The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign – Chapter 163

Bu Eunseol’s heart raced as he gazed into the young Taoist’s eyes.

Song Ak, a righteous master from Wudang, exuded an aura far superior to any righteous master Bu Eunseol had encountered before.

‘Soft, yet boundless,’ Bu Eunseol thought.

Song Ak’s presence was serene, almost empty, yet vast enough to embrace all things. If he were to wield his sword, it would surely flow like the breeze along a river or the moonlight in the sky—free and natural.

“But…” Song Ak’s eyes gleamed as he noticed A-Yeon.

Recognizing the Sword Pavilion’s blade at her side, he clasped his hands together. “I am Song Ak of Wudang. And you, lady warrior…?”

“I am A-Yeon, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion,” she replied.

“Have you come to challenge him?” Song Ak asked.

A-Yeon nodded. “That was my intent. But… not anymore.”

Song Ak’s expression turned curious. “I’ve heard the Sword Pavilion’s disciples are as disciplined as Buddhist monks, maintaining strict decorum.” He chuckled, bemused. “But now I see you’re quite good at jesting.”

“It’s no jest,” A-Yeon said, taking a deep breath. “This man is not an evil person.”

Song Ak nodded, looking at her sparkling eyes. “I see what you mean.” Glancing at Bu Eunseol, he added, “To be honest, I had my doubts as well. I’ve been observing him all along.”

Bu Eunseol wasn’t greatly surprised by this. Song Ak’s presence blended seamlessly with nature, like a cloud that could vanish at any moment. Amid the chaos of battle, it was no wonder Bu Eunseol hadn’t sensed him.

“Prepare yourself,” Bu Eunseol said, reaching for his sword.

Song Ak shook his head. “I’m not here to fight you immediately.” Bu Eunseol frowned, and Song Ak smiled gently. “You’ve endured grueling battles. I’m not so cruel as to attack someone who needs rest.”

“That can’t be true,” Bu Eunseol said, his voice laced with mockery.

Song Ak’s shoulders slumped slightly. “I heard that Junior Sister Qing and Hall Leader Han attacked you together. But they don’t represent the entirety of the righteous sects’ conduct.”

He sighed deeply, shaking his head. “That incident dragged the honor of the Nine Great Sects and the righteous masters to the ground. Janggeom Manor has sealed its gates, and Jeomchang and Emei have recalled their disciples from the martial world.”

“So, you’ve come to restore the tarnished honor of the Nine Great Sects?” Bu Eunseol asked.

“Exactly,” Song Ak said. “I intend to face you in a fair duel to restore the honor of the Nine Great Sects and the righteous masters.”

His eyes gleamed as he scrutinized Bu Eunseol’s body. “The wounds on your clothes seem minor. A couple of hours’ rest should suffice, right?” Bu Eunseol nodded, and Song Ak grinned, setting down his bundle. “Perfect. Since we’re here, let’s share a meal.”

Unpacking the bundle revealed an array of ingredients: dried fish, jerky, rice flour, a metal pot for cooking, and even a gourd of water. There was nothing missing.

A-Yeon, unable to hide her astonishment, spoke up. “Do all Wudang disciples carry such provisions?”

“Hahaha, of course not!” Song Ak laughed, mixing rice flour into the pot. “Though our sect upholds a simple life, we provide enough funds for disciples in the martial world to use inns comfortably.”

“Then why carry food like a peddler?” A-Yeon asked.

Despite her solemn tone, her beauty was like that of a celestial maiden descended from the moon. Song Ak, momentarily entranced, coughed awkwardly. “Ahem. I’ve wandered too long training martial arts. You need to eat well to master them.”

While Song Ak and A-Yeon conversed, Bu Eunseol sat in a corner, resting.

‘A peculiar man,’ Bu Eunseol thought. The righteous sect members he’d encountered were typically prideful, holding themselves in high esteem. But Song Ak showed none of that, exuding the clear, pure energy of a boy raised in the mountains.

‘Yet his skill is in no way inferior to mine,’ Bu Eunseol thought. Despite his clear eyes and gentle demeanor, Song Ak’s aura was astonishingly powerful and refined.

‘If I had joined the righteous sects… would I be stronger than I am now?’ Bu Eunseol wondered.

Emerging from the Pyeongan Funeral Home, he had chosen the path to Majeon without hesitation, believing it would make him stronger, faster. Yet Song Ak, only a few years older, radiated an equally formidable presence.

‘You could have chosen a different path.’ A-Yeon’s words suddenly echoed in his mind. Was there truly another path? Had he chosen not to take it?

‘A pointless hypothetical,’ he concluded. He had entered the martial world for revenge alone. Righteous or demonic paths mattered little.

‘Besides, isn’t life just a death sentence we carry?’ Bu Eunseol thought.

Bu Zhanyang had told him that the afterlife was no different from this world. The Creator bestowed death equally upon all, followed by eternal silence. The underworld, where the dead go, was little different from the living world.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” Song Ak asked, approaching Bu Eunseol with a bowl of rice porridge. “Eat. You need strength to fight, don’t you?”

Though they would soon clash in a life-or-death duel, Song Ak treated him like an old friend. Bu Eunseol accepted the porridge without hesitation, gulping it down. The hot food sharpened his senses and revitalized his body.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Glad you enjoyed it. Try this too,” Song Ak said, offering jerky and a gourd of water.

Bu Eunseol took them without pause, eating and drinking naturally by the campfire. As dawn deepened, Bu Eunseol meditated inside the main hall, while Song Ak and A-Yeon warmed themselves by the fire outside.

“Well-fed and rested,” A-Yeon said, standing as her body fully recovered.

Song Ak blinked. “You’re not going to take this opportunity?”

Bu Eunseol and Song Ak were among the greatest masters of their generation. Watching their duel would grant A-Yeon immense insight.

But she shook her head. “I don’t particularly want to see you two fight.”

The righteous master and Ten Demon Warrior weren’t engaging in a friendly spar. One would win, the other lose—perhaps even die. And A-Yeon didn’t want to witness that, as she had developed a faint fondness for both.

“I understand,” Song Ak said, smiling gently, reading her heart.

Then he said something unexpected. “Honestly, I’ve lost much of my desire to fight as well.”

“What do you mean?” A-Yeon asked.

Song Ak grinned like a child. “Rumors painted him as a villain reveling in slaughtering righteous masters. But in person, his character doesn’t seem bad.” Pausing, he added with a sheepish expression, “His appearance is striking, with a wild, wolf-like charisma that overflows.”

“I don’t follow,” A-Yeon said.

“I’ve never found anyone in the martial world who truly drew me in, but for some reason, he does,” Song Ak said candidly.

A-Yeon’s expression flickered with surprise. He was a righteous master of Wudang, a leader among the Nine Great Sects alongside Shaolin, yet he openly admitted to being drawn to a Ten Demon Warrior of the demonic path.

“You should have been a true disciple of Wudang,” A-Yeon said with a sigh.

Song Ak smiled, his eyes curving like crescent moons. “And you as well.”

“Absurd,” A-Yeon said, turning coldly. “The Sword Pavilion has always slain only those tainted by evil. I simply don’t wish for him to die merely for being a demonic warrior.”

“Haha, I see,” Song Ak said.

“Then, I wish you good fortune,” A-Yeon said.

“Boundless Longevity Buddha. May you achieve your goals as well,” Song Ak replied.

A-Yeon gazed at the distant sky for a moment before vanishing with her movement technique.

“Hmm,” Song Ak sighed, watching her disappear. He then walked toward the main hall where Bu Eunseol rested, ready to begin the duel of pride between a righteous master and a Ten Demon Warrior.

Moonlight streamed from the distant sky, and a campfire burned before the temple gate.

Outside, Bu Eunseol and Song Ak stood facing each other. The dark sky was lit by a full moon, and the soft chirping of insects created a languid atmosphere.

In this serene scene, Bu Eunseol drew his ink-black sword.

Clang.

A low sword hum cut through the peaceful ambiance, filling it with a deadly aura.

Wudang’s supreme sword art, the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword, harmonized softness and strength perfectly. Its minimal energy consumption made prolonged battles disadvantageous for Bu Eunseol, who planned to unleash his deadly sword techniques for a swift victory.

“Impressive spirit,” Song Ak said, smiling softly as he drew his sword.

A circular radiance spread from his sword tip, enveloping his body—the opening stance of Wudang’s Tai Chi Vast Encounter, a technique that was itself a supreme defense.

Bu Eunseol, watching the gently moving Tai Chi sword, unleashed his swordsmanship.

Flash!

A streak of light, like a meteor crossing the night sky, shot toward Song Ak’s throat—the Meteor Chasing Moon technique.

“Excellent swordplay!” Song Ak exclaimed, countering with his own technique.

But instead of the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword, he used the Yang Intent Sword’s techniques, Shadowed Earth to Yang and Shadow Resisting Yang, in succession.

Clang!

The circular sword energy effortlessly deflected Meteor Chasing Moon.

“…!” Bu Eunseol’s expression betrayed slight surprise.

No one had ever perfectly blocked Meteor Chasing Moon, yet Song Ak did so with two techniques.

Tremble.

Blocked by the Yang Intent Sword, Bu Eunseol’s ink-black sword shifted in the air.

Flash! Flash!

Purple sword energy slashed in a zigzag pattern, targeting Song Ak from shoulder to leg—the swift, deadly Unmatched Thunderbolt technique, unleashed in rapid succession.

Swish.

Song Ak countered with another Yang Intent Sword technique, Yin-Yang Harmony.

Slash!

Circular sword energies formed in succession, repelling the sharp Unmatched Thunderbolt strikes in all directions.

‘This swordsmanship…’ Bu Eunseol thought, his eyebrows twitching. Song Ak had blocked the swift Meteor Chasing Moon and Unmatched Thunderbolt not with the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword but with the Yang Intent Sword.

‘He’s generating circular sword energy like the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword while using the Yang Intent Sword…’ Bu Eunseol realized.

“Watch out!” Song Ak called, slowly swinging his sword toward Bu Eunseol’s chest.

Swish.

The seemingly slow strike suddenly accelerated, targeting Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.

‘Tch!’ Bu Eunseol inwardly exclaimed. This time, Song Ak used the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword’s Accumulated Virtue’s Lasting Blessing technique, not the Yang Intent Sword.

‘He’s not alternating sword techniques!’ Bu Eunseol thought. At first glance, it seemed Song Ak was switching between the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword and the Yang Intent Sword, but in truth, his techniques transformed mid-motion.

Thump, thump.

Bu Eunseol’s heart raced. Song Ak’s swordsmanship was not only exceptional but employed techniques he had never seen before. He realized that the Supreme Heavenly Flow techniques he’d used so far couldn’t defeat him.

‘In that case…’ Bu Eunseol thought, the Ban-geuk Radiance igniting in his eyes.

He prepared to unleash the latter four techniques of the Supreme Heavenly Flow—techniques he had never been able to use before.