaneously, the earth beneath Dan Wol Hon’s feet collapsed, and the entire Jeong Ma Gak trembled along with the Flower Garden.
The vital force radiating from his entire body transformed into a devastating whirlwind, tearing through the flowers and trees in the garden, while thick branches snapped with sharp reports.
“Kneel!”
A flash of astonishment crossed Dan Wol Hon’s eyes as he thundered his command.
Bu Eunseol’s body blazed crimson, yet rather than yielding, she straightened her frame even more defiantly.
‘Impossible.’
A grotesque thought surfaced in Dan Wol Hon’s mind upon witnessing this.
Could her inner power truly exceed three tiers? If so, was she not truly young at all, but rather an ancient master secretly wearing the guise of youth?
“Father?”
At that moment, a melodious voice accompanied a woman walking toward the Flower Garden before Jeong Ma Gak. It was Dan Seo Ok.
In that instant, the pupils of both Bu Eunseol and Dan Wol Hon trembled like a ship encountering a tempest.
And simultaneously, their eyes widened as they locked gazes upon each other.
“…!”
“…!”
As their gazes entangled in the void, their expressions grew solemn and their eyes narrowed.
And as if by agreement, they instantly withdrew their inner power.
Whoosh.
With the sound of air escaping, the tempest vanished and the trembling earth swiftly returned to stillness.
“….”
A strange silence lingered for a time.
Within that quietude, Bu Eunseol remained composed, yet Dan Wol Hon continuously gauged Dan Seo Ok’s expression.
“Father.”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you use your inner energy on Bu Eunseol?”
Though her constitution prevented her from learning martial arts, her discernment and knowledge were no less than any warrior in the Murim.
“….”
“Father?”
When Dan Wol Hon evaded her question and feigned ignorance, Dan Seo Ok pressed further.
“May I ask why you used your inner energy on Bu Eunseol?”
In that instant, fury surged through Dan Wol Hon’s mind.
Dan Seo Ok, who had maintained a quiet demeanor since childhood and rarely displayed her emotions.
His well-behaved daughter was glaring at him with furrowed brows over such a trivial matter?
‘Because of this wretch…!’
And that anger was unleashed not upon Dan Seo Ok, but upon Bu Eunseol.
As Dan Wol Hon’s murderous gaze bore down, Bu Eunseol had no choice but to offer an explanation.
“The Patriarch merely tested his own inner energy for a moment. Pay it no mind.”
Instantly, Dan Wol Hon’s eyes softened as he gazed at Dan Seo Ok, and he nodded.
“Yes, that’s what happened.”
“He tested his inner energy? But why would he….”
“It was….”
The focus in Dan Wol Hon’s eyes, which had been brimming with authority, had already vanished.
“Her inner power was stronger than I anticipated….”
He was the Patriarch of the Jipma Clan, capable of making a million Demonic Path practitioners kneel with merely a glance, yet before his daughter’s questioning, he was nothing but a doting father at a loss for words.
“In any case, she is quite remarkable.”
To restore his tattered dignity, Dan Wol Hon approached Bu Eunseol and patted her shoulder with an affable expression.
“Your skills are quite impressive. You will surely become an excellent successor to the Demon Hall.”
As he offered praise he didn’t truly mean, Dan Wol Hon’s gaze grew increasingly hollow.
In contrast, Dan Seo Ok’s eyes sparkled with vitality as she spoke animatedly.
“Isn’t that right? Even when hundreds of assassins surrounded us in Ayang, Bu Eunseol protected me with such confidence.”
As she praised Bu Eunseol, flames of fury erupted once more in Dan Wol Hon’s eyes.
‘This wretched scoundrel has completely bewitched my Seo Ok’s soul!’

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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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