The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 753
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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 753.
Bu Eunseol spoke.
“It makes no sense to entrust such a formidable position as Blood Demon Lord—one that has remained vacant for so long—to someone who belonged to a secret organization. And the way they’ve nailed down the candidate…”
“You mean it’s a piece they can discard whenever they wish?”
At Yu Woon Ryong’s words, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Precisely.”
In the past, Mu Jon had once dragged Mu Gyeol—who was embedded in a secret organization—into the light during the trials to select the Wu Tian Duan Lord candidate, specifically to prevent Bu Eunseol from becoming the Wu Tian Duan Lord.
Such a sudden recruitment of personnel from a secret organization carried hidden intentions beneath the surface.
In other words, this abrupt move signified something far more calculated.
“However, should the cleanup go awry, the Lord would find himself drawing his blade not only against Chong Gyo Ryeong but against Ma Cheon Je as well.”
“It matters not.”
A crimson gleam ignited in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Ma Cheon Je’s true target has never been me—it has always been all of you.”
“….”
“If this matter is part of a scheme to strike at you, then I can no longer remain in the Demon Hall.”
Bu Eunseol had already severed the Blood Demon Lord position from consideration.
Whether Ma Cheon Je was attempting to provoke me or was plotting to strike at my subordinates—
I intended to discern his true intentions with absolute clarity.
The safety of the Sayoung Hall’s members mattered far more to me than my own survival.
If he dared touch them, I could not remain in the Demon Hall.
“But what if he is not targeting Sayoung Hall?”
At Jo Nam Cheon’s question, Bu Eunseol replied.
“Then I must cling to survival within the Demon Hall with every ounce of my being. Otherwise, I cannot nurture the Muhon Society to fruition.”
“Striking first is sound strategy. But what if your identity is exposed?”
Then Myo Cheon Woo spoke with careful deliberation.
“This is the Demon Hall. Everything rests in Ma Cheon Je’s grasp.”
“Do not worry. I will not act under my true identity.”
“Ah.”
Only then did all the Lords, including Myo Cheon Woo, nod in understanding.
Bu Eunseol possessed multiple identities, each one so flawlessly constructed that Ma Cheon Je could find no fault with them.
Most notably, I held a position as one of the highest-ranking elders of the Murim Alliance—wielding that identity would render discovery utterly impossible.
“My true identity is the final fortress.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice, having discerned the Lords’ thoughts.
“It would be far preferable to pierce the enemy’s shield with the enemy’s own blade.”
As a faint smile graced my lips, having already conceived the stratagem, Yu Woon Ryong—who had been listening in silence—let out a soft chuckle.
At last, he had grasped my scheme.
“Indeed, with your martial prowess, that glittering mask alone would suffice.”
Yu Woon Ryong suppressed his amusement.
“Ma Cheon Je once drove us to the brink of destruction before. As you say, this time we should seize the opportunity to strike from the shadows ourselves.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Anything related to Ma Cheon Je must be preemptively blocked. Otherwise, it will become impossible to stop.”
She added one more thing.
“That is why the Muhon Society must grow as quickly as possible.”
All the Lords nodded in agreement.
The Muhon Society was created not
out of Bu Eunseol’s personal ambition, but to protect her subordinates.
And even now,
she was quietly eliminating a person Ma Cheon Je had secretly cultivated, all to protect her subordinates.
* * *
―The Chong Gyo Ryeong had summoned Gu Ma Cheon Ju to the Demon Hall as a candidate for Blood Succession Lord.
Just as Yu Woon Ryong had said, the official appointment regarding Gu Ma Cheon Ju was carried out.
Secret organizations typically never come to light.
Had not the Guusal Unit, which boasted a long history, never once been exposed to the public?
Yet the Chong Gyo Ryeong was summoning Yu Baek, the leader of a secret organization called Gu Ma Cheon operating in Haenam, to the Demon Hall to begin verification for making him a Blood Succession Lord?
―Who exactly is this Yu Baek?
The martial artists of the Demon Hall who heard this news all tilted their heads in confusion.
What the organization called Gu Ma Cheon was, and what kind of person Yu Baek, its leader, was—nothing was known about them.
Only from the character “Cheon” being attached to the name could they faintly deduce that it was an organization directly under Ma Cheon Je.
And they could only vaguely predict that it possessed considerable power.
* * *
Whoosh.
A figure in a black mask was rapidly dashing through the Heung An region.
With an extremely concealed movement technique and dressed entirely in the hidden infiltration garments favored by elite assassins,
the form was indistinct, and despite moving at extreme speed, not a single sound of fabric rustling could be heard.
As the masked figure ran for quite some time and eventually reached a bamboo forest,
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Sharp flying blades rained down like a storm toward the fleeing masked figure, accompanied by the sound of air being torn.
Crash!
As the blades poured down, the masked figure doubled their movement technique speed and began rapidly escaping the bamboo forest.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Before long, the blades were no longer targeting just the masked figure, but raining down across the entire bamboo forest.
The masked figure weaved through the blades using the bamboo stalks planted throughout, pressing forward.
The number of blades did not decrease; instead, they seemed to predict the masked figure’s path and were already being launched ahead.
Clang clang clang.
Yet the blades fell to the ground with a metallic sound before even touching the masked figure’s body.
A powerful protective energy had been unleashed around the body to block the incoming blades.
Crack!
But the bamboo forest contained more than just flying blades.
Suddenly, saw-like hidden weapons began shooting up from the ground, then curved in mysterious angles to target the masked figure.
Suddenly, saw-blade-like throwing stars shot up from the ground toward the Sky, curved in a mysterious trajectory, and targeted the Masked Assassin.
It was a specialized technique for destroying protective energy barriers—a demonic secret art known as the Fox Saw Blade.
The Masked Assassin had no choice but to change direction and spiral through the Bamboo Forest to evade the projectiles.
A deep, resonant hum echoed outward.
As if waiting for this moment, a transparent barrier began forming across the entire Bamboo Forest.
The projectile trap was never meant to strike him directly—it was designed to drive him into the Bamboo Forest where a formation array lay in wait.
A peculiar sound rippled through the air.
As the eerie noise reverberated in all directions, a mysterious aura spread like mist around the perimeter of the Bamboo Forest.
The Masked Assassin sensed the formation activating and attempted to flee with desperate speed.
Yet the formation’s expansion was even faster.
A sharp, metallic sound cut through the air.
Realizing he was trapped within the formation, the Masked Assassin ceased his movement technique and surveyed the Bamboo Forest around him.
The moment he became ensnared, he detected a faint killing intent emanating from somewhere in the darkness.
Footsteps crunched deliberately against the ground.
As he emerged into the clearing of the Bamboo Forest, sunlight revealed his figure with stark clarity.
He wore ordinary martial robes, yet his face bore a distinctive mask that gleamed with an otherworldly radiance.
It was the strange mask that the Samgye Emissaries had always worn.
A sharp sound pierced the silence.
Merely by revealing himself, an overwhelming aura radiated from his entire being.
[You.]
The Samgye Emissary gazed at the Masked Assassin clad in silver robes and transmitted a strange telepathic message.
[Are you Gu Ma Cheon Ju, the candidate for Blood Demon Ryeong Ju?]
In that instant, the Masked Assassin’s eyes flashed with recognition.
Gu Ma Cheon was a secret organization under Ma Cheon Je’s direct command, and its name had never been exposed to the outside world.
Yet not only had they discerned the organization’s name, but they had also identified him in a single glance?
[Your reaction confirms it.]
The Emissary regarded the Masked Assassin.
Yu Baek’s eyes met his gaze as the figure nodded.
[There is no need for surprise. For the Ben Gye to detect a single secret organization within the Demon Palace is hardly remarkable.]
It was astonishing.
A Samgye Emissary had laid an elaborate trap and waited in ambush to capture the leader of a Demon Palace secret organization?
A sharp metallic whisper sounded.
Yu Baek drew a pair of short blades from his hands and raised them high.
His stance conveyed a clear intent: if you block my path, I will cut you down and proceed.
[An admirable posture.]
Steel sang as it was drawn.
The Emissary unsheathed an old iron sword from his waist.
In truth, it was no ordinary iron blade—it was a soul-killing weapon capable of shattering demonic artifacts.
And the figure was no Samgye Emissary at all, but rather Bu Eunseol in disguise.
Having received orders from Ma Cheon Je, she had detected in advance the movement path of Yu Baek, the candidate for Blood Demon Ryeong Ju, as he traveled toward the Demon Palace.
And she had prepared this trap accordingly.
To eliminate Ma Cheon Je’s schemes and protect her subordinates.
Click.
Bu Eunseol, who had planted the Muk Hon Sword vertically before her,
nodded while gazing into Yu Baek’s eyes, which remained motionless and unwavering.
‘How taciturn.’
He was extraordinarily reticent, and despite the appearance of an assassin, he hadn’t uttered a single word.
His sole focus was on vanquishing the enemy before him.
He had unified his mental fortitude and inner energy, merging his body and weapon into one harmonious whole.
[It seems you are prepared, so let us begin.]
Whoosh.
As inner energy flooded into the Muk Hon Sword, a low resonant hum echoed forth.
There was no need to prolong this confrontation.
I would unfold the Sword Calligraphy Technique in a single breath and sever Yu Baek’s neck.
Since I had disguised myself as a Samgye Emissary, I naturally could not employ my own martial techniques.
Yet the reason I unfolded the Sword Calligraphy Technique was to ensure that even if an autopsy were conducted, my true identity would never be revealed.
‘The Sword Calligraphy Technique is not something only I have mastered.’
The senior masters of the Murim Alliance, and the elite experts of the Three Realms, would surely have comprehended the Sword Calligraphy Technique as well.
When I fought the Sword Demon, the senior masters of the Murim Alliance immediately recognized the Sword Calligraphy Technique.
Moreover, had not traces of the Sword Calligraphy Technique been absent from the Eternal Ice Pavilion where Jeong Cheon Je’s corpse was preserved?
In other words, the Sword Calligraphy Technique was mastered only by certain senior masters of the Murim Alliance, including Seon Woo Jin, known as the Sword King, and specific individuals from the Three Realms.
It was extraordinarily rare and formidable.
Yet it was a sword technique whose practitioners could not be identified.
Therefore, if I impersonated a Samgye Emissary and unfolded the Sword Calligraphy Technique,
it would become the optimal martial technique, making it difficult to predict the assassin’s true identity.
Rumble.
Dark radiance spread outward, and soon a sword aura began to form, resembling the stance Yu Baek had assumed.
Crack!
Yet Yu Baek, undeterred by being engulfed in the sword aura, immediately closed the distance and unleashed a rapid succession of lethal sword strikes toward Bu Eunseol.
Consequently, the Sword Calligraphy Technique was left incomplete and instantly interrupted.
‘Did he know the weakness of the Sword Calligraphy Technique?’
Bu Eunseol, who felt genuine surprise within, soon shook her head upon observing the sword strikes Yu Baek was unleashing.
‘No, he immediately discerned the weakness of its slow deployment speed.’
The Sword Calligraphy Technique possessed numerous variations.
And now I had drawn the enemy’s form with sword aura, employing it as a lethal sword technique for determining victory through a single strike.
The problem was the deployment speed.
In the past, Gwon Wang Seok Chi Haeng had been arrogant and sought mutual destruction with me.
Sword Demon Wi Hyuk Gyun had yielded the first strike, so he had ample opportunity to employ this lethal form of the Sword Calligraphy Technique at leisure.
But Yu Baek, the moment the dark radiance did not immediately convert into aggressive sword aura,
instantly identified the flaw in the slow deployment speed and, employing movements like island warfare, continuously launched attacks by interweaving diverse techniques.
As a result, the Sword Calligraphy Technique could not be completed, and its form was immediately distorted.
‘An assassin’s background.’
Moreover, the techniques and moves Yu Baek employed were not merely orthodox Demonic Path martial arts, but rather the concealed methods favored by assassins.
‘Even his short blade technique fundamentally resembled assassination methodology.’
Assassins differed from ordinary martial artists.
They repeatedly honed techniques that layered killing moves solely to sever life in an instant.
In essence, they disregarded defense or follow-up techniques, instead wielding methods that were starkly economical yet brutally direct.
And the very methods Yu Baek was employing now embodied precisely such assassination technique.
‘Excellent.’
Bu Eunseol accelerated the Muk Hon Sword even further.
While neutralizing Yu Baek’s assault, she moved her blade with increasing speed, striving to complete the Sword Radiance Rotation Form rapidly.
Clang clang clang clang!
As the Muk Hon Sword moved at extraordinary velocity, a sword aura nearly identical to Yu Baek’s form began manifesting once more.
Sensing the danger, Yu Baek pressed his short blade assault forward with haste, yet Bu Eunseol’s swordplay remained unbroken and continuous.
Like flowing water, it advanced without interruption or obstruction.
A resonant hum.
At last, a sword aura matching Yu Baek’s very form took shape.
A sharp stillness.
In that instant, Yu Baek halted his offensive movements.
A flawless sword technique had been perfected, and he instinctively grasped that any opening would result in his body being shredded in a heartbeat.
A soft exhale.
Transparent vital energy flowed from Yu Baek’s motionless form, and suddenly his very silhouette began to blur and fade.
Emptiness.
He ceased all movement and entered a state of perfect emptiness, thereby countering the opening move of the Sword Radiance Rotation Form.
Simple in concept, yet this was a method only deployable when internal and external cultivation reached its zenith.
‘So Yu Baek’s position as Ryeong Ju is not merely through Ma Cheon Je’s favor alone.’
His keen eye for instantly perceiving the slow deployment speed of the Sword Radiance Rotation Form, and the single countermeasure against the manifested sword aura alone—
These revealed him to be a martial prodigy of considerable caliber.
A faint whisper.
Upon entering the state of emptiness, the Sword Radiance Rotation Form ceased immediately.
As time elapsed, Yu Baek’s form grew increasingly indistinct, as though he were gradually vanishing into transparent nothingness.
Both masters stood facing one another in stillness, with only the desolate wind passing through the Bamboo Forest.
From a distance, it appeared as though they were peacefully regarding each other.
Yet such a confrontation was far more fierce than clashing with blades pressed to each other’s throats.
The moment one’s concentration wavered, one’s head would be severed without understanding why.
A sharp whistle.
Again, the desolate wind swept through the Bamboo Forest.
Then a single small leaf drifting from the Bamboo Forest passed before Yu Baek’s eyes.
In that moment,
A resonant hum!
Bu Eunseol, seizing the opportunity without hesitation, transformed the suspended Sword Radiance Rotation Form once more.
Patter! Patter! Patter!
Yu Baek unleashed a series of razor-sharp blade techniques in desperate succession, attempting to break free from the edges of that sword energy.
Yet no matter what movement he executed, no matter which technique he deployed, the sword energy clung to him like a water ghost.
Whoooosh!
At last, the inescapable sword energy engulfed Yu Baek’s body.
Now it was merely a matter of waiting for his head to be severed.
Crack!
But then, accompanied by a sound like water splitting apart,
a pitch-black aura erupted from behind Yu Baek’s back, beginning to smother the invading sword energy of Bu Eunseol’s Sword Immortal Origin technique.
Zing! Zing!
The energy pouring forth from Yu Baek’s body
transformed its shape ceaselessly like a living creature, gradually erasing the sword energy that enveloped him.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as she witnessed this.
The Flexible True Energy Seal.
That black aura Yu Baek wielded—
was it not the true energy application method from Ma Cheon Je’s secret doctrine, the Severing Stillness Secret Manual?
‘Has he learned Ma Cheon Je’s martial arts?’
Bu Eunseol’s pupils rippled like water.
Then Yu Baek was Ma Cheon Je’s disciple?
Whoooosh!
Yet the black mist flowing from Yu Baek grew even denser,
Shatter!
suddenly transforming into crescent-shaped razor blades that scattered in all directions, beginning to erase Bu Eunseol’s Sword Immortal Origin energy.
Not only could it transform solidified true energy into various forms, but it could also independently solidify it and launch it like dark energy blades.
The formless demonic path form of the Flexible True Energy Seal.
He had deployed the Thunderbolt Crescent Blade.
Whoooosh.
At last, Yu Baek, having completely erased Bu Eunseol’s Sword Immortal Origin energy, rose into the air.
Shatter! Shatter! Shatter! Shatter!
Simultaneously, hundreds of black crescents began radiating from Yu Baek’s body.
Not only had he deployed the Thunderbolt Crescent Blade technique to shatter the Sword Immortal Origin technique,
but he now intended to completely destroy the formation array within the Bamboo Forest itself.
‘There is no escape.’
Whoosh!
Recognizing Yu Baek’s intent, Bu Eunseol leaped into the air and deployed her sword technique once more.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As Bu Eunseol swatted down the cascading Thunderbolt Crescent Blades while advancing,
Whoosh.
suddenly the crescent sword energy passed straight through the Muk Hon Sword that was about to collide,
Shatter!
It pierced through Bu Eunseol’s body with a sharpness that threatened to cleave her in two.
Yu Baek’s Flexible Needle Formation, having entered the Realm of Formless Demonic Path.
Could disperse the Crescent Moon Force like mist at will, then solidify it again into tangible form.
Whoooosh!
Countless crescent-shaped vital energies poured through the sword light and crashed into Bu Eunseol’s body.
When deflected, they scattered; when they touched flesh, they became terrifying blades.
Slash, slash, slash!
Bu Eunseol finally descended to the ground and unleashed three sword strikes.
Some were fierce and overwhelming, others curved softly like circles.
Then the crescent-shaped vital energies that had been pouring down like rain began bouncing away with sharp metallic sounds.
Using the principles of Geom Jon’s Half-Ascent Half-Descent and the subtleties of Reverse Force, I forcibly materialized Yu Baek’s Flexible Needle Formation.
Crack!
Confirming that the principle worked, Bu Eunseol unleashed another barrage of sword light toward Yu Baek floating in mid-air.
Clang, clang, clang!
With metallic resonance, the two exchanged forty-some moves of close combat in a single breath.
But then something astonishing occurred.
Wasn’t it only Bu Eunseol’s body that was accumulating wounds?
‘This is…’
Now Bu Eunseol could finally see the true efficacy of the Flexible Needle Formation.
The Flexible Needle Formation, fully deployed within the complete Demonic Path, transcended even the constraints of flesh, becoming one with the caster’s very spirit.
It was truly a secret technique that could unfold at the speed of light.
‘Ma Cheon Je.’
Witnessing Yu Baek’s perfectly unfolding Flexible Needle Formation, a sudden realization struck Bu Eunseol.
‘Did he deliberately impose restrictions with the Severing Restriction Secret to drive me toward greater power?’
Ma Cheon Je had been raised under the tutelage of her grandfather Bu Chanyang.
He would have known that she possessed a constitution incapable of entering the Realm of Formless Demonic Path from the start.
Perhaps even before entering the Ten Demon Hall Conference.
He would have known that I had mastered the Reverse Muscle Scripture, the Orthodox Sects’ supreme inner cultivation technique.
In other words, knowing full well that I would never enter the Realm of Formless Demonic Path.
He deliberately left behind the Flexible Needle Formation—a technique that would destroy my body if not chosen over the Formless Demonic Path.
‘He must have even anticipated that multiple conflicting forces would eventually mingle within my body.’
Since I had mastered the Orthodox Sects’ supreme inner cultivation technique.
He likely judged that I had either already learned or would eventually learn Orthodox Sect secret techniques.
So he deliberately left the Severing Restriction Secret, causing the forces within my body to lose balance and collapse.
To make the inner forces intertwine and become chaotic.
To force me into a situation where I could not survive without reaching a higher realm and obtaining greater power.
‘But why?’
Bu Eunseol could not comprehend it.
Why was he trying to make her stronger? What scheme could he possibly be harboring?
Screeeech!
During this exchange, Bu Eunseol’s body was transforming into a blood seal.
The moment I grasped Ma Cheon Je’s intention, my spirit wavered with distraction.
With this lapse, my crude mimicry of a Samgye Emissary could no longer withstand the power of Yu Baek’s Yeouui True Formation, which had entered the Boundless Demonic Path.
Crack-crack-crack!
Moreover, Yu Baek’s Yeouui True Formation grew stronger with each passing moment.
All from a single instant of distraction.
In that span, the velocity of Yu Baek’s Yeouui True Formation had accelerated beyond what even the Beast Path could perceive, rendering the very trajectory of the blade imperceptible.
Slash!
As my entire body faced being torn asunder by those razor-sharp blades, I threw myself toward Yu Baek instead.
It was an attack born of desperation.
Whoosh!
In that instant, hundreds of crescent-shaped formations of true energy materialized around Yu Baek’s body.
Moving at such incomprehensible speed that they remained invisible even now.
If such solidified formations of true energy were to pierce through my body once more?
My flesh would disintegrate into dust without leaving a trace in the void.
Yet something extraordinary occurred.
The Yeouui True Formation that should have pierced through me completely shattered instead.
Void Extreme Rebound.
Absorbing external force in return.
I had unleashed the counter-strike of the Thirteen Nights—a technique that returns any martial art in a single breath.
Crash!
Having obliterated all the Yeouui True Formations, I pushed through the tempest of true energy and closed the distance to Yu Baek.
Yet Yu Baek showed no surprise, waiting as if he had anticipated this, gripping his short blade and preparing for close combat.
With Yeouui True Formation and ultra-close-range short blade technique combined.
He appeared confident he could eliminate any opponent regardless of their tricks.
But that was Yu Baek’s mistake.
Whoooosh!
Nine strands of meridian force erupted from my body, coiling around Yu Baek’s frame.
I had feigned desperation to lure him into complacency.
Then, at point-blank range, I unleashed the supreme technique of Mu Hwang—the Thirteen Nights.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Yu Baek wielded his short blade frantically, but ultimately his silver mask was cleaved in two along with his face.
Crack.
In that moment, the impassive young scholar’s face was revealed in full.
Skin as white as fresh snow, eyes large and elongated—truly a peerless beauty rivaling my own.
‘This person…’
Yet what shocked me was not Yu Baek’s appearance.
Those stubbornly pursed lips, those eyes wide and piercing—that face bore a striking resemblance to someone.
‘Hyuk Ryeon Eung?’
Dizziness washed over me.
Blood Wheel Ghost Eyes.
Yu Baek’s pupils. They not only bore a striking resemblance to Hyuk Ryeon Eung’s, but
throughout the entire history of Murim,
hadn’t he been born with the very same Blood Wheel Ghost Eyes that had appeared uniquely in Hyuk Ryeon Eung alone?
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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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