The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 216

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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 216.
Inside Ihwajang, at the Martial Arts Arena.
The Sa Yeong Dae members, who ordinarily moved about in a relaxed state, now stood in rigid formation with solemn expressions etched across their faces.
Thump, thump.
The moment Bu Eunseol appeared, the Sa Yeong Dae members snapped into even sharper attention.
“Soon, the vanguard forces of Gae Bang will descend upon us.”
Bu Eunseol’s quiet voice resonated across the Martial Arts Arena.
“They are the Beggar Squad—the elite unit that contends for the top position among Gae Bang’s assault forces.”
Heuk Pyo, acting on Bu Eunseol’s orders, had cultivated connections with the Black Gang faction in Gaebong and was gathering intelligence from them.
And finally, Gae Bang’s intelligence networks had uncovered the identity of the Sa Yeong Dae hidden within Ihwajang, and word had come that the Beggar Squad would launch a sudden assault on this place.
“The Beggar Squad are not only veterans of countless battles—they are elite warriors trained in Gae Bang’s ruthless killing techniques, wielding them without hesitation.”
Even as Bu Eunseol spoke, the members’ expressions remained unmoved.
Until now, the Sa Yeong Dae members had carried out every mission Bu Eunseol commanded, staking their very lives on it.
And they had come to understand one fundamental truth.
That battles against formidable enemies, while dangerous, could become the catalyst for elevating oneself to the next level.
“Their numbers are three hundred.”
Three hundred elite masters—not practitioners of Gae Bang’s chaotic martial arts, but warriors of peak skill and extensive combat experience—were converging upon them.
Under normal circumstances, the prudent choice would be to evade the ambush and withdraw temporarily.
Yet no one harbored thoughts of retreat. Instead, flames of determination blazed in the eyes of every Sa Yeong Dae member.
Thirty against three hundred. Even in this desperate battle, their morale remained unshaken.
“They will soon encircle Ihwajang and pour in from all directions.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with grave authority.
“Eliminate them cleanly.”
In that instant, a power that overwhelmed ten thousand demons flowed from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Let the name of Sa Yeong Dae shake the very foundations of Murim!”
“We obey!”
The members, who ordinarily dispensed with formal speech, naturally cried out “We obey!” in unison.
They instinctively sensed that this was a moment to maintain strict military discipline, not casual freedom.
Whoooosh!
In that instant, the sound of robes fluttering in the wind echoed endlessly from the distant sky.
Simultaneously, warriors clad in tattered garments descended one after another, landing before Ihwajang.
All of them had mastered the Divine Immortal Palm and the Long Spear Technique to at least the eighth rank, and were masters highly specialized in large-scale combat.
They were none other than the Beggar Squad of Gae Bang.
The Gae Bang warriors standing before Ihwajang maintained a relaxed posture, as if they had merely stepped out for a casual stroll.
While ordinary sects arrange their forces in formation and employ tactical formations, Gae Bang operates differently.
Save for when employing the Pagoda Formation, they rely solely on overwhelming numerical superiority to crush their enemies.
In short: if the enemy numbers one, they send ten; if ten, they send a hundred.
As if to prove this very principle, three hundred masters now formed ranks before Ihwajang.
Tap.
As the three hundred Beggar Squad members encircled Ihwajang, a figure wielding a long spear descended before the main gate.
A middle-aged man in tattered clothes, wielding an iron staff in his grip.
He was Lee Sim Hwa, the leader of the Beggar Squad, known by the epithet Sword Comes, Clapping Laughs.
Sword Comes, Clapping Laughs.
It meant “when the sword arrives, one claps their hands and laughs.” He had earned such a moniker because he loved combat.
And as if to prove it, his exposed face and forearms were covered with scars both large and small.
Thud, thud.
The moment the Beggar Squad finished their battle preparations, Bu Eunseol and the Sa Yeong Dae members emerged from Ihwajang as if they had been waiting.
“Hmph, so our organization’s intelligence really did leak after all.”
Despite the overwhelming military force isolating Ihwajang, Bu Eunseol and the Sa Yeong Dae members’ expressions remained composed.
“You must be the leader of Sa Yeong Dae.”
Lee Sim Hwa, seasoned by countless fierce battles as a veteran of Gangho, recognized Bu Eunseol as the commander at a glance.
“Quite young. Your eyes are sharp too.”
He let out an exclamation tinged with a sigh, then furrowed his brows as he spoke.
“Why seek conflict with our organization? At your age, as the leader of the Demon Palace, you should want for nothing.”
“Are you curious?”
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol looked down at Lee Sim Hwa with cold eyes and spoke.
“I will tell you after I sweep all of you away.”
“Hahahaha.”
Killing intent flowed from Lee Sim Hwa’s eyes as he laughed lowly.
“Your confidence is remarkable.”
He shook his head and, tensing his lower abdomen, bellowed with a loud voice.
“Kill!”
At that, the masters of the Beggar Squad surged forward like a tidal wave swallowing a sandcastle, accompanied by a tremendous battle cry that engulfed Sa Yeong Dae.
Yet something was strange.
The leader of Sa Yeong Dae, who should have been their greatest force, stood motionless without participating in the battle. Rather, she simply watched with a mysterious smile playing at her lips.
Ching! Clang!
The moment Sa Yeong Dae and the Beggar Squad collided, a cacophony of metallic sounds rang out in all directions.
The Beggar Squad, accustomed to tactics of overwhelming smaller numbers, attacked the Sa Yeong Dae members seamlessly despite their own forces being tangled around them.
But Sa Yeong Dae was equally specialized in facing multiple enemies with fewer numbers.
The members of the First Squad at the front, having mastered the Black Poison Demonic Art, were impervious to blades.
They blocked incoming weapons without hesitation and unleashed tremendous strength to disrupt the Beggar Squad’s formations.
The Second Squad deployed lightning-fast movement techniques, hurling hidden weapons to disrupt the Beggar Squad’s attacks.
And the members of the Third Squad at the center.
With superior swordsmanship and blade techniques, they repeated advances and retreats in response to the Beggar Squad’s offensive, cutting down their enemies.
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
Screams erupted continuously from the Beggar Squad’s side.
Lee Sim Hwa’s eyes widened.
The martial prowess of the Sa Yeong Dae members was not at the level of a third-rate combat division.
Moreover, the presence of terrifyingly powerful masters scattered throughout their ranks meant the tide of battle was crumbling beyond recovery.
Some wielded bizarre silver threads wrapped around their hands, unleashing them like madmen, while others wielded two whips each exceeding three feet in length.
Turning one’s head revealed masters capable of shattering boulders with a single palm strike, their force rivaling the legendary Eighteen Dragon Palms technique.
Furthermore, swift-moving fighters with lightning-fast body techniques scattered throughout, hurling flying daggers and hidden weapons to disrupt the Beggar Squad’s assaults.
“This cannot be.”
Lee Sim Hwa, observing the scene, widened his eyes in shock.
“A mere third-rank unit is this formidable?”
According to intelligence gathered before the operation, Sa Yeong Dae was merely a newly organized third-rank unit.
He had brought overwhelming force capable of crushing them instantly, yet instead his formation crumbled as merely thirty masters pressed three hundred of his men into retreat—an impossible reversal.
“Was the intelligence false? That cannot be.”
Lee Sim Hwa shook his head, his gaze growing clouded as though he were experiencing a nightmare with his eyes open.
“Wait, no….”
Only then did he realize he had gathered information solely about Sa Yeong Dae itself, but knew precious little about its commander.
He should have verified how someone so young became the leader of a third-rank unit within Demon Hall, and why Sa Yeong Dae was even created in the first place.
‘I was far too hasty.’
He had dismissed this pitiful Demon Hall unit as merely an irritant.
He had thought it would be nothing more than sweeping away one third-rank unit from Demon Hall—far too simple a calculation.
“Ugh!”
“Gah.”
Screams echoed without pause, and with each clash of weapons through the air, blood sprayed in all directions.
Determining victory did not require much time.
It took merely the span of a single meal for the Sa Yeong Dae members and Bu Eunseol’s group to eliminate more than half the Beggar Squad.
‘At this rate, we face total annihilation.’
Lee Sim Hwa’s eyes widened in alarm.
Until now, the Beggar Squad had always overwhelmed smaller enemy forces through sheer numerical superiority.
Yet for the first time, they faced opponents against whom such tactics proved utterly ineffective.
“Retreat!”
Though he shouted the command loudly, retreat proved difficult.
The Sa Yeong Dae members wielding swift body techniques skillfully unleashed hidden weapons, cutting off all escape routes.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Finally, Lee Sim Hwa stepped onto the battlefield himself, staff in hand, attempting to hold back the Sa Yeong Dae members.
But then,
“Let them go.”
Bu Eunseol, commander of Sa Yeong Dae, issued the order loudly to her members.
“There is no need to slaughter every last one of these beggars.”
Though half the Beggar Squad lay dead, the Sa Yeong Dae members themselves bore no unmarked bodies.
Having already achieved overwhelming victory, there was no reason to completely annihilate them and suffer further losses.
“Do not pursue them further.”
Bu Eunseol then approached Lee Sim Hwa with her hands clasped behind her back and spoke.
“Ensure all the corpses of your men are disposed of cleanly before you leave. If beggar corpses pile up here…you will face far greater shame.”
What could a defeated general possibly say?
Lee Sim Hwa bit his lip and nodded in acknowledgment.
“I understand.”
* * *
Hae Poong’s eyes widened in shock as he absorbed the successive bombshells.
The Beggar Squad, which had prided itself on being undefeated, had suffered a crushing defeat to merely thirty-odd masters?
If that were true, then contrary to what was known, Sa Yeong Dae was not a third-rate faction.
Yet the words that followed from Jeong Sam, the leader of the Small Beggar Sect, forced him to doubt his own ears.
“The leader of Sa Yeong Dae was one of the Ten Demon Immortals of Nangya Sect, who had consecutively defeated masters of great renown in the past?”
Hae Poong stared at Jeong Sam as though gazing upon a ghost.
“And he is the legitimate successor of Nangya Sect… and now a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall?”
“That is correct.”
Jeong Sam spoke while beads of sweat formed on his brow.
“According to what our sect has ascertained…”
Jeong Sam calmly explained once more the intelligence his organization had gathered by mobilizing the entire information network of Gae Bang.
The leader of Sa Yeong Dae in the Demon Hall.
He was one of the Ten Demon Immortals of Nangya Sect who had once decisively defeated masters of great renown, and currently held the position of a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall.
Moreover, he was said to be one of the most formidable successor candidates to follow Ma Cheon Je, the foremost master of the Demonic Path.
A candidate for succession to the Demon Hall.
Was that a position one could obtain by drawing lots? It was a position that could only be earned by constructing overwhelming power capable of convincing not only the Ten Demonic Gates, but the Demon Hall itself and the Elder Council.
“This is utterly incomprehensible.”
Hae Poong shook his head as he spoke.
“Why would a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall seek to make an enemy of our organization?”
If he were a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall, he would already be pressed for time dealing with his competitors.
So why would he suddenly come stirring up trouble with Gae Bang?
“That is…”
The leader of the Small Beggar Sect hesitated before speaking carefully.
“He has publicly declared his intention to kill the Supreme Elder.”
“What?”
Hae Poong’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
A man who had just been named a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall was declaring he would kill the Supreme Elder, one of the Four Gods Seven Kings?
“He must be mad.”
Hae Poong furrowed his brow as he shook his head.
“Then the reason he brought all of Sa Yeong Dae was surely to face the Supreme Elder?”
“No, he intends to face him alone.”
“What?”
“His mission as a candidate for succession to the Demon Hall is precisely to kill one of the Four Gods Seven Kings.”
“He intends to face the Supreme Elder by himself?”
“Yes. To prove it, all the members of Sa Yeong Dae have returned to the Demon Hall, and only their leader and a single attendant remain at Ihwajang.”
Hae Poong let out a hollow laugh that transcended mere bewilderment.
“I simply cannot fathom this. It’s as if he’s gone mad with a death wish.”
It was true that Gu Hong Cheong, the Grand Elder, held the lowest rank among the Four Gods Seven Kings.
Yet even so, he was not at a level that could be killed by a rising master who had only recently emerged in Gangho a few years ago.
“Perhaps that decision is not unrelated to the murder of Seong Ryun, who was once a disciple of our sect.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Since the Grand Elder has remained silent, I cannot know the details of what transpired at that time… but was there not talk that when Seong Ryun died, he killed numerous masters of the Nangya Sect?”
“Then are you saying he touched our sect’s intelligence organization because of the Grand Elder?”
“Yes. It appears he orchestrated this incident to draw the Grand Elder back into Murim.”
“Hmm.”
Hae Poong fell silent in contemplation.
Grand Elder Gu Hong Cheong was known, true to his epithet of the Wandering King, to roam Murim without settling in any one place.
But the reality was different.
In truth, he operated his own intelligence network within Gaebang, and thanks to it, he concealed his whereabouts perfectly.
“It seems this was never a matter we should have involved ourselves in.”
Jeong Sam spoke cautiously, gauging Hae Poong’s reaction.
“Once word spreads, the Grand Elder will appear and strike down that arrogant Demonic Path dog.”
“That must never happen.”
Hae Poong spoke firmly, his expression resolute.
“News of him must never reach the Grand Elder’s ears.”
He opened his eyes narrowly, his expression grave.
“If the Grand Elder were to involve himself in this matter, it would bring about the same calamity as before.”
“Ah, that could indeed be the case.”
Jeong Sam sighed and nodded in agreement.
In truth, Gu Hong Cheong was a man unsatisfied with his position as Grand Elder.
Especially now that the current Sect Leader, No Bong, had fallen ill and his health showed no signs of improvement, he displayed his ambitions openly.
Had the leaders of the Eight Paths not restrained his actions, Gaebang would already be under the command of the Wandering King.
“The Grand Elder watches for every opportunity to intervene in the sect’s affairs. We must never give him cause to act.”
“But we cannot simply leave him be either. He will employ every scheme to provoke a duel with the Grand Elder… and the consequences will be endless.”
“A duel, you say.”
Hae Poong, who had been lost in thought, nodded.
“If he seeks a duel, there is a good way to handle this.”
“How so?”
“Did you not say that the Ten Demon Immortals of the Nangya Sect defeated even Song Ak, the great master of Wudang in the past?”
Hae Poong spoke in a low voice.
“In truth, this should have been Shaolin’s matter, but Wudang seized it first. Yet when Song Ak fell, Shaolin expressed considerable displeasure.”
And a faint smile crossed his lips.
“And Shaolin sent out Gwang Yeon, their great master, and has been searching for him in Gangho for a long time.”
When Jeong Sam let out a sound of realization, Hae Poong smiled with confidence.
“Inform Shaolin.”
After pausing briefly, his eyes gleamed in the darkness as he spoke.
“The Ten Demon Experts of the Nangya Sect—the ones I’ve been searching for all this time—are staying at Ihwajang.”

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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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