Chapter 421
Chapter 421
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 421
Chapter Title: The Puppet Master's Strings
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hyeokryeon Eung was believed to be a top leader of the Three Realms. From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, he was a formidable adversary.
But Bu Eun-seol approached him with a calm expression.
“Hall Master.”
And bowing deeply, he showed the utmost respect.
“Have you been well?”
This wasn't a greeting for a leader of the Three Realms, nor for a spy.
It was a greeting for Hyeokryeon Eung, the Grand Instructor who had saved his life on the Isle of Hell, the Protector Hall Master of the Demonic Cult.
“Hahaha.”
Seeing through Bu Eun-seol's heart, Hyeokryeon Eung also let out a pleased laugh and nodded.
“It's been a while.”
The Hyeokryeon Eung he had seen on the Isle of Hell was a warrior whose entire being flowed with stern dignity, his eyes radiating an unapproachable light.
But the man before him now was completely different.
His impression was very gentle, and his eyes were full of a profound light of wisdom… he looked like a military strategist commanding an army of hundreds of thousands.
If he had spoken in a different voice.
If he had changed his gaze and expression.
It would have taken Bu Eun-seol a long time to recognize him as Hyeokryeon Eung.
“You've grown splendidly.”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s expression as he looked at Bu Eun-seol was filled with an admiration akin to appreciating a fine work of art.
“Far more than I expected.”
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes wavered.
He remembered Hyeokryeon Eung’s urgent expression on the Isle of Hell as he stopped the tournament to save him.
That memory alone prevented Bu Eun-seol from making the first move against Hyeokryeon Eung.
“Why was it me?”
With a sigh, he voiced the question that had long been on his mind.
“Why did you save me?”
Countless meanings were embedded in that question.
“Heh.”
Hyeokryeon Eung let out a low chuckle and looked at Bu Eun-seol with an expression of mixed emotions.
“Because your aptitude was the most outstanding among all the talents on the Isle of Hell.”
He turned his gaze to the distant sky.
“But what I truly valued was your disposition to become a supreme great demon lord, one who could transcend even the limits of your constitution and martial talent.”
“……”
“There were many outstanding talents on the Isle of Hell, but you were the only one with the disposition of a great demon lord who could reach the pinnacle of the path of supremacy.”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s gleaming eyes swept over Bu Eun-seol.
“As expected, you became the successor of the Demonic Cult. But there was something I didn't anticipate.”
He let out a snort and shook his head.
“You possessed far greater abilities and qualities than I had ever predicted.”
Hyeokryeon Eung wore a bitter expression as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
“As the successor, you were supposed to constantly clash with the Ten Demonic Sects and bring endless strife to the Demonic Cult. But there were no significant clashes or strife.”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s glittering eyes rippled for a moment.
“You even subdued the Ten Demonic Sects one by one whenever the opportunity arose. It was absolutely… not supposed to unfold that way.”
Bu Eun-seol could faintly understand Hyeokryeon Eung's words.
He had likely expected that upon becoming the successor of the Demonic Cult, he would constantly clash with the sect masters of the Ten Demonic Sects.
But his actions were completely different from what was expected.
Because being the successor of the Demonic Cult didn't matter to him. All he wanted was to find the fiend who had killed his grandfather.
But there was a reason even Bu Eun-seol himself was unaware of… it was because he possessed the disposition of a righteous hero.
Bu Eun-seol's spirit was a mixture of qualities that could make him either a great demon lord or a righteous hero of the orthodox faction.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol chose a middle path, and because of that, his actions were completely different from what Hyeokryeon Eung had anticipated.
—You moved in a way that was completely different from my expectations.
That was what Hyeokryeon Eung was saying.
The Three Realms had always manipulated factions and individuals to suit their own tastes.
“Is that why you called me?”
A glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“Because the puppet who was supposed to obey started moving on its own… to properly attach the strings again?”
Hyeokryeon Eung nodded frankly.
“That's right.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Since Hyeokryeon Eung admitted it so cleanly, there was nothing more to say.
Even if he were to ask about the Three Realms, he wouldn't get an answer.
Because in his eyes, he was just a puppet to be controlled by strings.
He probably didn't even feel the need to answer any questions.
“Are you confident you can attach the strings?”
“Hahaha. I know your martial progress is advancing at an unimaginable speed. You've probably reached a proficient level of the Supreme Heaven Realm by now.”
Hyeokryeon Eung said with a nonchalant expression.
“Even if I were a master who has reached the Limitless Realm, it wouldn't be impossible for you to escape with your life… You must have come here with that calculation.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Even if Hyeokryeon Eung was a master of the Limitless Realm… even if all the warriors of the Prince Wei Manor poured out to surround him.
He had come here alone and with confidence because he was sure he could break through any encirclement.
“Few in the history of the martial world have advanced their martial arts as quickly as you. You can be proud of that, but…”
Hyeokryeon Eung gazed at Bu Eun-seol with a faint smile.
“…Unfortunately, there is too much you do not know.”
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol’s vision went dark.
Hyeokryeon Eung’s voice and gaze.
Everything he had heard and seen until now had become a transparent net, ensnaring his spirit.
‘The Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art.’
Only then did Bu Eun-seol find the answer to one of his biggest, unresolved questions.
The reason why Hyeokryeon Eung could maintain a double identity in the Demonic Cult, where the Heavenly Demon Emperor resided.
It was not only because Hyeokryeon Eung had constructed a mental barrier so formidable that even the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s abilities couldn't penetrate it.
It was also because he had reached the highest level of the secret art of mind control, allowing him to manipulate others' spirits at will.
“It's a pity, but it can't be helped.”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s voice seeped into Bu Eun-seol's ears, as if melting into them.
“No matter how excellent a chess piece is, it's useless if it moves on its own.”
Thump, thump, thump…
Every time Hyeokryeon Eung’s voice flowed out, Bu Eun-seol’s spirit was shaken to its roots, and the senses in his entire body gradually faded.
The Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art.
Amazingly, Hyeokryeon Eung was using the Phantom King, Sa Ok-cheong's, secret art of mind control.
And he was using it more skillfully and powerfully than the Phantom King himself.
“Were you fellow disciples with the Phantom King?”
“Fellow disciples? Hahaha.”
Hyeokryeon Eung wore a cynical smile.
“You mean that pitiful fellow who gained the undeserved title of Phantom King after learning only fifty percent of the Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art, only to die at your hands?”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s sweet voice gradually became like a demon's claws, tightening around Bu Eun-seol's neck.
“Sa Ok-cheong. That fellow was merely one of the disciples who learned the art of mind manipulation from me.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes wavered.
The Phantom King was nearly ninety years old.
So how could Hyeokryeon Eung, who was not yet seventy, be the Phantom King’s master?
Did he transcend age and take on Sa Ok-cheong, a man older than himself, as a disciple?
“You may have many questions, but what's the point in knowing.”
Hyeokryeon Eung took a step closer to Bu Eun-seol.
“You'll become a puppet that can't even speak, after all.”
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
The reason he had kept talking to Hyeokryeon Eung was because he was curious about how he would refer to himself.
But he didn't use a title like "Realm Master."
From beginning to end, he used the simple expression "I."
Perhaps it was a habit ingrained from hiding his identity for so long.
Crack.
As Bu Eun-seol drew upon his internal energy, thick veins bulged all over his body.
Then, his stiffened body slowly began to move.
Amazingly, he was gradually breaking Hyeokryeon Eung’s Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art.
Shing.
When he finally drew his sword, Hyeokryeon Eung, contrary to expectations, smiled.
“I valued you highly not for your martial arts, but for that mental strength.”
Hyeokryeon Eung nonchalantly approached Bu Eun-seol, who had drawn his Obsidian Sword.
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol tried to unleash his sword technique in an instant.
But in that moment, he once again couldn't move a finger.
Hyeokryeon Eung’s Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art was on a completely different level from the Phantom King's.
The Phantom King had shown realistic illusions to trap people in hallucinations, then exploited the cracks in their spirit…
But Hyeokryeon Eung was already dominating Bu Eun-seol’s mind with just his gaze and voice.
“You will make a very fine puppet.”
Hyeokryeon Eung smiled.
He knew Bu Eun-seol wouldn't fall for any persuasion.
So, without another word, he was dominating his mind in a single stroke.
‘I will not lose.’
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip until it bled.
Clang.
But against his will, the Obsidian Sword he was holding had already fallen to the ground.
“Truly amazing. Your body doesn't listen, yet your mind is still fully intact.”
Hyeokryeon Eung’s voice became a mystical force, binding Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
“It seems some pain is necessary.”
Hyeokryeon Eung smiled and extended his left hand.
“To break down the barriers of the spirit, burning pain is the best.”
Fwoosh.
Then, a hot flame erupted from his palm, and soon, a sphere like the sun began to form.
‘The Flame Emperor's Flame Qi?’
Watching this, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
Was he not only a master of mind control but also capable of using the martial arts of the Eight Desolations Three Stars?
“A puppet doesn't need such a fancy shell anyway.”
Hyeokryeon Eung reached out his hand.
Sizzle!
Suddenly, white smoke began to rise from Bu Eun-seol’s face.
The Flame Qi extending from Hyeokryeon Eung was melting the skin on Bu Eun-seol’s face, excluding his eyes.
“Ughhh.”
Bu Eun-seol let out a groan from the pain that felt like it was burning his very soul.
He had clearly miscalculated.
He had been confident that no matter how strong Hyeokryeon Eung was, no matter if the masters of the Prince Wei Manor poured out, he could escape any crisis.
But Hyeokryeon Eung possessed a special martial art that far surpassed Bu Eun-seol’s expectations.
A martial art that transcended even one's level of cultivation.
He was freely using the very martial arts that Bu Eun-seol had always been wary of.
Sizzle!
As his skin, which had gradually turned red-hot, began to soften, even Bu Eun-seol’s iron-like spirit started to melt away.
—Resist. Don't resist. Give up resisting... give up.
Gradually, his ego was disappearing, and he was becoming assimilated with Hyeokryeon Eung's spirit before him.
But it was only for a moment.
An indomitable will once again blazed in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
‘You will never… control my mind!’
Crack! Szzzt!
At that moment, a golden glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
Simultaneously, his fingers, which had been unable to move, began to twitch.
This time, it was Hyeokryeon Eung who had miscalculated.
He had been confident that no matter how great Bu Eun-seol’s mental strength was, he could not defend against his Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art.
But Bu Eun-seol had been directly attacked in the spirit multiple times by masters of the Limitless Realm long ago.
Because of this, the thickness of his mental barrier far surpassed Hyeokryeon Eung’s expectations… and even amid the agony of his face being burned by the Flame Qi.
He was continuously resisting the magical power of the Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art.
Flinch!
For a split second, the sensation in Bu Eun-seol's frozen body returned.
‘This is the only way!’
Paaat!
Bu Eun-seol kicked off the ground with all his might and leaped to the opposite side.
He had thrown his body off the cliff in a single motion.
“Ah!”
Hyeokryeon Eung, letting out a cry of alarm, quickly executed his movement technique.
And in an instant, he used an attraction art as if to grab the scruff of Bu Eun-seol’s neck.
But just as his fingers were about to touch Bu Eun-seol’s collar,
Whoosh!
Bu Eun-seol’s body spun fiercely, not just falling but accelerating downward.
Unable to use any martial arts, he had done a somersault in mid-air to increase his falling speed.
Riiip!
With the sound of tearing fabric, only a piece of cloth remained in his fingers.
Whoosh!
In the end, Bu Eun-seol fell down the ten-thousand-foot cliff.
Hyeokryeon Eung could only stare blankly at Bu Eun-seol’s body as it turned into a small dot.
Splash!
At the bottom of the bottomless ten-thousand-foot cliff, a fierce river flowed.
The river that swallowed Bu Eun-seol flowed eastward with raging currents, as if nothing had happened.
“Chase him immediately!”
At Hyeokryeon Eung’s shout, a black shadow descended from behind him.
“Use any means necessary. You must. Bring back even the corpse.”
The shadow bowed its head and quickly disappeared.
Hyeokryeon Eung looked down at the mist-covered cliff with a frustrated expression.
“Terrifying bastard. To shake off my Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art and jump off a cliff.”
Hyeokryeon Eung finally realized he had made a grave mistake.
He had underestimated Bu Eun-seol’s abilities.
Instead of trying to dominate his spirit with the Empty Soul Summoning Secret Art… he should have struck him dead on sight.
* * *
Byeokgye Village.
This was a beggars' village, located at the foot of Mount Byeokgye in southern Guangxi.
The number of beggars here was so large that they couldn't live clustered near the town.
Therefore, they had formed a separate village like this and were living as a community.
And into this village of vagrants, a young beggar with an unprecedentedly hideous appearance had arrived.
His face was covered with burns and thick scabs that had not yet healed.
He spent all day crouched down, without saying a single word.
When he was hungry, he would catch and eat insects or dead rats.
Because of this, he didn't even beg, just spent the whole day with a dazed expression.
“That beggar won't get even a scrap of cold rice like that.”
Even the villagers would click their tongues and shake their heads when they saw the hideous beggar.
The duty of beggars is to beg.
Therefore, a friendly tone and attitude are not optional but basic qualifications.
But the young beggar always ignored people, and his appearance was so hideous…
Even making eye contact with him was unpleasant.
As if knowing this, the young beggar also sat idly at the deserted village entrance, just staring into the empty air.
“Mu-mu! You're at it again?”
Just then, a fat beggar with a face and belly swollen like a steamed bun approached the hideous beggar.
His name was Fatty.
He was the one who had found and saved the hideous young beggar, Mu-mu, when he was dying by the river.
“Why are you always just sitting blankly where no one is?”
Even at Fatty’s question, Mu-mu didn't answer.
But as if used to this attitude, Fatty sighed and shook his head.
“Geez. I gave you the name, but I really named you well. No name, no answer…”
Fatty recalled the memory of when he first met the hideous beggar who sat crouched without even giving him a glance.
Mu-mu.
* * *
A month ago, Fatty was walking along the riverbank when he was greatly surprised.
He had discovered a man collapsed by the river, his clothes all torn and his face a mess of melted flesh and clumped scabs… an incredibly hideous man.
“He seems to be breathing.”
Startled, Fatty hurriedly approached the collapsed man.
“His clothes look nice…”
Fatty grinned.
Unlike his hideous appearance, the man’s attire was quite decent.
If he took care of him until he regained consciousness, he might receive a large reward.
So he gathered medicinal herbs and diligently treated the man, but… a completely unexpected situation occurred.
“Sir, your name is…”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know your name?”
Fatty’s face fell.
He thought he would get a handsome reward now that the man had regained consciousness.
But this hideous man not only didn't know his own name, he was a fool who knew nothing at all.
No, to be precise, it seemed he had completely lost his memory.
He didn't even know who he was or why he had collapsed by the river.
But then, something strange happened.
The man, having regained consciousness, looked around as if hungry… and started picking up and eating the insects by the riverbank.
Observing this, Fatty slapped his forehead with a frustrated expression.
“Oh my, what sir? He was a beggar all along?”
The insects that man was eating.
They were ones that wouldn't cause any trouble even if eaten raw.
And the only ones who could distinguish which insects were safe to eat raw were vagrants or beggars.
“Sigh. Looks like I’ve saved another pitiful soul.”
Fatty shook his head as he looked at the man's melted face through his tangled hair.
Now that he knew he was a beggar, he had to give up on getting a reward.
‘No, wait.’
A brilliant idea struck Fatty.
What if he brought this man into the beggar gang? Wouldn't he get a direct subordinate?
“Aren't you just a wandering soul anyway?”
Realizing they were both beggars, Fatty started speaking to the man informally.
“I don't know what region you rolled in from, but now that you're in Byeokgye Village… you should join our gang too.”
The man paid him no mind and just stuffed insects into his mouth.
“Hey! Are you listening to me? Hey! Hey!”
After shouting at the man for a while, Fatty felt that something was missing.
He had no name.
He couldn't just keep calling the guy who was going to be his subordinate "hey."
“You have no name. You have no name…”
Muttering to himself, his eyes widened and he nodded.
“Right! Your name is Mu-mu! Because you have no name, no memory, nothing!”
And so, Fatty gave the man the name Mu-mu and had him join his beggar gang.
And after spending a long time with Mu-mu, Fatty learned one more thing.
Mu-mu. This guy had a personality like a block of wood and didn't listen to a word anyone said.
Munch, munch, munch.
And when he was hungry, he would forget about begging and just eat whatever was around him.
When Mu-mu was hungry, he would crouch down and diligently pick up and eat insects, regardless of who was watching.
“Sigh, never mind.”
Finishing his recollection, Fatty crouched down next to Mu-mu.
They say a beggar's life is the best life, but in reality, it's a profession where even getting a spoonful of rice is hard. And it's a weary life of being beaten up all the time.
But Mu-mu was truly unconcerned.
He was living peacefully as if he felt no suffering or weariness at all.
And as he quietly watched him, Fatty also felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
Munch, munch, munch.
In the meantime, Mu-mu had gotten hungry again and was catching and eating insects.
Fatty was silently watching him with a blank expression.
“Huh? That guy? He’s eating bugs again?”
Just then, five beggars from the village entrance were approaching them.
They were the members of the beggar gang that Fatty belonged to in Byeokgye Village.