Chapter 1098
Swish!
A blade of True Qi, honed to razor sharpness, erupted from behind Bu Eun-seol's back and—
Shwaaaak!
—in an instant, carved a massive arc through the air.
He had unleashed the Willful True Binding, severing the masked men's heads in a single stroke.
But then, something bizarre happened.
Zzzzing, zzzzing.
Despite their heads being cleanly severed, they did not die. Instead, their bodies began emitting a strange, radiant glow.
Tak Il-hon, quickly grasping the situation, shouted,
"They seem to possess an ability similar to the Overlapping Pupils People!"
The Overlapping Pupils People, infamous as the Martial World's most abhorrent fiends, appeared to exist as separate individuals, but in truth, they were bound together as a single life force.
Thus, even if most of them were slain, as long as even one remained alive, the entire group would not perish.
In the past, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had cultivated these creatures to relentlessly hunt down and massacre the survivors of Tibet's Three Pure Realms.
And now, the forces presumed to belong to the Three Clans had replicated a similar secret art to breed their own soldiers.
Thud, thud.
As if to maximize terror, the masked men advanced slowly, their eerie blue eyes flashing ominously.
Watching them, Tak Il-hon cautiously advised,
"Since we can't kill them all at once, perhaps we should retreat and let the Evil Soul Squad handle them in one swift strike."
No matter how formidable Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had become—
Facing forty masked men, each standing at different distances and postures, capable of challenging even an Extreme Heaven Realm master—
—eliminating them all simultaneously without a single misstep was an exceedingly difficult feat.
Zzzzing.
Then, a blinding white light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Drip, drip-drip.
At the same time, his entire body transformed into a shadowy, ghostly silhouette, as though he had stepped out of a nightmare.
Saint Among Poisons.
He was unleashing the dreadful power of the Poison Emperor—a force so vile it could be described as Remnant Poison Without Morality—something he had suppressed until now.
Sssssss.
Pale smoke began rising from the masked men's bodies.
There was no need for cumbersome martial techniques.
In an instant, the bodies of all forty masked men began melting away.
"......!"
Realizing they had been poisoned, the masked men immediately tried to attack—
Squelch.
—but their arms and legs had already turned to sludge, collapsing into a viscous mess.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Within the blackened silhouette, Bu Eun-seol's eyes burned like twin Ghost Lanterns, radiating a terror so ancient and profound that no mortal could dare meet his gaze.
Stagger, stagger.
Eventually, the masked men, now reduced to slender, liquefied forms—
Ssssshhh.
—dissolved entirely, leaving behind nothing but small pools of bloody water.
"......."
Even Tak Il-hon, a man who had weathered countless storms in the Martial World, swallowed dryly.
These were the same masked men he had only been able to defeat by exhausting himself with the Life-Sacrificing Soul-Chasing Technique—
And yet, Bu Eun-seol had turned them into bloody puddles without so much as lifting a finger.
'He must be furious.'
Bu Eun-seol avoided using poison whenever possible.
Poison severely damaged corpses.
As an Undertaker, he valued the peaceful rest of the deceased above all else—a conviction that had only strengthened after his grandfather's body was stolen.
Yet, without hesitation, he had used poison to melt these corpses in an instant...
It was clear just how enraged he was over the injuries inflicted on Tak Il-hon and So-ho.
"Um... shouldn't we try to identify who's behind this?"
At that moment, So-ho cautiously spoke to Tak Il-hon.
"They don't seem like ordinary martial factions."
Tak Il-hon looked at So-ho with admiration—not only was the boy unafraid even after witnessing the Saint Among Poisons' power, but he was also calmly assessing the situation.
"The Three Clans and the Three Realms have countermeasures against both the Mind Seizing Secret Art and Mindscape techniques. If interrogation could reveal their stronghold, we would have uncovered it long ago."
Though So-ho didn't yet know the terms Three Clans or Three Realms, he grasped the general meaning and nodded.
"I... see."
But as he spoke, So-ho suddenly staggered and collapsed.
The journey to rescue Sulgwae had been grueling enough to exhaust even seasoned martial artists.
On top of that, he had endured severe internal injuries from being exposed to the Starfire Blood Chains earlier.
Now that all danger had passed and his tension faded, his body finally gave out.
"Internal injuries."
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol extended a hand, and So-ho's body floated into the air.
"Not only is his talent remarkable, but his loyalty and courage are extraordinary."
Tak Il-hon spoke proudly, as if bragging about his own grandson.
"Not only did he risk his life to save his friend, but just now, he even stepped forward to shield this old man."
"I heard the gist of the story from So-yo on the way."
Huuuum.
As Bu Eun-seol began channeling his Internal Energy, a white light seeped into So-ho's body.
"Though he hasn't refined his martial techniques, he's diligently cultivated his Internal Energy Method."
Using the Heavenly Robe Mind Art to examine So-ho's condition, Bu Eun-seol discerned that the boy had rigorously practiced the method taught by U Gyeong and was now prepared to contain vast reserves of internal energy.
Huuuuuum.
The pure Reverse Polarity True Qi filled So-ho's dantian, then descended to the Meeting of Yin acupoint, traveled up the tailbone, climbed the spine, and surged toward the upper back.
Finally, it soared to the Hundred Meetings acupoint at the crown of his head.
Three Gates Along the Back.
In an instant, the Reverse Polarity True Qi pierced through the three critical gates along the spine—Tailbone Gate, Spinal Gate, and Jade Pillow Gate.
Then, the energy flowed down from the forehead, connecting the Governor and Conception Vessels through the roof of the mouth and the tip of the tongue.
Passing through So-ho's neck and chest, it returned once more to the dantian.
Huuuuum!
Before long, a faint glow emanated from So-ho's face...
Even without Bu Eun-seol's assistance, the True Qi within his body now circulated endlessly along the Governor and Conception Vessels on its own.
This was the essential condition for entering the Transcendence Realm—the threshold where one could truly make a name for themselves in the Martial World.
He had opened the Governor and Conception Vessels.
'No wonder Dharma Protector Tak wouldn't stop singing his praises.'
Bu Eun-seol had originally intended to only infuse enough internal energy to straighten out So-ho's tangled qi and blood flow.
But the boy's aptitude far exceeded expectations—he hadn't expelled a single drop of the Reverse Polarity True Qi, absorbing every last bit of it frugally.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol had poured in the Reverse Polarity True Qi without reservation, opening his Governor and Conception Vessels for him.
"Lord."
So-ho, having opened his eyes again, immediately bowed deeply.
He had realized that Bu Eun-seol had expended his own True Qi to help regulate his body.
"I am endlessly grateful for this kindness as vast as the sea."
"Rise."
"There is something I must ask of you."
So-ho pulled out a small dagger from his robes and prostrated himself once more on the ground.
It was the very dagger Heuk-pyo had handed to him.
"Heuk-pyo."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slightly upon recognizing the emblem engraved on the dagger.
"Yes. He said that only you, Lord, in all the world, could break the Mind Seizing Secret Art cast upon Sulgwae."
As he continued speaking, So-ho suddenly realized—
Heuk-pyo was in danger near Jade Gate Pass.
"Great Hero Heuk-pyo is in peril. Please, you must help him."
"Heuk-pyo?"
"Yes. When I reached Jade Gate Pass with the help of Great Hero Namgung, I happened to meet him."
"Great Hero Namgung?"
"Young Clan Head Namgung of the Namgung Family—Great Hero Namgung Un."
So-ho briefly explained the circumstances of his meeting with Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently listening, nodded with a faint smile.
"So in the end, Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo were the ones who sent you to me."
Bu Eun-seol chuckled and shook his head.
"Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo—those two can handle themselves in any situation. There's no need to worry."
"You know them well?"
When So-ho looked astonished, Tak Il-hon laughed and said,
"They are both the Lord's sworn younger brothers."
So-ho's expression went blank.
The Wandering King, renowned throughout the martial world, and Namgung Un, the Hidden Dragon of the Namgung Family—both were Bu Eun-seol's sworn brothers?
Had he known that they had traveled the martial world with Bu Eun-seol and honed their martial arts under him—
He might have jumped in shock.
"Is it really alright to share such stories? This boy is still just an intelligence scout for the Evil Soul Squad."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Tak Il-hon shrugged his shoulders and said,
"Not just a scout—he is this old man's disciple now."
He gazed at So-ho with affectionate eyes and ruffled his hair.
"This boy will master the essence of my martial arts within ten years."
"I understand your intentions, but Dharma Protector Tak, you are the leader of the Death Shadow War Unit and a pillar of the Evil Soul Squad, are you not?"
The composition and members of the Evil Soul Squad were among the Death Shadow War Unit's highest secrets, known only to Bu Eun-seol and a few of its leaders.
If Tak Il-hon took on a disciple, he would either have to step down from his duties in the Death Shadow War Unit—or raise So-ho as one of its martial artists.
The latter would inevitably require So-ho to interact with the Evil Soul Squad.
"Wouldn't it be better to take a brief leave of absence now? If you do, you could achieve great results not in ten years, but in three."
Tak Il-hon was indispensable to the Death Shadow War Unit.
But for the sake of So-ho, whose future was bright—so that he could become a free martial artist rather than a ruthless Evil Soul Squad operative or a Death Shadow War Unit fighter—
And for Tak Il-hon, so that he could teach without burden—
Bu Eun-seol was considering both of them.
"I'm sorry."
Then, unexpectedly, So-ho spoke up.
"I don't think I can become your disciple, Elder."
Tak Il-hon's expression turned bitter.
"Do you think this old man is unworthy of being your master?"
So-ho had seen Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo—prodigies of their generation—walking their own paths.
Perhaps he had naturally come to admire them and wished to follow in their footsteps.
"Those two also had great masters before they could walk alone."
Seeing Tak Il-hon's disappointed expression, So-yo spoke up.
"The Namgung Young Clan Head had the strict guidance of Namgung Jeong, and Heuk-pyo only found his path after learning martial arts from the Lord."
So-ho was still young and had gone through too much this time.
And after witnessing Bu Eun-seol's divine might, he might have thought Tak Il-hon seemed somewhat lacking in comparison.
"No, that's not what I meant."
So-ho waved his hands frantically.
"It's not that you are lacking—it's that I am. And more than anything else..."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"If I become your disciple, there'll be no one left to take care of Sulgwae."
Tak Il-hon and So-yo both chuckled at So-ho's innocence.
"Did you really think we'd leave your friend alone?"
"But Sulgwae injured his knee—he can't learn martial arts."
So-yo approached So-ho and spoke in a voice that was indifferent yet kind.
"Don't worry. The Lord will heal him completely."
"Really?"
So-ho, who had been prostrating, lifted his head with delight. Instead of answering, So-yo gently patted his head—
As if to say, "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
'It seems So-yo has taken a liking to him.'
During missions, So-yo never spoke unnecessarily.
But it seemed she had grown fond of So-ho, speaking to him with rare warmth.
"Thank you, Madam!"
So-ho bowed deeply once more.
Then he prostrated himself again before Tak Il-hon and Bu Eun-seol.
"Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Master."
Whoosh.
Suddenly, So-ho's body was lifted upright on its own.
Bu Eun-seol had used his internal energy to raise him.
"Now that you are Dharma Protector Tak's disciple, you must not kneel so carelessly."
Tak Il-hon was of equal standing to the current Shaolin abbot. As his direct disciple, So-ho's status would naturally rise accordingly.
So-ho straightened his posture and bowed respectfully.
"I will keep that in mind."
Nod.
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod before using his internal energy to bring Sulgwae, who had been lying unconscious within the battle formation, closer for examination.
'This far surpasses even the most advanced Mind Seizing Secret Arts of the current martial world.'
His expression darkened.
Though he had grasped the essence of the Pavilion Lord's Phantom Restoration, it was only a fragment of its full depth.
As for breaking the formidable Mind Seizing Secret Art binding Sulgwae...
Truly, the only master capable of such a feat was none other than Ak Mu-ryeong.
Whoosh—
At that moment, countless dark shadows began descending upon the area one after another.
They were the Evil Soul Squad members, having rushed here upon receiving the emergency signal.
"Take good care of this."
Bu Eun-seol returned Heuk-pyo's dagger to So-ho.
"It seems Heuk-pyo gave this to you as a protective talisman."
So-ho smiled sheepishly.
To think that Heuk-pyo—a man admired by countless heroic figures across the land—had called him a "young friend."
And now, receiving his dagger as a gift? His chest swelled with pride.
"You've endured much hardship."
When Bu Eun-seol patted his shoulder reassuringly, So-ho's heart clenched.
The words of the Martial Soul Lord, who commanded the world's respect, carried incomparable weight—and his promises were absolute.
Since he had made such a firm vow...
Sulgwae would awaken.
Deep within the Martial Soul Society's heart, the Absolute Domain.
A place where none could enter without the Martial Soul Society Leader's permission.
Here, an unprecedented event in martial world history was unfolding.
Leaders and strategists from the Demonic Path, the Righteous Faction, and even the intelligence organizations operating Between the Orthodox and Unorthodox had gathered for a joint conference.
Yu Un-ryong, the strategist of the Death Shadow War Unit, and No Trace, the Peak Leader.
Gongson Dan-gyeong, the chief strategist of the Azure Heaven Alliance, and Tae Mu-ryong, another Peak Leader.
Even Dam Yu-yeon, the Martial Soul Society's tactician, and Yu Hwa-ryeong, its overseer.
This was an assembly without precedent—a convergence of Orthodox, Demonic, and Neutral forces.
"It was the Jungson Clan."
No Trace spoke with grim severity.
"For generations, they have repeatedly changed the names of their wandering troupes, deceiving the martial world and abducting children."
Led by No Trace of the Evil Soul Squad, intelligence networks spanning the Orthodox, Demonic, and Neutral factions had thoroughly investigated the White Snow Wandering Troupe incident.
And what they uncovered was shocking.
The Jungson Clan.
One of the legendary Three Great Martial Families, which had secretly maintained its lineage all this time.
The White Snow Wandering Troupe—no, the ever-shifting organization that had continuously altered its name while preserving its legacy—had been exposed.
"If not for So-ho... if not for Young Clan Head Namgung and the Wandering King, we might never have uncovered this truth in our lifetimes."
No matter how benevolent a renowned hero of the martial world might be,
Who would risk their life chasing beyond the frontier to save a crippled beggar?
Yet So-ho had risked everything for his friend.
Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo had staked their lives to aid a stranger.
And because of them, the Jungson Clan's True Body, hidden for generations, had finally been revealed.
"We must not overlook the contributions of the Evil Soul Squad's U Gyeong either."
The confidence that So-ho could save Sulgwae had come from the signal flare U Gyeong provided.
Then Tae Mu-ryong spoke.
"In the end, it was the Lord's people who made this possible."
At those words, the assembled figures all smiled.
The ones who had extended a hand to So-ho—once just a nameless beggar—were Bu Eun-seol's people.
Ultimately, the bonds he had forged in the martial world had converged, unraveling the secrets of the Jungson Clan, one of the Three Great Martial Families.
"But it's still hard to believe."
Dam Yu-yeon spoke cautiously.
"That the legendary Jungson Clan's True Body was a wandering troupe drifting through the Central Plains."
The others nodded in agreement.
The Jungson Clan was one of the Three Great Martial Families, possessing immense power and military might.
Yet they had maintained their legacy by masquerading as a troupe of vagabonds?
Had So-ho's incident not exposed them,
Their true nature might have remained hidden for another century.
"What of Sulgwae, the boy?"
"Thanks to the Wolf Token the Lord provided, the matter was resolved smoothly."
No Trace answered Bu Eun-seol's question with an awkward expression.
"Though the Pavilion Lord did bellow loud enough to shake Sword Tail Mountain."
Given Ak Mu-ryeong's temperament, there was no way he would exert himself to awaken Sulgwae—a boy who wasn't even a Langya Pavilion disciple.
In the past, Bu Eun-seol would have had to personally plead with him, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
But this time?
He simply presented the Wolf Token without a word.
"Since when has this brat been acting as Pavilion Lord?!"
Forgetting that he was the one who had given Bu Eun-seol the token in the first place,
"This is all because you lot failed to maintain proper discipline!"
In his fury, Ak Mu-ryeong spent the next while—
Harshly reprimanding Deputy Pavilion Master Dan Cheong and the other leaders close to Bu Eun-seol.
"Ahem."
Breaking the awkward silence, No Trace continued.
"Sulgwae has been accepted as a Langya Pavilion disciple. Gang Un will oversee his training."
Ak Mu-ryeong had recognized not only Sulgwae's exceptional talent but also his innate suitability for mastering the Mind Seizing Secret Art.
After using spirit medicine to heal his ruined knees, he formally accepted him as a disciple.
As for Gang Un—he was among the most outstanding young disciples of Langya Pavilion, a prodigy personally instructed by Ak Mu-ryeong in the Internal Energy Method.
With such a mentor, Sulgwae would undoubtedly grow into a pillar of the martial world.
"As for So-ho, he has officially become Dharma Protector Tak's disciple and has begun training as a full-fledged member of the Evil Soul Squad."
So-ho possessed remarkable talent as an intelligence scout.
Now, as Tak Il-hon's disciple and a member of the Evil Soul Squad, his future was assured.
And the one most delighted by this?
U Gyeong.
As one of the unit's most capable members, he had taken it upon himself to train So-ho rigorously.
Before long, So-ho would prove himself as a true asset to the Evil Soul Squad.
"Then let us begin discussing how to deal with the Jungson Clan."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
At long last, they had found the hidden stronghold of the Jungson Clan—one of the Three Clans that no one had ever managed to locate before. Now... it was time to prepare for its destruction.