The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 462

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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 462.
“While traversing Murim, I sought to create no enemies. I struck down the wicked without mercy, and I acted according to what the old master deemed righteous.”
Beok Goong Ryung lifted his gaze toward the distant sky.
“Yet in doing so, I uncovered the forces that manipulate Murim itself. Those three divided powers controlled sects and individuals as they pleased, moving them like puppets, and they even conducted human experimentation—acts no person should ever commit.”
His eyes fixed upon the bright moon.
“From that day forward, I lived with the goal of unearthing and destroying those forces—Sam Gye. But despite my years, I accomplished nothing, and in the end, I was forced to abandon Murim under false accusations.”
Beok Goong Ryung turned his gaze back to Bu Eunseol.
“Yet a young man appeared who destroyed them far more swiftly than I accomplished in a lifetime, and he continues to advance.”
“….”
“It seemed to me that if it were him, he could surely accomplish what I could not.”
He stared directly into Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“That is why I was able to leave Murim with a light heart.”
A successor to Beok Goong Ryung’s will had appeared in Murim.
He was the one who destroyed Dae Woon Rim, which manufactured Shil Hoon In, along with Jangbaek Mountain Sect and Geom Rin Gok connected to it.
He was Bu Eunseol, the successor of Demon Hall, who had openly declared to Murim the destruction of Sam Gye.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
Bu Eunseol furrowed her brow and asked.
“So you’ve been wandering Murim in poverty and pitiful garb all this time for such a reason?”
“This fool—even when I explain.”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke irritably, his gums exposed as he clenched his teeth.
“That’s not it. When I left Murim for a time and quietly reflected upon myself, I thought—was I not also a small Sam Gye?”
Beok Goong Ryung lowered his head briefly, then shook it with a desolate expression.
“I sent assassins against them for being wicked, and I extended my hand to them for being righteous heroes of the Orthodox Sects. But as time passed, I came to wonder—were my actions truly righteous?”
Beok Goong Ryung had fallen into demonic madness due to the conflict between righteousness and demonism on Youling Island, and he was able to awaken because of Bu Eunseol.
But from that day forward, his thoughts and perspectives changed completely.
And when he reflected upon his own life, he felt a profound emptiness.
―What have I been doing all this time?
Those I struck down for being wicked—might they not have been wicked at all?
I thought I was right, but did my actions not lead toward something far more wrong?
If the righteous heroes of the Orthodox Sects, whom I trusted my entire life, have come to this state, then I have surely made a grave mistake.
Such doubts arose endlessly within him.
“Sigh.”
After hearing everything, Bu Eunseol exhaled deeply.
And she clicked her tongue at Beok Goong Ryung.
“Are you a god?”
“What?”
“Or is it that you cannot even manage your own affairs, yet you concern yourself with the lives of others?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Humans are inherently imperfect beings. That is precisely why they can strive and progress.”
“I know that much. Humans are imperfect creatures, so mistakes are inevitable.”
Beok Goong Ryung voiced the frustration that dwelled deep within his heart.
“But a person’s life cannot be dismissed as a mere mistake, can it?”
Bu Eunseol nodded in agreement.
Though Beok Goong Ryung appeared stubborn and arrogant, he was in truth someone who understood the preciousness of life more than anyone.
This was precisely why Bu Eunseol held him dear in her heart.
“Your words remind me of someone, Elder.”
After a moment of silence, Bu Eunseol broached a rather unexpected topic.
“He was a Tavern Servant who worked at an Inn for over a decade. Through his unwavering diligence, he was on the verge of being promoted to Chong Gwan. Yet when he reflected upon his past, countless regrets began to surface.”
“….”
“Had he truly given his best to the guests of old? Were there perhaps inconveniences he had overlooked? He had never done things properly, so was it merely fortune that would elevate him to Chong Gwan? Such were his thoughts.”
Bu Eunseol gazed at Beok Goong Ryung as she spoke.
“In the end, he renounced the position of Chong Gwan. Yet neither could he continue as a Tavern Servant. For his mind remained perpetually consumed by the regrets of his past.”
―Have I lived wrongly all this time?
―Am I doing well now?
―Was that truly the right choice back then?
Such doubts plague not only Beok Goong Ryung, but every human being.
Yet Beok Goong Ryung had always lived with unwavering conviction, until the incident at Youling Island shattered it all at once.
Though Bu Eunseol’s intervention allowed Shim Ui to escape, his steadfast convictions had yet to be fully restored.
“So what are you telling me to do?”
As Beok Goong Ryung muttered in anguish, Bu Eunseol let out a soft laugh.
“What do you mean ‘what’? Your body and heart are your own—do as you see fit.”
And she spoke calmly.
“Do not delude yourself into thinking a pittance of fame means everything. Not everyone in this world looks up to you, Elder.”
“What, what did you say?”
“From what I can see, you are no different from the drunken old men stumbling about the village. Both believe the entire world revolves around them.”
Beok Goong Ryung’s expression went blank.
Ever since gaining the reputation of Tan Wang, he had continuously drawn the attention of Gangho.
And he had done deeds that could not help but attract such attention. For he had always acted righteously and punished the wicked.
And that had been his conviction.
Yet at some point, as he received the world’s constant attention, he began to think not of upholding his convictions, but rather…
of how he appeared to others.
And the compulsion arose that as an elder of the Orthodox Sects, he must serve as a model for countless martial artists.
“Am I worrying over nothing?”
As Beok Goong Ryung’s expression grew hollow, Bu Eunseol spoke.
“Not so much needless worry as the result of solitude for far too long.”
“Solitude?”
“Indeed. Those who walk alone are forever forced to examine their own actions by themselves.”
After a moment of bewilderment, Beok Goong Ryung seemed to gain profound understanding, and a hollow laugh escaped him.
“Hehehehe.”
One cannot live alone in this world.
Because of this, people listen to others’ stories and correct their own mistakes.
Or they observe the mistakes of others and rectify their own faults.
But Beok Goong Ryung had never experienced such a process.
Because he had always stood alone, unparalleled.
He had lived his entire life using only the ideal image he envisioned as his mirror… and this is what resulted from it.
“Yes, I see now. I need to learn to get along with people.”
Only then did Beok Goong Ryung’s face relax, as if he had finally understood everything.
“I’ll stop pretending to live in solitary, lofty isolation.”
Then, as if realizing something, he shook his head and spoke.
“But I despise the Murim Alliance. It’s filled with nothing but stuffy old men, and they’re far too sinister.”
“Do as you see fit.”
Bu Eunseol rose from her seat with a lightened expression.
Since Beok Goong Ryung had freed himself not only from his demonic nature but also from his afflictions, her duty was complete.
“Wait.”
Beok Goong Ryung shook his head and drew a deep breath.
Then, gazing at the sharp scars etched into the cave wall, he spoke.
“In truth, my despondency was not merely a matter between the righteous and demonic paths.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was a man who rendered even all the martial prowess I had accumulated utterly meaningless.”
Beok Goong Ryung exhaled deeply as he spoke.
“He was perhaps five or six years my senior. In any case, I was defeated by him. That is why my affliction deepened all the more.”
Bu Eunseol could not hide her astonishment.
Beok Goong Ryung’s true martial prowess was of a level where even Bu Eunseol, exerting her full strength, could not guarantee victory.
Yet a young man of nearly the same age had defeated him?
“Moreover, that man wielded an extraordinary sword technique. As if he intended to perish together with me. A terrifying technique of death.”
“A technique of death?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
The way Beok Goong Ryung described the technique seemed remarkably similar to the Blood Flowing Seven Forms.
“Explain it in detail.”
“Well, you see….”
After a moment’s hesitation, Beok Goong Ryung slowly began to unravel his tale.
* * *
“Everything is so troublesome.”
Wandering through Murim, Beok Goong Ryung found everything utterly meaningless.
No matter what he did, he could feel no interest, and all the days he had lived seemed like nothing more than a dream.
Meanwhile, Murim itself was in chaos.
Recently, mysterious Shil Hoon In had appeared in various places. As a result, not only martial artists but also common people began to suffer casualties.
Then the Murim Alliance made an extraordinary proposal.
―Whenever you eliminate the Shil Hoon In wandering through Murim, we will pay ten silver taels per corpse!
―Ten taels?
For the renowned masters of Murim, it was a sum worthy of ridicule.
But for second-rate martial artists of mediocre skill, it was a fortune.
―Let’s go!
As this rumor spread, armed Gangho warriors began traversing Murim in all directions, hunting down members of Shil Hon In.
―Gugok Mountain is a goldmine!
Word circulated that Shil Hon In members were quite numerous on Gugok Mountain, where the Moshan Sect had once thrived.
Countless Murim practitioners flocked toward the vicinity of Gugok Mountain.
However, the terrain was treacherously steep, and many locations still bore the strange formations and sorceries that the Moshan Sect had once laid.
As a result, many Murim warriors who sought the bounty suffered considerable losses instead.
“How frustrating—but this works out well.”
Beok Goong Ryung, who had been quietly wandering through Murim, heard this rumor and immediately headed for Gugok Mountain.
He swiftly surveyed the surroundings, but strangely, he found no trace of Shil Hon In members.
‘A false rumor, then.’
Puzzled, Beok Goong Ryung climbed all the way to Dae Mo Peak, where the Moshan Sect had once stood.
There, he discovered a most peculiar figure.
A man with chains wound around both arms, his entire body seeming to shimmer with black flames.
He appeared to be in his early thirties.
His aura was oppressively dark, and his gaze resembled peering into an infinitely deep and shadowed well.
At a glance, it was clear he had not trained in the Orthodox Sects, but rather in Demonic Path martial arts.
“From the atmosphere, he doesn’t seem to be a bounty hunter.”
“….”
“Is he simply practicing martial arts here?”
The man offered no response to Beok Goong Ryung’s question.
Beok Goong Ryung’s brow twitched.
In the past, he would have immediately struck this arrogant Demonic Path wretch, teaching him a harsh lesson about the heights of heaven.
He would have shown him the bitter price of such insolence.
But now, his resentment toward the Demonic Path had largely faded, and considerable patience had taken root in his heart.
These changes had begun the moment he met Bu Eunseol.
“It seems all the young Demonic Path masters with any real skill share the same arrogant attitude.”
Beok Goong Ryung shook his head and turned away.
Whoosh!
But then, a thin gust of wind suddenly swept past.
Thud, thud, thud.
In that same instant, Beok Goong Ryung’s right cheek was slightly torn open.
The man had suddenly drawn his blade, unleashing a sharp blade wind.
“You’ve grown bold.”
White killing intent blazed in Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes.
No matter how despondent his state, his heart was not generous enough to overlook such brazen provocation.
“When you’ve drawn a blade across someone’s face, you’d best be prepared for the consequences.”
At Beok Goong Ryung’s words, the Black-Eyed Swordsman bared his white teeth in response.
“Arrogant bastard.”
Thunk!
In that instant, a stone beneath Beok Goong Ryung’s feet shot toward the man’s lower abdomen.
Boom!
The man swung his broadsword like lightning to deflect the stone, but the explosive impact sent him sliding back a single step.
“Only pushed back one step?”
Beok Goong Ryung perceived that the man’s internal energy exceeded thirty years of cultivation and exhaled a sigh.
“Do these Demonic Path dogs consume elixirs like rice?”
“….”
The man fixed his black eyes on Beok Goong Ryung, then flicked his fingers.
“Arrogant bastard.”
Thunk-thunk!
This time two stones burrowed toward the man’s brow and lower abdomen.
Why was he called Tan Wang?
Tan—to flick. He could not only propel anything with tremendous force,
but he employed such exquisite technique that what he launched could never be blocked.
Boom-boom!
With the explosive blasts, the man was struck by the stones and sent flying dozens of paces away.
“With your level of power, you won’t die. Learn humility from this day forward.”
Beok Goong Ryung snorted and turned away.
But then, something extraordinary occurred.
Whoooosh.
Suddenly, pitch-black saber rings began materializing around him.
As I turned, the man had already risen to his feet, his broadsword extended.
‘Dangerous.’
Beok Goong Ryung sensed it instinctively.
These saber rings the man had created contained immense destructive power, and they carried an ominous aura as if death itself were woven within them.
Whirrrr!
In that moment, dozens of spheres erupted from Beok Goong Ryung’s body.
He was deploying his unique weapon, the Spinning Golden Rings, to eliminate the saber rings.
Rumble!
As the saber rings collided with the golden rings, a deafening explosion echoed as if the heavens and earth were splitting asunder.
The man’s death-laden saber rings unleashed from a distance.
Tan Wang’s inner flicking energy concentrated in the Spinning Golden Rings.
When these two overwhelming forces collided, the sky lost its light and the earth trembled as if seized by an earthquake.
Boom! Boom!
And finally, the outcome was decided.
Before Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes, the man wielding his broadsword now stood, having broken through the endless barrage of saber rings.
‘This bastard!’
Beok Goong Ryung, in a moment of desperation, deployed his inner flicking energy to block the man’s strike.
Crash!
But as the golden ring collided with the blade, Beok Goong Ryung was sent flying backward like a snapped thread.
The deathly aura contained within the blade shattered his protective energy and descended upon his body.
“Ugh…”
Beok Goong Ryung barely managed to rise to his feet.
His spirit was not intact at present. Because of this, flaws had emerged in his internal energy circulation, preventing him from properly blocking the blade’s power.
“Very well, let us try again.”
Beok Goong Ryung rose and surveyed his surroundings, but the man had already vanished without a trace.
“…”
He could not bring himself to speak.
No matter how compromised his spirit was, he had been defeated by a young master of the fledgling Demonic Path—an absurd outcome.
* * *
“So that is what happened.”
Upon hearing Beok Goong Ryung’s account, Bu Eunseol could sense the truth.
‘The Blood Furnace Seven Forms.’
The blade technique of the man who had defeated Beok Goong Ryung.
It was the Blood Furnace Seven Forms of Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang—the exclusive secret art known as Life Bestowed, Death Returns.
‘Is such a thing even possible?’
Beok Goong Ryung would have no reason to lie.
Then did that mean Bu Chanyang, who was reported missing, was actually alive, and had cultivated a young disciple?
‘No, it is possible he comprehended the technique by studying the blade formula I left behind, just as I did.’
In any case, one thing was certain: the man who had defeated Beok Goong Ryung possessed far greater mastery of the Blood Furnace Seven Forms than I did.
Otherwise, no matter how despondent and diminished his martial power had become,
it would have been impossible to defeat Beok Goong Ryung in a single exchange.
‘I shall learn the truth at Gugok Mountain.’
Gugok Mountain was where the Moshan Sect once resided, practitioners of various esoteric arts derived from Daoism.
However, those techniques had long since faded from the world, leaving only traces of the Moshan Sect’s former presence at Gugok Mountain.
Yet there was a man wielding the blade techniques of Chil Ji Ma Do in that very place?
“You seem quite interested.”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke in a low voice upon noticing the fervent gleam in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“He appears to be refining his technique there. With fortune, you may be able to find him.”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol made her decision.
She would depart immediately for Gugok Mountain and search with all her might for the young man wielding the blade techniques of Chil Ji Ma Do.
“I have heard you well.”
As Bu Eunseol rose from her seat, Beok Goong Ryung spoke.
“Are you returning to the Demon Palace?”
“What? You will truly return to the Demon Palace?”
“What?”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly.
“If you truly despise the Murim Alliance, I shall introduce you to Jeol Cheon Myul Ji. There are many elderly gentlemen there to keep you company in conversation.”
“Hehehehe… Hahahaha!”
Beok Goong Ryung burst into hearty laughter at Bu Eunseol’s jest.
I could not remember the last time I had laughed so openly and freely.
“Tell an old man like me to go to Jeol Cheon Myul Ji? You madman! Hahahaha!”
Beok Goong Ryung laughed heartily for a long while before taking a deep breath.
“When I think about it, everything was because of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are the successor to the Demon Palace, yet you regard the Demonic Path as worthless, do you not? That is why I became confused.”
“Whether it be the Demonic Path or the Righteous Path, such distinctions hold no meaning for me.”
“Indeed. That is how you see it.”
After taking a deep breath, Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes grew infinitely profound.
“But how many in the Murim possess a character like yours?”
The Murim is divided into the Orthodox and the Demonic.
And people are inevitably forced to choose one path and walk it.
One could not find a figure like Bu Eunseol, who disregards such divisions, even in the annals of Murim history.
And Beok Goong Ryung envied such a choice in Bu Eunseol, and he took a liking to him.
Therefore, he left this final counsel.
“Even if you wish to go, delay your visit to the Demon Palace.”
“What do you mean?”
“I hear the Chim Wang Family will soon launch an assault on the Demon Palace.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s expression became as though struck from behind.
What kind of absurd tale was this?
“Why would the Chim Wang Family attack my hall?”
“Is it not because you deceived the Jongli Clan?”
Bu Eunseol’s body flinched in that moment.
It was an honest reaction born from having always regarded Beok Goong Ryung as a close friend.
“I suspected as much, but it was true?”
“Rather than deception, it was more that concealing my identity led to such circumstances.”
Beok Goong Ryung exhaled a sigh.
“I know you are not one to trifle with women. But why, of all things, did you use the name of your master’s disciple?”
“I had questions to ask Chim Wang. But as you see… I could not ask them in this identity.”
“I see.”
Having grasped the entire situation, Beok Goong Ryung nodded his head.
Chim Wang’s granddaughter, Jong Ri Sa Yu, must have certainly become infatuated upon seeing Bu Eunseol’s visage.
He knew well her reckless and impulsive nature.
“And that old man’s granddaughter fell for your appearance.”
Whether Bu Eunseol was the most handsome under heaven, I could not say, but he certainly possessed the most extraordinary aura.
So much so that even an octogenarian’s heart would flutter.
He possessed an aura that no woman could resist.
“So you used your granddaughter to approach Jong Ri Sa Hyeon and extracted the information you desired.”
“More or less.”
When Bu Eunseol readily admitted this, Beok Goong Ryung spoke.
“In any case, the two of them are preparing to go to the Demon Palace to lodge a protest against your deception. If that happens, you’ll find yourself in quite a predicament.”
In that moment, Bu Eunseol recalled the dark expression on Jong Ri Sa Hyeon’s face when she first visited the Jongli Clan as Seon Woo Jin.
She had thought he merely carried some burden of worry.
But he had been preparing to go to the Demon Palace with Jong Ri Sa Yu to lodge a complaint, which was why his expression had been so grim.
‘I must stop them at all costs.’
Though it had been to conceal her identity, she had nonetheless sold out the name of a disciple of the Immortal.
If such a fact became known throughout the Murim?
No shame could compare to this, and Bu Eunseol’s prestige would crumble to nothing.
“Thank you for telling me.”
As Bu Eunseol hastily turned to leave, Beok Goong Ryung asked.
“Are you planning to stop the two of them?”
“Of course, am I not?”
“The members of the Jongli Clan are not only stubborn but also quick to anger. If you simply go, you’ll only be pouring oil on the fire.”
“Do you have a stratagem?”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke with a grave expression.
“I do have one, but I’m not sure you can pull it off.”
“What could I possibly be unable to do?”
“Very well. Since I owe you a debt, I’ll tell you. The method to overcome this crisis.”
“Speak.”
After a brief silence, Beok Goong Ryung spoke in a resolute voice.
“A thick face and shamelessness. And abundant patience.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Beok Goong Ryung cleared his throat and spoke.
“Listen well. What I mean is, the Jongli Clan is….”

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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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