Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: The Successor's Race
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Baek-yeon nodded once more, his eyes burning with intensity.
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but clear his throat and begin to speak.
“A warrior's battle is decided by who can draw their sword faster. But a battle between sects is determined by who has more information.”
Bu Eun-seol was a man of few words, but once he started speaking, he was eloquent.
He spoke in a persuasive tone to the disciples who were looking at him with bright, eager eyes.
“The Pung-un Brigade is where the best members with outstanding talents gather to handle the most vital intelligence in the martial world. And if it weren't for the Pung-un Brigade, I wouldn't be standing here today.”
That, too, was a story based on truth.
*Rumble.*
Moved by Bu Eun-seol's words, the disciples now rushed not to So-jeon, but to where Baek-yeon was standing.
“Baek-yeon.”
Watching the scene, So-jeon whispered lowly, a thick vein bulging on his forehead.
“Couldn't you yield just this once? The Pung-un Brigade has snatched up every decent disciple so far.”
Baek-yeon looked at the flocking disciples and shook his head.
“How is that my doing? The disciples all chose for themselves.”
*Thump, thump.*
Just then, a stout old man ambled toward the training grounds.
It was Master Cheol, Wang Geol, who not only managed all of Nang-ya-gak's equipment but also helped the disciples with his exceptional knowledge and wisdom.
“Master Cheol, what brings you here?”
The growling So-jeon blinked, and Wang Geol smacked his lips before speaking.
“The Vice-Rangju has ordered me to start recruiting for the Geumseong Brigade.”
“You're commanding the Geumseong Brigade, Master Cheol?”
“The Vice-Rangju is busy, so he told me to handle it.”
Wang Geol sighed and said with a bitter expression.
“Besides, a lot of disciples have been coming to the smithy anyway.”
The Geumseong Brigade was the defense unit that protected Nang-ya-gak in case of an invasion by outside forces.
In other words, they were the last-stand suicide squad, tasked with establishing a defensive line and repelling the flood of enemies when a great foe attacked.
But the boys showed no reaction.
This was because there were no sects foolish enough to invade Nang-ya-gak, which was filled with formidable masters, and joining meant having to train arduously in martial arts specialized solely for defense.
“I'll be taking the first fifty applicants.”
However, Wang Geol seemed completely unfazed by the lukewarm response. He raised a hand and looked at the disciples.
“Disciples who wish to join the Geumseong Brigade, come before this old man.”
But a dead silence fell over the training grounds.
“Hahaha. Master Cheol, you dream big.”
So-jeon guffawed at the sight.
“Recruiting fifty members for the Geumseong Brigade from over a hundred disciples? Who would volunteer for the Geumseong Brigade...”
“Ah, I forgot to mention.”
Master Cheol added another sentence, as if he had just remembered something.
“The disciples who join the Geumseong Brigade this time will be stationed at the Muhasuyujeong. Until the mechanisms of the Muhasuyujeong are restored...”
Before he could even finish his sentence,
*Rumble.*
every single boy on the training grounds rushed toward Master Cheol.
“……”
So-jeon and Baek-yeon could only stare, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
A few days later.
In front of Nang-ya-gak's main gate stood an eight-horse carriage, pulled by glossy black steeds.
Surrounding it were five mounted warriors, and behind them, about thirty more warriors wearing swords stood in solemn formation.
The first-class escort of the Demonic Cult had gathered to take Bu Eun-seol.
*Swish.*
Bu Eun-seol emerged from the main gate, dressed in a magnificent martial uniform embroidered with two dragons fighting over a pearl.
He was wearing the formal uniform of a Grand Lord for his return to the Demonic Cult.
His appearance was so solemn and noble that he looked like a god of war descended from the heavens.
Everyone from Nang-ya-gak had come out to watch Bu Eun-seol's departure.
He was the pride of Nang-ya-gak.
Not only had he created a new environment where they could focus on martial arts, but he had also restored the prestige of Nang-ya-gak, which had fallen to the bottom ranks of the Ten Demonic Sects.
No longer would anyone call Nang-ya-gak a fallen sect.
“The Rangju is in seclusion training, so he said you should depart as planned.”
At Dang Cheong's words, Bu Eun-seol gave a faint smile.
Although he had given his permission, he was clearly displeased about him going to the Demonic Cult.
“I will be back.”
As Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands, the masters of the Changsin Brigade and the Pung-un Brigade, along with Wang Geol and countless others from Nang-ya-gak, waved their hands.
“Do well!”
After a light bow toward them, Bu Eun-seol boarded the carriage.
With a cry of "Hiyah!" the carriage set off, and the members of the Ma-yeong Brigade followed, swiftly using their movement techniques to guard it closely.
Watching him leave, Baek-yeon let out a sigh.
“He will face even greater trials from now on.”
“He will.”
So-jeon shook his head and said.
“It seems to be that boy's fate.”
“It's not fate... He simply doesn't avoid it.”
Baek-yeon wore a proud smile.
Bu Eun-seol had faced more trials than anyone, and he would face more in the future.
But he would not shy away from the coming trials; he would silently walk the path of thorns.
“I see. I should teach the new members to be like him.”
So-jeon smiled as well.
“To silently walk their own path.”
It might seem frustrating... or one might even wonder if it's the long way around.
But looking back one day, they will realize it was the fastest path.
Because that brilliant, unparalleled martial genius is proving it.
* * *
A shocking rumor spread throughout the martial world.
The Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak, a candidate to be the successor of the Demonic Cult, had slain one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Every intelligence organization in the martial world moved to verify the truth of the rumor.
The Two Heavenly Emperors of Righteousness and Demonic.
The Three Demonic and Three Venerated Ones.
The supreme masters who had reached the Unfettered Realm, the pinnacle of martial arts, were produced in equal numbers by both the Demonic and Righteous factions.
However, among the Four Gods and Seven Kings, only three were masters from the Demonic path. And only one belonged to the gray area between Righteous and Demonic, while the rest were all figures of the Righteous faction.
In other words, the current martial world proved that the Righteous faction's forces and masters were flourishing, and the Demonic path had yet to catch up.
But for a rising star barely past his coming-of-age to have killed Geol-wang? The Righteous faction was on high alert.
—It has been confirmed that Geol-wang fell in a one-on-one duel with him.
And so, all the intelligence organizations in the martial world finally accepted Geol-wang's defeat as fact.
—The Grand Elder has been suffering from a serious illness for a long time!
In the end, the Beggars' Sect once again began to tarnish Bu Eun-seol's victory.
They spread a rumor to the intelligence organizations that Geol-wang had long been suffering from a serious illness and that his internal energy had already greatly diminished.
Not only that, but they even framed him, claiming the Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak had only won because he had secretly planted an accomplice.
—What in the world is the truth?
In truth, since no one had witnessed the fight between the two, no one could uncover the truth of the matter.
However, even if the rumors spread by the Beggars' Sect were true, the fact remained that he had been killed by a rising master of the Demonic path.
—In any case, shouldn't he ascend to the throne of the Four Gods and Seven Kings? Unless we're to call them the Four Gods and Six Kings?
As the people of the martial world continued to show interest in Bu Eun-seol, the Beggars' Sect, after much deliberation, began to spread a bizarre and humiliating title for him.
—The man is lucky, so let's just call him the King of Luck!
It was a ridiculous title.
But from the perspective of the Righteous faction, Bu Eun-seol was a person who must never be allowed to ascend to the position of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Furthermore, most sects, excluding those of the Demonic path, were also secretly unwilling to place a rising star on the throne of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
In the end, the talk about the title fizzled out, but every intelligence organization in the martial world watched him with fiery eyes.
Bu Eun-seol, the successor of Nang-ya-gak and a candidate for the succession of the Demonic Cult.
He had, at some point, become a figure like a storm, shaking the entire martial world.
* * *
*Dudududu.*
In the distance, an escort and an eight-horse carriage, kicking up a cloud of dust, were racing straight toward the Demonic Cult.
*Kuuuung.*
As the massive gate slowly opened, the carriage immediately passed through and continued to race onward.
Finally, upon reaching the center of the Demonic Cult's headquarters, the escort and the carriage came to a stop.
*Creeak.*
Stepping out of the carriage, Bu Eun-seol blinked at the unexpected sight.
A multitude of people were lined up around the carriage.
Looking closely at their faces, he recognized the high-ranking officials of the Demonic Cult who had once stood in formation before the Seongma-gak.
“Grand Lord Sa-yeong. It's been a while.”
“You're looking even more radiant.”
They each approached Bu Eun-seol, feigning familiarity as they spoke to him.
It was only a short while ago that they had ignored him as a lowly disciple from the powerless Nang-ya-gak.
But now, he had the backing of the Jeolcheonmyolji and the Muhasuyujeong, and Nang-ya-gak had been reformed and was prosperously accepting new disciples.
Furthermore, having killed even Geol-wang, he had become a powerful candidate for the succession, so they were now shamelessly trying to curry favor with him.
*'It's only natural.'*
Unlike the Righteous faction, one wasn't respected for having a virtuous character or for doing many good deeds.
The Demonic path was a place where only those with immense power and authority ruled over the weak.
*Thump, thump.*
Just then, a large middle-aged man, accompanied by dozens of escorting warriors, approached Bu Eun-seol with heavy footsteps.
It was the Lord of the Jipma Bureau, Dan Wol-hon.
At his appearance, the gathered officials of the Demonic Cult stepped back and bowed respectfully.
“Lord Dan.”
Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands in a bow, and Dan Wol-hon nodded.
“You've caused quite a stir recently. The entire martial world is buzzing with stories about you.”
He said the words, but his face showed no interest or curiosity whatsoever.
This time, it seemed he hadn't come to meet him at Dan So-ok's request but had truly just been passing by.
“But that alone doesn't mean the successor to the Demonic Cult has been decided.”
He was the Lord of the Jipma Bureau, the one who commanded the Demonic Cult's military forces. He was a man of such power that even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor could not treat him lightly.
Therefore, even if Bu Eun-seol's status had risen, it was of little concern to him.
“I am well aware.”
“Hmph.”
With a low grunt, Dan Wol-hon nodded and walked straight past Bu Eun-seol.
*'He must be on his way to see the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.'*
The direction Dan Wol-hon was heading was toward the Seongma-gak.
As Bu Eun-seol was lost in deep thought,
“Grand Lord Bu. It's been a while.”
A low, gentle voice came from behind him.
Turning his head, he saw a refined, middle-aged man in a scholar's attire standing there with a gentle smile. It was the Master of Manbak Hall, Baek Jeon-cheon.
“Hall Master.”
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply.
The Master of Manbak Hall was someone who had consistently shown favor to Bu Eun-seol since his time as a Sip-ma-jeon-in.
“Right now, a meeting is being held in the Seongma-gak, attended by the highest echelons of the Demonic Cult, including the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.”
And as if to prove it, he was providing Bu Eun-seol with various pieces of necessary information.
“It's because the tasks handled by the successor candidates, including yourself, Grand Lord Bu, were such major affairs.”
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
He hadn't deliberately looked into the movements of the other successors, like Do Cheon-rin.
This was partly because he didn't have much ambition to become the successor of the Demonic Cult, but...
more importantly, it was because the moment he learned of his competitors' progress, he might grow impatient and ruin things.
“Shall we talk as we walk? In any case, your residence has changed, Grand Lord Bu, so you'll need someone to guide you.”
Bu Eun-seol wore a puzzled expression.
“You could just have one of the warriors under your command do it, Hall Master.”
Baek Jeon-cheon, the Master of Manbak Hall, was always humble, but his rank was not low, and he was a man of considerable hidden martial skill.
For such a person to personally guide Bu Eun-seol to his residence and share various stories was an act of lowering himself too much.
“Hahaha, it's quite all right. The most idle person in Manbak Hall right now is me, after all.”
Then, he extended an arm toward Bu Eun-seol.
“Well then, shall we go together?”
Bu Eun-seol and Baek Jeon-cheon walked shoulder to shoulder toward the East Gate of the Demonic Cult's headquarters.
“The successor of the Hyeolyeomdo Sect has succeeded in obtaining the Geukryeongseongwa, a fruit said to ripen once every thousand years in the Polar Lands.”
As they reached a quiet path where no warriors were walking about, Baek Jeon-cheon spoke in a low voice.
“And the successor of the Hwau Geommun is said to have caught the trail of the mysterious figure who vanished thirty years ago, Gonggong Sintu.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol grasp what missions Do Cheon-rin and Wi Ji-hyesang had chosen.
*'Indeed, they chose missions that were not easy, but were certain to succeed.'*
The Hyeolyeomdo Sect had long held the Polar Lands under its sphere of influence.
Of course, the Geukryeongseongwa was known to be unobtainable without a fateful encounter, as it bloomed only once every thousand years, but...
Do Cheon-rin must have known when the Geukryeongseongwa would bear fruit. And upon seeing the clue written on the mission slip, he would have chosen it immediately.
*'But...'*
What was incomprehensible was Wi Ji-hyesang.
He had checked all the missions the others had chosen and then picked the optimal mission for himself separately.
So why on earth did he choose the worst possible slip—the one to find Gonggong Sintu, who had vanished thirty years ago?
*'Wasn't he a figure once pursued by both the Righteous and Demonic paths?'*
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
Gonggong Sintu. He was said to be the only person to have peered into the secret vaults of both the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult.
The problem was that the secret vaults he entered contained ledgers with the names of spies.
—I never saw any ledgers!
Gonggong Sintu insisted he had never seen any such ledgers in the secret vaults, but no one was foolish enough to believe him.
He ended up being pursued by both the Righteous and Demonic paths simultaneously and eventually vanished without a trace from the martial world.
*'And Wi Ji-hyesang has caught Gonggong Sintu's trail?'*
Bu Eun-seol couldn't understand it at all.
The Hwau Geommun was the most orthodox sword sect of the Demonic path.
It was a place far removed from the tracking techniques used to catch those who had disappeared or gone into hiding.
“The tasks undertaken by the successors of the Geuksal Milgak and the Myeolin Gung are still in progress, but they don't seem to be going easily.”
At that moment, Baek Jeon-cheon spoke again.
“These were tasks that even our Cult could not handle easily in the first place. Even if the entire force of the Hwau Geommun were mobilized, it would take a considerable amount of time.”
“What about the situation with the other successor candidates?”
The mission of the Geuksal Milgak successor, Yong Jeok-bi, was to deal with the Sibiji, a group of fixers from the merchant world.
And the mission of the Myeolin Gung successor, Shin Do-un-hwi, was to normalize a sect that had been absorbed by the Demonic Cult but had failed to integrate.
They seemed simple at first glance, but in reality, they were tasks that required immense manpower and a long time.
“The Myeolin Gung and Geuksal Milgak. Both successor candidates are still in progress.”
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled.
“They likely didn't predict that you, Grand Lord Bu, and the Hyeolyeomdo Sect would complete your missions in such a short time.”
His expression was filled with satisfaction.
Baek Jeon-cheon had always supported Bu Eun-seol. That's why every time he overcame a trial, he felt a sense of pride as if he himself had contributed.
“Is the Demonic Heavenly Emperor holding a meeting because of the successors' mission completions?”
“That's correct. You always get to the heart of the matter, Grand Lord Bu.”
Baek Jeon-cheon began to speak with a serious gaze.
“The Geukryeongseongwa is one of the greatest treasures in the martial world. Eating it can easily cure any kind of severed meridians. Aren't there many among our Cult's members who were born with severed meridians?”
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol recalled the grave expression on Dan Wol-hon's face from just before.
Dan So-ok. Wasn't she also unable to learn martial arts due to her Three Yin Severed Meridians, and wasn't her body always frail?
If she could obtain the Geukryeongseongwa, not only could she learn powerful martial arts, but she could also rise to the position of Grand Commander in an instant.
“As you are well aware, Grand Lord Bu, Gonggong Sintu is known to have memorized the entire list of high-ranking spies who have infiltrated both the Righteous and Demonic paths.”
Baek Jeon-cheon's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the distant sky.
“Rumor has it that the reason he was able to vanish suddenly when surrounded by masters from both paths was because he had the help of Baekri Muha, who was called the Greatest Secret of the Martial World.”
*'Baekri Muha...'*
It was strange.
The moment he heard the name Baekri Muha, Bu Eun-seol's heart pounded for no reason.