The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 685
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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 685.
ROOOAAARRR!
With power of this magnitude, the Vegetable Garden should have been completely leveled, and everything surrounding it should have vanished as if evaporated.
Yet something miraculous occurred.
The energies capable of destroying the entire world compressed in an instant, and instead of dispersing, they coiled around Ma Cheon Je’s body alone.
ROOOAAARRR!
But Ma Cheon Je stood there as calmly as if nothing had happened.
Those terrifying energies could not penetrate his body.
ROOOAAARRR!
The immense power of the Thirteen Primal Beasts, which had engulfed Ma Cheon Je’s form like a savage dragon, finally soared away toward the Distant Sky.
“Hmm.”
For the first time, emotion flickered in Ma Cheon Je’s eyes as he gazed toward where the Thirteen Primal Beasts had vanished.
It seemed like joy,
yet also like something tinged with regret.
He had sensed that faintly woven within what Bu Eunseol had unleashed were martial techniques from the Orthodox Sects.
However, since fundamentally she had expressed it through the mysteries of Nangya Sect martial purification via the Nangya Heart Eye,
he could not determine precisely what the true source of that martial technique was.
Whissshhh.
A silence as profound as death flowed between them.
Ma Cheon Je was savoring the immense power that Bu Eunseol had created and sent soaring toward the Distant Sky.
That power was the force of Pa Cheon Hwang, transcending the principles of martial technique and capable of destroying all existence.
It was also the power of regeneration that could restore a shattered world.
“Did you gain enlightenment?” Ma Cheon Je asked.
Bu Eunseol steadied her breathing and answered slowly.
“As I traveled from place to place, I happened to acquire it by chance.”
“That is indeed the essence of the Gangho path.”
Despite having just moments before poured forth all their martial purifications as if intent on killing one another,
their exchange was remarkably peaceful.
“I have learned well.”
Bu Eunseol brought her palms together with an expression unchanged from before.
“Continue your cultivation.”
Ma Cheon Je spoke with composure.
“Walking a path others have not taken is somewhat difficult. Yet should you reach that destination, you may establish a new epoch that no one else has ever attained.”
Ma Cheon Je already understood
that Bu Eunseol was forging her own unique martial realm.
“I shall remember this.”
“Return now.”
Bu Eunseol brought her palms together respectfully and turned to leave.
Originally, had she survived,
she had intended to ask Ma Cheon Je many things.
How much do you know of my past?
Does it relate to my father’s death?
How did you come to know my father?
Who killed my grandfather Bu Chanyang?
Could the false Tak Ma Master who appeared in Seo Jang have been Ma Cheon Je himself?
Yet I asked nothing.
Not only would he refuse to answer, but I could no longer trust Ma Cheon Je’s words.
What if he fabricated information about my grandfather and father?
It would only take longer to uncover the truth.
I must discover all truths myself—just as he taught me.
‘Indeed….’
And through this incident, I understood something with certainty.
‘He too was my enemy.’
Ma Cheon Je was also my enemy.
No—everyone I encountered in Gangho was either a friend or merely an adversary, nothing more.
Ultimately, Ma Cheon Je was also an opponent I would have to defeat.
‘I must ascend faster.’
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the distant sky.
In truth, I had some confidence this time.
No matter how formidable Ma Cheon Je’s martial arts were.
My spirit could never be broken,
and I believed I had reached a level where I could withdraw my body in the worst case.
But Ma Cheon Je’s martial arts had already transcended what could be called the Realm of No Extremes—reaching an endless continuum beyond naming.
That is, an endless succession stretching onward and onward.
A distant realm that could not be named by any word, a realm he had already attained.
Crunch.
From Bu Eunseol’s eyes, as her fists clenched, a heat that could melt steel blazed forth.
‘Then I shall forge a power that constrains even realms.’
If Ma Cheon Je had reached an infinite realm beyond even his own comprehension?
There was no need to pursue him further.
I resolved to create a power that would constrain even that incomprehensible, distant realm.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ma Cheon Je gazed at the familiar landscape of the Vegetable Garden and murmured softly.
“Clearly, it follows a different path than the Realm of No Extremes.”
The martial prowess Bu Eunseol unleashed had already transcended the boundaries of the Extreme Heaven Realm.
Yet it was not the Realm of No Extremes.
If it were the martial arts of the Realm of No Extremes?
When such power was displayed, not merely the Vegetable Garden but this entire region should have been completely devastated.
But the force Bu Eunseol unleashed was directed entirely toward me alone.
“Moreover, it is a technique that does not exist in the current Murim.”
Ma Cheon Je realized that the martial art Bu Eunseol had employed was not a technique created or used in this era.
It was an absolute martial art conceived in a previous generation, or generations before that—perhaps even further back in time.
“A martial art even I cannot comprehend….”
Without question, there existed no martial art beyond my recognition.
Clearly, she must have concealed her techniques through ingenious methods.
Shaking his head, he gazed toward the Distant Sky.
“And yet she still clings only to martial prowess.”
For the first time, emotion flickered in Ma Cheon Je’s eyes.
“Has the manifestation of Cheon Am Seong’s power truly remained so distant?”
I had waited for far too long.
His gaze fell once more upon the water bucket, his eyes growing infinitely deeper.
“This is far too long and tedious.”
Even a thousand-day withered meditation would not be this agonizing.
“That power must manifest soon—only then can I claim it for myself.”
Ma Cheon Je.
He had foreseen that Cheon Am Seong’s power lay dormant within Bu Eunseol, and he was preparing to seize it the moment it awakened.
“If I can only obtain Cheon Am Seong’s power, I can sweep away all those tedious fools.”
Ma Cheon Je gazed toward the Distant Sky once more.
“If the stimulus proves insufficient….”
If the stimulus proved insufficient.
Perhaps it would be wise to provoke her directly.
* * *
Yeop Hyo Cheon, who held the position of Chong Gyo Ryeong, always managed the affairs of the Demon Palace in place of the reclusive Ma Cheon Je.
His primary duties consisted of.
Ensuring the various organizations within the Demon Palace did not clash with one another, smoothly mediating friction between each faction, and in accordance with the Demon Palace’s laws.
Resolving all matters fairly and rationally.
The Great Conference Hall of Jamma Pavilion.
The expressions of all the Lords, save Bu Eunseol, were decidedly grim.
An unusually strange command had been issued to Yeop Hyo Cheon.
—Sayoung Hall is to proceed to Eum Gyeol Ma Ji and acquire the roster of the Dragon Gate School, which oversees the cultivation of the Iron Hammer Iron Body Warriors.
It was a rather abrupt command.
Until now, Yeop Hyo Cheon had never once issued orders on his own initiative, nor had he involved himself in the affairs of any organization.
This was because his position was not that of a Palace Lord, but rather Chong Gyo Ryeong.
He merely managed and oversaw all organizations within the Demon Palace.
Yet this time, he had issued a direct command.
Moreover, directly to Sayoung Hall, under his own authority.
A command that amounted to near self-destruction.
Iron Hammer Iron Body Warriors.
These were demonic beings created in Eum Gyeol Ma Ji, one of the Four Great Ominous Lands, and were said to rival the Reanimated Golden Corpses once created by Zangsang Gate.
Their number was said to be five hundred.
What if they were to be eliminated?
Then it would be the Demon Hall’s forces that should be dispatched, not the Sayoung Battle Division.
But had it stopped there, the Sayoung Battle Division would have carried out the mission with a smile.
Because within the Sayoung Battle Division stood Bu Eunseol, who had reached the Choguk Dowon.
With her exceptional mercenary skills and formidable martial prowess?
Such a disadvantage could be entirely overcome, making it hardly an impossible task.
But the Chong Gyo Ryeong issued yet another absurd command.
―Moo Hon Ryeong Ju. You shall bring back a settlement regarding the Blood Cult’s advance into Zhong Yuan.
The Blood Cult was a faction that primarily employed mystical techniques with strong religious overtones, and not only did they covet Zhong Yuan constantly.
They had also established a branch called the Hyeol Eum Gyo near Dongjeong Lake.
However, since the Hyeol Eum Gyo’s scale was not particularly large and their influence on the Murim of Zhong Yuan was negligible, they were left alone for observation.
Yet the Jeong Sa Gak Pa was monitoring their movements with keen sensitivity.
But Yeop Hyo Cheon commanded that Bu Eunseol, the Moo Hon Ryeong Ju, go directly to the Blood Cult.
Through negotiations with the Blood Cult Master, she was to extract a promise forbidding their advance into Zhong Yuan.
―Tomorrow, execute immediately.
Without even time to investigate the Blood Cult’s movements through the Intelligence Organization and research methods to achieve a smooth negotiation.
To depart simultaneously tomorrow? What kind of absurd command was this?
What was even more shocking was the notification that followed.
―If either of the two missions fails, maintaining the position of Moo Hon Ryeong Ju will require reconfirmation.
To put it in extreme terms.
Half of the martial artists belonging to the Demon Hall were affiliated with the Ten Demonic Gates, and Bu Eunseol’s relations with them were extremely poor.
But if a reconfirmation of the Moo Hon Ryeong Ju were to be conducted once more?
Aside from other matters, except for the Nangya Pavilion, Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong, and Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
The remaining Ten Demonic Gates would roll up their sleeves and make every effort to drive him out.
As these commands were issued in succession, an emergency Lords’ Conference was convened at the Jamma Pavilion.
Within the conference hall gathered not only the Lords of the Sayoung Battle Division, but also So Yo and the Dharma Protector Tak Il Hon, and Sa Hon Dae Lord Mu Heun.
And even Seo Jin Ha, who had been wandering the Gangho under the identity of Seon Woo Jin, was assembled together.
“This is an unreasonable command.”
It was Yu Woon Ryong who first broke the long silence.
“It’s already an unreasonable command to have only the Sayoung Battle Division’s martial artists deal with Eum Gyeol Ma Ji. And now the commander is supposed to go alone to the Blood Cult Master in Sae Oe to negotiate?”
He shook his head repeatedly.
“Something is wrong with this command.”
Then Wi Cheon Gyeong opened his mouth.
“Correct. Moreover, the Chong Gyo Ryeong has never issued direct commands before, has he? He doesn’t even have that authority.”
The Lords of the Sayoung Battle Division had already come to understand clearly through Bu Eunseol the limitations of the Chong Gyo Ryeong’s position.
Yet he was issuing such arbitrary commands?
Now that Ma Cheon Je had returned, they could even place restrictions on him for overstepping his authority.
“Ryeong Ju. Request a private audience with Ma Cheon Je. There is no other way.”
At Wi Cheon Gyeong’s words, Bu Eunseol opened her mouth.
“It is not a mistake—it is Ma Cheon Je’s command.”
“An order from Ma Cheon Je? What do you mean by that?”
“Ma Cheon Je issued the command through Chong Gyo Ryeong.”
He took a deep breath and continued.
“Since I challenged Ma Cheon Je, I must naturally bear the consequences.”
In that moment, an icy chill seemed to sweep through the conference hall.
“A challenge to Ma Cheon Je….”
It was Yu Woon Ryong who broke the heavy silence.
“What in the world are you talking about?”
As he asked in a trembling voice, Bu Eunseol answered matter-of-factly.
“The moment I returned to the Demon Palace, I went to the Holy Demon Pavilion. And I asked Ma Cheon Je to teach me a technique.”
“To teach you a technique….”
A heavy silence filled the conference hall.
Ma Cheon Je’s authority was absolute.
The extent of that authority was such that one must never offend Ma Cheon Je’s sensibilities.
One could not even wear an irreverent expression in his presence.
Yet before that absolute being.
To suddenly demand a technique like some street thug?
It was nothing short of a direct challenge to Ma Cheon Je’s authority.
“So, did you truly receive instruction?”
“I did.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath, her eyes growing infinitely darker.
“Ma Cheon Je’s martial prowess has transcended the boundaries of the Wuji Realm. Perhaps he has even reached a new level beyond the Wuji Realm itself.”
It was a shocking revelation.
The Murim had continued through the ages.
And in that time, martial arts had achieved brilliant advancement.
The great masters who reached the pinnacle of martial arts had clearly defined its limits and stages.
The Wuji Realm.
It was designated as the ultimate boundary of cultivation that humans could achieve.
In the current era of Murim, many absolute masters had risen to that rank.
Yet even they could not be described by the term Wuji Realm alone.
There was a vast difference between merely stepping into that realm and achieving complete mastery.
Jeong Ma Ssang Cheon Je had become the sky of the Orthodox Murim precisely because he had reached the apex of the Wuji Realm, a limit from which none could ascend further.
But Ma Cheon Je… had he finally transcended even the limits of martial arts that were known to be the boundary of human capability?
“Then does that mean Ma Cheon Je has reached the Heavenly Intent Realm?”
Wi Cheon Gyeong’s question made Bu Eunseol shake her head.
“The Heavenly Intent Realm is a realm of imagination. Therefore, even if one reaches that realm, no one knows what would occur. But what is certain is….”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice after taking a deep breath.
“I mobilized all my martial purification to barely convert Ma Cheon Je’s spiritual attack into a tangible one. But ultimately, my body was overwhelmed… and all I could do was escape from that assault.”
Bu Eunseol swallowed hard.
“In other words, all I managed was to block a single gesture from Ma Cheon Je.”
Within the conference hall, a silence as profound as death descended once more.
Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess transcended age and generation, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great masters who governed Tianxia.
Yet she had nearly perished from Ma Cheon Je’s single strike, surviving by the thinnest margin?
Ma Cheon Je was Ma Cheon Je.
Ultimately, there existed not a single soul capable of defying him—the sky of the Demonic Path and the absolute sovereign.
All who dared challenge his authority could only meet death.
―Did Ryeong Ju barely cling to life because Ma Cheon Je had shown mercy?
As the Lords exchanged looks of utter shock,
“You fools.”
Yu Woon Ryong sighed and spoke.
“Do you truly believe Ma Cheon Je spared Ryeong Ju out of mercy?”
His words cast a heavy silence over the conference hall.
Unable to answer, they affirmed his statement through their silence.
“If Ma Cheon Je had not intervened, that would be one thing. But he showed Ryeong Ju no compassion whatsoever.”
At Yu Woon Ryong’s words, the Lords’ expressions shifted to bewilderment, then understanding dawned.
Mercy—a word that did not exist in Ma Cheon Je’s lexicon.
“And how many in the Murim do you think could withstand the single strike of an unparalleled demonic genius who has reached the pinnacle of the Infinite Extremity Scripture?”
The Lords’ eyes widened at Yu Woon Ryong’s words.
―Of course!
Thinking back, Bu Eunseol had said she somehow converted Ma Cheon Je’s spiritual attack into a physical one to counter it.
Did that not mean Bu Eunseol herself had stepped into the Celestial Human Realm and reached a level where she could instantaneously establish a new school of martial arts?
“It was merely the activation of Bon Gak’s Mind’s Eye.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head under the intense gazes of those assembled, yet the Lords’ faces shone with elation.
Since the birth of the Murim, how many had ever stepped into the Celestial Human Realm?
In essence, Bu Eunseol had transcended the human body and spirit, reaching the state of the Infinite Extremity Scripture.
“Congratulations!”
Wi Cheon Gyeong rose from his seat and clasped his hands together, and the Lords followed suit with astonished expressions.
“Congratulations, Ryeong Ju!”
The Lords swayed as if ready to break into jubilant dance at any moment.
But Bu Eunseol poured cold water on their celebration once more.
“No.”
“Pardon?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head firmly.
“I have not ascended to the Infinite Extremity Scripture.”
“Then does that mean Ma Cheon Je showed mercy to Ryeong Ju? That makes no sense, does it?”
Won Se Moon shook his head in disbelief.
Even if Ma Cheon Je held Bu Eunseol in the highest favor, he was not one to forgive those who challenged his authority.
If Ma Cheon Je had shown leniency?
Then he would no longer be Ma Cheon Je.
“What I mean is that I have not yet ascended to the Infinite Extremity Scripture at this moment.”
At that moment, Seo Jin Ha opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“It’s not that he couldn’t reach it—it’s that he chose not to.”
The Lords blinked their eyes once more in disbelief.
In all the world, who would refuse to ascend to the Realm of Infinite Extremes when given the chance?
“What do you mean by that?”
Won Se Moon’s eyes widened like saucers.
“Are you suggesting that Ryeong Ju deliberately refrained from reaching the Realm of Infinite Extremes?”
“Perhaps.”
Seo Jin Ha turned his gaze toward Bu Eunseol and posed the question back to her.
“Isn’t that right?”
Then Tak Il Hon, who had been listening in silence, rose abruptly from his seat as if unable to believe his ears, his eyes wide with shock.
He asked in disbelief.
“Is this true, Ryeong Ju?”
“It is so.”
Bu Eunseol spoke as though it were a trivial matter.
“The Infinite Extremes Ascension manifested several times, but no matter how I contemplated it, it seemed not to be my path, so I suppressed it.”
“Aaahhh!”
“Ohhhhh!”
Won Se Moon and Jo Nam Cheon, who had been listening quietly to her answer, suddenly clutched their heads and cried out simultaneously.
“What are you saying, Ryeong Ju?”
“In all the heavens, to deliberately refuse the Realm of Infinite Extremes? Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
The manifestation of the Infinite Extremes Ascension meant
that one had discovered a path that would inevitably lead to the Realm of Infinite Extremes someday.
Moreover, Bu Eunseol was not yet thirty years old.
If the Infinite Extremes Ascension had truly begun now,
she might one day surpass all the great masters of the current Murim.
Yet she had cast it aside with her own hands? What in the world did this mean?
“Indeed, so it is.”
However, Tak Il Hon, as if having grasped something profound, nodded solemnly, then suddenly rose from his seat and clasped his hands together.
And abruptly he began speaking in a formal, respectful tone.
“Ryeong Ju, from this moment forward, I humbly request that you allow me to serve you as a servant.”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“Was I not always your old servant from the beginning? I maintained the position of Protector only through your benevolence.”
He spoke earnestly.
“But now, as a servant, I wish to serve you.”
Tak Il Hon’s expression grew utterly grave.
“Will you permit me to do so?”
Bu Eunseol released a deep sigh.
To become a servant meant
to become a lifelong attendant to that one person’s household.
And if he were to become a retainer… he could learn one or two of that household’s martial techniques.
Tak Il Hon possessed rank and station, so he could not receive martial instruction from Bu Eunseol.
But if he were to become a servant? From now on, he could learn martial arts from Bu Eunseol.
He was willing to serve as a retainer for life, if only to receive martial instruction from Bu Eunseol.
“Tak Protector, you certainly are greedy.”
Bu Eunseol finally acquiesced.
It meant she was acknowledging Tak Il Hon as her servant.
“Thank you, Ryeong Ju.”
Tak Il Hon clasped his hands together in delight.
But Won Se Moon could not comprehend the situation and blinked in confusion.
“Tak Protector, is becoming the Ryeong Ju’s servant truly cause for such joy?”
“You fool.”
Jo Nam Cheon rebuked him.
“The Protector is delighted because he can now become the Ryeong Ju’s retainer and receive instruction, isn’t he?”
“Instruction?”
As Won Se Moon still seemed unable to grasp it, Wi Cheon Gyeong spoke.
“The Ryeong Ju is now casting aside the realm of the Wuji Realm and treading a new path. If such an attempt succeeds… the Ryeong Ju will reach a new realm that renders even the Wuji Realm trivial.”
Only then did Won Se Moon’s eyes widen as understanding dawned.
Though the Murim held countless prodigies and masters, those who could ascend to the Wuji Realm were but a select few divine beings.
The moment the Wuji Absolute Angle manifested.
Bu Eunseol’s eventual arrival at the Wuji Realm was an inevitable certainty.
But now she was treading an entirely new path from the start…
And if that succeeded?
She could reach a new realm that would render the existing Wuji Realm laughably insignificant.
He swallowed hard.
Won Se Moon, who had been gulping,
“Ah!”
suddenly let out a sharp gasp.
He had just realized that if Bu Eunseol were to reach such a realm… something truly terrifying would come to pass.
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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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