The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 700

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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 700.
The Murim Alliance’s Great Training Arena.
A towering Combat Stage had been erected for the martial arts tournament to select the new Mu Cheon Danjoo.
And on the opposite side of the Combat Stage, an even higher Platform had been installed to overlook the proceedings.
Since this was a tournament to select the Danjoo, all the senior officials of the Alliance, including Buk Ri Seung, were in attendance.
Beneath the Platform, small tents had been pitched to the east, west, south, and north—these were where the candidates for Danjoo awaited their turn.
A low rumble echoed across the grounds.
As the moment for the tournament to commence drew near, countless martial artists gathered at the Great Training Arena.
They were all warriors of the Murim Alliance, ranked at least as Second-Class Lords or higher.
Since high-level martial arts would be on display, only those capable of appreciating such skill had been permitted to attend.
Footsteps sounded steadily across the stone.
One by one, figures began to fill the Platform.
Vice-Alliance Leader Buk Ri Seung and the heads of the various divisions—the Hall, the Institute, the Pavilion, and the Forest—took their seats.
However, since this was the process of selecting a new Danjoo, the Six Wanderer Leaders did not attend.
At last, when all the senior officials and warriors had assembled, a Middle-Aged Man dressed in robes of fire walked slowly toward the center of the Combat Stage.
It was Paeng Jong Heon, the Vice-Pavilion Master of Eun Rim Gak who oversaw the second level of Yeongak Dojeon and was in charge of conducting this tournament.
“Let the Martial Arts Tournament commence!”
Paeng Jong Heon’s voice carried his inner power, resonating clearly to the ears of every warrior in the Great Training Arena.
Without delay, he turned his gaze toward the candidates seated in each direction and spoke in a loud voice.
“The first match shall be between Mu Gyeol of Cheong Myeong Unit and Baek Mu Sung of Cheonwi-dang! Both candidates, ascend the Combat Stage!”
At his words, two tall figures waiting in the east and west rose in a single bound onto the Combat Stage.
On the left stood a robust man clad in white robes.
On the right stood a man in gray with a massive sword strapped across his back.
They were Mu Gyeol and Baek Mu Sung.
―Did Lord Baek use a great sword before?
The warriors watching the Combat Stage tilted their heads in confusion.
Baek Mu Sung’s master sect was Shaolin, and he was an expert in fist and palm techniques, having mastered most of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Techniques.
Yet in such an important match, he suddenly appeared wielding a great sword?
―Ah, didn’t he obtain the legacy of Shin Geom Mun?
The warriors soon recalled one fact and nodded in understanding.
How Baek Mu Sung had repaired his severed arm and was able to single-handedly slay Hyuk Ryeon Eung, the Dharma Protector Lord of the Demonic Path with the Golden Crimson Blood Eyes.
They remembered that this had been revealed to be because he had obtained the Essence of the Legendary Sword Sect, Shin Geom Mun’s Legacy.
“Begin!”
At Paeng Jong Heon’s cry.
“Please.”
Mu Gyeol and Baek Mu Sung simultaneously extended one hand, each yielding the first move to the other.
It was the bearing befitting a new generation master of the Murim Alliance and the Righteous Path.
As their mutual deference continued for a time, Mu Gyeol reluctantly gathered his inner power.
“Then I shall take the liberty.”
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
As Mu Gyeol extended his fist, a soft and leisurely force wrapped around Baek Mu Sung’s body.
He had unleashed the Wudang Sect’s Tai Chi Fist.
A subtle shift.
Baek Mu Sung immediately drew the great sword from his back and shattered Mu Gyeol’s force into fragments.
A sharp crack!
Long after the great sword had split the force and carved through the empty air, a sudden ear-piercing sound of rupture tore through the space.
The moment he heard that sound.
Mu Gyeol had no time to think—he tilted his body diagonally and spun with ferocious momentum.
A violent whoosh!
Then, with a sound like water cascading, a sharp sword aura grazed past the side of Mu Gyeol’s hair.
“Even after deploying such techniques, he leaves no trace behind.”
Realizing that Baek Mu Sung was a formidable opponent he dared not touch carelessly,
“This doesn’t seem to be the martial arts of the Bulmun at all.”
Mu Gyeol bared his white teeth and smiled broadly.
“It seems the Lord has returned as a Sword Demon, having refined terrifying sword techniques in the interim.”
His words carried a somewhat mocking tone.
Yet Baek Mu Sung opened his mouth with an expressionless face.
“Haven’t you heard that this Lord has obtained the martial arts of the Shin Geom Mun?”
And he immediately continued with a cold expression.
“From now on, I shall unleash true power, so do not resent my harsh methods.”
A sharp crack!
Before his words had even finished, he swung the great sword like lightning.
Then two streams of sword aura, each at different angles and speeds, cut toward Mu Gyeol’s flanks and lower abdomen.
“Hmph.”
The technique was far too sudden and contained such subtlety that Mu Gyeol dared not face it head-on—instead, he deployed his movement technique.
Sharp crack! Sharp crack!
As Mu Gyeol executed evasive movements, Baek Mu Sung pressed his advantage and unleashed an endless barrage of sharp sword auras.
The technique was so blindingly fast that in the blink of an eye, he had delivered more than a dozen strikes.
Like a cat pouncing on a mouse, Baek Mu Sung relentlessly pressed forward, leaving the unarmed Mu Gyeol unable to gather his wits.
―If he continues with such methods, he’ll only invite a counterattack.
Several of the senior masters watching the Combat Stage shook their heads.
Baek Mu Sung appeared to have driven Mu Gyeol into a perfect corner.
Yet in reality, such tactics consumed internal energy and stamina at an extreme rate.
If he continued to rush forward and deploy his sword technique in this manner, he would eventually collapse from exhaustion.
A sharp whistle!
Pure white sword auras began to coil around Mu Gyeol’s evasive movements like vipers.
Baek Mu Sung, seemingly intent on deciding the match as quickly as possible, spared no energy and unleashed fierce attacks with reckless abandon.
Yet Mu Gyeol remained unperturbed, continuously forming great circles with both hands, redirecting the sharp sword auras back toward Baek Mu Sung.
If he could just drag out the time?
By the very principles of martial arts, Baek Mu Sung, who was unleashing fierce attacks, could never defeat Mu Gyeol, who was gently deflecting them.
“Tsk.”
Yet something peculiar unfolded.
As time elapsed, Baek Mu Sung’s attacks grew increasingly sharp, while sweat began streaming down Mu Gyeol’s forehead.
‘Was it the Overlord Sword?’
The Overlord Sword not only overwhelmed opponents by unleashing tyrannical energy, but also left formidable pressure along its trajectory.
Ultimately, it was a sword technique that compressed the enemy’s limbs as if weighted down by iron spheres.
However, to deploy the Overlord Sword required overwhelmingly superior martial prowess and inner strength compared to one’s opponent.
Rather than being used in fierce close combat, it served to instill despair in those ranked below oneself.
‘No, it’s somewhat different.’
Mu Gyeol sensed something amiss.
Though his body had grown so heavy he could no longer employ footwork techniques.
Baek Mu Sung’s sword energy coiled around him ceaselessly like a living creature, rendering his body impossibly heavy.
This was a unique sword technique that transcended the very category of the Overlord Sword.
“Clang!”
Mu Gyeol finally withdrew the iron fan from his waist and began deflecting the sword energy.
Yet having already been overwhelmed by momentum, his movements lacked stability.
Moreover, Baek Mu Sung’s greatsword possessed a bizarre suction force, preventing Mu Gyeol’s techniques from unfolding perfectly regardless of what movements he attempted.
‘Terrifying.’
Mu Gyeol wore a bitter smile.
Despite unleashing relentless ferocious attacks, Baek Mu Sung’s expression remained composed.
Yet his eyes, glimpsed intermittently, burned with the savage sharpness of Evil Spirits.
‘He must have received some extraordinary technique.’
No matter how elevated one’s inner strength, sustaining such devastating attacks continuously was an impossible scenario.
Baek Mu Sung likely possessed either an artificial core or had received some extraordinary method.
‘Before the Heart of a Thousand Intentions, superiority in inner strength becomes meaningless.’
A deep hum resonated.
Mu Gyeol’s pupils turned white as he invoked the Heart of a Thousand Intentions.
Simultaneously, he began synchronizing with the terrifying inner force that Baek Mu Sung exerted to pull him forward.
‘He’s employing Shaolin’s Dharma Bodhi Technique.’
“Whoosh!”
Finally repelling Baek Mu Sung’s assault, Mu Gyeol retreated three paces.
Yet Baek Mu Sung made no effort to pursue, instead standing at ease with his greatsword resting upon his shoulder.
As if inviting him to feel the difference in their power.
“The Guardian Fei Sword is a technique lost long ago.”
Mu Gyeol spoke, casting a subtle glance at Baek Mu Sung’s greatsword.
“It seems you obtained a fortuitous encounter with the Guardian Fei Sword technique from the Shin Geom Mun.”
The Guardian Fei Sword was the sword art of the Sung Yang Geom Mun, which had vanished two centuries prior, and its techniques had long since been lost to the Murim.
Yet Baek Mu Sung claimed to have obtained the legacy of Shin Geom Mun upon his return to the Murim Alliance.
Mu Gyeol had discerned that Baek Mu Sung’s sword technique was not that of Shin Geom Mun, but rather the Guardian Fei Sword, and he voiced this mockingly.
However, Baek Mu Sung then uttered something entirely unexpected.
“Recently, I obtained the Wind Cloud Sword Manual from Cheon Ae Geom Seon.”
Baek Mu Sung spoke with measured calm.
“Many of the sword techniques recorded within are not of Zhong Yuan origin.”
Cheon Ae Geom Seon was the greatest swordsman of Gangho three hundred years past, and by the time he reached thirty, worthy opponents had already become scarce.
―If no rival exists in one’s own era, then compare yourself against the masters of previous generations.
He ceased his martial tournaments and began searching through Murim, seeking out ancient sword techniques capable of matching his own, which he then restored.
Eventually, Cheon Ae Geom Seon compiled thirty lost sword arts into the Wind Cloud Sword Manual, then vanished without trace.
The people of Gangho believed he had ascended to immortality and soared away on a crane.
The problem was that in the cave where he disappeared,
only records of the Wind Cloud Sword Manual remained. The manual itself was nowhere to be found.
―Someone must have taken it, so a formidable sword master should have emerged.
Yet ten years passed, then twenty, and no one who had mastered the Wind Cloud Sword Manual ever appeared.
In the end, only rumors persisted.
The Wind Cloud Sword Manual was deemed nonexistent—and yet Baek Mu Sung had obtained it.
“Quite the coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”
Mu Gyeol smiled faintly.
“Having obtained what no one else could find, any extraordinary technique you display becomes merely an excuse.”
Baek Mu Sung responded with equal composure.
“If you lack confidence, you may withdraw now.”
*Thwack.*
Baek Mu Sung lowered his great sword from his shoulder and spoke without emotion.
“A sword has no eyes.”
“True. I spoke needlessly.”
*Whoosh.*
Mu Gyeol unfurled his steel threads and spoke with steady resolve.
“Then let us begin anew.”
“Very well.”
*Swish!*
This time, Mu Gyeol deployed his fan and launched the opening assault.
*Clang clang clang!*
As the steel threads and great sword collided, a crystalline metallic ring erupted, scattering hundreds of sparks in all directions.
Each time Mu Gyeol’s fan swept through the air, exquisite techniques manifested as pinpoints of light, piercing toward Baek Mu Sung’s vital meridians.
Yet Baek Mu Sung drove the tip of his great sword with perfect precision into the center of each luminous point.
“Hah!”
As the Cho Soo Gong Bang techniques continued, Mu Gyeol unleashed a battle cry and deployed his footwork in dizzying patterns.
Shadows of Mu Gyeol materialized in all four directions as if he had unleashed a body-splitting technique.
*Boom!*
Simultaneously, hundreds of razor-sharp points cascaded down like a torrential downpour, pressing Baek Mu Sung relentlessly.
In response, the speed of Baek Mu Sung’s great sword accelerated dramatically.
No matter from which angle Mu Gyeol unleashed his luminous points, the sword’s tip struck each one with absolute precision.
―Waaah!
As the relentless exchange of moves continued, exclamations and applause erupted from around the Combat Stage.
Mu Gyeol’s iron threads, moving with fluid grace, bloomed as brilliantly as millions of flowers opening all at once.
Baek Mu Sung, standing firm as he defended against the assault, resembled an artist painting intricate masterpieces with an enormous brush.
The iron thread ranked among the weakest and lightest of weapons, while the great sword belonged to the strongest and heaviest category of arms.
Thus one side embodied lightness and endless variation, while the other represented stillness and solemn weight.
Mu Gyeol was movement.
Baek Mu Sung was stillness.
Such a clash of polar opposites rarely occurred in Murim, and the martial artists were captivated by this contrasting and dazzling display of technique.
Screeeech.
At that moment, Baek Mu Sung’s body was driven back five steps.
In this exchange, Baek Mu Sung had suffered the disadvantage.
Mu Gyeol, with a relaxed expression, unfurled his iron threads and asked.
“Will you not use the Hobigeom any longer?”
“The sword techniques contained in the Sword Repository are so diverse that I often find myself confused about their names, let alone their applications.”
Baek Mu Sung spoke calmly.
“I frequently employ sword techniques of any rank indiscriminately, so I ask that you exercise caution, Lord Mu.”
And Baek Mu Sung extended his great sword once more.
Brilliant radiance poured forth toward Mu Gyeol’s face, and the very color of the sky seemed to shift.
Shatter-crack!
In that same instant, the massive great sword began rotating like a pinwheel.
‘The Fengyun Sword Repository makes for a convenient excuse.’
It seemed Baek Mu Sung had not merely obtained the Fengyun Sword Repository, but had instead studied under multiple masters and inherited extraordinary sword techniques.
Yet under the guise of the Fengyun Sword Repository, he was now unleashing bizarre and unpredictable sword methods indiscriminately.
‘Still not the true vacuum technique.’
In truth, my vacuum technique required—
—detecting the moment when an opponent unleashed overwhelming martial power they could not control.
Only then would its true power manifest. It was a technique of paradox.
Therefore, I had to create a situation where Baek Mu Sung would be forced to employ his ultimate secret.
Whoosh.
In an instant, I synchronized Baek Mu Sung’s inner force once more using the Heaven’s Heart Resonance.
The momentum of the sword technique spinning like a whirlwind faltered.
Swish.
Simultaneously, my fan transformed into hundreds of butterflies that ensnared Baek Mu Sung’s body.
Clang-clang-clang!
As the weapons collided in rapid succession, something extraordinary occurred.
The impossibly light iron threads were actually pushing back the heavy great sword, inch by inch.
A light weapon overwhelming a heavy weapon meant the difference in inner force and momentum was vast.
Baek Mu Sung had continuously dominated me with his overwhelming power—had his strength suddenly vanished?
‘Before the Heaven’s Heart Resonance, even overwhelming power becomes useless.’
This situation arose because Mu Gyeol, employing the Heavenly Heart Sutra, had redirected the inner force infused in Baek Mu Sung’s blade downward into the earth.
The inner force channeled into the ground dissipated harmlessly.
A brilliant flash erupted.
At that moment, a single point of light materialized near Mu Gyeol’s chest.
Like a living creature, it shot directly toward the space between Baek Mu Sung’s brows.
It was the Iron Heart Stone Intestine technique—a close-range strike capable of overwhelming an opponent.
Baek Mu Sung’s great sword was tracing an arc above his head to intercept Mu Gyeol’s technique.
He found himself unable to defend against this sudden, unexpected strike.
A metallic crack split the air.
Baek Mu Sung’s body was driven backward by the impact of the iron wire.
Yet he brushed the dust from his chest with a casual motion.
He had simultaneously deployed Shaolin’s Indestructible Diamond Body and the Gongdong Sect’s Gentle Distant Footwork, protecting himself and deflecting the assault.
Silence fell.
As Baek Mu Sung retreated once more, a brief lull descended upon the battlefield.
Mu Gyeol regarded him with a measured expression.
He had changed his strategy.
Until now, Baek Mu Sung had unleashed relentless attacks in waves, advancing and retreating to disrupt Mu Gyeol’s rhythm.
But that had changed.
Realizing that brute force could not penetrate the Heavenly Heart Sutra’s defense, he now stood motionless.
He was waiting—waiting for the decisive moment to strike.
A faint sound escaped Mu Gyeol’s lips.
His eyes narrowed with understanding.
Baek Mu Sung was the disciple of Bul Jon, Shaolin’s legendary master.
Yet he had consistently wielded a sword technique of unclear origin.
If he were to claim victory using such an obscure technique, what then?
Even if he became the Danjoo, he would face scrutiny regarding the lineage and foundation of his martial arts.
The fact that he had unleashed such miscellaneous techniques without hesitation suggested something else entirely.
He was reserving Shaolin’s martial arts as his final trump card.
If he deployed Shaolin’s techniques at the decisive moment, determining victory or defeat?
Then all the eclectic techniques he had displayed beforehand would draw no particular attention or restriction.
Time could not be prolonged further.
Baek Mu Sung was originally a prodigy of the new generation, renowned as Geum Jeong Shin Ryong.
Moreover, he had now invested himself in Sam Gye and was presumed to have obtained tremendous power.
Without employing his true technique, victory was fundamentally impossible against such an opponent.
A deep resonance emanated from within.
Mu Gyeol’s pupils dilated, and an otherworldly radiance poured forth.
He began drawing forth the reserves of power he had concealed for this critical moment, unleashing them at full force.
A thunderous crack split the heavens.
Simultaneously, countless fragments of light scattered like dust above his head.
In an instant, Mu Gyeol’s eyes turned white, and flames forged from true energy erupted across his entire body.
“Ha-yap!”
With a sharp battle cry, he thrust his fan forward,
Whoosh!
A massive point of light materialized before Baek Mu Sung’s eyes.
That enormous luminous point burst outward in all directions, transforming in an instant into qi energy accompanied by a violent gale that engulfed Baek Mu Sung’s body.
Roooaaaar!
Within the raging tempest, thousands of light points scattered and began piercing into Baek Mu Sung’s vital pressure points.
―It’s the Shadowless Sword!
Someone among the Murim Alliance elders watching the match gasped in astonishment.
They had discerned that the fan technique Mu Gyeol wielded was the foundational form of Jeong Cheon Je’s exclusive Shadowless Sword technique.
―So the Cheong Myeong Unit Master was the Alliance Lord’s disciple.
Rumors of this had circulated ever since the Alliance Lord’s will suddenly made him a candidate for the Wu Tian Duan leadership.
And now those rumors had proven to be fact.
Whiiiiing!
Mu Gyeol unleashed an endless torrent of sword strikes like a tempest.
Yet Baek Mu Sung, a master representative of the new generation, remained composed despite the desperate situation,
curling his body inward while continuously moving his great sword to defend.
‘Futile.’
But Mu Gyeol, having seized victory, smiled faintly.
The Shadowless Sword was a preliminary form deployed whenever the sword technique unfolded.
Except for Shadowless Without End, there were no fixed forms whatsoever.
If the enemy endured a hundred strikes, a hundred strikes would unfold; if they endured ten thousand, the sword technique would become ten thousand strikes.
That was the principle of the Shadowless Sword.
‘With the Heaven’s Will Heart Method, I am invincible.’
Moreover, with each strike, Mu Gyeol employed the Heaven’s Will Heart Method, rendering all the internal energy Baek Mu Sung had accumulated utterly useless.
Before his eyes, the Shadowless Sword poured forth, adapting to each enemy strike.
And whenever he attempted a counterattack, the Heaven’s Will Heart Method’s function of instantly synchronizing qi energy manifested.
Even in such a hopeless situation,
Baek Mu Sung refused to surrender, continuously wielding his great sword.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
As Baek Mu Sung’s sword technique accelerated, Mu Gyeol’s assault accelerated in turn.
Once caught within the scope of the Shadowless Sword’s forms, unless one admitted defeat or dropped one’s weapon,
there was no escaping this storm of sword energy.
Tang!
Then, with a clear metallic ring, Baek Mu Sung’s great sword flew from his hands above his head.
Due to the Shadowless Sword’s strikes and the Heaven’s Will Heart Method, Baek Mu Sung could not withstand the assault and released his weapon.
‘Now!’
Whoosh.
Mu Gyeol seized the opportunity without hesitation, immediately pressing his iron fan against Baek Mu Sung’s throat.
And gazing at the great sword soaring above his head, he smiled broadly.
“There is no further need for this duel….”
Thump.
Yet something unexpected unfolded.
Just as Mu Gyeol, believing victory was assured, began to wear a triumphant smile,
Whoooosh!
Suddenly a torrent of crimson energy cascaded before Mu Gyeol’s eyes, and a force capable of shattering the entire world erupted outward.
‘Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm?’
It was Bul Jon’s signature technique—the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm, one of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Techniques.
‘Impossible.’
Mu Gyeol, though bewildered, attempted to amplify his own power to disperse the incoming palm force.
Boom.
But something grotesque occurred.
Just as Baek Mu Sung appeared to unleash his palm technique, both his hands were already pressing against Mu Gyeol’s chest.
‘This is not the Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm.’
The Thousand-Armed Tathagata Palm possesses the ability to maintain its force without dispersal despite its countless variations.
Yet this technique lacked such overwhelming power and lightning-swift speed.
In the end, Mu Gyeol faced only the prospect of his sternum being crushed.
‘So be it.’
In that instant, brilliant light erupted from Mu Gyeol’s eyes.
He was about to unleash the true martial arts of Jeong Cheon Je—the techniques he had concealed until now.

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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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