The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 172

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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 172.
Bu Eunseol emerged from Jeol Cheon Myul Ji and arrived at Hwang Hyeon before long.
The moment I stepped into the town, I sought out an Inn where I could rest comfortably, and after careful consideration, I chose Eun Hwa Ru, the most luxurious establishment in the vicinity.
“I wish to rent the entire Star Courtyard of this establishment.”
The moment I walked in, I handed a servant a note worth a thousand taels.
At that, the manager stationed on the first floor came rushing out barefoot.
“You wish to rent the entire Star Courtyard?”
“Indeed.”
“Please follow me, then.”
As I walked along the narrow path that extended behind the Inn, a beautiful Flower Garden unfolded before me.
Following the quiet stone path, I could see a cozy building constructed atop a small hill.
“Our establishment has two Star Courtyards. One is….”
“I shall rent both.”
“Both, for one person?”
The manager then waved his hand vigorously in protest.
“Master, our two Star Courtyards are situated side by side, so whenever one is reserved, the other absolutely cannot be rented out.”
“It matters not. I shall rent them both entirely.”
“No matter how generous the payment, how could we accept double the fee without reason?”
The manager spoke with a solemn expression while wringing his hands.
“This establishment has been able to prosper in the Hwang Hyeon region for over a hundred years not only by providing our esteemed guests with the finest facilities and superior service, but by making integrity our foremost principle….”
One of the things I despise most is listening to meaningless prattle from others.
As the manager’s tongue continued to move flamboyantly, spraying spittle without any sign of stopping, I immediately turned away.
“I shall have to find another place.”
At that, as if nothing had happened, the manager’s eyes widened and he spoke.
“I shall arrange for both Star Courtyards to be prepared for you at once, and have Si Bi attend to you immediately.”
“….”
“This establishment has been able to prosper for over a hundred years, above all, because we have faithfully responded to our guests’ requests.”
The manager’s lips began to spill forth more chatter.
“For your information, all the attendants assigned to our Star Courtyards are skilled in poetry, literature, arts, and painting….”
“Do not send anyone in until I call. The attendants as well.”
“Pardon?”
“One more word, and I shall leave.”
“As you wish, I shall….”
The manager, about to respond, remembered my words and hastily drew his protruding lips back in.
Only then, with a satisfied expression, did I nod and turn to enter deeper into the Star Courtyard.
“Sigh.”
Upon entering the luxuriously appointed bedchamber, I immediately lay down.
The matter at Jeol Cheon Myul Ji had been resolved well, but an equally severe fatigue had accumulated.
No matter how much one maintains neutrality, Jeol Cheon Myul Ji is the Ten Demonic Gates.
Entering that place alone was akin to walking into a tiger’s den.
Hwan Ma Hyuk Gong Baek in particular was a great demon whose emotions could not be discerned. What if something went even slightly wrong?
No matter how skilled one was at escaping, there was no way to evade Hwan Ma’s pursuit in the heart of the Ten Demonic Gates.
In essence, he had risked his life to find Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
‘But… what I gained was equally certain.’
Those dwelling in Do Won Hyang all bore the appearance of gentle old men, yet they were in truth great demons who had shaken Tianxia.
During those two months of crafting the coffin, I came to know not only their divine techniques and martial arts, but also obscure histories rarely spoken of.
I had acquired knowledge and martial prowess that could not be obtained even through years of wandering the Gangho.
“I must digest them slowly.”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly and settled into a cross-legged position on the bed.
Before heading to Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, I intended to slowly assimilate the insights I had gained here.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
After resting peacefully, I rose slowly at the sound of birds singing.
“Mm.”
Looking up at the descending sunlight, hunger crept upon me for the first time in a while.
During my stay in Jeol Cheon Myul Ji, I had eaten almost nothing, and I had fled Nan Ju, where Jeol Cheon Myul Ji lay, by employing lightness kung fu continuously for four days.
The only thing I had consumed in that time was a single sip of water a day ago, so it was no wonder hunger was pressing in.
Creak.
Upon opening the door and stepping outside Star Courtyard, I felt the pleasant warmth of sunlight and the caress of wind.
As I passed through the beautifully arranged Flower Garden and crossed the small Pond…
“You’ve finally emerged?”
A young man who had been crouching against a large garden stone suddenly sprang to his feet with a cheerful grin.
“Good morning.”
He was as tall as Bu Eunseol, with long, sharp eyes and gleaming pupils.
It was none other than Hyuk So Jin, the successor of Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
“What is your business?”
Bu Eunseol was not particularly surprised.
I had already noticed that Hyuk So Jin had been crouching in the garden while I rested in Star Courtyard.
Yet I had left him undisturbed because he made no attempt to conceal his presence whatsoever.
“Well, there’s no particular business, really.”
Hyuk So Jin scratched his head as he spoke.
“I simply wish to travel the Gangho. One must accumulate various experiences to improve one’s martial arts.”
Bu Eunseol immediately grasped Hyuk So Jin’s true intention.
Though he was the successor of Jeol Cheon Myul Ji, from another perspective, he was merely a novice newly stepping into the Gangho.
Rather than wandering the Murim aimlessly without purpose, his intention to travel with someone experienced and build his skills was unmistakable.
“I refuse.”
“Are you serious? Traveling together would be quite beneficial?”
At Hyuk So Jin’s persistent attitude, Bu Eunseol’s expression grew puzzled.
When had Hyuk So Jin, who always wore a look of annoyance, become so brazenly forward?
‘He has found a purpose.’
Those who possess a purpose are transformed.
A subtle radiance gleamed in Hyuk So Jin’s eyes, where an obsession with the martial way burned fiercely.
“Hmph.”
Bu Eunseol let out a cold snort and walked past him toward the Inn’s entrance.
Hyuk So Jin, who had been staring blankly at his retreating figure, bit his lip.
In all his years as the successor of Jeol Cheon Myul Ji, had he ever been disrespected in such a manner?
“There’s no helping it. If I lose my temper now, my journey through Gangho will come to nothing.”
If I were to confront Bu Eunseol in this state, I would be unable to conduct a proper journey through Gangho.
In the end, the pride of being the successor to the Ten Demonic Gates would have to be set aside for now.
Bu Eunseol’s meal was modest.
He had ordered only a bowl of thin noodles and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
In contrast, Hyuk So Jin ordered five dishes and a bottle of snow-red wine worth over thirty taels.
Not content with that, he even gave money to a servant to order additional fruits and cakes separately.
“Hmm, they’ve all used fine ingredients.”
Hyuk So Jin sat down beside Bu Eunseol with a self-satisfied expression.
Regardless of whether others looked at him or not, he ate the food on the table in a leisurely manner.
Only one bite at a time.
“On the other hand, the chef’s skill is somewhat lacking. They failed to bring out the true flavor of the ingredients.”
Looking down at the food piled high on the table, he set down his chopsticks with an expression of lost appetite.
Others might think he was being extravagant, but from the perspective of a successor to Jeol Cheon Myul Ji, it was merely an ordinary day.
“Mm.”
With nothing else to do, Hyuk So Jin glanced sideways at Bu Eunseol, who was eating.
‘He eats well.’
Bu Eunseol moved his chopsticks slowly but without pause.
Though he picked up small amounts each time, he left not a single strand of noodle or piece of vegetable, chewing each bite thoroughly.
The way he slowly brought food to his mouth was so solemn that it resembled a devoted ascetic undergoing spiritual discipline.
‘Everything he does seems serious. Is it because of those eyes of his?’
Intrigued, he soon began staring openly at Bu Eunseol.
‘Wait?’
As Hyuk So Jin gazed intently at Bu Eunseol, his pupils gradually widened as if he sensed something.
The hand movements of Bu Eunseol’s chopsticks were subtly peculiar.
There was something both concise and mysteriously disciplined about them.
‘He’s cultivating martial arts?’
Bu Eunseol was infusing the principles of martial arts even into the chopstick movements of lifting noodles or picking up vegetables.
‘He’s mad, absolutely mad.’
Upon realizing that Bu Eunseol’s chopstick movements were executing the Linked Chain Sword Technique, Hyuk So Jin’s mouth fell open.
‘Studying martial arts while eating rice.’
Then Bu Eunseol’s chopstick movements changed once more.
The motions seemed to repeat, yet were exquisitely refined—the slippery noodles were picked up strand by strand, yet clung like iron to a magnet.
‘Now he’s also training his sense of balance?’
Bu Eunseol was now distributing subtle force and angles through his chopstick movements, training his equilibrium.
‘So that was it.’
Hyuk So Jin, who had been quietly observing, finally grasped something profound.
Even while eating, I researched martial arts; even while sleeping, I contemplated the principles of martial knowledge.
Every breath I took, every movement I made—all of it existed solely to advance my martial mastery.
The Murim was said to harbor countless eccentric geniuses, yet Hyuk So Jin had never imagined anyone could be so obsessed with martial arts.
‘My strength is hardly inferior to the other heirs of the Ten Demonic Gates.’
It was utterly incomprehensible.
‘What could possibly drive someone to pursue martial arts with such fervor?’
Hyuk So Jin did not know.
After meeting Ma Cheon Je, Bu Eunseol had gained a new objective.
Uncharted territory.
I was not striving for the Extreme Demon Realm or the Limitless Realm—I sought a new pinnacle that no one before me had ever reached.
*Click.*
Just then, having finished the meal, Bu Eunseol rose from his seat and walked out of the Inn.
‘Where is he going?’
Hyuk So Jin, who had belatedly come to his senses, rushed outside, but Bu Eunseol had already vanished.
“There’s no need to search. He’ll return to the Inn eventually anyway.”
He was about to turn leisurely toward the Star Courtyard when he shook his head.
“No. I must abandon this mindset at once.”
While separated, I might encounter formidable enemies or engage in battles against large numbers of opponents.
If I cannot stay with him for even a single day, for all twelve hours, my journey through the Gangho will be a failure.
“Let me try to find him.”
Taking a deep breath, Hyuk So Jin lowered his body and pressed his ear to the ground.
He had deployed Void Sense Ground Listening, one of the secret techniques of Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
*Murmur, murmur.*
As the technique unfolded, vibrations transmitted through the earth revealed the movements of everyone within fifty paces.
Among them, he sensed the brisk footsteps of someone moving with barely a sound.
It was surely Bu Eunseol.
“That way, then.”
Having located the direction Bu Eunseol had taken, Hyuk So Jin hurried after him.
* * *
On the outskirts, far removed from most villages, vagrant settlements had formed.
Such places typically harbored members of the Dark Underworld, various intelligence organizations of the Murim, or black market dealers trafficking in poisons and hidden weapons.
Surveying the surroundings, Bu Eunseol spotted an elderly man sitting alone beneath a bridge and approached without hesitation.
He drew forth a purse and offered a substantial silver coin.
“Oh, thank you so much!”
The old man accepted the silver coin with trembling hands.
*Tsk, tsk, tsk.*
In a fleeting instant, the old man’s hands moved with incredible speed, yet no one witnessed it.
As Bu Eunseol departed the vagrant settlement, a small letter was now concealed in my palm.
Bu Eunseol walked into the desolate Reed Field where no one else lingered, and slowly unfolded the letter held in his hand.
“I wonder what the Sect Leader sent word of.”
Before departing from the Demon Palace, he had sent word to the Nangya Sect through a messenger bird.
He had informed them that he had met Ma Cheon Je, and that he would subsequently bring Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji and Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong under his own power.
And when the reply arrived, he had sought out the Fengyun Corps member circling near him to receive the response.
―Maintain reverence and investigate principle.
On the unfolded letter, only four short characters were written.
Maintain reverence and investigate principle.
It meant to guide body and mind toward the true path, and to research and comprehend the principles of all things with utmost diligence.
“A response befitting the Sect Leader.”
Bu Eunseol allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.
This brief letter conveyed far more meaning than hundreds of words painstakingly written could have.
―I trust you will succeed. I am watching, so persevere to the end.
If one were to summarize the manifold meanings contained in the letter concisely, it would likely amount to this.
Baek Yeon, the Nangya Sect… they have always believed in and supported me.
Even as I traverse the Gangho alone and relentlessly, thinking of the Nangya Sect filled my heart with reassurance.
Whoosh.
As I summoned the Samadhi True Fire, the letter in my hand instantly turned to ash and scattered away.
Whisper.
But then, a man in blue robes approached from afar with hurried steps and stood before me. It was Hyuk So Jin.
“You have traveled quite far in the meantime.”
Though he spoke in a familiar manner, Hyuk So Jin flinched slightly.
Bu Eunseol’s gaze had grown increasingly cold.
“Do you intend to keep following me?”
“Of course.”
“I told you I refused.”
Then Hyuk So Jin spoke with an intensity in his eyes unlike before.
“I will reject your rejection. I will never give up.”
In his eyes burned a fierce heat that had not been there before.
Hyuk So Jin had already transformed into a true martial artist pursuing the Way of the Blade.
“Hmm.”
Realizing the firmness of Hyuk So Jin’s resolve, I gazed upward at the distant sky for a moment.
I must soon depart for Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong.
And there awaits a trial incomparably more arduous than gaining the support of Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
I have no leisure to look after a naive novice.
Bu Eunseol, lost in thought with furrowed brows, suddenly felt a flash of insight cross his eyes.
“So you are absolutely determined to follow me.”
“I am grateful you understand.”
“Then let us make a wager.”
As Hyuk So Jin’s eyes widened in bewilderment, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“Can you bring yourself to sever my neck?”

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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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