The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 413

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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 413.
Chu Wol Jeong.
This luxurious annex stood in the rear courtyard of Namwol Guest Inn, with a single night’s lodging exceeding five hundred taels.
Consequently, even ordinary wealthy merchants dared not afford it—only high-ranking officials and the elite of the upper echelons graced its halls.
Yet now, a martial artist from Yunnan had rented the entire establishment outright.
It was none other than Jin Cheon Gon, the patriarch of Dok Ma Mun.
“Thanks to that deranged third-rank Lord, matters have unfolded quite smoothly.”
The moment he departed from the Dang Family, he dispatched a subordinate to send a letter to Demon Hall.
Regardless of his rank as a third-rank Lord, he arrived as an emissary of the Murim Alliance.
Now that he had declared his involvement in the conflict between sects, Demon Hall would certainly not remain idle.
With this development, the Dang Family and San Dok Mun would wage war under the support of two coalitions.
Regardless of victory or defeat, a prolonged power struggle between the alliances was inevitable.
As the Dang Family, with generations of roots planted deep in Sichuan, they would absolutely wish to avoid such circumstances.
“In the end, they will settle matters by ceding the outer territories of Sichuan.”
Just as Jin Cheon Gon, gazing at the moonlight visible through the window, began to wear a faint smile,
Click.
The door opened and Black Shadow entered.
Without turning around, Jin Cheon Gon spoke with ease.
“Has it been sent?”
“….”
“Tomorrow promises to be interesting. I wonder how that arrogant young patriarch and the Murim Alliance Lord will react.”
But no answer came.
Sensing something amiss, Jin Cheon Gon turned to look and saw a shadow flickering with eyes burning crimson.
Despite the light touching it, the figure remained pitch black—the overwhelming surge of inner power rendered its form invisible.
At this grotesque sight, Jin Cheon Gon involuntarily stepped backward.
“W-who are you?”
[Hmm.]
The voice emanating from the shadow resonated in all directions as though employing the Six Harmonies Sound Transmission, piercing sharply into Jin Cheon Gon’s ears.
In that instant, his abdomen burned as though he had consumed potent liquor, and dizziness overwhelmed him to the point where he could barely stand.
Despite the brevity of the utterance, it carried such overwhelming inner power and oppressive force as to rupture meridians.
‘Surely not.’
In that moment, figures Jin Cheon Gon absolutely must obey flashed through his mind.
Those possessing immeasurable power and martial prowess beyond imagination.
“Has the Emissary… arrived?”
The crushing pressure then faded.
Realizing this silent affirmation, Jin Cheon Gon spoke with a trembling voice.
“I-I apologize. I dared not recognize you.”
As he bowed with utmost deference, a low voice emerged from the shadow.
[The Dang Family matter.]
The voice was infinitely low and menacing, yet it no longer carried the overwhelming inner force that crushed the viscera.
“Do not worry. Things are proceeding as planned.”
[Murim Alliance.]
As a voice emanated from the shadow, Jin Cheon Gon felt a pressure so intense it seemed to bend his spine.
[They already know everything.]
“What do you mean—”
[Did you truly believe him to be merely an ordinary third-rank Lord?]
A heavy silence fell for a moment, then a crimson mist bloomed from the shadow’s eyes, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure.
[They have already seen through our faction’s scheme and deliberately provoked the Demon Hall’s intervention.]
“That cannot be.”
Jin Cheon Gon tilted his head, blinking as he spoke.
“Did you not say we had obtained definitive intelligence that the Murim Alliance had completely withdrawn its hand from the Dang Family’s affairs?”
Though Jin Cheon Gon’s expression remained respectful, the emotion burning in his eyes was unmistakable doubt.
[Fool.]
Seeing doubt flood Jin Cheon Gon’s face, the shadow’s eyes unleashed a radiance as brilliant and terrible as the sun itself, burning blood-red.
[Must we spoon-feed every detail to you wretches?]
Crack.
An immense pressure crashed down once more.
Jin Cheon Gon’s vision blurred as though he were drowning, and his breath was strangled in his throat.
Without moving a single hand, the shadow was wielding a terrifying inner power to crush him.
‘So he truly was an emissary.’
Jin Cheon Gon trembled with shock.
The emissaries of the Three Realms possessed exceptional martial prowess and shared a common trait.
They possessed a dreadful inner power that could never be attained even through decades of cultivation until one became a bent, withered elder.
[The Demon Hall has already grasped everything and sent a letter refusing to intervene.]
Whoosh.
As the shadow withdrew its power, Jin Cheon Gon’s breath finally came free.
“Gasp… gasp…”
As he clutched his throat, breathing heavily,
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking accompanied the voice of Mak Chung, Jin Cheon Gon’s trusted subordinate.
“My Lord. It is Mak Chung.”
“What is the matter?”
“Well… a letter has arrived from the Demon Hall addressed to you.”
Jin Cheon Gon looked at the shadow with an astonished expression.
As the shadow nodded, he quickly responded.
“Enter.”
The door opened and Mak Chung handed Jin Cheon Gon a letter bearing the Demon Hall’s seal.
“Before we could even send our letter, a message from the Demon Hall had already arrived for you, stating they would absolutely not intervene in this matter…”
“What?”
Jin Cheon Gon hastily unrolled the letter to read it.
The message contained a directive from the Murim Alliance: do not provoke the Dang Family any further.
“How is this possible?”
“I am uncertain myself.”
“The source. Are you certain of it?”
“Yes. Please examine the envelope.”
At Mak Chung’s words, Jin Cheon Gon inspected the letter’s envelope.
There, imprinted upon it, was the Twin Dragon Seal—a mark that only the highest echelons could affix.
“Very well. The Lord of our clan will handle this matter personally.”
“Understood.”
As Mak Chung departed, Jin Cheon Gon gazed upon the shadow that seemed to dissolve into the darkness itself and posed a question.
“Then… what should we do?”
[Return immediately to Dok Ma Mun until further orders are issued.]
“Right now… immediately?”
[Indeed.]
Jin Cheon Gon spoke with a bewildered expression.
“Then I shall summon Lord Jang and Lord Hyeong. And contact the Sect Master…”
[You force me to repeat myself.]
“No, that is not what I meant. But surely there are procedures…”
Crack.
Yet Jin Cheon Gon could open his mouth no further.
A tremendous pressure descended upon him, his frame seeming to shrink to barely three feet in height, his neck compressing into his torso until his airways constricted.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
As his skull threatened to shatter under the relentless force, Jin Cheon Gon let out a scream.
“Aaahhhhh!”
Until now, he had endured countless agonies while cultivating poison techniques.
But this pressure was not mere pain—it was the birth pangs of death itself.
[A worm that refuses to listen must be crushed to death.]
With each word that flowed from the shadow, Jin Cheon Gon felt himself shrinking further.
‘With such martial prowess, a single finger could obliterate our entire clan.’
Shiver.
Jin Cheon Gon trembled prostrate upon the ground.
Yet even the slightest attempt to move a finger—let alone channel his inner energy—brought excruciating pain as if his skull would splinter.
He could not die even if he wished to.
Until now, he had been one who knew no fear.
But only now did he comprehend what true terror truly was.
The deprivation of choice.
To be unable to even choose death—that was an unbearable horror beyond all measure.
“I will obey your commands!”
As the prospect of neither living nor dying loomed, Jin Cheon Gon squeezed out every ounce of strength and cried out.
“Please, spare me!”
If I made a sound, my entire body would burst apart. Yet Jin Cheon Gon forced himself to kneel with every ounce of his remaining strength.
“I have committed a sin worthy of death!”
Shadow gazed down at Jin Cheon Gon, who knelt trembling without uttering a word.
“I swear I shall never betray you again!”
As the pressure subsided, Jin Cheon Gon continued speaking frantically, his face pale with terror.
“I merely received orders to kill Dang Pae and acted upon my greed! Please forgive me!”
In that instant, the crimson radiance flowing from Shadow deepened.
‘Kill the Dang Family Lord?’
In truth, the figure masquerading as a messenger of the Demon Palace was none other than Bu Eunseol.
From the moment I received this assignment, I had secretly mobilized Sa Hon Dae to investigate the Dang Family’s circumstances.
Though they walked the same path, the probability of San Dok Mun—scattered across different regions—simultaneously rising in power and martial prowess was nonexistent.
And finally, I had discovered that a formidable force stood behind San Dok Mun.
—Much like Hyeol Dok Gok, which had once threatened the Dang Family, traces of support from an unknown yet powerful faction were confirmed.
Upon receiving Sa Hon Dae’s report, Bu Eunseol immediately recognized that faction as Sam Gye.
And I began devising a strategy to resolve this matter.
—If a messenger of Sam Gye arrived at the critical moment, chaos would ensue.
Throughout my travels in Gangho, I had consistently encountered Masked Assassins with that peculiar lustrous sheen.
Messengers of Sam Gye, with whom I had clashed before.
They all possessed tremendous inner power, martial techniques beyond common sense, and those strange eyes and voices.
—If I declared my continued involvement as a Murim Alliance envoy, they would immediately contact the Demon Palace.
Having foreseen all that would unfold, I devised a brilliant stratagem.
To impersonate a Sam Gye messenger, throw them into confusion, and eliminate Jin Cheon Gon and Dok Ma Mun.
After all, Sam Gye’s agents never reveal themselves except for those in command.
By exploiting that weakness, maintaining only tremendous inner power and a terrifying presence, I believed I could deceive them sufficiently.
—Afterward, by severing the communication network near Dang Family Territory using Sa Hon Dae, Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, Fengyun Corps, and others, San Dok Mun would collapse on its own.
Sam Gye always merely manipulates other forces and individuals. They never reveal themselves openly.
I exploited that very point to devise a plan that would make San Dok Mun withdraw of its own accord.
Furthermore, before arriving here, I had stopped by the Demon Palace branch and sent a letter bearing the seal of Ssang Ryong Jaeng Ju to this Chu Wol Jeong.
I could never reveal the identity of Muk Hon Ryeong Ju.
If it became known that he was involved in this matter?
The Murim Alliance would surely suspect Seon Woo Jin.
‘The assassination of the bedridden Dang Family Lord.’
My mind raced rapidly upon hearing Jin Cheon Gon’s words.
To manipulate San Dok Mun into targeting not the Dang Family itself, but merely Dang Pae?
‘Would Sam Gye devise such a foolish scheme?’
To kill merely one person, Dang Pae, they would support San Dok Mun for so long, enhancing their power and martial prowess?
With such expenditure and effort, it would be far more rational to simply hire Sal Mun wholesale and attack the Dang Family.
‘What exactly does Sam Gye desire?’
Their capabilities were already wielding dominion over Murim, so to speak.
Then why would they waste time and resources on such an endeavor?
‘Moreover, this matter carries a different weight than the Nam Goong Family affair.’
The forces that orchestrated the Nam Goong Family’s downfall had long ago planted Poong Elder as their agent, engineering that tragedy of familial bloodshed.
The scheme was so cunning and vicious that had Bu Eunseol not intervened, the Nam Goong Family would have faced catastrophe.
But the Dang Family’s current crisis bore an entirely different character.
Were not the enemies to be dealt with far too openly exposed?
This plan was far too naive and foolish to be the work of the Three Realms.
Trembling.
Unaware that Bu Eunseol had fallen into deep contemplation, Jin Cheon Gon could not bear the terror of being stared at in silence.
Thinking he must say something, he hastily opened his mouth.
“Ah, could it not be that the First Heaven has made a move?”
At that moment, Jin Cheon Gon uttered a shocking statement that he himself had never anticipated.
“The Infinite Realm… that place, I mean.”
In an instant, the eyes of the masked Bu Eunseol widened as if they might split.
Had he not been creating a mist-like energy wave with his formidable inner force,
his expression of shock would have been completely exposed to Jin Cheon Gon.
‘Was it not with the support of the Infinite Realm?’
Though they spoke of the Three Realms, it was the Infinite Realm that had consistently manipulated the Murim forces and figures, and it was the Infinite Realm that had clashed with Bu Eunseol.
But the one who set the San Dok Mun in motion was
surprisingly not the Infinite Realm… but another faction entirely.
‘Another faction within the Three Realms.’
Of course, there was a possibility that a third force had emerged.
But Bu Eunseol could be certain it was the Three Realms.
For if not them, there would be no one capable of supporting a poison sect like the San Dok Mun for such a prolonged period.
“I, I apologize. I have spoken out of turn.”
As Bu Eunseol stared directly at him, Jin Cheon Gon bowed his head once more.
“I shall return at once. However… what of the assassination corps we have stationed on standby?”
‘They stationed an assassination corps near the Dang Family?’
Bu Eunseol’s mind raced swiftly.
The Eight Great Families each maintained strict control over their respective territories and thoroughly monitored their movements through intelligence networks.
And to station an assassination corps not just anywhere, but near the Sichuan Dang Family?
‘If I ask this man too many questions now, I will arouse suspicion.’
Jin Cheon Gon is a suspicious man.
Asking too many idle questions might very well invite his suspicion.
‘What is truly urgent now is sending back that Dok Ma Mun that has been incorporated into my faction.’
Understanding the Three Realms’ intelligence is valuable, but what must be dealt with immediately is sending them back.
If I fail to do so, I will have no justification to remain in the Dang Family under the identity of Seon Woo Jin.
[There is no need to concern yourself. Return at once.]
Bu Eunseol, his voice pitched even lower, spoke curtly.
[If you delay even a moment, I will sever not only your head but also that of Go Goong.]
Go Goong is the sect master of the Dok Ma Mun.
“I am grateful for your kindness, as vast as the sea!”
Jin Cheon Gon remained on his knees, bowing deeply.
The figure before him could crush him to death with ease, and possessed the authority to obliterate the Dok Ma Mun with a single word.
“….”
When no sound came even after a long silence, Jin Cheon Gon lifted his head.
The Black Shadow had already vanished, and his limbs felt light again.
Only then did Jin Cheon Gon finally escape from the abyss of terror.
“Not a moment can be wasted.”
His body was drenched as if he had just emerged from water.
Jin Cheon Gon sprang to his feet and rushed outside to assemble his subordinates.
Time was running out.
If they did not return even slightly faster, not only would he lose his head, but the Sect Leader’s as well.
* * *
Hwa Woon Ru, third floor, grand banquet hall.
“This is madness!”
Crash!
Hyeong Geuk, standing beside Jang Song, slammed his palm down hard upon the conference table.
The cause was the report he had just received from his subordinate.
Something utterly incomprehensible had occurred.
The Dok Ma Mun—the only faction among the San Dok Mun to be incorporated into the Demon Hall, and the safeguard that prevented the Murim Alliance’s interference.
Jin Cheon Gon, who had come to the Dang Family to represent the will of Dok Ma Mun’s leader Go Goong, had fled in the dead of night to Yunnan with his subordinates.
“Jin Cheon Gon! Has that fool lost his mind!”
Hyeong Geuk’s voice erupted with fury.
It was entirely unexpected.
Incorporated into the Demon Hall, and the Dok Ma Mun was the largest among the San Dok Mun.
Yet he had fled in the night, leaving the intimidation of the Dang Family incomplete.
“That man could not have acted so recklessly on his own. What in the world could have….”
Suddenly, the face of that young man from the Murim Alliance came to mind—the one who had been smiling so pleasantly.
“Could it be that he truly wrought some miracle?”
For a mere third-rank Lord of the Murim Alliance, he had been far too composed, disturbingly confident.
Could he have truly moved the Murim Alliance to drive out Jin Cheon Gon and his men?
“No, that cannot be.”
The Murim Alliance, that vast confederation, moved only according to the consensus of its various leaders who sustained it.
It could not suddenly change course in a single day and intervene so actively.
“It seems that place they called the First Heaven has made a move,” Hyeong Geuk said, clenching his fist as he spoke to Jang Song.
“Within the Dang Family Territory, all contact has been severed—not only the messenger birds and their handlers, but every means of external communication.”
“So the information network is completely disabled.”
“Indeed. It is as if a massive intelligence organization has cut off all communication lines surrounding the Dang Family Territory.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm.”
Hyeong Geuk bit his lip.
“If it’s neither the Murim Alliance nor the Demon Hall, then there’s no one else capable of such an act, is there?”
As Jang Song fell silent, Hyeong Geuk spoke.
“Given these circumstances, we have no choice but to quietly withdraw.”
An unexpected situation had erupted, and they had lost contact with the forces orchestrating this from behind the scenes.
In such a case, both Hyeong Geuk and Jang Song would have to lead their subordinates and quietly retreat.
“That won’t do.”
But Jang Song shook his head firmly.
“We’ve already provoked them so thoroughly—if we simply withdraw like this, we’ll suffer the most humiliating disgrace imaginable. And if we try to challenge the Dang Family again afterward, we’ll become a laughingstock.”
Three sects had come with overwhelming force and picked a fight, only to suddenly slink away without a word?
And if word of this spread throughout Murim?
The San Dok Mun would become so ridiculed they couldn’t show their faces, and it would become awkward to challenge the Dang Family ever again.
“If we retreat now, they could place all the blame on us. They might even refuse to support our sect any longer.”
At Jang Song’s words, Hyeong Geuk let out a pained sigh.
“So we must make this judgment ourselves.”
Their original plan had been meticulous, with no flaws.
The Sichuan Dang Family’s power rested absolutely with the family head, but the current patriarch, Dang Pae, was bedridden.
Moreover, the young patriarch Dang Gon was known to be mediocre in both martial prowess and strategy, making it impossible for them to wage war against the San Dok Mun.
The San Dok Mun had exploited this, planning to first use coercion to extract concessions from the Dang Family and expand their influence to the gates of Sichuan, then…
They intended to mobilize their forces in one swift stroke, launch a total assault on the Dang Family, and simultaneously deploy the assassination corps they had stationed in Sichuan.
But now that Jin Cheon Gon, the patriarch of the Dok Ma Mun, had fled with his subordinates.
They could no longer even maintain the appearance of pressuring the Dang Family.
“We cannot suffer such humiliation and simply retreat. What if we did this instead?”
As Hyeong Geuk murmured, Jang Song, who had been lost in thought, opened his mouth.
“One thing is certain—since the Dok Ma Mun has fled, neither the Demon Hall nor the Murim Alliance has any grounds to intervene. In other words, that Murim Alliance envoy has become a mere figurehead.”
“But that’s not the only reason, is it? How are we supposed to pressure the Dang Family in this situation?”
Hyeong Geuk spoke irritably.
“As things stand, we’ll be blamed not only for the Dok Ma Mun’s blunder but also for bungling the entire operation ourselves.”
Jang Song’s eyes gleamed as he continued.
“Why not challenge that young patriarch to a martial duel?”
“A martial duel?”
“After all, that young patriarch has mastered the Eight Great Secret Techniques, so he’ll be confident of certain victory.”
Jang Song’s lips curled into a smile.
“But Dang Gon is mediocre in talent and aptitude—even with the Eight Great Secret Techniques, he cannot match us.”
They were no longer mere elders of the San Dok Mun.
Over time, they had received comprehensive support and greatly expanded their power.
They had been supplied with precious elixirs that enhanced their inner strength, accumulating martial power that could rival even the strongest masters in Murim without falling short.
“At least we’ll preserve some dignity before we leave.”
At Hyeong Geuk’s words, Jang Song wore a sinister smile.
“Precisely. Since pressuring the Dang Family has failed, we might as well dampen that young patriarch’s spirits before we go. We’ve done all we could, so they won’t dare say a word against us.”
Hyeong Geuk, who had been wearing a vacant expression, suddenly snapped his fingers as if struck by inspiration.
“What about this approach?”
“What do you mean?”
“While the martial competition unfolds, we order the assassins stationed in Sichuan to launch a full-scale assault. They would never expect us to strike so immediately.”
The Three Realms’ factions, who had long supported San Dok Mun in Yunnan, desired nothing more than the annihilation of the Dang Family and the death of Dang Pae.
Thus, San Dok Mun prepared for war against the Dang Family, and over considerable time and expense, had assembled an assassination corps near the Dang Family Territory as a contingency.
Even if they could not breach the Dang Family’s stronghold, they were determined to assassinate Dang Pae at any cost.
“Hmm. If we send them out recklessly now, they might fail.”
At Jang Song’s words, Hyeong Geuk smiled wickedly.
“After all, there aren’t many assassination organizations in Murim, are there? With our abundant financial resources, when the full-scale war begins, we can simply purchase another Sal Mun.”
Jang Song stroked his chin and nodded in agreement.
“Let us consider that approach.”
Assassins could always be bought with money. Since they were already committed to this course, there was no harm in executing the plan thoroughly.

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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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