The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 824
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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 824.
Since the conference was proceeding openly at the Murim Alliance Grand Training Ground, countless spectators watched with wide eyes.
Any scheme, no matter how carefully laid, would be exposed or prove utterly useless.
Moreover, Bu Eunseol was currently confined and suppressed in the Underground Prison.
Despite such a decision being announced, she could not even protest and had no choice but to await her sentence.
Murmur, murmur.
Around noon, the Murim Alliance Grand Training Ground was packed with countless martial artists.
It was to conduct discussions regarding Cheop Mil Won Leader Seon Woo Jin.
A massive platform had been erected atop the Grand Training Ground, upon which tables and chairs were arranged.
The Grand Training Ground had been prepared much like a grand council assembly.
Rumble.
One by one, numerous senior officials appeared atop the Grand Training Ground and began taking their seats.
They were all the leaders of the four divisions and the elders of the Murim Alliance—the highest-ranking officials.
Footstep, footstep.
Then a tall, middle-aged man dressed in white robes appeared atop the Grand Training Ground.
Jeong Cheon Je, Sin Do Mu Bi.
The current Murim Alliance Leader had arrived.
Creak.
As the Leader walked forward, all the senior officials rose from their seats and bowed respectfully.
“Be seated, all of you.”
That voice, bearing, atmosphere, and gaze.
It was so perfect that one could not distinguish it even if the real Sin Do Mu Bi had returned to life.
“We shall now begin discussions regarding the punishment of Cheop Mil Won Leader Seon Woo Jin.”
At last, the grand council assembly for Seon Woo Jin’s trial had commenced.
“Cheop Mil Won Leader, Seon Woo Jin—step forward.”
At Buk Ri Seung’s call, below the Grand Training Ground,
Seon Woo Jin, bound by masters of Hyung Dang, slowly ascended onto the Grand Training Ground.
His gait was unsteady because his Blood Sealing Point had been suppressed by Mu Jon.
Creak.
As Seon Woo Jin walked forward before the assembled senior officials and stood firm, Jeong Cheon Je—
No, Mu Jon spoke in a solemn voice.
“Seon Woo Jin. Do you admit that you are an agent of the Demonic Path?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“So you intend to deny it.”
Seon Woo Jin stared at Mu Jon in silence.
―I rather believe the Leader himself is the agent.
What would happen if I shouted this now?
―If you would only examine whether the Leader has committed treason or not, I would say no more.
It would be futile.
Mu Jon had already assured himself that he had prepared countermeasures against such claims.
Otherwise, I would not have held this grand conference before so many people.
Mu Jon is now.
Fully prepared with meticulous arrangements to expose the true identity of Seon Woo Jin before all under heaven.
“This is not evasion—I am asking a question.”
Bu Eunseol, who had ultimately abandoned her attempt to expose Mu Jon’s identity, spoke up.
“I do not understand why you call me a spy. Do you have evidence?”
Instead of answering, Mu Jon nodded toward a Masked Assassin standing far below the platform.
He was the leader of the Cheong Ryong Party, the secret intelligence organization directly under the Alliance Leader.
Since members of the secret intelligence organization could not reveal themselves publicly before the masses,
he had temporarily donned a mask to make his appearance.
Thump, thump.
The Cheong Ryong Party Leader ascended the platform, bringing with him the masked man.
Mu Jon gazed between the two of them, then nodded.
“Remove his mask.”
As the Cheong Ryong Party Leader removed the mask,
―Gasp!
Astonished exclamations erupted from all directions.
The masked man’s face was identical to Seon Woo Jin standing on the platform.
“According to the Cheong Ryong Party Leader, he claims to be Seon Woo Jin.”
Mu Jon spoke in a solemn voice, regarding Seon Woo Jin.
No—Bu Eunseol, he continued.
“The true Seon Woo Jin, successor of the Seon Hwa Trading Company.”
The masked man was precisely
the one Mu Jon had cultivated for so long, whose movements he had concealed in secrecy to maintain a dual identity…
the true Seon Woo Jin.
Murmur, murmur.
The murmuring of the warriors below the martial arts arena grew louder and more uncontrollable.
They had doubted it all along.
Yet the Alliance Leader had actually secured and brought the true Seon Woo Jin?
By merely producing him before their eyes,
the Seon Woo Jin held captive in the Hyung Dang could no longer produce evidence by any means that he was not Seon Woo Jin.
“Now then, speak truthfully.”
Mu Jon spoke in a low voice.
“Who you truly are, what you desire, and why you infiltrated this Alliance.”
Mu Jon, who bore the identity of Shin San Ja.
He was not only exceptionally intelligent but also meticulous in character.
To ensure Bu Eunseol could not resort to any excuses or schemes here,
he had brought the true Seon Woo Jin, whom he had cultivated for so long, directly to this place.
“If you speak the truth of all things even now, I will acknowledge it as a voluntary confession and reduce your punishment.”
….
A deathly silence fell over the Grand Training Ground.
Seon Woo Jin, who had long served as the leader of the Cheop Mil Won.
What on earth was his true identity?
How could they have failed to recognize that a spy of the Demonic Path had risen to the position of Cheop Mil Won’s leader?
“I am.”
Then Seon Woo Jin spoke.
“Seon Woo Jin.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
The Grand Training Ground erupted into commotion once more.
Here in this Grand Training Ground gathered the senior figures and all the forces of the Murim Alliance.
Yet still he dared speak such words with such audacity?
“Because….”
He pointed with his finger at Seon Woo Jin across from him.
“That man is a fake.”
Mu Jon laughed softly, as if bewildered.
“Even after being given a chance, there is no helping it.”
And he spoke to Buk Ri Seung.
“Vice Alliance Leader. Immediately release the seal on his acupoints.”
Buk Ri Seung nodded.
He possessed not only the deepest inner energy among the Orthodox Sects after Bul Jon.
But in matters of acupoint striking, he was the most accomplished master in all of Murim.
If he deliberately attempted to verify the seal, there was absolutely no way to conceal it.
“How utterly disappointing.”
Buk Ri Seung approached the Grand Training Ground, his expression grave.
“I have always believed in you. Even as suspicions of espionage were raised endlessly, you cleared yourself perfectly every time.”
And he sighed deeply.
“But it was all a futile faith.”
Buk Ri Seung gathered his inner power.
And with an expression of profound sorrow, he extended his hand.
“Do you have any final words?”
“I too believed that Vice Alliance Leader was a just man. So I only hope you will reveal the truth clearly and plainly.”
“Very well.”
A sharp sound.
Buk Ri Seung extended his finger, striking the exact center of the back of Seon Woo Jin’s neck.
The Wind Mansion Point—the hollow depression where the skull meets the cervical vertebrae.
All the positive qi within the body flows through this Blood Sealing Point and surges to the crown of the head.
Therefore, by striking the Wind Mansion Point, one can block the inner energy flowing to the face.
But if one mistakenly pours force into this location, it becomes an instant death point.
So no one would strike here merely to verify a seal.
Yet Buk Ri Seung was among the finest masters of acupoint striking in all the world.
With subtle control, I immediately severed the inner force flowing toward the face alone.
“….”
Yet something strange occurred.
Despite striking the Feng Fu acupoint with precision, the face showed no change, nor did the disguise technique dissolve?
“Leader.”
Buk Ri Seung spoke to Mu Jon with an expression of incomprehension.
“Seon Woo Jin did not employ a disguise technique.”
“What do you mean.”
Mu Jon tilted his head, then spoke in a low voice.
“Could you carefully examine whether he used a human skin mask or some other method of facial alteration, and check for any traces?”
“Understood.”
Turning his body, Buk Ri Seung examined Seon Woo Jin’s face once more.
After spending considerable time feeling the face and probing acupoints, he shook his head.
“There are no traces of facial alteration. It is completely genuine.”
“Surely not.”
Mu Jon, contemplating something, spoke again.
“Check whether the face has been surgically reconstructed.”
“Not at all.”
Buk Ri Seung spoke decisively.
“There are no traces of a blade ever touching the face.”
“This cannot be.”
Mu Jon, his expression bewildered, immediately extended his hand and unleashed his inner force.
Transparent vital energy rippled outward, enveloping the entire body of the false Seon Woo Jin standing on the Grand Training Ground.
‘It is not there.’
It truly was not there.
Not even a trace of disguise technique, nor any sign of elevated inner force.
It was not a case of intentionally scarring the face to alter appearance.
This person genuinely bore Seon Woo Jin’s face.
‘Could it be.’
White light emanated from Mu Jon’s eyes.
Simultaneously, a transparent hand formed of inner force began to sweep across Bu Eunseol’s body.
Activating the Thousand Heart Technique, I began to discern the flow of Bu Eunseol’s inner force.
‘This bastard!’
The corners of my eyes trembled as I withdrew the Thousand Heart Technique.
The current Seon Woo Jin was not—
suppressed by the Piercing Heart Acupoint Technique I had struck, but rather—
someone had sealed the dantian using an extremely ordinary method?
Which meant….
‘A substitution?’
Mu Jon shook his head.
Just in case such a thing might occur.
I went directly to the Underground Prison and personally verified that Bu Eunseol was being used as Seon Woo Jin.
And afterward, to ensure no substitution could ever take place again, I had the Twelve Earthly Branches guard the Underground Prison with absolute vigilance.
So how could a substitution have been made?
“Now will you believe my words?”
Seon Woo Jin smiled.
As Mu Jon observed that smile, the scattered fragments in his mind began to align.
‘Then that means!’
Mu Jon stirred his inner energy, summoning a gentle breeze.
Whoosh.
Seon Woo Jin’s disheveled hair swept upward into the sky, revealing his earlobe.
And there, embedded clearly, was a tiny blood seal point.
‘So that’s how it was.’
Mu Jon’s expression turned hollow.
The one he had believed to be Bu Eunseol
was none other than the one
he had personally raised—the true Seon Woo Jin of the Seon Hwa Trading Company.
[How did you]
Mu Jon sent a transmission of thought.
The true Seon Woo Jin, whom he had believed to be Bu Eunseol, answered through transmission.
[Did you not treat me like a dog and keep me imprisoned in darkness forever?]
Seon Woo Jin glared directly at Mu Jon as he spoke.
[But he promised me freedom. That I would not have to hide my entire life, that I could act in the light.]
Mu Jon felt smoke rising from his ears.
‘I raised a thief.’
Gazing at Seon Woo Jin’s eyes filled with hatred, Mu Jon clenched his fists.
Only now
could he understand why the true Seon Woo Jin, whom he had brought to the Murim Alliance to overthrow Bu Eunseol, stood before his eyes.
How Bu Eunseol had managed to escape the Underground Prison.
Because
the one who had secretly brought the true Seon Woo Jin to the Murim Alliance,
the one who had ordered the Twelve Earthly Branches to watch over Bu Eunseol trapped in the Underground Prison,
was the same person.
“Alliance Leader Bu.”
At that moment, the true Seon Woo Jin spoke clearly, looking toward Buk Ri Seung.
“Should we not now verify the identity of the one who has been impersonating me?”
Buk Ri Seung nodded and spoke to the Alliance Leader.
“It seems we must now verify who you brought, Alliance Leader.”
Mu Jon could say nothing.
He knew all too well who the Seon Woo Jin he had brought truly was.
‘Mu Gyeol.’
Mu Jon clenched his fists, unable to contain the fury rising within him.
‘Why in the world would he…?’
“There is no need for confirmation.”
At that moment, the fake Seon Woo Jin trudged toward the center of the Grand Training Ground.
And immediately dispelled the disguise technique.
Crack.
His face contorted, revealing the visage of a man with features like polished jade.
It was none other than Mu Gyeol, known to be the disciple of Maeng Ju.
‘Dan Mok Ki. Did you not anticipate things would unfold this way?’
He glared at Mu Jon with the corners of his mouth curling upward.
And he recalled the circumstances from when he had met privately with Bu Eunseol before.
* * *
Sparks flew from Mu Gyeol’s eyes as he received the torn paper from Bu Eunseol.
It was a fragment of the Spring and Autumn Records left behind by his master, Jeong Cheon Je.
As he peeled back one layer of paper, another small slip emerged from within.
And there, written in Jeong Cheon Je’s own hand, were words.
―Omitted earlier… Ultimately, Yi Hyung had to wander the Murim in my stead to complete the Grand Plan.
I entrusted everything to him and relied upon him, and even transmitted all the martial knowledge I had mastered in the Golden Thread Secret Archive so that Yi Hyung could accomplish the impossible.
…Middle section omitted.
Then he returned from Seo Jang bearing a mortal wound.
I even sacrificed my own cultivation to save Yi Hyung, but it turned out to be a scheme to obtain my Golden Thread True Qi.
I came to realize this truth too late… but I showed no sign of it.
After all, time cannot be reversed. A burning tree returns to ash—such is the natural order.
Ultimately, due to Yi Hyung’s deception and betrayal, all my plans fell into ruin.
I bury failure in the memories of the past, and look toward the future that awaits, hoping once more… Remainder omitted.
Mu Gyeol’s eyes trembled greatly as he read through the letter.
His master Jeong Cheon Je was the foremost of the Orthodox Sects, a grandmaster of martial arts who had never been defeated by anyone.
Yet for reasons unknown, his cultivation had greatly diminished, and he suffered from an inexplicable malady.
But Mu Jon had feigned injury to extract his master’s Golden Thread True Qi?
His betrayal had ruined all the plans?
In the end, everything that went wrong with his master… was all because of Mu Jon, was it not?
Trembling.
Mu Gyeol could not possibly forgive Mu Jon.
“Can you help me now?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Mu Gyeol lowered the letter with trembling hands.
Crunch.
As he clenched his lips, flesh tore and blood spilled forth.
“Of course I will help.”
In Mu Gyeol’s eyes, as the blood flowed, a crimson light far deeper than the blood itself surged forth.
“I will ensure that Mu Jon falls.”
He suppressed the fury threatening to burst forth, his breathing remaining ragged and labored.
“Lord Mu Gyeol.”
Noticing the compassion in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Mu Gyeol regained his composure and waved his hand.
“It’s fine. I had already suspected as much. Only….”
He smiled with bitter resignation, restraining his indignation.
“What pains me is that my master has suffered for so long because of that vile creature.”
After taking a deep breath, he picked up the letter Bu Eunseol had given him, which lay on the table.
A sharp glint flashed across his eyes as he reviewed the contents with grave intensity.
“There is a better method than what you have conceived.”
Mu Gyeol spoke with confidence as he set down the letter.
“A way to ensnare Dan Mok Ki far more securely.”
The most crucial element of Bu Eunseol’s plan was this:
The true whereabouts of the real Seon Woo Jin, whom Mu Jon has kept hidden away all this time.
His very existence itself
would serve as irrefutable proof that Seon Woo Jin, the Director of the Cheop Mil Won of the Murim Alliance, was a traitor—an inescapable noose from which there could be no escape.
This was why Bu Eunseol sought Mu Gyeol’s aid in locating his whereabouts before Mu Jon could.
“Your intention was to find him first and conceal him before Mu Jon could bring the real Seon Woo Jin to the Murim Alliance and orchestrate his schemes. Am I correct?”
“That is so.”
“There is no need for that.”
Mu Gyeol’s lips curved upward.
“The real Seon Woo Jin despises Mu Jon.”
And he offered a remarkable proposal.
“If we exploit that hatred, we need not merely hide his whereabouts—we can recruit him to aid you instead and launch a counterattack against Mu Jon.”
“Is such a thing possible?”
“He bitterly regrets being chosen by Mu Jon in his childhood. Because of it, he has lived his entire life under surveillance in darkness.”
In his youth, Mu Jon had taken the Seon Woo Jin of the Seon Hwa Trading Company as his disciple.
Seon Woo Jin had been delighted at first.
After all, he had become the disciple of a grand master whose name resounded throughout Zhong Yuan.
But it was not long before he realized that all of this
was merely a stratagem to create the perfect dual identity that Mu Jon desired,
and that he himself was nothing more than a tool.
And as time passed,
when Bu Eunseol finally assumed the identity of Seon Woo Jin,
Mu Jon confined the real Seon Woo Jin to a secret location, forbidding him from any external activities whatsoever.
Though this granted Bu Eunseol a flawless identity that no one could suspect,
the real Seon Woo Jin continued to live in endless torment.
“If you promise him freedom—or rather, if you give him the conviction that he can escape Mu Jon’s grasp, he will surely cooperate. Can you do this?”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“I will promise him that he shall never suffer under Mu Jon again and that he may act freely in the light.”
Bu Eunseol had long envisioned the creation of Changcheon Alliance, a new coalition of Orthodox Sects, and was now bringing it to fruition.
Moreover, with her exceptional subordinates and vast intelligence network at her command…
enabling the true Seon Woo Jin to operate openly in the light was not an impossible task.
“However, one significant problem remains.”
Mu Gyeol asked with a grave expression.
“Dan Mok Ki—did he not release the Three-Time Poison from the Jeoljeong Dae Won? That is a toxin with no antidote.”
He was Mu Jon’s right arm, capable of monitoring his every move and action.
Naturally, he was also aware that Mu Jon had addicted the Jeoljeong Dae Won to the poison.
“I’ve already handled it.”
The answer came so easily that Mu Gyeol burst into hollow laughter.
“How is that possible? If you had detoxified them, surely he would have noticed?”
Bu Eunseol shook her head.
“The poison itself need only remain alive, does it not?”
Upon hearing those words, Mu Gyeol’s mouth fell open as understanding dawned.
“Surely you didn’t….”
“I did.”
Bu Eunseol patted her own abdomen.
“All the poison now resides within my body.”
Upon returning to the Murim Alliance, Bu Eunseol had immediately assembled the members and detoxified them from the poison.
Naturally, the members wore expressions of deep concern. The moment the detoxification occurred, Mu Jon would know.
―There is no need for you to worry about us.
Tae Mu Ryong and all the other members shook their heads with worried expressions.
If Mu Jon discovered that the poison had been detoxified, everything Bu Eunseol had planned thus far would crumble to dust.
―There is no need to worry.
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
―It will never be discovered.
Bu Eunseol had spent considerable time researching numerous texts and poison cultivation techniques.
However, she could not find a method to sever the spiritual connection between the Three-Time Poison and its caster.
Rather, it was impossible to find one.
Since Mu Jon, known as the greatest sage in Murim, had guaranteed this method, there was absolutely no solution.
‘Why bother with detoxification? I could simply embed it within my own body instead.’
After deep contemplation, Bu Eunseol devised an ingenious method.
She had reached the state of Poison Body Immunity, where no toxin could harm her, and she could neutralize any poison.
In other words, even if the Three-Time Poison entered her body, it would cause her no harm whatsoever.
―This is absolutely unacceptable.
The members protested vehemently.
That is, until Bu Eunseol demonstrated proof that she had achieved Poison Body Immunity.
―When did you even reach such a state….
The members, grasping the situation, could not contain their astonishment and admiration.
After all, Bu Eunseol had never even studied poison cultivation techniques.
To prevent other intelligence organizations from tracking his movements, I had been meticulously monitoring Bu Eunseol’s every footstep until now.
Yet across all of his documented activities, there had been no opportunity for Bu Eunseol to learn or cultivate poison techniques.
So how, and when exactly… had he reached the Poisoned Body state, the preliminary stage before Poison Mastery?
―We have no time. Let us proceed quickly.
Having convinced the Team Members, Bu Eunseol deployed the technique of Poison Exchanging Poison Control, using poison to move poison.
He had transferred all the Three-Hour Parasites from the Team Members’ bodies into his own.
Upon hearing Bu Eunseol’s explanation, Mu Gyeol.
opened his mouth in the exact same manner as the Jeoljeong Dae Won of that time.
“If you’ve transferred the Three-Hour Parasites and harbored them in your body, that means you’ve mastered a terrifying poison technique… When exactly did you master such a technique?”
Bu Eunseol brushed it off vaguely.
“I didn’t master poison techniques. Rather, I researched various methods to detoxify them and observed their effects. In the process, I inadvertently absorbed various poisons.”
“Well, in any case, that’s excellent.”
Mu Gyeol asked one more question.
“Your plan is flawless, but there is one obstacle.”
“What might that be.”
“Dan Mok Ki—the fact that his other identity is Shin San Ja.”
The Wisest Sage in Murim.
That title was not merely because of superior intellect.
He possessed the wisdom to solve any difficult problem in an instant and predict events yet to unfold.
“He will be prepared to defend against every arrow aimed at him. Moreover, he may have already devised a scheme capable of dismantling your entire plan.”
“That is true.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“But he is not a god.”
“What do you mean.”
“No matter how brilliant a person is, there are things beyond prediction.”
“Then….”
“Such a thing has already occurred.”
A mysterious smile played across Bu Eunseol’s lips.
Mu Gyeol could not comprehend it.
What could possibly have happened.
That even Shin San Ja, bearing the title of the wisest sage in all Tianxia.
could absolutely never have predicted 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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