Chapter 334
Chapter 334
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 334
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Council
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Bu Eun-seol returned to the Demonic Sanctum with So Ok-rim.
As planned, Seo Jin-ha decided to stay at the Sea of Clouds Jade Spirit Palace for a year.
The spiritual herbs of the palace would help him open his upper dantian more quickly.
He would also train his martial arts alongside the young warriors of Nang-ya-gak who were to be stationed there.
After about a year, Seo Jin-ha would not only have fully recovered his internal energy and stamina but would also be able to leap to a higher level of power.
“Bu Eun-seol.”
The moment Bu Eun-seol stepped into the Subjugation Demon Pavilion, Yu Un-ryong rushed over as if he had been waiting.
He looked as though he had been waiting at the entrance ever since hearing the news of his return.
“Is something wrong?”
Yu Un-ryong’s expression was not good. Something had clearly happened.
“The Chong-gyo-ryeong has ordered you to the Solitary Command Pavilion at once.”
“I’ll go later.”
“No, you must go right now.”
Yu Un-ryong said with a grave expression.
“An emergency Demonic Council, requested by the Ten Martial Sects of the Demonic Path, has been convened.”
“A Demonic Council?”
A peculiar light flickered in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
Normally, the Demonic Council was a periodic gathering where the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and the leaders of the Ten Martial Sects discussed major issues of the Sanctum and the state of the Demonic Path.
But this wasn't the scheduled time for a council. And one was being held in the absence of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?
As if sensing Bu Eun-seol’s thoughts, Yu Un-ryong calmly explained.
“I heard that a council can be convened if a majority of the Ten Martial Sects—that is, five or more—request it.”
“Five sects, you say.”
“The White Horse Temple, the Soul Command Gate, the Hell Blood Fortress, the Annihilation Palace, and the Extreme Kill Secret Pavilion.”
“Even the Extreme Kill Secret Pavilion, which has sealed its gates?”
Yu Un-ryong spoke with a bitter expression.
“From what I hear, the White Horse Temple persuaded the other four to join them. It’s likely the others are just going along with it.”
“So an emergency council was convened with the Chong-gyo-ryeong presiding in the Demonic Heavenly Emperor’s absence.”
“I suppose so.”
“An emergency, is it…”
Bu Eun-seol, lost in deep thought, nodded.
“I understand. I’ll stop by the Subjugation Demon Pavilion for a moment before I go.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol gestured behind him.
Standing there was So Ok-rim, a giant of a woman who resembled a great tree.
Inside the training grounds of the Subjugation Demon Pavilion.
So Ok-rim stood tall, looking down at the warriors of the Four Shadows Division.
Before leaving for the meeting, Bu Eun-seol had summoned all the members of the division to the training grounds.
—This is Instructor So Ok-rim, who will serve as the temporary martial instructor for the Four Shadows Division.
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, the commanders and members all wore puzzled expressions.
The division already had skilled commanders with extensive battlefield experience.
The members were already undergoing rigorous, periodic training under their respective commanders and had not been neglecting their martial arts practice.
So why suddenly bring in an instructor from the outside?
It would have been far better for Bu Eun-seol to train them himself.
—I must now attend a meeting. In my absence, explain the division’s situation to her and arrange for her quarters.
With that brief explanation, Bu Eun-seol headed straight for the Solitary Command Pavilion.
The division members, including Myo Cheon-u, stared blankly at his retreating back.
—Who in the world is she?
Every member of the Four Shadows Division stared with wide eyes.
She was well over seven feet tall, and a pure white light glinted in her eyes.
Her shoulders looked to be more than twice as broad as a grown man’s, and her solid muscles strained against her martial uniform.
She looked less like a woman and more like a Heavenly King from a Buddhist temple.
—She certainly doesn’t look ordinary, that much is clear.
It didn’t seem like she was given the title of martial instructor for no reason.
All the warriors of the Four Shadows Division stared at So Ok-rim with awkward expressions.
“What’s this? Why is everyone gathered here?”
Just then, a man with drowsy eyes sauntered into the training grounds.
It was Won Se-mun.
He had drunk himself into a stupor the night before and had been secretly napping all morning.
Waking up and finding none of the members around, he had wandered into the training grounds, still half-asleep.
“What in the world are you all doing…”
Won Se-mun pushed through the members and walked toward the center of the training grounds.
There, he saw the silhouette of a seven-foot-tall figure standing against the sun.
With an immense frame reminiscent of a towering mountain, arms like logs crossed over her chest, and long hair fluttering in the wind, she stood with solemn dignity.
Won Se-mun, blinking his blurry eyes, approached the tall figure and muttered.
“Guan Yu?”
*Thwack.*
In that instant, a fist the size of a log slammed deep into Won Se-mun’s left cheek.
Suddenly struck in the face, Won Se-mun tumbled to the ground.
“Ugh.”
“What’s with this lunatic?”
So Ok-rim pointed at the rolling Won Se-mun and shouted.
“Calling this peerless beauty Guan Yu!”
“Peerless beauty?”
At those words, Won Se-mun shot back up and rubbed his eyes.
Only then could he clearly see So Ok-rim's face, which had been obscured by the sun.
Contrary to her massive build, her face was cute, with slightly chubby cheeks.
It was a rather pleasant face, but the contrast with her muscular body, visible even through her clothes, created a strange atmosphere.
“A female Guan Yu?”
*Smack.*
Another fist buried itself deep into Won Se-mun’s right cheek.
“You crazy bitch!”
Won Se-mun, who had been sent rolling again, sprang to his feet and threw a punch at So Ok-rim’s face.
It was the Heaven-Severing Earth-Annihilating fist art that Bu Eun-seol had once taught the members, the Maha Bright Jade Fist.
*Swoosh!*
He hadn’t imbued it with internal energy, but even so, his fist moved with incredible speed, leaving a constant trail of faint afterimages as it shot toward So Ok-rim’s face.
“Well, well? What’s this?”
*Grab.*
So Ok-rim caught Won Se-mun’s fist with one hand and bared her large teeth.
“How dare you lay a hand on this beautiful body?”
*Pow!*
This time, Won Se-mun took a direct hit to the stomach and was sent sprawling across the training grounds.
“Th-this is…”
Only then did Won Se-mun realize that the woman standing before him possessed a level of martial prowess he could not hope to match.
“Who are you?”
No matter how much of a reckless fool Won Se-mun was, he could still recognize his betters.
Realizing So Ok-rim was no ordinary person, he asked seriously.
“If you don’t answer properly… I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a woman.”
“Go easy on me? Who’s going easy on whom?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
As Won Se-mun placed a hand on the twin swords strapped to his back, So Ok-rim snorted, crossed her arms, and declared proudly.
“Ever heard of the Galaxy Divine Maiden?”
“Galaxy Divine Maiden?”
“That’s right. I am she.”
“Galaxy Divine Maiden…?”
Won Se-mun blinked.
Then, as if remembering something, his mouth formed an ‘o’.
“Don’t tell me, you’re that Heaven-Collapsing… who laid waste to the Yanggwang martial world a few years back…”
*Thump!*
Another fist crashed down on the crown of Won Se-mun’s head.
“Ack.”
His neck retracting like a turtle’s, Won Se-mun clutched his head and rolled on the ground.
“It’s the Galaxy Divine Maiden!”
So Ok-rim started kicking the fallen Won Se-mun as if having a fit.
“Who are you calling Heaven-Collapsing? You wanna die? Huh?”
Her kicks were skillful, relentlessly targeting Won Se-mun’s vital points.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
With each kick, the image of a grim reaper merrily rowing a boat across the River of Three Crossings flickered before Won Se-mun’s eyes.
“Guh, gaaah.”
He wanted to scream, but the pain was so intense that no sound could escape his throat.
The onlookers were dumbfounded as they watched Won Se-mun, his eyes rolled back in his head, tremble on the ground.
His personality might be simple, but his martial arts were not.
Thanks to the training he received from Bu Eun-seol and his extensive combat experience, he had become an outstanding swordsman nearing the Transcendent Realm.
But he couldn’t even dodge simple punches and kicks?
—Where in the world did the Commander find a monster like that?
The members gathered in the training grounds trembled in fear as they watched So Ok-rim’s merciless kicking.
Solitary Command Pavilion, Grand Conference Hall.
Around a large table in the center stood five partitions draped with black curtains.
They were known as the Hidden Demon Secret Partitions.
These special partitions were made to preserve the dignity of the leaders of the Ten Martial Sects when they wished to remain unseen in official settings.
‘Inviting me to a meeting, only to hide their faces… huh.’
Even if it was an emergency session, the Demonic Council was reserved for the highest echelons of the Demonic Path.
To use the Hidden Demon Secret Partitions here…
Was it not a clear sign that they didn't even want to show their faces to Bu Eun-seol?
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the partitions for a moment before clasping his hands toward the Chong-gyo-ryeong.
“Chong-gyo-ryeong.”
“Martial Soul Commander.”
A sharp glint flashed through Yeop Hyo-cheon’s eyes.
Bu Eun-seol seemed like a man who had never learned martial arts, the fluctuations of his internal energy completely gone.
And yet, within his calm and tranquil eyes, a profound brilliance, incomparable to before, shimmered.
‘His internal energy has deepened, yet his presence has become more ordinary… huh.’
Sometimes, incomprehensible and mysterious things happened in the martial world.
Seeing Bu Eun-seol return with his martial arts greatly enhanced each time he went out into the world, Yeop Hyo-cheon felt a sense of wonder that bordered on a strange feeling of unease.
‘To advance another step from his level of internal energy is by no means something one can achieve alone.’
Yeop Hyo-cheon was well aware that Bu Eun-seol’s internal energy was formidable enough to rival even the masters of the previous generation.
But to leap from that stage to a level where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the strongest masters in the martial world?
‘Could it be that a master who reached the Transcendent Apex Realm used the Soul Transfer Grand Method to infuse his entire essence into him?’
Yeop Hyo-cheon shook his head.
Even if one received such a grand technique, the human body had its limits in accepting another’s essence.
Moreover, the twelve major meridians of a master who had reached five cycles of internal energy would be in a state of ultimate stillness and extremity, making it nearly impossible to absorb essence injected from an external source.
—That man is going to cause a storm…
Yeop Hyo-cheon was not the only one who was surprised.
The leaders of the Ten Martial Sects, hidden behind the partitions, had also sensed that Bu Eun-seol’s internal energy had grown to a level incomparable to that at his inauguration ceremony.
—Human potential may be limitless, but there is an order and a process to its development…
As the murmurs mixed with awe subsided,
“Hmm.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon, narrowing his long eyes, turned his gaze to the sect leaders behind the partitions.
“Now that the Martial Soul Commander is here, you may begin.”
A brief silence fell, and then a low voice emerged from the first partition.
“First, you killed the Sword Sovereign’s disciple, the Heavenly Sword… and now, you’ve brought the Sea of Clouds Jade Spirit Palace in the Western Regions under the Sanctum’s influence.”
As the voice echoed, it felt as if a rain of sharp, hidden weapons was pouring into the conference hall.
A master who could exude a sharp aura with his voice alone. Bu Eun-seol instantly identified him as Kang Yang-cheon, the leader of the White Horse Temple.
“Thanks to that, the outer sects that have been hostile to our Sanctum are now openly expressing their discontent.”
Bu Eun-seol, listening silently, spoke calmly.
“Discontent? What kind of discontent are you referring to?”
“Because of this incident, a rumor has spread that our Sanctum is planning to annex the outer sects one by one.”
In short, Kang Yang-cheon’s claim was that Bu Eun-seol’s actions had caused the outer sects to become disgruntled.
“And because of this rumor, the influence of my temple is also being shaken.”
The White Horse Temple, whose sphere of influence included the Yumenguan Pass and the Lanzhou area, was extremely sensitive to the movements of the factions beyond the pass.
In other words, he was arguing that this situation had arisen because Bu Eun-seol had brought an outer sect into the fold without consultation.
‘A pointless quarrel.’
His words were just that—words. No sect would dare to challenge the White Horse Temple, one of the Ten Martial Sects of the Demonic Path.
In the end, Kang Yang-cheon was just picking a fight with Bu Eun-seol for no good reason.
“So.”
Bu Eun-seol asked calmly.
“What would you have me do?”
In the past, Kang Yang-cheon would have unleashed a tirade or a loud reprimand at Bu Eun-seol’s casual attitude and curt tone.
But the Bu Eun-seol of today had grown enough to calmly withstand the aura emanating from his body.
Furthermore, by asking ‘What would you have me do?’, he was implicitly asserting that he was on equal footing with them.
If he rashly criticized his tone and attitude in this atmosphere, he could very well face a counterattack.
“I’ll be direct.”
Kang Yang-cheon’s voice, which was suppressing his anger, was like a shower of ice-forged blades.
“We must take this opportunity to bring the outer sects that are not at odds with our Sanctum into our fold.”
“Bring them in?”
“Well, you can call it an alliance if you wish.”
Kang Yang-cheon added coldly.
“To ensure that such complaints never arise again. I think forming an alliance with a major power, something on the scale of the Potala Palace, should suffice.”
Bu Eun-seol found the notion so absurd he almost burst out laughing.
They were asking him to accomplish something that even the Demonic Sanctum had failed to do all this time—bring the outer sects into their fold.
“Am I the one who must do such a thing?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Kang Yang-cheon let out a sneer.
“As the heir to the Sanctum, shouldn’t you be able to predict the consequences of your actions?”
“…”
“The position of heir carries not only power but also great responsibility. As you enjoy the status of representing the future of the Demonic Sanctum, you must take responsibility for your actions.”
‘Well played.’
Bu Eun-seol gave a faint nod.
His words were not without reason.
Every action of Bu Eun-seol, the heir, represented the Demonic Sanctum.
He was not supposed to rashly form alliances or annex other sects.
A silence fell over the room, as if in agreement with Kang Yang-cheon’s words.
“It is too soon to judge all this as the Martial Soul Commander’s doing.”
At that moment, a bizarre, low voice broke the long silence.
“I have heard that thanks to the spiritual herbs promised by the Sea of Clouds Jade Spirit Palace, the Medicine King Hall has not only resumed production of the Subjugation Demon Divine Pill… but has also been able to produce the Brahma Healing Divine Pill again.”
It was the voice of Gongya Geuk, the Lord of the Hell Blood Fortress.
“In the end, the Martial Soul Commander has brought enormous benefit to our Sanctum. Is there truly a need to view this matter in such a negative light?”
Gongya Geuk had promised to support Bu Eun-seol.
And believing that Bu Eun-seol’s hand was still strong, he was faithfully fulfilling that promise.
“Fortress Lord. Isn’t your change of heart a bit too quick?”
Kang Yang-cheon suddenly made an outlandish remark.
“Perhaps we should remove these partitions and see who we’re really talking to.”
It was a sarcastic jab at how Gongya Geuk, who had always been hostile to Bu Eun-seol, had suddenly switched sides.
“Hahaha.”
Despite Kang Yang-cheon’s provocation, Gongya Geuk burst into laughter and responded leisurely.
“Let’s just say I am wisely reading the currents of the time.”
“You call this the current of the time?”
“In the long run, yes. Bringing factions under the Sanctum’s influence is not a bad thing, is it?”
“Well said.”
Kang Yang-cheon said with a snort, as if he had been waiting for those words.
“Then I suppose we can continue to gather factions in the Martial Soul Commander’s way. With the unprecedented rate of one-tenth of the spoils, and the generous offer to recognize them as equals.”
His voice was filled with ridicule.
Kang Yang-cheon believed that Bu Eun-seol had gained the cooperation of the Sea of Clouds Jade Spirit Palace through exceptionally favorable terms.
‘So they were in it together after all.’
A cold smile touched Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
Gongya Geuk had seemed to side with him, but in reality, he had lent weight to Kang Yang-cheon’s argument.
He had made the suggestion that Bu Eun-seol should bring a major outer sect into their sphere of influence flow naturally.
“Very well.”
After deep consideration, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
“As the Temple Master says, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to bring a powerful outer sect into the Sanctum’s sphere of influence.”
Bu Eun-seol said in a powerful voice.
“However, since I have already been to the Western Regions, I will not be going to the Potala Palace.”
Kang Yang-cheon smirked.
He clearly thought Bu Eun-seol would choose a place among the outer sects where he could easily gain support.
“If not the Potala Palace, among the rather large-scale factions, a place like the Mad Wind Temple would also be good.”
Kang Yang-cheon emphasized the word ‘large-scale’.
Because large outer sects would sooner stand in opposition to the Demonic Sanctum than form an alliance.
To enter the Demonic Sanctum's sphere of influence, one had to offer many tributes and reveal their martial arts manuals.
For a large sect that wanted for nothing, there was no need to join an alliance like the Demonic Sanctum.
“The North Sea Ice Palace.”
Bu Eun-seol stated firmly.
“I will push for an alliance between the North Sea Ice Palace and our Sanctum.”
“What did you say?”
For a moment, Kang Yang-cheon couldn't help but raise his voice.
The North Sea Ice Palace, a coalition of the northern sea clans, was not only immense in scale and military strength, but it had also never once allowed another sect to enter its domain.
Furthermore, they only carried the moniker of a demonic sect because they used a demonic-affiliated art called Ice Arts.
They did not pursue the path of supremacy and had publicly declared themselves to be between the righteous and unorthodox factions.
And yet, Bu Eun-seol was vowing to form an alliance with the most reclusive, proud, and arguably non-demonic sect among all the outer factions?