The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 719
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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 719.
“Are you truly all right?”
Namgung Sae-ah approached and asked.
“What in the world was down there that took you so long?”
‘Should I tell her?’
All the characters carved into the stone wall had already vanished.
Besides, the prophecies Yo Hui had made held no relevance to the disciples of Shin Nyeo Gung. Was there any need to complicate matters with an explanation?
Moreover, wasn’t I the one who had disrupted the arrangements left by Seonhak Byeolbu?
‘No, I should still be honest about it. It was a story left behind by the founder.’
Bu Eunseol spoke truthfully.
“Below, there was a beautifully adorned small village, and within it lay a cave where a stone statue of Shin Nyeo Gung’s founder stood. I believe that must be the main base of Seonhak Byeolbu.”
And then I recounted the story that had been inscribed upon the stone wall.
However, I did not mention the possibility that I myself might be a being of the Demonic nature. It hadn’t been confirmed with certainty, after all.
Namgung Sae-ah listened in silence, then tilted her head.
“Such words were written there?”
“Yes. But since the characters on the stone wall have soared into the sky and the statue has vanished… it may sound somewhat far-fetched.”
Since Namgung Sae-ah was Nam Goong Woon’s aunt, Bu Eunseol treated her with utmost respect regardless of rank.
She, too, was aware of Bu Eunseol’s consideration and wore a faint smile, yet her eyes carried an unmistakable shadow.
“No, I believe you.”
Upon hearing Namgung Sae-ah’s voice laden with concern, Bu Eunseol immediately sensed that something had befallen Shin Nyeo Gung.
“What has happened?”
“Nothing of great import. However… it would be wise for you to leave this palace soon.”
Namgung Sae-ah spoke.
“A few hours ago, mysterious forces suddenly arrived at this palace. They are insisting that they must search the grounds.”
“Search? Why would they search Shin Nyeo Gung?”
“They speak of strange things—that the celestial energy has shifted—and they are attempting to force their way into the palace.”
Namgung Sae-ah laughed bitterly.
“I suspect it is because of that energy you mentioned, the one that soared into the sky from Seonhak Byeolbu, that this situation has arisen.”
“The celestial energy.”
Bu Eunseol sensed something and asked.
“Is there perhaps a young woman among them with rather short hair and a violet scar upon her neck?”
“Indeed. Do you know this person?”
‘Yang Seol Rin. She has come.’
Bu Eunseol allowed a faint smile to grace her lips.
The celestial energy had been disrupted by the power of Seonhak Byeolbu, and Yang Seol Rin, sensing it, had immediately made her way to Shin Nyeo Gung.
‘Opening Seonhak Byeolbu—it moved the celestial energy.’
Seonhak Byeolbu was the place where the arrangements of Yo Hui, the founder of Shin Nyeo Gung who understood the celestial energy, lay embedded.
And it was said that by passing through that place, one could awaken the power of Cheon Gang Sung.
In other words, opening Seonhak Byeolbu itself had certainly caused tremendous change to the celestial energy.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Bu Eunseol nodded firmly and spoke with conviction.
“I shall resolve that matter, so please guide me to where she is.”
Su Seo Dae was located near the foot of Bi Bong Peak on Wushan Mountain.
It faced Shin Nyeo Peak across the river between them.
This place possessed a vast, flat stone terrace, and legend held that it was a platform created through sorcery by the ancestral phoenix Yo Hui.
Upon this Su Seo Dae, two figures—a man and a woman—stood facing the night sky below.
The man appeared harmonized with nature itself, serene yet emanating a solemn presence as if bearing up the heavens and pressing down the earth.
The woman possessed the mysterious eyes of a phoenix, with auspicious energy shimmering across her entire form.
They were none other than Bu Eunseol and Yang Seol Rin.
“It has been a long time.”
Yang Seol Rin was delighted to see Bu Eunseol, yet also taken aback.
“What brings you to this place?”
She had sensed a dramatic shift in the flow of heavenly mechanisms, and realized that Shin Nyeo Gung was its source.
Yang Seol Rin had rushed to Wushan immediately to begin her investigation, but naturally, Shin Nyeo Gung had barred her entry.
She had sought an audience with the Divine Maiden Palace Master to negotiate, but faced with firm refusal, a stalemate had ensued.
Then, unexpectedly, Shin Nyeo Gung had proposed moving to Su Seo Dae.
―This matter might be resolved through consultation with the person at Su Seo Dae.
Though she sensed something amiss, she had no choice in the matter.
In the end, Yang Seol Rin had journeyed to Su Seo Dae and encountered Bu Eunseol.
“Could it be that you’ve now learned to read the heavenly mechanisms?”
Bu Eunseol found reassurance in the fact that Yang Seol Rin remained unchanged from before,
treating her with familiarity while maintaining her characteristically reckless nature.
―She is trustworthy.
Though I sought out Yang Seol Rin because of Gyeong Yi, I harbored lingering unease.
According to Jisalseong’s words, the Yang Seol Family was gathering the Baek Pal Sung to conduct experiments.
And whether that was truth or falsehood,
the Yang Seol Family was deeply entangled in the affairs of the Murim.
In other words, much like the Sam Gye and various factions I had encountered thus far,
the Yang Seol Family too was undoubtedly operating covertly with consistent and distinct purpose.
―I do not trust people.
Those were words that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had once spoken.
She too had likely made contact with countless factions within the Murim.
And she must have come to understand
that the Murim was not merely what appeared on the surface, and that many forces lurked crouched within the Abyss.
That one could never know what calamity might arise from trusting someone carelessly.
Yet Bu Eunseol did trust.
I knew not what the Yang Seol Family’s intentions were,
but Yang Seol Rin—she was absolutely not a wicked person.
“How could I possibly possess the ability to read the heavenly mechanisms?”
Bu Eunseol swept away the countless thoughts that had surfaced and redirected the conversation.
“But who are they? Didn’t you say you came to Gangho alone?”
Behind Yang Seol Rin stood women clad in crimson robes, their murderous aura fixed upon Bu Eunseol.
“Ah.”
Yang Seol Rin shrugged her shoulders.
“Gangho turned out to be far more treacherous than I expected.”
“Are they masters of the Yang Seol Family?”
“Well, yes.”
She too seemed troubled as she deflected the question.
“But how did you find this place?”
“I was searching for you, my lady.”
“You found me—but why?”
Bu Eunseol answered not with words, but with a glance toward her subordinates.
Yang Seol Rin, grasping the meaning in that gaze, shrugged and spoke to her attendants.
“Step back for a moment. There’s something important we need to discuss.”
Yet they did not move.
Then Yang Seol Rin spoke with resignation.
“She’s the ally I mentioned before. It’s fine.”
At her words, the warriors in crimson robes vanished in an instant with reluctant acceptance.
It was no ordinary lightness technique—they wielded something far more alien, something akin to sorcery.
“Do you recognize this orb?”
Once they had departed, Bu Eunseol withdrew a small sphere from her garments.
It was the Gyeong Seong Jade.
“Hm?”
Yang Seol Rin tilted her head, studying Bu Eunseol with curiosity.
“How do you possess this?”
“I obtained it by chance during my travels through Gangho.”
Bu Eunseol offered a carefully crafted lie.
“And I discovered that this orb harbors mysterious power—yet suddenly, that power vanished.”
“And so?”
“I sought either to recover the orb’s power or find a way to restore it.”
“So that’s why you sought me out?”
Bu Eunseol answered with honesty.
“Yes.”
Yang Seol Rin pondered for a long moment, then shook her head.
“It cannot be.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Gyeong Seong Jade must not be wielded by those of Gangho.”
She spoke with grave severity.
“And besides… this isn’t even a true Gyeong Seong Jade.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock, and Yang Seol Rin let out a weary sigh before speaking.
“This. It’s an artificial Gyeongseong Jade—one that functions by channeling power into it temporarily.”
Bu Eunseol felt as though struck on the back of the head.
This Gyeongseong Jade, possessing such mysterious properties, was a counterfeit created by human hands?
“You mean it’s fake?”
“Not fake—artificial,” Yang Seol Rin corrected.
Her expression was peculiar.
“It’s actually more precious than a genuine Gyeongseong Jade. Because you can infuse it with power again and use it repeatedly.”
“Then the reason this power has been depleted is…”
“The power simply ran out.”
Bu Eunseol felt bewildered.
It was already astounding that such treasures existed in this world. But could the Three Families artificially manufacture such items?
“Does the Yang Seol Family possess many of these objects?”
“Who knows.”
“Then couldn’t you infuse this depleted Gyeongseong Jade with power again?”
Yang Seol Rin furrowed her brow.
“No. I told you—Gangho practitioners shouldn’t use these.”
From her tone, it seemed that reinvigorating the Gyeongseong Jade was indeed possible.
But judging by her expression, she seemed unlikely to reveal that method easily.
After a moment of deliberation, Bu Eunseol spoke again.
“Aren’t you curious why the heavenly secrets scattered and why the Shin Nyeo Gung became their source?”
“Hm?”
“The people of Shin Nyeo Gung don’t know, but I do.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“I can explain the reason clearly to you.”
“Are you saying you did it?”
“I didn’t do it myself. But I’m certainly involved in it.”
“Hmm.”
Yang Seol Rin fell silent, her lips moving wordlessly before her expression turned displeased.
“Now you’re quite the schemer, aren’t you? You asked me so many questions, yet you’ll only answer one in return. Are you setting conditions?”
“That is…”
“This is really too much. No wonder the Gangho is full of ungrateful, shameless parasites like you.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression grew troubled.
I was someone who understood gratitude and always repaid even the smallest kindness.
And Yang Seol Rin’s words were not wrong.
She had consistently shown me favor and taught me much.
Yet I couldn’t simply reveal one reason and then demand her assistance.
‘There’s no way around this.’
The methods available to obtain the Gyeongseong Jade had been exhausted.
The time for my final confrontation with the Sword Demon was approaching, and there were no other options left.
“I apologize.”
Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have made demands of you.”
He nodded readily, resigned to the situation, as he tucked the Gyeong Seong Jade into his robe.
“I’ll tell you everything without conditions.”
“What, are you sulking?”
She possessed a reckless, uninhibited nature.
The bearing of someone who looked down upon all others in the world.
Yet she certainly knew how to read people.
She had discerned that Bu Eunseol understood righteousness and always repaid debts of gratitude.
“How could that be?”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“You have shown me great kindness in the past. And I have only now realized that I have yet to repay it, while making many requests of you.”
Though his words were measured, a glimmer of disappointment and resignation inevitably showed in his eyes.
When Yang Seol Rin saw Bu Eunseol’s refined features darken, her heart softened at once.
“Do you really have to use that orb?”
She spoke, pouting slightly.
“Do you even know what it is before using it?”
“I understand it to be a precious treasure that completely transforms a person’s nature.”
“Sigh. You really know nothing at all.”
Yang Seol Rin shook her head, crossing her arms.
“It’s not simply about changing someone’s nature. It’s….”
She had begun to explain calmly but fell silent.
This artificial Gyeong Seong Jade was one of the great secrets of the Murim, something that could never be revealed to outsiders.
“Fine. If you were only planning to use it for that purpose anyway….”
Yang Seol Rin, muttering softly, extended her hand with resignation.
“Give it here. I’ll make sure it’s put to good use at least once.”
“No, that’s not necessary. How could I make such a request?”
“Ah, enough. Hand it over before I change my mind.”
When Yang Seol Rin frowned with refreshing exasperation, Bu Eunseol smiled.
She was indeed pure and virtuous like a child.
Even if the Yang Seol Family had been corrupted by evil, Yang Seol Rin could never be a wicked person.
“I’m truly grateful.”
Bu Eunseol brought her hands together respectfully.
“I will never forget this kindness.”
Yang Seol Rin smiled along with a soft breath through her nose.
“Of course. I’ll collect interest on this debt later, and quite handsomely too.”
“Naturally.”
Bu Eunseol, unable to imagine in his wildest dreams what that interest would entail, withdrew the Gyeong Seong Jade once more and offered it.
“Hmm. This is quite old.”
Yang Seol Rin examined the Gyeong Seong Jade for a long while,
“It seems to have been created in the early days.”
she murmured softly, then placed it between her palms.
She closed her eyes briefly.
A gentle whooshing sound.
Then a mysterious orange light began to emanate from Yang Seol Rin’s body,
gradually flowing into the hands that held the Gyeong Seong Jade.
“Exhale.”
Opening her eyes again, she unclenched her fist holding the Gyeong Seong Jade.
The jade, which had previously gleamed with a dull yellowish hue, now sparkled like a mysterious star suffused with orange light.
“There. Done.”
“So that’s what it was.”
“What is?”
Bu Eunseol, gazing at the Gyeong Seong Jade glimmering with orange light, nodded faintly.
“This artificial Gyeong Seong Jade—it appears to be capable of temporarily infusing a special power. Perhaps… the same power as the Baek Pal Sung.”
“Your intuition is remarkably sharp.”
“Is my assumption correct?”
“Close enough.”
Yang Seol Rin smiled faintly.
“It’s true that it can temporarily store the power of the Baek Pal Sung.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
“Then you’re saying you’re one of the Baek Pal Sung yourself?”
“Hehe. Jealous?”
Yang Seol Rin crossed her arms and wore an arrogant expression.
“That’s right. I was born with a special power too.”
She tapped Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
“If you had been born with the essence of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, you wouldn’t have needed the Gyeong Seong Jade.”
‘Surely not.’
Upon hearing her words, Bu Eunseol felt as though cold water had been splashed upon her, her mind suddenly alert.
“Then I’m not one of the Baek Pal Sung?”
Though Yo Hui’s prophecies were said to be entirely wrong,
Bu Eunseol had believed at minimum that she was connected to the Demonic or Cheon Am Seong,
or that even if not, she was one of the Baek Pal Sung whose power had simply not yet awakened.
After all, she had emerged unscathed from the Dark Shadow Path—that prison within the Mental World.
Yet Yang Seol Rin’s reaction
seemed to suggest she was certain that Bu Eunseol was not one of the Baek Pal Sung, did it not?
“What, did you want to be?”
“How can you be so certain I’m not one of the Baek Pal Sung?”
Yang Seol Rin laughed playfully.
“If you were one of the Baek Pal Sung, that orb wouldn’t have maintained such a dull, translucent state, would it?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“The Gyeongseong Jade absorbs such essence without you even realizing it. If you had been one of the Baek Pal Sung, you would have eventually manifested a corresponding hue.”
“The power might simply not have awakened yet.”
“Not awakened? Why wouldn’t it?”
Bu Eunseol averted her gaze and muttered under her breath.
“Perhaps I lost my memories.”
“Lost your memories? Well… I suppose that could explain it.”
Yang Seol Rin, who had been nodding with her arms crossed, frowned upon seeing Bu Eunseol’s grave expression.
“Wait, you’re talking about yourself? You’ve lost your memories?”
“I have no recollection of my childhood.”
“I don’t have those either.”
Yang Seol Rin clicked her tongue.
“Strangely enough, I have no memories from around age six or seven.”
“Neither do I.”
Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide her astonishment. Yang Seol Rin also had no memories from that time.
Yet she showed little surprise, nodding calmly instead.
“Ah, is that so? What a coincidence.”
“Is there any way to distinguish the Baek Pal Sung?”
“Well, it’s not impossible to identify them if you really wanted to…”
Yang Seol Rin’s gaze fixed upon the Gyeongseong Jade that Bu Eunseol held.
“Can this do it?”
“Yes, but… no, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Yang Seol Rin shrugged with an awkward expression.
“The method of infusing power into the Gyeongseong Jade is one of the Yang Seol Family’s secret techniques. I absolutely cannot teach it to an outsider.”
“Miss Seol Rin.”
“Besides, even if I taught you, you couldn’t do it.”
“Why is that?”
“Because this is essentially a Daoist secret art—someone trained in Demonic Path cultivation would need at least ten years of practice to master it.”
Yang Seol Rin chuckled softly as she spoke.
“The Gyeongseong Jade is a kind of inner elixir, you see. So…”
‘Inner elixir.’
In that instant, Bu Eunseol recalled the Jeon Jin Sect’s secret techniques that Gong Son Dan Ah had taught her, combined with Hwa Ta’s Five Viscera Harmony—the Daoist secret formula.
A soft whooshing sound.
And then the Gyeongseong Jade, which had been tinged with orange light, suddenly became turbid like murky water.
“What is this?”
Yang Seol Rin’s eyes widened as she realized Bu Eunseol had infused her energy into it.
“You’ve been studying Daoist secret formulas? A Demonic Path cultivator?”
Bu Eunseol quickly offered an explanation.
“Bon Gak contains many inner family secret formulas that combine only the strengths of the Righteous Path. In particular, the Heavenly Jade Mysterious Heaven Formula and the Mountain Spirit Boundless Technique align with Daoist principles.”
Panic makes lies tumble out effortlessly.
Yang Seol Rin, who had been studying Bu Eunseol with a suspicious expression for some time,
“Pfft!”
suddenly burst into laughter upon spotting the Gyeongseong Jade that Bu Eunseol was holding.
The Gyeongseong Jade in her grip had somehow become transparent as water.
“My goodness, you’re an ordinary commoner?”
“What does that mean?”
Instead of answering, Yang Seol Rin tumbled about laughing.
“Oh my belly.”
“My lady.”
“Not even the Baek Pal Sung, nor any of those common marks like earthly foundation or boneless body. Hahahaha.”
After laughing for a long while,
she patted Bu Eunseol’s shoulder with a solemn expression and gave a thumbs up.
“To have come this far with such an ordinary mortal body—truly remarkable.”
Bu Eunseol had already known,
during the Ten Demon Hall Conference, that she possessed an ordinary body.
“Then I am not one of the Baek Pal Sung?”
“Of course not. Even if you had lost your memory, if you infused your inner energy into the Gyeongseong Jade, it could never become transparent like this.”
At Yang Seol Rin’s answer, Bu Eunseol’s expression went blank.
Cheon Joon had declared her to be Cheon Am Seong, and the fake Tak Ma said she was Cheon Gang Sung.
Even Yo Hui, who had constructed a Mental World like the Dark Shadow Corridor, was a divine being capable of discerning heavenly secrets.
Yet all their words were wrong.
This Gyeongseong Jade immediately absorbed the inner energy within the body, making it a precious artifact that could definitively distinguish truth from falsehood.
Which meant…
I was truly none of the Baek Pal Sung, and the previous sages and their brilliant great masters had all been mistaken.
“Why do you look so disappointed? Did you really believe you were one of the Baek Pal Sung?”
“I did, in fact.”
“Why?”
Bu Eunseol spoke honestly.
“A person of considerable status and influence in the Murim told me I was one of the Baek Pal Sung.”
“What did they say you were?”
Bu Eunseol could not bring herself to speak the name Cheon Am Seong.
“Cheon Gang Sung.”
“Hahaha.”
Yang Seol Rin suddenly clutched her belly and laughed.
“How could that be?”
“What makes Cheon Gang Sung different?”
“Of course. Cheon Gang Sung ranks at the apex of the Baek Pal Sung and possesses power equal to Cheon Am Seong.”
Yang Seol Rin smacked her lips.
“And Cheon Gang Sung has never once failed to shine brilliantly. So how could you be Cheon Gang Sung?”
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
Hearing her words, the displeasure I had felt at the possibility of being Cheon Am Seong until now seemed to dissipate.
And the heavy burden of destiny—that I might be Cheon Gang Sung, destined to save the Murim—appeared to dissolve simultaneously.
“I see. It seems they witnessed something illusory.”
Bu Eunseol asked cautiously.
“Then Cheon Am Seong is still gleaming?”
“No? It hasn’t been detected since then.”
“I see.”
Somehow, I felt reassured.
The fact that Cheon Am Seong was no longer detected meant that ultimately all of Yo Hui’s prophecies were false.
Perhaps the Heavenly Secrets had been constantly shifting, and a future different from what Yo Hui foresaw had unfolded.
“Now then, tell me.”
It was then that Yang Seol Rin spoke.
“Why exactly is an aura emanating from Shin Nyeo Gung that confuses the Heavenly Secrets?”
Bu Eunseol calmly explained everything.
How she had sought out Cho Yo Beon to repay Shin Nyeo Gung’s debt, and thereby opened the Seonhak Byeolbu of the ancestral Yo Hui.
And how prophecies regarding the Heavenly Secrets were inscribed there.
How, when finished, it erupted skyward with brilliant light.
However, among the contents of the stone wall,
she disclosed only the warnings about the danger of Cheon Am Seong, omitting the part about the arrangements concerning Cheon Gang Sung.
“Hmm, the prophecy of Yo Hui, ancestral founder of Shin Nyeo Gung.”
Yang Seol Rin exhaled deeply after hearing the entire account.
“So even the sages of old foresaw the danger of Cheon Am Seong.”
She did not seem particularly surprised.
This meant that the Yang Seol Family also possessed knowledge regarding Cheon Am Seong.
“However, the notion of a demonic entity existing and repeating cycles of reincarnation is likely mere fantasy. The sages of old were prone to overinterpreting texts from the Illuminating Demon Scripture.”
“The Illuminating Demon Scripture?”
“Well, such a book exists.”
Yang Seol Rin scratched her cheek awkwardly and tilted her head.
“But I cannot fathom why a sage like Yo Hui would go to such lengths to create a secret cave merely to convey that message?”
In truth, Yo Hui had created the Seonhak Byeolbu because a divine being bearing the destiny of Cheon Gang Sung was scheduled to visit Shin Nyeo Gung five hundred years hence, carrying the Cho Yo Beon.
Five hundred years later, this divine being would come.
It was to awaken the power of Cheon Gang Sung through the Radiant Immortal Path.
Yang Seol Rin’s perception was keen, and she sensed that the Seonhak Byeolbu’s creation was inevitable because of another underlying purpose.
She suspected there was more to it than met the eye.
“I cannot say. I was unable to examine the interior in detail.”
In truth, Bu Eunseol thought,
―Being an outsider, I could not examine it thoroughly, but it seems they likely left secret teachings for Shin Nyeo Gung’s disciples there.
This is what she had wanted to say.
But clumsy lies are easily exposed.
Moreover, it was strange that the Divine Maiden Palace had created a Secret Cave with conditions that deliberately prevented her disciples from entering, and concealed her martial arts.
In the end, Bu Eunseol judged that it was better to play dumb in such situations.
“If you cannot trust me, then say so. I shall petition my Palace Lord to have that Secret Cave verified.”
Yang Seol Rin, who had been pondering deeply,
“Very well.”
nodded and spoke.
“I’ll trust your words. There’s no need to enter the Divine Maiden Palace.”
And she added one more thing.
“Besides, the shift in the flow of heavenly fortune was only temporary anyway.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. Just repay the debt.”
“Of course. Tell me anything you need.”
Bu Eunseol felt considerable gratitude toward Yang Seol Rin in her own way.
She had trusted her, and unconditionally prioritized fixing the Gyeong Seong Jade for her.
Unlike the martial artists of Murim who squandered not even a single piece of information and sought to maintain advantage through it,
Yang Seol Rin had believed in Bu Eunseol without any conditions and resolved her difficulties first.
For that alone, Bu Eunseol was determined to fulfill any request from Yang Seol Rin with sincerity.
“Without even asking what it is?”
“I have faith that you are not someone who would deliberately put me in a difficult position.”
“Hmm, those are kind words. But this time it might be rather troublesome?”
“Tell me. I will do my utmost to help.”
“Well. I’ve incurred another debt with this matter….”
Yang Seol Rin’s face flushed slightly.
“Can you do three things for me?”
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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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