Chapter 429
Chapter 429
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 429
Chapter Title: Total War
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“I'm a little late.”
Bu Eun-seol respectfully clasped his hands and took out a plaque from his robes.
“I had to stop by the Wolf Fang Pavilion to retrieve this plaque.”
“H-How did you get here...”
As Gongye Geuk's eyes widened as if they would tear, Bu Eun-seol answered nonchalantly.
“I walked. I heard there was a Demonic Council meeting.”
Then, he looked at Gongye Geuk with a faint smile.
The smile seemed gentle, but to Gongye Geuk, it was like a gesture from the King of Hell.
“As the Spirit Master, I have come on behalf of the absent master of our pavilion.”
Bu Eun-seol presented the Starving Wolf Plaque, which symbolized the master of the Wolf Fang Pavilion.
“I acknowledge it.”
As Yeop Hyo-cheon nodded, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands.
“Following the pavilion master's command, I will state my vote and then take my leave.”
*Click.*
Placing the plaque down, Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“I vote in favor.”
*Thump.*
In that instant, the expressions of the Ten Demonic Sect Masters contorted.
Bu Eun-seol was brazenly voting for his own removal?
Didn't that mean he had absolute confidence that he wouldn't be removed?
—*Seeing him return means he's already restored the Heaven-Severing Gorge and the Endless River Pavilion.*
Everyone in the room understood.
Hyeok Gong-baek and Geuk Hye-ryeong being here was only possible because Bu Eun-seol had already taken care of everything.
“Well then.”
Revealing his white teeth, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands.
And without hesitation, he left the meeting room.
A deathly silence filled the room.
Gongye Geuk, in particular, stood with his eyes wide and mouth agape, like a strangled corpse.
“I vote against.”
After a long silence, Wiji Hye-sang raised her hand with a bright smile.
“I came here to cast a vote against it from the start.”
She then rose from her seat and clasped her hands.
“Well then.”
As Wiji Hye-sang turned, the remaining Ten Demonic Sect Masters, excluding Gongye Geuk, scrambled to raise their hands.
They were all votes against.
“Since the majority has been reached, we have decided that the Spirit Master of Martial Soul will retain his position as successor.”
At Yeop Hyo-cheon's words, the people in the room rose calmly.
And they walked out of the meeting room.
The only ones who hadn't left were Yeop Hyo-cheon and Gongye Geuk.
‘How on earth did this happen?’
Gongye Geuk, dazed, rubbed the corners of his eyes with his index and middle fingers.
The intelligence from the Three Realms had never been wrong before. So why had this occurred?
“It seems there are times when Lord Gongye's information is incorrect.”
Just then, Yeop Hyo-cheon said as he rose from his seat.
“I'll be leaving first.”
“Grand Prelate.”
Gongye Geuk pulled his head back, his thick chin folding into creases, his eyes shooting upward like blades.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
As Yeop Hyo-cheon casually asked back, a sharp, volcanic poison aura spread from Gongye Geuk's body in all directions.
But when Yeop Hyo-cheon chuckled and waved his hand, the poison aura vanished as if washed away.
At the same time, the brightly lit meeting room began to slowly darken.
As Yeop Hyo-cheon unleashed his power, the entire world started to be dyed in darkness.
“...It's nothing.”
Clenching his teeth, Gongye Geuk withdrew his poison aura and slowly rose.
*Whoosh.*
And he walked past Yeop Hyo-cheon and out of the meeting hall.
***
On a small hill overlooking the Heaven-Severing Gorge, dozens of new graves had appeared.
They were the graves of the Demonic Sect members from the Peach Blossom Springs who had fought to protect the Heaven-Severing Gorge to the very end.
And the coffins in which they lay were all handcrafted by Bu Eun-seol, the successor of the Demonic Cult.
He had personally and carefully prepared the bodies of the fallen Demonic Sect members for burial.
He also had the Demonic Cult's honor guard transport the remains respectfully by carriage, conducting all rites with the highest honors.
Their lives in the Peach Blossom Springs may have been humble, but their end was solemn and dignified.
Moreover, the greatest successor of the Demonic Cult and all the key figures of the Heaven-Severing Gorge had seen them off on their final journey...
The deceased Demonic Sect members would have had no regrets.
“...”
Bu Eun-seol looked peaceful as he gazed at the graves.
But deep in his heart, a hot, volcanic energy was erupting.
In the eyes of others, the Demonic Sect members who had stayed in the Peach Blossom Springs might have been great demons who once stirred up the martial world.
But to Bu Eun-seol, they were old men who had struggled to survive in the ruthless martial world... and had barely found peace.
He had no intention of letting those who had brutally shattered their peace go unpunished.
“To think that even with the Spirit Master's intelligence network, we can't find the culprits.”
A violet killing intent flared in the eyes of Hyeok Gong-baek, who was looking at the graves beside Bu Eun-seol.
“It must be the work of those Three Realms people.”
Hyeok Gong-baek was also aware of the power and capabilities of the organization called the Three Realms, thanks to the information provided by Bu Eun-seol.
But... he hadn't experienced it firsthand.
After all, throughout the entire martial world, Bu Eun-seol was the only one who had directly clashed with the Three Realms.
“I originally planned to entrust everything to So-jin and retire.”
An aura powerful enough to tear the sky apart flowed from Hyeok Gong-baek's body.
“But I'll have to postpone it for a while. I must become a sword the Spirit Master can use whenever he needs.”
—*I will become a sharp sword the Spirit Master can use when needed.*
This not only meant that the Heaven-Severing Gorge was under Bu Eun-seol's command... but also that he was acknowledging him not just as the successor, but as the next Lord of the Demonic Cult.
“I will make sure you don't regret postponing your retirement.”
A blood-red glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he looked at the graves.
“Yes, if it's you, Spirit Master, I'm sure you can.”
Sensing the blazing rage Bu Eun-seol was suppressing in his heart, Hyeok Gong-baek nodded and turned away.
“I'll be going now.”
After Hyeok Gong-baek left, Hyeok So-jin approached and spoke.
“Brother Bu.”
That single short phrase contained everything Hyeok So-jin wanted to say.
There was no need for long, rambling words.
True men could convey all their intentions with just a look.
“So-jin.”
Bu Eun-seol also called his name once.
And he slowly turned around.
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to use only the Four Shadow Halls to crush those who had sent the Soulless Ones.
But he had changed his mind.
The Heaven-Severing Gorge was also one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
He had to make it clear to the martial world what happens when you mess with this place, what happens when they become enraged.
***
Hyeokryeon Eung.
Known as the Law Enforcement Hall Master of the Demonic Cult, he was actually a top executive of the Three Realms with a dual identity as the royal preceptor of the Prince Wi's residence.
But after attacking Bu Eun-seol, his existence had completely vanished. As if he had never existed in the first place.
Completely and cleanly.
But Hyeokryeon Eung had made a mistake.
He had guaranteed that the missing Bu Eun-seol would not be able to return in one piece.
Bu Eun-seol not only displayed brilliant strategic mind but also always pursued perfection.
Therefore, the Infinite Realm could be certain that his disappearance was not a feint.
A clever man like Bu Eun-seol.
Would never intentionally stage his disappearance and accept such enormous losses.
And that prediction was spot on.
Because in reality, Bu Eun-seol had suffered a grave injury and lost his memories.
If not for the attack on the Seong Family Manor?
He might have lived his entire life as a vagrant beggar, never regaining his memories.
But Bu Eun-seol regained his memories and returned to the Demonic Cult.
But the Three Realms, Hyeokryeon Eung.
With a brilliant commander like Bu Eun-seol missing, they did not maintain the strict security they had before.
And that returned as a painful blunder.
The Great Cloud Forest.
This was one of the most prominent medical families in the martial world, specializing in detoxification.
In particular, the antidote manufactured in the Great Cloud Forest, which could neutralize various poisons,
the Flawless Red Scale Pill, was the most favored all-purpose antidote among wanderers who were constantly at risk of being poisoned.
*Rumble...*
But now, a massive army of ten thousand began to gather before Yuchun Valley, where the Great Cloud Forest was located.
They were the forces of the Four Shadow Halls, the Wolf Fang Pavilion, the Heaven-Severing Gorge, and the Endless River Pavilion, all led by Bu Eun-seol.
“To think the famous Great Cloud Forest was the place manufacturing the Soulless Ones.”
At the head of the forces surrounding Daewun Valley.
Yu Un-ryong, riding alongside Bu Eun-seol, muttered in disbelief.
The Great Cloud Forest, famous for detoxification, had been taken over by the Three Realms and was secretly manufacturing the Soulless Ones all along?
And even half of the main forces of the Hellblood Fortress were secretly stationed there.
“Gongye Geuk, that old monster must have been recruited by the Infinite Realm after all.”
Yu Un-ryong shook his head at Myo Cheon-u's words.
“The medical families of the martial world are like absolute sanctuaries. That must be why we could never track the Soulless Ones.”
The medical world, where healers reside, is not touched carelessly, not just by the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, but even by the government.
In the martial world, you never know what might happen.
If you make enemies with the medical world, you might not receive help when your own life or the life of someone close to you is in danger.
And the Three Realms had taken control of one of the famous medical families, manufacturing the Soulless Ones there to evade pursuit and suspicion.
“If you hadn't gone missing, none of this would have come to light.”
Myo Cheon-u sighed at Yu Un-ryong's murmur.
“But this expedition was truly difficult.”
—*Immediately deploy all forces and strike the Great Cloud Forest.*
When Bu Eun-seol commanded not only the Four Shadow Halls but also the Heaven-Severing Gorge and the Endless River Pavilion,
and even the forces of the Wolf Fang Pavilion, to annihilate the Great Cloud Forest, the martial world was thrown into an uproar.
The Great Cloud Forest, as a renowned house of detoxification, maintained wide relationships with various martial sects and even the government.
Yet, he was mobilizing the forces of three of the Ten Demonic Sects to attack a medical family?
—*We cannot stand by and watch the arbitrary decision of the Demonic Cult's successor!*
When the army led by Bu Eun-seol reached the border of Jiangxi Province, various Orthodox sects based there protested vehemently.
—*Withdraw your troops! Confirming the facts must come first.*
But Bu Eun-seol was resolute.
—*From now on, anyone who stands in our way will be considered an accomplice and dealt with as a public enemy of the martial world.*
Normally, in such cases, a consensus is reached through negotiation.
But Bu Eun-seol relentlessly pushed his forces forward.
Moreover, a public enemy of the martial world?
—*Are you trying to start a war between the Orthodox and Demonic factions?*
The leaders of the Orthodox sects were in turmoil.
What if they didn't back down and fought to the last man?
The Martial Alliance would immediately intervene, and a war between the factions would break out instantly.
—*Strike.*
But Bu Eun-seol paid them no mind and gave the order immediately.
As the vanguard from the three Demonic Sects began to push forward without hesitation, the leaders of the Orthodox faction started to panic.
Bu Eun-seol had always been known by the moniker 'the righteous man within the demonic path' and had always acted with integrity.
In fact, even the Orthodox martial artists who blocked his path.
Had a sliver of faith that he wouldn't do something like this without concrete evidence.
Besides, since he used the term 'public enemy of the martial world'... there must be a major incident at the Great Cloud Forest, one that would give the Orthodox faction a reason to get involved.
The Orthodox sects of Jiangxi weren't trying to stop Bu Eun-seol, but rather to halt his advance to make a name for themselves.
They wanted to buy time, investigate the facts, and get a piece of the action in the Great Cloud Forest incident themselves.
But when Bu Eun-seol gave them no room and resolutely pushed his forces forward, they were greatly flustered.
—*M-Make way for now!*
To fend off the attack of the Demonic Cult's three vanguards, they would need at least two Martial Alliance-level vanguard forces.
An army of this scale was not something that all the Orthodox sects in Jiangxi combined could stop.
Besides, what if, as Bu Eun-seol claimed, there was a major incident at the Great Cloud Forest? What if they really had committed atrocities worthy of being called public enemies of the martial world?
They would find it hard to avoid the accusation of shielding public enemies.
In the end, the Orthodox sects that had set out to stop the three vanguards scattered in terror and cleared the path.
That was how the army led by Bu Eun-seol was able to enter Jiangxi Province intact.
“No time to waste.”
Bu Eun-seol muttered lowly, then said in a loud voice.
“Wipe them out! Not just the evil horde cowering in the Great Cloud Forest, but leave not even a single blade of grass!”
Total war.
Bu Eun-seol launched an all-out war, deploying every available means and force.
The key figures of the Three Realms wouldn't be here anyway.
He would annihilate the Great Cloud Forest, the place that had churned out the Soulless Ones, as if to make it evaporate, demonstrating the might of the Ten Demonic Sects.
And at the same time, he intended to expose their evil deeds to the entire world.
***
The martial world was turned upside down.
—*The Great Cloud Forest had been manufacturing the Soulless Ones that had appeared in the martial world!*
The reason the Demonic Cult's successor, Bu Eun-seol, had attacked the Great Cloud Forest.
Was because he had obtained evidence that the Great Cloud Forest had been using its accumulated knowledge to create powerful Soulless Ones.
Furthermore, those Soulless Ones had been created from human sacrifices, a fact that had previously shocked the martial world.
When this truth was revealed, the martial world was plunged into shock for some time.
But before the shock could even subside, a series of unbelievable stories were announced.
—*Most of the poisons used to create the Soulless Ones in the Great Cloud Forest came from the Hellblood Fortress.*
The Hellblood Fortress, one of the Ten Demonic Sects, had collaborated in the creation of the Soulless Ones?
And this crime was exposed by none other than the successor of the Demonic Cult?
The Demonic Cult immediately launched an investigation, and it was eventually confirmed to be true.
In response, the Lord of the Hellblood Fortress, Gongye Geuk, came forward to state his position.
—*Our fortress has a long history of distributing poisons wherever there is profit, regardless of faction. We are in no way connected to the Soulless Ones.*
Gongye Geuk, who always hid himself away in the Hellblood Fortress, actively tried to explain, but... unfortunately, the ones he needed to convince were not the people of the martial world.
—*To hold the Hellblood Fortress accountable, I will convene a Demonic Council meeting.*
At Bu Eun-seol's words, the demonic path was once again thrown into turmoil.
As the successor of the Demonic Cult, he was calling a Demonic Council meeting to discuss the punishment of a master of the Ten Demonic Sects?
Of course, it was difficult to evade responsibility for colluding with those who created the Soulless Ones that had plagued the martial world.
But for the successor of the Demonic Cult, of all people, to propose such a meeting... was a humiliation worse than death by biting one's own sword for Gongye Geuk.
—*I would rather seal the gates!*
Unable to bear such humiliation, Gongye Geuk finally declared he would seal his sect's gates.
But Bu Eun-seol did not even permit that.
—*If you wish to seal your gates, do so after your responsibilities have been thoroughly examined. The Demonic Council meeting has not yet been held.*
Gongye Geuk felt an indescribable rage and humiliation.
Wasn't this behavior from Bu Eun-seol less like dealing with a fellow Demonic Sect and more like interrogating a criminal?
—*If you feel wronged, then reveal every detail of the forces you colluded with at the Demonic Council meeting. If there are grounds for leniency, you might not have to seal your gates.*
But at Bu Eun-seol's terrifyingly cold reply, Gongye Geuk fell silent.
The Hellblood Fortress had always traded with both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions for profit.
And they had long maintained a secret pact with the Infinite Realm.
If this fact were to be revealed?
The Hellblood Fortress would no longer have a place in the martial world.
The Hellblood Fortress was checkmated.
In the end, they had no choice but to wait helplessly until the Demonic Council meeting was held, where they would face punishment.
No, at this rate... the Hellblood Fortress might not just lose its status as one of the Ten Demonic Sects, the entire sect could be wiped out.
—*While returning with the three vanguards, the Spirit Master of Martial Soul wiped out the Changbai Merchant Guild and the Sword Scale Valley.*
The martial world had no time to worry about the Hellblood Fortress.
The Spirit Master of Martial Soul, while pretending to return to the Demonic Cult, had once again mobilized a large army to attack the Changbai Merchant Guild and the Sword Scale Valley simultaneously.
Splitting his forces in two, Hyeok Gong-baek led the Heaven-Severing Gorge and the Endless River Pavilion against the Changbai Merchant Guild.
Bu Eun-seol and the Wolf Fang Pavilion completely wiped out the Sword Scale Valley.
—*Is he insane?*
The martial world was horrified.
The Changbai Merchant Guild was one of the Ten Great Guilds, possessing immense martial power of its own and enjoying the protection of the government.
And the Sword Scale Valley, also known as the Sword Scale Immortal Valley, was one of the sacred grounds revered by the Orthodox martial world.
Yet the great armies of the Heaven-Severing Gorge, the Endless River Pavilion, and the Wolf Fang Pavilion had wiped them out instantly?
And then, another shocking piece of news followed...
Bu Eun-seol had faced the master of the Sword Scale Valley, Hui Mujong, alone and had taken his head in just ten seconds.
Hui Mujong, what kind of man was he?
He was a master of the previous generation, one of the Ten Demonic Prodigies, said to be comparable to the Four Gods and Seven Kings of his time.
After reaching the pinnacle of demonic arts, he had a sudden epiphany... and became the first person to switch from the demonic path to the orthodox path.
He had joined the Sword Scale Valley by chance, and mastered not only demonic swordsmanship but also the valley's peerless sword arts.
He was a legendary master who had eventually risen to the position of the Sword Scale Valley's master.
Moreover, wasn't he the owner of the Yuchang Sword, one of the most famous swords in the martial world?
But Bu Eun-seol faced Hui Mujong alone, shattered the Yuchang Sword in three seconds, and took his head in ten.
—*So this is the extent of the Spirit Master of Martial Soul's power.*
—*What on earth is he relying on to commit such brutal acts?*
As the martial world was reeling in shock,
—*Both places colluded with the forces that disrupt the martial world, and there is clear evidence that they attacked the Heaven-Severing Gorge and the Endless River Pavilion. If you feel wronged, come find me.*
Bu Eun-seol calmly announced to the world, as if he had done something trivial.
-You should be careful in the future. If you make secret deals with vicious forces for the sake of immediate profit... this kind of thing could happen again.
Bu Eun-seol now knew.
The top leaders of the Orthodox and Unorthodox martial world were all aware of the Three Realms' existence, and some were related to it and turning a blind eye...
Or they stayed silent because they couldn't find their roots or lacked the power to deal with them, even if they wanted to.
But Bu Eun-seol had confidently destroyed the tails of the Three Realms that he had identified. And he had given a stern warning to their sympathizers.
—*Cooperate with the Three Realms, and you will end up like this!*
That's what he was saying.
Moreover, despite Bu Eun-seol rampaging so openly, the Three Realms had no reaction.
They never reveal themselves on the front lines. They would probably restrain themselves for now, no matter how much they hated Bu Eun-seol.
Because they must never reveal their true nature.
—*Place a bounty of one million taels on Hyeokryeon Eung, the Law Enforcement Hall Master who betrayed our cult and fled.*
And then, Bu Eun-seol made an even more shocking announcement.
Hyeokryeon Eung, the Law Enforcement Hall Master of the Demonic Cult, a loyal servant and a grandmaster of the demonic path.
He had placed a bounty of one million taels on him, who had now suddenly vanished.
In the history of the martial world, had a bounty of one million taels ever been placed on anyone, no matter how vicious?
—*Return at once.*
Instead, the reaction came from the Demonic Cult.
The Grand Prelate, Yeop Hyo-cheon, had used his authority to recall the Spirit Master of Martial Soul immediately.
Bu Eun-seol returned to the Demonic Cult at once, without hesitation.
This time, it was his turn to have a showdown with the Grand Prelate, Yeop Hyo-cheon.