The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign – Chapter 725

While reading the night sky dotted with countless twinkling stars, a man clad entirely in snow-white, from his shoes to his robes and outer cloak, murmured softly.

‘This is troublesome.’

His appearance was strikingly handsome, with profound, deep eyes. Yet, despite his childlike, pure innocence, an inexplicable aura of wickedness and depravity emanated from him.

“The Heavenly-Mandate Star has begun to move, making the flow of heavenly fate even more chaotic…”

His voice was as unique as his mysteriously gleaming gaze. Though it was clearly one voice, it carried multiple tones and colors at once—as if dozens of people were chanting in unison.

“And something has changed.”

After staring at the sky for a long while, the man shook his head and answered his own question.

“Has a shift occurred in his state of mind?”

Lowering his gaze from the heavens, he spoke in a low voice.

“Just in case, I have no choice but to intervene once more.”

The man turned away from the pavilion. In that instant, he seemed to become a transparent silhouette before vanishing into thin air.

At the same moment, far in the distant sky… the most secretly hidden star began to shine with radiant brilliance.

***

Bu Eunseol had an excellent memory.

He never forgot anything he had seen or heard even once.

Because of this, whenever someone asked him for a favor, he made sure to fulfill it without fail.

And perhaps it was precisely because of this trait that Bu Eunseol dreamed of revenge.

If he achieved revenge, the vivid memories of that day etched into his mind might finally fade away. But if he failed…

For as long as he lived and breathed, those memories would replay endlessly.

The Martial Alliance, Supreme Pavilion. Bu Eunseol’s office.

“Now… it’s done.”

Setting down his brush with a tired face, Bu Eunseol wore a somewhat relieved expression.

Though exhaustion filled his features from pouring so much mental energy into the task, a satisfied smile played on his lips.

“The sword studies of the Hyungsan Sect pursue a certain grandeur and weightiness, yet within that, they seek practicality.”

In the past, Myeong Un—once a member of the Returning to One Realm—had died beneath Bu Eunseol’s sword.

Before passing, he had asked Bu Eunseol to find a genius capable of rebuilding the Hyungsan Sect and to pass on the manual he had written.

Bu Eunseol had promised to do so, but rebuilding the Hyungsan Sect could not happen immediately.

That was because he later discovered the manual Myeong Un had left was nearly incomplete.

Through the great method of the Returning to One Realm, Myeong Un had instantly mastered the martial arts that the Hyungsan Sect had lost.

However, because he had acquired them through that method without following a normal cultivation process, he ultimately failed to create a proper martial scripture.

If that manual had been handed over to someone else?

It would have been no different from handing an eighty-jin Blue Dragon Crescent Blade to a child and telling them to train.

Their body would be ruined, and mastery of the sword studies would remain impossible.

Fortunately, Myeong Un was lucky.

The manual had reached none other than Bu Eunseol—the greatest martial arts fanatic in the world, who had now gained profound insight even into orthodox sword studies.

‘Before finding a genius, the manual itself must first be corrected.’

In the end, Bu Eunseol began personally revising the manual Myeong Un had left.

Fortunately, having recently studied various orthodox martial arts from the Martial Emperor’s Vault, he could instantly grasp—from reading Myeong Un’s text alone—what principles the Hyungsan Sect’s martial arts had sought to embody.

“In the end, the martial arts of the Hyungsan Sect can only reach greatness in the hands of someone with exceptionally strong finger strength and extremely sensitive fingertips.”

Having unraveled the mysteries of Hyungsan sword studies, Bu Eunseol issued an order to the Death Spirit Corps:

‘Find a child who meets the conditions I described. Preferably no older than ten years old.’

The profound essence of the Hyungsan Sect’s martial arts lay in Exploiting Reverse—turning the opponent’s techniques back against them—along with principles for utilizing surrounding objects.

The problem was the Lute Sword.

Because it required hanging the sword on the fingers and performing endlessly intricate swordplay, only someone with very specific physical traits could master it.

Thus, even while constantly traveling the turbulent martial world, Bu Eunseol revised the manual and searched for a genius capable of rebuilding the Hyungsan Sect.

Yet he still could not find the person he sought.

‘Find them without fail.’

So, Bu Eunseol issued the order once more.

No matter how perfectly the manual was completed, if no one capable of mastering it could be found, rebuilding the Hyungsan Sect would remain a mere dream.

‘Understood.’

Thereafter, the Death Spirit Corps and Supreme Corps began searching for a child matching Bu Eunseol’s criteria.

Whenever he had spare time, Bu Eunseol steadily completed the manual Myeong Un had left and finally, today, he finished the manuals for the Hyungsan Sect’s Lute Sword and Fire Lotus Secret Sword.

But despite so much time having passed, he still could not find a child with the aptitude to master the Hyungsan Sect’s martial arts.

‘It’s not an easy task.’

Since ancient times, masters who created unique martial arts alone would roam the martial world early on, searching for disciples capable of inheriting their legacy.

They knew well that finding an outstanding disciple to inherit their art was far harder than creating the art itself.

‘I can’t go searching in person either.’

Bu Eunseol was always pressed for time, madly shuttling between Majeon and the Martial Alliance.

Moreover, he now had to manage the Martial Soul Society as well, so leisurely traveling the martial world or wandering villages had become an impossible dream.

‘Is there no helping it?’

In Buddhism, they say that a predestined affinity between master and disciple requires accumulating six thousand kalpas of good roots.

Moreover, searching for an outstanding genius capable of rebuilding the fallen Hyungsan Sect ina short time would itself be excessive greed.

‘Perhaps the Hyungsan Sect cannot be rebuilt in my generation.’

Unless a genius capable of mastering its unique and profound martial arts appeared… rebuilding remained a pipe dream.

Knock knock.

At that moment, Tae Muryong visited the office.

“My Lord.”

“What is it?”

When Bu Eunseol asked, Tae Muryong wore a slightly hurt expression.

“Have you forgotten?”

“Forgotten what?”

“Didn’t we agree that once we fully grasped all the duties of the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division, we would go drinking together?”

Only then did Bu Eunseol let out an “Ah.”

Previously, during a meeting with the members, Bu Eunseol had promised that if they thoroughly inherited all the duties of the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division, he would give them a great reward.

He had intended to give them generous compensation along with a well-deserved rest, knowing how hard they had worked, but upon hearing those words, the members had exerted themselves to the utmost to master the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division’s operations.

And in return, they unanimously requested one thing:

‘We want to drink all night with the Lord.’

Bu Eunseol had been dumbfounded.

The reward for all their hard work was merely a drinking session with him?

He felt sorry.

All this time, the Supreme Corps members had endured grueling training and completed every mission he assigned.

Yet what they desired was neither advanced martial arts nor gold and treasures—only to share a joyful moment with him.

“I’m sorry.”

Regaining his composure, Bu Eunseol spoke.

No matter what, he had to keep this promise.

“Gather all the members.”

Then he declared solemnly, 

“Let’s drink until our noses go crooked.”

Bu Eunseol led the Supreme Corps members to Chuiun Pavilion—the most famous restaurant in the city for its excellent liquor.

Until now, the members had not rested even a single day, handling intelligence and undergoing brutal training.

In that time, those who had started as low-level martial artists had risen to the rank of second-grade division leaders in the Martial Alliance, which was a meteoric rise.

Yet not a single member had grown arrogant. They devoted their loyalty solely to Bu Eunseol.

‘I really am fortunate.’

A smile played on Bu Eunseol’s lips as he drank.

Where else in the world could one find such loyal subordinates?

Bu Eunseol once again realized just how overflowing his blessings were.

‘We are the fortunate ones.’

Meanwhile, the members looked at Bu Eunseol with warm smiles.

The most outstanding young grandmaster in the world, a new star rewriting the history of the martial world.

An orphan of the heavens who personally trained ordinary martial artists like them, protected them with his life in danger, shared life-and-death secrets without hesitation, and always placed his subordinates’ safety first.

Even when new recruits joined, he kept the division small and elite to prevent leaks that might endanger them.

How could they not risk their lives in loyalty?

“Wooooh!”

Bu Eunseol and the members drank heavily all night.

Instead of returning immediately, they spent three full days wandering the martial world together.

When the excursion ended, Bu Eunseol gave the members generous bonuses.

He divided the Supreme Corps into two groups and granted each a fortnight’s leave.

‘Lord, the leave has been taken. We rested well.’

But the members postponed their rest.

A single day of Bu Eunseol’s time was worth a fortune.

For three days he had set aside all duties to drink and travel with them—they knew exactly how much he had sacrificed.

Clack, clack.

Once the members departed by carriage, Bu Eunseol remained alone in Chengdu.

Having finished handling all the scattered affairs of the Martial Alliance as Seon Woojin, he now planned to return to Majeon.

Just as he was about to launch his qinggong and depart, he caught sight of the distant marketplace and felt a strange emotion.

Until now, he had indulged in drinking extravagantly only once, doing absolutely nothing.

‘If Grandfather were here, he would have strolled through the marketplace like this, enjoying the sights.’

Feeling the pull of nostalgia, Bu Eunseol walked the streets of Chengdu for a while.

‘I miss those days.’

His grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, would sometimes take Bu Eunseol by the hand and head to the marketplace.

They always walked the entire distance.

Not because there was no carriage, but because Grandfather loved observing the warm, lively scenes and people of the marketplace.

Life…

It was also a lonely path walked alone by each person.

But if you turned your head, you could observe others walking the same path.

Bu Eunseol, holding Grandfather’s hand, had watched people entering inns, peddlers selling all sorts of goods, sightseers, third-rate martial artists performing tricks in the market, strongmen, and so on… observing countless diverse individuals.

‘There are lessons even in ordinary people’s actions.’

For example, a woman who had made dumplings her whole life could knead dough and shape them faster and more skillfully than anyone.

A beggar who wiped tables hundreds of times a day with a rag could clean them more precisely and efficiently than an ordinary person.

Everyone, through their own work, had attained the skill of a seasoned artisan.

‘So that’s it.’

Recalling memories with Grandfather, Bu Eunseol felt as if he had been struck on the back of the head and gained a sudden realization.

‘They weren’t masters from the beginning.’

They were all ordinary people.

But by repeatedly performing one task, humans discover faster, more efficient movements.

Through endless repetition and mastery, they can eventually become experts in one field.

‘The martial arts of the Nine Great Sects are the same.’

The Nine Great Sects were able to take root generation after generation not because their martial arts were peerlessly supreme or because they constantly produced disciples of heavenly talent.

Rather, they chose relatively easy-to-learn, accessible martial arts and drilled their disciples through repetition until they reached a certain level.

‘I was thinking wrongly.’

The Nangyang Pavilion’s martial arts could only be expressed through the character for “enlightenment” (悟).

The same martial art, depending on the depth of enlightenment, produced vastly different power.

Their principle was to grasp the mysteries of the art as quickly as possible through extreme combat.

Such a training method allowed individuals with talent to reach boundless heights.

But conversely, the gap in achievement depending on innate aptitude became enormous.

‘Have I been tainted by the same thinking as the Returning to One Realm?’

Bu Eunseol had believed that to revive the Hyungsan Sect, one needed a genius with exactly the same aptitude as Neng Ling.

But that was unnecessary.

There was no need to acquire earth-shaking martial arts in youth.

The Nine Great Sects were not maintained by a handful of superhuman geniuses.

Instead of seeking a genius who could suddenly elevate the Hyungsan Sect to a great sect, he could select somewhat ordinary but persistent individuals and advance slowly, step by step.

“Grandfather.”

Bu Eunseol gazed at the distant sky.

Grandfather Bu Zhanyang had not only given him a new life but had also left behind the wisdom to wisely resolve any matter.

“You always do things like that—that’s why you fail!”

Just then, as Bu Eunseol walked the marketplace, a strange voice reached his ears.

It was tiny and mixed with surrounding noise, yet to Bu Eunseol’s sensitive hearing, it boomed like thunder.

‘Threatening a child?’

Entering the alley where the sound came from, he saw a vicious-looking bald man berating a boy of about thirteen or fourteen.

“Do it again!”

At the man’s words, the boy tremblingly extended his fingers.

A thin thread connected to a puppet dangled from them.

They were likely wandering puppeteers who performed in the marketplace to earn a living.

Swish, swish.

When the bald man skillfully moved the threads on his fingers, the boy followed suit, manipulating the puppet.

The puppets they controlled wore black-and-white robes; they were reenacting the legendary duel between the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors as a puppet show.

[You are no match for me.]

Clearing his throat, the bald man swiftly moved the Demon Emperor puppet holding a black sword.

But the movements of the boy’s Righteous Heavenly Emperor puppet were clumsy.

It awkwardly swung the sword it held.

Whirr!

Then both the Righteous and Demon Emperor puppets began spinning in midair at the same time, brandishing their swords.

This was the highlight of the puppet show—a scene that should look like immortals performing swordplay in the void.

But the Heavenly Emperor puppet’s movements were so sloppy and out of sync that it ended up being relentlessly beaten by the Demon Emperor’s sword.

“Do you want to stop earning a living?!”

Thud!

In the end, the bald man kicked the boy again.

“You have to show a perfect draw with not a single deviation! If demonic cultivators see a performance like this, our heads will roll instantly!”

“Ugh…”

The boy, struck in the stomach, let out a pained groan.

The duel at Mokdan Fortress between the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors.

The legendary battle where two peak masters of the righteous and demonic paths reached the same realm yet could not determine superiority.

It was one of the events that stirred the most curiosity and fascination among martial artists.

—Tales claimed that when the Demon Emperor raised his power, the color of the sky changed; when the Righteous Heavenly Emperor rolled the earth, mountains within three hundred li all collapsed.

Only such absurd stories were handed down. No one had actually witnessed the clash of those two supreme masters.

Knowing only that it ended in a draw only fueled greater curiosity.

Thus, among operas and storytellers, dramatized and fascinating reenactments of the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors duel had become hugely popular.

“Do it again! You stupid brat!”

The bald man shouted at the boy again and resumed puppet practice.

The bald man’s name was Shim Heung.

A puppeteer, he had wandered various streets with his disciple, performing to beg for food.

But the disciple he had painstakingly raised suddenly died of a strange illness.

Heartbroken, he had coincidentally discovered a beggar boy wandering and begging.

The boy had hands perfectly suited to manipulating puppets.

For five taels of silver, he took the boy from the beggar den and taught him puppetry, resuming performances in the marketplace. Unfortunately, although he thought the boy had been born with perfect hands, the child could not manipulate the puppets as delicately as expected.

Shim Heung was disappointed but continued teaching relentlessly.

Without this work, there would be no way to eat.

Yet when the boy ultimately showed no improvement, Shim Heung finally turned violent.

“Tch!”

Shim Heung threw down the threads attached to the puppet in frustration and turned away.

He gulped down the cheap baijiu left on the table.

“If you don’t perfect this part by tomorrow, there’ll be no food for you!”

Thwack.

After smacking the boy’s head once more, Shim Heung tossed the puppet aside and stormed off.

The boy struggled to his feet and tried manipulating the puppet again.

Though his fingers moved with utmost delicacy, the puppet spun wildly in midair, lost balance, and fell.

“I guess there’s nothing I can do right.”

The boy hung his head with a dejected expression.

He was clearly following exactly what he had been taught—why did it keep going wrong?

“It’s not your fault.”

At that moment, a low voice spoke.

When the boy turned his head, a tall man in gray robes was slowly approaching.

It was Bu Eunseol.

“The strings attached to the puppet aren’t sophisticated enough to follow your delicate movements.”

Bu Eunseol had watched the entire situation from afar.

And he instantly saw why the boy kept failing at puppetry.

In truth, the boy possessed remarkably long and slender fingers.

In fact, he manipulated the puppet even more precisely than Shim Heung but because the boy’s finger movements were so minute and refined, the puppet simply couldn’t keep up.

“I-I’m…”

The boy wanted to say something, but no voice came out.

He had wandered every marketplace in his life, yet he had never seen anyone with such a mysterious and otherworldly appearance.

“This should work.”

Bu Eunseol picked up the puppet the boy was holding.

Four strings were attached to each arm and leg—eight in total.

Crack.

From his sleeve, Bu Eunseol drew a throwing knife and further split the wooden puppet, creating additional joints.

Then he attached transparent threads to each new joint.

The original eight strings had now become sixteen.

“Try it with this.”

When Bu Eunseol held out the puppet again, the boy accepted it as if in a trance.

As he moved it slightly…

The marionette moved as naturally as a living person.

“How… is this possible?”

The boy exclaimed in astonishment.

“Was it just a matter of adding more strings?”

Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile.

In truth, the wooden puppet the boy held was now practically brand new.

Bu Eunseol was profoundly knowledgeable about human anatomy and highly dexterous.

Thus, to make it move naturally like a person, he had added new joints to the wooden puppet and strung them accordingly.

“Hehe.”

When their eyes met, the boy gave a shy smile.

At that moment, he had no idea.

Right now, in this instant…

The boy’s fate had veered off its original track.

In the blink of an eye, the heavens and earth overturned, and everything changed forever.