The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 226
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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 226.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs.
Bu Eunseol clenched her fists and bit her lip.
The urge to draw her Silent Sword and fight surged through her entire being.
[….]
Ak Moo Ryung, observing the blazing intensity in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, suddenly curved his lips into a smile.
[You’ve stepped into the threshold of the Extreme Heavenly Realm.]
Though he stood directly before her,
Ak Moo Ryung’s voice still resonated across the heavens and earth.
[Moreover, I sense traces of spiritual cultivation as well…]
As he smiled, the otherworldly existence that had dominated the demonic realm seemed to transform into human form.
The terrifying radiance that had flowed from his eyes softened like sunlight, and the savage aura of a beast transformed into the solemn bearing of Mount Tai itself.
Had anyone locked eyes with the Nangya Pavilion Master in this moment, they would never forget it for the rest of their lives.
“A disciple of Nangya Pavilion, Bu Eunseol…”
Just as Bu Eunseol lowered her head to bow,
Rumble.
A low thunder accompanied the trembling of the earth itself, and the ground began to shake as though an earthquake had struck.
[A disciple of Nangya Pavilion?]
“….”
[How could a Nangya Pavilion disciple become the Grand Master of Demon Palace without the Pavilion Master’s permission!]
His demeanor shifted once more.
The solemn Great Sage of Mount Tai had become the Dark Lord of the demonic realm once again.
[Answer me. Why did you seek the position of Grand Master of Demon Palace?]
Ak Moo Ryung’s voice was exceedingly low, his gaze sharp as a blade.
Dan Cheong had been right.
Ak Moo Ryung possessed a temperament far from pleasant, and he appeared enraged that someone had assumed the position of Grand Master without his consent.
Bu Eunseol deliberated.
She had come to realize that the Nangya Pavilion Master was not one to tolerate refutation.
‘He truly is a demonic immortal.’
A human-demon, Ak Moo Ryung.
The Nangya Pavilion Master cared not even for the lives of his own sect disciples—he was a great demonic immortal.
“I had no choice but to become the Grand Master.”
After deep deliberation, Bu Eunseol spoke.
“A disciple of Bon Gak knows only victory; defeat is not permitted.”
To seize the advantage in the succession struggle for Demon Palace’s leadership, loyal subordinates were essential.
For victory.
This was what Bu Eunseol was saying.
Ak Moo Ryung fixed his mysteriously gleaming eyes upon Bu Eunseol’s face.
[You have no intention of stopping.]
Was it a guess born from her resolute expression, or could he peer into another’s spirit as Ma Cheon Je could?
He immediately saw through Bu Eunseol’s heart.
[The succession to the Demon Palace, then.]
“That is correct.”
[You believe you have gained an advantage.]
Ak Moo Ryung gazed down at Bu Eunseol with cold eyes.
[Because you slew an old man whose martial prowess was pathetically weak, yet whose reputation was utterly undeserved?]
Though Geol Wang held the lowest rank among the Four Gods Seven Kings, he was still a master of that order.
Yet he referred to him as a “pathetically weak elder.”
[With your current strength, you cannot withstand those who covet the renown of the Four Gods Seven Kings.]
“I am also a disciple of Nangya Sect.”
But Bu Eunseol spoke with equal firmness.
“I will not shy away from any battle.”
Rumble.
Thunder-like sound crashed through the clear sky once more.
[You are mistaken.]
Ak Moo Ryung looked at Bu Eunseol, his lips curling in mockery.
[Do you think the Pavilion Master issued this command out of affection for you?]
“….”
[Sa Do Moo Myung. That man seeks to govern all things through the word of fate.]
Bu Eunseol’s eyes wavered.
It was a doubt she had felt briefly during her clash with Geol Wang.
What if Ma Cheon Je had deliberately taught her the Technique of Emotional Severance to render her emotionless and manipulate her with ease?
[The disciples of Bon Gak will no longer be puppets in his hands.]
An unexpected declaration.
Did those words mean that among the disciples of Nangya Sect, there were others whose fates had been twisted by Ma Cheon Je?
“I….”
Bu Eunseol began to speak but closed her mouth.
She remembered Dan Cheong’s parting words.
―Never contradict the Pavilion Master. I will handle whatever comes after.
“…I understand.”
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to bow her head and clasp her hands together.
Since Dan Cheong said he would take responsibility for what came next, he surely would.
For now, she had to escape the gaze of the Demon Lord who would not tolerate even a single word of objection.
Yet something felt strange.
Despite giving the answer he sought, she felt a pair of ice-cold eyes pierce through her entire being with razor-sharp intensity.
A displeased and hostile gaze.
[You do not pursue the Way of Martial Arts.]
Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes blazed once more like those of a demon as he stared fixedly at Bu Eunseol.
[You merely wish to become stronger.]
Bu Eunseol flinched inwardly.
The Nangya Pavilion Master Ak Moo Ryung, much like Ma Cheon Je, seemed to possess not only the ability to perceive physical prowess but also the capacity to see through one’s very heart.
“Pursuing the martial way is not also for the sake of becoming stronger?”
To Bu Eunseol’s rebuttal, Ak Moo Ryung spoke in a solemn voice.
[Pursuing the martial way means comprehending the ultimate truth of martial arts and aiming to reach an absolute realm.]
After pausing briefly, he continued.
[It is fundamentally different from merely becoming stronger.]
Ak Moo Ryung’s suspicion was accurate.
Bu Eunseol harbored no desire to witness the pinnacle of martial arts or ascend to an absolute realm.
Her sole purpose was to become strong enough to eliminate the formidable demonic beast.
[I decree….]
As if sensing something, Ak Moo Ryung swept his piercing gaze across Bu Eunseol’s form and spoke.
[You shall undergo five years of secluded cultivation at Bon Gak.]
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s eyes wavered like ripples on water.
If she were to answer this command, even if Dan Cheong were to smooth everything over, she could never return to the Demon Palace with her head held high.
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath. She had instinctively grasped that an inescapable situation had arrived.
“That cannot be.”
Boom.
In that instant, a tremendous explosion erupted within Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Ak Moo Ryung had not struck her physical body—he had delivered a direct blow to her formless spirit.
‘Ugh.’
As Bu Eunseol staggered,
Boom.
Another strange explosion resonated within her mind.
‘Mmm.’
Eventually, Bu Eunseol stumbled backward a step, as if intoxicated by potent liquor.
[Did the Pavilion Master permit you to talk back?]
Ak Moo Ryung’s voice, reverberating in all directions, became like thousands of pounds of iron, crushing down upon Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘So this is the Pavilion Master’s power….’
Ak Moo Ryung, the Demon Immortal.
He was wielding an intangible force—not vital energy, but the power of spirit—transforming it into something tangible to strike at Bu Eunseol’s consciousness.
And this was possible not merely because his cultivation was profound, but because his martial arts had reached a mysterious and wondrous realm.
‘An attack without form—one that cannot be severed by sword nor blocked by inner energy….’
[Hmph.]
Having unleashed his mysterious power, Ak Moo Ryung let out a scoff as Bu Eunseol immediately staggered backward.
Martial artists are accustomed to physical pain, yet they are surprisingly vulnerable to spiritual suffering.
Especially those supreme prodigies who have advanced their martial cultivation with ease.
They reached lofty realms effortlessly through exceptional physique and talent, never tasting defeat.
Yet a strange light flickered in Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes.
Bu Eunseol, who had been staggering, had swiftly recovered her clarity of mind and now stood with an unperturbed expression.
[Quite the technique.]
‘Ugh.’
As Ak Moo Ryung’s voice resonated in Bu Eunseol’s ears once more, her body trembled violently.
Merely hearing that low, eerie tone caused her mind to feel as though it were melting away in white-hot agony.
‘I must endure.’
Bu Eunseol, her brow furrowed, concentrated her consciousness.
Soon after, her expression returned to its usual impassive state.
In that instant, Ak Moo Ryung’s eyebrows twitched.
He had perceived that Bu Eunseol’s spiritual essence was extraordinarily resilient.
[Fascinating. How fascinating.]
Ak Moo Ryung’s echoing voice transformed into a spinning blade this time, piercing deep into Bu Eunseol’s steel-like spiritual essence.
Crash!
An immense force beyond description crushed down upon Bu Eunseol’s spirit.
An ordinary person would have had their mind shattered to fragments or become a simpleton from such a blow.
Yet Bu Eunseol merely furrowed her brow briefly.
She possessed an inherently formidable spirit.
Moreover, since meeting Bu Chanyang, she had been confined within a coffin under the guise of “playing dead,” cultivating her inner strength while overcoming idle thoughts and fear.
The fortitude of her spiritual essence rivaled that of an enlightened master who had spent decades mastering profound cultivation.
[Hehehehe.]
As Bu Eunseol calmly withstood Ak Moo Ryung’s psychic assault, he let out a low laugh.
His eyes gleamed, and he began multiplying the force he unleashed severalfold.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
In this place of profound silence, only the occasional birdsong echoed.
Cheol Jang Peak was enveloped in a peaceful atmosphere, and a warm spring breeze drifted through.
Yet in truth, a battle of earth-shattering magnitude was unfolding.
Ak Moo Ryung poured forth an invisible, overwhelming force to annihilate her mind, while Bu Eunseol, her spiritual essence fortified, fought back with every ounce of her strength.
Thump.
Gradually, thick bloodshot veins emerged across Bu Eunseol’s face.
As Ak Moo Ryung’s formidable force continued to gnaw at her spirit, her mental limits began to approach their threshold.
Hallucinations gradually began to manifest before her eyes, and strength drained from her entire body.
It was a despair and emptiness incomparable to any physical agony.
Then, Ak Moo Ryung’s low voice reached her.
[If another half incense stick’s worth of time passes, you will either become a simpleton or a cripple.]
The words of the solemn Nangya Pavilion Master would surely not be a lie.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s stubbornness only intensified.
“You may destroy my body, Pavilion Master, but….”
Bu Eunseol raised her head defiantly and met Ak Moo Ryung’s blazing gaze directly.
“You will never be able to destroy my spirit.”
[Gwahahaha!]
Raucous laughter erupted from Ak Moo Ryung’s lips.
Boom!
As laughter that seemed to tear the heavens asunder poured forth, a violent explosion erupted within Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Splash.
Simultaneously, as though plunging into an infinitely deep lake, the focus in her eyes dissolved away.
The tremendous explosive force radiating from her spirit had thrust her consciousness into an unfathomable abyss from which there was no escape.
[Daring to show disrespect to the Bon Gak Master.]
Bu Eunseol, whom all members of Nangya Sect had acknowledged as the orthodox successor.
Yet even as she fell into the abyss, losing herself in the darkness, Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes held not the slightest regret.
―If one were to sharply strip away the affection in one’s heart, what obstacle could possibly remain?
As Bu Eunseol plummeted deeper into the boundless abyss, unconscious, a peculiar voice suddenly reached her ears.
“…?”
Upon opening her eyes, she began to perceive flames burning black. They were all dharmic teachings of the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol.
‘The Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol….’
If she mastered this, she could perfectly attain the Yeo Ui Jin Gyeol.
However, Bu Eunseol, who harbored no desire to strip away affection, deliberately erased that secret from her mind.
Yet each time her spirit’s foundation wavered, the dharmic teachings of that secret were being inscribed upon her consciousness like a brand.
‘If one were to sharply strip away the affection in one’s heart….’
As she unknowingly recited the dharmic teachings of the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol, Bu Eunseol’s consciousness, which had been sinking into the abyss, found its way back to its rightful place.
As the illusions faded and distracting thoughts diminished, her body began to respond.
Simultaneously, the Yeo Ui Jin Gyeol activated of its own accord, and black flames began to undulate across Bu Eunseol’s form.
And so she began to push back against the spiritual assault that Ak Moo Ryung was unleashing.
[This is….]
Upon detecting the black vital essence flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body, Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes widened.
Rumble!
In that instant, a vibration that shook heaven and earth emanated from around Bu Eunseol’s body.
Black vital essence flowed through her entire being, and her pupils were darkening as well.
By unleashing the Yeo Ui Jin Gyeol in response to Ak Moo Ryung’s assault, the power of the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol had been etched even deeper into Bu Eunseol’s spirit.
[Sa Do Moo Myung. That bastard’s handiwork.]
Ak Moo Ryung’s brow furrowed.
[He’s created yet another bizarre dharmic teaching that defies the principles of martial arts.]
A smile played at the corners of Ak Moo Ryung’s mouth as he instantly grasped Bu Eunseol’s condition.
[Hehehehe. Hahahaha!]
As thunderous laughter echoed forth, the black vital essence flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body grew even more intense.
[Sa Do Moo Myung!]
Ak Moo Ryung, having perceived Ma Cheon Je’s martial purification dwelling within Bu Eunseol’s spirit, cried out toward the heavens.
[Do you wish to engage in another confrontation over the disciples of Bon Gak!]
Thereupon, an enormous force poured down, crushing Bu Eunseol’s body.
Illusion Upon Illusion
The power he wielded was a supreme martial art that layered illusion upon illusion.
Creating tangible force within the formless realm of the spirit.
A deep, resonant hum reverberated through the air!
The black vital energy enveloping his entire body dispersed like tens of thousands of threads, neutralizing the cascading pressure.
Bu Eunseol had defended against the formless force using materialized vital energy.
―This jewel-like prodigy….
In Ak Moo Ryung’s mind, the voices of Ma Cheon Je and Sa Do Moo Myung seemed to echo.
―…Can you render her useless?
Bu Eunseol’s body contained the Heart Sutra that Ma Cheon Je had devised, embedded within her very essence.
It could not be extracted or separated from her.
In other words, Ma Cheon Je had proposed yet another trial to Ak Moo Ryung.
To eliminate that power, Bu Eunseol would have to be struck down and killed.
―By your own hand.
Any ordinary martial artist would have hesitated, even briefly, at the prospect of slaying their own disciple.
[I accept this challenge…!]
But Ak Moo Ryung, without the slightest hesitation, unleashed the formless force directly into Bu Eunseol’s meridians.
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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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