The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign – Chapter 812

Woo Village.

A small hamlet located at the easternmost edge of Hangzhou.

In such a remote backwater, there was no proper academy or martial hall, so the task of teaching the children fell to whoever among the villagers could at least read and write.

Old Man Jin.

He was the village’s letter-teacher, the one who taught the children how to read and write. That did not mean he earned a great deal of money, so in his spare time he gathered bamboo and wove baskets.

On a winter night when snow fell softly in thick flakes, Old Man Jin kindled a fire in the brazier, sat before it, and diligently wove a basket.

“Huu.”

Having finished one basket, he let out a somewhat weary sigh.

Then, as though wanting to breathe some fresh air, he stepped outside.

Ziiing.

But suddenly a black hand thrust out abruptly in front of the courtyard.

Crackle, crackle.

The hand gradually advanced, taking on the form of a person.

It looked as though someone was reaching out and tearing through the darkness itself.

“Hmm.”

Despite the utterly grotesque sight, Old Man Jin let out an exclamation of admiration and simply watched.

Boom.

At last the one who tore free from the darkness was, literally, a shadow of a person dyed completely black.

Bright moonlight poured down, yet the black shadow seemed to absorb even the light, maintaining a form of perfect darkness.

Not only the face, but even the shape of shoes or clothing could not be discerned.

“The virtuous do not come, and those who come are not virtuous.”

Old Man Jin spoke in a voice roughened by age.

“Are you trying to imitate a messenger of the underworld?”

Clicking his tongue, Old Man Jin glanced around and shook his head.

“Let us change locations.”

Swish!

In an instant Old Man Jin soared into the sky, unfolding an immortal-like movement technique and covering dozens of li in a single breath to arrive at a reed field far away.

Thud.

The moment he landed in the reed field, the shadow stood before him like a ghost.

It had already anticipated this place and arrived ahead of him.

“Reveal your identity.”

“…”

“Have you come to kill this old man?”

The black shadow merely gazed silently at Old Man Jin.

Boom.

Then at some point a vibration shook the ground, and in the distant sky another black shadow appeared.

When the shadow raised its head, a house-sized evil dragon now hovered above Old Man Jin’s head, its massive jaws gaping toward the shadow.

“Stop your clumsy imitation of a death god and return to the netherworld.”

Crunch.

The evil dragon floating in the sky plunged its enormous head downward in one motion and swallowed the black shadow whole.

Just as it began to rise back into the sky,

Ziiing.

A single burning red line appeared between the brows of the evil dragon that had swallowed the shadow, and the gigantic head split in two and fell to the ground.

Boom.

The severed head melted away the moment it touched the earth, vanishing like snow.

The black shadow stood tall in the same spot as though nothing had happened.

“Impressive. To display such ability even after already entering my Phase.”

Old Man Jin stared intently at the shadow, clicked his tongue, and shook his head.

“But did you think there was only one?”

—Kiiiiiieee!

By now the sky was filled with dozens of black dragons, each incomparably larger than the one that had appeared moments before, coiled and blotting out the night sky.

It was truly a power worthy of an immortal’s sorcery.

Siiik.

Then suddenly a pure white mouth formed on the black shadow.

The mouth was made of blinding white light and was incomparably larger than any human mouth.

And what hung upon it was unmistakably a sneer.

“How regrettable.” Old Man Jin shook his head. “To act so recklessly without even trying to flee in such a situation.”

Flash!

The moment Old Man Jin’s narrowed, razor-sharp pupils gleamed,

Crunch!

The black dragons floating in the sky swept downward like lightning and swallowed the black shadow.

No—they should have.

Paaah!

Each time a black dragon swallowed the shadow, instead of consuming it, the dragon burst into light in all directions and vanished like mist.

“Was it Infinite Reversal Power?”

Old Man Jin rapidly spun both hands, forming hand seals.

At once the dozens of black dragons in the sky let out earth-shaking roars and began to coil around the shadow.

Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh.

They poured out black flames, dove into the ground, then soared back into the sky.

But it was futile.

Each time the black dragons unleashed their assault, one after another dissolved into mist.

The shadow still stood tall, gazing at Old Man Jin.

“Who are you?”

Only then did Old Man Jin realize.

The black shadow before him was an overwhelming master whose power surpassed his own.

Moreover, what he was displaying was not the same kind of Phase or supernatural art as his own… but the supreme mystery of pure martial arts.

In the martial world, those who had reached such a level were extremely few, and none of them would have reason to attack him.

[Only now… are you feeling… fear?]

The shadow suddenly raised a hand to its face area.

Slowly a face emerged from the black shadow.

“You… you are-”

Old Man Jin’s mouth fell open.

He could not believe it.

How could he… appear before him like this?

How could such a thing happen?

Zzzzt.

When a huge red pupil formed in the shadow,

Crack.

Suddenly Old Man Jin’s mouth tore open wide.

Then pure white hands thrust into it.

Slowly long arms began to grope Old Man Jin’s body from within.

Tremble tremble.

Old Man Jin shed tears as his body shook.

The moment the white fingers touched him, his entire body stiffened; he could not even utter a sound.

[The ones who hide… all of you…]

The shadow spoke in an endlessly sinister voice.

[… will be… exterminated…]

“Mmph!”

Old Man Jin tried to say something, but the white hands that kept emerging from his mouth ceaselessly touched his body.

Gurgle gurgle.

The number of hands pouring out increased relentlessly until Old Man Jin could no longer endure it.

“Ugh… ughh!”

Finally dozens of hands burst forth.

Pssht!

Blood sprayed as Old Man Jin’s body fell to the ground like a log.

By now his head had vanished without a trace.

[… I will kill you all.]

The shadow gazed at the headless torso left behind and extended one hand.

Ziiing.

A mysterious five-colored radiance began to bloom from that hand.

Paaah!

At once Old Man Jin’s corpse—and even the scattered remnants around it—evaporated in an instant.

[… Baekri… Clan… You bastards!]

Shouting in a voice filled with grief, the shadow suddenly let out a pained groan and clutched one side of its face.

[Ugh…]

But of course, the entire half of the face that should have been there had melted away and was dripping down.

And the remaining half of the face…

Was it not the face of the Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi, currently the foremost master of the righteous sects?

[Ugh… uuuu…]

Roaring with a cry that sounded like wretched weeping, the shadow tore through the darkness and vanished in an instant.

***

Returning as Seon Woojin, Bu Eunseol resumed his duties as the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord after returning to the Martial Alliance, handling the backlog of work.

The Martial Alliance was crouched and coiled under the grip of the Martial Venerable… or rather, under unknown forces and figures.

To leave this place, the single most important task right now was to eliminate the poison afflicting the Supreme Corps members.

‘I cannot detoxify them immediately.’

Thanks to the poison energy he had absorbed from the Wind God Palace Lord Hae Yeon, Bu Eunseol had taken another step closer to the realm of Poison Mastery, achieving a Poison Body that allowed him to absorb and neutralize any poison.

But the Three Corpse Worm Poison was not a simple toxin; it was a living venomous insect existing as a paired male and female. Merely absorbing the venom would not suffice—he had to eradicate both the male and female simultaneously.

Of course, at his current level he could easily neutralize the Three Corpse Worm Poison, but the problem was that the gu was linked to the caster’s spirit.

If he rashly detoxified it, the Martial Venerable might detect it and launch a counterattack, or change his mind and instantly take the lives of Bu Eunseol and all the other Supreme Corps members at once.

Knock knock.

At that moment a knock sounded, followed by Jeong Jongdo’s voice.

“My Lord.”

“Come in.”

Jeong Jongdo entered the office carefully and placed a single sealed letter on Bu Eunseol’s desk.

“This is news from the Death Spirit Corps. It seems to be an urgent transmission.”

Bu Eunseol immediately opened the letter.

As he read the contents, his pupils widened.

‘This time they are targeting me directly.’

The letter stated that Seo Jinha, currently traveling the martial world under the identity of the Martial Soul Command Lord, had been tailed by an extremely covert presence that even the Death Spirit Corps could not clearly identify.

Since Seo Jinha was currently moving under the identity of the Martial Soul Command Lord, it meant some force or expert was targeting him—meaning Bu Eunseol.

‘This is bad.’

In the current martial world, the number of forces or individuals capable of targeting him—the Martial Soul Command Lord—was extremely limited.

Moreover, since even the Death Spirit Corps could not clearly identify it, this was not a large military force, but most likely a master from the Three Realms, the Three Families, or someone on the level of the Eight Human Heavens.

The only forces undetectable by the combined intelligence network of the Martial Alliance, the Martial Soul Society, and the Death Spirit Corps were the Three Realms, the Three Families, and the Eight Human Heavens.

‘The probability is high that it is someone affiliated with the Eight Human Heavens or of comparable level.’

“I will have to be away for a while.”

Bu Eunseol, having handed back the letter, spoke to Jeong Jongdo.

“For the time being I will wander the martial world under my original identity.”

“Understood. I will inform the members of our unit accordingly.”

Jeong Jongdo spoke carefully. 

“But please be cautious. Unknown experts are appearing one after another in the martial world these days.”

They had already received reports through the Death Spirit Corps about the Baekri Family, the True Demon, and the True Demon’s kin.

The fact that Bu Eunseol possessed martial prowess capable of defeating the Eight Human Heavens was encouraging, but on the other hand, no one could predict how many more powerful experts might emerge… so concern was inevitable.

“I understand.”

Bu Eunseol nodded, but his mood was far from good.

The reason he had returned to the Martial Alliance this time was to secretly seek an opportunity to neutralize the Three Corpse Worm Poison afflicting the Supreme Corps members.

But now that Seo Jinha’s life was in danger, that task would have to be paused.

***

Fortunately, nothing serious had yet happened to Seo Jinha.

Bu Eunseol immediately swapped identities with Seo Jinha, dismissed even his escorts, and wandered about leisurely as though on a sightseeing trip.

Normally, all intelligence networks—including the Death Spirit Corps—completely blocked any trace of his movements.

Thus no force could pinpoint his location.

But if he removed that protection from the intelligence networks?

Then any force with a superior intelligence organization would be able to clearly track his movements.

Hostile forces, even if they realized this was an intentional trap laid by Bu Eunseol, would never let slip a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘They have no intention of attacking.’

While deliberately wandering about at a relaxed pace, Bu Eunseol could sense it.

The tail following him was not some organization or group, but a single expert of tremendous martial prowess acting alone. They were not waiting for a chance to attack, but rather seeking to approach him covertly.

Because from time to time they very deliberately revealed their position, stimulating Bu Eunseol’s senses.

‘I will respond.’

Having grasped the pursuer’s intention, Bu Eunseol immediately left Chengdu and raced toward a quiet outlying area.

‘That place should do.’

He headed toward a distant abandoned manor he could see.

The interior was very spacious but nothing remained intact; only hideous weeds grew thickly.

‘They’ve come.’

The clear sky had darkened at some point, and the air in the abandoned manor felt inexplicably heavy.

“Not only has your martial arts improved by leaps and bounds, but your senses have become remarkably sharp as well.”

At that moment a very faint shadow formed directly in front of Bu Eunseol.

The blurry shadow soon gained clear color and transformed into the form of a boy dressed in splendid robes.

“You-”

Bu Eunseol could not hide his astonishment.

This boy was the one he had first encountered in the past at Cold Moon Island, the stronghold of the Returning to One Realm—the place where the bodies of previous generation masters had been displayed in glass tubes.

Later, he had captured children from an orphanage supported by So Okrim—which was in reality an experimental site for the Infinite Realm—and using a unique great method, had turned them into bizarre existences that were neither human nor demon.

“Have you come to die?”

A killing intent capable of splitting heaven and earth rose from Bu Eunseol’s body.

Those who had committed atrocities even worse than his grandfather’s killer were none other than the Returning to One Realm—the ones who had stolen his grandfather’s remains.

He could never forgive them.

“Where is my grandfather’s corpse?”

“Huhuhu. You remain the same.”

Despite the chilling, murderous aura radiating from Bu Eunseol, the boy maintained an utterly relaxed demeanor.

“Are you still wandering the martial world for the sake of revenge?”

Bu Eunseol did not reply with words.

Flash!

With a violet bolt of lightning,

Thud.

The boy’s arm fell to the ground.

He had used the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form.

After obtaining Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, his martial arts had advanced dramatically, becoming at least three times faster than before.

“Please calm down.”

The boy calmly picked up the arm that did not even bleed and spoke.

“I did not come here today to fight you.”

Swish.

Then, as though attaching clay, he nonchalantly reattached the severed arm.

Boom.

Instead of answering, waves of true energy surged from Bu Eunseol’s body all the way to the edge of the sky.

If he could not find his grandfather’s remains, he would at least burn this grinning Returning to One Realm boy to ashes right now and vent even a fraction of his rage.

Ziiing.

But something strange happened.

A red energy spread before his eyes once more, and the surrounding scenery slowly began to change.

The ruined manor visible around him gradually transformed, until it became the interior of Majeon, with a massive building towering over it.

The Suppressed Demon Pavilion.

It had changed into the scene of the place where the subordinates of the Death Shadow Corps were stationed.

“Illusions do not work on me.”

“Illusion? How disappointing.”

The boy spoke in an extremely cold voice.

“I am threatening you right now.”

“Threatening?”

“Look carefully.”

A faint afterimage appeared before Bu Eunseol’s eyes, and soon the figures of subordinates and maids moving about inside the Suppressed Demon Pavilion came into view.

Tremble tremble.

Then the maids wandering here and there began to convulse.

“Why… what is wrong?”

The martial artists nearby tried to support the convulsing maids.

Splash!

At the same moment blood sprayed in all directions.

The maids’ bodies exploded; the blood turned into extreme poison, and fragments of bone became razor-sharp hidden weapons.

Thud thud thud.

Everyone in the vicinity died instantly.

“Oh?”

The boy looked at Bu Eunseol and formed his mouth into a perfect circle.

From Bu Eunseol’s perspective, this should have been horrifying.

Yet his eyes remained utterly calm, unchanged?

“It seems you have prepared a countermeasure against techniques like the Strong Dragon Soul Collapse?”

Realizing that Bu Eunseol was not frightened by the sight at all, the boy waved his hand again.

“Then how about this?”

The scenery changed once more.

This time it showed the Death Shadow Corps captains in a meeting, with Jo Namcheon and Myo Cheonwoo distributing something to each of them.

Schlick.

Suddenly the two of them stabbed poison-coated daggers into the backs of the seated captains.

The captains, never expecting an attack from those moving so naturally, died on the spot.

“No one can block the Soul-Commanding Heart-Implanting Great Method.”

Even at the boy’s words, Bu Eunseol merely gave a soft laugh.

The plan to use the Soul-Commanding Heart-Implanting Great Method to cause the captains to self-destruct had already been attempted long ago by Hyeok Ryeon-eung.

Thanks to that, all the Death Shadow Corps captains now constantly wore special protective bracers on their wrists—devices that, should they lose consciousness, would prevent them from pressing the button, allowing them to regain awareness amid the agony of foaming at the mouth.

“Go ahead and try.”

Realizing that the confidence in Bu Eunseol’s eyes was genuine, the boy clapped his hands.

“Well, it makes sense. The Martial Soul Command Lord, called the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, would surely have prepared countermeasures against soul-possession techniques.”

The boy shrugged and spoke.

“In truth, I wanted to show you this.”

With a playful smile, he changed the scene again.

—Argh!

—Ugh!

Suddenly a wide plain unfolded.

And the martial artists of the Death Shadow Corps were being mercilessly slaughtered by a terrifying master.

Until now they had undergone rigorous training and constant self-discipline.

But in the end it was futile.

They were annihilated by a single individual.

A master of the Limitless Realm.

If such a master deliberately lured and attacked the Death Shadow Corps? No matter how large a force they brought, death would be unavoidable.

“You don’t really think this is a mere illusion, do you?” The boy looked at Bu Eunseol and narrowed his eyes into crescents. “If a master of this caliber truly sets out to kill your subordinates, there is no way to stop it, no matter what you do.”

He continued with an innocent smile.

“What will you do? Shall I kill your subordinates right now?”

The boy knew.

Bu Eunseol’s weakness was affection.

He might not care about his own life, but he could never endure the death of his subordinates.

“Have you finally become willing to have a proper conversation?”

The boy’s smiling face twisted grotesquely.

He had expected extreme anger or an attempt at negotiation.

Yet Bu Eunseol… was still wearing a sneer?

“This really seems like bravado.”

“Bravado?”

Bu Eunseol snorted as though watching an amusing play.

“Go ahead and start.”

“…”

“Order the Limitless Realm masters to wipe out every last one of my unit’s subordinates.”

When the boy did not answer, Bu Eunseol spoke softly.

“Is it difficult to lure them? If you wish, tell me the location right now. I will personally send my subordinates there.”

The boy was greatly shocked.

He realized that Bu Eunseol was not bluffing—this was said in earnest.

“How astonishing.”

Only then did the boy nod as though he finally understood everything.

“To completely cast off the weakness called ‘affection’ in the meantime. Have you perhaps entered the demonic path or mastered a demonic mind method to perfection?”

The boy was mistaken.

He thought Bu Eunseol’s mindset had changed, or that by completing a demonic mind method, he had become a cold-hearted figure who no longer cared about the deaths of his subordinates.

Perhaps that was a natural assumption.

In the current martial world, there was no effective countermeasure against a Limitless Realm master.

But now the Death Shadow Corps possessed a countermeasure called the Heart Mirror Technique, learned from the secret manual of Record of Inherited Essentials that Yoo Unryong had obtained.

Although it was still incomplete, Bu Eunseol believed.

The captains of the Death Shadow Corps would surely complete it and be able to block any enemy.

“Well, the time to feel affection for subordinates has passed. In the meantime you must have achieved tremendous martial prowess.”

Sring.

Ignoring the boy’s praise, Bu Eunseol immediately drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.

“If you do not tell me where my grandfather’s remains are…”

A bloody light that could melt steel exploded from his pupils.

“You will die here today without fail.”

The boy tried to smile, but the smile vanished on its own.

The moment he met Bu Eunseol’s eyes—shining with terrifying intensity—it felt as though time had stopped.

‘This is…’

An overwhelming pressure crushed his chest, making it impossible to breathe; his heart began to race madly as though it would burst.

Those eyes were deep and dark as the abyss of the universe, yet at the same time contained a light that pierced through everything.

‘He has changed.’

The boy’s fingertips trembled.

At last he realized.

Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess had increased dramatically beyond comparison with the past… and he would absolutely never allow him to escape.