The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 714

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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 714.
Murim Alliance, Elite Division. Great Conference Hall.
Even though Bu Eunseol had become the head of Cheop Mil Won, the Elite Division located in the North Gate Bamboo Forest remained intact.
What had once been a mid-tier Information Division had transformed into a superior organization within Cheop Mil Won.
Inside the conference hall, Tae Mu Ryong and all the team members sat with grave expressions.
The moment they received the letter from Demon Hall, they had convened an emergency meeting.
Bu Eunseol sat with her lips pressed firmly together, lost in thought.
Ma Cheon Je was absolutely not the type to offer apologies over such matters.
Nor was he the sort to meet directly with the head of the Murim Alliance’s Cheop Mil Won.
‘Then…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened considerably.
‘Could Ma Cheon Je be suspecting that I am Seon Woo Jin?’
The reason Ma Cheon Je was summoning Seon Woo Jin might very well be because he doubted her identity.
If he had truly intended to apologize and sought resolution to this matter,
they could have met through unofficial channels without difficulty.
Yet the fact that he demanded this meeting with Seon Woo Jin so formally
meant he had orchestrated it so that Bu Eunseol could not refuse the invitation.
“Director.”
Tae Mu Ryong, who had been silent, spoke.
“You must not accept that proposal under any circumstances.”
He spoke with a grave expression.
“It cannot possibly be with good intentions. In the worst case, he might try to pin everything on you.”
At Tae Mu Ryong’s words, Jeong Jong Do also nodded in agreement.
“Is it not said that Ma Cheon Je can manipulate a person’s spirit without the slightest hesitation? We must first find a way to counter such methods.”
“That is impossible.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening silently, shook her head.
“Since Ma Cheon Je has publicly singled me out, I have no grounds to refuse.”
Taking a deep breath, she continued.
“Even at the Grand Council, they concluded that I should meet Ma Cheon Je directly and resolve this matter, granting me discretionary authority.”
“But…”
“If I refuse this proposal now, all responsibility for the ongoing standoff between the factions could fall upon me.”
In any case, outwardly Ma Cheon Je had conveyed an offer of reconciliation and summoned Seon Woo Jin.
Moreover, the Murim Alliance had entrusted full negotiating authority to Seon Woo Jin.
So if she did not respond to that request?
Then all subsequent blame would fall upon Seon Woo Jin—upon Bu Eunseol herself.
“It was inevitable anyway.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with resolve.
“The higher one’s position rises, the more one must clash with the leadership of both sides.”
And she spoke calmly.
“I will go and return.”
“You intend to go alone? We shall accompany you.”
“Ma Cheon Je can pierce through even the barriers of the soul in an instant. I myself cannot afford to be careless.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“If you all accompany me, my identity will be exposed immediately.”
The Team Members all nodded in understanding.
Since even Bu Eunseol could not guarantee safety… if they went, everything would be revealed.
“Still, it cannot be done.”
Then Jeong Jong Do spoke again.
“If the Director were to fall victim to Ma Cheon Je’s schemes, it would be better to refuse outright.”
Even if they rejected the peace accord ceremony.
Even if the standoff between the factions became entirely Bu Eunseol’s fault, at least her life could be preserved.
But if her identity were exposed before Ma Cheon Je? Then something would occur where her life could not be guaranteed.
“Do not worry. I do not intend to go blindly.”
Bu Eunseol smiled.
“I have prepared a secret stratagem capable of breaking Ma Cheon Je’s schemes. You may rest assured on that point.”
“Is that truly so?”
Only then did the tense faces of her subordinates relax.
Bu Eunseol’s wisdom was truly unparalleled in all Tianxia.
If she declared that she had devised some countermeasure, nine times out of ten, certain success could be achieved.
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol nodded with conviction.
A countermeasure certainly existed.
But the probability of success was not particularly high.
Because before an existence like Ma Cheon Je, such countermeasures became meaningless.
And secondly, she could not guarantee whether the precious object she possessed would serve as a countermeasure or not.
“Therefore, there is no need to worry.”
Bu Eunseol, concealing her true thoughts, rose from her seat and spoke.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
A respectful sound of movement.
Tae Mu Ryong and all her subordinates rose and offered their formal respects.
But Bu Eunseol had already vanished.
* * *
Led by the legendary swift horse said to gallop thousands of li in a single day.
The eight-horse carriage of the Yuanxing class, which only the highest echelon could ride, departed from the Murim Alliance.
It was a carriage prepared by the Murim Alliance for Bu Eunseol, who was heading to the Demon Hall to confront Ma Cheon Je.
Clatter, clatter.
Seated in the carriage, Bu Eunseol gazed out the window, lost in endless contemplation.
‘This is a gamble.’
She fingered the object kept in her bosom and drew a deep breath.
‘Yet I have no choice but to stake everything on this slim chance.’
Man proposes, Heaven disposes.
No matter how meticulously one schemes,
it is ultimately Heaven that determines whether plans come to fruition.
No matter how brilliant one’s wisdom, the future cannot be perfectly predicted, and events rarely unfold as intended.
Therefore, to accomplish any great undertaking… one must sometimes embrace reckless audacity.
Precisely as I was doing now.
Clatter, clatter.
After days of relentless travel, the carriage finally arrived before the Demon Hall in the Changsha Region.
The carriage rolled through the wide-open gates and into the Demon Hall’s interior before coming to a halt.
Click.
As the carriage door opened, a lean-faced man of unremarkable appearance emerged.
He wore white martial robes embroidered with two flying phoenixes on the sleeves.
At his waist hung an ornate belt studded with diamonds, and his feet were shod in expensive deer-leather shoes.
It was Seon Woo Jin—successor of the Seon Hwa Trading Company, who had ascended to the position of advisor to the Four Gods Seven Kings at a young age, and had been appointed by the Alliance Lord as the director of the Murim Alliance’s Intelligence Division.
‘So this day has finally come.’
Bu Eunseol felt an odd sensation.
I had anticipated that Seon Woo Jin would eventually visit the Demon Hall in his official capacity.
But I never expected to have a private audience with Ma Cheon Je immediately upon becoming the Intelligence Division director.
“Welcome.”
As I descended from the carriage, numerous senior officials of the Demon Hall stood in formation, with Chong Gyo Ryeong Yeop Hyo Cheon at the forefront.
‘Unexpected.’
Regardless of how lofty the position of Intelligence Division director might be,
to the Demon Hall’s elite, Seon Woo Jin was still merely an unripe youth.
Yet remarkably, Yeop Hyo Cheon—the Demon Hall’s second-in-command—had come to greet him.
“I am Seon Woo Jin, director of the Intelligence Division.”
As I offered the first greeting,
“I hear you successively defeated Gwon Wang and Jang Wang to ascend among the Four Gods Seven Kings—truly, you possess the bearing of a dragon among men.”
Yeop Hyo Cheon smiled benevolently and nodded.
“I had believed Muk Hon Ryeong Ju, the successor of Ben Jeon, to be the greatest talent under Heaven… but today my vision has been greatly expanded.”
Though Seon Woo Jin was considerably younger in years, he came as an envoy of the Murim Alliance.
Moreover, given his lofty position as Intelligence Division director, the Chong Gyo Ryeong treated him with appropriate courtesy.
“How could I possibly compare to Muk Hon Ryeong Ju?”
“Hehehehe. Had he not been absent, this would have been a most auspicious meeting. What a pity.”
There seemed to be a subtle edge beneath his words.
Yet Bu Eunseol smiled and replied,
“Indeed, a pity. I too have long wished to meet Muk Hon Ryeong Ju, who is called the righteous one within the Demonic Path.”
The epithet “the righteous one within the Demonic Path”
was precisely what those who revered Bu Eunseol most despised hearing.
Yet Yeop Hyo Cheon showed no particular reaction and simply nodded.
“You are most humble, young one.”
Yeop Hyo Cheon smiled calmly and extended his hand.
“The Chong Gyo Ryeong awaits you.”
Then he led the way, guiding Bu Eunseol to the entrance of the Holy Demon Pavilion.
I had walked this path to the Holy Demon Pavilion countless times before.
Yet Bu Eunseol surveyed her surroundings with a tense expression, as though arriving for the first time.
Even in the smallest gestures.
I could never reveal that Bu Eunseol and Seon Woo Jin were one and the same person.
“Please, enter.”
As Yeop Hyo Cheon pointed toward the great gate before the Holy Demon Pavilion, Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully.
“Thank you.”
Upon stepping inside the Holy Demon Pavilion, a stunning woman appeared—her skin as pale as snow, her cloud-like hair swept elegantly upward.
It was Jin Sang Hwa, Jin Seol herself.
‘She suspects me, certainly.’
First Yeop Hyo Cheon, and now Jin Seol as well.
Ma Cheon Je had summoned one capable individual after another—those with the ability to see through my true identity—
as though deliberately shaking my resolve.
“I am Jin Sang Hwa, also called Jin Seol.”
“I am Seon Woo Jin, Director of the Cheop Mil Won.”
As Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully, Jin Seol gave a subtle nod toward Si Bi.
Immediately, a cup of tea with a refreshing, clarifying aroma was presented—Seo Ho Dragon Well.
“Please, have some tea first.”
As Jin Seol courteously offered the tea, Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
“Dragon Well is pleasant enough, but at this time of year, the White Feather Guanyin from Mu I Mountain has an exquisite taste.”
Bu Eunseol glanced down at the Dragon Well tea and sighed softly.
“The White Feather Guanyin of this season is rich in flavor, its fragrance carries far and wide, and its oils coat the tongue with such smoothness.”
“You seem quite knowledgeable about tea.”
“I drink it constantly—there’s nothing remarkable about knowing it.”
Jin Seol regarded Si Bi with an impassive expression and nodded.
At that, Si Bi promptly brought forth a fresh cup of tea, as though he had been waiting for this moment.
It was the White Feather Guanyin from Mu I Mountain that Bu Eunseol had just mentioned.
“Were you testing whether I even knew the taste of tea?”
At Bu Eunseol’s words tinged with disappointment, Jin Seol lowered her gaze.
“Many from the Orthodox Sects regard Seo Ho Dragon Well as supreme without question. Some even believe that failing to serve it is a sign of disrespect.”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol’s expression went blank, then she burst into bright, ringing laughter.
“Hahaha.”
With laughter still in her voice, she continued.
“You’re not wrong. In truth, many of the senior figures in the Ben Maeng won’t even touch anything but Dragon Well.”
Bu Eunseol set down her laughter and lifted the teacup lightly. Rather than drinking it in one gulp, she sipped it slowly and deliberately.
It was the method of savoring tea’s flavor deeply.
As the successor to the Seon Hwa Trading Company, which consumed such luxuries as casually as water, it was a natural gesture.
Jin Seol waited for Bu Eunseol to finish her tea before extending her hand.
“Please follow me. Ma Cheon Je is waiting for you.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s expression darkened.
“So the tea was truly a test.”
“If someone cannot appreciate tea…”
Jin Seol spoke with courtesy but unmistakable firmness.
“They lack the qualifications for a private audience, and must be turned away.”
Ma Cheon Je had instructed Jin Seol to serve tea, clearly to assess whether Seon Woo Jin possessed discerning taste.
And to confirm whether she truly appreciated the art of tea.
“Was it not the Demon Hall that requested an audience with me?”
Bu Eunseol opened her mouth with evident displeasure.
“I care not if Ma Cheon Je is lauded as the foremost of the Demonic Path. To me, he is nothing more than the leader of the Demon Hall—no greater, no lesser.”
Ma Cheon Je, who commanded a million practitioners of the Demonic Path.
She had even referred to him as merely the leader before Jin Sang Hwa of the Demon Hall.
Yet Jin Seol smiled faintly. Seon Woo Jin’s anger was entirely justified, after all.
“That would be so. I apologize on behalf of the discourtesy caused.”
She spoke with measured calm.
“This test was merely Ma Cheon Je following my counsel.”
“What do you mean?”
“Had someone unqualified attended a private audience with Ma Cheon Je… their head would have burst open on the spot.”
Jin Seol’s gaze turned as cold as ice.
“I merely wished to prevent such an occurrence. After all, you are a figure from the Murim Alliance visiting the Ben Jeon for the first time.”
‘So this is Jin Seol’s true nature.’
Jin Seol.
She was the woman who represented the Demonic Path, bearing the epithet of the Demon’s Beloved.
From the perspective of the Orthodox Sects, she presented an entirely different facet than when viewed through the lens of the Muhonjung.
A gulp.
Bu Eunseol swallowed, her expression suggesting she wished to protest but kept her lips sealed.
Seon Woo Jin’s response was the only correct one, after all.
“This way.”
Jin Seol finally led her toward where Ma Cheon Je awaited.
‘It is not the Seo Moon direction.’
Ma Cheon Je had always summoned her from the Seo Moon of the Holy Demon Pavilion.
But this time, he had called her to the office at the very summit of the Holy Demon Pavilion.
“The Murim Alliance’s Seon Woo, the branch leader, has arrived.”
At Jin Seol’s words, the door creaked open of its own accord.
“Then.”
Jin Seol turned her head lightly toward Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Thud, thud.
Every time I entered the office,
a creaking, creaking sound echoed.
Loud noises emanated from beneath the floorboards.
‘Another test.’
I had entered this office once before under Ma Cheon Je’s orders.
But back then, no such noise had come from the wooden floor.
If my gaze or physical reactions showed even the slightest abnormality in this situation, my true identity could be exposed immediately.
‘So this is what it was.’
As test after test continued, I began to understand something.
Ma Cheon Je was not a god who could penetrate the human heart and see through it in an instant.
Rather, through such trivial mechanisms and arrangements,
he meticulously examined every subtle reaction that could be detected, dismantling the barriers of the spirit,
and peered into the depths of one’s mind.
‘When I think about it, it was always like that.’
Looking back, when I first met Ma Cheon Je, I couldn’t hide my gaze and expression.
It was shocking that the supreme lord of the Demonic Path, who ruled Tianxia, possessed such an ordinary appearance.
And every word he spoke only deepened the confusion in my mind.
In subsequent meetings, I gritted my teeth and tried to overcome that confusion.
Even though I had constructed barriers in my spirit, I constantly worried whether he could still peer into my thoughts.
I was always anxious about it.
‘Even Mu Jon.’
From a single phrase I uttered, Mu Jon could infer countless pieces of information at once.
Then Ma Cheon Je would naturally possess even more superior methods than Mu Jon, or deploy more renowned techniques.
‘No, Ma Cheon Je’s abilities are not limited to such things.’
Even if Ma Cheon Je arranged trivial things to observe, he was the supreme lord of the Demonic Path.
He was a terrifying figure who could strike at the spirit without lifting a finger—he would never resort to mere tricks.
“Hmm.”
Finally, standing before the office, an ordinary elderly man sat there.
There was nothing particularly distinctive about him, and he even appeared somewhat benevolent.
He was none other than Sa Do Moo Myung, the supreme lord of the Demonic Path who ruled a million followers.
I swallowed hard.
I swallowed once more.
It was partly because I had perfectly transformed into the person known as Seon Woo Jin.
Even though I had constructed perfect barriers in my spirit through the Yeonggyu Tatong technique,
I could not feel confident that I could completely deceive Ma Cheon Je’s eyes.
“Seon Woo Jin, Director of the Cheop Mil Won of the Murim Alliance, pays respects to Ma Cheon Je.”
Composing myself, I offered a respectful yet confident greeting.
In that instant, Ma Cheon Je’s eyes radiated a mysterious brilliance.
The air around us seemed to vanish entirely, and the office felt as though it had become another world.
“You’ve traveled far and endured much hardship.”
Ma Cheon Je’s voice and expression were so composed that it seemed as though he were greeting a disciple he hadn’t seen in ages.
The Bu Eunseol of old would have maintained an expression of surprise and unfamiliarity no matter what.
But now, I went even further and spoke thus.
“Though we meet for the first time, somehow your face feels familiar.”
I offered a disarming smile.
“As though I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“I hear that often.”
Ma Cheon Je laughed and played along. The atmosphere was like two acquaintances chatting at the Village Entrance.
But my spine grew cold.
Each time he spoke aloud,
I felt as though the skin enveloping my body were being peeled away layer by layer.
“Sit.”
Ma Cheon Je gestured with his hand.
It was a reception table that hadn’t been present during my previous visit.
As I settled quietly into the seat, Ma Cheon Je spoke.
“Tell me.”
His voice shook the silent office.
“What exactly the Murim Alliance wants, and what you desire.”
“What I desire is….”
The moment I opened my mouth, my voice nearly trembled.
For as I spoke aloud, this time it felt as though the scalp itself were being stripped away.
‘This is Ma Cheon Je’s power.’
My senses sounded an alarm.
This was no mere illusion.
Clearly, Ma Cheon Je was using some force to attempt to peer into my inner self.
I gathered my focus and quickly opened my mouth.
“…An official apology from the Demon Hall and a promise to prevent recurrence.”
Thump thump.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
What if I had hesitated in thought and failed to answer swiftly?
I sensed that Ma Cheon Je’s suspicion would have solidified into certainty, and he might have acted immediately.
“I hear that you destroyed one of Ben Jeon’s secret organizations.”
Ma Cheon Je opened his mouth once more.
I felt as though my skin had completely melted away, leaving only muscle beneath.
“In effect, Seon Woo touched Ben Jeon first. Yet why do you omit that from your account?”
Fortunately, it was a question I had anticipated.
Having composed myself, I spoke calmly.
“Before joining the Murim Alliance, during my travels through Gangho…I once encountered martial artists who had surrounded a village in Dong Jeong.”
With each word I spoke, it now felt as though my hair were melting and my scalp being flayed.
Yet I met Ma Cheon Je’s gaze directly as I continued.
“They surrounded the village and slaughtered the innocent people without mercy.”
In the past, the elite masters of Hyeoljuk, the secret organization of Chong Gyo Ryeong,
had completely sealed off a village in the Dong Jeong region to eliminate Dan Seo Ok.
In that process, many innocent people died or were injured.
A man named Seon Woo Jin was present there at the time, and he is claiming to have witnessed that atrocity.
“At that time, I didn’t know they were an organization of Demon Hall. I simply thought they were an Assassination Sect indiscriminately killing innocent people.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes hardened with intensity.
“Later, when I became the director of Cheop Mil Won and was inspecting the branch, I happened to discover them and dealt with them. Of course, I didn’t know they were Demon Hall’s secret organization.”
And she stared directly at Ma Cheon Je and asked,
“Is that a crime?”
“Hehehehe.”
As Ma Cheon Je laughed, it felt as though not just Bu Eunseol’s skin but her very muscles were slowly melting away.
‘This won’t work.’
If Ma Cheon Je spoke one more word now, or if Bu Eunseol gave an answer…
All her spiritual barriers would crumble, and her true form would be completely exposed—such was the instinct that seized her.
“By chance…”
As Ma Cheon Je opened his mouth, Bu Eunseol’s muscles finally dissolved completely.
“There is no such thing as chance in this world.”
The hard shell finally shattered, and Bu Eunseol felt her true form beginning to reveal itself.
‘This won’t work.’
Just as she was about to cry out inwardly,
Zing.
Suddenly, something strange occurred.
A faint vibration emanated from near her chest.
A sensation of everything within her body being violently stirred and churned erupted outward.
‘Ugh.’
Her organs moved of their own accord, her blood vessels trembled, and her bones stretched.
Even her brain within her skull seemed to shrink and expand repeatedly.
It was as if Bu Eunseol’s very existence was being transformed into something else.
‘It worked.’
Bu Eunseol cried out inwardly.
The gamble she had wagered on such slim odds had succeeded.
‘Thank heavens!’
What lay within her chest.
In truth, it was the orb that Dang Pae had given her.
‘The Gyeongseong Jade.’
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s mind recalled
the conversation she had shared with Ma Geom Ja at Nangya Pavilion immediately after parting with Dang Gon.

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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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