The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 581

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

Chapter 581.
A deep rumble echoed across the land.
Finally, a massive army bearing the banner of Poong Woo Ji marched forth to bring down Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
Their forces numbered three thousand strong.
They had brought an entire division specialized in large-scale warfare—one that had absorbed numerous sects throughout their campaigns.
Before entering the Bu Hyeon region, Dam Woong sent Sa Ja once more with a letter of persuasion directed at Dam Yoo Yeon.
―If you surrender now, you will be fully incorporated into Poong Woo Ji.
Dam Woong continued to insist he represented Poong Woo Ji, determined to block any intervention from outside forces.
Dam Yoo Yeon paid no heed.
She established a defensive line at Bu Hyeon, the entrance to Jeok Cheon Mak Ji, and concentrated her wanderer forces there.
Having managed Jeok Cheon Mak Ji alongside the lord since childhood, she possessed keen knowledge of strategy and military tactics.
―Victory was impossible regardless.
Defeating Huk Ki Hoe, whose forces outnumbered her own tenfold, was an impossible feat.
Thus, while appearing to construct a solid defensive line at Bu Hyeon,
she actually organized her forces with highly mobile cavalry and martial experts.
Through repeated retreats that drew Huk Ki Hoe forward, she extended their battle lines,
employing tactics to eliminate their divided forces one by one.
“This old woman plays cunning games.”
Dam Woong clicked his tongue after hearing reports from his commanders.
He had expected her to use auxiliary forces to strike from behind, given that she established her defense far from Jeok Cheon Mak Ji at Bu Hyeon.
Yet she deliberately retreated, exploiting the extended battle lines to crush divided enemy forces before reinforcements could arrive?
“Still, it amounts to nothing but futile resistance.”
The forces currently engaged in battle with Jeok Cheon Mak Ji’s wanderers at the front were not Huk Ki Hoe’s main strength.
Wanderers understood wanderer tactics well.
To survive on the battlefield, they employed bizarre poisons, concealed weapons, explosives—
anything and everything without hesitation. To counter such unprincipled wanderers,
Dam Woong had used his vast wealth to hire
some ten mercenary organizations, including Po Ui Du Gan, where the dregs of humanity gathered.
“Once I absorb Jeok Cheon Mak Ji, I’ll gain enormous profits annually. This expenditure is nothing.”
Dam Woong stroked his chin and issued orders to his aide.
“The rabble at the front can collapse entirely—I don’t care. They’re nothing but cannon fodder, nothing more, nothing less.”
He raised his voice as he surveyed the battlefield.
“Don’t stop! Push forward with everything!”
Dam Woong’s strategy proved correct.
Though Dam Yoo Yeon countered with ingenious tactics,
when Huk Ki Hoe adopted a strategy of relentless assault regardless of casualties, Jeok Cheon Mak Ji’s wanderers found themselves powerless,
and were pushed back to their main stronghold.
Dam Yoo Yeon took a deep breath.
Once this final defensive line fell, Huk Ki Hoe would pour into Jeok Cheon Mak Ji’s main base.
“So it was merely striking a rock with an egg after all.”
Gathered beyond the hill.
She bit her lip as she gazed upon the massive forces of Huk Ki Hoe, which resembled a dark mountain range.
She had believed her ingenious tactics had dealt a significant blow to Huk Ki Hoe.
But in the end, she had only defeated the First Formation of Huk Ki Hoe, which consisted of assassins.
“At least it was fortunate that additional wanderers who hadn’t previously joined came in.”
Throughout this time, Dam Yoo Yeon had prioritized the interests of the wanderers.
She had made efforts to provide accurate information so that the wanderers could return safely.
Even the wanderers who had initially refused to participate, unwilling to be sacrificed in an obvious battle,
watched as she struggled against Huk Ki Hoe and changed their minds mid-way, voluntarily joining the battlefield.
As most of the wanderers gathered, nearly a thousand troops assembled at Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
But the forces led by Dam Woong still outnumbered them by more than double.
It was only because Dam Yoo Yeon had deployed her ingenious tactics and defeated the First Formation that they had reduced the gap by that much.
“Now it’s an all-out war.”
Dam Yoo Yeon’s eyes were calm yet tinged with some bitterness.
Now that the enemy forces had arrived before her eyes, no tactics or strategies were needed.
Only a direct clash of strength against strength remained.
‘I have no regrets.’
After all, what I had wanted from the beginning was not victory, but mutual destruction.
“Everyone, give your all and annihilate them!”
As Dam Yoo Yeon gave the command,
―Waaaaah!
The wanderers of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji drew their weapons and charged forward.
These too were wanderers who had gathered to fight without submitting to Huk Ki Hoe.
They began their relentless charge with fearless expressions.
But then something unexpected happened.
The troops charging at the front began collapsing one after another without even being attacked.
“That is…”
Dam Yoo Yeon’s eyes widened as she surveyed the battlefield.
Wanderers were skilled in various forms of combat and proficient in all manner of grappling techniques.
But there were those they feared most on the battlefield—poison masters.
“Poison gas?”
Dam Yoo Yeon’s eyes snapped wide open.
What Huk Ki Hoe was unleashing from their vanguard was nothing but invisible poison gas?
“It’s poison!”
The wanderers of Nangindae immediately consumed antidote pills and covered their faces with cloth to block the poison gas.
But what made poison masters terrifying was not merely their ability to unleash poison gas.
Crack!
Even when weapons pierced their bodies, they made only a dull sound.
Poison masters generally possessed bodies through which blades could not penetrate.
Moreover, since even their blood was extremely toxic, close-range combat was nearly invincible.
“Use fire bombs!”
The poison cultivators’ weakness was fire.
Dam Yoo Yeon recalled that among the sects absorbed by Huk Ki Hoe, many were from Dok Moon.
In case poison cultivators appeared, she had stockpiled a massive supply of fire bombs.
Boom! Whoosh!
As the wanderers hurled fire bombs while fighting, the poison cultivators’ offensive faltered.
Yet the tide of battle could not be reversed.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
As the poison cultivators pressed forward at the vanguard, the wanderers gradually began to give ground.
In less than a moment, the entire First Formation of the Nangindae that had charged fell.
Gu O, observing the battlefield from the rear, spoke to Dam Yoo Yeon.
“Commander, there is no hope. If we endure like this, that beast Dam Woong will slaughter every wanderer.”
He continued in an earnest tone.
“Would it not be better to surrender the Black Codex to them?”
All financial flows through Jeok Cheon Mak Ji were managed by Dam Yoo Yeon.
If she or the Black Codex could not be secured? Huk Ki Hoe would seize only the land of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
They might not obtain the vast wealth accumulated over all these years.
“Even if I surrender it, they will never spare the people of this headquarters.”
Dam Yoo Yeon spoke in a cold voice.
“If they merely wanted the Black Codex, there would have been many ways to negotiate. They would not have cornered me and brought such overwhelming force.”
Her expression was resolute.
“They surely desire something beyond the Black Codex. They will never willingly release the people of this headquarters.”
“But… that is merely speculation, is it not?”
Gu O spoke desperately.
“Will you simply watch as the wanderers die like this?”
“What this headquarters must do is perish with honor.”
A profound light gleamed in Dam Yoo Yeon’s eyes.
“There are still many Wanderer Markets in the Murim. Huk Ki Hoe will devour them one by one, beginning with this headquarters.”
“…”
“By showing that there are those who do not submit to Huk Ki Hoe, the other Wanderer Markets will have a chance to survive.”
Dam Yoo Yeon’s expression was serene.
‘It is fate. There is nothing to regret.’
From childhood until now, I had witnessed the deaths of wanderers countless times.
And I had always believed that one day I would meet such a fate.
For such was the life of wanderers.
There was neither regret nor suffering in it.
Rumble!
Meanwhile, the poison cultivators were breaking through the Nangindae’s defensive line with unstoppable momentum.
Soon the defensive line would crumble, and the enemies would pour into Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
Thud.
At that moment, a sharp pain pierced Dam Yoo Yeon’s back.
Gu O had suddenly suppressed her vital points.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you say that one who knows the times accepts what is given?”
Gu O smiled faintly.
“If the Master dies without handing over the Black Book, I cannot inherit Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.”
Dam Yoo Yeon’s face went pale.
It turned out that Gu O had already been recruited by the Huk Ki Hoe.
“Then why did you help me fight if you could suppress me like this from the start?”
“Wasn’t it an excellent opportunity to eliminate all the wanderers and forces supporting the Master at once?”
Gu O laughed sinisterly.
He had not only been recruited by the Huk Ki Hoe, but also harbored a plan to sweep away all the wanderer factions supporting Dam Yoo Yeon within Jeok Cheon Mak Ji in this opportunity.
“But I never dreamed the Master would be so ruthless.”
Gu O sighed and shook his head.
“If you reveal the whereabouts of the Black Book now, I will give you the chance to take your own life quietly.”
His expression grew menacing as he continued.
“But if you continue to resist, I have no choice but to hand you over to that cruel Dam Woong.”
With her vital points suppressed, Dam Yoo Yeon’s eyes widened.
If she fell into Dam Woong’s hands.
Not only would her body be destroyed, but she would become neither living nor dead.
“You chose your people poorly.”
But then, from outside the camp, a voice heavy with deep sighs echoed.
“No wonder rebellions arise when you treat people so softly.”
“Who is it!”
Gu O was greatly startled and looked around.
He had clearly confirmed that no one was nearby. How could a voice be heard so close?
Whoosh.
At that moment, a Black-Robed Sage wielding a uniquely deformed sword emerged from the ground before his eyes.
Outside Jeok Cheon Mak Ji, a desperate battle was unfolding with lives at stake.
Yet the suddenly appeared Black-Robed Sage wore an expression that seemed not merely languid but bored.
It was Do Cheon Rin.
“How did you…?”
Gu O, recognizing his face, stumbled backward in shock.
“When the lion is absent, the fox plays king. You fit that description perfectly.”
Do Cheon Rin offered a cold sneer,
“Don’t move!”
Gu O quickly drew his short blade and pressed it against Dam Yoo Yeon’s throat, shouting.
“If you twitch even a finger, I’ll kill her immediately!”
Do Cheon Rin was a supreme master whose martial prowess was immeasurable.
If he showed even the slightest opening, his head would be severed from his shoulders in an instant.
Yet Gu O’s expression suddenly shifted.
Click.
Do Cheon Rin, who had been standing before him, was now sheathing the blade he had drawn.
‘He was empty-handed just moments ago.’
At that same instant, Gu O felt a sharp sting near his neck.
When he raised his hand to touch it, blood was already flowing in a crimson stream.
“When exactly…”
Those words became his final utterance in life.
Thud. Whoooosh!
Gu O’s severed head fell to the ground, and blood erupted from his headless body like a fountain.
Puff.
Without even glancing at the lifeless Gu O, Do Cheon Rin unleashed a gust of wind to release Dam Yoo Yeon from her acupoint seal.
“Why did you come here?”
“I came to repay a debt.”
Do Cheon Rin spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.
“I was curious just how audacious the Huk Ki Hoe truly is.”
“This is a power struggle between the factions of the Wanderer Market.”
Dam Yoo Yeon shook her head.
“Your involvement won’t resolve this.”
The defeat of the Nangindae was already predetermined.
No matter how formidable a master Do Cheon Rin was, he could not face nearly three thousand troops, including the Dok Moon.
“Well, dying in battle without regret has its own value, does it not?”
Do Cheon Rin smiled as he looked at Dam Yoo Yeon.
“And dying together with you on the same day and hour—that sounds rather amusing.”
Whoosh.
Before she could even respond, Do Cheon Rin launched himself toward the battlefield.
He drew his blade against the Dok Moon warriors charging toward Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
“Begone!”
Flash! Boom!
After reading the martial scripture Bu Eunseol had provided and engaging in profound martial discourse with her,
Do Cheon Rin had broken through his limits once more and achieved a breakthrough.
As his martial prowess enhanced, not only his reflexes sharpened, but his mental acuity accelerated, and his insight and perception grew keener.
Thus, by deploying even ordinary elementary techniques at precisely the right moments and places,
he was dispatching the charging warriors with ease.
From the perspective of the Huk Ki Hoe warriors, he was merely unleashing mundane basic moves like the Horizontal Thousand Army Technique.
Yet before their eyes, pale afterimages flashed and heads fell.
Crash! Boom!
The Dok Moon warriors leading the charge numbered over two hundred.
Do Cheon Rin felled thirty of them in mere moments.
That alone was enough for the Wanderers defending their position to catch their breath and regroup their formation.
“Where did this bastard suddenly emerge from?”
Dam Woong shouted, his brow furrowed.
With nothing but a pitch-black blade, he was casually unleashing sword energy that mowed down the poison masters like bundled straw.
Moreover, his face seemed vaguely familiar, yet his weapon and swordsmanship were completely unfamiliar.
“It seems they’ve secretly prepared quite a capable elite Wanderer.”
Dam Woong, having observed Do Cheon Rin fighting alone from start to finish, wore a cruel smile.
“But that won’t be nearly enough.”
The forces he had brought to conquer Jeok Cheon Mak Ji were not limited to the poison masters alone.
No matter what contingency arose, he had made thorough preparations to ensure Jeok Cheon Mak Ji would be devoured.
‘Failure is absolutely not an option.’
True to Dam Yoo Yeon’s word, the leader of Huk Ki Hoe was one who would not tolerate failure.
Even for Dam Woong, who managed all of Huk Ki Hoe’s finances, to arrive with such military force and fail?
The leader of Huk Ki Hoe would never forgive him.
“Send the Chung Bi Geom Dae!”
As Dam Woong shouted, the Team Members waiting in the rear began rushing forward.
Whoosh! Hiss!
They wore grotesque garments as if they had donned reptilian skin, and strange metal devices were mounted on their legs.
Each time they leaped upward, long swords protruded from those devices.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
With each landing, they drove their sharp blades down upon the Wanderers’ heads and shoulders.
The Wanderers attempted to swiftly cut them down with all their might.
But like grasshoppers bouncing erratically in all directions, their attacks were impossible to predict, making them difficult to deal with.
The Chung Bi Geom Dae members, having slaughtered Wanderers, now surrounded Do Cheon Rin in a circle, leaping like fleas.
They began bouncing up and down repeatedly.
Kiiiii!
With that grotesque sound, a green wave of energy rippled above Do Cheon Rin’s head.
Soon after, jagged sword energy poured down upon him.
The Chung Bi Geom Dae had deployed their signature Hundred-Legged Blood Insect Formation.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, the poison masters below unleashed concentrated Poison Palms toward Do Cheon Rin.
Crash! Whoosh!
From above came the Chung Bi Geom Dae’s sword energy; from below, the poison masters’ Poison Palms.
Do Cheon Rin’s body was soon obscured by the convergence of sword and poison energy.
Clang clang clang clang!
Do Cheon Rin, wielding the Demonic Blade like a windmill, continuously pushed back the poison and sword energy.
But these fighters seemed accustomed to battling superior masters—whenever the Chung Bi Geom Dae dulled the sharpness of Do Cheon Rin’s swordsmanship,
the poison masters seized the opening, drilling in from the front and flanks in succession, breaking through Do Cheon Rin’s defense.
‘Should I awaken the Demonic Blade’s power again?’
After crafting a new scabbard for the sword.
Not only was the demonic qi flowing from the Hwan Ma Sword suppressed, but the sword’s functions were sealed as well.
Yet Do Cheon Rin harbored no regrets.
He had seen such words written in the martial treatise authored by Bu Eunseol.
―Familiarity with convenience breeds stagnation. A warrior cannot grow without transforming adversity into an opportunity for advancement.
After all, a demonic blade not only influences the wielder’s spirit but constantly demands sacrifices and tributes.
To honor his promise with Bu Eunseol, Do Cheon Rin wielded the Hwan Ma Sword while sealing its functions, fighting with only his own strength.
‘Is this not also a trial?’
Do Cheon Rin clenched his teeth.
Even if it meant death.
He resolved to achieve victory through his own power alone and reach a new pinnacle of strength.
Crash! Thud thud thud.
As Do Cheon Rin focused his spirit and unleashed endless sword strikes, dozens more poison cultivators fell.
Yet the Hundred Clan Blood Insect Formation was the absolute formation of the Huk Ki Hoe, which had toppled countless masters.
Following its mysterious formation patterns, it unleashed unpredictable sword qi in endless exchanges of offense and defense.
The poison cultivators seized every opening, continuously spewing toxic energy.
“Ugh.”
“Hnn.”
While he grappled with the Chung Bi Geom Dae.
The forces of the Huk Ki Hoe were steadily cutting down the wanderers of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
‘The defensive line must not break.’
Do Cheon Rin doubled his power, flooding his body with vital energy.
He ignored the cascading poison entirely, determined to sever the Chung Bi Geom Dae first.
Whoooosh.
As he poured tremendous power into the Hwan Ma Sword, the blade began to glow crimson.
―Strike!
Sensing something ominous, the Chung Bi Geom Dae shifted formation again, unleashing a flurry of attacks.
But Do Cheon Rin directed his swordplay not at them, but at the sky itself.
Whoooosh!
A blood-red rainbow flashed across the clear sky.
As the rainbow painted the void, the warriors of the Chung Bi Geom Dae, who had been leaping endlessly through the air, fell helplessly to the ground.
He had unleashed the Blood-Dyed Shadow Capture—the ultimate technique of the Blood Flame Sect—through the Hwan Ma Sword.
―Scatter and attack!
As Do Cheon Rin’s assault grew fiercer, the Chung Bi Geom Dae.
Abandoned direct confrontation, employing unpredictable formation patterns to leap about like grasshoppers.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Yet Do Cheon Rin paid no heed, continuously generating rainbow-hued sword qi.
The moment the Chung Bi Geom Dae warriors leaped skyward, they fell spraying blood.
Dominating the air, Do Cheon Rin began attacking the Chung Bi Geom Dae members floundering below.
Boom!
An endless crimson spray of blood unfurled, and finally all of the Chung Bi Geom Dae surrounding Do Cheon Rin collapsed.
“Haah, haah.”
My entire body, gasping for breath, was drenched in sweat, and my skin had taken on a darkened hue.
Blood Flame Shadow Reflection possessed tremendous power, but it consumed vast reserves of inner force.
Having continuously unleashed Blood Flame Shadow Reflection while marinated in the cascading poison, my martial power had been severely depleted.
Eventually, the poison had begun to penetrate into my body.
“Is it impossible?”
In the meantime, a section of the defensive line had crumbled, and some forces of Huk Ki Hoe had advanced to the very gates of Jeok Cheon Mak Ji.
Even if I did not fall in this battle, the wanderers and Dam Yoo Yeon could not possibly survive.
In the end, Jeok Cheon Mak Ji was destined to fall.
Clang! Whoosh!
But then, from the flank of Huk Ki Hoe, the sound of weapons clashing rang out loudly,
―Crown Prince!
With a thunderous shout, fifteen Black Shadows came rushing straight toward Do Cheon Rin.
They all wore black martial robes and carried silver-gleaming crescent blades at their waists.
“Crown Prince!”
Finally standing beside Do Cheon Rin, they all knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.
Their martial robes, having barely pierced through the flank of Huk Ki Hoe’s forces, were thoroughly drenched in crimson blood from the fierce battle.
They were the sword masters of Do Geuk Dae, the direct elite unit under Do Cheon Rin’s command from the Blood-Dyed Sword School.

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