The Demonic Supreme Sword Novel - Chapter 70

Chapter 70
## Chapter 70: Invaluable Bounty (2)

The sacred artifact bequeathed by the Founder of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Heavenly Demon Ring.

Its muted aesthetic and coarse texture made it appear completely lackluster as a work of craft, yet it was a priceless heirloom that Sima Geon and the rest of the Heavenly Demon Cult held in the highest reverence.

Sima Geon scrutinized the Heavenly Demon Ring with intensity before speaking.

“Did he leave any particular instructions?”

“Nothing specific. He merely requested that it remain out of their reach. Furthermore, he stated that the rightful custodian of this ring is you, Division Leader.”

“Ha! The Lord is playing a clever game. He is well aware they will never abandon their claim to the Heavenly Demon Ring. Those fanatics will resort to any means to take it back, and he is counting on you to crush them when they try.”

“That sounds like the Strategist’s scheme, not the Lord’s doing.”

Sima Geon offered a faint, cynical grin.

“What a nuisance. Why not simply give it to them?”

“You think that’s a valid choice? Consider how many warriors sacrificed their lives to keep this safe!”

Noejeon’s voice rose in anger as he glared, appearing to forget he had only just woken up from unconsciousness.

“Relax. I have no intention of surrendering it at this moment.”

Sima Geon gave a quiet laugh, a specific recollection surfacing from a day the Lord had been particularly intoxicated.

*The Heavenly Demon Ring isn’t merely a token representing the Lord’s authority. Legacy texts suggest one must possess a specific caliber of power to perceive its true essence. But curse it all! The sheer volume of internal energy I channeled into that thing…*

While Sima Geon had never lusted after the Heavenly Demon Ring, a spark of interest ignited within him. Though he didn’t know the exact requirements, the mention of channeling internal energy remained vivid in his mind.

‘Internal energy, then.’

He began to subtly flow his internal energy into the Heavenly Demon Ring.

He applied roughly thirty percent of his strength—no reaction.

He ramped it up slowly. Even at seventy or eighty percent, the object remained unchanged.

“What are you attempting?”

Cheol Woo inquired, his eyes filled with interest. Sima Geon gave no reply, instead sharpening his focus and pushing more energy into the artifact.

Even as he reached the peak of his power at one hundred percent, the ring remained inert. Sima Geon’s brow knit together. He began to suspect he was chasing a ghost.

‘Perhaps the Lord’s information was flawed from the start. Regardless, I’ve committed this much, so…’

Resolved to find an answer, he released the full tether of his power.

A tempest of raw energy surged from Sima Geon’s frame, howling through the chamber and causing the entire structure of the Dragon Star Annex to tremble.

Decor and furniture were hurled aside, crashing into the masonry or shattering through the walls.

The solitary figure left undisturbed was Cheol Woo. Noejeon had managed to scramble behind him just in time to avoid the blast.

“What in the world are you doing?”

Cheol Woo asked, casually flicking a stray splinter away with his finger.

In that instant, a brilliant radiance erupted from Sima Geon’s palm—originating from the Heavenly Demon Ring.

“W-What is happening?”

Cheol Woo yelled, startled by the sudden transformation.

Noejeon, peering out from his hiding spot, stared with eyes wide with shock.

As the blinding light subsided, a blade had materialized where the Heavenly Demon Ring once sat.

The steel was roughly one and a half feet in length and barely an inch across. It was incredibly slender and supple, resembling a specialized soft sword.

“A blade?”

“It turned into a sword.”

Cheol Woo and Noejeon spoke in unison.

“Unbelievable! I’ve truly seen it all now.”

Cheol Woo let out a series of stunned laughs despite the evidence before him and reached out toward the weapon.

“Don’t.”

Sima Geon, whose gaze was locked onto the steel, barked a sharp warning.

Cheol Woo recoiled and pulled his hand back, muttering under his breath. However, Sima Geon remained mesmerized by the edge. Sensing the gravity of the moment, Cheol Woo fell silent, his expression turning serious.

Sima Geon, with perspiration rolling down his face unnoticed during his deep focus, finally broke his gaze after nearly two hours.

“Haa!”

Exhaling a heavy breath, he lowered the hand holding the weapon.

The moment he ceased the flow of internal energy, the blade shifted back into its circular ring form.

“It actually changed shape. Hey, Captain, mind if I take a look?”

Cheol Woo asked tentatively. Sima Geon, drained from maintaining his peak energy for such a duration, tossed the ring toward him without a word.

“Heh heh heh! To think this thing becomes a sword.”

Beaming, Cheol Woo caught the artifact and began to pump his own energy into it, mirroring Sima Geon’s earlier attempt.

Fifty percent, sixty, seventy.

Nothing. Cheol Woo pushed himself to his limit. Yet, even with his maximum output, the ring stayed still. He eventually ceased the flow, looking annoyed.

“Captain, weren’t you just pushing energy into it?”

“Correct.”

“Then why won’t it respond to me? Is this thing playing favorites?”

He squeezed the ring with enough force to warp iron, but the object, which had endured even greater power earlier, remained perfectly intact.

“Dammit! This thing is stubborn.”

Cheol Woo grumbled irritably and handed it back.

Sima Geon took the ring and once again applied his internal energy.

Unlike the first time, which required his absolute maximum effort, the ring transformed into a blade the instant his energy touched it.

Cheol Woo and Noejeon let out cries of disbelief—Sima Geon himself was taken aback.

“W-What gives? Why did it happen so fast this time?”

Cheol Woo demanded, feeling cheated. Sima Geon had no explanation to offer. He was equally baffled.

“Perhaps it has acknowledged its master?”

Sima Geon and Cheol Woo both shifted their attention to Noejeon.

“Consider a stallion. Even the most rebellious beast becomes docile once it has been broken in, as if it recognizes its superior. This seems to be a similar case.”

“You’re calling this a stallion?”

Cheol Woo gestured at the ring with a look of pure skepticism.

“I am.”

“Make some sense, will you? You’re comparing a sentient creature to a piece of scrap metal?”

“Does it make sense that a ring can turn into a sword in the first place?”

“……”

Cheol Woo found himself unable to argue with Noejeon’s logic.

“That isn’t the priority right now.”

Sima Geon transformed the artifact back into a sword and presented it to them.

“Observe the steel. You’ll notice something.”

Recalling how long Sima Geon had been staring at it, Cheol Woo and Noejeon leaned in for a closer look.

“What on earth is this?”

Noejeon eventually straightened up, his face devoid of color.

Minute script, so tiny it demanded absolute concentration to read, was etched densely across the blade. He felt an immediate sense that these words were of monumental importance.

“If my eyes don’t deceive me, this appears to be a manual for martial arts.”

Cheol Woo, finishing his inspection, asked with a rare, somber tone.

“It is.”

“C-Could it be… the secret techniques of the Heavenly Demon Patriarch?”

Noejeon’s voice trembled. His eyes darted back and forth in agitation.

Cheol Woo, who looked ready to strike Noejeon, simply sighed and tapped him on the head.

“Are you slow? Of course it is. Why would someone else’s methods be carved onto the Patriarch’s own relic?”

“I was merely confirming, just in case!”

“Your ‘just in case’ is nonsense! I recognized it immediately. Isn’t that right, Captain?”

“Yes. The scripts align with a style I am familiar with.”

Cheol Woo, looking proud as if he’d solved a great riddle, asked eagerly.

“Which one is it?”

Sima Geon closed his eyes, searching his memories, and then spoke with deliberation.

“The Heavenly Apex Sword. Some refer to it as the Heavenly Demon Sword.”

“Heavenly Apex Sword? Whoa! You’re serious? Really?”

Cheol Woo yelled in astonishment.

Sima Geon brought the blade closer and began to re-examine the fine text.

“It isn’t the complete manual, but the portion on the blade seems to detail the final three forms.”

“You were already acquainted with the Heavenly Apex Sword, Division Leader?”

Noejeon asked, sounding confused.

“I am aware of it. I never achieved mastery, but I know the foundations well enough.”

“What’s the verdict, Captain? Think you can master it?”

Cheol Woo asked with a cunning glint in his eye.

“I’m not certain. I thought it would be straightforward before, but now it looks quite complex.”

“You’re joking. You’re saying you can’t guarantee a win even with the Severing Heaven Nine Forms? That’s impossible.”

Cheol Woo was the picture of disbelief.

“Severing… Heaven Nine Forms? What kind of technique is that?”

Noejeon looked between the two men.

“It exists. It’s a certain style.”

Cheol Woo dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“Well, what exactly is it?”

Noejeon kept pestering Sima Geon, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“The manifestation of the obsession held by those in second place who could never defeat the champion.”

“……”

“That lingering fixation eventually took the shape of the Severing Heaven Nine Forms.”

Noejeon stared at Sima Geon for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“You could have just told me you didn’t want to explain.”

—

“I have been defeated.”

Muk Noegang, the sovereign of the Southern Murim, lowered his head and conceded. The gathered Heavenly Demon Cult fighters, who had been watching the duel with bated breath, erupted into thunderous cheers, their spirits soaring.

“The Heavenly Demon Arrives! All Demons Shall Bow!”

“The Heavenly Demon Arrives! All Demons Shall Bow!”

The fervent, near-frenzied chants roared on until Gwan Ung, who had just overcome Muk Noegang, raised a single hand for silence.

“Stand up. I did not travel here to demand your subservience, but to find a partner for the unification of the Murim.”

Gwan Ung reached out and helped Muk Noegang back to his feet.

“You have my gratitude.”

Muk Noegang bowed once more.

In reality, there was no region that followed the law of strength as strictly as the Southern Murim, often known as Namman.

The powerful claimed all rewards; the weak were trampled without thought. Everyone in the Southern Murim viewed this as the natural order of things.

Having put his all into the fight and lost, Muk Noegang was prepared for any consequence. Yet Gwan Ung treated him with profound respect, refusing to view him as a mere vanquished foe. It was impossible not to feel grateful.

“Technically, your origins aren’t truly from the South.”

“……”

“In the era when the Heavenly Demon Patriarch united the Demonic Path, only for it to splinter and rot from within over time, one specific group grew weary of the internal strife. They walked away from it all and traveled south.”

Muk Noegang’s eyes widened in shock.

“That group carried a standard marked with a black dragon, fighting at the Patriarch’s side across the world. They were few—hardly more than a small clan—yet they possessed power that dwarfed any army that followed him. That was the start of the saga of the Black Dragon Ink Clan.”

Gwan Ung smiled at the visibly shaken Muk Noegang.

“Well? Is my history accurate? I would prefer a response not from the leader of the Southern Murim, but from the patriarch of the Black Dragon Ink Clan.”

“It is. However, the name of the Black Dragon Ink Clan has been buried by time.”

“In that case, let us bring it back to life.”

“The Southern Murim has already submitted to the Lord. However, the Black Dragon Ink Clan pledges loyalty only to…”

Muk Noegang’s words died in his throat.

His eyes were fixed with a mixture of awe and trembling on the iron tablet held in Gwan Ung’s hand.

Gwan Ung grinned, clearly satisfied by the look on the man’s face.

“Just as I thought, you know what this is. I was certain the head of the Black Dragon Ink Clan would recognize it.”

“A-Are you truly a scion of the Heavenly Demon Patriarch?”

Muk Noegang asked, his voice shaking and his tone shifting to one of deep reverence.

“I am.”

“Why did you not reveal this sooner?”

“Hahaha! I recall mentioning it before our duel. You simply chose not to believe me.”

“Had you displayed that tablet, I would have surrendered on the spot.”

“I preferred to prove my worth through my own power, not through this artifact.”

Gwan Ung flipped the iron tablet into the air and caught it deftly.

“So? Will you walk this path with me?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Muk Noegang dropped to his knees at the proposal.

“Muk Noegang, leader of the Black Dragon Ink Clan, offers his greetings to the Lord.”