The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 394

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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 394.
Bu Eunseol finally came to a halt.
“Shall we talk here?”
Dang Cheong narrowed her elongated eyes and surveyed her surroundings.
“Or would you prefer to find somewhere quieter to speak?”
After a moment’s deliberation, Bu Eunseol extended her hand and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Dang Cheong walked past several courtyards toward the Tower Forest, where countless pagodas stood tall.
Ordinarily, this was a place forbidden to ordinary pilgrims. However, Dang Cheong maintained close relations with many eminent monks of Shaolin—the guest director, the discipline master, and the abbots of various halls.
Because of these connections, she naturally gained access to areas restricted to common visitors, and the monks recognized her without offering any obstruction.
Because of that, she naturally entered areas that ordinary visitors couldn’t access, and the monks recognized her and didn’t try to stop her.
“How did you recognize me?”
Bu Eunseol asked in a low voice as she strolled through the Tower Forest alongside Dang Cheong.
The first close friend I had made in Gangho was none other than Dang Gon, and Dang Cheong was his younger sister.
Moreover, when I visited the Dang Family, she had consistently shown me goodwill. Even the family head, Dang Pae, regarded me quite favorably, did he not?
Therefore, I harbored no animosity toward Dang Cheong whatsoever.
I merely wished to understand how she had identified me and what fatal weakness my transformation technique might possess.
“Did you forget that I am a daughter of the Dang Family?”
Dang Cheong spoke with a calm smile.
“I serve as the leader of the Chi Yeo Dang, an organization that specializes in fragrant toxins.”
Even among the Dang Family, where poison experts gathered, Dang Cheong led the Chi Yeo Dang, which housed the foremost masters of fragrant toxins.
In particular, her sense of smell was extraordinarily developed, and because of this, in the field of fragrant toxins, she was said to rival Dang Pae, the family head himself.
“I am well aware that you are an expert in fragrant toxins.”
Dang Cheong smiled faintly upon grasping Bu Eunseol’s meaning.
“To create fragrant toxins, one must first become an expert in scent. I can distinguish dozens of odors simultaneously, each from the others, and I can combine fragrances to replicate any scent precisely.”
Confidence radiated from Dang Cheong’s expression as she continued.
“After the Lord left the Dang Family, I collected the fragrance from the bedroom where you stayed.”
The corners of Dang Cheong’s mouth lifted slightly as she gazed at Bu Eunseol’s profile.
“And I recreated a fragrance identical to the Lord’s body scent.”
Bu Eunseol was greatly astonished.
Dang Cheong possessed a sense of smell as keen as a hunting hound, and she had mastered the technique of combining tens of thousands of scents to replicate any fragrance perfectly?
But what shocked me even more was—why had she collected my scent and created a fragrance from it?
“Why did you create a fragrance from my scent?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, Bu Eunseol asked, and Dang Cheong laughed as though it were self-evident.
“At that time, despite being unknown, the Lord demonstrated exceptional abilities. I believed that before long, you would surely become a figure who dominated the Murim.”
Dang Cheong’s eyes gleamed bewitchingly in the reflected sunlight.
“So that no matter what form you took, I could always identify the Lord by scent—I prepared in advance.”
Bu Eunseol swallowed dryly.
‘There are indeed many people in this world with keen noses.’
So Yo had also distinguished the fake Shin San Ja’s age through her keen sense of smell.
But Dang Cheong went a step further, possessing the ability to distinguish people by their scent alone.
‘I need to reorganize my Heavenly Eye Technique once more.’
Through this incident, I had learned a new truth.
Scent, too, could become an important means of identifying a person.
And for a proper disguise, I would need to account not only for eye expression and behavior, but also this new dimension of ‘body odor’.
“I see.”
Having grasped the full situation, I clasped my hands together.
“Thank you for being honest with me. Thanks to you, I’ve learned something I hadn’t considered until now.”
It was sincere gratitude.
Had Dang Cheong not spoken truthfully—
I would have remained ignorant of the importance of body odor and would have found it impossible to predict how she had seen through my disguise.
“How is Dang Gon faring?”
When I inquired about Dang Gon’s well-being, Dang Cheong hesitated for a moment.
But soon she smiled and nodded.
“Of course. My brother is currently working hard to perfectly master the Eight Great Secret Techniques of the Main House. And he often speaks of the Lord.”
A shadow of darkness flickered across Dang Cheong’s brow.
In that instant, I sensed that something troubling had befallen Dang Gon.
It was strange that he would enter seclusion at such a critical time to master the Eight Great Secret Techniques.
“What has happened to him?”
“Nothing of the sort.”
Dang Cheong maintained a faint smile.
Yet her eyes remained shadowed.
Observing her expression, I made an inner resolution.
‘Once I finish urgent matters, I must visit the Dang Family.’
Dang Cheong nodded, as if she had read my thoughts from my expression.
“If the Lord were to visit the Main House, my brother would be overjoyed.”
“Would it be appropriate for me to visit the Dang Family?”
“Of course. The Lord has done many good deeds. Most of the Orthodox Sect regard you favorably.”
Her expression was utterly at ease.
Had it been anyone else from the Demonic Path, she would have been extremely cautious, no matter how close their connection.
But I was known as the Righteous One within the Demonic Path, a figure of justice and integrity.
Though those of the Demonic Path still found such evaluations uncomfortable, they could not forcibly suppress the Orthodox Sect’s favor.
And she, too, trusted in my upright character.
That is why she could ask so casually, even though I had infiltrated Shaolin under false pretenses.
“Fortunate indeed.”
I smiled faintly, and Dang Cheong asked, “But what brings you to Shaolin?”
“I came to investigate something.”
“Investigate something, you say?”
“You’re going to investigate?”
Bu Eunseol paused briefly before speaking.
“There is someone secretly nesting within Shaolin. And he summoned me here to test me.”
“Someone hiding secretly in Shaolin summoned you here to test you? Why?”
“There are various complicated circumstances involved. However.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with conviction.
“I came with no intention of harming Shaolin or bearing any malice toward it.”
“I see.”
Dang Cheong nodded as if it were only natural.
“But no matter how strong your martial prowess is, you cannot investigate Shaolin alone.”
She continued, drawing a deep breath.
“The reason Shaolin can accommodate so many guests at once right now is because all the disciples who went out into the Gangho have returned and are staying within the temple grounds.”
“Mm.”
“If you were to be surrounded while infiltrating, it would become a situation beyond control.”
Bu Eunseol nodded in agreement.
Had it not been for Shin San Ja’s test and provocation, Bu Eunseol would never have come to Shaolin so recklessly.
But there was one thing I believed in.
If Shin San Ja truly was testing me, and if he wasn’t deliberately trying to trick me…
Then he must have created an opening for me to enter Shaolin.
“It cannot be helped.”
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
“If my reasoning is correct, the reason he summoned me to Shaolin is not merely to infiltrate and investigate this place. There must certainly be clues to match.”
“Mm.”
This time, Dang Cheong nodded in agreement.
After pondering something deeply for a moment, she gazed into Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Her eyes held a will so powerful it could melt steel.
Yet Dang Cheong sensed something inexplicable in those eyes—a profound loneliness and sorrow.
And these were emotions that only women who truly cared for Bu Eunseol could perceive.
“Alright.”
Having finished her deliberation, Dang Cheong nodded.
“I’ll help you. With investigating the temple grounds.”
“You would help me?”
At the unexpected offer, Bu Eunseol was somewhat taken aback.
Since Dang Cheong was well-acquainted with the people of Shaolin, her assistance would be tremendously helpful.
Connections.
I had consistently forged bonds with various figures throughout the Murim, and I had never taken them lightly.
And now the power of those connections was providing such great strength and trust.
“There is no need. This is my matter.”
Yet Bu Eunseol promptly declined her kindness.
There was a risk that if Dang Cheong helped her, relations between Shaolin and the Sichuan Dang Family could sour.
Finding Shin San Ja was important, but for the sake of the Sichuan Dang Family’s honor and Dang Gon, I absolutely could not accept her help.
“There’s no need to decline. No matter what happens, the monks of Shaolin will always cherish me.”
As if reading Bu Eunseol’s heart, Dang Cheong winked and spoke.
“Besides, you’re the only person who has ever received my brother’s Leaf of Eternal Bloom.”
“That’s kind of you. I’ll accept your goodwill.”
“This is my heart as well.”
Dang Cheong gazed at Bu Eunseol with burning eyes.
“I want to become true friends with you—to face dangers together. Is that not possible?”
Bu Eunseol hesitated, surprised by such directness.
Had this been the old me, I would have refused without a moment’s thought.
But now I wavered. Meeting Shin San Ja was the most crucial matter of all.
If I could meet him, the greatest sage of Murim, I would surely obtain information about Hyung Su—the one who killed my grandfather.
“So you need permission to help?”
Dang Cheong sighed and spoke seriously.
“Do you think I’m just dead weight?”
“Not at all.”
Dang Cheong shrugged as she spoke.
“I’m not only an expert in incense, but also a master of mechanical devices and formation-breaking. My specialty is finding hidden mechanisms.”
She then surveyed the Tower Forest around her and spoke with confidence.
“Can you find the hidden mechanism somewhere near this Tower Forest?”
“A mechanism?”
“Yes.”
As Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed, Dang Cheong spoke with absolute certainty.
“The moment I entered this Tower Forest, I immediately sensed there was a secret mechanism hidden here.”
Bu Eunseol surveyed the surroundings once more.
Yet with the naked eye, I could detect no trace of any mechanism anywhere.
“You’re saying there’s a hidden mechanism in this place?”
“Yes.”
Dang Cheong, who had been observing the densely packed Tower Forest, pointed to one of the towers about three stories high.
“That tower has a secret mechanism installed within it. Since this place stores sacred relics, the monks must have created a hidden passage for convenient internal movement.”
Bu Eunseol examined the tower Dang Cheong indicated, but found no obvious trace of a mechanism.
Zing.
At that moment, white light flowed from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
I was activating the Hollow Heart Piercing Gaze to examine the tower.
‘She was right.’
Only after activating the Hollow Heart Piercing Gaze did I discover the faint handprints and minute cracks on the tower’s front face.
There truly was a secret mechanism hidden within this tower.
However, even with the Hollow Heart Piercing Gaze, I could not discern how this mechanism operated or what kind of device was installed.
“Did you find it?”
Dang Cheong asked with a shrug, and Bu Eunseol nodded.
“I did.”
“How about it? Can you trust my abilities now?”
‘I can’t tell if this is genuine or not.’
Having broad connections with Shaolin’s eminent monks meant she had visited Shaolin frequently.
It was possible that Dang Cheong had known about the mechanism here beforehand and mentioned it to Bu Eunseol.
“What? Right now! Looking at your expression, you’re thinking I already knew about this mechanism and mentioned it, aren’t you?”
Her intuition was absolutely uncanny.
When Bu Eunseol couldn’t respond, Dang Cheong placed her hand on her waist indignantly and spoke.
“I’m genuinely trying to help, yet you don’t trust me. Fine.”
Dang Cheong truly seemed offended and turned her head away.
“Do as you please.”
She spun around sharply and kicked a small stone on the ground.
Tap, tap, tap.
But the moment the small stone touched the tower where the mechanism was located,
Rumble.
With a low vibration, one section of the tower’s wall opened, revealing a passage to enter the interior.
“Oh.”
Dang Cheong stared at the stone she had kicked and opened her mouth in surprise.
Remarkably, that small stone had been the device that activated the tower’s mechanism.
‘Could all of this be Shin San Ja’s arrangement?’
Bu Eunseol’s pupils trembled as she witnessed this.
The moment she saw the passage gaping open like a dark mouth, an intuition struck her—wasn’t all of this orchestrated by Shin San Ja?
‘No, that can’t be.’
If that were true, Shin San Ja would have predicted not only Bu Eunseol’s encounter with Dang Cheong at Shaolin, but also her discovery of the mechanism here.
If he had predicted and planned all of this?
Then he wouldn’t be human—he would be a god who could see the future.
‘If that’s not the case.’
Bu Eunseol considered another possibility and stared intently at Dang Cheong.
What if she were in league with Shin San Ja? What if she had brought Bu Eunseol here under the guise of coincidence and opened the mechanism?
That probability was actually higher.
‘Shin San Ja is the man who made the Namgung Family pursue the artificial core with nothing but the promise of a debt of gratitude.’
If he could manipulate the Namgung Family, who stood at the apex of the Eight Great Families,
then controlling the Dang Family wouldn’t be particularly difficult.
“Surely. You’re suspecting me right now?”
At that moment, Dang Cheong, noticing Bu Eunseol’s sharp gaze, opened her mouth.
“You… are terribly suspicious.”
Her intuition was like a razor-sharp blade.
She immediately saw through Bu Eunseol’s suspicion and whispered with irritation.
“Do you think I conspired with someone to do this?”
“I merely considered the possibility.”
“Fine then. Let’s go inside together and see.”
Dang Cheong pointed at the open corridor with a brisk gesture.
“You’ll understand once you go inside, won’t you?”
Dang Cheong’s eyes and expression overlapped with the image of Dang Gon in my mind.
Dang Cheong had always shown goodwill toward me. Even if she had conspired with Shin San Ja, it was unlikely she intended to trap me in danger.
“No. I trust you.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“But please turn back. I’ll investigate what lies ahead….”
However, before I could finish speaking, Dang Cheong slipped into the corridor leading inward.
Grrrrk.
The passage carved into the wall began to close naturally.
‘I have no choice.’
I hastily entered the closing corridor.
“….”
Inside, darkness as absolute as pitch enveloped everything.
Shhk.
Then light began to flow from Dang Cheong’s hand ahead, accompanied by white smoke.
She had drawn a fire-starting stone from her robes.
“How strange. I thought this was merely a passage for moving discreetly through Shaolin Temple grounds.”
Dang Cheong’s expression showed mild surprise as she surveyed the surroundings.
She had assumed it was simply a hidden passage to traverse Shaolin’s interior.
Yet the corridor stretched endlessly, and its height exceeded ten feet—the scale was enormous.
“Could the monks have secretly built this just to sneak some grain tea?”
Dang Cheong threw out a joke tinged with bewilderment as she walked.
Based on the corridor’s length, it clearly passed through the heart of Shaolin’s grounds or beyond.
“It seems unlikely the monks would construct such an elaborate mechanism merely to drink grain tea in secret.”
I spoke with a grave tone.
“Miss Dang. If something goes wrong, the Dang Family could suffer consequences as well, could they not?”
I urged her once more.
“Would it not be wise to turn back now?”
“No. I’m curious now too.”
Dang Cheong was among the most spirited and fearless women I had ever encountered.
Lest I try to dissuade her further, she quickened her pace through the corridor.
“Hm?”
Dang Cheong halted as she moved swiftly through the passage.
The corridor, which seemed to stretch endlessly, suddenly split into three paths.
“To think they constructed a labyrinth of such magnitude in a place like this.”
She shook her head in amazement.
“This mechanism appears to lead to some secret forbidden area of Shaolin.”
True to her mastery of mechanical devices, Dang Cheong perceived the trap at the fork in an instant.
“It’s not merely that the path divides—they’ve laid a Confusion Array to disorient the senses. As we advance, we’ll perceive far more forks than actually exist.”
Muttering softly to herself, she unhesitatingly chose the corridor to the left.
“So if I keep selecting one direction and follow it, I should naturally reach my destination, correct?”
What Dang Cheong had suggested was a simple method for solving mazes.
But Bu Eunseol calmly shook her head.
“That approach has merit, but wouldn’t it consume far too much time?”
“Well, I suppose you’re right, but…”
“Let me try to find the exit quickly.”
Bu Eunseol immediately activated her Hollow Heart Piercing Eyes.
White light flowed from her pupils, and traces of those who had passed through this place long ago began to reveal themselves.
“Follow me.”
Leading the way, Bu Eunseol moved without hesitation toward the branching paths.
As Dang Cheong had said, the further forward they went, the more her senses became confused and the more intersections multiplied.
But Bu Eunseol was completely unaffected by the maze’s functions, and with the power of her Hollow Heart Piercing Eyes, she was rapidly navigating through the labyrinth.
And finally, they arrived at a space completely sealed off on all sides.
“It’s blocked.”
Dang Cheong muttered regretfully, and Bu Eunseol wore a faint smile.
“No, this is the exit.”
“This is the exit? But it’s sealed.”
“If we’ve reached the exit but it’s sealed, doesn’t that mean there must be a separate way to open the door?”
Bu Eunseol stood before the blocked wall and exerted her Thousand Pound Strength.
With a click, the solid floor depressed slightly, and then—
Grrrrrunch.
A massive iron door emerged from the sealed wall and slowly began to open.
“This place is…”
Dang Cheong gazed through the opening and her mouth fell open.
Beyond the corridor lay a vast space spanning over a thousand square feet, bathed in soft, descending light.
Within it stood towering bookshelves, densely packed with countless volumes.
“The Jang Gyeong Gak.”
She murmured the words in a low voice.
This was none other than the Jang Gyeong Gak of Shaolin—the repository of all the sect’s scriptures and secret martial arts texts.

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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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