The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 22

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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 22.
‘So fast!’
Sal Gwi’s pursuit speed was several times faster than Bu Eunseol had anticipated.
At this rate, I wouldn’t even have a chance to raise my hand before being struck down from behind.
‘I have no choice but to fight!’
If I couldn’t shake off the pursuit, I had to stand and face it—sink or swim.
Thud.
Bu Eunseol burst through the wide-open crimson doors of the Martial Hall and drew her black blade with lightning-swift precision.
Clang!
Yet Sal Gwi was already there, standing rigid before the great doors of the Martial Hall as if she had never been chasing at all.
“….”
With only the crimson-painted gate between them, Bu Eunseol and Sal Gwi locked eyes.
As the suffocating tension stretched on in their standoff, beads of sweat rolled down Bu Eunseol’s brow.
Yet even after half a moment of holding her stance, Sal Gwi showed no reaction whatsoever.
‘I see.’
Only then did understanding dawn, and Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
‘Sal Gwi cannot leave the restricted zone!’
Upon stepping outside the Martial Hall, I heard no warning sound indicating entry into a restricted area.
This confirmed that the restricted zone extended only to the interior of the Hwawoo Sword Sect’s Martial Hall.
“….”
Even as Bu Eunseol stared intently, Sal Gwi did not spare her a glance.
The eyes visible above the mask seemed to gaze upon some distant, unreachable place.
Slowly.
Bu Eunseol carefully backed away, then fled with all her remaining strength.
‘All I could do was run for my life.’
Since mastering the Beast Path, this was the first time I couldn’t even detect the trace of an attack.
I couldn’t even guess what weapon she used. Perhaps Sal Gwi’s martial prowess surpassed even the sect leaders.
Whoosh. Thud.
Bu Eunseol arrived at the southern shore of Hell Island, having run like a madwoman.
A black vessel was moored before the observation stone, and the sunset was sinking beyond the horizon.
“Phew.”
Bu Eunseol’s back was drenched in sweat as she finally stopped running.
Patter.
As her footsteps ceased, a few strands of hair fell to the ground.
Some of the hair that had been severed by Sal Gwi’s attack was falling away again.
“I am a frog in a well….”
Bu Eunseol picked up the fallen strands, her eyes hollow with despair.
“No—a frog that couldn’t even enter the well.”
Sal Gwi’s martial skill had reached a realm beyond my comprehension.
Yet the severed edge of my hair was rough and jagged.
“But that man….”
The beast who had slain my grandfather had carved through both arms of a living, breathing human as smoothly as glass.
A realm so boundless that even masters who had honed their blades for decades could scarcely reach it.
Bu Eunseol would have to transcend that very realm to claim her vengeance.
Whoosh.
Then, from the opposite direction, a shadow approached with the setting sun at its back.
A sturdy frame bore a massive blade slung across one shoulder.
“Bu Eunseol.”
Remarkably, the sword-bearing youth called out her name with perfect composure.
“I have been searching for you for a long time.”
Bu Eunseol remained rooted in place, not moving a single hand.
‘It is similar.’
The sensation resembles that of Sal Gwi, whom I had just witnessed.
One careless movement, and that dull blade would cleave my body in two.
“I am called Peng Ak. I have trained in the Blood Flame Sect here.”
Peng Ak introduced himself with the same calm demeanor, his eyes flashing toward Bu Eunseol.
“I hear you have mastered the Primal Beast Path. Is this true?”
A disciple of the Blood-Dyed Sword School knew of my circumstances?
Yet Bu Eunseol was not particularly surprised.
This place harbored many organized factions. If Peng Ak’s group included someone from the Hwawoo Sword Sect among their ranks, then knowing of my information was hardly remarkable.
“There is no need for further words, is there?”
Peng Ak, observing Bu Eunseol’s sealed lips, slowly drew the massive blade slung across his shoulder.
Screech.
A peculiar stance.
Peng Ak raised the great blade overhead as though splitting firewood—the distinctive qi-form of the Blood Flame technique itself.
Yet Bu Eunseol stood motionless, her sword still sheathed.
The instant she drew it, she sensed that a thunderous blade strike would descend upon her.
“You have already perceived the Blood Flame Blade Form.”
What made the Blood Flame Blade Form so terrifying was that it struck the moment the opponent moved.
“No.”
Peng Ak, observing Bu Eunseol’s posture, drew a deep breath and nodded.
“With the instincts of a beast, you have already discerned the path of the blade form. Through the Primal Beast Path.”
At that moment, a strange thought crossed Bu Eunseol’s mind.
What faction does this man belong to? Is he from the same organization as the Masked Assassin I encountered earlier?
How does he know not only my appearance but also the functions of the Primal Beast Path in such detail?
As her thoughts spiraled endlessly, Peng Ak suddenly began to speak of something peculiar.
“Indeed, you are certain to become one of the Ten Demon Experts.”
Swish.
Peng Ak’s stance suddenly shifted.
From the Blood Flame Blade Form poised to deliver the Heaven-Shattering Strike, he abruptly assumed a bizarre posture as though unfurling a net.
“The seeds of a Demonic Species must be cut down before they take root!”
‘Seeds of a Demonic Species?’
In that instant, a thought flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind like lightning.
―Hmph, does he truly believe everyone gathered here aspires to become one of the Ten Demon Experts?
Those were the words of Seo Jin Ha, the Advanced Hall’s trainee who had displayed swordplay remarkable enough to rival my own.
Through that single remark, I deduced that this island harbored not only the talented practitioners of the Demonic Path, but also infiltrators from the orthodox sects.
‘This Peng Ak fellow as well….’
Clang!
At that moment, a cold blade halted mere inches from my forehead.
In the blink of an eye, Peng Ak’s swift saber descended in torrents, yet my body reacted faster than thought, deflecting the technique.
Had I not mastered the Beast Blade, that single strike would have claimed my life.
‘I must cast aside all distracting thoughts!’
Crying out inwardly, I gripped the black sword with both hands.
Just moments before, Peng Ak had employed not the Blood Flame technique, but another path entirely—proof that he had mastered a far more formidable method than the newly learned Blood Flame School.
“Bu Eunseol, you will die here!”
Crash!
Once more, the black sword and saber collided.
In that instant, a tremendous force traveled through the blade and into my wrists.
“Ugh.”
Sharp needles of energy burrowed into my wrists, piercing every corner of my body.
The technique Peng Ak wielded possessed not only a powerful suction force, but with each collision of weapons, a tremendous force burrowed deep into my body.
Crack.
With each impact, my entire skeleton shuddered from the shock, not merely my wrists.
‘The Hebei Peng Family…?’
In that moment, I recalled a time years ago when I had performed a ritual with my grandfather.
―Alas, this man was slain by a master of the Hebei Peng Family.
My grandfather, Bu Chanyang, shook his head as he gazed upon the corpse laid upon the ritual table.
―How could you possibly know that?
―Not a single external wound, yet the bones throughout the entire body are riddled with fractures.
This is the telltale mark of having faced the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber of the Hebei Peng Family.
Bu Chanyang clicked his tongue and sighed as he spoke.
―The masters of the Hebei Peng Family rarely reveal themselves in the martial world… This man must have committed some grave transgression.
Bu Chanyang took a clean cloth, dipped it in a basin of warm water, and murmured in a low voice.
―When fighting a master who has mastered the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, one should have reversed the torrential suction force to launch a counterattack. By meeting his technique head-on, your body has been reduced to this state.
As my recollection ended, my eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.
Words that had been incomprehensible in the past now became clear, thanks to the sword studies I had learned at the Advanced Hall.
‘Reverse the suction force to launch a counterattack….’
Whoosh!
In that instant, Peng Ak’s great saber descended once more, cleaving toward my shoulder.
“Hah!”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol drove the black blade into the earth with every ounce of her strength.
The Five-Tiger Saber Method.
The Hebei Peng Family’s exclusive saber technique that dominated the province, wielding power heavier than Mount Tai itself.
Moreover, with each strike it possessed the utility of drawing the opponent’s weapon toward it—by exploiting the moment their blades collided, one could unleash formidable internal force.
‘What?’
Peng Ak’s eyes widened as he brought his saber down in a swift arc toward her shoulder.
He had naturally expected her to raise her blade and defend near her shoulder, yet instead she was driving her sword into the ground?
Whoosh.
As the black blade wrapped in the suction force moved in an unexpected direction, Peng Ak’s massive saber descending vertically became slightly deflected.
“You wretch!”
As his attack went wide, Peng Ak rotated his great saber again, sweeping it across Bu Eunseol’s waist.
Swish.
Yet Bu Eunseol paid it no mind, moving her blade in another unexpected direction.
As his strikes repeatedly missed their mark, Peng Ak let out a derisive snort.
“Resorting to such petty tricks!”
Though he called it petty, Bu Eunseol’s actions were nothing short of audacious.
How many warriors in the martial world possessed the courage to take evasive action rather than block when an enemy’s blade came slashing down?
‘This alone won’t suffice.’
She had neutralized his attacks using the suction technique, but that was all.
With this method, not only would she fail to defeat Peng Ak, but her stamina would be drained at an accelerating rate.
Whoosh!
Though the great saber rained down like a meteor upon her head, Bu Eunseol instead spread both hands as if welcoming a cherished guest.
Yet the suction force proved far more potent than anticipated, and her black blade moved toward Peng Ak’s body.
―I shall teach you the method to manifest the subtlety of striking after the opponent in swordplay.
As the black blade moved of its own accord, Dan Cheon Yang’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind—the teachings he had expounded in the Advanced Hall.
―Speed is relative. In essence, I need not be exceptionally fast; I need only be half a step faster than my opponent.
‘By using the suction technique to unfold my swordplay faster than the saber method.’
Flash.
A brilliant gleam flickered across Bu Eunseol’s eyes as enlightenment struck her.
Slash!
In that moment, Peng Ak’s great saber cut sharply through the air, severing across Bu Eunseol’s torso.
Yet Bu Eunseol remained unfazed, swiftly extending her blade to pierce Peng Ak’s throat.
Whoosh.
Though Bu Eunseol’s movement was fluid and unhurried, her black blade touched Peng Ak’s throat in the blink of an eye.
‘What?’
Greatly startled, Peng Ak halted his technique and retreated.
‘How could such a slow swordplay be faster than my saber method?’
Clenching his teeth, he unleashed his technique once more.
Rumble.
Accompanied by a faint thunder, dozens of overlapping saber shadows enveloped Bu Eunseol.
Whoosh!
Yet as Bu Eunseol extended her blade with deliberate slowness once more, it pierced through the shadow of his saber and drove toward his throat.
A strangled gasp escaped him.
Peng Ak leaned his body back, narrowly evading the black sword that sought to bore through his Tiantu point by the barest margin.
Bu Eunseol’s swordplay unfolded with such gentleness, yet how could it possibly be faster than his own blade technique that tore through the air with such ferocity?
A roar of exertion!
Peng Ak, channeling the full force of his inner power throughout his body, unleashed his blade technique once more.
And using an intense suction seal, he attempted to drive Bu Eunseol’s black sword against his great saber.
Impossible!
Yet the black sword, which should have collided with his great saber, suddenly shifted direction and attacked his throat instead.
‘Could this ghostly fiend be deploying swift strikes by harnessing the power of the suction seal itself?’
The Five Orifice Single Gate technique—a method that destroyed an enemy’s interior by clashing weapons.
To employ such a secret art required unleashing an intense suction seal with every single move.
And Bu Eunseol had used the pulling force to rapidly extend her blade, then at the final moment subtly shifted the direction of her power to strike at Peng Ak.
‘That should be impossible!’
The suction seal of the Five Orifice Single Gate technique could draw in boulders from beyond three zhang away.
To subtly command such overwhelming force was no simple feat, even for masters of the blade.
A sharp metallic scrape!
Then Bu Eunseol deployed her swordplay once more with unhurried grace.
Her movements were fluid and her blade strokes economical, yet still slightly faster than Peng Ak’s saber technique that tore through the air.
“Excellent!”
Peng Ak bellowed and twisted his great saber in his grip. Then, wielding the massive blade as though it were chopsticks, he unleashed his technique with blinding speed.
A furious whirring sound!
Like the roar of an enraged beast, the noise erupted forth, and sharp saber shadows poured down like a torrential downpour alongside a tempestuous wind.
A tremendous gale!
As the saber shadows unfolded, an intense suction force enveloped Bu Eunseol’s black sword.
A tremor ran through it.
The black sword in her grip quivered like a single leaf adrift on water, yet Bu Eunseol’s eyes remained utterly unmoved.
‘The stronger the suction seal becomes, the faster my blade merely grows.’
The Five Orifice Single Gate technique was less a mysterious art and more a method of overwhelming force—pouring immense inner power to harm the opponent.
Without the weapons clashing, it could not unleash its true might.

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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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