The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 197
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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 197.
“Who would do such a thing?”
Though separated from the Jongnam Sect Headquarters, this place still belonged to the sect.
Save for the disciples of Jongnam, there was no one who could secretly breach this location.
“Surely not an outsider… No, that couldn’t be possible.”
Jin Ga Ryeong shook his head.
With the masters of the Jongnam Sect Headquarters keeping their eyes wide open and bloodshot, there was no way anyone could slip in undetected.
If anyone could, it would be Go Wol, a master of divine techniques who had abandoned the Murim long ago—the one known for his incomparable speed and shadowless movement.
“Hmm.”
Swallowing hard, Jin Ga Ryeong gathered his inner energy and swept So Dong’s excrement aside.
Beneath the wooden board, sharp characters carved as if by a blade came into view.
―If you wish to find the chessboard and stones, come to Man Gyeong Dae in four days.
“Hehehehe.”
Jin Ga Ryeong let out an incredulous smile.
In a hundred years of life, he had never imagined something so absurd would befall him.
“Hahahaha!”
As he burst into hearty laughter, young So Dong came rushing in from outside and spoke.
“Elder, did you call for me?”
“Asking this old man to find a chessboard? Hahahaha.”
Though Jin Ga Ryeong laughed, his eyes were bloodshot with rage, and a cold, murderous aura shimmered across his entire body like heat waves.
“E-Elder…”
So Dong, frightened, took a step backward.
“The sun sets over the western mountains.”
Jin Ga Ryeong sighed lightly and spoke.
“Like the fading sun, even this old man now faces the day of humiliation at the hands of Murim’s ruffians.”
“Elder.”
“Take this wooden board to Shim Ok In and deliver my message.”
Shim Ok In—the current Sect Master of the Jongnam Sect.
“In four days, he must find my chessboard without fail.”
“What does this mean…?”
“He will understand once you tell him.”
As a cold, murderous gleam flashed once more in Jin Ga Ryeong’s eyes, which had always been serene and carefree like an immortal’s, So Dong bowed his head in confusion.
* * *
The Blood Transport Cave of the Maban Sect.
This was the spiritual medicine treasury managed by the Maban Sect.
The reason they could rapidly expand their power and produce disciples of exceptional martial prowess.
It was precisely due to the spiritual elixirs and miraculous pills obtained by absorbing Demonic Path Sects from various regions.
In particular, the Maban Sect was mass-producing a pill called the Forbidden Demon Pill.
Though consuming it had the drawback of making one’s temperament ferocious and causing addiction symptoms, it dramatically increased inner power.
Thus, the exceptional disciples and leaders who received large quantities of the Forbidden Demon Pill were already addicted, and showed withdrawal symptoms when they did not consume it.
In the end, they were not offering their loyalty for the sake of Maban Sect, but for the Golden Demon Ring.
“Seize them!”
From the passage leading to the exit of Blood Transport Cave, roughly thirty martial artists wearing crimson demon masks came rushing out.
And ahead of them, ten Masked Assassins carrying cloth bundles on their backs were rapidly deploying their movement techniques.
Whoosh!
The martial artists clad in blood robes each hurled hidden projectiles.
But the Masked Assassins’ lightness technique was so swift that the projectiles fell to the ground before they could even reach them.
“Cowardly wretches!”
At that moment, the ranks of pursuing martial artists split apart, and a figure wearing a black demon mask appeared.
This person possessed exceptional movement technique and swiftly closed in on the Masked Assassins from behind.
It was Go Ryong Poong, the sect master of Maban Sect who managed Blood Transport Cave.
“Which dogs dare steal the secret treasures of this sect!”
In truth, the Golden Demon Ring possessed such potent addictive properties that none but the disciples of Maban Sect dared consume it.
Yet someone had infiltrated Maban Sect, nestled deep in the remote mountains of Yurim, and stolen a vast quantity of the Golden Demon Rings?
“Hmph, they won’t escape regardless.”
A sinister smile played across the lips of Go Ryong Poong as he pursued the Masked Assassins closely.
There was only one exit from Maban Sect—a long bridge spanning between two cliffs.
And the moment the intruders entered, a mechanism would instantly sever the bridge.
“They cannot escape without flying to the heavens.”
Yet as Go Ryong Poong confidently chased the Masked Assassins, his expression gradually grew strange.
Despite the severed bridge being clearly visible in the distance, the Masked Assassins did not slow their movement technique but instead rushed forward with all their might—what was this?
‘Could they be committing suicide?’
The moment Go Ryong Poong’s eyes widened in shock,
Whoosh!
The Masked Assassins executing their movement technique suddenly pushed off the ground and soared across the chasm between the cliffs.
“No! If that happens, the Golden Demon Rings!”
Go Ryong Poong cried out in despair.
No one could leap across a span of over a hundred feet unless they were a flying bird.
The Masked Assassins had taken most of the Golden Demon Rings stored in Blood Transport Cave.
If they fell into the chasm, the Golden Demon Rings could not be recovered.
Whoosh.
Yet as the Masked Assassins suspended in midair began to descend while crossing the chasm,
Bounce!
Suddenly they sprang upward like springs, launching into another leap—what sorcery was this?
Bounce! Bounce!
As if treading upon an invisible bridge, they bounded across the chasm in two or three leaps.
“Lightness technique across empty air? No, that’s not it.”
Narrowing his eyes, Go Ryong Poong detected something stretching between the bridge pillar he had driven into the cliff and a boulder on the opposite cliff face.
It was an extremely thin silver thread.
“These bastards!”
Enraged, Go Ryong Poong attempted to sever the silver thread bound to the pillar with his blade.
But at that moment,
“You’ve all done well.”
A young man in azure robes appeared from the opposite cliff. It was Hyuk So Jin.
Once he confirmed that all the Masked Assassins had safely crossed the chasm, he nodded and pulled his arm with tremendous force.
Whoosh!
The faint silver thread that had been wound around him was then recovered to his left arm as if by magic.
It was the Steel Silk Blood Thread he had obtained from Pal Ma Gwan in Demon Palace.
Hiss.
Hyuk So Jin spotted Go Ryong Poong on the opposite cliff, his eyes wide with fury, and shouted loudly.
“You stinking dogs of the Maban Sect!”
He waved his hand toward the distant figure of Go Ryong Poong, who appeared as nothing more than a black speck.
“If you want to reclaim this foul medicine, you’d better chase after us quickly!”
Then, channeling his inner energy, he bellowed with all his might.
“If you fail to catch us before we leave Seomseong, I’ll dump every last bit of this medicine into the river!”
Go Ryong Poong’s eyes filled with blood as he heard those words from afar.
The Golden Horse Pills they had stolen represented seventy percent of the reserves stored in Blood Transport Cave.
Creating Golden Horse Pills required expensive medicinal ingredients and considerable time to manufacture.
If they destroyed all the Golden Horse Pills? The addicted disciples would raise hell.
“Summon all the masters from Blood Transport Cave!”
As the enraged Go Ryong Poong shouted, his subordinate beside him clasped his hands together.
“Perhaps we should first report this to the Sect Leader…”
“We can report after we’ve recovered the Golden Horse Pills!”
Go Ryong Poong, staring at the opposite cliff, gnashed his teeth and roared.
“We must catch that bastard before he leaves Seomseong!”
* * *
Man Gyeong Dae.
A vast rocky plateau located near Yeonhwa Mountain in Xian Prefecture.
The surrounding scenery was beautiful, the vista unobstructed in all directions, and the ground consisted of solid stone forming an open expanse.
Because of this, travelers would often rest here briefly or consume provisions they had brought along.
Whistle.
At the heart of Man Gyeong Dae, where a parched wind blew across,
there stood a figure, motionless as a stone statue, who had set down a large wooden chest on the ground.
Between strands of fine hair scattered by the wind, eyes gleamed like obsidian, and a prominent nose ridge was visible.
Had her eyebrows not been so thick and her height not exceeded six feet, she would have been mistaken for a peerless beauty.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Whoosh.
Then a low sound of air splitting echoed around the quiet Man Gyeong Dae.
Three groups of cultivators, their movements creating violent gusts, rushed toward Man Gyeong Dae with their techniques deployed.
Thud.
The first to arrive was a young man in blue martial robes, rushing from the east.
Though drenched in sweat, his refined features and sharp aura could not be concealed.
It was Hyuk So Jin.
A whooshing sound.
Following him came a young man with long bangs flowing as his robes billowed—Wi Cheon Gyeong himself.
Rapid footsteps echoed.
Behind him, the members of the Mubon Squad’s Second Unit arrived one by one.
“Huff… huff…”
Having deployed their movement techniques at full speed, all the members were breathing heavily.
Wi Cheon Gyeong, who had walked over without the slightest sign of fatigue, clasped his hands respectfully before Bu Eunseol.
“Thanks to the Commander’s assistance, we have successfully seized the Golden Horse Rings.”
At Wi Cheon Gyeong’s gesture, the members gathered the bundles they had been carrying and placed them into a large box.
These were the Golden Horse Rings stolen from the Blood Transport Cave of the Maban Sect.
“Well done.”
Bu Eunseol nodded in acknowledgment.
Yet all the members of the Second Unit bore bright smiles on their faces.
When Bu Eunseol furrowed her brow, Wi Cheon Gyeong answered.
“Thanks to the secret method you imparted, Commander, not only my movement technique speed has increased by more than thirty percent, but so has that of all the members.”
“Merely sharing a secret method would not have been enough.”
“Sir?”
“It is because you all have trained so diligently.”
Bu Eunseol spoke matter-of-factly.
“The end of this mission is a battle where lives hang in the balance. Cultivate your movement techniques ceaselessly to survive when that time comes.”
‘Use your movement techniques to survive.’
A tremor ran through him.
Wi Cheon Gyeong’s eyes, hidden behind his long hair, shook greatly.
He possessed greater talent in movement techniques than in martial arts. Yet with only exceptional movement techniques, he could only be assigned to the Intelligence Unit, which trained spies.
―Isn’t movement technique a form of martial art? I don’t want to join the Intelligence Unit.
It had been a futile cry.
He was constantly compared to his brother, fifteen years his senior and the Commander of the Cheon Sal Unit, and wherever he went, he carried only the label of being the Cheon Sal Commander’s younger brother.
After repeatedly disobeying orders, he had finally been sent to the Mubon Squad, a gathering place for the unruly.
Most of the members in the Second Unit had similar circumstances.
Yet now, he had found a superior who recognized his abilities and deployed them appropriately.
“Understood.”
Wi Cheon Gyeong clasped his hands respectfully and returned to his position.
And a smile similar to that of the other members now graced his lips.
“Gasp, gasp!”
Then Won Se Moon, bearing twin swords on his back, and the members of the First Unit arrived at Man Gyeong Dae.
“Damn it all.”
Won Se Moon, breathing heavily with his body bent forward, muttered in a low voice.
“Why do those Hua Shan Sect dogs start chasing us without even a day’s respite?”
After panting heavily for a while, he turned his head and shouted upon meeting Bu Eunseol’s cold gaze.
“Fatso!”
At that, Han So Woong, a burly young man wearing bronze scale armor, set down the wooden chest he had been carrying.
Click.
As he opened the chest, a long sword with two silk tassels hung from its hilt lay within—the blade of Bang Wook, the second disciple of Hua Shan Sect.
“Are the Hua Shan disciples approaching this place?”
Won Se Moon nodded at Bu Eunseol’s question.
“They’ll arrive within the hour. We’ve maintained that distance the entire time.”
“Well done.”
As Bu Eunseol nodded, Won Se Moon’s expression brightened.
“We’re mad, but the leader is equally insane. To provoke the Hua Shan disciples with insults and force them to give chase…”
He laughed heartily and continued.
“And to specifically demand that the sect leader be included in those insults, no less.”
The squad members then chuckled and added their own remarks.
“But wasn’t it exhilarating? We’ve always wanted to clash with those Orthodox Sect bastards.”
“That’s right. It was fun after so long. If the Demon Hall had given us missions like this, I would’ve been a devoted member.”
All the squad members were not only formidable in martial prowess but also possessed free-spirited personalities and loved combat.
However, they struggled with maintaining strict hierarchies and command structures—who would have expected to meet a superior even more reckless than themselves?
―Provoke the Hua Shan disciples. Insult them so severely that you force them to pursue you, including insults directed at their sect leader.
It was truly an absurd command.
Moreover, Bu Eunseol neither enforced rigid hierarchies nor held anyone accountable.
How thrilled must these combat-loving members be to have encountered such a superior?
“This is merely the beginning.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“Soon, I’ll drive Jongnam Sect, Hua Shan Sect, and even Maban Sect all to madness. You need only destroy everything in your path.”
“Hehehehe. Now that’s music to our ears!”
Won Se Moon and the squad members laughed gleefully.
Then, another group began ascending Man Gyeong Dae once more.
It was the third squad led by Jo Nam Cheon.
“Huff.”
Jo Nam Cheon and his squad members stood before Bu Eunseol, breathing heavily.
“From Jongnam Sect, we’ve brought out the direct disciples of the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion Master and all his subordinate second-tier disciples.”
He and the third squad had caused a disturbance at Jongnam Sect to allow Bu Eunseol to easily steal the Go Board hidden in the secret chamber of Yuqing Pavilion.
The members of the third squad were relatively ordinary, and since Jo Nam Cheon led them well, they were executing their mission without incident.
“Brother Bu.”
At that moment, Hyuk So Jin, who had been gazing at the distant sky, whispered softly.
“Something’s coming.”
“I heard it too.”
“But I can’t tell who it is. The plan needs to proceed as intended.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and lightly rolled her foot forward.
Boom.
The entire Man Gyeong Dae trembled as a low vibration rippled outward.
‘Perfect.’
Through the Void-Piercing Divine Eye, Bu Eunseol gauged the distance and number of those approaching, as well as the level of their martial techniques, and nodded in satisfaction.
‘Today is merely the beginning.’
I had the Mubon Squad members seize the swords of Hua Shan Sect disciples and steal the Golden Horse Rings from the Maban Sect.
And I myself infiltrated the Jongnam Sect and stole the go board and stones from Jin Ga Ryeong, the eldest elder of Jongnam.
And all of this was merely a small opening move to bring down the Maban Sect.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
Then, faint vibrations and footsteps reached Bu Eunseol’s ears.
It was the sound of dozens of people simultaneously executing lightness techniques.
Tap-tap-tap-tap.
The footsteps grew closer, and finally the sound of dozens of feet became distinctly audible when—
“You wretches!”
With a thunderous roar, roughly fifty martial artists dressed in crimson arrived at Man Gyeong Dae.
They were Go Ryong Poong, a branch master of the Maban Sect, and his subordinates.
‘The die is cast.’
Just as Bu Eunseol sensed the surrounding situation once more through the Void-Piercing Divine Eye and nodded,
“So there was an accomplice after all.”
Go Ryong Poong, experienced in the ways of Murim, saw at a glance that Bu Eunseol, Hyuk So Jin, and all the Mubon Squad members were in league together.
“You dare steal the Golden Horse Rings of our sect without fear. You will neither live nor—”
His words did not continue.
Hyuk So Jin stepped forward abruptly and clasped his hands together.
“We’ll return them.”
“What?”
“We’ll return them soon. Are your ears blocked?”
As Hyuk So Jin threw out his jest with a sly grin, fire blazed in Go Ryong Poong’s eyes.
“You must have a death wish.”
Then Bu Eunseol, who had been gazing at the distant sky with eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide and spoke.
“Return everything.”
Thereupon Jo Nam Cheon lowered the wooden chest that had been beneath Bu Eunseol’s feet.
And Wi Cheon Gyeong and Won Se Moon each lowered the wooden chests they were holding near where Go Ryong Poong stood.
“What are all those?”
“You’ll know once you open them.”
As Jo Nam Cheon answered indifferently, Go Ryong Poong narrowed his eyes.
‘Could they have divided the stolen Golden Horse Rings among three wooden chests?’
Come to think of it, the number of Golden Horse Rings they had taken was considerable.
“Bring them here.”
Go Ryong Poong tilted his head in confusion but ordered his subordinates to bring the wooden chests.
Click.
As he opened the wooden chest, his eyes blinked repeatedly.
Inside the three wooden chests lay not only the Golden Horse Rings, but also what appeared to be a useless Go board and a long sword?
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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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