The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 284

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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 284.
When Dan Ri Muk burst out shouting, Jeong Ji Ryong furrowed his brow and pointed to the seal stamped on the document.
“The Hall Master’s seal is stamped here with perfect clarity.”
“Nonsense!”
“Mind your words, Hall Master.”
Jeong Ji Ryong’s gaze turned glacial.
“Do you truly believe the current Hall Master is leisurely conversing with you at this very moment?”
Only then did Dan Ri Muk suppress his agitation and speak with measured calm.
“Think about it. What fool would stamp their seal on instructions given to a traitor?”
“…You never mentioned these were instructions given to a traitor.”
At Jeong Ji Ryong’s words, Dan Ri Muk’s face flushed crimson.
“W-well, surely it’s obvious what they would contain?”
Yet the expressions of Jeong Ji Ryong, Hwa Mil Won Ju, and the five Hall Masters remained decidedly grim.
The Ten Elders Council was not a place to determine guilt.
When suspicious circumstances surrounded a Hall Master-level figure, the council’s purpose was to deliberate whether the Inspection Bureau should investigate the matter.
“I shall announce the council’s decision.”
Jeong Ji Ryong spoke in a low voice.
“Effective immediately, Deputy Hall Master Dan Ri’s duties are suspended. Furthermore, he shall be confined to the Iron Prison until the investigation concludes.”
He then addressed Jong Jeong Yak and Bu Eunseol.
“The formal trial shall proceed only after this hall’s investigation yields results. At that time, Jip Beop So Ryeong and Seol So, you shall testify once more.”
“Understood.”
“Then, I hereby conclude the Ten Elders Council.”
Dan Ri Muk had expected to erupt in thunderous protest.
Yet unexpectedly, he accepted the verdict without resistance.
He departed without uttering a word, docilely led away by the Inspection Bureau’s warriors.
He merely cast a glance toward Hwa Mil Won Ju and Jong Jeong Yak as he left.
‘It’s over.’
Watching his departure, Jong Jeong Yak harbored an inward smile of relief.
Dan Ri Muk’s transgressions were undeniable fact.
Should the Inspection Bureau launch an investigation, his crimes would inevitably be laid bare in their entirety.
“Well done.”
As the council concluded, Hwa Mil Won Ju, Yang Seol, gently patted Jong Jeong Yak’s shoulder.
She had consistently trusted Jong Jeong Yak, and once evidence of Dan Ri Muk’s misconduct surfaced, she had supported the investigation through every means available.
“It is all thanks to you, Pavilion Master.”
Jong Jeong Yak clasped her hands together, and Yang Seol smiled warmly.
“We shall see once the investigation concludes, but if his crimes are exposed, your responsibilities will only multiply from here.”
“Thank you.”
As Yang Seol departed, Jong Jeong Yak gazed at Bu Eunseol and offered a light smile.
“We’re almost there now.”
And she harbored a smile of relief.
“Once the investigation concludes, he’ll be formally referred for trial. Seol So, I’ll need you to testify once more at that time. Then everything will be settled.”
“Understood.”
The Murim Alliance was established to safeguard peace throughout the Murim.
Yet not everyone within its walls upheld justice.
Wherever people gathered, power and hierarchy inevitably emerged. And such power and hierarchy were maintained by forces far removed from righteousness.
By that measure, corruption and embezzlement within the Murim Alliance were not merely possible—they were inevitable.
However, Dan Ri Muk’s alleged crimes transcended the typical scale of such inevitable misconduct.
Moreover, his position was Vice Director of the Jip Beop Dang, the very institution tasked with rigorous law enforcement. For such a man to embezzle treasures and vast sums flowing into the Murim Alliance?
Precise evidence was essential, so the Inspection Bureau had begun a thorough investigation of both the Jip Beop Dang and Dan Ri Muk’s quarters.
If everything were proven true?
This matter would escalate to direct intervention by the Alliance Leader himself.
The night deepened.
As darkness fell, I resumed my search through the Murim Alliance.
Dan Ri Muk’s investigation was nearly complete.
Regardless of the outcome, once the trial commenced, my role would be limited to testimony as a witness—nothing more.
After that, I could no longer remain within the Murim Alliance. Yet I still had not uncovered any connection between the Murim Alliance and Saixiang.
‘There’s no helping it.’
One cannot be satisfied after a single meal.
Those were my own words, after all.
Though the Murim Alliance appeared lax, its internal security was meticulous, and it teemed with masters who surpassed me in skill.
I harbored no illusions that this incident would allow me to uncover Saixiang’s secrets or the Murim Alliance’s hidden truths in one sweep.
‘What I must accomplish this time is not to expose Saixiang’s trail.’
Rather, I must make my name resound throughout the Murim once more.
This was the consensus opinion voiced by the subordinate lords in the Jamma Pavilion conference.
The recent inspection by Hell Blood Castle had tarnished my reputation within Demon Hall.
Yet I had already anticipated such consequences.
When one newly grasps power and wields the staff, even righteous actions appear harsh and callous.
‘I must use this opportunity to ensure no one ever questions my decisions again.’
When So Ja Myeong relayed Jong Jeong Yak’s information to me, I resolved to exploit these rumors.
Corruption among the Murim Alliance’s upper echelon.
Such misconduct could not be the work of one man alone. By uncovering the connections and exposing them to the Murim, I would restore my reputation magnificently.
Never again would anyone dare question my authority through gossip or reputation.
‘Tonight will be the last.’
Stepping outside my quarters, I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
I had not come tonight to investigate whether any connection to Saixiang existed.
Before the Inspection Bureau could act, I would thoroughly ransack Dan Ri Muk’s quarters and office, rooting out all those behind him.
‘This is precisely why the Ten Elders Council had to eliminate Dan Ri Muk.’
Dan Ri Muk’s quarters and office were always guarded meticulously by the Murim Alliance’s finest masters.
No matter how superior my Extreme Speed Shadow Technique, I could not afford to take risks within the Murim Alliance.
I had manufactured decisive evidence to imprison him in the Iron Prison and removed the masters who had guarded that place so vigilantly.
Whoosh.
Deploying the Extreme Speed Shadow Technique, I infiltrated Dan Ri Muk’s quarters in a single breath, the vigilant security having already been withdrawn.
Whoosh.
Though Wi Sa’s men patrolled throughout, I slipped past their attention with ease and entered the Office.
‘They’ve already conducted a thorough search.’
The Inspection Bureau had already combed through the place meticulously—Dan Ri Muk’s Office stood empty.
‘As expected. No hidden mechanisms.’
Dan Ri Muk had been well aware that Jong Jeong Yak was investigating him.
And if things went wrong, the Office would be the first place scrutinized.
It was inconceivable that he would install secret vaults or hidden mechanisms in such a location.
‘Instead, he created something like this.’
Channeling my Void Heart Perception, I picked up a single brush resting on the desk.
To any ordinary eye, it appeared unremarkable, yet through my Void Heart Perception, unique patterns became visible.
After inserting my fingernail into the brush’s tip and infusing inner energy according to the pattern,
Click.
The end suddenly separated, and a tightly rolled scroll tumbled out.
“A secret cipher of the Murim Alliance.”
Studying the paper, I stroked my chin.
I had not yet learned to decipher the Murim Alliance’s secret language.
Two choices remained.
Present it to Jong Jeong Yak? Or secretly take it to the Demon Palace for decryption?
‘She would certainly grow suspicious.’
Even as a top-tier wanderer, if it were discovered that I had secretly infiltrated the quarters of the Jip Beop Dang’s vice-leader—
She would suspect my identity far more than the authenticity of this cipher.
‘Should I return to headquarters as is?’
If this concerned Saixiang, it might be better to take it to the Demon Palace rather than show Jong Jeong Yak.
If it contained shameful secrets of the Murim Alliance? She would immediately attempt to conceal it.
‘No, that’s not quite right either.’
If Jong Jeong Yak were an ordinary person, she would blindly cover up the Alliance’s scandals.
But she is a woman of fierce ambition.
If she could advance, the Murim Alliance’s honor meant nothing to her.
‘I have no choice but to take the risk.’
I took a deep breath.
I had decided to show the cipher to Jong Jeong Yak.
The next day. Jong Jeong Yak’s Office.
She blinked her large eyes while studying the ciphers I had given her.
“Where exactly did these come from?”
I spoke truthfully.
“I visited Dan Ri Muk’s Office. Something seemed off about it.”
“What did you say?”
Her eyes widened in shock.
To reach Dan Ri Muk’s quarters, she would have to pass through countless Wi Sa operatives.
That was a formidable challenge, even for someone of exceptional martial prowess.
‘She’s not merely a top-tier wanderer after all.’
Only then did she dimly perceive that Bu Eunseol possessed not only remarkable martial skill, but had arrived with some hidden purpose.
“Seol So. What is your true objective?”
‘So it comes to this.’
“I shall speak plainly.”
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“For years now, I have been investigating whether the Murim Alliance has been colluding with Saixiang to wreak havoc upon the Murim.”
“What? Why?”
“Various factions detected peculiar currents flowing between the Murim Alliance and Saixiang, and they commissioned me to investigate.”
Jong Jeong Yak spoke with suspicion etched across her face.
“So you deliberately approached me?”
“Not at all. I took on this assignment years ago. Then, quite by chance, Dam Yoo Yeon entrusted me with your protection.”
“I see.”
“Once I learned you were the Jip Beop So Ryeong of the Murim Alliance, I resolved to verify the matters you were investigating as well.”
Jong Jeong Yak pressed her finger to her brow.
She could not shake the feeling that Bu Eunseol’s approach had been deliberate.
Yet if this approach had been orchestrated, the person behind it would need to command an intelligence network rivaling a major faction.
‘Surely that’s impossible.’
Was Dam Yoo Yeon not one of the rarest information brokers in the Murim?
Had Bu Eunseol been a suspicious figure, Dam Yoo Yeon would never have paid an astronomical sum to attach her to Jong Jeong Yak’s side.
“Very well.”
Jong Jeong Yak realized she had no choice and spoke.
“Then share with me what you have uncovered thus far. Only then will I trust you.”
“Agreed.”
Bu Eunseol calmly explained the intelligence she had gathered regarding Saixiang.
Based on the circumstances she had accumulated, Saixiang might indeed be connected to the Murim Alliance.
She merely withheld the fact that her identity was the successor to the Demon Palace, and the source of her information.
“I see.”
“Then can you decipher the contents written on this paper?”
Jong Jeong Yak nodded and gazed at the cipher on the table with a darkened expression.
“Children… they’re sending children.”
“Children?”
Having deciphered the cipher, Jong Jeong Yak’s face fell into despair.
“The embezzled funds from Vice-Patriarch Dan Ri Muk have been flowing to Sal Mun.”
Her expression twisted with fury.
“He’s been taking young children and training them as assassins.”
Remarkably, Dan Ri Muk had been using those ill-gotten funds to construct an independent assassin unit.
“Why in the world is the Vice-Commander of the Law Enforcement Hall doing such a thing?”
Bu Eunseol’s question was also Jong Jeong Yak’s question.
If Dan Ri Muk desired it, he could receive military support from the Murim Alliance without limit.
So why was he deliberately using the Sal Mun to turn children into assassins?
Tap, tap, tap.
At that moment, the door burst open and Neung Jo Woon rushed in.
“Commander Jip Beop So Ryeong.”
Seeing the panic in Neung Jo Woon’s eyes, Jong Jeong Yak felt a foreboding sense of dread.
“What is it?”
“It’s… Vice-Commander Dan Ri Muk has taken his own life in the Iron Prison.”
“What?”
“It appears he feared that all his misdeeds would be exposed, so he committed suicide.”
“That can’t be right.”
Jong Jeong Yak shook her head.
This was Dan Ri Muk, who had attempted to use assassins to kill her and had stubbornly kept silent even while imprisoned in the Iron Prison.
For such a man to commit suicide before any solid evidence had even emerged?
“He was silenced.”
“What do you mean?”
Bu Eunseol answered in a low voice.
“He did not take his own life—he was silenced.”
And she fixed Jong Jeong Yak with an unwavering gaze.
“As the Vice-Commander of the Law Enforcement Hall, he would have no need for assassins composed of mere children.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with measured calm.
“There must be a conspirator elsewhere, or perhaps someone pulling strings from above. If he were to open his mouth, wouldn’t that become problematic?”
“Then…”
“Surely someone who knew Dan Ri Muk well is the one who killed him.”
In that instant, a realization flashed through Jong Jeong Yak’s mind.
How she had come to know that the Murim Alliance’s sacred elixirs were disappearing.
And how she had discerned that the incident was occurring at the highest levels of leadership.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Jong Jeong Yak rushed out as if possessed.
Finally, she arrived at the Hwa Mil Won.
“Where is the Pavilion Master?”
“Please wait a moment.”
Wi Sa stepped inside briefly, then returned and spoke in a respectful tone.
“The Pavilion Master has requested that you come to the Ihwa Pavilion.”
Jong Jeong Yak followed Wi Sa’s guidance into the Ihwa Pavilion within the Hwa Mil Won.
There, in a beautifully arranged flower garden, Hwa Mil Won Ju and Yang Seol were taking tea.
“At this hour, what brings you here so suddenly?”
Yang Seol offered an elegant smile.
“Wasn’t this precisely the time to conduct an investigation?”
“Was it you, Director?”
Jong Jeong Yak opened her mouth with an expression of incomprehension.
“Why? You’ve helped me so much all this time, haven’t you?”
Her outcry was saturated with conviction and a profound sense of betrayal.
Even in this sudden turn of events, Yang Seol maintained her composure.
After a prolonged silence, she released a deep sigh and shook her head slowly.
“So you’ve finally discovered the truth.”
In that moment, Jong Jeong Yak’s heart shattered into fragments.
She had endured countless accusations of being someone whose eyes had been blinded by ambition.
Of course, it was true that she desired to reach a position where she would be disrespected by no one.
But all of that stemmed from her admiration for Hwa Mil Won Ju, Yang Seol, and her yearning to become like her.
Yang Seol herself had risen from being a disciple of Cheong Hyang Mun, a small sect, to the position of Hwa Mil Won Ju.
Jong Jeong Yak had wished to emulate Yang Seol, who had ascended to the highest echelon through her own efforts alone.
“I have always followed and revered you as my mentor.”
“….”
“Why didn’t you simply leave me alone!”
Jong Jeong Yak, her expression forlorn, cried out once more.
“Why did you help me all this time? Why did you become my shadow, allowing me to investigate Dan Ri Muk, the Deputy Master?”
“The affairs of the world do not flow as one wishes.”
Yang Seol smiled with perfect composure.
“Dan Ri Muk was merely a dog wagging its tail for me. Yet as I assigned him various tasks, I came to learn many things.”
“….”
“And using that as leverage, he made various demands of me. A dog I had raised, no less.”
Yang Seol’s smile turned bitter.
“So I intended to use you to pin the blame on him. Within the Murim Alliance, you were the only Jip Beop So Ryeong whose eyes had been blinded by ambition—the only one capable of touching Dan Ri Muk.”
Jong Jeong Yak’s heart crumbled to dust.
She possessed exceptional talent, yet harbored deep inferiority and burned with desire for success.
And such a nature was, in the eyes of those in power, merely a convenient piece to manipulate.
Yang Seol shook her head as though disappointed.
“This plan was flawless. I cannot fathom where it went wrong.”
“You admit to everything, then?”
“What is there to admit?”
Yang Seol smiled broadly as she spoke.
“One simply sweeps it all away cleanly, and that is the end of it.”
“Is that possible?”
“The moment I heard word of your arrival here, I already commanded the masters of the Inspection Bureau to arrest your subordinate.”
Having seen through Jong Jeong Yak’s innermost thoughts, she smiled with unwavering confidence.
“The charge is fabricating all of Dan Ri Muk’s incidents.”
“I will report this directly to the Alliance Master for approval.”
“That works too.”
She took a sip of tea.
“But I’ll have to write that the resistance was so severe we had no choice but to execute immediately.”
Jong Jeong Yak trembled.
It was all over now.
The world turned by those with power alone. No matter how hard one struggled, there were things that could never be overcome.
“Why did you do such a thing?”
Jong Jeong Yak threw out one final question that lingered in her mind.
“You didn’t need to do something like this, did you?”
Yang Seol, who hailed from Cheong Hyang Mun, had reached what could be called the highest position an ordinary martial artist could attain.
So why would she do such a thing?
“Hehehehe. You still don’t understand.”
Yang Seol smiled broadly.
“There are factions in both the Murim Alliance and the Demon Hall. Deep-rooted factions that have been established for a long time.”
In that moment, Bu Eunseol’s words flashed through Jong Jeong Yak’s mind.
“Then the reason you rose to prominence was… because you received help from some faction.”
“That’s about right.”
In that instant, contempt flashed across Jong Jeong Yak’s eyes.
Yang Seol, whom she had always respected and wanted to emulate, had merely climbed to that position by relying on backing.
“Now that your curiosity is satisfied, let me make my move.”
Yang Seol slowly extended her hand.
All of her fingernails were stained a sickly blue—clear evidence that she had mastered an extremely vicious poison technique.
A faint shimmer rippled through the air.
With merely a gesture, Jong Jeong Yak’s limbs went numb as if bound by rope, her body completely paralyzed.
“Ugh…”
The more she struggled, the worse the paralysis became.
“We’ve brought him.”
At that moment, several figures threw down a man they had subdued at the Blood Sealing Point, accompanied by a low voice.
It was Neung Jo Woon.
“Director.”
Neung Jo Woon’s body was a complete mess from severe injuries.
“What about Seol So?”
“The masters from the sword brigade suddenly arrived and took him away.”
Hearing this, Yang Seol smiled broadly.
“Eliminating a single vagrant is nothing. Without even needing to fabricate evidence, I’ve had him immediately transferred to Mu Jeo Roe in connection with Dan Ri Muk’s suicide.”
“Will that be so easy?”
“Don’t harbor false hopes. I already know that he inherited the true transmission of Chil Hyeon Mun and is a special-class vagrant of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.”
Yang Seol spoke coldly with a smile.
“That’s why I sent the entire Yong Shin Geom Dae.”
Jong Jeong Yak’s face hardened.
Yang Seol had been moving with meticulous precision to erase all evidence.
“Now let us end this once and for all.”
Hwa Mil Won Ju drew upon her poison technique with overwhelming force, and Jong Jeong Yak’s body began to move of its own accord.
But then,
“Cough!”
Neung Jo Woon suddenly spat blood and released the Blood Sealing Point. In the same instant, he unleashed a blade strike directly at Yang Seol.
Whoosh!
As she deftly evaded, Neung Jo Woon quickly positioned himself in front of Jong Jeong Yak and spoke.
“Flee!”
“Deputy Commander Neung!”
“There is no time!”
Waves of true energy shimmered from his body.
In this final moment, he was using his life force to forcibly break the Blood Sealing Point and sacrifice himself to allow Jong Jeong Yak to escape.
“Go now!”
Slash! Whoosh!
Neung Jo Woon began unleashing both his secret technique and swordplay simultaneously.
With the life force technique in effect, the power of both his swordplay and secret technique seemed several times stronger than usual.
“Tsk.”
Jong Jeong Yak bit her lip and turned her body.
If she hesitated now, Neung Jo Woon’s sacrifice would be rendered meaningless.
Thud!
Yet she had barely taken three steps before her body became paralyzed once more.
“How these youngsters dream in vain.”
Yang Seol had already suppressed Neung Jo Woon in an instant and seized control of his Blood Sealing Point in one breath.
“Did my martial prowess appear so pathetic to you?”
Yang Seol wore a contemptuous smile.
“Those with inferior martial arts always harbor such delusions. They think that by drawing upon their life force, they can manage one final move. How naive.”
With her life force technique still active, she extended a finger toward Neung Jo Woon, whose face had turned pale from the suppression of his Blood Sealing Point.
“Farewell.”
The moment her finger moved, a hole would pierce through Jong Jeong Yak’s head.
‘It is over now.’
Jong Jeong Yak closed her eyes.
After all her efforts, she would end her sorrowful life having accomplished nothing.
Crack. Rumble.
Yet suddenly, the wall began to fracture,
Crumble.
The thick wall collapsed entirely, and a figure walked out slowly.
It was Bu Eunseol.

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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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