The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 461

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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 461.
Yuk Cheong Ah led the warriors of Yeonseong Hall toward the Jongri Estate, where Chim Wang and Jong Ri Sa Hyeon awaited.
And Bu Eunseol followed alone in their wake.
The Elite Division members were tending to their wounds from the bloody clash with Gwihyo-dang. Besides, persuading Tan Wang and Beok Goong Ryung required no assistance from the rank-and-file warriors.
As they entered Seong Do, where the Jongri Estate stood, Yuk Cheong Ah called for Bu Eunseol to ride in the carriage with her.
The remaining warriors deployed their lightness technique to follow behind.
‘Something feels off.’
Bu Eunseol’s expression grew dark as she gazed out the window.
And with good reason—to uncover the movements of the Chilji Demonic Sect, she had deceived Chim Wang Jong Ri Sa Hyeon, his granddaughter Jong Ri Sa Yu, and the others about her true identity.
Specifically, she had posed as Baek Mu Sung, a disciple of the Immortal who wandered the Gangho mysteriously, leaving no trace of her passage.
―In the end, the daughter of the Jongli Family had even come to the Murim Alliance to lodge a protest. And finally, she had discovered that she had been deceived….
Suddenly, words that Cheon Hwa In had spoken at the Murim Alliance’s Grand Tournament of Luminaries came flooding back.
Unable to wait any longer, Jong Ri Sa Yu had eventually searched everywhere and found the Murim Alliance, demanding to know Baek Mu Sung’s whereabouts.
And upon learning of Baek Mu Sung’s location, she had realized with startling clarity that she had been thoroughly deceived.
Yet now, approaching the Jongri Estate once more under the identity of Seon Woo Jin, her conscience prickled with a thousand tiny needles of guilt.
“Whoa, whoa.”
With the coachman’s cry, the carriage came to a halt.
Lost in deep contemplation, they had arrived at the Jongri Estate without her noticing.
“Lord Seon Woo.”
Just then, before descending from the carriage, Yuk Cheong Ah spoke to Bu Eunseol.
“There’s no need to burden yourself so heavily. Some things simply cannot be done, and that is all there is to it.”
She seemed to believe that Bu Eunseol’s grave expression stemmed from anxiety about this mission.
“I understand. Thank you.”
“Good. Shall we go then?”
Descending from the carriage, Yuk Cheong Ah clasped her hands respectfully toward the gatekeepers of the Jongri Estate.
“I am Yuk Cheong Ah, Master of Yeonseong Hall, affiliated with the Murim Alliance.”
“Please come this way.”
Thanks to the advance notice they had sent, the gatekeepers promptly ushered her inside.
Upon entering the Guest Hall, an elderly man with a wind-swept beard stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Standing over six feet tall with eyes as long and sharp as a phoenix’s, his bearing radiated absolute authority.
It was Chim Wang Jong Ri Sa Hyeon.
“Yuk Cheong Ah of the Murim Alliance pays respects to the family head.”
Yuk Cheong Ah deliberately used the title “family head” rather than the epithet “Chim Wang.”
Chim Wang had been pestered countless times by young martial artists seeking his Harmonized Golden Needle Technique, which could rapidly enhance one’s inner strength in a short span of time.
By addressing him as the head of the Jongri Estate rather than as Chim Wang, she made it clear that she respected his position as a patriarch.
“You have done well raising your children, Yuk.”
Jong Ri Sa Hyeon, observing the spirited and radiant Yuk Cheong Ah, let out a sigh before offering an oddly tangential greeting.
“As for this old man, I have failed miserably at raising mine, and I suffer for it every single day.”
Shaking his head ruefully, he gestured toward the warrior standing behind Yuk Cheong Ah, who carried an abundance of gifts.
“Take the gifts back with you. That old woman is not here.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“When she stayed at the Main House, the Murim Alliance members kept coming to find her, so she apologized and disappeared into Geum Wang Mountain.”
Jong Ri Sa Hyeon sighed deeply once more, turning his body as he spoke.
“Go up near Songkwang Peak. She’s built a Mo Wok there and is living in that area. Though it seems like she’ll leave before long….”
Beok Goong Ryung, who had been living quietly, felt the constant visits from Murim Alliance members becoming bothersome and seemed intent on leaving this place altogether.
“Understood. Thank you.”
Having grasped the situation, Yuk Cheong Ah quickly bowed in gratitude and immediately left the Jongri Estate.
‘I cannot return without even attempting this.’
If she couldn’t even meet Tan Wang, all this journey would have been for nothing.
She led Bu Eunseol and her subordinates urgently toward Geum Wang Mountain.
And including the area near Songkwang Peak, she combed through every place where Tan Wang might be staying.
Yet no matter how thoroughly she searched, she found not even a trace of Tan Wang, let alone the man himself.
When she could find no sign of him even as the sun began to set, Yuk Cheong Ah shook her head.
“So it has come to this after all.”
Gazing at the fading sunset, Yuk Cheong Ah sighed and shook her head.
“Well, if someone of his stature wished to hide, it would be natural that we couldn’t find him.”
It was a curious thing.
Despite coming all this way with great difficulty from the Murim Alliance and failing to find even a shadow of Beok Goong Ryung.
Not a trace of regret appeared on her face.
“However, it seems Seon Woo made an unexpected decision.”
Yuk Cheong Ah glanced sideways at Bu Eunseol’s profile and brought up an old matter.
“She rejected the proposal to join the Sungwi Unit and chose Deungmu Hall instead.”
“There was nothing to reject. From the beginning, I received my duties and assignments from Deungmu Hall.”
Bu Eunseol spoke matter-of-factly.
“And all this time, the Lord has continuously given me and Deungmu Hall opportunities to earn merit. How could I go elsewhere?”
“Hehehehe. You speak quite smoothly for someone who claims otherwise.”
“What do you mean?”
Yuk Cheong Ah stared intently at Bu Eunseol as she spoke.
“No matter how outstanding merit Seon Woo displays, if you went to the Sungwi Unit, you would remain as a first-rank sword lord. There are many who have accumulated merit there over many years.”
She was pointing out that Bu Eunseol had come to Deungmu Hall for ambition.
To climb to greater heights.
“It could be the opposite.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“If the Lord cannot ascend further, wouldn’t I too become merely one of the unremarkable lords of Deungmu Hall?”
Mulling over Bu Eunseol’s words, Yuk Cheong Ah smiled faintly.
“It seems I haven’t misjudged you after all.”
Bu Eunseol had wagered on an extremely slim probability.
And that was because she believed in her own abilities.
On the surface, there was not the slightest hint of ambition…but in reality, she possessed a burning desire like the blazing sun itself.
She was a kindred spirit, someone cut from the same cloth as herself.
Crunch, crunch.
Then, a gray silhouette ascending toward where Bu Eunseol and Yuk Cheong Ah stood came into view.
Though clad in tattered garments, his eyes gleamed with piercing brilliance, and an air of noble dignity flowed through his entire being.
It was none other than Tan Wang Buk Gung-ryeong.
The moment Yuk Cheong Ah spotted Buk Gung-ryeong, she rushed forward with an expression of surprise.
“Elder.”
And with utmost deference, she offered her respects.
“Yuk Cheong Ah of the Murim Alliance’s lower ranks greets you, Elder.”
Bu Eunseol, following behind, also paid her respects.
“Bu Eunseol greets you, Tan Wang Elder.”
Buk Gung-ryeong’s gaze alternated between the two, and his brow furrowed deeply.
“I wondered who was wandering about this desolate place, and here comes another from the Murim Alliance.”
As visitors from the Murim Alliance continued to arrive near Songkwang Peak where he dwelled,
he had deliberately relocated to a distant place, far removed from Songkwang Peak, to prevent people from finding him.
Yet when Bu Eunseol and Yuk Cheong Ah began searching various parts of Geum Wang Mountain, he immediately sensed their presence.
Having observed the two discreetly, and realizing they would not easily give up, Buk Gung-ryeong deliberately revealed himself.
If he did not make his intentions clear this time, the Murim Alliance would surely send others again.
“I shall depart from Geum Wang Mountain in three days.”
Buk Gung-ryeong alternated his gaze between Yuk Cheong Ah and Bu Eunseol as he spoke.
“My stay here was because the scenery of Geum Wang Mountain and its magnificent cliffs helped cleanse my turbid heart. But now it has become far too crowded.”
And with a solemn expression, he continued.
“Convey this clearly to the Murim Alliance: I shall now completely withdraw from Murim, so do not seek me out again.”
Yuk Cheong Ah could not hide her expression of shock.
Buk Gung-ryeong maintained formidable martial prowess and remained in his prime.
How could such an exceptional master suddenly abandon Murim?
Moreover, the unjust accusations cast upon him at Youling Island had already been cleared, and was the Murim Alliance not aware of the truth?
Yet despite this, he sought to abandon everything and leave Murim—a notion that defied all reason.
“Elder, do you perhaps remember me?”
Yuk Cheong Ah spoke urgently.
“Four years ago, I handled the Snake Fang Gang with you in the Investigation Bureau….”
“I remember. At that time, you came to investigate the murder case involving the Swift Eagle Rope and Jin Won.”
“You do remember.”
Yuk Cheong Ah spoke carefully.
“When I discovered the hideout of the Snake Fang Gang that you were searching for, you praised me quite generously. And you told me to speak if I ever needed assistance.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I have come to invite you as a Venerable of the Ben Maeng.”
Buk Gung-ryeong’s brow furrowed.
“You speak foolishly. How would that benefit you?”
“The Deng Wu Dian to which I belong has recently fallen into difficult circumstances.”
“And so.”
“If we can arrange for you to invite that esteemed master, we can easily overcome this predicament.”
“Hmm.”
Beok Goong Ryung shook his head at Yuk Cheong Ah’s candid words, speaking in a low voice.
“That won’t happen. Leave now.”
Despite his cold demeanor, Yuk Cheong Ah’s eyes sparkled with determination.
“I will restore your honor completely, sir.”
And she continued speaking with utmost composure.
“Even if the martial artists of Gangho learn that you were falsely accused, your spirit must have been greatly diminished by this ordeal.”
“….”
“Rumors in Gangho are fierce, but they fade quickly. However, monuments are different.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Yuk Cheong Ah’s eyes gleamed as she spoke.
“I will arrange for a Hero’s Monument to be erected in your honor.”
A Hero’s Monument.
It is a stone monument erected by the Murim Alliance to commemorate righteous heroes who have left outstanding achievements and performed many great deeds as martial artists.
To date, the Murim Alliance has erected only eight Hero’s Monuments.
All of them were exceptional heroes whose names would be remembered for generations to come.
Because of this, among the Orthodox Sects, having one’s name inscribed on a Hero’s Monument is said to be the highest honor one can achieve.
“How amusing. Are you telling this old man to die now?”
When Beok Goong Ryung let out a scoff, Yuk Cheong Ah spoke.
“Throughout your life, you have wandered Murim alone and performed countless good deeds. And on Youling Island, you sacrificed all the honor you had accumulated to protect the dignity of numerous righteous heroes.”
She spoke again with intense conviction in her eyes.
“That alone is enough to qualify you for a place on the Hero’s Monument.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening, nodded faintly.
She had wondered why such a brilliant person as Yuk Cheong Ah would readily take on a task that all the leaders of the Murim Alliance had failed at… so this was her plan all along.
A Hero’s Monument.
It is the highest honor an Orthodox Sect martial artist can achieve.
Even someone as indifferent to fame and fortune as Beok Goong Ryung would find it difficult to refuse.
“So you think this old man covets honor and reputation?”
However, Beok Goong Ryung merely smiled with contempt.
“You believe this old man’s heart would be swayed by a mere stone?”
Remarkably, he was completely transcendent of fame and fortune, like a great Buddhist master.
“Sir.”
“It’s futile. No matter what you say, my resolve will not change.”
With those words, Beok Goong Ryung turned away.
And he unfolded a ghostly movement technique, vanishing in an instant.
Yuk Cheong Ah stared blankly at the spot where Beok Goong Ryung had disappeared, her expression dazed.
He refused to have a Hero’s Monument erected—the greatest glory an Orthodox Sect martial artist could achieve?
This was a completely unexpected outcome.
“A failure, it seems.”
As Yuk Cheong Ah murmured to herself, Bu Eunseol offered calm counsel.
“Don’t you still have nearly four days remaining? If we can persuade him again during that time, there may yet be a chance.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Though she answered thus, Yuk Cheong Ah’s expression betrayed little confidence.
The greatest master of Murim, who had maintained his peak condition throughout his life, had resolved to abandon Murim entirely.
And he was doing so while rejecting the Hero Monument—the highest glory that any righteous sect member could achieve.
Which meant that no matter how tempting the conditions offered, his resolve would never waver.
That night.
Bu Eunseol, who had been sleeping quietly at the inn, slipped out into the darkness.
“So Yo, I entrust my movements to you.”
Though she traveled with Yeonseong Hall, there was no guarantee that Murim Alliance watchers weren’t stationed somewhere.
Having entrusted So Yo with concealing her whereabouts, Bu Eunseol quietly slipped out of Seong Do.
And the place she arrived at was a liquor shop situated some distance from Seong Do.
“I’ll take this.”
After purchasing the shop’s most expensive imperial wine—a full barrel—she deployed her lightness technique and rushed toward the vicinity of Songkwang Peak.
Crack.
As she executed her lightness technique, Bu Eunseol activated the Face Reversal Bone Technique to restore her original appearance.
Then, twisting her body lightly, the outer and inner layers of her garments reversed, transforming into an entirely different outfit.
Bu Eunseol had endured countless hardships alongside Beok Goong Ryung in the past.
Though unspoken, through those trials they had forged a bond as deep as a lifelong friendship.
And Bu Eunseol did not wish to see Beok Goong Ryung—one capable of leaving a profound mark upon Murim—abandon it in this manner.
Therefore, she intended to meet him using her true identity.
Whoosh.
Having finally ascended Songkwang Peak, Bu Eunseol drew upon her Hollow Heart Technique.
The surrounding landscape flashed through her mind in an instant, and soon she sensed a faint presence at the cliff’s edge opposite her.
Swish swish swish.
Deploying her Extreme Speed Shadowless Technique, she moved covertly toward the opposite ravine.
After several leaps and descents, a small cottage appeared on a moonlit cliff ahead.
And there, gazing vacantly at the night sky, stood an elderly figure. It was Beok Goong Ryung.
‘His martial power has declined.’
Normally, he should have sensed her presence the moment she deployed her lightness technique.
Yet he only detected her aura as she arrived at this place.
“Why have you come again?”
“…”
“Did you eavesdrop on the Murim Alliance’s intelligence network?”
As Beok Goong Ryung turned his head with an irritated expression, Bu Eunseol chuckled softly and set down the barrel of wine.
“I care nothing for the Murim Alliance.”
She settled herself with a thud in a spot where moonlight shone brightly and opened the barrel.
Instantly, an exquisite fragrance spread in all directions—rich enough to make one’s mouth water.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been gazing at the clear liquor, withdrew a ladle from her bosom.
Glug, glug.
Like a cow drinking water, she drank the alcohol without hesitation.
Beok Goong Ryung stared intently at Bu Eunseol, wondering what kind of situation this was.
But Bu Eunseol paid no mind to his gaze, frequently glancing at the moonlit area as she drank the liquor with hearty enjoyment.
“Indeed, the scenery is magnificent. The taste of the liquor becomes all the more exquisite in such a place.”
‘This wretch?’
Beok Goong Ryung, who had been watching silently, became greatly enraged.
Until now, consumed by vexation, he had been engaged in endless meditation like an ascetic monk, abstaining from all sustenance.
Yet here was Bu Eunseol, right before him, greedily consuming fragrant liquor so enticing that saliva pooled in his mouth?
“Have you come to mock this old man?”
“What do you mean?”
“Then why are you guzzling liquor here?”
Bu Eunseol spoke brazenly.
“I was searching for a place to practice my craft, and the scenery here was so fine that I decided to stay.”
“Go drink elsewhere.”
“Surely you’re not claiming that Geum Wang Mountain belongs entirely to you, are you?”
A cold snort.
Beok Goong Ryung rose from his seat with a frigid laugh.
Then he departed abruptly to some unknown place.
Whereupon Bu Eunseol muttered with relief.
“Thank goodness. I nearly had to share this hundred-year-old imperial wine I barely managed to obtain.”
“You wretched creature!”
Then Beok Goong Ryung, who had vanished, suddenly reappeared.
Approaching with indignation, he snatched the ladle from Bu Eunseol’s hands without ceremony.
And like a parched man, he began frantically drinking from the liquor vessel.
A satisfied exhale.
After downing three ladles in succession, Beok Goong Ryung set down the vessel and exclaimed irritably.
“You’ve destroyed years of my cultivation!”
He drank another ladle and spoke with an exasperated expression.
“You heartless wretch! Were you trying to drink all this fine liquor yourself?”
Beok Goong Ryung was a man who loved liquor as much as Bu Eunseol did.
He had merely abstained from all sustenance to resolve his vexation.
But watching Bu Eunseol refreshingly drink the hundred-year-old imperial wine, he simply could not endure it.
“Why? Have you come now to drag this old man to the Demon Palace? Because my reputation has already been thoroughly tarnished?”
“What an unfunny jest that is.”
Bu Eunseol spoke matter-of-factly.
“Who would recruit someone with as disagreeable a temperament as yours?”
“What, what?”
“Besides, you’ve already cleared the false accusations from Youling Island, haven’t you?”
Then I snatched the gourd from Beok Goong Ryung’s hand and took another long swig of wine.
Bu Eunseol exhaled with a satisfied sound and smacked her lips as she spoke.
“Whether it’s cultivation or whatever else—why are you moping about on the Back Mountain of someone else’s estate?”
“Hmph, I was wandering quietly through Murim when that old innkeeper with the good acupuncture skills mentioned there was a place where one could resolve their afflictions. So I came.”
“Afflictions?”
“That place over there.”
Beok Goong Ryung pointed to the cave behind his dwelling.
On the walls of that place, faint traces of sword techniques carved by a sharp blade remained dimly visible.
This was the very spot where Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Janyeong, Chim Wang, and Jong Ri Sa Hyeon had first encountered one another.
Bu Eunseol glanced at the stone wall with an indifferent expression and asked.
“So? Did you gain anything?”
“Gain anything? Not a damn thing. I only deepened my afflictions.”
“Why is that?”
Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes darkened as he gazed at the sharp marks carved into the cave.
“There is reason enough for it.”
“I see.”
An ordinary person would have pressed for details relentlessly.
But Bu Eunseol asked nothing more.
She simply passed the bucket of wine back and forth with him until it was empty.
After some time had passed, Beok Goong Ryung, who had been gazing blankly at the moonlight, let out a sigh.
“Why don’t you ask me anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“Still, since you’ve come all this way, shouldn’t you offer some good proposal or tell me to follow you or something like that?”
He cleared his throat and continued.
“You came looking for me after hearing the rumors that I was leaving Murim, didn’t you?”
“You’re talking nonsense. Whether you leave Murim or not, what does it have to do with me?”
Bu Eunseol spoke while gazing up at the moonlight.
“Besides… didn’t you always stand alone and unrivaled in Murim? So why would there be any need to suddenly speak of leaving Murim or not?”
“Hm?”
“In the first place, Murim is a place one cannot leave when covered by karmic debts. I myself remain here for that very reason.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice while gazing at the distant sky with a lonely expression.
“But you, Elder, can leave Murim whenever you wish, can’t you?”
‘This one.’
Beok Goong Ryung felt something stir within him.
Bu Eunseol, a young practitioner of the Demonic Path, had seen through his heart in an instant—a heart he had hidden his entire life.
Beok Goong Ryung had stood alone and unrivaled in Murim, doing good deeds.
It was all so that he would create no karmic debts with anyone and could leave Murim freely whenever he wished.
Leaving behind only the pride of having established justice in Murim.
“You seem to have the talent of reading what lies in another’s heart.”
Beok Goong Ryung took a deep breath and exhaled with an expression as if he had come to some resolve.
And for the first time in my life, the thoughts I had kept locked away in my heart…
I began to reveal them not to someone within the bounds of the Righteous Path I had always trusted and relied upon, but to the young Demonic Path’s supreme master.

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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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