The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 541

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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 541.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung gazed at Bu Eunseol’s rigid expression and smiled coldly.
“You always pretend to be cold, but in truth, you’re weak to sentiment.”
He knew it well.
Though Bu Eunseol appeared to maintain an indifferent demeanor at all times, in reality, she observed those around her with meticulous care and cherished them deeply.
And exploiting that very weakness, Hyuk Ryeon Eung had perfected a cruel trap.
He had infiltrated the Demon Palace covertly, then slipped into the Sayoung Battle Division.
There, he had woven the Hollow Spirit Soul Corruption Technique upon the warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division, transforming them into puppets.
Ultimately, he had orchestrated a plan to make Bu Eunseol and her subordinates destroy one another—to ensure she could never rise again.
To shatter her very spirit into irreparable fragments.
Crunch, crunch.
The warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division, who had been encircling the Reed Field, advanced toward Bu Eunseol with vacant, unfocused expressions.
“Do you wish to fight me?”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s lips curved upward as he regarded the motionless Bu Eunseol.
“Then first, you must cut down all your cherished subordinates.”
The warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division had already drawn perilously close behind Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
Click.
Bu Eunseol, as if resigned to her fate, reversed her grip on her blade.
It was an aggressive stance—ready to strike the moment they drew near.
“So you’ve made your decision.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
“Though I suppose subordinates can always be recruited anew… it might be a reasonable choice after all.”
Yet for all his words,
Hyuk Ryeon Eung was certain of one thing.
Bu Eunseol would never easily cut down her subordinates.
Had she been so ruthless?
She would have already entered the Path of Boundless Demons and become the Supreme Demon of Tianxia.
Crunch, crunch.
Just as the warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division were about to pass Hyuk Ryeon Eung,
Whoosh!
Something extraordinary occurred.
Won Se Moon, Jo Nam Cheon, and Wi Cheon Gyeong, who had been leading the advance,
suddenly spun around with lightning-swift movements and attacked Hyuk Ryeon Eung simultaneously.
Crash!
Yet their attacks cut through empty air.
With his terrifying preternatural senses, he had detected the killing intent behind their assault and leaped desperately into the void to evade.
“What is happening?”
Though he had evaded the attack with ease, Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s expression had turned rigid.
Those who should have lost their consciousness under the Hollow Spirit Soul Corruption Technique and followed only his commands—
how could they suddenly regain their senses and strike at him?
“You’re saying you broke through the Ethereal Soul Concealment Technique?”
“Well, of course I did.”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly, watching the bewilderment cross Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s face.
“A master of soul-stealing arts has been targeting me all along—I had to prepare defenses.”
Bu Eunseol, who had regained his memories in Beggar Village and returned alive.
From the day I learned that Hyuk Ryeon Eung had mastered soul-stealing techniques surpassing even Hwan Wang.
I had been continuously researching countermeasures against his attacks.
If Hyuk Ryeon Eung, possessing such soul-stealing arts, were to infiltrate the Demon Palace?
I could not overlook the fact that he could turn not only the ordinary officers but even the subordinates of the Sayoung Battle Division into puppets.
“It was quite difficult, though.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, the lords of the Sayoung Battle Division surrounding Hyuk Ryeon Eung exchanged glances and trembled.
―It was far more than merely difficult….
And at the same time, they began to recall events from the past.
* * *
Jam Ma Gak, Great Conference Hall.
Bu Eunseol and the lords were conducting their meeting with grave expressions.
“…In other words, with Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s abilities, he could infiltrate the Sayoung Battle Division at any time and turn all our members into puppets.”
Bu Eunseol, who had barely recovered his memories in Beggar Village and returned.
Despite reaching the pinnacle of martial prowess at the Extreme Heaven Realm, I was still insufficient to counter Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s soul-stealing techniques.
Fortunately, with the help of Tung Bo and Bu Bok Woon, I recovered my memories, but that was purely by chance.
Had there been no series of events to awaken my memories? I would have lived eternally as a beggar in Beggar Village.
‘Though it ultimately turned calamity into fortune.’
When Bu Eunseol, who had completely lost his memories, regained them once more.
Qi erupted within my emptied body, and thanks to that, I underwent a transformation as though receiving an artificial foundation-building baptism.
Ultimately, a complete rebirth occurred, and my martial power surged dramatically, reaching the sixth level of the Inverse Extreme Heart Method.
Through this, I even achieved spiritual enlightenment.
I no longer needed to fear Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s soul-stealing techniques…
But the problem was that the subordinates of the Sayoung Battle Division could not achieve the same.
“If he decides to attack me, he will certainly attempt to breach the Sayoung Battle Division first.”
Just as Hyuk Ryeon Eung understood Bu Eunseol well.
Bu Eunseol understood Hyuk Ryeon Eung equally well.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung had grasped all of my tendencies. His attack would surely begin by extending his claws toward my subordinates as well.
“Soul-stealing arts, soul-stealing arts.”
“It’s vague.”
Murmur, murmur.
All the lords, including Yu Woon Ryong, muttered gravely upon hearing those words.
But no matter how much they deliberated, there seemed to be no way to defend against an attack from a master of soul-stealing arts like Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
After a long and exhausting meeting yielded no answers, the lords of the Sayoung Battle Division sought counsel from those with exceptional medical skills within the Demon Palace, including Medicine King Hall Master Gyo Jung Hak, and masters of soul-stealing techniques.
But if someone of Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s caliber, capable of using soul-stealing techniques, were to secretly enter the Demon Palace with intent to harm?
They reached the conclusion that defense itself would be impossible from the outset.
—There was no answer.
After days of meetings without finding a solution, the Lords grew grave.
There were many ways to kill Hyuk Ryeon Eung, but what if he came in secret and unleashed his Absorption Heart Technique?
In that case, only Bu Eunseol could stop him.
“Damn it all.”
Won Se Moon scratched his head vigorously as he spoke.
“If defense itself is meaningless, wouldn’t it be better to find a way to bite one’s own tongue if caught by the Absorption Heart Technique?”
At those words, the Lords in the conference room’s eyes gleamed.
—Not defense, but a method to awaken?
Finding a thread in Won Se Moon’s grumbling, the Lords nodded as if surprised.
“What?”
When the attention around him seemed strange, Won Se Moon blinked.
“Is my opinion odd?”
“That’s not it.”
At that moment, Jo Nam Cheon, who had sighed, spoke for all the Lords’ true feelings.
“Even a glutton like you can be useful. It’s truly moving enough to bring tears.”
“You bastard? You dare speak?”
Just as Won Se Moon was about to shout, Yu Woon Ryong nodded.
“Won Se Moon, your words are the answer.”
And he continued calmly.
“Unless one possesses an exceptional Absorption Heart Technique or a mental barrier, only ‘pain’ can break through the Absorption Heart Technique.”
At that moment, Wi Cheon Gyeong spoke.
“But we don’t know when or where he’ll appear like a ghost and capture our subordinates. We can’t endure constant pain to prepare for that, can we?”
“Hmm.”
Then Bu Eunseol devised a brilliant plan.
“If we develop a device that inflicts pain when someone is caught by the Absorption Heart Technique, wouldn’t that work?”
—Brilliant!
Finding a thread from Won Se Moon’s words and a method from Bu Eunseol’s words, the conference room came alive with energy.
And they began developing a device that could awaken someone caught by the Absorption Heart Technique.
But that too was not an easy task.
When caught by the Absorption Heart Technique, one loses all reason immediately.
There was no way to voluntarily feel pain or anything of the sort.
—Then wouldn’t torture every hour work?
At Won Se Moon’s nonsense spilling out once more,
—Brilliant!
—Yes! There was such a method!
—This bastard. Could he be a genius pretending to be a fool?
The Lords rejoiced and rushed to Won Se Moon, shaking his shoulders, tousling his hair, and pinching his cheeks.
—We’ve done it!
And finally, they had completed it.
With the assistance of Gyo Jung Hak, the Medicine King Hall Master of the Demon Palace, the Night Craftsman of the Nangya Sect, and Wang Gyeol of the Iron Craftsman Guild.
They had developed a unique mechanism that allowed one to awaken even after being caught in the Absorption Restriction Technique.
It resembled the metal wrist guards that martial artists wore at all times.
However, its interior contained an intricate mechanism… A button would pop out at intervals of half a quarter hour.
If one failed to press the protruding button within a quarter hour?
A device jointly developed by Wang Gyeol of the Iron Craftsman Guild and Gyo Jung Hak, the Medicine King Hall Master.
A special Tail-Severing Needle would shoot out, delivering excruciating pain.
“If one is caught in the Soul-Stealing Confusion Technique, they wouldn’t be able to think about pressing this device.”
Yu Woon Ryong gazed at the Lords and smiled with satisfaction.
“Even at the latest, they would regain consciousness within half a quarter hour.”
Won Se Moon, who had been listening to Yu Woon Ryong’s lengthy explanation while pointing to the wrist guard, blinked his eyes.
“Can such a trivial needle-shooting device truly break through such a formidable absorption technique?”
“An excellent question.”
Yu Woon Ryong approached Won Se Moon with an admiring expression.
Click.
And immediately, he fastened the wrist guard onto Won Se Moon’s hand.
“What are you doing?”
As Won Se Moon expressed surprise, Yu Woon Ryong produced a medicinal pill from his bosom instead of answering.
“Take it.”
“What is it?”
“The Hundred-Knot Bear Gall Pill. A miraculous elixir.”
The Hundred-Knot Bear Gall Pill was a wondrous medicine that enhanced one’s martial power, but it had two major drawbacks.
Despite its grandiose name, the power-enhancement effect was negligible.
And because the medicinal components were so potent, once the effects spread, one would lose consciousness for two hours as if dead.
In short, it was merely an elixir in name.
In reality, it was closer to a bizarre poison that induced unconsciousness—a sedative.
That was precisely what the Hundred-Knot Bear Gall Pill was.
“Lord Yu. Are you testing this on me now?”
“It is not a test.”
Yu Woon Ryong patted Won Se Moon’s shoulder and spoke with conviction.
“You will become the hero who saves our Sayoung Battle Division.”
The hero who saves the Sayoung Battle Division.
Upon hearing those words, Won Se Moon displayed a radiant smile.
And he readily shook his head in refusal.
“I must decline, I’m afraid.”
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
In the end, all the Lords of the Sayoung Battle Division rushed forward and forcibly pried open Won Se Moon’s mouth.
After making struggling sounds for a while, Won Se Moon was forced to swallow the Hundred-Knot Bear Gall Pill.
Not long after, his head drooped to the side and he slumped into unconsciousness.
The Lords watched with tense expressions.
And finally, after half an hour had passed,
Click.
When the button remained unpressed, the device installed in the wrist guard quietly activated.
Whoosh!
As the tail needle burrowed deep into the wrist and dispersed microscopic needles,
Jolt!
Won Se Moon, who had been lying motionless, sprang to his feet in an instant.
Like a freshly forged corpse puppet, he bounced upright as if propelled by a spring.
“You’re awake?”
Jo Nam Cheon approached Won Se Moon, whose eyes were wide and vacant despite his serene expression, and asked.
“Are you alright? Does it hurt?”
Won Se Moon calmly gazed down at his own wrist.
“No, I’m fine.”
Bubble, bubble.
Yet contrary to his calm reply, white foam was bubbling from his lips.
“Ryeong Ju, this device works well. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Bubble, bubble.
As Won Se Moon continued speaking matter-of-factly, foam ceaselessly poured from his mouth.
“But something’s strange? Why am I floating into the air?”
The Lords’ eyes widened in shock.
Won Se Moon wasn’t painless at all.
The agony was so unbearable that his spirit had temporarily separated from his body.
“Wow? Fascinating? Is everyone watching? Am I flying through the air?”
Gulp.
The Lords swallowed hard with tense expressions as they watched Won Se Moon laugh cheerfully while spouting nonsense.
The effect was undeniable.
At that level, even if Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s grandfather cast a soul-sealing technique, they could awaken from it.
―I hope Hyuk Ryeon Eung doesn’t come.
The Lords clasped their hands together earnestly while gazing at the wrist guard.
And they desperately prayed that Hyuk Ryeon Eung would not find them and cast a soul-sealing technique.
So they would never have to experience the torment of that tail needle.
* * *
―But in the end, they had tasted that tail needle!
When the Sayoung Battle Division Lords awakened from their recollection, their eyes blazed uniformly with hellish infernal flames.
Because of the mechanism mounted on their wrists.
They could awaken within half an hour of being subjected to Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s soul-sealing technique.
But that pain.
That pain was too excruciating to describe in words.
If forced to describe it, invisible needles piercing the wrist scattered into hundreds, burrowing through the meridians and spreading,
It was agony as if every blood vessel in their entire body had been transformed into burning embers.
Burning alive would have seemed far less agonizing than this.
Tears streamed down.
The Lords who wiped away their surging tears could say with certainty:
If this Gal Mi Needle were used,
Even corpses would be unable to endure the agony and would leap from their graves.
To shatter the formidable soul-binding technique known as Gong Ryeong Cho Hun Mi Eo Ra,
Master craftsmen like those from the Iron Craftsman Guild and physicians like Gyo Jung Hak had spent three months researching with a single goal: ‘pain alone’.
“This… how is this possible?”
While Hyuk Ryeon Eung stood bewildered,
―Kill them!
―Seize that damned old man first!
―Put it on him too!
The Lords of the Sayoung Battle Division, burning with madness, began hurling themselves at Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
“You lunatics!”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung was an exceptional master,
Yet seeing warriors charging with eyes rolled back and foam at their mouths sent a chill through his chest.
“Don’t be absurd. Did you truly think I would place my faith in mere dogs like you?”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung was known as a master of practical martial arts, but that was merely a facade created for public consumption.
In truth, he wielded soul-binding techniques and employed superior strategy and tactics
To command his subordinates—he was closer to a strategist than a warrior.
He had prepared another contingency in case the soul-binding techniques of the Sayoung Battle Division warriors were broken.
Shrill!
As he whistled through his lips, black shadows slowly emerged from beneath the Reed Field.
They were Shil Hoon In that had been stationed underground in this region long ago.
“Not ordinary Shil Hoon In, but ones equivalent to Gyeol Ma Yeon Okh In with superior martial prowess infused into them…”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s words trailed off.
Crash! Screech!
The warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division, consumed by rage and murderous intent,
Seemed more like soulless constructs than the actual Shil Hoon In themselves.
Screech! Shatter! Crash!
As they slashed about in frenzy, the flesh walls of the Shil Hoon In hidden in the Reed Field crumbled in an instant.
“Hehehehe! Do you taste the Gal Mi Needle now?”
The warriors of the Sayoung Battle Division, having severed their bonds with reason, not only wielded their martial arts but also bit and spat upon the Shil Hoon In.
Against that unceasing madness,
Even the fearless Shil Hoon In faltered, unable to fully display their strength.
“Where are you looking?”
Screech!
In that moment, a massive sword aura coiled around Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s neck.
Bu Eunseol had drawn near and unleashed the Nong Jo Yeon Woon technique.
“Impossible.”
Whirrrrr.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung waved both hands in a frenzied blur.
The razor-sharp sword qi of the Nong Jo Yeon Woon style melted away like snow.
It was the formidable power of Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s supreme technique, the Emperor’s Golden Wall Palm.
I had no need to face this man head-on in direct combat.
Bu Eunseol possessed immeasurable martial prowess beyond measure, and had inherited all of the Nangya Sect’s martial teachings.
There was no reason to risk my life fighting someone who grew stronger even during battle.
“Until next time, then.”
Whoosh!
As Hyuk Ryeon Eung raised his hand, the Black Shadow appeared once more around the Reed Field.
They were Gyeol Ma Yeon Og warriors with towering frames exceeding seven feet, massive as mountains themselves.
Slash!
Bu Eunseol immediately severed their necks, but
Zing.
With the sound of a massive metal object resonating, deep sword marks remained on their necks.
It seemed these warriors had mastered formidable external martial techniques like Iron Skin Technique.
At worst, they were prepared to buy time for escape.
Bu Eunseol marveled at Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s meticulous preparation.
Excellent!
Bu Eunseol drew upon his inner power and swung his blade once more.
Scrape.
With another swing, the Gyeol Ma Yeon Og warrior’s neck was nearly severed.
Yet they charged forward without hesitation, as if to crush Bu Eunseol beneath their weight.
A brilliant gleam flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Whooom!
As I infused the Muk Hon Sword with formidable inner power, a pristine white sword light flowed forth.
Shwoosh!
Simultaneously, sharp-edged sword qi spread in all directions.
I intended to combine the keen sword qi with the Yeui Jin Gyeol technique to obliterate their bodies in one stroke.
Roaaaaar!
Like the sound of a waterfall cascading down.
The sharp sword qi spreading in all directions ensnared the Gyeol Ma Yeon Og warriors like a net.
Thud. Thud-thud-thud.
They attempted to counter the sword qi with their martial techniques, but ultimately became chunks of flesh carved into rectangular pieces.
Yet in that moment, Hyuk Ryeon Eung had vanished in an instant.
“Truly meticulous indeed.”
Click.
Bu Eunseol sheathed the Muk Hon Sword with a bitter expression.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung was a man who knew how to use his mind, contrary to appearances, and had made thorough preparations for various situations.
Moreover, his skill in escape seemed no inferior to the Breath Concealment technique itself.
“Time truly is fleeting, isn’t it?”
Yu Woon Ryong approached Bu Eunseol at that moment.
“On Hell Island, he seemed like an absolute master rivaling Ma Cheon Je.”
He shook his head slowly and sighed as he muttered.
“Somewhere along the way, he’s become a mere rat that doesn’t match his stature. Wouldn’t you say?”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung—the Dharma Protector of Demon Hall and a master of practical martial arts whose reputation once shook the heavens.
In the past, he too had appeared to Bu Eunseol as a supreme expert who dominated the Demonic Path.
But now, only his strategist’s aspect—employing superior manipulation techniques and cunning tactics—seemed more pronounced.
This itself was evidence of how much stronger Bu Eunseol had become.
“But he is still formidable.”
Yu Woon Ryong let out a derisive laugh at Bu Eunseol’s words.
“A strong man flees that readily?”
“Perhaps because he has much to lose.”
Wi Cheon Gyeong, wiping blood from his face with his sleeve, spoke calmly.
“That old man holds a high position in the Three Realms, does he not? There would be no need for him to stake his life in direct confrontation with the Ryeong Ju.”
Then Bu Eunseol, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
“No, it’s quite the opposite.”
Bu Eunseol, gazing in the direction Hyuk Ryeon Eung had fled, spoke with conviction.
“He likely holds a diminished position within the Three Realms.”
“What? Surely not?”
“If he could utilize the power of the Three Realms, he could have attacked me through countless methods. Yet he deliberately intercepted the Sa Hon Dae’s intelligence network and laid traps.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with certainty.
“He is someone who understands Demon Hall’s structure well. The Three Realms’ intelligence network surpasses Bon Jeon’s network—yet he went through such convoluted means to lure me. It’s far too obvious.”
“That could be true.”
Yu Woon Ryong nodded.
“If he held a key position in the Three Realms, he would have brought at least a Sa Ja with him. There’s no way he’d bring mere Shil Hoon In as subordinates.”
“Precisely.”
“But there’s something odd.”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke as if utterly bewildered.
“When he infiltrated Bon Jeon and dominated the Lords one by one through manipulation techniques, wouldn’t he have been able to use us as hostages to keep you completely immobilized?”
If he had subdued all the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division through mind control, he could have used that as leverage to threaten Bu Eunseol.
Or he could have mobilized massive forces to eliminate Bu Eunseol decisively.
Yet he attempted to make Bu Eunseol and the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division destroy themselves?
While that might be satisfying, considering the scale and power of the Infinite Realm, it was a rather meager plan.
Yu Woon Ryong tilted his head, unable to comprehend.
“Why did he go through the emergency signal system to lure you?”
“So Ja…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as something occurred to him.
He realized that only So Yo could have sent such a signal.
‘He’s dangerous!’
But there was one more person.
It was So Ja Myeong, the commander of the Guusal Unit, who had created this emergency communication system.

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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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