The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 691

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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 691.
A piercing chill erupted from Jeok Bung’s sharp gaze.
“To serve me?”
“Yes.”
He fell silent for a moment, uncertain what this meant,
“Hehehehe.”
then chuckled softly as he reached for his teacup.
“I’ve heard the tale. You took on simultaneous missions against Eumgyeol Maji and the Blood Cult, and barely managed to handle them.”
Remarkably, despite being in this small manor nestled in a remote mountain village,
Jeok Bung was monitoring every detail of the Demon Palace’s situation as clearly as reading his own palm.
“You rode Ma Cheon Je’s coattails and enjoyed one victory after another, but now it seems you can’t proceed further….”
Clink.
Jeok Bung lightly brushed the teacup lid aside, a smirk playing at his lips.
“So you’re planning to use No Bu as a shield. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
“Is that how it sounded?”
“Isn’t it?”
“No.”
Bu Eunseol stared directly at Jeok Bung.
“Originally, the Elder Council was one of the three great pillars supporting Bon Jeon, alongside Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Gates.”
She continued speaking calmly.
“But since my arrival, the Elder Council’s power has actually weakened. The Elder Council’s original role was to maintain the balance of power while Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Gates engaged in their struggle for dominance….”
Bu Eunseol’s expression showed regret.
“Instead, I clashed with the Ten Demonic Gates, and as a result, their forces were weakened.”
“It sounds like you’re saying No Bu has been exploiting the power struggle between both sides for his own gain.”
Jeok Bung’s eyes blazed like burning coals, as if he felt somewhat insulted by Bu Eunseol’s words.
“Does No Bu really appear that way to you?”
“Doesn’t he?”
Boom.
In an instant, a tremor as if the entire world were collapsing echoed briefly.
Simultaneously, an immense aura flowed from Jeok Bung’s body, soaring to the ends of the sky.
“No Bu has lived far too long, it seems.”
His form expanded to a colossal size reaching the heavens, radiating an aura as if he were looking down upon Bu Eunseol from the sky itself.
“I did not live this long to witness such degradation.”
In that instant, the ground beneath Bu Eunseol began to crack and split.
The Blood Demon Jeok Bung’s forbidden technique.
The Heaven-Piercing Extreme Wheel is said to reduce a person to a handful of blood without even moving a finger.
And since Jeok Bung ascended to the Infinite Realm, he no longer needed to deploy the Heaven-Piercing Extreme Wheel.
He had gained the power to reduce everything in this world to a handful of blood.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble.
As the earth trembled, Bu Eunseol’s body began to slowly sink into the ground.
With a terrifying, formless power.
Bu Eunseol’s body was bound immobile, then driven steadily into the earth itself.
Crunch, crunch.
Bu Eunseol sank into the ground without the slightest resistance, descending inch by inch.
Against Jeok Bung’s formidable strength, no martial art or technique held any value.
Only raw power.
The greatest demon lord of the age—one who had slaughtered more Orthodox sect disciples than any other and drunk more blood.
Among the Samma, Jeok Bung was renowned as the most ruthless.
Should anyone dare defy his will, whether heir to the Demon Palace or disciple of Nangya Pavilion, it mattered not.
He would bury them alive without hesitation, crushing them beneath the earth.
Thud.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s descent halted abruptly.
Whoooosh.
I was channeling my formidable inner power to resist Jeok Bung’s force.
Flash!
The radiance emanating from Jeok Bung’s eyes intensified dramatically.
With that gaze alone, it seemed he had summoned an invisible, transparent giant to crush my body beneath its weight.
Crack.
My body began sinking into the earth once more.
Even with my vast inner power, I could not withstand Jeok Bung’s overwhelming force.
Yet I had not drawn upon my inner power to resist him.
Zzzzzing.
Black mirage-like energy began rising from my body.
The wavering black vital force ascended straight toward the heavens.
My eyes darkened as if black water were dripping from them.
The Yeui True Formation.
I was countering Jeok Bung’s power with the vital force martial art created through the Heart Seal Secret Method that Ma Cheon Je had devised—the Sak Jeong Secret Technique.
‘This one…’
A flicker of surprise crossed Jeok Bung’s eyes as he beheld my darkened pupils.
Though ranked lowest among the Samma, he too had reached the Wuji Realm—a supreme master of peerless martial arts.
He instantly grasped what martial intent lay within the Yeui True Formation I was wielding.
What realm of mastery I had attained.
‘So that’s it.’
Employing Ma Cheon Je’s Heart Seal Secret Method, yet bearing not a trace of the Demonic Path.
Nor was I circumventing Orthodox sect secrets indirectly.
I was unfolding the Demonic Path’s supreme Heart Seal Secret Method—one capable of instantaneous entry into the Formless Demonic Way.
Yet I walked an entirely different path of my own choosing.
Because of this, the Yeui True Formation I wielded differed from Ma Cheon Je’s.
It was filled with ambiguous, unknowable energies like mist.
Because I walked a path no one else in this world had ever taken.
Where that destination lay.
Even a master of Jeok Bung’s caliber could not fathom how far we had come or where we were headed.
Crack.
A small disturbance rippled through Jeok Bung’s spirit, and the torrential force he unleashed developed a hairline fracture.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol seized the opportunity without hesitation, transforming the cascading Yeoi Jin Gyeol into a circular protective aura of inner strength.
In that instant, Jeok Bung’s formless power also transmuted into tangible technique.
The shapeless force transformed into something akin to the Heaven-Breaking Extreme Wheel that Sim Wol unleashed.
‘He cannot compare to Ma Cheon Je, yet he remains a formidable master.’
Ma Cheon Je had attacked Bu Eunseol with an indefinable, formless power.
Bu Eunseol had found no method to convert that force into tangible technique, and after much deliberation, she had devised an alternative using the Nangya Divine Eye.
She transformed Ma Cheon Je’s assault into a tangible combat of techniques.
Yet even so, within a handful of exchanges, her neck nearly severed and she came close to death.
Fortunately, Jeok Bung’s power proved far easier to materialize, and the reason was simple.
Master and disciple share the same foundational principles of martial arts.
Bu Eunseol had already faced Sim Wol’s Heaven-Breaking Extreme Wheel before.
Therefore, she could manifest Jeok Bung’s power in the form of the Heaven-Breaking Extreme Wheel.
Crack, crack.
As the traceless, invisible force transformed into tangible power visible to the eye.
Bu Eunseol could easily deflect it with her formidable inner strength.
Now, in this moment.
She could counterattack using fist or blade techniques, or overwhelm him with the force of her inner power.
Yet Bu Eunseol did neither, instead gazing steadily at Jeok Bung.
As if waiting for him to withdraw his power.
Whoosh.
Just as Bu Eunseol anticipated, Jeok Bung soon withdrew his force.
Jeok Bung was, after all, one of the Samma.
If a mere stripling could withstand one of his techniques, that was sufficient.
He would never employ two consecutive techniques in succession.
“I remember when we first met.”
Jeok Bung greeted Bu Eunseol anew, as though truly seeing her for the first time.
“From that first encounter, I coveted your skill. I wished above all to make you one of my own.”
“Though I cannot become your subordinate.”
Bu Eunseol paused, and divine light streamed forth from her eyes.
“I can help you shake the Demon Palace once more.”
A strange silence fell between them.
After gazing at the distant sky for a long while, Jeok Bung’s lips parted.
“And what do you gain from this?”
“Nothing.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
“I am satisfied merely by Your Excellency confidently stirring up the Bon Jeon.”
“So you’re asking me to block the Sa Do Hall Master’s tyranny.”
“Isn’t the Bon Jeon the sacred ground of all demons?”
Bu Eunseol continued speaking calmly.
“If it were a place where Ma Cheon Je could rule unilaterally, it would never have been called the Demon Hall.”
“Well said.”
Jeok Bung nodded approvingly, striking his knee at Bu Eunseol’s words.
“The Bon Jeon is a coalition created by the Ten Demonic Gates, called the sky of the Demonic Path. Yet the Sa Do Hall Master has always tended to view the Demon Hall as his personal possession.”
And he shook his head.
“Of course, this situation itself was likely orchestrated by the Sa Do Hall Master’s scheme.”
The Demon Hall originally had power divided among three: Ma Cheon Je, the Ten Demonic Gates, and the Elder Council.
But Ma Cheon Je designated Bu Eunseol, one of the Ten Demon Immortals, as the successor to the Demon Hall.
Though she was chosen through fair competition, the Ten Demonic Gates still resisted, and ultimately they made a move against Bu Eunseol.
When Bu Eunseol counterattacked without hesitation, the three-faction structure of the Demon Hall itself eventually collapsed.
And only now, as time passed, did Jeok Bung finally realize that all of this was Ma Cheon Je’s scheme.
“Will you accept the proposal?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Jeok Bung fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I have one question.”
“Please speak.”
“Is your reason for coming here solely to prevent the Sa Do Hall Master’s rampage?”
Jeok Bung seemed to already suspect that the Demonic Path held no place in Bu Eunseol’s heart.
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“I too am the successor to the Demon Hall.”
And she spoke calmly.
“Restoring the Demon Hall’s prestige would make things somewhat easier when I become the Hall Master, would it not?”
“The successor to the Demon Hall, you say.”
Jeok Bung pondered something, then nodded faintly.
“The Sa Do Hall Master must be beating the ground in regret by now.”
“….”
“He thought he controlled the fate of all Demonic Path cultivators, yet an unexpected figure has appeared. Hehehehe.”
After laughing quietly for some time, Jeok Bung spoke.
“I must return to the Demon Hall, if only to see the Sa Do Hall Master’s unpleasant face.”
Jeok Bung turned his head and spoke in a low voice.
“A guest has arrived—why are you standing there idly without even serving a cup of tea?”
Then Si Bi’s respectful reply came from somewhere.
He seemed to have mastered exceptional martial arts.
In less than half a moment, a young woman in a blue robe appeared before Bu Eunseol, presenting a steaming cup of warm tea.
Her complexion was fair and delicate, and her long, narrow eyes resembled Jin Seol’s.
“Speak.”
As the tea was placed, Jeok Bung asked.
“What is this plan of yours?”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Jeok Bung appeared at first glance to be a simple and impulsive man.
But in reality, he had long held the position of Elder Hall Master, carefully balancing the power between Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Gates.
A man of exceptional cunning.
What if Bu Eunseol’s plan displeased him?
He would cast aside his favorable demeanor and turn cold once more.
“I offer you a new Elder Council.”
Bu Eunseol spoke leisurely after taking a sip of tea.
“One where you need not rely on the balance of power between Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Gates, yet can impose restrictions with absolute authority.”
“So you have a clever scheme.”
“Is not strength paramount in the Demonic Path?”
In that instant, Jeok Bung’s eyes, which had been gazing at the distant sky, narrowed to slits.
“Do you truly believe I would become your puppet?”
“On the contrary, I merely hope you will wield your power freely.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“So that neither I, nor Ma Cheon Je, nor even the Ten Demonic Gates dare to display their strength before you.”
Jeok Bung’s eyes flashed after a moment of silence.
“Tell me the details.”
* * *
Elder Hall Master Jeok Bung returned to the Demon Palace.
Remarkably, he completely reorganized the Elder Council, which had been nominal and operated solely under his control.
First, he recruited numerous legendary masters who had once made their names in the Demonic Path into the Elder Council.
Their number reached one hundred.
Even considering the scale of the Demon Palace, it was an extraordinarily large number.
Moreover, when one considered that they had all dominated an era and were leaders who had guided their own sects,
their influence and power grew beyond measure.
―It was said that more than half of them were masters from Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
Soon their identities were revealed—most of them were great demons who had been in seclusion at Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
―That is strange. Is Jeol Cheon Myul Ji not where worn-out relics go when their cultivation has declined and they can no longer use their bodies?
Jeol Cheon Myul Ji is where demons go after leaving behind their brilliant reputations, growing old and infirm or becoming physically disabled.
Yet remarkably, they had returned with intact bodies and cultivation intact.
Furthermore, the composition of the Elder Council’s members was the exclusive prerogative of Elder Hall Master Jeok Bung.
The Demon Palace was somewhat bewildered, but could not object to Jeok Bung’s actions.
Moreover, with powerful demons possessing formidable martial arts becoming elders of the Demon Palace, they could only welcome it with open arms.
―The Elder Hall Master convened the Majeong Council.
Having reorganized the Elder Council, Jeok Bung suddenly
convened the Demon Palace’s highest assembly, the Majeong Council, attended by Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Sect Lords.
While the Elder Hall Master possessed the authority to open the Majeong Council, in reality it had never been convened even once.
―How troublesome.
The Ten Demonic Sect Lords showed little interest in whether the Elder Council was reorganized or what Jeok Bung was scheming.
They cared little for such matters.
Especially since, in the past, Jeok Bung had wielded power under the guise of mediating between Ma Cheon Je and the Ten Demonic Gates, and his displays of authority had never sat well with them.
“The authority held by Muk Hon Ryeong Ju and several other positions within Bon Jeon has grown excessive. We shall discuss reducing that authority.”
It was astonishing.
Merely by recruiting masters who had secluded themselves in Jeol Cheon Myul Ji.
Jeok Bung had clearly boarded the same vessel as Bu Eunseol, the Muk Hon Ryeong Ju.
Yet now, suddenly, he spoke of reducing the authority of Muk Hon Ryeong Ju and other key positions within Demon Palace?
“There’s no helping it.”
If they did not attend, they would fail to discern Jeok Bung’s true intentions.
Moreover, using his authority as an excuse for their absence, he could unilaterally handle matters on his own.
Thus, the Ten Demonic Gates had no choice but to participate in the Majeong Council.
Around noon, in Yu Woon Ryong’s office at Jam Ma Gak.
Before him, who had forgotten even to eat and whose eyes grew dimmer as he continuously wrote letters,
The door burst open with a rumble.
The Lords of Sa Yeong Dae poured in like a flood.
“Yu Dae Ju. Disaster has struck!”
Won Se Moon, who thrust his face forward first, spoke in a loud voice.
“The Elder Hall Master has convened a meeting, claiming he will adjust the authority of the leadership within Demon Palace, including our Ryeong Ju, whose power has become excessively concentrated!”
Yu Woon Ryong spoke without even lifting his head.
“And?”
“And? That ungrateful old man is stabbing our Ryeong Ju in the back!”
The moment Bu Eunseol returned and Jeok Bung reorganized the Elder Council.
The Lords could see that it was all a scheme orchestrated by Bu Eunseol.
Hyuk So Jin had once been the Vice-Commander of Sa Yeong Dae.
And Jeol Cheon Myul Ji was truly a supporting force that lived and died together with Bu Eunseol.
Yet the moment Jeok Bung reorganized the Elder Council and seized power again, he suddenly drove a blade into Bu Eunseol’s back.
“Isn’t that actually fortunate?”
When Yu Woon Ryong answered calmly, Won Se Moon’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean, Yu Dae Ju?”
“What does the Ryeong Ju normally do?”
“Well… manage Sa Yeong Dae or process orders that come from above, I suppose.”
“Exactly.”
Yu Woon Ryong set down his brush and asked Won Se Moon.
“And when the Ryeong Ju activates that magnificent Muk Hon Ryeong?”
“Well… when the Ten Demonic Gates or some outside rabble touch the Ryeong Ju.”
Won Se Moon made a sound of realization after speaking.
“Now that I think about it, there’s no legitimate reason to reduce the Ryeong Ju’s authority, is there?”
“Precisely.”
Yu Woon Ryong resumed writing letters as he spoke.
“Jeok Bung, that old man must have made some kind of agreement with the Ryeong Ju. If he truly intends to diminish the Ryeong Ju’s authority, he would either grant corresponding power in exchange, or perhaps….”
He swallowed hard and shook his head.
“He would drastically reduce Ma Cheon Je’s power as well.”
“Ah.”
Not only Won Se Moon, but all the Lords of the Sa Young Dae nodded with their mouths agape.
Only then did they grasp why Jeok Bung had called such a meeting.
“So the Ryeong Ju devised countermeasures to prevent the Sa Young Dae from being touched.”
At Wi Cheon Gyeong’s words, Yu Woon Ryong shook his head.
“But that old man is not necessarily favorable toward the Ryeong Ju.”
A keen light flashed in Yu Woon Ryong’s eyes.
“He likely intends to diminish the power of all the prominent figures holding key positions within the Demon Palace.”
All the Lords nodded with grave expressions.
They sensed a tempest approaching that would overturn the very foundations of the Demon Palace.
―The results of the Ma Jeong Council had been announced.
The Ma Jeong Council proceedings had moved with remarkable swiftness.
The brilliant return of Elder Hall Master Jeok Bung.
And the Elder Council, which had been merely nominal, was reorganized and became the most influential organization within the Demon Palace.
Moreover, though hardly surprising, Jeok Bung was one of the Samma.
Excluding Ma Cheon Je, he was effectively the second most powerful figure in the Demon Palace.
With such a man becoming the head of a formidable organization, his influence could only rival that of Ma Cheon Je.
―Though Ben Jeon prioritizes the logic of power, it remains a coalition with clear hierarchy and structure.
Power concentrated in a single individual not only disrupts organizational balance but also breeds discord between factions.
Jeok Bung immediately disseminated the results of the Ma Jeong Council to each organization.
―The Moo Hon Ryeong Ju shall continue managing the Sa Young Dae as before, but should supervisory authority be required.
Rather than exercising it arbitrarily as now, the Moo Hon Ryeong must be activated through the Ma Jeong Council.
Under no other circumstances may the Moo Hon Ryeong be independently activated.
And he announced yet another shocking result.
―The independent missions of Ryeong Ju-level personnel are also restricted. Their missions shall likewise proceed through the Ma Jeong Council.
The warriors of the Sa Young Dae who heard this announcement finally allowed smiles to grace their faces.
The restriction of independent missions for Ryeong Ju-level personnel.
In other words, Ma Cheon Je could no longer unilaterally assign perilous missions to Bu Eunseol.
In the pavilion before the Flower Garden within the Elder Council, Bu Eunseol and Jeok Bung sat facing each other, sipping tea.
As Bu Eunseol drank the tea quite readily, Jeok Bung asked with a hint of surprise.
“So you’ve come to enjoy tea now.”
“To be honest with you.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with a bitter smile.
“I can appreciate the taste, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly enjoy it.”
“That’s not so bad either.”
Jeok Bung spoke in a low voice.
“To be able to appreciate the taste of this tea at your age is remarkable enough.”
It was like a Zen dialogue.
Bu Eunseol rose from her seat with composure.
“Thank you for the tea.”
“Remember this.”
Jeok Bung spoke to Bu Eunseol as she turned to leave.
“With this, I’ve repaid the kindness you showed Won Se Moon back then. It would be wise to be cautious from now on.”
A crimson light flickered in Jeok Bung’s eyes.
“The Ben Jeon Master no longer seeks power alone, you see.”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
“I sincerely hope you achieve your aspirations.”
Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully.
In the past, Jeok Bung was indeed a man intoxicated by power. But now he desired something beyond mere authority.
‘The Demon Palace’s power has returned to a three-legged stand formation through this affair.’
Having divided the Demon Palace’s authority into three factions, the time had come to fragment the Murim Alliance’s power as well.
Was it destiny?
The opportunity had manifested of its own accord.

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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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