The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 717

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 717.
“No, that’s not it.”
Bu Eunseol, sensing what was on her mind, hastily waved both hands in denial.
“I’ve come for a different matter.”
“A different matter?”
“I’ve acquired something that could be of great benefit to Shin Nyeo Gung.”
“I see.”
Yeon So Ha felt somewhat disappointed, yet she smiled brightly and led Bu Eunseol inside.
“Please, don’t just stand there—come in.”
As Bu Eunseol moved toward the inner chambers, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed.
At that very moment, a middle-aged woman approached, accompanied by dozens of disciples.
Though her features were beautiful, her gaze was sharp and piercing, her eyes gleaming with an icy aura.
It was none other than the Divine Maiden Palace Master, Yeon Ja Mi.
“Palace Master.”
Bu Eunseol clasped her hands in respectful greeting, but Yeon Ja Mi responded in a cold voice.
“This palace maintains a strict prohibition against men. You must leave.”
“Mother.”
Yeon So Ha stepped forward.
“The Ryeong Ju has traveled such a great distance, yet you greet her with coldness at the gate?”
Then Yeon Ja Mi spoke in a solemn tone.
“You will not interfere.”
And she addressed Bu Eunseol coldly.
“So Ha left this palace without permission and became engaged to you, or so I hear—is this true?”
“It is.”
“I absolutely cannot accept this.”
Yeon Ja Mi spoke with eyes as sharp as blades.
“Regardless of your youth, you are of the Demonic Path. If my daughter acted foolishly, you should have stopped her!”
“….”
“Moreover, you went even further—did you exploit this child’s innocent heart?”
“How could I ever presume to overstep toward the Young Palace Master? The truth is….”
Before Bu Eunseol could even respond, Yeon Ja Mi spoke again.
“And if you are indeed engaged, should you not have come to this palace to explain yourself?”
Yeon Ja Mi spoke with great fury.
“Why have you only now come skulking about? That is what I ask.”
Yeon Ja Mi was angered that Yeon So Ha had gone to find Bu Eunseol without permission.
She was furious that Bu Eunseol had become engaged to her daughter without any consultation.
But it seemed she was even more enraged that Bu Eunseol had not visited Shin Nyeo Gung since then.
“I have nothing to say in my defense.”
Bu Eunseol lowered her head.
Yeon Ja Mi’s anger was entirely justified as a mother.
I should be grateful that he didn’t come directly to Demon Hall to lodge a protest.
“Though there are circumstances, I sincerely apologize for proceeding with such matters without the Palace Lord’s permission.”
“Hmph, don’t tell me you’re about to claim this wasn’t a genuine betrothal?”
“Palace Lord.”
“Answer me.”
“That is correct.”
In that instant, Yeon Ja Mi’s eyes blazed with fury.
“You call that an answer?”
She seemed far more enraged by the fact that a false betrothal had been made.
“What may be a trivial jest to you is a matter that determines Yeon So Ha’s entire future.”
She cried out in anger.
“If word spreads throughout Murim that this betrothal is false? Yeon So Ha will become a laughingstock!”
“I—”
“How could Yeon So Ha ever make another betrothal or marriage? She would be branded a woman abandoned by a Demonic Path figure, her life utterly ruined!”
Yeon Ja Mi was a perceptive woman.
She wasn’t merely demanding accountability for the false betrothal itself.
Rather, she was questioning the future disadvantages that Yeon So Ha would suffer because of that false promise.
“Mother, the Ryeong Ju didn’t force this—it was my own wish.”
“I told you to stay silent!”
Yeon Ja Mi sternly rebuked Yeon So Ha, then fixed Bu Eunseol with an icy gaze.
“Leave.”
After a long silence, Yeon Ja Mi spoke coldly.
“I have nothing more to say to you.”
“I understand. However….”
Bu Eunseol spoke respectfully.
“Before I depart, I will open the Seonhak Byeolbu for you.”
In that moment, Yeon Ja Mi’s eyes gleamed.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I heard that the Secret Cave built by the Ancestress has remained sealed all this time because the sacred relic was lost.”
Bu Eunseol withdrew a jade-hued vial from her robes.
A member of the Sa Hon Dae, originally from the Guusal Unit, had spent considerable time investigating the Xinjiang region.
Through listening to legends passed down among the elders, she had finally traced and discovered it.
The sacred relic of Shin Nyeo Gung—the Choyoban.
“This is the Choyoban.”
Bu Eunseol spoke carefully.
“With this, the Seonhak Byeolbu can be opened.”
Yeon Ja Mi glared at Yeon So Ha.
The Seonhak Byeolbu was secret history of Shin Nyeo Gung—not something to be revealed to outsiders.
“The Ryeong Ju can hardly be called an outsider to this palace.”
As Yeon So Ha spoke brazenly, Yeon Ja Mi let out a weary sigh.
Seeing her daughter’s such sincere devotion, Yeon Ja Mi found herself unable to harbor any resentment toward Bu Eunseol.
“So you’re telling me you heard this story from my daughter and have been searching for Seonhak Byeolbu all this time?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
In that moment, Yeon Ja Mi’s expression softened slightly.
Only then did she realize that Bu Eunseol had not treated Yeon So Ha carelessly or arbitrarily.
‘She deliberated carefully and found a respectful way to decline her wishes.’
Yeon Ja Mi saw through Bu Eunseol’s true intentions.
If she were to open the Secret Palace that had remained sealed all this time?
Bu Eunseol would naturally become a benefactor to Shin Nyeo Gung, and they could no longer pressure her into marriage.
“Even if that truly were Seonhak Byeolbu, the Secret Palace of this palace cannot be opened.”
Yeon Ja Mi sighed as she spoke.
“The reason this palace has abandoned its endless search for Seonhak Byeolbu is singular: even if we found it, we would have no means to open it.”
To use Seonhak Byeolbu, the sacrifice of a supreme master possessing over five hundred years of cultivation is required.
Yet in the current Murim, those who possess over five hundred years of cultivation are likely only—
Bul Jon, Ma Cheon Je, Mu Jon, and other supreme masters who dominate the Tianxia.
And such individuals would never consent to sacrificing their cultivation and opening Seonhak Byeolbu for Shin Nyeo Gung.
“This palace regards Seonhak Byeolbu as merely a legend. There is no chance a master with five hundred years of heritage would open its doors for us.”
Yeon Ja Mi spoke coldly.
“So abandon this notion and return.”
“I will open it for you.”
“What did you say?”
“I will use Seonhak Byeolbu to open the doors of Seonhak Byeolbu.”
Yeon Ja Mi regarded Bu Eunseol with an incredulous gaze.
“What nonsense are you speaking?”
“Fortunately, I possess sufficient inner power to open Seonhak Byeolbu.”
A brief silence fell.
After staring at Bu Eunseol with wide eyes for some time, Yeon Ja Mi let out a sharp laugh.
“Hahahaha.”
Shaking her head as she laughed, her eyes suddenly gleamed as she spoke.
“Moo Hon Ryeong Ju. Are you now jesting with this Palace Master?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol extended a single finger.
“What are you doing?”
As Yeon Ja Mi’s brow furrowed, Bu Eunseol scratched her head.
“I… cannot seem to control it well.”
“What?”
“This is the first time I have ever unleashed my full power with all my strength.”
“That is…”
Just as Yeon Ja Mi was about to furrow her brow,
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Suddenly, stones began to cascade down from the distant mountain peak in the distance.
Bu Eunseol unleashed a wind blade across dozens of zhang, striking a distant mountain peak with all her power.
“You’re telling me you did that?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Ja Mi shook her head in disbelief.
It was already unbelievable that she possessed five hundred years of cultivation.
But to exert inner power without any ripple of true energy manifesting?
“I didn’t sense any exertion of inner power at all.”
“When one reaches the pinnacle, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. I unleashed my full power, yet it seems no energy wave was produced.”
At Bu Eunseol’s calm words, Yeon Ja Mi was left utterly speechless.
“Unless you were a master who had broken through to Half-Immortal Ascension, five hundred years of cultivation would be impossible…”
Whoosh.
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol rose silently to a height of over ten zhang.
She had deployed the Terrestrial Flight Technique, which required at least four hundred years of cultivation to even attempt.
“Do you believe me now?”
Bu Eunseol descended to the ground, yet disbelief still lingered in Yeon Ja Mi’s eyes.
“There are indeed young prodigies in Murim who have achieved four hundred years of cultivation.”
She spoke with conviction.
“But five hundred years is a different matter entirely. One cannot harbor such power in their body unless they break through the Extreme Heaven Realm and reach the state of Law Heaven Golden Immortal.”
Yeon Ja Mi had noticed the absence of divine radiance that manifests in masters of the Boundless Realm.
‘There’s no point in explaining.’
In truth, Bu Eunseol was not in the Boundless Realm but was treading a new martial path she had never walked before.
Ak Moo Ryung, being a master of the Boundless Realm, had immediately recognized this.
But Yeon Ja Mi was far from Ak Moo Ryung’s level.
Her martial prowess was even lower than Bu Eunseol’s, so she could not perceive such subtleties.
“Regardless, wouldn’t it be worth attempting?”
At Bu Eunseol’s resolute words, Yeon Ja Mi furrowed her brow.
Opening the long-sealed Seonhak Byeolbu would be nothing but beneficial for Shin Nyeo Gung.
‘But if the legend is true…’
Yet recalling the legend of Cho Yo Beon, Yeon Ja Mi conveyed her refusal.
“Outsiders cannot enter that place.”
“Palace Lord.”
“Even if your cultivation reaches five hundred years, using Cho Yo Beon would reduce your power by at least thirty percent. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Though he was said to be of the Demonic Path.
She did not wish to ruin the reputation of one her daughter cherished so dearly.
“Namgung Sae-ah abandoned her spotless reputation to protect me in my time of need. How could I begrudge my own cultivation?”
Yeon Ja Mi’s eyes wavered.
She realized Bu Eunseol spoke from her heart.
She had always thought him a cold and ruthless man.
One who kept her daughter waiting endlessly.
Yet now she saw he had been constantly gathering intelligence about Shin Nyeo Gung’s movements.
He was even willing to sacrifice his cultivation—something as precious as life itself to a martial artist—to break the seal of Shin Nyeo Gung.
“Hmm.”
Yeon Ja Mi let out a soft sound of acknowledgment.
Somewhere along the way, her animosity toward Bu Eunseol had begun to fade.
Moreover, what if he could truly break the seal?
Shin Nyeo Gung might gain new strength in return.
“Is there something you desire?”
There was no martial artist in this world who would sacrifice their cultivation without wanting something in return.
Yeon Ja Mi suspected Bu Eunseol harbored some hidden agenda.
“I desire nothing.”
Yet Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“I shall be satisfied merely with opening the Seonhak Byeolbu.”
“How admirable.”
Yeon Ja Mi suppressed the surge of emotion welling within her and nodded her head.
“First, let us test whether this Choyobeom is genuine.”
Yeon Ja Mi spoke as she received the gourd containing the Choyobeom.
“Have him wait in the Bong A Pavilion for now.”
Then she withdrew deeper into the chamber with her disciples.
She would likely test the Choyobeom herself.
It seemed she intended to verify both its authenticity and whether five hundred years of cultivation truly was the price required.
As they turned to leave, Namgung So So, the Haehwa Hall Master who had been following Yeon Ja Mi, gave a light nod and smiled softly.
She was the first to witness Bu Eunseol’s true nature, having come with her nephew Nam Goong Woon.
And she had long hoped for a good relationship between Bu Eunseol and Yeon So Ha.
“Ryeong Ju, please don’t.”
At that moment, Yeon So Ha grasped Bu Eunseol’s sleeve.
“You could truly lose your cultivation.”
The legends passed down through Murim contained falsehoods, but many had proven true.
What if this was one of them?
Bu Eunseol’s cultivation would be instantly diminished by nearly thirty percent.
“It is fine.”
Bu Eunseol offered a faint smile of reassurance.
“It was something I had to do anyway.”
“Is it because you feel sorry?”
Yeon So Ha stared intently at Bu Eunseol.
“Because you cannot answer my feelings, you wish to break the seal of this palace and free yourself from the debt of conscience?”
Sometimes truth is cruel.
Women know this well, and thus sometimes they wish for sweet lies instead.
But Bu Eunseol could not offer that.
“Yes.”
“Then there is no need.”
Yeon So Ha was a strong woman.
She was not a passive woman who merely wished to receive love.
“There’s no need for you to feel indebted. I simply like Ryeong Ju, that’s all.”
She spoke with firm resolve.
“You said you have much to accomplish ahead. Your cultivation power cannot afford any loss whatsoever.”
Bu Eunseol felt a profound wave of emotion wash over her.
Even in these circumstances, Yeon So Ha concerned herself only with my welfare.
‘How difficult it is to cross the threshold of love.’
Yeon So Ha was a woman whose beauty ranked among the finest in Tianxia, whose resolve was unshakeable, and whose wisdom was profound.
Moreover, Shin Nyeo Gung possessed vast wealth accumulated over generations, so she would never need to ask favors of anyone throughout her lifetime.
She, who could easily find a devoted and worthy companion and live a life of contentment…
…had instead been blinded by love, pouring forth unconditional affection.
And that pure, selfless love…
…only weighed my heart down further.
“I am not such a pure person.”
I spoke with candor.
“It is true that I have long manipulated the intelligence organization to establish Seonhak Byeolbu. But the reason I came here so urgently today was… in fact, to make a certain request of the Palace Lord.”
“What request is that?”
I hesitated for a moment.
I was considering where and how to begin.
“You may speak freely. No one else can enter this place besides us.”
Yeon So Ha turned her body and went deeper inside.
She then personally brought out tea and spoke with composure.
“Speak freely. About anything.”
‘Her character is truly admirable.’
For the first time, I realized that Yeon So Ha possessed many virtues and was a genuinely good person.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth.
“I need an object capable of disrupting the Heavenly Secrets.”
“The Heavenly Secrets?”
At this rather unexpected word, Yeon So Ha blinked her large eyes.
I withdrew the Gyeong Seong Jade from my bosom.
“This is called the Gyeong Seong Jade. It is a precious artifact believed to have been created by the legendary Three Families.”
“The Gyeong Seong Jade.”
“Indeed. And I seek to repair this Gyeong Seong Jade or obtain another, for which I require someone from the Three Families.”
I briefly recounted the story of my past encounter with Yang Seol Rin from the Yang Seol Family.
After hearing everything, Yeon So Ha drew a deep breath.
“So the legendary Three Families actually exist, and they read the Heavenly Secrets while secretly involving themselves in the affairs of Gangho.”
“That is correct.”
“That is difficult to believe. Though surely it is all true.”
Yeon So Ha knew well that I was not the sort of person to speak nonsense.
However, Shin Nyeo Gung had consistently remained indifferent to the affairs of Gangho, maintaining a pristine isolation from the world.
This was precisely why Bu Eunseol’s words sounded like tales from legend rather than reality.
“Perhaps it might be possible if we were to employ Immortal Artifacts.”
Shin Nyeo Gung was a legendary sect founded by the fox spirit known as the Divine Maiden.
Therefore, the Secret Library of Shin Nyeo Gung housed a collection of Immortal Artifacts imbued with mysterious power.
“Though I cannot guarantee success.”
Footsteps echoed softly across the floor.
At that moment, the sound of multiple footsteps approached from outside.
It was Yeon Ja Mi and Namgung Sae-ah, the Master of Haehwa Palace.
“Even with the Choyoban inserted, it would not open.”
Yeon Ja Mi, who had entered the chamber, spoke while gazing at the gourd containing the Choyoban.
“When inserted into the flagpole, light flowed forth and seemed to absorb inner energy, but then it simply ceased. It appears the mechanism requires at least five hundred years of accumulated power to function.”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol rose from her seat without hesitation.
“Allow me to attempt it.”
“Ryeong Ju.”
As Yeon So Ha tried to stop her once more, Bu Eunseol offered a gentle smile.
“It is fine. Even if my inner energy were depleted by thirty percent, my martial prowess would remain unaffected.”
This was no falsehood.
Bu Eunseol had faced countless formidable opponents, and never once had superiority in inner energy determined victory or defeat.
All of my true techniques were founded upon the subtlety of martial principles.
Especially since I had suppressed the manifestation of the Limitless Equal Angle and ventured down a new path.
My martial techniques had grown more potent without expending vast reserves of inner energy.
In fact, there were more instances where extraordinary technique became the decisive factor rather than inner energy reserves.
Thus, even a loss of thirty percent posed no inconvenience whatsoever.
“Is there not a saying that one cannot receive rewards without establishing merit? Surely by undertaking such tasks, we might earn a measure of Shin Nyeo Gung’s assistance.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Yeon Ja Mi’s brow furrowed.
“Assistance?”
Yeon So Ha quickly interjected.
“We intend to use some of our sect’s Immortal Artifacts.”
“Immortal Artifacts?”
“Yes. We wish to test whether using them might disrupt the celestial mechanisms.”
Yeon So Ha tactfully concealed Bu Eunseol’s true intentions.
This way, Yeon Ja Mi would not refuse the use of the Immortal Artifacts.
“Well, if we are to open the Seonhak Byeolbu, using Immortal Artifacts is something we can certainly permit.”
“I shall attempt it.”
When Bu Eunseol spoke with such resolve, Yeon Ja Mi nodded in agreement.
“You shall accompany the Palace Master herself.”
The Seonhak Byeolbu was not located within Shin Nyeo Gung itself, but rather concealed secretly upon Sangseung Peak, one of the Musan Twelve Peaks.
“Follow the Palace Master’s movements precisely.”
Yeon Ja Mi ascended Sangseung Peak and began moving swiftly through her lightness technique.
The Seonhak Byeolbu is concealed by the highest formation of Shin Nyeo Gung.
No matter how exceptional one’s martial prowess, it is nearly impossible for outsiders to enter.
Whoosh.
With each step Yeon Ja Mi took, wind brushed past my ears, and mist bloomed before my eyes, obscuring my vision.
It seemed that overlapping confusion formations were deployed—ones designed to strip away directional sense and disturb the spirit.
“This is the place.”
Finally, as I emerged from the formation’s influence, a massive cave came into view.
Stepping inside, I found a narrow, elongated bridge constructed across the expanse, with a great door visible at its far end.
Along both sides of the bridge stood twelve varieties of animal head statues, and between them lay an ancient wall suffused with a weathered glow.
Beside it, a flagpole for planting flags was visible—apparently the place where the Cho Yo Bun was meant to be inserted.
“Allow me to attempt this.”
Bu Eunseol withdrew the Cho Yo Bun from the gourd bottle Yeon Ja Mi held.
Then I proceeded slowly across the narrow bridge.
Rumble.
As I crossed the bridge, the twelve animal stone statues turned their direction and began staring intently at me.
“Indeed, they respond to the Ryeong Ju.”
At Namgung So So’s words from a distance, Yeon Ja Mi nodded in agreement.
When they had entered, the statues showed no reaction whatsoever.
But seeing Bu Eunseol trigger a response upon entry—
It seemed they had sensed that I was the one capable of opening the Seonhak Byeolbu.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol infused power into the Cho Yo Bun.
Whirrrr.
The flagpole gleamed, and I felt the Won Jeong Jin Gi slowly draining away through the wrist Blood Sealing Point.
‘It truly does absorb power.’
Once Won Jeong Jin Gi is damaged, it cannot be restored.
The legend that the Cho Yo Bun absorbs power was fact.
‘Absorb freely.’
Bu Eunseol did not hesitate, pouring forth inner power to allow easy absorption.
Then something extraordinary occurred.
Whirrrrr.
As the Cho Yo Bun attempted to absorb my Won Jeong Jin Gi, the Soo Jeong Jin Gi spontaneously activated within my body.
Shuuuuu.
Simultaneously, the Cho Yo Bun began greedily drawing in Bu Eunseol’s Soo Jeong Jin Gi instead of the Won Jeong Jin Gi.
After some time passed, the Cho Yo Bun greedily demanded yet more power.
Crackle! Crackle crackle!
Then purple lightning spontaneously erupted across my entire body.
In response to the Cho Yo Bun’s demand, the Reo Jeong Jin Gi was even activated.
Boom! Crackle crackle!
Transparent crystal divine energy and intense lightning divine energy alternated in violent waves, erupting from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Brilliant light began to radiate from Cho Yo Beon.
“It’s transforming!”
Yeon Ja Mi, watching from a distance, gasped in astonishment.
Cho Yo Beon.
Having absorbed Bu Eunseol’s divine energy, it shed its banner form.
It became a luminous sphere that enveloped Bu Eunseol.
Click.
Bu Eunseol inserted Cho Yo Beon into the massive gate blocking her path.
Whoosh.
Then something extraordinary happened.
The gate began to fade away, and in an instant, even the bridge beneath her feet vanished completely.
And Bu Eunseol’s body, surrounded by light, was descending downward.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————