The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign – Chapter 590

“They’re thorough.”

Do Cheonlin clicked his tongue in open admiration.

“Well, no wonder they’ve managed to stay hidden for hundreds of years.”

“Hmm.”

“For the sword to drink deeply of both our blood… that means they’re selecting only true experts even among those who possess demonic swords. Isn’t that an absurdly high bar?”

Do Cheonlin shook his head, incredulous.

“How many people in the entire martial world are on the same level as you and me?”

In the past, Bu Eunseol would have agreed without hesitation.

But after everything he had experienced, he knew better.

The current martial world was filled with people whose martial arts didn’t work on them, or who wielded strange, mysterious powers.

In other words, pure martial attainment was no longer the sole measure of strength.

The Heavenly Emperor, the Earth-Killer Star, and even Baekri Mujo of the Star Guard Division all layered incomprehensible energies atop one another.

Yangseol Rin used an entirely different kind of power that had nothing to do with orthodox martial arts.

And Bu Eunseol himself… did he not keep the mysterious power of Four Divine Gods as his final trump card, alongside Harmony?

“Perhaps their definition of ‘expert’ isn’t limited to superiority in martial arts alone.”

“Not limited to martial arts?”

“There are many in the martial world who possess mystical powers.”

Bu Eunseol calmly recounted his encounters with the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth-Killer Star, and Yangseol Rin.

“…So the reason they scattered the demonic swords must be to find vessels capable of bearing great curses or arcane techniques. That means they aren’t simply looking for the strong—there may be very specific conditions.”

“It feels like we’ve gone back to the ancient martial world where arcane arts and sorcery reigned supreme.” Do Cheonlin shook his head with a bitter smile. “Then even if you head to Cold Moon Island, why not send troops to Gang Okji and wipe it out completely?”

“The Three Realms’ intelligence network is still overwhelmingly superior.”

Bu Eunseol shook his head.

“If word leaks that we’re marching an army on Gang Okji, they could shut down Cold Moon Island as well.”

“Ugh.”

“We have to visit Cold Moon Island first, find out exactly what they’re doing, and only then send the army.”

Do Cheonlin took a deep, steadying breath.

Bu Eunseol was the heir to Majeon, with countless capable subordinates at his command. If he wished, he could mobilize tens of thousands of warriors.

Yet against the Three Realms, that kind of power was utterly useless.

“So until now… you’ve always fought alone.”

Do Cheonlin finally understood.

Bu Eunseol had been facing them by himself all this time.

Against an enemy with an impenetrable intelligence web and immeasurable influence, the only way was for someone who had reached the absolute pinnacle—one like Bu Eunseol—to hunt their tails one by one and destroy them piece by piece.

“Do you really have to do this?”

“Do what?”

“The Three Realms.”

For the first time in his life, Do Cheonlin meddled in another man’s philosophy.

“You don’t have to risk your life trying to destroy them. There’s no destiny forcing you to.”

“It’s simply part of my revenge.” Bu Eunseol answered calmly. “I just don’t want to leave people who treat human lives like chess pieces and perform cruel experiments to their own devices.”

“Hmm.”

Do Cheonlin shrugged, resigned.

No matter how great the ordeal, no matter how deadly the danger, Bu Eunseol would charge straight through without hesitation.

Any further advice would only be nagging.

“Then is there nothing more I can help with?”

“No. You’ve helped plenty.” Bu Eunseol said flatly. “This matter must be handled in absolute secrecy and silence. Returning to One is a faction we have never truly clashed with before.”

“No matter what’s waiting on Cold Moon Island, we’ll at least get to annihilate one entire branch of the Three Realms.”

Do Cheonlin drew a deep breath and gave a crooked smile.

“Come back safe.”

Worry weighed heavy on his heart, but what Bu Eunseol needed now was not concern—it was support.

That was all Do Cheonlin could give him.

Unbeknownst even to himself, Do Cheonlin had come to place the same boundless trust in Bu Eunseol that all his other close friends already did.

***

Blood Wolf, So Jincheon.

That was the nickname and true name of the man who had once wielded this Moon Shadow Demonic Sword.

He was an assassin from the Azure Killing Sect, gifted with extraordinary talent in martial arts.

By the time he reached adulthood he had personally created the Hundred-Kill Secret Arts and was already qualified to accept assassination contracts.

A born rebel, he attempted to swallow the Azure Killing Sect whole, bypassing its sect leader—only to be discovered and forced to flee.

After wandering the martial world for a time, he joined the Old Dragon Stronghold in Shaanxi and turned to banditry. Unable to suppress his defiant nature, he betrayed the stronghold’s leader again, this time succeeding and becoming its chieftain. 

Yet a man born craving blood and slaughter could never be satisfied with the life of a mere mountain bandit.

He soon abandoned the position and returned to the martial world, founding a small assassination sect of his own and taking minor contracts. His martial arts grew stronger with every job, and before long he earned the nickname Blood Wolf.

The problem was that even while working as an assassin he never hesitated to steal treasures or violate women.

His long string of atrocities eventually came to light, a massive bounty was placed on his head, and he became a hunted man—chased by rogue warriors and bounty hunters alike.

‘Damn it all! If only I had learned proper martial arts!’

So Jincheon gnashed his teeth.

He had talent in spades, but fate had never granted him a true martial lineage. The only systematic art he knew was the Azure Killing Sect’s Hundred-Kill Secret Arts.

He had picked up various practical killing techniques through real combat, but he had never once been taught a genuine profound martial study.

In the end, his innate gift withered on the vine, and he lived the precarious life of a fugitive who could die any day.

Yet fortune finally smiled upon So Jincheon.

By sheer chance he obtained a mysterious demonic sword.

The blade naturally unleashed sword qi as powerful as sword astral with every swing—an ability that was nothing less than wings for someone who had never learned a true divine art.

‘Hahaha! I am invincible!’

With his natural combat genius amplified by the demonic sword’s power, So Jincheon slaughtered the warriors and bounty hunters pursuing him in an instant.

‘There were… several demonic swords.’

In the process he learned that when one carried a demonic sword, one could sense the presence of other wielders, and that each sword possessed different abilities.

He met the Western Lake Twin Fiends, men much like himself, and they hit it off.

‘Let’s attack the others together and split the swords.’

If he could obtain a demonic sword with even greater power, dominating the martial world would no longer be a dream.

And so they lured and ambushed other demonic sword wielders, acquiring stronger blades.

But in the end, they met Do Cheonlin—an absolute master no demonic sword could overcome—and met their deaths.

Seom-An Prefecture, secret safe house of Majeon.

Bu Eunseol grimaced as he read the record of So Jincheon’s life that Soyo had brought him.

“Of all people… it had to be this scum.”

To deceive the eyes of the Three Realms, Bu Eunseol had to perfectly imitate So Jincheon.

That meant from the very journey to Cold Moon Island, he would have to act the part of a vicious, cruel villain.

“Are you leaving right now?”

At Soyo’s question, Bu Eunseol shook his head.

“If I walk straight onto Cold Moon Island like this, they’ll spot the flaws instantly. I need to create a flawless trail and evidence first.”

Together with Soyo and the Death Spirit Corps, he returned to the cliff where So Jincheon had died.

Bu Eunseol raised his Void Heart Command and meticulously examined the surroundings.

Fortunately, traces of the fierce battle and signs of bodies falling over the edge remained intact.

“We’ll make it look like he fell here, barely survived, recovered below, and climbed back up.”

By planting such evidence, So Jincheon’s trail ending at this cliff would be perfectly explained.

Crack.

When every preparation was complete, Bu Eunseol used Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art to transform his face and physique into So Jincheon’s.

“You… have to go alone?”

“Yes.” Bu Eunseol stared straight into Soyo’s eyes. “Returning to One is still completely unknown in every way. You must never try to track me or follow me.”

Soyo’s gaze darkened.

She knew how terrifying Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess was, but the Three Realms were a monstrous power that could not be faced with martial arts alone.

And whenever they had to be confronted…

Bu Eunseol always had to go by himself.

The worry that repeated endlessly like this never seemed to fade.

“Ah… ahh.”

Having changed his appearance, Bu Eunseol recalled the exact voice So Jincheon had used when challenging Do Cheonlin, and began imitating it bit by bit.

“Good. This should do.”

“Be careful.” 

Soyo looked at him with deep worry.

Bu Eunseol gave her the gentlest, most serene smile he could muster.

“I will.”

Night fog lay thick over the river.

Disguised as So Jincheon, Bu Eunseol bought a small skiff and rowed himself all the way to Cold Moon Island.

‘Cold Moon Island? You must never go there!’

When he had tried to hire a boat, every boatman in the area had said the same thing.

‘It fell to plague long ago; only lepers live there now. And if you go near, the demons of the underworld will drag you straight to hell!’

Bu Eunseol immediately guessed that Returning to One had deliberately spread those rumors.

‘So that’s how they’ve stayed hidden.’

A place too secretive or too remote would only arouse curiosity.

But if word spread that a solitary island was home solely to plague victims, no sane person would ever visit.

Shhh… shhh…

The little boat pressed steadily forward.

Bu Eunseol rowed in silence, his gaze sweeping the surroundings with icy calm.

The landscape of mountains and rivers shrouded in thick fog felt like drifting through a dream—ethereal and unreal.

‘It’s an illusion array or arcane mist.’

The sun shone brightly and a warm breeze blew, yet the mist clinging to the water never dispersed.

It was clearly mist created by a formation or sorcery.

‘Hmm.’ Bu Eunseol continued rowing, eyes narrowed in suspicion, constantly scanning for anything unusual signs.

How much time had passed?

Finally, far ahead, he saw several small boats moored along the shore.

He tied his skiff and stepped onto the island. What greeted him was a fishing village that could house perhaps a thousand souls.

‘A real village?’

Bu Eunseol surveyed the surroundings warily.

He had expected the island to be packed with Returning to One experts, yet it looked like any ordinary village. As he walked and observed, a shadow suddenly popped out from beside a tree on the opposite side of the path.

“Welcome.”

The one greeting him was a child of perhaps ten, a small boy.

“You must be tired from the long journey.”

The boy’s skin was mottled and melted like a leper’s, bulging in places and sunken in others.

Yet despite his grotesque, horrifying face, the child showed no sign of being intimidated and smiled brightly.

“This humble one is called Dae Bo.”

“Dae Bo?”

So Jincheon was a sinister, ill-tempered man.

Bu Eunseol deliberately maintained an irritated tone and posture.

“Forget you. Bring me the highest-ranking person on this island.”

“Understood.”

Dae Bo politely extended a hand.

“Please follow me.”

The boy walked ahead without hesitation and spoke in a friendly, familiar tone.

“It must have been hard to find a boat, yes? The boatmen around here refuse to come anywhere near this place.”

Despite his rustic appearance, his speech was refined.

“They say if you come to this island, the reapers of the underworld will drag you away.”

“Hmph. They just didn’t want to come because they heard only plague victims live here.”

“No, sir.”

Dae Bo turned his head and gave a faint smile.

“There really are reapers on this island. And once you enter, you truly do die.”

“How amusing. Then am I already dead?”

“Of course not.”

Dae Bo turned fully, bulging eyes gleaming as he grinned wide.

“You, my lord, have been permitted to enter.”

A chill ran down Bu Eunseol’s spine at those words.

That meant Returning to One had already investigated So Jincheon’s every movement in perfect detail.

‘They haven’t seen through me… right?’

Bu Eunseol had prepared for exactly this level of surveillance, meticulously fabricating So Jincheon’s recent activities.

Returning to One had verified there were no anomalies in So Jincheon’s trail and allowed him onto the island.

‘They attached surveillance I couldn’t even sense.’

Bu Eunseol glared at the boy who was staring blankly at him.

“Permitted? Insolent brat. Do you even know who I am?”

“Are you not Lord So Jincheon?”

“You knew?”

“Of course. We know everything.”

“Then what does it mean, this ‘Supreme Martial Warrior’ written on the demonic sword? Does it really mean I can become supreme under heaven?”

As Bu Eunseol fired questions with a sharp glare, Dae Bo only smiled faintly.

“If you follow me, you will receive your answers.”

“Where the hell are we going?”

“My lord, becoming Supreme Martial Warrior is not something that can be achieved easily, yes?”

Dae Bo’s face shone like a child who had just received a new toy.

“Please be patient and follow me.”

‘He hasn’t trained in martial arts.’

Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed as he scanned the boy’s small frame.

He felt no ripple of inner energy from the child, yet his steps were as light and agile as a trained expert’s.

“Fine.”

Bu Eunseol tapped the Moon Shadow Demonic Sword at his waist and spoke coldly.

“If this turns out to be nonsense, you’d best be ready to lose your head.”

Murmur, murmur.

They had already reached the bustling market street in the center of the village. People bustled to and fro, and inns lined the road.

It was a prosperous scene that made a mockery of the rumors about lepers and reapers.

‘It looks exactly like a thriving fishing village that always has a surplus of fish.’

Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the village.

Every single person had skin swollen or deformed like lepers, yet they laughed and lived without apparent pain or discomfort.

‘Hmm.’

Dae Bo led him past the village and down a narrow forest path.

“How much farther is it?” Bu Eunseol asked irritably.

Dae Bo bowed. “We are almost there.”

As they entered the forest, clean, refreshing air filled his lungs.

They finally arrived at a clearing deep in a valley at the southern tip of the island.

The place was so quiet that only occasional birdsong broke the silence, and several decent stone houses stood scattered about.

Dae Bo guided him to the stone house at the very edge.

“This is where you will stay for the time being.”

“You’re telling me to live here?”

“Yes.”

Bu Eunseol immediately flared his eyes.

“There are perfectly good inns in the market—why the hell should I live in this empty valley?”

“You may stay at an inn if you wish. But you cannot practice martial arts there, can you?”

“Martial arts?”

“Exactly.”

Bu Eunseol shouted as though fed up with the endless riddles.

“I came because it said ‘Supreme Martial Warrior’ on the sword!” He placed a hand on his sword hilt as if ready to draw at any moment and glared murderously at the boy. “If you play word games one more time, I’ll take your head first.”

Instead of answering, Dae Bo pulled an old manual from his bosom.

Moon Shadow Sword Manual.

It was the very sword manual of the Moon Shadow Demon Venerable who had once dominated the martial world.

Shockingly, they possessed the authentic manual of the true original owner of the Moon Shadow Demonic Sword.

“Is this… really the Moon Shadow Demon Venerable’s sword manual?”

“It is.”

Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened. 

‘They give out the corresponding manual depending on which demonic sword you bring?’

If Do Cheonlin had brought the Illusory Demon Sword, they would undoubtedly have handed over the original of the Dream Demon Venerable’s Dream-Demon Illusory Sword Art.

‘But the Moon Shadow Sword Manual is hardly worthy of the title “Supreme Martial Warrior.”’

Of course, mastering it would make one a top-tier expert capable of sweeping the martial world. But it was still far too ordinary for the grandiose promises of “Supreme Martial Warrior” and “Sword of the Three Realms.”

‘But right now, I am So Jincheon.’

Having finished his calculations, Bu Eunseol accepted the manual while practically drooling.

“So this really is the Moon Shadow Sword Manual…”

He flipped through it hastily, then nodded with ecstatic joy.

“It does seem to be the genuine article.”

“There are Wall-Forging Pills prepared inside the stone house. Of course, you may buy food and drink from the village if you prefer…” 

Dae Bo lowered his voice.

“But since you now possess such a manual, you must be especially careful.”

“Hmm.”

Bu Eunseol quickly tucked the manual inside his robes, then glanced at the other stone houses.

“What are all those stone houses for? Is someone else here?”

“For now, you are the only one.”

“For now?”

“Yes.”

“Then who is the highest-ranking person on this island? Who exactly runs this place?”

“You will naturally learn that once you finish mastering the manual.”

Dae Bo bowed with a smile.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

He turned and disappeared into the forest.

Bu Eunseol swallowed the many questions burning in his throat.

If he were truly So Jincheon, he would be completely entranced by the Moon Shadow Sword Manual, unable to think of anything else.

Asking about the island first would only arouse suspicion.

“Hmm.”

Once Dae Bo was gone, Bu Eunseol deliberately let out a pleased exclamation and stepped into the stone house.

‘This is far too unexpected.’

His expression darkened the moment he entered.

They had lured martial artists with promises of becoming “Supreme Martial Warrior.”

He had assumed Returning to One experts would be stationed everywhere, conduct thorough investigations, and then subject arrivals to various tests.

Yet they simply gave him a stone house and the Moon Shadow manual and left?

‘I want to scout the island immediately, but…’

Right now he had to act like So Jincheon—eyes rolled back in greed over the manual.

“Wahahaha! The Moon Shadow Sword Manual!”

Bu Eunseol deliberately let out a villainous laugh and entered the house.

The interior held only a table and an old bed; the rest was empty space—perfect for practicing martial arts.

‘Something is here.’

While pretending to study the manual, Bu Eunseol carefully observed his surroundings.

He heard no metallic clink of hidden mechanisms, nor felt the gaze of a watcher.

‘Someone is definitely watching.’

Yet his instincts screamed in alarm.

Someone—something—was definitely observing this place.