The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 491
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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 491.
Upon leaving the Murim Alliance, Bu Eunseol returned immediately to the Demon Palace.
She then led the elite forces of Sayoung Battle Division and headed toward Cheon San without delay.
Cheon San was where the Unnamed Elder—a disciple who had volunteered to shadow the Chilji Demonic Sect—and a righteous hero of the Orthodox Sects had gone into seclusion.
It was the place where Gwan Hae Geum, the Great Southern Sky Hero, was in hiding.
And Gwae Noin, a master of the Three Realms who had mastered the martial arts of Do Huang, was relentlessly pursuing him.
Gwan Hae Geum, whom Bu Eunseol had encountered before, had been attacked by Gwae Noin and fled Cheon San once more.
Yet Bu Eunseol could discern the truth.
Gwan Hae Geum was still in seclusion on Cheon San.
Because that place was the optimal location to evade the Three Realms’ pursuit alone.
What was strange, however, was Gwae Noin.
He harbored regret at not having fought the Chilji Demonic Sect, and relentlessly pursued Gwan Hae Geum, who had mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
Then why did he not track down Bu Eunseol, who had also mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, or launch a sudden assault?
If he were a figure of the Three Realms, such actions would not be impossible.
‘Then could it be that he is not the leader of the Three Realms either?’
Gwae Noin’s Taoist techniques surpassed Bu Eunseol’s, reaching a level that could not be unraveled in a single breath.
Yet if he were not the leader of the Three Realms…
The power of the Three Realms and the masters stationed there would be at a level beyond all estimation.
‘Truly formidable techniques.’
Until now, Bu Eunseol had fought against the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars and claimed victory.
But Gwae Noin was different.
He displayed a distant, transcendent martial prowess that existed in an entirely different dimension from the masters she had fought before.
‘He must hold a position higher than at least a Samgye Emissary.’
Judging by such formidable martial arts, even if he were not the leader of the Three Realms, he would surely be someone close to the core.
If I could capture him, I might obtain new information about the Three Realms.
A faint breeze stirred.
At that moment, Wi Cheon Gyeong, who had been commanding the troops at the scene, approached and spoke.
“Around the time we arrived, we found traces of forces being withdrawn.”
Despite the Sa Hon Dae obtaining intelligence and arriving promptly, there were no members of Shil Hon In, nor any Successor of Do Huang.
In the end, the intelligence network Bu Eunseol possessed could not yet compare to that of the Three Realms.
“It is nothing new.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly after a moment of silence.
“Lead the troops back to the Demon Palace immediately. I will examine the surroundings a bit longer before returning.”
“Understood.”
The elite martial artists of Sayoung Battle Division, including Wi Cheon Gyeong, returned to the Demon Palace at once.
As Bu Eunseol gazed upon Cheon San with a composed expression, So Yo’s quiet voice reached her ears.
“You’re looking for Gwan Hae Geum, aren’t you?”
“Yes. You noticed.”
Even if the Three Realms’ forces had withdrawn, Gwan Hae Geum would likely remain here.
Bu Eunseol intended to find him while also conveying news of the Unnamed Elder.
“Now I shall depart.”
Unfolding my divine technique, I rushed down Cheon San without hesitation.
Cheon San was so vast that finding a single person seemed impossible.
Yet I knew how Gwan Hae Geum selected his hermitage, and could easily trace his footsteps.
Terrain where large forces could not penetrate, offering multiple escape routes.
And a place where I could set up formation arrays and various traps to counter attacks from the Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
I was methodically searching through such locations.
“There he is.”
I gazed at a cave at the edge of a cliff on Cheon San and smiled.
Though no human traces were visible, with my Hollow Heart Perception elevated, I could see countless traces of the Answer Technique deployed.
“Master Gwan.”
I deliberately made my presence known as I approached the cave entrance.
“…!”
In that instant, I felt a powerful sense of foreboding.
I had sensed faint, barely-there breathing from within the cave.
“Master Gwan!”
Crying out loudly, I immediately entered the cave.
After running thirty paces, the narrow passage widened, revealing a spacious clearing with jagged stalactites hanging overhead.
And in one corner of the clearing, I saw a shadow gasping for breath, a sword planted in the ground beside him.
It was Gwan Hae Geum, the Great Master of the South Heaven.
“Master Gwan!”
“You came.”
Gwan Hae Geum clutched his blood-soaked abdomen.
A sharp blade had slashed his belly open, spilling his entrails.
“Yes. How have you been, my benefactor?”
Gwan Hae Geum spoke calmly, still gripping his wound.
Even as his life hung by a thread, he worried about the well-being of his long-unseen savior.
“As for the Elder…”
I could not bring myself to continue.
I could not bring myself to tell the dying Gwan Hae Geum about the Unnamed Elder’s dire condition—trapped in the Chamhoe Cave of Blood Shaolin in a pitiful state.
“So that is how it was.”
Reading everything from my expression, Gwan Hae Geum offered a serene smile.
“Was his end… peaceful?”
“It was.”
I spoke with a solemn expression.
“And until the very end, he wished to pass away as a shadow of the Chilji Demonic Sect.”
“So he did. That too was his choice.”
Gwan Hae Geum’s eyes grew dim.
His breath was finally fading.
“Has the Taoist Emperor’s Successor come again?”
“No, I picked the fight.”
Gwan Hae Geum’s eyes grew clouded.
“I found a master who had completely mastered the Chilji Demonic Sect’s path… so I thought it would be fine to let go of this harsh life.”
“Elder.”
A crimson gleam ignited in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“I swear I will avenge you.”
I had never intended to share the same sky with Sam Gye anyway.
Moreover, he had brutally slain Gwan Hae Geum, the benefactor who had helped me find my grandfather’s traces… and I would have my vengeance.
“You cannot.”
Gwan Hae Geum shook his head.
“You must not fight him yet.”
“Elder.”
“The path he wields transcends the boundaries of the Realm of No-Form… it is a demonic path.”
“I possess the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.”
“That is precisely why you cannot.”
Gwan Hae Geum spoke in a low voice.
“He has mastered it as well. Perfectly.”
At this shocking revelation, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
And then she recalled the words the Unnamed Elder had spoken before his death.
―Deceived by a cunning man, I transmitted five of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques….
‘Then he was the one who stole the Blood Dew Seven Techniques?’
“Did he display the Blood Dew Seven Techniques?”
“Yes. Though it is only five techniques, he has perfected them more completely than I, who have refined the Blood Dew Seven Techniques my entire life.”
“It is likely only five techniques.”
Bu Eunseol conveyed to Gwan Hae Geum what the Unnamed Elder had said.
“Then all the more reason you must not display the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.”
Gwan Hae Geum continued with great difficulty.
“He is the Taoist Emperor’s Successor, who has refined his path to the realm of Immortal Ascension. The moment you display the remaining two techniques, he may obtain the complete mastery of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.”
Gwan Hae Geum spoke with fading eyes.
“Until you have perfectly mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques and can sever him in a single stroke… you must not fight him. Do you understand?”
Bu Eunseol bit her lip.
The Unnamed Elder. Gwan Hae Geum.
Master and disciple were so alike.
Even as they faced death, they worried for others.
“I understand.”
Bu Eunseol nodded, holding both of Gwan Hae Geum’s hands.
This was all I could offer him now.
“Life in Murim has always been shrouded in debts and grievances. So… there is no need to harbor anger or pity at my death.”
Gwan Hae Geum smiled faintly.
“Forget it all if you can. Even your memories of me.”
If he retained his memories of me, he would seek revenge against Gwae Noin.
Gwan Hae Geum was concerned for Bu Eunseol’s safety until his very last breath.
“I pray you achieve your aspirations.”
With those words, his eyes gently closed.
In the end, he had breathed his last.
“Elder.”
Bu Eunseol lowered her head.
Even in this desolate Murim, there existed those who lived for others.
They willingly surrendered their entire lives to aid others, and even in death, they harbored not a shred of regret.
Why, then….
Why had Gwan Hae Geum and the Unnamed Elder chosen such a path?
Would I understand the reason if I wandered through Gangho a little longer?
After offering a respectful bow to Gwan Hae Geum’s body, Bu Eunseol turned quietly away.
He had spent his entire life fleeing from Sam Gye, making this vast Cheon San his sanctuary.
If all of Cheon San was Gwan Hae Geum’s home, then surely he would not desire a cramped tomb.
Thud, thud.
As Bu Eunseol emerged from the cave, a radiance like a blood-stained sun poured forth from his eyes.
I had promised not to fight until I mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
But if Gwae Noin came seeking me to kill me? I could not sit idle and accept death—breaking that promise would be unavoidable.
“So Yo.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in an icy tone.
“Inform Sa Hon Dae immediately. Cease concealing my whereabouts from this moment forward.”
“Are you trying to lure him?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky as he spoke.
“He has always yearned to face Bu Chanyang, who mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.”
A crimson blood-light blazed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Knowing that I have mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, he will surely seek out my trail.”
“Understood.”
So Yo did not attempt to dissuade him.
She knew Bu Eunseol’s nature better than anyone.
Whenever he had perfectly decided something in his heart, he always gazed toward the distant sky.
Once such a decision was made, he would never reverse it, no matter what anyone said.
Thereafter, Bu Eunseol wandered through Murim without concealing his whereabouts.
Surely, Gwae Noin, the Taoist Emperor’s Successor, would come seeking him.
Yet as time passed, no pursuit materialized, and no trace of Gwae Noin was discovered.
Instead, trouble erupted from an unexpected quarter.
“The Thunder God?”
Upon receiving So Yo’s report, a flash of light crossed Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
The Thunder God, Neung Bi Hon—the one who had tracked the Samgye Emissary at the Soho Warehouse before.
Then came the shocking news that he had suffered an irreversible fatal wound and was fleeing.
‘Did the Samgye Emissary defeat the Thunder God?’
The Samgye Emissary I witnessed in the Soho Warehouse.
He possessed skills remarkable enough to astonish me, and wielded a unique martial art.
‘No, that cannot be.’
I shook my head.
The Thunder God is the Thunder God.
No matter how formidable the Emissary’s abilities, he could not defeat him.
Something must have gone wrong while pursuing the Emissary.
‘This is all my fault.’
Neung Bi Hon had lost his family to Sam Gye and now wandered the Murim as a madman.
Though we shared a common enemy in Sam Gye, I had used Neung Bi Hon twice to maintain my identity as Seon Woo Jin.
And now, having suffered grievous wounds because of me and fleeing for his life—I owed him my aid.
A sharp crack.
To prepare for any contingency, I deployed the Face-Changing Bone Art and transformed into Seol So’s appearance.
“Where is he?”
So Yo led me to the deep forest of Dae Hong San.
The forest that should have been thick with trees had vanished entirely, leaving only blackened rocks in its wake.
It seemed Neung Bi Hon had waged a fierce battle here.
Yet as I climbed deeper into the mountain, the scorched traces disappeared, replaced only by withered, lifeless ancient trees.
“The trail ends here,” So Yo said, pointing to the devastated surroundings.
The ground was filled with traces of Thunder Annihilation that Neung Bi Hon had unleashed.
“It seems he poured all his strength into an attack here, then fled rapidly.”
I examined the surroundings carefully and shook my head.
“No. He is nearby.”
“What?”
I studied the withered trees intently, my gaze deepening.
“He deliberately left these traces to evade pursuit. With Thunder Annihilation, one can easily fabricate signs of escape.”
“But this technique that withers the trees so completely…”
A sharp sound.
I quickly surveyed the area and deployed a movement technique.
Then I began to sweep rapidly through the forest.
‘There.’
I halted my technique at a small ravine with a waterfall roughly ten feet high.
Scanning the surroundings swiftly, I lifted a massive boulder not far from the ravine.
A rumbling sound.
Beneath the boulder, the earth was deeply hollowed, and a man lay with his eyes wide open.
He stood over seven feet tall with exceptionally long limbs, yet his body was covered in wounds—barely a spot remained untouched.
And his eyes.
And two eyes.
His eyes were tinged with ashen gray, devoid of focus.
Even a corpse would retain more vitality in its gaze than this.
It was Thunder God himself—Neung Bi Hon.
“Neung Bi Hon.”
Bu Eunseol immediately dragged him outside.
But he lay motionless, as though deaf to her voice.
‘Surely not.’
Even as she drew close to Neung Bi Hon, she felt no trace of his Thunder God essence.
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eunseol began to examine his wounds meticulously.
‘These wounds…’
Neung Bi Hon’s body was crisscrossed with lacerations as though spun by a spider’s web, each carved by a blade of razor-sharp energy.
These were not wounds from an ordinary sword, but the marks of a materialized, cutting force of true energy.
The traces of the Black Blood Demonic Path wielded by Gwae Noin, who had slain Gwan Hae Geum, were unmistakable.
‘It was him.’
Bu Eunseol bit her lip.
The Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
It was not a Samgye Emissary who had battled Neung Bi Hon, but Gwae Noin—the Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
He had not merely left Neung Bi Hon on the brink of death; he had obliterated the Thunder God essence dwelling within his body.
“So that’s why the trees…”
The trees touched by the Taoist Emperor’s methods had withered completely, drained of all life.
And Neung Bi Hon too was being drained like a dead tree, his vitality seeping away.
‘It resembles the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, yet differs from it.’
What the Blood Dew Seven Techniques contained was ‘death’ itself.
But the true energy Gwae Noin had unleashed carried a catastrophic force that ceaselessly annihilated all vitality.
‘Moreover… it should be impossible to obliterate Thunder God essence through ordinary Taoist methods.’
Thunder God, Neung Bi Hon, could wield destructive Divine Thunder Annihilation infinitely and use the power of his Thunder God essence to recover from any internal or external injury in an instant.
Yet someone had used Taoist methods to obliterate the formidable Thunder God essence within his body?
‘Then… did he apply the Blood Dew Seven Techniques to unfold the Taoist Emperor’s methods?’
Thunder God essence was the power dwelling within the Thunder God’s body.
It could be temporarily suppressed, but obliterating it should be impossible.
But if the Blood Dew Seven Techniques—which brought death to all it touched—were combined with the Taoist Emperor’s supreme technique, which carried the force of annihilation…
Then such a thing might indeed be possible.
“Neung Bi Hon. Let me take your pulse for a moment.”
Bu Eunseol carefully examined the pulse of Neung Bi Hon, who lay as though lifeless.
But she felt no trace of Thunder God essence.
The problem was that the vicious Taoist energy still lingered within his body, gnawing away at his life force.
‘At this rate, he’ll die.’
Without his Thunder God essence, his body had become flaccid, like a structure stripped of its frame.
If this demonic Taoist energy could not be dispelled, he would draw his last breath soon.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take him to a physician?”
At So Yo’s words, Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“His body cannot be treated by ordinary physicians. Moreover… if we do not act quickly now, he will lose his life soon.”
Bu Eunseol examined Neung Bi Hon’s body once more and injected counter-extreme true qi into his life gate acupoint.
However, she could not expel the vicious energy that had seeped into his body.
To revive his dying flesh, she needed to create a powerful spark that would awaken his life force.
‘A spark.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed as she recalled her first encounter with Neung Bi Hon and the fierce battle they had waged.
“Wouldn’t it be possible with the Yeolha Daejeongjin-gi?”
The reason she had been able to defeat Neung Bi Hon, who wielded the Thunder Divine Qi that destroyed all things, with such ease.
It was thanks to the Yeolha Daejeongjin-gi, which was very similar to the Naejeongsin-gi.
If an ordinary person is exposed to the Yeolha Daejung Jingi, their meridians melt instantly and their internal organs cook, causing death.
But if it were Neung Bi Hon, who possessed a Thunder Spirit Body capable of containing the Thunder Divine Qi… could it not instead awaken his body? This thought had seized her.
‘If this goes wrong, Neung Bi Hon will have his entire body melt away and die.’
I cannot guarantee whether the Yeolha Great Correction Technique can awaken Neung Bi Hon’s vital energy and expel the malevolent qi.
However, if left alone, Neung Bi Hon’s breath would cease. Rather than that, she had no choice but to attempt this method.
“So Yo, I ask for your protection.”
Whoooosh!
Bu Eunseol immediately pulled up the Yeolha Great Expedition Records.
Her blood vessels twisted, and a sweet taste of blood surged into her mouth.
‘Is it still too much to unfold the Extreme Yang Martial Art?’
Since obtaining the Water Spirit Qi that Gong Son Dan Ah had infused into her before, Bu Eunseol had experienced little difficulty in unfolding the Glacier Heavenly Stream Formation.
But the moment he unfolded the Yeolha Great Corrective Technique, his meridians twisted as if tangled, and blood surged up his throat as though he had suffered internal injuries.
‘It does not matter!’
Whooom.
Bu Eunseol immediately began infusing the power of the Yeolhadaejeongjingi into Neung Bi Hon’s body.
Sizzzzzzz!
White smoke rose from Neung Bi Hon’s body, and his flesh began to glow a brilliant crimson.
If this judgment were wrong.
Neung Bi Hon’s body would instantly become a fireball and ignite.
Whooooom!
But Neung Bi Hon’s body merely glowed crimson—it did not burn or melt away.
His body is accepting the energy of the Yeolha Great Perfection Technique.
Whooooom!
Neung Bi Hon’s body glowed crimson, and then began to flicker like stars in the night sky.
The more the Yeolha Great Righteous Energy was injected, the more intense the light flowing from his body became, and endless heat continuously poured from his body.
‘Nnnngh.’
Bu Eunseol’s body was covered in thick, prominent veins as she continuously unleashed torrents of heat energy.
As she exerted her Extreme Yang power, the conflicting energies mingled within her body began to roar.
The more I unleashed the Yeolha Great Righteous True Energy, the more the mixed forces began to collide, and eventually I felt a pain as if my entire body was being torn apart like paper.
However, Bu Eunseol paid no attention and continued to pour out her Yeolha Dae Jeong Jin Ki.
Since he had fallen into a state of near death because of me, I had to save him even if it meant risking my own life.
A brilliant flash erupted.
At that moment, a scorching radiance burst forth from Neung Bi Hon’s body toward the heavens,
and a deafening roar tore through the air!
Black smoke poured out, scattering in all directions.
The demonic energy that had been extinguishing his life force was finally expelled from his body.
“Uuuugh!”
Neung Bi Hon, convulsing in agony, threw back his head and screamed, his eyes rolling back white.
“You! You are the one who killed our son!”
Foam frothed at his lips, and only the whites of his eyes were visible.
“With such a lowly station, we could never have found you all this time!”
Neung Bi Hon screamed as if coughing up blood.
“You… you were the Taoist Emperor’s Successor!”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
According to Neung Bi Hon, the enemy who had harmed his son and wife was the Samgye Emissary.
But Gwae Noin, the Taoist Emperor’s Successor, was that murderer?
Moreover, “such a station” meant… the Taoist Emperor’s Successor possessed yet another identity?
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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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