The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 538

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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 538.
“Stop spouting nonsense!”
Gok Jeong bellowed and charged toward Bu Eunseol, gripping a short blade in both hands.
“You’ve been waiting for me all this time for the same reason, haven’t you?”
With bloodshot eyes, he rushed forward like a madman seeking a companion to accompany him to the afterlife.
He stood motionless.
Bu Eunseol calmly watched Gok Jeong approach, then reversed his grip on the Slayer Demon Sword.
“Let’s end this now.”
Thud!
At that moment, a dull sound echoed.
It was the kind of impact one might hear from striking a thick slab of meat with a blunt object.
Whoosh.
The Gok Jeong who had been charging vanished, and suddenly his figure appeared behind Bu Eunseol.
It turned out that Gok Jeong’s rushing form was merely an illusion created by the demon sword and moonlight.
In reality, he had been unfolding a lethal assassination technique from behind Bu Eunseol.
And Bu Eunseol had immediately sensed Gok Jeong’s true position and thrust the pommel of the Slayer Demon Sword deep into his lower abdomen.
“How…?”
Gok Jeong looked down at his abdomen in disbelief.
“This assassination technique should have been impossible to detect.”
“Did you truly believe you could grow stronger through a demon sword alone, without cultivating martial arts?”
Bu Eunseol exhaled slowly.
“The Murim contains many such techniques.”
The reason Bu Eunseol could so easily counter this move
was that he had previously broken through a very similar technique—the Phantom Mirage of Takyol Hwang, a master of the Blood Flame Sect.
Moreover, since it was executed solely through the demon sword’s functions, it lacked the profound subtlety of the original.
From Bu Eunseol’s perspective, it was like watching a child charge forward with eyes closed.
“Evading invisible attacks is hardly difficult for masters with extensive experience in the Gangho.”
His senses, having reached the realm of Hollow Heart Penetrating Spirit,
could instantly detect that Gok Jeong’s form created by light and sword energy was an illusion, while his true body lay behind him.
Ultimately, the demon sword’s functions that Gok Jeong had been so confident about
were nothing particularly remarkable from Bu Eunseol’s perspective.
“So that’s how it was…”
Drip, drip.
Gok Jeong’s body trembled like an aspen leaf, thick blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
“I was nothing but a frog in a well.”
Though it appeared he had merely been stabbed lightly in the lower abdomen with the sword pommel, his lower dantian had been completely destroyed.
As his cultivation energy gradually dissipated from his body, he experienced agony beyond description.
“Even with such perception, without reaching a realm that transcends time and flow, one cannot mount a counterattack.”
“Have you been fighting solely through the demon sword’s functions all this time?”
Bu Eunseol had grasped the general situation.
That Gok Jeong could wield the Splitting Form Sword Technique. That he could deploy yet another new sword technique.
It was all because of the power the Demonic Sword possessed.
“If you knew, why ask?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“I didn’t know. I learned by watching you.”
Gok Jeong stared at Bu Eunseol with a vacant expression.
Her eyes blazed with spiritual essence, and an inviolable majesty radiated from her entire being.
“Don’t tell me you’ve ascended to the Extreme Heaven Realm.”
Only then did he grasp the full truth, and he laughed with a hollow expression.
“Hahahaha!”
And he shook his head as if it were absurd.
“I see. It wasn’t the Demonic Sword’s power at all—just pure skill.”
“….”
“No matter how exceptional a Demonic Sword is, it cannot bridge such a gap.”
Gok Jeong’s martial prowess had not yet reached its pinnacle.
But once the Demonic Sword’s functions allowed him to unleash formidable sword techniques in rapid succession,
he had believed he could defeat anyone.
His laughter ceased, and he gazed toward the distant sky with anguished eyes.
“With the Splitting Form Sword and the Hell Purple Heaven Sword, I thought I could conquer Tianxia itself.”
His eyes were filled with despair.
His dantian had been shattered to pieces—he could no longer live as a martial artist.
“In the end, I could not.”
Thud.
Without hesitation, he drove a short blade through his own heart.
Bu Eunseol knew he would take his own life, but she did not stop him.
She had destroyed his dantian, and she had no right to interfere.
Zing. Zing.
Then a low sword cry resonated from Bu Eunseol’s waist.
Muk Hon’s Sword was crying out to devour the Demonic Swords.
“So as long as they possess Demonic Swords, they have no choice but to fight.”
All the Demonic Swords they wielded possessed unique functions, and like the Cheon In Blood that Cheon Hwa In had used,
they even moved of their own accord, regardless of the wielder’s will.
In other words, even if one didn’t know that defeating all Demonic Sword owners would make them the supreme master of Murim,
they would inevitably fight one another.
Because defeating an opponent with a Demonic Sword made them even stronger.
Because merely possessing a new Demonic Sword granted easy power.
Martial artists who yearned to grow stronger even in their dreams could never resist this temptation.
Whoosh.
As Bu Eunseol channeled her power, the two Demonic Swords Gok Jeong had held fell into her hands.
But she felt no reaction, no function from them whatsoever.
“According to Sa Ja, only those with a Hollow Spirit Body can awaken a Demon Sword.”
Bu Eunseol pondered this, shaking her head slowly.
“Are you saying that Sam Gye—a force of that magnitude—scattered Demon Swords throughout Murim simply to have those with Hollow Spirit Bodies kill each other, searching for a successor?”
Sam Gye could easily select and cultivate exceptional martial talents.
Moreover, with their formidable intelligence network, they could locate anyone possessing such a rare physique as a Hollow Spirit Body.
It made no sense to scatter Demon Swords—weapons that only those with this specific condition could wield—among countless martial artists.
Giving them the opportunity to obtain such blades was illogical.
“Then….”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.
Gok Jeong and Wang Cheol hadn’t obtained their swords by chance in Murim.
It was far more likely that Sam Gye had deliberately given them the Demon Swords, disguising it as coincidence.
―If you survive to the end, you can become the ‘Sword’ of the main realm.
Sa Ja’s words suddenly echoed through her mind.
―Hehe. A successor, let’s call it something similar.
Sa Ja likely thought there would be no problem saying such things to Wang Cheol, who was consumed by the desire to grow stronger and knew nothing of Sam Gye.
But Bu Eunseol’s wisdom transcended imagination, and she was versed in various demonic cultivation methods.
She also understood precisely how terrifying Sam Gye was and what power they possessed.
“Similar….”
After prolonged contemplation, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
“They need a vessel capable of wielding some grand technique.”
Bu Eunseol had once stayed in Chamhoe Cave at Shaolin and, out of curiosity, read the secret texts left by the great demonic masters.
Most of the secret techniques they had carved into the stone walls were legendary in Murim.
Among them was the “Pursuit of Souls and Theft of Life Secret Canon” attributed to Gwei Ma No Jo, a master of funeral arts and sorcery.
It was a scripture explaining all the grand techniques scattered throughout Murim—not only those that actually existed, but also theoretical techniques like the “Borrowing Corpses to Return Souls Grand Technique.”
And most of the grand techniques involving humans placed extreme emphasis on a ‘vessel’—that is, special bodily conditions.
“Then is this Sam Gye researching something like a grand technique?”
Until now, the Infinite Realm had attempted to modify the human body through alchemy and pharmaceuticals.
Perhaps this new Sam Gye was attempting to alter the human body through grand techniques or unique secret methods.
“If that’s the case, then this ‘Sword’ they speak of must be someone among those with Hollow Spirit Bodies who possesses yet another condition.”
This new Sam Gye.
They hadn’t scattered Demon Swords throughout Murim—they had given them to those with Hollow Spirit Bodies.
And from among those with Hollow Spirit Bodies, they were clearly searching for individuals with additional special conditions to use as their ‘Sword.’
And because the status of this ‘Sword’ was so significant, Sa Ja must have referred to it as “something like a successor.”
“But still, I cannot comprehend this.”
If the three divisions of Sam Gye united their strength, none could oppose them.
Yet Sam Gye was clearly in conflict with itself, and from what had been revealed so far, each division was clearly raising different banners.
She had thought that once the new Sam Gye’s purpose became clear, the objectives of the Infinite Realm and Cheonghae Gye would naturally come into focus.
Instead, everything seemed to grow more complicated.
I thought that once the purpose of the new Sam Gye was revealed, the purposes of the Infinite Realm and Cheonghae Gye would naturally come into focus to some extent, but…
It felt even more complicated instead.
“The only certainty is that they’re creating the strong.”
The reason the Infinite Realm had continuously refined Cheon Hwa In and the Shil Hoon In.
Perhaps it was for the purpose of creating the ultimate Gyeol Ma Yeon Ok In—a vessel capable of inheriting the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
As if to prove this, the Shil Hoon In continued to evolve, and the Gyeol Ma Yeon Ok In that So Ok Rim had destroyed on Snow Mountain possessed
a diverse array of martial techniques.
“You fools are mistaken!”
Suddenly, the words of No Bong—once the lord of Gaebang and schemer of the Infinite Realm—echoed in my ears.
No Bong had described his actions as sacrificing the few for the greater good.
And if that were true?
Then Sam Gye, concealing their true identity, harbored an extremely dangerous purpose.
Could it be that they committed such acts to control or check them?
“But then, why would they need to be Sam Gye at all?”
If that wasn’t it either…
Sam Gye could share a singular objective, yet pursue different methods to reach that goal.
‘I have no choice but to see this through to the end.’
The fortunate thing was that through the series of events, I had grasped the outline of the secrets surrounding the demon swords and Sam Gye’s schemes.
Then perhaps through this demon sword competition, I could approach Sam Gye and unravel their secrets.
Whoooosh!
At that moment, the Muk Hon Sword released a low resonance.
It desired to consume the two demon swords Gok Jeong had wielded, as well as the Extreme Rock Demon Sword.
Zing!
Even after infusing it with Shin Ki, no particular patterns or light emerged from the Muk Hon Sword’s blade spirit.
Floating gently.
I lifted the three demon swords, including the Extreme Rock Demon Sword, into the air using spatial manipulation.
Flash! Craaaash!
As I swung the Muk Hon Sword like lightning, the three demon swords, including the Extreme Rock Demon Sword, shattered into fragments in mid-air.
* * *
The death of a low-ranking member of the Cheolsa Division stirred no particular response.
Gok Jeong, who had always lived quietly and unnoticed.
That he suddenly took his own life in the Reed Field meant no one would pay him any attention.
This is also why martial artists strive so desperately to become famous.
Because even before Death, there is no equality.
The figures of the Orthodox Sects preach that life is precious and cannot be exchanged for anything.
But that is merely shallow fantasy born of refusing to face reality—lives are not equal.
The weight of each person is absolutely different.
Deng Wu Dian, Yuk Jang Cheon’s office.
Yuk Jang Cheon patted my shoulder and laughed brightly.
“You’ve worked hard.”
I had successfully completed the flood recovery mission.
Through my skilled and exceptional command, I had surpassed the achievements of all the personnel dispatched from the Murim Alliance.
Moreover, the Elite Division had only aided the common folk and vagrants whom the Gwan Bu and Murim Alliance had turned their backs on.
Word of this spread through countless mouths, and the praise from the common people became widespread.
“You always manage to exceed expectations.”
Yuk Jang Cheon was pleased.
Though Yuk Cheong Ah wouldn’t even glance his way, Bu Eunseol handled matters so competently.
That absence hardly felt noticeable.
“I knew you’d distinguish yourself again this time, and the Lord of Yeonseong Hall has prepared another fine assignment for you, or so I’m told.”
At Yuk Jang Cheon’s words, Sang Gu Baek’s expression, which had been standing respectfully, hardened.
“What is it?”
“Well, you see…”
Sang Gu Baek spoke with an embarrassed expression.
“This mission to escort the Cold-Faced Healer has been entrusted to the Cheon Jeol Team, not the Elite Division.”
“What?”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s brow furrowed.
Why would the Cheon Jeol Team take on a mission originally assigned to the Elite Division?
“It seems the Lord of Yeonseong Hall had originally planned it that way… and granted discretion to them instead.”
“Baek Mu Sung. So they switched divisions to pile work onto him.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s face twisted.
Yuk Cheong Ah had always planned many things in advance.
At this rate, she could monopolize all the significant assignments that Deng Wu Dian could receive.
If that happened, the Elite Division might end up sitting idle with nothing to do.
“It’s fine.”
Bu Eunseol spoke without concern.
“Since the Main Force has been running without rest until now, a brief respite wouldn’t be amiss. Besides, if we only appear to be constantly pushing forward, it might actually reflect poorly on us.”
Those words were meant to soothe Yuk Jang Cheon’s displeasure.
But Yuk Jang Cheon was not one to sit idle.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this matter myself as the Lord of this division.”
It wasn’t only for Bu Eunseol’s sake.
If he failed to continue accumulating merit and advancing, it would affect his own prospects for advancement.
The fortunate thing was that the Lord of Yong Ban Jeon had done little of note besides recruiting Baek Mu Sung.
“Baek Mu Sung—I have considerable acquaintance with him myself.”
If Yuk Cheong Ah was a strategist who read the currents of the times well, then Yuk Jang Cheon was a tactician who achieved his goals through personal connections.
He had cultivated substantial rapport with Baek Mu Sung in the past, so resolving this matter would present no great difficulty.
‘No matter how clever one’s mind, results are ultimately determined by the relationships between people.’
Yuk Jang Cheon rose from his seat with confident laughter.
His destination was the Cheon Jeol Team, where Baek Mu Sung was staying.
* * *
Yeonseong Hall, in Yuk Cheong Ah’s office.
Across from Yuk Cheong Ah, who sat at the table, stood a tall and dignified man.
His eyes were clean and resolute, untouched by the dust of the mundane world.
It was Baek Mu Sung, who had entered as the Lord of the Second-Rank Sword Division under Yong Ban Jeon.
“It seems I didn’t appear very trustworthy to you.”
A hint of displeasure flickered in Baek Mu Sung’s dignified gaze.
“Or perhaps I appeared so lacking in ability that I should remove the ladder others need to climb.”
Yuk Cheong Ah asked without much surprise, her tone matter-of-fact.
“It seems our father, the Lord of Deung Mu Jeon, came looking for you, Lord Baek.”
“Indeed.”
Baek Mu Sung spoke with an utterly grave expression.
“The Lord of Yuk spoke with a smile, but most of what he said was criticism directed at me.”
….
“He said I was desperate enough to steal work from other Lords.”
“I see.”
Yuk Cheong Ah nodded as though she had anticipated everything.
“Let me ask Lord Baek something first.”
“Speak.”
“Isn’t your goal to become the Mu Cheon Danjoo?”
“Yes. But I have no intention of ascending through unjust means.”
“Unjust means…”
Yuk Cheong Ah exhaled deeply.
“Did you believe the Ben Maeng was a fair place?”
And she spoke in an ice-cold voice.
“Don’t be mistaken. This place is rife with schemes and machinations, where connections and the power of distribution take precedence over ability.”
….
“If Lord Baek hadn’t been Bul Jon’s disciple. If you hadn’t cultivated connections throughout the upper echelons of the Ben Maeng. Do you think you could have become the Lord of Cheon Jeol Team?”
“Of course I couldn’t have become a Second-Rank Lord. But.”
There was no wavering in Baek Mu Sung’s eyes.
“It would have been the same even if I started as a lower-ranked warrior.”
He pointed to himself and spoke with confidence.
“I could have reached the position of Mu Cheon Danjoo regardless of my starting circumstances.”
Baek Mu Sung.
He did not overestimate himself.
He was not arrogant by nature.
He genuinely believed it.
That with his abilities, even starting as a lower-ranked warrior, he would have risen to become the Mu Cheon Danjoo.
“Heh heh. Confidence is admirable.”
Yuk Cheong Ah shook her head with a smile.
“It’s because of that very confidence that our Lord chose Lord Baek as a companion.”
“Then you’re returning the mission to me as it was?”
“No, that won’t do.”
“You still don’t trust me?”
“Not at all.”
Yuk Cheong Ah spoke with unwavering conviction.
“I know your abilities are exceptional, and that such confidence isn’t mere arrogance. If I harbored any doubt, our Lord would never have extended his hand to you first.”
“Then why do you say it cannot be done?”
“Seon Woo Jin.”
Yuk Cheong Ah fixed Baek Mu Sung with an intent gaze as she spoke.
“This task will fall to Seon Woo Dae Ju instead.”
“Seon Woo Jin. You speak of that Elite Division Lord.”
“Yes. Though he hails from the Sang Gye, he is a talent that rivals even you, Baek Sohyup.”
“Rivals?”
Yuk Cheong Ah nodded with resolute certainty.
“He excels not only in strategy and martial prowess, but in all endeavors. Whatever task you set before him, he executes as though he has devoted a lifetime to it.”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, he possesses the wisdom and understanding of human nature that one would expect from an eighty-year-old sage.”
She continued with an intensity that brooked no argument.
“My concern is not your abilities, Baek Dae Ju. It is Seon Woo Jin himself—I cannot fathom what schemes he might orchestrate, what plans he might devise.”
For a moment, Baek Mu Sung’s expression grew distant.
The only talents comparable to his own were the young grandmasters whose names resonated throughout the Murim.
Even as a first-rank Lord of the Murim Alliance, he had never once imagined anyone could rival him.
Furthermore, Yuk Cheong Ah was notoriously sparing with praise.
For her to lavish such extravagant compliments was extraordinary indeed.
“He must be quite the remarkable figure.”
“Indeed. I cannot even fathom why he has remained in the Sang Gye all this time….”
Yuk Cheong Ah’s expression hardened mid-sentence.
A peculiar smile had crept across Baek Mu Sung’s lips.
“Why do you look at me that way?”
“It is nothing.”
“Do not misunderstand. He is….”
“I do not misunderstand. Merely.”
He smiled, baring his white teeth.
“A figure so praised by the Lord has simply piqued my curiosity.”
Baek Mu Sung clasped his hands together.
“I shall proceed as you command. But henceforth, refrain from such actions.”
He turned his head and spoke with measured calm.
“If you truly trust me.”
“Do you harbor ambitions of becoming a Danjoo?”
“Of course. But what use is becoming Danjoo if one does not fight with honor and integrity?”
As expected, he was a man of principle, stubborn to his core.
Yuk Cheong Ah nodded as though accepting the inevitable.
“Understood.”
“Then.”
As Baek Mu Sung left the office, Yuk Cheong Ah’s eyes gleamed.
“How fortunate.”
A subtle smile spread across her lips as she gazed at the empty space where Baek Mu Sung had been.
“He’s far more upright and honest than I anticipated.”
In truth, Yuk Cheong Ah’s effort to seize Seon Woo Jin’s assignment had been a test.
Whether this man called Baek Mu Sung could become her puppet.
Or whether he possessed an uncontrollable heart like Seon Woo Jin—she had wanted to verify this.
Fortunately, Baek Mu Sung was a virtuous man who possessed exceptional ability yet retained his purity.
If that were the case, she could manipulate him as she wished.
“Still, it is somewhat regrettable.”
Baek Mu Sung was a man in whose mind not a trace of malice could be found.
Speaking kindly, his mind overflowed with hope and passion; expressed harshly, he had a tendency to underestimate the world.
Such a man could never contend with someone of keen insight like Seon Woo Jin.
“I shall simply have to manipulate him diligently.”
From Yuk Cheong Ah’s perspective, she had seized an invaluable asset.
If a man emphasized justice and fairness so firmly, then one need only place the leash of justice and fairness upon him.
And Baek Mu Sung possessed tremendous ability precisely because he knew nothing of corruption.
“I no longer need anyone I cannot control.”
Already she had discarded not only Seon Woo Jin.
But even her father Yuk Jang Cheon beyond the pale.
“I wonder—knowing the abilities of Seon Woo Jin and Seon Woo Dae Ju, how much longer can I afford to be lenient?”
Yuk Cheong Ah wore a composed yet cruel smile.
The moment Baek Mu Sung, his pride wounded, stepped beyond the door, she immediately turned toward her destination.
That place was none other than Jeol Jeong Gak, where Seon Woo Jin resided.

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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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