The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 72

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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 72.
The Jeong Mu Dae Hoe proceeded steadily.
Bu Eunseol dispatched her next opponent, Hong Gi San of the Soul-Severing Blade, with ease.
Though he was a master of killing intent as a swordsman of the Demonic Path, he fell far short of the level Bu Eunseol had achieved with the Heavenly Thunder Unparalleled Form.
Now the semi-finals loomed ahead. All remaining competitors were renowned masters who had shaken the Gangho.
The Eternal Divine Blade.
Throughout the Gangho, legendary blades had been passed down through generations, and those who wielded them gained fame alongside their weapons.
By offering the Eternal Divine Blade as the grand prize, even masters of old who transcended worldly desires had emerged to compete.
“My next opponent… is rather troublesome.”
Heuk Pyo, standing beside Bu Eunseol as they examined the bracket, rubbed his brow.
“It’s Seo Mun Gyeong of the Seo Mun Family—one of the masters predicted to win the tournament.”
The Seo Mun Family.
The Seo Mun Family, where masters of mechanical artifice gathered, was a place avoided by Gangho warriors alongside the Sichuan Tang Clan.
They wielded bizarre and unpredictable illusion techniques and the Eight Trigrams Concealment Art that could not be countered by martial prowess alone. Moreover, if crossed, they would dispatch family members to pursue relentless vengeance.
Yet something seemed odd. Why would the Seo Mun Family, famous for mechanical artifice, participate in the Jeong Mu Dae Hoe?
“It hasn’t been revealed to the Gangho yet, but Seo Mun Gyeong is a prodigy with the blade. He displayed exceptional talent in swordsmanship from childhood, so they even assigned him a dedicated sword master.”
“A prodigy with the blade, unknown to the Gangho.”
Bu Eunseol gazed at the bracket, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
“How intriguing.”
I had grown weary of fighting renowned masters whose names echoed across the Gangho.
But to face an unknown prodigy, and a direct successor of the Seo Mun Family no less? How could I not be delighted?
“Heh.”
Bu Eunseol always maintained an expressionless face.
Yet before a fight, her eyes gleamed with vitality, and a gentle smile bloomed like a spring breeze.
Others might mistake it for the expression of someone about to meet a lover.
“M-my lord… you truly do love combat, don’t you?”
“Love has nothing to do with it.”
Bu Eunseol’s lips curved upward, her eyes sparkling.
“It is simply the daily life of the Gangho.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
Heuk Pyo’s lips trembled as he smiled.
It seemed the one who would face trouble was not Bu Eunseol, but Seo Mun Gyeong.
The day of combat.
As the semi-finals began, even more Gangho warriors filled the Spectator Stands.
In truth, this was where the true Jeong Mu Dae Hoe truly began.
“Today’s match is Bu Eunseol, Young Master Bu, versus Seo Mun Gyeong, Young Master Seo!”
At Cho Mun Cheon’s proclamation, a slender figure slowly emerged onto the Combat Stage.
His complexion was deathly pale, and his frame was so gaunt it inspired pity. His towering height combined with the yellow robe draped over him made him resemble a scarecrow wrapped in cloth.
He was Seo Mun Gyeong, the third son of the Seo Mun Family patriarch.
―Roaaaar!
The martial artists in the Spectator Stands gasped as they witnessed Seo Mun Gyeong’s movement technique ascending the steps.
Without moving his feet at all, he glided slowly up the stairs like a ship cutting through water.
‘Quite an impressive movement technique.’
The technique Seo Mun Gyeong displayed was not only extraordinarily unique but also possessed such an eerie and peculiar quality that it seemed closer to the Demonic Path’s methods.
He rose solidly.
Upon reaching the Combat Stage, Seo Mun Gyeong stared intently at Bu Eunseol.
His pupils were greatly dilated, and a sinister aura flowed from his eyes, while his entire body seemed to shimmer with heat haze.
A sharp breath escaped.
Contrary to Seo Mun Gyeong’s spectral demeanor, Bu Eunseol’s face bore a pleased smile.
From the atmosphere, it was clear that Seo Mun Gyeong would employ a sword technique I had never encountered before.
“Very well then, let us begin!”
At Cho Mun Cheon’s cry, Seo Mun Gyeong began slowly drawing his sword from its sheath at his waist.
Though it was a sharp blade being drawn from a steel scabbard, it made no sound whatsoever.
The sword that finally emerged was a deformed blade with an exceptionally narrow blade width and a length of approximately five feet.
“A sword has no eyes.”
As Seo Mun Gyeong spoke in a gloomy voice, Bu Eunseol nodded calmly.
“I agree.”
As Bu Eunseol answered matter-of-factly, Seo Mun Gyeong’s gaze sharpened.
“Hmph.”
With a snort, Seo Mun Gyeong swiftly swung the deformed blade he had drawn.
A sinister slash cut through the air.
As the deformed blade tore through the void, a biting chill accompanied a whirlwind that enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body.
―What manner of sword technique is this?
The martial artists in the Spectator Stands murmured among themselves.
With merely a light swing of the blade, sword winds erupted from all directions.
Each time Seo Mun Gyeong’s sword cut through the air, a freezing chill poured forth and the sky seemed to darken.
‘This is not Orthodox Sects’ swordsmanship.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed as I lightly evaded the cascading sword strikes.
Seo Mun Gyeong’s swordsmanship was not only deeply sinister but also difficult to predict in its trajectory.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
Bu Eunseol evaded each sword flower created by the deformed blade using the Wild Beast Blade’s supersensory perception.
Yet each time I evaded a sword strike, Seo Mun Gyeong’s deformed blade trembled lightly, transforming the sword strike like a living creature.
“Excellent.”
After continuously evading the sword strikes, Bu Eunseol drew her blade like lightning to block the deformed sword.
A loud metallic clash rang out.
With the resounding impact, Seo Mun Gyeong stepped back one pace.
“Your inner strength is considerable.”
Seo Mun Gyeong raised his eyebrows.
From the counter-force felt through his fingertips, he discerned that Bu Eunseol’s inner strength cultivation surpassed his own by a level.
“Hmph.”
Seo Mun Gyeong let out a low hum and shifted his sword technique once more.
This time, he unfolded a ghostly movement technique, circling around me in spiraling patterns while thrusting his blade with increasing speed.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
With each thrust, it was as though hundreds of needles were cascading down upon me.
I didn’t defend with my sword; instead, I moved with nimble grace, dodging each razor-sharp blade strike one by one.
Whisper, whisper. Slash!
Seo Mun Gyeong’s blade strikes passed within a hair’s breadth of my head.
As Seo Mun Gyeong watched my elusive movements, a dark gleam flickered in his eyes.
Whoosh!
The blade strikes transformed once again.
The needle-like, razor-sharp sword technique spread wide before suddenly cascading down like raindrops falling from the sky, pouring toward my head.
‘Hwa Woo Geom?’
I raised my eyebrows.
The sword technique Seo Mun Gyeong had just displayed bore a striking resemblance to the Hyeon Ji Woo Hyeon, a defensive technique of the Hwawoo Sword Sect, transformed into an offensive form.
“Did one of your sword instructors come from the Hwawoo Sword Sect?”
I let out a soft laugh and swung my long sword through the air.
Whoooosh!
Blade strikes remarkably similar to those Seo Mun Gyeong had unleashed cascaded upward into the sky.
I too had deployed the Hyeon Ji Woo Hyeon of the Hwa Woo Geom.
Stillness.
The moment I used the Hwa Woo Geom, Seo Mun Gyeong halted and opened his mouth.
“Which sword sect do you hail from?”
I didn’t answer, merely staring directly into Seo Mun Gyeong’s eyes.
Offended by my attitude, a sinister light emanated from his pupils.
“You’re too early to be arrogant.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
As his low voice resonated, Seo Mun Gyeong’s entire body began to blur.
Slash!
With the sound of air being torn asunder, a sharp blade thrust toward the space between my brows.
Had he deployed the Extreme Speed Shadow Evasion to unleash his technique at high velocity? Despite maintaining a distance of roughly three feet, it felt as though he were executing his sword form right before my eyes.
Whoosh.
I swiftly evaded the attack, but several strands of my hair were severed by the keen blade.
‘Fast….’
Before my silent admiration could even finish,
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
In that instant, Seo Mun Gyeong’s blade strikes transformed once more.
I retreated and created distance, yet Seo Mun Gyeong remained ghostlike, executing his technique right before my face.
‘This is strange.’
A flicker of intrigue crossed my eyes.
It wasn’t merely that his movement technique was fast. With each blade strike, it was as though he were severing the constraints of space itself, closing the distance in an instant.
‘Then.’
I surged forward to meet the cascading sword strikes head-on.
Slash!
The moment Seo Mun Gyeong’s sharp, twisted blade carved a crimson line across my cheek,
‘Not divine evasion—footwork.’
My eyes locked onto the ground beneath Seo Mun Gyeong’s feet.
Remarkably, even as he wielded his sword technique, he was constantly shifting the position of his feet.
Tap! Tap!
In that instant, Seo Mun Gyeong seized the opening and unleashed sword shadows left and right, driving them deep into both my flanks.
Rip!
The moment the sharp blade pierced my ribs, my form shimmered and faded, passing through the converging strikes as if they were mere illusions.
Extreme Speed Shadow Evasion.
In a single breath, the ancient divine evasion technique that allowed one to shift directions dozens of times from a single spot had finally unfurled.
Tear.
Yet as Seo Mun Gyeong transformed his sword strikes once more, the fabric near my ribs tore slightly.
For the first time since mastering Extreme Speed Shadow Evasion, I had failed to evade a strike completely.
“So it was neither footwork nor divine evasion.”
But I smiled. With this single exchange, I had grasped not only the true nature of the bizarre sword technique Seo Mun Gyeong wielded, but also the full measure of his power.
“A formation technique.”
At that, the corners of Seo Mun Gyeong’s mouth, who held his twisted blade near his shoulder, lifted slightly.
“You have quite the discerning eye.”
He lowered his sword to the ground and wore a confident expression.
“By properly utilizing the flow of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, one can create transformations that transcend space itself.”
Astonishingly, Seo Mun Gyeong was simultaneously employing both his sword technique and the footwork derived from the Seo Mun Family’s secret mechanisms.
“Transformations that transcend space…”
I shook my head with a disappointed expression.
“The limitations of those not born to a sword clan.”
“What did you say?”
“You’ve merely wrapped your sword in unnecessary flourishes.”
“Hehehehe.”
Seo Mun Gyeong gazed down at the torn hem of my garment, his smile turning cold.
“Pressed into defense the entire time, yet you feign composure with words?”
“Defense?”
I laughed softly.
“I haven’t attacked once.”
At that, the smile vanished from Seo Mun Gyeong’s cold face.
Reflecting on it, I had only defended. Not once had I launched an attack.
As if I had merely wished to observe his technique in detail.
“You wanted to study my sword technique.”
A chilling violet luminescence erupted from Seo Mun Gyeong’s eyes as he glared at me.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
He laid his blade horizontally across his face near his cheek, speaking in a low voice.
“And while we’re at it, I’ll give you a glimpse of hell!”
Whoosh!
In that instant, Seo Mun Gyeong’s crescent blade thrust toward Bu Eunseol’s throat.
The distance between them was eighteen feet. Seo Mun Gyeong had closed the gap in a heartbeat using footwork derived from the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation.
Clang!
But the crescent blade could advance no further, blocked by her straight sword.
Bu Eunseol had raised her blade to intercept his strike perfectly.
“You won’t reach hell with attacks like that.”
“Don’t get cocky just because you blocked one move!”
Seo Mun Gyeong moved his feet in a dizzying pattern, unleashing his swordplay.
The sharp crescent blade erupted from unexpected angles, yet Bu Eunseol defended with ease, as if she had anticipated every trajectory.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seo Mun Gyeong poured out a relentless barrage of spectral sword techniques, but Bu Eunseol simply stood her ground, raising her blade to parry each one.
―Hahahaha!
Laughter suddenly erupted from the Spectator Stands, which had been solemn moments before.
Seo Mun Gyeong was wielding his blade with all his might, while Bu Eunseol blocked his attacks with an air of boredom.
The sight resembled watching a ridiculous theatrical farce.
“Curse you!”
Seo Mun Gyeong’s crescent blade, moving in a chaotic pattern, suddenly thrust toward the top of Bu Eunseol’s head.
But Bu Eunseol, having already anticipated it, raised her straight sword without even glancing upward to block the attack.
“Is that all?”
Bu Eunseol’s expression grew deeply disappointed.
“They call you a hidden genius of the blade… yet it seems you should have remained hidden.”
“You wench!”
Seo Mun Gyeong, enraged, slammed his blade down to the ground.
“Where did you steal our family’s Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation from!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Stop playing dumb!”

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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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