Chapter 392
Chapter 392
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 392
Chapter Title: First Heaven
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But there was another reason for Bu Eun-seol’s great surprise.
‘A member of the Martial Alliance is using demonic sword arts?’
The sword style the masked man was using to fend off Soyo was a powerful and tyrannical form of demonic sword arts.
‘Hmm.’
A story he had heard long ago came to Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
A tale of a mysterious master within the Martial Alliance who was not only versed in the demonic arts of the Orthodox Faction but also knew their counter-techniques.
“Get out of my way!”
The masked man, having spotted Bu Eun-seol, let out a desperate roar and unleashed a flurry of sword forms to push Soyo back.
It was a clear attempt to find an opening and escape. But it was a futile effort.
*Swoosh!*
Soyo’s movement technique was like a flash of lightning.
She anticipated the masked man’s intended direction, sticking to him like a ghost and sealing off his escape routes.
“Kuh.”
A groan escaped the lips of the masked man as he swung his sword.
He had already sustained a deep sword wound near his right shoulder from Bu Eun-seol’s earlier strike.
Moreover, the physical wound was not the only problem.
The immense internal energy imbued in Bu Eun-seol’s Ink Sword had thrown his qi and blood into disarray, inflicting a severe internal injury.
As Soyo tenaciously circled him, his body grew heavier and his internal injuries worsened.
There was simply no way for him to break free.
“Drop the sword.”
*Shing.*
Bu Eun-seol, who had been watching, instantly drew his Ink Sword and executed the Meteor Chase Form.
“Hmph!”
As the swift blade aimed for his throat, the masked man snorted as if he still had strength to spare, employing dizzying footwork.
*Chiiik!*
But the blade, which had been heading for his throat, changed direction once more and plunged into his left shoulder. He had no choice but to raise his sword to defend.
*Clang!*
With a clear metallic ring, the treasured sword flew from the masked man’s hand into the air.
Unable to withstand the force contained in the Meteor Chase Form, the flesh of his palm had been torn apart.
*Pak pak!*
In that moment, Soyo shot out a finger wind like lightning, striking the Liangqiu acupoints above the masked man’s knees.
*Thud.*
His legs stiffening, the masked man collapsed to his knees.
Then, she struck again with her finger wind, hitting his Jianjing acupoints and paralyzing both his arms.
*Swish.*
Approaching with swift movements, Soyo ripped off his mask in one motion.
*Shhhhk.*
The handsome features of a blond, blue-eyed man, hidden beneath the mask, were revealed.
His internal energy seemed to have advanced even further, as a light brighter than the divine radiance seen in the underground city lingered in his upper dantian.
However, due to heavy blood loss and severe internal injuries, his white skin was gradually turning a shade of gray.
“…So you were with the Martial Alliance.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize who had been sending assassins from the Martial Alliance all this time.
This blue-eyed man had been ceaselessly sending killers until the confrontation with Jo Cheon-wang.
“You made sure we couldn’t pass through Chengdu or the villages for this ambush. To lure me to where you were hiding.”
“Hoo.”
The blue-eyed man let out a deep sigh, as if in tacit admission.
“To think you would survive the sword of Division Leader Jo.”
The Seven Grand Division Leaders of the Martial Alliance.
The Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance is chosen from among the Seven Grand Division Leaders.
In other words, they were supreme masters who had mastered peerless martial arts early on to attain their positions, and were candidates for the Alliance Leader.
However, the selection of the Alliance Leader prioritizes contributions to the Martial Alliance over fame in the martial world.
For this reason, after becoming Division Leaders, they avoid activities in the martial world that could create grudges and favors as much as possible.
What if they hadn't remained within the Martial Alliance, commanding their divisions?
They would have continuously exerted immense influence over the martial world or gained tremendous fame by clashing with other martial artists…
The hierarchy of the Four Gods and Seven Kings would also have been completely different.
Though they did not engage in the martial world, the Seven Grand Division Leaders have long been considered to be on par with the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
But Bu Eun-seol, despite having risen to the rank of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, had only defeated King Geol, who held the lowest seat, and was known to have practiced martial arts for a very short time.
Yet he possessed the skill to clash head-on with Mucheon Division Leader Jo Cheon-wang?
“…”
The blue-eyed man showed a brief flicker of surprise.
After that, he said nothing more, only glaring at Bu Eun-seol.
‘Either he infiltrated as a spy from the beginning, like No-bong, or he was bought by them, like Sim-wol.’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes deepened as he looked at him.
The Martial Alliance would never create Human Flowers by killing innocent people.
That meant he must be a member of the faction that had been throwing the martial world into chaos.
“Shall I… torture him?”
Soyo asked naturally, looking at Bu Eun-seol.
As a skilled assassin, she would surely be proficient in the art of torture.
“There’s no need.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly, looking down at the blue-eyed man.
“Until now, the method the shadowy organization used to control its pawns was to fulfill their long-held desires or ambitions.”
“…”
“Tell me everything you know. And I’ll let you live.”
Bu Eun-seol’s voice was placid.
There was no need for threats or torture.
Young men with much to gain have a strong attachment to life.
They have the power to shake the world; they wouldn’t want to die without even getting the chance.
The blue-eyed man was handsome and highly skilled in martial arts. He would never want to die so meaninglessly in a forest like this.
“Umm.”
Beads of sweat trickled down the blue-eyed man’s forehead.
He had mastered exceptional orthodox and demonic arts that had been lost to the martial world. Although, due to his short training period, he hadn't perfected them.
If he could train for just three more years, he could reach the seventh or eighth star of mastery, and the arrogant man before him would be no match.
How could he possibly die so meekly here?
“Umm.”
As if contemplating for a moment, the blue-eyed man looked up at Bu Eun-seol, a desperate tone in his voice.
“Will you really let me live?”
“If you speak honestly.”
The blue-eyed man nodded at Bu Eun-seol’s firm reply.
“Then, release my acupoints so I can treat myself. I’ve suffered a terrible internal injury.”
“Your answers come first.”
“You’ll keep your promise?”
The blue-eyed man said after a low groan.
“The word of the Lord of the Martial Soul, successor to the Demonic Hall, is known to be absolute in the martial world.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Judging by the blue-eyed man’s martial arts and his attitude in the underground city, he was no small fry.
From his perspective, getting information about the shadowy organization was more important than killing this man.
“But.”
Bu Eun-seol paused, a crimson light glowing in his eyes.
“If you utter even a single lie, I will end your life instantly.”
“Fine.”
The blue-eyed man said briskly.
“I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Bu Eun-seol remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“Who gave the order to kill me?”
“The Alliance’s Commander-in-Chief, Tae Sa-hyeon.”
“The reason?”
“He predicted you would have a showdown with Division Leader Jo. And he wanted to ensure that fight happened.”
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol recalled the martial artists who had ambushed him during his time as one of the Ten Demonic Hall Practitioners.
‘At that time, Division Leader Baek said they seemed to be warriors directly under the Martial Alliance’s Commander-in-Chief.’
There was no wavering in the blue-eyed man’s eyes.
Sensing he had answered honestly, Bu Eun-seol asked again.
“The name of the organization you belong to.”
“The Martial Alliance… that wouldn’t be right, would it?”
After a moment of thought, the blue-eyed man spoke without hesitation.
“First Heaven.”
He had expected the name Three Realms to come up.
When an unexpected name was given, Bu Eun-seol raised an eyebrow.
‘Then are they not the Three Realms, but another secret organization within the Martial Alliance?’
But the blue-eyed man’s next words eased Bu Eun-seol’s stern expression.
“It is also called the Infinite Realm.”
It was common for secret societies to use two names interchangeably.
Bu Eun-seol nodded and asked again.
“The Realm Master?”
“There is no leader. We are merely divided into those who deliver orders and those who carry them out.”
“No organization is without a leader. If there isn't one, there must be a core group that moves the organization.”
“You’re right.”
The blue-eyed man nodded.
“From that perspective, I suppose I could be called a pawn.”
He continued with a bitter expression.
“I was never even formally registered with the Martial Alliance anyway. I knew I could be discarded at any time, so I struggled to achieve merits.”
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
In the underground city of Sichuan, this man had seemed to hold a high enough position to give orders to the one cultivating the Human Flowers.
Yet he didn't know the core figures of the Infinite Realm?
“But I have spoken honestly.”
The blue-eyed man smiled faintly.
“You won’t break your promise, will you?”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why this blue-eyed man had so confidently offered to tell him everything.
He was a spy who hadn't been formally recognized by the Martial Alliance, nothing more than a pawn used to handle covert orders.
Ultimately, whatever he revealed wouldn't amount to much information.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Bu Eun-seol had too little information on the Three Realms, or the Infinite Realm.
Even if this man was just a pawn, he could still provide various pieces of information.
“Then who is the commander who gives you your directives?”
“The First Messenger.”
“The First Messenger?”
“All orders in our realm are delivered in person by messengers. The one who gives me directives is the First Messenger.”
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol recalled the mysterious masked figures he had encountered during his past journeys in the martial world.
“Do these messengers wear masks that shimmer with a strange luster?”
The blue-eyed man nodded with a slightly surprised expression.
“That’s right. It seems you’ve encountered them.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol feel the scattered pieces in his mind clicking into place.
The masked figures he had met in the martial world until now.
They were all messengers of the Infinite Realm.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Bu Eun-seol could now understand why the mysterious masked figures he had encountered in the martial world possessed such formidable martial prowess.
“Why create Human Flowers or artificial inner cores?”
Bu Eun-seol asked, his eyes colder than ever.
“With such a powerful organization and financial resources, why create things like Human Flowers or artificial inner cores?”
“Hehehe.”
The blue-eyed man chuckled faintly.
“You think our realm is doing this to throw the martial world into chaos or to satisfy our selfish desires.”
“You two deliberately spread plagues and cultivated Human Flowers. Not content with that, you created inner cores that turn people into murderous demons.”
“Great deeds require small sacrifices. It is unavoidable.”
Those were the exact same words spoken by No-bong, the former spy from the Beggars' Union.
“And don’t be mistaken.”
The blue-eyed man’s forehead creased slightly, as if his internal injuries were flaring up, and he continued.
“The artificial inner cores were never something for people like you to worry about.”
He looked straight at Bu Eun-seol and spoke clearly.
“They were meant for our realm’s use from the beginning.”
A shocking statement.
He had naturally assumed the creation of artificial inner cores was to throw the martial world into chaos, or perhaps to control it.
But to think they were originally intended for the use of the Three Realms themselves?
“The Three Realms also need artificial inner cores?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, the blue-eyed man took a deep breath.
“The Three Realms, as the name suggests, is a place divided into three factions.”
One shocking revelation followed another.
So, the artificial inner cores were…
Items created for the factions of the Three Realms to keep each other in check, or perhaps for war?
“That doesn’t add up.”
Lost in deep thought, Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
“You have consistently recruited individuals unrelated to the Three Realms and provided them with artificial inner cores. Even to a disciple of my Demonic Hall’s Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”
His gaze sharpened as he spoke.
“And you say they were meant for the Three Realms from the start?”
“I told you.”
The blue-eyed man said with a smirk.
“Our realm is divided into three factions.”
Realizing the meaning behind his words, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes gradually widened.
The Three Realms were, just as the name implied, split into three factions, and they were at odds with each other.
‘The powers that rule the martial world are engaged in a secret war amongst themselves?’
It was incomprehensible.
Shaking his head to clear his complicated thoughts, Bu Eun-seol asked.
“If you are the Infinite Realm, what are the names of the other two realms?”
“They seek a deep and empty world, and so…”
The blue-eyed man, who was continuing, stared at Bu Eun-seol with wide eyes.
It was the look of someone who had just made a huge mistake and been caught.
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, he clutched his throat and began to let out low groans.
*Crack!*
A sharp popping sound came from within his mouth. Simultaneously, his eyes bulged, and thick veins began to cover his entire body.
*Throb. Throb.*
His face began to swell like a ball, gradually turning red.
‘He can’t die!’
Bu Eun-seol immediately infused Counter-Polar True Qi into the blue-eyed man’s Dazhui acupoint.
The pure true qi entered his meridians and pushed back the poison, but his face only swelled further.
“Arghhh!”
The blue-eyed man let out a bloodcurdling scream, and then,
*SPLAT!*
His head finally exploded, splattering viscous bodily fluids and remains in all directions.
*Drip. Drip.*
Soyo, watching the falling remains, spoke.
“The Soul-Severing Art of Heart’s Annihilation.”
She then pointed to some of the blackened remains scattered around.
“They fed him a Black Prison Brain Worm that eats the brain, then took complete control of his body and spirit.”
The Soul-Severing Art of Heart’s Annihilation.
It was a sinister technique from the long-lost Heretical Sect.
Since they could easily annihilate or rebuild an entire sect, they would have had no trouble restoring a lost art of the Heretical Sect.
“So this was their method.”
Bu Eun-seol finally understood why such a massive organization as the Three Realms had remained unknown to the martial world until now.
They had been using such bizarre and cruel techniques to maintain their secrecy all this time.
“Its roots are so deep, I can’t tell how far they’ve spread, or where they even reach…”
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
The Three Realms was not a newly emerged power. It had ruled the martial world for generations, hiding its true nature for a long time.
But he didn’t know their purpose.
He didn't even know why the factions were fighting among themselves.
However, if he could remove all the spies embedded everywhere and consolidate the power of the available sects…
Perhaps he could uncover their true nature, or even eliminate them.
“Hoo.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
The blue-eyed man had provided more information than expected.
As long as they continued to extend their reach into the martial world, he would eventually uncover their true nature.
“Let’s go.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded at Soyo.
Now, he had to go to Myogaso, meet the Divine Sage, and solve the mystery of his grandfather’s death.
* * *
Myogaso.
Originally, this was a small village of vagrants in Guangdong.
Here, any food obtained was shared among everyone. Because of this, elderly and sick beggars, too weak to even beg, flocked to Myogaso.
As this situation continued, the younger beggars left Myogaso one by one, until eventually only the old beggars remained.
As time passed, Myogaso transformed into a place where old men, unable to even beg, gathered to wait for their final days.
The tomb of old vagrants.
At some point, Myogaso had acquired this moniker.
Bu Eun-seol and Soyo finally arrived at Myogaso.
As is typical of a vagrant village, it was a collection of shabby huts and crumbling ruins.
All around, old vagrants, completely drained of energy, leaned against walls or lay on the ground with listless expressions.
They showed no particular reaction to Bu Eun-seol and Soyo’s arrival.
Ordinary beggars would have pleaded for alms or looked for help.
But these people were so weak and listless that they had lost the will to live itself.
“In a place like this, he certainly would have been impossible to find.”
The Divine Sage was truly an extraordinary individual.
No matter how skilled an intelligence organization was, they would never have expected the greatest sage in the martial world to be holed up in a den of vagrants like this.
*Step, step.*
Soyo took the lead as if she were a guide, walking into Myogaso.
Her gaze was constantly fixed on the ground. The Divine Sage would not be some decrepit beggar.
She was tracking the traces left by a distinct gait, different from that of ordinary vagrants.
After walking for some time, they saw a small wooden plank propped up in front of the gate of a dilapidated hut.
And on the wood, in crooked letters, was written ‘Omniscient in All Matters’.
Omniscient in All Matters.
It meant there was nothing he did not know. It was a phrase often written in place of a sign at a fortune teller’s establishment.
But with the Divine Sage said to be here, those words felt as if they held immense power.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been staring at the plank, entered the hut without hesitation.
Inside was a small space, and beyond it, another tightly shut wooden door.
And at the bottom of the door was a small hole, just big enough for a hand to pass through.
“I’m here for a reading.”
As Soyo spoke, a wizened voice came from behind the wooden door.
“Payment is in advance.”
Soyo hesitated for a moment, then took out the Coin of Gratitude from her robes and pushed it through the hole.
Then, the old man’s voice was heard again.
“Only one question per coin.”
Soyo stared at the door and said in a low voice.
“Is there a way to cure the Severed Yin meridians?”
According to all known knowledge, there was no cure for the Severed Yin meridians.
But an unhesitating answer came from within the hut.
“Gather five masters with over three cycles of internal energy and have them simultaneously inject their energy into you. It will expel the Yin energy from your body in one go.”
*Thump.*
And a small piece of paper fell from the hole.
“Read this and burn it.”
When Soyo unfolded the paper, it contained a detailed explanation of the Six Energies—the three Yin: Jueyin, Shaoyin, and Taiyin.
And the three Yang: Shaoyang, Taiyang, and Yangming—interpreted through the properties of the Five Elements, detailing how the internal energy should be injected.
“Jueyin Wind Wood, Shaoyin Sovereign Fire, Taiyin Damp Earth, Shaoyang Minister Fire, Taiyang Cold Water, Yangming Dry Metal…”
Soyo began to memorize the principles written on the paper.
A short while later, she nodded and instantly burned the paper with Samadhi True Fire.
‘He knew in advance.’
The paper the Divine Sage had provided contained at least a thousand characters.
To produce it immediately after the question was asked meant he already knew Soyo would ask for a way to cure the Severed Yin meridians.
He had prepared the remedy on paper in advance.
‘It means he knew Soyo was coming and what she would ask.’
Bu Eun-seol grumbled inwardly.
His extrasensory perception covered a hundred yards, and with his Void-Shattering Mind’s Eye, he could perceive situations beyond a single wall even with his eyes closed.
But right now, he couldn't see through the single wooden door of this hut.
‘It must be a superior martial art or a formation.’
That meant the Divine Sage either far surpassed Bu Eun-seol’s level of martial arts…
Or he could deploy an incredible formation capable of completely blocking his senses.
In other words, whether in martial arts or formations, he possessed an ability that exceeded Bu Eun-seol’s own.
*Ssk.*
Lost in deep thought, Bu Eun-seol took out a Coin of Gratitude.
Just as he was about to insert the coin into the hole,
“…”
He stopped his movement.
He remembered the rule: one question per coin.
‘What I want is the identity of my grandfather’s killer.’
—Who is the culprit who killed Bu Jan-yang, the mortician of the Hwangju constabulary?
If he asked such a question, what if the Divine Sage didn’t know of a mortician named Bu Jan-yang from the Hwangju constabulary?
No matter how exceptional his grandfather was, he had lived hiding his identity for decades.
Even for the Divine Sage, would he know of a mortician who buried the vagrants of Hwangju?
Wouldn’t it be better to ask a question about the Seven-Branched Demonic Sword?
“Not asking?”
At Soyo’s words, Bu Eun-seol came to his senses and was about to insert the coin again.
At that moment, another thought crossed his mind.
‘Is the Divine Sage a person who only speaks the truth?’
What if he lies?
Wouldn’t he then be manipulated by the Divine Sage for some unknown purpose?
‘Heavenly Demon Emperor.’
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor had not only enlightened Bu Eun-seol to a great truth… but had also made it impossible for him to trust the words of any person.