Chapter 1093
Bu Eun-seol ultimately discerned that the information Chu-so had been spouting lacked both credibility and substantive value—
And unleashed the Celestial Star Shatter, a devastating technique that erupted with the destructive force of a sun going supernova.
Swoosh.
Yet, the moment the lightning-like strike landed, Chu-so's body had already turned transparent.
As it turned out, his True Body had long since departed this place, leaving behind only an illusion through some esoteric Secret Arts.
"Blood Body Transfer Gate? Human Realm Return Array?"
Han Sang-ja muttered under his breath.
Just as the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor had once used ancient formation arts to move the distant Secret Vault across vast distances in an instant—
Chu-so had employed an ancient Secret Arts, using the Bloodline Shatterer as the formation's catalyst to leave behind an illusion.
While he himself had already moved hundreds of li away.
"Did you really think I'd step into the Martial World without anticipating your pursuit?"
The fading specter of Chu-so smiled at the two of them.
"The Bloodline Shatterer has multiple functions. And now, I'll show you its final one."
He bared his white teeth in a grin.
"From here on out, enjoy chatting together in hell."
Zzziiing.
At that moment, the Bloodline Shatterer lying in wait began to glow white.
The reason he had stalled with nonsense—
Was to prepare an inescapable explosive death, ensuring Bu Eun-seol and Han Sang-ja would perish without fail.
Flash!
What reflected in their eyes was a colossal sun, rising from the earth itself.
And in that instant—
A blinding radiance, carrying heat enough to evaporate the world, surged to the heavens.
A silence, brief as a single breath, passed—
KWA——ANG!
As if detonating all of creation—
The earth split with a deafening roar, the sky collapsed with a thunderous bellow, and an invisible, titanic hand seized the entire village and shook it violently.
The intact village was reduced to dust and scattered, the corpses of the Golden Gate Army evaporated without a trace.
Like the wrathful breath of destruction exhaled by the gods who had forged heaven and earth.
Chu-so had sacrificed his Bloodline Shatterer battalion—
To craft an inescapable death trap, eliminating the two who had repeatedly obstructed his plans.
KWAOOOOH.
Over the ashen wasteland where everything had been swept away—
A fog of debris and deathly dust, having swallowed all remnants of the land, billowed upward.
Ruuuumble.
The rising dust veiled the sky, blotting out the sunlight.
The world was plunged into momentary darkness.
But then—
"As expected."
Han Sang-ja's low voice resonated over the vanished village.
"Just as the Lord predicted."
Zzziiing.
Abruptly, the entire village blurred, its colors fading away.
Like ink dispersing across rice paper upon contact with water, the hues vanished silently, without a sound.
Crackle.
Simultaneously, within the space where color had drained away, two shadows gradually materialized.
Bu Eun-seol and Han Sang-ja.
"So he deliberately revealed himself to set a trap meant to kill us."
Han Sang-ja shook his head.
The two had already surmised that the truth behind the Copyist murders—
Was a ploy by Chu-so to lure those pursuing him.
—He will create a trap from which there is absolutely no escape.
Hearing those words, Han Sang-ja had nodded.
—Undoubtedly, he'll craft something capable of annihilating the entire area.
From Chu-so's perspective, rather than revealing his full strength or mobilizing hidden forces—
He would choose the simplest method: erasing his enemies cleanly, leaving no trace behind.
—If he deploys such means, the only possible defense...
Their thoughts aligned.
—The Absolute Boundary.
The sole method to evade Chu-so's trap was the Absolute Boundary, which cleaved space from space.
—Though we cannot replicate the Three Clans'Absolute Boundary...
Han Sang-ja took a deep breath.
—By using the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man as a medium, we can deploy a Formation Study that mimics the Absolute Boundary... isolating space in a similar manner.
They had come here knowing it was a trap—
Because Han Sang-ja, too—
Was confident he could counter whatever scheme Chu-so devised.
"Even so, it's impressive."
Han Sang-ja shook his head again.
"To achieve such destructive power by sacrificing just a few dozen soldiers."
Chu-so, versed in ancient knowledge and Secret Arts—
Had turned mere dozens of soldiers into human explosives capable of obliterating hundreds of jang of land.
"Those weren't ordinary soldiers. They were monsters crafted long in advance."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Han Sang-ja nodded.
"Now we've truly glimpsed his capabilities."
Until now, they had known nothing of Chu-so's power, abilities, or the cards he held.
But by piercing through this trap—his masterpiece—and defending against it—
They had finally grasped the measure of his methods and strength.
"The only regret is that we didn't anticipate his mastery of Secret Arts like Blood Body Transfer Gate and Human Realm Return Array... and thus failed to confront him properly."
Han Sang-ja had prepared more than just the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man—he had devised certain measures to ensure Chu-so's death.
But Chu-so had done something entirely unexpected.
He unfolded an ancient formation study that manipulated space itself to move, ultimately slipping away without even engaging in a proper fight.
"Even if he left with a smile, it must have left a bitter taste in his mouth."
Bu Eun-seol spoke as if consoling Han Sang-ja.
"It would have taken at least a decade to create those explosive demonic creatures."
If Chu-so could easily produce such monsters within just a few years—
He wouldn't have needed to ally with the Three Attendants and other factions. He could have dominated the martial world alone.
"You're right."
Han Sang-ja also spoke with renewed vigor.
"If we can just perfect the Secret Arts capable of breaking techniques like the Human Realm Return Array... we'll be able to capture that vile Heavenly Mechanism Star."
The reason Chu-so had remained untraceable and able to wreak havoc in the martial world was undoubtedly due to that very technique.
But thanks to this incident, Han Sang-ja had managed to grasp some of Chu-so's hidden cards.
It was far from a wasted effort.
"You continue to aid me, Lord."
Bu Eun-seol had suspected that the recent copyist murders were the work of Heavenly Mechanism Star and had summoned Han Sang-ja.
But Han Sang-ja still lacked a vast intelligence network capable of gathering and refining information from every corner of the Central Plains—something like the Evil Soul Squad.
"I was merely repaying a debt from the Absolute Domain incident."
Bu Eun-seol spoke frankly.
"Heavenly Mechanism Star is no longer just your enemy, Han Elder Brother."
"What do you mean?"
"Chu-so is now my great adversary as well."
Bu Eun-seol openly recounted everything he had endured.
From Jin Gak of the Fire Rain Sword Sect to the harm inflicted upon those he cherished—Chu-so was no longer just Han Sang-ja's target of vengeance.
"...I see."
"As long as I am here, I will provide you with information on Chu-so. So you need not worry about establishing your own intelligence network."
Bu Eun-seol had originally become the Heir of the Demon Hall to build a formidable intelligence network.
Now, through the Absolute Peak Faction and the Martial Soul Society, he commanded the strongest information network in the martial world.
If Han Sang-ja were to create a new organization like the Evil Soul Squad just to pursue Chu-so—
No matter how capable he was, it would take at least a decade to complete.
So Bu Eun-seol had decided.
To share the Evil Soul Squad's intelligence network with Han Sang-ja, for the sake of dealing with Chu-so.
"Are you serious?"
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, maintaining their previous transactional relationship would have been far more advantageous.
He could have pretended ignorance of the situation, leveraging Han Sang-ja's wisdom and strength while achieving even greater gains.
But instead, Bu Eun-seol laid everything bare, choosing to join forces with Han Sang-ja.
"My Lord, you truly should never go into business."
Han Sang-ja joked with gratitude in his voice.
"If you prioritize loyalty over profit, you'll end up suffering great losses."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"Even if I don't gain profit, I won't lose people."
At those words, Han Sang-ja's expression momentarily blanked.
...People remain.
All this time, as Bu Eun-seol wandered the martial world—
He had formed countless bonds and received much help precisely because he never calculated gains and losses, but always left people behind.
And now, Han Sang-ja too—
Had become one of Bu Eun-seol's people.
Returning to the Phantom Mirror Realm, Chu-so stepped into a space thick with swirling blue mist.
"Ugh..."
His ever-smiling face twisted grotesquely.
His life's work, painstakingly crafted over twelve years—a trump card capable of eliminating the superlative martial experts obstructing his grand ambition—
Had vanished into nothingness.
Because of two people he had never even considered.
The Martial Soul Society Leader and that brat from Sage Forest.
"Grr..."
Not all the plans he had laid out had succeeded. There had been setbacks, failures.
But never before had a plan he personally orchestrated collapsed like this.
Never had an army he had spent over a decade building disappeared in an instant.
"I still have plenty of cards left."
Gnashing his teeth with a grating sound, he turned sharply and headed toward a cave slightly removed from the hermitage.
After walking through the cave for some time—
A space unfolded where all sound, all energy—
Even time itself seemed to have frozen in absolute stillness.
The boundary between heaven and earth blurred, and strange energies rippled through the air.
Invisible currents split and drifted through the void.
At the center, upon an altar embedded with star-like patterns, Chu-so quietly took his seat.
His pupils flickered incessantly, as if holding starlight within.
Swish.
Without a word, he raised a finger and traced the empty air. Silver trails followed his movement, rising into existence.
The trails tangled and intertwined, gradually forming the vast pattern of a the heavens.
At that moment—the breath of the wind, the pulse of the mountains, the faint tremors of the stars, even the thoughts of people—all seeped into his mind.
The flow of heavenly mechanisms.
Chu-so absorbed every wavelength with flawless precision, interpreting them without the slightest deviation.
"Why...?"
Chu-so couldn't comprehend it.
"That Sage Forest sage... is moving beyond the heavenly mechanisms?"
When he had first detected the presence of someone tracking his movements, that person hadn't seemed like an existence capable of defying the Heavenly Mechanism.
But now, having fully grasped his true identity today—
After the Martial Soul Lord, the Martial Soul Society Leader, and even the Peak Leader, now even he had stepped beyond the bounds of Chu-so's plans?
This was because Han Sang-ja had finally resolved to join forces with Bu Eun-seol and face their common enemy together.
But Chu-so, unaware of this fact, could only find it bizarre.
Sssssss—
Then, a faint mist began to rise before Chu-so.
Like thin sheets of folded paper unfurling in an instant, another space began to open before him.
Within it, the tangled, invisible threads unraveled like yarn before finally taking the form of a human figure.
The Heaven-Slaying Star, Eung-bi.
Like Chu-so, he was one of the forged One Hundred and Eight Stars—and the only subordinate Chu-so truly trusted.
"How is the situation?"
At Chu-so's question, Eung-bi bowed respectfully before answering cautiously.
"Everything unfolded as you anticipated."
"Is that so?"
Chu-so shook his head with a bitter expression.
"What a shame. Even after all the effort I poured into it."
No matter how tempting a force might be, if it could not be wholly his, he had to discard it.
Holding onto it any longer would only invite a disaster that might consume even him.
Staring blankly into the void with a resigned expression, Chu-so shook his head once more.
"Well, since things have come to this..."
A vicious smile curled on his lips.
The Jungson Clan.
He would use the legendary Three Clans—whom he had already devoured—as sacrifices to rid himself of yet another thorn in his side.
Throughout the Central Plains, wandering theater troupes—selling songs, dances, and stories—were as common as grains of sand.
Of course, most troupes were born and vanished with each passing generation.
But among them were those who had preserved their lineage for centuries.
They constantly changed their names,
lingering briefly in cities like Chengdu or small villages, offering fleeting joy and solace before vanishing like mist.
People merely laughed and cried at the tragic love stories and heroic tales they spun—
No one ever questioned the names or true identities of these wandering troupes, as ephemeral as a night's dream.
But there was one fact no one could have imagined.
The melodies of these troupes could reach even the most remote corners of the Central Plains, where no intelligence network could penetrate.
And they could effortlessly discover prodigies or gifted children who stood out.
The Jungson Clan.
One of the Three Great Martial Families, the Jungson Clan existed in the form of a wandering troupe,
endlessly roaming the Central Plains, luring and abducting countless children and prodigies,
while seizing information from places even the most skilled intelligence networks couldn't easily access.
The boy, Seokdu (Stone), had originally been a vagrant.
But by chance, he formed a connection with Bu Eun-seol, who was seeking information about the Saint.
"Take this paper and stand in front of the large inn. Someone will come to fetch you."
Recognizing Seokdu's cleverness at a glance, Bu Eun-seol arranged for him to become an intelligence scout for the Evil Soul Squad's branch.
Naturally sharp-witted and innately talented, Seokdu
was taught how to handle information through the Evil Soul Squad branch and soon excelled, bringing back valuable intelligence day after day.
As time passed,
he developed the ability to acquire and refine even high-level information that seasoned scouts couldn't handle.
His continuous achievements eventually caught the attention of the Evil Soul Squad members themselves.
"Your talent is too precious to waste."
U Gyeong, a Evil Soul Squad member who had been closely observing Seokdu,
decided to nurture him further, teaching him martial arts—including the lightness skill—to defend himself,
as well as the Tracking Art to pursue enemies and the Cock-Crowing and Dog-Stealing Art to infiltrate anywhere.
Thus, Seokdu was no longer just a scout who traded information with words alone—
he had become a skilled intelligence operative in his own right.
"The name 'Seokdu' doesn't suit an intelligence agent. You're clever and resourceful—from now on, I'll call you So-ho (Little Fox)."
From the name "Seokdu," the boy now called So-ho
eventually expanded his reach beyond Sang-an Village, becoming an intelligence scout who covered the entire Taiyuan region.
"Why don't you train more in martial arts?"
To U Gyeong, So-ho possessed once-in-a-generation talent—if he diligently trained in martial arts, he could become a master who would shake the martial world.
So he taught him his own techniques without reservation, planning to eventually report to the Evil Soul Squad's leader, No Trace and recommend him as a martial artist of the Death Shadow War Unit.
"I'm an intelligence scout, aren't I? Instead of training, I should be selling information!"
But So-ho preferred gathering and selling information over martial training.
U Gyeong nodded helplessly.
"I'll arrange for you to become the teahouse boy at the Chang'an Inn. From now on, sell the information that flows from there."
Impressed by So-ho's intelligence and quick wit, U Gyeong
secured him a position at the Chang'an Inn—the most famous establishment in Taiyuan, where martial artists' information was actively gathered.
"So-ho! Hurry, take this!"
"Quick, wipe the tables!"
The Chang'an Inn was always bustling to the point of chaos during mealtimes as crowds of guests poured in.
So-ho, who had now become a fairly well-recognized errand boy at the inn,
still diligently carried out the orders given by the Evil Soul Squad members.
Not only had he established his own network of informants to gather information, but he had even managed to build connections with local merchants and officials.
Huuah.
Once the busy period passed, So-ho stepped outside the inn to catch his breath.
'They say an inn is like a miniature Chengdu.'
Merchants, wanderers, warriors, scholars, officials, monks, performers—even thieves.
All sorts of people came and went, some sharing stories, others sparking conflicts.
'Now I understand why the Evil Soul Squad lords always station informants in major inns.'
Inns were hubs where rumors and information from different regions converged.
Traders arriving from the provinces, officials assigned to distant posts, wandering scholars and martial artists—they all brought their own news,
which then spread rapidly among other guests and errand boys.
In short, an inn was
a place where political gossip, incidents, and martial world news circulated freely.
Shuffle, shuffle.
So-ho slipped out through the back door of the inn.
There, a narrow alleyway stretched out, where a beggar crouched in an awkward posture.
"Still the same as ever, huh?"
So-ho grinned as he spotted the beggar, who always squatted in that peculiar position in front of the inn.
"Sulgwae."
As a child, he had been severely beaten, leaving his knees badly injured. Having no real name, people called him Sulgwae—"Knees."
Because he couldn't properly kneel,
he always begged with one knee raised.
So-ho had heard about Sulgwae's circumstances and, pitying him, had started bringing him leftover food every day. Over time, they became close.
Though his legs were crippled, Sulgwae was sharp-witted and surprisingly well-connected for a beggar.
Thanks to Sulgwae, who relayed news from all over, So-ho could effortlessly keep tabs on everything happening in Chengdu.
Eventually, So-ho took Sulgwae on as his informant,
giving him the name Sulgwae (Kneebeggar) instead of Sulgwae (Knees).
"Another slow day, huh?"
Seeing Sulgwae's empty bowl, So-ho pulled out a plump meat-filled dumpling from his sleeve.
"Thanks."
Without hesitation, Sulgwae grabbed the dumpling and wolfed it down.
Watching him eat, grime all over him, So-ho was reminded of his own vagabond days.
'I was lucky.'
If he hadn't met the Martial Soul Lord, whose name shook the world?
No matter how clever he was, he would never have become an intelligence runner for the Evil Soul Squad. He'd still be scrounging for scraps in some beggar gang.
"So, today's news?"
At So-ho's question, Sulgwae nodded.
"The Song Family Estate's steward took another wife. This time, it's the daughter of the Wang family who runs the dumpling shop."
"Hmm."
"That old Bai selling leather at the West Gate hasn't come out since he fell ill the other day. And lately, the constables have been lurking around the Furong Pavilion."
"Why the constables?"
"Some silk merchant from out of town lost his entire purse there. They say they're hunting the thief, but I bet they're just angling for free drinks."
Sulgwae rattled off one trivial piece of information after another.
His memory and observational skills were remarkable—the events of the past fortnight, which others would need a long time to record and memorize,
he recounted flawlessly and vividly.
"Anything else?"
"Nah. Except for the White Snow Wandering Troupe arriving."
Coincidentally, a large troupe called the White Snow Wandering Troupe had come to Chengdu, drawing crowds to the marketplace.
"So all the village kids flocked there."
Sulgwae's eyes sparkled.
He must have wanted to see the grand troupe outside the marketplace for himself.
"Wanna go?"
At So-ho's question, Sulgwae nodded as if it were obvious.
"Well, it's the first time I've ever seen a troupe this big."
Street performers and acrobats usually put on shows openly in the marketplace.
But a wandering troupe of this scale would rent a corner of land on the outskirts and charge admission.
The fee was steep, though, making it hard for beggars—and even ordinary folk—to afford.
"So-ho, have you been?"
"Of course."
So-ho puffed out his chest proudly.
"I've seen so many troupe shows since I was a kid, I'm sick of them."
"Wow, really? What kind of acts do they do inside?"
"Well..."
So-ho sighed as he looked into Sulgwae's shining eyes.
After rummaging in his sleeve for a while, he pulled out a coin and handed it over.
"Go see for yourself."
"R-really?"
As Sulgwae gaped, So-ho crossed his arms.
"You're my informant. It's the least I can do."
The Evil Soul Squad warriors treated So-ho well, valuing his wit and resourcefulness, and paid generously for information.
And since Sulgwae had been the biggest help in making that happen... this was only fair.
"Thanks!"
As Sulgwae beamed, So-ho waved him off.
"Don't mention it. Just keep bringing me news like you always do."
But Sulgwae was already gone.
Clutching the coin, he darted out of the alley as if flying.
Probably thrilled at the thought of seeing a troupe for the first time in his life.
"Enjoy the show."
So-ho sighed softly as he watched him go.
"For me."
Sulgwae had always assumed So-ho had been raised as an intelligence runner from the start.
But So-ho hadn't been one for long—before that, he had lived the same vagabond life as Sulgwae.
He, too, had never seen a troupe perform.