The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 513

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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 513.
Yet she was sending Bu Eunseol nonetheless.
Perhaps Gong Son Dan Gyeong had a compelling reason to investigate the Cheon In Sect’s affairs.
‘Merely because there’s a possibility of disrupting the Murim?’
Bu Eunseol shook her head inwardly.
Even if the Cheon In Sect was an evil organization, even if they were creating counterfeit Geom Chongs to lure Murim practitioners.
Such reasons alone would not justify the Murim Alliance forcibly investigating or sanctioning them.
“Over hundreds of them.”
As if reading Bu Eunseol’s doubts, Gong Son Dan Gyeong continued.
“We found no concrete evidence, but the Murim practitioners who went there seeking swords and vanished number in the hundreds… perhaps even more.”
“That many?”
It was incomprehensible.
How could hundreds of Murim practitioners have disappeared without word reaching the outside world?
“Most of them were second-rate martial artists.”
At her words, Bu Eunseol fell silent.
She had used the euphemism “second-rate,” but they were likely far worse—the dregs of the martial world.
Though countless practitioners inhabited Gangho, people remembered only those who had earned great renown and power.
Martial artists of mediocre skill lived lives of such misery they worried about their next meal.
Those with some ability became wanderers, selling their martial skills, but those who could not even manage that.
They did whatever paid, becoming bandits or third-rate assassins.
The tragedy of third-rate martial artists.
When they died…
The world paid them no heed and shed no tears.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol nodded gravely.
In Gangho’s eyes, a master of the Wuji Scripture and a third-rate swordsman could never be treated equally.
But from Bu Eunseol’s perspective, one who did not consider herself a Murim practitioner.
Whether a master of the Wuji Scripture or a third-rate swordsman, the weight of a life was the same.
“So they didn’t forcibly recruit Murim practitioners, they obtained written consent, and since the dead were unremarkable martial artists, rumors never spread.”
“Exactly.”
“The dispatched agents under the Chief would have been skilled, yet they vanished… which means the counterfeit Geom Chong created by the Cheon In Sect is no mere rumor.”
“Precisely.”
Once she grasped exactly why the Cheon In Sect needed investigating, Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded and asked.
“Will you take on this task?”
“Can I refuse?”
“Of course.”
“Then why?”
“Because you’ll almost certainly die.”
The Murim Alliance’s practitioners execute even the most perilous missions without hesitation.
Moreover, one cannot refuse a task from the Chief herself.
Yet despite this, she was offering Bu Eunseol a choice.
‘She intends to reassess who I am once more.’
A faint glimmer lingered in her eyes.
By offering a choice, she was revealing her intent.
To understand why Bu Eunseol had come from the Merchant Realm to Murim, and what thoughts drove her presence in the Murim Alliance.
“I will accept the task.”
“Why?”
“Because it is an excellent opportunity to test my limits.”
Bu Eunseol spoke after drawing a deep breath.
“The reason I left the Merchant Guild was because everything was already provided from the moment of my birth.”
“….”
“Whether my abilities fell short or excelled made no difference whatsoever to the operation of the Guild.”
Seon Woo Jin was like a dragon concealed within clouds.
Possessing both genius intellect and talent, the Merchant Realm was far too narrow for me to fully exercise my abilities.
That is why I came to the Murim Alliance.
Endlessly challenging tasks bordering on the impossible was, perhaps, only natural.
‘So that is why the Profound Heart Observation technique did not work.’
Seon Woo Jin was someone who devoted herself entirely to displaying her abilities without distraction.
And such a state of mind bore striking resemblance to the spiritual condition of an enlightened master who practices to cast off worldly attachments and achieve liberation.
“Very well.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded.
“Then please, Seon Woo Dae Ju, undertake this matter.”
Her eyes, which had always sparkled with mystery, suddenly lost their luminescence and became serene.
Only then could Bu Eunseol truly sense it.
All the doubts that had dwelt within her heart toward me had completely vanished.
‘She now trusts me completely.’
From her perspective, placing complete trust in one whose heart the Profound Heart Observation technique could not penetrate must have been extraordinarily difficult.
And unless that suspicion was perfectly resolved, I could never become her trusted subordinate.
Yet through this matter, she had dispelled all her doubts.
And should I complete the Geom Chong affair, an opportunity would arise to ascend more swiftly.
But there was something Bu Eunseol could not have anticipated…
That the incident at the Cheon In Sect Branch would completely transform the objectives the Murim Alliance had pursued.
And that her relationship with Gong Son Dan Gyeong would shift dramatically as well.
* * *
Tae Pyeong Mountain.
It was where the Tae Pyeong Branch of the Cheon In Sect, which had its headquarters in the Yellow River Region, was situated.
Yet for the past several years, something massive had been under construction on the mountainside where this Tae Pyeong Branch stood.
And finally, what was completed was a colossal structure that appeared to have been carved from an entire mountain.
The Cheon In Sect claimed that within this building lay the legendary Geom Chong.
Those who heard this tale scoffed mockingly.
I suspect that the Cheon In Sect created a plausible mechanism and has been deluding Murim practitioners with it.
However, rumors spread that Cho Chung, who was once a third-rate swordsman, entered the Cheon In Sect and obtained divine swords and secret manuals, becoming an extraordinarily skilled master.
As a result, Murim practitioners of mediocre martial prowess flocked to the Geom Chong created by the Cheon In Sect.
―There are rules to enter the Geom Chong.
However, the Cheon In Sect did not allow just anyone into the Geom Chong; instead, they imposed rules of their own creation.
The rules, designated as the Eight Rules of the Geom Chong, were as follows.
First.
Only Murim practitioners thirty years of age or younger are permitted to enter the Geom Chong.
Second.
All weapons and personal belongings must be left behind before entering the Geom Chong.
Third.
The gates of the Geom Chong open whenever one hundred applicants gather, and one must pass through a total of three gates.
Fourth.
While passing through the gates, the dantian must be sealed to prevent the use of inner energy.
Fifth.
Once inside the mechanism, one cannot abandon the trial midway.
Sixth.
From the moment one enters a gate, life cannot be guaranteed.
Seventh.
And should any of these rules be violated, one forfeits their life.
Eighth.
One cannot enter the Geom Chong without signing an agreement acknowledging these terms.
The Murim practitioners were taken aback.
They could die if they broke the rules or entered the gates, and they were asked to sign an agreement absolving the sect of responsibility?
When word of the Eight Rules of the Geom Chong spread, ordinary commoners scoffed.
―Who would go with such rules in place?
But that was a mistaken assumption.
Murim practitioners are those who stake their very lives on the sword and secret manuals.
Should one pass through all the gates and be chosen by a sword within the Geom Chong, they would obtain divine swords and secret manuals capable of dominating the Murim.
For those Murim practitioners not yet renowned, and for those whose wings had been broken for various reasons,
this was truly an opportunity as precious as a dream.
The crowd murmured with anticipation.
As if to prove those words, countless Murim practitioners formed long queues before Tae Pyeong Mountain that day as well.
Most were third-rate martial artists in their thirties.
They had come to Gangho with dreams of ascending to greatness, but had obtained neither fortune nor exceptional masters. Thus, they believed this place was their final opportunity.
“More than a hundred have gathered!”
Someone cried out at that moment.
According to the Eight Rules of the Geom Chong, a minimum of one hundred applicants must gather to open the gates leading into the Geom Chong.
The problem was that numerous applicants had come before, yet all of them had entered the Geom Chong and never emerged.
Nevertheless, the Murim practitioners paid no heed and continued to gather.
After all, wasn’t Murim a place where those who wagered their lives on the edge of a blade gathered?
And before long, over a hundred had arrived.
No—nearly two hundred martial artists had converged simultaneously by sheer coincidence.
“Over a hundred have gathered now, so open the doors!”
The assembled Murim practitioners shouted with loud voices.
Their expressions were all brimming with hope.
If they could enter Geom Chong.
They believed they would surely be chosen by the sword and become masters who transcended Murim.
Reflecting their desperate circumstances, most of the martial artists gathered at the entrance of Geom Chong, which had been established on Tae Pyeong Mountain, wore shabby attire.
Most considered this their final chance in life, having staked their very existence to come here.
Yet some martial artists in splendid garments and fine clothing were also visible.
They wore masks or veils across their faces, as if unwilling to reveal their identities.
Bu Eunseol wore Seon Woo Jin’s face, but had applied medicinal paste and smeared charcoal soot across it. At first glance, she appeared merely like a third-rate martial artist’s visage.
‘Quite a crowd.’
Bu Eunseol, observing the throngs packed at Geom Chong’s entrance, narrowed her eyes.
She had come here to investigate Geom Chong under Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s orders.
Yet the Cheon In Sect members guarding Geom Chong paid no attention whatsoever.
Whether they belonged to the Orthodox Sects or the Demonic Path, whether they were male or female—none of it mattered.
They only discerned whether one had passed thirty years of age or not.
Kunk, kunk, kunk, boom.
Finally, Geom Chong’s doors opened, and a figure emerged wearing an intricately crafted, blood-stained Ghost-Face mask that sent shivers down the spine.
It was none other than the Ghost-Face Messenger of the Cheon In Sect.
―Formidable.
The martial artists who beheld the Ghost-Face Messenger widened their eyes greatly.
From the Ghost-Face Messenger’s body emanated an invisible aura—the kind only exceptional swordsmen could manifest.
The Cheon In Sect could never have recruited such a superior martial artist. Surely this was someone who had obtained a sword from Geom Chong itself.
“Before entering, let me confirm the rules once more.”
Then the figure in the Ghost-Face mask spoke in a low voice.
“Once you enter, you cannot exit again. Should you perish while traversing the trials, you must sign an oath accepting full responsibility for your own fate.”
The voice of the masked martial artist resonated as if he were speaking from inside an overturned cauldron.
The sound was profoundly deep and resonant.
“I say again—should anyone over thirty years of age enter Geom Chong, they will die. Should you fail to follow the internal rules, you will also die.”
He spoke while regarding the martial artists.
“Inside, there is a place where you will sign the oath. Instructions on how to write it are displayed there alongside brush, ink, and paper—follow them precisely.”
And he added one more thing.
“You need not declare your affiliation or name. However, you must personally transcribe the contents exactly as written.”
―Sign an oath accepting responsibility even unto death?
When he actually instructed them to sign such an oath, several martial artists protested.
Then the Ghost-Face Messenger spoke loudly, infusing his voice with inner power.
“If you wish to refuse, you may leave now. No one will compel you.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening quietly from behind, nodded in acknowledgment.
Whether the Cheon In Sect had fabricated a false Geom Chong or not remained unclear, but the Geom Chong Eight Rules they had created clearly delineated responsibility.
Even if martial artists died in this place and evidence of it was obtained, the Murim Alliance could not hastily impose sanctions.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Bu Eunseol followed the procession inside and inscribed an oath with brush and ink.
Observing how they collected the oaths without meticulously verifying them,
it seemed they did not regard the identities of the incoming martial artists as particularly important.
‘That person…’
Bu Eunseol spotted a familiar face among the martial artists inscribing oaths on the opposite side.
Though a face veil obscured his features, his sharp, irritable eyes alone were enough to reveal his identity.
‘Cheon Hwa In.’
It was none other than Cheon Hwa In, the Grand Master of Hwasan and the one who had competed with Bu Eunseol for the position of Jeol Jeong Dae Lord.
‘Why would a cripple appear here?’
Cheon Hwa In had conspired with Gu Elder of the Murim Alliance and employed various schemes to seize the position of Jeol Jeong Dae Lord.
But when all his machinations crumbled, his internal power suffered a catastrophic decline, leaving him a cripple.
Yet he seemed intent on making a comeback, and had apparently come here after hearing rumors of Geom Chong.
‘He has left Hwasan.’
If he still held the status of a Hwasan disciple, he could never seek out a sect like the Cheon In Sect.
In other words, he had already severed his ties with Hwasan.
‘That makes perfect sense.’
Cheon Hwa In, a former Grand Master, had already stepped into the Transcendent Realm and was a figure of great promise.
But his deplorable character had been exposed, leaving him in a precarious position.
He had sought a turning point by becoming a Murim Alliance Lord, yet instead his power had drastically diminished, rendering him a cripple.
Remaining in Hwasan in this state would only bring him ridicule and contempt, never a return to former glory.
He had abandoned Hwasan to attempt a comeback once more.
Should he obtain the Divine Sword and its secret techniques from Geom Chong, he could fill the void left by his greatly diminished power.
‘That speaks to his desperation.’
Cheon Hwa In, who had sacrificed everything to stand tall in Murim once again.
As if to prove his circumstances, madness gleamed in the eyes of the masked Cheon Hwa In.
“We shall proceed to the First Hall. Before that, we will examine the dantian.”
Once all the martial artists had inscribed their oaths, the Ghost-Face Messenger stood rigidly in the Corridor leading to the gate.
And each time people entered the Corridor, he examined their dantians with ruthless precision.
‘Sealing their internal power…’
Had there been someone who entered with intentions other than seeking Geom Chong, they would have been greatly alarmed.
But Bu Eunseol possessed a secret technique—the ability to create an inner dantian to conceal her power.
Before entering, she had already reduced her cultivation to two hundred years’ worth and dispersed the remainder by creating inner dantians.
Even if they examined her dantian or attempted to suppress her power, her internal energy would never be truly suppressed.
However, since she had no intention of deceiving regarding her identity as Seon Woo Jin, she had not lowered her power further.
“Hmm.”
The masked martial artist’s eyes gleamed as he examined the Blood Sealing Point of Bu Eunseol’s dantian.
It seemed he had discerned through the recoil that I possessed roughly two centuries’ worth of inner energy, and he appeared quite startled by this revelation.
Finally, once he had sealed the dantians of all the martial artists, the gateway to the opposite side opened.
“A final warning.”
The Ghost-Face Messenger spoke once more in a solemn voice.
“Once you enter the gateway, there is no turning back, and those who violate the rules shall perish instantly.”
Yet the martial artists remained utterly unmoved by his chilling proclamation.
The Cheon In Sect, already rumored to be an evil organization in whispered circles.
From the moment they had resolved to enter this place, they had come prepared to stake their lives.
“….”
When no one moved to leave, the Ghost-Face Messenger withdrew a metal key from his robes and turned it in the lock set upon the wall.
With a metallic click, the door swung open, and the martial artists filed through.
The first gateway was a vast cavern riddled with countless branching passages.
“Endure here for one day, and you shall pass the first gateway.”
The martial artists exchanged bewildered glances with one another.
Even with their inner energy suppressed, how could merely surviving in a cavern for a day constitute a gateway trial?
It hardly deserved to be called a gateway at all—it seemed far too simple.
“After one day, the door shall open again.”
Thud.
The Ghost-Face Messenger opened the door and departed immediately.
As he left, the martial artists seemed to feel a wave of relief, and they began laughing and chattering amongst themselves.
“What a grand gateway they’ve set up, yet all we must do is endure for a single day?”
“The cavern is quite spacious and pleasant. Even three hundred people could survive here comfortably, let alone a hundred.”
People gathered in small groups, talking and laughing.
Boom.
But then, a strange vibration resonated throughout the cavern.
In that same instant, the light that had illuminated the cavern vanished in a heartbeat, and the interior transformed into absolute darkness.
“What is this?”
All the martial artists, their inner energy suppressed, could not pierce through the darkness to see.
Hisssss.
Simultaneously, an acrid stench mingled with a bloody fragrance spread in all directions.
The martial artists, who had been stumbling about in the darkness, froze, sniffing at the blood-scent wafting through the air.
“It’s the Dan Hun Sect’s Demonic Fragrance!”
Someone cried out.
The Dan Hun Sect’s Demonic Fragrance.
It was a toxic incense of the Dan Hun Sect, already marked as a public enemy of Murim and long since destroyed, possessing the ability to ignite murderous intent.
Though the Demonic Path possessed similar demonic spirit pills, the Dan Hun Sect had been hunted down and exterminated as a public enemy precisely because
this Demonic Fragrance could trigger such violent killing frenzies, inducing an extreme murderous impulse.
“Ahhhhh!”
Those poisoned by the Demonic Fragrance let out agonized cries and shrieks.
In less than a moment, countless martial artists, trapped in hallucinations, had begun attacking people indiscriminately.
“Argh!”
“Gasp!”
Screams filled the pitch-black Cave, echoing endlessly.
Even without access to inner energy, those of the Murim possessed naturally keen senses and bodies honed through rigorous training.
When such individuals descended into madness and clawed at each other like beasts, the darkened Cave transformed into an absolute hellscape.
Rustle, rustle.
Yet the Cave held more than just those fighting in their frenzy.
Tap, tap, tap.
From the moment smoke began to rise, some had sensed the abnormality and bolted into the Branching Passages of the Cave.
As combat erupted, they wove through the maze-like passages, evading the chaos.
‘Not an ideal approach.’
Yet such a method drained stamina rapidly and created noise that drew unwanted attention.
After a moment’s deliberation, I crept instead toward where the fighting raged.
The blood wind had already swept through; corpses lay scattered across the ground, their breath long gone.
I moved among them, lay down quietly, and suppressed all presence.
Even the boldest Murim warrior found it difficult to lie among the grotesquely slain.
But I had worked as an assassin since childhood, so lying among corpses stirred no revulsion in me.
‘Simple, yet devastatingly effective.’
Playing dead to survive on the battlefield—an ancient survival secret passed down through the ages.
Yet when fierce combat erupts in such darkness and confined spaces, most lose all reason.
That is why even such a simple method escapes their minds.
‘If this incense burns all day, people will suffocate to death. Once they believe they’ve culled enough, they’ll surely stop releasing it.’
As I predicted, the smoke from the Dan Hun Sect incense gradually began to thin.
Yet the people seemed oblivious, continuing their savage struggle, biting and tearing at one another.
‘If they’re offering Geom Chong’s blade, why thin out the warriors with Dan Hun Sect incense?’
Are they selecting those with mental fortitude strong enough to resist it?
Or do they seek those capable of slaughtering countless enemies and surviving even in a maddened state induced by the incense—
Those possessing exceptional combat instinct and overwhelming killing intent?
But why, then?
‘Regardless, I must survive first.’
If they seek someone with overwhelming killing intent, I need only show blood-soaked madness.
If they seek exceptional mental clarity, I need only display lucid eyes despite being drenched in gore.
‘Hmm.’
Yet something felt wrong.
Lying on the ground, I felt a strange irregularity against my back.
When I carefully touched it with my hand, I felt a groove deep enough to fit a finger.
With so many dead, the groove was filled with blood.
“Hehehehe!”
Then, a figure caught my eye.
A person laughing like a wild wolf, attacking others with frenzied abandon.
It was Cheon Hwa In.
‘The man has actually regained his vigor through the Dan Hun Demonic Fragrance.’
Addicted to the Dan Hun Demonic Fragrance, he overflowed with vitality, biting and clawing at those around him.
The withered appearance of depleted cultivation and crippled state had vanished, replaced by a beast that craved blood and slaughter.
‘He was never suited to be the sect leader of Hua Shan in the first place.’
Cheon Hwa In possessed a narrow temperament and an intense killing intent.
Had he become sect leader, Hua Shan would have walked the path of decline without end.
‘That is why the Orthodox Sects evaluate their successors from multiple angles.’
The Demonic Path cares only for strength and ability—character and virtue matter little.
But in the Orthodox Sects, which prize righteousness and legitimacy, selecting the wrong leader invites irreversible calamity.
Thus, choosing a sect master demands far more time and effort from the Orthodox Sects than from the Demonic Path.
The Nine Sects One Alliance need not be mentioned, and even the Murim Alliance, after selecting the verified Seven Lords, subjects them to endless competition and repeated verification.
‘What is truly strange is the Cheon In Sect.’
Judging by the scale of the gateway constructed to enter the Geom Chong, it is far too vast to have been built by a mere branch.
Could it be Sam Gye then?
The probability was low.
Sam Gye had always manipulated individuals and forces like puppets to achieve their desires.
But summoning third-rate martial artists through divine swords and peerless martial arts, only to have them destroy themselves—
There was nothing to gain from such an endeavor from their perspective.
Thump, thump.
Yet at that moment, Cheon Hwa In, who had felled countless people, walked directly toward where Bu Eunseol lay.
“There’s a rat-like creature here.”
Remarkably, he had precisely detected Bu Eunseol’s steady breathing among the pile of corpses.

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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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