The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 482

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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 482.
Sharp gleams of light radiated from Dam Jeung’s eyes.
At last, the past deeds of the foremost blade master of the Demonic Path, the supreme expert of the Demonic Path, and the Deputy Master of Demon Hall who had achieved all glory were being revealed.
The dark executioner who had driven Murim into terror, the invincible blade master’s history was coming to light.
“At that time, Bin Seung was a senior monk of Hyul Shaolin, managing the scripture hall and teaching the sutras.”
Dam Jeung’s eyes darkened as he recalled events from long ago.
“But one day, mysterious masked figures and countless youths arrived at Hyul Shaolin.”
It was utterly incomprehensible.
Non-disciples of Shaolin were flooding in to teach not only Shaolin’s secret techniques but also the Demonic Being methods stored within Hyul Shaolin?
He had asked the abbot multiple times for an explanation, but received no answer.
However, Dam Jeung was not only intensely curious but also possessed exceptional intellect and insight.
Sensing that something had changed in Hyul Shaolin, he began investigating in secret. And eventually, he uncovered the entire truth.
―A catastrophe that would bring about the annihilation of Murim, one that no one could prevent, would originate from the Demonic Path.
Mo Ryun, the master of Cheol Mu Hon who had been the previous Murim Alliance Master, possessed the ability to perceive the Heavenly Mechanism and had made this prophecy.
He had prophesied that a catastrophe to destroy Murim was approaching.
―Then what should we do?
Cheol Mu Hon asked Mo Ryun, but the only answer that came back was ‘it cannot be stopped.’
He even said it was unclear whether this was the emergence of Sam Gye’s forces that had dominated Murim for generations, or the birth of a new great demon master.
―We have no choice but to mobilize all our strength and cultivate someone on our side who can control the Demonic Path!
If the reason could not be understood…
They devised a plan to dominate the Demonic Path from the start and suppress such seeds from ever sprouting.
Cheol Mu Hon consulted with Hong Yeop, who was the abbot of Shaolin at the time, about this matter.
And ultimately, those who dominated Murim of that era gathered in secret to discuss this problem.
And as a result.
After selecting the greatest talents under heaven, the Righteous Path would produce the supreme master of the Demonic Path, completely cutting off the origin of catastrophe arising from the Demonic Path.
They devised a brilliant yet perilous plan.
―Create an invincible blade master that no one could match, dominate the Demonic Path, and simultaneously sever the seeds of annihilation.
That was the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
Creating an invincible blade master who would reach the pinnacle of Demonic Path martial arts, hidden within the Demonic Path.
They conceived a method to discover and eliminate in advance the forces or individuals that would bring about Murim’s annihilation.
And for the Absolute Demon Path Plan to succeed, martial talent and aptitude, physical constitution, insight, and more were needed.
The greatest talent under heaven who would not fall short in any aspect was required.
But the initial Absolute Demon Path Plan failed.
Even if one possessed the greatest talents under heaven, the most crucial element was one’s character.
Even while learning Demonic Being methods, one must never be corrupted by demonic nature.
Eventually, Cheol Mu Hon found the answer in Hyul Shaolin.
―We will cultivate the greatest talents in Hyul Shaolin!
The monks of Hyul Shaolin could learn Demonic Being methods while maintaining minds as clear as a mirror and Buddhist hearts.
This was because of Hyul Shaolin’s unique heart-sealing secret techniques and the Jeok Yeon Ji where one could refine them.
Once the solution was determined.
The most talented prodigies and instructors in Tianxia gathered once more at Blood Shaolin.
―We cannot select merely one outstanding prodigy. We must identify those capable of ascending to key positions within both Orthodox and Demonic sects. And we must also select those who will support the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
For the Absolute Demon Path Plan to succeed, two additional conditions had to be established first.
Namely, the shadows who would perfectly fabricate the identity and background of the person who would become the Absolute Demon Blade of the Demonic Path.
And the need to create collaborators who would ascend to key positions within both Orthodox and Demonic sects to aid and support him.
“In the end, all the talented prodigies in Tianxia gathered at Blood Shaolin, and according to their talents and temperaments, they came to master not only the supreme techniques of the Orthodox sects, but also the Demonic sect methods scattered throughout Blood Shaolin.”
From Dam Jeung’s lips, as he recalled those bygone days, flowed an unceasing stream of hidden histories unknown to Murim.
“And among them were those who became shadows of the Absolute Demon Path, and those who became masters of the Shinbi Mun Pa, whose true identities remained concealed.”
“Then you also transmitted Shaolin’s supreme techniques to them?”
“Yes. Even as they mastered Demonic sect methods, they had to first learn our martial arts to avoid being corrupted by the Demonic Path and maintain the steadfastness of their spirits.”
“Then did you also transmit secret techniques such as the Reverse Muscle Scripture?”
“Such matters are beyond Bin Seung’s knowledge. However….”
Dam Jeung’s eyes deepened as he recalled those times.
“Since it was a plan upon which the very survival of Murim depended, if it was necessary… the Abbot would have permitted its transmission.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol resolve a question she had harbored all along.
Why the Master of Saixiang had been wielding the Prajna Great Ability.
He too must have been a person from Blood Shaolin who entered Saixiang through the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
“Who exactly are these people who speak of annihilating Murim?”
“I do not know.”
“If the Great Master does not know, then who would?”
“All of this is what Bin Seung came to know through secret investigation over a long period of time. No one could have anticipated that a single Lecturer Monk would persistently spy so relentlessly. And….”
He paused for a moment, then spoke while exhaling a deep sigh.
“Because no one knew that Bin Seung was aware of the Absolute Demon Path Plan, I was able to survive.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Dam Jeung spoke in an increasingly heavy voice.
“All those who had a hand in that plan were either killed or disappeared.”
Thud.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
Even as she listened to Dam Jeung’s account, one question persisted.
No matter how thorough the security, if such a large-scale plan had been executed?
Now, after all this time had passed.
At minimum, there should be at least one or two more people who knew of the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
Yet not a single person in Murim knew of such matters? That was truly an unbelievable story.
“You mean they all died?”
“The only related parties Bin Seung knew of were Cheol Mu Hon and the Abbot. But they are likely all dead now.”
A light of anger flickered in Dam Jeung’s eyes.
“All the masters who dominated Murim at that time and were involved with the Absolute Demon Path Plan have died or vanished. In the end, with no one to command, the Absolute Demon Path Plan failed.”
With clenched fists, he spoke as if spitting blood.
“Even all the senior brothers of Blood Shaolin!”
Dam Jeung’s eyes held a light that no Buddhist could display.
No, it was stained with a desolate light of resentment that should never be witnessed.
“If Bin Seung had not been tasked with retrieving the scriptures from the Western Regions back then. Or if it had become known that a mere Buddhist disciple was aware of the Absolute Demon Blade Plan….”
He spoke in an impossibly heavy voice.
“Bin Seung could never have survived.”
‘So that was it.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand why Dam Jeung sought to remake villains into formidable Blood Shaolin disciples.
Though called a Buddhist disciple, his heart too burned with the same desperate thirst for vengeance that consumed Bu Eunseol.
Moreover, Blood Shaolin was a place whose very existence could not be revealed to the outside world.
Even when Shaolin disciples were slaughtered en masse, there was nowhere to voice their grievance, and the incident itself could only be buried in silence.
“Hmm.”
Having heard Dam Jeung’s circumstances, Bu Eunseol felt a solemn weight settle upon her.
In the end, he was the sole person who knew of the Absolute Demon Blade Plan that the Righteous Path had conducted in secret.
The only survivor of Blood Shaolin.
‘Was that the reason the previous masters of the Righteous Path mysteriously vanished or died of inexplicable plagues?’
Indeed, the previous masters of the Righteous Path had mysteriously disappeared like those of the Chilji Demonic Sect, or simply vanished without trace.
Yet the reason was the Absolute Demon Blade Plan.
‘Then does that mean there exists another dark force in Murim besides the Three Realms?’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened with contemplation.
No matter how powerful the Three Realms, silently assassinating the leaders of the Righteous Path—the Murim Alliance Master, the Shaolin Abbot, and others—was never an easy task.
‘Or perhaps the Three Realms united their strength.’
Had the Three Realms not been fractured as they were now. Had they instead banded together for a specific purpose…
Then such an undertaking would have been possible.
“Have you conducted an investigation?”
Though he had once been a Buddhist disciple, Dam Jeung was now a proper Abbot of Blood Shaolin.
He would naturally have made efforts to find Hyung Su, who had annihilated Blood Shaolin.
“Of course. Despite decades of obsession, I could not even discover who Hyung Su was.”
“Then could you not track down those trained disciples again? If you could find them, you might have been able to find Hyung Su.”
“That was impossible.”
“They must have already taken root in the Demonic Path. You could not search for them openly, could you?”
“That is one reason. But there is a greater reason still.”
Dam Jeung furrowed his brow as he spoke.
“What prodigy of the realm would risk their life to master the martial arts of the Demonic Path and live their entire existence as a double agent?”
“Surely not.”
“Precisely. They were all orphans of the world, most brought in through deception or force.”
Dam Jeung shook his head.
“Though we say they learned martial arts within Blood Shaolin, in truth they lived like beasts in Jeok Yeon Ji—an environment far harsher than Chamhoe Cave—as they mastered their techniques.”
“….”
“When the leadership died simultaneously and the chain of command collapsed, most of them likely felt liberation rather than loss.”
Bu Eunseol exhaled a deep sigh.
What had begun with the singular resolve to save Murim had become nothing less than a terrible atrocity masquerading as a plan.
“But there was hope. Even though the leadership disappeared, I found traces of those attempting to execute the Absolute Demon Blade Plan.”
Dam Jeung continued with his astonishing account.
“However, by the time Bin Seung found them, they had either been exposed and slain, or vanished without a trace.”
“So there was a traitor among them.”
“Indeed. To escape the Absolute Demon Blade Plan, one had to first kill those who knew their identity.”
Dam Jeung’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“And Bin Seung had long suspected one person.”
“Who was that?”
“Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang.”
A blade-like gleam flashed across Dam Jeung’s eyes.
“His past was shrouded in mystery. He appeared in Gangho like a comet, then vanished just as suddenly—after slaughtering everyone from the Demonic Path without discrimination.”
“I see.”
“While investigating further, a man calling himself Chil Ji Ma Do came to Blood Shaolin. And he willingly entered Chamhoe Cave.”
Dam Jeung’s gaze deepened infinitely.
“He had undoubtedly mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, and his authenticity was verified before the abbot and Bin Seung. Once recognized as Chil Ji Ma Do, he destroyed his own cultivation and entered prison.”
Dam Jeung drew a deep breath and fixed his gaze upon Bu Eunseol.
“But Bin Seung knew the truth. That man was not actually Chil Ji Ma Do.”
“How could that be?”
“Because he had seen the real Chil Ji Ma Do.”
With a soft rustle,
Dam Jeung pulled back his robes to reveal his shoulder.
The skin there was darkened and discolored, as though all vitality had been drained from it.
It was a scar left by contact with the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
“You met him directly?”
“I did. He wore a mask, but… I happened to witness him slaying Ye Jung Sam Geom. And I received this wound when I tried to stop him.”
Dam Jeung shook his head as though dismissing an unnecessary memory.
“In any case, only after the false Chil Ji Ma Do came to Chamhoe Cave could Bin Seung understand: the real Chil Ji Ma Do was alive, and he might very well be a key figure in the Absolute Demon Blade Plan.”
“…”
“A Demonic Path member who not only knows the exact location of Blood Shaolin but can find it—there is no way he could know the true ‘Chamhoe Cave’ where the demons are imprisoned.”
A Demonic Path member who knows the location of Blood Shaolin.
The probability that such a person belongs to the Absolute Demon Blade Plan is high.
Moreover, willingly sacrificing his entire life for Chil Ji Ma Do.
This led to the thought: could Chil Ji Ma Do be a righteous man, and perhaps a key figure in the Absolute Demon Blade Plan?
“You imprisoned him even knowing he was a fake?”
“Such a man willingly destroyed his own cultivation and sacrificed his entire existence.”
Dam Jeung spoke with a sorrowful, distant gaze.
“How could I possibly stop him?”
Upon hearing those words, Bu Eunseol felt emotions she could not express surge within her.
The Unnamed Elder too had been an exceptional figure who could have left a great mark upon Murim.
Yet he sacrificed his life to protect his grandfather.
Bu Eunseol likewise kept Seo Jin Ha, an exceptional talent, as her shadow, walking the razor’s edge between the Demonic Path and the Orthodox Sects.
And Seo Jin Ha, should Bu Eunseol ever fall into danger, would sacrifice himself without a moment’s hesitation.
‘I must never allow such a thing to come to pass.’
Bu Eunseol steeled her resolve once more.
She would not yield to any force, to anyone. She would ensure that no one’s life was ever sacrificed for her sake.
“You asked Bin Seung about the relationship between the Chilji Demonic Sect and our Blood Shaolin.”
Dam Jeung exhaled a deep sigh.
“That is all Bin Seung knows.”
Bu Eunseol drew in a long breath.
If Dam Jeung’s deduction was correct…
Then the Chilji Demonic Sect was an artificially created Orthodox pawn born from the Absolute Demon Blade Plan.
He would have slaughtered Orthodox practitioners to gain the Demonic Path’s trust, and through that, grown weary of life itself.
In the end, he had abruptly departed from Murim, living a quiet existence thanks to the sacrifices of many, including the Unnamed Elder.
‘But if Grandfather is the Chilji Demonic Sect… he would never have suddenly abandoned Murim for such a reason alone.’
Grandfather Bu Chanyang was a man of unparalleled sense of duty and conviction.
Even if he were to complete all his tasks and atone through death… he would never abandon the sacred mission of saving Murim midway.
―The entire Murim owes him a debt. They have survived until now because of his sacrifice.
Surely the Unnamed Elder said that Murim practitioners could survive because of the Chilji Demonic Sect’s sacrifice.
Which meant…
Even if Dam Jeung’s deductions were entirely correct, there must be another reason why the Chilji Demonic Sect abandoned Murim.
“So you conspired with the Murim Alliance Leader to test yourself.”
Bu Eunseol, having organized her thoughts, posed her leading question subtly.
“To pursue Hyung Su, who had harmed Blood Shaolin, you would have needed the vast intelligence network of a great coalition like the Murim Alliance.”
Shaolin may be called the patriarch of the Orthodox Sects, but regrettably, it does not keep its ears open to Gangho or the various schools.
Especially Dam Jeung, who was hunting Hyung Su, who had annihilated Blood Shaolin, would have desperately needed the power of an excellent intelligence organization.
Shin San Ja—or rather, Jeong Cheon Je—would have had no choice but to board the same ship.
“That is not what matters.”
Dam Jeung stared intently at Bu Eunseol.
“So I will ask Bin Seung as well.”
Dam Jeung spoke with an expression of incomprehension.
“Why do you seek the Chilji Demonic Sect?”
The question was unexpected.
At the time, Shin San Ja had seemed to know who Bu Eunseol was and why she sought her grandfather.
But Dam Jeung asking such a question? Did that not mean there was no information sharing whatsoever between him and Shin San Ja?
“Do not worry. Blood Shaolin has no influence over the affairs of Murim.”
Dam Jeung spoke plainly, as if he had seen through Bu Eunseol’s thoughts.
“Our only purpose is to protect Shaolin. Bin Seung keeps his ears open only to matters related to Hyung Su, who attacked our headquarters.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
Blood Shaolin possessed great power, but it was not a place that stood in the light, wielding overwhelming influence over Murim’s affairs.
Even if Bu Eunseol were not the Muhonjung Lord but an immortal, there would be nothing to involve herself in, and nothing would change.
It exists solely to protect Shaolin.
In other words, Blood Shaolin is merely the shadow guardian that concerns itself only with Shaolin’s affairs—a secret weapon that can only emerge in times of crisis.
“What? After listening so intently to the hidden history of Blood Shaolin and Bin Seung’s secrets, surely you don’t intend to keep your own circumstances hidden?”
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol fell silent and regarded Dam Jeung carefully.
For a high monk of Shaolin, he possessed an eccentric, frivolous nature, and showed no regard for propriety or method in his actions.
Yet he gave no impression of being a liar, nor did his character seem inherently malicious.
Moreover, the fact that he had revealed the Absolute Demon Blade Plan meant he did not consider me an enemy, did it?
‘Quite different from my first impression.’
I found myself warming somewhat to Dam Jeung, whom I had initially dismissed as a vicious eccentric monk.
It was a kinship born of shared obsession—the bond between eccentrics who chase a single, unwavering goal.
‘Yet there is one glaring inconsistency in his account.’
In truth, I had detected a critical flaw in Dam Jeung’s narrative.
But I chose not to press the matter.
If Dam Jeung had spoken truthfully according to his own knowledge, pointing out the error would yield no accurate answer from him regardless.
‘I’ll have to investigate this myself once I leave Shaolin.’
Having settled my thoughts, I opened my mouth.
“Bu Chanyang, who served as an intelligence agent in Hwangju, was my grandfather.”
After a moment’s silence, I spoke with candor.
“He was murdered by an unknown master of the Demonic Path. I entered the Murim to pursue his killer.”
And from that point forward, I explained my circumstances honestly.
As I pursued my grandfather’s murderer in the name of vengeance,
I discovered that the movements of the Chilji Demonic Sect and my grandfather Bu Chanyang overlapped considerably.
“Ah.”
Dam Jeung sighed, his eyes deepening and narrowing in a way I had not seen before.
Only then did he recognize the madness that had flowed from my being all this time—it was the hunger for vengeance.
“So that was it.”
The successor to the Demon Palace made no distinction between righteous and demonic paths,
but instead wandered the desolate and cruel Murim solely to avenge my brutally slain grandfather Bu Chanyang.
“Karma. It is karma.”
Dam Jeung sighed deeply.
Had I entered the Murim through virtuous connections, I might have become a righteous hero guarding the spirit of the martial world.
But instead, driven by vengeance, I had stepped into this realm and allowed a peerless prodigy to drift toward the Demonic Path.
“So the Chilji Demonic Sect that vanished without trace might well be Yeomsa Bu Chanyang.”
Dam Jeung nodded and exhaled heavily.
“But unfortunately, there is no way to confirm whether the two are the same person.”
I nodded in agreement.
If my grandfather had been cultivated as a peerless prodigy by the Orthodox Sects into a demonic being,
then the moment he entered the Absolute Demon Blade Plan, all records pertaining to him would have been destroyed.
“Indeed.”
All along, his intuition had been telling him that his grandfather was the Chil Ji Ma Do.
And since his grandfather was a figure of Shaolin, he believed that by speaking with Shaolin’s leadership, he would surely uncover the truth.
After overcoming countless hardships to finally speak with Dam Jeung, yet unable to learn the precise facts… Bu Eunseol felt profoundly disappointed.
“Hmm.”
Was it because of that poignant and earnest expression? Or was it because Dam Jeung recognized that every word Bu Eunseol spoke came from the heart?
The previously impassive Dam Jeung’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
He pondered something deeply for a moment, then nodded as if recalling something.
“Among the gifted individuals who entered Blood Shaolin at that time, there was one who stood out remarkably.”
Dam Jeung, who had stepped out briefly, handed Bu Eunseol a worn booklet.
“Even while training in martial arts, he read Buddhist scriptures ceaselessly. Whether it was to cultivate his spirit or merely a hobby, I cannot say.”
“What is this?”
“From the moment he completed his training at Jeok Yeon Ji and became eligible to enter the Jang Gyeong Gak of Blood Shaolin, he continuously borrowed and read this book.”
Dam Jeung narrowed his wrinkled eyes.
“Later, perhaps frustrated, he began adding annotations as if creating a commentary edition. Bin Seung found this admirable and deliberately pretended not to notice…”
Bu Eunseol hastily opened the booklet.
The worn booklet’s cover was written in Sanskrit, which Bu Eunseol could not decipher.
Yet upon opening it, beside the Sanskrit characters, neat regular script annotations and interpretations were inscribed.
“Ah.”
Bu Eunseol trembled as she gazed at the small handwriting.
The handwriting interpreting the Sanskrit was none other than her grandfather’s calligraphy.
“Grandfather…”
With reddened eyes, Bu Eunseol embraced the Sanskrit Buddhist scripture tightly.
Her suspicion had been correct.
Her grandfather had been a participant in the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
Considering his prowess and martial achievements, he was undoubtedly the central figure of the Absolute Demon Path Plan.
He became the Chil Ji Ma Do to establish the structure of Murim, yet ultimately lost his life to Sam Gye… a peerless martial master bearing a tragic fate.
That was none other than her grandfather, Bu Chanyang.

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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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