The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 828
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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 828.
Dok Go Jin spoke with measured composure.
“Some time ago, I heard from Mu Jon. He spoke of an existence lurking within Murim that surpasses even the mightiest of this age….”
Seon Woo Jin continued with the same measured tone.
“He meant that the Ryeong Ju possesses the latent potential to contend with such beings.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
Mu Jon had always treated the true Seon Woo Jin as nothing more than a disposable pawn.
Yet he had spoken such words?
“Indeed. It appears I am not merely a disposable tool. And that realization frightened me all the more.”
Dok Go Jin drew a deep breath.
“The fear that I would be exploited by him for all my remaining days.”
This was the greatest reason he had betrayed the terrifying Mu Jon.
Though the proposals from Bu Eunseol and Mu Gyeol had certainly been enticing.
Had I remained idle, I would never escape Mu Jon’s grasp.
I would spend my life shrouded in darkness.
“Could you accomplish it within ten years…?”
At Dok Go Jin’s words, Bu Eunseol fell into deep contemplation, her expression grave for a long moment.
And finally, she nodded.
“Whether he dies or I die, it will be resolved within five years.”
“Five years.”
“Is ten years not too long?”
Had it been anyone else, they would have dismissed such words as mere boasting.
But Bu Eunseol’s voice and gaze possessed a power that reassured and compelled belief.
“Thank you.”
Dok Go Jin smiled as though all matters had been resolved.
He felt a premonition that it would truly come to pass.
“Then I shall devote myself fully to my duties as the Chief of the Changcheon Alliance in the meantime.”
“I am grateful.”
“Think nothing of it. Then.”
As Dok Go Jin departed with a lightened expression, Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.
Mu Jon had ultimately destroyed his own plans through greed, driving Jeong Cheon Je to his death.
He had attempted to kill Gong Son Dan Gyeong, and had even cornered and sought to eliminate me.
As Beok Goong Ryung had said.
He was a malevolent being capable of any atrocity to obtain what he desired—an irredeemable evil with whom coexistence was impossible.
“Only the death of Jeong Cheon Je troubles me.”
According to all my investigations thus far, Jeong Cheon Je was a man of genuine virtue.
He had devoted himself entirely to preserving the Orthodox Sects of Murim.
Yet ultimately, through Mu Jon’s treacherous schemes, his martial power had been severely diminished.
It seemed he had exhausted himself in his efforts to save Murim before drawing his final breath.
‘I must rescue Baek Ri Mu Ha,’ I reminded myself.
Jeong Cheon Je said that Baek Ri Mu Ha was the foundation of Murim, and that he must be kept alive at all costs.
Which meant, in the end, that Baek Ri Mu Ha had been killed while trying to save the world.
‘Those capable of killing someone who surpasses Jeong Cheon Je….’
In the past, I would have unconditionally suspected the highest echelons of the Three Realms.
But now there was Ma Cheon Je, who reigned supreme and invincible.
And the Sammasamjon, who were breaking free from the boundaries of the Mujik Realm.
The Baek Ri Family, who protected Murim, and Jin Ma and his followers who opposed them.
And even mysterious forces of unknown identity who maintained neutrality and upheld the laws.
There were countless individuals capable of striking down Jeong Cheon Je, whose martial power had drastically diminished.
“This gives me a headache.”
Bu Eunseol shook her head and took a deep breath.
“In any case, thanks to Dok Go Jin’s help, once the Great Sect War ends, I can have Seo Jin Ha assist this place.”
With Dok Go Jin’s assistance,
I could continue to maintain Seon Woo Jin’s identity.
From now on, it seemed best to have Seo Jin Ha aid Beok Goong Ryung.
Every talent was precious in this situation.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Tae Mu Ryong’s low voice.
“My Lord, we have arrived.”
As I opened the door, Tae Mu Ryong and Jeong Jong Do entered with bright faces and clasped their fists in salute.
“My Lord.”
“Welcome.”
“We have completed preparations to allow the Team Members to operate the existing intelligence network through the Changcheon Alliance as well.”
At Tae Mu Ryong’s words, I nodded.
“You have worked hard.”
“We have also selected capable individuals to serve as intelligence operatives. However, since they do not belong to our organization, we have submitted the matter to the Alliance Lord.”
The Changcheon Alliance, being a newly formed coalition, had a weak intelligence apparatus.
I had the Jeol Jeong Dae operate the intelligence organization swiftly by
creating the Changcheon Alliance’s intelligence organization using the name Jeol Jeong Dae itself,
and instructed them to cultivate intelligence operatives to rival the scale of the Murim Alliance’s Mangyeong Jeon.
“There is no need to classify the organization separately. They will all become intelligence operatives under the Jeol Jeong Dae.”
At my words, Jeong Jong Do’s expression grew worried.
“Then are we now becoming the intelligence organization of the Changcheon Alliance?”
I had emphasized this repeatedly.
The Changcheon Alliance was not mine, but belonged to the righteous sects.
Therefore, ultimately, I could not remain here.
The position of Jeol Jeong Dae Lord was merely a device to maintain Seon Woo Jin’s identity.
“We have simply come here following you, My Lord.”
The Jeol Jeong Dae, too, had shed all notions of Demonic Path or Righteous Path because of me.
They followed me, not the Changcheon Alliance under Tan Wang’s command.
“Are you suggesting that because we are of the Orthodox Sects, we must ultimately do what is right as members of the Orthodox Sects?”
Jeong Jong Do’s words drew a nod from Bu Eunseol.
“In the past, I thought so. I wished to grant you all an honorable identity, wherever you might operate.”
No matter how free one’s heart might be, Bu Eunseol remains a practitioner of the Demonic Path.
If the Elite Division members followed him in his true identity, they would inevitably be branded as traitors in the eyes of the Murim.
“But now it matters not. Seon Woo Jin. He has granted me that identity.”
“Him, you say?”
“Indeed. He shall become Chief of the Ben Maeng under the name Dok Go Jin. And I have been granted the freedom to operate as Seon Woo Jin, Lord of the Elite Division.”
Bu Eunseol continued.
“And when the time comes to abandon the name Seon Woo Jin… both you and I shall have achieved all that we desire.”
“Yet surely he would not grant his identity to the Lord without reason?”
Tae Mu Ryong’s incisive question drew a nod from Bu Eunseol.
“In exchange, I have sworn to slay that vile Mu Jon.”
“Mu Jon.”
The expressions of both men darkened.
With their martial prowess having surged so dramatically, they understood all too well how terrifying a figure Mu Jon was.
Even Bu Eunseol, who seemed invincible to any opponent, admitted she could not yet match him.
“Within five years.”
“Five years.”
Tae Mu Ryong and Jeong Jong Do fell silent.
Bu Eunseol was enhancing her martial prowess at a pace no one could have predicted.
But could she surpass Mu Jon—who had long ago achieved such formidable power as to replace Jeong Cheon Je, the foremost master of the Orthodox Sects—within five years?
Perhaps only Heaven knew the answer.
“How fares your condition?”
As Bu Eunseol changed the subject, Tae Mu Ryong spoke.
“We have recovered completely. Dang Cheong’s assistance was invaluable.”
Though Bu Eunseol had extracted all the poison and stored it within her own body, the Team Members had endured it for far too long.
Their bodies had suffered considerable damage.
But Dang Gon had opportunely recommended his younger sister, Dang Cheong, to the Changcheon Alliance as their poison master.
Any coalition of numerous martial artists required an expert versed in toxins and hidden weapons.
And upon learning that the Elite Division members suffered from the aftereffects of harboring poison, Dang Cheong
had healed their bodies using the secret techniques of the Dang Family.
“It seems the Dang Family truly lives up to its name.”
“A fortunate circumstance.”
In truth, Dang Cheong’s actions were motivated by more than mere aid to the Changcheon Alliance—but Bu Eunseol had not yet discerned this.
“Then we have now become true members of the Changcheon Alliance.”
Jeong Jong Do’s words drew a nod from Bu Eunseol.
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with measured calm.
“Henceforth, the Elite Division shall become the supreme intelligence organization of the Orthodox Sects, surpassing even the Mangyeong Jeon of the Murim Alliance.”
Tae Mu Ryong and Jeong Jong Do displayed satisfied smiles.
They had made the right choice to stake their lives on this newcomer, regardless of whether one called it the Orthodox Sects or the Evil Sect.
Now the Jeol Jeong Dae had become the finest intelligence organization of Changcheon Alliance, the new Orthodox Sect coalition.
Every step forward would leave a profound mark upon Murim, and…
Above all, every mission they undertook would save countless lives.
Yet then came the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from beyond.
“Lord, it is Gye Muk.”
“Enter.”
Among the Team Members, Gye Muk possessed exceptional martial prowess, second only to Tae Mu Ryong and Jeong Jong Do.
“Lord. She has arrived.”
Gye Muk spoke with a radiant smile.
“The Chief has come.”
Bu Eunseol’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
The woman she had been awaiting all this time had finally come to Changcheon Alliance.
“Bid her enter.”
“Then we shall take our leave.”
Tae Mu Ryong and Jeong Jong Do bowed respectfully and hastily departed with Gye Muk.
A soft rustle.
Bu Eunseol rose from her seat to receive Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who would soon enter.
‘I thought she was dead.’
Initially, believing her to be deceased, I had suspended all my plans.
Her vengeance had to come first, after all.
But she had returned from death itself.
And she had created a situation that even Mu Jon, bearing the identity of Shin San Ja, could never have foreseen.
Thanks to her, I was able to thoroughly disrupt the Murim Alliance and depart safely.
The door creaked open.
A beautiful woman dressed in white robes appeared before me.
It was Gong Son Dan Gyeong, whom everyone had believed the Jung Son Family had slain.
“Chief.”
Bu Eunseol bowed with genuine warmth.
Once, their relationship had been merely perfunctory.
Now I found myself grateful to the heavens for her survival.
Because of my schemes, she had fallen into Mu Jon’s trap.
Because of me, she had abandoned the lifelong vendetta that was her deepest wish, and lost all the warriors she had cultivated.
Yet she had always known my true identity and waited, offering infinite trust.
Considering these three reasons alone.
I owed her a debt I could never repay.
‘What a blessing it was.’
As I recalled the moment I had reunited with Gong Son Dan Gyeong after her return from death, my gaze deepened.
And my cheeks flushed crimson.
* * *
At that time, I was consumed by fury, plotting my revenge.
Because of this, I had not officially returned to the Murim Alliance, instead using the secret passages that Mu Jon had exploited, or
moving between the Murim Alliance and Gangho in my capacity as a member of the Elite Division, handling various matters.
During this period, someone transmitted a letter through the Elite Division’s intelligence network using an extraordinarily covert method.
Upon receiving the letter, I could scarcely believe my eyes.
The handwriting belonged to none other than Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Startled, I rushed to the location written in the letter.
It was an abandoned house untouched by human feet, layered with mysterious formation arrays.
My heart raced.
It was the very same formation array that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had installed in the warehouse of the Man Hwa Antique Shop to prevent enemies from pouring in.
That exact formation.
Whoosh.
I entered the formation array where mist swirled, my eyes widening.
A woman in white standing at the edge of the abandoned house.
Could it be anyone other than Gong Son Dan Gyeong?
“Chief!”
I rushed forward in panic.
But then I stopped before her,
and began examining her vital signs and face with utmost coldness and care.
Could this be a trap? Had someone exploited this against me? I verified and reverified with suspicious eyes.
Mercifully, she was indeed Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
“Thank the heavens!”
I could no longer restrain my emotions and cried out with a voice full of joy.
“Thank the heavens!”
For the first time, I gave thanks to the divine.
After saving So Yo,
and after the death of Gu Sal Dae’s lord So Ja Myeong, who had willingly faced death for me and offered a faint smile,
I had sworn that no innocent person would ever die because of me again.
But that oath ultimately could not be kept.
And Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who had believed in and protected me for so long, had breathed her last.
I could not forgive myself.
Having left the Murim Alliance while maintaining my identity as Seon Woo Jin for the sake of the Elite Division,
I had resolved to become an incarnation of destruction—neither Muk Hon Ryeong Ju nor Seon Woo Jin.
And I had intended to destroy not only the Jung Son Family but the entire Murim Alliance, including Mu Jon, with all my strength. I was prepared to obliterate everything and meet my own ruin in the process.
If I could not protect those precious to me… then revenge held no meaning whatsoever.
But she lives.
That was a ray of light and salvation for me.
Plink.
Without my knowing, a single tear fell.
Tears streamed down Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s cheeks as she gazed upon the scene.
“You’re acting foolishly.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong laughed like a child.
“For a grown adult to weep like that….”
Her words trailed off.
Bu Eunseol had suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
“It’s alright.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong was startled for a moment, but soon gently stroked her back.
“I didn’t die.”
For reasons she couldn’t explain, she could see straight through to Bu Eunseol’s heart.
―This person must have witnessed someone sacrifice themselves or perish many times before, aside from her grandfather.
―She must have endured that suffering for a long time.
―And with my death, everything would have been on the verge of collapse.
―That is why she is grateful to the heavens that I live.
Yet… it is not love.
Someone who willingly died for her had returned, so she was simply overjoyed.
But Gong Son Dan Gyeong was satisfied with even that.
That her existence… could bring happiness to someone.
“I showed you an unsightly display.”
After a long while, Bu Eunseol finally released Gong Son Dan Gyeong from her tight embrace, and the tip of her nose was
flushed red like a child who had played merrily on a winter’s day.
“No.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong wiped away Bu Eunseol’s still-flowing tears and offered a sweet smile.
“And I’m happy.”
Bu Eunseol blinked.
What on earth could she be happy about?
As she blinked, she found herself averting her gaze when she saw Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s gentle smile.
“How is this possible?”
Bu Eunseol could not help but ask.
She had clearly witnessed with her own eyes that her breath had ceased.
Even if she had employed some technique like the Guisik Great Method or performed some miraculous feat, she could never deceive her own eyes.
Yet there she stood, alive and well, as if an immortal had cast a spell.
“I clearly confirmed that your breath had stopped.”
“I wasn’t dead—I had fallen into a comatose state.”
“That cannot be. If that were the case, I would have detected it.”
“It wasn’t an ordinary comatose state.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong smiled faintly.
“I was in the process of awakening as one of the Baek Pal Sung.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you. I was kidnapped as a child to be a candidate for Cheon Ki Sung.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly.
“I was also one of the Baek Pal Sung. Perhaps the Cheon Young Star.”
“The Cheon Young Star.”
Rather than answer, Gong Son Dan Gyeong extended her hand.
Kwaauu!
In that instant, an arrow of pure light shot skyward.
It moved at the speed of light itself—so swift that the eye could not even trace its trajectory.
Baek Pal Sung.
She was indeed one of the Baek Pal Sung, capable of manifesting arrows forged from light within a defined domain.
“So the Chief truly is one of the Baek Pal Sung.”
“That’s right. Back then, the Jung Son Family called me by the epithet ‘Jida Star’… I thought I was merely the shadow star of Cheon Ki Sung.”
“Then those born as Baek Pal Sung do not succumb to poison?”
“It’s not that. The poison created by the power of Baek Pal Sung shattered the grand technique that had been woven throughout my body… and my power awakened.”
“A grand technique, you say.”
“Chu So. He bestowed upon me a grand technique that suppressed my manifestation.”
She sighed as she spoke.
“So that I would never again be pursued by the Jung Son Family.”
At that time, she had received a mysterious secret art from Chu So, and had remained in a state where the power of Baek Pal Sung never manifested.
And because of that, the Jung Son Family.
Or those who could sense the power of Baek Pal Sung—she had never been discovered by them until now.
“Who exactly is Chu So?”
“He was Cheon Ki Sung.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong recounted everything that had transpired, holding nothing back, speaking with complete honesty.
That she was not truly Gong Son Dan Gyeong, but rather So Min.
That her escape from the Jung Son Family was made possible only through the aid of Cheon Ki Sung, Chu So.
And that, just as he had prophesied, she met with Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife, and encountered someone who resembled her and was of the same age…
And became the false Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
“So that is how it was.”
Bu Eunseol let out a long sigh without realizing it.
‘She was not the true Gong Son Dan Gyeong after all.’
The life that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had described was so tragic and sorrowful that
Even Bu Eunseol, who had endured countless hardships and suffering since childhood, could only shake her head in sympathy.
‘And if she speaks of Cheon Ki Sung…’
Yet an even more shocking truth was slowly being revealed before her eyes.
So Cheon Ki Sung, whom she had long questioned about, actually existed, and was the child who had been kidnapped alongside Gong Son Dan Gyeong?
Moreover, according to her words,
Did he not possess the ability to predict all things, as if he were a prophet?
“I have a question.”
“Please, ask away.”
“How did such a remarkable Cheon Ki Sung fall into the hands of the Jung Son Family?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded.
“I have pondered that very point for a long time, but I could not discern the reason. All I could conclude was that he allowed himself to be captured intentionally.”
“Then….”
“Precisely. He must have had a compelling reason to infiltrate the Jung Son Family—some scheme that required it.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong exhaled heavily.
“And because he knew I was the only one capable of avenging myself, he claimed he had saved me.”
She laughed, but with profound melancholy.
“Yet upon reflection, that appears to have been a lie.”
“Cheon Ki Sung. Can he truly foresee the future?”
Bu Eunseol asked, turning over Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s words in her mind.
“According to what the Chief said, he seems capable of predicting even the future with perfect accuracy.”
If one were to define prophecy precisely.
It would be glimpsing events before they occur.
Yet how could anyone predict a future that shifts with each action taken?
Even a great oracle like Gu Beop Ja Mo Ryun.
Did he not miscalculate the timing of his own prophecy?
But the abilities of Cheon Ki Sung that Gong Son Dan Gyeong described felt as though he could predict even a future that changes moment by moment.
“Yes. He can do it.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke with absolute conviction.
“At that time, Chu So held every member of the Jung Son Family in the palm of his hand. And the Family Head….”
She shook her head as she continued.
“He arranged everything so that I could meet my father and mother. All when I was merely seven or eight years old.”
“Then he is still alive.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed with realization.
“With such an ability, fabricating his own death would be a trivial matter.”
“Yes.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded, concealing her sorrow.
“He is truly alive, and he has been watching over me all this time.”
She continued speaking calmly.
“That letter he sent me directing me to where Gwon In was—it contained details that no one but Chu So could have written.”
Bu Eunseol finally understood one mystery that had eluded her.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had once said that the reason she fell into Gwon In’s trap was because someone who knew her well had laid the snare.
But she had not revealed who that person was—it had been Cheon Ki Sung.
‘Then was my suspicion truly correct?’
There would be no reason to kill Gong Son Dan Gyeong again after saving her from the Jung Son Family at such great cost.
Moreover, had he not deliberately drawn Gwon In into the trap?
Then, as she had suspected at the time.
Cheon Ki Sung’s target had been herself.
‘So it was he who manipulated the woman from the Needle Pavilion of the Murim Alliance.’
When she had been at the Jeol Jeong Gak under the identity of Seon Woo Jin, the woman from the Needle Pavilion had suddenly appeared and lured her to the Bamboo Forest.
It turned out that the Woman’s spirit had been suppressed, and she was being manipulated like a puppet by someone.
Through her mouth, a warning was issued not to disturb Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
And then glittering powder was scattered, and not long after, the Gwon In faction stormed into the Murim Alliance—
All of it had been orchestrated by Cheon Ki Sung.
“What on earth is his purpose?”
“I don’t know. But it seems something has changed his plans. Or perhaps… his heart has changed.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s expression turned bitter.
Until now, I had pursued the Jung Son Family not only out of hatred for those who killed my parents and innocent children,
But also to avenge Chu So, who had saved my life.
Yet he was alive all along, and had been watching over me this entire time?
It was not merely futile—it was utterly infuriating.
“Then can Baek Pal Sung remain indefinitely in a comatose state?”
“That shouldn’t be the case. But my father once told me—”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke in a hushed voice.
“He was attacked by the same power of Baek Pal Sung, and by sheer coincidence, it was the power of Dok Hwa Sung that influenced my awakening.”
“The Gong Sun Estate Lord knows of Baek Pal Sung?”
“Yes. He knew everything.”
She spoke with a forlorn expression.
“From the moment he first saw me, he knew our meeting was intentional… and that I was Baek Pal Sung, and that a seal was placed upon me.”
It was unbelievable.
The Gong Sun Estate was not even a martial family of renown, and the current lord, Gong Sun Hwa Wook, had never involved himself in the affairs of Murim.
Yet if he possessed detailed knowledge of Baek Pal Sung—
“Do you remember? The Celestial Source of our estate?”
In that instant, a flash of insight pierced through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
‘Did the Gong Sun Estate Lord not show me the location of the Seo Jang Lama Monk?’
“Yes.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly, as if she had seen through Bu Eunseol’s innermost thoughts.
“My father obtained knowledge of Baek Pal Sung from an eccentric master at Seo Jang.”
“Then was it the Gong Sun Estate Lord who revived the Chief?”
“No, that wasn’t it.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s eyes deepened as she recalled the moment of awakening within the coffin chamber.
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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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