The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 319

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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 319.
Afterward, Bu Eunseol led the Sayoung Battle Division to villages damaged by the landslide.
They repaired the destroyed homes and distributed food supplies.
Though they had brought ample provisions, there were far too many people suffering from hunger.
In the end, the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division shared even their own rations with the common folk.
Though they went hungry themselves, they were seasoned martial artists with cultivated inner strength—a few days without food would not seriously harm them.
More importantly, witnessing the joy on the villagers’ faces as they ate filled the warriors with an even greater power.
Especially when they saw the children and elderly regaining their vigor through food, the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division felt an energy overflow as if they had achieved years of inner cultivation.
“Now I understand why the Commander ordered us to bring so much grain.”
Won Se Moon, Jo Nam Cheon, and Wi Cheon Gyeong watched with satisfaction as the children eagerly spooned rice porridge into their mouths.
Though they themselves had consumed only dried provisions and water for days, the fulfillment of helping others infused their bodies with vitality.
Before long, the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division completed repairs on the final village along the road to Baek Mang Pung.
Thanks to their efforts, the villagers who had been on death’s door recovered their health, and the village itself regained its vigor.
Whoosh.
At that moment, dozens of martial artists descended from afar with a sound that split the air.
They were Cheon Geom and the members of the Yo Jin Geom Dae, who had completely eradicated Baek Mang Pung.
“Ha ha ha! So you’ve completely given up because we arrived first?”
Cheon Geom gazed at the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division resting against the village structures, a sneer playing at his lips.
“You’ve even set up shop here. How pathetic.”
With a smirk, he walked to the center of the village and shouted loudly to the people.
“Citizens! You can rest easy now. I, Cheon Geom, have eliminated all of Baek Mang Pung!”
Cheon Geom proclaimed triumphantly, his voice booming once more.
“The vicious Baek Mang Pung, who extorted money from this entire region, no longer exists!”
The Village Chief then stepped forward and offered his thanks with measured composure.
“Thank you.”
“Hmm?”
Cheon Geom, who had been grinning with self-satisfaction, tilted his head in confusion.
After nearly dying to eliminate Baek Mang Pung, was a single “thank you” all he would receive?
“Our Murim Alliance—rather, I, Cheon Geom, eliminated the parasitic Baek Mang Pung that was draining your village!”
“We are grateful. However…”
The Village Chief gazed at the blinking Cheon Geom and released a deep sigh.
“This region of Yeom Hyeon was devastated by landslides, with most of the village destroyed and in dire straits.”
“And?”
“Baek Mang Pung or not, we were starving and freezing in the cold.”
The Village Chief spoke to Cheon Geom with an expression of hollow resignation.
“What does Baek Mang Pung matter after we’re dead? What difference would it make?”
He then pointed to Bu Eunseol and the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division and spoke loudly.
“The ones who extended their hands to us in our time of need were these martial masters.”
“How disappointing.”
Cheon Geom’s face darkened with anger, but he forced a smile and spoke.
“What they did was trivial. What danger did they truly face?”
“….”
“We risked our lives fighting against Baek Mang Pung, who had tormented you for so long. We staked our very lives on it. Do you understand?”
“That wasn’t done for our sake, was it?”
The Village Chief shook his head with a helpless expression.
“We never even asked you to eliminate them.”
Judging by the Village Chief’s attitude, he gave no credit whatsoever to the elimination of Baek Mang Pung.
He seemed grateful only for the assistance provided by the warriors of the Demon Palace.
‘That bastard.’
Cheon Geom glared at Bu Eunseol with wide eyes.
Only now did I realize I had fallen into another trap.
‘She deliberately sent me ahead and helped the villagers herself!’
Cheon Geom’s fury erupted from within.
This time, determined not to lose credit to Bu Eunseol and to arrive one step faster, I moved with frenzied desperation.
Though I occasionally glimpsed the ruins of the devastated village, dealing with Baek Mang Pung had taken priority.
Of course, some of the Yo Jin Geom Dae members had offered remonstrations.
―Lord, attacking Baek Mang Pung is well and good, but shouldn’t we save the commoners first?
To which Cheon Geom cut them off sharply.
―Baek Mang Pung comes first. Don’t lose sight of the objective.
All things in this world have priority and hierarchy.
That is to say, there is an order to all matters, and some are important while others are not.
Naturally, dealing with Baek Mang Pung was the most important task, and I handled it with urgency—yet this is the gratitude I receive? As if it were beneath my concern?
‘These foolish commoners can’t see the forest for the trees.’
But there was something Cheon Geom failed to understand.
The reason the world had revered me was not merely because I eliminated sects that committed atrocities.
It was because I immediately saved those whose lives hung in the balance, opening a path to survival.
The Heuk Pung Chae before, and the sects that committed evil throughout Gangho whose elimination built my reputation—
it was never for the sake of accruing merit like this.
Rather, it was the same as extending a hand to those in immediate need of aid.
I possessed exceptional martial prowess and keen intellect.
But regrettably, I had no intention of correcting my own flaws and shortcomings, nor was there anyone to compel me to do so.
Moreover, I lacked the Gangho experience that Bu Eunseol possessed, and my understanding of the world’s principles was limited.
In the end, blinded by competitive spirit, I lost to Bu Eunseol once again.
* * *
The Oksoo Inn at midday was teeming with patrons.
The interior of the Oksoo Inn was so crowded with an endless stream of diverse customers that there was barely room to stand.
“Did you hear? They say the successor of the Demon Palace has been doing so many good deeds lately?”
At that moment, a man in blue robes seated at a central table spoke to a goat-bearded man across from him.
“Ah, you mean the Muhonjung Lord?”
The goat-bearded man nodded, and the man in blue robes continued.
“Not only did they sweep away the vicious sects that preyed upon innocent civilians, but this time they’ve also completely repaired and restored all the villages in the Yeom Hyeon region that suffered from the landslide.”
“Yeom Hyeon? Isn’t that the place where that famous disciple of Geom Joon from the Murim Alliance dealt with Baek Mang Pung not long ago?”
The man with the goat beard grinned and spoke.
“Apparently, the Muhonjung Lord intended to strike first. But when a landslide occurred in the Yeom Hyeon region, he prioritized repairing the villages and distributing food instead, or so I heard.”
And he shrugged his shoulders as if he had done the work himself.
“So the people of Yeom Hyeon village even built a shrine dedicated to the Muhonjung Lord.”
“But you know what? That’s actually quite amusing.”
The man in blue chuckled and nodded.
“The Murim Alliance, which claims to do good deeds, struck down Baek Mang Pung with bloodlust in their eyes, yet the Demon Hall, which pursues the path of tyranny, instead provides relief to innocent civilians?”
“Hey, you fool. What does the Demonic Path or Righteous Path have to do with helping civilians? It’s simply that person called Cheon Geom or whatever—he’s just lacking in character.”
Inside the banquet hall of the Oksoo Inn.
The twenty-some martial artists dining within kept their mouths firmly shut at the sounds drifting in from outside.
They were none other than Cheon Geom and the members of the Yo Jin Geom Dae, who were returning to the Murim Alliance.
They had annihilated Baek Mang Pung, a sect that tormented innocent civilians, yet their expressions suggested they were returning with guilt upon their shoulders.
“….”
In the deathly silence, the members carefully swallowed each grain of rice.
This was because Cheon Geom sat with his eyes wide open and his face rigid.
“Um, Lord.”
Unable to bear it any longer, the vice-commander Han Sung spoke to Cheon Geom.
“Perhaps you should eat something first.”
“Hm?”
Only then did Cheon Geom come to his senses and waved his hand.
“Ah. Don’t worry about it. I’m simply not hungry yet.”
And he rose from his seat and spoke.
“I have no appetite for food, so eat slowly. I’ll be at the tea house just ahead, having some tea.”
Watching Cheon Geom leave so casually, Han Sung’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
‘He heard such words and suffered no impact whatsoever?’
Then, as Han Sung gazed down at the spot where Cheon Geom had been seated, he soon shook his head.
‘That wasn’t it.’
Vivid footprints were etched into the seat where Cheon Geom had been sitting.
He was in a state of great fury, unconsciously releasing his inner energy.
Considering Cheon Geom’s formidable martial prowess, the fact that his spirit had been disturbed to such a degree was evidence that he was quite irritated.
‘This is concerning.’
Han Sung sighed inwardly.
Cheon Geom had suddenly appeared at the Murim Alliance, and while revealing his past good deeds, he had rapidly ascended to become a first-rank sword division commander.
But for martial artists who had long served the Murim Alliance, it was merely.
A position acquired through the prestige of being Geom Joon’s disciple and the fortune gained from his sudden rise to fame.
‘It is a characteristic of those with exceptional martial talent.’
When one of outstanding aptitude meets an outstanding master, the path becomes smooth and clear. There is no time to feel obstacles or fluctuations.
Thus, he has experienced almost no frustration, and his journey through Gangho amounts to merely testing his martial arts.
Han Sung discerned that Cheon Geom had never experienced frustration, and his experience in Gangho was equally shallow.
‘Conversely, the Muhonjung Master of Demon Hall hails from the Ten Demon Immortals, and I’ve heard his Gangho experience is extensive.’
The Muhonjung Master whom Cheon Geom stood against was someone who had wandered Gangho for several years, building his reputation.
Though Cheon Geom had also roamed Gangho in secrecy, he lacked the seasoning to face Demon Hall’s successor, who had endured countless trials.
‘When I return to the Alliance this time, I must confess this to the Divine Position Sect Leader.’
Han Sung resolved firmly.
At this rate, Cheon Geom—such a brilliant talent—would crumble under frustration and plummet in an instant.
Even now, he needed to abandon his lofty position and accumulate diverse experiences from the ground up.
‘There is still much time. No need to rush.’
Han Sung ate his meal with a considerably lighter heart.
But how could he have known?
That he would never deliver word to the Alliance. That he would soon abandon this man called Cheon Geom.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, a torrent of poisoned needles poured into the banquet hall.
Han Sung and the Yo Jin Geom Dae members were all exceptional masters who swiftly evaded or deflected the needles.
“Ugh.”
But the needles’ power was abnormally potent and fired with cunning precision, so half the members were ultimately struck.
“The needles are poisoned!”
Seeing black blood trickling from the wounded members, they cried out in alarm.
“Take the antidote!”
The members immediately swallowed the emergency antidote they carried.
But the poison coating the needles was so virulent that the common antidote had no effect whatsoever.
Whoosh.
Then, a massive cloud of poisonous vapor flooded the banquet hall.
‘A calculated ambush!’
Han Sung cried out inwardly.
The enemies had known the Yo Jin Geom Dae would come here and had laid a trap in advance.
“Escape outside!”
Boom!
As Han Sung’s shout rang out, the members burst through the Inn’s ceiling and leaped into the air.
Then a figure could be seen bounding across the Palace Hall roofs in flight—it was Sal Soo.
“Chase him!”
Just as Han Sung and the members began pursuing Sal Soo,
Boom!
The roof of the Tea House near the Inn shattered, and a white silhouette shot skyward. It was Cheon Geom.
Whoosh!
Cheon Geom immediately pursued Sal Soo with tremendous lightness technique.
But Sal Soo’s lightness technique was equally formidable, and dragging his pursuers like a tail, he swiftly escaped the Village.
Upon reaching the Reed Field at the Village’s edge, Sal Soo glanced back before halting his movement technique.
He had realized he could not shake off Cheon Geom.
Cheon Geom, Han Sung, and the Yo Jin Geom Dae members quickly surrounded Sal Soo.
“You need an antidote, don’t you!”
Sal Soo produced a pouch with a voice like grinding metal, his tone grotesquely harsh.
“If you cease your pursuit, I will provide the antidote and depart!”
Han Sung then shouted with a stern voice.
“How can we trust that substance is truly an antidote?”
Sal Soo, rather than answering, hurled a golden pill from his pouch toward Han Sung.
“Test it yourself.”
Thud.
Han Sung caught the pill and immediately administered it to the wounded member.
The blackened complexion returned to normal, and the dark blood flowing from the wound instantly transformed into clear crimson.
“Lord, this is undoubtedly a genuine antidote.”
“….”
Cheon Geom stared at Sal Soo as though he had heard nothing at all.
‘Could it be?’
Han Sung’s eyes widened in alarm.
Surely Cheon Geom wouldn’t kill Sal Soo without blinking an eye, even as his subordinates perished?
“Lord!”
When Han Sung cried out, Cheon Geom raised his hand to silence him.
Then, with a peculiar glint in his eyes, he spoke.
“You don’t seem to be the true Sal Soo of the Sal Mun. Where did you come from?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Sal Soo responded coldly.
“I will provide the antidote. Stop pursuing me. Will you accept?”
“Hahahaha.”
Cheon Geom suddenly burst into laughter.
“You suddenly ambush my subordinates, and now that you’re about to be caught, you offer an antidote and ask me to let you go?”
Sal Soo spoke matter-of-factly.
“Decide now. If you refuse, I will destroy the antidote immediately.”
“If you destroy it?”
“Within one hour, if they don’t receive the cure, your subordinates’ martial power will diminish significantly.”
“You.”
Cheon Geom spoke with a sinister grin.
“Your martial techniques and combat stance—you’re from the Demonic Path, aren’t you?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Ah! I see now. You’re one of his subordinates. Your exceptional lightness skill suggests you’re one of that person’s trusted aides, doesn’t it?”
“Your subordinates’ lives don’t seem very precious to you.”
Sal Soo scoffed, drawing his internal energy into the hand holding the medicine pouch.
Scorching heat erupted forth, the pouch igniting in flames as white smoke billowed outward.
“Lord!”
Watching his subordinates writhe in agony, Han Sung cried out urgently.
“Lord, we must detoxify them immediately.”
But Cheon Geom merely glared at Sal Soo, his eyes flashing with intensity rather than responding.
‘This madman!’
Han Sung’s rage surged uncontrollably.
Regardless of being Geom Joon’s disciple, to them he was like a superior who had suddenly fallen from the heavens without warning.
When they could barely manage to nurture the existing members and work together, how could he think only of his own whims?
“Lord!”
Han Sung suppressed his anger and attempted to persuade Cheon Geom once more.
“All the members here are your limbs and extensions.”
“If I yield to the threats of a Demonic Path disciple, how can I call myself the Lord of the Murim Alliance?”
Upon hearing Cheon Geom’s words, Sal Soo chuckled and spoke.
“The negotiation has collapsed, then.”
In the next instant, he drew upon his inner energy and incinerated the antidote pill.
Boom!
Simultaneously, a deafening explosion erupted from the Reed Field, and smoke billowed in all directions.
At the same moment, Sal Soo vanished without a trace, and dozens of movements spread outward beneath the earth.
He had unleashed an earth-concealment technique.
“You think you can escape me?”
Cheon Geom immediately swung his great sword, striking one of the scattered movements with tremendous force.
Crash!
The earth inverted, and a massive crater formed.
But within it, a chunk of metal the size of a human body was moving on its own.
Now I realized—he hadn’t unleashed an earth-concealment technique at all. Instead, tunnels had been dug in advance.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
To find Sal Soo, I would have to overturn all these spreading movements.
“Why are you all standing there gawking?”
Cheon Geom shouted at Han Sung and the members.
“We can only obtain the antidote by capturing him, can’t we?”
Despite his thunderous command, the members gazed at him with cold eyes.
―This heartless, tearless fool.
Superior martial prowess does not make a worthy leader.
Even if one cherished subordinates as one’s own body, loyalty would be difficult to earn.
Cheon Geom was nothing but a madman who gave no consideration whatsoever to the plight or suffering of others.
“Can’t you hear me? Won’t you capture him?”
At Cheon Geom’s shout, the members reluctantly pursued the spreading movements.
Boom!
As Cheon Geom’s sword strikes rained down upon the earth, massive craters were carved deep.
But each time, only enormous chunks of metal were revealed.
Now it became clear—they had long ago dug tunnels throughout this Reed Field and installed intricate mechanisms to create an escape route.
‘Bu Eunseol!’
In that instant, sparks of fury ignited in Cheon Geom’s eyes.
Only Bu Eunseol possessed the cunning to orchestrate such an elaborate trap.
“Ugh…”
Meanwhile, Han Sung and the other members groaned in agony.
They were using their inner energy to contain the spread of the poison, but they had reached their limits.
“Do not worry.”
Cheon Geom ultimately abandoned his pursuit of the fleeing Sal Soo.
Instead, he spoke casually to his subordinates.
“Would I act so thoughtlessly?”
He then placed his massive hand on the Daechu acupoint on the backs of the poisoned members.
“Even without an antidote, I can expel the poison in one stroke by channeling my inner energy into you. Have no fear.”
He immediately infused his formidable inner energy, drawing the poison from each member’s body.
Spurt!
With each injection of his inner energy, the members coughed up black blood.
True to Cheon Geom’s word, his infusion of power expelled the poison completely in a single motion.
Spurt!
When the final member spat out black blood from his mouth, Cheon Geom nodded with a smile.
“There. Everyone is detoxified, yes?”
Cheon Geom beamed brightly, spreading both hands wide.
“…”
Yet the members merely clasped their hands formally—not a single one expressed genuine gratitude.
‘I see now.’
Cheon Geom had finally grasped Bu Eunseol’s scheme in its entirety.
She intended to strip him of his position as Lord, reduce him back to a commoner, and then settle their rivalry on equal ground.
That way, there would be no conflict with the Murim Alliance.
‘She dismantled the foundation from within. Thoroughly.’
Cheon Geom let out a derisive chuckle.
Reputation and honor were things that could be gained from nothing, and reclaiming them was hardly impossible.
With a methodical plan crystallizing in his mind, Cheon Geom turned away with a scoff.
‘Let’s see if things unfold as you wish.’
But the leisurely smile that had always graced his lips had vanished.

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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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