The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 652

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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 652.
“Hmm.”
The Black-Robed Sage observed the thin line of blood pooling at his sword’s edge, nodding with evident surprise.
“Nimble. Your senses are quite acute.”
The Black-Robed Sage had aimed his blade directly at Do Cheon Rin’s heart, but the man had twisted his body with lightning-fast reflexes, causing only the fabric of his chest to be sliced.
Yet the wound was extensive enough that blood now flowed freely from Do Cheon Rin’s chest.
“Tch.”
Do Cheon Rin exhaled sharply as he gazed down at the wound.
“A master of the Hyungsan Sect, then.”
In ages past, the Hyungsan Sect had held a proud position among the Nine Sects One Alliance.
Two centuries ago, the Twin Treasures of Hyungsan—the Pipa Sword and the Hwa Seon Secret Art—were lost, and the sect had been in decline ever since.
By the present day, the Hyungsan Sect’s main base no longer existed, and its disciples had become wanderers, scraping by as mercenaries.
“The Hyungsan Sect?”
The Black-Robed Sage furrowed his brow, and Do Cheon Rin spoke with composure.
“That technique you just unleashed—invisible to the eye—surely it is a sword form derived from the Hwa Seon Secret Art of Hyungsan.”
Those who master the Hwa Seon Secret Art of Hyungsan
can emit sword qi or forge sword force, yet their forms remain unseen.
Do Cheon Rin had immediately deduced that the Black-Robed Sage’s swordplay stemmed from the lost Hwa Seon Secret Art of Hyungsan.
“There seems to be a story behind this.”
Do Cheon Rin spoke as he observed the wavering light in the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes.
“Why not abandon the Gwi Il Gye even now?”
The Black-Robed Sage did not answer.
Instead, he grasped his long blade with both hands and held it horizontally before Do Cheon Rin’s brow.
“If you cannot sever my neck within ten seconds, you shall perish.”
Flash!
In that instant, the Black-Robed Sage became a streak of light, passing through Do Cheon Rin’s body.
Splurt!
Blood erupted from Do Cheon Rin’s thigh.
“Two seconds.”
Flash!
The Black-Robed Sage’s form became light once more, passing through Do Cheon Rin’s body again.
This time, a wound opened on his right thigh.
It was movement that had reached the pinnacle of speed, coupled with a sword form that left no trace.
With each flash that passed, blood invariably sprayed from Do Cheon Rin’s body.
The sword technique was too swift to count, and counterattack was impossible.
Thud, thud, thud.
Do Cheon Rin had become a figure of blood.
The Black-Robed Sage gazed upon him coldly.
“In three more seconds, your head shall fall.”
A glacial light gleamed in the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes.
“Take your own life. Then I can preserve your corpse.”
“Seeing that you desire self-termination, it appears even Gwi Il Gye seeks to avoid troublesome complications.”
When one severs their own meridians, no one would suspect murder.
Thus, while there would be grief, none would question the death itself.
The Black-Robed Sage need only recover the sword.
But if he were to cut down Do Cheon Rin directly, traces would inevitably remain, forcing him to use Hwa Gol San to desecrate the corpse.
This is why the Black-Robed Sage offers the option of self-termination.
“Then Gwi Il Gye does not operate recklessly. Like the Infinite Realm, are they perhaps disguised as an ordinary faction somewhere else?”
The Black-Robed Sage said nothing further and raised his sword again.
Originally, the Hyungsan Sect’s swordplay was renowned for its unpredictable variations and ornate techniques.
But through the Hwa Seon Secret Method, the Black-Robed Sage had recreated the Hyungsan Sect’s sword arts anew.
Now he wielded a swordplay that approached demonic blade techniques.
Click.
The Black-Robed Sage assumed his stance once more.
“I won’t even need ten seconds.”
Do Cheon Rin had already been struck multiple times, bearing blood seals, and his thigh muscles had been pierced deeply twice.
Unable to move with agility any longer, this next attack would sever his neck.
Flash!
The Black-Robed Sage’s blade became a streak of light, thrusting toward Do Cheon Rin’s neck.
But something extraordinary occurred.
Zing.
Do Cheon Rin merely held his sword and assumed his stance, yet it was as if an invisible yet solid wall surrounded him.
The blade could advance no further, stopping mere feet from his neck.
“Hmph.”
Undeterred, the Black-Robed Sage shifted his technique, unleashing successive waves of sword qi like rippling water.
Zing.
But the sword qi he released rebounded in all directions, as if deflected by an intangible barrier.
Flinch.
In that instant, the Black-Robed Sage’s gaze locked with Do Cheon Rin’s eyes.
The cold, piercing stare of Do Cheon Rin seemed to penetrate every corner of his being.
“So the Hyungsan Sect’s swordplay reaches only this level.”
At the mention of Hyungsan Sect once more, a flash of light ignited in the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes.
Flash! Flash!
The Black-Robed Sage closed the distance in an instant, unleashing successive sword techniques upon Do Cheon Rin’s body.
Not the extreme speed of before, but rather a magnificent yet devastating force.
A supreme annihilation sword art imbued with overwhelming power.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
But something strange transpired.
As the Black-Robed Sage closed in and unleashed his assault, his movements became sluggish, as if he had entered deep water.
The moment he drew near to Do Cheon Rin, an immense pressure began to crush down upon his body.
“Blade Extreme Stance?”
Only now did the Black-Robed Sage realize that Do Cheon Rin was standing firm in place, employing the Blade Extreme Stance.
“Unable to use his legs, so he intends to endure with the Blade Extreme Stance.”
The Black-Robed Sage gazed coldly at Do Cheon Rin’s blood-soaked thigh muscles, a chill smile crossing his face.
“Let’s see how long he can hold out with that.”
Whoosh!
Closing the distance to point-blank range, the Black-Robed Sage unleashed a torrent of blade auras sharp as raindrops.
Each possessed varying speeds, yet all carried enough force to shatter Mount Tai in a single strike.
Crash!
The raindrop-like blade auras pierced toward Do Cheon Rin’s vital points with perfect precision.
Yet Do Cheon Rin’s Blade Extreme Stance was no ordinary technique—they rebounded outward instantly.
However, his stance crumbled in the process, and the powerful blade aura surrounding his body dissipated like mist.
Boom!
In that moment, the Black-Robed Sage unleashed Sword and Body Unity.
He surged toward Do Cheon Rin as if drawn in, extending his deformed blade.
Crash!
Yet the Black-Robed Sage, delivering what should have been his decisive blow, suddenly passed through Do Cheon Rin’s body and tumbled ungracefully to the ground.
“How is this possible?”
Blood streamed from the Black-Robed Sage’s ribs as he quickly rose.
At the very moment he was about to pierce the throat, a gap had suddenly opened in his own stance.
Do Cheon Rin seized that opportunity without hesitation, striking with a single blade stroke.
The blade technique was exquisitely precise, its power immense.
It pierced through the Black-Robed Sage’s protective mystical energy in an instant, carving a deep wound across his ribs.
“…”
Astonishment flickered in the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes.
The Blade Extreme Stance technique—capable of defending against enemy attacks using only the energy and posture flowing through the blade.
While extremely convenient, it rapidly depleted one’s inner force and stamina, making it unusable in close-quarters melee.
Moreover, while it could deflect attacks, launching counterstrikes was impossible.
Yet how had Do Cheon Rin managed to counterattack while employing the Blade Extreme Stance?
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Black-Robed Sage attacked again, his blade flailing wildly at Do Cheon Rin.
Knowing he was no longer in the Blade Extreme Stance, he pressed forward with all his might.
Zing. Zing.
Yet as the blade neared Do Cheon Rin’s body, a strange rebound force flowed forth once more.
Whoooosh.
Suddenly, a transparent shimmer rippled across his body.
Splurt!
In an instant, blood erupted from the Black-Robed Sage’s shoulder.
The Black-Robed Sage raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
Do Cheon Rin was not even adopting the distinctive posture of the Blade Extreme Stance.
Every time he attacked, he unleashed a peculiar current of energy, launching counterattacks without pause.
No such technique existed within the Murim.
“What manner of blade technique is this?”
The Black-Robed Sage posed the question, and Do Cheon Rin answered with composure.
“Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance.”
Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance.
This was a newly devised blade art that synthesized the advantages of Blood Flame Sect techniques with the swordsmanship of the Phantom Demon Realm.
Unlike conventional ultimate stances, it allowed for counterattacks without being constrained by one’s posture.
“Though, since I’ve wielded it as a sword, perhaps it should be called Sword Ultimate Stance instead.”
In the past, lamenting his own insufficient martial prowess when he failed to protect Dam Yoo Yeon in that moment of crisis,
he had devised a technique capable of deflecting an enemy’s assault from any circumstance.
“I hadn’t thought it ready for actual combat yet….”
Do Cheon Rin’s lips curved upward.
“Thanks to the swaying Hyungsan Sect swordsmanship, graceful as a courtesan’s dance, I’ve finally perfected it.”
Flames erupted from within the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes.
He had wondered why the man offered no counterattacks, accepting blade strikes helplessly.
Do Cheon Rin had been perfecting the Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance through this life-or-death battle.
“Did you truly believe you could insult our sect and die peacefully?”
“How amusing. You claim allegiance to the Gwi Il Gye, yet speak of ‘our sect.’ Could it be that Hyungsan Sect is the root of Gwi Il Gye?”
“Cease your nonsense!”
In that instant, the Black-Robed Sage’s voice transformed.
Simultaneously, an otherworldly radiance poured forth from his eyes.
Do Cheon Rin felt a strange sensation wash over him.
Though the Black-Robed Sage’s face and features remained unchanged, he seemed somehow to have become a different person entirely.
A brilliant flash!
Suddenly, a piercing luminescence erupted.
The Pipa Blade.
The supreme secret art of Hyungsan Sect, vanished two centuries past, finally unfolded in the Black-Robed Sage’s hands.
‘Yet this differs from the Pipa Blade.’
The Hyungsan Sect’s Pipa Blade was ornate and infinitely variable, but it lacked this endless embroidery of empty space.
But the Black-Robed Sage seemed to unleash an unceasing radiance that would not dissipate.
Do Cheon Rin attempted to extinguish the blade light with his Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance.
Yet like wasps clinging to a honeycomb, they refused to vanish, ceaselessly adhering to his body.
‘A technique as sorcerous as magic itself.’
Before long, Do Cheon Rin’s body was encircled by ornate blade radiance.
Though he had unleashed the Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance, the blade light lingered about his form, ceaselessly hovering and glimmering.
A radiance that even the ultimate stance could not repel.
Truly, the radiance of a demon.
‘Did Gwi Il Gye anticipate that I would devise the Blood Flame Blade Ultimate Stance?’
Do Cheon Rin bit his lip.
I had innovated a technique unparalleled in Tianxia, yet it remained incomplete.
However, I had discerned that the Black-Robed Sage’s swordsmanship belonged to the Hyungsan Sect.
If I could continuously provoke his nature and create flaws in his technique, I believed I could cleave through with my Blood Flame Extreme Blade.
But the new swordsmanship the Black-Robed Sage had unleashed—
Could it not possess a nature of mutual destruction, as if crafted specifically to counter my Blood Flame Extreme Blade?
In the end, Gwi Il Gye had anticipated all of Do Cheon Rin’s martial knowledge and sent this young Black-Robed Masked Killer as an assassin.
‘How regrettable.’
With Bu Eunseol’s aid, I had only just begun my breakthrough.
Had I trained for several more years, I could have perfected the Blood Flame Extreme Blade completely,
and perhaps left behind a technique unparalleled in Murim.
Yet in the end, I was to meet my end at the hands of a formidable enemy sent by Gwi Il Gye.
‘Forgive me, Dam Yoo Yeon.’
As brilliant light gradually began to seep into Do Cheon Rin’s body,
A brilliant flash!
Suddenly, radiance poured from the sky, and in an instant, violet light cascaded upon Do Cheon Rin’s form.
‘Gasp.’
Do Cheon Rin cried out involuntarily.
The violet light that poured down carried a terrifying heat; though it did not touch his skin, it felt as though it were melting his flesh.
Whoosh.
As the radiance piercing through Do Cheon Rin’s body vanished, a Black Shadow descended from the void to the ground.
The way the black hair swirled about made it seem as though a black dragon had manifested in human form.
“Bu Eunseol.”
Do Cheon Rin cried out in astonishment.
It was none other than Bu Eunseol.
“How did you—”
“Why did you not activate the emergency contact system?”
A hint of anger flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Have you already forgotten what you promised me?”
I had clearly instructed Do Cheon Rin that in case of danger, he must activate the emergency contact system and flee immediately.
Yet Do Cheon Rin had not kept his promise.
Because he was confident he could win. Because he sought to advance his martial knowledge through actual combat.
“How did you know to come?”
“You’ve been struggling so much lately with all this.”
Do Cheon Rin, who led the Nang In Jeon Dan, was suffering endless toil alongside his strategist Dam Yoo Yeon.
Therefore, Bu Eunseol was deeply concerned that the Murim Alliance or the Black Path Faction might attempt something foolish.
She had ordered the Sa Hon Dae to confirm the movements of both men in half-hour intervals and report immediately if any anomalies arose.
Moreover, as I had matters to discuss with Do Cheon Rin, I was in the midst of tracking his whereabouts to find him.
Had it been otherwise?
No matter how supreme my lightness of foot was in Tianxia, I could not have saved Do Cheon Rin.
“At first, I thought I could win.”
Do Cheon Rin understood all too well why Bu Eunseol was angry.
He spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I thought it was an opportunity to complete a Dao technique I’d recently devised.”
Flick.
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol flicked a small medicinal pill toward Do Cheon Rin.
It was a Demon-Suppressing Elixir crafted by the Medicine King Hall.
“Take it. Even if your external injuries aren’t completely healed, you’ll be able to move without hindrance.”
Catch.
Do Cheon Rin caught the Demon-Suppressing Elixir and immediately swallowed it.
“Return and receive proper treatment. I shall handle this one.”
“Understood.”
Do Cheon Rin departed without complaint, unfurling his divine technique as commanded.
The Black-Robed Sage, having been tasked by the Gwi Il Gye with locating and recovering the demonic swords from their owners,
possessed terrifying power.
It was indeed the right choice to leave this battle to Bu Eunseol.
“Gwi Il Gye.”
As I turned my body, blood-red light ignited in my eyes.
“I’ve been searching for you all along.”
It was none other than the Gwi Il Gye who had desecrated my grandfather’s tomb and stolen his corpse.
I had been searching for the Gwi Il Gye’s main base all this time,
yet I could find no clues anywhere, which had tormented me.
But now, an emissary of the Gwi Il Gye had conveniently come to me, and I felt a surge of joy.
“There’s no need for conversation with you.”
Dozens of inner energy streams erupted skyward from my body.
The Samgye Emissaries and the Special Divine Guard
were not the sort to divulge information simply because one asked.
So I would subdue them in one swift strike,
and through torture or any other means necessary,
I would capture even their subordinate organizations and destroy them one by one.
Whoooosh!
Dozens of blades formed by the Yeouui True Formation erupted skyward, then poured down upon the Black-Robed Sage like a torrential downpour.
Gleam!
The Black-Robed Sage unleashed thirty seconds’ worth of sword technique all at once, instantly dissolving the Yeouui True Formation.
Whoooosh!
Then I unleashed the Yeouui True Formation once more, this time far more powerful, infused with crystalline divine energy to make it impossibly resilient.
Zing!
The sword energy made contact but failed to sever the Yeouui True Formation, instead producing only a peculiar vibration.
Pap pap pap pap!
Ultimately, the Black-Robed Sage wielded the demonic sword directly, blocking the cascading Yeouui True Formation.
Thud thud thud.
I severed the Yeouui True Formation as easily as cutting through reeds.
Yet each time my blade—infused with crystalline divine energy—cut through, sharp fragments scattered in all directions.
Snap.
The mask worn by the Black-Robed Sage tore, and the face hidden beneath slowly came into view.
“You are…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as I recognized the Black-Robed Sage’s face.
When I had come near Dongjeong Lake to become a member of the Guusal Unit in the past,
wasn’t this Myeong Woon, the youngest disciple of the Hyungsan Sect, from whom I had obtained and consumed the Hwang Ju?
It had been a fleeting connection,
and since his physique had changed completely, even I—who could distinguish people by the shape of their muscles—could not have recognized him.
“A member of the Hyungsan Sect, were you not?”
Although the Hyungsan Sect had fallen and now handled miscellaneous tasks for other sects like servants,
he had lived happily, maintaining close bonds with his senior brothers.
Then why had Myeong Woon become a member of the Gwi Il Gye?
“But why have you joined the Gwi Il Gye?”
As Bu Eunseol stared at me in incomprehension, the Black-Robed Sage—Myeong Woon—shook his head.
“What good comes from dredging up old history?”
And gripping his demonic blade, he spoke.
“I’ve heard you are the Muk Hon Ryeong Ju who shakes all of Tianxia. Let us have a proper fight.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed Myeong Woon had spent considerable time within the Gwi Il Gye,
and had already acquired a certain amount of information about Bu Eunseol.
“…”
With my hands clasped behind my back, I gazed toward the distant sky with a hollow expression.
Though our paths had diverged, the youngest disciple of the Hyungsan Sect, Myeong Woon, who had obtained and consumed the Hwang Ju from me with a cunning attitude,
had always remained a cherished memory in my heart.
Yet he had devoted himself to the evil Gwi Il Gye, which sought to create masters identical to the martial artists of the previous generation,
even dissecting the corpses of the already dead into pieces.
“You have no room for distraction!”
Myeong Woon immediately swung his demonic blade toward my neck.
But I kept my gaze fixed on the distant sky, lightly parrying his demonic blade with my earthen sword.
Clang clang clang clang!
My inner strength and swordsmanship had already reached the pinnacle of perfection, so no matter how mysterious Myeong Woon’s techniques were,
they posed no threat whatsoever.
“Do not indulge in such trivial composure!”
Enraged, Myeong Woon twisted his grip on the demonic blade.
Then his skin turned pale white, and his eyes blazed with brilliant radiance.
His appearance transformed to resemble that of Neung Ryeong, the greatest master ever produced by the Hyungsan Sect,
who had vanished two hundred years ago.
‘So that was it, after all.’
From that appearance alone, I could discern two crucial facts.
The Gwi Il Gye had perfected to a considerable degree the grand technique that could fully inherit the abilities of the masters of previous generations.
Myeong Woon had devoted himself to them in order to rebuild the Hyungsan Sect, a long-cherished aspiration.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to choose the martial arts of Neung Ryeong, known as the supreme master of the Hyungsan Sect.
“In the end, the Gwi Il Gye also exploited human’s desperate desires.”
Bu Eunseol murmured with a sense of regret.
Myeong Woon. He was a martial artist of considerable talent.
However, as a disciple of the fallen Hyungsan Sect, his talents could never fully blossom.
The Gwi Il Gye must have recognized Myeong Woon’s potential and drawn him in by promising the restoration of the Hyungsan Sect.
Screech!
The more sword techniques Myeong Woon unleashed, the paler his skin became, and his eyes and expression seemed to transform into someone else entirely.
Clang, clang, clang!
Bu Eunseol deflected the attacks with her Muk Hon sword, but this time it proved useless.
Shrieeek! Shrieeek!
Sword energy like a hazy current continuously pierced through the Muk Hon sword and burrowed into Bu Eunseol’s vital points.
Two hundred years ago, Neung Ryeong was the supreme master of the Hyungsan Sect, standing tall among the Nine Sects One Alliance.
Through the Gwi Il Gye’s grand technique, Myeong Woon had acquired the exact same abilities.
He had become a formidable opponent that even Bu Eunseol could not easily face.
Screech!
Eventually, the sword energy began to weave freely, burrowing between the strikes of the Muk Hon sword.
“How much longer do you think you can evade?”
Myeong Woon, whose face had completely transformed, had become Neung Ryeong himself.
His arms began to stretch like taffy, and his elongated fingers manipulated the long blade with absolute freedom.
‘So Neung Ryeong possessed such hands.’
Neung Ryeong not only had abnormally long fingers, but his muscles were supple as if he had mastered the Tianzhu Flowing Muscle Technique to its extreme.
Because he was born with such a constitution, no one until now had been able to withstand it.
This unique physiology allowed him to perfect the legendary Hyungsan Sect’s Pipa Sword.
‘There is no choice.’
With the Muk Hon sword alone, I could no longer stop Myeong Woon, who endlessly unleashed sword energy that bent freely.
Yet he was not an opponent easy enough to suppress. Ultimately, I would have to deploy my true power to subdue him.
Whoosh.
The moment Bu Eunseol grasped the Muk Hon sword, all the air in the world seemed to be sucked into the blade.
Transcending time and space.
I was about to unleash the Falling Star Crossing Moon technique against Neung Ryeong, the legendary master of the Hyungsan Sect from two hundred years ago.
Ching!
But an unexpected result unfolded.
A strange metallic resonance rang out.
The blade tip of Bu Eunseol’s Muk Hon sword was precisely—
Touching exactly the blade tip of the demonic sword that Myeong Woon had extended?
He had blocked the Ultimate Swift Killing Sword, which had never failed once after achieving its ultimate evolution.
“Hahaha!”
Myeong Woon burst into laughter, his expression brimming with triumph.
Yet something felt amiss.
Despite his decisive strike missing its mark…
Bu Eunseol gazed down at him with eyes so profoundly serene, so utterly composed, as if observing something beneath her concern.

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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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