The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 193

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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 193.
Hyuk So Jin followed Sang Hak toward the heart of the Demon Palace, moving with utmost discretion.
‘So this is the Pal Ma Gwan.’
Typically, a place designated as a “gwan” referred to either a location where martial arts were cultivated or where large numbers of people gathered together.
However, the Pal Ma Gwan was merely a gwan in name alone—it was actually an enormous, meticulously constructed weapons arsenal of formidable strength.
It appeared the name had been chosen because magnificent bronze statues were crafted to display each weapon in armed form.
‘This is overwhelming.’
As I surveyed the interior, my mouth fell open.
The Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji, where the great demons dwelt in seclusion, also housed countless divine weapons and ancient artifacts.
Yet compared to the Pal Ma Gwan spread before my eyes, even that seemed like a provincial martial hall’s armory.
Not only were there legendary blades such as the Fish Intestine, Dry Will, Silent Night, Giant Deficiency, and Sapphire Dew—divine weapons and ancient instruments that had earned renown throughout the Murim across generations—but also…
There were protective garments like Golden Form Armor and Iron Essence Plate, and statues adorned with supreme concealed weapon mechanisms such as Azure Poison Blood Hand and Frost Ghost Blood Wheel Tube.
“Examine them carefully and take whichever weapon you desire.”
“Any weapon at all?”
“Indeed. If you have no need for weapons, protective garments or concealed devices will suffice. Choose whatever you wish.”
I could not comprehend this.
I had merely followed Bu Eunseol into the Demon Palace, so why was I being granted such a reward?
“Are you perhaps mistaken? I am not a successor candidate, but rather….”
“I am aware. You are the retainer of a successor candidate.”
“Retainer? You mean me?”
As I pressed for clarification, Sang Hak furrowed his brow and spoke.
“The Master of this Pavilion has no time for this. Choose quickly.”
‘So I am merely the retainer of a successor candidate.’
The absurdity of it made me laugh.
Simply by following Bu Eunseol, one of Ma Cheon Je’s successor candidates, I could obtain one of the treasures stored within the Pal Ma Gwan….
Only now did I truly grasp the weight of the position of successor candidate to the Demon Palace.
“May I look around a bit more?”
“Hmm, only a quarter of an hour.”
With permission granted, I examined the interior of the arsenal with keen attention.
True to its name as the Great Armory of the Demon Palace, not a single item on display was anything less than a demonic divine weapon.
Moreover, the forbidden weapons of the colossal demons who had been active in ages past were accompanied by records of their origins and secret manuals for their use.
“Hmm.”
After spending considerable time surveying the interior of the Pal Ma Gwan, I deliberated.
At my waist hung Snow Orchid, an ancient treasure blade I had brought from Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji.
Though it could not be called a divine blade, its sharpness rivaled that of Bu Eunseol’s ink sword.
‘No matter how I think about it, I have no need for weapons.’
The Divine Flame Demonic Qi, the supreme technique of Jeol Cheon Myeol Ji, was not a martial art that relied on weapons.
Since it was a martial art that subtly manipulated powerful formless true energy, a sword could sometimes feel more of a hindrance than an asset.
‘Then should I take protective garments?’
I shook my head immediately.
When one dons protective gear, they often fall into the trap of trusting its efficacy too much, becoming overconfident or failing to execute proper evasive maneuvers.
Moreover, it proves utterly useless against techniques like Internal Heavenly Water Method, making it worthless from the start against masters of Transcendent Realm and beyond.
‘I should abandon this idea.’
Rather than forcing myself to carry weapons or protective gear that don’t suit my hand, it would be better not to take anything at all.
Hyuk So Jin turned back without hesitation,
Thunk.
Suddenly, something caught beneath his foot.
“This is….”
As he looked down at what lay beneath his feet, his face broke into a radiant smile.
‘With this, I could properly utilize Divine Flame Demonic Qi?’
Without hesitation, he picked up what lay at his feet.
“Then, I’ll take this.”
“Hmm?”
Sang Hak, who had been observing the object Hyuk So Jin picked up, wore an expression of bewilderment.
“You’re taking that?”
“Yes, this suits my fancy.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
As Hyuk So Jin nodded with a bright smile, Sang Hak let out a sigh and nodded in return.
“If you’re satisfied with it, then so be it. Take it with you.”
“Thank you.”
With both hands clasped together, Hyuk So Jin immediately tucked what he held into his garments.
It was a bundle of Steel Cable Crimson Silk that had been wound around the mechanical trap designed to confine the intruder who had secretly infiltrated Pal Ma Gwan.
* * *
Man Ma Yu Jin Gak, Second Floor.
The scenery here was entirely different from the First Floor of Man Ma Yu Jin Gak that Bu Eunseol had entered before.
Because so many secret manuals were stacked there, massive bookshelves had been installed in a cave where light could not penetrate, and salt and charcoal were placed throughout.
However, the Second Floor was constructed like a vast labyrinth, with transparent glass cases containing secret manuals positioned throughout.
Due to the enormous scale, a large guidebook marking the approximate locations of the collections and internal structure had been created at the entrance of Man Ma Yu Jin Gak.
And beside it was a storage room containing grain-free pills and clear water.
“Hmm.”
After briefly surveying the confusingly interconnected interior of Man Ma Yu Jin Gak, Bu Eunseol eventually returned to the entrance and unfolded the guidebook.
‘It would be better to grasp the complex labyrinthine structure beforehand and explore it systematically.’
Now that I understood this was all Ma Cheon Je’s test, I needed to move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“Hmm.”
The guidebook was unnecessarily quite thick.
It contained not only descriptions of the internal structure but also explanations of the seven thousand varieties of secret manuals on display.
Bu Eunseol first grasped the structure and locations marked at the beginning of Man Ma Yu Jin Gak, then began exploring in earnest.
Iron Emperor Non-Killing Sword Manual.
Saber Soul Black Wheel Sword.
Death Emperor Blood Yin Bullet Sword.
Fierce Bind Blood Phosphorus Sword.
In the initial corridor, there were superior sword techniques displayed in glass cases—any one of them mastered could shake Tianxia itself.
‘There’s no need to examine sword techniques.’
Bu Eunseol shook her head as she surveyed the secret manuals.
The Formless Heavenly Stream, created based on Dan Cheong’s teachings, transcended all constraints of sword methodology.
It grew stronger with each battle, discovering the opponent’s weaknesses and shattering their techniques—this was the ultimate secret.
In other words, since it was a sword art born from enlightenment, there was no need to learn new sword techniques.
‘Let me find the martial arts where I’m lacking.’
As she hurried through the corridor, secret manuals of hand combat and footwork techniques—palm methods and lightness arts—came into view.
‘These aren’t necessary either.’
The Demon Palm Seven Forms that Bu Eunseol had mastered encompassed all schools of hand and footwork arts.
In other words, learning new secret manuals would ultimately amount to nothing more than refining variations of the Demon Palm Seven Forms.
“Besides, these manuals…”
Her eyes darkened as she recalled the secret manual of the Demon Palm Seven Forms.
No matter how detailed the practical methods were written in a manual, applying them instantly in actual combat was difficult.
If martial arts could be fully mastered through manuals alone, every sect in Murim would have stacked their disciples with secret texts in the Library Pavilion instead of teaching them directly.
‘Even the Demon Palm Seven Forms, which I refined naturally through real combat, only reaches fifty percent mastery.’
Bu Eunseol couldn’t comprehend it.
Rather than deeply refining martial arts through manuals, it would be far more advantageous to study numerous secrets and extract various techniques from them.
‘Why did he insist on mastering just one martial art?’
According to the guide, there were seven thousand three hundred and eighty-seven superior demonic arts displayed here.
To make proper use of ten days, it would be wisest to select manuals carefully and digest them slowly.
Yet Ma Cheon Je specifically instructed her to master one, and as if to verify this, he told her to return to the Holy Demon Pavilion.
‘One. Just one…’
Deep in thought, Bu Eunseol began rapidly examining the secret manuals displayed in the Manma Yujin Pavilion.
Not a single one lacked excellence, and the thickness of each manual was nearly uniform.
“One. Just one.”
Repeating the same words as she scanned the texts, Bu Eunseol suddenly recalled her first audience with Ma Cheon Je.
The figure of an old man who, despite being the strongest force dividing Murim, was not particularly aged.
“That’s right. That was it.”
Most of the manuals displayed here were ancient supreme techniques passed down through the Demonic Path.
But Ma Cheon Je was not an ancient figure. Moreover, he was not a disciple of the Ten Demonic Gates, which had sustained the Demonic Path for generations.
From the perspective of Murim’s history, Ma Cheon Je was an entirely new kind of person—unprecedented.
Whoosh.
With her enlightenment achieved, Bu Eunseol began meticulously examining the covers of the seven thousand manuals in the Manma Yujin Pavilion.
But there was nothing.
All the manuals displayed here were old. In other words, they were texts authored by great demons of the past.
“All merely ancient supreme techniques. There is no martial manual that Ma Cheon Je would have authored.”
The most recently written manual was from two hundred years ago—authored by Bul Ma, a great demon of Buddhist origin.
Moreover, it could not be called martial arts—merely a secret technique that maximized the robustness of one’s spiritual foundation.
“Besides, there are simply too many redundant martial arts scattered throughout.”
Due to the nature of Demonic Path martial arts, the secret techniques are not systematically organized like those of the Orthodox Sects, resulting in far greater numbers.
For example, the fundamental principles and martial arts secrets of the renowned Demonic Path hand techniques—Eternal Demon Blood Hand and Blood Jade Steel Hand—are identical.
From what I had examined, the seven thousand-odd martial arts secrets housed here could be properly classified into merely three hundred varieties.
“Was I mistaken?”
I had certainly believed that Ma Cheon Je’s martial arts secrets would be stored in this place.
Yet no matter how thoroughly I searched, I could not find them.
“Tomorrow will be the sixth day.”
Only four days remained.
Yet I had not even selected a single martial art.
Since I could not defy Ma Cheon Je’s command, I ultimately had to master some martial art from whatever secrets were available.
“Despite having verified everything….”
In that moment, a brilliant flash illuminated my eyes.
I had not yet verified everything. I had not finished reading the back section of the guide at the entrance of the Manma Yujin Pavilion.
I rushed to the entrance and began meticulously reading the back portion of the weighty guide.
Remarkably, it contained explanations and summaries of the seven thousand-odd secrets.
As I rapidly absorbed the contents, my hand movements halted.
The guide was precisely what its name suggested—a guide.
It contained the structure of the Manma Yujin Pavilion, the types of secrets displayed, and abbreviated versions of their contents.
Yet within that lengthy exposition lay the profound principles of martial arts concealed.
The essence.
On the back of the guide, the quintessence of the secrets—their core principles—had been expounded in considerable depth.
In other words, whoever authored this guide had mastered all the martial arts secrets on the second level of the Manma Yujin Pavilion and documented them in meticulous detail.
And that author was undoubtedly Ma Cheon Je.
‘Ma Cheon Je intends to transmit the secrets of his martial cultivation to those who enter this place.’
I, who had synthesized the martial arts of the Nangya Sect.
I had created sword techniques that transcended the conventional framework of martial arts.
But Ma Cheon Je, conversely, had distilled the principles contained within existing martial arts frameworks and founded entirely new martial arts.
‘With my current abilities, I cannot synthesize over seven thousand varieties of Demonic martial arts.’
Then there was only one course of action.
Over the next four days, I must read through the essence of the summaries Ma Cheon Je had compiled, then select and master secrets that would fill my present deficiencies.
* * *

Four days had slipped away before I realized it.
After spending an entire day meticulously reviewing the summary written in the guide, I finally grasped what was lacking in my current state.
Overwhelming inner strength.
My inner force cultivation was so profound that even the greatest masters overlooking Tianxia could not surpass it.
Yet I possessed no martial technique capable of fully harnessing such formidable inner energy.
Musang Cheon Ryu and Gwon Ma Chil Sik unleashed tremendous power, but their might stemmed primarily from the subtlety of their forms and martial methodology rather than sheer inner force reserves.
However, as I studied the guide with careful attention, I discovered a single secret within its pages.
The Method of Severing Emotion.
Perhaps an ordinary martial artist would never have considered reading such a technique.
It contained merely instructions for fortifying one’s spiritual essence.
But I was certain Ma Cheon Je had authored this, so I read through it with meticulous care.
“A revolutionary approach indeed.”
The Method of Severing Emotion proposed a unique way to strengthen spiritual essence—by completely erasing the emotions within one’s heart.
―If one sharpens and eliminates the emotions dwelling in one’s heart, what obstacle could remain?
Masters of martial arts inevitably face the tribulation of Heart Demon during their cultivation.
The Method of Severing Emotion pursued an ingenious yet radical approach—eliminating emotion and even consciousness itself to transcend this ordeal.
“This seems less like a secret technique and more like an explanation of inner energy circulation.”
Moreover, at the end of this Method of Severing Emotion lay a peculiar secret of energy manipulation.
The True Method of Primordial Darkness.
Ancient teachings describing how to freely transform and release the inner energy within one’s body were inscribed there.

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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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