The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 64

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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 64.
When I first laid eyes on it, the village had seemed nothing but peaceful.
But the landscape that greeted me upon returning to Nangya Sect was utterly transformed.
Dragon Pool Tiger Cave.
Now it appeared as a pond where dragons lurked and a den where tigers crouched.
The elderly man sitting at the street stall possessed eyes that gleamed with inner light, and a chilling aura permeated his entire being.
The man carrying cabbage, the young scholar bearing firewood—they were all formidable masters rarely seen even within the Gangho.
‘What had changed was always myself.’
Standing at the entrance of Nangya Sect and surveying the interior, I released a deep sigh.
Over the course of a year, Nangya Sect itself had not changed. Rather, through countless experiences in the Gangho and battles against powerful cultivators, I had simply come to truly appreciate the strength of those within these walls.
“Cheol Master.”
Returning to my quarters within Nangya Sect, I clasped my hands in respect before Cheol Master Wang Gyeol, who stood before the Blacksmith Shop.
“It has been long since we last met.”
Wang Gyeol recognized the profound transformation in my cultivation base and nodded.
“You have made considerable progress.”
“It is thanks to you opening the path for me, Cheol Master.”
“Opening the path, you say….”
Wang Gyeol chuckled in a manner uncharacteristic of him.
“Throwing you into the jaws of death, and now you call it opening a path.”
It was a jest, yet it held truth.
I had sought a place to hone practical martial arts, and Wang Gyeol had shown me the way there.
The only matter was that the destination offered no guarantee of survival—a battlefield of asuras.
“Rather than call it a trial, it was time invaluably spent.”
“Not only has your martial prowess grown, but your tongue has sharpened as well.”
Wang Gyeol spoke with his eyes narrowed to slits.
“Once you have unpacked your belongings, proceed to the Training Grounds behind Cheong Pung Jae.”
The Training Grounds of Nangya Sect.
A place where bamboo groves and reed fields stretched endlessly, where the masters of Nangya Sect engaged in sparring matches that mirrored actual combat.
It was here that I had first learned the fundamentals of practical martial arts from Dan Cheong.
“The Sect Leader instructed me to tell you to come there upon your arrival.”
“Understood.”
As I turned to depart after bowing once more,
“Welcome home.”
Home. That word bestowed upon a person boundless reassurance and tranquility.
As Wang Gyeol’s quiet voice resonated in my ears, my vision blurred.
“Thank you.”
A hollow wind swept through the yellowed reeds.
The desolate breeze passed between the withered stalks.
‘They are late.’
Standing in the center of the reed field, I waited at the Training Grounds behind Cheong Pung Jae.
“…!”
My vacant gaze fixed on the distant sky suddenly sharpened as my eyes gleamed with awareness.
Thud, thud.
As I slowly turned my body, a massive man whose entire frame was rippling with muscle emerged from the Reed Field, striding forward with purposeful steps.
His face was carved like stone, and across his shoulders hung a massive greatsword.
His gait was measured and deliberate—like a lion stalking its prey, drawing ever closer.
It was So Jeon, the commander of the Changsin Squad.
“Commander So.”
I clasped my hands together, and So Jeon immediately thrust his greatsword forward.
“Draw your blade.”
“A blade, sir?”
“I’ve postponed your examination far too many times due to various circumstances.”
So Jeon, looking down at me, bared his long canines in a grin.
“Shall we finally begin?”
“Now, sir?”
I shook my head as I regarded So Jeon.
“I only just returned to the Nangya Sect today.”
“So what?”
So Jeon snorted dismissively.
“Do you think the battles that rage across the Gangho wait for your convenience and circumstances?”
His words pierced straight through my chest.
Gathering my scattered resolve, I gripped the hilt of my blade.
“Hmph.”
In that moment, an overwhelming aura erupted from So Jeon’s body as he held the greatsword across his shoulders.
Heaven-Severing Blade Extreme Force.
A supreme saber technique that unleashed formidable power through mere posture alone was now fully manifested.
‘The difference in level is vast.’
I too had long cultivated and deployed the Heaven-Severing Blade Extreme Force.
Yet facing So Jeon’s manifestation of it anew, I realized the gap between us was as vast as heaven and earth.
The overwhelming pressure pouring forth made even drawing my blade feel nearly impossible.
Shing.
Drawing my blade, I suddenly moved with lightning speed, thrusting toward So Jeon’s throat.
‘I must overwhelm him in one continuous assault and shatter his extreme force!’
So Jeon was a supreme master I could never face head-on. Even with a full-force surprise attack, it remained uncertain how long I could endure.
Shiver.
My blade trembled faintly as the single strike I unleashed split into four streams, each boring toward So Jeon’s vital points on his chest.
Hum.
Yet before the four streams could touch his body, they twisted away in entirely different directions.
The pressure of the Heaven-Severing Blade Extreme Force had warped my blade’s trajectory. Seizing that opening, So Jeon swung his greatsword.
Whoosh!
The blade cut through the air as So Jeon’s broadsword swept horizontally toward my waist.
Clang.
In that instant, sparks erupted in all directions, and the metallic ring echoed across the space.
I had raised my sword to block So Jeon’s broadsword.
“Hmm.”
So Jeon raised one eyebrow as I deflected his strike.
“Han Dan’s heavy sword, then.”
So Jeon’s broadsword carried the force of ten thousand pounds.
A normal blade would shatter under such impact. I had used the heavy sword to push back So Jeon’s broadsword.
“Try to block my Heavenly Tyrant Sword Extreme Form again!”
Whoosh.
So Jeon’s broadsword traced a semicircle through the air, cleaving toward my head.
In that moment, a pressure like Mount Tai itself bearing down upon me forced my body into a low crouch.
‘I cannot resist the pressure directly.’
Even with the heavy sword, it was difficult to completely block the overwhelming force contained in So Jeon’s broadsword.
‘I must yield to the force and flow with it, unfolding my swordsmanship accordingly.’
Through my missions with the Guusal Unit, I had faced countless real combat encounters.
Among them were masters like So Jeon—those blessed with formidable inner energy and innate divine strength.
Each time, rather than opposing their force, I had adapted my swordsmanship to match their rhythm.
It was like a choreographed sword dance, perfectly synchronized with the enemy’s assault.
‘This bastard!’
So Jeon’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
As I yielded without resistance, flowing with his force in defense, the pressure unleashed by the Heavenly Tyrant Sword Extreme Form diminished noticeably.
“You’ve accumulated considerable practical experience.”
Admiration escaped So Jeon’s lips, and a brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes.
“But that alone won’t be enough!”
At last, So Jeon abandoned the Heavenly Tyrant Sword Extreme Form and unleashed his own combat sword technique.
It was the Nangya Sect’s practical combat sword technique—swift as lightning without equal, yet capable of piercing and destroying the enemy’s vulnerable points.
‘I must counter-attack.’
If I merely defended passively against So Jeon’s domineering and cunning sword technique, I would eventually be overwhelmed by his momentum, my defenses breached, and his blade would find my flesh.
Whoosh!
As the broadsword traced a semicircle, unleashing sword techniques like thunderbolts, I responded with my full power, unfolding my swordsmanship.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As sword and broadsword collided repeatedly, sparks flew.
‘Ugh.’
Each time, I felt a shock as if the tiger’s mouth of my grip were being torn apart.
The reverse force and inner energy contained in the broadsword exceeded my limits. Yet there was nowhere left to retreat.
‘I must endure!’
Crash!
Channeling my inner energy to its peak, I deflected the broadsword and thrust my sword toward So Jeon’s armpit.
It was the sole weakness in So Jeon’s technique.
“So you discerned the Root Sect Leader’s method in that brief opening.”
Despite having his weakness exposed, So Jeon showed no surprise, instead chuckling heartily as he shifted his technique.
Whoooosh!
Bu Eunseol swiftly adapted her sword method in response.
It was no longer pure swordplay—merely a desperate struggle to counter So Jeon’s technique.
“There’s no one who can keep pace with improvisation like this.”
As Bu Eunseol matched even the explosive transformations of So Jeon’s blade, he pushed his great sword forward with evident satisfaction.
“Excellent.”
Boom!
He unleashed tremendous pressure, driving Bu Eunseol back several paces before planting his great sword vertically before him.
“Now, try to withstand the Root Sect Leader’s final strike.”
Goooooh.
With immense pressure, So Jeon’s form seemed to gradually fade into darkness.
‘A killing strike?’
The murderous intent flowing from So Jeon’s body felt as though it were strangling her breath.
He was about to unleash a killing strike capable of severing life in an instant.
“You should give it your all. It may well be the last sight you witness in this life.”
So Jeon raised his great sword and spoke with a grim laugh—a terrifying jest indeed.
Flash!
In that instant, Bu Eunseol saw only a single streak of light.
She had never imagined such blinding speed could be achieved with a great sword. The moment she beheld that light, she felt herself plunging into endless darkness.
If she could not escape this, she instinctively knew the outcome would be death.
“Haaa….”
Channeling every ounce of her inner power, Bu Eunseol swung her sword with all her might.
The blade naturally traced the form of a circle.
Within that circle lay all the enlightenment she had gained thus far, the lives of her opponents, and even her own existence—a strike born from the totality of her being.
Shhhhhhh!
As Bu Eunseol completed the circle, the black darkness slowly faded with a faint sound like waves.
And before her stood So Jeon, his great sword raised, his expression one of shock.
“Huh.”
So Jeon released a deep sigh without meaning to.
“Not only did you withstand the Blade’s First Breath technique, but you shattered it….”
When Bu Eunseol broke through his blade technique, So Jeon found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
“What is the name of your technique?”
“It has none.”
“None?”
So Jeon raised an eyebrow, and Bu Eunseol spoke softly.
“I simply moved in accordance with the Root Sect Leader’s attack.”
“You moved in accordance with the technique? Hahahaha!”
So Jeon stopped laughing after his display of power, speaking with a measured tone.
“It’s been a while since someone worthy of joining the Root Sect has arrived.”
With a whooshing sound, So Jeon sheathed his great sword across his back and spoke.
“You’ve passed the test.”
At So Jeon’s refreshing words, Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“But that wasn’t a sword technique I intentionally deployed.”
It was merely a desperate struggle for survival—an instinctive, fleeting flash of the blade that I couldn’t reproduce even if asked to do so again.
“That’s how everyone begins.”
Leaving behind a cryptic remark, So Jeon turned without hesitation and departed the Training Grounds.
‘I still have so far to go.’
I harbored considerable pride in my martial skills, yet even at full strength, I had only managed to counter one of So Jeon’s moves.
‘If that had been a real fight, my head would already be rolling on the ground.’
So Jeon had merely demonstrated a single technique.
Had it been actual combat, the Heaven-Rending Catastrophe Strike would have followed relentlessly after the first move of the Poison Blood Technique.
But there was one fact Bu Eunseol remained unaware of….
In all the tests So Jeon had conducted thus far, no one had ever withstood the opening move of the Poison Blood Technique.
“So you’ve had quite the exchange!”
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a blue robe emerged from between the scattered reeds.
His eyes held a languid quality, his appearance that of a carefree wanderer, yet flashes of brilliant light occasionally gleamed in his pupils.
It was Dan Cheong, the Vice-Sect Leader of the Nangya Sect.

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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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