The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 815

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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 815.
“This is incomprehensible. Why would Wi Ji Moo Ah, the sect leader, say such a thing?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened as she emerged from the Hwawoo Sword Sect.
No matter how much I pondered it, such a thing seemed impossible.
I could have accepted it if someone like Jeok Bung—an old man who had experienced all manner of trials and now clung to power—had said it.
But Wi Ji Moo Ah, who appeared to transcend all worldly concerns, speaking such words like a decrepit elder? It made no sense.
“A person of such simplicity could not resist the temptation of power and become their puppet….”
The Ten Demonic Gates—the ten pillars supporting the Demon Palace, the holy ground of the Demonic Path.
Among their leaders, there were those who pursued power desperately and fell to the temptations of the Sam Gye, which dominated Murim, or external forces.
The Demonic Path pursued the way of tyrants, after all.
One could not point fingers at them or condemn them for it.
But Wi Ji Moo Ah found even the position of sect leader of the Hwawoo Sword Sect burdensome.
He lived as if he were merely an old recluse in a back room.
There was no way such a man would collude with external forces.
“So he spoke words that did not come from his heart.”
If he were a man who chose to ally with external forces to establish and preserve his sect?
Even if he ascended to the Mujik Gyeong.
He would never have become a person of transcendent detachment, free from law and convention.
“Why did he speak such words?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes, gazing toward the distant sky, held a complex light.
“There is no master in the Hwawoo Sword Sect comparable to him.”
No matter how much I thought about it, no answer emerged.
Yet there was something I could dimly sense after meeting Wi Ji Moo Ah.
The Hwawoo Sword Sect was not everything it appeared to be.
Perhaps within the sect there existed someone who matched Wi Ji Moo Ah or possessed equal power.
Otherwise, Wi Ji Moo Ah would not have spoken of the Hwawoo Sword Sect as if it were a sect that could vanish at any moment.
“Even he harbors dissatisfaction, yet finds himself helpless to act.”
Hyun Ma Wi Ji Moo Ah’s swordsmanship had reached the realm of profound mystery, rivaling the foremost of Sammasamjon, and he was a man of both martial and civil mastery.
Moreover, he was a man who had transcended even fate and death, a man who feared nothing.
If such a man were helplessly dragged along by someone? If he found himself in a situation where even death was impossible…?
‘Blood relations.’
Could there be any other reason?
‘Then there is no need to investigate immediately.’
If complex circumstances were entangled within the Hwawoo Sword Sect, it would be better to observe the situation rather than force an investigation now, and uncover the truth later.
After all, festering wounds eventually burst.
“If both the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Path are in such a state… there is one urgent matter to address.”
Whether it be Sam Gye, Incheon, or the Three Families… they have existed all along and continue to stir up troubles.
But now that I know even the Hwawoo Sword Sect is not purely righteous or demonic.
“The Jeol Jeong Dae.”
I must quickly prepare a safe haven where the Jeoljeong Dae Won—belonging to neither the Demonic Path nor the Orthodox Sects—can dwell.
“The time has come to execute that plan.”
If both the Demon Palace and the Murim Alliance have fallen to such a state, then as Seon Woo Jin, there is no longer any need to remain within the Murim Alliance.
Moreover, I have nearly unified the intelligence networks of the Righteous Path and the Muhon Society, which commands the masterless warriors.
“It is time to establish a new force.”
Originally, I had intended to incorporate the Jeol Jeong Dae into the Muhon Society. The members would feel secure operating under such an organization.
But now that I understand the Demon Palace, the Ten Demonic Gates, and the Murim Alliance are all abnormal…
If the Jeol Jeong Dae, originating from the Murim Alliance, were to be incorporated into the Muhon Society, a faction of the Righteous Path, complications would inevitably arise.
And certain forces might
inflict harm upon those with whom I, as Seon Woo Jin, have formed bonds.
“There is truly no other way.”
In the end, Bu Eunseol would execute the contingency plan she had devised long ago—to completely sever ties with the Murim Alliance.
* * *
Murim Alliance, Jeol Jeong Gak.
This structure stood before the North Gate Bamboo Forest of the Murim Alliance.
Therefore, those with no business at the Jeol Jeong Gak had little reason to visit this place.
Yet from its inception, Bu Eunseol had fortified the interior of the Jeol Jeong Gak like a fortress.
The Great Conference Hall had been transformed into a secret chamber through which not even sound could escape.
She had endured far too many trials within the Demon Palace.
And in retrospect, such precautions proved to be an exceptionally wise choice.
“I shall now execute the final mission.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with an expression of utmost solemnity as she observed all the Team Members take their seats.
―The final mission.
The faces of the Team Members hardened visibly.
The final mission signified nothing less than the Jeol Jeong Dae’s departure from the Murim Alliance.
“Shall we execute it immediately?”
Tae Mu Ryong asked with an expression of utmost gravity.
Bu Eunseol had long since devised a plan to ensure the Jeol Jeong Dae could depart from the Murim Alliance safely.
If executed as designed, the Jeol Jeong Dae could vanish quietly without any complications.
“No, the plan has changed.”
Bu Eunseol explained calmly.
“We shall establish one additional new force within the Murim.”
“If we establish a separate force…”
Bu Eunseol spoke with an expression of utmost solemnity.
“We shall fragment the Murim Alliance and establish a new Orthodox Sect Alliance.”
Confronted with such a shocking declaration, the Team Members opened their mouths in grave astonishment.
Establishing a new force was comprehensible enough.
But fragmenting the Murim Alliance to establish a new Orthodox Sect Alliance?
Such a thing could never occur, and even if it succeeded, the Murim Alliance would never stand idly by.
In the end, they would be branded as traitors, left with nothing but a war to the death against the Murim Alliance.
“It is impossible.”
Tae Mu Ryong spoke carefully.
“Regardless of other matters, Mu Jon will absolutely never willingly release Won Ju.”
Mu Jon was the very one who had granted Bu Eunseol the identity of Seon Woo Jin in the first place, and he currently served as the Master of the Murim Alliance.
What if Bu Eunseol were to commit even the slightest impropriety? Or if Mu Jon were to discern such intentions?
Mu Jon would clench his teeth and not only erase the identity of Seon Woo Jin but would never leave Bu Eunseol unscathed.
“There is nothing to worry about. Rather, it is precisely because of Mu Jon that I will be able to leave the Murim Alliance perfectly.”
A faint smile played at the corners of my lips.
“From this moment forward, activate the integrated intelligence network at full capacity and expose the activities of all shadow organizations within the Murim Alliance. Uncover every illegal act they have committed and all evidence of it.”
“….”
“Of course, it will not be easy. But even partial results will suffice—do your utmost to uncover what you can.”
“Won Ju.”
It was then that Jeong Jong Do spoke.
“If we were to investigate inside the Murim Alliance, eventually the organizations within it would learn of this fact.”
He hesitated before continuing.
“If that happens, our betrayal will be exposed before we even manage to leave.”
“That is of no concern. It too is merely part of the plan.”
I spoke with confidence.
“Do not worry and proceed with the investigation. I will handle the rest myself.”
Tae Mu Ryong, Jeong Jong Do, and the Team Members exchanged anxious glances.
No matter how much they thought about it, they could not even begin to fathom my plan.
“It is fine.”
I spoke calmly.
“However, if I were to explain the details now, it could jeopardize the plan. So trust me and follow my lead.”
The Team Members all widened their eyes.
I rarely ask anyone to trust me.
Yet I had just said such a thing…
This meant that something no one could anticipate would unfold, and absolute secrecy was essential for success.
“We understand.”
Having grasped this truth, the Team Members asked no further questions and all bowed respectfully.
Had I intended to reveal the detailed plan, I would have explained everything when the meeting began.
Looking back, until now I had.
Never disclosed plans for matters requiring the utmost secrecy to anyone.
Instead, I assigned only the tasks that needed to be done to my subordinates separately.
As each person carried out their assigned duties…the larger picture would gradually fall into place.
The Jeol Jeong Dae believed.
That I could truly split the Murim Alliance apart and perfectly establish a new Orthodox Sects alliance.
* * *
Tan Wang Buk Gung-ryeong.
He had spent his entire life doing righteous deeds, aiding the weak and punishing the wicked.
For decades he had been the renowned hero representing the Orthodox Martial World, and in his lifetime he had been the first to have his name inscribed on the Heroes’ Monument of the Murim Alliance.
Moreover, he had accepted the Murim Alliance’s invitation, which he had continuously refused before.
Now, as a Steward of the Murim Alliance, he was experiencing the prime of his second life.
As a Steward, he handled various duties and cultivated relationships with numerous senior figures.
During this time, he aided those who faced difficulties within the Alliance, and spent all the salary he received from the Alliance on those in need.
Thanks to this, the forces that followed him gradually increased.
Before long, he had become a pillar supporting one axis of the Murim Alliance.
Yeo So Jeong.
It was a small pavilion in the back garden of the residence where Buk Goong Ryeong stayed.
Though over eighty years old, Buk Goong Ryeong still overflowed with vigor and remained actively engaged.
Moreover, he hoped that many young people would become pillars of the Murim world and become righteous heroes greater than himself.
For this reason, he opened Yeo So Jeong so that those facing difficulties could always seek him out.
Thus, anyone with grievances or in need of help could find him at any time.
The stories he heard there were always kept in strict confidence.
If something was unjust, he would roll up his sleeves and intervene.
Because of this, young martial artists below middle age trusted and followed Buk Goong Ryeong rather than their direct superiors.
And the martial artist who had come this time as well.
Rushed into Yeo So Jeong in great haste, as if facing considerable difficulty, and sought him out.
Under normal circumstances, he would have asked with a gentle expression why he had been sought.
But the Buk Goong Ryeong who entered Yeo So Jeong spoke with an exceptionally cold expression.
“What is it? I’m swamped with work—why did you crawl all the way here?”
Because the young man before his eyes was someone who should never face any difficulties.
A young senior figure with tremendous power in both the political and martial worlds, envied by no one in this world.
None other than the Master of Cheop Mil Won, Seon Woo Jin. Or rather, Bu Eunseol.
“Are you busy?”
Bu Eunseol asked,
Zing.
Buk Goong Ryeong, who had erected a solid wall of inner energy near the pavilion to prevent sound from leaking out, let out a scoff.
“Could I possibly be busier than the Master of Cheop Mil Won, the foremost young Grand Master of the Demonic Path and wielding power comparable to the Seven Lords of the Murim Alliance?”
“Mm.”
Bu Eunseol wanted to fire back a retort.
But there might be watching eyes nearby, and more importantly, she had pressing matters to discuss.
So she spoke in a subdued voice.
“Let us move to another place. This is not where we should speak of such matters.”
When Bu Eunseol’s expression turned grave, Buk Goong Ryeong, as if resigned, headed toward the secret chamber installed within the office.
Creak.
As the thick iron door of the secret chamber closed, Buk Goong Ryeong spoke.
“What is the matter?”
Bu Eunseol, who had been staring into empty space, spoke in an extremely low voice.
“I will now leave the Murim Alliance with my subordinates.”
Buk Goong Ryeong’s expression showed considerable surprise.
“Did you find what you were searching for?”
“That is not the case.”
“Then?”
“I am departing because I have come to understand the true nature of the Murim Alliance.”
“Its true nature.”
Buk Goong Ryeong’s gaze deepened.
Even he, having remained within the Murim Alliance as his followers multiplied,
was gradually coming to comprehend the sinister and shadowed reality of this place.
“I see.”
Buk Goong Ryeong nodded, his expression almost relieved.
“You have thought wisely. This is no place to linger long.”
“Does that not apply equally to you, Elder?”
“Why do you suddenly address me so formally? Call me as you did before. And…”
Buk Goong Ryeong offered a somewhat melancholic smile.
“The corruption of the Murim Alliance is hardly a revelation to me, so I need not concern myself with it.”
“You intend to remain?”
“Have you forgotten? No Bu came to this place because of you.”
He spoke with a somewhat aggrieved expression.
“It was at your urging that I came here, determined to purify this rotten place by any means.”
“…”
“No Bu has yet failed to cleanse this place.”
Bu Eunseol found herself without words.
It was she who had urged him to enter the Murim Alliance.
It was she who had encouraged him to make this place clean by any means necessary.
“It is futile.”
Yet because of this, Bu Eunseol had to persuade Buk Goong Ryeong.
Otherwise, he too would be tainted by this filthy cesspool, or ultimately fall under the control of vicious men.
“Even if the Elder labored for a hundred years, the Murim Alliance could never be purified.”
“What do you mean?”
“This place is akin to the headquarters where shadowy forces gather.”
“What are you saying? Shadowy forces?”
Bu Eunseol calmly recounted to Buk Goong Ryeong
everything she had experienced thus far.
As he listened in silence, his eyes narrowed as if struck by shock.
“So it was never something wholesome that rotted—it was rotten from the very beginning.”
Buk Goong Ryeong released a heavy sigh, and Bu Eunseol nodded.
“There was nothing to rot. At first, I believed it to be the headquarters of Sam Gye.”
“That reasoning holds merit. The Murim Alliance has endured through a vast history and concentrates formidable power.”
Controlling the Murim Alliance alone grants tremendous influence over the Murim.
If any force or individual sought to manipulate the Murim, they would necessarily have to seize the Murim Alliance first.
Buk Goong Ryeong, who had been lost in thought, suddenly brightened, his eyes sparkling with realization.
“But regardless of whether this place is the headquarters of the Three Realms or a gathering point for shadowy forces… what of those martial artists who stand in the light? Are they not unconnected to the Three Realms?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“The interior may be rotten, but the exterior remains untainted.”
Buk Goong Ryeong spoke with an unshakeable composure.
“Within the Murim Alliance, there are many pure-hearted youths with bright futures ahead of them. And I am guiding them toward the righteous path.”
He spoke with utmost gravity.
“Even if various forces lurk in the shadows of the Murim Alliance… those youths in the light have nothing to do with them.”
“Elder.”
“I know what you’re about to say. However…”
Buk Goong Ryeong nodded as he spoke.
“I have made my resolve. To purify the bright side, just as it is now.”
Though the interior of the Murim Alliance was indeed rotten.
On the surface, it remained an alliance of righteous sects upholding justice.
And Buk Goong Ryeong.
Even if he could not cleanse the cesspool that was the Murim Alliance’s interior.
He was saying it was possible to protect those pure youths who diligently cultivated every day, unaware of the truth.
“I understand your meaning.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“But under the current circumstances of the Murim Alliance, even that is impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because even the leader of the light is not genuine.”
In that instant, Buk Goong Ryeong’s eyes trembled.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The current Alliance Leader is a fake.”
“A fake?”
Bu Eunseol, releasing a deep sigh, began to speak of Mu Jon.
How he had long maintained the identity of Shin San Ja, the greatest sage of the martial world, through his shadow.
And for the past decade, he had been assuming the role of Alliance Leader in place of the murdered Jeong Cheon Je.
“Jeong Cheon Je was murdered? How is such a thing even possible?”
As Buk Goong Ryeong’s eyes widened, Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“I do not know the exact details. However, Mu Jon confirmed for me that the corpse I saw in the Eternal Ice Pavilion was Jeong Cheon Je. In truth, he has not shown himself for a very long time.”
“But if all of that is true, could it not be that Mu Jon, because Jeong Cheon Je died a tragic death, is truly devoted to avenging him?”
“Not at all. There is evidence that he is colluding with external forces.”
Bu Eunseol explained further.
According to Mu Gyeol, Jeong Cheon Je’s true disciple.
He is colluding with external forces, and there is a high probability he is closely involved in Jeong Cheon Je’s death.
“But that is not a properly established truth, is it?”
“Truth? Do you wish to hear a clear truth?”
A fierce light ignited in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Mu Jon addicted the Jeoljeong Dae Won to loneliness without an antidote. Even now, they live on, poisoned by the toxin Mu Jon administered.”
Mu Jon’s eyes widened.
“What are you talking about?”
Bu Eunseol explained further.
Why Mu Jon had implanted loneliness in the Jeoljeong Dae Won.
“How could such a thing happen.”
After hearing the entire account, Buk Goong Ryeong collapsed into his chair with a hollow expression.
Having wandered the Gangho alone his entire life, he had finally made a nest in the Murim Alliance.
Since then, he had devoted all his strength to helping the young ones.
Because they were the future of Murim.
Someday they would rise to become central figures within the Alliance and become the pillars of Murim.
But what if the Leader, who stood openly in the light, was already rotten at the core?
Then all such efforts would be meaningless.
“Now that I think about it, that could very well be true.”
Buk Goong Ryeong shook his head.
“Mu Jon, Dan Mok Ki. The reason he could reach the level of the Three Supremes was because he was someone who would employ any means necessary to achieve his goals.”
Since Buk Goong Ryeong and Mu Jon were not only of similar age but had also been active in the Gangho during comparable periods,
they knew each other quite well.
“In particular, he was obsessed with power. If it meant elevating his martial prowess, he would not hesitate to learn even bizarre forbidden arts.”
Bu Eunseol spoke as though unable to comprehend.
“Then why were such facts not revealed to Murim?”
“It must be thanks to Jeong Cheon Je, the Shin Do Alliance Master.”
Buk Goong Ryeong shook his head.
“Jeong Cheon Je shielded him in an unusual manner. When Mu Jon obtained a certain secret martial technique in the past, he killed Ha Seo Woon, the Iron Nail Sword master of the righteous path. Yet the Shin Do Alliance Master quietly covered it up.”
“Is it not common for lives to be lost in secret technique competitions?”
“That is true. But consider this—Ha Seo Woon posed no threat to Mu Jon, regardless of what he did. Yet Mu Jon killed him without hesitation.”
Bu Eunseol stroked her chin.
Jeong Cheon Je was a perfect man both as a martial artist and as the Alliance Master leading the Murim Alliance.
Yet for the sake of Mu Jon, whose cruel nature led him to issue death sentences without hesitation to obtain secret techniques,
Jeong Cheon Je, known to have no moral blemishes whatsoever, had used his power privately?
“Are you saying Mu Jon possessed such a vicious nature?”
“Not vicious, but extremely meticulous and thorough.”
Buk Goong Ryeong shrugged his shoulders.
“By killing Ha Seo Woon, the fact that he obtained the secret technique would not become known in Murim, so he eliminated him.”
“If you knew such facts, why did you not reveal them to Murim, Elder?”
“Because it was ultimately an incident that occurred during a secret technique competition, and secondly, because the Shin Do Alliance Master personally asked me to keep it quiet.”
Bu Eunseol could not hide her astonishment.
“Jeong Cheon Je came to you personally and covered it up?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
Why had Jeong Cheon Je erased all traces of that day with such overwhelming power?
Why had he even sought out Tan Wang, the greatest righteous hero of the Orthodox Sects, to make such a request?
“Could you tell me what happened at that time?”
“The leader of the Shin Do Alliance came to find me, somehow knowing that No Bu had witnessed what occurred that day. And he said this to me.”
Buk Goong Ryeong uttered words of shocking gravity.
“Mu Jon and Dan Mok Ki—he is currently conducting covert work to protect the Murim… Please do not spread such matters throughout the Murim.”

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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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