The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 395

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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 395.
“This corridor connects to a mechanism that allows discreet entry into the Jang Gyeong Gak.”
Dang Cheong’s eyes widened.
The Tower Forest was a place where not only Shaolin disciples but also outsiders with connections could move about relatively freely.
Yet they had constructed a passage here that led to the Jang Gyeong Gak?
That meant anyone who knew of this corridor could enter and exit the Jang Gyeong Gak with ease, could they not?
“We must turn back.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol spoke with a grave expression.
“Regardless of other places, the Jang Gyeong Gak is absolutely forbidden to outsiders.”
What if our presence here were discovered?
Even Dang Cheong, whose connections spanned far and wide throughout Shaolin and beyond, could not simply brush past such a transgression—and if matters escalated, it could spark open conflict between Shaolin and the Dang Family.
“Moreover, the Jang Gyeong Gak surely possesses mechanical traps.”
“It’s fine.”
Yet Dang Cheong replied with a composed expression, saying something unexpected.
“There are no such mechanisms, after all.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
Shaolin had endured countless invasions from outsiders across generations.
Yet not once had the scriptures or secret techniques of the Jang Gyeong Gak ever been exposed to the outside world.
This could only mean that mechanical traps certainly existed within the Jang Gyeong Gak, and that the temple maintained strict defenses with dedicated personnel.
“If mechanisms existed, the warning bell would have sounded by now, and chaos would have erupted.”
Dang Cheong spoke with a distant gaze, as though recalling ancient memories.
“According to the words of the Abbot of Yeoreae Temple, special mechanisms and formations were installed beneath the floor of the Jang Gyeong Gak.”
“Mechanisms?”
“Yes. If one does not know the proper way to stand here, the warning bell rings immediately.”
The reason Shaolin’s scriptures and secret techniques had never once leaked to the outside world.
It was because a special device had been installed that would ring the warning bell if one did not know the proper way to stand in the Jang Gyeong Gak.
“You stood here knowing that?”
Bu Eunseol was dumbfounded.
If that were true, would not the Keeper of the Jang Gyeong Gak and Shaolin’s martial monks already be rushing toward this location?
“But it seems it was a lie. Look—no warning bell has sounded, has it?”
Dang Cheong spoke with certainty, surveying the floor and surroundings.
“And there is no trace of any mechanism, not on the floor nor anywhere else.”
She possessed eyes capable of perceiving mechanisms and formations.
Yet finding no trace of any mechanism or formation anywhere on the floor or surroundings, she could assert with absolute certainty that the Abbot of Yeoreae Temple had lied.
“The mechanism exists.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol spoke with a solemn expression.
“As you said, there is a mechanism beneath this floor.”
“A mechanism beneath the floor? That cannot be.”
“To be precise, not beneath the floor itself, but deep underground, one might say.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost seriousness.
“I can sense faint vibrations from a mechanism about ten zhang below.”
Just as Dang Cheong said, there was no mechanism on the floor itself.
But I, having mastered the Beast Path’s Heavenly Eye Technique, could feel beneath my feet—
Deep underground, near the ten-zhang mark, the vibrations of a hidden mechanism.
“Ten zhang below?”
Dang Cheong’s expression turned skeptical.
Could anyone, no matter how keen their senses, detect vibrations and sounds from ten zhang underground?
Moreover, even if Shaolin’s mechanical engineering was exceptional, could they truly install a hidden mechanism ten zhang beneath the surface?
Zing.
At that moment, my hypersensitivity triggered an alarm.
I could feel an extraordinarily skilled master approaching this location.
“Someone is coming this way. We must leave.”
Dang Cheong and I immediately turned and rushed back toward the corridor we’d entered through.
But there was no mechanism to open the door anywhere.
“There’s no device to open the door.”
Dang Cheong’s expression turned desperate.
“Even if an intruder manages to enter, they cannot leave. The mechanism to open the door from the other side was never constructed.”
This was yet another reason why the texts in Shaolin’s Jang Gyeong Gak had never leaked to the outside world.
It was because of the hidden mechanical traps deep underground, combined with the absence of a return passage door.
‘There’s no time!’
Whoosh!
Dark true energy flowed from my body as I drew upon my power.
Simultaneously, that energy transformed into threads as thin as paper.
Screech.
Those gossamer-thin threads of energy slowly began to pry open the heavy iron door that refused to budge.
Creak, creak.
As I forced it with all my strength, the mechanism holding the massive iron door emitted the sound of metal warping.
“Miss Dang, go first.”
“What?”
“If I force it open any further, this door will be destroyed. Then the intruder’s presence will be immediately discovered.”
Whoosh.
I carefully released the Heavenly Silk Formation and gently widened the gap in the iron door.
But the space was barely enough for even the slender Dang Cheong to squeeze through.
“If this happens, the temple will go on high alert, and both of us will be discovered. So leave this place quickly.”
“But what about you?”
“I can conceal the fluctuations of my true energy. Without you here, I can hide sufficiently.”
In truth, that was a lie.
If the approaching Shaolin master sealed the entrance and ordered disciples to search the Jang Gyeong Gak thoroughly—
Even I would be discovered immediately.
‘She must not be discovered under any circumstances.’
If Dang Cheong were discovered here?
It would create problems for both the Dang Family and Shaolin, and I would have no face to show Dang Gon afterward.
“If you apply more force, the mechanism will be completely destroyed. Hurry!”
“Yes, yes, I understand. I’m sorry.”
Dang Cheong, as if reading my thoughts, bit her lip and slipped back into the corridor.
Click.
Once she had gone, I carefully closed the corridor door.
Then I moved silently and hid behind the bookshelves.
Having reached the Returning Perfection realm, my body no longer emitted fluctuations of vital energy.
Moreover, if I deployed the Ghost Breathing Technique to slow my heartbeat, even a master would be unable to detect me.
But this place was enclosed on all sides. If the Shaolin disciples conducted a thorough search, I would inevitably be discovered.
‘What if I eliminated the intruder alert? Would they stop investigating?’
―According to the words of the Abbot of Yeoreae Temple, special mechanisms and formations have been installed beneath the floor of the Jang Gyeong Gak.
Just as Dang Cheong had said, beneath the floor of the Jang Gyeong Gak lay hidden mechanisms.
In other words, if I could disarm the mechanism, they might cease their investigation.
―If one does not know the proper way to stand in this place, a secret bell will immediately ring in the quarters of the Jang Gyeong Gak’s keeper.
As I recalled Dang Cheong’s subsequent words, a flash of insight struck my mind.
‘The proper way to stand?’
The Abbot of Yeoreae Temple had clearly stated that if one did not know the proper way to stand in the Jang Gyeong Gak, a bell would ring.
In other words, the method to disarm the mechanism was related to how one stood.
Thump, thump.
As the footsteps gradually drew closer, my heart grew urgent.
Though I heard nothing, the bell would continue ringing. If they began to suspect someone was inside?
There would be no escape.
‘The proper way to stand… the proper way to stand… Shin San Ja.’
Then a sudden thought flashed through my mind.
I recalled the characters inscribed on the counterfeit coin that the fake Shin San Ja had switched.
‘Was it that?’
Having grasped something, I immediately retrieved the Gratitude Coin from my garment.
Two hundred and fifty.
Only then did I understand the meaning of the characters inscribed on this coin.
‘This was the secret to standing properly within the Jang Gyeong Gak.’
Remarkably, Shin San Ja had anticipated that I would be discovered in the Jang Gyeong Gak and had written down this number.
‘There is no time.’
I immediately suppressed my presence and channeled my power to the Yongquan point.
Simultaneously, I deployed the Thousand Pound Weight and gradually increased the pressure on the floor.
And finally, when the pressure I exerted matched approximately two hundred and fifty pounds,
Click.
A crisp sound emanated from the floor.
Thud, thud.
Not long after, the sound of measured footsteps echoed from the opposite entrance, and a presence made itself known.
Click.
A door opened, and once again, deliberate footsteps sounded through the space.
The pace was unhurried yet possessed an unmistakable stability, each step maintaining perfect rhythm.
From the footfalls alone, one could discern that this was a master of unimaginable martial prowess.
Whoosh.
The shadow that finally entered the Jang Gyeong Gak was an old monk whose eyes gleamed with piercing sharpness.
It was Gong Gong, the keeper of the Jang Gyeong Gak, responsible for all of Shaolin’s secret techniques and scriptures.
“Hmm.”
Gong Gong swept his sharp gaze across the interior of the Jang Gyeong Gak.
After scanning for some time, just as he turned to examine his surroundings more closely,
“Keeper Gong Gong.”
A middle-aged martial monk quickly approached through the open doorway and bowed respectfully. “The alarm bell has been triggered.”
“It appears another rodent has entered.”
“Hmm?”
“That is likely the case.”
The Jang Gyeong Gak was fitted with intricate mechanisms that would trigger an alarm unless one maintained a precise weight of exactly two hundred fifty jin while standing.
Thus, whenever animals like rats entered the Jang Gyeong Gak, the alarm would sound.
“I see.”
Gong Gong nodded and retrieved the Lankavatara Sutra from the upper shelf on the left side of the bookcase.
Then he carefully replaced the scripture.
That very sutra was the mechanism that reset the Jang Gyeong Gak’s internal apparatus to its original state.
“Go on ahead.”
Yet Gong Gong felt an inexplicable unease and gestured lightly to the monk. “I shall look around a bit more before departing.”
“I’ll look around a bit more before I go.”
“Understood.”
As the monk departed, a sudden silence descended upon the Jang Gyeong Gak.
Tap, tap.
Gong Gong slowly examined the interior, where a silence as profound as death itself reigned.
Though he appeared to pass the bookshelves casually, he was in fact deploying the Thousand-Li Earth-Listening Technique, meticulously probing every trace of presence within.
“How strange.”
Despite Gong Gong’s formidable power and perception, he could not detect Bu Eunseol.
This was because she had long transcended the realm of Returning Qi to the Origin, having reached the state of Profound Stillness and Serene Silence.
No matter how much power he channeled, her presence could not be found.
“Perhaps Bin Seung was mistaken.”
Shaking his head, Gong Gong closed the door to the Jang Gyeong Gak and departed.
“Phew.”
As Gong Gong left, I felt a profound shock wash over me.
‘Is he a god?’
Shin San Ja.
He had anticipated that Bu Eunseol would be trapped in the Jang Gyeong Gak and engraved a word on the coin that could unlock its mechanisms.
This meant he had perfectly predicted every single event that had transpired thus far.
If that were the case, his foresight transcended what could be called human—it was nothing short of divine ability.
“Hmm.”
I swallowed hard.
Since I had never actually met Shin San Ja before, I couldn’t even fathom the true extent of his capabilities.
Yet faced with such circumstances, I couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of awe toward him.
‘I’ll contemplate that later.’
I took another deep breath and surveyed my surroundings.
“Simple yet ingenious mechanisms. To think one could carry the key by simply balancing its weight…”
But another terrifying thought suddenly occurred to me.
The solution to the Jang Gyeong Gak’s mechanisms—Shaolin’s most closely guarded secret.
Shin San Ja knew of it? That would mean he wasn’t merely someone with foresight, but rather…
Wasn’t it highly probable that he was connected to Shaolin itself?
“I should keep that as one possibility.”
Shaking my head, I felt both bewildered and strangely exhilarated.
If Shin San Ja’s foresight and intellect were truly this formidable,
then perhaps he could easily reveal the identity of Hyung Su, the one who killed my grandfather.
“Good.”
I looked around, seeking a way out of this place.
Then I became aware of yet another fact.
I had become the first person in all of Murim to infiltrate the Jang Gyeong Gak without being discovered.
A surge of pride washed over me.
With that realization, I examined the books lining the shelves.
The Hundred Severing Sword Manual.
The Southern Heaven Treasure Origin Divine Art.
The Radiant Five Force Scripture.
The Twin Flame Sovereign Scripture…
Here were not only Shaolin’s scriptures and martial techniques, but also the legendary secret arts of the Orthodox Sects that were passed down as myth throughout Gangho—all stacked in abundance.
“So the Jang Gyeong Gak preserves not only Buddhist scriptures and Shaolin’s secret techniques, but also the martial arts of the Orthodox Sects…”
The Jang Gyeong Gak was known to house only Buddhist scriptures and Shaolin’s secret techniques.
Yet in reality, it also contained the secret arts of the Orthodox Sects.
“Mm.”
A soft sound escaped my lips as I gazed at the shelves.
These secret manuals were all written with techniques rivaling Mu Hwang’s Thirteen Night Records. Simply committing them to memory would grant me tremendous advantages in martial cultivation.
“No, wait.”
I shook my head firmly.
I hadn’t entered the Jang Gyeong Gak by choice, and these martial arts were Shaolin’s treasured secrets.
To read them arbitrarily would be no different from a thief plundering another’s possessions.
“Let’s just leave.”
Bu Eunseol emerged from the Book Repository and surveyed her surroundings.
Had anyone witnessed this moment, they would have been utterly astounded.
To abandon secret manuals that could elevate one to supreme mastery with merely a single reading and simply depart?
For an ordinary martial artist, such a thing would be unthinkable.
But how could she have known?
That by doing so, I had naturally overcome the most perilous trial.
“Hmm.”
As I examined the corridor leading outside, a peculiar thought suddenly struck me.
Was there truly a need for such elaborate mechanisms in the Jang Gyeong Gak?
No matter how extraordinary the secret manuals, there was no reason to excavate so deeply underground and construct such thorough mechanisms.
“Then…”
*Zing.*
Channeling my Hollow Heart Technique once more, I began to examine the floor with meticulous attention.
The structure of the mechanisms embedded in the Jang Gyeong Gak floor was far too intricate, and their scale was far too vast to be merely protecting secret manuals.
After extensive investigation, I noticed invisible footprints near the corner of the Book Repository.
They were not ordinary footprints from movement, but rather resembled a diagram illustrating the shadow traces of a profound martial technique.
*Whoosh. Whiiish.*
Maintaining my Thousand Pound Pressure, I unconsciously followed those shadow traces with careful steps.
*Grrrrk.*
Then a section of the corner wall opened, revealing a staircase descending downward.
“As expected.”
My suspicion had proven correct.
Beneath the Jang Gyeong Gak lay another hidden space.
“If the purpose were merely to protect the secret manuals from intruders, such elaborate mechanisms would have been unnecessary.”
Shaolin, teeming with exceptional martial monks, was itself an impregnable fortress.
Yet they had deliberately excavated deep underground and constructed these mechanisms.
It was to create a secret space that no one could anticipate or access.
*Thud thud.*
Descending the staircase, I discovered an enormous Book Repository.
This place was far more spacious than the Jang Gyeong Gak above, and contained far more books.
“Another Jang Gyeong Gak?”
Approaching the shelves, I examined the books carefully.
Yo Gwang’s Extreme Sword Technique.
Bright Jade Flowing Flame True Skill.
Iron Snake Black Whip Demon Wall.
Blood Water Demon Spirit…
Astonishingly, the books densely packed on these shelves were the supreme secret manuals of demonic cultivation belonging to the great demons who had dominated the Demonic Path.
“Shaolin is preserving such demonic cultivation supplementary studies?”
My eyes widened in shock.
Beneath Shaolin’s Jang Gyeong Gak lay another repository, densely filled with the secret manuals of the Demonic Path?
“Could it be that the Murim Alliance has stored secret manuals separately in this location?”
Just as the Demon Palace houses the Manma Yujin Pavilion, the Murim Alliance possesses the Yeongak Dojeon—a library pavilion of its own.
However, according to rumors, the secret manuals within the Murim Alliance are merely copies, with the originals supposedly kept in a separate location.
Could the true headquarters of the Yeongak Dojeon actually be the Jang Gyeong Gak of Shaolin?
“No, that can’t be right.”
The secret manuals stored here contained far too few demonic teachings to be called the true headquarters of the Murim Alliance’s Yeongak Dojeon.
The Murim Alliance would never keep a secret manual in their library that could transform someone into a Great Demon Lord with just a single reading.
“Besides, this underground space is far too vast.”
The Underground Library was not only packed with countless bookshelves but also featured multiple corridors branching off in different directions.
This suggested it served a purpose far beyond mere book storage.
“Then…”
A word long forgotten suddenly flickered through my mind.
Thump. Thump.
At that moment, accompanied by a deep vibration, a massive shadow slowly emerged from one of the corridors.
It was a Mu Seung whose frame was as imposing as a mountain—his robes torn and tattered, his shoulders completely exposed, and his eyes sewn shut with thread.
His appearance was so horrifying that even the most courageous adult would lose control of their bladder at the sight.
“Uuugh.”
The massive Mu Seung with thread-sewn eyes opened his mouth.
His half-severed tongue gleamed with a sickly blue hue.
It appeared this Mu Seung had deliberately severed his own tongue and sewn his eyes shut.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, waves of internal energy pulsed from the massive Mu Seung’s body.
In that instant, I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
The energy waves were as overwhelming and chaotic as if dozens of martial artists had unleashed their power simultaneously, and yet…
The waves carried a sharp, viscous killing intent woven throughout.
‘A Shaolin martial monk displaying killing intent…’
Suddenly, a single word surfaced in my mind.
The name of a secret organization that would employ any method without hesitation to protect Shaolin.
“Blood Shaolin.”
I nodded as if everything had become clear.
“So this place is indeed the headquarters of Blood Shaolin, Shaolin’s secret organization.”
The word that had flickered through my mind moments ago.
It was none other than Blood Shaolin, Shaolin’s clandestine order.
“Uuugh.”
His hearing apparently intact, the Mu Seung who had heard my words erupted with a pure white killing intent that blazed across his entire body.
“Uuuagh!”
The massive palm of the roaring Mu Seung unfurled toward me.
Hundreds of palm shadows erupted chaotically through the air, engulfing my entire body.
‘Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara Palm? No, that’s not it.’
The Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara Palm creates dozens of palm strikes to seal an opponent’s escape routes and counterattacks—a supreme technique.
Yet the dozens of hand shadows unleashed by the Massive Martial Monk were all targeting vital acupoints—weren’t they?
Boom!
In that instant, a tremendous explosion of sound reverberated through the Underground Space.
Bu Eunseol did not evade the Massive Martial Monk’s palm strike; instead, she immediately deployed the Kwon Ma Chil Sik to meet it head-on.
Screech.
Yet something astonishing occurred.
The moment palm met fist, Bu Eunseol was driven back two full steps.
Never once in an inner energy clash had I been pushed back. To be driven back two steps by a single strike?

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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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