The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign

How much time had passed?

Fu Eunseol slowly opened his closed eyes.

Today, there was a strange aura inside the iron coffin.

It was a chilling coldness so intense that even Fu Eunseol, who had played dead countless times, found it hard to endure.

“I want that ceremonial robe and sword…”

Thinking of a splendid robe and sword, Fu Eunseol gritted his teeth once more.

Zhanyang had never broken a promise until now.

If he could hold out until sunrise, Zhanyang would surely gift him the robe and sword.

“Ugh.”

However, as time went by, the coldness penetrated not just his skin but deep into his bones.

Clatter.

As his teeth began to chatter unconsciously, Fu Eunseol clenched his fists tightly.

‘No, I can’t give up!’

Unable to withstand the piercing cold, Fu Eunseol finally squeezed his eyes shut and pushed up the iron coffin lid.

At that moment, he saw an illusion of a gleaming ceremonial robe and sword flying up to the sky.

‘Haah.’

Fu Eunseol lowered his head and got up from the iron coffin.

―I knew it, you rascal!

The end of playing dead was always marked by the hearty laughter of his grandfather.

However, there was no sign of Zhanyang’s voice anywhere.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

Sensing something was wrong, Fu Eunseol cautiously stepped outside.

“Grandfather!”

He called out loudly, but there was no response.

As Fu Eunseol looked around the mortuary, he blinked his eyes.

“Did the Patrol Bureau send a message again?”

The Patrol Bureau would call Zhanyang whenever a corpse arrived. Be it day or night.

Judging by his absence, it was likely that he had gone to the Patrol Bureau.

“What the…”

With a disappointed look, Fu Eunseol rubbed his eyes and was about to head back to his room when…

“…!”

While passing by the yard, he suddenly froze.

All the urns stacked in one corner of the yard were smashed.

“Ah!”

Fu Eunseol jumped up and ran out with a broom.

The area around the urns seemed to have encountered a storm.

That wasn’t all. There were sharp, precise marks etched into the stone storage buildings nearby.

“What’s this?”

As Fu Eunseol reached out to touch the marks on the stone.

Screech.

A sharp metallic sound pierced the dawn sky.

If Fu Eunseol were a martial arts expert, he would have recognized it as the sound of clashing treasured swords.

However, to Fu Eunseol, who remained oblivious to this fact, it sounded like nothing but an ominous noise.

“Grandfather.”

Muttering softly, Fu Eunseol walked out of the gate as if bewitched.

Walking towards the source of the sound, he saw a large tree standing at the village entrance in the distance.

The full moon rose brilliantly above the branches, lighting up the dark path.

Screech.

This time, a shorter metallic sound rang out.

Feeling an even more eerie sense of foreboding than before, Fu Eunseol started to run frantically.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

After running for a while, the large tree that had been faintly visible became clear.

And in front of it, a familiar shadow was crouching on the ground.

“Grandfather!”

Fu Eunseol shouted with joy at the sight of the shadow.

The figure leaning against the tree in the dark was none other than Zhanyang.

“Grandfa…”

Fu Eunseol smiled and ran toward him. However, he suddenly froze when he saw Zhanyang’s face enveloped in the moonlight.

The eyes that always gazed at him kindly had turned empty black holes.

The thin arm that used to gently pat his head was severed below the shoulder.

The broad back that carried him warmly when he couldn’t sleep revealed the bones underneath. There were dozens of hidden weapons embedded in it like a hedgehog’s quills.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

Tears streamed down his eyes, and through his cheeks, they dripped onto the ground.

At that moment.

“… Is that you, Seol?”

Though his eyes could not see, Zhanyang sensed the presence of his grandson and spoke slowly.

“You rascal, I knew it.”

Drip.

The tears gushing forth blurred Fu Eunseol’s vision completely.

Although he was blind, Zhanyang wore a loving smile as if he could see him clearly.

“This old man has frightened you, hasn’t he?”

Even amidst wounds and pain so severe that he desperately wished for death, Zhanyang was only worried about Fu Eunseol being startled.

“Grandfather…”

Fu Eunseol’s voice shook with emotion. He carefully approached him step by step and gently touched Zhanyang’s cheeks.

“Grandfather… Grandfather.”

“It’s okay.”

Zhanyang smiled and slightly moved his shoulders. He probably wanted to gently stroke Fu Eunseol’s head as he cried.

“Grandfather. Grandfather…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Even without his eyes, Zhanyang smiled faintly as if he were looking directly at his grandson.

“I think it’s time for this old man to leave soon.”

“Who did this?”

A crimson glow, darker than blood, flared up in Fu Eunseol’s eyes. An intense murderous aura, which was unimaginable for his age, thrived in his entire body.

“Who did this to Grandfather?!”

His desperate cry echoed across the night sky.

“There is only one thing this old man wants,” Zhanyang, who had been silent for a long time, spoke in a gentle voice.

“This old man doesn’t need a burial, so use Bone-Dissolving Powder. So that there won’t be even a trace left of me in this world.”

Fu Eunseol shook his head.

Bone-Dissolving Powder was the most potent poison in the world; it melted a corpse into a mere drop of liquid. However, it was so difficult to make that a single drop was more expensive than a bean-sized diamond. 

Zhanyang had anticipated his death one day and had told Fu Eunseol where he had hidden the Bone-Dissolving Powder.

“No! I won’t do it!”

“Are you saying you won’t listen to your grandfather?”

“I’ll take revenge, I’ll make them pay!”

“Seol, if you do that… This old man won’t be able to rest in peace.”

Fu Eunseol suppressed his tears and nodded.

“Then I’ll die too.”

With tears streaming down his face, he declared.

“Who will take care of you in the afterlife if I’m not there? Who will cook noodles for you and assist with your burial rites?”

“Seol.”

“Didn’t you always say the afterlife is no different from this world? I want to go to the afterlife where you are, Grandfather.”

For a moment, Zhanyang’s lips trembled.

The man in black had been cruel, ensuring that Zhanyang would experience hellish pain until his last breath. 

Even so, he could maintain a calm expression due to his deep affection for Fu Eunseol.

“I always thought I could go peacefully…”

Tears of blood trickled down Zhanyang’s empty eye sockets. He had thought his life was more insignificant than a leaf on the street…

Leaving behind his beloved grandson was so painful that he couldn’t close his eyes.

“Seol… this is my last request.”

Though he had no arms, Zhanyang used his remaining strength to embrace his grandson tightly.

“When I’m gone, go far away from here.”

Zhanyang could no longer speak. Blood was pouring out not only from his empty eyes but also from his mouth, ears, and nose.

Blood spewed from all seven orifices.

The time for his life force to run out was approaching.

“Seol.”

Zhanyang used the last bit of his life force to leave a final sentence.

“I was so happy during the time we were together.”

Thunk.

With a gentle smile lingering on his lips, Zhanyang’s head slowly dropped forward.

Witnessing this, Fu Eunseol quietly embraced his grandfather’s body tightly.

And he continually rubbed his face against the now cold chest.

* * *

A skinny old man was laid on a mortuary board made of chestnut wood.

It was the corpse of Zhanyang, who had taken his last breath under the tree at the village entrance.

“Grandfather…”

Fu Eunseol looked at his grandfather’s corpse with a swollen face. 

He had brought a cart and carefully moved his grandfather’s body to the mortuary table at Peaceful Funeral Home.

“Let’s live happily even in the afterlife.”

Zhanyang had hoped his beloved grandson would leave the village and live an ordinary life. 

However, Fu Eunseol could not do that. Instead, he decided to follow his grandfather after performing the burial rites.

Swish.

Fu Eunseol picked up a clean cloth from a large water basin and began to gently wash his grandfather’s body. 

As his hands continued to move diligently, they suddenly paused. 

Fu Eunseol’s eyes turned red as he examined the wound on Zhanyang’s shoulder.

“Grandfather…”

The severed surface of the arm was clean, like glass. 

Even the greatest martial artist of the time couldn’t sever both arms of a resisting opponent without a margin of error. 

There was only one way to achieve this — to make the person willingly extend their arms.

“You were trying to protect me, weren’t you?”

Fu Eunseol realized the cause of Zhanyang’s death. 

His grandfather had willingly extended his arms to protect something more precious than his own life.

“The fiend cut off both arms… Blinded you… And damaged your tendons and muscles…”

Tears of blood flowed from Fu Eunseol’s eyes as he held the clean cloth. 

The fiend not only injured Zhanyang in the most brutal manner but also made him suffer until his death.

A flash.

Once again, a crimson glow appeared in Fu Eunseol’s eyes. 

He could not forgive this cruel fiend. 

He felt that only by finding and tearing them apart would his anger be appeased.

“I have to find them.”

Fu Eunseol began to carefully observe the wounds left on Zhanyang’s body. 

The martial arts techniques were as unique as a person’s face. Even if disciples who trained together performed the same technique, the power and direction would differ greatly.

“I can find them.”

Fu Eunseol, who had spent years studying the scars left on corpses alongside Zhanyang, could immediately deduce the movements of the deceased in a given situation and the lethal technique used by the opponent from their wounds.

“From top to bottom…”

As Fu Eunseol examined the cut on Zhanyang’s shoulder, an image of the most bizarre sword technique in the world appeared in his mind. 

Remarkably, the fiend had attacked from below, slashing off both arms.

Among the numerous sword techniques in the martial world, those that strike upwards from below were rare. 

Moreover, the technique changed midway to pierce both eyes after slashing through the arms. 

It was certainly not an orthodox sword technique but one from the demonic arts.

“But such a move is impossible…”

No matter how bizarre the sword technique, it was still performed by a human body with flesh and blood. 

Without the ability to freely extend and retract bones, it would be impossible to wield a sword in such a manner.

“No. It’s possible.”

Suddenly, Fu Eunseol recalled Zhanyang’s words.

“There are many strange arts in the martial world. Among them is ‘Tianzhu Yoga Technique,’ a technique that allows one to extend and retract bones and muscles freely.”

“Tianzhu Yoga Technique.”

The fiend must be a master swordsman who had mastered Tianzhu Yoga Technique.

Fu Eunseol then carefully examined Zhanyang’s back. There were ninety-three different marks from hidden weapons.

“How can someone throw ninety-three hidden weapons with one hand? Could it be ‘Rain Of Flower’…?”

Thinking of the ultimate technique of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Fu Eunseol shook his head. 

Even the Tang Clan’s Rain Of Flower, which was renowned for its unparalleled skill, could only throw up to sixty-six hidden weapons.

“Was there an accomplice? No.”

Fu Eunseol shook his head and his eyes widened.

“They used Sahyang’s hidden weapon device.”

Sahyang.

It was a long-standing assassin clan in the martial world. 

It was known for producing numerous hidden weapon masters. 

They were said to have devices capable of firing hundreds of hidden weapons in a single shot.

“Moreover, the signs of poisoning…”

The base of Zhanyang’s tongue and the inside of the nails on his reattached arm were stained black. 

This symptom appears when one is poisoned by a deadly toxin from the “Putrefaction and Gangrene” category. It takes effect even with skin contact.

Fu Eunseol bit his lip.

“Someone who has mastered the foreign art of Tianzhu Yoga Technique, possesses the hidden weapon device of Sahyang, which is known for being unmatched in the world, and frequently uses toxins from the ‘Putrefaction and Gangrene’ category…”

There were not many individuals like this in the martial world.

Fu Eunseol muttered in a low voice.

“No matter what, I will find you”