The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 701

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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 701.
Yet an unexpected turn of events unfolded.
The moment Mu Gyeol unleashed Jeong Cheon Je’s supreme technique, hidden away to avoid fatal injury,
Whoosh.
With the sound of sand scattering, the pressure of the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Palm that had touched his chest vanished in an instant.
Baek Mu Sung had withdrawn his force in a flash.
It seemed he had judged that he could not inflict fatal wounds in such a public martial exhibition.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Mu Gyeol too hastily withdrew the martial technique he had been forced to unleash.
If he were to deploy his full power in this state,
it would amount to a sneak attack on Baek Mu Sung, who had shown restraint.
Thud.
But then, Baek Mu Sung’s hand flashed like lightning, pressing against Mu Gyeol’s chest once more.
It was far too natural.
Even Mu Gyeol, a master of his caliber, could only stare down at that palm with a dazed expression.
“What are you doing?”
When Mu Gyeol asked, Baek Mu Sung spoke coldly.
“Shall we continue? Or do you concede?”
Mu Gyeol looked down at his chest.
Had Baek Mu Sung merely released even a fraction of his power, his ribs would have caved in—a fatal wound.
“Is this not a trick?”
When Mu Gyeol protested with a furrowed brow, Baek Mu Sung spoke coldly.
“What trick do you speak of?”
In that moment, Mu Gyeol found himself speechless.
Had he not been certain of victory and slackened his assault?
Even in defeat, he would not have lost so pathetically.
But Baek Mu Sung had perfectly grasped Mu Gyeol’s nature and temperament, exploiting them to strike at his weakness and seize victory.
‘Had I truly fought with the intention to kill, the outcome might have differed.’
Mu Gyeol reminded himself this was merely a martial exhibition.
Not a battle where lives hung in the balance.
Yet Baek Mu Sung, in pursuit of victory, had maintained perfect stillness, pouring his full strength into each technique.
And in the final moment, he had displayed magnanimity, luring Mu Gyeol into complacency.
Then, exploiting that opening, he had seized victory with absurd ease.
In the end, he had lost to Baek Mu Sung in martial prowess and mental fortitude alike.
‘To lose without even drawing out Baek Mu Sung’s true power.’
Swallowing the bitterness,
“I have lost.”
Mu Gyeol clasped his hands together calmly, acknowledging his defeat,
―Roooar!
Cheers erupted from all around.
Mu Gyeol had wielded the Shadowless Sword, effectively revealing himself as the Sect Leader’s disciple.
Yet despite this, Baek Mu Sung had claimed victory with nothing but the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara technique.
Though some might say cunning had played a role in his methods.
The fact that he employed such tactics was itself proof that he possessed superior insight and martial prowess compared to Mu Gyeol.
“The victor is Baek Mu Sung, Lord Baek!”
At Paeng Jong Heon’s proclamation, Mu Gyeol cupped his fists toward Baek Mu Sung and turned away from the stage.
‘Perhaps this defeat will be convincing enough for the senior members to accept.’
Mu Gyeol’s expression was one of relief.
In truth, he too had received orders from Mu Jon to lose this match.
He had meticulously prepared a convincing way to fall, yet in the end, Baek Mu Sung had orchestrated the entire affair himself.
‘What exactly is he thinking?’
Originally, Mu Jon had intended to elevate himself to Danjoo of Wu Tian Duan, displacing Bu Eunseol.
But the plan had suddenly changed.
Now Baek Mu Sung would become Danjoo, and Bu Eunseol would be made head of the Cheop Mil Won.
Mu Gyeol could not comprehend this shift, yet he faithfully carried out Mu Jon’s orders.
For now, at least, he had to maintain the appearance of a loyal disciple.
‘Now it’s Bu Eunseol’s turn.’
In truth, losing to Baek Mu Sung had been simple.
But Bu Eunseol was different.
Even in defeat, she had to ascend to the position of Cheop Mil Won’s head, so the manner of her loss was critically important.
If she failed to demonstrate sufficient martial prowess, the senior members would certainly object.
Thump, thump.
Having lost to Baek Mu Sung, Mu Gyeol deliberately descended from the Combat Stage with feigned exhaustion.
As he did, his gaze crossed with Bu Eunseol, who waited on the opposite side.
Smirk.
Mu Gyeol smiled faintly.
―Good luck.
Bu Eunseol maintained her composed expression, as though she hadn’t noticed his playful gaze.
Mu Gyeol clicked his tongue and departed from the Combat Stage.
‘So far, everything proceeds according to Mu Jon’s plan.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened as she watched Mu Gyeol shuffle away, feigning weakness.
‘Could it be that Mu Jon harbors the same plan as I do?’
In her own strategy, Baek Mu Sung had to become Danjoo without exception.
Only then could she fragment the Murim Alliance’s power into three separate factions.
Yet from Mu Jon’s perspective, such fragmentation of the Murim Alliance’s influence would hardly be desirable.
Then why would he grant the position of Danjoo to Baek Mu Sung, who was suspected of being a puppet of Sam Gye?
“Deng Wu Dian Ju Yuk Jang Cheon, Elite Division’s Seon Woo Jin! Ascend to the Combat Stage!”
At that moment, Paeng Jong Heon’s voice rang out.
The martial competition proceeded immediately.
Whoosh.
At his shout, two silhouettes materialized once more upon the Combat Stage.
Gulp.
The martial artists observing the Combat Stage swallowed in unison, as if bound by an invisible pact.
Jang Wang Yuk Jang Cheon.
Before joining the Murim Alliance, he had been a master of the Four Gods Seven Kings who dominated Murim itself.
Alongside Gwon Wang, he stood at the pinnacle of the field of authority cultivation.
And what of Elite Division Lord Seon Woo Jin?
The successor of the Seon Hwa Trading Company who burst onto the Murim Alliance stage like a comet, accumulating merit upon merit and advancing rank after rank.
He obtained the opportunity to enter the Martial Emperor’s Secret Archive, and finally defeated Gwon Wang Seok Chi Haeng to ascend to the position of aide to the Four Gods Seven Kings.
What made it even more intriguing was this:
The two had once shared the same organization, bound by a superior-subordinate relationship.
Yet now, not content with both ascending to aide positions within the Four Gods Seven Kings, they competed for the seat of Danjoo itself…
There existed no more captivating confrontation in all the world.
―It seemed far too predictable a match.
However, the perspective of the Murim Alliance’s senior officials differed somewhat.
Yuk Jang Cheon was a great master of martial arts who had entered the Four Gods Seven Kings long ago.
Even then, his strength ranked among the upper echelon of the Four Gods Seven Kings.
No matter how promising a rising talent Seon Woo Jin was, the notion of him defeating such a figure was absurd.
“So it has come to this.”
Yuk Jang Cheon, regarding Bu Eunseol, wore a cold smile.
“Would it not be wise to concede now? Then you would spare yourself an ugly spectacle.”
“My apologies.”
Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully.
“I wish to dare challenge the destiny given to me.”
Destiny.
It was a word I despised. Yet I had deliberately wielded it before Yuk Jang Cheon’s very face.
―I am destined to become the Danjoo of Wu Tian Duan.
By employing the word destiny, I had subtly struck a nerve within him.
“Alas, the challenges of youth most often conclude not in triumph, but in disappointment.”
Yuk Jang Cheon smiled faintly and extended his hand.
“Let me witness that skill which felled Gwon Wang.”
“Begin!”
At Paeng Jong Heon’s cry, I immediately drew the Muk Hon Blade.
Like a swallow in low flight, I dove sharply forward, thrusting toward Yuk Jang Cheon’s throat.
This was no sword technique of the Orthodox Sects or Demonic Path, but rather a swift blade style I had spontaneously devised.
Yuk Jang Cheon was caught off guard.
To think he would unleash a killing technique the moment the match began.
He had never anticipated such a swift blade style arriving from an angle that offered no escape.
“Thirsty for victory, are you?”
Yuk Jang Cheon, his smile turning cold,
Boom!
He immediately unleashed his Dok Moon technique—the Fire Cloud Palm Method.
Its formal name was the Fire Cloud Sword Seal Palm.
Yuk Jang Cheon’s palm mastery, regarded as the greatest palm technique in the past hundred years,
was so formidable that it had been constantly compared to the Subduing Demon Coiling Dragon Palm of Jang Hwang, one of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars who reached their peak four hundred years ago.
The Fire Cloud Palm Method, through which surged an internal force as fierce as flames with extreme yang properties,
was in reality an optimization of the principle of acceleration—something no one could evade.
Because it transformed in accordance with the enemy’s movements and their speed.
Whoosh.
The Fire Cloud Palm swept past Bu Eunseol’s cheek.
Since her battle with Gwon Wang Seok Chi Haeng, Bu Eunseol had been able to further develop the Demon Subduing Seven Techniques, and through her fight with Cheon Joon, she had actually faced the Subduing Demon Coiling Dragon Palm.
Therefore, the principle of acceleration held no effect against her.
“Indeed.”
Yuk Jang Cheon nodded.
Bu Eunseol had grasped the flaw in the principle of acceleration—
adapting her movements and techniques once more to match the Fire Cloud Palm Method, which transformed according to the enemy’s actions.
That was why she had achieved a perfect evasion.
“Such a technique is only possible by ascending to the realm of perfect extremity after dividing and subdividing time itself.”
Yuk Jang Cheon let out an exclamation of admiration.
“It was not that you defeated a master of the Four Gods Seven Kings in a short time,
but rather a divine light emanated from his gleaming eyes.
“you had long since ascended to the ranks of the supreme masters.”
“Thank you.”
“But be careful.”
Despite his benevolent tone, a strange energy was flourishing abundantly in his palms.
“The hands have no eyes!”
Boom!
The palm force Yuk Jang Cheon unleashed was even slower than what he had just displayed, and there was not even a sound of air splitting.
Bu Eunseol easily split the palm force with Muk Hon Sword and immediately slashed toward Yuk Jang Cheon’s shoulder.
Crash!
But with a thunderous explosion, Bu Eunseol’s body was driven back five paces.
‘I didn’t even see his left hand move.’
Yuk Jang Cheon seemed to have launched an ordinary palm force with his right hand, but simultaneously his left hand performed an exquisite technique—
as if commanding a living creature,
he unleashed a unique palm force that struck at Bu Eunseol’s vulnerability.
―The Lord of the Yuk Clan’s palm technique has reached the Realm of Two Deities Confronting.
The Realm of Two Deities Confronting.
When one cultivates the palm technique to its utmost limit,
the deployment of palm forces becomes unrestricted, and as if two divine beings were attached to both arms,
one reaches a state where they unleash and withdraw palm forces against the enemy with their own will.
Yuk Jang Cheon had remarkably cultivated his palm force to the realm of the Dual Divine Meridians.
Both his arms moved in perfect synchronization with Bu Eunseol’s movements, unleashing torrents of palm force.
While simple to describe in words,
in reality, it required inner strength beyond imagination and mastery of palm techniques reaching the pinnacle of transcendence.
“Don’t be amazed just yet.”
Yuk Jang Cheon swept his right hand through the air.
Following his motion, his left hand traced faint afterimages across the void, each shadow lingering in the space.
Whoosh.
Each of those afterimages transformed into distinct palm techniques, cascading down upon Bu Eunseol.
Some carried the weight and solemnity of Shaolin palm force, while others possessed the sharpness and toxicity of Evil Sect techniques.
Jang Wang.
This title was bestowed upon him not merely because he had cultivated palm techniques to their absolute limit,
but because he was the supreme master of palm arts—capable of wielding every palm technique under heaven and grasping their profound mysteries.
Crack.
Unable to withstand the relentless barrage of palm force, Bu Eunseol leaped into the air.
Then unleashed a sword technique as torrential as a downpour.
The twelfth move of the Thirteen Forms of the Iron Sword—the opening stance of Rising Flood Dragon, Soaring Phoenix.
Sword qi swirled like a leaping flood dragon and a soaring phoenix,
chaotically intertwining as they poured down.
This was Bu Eunseol’s preemptive strike, seizing the attack trajectory to prevent Yuk Jang Cheon from assailing him mid-leap.
“Hmph.”
Yet Yuk Jang Cheon, as if anticipating this very move, dispersed the sword qi one by one using the Golden Dragon Probing Claw technique.
This method of scattering tangible sword qi like wisps of smoke
was only possible by cultivating palm techniques to the realm of perfect transcendence.
Zing.
As Bu Eunseol was pushed back by the endless transforming palm techniques, a resonant hum emanated from his Muk Hon Sword.
He drew upon all three hundred years of inner strength he had accumulated as Seon Woo Jin, channeling it into his blade.
“Your mind grows impatient.”
Yuk Jang Cheon closed the distance, entering Bu Eunseol’s close range.
Then, like executing a grappling technique, he extended his hands and began unleashing palm force.
This manner of close-quarters combat
was employed by second-rate martial artists skilled in striking techniques to amplify the destructive power of their palm force,
making direct contact with the opponent’s body during their assault.
Though Yuk Jang Cheon had no need for such techniques, he initiated close-quarters combat,
unleashing palm force that nearly grazed Bu Eunseol’s body, and occasionally switching to claw strikes to rake across his neck and shoulders.
Bu Eunseol barely managed to block each move, yet countless lacerations soon covered his body.
Drip, drip.
As blood flowed from Bu Eunseol’s wounds, Yuk Jang Cheon withdrew his hands momentarily and spoke in a gentle tone.
“Will you continue?”
Despite his benevolent expression, power radiated visibly from Yuk Jang Cheon’s palms.
Despite having absolutely no intention of stopping, I deliberately displayed a magnanimous demeanor.
This way, I could leave a favorable impression on the senior members of the Murim Alliance who were observing the match.
“Of course.”
*Click.*
After responding, Bu Eunseol sheathed the Muk Hon Sword back into its scabbard.
“Hmm.”
Yuk Jang Cheon’s eyes narrowed.
Seeing Bu Eunseol return the sword to its sheath, he discerned that she would employ a new technique.
“Good. Be careful then.”
And immediately, he unleashed the Hwa Un Palm Method.
With his Eighteen Hwa Un Palm Method, he had once chilled the hearts of heroes throughout Tianxia.
By now, he had reached a level where no trace of his palm technique could be detected—one could not even see where or how the force was being released.
Moreover, the palm technique he was currently unleashing resembled a fusion of Shaolin’s Vajra Half-Moon Palm and the Hyeon Myeong Moon’s Mysterious Yin Divine Palm.
With sharp and densely woven palm force, he rendered Bu Eunseol’s swift movement technique utterly useless.
‘I will shatter any martial art in a single breath.’
A flash crossed Yuk Jang Cheon’s eyes.
Whenever he encountered a master skilled in palm techniques, he immediately challenged them to a match, and if none existed, he traveled seeking secret manuals.
In doing so, he had even cultivated lost palm techniques from Seo Yeok Sorim, and had mastered the supreme techniques of the Mil Jong.
Thus, the Hwa Un Palm, which combined so many palm methods, possessed a power that would astonish heaven and earth itself.
“Huh.”
Yuk Jang Cheon swung both hands toward the rapidly moving Bu Eunseol.
“Too many openings.”
Though he released palm force, no sound emerged.
So that Bu Eunseol could not defend.
He had unleashed the formless, styleless supreme technique—Shocking Dominion Over Heaven and Earth.
*Whoosh.*
Yet something astonishing occurred.
Bu Eunseol, who should have been struck by the invisible palm force and collapsed, stood perfectly unharmed.
“You evaded it.”
Yuk Jang Cheon swallowed his astonishment and spoke calmly.
How could one perfectly evade a formless, styleless palm technique?
It was a technique whose transformations even he could not predict.
“Thank you for showing restraint in your palm force.”
At Bu Eunseol’s composed words, Yuk Jang Cheon’s insides churned, yet he nodded calmly.
“The palm force will grow far more fierce from here on. I advise you to concede even now.”
“As I have said, I intend to challenge the fate given to me.”
“Good.”
Yuk Jang Cheon spread both arms wide.
Most believe that palm techniques are methods of releasing palm force through the hands to kill enemies.
But the true mystery of palm techniques lies elsewhere.
The key is to use the most freely and delicately movable part of the human body as a weapon.
Once one masters palm techniques, they can unleash attacks combining the advantages of all weapons under heaven.
No matter what methods an opponent employs, one can respond effectively.
Kwaaaah!
A tidal wave of palm strikes began pouring down upon Bu Eunseol’s body.
It was a technique like the wrath of nature itself—something that could neither be evaded nor blocked.
Bu Eunseol drifted like a single leaf boat floating on a river swept by storms, moving with precarious grace to avoid each strike.
Yet with every movement, the palm force inevitably burrowed toward her vital points.
Boom! Boom!
Explosive sounds erupted outward.
If she continued to absorb the palm strikes like this, even if Bu Eunseol deployed her Diamond Indestructible Divine Art.
She could not possibly escape unscathed.
‘What is this?’
Yet Yuk Jang Cheon’s eyes widened as he unleashed his palm techniques.
The number of palm strikes landing grew progressively fewer.
Bu Eunseol was not evading through footwork, but rather gradually using fist techniques to neutralize his palm force one strike at a time.
The most troublesome opponents for masters of palm techniques are not those wielding divine weapons and superior tools.
But rather masters skilled in the combined study of fists and palms.
Two hands are more free and delicate than any weapon.
Yet since the opponent employs the same methods, one cannot gain any particular advantage.
Tch.
Yuk Jang Cheon ground his teeth.
Seon Woo Jin was not employing his specialty—sword techniques.
Instead, using clumsy fist methods to neutralize the Cloud Wandering Palm strikes while stubbornly holding ground like a vengeful spirit… it stirred an irritating frustration within him.
‘So you’ve decided to endure since there’s no way to victory!’
The resolute man doubled his power and unleashed the Cloud Wandering Palm in torrents.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s fist techniques, though lacking superior power, proved unexpectedly stable and solid as stone.
Somehow managing to endure against the Cloud Wandering Palm technique.
‘Then there is a way.’
Whoosh!
He closed the distance with footwork and deployed the Eighteen Vital Point Strikes.
As if sticky glue adhered their bodies together.
He clung tightly and unleashed a barrage of vicious attacks.
One moment striking her face with palm techniques, the next attempting to shatter her collarbone with his elbow; one moment deploying footwork, the next using Continuous Leg Techniques to seal her movements.
When hands collided, he raked with Metal Claw techniques, and when bodies collided, he deployed Frontier Throwing Techniques.
Attempting to hurl and topple his opponent.
It was a truly brutal fighting art—lethal even from the slightest contact.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
After the two exchanged blows for some forty seconds in an instant, silence fell over the Combat Stage.
―Why is the martial art of Danjoo Yuk so desolate and grim?
Of course, close-quarters combat techniques
are inherently brutal and perilous, given their execution at point-blank range.
Yet Yuk Jang Cheon was relentlessly pressuring Bu Eunseol with razor-sharp killing intent, as though facing a mortal enemy, was he not?
As if this place were not the Murim Alliance Martial Arts Arena,
but rather a desolate battlefield where one settles a blood feud with an eternal foe.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Crack-crack-crack!
In contrast, Bu Eunseol’s close-quarters combat was measured and disciplined, adhering to the righteous path.
It may have appeared so because she was focused entirely on defense,
but in truth, her movements possessed restraint—no killing intent whatsoever.
Thus, to the other martial artists watching, Yuk Jang Cheon appeared nothing more than a reckless madman dancing with his blade.
‘This cunning wretch!’
As the exchange continued, Yuk Jang Cheon was consumed by fury.
He had deployed close-quarters combat to end this swiftly, without unnecessary technique exchanges.
Yet he now grasped that this very strategy was Bu Eunseol’s trap.
‘She must have trained extensively in close-quarters combat for this duel.’
Bu Eunseol, who had been relentlessly battered moments before, now displayed the same level of mastery,
clinging like a water ghost and neutralizing his palm strikes entirely.
‘She deliberately provoked me into deploying fist techniques to lure me into close-quarters combat!’
Yuk Jang Cheon bit his lip.
Close-quarters combat, which employs every part of the body in point-blank strikes,
allows for diverse attacks, yet permits only short, concise techniques in return.
Consequently, his broader Hwa Wun Palm technique was completely sealed.
‘I’ll kill her!’
Consumed by rage, Yuk Jang Cheon unleashed lethal killing techniques in rapid succession, each capable of severing tendons in a single blow.
Even if his appearance grew savage,
he intended to shatter that cunning wretch’s face in one breath and end the match.
Whoosh! Crack-crack-crack!
Yet after roughly forty seconds had elapsed, Yuk Jang Cheon immediately understood.
‘She was concealing her fist technique mastery!’
Now it was clear—luring him into close-quarters combat was precisely to seal his Hwa Wun Palm.
‘This won’t do!’
Crack.
A sound of bone echoed from Yuk Jang Cheon’s body.
He was about to unleash his hidden trump card, channeling the accumulated power of a lifetime.

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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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