The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 770

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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 770.
At the Masked Assassin’s words, the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master tilted his head slightly.
Immediately, a cloud-like aura billowed forth, enveloping the Masked Assassin’s surroundings.
[Formidable power indeed. But that answers my question clearly enough.]
The Masked Assassin nodded and spoke.
[A philanthropist engaged in charitable works… somewhat old-fashioned, I must say.]
His eyes gleamed with what seemed like admiration.
[Yet it’s also a profession that can conceal one’s identity quite effectively without the intricate assistance of an intelligence organization.]
In the past, assassins would disguise themselves as merchants traversing Sae Oe, or alternatively, marry and create false identities.
Merchants need not return home frequently, and they can freely traverse the Gangho while conducting their operations.
And if one establishes a normal family, even if pursuers arrive, the identity typically remains unexposed.
But there existed an even simpler dual identity—that of a philanthropist engaged in charitable works.
They typically make donations under anonymous names to conceal their charitable activities.
And by merely appearing at the orphanage occasionally, they can maintain a perfect dual identity.
[You must be prepared, then.]
Shing.
The Masked Assassin drew the sword strapped to his back.
For assassins, secrecy is life itself.
They apply special oil to their blades so they make no sound when drawn.
The loud, resonant ring of the blade suggested the Masked Assassin’s true profession was not that of an assassin.
Patter, patter, patter.
Yet from far away, the sound of footsteps echoed through the night.
At the same time, a small shadow came rushing through the forest.
It was So Bo—the child to whom the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master had personally crafted a prosthetic limb that very afternoon.
“Master.”
So Bo, who had been sleeping, suddenly awoke and heard the sound of the Orphanage Master leaving.
Though he had only recently arrived at the Yeonhwa Orphanage,
he had grown fond of the Master’s kindness and generosity, and wished to converse with him more closely.
So when he heard the Master leaving, he followed without hesitation.
But no matter how hard he chased, the Master remained out of sight.
Just as the disheartened So Bo was about to turn back,
a whooshing sound erupted, and brilliant light blazed forth from the distant forest.
So he hurried desperately toward this place.
“Master, what are you doing out here at this hour?”
So Bo approached where the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master stood, his sleepy eyes struggling to focus.
Then he spotted the dark-clad Masked Assassin standing opposite, and his eyes widened in shock.
“Ah, ahhh!”
So startled, So Bo stumbled backward and fell hard on his rear.
Thud.
But the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master swiftly caught his body.
“Thank you….”
But at that very moment, something unexpected occurred.
Drip, drip.
A thin stream of crimson blood flowed from So Bo’s lips.
Whoosh.
So Bo didn’t even have time to cry out before he breathed his last right there.
The Yeonhwa Orphanage Master caught his body and gently pressed the death acupoint, extinguishing his life.
[Merciless. And yet, he was one of the children from your orphanage.]
At the Masked Assassin’s words, the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master let out a soft chuckle.
“Disabled children are ideal.”
And he spoke words that were terrifyingly shocking.
“When they’re young and their bodies are broken, they can infiltrate anywhere without suspicion and continue their assassinations without hindrance.”
The reason the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master had established an orphanage caring for disabled children.
It was simply to raise those children as assassins and use them as disposable tools.
[Indeed.]
The Masked Assassin gave a thumbs up to the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master’s utterly brutal attitude.
[Had he not been so cold and merciless, he would never have reached such a position.]
The Yeonhwa Orphanage Master opened his palm lightly in response.
Boom.
In that instant, a terrifying pressure began to crush down upon the Masked Assassin’s face.
But the mask did not come off; as the pressure intensified, mysterious patterns began to reveal themselves.
“The Indestructible Face Armor that the Sam Gye messengers constantly wear.”
The one exerting his power—the Yeonhwa Orphanage Master.
No, Baek Ri Mu Jo gazed at the Masked Assassin with cold eyes.
“So you were a rat from Sam Gye.”
As he extended his hand lightly,
Rumble.
With a tremor that shook the entire world, the Masked Assassin’s body began to crumple this time.
It was a terrifying pressure that no amount of inner force could withstand.
Crack, crack.
As the Masked Assassin’s pupils, bent progressively until his back curved, dilated greatly, they began to emit a strange light.
He too had begun to channel his inner force.
Crack.
With an eerie sound of bone, a faint aura began to spread from the Masked Assassin’s body.
His frame straightened rigidly, and a piercing cyan light exploded from his eyes.
Screech.
With a heavy metallic ring, the great sword he carried suddenly revealed itself.
Shatter!
As the Masked Assassin swung his great sword, a sharp cutting sound accompanied a storm-like torrent of energy that erupted in all directions.
Whoooosh.
Rocks and trees surrounding Baek Ri Mu Jo were riddled with holes, and the aura of death began spreading throughout the entire forest in an instant.
“Hmph.”
White light flowed from Baek Ri Mu Jo’s hands as he was exposed to the fierce energy current.
Crash!
The energy current suddenly scattered like powder and fell to the ground.
The Holy Sword.
Baek Ri Mu Jo’s Dok Moon swordsmanship—a technique none could escape—was now unleashed bare-handed.
Whoooosh!
Pure white light filled the Masked Assassin’s vision entirely, consuming the world around him.
As afterimages of light saturated his retinas, the Masked Assassin’s sight was cut off, and he lost all ability to perceive the shifting sword force pouring down upon him.
Moreover, the light radiating from the Holy Sword pulled his entire body’s senses into an endless abyss.
In such circumstances, pure defense was the only recourse.
Unable to see even an inch ahead in the blinding light, the Masked Assassin retreated backward.
He wielded his great sword frantically, creating a fan-like barrier of light.
Splash!
Yet blood erupted from the Masked Assassin’s shoulder.
He had failed to block the Holy Sword and suffered a blade wound to his shoulder.
Flash!
The Holy Sword blazed with brilliant radiance once more in the empty air.
But something astonishing occurred.
Crack.
Not on the Masked Assassin, but near the heart of Baek Ri Mu Jo, who had unleashed the Holy Sword, a deep blade wound was carved.
Blood dripped down from it.
The light vanished, and the forest landscape began to regain its natural colors.
“Perhaps I aimed a touch too shallow.”
The Masked Assassin muttered with a hint of regret.
“Cutting off sensation is a remarkable technique, but it’s far from infallible.”
His eyes, visible above the mask, gleamed with satisfaction.
“So the Holy Sword—which supposedly annihilates all things—is merely an illusory sword technique that temporarily severs sensation and steals it away to inflict fatal wounds.”
The Masked Assassin understood that Baek Ri Mu Jo’s Holy Sword,
which was said to obliterate everything, merely used sword light to rob all senses, including sight.
It was actually a phantom sword force that didn’t truly exist,
and an illusory sword technique that unleashed swift and mysterious sword strikes the moment the opponent’s senses were severed—he had already seen through it.
When the Holy Sword was unleashed, he had retreated as if defending while bereft of sensation.
Then, seizing the opportunity, he had struck Baek Ri Mu Jo’s heart in one swift motion.
Drip, drip.
The falling blood struck the earth with a weight heavier than metal.
A martial artist’s signature technique was their face and their final trump card.
If it were broken… they would have lost the very weapon that allowed them to stand tall in Murim.
“….”
However, Baek Ri Mu Jo’s expression remained utterly unchanged.
As if he had merely overheard a conversation entirely unrelated to himself.
Crack.
He extended his index and middle fingers once more—attempting to unfurl the sacred blade barehanded yet again.
Whoooosh!
With an explosive burst of radiance, hundreds of afterimages scattered like shards, and the Masked Assassin found every sense—including his vision—severed completely.
[It’s not working!]
Muttering beneath his breath, the Masked Assassin instead hurled himself directly into the spreading luminescence.
Shhhhh….
As the veil of light finally dissipated, only Baek Ri Mu Jo remained standing in that desolate space.
The Masked Assassin, who had been charging toward Baek Ri Mu Jo, had vanished as if evaporated into nothingness.
Splurt!
In that same instant, a torrent of blood sprayed across the ground.
Standing alone in the empty forest, Baek Ri Mu Jo gazed silently down at his index and middle fingers.
Minute droplets of blood clung faintly to his fingertips.
Blood that had adhered when the finger-blade pierced through the Masked Assassin’s body.
Flick.
As he flicked away the blood clinging to his fingertips, a deep cavity opened in a towering tree ten paces distant.
“Your escape technique is remarkably swift.”
A cold chuckle escaped him as he gazed toward where the Masked Assassin had vanished.
“But such transparent intentions make this tedious….”
Baek Ri Mu Jo’s eyes narrowed as he gazed toward the distant sky for a moment.
“It’s a shame that the Yeonhwa Orphanage must be closed.”
It had been a place where useless children could be put to useful purpose.
But now that it was exposed, it had to be dismantled immediately.
“See that it’s handled cleanly.”
As Baek Ri Mu Jo murmured softly,
Whoosh.
A black shadow soared upward into the Half-Sky, accompanied by the sound of a divine technique unfolding from somewhere.
Crackle.
Not long after, massive flames erupted from the direction where the Yeonhwa Orphanage stood.
Because it was situated far from any village in a remote location, even as the great fire raged, only a silence as profound as death pervaded the area.
“….”
Baek Ri Mu Jo’s form, as he gazed upon the acrid smoke rising toward the heavens,
Whoooosh.
Blurred at the edges, then vanished like a phantom—gone without a trace.
* * *
[Failed, you say?]
A secret chamber saturated with endless darkness.
From within tattered garments placed at its very center came a voice thick with disbelief and suspicion.
[Even after breaking through the holy sword, I couldn’t sever his neck.]
“It was a fake.”
The Masked Assassin spoke in a voice seething with rage.
“A counterfeit breaking technique.”
[That can’t be right.]
“All the traces of holy swords discovered thus far were deliberately fabricated by him.”
[If that’s the case, then all this time… he hid his true martial arts and ascended to the position of Danjoo?]
The voice emanating from the tattered robes grew somewhat sharper.
[But why did he flee? Regardless of the fake technique, I could have dealt with him easily now.]
A flash of light flickered across the eyes of the Masked Assassin as he listened to the resonant voice.
‘He knew all along.’
I could sense it instinctively.
That he had deliberately given me a fake breaking technique for the holy sword.
The figure concealed behind those worn robes held all the information of Tianxia within their grasp.
If he truly hadn’t known the breaking technique was counterfeit, such a reaction would have been absolutely impossible.
“The Unbreakable Face Armor shattered.”
The Masked Assassin withdrew something from his robes and cast it down.
It was the Unbreakable Face Armor, now reduced to tatters by exposure to the holy sword.
“Had I not fled immediately, my identity would have been completely exposed.”
[I see.]
A frustrated voice emerged from the tattered robes.
[Perhaps it is still premature to make a move against him.]
“….”
[We will postpone killing him. Return for now.]
The Masked Assassin bowed briefly before stepping out of the Secret Chamber.
Whoosh.
As he spun his body once, the mask vanished, revealing the face of a robust man with clear, piercing eyes.
His upright and confident bearing radiated a righteousness so absolute that not even a shred of evil could penetrate it.
As a disciple of Bul Jon, he had long earned renown throughout Gangho under the epithet Geum Jeong Shin Ryong.
He was now Baek Mu Sung, the Danjoo of the Murim Alliance’s Wu Tian Duan.
Click.
He entered the Office with an expressionless face.
Seated in the chair, he gazed at the large bronze mirror positioned to the side.
The face of Baek Mu Sung reflected in the mirror bore very dark skin and a gloomy gaze.
It was an entirely different face from his actual one—fair-skinned with eyes brimming with vitality.
「Why did you lie? The mask was perfectly intact.」
The Baek Mu Sung in the mirror questioned,
“They already know. That we haven’t unified and harbor different intentions.”
Baek Mu Sung, gazing at the mirror, murmured in a low voice.
“If I merge the personalities now, I’ll become nothing but a puppet dancing to their tune forever.”
“Hehehehe.”
Baek Mu Sung in the mirror chuckled softly and nodded.
“It was worth swapping bodies with you. You’re doing excellently.”
And he wore an utterly malevolent smile.
“If you continue like this, you’ll obtain what you desire. That foolish woman, of course, and the true Baek Ri Family……”
The whispered voice of Baek Mu Sung in the mirror grew progressively quieter until nothing could be heard.
After a prolonged silence, Baek Mu Sung rose from his seat and turned his head.
Then the other figure visible in the mirror vanished from sight.
* * *
“Shouldn’t we begin selecting candidates for the next Alliance Leader?”
During the Grand Council meeting, the elders of the Murim Alliance reached a consensus and proposed it to the senior members.
“We cannot continue to leave the position of next Alliance Leader vacant and postpone it indefinitely.”
Due to the Orthodox Sects’ inherent emphasis on distribution and status, the Elder Council itself wielded tremendous influence over the Murim Alliance’s operations.
However, since it appeared improper for them to step forward directly, they had never done so at gatherings where all senior members assembled.
Yet to express their opinions so openly at the Grand Council meeting like this—
Were they directly challenging the Alliance Leader’s authority?
“It’s understandable why the elders would do this…”
On the other hand, it made sense.
Jeong Cheon Je still refused to attend the Grand Council meeting, which was the most critical assembly for operating the Murim Alliance.
Whenever there were no pressing matters, he remained in seclusion.
He delegated most duties to Vice Leader Buk Ri Seung, conducting operations with negligent abandon.
In the meantime, Divine Position Sect Leader Baek In Cheong challenged Ma Cheon Je, and ultimately lost eight thousand elite soldiers.
Though this was his reckless decision alone—
Considering that no one except the Alliance Leader could impose sanctions on the Seven Lords—
He, as the sole supreme commander capable of directing the Lords, could not escape responsibility for this matter.
“What exactly is the Alliance Leader doing?”
Once the elders opened this line of discussion, the senior members too voiced their grievances at the Grand Council meeting.
Even as Ma Cheon Je completed his seclusion and actively elevated the Demonic Path’s prosperity—
The Alliance Leader Jeong Cheon Je continued his seclusion without any notable response?
Moreover, regardless of how recklessly Divine Position Sect Leader challenged him, he died miserably and his unit was utterly destroyed.
Setting aside the Alliance Leader position, as the foremost master of the Orthodox Sects, he should have faced Ma Cheon Je once more and broken his momentum.
Yet he merely expressed regret at Divine Position Sect Leader’s death and continued his seclusion…
Even the martial artists who had long supported him were gradually turning away.
“Since the Alliance Leader remains in seclusion, why don’t we select candidates for the next Alliance Leader among ourselves in advance?”
With support from several senior members, the Elder Council proposed an absurd suggestion.
“We cannot replace the Alliance Leader immediately, yet we cannot simply sit idle either…… shouldn’t we prepare the successor quickly?”
“If martial prowess is insufficient, we can open the fourth floor of Yeongak Dojeon.”
Yeongak Dojeon has only three floors.
The fourth floor is where the supreme techniques of previous Alliance Leaders are stored, and only the Alliance Leader and successors approved as heirs may enter.
Since the elders had no one yet qualified to assume the Alliance Leader position immediately, they proposed opening the fourth floor of Yeongak Dojeon—
They were attempting a rapid generational transition.
―The selection of a successor is the exclusive prerogative of the Alliance Leader.
Unable to stand idly by, Vice Leader Buk Ri Seung and several senior figures stepped forward to voice their opposition to the Elder Council.
―If the Alliance Leader’s authority is undermined, won’t the prestige of the Murim Alliance itself crumble?
Yet the elders refused to yield their position.
―Even when the entire Murim Alliance’s vanguard vanished in an unprecedented crisis, the Alliance Leader merely offered a few words of guidance and has since been nowhere to be seen.
They had prepared evidence to firmly support their claims beforehand.
―According to the laws of the Murim Alliance, should a matter be deemed urgent within the organization and receive unanimous consent from the Elder Council,
one may be urgently nominated as a candidate for Alliance Leader.
The elders invoked this dormant statute and began to grow heated in their arguments.
However, immediately appointing a successor through such a law was absolutely unthinkable.
―If we were to select the next Alliance Leader candidate right now, it would naturally be Baek Ri Dan Ju, would it not?
Yet when the elders openly stepped forward, something rather unexpected unfolded.
The middle-aged martial artists who had remained silent until then began to voice their opinions on the Alliance Leader candidacy that hadn’t even begun.
―Baek Ri Dan Ju, as the Sung Wi Dan Ju, has accumulated remarkable achievements and exceptional martial prowess, and possesses all the qualities a leader must have—command ability, sense of responsibility, decisive judgment… nothing is lacking.
The Holy Sword, Baek Ri Mu Jo.
He is a figure who commands absolute support from the middle-aged generation, which forms the backbone of the Murim Alliance.
Considering his strength, distribution of power, position, and contributions thus far, he is naturally the only one who can become the next Alliance Leader.

―The next Alliance Leader should represent the future. Shouldn’t a promising new figure take on this role?
As this atmosphere continued,
the elders unexpectedly supported an entirely different candidate for the next Alliance Leader.
―Though young, Mu Cheon Danjoo Baek Mu Sung has already proven abilities equal to those of Baek Ri Dan Ju.
Moreover, unlike Baek Ri Dan Ju,
he is a figure capable of embracing both old and new generations, making him the most suitable candidate for the next Alliance Leader.
When the Elder Council unexpectedly threw their support behind Baek Mu Sung, the younger generation began to voice their opinions as well.
―If we judge purely by ability, isn’t Seon Woo, who rose to the position of Cheop Mil Won Master without any backing, the most qualified?
As the alliance’s atmosphere split between the two camps supporting Baek Mu Sung and Baek Ri Mu Jo,
centered around Gong Son Dan Gyeong and Buk Goong Ryung,
Seon Woo Jin, who enjoyed absolute support from the young martial artists of the Murim Alliance, was put forward as a new Alliance Leader candidate.
―He is not a Dan Ju, so he cannot be a candidate for Alliance Leader.
When the elders applied the brakes, Gong Son Dan Gyeong responded.
―Didn’t the Elder Council invoke the law and judge this an urgent situation, proposing the selection of an Alliance Leader candidate?
According to those emergency conditions, even someone who is not a Dan Ju,
anyone who is a leader of an院, 林, or 殿-level organization is eligible.
When she too cited the Murim Alliance’s laws, the Elder Council had nothing to say.
Moreover, it was the Elder Council itself that arbitrarily judged the matter as urgent and recklessly pushed it forward.
―This is chaos. If the Alliance Leader doesn’t emerge soon, something terrible will truly happen.
As the situation unfolded this way,
all the martial artists within the alliance awaited the appearance of Jeong Cheon Je.
Now all that remained was the Alliance Leader’s decision.
If the Alliance Leader turned a blind eye even in such circumstances, the Murim Alliance would inevitably fracture or descend into chaos.
―Very well. I acknowledge all three candidates as potential Alliance Leaders.
Fortunately, Jeong Cheon Je appeared and made a rational and remarkably sensible decision, preventing the Murim Alliance from splintering.
―It’s impossible to stop someone who naturally became a candidate for Alliance Leader through the support of countless martial artists.
And then he made a shocking announcement.
―I will relinquish my authority to select the next Alliance Leader.
Instead, allow all the martial artists within the Alliance to directly select the next Alliance Leader in a way that naturally earns universal understanding and recognition.
The martial artists of the Murim Alliance could not hide their astonishment.
Jeong Cheon Je, to prevent division within the Alliance,
relinquished the supreme authority of the Alliance Leader position and entrusted the selection of the next leader to the support of the Alliance’s martial artists.
Such a decision was not something anyone could make.
Moreover, through this decision, he had also bought time.
Rather than the Alliance Leader directly selecting a successor, he had induced a natural competitive process—
gathering the Alliance’s public opinion and uniting to select the next Alliance Leader would require at least several years or more.
Now all the martial artists within the Murim Alliance sensed it instinctively.
The time had finally arrived, just as it had for the Demon Hall, to select their own successor.
In the Secret Chamber within Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s office at Eun Wol Gak.
There, Gong Son Dan Gyeong and Bu Eunseol faced each other in conversation.
“The situation is unfolding in a completely unexpected direction.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly, regarding Bu Eunseol.
“Surely you weren’t seeing this far ahead, were you?”
In truth, she had never planned to nominate Bu Eunseol as a candidate for the next Alliance Leader.
But Beok Goong Ryung and the young martial artists had voluntarily supported Bu Eunseol,
and when it became an irresistible tide, Gong Son Dan Gyeong had no choice but to step forward.
“How could that be?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“I have no intention of ascending to the position of Alliance Leader.”
In the past, I had proposed to Gong Son Dan Gyeong
creating a Murim Alliance where young talents could freely display their abilities.
She had accepted that proposal, and together with me, began generously supporting the young martial artists.
But that was all.
I had never shown ambition to climb higher, nor harbored such desires.
Yet when the time came to select the next Alliance Leader,
the young martial artists voluntarily raised their voices so that I could become a candidate.
This had become another current, and if fortune favored me?
I could truly become the next Alliance Leader.
“Surely not. Wasn’t what you did with Wu Tian Duan in preparation for something like this?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong laughed playfully.
“You continuously supported Wu Tian Duan without breaking your promise of support until Baek Ri Dan Ju was selected.”
During her time as a candidate for Mu Cheon Danjoo, Bu Eunseol had grasped the dire circumstances of the Wu Tian Duan and promised unwavering support.
And indeed, until Baek Mu Sung was appointed as Mu Cheon Danjoo, she provided them with endless assistance.
The members of Wu Tian Duan, moved by her generosity,
informed numerous martial artists that Seon Woo Jin was a person of her word and what kind of character she possessed.
The young martial artists within the Alliance knew how much the Wu Tian Duan members had suffered.
So hearing their words, they held deep respect for Seon Woo Jin.
“That was the most effective in gaining the support of the young martial artists.”
“I simply kept my promise.”
Bu Eunseol spoke honestly.
“Back then, I was certain I would become Mu Cheon Danjoo.”
“Well, we shall see.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong shrugged her shoulders.
“Since the Alliance Leader has permitted the next Alliance Leader to be chosen from those who gain voluntary support… it will take quite a long time.”
Bu Eunseol offered no response, merely wearing a calm smile.
As long as Mu Jon lived, it was impossible for her to become the next Alliance Leader.
Furthermore, the Murim Alliance was suspected to be the headquarters of Sam Gye.
Rather than becoming Alliance Leader… she had to destroy the Murim Alliance itself.
“The atmosphere within the Alliance has become extremely chaotic due to this incident.”
Bu Eunseol clasped her hands together.
“The forces of the Demonic Path could seize this opportunity to run rampant… so I shall venture back into Gangho.”
“Please do so.”
“Then.”
Bu Eunseol bowed respectfully and stepped outside Eun Wol Gak.
‘Now is the perfect opportunity.’
She had long planned to expand the Muhon Society’s influence,
but had not dared attempt it for fear the Murim Alliance might focus its attention on her.
However, the Murim Alliance was now in extreme chaos.
And she could sense that someone lurking behind the Alliance was deliberately orchestrating this turmoil.
‘The Murim Alliance is a place I shall soon abandon anyway.’
She cared not why they were sowing chaos, nor who would be elected as the next Alliance Leader.
For as long as the chaos persisted, the Murim Alliance would pay no attention to the complicated affairs of Gangho…
She would seize this opportunity and proceed with her long-postponed plan to expand the Muhon Society’s power.

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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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