The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 440
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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 440.
The next day, inside the Conference Hall of Seongwi-gak.
Seo Muk, Vice-Master of the Sungwi Unit, blinked his eyes repeatedly.
The reason was the young Lord standing before him.
“I have decided to enter Deng Wu Dian.”
He had naturally assumed I would join the Sungwi Unit.
Deng Wu Dian—a place that handled the dirty work behind Jangsaeng Hall or processed the menial tasks the Chief Lords neglected in their conferences.
To become a Second-Rank Lord there?
“Deng Wu Dian was originally a place for training lower-ranked martial artists of the Ben Maeng.”
Seo Muk opened his mouth with a composed expression.
“But the seven Lords changed policy and commanded their subordinate Lords to train all martial artists directly. After that, Deng Wu Dian’s position became ambiguous.”
He continued speaking while staring intently into Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Much like how you’ve become neither one thing nor another.”
“….”
“Do you know that Lord Baek Ri regards you favorably?”
Seo Muk sighed as if he knew all of Bu Eunseol’s inner thoughts.
“Our unit has many talented individuals. But few have caught the Lord’s eye.”
He opened his mouth with a solemn voice, as if delivering a final notification.
“If you have ambitions to accomplish great things, joining our unit would be a far better choice.”
He was asserting that if Bu Eunseol had ambitions, coming to the Sungwi Unit would actually be faster.
“I am deeply grateful that the Lord and Vice-Master regard me so favorably. Thank you.”
Bu Eunseol spoke respectfully, bringing his hands together.
“But I have already made my decision.”
Creak.
At that moment, the door opened and a burly, middle-aged man in crimson robes reminiscent of a small mountain entered.
It was Yuk Jang Cheon, the Master of Deng Wu Dian.
“Master.”
“Vice-Master.”
Yuk Jang Cheon and Seo Muk exchanged light greetings.
Once Yuk Jang Cheon took his seat, Seo Muk asked.
“What brings you here, Master?”
“How could I not attend the appointment ceremony for a Lord joining my hall, however informal it may be?”
“You are showing far too much consideration.”
Seo Muk spoke with the corners of his mouth raised.
“For a Second-Rank Lord, no less.”
Then Yuk Jang Cheon wore a faint smile.
“Is not Lord Seon Woo a talent who entered my hall alone and subsequently accomplished great deeds multiple times independently?”
And speaking directly while looking at Seo Muk.
“Since such an outstanding talent is coming to my hall, I cannot help but pay careful attention.”
“Indeed, you will need outstanding individuals under your command, Master Yuk.”
It was a veiled jab at Yuk Jang Cheon for never having talented subordinates beneath him.
Seo Muk’s rather discourteous demeanor caused Yuk Jang Cheon’s eyes to shift.
By rank, Yuk Jang Cheon as Jeon Ju held a higher position than Seo Muk as Bu Dan Ju.
But in terms of actual power, there was an unbridgeable gap between Yuk Jang Cheon and Seo Muk.
So much so that he couldn’t even respond immediately to such a provocative remark.
“Seon Woo Lord.”
Seo Muk withdrew his gaze from Yuk Jang Cheon and asked Bu Eunseol coldly.
“You truly have no regrets?”
“I do not.”
“Excellent.”
Seo Muk’s lips curved upward as he rose from his seat and spoke.
“From this moment forward, you are officially appointed as a Second-Rank Lord of the Deng Wu Dian.”
Then, offering only a light nod to Yuk Jang Cheon without a single word of congratulation, he turned and departed the conference hall.
Crunch.
As Seo Muk left, Yuk Jang Cheon clenched his teeth hard.
To humiliate him so thoroughly before his own direct subordinate, Bu Eunseol?
“Bu Dan Ju Seo’s words were correct.”
Yuk Jang Cheon took a deep breath to steady his emotions and spoke in a low voice.
“It is indeed far more stable to belong to the Sungwi Unit than to serve under the Jeon Ju.”
“Before long, Bu Dan Ju Seo will have a day when he must bow before the Jeon Ju and show his respect.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a measured tone.
“Without fail.”
Those words were a guarantee that Yuk Jang Cheon would ascend to the vacant position of Wu Tian Duan Ju.
“I shall place my faith in those words.”
Yuk Jang Cheon nodded and grasped Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
“In return, I shall not spare my full support for you.”
“Thank you.”
Yuk Jang Cheon was indeed a man of integrity.
From the very next day after Bu Eunseol became a Second-Rank Lord, he had Yuk Cheong Ah bring new assignments so that Bu Eunseol could rapidly accumulate merit.
Inside the conference hall of Jeol Jeong Gak.
Bu Eunseol and all his subordinates were gathered there.
And before the table, Yuk Cheong Ah was continuing to speak in a low voice.
“It is a mission to pursue Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, whom the Ben Maeng has been unable to capture thus far.”
Despite being the Lord, she had come directly to the Elite Division to issue the assignment.
This was naturally an instruction from Yuk Jang Cheon to allow Bu Eunseol to accumulate merit rapidly.
“Though his whereabouts have been unknown until now, in reality he continues to commit atrocities while constantly changing his identity.”
“Is it sufficient if we merely pursue him?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Yuk Cheong Ah’s eyes narrowed into crescents.
“If that were the case, I would have simply sent the assignment by messenger rather than coming personally, would I not?”
Yuk Cheong Ah, a faint smile on her lips, swept her gaze across Bu Eunseol, Tae Mu Ryong, and the others as she spoke.
“I’ve heard that Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma has managed to evade the Ben Maeng’s pursuit all this time because he leads a coalition of various demon masters known as the Murim Gongjuk.”
In other words, it was an order to eliminate not just Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, but everyone under his command as well.
“I believe that with Seon Woo as a Lord and the Elite Division, you can accomplish even greater deeds.”
Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma was a demon master known to have entered the Transcendent Realm long ago.
However, Yuk Jang Cheon and Yuk Cheong Ah had conducted a thorough investigation into everything about Seon Woo Jin.
And they discovered that not only had Seon Woo Jin’s martial arts entered the Transcendent Realm, but he had also mastered various hidden techniques from the Sae Oe martial arts that he had never revealed before.
Because of this, they had entrusted him with such a difficult mission, confident that he was more than capable of accomplishing it.
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol clasped his hands together calmly.
“I will never disappoint you.”
“I look forward to it.”
As Yuk Cheong Ah left the conference hall, Tae Mu Ryong let out a peculiar sigh.
“Now we’ve truly become the direct unit under Lord Yuk.”
His voice carried a deep sense of regret about not joining the Sungwi Unit.
“You seem disappointed.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Tae Mu Ryong scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
Then Jeong Jong Do spoke in a low voice.
“The Lord must have a deeper plan. Isn’t that so?”
Bu Eunseol nodded and spoke honestly.
“Even if we joined the Sungwi Unit and quickly earned merit, we would ultimately remain as first-class Lords. No matter how much time passes, we would only reach the position of unit commander.”
He swept his gaze across his subordinates and spoke with conviction.
“But if Lord Deng is appointed to the vacant position of Wu Tian Duan Master, then I could potentially rise to the position of Vice Master at most. As you know, that position is an ultra-high rank that answers to no one but the Alliance Master and the Sect Master.”
The team members were left speechless.
Due to the nature of the Murim Alliance, no matter how talented a person is, it’s difficult to rise above the rank of unit commander without a vacant position opening up.
But Bu Eunseol was aiming for the highest position he could reach.
Wasn’t he planning to create a position that didn’t exist?
―We need to set our goals differently too.
Tae Mu Ryong, Jeong Jong Do, and all the team members thought that even becoming members of a first-class unit would be more than they could ask for.
But their superior, Bu Eunseol, was aiming for the pinnacle of positions that a young martial artist could reach.
Then they too had to change their goals.
―Let’s go where others cannot reach!
Before long, a great ambition took root in the hearts of the Elite Division members.
* * *
Ok Ryeong San.
A famous mountain in Gang Seo, Wonju Province, it had long been said to be full of spiritual energy, and was a place where Taoists and sorcerers often came to cultivate.
Moreover, clear and pure water flowed near Ok Ryeong San, so there were many breweries and taverns that sold fine liquor.
Having left the Murim Alliance, Bu Eunseol compiled the intelligence that the Elite Division members had obtained from Mangyeong Jeon and the information gathered from Sa Hon Dae.
Thanks to the promotion to first-class unit status, the information that the Elite Division members could obtain had become quite substantial.
When combined with Sa Hon Dae’s intelligence network, even the Murim Alliance could not easily track the movements of—
I was able to locate Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma far more quickly than anticipated.
‘A demon running a tavern—no wonder it was so difficult to find.’
Bu Eunseol nodded, having confirmed various locations throughout the village while drinking like a passing traveler searching for an inn.
Remarkably, Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma had established a rather respectable tavern near Ok Ryeong San and was evading pursuit by posing as its proprietor.
However, that alone would not allow him to completely elude the Murim Alliance’s pursuit.
Thus, Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma had constructed a hidden secret passage connecting the tavern to Ok Ryeong San.
And he used only that route when committing his heinous acts.
‘The void left by Gaebang’s closure is indeed substantial.’
Gaebang had been, without question, the Orthodox Sects’ greatest intelligence organization.
But when they sealed their doors, a massive intelligence gap emerged throughout the entire Orthodox Sects.
The Murim Alliance attempted to overcome this by significantly expanding the personnel of Mangyeong Jeon and reorganizing various intelligence networks, but…
The information void still persisted.
‘Had Gaebang not sealed itself, I would have found Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma’s trail through the tavern without such difficulty.’
Beggars were scattered everywhere across Zhong Yuan.
Even the Murim Alliance had attempted to recruit beggars by modeling their approach after Gaebang’s intelligence organization.
Yet they could not maintain the vast intelligence network that Gaebang had once demonstrated.
‘He will emerge soon.’
Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, holed up in the tavern, was not only extremely cautious but never lowered his guard for a moment.
That meant he was watching for an opportunity to commit his vile acts.
‘Demons cannot be redeemed.’
Demons experience periodic surges of their dark impulses, compelling them to commit heinous crimes at regular intervals.
Moreover, they harbor no guilt whatsoever, and their crimes grow increasingly audacious over time.
Even my grandfather Bu Chanyang, who rarely frowned upon ordinary matters, erupted in fury upon witnessing corpses violated and murdered by demons.
―Bandits steal the wealth and inflict injury upon the common people, but demons—they plunder the very soul itself!
Thus, I too held demons in utter contempt, and since entering the Gangho, I had struck down every one I encountered.
And now I was preparing to send yet another demon to hell.
A soft whisper of movement.
My prediction proved accurate.
As the night deepened, Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma entered the secret passage constructed beneath the tavern.
Finally emerging near Ok Ryeong San, he began to display his lightness of step.
But something was strange.
Rather than traveling to another village through the secret passage, he was merely circling the area where it was installed.
‘How intriguing.’
My eyes gleamed with interest.
I had discerned that Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma was deliberately luring me out.
‘He could not possibly have detected my surveillance. If so, then there must have been a flaw in my investigation.’
Curiosity ignited within me.
By what method had he discovered my surveillance?
“Come out, you wretched creature.”
Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma suddenly cried out.
“I know everything already.”
“How impressive.”
At my bold declaration, Bu Eunseol slowly revealed himself.
“How did you find out?”
Before Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma could answer, the secret passage door swung open, and dozens of figures emerged.
They were the masters and servants of the inn.
And weren’t most of the merchants selling goods on Market Street also coming out of the secret passage?
“I see. I wondered why there were so many merchants setting up stalls in such a quiet village.”
Bu Eunseol nodded in admiration.
It turned out that most of the merchants on Market Street were in league with Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma.
“They must have mastered techniques like the Art of Concealment.”
The merchants on Market Street were playing their roles so perfectly that I felt no suspicion whatsoever.
And because there were so many collaborators surrounding him like this…
He had been able to detect the Murim Alliance’s pursuit or evade them discreetly all along.
‘Indeed. There was no other way.’
The villains known as Murim Gongjuk could not easily shake off coalitions like the Murim Alliance or the Demon Palace on their own.
That’s why they were pooling their strength and evading pursuit.
“I heard Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma had plundered an astronomical amount of money over the years, and he’s been gathering fleeing demons with that wealth.”
“Where did you come from?”
“The Murim Alliance.”
When Bu Eunseol answered readily, Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma’s brow furrowed.
“This village is finished now.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. Your long life on the run will end now.”
“Hehehehe.”
Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma shook his head.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think I don’t know you came alone to take credit?”
The demons disguised as merchants on Market Street observed Bu Eunseol carefully.
As a result, they were certain there were no significant allies and that he had made no external contact whatsoever.
“You’ve set up a proper system. To detect even external communications.”
When Bu Eunseol exclaimed in admiration, Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma nodded.
“Kill these bastards quickly and let’s leave this place.”
At Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma’s signal, the demons who had followed drew their weapons.
“Attack!”
About thirty demons rushed at Bu Eunseol in a surge.
‘This is tedious. I’ll just freeze them all with the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol.’
They had accumulated considerable experience and combat techniques while evading pursuit.
But to Bu Eunseol’s eyes, they were merely children rushing forward sluggishly.
Since dealing with them individually was too bothersome, I extended my left arm without hesitation.
Whoosh.
In that instant, white frost descended upon Bu Eunseol’s hair, and a pure white energy current began to pour forth.
Bing Ha Dae Je’s supreme technique, the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol, unfolded in all its terrible glory.
Whoooosh!
In that instant, the dozen or so demons rushing toward Bu Eunseol froze mid-stride, their bodies locked in place.
With their meager inner strength, they couldn’t even resist the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol—they became ice statues in a heartbeat.
“What is this?!”
The remaining villains surrounding Bu Eunseol leaped back in terror.
They had roamed Gangho and fought countless battles, but a technique capable of freezing a person solid in an instant—
—they had never even heard rumors of such a thing.
“R-run! Flee!”
Realizing they faced an opponent beyond their comprehension, they turned and bolted without hesitation.
“If you can escape my grasp, I won’t pursue you.”
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol once more.
After all, if they were frozen to death by the technique, no trace would remain—I poured forth my full power, channeling the extreme yin energy without restraint.
But then something extraordinary happened. A scorching heat, blazing like the sun itself, coalesced in my dantian, and something unnatural occurred.
“Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
The villains struck by the white energy didn’t freeze—instead, they writhed on the ground, their screams of agony piercing the air.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
The demons rolling on the ground watched their skin melt like taffy, their bodies becoming as formless and gelatinous as boneless flesh.
How could this be happening when I used the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol?
“This is…”
Bu Eunseol examined their remains with a grave expression.
Their outer forms had been frozen by the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol, but the overwhelming extreme yang energy contained within had liquefied their internal organs completely.
The Yeol Ha Dae Jeong Jin Gi.
That tremendous power had intermingled with the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol and erupted forth.
“How is this possible…”
Bu Eunseol gazed down at my trembling hands.
White and crimson energies alternated through them, and my inner breath grew unstable—
The early signs of deviation had manifested.
“Ugh… ughhhh…”
Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, who had witnessed the gruesome deaths of thirty-some villains,
didn’t look back—he simply deployed his movement technique and fled.
Bu Eunseol tried to pursue immediately, but suddenly, as if my inner power had been mishandled, a searing pain tore through my meridians.
‘I can capture that beast anytime.’
Bu Eunseol steadied my mind and circulated the Ban Guk Shim Gong.
A solemn golden radiance enveloped my body, and the chaotic energy gradually began to subside.
Facing this crisis, the power of Ban Nya Dae Neung Ryeok suppressed the turbulent energy within my body.
“Mmm…”
Yet the healing was incomplete—my insides remained unsettled, and dizziness plagued my mind.
Moreover, the extreme yin and extreme yang energies began flowing alternately through my Ren and Du meridians.
“So that’s what happened.”
Bu Eunseol finally realized that something was wrong with his body.
The dormant energies of Yeol Ha Seong Gi and Ji Geuk Hwa Ryun Gi, awakened during his battle with Thunder God, had stirred once more.
The problem was that this energy was far too powerful, and he also harbored within himself the contradictory force of Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol—ice and flame locked in eternal opposition.
“To contain such fundamentally opposing heart methods and martial arts within a single body…”
Martial arts, by their very nature, demand clarity of mind and freedom from desire—a principle as old as cultivation itself.
What happens when one attempts to master multiple conflicting disciplines simultaneously?
The inner energy becomes like water flowing backward, reversing its course through the meridians and destroying the body from within.
Moreover, orthodox and demonic martial arts pursue entirely different paths and cannot coexist in one vessel.
Yet Bu Eunseol had mastered the supreme heart methods of both Orthodox and Demonic paths, and even the peripheral techniques that allowed him to manifest extreme yin and extreme yang energies.
Now, amid this chaotic mixture, the savage force of Yeol Ha Dae Jeong Jin Gi rampaged like a wild horse unleashed.
All the martial heart methods and true energies contained within his body had become hopelessly entangled.
“This is not a problem easily resolved.”
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky with a grave expression.
If he could not resolve this quickly—
His identity as Seon Woo Jin would be exposed, and he would self-destruct before ever facing a true enemy.
“There is no other way.”
Only one place would understand how he had mastered such diverse martial arts—the place that had raised him.
In other words, to resolve this crisis, Bu Eunseol had to return to where his martial foundation lay.
To Nangya Pavilion itself.
[So Yo.]
As Bu Eunseol unleashed a long-distance transmission, a faint shadow materialized nearby in mere moments.
“Are you alright?”
So Yo, who had been concealing herself in the surroundings, asked with concern upon seeing Bu Eunseol’s deathly pale complexion.
“Are you injured?”
“Not injured—I simply mishandled my inner energy and sustained some internal damage.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a gentle lie, his voice low.
“I must enter Nangya Pavilion for a time. Contact Seo Jin Ha and tell him to pursue Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, who has fled.”
“Understood.”
So Yo replied calmly, still remaining hidden from view.
“Come back safely.”
Though brief, those words carried profound affection and concern.
“I will return.”
Bu Eunseol launched himself skyward in a single breath, soaring above Half-Sky.
There was no time to waste.
If he did not quickly assess his condition and treat his body, his martial power could deteriorate significantly.
‘Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.’
As the legitimate successor of Nangya Pavilion, Bu Eunseol was destined to become the Nangya Pavilion Master, inheriting the mantle from Ak Moo Ryung.
His current martial cultivation had reached the gentle peak of the Extreme Heavenly Realm, and his inner energy was unmatched in this age.
In other words, Bu Eunseol was now—
Prepared to master the supreme technique of Ak Moo Ryung, the strongest among Samma.
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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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