The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 503
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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 503.
As Neung Bi Hon gazed upon the manor, memories of that day—the day he had lost his recollection—flooded back to him.
Soho, the vast warehouse of the Man Hwa Antique Shop.
A deafening crash echoed through the space.
At that time, Neung Bi Hon had been rapidly pursuing a Samgye Emissary fleeing from the warehouse.
The Samgye Emissaries had all cultivated formidable divine techniques, and they maintained hidden sanctuaries scattered throughout Zhong Yuan where they could vanish in an instant.
Because of this, despite possessing divine techniques rivaling their own, Neung Bi Hon had repeatedly allowed the emissaries to slip through his grasp.
But this time was different.
This Soho warehouse lay far removed from Seong Do, situated in a vast, desolate expanse with nothing but open sky in all directions.
Even with eyes wide open, there was nowhere nearby to hide or conceal oneself.
Because of this, Neung Bi Hon was certain he would finally capture the emissary this time.
Yet there was something he did not know—whenever the Samgye Emissaries lacked a secure escape route, they always prepared a contingency plan.
And the emissary who had come to Soho had prepared a trump card far too formidable to be called merely a backup strategy.
A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air.
As Neung Bi Hon pursued the emissary with a divine technique akin to island-crossing, a black saber suddenly carved toward his face.
Remarkably, someone had unleashed a saber strike against him even as he rapidly deployed his divine technique.
A whistling sound cut through the wind.
Neung Bi Hon immediately spun his body to evade it, landing at the source of the saber strike.
Upon the sheer cliff stood an elderly man of advanced years.
The peculiar thing was that the old man held no weapon in his hands.
Then how had he manifested a saber strike?
“Who are you?”
In response to Neung Bi Hon’s question, Gwae Noin bared his white teeth in a smile and extended his hand.
Flames erupted from his palm, and soon a grotesquely blackened saber materialized before them.
He had solidified his vital energy into the form of a blade.
“That is….”
Neung Bi Hon’s eyes widened as though they might split.
It was not the creation of the bizarre flame-shaped blade that had shocked him.
That cruel smile.
Was it not the very smile of the emissary who had mercilessly slaughtered his own son?
“So it was you!”
From Neung Bi Hon’s eyes poured forth what seemed like azure lightning.
Until now, he had believed that Hyung Su, the one who killed the child, was the Samgye Emissary.
At that time, the emissary had worn the peculiar, glossy martial robes and face mask that all emissaries donned.
But that emissary from back then was this old man?
Crackling electricity erupted across his form.
A fusion of madness and thunder energy spread throughout Neung Bi Hon’s entire being.
At last, he had found the enemy he had pursued for so long.
The cruel agent of Sam Gye who had split open his beloved son’s skull and torn out his spine—he had finally found him. Now he must exact the vengeance he had yearned for all this time.
A primal roar tore from his throat.
Neung Bi Hon’s entire body, consumed by rage, was engulfed in such a torrent of divine thunder energy that it became impossible to see his form.
“I shall devour you!”
Crackle! Crackle!
The sky above was filled with hundreds, thousands of lightning bolts conjured by Neung Bi Hon.
They were divine thunder annihilation techniques—神雷滅傳—forged from the maximum extent of divine thunder energy he could manifest.
With thousands upon thousands of these techniques, each capable of obliterating a body with merely a glancing touch, created in such abundance.
No matter how extraordinary the old man’s martial prowess, there was no possibility of evasion.
“Still mad, I see.”
Whoosh.
With a brief murmur, Gwae Noin had already closed the distance until his nose nearly touched Neung Bi Hon’s.
“To resort to such absurd attacks.”
The supreme masters of martial arts revere the significance of a single instant.
Within mere fractions of a second, they can process countless thoughts and analyses, unleashing diverse techniques in rapid succession.
From this perspective, Neung Bi Hon had committed an irreversible blunder.
Upon finally encountering the enemy he had sought so desperately, rather than deploying swift and mysterious martial techniques to suppress his foe.
He had instead, in his excitement, drawn divine thunder energy to its maximum and unleashed divine thunder annihilation—an absurd assault born of frenzy.
Slash!
While the divine thunder annihilation techniques hung suspended in the sky, a sharp black saber aura grazed Neung Bi Hon’s body.
“Futile!”
Yet Neung Bi Hon’s body was wrapped in formidable divine thunder energy.
No matter how devastating the saber aura unleashed, even if it inflicted grievous wounds.
He could recover in an instant.
Thus, he paid no heed to Gwae Noin’s saber aura and released the divine thunder annihilation.
Screech!
Yet the moment the saber aura made contact with his body, Neung Bi Hon’s pupils dilated slightly.
As the saber aura burrowed deeper, roughly half of the divine thunder annihilation techniques suspended in the sky vanished.
The strange energy contained within the saber aura had obliterated a portion of the divine thunder energy flowing through his body.
“Dark Blood Saber Emperor Energy! You wield the saber techniques of the Do Hwang!”
The moment Bu Eunseol witnessed the black blood demonic saber that Gwae Noin manifested through his vital energy, she recognized him as the Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
But only now, consumed by madness, did Neung Bi Hon perceive the old man’s true identity.
Screech! Screech!
A single strand of saber aura that instantaneously obliterated the martial force within the body—a transcendent technique.
The Dark Blood Saber Emperor Energy, which the Do Hwang had wielded four hundred years ago, was relentlessly annihilating the divine thunder annihilation techniques.
“Die!”
Neung Bi Hon extended his hand with a thunderous cry.
Even with more than half destroyed, the remaining divine thunder annihilation techniques numbered over a thousand.
This alone was sufficient to reduce Gwae Noin’s body to dust.
Boom!
As a thousand pale blue divine thunder annihilation techniques rained down like a torrent, the area where Gwae Noin stood was engulfed in blinding white light.
Crash!
Yet a sharp piercing sound cut through the air, and the cascading Divine Thunder Annihilation melted away like snow in spring.
Gwae Noin had begun severing the Divine Thunder Annihilation with the Black Blood Demonic Blade.
Screech! Screech!
Ordinarily, Divine Thunder Annihilation cannot be blocked by mere weapons.
The thunder divine energy travels through metal blades and bores into the meridians.
Yet Gwae Noin severed the Divine Thunder Annihilation as easily as cutting through reeds.
Dark Blood Taoist Sword.
A mystical blade forged from true energy—each time the Dark Blood Taoist Sword emerged from the Black Blood Demonic Blade, the Divine Thunder Annihilation melted away like taffy.
Screeeech!
Having obliterated all the Divine Thunder Annihilation, Gwae Noin extended the Black Blood Demonic Blade toward Neung Bi Hon.
Dozens of strands of Taoist energy erupted from the ground, enveloping Neung Bi Hon’s body like a blooming flower bud.
Crackle crackle crackle!
Neung Bi Hon unleashed another torrent of Divine Thunder Annihilation, shattering the Taoist energy.
Yet in that moment, Gwae Noin circled around him continuously, unleashing a relentless barrage of Taoist techniques.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Each time the old man released his Taoist energy, a piercing sound like demonic laughter echoed outward.
And the Taoist energy pursued Neung Bi Hon with the persistence of a living creature.
Whoosh whoosh! Crackle crackle crackle!
For a time, Gwae Noin’s Taoist energy and Neung Bi Hon’s Divine Thunder Annihilation collided endlessly.
Though the Divine Thunder Annihilation erupted at a far greater speed, Gwae Noin’s Taoist energy lingered in the air like afterimages, suspended in space.
Gradually, Neung Bi Hon found himself encircled by the black Taoist energy.
“Impressive indeed. To match this old man to such a degree.”
Gwae Noin laughed with ease, wielding the black blade.
“Yet your madness prevents you from displaying even a fraction of your martial prowess’s subtlety.”
Whoooosh.
As Gwae Noin swung the Black Blood Demonic Blade like lightning, the black Taoist energy multiplied uncontrollably.
Neung Bi Hon poured forth Divine Thunder Annihilation desperately, but it was nothing more than a final death throes.
Until now, his victories over the Samgye Emissary had been possible
because of the unique nature of thunder divine energy—something no force could obstruct.
Yet thunder divine energy proved utterly ineffective against Gwae Noin.
Moreover, each time the Taoist energy grazed him, his power seemed to dissipate in chunks.
In this state, unleashing Divine Thunder Annihilation endlessly would be futile.
“I will kill you!”
Pressed into a corner, Neung Bi Hon flailed his arms wildly and charged at Gwae Noin.
Yet it was like a child throwing bare fists at an adult.
With only madness to offer and unable to manifest the subtlety of martial technique, all that remained for him was defeat.
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
Strands of black Taoist energy swept past Neung Bi Hon’s body in succession.
With each pass, the thunder divine energy within his body dissipated bit by bit.
Crackle crackle crackle!
He unleashed his Thunder God’s Essence with all his might, restoring his body once more.
Yet the Taoist energy seeping into his body was erasing his Thunder God’s Essence at an accelerating pace.
Only then did Neung Bi Hon grasp a terrifying truth.
“Can you even wield the techniques of the Chilji Demonic Sect?”
A Taoist energy capable of annihilating the vital force within one’s body.
Was that not an ability exclusive to the Chilji Demonic Sect’s techniques—one that embodied the very essence of death itself?
“Who said anything about the Blood Dew Seven Techniques!”
Screech!
A razor-sharp Taoist blade swept past Neung Bi Hon’s body, spraying blood in its wake.
Under normal circumstances, he would have instantly healed himself—but now, no Thunder God’s Essence flowed from his body anymore.
“The Blood Dew Seven Techniques merely mimicked our sect’s methods!”
Crash!
A colossal Taoist energy carved a crescent arc through the air, boring into Neung Bi Hon’s body as though to cleave him in two.
Thud!
He barely managed to roll across the ground like a lazy foal, narrowly evading the strike.
But the Taoist energy pursued relentlessly, and Neung Bi Hon suffered wounds across his shoulder, back, and one leg.
“I heard tales of this ‘Sasin’ and thought your power formidable. Yet this is all you amount to?”
Gwae Noin approached with heavy footfalls and stood before Neung Bi Hon, who knelt on one knee.
“You bore me. Die now.”
Whoosh!
Black Taoist energy slashed toward Neung Bi Hon’s head.
It should have cleaved him in two.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
Yet in that instant, Thunder God’s Essence erupted from Neung Bi Hon’s body, blocking the attack.
Boom!
Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking down upon Gwae Noin’s head.
Realizing he could not prevail in direct confrontation, Neung Bi Hon had feigned helplessness, concealing his Thunder God’s Essence.
And when Gwae Noin unleashed his final devastating blow, Neung Bi Hon invoked the supreme technique of the Lei Ling Men—the art of summoning heaven’s thunder.
The Thunderbolt Convergence Form.
Crackle.
Struck by the Thunderbolt Convergence Form, Gwae Noin’s body erupted in white smoke.
Clang.
And from the charred remains of Gwae Noin’s robes, a bronze token fell.
“The Paeng Family…?”
Astonishingly, what had fallen from Gwae Noin’s body was a token proving the identity of the Supreme Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Family.
The Supreme Patriarch’s Token.
Among the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—the Taoist Emperor’s Successor.
The one who had brutally murdered and experimented upon his own wife and son. He was none other than the Supreme Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Family?
“That was quite an amusing gambit.”
Then the old man, still motionless and exhaling white vapor, bared his white teeth in a smile.
“But the Thunder God’s divine essence has weakened far too much. This is merely a tingling sensation at best.”
Neung Bi Hon’s Thunder God’s divine essence had been severely depleted from having his body carved by the Dark Blood Sealing Emperor’s technique all this while.
As a result, even though the Thunderbolt Seal technique had struck true, it had only singed his hair and skin.
“Ugh.”
Neung Bi Hon attempted to draw upon his Thunder God’s divine essence once more, but it would not manifest.
With eyes rolled back, Neung Bi Hon bared his teeth and lunged at the old man.
If he could not kill through martial arts, he would tear out the old man’s throat with his fangs.
“Die!”
He moved like a ravenous beast.
The old man smiled coldly and swung his blade.
Whoosh!
Black blade energy extended forth, slashing across Neung Bi Hon’s body.
Boom!
Yet Neung Bi Hon’s form did not split in two; instead, the blade energy sent him flying toward the cliff’s edge.
Though he could not release it outward, the Thunder God’s divine essence still lingered within his body, protecting him.
“I must finish this properly.”
Gwae Noin poured the Dark Blood Sealing Emperor’s technique once more toward Neung Bi Hon as he fell.
Whoosh!
The blade energy flowed like a living creature, piercing into Neung Bi Hon’s Heavenly Spirit Gate.
Crack!
Blood erupted from Neung Bi Hon’s Baihui acupoint, yet his skull remained intact.
Splash!
At last, Neung Bi Hon’s body, plummeting below the cliff, was swallowed by the raging river.
“The Thunder God’s divine essence will never be usable again anyway.”
The old man smiled faintly.
Since the Thunder God’s divine essence had been sealed by the Dark Blood Sealing Emperor’s technique, even if he were to return to life, the existence known as the Thunder God would have vanished.
“Still, I cannot leave this unattended.”
The old man, gazing at the distant sky, spoke in a low voice.
“Find the corpse without fail.”
Whoosh.
A faint wind stirred from all directions, and black shadows scattered in every direction.
The old man, holding a sinister smile as he gazed down into the bottomless abyss below the cliff, soon turned away.
* * *
Awakening from the memory, Neung Bi Hon began to gasp for breath.
“Huff. Huff.”
He had raced from Eun Ha Ridge to Hebei without drinking a single drop of water, yet his breathing remained steady.
But as the image of that detestable Gwae Noin surfaced in his mind, an uncontrollable rage erupted.
“He was certainly the Patriarch Emeritus of the Paeng Family.”
The Samgye Emissary who had brutally murdered and experimented upon his wife and son.
He was none other than the Grand Patriarch of the Paeng Family—Peng Ak.
And because he held the position of Grand Patriarch of the Paeng Family, no trace of him could be found even if one searched the entire Murim.
“So he is no longer an emissary?”
Unlike when he had slaughtered his family, Gwae Noin—who had clashed with me in blood combat—wore no emissary’s garb.
Either his position had been elevated another tier, or perhaps he had worn the emissary’s robes only at that time.
Regardless, the fact that someone of the caliber of the Grand Patriarch of the Paeng Family among the Eight Great Families was registering as an enemy in Sam Gye was a shocking revelation.
“I owe them an apology.”
When the faces of Bu Eunseol and Dae Gu Hwi suddenly surfaced in his mind, Neung Bi Hon’s lips curved into a bitter smile.
In truth, he had not lost his memories.
To be precise, he had lost them, then recovered them completely.
When the Thunder God’s Divine Energy was restored, the wounds in his Thunder Meridian healed entirely, and as a result, all memories up to that point were completely erased.
But because he had continuously absorbed such overwhelmingly powerful Thunder God’s Divine Energy,
the intense shock allowed him to recover all memories from before the Thunder Meridian had been restored.
‘Bu Eunseol.’
And it was all thanks to Bu Eunseol’s aid.
Had he not helped,
I would have been torn apart by the unbearable Thunder God’s Stopping Energy, let alone recovered my strength.
Moreover, despite being the heir to the Demon Palace—one of great power and station—he concealed his identity and wandered through numerous sects alongside me.
The journey I shared with him is something I shall never forget for the rest of my life.
“That fellow.”
Neung Bi Hon exhaled a deep sigh as he recalled Bu Eunseol’s ever-changing visage.
“When I first met him, he said he was a Lord of the Murim Alliance. To think he was the heir to the Demon Palace.”
Remarkably, he remembered everything—even Bu Eunseol’s appearance when he had claimed to be a Lord of the Murim Alliance before Yeolha Fortress Palace in Nam Man.
And the fact that the heir to the Demon Palace was a Lord of the Murim Alliance was equally shocking to Neung Bi Hon.
If this truth were to be revealed? Murim would be turned upside down.
“There must be some reason behind it.”
But Neung Bi Hon cherished Bu Eunseol as a true younger brother.
Therefore, whether his identity was that of the Demon Palace’s heir or the Murim Alliance’s Lord, it mattered not at all.
“If that fellow learned the full truth, he would have come here ready to stake his life on battle.”
Rather, fearing that Bu Eunseol might suffer harm because of him, he had feigned ignorance of his memories and come here alone.
“Hah.”
Neung Bi Hon took a deep breath.
This vengeance is mine alone.
Bu Eunseol—my benefactor and younger brother.
Unlike me, his future is bright. I must never allow him to become entangled in this matter.
“Let me test just how formidable the power of the Eight Great Families truly is.”
Neung Bi Hon straightened his shoulders and walked confidently toward the Paeng Family estate.
With his strength recovered, he intended to bring down the Paeng Family alone.
Heaven had granted him another chance at vengeance. This time, failure was absolutely not an option.
Thump, thump.
As he walked forward alone, an inexplicable emptiness stirred within his heart.
Bu Eunseol, who had always positioned herself as my younger sister and remained by my side. And Dae Gu Hwi, who had followed me faithfully.
Having spent so much time with them, and grown accustomed to their presence, I suddenly felt the loneliness of being alone.
“What am I thinking?”
Neung Bi Hon let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
He had left Noe Ryeong Gate long ago for the sake of revenge.
And until now, he had wandered through Murim alone. Yet now, only now, did he feel this emptiness?
“After all, life is never truly solitary.”
It was strange to feel loneliness at this point in time.
Zzzzzt.
As he drew upon his Thunder God’s Divine Qi, the once-bright sky suddenly darkened.
In a single breath, he summoned the thunder essence from the heavens and poured down divine retribution upon the Paeng Family.
He intended to fight without restraint for the sake of avenging his son and wife.
“Was it the Paeng Family?”
But then, a familiar voice reached Neung Bi Hon from behind.
Turning around, he saw a tall, dignified man and a gentle-looking young scholar approaching side by side.
It was Bu Eunseol and Dae Gu Hwi.
So lost in profound thought had I been that I had not even sensed their approach.
“How did you find me here?”
Neung Bi Hon was greatly startled.
No matter how extraordinary Bu Eunseol was, how could she have caught up to him so quickly?
“Brother Neung.”
Bu Eunseol exhaled slowly.
“Murim is no longer a place where those who walk alone can survive.”
“What do you mean?”
“Murim is filled with countless intelligence networks, and masters like you are always under scrutiny.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“You believed you had been moving through Gangho in secrecy all this time, but in reality, your every movement has been exposed.”
Neung Bi Hon, through his Thunder God’s Divine Qi, constantly emanated a subtle thunder essence throughout his entire body.
His movement technique was accompanied by brilliant light and thunderous explosions.
From the start, a being known as the Thunder God could not move through Gangho in secrecy.
Therefore, the Thunder Gods of old first learned the secret techniques that could suppress the various energies, including the Thunder God’s Divine Qi.
Only after mastering all such martial arts did they venture into Gangho.
But he, who had lost his family to Sam Gye, had wandered through Gangho alone in a state of madness without even properly learning the martial arts of Noe Ryeong Gate.
“Is that so.”
Neung Bi Hon felt a sense of hollowness in his heart.
As the image of myself wandering through Gangho while suffering from madness came to mind, I suddenly realized one truth.
“Sam Gye deliberately did not kill me. Rather, they viewed me as a tool that could be used at any time.”
“The same was true for me.”
Bu Eunseol spoke honestly.
“I used you twice over to maintain my hidden identity.”
Neung Bi Hon was momentarily taken aback.
He had not expected Bu Eunseol to reveal her dual identity to him so directly.
“Why do you speak of such matters to me?”
“Am I not your younger brother?”
“Then, what of me?”
Dae Gu Hwi interjected with a broad smile, and Bu Eunseol let out a soft laugh.
“You are not your master’s disciple? You have received his martial teachings all this time, and even shared in the Thunder God’s Divine Technique.”
A tremor rippled through the air.
In that instant, Neung Bi Hon’s body shook gently.
To suppress the overwhelming torrent of emotion, he was forced to bite his lips.
After losing his family, his heart had turned to ash, consumed only by the madness and obsession of vengeance.
Yet somehow, he had gained the most steadfast younger brother in all of Murim.
And now, a disciple to inherit his supreme techniques.
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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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