Chapter 363
Chapter 363
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 363
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Emperor's Secret Arts
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For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's eyes wavered.
Bu Eun-seol had always been convinced that there was a very high probability his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade.
But now he was being told that the secret art his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had passed down was the exclusive internal art of the Heavenly Emperor, Shin Do-mu-bi?
*Does the Pavilion Master know the martial arts of the Heavenly Emperor?*
The Heavenly Emperor, Shin Do-mu-bi.
A peerless grandmaster of martial arts who had reached the pinnacle of the Orthodox Faction, and the current leader of the Martial Alliance.
However, what kind of martial arts he used, or how proficient he was, remained completely unknown.
This was because he had never once engaged in a public duel. There were those who had challenged him from time to time, but it was said they realized the immense gap in their abilities and admitted defeat on their own.
"Are you saying you've fought the Heavenly Emperor?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Dan Cheong chuckled softly.
Seeing that smile, Bu Eun-seol immediately understood one thing.
"You and the Heavenly Emperor have fought."
"That's right. After fighting him, the Pavilion Master said in a rage, 'One of that sly raccoon's true arts is a method to synchronize with one's energy circulation and steal their internal arts!'"
Dan Cheong's eyes narrowed slightly as if recalling the memory.
"Well, it's not just the Pavilion Master. The Ten Demonic Sect Masters probably all know already."
A look of shock crossed Bu Eun-seol's face.
"The Ten Demonic Sect Masters also fought the Heavenly Emperor?"
"Indeed. The Flower Rain Sword Gate Master and the Bloodflame Saber Lord fought him alone, and I heard the other Demonic Sect Masters once attacked him all at once."
Bu Eun-seol's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Why haven't such things become known in the martial world?"
"Doesn't our own Lord of the Martial Spirit go to great lengths to hide his martial arts and his movements?"
"That's..."
"Right. It's only natural."
Dan Cheong smiled faintly.
"The abilities of the supreme masters who have reached the pinnacle of the martial world are truly boundless. No matter how skilled an intelligence organization is, if those masters do not wish it, they can never be observed."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slightly.
After all, even with his own abilities, he couldn't even begin to fathom the level of martial prowess possessed by the Profound Demon, Wiji Mu-a, whom he had met recently.
"Alright. Now tell me. How did you do it?"
Dan Cheong asked, her eyes sparkling.
"The Heavenly Emperor. Did you meet that old man?"
A cold sweat ran down Bu Eun-seol's back.
Originally, he had intended to speak honestly about the Heavenly Will Internal Arts.
But if the Heavenly Will Internal Arts were the martial arts of the Heavenly Emperor?
He couldn't tell this fact to anyone from the Demonic Path, not just Dan Cheong.
Because this martial art was implanted by his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, and its true nature had yet to be revealed.
"Actually... while pursuing the organization that creates artificial beings, I discovered the method in a book they left behind."
Bu Eun-seol gave a plausible excuse.
"There are only ten acupoints that can contain an inner core. I assumed they must have been inserted one by one in the order written, so I cut them open."
Even if Bu Eun-seol's words were true, it would have been a reckless gamble from a probabilistic standpoint.
But Dan Cheong nodded as if she understood.
"I see."
"Then I will be returning to the Demonic Palace."
At that, Master Cheol spoke.
"The Ice Soul Sword is still being repaired. As soon as it's finished, I'll send it to you by messenger."
"Understood."
As Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply to the two of them, Dan Cheong took a deep breath.
"Bu Eun-seol."
And in an exceptionally kind voice, she said.
"If you ever have a problem you can't solve, or if something comes up, feel free to visit this pavilion anytime."
*She realized after all.*
Dan Cheong had read the bewilderment and shock in Bu Eun-seol's eyes just moments ago.
And she must have vaguely seen through his lie as well.
Yet, she had deliberately pretended not to know and acted as if she accepted it... It was impossible to gauge just how much she trusted him.
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply once more.
And he could feel it again.
No matter that he was the successor to the Demonic Palace. No matter that he wielded immense power. His home was right here.
At Nang-ya-gak.
* * *
Upon returning to the Demonic Palace, Bu Eun-seol secluded himself in his quarters.
The truth he had heard from Dan Cheong was simply too shocking.
—Because there is only one person in the world who possesses the secret art of stealing another's method of energy circulation.
*The Heavenly Emperor.*
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
His grandfather was a master from Shaolin.
Therefore, learning a secret martial art from the greatest master of the Orthodox Faction was not particularly surprising.
After all, members of the Orthodox Faction valued relationships highly and were known to generously pass on their martial arts to those they had a connection with.
But what if, by some chance, his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade *and* had learned martial arts from the leader of the Martial Alliance?
*A double agent.*
If that were true, then there was a high probability that his grandfather was a double agent sent by the Orthodox Faction, no, by the Martial Alliance itself.
*So that was it.*
Only then did the scattered pieces in Bu Eun-seol's mind begin to fit together.
Why his grandfather had hidden his identity. And why he had been killed.
*If this is true, then the arrow of suspicion must naturally point toward the Demonic Palace.*
If his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was the invincible swordsman, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, who had inherited the martial arts of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions...
Then the ones who would have wanted him dead were, without a doubt, the Demonic Path, and the Demonic Palace.
Indeed, hadn't the killer used a terrifying demonic sword technique?
*Looking back, that was the sound of weapons clashing.*
The ominous yet distinct metallic sound Bu Eun-seol had heard after coming out of the iron coffin while playing dead.
Thinking about it, it was clearly the sound of weapon on weapon.
But his grandfather hadn't been carrying a weapon at the time, had he?
Then why was there the sound of clashing weapons? Could he have snatched his enemy's weapon to fight back?
*Impossible.*
But the killer had made his grandfather offer up his own two arms to be severed.
He must have been blackmailed with his own life, staying at the Pyeong-an Funeral Home.
From the very beginning, his grandfather had not been in a position where he could kill the assailant.
*What's certain is that the killer's martial arts are formidable enough to look down upon the entire martial world.*
If one were to list those in the Demonic Path with such martial prowess, it would only be the Demonic Emperor, the Three Demons, the Ten Demonic Sect Masters, and the Grand Commander.
*The culprit might be here, within this Demonic Palace.*
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists.
Whether his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade or not was no longer important.
But if his grandfather was a figure connected to the Heavenly Emperor?
The killer's identity had to be someone from the Demonic Path.
*And the faction that created the artificial beings is likely not unrelated to my grandfather's death.*
Figures at the very top of the martial world would inevitably be involved in its affairs.
Perhaps the creators of these artificial beings were also connected to the person who killed his grandfather.
*In that case, I must first find the ones who manufacture the artificial beings.*
Until now, all information about the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade had come about by chance, as a byproduct of solving other matters.
But rather than searching for the trail of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, which had no leads, it was better to follow the clear clue he had now found.
For now, that was the better choice.
"Summon the division leaders."
Having finished his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
He intended to follow the trail of the artificial inner cores and once again uncover their true nature.
* * *
Bu Eun-seol, disguised as Seol-so, secretly left the Demonic Palace.
*Just how much of the martial world have the descendants of the Eight Desolations' Three Sages taken control of?*
Creating artificial inner cores using artificial beings was an innovative, yet nearly impossible task.
But they had ultimately succeeded.
And to achieve such a result would have required decades, perhaps even centuries, of research.
If so, it would be no exaggeration to say that the martial world had been in the grasp of the descendants of the Eight Desolations' Three Sages all along.
—It's possible that the descendants of the Medical Saint among the Eight Desolations' Three Sages orchestrated this.
That was Yu Un-ryong's opinion.
If one could artificially create inner cores, it would mean they possessed medical skills that could reach the heavens.
In that case, it was highly probable that the descendants of the Medical Saint were involved.
—As you predicted, Lord, figures worthy of being called Killing Stars have recently appeared throughout the martial world.
That was So Ja-myeong's reply, whom he had asked to investigate in advance.
If they had fed artificial inner cores to the children abducted from Sahyang long ago, it was obvious they would have tested them on various other individuals as well.
The artificial inner cores had no apparent side effects on the surface, but they had a characteristic of erupting with uncontrollable killing intent when the user became agitated.
This meant that those who consumed the artificial inner cores were bound to cause trouble eventually.
Therefore, Bu Eun-seol had predicted that individuals who could be called 'Killing Stars' would soon appear in the martial world.
—Recently, a fearsome Killing Star has appeared in the Imgang Prefecture area.
At So Ja-myeong's words, Bu Eun-seol had finished the meeting and immediately headed for Imgang Prefecture.
If he could capture that Killing Star, he would surely be able to grab the tail of the forces that created the artificial inner cores.
*Fwoosh.*
Bu Eun-seol used his lightness arts without rest, arriving at Seomok Mountain in Imgang Prefecture in a single breath.
Thanks to the incident with the Black and White Witch, Bu Eun-seol had become accustomed to tracking and investigating someone's movements.
After investigating the vicinity, he confirmed that a Killing Star, driven by a murderous madness, had indeed appeared in the Seomok Mountain area and was attacking martial artists.
*The information is solid.*
Bu Eun-seol's gaze, fixed on the distant sky, grew hazy.
*From now on, I must handle as many things as possible on my own.*
Originally, he had intended to report the matter of the artificial inner cores to the Demonic Palace and send a large number of pursuers.
But through this incident, he had learned that there was a high probability that the forces of the Eight Desolations' descendants or their spies had taken root in the Demonic Palace or the Ten Demonic Sects.
That meant the person who killed his grandfather might be among them. He had to handle everything as secretly and as alone as possible.
*I don't even know what the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path are anymore.*
The martial world was divided into the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path, and one would think they were tightly united factions.
But in the end, the only thing that distinguished the two paths was profit and power.
The Demonic Path pursued tangible gains, while the Orthodox Faction was absorbed in fame and expanding its influence. And there were spies everywhere.
As Bu Eun-seol continued to experience these realities, the distinction between the Demonic and Righteous paths was gradually blurring in his eyes.
*Fwoosh.*
Before he knew it, he had arrived in a village in the area of Seomok Mountain.
As soon as he arrived, Bu Eun-seol surveyed his surroundings and questioned people to gather information.
And finally, he found a trace.
He had discovered that the Killing Star, presumed to possess an artificial inner core, was hiding near the now-abandoned Okryu Temple.
*Clang! Chaang!*
But something unexpected happened.
As Bu Eun-seol approached Okryu Temple, the sound of clashing weapons rang out repeatedly.
*Someone is already here.*
Multiplying his speed, Bu Eun-seol instantly rushed toward the source of the sound.
Inside Okryu Temple. In the front courtyard of the crumbling main hall, two figures were chaotically clashing weapons.
*Swish! Fwoosh.*
The one in black robes was wielding a greatsword, while the man in blue robes and a mask was using a slender, thin sword.
But contrary to their weapons, the greatsword-wielding, black-masked man's swordsmanship was swift and agile.
And the blue-robed man using the thin, slender sword had a heavy and solemn sword style.
*That must be the Killing Star.*
Bu Eun-seol immediately identified the man in black as the Killing Star hiding near Okryu Temple.
Not only was there a deep killing intent in the black-robed man's eyes, but a dark wave of energy was flowing from his entire body.
The man in blue must have tracked the Killing Star before Bu Eun-seol and was now trying to capture him.
*Fwaaat!*
At that moment, the black-robed man's sword style changed.
He suddenly began to swing his greatsword like a gale, unleashing a storm of sword winds and starting to pressure the blue-robed man.
*Whirl!*
The blue-robed man's mask was then blown away by a gust of wind, revealing his face.
Bu Eun-seol was greatly surprised.
The blue-robed man wielding the slender, thin sword. He was none other than the youngest son of the Namgung Family, Namgung Un.
*His skills have improved tremendously.*
The paper-light atmosphere of his past self was completely gone, and his entire body was shrouded in the sharp energy waves that only exceptional swordsmen could emit.
In the time since they had last met, Namgung Un had become an outstanding swordsman.
*Fwoosh!*
But the greatsword of the black-robed man, who had been madly unleashing his techniques, bent in a strange way.
Seeing that Namgung Un was not being pushed back even after he had used all his strength, it seemed he was about to unleash his final, ultimate move.
*Whirl!*
The greatsword, bent strangely like a whip, shot toward Namgung Un's side.
But Namgung Un was not flustered and raised his Golden Needle Sword to the sky.
*Woooong!*
Then, with a strange vibrating sound, a powerful pressure began to pour down from the sky.
Simultaneously, the black-robed man's greatsword failed to pierce his side and was slammed uselessly into the ground.
Namgung Un was not using the Azure Sky Swift Swallow Sword, but a solemn and powerful heavy sword technique.
*That sword technique.*
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened as he watched.
The sword technique Namgung Un had just used.
Wasn't it identical to the heavy sword technique used by the mysterious masked man who had attacked Dan So-ok in the past?
"Keuk."
Unable to withstand the pouring pressure, the black-robed man let out a loud groan and retreated backward.
"Just you wait!"
The black-masked man used his lightness art to leap into the air, attempting to flee.
He had realized that he was no match for Namgung Un.
*Kuuung!*
Just then, a massive fist's force descended from the sky, blocking the fleeing masked man's escape route.
It was the force of the fist unleashed by Bu Eun-seol.
"Keuk."
The black-robed man quickly twisted his body, but the force grazed his shoulder.
Groaning, the black-robed man landed back on the ground and tried to escape in another direction.
*Shlk!*
But in that instant, Namgung Un's sword shot out like lightning and lightly pierced the black-masked man's chest.
"Urk."
The black-robed man cried out in pain.
The flesh wound was not very deep.
But a powerful inner energy had poured out and instantly crushed his internal organs.
"Wetch."
As the black-masked man, who had vomited dark red blood, staggered, Namgung Un struck his acupoints like lightning.
*Papak. Thud.*
As the man whose acupoints were sealed collapsed,
"Hoo."
Namgung Un let out a long sigh and looked around.
"Which master might you be?"
*Fwoosh.*
As Bu Eun-seol descended from the air, Namgung Un's eyes widened as if they would tear.
"You are..."
Namgung Un, who had been staring blankly at the face of Bu Eun-seol disguised as Seol-so, ran forward with his arms wide open.
"Brother Bu!"
Like a child, he threw his arms around Bu Eun-seol and jumped for joy.
"It's been so long! Hahaha!"
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
Namgung Un had grown tall enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the over six-foot-tall Bu Eun-seol, and his build had become more robust.
But his pure, childlike laughter and untainted smile were the same as before.
"You've improved by leaps and bounds."
Bu Eun-seol offered his praise and asked.
"Besides, what you just used didn't seem to be the Azure Sky Swift Swallow Sword."
"Haha, that?"
Namgung Un laughed shyly and scratched his head.
"I kept saying I didn't want to, but the Family Head forcibly made me a candidate for his position... so I had to learn the First Three Forms of the family's Emperor's Sword."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes grew heavy.
*The sword technique that masked man used... was the First Three Forms of the Namgung Family's Emperor's Sword?*
"Are you the only one who has been taught the First Three Forms of the Emperor's Sword?"
"Of course not."
Namgung Un shook his head.
"My older brothers all learned it long ago. But since I wasn't a candidate for Family Head, I hadn't learned it until now."
"I see."
A deep furrow formed between Bu Eun-seol's brows.
In the end, the masked man who commanded the assassins and attacked Dan So-ok was one of the direct blood relatives of the Namgung Family.
"By the way, is something wrong?"
Noticing Bu Eun-seol's stiff expression, Namgung Un asked cautiously.
"You look very serious, Brother Bu."
*There's no need to tell him about this yet.*
"It's nothing. I was just surprised, so I asked."
Quickly composing his expression, Bu Eun-seol exclaimed in admiration.
"The heavy sword technique of the Namgung Family is truly the best under heaven."
That praise was sincere.
The Emperor's Sword was known to be extremely difficult to learn.
Therefore, it was said that those without a talent for the sword could practice for a lifetime and still not master even the basics.
But Namgung Un was already using the First Three Forms, which he had learned late, with masterful skill.
His playful nature had always hidden his true worth... but he was an outstanding martial genius with a rare talent.
"Not at all. Have you been well, Brother Bu?"
Namgung Un scratched his cheek.
"Ah, no. Should I be calling you Lord now?"
"You knew."
"When you fought Cheon-geom... I was lucky enough to get a spot."
Namgung Un rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed.
He had seen the duel between the successor of the Demonic Palace, Bu Eun-seol, and the Sword Venerable's disciple, Cheon-geom.
That was how he learned that Bu Eun-seol, whom he had only thought of as the one who killed the Blood Fiend Division Leader of the Hell-Blood Fortress and the winner of the martial arts tournament...
Was actually the successor to the Demonic Palace, a figure shaking the entire martial world.
"How could I dare call myself your brother?"
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"To the man who will one day become the head of the Namgung Family."
Things were different now than when he had met him as a wanderer.
He was the successor to the Demonic Palace, and Namgung Un was a candidate to become the head of the Namgung Family, which stood at the forefront of the Eight Great Families.
He himself had already reached the pinnacle of the positions he could attain, so it didn't matter.
But Namgung Un still had a long way to go. Bu Eun-seol was worried that he might bring harm to him.
"You say such disappointing things."
Namgung Un bared his white teeth.
"Have you forgotten my vow? That even if you were an evil man condemned by the entire world, my faith in you would not change."
—I trust my own eyes. Even if you are an evil man condemned by the entire world... I will believe in you, Brother Bu.
That was what Namgung Un had said when they parted ways back then.
And he still remembered and was keeping that vow.
*He hasn't changed.*
Namgung Un had a reputation for being a hooligan, but in reality, he was a man of broad character and magnanimity.
The reason Bu Eun-seol had been able to swallow his contempt for humanity during his travels in the martial world back then was also...
Because he had met a good person like Namgung Un.
"By the way, you haven't changed either, Brother Bu."
"In what way?"
"Just... everything."
Namgung Un beamed.
Even after becoming the successor to the Demonic Palace, he didn't show the slightest hint of arrogance.
His manner of speaking and atmosphere were the same, and his martial prowess had reached a level that was incomparably higher than before.
Namgung Un was incredibly proud that Bu Eun-seol was his sworn brother.
"The same goes for you."
Namgung Un was still a good person, someone who saw the world in a bright light.
And his playful and mischievous nature also remained.
"Hahaha. A person's true nature doesn't change so easily, you know."
Namgung Un laughed, showing his white teeth.
"But what brings you here?"
Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"Artificial inner cores."
"Huh? How did you know about that?"
Namgung Un blinked and then said something strange.
"Don't tell me the Divine Calculator approached you too, Brother Bu?"