Chapter 1037
Jin Seol was so dumbfounded she nearly burst out laughing.
Kill her simply because she had encountered that venerable monk of the Nothingness Sect?
She shook her head, staring blankly at Yang Jung.
'No. The Elder Lord would never issue such a petty order.'
Killing someone just for crossing paths?
That was absolutely not the kind of command the Demonic Heavenly Emperor would give.
"I will personally explain the situation to the Elder Lord."
"That won't be possible."
Yang Jung spoke with solemn gravity.
"The Extermination Order has already been issued."
"Sado Mu-myeong. Even he has changed."
With a low sigh,
Creeeak.
The temple doors opened, and Takma stepped out slowly.
"Has the old monk perhaps said something unforgivable, that even you would stoop to murdering even your own subordinate to silence her?"
Then he turned to Jin Seol.
"Patron, you should withdraw first. This old monk will hold them off."
Jin Seol shook her head.
She had already been abandoned by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
The subordinates stationed in the estate had ultimately been there to monitor her.
And now, for the mere reason of encountering this monk, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had issued an extermination order without hesitation.
Yet Takma, meeting her for the first time, was willing to stake his life to protect her without a second thought.
How could she simply walk away?
With resolute determination, Jin Seol declared:
"I will stand with the Great Monk, through life and death."
Shhhlick.
She drew a sharp dagger from her robes.
Chiljo.
It was one of a pair of famed blades—along with Dangan —renowned as the sharpest in the martial world.
A gift from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor when she turned eighteen...
Yet now, she would have to use that very blade to kill his own subordinates.
"How disappointing, Upper Blossom Jin."
Yang Jung wore a bitter smile.
"To betray us so quickly, clinging to the enemy just to save your own skin."
"I refuse to obey an order to die without reason—especially after having my memories erased."
"Erased your memories?"
Yang Jung frowned and shook his head.
"No matter. It changes nothing."
Slowly, he raised his hand.
Ruuuumble.
The sky darkened as an inky mist began to rise around the temple.
The Ghost Pavilion was renowned even among the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's secret organizations for its unparalleled assassination skills.
Moreover, its members had mastered forbidden Great Arts.
Once the Extermination Order was issued, their targets were as good as dead.
"Did you truly think this handful of men could restrain this old monk?"
At Takma's words, Yang Jung scoffed.
"Had the venerable monk been in perfect health, I would've fled so fast my soles would catch fire. But you're hardly in fighting condition, are you?"
He had already discerned that Takma was severely injured and far from his peak.
"The West Lake area is already surrounded by our elites, cutting off all escape. Even if you could fly, you wouldn't break free."
No matter how swift the intelligence network of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's secret forces might be...
It was impossible to mobilize enough manpower to encircle the entire West Lake region in a single day.
Yet Yang Jung's brazen confidence suggested...
A formidable reinforcement was undoubtedly on its way.
"Then you'll die by our blades before they arrive!"
With Yang Jung's shout, the temple grounds plunged into complete darkness.
The Ghost Pavilion's Great Art had been unleashed.
The battle did not last long.
Takma, a peerless martial artist, displayed superhuman skill, rendering all of the Ghost Pavilion's elites incapacitated.
Moreover, Jin Seol was no longer the same as before.
During her time in the estate, her martial prowess had deepened through meditation and internal energy cultivation.
She had reached a level where she could wield the profound techniques imparted by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Thus, she too swiftly felled the Ghost Pavilion's warriors alongside Takma.
Despite their victory, neither emerged unscathed.
Takma had already been suffering from severe internal injuries.
And the Ghost Pavilion's Great Arts primarily relied on sinister techniques that unleashed Ghostly Energy upon death.
They had injected both of them with a venomous Ghost Toxin that was not easily shaken off.
Hiiisss.
White smoke began to rise from Jin Seol's body.
Unable to suppress the Ghost Toxin, her meridians were slowly freezing.
"This old monk will assist you."
Ignoring his own agony, Takma channeled his internal energy.
Then, he expelled all the Ghost Toxin that had seeped into her body.
Thud.
Takma collapsed weakly to his knees.
To save Jin Seol, he had exhausted every last ounce of energy—even what little remained to purge his own toxin.
"Great Monk..."
Jin Seol's voice choked as tears streamed from her ice-cold eyes, moved beyond words that Takma had sacrificed everything to save her.
The world she had always believed in was a lie.
Only this unknown Lama Monk of the Nothingness Sect... had saved her with a genuine heart.
"Do not apologize. The fact that you and I have met was also a bond ordained by heaven," Takma said.
"The benefactor was likely sacrificed in a scheme orchestrated by Sado Mu-myeong."
He had vaguely surmised the situation—that Jin Seol had not succumbed to evil in the end and had even resisted the Demon Hall's masters for his sake.
"This old monk will do what he can to hold them off. Slip away in secret. Even if they've laid a heavy encirclement, once you break free of the West Lake area, you should be able to evade pursuit."
"I will fight to the death alongside the Venerable Monk."
"There's no need for that. This old monk has no intention of dying yet."
Takma smiled faintly.
"The Primordial Chaos Subtle Qi still remains within this old monk's body. With luck, I may yet break through the encirclement and survive."
Then, gazing up at the darkening distant sky, he murmured,
"This old monk cannot die yet. For I alone can undo the seal on the Savior Star—the one who will save this world."
"A seal...?"
"He forcibly contains powers that should never be mingled within a single body. If they were to unravel on their own... something terrible would happen."
Takma grimaced, speaking as if in pain.
"So before he releases them himself, this old monk must undo the seal on his Brain Gate Acupoint."
When Jin Seol stared blankly, unable to comprehend, Takma shook his head.
"Do not divert elsewhere. Leave West Lake at once and vanish without a trace. You must escape along a path they would never anticipate."
Then he gave her a benevolent smile.
"You must survive."
Whoosh!
Without waiting for a reply, Takma soared into the blackening sky beyond.
"Survive...?"
Jin Seol murmured weakly, staring dazedly at the sky where Takma had disappeared.
Only after being left alone did she finally realize—
No matter how vast the world was, there was no place left for her to take refuge.
Even if she survived, there was nowhere to go.
The world she had known had crumbled entirely.
The adoptive father she had believed raised her with love had coldly discarded her the moment she became useless.
Was there any reason left to survive?
No—rather, the hollow question circled endlessly in her mind: Why am I still alive?
No. There is one.
Suddenly, the face of a man she had long cherished rose in her thoughts.
Though his expression was nearly always cold and unreadable, beneath it lay a warmth—a heart that carefully observed and cared for others.
Even if there is no place for me in his heart.
There had been days when her chest ached, knowing the one she loved so ardently did not return her feelings.
But now, regardless of that, she had a reason to see him.
Because there was something she had to tell him.
I must deliver those words.
In fact, the very reason she had left the Demon Hall was—
While investigating the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's quarters for his sake, she had uncovered a shocking truth.
At the time, she couldn't bring herself to tell him.
Out of gratitude for the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, who had raised her.
But now that everything had collapsed—
She could hesitate no longer.
Instead of the confession she had been unable to voice, she had to place the brutal truth she had hidden into his hands.
Even if there was no way to convey her aching heart, she had to tell him that horrifying reality.
"The Demon Hall..."
If she concealed her tracks along this path, she might be able to hide for about a year.
But then she would never see Bu Eun-seol again.
Even if she somehow relayed the information, it would be meaningless unless she met him in person.
"Rather than clinging to life, I should see him one last time... and leave without regrets."
With that quiet resolve, Jin Seol immediately activated her movement technique, darting in the opposite direction of Takma.
The place she had to return to.
Where the one she longed for with all her heart waited.
To go back to the Demon Hall—
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol was devising every possible strategy to deal with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, which was spreading chaos throughout Murim.
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor was said to overturn all known martial principles and common sense of the martial world.
Meaning they could never be countered with martial power or tactics alone.
He tirelessly analyzed and dissected the intelligence gathered from his information network, struggling to find the optimal solution.
Thud. Thud.
Then, the sound of soft footsteps reached him.
Without even looking up, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
He had already recognized the visitor as Yu Un-ryong from the footsteps alone.
"Come in."
"Bad news."
Yu Un-ryong stepped inside, his expression rigid, and cut straight to the point.
"I intercepted leaked intelligence from the Secret Shadow Pavilion. Something unbelievable has happened."
"Explain yourself."
"Jin Seol, the Upper Blossom, is currently being attacked by the subordinates of the main hall."
"What did you say?"
"To be precise, by the direct subordinates of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
Bu Eun-seol shot up from his seat.
Jin Seol was the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's cherished adopted daughter.
Even if she had committed treason—
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor was not the kind of man to send underlings to execute her. He would have dealt with it himself.
"This must be a mistaken order. There's no way the Hall Master would... issue such a command."
"I don't know the details. The Demonic Heavenly Emperor has secluded himself and hasn't made an appearance... Yet somehow, this order was handed down."
Yu Un-ryong spoke with a grave expression.
"In a situation like this, there are only two possibilities, aren't there?"
He watched Bu Eun-seol's reaction carefully before continuing.
"Either the order was miscommunicated..."
"......"
"Or Jin Seol was never that important to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor to begin with. She was just a pawn kept around for some purpose."
The likelihood of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's order being mistaken was slim.
Anyone who misinterpreted his commands would suffer a fate worse than death.
Which meant Yu Un-ryong's second speculation was far more plausible.
"So the Demonic Heavenly Emperor used Jin Seol as a pawn, and now that her usefulness has run out, he's discarding her."
Deep furrows formed between Bu Eun-seol's brows at Yu Un-ryong's words.
In the past, he would have scoffed at such reasoning.
He had believed, without a shred of doubt, that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was an immutable figure.
But ever since their private audience—
That belief had no choice but to waver.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had changed.
Instead of the overwhelming majesty that subdued all in his presence, he now exuded the madness of a man calmly racing toward ruin.
No—perhaps he had always been that kind of man.
The point was, Bu Eun-seol could no longer define or be certain of what the Demonic Heavenly Emperor truly was.
"I'll go and verify it myself."
"Absolutely not."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head firmly at Bu Eun-seol's words.
"The reason I came to deliver this news personally was to stop you from doing exactly that."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten? Why you were punished with the Life and Death Palm Decree?"
The Life and Death Palm Decree.
It had been inflicted upon him for one reason alone—interfering with the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's secret organization.
Even after Bu Eun-seol revealed his identity, the warriors of the Secret Moon Division had attacked him relentlessly, forcing him to eliminate them.
But for daring to lay hands on the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's covert forces, he had been sentenced to the severe punishment of the Life and Death Palm Decree.
And now, if he clashed with the Emperor's forces again to save Jin Seol—
No matter what excuse he gave, there would be no escaping severe retribution.
Yu Un-ryong spoke again.
"The fact that this information leaked from the Secret Shadow Pavilion in the first place... It might be a meticulously laid trap, preying on your temperament."
The master of the Secret Shadow Pavilion, Hwa Jung-cheon—
He despised Bu Eun-seol to the marrow of his bones.
Bu Eun-seol had once challenged his authority and humiliated him in front of his subordinates.
And Hwa Jung-cheon knew exactly the kind of man Bu Eun-seol was—one who would go to any lengths to protect those around him.
This leaked information could very well be bait.
A deliberate ploy to push him into an inescapable abyss.
"That may be true."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"But I still have to go."
His voice was resolute.
"If I turn a blind eye even to this, then what was the point of everything we've fought for until now?"
In the world of martial arts, constantly clashing with powerful factions, it was impossible to shield everyone from danger.
But Bu Eun-seol had always done his utmost to prevent such tragedies, devising countermeasures wherever possible.
And if he couldn't even save Jin Seol now—
Then all his efforts up to this point would have been in vain.
"If anything, I should be the one asking you."
Yu Un-ryong's expression was as grim as it could be.
"Is Upper Blossom Jin worth that much to you? What does she mean to you?"
A cold question, but a fair one.
She was neither Bu Eun-seol's subordinate nor his friend—not even an acquaintance, strictly speaking.
At most, she was a peripheral figure.
So why risk everything—
Not just himself, but the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit—to suddenly abandon the Demon Hall and charge into danger for her sake?
"Because of me, she learned a cruel truth she never wanted to know."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was heavy.
"And that truth led her to despair... which ultimately provoked Hall Master Sado's wrath."
Yu Un-ryong understood the implication.
If Bu Eun-seol had never told Jin Seol the truth about her identity—
She would still be living peacefully within the Demon Hall.
"Even so, you don't have to—"
Yu Un-ryong started to argue but then fell silent.
"No... never mind."
If Bu Eun-seol were the type to weigh gains and losses, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to save mere bystanders in the first place.
Bu Eun-seol only needed to protect those who were absolutely necessary and important to him.
But Bu Eun-seol sought to protect everyone he possibly could.
"I understand what you mean."
Yu Un-ryong took a deep breath.
Deep down, he had already guessed.
No matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to persuade or stop him.
"I'll have the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit prepare. This time, we might truly have to leave the Demon Hall."
"Understood. However, proceed only after I return."
KRA-BOOM!
With those final words, a fierce wind howled from within, and a distant thunderclap rumbled across the sky.
He had already left to save Jin Seol.
Jin Seol was on the verge of death.
She had fought countless enemies to shake off their relentless pursuit, losing far too much blood along the way.
A path of blood.
It had truly been a journey drenched in crimson.
Until now, she had never once raised her sword to kill a person.
She had always stood high like a noble flower, looking down upon others.
Within the fortress of the Demon Hall, she had lived like a princess.
But in the end, it had all been nothing more than an empty title.
The Demon Hall was a prison.
And she had merely been a convenient pawn to be used.
"Impressive."
Deep in the bamboo forests of West Lake, the Blood Lord of Abyss Blood, Pursuing Ghost, shook his head as he surrounded Jin Seol.
"The martial arts of the Upper Blossom were known to be utterly unremarkable until now."
The secret organizations of the Demon Hall—Voidless Shadows and Celestial Pivot Blood—had been completely annihilated in their pursuit of Jin Seol.
Now, only the warriors of Abyss Blood barely managed to encircle her, though half of them had already lost their lives.
'This is it.'
Instinctively sensing that this was the end, Jin Seol tightened her grip on her dagger, Chiljo.
'I wanted so desperately to return to the Demon Hall where he is...'
But in the end, she hadn't even been able to escape the West Lake region, suffering grave injuries from her pursuers.
'Grandmaster Takma must have safely escaped the West Lake area by now.'
Jin Seol had boldly revealed herself all along.
Eventually, her pursuers realized she was heading toward the Demon Hall and never left the path unguarded for even a moment.
Moreover, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was not one to tolerate failure.
Instead of chasing after the elusive supreme master of Tibet, more forces had been directed toward capturing her—someone they could be certain of catching.
'Please stay safe.'
Takma had saved her multiple times, expending his life-sustaining True Qi in the process.
But Jin Seol had no intention of hiding or living as a fugitive—she had marched straight toward the Demon Hall.
Moreover, the energy that had once tormented her—
The surges from her dantian had, in battle, instead become a tremendous force—
A driving power that had saved her life time and time again in moments of crisis.
Had she not had that power?
Her head would have been severed long before reaching this place, or she would have been nothing more than a cold corpse.
'I wanted to see him one last time...'
In the end, she wouldn't be able to lay eyes on the one she had longed to see so desperately.
She no longer had the strength to move.
"The Flower of the Demonic Path."
Pursuing Ghost twisted his lips.
"In the end, you were just an artificial flower, weren't you?"
Once, as the daughter of the Number One of the Demonic Path, she had wielded power and authority that none dared challenge.
True to her title as the Flower of the Demonic Path, she had always maintained a beautiful and dazzling appearance.
But now, by the decree of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, she had been reduced to a fugitive, her once-glorious form now covered in dust and blood, a pitiful sight.
"Just take your own life."
Pursuing Ghost snorted.
"A final courtesy, for having once been the Upper Blossom."
"If I had intended to do that, I wouldn't have fought my way through this path of blood until now."
Jin Seol replied calmly, still gripping her dagger.
"Right now, I am not the Upper Blossom of the Demon Hall—just a fugitive. Do what you must."
"Very well."
Pursuing Ghost nodded, but instead of stepping forward himself, he commanded his subordinates.
"Strike her down."
His men clutched their poison blades, yet not a single one stepped forward.
Jin Seol was the Flower of the Demonic Path, the one the Demonic Heavenly Emperor cherished above all others.
The thought of being the first to raise a blade against her made them hesitate.
"Hmm."
Pursuing Ghost let out a low hum.
Truthfully, he, too, felt uneasy.
The reason he had offered her the courtesy of suicide—
Was not out of genuine respect.
But because the thought of severing the head of the woman who had once been the greatest lady of the Demonic Path, the one who had been so deeply favored by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, left him with an inexplicable discomfort.
"Deploy the Abyss Blood Formation and attack her all at once."
The warriors of Abyss Blood wielded a unique hidden weapon—the Body-Piercing Thorns.
The moment these weapons penetrated the body, dozens of long needles would burst forth, piercing vital points.
The cruel hidden weapon lived up to its name—scattering thorns across the enemy's body.
The Strange Formation that unleashed Body-Piercing Thorns in a single volley was none other than Abyss Blood Formation.
If such weapons were thrown simultaneously?
No one could tell who had struck the fatal blow, allowing them to kill her without guilt.
"Now!"
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
At Pursuing Ghost's command, the Body-Piercing Thorns rained down like a storm.
"Haaap!"
Jin Seol exhaled sharply as she extended her Palm Energy, facing the onslaught.
Every martial art she knew had been personally taught by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
But knowing her nature—unable to even kill an ant—he had focused solely on techniques specialized in defense, meant only to protect herself.
Yet, among them, there was one exception—an art of particularly brutal power.
The very one she was now unleashing.
One of the Ten Great Demonic Palms—Soul-Cutting Heart Palm.
KWA-RUNG!
With a thunderous roar, the Body-Piercing Thorns began ricocheting away.
The profundity of Soul-Cutting Heart Palm lay in its ability to:
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had imparted this Palm Technique to her precisely so she could survive a life-or-death crisis.
—Guhk.
A single scream tore through the air as the Body-Piercing Thorns reversed course, turning the Abyss Blood warriors into human pincushions.
The Abyss Blood Formation combined the attacks of Unit Members with Internal Power exceeding Three Sixty-Year Cycles, making it nearly impossible to defend against—even for a Master of extraordinary skill.
Yet Jin Seol was countering it with nothing but Soul-Cutting Heart Palm...
A testament to just how profound the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's teachings were.
"This won't do."
Pursuing Ghost clicked his tongue.
"Even a rotten fish is still a good fish, huh?"
Who would've thought Jin Seol—who had never properly wielded martial arts before—could display such might?
"This Blood Lord will have to handle it himself."
Fwat!
Activating his Movement Technique, he vaulted over Jin Seol's head and—
—assumed the Starting Stance of Rescue Zhao by Besieging Wei, aiming for her Hundred Meetings acupoint.
Fwaa!
But Soul-Cutting Heart Palm instantly deflected his strike—
—sending it hurtling back toward his own face.
'Her palm technique is formidable, but her execution is monotonous.'
Pursuing Ghost instantly discerned her lack of combat experience despite the technique's intricacy.
Dropping low, he employed Flying Serpent Emerges—a Movement Technique that skimmed the ground—
—evading the cascading Palm Energy before closing the distance in an instant.
KWA-RUNG! RUMBLE!
Jin Seol deployed her Palm Technique again, but Pursuing Ghost dodged effortlessly.
Powerful Palm Techniques had either large Starting Stances or emitted intense shockwaves beforehand, making them easier to evade at close range.
Fwat! Fwat!
Pursuing Ghost moved like lightning.
Yet dodging Palm Energy that could shatter the body with a mere graze—
—required nerves of steel and peerless Movement Technique.
Though not widely known in murim, as the leader of a secret organization, he pressed Jin Seol with terrifying martial prowess and tactics.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, Jin Seol was struck by Pursuing Ghost's Palm Energy—force enough to obliterate an iron house.
"Ghk—!"
But the moment the energy connected, a surge of scorching heat erupted from her dantian—
—the Primordial Chaos Subtle Qi that Takma had infused into her.
Thanks to it, she narrowly avoided being torn apart.
"Now!"
Yet Pursuing Ghost had anticipated even this.
Fwa-fwa-fwa-fwa-fwa!
In that instant, the Abyss Blood Formation activated once more, unleashing hundreds of Body-Piercing Thorns.
Jin Seol desperately blocked with Movement and Palm Techniques, but several still pierced her vital points.
"Farewell, Upper Blossom."
Pshht!
Dozens of needles erupted from her body.
The Body-Piercing Thorns had struck true, inflicting fatal wounds.
Thud.
Jin Seol collapsed to her knees, strength draining away.
The horror of Body-Piercing Thorns lay in how their sharp needles spread from within—
—instantly severing the flow of energy while ravaging internal organs.
Drip... drip...
Blood trickled from the corners of her eyes as her vision blurred.
Though she had avoided a Death Point, the internal bleeding and perforations would soon claim her life.
'I was a fabricated flower.'
Jin Seol gazed hazily at the distant sky.
A life envied by all in the Demonic Path—yet in truth, merely an artificial existence, fleeting and hollow.
Destined, in the end, to wither under the blades of street assassins.
KOO-RUNG!
Then—a world-shaking peal of thunder roared across the heavens as five-colored clouds split the sky.
WHOOSH—!
A gale strong enough to topple mountains swept through, and a black-clad man descended beside Jin Seol.
It was Bu Eun-seol.