Chapter 1086
'Come to think of it, they were all orphans.'
Seo Jin-ha suddenly remembered.
When Bu Eun-seol had formed the Peak Realm Unit, he had deliberately chosen only those who were orphans, even if they came from second-rate sects.
'At first, I thought it was part of his plan to recruit them as spies.'
But the reason Bu Eun-seol had chosen orphans was because he had seen the desperation in their hearts.
Those who had been born with nothing, who had lived their entire lives with their very existence denied—these were the ones he had gathered.
He hadn't promised them success or glory. Instead, he had told them:
—I will remember you.
He memorized their names, learned their habits and tendencies, and trained them meticulously, one by one.
To those who had lived in darkness, all of this was like a single spark of fire.
At last, they had met someone who would remember them.
And Seo Jin-ha was no exception.
Though he had once lived bathed in his father's love, he too had eventually become a lone orphan, wandering the Martial World.
He had thought of Bu Eun-seol, the only one he had ever given his heart to, as family.
But before he knew it... he had gained another family—the Peak Realm Unit.
"Chief, focus on recovering first!"
Meanwhile, the unit members had begun attacking Bamboo Hat Man to protect Seo Jin-ha.
Though they couldn't even block a single move from him, they gritted their teeth and held their ground.
For Seo Jin-ha's sake, they were prepared to throw their lives away without hesitation.
'I have to do this.'
With a groan, Seo Jin-ha slowly rose to his feet.
And once again, he drew upon his Internal Power.
Whoooosh—
A faint light began to rise from his body.
The truth was, he had consumed countless Spirit Medicines.
To become Bu Eun-seol's shadow, he had needed to raise his Internal Power first.
Not just the Spirit Medicines stored in the Hidden Demon Pavilion—
Whenever he traveled through the Martial World and found a potent Spirit Medicine, it had all gone into his mouth.
But the energy of those medicines had accumulated in his body without fully dissolving.
Until now, his Internal Power had barely surpassed the level of four sixty-year cycles.
Crack, crack, crack—
Yet now, his Internal Power surged beyond six sixty-year cycles.
Thick veins bulged across his body like earthworms, and a mysterious radiance lingered in his pupils.
In this life-or-death moment, as he forced out every last drop of his strength, the medicinal energies slowly melted away, merging with his Original True Qi.
"Don't you dare touch my unit!"
Swish!
Seo Jin-ha became a streak of light as he charged at Bamboo Hat Man.
BOOM!
With a metallic clang, the sword strike landed, sending Bamboo Hat Man flying hundreds of feet away.
"Today, this place will be our grave!"
Even if they tried to flee, they could never outrun Bamboo Hat Man.
In the end, he intended to make a glorious last stand here—Jade Shattering—alongside his unit.
"See you in hell!"
—Yes, sir!
With a thunderous battle cry, the unit members also began drawing upon their True Qi.
There were no regrets.
Though they wouldn't live to see their Lord again, nor witness the completion of his great undertaking, they had given their all.
Not a single shred of remorse remained.
"HAAAH—!"
The unit members, too, poured out their full strength, and a dazzling radiance shot up into the sky.
But then—something strange happened.
Oooooom—
Suddenly, a massive black sphere materialized before their eyes.
The sphere reflected no light at all, making it seem as if a perfect circle of space had been carved out of existence.
Step, step—
Then, from within the black sphere, a slender shadow slowly emerged.
A woman wearing a veil and clad in an extravagantly adorned black robe.
It was Naria.
"Sword King Seon-u Jin."
Naria swept her gaze over the Peak Realm Unit members, who were still channeling their True Qi, and clicked her tongue.
"So it wasn't you after all."
Then, with a pitying expression, she spoke.
"The one who took Man-wol."
The man who had dealt with Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's forces—the one cloaked in violet light—
Even if he were one of the Twelve Guests, his martial prowess was such that he wouldn't have been easily subdued.
But seeing how he had been brutally wounded despite having twenty subordinates...
She could be certain that Seon-u Jin was not the one who had taken Man-wol.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter."
After briefly eyeing Bamboo Hat Man like he was an object, she turned back to Seo Jin-ha and tilted her head.
"Regardless, you too are an obstacle to my brother's grand ambition..."
As she murmured this, she stretched out her hand—
"...!"
Seo Jin-ha and the unit members' faces twisted as if they had been punched in the gut.
Oooom—
Not only the Internal Energy they had been gathering—every last drop of their inner strength vanished in an instant.
As if an invisible hand had clamped down on their meridians, their True Qi Circulation came to a complete halt.
"What... is this?"
Seo Jin-ha's eyes widened.
He wasn't afraid of death.
But to have his strength stolen away so meaninglessly, to collapse without even a fight—that, he could not accept.
"No need to feel wronged."
Naria smiled coldly.
"Whether you had internal energy or not, you were fated to die anyway."
Though she had lost all of the Star God's Power, the ability to temporarily steal another's strength still remained with her.
"Dispose of them."
At Naria's command, the Bamboo Hat Man slowly stepped forward.
Seo Jin-ha could only stare blankly at the sight.
In the martial world, there were secret techniques like the Imperial Palace Secret Arts that could temporarily suppress internal power.
But to make all the energy in one's body vanish with just a flick of the hand? Just what was the identity of that woman?
Whoosh.
Before he knew it, the Bamboo Hat Man had approached, raising his log-like arms slowly.
Boom. Boom.
With earth-shaking tremors, a terrifying force gathered in his massive palms.
He was gathering his power to obliterate Seo Jin-ha and the elite squad in a single strike.
KRRRUMBLE—CRACK!
But then, from the distant sky, the sound of thunder began to roar.
GOOOOOO—SHREEEEEK!
A sound sharp enough to tear through eardrums split the air as a black meteor streaked toward them from afar.
BOOM!
With an explosive crash, the black meteor landed right between Seo Jin-ha and the Bamboo Hat Man in an instant.
Crackle—
A shockwave of True Qi rippled outward as a figure clad in robes woven from Heavenly Silkworm Silk slowly revealed themselves.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
How...?
Seo Jin-ha's eyes widened.
Every communication network and intelligence system in the region had collapsed, and even the branch headquarters had been destroyed.
In a situation where even emergency signal flares were useless—
How could Bu Eun-seol, who had been in Shaanxi with the Martial Soul Society, find him in Sichuan in the blink of an eye?
After placing the Ice Jade Coffin containing the sleeping Man-wol within the Absolute Domain, Bu Eun-seol had finished handling a few remaining matters with the Martial Soul Society.
Just as he was about to return to the Demon Hall, a shadow suddenly blocked his path.
It was Jeong-yeong—Man-wol's guardian and her elder sister figure.
"Have you come to see Lady Man-wol?"
Bu Eun-seol asked politely, bowing slightly.
Shake, shake.
Jeong-yeong silently shook her head.
Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and her eyes were bloodshot.
"Martial Soul Lord."
As if she had steeled her resolve, she stepped forward with a grave expression and spoke.
"May we talk for a moment?"
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol replied.
"I was just curious about the identity of the woman who attacked Lady Man-wol at Solitary Bamboo Pass."
"Shall we move elsewhere?"
When Bu Eun-seol gestured toward the Martial Soul Society's quarters,
"No, this is fine."
Jeong-yeong shook her head and extended her hand.
A mysterious, translucent energy spread out like a curtain.
Suddenly, all surrounding noise and gazes were completely cut off, and the scenery and space around them began to separate.
With a single gesture—
She had created the Baekri Clan's Absolute Boundary.
"The one who attacked my sworn sister at Solitary Bamboo Pass... is a woman from India. She shares the same fate as my sister—a twin star. Her name is Naria."
"A twin star..."
Only then did everything make sense.
Man-wol, who had inherited part of the power of her mother, the former Saintess—and another newborn child.
That child was Naria, a descendant of the True Demon's bloodline.
"Every time my sister glimpsed the Heavenly Mandate..."
Jeong-yeong spoke abruptly.
"Her bones twisted, and her blood vessels burned as if on fire—she endured excruciating agony."
The fate of those who peered into Heaven's secrets had always been cruel.
Saintess Sa Ah had her power stolen and died in misery. The Wooden Buddha's skin dried like bark, leaving him neither dead nor alive.
And Man-wol, too, could not escape such a destiny.
"I see..."
Bu Eun-seol's made an embarrassed expression.
"I had no idea."
Man-wol had always carried an ethereal, mysterious aura—never once had she shown any trace of suffering.
Who would have guessed she endured such a horrific Heavenly Punishment?
"My junior sister never revealed her pain in front of others. She never wanted... anyone else to suffer because of her agony."
Jeong-yeong steadied her breath before continuing.
"After entering the martial world, she spent her days helping a young hero who sought to do good and protect countless people."
Her voice trembled faintly.
"So that he would never again suffer the pain of losing someone dear."
Bu Eun-seol understood.
The "hero" Jeong-yeong spoke of—was him.
"And the reason she couldn't escape Naria's vicious poisoned hand was because she had recklessly read the Heavenly Mandate to protect that person."
Man-wol had not fallen into danger because Naria had obtained the Creation Sun and Moon.
It was because she had willingly chosen suffering—to prevent the sorrow Bu Eun-seol would face in the future.
'For my sake.'
Throughout that long, unfathomable stretch of time—
Man-wol had endured agony akin to death alone, all to protect him.
"Please take this."
What Jeong-yeong held out was a bead that seemed to contain the cool radiance of moonlight.
The Clear Heart Jade Bead—a precious treasure passed down to Man-wol by her master.
"Just as Man-wol did not die, Naria too remains alive."
Jeong-yeong spoke with sorrow-laden eyes.
"She will return without fail. To seek out those suspected of aiding my junior sister, and pry into her whereabouts."
"Suspected ones."
Those words pierced through Bu Eun-seol's mind like an arrow.
Because in that instant, the face of a friend surfaced in his thoughts—
One who had moved silently through the darkness, disguised in the exact same form as himself.
'Seo Jin-ha.'
His heart plummeted.
Had Man-wol not warned of the danger through Jeong-yeong—
Seo Jin-ha would surely have lost his life.
And had that happened...
He would have drowned in irreversible grief, collapsing entirely.
"Thank you."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply in gratitude before immediately activating his movement technique.
'She knew everything.'
Man-wol, who could see the future—
There was no way she hadn't foreseen Naria's attack.
Yet until the very end, concerned only for him, to spare him suffering—
She had read the heavenly signs and met a gruesome fate.
'Lady Man-wol.'
Bu Eun-seol's expression twisted in anguish.
Only now did all the pieces fall into place.
Why he had sensed her presence even from dozens of miles away.
Why she had silently aided him while walking such a perilous path, yet never asked for help in return.
Why she had always watched him with such sorrowful eyes...
She had shouldered the weight of heavenly punishment—
Embracing all the pain and sorrow Bu Eun-seol himself was meant to endure.
'No more of that.'
Bu Eun-seol swore it firmly.
Three years later, when she awoke from her long slumber, he would repay the life she had lived—bearing every agony alone.
That cruel, solitary fate.
He would shoulder it all himself from now on.
Bu Eun-seol observed the battered Seo Jin-ha and the Peak Realm Members, his expression grave as he sent a voice transmission.
[All of you, take the Coma-Inducing Divine Pills.]
The Peak Realm Members each carried one Coma-Inducing Divine Pill—a life-saving measure, mandatory for them.
[How the hell did you even get here? This is when you should be returning to the Demon Hall.]
[Just take the pills first. We'll talk after.]
[No, it's not that bad yet.]
[That's an order.]
At Bu Eun-seol's stern words, Seo Jin-ha reluctantly swallowed the Coma-Inducing Divine Pill he had kept tucked in his robes.
[All Peak Realm Members, return to the Azure Heaven Alliance immediately.]
Bu Eun-seol's voice transmission was swift.
[I'll handle things here.]
[No, not even you should—]
Seo Jin-ha urgently countered.
[Get out of here. That woman uses bizarre powers.]
Even as he transmitted, Seo Jin-ha opened his mouth aloud—his voice clear and ringing.
"Martial Soul Lord!"
He spoke loudly, ensuring Naria could hear.
"What brings the Heir of the Demon Hall here?"
"Don't concern yourself with it."
[That woman didn't come here alone out of sheer arrogance.]
Seo Jin-ha's expression was desperate as he transmitted.
[That Bamboo Hat Man is a Master of the Martial Extreme Realm—his arms are literally invincible and unbreakable. In our current state, drained of all strength, there's no way to—]
He cut off mid-transmission, his mouth snapping shut.
Because Bu Eun-seol was smiling.
It was the same smile he had worn in his days as the Ten Demonic Heir—when genuine killing intent surged within him.
"Martial Soul Lord?"
At that moment, Naria's eyes gleamed as she studied Bu Eun-seol.
"How fascinating."
She tilted her head, glancing between Seo Jin-ha and Bu Eun-seol.
"To think masters of the Demonic Path and the Righteous Faction were secretly friends."
Though she had lost most of her power, traces of the Star God's Power still lingered within her.
Even as Bu Eun-seol and Seo Jin-ha pretended ignorance through voice transmissions—
She had instantly discerned the light of camaraderie in their exchanged gazes.
"I wonder what expression that Demonic Heavenly Emperor will make when this truth comes to light."
Despite Naria's confident words, Bu Eun-seol remained utterly composed.
No matter what she said—
He had no intention of letting her live. Not after she tried to kill Man-wol and Seo Jin-ha.
"Martial Soul Lord. I'll handle her. You should go."
Just as Seo Jin-ha was fully embodying the guise of Seon-u Jin—
"Go where you please?"
Naria smiled coldly and raised her hand toward the sky.
"Who said you could?"
Kiiiing—
Suddenly, the sky within an eighty-zhang radius began to stain violet, and transparent walls formed on all sides.
It was the Chain Formation Art—a sealing technique that trapped opponents within a confined space, preventing escape, much like the Life-and-Death Combat Formation.
"Your confidence is excessive."
Seo Jin-ha stared up at the unfolding formation with an incredulous expression.
"You deploy the Chain Formation just because you trust that single Bamboo Hat Man? Do you hope I’ll join forces with the Martial Soul Lord?"
"As you wish."
Naria smiled coldly.
"If you can."
The Twelve Guests were not merely warriors cultivated through the Great Art.
From the moment Chu-so had resolved to pursue his grand ambition in his youth—
He had studied, sought out, and analyzed the traces left behind by the superlative martial experts of the murim.
And at last, he had birthed the perfect martial warrior.
Among the Twelve Guests brought this time, the Invulnerable Guest—
Was not only a master of all martial arts scattered across the world but also capable of instantly analyzing and countering an enemy's techniques.
A truly peerless martial warrior.
"Martial Soul Lord."
Realizing Bu Eun-seol had no intention of retreating, Seo Jin-ha spoke in a clear voice.
"That freak was using Langya Pavilion's martial arts, so I thought he might be connected to you... Was I mistaken?"
For a moment, a strange light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Langya Pavilion's martial arts were not merely a set of techniques—they were the very way of survival, the philosophy of its disciples.
Practical Combat Martial Arts.
To grasp an enemy's techniques mid-battle and assimilate their essence—
One had to fully embrace the way of life passed down through generations of Langya Pavilion's disciples.
Practical Combat Martial Arts transcended the limits of mere technique—it was the process of internalizing an entire worldview.
And yet, this Soulless One—this Bamboo Hat Man—was wielding the essence of Langya Pavilion's Practical Combat Martial Arts?
"Heavenly Mechanism Star."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slowly as he scrutinized the Bamboo Hat Man's stance.
Though the world was teeming with eccentric talents—
There was only one person who could steal Langya Pavilion's martial arts and cultivate warriors from them.
Chu-so.
"You must be Chu-so's man."
"Chu-so's man?"
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
He had spoken those words with clear contempt—
So why did this woman, this witch, look so pleased?
"Well, not a subordinate, but closely related, yes."
Naria snorted and issued her command to the Invulnerable Guest.
"Wipe them all out."
Thud!
Before her words even finished, a lightning-fast burst of Finger Wind exploded from Bu Eun-seol's fingertips.
His target was Naria—the one controlling the Bamboo Hat Man, the Invulnerable Guest.
Zzzing!
The moment the Finger Wind struck, a transparent wall flashed into existence, blocking it.
An invisible Astral Energy Barrier had already enveloped her.
Crack!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed his internal energy and the Heavenly Light Endless Art simultaneously.
"Tch. Pointless effort."
Naria scoffed and stretched out her hand.
"Shall I enjoy watching you struggle like an insect?"
Zzzziiing—
In that instant, a faint light shimmered across Bu Eun-seol's body—
And all his strength should have drained away.
But instead, the energy that was supposed to vanish only grew fiercer.
"...How?"
Naria's eyes widened as she finally noticed the small, glimmering bead fastened to Bu Eun-seol's wrist.
Wasn't that the very treasure Man-wol always wore?
"The Clear Heart Jade Bead?"
Man-wol had foreseen everything.
Through Jeong-yeong, she had passed the jade bead to Bu Eun-seol—
And saved him from peril once again.
"Martial Soul Lord!"
Suddenly, Naria burst into laughter and pointed at him.
"So you were the one who appeared at Solitary Bamboo Pass—Man-wol's kept man!"
Her smile twisted with malice.
"It doesn't matter if you didn't lose your strength. You still won't be able to defeat the Invulnerable Guest."
Her lips curled with absolute confidence.
"Let's watch leisurely as the lover Man-wol mourned so bitterly dies like a wretched insect."
Zzzzing—
A black sphere materialized behind her—
And in the blink of an eye, it swallowed her whole.
"A spell?"
Bu Eun-seol frowned as he watched Naria vanish.
Not only had she disappeared in an instant, but her presence had completely vanished.
That black sphere was likely a spatial-separation spell—similar to the small Absolute Boundary Jeong-yeong had once deployed.
Whoosh.
Before he could react, the Invulnerable Guest stood before him—
Close enough to feel his breath.
As if he had been there all along.
Thud.
The moment they faced each other, the air grew heavy as the deep sea, and time itself seemed to freeze.
Like Mount Tai gazing down upon a speck of dust—
The Invulnerable Guest stared at Bu Eun-seol with utterly indifferent eyes.
Eyes devoid of any emotion—
Eyes that were sheer, skin-crawling terror itself.
Sssk.
And yet—
Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a deep, chilling smile.
At the sight, Seo Jin-ha and the others couldn't even breathe.
Like prey with an arrow in its flank, pinned beneath a hunter's boot—
An icy dread slithered down their spines.
There was one thing that must never, ever be provoked when it came to Bu Eun-seol.
You could target his heart—
But you never touched his people.
To do so was no different from tearing open the gates of hell with your own hands.