The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 627

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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 627.
Even with the Shadow Evasion technique fully deployed, his blade moved with such blinding speed that I couldn’t raise my sword to block it.
Yet there remained a fraction of time—enough to twist my neck.
Crack.
Bu Eunseol’s bite force was formidable; in a single motion, I shattered the tip of the iron blade.
[Grrr…]
A strange sound then escaped from Shadow’s mouth.
The Swift Blade technique is a one-strike-certain-death method that travels only in a straight line toward its target—the subtleties of reactive defense do not apply.
Yet Bu Eunseol had done the unprecedented.
I had blocked it with an extraordinary technique—catching the blade between my teeth.
There was no need to be faster than my opponent.
I only needed to survive.
That was possible because of the Beast Path’s superior instincts and a temperament bound by no martial law whatsoever.
A radical and liberated nature had made it possible.
[Grrr…]
Shadow released another strange sound, then—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, his form scattered like mist in all directions.
It seemed the trial had ended, now that I had blocked the Swift Blade Killing technique.
Drip, drip.
Blood was trickling from Bu Eunseol’s mouth.
Catching a blade technique between one’s teeth was an extraordinarily perilous act.
Despite my precise grip on the iron blade, my tongue and the inside of my mouth bore wounds.
Had I failed to seize that instant, or had my bite been even slightly slower?
The iron blade would have pierced through my mouth or severed my tongue entirely.
“Have you defined the ultimate principle of martial arts in your own way?”
Bu Eunseol gasped in wonder, having gained enlightenment from the sword technique Shadow had displayed.
Combat is not merely a comparison of martial skill levels.
Even with superior techniques, one can be defeated; conversely, by seizing a precise moment, even a simple technique can topple a master.
Location matters as well.
Solid ground and muddy earth produce subtle differences in jumping power.
Fighting in an empty open ground differs from fighting in an inn crowded with people and furnishings, or in a market street—the techniques and movements employed are entirely different.
Time is equally important.
Vision differs when fighting with the sun at one’s back versus fighting beneath moonlight.
What of emotion?
The Swift Blade technique’s speed of execution differs between moments of rage and moments of calm.
Whether one immediately defends against an opponent’s attack or lets it pass lightly can alter the subsequent moves entirely.
Thus, one must account for all elements—the opponent’s skill and martial knowledge, the location and time of battle, emotion, and more.
Life and death are determined by these infinitesimal differences.
Adaptation to circumstances.
Many martial arts manuals compare the pinnacle of martial mastery to adaptability—responding fluidly to circumstances as they arise.
By accounting for more variables than your opponent—time, place, emotion, and countless other factors—
the one who responds appropriately to each situation claims victory.
Shadow’s swordsmanship was not merely a demonstration of Jeong Shi’s martial school, but a living embodiment of that profound principle of adaptability itself.
“I have learned much.”
*Click.*
Bu Eunseol sheathed the Muk Hon Sword and passed through the door once more.
Though I moved with composure, cold sweat drenched my spine.
The Quick Blade Killing Strike was as swift as lightning, and the moment of its release was flawless—there was no way to evade or counter it.
Yet I had found a way to survive nonetheless.
It was the optimal solution, a move befitting the principle of adaptability—one of the highest ideals of martial mastery.
*Thud, thud.*
Bu Eunseol passed through the martial hall and reached another corridor.
This time, a character was inscribed upon the gate: Heart (心).
‘The gateway of the heart.’
My spiritual fortitude yields to no one. A gateway concerning the heart should be breached without difficulty.
Yet my expression darkened.
‘Even with an unshakeable spirit, one cannot pass through here—so she said.’
Bi Yeon, despite knowing of my spiritual strength, had declared this gateway impassable.
That meant the state of perfect spiritual penetration would offer no advantage whatsoever in this trial.
*Creak.*
As I opened the door, a staircase ascending to the upper level came into view.
Dim light filtered through the interior, and with each step, my footfalls echoed loudly through the space.
Bu Eunseol ascended the stairs with dignified composure, undeterred.
Yet something felt wrong.
With each step upward, a gnawing regret burrowed deeper into my mind.
It was not a spiritual attack or a technique of mental manipulation, but rather the combined effect of the dim surroundings, the texture of the stairs, and the echoing sounds reverberating through the air—
all harmonizing together in deliberate arrangement.
‘Looking back, I should have rejected Grandfather’s hand.’
What if I had not followed him? What if I had not spent those years in mourning—
Grandfather would never have fallen to Hyung Su’s grasp.
And I would have lived in solitude and peace, observing the rites for him.
‘Going to the Demon Palace was also a mistake.’
Ma Cheon Je opened the Ten Demon Hall Conference without achieving perfect consensus with the Ten Demonic Gates.
Whether intentional or not, this led the Ten Demon Immortals and the heirs of the Ten Demonic Gates into needless factional strife.
Ultimately, an atmosphere emerged where only each sect’s interests mattered, weakening loyalty and cohesion toward the Demon Palace.
In such circumstances, Ma Cheon Je remained perpetually in seclusion, Chong Gyo Ryeong was entangled with Sam Gye, and his allegiance lay elsewhere rather than with the Demon Palace.
What if I had chosen the Murim Alliance instead?
Without the complicated processes I now face,
I could have risen steadily in rank and achieved a high position long ago—perhaps even found Grandfather’s killer, Hyung Su.
Step, step.
As negative thoughts continued endlessly, his pace slowed.
The body is ruled by the spirit.
With each passing moment of regret, his body grew heavier as stone, as if the tower’s darkness wrapped around him and pressed down with crushing weight.
As his body grew heavy, his heart sank deeper into a dark abyss.
—Seol Ah.
Yet a warm voice resonated in Bu Eunseol’s ears.
It was the voice of his grandfather, Bu Chanyang, who had always become a ray of light during times of suffering.
‘Grandfather.’
Whether freezing to death, struggling through hardship, or despairing when things went wrong.
Grandfather Bu Chanyang had always been there, watching over me.
And he always gazed at me with that same gentle smile.
Moreover, grandfather said that he did not smile because life was so happy and joyful.
Rather, because he smiled, he could live a happy life.
Indeed, grandfather lived each moment with gratitude.
—We are all imperfect beings. Therefore, no matter what choice we make, we inevitably must feel regret.
Bu Chanyang emphasized that regretting the past was entirely natural.
—There is no need to view regret only through a negative lens. It is precisely because of regret that humans can grow.
Bu Chanyang advised to remember and acknowledge past mistakes, but to use them as an opportunity for greater growth.
—Hold onto longing, but do not dwell in regret. For time that has passed can never be reclaimed.
Bu Chanyang emphasized that even human imperfection was an opportunity for growth.
And that profound teaching.
Remained vivid in Bu Eunseol’s heart now, sustaining him.
‘I was able to grow stronger quickly because I went to the Demon Palace.’
Going to the Demon Palace was not a wrong choice.
Sa Woo, the master of Bi Jeon Dang, recognized Bu Eunseol’s talent and even fed him elixirs.
Allowing me to quickly establish the foundation of the Beast Path.
Through the teachings of Cheon Woon Gwang and Dan Cheon Yang, Bu Eunseol was able to lay the groundwork to master the Ascending Martial Arts.
And the family of Nangya Pavilion transmitted excellent martial techniques that allowed me to stand tall in the Murim.
‘I also made true friends.’
Yu Woon Ryong, Myo Cheon Woo, and Seo Jin Ha.
Those who were once rivals had become cherished friends and comrades who protected me like life itself.
And through my journey through the Gangho with Hyuk So Jin, I gained the support needed to become the successor of the Demon Palace.
“There can be longing.”
Opening his eyes once more, Bu Eunseol steadily pushed through the corridor of darkness.
Because I am human.
An imperfect being, so naturally there is longing for the past.
“But I have no regrets.”
I will no longer dwell in regret.
What has passed cannot be undone, and regret is merely an emotion that corrodes the human heart.
I simply needed to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
The memories of the past could serve as a catalyst for growth—nothing more.
Tap.
As I cast off the regret blooming in my mind, my footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
I had ascended a total of one hundred and eight steps.
Rumble.
Then, the door to the distant corridor that had been sealed swung open.
‘So this was precisely where I needed to stop.’
Had I failed to dispel the regret rising within my heart, these stairs would have continued endlessly.
But because Bu Eunseol had immediately cast off the shadow of the heart, I was able to stand firm at the one hundred and eighth step.
At last, having passed through the Hall of Martial Prowess, I had now transcended the Hall of Heart as well.
Rumble.
Upon ascending the final step, another small door came into view.
Click.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, a massive hemispherical vessel stood before me, its surface rippling with a black liquid.
Whoooosh.
As Bu Eunseol approached, the black liquid surged and transformed into the shape of a human face.
[You are suitable.]
The black visage, suspended in the air, regarded Bu Eunseol and spoke.
[With you, we believe we can finally become one.]
Splash.
The black liquid hovering in the air unhesitatingly enveloped Bu Eunseol’s face.
[After this long and arduous journey, at last the Black Divine Artifact….]
Then, countless memories began flooding into my consciousness.
They were the memories of the many who had entered this tower.
‘This cannot be.’
As those memories poured in, Bu Eunseol could not suppress my astonishment.
The countless limbs and eyes scattered throughout Gokgeomrim—they had not been severed from the innocent.
They had severed their own limbs themselves.
Solely to create the Black Divine Artifact.
They had sought to forge that wondrous divine instrument, trading their own bodies to overturn the world itself.
‘This tower.’
Only now did Bu Eunseol comprehend the true nature of this tower.
This tower itself was like a blacksmith’s forge for crafting the Black Divine Artifact.
And all who entered here became fragments of the Black Divine Artifact.
Now, with the arrival of one who could finally unite them, they sought to birth a new Black Divine Artifact using Bu Eunseol as the vessel.
Crackle.
My body had already turned pitch black.
This was the power of the new Black Divine Artifact, forged in Gokgeomrim—capable of overturning this very world.
‘If I myself become the Black Divine Artifact… that might not be so terrible after all.’
Bu Eunseol closed his eyes.
If I were to accept the power of the Black God Technique into my body… there would be no further need to traverse between the Demon Palace and the Murim Alliance.
There would be no need to struggle to grasp the tail of the Three Realms.
With this power, I could simply destroy and dominate all things.
‘This is the Black God Technique.’
The liquid was absorbed into Bu Eunseol’s body, staining his skin pitch black.
But then.
—My child.
A faint light emanated from Bu Eunseol’s heavenly spirit aperture, and a longed-for voice reached his ears.
It was the voice of his father.
—Why did you not seal all of those away at that time? It was an opportunity to handle them decisively.
Then a beautiful voice, like jade beads rolling, resonated through the air.
—It was then that I came to understand.
It was the voice of his mother.
—If I were to seal away all of the Black God Technique now… a future filled with darkness would unfold.
—That is strange. Your words contradict themselves, do they not?
His father asked in bewilderment.
—Then why did you give me the Black God Technique, brimming with such tremendous power? The force was so unbearable that I even employed the Sealing Extinction Method that you taught me.
—Oh my, did you think that was yours?
His mother laughed softly and spoke thus.
—In time, it will return to its original master. And when that moment comes, all of the Black God Techniques in the Murim will vanish….
Flash!
As Bu Eunseol awakened from the memory, crimson radiance surged from his eyes into the void.
At the same moment, the liquid that had been staining his skin black began to writhe as though alive.
‘Mother…’
Bu Eunseol was engulfed in shock.
‘Mother knew that the Muk Hon Blade would come into my hands?’
His mother’s calm voice carried a certainty as though she had foreseen the future.
And Bu Eunseol’s Muk Hon Blade was indeed a God-Slaying Weapon capable of shattering the Black God Technique.
—Kiiieeeee!
At that moment, screams poured forth from the black liquid surrounding Bu Eunseol’s body.
They were the resentful spirits of countless people who had lost their lives in this place.
As Bu Eunseol suddenly regained his senses and refused to accept them, they shrieked in fury.
“Silence.”
Shing.
As Bu Eunseol drew the Muk Hon Blade from his waist, mysterious patterns and light began to emerge from the scabbard.
He was enraged.
The memory of his mother that he had barely found was being disrupted by these resentful spirits.
Shing!
With the Muk Hon Blade drawn, Bu Eunseol began to sever all of the liquid surrounding his body.
Slash, slash, slash!
Yet no matter how many times I severed them, the liquid reformed itself endlessly.
A deep hum resonated.
At that moment, mysterious patterns began to inscribe themselves not only upon the sword sheath but also upon the blade of Muk Hon’s sword.
Bu Eunseol had already begun channeling the Essence of the Divine Immortal at full force.
A brilliant flash erupted!
Sensing the danger, the liquid droplets clung desperately to Bu Eunseol’s body once more.
“No one.”
In that instant, a radiant brilliance bloomed from the light of Muk Hon’s sword.
“Can ever dominate me!”
A tremendous burst of power exploded outward!
The light emanating from the Essence of the Divine Immortal spread instantaneously in all directions, painting the entire world in the five-colored radiance of its luminescence.
A gentle whisper of dissipation.
The black liquid that had clung to my body began to evaporate slowly beneath the light.
As the darkness receded, the interior gradually brightened, and the surrounding landscape came into view.
‘Muk Hon’s sword was a gift from my mother.’
Recalling my mother’s voice, I embraced Muk Hon’s sword.
If my conjecture was correct… then my mother had foreseen the future and entrusted this blade to me.
And the meaning of her final words was unmistakable.
‘She wished for me to destroy the Black Divine Essence.’
Yet I could not comprehend it.
How had my mother possessed the Black Divine Essence? How could she speak as though peering into the future itself?
Could she have seen the future like Mo Ryun, the Ancient Sage?
Then why did the Manor burn? Why were both of them slain? Who in the world could have killed them?
‘The only certainty is that my mother was no ordinary person either.’
My father had said he learned the Sealing Extinction Technique from my mother. If so, then she too must have been an extraordinary figure comparable to my father.
Footsteps echoed softly.
Then the opposite door opened, and a small silhouette walked toward me.
It was a girl with a gaunt frame and a sickly complexion.
It was Bi Yeon.
“So you did not succumb to assimilation after all.”
Bi Yeon gazed at the now-empty hemispherical vessel with an expression of admiration.
Originally, it had contained black liquid that seemed alive.
But due to the power I had unleashed, it had all evaporated completely.
“Most perished in the Realm of Nothingness, or in the Realm of Consciousness. Even if they reached this place, they ultimately became food for the Resentful Spirits, transforming into yet another vessel.”
Though her words were cryptic, having encountered the memories of the Resentful Spirits in my mind, I nodded in understanding.
“Indeed, it was so.”
And as though I had grasped everything, I looked at Bi Yeon and asked.
“Were you the Master of Gojeoklim?”
“There is no Master here.”
Bi Yeon gazed around the Tower with sorrowful eyes.
“Only the restless spirits of the dead linger here, guarding this place.”
Her gaze was as dim and dark as that of an old man contemplating twilight.
Her once-taut skin was gradually withering and creasing. Youth was abandoning her.
“What exactly were you doing in this place?”
“Dark divine techniques are not meant for humans to wield. Yet the powers of Murim are actively seeking to use them.”
Bi Yeon spoke with composure.
“They war with one another, each striving to seize more dark divine techniques.”
Upon hearing this, Bu Eunseol’s mind conjured a peculiar notion.
The reason the Abyss forces had endured, maintaining their lifeline without revealing themselves.
It was not to secretly dominate or manipulate Murim.
But perhaps simply to accumulate more dark divine techniques—such was the thought that seized him.
‘It is entirely plausible.’
A single dark divine technique alone could subjugate countless souls and overcome numerous martial masters.
Indeed, possessing even one dark divine technique was equivalent to wielding martial prowess that transcended the boundaries of conventional martial arts.
Rather than laboriously recruiting followers or manipulating factions to rule the world through arduous means,
accumulating more dark divine techniques
would be a far simpler and more convenient path to becoming a hidden ruler.
“The problem is that the more dark divine techniques are used, the closer the world draws to annihilation.”
“Annihilation.”
Bu Eunseol felt a strange realization dawning.
The Absolute Demon Blade Plan, and Yang Seol Rin who had invoked Cheon Am Seong—
all had used the word annihilation.
And now Bi Yeon herself had spoken that same word.
For such an unfamiliar reason: the use of dark divine techniques.
“So we sought to forge new dark divine techniques based on life force itself. But that failed, and in the end, we all came to live alongside the resentment of the dead.”
She spoke softly, her expression forlorn.
“Neither dead nor alive.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You saw it yourself. The liquids contained within the vessels.”
Bi Yeon spoke matter-of-factly.
“They are our resentments as well. We strove for so long to create dark divine techniques, yet ultimately failed to complete them.”
“Our resentments.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
“Surely not….”
Through the memories contained in the resentments dwelling within the hemispherical liquid, Bu Eunseol understood
that the human byproducts filling the trees within the forest had not been torn from the bodies of those slain by the Inbiyin,
but rather had been severed by these very people themselves to forge dark divine techniques.
And the grand ritual they had undertaken to transform their own flesh into dark divine techniques had utterly transformed their existence.
“Yes. Each of us sought to become a dark divine technique. But we all failed.”
A chill ran down Bu Eunseol’s spine.
Over a century had passed since their deaths. Yet Bi Yeon retained the appearance of a young girl.
Then they were all ghosts?
“Not ghosts. Simply.”
Bi Yeon pointed to her arms, legs, and eyes.
They were prosthetic eyes, hands, and feet—crafted with extraordinary precision.
“To forge the Black Divine Vessel, we all became vessels… and ceased to age.”
As Bi Yeon continued speaking, her expression grew increasingly luminous.
“In the end, even though we wished for death, we could not shatter the dharma seal—so death eluded us. There was no one capable of breaking it.”
It was a staggering revelation.
Unable to break that dharma seal all this time, they had become beings incapable of death, no matter how desperately they desired it.
If they could employ a master of Seok Chi Haeng’s caliber as a mere gatekeeper, they might not summon Jeong Ma Ssang Cheon Je himself.
Yet surely they could have invited masters of the caliber of Sam Ma Sam Jon or the Four Gods Seven Kings.
“It has nothing to do with martial prowess. To shatter that dharma seal, one must possess perfect emptiness of mind and a constitution capable of accepting the natural qi.”
Bi Yeon shook her head.
“But such individuals could not be found. The bloodline had been severed.”
“Bloodline?”
“Only those of the Baek Ri Family… can accept the natural qi.”

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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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