The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 17

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

Chapter 17.
As the Dilapidated Hut came into view, Bu Eunseol slowed her pace to a halt.
Upon arriving near the Martial Hall of the Nangya Sect, the shadows that had been relentlessly pursuing her had already vanished.
“So she was a trainee of the Hwawoo Sword Sect.”
The fact that she had mastered the Nangya Sect’s Beast Sense Technique was known only to the trainees gathered in the Intermediate Hall of the Hwawoo Sword Sect.
When she suddenly rushed toward the Martial Hall of the Nangya Sect, her pursuers sensed something amiss and immediately abandoned the chase.
“As expected, he’s not here.”
The hut was empty, and the spot where Sa Woo had buried himself underground had been leveled smooth once more.
From the state of things, it appeared he had left this place long ago.
“First, I need to recover my strength.”
Having spent every single day without rest, alternating between training and exploring the island, my body and mind had grown somewhat weary.
Bu Eunseol gazed intently at the area where Sa Woo had buried himself.
“What is this?”
As I brushed away the surface soil with my hand, a cloth covered in dirt came into view.
Thump.
When I swept away the cloth, a space wide enough for one person to lie comfortably appeared.
Sa Woo, who knew how to use the Earth Concealment Technique, had created an empty cavity beneath the ground and covered it with cloth to fashion a hidden refuge.
“Could it be… for me?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes rippled like water.
Of all those who came to Hell Island to learn the martial arts of the Nangya Sect, only Bu Eunseol was here. Could he, who had even been reluctant to teach martial arts, have shown her such consideration?
Whoosh.
As I descended into the earth, a vast, deep space revealed itself—like a burial chamber before the coffin is interred.
“Mm.”
As I lay my body upon the ground, a warmth and comfort unlike anything before enveloped me.
“…!”
Bu Eunseol, who had been resting peacefully with her eyes closed, suddenly snapped them wide open.
“My senses…”
Upon entering the earth, the perception of the Beast Sense Technique expanded dramatically.
The sound of feet striking the ground, the noise of broad footfalls accompanied by sword techniques—and more.
Through vibrations, it conveyed vivid information as if I were seeing the surrounding situation with my own eyes.
“He didn’t create a refuge—he was teaching me how to apply the Beast Sense Technique.”
The Beast Sense Technique: a realm of heightened perception capable of detecting even the flow of air itself.
This mysterious martial art could expand the realm of heightened perception by using the earth as a medium.
Clang.
At that moment, I felt a vibration as if the earth trembled. Someone dozens of paces away had struck a large boulder with something.
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s heart raced.
The vibrations and waves created by striking an object also expanded the realm of heightened perception.
“I see.”
Having gained this insight, Bu Eunseol felt as though her vision brightened.
The Beast Sense Technique could expand perception not only through earth, but through all objects in the surrounding environment.
Whoosh. Boom.
The vibrations continued between each strike.
Through the tremors transmitted through the earth, I could perceive everything within thirty paces around me with perfect clarity.
The deeper my mastery of Beast Sense grew, the wider this perceptual domain would expand.
“But…”
My eyes grew hazy as I continued to sense the vibrations reverberating through the soil.
Maintaining constant awareness through the tremors drained my stamina rapidly, and exhaustion descended upon me like gathering clouds.
“So it has clear limitations.”
Expanding my sensory range through vibrations and wavelengths consumed my physical and mental reserves at an alarming rate.
“Mm.”
I gradually sealed away my heightened hypersensitivity and closed my eyes.
Once I left this place, there was no telling when I would have another chance to rest.
How much time had passed?
Whoosh.
I opened my eyes and slowly emerged from beneath the earth.
“Exhale.”
Standing tall as I gazed toward the distant sky, my pupils gleamed with sharp clarity.
After resting peacefully in the depths below, I had completely restored both my physical and mental reserves.
“I once thought of the earth as merely a resting place for the dead… yet it has become the safest and most comfortable sanctuary for me as well.”
Having mastered Beast Sense, I found that the deep earth was no longer merely a place to expand my perception.
It had become a sanctuary where my weary body and spirit could recover with remarkable speed.
Flutter.
Then I heard something fluttering in the wind.
‘The sound of peak-level lightness technique in motion.’
My eyes sharpened as I grasped the hilt of my iron sword.
‘A perfect opportunity to gauge the abilities of those participating in the Three Trials.’
From the sound and presence, there was only one opponent.
Moreover, this was the Martial Hall of Nangya Sect, a place I knew well—an ideal location for combat.
‘Hmm.’
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
The shadow rushing toward me on a fierce wind was a beautiful youth whose delicate features were clearly visible even from a distance.
“Ah!”
The youth, who had been rushing forward with his lightness technique deployed, spotted me and, rather than drawing a weapon, wore an expression of relief.
“Please save me!”
Drip.
Blood was seeping from a tear in the youth’s martial robes near his thigh, as though the flesh beneath had been slashed.
As I stood motionless with an impassive gaze, he pointed behind him and cried out urgently.
“A group of people is chasing me down to kill me!”
In that instant, my eyes flashed with intensity.
Those pursuing the youth were undoubtedly a coordinated group.
A one-versus-many battle.
Bu Eunseol, lost in thought, shook her head.
At this moment, I knew neither the strength of the other participants nor the true extent of my own martial prowess.
Engaging in such a chaotic melee was premature.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
Bu Eunseol turned in the opposite direction.
I had no desire to kill an injured person, but neither did I wish to become entangled in a situation where I’d be hunted by rival factions.
“Wait, please!”
Yet suddenly, the boy seized my sleeve.
“Please take me with you!”
The boy’s eyes, glistening with perspiration, burned with desperate longing.
With strands of hair clinging to his face, his appearance was so pure and beautiful that one might mistake him for a girl.
Was it this captivating beauty that moved me?
Bu Eunseol suddenly fixed her gaze upon the boy’s face and waist.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
Without a word, Bu Eunseol walked toward the Dilapidated Hut and revealed a cloth-concealed hiding place beneath it.
“Such a place exists here!”
The boy cried out in delight and descended into the earth.
As Bu Eunseol entered the underground space and drew the soil-covered cloth back over the entrance, both figures seemed to vanish without a trace.
They’re coming.
Drawing Beast Eye to its maximum, Bu Eunseol’s pupils dilated, and the scene above ground became visible as though painted before her eyes.
Thud. Whoosh.
With the vibration of feet striking earth, I felt three sets of footsteps rapidly approaching.
“Damn it! They definitely came this way!”
Someone among those who arrived at the Dilapidated Hut shouted.
“Could they have already fled this area?”
As sounds of a thorough search around the hut echoed, another voice cried out.
“No way. They couldn’t have escaped that fast. They must be hiding somewhere nearby.”
“That bastard! I’ll kill him for sure!”
Whoosh.
Deploying lightness technique once more, they departed again beyond the Martial Hall.
….
Once their presence faded, Bu Eunseol drew back the cloth and slowly emerged above ground.
“Phew.”
The boy, climbing out of the earth, released a long breath and bowed deeply toward Bu Eunseol.
“Thank you so much. I owe my life to you.”
As the boy smiled, the surroundings seemed to brighten.
“How did you ever prepare such a hiding place here? Could it be that you trained at the Nangya Sect’s Martial Hall?”
When Bu Eunseol said nothing, the boy scratched his head and shook it.
“My apologies for the pointless question… Ah, I’m Geum Cheol Young from Hyeol Mun.”
Geum Cheol Young, a boy whose pure smile shone like morning sunlight, wore a gloomy expression.
“The moment the Third Trial began, I fled into the Forest… and then those people suddenly attacked me.”
Geum Cheol Young possessed striking features, and his voice rang out as clear and melodious as birdsong.
“I didn’t want to fight, so I ran… but they pursued me relentlessly, as though I were their mortal enemy.”
Geum Cheol Young heaved a deep sigh and lowered his head.
“If I had known the Third Trial would be like this, I would never have come to this place.”
Geum Cheol Young chattered on without pause.
Yet Bu Eunseol, lying in bed, listened with the indifference of an elderly person hearing someone boast about their grandchild.
“Of course, if even one person is eliminated… the probability of becoming a candidate for the Ten Demon Experts would increase.”
As Geum Cheol Young’s endless prattle showed no signs of stopping, Bu Eunseol’s lips finally parted.
“So…”
Bu Eunseol paused briefly, then smiled—uncharacteristically.
“How many did you kill?”
“Pardon?”
Geum Cheol Young tilted his head in confusion, and Bu Eunseol pointed to his waist.
“I’m asking how many you killed with those needles at your waist.”
Whoosh.
A thin, piercing sound barely reached the ears—the whistle of projectiles cutting through air.
In the same instant, hundreds of needles poured down upon Bu Eunseol like a torrential downpour.
“What?”
Geum Cheol Young, who had unleashed the needles from his waist, let out a cry of astonishment.
Bu Eunseol had already shifted her body to the left, as though she had never been there at all.
“You…”
Geum Cheol Young, who had attempted a surprise attack with his cruel needles, could not hide his shock.
Bu Eunseol’s evasion seemed as though she had perfectly predicted his technique from the start and dodged accordingly.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Geum Cheol Young arched backward, placing both hands at his waist.
Whoooosh!
As a swarm of black needles descended to engulf Bu Eunseol’s body,
Shing.
Like the death knell of the Grim Reaper, the sound of an iron blade being drawn pierced the air.
Slash.
The sharp blade’s edge cut through the void with tremendous force, thrusting simultaneously at Geum Cheol Young’s throat and chest.
“Tch.”
Geum Cheol Young too was a martial prodigy trained in the Martial Hall of Hell Island.
As the unexpected swift blade descended, he evaded with the agility of a tiger.
Whoosh.
In that moment, Bu Eunseol’s sword technique transformed once more in mid-air.
The blade, now turned sideways, spun like a whirlwind and swept down toward where Geum Cheol Young had evaded, with terrifying momentum.
Clang clang clang!
Unable to evade the fiercely spinning blade, Geum Cheol Young swiftly drew a sharp short sword from his belt.
Clang! Crash!
The keen edge of the short sword and the worn iron blade clashed rapidly through the air.
Geum Cheol Young wielded his short sword with all his might, yet he could not possibly predict the trajectory of the cascading iron blade.
Click.
As if no fierce exchange had ever occurred, Bu Eunseol sheathed her iron blade.
Geum Cheol Young, still gripping his short sword in reverse and maintaining a defensive stance, spoke with eerie calm.
“…How did you know?”
Geum Cheol Young’s once-clear eyes turned sharp and venomous.
“Until now, no one has ever detected my Yin-Form Needle Burst.”
“If something is worn near the waist, the spine’s movements become rigid.”
“Were you from Haeng Rim?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head and spoke in a flat voice.
“I helped the dead find peace.”
“I see…”
Gush.
As Geum Cheol Young murmured softly, blood poured from his mouth.
“If I had been as strong as you… I would never have secretly brought such a hidden weapon.”
With his weak martial prowess, he could not rise above the Intermediate Hall in any martial hall he attended.
In the end, he had secretly carried the Yin-Form Needle Burst, one of the concealed weapons forbidden by the sect.
“Not at all.”
Bu Eunseol regarded Geum Cheol Young with cold eyes.
“It is precisely because you brought such a hidden weapon that you could never become strong.”
“Because I brought a hidden weapon… I could never grow stronger?”
Detecting the terrifyingly burning resolve in Bu Eunseol’s gaze, Geum Cheol Young nodded.
“Perhaps. Because I possessed a hidden weapon capable of easily slaying even supreme masters.”
After a brief moment to steady his breathing, he wore a hollow smile.
“Possessing a hidden weapon that could dispatch others with ease, I neglected my training…”
As Geum Cheol Young muttered with bitter regret,
Boom.
He collapsed to the ground like a felled log and breathed his last.
Whoosh!
In that moment, the sound of another group moving toward this place echoed through the air.
‘Lingering long in one location is dangerous.’
With blood-red light flashing in her eyes, Bu Eunseol swiftly fled Sa Woo’s martial hall.
For survival alone, to become one of the Ten Demon Experts… the battle of Hell Island had begun, where one must kill and be killed.

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