The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 544

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 544.
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
The chamber had become a cauldron of chaos.
Yet a composed middle-aged man who had been listening intently rose to his feet and asked in a clear, resonant voice.
“How can he prove he is the Murim Alliance Lord?”
He was from the Nangya Sect.
The Hyeonhyeon Hall Lord, Neung Gak, who had observed O Cho Sik’s test at the White Horse Sect and aided Bu Eunseol.
“Did the Masked Assassin himself declare that he is the Murim Alliance Lord?”
“He did not.”
“Then how can you be certain he is Jeong Cheon Je?”
Neung Gak asked calmly.
“Or has the Lord become so skilled as to survive at the hands of Jeong Cheon Je?”
It was a logical and piercing question.
Geum Jang Cheon released a deep sigh, then suddenly lifted his upper garment.
A gasp escaped his lips.
The hall erupted in astonishment.
Geum Jang Cheon’s abdomen bore dozens of vicious marks where Blood Sealing Points had been struck.
It resembled a chessboard drawn in crimson paint upon human flesh.
“He severed the breath of all my warriors before I could exhale once. Then he suspended my body in mid-air and spoke thus.”
“Remarkable. You have cultivated the Forgotten Flame Technique, lost to Murim.”
Whispers erupted throughout the chamber.
The Forgotten Flame Technique was a method of the Na Bu School.
But how could Geum Jang Cheon, Lord of the Bi Sal Dang, have mastered it?
“I once obtained the secret manual of the Forgotten Flame Technique by chance at a tomb near Seo Ho. And I had never revealed this to anyone.”
Fear filled Geum Jang Cheon’s eyes.
“Yet the Masked Assassin, without moving a single finger, suspended me in the void and reversed my inner force. He perceived every circulation of my vital energy as though reading an open book.”
In that moment, a single word crystallized in every mind present.
Heaven’s Heart Scripture.
The secret technique of Jeong Cheon Je—the ability to synchronize another’s inner force cultivation method within one’s own body.
Silence fell over the hall.
Terrifying inner force capable of lifting a man without moving a finger was one thing.
But in all of Murim, was there not only one person who could perceive another’s vital energy circulation?
“Your words contain a contradiction.”
Neung Gak shook his head.
“Then you escaped from Jeong Cheon Je’s grasp as a corpse, with your inner force reversed?”
“Perhaps he believed I was dead.”
Geum Jang Cheon spoke with an expression of anguish.
“He severed all eight meridians and confirmed my breath had ceased before departing.”
“Then you became a corpse demon?”
Geum Jang Cheon’s lips curled upward as he spoke in an eerie voice.
“Impossible. I have mastered the Soul-Returning Blood-Seeking Technique. It was only thanks to that I managed to preserve my life.”
The Soul-Returning Blood-Seeking Technique.
It was a secret art that allowed one to retain a spark of life within the body, no matter what state it fell into.
Jeong Cheon Je would not have known that he had mastered this technique.
After severing the Eight Meridians, he confirmed that my breathing had ceased and quietly departed from that place.
Later, Geum Jang Cheon was discovered by the masters of the Demon Palace, and subsequently saved by the Medicine King Hall Lord’s miraculous medical arts.
However, due to Jeong Cheon Je’s methods, my inner power had vanished, leaving me a cripple.
At that moment, Yang Gu Eung raised his voice once more.
“Lord Geum. Is everything you have said thus far the truth?”
“I stake my life on it.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
The gazes of all the Lords seated in the conference room were fixed upon Bu Eunseol.
Then Yeop Hyo Cheon spoke in a low voice.
“Ryeong Ju. Do you have anything to refute?”
Bu Eunseol responded with a cold snort and a nod.
“I do.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The person Lord Geum met was not the Murim Alliance Lord, but myself.”
Yang Gu Eung’s expression turned bewildered.
“What?”
“Did you not hear me?”
Bu Eunseol smiled coldly.
“It was not the Murim Alliance Lord who crippled his martial arts, but I, the Ryeong Ju.”
Thud.
Everyone in the hall wore expressions as though they had been struck on the back of the head.
What manner of ghostly game was this?
“You mean to say that it was the Moo Hon Ryeong Ju himself who crippled Lord Geum’s martial arts?”
At Yeop Hyo Cheon’s question, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“That is correct.”
Bu Eunseol, smiling coldly, reminisced about all that had transpired and smiled.
* * *
Sang Ae Jeong.
In the past, this was where Dan So Ok, the Secret Territory Lord of the Demon Palace, and Yeon Ja Gang, the Wei Long Party Lord of the Murim Alliance, had met for negotiations.
As a result of those negotiations, the Murim Alliance claimed the Guweol Mountain region as its territory, while the Demon Palace claimed the Jeok Su Gang region as its own.
In short, it was a place bearing the history of a painful negotiation where the Murim Alliance had suffered great losses.
And now, at this Sang Ae Jeong, the heads of the Demon Palace and Murim Alliance were meeting in secret once more.
It was Bu Eunseol and Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
“How unexpected.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong, wearing a veil, brushed aside strands of hair scattered by the wind as she spoke.
“That the Ryeong Ju would summon me first. And so boldly, through the Elite Division of Lord Seon Woo, no less.”
Bu Eunseol had arranged for the message to reach Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s ears immediately.
She had summoned her through the intelligence network of the Elite Division, which Seon Woo Jin controlled.
To Gong Son Dan Gyeong, it might appear as a bold move, but in truth, Seon Woo Jin and Bu Eunseol were one and the same person.
From Bu Eunseol’s perspective, she had made contact through an absolutely secure intelligence network.
“Do you trust Seon Woo Dae Ju?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke with a provocative gleam in her eyes.
“Or do you trust me?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“I trust no one.”
And gazing directly at her, she spoke with solemn gravity.
“I, as Ryeong Ju, trust only myself.”
In other words, Bu Eunseol was.
Guaranteeing that even after making direct contact with Gong Son Dan Gyeong and the Elite Division, nothing would ever leak to the outside world.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong wore a subtle smile.
“Indeed, the Ryeong Ju commands an exceptional intelligence organization….”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded and fixed her gaze directly upon Bu Eunseol.
“I understand that this barren place is the optimal location to conceal our meeting.”
And she asked in a low voice.
“But what matter compelled you to summon me so urgently?”
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong was intent on dismantling the Infinite Realm.
And Hyuk Ryeon Eung was a pivotal figure within the Infinite Realm.
Bu Eunseol had summoned her to aid in the plan to bring down Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
‘If I emphasize that this is about dismantling the Infinite Realm, I can easily secure her cooperation.’
But she reconsidered.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong was a schemer rivaling herself. And whether Hyuk Ryeon Eung would fall into this trap remained uncertain.
Yet her assistance was absolutely, indispensably necessary.
Then a different approach was required.
‘There are times when one must cast aside pragmatism and lay bare one’s heart.’
Bu Eunseol believed that time was now.
And without hesitation, she spoke thus.
“Help me.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
She knew well that one of Bu Eunseol’s caliber would never casually ask another for aid.
For at such a station, owing a debt to another carried a price of considerable weight.
Moreover, was she not herself positioned squarely in the opposing camp?
“How unexpected.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong drew a deep breath.
“That the Ryeong Ju would speak such words to this Chief.”
“Will you help me?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Let me hear what you have to say first.”
“We must seize the Vice Lord of Bon Jeon.”
Bu Eunseol explained the situation calmly.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung—the Vice Lord of the Demon Palace and former Royal Advisor of Wei Wang Residence.
He had resurfaced in Murim, and now the time had come to eliminate him once and for all.
“So you’re saying you want to capture Hyuk Ryeon Eung, one of the key figures of the Infinite Realm.”
“Precisely.”
“Then there would have been no need to ask for my help, would there?”
The two had agreed to cooperate in order to bring down the Infinite Realm.
And since Hyuk Ryeon Eung was a member of the Infinite Realm, there was no real need to bow and ask for assistance.
“It is a plan with uncertain success.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with measured composure.
“Regardless, it carries significant risk.”
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
“He seeks my downfall. And I intend to use that very desire to strike back at him.”
Bu Eunseol referred to herself not as “the Ryeong Ju” but as “I”—
a choice that conveyed both intimacy and genuine sincerity in her request.
“For this to succeed, I need your help absolutely.”
“So regardless of success or failure, there is risk for me as well.”
“Exactly so.”
“Continue.”
Bu Eunseol spoke immediately.
“Tell me the location where Jeong Cheon Je is.”
“What did you say?”
“I know Jeong Cheon Je is not at the Murim Alliance. And I know the last person to see him was the Chief.”
Jeong Cheon Je had not made any official appearances.
But recently, someone had met with him in private—Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who had been appointed Chief of the Murim Alliance.
To ultimately ascend to the position of Chief, one required the approval of the Alliance Lord.
Therefore, she was officially the most recent person to have seen the Alliance Lord.
“That is a difficult request indeed.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s expression grew grave.
And she spoke with resolute determination.
“I must refuse.”
“….”
“If it becomes known that I revealed the Alliance Lord’s location to you, it will not end with merely my head rolling.”
If it were discovered that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had exposed the Alliance Lord’s whereabouts to Bu Eunseol?
She would immediately be branded a traitor, and the consequences would extend far beyond herself.
Her entire family, and her younger sister Gong Son Dan Ah, would all suffer the repercussions.
“Do not worry. I have no intention of actually meeting the Alliance Lord.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the Chief of Staff Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who last met with the Alliance Lord, tells me where the Alliance Lord is located… wouldn’t the Alliance Lord truly be there?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who had been lost in deep thought for a moment,’s eyes sparkled.
“Throwing a brick to get jade… so that’s your strategy.”
True to her role as Chief of Staff of the Murim Alliance, she had grasped Bu Eunseol’s plan in a single phrase.
“Precisely so.”
“But the opponent is the Dharma Protector Lord of the Demon Hall and the Royal Advisor of the Wei Wang Residence. Not only can he immediately discern if the bait is false… he might not even take the bait in the first place.”
“That’s why I need your help.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“I’ve prepared an enticing morsel, but someone must verify whether it’s spoiled food or food that can be safely consumed.”
“So you’re asking to borrow the information network of this Chief of Staff.”
“Yes.”
“This is absurd. Do you truly believe I would consent to such a thing?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
Bu Eunseol gazed directly at Gong Son Dan Gyeong and spoke with unwavering resolve.
“Because I am asking you.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes burned with fierce determination.
I am the successor of the Demon Hall, and among the new generation of masters I know, I possess not only superior martial prowess and wisdom.
But also the weightiest word.
To owe me a debt?
That was equivalent to gaining an opportunity to transform one thing that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had previously deemed ‘impossible’… into ‘possible’.
“Very well.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong took a deep breath and spoke.
“Since I know how difficult it is to owe a debt to the Ryeong Ju, I shall do as you ask.”
“I am grateful.”
Bu Eunseol pressed her palms together.
In truth, I had no certainty.
That someone like Gong Son Dan Gyeong would bear the risk and assist me.
Yet she consented readily.
This meant that the resentment Gong Son Dan Gyeong harbored against the Infinite Realm was absolutely genuine.
And the success rate of this plan had risen to seventy percent.
‘Seventy percent is sufficient.’
Bu Eunseol bit her lip.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung, who had brutally slain So Ja Myeong and sought to destroy me—I was now beginning a plan to completely shatter his wings.
* * *
The secret chamber within the hidden residence of the Demon Palace in Xian Prefecture.
“Isn’t that far too dangerous?”
Seo Jin Ha, who had been listening to Bu Eunseol’s explanation in silence, shook his head.
“If she betrays you? You’ll fall into a trap from which you can never escape.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong was, after all, the Chief of the Murim Alliance.
If she had a change of heart or harbored malicious intent and broke her promise to Bu Eunseol?
Bu Eunseol would find herself trapped in an inescapable dead end.
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be certain? Don’t you know that a woman’s heart is as fickle as a reed?”
“She is no ordinary woman. She is someone who will unhesitatingly employ even an enemy spy if they possess utility.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with conviction.
“She understands well what it means to gain a hand like mine. She will never commit such a foolish act.”
“The risk of trusting her on such reasoning alone is far too great.”
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol added one more thing.
“She certainly harbors a bitter resentment toward the Infinite Realm. Had I not been certain of that point, I would never have sought her assistance.”
“Hmm.”
Seo Jin Ha nodded faintly.
From the start, it was Gong Son Dan Gyeong who sought out Bu Eunseol, accepting that everything would crumble.
It was an action impossible to take without harboring a desperate hatred toward the Infinite Realm.
“Well, setting that aside.”
Seo Jin Ha spoke with arms crossed.
“But does it really have to go this far? Hyuk Ryeon Eung might not fall for it either. We could end up simply owing Gong Son Dan Gyeong a debt for nothing.”
“That’s possible. But there’s a seventy percent certainty he’ll take the bait.”
A flash of light passed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Hyuk Ryeon Eung. After his previous failure, he won’t engage in direct confrontation again.”
Bu Eunseol had shattered what she believed was Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s trump card technique.
Moreover, through a single exchange, she had made him recognize that direct confrontation with her was a battle where one must stake their life.
Considering Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s position and all he had accumulated,
he would never directly challenge Bu Eunseol again.
“Furthermore, he has fallen from power within the Infinite Realm and cannot exercise influence. Given that circumstance, he will execute his plan to topple my position first.”
A cold star gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“If I lay a meticulous trap by turning that to my advantage… he will certainly bite the bait.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“That won’t happen. Even if it’s a trap, I will dangle such a sweet bait that he simply cannot resist taking it.”
Seo Jin Ha exhaled a long sigh.
Though he possessed a keen intellect as well, whenever he heard Bu Eunseol’s schemes,
he always felt as though he had become a fool.
“Fine. If you guarantee it, then that’s how it will be.”
Seo Jin Ha, having sighed, nodded his head.
“Then I’ll proceed with the preparations accordingly.”
“This matter must remain known only to the two of us. It must never leak to the outside.”
“Even Yu Woon Ryong doesn’t know?”
“Of course not.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with unwavering resolve.
“The one person Hyuk Ryeon Eung watches most carefully and monitors is Yu Woon Ryong, his strategist. If he learns of this beforehand, Hyuk Ryeon Eung will never take the bait.”
“I see what you mean.”
Only then did Seo Jin Ha grasp the full scope of Bu Eunseol’s scheme, drawing a deep breath.
“So this isn’t just about capturing Hyuk Ryeon Eung alone. Is it?”
“Correct.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with unwavering resolve.
“He held the position of Dharma Protector Division Lord for a long time. There are still many in the Demon Hall who maintain connections with him or consider themselves his loyal subordinates.”
And she continued with the same firmness.
“This opportunity will allow me to uproot everyone in the Demon Hall connected to Hyuk Ryeon Eung.”
“True enough. The people of the Demon Hall would strike a deal with the Grim Reaper himself if profit was involved—not just Hyuk Ryeon Eung.”
Seo Jin Ha laughed bitterly.
“That’s simply how those of the Demonic Path are.”
The Demonic Path moves by force and power alone.
If someone offers substantial gain?
Whether they belong to the Righteous Path or Evil Sect, whether they’re officials or ghosts—it matters not at all.
“Then let us begin.”
Bu Eunseol finished speaking, and Seo Jin Ha nodded in agreement.
Now they would commence their plan to sweep away not only Hyuk Ryeon Eung but all those connected to him.
In the underground chamber beneath Hwan Woo Jeong, a secret sanctuary.
“Playing foolish games, are they.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung let out a derisive snort upon receiving a report from his trusted subordinate, Hwa Wook.
“A secret meeting with the Murim Alliance Lord at this juncture? How amusing.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s eyes grew cold as he laughed softly.
“A trap. A crude one.”
“Do not underestimate it, my lord.”
Hwa Wook, his trusted subordinate, spoke in a low voice.
“This intelligence did not originate from the Demon Hall, but from the Murim Alliance—specifically from the intelligence network operated by the highest-ranking officials.”
“The intelligence network of the Murim Alliance’s senior leadership?”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s brow furrowed.
No matter how formidable Bu Eunseol’s influence in the Demonic Path might be.
No matter how she commands a sophisticated intelligence organization built in secrecy.
There exists a place she can never touch or detect.
That place is the Murim Alliance’s intelligence network.
Especially the information systems operated by the leadership—a realm absolutely beyond the reach of external forces.
As a former member of the Infinite Realm, he understood this better than anyone.
“Is this confirmed?”
“Yes, my lord. We barely managed to learn this through the Infinite Realm’s intelligence network.”
Stripped of his position as Law Demon Merchant, Hyuk Ryeon Eung could no longer access the Infinite Realm’s intelligence capabilities.
Yet somehow, Hwa Wook had managed to exploit those very channels to detect Bu Eunseol’s movements.
“Well, that’s possible, but.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s eyes narrowed.
“Bu Eunseol. That woman is someone who makes the impossible possible. There’s a chance she might orchestrate things with the knowledge that Ben Gye’s intelligence network could detect it.”
“Then… should we simply ignore it?”
“We can’t do that. If she’s truly trying to make contact with the real Murim Alliance Lord, then that would be a golden opportunity for us.”
“In that case.”
“It’s worth investigating. She won’t hesitate to disregard propriety to achieve her goals.”
Hwa Wook’s brow furrowed.
“But if the person she meets is truly Jeong Cheon Je… wouldn’t surveillance be discovered no matter how discreetly we follow?”
Jeong Cheon Je’s martial prowess rivals that of Ma Cheon Je, and there are rumors that his perception extends beyond three hundred zhang.
Surveilling such a master was never an easy task.
“Of course, we’ll need to create a disposable piece.”
“A disposable piece, you say.”
“Someone who won’t matter even if they’re discovered and killed.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung wore a faint smile.
“Select a capable lord-level figure from those we’ve planted in the Demon Palace, and have the Moo Hon Ryeong Ju spread word that he’s making contact not with the Murim Alliance Lord, but with a Murim Alliance official.”
“Not the Murim Alliance Lord, but a Murim Alliance official, you say.”
“After all, what matters to them isn’t whether Bu Eunseol is truly there, but who she’s meeting.”
“Indeed.”
“Even if discovered and killed, we can identify who he is through the traces of his death.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung spoke with absolute confidence.
“Whether that person is truly Jeong Cheon Je.”
“I see.”
Hwa Wook couldn’t help but admire the scheme.
Truly, he was the trusted aide of the Infinite Realm and the one who dominated both the Demonic Path and Gwan Bu.
With this method, there was absolutely no loss for Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
And he could confirm who the Murim Alliance official Bu Eunseol was contacting was.
As Hyuk Ryeon Eung said, even if the person she contacted wasn’t Jeong Cheon Je but merely a simple Murim Alliance official,
he could still absolutely remove the Moo Hon Ryeong Ju from his position.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————