The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 825

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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 825.
Mu Gyeol asked with an expression of incomprehension.
“Are you saying something has occurred that even Shin San Ja could never predict?”
“That is correct.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with unwavering certainty.
“I shall exploit that unforeseen event to strike at Mu Jon’s weakness and launch my counterattack.”
Mu Gyeol took a deep breath.
In truth, he knew well that Bu Eunseol’s strategic wisdom and insight were no less formidable than Shin San Ja’s own.
Yet such bold declarations were exceedingly perilous.
No—in circumstances such as these, one must never indulge in optimistic speculation.
A single misstep would plunge them into an abyss from which there could be no return.
“What exactly is this unforeseen event?”
“I cannot speak of it.”
“What did you say?”
Bu Eunseol spoke with absolute resolve.
“The moment I utter those words, both Heaven and you shall come to know of it.”
“You offer no clear explanation, yet ask me to walk into the flames alongside you?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol posed a question to Mu Gyeol.
“If you fear, you are free to refuse.”
Mu Gyeol laughed.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have dismissed this as a clumsy stratagem and refused outright.
Yet for reasons he could not fully explain, something had taken root within him.
A conviction that he would truly anticipate every scheme of Mu Jon’s and forge a path to strike back against them all.
“Indeed, without such a gamble… I could never land a blow against Dan Mok Ki, who wears the mask of the greatest sage of Murim.”
Mu Gyeol spoke as though his resolve had crystallized.
“Very well.”
He clenched his fist as he continued.
“Then let us now proceed with the plan to cast that vile creature into the abyss.”
Mu Gyeol had obtained irrefutable evidence that Mu Jon was implicated in his master’s death.
From that day forward, he resolved to aid Bu Eunseol.
The true Seon Woo Jin, whose whereabouts Mu Gyeol had known all along, was persuaded and recruited in advance.
And when the true Seon Woo Jin arrived at the Murim Alliance under Mu Jon’s orders.
Mu Gyeol had already switched him with Bu Eunseol, who had been imprisoned in the Underground Prison.
Thus, he himself had been impersonating the true Seon Woo Jin all this while.
* * *
“I was coerced by the Cheong Ryong Party Leader and impersonated Seon Woo Dae Ju.”
Having finished his recollection, Mu Gyeol spoke in a clear, resonant voice.
“He said this method would allow us to frame Seon Woo Dae Ju as a traitor.”
And he lowered his head.
“I wanted to refuse, but since he knew about my secret, I had no choice but to succumb to his coercion.”
Mu Jon, who held the position of leader, had already prepared defenses against all accusations and attacks directed at him.
Mu Gyeol, fully aware of this, had decided to target the Cheong Ryong Party Leader first.
The Cheong Ryong Party Leader was the leader’s trusted subordinate.
That alone would be enough to damage the morality of Mu Jon, who wore the mask of Jeong Cheon Je.
Murmur, murmur.
The countless martial artists in the Great Training Arena, shocked by the revelation, began to murmur endlessly.
“But since things have come to this, I intend to confess my sins of my own accord.”
Mu Gyeol, having learned the truth about Mu Jon, had already prepared to leave the Murim Alliance.
At his refreshing yet shocking confession, Mu Jon sent a transmission, unable to comprehend.
[Why are you betraying me of all people?]
Then Mu Gyeol sent a cold transmission in return.
[Should I not take responsibility for my master’s death?]
[Your master?]
Mu Jon could not understand.
He himself had taught Mu Gyeol with utmost care. What on earth was he talking about?
[Did you covet Geum Seon’s true energy so much?]
At Mu Gyeol’s words, Mu Jon’s eyes trembled greatly.
Only then did he realize what Mu Gyeol was saying and who he truly was.
[Could it be that you…!]
Murmur, murmur.
At that moment, an uncontrollable clamor erupted in the Conference Hall.
It was criticism directed at the Cheong Ryong Party Leader, who had once again branded Seon Woo Jin as a traitor.
―Isn’t this going too far?
―Why do they keep treating Seon Woo as a traitor?
―Could it be that the Cheong Ryong Party Leader acted out of jealousy because Seon Woo is favored by the leader?
“Deputy Leader Bu.”
At that moment, Seon Woo Jin called out to Buk Ri Seung.
It was a gesture requesting that his suppressed martial power be released.
Buk Ri Seung immediately approached Seon Woo Jin.
Normally, he would have needed the leader’s permission to release the suppression.
But having grasped the entire situation, Buk Ri Seung attempted to release Seon Woo Jin’s suppression without even glancing at Mu Jon.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Mu Jon spoke in a low voice.
“You must not release him.”
Buk Ri Seung asked with an expression of incomprehension.
“The leader declared that he was a spy of the Demonic Path, and said that his reversed cultivation was the evidence.”
Buk Ri Seung spoke while looking at Seon Woo Jin.
“But he has not practiced reversed cultivation, and no crime has been proven. Should we not now release him and clear his grievance?”
Mu Jon shook his head firmly.
“You are too kind.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
The martial artists gathered in the Great Training Arena were shocked to see even the elders’ expressions falter as Mu Jon refused to yield.
What possible reason could there be for not releasing Seon Woo Jin, even in these circumstances?
“Seon Woo, Branch Leader. I will acknowledge that you did not abuse your authority.”
Mu Jon spoke while gazing at Seon Woo Jin.
“The Alliance Leader made an error in heeding the words of the Cheong Ryong Party Leader. However….”
His eyes gleamed with an enigmatic brilliance.
“That does not erase the suspicion of treason against you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you not brutally murder the Chief while colluding with external forces?”
Thud.
The air in the Great Training Arena froze at such a shocking accusation.
Seon Woo Jin brutally murdered Gong Son Dan Gyeong? What in the world was this supposed to mean?
“That cannot be, Alliance Leader.”
Buk Ri Seung spoke as though unable to comprehend.
“The Chief is on leave.”
“She was assassinated by some faction during her leave. The Cheong Ryong Party Leader has already confirmed this.”
Mu Jon cried out with a sorrowful expression.
“In fact, I discovered that Seon Woo, Branch Leader was a traitor only after obtaining information regarding this incident involving the Chief.”
“Seon Woo, Branch Leader was closer to the Chief than anyone else, and received her support.”
Sensing something amiss, Buk Ri Seung began to defend Seon Woo Jin.
“How could he possibly harm the Chief?”
“The Alliance Leader thought the same. That is why I could not believe it.”
“Do you have evidence?”
Mu Jon nodded toward the Cheong Ryong Party Leader instead of answering.
The man then withdrew a document from his robes and approached Buk Ri Seung, presenting it to him.
“It contains detailed accounts of how Seon Woo, Branch Leader murdered the Chief at Ssang Su Gok.”
Mu Jon fixed Seon Woo Jin with a cold gaze.
―I anticipated you would attempt some deception in the interim.
Mu Jon’s shadow was Shin San Ja.
He possessed such exceptional wisdom and meticulous nature.
In the event that something went wrong.
Especially if he failed to expose that Seon Woo Jin’s true identity was Bu Eunseol.
He had prepared one final piece of evidence from which Seon Woo Jin could never escape.
In that instant, Seon Woo Jin’s expression turned to one of bewilderment as he looked toward Mu Gyeol.
This was an unexpected situation that had not been agreed upon beforehand with Mu Gyeol.
‘So she is truly dead.’
Mu Gyeol bit his lip.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s death had not yet been confirmed.
But Mu Jon was no fool.
Since the Chief’s death was certain, he would have boldly fabricated evidence to match.
Given that the evidence was created deliberately by him as the Lord of the Alliance, it would bear no flaws on the surface.
“Seon Woo Jin.”
At that moment, Mu Jon’s lips curved upward into a cryptic smile.
“If you were to reveal your true identity and circumstances right now, you might yet escape this punishment.”
He gestured toward Mu Gyeol as he spoke.
“Who exactly ordered you to do this?”
Mu Jon added one more thing.
“Think carefully. Otherwise, you may end up bearing the full weight of everything.”
The real Seon Woo Jin’s pupils trembled.
If he did not speak the truth?
He would be falsely accused of murdering Gong Son Dan Gyeong and spend his entire life imprisoned in the Underground Prison.
Shiver.
His fingertips began to tremble involuntarily.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no way out.
Betraying Mu Jon was itself—
Mu Gyeol had staked his own neck and given him a definite assurance that he could escape from Mu Jon’s grasp.
But it had been for nothing.
In the end, he could not escape Mu Jon’s clutches, and he was destined to become his puppet for life.
“I….”
Just as Seon Woo Jin was about to open his mouth,
A tremendous roar erupted.
From far away at the Great Training Arena, a deafening sound rang out.
The noise was so overwhelming that Mu Jon and the senior disciples furrowed their brows.
“The Grand Conference is still in session. Refrain from private conversations!”
The Cheong Ryong Party Leader shouted loudly, yet the murmurs among the martial artists persisted.
Because they had clearly seen the face of the figure walking toward the Platform.
With a sharp crack.
The ranks of martial artists gathered below the Platform suddenly split down the middle.
Through the gap, a figure dressed in white walked slowly forward.
She possessed beautiful eyes so starkly black and white they could be seen clearly from ten leagues away.
A beauty with long hair coiled like clouds atop her head.
It was none other than the Chief of the Murim Alliance, Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
“How….”
This time, Mu Jon was truly shocked.
So shocked was he
that he did not even realize he had carelessly leaped to his feet.
“Chief.”
As she ascended the Platform, Buk Ri Seung asked in astonishment.
“What in the world is going on here?”
“That’s exactly what I’d like to know.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke with icy composure.
“I merely returned from my travels, yet somehow the Chief is listed as dead by Seon Woo Jin’s hand….”
Her gaze fixed upon Mu Jon, she continued in a crystalline voice.
“The Cheon Ryong Division under the direct command of the Alliance Leader, along with numerous secret organizations, attacked the Chief, didn’t they?”
“What are you talking about?”
At Buk Ri Seung’s words, Gong Son Dan Gyeong withdrew a single document from her robes.
It was a tome of similar thickness to the one Mu Jon had produced.
“Masters from the Cheong Ryong Party ambushed the Chief at Ssang Su Gok. I barely escaped with my life, and my delayed return was due to tracking down their identities.”
The shocking testimony sent tremors through the Great Training Arena.
How could the secret forces of the Murim Alliance Leader have ambushed Gong Son Dan Gyeong?
“The Chief formally requests an explanation from the Alliance Leader regarding this matter.”
Mu Jon found himself unable to speak.
He had meticulously fabricated perfect evidence that Seon Woo Jin had killed Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Yet now she stood before them, alive and bearing witness—his own scheme had ensnared him.
‘How could she possibly return alive?’
Mu Jon, a man of meticulous nature, had been certain of her death.
This certainty stemmed from his intimate knowledge of how the Jung Son Family’s masters eliminated their targets.
When they sought to annihilate someone,
they invariably confirmed vital signs and never declared death certain
until those signs had completely ceased.
Though Bu Eunseol’s sudden intervention had resulted in the complete annihilation of the Jung Son Family’s forces, preventing the retrieval of the corpse,
they had dispatched an investigation team wielding Baek Pal Sung’s mysterious power, confirming that Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s breath had definitively stopped.
Of course, Mu Jon had not relied solely on their assurances.
If Gong Son Dan Gyeong had truly expired,
he had predicted that Bu Eunseol would certainly deliver her corpse to the Gong Sun Estate.
Thus he had immediately infiltrated a skilled operative into the estate,
and clearly confirmed that Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s funeral rites were conducted quietly within the Gong Sun Estate.
Yet how could she have returned alive?
“This matter is beyond comprehension.”
But Mu Jon remained Mu Jon.
He had weathered countless storms of the Murim and handled innumerable situations, having long served as the Murim Alliance Leader.
Thus, without hesitation, he deftly severed the tail.
“Cheong Ryong Party Leader. How exactly did you gather evidence to allow such a situation to unfold?”
From ancient times, shifting blame to subordinates and executing a clean severance
had been an effective method of navigating crisis.
‘Phew.’
Watching this unfold, Mu Gyeol exhaled an inward sigh of relief.
‘Muk Hon Ryeong Ju. You certainly know how to startle people.’
When Mu Jon thrust Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s death upon the real Seon Woo Jin,
I believed everything had truly come to an end, and cold sweat trickled down my spine.
‘I will calculate every move of Dan Mok Ki hiding behind the sage’s mask, and strike back.’
Bu Eunseol had made that vow.
That something Mu Jon could not predict would unfold, and that I would surely exploit his weakness.
And he… kept that promise.
‘Dan Mok Ki. It seems you have no other options left.’
Mu Gyeol clenched his fist tightly.
At last, I had shattered every barrier Mu Jon had constructed, striking a blow against his integrity and morality.
‘Now comes the final act.’
Mu Gyeol nodded toward Seon Woo Jin standing in the distance.
With the situation reaching its climax, it was time to execute the final plan Bu Eunseol had prepared.
Nod.
Seon Woo Jin nodded in return, then
“Maeng Ju!”
he cried out loudly, his voice trembling with emotion.
“How much longer must I endure being treated as a traitor!”
It was a performance rehearsed beforehand with Mu Gyeol.
The climactic moment at its zenith.
For the grand finale of this last stage.
“When will this petty conspiracy finally release me? Is it because I lack the backing of a merchant guild family?”
He cried out to the warriors below the Training Grounds, his voice raw with anguish.
“Must those of us without power or backing, like the original members, endlessly suffer suspicion and false accusations?”
All the warriors who heard his cry wore solemn expressions.
Seon Woo Jin had been branded a traitor multiple times until now, and each time he had cleared himself perfectly.
But in the end, due to the Cheong Ryong Party Leader’s error, even Maeng Ju had accused him of treason.
Yet once again, only his innocence had been revealed.
If it had merely been suspicion of treason…
they might have sympathized with Seon Woo Jin without directing blame toward Maeng Ju.
But whether Maeng Ju had believed the Cheong Ryong Party Leader’s evidence, or whether he had sought to utterly destroy Seon Woo Jin,
he had attempted to pin an unprecedented crime—the murder of the Chief—upon him.
Fortunately, Gong Son Dan Gyeong had arrived unharmed and testified, allowing the false accusation to be cleared…
but considering the danger of it, the warriors felt their spines chill without realizing it,
and resentment toward Maeng Ju could only swell within them.
“Since joining the Alliance, I have labored like a dog! I have handled all matters fairly and never once abused my authority for personal gain!”
Seon Woo Jin’s cry became a desolate echo that shook the Great Training Arena.
“But did I displease you? Was my rise to the position of senior elder so offensive to you?”
He cried out once more, his voice thundering.
“Is that why you attacked the Chief and framed me? Or did you elevate me to senior elder from the start in order to strike him down?”
Clang.
Seon Woo Jin hurled the Cheop Mil Won insignia badge from his bosom.
“I joined the Murim Alliance because I believed it was a place where I could uphold justice and pour out all my abilities!”
Then he channeled his inner force and cried out loudly.
“But what use is it if the organization I belong to is not just?”
Seon Woo Jin’s words stirred the hearts of the young martial artists.
They all resonated with his words.
They had come to the Murim Alliance with youthful fervor and ambition, harboring dreams of ascending to greatness.
But in the end, the Murim Alliance was.
merely a place for disciples of the great sects, those with powerful backing, and the elders.
Ordinary young martial artists who failed to distinguish themselves.
Young people who possessed only passion.
No matter how hard they strived here, they received no recognition, no reward, no compensation.
And yet….
Even Seon Woo Jin, who had risen rapidly as a new generation leader of the Orthodox Sects, was no exception.

―So the Murim Alliance was truly only their domain… a place no one could ascend to through their own ability alone?
As the young martial artists, having grasped this despairing truth, began to lower their heads with vacant eyes.
Clang!
A loud metallic sound rang out.
Seon Woo Jin hurled another insignia badge from his bosom.
It was the Cheong Sim Ryeong that he had received from Mu Jon.
“This place! I’m withdrawing from here!”
Rip.
Then he tore away the embroidered twin-winged phoenix from his sleeve and discarded it.
This gesture signified eternal severance, announcing his withdrawal from the Murim Alliance.
―….
The martial artists in the Great Training Arena could not close their mouths.
In all of Murim history.
Never had anyone performed such an act before the Maeng Ju and all the senior members.
Thud, thud.
Seon Woo Jin descended from the Training Grounds without looking back.
Whoosh.
The martial artists instinctively parted to the left and right, opening a path.
There was no one to block his way now. Rather, no one could block it.
He was like the sole lotus flower blooming with integrity in the muddy waters of the Murim Alliance.
“Hyung Dang Ju!”
At that moment, Gong Son Dan Gyeong drew out the Chief’s command tablet.
“Have all the secret organizations listed in this document and their leaders apprehended and imprisoned in Hyeong Dang!”
“B-but.”
Hyung Dang Ju glanced at Mu Jon’s expression.
Issuing such a command before the Murim Alliance Leader would undermine the Leader’s authority.
“Are you saying I should do it myself?”
“That’s not what I mean….”
“The Chief seeks to resolve the resentment of Seon Woo Won Ju, who departed unjustly, and to eliminate the forces that gnaw at the Alliance. Yet you refuse to carry out this order?”
But Hyung Dang Ju could say nothing in response.
Any careless word would be like a shrimp’s back splitting in a whale’s fight.
“Very well. Then I shall make a formal request to the Leader.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke loudly, her gaze fixed upon Mu Jon.
“Please investigate all the secret organizations listed in this document and handle them fairly. These are the malevolent forces that gnaw at the Murim Alliance.”
All the elders on the platform became silent as stones.
Regardless of anything else, they too all operated secret organizations.
And they issued various tasks to favor their own organizations.
There was no guarantee that their own secret organizations would not be included in that thick tome.
Therefore, they absolutely could not accept Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s proposal.
“This matter should not be handled hastily. We must investigate it carefully over time.”
Mu Jon spoke in a low voice.
“I promise to handle it fairly.”
And he clasped his hands together.
“I sincerely apologize for proceeding with this conference based on the Cheong Ryong Party Leader’s mistaken investigation.”
Jeong Cheon Je, the supreme ruler of Tianxia, bowed his head to the young Chief.
This was unprecedented, yet Gong Son Dan Gyeong merely wore a cold smile at the corners of her lips.
Her expression seemed to say, “Your skill at cutting off the tail is truly exquisite.”
“Good.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke solemnly.
“I will carefully verify whether the organizations listed in this document disappear. And….”
She looked upon all the people gathered there and drew upon her inner energy, ensuring that every martial artist in the Great Training Arena could hear her clearly.
“If this matter is not handled fairly, I too shall resign from the position of Chief and leave the Alliance!”
A murmur swept through the crowd.
The commotion of the martial artists in the Training Grounds thundered like a storm.
In the history of the Murim Alliance, the position of Chief had been removed before, but never voluntarily relinquished.
It was a position that guaranteed such immense power.
Yet to resign from that position of one’s own accord simply because the investigation was not proceeding properly.
And to leave the Murim Alliance entirely?
It was truly an unprecedented crisis in the history of 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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