The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 79
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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 79.
Whoosh…
Two shadows materialized above the collapsed roof, and before Bu Eunseol could blink, an elderly man and a middle-aged figure with jade-like features stood before her.
“Rang… Rang Ju!”
Ok Ho Bang’s eyes widened in shock upon recognizing them, and he bowed deeply.
The middle-aged man draped in a pale blue robe, bearing the ethereal countenance of an immortal sage—he was Rang Ju of Donghyo Seorang, Do Myeong, who had departed four years prior for secluded cultivation.
“Have you been well, Master Ok?”
“How did you suddenly…?”
“It was hardly sudden.”
The elderly man standing beside Do Myeong shook his head.
He was Yang Sa, the aged servant who had faithfully attended Do Myeong for over two decades.
“The Rang Ju had already returned to Donghyo Seorang since the Jeong Mu Dae Hoe began.”
“Since the tournament’s start?”
As Ok Ho Bang’s mouth fell open, Yang Sa exhaled heavily.
“From the beginning, the Rang Ju only wished for you to manage Donghyo Seorang well. He never desired for you to rise as a force in the martial realm by borrowing the prestige of Hell Blood Sect.”
“That is to say…”
Cold sweat beaded on Ok Ho Bang’s brow as his hidden ambitions were laid bare, and Do Myeong waved his hand dismissively.
“Do not blame yourself. Without you, how could I have spent these four years in leisurely seclusion?”
He smiled warmly, regarding Ok Ho Bang with gentle eyes.
“After I departed, Hell Blood Sect coveted our organization, did they not? Had you not been here, Donghyo Seorang would have crumbled into ruin, scattered to the winds, with the remaining wanderers absorbed into Hell Blood Sect’s ranks.”
“Rang… Rang Ju…”
Tears of remorse streamed down Ok Ho Bang’s face.
Do Myeong possessed formidable martial prowess and exceptional talent, yet harbored no ambition to expand Donghyo Seorang into a great power.
This had long frustrated Ok Ho Bang, who spent the past four years leveraging Hell Blood Sect’s strength to grow their faction, intending to supplant Do Myeong entirely.
“Rang Ju, truthfully, all this time I have…”
“I know. It is well.”
Do Myeong patted Ok Ho Bang’s shoulder gently.
“You did what you could. You have endured much in my absence.”
At Do Myeong’s warm words, Ok Ho Bang’s tears flowed anew, hot and unbidden.
“Rang Ju! Rang Ju!”
Ok Ho Bang clung to Do Myeong’s arm, tears of regret streaming down his face.
Witnessing this, Yang Sa, Heuk Pyo, Hwa Ran, and even Hyeol Chu shed tears of emotion.
Yet one person alone—Bu Eunseol—stood with an expression of utter boredom.
“So then…”
Finally, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“Where is my blade?”
* * *
The Yeongsa Divine Blade was indeed in the Great Armory.
Ok Ho Bang pointed to a large wooden box near the entrance of the Great Armory, where weathered swords lay stacked in their scabbards.
“The Yeongsa Divine Blade is here.”
At Ok Ho Bang’s words, I peered into the box.
“Hmm.”
My eyes gleaming with interest, I lifted the box with a single hand.
Click.
A mechanism engaged, revealing a hidden compartment beneath the large box.
Surprisingly, that space too was packed with worn blades, just like those in the box above.
Whoosh.
I immediately reached out and seized the most weathered and rust-covered sword among them.
Devoid of any ornamentation and so corroded that the scabbard’s surface appeared covered in jagged stones, it was a pitiful sight.
“A fine blade.”
Shing.
As I drew the sword in one fluid motion, rust cascaded away, revealing a blade that gleamed with an obsidian luster.
This was the divine sword that could sever even the soul of its opponent—the Spirit Reaper.
“Did you know of the Spirit Reaper Divine Sword?”
The moment I found the Spirit Reaper Divine Sword, Ok Ho Bang’s expression shifted to one of astonishment.
“I did not.”
I channeled my inner power to strip away all the rust clinging to its surface, then smiled calmly.
“It simply called out to me.”
With the rust removed, the Spirit Reaper Divine Sword gleamed with a dark, lustrous sheen even across its scabbard.
Though it appeared demonic in aspect, it was in truth a purifying blade—one that could banish malevolent energy and even sever evil spirits.
“From this moment, I shall call you Ink Sword.”
Hum.
At my words, a low resonance echoed from the blade—the Spirit Reaper, now the Ink Sword.
“Originally, this sword was prepared for Rang Ju’s return.”
The Spirit Reaper was a divine blade Ok Ho Bang had obtained over a year by searching for wanderers.
But when his intentions changed, it became a gift offering for the Hell Blood Castle Master.
“Yet it seems it had a different master all along.”
Ok Ho Bang spoke as he gazed at my profile.
“I am without excuse, but… I have a request.”
“Speak.”
“Sa Ha. Please look after that child.”
Ok Sa Ha.
That was Heuk Pyo’s true name.
“He is merely a wanderer bound to me by contract. You need not concern yourself.”
At my cold reply, Ok Ho Bang swallowed hard and fell silent.
“I-I apologize.”
Then I added a brief remark.
“But I will not let him die.”
‘Will not let him die…’
Savoring those words, Ok Ho Bang allowed himself a faint, hidden smile.
Only then did I truly understand Bu Eunseol’s nature.
‘Now I comprehend it. This person’s character.’
On the surface, she appeared as a cold-blooded and merciless figure, yet she would never harm those who entered her embrace.
And should anyone attempt to bring harm to them, she would stake her very life to protect them.
“I am grateful.”
Ok Ho Bang bowed deeply.
Then, as if remembering something, his eyes widened.
“Are you planning to depart immediately?”
As Bu Eunseol nodded, Ok Ho Bang spoke.
“Rang Ju wishes to meet with you separately, Madam Bu.”
“Rang Ju, you say?”
“Indeed.”
As Bu Eunseol’s expression showed annoyance, Ok Ho Bang offered a faint smile.
“Should you meet with him, I assure you there will be no regrets.”
Won Rim Gak.
Originally, it was a place that provided lodging and meals to wandering swordsmen with nowhere else to go.
But now it had become the residence of Do Myeong, the leader of Donghyo Seorang.
“Forgive my intrusion.”
As Bu Eunseol opened the door to the office, Do Myeong, who had been writing something at a desk, stopped and smiled.
“Welcome.”
Rising from his seat, he gestured to the desk across from him.
“Please, sit. First, let us share some tea.”
The tea Do Myeong brought was not premium varieties like Yueye or Longjing, but rather a wild tea made from leaves he had personally gathered.
Bu Eunseol stared blankly at the tea served in a simple, unadorned cup before taking a sip.
“How is it? The taste of the wild tea I gathered and prepared myself?”
Bu Eunseol offered a wry smile.
Every master of the martial world she had met thus far had been fond of tea.
Moreover, after serving tea to others, they would invariably ask how it tasted.
“I cannot claim expertise in tea, but… it possesses a simple yet steadfast flavor.”
“Simple yet steadfast flavor.”
In that moment, Do Myeong’s expression became one of bittersweet satisfaction.
“I have long pondered how to describe this taste… and you have answered it with perfect clarity.”
“Is that so.”
“Hmm. Meeting a master has rendered ten years of study meaningless, one might say. Haha.”
After a hollow laugh, a glimmer of keen light flashed in Do Myeong’s eyes.
“I hear you are a disciple of Nangya Sect.”
“That is correct.”
“Strange. Though I maintain a considerable intelligence network myself… I could find no evidence whatsoever that you are a disciple of Nangya Sect.”
Do Myeong gazed intently at Bu Eunseol.
And observing her eyes—as clear and cool as the azure heavens—he spoke.
“Could it be that the Fengyun Corps leader is suppressing information?”
Do Myeong chuckled softly, muttering as though speaking to himself.
“Having obtained such an exceptional disciple… they must be protecting them with all their might.”
There was no trace of hostility in Do Myeong’s eyes.
Rather, as he spoke, his gaze deepened as though recalling the past.
“Do you know much about our sect?”
“Hehehehe.”
Do Myeong let out a laugh—whether genuine amusement or admiration, it was unclear.
“As much as you do.”
It was an answer that left a peculiar aftertaste.
Yet Bu Eunseol asked in a low voice, as though entirely uninterested.
“What is your purpose?”
“My purpose, you ask….”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Do Myeong rose from his seat and moved toward the window.
“If I must put it simply, I would say it is to resolve what was begun.”
Do Myeong’s eyes, gazing out the window, were filled with profound regret and anguish.
“I hear you are one of the Ten Demon Experts and the legitimate successor destined to shoulder the Nangya Sect. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
As Bu Eunseol nodded, Do Myeong slowly turned his body.
Then an immense aura that had never been visible before poured forth from him.
“I too was once a disciple of the Nangya Sect. In the past.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flickered for a moment.
―Once a disciple of the Nangya Sect.
This statement did not make sense.
Once a disciple of the Nangya Sect means eternally a disciple of the Nangya Sect. If one could speak of being a disciple only in the past, it could only refer to those who perished during their training.
“I do not understand your meaning. If Rang Ju was once a disciple of the Nangya Sect, should he not still be one?”
Do Myeong’s lips curved into a bitter smile at Bu Eunseol’s words.
“I should have died within the Nangya Sect. Yet I survived, and now I commit sins.”
“I have no patience for riddles. If you have something to say, speak plainly without evasion.”
“Very well.”
Do Myeong withdrew an old manuscript from his robes and extended it toward Bu Eunseol.
“This is my request.”
He drew a deep breath before continuing.
“Memorize this secret manual and then destroy it. Once that is done, I will have truly returned this martial art to the Nangya Sect.”
As Bu Eunseol accepted the manual, the cover bore the characters “Fist Demon.”
“Fist Demon?”
Just as the title “Sword Demon” had been passed down through generations in the martial world, so too had the title “Fist Demon” been transmitted across the ages.
Yet the Nangya Sect, which emphasized practical martial application, did not hold fist techniques in particularly high regard.
Using a sword or blade was far more practical and powerful than confronting enemies with bare hands.
“Is the martial art written in this manual truly from our sect?”
“Of course. The foremost martial art of Nangya Sect.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression grew peculiar.
“I had no idea our sect possessed secret techniques.”
“Nangya Sect certainly has secret techniques. It’s simply that transmitting martial arts through such means is extraordinarily rare.”
“Then… has Rang Ju also mastered this secret technique?”
Originally, I had intended to ask which circumstances warranted teaching martial arts as secret techniques.
But seeing the anguish that filled Do Myeong’s eyes, I changed my question. He wouldn’t answer anyway.
“I lacked the aptitude to properly master this martial art. Yet my greed prevented me from returning this secret technique to Nangya Sect.”
Do Myeong spoke with sorrowful eyes.
“I was a disciple who died—or should have died.”
Do Myeong seemed to carry a profound story he could never tell.
But I did not ask.
Everyone in Gangho carries their own tale. And they all quietly bury such things deep within their hearts and live on.
“One simply reads the secret technique and immediately burns it, yes?”
“Indeed.”
Do Myeong spoke words laden with meaning.
“This secret technique is incomplete. No matter how profound the foundational moves and martial principles it contains, the very pinnacle has been excised.”
I had no intention of mastering the martial art anyway. So I nodded without further thought.
“Understood.”
“You’ll accept it?”
As I nodded, Do Myeong’s face brightened with a smile.
“Thank you.”
What could he possibly be grateful for?
Yet Do Myeong’s smile suggested he had finally cast off a burden he had carried for far too long.
“In exchange, I have a request of my own.”
“Speak.”
I whispered softly.
Hearing my words, Do Myeong narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“I understand what you mean. As soon as the information reaches all intelligence networks, inform Heuk Pyo of it.”
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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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