The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 21

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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 21
“C-Captain.”
The two fleeing boys opened their mouths in shock.
“That guy… he suddenly got stronger.”
“Right, right. We should have deployed the Biling Jinshen Formation from the start…”
Splat!
The boys’ words never finished.
The large youth had used the White Horse Whip like a swift blade, severing both their necks.
“Tsk, I knew it was a mistake to drag along these worthless scraps who couldn’t even reach the Advanced Hall.”
The burly boy’s expression was as indifferent as if he’d merely crushed two flies.
“All that talk of ‘captain this’ and ‘captain that’ while pledging their loyalty…”
The large youth shook his head and grinned wickedly at Bu Eunseol.
“With only two left, we can’t deploy the Biling Jinshen Formation anyway… so their usefulness has expired.”
He had slaughtered his own comrades simply because the remaining two couldn’t complete the formation.
Such cruelty transcended imagination.
Thump, thump.
In that moment, Bu Eunseol rose to her feet and strode forward toward the burly youth.
“Are you their captain?”
The large youth gave an unexpected answer to her question.
“Impressive. You blocked the White Snake Spirit God’s technique in mid-air… have you learned the Hwawoo Sword technique?”
He continued with a confident smile playing on his lips.
“My name is Woomun Cheong. And you are?”
As Bu Eunseol glared silently, the burly youth Woomun Cheong threw his head back and laughed raucously.
“Hahahaha! Surely you must tell the King of Hell who struck you down!”
The moment his words ended, the White Horse Whip coiled around the iron sword Bu Eunseol held.
It was a technique as swift and brilliant as lightning, rivaling the blade techniques she wielded.
Crack.
The burly youth shattered the iron sword into two pieces, swinging the White Horse Whip as he shouted.
“The sword technique taught in the Hwawoo Sword Sect’s Advanced Hall is nothing but a single defensive move, isn’t it?”
Remarkably, Woomun Cheong seemed to know the details of the Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s single technique that the Hwawoo Sword Sect had taught.
‘There must be a separate organization.’
Bu Eunseol recalled the mysterious shadow that had appeared in the cave.
They had said they formed an organization and shared insights gained from each martial hall.
This youth named Woomun Cheong clearly belonged to another faction beyond the organization he led.
“Stop your scheming!”
There was no time for leisurely contemplation.
Woomun Cheong pressed forward, wielding the whip like a windmill to overwhelm Bu Eunseol.
Whoooosh! Rumble!
Each time the White Horse Whip cut through the air, wind and thunder roared in response.
From that sound alone, Bu Eunseol could gauge just how fierce and savage the power contained within the whip truly was.
Whoosh!
Moreover, whenever Bu Eunseol attempted a counterattack, the White Horse Whip would leave faint afterimages as it shifted direction mid-air.
‘So this is the White Horse Whip!’
Bu Eunseol managed to anticipate and evade Woomun Cheong’s sudden technique changes.
It was thanks to having observed the White Horse Whip’s techniques and trajectories in detail within the Crimson Silk Formation.
“Impressive!”
Even after half an incense stick’s time had passed with continuous exchanges of techniques, anxiety flickered across Woomun Cheong’s pupils.
“Then try blocking this!”
With a thunderous cry, the White Horse Whip’s technique that had been cutting through the air suddenly accelerated.
Whoooosh!
Countless whip shadows stretched forth like waves, gradually enveloping Woomun Cheong’s body.
Whip! Whip! Whip! Whip! Whip!
As the whip shadows poured down ceaselessly, Woomun Cheong’s form finally vanished, leaving only a massive whirlwind in its place.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol, unflustered, deployed sword techniques in rapid succession.
Clang! Ting!
Yet each time, the black sword bounced away from Woomun Cheong’s rotating body, which was completely enveloped by the White Horse Whip.
‘This won’t work.’
I had been relying on the Hwawoo Thunder Sword and Hwawoo Thirteen Forms, techniques unusable in actual combat.
This was only possible because the Beast Path’s function and overflowing killing intent transformed the techniques into sharp killing strikes.
But Woomun Cheong had properly mastered the essence of the White Horse Whip. Such technique variations could never match him.
Ting!
Bu Eunseol deflected the White Horse Whip that came from an inescapable angle with my sword.
Screech.
Yet my body was pushed all the way to the end of the corridor.
I could not withstand the tremendous force contained within the White Horse Whip.
“With such pathetic swordplay, you cannot face the White Horse Nine Forms!”
‘True Void!’
Now I must engage in a true void battle where only pure skill determines victory.
But the first technique of the Hwawoo Sword, Hanging Thread Suspended String, was purely defensive.
No matter how I transformed it into a killing sword, I could not use it—meaning I had no true void technique.
“Huff.”
Gripping the black sword in reverse, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and lowered my stance.
In that instant, my pupils dilated as an intense light began to pour forth.
“Die!”
Woomun Cheong’s thunderous roar echoed through the corridor.
Only the fiercely rotating whip, as if it were the final strike with all strength unleashed, filled the entire corridor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the White Horse Nine Forms surged forward like waves, enveloping Bu Eunseol’s body,
Crack.
From the five fingers of Bu Eunseol’s hand gripping the black sword came the sound of bones twisting.
A soft hiss.
Black heat shimmer rose from the black sword, and a cold gleam erupted from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
A flash!
The beam of light that stretched forth, cutting through the wind, sliced through the rotating White Horse Blade.
A sharp crack!
With the sound of water splitting, the White Horse Blade that had been rotating fiercely cracked apart,
“…!”
Woomun Cheong’s face, greatly startled, was revealed.
A piercing screech!
Along with a sound that seemed to tear the eardrums, the black sword poured forth a mass of brilliant light like a river of stars carved across the night sky.
“….”
A silence as deep as death filled the Cultivation Chamber corridor.
Woomun Cheong, having withdrawn the White Horse Blade into his hand, asked calmly.
“What manner of sword technique is this?”
Bu Eunseol, having withdrawn the black sword, spoke calmly.
“Thunderbolt Unmatched.”
“Thunderbolt Unmatched, you say….”
Woomun Cheong narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“It truly felt as though thunder and lightning had descended.”
A heavy thud.
Woomun Cheong’s body collapsed as if crumbling.
Thunderbolt Unmatched—a unique killing sword technique created by Cheon Woon Gwang in his later years.
It possessed power comparable to the Hwawoo Sword, yet was so intricate that it could break one’s fingers.
Moreover, if the practitioner failed to properly master the technique, it would inflict internal injuries upon the caster.
“Thunderbolt Unmatched….”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
At his current level, it was a supreme ascending sword art that he could not wield freely.
A soft wiping sound.
Bu Eunseol, having wiped away the blood, straightened his body once more.
No trial, however severe, could bend his frame.
Footsteps echoed.
The moment he tried to leave the Cultivation Chamber,
A low vibration and a piercing, eerie sound rang out!
At that moment, a low vibration accompanied by a sound that seemed to tear the eardrums came forth.
‘Oh no.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize he had remained in this place far too long.
Quick footsteps.
He quickly exited the Cultivation Chamber and emerged outside the Martial Hall,
Standing tall.
He suddenly froze as if he had turned to stone.
Before the door stood a man clad in an assassin’s garb embroidered with bizarre patterns reminiscent of reptilian skin.
One who, acting under the orders of Hyuk Ryeon Eung, the Sect Master, cordoned off regions and mercilessly slaughtered all who remained within them.
It was Sal Gwi.
“….”
Bu Eunseol, meeting his gaze, could not move a single finger.
Any careless movement would invite something swift as lightning to sever her neck in an instant.
“This is a restricted zone.”
A voice like that of the Grim Reaper who had just ascended from Yougyae.
“I understand.”
Bu Eunseol nodded slowly and replied.
“I will relocate immediately.”
And she moved forward slowly, cautiously, one step at a time.
Yet Sal Gwi merely watched Bu Eunseol in silence, utterly motionless.
“….”
Silence descended once more.
A crushing weight, as if ten thousand boulders pressed down upon her head.
The opponent was an absolute powerhouse—one could scarcely dare call them an enemy. The vacant gaze visible beyond the mask was like that of a dead fish displayed on a shelf.
‘Is he telling me to leave?’
No matter how carefully I observed, Sal Gwi did not seem to be adopting a stance for an ambush.
After deliberating for a long while, I cautiously shifted my footsteps once more.
One step, two steps….
Even as I approached slowly, Sal Gwi remained as immobile as stone.
‘Does he have no intention to attack?’
Just as my body was about to carefully slip past Sal Gwi’s side,
A sinister aura.
I felt an ominous force pass through my head like a lightning bolt.
Without time to think, I instinctively hurled my body into a spinning rotation.
A flash!
In that instant, something formless streaked past near the back of my head.
A whisper.
Despite evading with the lightning-swift reflexes of the Wild Beast Blade, a handful of my hair fell to the ground.
Though I had fought for my life many times before, I had never come so close to death.
A metallic ring.
Landing on the ground, I swiftly drew my black blade.
An unprovoked strike that had nearly claimed my life—the subsequent attacks would surely display devastating power.
“….”
Yet Sal Gwi merely glared at me without making any movement.
‘I must not be deceived by that posture.’
From what had just transpired, it seemed Sal Gwi could deliver lightning-swift strikes without assuming an aggressive stance.
Like a fish moving covertly through water, there was no sense of movement whatsoever.
‘No, it’s impossible.’
Humans can move their bodies because, simply put, the length of muscles connected to bones contracts.
In other words, humans possess bones and muscles, allowing them to assume various postures.
‘It makes no sense that I cannot detect any movement from Sal Gwi at such close range.’
If one expands their senses through the Beast Path, they can perceive movement dozens of paces away.
No matter how skilled a master might be, failing to detect sound and presence at this distance was utterly illogical.
―Have you ever seen a carnivore hunt an herbivore?
Suddenly, Sa Woo’s words echoed in Bu Eunseol’s mind.
―Carnivores are faster in a sprint, but prey doesn’t get caught easily. Do you know why?
Bu Eunseol, who had paused to consider Sa Woo’s question, answered.
―The faster you run, the harder it is to change direction. But fleeing herbivores typically run in a zigzag pattern.
Satisfied with her answer, Sa Woo nodded.
―Correct. Yet carnivores still succeed in hunting herbivores. Why?
At that moment, Bu Eunseol could not answer Sa Woo’s question.
But now, I had grasped the secret to how carnivores succeed in their hunts.
‘I must time my attacks to match the fleeing enemy’s movements!’
Only now could I understand how Sal Gwi had ambushed me like lightning without any warning.
‘He concealed his presence and struck in sync with the sounds and motions of my movements.’
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
I was about to execute a method to escape Sal Gwi’s lightning-fast reactions and attacks.
‘Huff.’
After drawing a deep breath, Bu Eunseol suddenly looked toward the distant sky and let out a sharp cry.
Flinch.
Sal Gwi’s body reacted minutely to the loud shout.
Sensing this, Bu Eunseol bolted forward at full speed without looking back.
Thud-thud-thud.
Unable to react instantly to Bu Eunseol’s movement, Sal Gwi could not execute the lightning-fast ambush.
‘This isn’t over!’
With Sal Gwi at my back, I dashed out of the Martial Hall, thrashing my body wildly as I began weaving left and right.
Tap. Tap.
I ran left and right like a madwoman, sometimes leaning as if to dash left, only to bolt right instead.
‘I must never let him predict my movements!’
Sal Gwi’s pursuit speed would catch up to me before I could even catch my breath.
If I ran in predictable patterns, I would be ambushed at close range and lose my life in a single strike.
Thump. Thump.
Then, watching me flee, Sal Gwi took one step, then another.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sal Gwi’s pace began to accelerate,
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
Finally, it began pursuing me at such tremendous speed that my legs became invisible blurs.

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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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