The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 597

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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 597.
So Jeon waved his hand dismissively as he spoke.
“Baek Yeon is at Jeol Cheon Myul Ji due to maintenance of the Fengyun Corps. Send word for him to go directly to the Sect Leader.”
“Understood.”
After bowing respectfully, Bu Eunseol hurried toward Cheong Pung Jae, where Dan Cheong was staying.
Following Si Bi’s guidance into the office, I found Dan Cheong seated leisurely, sipping tea.
With disciples flocking to assist with his duties, the scale of the Chong Ui Jeon had grown considerably.
Dan Cheong was enjoying himself no less than Wang Gyeol in this leisurely state.
“What brings you here?”
Upon spotting Bu Eunseol’s face, Dan Cheong’s expression grew grave.
He was the one who had personally guided Bu Eunseol, who had survived Hell Island, to Nangya Sect.
Having watched over her since childhood, he immediately detected the subtle shadow beneath her eyes.
“I wish to see the Sect Leader.”
“The Sect Leader?”
Dan Cheong furrowed his brow.
Ak Moo Ryung, the Sect Leader, had long ago delegated all his duties to him and was now in seclusion.
He never emerged unless something of grave importance demanded it.
“What is this about?”
“I have discovered the purpose of the final realm—Gwi Il Gye.”
Bu Eunseol recounted in detail all that she had experienced thus far to Dan Cheong.
“I believe the Sect Leader must be informed of this matter and consulted.”
Moo Goong Gye was disturbing the Murim by researching bizarre entities called Inhwa and Gyeol Ma Yeon Ok In.
While such things were formidable and terrifying, they were not impossible to counter.
But what Gwi Il Gye was doing was different.
If they created avatars of supreme masters through their grotesque forbidden techniques?
Could they not kill even the current Samma and Sasin Seven Kings and turn them into puppets?
Moreover, if they had acquired rare treasures like the Black Divine Artifact, resistance would become nearly impossible with ordinary martial arts.
What was most terrifying was that Gwi Il Gye had already gathered the One Hundred Eight Stars that the Yang Seol Family had been watching.
If their plan succeeded?
They would have the Murim in the palm of their hand.
“Hmm.”
Dan Cheong stroked his chin thoughtfully.
In truth, Nangya Sect pursued only the ultimate way of martial arts, seeking bloody vengeance only against those who touched them.
It was one of the sects that never intervened, no matter what befell the Murim.
Its inclusion among the Ten Demonic Gates was solely due to its terrifying martial techniques.
Having never withdrawn its influence and maintaining self-sufficiency on Geommi Mountain.
Whether it was the Three Realms or the Hundred Realms or Heavenly Realms, it showed little interest.
But since Bu Eunseol’s arrival, it had become a core sect leading the Demonic Path.
Of course, Dan Cheong did not think this was a bad thing.
But Ak Moo Ryung, the Sect Leader, was different.
As the sect’s influence grew, I felt increasingly burdened by the complications that came with it, and I found myself dissatisfied with this state of affairs.
“Let me speak plainly.”
Dan Cheong spoke in a low voice.
“If it were to help you, I could mobilize all of Nangya Sect’s forces. I have done so all along.”
“….”
“But the Sect Lord is different. He would not lend his ear to matters concerning the Three Realms or anything else.”
“I understand.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“To be honest, I too have no interest in the Three Realms or anything of the sort.”
“What do you mean?”
“As the successor to the Demon Palace, I did not clash with them for the sake of the Demonic Path’s power or its political landscape.”
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
“It was solely for revenge.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed as I spoke.
“Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang. He is my grandfather.”
“Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang….”
“Yes.”
After taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol fixed Dan Cheong with an unwavering gaze.
“I wanted to tell you from the beginning, but because all of this stems from my personal vendetta, I did not wish to bring harm to Bon Gak. That is why I could not speak of it.”
And I calmly recounted everything that had transpired from my childhood until now.
“Perhaps Ma Cheon Je, Chong Gyo Ryeong, Bi Yeong Gak Ju, or perhaps other Ten Demonic Sect Lords are aware of my circumstances.”
“Hmm.”
“It is possible that the Sect Lord himself may also know.”
“Bon Gak is counted among the Ten Demonic Gates, yet the Sect Lord has always remained indifferent to matters of the Demon Palace or the Demonic Path. The same holds true for him.”
Dan Cheong drew a deep breath and shook his head.
He too could not be certain whether Ak Moo Ryung was aware of such facts.
“I understand.”
Dan Cheong exhaled heavily and nodded.
“The Sect Lord is currently at Young San Peak. You will be able to meet him if you go there. However… you must handle the aftermath yourself.”
In the past, when Dan Cheong and Baek Yeon had summoned Ak Moo Ryung, they had risked their lives to persuade him.
But now, such a thing—
I was being told to do it myself.
“The Deputy Sect Lord is currently….”
Dan Cheong, sensing my inner thoughts, waved his hand.
“No, I am busy.”
On the table where he sat, various teacups and tea leaves were arranged neatly.
“Selecting fine tea leaves is also the duty of this Deputy Sect Lord.”
Dan Cheong cleared his throat, unable to withstand my burning gaze.
“Should I not serve good tea to the guests who visit Bon Gak? Otherwise, those fellows will all say we brew nothing but wild tea.”
The only guests worthy of visiting Nangya Sect were the occasional messengers from the Demon Palace who brought news.
And Dan Cheong had never once served them tea.
When Bu Eunseol recalled this fact and her expression grew bitter, Dan Cheong swiftly changed the subject.
“You are the successor of Bon Gak, are you not? It is time you cultivated a warmer rapport with Gak Ju.”
“I understand.”
As Bu Eunseol answered with reluctant acceptance, Dan Cheong nodded in relief.
“Go well.”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol pressed her palms together.
As I watched her depart, my expression grew infinitely darker.
It was a gaze of profound shadow I had never once revealed before.
Young San Peak, the sovereign summit of Geommi Mountain, towered so impossibly high it seemed to touch the heavens themselves.
As Bu Eunseol ascended the peak, mist like clouds swirled in all directions.
Beneath the sheer cliff face stood a muscular man exceeding seven feet in height.
“Gak Ju.”
Bu Eunseol bowed in respect.
“Forgive me for interrupting your cultivation.”
The man, who had been gazing upon the vast, boundless landscape that stretched endlessly before him, slowly turned.
His long hair was bound carelessly atop his head, and his darkened skin revealed musculature so taut it was impossible to discern his age.
An endless radiance flowed through his eyes, yet no trace of joy or sorrow, anger or delight could be seen.
It was as though the boundless vista of Young San Peak had been captured within his very pupils.
He was the great Demon Immortal who shook the Tianxia, the Gak Ju of Nangya Pavilion—Ak Moo Ryung, the Human Demon.
[So you dared to come here knowing you would disturb the Gak Ju’s closed cultivation.]
A sallow light poured forth from Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes as he gazed down upon Bu Eunseol.
Even a person of the boldest spirit would have lost control of themselves upon meeting such a gaze.
Yet Bu Eunseol was scarcely disturbed, for she understood that such radiance emanated because the Nangya Divine Eye had reached the pinnacle of its mastery.
Though still nascent, she herself could activate the Nangya Divine Eye.
“It seems the time has come for you to know as well, Gak Ju….”
Bu Eunseol pressed her palms together with perfect composure.
“I have come despite knowing it would be an intrusion.”
[Time to know?]
“Yes.”
Ak Moo Ryung let out a derisive snort.
[You mean that you are an orphan raised by Chilji Demonic Sect Bu Chanyang.]
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
“You knew?”
[Sa Do Moo Myung came to this place not long ago.]
Bu Eunseol could not hide her shock.
Ma Cheon Je, who had maintained his seclusion without revealing his whereabouts, had sought out Ak Moo Ryung?
If so, then Ma Cheon Je must have known since his days among the Ten Demon Immortals that I was my grandfather’s grandson.
‘Is that why he designated me as the successor to the Demon Palace?’
Boom!
In that instant, I felt as though a massive iron hammer had struck the back of my skull.
Stagger.
As searing pain tore through the back of my head, I stumbled backward a step.
[A man who fortified his spirit so meticulously—rendered defenseless by a single mention of his lineage?]
The thunderous rebuke snapped my consciousness awake.
The moment Ak Moo Ryung sensed the fracture in my spirit’s defenses,
he immediately unleashed Illusory Corruption, striking directly at my mind.
[Or perhaps you believe Murim grows tame because you’ve achieved a pittance of progress?]
Ak Moo Ryung’s words filled me with shame.
‘I have grown far too arrogant.’
The advancement of martial arts is not mine alone to claim.
In that brief span of time, Ak Moo Ryung as well
had made another tremendous leap, ascending to a realm beyond measure.
“Master, I have recognized my error.”
I lowered my head in shame.
In Murim, life and death are separated by an instant. In any circumstance, one must never allow even a moment of carelessness.
“Yet today, I must hear everything from you, Gak Ju.”
Rumble.
In an instant, the space where I stood turned pitch black.
Ak Moo Ryung had transformed into a colossal mountain, casting an enormous shadow.
[Good.]
As Ak Moo Ryung opened his mouth to speak, I felt the weight of the heavens pressing down upon my head.
[Ask.]
Crack.
As Ak Moo Ryung spoke, the earth around me began to split.
Each time he opened his mouth to sound,
a terrifying pressure cascaded upon my body.
The problem was that these forces were neither
martial power nor the strength of otherworldly techniques—something I could endure.
[I shall answer until you can no longer hear.]
‘Gak Ju planted the seed of Illusory Corruption through that single crack in my spirit I revealed.’
I grasped the situation immediately.
The moment my grandfather’s name was spoken, the barrier of my spirit wavered briefly.
In that instant, Ak Moo Ryung had sown the seeds of Illusory Corruption throughout my spirit.
“Gak Ju, do you perhaps know the identities of those who slew my grandfather?”
Focusing my mind, I marshaled all my strength to resist the force of Illusory Corruption.
Even if my body were to shatter,
there were truths I must hear from Ak Moo Ryung.
[I do not know.]
“Then how does Ma Cheon Je know that I am my grandfather’s grandson?”
[He had been searching for Chilji Demonic Sect for a long time.]
With each word Ak Moo Ryung uttered, it felt as though the heavens and earth crumbled, as if my skull were being cleaved in two.
[But because Chilji Demonic Sect had left countless clones scattered throughout Gangho, finding the true one proved difficult.]
Ak Moo Ryung continued speaking while gazing at Bu Eunseol’s bloodshot eyes.
[And when he finally found him, he was apparently engaged in Yeomsa practices with some child.]
Thick veins like earthworms bulged across Bu Eunseol’s entire body, and his eyes were crimson with blood.
“Then that means…”
[Yes. That child he saw back then has become one of the Ten Demon Immortals and now stands before him, or so he said.]
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
Which meant…
Ma Cheon Je had found my grandfather before Sam Gye did?
‘Then why does Ma Cheon Je pretend not to know me?’
Yet this was a question Ak Moo Ryung could not answer.
Bu Eunseol, gathering his focus, opened his mouth once more.
“In truth, I came to Gangho to avenge my grandfather.”
Drip.
As I spoke, the blood I had been forcibly swallowing the entire time leaked from the corners of my mouth.
“And I discovered that the one who killed my grandfather was a master belonging to Sam Gye.”
The one fortunate thing was…
Speaking did not intensify the pressure of the illusory phantom’s torment.
“And my grandfather’s corpse was stolen by Gwi Il Gye.”
Bu Eunseol recounted everything he had experienced thus far.
However, he did not mention the possibility that Baek Ri Mu Ha could be his father.
It was not yet certain, after all.
That man was known to walk the path of the Orthodox Sects, and I could not know what grievances he might harbor with Ak Moo Ryung.
“Moreover, unlike the other Sam Gye, Gwi Il Gye’s objectives are of a level that cannot be left unchecked.”
He revealed that Gwi Il Gye was attempting to recreate the abilities of the absolute masters from ancient times.
[Obtaining the corpses of masters from the previous era to create supreme powerhouses… such is their design.]
Splash.
As Ak Moo Ryung spoke slowly, Bu Eunseol’s vision turned crimson as blood poured from him.
With each word he uttered, it felt as though his body were being split asunder.
[Then is this not rather an amusing turn of events?]
Was Ak Moo Ryung not grinning with delight, baring his fangs?
‘The Lord would find this most entertaining.’
Ak Moo Ryung advanced his martial prowess through combat, having battled the supreme masters of Murim throughout his lifetime.
But if supreme powerhouses appeared who had perfectly inherited the martial techniques of the previous generation’s masters?
For Ak Moo Ryung, it would be akin to savoring new delicacies he had never before tasted.
[Hahahaha!]
Thud.
When Ak Moo Ryung burst into laughter, Bu Eunseol finally dropped to one knee.
There was no shame in kneeling before the eldest of the sect—it was only proper.
What shamed me was the pathetic inadequacy of my own martial prowess.
‘I must focus my spirit more intently.’
The time I could endure was rapidly dwindling.
I gritted my teeth and pressed forward with another question.
“Does the Sect Lord have no intention of eliminating Sam Gye?”
This was the reason I had come to this place.
I needed to know how much Ak Moo Ryung understood about Sam Gye, and what he truly thought of them.
[Sam Gye has existed since the primordial beginning.]
With each word Ak Moo Ryung spoke, an overwhelming pressure descended upon my head—so suffocating I could scarcely draw breath.
My vision had already turned crimson from the strain.
Ak Moo Ryung’s illusory phantasm did not merely assault the spirit.
When the spirit crumbled, the body followed in its collapse.
I felt as though I had plunged into the depths of an abyss, my body on the verge of rupturing under the crushing pressure.
Yet Ak Moo Ryung paid no heed to my anguished expression.
He continued speaking slowly, unhurriedly.
[Some know of their existence, others do not. But regardless, Sam Gye has always existed and always ruled.]
I could not even muster a response.
My body felt infinitely compressed, as though trapped within some tiny vessel.
[Because Murim can only endure if a force like Sam Gye exists.]
My eyes flickered with sudden understanding.
Those words echoed what Do Mu Jeok, the Blood Flame Sect Lord, had once said.
Was this not the same assertion—that Sam Gye’s existence was inevitable and could not be eliminated?
“Then does the Sect Lord know not only of Sam Gye, but also of the forces lurking in those depths?”
[From the beginning, Murim has been a place where countless sects and factions rise and fall. Even if a lineage persists across generations, the people within it change.]
Ak Moo Ryung spoke as though it were contemptible.
[
Why should this Sect Lord concern himself with such trifles? Why should I even spare them a thought?
]
Ak Moo Ryung had long since sensed not only Sam Gye’s existence but also the forces lurking in those depths.
Yet he showed no interest in what they did or what schemes they harbored.
They had not touched Nangya Sect.
They had not touched him.
He devoted himself solely to the goal he pursued.
[If you wish to destroy, then destroy.]
From Ak Moo Ryung’s form radiated a power potent enough to overturn Tianxia itself.
[If you wish to align yourself, then align yourself. That is this Sect Lord’s answer.]
“Your disciple….”
Swallowing the blood rising in my throat, I spoke with conviction.
“I intend to destroy all the forces of the Three Realms that dared lay hands upon my grandfather.”
My bones felt as though they were crumbling to dust, and all the blood in my body threatened to spill forth from my lips.
Yet even within that excruciating agony, I gazed steadily at Ak Moo Ryung.
The light in Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes shifted as he observed my silent endurance of the pain.
For the first time, his gaze transcended that of a demon—it became profoundly human.
[Then do not borrow the hands of others. They exist everywhere.]
In that voice, I sensed a humanity I had never felt from him before.
In that moment, a peculiar thought seized me.
‘Could it be that the Sect Lord is not indifferent, but rather deliberately severing his own concern?’
Currently, there exists no corner of Murim untouched by the reach of the Three Realms.
Perhaps Ak Moo Ryung repeatedly enters seclusion not to spare the disciples of Nangya Sect their sacrifice.
But rather to single-handedly dismantle the Three Realms—such was the thought that consumed me.
Ak Moo Ryung is Ak Moo Ryung. He would never forgive those who presume to rule above him.
“Could it be that Ma Cheon Je and Jeong Cheon Je also enter seclusion repeatedly because of the Three Realms…?”
This was not a question posed to Ak Moo Ryung.
Rather, words I had been turning over in my mind spilled forth unbidden.
[Hmph. That one?]
Yet Ak Moo Ryung unexpectedly offered a response. A profoundly shocking one at that.
[I know not of Jeong Cheon Je, but Ma Cheon Je has already transcended the boundaries of the Infinite Realm.]
In that instant, my eyes widened.
The shock was greater than when I first received a Phantasmal Reversal strike from Ak Moo Ryung.
Ma Cheon Je had transcended the boundaries of the Infinite Realm? Then had he reached the Realm of Heavenly Intent?
[The Realm of Heavenly Intent is merely a theoretical realm conceived in thought. None can judge whether anyone has truly ascended there. However….]
From Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes blazed forth a calamitous fire capable of annihilating all existence.
[It was a realm beyond words to express. If that power had not transcended the boundaries of the Infinite Realm.]
He paused, then shook his head slowly.
[Then even this Sect Lord would not have known of the new martial art he created and wielded.]
“Cough.”
At last, I spat forth a crimson arrow of blood.
With each response Ak Moo Ryung gave, the pressure that erupted overwhelmed my resistance, and I sustained grave internal injuries.
Drip, drip, drip.
Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, yet Ak Moo Ryung merely gazed down upon me with cold indifference.
‘The most erudite scholar of martial arts in all Tianxia is none other than the Sect Lord.’
Though my head spun as if death itself approached, and my meridians burned as if torn asunder, I paid no heed to such suffering, lost instead in profound contemplation.
That even Ak Moo Ryung could not measure the martial prowess of Ma Cheon Je.
This alone suggested a high probability that he had reached a new realm.
‘Or could it be the Black Divine Technique?’
According to Ma Geom Ja’s account, Baek Ri Mu Ha wielded the power of the Black Divine Technique to alter the river’s course—a strength akin to that of a Martial God.
‘Yet that too is mere speculation.’
Shaking my head, I gazed upward once more at Ak Moo Ryung.
His endless seclusion and cultivation stemmed from his fighting spirit against the Jeong Ma Ssang Cheon Je—those immeasurable transcendent beings whose power defied comprehension.
Perhaps it held the same meaning as the vengeance Bu Eunseol harbored in her heart.
After all, each person pursued their own distinct aspirations.
“I apologize for disrupting Gak Ju’s secluded cultivation.”
Though Bu Eunseol’s body was battered and broken, a satisfied smile graced her lips.
Even beneath the oppressive weight of the illusory realm’s pressure, she had never lost consciousness, and she had heard Ak Moo Ryung’s response.
[Hmph.]
Ak Moo Ryung let out a scoff, gazing down at Bu Eunseol.
In those eyes gleamed the absolute pride of a supreme master, one who regarded the laws governing all existence as utterly irrelevant.
‘Gak Ju is just like me.’
Both of them relentlessly pursued their respective goals, and both cherished Nangya Pavilion with unwavering devotion.
This was why they sought to achieve their aims through their own strength alone, without relying on anyone’s assistance.
“I will protect Nangya Pavilion.”
At Bu Eunseol’s vow, a flicker of humanity returned to Ak Moo Ryung’s eyes.
Yet immediately after, he let out a cold scoff.
[Bon Gak is not a place that needs protecting.]
Nangya Pavilion was a gathering place for the strong who pursued the Way of the Martial.
Even should Nangya Pavilion vanish,
another Nangya Pavilion would inevitably arise elsewhere in Murim.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol smiled.
Nangya Pavilion was Nangya Pavilion.
Ak Moo Ryung was Ak Moo Ryung.
Bu Eunseol was Bu Eunseol.
One need only fulfill one’s duty and do what must be done.
“Then.”
Bu Eunseol offered a bow, her smile noticeably lighter than before.
Was it merely an illusion?
In the moment she turned away,
she sensed the faintest of smiles gracing Ak Moo Ryung’s lips.

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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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