The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 30

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 30
‘Grandfather was… the Vice-Master of Demon Hall.’
Bu Eunseol’s body trembled faintly.
I had long suspected that Bu Chanyang was no ordinary mortician.
But to think he was the second-in-command of Demon Hall, which ruled the Demonic Path underworld.
‘No. That can’t be right.’
Bu Chanyang had been working as a mortician under the Constabulary for nearly thirty years now.
No matter what unspeakable past he harbored, there was no way a figure who managed the Demonic realm would spend his days washing corpses as a mortician.
“Hmm.”
Hyul Geum Gang shared the same confusion.
‘Was Chilji Madao a master of Shaolin? That can’t be.’
Chilji Madao, who was said to rival the Demon Hall Master himself, could never have mastered Shaolin’s Muscle-Changing Scripture.
Yet I could swear that what Bu Eunseol had learned was the qi-circulation and absorption method from the Muscle-Changing Scripture. I had once read the authentic text of the Muscle-Changing Scripture, known as the Supreme Orthodox Heart Method.
“I’m uncertain whether I should teach you or summon someone else.”
“I don’t understand what you mean, sir.”
Hyul Geum Gang stared directly at Bu Eunseol as he spoke.
“The breathing technique you’ve learned all this time is, in fact, a secret method of Shaolin.”
As the shocking revelation struck, Bu Eunseol’s complexion darkened.
‘Then grandfather was originally a master of the Orthodox Path?’
If Bu Chanyang was a master of the Orthodox Path, and this fact were exposed to Demon Hall…
Bu Eunseol would no longer be a candidate for the Ten Demon Experts—her very life would be forfeit.
“Are you suspecting me?”
“I am not.”
Hyul Geum Gang’s expression was surprisingly indifferent.
“Demon Hall has already completed its investigation of the Ten Demon Experts candidates. If your background had been questioned, you would never have become a candidate.”
“But… that’s only because Demon Hall didn’t know about the breathing technique I learned.”
At Bu Eunseol’s sharp observation, Hyul Geum Gang’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
“True. If they knew you had mastered the Orthodox Path’s longevity methods, Demon Hall would certainly investigate again.”
Bu Eunseol fell silent.
Whether I could become a true disciple of Nangya Sect or face Demon Hall’s investigation rested entirely in Hyul Geum Gang’s hands.
“This poor monk…”
After a long silence, Hyul Geum Gang finally spoke.
“Whether you’ve mastered the Orthodox Path’s inner energy or the Demonic Path’s inner energy—I have no interest.”
“Why… is that, sir?”
“Why, you ask.”
Hyul Geum Gang exhaled softly and gazed toward the distant sky, his voice low.
“Pretend you never heard that question.”
A distant, unreachable sorrow flickered across Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes.
It was clear he was recalling a past far removed from the present.
Like proof that no warrior who lived by the blade carried a life without its own tale.
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eunseol bowed her head, Hyul Geum Gang shook his in return.
“There is no need for gratitude. Once I teach you the Reverse Extreme Heart Method, I too shall be free to depart this place.”
“Depart, you say… ?”
“Indeed. It was the original promise made with Nangya Sect.”
Upon hearing those words, Bu Eunseol suddenly understood how Hyul Geum Gang, whose dantian had been shattered, had managed to recover his inner strength and resurface in the martial world.
And why he remained at the summit of Geommi Mountain where Nangya Sect dwelled.
‘He owes a debt to Nangya Sect.’
It was evident that Nangya Sect had demanded his inner strength cultivation method in exchange for aiding Hyul Geum Gang, whose dantian had been destroyed.
There was no other explanation—no martial artist would ever impart their life’s essence, a technique taught only to direct disciples, to a complete stranger otherwise.
“Hmph.”
As if piercing through Bu Eunseol’s innermost thoughts, Hyul Geum Gang spoke in a chilling voice.
“Should you ever expose the method I teach you to anyone from Nangya Sect or any other person….”
His words trailed off, yet his eyes blazed as though hundreds of blades were pouring forth.
“Nay—should you reveal even a single character of the dharma, I shall immediately extinguish not only your life, but the lives of all connected to you.”
Had she been an ordinary martial artist, Bu Eunseol would have worn a solemn expression and sworn an oath.
Instead, she lowered her head and bowed deeply.
That gesture carried far greater weight than hundreds of solemn vows ever could.
“….”
For a moment, a silence as profound as death itself descended upon Cheol Jang Peak.
“Good. Then there is no need to delay further. We shall begin at once.”
Breaking the lengthy silence, Hyul Geum Gang continued.
“The method I shall teach you is called the Reverse Extreme Heart Method. This technique is an inner strength cultivation method that bridges the Demonic Path and the righteous way….”
He paused briefly, his brows furrowing.
“Do you understand the difference between righteous inner strength cultivation and Demonic Path inner strength cultivation?”
“I do not.”
Inner strength cultivation is the most profound aspect of martial arts.
Bu Eunseol, having learned only the fundamentals of swordsmanship, could not possibly know such things.
Hyul Geum Gang began explaining, as if resigned to the task.
“Righteous inner strength cultivation accumulates vital force through longevity techniques such as Circulating Qi and Absorbing Essence, storing it within the dantian. This is as natural as the sun rising in the morning and the moon at night—in other words, it is harmonious with the human body, the path of righteousness itself.”
“Natural, you say….”
“Indeed.”
He paused before asking Bu Eunseol a question.
“Then can you not surmise what the Demonic Path method entails?”
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment before answering.
“Is it not to attempt any method whatsoever, so long as vital force can be accumulated?”
“Precisely.”
Hyul Geum Gang nodded in approval.
“The Demonic Path inner strength cultivation employs any method capable of accumulating vital force in the shortest time possible. For this reason, most such techniques are written to allow massive accumulation of vital force from the very beginning.”
As Hyul Geum Gang continued, his eyes narrowed to slits.
“However, such a method would constitute a reversal that contradicts both body and organization. Do you understand the distinction?”
When Bu Eunseol shook her head, Hyul Geum Gang spoke.
“The inner cultivation techniques of the Orthodox and Demonic Paths show little difference after ten years of refinement. But after twenty years, gaps emerge in the purity of true qi, and after thirty years, the disparity in inner power becomes so vast that comparison becomes impossible.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
“So to properly master martial arts, one must ultimately learn the Orthodox Path’s inner cultivation.”
“Not at all.”
Pride radiated from Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes.
“The Pangeuk Heart Method I shall transmit is the most wondrous and supreme among all inner cultivation techniques scattered across the realm. This method is completely free from the constraints of Demonic Path martial arts.”
Despite the remarkable capabilities described, Bu Eunseol’s expression remained far from pleased.
Rather, the more impressive the Pangeuk Heart Method sounded, the darker her expression became.
‘Anything truly exceptional demands an equally terrible price.’
As expected, Hyul Geum Gang’s expression darkened as he continued.
“However, this Pangeuk Heart Method is extraordinarily difficult to master. You must cultivate a body capable of synchronizing with inner power circulation and blood qi flow under any circumstance.”
He then extended his left hand. Nothing remained of his fingers.
“The process was so agonizing that I opened my mouth and bit off my own fingers, swallowing them.”
That even a master of Hyul Geum Gang’s caliber had bitten off his own fingers.
The pain must have been unbearable, and clearly it had persisted for an extended period.
“The Pangeuk Heart Method is divided into eight stages. By reaching merely the fifth stage, I gained supreme inner power across the realm.”
Despite claiming supremacy himself, Hyul Geum Gang’s expression turned bitter.
“However, martial arts cannot achieve superiority through inner power alone. It is merely one instrument.”
“I shall work diligently.”
“It is premature to speak thus. I have not yet decided to teach you the method.”
Hyul Geum Gang said something unexpected.
Then what was everything he had just said?
“The Pangeuk Heart Method cannot be mastered simply by being transmitted.”
A profound light flowed from Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes as he gazed upon Bu Eunseol’s face.
“If you cannot master it, then this monk cannot fulfill his transmission promise… and thus I too cannot depart.”
He then gazed toward the distant sky and spoke in a low voice.
“Dan Cheong promised to send me someone with the aptitude to master the Pangeuk Heart Method. Ten years have already passed since then.”
Ten years.
Hyul Geum Gang had waited ten years for the aptitude bearer to master the Pangeuk Heart Method, all to honor his promise.
“I shall certainly master the Pangeuk Heart Method.”
Hyul Geum Gang nodded at Bu Eunseol’s words.
“To do so, you must first pass a test. Whether you possess the capacity to master the Pangeuk Heart Method.”
“A test?”
“From now on, I shall use Pangeuk true qi to open your meridians. To master the Pangeuk Heart Method, not a trace of turbid qi can remain in your blood vessels.”
‘Is merely clearing the turbid qi accumulated in the body considered a test?’
“Injecting true qi to clear turbid qi from meridians must be done gradually over time. Even the most resilient warrior can only have one meridian opened per day.”
When Bu Eunseol’s expression showed incomprehension, Hyul Geum Gang laughed, baring his fangs.
“I shall now open all three hundred sixty-five of your meridians simultaneously. I assure you, the agony will be unbearable without biting off a finger or two.”
Hyul Geum Gang, whose gaze had been fixed intently upon Bu Eunseol’s eyes, finally spoke.
“I warn you—if you lack confidence, it would be wise to abandon this endeavor.”
He then revealed his left hand, all fingers severed, and smiled.
“Without fingers, no matter how formidable one’s inner energy, the martial arts of Nangya Sect cannot be mastered.”
“I will do it.”
At Bu Eunseol’s answer, delivered without the slightest hesitation, Hyul Geum Gang nodded in approval.
“Good. Do not regret this!”
With his cry, hundreds of brilliant rays of light erupted from Hyul Geum Gang’s right fingers.
The Beginningless Endless Finger—the supreme technique of Cheon Ryong Temple—had been unleashed.
A crackling whisper filled the air.
The finger wind scattered by Hyul Geum Gang descended upon Bu Eunseol’s body like brilliant flames exploding outward.
Rapid successive impacts echoed.
Bu Eunseol’s pupils dilated as the finger wind struck him.
A sharp crackling sound.
His muscles swelled and bulged, beginning to tear through his worn martial robes. Simultaneously, rivulets of sweat began streaming down his face like rain.
‘So this is how it begins.’
Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The act of opening the blood meridians to expel turbid qi from within the body was, in essence, akin to torture.
When one poured true energy to open the blood meridians, a pain akin to having one’s bones forcibly extracted and scraped with a blade would be felt.
Infamous martial world torture techniques such as Hellish Yin Punishment and Blue Death Hand Punishment were, for the most part, methods of forcibly channeling true energy into the blood meridians.
‘He will cry out soon enough.’
Hyul Geum Gang could state this with certainty.
Having opened the blood meridians in such a short span of time, Bu Eunseol would surely experience a pain as though every blood vessel in his body were burning.
“Mm.”
Yet Bu Eunseol merely released a short, quiet sound.
And his expression remained remarkably calm and composed.
‘Mm?’
A flicker of bewilderment flashed across Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes as Bu Eunseol, whom he had expected to writhe in agony, produced only that brief, subdued utterance.
‘Perhaps I have not yet expelled enough of the turbid qi from his blood vessels.’
He immediately shook his head.
Already, thick sweat was pouring from Bu Eunseol’s body like rain.
This was the phenomenon that occurred when the true energy injected into his body functioned properly, forcibly driving out the turbid qi.
“Mm.”
Then Bu Eunseol released another sound.
His tone was deeply satisfied, as though he were sitting in a pleasant resort receiving acupuncture treatment at vital points.
‘So this is what opening the blood meridians feels like.’
Bu Eunseol had quietly closed his eyes.
The true energy flowing through his body caressed his blood meridians gently, like a mother’s touch.
Though occasionally a fierce force would bore through as if to tear his blood vessels asunder, the warm heat rising from his dantian would soon ease the pain.
“Mm.”
From my dantian, heat continuously rose, warming my entire body, and with each bead of sweat that dripped away, it felt as though the impurities within me were being purged.
“Surely not.”
Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes widened as he gazed down at the droplets of sweat falling from Bu Eunseol.
His expression resembled that of a charlatan shaman who had been writing talismans when he suddenly glimpsed a genuine ghost.
‘Could it be that her meridians were never tainted to begin with?’
When sweat pours forth after opening the meridian pathways, it is invariably dark as ink and reeks with a sickening stench.
Yet the perspiration flowing from Bu Eunseol was merely dusky in hue, utterly devoid of any odor.
Her vital essence remained as pristine as that of a newborn child.
“Hehehehe.”
Understanding everything in an instant, laughter erupted from Hyul Geum Gang’s lips.
The Reverse Extreme Heart Method—a deathless inner cultivation secret that could never be mastered except through torment equivalent to death itself.
Yet before his eyes sat the very vessel capable of perfecting this technique.
“Ahahaha!”
Hyul Geum Gang burst into wild, unrestrained laughter.
“So your name is Bu Eunseol.”
From Hyul Geum Gang’s eyes blazed an intensity that could melt steel itself.
“From this day forward, I shall transmit the Reverse Extreme Heart Method to you.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————