The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 563
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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 563.
‘So after spouting those strange tales about the Yang Seol Family, she turned out to be a descendant of the Wind God?’
Ban Mu Ryuk bit his lip.
The Masked Woman currently stood with her hands clasped behind her back, not moving a single finger.
Yet the fact that she could wield such overwhelming power could only mean one thing—the Wind God’s Wind Cloud Divine Technique.
At that moment, Gu Yang Cheong Jeong, the successor of the Feng Sha Sword Sect who had been observing from behind, spoke to Ban Cheol Sung.
“Her techniques only work within three zhang, and only when attacking head-on.”
Gu Yang Cheong Jeong’s eyes gleamed with insight.
“Don’t use the Wall Rock Sword Formation. Instead, deploy the Majestic Soul Blood Thunder Formation to block her attacks. Then I’ll suppress her with our sect’s Poison Owl Sword Formation.”
Ban Cheol Sung nodded in agreement.
Since the suppression of Heuk Ryeon, Gu Yang Cheong Jeong had devoted herself entirely to sword techniques.
Now she possessed the most formidable martial prowess among all the successors of the Cheong Hae Seven Sword Sects.
If she was confident in this judgment, it surely had to be sound.
“Hyeon Hyeon Dae, step forward and deploy the Majestic Soul Blood Thunder Formation! I will personally command the sword formation.”
As Ban Cheol Sung took the lead to command the sword formation, the area surrounding the Masked Woman turned pitch black.
Simultaneously, Gu Yang Cheong Jeong, the successor of the Feng Sha Sword Sect positioned at the rear, and the Divine Owl Unit under her command unfurled the Poison Owl Sword Formation to aid in the assault.
“Quite clever thinking.”
The Masked Woman, seeing the two sword formations converge in layers, narrowed her eyes into crescents.
“But the gap between us cannot be bridged so easily.”
At that very moment, the formation patterns in both sword formations ceased their operation.
The woman had not destroyed the formations by attacking the swordsmen who maintained them.
Instead, she had disrupted the formation patterns with a mysterious force, dismantling both formations in a single breath.
A rumbling sound echoed.
As the martial artists stopped operating the formation patterns, the formations collapsed instantly, and their previously hidden figures became visible once more.
In that instant, the Masked Woman closed the distance to Gu Yang Cheong Jeong, who was directing the formation patterns, and extended her hand.
“You’re getting on my nerves.”
As the Masked Woman’s hand reached for her throat, Gu Yang Cheong Jeong’s vision turned black.
At the same time, she felt her very soul being torn from her body and soaring toward the heavens.
She instinctively understood that if her soul truly flew away into the sky, she would die.
‘No, this can’t be.’
As death loomed before her eyes, a single person surfaced in Gu Yang Cheong Jeong’s mind.
It was her first love, so intense it felt as though her heart would burst, yet it could never come to pass.
But she did not despair; instead, she opened her heart wide.
The world held so many wonderful people. And she possessed every condition to meet someone good.
The fever of first love would surely fade with time.
Yet as time passed, her longing only grew stronger.
The more she tried to meet other people, the more his face appeared in her mind.
So she practiced with her sword.
That way, she could forget.
If she became an exceptional person in her own right, perhaps they might meet again someday.
But before that love could be realized, his life came to an end at the hands of a mysterious Masked Assassin who had invaded Hyun Cheon Sword Sect.
A soft sigh escaped.
Yet something extraordinary occurred.
The darkness that had consumed his vision suddenly shattered, and the world began to reveal its true colors once more.
And standing before him was the man he had yearned for even in his dreams.
Deep, ink-dark eyes brimming with melancholy. An air of profound solitude, as though bearing all the world’s sorrows upon his shoulders.
What had changed was that his bearing and countenance had grown more refined.
Now he even bore the imposing presence of a great sect master, utterly beyond approach.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“Ryeong Ju, how is this possible?”
As Gu Yang Cheong Jeong gasped in shock, Bu Eunseol stepped forward before her.
“Step back.”
Then he walked steadily toward the Masked Woman.
Though he wore only a simple black robe, as Bu Eunseol walked slowly beneath the sunlight,
he resembled a black dragon descended from the clouds, now manifested in human form.
“You…”
The Masked Woman gazed at Bu Eunseol, then tilted her head in confusion.
“Who are you?”
Bu Eunseol did not answer, his expression turning grave.
“Are you prepared for the consequences?”
“What consequences?”
“To strike at a sect that has made its nest within Ban Sect is to strike at Ban Sect itself.”
A piercing light blazed from his eyes.
“Why did you touch Hyun Cheon Sword Sect?”
“Because they deserved death.”
“Explain yourself.”
“There is nothing to explain.”
“You must speak.”
As a murderous intent flickered in Bu Eunseol’s gaze, the Masked Woman let out a soft laugh and opened her mouth.
“I didn’t strike them—it was a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Yes.”
The Masked Woman spoke matter-of-factly.
“No matter how I think about it, that fat sect master couldn’t possibly be ‘him.’ So I did it for you.”
Her words made no sense whatsoever.
Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed,
“Enough conversation. I’d say I’ve been generous enough with my explanation.”
A dark shimmer rippled through the air.
As she gestured, Bu Eunseol’s vision turned black.
At the same moment, all the vital energy within his body seemed to vanish.
But it was only momentary.
The moment the crystalline divine energy within my body activated of its own accord, the black curtain of force that had obscured my vision vanished in an instant.
Bu Eunseol had been observing the battle all along, studying her abilities.
I had assumed her power was a technique to repel people without physical contact.
But now that I was experiencing it firsthand, that was not what she had unleashed at all.
It was as though she had sent forth the very essence of nature itself, seizing the vital energy within her opponent’s body and hurling that force back upon them.
“Is she wielding the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed with recognition.
Only the Wind Deity could manipulate the vital energy flowing through another’s body to attack them.
Was it not the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy alone?
“She cannot be the Wind Deity herself—could she be his disciple?”
The Masked Woman asked with a look of surprise as Bu Eunseol casually brushed aside her power.
“How did you escape the Black Rope?”
“Black Rope?”
“You are strong.”
The two of them were speaking past each other.
“It was not martial skill.”
The Masked Woman was not addressing Bu Eunseol directly.
Instead, she nodded as she observed the transparent energy shimmering around his body.
“You were able to brush it aside so easily because you possess one of the Sasin energies.”
“So it is not the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy?”
Bu Eunseol furrowed my brow.
I had believed the Masked Woman was wielding the power of the Wind Deity.
But judging by this “Black Rope,” it seemed to be a mystical art distinct from martial technique altogether.
“Let me test this once more.”
She drew in ragged breaths, and her eyes took on a pale azure hue.
At the same moment, black light poured forth from around Bu Eunseol’s body, and wind surged violently through the air.
It felt as though the Half-Extreme True Energy flowing through my body had vanished in an instant.
‘No—could this be from the Imperial Palace martial arts?’
To neutralize another’s vital energy without lifting a finger was something only possible through—
It bore a striking resemblance to the Eternal Prison technique that the Special Divine Guard, whom Cheon Joon had brought before, had unleashed.
“Try to block this!”
The Masked Woman closed her eyes.
Then a tremendous force erupted, striking directly at Bu Eunseol’s chest.
It was not a technique launched by extending her hand—a mysterious power had struck his body in a direct hit.
Crash!
But despite the thunderous sound, it inflicted no damage upon Bu Eunseol whatsoever.
The crystalline divine energy within my body naturally repelled her force, blocking it effortlessly.
“Crystalline Divine Energy.”
The Masked Woman’s eyes widened as she recognized the source of Bu Eunseol’s power.
“How is a man using the power of Shenshui Palace?”
“Why do you assume it’s Shenshui Palace’s power? It could be something else entirely.”
“You’re lying.”
The Masked Woman examined the space around my body and spoke coldly.
“You may deceive others, but you cannot deceive my eyes.”
“You’re mistaken. You understand nothing.”
Just as Hyuk Ryeon Eung had done, I found myself lying without hesitation.
I had naturally learned that even small deceptions could sow great confusion in an enemy’s mind.
“This technique is of my own creation. I call it the Floating Life Like Dream Art.”
Floating Life Like Dream refers to the transient nature of existence, fleeting as a dream.
I had cleverly alluded to the fact that this technique did not truly exist.
Unaware of this truth, the Masked Woman flinched in surprise and cried out loudly.
“Then let us fight once more!”
A piercing shriek tore through the air!
This time, a sharp wind swept forward, and suddenly something invisible came slashing toward my body.
It resembled the Wind Cloud Divine Technique closely, yet its nature was entirely different—a unique and exotic power.
A metallic ring echoed.
I immediately drew the Muk Hon Sword and defended against the transparent energy.
A thunderous boom reverberated.
The energy colliding with the Muk Hon Sword suddenly erupted in brilliant radiance, pressing down upon my body.
It felt as though a colossal mass of iron was plummeting from the heavens, crushing everything beneath it.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
As I twisted my body to evade the pressure,
Another deafening crash sounded.
A massive crater opened where I had been standing.
Had I remained in place, my body would have been pulverized within that dark chasm.
‘Truly, it resembles sorcery.’
A sharp metallic ring sang out.
Marveling at the Masked Woman’s technique, I immediately infused Water Essence Divine Technique and unleashed the Crescent Moon Radiant Star Formation.
Eight cross-shaped sword energies blazed with transparent brilliance, enveloping the Masked Woman’s body.
“Impressive.”
She uttered an exclamation of admiration and conjured hundreds of blades, unleashing them upon me in rapid succession.
These possessed no form and could not be severed.
Had I been an ordinary martial artist, my body would have been shredded like a rag in this single strike.
But the Water Essence Divine Technique surrounding me transformed those formless blade energies into properties indistinguishable from any physical object.
Clang clang clang clang!
As my swordplay clashed with the wind blades, a cacophony of sound erupted.
The Masked Woman possessed mysterious power, yet the Water Essence Divine Technique easily neutralized it.
Therefore, no matter what technique she employed,
To my eyes, she appeared merely to be assuming elegant postures.
Crack!
After I dispersed all the sword winds and unleashed the Crescent Moon Effective Form technique in succession, she raised both hands in surrender.
Had an ordinary woman shown such surrender, any martial artist would have sheathed their blade.
But unfortunately for her, her opponent was Bu Eunseol.
Crack! Crack-crack-crack-crack!
Regardless of her surrender, the cross-shaped sword energy of the Crescent Moon Effective Form began to rake across her body.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
She cried out in alarm and rolled away.
“What are you doing!”
Fortunately, she avoided any fatal wounds, but her entire body was now marked with sharp cuts from the sword energy.
“Are you completely insane?”
The Masked Woman screamed in fury.
“You drive your blade into someone who has surrendered without hesitation? How can a man of honor be so despicable?”
I smiled coldly.
“You find no fault with my ruthlessness, yet you consider it natural to demand the suicide of another sect’s leader?”
Blood dripped steadily.
As she gazed at the blood flowing from her entire body, she shrugged and nodded.
“Fair enough. I’ll concede that point.”
Despite her complete defeat at my hands, the Masked Woman spoke as though she had shown me mercy.
“But don’t grow arrogant. I haven’t formally trained in martial arts.”
After pausing briefly, she spoke coldly.
“Muk Hon Ryeong Ju, my lord.”
The Masked Woman had already seen through my identity.
But I was hardly surprised.
I am one of the youngest and most renowned figures among the next generation of sect leaders. Anyone with interest in Gangho affairs would know of me.
“You lack situational awareness.”
I raised the Muk Hon Sword and spoke with grave authority.
“Why did you attack Hyun Cheon Sword Sect?”
“I already told you. It was an act of benevolence on my part.”
“If you play twenty questions with me again, I will sever your head immediately.”
The Masked Woman was confident, not mad.
When I actually raised my blade to strike, her eyes widened.
“You really want me to speak here?”
When I said nothing and waited, she spoke as if she had no choice.
“To create a Pristine Child Skeleton and achieve the Six Spirit Rebirth Transformation.”
I stared blankly for a long moment.
The words sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recall where I’d heard them.
“Pristine Child Skeleton? Six Spirit Rebirth Transformation?”
After some time, I remembered the contents of a text I had read back when I served in the Guusal Unit.
Pristine Child Skeleton.
An ancient forbidden technique of the Baijiao, a sect long erased from history—one that seized children no older than ten and reduced them to bleached bones through unspeakable cruelty.
Six Spirits Reincarnation.
A grand demonic art that transformed the body into a vessel capable of wielding six supernatural powers through such horrific means.
In simpler terms, it brutally murdered children and converted their lingering resentment into overwhelming strength.
It was one of the cursed demonic arts that should never surface in this world.
Yet the Sect Leader of Hyun Cheon Sword Sect had attempted such a technique?
“Sect Leader Ban.”
I turned my body, my gaze fixed upon Ban Mu Ryuk in disbelief.
“Did you truly reduce children to bone and execute the Six Spirits Reincarnation technique?”
“How could such a thing be possible?”
Ban Mu Ryuk leaped up, pointing an accusatory finger.
“This woman speaks only madness. I beseech the Ryeong Ju to execute her at once and restore the honor and prestige of Ban Sect.”
“A lie.”
The Masked Woman smiled faintly and gestured toward Shin Wook Heon.
“Can you not see the resentment of the children’s bleached bones rising so vividly throughout this Palace Hall?”
At her words, all the assembled masters turned their gaze toward Shin Wook Heon, where the Sect Leader dwelled.
Yet that place was bathed only in peaceful sunlight, with no trace of resentful radiance visible.
“Look closely. This woman is mad.”
As I turned my head, the Masked Woman blinked with shameless composure.
“You don’t see it either?”
“I don’t.”
“A lie. If you can block the Black Ascension that others cannot even sense, how can you claim not to see this?”
The Masked Woman tilted her head curiously.
“Could it be… you’re still innocent?”
As my expression darkened, the Masked Woman suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ah, so that’s what it was.”
“Ryeong Ju, will you continue to tolerate this mad woman?”
Ban Mu Ryuk immediately drew his blade.
With murderous intent blazing in his stride, he advanced toward the Masked Woman standing before me.
“If it troubles the Ryeong Ju to execute her himself, I shall do so directly.”
The Masked Woman watched his approach, then drew closer to my side instead.
“Very well, then let me show you.”
And in that instant, she removed her mask.
Whoosh.
The visage of a woman with short hair and scars along her neck and behind her ears was revealed.
Her features were beautiful enough to be called a beauty, yet the scars upon her neck and ears gave her
the bearing of a seasoned veteran who had weathered countless trials in the Gangho.
“Look into my eyes.”
A blue radiance flowed from the depths of her pupils.
And with that, she carefully approached and gently embraced my body.
The motion was so fluid that there was no time to evade.
A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air.
Crystal divine energy flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, then suddenly enveloped her form.
Blue radiance then emanated from his eyes, and a strange vibration rippled through the space.
“What? You had the ability to see all along?”
The woman muttered softly, then pointed her finger toward Bu Eunseol.
“Look, over there.”
Bu Eunseol lifted his gaze, following the direction of her finger.
He could see black energy rising from Shin Wook Heon.
It had taken the form of a skull, continuously billowing upward into the heavens.
“That is…”
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize the Masked Woman’s words were not a lie.
With heavy, purposeful strides.
He entered Shin Wook Heon, his expression burning with fury.
“Ryeong Ju… Ryeong Ju.”
Ban Mu Ryuk gasped in shock and tried to block his path.
But the aura radiating from Bu Eunseol’s body was so solemn and overwhelming that he dared not step forward.
A low, grinding sound echoed.
Upon entering Shin Wook Heon, Bu Eunseol surveyed the surroundings and immediately raised his left hand.
The interior trembled as if struck by an earthquake, and a table split cleanly in two, revealing a hidden passage descending underground.
A deep, resonant boom.
With another surge of inner energy, thick iron doors swung open to both sides, exposing a secret staircase leading downward.
Descending immediately, a vast underground space came into view.
Countless enormous earthen jars were scattered throughout. He immediately opened the sealed lid of one.
“Mm.”
Bu Eunseol turned his head, his expression growing somber.
The interior of the jar revealed a scene so horrific that one could scarcely bear to witness it with open eyes.
Dozens of massive jars were arranged throughout, each containing the skeletal remains of small children.
In other places lay the corpses of children not yet reduced to bone, still soaked in blood.
And when he discovered and opened a secret vault hidden in the depths, a tower constructed entirely of bones came into view.
A sudden gasp.
Ban Cheol Sung and Gu Yang Cheong Jeong, who had followed Bu Eunseol, stood frozen, their mouths agape.
“How could such a thing be…”
“All of you, leave.”
As Bu Eunseol turned and issued the command, the two were startled and quickly retreated outside.
Upon returning to the upper level of Shin Wook Heon, Ban Mu Ryuk spoke to Bu Eunseol with an audacious expression.
“So you’ve confirmed everything, it seems.”
Then Ban Cheol Sung cried out, staring at Ban Mu Ryuk.
“Father! Why did you commit such atrocities? What could possibly justify this?”
“It is not atrocity, but merely the fortunate discovery of the Six Transformations Secret Record.”
Ban Mu Ryuk shook his head.
“If I obtain the body of the Six Spirit Reincarnation, I can become a master who dominates Murim.”
Then he spoke to Ban Cheol Sung.
“The Ban Sect was originally the representative sword sect of Cheong Hae. But since the sword techniques of our sect have been lost, haven’t we now slipped to the lowest ranks of the Seven Sword Sect?”
Black energy flowed from his eyes.
“I have no choice but to use even such a forbidden technique to grow stronger.”
For the Demonic Path, power comes first.
If one can obtain power and seize authority, anything becomes possible.
From the perspective of a Demonic Path cultivator, such methods are not inherently wrong.
But from the moment he unleashed this vile technique that touched innocent children and reduced them to white bones,
Ban Mu Ryuk had fallen not into the Demonic Path, but into the Heretical Way.
“Father.”
When Ban Cheol Sung’s expression turned disappointed, Ban Mu Ryuk spoke with irritation.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes. If you had grown stronger, I would never have had to resort to such measures, would I?”
And he pointed at Gu Yang Cheong Jeong.
“You never properly mastered martial arts, only indulged in lust. You even courted that child. In the end, it is because of you that the Ban Sect has fallen into such a pitiful abyss!”
From the moment Ban Mu Ryuk created the Bone Puppets, he had been consumed by demonic obsession.
This was something that could no longer be undone.
“Muk Hon Ryeong Ju. They say your martial prowess rivals the greatest masters who dominate Tianxia.”
Ban Mu Ryuk advanced toward Bu Eunseol, emanating black energy.
“Since it has come to this, let the sect master and I settle this once and for all.”
Thud, thud.
Bu Eunseol stepped forward to face Ban Mu Ryuk instead of answering.
Whoosh.
Hellfire blazed in his eyes like the karmic flames of damnation itself.
I could never forgive the act of touching innocent children for the sake of enhancing martial prowess.
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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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