The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 686

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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 686.
“Ryeong Ju!”
Won Se Moon swallowed his anguish and spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“Ryeong Ju, how far exactly are you planning to go? You’re not thinking of leaving us, are you?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Jo Nam Cheon beside him frowned, and Won Se Moon’s voice trembled as he continued.
“What if Ryeong Ju suddenly rides a crane and flies away into the heavens?”
He was worried that Bu Eunseol might suddenly ascend to immortality and soar into the sky.
“You fool!”
Thwack.
Jo Nam Cheon struck Won Se Moon’s back of the head with an exasperated expression.
“Ryeong Ju isn’t even cultivating the Way, so how could she become an immortal just because her martial prowess increased?”
“Aren’t you worried at all? Ryeong Ju is ascending to new heights… she could ascend in that direction too!”
As the two bickered, Bu Eunseol sighed.
“There’s no need to complicate things. Walking a new path that others haven’t taken means the probability of failure is also high.”
And she offered a calm smile.
“I will never become an immortal. Rather, the more my martial prowess advances… the higher the probability that I won’t be able to display the transcendent martial techniques you imagine, those that surpass human limitations.”
The people here were those I cherished like my own life.
Because of that, I shared my thoughts with utmost honesty.
“After my confrontation with Ma Cheon Je, I made a resolve. I will not display divine martial techniques like them. Instead, I will forge a power capable of dragging those inhuman beings down to the realm of mortals.”
All the Lords were shocked.
―To make those inhuman monsters ordinary.
It was a brilliant concept that no martial artist in the Murim had ever conceived.
And perhaps…
It was a thought only Bu Eunseol could have, someone who still didn’t recognize herself as a martial artist of the Murim.
“…”
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
The concept and idea were so shocking that it took considerable time for everyone to regain their composure.
“Well, setting aside the martial prowess matter.”
Yu Woon Ryong, the first to recover, spoke.
“If what you’re saying is true, then this mission was deliberately imposed as a restriction by Ma Cheon Je through Chong Gyo Ryeong.”
“That would be the case.”
“But something seems odd.”
Yu Woon Ryong stroked his chin.
“It’s not simply because you destroyed authority, but there seems to be some other intention behind it… I have a strange intuition about this.”
He paused for a moment, then shook his head.
“To be honest, the ones suffering damage from this mission aren’t you, but only the warriors of our Sayoung Battle Division.”
Now that he mentioned it, that was indeed the case.
Even if Bu Eunseol couldn’t confront the Blood Cult Master, she would suffer no damage.
But attacking Eum Gyeol Ma Ji with Sayoung Battle Division’s forces was a battle they would inevitably lose with eighty percent certainty.
And a defeat in such a large-scale battle meant the death of most of the Sayoung Battle Division’s warriors.
“That’s correct. Unless Ryeong Ju were present with us, we would certainly be annihilated.”
At Wi Cheon Gyeong’s words, Yu Woon Ryong spoke with firm resolve.
“Yet we cannot disobey the command.”
Ma Cheon Je’s orders were absolute.
If I refused? I could not remain in the Demon Palace as its successor.
“Could it be that Ma Cheon Je wishes for Ryeong Ju to submit and bow?”
Then Wi Cheon Gyeong, who had been pondering, spoke.
“Honestly, isn’t it obvious to everyone that such an order is unreasonable?”
“….”
“Perhaps Ma Cheon Je desires for Ryeong Ju to swear absolute loyalty once more, or so I thought.”
“When have we ever received an order that wasn’t unreasonable?”
I spoke with firm conviction.
“Ma Cheon Je never reverses an order once given.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Wi Cheon Gyeong shook his head with a gloomy expression.
“Indeed, the notion that Ma Cheon Je would merely wait for Ryeong Ju to submit makes no sense.”
Ma Cheon Je does not desire anyone’s loyalty. Only absolute obedience—or death.
Then Seo Jin Ha spoke.
“The greater problem is that we have no time to send our intelligence organization to scout and devise tactics accordingly.”
Seo Jin Ha, gazing out the window as dawn slowly broke, released a deep sigh.
“We have perhaps half a double-hour until departure. All we can do is rush there immediately and attack blindly.”
“Then we must prepare ourselves for death.”
Wi Cheon Gyeong took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming.
“And that is likely what Ma Cheon Je desires—our deaths.”
“No, there is a way.”
Then Yu Woon Ryong spoke with conviction.
“We need only hold out until Ryeong Ju settles accounts with the Blood Cult and returns.”
In agreement with those words, Tak Il Hon nodded toward Yu Woon Ryong.
“I shall have the Dharma Protector move back and forth through enemy territory with the Bi Ma Dae to create chaos. That way, we can buy time.”
“I’ll help too.”
So Yo spoke while adjusting the short bow hidden in her forearm.
“I have many arrows that will prove effective in a melee.”
“We at Sa Hon Dae have also cultivated many combat personnel.”
Mu Heun, the Sa Hon Dae Lord who had maintained silence until now, also spoke with force.
“Until Ryeong Ju can hold out, we shall defend the line with our lives on the line.”
The morale of the Sayoung Battle Division had risen considerably.
If they fought prepared for death, they could surely create something miraculous.
‘What matters in this plan is not the Sayoung Battle Division’s military might.’
Even amid the heated atmosphere of the conference hall, I maintained absolute composure.
He prioritized the welfare of his subordinates above all else.
And he would never gamble on hopeful words like miracles, or on infinitesimal odds.
Never.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Yet Bu Eunseol nodded, concealing her true thoughts.
There was no need to dampen the morale of her subordinates, which had risen considerably.
To deceive the enemy, one must first deceive one’s own allies.
From the moment she received Ma Cheon Je’s orders, she had been secretly executing a plan to save her subordinates.
The Sayoung Battle Division had mobilized.
Their combat forces, a direct unit under Moo Hon Ryeong Ju, numbered around six hundred. However, the elite troops that could be immediately deployed to Eum Gyeol Ma Ji were only about three hundred.
Even that number was achieved only because it included combat personnel from Sa Hon Dae and the Bi Ma Dae.
Fortunately, all of them were exceptional warriors with superb martial prowess and abundant battlefield experience—each worth a hundred men.
At this level, they could annihilate even a considerable sect in an instant.
The problem was that their opponent was Eum Gyeol Ma Ji, one of the Four Great Ominous Lands of Murim.
Not only did they employ bizarre grand techniques and sorcery, but they also wielded forbidden arts that transformed living people into corpses like jiangshi.
Iron Pursuit Iron Form.
By removing even sensation and fear itself.
They created mindless soldiers who could feel neither the pain of wounds nor the terror of death.
Their bodies were as hard as if wrapped in iron armor, and the martial techniques they unleashed could readily match masters at the pinnacle realm.
They had created over five hundred such Iron Pursuit Iron Forms to compose their forces…
No matter how seasoned the warriors of Sayoung Battle Division were.
It was impossible for them alone to sweep away Eum Gyeol Ma Ji.
“The internal defenses are meticulous, with not a drop of water to spare.”
Eun Jung Hwi, the commander of Bi Ma Dae, explained calmly after conducting a swift reconnaissance of the area surrounding Eum Gyeol Ma Ji.
“Moreover, because the main base is positioned as it is, ultimately there is no choice but a direct confrontation to annihilate them.”
“Hmm.”
Yu Woon Ryong fell silent at Eun Jung Hwi’s words.
No matter how skilled the martial artists were in formation techniques and mysterious martial arts.
Large-scale sect subjugation operations conducted at the division level were generally decided by military superiority.
Currently, Sayoung Battle Division’s elite forces numbered three hundred.
The enemy’s forces were five thousand. And that included over five hundred Iron Pursuit Iron Forms.
To overturn such a disadvantage in troop strength, either a powerful master like Bu Eunseol would need to lead from the front and crush the elite enemy forces immediately.
Or they would need to employ tactics that exploited the enemy’s weaknesses and operate independent units, repeating ambushes and lures to gradually eliminate them.
“Bring me the map.”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke with a solemn expression.
When it came to military strategy and troop deployment, he was indeed a brilliant commander no less than Bu Eunseol.
He maintained composure even in the face of such an absurdly disadvantageous troop ratio.
“Fortunately, Ryeong Ju has researched various formations that allow small forces to contend with larger enemies. Let us employ those in this operation.”
Bu Eunseol continuously compiled martial treatises whenever time permitted.
And she had researched various formations for Sayoung Battle Division and the Elite Division.
Because neither Sayoung Hall nor the Elite Division had sent additional reinforcements.
Instead of operating with only trustworthy elites, they never forgot that they could always fall into a numerical disadvantage.
As a result, Bu Eunseol had created a most unique formation that blended the battle formations of both the Demonic Path and the Orthodox Sects.
“It will take at least four days for the Ryeong Ju to return from the Blood Cult, even at full strength. It may take even longer.”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke to the Team Members.
“Once combat begins, they will use their numerical superiority to encircle Bon Jeon. So what we must do is… deploy a defensive formation and endure relentlessly.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Yet a strange sound echoed from afar.
At the same moment, Tak Il Hon landed from the air and spoke in an urgent voice.
“The enemy is launching a surprise attack.”
“A surprise attack?”
Yu Woon Ryong’s eyes widened.
Because the Yang Mountain region where Eum Gyeol Ma Ji was located fell within the Demonic Path’s sphere of influence.
Fortunately, they had managed to infiltrate covertly, evading their intelligence network.
Moreover, they hadn’t even launched their attack yet. How could the enemy encircle them first?
‘A trap.’
Yu Woon Ryong took a deep breath.
‘So the Demon Palace is no longer safe either.’
Selling out comrades to the enemy.
That was the greatest betrayal within the Demonic Path.
Yet the fact that such an act could be committed without hesitation meant… that Sayoung Hall could no longer take root safely within the Demon Palace.
‘This is not the time for such thoughts.’
Yu Woon Ryong, brushing away the cascade of thoughts, shouted.
“Deploy the formation!”
Whoooosh.
Then all the masters of Sayoung Hall formed a perfect circle centered on Yu Woon Ryong.
At the same moment, a brilliant azure barrier of force unfurled, sealing off the surroundings firmly.
“Hold on with all your might!”
Yu Woon Ryong shouted loudly.
“Until the Ryeong Ju returns!”
Even if Bu Eunseol returned quickly, it would take four days.
The masters of Sayoung Hall had to endure here for those four days.
* * *
At that very moment, a shadow clad in black martial robes embroidered with a double-dragon emblem arrived before the main headquarters of the Blood Cult.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Creeeeak.
As she approached the main gate, it opened of its own accord.
The vast Blood Cult headquarters, which rivaled the Demon Palace in sheer scale, had no gatekeepers like Wi Sa.
From the start, this was a sect tinged with religious character, employing strange mystical arts.
It could not be considered a typical Murim faction, and its structure and scale were far from ordinary.
“Welcome.”
As I stepped inside, a middle-aged woman in a crimson palace robe guided me forward.
“The Sect Master awaits.”
I followed the woman deeper into the hall.
As I walked through the expansive Great Hall, countless scenes passed before my eyes.
Some areas revealed vast palace chambers, while others showed figures who appeared to be disciples reading books.
‘Somewhat unexpected.’
I had assumed the Blood Cult was merely an evil sect that practiced sinister and grotesque sorcery.
Yet judging by the solemn atmosphere and the disciples’ composed bearing,
it did not feel like the bizarre sect the rumors portrayed.
‘No, it truly is an evil sect.’
With each step, the disciples’ forms vanished like phantoms.
They were not real people at all—grotesque sorcery was woven throughout this entire Great Hall.
Thump, thump.
At the far end of the long Great Hall stood a towering platform, upon which an ornate throne was erected.
Surrounding it were numerous Blood Cult disciples in crimson robes, standing respectfully in attendance.
“I am Moo Hon Ryeong Ju Bu Eunseol.”
I bowed respectfully,
yet the disciples standing on the platform remained unmoved, as though they heard nothing.
“I have come to meet with the Sect Master.”
Even as I spoke a second time, still no response came.
After a moment of silence, I observed the disciples and reflected.
‘This is not good.’
A faint formation surrounded the perimeter of this Great Hall,
and the disciples upon the platform possessed formidable martial prowess, their vital energy blazing with intensity.
Given the atmosphere and configuration of the hall,
I could not even fathom the Blood Cult Master greeting me with warmth and civility.
“If this is how you intend to receive me, why not simply turn me away at the gate?”
If the Blood Cult Master refused to negotiate at all, that would suit me fine.
There was no need to waste time.
I could simply return to Eum Gyeol Ma Ji and aid the warriors of Sayoung Hall instead.
Even in failure, I would not have disobeyed Ma Cheon Je’s command.
“Then.”
Whoosh.
I turned sharply and walked toward the opposite entrance of the Great Hall.
But the firmly sealed doors did not open again.
[I was desperate to expand into Zhong Yuan anyway. How convenient that a bargaining chip has rolled right to my feet.]
At that moment, a low and sinister voice echoed throughout the interior of the Great Hall from somewhere.
It sounded like the voice of the Blood Cult Master, Pae Ryuk Gyeol.
The voice resonated endlessly from all directions, suggesting he had employed the Six Harmonies Transmission technique to conceal his location.
“Do you truly believe that capturing a single Ryeong Ju would serve as adequate leverage for negotiation?”
[If the successor were detained, even Ma Cheon Je would reconsider.]
Saaaa.
As the words concluded, the floor, walls, and ceiling of the Great Hall began to stain crimson.
Simultaneously, Bu Eunseol’s vision was consumed entirely by that bloodred hue.
True to the Blood Cult’s doctrine of venerating blood and wielding sorcery through it.
Everything had been dyed in the color of blood, and from somewhere, the metallic scent of blood seemed to permeate the air.
“An intriguing technique.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with deliberate composure.
Yet within, my mind burned as though aflame, and my very bones seemed to dissolve in agony.
‘This is nothing but illusion.’
Even beneath the torrent of pain, I maintained an expressionless countenance.
However, thick beads of perspiration had formed upon my brow, and my pupils wavered like rippling water.
Pae Ryuk Gyeol, Master of the Blood Cult.
Could his martial mastery truly surpass that of In Ma Ak Moo Ryeong, allowing him to shatter Bu Eunseol’s spiritual barrier in a single breath?
‘Bu Eunseol. That one would never succumb to illusion arts.’
Then came the shocking realization.
The truth was that it was not Bu Eunseol who had entered the Blood Cult to negotiate—it was Seo Jin Ha, wearing Bu Eunseol as a mask.
‘Mm.’
The thread holding my consciousness together seemed ready to snap.
Yet Seo Jin Ha stood unmoved, enduring the cascading torment.
‘I must not even allow my expression to contort.’
Bu Eunseol’s patience is unmatched beneath the heavens.
And he is known to maintain composure in any circumstance.
Should I fail to bear the pain and allow my face to twist or escape a groan?
Not only would my identity be questioned, but the fact that Bu Eunseol keeps Shadow at his side could be exposed.
Crack, crack.
Yet regardless of will, the sound of bone fracturing escaped my body.
The agony was so severe that my physical form was beginning to collapse.
‘The Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol is the only way.’
To make Seo Jin Ha a perfect duplicate of Bu Eunseol.
I had transmitted not only my own forbidden martial arts, but also Ma Cheon Je’s Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol.
With Seo Jin Ha’s current martial prowess, I could not construct a spiritual barrier.
Yet through the heart method of the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol, resistance against soul manipulation and illusion was possible.
‘But if I employ it in this situation, I may become a Demonic Cultivator.’
I had not merely taught Seo Jin Ha the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol, but had meticulously explained its dangers and advantages and disadvantages.
The Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol, true to its name, eradicates all emotions lingering within the spirit.
Not only does it allow the construction of a formidable spiritual barrier, but it also enables the true qi within the body to be freely materialized.
It was truly the most mysterious secret technique of the Demonic Path.
The problem was that through its use.
Emotions would be obliterated, humanity itself stripped away—I would become a Demon of the Great Path, devoid of blood and tears, utterly inhuman.
‘Mm.’
As the agony intensified, consciousness began to blur.
Zing.
In that moment, black mirage-like wisps began rising from Seo Jin Ha’s entire body.
Simultaneously, his pupils darkened to black.
As the pain—death itself—persisted, he instinctively unfurled the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol.
Whoooosh.
But soon, the blackened pupils cleared once more.
‘This cannot be.’
Seo Jin Ha seized control of his mind again.
If I surrendered everything to the Sak Jeong Bi Gyeol?
I would become a cold-blooded creature incapable of feeling emotion ever again, and in the worst case, I would transform into a Demon of the Great Path—one who expresses neither joy nor sorrow, neither love nor hate.
‘What is happening? Bu Eunseol.’
Within consciousness that was slipping away once more, Seo Jin Ha suddenly recalled a conversation shared with Bu Eunseol.
‘Was your prediction wrong?’

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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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