The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 296
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 296.
Crash!
With a deafening boom, the massive gates of Cheonsal Gate shattered under the impact.
Simultaneously, a shadow wreathed in a formidable wave of true energy emerged, walking with deliberate, heavy steps.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Upon entering Cheonsal Gate, she surveyed the Wi Sa members before flicking her finger dismissively.
“Summon the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit.”
The Wi Sa guards stationed at the main entrance of Cheonsal Gate paled at the sight of Bu Eunseol.
Regardless of her status as successor, the Cheon Sal Unit was Ma Cheon Je’s direct command, the elite force representing the Demon Palace itself.
In other words, it occupied a position of such honor that none save Ma Cheon Je need obey another’s orders.
Yet here she stood, having shattered the gates of the Palace Hall where the Lord resided, summoning him with a mere gesture?
Thud. Thud.
At that moment, a shadow clad in black robes approached Bu Eunseol.
It was Jeok Gung, the Vice-Lord of the Cheon Sal Unit.
“Lord of Muhonjung. Have you lost your mind?”
Behind Jeok Gung’s black mask, his eyes blazed with a chilling murderous intent.
“To dare shatter the gates of Bon Gak and commit such violence. This is something we cannot simply overlook——”
“I said summon the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit.”
A pitch-black killing intent erupted from Bu Eunseol’s entire being. Simultaneously, a crushing pressure descended upon Jeok Gung’s head.
Crack.
Jeok Gung’s waist began to bend as though it would snap.
Rage.
Bu Eunseol’s current state mirrored the moment she had dealt with Dong Yeo Lip—consumed entirely by fury and killing intent.
―To heal such external injuries, the Essence Stone Oil possessed by the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit is necessary.
Upon hearing these words from Gyo Jung Hak, the Master of Medicine King Hall, Bu Eunseol had Yu Woon Ryong request the Essence Stone Oil from the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit.
Most courteously, at that.
In truth, this was not something Bu Eunseol should have needed to request.
Seo Jin Ha held the position of Third Commander of the Cheon Sal Unit, serving directly under the Lord.
―The Lord of Cheon Sal Unit refused outright.
It seems he had heard that even if the external injuries healed, the probability of becoming a cripple was high.
Upon Yu Woon Ryong’s return with these words, the killing intent Bu Eunseol had suppressed erupted anew.
That intent was immeasurable, infinite in its magnitude.
Because Seo Jin Ha had not died, his spirit had not descended into the Demonic Path. Yet neither had he returned to perfect equilibrium.
When rage erupted once more, his spirit merged with the Sak Jeong Secret Art, and from Bu Eunseol’s body surged forth truly limitless power.
The moment the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit defied her command, she had rushed to Cheonsal Gate and shattered its doors.
“I do not repeat myself.”
Bu Eunseol’s entire form blazed with pitch-black killing intent.
“Summon the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit.”
“It seems… words will not suffice.”
Jeok Gung, having barely adapted to the overwhelming pressure through exertion of his power, slowly straightened his body.
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
From Jeok Gung’s straightened form, fierce vital energy began to surge forth.
Simultaneously, the sword at his waist trembled with anticipation.
Realizing that Bu Eunseol’s killing intent was genuine, he moved to draw his blade.
Just as Jeok Gung’s hand closed around the sword’s hilt,
The door creaked open with a low groan, footsteps echoing deliberately.
A dark silhouette emerged from the Palace Hall, walking with measured steps. It was Wi Moo Yeom, Lord of the Cheon Sal Unit.
“Have you lost your reason because a close friend suffered injury?”
Wi Moo Yeom furrowed his brow, speaking with cold composure.
“Or do you believe that becoming the Muhonjung’s master grants you the right to cause havoc in Bon Gak?”
“Seo Jin Ha is your subordinate before being this lord’s close friend.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a voice as frigid as ice.
“Why did you refuse the Clarity Spirit Elixir?”
“Did I not tell you? According to the Medicine King Hall Master, even consuming the Clarity Spirit Elixir would not result in complete recovery.”
Wi Moo Yeom’s expression grew solemn.
“A crippled man cannot be a member of this unit. That is the reason.”
Though his words seemed callous, from the perspective of a supreme lord of the Demon Hall, they were utterly reasonable.
The Demon Hall was not a place sustained by sentimental bonds.
One could not squander precious elixirs worth fortunes to preserve the life of a crippled Seo Jin Ha.
A rumbling sound echoed through the halls.
In that moment, the Demon Hall’s officials and even the Medicine King Hall Master converged before the Cheonsal Gate.
Word had spread like wildfire that the enraged Muhonjung master was destroying the Cheonsal Gate.
Wi Moo Yeom spotted Gyo Jung Hak, the Medicine King Hall Master, among the gathered crowd and nodded.
“You said there was a high probability he would become crippled, did you not, Master Gyo?”
When Gyo Jung Hak met Wi Moo Yeom’s piercing gaze, he reluctantly nodded.
“Indeed. Even if he consumed the Clarity Spirit Elixir, the chances of his martial power recovering are slim.”
“Did you hear that, Muhonjung master?”
Wi Moo Yeom, a cold smile playing at his lips, spoke once more with gravity.
“This hall, and the Demonic Path itself, are not operated by sentiment or compassion. Those of this hall must prove their existence through superior ability and strength alone.”
“A fair point.”
“Then leave.”
“I shall depart only after confirming whether you possess the qualifications to speak such words.”
“What do you mean by that?”
A crimson light, deeper than blood itself, blazed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“I shall test whether you too are a being of worth, as this lord sees it.”
In a flash, Bu Eunseol crossed a dozen paces and drew the dark blade, slashing toward the Cheon Sal Unit Lord’s throat.
A streak of dark steel cut through the air.
Wi Moo Yeom drew his sword with lightning speed, intercepting the dark blade.
Sparks erupted as steel met steel in rapid succession.
Chee chee chee chick.
Sparks erupted where their tangled blades collided.
Wi Moo Yeom’s brow twitched as he felt the formidable inner power contained within the dark sword.
“Is this truly Bu Eunseol?”
Bu Eunseol did not answer.
Her eyes were consumed entirely by a dark, murderous intent.
‘Is this madwoman?’
A chill swept through Wi Moo Yeom’s chest.
He had realized that Bu Eunseol genuinely intended to kill him.
“Very well!”
Wi Moo Yeom unleashed a thunderous declaration, detonating his power to hurl Bu Eunseol back three paces.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
In the same instant, he swept his blade forward toward Bu Eunseol.
A violent whoosh erupted.
Sharp sword auras bloomed like flower buds from the ground beneath Bu Eunseol’s feet, then began to coil around her body.
Wi Moo Yeom’s exclusive sword technique—the Demon Thunder Blossom Sword—had unfurled.
A cutting sound rang out.
Bu Eunseol swung her dark sword lightly, and the surging sword auras instantly collapsed back into the earth.
At the same moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the dark blade.
A deafening rumble shook the heavens.
Dozens of pitch-black sword forces poured forth from the dark sword, soaring skyward.
Each sword force stretched a full ten paces in length.
Moreover, there were more than thirteen strands. From a distance, it resembled dozens of black dragons writhing together in the void.
A brilliant flash ignited.
In that instant, brilliant flames blossomed from Wi Moo Yeom’s long sword.
To counter such formidable sword forces required not technique, but pure power against power.
He unleashed the ultimate technique of the Demon Thunder Blossom Sword—the Blood Thunder Heaven Thrust—to shatter the sword forces and strike down Bu Eunseol in one breath.
Just as the two masters’ ultimate techniques were about to collide,
“Enough!”
A thunderous command rang out as a small shadow erupted between Bu Eunseol and Wi Moo Yeom.
It was Chong Gyo Ryeong, Yeop Hyo Cheon.
A tremendous vibration shook the heavens and earth.
Yeop Hyo Cheon extended both palms left and right simultaneously.
From both his hands, fierce currents of energy spiraled into a whirlwind,
A tremendous wave of force erupted.
The colossal wave of energy devoured the space on both sides, unleashing a power as if an entire mountain had been uprooted and hurled forth, flooding outward left and right.
A deafening explosion rocked the earth.
Dust rose in all directions as the very ground trembled.
Simultaneously, the sword auras of the two masters that had adorned the sky vanished as if washed away.
―Truly, the Chong Gyo Ryeong.
All the spectators gathered before Cheonsal Gate burst into exclamations of awe.
The Lord of Muhonjung and the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit.
Two masters who had reached the Realm of Heaven-Shaking had their sword energy completely annihilated in a single strike?
Whiiiing!
As the dust slowly dispersed, the interior of the hall gradually came into view.
―Ah.
Another gasp erupted from those watching within the hall.
The Lord of Cheon Sal Unit had retreated roughly five paces backward.
But Bu Eunseol had only retreated three paces.
―The inner strength of the Lord of Muhonjung is unfathomably profound.
The superiority of martial arts is not determined by inner power alone.
Yet how could the Lord of Muhonjung, barely in his twenties, possess deeper inner reserves than the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit, who shakes Tianxia itself?
“Lord of Muhonjung.”
Yeop Hyo Cheon spoke to Bu Eunseol in a low voice.
“The Qinglingshi Oil belongs to the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit. You destroyed Cheonsal Gate and attacked the Lord of Cheon Sal Unit because he would not give it to you?”
“If he had said it was his and could not be given, I would have simply left.”
Bu Eunseol looked down at Wi Moo Yeom with eyes that did not waver in the slightest.
“But he invoked the Demonic Path, claiming that those of this hall must prove their worth through superior ability.”
The Bu Eunseol of old would never have dared to question Yeop Hyo Cheon in such a manner.
But the Bu Eunseol of now, consumed by rage and having unleashed the Saksjeong Secret Art, regarded no one with any concern.
“So I, as Lord of Muhonjung, tested the value of his existence.”
As Bu Eunseol turned to face Yeop Hyo Cheon, her eyes blazed with crimson killing intent.
“Is the position of Lord of Muhonjung so lowly that I cannot even do such a thing?”
Yeop Hyo Cheon stared intently at Bu Eunseol, who displayed her killing intent toward him.
“Hehehehe….”
And suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha. Ahahaha!”
Yeop Hyo Cheon, who had always maintained a cautious and quiet demeanor in any situation.
Yet when he erupted in such boisterous laughter, all the martial artists watching grew uneasy.
They feared that an enraged Yeop Hyo Cheon might unleash a thunderbolt-like killing technique upon Bu Eunseol.
Thud.
Yeop Hyo Cheon ceased his laughter and reached into his robes.
Then he tossed a small glass vial to Bu Eunseol.
Clink.
Bu Eunseol caught the vial and her expression became puzzled.
It was none other than the Qinglingshi Oil.
“It is the Qinglingshi Oil that I possess,” Yeop Hyo Cheon said with a faint smile.
“Keeping it serves no purpose for me anyway. Use it well.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes wavered.
She had expected Yeop Hyo Cheon to strike in his anger, yet he was showing her such benevolence?
How could Yeop Hyo Cheon, who I thought would resort to violence in anger, show such kindness afterward?
Moreover, wasn’t Chong Gyo Ryeong the very person who had placed me in a difficult predicament during the betrothal incident with So Dong?
“Thank you.”
But I had no leisure to dwell on such matters now.
Once I resolved to obtain the Celestial Spirit Stone to restore Seo Jin Ha, my mind settled and my killing intent dissipated in an instant.
“There is nothing to thank me for.”
Yeop Hyo Cheon spoke matter-of-factly.
“Come to Bon Gak afterward and report everything that has transpired. And.”
A faint smile lingered at his lips as he gazed intently at me for a moment.
“I shall have the Sect Leader assign you work commensurate with the value of the Celestial Spirit Stone.”
Had this been the past, I would have felt peculiar doubt and unease at that smile.
But now my mind was consumed entirely by concern for Seo Jin Ha.
“Understood.”
I clasped my hands respectfully together.
Then I turned and looked down upon Cheon Sal Dae Ju Wi Moo Yeom and Jeok Gung.
My gaze was so solemn and brimming with authority that…
Wi Moo Yeom and Jeok Gung unconsciously averted their eyes.
Even the onlookers swallowed hard.
Cheon Sal Dae Ju Wi Moo Yeom—the Lord of the Cheon Sal Unit representing the Demon Palace, who had ravaged the Murim for over twenty years.
He who had once been called the very embodiment of terror itself, now lowering his gaze to avoid my stare…
It was well-known that the Lord of Muhonjung possessed outstanding wisdom and martial prowess,
yet no one had imagined she possessed such overwhelming killing intent and an authority as immovable as Mount Tai.
―I must be cautious from now on.
The principle that one must never defy Bu Eunseol was now branded into the minds of the Demon Palace’s people like a flame-mark.
* * *
“…And so it came to pass.”
Gyo Jung Hak, who had relayed all the details of that moment, smiled.
“In my eighty years of life, that was the most spine-chilling spectacle I have witnessed. The heir of the Demon Palace destroying the Cheonsal Gate and attempting to kill the Cheon Sal Dae Ju. Hehehehe!”
Upon hearing the entire account, Seo Jin Ha’s mouth fell open.
The Cheon Sal Dae Ju had committed no particular wrong.
Though it seemed heartless, the Demon Palace was not bound by sentiment.
In the Demonic Path, it was only natural that the useless were eliminated.
Yet Bu Eunseol had destroyed the Cheonsal Gate and attempted to kill the Cheon Sal Dae Ju to save me?
‘Bu Eunseol.’
My hands trembled and my chest swelled so that I could scarcely breathe.
Bu Eunseol, who had always seemed so cold.
She had risked her life to come to Hyeol Sa Gok to save me, and had even attempted to kill the Cheon Sal Dae Ju.
She had been willing to abandon everything for the sake of a friend.
At last, she too…
had shown me friendship.
‘Foolish one.’
Seo Jin Ha wiped away the tears that had clouded his eyes and spoke.
“Where is the Lord of Muhonjung?”
“He’s on his way back from Tae Ju Bu. He should return sometime today.”
“Tae Ju Bu, you say?”
“Those who rebuilt Hyeol Sa Gok are apparently connected to the Sahwa Alliance.”
The Sahwa Alliance was similar to the Twelve Earthly Branches—a coalition of Evil Sect organizations handling commercial and financial matters.
However, its scale could not compare to the Twelve Earthly Branches, and its influence extended beyond Zhejiang to Gang Seo and Ho Nam.
Gyo Jung Hak shrugged his shoulders.
“The Lord of Muhonjung, upon obtaining that intelligence, led the Cheon Sal Unit and completely destroyed the Sahwa Alliance.”
“The main hall, you mean?”
“Ah, I hadn’t mentioned that yet.”
Gyo Jung Hak chuckled.
“The Lord of Muhonjung went to the Cheon Sal Dae Ju and issued a command: crush those who dared touch the main hall’s elite battle division, root and branch.”
Bu Eunseol led the Cheon Sal Unit on this expedition rather than the Sayoung Battle Division.
—Let them see what happens when one touches the Cheon Sal Unit.
Cheon Sal Dae Ju Wi Moo Yeom despised Bu Eunseol, yet he could not defy that command.
First, because Ma Cheon Je was in seclusion, and second, because Chong Gyo Ryeong had approved it.
Third, that order was also a path to restoring the honor of the fallen Cheon Sal Unit.
‘The Dae Ju must be seething inside.’
Seo Jin Ha let out a quiet laugh.
Wi Moo Yeom, the Cheon Sal Dae Ju, was among all the people he knew, the most arrogant and self-aggrandizing.
Yet he had nearly died at the hands of Bu Eunseol, whom he had long regarded as a thorn in his side, and now he faithfully carried out her commands?
He would likely not sleep properly for days.
“I hear that in striking the Sahwa Alliance, they even caught the tails of those who were its roots.”
Gyo Jung Hak, who had been gazing out the window, continued.
“It’s possible that soon a major force from the main hall could be deployed.”
Seo Jin Ha opened his mouth again.
So much had transpired while he lay here.
A murmur of voices.
Just then, the sound of commotion began to rise from outside the Medicine King Hall.
Shortly after, the door opened with a sliding sound, and a tall, striking man wearing a wind-repelling robe emblazoned with a phoenix pattern entered.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“Seo Jin Ha.”
Blood was smeared here and there on Bu Eunseol’s martial robes.
It seemed he had rushed here immediately upon returning, having heard that Seo Jin Ha had awakened.
“Bu Eunseol.”
At the sight of Bu Eunseol, Seo Jin Ha felt tears threatening to spill, but he forcibly held them back and broke into a broad smile.
“I heard everything. You’ve been through so much because of me.”
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine. I’ve recovered completely.”
Seo Jin Ha broke into a broad smile and quickly climbed onto the bed, his expression appearing carefree.
Totter.
Yet he could not stand upright, his body swaying unsteadily.
“Ah, my apologies. I only just woke up—I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”
Seo Jin Ha forced a laugh and straightened his posture. But his complexion was far from healthy.
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eunseol examined Seo Jin Ha’s left foot with keen attention.
‘How peculiar.’
Even concealed beneath his garments, Bu Eunseol’s discerning gaze could not be deceived.
Bending forward, she extended her hand and gently probed Seo Jin Ha’s left ankle.
‘The tendons….’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flickered as she withdrew her hand.
The heel, which should have been supple, had hardened into something as rigid and unyielding as diamond.
In such a state, no amount of force could allow normal movement.
“Seo Jin Ha.”
“It’s nothing serious. Truly.”
Seo Jin Ha smiled brightly with an unbothered expression.
Since awakening, he had known his body was not in its proper state, yet…
he had continued to smile and pretend everything was well.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————