The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 313

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

Chapter 313.
Beok Goong Ryung forcefully suppressed the surging emotions welling up within him and cried out loudly.
“Hmph, do you think I would accept help from the likes of you?”
He rejected her coldly, though his voice trembled slightly.
“It is not help I offer, but mutual benefit.”
Bu Eunseol laughed softly and spoke as if it were a trivial matter.
“Unless we return to the original conflict, attacks directed at me will continue. If the elder and I combine our strength, would my journey through Gangho not become considerably easier?”
In truth, it was merely an excuse.
If he did not clash with Beok Goong Ryung, he could simply return to the Demon Palace.
“Combine our strength, you say….”
The corners of Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes trembled.
If this exceptional late-stage master of the Demonic Path and he were to join forces? It would birth a partnership against which nothing could stand.
“Hmph, easier is hardly the word—it is a journey where one must stake their very neck.”
Beok Goong Ryung suppressed his rising emotions and let out a scoff.
“They will stop at nothing to prevent me from finding the Nine Yin Meridian Scripture.”
“Is that not precisely what journeying through Gangho entails?”
“Very well.”
As if having made a decision, Beok Goong Ryung nodded.
“Once this matter is resolved, I shall face you in combat—thoroughly enough that all your spiritual hesitation vanishes in an instant.”
“Agreed.”
A smile bloomed at the corners of Bu Eunseol’s lips.
Thus, the two had transcended age and sect to become temporary allies.
“Where is this Nine Yin Meridian Scripture located?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Beok Goong Ryung gazed at the dimming sky and spoke in an ominous tone.
“Youling Island.”
* * *
Not far from Dengzhou, there once existed an uninhabited island where the Shenyin Sect had established itself.
The disciples of the Shenyin Sect were all masters of mechanical contraptions and formation techniques—so skilled they could conceal themselves using nothing more than a single pebble.
They had installed mechanisms and formations throughout the island where they dwelled, causing outsiders to perceive the entire island as empty and desolate.
It was for this reason that the island where the Shenyin Sect resided came to be called Youling Island.
However, the Shenyin Sect, renowned for their mysterious mechanisms and formations, vanished from Murim forty years ago.
They were annihilated by Bu Chanyang, the great killing star of the Demonic Path and master of the Chilji Demonic Sect.
The reason was their cooperation with the Killing Curtain, which had continuously attempted to assassinate the Chilji Demonic Sect.
In fact, most of the traps the Killing Curtain had laid to kill Bu Chanyang were crafted by the Shenyin Sect.
Upon learning this truth, the Chilji Demonic Sect came alone to Youling Island and exterminated the Shenyin Sect entirely.
Whoooosh.
An enormous sail billowed tautly, embracing the wind.
A single vessel, riding a favorable wind, cut through the waves as it advanced toward Youling Island.
Upon the deck stood an elderly man in white robes and a man in dark gray martial garb, side by side.
They were none other than Beok Goong Ryung and Bu Eunseol.
“I haven’t engaged in such a brutal fight in years.”
Beok Goong Ryung gazed down at his own hands and shook his head.
The journey to Youling Island by boat had been nothing short of a blood-soaked path.
Every step of the way was stained crimson with blood.
Wherever we went, assassins poured in endlessly. At Inns, they poisoned the food; when we found lodging, they planted hidden weapons and traps.
Merchants operating stalls in Market Street attacked us, and women cradling infants hurled fire bombs.
With assassins constantly pressing forward, the two of us were forced to avoid Seong Do entirely and travel only along remote paths, sleeping under the stars and preparing our own meals.
“Without your help, I still wouldn’t have boarded that boat.”
Beok Goong Ryung offered his first genuine compliment.
“You’re young, yet you seem to have far more experience in Gangho than I do.”
What if Bu Eunseol hadn’t been there to help?
No matter how exceptional his martial prowess, he would still be overwhelmed dealing with the endless stream of assassins.
“The same holds true for me.”
Bu Eunseol spoke matter-of-factly.
“Without you, Elder, I would have abandoned this journey to Gangho long ago and returned.”
Bu Eunseol too would have been unable to advance her martial arts without Beok Goong Ryung’s assistance.
She would have simply returned to Demon Palace after dealing with the relentless assassins.
“Take this.”
As a faint island appeared in the distance, Bu Eunseol withdrew a mask from her robes and handed it to Beok Goong Ryung.
“We don’t know what might unfold ahead, so it would be wise to wear a mask.”
“There’s no need. Those gathered there are all righteous heroes.”
“Righteous heroes.”
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky and shook her head.
“If they truly deserved to be called righteous heroes, they wouldn’t have come to this place.”
Beok Goong Ryung fell silent.
If they possessed the virtue and detachment worthy of being called righteous heroes, would they have journeyed all the way to Youling Island seeking the Nine Yin Elixir?
The answer was clear.
“You may be right.”
Beok Goong Ryung sighed deeply.
Though he was a veteran of Gangho with keen insight, before Bu Eunseol he felt like a child.
“As I’ve said before, you seem like an old man who has lived far longer than I have.”
And with a bitter expression, he shook his head.
“Besides, wearing a mask would be pointless. My martial arts are recognizable even without eyes.”
Tan Wang’s inner strength produces a sound like thunder and lightning.
When he unleashed his martial arts, even warriors a hundred paces away could identify him.
“But will it be alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve already lost considerable time dealing with the masked assassins.”
“Even if we’re delayed by another ten days, it matters not.”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke with confidence.
“The treasure competition will only end when a powerful master appears, or when a coalition of forces like the Murim Alliance or Demon Hall emerges.”
He continued speaking with his eyes narrowed to slits.
“Only overwhelming martial prowess—so formidable that none would dare challenge it—can suppress those blinded by greed.”
“That might be true if we were in the heart of Zhong Yuan. But this is the Isolated Island, far removed from the mainland.”
“What does that matter?”
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky with a meaningful gleam in her eyes.
“They each arrived with their own ambitions, but they would have discovered that many people exist within the island. By now, they’ve surely formed groups.”
“Groups?”
“Indeed.”
When countless individuals gather and only a few can survive, what happens?
Human nature compels people to rally those of like mind and eliminate the rest.
This was why, during their time on Hell Island, Bu Eunseol and a select few exceptional individuals had formed groups early on.
“If they’ve each formed factions, the competition would have ended swiftly. The victors may already possess the divine weapon, or perhaps they’ve departed for Zhong Yuan by now.”
“If you knew that, why are you speaking of it now?”
Beok Goong Ryung’s expression turned bewildered.
If what he said was true, hadn’t they come to Youling Island by boat for nothing?
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky and spoke with serene composure.
“First, because the timing remains uncertain. I can only predict that it ended swiftly, nothing more.”
She continued calmly.
“Second, even if the competition has already concluded, I must find clues to pursue how the battle ended and what divine weapon emerged.”
Bu Eunseol turned her head and fixed her gaze upon Beok Goong Ryung.
“Third, on an empty Isolated Island, we can fight without interference from anyone. That is why I came here.”
Beok Goong Ryung’s expression went blank.
Watching Bu Eunseol, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d wasted his entire life.
‘Even if this brat entered the Gangho as an infant, she shouldn’t have more experience than me.’
This was because Bu Eunseol had learned profound insight and the principles of the world through Bu Chanyang’s teachings, but…
Beok Goong Ryung, unaware of this fact, felt an inexplicable sense of self-doubt wash over him.
“But there is something I’m curious about.”
Bu Eunseol spoke as if remembering something.
“Those who came here must already be blinded by the desire to possess a divine weapon.”
She continued with a puzzled expression.
“How exactly did you intend to stop them?”
Those intoxicated by martial secrets and divine weapons cannot be swayed even by immortals.
Thinking about it, Beok Goong Ryung had come to Youling Island far too naturally, under the pretext of saving them.
“Surely you don’t need that divine weapon yourself, Elder?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Beok Goong Ryung actually let out a bitter laugh.
“Do I look like I need a divine weapon?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head faintly.
Tan Wang’s Inner Heavenly Elixir Qi was truly supreme in the Murim—it possessed power far greater and more formidable than any divine weapon.
“I have wandered the Gangho for a long time and met many righteous masters from various sects.”
He took a deep breath and opened his mouth once more.
“And those called the Righteous Heroes all possessed an unwavering sense of justice in their hearts. If I were to inform them that this Jang Bo Do is a trap designed to make them slaughter one another, they would never engage in such meaningless conflict.”
Beok Goong Ryung believed in the righteousness of the Orthodox Sects.
And that belief had become the driving force behind his desire to protect the Murim.
His intention to save the Righteous Heroes who had fallen prey to this Jang Bo Do stemmed from his conviction that they would one day become the pillars to dispel the darkness that threatened the Murim.
But to Bu Eunseol’s eyes, it was merely a fairy tale brimming with dreams and hope.
‘There’s no need to pour cold water on his aspirations.’
Bu Eunseol had no desire to shatter Beok Goong Ryung’s hopes and convictions.
All humans live with hope, trusting and relying upon their own beliefs.
No one has the right to destroy another’s convictions.
“Speak, if you have something to say.”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke, as if sensing Bu Eunseol’s hesitation.
“Though your tongue is sharp, I know well that you do not speak idle words.”
Bu Eunseol opened his mouth reluctantly.
“If this were the heart of Zhong Yuan, perhaps that plan might have succeeded. Regardless of preference, there would be a reputation built up over time.”
“Hmm.”
“As I mentioned before, this is the Isolated Island, far removed from Zhong Yuan.”
Bu Eunseol did not believe that humans were inherently virtuous.
Moreover, having already experienced a similar situation, he could not bring himself to believe, even if he wished to.
“So a massacre took place?”
“Indeed. They would have begun without the slightest hesitation.”
A brief silence fell between them.
Beok Goong Ryung gazed at the distant Youling Island and spoke with conviction.
“They may form factions, certainly. But these are individuals rich in Gangho experience… they would never make such a grave mistake.”
Bu Eunseol said nothing.
For each person possessed their own convictions.
He merely hoped that Beok Goong Ryung would not suffer the same confusion and turmoil that he himself had endured.
The ship’s hull scraped against the shore with a sharp sound.
At last, the vessel began to dock at Youling Island.
The two who disembarked immediately deployed their lightness techniques to survey the island.
The central region of the island, covered in jagged rocks and strange formations, revealed towering mountains and deep forests.
To the west stretched broad plains dotted with lush vegetation.
The landscape was so peaceful it belied the island’s ominous name.
Yet the atmosphere was desolate and eerie, and the stench of blood seemed to drift from somewhere unseen.
Beok Goong Ryung, alongside the masked Bu Eunseol, deployed his movement technique and ventured deep into the island.
They sought the Secret Cave marked upon the Jang Bo Do’s location.
But as they drew closer to the cave’s vicinity, Beok Goong Ryung’s expression grew darker.
It was exactly as Bu Eunseol had predicted.
Battle had already erupted, and countless corpses lay scattered throughout the area.
Had it merely been a contest for supremacy, Beok Goong Ryung’s expression would not have grown so grim.
Merciless slaughter. One-sided assault.
The wounds left upon the corpses revealed how groups of the strong had brutally exterminated the weaker ones.
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eunseol inwardly sighed.
The pretenses of the Righteous Path and righteous heroes meant nothing on the Isolated Island, so far removed from the mainland.
The gentle expression worn by their faces would have torn away in an instant, revealing their true nature.
They harbored not the slightest hesitation in severing others’ lives—solely to eliminate rivals and increase their chances of obtaining the Wuneishiping.
“How could they do such a thing?”
Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes, gazing upon the corpses, had filled with fury.
Over the years, he had wandered through the Murim and witnessed countless atrocities. He had seen the Demonic Path emerge more than once.
But this was different.
Murim practitioners who discovered treasure on an island no one sought.
The moment they arrived where no eyes could see them, they cast off their masks of righteousness and unleashed their cruel nature without restraint.
Clang! Crash!
Yet from somewhere, the faint sound of weapons clashing echoed.
“…!”
“…!”
Bu Eunseol and Beok Goong Ryung exchanged glances, then soared skyward like great rocs.
Whoosh!
Cutting swiftly through the forest, they finally arrived before a sheer cliff near the coastline.
There, five Murim practitioners wielding distinctive weapons were attacking thirty-some others.
No—it was a one-sided massacre.
With each swing of their weapons, sharp energy erupted in all directions, cleaving flesh from bone.
They even hunted down those who fled or hid, relentlessly pursuing them to stab their backs and slit their throats.
“Stop!”
Unable to bear it, Beok Goong Ryung descended before the murderers with a thunderous shout.
“Shandong Five Heroes! You have your weapons—why do you slaughter these people?”
The five conducting the massacre were heroes who primarily operated in Shandong.
After swearing brotherhood, they traveled together and performed many righteous deeds, earning the epithet Shandong Five Heroes.
Yet upon obtaining the Wuneishiping, they committed such brutal carnage?
“You are….”
Jeong Jung Won, the second of the Shandong Five Heroes, recognized Beok Goong Ryung’s face at once and retreated in shock.
“Tan Wang?”
One of the Four Gods Seven Kings, capable of shattering a boulder the size of a house with a single flick of his finger.
Why had this master of Heaven-Breaking Power appeared here?
“Tan Wang, have you also come here coveting the Wuneishiping?”
As Jeong Jung Won cried out with arrogant pride, Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes flashed.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
He pointed to the corpses piled around them.
“Once you have your weapons, you should leave—why do you massacre these people?”
Under that icy rebuke, the Shandong Five Heroes fell silent like a mute who had eaten honey, unable to utter a single word.
The Shandong Five Heroes were among the most formidable martial artists who had come to Youling Island, and they had no need to gather additional forces.
Before the competition even began, they eliminated their rivals one by one… and ultimately obtained the Wunei Ten Soldiers left in the Secret Cave.
And fearing their misdeeds would be exposed to the outside world, they relentlessly hunted down and slaughtered the remaining groups on the island.
―The witnesses must be eliminated.
The eyes of the Shandong Five Heroes gleamed as if they had made a pact.
If such atrocities became known throughout the Murim?
Even with the Wunei Ten Soldiers in hand, they would never be able to walk proudly through the Murim again, would they?
“Greed has even numbed your reason.”
Beok Goong Ryung, observing them, spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“Come to your senses even now. You cannot abandon the reputation you have built your entire life for such a trivial weapon, can you?”
Despite his earnest plea, Jeong Jung Won shook his head.
“Tan Wang. Since your youth, you have been called a great master, so you would not understand such regret.”
And gazing at the Xiongba Blade held in his left hand, he sighed deeply.
“But we have finally overcome the wall we could never break through our entire lives by wielding this weapon. Do you understand what I mean?”
The Shandong Five Heroes were also martial artists who had devoted their lives to the Way of Martial Arts.
But the wall of the Transcendent Realm was not something that could be broken merely through effort.
Yet the moment they grasped the Wunei Ten Soldiers, they wielded power enough to leap over the wall of the Transcendent Realm in a single bound.
It was as if they had entered the Extreme Heavenly Realm in an instant.
How could they possibly abandon such a dream-like opportunity?
“I see.”
Beok Goong Ryung nodded his head.
He could fully understand the suffering the Shandong Five Heroes endured.
He too had once despaired at the wall of the Transcendent Realm in his youth, and through countless brushes with death and enlightenment, he had broken through that wall.
But that did not justify their greed.
“There is no need for lengthy words.”
At that moment, Gu Young Hwa, the eldest, stepped forward while gripping the azure-hued flute, the Cangqian Golden Flute.
“Under normal circumstances, I would never dare defy Senior Beok Goong. But now is different.”
Murderous intent flowed from Gu Young Hwa’s eyes.
They had killed countless righteous sect masters and heroes through cowardly means to obtain the weapon.
And now they intended to kill even Beok Goong Ryung to cover their tracks completely.

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