The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 578

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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 578.
Yong Myeong was greatly startled upon seeing Seon Woo Jin’s face.
“How did you get here?”
Yong Myeong was a senior figure within the Murim Alliance.
That meant his movements were strictly protected and never exposed to the outside world. Moreover, since leaving the Alliance, he had been under the protection of the Star Guard.
Yet how could Seon Woo Jin have slipped past their watchful eyes and entered the study room where he was staying?
“I warned you not to touch my family.”
The eyes of Bu Eunseol, who had taken on Seon Woo Jin’s form, burned a deep crimson.
“Did you find my warning amusing?”
Crack.
In that instant, the sound of bones grinding echoed from Yong Myeong’s body.
An overwhelming pressure bore down upon him, bending his waist and forcing him to his knees.
“You dare boast of your inner strength before me?”
Yong Myeong, a sneer playing at his lips, drew upon his own inner power.
He was from the Hong Hwang Mun, renowned for their exceptional inner cultivation techniques. He was a master so formidable that he earned the epithet “Severed Power”—his inner strength was legendary.
Yet someone was attempting to suppress him with sheer force?
“Ugh.”
But a groan escaped Yong Myeong’s lips.
No matter how much he drew upon his power, he could not withstand that pressure.
The torrential force was so overwhelming that his body felt paralyzed—he could not move a single finger.
“I thought you, as a Lord, would be holding some substantial strings, but it seems you are merely a pawn being used by a minor organization within the Three Realms.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Yong Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
How could this person know of the Three Realms, something even the heads of the various sects barely understood?
“How is this possible…?”
Only then did Yong Myeong instinctively realize that the Elite Division Lord Seon Woo Jin was no mere martial artist from the ordinary Merchant Realm.
“Could it be that you have eliminated them all?”
Bu Eunseol had slain the Gu Ma Tower assassins who served the Three Realms, as well as the Twin Demons of Crimson and Azure and Do Geum Ung.
Sa Hon Dae had erased all traces of them.
And when she traced the organization connected to Yong Myeong, it was not the Three Realms organization lurking within the Murim Alliance, but rather—
The Cheong Yeom Dok Mun, which was being manipulated by the Fifth Messenger of the Infinite Realm.
“You are… not Seon Woo Jin!”
“You talk too much.”
Thud.
As Bu Eunseol walked slowly forward and flicked a finger strike at Yong Myeong’s vital points, he collapsed like a felled log.
Bu Eunseol looked down at him with cold eyes.
Tremble.
As Yong Myeong’s eyes widened in shock at having his pressure points sealed, Bu Eunseol sneered.
“Do not worry. Even if I tortured you, it would only dirty my hands.”
At those words, Yong Myeong, who had been inwardly tense, released a sigh of relief.
Torture among martial artists was far different from torture among ordinary people.
Through relentless cultivation of both body and spirit, I had grown accustomed to bearing even considerable pain.
Thus, within Murim, there existed various torture techniques—such as Bone-Breaking Muscle-Severing—that mirrored the principles of martial arts themselves.
And these methods were capable of shattering the bodies and spirits of even seasoned warriors into fragments.
“Instead, I will reduce your family to cripples and confine them for life in sewers where filth flows.”
Yong Myeong trembled with rage and terror.
His own death meant nothing.
But his family was different.
His elderly mother, his beloved wife, and his children—precious as the apple of his eye—he could not bear to see them perish.
—Family must never be touched.
It was a principle shared by all righteous martial artists in the Murim.
Bu Eunseol had clearly stated that her subordinates were family and warned that they must never be harmed.
Yet Yong Myeong had disregarded that warning.
Therefore, Bu Eunseol could now touch Yong Myeong’s family without hesitation.
Trembling.
Yong Myeong opened his eyes wide with all his remaining strength.
—Please. Please. Please.
Desperation gleamed in his gaze.
Bu Eunseol calmly released the pressure point on Yong Myeong’s arm.
“I will take my own life!”
With the pressure point released, Yong Myeong spoke urgently.
“I will end myself. Isn’t that what you want?”
He cried out desperately.
“If I write a suicide note in my own hand and sever my meridians, won’t your subordinate achieve what he desires?”
Yong Myeong understood.
Tae Mu Ryong had sacrificed himself and devised this scheme solely to preserve Bu Eunseol’s position within the Murim Alliance.
Then if he were to write in his own hand—
confessing that he was the mastermind behind Yeon Ja Gang, that he had ordered Tae Mu Ryong’s death to evade punishment, and then take his own life?
That would accomplish the goal.
“You provoked me to find evidence that the Lord ordered a massacre, didn’t you?”
Yong Myeong pleaded.
“Why would you destroy what your subordinate was willing to sacrifice his life for?”
—So that the Lord might remain in the Murim Alliance without ever facing suspicion again.
Even as his breath faded, Tae Mu Ryong had wished for Bu Eunseol to stay within the Murim Alliance.
Bu Eunseol bit her lip.
She no longer harbored any attachment to the Murim Alliance.
Yet she could not bring herself to destroy with her own hands the scheme that Tae Mu Ryong had executed at the cost of his life.
If she toppled even the Yong Ban Jeon Lord, then afterward she would never face suspicion of being a spy.
With her intellect, she would ensure such circumstances never arose again.
Thump.
Suddenly, Yong Myeong’s body went limp.
Bu Eunseol had already released the pressure on his vital points.
“Th-thank you.”
Yong Myeong quickly sat in the chair and picked up brush and ink.
Instantly, his entire body became paralyzed again, with only his right arm moving freely.
She had released only the vital point in his right arm to prevent him from attempting any foolish tricks.
Swish, swish.
Without hesitation, Yong Myeong wrote that he had colluded with external forces, that Tae Mu Ryong had discovered this, and that he had ordered his assassination.
Ultimately, fearing that the Hyung Dang would uncover the truth, he left a suicide note confessing to his own death.
In reality, he had exchanged numerous communications with Sam Gye all this time, so the Hyung Dang would easily find evidence.
“Is this sufficient?”
Yong Myeong set down the brush and looked at Bu Eunseol.
His handwriting was forceful, bearing no trace of coercion.
“Verify it yourself. There will be absolutely no suspicion.”
Just as Bu Eunseol approached to examine the contents of the letter,
Crash!
Suddenly, countless silver gleams erupted from the bookshelf toward Bu Eunseol’s face.
Simultaneously, an imperceptible powder dispersed through the air.
It was the One-Leaf Dagger of Sa Hyang—a hidden weapon that could pierce even Diamond Indestructibility—and
Powder of Scattered Qi, which would shatter one’s inner force with merely a handful inhaled.
Bu Eunseol casually created a wind barrier, blocking them all.
Thud.
At that moment, a sharp dagger was embedded near Bu Eunseol’s heart.
Yong Myeong, whose vital points had been suppressed, moved with lightning speed.
“Ahahaha!”
Yong Myeong burst into exhilarated laughter and nodded.
“Did you truly believe you had suppressed the vital points of the Bon Jeon Lord?”
He gazed at Bu Eunseol with supreme confidence.
“In Murim, one must have a hidden trump card unknown to others to survive. For No Bu, it was precisely this—the Triple Essence White Qi.”
Triple Essence White Qi.
A legendary Daoist inner cultivation technique that, once mastered, ensures one’s inner force can never be suppressed under any circumstance.
He had released all his vital points from the beginning. But he had deliberately feigned suppression, constantly watching for an opportunity.
“Foolish whelp. Just because your inner force is strong…”
Yong Myeong’s expression twisted grotesquely mid-sentence.
In his excessive excitement, he belatedly realized that no blood was flowing from Bu Eunseol’s chest.
Crack.
When Bu Eunseol withdrew the dagger, the blade was shattered, leaving only the hilt.
The moment the dagger pierced, the blade had already shattered, with only the hilt slightly embedded in the fabric.
“Do not come closer!”
He deliberately unleashed a thunderous shout along with a palm strike.
Even if a barrier of true qi had been erected within this room to prevent sound from leaking outside,
I thought the sound would pierce through and leak out.
Thud.
But the sound didn’t leak out, and my body became paralyzed again, collapsing to the ground.
When my Blood Sealing Point wasn’t suppressed despite mastering the Three Absolutes White Jade Technique, he instantly froze my body with the Glacial River Freezing Lock.
“Hehehehe. It won’t work no matter what you try.”
Yong Myeong laughed with a chilling sound from his frozen body.
“Do you know why the Lord of Bon Jeon wrote his own suicide note with brush and ink? Because this body never intended to take his own life in the first place. Hahaha!”
He laughed with satisfaction.
“No matter how extraordinary your abilities are, you cannot leave traces of someone drawing their own inner strength to sever their meridians. In the end, when the Lord of Bon Jeon dies, you will also fall under suspicion!”
Yong Myeong shouted with a triumphant expression.
“Even if you died and came back to life, you could never remain in the Murim Alliance! Hahaha!”
The death of a martial artist is difficult to disguise as suicide.
This is because martial artists typically sever their own meridians when taking their lives.
But if an outsider used their inner strength to sever the meridians? Traces of suppression would remain no matter what method was used.
“The Lord of Bon Jeon will only suffer a few trials at Hyeong Dang.”
Yong Myeong wore a malicious smile.
“Of course, you can simply abandon the Alliance. But that wretch Tae Mu Ryong… I will mobilize all the Lord’s power to strike him down without fail.”
Flash.
The moment he mentioned Tae Mu Ryong, a crimson light blazed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
That was Yong Myeong’s mistake.
Had he simply accepted his fate, Bu Eunseol would have at least preserved his honor.
But by mentioning Tae Mu Ryong again and vowing to kill him without fail—
I decided not merely to strip him of honor, but to make him taste every agony imaginable, and to expose an infamy that even death could not wash away to all under heaven.
“A maggot like you has no right to live.”
Bu Eunseol reached toward Yong Myeong’s lower abdomen.
In an instant, his inner energy circulation began to be absorbed into Bu Eunseol’s body.
The Heaven’s Heart Sutra, the secret forbidden technique of Jeong Cheon Je, had been activated.
“Not only the Three Absolutes White Jade Technique, but also the Jade Heart Technique.”
The moment Bu Eunseol synchronized Yong Myeong’s inner energy meridians, a soft jade radiance tinted her brow.
“No, how is this possible!”
Yong Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
“How do you possess the Alliance Lord’s secret forbidden technique!”
That was the last coherent word he could speak.
“Uuuaaaaahhh.”
Yong Myeong suddenly began to wail.
Bu Eunseol, having perfectly comprehended his true energy circulation, began to reverse the flow of his inner strength.
Shudder, shudder, shudder, shudder.
Yong Myeong couldn’t even scream, his eyes rolling back white.
Reversing the flow of inner strength was equivalent to attacking his body with the true energy circulating within it.
Yet since it was only his own true energy being used, no traces would remain.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.”
Yong Myeong’s body convulsed violently.
He wanted to scream, but it felt as though someone had clamped his mouth shut.
Though only half a moment had passed, his face had aged as if he’d endured a lifetime of torture.
“Heeegh.”
At last, he began to wail like a child. And that was the final sound he would ever make in this world.
Whoosh.
Bu Eunseol severed Yong Myeong’s vital meridians in one fluid motion with the Gong Ok Divine Technique she had drawn upon.
Thud.
Yong Myeong’s head fell against the table as his breath ceased.
His eyes remained wide open, as if torn by the anguish of his pitiful death.
“I will not touch his family.”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly, her gaze cold and dispassionate as she looked down at the corpse.
“I cannot become the same kind of monster you were.”
Gently.
After positioning Yong Myeong’s body upright at the office desk, Bu Eunseol recalled the dying face of Tae Mu Ryong and released a deep sigh.
“In the end, the Vice Lord’s will prevails.”
I had intended to leave the Murim Alliance entirely, but ultimately I could not break Tae Mu Ryong’s resolve.
It was a plan he had completed at the cost of his own life—so, as I had done before, I resolved to become the Murim Alliance’s Lord once more.
Moreover, Yong Myeong bore traces of collusion with the Cheong Yeom Dok Mun, a subordinate organization of Sam Gye and rival to the Four Great Ominous Lands, so there was no need to fabricate evidence separately.
“There’s no helping it.”
I turned my body and gazed upon the full moon hanging brilliantly in the sky.
I was neither of the Demonic Path nor the Orthodox Sects.
And now the Team Members were no longer subordinates of the Elite Division Lord.
From this moment forward, they had become my subordinates and my household.
* * *
Just as the death of Hwa Mil Won Ju, the spy of an external force revealed by former Jip Beop So Ryeong Jong Jeong Yak, had been handled quietly.
Yong Myeong’s suicide was disposed of discreetly.
If it became known to the outside world that he, the former Yong Ban Jeon Ju, had colluded with external forces to assassinate someone within the Alliance.
Not only would irreparable shame befall the organization, but the very foundation of the Murim Alliance—the protection of justice—could be shaken.
Yet such facts could not be concealed merely by keeping quiet.
In the end, rumors spread rapidly that Yong Myeong had attempted to topple Seon Woo Jin by removing Yuk Jang Cheon from power, and that he had commissioned Tae Mu Ryong to commit murder.
Not only Yong Myeong’s closest associates, but his entire clan found themselves unable to walk with their heads held high in the world.
And Yeon Ja Gang ended his life by suicide in the Underground Prison.
The crime he had created by fabricating evidence out of jealousy toward the Elite Division Lord was far too grave.
Upon hearing that the Yong Ban Jeon Ju had taken his own life, rather than ascending to the position of Lord once more.
He realized he would have to bear a shameful stigma for the rest of his life, and without hesitation, he chose to end it.
Yeon Ja Gang, who had tasted the sweetness of power while serving as the Murim Alliance’s Lord.
Unable to forget that intoxicating bliss, he sought to reclaim power, only to cross a bridge from which there was no return.
“Hahahaha.”
Yuk Jang Cheon walked toward the North Gate Forest where the Elite Division was stationed to meet Bu Eunseol, his mouth splitting into a grin.
Yong Myeong, his rival and competitor for the position of Wu Tian Duan Lord, had been colluding with external forces.
When his attempt to remove Yuk Jang Cheon from power and kill Tae Mu Ryong failed, he had simply taken his own life?
It was as if victory had come without lifting a finger.
With Yong Myeong gone, there was no one left to compete with him for the position of Wu Tian Duan Lord.
Now, as time passed, he would naturally ascend to the position of Wu Tian Duan Lord.
“And with Baek Mu Sung gone as well, there will be no more obstacles.”
In truth, those he had feared most were not Yong Myeong, but Yuk Cheong Ah and Baek Mu Sung.
Yuk Cheong Ah was a formidable opponent—her strategic mind was sharp, and she knew him far too well.
Moreover, was Baek Mu Sung not a new generation master surpassing even Seon Woo Jin?
But with Yong Ban Jeon Ju dead, Yuk Cheong Ah would have no power to wield, and Baek Mu Sung had left the Murim Alliance.
Now, when the right opportunity came, Yuk Jang Cheon would naturally ascend to become Wu Tian Duan Lord.
“Lord.”
But then a figure came rushing toward Yuk Jang Cheon in haste.
It was Sang Gu Baek, the strategist of Yong Ban Jeon, known as the Tae Seong Dang Lord.
“What is the matter?”
“A grave situation has arisen.”
“A grave situation?”
“Yuk Cheong Ah, who transferred to Yong Ban Jeon, has been appointed Vice Lord of Yong Ban Jeon.”
“What?”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s ears seemed to deceive him for a moment.
It was natural that someone would fill the vacant position of Yong Ban Jeon Lord.
But to completely disregard propriety and procedure…
How could Yuk Cheong Ah, the youngest among the Lords, ascend to the position of Vice Lord of Yong Ban Jeon?
It made no sense whatsoever.
“What do you mean? How could Cheong Ah possibly become Vice Lord?”
“I am uncertain. However, it was confirmed at a conference presided over by the Vice Alliance Lord.”
“The Vice Alliance Lord? But why was the Lord of this Hall not summoned?”
“The conference was presided over by the Vice Alliance Lord, with only the Seven Great Unit Lords, the Chief, and the Elder Council Lord in attendance.”
“The Elder Council Lord? Could it be…”
Yuk Jang Cheon let out a low curse.
Yuk Cheong Ah was the sole disciple of the previous Elder Council Lord, Nam Hae Shin Ni.
And Nam Hae Shin Ni was a figure whose name had been inscribed on the Murim Alliance’s Heroes Monument.
“Could they be invoking the Heroes Monument?”
The reason Nam Hae Shin Ni had died so suddenly.
It was because craftsmen who had been repairing the Cold Ice Gate, which had once been installed within the Murim Alliance, had fallen into it as a group.
Without hesitation, she had risked her life to save them.
Nam Hae Shin Ni had saved those people without regard for the sacrifice of her own martial power and lifespan.
For this deed, she was posthumously inscribed upon the Heroes Monument.
And the descendants of those inscribed upon the Heroes Monument could make one request of the Murim Alliance.
However, Nam Hae Shin Ni was an orphan with no relatives, and only accepted Yuk Cheong Ah as a disciple in her twilight years.
Yuk Jang Cheon recalled this fact, and wondered if perhaps Nam Hae Shin Ni’s successor had made such a request.
Could she have demanded a promotion to Vice Lord at this opportunity? The thought drove him to distraction.
“That cannot be. That rule was merely established in words. No one has ever made such a demand.”
Sang Gu Baek furrowed his brow as he spoke.
“There are rumors that Yong Ban Jeon Ju conducted some kind of transaction with her while alive. It may well have been a premeditated affair.”
“Or perhaps the Alliance Lord himself was involved.”
Yuk Jang Cheon stroked his chin.
“Much like the matter with Gong Son Chong Sa.”
Jeong Cheon Je and Sin Do Mu Bi had recently come under criticism from the Murim Alliance’s leadership,
accused of dismantling the Alliance’s hierarchy and granting important positions to the young.
This was because his influence had substantially shaped the extraordinary personnel decision to elevate Gong Son Dan Gyeong to Chief.
Fortunately, Gong Son Dan Gyeong had performed her duties so exceptionally that she ranked among the finest Chiefs in history.
Had it been otherwise, there would have been considerable turmoil among the leadership.
“I cannot speak to that. But until Yong Ban Jeon Ju is chosen, Yuk Dang Ju is essentially the equivalent of Yong Ban Jeon Ju.”
“Hmm.”
Yuk Jang Cheon fell into deep contemplation, then smiled instead.
“A flat path grows tedious. It seems one gentle hill has emerged.”
He wore a confident smile.
“The child’s true goal was never something as trivial as Yong Ban Jeon Ju.”
He knew it well.
Yuk Cheong Ah yearned to become the first Female Lord in Murim history.
And the position of Female Lord was not one that stood upon the stage receiving all attention,
but rather a hidden ruler who manipulated the great game.
She had devised meticulous plans to achieve her dream, manipulating countless people from the shadows,
and had been executing her strategy step by step.
Summoning Yuk Jang Cheon was merely one facet of that plan.
But with Seon Woo Jin’s appearance, that entire plan crumbled.
Rather than become Yuk Cheong Ah’s puppet, Yuk Jang Cheon had resolved to forge his own path by employing Seon Woo Jin.
She had chosen Baek Mu Sung as a replacement pawn, but ultimately he departed from the Murim Alliance of his own accord.
With no other options remaining, she had no choice but to step forward herself.
“No need to concern ourselves.”
Having finished his thoughts, Yuk Jang Cheon spoke with a derisive smile.
“The fact that Cheong Ah became Vice Lord of Yong Ban Jeon Ju means she is running out of room to maneuver.”
Tap, tap.
Just then, a figure approached from the opposite direction.
It was a woman dressed in ornate robes embroidered with two phoenixes.
Yuk Cheong Ah, who would soon assume the position of Vice Lord of Yong Ban Jeon Ju.
“What a curious coincidence to meet you here.”
Yuk Jang Cheon smiled faintly.
There are no coincidences.
Especially not in the Bamboo Forest leading to the North Gate—a place one would never visit unless heading to the Elite Division.
Yuk Cheong Ah had clearly timed her arrival to match Yuk Jang Cheon’s passage through this place.
“Congratulations.”
Yuk Jang Cheon smiled with calm composure.
“I hear you’ve been appointed Vice Lord of Yong Ban Jeon.”
“Thank you. It just happened to work out that way.”
“Heh heh heh. That’s hardly something that ‘just happens.'”
“Is that so?”
Yuk Cheong Ah narrowed her eyes and spoke in a hushed tone.
“Now we’ve become rivals, haven’t we?”
“Heh heh heh heh.”
Yuk Jang Cheon laughed with an expression of dismissal.
“How could a father and daughter ever become rivals?”
There had never been any tender familial bond between them to begin with.
Yet Yuk Jang Cheon spoke warmly, as if deliberately trying to provoke Yuk Cheong Ah.
“Why not return to your father’s embrace instead?”
“You seem to have forgotten who made you Lord of Deungmu Hall.”
“Cheong Ah. You are no match for your father.”
Yuk Cheong Ah smiled with serene composure.
“Just moments ago, you emphasized our father-daughter bond and said we could never be rivals. Now you speak to me as though I were a competitor.”
“….”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s engage in a friendly competition. I look forward to it.”
With that, she turned and passed lightly by Yuk Jang Cheon.
Yuk Jang Cheon watched Yuk Cheong Ah recede into the distance and spoke softly.
“Yes. A fine competition it shall be.”
Then Sang Gu Baek, standing beside him, muttered with a bewildered expression.
“I truly cannot understand it. Things are already a mess with just Gong Son Chong Sa. Why does the Alliance insist on filling key positions with young people?”
“Perhaps it’s for the best.”
Yuk Jang Cheon smiled faintly.
“Vice Lord or not, all Cheong Ah can do is hold back my feet.”
Even if Yuk Cheong Ah held the title of Vice Lord, even if she possessed the authority of a true Lord over Yong Ban Jeon in practice.
She had no right to challenge him.
But he did not know.
In that place where he believed only two rivals competed, there stood a third person he had never anticipated.

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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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