The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 860
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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 860.
“What do you mean by saying I am his bloodline?”
The old innkeeper seemed not to hear Bu Eunseol’s words. Staring into empty space, he fell into deep contemplation.
“Man Wol.”
Only now did he seem to grasp something, letting out a sigh as he murmured.
“So that child shattered the talisman as precious as life itself, exposing his power….”
This time, even Man Wol’s name had surfaced.
But Bu Eunseol could not regain her composure because of the word “his.”
“Answer me! Surely you don’t mean Jin Ma?”
As Bu Eunseol asked urgently, the old innkeeper nodded.
“Indeed. Young Master, you are his bloodline.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol felt as though struck on the back of the head.
‘I am a descendant of Jin Ma?’
An old man on his deathbed would have no reason to lie.
I was a descendant of Jin Ma?
Was Jin Ma not said to be a transcendent being who remembered all the cycles of endless reincarnation?
How could he, who was sealed away by the Baek Ri Family, possibly leave behind blood relatives?
“This old servant should have certainly prevented such a thing….”
The old innkeeper gazed at Bu Eunseol, then said,
“But he wished for it so desperately that I could not bring myself to stop it.”
The old innkeeper’s eyes held no focus.
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize that not only was the old man’s mind far from clear, but he was fixated on some profound memory.
‘If his mind cannot follow the thread of conversation to this degree….’
Only then did Bu Eunseol notice a faint wound near the crown of the old innkeeper’s head, at the Baihui point.
That point was a crucial acupoint on the Governing Vessel meridian, particularly closely connected to consciousness, concentration, cognition, and linguistic ability.
‘Someone deliberately damaged the old man’s Baihui point to impair his mental faculties.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
Anyone capable of deliberately damaging the Baihui point of such a terrifying master…
Would surely be an overwhelmingly powerful expert capable of dominating all under heaven.
“In the end, it resulted in betraying my lord… but it did not stem from personal greed.”
The old innkeeper slowly rose to his feet with unfocused eyes, then bowed respectfully.
“The sin of disrespect for failing to serve even Young Master… I shall atone for it in the Afterlife.”
“Wait.”
Bu Eunseol called out urgently, but
Thump.
The old innkeeper spoke those final words and suddenly ceased breathing.
He had cast the spell at the cost of his life and had been struck by the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
That he could speak at all until now was itself a miracle.
“Old Master, Old Master!”
Bu Eunseol urgently attempted to inject inner force and Sam Shin Gi, but
The old innkeeper had already grown cold, his expression etched with regret.
Within that chamber, a silence as profound as death itself descended.
Bu Eunseol’s vision darkened, her stomach twisted into knots, and nausea threatened to overwhelm her.
“I must regain my composure.”
I drew in several deep breaths, one after another.
As my mind steadied, an avalanche of unanswerable questions began to surface.
“Then… does Jin Ma possess a family lineage like the Baek Ri Family?”
It was possible.
After all, he too was born in human form and continues to cycle through the wheel of reincarnation.
Naturally, he could establish a family line and leave descendants.
No—he would have had to.
Blood relations are the most formidable allies one can possess.
Especially considering that the Three Ancestors, the Four Divine Immortals, and those extending to the Eight Immortals Heaven are all bound by restrictions imposed by the Baek Ri Family.
He would have absolutely ensured the creation of a bloodline.
“That’s why he refused to fight.”
Whether facing an elder or a child, I willingly engage with formidable opponents and do not shy away from combat.
Yet despite this old man attacking indiscriminately and attempting to kill me without regard for right or wrong,
I found myself unwilling to end his life.
“Then… I am Jin Ma’s bloodline, and this old man was a retainer of Jin Ma’s household.”
As I murmured this realization, the old man’s soliloquy suddenly echoed in my memory.
—So that child shattered the talisman, which was as precious as life itself, to expose his power…
I had come to this Secret Library searching for Wangsu.
Yet I was able to enter because of the mysterious light that suddenly surged toward the heavens.
But that light… was it ultimately Man Wol’s arrangement?
“It must be.”
If the old man’s words were true, if my suspicions were correct,
then all of this was orchestrated by her.
And perhaps… it was her way of indirectly revealing to me that I am Jin Ma’s bloodline.
“But…”
Why didn’t she tell me directly?
Why does she always hide things from me, never giving me a straightforward answer?
“Restrictions.”
All of Jin Ma’s subordinates bear restrictions.
Seeing that all of the Eight Immortals Heaven are bound by restrictions, the Four Divine Immortals and the Three Ancestors must be as well.
It’s quite possible that Man Wol is also one of Jin Ma’s subordinates, bound by some form of restriction.
“And she was a shadow too.”
According to the talisman’s memories, Man Wol is not the real one but merely a shadow, with another designated as the true one.
That means she too could someday be stripped of everything and killed.
“Was this a message that Man Wol was trying to convey to me?”
“Was it a message that Man Wol was conveying to me?”
She conveyed her life story—something no one else could have confirmed—through an elderly servant of the Jin Ma family.
That must have been how this information was delivered.
“But.”
I still cannot fathom Man Wol’s true intentions.
All I know is that through her connection to the Jin Ma family, she inherited a mysterious power.
And she has been using it to aid me.
“Perhaps she is telling me that I am Shadow.”
If a secret technique existed in this world that could contain two abilities within one person.
If it were possible to divide one person’s power into two.
Then such a thing could have happened to Jin Ma as well.
“Then am I Jin Ma’s Shadow?”
In the past, I would have been devastated by such knowledge.
But now, whether it be the Baek Ri family or Jin Ma’s bloodline—it matters not.
I have already decided to cease caring about my origins.
Ever since I heard from Ak Moo Ryung that I was Shadow, created to protect the descendants of the Baek Ri family.
Ever since I learned that I was the cause of my grandfather’s lost peace.
I have completely abandoned all curiosity and affection regarding bloodlines.
“I am simply… my grandfather’s grandson.”
Crack.
At that moment, a strange sound echoed from all directions.
While I had been lost in deep thought.
The interior of the Secret Library was melting like taffy and collapsing entirely.
Bu Eunseol, who had been staring at the fallen old man for a moment, spoke in a low voice.
“This place will make an excellent tomb, so I shall take my leave.”
Rumble.
As I escaped outside, the cave that had been hidden by the Absolute Boundary was crumbling.
Likely, when the old man died, the power sustaining that place vanished completely.
Upon emerging outside, the Absolute Boundary that had surrounded the area shattered, revealing a clear lake.
“Heavy Water.”
It was precisely the Heavy Water pond that the Sa Hon Dae members had reported.
[So Yo. Contact the Team Members and have Mu Ha Soo Yu Jeong retrieve the Heavy Water.]
[Understood.]
As I activated the Thousand-Li Telepathy, So Yo’s low voice came through, followed by a soft sound.
I had stepped away briefly to contact Sa Hon Dae.
I gazed toward the distant sky for a moment.
“Already half a month has passed.”
It was a long time if one considered it so, or a short time if one did not.
Of the two months Man Wol had predicted, roughly forty days remained.
If I could not resolve the Executor’s matter within that time?
Then I would have no place to belong—neither in the Demon Palace nor in the Changcheon Alliance.
“I can delay no longer.”
The illustrated book I had seen at the Man Ma Yu Jin Pavilion before.
It contained the stories of the Executors passed down through generations of the Murim, and the locations where the sages were hiding were written there.
―The sages dwell in mountains where lakes reflect their light, layered and surrounded by brocade.
I had thought it merely a legend.
But through Man Wol’s arrangements, I could be certain.
She clearly knew that I would come to this place.
And all of these trials.
Her deliberate guidance to compose myself, to complete all my tasks—it was all an arrangement for me.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol unfurled her lightness technique and leaped into the sky in a single bound.
At last, I was heading toward Cheop Chae Mountain in Gyerim, where the legend of the sages’ hidden dwelling had been passed down.
* * *
Cheop Chae Mountain.
This beautiful renowned peak possessed a unique appearance, as if layers of colored brocade had been stacked upon one another.
Having arrived here in one swift journey, Bu Eunseol began to search the interior rapidly.
Since these extraordinary sages were deliberately hiding and living here, finding them was no simple task.
But thanks to having searched for and discovered so many hidden secret libraries and absolute boundaries during this time.
Almost disappointingly easily.
I was able to locate the region where the sages were concealed without difficulty.
“So the sages also use absolute boundaries.”
In the place presumed to be where the sages dwelled, a formation array remarkably similar in structure to those used by the Three Families was in place.
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to attempt using the Sam Sin Gi.
Yet something was peculiar.
Unlike ordinary absolute boundaries, as I drew closer, the structure of the formation array began to reveal itself.
And remarkably, passages from texts began to appear drawn on the ground.
‘Could it be that the formation array and the textual passages are related?’
In the phrase “layered and surrounded by brocade,” the character for “layered” signifies repeating structures, while “surrounded” means encircled.
In other words, the formation array itself was indicating that it was stacked in layers.
‘Then shall I erase one stroke from the character meaning “stacked”?’
Bu Eunseol erased one instance of the character for “layer” from the phrase.
Then the absolute boundary that had been layered upon itself seemed to grow fainter.
Indeed, it was a method of solving the formation array through textual passages.
‘The character for “sage” decomposes into “shell” and “subject”—the subject gazes downward, indicating the direction of the formation; the shell signifies treasure, pointing to the core elements composing the formation.’
Bu Eunseol began to decompose each element of the characters one by one, rearranging their order or reassembling them.
‘The phrase “mountains reflected in lakes” suggests a symmetrical structure where mountains mirror the water—indicating that the formation array is constructed on the basis of symmetry.’
Bu Eunseol flipped the characters symmetrically as if reflected in a mirror.
Then hidden characters began to appear, and beneath them a blank space was revealed as if beckoning me to fill something in.
‘I am being told to combine the stroke counts of these characters into numbers.’
Bu Eunseol observed the structure, arrangement, and symmetry of the appearing characters.
Or perhaps he endlessly calculated elements such as stroke counts.
Zing.
At last, when all the formations dissolved, brilliant light flooded in from all directions, revealing an astonishing landscape.
Hyeonja Forest lived up to its name as a forest.
A river flowed like blue silk, and verdant foliage stretched endlessly across the land.
Following a narrow path deeper within, the fragrant scent of blossoms filled the air as a tranquil village came into view ahead.
The place was shrouded in lush greenery, with soft sunlight filtering through and the songs of birds echoing all around.
It was Doyuon Gyeong itself—a paradise untouched by the world.
“Hah.”
But then, accompanied by a sigh.
A middle-aged man with piercing, brilliant eyes suddenly materialized before Bu Eunseol.
He wore a Taoist robe, much like a wandering sage.
His gaze was sharp, and his entire being radiated an inexplicable, mysterious aura.
At first glance, he was clearly a person of uncommon wisdom.
“I am—”
“Seeing how you easily dissolved the formations to enter, you must have consulted the Jeop Beop Gyeong.”
‘The Jeop Beop Gyeong?’
Bu Eunseol paused briefly in thought before answering calmly.
“I saw only a picture book with illustrations drawn in it.”
“That is the Jeop Beop Gyeong.”
However, the picture book was mostly damaged, containing no dissolution methods or techniques whatsoever.
Had the middle-aged man known that Bu Eunseol had solved it through sheer intellect alone, he would have been utterly astounded and leaped in shock.
At that moment, the middle-aged man drew a deep breath.
“Then it seems the end has finally come for Ben Rim.”
Bu Eunseol tilted her head in confusion.
“Ben Rim, you say?”
“You entered this place knowing nothing at all?”
The middle-aged Taoist spoke with measured calm.
“This place is Hyeonja Forest.”
Hyeonja Forest.
A mysterious sanctuary that had existed for generations within the Murim, where sages gathered together.
Yet they had never revealed themselves to the world, and for the past thirty years, they had vanished as if they no longer existed.
But this was Hyeonja Forest?
“Who are you?”
“I am….”
Bu Eunseol hesitated for a moment.
She could not decide whether to reveal her true identity or conceal it.
“I am Seok Gyeong Ja, who guards the gates of Ben Rim.”
Then the middle-aged man, Seok Gyeong Ja, revealed his identity first with an impassive expression.
“And one cannot enter Ben Rim without clearly disclosing their identity.”
He fixed Bu Eunseol with a sharp gaze and spoke.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The book called Jejekyeong was kept in the Man Ma Yu Jin Gak.
However, Seok Gyeong Ja’s demeanor and eyes aside, Hyeonja Forest was a faction that walked the path of the Righteous Path.
‘Perhaps these people harbor deep animosity toward the Demonic Path.’
“I…”
“If you’re going to lie, go ahead and try.”
At that moment, Seok Gyeong Ja spoke calmly.
“Everything will be exposed anyway.”
The man before me was the gatekeeper of Hyeonja Forest.
According to his words, lying would be impossible, and it seemed unlikely to succeed.
‘What if I simply refrain from lying?’
When I thought about it, titles like Muk Hon Ryeong Ju or Elite Division Lord were not my true identity.
I was merely my grandfather’s grandson.
“Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang is my grandfather.”
After much deliberation, I spoke the truth.
Above all, my grandfather, contrary to what the Murim knew, had continuously performed good deeds.
If I had to reveal my identity without deception, I judged that being the grandson of Chil Ji Ma Do was the best option.
“What did you say?”
But contrary to expectations.
Seok Gyeong Ja suddenly trembled, and his eye corners twitched.
“You’re saying you’re that demon’s grandson?”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol realized I had made a mistake.
It was true that my grandfather had secretly traveled through Gangho performing many good deeds.
But the image most people knew of him was.
A great slaughterer who killed countless people—nothing more, nothing less.
“What wrong did our grandfather commit?”
“What wrong did he commit, you ask?”
Fury blazed in Seok Gyeong Ja’s eyes.
“Did you not hear from that demon why Ben Rim came to live in seclusion in such a remote place!”
He cried out with a sorrowful expression.
“Chil Ji Ma Do. That man slaughtered all the sages in the Murim Tianxia and was not satisfied…”
“…”
“Did he not completely erase the spiritual creatures, spirit herbs, and even the sacred lands!”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in great shock.
Why on earth had my grandfather eliminated the sages, spirit herbs, and spiritual creatures?
‘Was it because of my grandfather?’
For decades, the Murim had found it increasingly difficult to encounter spiritual creatures, as if their lineage had dried up.
Not only creatures like the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Tortoise or the Cinnabar-Crested Divine Crane.
Spiritual beings such as the Thousand-Year Fire Fox, the Single-Horned Fire Wolf, and the Three-Wood Golden Immortal had vanished in an instant, as if they had evaporated from the Murim.
But how could Grandfather have done such a thing?
“Are you certain you haven’t misunderstood something? Grandfather was….”
Rather than answer, Seok Gyeong Ja parted his garments and thrust his chest forward.
There, a wound stained dark crimson remained etched upon his flesh.
It was unmistakably the mark of the Blood Dew Seven Techniques.
“He slaughtered the spiritual beings scattered throughout Murim to harvest their inner cores, and unsatisfied with that alone, he massacred the sages of Ben Rim without cessation.”
And his expression grew desolate.
“I myself was present at that slaughter site, managing the Library Pavilion in Hyeonja Forest at the time. Had I not mastered the Great Reversal Technique…I would have long since wandered the Afterlife.”
Bu Eunseol found herself unable to speak.
During his time active in Gangho, her grandfather had possessed two distinct faces.
One was the great slaughterer of the Demonic Path, ruthlessly butchering the masters of the Orthodox Sects.
The other was a righteous hero of the Orthodox Path, secretly wandering Murim performing noble deeds.
Yet how could he have revealed such a merciless and brutal aspect to the people of Hyeonja Forest?
“And now his grandson comes seeking Hyeonja Forest. This is surely an opportunity Heaven has granted.”
Whoosh.
As Seok Gyeong Ja extended his hand, a faint luminescence flowed outward around where Bu Eunseol stood.
Simultaneously, an overwhelming pressure that made breathing impossible surged forth.
Colossal walls began rising in all directions.
It was a mystical formation array befitting the name Hyeonja Forest.
‘Hmm.’
Seok Gyeong Ja vanished, and Bu Eunseol, now trapped in a vast space with no escape, swallowed hard.
‘However, if one understands the subtleties of Orthodox Sect martial arts, breaking the formation is not impossible.’
Unfortunately, the formation arrays laid down in this place were
solely designed to obstruct masters of the Demonic Path, filled only with energy that suppressed Demonic Path martial arts.
And Bu Eunseol had mastered not only Demonic Path martial arts but also Orthodox Sect martial arts.
Moreover, with a brilliant and keen intellect, the formation arrays of Hyeonja Forest were not difficult to break through.
‘Let me enter and attempt conversation once more.’
As Bu Eunseol channeled his power,
Whoosh whoosh!
Sharp sword energy whirled forth,
Rustle rustle.
Together with the sound of leaves brushing in the wind, the layered formation array dissolved in an instant.
Bu Eunseol had used the Thirteen Night Technique to break the formation in one stroke.
Crack.
As the formation dissipated, Seok Gyeong Ja’s figure appeared before him once more.
“Truly, you are the grandson of that Demon!”
The startled Seok Gyeong Ja withdrew a flag from his robes and waved it about with whistling sounds in chaotic motions.
Then grotesque shadows began stepping forward.
‘This is…’
Bu Eunseol was somewhat taken aback.
‘Isn’t this the Strange Being that Chu So used when he captured Gong Son Dan Gyeong in the past—Eumsal Ibaek-in?’
‘This one is actually crafted from a real human as its foundation.’
Originally, Eumsal Ibaek-in were combat puppets created artificially through the bones of resentful spirits, animal blood, and other materials combined with mysterious Taoist techniques.
They were battle constructs born from esoteric sorcery.
However, that method had been lost long ago.
Ultimately, Hyeonja Forest had created a new Eumsal Ibaek-in based on human subjects, capable of wielding tremendous power.
‘Chu So. So that man surpasses even the sages of Hyeonja Forest.’
Chu So had crafted Eumsal Ibaek-in from inanimate matter.
This meant his wisdom far exceeded even that of Hyeonja Forest itself.
Shiiiiik.
In that instant, the Eumsal Ibaek-in moved at such blinding speed that their bodies blurred from sight as they lunged to tear Bu Eunseol apart.
‘Hmm.’
Yet Bu Eunseol exhaled a troubled breath.
Though the Eumsal Ibaek-in’s martial techniques and divine methods were formidable enough that even the supreme masters of Murim could not easily defend against them.
This too was merely… techniques specialized solely in countering Demonic Path martial arts.
From Bu Eunseol’s perspective, they were launching attacks that barely warranted a yawn.
‘The resentment toward Demonic Path practitioners reaches the very heavens.’
Hyeonja Forest’s Orthodox Sect members had defined only Demonic Path practitioners as enemies, and had refined all their martial techniques and true methods.
Exclusively toward the extreme counter to Demonic Path martial arts.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Paaang.
Bu Eunseol, drawing upon her inner energy, fixed her gaze upon the Eumsal Ibaek-in.
Flash!
From her fingertips poured forth an endless torrent of dazzling white radiance.
The Eumsal Ibaek-in possessed bodies harder than iron and movements swift as lightning, which meant.
No matter how devastating the martial techniques employed, they were difficult to topple.
Yet the Eumsal Ibaek-in, wielding only techniques that countered Demonic Path martial arts.
Appeared to Bu Eunseol’s eyes as nothing more than children rushing forward with their arms spread wide.
Flash!
As she extended her index and middle fingers in succession to unfurl a finger sword technique.
Thud-thud-thud.
The Eumsal Ibaek-in began collapsing to the ground one after another.
She had deployed a swift sword technique utilizing the principles of extreme speed and warrior subtlety, targeting only their joints with her finger sword.
Crack! Thud-thud-thud!
With each extension of her hand, the Eumsal Ibaek-in tumbled like straw.
Yet throughout this, Bu Eunseol refrained from shattering their joints, instead exercising restraint in her palm force.
Their lives remained unendangered, suffering only wounds severe enough to render them temporarily immobile.
“For Eumsal Ibaek-in to fall so pathetically.”
Seok Gyeong Ja’s eyes widened in shock.
Had Bu Eunseol been an aged and formidable Great Demon of the Demonic Path.
Even if Eumsal Ibaek-in had been easily defeated, it would not have caused much surprise.
But a man not yet in his thirties.
To effortlessly strike down Eumsal Ibaek-in, who possessed the Diamond God Body, as if swatting away an annoying fly?
“You claim to be Bu Chanyang’s grandson, yet how do you wield the martial arts of the Righteous Path!”
Seok Gyeong Ja soon realized that Bu Eunseol had easily broken through the formation and defeated Eumsal Ibaek-in.
It was because she had employed the martial techniques of the Righteous Path, not those of the Demonic Path.
“Grandfather is….”
Bu Eunseol opened her mouth to speak, but found herself at a loss for words.
Publicly, Chil Ji Ma Do Bu Chanyang was.
A wandering cultivator who had earned a notorious reputation for ceaselessly slaughtering masters of the Jeongsayang-do without cause.
The only reason he had not become a target on the Murim Gongjuk was.
Because the demonic cultivators who followed him were far too numerous to dare touch.
In such circumstances, with Hyeonja Forest annihilated by her grandfather, the resentment and desire for vengeance could only pierce the heavens.
Thud, thud.
But at that moment, behind Seok Gyeong Ja.
An old man appeared, leading dozens of men as he walked forward.
An elderly man with eyebrows that drooped long like willow branches and hair white as parsnip roots walked slowly forward.
His skin was wrinkled like ancient wood, yet his gaze was deep and clear as a child’s.
“Ryeong Ju.”
Seok Gyeong Ja hastily bowed in respect.
That white-haired elder was none other than Gwi Jin Ja, the Ryeong Ju of Hyeonja Forest.
“This person….”
As Seok Gyeong Ja pointed to Bu Eunseol and began to speak, Gwi Jin Ja waved his hand.
“I’ve heard. Bu Chanyang’s grandson, you say.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Gwi Jin Ja drew a deep breath and nodded slowly.
“Bring him inside.”
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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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