The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 522

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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 522.
The Elite Division was the Information Division.
The Information Division’s most critical mission was the acquisition of intelligence and the disruption of hostile forces.
Moreover, the most grueling and difficult task for information operatives was agitation and manipulation.
Yet the Elite Division members, under Bu Eunseol’s guidance and training,
possessed not only exceptional martial prowess but also profound mastery of concealment and infiltration techniques such as the Gyemyeong Nine Techniques.
―Begin!
Had these been ordinary information operatives, they would have had no idea where to start with such a mission.
But they dispersed without hesitation, each beginning to agitate and manipulate the common folk throughout Dan Yong County.
In the minds of the operatives,
Bu Eunseol’s words—distilled to their essence to ensure mission success—echoed ceaselessly.
―The Cheon In Sect manipulated the common folk through emotions of anger and hatred.
Now you must turn those very methods back upon them.
The lives of ordinary people are always arduous and wearisome.
Thus they perpetually need an outlet for their rage.
The masses are always captivated by sensational material.
And the more distinct and formidable the target, the more effective the manipulation.
The Cheon In Sect exploited this, branding the Murim Alliance’s martial artists as a malevolent force that would devastate their homeland.
Particularly, the common folk already harbored resentment toward martial artists, whose battles laid entire regions to waste.
Once the proper circumstances and setting were established, they acted of their own volition.
―However, the Cheon In Sect’s method of agitation has a critical flaw.
Bu Eunseol explained to the operatives.
―Spread the rumor that the Cheon In Sect originally planned to use Dan Yong County as a sacrificial pawn to block the Murim Alliance’s forces.
And she added one more thing.
―When spreading rumors, never do it directly. Rather, leave them with a pleasant impression—as though they haven’t received any grand reward, but merely feel good about themselves.
Persuading common folk cannot be accomplished in a short time.
Yet if you employ money wisely, you can win their favor quickly and spread rumors with remarkable speed.
However, you must not spend excessively.
Large sums breed resentment or the feeling of being bought, making people reluctant to spread the rumors further.
―Most of those who blocked the roads were common folk, with only a handful being actual Cheon In Sect members. From now on, our division simply needs to turn their own schemes back upon them.
Bu Eunseol imparted the stratagem to her operatives.
Creating existence from non-existence.
A strategy that blends truth and falsehood to forge a new truth—the highest principle of all military treatises.
The supreme strategy spoken of in every military manual is to discern the enemy’s core strategy and then cleverly reverse it to your advantage.
Bu Eunseol had begun to turn the very methods the Cheon In Sect employed against them.
―Those damnable bastards!
The Elite Division operatives infiltrated villages throughout the region, beginning their agitation and fabrication.
Armed with ample funds, they gathered people and stirred them once more into fury by weaving truth and falsehood together.
And all that rage was directed at a single target: the Cheon In Sect.
In mere moments, the sentiment of the villages had reversed entirely.
Of course, the members of the Cheon In Sect were not fools either.
They had stationed informants throughout the village to observe the situation of the common people.
When the Elite Division members incited public opinion and manipulated the narrative, they immediately attempted to report it to their superiors.
But that was their mistake.
Bu Eunseol had already mobilized the Sa Hon Dae and seized control of the intelligence network throughout the Yellow River region.
As the Cheon In Sect’s spies became active, she swiftly exposed them and publicly humiliated them, thereby igniting the villagers’ anger and condemnation once more.
―That one pretended to be a villager, I heard!
―Turns out they were actually a Cheon In Sect member!
The hidden Cheon In Sect members were driven to madness.
While they were mixed in among the villagers.
How could outsiders possibly identify them so flawlessly when even the villagers themselves could not distinguish them?
―The Cheon In Sect member who concealed their identity to deceive the common people ultimately could not overcome their guilt and took their own life, I heard!
Moreover, they disguised their deaths as suicides and then incited public opinion even more provocatively.
It was a far more cunning exploitation of the Cheon In Sect’s own vicious methods of manipulation.
―It seems we were mistaken.
―Indeed. The Murim Alliance members endured our outrageous behavior without complaint and did not simply leave.
―Moreover, the Murim Alliance warriors have been stationed in the village recently and have been helping the people, or so I hear.
―With such dedication and sincerity too. They even repaired our homes.
After four days and then six days had passed, the common people’s opinion of the Murim Alliance had shifted to favor in an instant.
“Truly a remarkable person.”
Thanks to the Elite Division’s exploits, the Cheon Mu Dan led by Muk In Hyeok passed through Dan Yong County while receiving warm hospitality from the common people.
Reversing the common people’s opinion once it has turned requires considerable time and resources.
Yet Bu Eunseol had changed public opinion in merely six days.
She had accomplished this by turning the Cheon In Sect’s own schemes against them, creating seeds of doubt.
By mixing falsehood with truth to cloud their judgment, and then providing them with a clear target for their anger.
It was as if she had set fire to straw, and it burned of its own accord.
“Seon Woo Jin. Truly not an ordinary person.”
I had thought him merely someone clinging to Chief Gong Son Dan Gyeong, coveting power.
Yet he possessed wisdom beyond imagination.
“How has such a person remained unnoticed until now….”
The Elite Division, lacking a proper affiliation, had been treated as an afterthought since the third-rate Lords.
But as they continuously accumulated merit and finally succeeded in achieving peace with Yeol Ha Sung Palace, the name of the Elite Division’s commander rose throughout the Murim Alliance.
Until then, Muk In Hyeok had paid little attention.
It was only after Chief Gong Son Dan Gyeong spread rumors that he came to know the name Seon Woo Jin.
But now, to think such an exceptional person existed?
“I had thought him merely someone clinging to power.”
Now it seemed that Chief Gong Son Dan Gyeong had recognized his exceptional abilities early on.
And by keeping him close at her side, it had actually resulted in unfavorable rumors spreading instead.
“So she intends to elevate him one step further.”
Muk In Hyeok himself had climbed to the position of Vice Commander of the Cheon Mu Dan through countless trials and tribulations.
I instinctively sensed that Bu Eunseol’s appointment as temporary commander in this campaign was no mere coincidence.
“But unfortunately, becoming a first-rate Lord requires more than just strategy.”
Since Cheon Geom’s era, becoming a first-rate Lord of the Murim Alliance had become extraordinarily difficult.
Especially for someone so young to achieve such a rank was nearly impossible.
This was because the appointment now required the approval of more than half of the senior leadership of the Murim Alliance.
Which meant it wasn’t just the upper echelon.
It required achievements so monumental that all members of the Murim Alliance would recognize and approve.
Rising to first-rate Lord status through mere exceptional strategy alone was virtually impossible.
“Well, that’s not my concern anyway.”
Muk In Hyeok efficiently mobilized his warriors.
And finally, the main headquarters of the Cheon In Sect came into view in the distance.
The massive structures of the Cheon In Sect, sprawling across ten thousand pyeong of land, resembled the legacy of legendary giants from ancient times.
“Money is wonderful. You can actually see how thickly they’ve spread it on.”
And around the Cheon In Sect, a formidable defensive line had been constructed.
They were prepared to fight against the Murim Alliance’s forces.
“All units, listen!”
Muk In Hyeok shouted briefly and decisively.
“Sweep them away!”
Crack!
With the Iron Star Division of the Cheon Mu Dan at the vanguard, the battle against the Cheon In Sect finally began.
A low rumble echoed.
In that instant, the sky darkened and a faint mist rose from the ground.
Simultaneously, the members of the Iron Star Division at the front suddenly moved as if trapped underwater, their movements sluggish.
The Cheon In Sect had unleashed their bizarre sorcery once more.
“I wondered when they’d use it.”
Muk In Hyeok, observing the battle, let out a scornful laugh.
“Formation arrays are one thing, but sorcery is easy to break.”
Through the traps the Shin Wi Dan had encountered at Jangsan Gorge, I had already deduced that there were masters among the Cheon In Sect skilled in formation arrays and sorcery.
With not just the Cheon In Sect but countless evil sects throughout the Murim.
To counter such bizarre sorcery, the Murim Alliance maintained the Pa Sa Jeon Dae, a specialized unit dedicated to researching sorcery and counter-sorcery techniques.
It was the Wol Young Dae.
And Muk In Hyeok was an expert who had come from that very unit.
“It’s been a while since I’ve used the Chuk Sa Geom Gab.”
Muk In Hyeok retrieved a large wooden chest bound behind his saddle.
Clang clang clang clang clang!
As he infused it with inner force, dozens of blades poured forth, embedding themselves sequentially into the ground across the surrounding area.
“Vanish!”
As Muk In Hyeok deployed the sorcery-breaking technique, white light flowed from the blades.
The darkened sky brightened, and the Iron Star Division’s movements returned to normal.
“Charge!”
The Cheon Mu Dan warriors immediately rushed toward the Cheon In Sect disciples and drew their blades.
They unleashed a barrage of formation techniques, incantations, hidden weapons, and poisons in succession, but it proved insufficient to contend with the Cheon Mu Dan’s martial prowess.
Eventually, the Cheon In Sect’s defensive line crumbled under the weight of superior martial skill they could not withstand.
Just as the Cheon Mu Dan members moved to advance swiftly inward as if they had been waiting for this moment,
Boom!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
In that same instant, the bodies of the Cheon Mu Dan warriors scattered like shrapnel.
“That is…”
Muk In Hyeok’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
One of the Cheon In Sect disciples’ bodies detonated like a bomb, scattering in all directions—was this truly happening?
Gangryong Tak Bi Hun.
A technique of poison masters—rupturing one’s body with a single breath of vital energy to perish together with the enemy.
The fragments scattered by the explosion were saturated with lethal toxins, and bone shards and flesh were dispersed in all directions like hidden weapons.
It was a forbidden secret technique banned throughout the Murim due to its brutally devastating power.
Yet the Cheon In Sect, which had no connection whatsoever to poison cultivation, had produced poison masters in vast numbers.
And they had mastered this forbidden technique?
Boom! Crash!
Every time the Cheon Mu Dan warriors charged to break through the defensive line,
explosions invariably erupted.
The Cheon In Sect disciples outnumbered the Cheon Mu Dan by tenfold.
Moreover, with disciples trained in Gangryong Tak Bi Hun liable to self-destruct at any moment, the Cheon Mu Dan warriors could not penetrate deeply into enemy territory.
Whenever a section of the defensive line seemed to collapse and the Cheon Mu Dan surged inward,
they would once again deploy Gangryong Tak Bi Hun, inflicting massive casualties.
“This is troublesome.”
Muk In Hyeok, observing the battle’s progression, widened his eyes.
If the Cheon In Sect had cultivated poison masters versed in poison arts, the Murim Alliance’s intelligence network would surely have detected it.
Cultivating poison masters required vast wealth and time, after all.
Yet not only had the Cheon In Sect secretly cultivated masters of poison arts,
but they were unhesitatingly detonating these poison masters they had painstakingly developed over years?
Among the countless disciples, it was impossible to distinguish which poison masters were deploying Gangryong Tak Bi Hun.
As the situation reached this point, a bizarre phenomenon was unfolding—despite the defensive line being breached, the Cheon Mu Dan could not easily advance inward.
Whoooosh!
The moment they advanced even slightly deeper, explosions erupted alongside toxic fluids and bone fragments scattering in all directions like hidden weapons.
Yet in a melee where allies and enemies were intermingled, they could not unleash sword energy or hidden weapons to kill indiscriminately.
“Tch.”
Muk In Hyeok bit his lip.
As long as the Cheon In Sect disciples held their ground in this manner, there was no way to breach the defensive line and penetrate into the Cheon In Sect.
“Damn it!”
The same predicament faced Seong Jo Young’s Shin Wi Dan, attempting to enter the Cheon In Sect through Jangsan Gorge.
In fact, with vast plains stretching before them, the Cheon In Sect disciples, outnumbering them tenfold, had encircled the Shin Wi Dan.
Every time the Shin Wi Dan demonstrated their superior martial prowess and pierced through the enemy’s defenses to advance into the Cheon In Sect, countless streams of venom and bone fragments scattered like hidden projectiles, laying waste to several zhang of surrounding area.
More Cheon In Sect disciples fell, yet not a trace of fear flickered in their eyes.
If we forced our way in under these conditions, we risked total annihilation of our entire force.
―Retreat!
In the end, Seong Jo Young had no choice but to order his subordinates to fall back.
* * *
On the Ha Seo Plain, in the Murim Alliance’s camp, Muk In Hyeok and Seong Jo Young sat side by side, their faces etched with frustration.
They had suffered devastating losses from the Cheon In Sect’s unexpected tactics and were forced to retreat.
Had they pressed the assault, even capturing the Cheon In Sect would have cost the Shin Wi Dan and Cheon Mu Dan catastrophic casualties.
“This is utterly incomprehensible,” Muk In Hyeok said, shaking his head.
How could a mere evil sect, no matter how wealthy, have restored the techniques of the Mighty Dragon Trampling Poison and cultivated so many poison masters capable of wielding it?”
“Indeed,” Seong Jo Young exhaled a frustrated sigh and continued.
“To make one’s entire bloodstream so lethally toxic as to execute the Mighty Dragon Trampling Poison requires a minimum of three years, sometimes as long as five. And yet they unhesitatingly detonated these poison masters they spent such fortune and time cultivating. It makes no sense whatsoever.”
Muk In Hyeok nodded in agreement.
“Unless we receive reinforcements—either massive quantities of ranged siege weapons or additional troops—I don’t see how we can take them with our current forces.”
Seong Jo Young sighed deeply.
“You’re right. If we press the attack as things stand, even victory would exact a terrible price on the division.”
“Then reinforcements are our only option?”
“Hah.” Seong Jo Young muttered with an expression of utter disbelief.
“To request additional troops just to deal with an evil sect…”
The Cheon In Sect’s completely unexpected combat tactics and defensive strategies had forced both division commanders to acknowledge that without additional reinforcements, even victory would inflict irreversible damage.
Footsteps echoed.
Bu Eunseol entered the tent.
The depth and clarity of her gaze, combined with her confident stride, caused both men to instinctively rise from their seats.
“I’ve heard the situation,” Bu Eunseol said without preamble, addressing them directly.
“Reinforcements are not an option.”
“Not an option?” Seong Jo Young’s eyes widened as Bu Eunseol spoke with measured calm.
“As you yourself noted, the Murim Alliance committed two entire divisions against a mere evil sect.”
“And?”
“If we fail to repel them and request reinforcements instead, we announce to all the Murim that the Alliance has been defeated.”
“What does it matter if word spreads? We’ll crush the Cheon In Sect to dust regardless.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head with a grave expression.
“If it becomes known that the Alliance requested reinforcements, the sects that have remained neutral will actively intervene on the Cheon In Sect’s behalf.”
The implications hung heavy in the air.
Every word she spoke carried the weight of strategic necessity.
The situation had shifted beyond mere military calculation.
Politics and perception now dominated the battlefield.
Bu Eunseol’s presence commanded absolute attention.
Her analysis cut through their despair like a blade.
The path forward demanded not reinforcements, but a different strategy entirely.
The Cheon In Sect maintained considerable connections with the Evil Sects throughout the Yellow River region.
When rumors spread that the Murim Alliance was bringing a massive force, the Cheon In Sect immediately sought their assistance.
However, no sect was willing to readily answer their call. After all, they could never hope to defeat the Murim Alliance in direct combat.
But what if word spread that the Cheon In Sect had easily defended against two divisions of the Murim Alliance in this battle?
They would believe fighting the Murim Alliance was manageable and would certainly rush to join the Cheon In Sect.
“Even if we cannot achieve victory, if we drag this into a prolonged conflict, the Ben Maeng will have no choice but to seek a reasonable settlement. We must never request reinforcements.”
The two division commanders silently nodded at Bu Eunseol’s explanation.
Stationing the Murim Alliance’s divisions in the Yellow River region for an extended period would ultimately mean massive financial losses.
“Hmm.”
A sound of realization escaped from the lips of Muk In Hyeok and Seong Jo Young.
Only now did they grasp that annihilating the Cheon In Sect was no simple matter.
“Then what would you suggest?”
Seong Jo Young spoke the words before he could stop himself, immediately regretting them.
Such words were tantamount to acknowledging Bu Eunseol as a military strategist.
Though Muk In Hyeok might not mind, he had absolutely no intention of recognizing a second-rate Lord as acting Chief.
Yet after witnessing everything Bu Eunseol had handled thus far, he instinctively recognized that she was a strategist no less capable than Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
“I simply meant—if you have something to explain, explain it quickly.”
Seong Jo Young let out a scoff, and Bu Eunseol opened her mouth.
“The Kangryong Takbi Hoon is a secret technique that only exceptional poison masters can master.”
“That much is already known.”
“If the Cheon In Sect had truly cultivated so many poison masters, they would not need to engage in this tedious siege warfare—they would have marched directly into Ha Seo to compete with our main division.”
Seong Jo Young and Muk In Hyeok nodded simultaneously.
They too had been unable to understand this all along.
A poison master capable of wielding the Kangryong Takbi Hoon would have cultivated poison techniques worthy of renown throughout the Gangho.
To use such masters of poison arts merely as expendable weapons for mutual destruction made no financial sense whatsoever.
“Then…”
At Muk In Hyeok’s murmur, Bu Eunseol answered.
“They are not poison masters who formally trained in poison techniques, but rather individuals forcibly injected with poison over a short period and saturated with it. After all, if they are to wield the Kangryong Takbi Hoon, their blood need only be converted to poison liquid by any means necessary.”
“Are you saying the Cheon In Sect researched such methods?”
“There is no need for research. They need only recruit those who already possess such knowledge.”
“Recruit?”
“Indeed. What surprised me most while gathering intelligence and traveling the Gangho recently was discovering that Inhwa circulates covertly. This suggests there are far more individuals in the Gangho who specialize in human modification and research than one might expect.”
This time, Muk In Hyeok asked the question.
“Then you are saying they are Shil Hoon In saturated with Inhwa?”
“That is unlikely. Shil Hoon In are clearly distinguishable from ordinary people. The Cheon In Sect likely employed secret techniques such as Dokjinbanryeong to rapidly enhance strength and accelerate poison adaptation in a short time.”
After hearing Bu Eunseol’s explanation, Muk In Hyeok tilted his head in confusion.
“Even so, if we cannot distinguish them, what good does that do us?”
“We can distinguish them. Since they were saturated with poison in such a short time, they must certainly be experiencing side effects. Noticeable side effects at that.”
“Noticeable ones?”
“When poison is saturated into the human body, do side effects not occur?”
Seong Jo Young, who had been listening silently, spoke coldly.
“No matter how chaotic the melee was, if such distinct details were visible, there’s no way I, as Vice-Commander, wouldn’t have noticed.”
They were Vice-Commanders of the Seven Great Units.
Though they hadn’t engaged in extensive Murim activities, they were entirely comparable to those called the next generation of sect leaders.
If there had been something distinctly different about those wielding the Kangryong Tak Bi Hun, there was absolutely no way I could have failed to perceive that difference.
“They had been preparing for battle with the Murim Alliance for a long time. From the moment they planned to create the Poison Cultivators in a short period, they would naturally have concealed such symptoms.”
“Absurd. Anyone could say such things, couldn’t they?”
As Seong Jo Young scoffed, Bu Eunseol didn’t answer immediately and changed direction.
“But there is a part that absolutely cannot be concealed.”
“Cannot be concealed, you say.”
“What happens first when Murim practitioners are exposed to poison for an extended period?”
“That depends on what kind of poison one becomes addicted to, doesn’t it?”
“When creating Poison Cultivators, naturally the toxicity is weakened using the principle of using poison to counter poison so it doesn’t threaten life. There is no such thing as a true poison.”
Seong Jo Young, his pride wounded, racked his memory with all his might.
“When chronically poisoned, the skin peels off, or… blood seeps out from the blood vessels.”
“That cannot be called a light symptom. If it had reached that point, Vice-Commander Seong would surely have distinguished it.”
As Bu Eunseol continued to withhold her answer, Seong Jo Young’s face flushed red.
―Anyone could say such things, couldn’t they?

Those words he had just spoken in mockery.
He now realized that it was he himself, Seong Jo Young, who was uttering such words.

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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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