The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 826
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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 826.
“Chief, think about this rationally for a moment.”
Buk Ri Seung, unable to bear it any longer, spoke calmly.
“If the Chief’s evidence is true, wouldn’t it resolve all the grievances?”
“Alliance Leader, please observe as well.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong infused her inner energy and spoke in a loud voice.
“Whether those who attacked me are investigated fairly, and what punishment they receive.”
“Chief.”
Buk Ri Seung, watching the troubled expressions of the senior members, spoke carefully.
“We haven’t even begun the investigation yet.”
“You say this even after the Grand Council Meeting?”
When Buk Ri Seung could not respond, Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke coldly.
“If there had ever been fairness in this Alliance, such a matter would never have required a public Grand Council Meeting.”
Mu Jon, who had been listening silently, finally grasped the entire situation.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had not suddenly returned to the Murim Alliance.
She had already seen through all the plans I had been executing.
Coordinating with the moment Bu Eunseol returned to the Murim Alliance, she had been waiting for an opportunity to strike back together.
‘It’s neither a reversal nor a transformation.’
Even after unfolding the Heavenly Heart Scripture a hundred, a thousand times to verify, she was Gong Son Dan Gyeong herself.
‘She predicted all my moves.’
In truth, the way Gong Son Dan Gyeong could have taken satisfying revenge was to point out my reversal and expose my identity.
But she never made such a point until the very end.
If she had pointed out the reversal, I would have launched a counterattack.
Which meant.
She had predicted all the moves of my counterattack, and instead, by turning the public opening of the Grand Council Meeting to her advantage…
She had delivered a meticulously calculated decisive blow.
‘Bu Eunseol, that wretched creature!’
Upon detecting the gleam in Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s eyes, I clenched my teeth.
And for the first time in my life.
I realized that the plan I had laid out so meticulously and perfectly had completely fallen apart.
And behind it all.
That despicable creature must be lurking.
“Then this Grand Council Meeting…”
Feeling the piercing gazes pouring down from all directions, I
“shall conclude it here.”
In the end, I dismissed the Grand Council Meeting hastily, turning away from the gazes bearing down from all sides.
* * *
A shocking incident struck the Murim.
Seon Woo Jin, the head of the Cheop Mil Won who had been active and earning great merit within the Murim Alliance.
In truth, he had long been suspected of being a traitor due to the machinations of numerous senior members within the Alliance.
However, this time, due to the Cheong Ryong Party’s faulty investigation.
Even Jeong Cheon Je applied treason charges against him, convening a grand council.
In the end, it was revealed to be another frame-up.
The more shocking news was.
Despite receiving perfect confirmation of his identity before the Murim Alliance Leader and all senior officials.
He withdrew from the Murim Alliance in fury.
The shocking revelations that left the Murim world reeling did not end there.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong, the youngest Chief in Murim Alliance history, was also attacked by a secret organization within the alliance.
Having lost the subordinates she had been cultivating in secret, she barely escaped with her life and returned.
―I shall organize the Myeong Gyeong Division to conduct a thorough investigation of this incident.
The Alliance Leader and all senior officials took full responsibility for this crisis.
They established an independent inspection organization, the Myeong Gyeong Division, and ordered a fair investigation of the matter.
The Myeong Gyeong Division began their investigation based on the documents Gong Son Dan Gyeong had provided.
―The attack on the Chief was the independent action of the Cheong Ryong Party, a secret organization within the Murim Alliance.
However, according to the investigation results….
The secret organizations Gong Son Dan Gyeong had accused either no longer existed or had been established long ago.
The conclusion was reached that most of the information written in the documents was incorrect.
And the organization that directly attacked hers.
Was ultimately the work of the Cheong Ryong Party, the secret organization under the Alliance Leader who had framed Seon Woo Jin as a traitor.
―I obtained definitive information that the Chief was colluding with external forces to threaten the Murim Alliance, and following the Alliance Leader’s orders, I investigated the Chief’s activities.
The Cheong Ryong Party Leader acknowledged his mistake while defending the Alliance Leader, Jeong Cheon Je.
―That information was perfectly manipulated by a mysterious organization, so not just the Alliance Leader, but anyone would have been unable to realize the information was false.
And he submitted perfectly fabricated information and evidence to the Murim Alliance.
―Through this evidence, I became convinced that the Chief was betraying the Murim Alliance.
Truly, all the evidence he presented.
Was so meticulously fabricated that not only the Cheong Ryong Party Leader himself but even Jeong Cheon Je could not help but be deceived.
―The Alliance Leader ordered an investigation into this matter, and I sensed that the secret organization organized by Chief Gong Son would become a great threat in the future.
To protect the Murim Alliance, to uphold my convictions, I struck at her and the secret organization. There was no other intention.
As the Cheong Ryong Party Leader deliberately took full responsibility.
All evidence Gong Son Dan Gyeong had submitted became useless.
The true culprit was the Jung Sun Family anyway.
Mu Jon merely made contact with them… In reality, even Gong Son Dan Gyeong lacked clear evidence.
Ultimately, there was no way to refute the Cheong Ryong Party Leader’s testimony.
―I will leave the Murim Alliance.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong made a bold move as well.
―Despite my repeated warnings, the Murim Alliance has not changed, and it remains obsessed with cutting off its tail.
When she declared she would leave without further stirring up the Murim Alliance, Mu Jon and the other senior officials showed an attitude of relief instead.
Regardless of the truth, as long as Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who knew all the facts, remained in the Murim Alliance, the positions of the senior officials, including the Alliance Leader, would inevitably be shaken.
Yet they could not immediately remove her from power either…
They had to bow their heads in gratitude that she was leaving of her own accord.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong conveyed one final message to all the martial artists.
―I believed the Murim Alliance protected justice and was a place where righteous people gathered.
But that was merely my delusion.
Leaving behind those brief words, she truly departed from the Murim Alliance.
And the reverberations were quite substantial.
―Could it be that the Murim Alliance is heading in the wrong direction?
Seon Woo Jin and Gong Son Dan Gyeong were nothing short of idols to the younger martial artists.
Despite neither coming from prestigious martial families or major sects, both had ascended to the highest positions of leadership.
Yet despite their elevated status, they were individuals who neither displayed arrogance nor shirked their duties, fulfilling their responsibilities with quiet dedication.
That such promising young leaders…
Could not endure the slander and quietly departed from the Murim Alliance?
―Doesn’t this prove that the Murim Alliance has ultimately rotted from within?
When Seon Woo Jin and Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who had done righteous work, left the Alliance together, the younger martial artists were thrown into great turmoil.
In particular, the secret organization diagram of the Murim Alliance that Gong Son Dan Gyeong left behind stirred tremendous waves among the martial artists.
Whether it was real or not.
It proved that the Murim Alliance was far more than what met the eye.
As public opinion toward the Murim Alliance’s leadership deteriorated beyond control,
―I’ve had enough of this.
Finally, someone who could no longer bear to watch stepped forward.
Tan Wang Buk Gung-ryeong.
Even he, who held the position of Protector and commanded universal respect,
Could no longer tolerate such circumstances and finally erupted.
―I, as Protector, shall conduct a thorough reinvestigation.
He had been on good terms with Seon Woo Jin and maintained connections with Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Yet when both were accused of treason around the same time and nearly fell victim to assassination by forces within the Alliance,
He could not simply remain silent.
Moreover, until now, he had never once wielded the solemn authority of his position as Protector.
But when incomprehensible investigation results emerged,
He personally rolled up his sleeves and initiated a fresh investigation.
―This is not a matter for the Protector to involve himself in.
As he, who enjoyed considerable support, stepped forward, the Murim Alliance’s leadership expressed their displeasure.
If Buk Gung-ryeong were to reopen what had been barely sealed?
It would unleash an uncontrollable catastrophe.
The moment he began his investigation, countless figures within the Alliance mobilized all their resources to obstruct him.
If Buk Gung-ryeong discovered even the slightest wrongdoing within the Murim Alliance,
His upright nature would compel him to reveal it to everyone, leaving no room for negotiation.
―Protector, if you proceed in this manner, we cannot remain idle either.
As signs emerged that an unresolvable situation was developing within the Murim Alliance,
Not only the leadership but even the elders moved to dissuade and obstruct his investigation.
They even hastily convened an emergency council to begin curtailing the authority Buk Gung-ryeong possessed.
In the end, Beok Goong Ryung couldn’t even properly begin his investigation—his hands and feet were bound.
―So this is what the Murim Alliance truly is?
Beok Goong Ryung felt a profound melancholy settle over him.
No matter how corrupt the Murim Alliance was, he had absolute confidence he could purify it.
Even if he couldn’t cleanse it all at once, he believed he could gradually transform it himself.
But the Murim Alliance was not what he had imagined.
Its true body lay buried in a dark, shadowed abyss, and no one—absolutely no one—would tolerate anyone excavating it.
―I accepted this position of Feng Gong because, as a senior member of the Murim Alliance and as someone in a position of authority,
I believed I could guide countless people toward the righteous path.
But how could the senior members obstruct me so blatantly?
Beok Goong Ryung began seeking out every single senior member of the Murim Alliance to persuade them.
But it was futile.
Many of them had long sensed the forces lurking in the depths of the Murim Alliance’s abyss.
Yet instead of showing any will to purify it, they tried to persuade Beok Goong Ryung instead.
―Abandon your pride and simply stand beside power.
―There is no historical record of anyone who succeeded by clinging to their principles.
Beok Goong Ryung burst into laughter.
It was exactly as Bu Eunseol had anticipated.
The Murim Alliance was not a place that had merely rotted.
Its very essence was the source of corruption itself.
―The Ben Maeng cannot be redeemed.
Beok Goong Ryung felt an indescribable anguish and despair wash over him.
He abandoned his convictions and finally made his decision.
―The Ben Maeng was not a place that a mere Feng Gong like myself could change.
And he made an official announcement.
―I lack the capability to lead. I shall withdraw from the Murim Alliance.
The moment Beok Goong Ryung himself criticized and departed from the Murim Alliance,
the senior members were utterly shocked and desperately tried to stop him.
He was the very symbol of the Righteous Sect Alliance, a man whose name was inscribed on the Heroes’ Monument of the Murim Alliance during his lifetime.
If such a man departed while criticizing the Murim Alliance,
there was no way to prevent public opinion within the organization from spiraling catastrophically downward.
―Feng Gong. Cannot all matters of the world be resolved through words?
―If you have grievances, let us resolve them through dialogue.
The Murim Alliance exerted every effort to stop him, but it was in vain.
Beok Goong Ryung now understood the true nature of the Murim Alliance.
It was not that filth had soiled something clean.
He had come to understand that it was a place where darkness and corruption had been intertwined from the very beginning.
―This is truly outrageous! To drive away even the Feng Gong?
―What exactly is the Ben Maeng hiding that it would block even the Feng Gong’s investigation?
―Who is responsible for this catastrophe?
The young martial artists within the Alliance finally erupted.
Seon Woo Jin, Gong Son Dan Gyeong….
It wasn’t enough that those exceptional young disciples departed.
After resolving the grievances of the young martial artists.
Beok Goong Ryung, who had guided them as an elder of Murim, simply walked away without a backward glance?
The young martial artists were consumed by an indescribable sense of deprivation and rage.
―Come to think of it, Bong Gong arrived at the Ben Maeng alone as well. Just like Gong Son the Chief or Seon Woo the Original Master.
―In the end, the Ben Maeng… was a place that wouldn’t tolerate those without backing or any faction whatsoever.
―Everyone who stood with martial artists who had nothing is leaving the Alliance.
Disillusioned and devastated by the incomprehensible policies and archaic doctrines of the Murim Alliance, the young martial artists.
―Let us depart as well! Following Bong Gong.
They began voluntarily following Beok Goong Ryung, who had championed their generation.
And when they realized that Beok Goong Ryung was temporarily staying at the Sichuan Dang Family.
They established their encampment directly before it.
―Bong Gong. Please take us under your wing!
―Must it be the Murim Alliance? Let us establish the Tan Wang Faction as well.
What had begun with one or two martial artists arriving soon swelled into hundreds of people flooding the Dang Family Territory.
They were all young people who had resolved family crises or saved their lives through Beok Goong Ryung’s assistance within the Murim Alliance.
Beok Goong Ryung attempted to turn them away, but seeing their numbers only increase.
He remained barricaded within the Dang Family, offering no response.
Sichuan Dang Family, Cheon Mok Tower
Four watchtowers built tall enough to overlook the entire interior of the Dang Family, serving as strategic fortifications.
They functioned not merely for defense, but as monuments displaying the majesty of the Sichuan Dang Family.
The watchtowers’ exterior bore intricately carved patterns of black pear blossoms symbolizing the Dang Family.
From a distance, they resembled a solitary black dragon standing in majestic silence.
The lower levels concealed a weapon armory, explosives, and secret passages.
The middle levels served as observation posts, positioned to survey all directions.
The interior was constructed from precisely fitted timber that minimized acoustic resonance, allowing swift command transmission even in urgent situations.
The upper levels housed command facilities, featuring a grand conference hall and office.
And currently within this Cheon Mok Tower.
Dang Gon, the current family head of the Dang Family, and Bu Eunseol, operating under the guise of Seon Woo Jin.
And Beok Goong Ryung, who had departed from the Murim Alliance, were seated.
Moreover, Namgung Jeong, the family head of the Namgung Family, and Nam Goong Woon, the secondary head.
And Je Gal Yu Baek, the family head of the Je Gal Family, and Jegal Seowoon, the secondary head, were also present.
Had the people of Murim witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly astounded.
How could outsiders possibly enter a strategic fortress that none but members of the Dang Family could access?
“Bong Gong.”
At that moment, Dang Gon, who had been gazing at the distant landscape outside the Dang Family.
Where young people had established their encampment, turned to regard Beok Goong Ryung.
“This appears to be the tide of the times.”
Dang Gon spoke in a low voice.
“They will follow wherever the Lord goes. Rather than that, as this friend suggests….”
“Hmph.”
Beok Goong Ryung glanced at Bu Eunseol, who sat silently sipping tea, then deliberately acted petulant.
“What manner of trickery is this? When did the Dang Family Lord become a friend?”
Bu Eunseol answered without even looking at Beok Goong Ryung.
“The first companion I made when I entered the Gangho. You were rather late to the party, Elder.”
“What?”
“Why, do you dislike being called a friend?”
At Bu Eunseol’s glib jest, Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes widened like axes, and he turned his body away entirely.
“I should keep my mouth shut.”
“Lord, there is truth in what she says.”
At that moment, Namgung Jeong, the Lord of the Namgung Family, spoke with a sigh.
“As the Dang Family Lord says, this is the flow demanded by the times. Even if the Murim Alliance is not the true center of the Three Realms… they have been far too corrupted from the start.”
Namgung Jeong sighed while looking at Beok Goong Ryung.
“Would it not be better for the Lord to lead the Righteous Path Murim instead?”
Beok Goong Ryung was left speechless, and a sigh burst forth.
Bu Eunseol—this one shows no regard for propriety.
He had long known that she turned everyone she encountered into her people without discrimination.
But the most stubborn of the Eight Great Families, the Sichuan Dang Family, from the start.
The Lord of the Namgung Family, who held the position of second-in-command among the Eight Great Families.
And how had she even won over the Je Gal Family Lord, who exercised extreme restraint in Murim activities?
Moreover, had not people from Wudang and Gae Bang been dispatched and were now on their way to the Sichuan Dang Family?
“You. What exactly have you….”
Beok Goong Ryung asked Bu Eunseol with an astounded expression.
“What did you do to win over even the Namgung Family Lord and Wudang?”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“Fortunately, I befriended this Elder first, whose temperament is far more difficult than theirs, so everything after that was not particularly challenging.”
“What, what?”
As Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes widened like axes in exasperation,
“Pfft.”
Nam Goong Woon, who was drinking tea beside Bu Eunseol, sprayed his tea.
Seeing his reckless behavior, Namgung Jeong spoke with stern eyes.
“Have you still not corrected that thoughtless nature of yours?”
But Jegal Seowoon, the junior lord of the Je Gal Family sitting beside him, was also spraying tea.
“My apologies, Lord.”
“Ah, no. That was not directed at you.”
Beok Goong Ryung found the situation in this conference hall utterly bewildering.
He had come because he was told to come to the Sichuan Dang Family.
Whatever this one said about the Changcheon Alliance or whatever.
I thought you were simply gathering people to establish a small faction in some corner of Sichuan.
Yet you’ve managed to draw in the Dang Family, the Namgung Family, and even Wudang and Gaebang?
What in the world is this absurd situation?
“No matter how I look at it, something feels off.”
“What is it now?”
Beok Goong Ryung spoke.
“This Changcheon Alliance you mentioned being built at the Sichuan Border Region. It would have taken several years to construct something of that scale.”
He fixed Bu Eunseol with a piercing gaze.
“Which means you prepared all this beforehand. Naturally, that’s suspicious, isn’t it?”
Beok Goong Ryung had only agreed to the Changcheon Alliance because the Murim Alliance was corrupt—not out of genuine support for the new organization.
―If your heart changes, come to the Sichuan Dang Family.
Bu Eunseol had left him with those words.
When even Namgung Jeong, the patriarch of the Namgung Family including the Sichuan Dang Family, invited him, he had come out of curiosity about what was happening.
But what he discovered was that a massive allied faction’s buildings were already nearing completion near the Sichuan Border Region.
―Could it be that this entire situation was orchestrated by that woman?
Of course, he knew such a thing was impossible, but seeing the palace halls being completed, suspicion was inevitable.
It was also proof of just how untrustworthy the current Murim had become.
“No matter how brilliant you are, it’s unreasonable to say you predicted this situation and constructed buildings of such scale.”
It was a fair point.
Even if Bu Eunseol possessed a genius intellect.
There was no way she could have built the Changcheon Alliance in advance knowing this situation would unfold.
“I can answer that for you.”
It was then that Dang Gon stepped forward.
“Bu… Seon Woo Jin proposed long ago that the righteous sects in Sichuan—the Main House, Geomgak, Shin Nyeo Gung, and others—form an alliance.”
“An alliance?”
“Yes. The situation in Murim was dire, and both the Main House and Geomgak had each suffered invasions from the terrifying Sam Gye. Shin Nyeo Gung has historically faced frequent external incursions.”
He continued his explanation.
“At that time, we didn’t know that Sam Gye would simply withdraw without looking back. So this woman always worried that Sam Gye would attack the sects whose plans had been thwarted, including the Main House.”
Dang Gon explained calmly.
“Though these sects had no connection beyond being in Sichuan, with her help we began to interact, and we agreed to unite against our common enemy, Sam Gye.”
As it turned out, Bu Eunseol
had been concerned about protecting the righteous sects like the Dang Family that she couldn’t directly defend.
She sought to unite the sects in Sichuan that absolutely trusted her and could form an immediate alliance—
The Dang Family, Geomgak, and Shin Nyeo Gung—to build a formidable force.
“In fact, various intelligence organizations in Murim detected long ago that the sects of Sichuan were joining forces and constructing buildings in Dong Cheon Bu.”
As Dang Gon finished his explanation, Bu Eunseol took over.
“However, the plan changed, and we proceeded with establishing the Changcheon Alliance instead.”
Beok Goong Ryung’s mouth fell open.
“Then what about the Namgung Family patriarch? How did you manage that?”
Setting aside other matters.
The Namgung Family walked the righteous path with unwavering discipline, never engaging with the Demonic Path.
Yet how could the entire Namgung Family join the Changcheon Alliance based solely on trust in Bu Eunseol?
“The Main House was able to eliminate the forces that had taken root within it thanks to his assistance.”
Namgung Jeong’s expression grew somewhat somber.
“In that process, we lost a son.”
Nam Gung Poong came to mind—he who had been recruited by Poong Elder, chosen the wrong path, and ultimately died a miserable death.
“So… you’re saying you trust him simply because you owe him a debt of gratitude?”
At Tan Wang’s words, laden with skepticism, Namgung Jeong shook his head with a smile.
“Perhaps it’s the same sentiment as Bongong… no, as Senior Beok Goong Ryung.”
And he immediately sent a transmission.
「You understand well that he is neither a Demonic Path cultivator nor a Righteous Path one.」
Upon receiving Namgung Jeong’s transmission, Beok Goong Ryung’s eyes widened in astonishment and bewilderment.
“Surely the family head didn’t also… wander about the Gangho in such a tumultuous manner?”
“Of course not. Unfortunately, I’ve been occupied with the family’s affairs and haven’t enjoyed the same fortune as Senior Beok Goong Ryung.”
Namgung Jeong smiled.
“Seon Woo Jin has long purged the forces that disturbed the Murim alongside his son. Through that process, I came to know his true nature.”
Through Nam Goong Woon, he had come to understand
that Bu Eunseol was a great master who walked an upright path, a free spirit unconcerned with the distinctions between Demonic and Righteous.
And when he heard that this person was gathering worthy individuals from the rotting Murim Alliance to create a new coalition,
he stepped forward first.
For he too had long dreamed of a righteous sectarian alliance.
“Now that you’ve heard the explanation, make your decision already.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with irritation, gazing at Beok Goong Ryung.
“Don’t hesitate so bashfully like some monk agonizing over whether to take refuge in the Buddhist Order.”
Pfft.
As Nam Goong Woon and Jegal Seowoon sprayed tea again, Beok Goong Ryung erupted in fury.
“What did you say? A monk? Are you finished?”
“Not quite. Just speak plainly. Why do you dither so like a toothless elder who’s received a marriage proposal?”
As Bu Eunseol and Beok Goong Ryung bickered and sparred verbally once more for quite some time,
Cough.
Even Je Gal Yu Baek, who had been quietly sipping tea while observing the situation with dignity, shamelessly sprayed his drink.
In truth, he was the one most shocked in this place.
He had come to the Sichuan Dang Family through Jegal Seowoon’s persuasion.
A righteous sectarian coalition of clean individuals would emerge, not the rotting Murim Alliance.
And he had heard that this would be discussed at the Sichuan Dang Family.
At first, he had dismissed the words.
But Jegal Seowoon, who had finally ended his wandering despite his initial opposition,
had not only brought the Je Gal Family treasure, Hak Woo Seon, but his martial prowess had risen to a level surpassing his own.
Most of all, he had been swayed by the words of a clean righteous sectarian coalition.
The reason the Je Gal Family had not actively stepped into the Gangho was precisely because they knew that the Orthodox Sects, including the Murim Alliance, were rotten.
Yet Sword King Seon Woo Jin.
That legendary figure who rose from the Merchant Realm to become a Third-Rank Lord of the Murim Alliance, and eventually ascended to the position of Chief of the Intelligence Organization.
Wandering the Gangho alone, building no connections with anyone.
Taking a seat as advisor to the Four Gods Seven Kings without a shred of arrogance, known for his impeccable courtesy and refined elegance…
In reality maintained deep ties with both the Sichuan Dang Family Lord and the Namgung Family Lord.
And now he was engaged in heated verbal sparring with Tan Wang, the Orthodox Sects’ greatest alliance leader known for his solemn and thunderous temperament?
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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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