Chapter 499
Chapter 499
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 499
Chapter Title: The End of the Valley of Lost Souls
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Do Song-baek stared intently into the Emissary's eyes.
Having seen through the intent hidden in that pair of eyes, he sighed and shook his head.
“So it's no use after all.”
The Emissary's eyes were full of deceit.
“Why?”
It was clear he had no intention of sparing the people of the Valley of Lost Souls, even if Do Song-baek took his own life.
[Indeed, you live up to your name as the Mind-Stealing Ascetic, one of the Special Envoys.]
The Emissary replied, impressed by Do Song-baek's powers of observation.
[You could just raise another disciple in that time, couldn't you?]
“Do you think this old man would make such a mistake again?”
[I want to believe you, but life rarely goes as planned.]
“This old man destroyed his own internal energy to atone for his past wrongs. However, there was no way to destroy the Esoteric Arts of Mind Control.”
Do Song-baek heaved a deep sigh.
“So I only wished to use the Esoteric Arts of Mind Control to bring peace to the hearts of those in pain.”
[Special Envoy Do, isn't your true power not in your internal energy, but right here?]
The Emissary said, pointing a finger to his temple.
[If you so wished, you could continuously cultivate masters of mind control capable of opposing our Realm.]
The Three Realms had always feared the abilities Do Song-baek possessed.
That was why they had relentlessly pursued him after he vanished, but they couldn't find a trace of him for a long time.
Then, by chance, their intelligence network detected that the youngest son of the Beast Palace Lord was heading to the Valley of Lost Souls.
This was because Dae Gon, the Beast Palace Lord, had mobilized his own intelligence network to monitor Dae Gu-hwi's first journey into the martial world.
The Infinite Realm sensed something was amiss.
It wasn't unheard of for martial artists, weary of life, to visit the Valley of Lost Souls after hearing its legends.
But for the young heir of the Beast Palace to enter the forgotten Valley of Lost Souls? It made no sense.
They launched a focused reinvestigation into the Valley of Lost Souls.
Eventually, they discovered Do Song-baek was hiding there and dispatched a large force.
No matter how brilliant Bu Eun-seol's strategies were.
He could never have predicted that Dae Gon would take such an action, or that the Three Realms would intercept that information, leading to this situation.
[It seems I'll have to waste a little more time.]
The Emissary raised his hand again.
The assassins raised their swords once more, preparing to attack.
*Vwoom.*
But in that moment, Do Song-baek's eyes had already turned crimson.
The Emissary began to twitch his hands and feet, as if he couldn't move his body.
*Ssssk.*
At the same time, a light swirled in the eyes of the surrounding assassins, and they suddenly began to surround the Emissary.
Do Song-baek had used his mind control to paralyze the Emissary and take control of the assassins.
[You see?]
The Emissary clicked his tongue with a relaxed expression, despite being surrounded by the assassins.
[As long as you possess such an ability, Special Envoy Do, you will never find peace.]
“Leave.”
Do Song-baek said coldly.
“Otherwise, dozens of swords will be buried in your body.”
“Valley Lord! Be careful!”
At that moment, the fallen Dae Gu-hwi shouted loudly.
He had sensed that the Emissary's body wasn't paralyzed at all.
But it was already too late.
*Stab!*
Blood gushed from the lower abdomen of Do Song-baek, who had been casting his mind control art.
The Emissary, who had been surrounded by the assassins, had instantly moved in front of Do Song-baek.
He had plunged a sharp hand-blade into his lower abdomen.
[To have escaped our Realm's grasp and lived this long is quite an achievement.]
The Emissary pulled out the hand-blade he had driven into the man's stomach, a sinister smile on his face.
*Pshhh.*
Crimson blood flowed out like a river.
With his sharp hand-blade, he had severed the abdominal aorta near the navel.
[How does it feel? The pain.]
The agony of having one's insides ravaged by a bare hand would be beyond imagination.
But Do Song-baek instead wore a faint smile.
“Isn't the essence of life suffering?”
He murmured softly with a lonely expression.
“All humans begin with life and walk toward death. And on that journey, happiness and sorrow are inevitably intertwined...”
[Is that your last testament?]
Just as the Emissary was forming a cruel smile,
*Rumble.*
a roar echoed from the distant sky,
*Flash!*
a bolt of lightning suddenly shot down from above, aiming to split the Emissary's skull.
*Whoosh.*
The Emissary quickly stepped back.
*Craaaack!*
A sharp wave of energy split the ground where the Emissary had been standing into two.
*Thud.*
At the same time, a gray shadow descended from the air.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
*'Am I too late?'*
Bu Eun-seol's eyes grew dim as he saw the bleeding, dying Do Song-baek.
[Who are you?]
The Emissary's eyes flashed, but Bu Eun-seol didn't answer.
He immediately approached the fallen Do Song-baek and infused him with true energy.
It was to hear his final words, if nothing else.
“It has been such a long time.”
Do Song-baek was calmly accepting his end.
“I originally intended to end this harsh life immediately, but I couldn't bring myself to do it and instead opened the Valley of Lost Souls. For people who suffer the same torment as I...”
Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
Do Song-baek had no lingering attachment to life to begin with.
When the Three Realms found him in the Valley of Lost Souls, he intended to give up his life without regret.
“But why.”
“The secret method that allows the Three Realms to control the soulless... In truth, this old man is the one who perfected it.”
Only then could Bu Eun-seol finally understand Do Song-baek's suffering.
He had joined forces with Hyuk-ryeon Eung to reach the pinnacle of the Esoteric Arts of Mind Control... but freely controlling and subjugating the human spirit was an impossible task.
They eventually resorted to using *Inhwa*, creating a secret method that could only grant absolute obedience over those addicted to it.
“You must save the people of this valley from their hands.”
Even as he died, Do Song-baek was only worried about the people of the Valley of Lost Souls.
“You can do that, can't you?”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Do not worry.”
“Thank you.”
Do Song-baek smiled faintly.
And then, he breathed his last.
He who had lived on, unable to end his own life, helping martial artists who suffered the same torment as himself.
The death of Do Song-baek, the Lord of the Mind-Stealing Sect, seemed endlessly peaceful.
“Why are the Three Realms so petty?”
Bu Eun-seol said, glaring at the Emissary.
“Haven't you already seized most of the martial world? Did you really have to hunt down and kill Valley Lord Do, who only sought peace?”
[So you know about our Realm.]
Since Bu Eun-seol had Seol So's appearance, the Emissary didn't recognize him at all.
“You don't deserve to live.”
Without another word, Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Thirteenth Night Arts.
*Chiiik!*
Two streams of energy scraped across the ground, flying to dig into the Emissary's left and right flanks.
“Hmph.”
*Papak.*
The Emissary lightly summoned his internal energy, intending to deflect the attack.
But that was a feint.
*Fwoooosh!*
The real attack was four streams of energy arcing in a wide semi-circle to wrap around the Emissary's back.
*Whirl!*
Greatly surprised, the Emissary spun his body like a top.
But one stream of energy had already dug into his side.
[Kuh.]
The Emissary let out a short scream, doubling over.
As the sharp energy pierced him, a pain as if all the bones in his body were contracting spread through him.
[This bastard.]
Greatly flustered by Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess, the Emissary retreated.
*Fwoosh!*
He suddenly spread his arms and gathered his internal energy.
A transparent powder began to scatter in all directions.
[Collapse!]
At the same time, a sickly yellow light poured from the Emissary's right eye.
It was a powerful esoteric art of mind control comparable to the Soul-Summoning Secret Words of the Void Spirit: the Evil Spirit Demon Eye.
“The One-Eyed Yama, Dong Cheon-gi. So you were an Emissary of the Three Realms?”
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
The One-Eyed Yama, Dong Cheon-gi. He primarily used insidious drugs and basic mind control techniques.
He was the master of the Ghost Fire Sect, a dark arts sect that lived off contract killings.
He rarely showed himself in the martial world, a man who only fattened his own pockets by having his disciples accept contracts.
He was also an incredibly arrogant man; he had even given himself the grandiose title of "One-Eyed Yama."
But for Dong Cheon-gi to not only hold the status of an Emissary of the Infinite Realm,
but also use the Evil Spirit Demon Eye, an esoteric mind control art comparable to the Soul-Summoning Secret Words of the Void Spirit?
[The Evil Spirit Demon Eye doesn't work?]
The Emissary, Dong Cheon-gi, staggered back in bewilderment.
He was a master of the Light-Splitting Finger Force and mind control, and had easily defeated his enemies with the Evil Spirit Demon Eye he learned in the Infinite Realm.
But not only did it not work, this man's martial arts were even stronger than his?
“Then it seems the Emissaries of the Infinite Realm don't have a separate identity, but are either appointed as needed... or they operate under other identities.”
A glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“You must have been wandering the martial world, carrying out missions for the Infinite Realm with assassins disguised as disciples of the Ghost Fire Sect under the pretext of contract work. And you must have learned your mind control arts from them as well.”
[Silence!]
Dong Cheon-gi raised his left hand.
*Chk!*
The assassins each pressed their swords to the throats of the people from the Valley of Lost Souls.
[Don't move. If you so much as lift a finger, I'll kill them.]
Until now, the Emissaries of the Three Realms not only possessed outstanding martial prowess but also used unique techniques that defied the boundaries of martial arts.
However, the Emissary before him, Dong Cheon-gi, was uniquely weak in martial arts compared to the others he had seen.
It seemed this was because he had always been assigned missions that utilized mind control rather than martial arts.
[Even you can't possibly save all these people.]
The assassins had subdued about a hundred people.
To save everyone from the Valley of Lost Souls, he would have to behead all the assassins at once.
The only way to do that would be to use the True Art of Will, but the problem was that its activation speed wasn't very fast.
*'Is there no other way?'*
Normally, he would have killed the assassins and subdued the Emissary in an instant, regardless of whether the hostages lived or died.
But he had Do Song-baek's request, the man who had willingly given him the Hyeon-yeop Seok and shown him kindness, so he couldn't sacrifice the people of the Valley of Lost Souls.
“Snap out of it.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke to the people of the Valley of Lost Souls, who were trembling listlessly in front of the ruined garden with its collapsed flowers and trees.
“If you want to die, press your necks to their blades. If you want to live, fight.”
A sharp light glinted in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he looked at them.
“The Valley Lord is dead. There is no more peace for you.”
His low cry echoed in the minds of the people of the Valley of Lost Souls.
—The Valley Lord is dead. There is no more peace for you.
A light began to shine from the eyes of the people of the Valley of Lost Souls, who had been standing blankly with unfocused gazes.
The Valley of Lost Souls was destroyed, and its Lord was dead.
The beautiful scenery that made them forget their painful memories was no more.
The Valley of Lost Souls, which had been cut off from the world, was now gone.
“Ooooh!”
One of the middle-aged men from the valley unleashed a powerful palm energy.
It was Dan Jung-ak, the Golden Blade Jade Man, who had despaired after losing his beloved wife and found peace upon entering the Valley of Lost Souls.
“Uwaaaah!”
Then, the others who had been standing blankly also began to use the martial arts they had long forgotten to attack the assassins.
There was no paradise anymore.
In that case, they had no choice but to return to the world, to the martial world.
*Pow! Fwoosh!*
As the people of the Valley of Lost Souls used their martial arts, the assassins' ranks crumbled helplessly.
These were people with enough talent to have become weary of worldly affairs.
As they unleashed their long-suppressed emotions and drew upon their martial arts, they were instantly transformed into powerful masters.
*Swish!*
In that chaos, Bu Eun-seol's Thirteenth Night Arts dug into Dong Cheon-gi's neck.
[Not a chance.]
He was only slightly weaker than the Emissaries who had appeared so far; Dong Cheon-gi's martial prowess was by no means to be trifled with.
But Bu Eun-seol's martial arts were on a level where he wouldn't be pushed back even against the supreme masters who roamed the martial world.
Several times, Dong Cheon-gi nearly had his head taken off.
[Wait!]
Dong Cheon-gi shouted loudly in panic.
[Don't you want to know about our Realm?]
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
“What would someone like you know? Your head would explode before you could even speak the truth.”
Bu Eun-seol already knew from the Phantom King Sa Ok-cheong and the blue-eyed man from the Martial Alliance that the Three Realms had placed a powerful restriction.
He knew well that if one tried to speak of it, they would lose their life instantly.
*Tremble, tremble.*
Realizing there was no way to survive, Dong Cheon-gi trembled, his eyes wide as he shouted.
[Then everyone... will die together!]
And he stretched both hands to the sky.
*Boom!*
With an explosion, his blood and bone fragments scattered in all directions.
Like Gang Ryong-tak Bi-hon, he had used a technique to self-destruct, taking the enemy down with him.
*Zzzzing!*
But Bu Eun-seol, as if anticipating such a move, had already created a spherical barrier with the True Art of Will to block it.
*Ruuuumble!*
But something unexpected happened.
As Dong Cheon-gi exploded, the entire Valley of Lost Souls suddenly began to collapse.
Before entering this place, he had his assassins plant a huge amount of explosives.
His plan was to bury everyone here alive if the mission failed.
“To the Yeonwol Cave!”
At that moment, Noe Bi-hon, who was in a corner, shouted.
“There's a passage there we can use to escape safely!”
While staying in the Valley of Lost Souls, he had thoroughly familiarized himself with its layout.
That's why he knew about the secret passage in Yeonwol Cave that connected to the outside of the valley.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Following Noe Bi-hon's shout, many people entered the area where Yeonwol Cave was located.
And when they reached the end of the cave, there was a huge iron door.
Passing through it quickly, they were able to emerge right at the foot of the mountain.
*Rumble.*
In the meantime, the mountain shook, and the place where the Valley of Lost Souls had been completely collapsed.
The people of the Valley of Lost Souls stared at the scene with dazed expressions.
The Valley of Lost Souls, which let them forget all worldly worries, was no more.
They had to go back out into the world and live.
They all looked as if they had just woken from a dream, then soon bowed their heads toward the valley's remains.
It was a gesture of gratitude to Do Song-baek, who had eased their hearts and cared for them all this time.
* * *
The Divine Water Palace is the most unique and mysterious female sect among the Seven Great Hidden Palaces of the martial world.
They did not interact with other sects or figures from the martial world, maintaining their lineage in aloof purity, keeping only their own gates clean.
Furthermore, they combined a mysterious power called Divine Water Ki with their martial arts.
They use martial arts that turn the common substance of water into the world's most terrifying weapon.
And within the mysterious Divine Water Palace, there is another secret place unknown to the martial world.
It was the Pool of Forging Lightning.
The area around the Pool of Forging Lightning was always shrouded in rain clouds, and the atmosphere was unstable.
Due to strong winds, the terrain, and a hot, humid climate... lightning struck frequently.
Now that they had obtained the Divine Spirit Pasture and the Hyeon-yeop Seok.
If he could now use the lightning that falls at the Pool of Forging Lightning to awaken his Divine Lightning Ki... Noe Bi-hon would be able to regain all his power.
Bu Eun-seol and his companions diligently traveled to the Silver River Ridge, where the Divine Water Palace was located.
Finally arriving near the Silver River Ridge, they found a place to rest as night fell and lit a fire.
“Let's recover our strength here before going to the Divine Water Palace.”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Dae Gu-hwi diligently built a fire while Noe Bi-hon prepared their sleeping arrangements.
Once they were more or less ready to camp for the night, Noe Bi-hon began to meditate.
His memories had not returned, but as time passed, the martial art formulas of the Thunder Spirit Sect came back to him one by one.
And through meditation, he would memorize the formulas that came to his mind and then teach them to Dae Gu-hwi.
During their journey from the Valley of Lost Souls to the Silver River Ridge, Noe Bi-hon taught Dae Gu-hwi a considerable number of the Thunder Spirit Sect's martial arts.
Since the martial arts of both the Thunder Spirit Sect and the Beast Palace were based on ferocity, the two styles harmonized very well.
“Hmm, this one should be useful.”
Whenever another martial art text came to his mind, Noe Bi-hon would interpret it in detail and explain it to Dae Gu-hwi.
“Gu-hwi, you might think your Beast Ki doesn't activate properly because of your gentle nature and your tendency to dwell on past memories. But I think differently. It's more likely because you're too rational.”
“Is being rational a bad thing?”
“Not at all. Making cool-headed, rational judgments before a fight is the best choice. However, you shouldn't be thinking about the enemy's movements with your head, or even considering victory or defeat.”
Noe Bi-hon explained calmly.
“The martial arts of the Beast Palace must emphasize instinct and senses, so if you learn this First Form of the Thunder Spirit, it should help you draw out your sharp senses.”
And he recited the text for the First Form of the Thunder Spirit.
Dae Gu-hwi listened with a serious expression, diligently memorizing the text he recited.
*'He probably wanted to live like this.'*
Bu Eun-seol smiled as he watched them.
Noe Bi-hon must have cherished his son deeply. And as his child grew, he probably wanted to raise him just like this, teaching him martial arts one by one.
Dae Gu-hwi has a gentle personality and follows Noe Bi-hon well.
To the point that anyone who didn't know them might mistake them for father and son.
*'It seems there's nothing for me to do on this journey.'*
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to teach Dae Gu-hwi various martial art formulas on this journey to help him unleash his Beast Ki.
But due to the events in the Valley of Lost Souls, Dae Gu-hwi had succeeded in unleashing his Beast Ki.
And Noe Bi-hon was gradually filling in the remaining gaps.
By the time their business at the Divine Water Palace was finished, Dae Gu-hwi would likely be able to draw upon his Beast Ki smoothly.
*Nod, nod.*
As the night deepened, Dae Gu-hwi, looking tired, fell fast asleep.
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky, lost in thought.
Just then, Noe Bi-hon approached Bu Eun-seol.
“You've gone through a lot of trouble because of me.”
“Not at all.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“Brother Noe, you may not remember, but in truth, all of this is your younger brother's fault.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because of me, your younger brother, you were suddenly drawn into a battle. You were defeated by them and injured.”
“How is that your fault, younger brother? It was my own lack of skill.”
Noe Bi-hon said with a gentle smile.
“You've truly suffered a lot. Because of me.”
Bu Eun-seol smiled.
Although their bond was formed under incomplete circumstances, he felt a strong affection for Noe Bi-hon, as if they had truly become sworn brothers.
So much so that these journeys didn't feel like hardships at all.
*'But.'*
This is a short dream.
Because when he regains his Divine Lightning Ki, he will lose all his memories up to this point.
For now, he just had to think of it as having a pleasant dream.
“Let's talk about that after everything is over. It's still uncertain if the Divine Water Palace Lord will even let us use the Pool of Forging Lightning.”
“Yes, that's true.”
Noe Bi-hon said calmly.
“But even if I can't regain my power, I won't be too disappointed. So, younger brother, don't push yourself too hard.”
Bu Eun-seol smiled instead of answering.
Because he had resolved to restore Noe Bi-hon's power, no matter what.
However, he did not foresee that something completely unexpected would happen.
The next day.
Bu Eun-seol and his companions arrived early before the Divine Water Palace and relayed their request to visit the Pool of Forging Lightning to a guard.
“Please deliver this letter to the Vice Palace Lord.”
The Lord of the Divine Water Palace was in seclusion, and all duties were being handled by the Vice Palace Lord, Sa Cheong-ha.
Thus, they delivered the message requesting entry to the Pool of Forging Lightning to Vice Palace Lord Sa Cheong-ha.
In response, a rather baffling reply came back.
“She said that while she would like to cut off your heads right now, she will grant you mercy... and that you are to retreat thirty li away from the Silver River Ridge as soon as you hear this.”
“What does that mean?”
“She just told me to relay that message. Now, if you'll excuse me.”
*Thump.*
The gates of the Divine Water Palace closed firmly once again.
Standing before the gate, Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his bewilderment.
This was completely unexpected. Even if the Divine Water Palace shunned outsiders, to be this hostile?
It was clear that something had happened between the Vice Palace Lord and Noe Bi-hon.
“Brother Noe. Do you remember anything?”
“Nothing.”
Noe Bi-hon calmly shook his head.
Having lost his memories, even if he had some ill-fated history with Sa Cheong-ha, he would have no way of knowing.
“To come all this way for this.”
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
How much had they struggled until now to obtain the Divine Spirit Pasture and the Hyeon-yeop Seok?
But if the Divine Water Palace refused them entry to the Pool of Forging Lightning, not only would all their efforts so far be for naught,
but he also wouldn't be able to find the descendant of the Saber Emperor.
“Young Master Seol.”
At that moment, Dae Gu-hwi stepped forward.
“Let me give it a try.”
He said confidently, beating his chest.
“Whatever the case, I am an heir of the Beast Palace. Even the Divine Water Palace cannot easily ignore the prestige of my palace.”
He was ignored.
Vice Palace Lord Sa Cheong-ha couldn't care less about the reputation of the Beast Palace.
And she had even less intention of honoring the prestige of a little-known youngest son.
As Dae Gu-hwi returned, completely ignored and with a vacant look in his eyes, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
*'I have no choice.'*
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
In the end, there was only one way to enter the Divine Water Palace, which shamelessly refused to even open its gates.
His identity as the heir of the Demonic Cult, the Lord of the Martial Soul Order.