The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 495

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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 495.
“Did you really think mere imitation would suffice?”
Gwa Cheok’s expression twisted with displeasure as he roared.
Then, moving chaotically on all fours, he conjured dozens of shadow images.
Slash!
Finally, Gwa Cheok’s shadow burst forth like a flash of lightning.
But Bu Eunseol was already gone from that spot.
Whoosh! Crash!
Bu Eunseol and Gwa Cheok moved in frenzied patterns like two wild beasts, repeatedly colliding and separating as they clashed.
Splurt!
And finally, the victor emerged.
Blood erupted once more from Gwa Cheok’s neck where he had collided with Bu Eunseol.
“How did you master the Beast’s Final Bite technique?”
Gwa Cheok gasped, clutching his throat, and Bu Eunseol answered with icy composure.
“I know nothing of such things.”
Gwa Cheok had employed Beast Martial Arts—techniques that merely mimicked the movements of beasts.
But Bu Eunseol was different.
I had not imitated a beast; I had become one.
A human imitating a beast versus a true beast.
The outcome was inevitable.
“You have reached the pinnacle of Beast Martial Arts.”
Thump.
Gwa Cheok finally collapsed, having lost too much blood.
Growl.
The moment Bu Eunseol felled Gwa Cheok, the surrounding men locked in combat ceased their movements and fixed their gaze upon me.
They sensed that I was the strongest among them and instinctively sought to eliminate me first.
Only then would they have any chance of victory.
Crash!
The remaining dozen or so men all rushed toward Bu Eunseol at once.
They moved in perfect unison, like a coordinated pride of lions.
Though hastily assembled, they attacked with the synchronized precision of beasts that had hunted together for years.
Slash! Crash!
As the dozen men advanced and retreated in waves of assault, Bu Eunseol’s body became covered in lacerations.
Yet none were fatal.
Even if dozens of puppies were to attack, a lion would not be wounded.
Rather, the more I struck, the greater the casualties among the pack of puppies.
Crash! Slash!
Bu Eunseol, transformed into a singular beast, dispatched each attacker one by one.
Beast Martial Arts had no fixed techniques.
By combining the movements of a powerful body with primal instinct, I created new techniques with each passing moment.
Whoosh! Crack!
The Beast Martial Arts that Bu Eunseol wielded was a display of agility that even the disciples of Ya Soo Gung had never witnessed before.
Swift and nimble as a leopard, cunning as a monkey.
Weighty as a lion, yet relentless as a wolf in its assault.
―Ohhh.
The eyes of the Ya Soo Gung disciples watching her widened in astonishment.
The Beast Martial Arts that Bu Eunseol displayed contained no flashy or ornamental movements.
Yet every motion was devoid of excess, sharp as a discarded blade.
With each unfurling of Bu Eunseol’s Beast Martial Arts, the Ya Soo Gung disciples found themselves unable to look away.
Thud. Thud.
One by one, the Ya Soo Gung disciples who rushed forward fell, bleeding.
Those who remained unscathed dared not advance, their bodies lowered, frozen in place.
They naturally surrendered, sensing the impossibility of victory against such overwhelming strength.
Trembling, trembling.
As no one dared challenge Bu Eunseol further, their bodies quaking,
―Wahhhhh!
Cheers erupted from all directions.
The champion of the Martial Tournament had been decided.
―So Dae Gu Hwi had been preparing this martial tournament for quite some time.
The senior figures of Ya Soo Gung exchanged glances with one another.
They mistakenly believed that Bu Eunseol had long been a subordinate secretly cultivated by Dae Gu Hwi.
Such a misunderstanding was hardly unreasonable.
Bu Eunseol’s Beast Martial Arts was nothing short of perfection itself.
But in truth, what Bu Eunseol had displayed was not Beast Martial Arts.
It was merely the martial technique of Nangya Sect—the swift mastery of an enemy’s martial subtleties.
And thanks to the Beast Dao, whose heart-method aligned with Beast Martial Arts, what unfolded was the very ‘slaughter instinct’ of beasts themselves.
―Wahhhhh!
All the figures of Ya Soo Gung cheered, believing Bu Eunseol to be a master who had long since mastered Beast Martial Arts.
Only Palace Lord Dae Gon’s eyes gleamed sharply, his expression rigid.
―Champion, Seol So!
At Heo Jeong Bang’s cry, Dae Gu Hwi raised his fist triumphantly.
‘Perfect!’
In truth, even if Bu Eunseol, who had appeared so suddenly, won the tournament, the appearance of it was not entirely favorable.
No matter how much external participation was permitted, inviting her so abruptly before the Beast Tournament was questionable.
There was much room to doubt the legitimacy of it all.
But now that Bu Eunseol had seized victory through Beast Martial Arts, there was no ground for objection.
“How did this come to pass?”
Dae Gu Hwi rushed over and questioned Bu Eunseol.
“How could Seol So have mastered our palace’s Beast Martial Arts?”
“In the past, I once met a skilled individual who transmitted similar martial techniques to me.”
When Bu Eunseol brushed off the question with a lie, Dae Gu Hwi seemed satisfied.
How she had learned the Beast Arts was irrelevant.
The fact that Bu Eunseol had won the championship alone proved his position.
He could continue to maintain his status as successor.
―We shall now commence the Second Trial!
As the First Trial concluded, the Second Trial began immediately.
The Second Trial was divided into the First Hall and the Second Hall.
In the First Hall, each participant would ascend the iron cage used in the First Trial.
They had to directly demonstrate their ability to control animals through Beast Mastery.
The Second Hall required contestants to enter a building filled with numerous beasts.
They had to tame or subdue the animals and escape through the exit as quickly as possible.
Heo Jeong Bang, who was confirming the order of the First Hall, shouted loudly.
―Neung Bi Hon, commence the First Hall!
“Brother Neung, be careful.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Neung Bi Hon’s lips curved upward.
“Don’t worry. I’m well prepared.”
Creak.
Neung Bi Hon, who had entered the iron cage, clenched his fists tightly.
‘A bear? Or perhaps a lion?’
Ya Soo Gung would naturally prefer one of their own disciples to win rather than an outsider.
Since Bu Eunseol had already won the First Trial, they had surely prepared a difficult challenge to prevent Neung Bi Hon from winning if possible.
They might even send a ferocious beast from the very first gate to crush him in an instant.
Clank.
Finally, the door of the opposite iron cage opened.
But the animals to be controlled were nowhere to be seen.
As Neung Bi Hon looked around in confusion, Bu Eunseol shouted.
“Brother Neung, it’s beneath your feet.”
When Neung Bi Hon looked down, his eyes widened.
That small, dark shadow.
It was nothing other than a tiny mouse.
“What?”
Dae Gu Hwi, watching from a distance, could not contain his astonishment.
He had expected them to send an animal impossible to subdue through force, something extremely difficult.
After all, they would not want an outsider to win both the First Trial and the Second Trial.
But to ask him to tame such a tiny mouse?
Wasn’t that something impossible without perfectly mastering Beast Mastery?
“It seems there’s nothing Brother Neung can do about this.”
Dae Gu Hwi wore an expression of regret.
In truth, since he had already achieved his objective, he felt no particular disappointment.
But if Neung Bi Hon could not win the Second Trial, he might not be able to grant him the Divine Spirit Ranch.
I felt a pang of regret.
“It will be fine.”
Bu Eunseol spoke matter-of-factly.
“Brother Neung will surely be able to lower the rat’s guard and tame it.”
“Neung Bi Hon will tame the rat?”
Dae Gu Hwi could not comprehend this.
Unless one had achieved perfect mastery of the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique, one could not tame such small creatures.
Especially rats—they despised bright places and possessed an extreme aversion to humans, did they not?
Yet when Bu Eunseol settled herself with an unhurried expression, Dae Gu Hwi had no choice but to sit as well.
“….”
Meanwhile, Neung Bi Hon, standing within the iron cage, gazed at the rat without uttering a word.
Even if he recovered his Thunder God’s Divine Essence, taming the rat would be an impossible feat.
Yet a leisurely smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Come.”
At that moment, Neung Bi Hon extended his hand and called out confidently.
“Come here!”
―Hahahaha!
The disciples of Ya Soo Gung who had been watching burst into raucous laughter.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Technique did not involve speaking to animals to tame them; rather, it commanded all beasts through the aura that flowed from one’s entire body.
Yet he was extending his hand and attempting conversation instead?
That was certainly not the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique of Ya Soo Gung.
Squeak.
But something extraordinary occurred.
The rat, upon seeing Neung Bi Hon, climbed onto his shoulder with great delight.
A rat that should have been wary of humans and fled.
Squeak, squeak.
Then it began to nestle its head gently against his palm.
The gesture was as though it were begging to be stroked.
―Could he converse with animals just as the Palace Lord’s ancestor had?
The disciples of Ya Soo Gung could not hide their astonishment.
Taming the rat through conversation rather than the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Technique?
―Neung Bi Hon, first trial passed!
As the situation became undeniable, all the disciples of Ya Soo Gung erupted in cheers.
“How on earth did you manage that?”
As Dae Gu Hwi approached, his expression a mixture of astonishment and joy, Neung Bi Hon offered a subtle smile.
“Are humans and animals not the same, as I said?”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol, wearing an enigmatic smile, glanced around before whispering to Neung Bi Hon.
“Brother Neung, until you become a second-trial disciple, why not rest inside for now.”
“Very well.”
Neung Bi Hon entered the tent where Dae Gu Hwi was staying, accompanied by Bu Eunseol.
He glanced around, then began wiping away the residue clinging to his hands.
“What is that?”
Only then did Dae Gu Hwi notice the water and fine powder coating Neung Bi Hon’s hands.
“Surely not…”
Dae Gu Hwi’s mouth fell open.
What clung to Neung Bi Hon’s hands was a mixture of water and microscopic powder.
A powder crafted from various foods that no animal could resist.
“Seol So. How did this happen?”
Bu Eunseol wore a faint smile.
“Brother Neung employed a stratagem to pass through the First Hall.”
“No, this makes no sense.”
Hwi shook his head.
“If he carried such powder in his hand, they would have detected the scent.”
The disciples of Ya Soo Gung possessed senses as keen as beasts themselves, their sense of smell as acute as a dog’s.
Had he carried such powder on his hands, discovery would have been inevitable.
“They could not have detected it.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with composure.
“I froze it, then desiccated it to eliminate its distinctive odor.”
At that time, after hearing Dae Gu Hwi’s explanation of the Wei Wei Great Hall, Neung Bi Hon had asked Bu Eunseol a question.
―Could one procure ice in this place?
Of course it was possible.
Because Bu Eunseol had mastered the Eternal Glacier Technique of the Thousand Ancients.
And at Neung Bi Hon’s request, she had ground various foods into powder form, added water, and invoked the Eternal Glacier Technique to
freeze them, then desiccated them afterward.
And before the competition began, Neung Bi Hon had clenched it in his fist.
Ultimately, the food powder melted from body heat in his palm, and with it he had tamed the animals.
No matter how keen the noses of Ya Soo Gung’s disciples, the powder had been frozen and desiccated to eliminate odor, and besides,
they could not have detected the scent from Neung Bi Hon’s hand from within the iron cage dozens of paces away.
“I anticipated from the start that they would send small animals.”
At Neung Bi Hon’s murmur, Dae Gu Hwi’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“Because that is the greatest challenge.”
Neung Bi Hon spoke with equanimity.
“I anticipated they would send small animals impossible to tame in a single moment. That is why I devised this stratagem.”
Neung Bi Hon, unburdened by madness, proved himself a strategist no less formidable than Bu Eunseol.
―Now we shall commence the Wei Wei Great Hall, Second Hall!
At that moment, Heo Jeong Bang’s cry echoed from outside.
At last, the Second Hall—the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate—had begun.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Gate.
A gateway into which all the dangerous ferocious beasts of Ya Soo Gung had been crammed.
To exit, one must completely tame and control all the beasts within each gate.
If not, one risks being attacked by ferocious creatures at every threshold.
Of course, as long as one doesn’t kill them, it’s possible to subdue the beasts through sheer force.
However, since internal energy cannot be used, one must fight barehanded.
But the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate determines the victor as whoever exits fastest—fighting the animals with bare hands would consume endless time.
In the end, the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate crowns as champion whoever masters beast control most perfectly.
―Neung Bi Hon! Enter!
Neung Bi Hon’s turn came last.
The fastest to pass through the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate so far had taken one hour—a master of beast control at the eighth stage or higher.
It was Hyeol Cheon Sang, a subordinate of the Fourth Lord.
“Mere food won’t suffice here.”
Neung Bi Hon smirked and entered the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate without hesitation.
Dae Gu Hwi gazed at Bu Eunseol with an anxious expression.
“Will he be alright?”
The ferocious beasts within the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate were not tamed by food; rather, they would view Neung Bi Hon as food himself.
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol nodded firmly.
Neung Bi Hon was no ordinary man. Even stripped of his power, he would surely pass through the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate unscathed.
And only when his memories returned could they deal with the Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
* * *
The interior of the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate was a long corridor lined with metal on all sides.
Faint luminous pearls were embedded throughout the walls, allowing one to discern the structure to some degree.
“So there’s a beast at every turn of the passage.”
The corridor was wide enough for dozens of people to traverse simultaneously.
And as one walked through it, beasts hidden within the mechanism would burst forth.
Clang!
Then, from the opposite direction came the sound of metal, and the iron gate swung open, revealing a massive shadow.
It was none other than a colossal bear, the size of a house, and ravenous.
Upon seeing Neung Bi Hon, its eyes filled with bloodlust, and saliva dripped from its jaws.
Clearly, it was a man-eating bear that had tasted human flesh.
Shlup, shlup.
The bear approached slowly, as if uninterested.
Yet a thick killing intent radiated from its body, and its movements were deliberate.
It was approaching slowly, waiting to seize the moment before pouncing in one swift motion.
Thwack!
Before the bear could lunge, Neung Bi Hon stepped forward and struck its head in one swift blow.
Boom!
The bear, startled, leaped back and retreated.
No matter that the Thunder God’s power had vanished—he remained the Thunder God who dominated Gangho.
Years of physical cultivation had honed him, and even with lost memories, the combat instincts from countless victories over formidable foes remained.
This allowed him to close the distance in one breath and strike the bear’s head.
―Urrgh!
The bear, enraged, lunged at Neung Bi Hon like a madness incarnate.
He threw another punch, but it proved futile.
The bear’s fur and hide reached nearly three inches in thickness. No matter how much brute force he exerted, bare fists without internal energy could never bring it down.
―Kheung!
As Neung Bi Hon bled from the claws raking across his body, the bear grew even more frenzied.
If he continued this struggle with the bear?
Eventually, he would be unable to match its raw strength, and Neung Bi Hon would become nothing more than living prey.
“Tch.”
Neung Bi Hon moved swiftly to evade the bear’s relentless attacks, yet he had no means to counter them.
His body was torn by claws, and blood began seeping from countless wounds.
“Hah.”
As Neung Bi Hon grappled with the bear, his eyes transformed.
Though his memories were lost, the sight of blood and the imminence of death awakened the Thunder God within him.
Thud.
The bear halted mid-attack, its body freezing.
It had sensed the overwhelming killing intent and aura radiating from Neung Bi Hon’s form.
Crackle.
In that moment, faint lightning erupted from Neung Bi Hon’s body.
As death approached, the last thread of Thunder Divine Energy remaining within him gathered into both his palms.
‘Once.’
Neung Bi Hon gazed down at his hands, now glowing white with radiance.
He could sense it instinctively.
This Thunder Divine Energy could be used only once.
If he merely felled the bear before him, that would be the end.
He would still be unable to breach the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate.
‘Then there is a way.’
Neung Bi Hon’s eyes suddenly gleamed with clarity.
And he walked deliberately toward the bear.
“Here should suffice.”
What his hand touched was not the bear, but the metallic floor beneath it.
Faint mechanical sounds echoed, suggesting that the mechanisms for confining beasts were concentrated in this area.
“Hah!”
He released a thunderous shout.
And he unleashed his Thunder Divine Energy not upon the bear, but upon the metallic floor.
Crackle. Boom!
At that same instant, the bear before him collapsed.
Rumble.
Simultaneously, the sound of something crumbling echoed from all directions.
The ferocious beasts within this metallic Ten Thousand Beasts Gate had collapsed all at once.
“Ugh…”
Neung Bi Hon’s body had gone numb to the point where he could barely maintain consciousness, yet he did not lose awareness entirely.
Clank.
As he stepped forward, a small door suddenly materialized beside the corridor with a mechanical whir.
And within that open doorway, ferocious beasts lay sprawled across the floor as though dead.
Because the floor of the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate was constructed entirely of metal.
The Thunder God’s divine energy had radiated outward, rendering all the beasts lying in wait unconscious.
Clang.
At last, Neung Bi Hon emerged outside.
―Roooaaarrr!
Cheers erupted from all directions.
To breach the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate in less than a quarter hour?
Was this not the greatest record in the history of the Beast Tournament?
“Champion! Neung Bi Hon!”
―Roooaaarrr!
The crowd erupted in cheers once more.
This was an upset.
Dae Gu Hwi, unable to manifest Beast Power, had been sliding backward in the succession struggle, and few followed him.
Dae Gu Hwi, who had never possessed a single proper subordinate, was a figure destined to fade quietly away after this Beast Tournament.
Yet suddenly, he had produced two champions of the Beast Tournament.
―Roooaaarrr!
The cheers continued for some time.
As if blessing Dae Gu Hwi’s future, promising new possibilities ahead.
Beast Palace, Central Area, Dae Gon’s Residence.
Unlike an ordinary palace hall, the residence of the Beast Palace Lord resembled more closely a vast tent.
Enormous carpets lay spread across the floor, and ferocious beasts roamed freely about, resting on all sides.
True to his nature as a Beast Palace Lord who commanded ten thousand beasts, Dae Gon had not adorned himself with elaborate structures.
Instead, he had erected a great tent, where he dwelt together with his beasts.
Beast Palace Lord Dae Gon.
His skin was deeply bronzed, his height well over eight feet, and his frame possessed the massive build of five robust grown men placed side by side.
Yet his gaze was clear and piercing, and his expression was serene.
He appeared as though a ferocious beast of superior intellect had been transformed into human form.
And before him stood Dae Gu Hwi, Bu Eunseol, and Neung Bi Hon.
They had been summoned to receive his personal commendation as champions of the Beast Tournament and those who commanded them.
Swish.
A pair of bestial eyes swept past Dae Gu Hwi and came to rest upon Bu Eunseol.
In that instant, the radiance gathering in Dae Gon’s eyes deepened further.
As the gazes of two souls intertwined in the void, dark clouds seemed to billow and coalesce within the tent.
“Palace Lord!”
Unable to bear the suffocating atmosphere any longer, Dae Gu Hwi stepped forward before Dae Gon.
“Please, hear what I have to say first.”
Dae Gu Hwi spoke urgently, his words tumbling out in haste.
Dae Gon was an absolute master whose emotions remained inscrutable, having perfected the Beast Path Technique.
A mere gesture from him could snuff out a life in an instant.

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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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