The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign – Chapter 602

“Divine Mountain Sage.”

Bu Eunseol muttered under his breath as he closely examined the tattered robes that old diviners might wear.

“Is he the one imitating the Martial Alliance Leader?”

Confusion overwhelmed Bu Eunseol.

The Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi, was the pillar of the righteous faction. If he were truly dead, the term “Righteous and Demonic Twin Heaven Emperors” could no longer exist in the current martial world.

Could the higher-ups of the Martial Alliance, unable to announce that fact, be systematically concealing his death?

Or had the Three Realms, coiled within the Alliance, assassinated him?

‘No, that can’t be.’

Having once met Ak Muryeong in private, Bu Eunseol could sense it.

Even if the Three Realms dominated the world, they still could not touch a supreme expert like the Human Demon, Ak Muryeong.

Known as the strongest of the Three Demons, he tolerated no one lording over him. His martial prowess was already showing signs of breaking through the Heaven-Human Realm.

If they left him alone despite his challenges to the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heaven Emperors—risking his life in battle?

From the perspective of the Three Realms, who manipulated the martial world at will, that would mean leaving behind an uncontrollable disaster.

But even so, the Three Realms dared not touch him.

And yet, Shin Domubi—rated a level above him—had been killed by someone?

That was utterly impossible.

‘The one thing that’s certain is that it isn’t the Martial Alliance.’

Bu Eunseol shook his head.

If they had intended to hide Shin Domubi’s death, there would be no need to install an Ice Jade Coffin in the basement of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall and conceal the body there.

“What on earth is the Martial Alliance?”

A sigh escaped him involuntarily.

Majeon was said to be rife with conspiracies and ghostly schemes, but even there, people committed acts that humans could conceive.

The Martial Alliance, however, was different.

It was as if demons wearing human masks gathered to commit deeds beyond imagination.

The term “Demon Subduing Palace” suited the Martial Alliance far better than Majeon.

“Those clothes really look like something only diviners would wear.”

Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at the garments stored in the stone chamber.

Could all of this be the work of the Divine Mountain Sage?

If the body hidden in the Ice Jade Coffin was truly Shin Domubi… could he be the one playing the role?

‘What if Shin Domubi suffered severe injuries and went into quiet seclusion… using this opportunity to fake his death?’

That reasoning held credibility.

Having clashed with the Demon Emperor, he had sustained grave wounds. This could be a chance to deal with the spies of the Three Realms rooted in the Alliance while faking his death…and the Three Realms might have fallen for the ploy, putting forward a fake Martial Alliance Leader.

‘Or conversely, he could have entrusted the position to the Divine Mountain Sage.’

Perhaps Shin Domubi had temporarily handed the Leader’s seat to the Divine Mountain Sage to heal his injuries and departed.

“Then…”

This time, Bu Eunseol stroked the character “World (世)”.

Clank, clank.

Metallic sounds rang out, and soon the Ice Jade Coffin itself transformed into a gleaming, perfectly square block of golden metal.

“Extreme Mysterious Iron…”

The outer surface was made of Extreme Mysterious Iron, impossibly thick.

A master craftsman must have created a device to protect the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.

“Heon Won Bright Sword?”

Astonishingly, the exterior of the now-metallic coffin bore three hundred and ninety-five sword marks remarkably similar to the Heon Won Bright Sword style.

“Did someone unleash sword strikes against the Ice Jade Coffin?”

It was incomprehensible.

Regardless of authenticity, why pour an absolute sword art like Heon Won Bright Sword into a coffin containing a corpse that resembled Shin Domubi?

Bu Eunseol closely examined the sword marks etched on the surface once more.

‘At least four people…’

The Heon Won Bright Sword style had to be executed in a single burst.

Yet the traces on the coffin’s surface looked as though four experts had divided and performed it.

Four distinct sets of sword marks remained.

‘So four people divided and executed the Heon Won Bright Sword style?’

Heon Won Bright Sword was an absolute sword art that no human body could perfectly perform.

Then perhaps four mighty experts had each mastered a portion and simultaneously unleashed it?

Theoretically possible.

But four combining their strength could hardly be called a perfect Heon Won Bright Sword.

Moreover, why unleash sword techniques against the metal encasing the coffin—at something that was not even Shin Domubi?

“I’ll check once more.”

Bu Eunseol’s eyes ceaselessly traced the marks on the metallic surface.

They appeared perfectly executed, yet divided into four, showing minute flaws.

‘I can only perceive up to one hundred ninety-eighth moves.’

The traces on the coffin’s surface contained all the variations of Heon Won Bright Sword.

But without the final form, beyond the one hundred ninety-eighth move, he could not properly grasp how the strikes continued.

‘Conversely, this means I’ve obtained a sword conclusion capable of executing one hundred ninety-eight moves in a single burst.’

Bu Eunseol had forcibly memorized all three hundred and ninety-five variations of the Heon Won Bright Sword style.

If he performed the art based on these marks, he would gain the conclusion for one hundred ninety-eight moves—nearly half the complete Heon Won Bright Sword.

‘It will be of great help in emergencies.’

If he could perfectly unleash nearly half the variations of the perfect Heon Won Bright Sword?

It would be no different from granting Seon Woojin a formidable trump card.

“Ah!”

Lost in memorizing the sword variations, Bu Eunseol suddenly exclaimed.

He had been so absorbed in examining the marks that he only now realized an incense stick’s time had long passed.

“If what’s inside is truly Shin Domubi…”

Bu Eunseol solemnly bowed before the now-metallic Ice Jade Coffin.

Though they walked different paths, this man had left enormous footprints in the martial world.

Moreover, through his grandfather, Bu Eunseol had learned Shin Domubi’s exclusive mental art, the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra.

In a way, they were connected by fate.

“I owe a debt for unwittingly learning the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra. I will uncover the truth of this matter and reveal it to the martial world.”

If Bu Eunseol were a true demonic practitioner, he would immediately spread word that Shin Domubi’s corpse lay in the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, plunging the righteous martial world into chaos.

But he did not confine himself to labels of demonic or righteous.

Whether this was truly Shin Domubi’s body or not, he had no intention of using the name to throw the righteous faction into disorder.

“Then.”

Bu Eunseol turned to leave.

“Oh no.”

Had too much time passed?

The door he had entered through was now seamlessly closed, leaving no trace.

Bzzz!

Bu Eunseol unleashed the Ban-geuk Energy and thrust it into the wall crevice he had used to enter.

Boom.

Even exerting full power, the wall did not budge.

Rumble.

Instead, the force of the Ban-geuk Energy seemed to damage an internal mechanism, producing ominous noises.

‘Forcing it open could give me away.’

This was the basement of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall. If he used martial arts forcibly, vibrations might be felt above.

Growing anxious, Bu Eunseol scanned his surroundings.

“Then…”

He repeatedly stroked the character “First (第)” engraved atop the Ice Jade Coffin.

Whoosh!

Countless concealed projectiles—too fine to see—shot toward him.

Swish!

With no time to dodge, Bu Eunseol instantly formed a massive barrier with Wishful True Binding.

But the barrage showed no sign of stopping.

Shing!

In the end, he drew the Silent Soul Sword and unleashed the second form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow: Return to Origin.

Swish-swish-swish! Clank!

As the fine projectiles were sucked back into their devices, the barrage ceased with metallic clanks.

“Touching the wrong thing activates the traps instead.”

Bu Eunseol gazed at the faintly engraved words “Eternal First” beside the coffin.

Touching the wrong spot could trigger another trap.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

Harmony.

He would use Harmony—the power that annihilated everything—to blast through the blocked passage wall in one strike.

Hummm!

Bu Eunseol gathered all the power within his body with full effort.

“Urgh.”

As the energies clashed inside him, excruciating pain spread as if his body were tearing apart. But enduring it steadfastly, a subtle auspicious aura finally emanated from his entire form.

Bzzz.

In that moment, the Great Prajna Power naturally spread, and five-colored radiance bloomed.

He had perfectly aligned the powers within his body.

Rumble.

Yet something strange occurred.

As the power of Harmony flowed, a faint light also emanated from the metallic Ice Jade Coffin.

Rumble.

Simultaneously, a new secret passage suddenly opened on the opposite wall.

‘It reacted to Harmony.’

There was no time for deep thought.

Bu Eunseol immediately entered the open door.

Unlike the passage that had descended to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, this one led upward.

Sss-sss.

Heightening his beast-like senses to the extreme, he dashed upward.

‘It’s different.’

Bu Eunseol’s expression darkened.

This passage led in the complete opposite direction from the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

‘A fork.’

After running a while, three branching paths appeared.

Without time to think, Bu Eunseol swiftly took the middle one.

A strange sensation came from above.

It felt as though countless elite martial artists stood solemnly in formation.

Bzzz.

Bu Eunseol spread his arms and lightly emitted internal energy.

To avoid anyone detecting vibrations from the floor, he unleashed Mind’s Eye through powerful energy waves instead of shaking the ground directly.

‘The Heaven and Earth Pavilion?’

Astonishingly, the long passage above connected directly to the interior of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.

‘This makes no sense.’

A secret mechanism beneath the Solitary Enlightenment Hall connected to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, where the Martial Alliance Leader resided?

‘I need to investigate.’

Bu Eunseol bit his lip.

‘After surviving this crisis.’

For now, he had to return quickly to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

If someone realized he was missing, he could no longer remain in the Martial Alliance.

Returning to the fork and taking the right path, a long, endless corridor stretched before him.

Finally reaching the end, he saw an old iron door.

‘This isn’t the Solitary Enlightenment Hall—it’s a completely different direction.’

Fortunately, no martial artists’ presence could be felt nearby.

He had to check anyway.

Bu Eunseol tried to open the iron door and step outside.

‘Ugh.’

The door was incredibly heavy.

Astonishingly, he needed to exert six cycles worth of internal energy to open it.

‘This place…’

Emerging beyond the iron door, he saw a warehouse cluttered with old supplies.

It was the equipment storage at the far western gate of the Martial Alliance.

‘So this is the entrance and exit of the secret passage.’

This storage was visited only by those managing supplies—no one else.

In other words, one could access the secret passage freely without worrying about prying eyes.

Using this storage, one could enter the Solitary Enlightenment Hall or Heaven and Earth Pavilion at any time.

‘This isn’t the time for this.’

Regaining focus, Bu Eunseol re-entered the warehouse’s secret passage and headed back underground toward the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

Since the last two didn’t work, the left fork must lead upward to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

Sss-sss!

Ascending the secret passage again, Bu Eunseol raced down the left path.

‘The direction is certain.’

Though no light entered the long, dark tunnel, Bu Eunseol could clearly sense it led to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

Rumble.

Finally opening the iron door at the tunnel’s end,

“…!” Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.

An utterly unexpected scene unfolded.

“A training room.”

Astonishingly, the tunnel connected to the very last of the ten training rooms at the farthest edge of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall’s first floor.

‘Why didn’t I notice earlier?’

Pulling the Seven Stars Diagram Explanation from his robes once more, Bu Eunseol let out a sigh of relief.

‘At any rate, this is fortunate.’

If he had suddenly emerged in the wrong place—or near the crowded bookshelves?

His exit from the secret passage would have been discovered.

He would have been dragged immediately to the punishment hall for intense interrogation or forced to flee the Martial Alliance.

“Whew.”

As Bu Eunseol exhaled in relief,

Step, step.

Light, cheerful footsteps echoed from outside the training room.

Sensing something odd, Bu Eunseol stepped out.

“Oh, there was someone here.”

An elderly man with hair as white as leek roots, neatly combed, looked at Bu Eunseol and spoke in a kindly voice.

The one walking down the training room corridor was none other than the Hidden Forest Pavilion Lord, Mok Do-in.

“Pavilion Lord.”

Swallowing his surprise, Bu Eunseol politely clasped his hands.

“What brings you here?”

“Hahaha. I came looking for a quiet place to meditate.”

Hearing that, a chill ran down Bu Eunseol’s spine.

There was no need for Mok Do-in, who resided on the third floor, to descend to the first floor’s training rooms for meditation.

He had surely come after hearing that Bu Eunseol entered the first floor of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.

‘Which side is he on?’

Bu Eunseol was confused.

Was Mok Do-in part of the Three Realms?

Or simply a high-ranking member of the Martial Alliance with great interest in him?

As he forcibly suppressed the surging thoughts,

“I’ve been watching your achievements with great interest.”

Mok Do-in spoke in an extremely warm, friendly tone.

“So, did you gain something?”

In the end, he asked the very same question as before.

It seemed as though he genuinely welcomed the rise of a new-generation expert like Seon Woojin… and held deep interest.

But Bu Eunseol could clearly sense some ulterior motive in Mok Do-in.

He knew now that it could not be otherwise.

No high-ranking member of the Martial Alliance harbored such pure intentions.

“Realizing I had neglected the foundations of martial studies until now, I petitioned the Ascendant Martial Hall Leader to help me reestablish them.”

Feeling Mok Do-in’s gaze fixed on the Seven Stars Diagram Explanation in his hand, Bu Eunseol smiled.

“While searching for answers to questions about footwork, I found insight in a formation manual and entered the training room to read it quietly.”

A flawless answer that left no room for criticism.

“I see.”

Mok Do-in nodded as if he understood the situation.

“Indeed, the mysteries of formation operation and footwork share a common thread. A wise decision.”

He displayed a calm smile.

“Then continue your diligent practice.”

“Thank you.”

As if his purpose was fulfilled, Mok Do-in turned and briskly disappeared.

‘Mok Do-in.’

A blade-like glint flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.

‘One day, I will surely tear off that mask.’

For now, he had no leisure to ponder Mok Do-in’s intentions.

There was simply too much to do.

‘I must investigate the Heaven and Earth Pavilion quickly.’

The Martial Alliance Leader who appeared at Bukgung Ryeong’s Hero’s Monument ceremony possessed a presence worthy of the title Heavenly Emperor.

His martial prowess was unfathomable.

Thus, between the living Shin Domubi and this corpse in the Ice Jade Coffin, he first had to determine which was real.

Beep. Beep.

As night deepened, Bu Eunseol, meditating in his office, quietly slipped outside.

The area around the Supreme Pavilion had dense bamboo groves, and it was known among the Martial Alliance martial artists that Seon Woojin often strolled there for meditation.

It was a habit he had long ingrained in them.

Thus, even if he went out at night, passing martial artists merely offered light greetings and paid no further attention.

Bu Eunseol passed through the bamboo grove and headed to the far western edge of the Martial Alliance.

There stood a massive warehouse storing old equipment, accessible to anyone in the Alliance.

And within it lay the secret passage leading underground to the Solitary Enlightenment Hall and to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion where the Alliance Leader resided.

‘The secret passage between the Solitary Enlightenment Hall and Heaven and Earth Pavilion was likely designed from the buildings’ initial construction.’

Otherwise, the Solitary Enlightenment Hall would not stand directly beside the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.

But this equipment warehouse was different.

It had clearly been newly created for convenient use of the existing secret passages in the Solitary Enlightenment Hall and Heaven and Earth Pavilion.

In other words, to allow the Alliance Leader—or whoever played the role—to secretly exit the Heaven and Earth Pavilion and freely come and go between the Alliance and the martial world.

That was why such a secret passage had been made.

Sss.

Bu Eunseol entered the equipment warehouse and discreetly scanned the surroundings.

There was no human presence.

He went deeper inside and quietly opened the floor-level secret passage door he had confirmed earlier.

‘Impressive security.’

Even if discovered, not just anyone could enter.

The door was so heavy and massive that at least three hundred years of internal energy was needed to barely lift it.

Sss.

Entering, Bu Eunseol followed the passage to the middle fork among the three—the one leading to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.

He sensed the movements of guards above but paid them no heed, cautiously proceeding to the end.

The gentle slope eventually became steep stairs.

Climbing them, he finally saw a small iron door.

‘No presence, as expected.’

Slide.

Quietly opening it revealed the wide expanse of an office.

‘This place…’

Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.

Astonishingly, the passage connected directly to the third floor of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion—Shin Domubi’s personal office.

Slide.

As Bu Eunseol entered the office, the passage door closed, and a vase on a small table naturally inverted. 

The mechanism to open and close the secret passage door from here was that vase on the office’s edge.

Even if someone infiltrated the Martial Alliance Leader’s office secretly, they would hardly touch an obvious vase that would immediately reveal tampering.

A simple yet cunning trap.

‘Find evidence.’

Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol raised Void Heart Command and swiftly began searching the interior.

The Demon Emperor’s office, like those of ordinary Hall Leaders, held nothing particularly unusual—just many bookshelves.

But Shin Domubi’s office was entirely different.

Far too many items were placed here.

There were maps precisely detailing the distribution of righteous, demonic, evil, and black path sects and forces.

Countless booklets and letters. And on one side, even a personal armory.

‘Does the Martial Alliance Leader need to focus this intently on sect movements?’

The office resembled a place obsessively investigating every sect in the martial world.

As if preparing for war.

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

With a single word or gesture, countless information networks would rush to deliver fresh intelligence like steaming rice.

Why conduct investigations alone like this?

‘Moreover…’

A strange thought struck Bu Eunseol.

The maps, booklets, and information here were mostly from over ten years ago.

‘Has no one entered the Martial Alliance Leader’s quarters in ten years?’

An incomprehensible situation.

Bzzz.

Thoroughly searching the interior, Bu Eunseol raised Void Heart Command.

He could then sense countless details invisible to the eye.

‘Someone was here.’

The office had been empty for a long time.

Yet around ten years ago, someone had entered, examined, and organized various items.

‘Grief. Rage.’

Discovering something, that person had erupted in fury.

‘Here?’

The individual then naturally opened the armory within the Martial Alliance Leader’s quarters.

Being able to open the armory meant it was not their first time in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion—and they were clearly very close to Shin Domubi.

Rumble.

Entering the secret space, old martial robes hung there.

In the center of the stone chamber, a worn wooden sword was embedded.

‘A wooden sword?’

Martial artists could infuse true energy to make a wooden sword as hard as steel. Yet this wooden sword embedded in the stone wall was so decayed that infusing energy would shatter it.

Even so, the person had driven it in as easily as if the solid wall were tofu.

‘An unimaginable expert.’

That meant it was not infused with internal energy but driven in purely through the profound power of a sword technique. Thus, the one who embedded this wooden sword not only understood the principles of martial arts but possessed swordsmanship of unimaginable height.

A terrifying thought flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.

‘This sword…’

He spotted sharp characters engraved on the hilt of the wooden sword deeply embedded in the wall.

Martial (武).

“No way.”

Bu Eunseol murmured without realizing.

“Martial Venerable.”

Among the Three Demons, the strongest was the Human Demon, Ak Muryeong.

Among the Three Venerables, the one with the highest martial arts was known as the Martial Venerable.

And when choosing the greatest among the Three Demons and Three Venerables, it was the Martial Venerable.

In other words, excluding the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heaven Emperors, he was the supreme expert of the martial world.

“The Martial Venerable used a wooden sword.”

If his deduction was correct, that terrifying expert holding the chief seat among the Three Demons and Three Venerables was the very one imitating Shin Domubi.