The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 52

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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 52.
This time, I could have cleanly severed his neck instead of his shoulder.
Yet Seok Jeong deliberately angled his blade toward Bu Eunseol’s shoulder instead.
―Assassins like you have no choice but to take your own lives when cornered.
As Bu Eunseol turned Seok Jeong’s words over in her mind, brilliant threads of light streamed from her eyes.
She understood which technique to employ.
And at last, she had discovered the method to kill Seok Jeong with absolute certainty.
‘This man has made two irreversible mistakes.’
Seok Jeong, who had slain countless assassins targeting him until now.
He was a pervert who savored the ecstasy of watching assassins with no escape descend into despair and take their own lives.
His first mistake was granting Bu Eunseol the time to achieve enlightenment.
‘The second mistake is….’
Seok Jeong had drawn an ordinary blade from the weapon rack instead of his signature weapon, the Black Killing Saber.
It was confidence that he had no need for his secret weapon—but for Bu Eunseol, it was a golden opportunity.
Zing!
As Bu Eunseol pushed the Beast Saber to its absolute limit, her pupils dilated.
Simultaneously, the trajectory of Seok Jeong’s blade strikes became visible to her.
‘I must collide with it!’
Bu Eunseol flooded her blade with Reverse Extreme Force, then placed her left hand on the assassin’s sword sheathed at her back.
The moment blade and saber clashed once more,
Crash!
Both Seok Jeong’s saber and Bu Eunseol’s blade shattered like glass simultaneously.
Bu Eunseol had poured all her Reverse Extreme Force into her blade, employing the technique of heavy sword mastery.
“What?”
Seok Jeong froze momentarily, never expecting an intact blade to shatter.
Throughout countless battles, he had never seen an inner force-infused weapon break.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s left hand drew the assassin’s sword from her back and she darted into Seok Jeong’s embrace like lightning.
Slice!
Just as the sharp blade pierced ruthlessly through the center of Seok Jeong’s chest,
“You!”
Seok Jeong reflexively unleashed a palm strike.
Boom!
With the explosion, thick dust scattered in all directions.
Yet Bu Eunseol stood firm while Seok Jeong, who had released the palm strike, was instead driven several steps backward.
“Your body is remarkably resilient.”
One of the Reverse Extreme Heart Method’s remarkable properties was that when external force permeated the body, it naturally generated counter-force.
Though Seok Jeong was a master of saber techniques who had dominated Gangho for years, his inner force could not match Bu Eunseol’s.
“You… this woman….”
Only now did Seok Jeong realize that Bu Eunseol was an entirely different opponent from the assassins he had toyed with until now.
Drip, drip.
Crimson blood streamed from the wound near Seok Jeong’s chest where Bu Eunseol’s blade had pierced him moments before.
Watching the volume of blood flowing from his body, Seok Jeong felt an ominous premonition that he might not survive this.
‘There’s no choice.’
Seok Jeong quickly thrust his hand into his robe.
He was attempting to sound a horn to alert others to the intruder.
But this was Seok Jeong’s third mistake.
‘Now!’
Sensing the opening in Seok Jeong’s stance, Bu Eunseol unleashed her Extreme Speed Shadowless technique, launching herself forward in a blur.
“You bastard!”
Panicked, Seok Jeong swung his shattered saber, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
The broken saber and the Salshu Sword barely scraped past each other.
Bu Eunseol’s intact blade pierced directly into Seok Jeong’s heart, while his broken saber failed to touch her body at all.
“A Salshu… mere child… how could I…”
Seok Jeong stared down at the blade embedded in his chest,
then collapsed.
His head struck the stone floor of the Stone Chamber with a heavy thud.
“Huff… huff…”
Bu Eunseol sheathed her sword, breathing heavily.
My first real combat against a master of Gangho, a battle for my life. It had been far more intense and precarious than I had imagined.
“Even the masters of Gangho cannot escape the poison of carelessness.”
Seok Jeong had undoubtedly possessed far superior martial skill than Bu Eunseol.
But by underestimating his opponent and allowing himself to become careless, he had crossed a river from which there was no return.
Whoosh.
Bu Eunseol surveyed her surroundings.
Fortunately, since she had dealt with him before he could sound the horn, the area remained silent. After a moment’s consideration, she lifted the lid of a large urn and placed Seok Jeong’s corpse inside.
Then she tore his clothing and carefully wiped away all traces of blood scattered about the floor.
“At this rate, it won’t be discovered for at least a day.”
As I emerged from the Palace Hall, dawn was beginning to break.
Taking a deep breath, I slipped quietly out of the Blood Yin Evil Sect and returned to the merchant vessel anchored in the harbor.
* * *
―The Black Saber Seok Jeong was murdered within the Blood Yin Evil Sect!
―Moreover, he wasn’t assassinated—he was defeated in direct combat!
As such rumors spread around Akyangbu, the martial artists of Gangho scoffed.
―Nonsense. Who would infiltrate the Blood Yin Evil Sect and commit such an act?
Setting aside the formidable backing of the Blood Cult, who was the Black Saber Seok Jeong?
A wandering swordmaster who had roamed Gangho alone for over a decade with nothing but a single blade.
Though he held the lowly position of Vice-Master of the Soul Absorption Sect, that was only because he had recently joined the Blood Yin Evil Sect.
To think that such a master of the blade had been killed within the Blood Yin Evil Sect—not through assassination, but in direct confrontation?
―A broken blade fragment was discovered in Seok Jeong’s hand. Someone had destroyed it with a heavy sword.
But when rumors spread that a shattered blade had been found in Seok Jeong’s grasp, the martial artists of Gangho fell silent.
Who in the world had infiltrated the Blood Yin Evil Sect, fought Seok Jeong alone, and killed him?
Whoooosh.
Beneath the hazy sky, a fine drizzle pattered down steadily.
Huixuan Ancient Book Store.
One of the secret branches of the Guusal Unit, this place had long been disguised as an antiquarian bookshop.
Apart from the occasional scholar coming to buy and sell rare volumes, its sole function was to organize and process orders from above.
“Ahhh.”
Ma Woon, who had been gazing at the rain pouring past the window, yawned as he spoke.
“With rain like this, I should have a cup of turbid wine tonight.”
Having sorted and organized the intelligence that came from headquarters, he was tidying the bookshelves like an ordinary clerk.
“Is it finally done?”
Just as Ma Woon stretched and rose after neatly arranging the shelves,
Creak.
The old door opened, and a shadow slipped through the rain-soaked street.
It was Bu Eunseol.
The subject of the rumors shaking Akyangbu.
When the formidable sword master who had single-handedly cut down Seok Jeong suddenly appeared, Ma Woon found himself stammering without realizing it.
“W-welcome!”
With a courteous expression, he rubbed his hands together and spoke.
“You’ve found our humble shop again.”
“I enjoy books….”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly, then abruptly pointed toward the inner chamber where Ma Woon had been.
“There were some useful books in there before. May I take a look?”
“You’re already searching for another book?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“Well, it’s not that it’s not allowed….”
As Ma Woon hesitated with an awkward expression, Sang Ryang, who had been sitting inside, rushed out and spoke.
“Sir. Rather than this, wouldn’t it be better to speak inside the chamber?”
“Very well.”
After guiding Bu Eunseol into the secret chamber, Sang Ryang gave a meaningful glance to Ma Woon, who followed behind.
Thud.
As the chamber door closed, Sang Ryang cleared his throat and spoke.
“Did you truly eliminate Seok Jeong?”
“I did.”
“By what means? How?”
At Sang Ryang’s urging, Bu Eunseol furrowed her brow.
“Must I explain?”
“Hm?”
“I heard that the branch only provides support regarding the mission itself, not its execution.”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
Sang Ryang, finding himself at a loss for words, spoke again.
“So you’re saying you want to take on another mission right now?”
“That’s correct.”
“That’s not possible.”
Sang Ryang spoke with a serious expression.
“The Deputy Sect Master of the Blood Yin Evil Sect has been killed. Right now, the Blood Yin Evil Sect is in a frenzy, tearing apart the entire Dongjeong Lake region searching for the culprit.”
“That doesn’t concern me.”
“Orders have come down from above to exercise restraint.”
“When you say ‘above,’ which organization are you referring to?”
“That’s… something you don’t need to know.”
“Then there’s no reason I must follow such orders.”
When reasoning failed, Sang Ryang spoke in a persuasive tone.
“Originally, it’s a principle—or rather, an unwritten rule—that all members of the Guusal Unit rest for at least four days after completing a mission and returning.”
“Why is that?”
To Bu Eunseol’s persistent question, Sang Ryang wiped his brow and answered.
“If you go out on consecutive missions, don’t fatigue accumulate and concentration drop, increasing the failure rate? That’s why it’s customary to rest quietly for about four days after completing a mission.”
“I see.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol seem satisfied, licking her lips slightly.
Then she calmly extended her hand.
“What is it?”
“Three thousand taels.”
“Ah, please wait a moment.”
Coming to his senses, Sang Ryang left the secret chamber and returned.
He then handed Bu Eunseol thirty vouchers.
“What are these?”
“Thirty vouchers worth one hundred taels each. They’re issued by the Shanxi Silver Vault Bank, so you can rest assured.”
“Mm.”
Taking the vouchers, Bu Eunseol stared intently at Ma Woon.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol flicked a hundred-tael voucher she’d been holding.
“Whoa!”
As the white voucher flew toward him, Ma Woon instinctively scrambled to catch it.
“What’s this?”
“Payment for two assassin’s blades and a night-traveling robe.”
Ma Woon stared at the voucher. Two worn blades and a night-traveling robe together weren’t worth more than ten taels.
“Keep the change.”
Bu Eunseol, looking down at Ma Woon, spoke in an impassive tone.
“Go have a drink of turbid wine.”
With that, I turned sharply and walked out of the Stone Chamber.
“That, that insolent bastard!”
Regardless, Ma Woon was also a master of the Demon Palace.
But when some newcomer from who-knows-where dared to be disrespectful, his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.
“I disguised myself as a clerk, and he actually treats me like one?”
Just as Ma Woon rolled up his sleeves and began to chase after me with a huff,
“Ehehehe!”
Sang Ryang, who had been watching my retreating figure, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“This is no ordinary person. Which sect sent someone like that?”
“Brother.”
“Can you guess which faction it might be? I truly have no idea.”
“Brother. Is that really what matters right now? That bastard just disrespected me!”
Surprisingly, Ma Woon, who usually addressed Sang Ryang as “sir,” was now calling him “brother” when they were alone together.
“Don’t worry about your pride. Keep an eye on him from now on. I’m constantly watching people die, but unexpectedly, we’ve acquired someone quite useful, haven’t we?”
The new Guusal Unit members who had worked in the Ayang branch so far rarely lasted more than a year.
Since this was a region where rival factions clashed, the missions were extremely perilous. Because of this, even some experienced members were avoiding work at the Ayang branch.
“But this one….”
“Then will you handle the field work yourself?”
“Hmm.”
Ma Woon smacked his lips as if he had no choice.
Though I was disguised as a clerk, it was only because of unfortunate circumstances. My status was not low enough for work like this.
“If things go well, we might finally escape this place.”
If we acquire a capable member and handle the missions successfully, promotion is practically guaranteed.
“From now on, handle Agent Eighteen well and assign us missions of the third rank or higher. If our Ayang branch’s reputation rises in the eyes of our superiors….”
Sang Ryang, who had been smiling quietly, narrowed his eyes into crescents.
“We brothers will finally be able to leave this dreary place.”

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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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