The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 549
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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 549.
“This is no dream.”
Bu Eunseol rubbed her eyes.
Her mind was perfectly clear, and she had not fallen under any soul-binding technique or grand spell.
She was not dreaming—she had unmistakably been fighting Hyuk Ryeon Eung.
Yet everything had vanished.
The traces of their fierce battle, even Hyuk Ryeon Eung himself—all gone.
‘Surely not.’
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol recalled the time she and Gong Son Dan Ah had fallen into a trap on Gugok Mountain.
―I don’t know. The rock simply disappeared.
Back then, Bu Eunseol had also drawn upon all her strength and unleashed her harmony.
But Gong Son Dan Gyeong had said that the rock was not shattered—it had been made to vanish.
“Then does that mean back then as well, I didn’t destroy it, but simply erased it?”
In that moment, a strange thought bloomed in Bu Eunseol’s mind.
What if his physical body had not been destroyed by the power of harmony,
but rather the very existence of Hyuk Ryeon Eung who had come to Hell Island had been made to vanish?
A bizarre and terrifying notion, indeed.
“Could I have truly erased a phenomenon…?”
She wanted to say it was impossible,
yet all of this could only be described as a ‘phenomenon’ itself.
‘Then could this be a function of harmony?’
Until now, she had never unleashed harmony upon a person to strike them down.
So just as she had erased that rock before,
had she aligned all the power within her body and poured forth her harmony to make him vanish?
If so, had she truly reached the Realm of Absolute Nothingness?
‘That cannot be it.’
If such a phenomenon had occurred through the elevation of nothingness,
she would never have witnessed such illusions.
If the power was unintended, it could not be called an elevation of nothingness.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol let out a pained groan.
Stars flickered before her eyes,
and a searing pain erupted near the Jade Pillow point at the base of her skull.
“Kugh!”
With a sharp cry, the staggering Bu Eunseol fell to her knees.
The world spun dizzily around her, and she felt as though all existence was drowning in darkness.
―An end befitting a foolish wretch who knows not who she is, nor what power she possesses.
In her mind, the voice she had heard within the illusion,
another self’s voice, echoed endlessly.
“That voice…”
Another aspect of myself took the form of an infinitely dark shadow.
“That is not me!”
Whoosh!
The energy surging from Bu Eunseol’s body shot up to the very edge of the heavens.
As my head felt ready to burst, I unleashed all my power at full force without even realizing it.
Rumble!
When the different energies within my body manifested simultaneously, they began to collide violently.
Sizzle.
Yet the pain radiating from near the jade pillow acupoint was not disappearing—it was vanishing instead.
Without even deploying the Prajna Great Ability, the energies within my body stabilized on their own.
“This is incomprehensible.”
As my mind cleared, I examined my body once more.
The power contained in my current flesh was overturning all of Wuha’s martial knowledge.
Ordinarily, I could not possess—nor should I possess—the power of the Four Immortals all at once within my body.
Moreover, I held two of the Sasin powers, which only those with bodies granted by heaven could use.
―How could I manifest phenomena without reaching the Infinite Realm?
There exists no one in Murim who could answer this question.
Looking back upon Murim’s long history, there had never been anyone who carried such powers simultaneously within their body as I do.
Not even the greatest masters of any martial school had ever attempted it.
“So that is why Gak Ju said what he did.”
One who is versed in all martial knowledge scattered throughout Murim today, and can grasp the principles of any technique in an instant.
Even the Nangya Pavilion Master, the Demon King Ak Moo Ryung, could not repair my body, and thus recommended I enter the Demonic Path of Non-Form.
Not only because he could not comprehend my physical condition, but because he could not predict at all what level of martial mastery I would ultimately reach.
It was entirely unpredictable.
A path no one walks.
I walk that path alone.
And what result this mixture of powers would bring, what ending I would face—
No one could know.
“Hyuk Ryeon Eung. Had he employed such methods from the beginning, I would have been utterly helpless and dead.”
I gazed at the place where Hyuk Ryeon Eung had vanished and sighed deeply.
Hyuk Ryeon Eung had learned external martial techniques like Diamond Indestructibility as a special envoy of the Three Realms, and had been infused with two of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars’ martial arts.
That final mutual destruction technique he had unleashed—the Demon-Dragon Explosion—displayed power beyond imagination.
What if he had attempted such a method from the very beginning, feigning combat?
I would not have anticipated such an attack, and I would have lost my life or suffered grave injury.
“I was truly fortunate.”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung had revealed his emotions in attempting to sway me.
When he deployed the Great Law of the Divine, he was already expressing all emotions like ordinary martial artists.
Because of this, I could predict his actions to some degree, and was able to hear even a single word of his response.
“Baek Ri Mu Ha.”
Recalling Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s final words, my eyes became transparent.
“That mysterious figure known as the greatest enigma of Murim… was my father.”
I had always found it strange.
When I first heard that name from Chong Gyo Ryeong, my heart had raced.
I thought it was merely a curious phenomenon. But he was my father. He was the root I had searched for so desperately.
“Father…”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly.
Just uttering that single word, tears threatened to spill forth.
It was a word I had never spoken aloud before.
But before losing my memories, I must have called it countless times…
The word “father” to me.
Brought a joy and sorrow different from what I felt when thinking of my grandfather, Bu Chanyang.
Like duckweed without roots, drifting wherever the wind carried me.
It must be because of those sorrowful memories of my vagrant days.
“I had always hoped that lost memories would resurface, that sealed memories would be unlocked.”
In the end, thanks to Hyuk Ryeon Eung, I discovered a clue to finding my true lineage.
“Of course, there’s a possibility it could be a lie. But…”
Hyuk Ryeon Eung was someone who lied as easily as breathing.
The probability that he spouted nonsense even until the moment of death was high.
Though I would need to investigate further to confirm the truth… I felt that his words were genuine.
“Since he was known as the greatest enigma of Murim, finding traces of him would not be an easy task.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Then I had to begin the investigation as soon as possible.
Whoosh.
Bu Eunseol deployed her divine technique and moved toward the ship moored at the coastal waters.
Now, beyond finding Hyung Su.
I had gained another objective.
* * *
In the secret chamber of the Ma Jeon Family Residence in Xian Prefecture.
Having returned from Hell Island, Bu Eunseol discreetly summoned Mu Heun, the Sa Hon Dae Lord, through So Yo.
‘The information that Baek Ri Mu Ha might be my father must not be revealed to anyone.’
My eyes deepened as I waited for Mu Heun in the secret chamber.
‘Not even to Mu Heun or So Yo.’
Though Baek Ri Mu Ha was said to be a mysterious figure, he was known to walk the path of the Orthodox Sects.
Having swept away the Blood Sea Demon Well and the Shil Hoon In hidden within it once more.
I had made it abundantly clear to the Demonic Path that I had no intention of achieving demonic supremacy.
But if the search for Baek Ri Mu Ha were detected by the Demonic Path’s intelligence network?
Not only would I become the subject of gossip.
In the worst case, it could become the catalyst for gathering those who opposed Bu Eunseol.
‘There is one more problem.’
It had taken a long time just to uncover the traces of the Chilji Demonic Sect, which had shaken Murim.
How much more difficult would it be to track down Baek Ri Mu Ha, who was called the greatest hidden master of Murim, when his background and martial lineage were completely unknown?
It was several times harder than tracking down his grandfather, who had been part of the Chilji Demonic Sect.
The very title of “greatest hidden master of Murim” had been given to him for a reason.
It was because his background remained completely shrouded in mystery, as if he had simply fallen from the sky.
So Bu Eunseol chose a somewhat easier approach.
“Ryeong Ju, did you call for me?”
Mu Heun, the Sa Hon Dae Lord, entered the secret chamber and respectfully clasped his hands together.
I issued him a command.
“Mobilize all intelligence networks to find Shin San Ja’s disciple.”
“Shin San Ja’s disciple, you say?”
Mu Heun blinked in surprise.
“He has a disciple?”
Shin San Ja, known as the greatest copyist of Murim and a sage, had a disciple? This was something entirely unknown in Murim—a complete revelation.
It was information that had never reached the ears of anyone in the martial world.
“Shin San Ja is concealing his whereabouts perfectly by mobilizing tremendous forces and intelligence networks.”
I continued speaking calmly.
“And this was made possible because he has an exceptional disciple who plays the role of a false Shin San Ja in his stead.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. However, he would not exert such effort to erase the traces of his disciple.”
I spoke with absolute certainty.
“After all, no one knows that he even has a disciple.”
Shin San Ja’s true identity had not yet been properly revealed to Murim.
But I had not only deduced Shin San Ja’s identity, but had also met his disciple in person.
Shin San Ja’s true identity was Jeong Cheon Je, the Lord of the Murim Alliance.
Therefore, whenever using Shin San Ja’s identity, he would be extremely cautious and conceal his movements carefully.
Perhaps most of what had been done until now was all handled by the disciple I had set up as a false Shin San Ja in his place.
It was possible that this was the case.
Mu Heun tilted his head in confusion.
“Are you certain it’s a disciple? Could it not be some other collaborator?”
“You make a fair point. If he were merely a trusted aide or subordinate, he would not have disguised a young person as an elderly man.”
“A young person, you say?”
Mu Heun’s expression grew puzzled.
I reluctantly recounted the story of meeting the elderly man who had been playing the role of the false Shin San Ja in the past.
At the time, the false Shin San Ja had claimed to have received money from an old man to carry out such work.
But I had immediately discerned that the old man was actually a young person in disguise, and that he was someone with close ties to Shin San Ja.
This was because he had switched the Boeun Jeon with movements so swift that I could not detect them.
To find Shin San Ja, I was now attempting to locate that false Shin San Ja once more.
This was my strategy.
“You’re right—it does seem more likely that he is indeed a disciple.”
After hearing the entire explanation, Mu Heun nodded in agreement.
“They wouldn’t have disguised a young person as an elderly man just to assign them such a task.”
He spoke again, his thoughts running deep.
“Even if we cannot locate Shin San Ja himself, finding his disciple should not prove impossible.”
If the intelligence networks of the Demon Palace’s Sa Hon Dae and the Murim Alliance’s Elite Division were combined.
Though Shin San Ja might elude us, his disciple could certainly be found.
“But why are we searching for Shin San Ja’s disciple?”
“There are several matters I need to verify.”
Until now, whenever Bu Eunseol issued a command, she would explain in detail the reasons behind it.
But as a brief answer came in return.
Mu Heun sensed there was something weighing on Bu Eunseol’s mind.
“Understood. I shall immediately begin searching for Shin San Ja’s disciple’s whereabouts.”
Yet he did not press for details, bowing his head instead.
His trust in Bu Eunseol was absolute.
There was no need to hear the reasons.
* * *
Hoe Gyeong Province, Mi Hyeon Village.
The Market Street there bustled with people, and peddlers with bundles had claimed their spots at every corner.
And in such a lively thoroughfare, there inevitably gathered a certain class of people.
Fortune tellers who read the fates.
Beneath a massive tree set slightly apart from Market Street, a banner inscribed with “All Matters Revealed” fluttered in the breeze.
And beneath that tree sat an elderly fortune teller.
With no customers and the weather warm, the fortune teller dozed in a squat, his head bobbing gently.
Thump, thump.
Then, with the sound of footsteps, a young man approached the elderly fortune teller.
“Would you read my fortune?”
The man’s frame was slender, and his features appeared delicate and refined.
The fortune teller, roused from sleep, gestured indifferently toward the banner despite having a customer at last.
“Payment in advance.”
The man drew something silver-tinged from his garments.
It was a silver token engraved with the characters “Elite Division.”
“What is this?”
As the fortune teller’s eyes widened, the man smiled and spoke.
“Payment.”
And then he continued.
“Payment to reveal Shin San Ja.”
At the mention of Shin San Ja, the fortune teller’s eyes flashed, then his expression twisted with fear.
“How did you find me?”
The man was Bu Eunseol, disguised as Seon Woo Jin.
And the elderly fortune teller was Shin San Ja’s disciple, who had once played the role of a false Shin San Ja.
“Drop the act.”
Bu Eunseol, wearing Seon Woo Jin’s face, spoke coldly.
“I knew you were Shin San Ja’s disciple from the moment we first met.”
Bok Sa, who had been staring intently at Bu Eunseol’s cold, frozen gaze, let out a heavy sigh.
Then he shook his head and opened his mouth.
“It was unavoidable.”
Bok Sa’s voice, which had been hoarse, transformed into that of a young, clear-toned middle-aged man.
“My master suddenly changed the plan and ordered me to inscribe the mechanism-disarming method of Jang Gyeong Gak onto the Demon Palace.”
Bok Sa had known from the moment he began carving the numerals onto the Demon Palace that his identity would be exposed to Bu Eunseol.
“But to attempt contact with me in such a manner.”
A sharp gleam flickered across Bok Sa’s eyes.
“Your position as a Lord of the Murim Alliance could be stripped away.”
“It was never mine to begin with, so I have no regrets.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with decisive finality, exhaling sharply through her nose.
“Where is Shin San Ja?”
Instead of answering, Bok Sa said something entirely unexpected.
“My master said you would come looking for me before long.”
He continued, his voice tinged with laughter.
“He said even if he couldn’t find me, you would be able to.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression twisted with disgust.
A man renowned as the greatest sage in Murim—it was understandable that he would boast of knowing everything.
But this attitude of manipulating even others’ fates was utterly unbearable.
“I asked where Shin San Ja is.”
When Bu Eunseol spoke in informal speech, Bok Sa’s eyebrows twitched.
“Why don’t you search for him yourself?”
“Does it sound like I’m asking?”
A crimson blood-light gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Finding Baek Ri Mu Ha was a task she had to accomplish, even at the cost of her life.
If he refused, she would not hesitate to act against Shin San Ja himself, let alone his disciple.
“You’re insane. You’re actually going to use martial arts here?”
“I was never sane to begin with.”
A shimmering, heat-haze-like energy rose from Bu Eunseol’s body.
“Not since I entered Gangho.”
These were not idle words.
Bu Eunseol desired nothing, like a sage who had turned her back on the world.
She had only wished to remain at the Pyeong-an Funeral House, performing funeral rites with her grandfather.
All she wanted was for time to flow on as it was.
For the young Bu Eunseol, the entire world had been her grandfather.
But when he vanished, all of that disappeared with him.
Now only bitter rage and the thirst for vengeance remained.
“Your killing intent is formidable.”
Bu Eunseol’s murderous intent was palpable, and the masked man smiled.
In truth, he had been born with boundless killing intent. Had he not encountered numerous dear friends during his journey through Gangho, what would have become of him?
He would have become the great demon that Hyuk Ryeon Eung predicted—one who would destroy Gangho itself.
“I will not repeat myself.”
Formidable inner power flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, pressing down upon the masked man with crushing force.
“Where is Shin San Ja?”
The masked man’s expression turned bewildered.
Countless people moved through the surrounding streets, and among them were martial artists of Murim.
If he were to exert his full strength here—
It would be tantamount to discarding the identity of Seon Woo Jin, upon which he had lavished countless efforts.
“So you are prepared for this.”
As the masked man spoke differently once more,
Crack, crack, crack.
His neck and waist began to bend toward the ground.
True to his word, without hesitation, Bu Eunseol unleashed his formidable inner power to crush the masked man’s body.
“So the Demonic Path is indeed the Demonic Path.”
Whoosh.
The masked man stirred his power, conjuring a mysterious wind.
In an instant, Bu Eunseol’s inner power pressing down upon him melted away like snow.
“Some twenty li beyond Seo Moon, there stands the Guan Di Temple. Go there and—”
The masked man fixed Bu Eunseol with an unwavering gaze as he spoke.
“We shall settle this properly.”
Though a smile played upon his lips, his eyes gleamed with a cold, piercing light.
Shin San Ja was the Master of the Murim Alliance.
In other words, he was the disciple of the foremost master of the Orthodox Sects.
When Bu Eunseol threatened him with martial prowess, he instead displayed an attitude as if to say: let me show you what I can do.
“Very well.”
A crimson light intensified in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“But do not expect this to end without bloodshed.”
“As you wish.”
Pop!
The masked man vanished in an instant before Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
It was a supreme technique that transcended ordinary understanding.
Bu Eunseol likewise unfolded his movement technique, arriving near the Guan Di Temple.
There, a young man wearing a cloth mask stood motionless.
It was the masked man, his disguise now removed.
“My name is Mu Gyeol.”
The man, Mu Gyeol, gazed at Bu Eunseol and smiled faintly.
“As you surmised, I am the disciple of Master Shin San Ja.”
The eyes of the masked man were as clear and transparent as a lake reflecting an autumn sky.
I faced the renowned Muk Hon Ryeong Ju without the slightest hint of intimidation.
The blade sang as it was drawn.
Without hesitation, I unsheathed the Muk Hon Sword.
Despite channeling my inner force into it, the Muk Hon Sword neither released demonic energy nor unleashed any mystical power.
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air.
Yet as I continuously poured my formidable true energy into it, the blade sang with an otherworldly resonance.
I had no intention of prolonging this confrontation.
The sword trembled violently.
The Muk Hon Sword’s tip quivered ceaselessly as it thrust toward Mu Gyeol’s vital points.
If I did not suppress him completely, he would rise again in the future.
I intended to overwhelm him in this moment and crush his momentum entirely.
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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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