The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 169

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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 169.
Bu Eunseol gazed at Poong Yeo Ryang with his eyes turned white and answered calmly.
“It was necessary, so I crafted it.”
“Necessary, you say?”
“There will come a day when it will be useful, will there not?”
“Are you jesting with me now?”
Black mist coiled and writhed from every inch of Poong Yeo Ryang’s body.
Though he had reached the realm of the Extreme Demon, when uncontrollable fury blazed forth, the black demonic true energy and killing intent merged into one.
“Speak another word of nonsense, and I shall shatter your skull this very instant.”
Bu Eunseol exhaled a deep breath and, rather than respond, took up a saw and hammer to begin shaping the wood.
Whoosh. Crack.
With each delicate touch of his hands, the form of the wood transformed.
With every movement, planks of uniform thickness took shape—as though he were weaving magic itself.
Thunk, thunk, thunk.
As the wooden pieces were joined together, a curved coffin gradually took form.
The intensity in his gaze as he worked resembled that of a master carpenter who had spent a lifetime crafting such vessels.
“This is….”
Hyuk Gong Baek’s eyes, which had been watching Bu Eunseol craft the coffin in silence, gradually narrowed.
He sensed something in Bu Eunseol’s gaze and the movement of his hands.
“Are you truly content to stand idle while he does this?”
Hyuk Gong Baek raised his hand to restrain Poong Yeo Ryang and spoke in a low voice.
“Wait a moment.”
Hyuk Gong Baek remained motionless for a time, observing Bu Eunseol with keen attention.
‘So that was it.’
Bu Eunseol was not ‘merely’ crafting a coffin.
With devotion and meticulous care—he was pouring the full force of his being into its creation.
“This coffin, you see….”
Hyuk Gong Baek took a deep breath and approached Bu Eunseol, speaking in a low voice.
“…it does not seem suited to me.”
Hyuk Gong Baek’s height, well over six feet, was nearly identical to Bu Eunseol’s.
Yet Bu Eunseol, without even glancing at him, continued to shape the wood and answered calmly.
“I shall craft a coffin exceeding six feet separately at a later time.”
“I see. Very well.”
Hyuk Gong Baek nodded with satisfaction and turned his body to return to Poong Yeo Ryang.
“Let us depart now.”
“What did you say?”
Poong Yeo Ryang pointed at Bu Eunseol as though he could not comprehend.
“You… you would truly stand by while he does such a thing?”
“Do you not sense it?”
“Sense what?”
Hyuk Gong Baek spoke with a bitter expression.
“Then hold your tongue and simply watch that child craft a coffin for an hour. Then you’ll understand.”
“What did you say?”
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
And he spoke warmly to Bu Eunseol as well.
“Then I’ll leave you to it.”
Bu Eunseol, absorbed in her work, could not even respond as she continued shaping the wood.
Observing her, Hyuk Gong Baek wore a faint smile before turning to depart without hesitation.
Poong Yeo Ryang stood dumbfounded, merely staring at Hyuk Gong Baek’s retreating figure.
* * *
Stories about Bu Eunseol began spreading once more throughout Do Won Hyang.
―That young one from Nangya Sect. They say she worked as a coffin maker before entering the Murim.
―Not only can she craft coffins properly, but her dyeing technique is supposedly flawless?
These rumors stemmed consistently from the mouth of Poong Yeo Ryang, who frequented Bu Eunseol’s dwelling.
―That girl understands the honor of the deceased.
Poong Yeo Ryang, who had been observing Bu Eunseol craft coffins, finally came to understand.
Once they had censured the world, but now they were merely elderly retirees living quietly.
They lived day by day, reminiscing about their past.
They had not reached the level to remain in the Demon Hall’s Elder Council, nor did they have children or relatives to entrust their legacies to.
In truth, even if young martial artists gathered to care for them, they were at an age where such attention felt burdensome.
―She’s saying she’ll take responsibility. That she will never turn away from us even after we die.
The Demonic Path does not honor the dead.
As always, when they too breathed their last, they would be coldly abandoned on some nameless hillside.
No one in this world would remember them for their efforts in service to the Demonic Path.
Of course, when one dies, everything ends—but in the twilight years of life, one cannot help but harbor the desire for someone to remember and cherish you.
―…And she’s saying she’ll pass our lives on to future generations.
But Bu Eunseol is different.
She crafts the coffins with her own hands, so she will surely create memorial tablets as well. And when their breath ceases, she will honor their achievements and bury them in a place of sunlight.
Bu Eunseol does not craft coffins to mock the demons, but to demonstrate her will to remember their lives and take responsibility for them.
Through action, not words.
As this truth spread, the demons dwelling in Jeol Cheon Myul Ji revealed their innermost hearts with candor.
―How much longer will we live anyway?
―We came here unable to die, but… what we truly wanted was just one thing.
A martial artist’s life, forgotten by all after death.
But now someone has appeared who will honor us and pass that honor to future generations.
Bu Eunseol, who devotes all her strength to crafting coffins one by one.
At last, the demons of Do Won Hyang who had come to understand everything felt their anger subside.
Moreover, those who visited Bu Eunseol’s dwelling to speak with her as she crafted their coffins began to increase steadily.
* * *
“Are you naturally a person of few words?”
Within Do Won Hyang, in the courtyard before the Mo Wok nestled at the mountain’s foot.
Gwi Pyeon Ma Ong, who had been crouching and watching Bu Eunseol craft a coffin, smacked his lips.
“It’s the hands that do the work, not the mouth, is it not?”
Yet Bu Eunseol’s lips remained firmly sealed.
“Have you eaten?”
Scritch, scritch.
“What news from the Murim these days? Young folk hardly ever venture here to bring word of such things.”
Scrape, scrape.
“Ah! Would it kill you to humor an old man with conversation?”
It was always like this.
The demons of Do Won Hyang would come in procession to visit the Mo Wok, yet Bu Eunseol spoke little.
Even if one sat enduring for several hours, receiving one or two words in reply counted as extraordinary fortune for the day.
“Hmm? Could that be… the coffin of Geum Myeon Hyeol Gwae Yi Gyeom?”
Gwi Pyeon Ma Ong blinked.
The coffin Bu Eunseol was crafting was three times wider than an ordinary one.
And within Do Won Hyang, only Geum Myeon Hyeol Gwae Yi Gyeom possessed such a massive frame.
“Make an ordinary coffin instead. This one cannot be used for him.”
“….”
“That wretch Yi Gyeom maintains his imposing physique now, but it is all due to the Black Poison Demonic Art.”
Shhhhhk.
At that, Bu Eunseol’s hands, which had been carving wood without pause, stilled.
“Does the body shrink when the Black Poison Demonic Art is broken?”
When Bu Eunseol’s reply came, Gwi Pyeon Ma Ong’s mouth fell agape.
“You didn’t know? The Black Poison Demonic Art is not a horizontal body-tempering technique, but rather uses vital energy like the Arhat’s Celestial Force to transform muscle and physique.”
“I see. I was ignorant of this.”
But that was the extent of it.
Bu Eunseol became mute once more, offering no further reply.
“Ah yes, speaking of which, that Thousand-Handed Poison Lord’s martial art…”
Then Bu Eunseol’s voice came again.
“The Thousand-Handed Blood Poison Art, you mean?”
“Eh? Yes, that one.”
‘Wait. This wretch…’
Only then did Gwi Pyeon Ma Ong sense something, and his tongue loosened.
And he eagerly spoke of matters unbidden.
“Are you perhaps curious about my Blood Shadow Ghost Whip’s foundational techniques?”
From that day onward.
Do Won Hyang once again began to buzz with talk of Bu Eunseol.
―That wooden block of a woman. Turns out she’s obsessed with martial arts talk?
―Could she be seeking martial art instruction?
―No, she just loves any discussion of martial arts.
No matter what was said to her, Bu Eunseol remained silent and unresponsive.
Yet Gwi Pyeon Ma Ong happened to ramble on about martial arts techniques.
And then that wooden log of a person’s eyes began to sparkle like a grandchild listening to tales of old?
―I could chat with that eccentric all day long! Hehehehe!
What idle elderly folk loved most was spinning yarns and telling stories.
Once word of this spread, the demons began visiting Bu Eunseol whenever boredom struck, launching into tales of martial arts.
“You know that fellow they once called the Pipa Divine Sword? I learned this when I fought him back in the day.”
Eum San Ma Hyo detailed the techniques that the Pipa Divine Sword had once wielded,
“Back in my day, whenever we encountered those Orthodox Sect bastards, we’d start with a battle of inner force. Say, do you know how to properly deflect a wine cup?”
Yeol Hwa Dae Gwi muttered about the secret method of simultaneously sending blazing yang energy while deploying empty-hand interception techniques.
That was not all.
“In my younger days, my epithet was the Flying Shadow Across Ten Thousand Miles. Whenever I got the chance, I’d steal techniques. When I went to Hwasan, beneath the waterfall….”
The elderly demons poured out not only their tales of valor but even secrets they should have taken to their graves.
“You know that mad old hag they once called the Silk Flower’s Resonance? Truth is, she was driven out from Geom Gak….”
Moreover, they began spilling hidden histories unknown to the Murim.
And when they had nothing left to say, they began droning on about martial arts formulas and insights gained from wandering the Murim.
“Back when I killed that fellow called the Flawless Sword, I improvised the Blood Whisker Blade Line technique on the spot! It’s a method somewhat different from the typical fanning techniques of the Demonic Path….”
As Cheon Hoeng Hyeol Su sat perched on a wooden chair stacked in Mo Wok and chattered away,
Swish.
Bu Eunseol, who had been hammering, paused her work.
“Could I see it once?”
“Huh? Oh? Should I?”
Cheon Hoeng Hyeol Su sprang up excitedly.
“Wait just a moment. I left my fan at my quarters.”
Bu Eunseol’s Mo Wok had now become as bustling as a marketplace.
The idle elderly demons had begun demonstrating their martial arts in the courtyard before Bu Eunseol’s coffin-making workshop.
‘Truly a treasury of martial knowledge.’
Watching the demons who continuously visited Mo Wok, Bu Eunseol wore a faint smile.
Though they seemed to be chattering mindlessly, their lifetimes of insight and understanding were woven into every word.
In Mo Wok, Bu Eunseol was indirectly acquiring the enlightenment these demons had realized throughout their entire lives.
‘But there is one crucial thing I have not heard.’
Hyuk Gong Baek, the Phantom Demon.
Hyuk Gong Baek, who had earned the epithet Phantom Demon through his fantastical yet overwhelming martial arts.
I wished to feel, even indirectly, the martial arts of that great demon expert.
Yet among all the renowned demons here, none had exchanged blows with Hyuk Gong Baek or witnessed his techniques.
“You don’t seem to eat much at all.”
While Cheon Hoeng Hyeol Su went to fetch his fan, Jeok San Eun Ma and Il Woon Gwi Ma entered Mo Wok with knowing chuckles.
“What exactly are you eating?”
“I subsist on chestnuts and pine nuts gathered from the mountain.”
“So you’re eating raw food?”
“Even eating feels like a bother.”
At this, Jeok San Eun Ma clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. You’ve lost your appetite. Eating so little at your age—won’t that make you weak?”
Then, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands together.
“To restore one’s appetite, nothing beats a good drink. I have some fine liquor—would you care for a cup?”
“Liquor, you say?”
When Bu Eunseol responded to a topic unrelated to martial arts, Jeok San Eun Ma’s mouth opened wide with delight.
“Hahaha! What else do us old folk do when we gather together? We pick fruits and brew spirits, that’s all.”
Jeok San Eun Ma returned from his quarters in haste, carrying a clay jar that exuded a rich aroma of alcohol.
Then Bu Eunseol went into Mo Wok and came back out, a paper-wrapped bundle in hand.
“What is that?”
“Dried meat that the Blue Demon Sword Master gave me before. It should serve well as a side dish.”
―To be served dried meat by this taciturn one!
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Jeok San Eun Ma and Il Woon Gwi Ma exchanged glances and broke into broad smiles.
For a time, the demons of Do Won Hyang had gained something to boast about.
* * *
San Cheon Jae
The residence of Hyuk Gong Baek, the Illusory Demon and master of Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
On the table sat a teacup from which wisps of steam rose gently.
Bu Eunseol, gazing down at the teacup, felt somewhat tense.
‘Surely he’s not going to ask what it tastes like again.’
Just as Bu Eunseol was entertaining this peculiar thought, the door opened and an elderly man with a neatly groomed white beard entered.
It was Hyuk Gong Baek, the Illusory Demon and master of Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
“Impressive indeed.”
Seated, Hyuk Gong Baek smiled warmly at Bu Eunseol.
“Without spending a single coin, you’ve won over the hearts of all our sect’s demons. Hehehehe.”
As Hyuk Gong Baek, whose expression radiated benevolence, burst into hearty laughter, Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew distant for a moment.
She was remembering her grandfather, Bu Chanyang, who had always cherished her.
“I hear that before entering the Ten Demon Experts, you truly worked as a salt merchant. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“So that’s where such ingenious thinking came from.”
Hyuk Gong Baek let out a deep sigh as he spoke.
“In truth, the people here should not be receiving such treatment.”
He took a sip of tea and continued.
“Those who dwell here are the architects of the Demon Hall and the Demonic Path itself. Yet they are treated as has-beens and confined to this place merely because they have grown old and infirm.”
They were all those who had fought and sacrificed their bodies for the Demonic Path.
Though some bore injuries that left them physically impaired, or their cultivation had waned—
Unable to display the glory of their past, they deserved respect simply for having survived such fierce battles.
Click.
Setting down his teacup, Hyuk Gong Baek spoke again.
“Yet the Demon Hall never spared a glance during their lifetime, but the moment it comes time to select a successor, they suddenly take notice.”
“….”
“Knowing this well, the people of our sect have no choice but to recoil at the very mention of a successor candidate from the Demon Hall.”
“I apologize.”
Bu Eunseol felt a pang of remorse.
After all, she herself could not escape the category of successor candidate who had come to gain the power of Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
“You need not apologize. This malady was created by those before us, a flaw passed down from above.”
He sighed and continued.
“In the Demonic Path, what sect would serve the elderly and infirm? From another perspective, it is precisely because the Demon Hall alliance exists that our sect manages to endure at all.”
“To call them elderly and infirm seems too generous—they are far too formidable.”
“Of course, to your eyes they may appear as remarkable demon experts who have reached the realm of extreme mastery. But to the eyes of top-tier masters, they are merely wounded demon experts.”
Hyuk Gong Baek spoke with a bitter smile.
“From the perspective of the demon experts in our sect, their martial power has been greatly diminished by injury, and their bodies are no longer what they once were. Had they remained whole, they would have earned a place in the Demon Hall’s Elder Council… but since that is not possible, they remain here consumed only by self-reproach.”
Hyuk Gong Baek shook his head.
“Do you know why this old man speaks such needless words?”
He did not wait for Bu Eunseol’s answer and continued.
“If you truly intend to become the Demon Hall’s successor, you must understand our sect’s situation precisely—that is why I speak.”
Hyuk Gong Baek set aside his bitter smile and spoke again with a laugh.
“In any case, you have directly confronted and resolved the very problem that our demon experts feared and suffered from most. Because they believe you have upheld the honor of the lion, they will now live with far greater peace of mind than before.”
Hyuk Gong Baek nodded with a benevolent smile.
“I am truly grateful for that.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then. Since you have fulfilled the first condition, I shall now speak of this sect master’s second condition.”
Hyuk Gong Baek, who had been staring intently at Bu Eunseol, spoke with solemn and grave expression.
“Awaken my grandson.”

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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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