The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 452

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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 452.
Bu Eunseol, who had unleashed the Riding Wind technique, escaped the Seok Moon area with the injured Myo Cheon Woo in tow.
Even as she swiftly deployed her lightness technique, she infused him with her Anti-Extreme True Qi to stabilize his condition.
He had exhausted his Original Essence Qi, his meridians were severed, and he had taken the full brunt of Wi Ji Hye Sang’s sword strike.
Had Bu Eunseol not mastered the Anti-Extreme Heart Method, had she been unable to perfectly control both Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang Qi—
Myo Cheon Woo would have become a cold corpse long ago.
Whoosh.
Once completely clear of the Seok Moon area, Bu Eunseol entered a secluded manor on the outskirts of Seong Do.
It was a secret hideout that only the highest echelons of the Demon Palace could access.
Creak.
As Bu Eunseol, supporting Myo Cheon Woo, opened the door to the hideout, a familiar silhouette draped in a jade-colored robe came into view.
It was Yu Woon Ryong.
“Woon Ryong.”
Myo Cheon Woo asked in surprise,
“You look pathetic.”
Yu Woon Ryong laughed coldly with a scoff.
“So, how was playing the pawn?”
Myo Cheon Woo lowered his head.
He would have preferred anger or hatred instead.
For despite the coldness in Yu Woon Ryong’s voice, his eyes were filled with anguish and concern.
“It was quite manageable.”
Myo Cheon Woo lifted his head and forced a smile.
“Thanks to it, I even obtained the secret manual of the false Tu Hwang.”
“Hmph, quite a decent reward for being thoroughly exploited.”
Yu Woon Ryong scoffed and withdrew a crimson porcelain bottle from his robes, offering it forward.
“Drink this. To mend your severed meridians, you must replenish the blood you’ve lost.”
What he offered was Blood Essence, each drop more precious than a diamond.
“The Medicine King Hall Master will arrive here shortly.”
“Why?”
“If word spreads that you’ve sustained severe injuries, those loose-tongued Sayoung Battle Division Lords will all learn the truth.”
Should they discover Myo Cheon Woo’s injuries, they would probe relentlessly into the circumstances.
Therefore, Bu Eunseol would not return Myo Cheon Woo to the Demon Palace; instead, she would summon the Medicine King Hall Master here to treat him.
So that he could return to the Sayoung Battle Division.
So that the Sayoung Battle Division Lords would never learn that he had been a pawn for someone.
“They’ll find out eventually anyway.”
Myo Cheon Woo spoke apologetically.
“To investigate the Chil Seon Tea House and Kwae Hwal Rim, I’ll have to testify before the higher-ups regardless.”
“Don’t worry. That madman Wi Ji Hye Sang will never hold you accountable.”
Yu Woon Ryong exhaled sharply through his nose.
“He’s a man overflowing with pride. Now that the Chil Seon Tea House and Kwae Hwal Rim have been exposed, he won’t bother with a second-rate Demon Palace Lord like you.”
And she spoke in a low voice.
“I’ve already discussed this with Chong Gyo Ryeong. We’ll only investigate Chil Seon Tea House and Kwae Hwal Rim. Well, unless I abandon my position as Demon Palace’s successor… we can’t bring down the Hwawoo Sword Sect.”
The mere fact that funds from Kwae Hwal Rim and Chil Seon Tea House flowed into the Orthodox Sects and Gwan Bu wasn’t enough to strike at the Hwawoo Sword Sect.
They would cut off the tail anyway.
Besides, the Hwawoo Sword Sect was the greatest pillar supporting Demon Palace, and Bu Eunseol was Demon Palace’s successor.
Unless they committed treason, that place could not be brought down.
“Still… was there any need for this?”
Myo Cheon Woo couldn’t bear to look at Bu Eunseol and Yu Woon Ryong, lowering his head.
“To someone like me.”
“It’s not because I like you.”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke as if spitting out something bitter.
“Muk Hon Ryeong Ju is always occupied with countless affairs, traveling through Gangho every day. If it were just a year or two, but I alone cannot possibly manage the Sayoung Battle Division.”
And he continued, letting out a sigh.
“The severed meridians will be treated by the Medicine King Hall’s master. The damaged origin will be restored at Yunhai Biyeok Palace. The remaining stiff muscles and meridians will be treated at Nangya Sect. The same method as with Seo Jin Ha.”
“Yu Woon Ryong.”
“I’ve told the Lords that your leave has been extended indefinitely. Family matters, I said. So don’t come back later drowning in guilt.”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke with a snort.
“Those fools are simple-minded and loose-tongued. Once they learn the truth, you’ll be mocked until your hair turns white.”
Myo Cheon Woo lowered his head.
Won Se Moon, Wi Cheon Gyeong, Jo Nam Cheon.
They were all not only strong-willed but also deeply affectionate.
If they learned of Myo Cheon Woo’s situation?
Rather than resent him, they would immediately rise in fury and march on the Hwawoo Sword Sect.
“Myo Cheon Woo.”
Then Bu Eunseol spoke.
“Wi Ji Hye Sang always believed himself perfect and constantly looked down on you. That’s why he was confident his tail would never be caught.”
“….”
“He never expected you to stake your life on such an absurd provocation. And thanks to that, he revealed his true nature.”
“So in the end, that cunning bastard is also Sam Gye?”
At Yu Woon Ryong’s question, Bu Eunseol’s eyes darkened.
“Probably.”
Wi Ji Hye Sang was employing a soul-stealing technique rivaling Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s.
That meant the high-ranking officials of Sam Gye likely all possessed excellent soul-stealing techniques.
“Then isn’t the Hwawoo Sword Sect the head of Sam Gye? People of that caliber wouldn’t be recruited into Sam Gye.”
“At first, I thought the same. But… no matter how I think about it, Hyun Ma doesn’t feel like Sam Gye.”
Hyun Ma and Wi Ji Moo Ah, despite cultivating formidable martial arts, lived simply like a carefree wanderer who enjoyed tea.
If he were the leader or a key figure of Sam Gye?
When provoked with the fake sword of the legendary hero, he would never have let me live.
“That mad organization called Sam Gye moves like a point organization with Sa Ja, and despite clashing directly with Wi Ji Hye Sang, they couldn’t even find justification to strike at or investigate the Hwawoo Sword Sect… so is this another blunder?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head at Yu Woon Ryong’s words.
“I was planning to take them down one by one anyway. Even if I’d found the root, it would’ve been impossible with our current strength.”
“I see.”
“Either way, I’m heading back first.”
Bu Eunseol placed a hand on Yu Woon Ryong’s shoulder.
“Leave the rest to you.”
“Right. Don’t worry and go.”
That’s when Myo Cheon Woo spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Bu Eunseol.”
At those words, Bu Eunseol stopped and looked at Myo Cheon Woo.
“Discard such guilt. You can’t afford to carry such things for long.”
And she spoke with a forceful voice.
“Shake it off quickly and advance. That is how you atone for your past mistakes.”
“I understand.”
Myo Cheon Woo no longer trembled with guilt.
There was a friend who understood his heart without needing him to say everything.
If that were the case, what he needed to do now wasn’t to regret the past…
It was to take one more step forward and repay those who believed in him and supported him.
* * *
After leaving the manor, Bu Eunseol entered the secret passage in the building across from it.
There stood a lean and sharp-featured martial artist.
It was Seo Jin Ha, who was acting as Seon Woo Jin, the Lord of the Elite Division.
“You’ve had a hard time.”
He had already been informed of all of Bu Eunseol’s circumstances.
But considering Myo Cheon Woo’s pride.
He had been waiting for Bu Eunseol in the secret location set up on the opposite side of the manor.
“He’ll be back on his feet soon. That one will.”
Seo Jin Ha spoke with a faint smile.
“Even though he seems playful, he was the fastest to adapt on Hell Island.”
“I’m not worried about that. What concerns me is Sam Gye.”
“Hmm.”
If Sam Gye could recruit the successor of the Ma Do Je Il Geom Mun, or if Wi Ji Hye Sang was originally Sam Gye’s person…
Then perhaps Sam Gye was not an entity that could be completely eliminated or uprooted.
“Even now, Sam Gye exerts influence throughout the entire Murim and has become one body with the leaders of Murim.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head with a frustrated expression.
“We cannot distinguish or separate who is Sam Gye, and even if someone is not Sam Gye…they could become Sam Gye’s person at any moment.”
Seo Jin Ha nodded.
Sam Gye possessed the power to recruit anyone.
“This was a story you couldn’t tell Yu Woon Ryong.”
Seo Jin Ha, having grasped Bu Eunseol’s troubles, smiled faintly.
Yu Woon Ryong was the strategist of the Sayoung Battle Division and the person most concerned about Bu Eunseol.
If Bu Eunseol worried about ten things, I would multiply that worry tenfold.
That’s why I never let her see me anxious in front of her.
“But any organization inevitably has a leader or key figures, doesn’t it?”
Seo Jin Ha spoke with a firm voice, observing Bu Eunseol’s gloomy expression.
“If we can’t eliminate them all at once, then we have no choice but to confront them one by one, just as you said.”
He continued, his voice brimming with confidence.
“Moreover, from what’s been revealed so far, there’s no doubt that the forces of the Three Realms are clashing with each other. If that’s the case, there must be gaps we can exploit.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“True. If they were a single realm instead of three, I would have been dead long ago.”
The Three Realms were like shadows that had always existed in Murim.
Had they not been divided into three separate factions but maintained a unified force, I would have already lost my life to them.
“But what’s this about? Summoning me through So Yo?”
“Ah.”
Seo Jin Ha scratched his head with an awkward expression.
“The Murim Alliance has issued an order for the Elite Division to participate in the Phoenix Grand Tournament they’re hosting.”
“The Phoenix Grand Tournament?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
The Phoenix Grand Tournament excluded first-rank battle divisions that were already recognized as having reached the highest level.
It was a competition where outstanding second-rank and third-rank battle divisions were selected to have their cultivation abilities evaluated.
However, third-rank battle divisions typically didn’t participate.
So the Phoenix Grand Tournament could be said to be a competition to select the most outstanding second-rank battle division in the Murim Alliance.
“They’re having the Elite Division participate in the Phoenix Grand Tournament?”
“Yes.”
This was unusual.
The Elite Division had only just become a second-rank battle division, yet they were participating in the Phoenix Grand Tournament, which could be called the selection of the most capable second-rank battle divisions?
“The Deng Wu Jeon Ju must have pulled strings.”
“Probably.”
Seo Jin Ha shrugged.
“You played a decisive role in brokering peace between us and Yeol Ha Sung Gung this time. The leadership probably became quite curious.”
“Hmm.”
“What kind of person Seon Woo Jin is. What level of battle division the Elite Division really is.”
Bu Eunseol stroked her chin.
This could turn out to be a good thing.
If the Elite Division could distinguish itself at the Phoenix Grand Tournament, it would catch the eyes of the leadership.
“This time, the Murim Alliance has exceptionally appointed Gong Son Dan Gyeong, the Master of Dae Rim Won who is still only in her thirties, as the new Chief Inspector. In other words, this Phoenix Grand Tournament will be held under Chief Inspector Gong Son’s supervision.”
The Murim Alliance frequently replaced its Chief Inspectors.
In particular, the previous Chief Inspector, Tae Sa Hyeon, had great fame but lacked ability.
Though he endured for a long time, he exemplified an incompetent leader who maintained his position through connections.
Recently, the Murim Alliance has been working to remove incompetent and outdated figures and promote talented individuals with merit.
One reason for this was that the Master of Wu Tian Duan, Jo Cheon Wang, had suddenly stepped down from his position and returned to life as a commoner.
With the position of Lord vacant, it had to be filled once more.
Soon, the Murim Alliance would need to select a successor to become the next Alliance Leader after Sin Do Mu Bi.
Thus, the Murim Alliance began moving with unprecedented urgency.
And they took an exceptional measure—appointing Gong Son Dan Gyeong, the Master of Dae Rim Won, as the new Chief Strategist.
The Star of Wisdom, Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Elder sister of Gong Son Dan Ah, one of the Three Beauties of Tianxia known as the Flower of Understanding.
Not only was she blessed with striking beauty, but she possessed exceptional intellect and wisdom, having long been considered a candidate for the Chief Strategist position.
However, due to her youth, she had instead served as Master of Dae Rim Won, overseeing the operations of the Murim Alliance’s branch divisions.
Yet the Murim Alliance had now made the unprecedented decision to elevate her to the Chief Strategist’s seat.
‘Something feels off.’
As I recalled Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s name, an uneasy feeling settled over me.
A person of such considerable intellect would surely have another reason behind hosting the Phoenix Tournament.
“Understood. Then let’s switch places and attend in each other’s stead.”
Crack.
I unfolded the Phantom Bone Transformation Art and shifted back into Seon Woo Jin’s appearance.
Then Seo Jin Ha changed back into my original form.
After exchanging the swords we carried, the two of us had once again perfectly switched identities.
“Isn’t it exhausting?”
At my words, Seo Jin Ha chuckled softly.
“Each day is thrilling. There’s a certain tension to moving between two worlds.”
It was a lie.
There could be no thrill in this.
A life of double deception was like endlessly walking along a precipice where a single misstep meant an infinite fall into the abyss.
Yet for my sake, Seo Jin Ha willingly sacrificed his own life.
He had gladly given up his existence so I could move freely between two worlds.
For Seo Jin Ha’s sake, I had to rise within the Murim Alliance—swiftly and without fail.
“Go well.”
As Seo Jin Ha smiled, I nodded firmly with determination.
“I’ll return.”
I immediately made my way back to the Murim Alliance.
Even now, I could not have imagined it.
That the Phoenix Tournament would lead the new Chief Strategist to suspect me, and that suspicion would eventually pit me, as a Lord of the Murim Alliance, against the Demon Palace itself.
* * *
The atmosphere within the Murim Alliance was somewhat excited.
Not only had Gong Son Dan Gyeong, the Master of Dae Rim Won who had long kept a low profile, been selected as the new Chief Strategist,
but the Phoenix Tournament—one of the Murim Alliance’s grandest events and a festival in its own right—had also begun.
During the Phoenix Tournament, most departments, including all the battle divisions, suspended their duties to watch the competition.
The theme changed with each selection, and it was a tournament where all division members participated.
It carried far greater tension than any ordinary martial arts tournament, with far more spectacle to behold.
Murim Alliance, Deng Wu Dian. Yuk Jang Cheon’s office.
“Lord Jeon Ju.”
As Bu Eunseol, having returned to Seon Woo Jin, offered a deep bow, Yuk Jang Cheon smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes, you’ve endured much hardship in many ways.”
Upon returning to the Murim Alliance, Bu Eunseol not only severed the head of Hyeol Yeol Eum Ma, who had been assigned to him from the Deng Wu Dian.
He had also brought back the severed heads of five vicious Chae Hwa Eum members who had roiled the Murim Alliance’s depths yet remained unfound.
Because of this, the Murim Alliance commended his achievements, and Yuk Jang Cheon was able to establish considerable prestige as well.
“I received orders to attend the Phoenix Tournament.”
“Hahaha. I pulled some strings myself.”
Yuk Jang Cheon burst into laughter, his lips curling as he spoke.
“Though the Elite Division was only recently established, hasn’t it achieved great merit multiple times? Now is the time for the upper echelons to take notice.”
“However, I worry that our division members still lack much.”
“Always so humble, aren’t you?”
Yuk Jang Cheon wore a faint smile.
“I know the Elite Division has been training rigorously without a single day’s rest. And I hear you’ve been instructing them in martial arts personally?”
“You knew of this?”
“Hahaha. There’s no need to hide such things from me.”
Yuk Jang Cheon chuckled and spoke.
“To achieve ambition, one must sometimes hide their claws and crouch low. But before those climbing the same path, one must bare their heart with sincerity.”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
Yuk Jang Cheon’s words emphasized that they were in the same boat.
‘Of course, only while I remain useful.’
For those with ambition, there are neither eternal friends nor eternal enemies. That is the truth.
Everything that can be exploited is exploited, and if no longer needed, it is discarded without hesitation.
Especially to reach the pinnacle of the Murim Alliance, which values connections, distribution, and hierarchy… one must abandon meaningless loyalty and sentiment.
“This Phoenix Tournament is truly something to anticipate, wouldn’t you say?”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s eyes burned with intensity.
―Prove to me once more that you are necessary to this Lord Jeon Ju.
This is what he was telling Bu Eunseol.
For Yuk Jang Cheon, who aimed to become the Lord, incompetent and useless subordinates were unnecessary.
Bu Eunseol, now and in the future,
Must continually prove himself to be an indispensable figure.
And one of those proving grounds was this very Phoenix Tournament.
“Can you do it?”
Yuk Jang Cheon spoke once more with burning eyes.
“Can you make another leap forward in this Phoenix Tournament?”
Bu Eunseol’s lips curved into a smile.
“Of course.”
And he spoke with a powerful voice.
“You will never have cause for disappointment, Lord Jeon Ju.”
“Hahahaha.”
Yuk Jang Cheon burst into satisfied laughter.
“Ever since I entered the Ben Maeng, I thought the Lord of this faction was truly bereft of fortune.”
He patted Bu Eunseol’s shoulder as he spoke.
“But it seems fortune has finally smiled upon him, bestowing such magnificent talent.”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s lips curved into a smile brimming with ambition.
Bu Eunseol mirrored that smile perfectly, as if to demonstrate they were kindred spirits.

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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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