The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 607

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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 607.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage climbing the mountain path shook relentlessly.
‘How tedious.’
Bu Eunseol, piled atop a large burlap sack loaded onto one side of the carriage, wore an expression of boredom.
Around the third watch of the night, two dark-clad martial artists had slipped silently into the Inn where she was staying.
In an instant, they had subdued her Blood Sealing Point and abducted her.
‘If they were thorough enough to abduct someone from an inn, their investigation must have been flawless.’
Yu In Gwang, a merchant from Fukken, and his daughter Yu Seol were both real people.
Therefore, no matter who investigated, there would be nothing amiss.
‘The Chief must have been the same.’
The Murim’s exceptional intelligence organizations and assassin sects created many false identities.
They did this to handle special missions.
Had not Shin San Ja himself painstakingly constructed the identity of Seon Woo Jin over a long period,
one that no intelligence organization could find fault with no matter how thoroughly they investigated?
This identity of Yu Seol had been directly given to him by Gong Son Dan Gyeong, not by Bu Eunseol.
‘Judging by their abduction methods, they are quite experienced.’
The martial artists knew that the Yu Seol whom Bu Eunseol had assumed was an extremely delicate woman.
Yet they infiltrated the inn with extreme caution.
Then, like lightning, they subdued her Blood Sealing Point, stuffed her into a prepared burlap sack, and immediately fled the inn.
Simultaneously, they loaded her onto a carriage waiting outside the village and swiftly departed Seong Do.
Judging by this entire sequence of events flowing like water,
the number of women they had abducted thus far must be incalculable.
‘But why would they use a carriage?’
To move people discreetly,
it would be better to deploy lightness martial arts and traverse the shortest route quickly.
So why did they deliberately waste time by using a carriage?
Whirr.
Then, with the sound of the horse’s reins, the carriage that had been racing forward came to a halt.
Thud.
And another burlap sack dropped beside Bu Eunseol.
‘I see.’
Now Bu Eunseol understood.
They had investigated all the beautiful women who had come to Bangyeji Temple and Geun Dong.
And they were abducting them all at once.
‘But this is far too dangerous.’
An elder of the Hua Shan Sect could obtain beautiful women through countless other methods without resorting to such tactics.
Yet they were deliberately expending such resources and manpower,
engaging in an act that could plunge them into ruin if discovered even once?
‘Then there must certainly be another purpose.’
Even now, Chae Ju Hong, the current elder of the Hua Shan Sect, is suspected to be a fake rather than the genuine article.
Then shouldn’t he be even more careful with his conduct, yet he commits such heinous crimes?
If so, he must be willing to take on these risks.
There must be a special reason why he absolutely needs to abduct these women.
Click.
At that moment, the carriage finally came to a halt, and sounds of activity echoed from outside.
Before I knew it, I felt hands upon me, and someone began moving like the wind, cradling the sack.
Whoosh! Whirrr!
The lightness of movement of the one carrying the sack was swift and concealed.
What was distinctive was how, when pushing off the ground and dashing forward, they twisted their soles to generate all their force and launch upward.
‘Bi Ma Gung?’
I could not hide my astonishment.
Wasn’t the movement technique of the one running with the sack strikingly similar to the secret method of Tak Il Hon of Bi Ma Gung—the Ghost Shadow Moonlit Path?
Whirrr! Thud!
The sound of displaced air spread outward in all directions.
Not just I, but countless masters were dashing toward a single location, each cradling a sack.
‘The carriage was merely a gathering point.’
I marveled at their method of abducting the women.
The assassins hidden in each region abduct the women and then gather them in one place.
And at that gathering point, masters skilled in lightness of movement wait in readiness.
Then they all scoop up the sacks and head toward their destination.
Whoosh.
Finally, when those carrying the sacks arrived at a certain point, they ceased their movement technique.
Though I remained inside the sack, I could sense that we had arrived deep within a mountain.
‘They’ve built a mountain lodge hidden in the deep forest.’
Rustle.
Then the sack opened, and the surrounding landscape came into view.
‘So that’s why it wasn’t easily discovered.’
Remarkably, the place where the sack opened was a meditation hall within a temple, where the faint scent of incense drifted.
And the one who opened the closed sack was a female nun with a shaved head and piercing eyes.
“Hmm.”
The female nun examined the exterior of the sack, then clicked her tongue.
“If she were mute, that would be fortunate.”
Snap.
The female nun released a finger strike, unsealing the blocked meridian point on my body.
I had already formed an inner core and stored it within my body.
Even if an expert in the Wuji realm examined me, they would never discover anything amiss.
“Ah…”
As I gestured in confusion, the female nun spoke coldly.
“Remove your clothes.”
At the Female Nun’s words, Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
‘So it has come to this.’
She had naturally anticipated that such a situation would unfold.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had prepared for this by offering Bu Eunseol a potent hallucinogenic elixir, but Bu Eunseol had refused it.
In the process of suppressing the Blood Sealing Point to administer the drug,
others might discover it, or traces could be exposed.
‘I’ll attempt it.’
Zing.
As Bu Eunseol drew upon her inner energy, a faint luminescence flickered across her pupils.
Though she had never formally studied soul-seizing techniques,
having been subjected to Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s soul-seizing arts and exposed multiple times to Ak Moo Ryung’s illusory transformations,
she could grasp the essence of how to ensnare another’s spirit—the fundamental principles of soul-seizing.
“Oho.”
The Female Nun then gazed at Bu Eunseol with vacant eyes and nodded.
“Not only your face, but your figure is also exceptional.”
And she wore a faint smile.
“Do not worry. At this level, your muteness is hardly a disadvantage.”
Satisfaction gleamed in the Female Nun’s eyes.
The inability to speak actually evoked a more serene and tranquil beauty.
“Hmm.”
The Female Nun seized Bu Eunseol’s wrist and nodded.
“Only your constitution is regrettable.”
Shaking her head, the Female Nun murmured,
“But with such exquisite beauty, he will surely be satisfied.”
“Ah.”
As Bu Eunseol’s lips trembled, the Female Nun spoke.
“Listen well. If you obey my words from now on, you will live.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol bolted toward the Meditation Hall’s door with a terrified expression.
Any ordinary woman would have certainly done the same.
“….”
Upon stepping outside, Bu Eunseol could not help but widen her eyes.
From the numerous cloth bundles erected in the courtyard before the Daeung Hall, blood was dripping steadily.
“Did I not tell you?”
As Bu Eunseol trembled while frozen in place, the Female Nun approached and whispered,
“Though you lack the extreme yin energy, your exquisite beauty allowed you to live. Otherwise, you would be treated like a rag right now.”
‘He was conducting yin-supplementing cultivation.’
Now she could finally comprehend it.
Chae Ju Hong had been abducting women who possessed extreme yin energy.
This meant the probability was higher that his purpose was to practice yin-supplementing cultivation rather than merely indulging in carnal desire.
The true yin essence of a woman possessing extreme yin energy was like a divine elixir to those who had mastered yin-supplementing cultivation.
“Follow me.”
The Female Nun led Bu Eunseol into a spacious chamber.
Inside, stunningly beautiful women of unparalleled grace stood waiting, all dressed in identical robes tinged with rose.
“Change into this outfit as well.”
The Female Nun handed Bu Eunseol a rose-tinted robe.
“This place houses girls like you—those with mediocre constitutions but exceptional beauty.”
I surveyed the women in the chamber.
They had been abducted long before me, their expressions and movements unnaturally composed.
Yet they bore the marks of relentless persecution from the Female Nun.
They kept their heads bowed, not daring to meet her gaze.
‘So they don’t take them immediately.’
Rather than transporting all the abducted women at once,
it seemed they underwent a selection process here, and only those who reached a certain standard could proceed to the Secret Manor.
“Since you arrived late, you must diligently master the arts.”
The Female Nun spoke coldly, regarding me.
“If you attempt escape, it would be faster to slit your throat now.”
‘As you wish.’
I swallowed a bitter laugh and uttered a soft acknowledgment.
From the next day, I began learning various arts alongside the other women in this place.
―Only those among you who master dance and instruments most skillfully will survive.
I had thought they would teach the Four Accomplishments when they mentioned “arts,”
but what they taught here were entirely dances and songs designed to captivate men’s hearts, along with the mastery of instruments.
“Ah.”
Since my throat had been damaged, I was exempted from singing and learned only instruments and dance.
Thanks to my exceptional memory and dexterous hands, I quickly mastered zither playing at a professional level.
The dance, however, made my skin crawl the more I learned.
‘What torment.’
The dances they taught were designed to emphasize feminine beauty.
No matter how beautiful a woman’s face I wore through the Face Transformation Technique,
expressing the grace and allure unique to women made my skin prickle and my stomach churn.
‘I cannot stop here.’
Part of me wanted to annihilate everyone in this place, torture those responsible, and extract the Secret Manor’s location.
But many Team Members had already failed using such methods.
Moreover, even if I discovered the manor’s location that way, the information would leak and I would lose Chae Ju Hong.
‘Having come this far, why hesitate?’
I closed my eyes firmly.
Since it had come to this, I resolved to display the perfect grace of a woman.
“Truly remarkable.”
The Female Nun exclaimed in admiration.
Once I shifted my resolve, my dancing improved by leaps and bounds.
In less than four days, I had risen to become the undisputed best dancer and zither player among the forty-odd women gathered here.
“You possess exceptional beauty, and your dancing is flawless… From this day forward, you need not return for practice.”
‘How touchingly generous.’
Just as I turned at the Female Nun’s words,
“Yak Bing. Now it is your turn.”
At the Female Nun’s command, a beautiful woman standing across from me stepped forward.
The soft rustle of fabric whispered through the air.
She moved with grace and fluidity that matched her delicate features.
‘She has trained in martial arts.’
She was feigning weakness and an absence of inner strength.
But I could see through it at a glance.
I discerned that she had cultivated martial arts for a considerable time and possessed resilient, developed muscles.
Moreover, judging by the definition of her calves visible beneath her skirt, she had refined an exceptionally superior movement technique.
‘She does not appear to be from the Murim Alliance.’
She possessed the raw, vivid beauty of a wildflower blooming in an open field.
It was a quality that no woman from a common household or noble family could ever display.
“You simply will not do.”
The Female Nun spoke coldly to Yak Bing.
“If you do not master the Melody of Joy Dance and the Bee and Butterfly Crossing Dance within two days, you will be reassigned elsewhere.”
The door closed with a sharp sound.
As the Female Nun departed, Yak Bing’s head bowed.
“It cannot be done.”
Her voice carried not despair, but fury and resentment.
Yet the other women offered her no comfort or concern.
After all, everyone here was a rival, and only a limited number could survive.
Since my survival through the zither and dance was all but assured,
the number of those who could survive from this group had diminished accordingly.
Footsteps pattered softly across the floor.
The remaining women departed to their quarters.
I was just rising to leave when Yak Bing approached me.
“Would you not play the zither for me?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Yak Bing spoke with earnest intensity.
“I must survive.”
Her eyes gleamed with desperation.
The problem was that it was not desperation born of mere survival.
‘There is some story behind this.’
Now that I knew the location of this place,
the abducted women would safely return to their families.
Then helping Yak Bing climb so desperately toward advancement would be no bad thing.
I nodded.
Bu Eunseol nodded, and Yak Bing swept a hand across her chest as she spoke.
“Thank you.”
The moment Bu Eunseol began playing the guqin, Yak Bing resumed the Bong Jeop Cha Nyeo Dance once more.
The Bong Jeop Cha Nyeo Dance was a legendary feminine martial art that had once rivaled the Hwan Hui Gung.
A secret technique of the Cha Nyeo Pa, it required nothing more than graceful, flowing movements.
Yet it possessed the power to captivate men’s souls and ignite their vital essence.
However, the footwork was extraordinarily complex, and the sequences so intricate that mastering it was impossible without an innate gift for memory.
Ting-dong.
As Bu Eunseol’s playing reached its crescendo, Yak Bing swayed her body with passionate intensity in perfect harmony.
Yet she could not sustain the footwork sequences, and the dance repeatedly faltered and broke.
I’m simply not capable of this.
Yak Bing bit her lip.
Her memory was sharp enough that she had memorized every step and movement.
She maintained the rhythm flawlessly and executed even the most demanding footwork without hesitation.
And yet the dance lacked fluidity, devoid of the beauty it should have possessed.
The fault lay in her stoic nature—she harbored an instinctive aversion to coquetry and seduction.
Much like Bu Eunseol had initially resisted the dance itself.
“This won’t do.”
After dancing for some time, Yak Bing too sensed the wrongness and stopped.
Patter, patter.
Tears streamed from her eyes as her fists clenched tight.
I risked my life to come here.
She did not speak the words aloud, yet it seemed as though her heart’s cry reached Bu Eunseol’s ears.
Perhaps these were emotions that her very nature rendered impossible to express.
“Ah.”
After a moment of contemplation, Bu Eunseol retrieved brush and ink from a nearby table.
What if, instead of forcing melancholy into the expression, she portrayed it as bright and vigorous?
Yak Bing frowned as she gazed at what Bu Eunseol had written.
“How?”
Both the Bong Jeop Cha Nyeo Dance and the Hwan Hui Yeol Rak Dance emphasized feminine coquetry and delicate, sorrowful beauty.
How could one possibly express them as bright and vigorous?
“Ah.”
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to perform the very dances she disliked before Yak Bing.
Versed in numerous martial arts, I found it no more difficult than adjusting the sword intent embedded within swordplay.
To refine the dance intent woven into these movements was a simple matter.
Swish. Swish-swish-swish.
The two dances, which should have been expressed as soft and sorrowful like moonlight reflecting off a lake,
were suddenly rendered vibrant and radiant, like flower petals glimmering brilliantly beneath the scorching sun.
They had transformed into a dance that perfectly suited Yak Bing’s robust, healthy beauty.
“How on earth did you do that?”
When Yak Bing’s eyes widened in surprise, I waved my hand dismissively.
The gesture conveyed a simple message: ‘We have no time—practice quickly.’
“Yes, I understand.”
Yak Bing was herself a master who had cultivated martial arts to considerable depth, so she memorized the modified footwork I had altered in a single breath.
Yet even now, strength still dominated over the inherent grace that characterized women.
I found myself compelled to personally correct Yak Bing’s movements.
“Mmm—you’re far too rigid.”
I straightened her tense body and lifted the corners of her mouth slightly upward.
“Mmm—your waist is locked far too stiffly.”
Then I enlarged her movements to better accentuate her slender waist.
“Yes, that’s it.”
Yak Bing was, in truth, halfway to giving up.
But as I drew closer and personally corrected her movements, adjusting and refining them, the dance gradually began to take shape.
“Mmm.”
When she slipped back into blind, rigid strength, I reached out once more to correct her form.
After adjusting the dance several times with our bodies pressed close together, Yak Bing’s frame began to warm.
‘Why am I like this?’
She was a woman, just as I was. Yet as she caught my breath and scent from this proximity, wasn’t she growing dizzy?
Moreover, each time my soft hand touched near her waist, she felt a cry threatening to escape her lips.
‘Could it be… I’ve always been this way?’
Yak Bing had harbored an innate revulsion toward men.
And when she came to this place to learn a dance designed to seduce men, that revulsion only deepened.
But when this woman—Yu Seol—pressed her body close to mine, she found herself awash in an exquisitely subtle emotion.
“Hah… hah…”
“Mmm—let’s rest for a moment.”
“Already?”
I nodded.
Yak Bing’s flushed face heaved with ragged breaths as she steadied herself momentarily.
“Yes… yes, I suppose. There’s no help for it.”
Unlike before, Yak Bing’s wistful expression now revealed the radiant beauty of a true woman in full measure.
‘So that was it.’
I finally grasped one more truth.
Yak Bing had lived her entire life rough and masculine, never even acknowledging that she was a woman.
‘Her body is one thing, but her heart rejected it.’
Though her appearance was disguised as female, I remained fundamentally confident and masculine in nature.
And as my touch reached her and she caught my scent… Yak Bing gradually revealed the tender, beautiful form of a true woman.

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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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