The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 829
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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 829.
Like waking from a nightmare.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong opened her eyes and looked around, startled.
How could she, who had clearly died at Ssang Su Gok under Dok Hwa Seong’s power, open her eyes unharmed?
How could she open her eyes in her own quarters within the Gong Sun Estate?
“Have I become a ghost?”
After blinking blankly for a long while, she suddenly felt a searing pain, as if her skull were splitting.
With it came the memory of being transported while lying in a dark, cramped box.
―I came to the Murim Alliance to avenge my grandfather, who sacrificed his own life for me.
And at the same time, Seon Woo Jin.
No—the stories that Bu Eunseol had told her echoed in her mind.
Yet it felt not like something she had heard directly from her, but rather like something she had overheard while sleeping, without conscious awareness.
‘Am I truly dead?’
When one’s life ends, can they hear stories of those they loved? Or was this merely a fleeting delusion?
Click.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man in fine robes entered, carrying medicinal broth.
It was Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife, Yok Jeong Young.
“Father, Mother.”
Tears streamed from Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s eyes.
She had surely breathed her last.
Yet here she was, seeing the warm faces of Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife once more?
‘I truly am dead.’
This must be before arriving at the Afterlife.
The messengers of Death must be allowing her to release her lingering attachments to this world.
Heaven had taken pity on her and granted her one final glimpse of those she wished to see.
“Well then, how is your body?”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook asked warmly, and she wept.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hmm?”
“I deceived you, Father… or rather, the Patriarch.”
“What do you mean?”
“The truth is…”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly, tears streaming down her face.
She told him how she, who had originally been So Min, came to be born, and what she had endured in the Jung Son Family.
And how she had come to meet Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife.
“I see.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook, who had been listening silently, smiled and nodded.
“You must have suffered greatly all this time, unable to tell anyone, carrying this burden alone.”
He gently stroked her head.
“You’ve endured so much.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m truly sorry.”
As So Min, as nothing more than a farmer’s daughter, I apologized to Gong Sun Hwa Wook.
Gong Sun Hwa Wook shook his head, his expression twisted with anguish as if his heart were being torn apart.
“There’s no need to apologize. We already knew.”
“You did?”
“That you hadn’t lost your memories. And that you approached us intentionally.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong blinked in disbelief.
Gong Sun Hwa Wook laughed.
“Isn’t this old man a master of formation arrays? I have a keener eye than most.”
“But…”
“More than that, I knew a grand technique was woven into your body to suppress Baek Pal Sung. I understood there was a deeper story, but such matters held no consequence for us as a couple.”
Remarkably, Gong Sun Hwa Wook not only possessed detailed knowledge of Baek Pal Sung,
but he also knew that a grand technique suppressing Baek Pal Sung’s power had been woven into Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s body.
“Haven’t I always told you? Formation arrays are created by mimicking the constellations of heaven.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook spoke calmly.
“And though I never told you this, the Living Buddha of Seo Jang who saved this old man was searching for one of the hidden Baek Pal Sung. And I learned from that master all knowledge related to Baek Pal Sung and the power it commands.”
He added further,
“And that is how I came to create the Cheon Won Ji.”
I had believed the Gong Sun Estate created the Cheon Won Ji separately from Cheon Sung Byeol Bu to discover unique talents within the family.
But all of this was because of the Lama monk of Seo Jang?
“Since you never asked, this old man simply never spoke of it.”
At Gong Sun Hwa Wook’s words, I bowed my head once more.
“But I only used the family head and his wife for my revenge.”
I wept bitterly.
“So please, do not concern yourselves with me.”
Having finally spoken the truth I had long concealed, I now had to depart for the Afterlife.
And I hoped that Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife would no longer suffer pain because of me.
“Dan Gyeong.”
Then Yok Jeong Young spoke.
“Not once have I ever failed to think of you as my daughter. Never use such words as family head or wife again.”
“But…”
She embraced me gently.
“No matter what anyone says, you are our daughter.”
“Mother. Mother…”
It was not a title spoken with guilt as before, but a voice calling to my mother with genuine sincerity.
I wept with unrestrained sorrow.
“I’m truly sorry. Mother!”
And I sobbed in Yok Jeong Young’s embrace.
Heaven had granted one final chance,
and I had honestly revealed the truth and sought forgiveness from those two who had always carried my guilt.
What further regrets could there be?
“I have already apologized to both of you, so I have no regrets.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke with swollen eyes.
“Please forgive me for failing in my duty as a child and having to depart on a long journey ahead of you.”
“Where exactly do you keep saying you’re going?”
When Yok Jeong Young asked, Gong Son Dan Gyeong wept profusely.
“I am already dead, Mother.”
“What?”
“I already died at the hands of the Jung Son Family.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong, suppressing her sobs, rose and bowed respectfully.
“But I will never forget the grace you both have shown me, even in the Nine Springs.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook and Yok Jeong Young gazed into each other’s eyes.
Then they burst into laughter simultaneously.
“Come to your senses, child.”
“What on earth are you saying?”
As the couple laughed without understanding, Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s sorrow overwhelmed her, and she shed even thicker tears.
“I have already succumbed to the poison of Dok Hwa Seong and ceased breathing. No antidote in the Murim can neutralize it.”
Originally, she had been highly rational, living a life that never once deviated from her plans.
Therefore, she had confirmed her own death with certainty and believed it with absolute conviction.
Moreover, due to the virulent toxins of Dok Hwa Seong, she still remained in a daze, caught between waking and dreaming.
“Dok Hwa Seong, I see.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook nodded as if he now understood.
“The essence of Dok Hwa Seong shattered the seal within your body and awakened the power of Baek Pal Sung anew.”
“What do you mean?”
“Certain Baek Pal Sung can only manifest when another Baek Pal Sung’s power penetrates them. Some Baek Pal Sung awaken only when one’s life hangs by a thread.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook continued his explanation.
“And there are cases where awakening occurs only when both of these conditions align perfectly.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s eyes wavered.
“So… I didn’t die?”
“Of course not.”
Then Yok Jeong Young, standing beside him, spoke.
“It seems your power has only recently awakened, and since you haven’t fully expelled all the toxins from your body, your mind remains clouded.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife each took Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s hand. Then she felt an incomparably warm embrace.
“How… how did this happen?”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook sighed and shook his head.
“A few days ago, Seon Woo Dae Ju came here bearing a coffin with a sorrowful expression, apologizing.”
“…”
“When he showed me you inside the coffin, even your father was startled. Your breath had truly ceased.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook spoke calmly.
“But when Seon Woo Dae Ju was about to leave and I looked upon your face, vital essence flowed throughout your entire body. It was the very appearance the Old Monk described when the power of Baek Pal Sung manifests.”
“Seon Woo Dae Ju placed me inside a coffin and brought me here?”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong finally understood.
The inner thoughts of Bu Eunseol that she had been hearing in her mind since earlier.
It meant those were the true stories he had shared with her while bringing her here inside the coffin.
“Dan Gyeong.”
Then Gong Sun Hwa Wook spoke.
“If the name Dan Gyeong has become a burden to you, you may change it back to the name you originally remember.”
Then Yok Jeong Young also spoke.
“You are the daughter Heaven has given to us as a couple. So from now on, never harbor such thoughts again.”
The couple extended their hands and grasped Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s hands.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong shed tears once more.
The guilt of having deceived the adoptive parents who had raised her with love all this time.
And now, tears of joy that she truly had parents.
After a long journey.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had truly become a true daughter of the Gong Sun Estate.
“From now on, I must completely feign my death.”
As her mind cleared.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong returned to her form as the sharp, brilliantly wise Chief of the Murim Alliance.
“If even Seon Woo Dae Ju is certain of my death, then the Jung Son Family will believe in my death as firmly as stone. But Mu Jon—he will not be easily deceived.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong told Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife.
Everything she had experienced thus far. And even that Mu Jon was masquerading as the greatest sage of the martial world.
She recounted it all in meticulous detail.
“Then he will surely send someone to the Main House to confirm your death.”
Gong Sun Hwa Wook, understanding the meaning of Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s words, let out a deep sigh.
“In the end, we must do the very thing we least wish to do.”
“I am sorry.”
No matter how much it was a deception, no one would wish to hold a funeral for their own daughter.
Especially for Gong Sun Hwa Wook and his wife, who had already lost a daughter, such a thing would be even more unbearable.
“Dear, there is a saying that if you endure one misfortune, you will live longer.”
Yok Jeong Young spoke with a smile.
“Gyeong Yi has come back to life, and we are deceiving that wicked man, so let us do this with joy.”
In the end, a quiet funeral was held at the Gong Sun Estate.
It was conducted very quietly without informing the outside world, but surely Mu Jon’s subordinates would have confirmed it.
After that, Gong Son Dan Gyeong secretly left the Gong Sun Estate and sent a letter to Bu Eunseol.
Her survival.
Knowing it would become a trump card that even Mu Jon could not predict.
And finally, she met Bu Eunseol in secret, and after consulting with him.
She once again used the Sa Hon Dae’s excellent intelligence network to secretly spread the information that she had certainly died.
Now the Jung Son Family, Mu Jon—they would never doubt her death.
Because the fact that she was Baek Pal Sung, no one in this world knew.
He had succumbed to Dok Hwa Seong’s ultimate poison—a toxin that could never be detoxified.
* * *
“…That’s what happened.”
After explaining the entire situation to Bu Eunseol, Gong Son Dan Gyeong lowered her head in shame.
“I see.”
“And now the Gong Sun Estate intends to operate as a martial family.”
Bu Eunseol could understand Gong Sun Hwa Wook’s decision.
The Gong Sun Estate, which had long remained uninvolved in Murim affairs, now sought to act as a martial family.
It could only have been a decision made to protect his precious daughter.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong’s enemies.
They were the Jung Son Family, one of the legendary Three Families that had yet to reveal themselves.
“It’s not just to protect me.”
But Gong Son Dan Gyeong said something unexpected.
“Seon Woo Dae Ju. No—Muk Hon Ryeong Ju Bu Eunseol. It’s to help you.”
“What are you suddenly saying?”
“I will remain by your side.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had originally planned to make a passionate confession when she met Bu Eunseol again.
That she wished to spend the rest of her life at his side.
But she could not.
What he needed now.
What this gentle, childlike person needed.
Was not a companion whispering sweet words of love, but a capable ally who could stand shoulder to shoulder in battle.
So she changed her words.
“By helping you, I can eventually achieve my own revenge.”
“Chief.”
“The elite members of the Blood Heaven Blood Life Group at Ssang Su Gok. They all died protecting me.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong clenched her fists.
“I can forget my grudge against the Jung Son Family. But I must avenge them.”
“You’re asking me to eliminate the Jung Son Family?”
“Yes.”
She drew a deep breath and continued.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly.
“The Changcheon Alliance’s organization is nearly perfect, but there is one thing missing.”
She had already known this.
The one thing the Changcheon Alliance lacked.
It was a capable Chief.
“I will help you.”
“But I don’t know when we’ll strike the Jung Son Family.”
Bu Eunseol spoke honestly.
“In truth, I had mobilized every intelligence organization to locate the Jung Son Family’s main headquarters for the Chief’s vengeance. However, as long as the Chief remains alive and well like this… I cannot prioritize the destruction of the Jung Son Family.”
He exhaled deeply before continuing.
“To find the Jung Son Family, whose main base has remained hidden all this time, I must concentrate every intelligence organization solely on that task. If I do that….”
“I understand.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong nodded.
“There would be gaps in the security of the other operations Ryeong Ju is conducting, and if we strike without proper preparation, many people would be hurt.”
She grasped it instantly.
Not only could she skillfully discern Bu Eunseol’s true thoughts.
She was a genius in formulating and analyzing strategies.
“I’m not asking you to do it immediately.”
Gong Son Dan Gyeong spoke calmly.
“My vengeance can wait until the very end.”
“Do you truly mean that?”
“Yes.”
Even if one searched the entire Murim, it would be difficult to find a talent as exceptional as Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Moreover, if she, who had commanded considerable support within the Murim Alliance, were to join the Changcheon Alliance?
The outstanding talents that had remained in the Alliance would increasingly flock to the Changcheon Alliance.
“Thank you.”
Bu Eunseol pressed her palms together.
At last, I had found the final piece to complete the picture of the Changcheon Alliance.
From now on, the Changcheon Alliance would stand tall in Gangho as a new Orthodox Martial Sect.
* * *
Finally, the Changcheon Alliance formally began its founding ceremony.
And simultaneously, another shocking revelation struck the Murim.
Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who had left the Murim Alliance, had assumed the position of Chief of the Changcheon Alliance.
She, whose exceptional talent and commanding ability had sent chills down the spines of heroes across Tianxia.
She, who evaluated people solely by ability, disregarding connections and lineage.
Had become the Chief of the Changcheon Alliance, following Seon Woo Jin.
Because of this, capable martial artists who had remained in the Murim Alliance until the end, and even young warriors who had viewed the Changcheon Alliance unfavorably.
Began to flock to the Changcheon Alliance in increasing numbers.
―If it’s Chief Gong Son, we can trust her!
Gong Son Dan Gyeong had already proven her abilities countless times within the Murim Alliance.
And she had always conducted herself with fairness and integrity in all matters.
Because of this, the young warriors’ trust in her was unwavering.
No matter how solidly Tan Wang Buk Goong Ryung and the existing factions had established themselves in the Changcheon Alliance.
The direction could change dramatically depending on who handled the actual operations.
But now that Gong Son Dan Gyeong had come as the Chief of the Changcheon Alliance… the young people could feel assured and apply to join.
* * *
Alliance Leader Buk Goong Ryung.
Chief Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
Seon Woo Jin, Leader of the Elite Division.
Among the Nine Sects One Alliance: Wudang and Gae Bang, and the newly formed Hyungsan Mountain.
Among the Eight Great Families: Nam Goong Family, Dang Family, Jekal, Hwang Bo Family. And the Gong Sun Estate.
The Seon Hwa Trading Company, which provided massive financial support, had already relocated its base to the Changcheon Alliance.
The mysterious sects Geom Gak and Shin Nyeo Gung in Sichuan also joined and sent congratulatory envoys.
Beyond that, roughly a thousand rising masters and martial artists who had defected from the Murim Alliance, plus another thousand newly recruited martial artists.
―I heard the Changcheon Alliance’s base salary is higher than the Murim Alliance’s?
―Moreover, they actually teach martial arts properly. Customized instruction tailored to each person’s constitution and abilities.
―And unlike the Murim Alliance, they treat everyone equally regardless of connections or factional ties.
Meanwhile, certain voices raised a troubling question.
―But something doesn’t add up. No matter how vast their financial resources, how could they assemble such a coalition so quickly?
These aren’t common street thugs.
An Orthodox Sects coalition formed just like that?
That could only mean Buk Goong Ryung had been planning the Changcheon Alliance all along.
And Gong Son Dan Gyeong and Seon Woo Jin deliberately left the Murim Alliance as part of that scheme, didn’t they?
―The Changcheon Alliance was originally a coalition established long ago by the Sichuan Dang Family, Shenshui Palace, and Geom Gak working in concert to build a unified force centered on Sichuan.
But from the Murim intelligence organizations,
information that dispelled such suspicions began spreading rapidly.
―During that process, the participation of the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Eight Great Families was discussed, and when the Murim Alliance fractured at precisely that moment,
Dang Gon, the Dang Family Lord, proposed creating a new coalition centered on Sichuan, and Buk Goong Ryung agreed.
As the Sichuan coalition neared completion,
a crisis erupted in the Murim Alliance at that very moment, and Buk Goong Ryung withdrew.
Thereupon, they recruited him and established a new Murim organization under the name Changcheon Alliance.
―That makes sense.
Too coincidental to call mere chance, but the coalition planned long ago transformed into the Changcheon Alliance.
Since the process and procedures could be perfectly documented, the martial artists had no choice but to abandon their suspicions.
―Well, with those two around, nothing would be impossible.
In truth, it takes considerable time for a new sect or coalition to function properly.
But Seon Woo Jin rose from the very bottom of the Murim Alliance, and his true identity was Bu Eunseol, the Muhonjung Lord who had founded the Muhon Society.
Moreover, when Gong Son Dan Gyeong, who possessed wisdom and administrative ability comparable to his own, came to assist him…
It was inevitable that the coalition appeared to materialize instantly, as if dropping from the heavens themselves.
―The Changcheon Alliance Leader has truly grasped both dragon and phoenix in a single hand.
―From now on, the Gangho will know no peace.
Through the Changcheon Alliance, a new wind finally swept across the Murim.
In stark contrast, the Murim Alliance could only wear the atmosphere of a funeral house.
Alliance Leader Jeong Cheon Je had believed the false reports of a subordinate and branded the Cheop Mil Won Lord as a spy.
A ridiculous, unprecedented catastrophe had nearly unfolded—the Chief nearly murdered by a secret organization within the Murim Alliance itself.
Ultimately, this led Buk Goong Ryung to establish the Changcheon Alliance, and the organization lost such exceptional talents as Gong Son Dan Gyeong and Seon Woo Jin…
Though the conclusion was reached that all of this was the fault of the Cheong Ryong Party Leader,
from both external and internal perspectives within the Murim Alliance, Jeong Cheon Je could hardly be viewed favorably.
* * *
At the far end of the darkened corridor, an iron door came into view.
As I pushed it open with a creaking sound, bookshelves overflowing with volumes revealed themselves.
The shelves bore the unmistakable marks of countless years—so weathered that they seemed ready to crumble into dust at the slightest breeze.
Strange inscriptions were carved into the ceiling, and on one wall hung an antiquated mural.
It appeared to depict the past, present, and future in sequence.
―….
The deeper I ventured into the chamber, the more I heard what seemed to be a woman’s faint whispers brushing against my ears.
The atmosphere was undeniably chilling and oppressive.
Yet Shadow strode forward through the darkness without hesitation.
Upon reaching the center of the Secret Chamber, I stopped.
Screech.
Suddenly, brilliant light flooded down from the ceiling, illuminating the figure that had been concealed in shadow.
The figure who had walked so boldly into the Secret Chamber was a powerfully built man with broad shoulders and a strong, defined jawline.
His large, deep, and piercing eyes gave him features that naturally drew favor from all who beheld him.
He was the disciple of Bul Jon and had become the Wu Tian Danjoo of the Murim Alliance.
Geum Jeong Shin Ryong Baek Mu Sung.
“You promised to give Gong Son Dan Gyeong to me!”
Standing in the darkness, Baek Mu Sung cried out in a voice filled with unprecedented fury.
“Why did you handle things this way? Is Sam Gye capable of nothing more than this?”
Everything I had endured until now.
The reason I had acted according to Sam Gye’s commands was solely because of the promise to obtain Gong Son Dan Gyeong.
But they had broken that promise.
They had attacked Gong Son Dan Gyeong and nearly brought her to death, and as a result, she had ultimately left the Murim Alliance.
With Seon Woo Jin, whom I had been so wary of, to the Changcheon Alliance.
“Why have I remained attached to the Murim Alliance all this time! Why did I endure such hellish suffering to receive that great technique!”
[Tsk.]
Then from the darkness came a low, irritated voice.
[Driven to such extreme rage, your true personality has finally emerged.]
Swirl, swirl.
Light began to gather slowly from the darkness, flowing like waves.
Countless threads of light gracefully coiled and converged at the boundary where darkness met illumination.
Gradually, they took on the distinct form of a human.
Unmistakably human in shape.
Yet the presence felt like gazing upon an abyssal creature dwelling in a world where light and darkness coexist.
“You became the Wu Tian Danjoo as you desired, yet I remained silent as a mouse!”
Upon seeing the figure, Baek Mu Sung erupted with even greater fury.
“You said you would make me the Maeng Ju and give me Gong Son Dan Gyeong—how could you handle things in such a manner?”
[It was beyond our control. It was not intentional.]
The figure shook his head.
[Mu Jon contacted the Jung Sun Family, but I never expected them to act so recklessly.]
“Is that what you call an explanation?”
[We are not gods but humans, so I won’t make excuses. This mistake was clearly Ben Gye’s doing.]
“I’m glad you admit it.”
Baek Mu Sung spoke in an icy tone.
“From now on, I will handle my own affairs. Don’t interfere anymore.”
[Haha. Handle it yourself? What exactly?]
A hollow voice emanated from the Shadow.
[Have you forgotten that you were abandoned by that great master?]
A white mouth formed on the black shadow.
[You came from Sa Ha Manor and lost your memories, so Mu Jon took you in. But in the end, you became a worthless wretch when you discovered you had no connection to the Baek Ri Family.]
The mouth on the black shadow disappeared, and serpentine, triangular eyes formed in its place.
[Ben Gye also believed you were his bloodline and attempted the Grand Technique, but it failed….]
And then came a shocking revelation.
[It’s only now that we’ve discovered all direct descendants of the Baek Ri Family have split personalities….]
“When did I ever claim to be of Baek Ri bloodline?”
Baek Mu Sung trembled violently and clenched his fists.
“Wasn’t it your own misunderstanding?”
[That’s why we taught you the Ma Tae and artificial inner cultivation, and even Ben Gye’s Grand Technique.]
The Shadow continued in a hollow voice.
[Soon enough, the shell of the Baek Ri Family will be perfectly formed within you. Just wait until then.]
And spoke in a solemn tone.
[Until Jin Ma or Cheon Ki Sung arrives.]
“Why should I do that?”
Baek Mu Sung spoke coldly.
“You broke your promise.”
[We promised to make you the Murim Alliance Leader and allow you to take Gong Son Dan Gyeong as your wife.]
The Shadow spoke coldly.
[But you haven’t become the Leader yet. So her not being at your side is not a broken promise.]
“She’s with the Changcheon Alliance though?”
[Does her affiliation matter so much when it comes to having a woman?]
“That’s sophistry!”
[Not at all. Ben Gye always keeps his promises. Once you become the Leader, Gong Son Dan Gyeong will certainly become your wife.]
“Then remove Seon Woo Jin from the Changcheon Alliance immediately.”
Baek Mu Sung bit his lip.
“You can’t even do that much?”
[Hmm… Let me think about it. After all, the identity of Seon Woo Jin can be easily destroyed if we use the Demon Hall.]
“So he really is a spy for the Demon Hall?”
[Hehehehe. Wouldn’t it be simpler to say that all the conspiracy accusations so far were planned by the Demon Hall?]
Baek Mu Sung grasped the meaning and nodded faintly.
“Very well.”
[But there’s no guarantee he’ll lose power in the Changcheon Alliance. The Alliance Leader is that Buk Goong Ryung, after all.]
“So you intend to keep Seon Woo Jin and her together?”
[What difference does that make?]
Shadow spoke.
[When they were in the Murim Alliance, they were inseparable, yet nothing happened between them. Why would you think something would change just because they’re in the Changcheon Alliance?]
When Baek Mu Sung had nothing to say, Shadow spoke again.
[You just need to fulfill your assigned duties. We’ll handle the rest.]
Whoosh.
Shadow vanished in an instant.
And the Secret Chamber became an empty void.
“We’ll see if things go your way.”
From Baek Mu Sung’s eyes, gazing at the empty Secret Chamber, five-colored radiance burst forth.
It turned out he had already surpassed their expectations, having merged two personalities into one.
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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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