Chapter 272
Chapter 272
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Rumble.*
A tremendous vibration, as if a herd of cattle were on the move, echoed before the Pavilion of the Slumbering Demon.
“What is that?”
A guard standing watch in front of the pavilion rubbed his eyes.
Weren't countless armed soldiers surrounding the pavilion?
Sensing something was amiss, the guard gestured to his comrade.
“Quick, inform Captain Jo.”
Jo Nam-cheon was the captain of the pavilion’s guards. Nodding, his comrade was about to enter the building where Jo Nam-cheon was staying when—
“There’s no need.”
The door opened, and Bu Eun-seol, dressed in casual clothes, emerged with a leisurely expression.
He had sensed the presence of the forces pouring in around the pavilion and immediately came outside.
*Thud.*
The ranks of the martial artists standing at the front parted to the left and right, and a middle-aged man in ornate robes strode forward with an imposing air.
It was Dan Wol-hon.
“Welcome.”
Bu Eun-seol greeted him with a relaxed smile, clasping his hands.
“I apologize for the sudden summons.”
“What is your business?”
“Please, come in. I have prepared tea.”
“I asked what your business is.”
Dan Wol-hon stared at Bu Eun-seol with a terrifying gaze.
“If you summoned this Hall Master for something trivial…”
A light like an active volcano erupted in his eyes.
“You will have to find a new place to stay, starting today.”
Dan Wol-hon was serious.
What if Bu Eun-seol had summoned him simply to flaunt his authority as the heir?
Dan Wol-hon intended to have the forces of the House of Ten Thousand Demons immediately demolish the entire Pavilion of the Slumbering Demon.
As the Hall Master of the House of Assembled Demons, he had more than enough authority and power to do so.
*‘Hmm.’*
Bu Eun-seol frowned slightly and turned.
“Un-ryong.”
At his call, the pavilion door opened, and Yu Un-ryong, dressed as a civil official, came out holding a wooden case.
“Give that to the Hall Master.”
“What is that now?”
“It is something difficult to speak of here.”
“Are you trying to play games with me?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, a chilling killing intent flowed from Dan Wol-hon’s eyes.
“Such an item can be delivered by my subordinates…”
*It is the Geuk-ryeong-seon-gwa.*
Bu Eun-seol’s telepathic message shook his ears, and Dan Wol-hon let out a gasp, his dignity forgotten.
“Ah!”
*I was concerned that you might be troubled if others found out.*
Many among the families of the Demonic Cult’s leadership suffered from severed meridians.
What if word got out that Dan Wol-hon had obtained a Geuk-ryeong-seon-gwa? He would be hounded by all sorts of people.
“I heard that you have been suffering greatly from your arduous duties, Hall Master.”
Yu Un-ryong spoke in a clear voice, as if he had been instructed by Bu Eun-seol beforehand.
“It is a ginseng from across the eastern sea. It will greatly aid in restoring your vitality.”
Dan Wol-hon, his face dazed, accepted the wooden case from Yu Un-ryong.
Even though the case was tightly sealed, an indescribably fresh and crisp fragrance spread in all directions.
What lay inside was undoubtedly the Geuk-ryeong-seon-gwa, not ginseng.
“This is…”
A misty dampness welled up in Dan Wol-hon’s eyes.
He had brought the entire House of Ten Thousand Demons to suppress the new heir’s spirit, yet…
Bu Eun-seol was generously gifting him a divine medicine that could save his daughter’s life?
Moreover, it was a peerless treasure that could grant him two cycles of internal energy if he consumed it himself.
“You, you.”
Dan Wol-hon approached Bu Eun-seol and grasped both his hands as if he were about to prostrate himself.
“Thank you.”
He spoke in a trembling voice, suppressing the overwhelming emotion.
“This Hall Master will be loyal to you until death. No, even if my body withers to ash!”
At Dan Wol-hon’s cry, the masters of the House of Ten Thousand Demons standing behind him wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
They had been ordered to destroy the Pavilion of the Slumbering Demon without hesitation at his command.
But now he was suddenly pledging his loyalty to Bu Eun-seol in a loud voice?
“There is no need for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am simply repaying a debt I owe to Lord Dan.”
“A debt? What debt?”
Bu Eun-seol took out a necklace with a transparent stone hanging from it.
“Because I overcame a great crisis with this Cheong-hwa-yeon-ok.”
Dan Wol-hon rubbed his eyes.
Why was the precious necklace that should be around his daughter’s neck dangling from that man’s?
“So-ok… gave you this?”
It was a memento his wife had left for their daughter before she died.
And she had secretly given it to Bu Eun-seol without any discussion?
“How on earth did you receive it?”
At Dan Wol-hon’s question, Bu Eun-seol calmly explained.
He said that as he was leaving the Demonic Cult, Dan So-ok had given it to him to use when visiting the Muha-suyu-jeong…
And that with it, he had saved the life of Hyeok Gong-baek, the Spider of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
“Hmph!”
After hearing the full explanation, Dan Wol-hon threw aside their clasped hands and shouted furiously.
“Forget everything I just said!”
Dan Wol-hon was furious.
It wasn't because he was upset about the Cheong-hwa-yeon-ok.
That necklace was the betrothal gift Dan So-ok had chosen to give her future husband. And she had just handed it over to Bu Eun-seol without a single word of consultation with her father?
“I can’t allow it. I can’t…”
Dan Wol-hon’s body trembled with rage.
The one offering the rice cake had no such thoughts…
Dan Wol-hon was not yet mentally prepared to accept Bu Eun-seol as his son-in-law.
“I cannot permit it! Absolutely not!”
Shouting, he spun around and stormed out of the Pavilion of the Slumbering Demon.
***
A few days later, Dan Wol-hon left the Demonic Cult with Dan So-ok.
He claimed that Dan So-ok’s health had not improved much, so they were going to Hangzhou for a while for her to recuperate.
But Bu Eun-seol, who knew the real story, had a smile on his lips.
*‘Looks like he’s planning to do it properly.’*
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
As remarkable as the Geuk-ryeong-seon-gwa’s effects were, its medicinal properties were potent. If the effects weren’t slowly spread throughout the body, it could instead cause harm.
Moreover, the body would gain an unprecedentedly powerful internal energy…
It seemed Dan Wol-hon intended to first restore Dan So-ok’s health in a quiet place to prevent rumors of obtaining the Geuk-ryeong-seon-gwa from spreading, while also teaching her martial arts.
*Tap, tap.*
Just then, the sound of soft footsteps came from outside his office, followed by Yu Un-ryong’s voice.
“It is Yu Un-ryong.”
“Come in.”
As the door opened, Yu Un-ryong placed a small wooden box on Bu Eun-seol’s desk.
“What is this now?”
“They said it contains a token that allows entry to the third floor of the Man-ma-yu-jin-gak.”
The third floor of the Man-ma-yu-jin-gak.
It was a place where the martial arts left behind by the successive rulers of the Demonic Cult were kept.
Since Bu Eun-seol had become the legitimate heir of the cult, he was permitted to learn one of these arts.
Bu Eun-seol looked at the wooden box and shook his head.
*‘Not yet.’*
He had yet to properly master even the Mu-hwang-jeong-gak and the Sip-sam-ya-gi.
Furthermore, he was in a state of fundamental conflict with the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, the orthodox heart technique of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
He had a premonition that if he were to learn another martial art in his current state, his skills could actually regress to a lower level.
“I will go in later.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head, leaving the box on the desk.
“There’s much to do.”
“Things to do?”
At Yu Un-ryong’s question, Bu Eun-seol said in a low voice.
“I need to go see the Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion.”
The Secret Shadow Pavilion.
It was the place that managed all information coming into the Demonic Cult.
In other words, by holding the cult’s information network in its grasp, the Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion could be called a true power behind the scenes.
As proof, weren't two of the Ten Demonic Hall Attendants dispatched from the Secret Shadow Pavilion?
That alone was enough to gauge the esteemed position of the Secret Shadow Pavilion within the Demonic Cult.
“What brings the Lord of the Martial Soul Hall here?”
Hwa Jung-cheon, the Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion.
He rarely showed himself in the martial world, and even his origins were unknown, making him one of the mysterious figures of the demonic path.
It wasn't even known how he became the Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion, or if his real name was even Hwa Jung-cheon.
The only ones who had seen his true face were the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Supreme Commander, and the Elder Hall Master Jeok Bung; even the Hall Master-level figures never met him.
However, Bu Eun-seol, having become the heir of the Demonic Cult, could boldly enter the Secret Shadow Pavilion and meet him alone.
*‘He’s using a disguise.’*
The area under Hwa Jung-cheon’s eyes was dark, like looking at an ominous crow.
Bu Eun-seol saw at a glance that Hwa Jung-cheon’s face was disguised.
“There is something I need to find out.”
“Ask away.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
If this man knew all the information of the Demonic Cult, he would surely know the identity of the culprit.
“A man who has mastered a cruel demonic sword art, can use Indian Yoga Arts, and favors coating his hidden weapons with the Poison of Festering Flesh and Corrupting Blood…”
After listening to Bu Eun-seol’s story, Hwa Jung-cheon spoke in a low voice.
“As far as this Pavilion Master knows, there is only one such person in the martial world.”
“Who is it?”
“The Demonic Path’s greatest swordsman, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.”
Bu Eun-seol frowned slightly.
The Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion was saying the same thing as the Divine Thief Gong-gong.
However, in the Murim-in-myeong-rok he had seen at the Muha-suyu-jeong, there was no record of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade using hidden weapons or poison.
“There are no records of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, using poison or hidden weapons.”
“Only a very small number of people in the martial world know that fact. I am one of them.”
“He used poison and hidden weapons?”
As Hwa Jung-cheon nodded, Bu Eun-seol asked again.
“Where is he?”
“As you know, he disappeared suddenly thirty years ago. His whereabouts since then are completely unknown.”
Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought for a moment.
Seeing how certain he was, it seemed definite that the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, had indeed used poison and hidden weapons.
*‘Was there a grudge between the Demonic Path’s greatest swordsman and my grandfather?’*
It wasn't an entirely impossible deduction.
His grandfather was no ordinary coroner.
Given that he had passed on the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic to Bu Eun-seol, he must have been a disciple of Shaolin, and a highly esteemed one at that.
It was possible there was a reason for him to have a grudge with the nefarious Bu Jan-yang, the greatest swordsman of the demonic path.
*‘But their names are identical.’*
Could it be that his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, living under a changed identity?
At this thought, Bu Eun-seol asked urgently.
“Did the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, really have seven fingers?”
“He did.”
“Have you seen it yourself?”
Hwa Jung-cheon nodded firmly.
“I have.”
*‘Is the identical name a coincidence?’*
Bu Jan-yang, the coroner from the Hwangju Prefecture constabulary.
Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade and Vice Hall Master of the Demonic Cult.
Their names were the same, but their statuses were worlds apart. Moreover, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade was said to have had seven fingers.
But his grandfather clearly had ten fingers with warm blood flowing through them.
One could remove fingers, but there was no way to make new ones grow, was there?
*‘In that case…’*
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol recalled something.
Hwa Jung-cheon. He had held the position of Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion for over thirty years, so he would naturally know what the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, looked like.
“Do you have any materials related to the portrait of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang?”
“Hmm.”
The Pavilion Master hummed, then ordered a subordinate to bring a certain book.
When he opened the book, it revealed a drawing of a middle-aged martial artist with a tragic and heroic spirit.
“This is Bu Jan-yang’s portrait.”
Bu Eun-seol stared at the book and shook his head.
*‘It’s not him.’*
Even considering the age difference, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, had a completely different appearance from his kind-faced grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
*‘But…’*
Any martial artist could change their appearance.
There was no guarantee that this was Bu Jan-yang’s real face.
*‘Hm?’*
Staring intently at the book, Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his surprise.
Below the portrait, the words “Kill-on-Sight Target Number One” were clearly written.
“How can a Vice Hall Master of our cult be a kill-on-sight target?”
“This was before he joined our cult.”
Hwa Jung-cheon explained calmly.
“He was originally a reckless killer who roamed the martial world. He even cut down several of our cult’s masters.”
“Hmm.”
“But he was eventually persuaded to join us, and after accomplishing many great deeds, he rose to the position of Vice Hall Master.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded faintly.
Everything the Pavilion Master spoke of was part of the secret history of the martial world, stories unknown to the public.
“Has your question been answered now?”
As the Pavilion Master stood up, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“I have more to ask.”
“Go on.”
“I want to know the location of Sa-hyang.”
Hwa Jung-cheon shook his head.
“The location of Sa-hyang has not yet been accurately identified.”
“I said I want to know.”
In short, he was telling him to find out.
Hwa Jung-cheon, who had been staring at Bu Eun-seol, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. You seem to be mistaken about something.”
Then he spoke coldly.
“The reason this Pavilion Master answered you obediently was a courtesy extended to you for just having become the heir.”
Rising from his seat, he said in a low voice.
“But the only one who can freely access the information of this pavilion is the Lord of the Heretic Path himself. Do you understand?”
*‘The Lord.’*
Bu Eun-seol could feel the rank and status of the Master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion anew.
Excluding Elder Hall Master Jeok Bung and Hall Master Baek Jeon-cheon, he was the first person within the Demonic Cult to use the title ‘Lord’ when referring to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
*‘He’s older than he looks.’*
Then, Hwa Jung-cheon spoke again.
“You may obtain any information related to our cult. However, if you wish to obtain information for your personal matters, Lord, that is impossible. Do you understand?”
—Even if you are the heir, I cannot give you information for personal matters.
This is what Hwa Jung-cheon was saying.
*‘Hmm.’*
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
He had already anticipated this kind of reaction.
As just the heir, he could not yet grasp all the information channels of the Demonic Cult.
Hadn't even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor told him to find the answers himself?
“So you’re saying I can obtain any information as long as it’s not a personal matter.”
“That is correct.”
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes turned sharp.
“What is the standard for that judgment?”
At the same time, killing intent began to flow from his body.
“On what basis did you judge that the things I have asked about so far are my personal matters?”
The killing intent flowing from Bu Eun-seol was no bluff.
Instantly, the look in Hwa Jung-cheon’s eyes changed.
“Are you threatening this Pavilion Master right now?”
He too was a master of the Transcendent Realm.
Even knowing that Bu Eun-seol’s martial prowess had reached the Transcendent Realm, he showed no signs of fear.
“Just answer me.”
Bu Eun-seol said, his voice dripping with killing intent.
“Why are my questions considered personal matters? By what standard did you make that judgment?”