The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 777

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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 777.
‘At that age, has he already mastered the Ten Finger Shadow Technique?’
The dream of those who wielded hidden projectiles was simple.
To attain the pinnacle of projectile mastery—the Ten Finger Shadow Technique—before death claimed them in old age.
Yet here stood a young man who appeared barely past thirty, wielding the Ten Finger Shadow Technique with such natural grace?
Whoosh, whoosh!
The man rotated and controlled hundreds of distinctively shaped hidden projectiles, which explained the peculiar piercing sounds that had echoed through the air.
Crack!
In that instant, a small hidden projectile shot forward with a sharp whistle, moving at a terrifying velocity toward Jung Cheong Ja’s brow.
It was utterly sudden, and its speed rivaled that of light itself.
But the moment Jung Cheong Ja’s eyes gleamed.
Thud.
The hidden projectile froze in mid-air as if suspended.
“Impressive.”
The man spoke while gazing toward the direction where Jung Cheong Ja was concealed.
“You appear to be a master of the Murim. What brings you to this place?”
Now it was clear—the man had been aware of Jung Cheong Ja’s presence all along.
“I meant no intrusion.”
Jung Cheong Ja emerged from the tree where he had been hiding.
“I simply had business in this area.”
His gaze had grown dark.
After countless hardships to reach Neung Woon Mountain, only to find So Ok Rim absent—he would need to search elsewhere.
“What business could one possibly have in such a remote mountain?”
The man observed Jung Cheong Ja’s bearing, ethereal as an immortal, and his gentle gaze.
Realizing he was a transcendent master, the man spoke with utmost courtesy.
“I was searching for someone. But… they are not here.”
“Someone you seek.”
“I believed they would be cultivating martial arts in this place… but it seems not.”
The man uttered a sound of understanding.
This region was permeated with mysterious qi akin to the Great Natural Essence.
Being untouched by human footsteps, it was ideal for cultivation.
Thus, he himself had abandoned his clan’s perfectly adequate Cultivation Chamber and Secret Refuge, choosing instead to cultivate here.
“Forgive me for interrupting your training.”
Noticing Jung Cheong Ja’s deeply troubled expression, the man approached and inquired.
“Are you well?”
His eyes brimmed with vitality. At his waist hung a pouch of hidden projectiles crafted from deerskin.
Upon seeing this, Jung Cheong Ja smiled faintly and spoke.
“Dang Gon, the Dang Family’s lingering spirit—the clan master evaluated as possessing the richest emotions and most exceptional talents among all Dang Family leaders throughout history. So you were here.”
The man practicing with hidden projectiles was indeed Dang Gon.
“How did you recognize this humble clan master?”
Dang Gon rarely engaged in Murim activities.
So few people outside the Orthodox Sects who knew him could recognize his face.
Yet how had this old man identified him at a glance?
“Once one masters dark techniques and poison, there’s no need to wear gloves.”
When Dang Gon asked with a startled expression, Jung Cheong Ja smiled broadly.
“Moreover, how many in Murim have reached a level where they can freely wield the Ten Finger Shadow Convergence technique at such a young age?”
The dark projectile Dang Gon held was caked with the Dang Family’s special deadly poison.
But since he had already mastered all eight secret techniques of the Dang Family, he was wielding the Ten Finger Shadow Convergence with his bare hands while touching them.
“Elder, you…”
The moment Dang Gon was about to ask a question,
Skitter, skitter, skitter, skitter, skitter.
With the sound of insects rushing forward, black shadows began pouring into Jeol Gok.
It was Cheop Dong In.
Thud, thud.
Upon spotting Jung Cheong Ja, Cheop Dong In began walking slowly toward him.
“Flee at once.”
Jung Cheong Ja immediately moved to get out of the way, unwilling to cause further harm to the young people.
Given Cheop Dong In’s ferocity, it would surely harm Dang Gon as well.
“Ah, so it’s Cheop Dong In.”
Yet Dang Gon recognized the slowly approaching Cheop Dong In immediately.
The Sichuan Dang Family possessed all manner of poisons and dark projectiles,
And since they inherited mysterious grand secret arts as their family knowledge, he recognized Cheop Dong In at first sight.
“A demonic creature that should never walk this world has appeared again.”
A sharp gleam flashed in Dang Gon’s eyes.
In Murim, there existed forbidden texts and demonic scriptures that should never be opened, and one of them was the Four Tribulations Soul Binding Scripture.
The forbidden techniques written there demand the lives of the innocent as collateral.
They are things that should never be attempted under any circumstance.
Yet here these demonic creatures created from that forbidden scripture were brazenly roaming Murim?
If these things were to slip beyond control, an unstoppable massacre could occur.
“Such abominations must be eliminated at once.”
A transparent energy current flowed from Dang Gon’s hands.
It was called the Five Dew Convergence, one of the eight secret techniques of the Dang Family.
A secret method of dispersing five concentrated deadly poisons stored within the body through wind.
When a one-against-many battle erupted,
No other mysterious technique could demonstrate such formidable power as the Five Dew Convergence.
Yet something strange occurred.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Heat rose from Cheop Dong In’s body, which should have melted into a handful of blood,
And in an instant, it incinerated the poison of the Five Dew Convergence?
It was the Flame Emperor Technique that Jung Cheong Ja had used, now mastered and deployed.
“The Flame Emperor’s Technique. So it’s those wretches from Sam Gye after all.”
A terrifying aura radiated from Dang Gon’s eyes.
Sam Gye, particularly the Cheonghae Realm, had long since infiltrated the Dang Family, becoming the very enemy who had toyed with his father Dang Pae’s life.
And here he was, already training his martial arts for his father’s vengeance.
Yet upon seeing Cheop Dong In wielding the martial techniques of Sam Gye… a fury unlike anything before came surging forth.
“Pay it no mind and vacate the area.”
Despite Jung Cheong Ja’s dissuasion, crimson light blazed from Dang Gon’s eyes.
“Elder, please remove yourself from this place.”
Whoosh!
As Dang Gon extended both hands.
One hundred thirty-two iron needles erupted toward Cheop Dong In all at once.
He had unleashed the Ten Thousand Blossoms of Fire Rain—a technique capable of firing sixty-six projectiles in a single move—with both hands simultaneously.
The cascading iron needles pierced through Cheop Dong In’s body, which blazed with flame.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Yet even with iron needles embedded in his flesh, Cheop Dong In advanced as though unbothered.
Still, Dang Gon wore a subtle smile.
“Extreme Yang Technique is not omnipotent.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the iron needles lodged in their bodies detonated, sending metal shards scattering in all directions.
Knowing they wielded the Flame Emperor’s Technique, he had layered the Heavenly Thunder Explosive Dragon technique upon the Ten Thousand Blossoms of Fire Rain.
Sizzle. Thud. Thud.
Yet even from that explosion, the Cheop Dong In revealed only bone and flesh.
With an unmoved expression, they continued walking slowly forward.
“Tenacious creatures.”
Whoosh! Crack! Crack! Crack!
As Dang Gon spun both hands in circles, the fragmented iron needles embedded themselves in the Cheop Dong In’s bodies once more.
Having reached the realm of Ten Fingers Five Directions, he could now command even the projectiles he had already fired with absolute freedom.
Using the shattered needle fragments scattered by the Heavenly Thunder Explosive Dragon, he pierced through the Cheop Dong In’s bodies once again.
Boom. Boom.
Unable to withstand the relentless barrage, this time the Cheop Dong In collapsed.
Thud. Thud.
Yet more than half of the Cheop Dong In survived.
The Cheop Dong In, enraged, now advanced toward Dang Gon.
Jung Cheong Ja’s eyes narrowed as he watched.
‘He too is a pillar upon which Murim rests. I cannot allow him to perish in such a place.’
Jung Cheong Ja realized that Dang Gon possessed righteous virtue and was a worthy successor to protect Murim from malevolent forces.
‘Even if things go awry, I need only entrust the future to him.’
Dang Gon was an honest man.
Even if I were to reveal the location of the Chil Jeol Bi Dong, where the final teachings of Jeong Hwa Sam Gye are preserved.
He would never succumb to greed and would surely pass it on to So Ok Rim.
“Run.”
Jung Cheong Ja, drawing forth the power within his body, spoke toward Dang Gon.
“Never with ordinary strength….”
Boom! Crash!
But the words did not continue.
Suddenly, with a deafening roar that shook heaven and earth, two streaks of light shot upward into the sky,
Whoooosh!
And then, crossing left and right in an instant, they severed Cheop Dong In’s neck in a flash, did they not?
Dang Pae, having witnessed the Blood Dew Seven Techniques and gained enlightenment, had created it.
A new secret technique of the Dang Family that surpassed the Eight Great Hidden Arts—the Dang Pae Four Lines.
Dang Pae, the Dang Family Lord, had hoped that the Dang Family’s stagnant martial arts would ascend to the pinnacle of Murim in a single breath.
And before his lifespan ended, Dang Pae had
created an inescapable line of death, and he unfolded it before Bu Eunseol and Dang Gon.
And Dang Gon, who inherited that enlightenment of the heart,
had named the martial technique that unleashed that line of death after his father Dang Pae.
Thud-thud-thud.
The power of the Dang Pae Four Lines was tremendous.
Even Cheop Dong In, whom Jung Cheong Ja, proficient in the martial arts of Jeong Hwa Sam Gye, found difficult to eliminate,
was severed in a single stroke—sixty or more of them at once, was it not?
Boom. Boom.
As the headless bodies of Cheop Dong In collapsed one after another,
“Ptui.”
Dang Gon spat out a thick clot of blood from his mouth.
Through the teachings his father had left behind, he had perfected two strands of the Dang Pae Four Lines,
but lacking in inner strength and having forced the technique without perfect mastery, he had sustained internal injuries.
Whoosh!
In that moment, the remaining Cheop Dong In discerned Dang Gon’s weakness and leaped up in a flash, pouring forth Flame Emperor Qi.
Boom!
But then, an enormous chill descended upon the attacking Cheop Dong In.
Crack. Shatter!
And at the same time, Jung Cheong Ja poured forth his essence, instantly shattering the frozen Cheop Dong In.
With the Snow Emperor’s Snow Emperor Qi, he had frozen the Cheop Dong In wielding Flame Emperor Qi in an instant.
Whoosh.
But having consumed his lifespan once more, Jung Cheong Ja’s face aged visibly in an instant.
Dang Gon, witnessing Jung Cheong Ja’s terrifying martial arts, could not hide his astonishment and asked,
“Were you a descendant of the Snow Emperor?”
“Something like that.”
Jung Cheong Ja, enduring the surging pain, extended his thumb toward Dang Gon.
“That technique you unfolded just now. It is a secret art capable of elevating the Dang Family’s stagnant techniques to the pinnacle of Murim in a single breath.”
Dang Gon’s eyes gleamed as Jung Cheong Ja pierced through the Dang Family’s circumstances at once.
“Who exactly are you, old master?”
“Just a wanderer passing through, that’s all.”
Dang Gon’s thirst for vengeance against Sam Gye must be burning fierce, given his father’s death.
It was impossible to explain the matter of Jeong Hwa Sam Gye with merely a few words.
“And…”
Jung Cheong Ja withdrew a small box from his robes and offered it forward.
“This appears to belong to you.”
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
As Dang Gon opened the box, there lay a dark, lustrous ring within.
“This is…”
As the master of the Dang Family, Dang Gon possessed vast knowledge of all treasures and precious artifacts scattered throughout Tianxia.
In an instant, he recognized the transparent cord wound around the ring as a legendary spiritual artifact.
The sinew of the Flood Dragon—the Flood Dragon Cord.
“Those who practice martial arts that materialize true energy typically possess innate advantages for accumulating greater internal power than others.”
“…”
“But you seem somewhat lacking in internal reserves.”
Jung Cheong Ja offered a gentle smile.
“However, with this Flood Dragon Cord, you could unleash a perfect line of death without suffering great loss of internal power.”
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.
Once again, that bizarre sound echoed from afar.
The Cheop Dong In were converging once more.
Dang Gon’s eyes gleamed as he donned the dark ring.
Then he extended his hand toward the approaching Cheop Dong In.
Whoosh!
With a sound that seemed to split heaven and earth asunder, the Dang Faction Death Line unfurled once again.
Thud, thud, thud.
In an instant, the heads of the attacking Cheop Dong In tumbled to the ground.
Though it was only a single strand this time.
The Flood Dragon Cord substituted its own power for the cord made of true energy, amplifying the destructive force while reducing the consumption of internal power.
“…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected might, Dang Gon stared intently at the ring wound with the Flood Dragon Cord.
If he could obtain such treasures…
He could stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest masters who dominated Tianxia in a single leap.
“I cannot accept this.”
Yet Dang Gon removed the ring and offered it back.
“How could I accept such a treasure without having earned any merit?”
“Did you not just help me?”
Jung Cheong Ja smiled faintly.
“Besides, the Cheop Dong In relentlessly pursue those who touch them. Because of No Bu, you will face battles dancing on the edge of death for some time to come… so you are hardly receiving this without merit.”
“It’s fine. If I gather the masters of the Main House, it will be more than sufficient to handle it.”
“You’re going to handle it alone, aren’t you?”
Jung Cheong Ja saw right through Dang Gon’s intentions.
“Because you believe that’s the dignity befitting the Dang Family patriarch.”
Dang Gon nodded, astonished that Jung Cheong Ja had pierced through his very thoughts.
“Very well. Then I shall deal with Cheop Dong In alone and return the Gyolyong Sak to you afterward.”
Jung Cheong Ja did not answer, but smiled softly.
“Please protect the Murim.”
Before Dang Gon could respond, he unfolded his movement technique and vanished in an instant.
“Sam Gye.”
Dang Gon gazed toward the distant sky where Jung Cheong Ja had disappeared.
And he murmured quietly.
“Is there truly a righteous person even in that place?”
Dang Gon had already suspected that Jung Cheong Ja was a figure from Sam Gye.
For only Sam Gye would possess knowledge of the Dang Family’s circumstances, given their deliberate restraint from Murim activities.
Yet questions remained.
“Then are the forces of Sam Gye clashing among themselves?”
From what he knew, in the current Murim of Tianxia,
only Sam Gye possessed the power to create a demon beast like Cheop Dong In.
Yet an old man suspected to belong to Sam Gye was being hunted by Cheop Dong In?
“I cannot fathom what is transpiring.”
Dang Gon shook his head and took a deep breath, gazing toward the distant sky.
“I need only strengthen the Main House further and prepare for what lies ahead.”
In the heavens, he seemed to see the face of his most cherished friend.
“Is that not so?”
Dang Gon understood this truth.
In all of Tianxia, there was but one who could clash with Sam Gye and emerge victorious: Bu Eunseol.
Only she alone.
He need only revitalize the Dang Family and aid her when the time came.
* * *
Staggering, tottering.
Jung Cheong Ja’s vital force was now so depleted that he could no longer even unfold his movement technique.
He had come here by unfolding his technique directly to find So Ok Rim in Zhong Yuan as quickly as possible, but…
In confronting the relentless Cheop Dong In, he had expended far too much of his energy.
Under normal circumstances, he could endure for another three days.
Now, only a single day remained to him.
No—barely half a day.
“I must find Ok Rim, no matter what.”
Until now, he had labored ceaselessly to restore the power of the Baek Ri Family, and he had discovered the extraordinary talent in Tianxia who could master it.
No matter how many exceptional talents emerged from other places, none could compare to that child.
“That child….”
Jung Cheong Ja’s eyes grew hazy.
Not only those holding their ground in Incheon ahead, but also those maintaining the balance.
They would all reveal themselves in due course.
I must find So Ok Rim and deliver the letter left by Yu Jin at Chil Jeol Bi Dong.
“May this gamble succeed.”
Among the three cultivation sites, So Ok Rim was not at Neung Woon Mountain.
That left Cheon Ju Mountain and Okryusan Mountain.
After much deliberation, Jung Cheong Ja chose Cheon Ju Mountain near Hwang San and came here.
A faint blue light.
Finally reaching Cheon Ju Mountain, Jung Cheong Ja staggered forward into the deep wilderness.
I could not run swiftly, much less employ divine movement techniques.
The only fortune was that Heuk Pyo and Dang Gon were dealing with the Cheop Dong In operatives.
So for these past days, I had not been pursued.
But now my strength was spent, and even walking had become unbearable.
In the end, this final journey of my life would be on Cheon Ju Mountain.
“Not only Ben Gye, but other places will not escape unscathed either.”
Ma Cheon Je is a thorough man.
Moreover, with an intelligence network capable of finding us when even Sam Gye could not, the other Jeong Hwa Sam Gye locations must surely have been attacked as well.
Now my only remaining hope is So Ok Rim alone.
Thud.
After walking for some time, Jung Cheong Ja could walk no further and collapsed on the uphill path.
Crack.
Yet trembling violently, I barely grasped a tree stump.
If I collapsed now, I would never rise again.
Even if death came, I had to reach the secret cave of Cheon Ju Mountain and see So Ok Rim.
Snap.
But my knees buckled helplessly.
For ten days I wandered Zhong Yuan without a single sip of water. Even in perfect condition, this would be unbearable.
Ma Cheon Je’s limitless power had completely drained the life force from my body.
I was barely holding on through the Jeol A Hoe Hun technique, but I could endure no longer.
“Is this the end of No Bu?”
With a sigh full of regret, Jung Cheong Ja slowly released the tension in my body.
Whoosh.
But then a gentle breeze stirred, and a shadow caught my falling form.
“Are you alright?”
At the same moment, pure and magnificent vital energy surged in through the Ming Men point like a flood.
As Jung Cheong Ja’s eyes fluttered open, I saw the face of a young scholar with a prominent nose and the bearing of a hero.
Jung Cheong Ja smiled faintly.
Heaven was not indifferent—it had sent me this final karmic blessing.
“No Bu must ascend to Cheon Sa Bong. Can you lend your aid?”
The Young Scholar gazed at Jung Cheong Ja, whose eyes radiated benevolence and whose entire being emanated an extraordinary presence, then smiled and nodded.
“Of course. I shall be honored to assist you.”
Without hesitation, he lowered his body and spoke.
“Please, allow me to carry you.”
The Young Scholar’s white robes were crafted from exceedingly fine silk, yet he paid no mind, kneeling on one knee upon the soiled ground.
Jung Cheong Ja, a faint smile gracing his lips, climbed onto the Young Scholar’s back.
“Hold tight, if you please.”
The Young Scholar unleashed his lightness technique and began ascending the mountain in a single breath.
Whoosh.
The Young Scholar’s lightness technique was extraordinary—in less than an hour, he reached the summit of Cheon Sa Bong in one swift ascent.
“We have arrived.”
Jung Cheong Ja descended from the Young Scholar’s back and swiftly surveyed the surroundings of Cheon Sa Bong.
A Secret Cave they had constructed lay somewhere in this place.
Yet nowhere could he find any trace of So Ok Rim.
“So the child is not here either, after all.”
Jung Cheong Ja released a sigh and shook his head.
So Ok Rim was not here.
Yet fortunately, a worthy successor stood before him.
“Young one, I have a request of you…”
Skitter, skitter, skitter, skitter.
Then came a peculiar sound.
From the mountainside below, dark shadows ascended rapidly on all fours, like spiders.
They were Cheop Dong In.
The Young Scholar observed them and questioned Jung Cheong Ja.
“Were you being pursued by those creatures?”
“Indeed.”
“They clearly harbor a malevolent aura.”
The Young Scholar drew his sword from his waist.
The blade was exceedingly thin, gleaming with a subtle golden radiance.
It was none other than the Golden Needle Sword—the renowned blade of the Nam Goong Family, celebrated throughout Tianxia.
“You are… Nam Goong Woon, the youngest prodigy of the Nam Goong Family.”
The moment Jung Cheong Ja discerned his identity, the Young Scholar Nam Goong Woon’s eyes widened.
“You know of me?”
“Is there not but one genius in all the land who, at such a tender age, could cultivate the Nam Goong Family’s swordsmanship to the realm of ‘technique without artifice, yet containing subtle wonder’?”
At Jung Cheong Ja’s words, Nam Goong Woon scratched his nose and laughed bashfully.
“You jest well, Elder. How could someone like me be called a genius?”
Nam Goong Woon shook his head and gazed toward the distant sky.
“My elder brother surpasses me a hundredfold, a thousandfold. He is so far beyond my reach that I dare not even attempt to follow.”
Jung Cheong Ja’s expression grew enigmatic.
He possessed foresight and discernment.
He had long since grasped just how extraordinary Nam Goong Woon’s talents were and how profoundly rich his emotional depths ran.
So who in the world could this person be—someone even Nam Goong Woon dared not follow?

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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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