The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 666

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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 666.
At some point, So Hwa Ru gained a maid who was skilled at laundry, chopping wood, and cleaning.
It was none other than So Ok Rim.
After much deliberation, she had fashioned herself with a stubborn yet somewhat dim-witted personality, and used crude makeup to dull her appearance.
When she applied to work as a maid at So Hwa Ru, she was hired immediately.
To embody a woman who had lived a harsh life, she used bone-shrinking techniques to reduce her height and made her body appear more robust.
Except for the time she had turned Yangguang Murim upside down, she had refrained from any public martial activities.
Thus, as this stocky yet powerfully built woman who shirked no difficult work and labored with relentless determination,
no one could have possibly suspected she was So Ok Rim.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol frequented So Hwa Ru at all hours, drinking ceaselessly.
It turned out that So Hwa Ru employed separate courtesans—some who served martial artists and high officials.
The courtesans who served high officials had spent at least three years at So Hwa Ru and were all trained in martial arts.
Conversely, the courtesans who served martial artists were not trained in martial arts at all, but were required to master musical instruments.
Was this to more easily monitor the people within?
Of course, martial artists were naturally cautious and sharp-eyed, able to see through those trained in combat at a glance.
Thus, it made sense to bring ordinary courtesans to create a comfortable atmosphere.
Yet it was incomprehensible why they would specifically select martial arts-trained courtesans to serve the high officials.
‘Information and control.’
After pondering long and hard, Bu Eunseol finally grasped the reason.
With martial artists, they created an atmosphere to draw out their innermost thoughts and gather information.
With high officials, however, it was not information they sought.
Rather, they sent martial arts-trained courtesans to monitor them or restrain any undesired actions.
Thus, as Bu Eunseol, So Ok Rim, and Yu Cheong Rim combined their efforts in their relentless investigation of So Hwa Ru,
―They found it!
The three finally discovered a secret facility within So Hwa Ru.
It was none other than a well.
A well that should have been filled with water under normal circumstances
would completely vanish at certain times of day.
This could only mean there was some secret facility or mechanism beneath the well.
But there was an obstacle here as well.
The difficulty of breaching the mechanisms installed within the well exceeded imagination.
Eventually, the three gathered once more in the separate annex of Anpyeong Guest House.
“Damn it! So all I can manage is opening the entrance door?”
So Ok Rim spoke with evident frustration.
“What kind of ridiculous mechanism is this?”
Working as a maid, she had been the first to descend into the well and examine its interior.
At the bottom, another door leading further underground had been installed—one of tremendous weight.
The problem was that the mechanism for opening the door at the bottom was shrouded in a mysterious technique that prevented the use of inner energy.
Fortunately, So Ok Rim possessed natural divine strength, allowing her to lift and open the iron door weighing thousands of pounds without relying on inner energy.
But the next barrier was the real problem.
As we descended further, a door came into view with various geometric shapes attached to its surface.
So Ok Rim reached out and touched the shapes.
They moved according to the touch of a human hand, and various patterns could be formed from these geometric pieces.
So Ok Rim tried earnestly to arrange the shapes in different ways, but no matter how hard she tried, the door would not open.
“That’s the Intricate Concealed Form Segmented Lock Gate.”
Yu Cheong Rim, who had been listening, then spoke with a grave expression.
The Intricate Concealed Form Segmented Lock Gate.
A mysterious locking mechanism created by the legendary thief Ouyang Feng.
Within a single moment, one must combine hundreds of geometric shapes to form one specific pattern.
“What? What kind of gate?”
“You don’t know the Intricate Concealed Form Segmented Lock Gate? It’s practically a legend in this line of work.”
“How would I know something only thieves understand?”
When So Ok Rim rebuked him, Yu Cheong Rim cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“To explain in detail, if you carelessly touch that mechanism, a bell will sound. Moreover, there’s a time limit, so there are hardly any people in Tianxia who can solve it.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Do you know who I am?”
Yu Cheong Rim flashed his white teeth and pointed to his own face with his thumb.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Who are you?”
“You don’t know who I am?”
Yu Cheong Rim widened his eyes and spoke in an insufferably sharp voice.
“I am Yu Cheong Rim, the Thousand-Faced Divine Thief of Shandong.”
“So?”
“I am Yu Cheong Rim of Shandong… ah, never mind.”
Yu Cheong Rim, who had been confidently pointing to his own face, caught sight of So Ok Rim’s menacing expression and silently lowered his head.
The next day.
Yu Cheong Rim entered through the door So Ok Rim had opened and immediately solved the mechanism of the Intricate Concealed Form Segmented Lock Gate.
He barely completed the geometric pattern within the time limit and entered, but there was another problem.
After solving the Intricate Concealed Form Segmented Lock Gate, an extremely narrow corridor appeared.
In that passage, a mechanism alternated between the heat of the Scorching Hell and the cold of the Frozen Hell.
Because the corridor was so narrow, one could not employ martial techniques.
Even the lean Yu Cheong Rim could only pass through by using the Bone-Shrinking Technique.
In short, So Ok Rim, with her large frame, could not pass through even if she used the Bone-Shrinking Technique.
“In the end, the three of us must combine our strength and each pass through one gate.”
The three who had regrouped crossed their arms and put their heads together.
The first gate would be passed by So Ok Rim.
The second gate would be passed by Yu Cheong Rim.
And the final gate would be passed by Bu Eunseol.
This place is definitely connected to the Three Realms or the Inbiyin organization.
A flash of light gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
So Ok Rim, possessing terrifying divine power and martial prowess, and Yu Cheong Rim, one of the Four Great Thieves of Murim.
And the fact that even I, who had mastered both the orthodox and demonic supreme techniques, needed to combine our strength to open the door?
Only those great powers could create such a mysterious mechanism.
But why, exactly?
Why did they construct such a gate in So Hwa Ru? Against whom did they create such a mechanism? What could possibly be hidden behind it?
And what in the world lies within?
“Then, let us proceed in turns.”
Bu Eunseol, who had unfolded a detailed map of So Hwa Ru’s interior across the table, began to elaborate on the plan she had devised.
If this plan succeeded.
We would surely be able to unravel the secrets of So Hwa Ru that had long been shrouded in mystery.
When the moonlight hung brilliantly in the sky.
The surroundings of So Hwa Ru were filled with silence. All the guests had entered the Palace Hall to drink.
Inside, there were only a few Tavern Servants moving about for various errands.
Whoosh.
Then a shadow crossed the roof of the Palace Hall.
Despite his enormous frame and worn servant’s attire, his divine movement technique was swift as lightning.
It was So Ok Rim.
Splash.
The shadow that cut through the half-sky leaped into the air in one bound and descended into the massive well within So Hwa Ru.
At this hour, the water had been drained from inside, so entry was possible without difficulty.
“Hngh.”
Having descended underground in a single breath, So Ok Rim lifted the enormous door from the floor.
Click, click, click.
Carefully opening the iron gate, So Ok Rim murmured softly.
“This is as far as I go.”
Then, in one swift motion, he deployed his divine movement technique, exited the well, and vanished into the distant sky.
“Haha.”
Meanwhile, in a small separate annex to the west of So Hwa Ru, a drinking gathering was in full swing.
Ting. Thong. Ting.
The beautiful sound of a zither echoed continuously from that place.
Chong Gwan, the steward who had been circulating throughout So Hwa Ru, nodded his head and then disappeared elsewhere.
“Ryeong Ju, I shall return shortly.”
In Myeong Mi Gak within So Hwa Ru.
The courtesan, sensing that Bang Juk had departed, rose from her seat.
It was Yu Cheong Rim, disguised as Yak Hong.
Nod.
As Bu Eunseol nodded, Yu Cheong Rim slipped out discreetly and moved between the Palace Halls.
Ting. Thong.
Even without Yu Cheong Rim’s presence, the sound of the zither continued to drift outward from Myeong Mi Gak.
Bu Eunseol, with Yu Cheong Rim’s skill, was playing the gayageum with remarkable mastery.
‘Well learned indeed.’
In the past, I had infiltrated as a woman and studied the stringed instrument to eliminate a traitor who had exploited his position as an elder of Hwasan Sect.
This was why I possessed zither skills comparable to Yu Cheong Rim’s.
‘Time is running out.’
Meanwhile, Yu Cheong Rim’s heart raced as he unfolded his movement technique and rushed toward the well.
The window of time he could afford to be away was merely a quarter hour.
If the zither sounds continued without any accompanying voices for any longer than that—
The people of So Hwa Ru, including Chong Gwan, would sense something amiss and immediately come to investigate.
Splash! Thud.
Yu Cheong Rim plunged into the well and landed gracefully on the ground below.
He then quickly slipped beneath the iron gate that So Ok Rim had opened.
Before him appeared a wall carved with chaotically shifting geometric patterns. It was a precision-weight lock mechanism.
“Damn. Never gets less nerve-wracking.”
Taking a deep breath, Yu Cheong Rim began moving his hands with frenzied intensity.
Using only the sensitivity of his fingertips, I had to perceive the minute weight differences of each shape and form a perfect circle.
The problem was that the configuration of the shapes changed each time one entered.
No matter how many times I practiced opening the gate, bad luck could mean failing to solve it within the time limit.
Whisper, whisper, whisper.
Yu Cheong Rim’s hands moved so rapidly they were barely visible.
The geometric shapes made of golden fragments seemed on the verge of completion, then warped, then warped again.
‘I rushed too hard.’
Thud.
The moment Yu Cheong Rim stopped, the shapes that had nearly formed into a circle completely distorted.
In my haste, the pattern had reverted entirely to its initial state.
“Damn it!”
At this rate, I couldn’t solve it within the quarter hour.
The problem was that an opportunity like today would never come again.
“Exhale.”
Yu Cheong Rim closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
‘Abandon desire.’
My master, Hyun Hyun Divine Thief, always said that only by abandoning desire could one become a true master thief of Tianxia.
But every time I heard such words, I scoffed.
―If a thief abandons desire, is he still a thief? Why not just become a philanthropist instead?
―That’s not what I mean. Desire makes your hands dull.
A true master thief maintains both mind and hands in a state of emptiness. Only then can you move faster than others.
Nonsense.
If hands are supposed to be in some state of emptiness or whatever, why bother perfecting the art of theft through blood and sweat?
Each time, Yu Cheong Rim would scoff and dismiss such words.
―Master, you maintain your emptiness or strike your emptiness as you see fit.
‘Complete emptiness.’
But Yu Cheong Rim finally understood.
Emptiness and tranquility.
When desire is released, all attachments vanish, and the spirit becomes utterly serene.
Only in that state could one truly command the body as one willed.
It was no different from a swordmaster who had reached the pinnacle of the blade, maintaining the spirit in a state of stillness.
‘I am not entering to steal objects. I must enter for the greater cause!’
Whoosh.
With eyes closed, Yu Cheong Rim placed his hands against the wall once more.
Shshshshshush!
His hands, unlike before,
began moving with such speed they became invisible.
White energy coalesced at his fingertips while brilliant light streamed from his eyes.
The geometric patterns on the wall gradually transformed into circular shapes in an instant.
Zing.
When finally a massive circle as radiant as the sun appeared,
Click, click.
it began rotating, and the door started to open.
‘Done!’
Swoosh!
Yu Cheong Rim deployed his movement technique and soared up from the well.
His unique body technique, the Great Lightning Flash Shadow, had reached its pinnacle—truly like lightning itself.
‘Just a bit faster!’
Chong Gwan would be returning soon.
Before that, I had to hurry back to Bu Eunseol and play the ajaeng.
Halt.
Yu Cheong Rim stopped his movement technique as he headed back toward Myeong Mi Gak.
In the distance, he spotted a middle-aged man in a crimson robe walking toward Myeong Mi Gak.
‘It’s Chong Gwan.’
Yu Cheong Rim’s heart raced.
Chong Gwan Bang Juk was a master from the Demonic Path with formidable martial prowess.
If he carelessly deployed his movement technique in front of him, discovery would be immediate.
‘Ryeong Ju truly is a ghost.’
Bu Eunseol had anticipated this entire situation and left So Ok Rim with one instruction.
[So Yok!]
As Yu Cheong Rim deployed his long-distance telepathic transmission,
Boom!
a violent tremor erupted from the direction of the stable as something massive collided.
It was So Ok Rim, who had been waiting in the stable, creating a loud disturbance on Yu Cheong Rim’s signal.
Whoosh!
Synchronized with the noise, Yu Cheong Rim instantly deployed his movement technique and leaped over Bang Juk’s head.
“Hmm.”
Fortunately, Bang Juk seemed unaware of Yu Cheong Rim’s presence due to the noise, turning his head toward the stable.
Whoosh.
Yu Cheong Rim, who had slipped back inside, immediately changed position and ceased playing.
Then, clearing her throat, she spoke in a bright, feminine voice.
“The performance has been sufficient. I shall call another entertainer for you.”
At that, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“No need. I quite enjoy drinking while listening to the zither’s melody anyway.”
A pause.
Bang Juk, who had been walking toward Myeong Mi Gak, stood outside for a long moment.
“….”
After gauging the atmosphere within, he turned and walked back the way he came.
He had sensed something amiss when the zither continued without conversation, came to investigate, confirmed nothing was wrong, and now departed.
‘Thank heavens.’
As Bang Juk left, Yu Cheong Rim exhaled in relief, pressing a hand to her chest.
Now all obstacles had been overcome.
With Bu Eunseol, infiltration would be flawless—she could conceal her presence under any circumstance.
“It is open, Ryeong Ju.”
Bu Eunseol nodded in acknowledgment.
Ding. Dong.
As Yu Cheong Rim resumed playing, Bu Eunseol immediately unleashed her movement technique and descended into the well.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Bu Eunseol’s Extreme Speed Shadowless Form was a technique optimized for infiltration from the outset.
While swift enough to rival Yu Cheong Rim’s Great Hall Extreme Shadow Form, its stealth was positively spectral.
Swish. Swish.
Leaping between palace halls like a phantom, Bu Eunseol hurled herself into the well within So Hwa Ru in one fluid motion.
Thud.
Landing silently in the well, Bu Eunseol immediately passed through the open iron gate and descended underground.
Creak creak creak.
At that very moment, the door to the narrow coffin chamber that Yu Cheong Rim had opened was closing.
Bu Eunseol moved swiftly, slipping inside before the door sealed shut.
Before her lay an extraordinarily narrow corridor.
The passage was so confined that even the slender Bu Eunseol had to employ her bone-softening technique and move sideways to pass through.
Crack.
As Bu Eunseol, employing her bone-softening technique to compress her body, proceeded through the passage,
Whoooosh.
Tremendous heat erupted from the walls alongside a transparent current of energy.
‘Extreme Fire Wheel Qi?’
Bu Eunseol was greatly startled.
The heat pouring from the walls was no ordinary extreme yang force.
It was a force remarkably similar to the Extreme Fire Wheel Technique contained within the Yeol Ha Great Perfection Technique.
‘Perhaps.’
Bu Eunseol felt her skin prickle with dread.
The Gwi Il Gae was recreating the powers of countless ancient masters…
Could they have even restored the Extreme Fire Wheel Technique of the Yeol Ha Sung Palace Lord himself?
The thought struck her like lightning—what if they had resurrected Bing Ha Dae Je and Yeolha Seongjun as well?
‘So that’s why they planted Sam Gye’s agents in both great sects.’
In the Northern Sea and Yeol Ha, two colossal organizations, Sam Gye’s agents had been scheming, yet ultimately their plots had been thwarted by Bu Eunseol.
Could it be that among them were members of the Gwi Il Gae, searching for the corpses of ancient masters?
‘No, it could be coincidence.’
Fortunately, Bu Eunseol had discovered the bodies of both masters first, and they had subsequently vanished into the secret facility.
Even if the Gwi Il Gae possessed the ability to soar through the heavens, they could never locate that place.
Whoosh.
As Bu Eunseol passed slowly through the corridor, violet flames danced across her body.
When the extreme yang force, similar to the Extreme Fire Wheel Technique, enveloped her form, the Thunder Divine Technique activated of its own accord, embracing that power.
Shuuuu.
The scorching heat that seemed capable of melting her organs in an instant transformed into something pleasant and warm the moment it met the Thunder Divine Technique.
Swish swish.
After traversing the narrow corridor for some time, a place suffused with a chilling aura appeared before her.
The moment Bu Eunseol entered the corridor, an overwhelming cold descended upon her.
This too was a force strikingly similar to the Bing Ha Celestial Stream Technique.
‘They’ve recreated martial techniques comparable to the two supreme arts of Sae Oe.’
Bu Eunseol’s heart grew cold.
The fact that they had restored even the supreme techniques of the Northern Sea and Yeol Ha was proof that their influence extended beyond the Zhong Yuan Murim into Sae Oe itself.
Zing.
A transparent force flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, beginning to absorb the cascading cold.
This time, the Crystal Divine Technique activated spontaneously, embracing the extreme yin force.
‘So this is why the Infinite Realm has coveted the Sasin Technique so desperately.’
From a martial arts perspective alone, the Sasin Technique possessed only the power of advanced martial techniques.
But from the perspective of methods and techniques, the Sasin Technique was nearly invincible.
It could counter any technique whatsoever.
Moreover, now that Bu Eunseol possessed two of the Sasin powers,
she could counter and apply numerous forces beyond mere techniques—the possibilities were virtually endless.
Boom.
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol finally passed through the narrow corridor. Then another small door came into view.
‘Footprints.’
And there, countless footprints were visible—but their size was remarkably small.
‘So that’s it.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand why this facility was so cramped.
‘This was the passage where they put the children.’
This was no ordinary facility—it was a hidden passage through which abducted children had been secretly brought and forced inside.
It seemed that ordinarily the facility operated normally, but this passage was used only when children needed to be inserted.
Whoosh.
Bu Eunseol stepped carefully inside.
Gradually the passage widened, and soon a prison-like space with massive doors on both sides came into view.
It bore a striking resemblance to the landscape I had witnessed in the past on Lengyue Island.
‘Surely not.’
Bu Eunseol carefully opened a door and peered inside.
Within lay unfamiliar furnishings and countless books.
What appeared to be human organs and vessels filled with blood. And human skins were piled high in storage.
‘Please, let it not be so.’
Bu Eunseol bit her lip.
When she opened the door to another chamber, she found numerous elixirs being manufactured there.
And there too, what appeared to be human organ byproducts were dried like medicinal ingredients.
Glimmer.
But suddenly a faint sign of human presence emanated from the door ahead.
Moving stealthily, Bu Eunseol stood before the massive door.
Fortunately, the area near eye level was made of iron bars, allowing her to peer inside without opening the door.
Night pearls were embedded there, casting a soft glow down from the ceiling.
A bed was installed, and a middle-aged man, skin and bones clinging together, lay upon it.
Though his upper body was clothed, his appearance suggested he held a position of considerable rank.
And around him, Masked Attendants moved about diligently.
In their hands they carried the human skin that had been stacked like meat earlier, and vessels filled with clear blood.
As those who had been moving busily came to a halt.
Color returned to the gaunt middle-aged man’s face, and his skin took on a lustrous sheen.
Bu Eunseol examined the opposite Stone Chamber, from which she sensed another presence.
There lay an Elderly Woman, and as they wielded the human skin and performed various grand techniques.
The woman’s face suddenly began to transform, growing more youthful and beautiful.
Crack.
Bu Eunseol clenched her fists so hard her bones seemed ready to shatter.
‘The children’s bodies used as materials for grand techniques….’
In the end, all my doubts and desperate hopes came to nothing—the horrifying truth had become reality.

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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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