The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 501

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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 501.
In contrast, Sa Cheong Ha, having lost half of Jin Won’s essence, staggered backward.
“Ugh…”
Crystal Divine Energy was not something that could be easily absorbed, even by disciples who had mastered the martial arts of Sinsugung.
Moreover, even if she expelled it, it would continuously circulate infinitely and be reabsorbed into her body.
So how had half of her Crystal Divine Energy been injected into Bu Eunseol’s body?
“What is the meaning of this?”
Sa Cheong Ha, her face aged as if by ten years, glared at Bu Eunseol.
“Could it be that you’ve learned the Absorption Spirit Technique—a method to absorb the vital essence of others!”
“Palace Lord.”
Bu Eunseol sighed deeply and extended her hand.
“It seems I may have inadvertently learned an evil technique?”
“What are you saying?”
“The Crystal Divine Energy that you injected to kill the Ryeong Ju simply fused with my Extreme Yin Energy. Look for yourself.”
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol.
Blue energy surged forth, and countless streams of water extended like mist.
It was released in a form combining the Bing Ha Cheon Ryu Gyeol with the Crystal Divine Energy.
“Your ice technique and my Crystal Divine Energy have merged?”
“Indeed. If you wish, you may check my meridians.”
Bu Eunseol extended her wrist.
For a martial artist to openly expose their meridians was tantamount to offering one’s neck.
Bu Eunseol needed to obtain Sinsugung’s consent regardless and enter Yao Jian Plain.
Therefore, she willingly extended her meridians to clear her name of suspicion.
She grasped it.
Sa Cheong Ha hesitated briefly, then seized Bu Eunseol’s wrist.
Immediately, she could sense the tremendous power circulating within her body.
‘This cannot be.’
Sa Cheong Ha was also a master of martial arts who had devoted herself to the martial world for many years.
Yet to store such formidable energy within one’s body all at once?
Was this not something beyond imagination?
‘I cannot end this here. Not like this.’
Sa Cheong Ha’s eyes turned vicious.
Bu Eunseol had absorbed more than half of her Crystal Divine Energy.
If she could not recover it?
She resolved that she would kill this woman to clear her grievance.
“Did you truly believe you could steal my Crystal Divine Energy and walk away unscathed!”
Sa Cheong Ha, gripping Bu Eunseol’s wrist, began channeling sharp martial force into it.
Once the meridians were suppressed, even the greatest master could not exert their strength.
She intended to use this opportunity to completely seal Bu Eunseol’s martial power.
A tremendous surge erupted!
Sa Cheong Ha poured sharp vital energy through Bu Eunseol’s meridians.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s expression remained unmoved.
She could not only manipulate yin-yang techniques but possessed cultivation exceeding five hundred years.
Even if Sa Cheong Ha unleashed vital energy sharp enough to sever meridians, to Bu Eunseol it was merely the tickle of a leaf.
“So the renowned Sinsugung has fallen to such mediocrity.”
Bu Eunseol sighed deeply.
“A woman this vicious would do better to die for Sinsugung’s honor.”
Bu Eunseol immediately summoned the Glacial River Severance.
Crackle.
As five hundred years of inner power transformed into extreme yin energy, it became an unstoppable fury of nature itself.
Sa Cheong Ha’s skin grew progressively rigid, and the moisture within her body began to freeze.
“Aaaahhh!”
She released a piercing scream.
The vital energy flowing through her body became sharp needles under the Glacial River Severance, tearing through her meridians with unbearable agony.
“Aaaahhh!”
As her anguished cries reverberated through Sinsugung,
“Show restraint.”
A low, gentle voice echoed from all directions, and suddenly clear rain fell within Sinsu Pavilion.
Whoosh.
Simultaneously, a transparent, elongated hand formed from rainwater pressed against Sa Cheong Ha’s back.
Hum.
The transparent hand blocked the Glacial River Severance pouring into Sa Cheong Ha’s body, expelling the extreme yin energy that had been injected into her.
“Ah, the supreme technique of Bing Ha Dae Je reveals itself once more in Murim….”
A faint shadow suddenly materialized before Bu Eunseol.
Though her face was concealed by a veil, eyes clear and transparent as the sea were visible.
It was Neung Gyeong, the Palace Lord of Sinsugung, who had secluded herself and vowed never to appear again.
‘If the Palace Lord has come, there is no need to kill her.’
Whoosh.
As Bu Eunseol immediately withdrew her power, the Palace Lord likewise withdrew her water spirit technique.
Sa Cheong Ha survived thanks to Neung Gyeong’s intervention, but she remained paralyzed with terror.
“Deputy Palace Lord Sa. You have not only tarnished this palace’s honor but employed the cowardly ambush tactics of villains.”
The Palace Lord spoke to her in a solemn voice.
“Relinquish your position as Deputy Palace Lord and undergo seven years of wall-facing meditation.”
Sa Cheong Ha could not even muster a response, lowering her head before departing with unsteady steps.
To outsiders, seven years of wall-facing meditation might seem harsh, but in truth Neung Gyeong had shown considerable mercy.
Sa Cheong Ha had lost half her water spirit energy to Bu Eunseol.
Without seven full years of cultivating inner power anew, she could never recover her martial prowess.
Neung Gyeong had granted Sa Cheong Ha the opportunity to recover without external interference.
‘Wise indeed.’
Bu Eunseol nodded inwardly in acknowledgment.
Sa Cheong Ha deployed his vicious and crude methods twice, tarnishing the honor of Sinsugung.
Neung Gyeong punished Sa Cheong Ha to preserve Sinsugung’s honor while granting her an opportunity to recover her body.
“I owe you an apology, Bu Chanyang. I am truly ashamed.”
Sa Cheong Ha’s crimes ran so deep that even if Neung Gyeong knelt and apologized, such actions would never be forgiven.
Yet Bu Eunseol clasped her hands together with an unbothered expression.
“The Palace Master lost half her cultivation due to misusing her power. In such a dire situation, how could anyone maintain their composure?”
In that moment, she resembled not the ruthless leader of the Demonic Path, but a young grand master produced by the Orthodox Sects.
Neung Gyeong smiled faintly and nodded.
“With such magnanimity and compassion, the Murim will surely prosper under your leadership.”
Neung Gyeong, who had guarded the position of Sinsugung Master for thirty years, was surely well past seventy.
Yet her eyes and voice appeared far younger and fresher than Sa Cheong Ha’s.
This was because she possessed a water-type physique that allowed her to avoid aging, and she had diligently cultivated Sinsugung’s martial arts to their peak.
“However, I must ask for an explanation regarding your absorption of the Sinsu Divine Qi into your body.”
Plundering another’s vital energy or blood essence was strictly forbidden in the righteous martial world.
If Bu Eunseol had learned that vicious technique, Neung Gyeong would have no choice but to act immediately.
“I did not absorb the power. The Sinsu Divine Qi healed my body.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“My body contains several conflicting energies. The Sinsu Divine Qi simply embraced one of them.”
Bu Eunseol extended her arm once more.
“A pulse diagnosis would be far more effective than a hundred explanations.”
“You casually expose your pulse gate to others as though it were nothing—as precious as life itself.”
Neung Gyeong’s eyes crinkled like crescents within her serene face.
She seemed to be suppressing laughter.
Bu Eunseol scratched her head with an embarrassed expression.
“I can offer it confidently because I trust you.”
“I like that.”
Whoosh!
As Neung Gyeong extended her pale hand, the water flowing through Sinsu Pavilion rose into the air.
She shaped it into a transparent hand and immediately grasped Bu Eunseol’s pulse gate.
“Why go through the trouble of using cultivation power for a pulse diagnosis?”
“Men and women should maintain proper distance. How could I brazenly grasp a man’s hand?”
‘What an eccentric woman.’
There was at least a forty-year age gap between Bu Eunseol and Neung Gyeong.
Yet she still conducted herself like a young girl.
“This is…”
As Neung Gyeong sensed the energy flowing through Bu Eunseol’s body, her eyes flashed with recognition.
“It was you.”
Her voice turned ice-cold.
“You were the one with Gong Son Dan Ah at Gugok Mountain.”
Neung Gyeong was known to have stepped back from Sinsugung’s affairs.
In reality, I was actively working to nurture the next successor.
Among them, Gong Son Dan Ah, the most promising heir, had gone to Gugok Mountain on her own whim and barely returned after falling into great danger.
When I inquired about the situation in detail, I learned that Gugok Mountain had facilities for creating Shil Hoon In as well as traps installed to eliminate outsiders.
And apparently, Gong Son Dan Ah had survived safely with the help of a mysterious wanderer who happened to be heading there.
Neung Gyeong asked several times about the wanderer’s identity, but Gong Son Dan Ah only repeated that she couldn’t determine who they were.
However, Neung Gyeong could tell.
From the bright and cheerful gleam in Gong Son Dan Ah’s eyes, this mysterious wanderer was an extremely young man.
Otherwise, Gong Son Dan Ah, who always maintained a solemn demeanor, would never have worn such a light expression.
―Your heart has been occupied by something else.
Caught in her feelings, Gong Son Dan Ah smiled innocently.
―Yes. I met someone like me. It was the first time I met someone who, like me, had no interest in others’ appearance or lack thereof. Of course, we also had no interest in each other’s faces. And furthermore…
As Gong Son Dan Ah spoke with excitement, Neung Gyeong sighed.
Such curiosity and familiarity could eventually cross the threshold into affection.
Because I myself had been the same in the past.
―Since your mind has become unsettled, I command you to remain in Jeong Sim Dong for one year.
Such punishment was closer to my concern that Gong Son Dan Ah’s profound cultivation would become disrupted.
Jeong Sim Dong was a place where one could refine the supreme celestial technique, and it was a place that any disciple of Sinsugung would wish to visit even in their dreams.
And Gong Son Dan Ah, understanding my heart, willingly obeyed that command.
But who would have thought that the mysterious wanderer I met on Gugok Mountain was the successor of Demon Palace, Muk Hon Ryeong Ju?
“How did you know?”
“The energy within your body.”
Neung Gyeong spoke calmly.
“The way you embraced the supreme celestial technique and expelled the extreme yin energy…wasn’t that the secret Daoist technique Dan Ah passed on to you?”
Bu Eunseol immediately lowered her head in surprise that Neung Gyeong had seen through such a fact.
“That’s correct. I happened to meet her on Gugok Mountain, and we helped each other.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression was full of bewilderment, and her eyes were filled with innocence.
Like Gong Son Dan Ah, it showed only pure curiosity and goodwill. There was no sign of romantic feelings between man and woman.
‘What a relief.’
Neung Gyeong, who inwardly sighed with relief, changed the subject.
“Dan Ah mentioned that she met a mysterious wanderer on Gugok Mountain and told me about it.”
“It was nothing significant. We simply helped each other.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice as if recalling something.
“I only hope you won’t blame her.”
“Blame her for what?”
“At that time, I failed to control the energy within my body while trying to block the traps in the underground of Gugok Mountain. So she had no choice but to do what she did to save me.”
Learning martial techniques from another sect or acquiring their cultivation power was absolutely unforgivable.
Bu Eunseol was worried that Gong Son Dan Ah might be punished for infusing her with the supreme celestial technique.
“Don’t worry. The Daoist secret technique that Dan Ah transmitted to you is not from our palace’s martial arts, but something that child happened to acquire by chance.”
Hearing Neung Gyeong’s words, Bu Eunseol felt slightly embarrassed.
‘She didn’t mention that she infused me with the supreme celestial technique.’
What he was referring to was the fact that Gong Son Dan Ah had implanted a Shen Shui core into me.
However, seeing that Neung Gyeong seemed to believe I was merely worried about receiving the Daoist secrets…
It was clear that I had not mentioned the implantation of the Shen Shui core.
“I see. That’s fortunate.”
The truth was that my ability to accept the Shen Shui core into my body was not solely due to the Jeon Jin Sect’s Daoist secrets.
It was because Gong Son Dan Ah had implanted a Shen Shui core within me beforehand.
Yet Neung Gyeong remained completely unaware of this fact.
She found my delicate concern for Gong Son Dan Ah endearing.
Moreover, since I had saved her most cherished disciple, Neung Gyeong believed she owed me a debt of gratitude.
“Hmm.”
Neung Gyeong exhaled a long sigh.
“The debts and favors of the Murim are truly unpredictable.”
“What do you mean, Master?”
“I sought to escape such entanglements by remaining hidden and dedicating myself solely to nurturing the next generation… yet now my cherished disciple has thrust this burden of obligation upon me before departing.”
At the mention of debt and favor, my eyes brightened.
“Now that you mention it, there is something I wished to ask the Palace Lord.”
I had learned from Gong Son Dan Ah that Neung Gyeong, the Palace Lord, knew much about Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Janyeong.
Since she was a master of the same era and of similar age… she would surely possess considerable knowledge about him.
“Speak freely.”
“I heard that the Palace Lord possesses knowledge regarding Chil Ji Ma Do.”
In that instant, Neung Gyeong’s gaze deepened.
She turned away, unable to face me, and gazed toward the distant sky.
The way she held her head high while wearing such a somber expression suggested she harbored untold sorrows in her heart.
‘She wishes not to be entangled in the affairs of the Murim.’
I could discern Neung Gyeong’s true feelings.
‘Then there is no need to pry into what she wishes to forget.’
Merely because I wished to uncover my grandfather’s deeds did not grant me the right to dredge up the past that others wished to leave buried.
“I apologize.”
I quickly clasped my hands together.
“I have spoken carelessly and troubled the Palace Lord’s heart. Please forget the question I just posed.”
“Hehehehe, you are not befitting of the Demon Palace’s successor. Truly, you are not befitting of the Demonic Path’s heir.”
Sensing my consideration, Neung Gyeong nodded faintly.
“It is true that he once had a connection with me. However….”
She shook her head as she spoke.
“Now that I have entered the twilight of my years… the old memories do not come to mind easily.”
I bowed once more and clasped my hands together.
“I apologize for the thoughtless question.”
At my sincere apology, Neung Gyeong’s gaze grew distant.
That confident yet dignified presence.
Those stubbornly sealed lips. Those beautiful yet somehow melancholic eyes.
Did it not resemble the figure of a man she had yearned for even in her dreams, as if etched in a single stroke?
I have not forgotten him after all.
Neung Gyeong felt the profound cultivation she had accumulated over decades trembling beyond her control.
And without realizing it, she posed a question to Bu Eunseol.
“Do you have some special relationship with Chil Ji Ma Do?”
Special relationship.
At those words, Bu Eunseol’s eyes wavered like ripples on water.
“Yes.”
“What sort of relationship?”
Bu Eunseol hesitated for a moment.
Should she speak the truth, or obscure it?
Though the Shen Shui Gong Master belonged to the Orthodox Sects, she possessed wisdom and a composed temperament. By any measure, she seemed unlikely to cause harm.
“That person is.”
Having made her decision, Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“My grandfather.”
“What?”
Neung Gyeong staggered visibly, as if struck by tremendous shock.
“You mean to say you are Bu Chanyang’s grandchild?”
“Yes.”
Neung Gyeong gazed at Bu Eunseol with an expression of bewilderment.
No wonder she resembled him. That melancholic aura was captured perfectly in her.
Clench.
She tightened her fists.
Otherwise tears would surely spill from her eyes.
“I see. So he had a grandchild.”
Neung Gyeong forced a smile and nodded.
“I wonder why I never heard such rumors.”
And taking a deep breath, she spoke.
“In any case, you should return. I am quite busy….”
“I have a request for the Palace Lord.”
“I had nearly forgotten.”
Neung Gyeong waved her hand dismissively, nodding as if distracted.
“You asked me to open Yao Jian Plain.”
“Yes.”
“Go ahead. However.”
She spoke calmly, her head turned away.
“Once you have completed all your business, return immediately. That is the condition I require.”
“Understood. I shall do as you say.”
Though her face was concealed by a veil, one could discern that Neung Gyeong’s beauty rivaled that of Gong Son Dan Ah.
Moreover, her temperament and bearing were both compassionate and serene.
‘He would have suited Grandfather well.’
Bu Eunseol could sense it instinctively.
Neung Gyeong also shared various stories with Grandfather, and she still longed for him even now.
Otherwise, when she heard the name Chilji Demonic Sect, she wouldn’t have cast such a wistful gaze.
‘Grandfather.’
Thinking of him, longing suddenly welled up in my chest as well.
But I couldn’t simply yearn for him. I had to find Hyung Su quickly and destroy Sam Gye… to take my revenge.
“I am grateful for the Palace Lord’s kindness.”
Bu Eunseol, having gathered her thoughts, pressed her palms together.
“Then, I shall return to Shenshui Palace with Brother Neung.”
“Wait.”
At that moment, Neung Gyeong turned her body and spoke.
“Follow me to the Palace Hall for a moment.”
She led Bu Eunseol into a palace hall deep within Shenshui Palace.
It was a small room suffused with the subtle fragrance of incense—seemingly a meditation hall she used to cultivate or settle her mind.
“He….”
Neung Gyeong, gazing at Bu Eunseol, moved her lips beneath the veil.
If she were to speak the words now dwelling in her heart, the profound cultivation she had accumulated over decades would crumble.
She would cast away her position as Palace Lord of Shenshui Palace—indeed, everything she possessed—and depart to find him.
Knowing this, she could not voice her thoughts aloud.
“Grandfather….”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol opened her mouth with a clear, resonant voice.
“He did not marry, but rather accepted me, an orphan, as his grandson.”
As if perceiving the depths of Neung Gyeong’s heart.
“And he was happy, performing the funeral rites of the departed alongside me….”
The news was so brief that the long years seemed to pass in vain.
Yet Neung Gyeong could discern that Bu Chanyang had lived happily with his grandson,
and that he was no longer of this world.
Drip, drip.
Clear tears finally streamed from her large eyes.
Slip.
Unable to bear the weight of the sorrow she had shed, Neung Gyeong’s blue veil slipped softly to the ground.
Then a countenance beyond all description revealed itself in its beauty.
Remarkably, the Shenshui Palace Lord maintained a youthful visage as fair as a maiden of merely twenty summers, despite her age.
‘This is the punishment for lacking courage.’
In the past and even now.
Neung Gyeong had never possessed the courage to cast off the shackles and bonds that encircled her.
“How difficult it is to cross the threshold of affection.”
Neung Gyeong shed tears like pearls. Yet a radiant smile graced her lips.
Only now did she understand what had pained her heart for decades.
I realized it wasn’t Bu Chanyang’s memory—it was the image of myself, afraid to make a choice.
“You bear a striking resemblance to him.”
At Neung Gyeong’s words, Bu Eunseol straightened her shoulders and spoke with pride.
“I’m his granddaughter, after all.”
Neung Gyeong smiled.
As if gazing tenderly upon a beloved grandchild.
“But do not follow the path your grandfather walked.”
Neung Gyeong could sense it intuitively.
Bu Eunseol was living a life remarkably similar to Bu Chanyang’s.
“You must forge a different destiny than his.”
It was an earnest plea that she meet someone to love and build a happy home with them.
Bu Eunseol didn’t fully understand what it meant, but the emotion burning in her eyes was so desperate and fervent that she nodded.
“I understand.”
As the answer came, she offered a weary smile and turned away.
Then she walked slowly out of the Meditation Hall.
Bu Eunseol could sense it.
Neung Gyeong would retreat into the depths of Sinsugung and never show herself to the world again.
“Thank you for bringing me word of him.”
Neung Gyeong turned her head briefly, offering Bu Eunseol a smile of incomparable beauty.
It was the final smile of a woman bidding farewell to her first love—the one she had cherished in her heart for so long.

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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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