The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 282

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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 282.
For Bu Eunseol, who had reached the pinnacle of the Extreme Heaven Realm, formless energy was merely like a passing breeze.
Yet when the Middle-Aged Man suddenly unleashed formless energy, it brought back memories of the Sword Demon Wi Hyuk Gyun who had attacked me on Hell Island in the past.
“Hmm.”
But such thoughts lasted only a fleeting moment.
I deliberately staggered backward as if unable to withstand the energy, taking several steps back.
The moment my true cultivation was exposed, my foundation would shatter irreparably.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
At the Middle-Aged Man’s question, I lowered my head with an expression of pain.
“I understand.”
Seeing my pitiful state, the Middle-Aged Man nodded with satisfaction.
“And… if you grow tired of wandering as a vagrant, come find me at my sect.”
The Middle-Aged Man glanced once at my face, then turned away without hesitation.
“What on earth just happened?”
Then Jong Jeong Yak approached and asked.
“The Seven String Sect? Was Eunseol the master of that place?”
I shook my head, deliberately staggering once more as if greatly shaken by the formless energy.
“But who was that person?”
Jong Jeong Yak whispered in a low voice, blinking her large eyes.
“You really don’t know?”
“What do you mean?”
“That person is Yuk Jang Cheon, the one overseeing the Martial Hall of our Murim Alliance. Lord Yuk, the Sect Master.”
“The Palm King, Yuk Jang Cheon?”
I opened my eyes wide.
This burly Middle-Aged Man was the supreme commander overseeing all martial instructors of the Murim Alliance, and one of the Four Gods Seven Kings—the Palm King Yuk Jang Cheon?
“I had no idea.”
I trembled slightly as if frightened, and Jong Jeong Yak laughed.
“It’s fine. Since Lord Yuk has acknowledged you, there shouldn’t be any problems ahead.”
‘Acknowledged, I see.’
Hearing those words, I harbored a secret smile of satisfaction within.
Indeed, the Murim Alliance was the Murim Alliance.
Though it appeared superficially lax, it was actually far more terrifying than the Demon Hall.
When an outside vagrant entered the Murim Alliance, they would have mobilized all their intelligence networks to thoroughly investigate every detail of his background.
And finding no major issues, it was clear that Yuk Jang Cheon, a formidable master, had been sent to verify my identity once more.
‘Entering Wu Huang’s Secret Vault was fortunate.’
If I had remained at my previous level of merely imitating Orthodox Sect martial arts?
My true nature would have been exposed immediately.
But having entered Wu Huang’s Secret Vault and deeply mastered various martial techniques, I could now execute Orthodox Sect martial arts more authentically than anyone else.
Because of this, I was able to completely deceive even the eyes of a terrifying master like the Palm King Yuk Jang Cheon.
‘The Murim Alliance. Nothing about it is simple, from beginning to end.’
The Orthodox Sects’ influence in Murim surpassed the Demonic Path, and the Murim Alliance’s power exceeded the Demon Hall’s military strength.
A single misstep here, and even I would face immediate death.
“You seem quite startled.”
At Jong Jeong Yak’s words, I forced a smile.
“A brief rest should set things right.”
I staggered as though deeply shaken and made my way toward my quarters.
Night had fallen without my notice.
Jong Jeong Yak met with Hwa Mil Won Ju daily to discuss matters crucial to the successful convening of the Ten Elders’ Council.
With Hwa Mil Won Ju’s assistance, she began gathering evidence to expose Dan Ri Muk’s disloyalty.
Neung Jo Woon had apparently abandoned all caution regarding me, ceasing his vigilance to aid Jong Jeong Yak instead.
“If you grow restless, you’re welcome to take walks. Besides, the Wi Sa guards will stop you if you approach restricted areas.”
Moreover, since learning of my sect’s origins, his demeanor had shifted considerably in my favor.
Most ronin hailed from the Demonic Path or the Dark Path.
But upon discovering that I was a former disciple of the Seven String Sect—once renowned among the Righteous Path—he showed marked approval.
Click.
Once Neung Jo Woon departed, I slipped quietly from my quarters.
‘I should investigate elsewhere today.’
The mechanism in the abandoned warehouse remained most suspicious, yet Dan Ri Muk had altered the arrangement of the blue stone tiles yesterday.
The probability of leaving traces today was low, so I intended to examine other locations in the interim.
‘Perhaps I should venture deeper inside.’
Footstep by footstep.
Moving cautiously, I headed toward the East Gate quarters of the Murim Alliance—a section I had not visited yesterday.
This area housed the residences of the Murim Alliance Master and the Four Gods Seven Kings, or those of comparable mastery.
‘Fifty paces should suffice.’
I intended to employ the Hollow Heart Penetrating Technique from a distance of roughly fifty paces, avoiding closer approach.
Any nearer, and they might grow suspicious of me. And if a direct confrontation erupted?
Overwhelming masters would pour forth endlessly—a battle I could not win.
‘A mechanism’s sound.’
As I moved toward the East Gate, my ears perked up at the sight of a particular structure.
It resembled a towering pagoda, and faint mechanical friction echoed throughout the entire building.
‘There’s a hidden space here.’
Examining the tower’s perimeter discreetly, I covered my face with a pillowcase from my robes.
Entering cautiously, I followed a corridor where soft light filtered through.
Upon reaching the corridor’s end, a vast hall opened before me, dotted with small stone coffins arranged throughout.
‘What are these….’
Inspecting the stone coffins closely, I found Buddhist names inscribed upon them.
‘I’ve wandered into an unexpected place.’
This appeared to be a relic pagoda preserving the sarira left behind by eminent monks affiliated with the Murim Alliance.
‘These are precious treasures as well… so there must be mechanisms.’
I nodded faintly and turned to exit through the corridor once more, when—
“Amitabha Buddha.”
A low chant echoed from behind me.
“What brings a night visitor to this humble training ground where an old monk dwells alone at such a late hour?”
I was greatly startled.
It was astonishing enough that someone had approached so close while evading my beast-path senses, but….
Even though he spoke from behind me, his voice reached my ears with crystalline clarity.
‘This is an opponent beyond my reach.’
Tense, I turned my body with deliberate slowness.
Before me stood an elderly monk in robes, his weathered face graced by a faint smile.
His eyes held the crystalline brilliance of a youth, while his long eyebrows, drooping like willow branches, had turned white as snow.
He was undoubtedly a high-ranking elder of Shaolin, his seniority considerable.
“I harbor no malicious intent.”
I pressed my palms together and spoke with utmost respect.
“If the Venerable Master would show mercy, I shall withdraw quietly.”
“Hehehehe. This place is a sacred sanctuary of the Buddhist Order—absolutely forbidden to outsiders.”
The old monk’s smile was as innocent as a child’s.
“I must at least know your sect and name, so I have something to report to the Buddha, yes?”
“Had I intended to reveal such things, I would not have worn this mask.”
“True enough.”
The old monk shook his head regretfully.
“Then I shall have to ask your body directly.”
Whoosh!
The old monk waved his hands lightly, as though brushing away a fly.
In that instant, a gale fierce enough to tear flesh swept across my face.
‘The Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm?’
What the old monk unleashed was the preliminary form of the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm—the supreme technique of Shaolin that Gwang Yeon himself had once demonstrated.
Yet when Gwang Yeon had executed it, the technique was remarkably gentle, its force spreading with deliberate restraint.
But as this old monk deployed the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm, torrents of force erupted alongside the gale.
His internal power ran so profoundly deep that even the characteristic gentleness of Buddhist martial arts had been stripped away.
‘Tch.’
I immediately unfurled the Extreme Speed Shadow Evasion to slip past the force.
Yet the palm force instantly multiplied into thirty-two strands, ensnaring my body in a suffocating embrace.
‘There is no escape.’
I was seized by panic.
In mere seconds, he had sealed every avenue of retreat?
‘Deliberation comes later.’
I attempted to dissolve the force in one breath using the Thousand-Armed Counter Strike.
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘I cannot use Demonic Path techniques.’
The old monk’s eyes held no malice, and a faint smile played at his lips.
Clearly, the old monk had no idea that Bu Eunseol was a figure of the Demonic Path—he simply believed her to be a late-stage disciple residing within the Murim Alliance.
Whoosh!
In the brief moment my thoughts had wandered, the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm swept across my face.
The pillowcase concealing my visage was instantly snatched away by the old monk’s hand.
‘This cannot be.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened with shock.
Even if I had been distracted for just a moment, to have my mask torn away so effortlessly was unthinkable.
Had the old monk harbored malicious intent?
With the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm, he could have crushed Bu Eunseol’s face in an instant.
‘This unassuming old monk possesses martial arts that dominate all under Heaven.’
“Ah.”
The old monk, gazing upon Bu Eunseol’s revealed face, let out an exclamation of admiration.
Though I was maintaining the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Technique at the cost of a full year’s cultivation, the old monk’s eyes seemed to pierce through to my true visage.
“Your face gleams with radiance, and your eyes brim with vital essence. Killing intent flows through you, yet there is no malevolence….”
The old monk spoke with innocent delight.
“From which sect could such an exceptional disciple have emerged….”
The old monk was convinced that Bu Eunseol was a disciple of the Righteous Path, not the Demonic Path.
“Well, judging by your eyes, you seem unwilling to speak.”
The old monk opened his small palms wide once more.
“Shall we let your body answer instead?”
Swish!
Though his words were lengthy, his movements were swift as lightning.
The old monk’s small palms unfolded the viscous and formidable Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm once again.
‘I cannot block this.’
The old monk’s Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm was a hundred times more powerful than what Gwang Yeon had unleashed.
There was no way to defend against it using the Righteous Path martial arts I could imitate.
‘There is no choice.’
Even if the old monk harbored no intention to kill me, taking a direct hit from such force would result in immediate internal injuries or unconsciousness.
Should that happen, my thorough investigation of the Murim Alliance would come to nothing.
Swish! Swish!
In that instant, a sharp aura erupted from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Different Righteous Path martial arts poured forth from her legs and both arms as a single unified force.
She had unleashed the Thirteen Nights of Wu Huang—the supreme martial art of the Righteous Path from four hundred years past.
“Ho.”
The old monk let out an exclamation.
The sharp aura Bu Eunseol had unleashed was dissolving the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palms one by one.
“Remarkable martial arts indeed….”
The old monk, uttering his admiration, lightly shook his palms.
Though he had merely waved his hands gently, the aura of the Thirteen Nights Bu Eunseol had unleashed melted away like snow.
‘Prajna Great Divine Power?’
The old monk had not blocked the Thirteen Nights Technique with some special martial art.
With that formidable and resilient Prajna Great Ability, he had instantaneously transformed the martial principles underlying the Thirteen Nights Technique.
‘Is this the mastery of the Wuji Scripture?’
Bu Eunseol felt as though her heart might burst.
To reshape the very essence of an enemy’s martial techniques by extending formless power—was such a thing even possible?
This ability of the old monk was proof that he had transcended the martial scripture of the Extreme Heaven Realm and reached the pinnacle of strength in all Murim.
“Now then, let us see if you can withstand this.”
In that moment, the old monk withdrew his palms to his chest, then spread them wide once more.
Whoooosh.
This time, he conjured sixty-four hand shadows that enveloped Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
He had unleashed the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm once again.
Whoooooosh….
Yet something extraordinary unfolded.
As if time itself had frozen, the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm descended with deliberate slowness.
“…!”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s eyes trembled without cease.
The leisurely unfolding Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm was not merely an extension of palm shadows.
Each individual strike was distributed across different angles and temporal intervals.
In essence, the old monk had created an entirely new martial technique from a single existing one.
‘This is….’
A brilliant light flashed across Bu Eunseol’s eyes as profound enlightenment dawned upon her.
Simultaneously, her hands traced gentle circles through the air.
It was a movement reminiscent of the Wudang Sect’s Tai Chi Fist.
Crack!
In that instant, five strands of sword energy erupted from around Bu Eunseol’s body.
And those strands of energy began systematically erasing each of the sixty-four Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palms.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sword energy of the Thirteen Nights Technique had become extraordinarily sharp, moving through the void with the freedom of a living dragon.
Before, I had forcibly concentrated my martial power to unleash the Thirteen Nights Technique,
but now powerful and razor-sharp sword energy poured forth from the most natural of movements.
Boom boom boom boom!
When Bu Eunseol finally dispersed all sixty-four of the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palms, the old monk’s hands came to a slow halt.
“Haa, haa.”
Bu Eunseol breathed heavily.
It was not from exhaustion.
Rather, I had grasped a new and profound martial principle so overwhelming that I had entered a state of perfect absorption while unleashing the Thirteen Nights Technique.
“Why….”
Having barely steadied my internal breath, I gazed at the old monk and brought my palms together.
“Why have you bestowed such teachings upon me?”
The old monk had not been attacking Bu Eunseol.
As the old monk slowly unfurled the Heavenly Buddha Sutra, he simultaneously imparted the profound principles of Orthodox martial arts to me.
“You have mastered the various martial techniques of the Righteous Path so deeply that you could pour them forth as one unified force, and your inner energy is as pure and substantial as Bin Seung’s own….”
The old monk gazed directly into my eyes as he spoke.
“How could I not bestow upon you a teaching?”
‘Could he possibly be mistaking me for a Grand Master?’
Grand Masters had received all the secret techniques of the Nine Sects One Alliance, tailored to their abilities.
The old monk was undoubtedly under the impression that I was one of the eighteen Grand Masters cultivated by the Murim Alliance.
“However, I ask but one promise from you, old monk.”
Yet from the old monk’s next words, I immediately understood that it was not a misunderstanding.
“When great calamity befalls in the future… become an unwavering pillar of Murim.”
The old monk smiled gently as he spoke.
“No matter where you stand, never be shaken by anything….”
In the old monk’s mysteriously gleaming eyes lay absolute trust.
‘It was not a misunderstanding.’
Judging from his tone and demeanor, the old monk was not mistaking me for a Grand Master.
Then why had he imparted this enlightenment to me?
Could he possibly know of Mu Hwang’s martial arts?
Or was he simply aware that I was a late-stage master who had deeply cultivated the Orthodox martial techniques?
If not that either… had the Heavenly Eye opened, granting him the ability to see the future?
“I understand.”
My contemplation was long, but my response was swift.
Upon seeing the compassionate light gathered in the old monk’s eyes, I found myself instinctively pressing my palms together and bowing deeply.
“I shall do so.”
“Then, it is settled.”
The old monk smiled gently and turned away.
“If fate allows, we shall meet again.”
And he slowly vanished into the darkness beyond where the stone coffin lay.
“….”
I stood for a long while, gazing blankly at the corridor where the old monk had disappeared.
After some time, I emerged from the tower, yet still felt as though I were wandering in a dream.
Though the moonlight still shone brightly… I seemed to be lost within a dream still.
* * *
The next day, Jong Jeong Yak and Neung Jo Woon were still frantically organizing documents.
When mealtime arrived, I entered a nearby dining hall with them once more.
Perhaps because it was unusually late for breakfast, there were scarcely any patrons inside.
“During my evening stroll last night, I noticed something peculiar.”
I cleared my throat and spoke in a low voice.
“There was a small tower visible in the distance beyond the East Gate.”
Jong Jeong Yak blinked and nodded.
“Ah, you mean Geum Hwang Tower. Why do you ask?”
“Who lives there?”
“No one? That’s not a place where people actually reside.”
According to her explanation that followed, Geum Hwang Tower was a repository for the remains of eminent masters who had protected the Orthodox Sects of Murim.
Naturally, no one lived there, and only the caretakers who cleaned and maintained the tower occasionally entered, she said.
Then was the old monk Bu Eunseol had seen yesterday a ghost?
‘It couldn’t be a ghost.’
The fabric near his sleeve had been torn sharply by the aftermath of the Thousand-Armed Buddha Palm.
Even if that old monk were a ghost, it made no sense.
Why would a venerable master of the Shaolin Sect become a ghost and appear to modify the Thousand-Armed Buddha Palm, only to impart teachings about the Thirteen Nights?
“Has there been any recent ceremony or ritual conducted by the Buddhist Order at that location?”
When Bu Eunseol changed the subject, Jong Jeong Yak nodded.
“How did you know? A Buddhist ceremony is held there once every year, sponsored by Shaolin Temple.”
She scratched her forehead and nodded as she spoke.
“Not long ago, the venerable master known as the Divine Monk, Hong Hyeon Dae Sa, personally conducted the ceremony.”
“Hong Hyeon…”
A flash of light seemed to dance across Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“The one said to be over two hundred years old…… the Buddha Honored One among the Three Venerables, Hong Hyeon Dae Sa?”

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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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