The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 179
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 179.
Time flowed as swiftly as a river.
Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong had been a sect exclusively for women, with no history of men remaining within its halls for extended periods.
Yet Bu Eunseol and Hyuk So Jin not only shattered that taboo but brought subtle transformations to this place.
A murmur of voices filled the air.
The Training Grounds and Baek Ryeon Gak, where secret manuals were stored, overflowed with disciples of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong gathered in orderly lines.
The martial arts library, once filled exclusively with feminine techniques, divine methods, and yin-based cultivation arts, now displayed newly acquired Demonic Path techniques that could be wielded with devastating effect.
“The Pipa Finger Water technique relies primarily on sleeve-based movements, so you must not expend your vital force excessively. The principle of Returning Heaven and Exhausting Force—that is, your focus should be on redirecting the enemy’s attacks and depleting their strength….”
Before the Training Grounds, disciples who had mastered all the secret manuals stood in line before Hyuk So Jin, learning practical applications and techniques directly from him.
Unlike the lighter feminine martial arts they had studied until now, they were being taught the weighty, domineering techniques of the Demonic Path—and by none other than the successor of the Ten Demonic Gates himself!
Fearing they might miss this precious opportunity, not only the martial instructors of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong but even ordinary disciples flocked to him like clouds.
‘What a damnable situation.’
Hyuk So Jin’s expression grew increasingly exasperated as more disciples continued to arrive.
‘I don’t even have time to refine my own martial arts.’
His ability to overcome laziness stemmed entirely from his desire to develop his own cultivation and grow stronger.
Yet here he was, becoming a martial instructor—something never written in his fate—teaching others?
“Hmm.”
Only as the sun began to set did the long queue finally disappear.
“Sigh.”
Hyuk So Jin exhaled deeply, his weary face reaching for the tea left on a table at the edge of the Training Grounds and drinking it down.
“Master, I don’t understand the principle of ‘Nothing Remains Unmoved’ from the Bing Hun Hwan Sal Sword Manual….”
But before he could even finish the tea, another disciple of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong appeared—this one even carrying a sword manual.
‘Hah….’
Hyuk So Jin’s eyes, fixed on the darkening sun, had lost all focus.
Like a bell that rings when shaken, he mechanically began explaining the principles once more.
* * *
―But what is that man from Nangya Sect doing?
In contrast to Hyuk So Jin, Bu Eunseol’s days were leisurely.
She spent each day taking Geuk Hye Bin out to tour the surroundings of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, and sometimes they would squat together to observe insects and other creatures.
―Isn’t he supposed to be teaching the Young Mistress martial arts?
―But why is he always doing that?
The disciples of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong exchanged strange glances and whispered among themselves, as if Bu Eunseol were on a sightseeing tour of mountains and rivers with Geuk Hye Bin.
Geuk Hye Ryeong, listening to reports of Bu Eunseol’s daily activities from a trusted aide in her quarters at Jeong Geum Gak, also wore a puzzled expression.
“That man who claims to teach the Demonic Killing Method goes sightseeing every day?”
“Indeed, so it is reported.”
“Hmm.”
Geuk Hye Ryeong released a heavy sigh.
Nearly a month had already passed.
The Demonic Killing Method, a technique that could be called the ultimate killing move to sever an enemy’s lifeline, contained multiple overlapping techniques and was extremely difficult to master.
Even with daily training it was hard to learn, yet here they were, nearly a month in, and she spent her days leisurely sightseeing?
‘Wait, could it be…?’
A peculiar thought flickered through Geuk Hye Ryeong’s mind in that instant.
‘Is she gallivanting about daily to win hearts?’
Bu Eunseol possessed an appearance and presence that would captivate any woman.
Even the purest of maidens could not help but fall under such a spell.
‘This wench! Could she have seized power within Jeol Cheon Myul Ji through such methods?’
Now that she thought about it, the very fact that she traveled the Gangho with Jeol Cheon Myul Ji’s grandson was suspicious.
She was clearly scheming something, leveraging that bewitching beauty of hers.
“This wretch!”
As the thought consumed her, Geuk Hye Ryeong shot to her feet and cried out.
“Where is that Bu Eunseol right now!”
Near Seo Won in Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong.
In that region of exquisite natural beauty, a valley cascaded down beneath a low cliff.
Below it, Geuk Hye Bin splashed about in the water with her pants rolled up, while Bu Eunseol stood at a distance, observing her.
Tap, tap, tap.
Then, from afar, a small shadow approached with measured footsteps.
Though her outer skin was as rigid as ancient wood, her gait and eyes gleamed with the swiftness and sharpness of youth.
It was Geuk Hye Ryeong.
‘My promise with the lord of Jeongju was nothing but a jest!’
Fury blazed in her eyes as she spotted her granddaughter playing in the valley with her pants rolled up.
At that moment, Geuk Hye Bin, who had been standing in the water, noticed her and approached with a smile.
“Ah.”
Faced with her granddaughter’s radiant smile and bright eyes, Geuk Hye Ryeong forcibly swallowed the rising rage.
“I see you’re having fun.”
“What brings you here?”
As Bu Eunseol approached with an impassive expression, Geuk Hye Ryeong’s face hardened like stone.
“What are you doing here?”
“Training, madam.”
“Training?”
In that instant, the suppressed fury surged to the crown of her head.
Had Geuk Hye Bin not been clutching her sleeve, she would have struck Bu Eunseol’s head without hesitation.
“I see. So Nangya Sect has secret techniques for cultivating in water?”
“It is not cultivation, madam.”
“Not cultivation? Then what exactly are you doing here?”
“If I must explain, I would call it character education.”
“Character education?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol gestured toward the valley waters as she spoke calmly.
“This child’s inner nature seems upright, yet she truly knows nothing of how to live harmoniously with others.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Age alone does not automatically mature one’s character. Children especially must be instilled with proper values suited to their nature.”
Geuk Hye Ryeong’s eyes widened at words she had never heard before.
‘It sounds serious yet somehow strange.’
However, Bu Eunseol’s gaze was so clear that she hardly seemed to be spouting nonsense.
After a moment of contemplation, Geuk Hye Ryeong asked again.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Can’t you explain it more simply?”
“That child’s exposure to the world—what she saw and heard—was far too limited. That is why a proper character could never take root.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost seriousness.
“To raise a child correctly requires that level of devotion and attention. Unfortunately, it seems Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong failed to provide it.”
“Nonsense. Are you saying the Lord of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong raised this child poorly?”
Geuk Hye Ryeong spoke as though she could not accept such a claim.
“Bin has always been taught not only by outstanding talents of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, but also by the finest masters in every discipline. Yet you say she was not raised properly?”
“They taught her knowledge in their respective fields, but they never cultivated what lies within her heart.”
“Cultivate her heart? What sort of absurd talk is that?”
“Children inevitably come to resemble those with whom they spend the most time.”
As she spoke, Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened as if recalling distant memories.
“A child raised by a grandfather comes to resemble the grandfather; a child raised by parents comes to resemble the parents. But this child had none of that.”
In that moment, Geuk Hye Ryeong’s mind grew turbulent.
Apart from the nursemaids who cared for her during meals and sleep, Geuk Hye Bin had received instruction from the finest masters in every field.
But that was all.
Geuk Hye Ryeong, occupied with managing Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, had rarely been able to care for Geuk Hye Bin herself.
“Then, Bin is….”
“Despite receiving excellent education, she possesses an inhumane disposition. No one has ever truly influenced this child.”
Bu Eunseol’s original plan had been to show Geuk Hye Bin the laws of nature, thereby altering her gentle temperament considerably.
But upon recalling how she had rescued a rabbit being hunted by a hawk, Bu Eunseol realized it was neither simple innocence nor compassion.
‘She possessed no capacity for empathy—she was merely acting.’
Had she truly pitied the rabbit and sought to help it?
She would have carefully removed the hawk’s talons embedded in the rabbit’s back.
But Geuk Hye Bin had forcibly torn away the talons the hawk was gripping.
As a result, the rabbit’s skin had been flayed raw and blood had poured forth.
At first, Bu Eunseol had thought little of it.
But later she realized that such an action was something a child with genuine compassion could never commit.
“This child is severely deficient in empathy.”
“Empathy?”
“Yes. Simply put, she was habitually helping others while harboring no genuine feeling whatsoever.”
“But why….”
“Because it would earn her attention from the Lord and those around her.”
Geuk Hye Ryeong trembled as though struck by a revelation.
That beloved granddaughter clinging so tightly to her sleeve.
The child she had believed possessed a noble heart and helped others—was she truly devoid of emotion?
“Had even a single person shown her genuine, warm love, she would never have become this way.”
As I spoke these words, a sharp pang pierced my chest.
‘In truth, I walked that same path….’
An orphan—that was what I had been.
I had never known love from anyone. I merely struggled each day simply to avoid starving to death.
Abandoned in a barren world, living in isolation, emotions were a luxury I could never afford.
Had I never met my grandfather Bu Chanyang…
Had I never received that boundless, tender love…
I would have remained utterly emotionless toward others and toward myself.
‘But now….’
I shook my head inwardly.
When Bu Chanyang met his cruel end, my temperament had been gradually reverting to that of my childhood self.
Had I not formed bonds with people like Heuk Pyo, Dang Gon, and Nam Goong Woon in the Gangho…
I would have completely returned to the cold, emotionless nature of my orphaned years.
“So that’s why you traveled with Bin?”
“Rather than mere travel, I instilled proper values in her. I showed her how to appreciate the beauty of nature and the ways of wild beasts surviving in their domain…”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“And I simply showed her how people harmonize and live together.”
My gaze, fixed upon the distant sky, grew infinitely deep with longing.
All of these teachings came from my grandfather, Bu Chanyang.
“I see. So that was it.”
Geuk Hye Ryeong, now recognizing her grave mistake, pulled Geuk Hye Bin—who clung to her sleeve—into a tight embrace.
“I have done such terrible things to you, my dear child.”
I should have spent more time with my granddaughter instead of managing the Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong.
More than hiring renowned tutors to educate her, more than dressing her in fine clothes and feeding her well…
I should have taken her hand at least once and shown her the world outside.
“Ah…”
Geuk Hye Bin shook her head, her expression growing somber.
She who had habitually worn only bright smiles.
Yet over the course of a month, thanks to my help, she had learned to empathize with others’ hearts, even if only slightly.
“Forgive me. Forgive me, Bin.”
At last, tears streamed from Geuk Hye Ryeong’s eyes—eyes that had been frozen like glacial ice.
After her son and daughter-in-law were slain, Geuk Hye Ryeong had expanded her influence through covert dealings with the powerful of the Righteous Path.
It was all meant to leave Geuk Hye Bin an even stronger Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong.
Yet in the end, that very effort had corrupted the child.
“Ah. Ah.”
As Geuk Hye Ryeong wept, tears also flowed from Geuk Hye Bin’s eyes.
She too was finally feeling the profound love that Geuk Hye Ryeong had always held for her.
The valley became a sea of tears in an instant.
“….”
Watching his figure, Bu Eunseol quietly turned and slipped out of the valley.
His back appeared infinitely forlorn, yet because Geuk Hye Ryeong and Geuk Hye Bin were locked in each other’s embrace, no one witnessed his departure.
* * *
Bu Eunseol had not taught Geuk Hye Bin the killing technique, yet he had achieved the finest possible outcome.
However, Geuk Hye Ryeong made no promises to support Bu Eunseol or to send word to the Demon Hall.
Yet from that day forward, vast sums of capital flowed into both the Nangya Sect and Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
Neither sect enjoyed abundant resources.
In particular, the Nangya Sect, which eschewed worldly influence entirely and devoted itself to martial cultivation, suffered from chronic deficits.
By generously funding both sects, Geuk Hye Ryeong had announced her support for Bu Eunseol to the entire Murim.
Thump, thump.
Having emerged from the valley, Bu Eunseol walked toward the heart of Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong.
Though his gait appeared unhurried, he had already stilled his spirit and was drawing upon his inner force.
His body and mind had become one, and a shimmering haze of vital energy rippled across his entire form.
His steps finally ceased before the Martial Arts Arena of Baek Ryeon Gak.
All matters were resolved; he would soon depart Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong. But before then, he intended to resume the duel he had postponed for so long.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————