The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 661

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 661.
Bu Eunseol, her thoughts cleared, answered calmly.
“How many places would dare ignore the legendary Three Families?”
The Black-Robed Sage asked in a sharp voice.
“It’s rather odd that you thought of the Main House from just that one remark.”
“The Yang Seol Family moves freely through Murim, so the Jung Sun Ga wouldn’t simply sit idle either.”
“Something feels off.”
A keen glimmer flashed across the Black-Robed Man’s eyes as he muttered softly.
Ssshhh.
Then, as if struck by a thought, he stretched his lips wide and smiled.
At first glance, it appeared benevolent, but Bu Eunseol could discern that it was a smile drenched in murderous intent.
Ssshhh.
Witnessing this, Bu Eunseol herself wore a faint smile.
“Silencing through slaughter. An effective method.”
As the leader of the Seon Woo Jin branch.
I had chosen dialogue over forceful suppression whenever possible, always maintaining the decorum and courtesy befitting a Lord of the Murim Alliance.
But this forest existed apart from the world through mysterious sorcery.
There was no need to cling to formality here.
“Despite diminished inner energy and sluggish movements, you display such confidence… which means you harbor hidden strength.”
Murderous intent rose from the Black-Robed Sage’s body in waves.
“Impressive. A body honed through martial arts since childhood.”
The Black-Robed Sage gazed upon Bu Eunseol’s physique as one might admire a work of art.
“You’ll make an excellent plaything.”
Whoosh!
Before the words even finished, a colossal curtain of force enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body.
It came without warning or preliminary movement, leaving Bu Eunseol defenseless.
Zzzing.
As the curtain wrapped around me, I nearly lost consciousness in an instant.
It was neither poison nor strangulation.
Like the power of illusory phantoms.
An incomprehensible, mysterious force pushed my spirit into an endless, bottomless abyss.
Had I been an ordinary martial artist, I would have lost consciousness and fallen into a state from which there was no return.
Zzzing.
But I had reached the state of Spiritual Enlightenment Transcendence.
No external force, however formidable, could strike at my spiritual essence.
My consciousness, which had been sinking endlessly into the abyss by the mysterious power contained within the curtain…
Blazed!
The moment pure white light flashed from my eyes, my awareness snapped back to normal in an instant.
Whoooosh.
In that moment, an inferno of extreme heat erupted from my body, now engulfed by the curtain.
I immediately drew upon my Thunderstorm Divine Energy and Scorching Absolute True Energy, incinerating the veil that enveloped my body.
“So this is the legendary technique of the Jung Sun Ga—merely using soul-stealing sorcery to rob one of consciousness, then draping a veil over them?”
As Bu Eunseol burned away the veil in an instant, a contemptuous smile played at her lips, and the Black-Robed Sage’s eyes widened in shock.
“You burned the Star-Cleansing Dragon-Capturing Garment?”
Only then did he cry out as if a revelation had struck him.
“You! You are also one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars!”
His trembling voice carried not anger, but rather joy and exultation.
“Hahahaha! Seon Woo Jin—you were one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars!”
The Black-Robed Sage laughed with unbridled delight.
“Indeed, without being one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, you could never have attained such martial prowess at such a young age!”
‘So that was it.’
From the Black-Robed Sage’s words, I could deduce a single truth.
The manipulation of the Masked Assassins as if they were living, breathing beings.
The mysterious veil technique that had just wrapped around my body was not some ordinary martial art or shadow technique.
It was the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Just as Jisalseong once carved out his own domain through corpses to practice forbidden arts, the Black-Robed Sage possessed similarly grotesque power.
“If you are one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, then my thoughts on this matter change considerably.”
The Black-Robed Sage, now laughing, gazed upon my form as one might regard a delectable feast, his eyes traveling up and down.
“I have long been cursed to perform menial labor, lacking true power of my own.”
He slowly extended both hands.
White light began pouring forth from his palms.
“Should I obtain your power, I too could become a true member of the Jung Sun Ga.”
It was a startling revelation.
That one of such formidable skill was not yet a formal member of the Jung Sun Ga.
But the shock was fleeting.
My eyes gleamed as a subtle mockery crossed my lips.
“Now I understand why you were relegated to menial work.”
“What did you say?”
“With such a loose tongue, is it any wonder you remain a mere lackey?”
In that instant, the Black-Robed Sage’s pupils dilated as if they might tear, and thick veins bulged across his entire body.
Consumed by fury, he began deploying his ultimate technique with all his might.
Flash!
But in that very moment.
Crimson light erupted from my Muk Hon Blade.
When humans succumb to rage, their blood quickens and their muscles tense with power.
While this grants greater strength, it inevitably slows one’s movements.
I had deliberately provoked the Black-Robed Sage’s fury to create an opening for the Meteor Chasing Moon technique.
Slash!
The Black-Robed Sage barely evaded, yet his neck was already half-severed.
Yet no blood flowed forth.
“Not a chance.”
The Black-Robed Sage, clutching my throat, wore a cruel smile.
“After all, the Inferno Divine Ground spread across this entire forest was nothing but a trap to ensnare the One Hundred and Eight Stars.”
“What did you say?”
Flash!
Suddenly, a brilliant white light erupted from the ground in an instant.
Since the light burst forth from the entire forest, Bu Eunseol had no chance to evade and was engulfed by it.
“Hahahaha!”
As Bu Eunseol was consumed by the light, the Black-Robed Sage’s face twisted with ecstatic joy.
“Now I can finally legitimately obtain the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.”
Crunch.
The man clenched his severed neck with his fist. With the sound of bone crushing, the severed neck reattached like mud.
“It’s unavoidable.”
The Black-Robed Sage sighed, looking down at his mangled neck.
“Having captured one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, this much damage is a price I must bear.”
But something was strange.
The power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars absorbed through the Inferno Divine Ground should flow into the Essence Jade in my possession.
Yet there was still no sign of it.
Step by step.
Then a shadow slowly walked out from the brilliant white light.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“How is this possible?”
The Black-Robed Sage’s eyes widened in shock.
“How is the One Hundred and Eight Stars standing unharmed within the Inferno Divine Ground?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Bu Eunseol frowned, looking down at the points of light still gathering around my body.
“Is this not simply a technique that releases light?”
“You’re saying… you’re not one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars?”
The Black-Robed Sage could not believe it.
“That’s impossible. If you’re not one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, how did you ignite the Blazing Dragon Palm?”
“…”
“Why aren’t the bone-crushing absorption and cunning plunder functions activating!”
The functions of the Inferno Divine Ground were bone-crushing absorption and cunning plunder.
It could instantly squeeze out and seize the blood and bones—the inner power within the body—of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
“Squeezing out the blood essence to absorb it…”
Hearing the Black-Robed Sage’s words, Bu Eunseol finally realized one crucial fact.
‘The place where the One Hundred and Eight Stars was captured wasn’t the Yang Seol Family—it was the Jung Sun Ga.’
In the past, Jisalseong had said the Yang Seol Family desired the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars and conducted experiments for that purpose.
But in reality, it wasn’t the Yang Seol Family conducting such acts—it was the Jung Sun Ga.
“How…”
The Black-Robed Sage muttered with unfocused eyes.
“How did he ignite the Tak Seong Po Ryong Technique without being a Baekpal Star? How did he penetrate through Hwa So Shin Ji’s sorcery….”
The Baekpal Stars—those blessed with power descended from the heavens.
Clearly, only such beings could accomplish these feats… so how could he possess the aura of a Baekpal Star and yet not be one?
“Just kill him. If we slay him and turn his corpse into a vessel, that will suffice.”
The Black-Robed Sage, who had been muttering ceaselessly, fixed his crimson-blazing eyes upon Bu Eunseol.
Crack.
As he drew upon his full power once more, his skin gradually darkened to a sickly hue.
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize that the Black-Robed Sage, too, inhabited the corpse of one long dead.
Much as Cheon Joon had.
The Black-Robed Sage preserved his flesh through some arcane and wondrous technique.
Flash!
In that instant, my Muk Hon Blade pierced through the Black-Robed Sage’s heart.
“Futile.”
The Black-Robed Sage erupted in laughter despite his heart being split asunder.
“Hehehehe.”
In that span, the man’s skin had turned completely black.
“One already dead cannot die a second time.”
The Black-Robed Sage bared his white teeth in a grin.
“Now I shall slay you and use your corpse as my vessel!”
With a thunderous cry, the man unleashed a torrent of blackened energy toward Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol unleashed successive blade strikes, targeting vital pressure points, throat, and heart, yet the Black-Robed Sage’s life would not be severed.
“Is that all?”
The Black-Robed Sage burst into laughter.
“One already dead.”
Click.
With a sigh, I sheathed the Muk Hon Blade once more.
“Let me see if your body and spirit have truly reached the realm of death.”
“Kaaaaah!”
The man charged toward Bu Eunseol with a fierce battle cry.
Whoosh.
As the Muk Hon Blade emerged from its sheath once more, black blade auras rippled outward around my body.
I had unleashed the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
Even the sky bathed in gentle sunlight darkened under the shadow, and every blade aura that rose was drawn into the Black-Robed Sage’s flesh.
Thud.
The Black-Robed Sage’s movements ceased.
His body would move no longer.
All he could do was roll his eyes downward to gaze upon his own form.
Then infinite emptiness and boundless terror flooded into his mind.
The blade auras pouring from that darkened blade were delivering death not merely to his body, but to his very soul.
“Ah.”
The man exhaled a low sigh.
As emptiness and fear receded, sorrow and anguish swept in to take their place.
Then came an infinite quietude and incomparable serenity that flooded through me.
It was death itself.
“Was life merely a process to reach death in the end?”
The Black-Robed Sage murmured softly, then
Thud.
With eyes wide open, he breathed his last.
The lifeless body stilled, and the soul itself had reached into endless darkness.
Bu Eunseol, watching this sight, closed her eyes.
The more I wielded the Blood Dew Seven Techniques,
the more I seemed to merge with my grandfather’s heart—one that yearned for peace and eternal rest through death.
Zing.
As the Black-Robed Sage’s breath ceased entirely,
a faint space that had been invisible until now revealed itself.
It was the Gate of Life of the Hwa So Shin Ji that the Black-Robed Man had set up in the forest.
“He was standing guard like a gatekeeper, preventing anyone from entering.”
Only now did Bu Eunseol grasp the Black-Robed Sage’s intention, releasing a deep sigh.
In the end, like the Yang Seol Family, the Jung Sun Ga was also conducting secret Murim activities.
Perhaps their goal, as Jisalseong had said, was to research or absorb the power of the One Hundred Eight Stars to achieve some purpose.
Which meant they were no different from Sam Gye—willing to do anything to gain power.
“Something is happening in this place.”
It couldn’t be that a member of the Jung Sun Ga suddenly appeared here and deployed such bizarre techniques. Something was definitely unfolding in this location.
“Mu Jon must know.”
A terrifying figure like Mu Jon
would never send me here without knowing who was present or what situation had unfolded.
“What does he truly want?”
The mere title of Sage of the Murim could already manipulate countless martial artists.
Using the position of Murim Alliance Lord, he could accomplish anything.
So why was he assigning me such tasks?
Did he have some other purpose?
‘It will be revealed eventually.’
Bu Eunseol’s goal was revenge.
Uncovering Mu Jon’s schemes was a matter for later.
“I have no idea what is happening here.”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly and entered through the Gate of Life.
She needed to understand why the Black-Robed Sage had deployed techniques here and sealed it off from outsiders.
That was the reason for her investigation.
“How peculiar.”
Bu Eunseol stepped inside and let out a sigh.
The interior was nothing but an ordinary forest.
It was the same forest she had witnessed ever since entering Seo Ryeong San.
‘This functions similarly to the Black Divine Technique that Wudang Sect employed.’
The person who had infiltrated Wudang Sect back then
had wielded the Black Divine Technique to divide a single space into two.
Now, too, I was undoubtedly in the same forest, yet some mysterious force had split it into two distinct spaces.
“Which means these people might also be using the Black Divine Technique.”
Crunch, crunch.
My eyes grew heavy as I walked with cautious steps.
The grass blades scattered across the ground were faintly bent.
It was the trace of a massive force rushing forward using lightness techniques.
“Someone is being pursued.”
I immediately dashed forward, following the trail.
How much time had passed?
Finally, I could see a large group of people moving ahead.
Watching them from a distance, I doubted my own eyes.
Roughly fifty masked assassins were rapidly escaping the forest, moving as if walking upon clouds with their ethereal technique.
Their bodies bore countless wounds, and their garments were thoroughly soaked with blood.
Judging by the amount of blood drenching their robes, they appeared to have returned from a massive battle against forces numbering in the hundreds or even thousands.
But what truly startled me was the group of masked assassins rushing from the rear.
They were carrying an ornate palanquin upon which sat a beautiful young woman.
It was Man Wol—the girl I had encountered when dealing with Gwi Ah’s forces before.
‘What are they doing?’
Red threads were wound tightly around Man Wol’s body as she sat in the palanquin.
Surrounding the palanquin were numerous mystical treasures imbued with demonic energy.
Had there been yellow talismans affixed to them, I would have mistaken Man Wol for a jiangshi being carried away in captivity.
‘They defeated a massive force of enemies and captured her?’
Looking at the appearance of the fleeing masked assassins and Man Wol’s expression, they were clearly not allies.
It seemed these martial artists had destroyed Man Wol’s vast army and abducted her.
‘I’ll pursue them.’
I deployed the Extreme Speed Shadowless Technique and discreetly followed them.
Whoosh.
The masked assassins rushed forward rapidly, carrying the palanquin with Man Wol.
‘She must have endured great hardship.’
Man Wol, sitting in the palanquin, appeared far more gaunt than before, her complexion deathly pale.
It seemed she had traveled for days in a carriage while suffering from internal injuries.
‘They dared to abduct this young girl without hesitation.’
Anger ignited within me.
In the end, Jung Sun Ga, like Sam Gye, would commit brutal acts without hesitation for their objectives.
‘I will find the Jung Sun Ga’s main headquarters no matter what.’
Bu Eunseol was determined not only to rescue Man Wol, but also to locate the Jung Sun Ga’s base or stronghold.
Yet something felt amiss.
The Masked Assassins weren’t attempting to leave Seo Ryeong San—they were venturing deeper into its heart.
‘How far down do they intend to go?’
A rustling sound echoed through the undergrowth.
As the Masked Assassins penetrated the fathomless depths of the forest, a vast clearing suddenly materialized before them.
At the center of that open ground stood an enormous box, darkened to an obsidian hue.
‘A coffin?’
Bu Eunseol, observing from a distance, furrowed her brow.
That darkened, massive box bore the unmistakable form of a coffin.
The black metal coffin seemed forged from iron, emanating a damp and sinister aura that permeated the surrounding air.
A low rumble resonated.
The assembled group halted their aerial movement and lifted the bound Man Wol into their arms.
They positioned her directly before the coffin’s face.
The fifty-odd Masked Assassins formed a massive circular formation centered on Man Wol and the coffin.
A droning murmur began to rise.
They wove their hands into peculiar mudras and commenced an eerie chanting.
It resembled the mantras of esoteric Buddhism, yet also sounded like the incantations of martial arts.
Then, something extraordinary began to unfold.
The coffin trembled violently, and Man Wol’s face contorted in agony.
Upon closer inspection, the crimson cords binding her body were burrowing into her flesh, drawing blood.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
What in the heavens could be contained within that dark coffin?
Why was the Jung Sun Ga chanting these bizarre incantations to torment Man Wol?
Could they truly be using her life as a sacrifice to resurrect the dead?
Blood dripped steadily.
Crimson rivulets flowed from Man Wol’s body where the red cords bound her, and her complexion grew increasingly pallid.
Simultaneously, the coffin’s trembling intensified.
If this continued unchecked, Man Wol would surely breathe her last.
‘I cannot stand idle and watch her perish.’
A flash of steel! A thunderous boom!
Bu Eunseol, concealed at a distance, immediately unsheathed the Muk Hon Sword and unleashed torrents of blade energy.
Though her movements were fluid and measured, her sword qi surpassed even the speed of lightning.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
Yet something astonishing occurred.
The Masked Assassins, maintaining their circular formation without moving, deflected every shred of Bu Eunseol’s blade energy.
A deafening crash erupted.
But Bu Eunseol’s objective was not the Masked Assassins—it was to save Man Wol.
Seizing the moment as they repelled her blade energy, she surged forward in a single breath toward Man Wol at the formation’s center.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
But as I approached Man Wol, a strange barrier materialized with a semicircular, rounded form.
‘It’s the same.’
The rounded barrier exhibited a reaction similar to the bizarre sorcery that had been deployed throughout the Forest.
Bu Eunseol immediately drew upon her Thunder Divine Energy, pouring it relentlessly against the rounded barrier.
Crackle, crackle, crackle! Boom!
In an instant, I pierced through the rounded barrier and landed beside Man Wol at its center.
Slash!
As I severed the crimson threads binding Man Wol, she collapsed forward unconscious.
“Come to your senses.”
As Bu Eunseol moved to support her unconscious form, a strange pressure began pouring in from all directions.
The Masked Assassins arranged in a circular formation were channeling their bizarre power.
‘They were waiting for this.’
Whoosh.
Five-colored radiance flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body.
From the moment they effortlessly deflected sword energy, I had anticipated they would unleash an inescapable, bizarre pressure.
If so, I would reverse their pressure and draw upon the power of harmony to sweep them away in one breath.
Whoooosh.
As their pressure intensified, the radiance flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body grew increasingly vivid.
Hum.
Finally, the Prajna Great Ability flowed forth, and all power within my body aligned perfectly.
‘Now.’
Just as Bu Eunseol was about to unleash harmony toward the Masked Assassins,
Bang―――!
Suddenly, a thunderous metallic sound rang out from behind.
Turning my head, I saw the blackened coffin lid soaring skyward.
Boom!
The coffin lid crashed back to the ground, humming with a heavy sound.
The metal coffin lid appeared to be over a foot thick.
As Bu Eunseol stared in shock at the unfolding scene,
Slash!
Suddenly, a crimson thread erupted from atop the coffin lid, forming a massive circle.
‘Danger!’
Sensing the power and peril contained in that crimson thread, Bu Eunseol immediately embraced Man Wol and leaped into the air.
But the Masked Assassins arranged in a circle around them
unfortunately could not execute an evasion as swift as Bu Eunseol’s.
Thud, thud, thud.
As the crimson thread traced a complete circle, the heads of the warriors standing in formation tumbled to the ground.
Stir, stir.
At the same moment, the opened coffin began to shift slightly,
A horrifying screech tore through the air.
Blood surged from within the coffin chamber as a colossal Strange Being emerged into view.
As the muscular creature exposed its upper body, the thick, viscous blood that had filled the chamber spilled outward in a torrent.
The Strange Being’s pale, milky eyes swept across the surroundings, and when its gaze locked with Bu Eunseol’s, its lips twisted into a grotesque smile.
Another piercing shriek echoed forth.
As the Strange Being rose from the massive coffin chamber, the very sky seemed to bleed crimson.
Its height exceeded eight feet, and its skin bore a sickly gray pallor.
It had no hair, and its pale eyes held no focus whatsoever.
It was as though a malevolent spirit had clawed its way from the grave itself.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed across the ground.
As the creature advanced, Bu Eunseol’s entire body involuntarily channeled her inner force in response.
The sheer momentum of its approach was enough to set her nerves ablaze with tension.
A sharp, hissing sound filled the air.
With each step forward, the blood clinging to the creature’s body transformed into mist, absorbing directly into its gray skin.
“Hyeol Hwang?”
Bu Eunseol’s heart lurched violently at the sight.
A master so formidable that every martial technique drained blood from his body, forcing him to feed on blood—and even absorb it through his very skin.
One of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, a transcendent sage who had appeared like a comet four centuries ago and single-handedly elevated the martial standards of the entire Murim.
Hyeol Hwang had been resurrected.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————