The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 472

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 472.
Whoosh! Crack!
Drawing the Bing Hun Sword, Bu Eunseol left traces of the fourth technique of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques throughout the frozen expanse.
Though I had mastered the complete principles of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, the period of cultivation had been remarkably brief.
And in actual combat, I had only ever deployed up to the third technique.
But upon witnessing the fourth technique that Jeong Cheon had unleashed, I grasped the practical method, and could now deploy a reasonably refined fourth technique myself.
I unleashed the technique with considerable finesse.
Thud!
Having diligently left my marks, I deployed my movement technique once more.
As I approached the summit, beneath the snow-covered landscape of Cheon San, a vast frozen lake stretched out before me.
Upon discovering the pristine white lake amid a landscape where the entire world seemed locked in ice, I found myself stopping in my tracks without conscious thought.
My grandfather Bu Chanyang had taught me the grandeur and mystery of nature, and how to appreciate its beauty.
At the sight of this frozen lake near the summit of the towering Cheon San, time itself seemed to cease throughout the world.
Along with the inexpressible grandeur of nature, profound inspiration welled up within me.
“Though human ability is said to be limitless, how can it compare to nature?”
Drawing a deep breath, I gazed endlessly down at the lake below.
“…!”
Yet upon discovering something in the lake, my eyes widened.
Unable to conceal my shock, I descended immediately to the frozen lake.
Bending my body, I traced the solid ice with my fingertips.
“How is this possible?”
There was no need to employ the Gong Sim Tong Ryeong technique.
Through my fingertips, I could detect the extraordinarily fine and sharp traces transmitted through the ice.
They were traces of the Way so faint they were nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
Someone had unleashed the Way across this vast lake.
“How could a human being manifest such power?”
Remarkably, the traces carved into this lake had been left by a single person.
And in merely a few days at that.
Marks covering the entire expanse of the lake.
“So that was it.”
Following the sharp traces, a technique came to mind.
The fourth technique.
The Way inscribed upon the lake was the fourth technique of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, infinitely expanded in scope.
“The Black-Robed Sage had come here as well.”
The Black-Robed Sage who dwelt in seclusion on Cheon San, the one who had transmitted the secret techniques to Jeong Cheon.
He must have paused here by chance, captivated by the lake’s beauty as I had been.
And seized by great inspiration, he had unleashed the Blood Dew Seven Techniques upon the lake.
After all, snow fell here year-round and ice accumulated, so no one would ever witness these marks.
“Such a thing was possible in merely a few days?”
I possessed complete knowledge of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques’ principles.
However, in actual combat, I had only unleashed it up to the third form. The fourth technique was something I had inadvertently manifested following Jeong Cheon’s path.
I thought I had grasped the principles of the Desire-Free Technique to some degree through that experience, but…
Upon seeing the Dao stroke drawn by the lakeside, I could perceive a singular truth.
A principle is merely a principle.
The Blood Dew Seven Techniques I had unleashed were nothing more than the first stumbling steps of an infant.
Depending on the caster’s ability, the power of the Dao stroke could vary infinitely.
“A principle bound by the meaning of death has transformed into such a liberated technique.”
The Dao stroke carved into the lake
did not contain the loneliness and solitude of a wanderer seeking a place to die.
Rather, it seemed to depict the journey of a liberated wanderer, one who departed in search of the meaning of death itself.
In other words, with a single meaning—death—
it demonstrated how infinitely the Blood Dew Seven Techniques could transform.
“I see.”
Even viewing the same image, one could render different judgments.
Similarly, though I had deciphered the same principle, my interpretation could differ.
I stood transfixed, gazing upon the interpretation of the principle contained within this lake.
How much time had passed?
Ding.
At the sound of a bell ringing from somewhere, I snapped back to awareness.
Looking around, I found myself surrounded by dense shadows encircling the lake.
While I had been lost in meditation, the Shil Hoon In had swarmed around the lake.
Their numbers exceeded one hundred—ten, twenty, and more.
The Shil Hoon In possessed tenacious vitality beyond human limits and knew no fear.
Moreover, through their transformation, they wielded formidable power. And most critically, I stood upon a slippery lake.
Unable to firmly support my lower body on such treacherous ground, I could not properly unleash my martial techniques.
Under normal circumstances, I would have immediately deployed my movement technique to escape the lake, create distance, and exploit the loosened encirclement to break through the Shil Hoon In.
But now, such thoughts did not arise.
I forgot the constraint that I could not properly execute my techniques, and all the countless tactics that had surfaced in my mind.
I desired only to stand here. I did not wish to move a single step.
Shing.
I immediately drew the Bing Hun Sword.
Gazing upon the Shil Hoon In surrounding me, I spoke in a low voice.
“Come. Lumps of flesh.”
Ding ding ding!
Bells rang out from all directions. The Shil Hoon In began rushing forward like madness itself.
Yet my gaze had already withdrawn from them, fixed upon the distant sky.
As I recalled the principle of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, my chest filled with loneliness and melancholy.
And a strange impulse arose—one so intense I wished to sever my own throat.
The Blood Dew Seven Techniques as I had interpreted them.
On the surface, they resembled the Demon’s path, yet in truth, rather than severing enemies, they were born from a yearning for my own death.
It was the anguished struggle of an invincible swordsman, laden with sorrow and lamentation.
Yet the one who had unfolded the Way upon the lake perceived death not as an ending, but as a journey.
There was even the joy of a wanderer departing toward an unknowable destination woven into that technique.
Bu Eunseol yearned to emulate such emotion.
Fwooosh!
In that instant, hundreds of sword auras erupted from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Even as hundreds of sword auras rose, the Shil Hon In wielded their great blades with frenzied abandon, hurling themselves at Bu Eunseol.
“Those whose souls have vanished cannot savor the meaning of death.”
Had the Shil Hon In been human, they would have fled instantly at such a terrifying sight.
But they were the Shil Hon In, unable to distinguish between death and life.
Having glimpsed enlightenment from the traces left upon the lake, they charged forward without fear, witnessing Bu Eunseol’s Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
Crack!
Something miraculous unfolded.
The Shil Hon In scattered in all directions, evading the dispersed sword auras as they rushed forward.
Yet where they broke through, Bu Eunseol was not—only keen sword auras awaited them.
As Bu Eunseol had interpreted it, the Desire-Severing Technique was a supreme move that transformed over a hundred paces into a space of death in a single breath.
But as the Black-Robed Sage had interpreted it, the Desire-Severing Technique was not an attack by scattering Way-force—rather, by scattering Way-force, it controlled the enemy’s movements.
In other words, every motion made to evade the Way-force became an action that exposed one’s vulnerabilities.
‘I shall merge this with the original sword formula.’
Understanding the Black-Robed Sage’s interpretation, Bu Eunseol elevated that technique to a higher plane.
One drawing closer to the true sword formula of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
A supreme move of one who yearns for death itself.
Pararararak!
Then the chaotically cascading sword auras of the Desire-Severing Technique began to guide all enemies within a specific space toward death through their very movements.
It transformed into a supreme extreme technique that commanded both the enemy’s flesh and spirit.
Crack! Craaack!
Yet the Shil Hon In, unable to perceive the meaning of death, charged forward with courage.
Thud.
Clotted blood scattered in all directions, drenching the lake.
The lake, once transparent, had transformed into a chillingly crimson bloodscape.
And silence descended.
Tap, tap, tap.
Blood dripped ceaselessly from the tip of the Icy Soul Sword, pointed toward the earth.
In less than a moment, I had severed the necks of over a hundred Shil Hon In who rushed at me in a single stroke.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s eyes were filled with desolation.
There was no trace of the joy of victory, nor the delight of having mastered a new sword technique.
Rather, I contemplated once more the desolate heart of Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang, who had created the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
‘What did he feel upon witnessing his opponent’s death? Perhaps it was his own death he perceived?’
Chil Ji Ma Do must have believed that only death could bring peace. That is why he endlessly craved death.
“He must have harbored no attachment to life whatsoever….”
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky and spoke.
“Why did even slaying enemies bring me such anguish?”
Click.
Bu Eunseol sheathed the Icy Soul Blade and exhaled a deep sigh.
The Blood Dew Seven Techniques could not be perfected without merging the Chilji Demonic Sect’s doctrine and spiritual essence.
Without that fusion, it became merely a technique that assumed an aesthetically pleasing stance.
This was why even a prodigy like Jeong Cheon could not master even a single move of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, plunging him into despair as absolute as annihilation.
Had Jeong Cheon escaped the state where desire to surpass Bu Eunseol and grow stronger, along with burning obsession, consumed his spiritual essence,
he too would have awakened an alternate form of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
“The Blood Dew Seven Techniques cannot be wielded by martial artists harboring intense desires from the outset.”
The Black-Robed Sage observed Jeong Cheon’s obsession with strength
and taught him the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, which could only be mastered by casting off all bonds.
Yet Jeong Cheon’s obsession ran far deeper than the Black-Robed Sage had imagined.
Thus, providing the secret manual inscribed with the sword technique became not enlightenment, but the very catalyst that drove Jeong Cheon toward death.
“Sigh.”
Bu Eunseol released a profound breath.
To master the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, one must place life and death on equal ground.
Only by harboring no lingering attachments and transcending all things could one truly wield it.
“Chil Ji Ma Do, Chil Ji Ma Do.”
The more I mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, the more admiration for Chil Ji Ma Do surged within me.
He slew enemies while ceaselessly confronting his own mortality.
What he truly cut down was not his adversaries, but his own attachments to countless things.
“Bu Chanyang, were you not once a supreme wanderer who matched wits with the greatest masters of Tianxia?”
Involuntary sighs escaped my lips.
“Why would the invincible wanderer and lord of the Demon Hall, revered by all martial artists of Tianxia, seek to transcend everything like a Buddhist sage?”
The deeper I delved into the Blood Dew Seven Techniques,
the more reverence and admiration for the enigmatic figure known as Chil Ji Ma Do inevitably welled up.
Footstep by footstep.
Having felled all of the Shil Hon In, Bu Eunseol walked forward with composure.
With the Desire-Severing Technique unfolded, my spiritual essence had merged with the Chil Ji Ma Do of old.
Concealing loneliness and suffering, I had become like a being forged from steel.
Walking endlessly down a path shrouded in silence.
“….”
Yet suddenly, a presence made itself known.
Lifting my gaze, I beheld a Middle-Aged Man clad in worn martial robes.
A cloth mask obscured his face, yet his eyes brimmed with solitude.
In contrast, the aura flowing from his body was rigid and unyielding, and at his waist hung a crescent blade of magnificent form.
“Who are you?”
A faint hostility emanated from the Middle-Aged Man’s eyes.
“How is it that you can wield the Blood Dew Seven Techniques?”
‘So you’ve come.’
Bu Eunseol finally gathered her wits and studied the Middle-Aged Man.
For someone who had survived alone despite Sam Gye’s relentless pursuit for so long,
he possessed not only exceptional martial prowess, but also vast experience across Gangho and had undoubtedly endured countless battles that danced along the edge of death.
“I am Bu Eunseol.”
“Bu Eunseol?”
The Middle-Aged Man regarded her, his eyes suddenly gleaming.
“Wait.”
After scanning the surroundings, the Middle-Aged Man nodded.
“No, they’re just passing through.”
Bu Eunseol was somewhat startled.
Though no sound had reached her ears, he had sensed where the Shil Hon In were heading from this location.
‘Perhaps it’s only natural.’
Chil Ji Ma Do was an invincible Daoist.
If one had inherited his Daoist methods?
Naturally, they would possess such capability.
Moreover, considering the passage of time, he had likely achieved a mastery of Daoism far beyond what Bu Eunseol could imagine.
“This humble disciple of Murim, Bu Eunseol, offers her respects.”
Bu Eunseol clasped her hands respectfully.
Through the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, I had come to respect Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang to a considerable degree.
Thus, the Middle-Aged Man who had mastered Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang’s Daoism felt like a senior brother to me.
“Where did you learn the Blood Dew Seven Techniques?”
The Middle-Aged Man’s voice was solemn and pitched low.
Bu Eunseol answered with clasped hands.
“I obtained a manual by chance.”
“A manual?”
The Middle-Aged Man asked with a puzzled expression.
“Where did you obtain this manual?”
Had she been an ordinary martial artist of Murim, she would have answered truthfully at once.
But Bu Eunseol hesitated for a moment.
She realized the Middle-Aged Man had merely recognized the Blood Dew Seven Techniques and had revealed nothing about himself.
‘I must be cautious.’
I had never trusted another person in such a short span of time.
I always judged only after experiencing many things over a long period.
Because one could not discern a person’s true nature and inner self in a brief moment.
“I discovered it in a cave near Geum Wang Mountain.”
Bu Eunseol offered a cover story, citing the place where Chil Ji Ma Do and Chim Wang had once met.
“Geum Wang Mountain?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
The Middle-Aged Man’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he sighed.
“So you were also a spy of Sam Gye.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“He never left behind disciples like Yu Jin. Moreover, he had no desire for his martial arts to be passed down to future generations.”
A flash of light ignited in the Middle-Aged Man’s eyes.
“All this time, Sam Gye has laid countless traps. Pretending to help me, or sending spies through various methods.”
Bu Eunseol could understand such a reaction.
If one had evaded Sam Gye’s pursuit alone for so long? And if one had thwarted all of Sam Gye’s schemes?
She couldn’t even imagine how cautious and suspicious one would need to become.
By this point, even the most paranoid person would have spoken the truth openly.
But Bu Eunseol concealed the truth even in response to the Middle-Aged Man’s sharp perception.
“You need not trust me. I merely have a question to ask.”
“What is it?”
“What is your connection to the Chilji Demonic Sect?”
The Middle-Aged Man let out a scoff and spoke.
“Why should I tell you such a thing?”
“Because I am the successor of the Chilji Demonic Sect.”
“What?”
The Middle-Aged Man regarded Bu Eunseol with an expression full of disbelief.
“You claim to be the successor of the Chilji Demonic Sect?”
“I do.”
“You presume to be the successor merely because you obtained the manual?”
“You may interpret it that way if you wish.”
As Bu Eunseol answered ambiguously,
“Very well.”
The Middle-Aged Man’s eyes flashed, and he spoke coldly.
“Then prove it.”
“How do you propose I do that?”
“Come at me.”
The Middle-Aged Man tapped the hilt of his great blade.
“If you display all seven techniques before me, I will acknowledge your claim.”
And he fixed Bu Eunseol with a resolute gaze.
“If you prove yourself, I will tell you everything I know.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
To prove that she was the successor of the Chilji Demonic Sect, demonstrating the techniques was not an unreasonable demand.
Only the Middle-Aged Man and she would know the Blood Dew Seven Techniques of the Chilji Demonic Sect.
Above all, it could serve as definitive proof.
But Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“My abilities are insufficient—I have only mastered three of the techniques.”
“Three techniques?”
“That is correct. Instead, I will memorize the incantation in full. Would you not wish to verify it?”
“Hmm.”
The Middle-Aged Man narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Very well. Then recite the incantation from memory. However, if there is any error…”
Looking down at the blade, he spoke in an icy voice.
“I shall sever your head from your shoulders without hesitation.”
“Understood.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and began to recite the incantation.
“Inhale the pure qi, death becomes life, the body shrinks like a dragon…”
Each character of the incantation Bu Eunseol recited contained profoundly subtle principles.
The Middle-Aged Man narrowed his eyes and closed them. He appeared to be discerning whether the incantation was accurate.
Then Bu Eunseol glanced around before stepping closer, her expression troubled.
“Must I recite it all the way to the end?”
“You must.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and nodded with resignation.
“I understand.”
Without hesitation, she drew the Bing Hun Sword like lightning and slashed toward the Middle-Aged Man’s neck.
Flash!
A violet bolt of lightning traced a diagonal line, cleaving toward his neck.
Whoosh!
Remarkably, the Cheon Noe Mu Ssang technique unleashed at point-blank range missed.
The moment the sword technique manifested, the Middle-Aged Man twisted his body like lightning.
Yet still, a long sword wound remained across his shoulder.
“Hehehehe.”
Despite being struck by Bu Eunseol’s blade, the Middle-Aged Man kept his head bowed as he laughed softly.
“How did you know?”
When the Middle-Aged Man raised his head, his eyes were pitch black.
A sharp gleam shone with an eerie intensity, suggesting it was not the result of poison or external influence.
Rather, it appeared he had cultivated a special martial technique to achieve this state.
“There should have been absolutely nothing to suspect.”
“I nearly fell for it.”
Bu Eunseol exhaled sharply through her nose.
“Your act of feigning suspicion was masterful, and verifying the incantation was certainly an effective method of discernment.”
“But?”
“However, if the one administering the test does not actually know the true incantation, is that not suspicious in itself?”
Bu Eunseol smiled coldly.
“From the very beginning, I mixed the martial compendium of Bon Gak with the incantation, yet you never once expressed doubt.”
Bu Eunseol’s suspicion transcended imagination.
She still did not fully trust the Middle-Aged Man, and had deliberately interwoven the teachings of Nangya Sect with the Blood Dew Seven Techniques incantation.
“Nangya Sect, I see.”
The Middle-Aged Man wore a rueful smile.
The Nangya Pavilion’s martial techniques and the Blood Dew Seven Techniques were twin supreme arts that had ascended to the pinnacle of the Demonic Path.
Even when arbitrarily intermingled, there was no discord whatsoever.
“Remarkable. You maintained your suspicions to the very end, never revealing your true intentions.”
The Middle-Aged Man’s sonorous voice had transformed into the cracking tones of an elderly man.
“Indeed, at that level, one could repeatedly bungle the affairs of the Three Realms and still survive.”
Crack.
As he released the facial disguise, the Middle-Aged Man’s frame shrank, and the eyes behind the mask appeared subtly different.
‘So it was him.’
Bu Eunseol could sense it instinctively.
The figure before her was the one who had cast Jeong Cheon into an irreversible abyss.
The Masked Elder who had lured him to the Underground City of Three Realms and turned him into a cripple.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————