The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 65

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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 65.
Beside Dan Cheong walked a middle-aged man with such an icy countenance that it seemed not a single drop of blood would flow even if pricked with a needle.
It was Baek Yeon, commander of the Fengyun Corps.
“Who could possibly restrain that reckless fool So Jeon? I’m simply grateful it ended without disaster.”
“Section Chief Bu. Commander.”
As Bu Eunseol bowed deeply to the two men, Dan Cheong laughed heartily and spoke.
“In just one year, you’ve become a true hero!”
As Dan Cheong offered his praise, Baek Yeon approached and spoke next.
“You rescued the daughter of Ji Ma Bu Ju and ultimately dealt with Gong Sshi Ssang Ma?”
“How did you learn of this?”
All matters concerning the Guusal Unit’s missions and personnel were classified at the highest level. Even the leadership of the Demon Hall could not access such information unless directly involved.
Baek Yeon observed Bu Eunseol’s startled expression and offered a faint smile.
“Under normal circumstances, such intelligence would have been obtained with great difficulty.”
Baek Yeon spoke with a mysterious smile playing at his lips.
“But because you’ve turned Ayang upside down, every intelligence organization has begun to take notice of you.”
Since Bu Eunseol’s arrival in Ayang, the Orthodox Sects’ intelligence networks operating throughout Ho Nam had been reduced to near annihilation.
As a result, not only the Demon Hall but the Orthodox Sects themselves had become obsessed with tracking down the mysterious figure known as Eighteen, who silently stirred chaos throughout Ayang.
“I was unaware of this.”
A lie.
Bu Eunseol had already been sharing all intelligence flowing into the Ak Yang Branch. Because of this, I could discern not only the movements of the Demon Hall but also those of the Murim Alliance to a considerable degree.
But Baek Yeon, utterly unaware that Bu Eunseol was feigning innocence, lifted the corners of his mouth.
“You couldn’t possibly know. The Demon Hall’s various intelligence organizations have been working at full capacity to conceal your information.”
“The Demon Hall has been helping me?”
“If your identity were exposed, wouldn’t suspicion fall upon the Demon Hall? Thanks to that, the Root Sect has been sending Fengyun Corps members to Ayang almost daily.”
Dan Cheong, listening to Baek Yeon’s words, laughed heartily as if greatly amused and spoke.
“There were many differing opinions about which faction sent Eighteen to the Ak Yang Branch. When your identity was finally revealed, the Demon Hall was so shocked. Hehehehe.”
“This is no laughing matter, Section Chief.”
Baek Yeon sighed and spoke.
“Because this child has stirred up the entire Ho Nam region under the guise of a Guusal Unit member, hasn’t she attracted unwanted attention?”
“Unwanted attention?”
“The Demon Hall is actively moving to deploy the Ten Demon Experts in earnest. If this child continues to attract attention, they might assign her increasingly harsh missions, wouldn’t they?”
“Hmm.”
The Ten Demon Experts.
Mimicking the Murim Alliance’s joint expert plan, they were individuals who received the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Gates without reservation, regardless of sect affiliation.
The problem was that while they were nominally called experts, in reality they were regarded as mere expendable pawns for dealing with masters of the highest caliber.
Most of the Ten Demonic Gates already possessed excellent disciples and experts of their own.
It was difficult for them to acknowledge the Ten Demon Experts, hastily created through outsiders according to the Demon Hall’s plan, as their own disciples.
“The more exceptional this child becomes, the harsher the missions they’ll assign, is that what you’re saying?”
Baek Yeon nodded at Dan Cheong’s words.
“Moreover, the successors of the existing Ten Demonic Gates view the Ten Demon Experts with disfavor. After all, they received the transmission of their sect’s supreme techniques without reservation.”
“Even if the Ten Demon Experts are exceptionally skilled, they’re still rolling stones that came from outside.”
“Precisely.”
Baek Yeon, who had been observing Bu Eunseol, shook his head.
“The existing disciples and factions of the Ten Demonic Gates all hope that the Ten Demon Experts will perish together with the masters. That’s why they keep pressuring the Demon Palace to deploy the Ten Demon Experts.”
“Hmm.”
Dan Cheong’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Now that I think about it, when we went to Hell Island, there were quite a few who seemed exceptionally skilled besides this one.”
“It appears that unlike the Root Sect, the other Ten Demonic Gates have multiple factions entangled within them, and they’re engaged in hidden struggles over succession. So they can’t simply rejoice at obtaining skilled Ten Demon Experts.”
As Baek Yeon explained, Dan Cheong chuckled.
“The higher-ups of the Ten Demonic Gates, excluding the Root Sect, must have splitting headaches.”
The Nangya Sect operates purely on merit.
But that was only because the Nangya Sect was exceptional.
Fundamentally, a sect is an alliance of factions and hierarchies. One cannot completely ignore the divided factions within a sect when selecting an expert.
“By my estimate, within a year and a half—or rather, within a year—the Demon Palace will summon all the Ten Demon Experts.”
“A year?”
“Originally, I had anticipated around three years. But given how intensely the Ten Demonic Gates’ factions are applying pressure, the Demon Palace will certainly reach a conclusion within a year at the latest.”
“I see.”
Gathering all manner of intelligence from the martial world and predicting future events—that was the duty of the Fengyun Corps’ leader.
And Baek Yeon’s predictions had never once been wrong.
“That works out well. I was planning to look after this child for a year anyway. The Root Sect has its pride, after all.”
“I understand.”
Baek Yeon nodded, then said something unexpected.
“But now that I think about it, isn’t she too grown to be called a child anymore?”
“Ah, true.”
Dan Cheong gazed at Bu Eunseol, who carried herself with the confident bearing of a seasoned warrior, and sighed.
“The word ‘child’ hardly suits her appearance now, and yet in my eyes, she still looks like a scrawny little thing.”
That was likely because Dan Cheong held affection for Bu Eunseol. Knowing his heart, I clasped my hands together.
“I am merely a disciple of the Nangya Sect. Please call me as you see fit.”
“Haha. Your eloquence has grown quite a bit in the meantime.”
Dan Cheong broke into a hearty laugh and nodded as he spoke.
“Bu Eunseol. Will you learn martial arts from me, the Root Sect Leader, over the next year?”
This was already the second time.
Dan Cheong had tried to teach Bu Eunseol before. But he had been refused because of her determination to learn practical combat techniques.
But now that circumstances had changed, he was absolutely certain she would not refuse.
Dan Cheong was confident of this.
“Could you show me a demonstration first?”
But Bu Eunseol said something unexpected.
“Hm?”
“I wish to perfect my own practical combat techniques in my own way.”
Dan Cheong pondered Bu Eunseol’s words for a long moment before his eyes widened.
“So you’re saying the Root Sect Master needs to demonstrate sufficient skill before teaching you? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“That’s not it—through actual combat experience….”
“Hehehehe.”
Dan Cheong, pressing his forehead, suddenly gazed toward the distant sky and burst into raucous laughter.
“Ahahaha!”
After laughing heartily for a while, Dan Cheong spoke to Baek Yeon.
“I truly adore this child. Because they’ve never once acted according to my expectations!”
Baek Yeon addressed Bu Eunseol with a grave expression.
“Retract that statement at once. Do you understand what you’re saying right now?”
“Leave it be.”
Dan Cheong spoke with a smirk.
“This child’s learning capacity is extraordinarily swift. Rather than spending a full year drilling martial arts, direct experience and observation would serve far better.”
“Root Sect Master.”
Despite Baek Yeon’s words, Dan Cheong smiled and asked Bu Eunseol.
“What should the Root Sect Master teach you? Whether it’s Quan Zhang or the Eighteen Weapons, anything will do.”
“Please teach me swordplay.”
“I thought as much.”
Shwing.
Dan Cheong drew a soft sword from his waist.
“Assume your stance.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and drew her blade. Though she stood at ease, not a single opening was visible.
“Excellent form.”
“Thank you.”
Dan Cheong, holding the soft sword, spoke matter-of-factly.
“The Root Sect Master will execute only a single move. Defend as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
As the reply came, Dan Cheong moved his blade.
In an instant, my vision turned white. No—the entire world became bathed in white light.
Shwirrrrrr.
The radiance blazed like morning sunlight pouring down, then transformed into the gentle glow of countless stars illuminating the night sky.
Those intense yet subtle luminous threads metamorphosed into innumerable sword strikes that enveloped my entire body.
“Root Sect Master, show restraint in your technique…!”
As Baek Yeon cried out in great alarm,
Crack-snap.
The long sword I wielded, forged from White Lotus Steel, shattered into dozens of pieces and clattered to the ground.
Simultaneously, countless fine blade marks were being etched across every inch of my clothing.
A soft flutter.
Just as my garments, now tattered like rags, scattered in the wind,
Boom.
A massive boulder standing dozens of paces away split in two and tumbled to the ground.
Rumble. Crrrumble.
As I heard the sound of rocks tumbling down, my chest trembled as though my body had been split in two.
“….”
My eyes, which had always remained cold and still, were now wide open, and cold sweat streamed relentlessly down my spine.
‘Is this… truly the martial art a human can unfold?’
When I had clashed with So Jeon earlier, I had felt an enormous wall, yet I believed I could eventually surpass it with time.
But the martial prowess Dan Cheong displayed was nothing short of transcendent.
Dan Cheong’s martial art—that of an unparalleled Grand Master who gazed down upon the entire martial realm—had reached a realm I could never have imagined.
“This single move I have just unveiled contains all the variations of the supreme sword techniques under heaven.”
Dan Cheong spoke calmly, observing my frozen form.
“I deliberately unfolded it five times slower than usual, so you should have grasped the essence of the martial art by now, yes?”
In that instant, the corners of my eyes trembled faintly.
A sword technique like light itself, invisible to the eye.
And that had been unfolded five times slower?
‘There exists a higher realm.’
In truth, I had harbored some arrogance regarding martial arts.
Until now, I had grasped the essence of martial techniques and mastered them faster than anyone else, in the shortest time possible.
I had believed that given enough time, there was no martial art in this world I could not master. But that conviction shattered entirely.
‘Even if I surpass my limits countless more times, I may never reach that height.’
The absolute sword technique Dan Cheong had displayed was a boundless realm every martial artist yearned to achieve in their lifetime.
Upon witnessing that sword method, the passion and warrior’s spirit that had grown somewhat cold blazed forth anew with fierce intensity.
A vague goal that had remained unseen.
That goal had finally become a vast sky, now clearly visible before me.
‘This one….’
Baek Yeon, noticing the fierce brilliance burning in my eyes, inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘Making such an expression upon witnessing this sword technique?’
It was sword mastery of the Extreme Heavenly Realm, transcending even the Transcendent Realm—a technique that had frustrated even masters who had refined the sword their entire lives.
Yet here was Bu Eunseol, like a boy meeting his first love, unable to calm the trembling in her chest, her hot eyes burning with fervent desire.
‘Hehehehe.’
Meanwhile, Dan Cheong, observing this sight, held back laughter that threatened to burst forth.
How far would this one ultimately reach? What would she become ten years from now?
‘This is fascinating!’
There had been times when I felt life was tedious.
But since meeting Bu Eunseol, it was as though an entirely different world I had never known had unfolded before me.
“Do you have any further questions?”
“None, sir.”
As I shook my head, Dan Cheong turned his body away with an expressionless face.
“If you study it for about a year, it will greatly aid you in perfecting your sword technique.”
“Thank you.”
As I bowed deeply, Baek Yeon placed his hand upon my shoulder.
“Bu Eunseol.”
“Yes, speak.”
“From now on, you must not act so recklessly….”
Baek Yeon, who had been about to say something, let out a deep sigh instead.
“Never mind. Just do your best.”
After shaking his head for a long while, he turned his body toward the Back Garden, following Dan Cheong.
* * *
What defines an exceptional sword technique?
What elevates a blade’s power, and what determines the superiority of a sword art?
Bu Eunseol found the answer within Dan Cheong’s swordsmanship.
It was, quite simply, time.
‘The Patriarch had unleashed one hundred and eight sword phantoms in a single stroke.’
Currently, if I simply accelerated my blade deployment recklessly, I could manifest twelve sword phantoms in a single strike.
Yet Dan Cheong deployed one hundred and eight distinct, intricate sword forms in that same moment.
By simple comparison, he was utilizing four times or more the temporal span than I was.
‘Moreover, swordsmanship is not merely a matter of time.’
The single stroke Dan Cheong unleashed flowed seamlessly, allowing all one hundred and eight distinct sword phantoms to unfold as a unified whole.
This was possible because every transformation his martial art could manifest was naturally woven into that singular strike.
“If I could unfold these one hundred and eight variations as fluidly as flowing water….”
Bu Eunseol gripped the sword tightly.
If I mastered this single sword form perfectly, I would become proficient in every transformation a blade could produce.
Then I could wield my sword art freely, unbound by variations or form sequences.
Slash!
Bu Eunseol extended the sword forward from my grip.
It was merely an ordinary blade extension, yet a fierce current erupted from the sword’s tip.
Slash, slash!
As the sword form shifted in the void, momentum accumulated, and the blade’s edge spiraled around my body.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The increasingly rapid sword forms conjured a massive whirlwind,
Boom!
It burst like fireworks, scattering millions of points of light. Though the sword form unfolded in an instant, the fragmented luminescence lingered in the air for a long time.
“An ordinary blade won’t suffice.”
The moment Bu Eunseol murmured softly after unleashing the sword technique,
Crack. Snap.
Cracks spread across the sword in my grip, and the blade shattered into several pieces, falling to the ground.
The overwhelming force contained within had completely destroyed the weapon.

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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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