Chapter 1126
Princess Hui-jeong felt strangely unsettled as the grown man repeatedly kneaded her cheeks like soft clay.
"It's done."
The princess, with her fair skin and striking eyes, had transformed into a middle-aged woman with dark skin and plump cheeks.
Squelch.
Bu Eun-seol, too, used the Darkness Secret Arts to reshape his face once more.
"So you did have internal energy all along and lied about it!"
Only then did Princess Hui-jeong widen her eyes as if realizing she'd been deceived.
"No wonder you were leaping up cliffs and boasting about breaking through alone," she said irritably.
"This princess concedes. Now hurry up and fly us to the capital."
Whoosh.
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol extended his right hand.
"What?"
"Check my pulse. See if I have internal energy."
"None? Then how can you change your face?"
"The martial world has techniques to alter one's appearance without internal energy."
Princess Hui-jeong grabbed his Pulse Gate, disbelief written across her face.
"You've been spouting nonsense this whole time, but this is—"
Yet there truly wasn't even the faintest ripple of counterforce—his internal energy was completely sealed off.
"......What an extraordinary skill!"
Princess Hui-jeong coughed awkwardly and changed her tone.
"They say the martial world is teeming with eccentrics like grains of sand—how fascinating."
"It may look convincing, but clay has its limits. This won't fool a master's sharp eyes."
"Then?"
"Let's go to Chengdu."
Bu Eun-seol entered the city with her, purchased a few items, and refined their faces once more to appear natural.
Then, from a back-alley den run by Black Gangs thugs, he bought a stockpile of sinister hidden weapons and poisons.
—We got lucky.
By chance, the Ironwind Black Steeds—horses said to gallop a thousand li in a single day—had just arrived at the relay station.
—These are reserved. Not for sale.
The station firmly refused to sell them.
But in this world, there was nothing money couldn't buy.
—Enjoy your pleasant and happy journey!
Once he offered a premium three times the market price, they promptly handed over the horses and even bowed deeply as they saw him off.
When Bu Eun-seol returned leading two Ironwind Black Steeds,
"Now, let's go to an inn."
Princess Hui-jeong pointed to a large, respectable establishment.
"With our faces changed like this, it should be fine, right?"
"Of course."
Yet Bu Eun-seol entered not the place she indicated, but the shabbiest inn in Chengdu.
He first ordered several days' worth of dry rations, then a single bowl of noodles and stir-fried vegetables.
"Are you mocking me now?"
Princess Hui-jeong, seated across from him, glared and whispered sharply.
"Or do you intend to humiliate this princess?"
"What do you mean?"
"What reason could you possibly have for passing up decent inns and coming to this rotting, dilapidated hole?"
"Chengdu has too many eyes."
Bu Eun-seol kept his voice low.
"If we dressed in tattered clothes yet ordered lavish meals in private rooms, we'd draw attention."
"Hmph."
Unable to refute him, she reluctantly picked up her chopsticks.
Though she never ate plain noodles, she was so famished that she emptied the bowl in an instant.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol sank deep into thought.
'I can't even use the Death Soul Squad's intelligence network.'
Just as the princess had lured out the Empress Dowager's secret operatives,
the Empress Dowager would surely be investigating who the Emperor's secret blade was and which martial forces it was connected to without her knowledge.
Hadn't she already scrutinized Yu Un-ryong with extreme suspicion, probing deeply into the Demon Hall's movements?
Fortunately, Seo Jin-ha was fulfilling his role and handling affairs at the Demon Hall—otherwise, things would have become far more troublesome.
'It's like I've become a rookie in the martial world again.'
The feeling was peculiar.
Here he was, the man who commanded the largest intelligence network in the realm,
now evading pursuit by the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry—the Imperial Palace's secret martial unit—on his way to the capital.
Nothing could be more absurd.
"Do you regret it?"
Princess Hui-jeong suddenly fixed her gaze on him and spoke.
"Escorting this princess."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"There's no room for likes or dislikes."
"So you had no choice."
"I owed a debt."
"Everyone lives with debts. Many never repay them."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head again.
"Those of the martial world repay what they owe."
Princess Hui-jeong stared at him blankly.
Though he was disguised as an utterly unremarkable man, she sensed an indescribable aura around him—like drifting clouds.
"Is there something on my face?"
"Ahem."
Princess Hui-jeong, who had been staring intently, coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
"In that case... could you owe this princess a debt as well?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You must have ambitions of your own, no?"
Princess Hui-jeong still hadn't given up on recruiting Bu Eun-seol.
"I have the power to grant you everything you desire."
"Only to be discarded like a used pawn once everything is over?"
"What nonsense is that?"
"There's no need to look far for reasons."
Hadn't the princess herself, not long ago, shown no sorrow for the Golden Dragon Guards' brutal deaths?
Hadn't she merely worn the expression of someone who had lost a useful chess piece?
"You're an unexpectedly sentimental leader, aren't you?"
Realizing Bu Eun-seol was alluding to the deaths of the Golden Dragon Guards, Princess Hui-jeong let out a deep sigh.
"To live as a ruler is to stand upon a battlefield every day. Bonds forged in blood, decades of camaraderie—even those must be severed in an instant if the throne demands it."
Her voice was low.
"If I were to weep and collapse over each death, I could never bear the weight of ruling a nation."
"......"
"It's not that I don't regret their deaths. But trampling over their sacrifices to achieve greatness—that is the only way to honor their spirits."
Bu Eun-seol said nothing.
Every person had their own way of living, and it wasn't his place to force judgment on what was right or wrong.
"Fine. If that's cruel, then let it be cruel. If it's heartless, then let it be heartless."
Her voice grew thin.
"The throne doesn't beg for anyone's understanding."
Her words were laced with anguish and self-reproach.
In truth, she didn't seem inherently cruel.
"To achieve greatness, one must neither shy from the cold wind nor pluck the beautiful flowers."
Feeling a pang of remorse, Bu Eun-seol offered quiet consolation.
"It's true—to accomplish great things, one must set aside personal emotions and desires."
For a moment, she wore a dazed expression before suddenly laughing.
"Here you are, looking like a tofu peddler, yet speaking like a sage of the ages."
Then she changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, you were once famous as a peerless beauty. How in the world—"
Thwack!
Without warning, Bu Eun-seol kicked the chair she was sitting on.
At the same time, he jerked his own head back violently.
Whoosh—!
A razor-sharp iron arrow grazed past their foreheads with a sound like splitting air.
Their pursuers had caught up.
Shing!
The Ink Soul Sword flashed out, and in the next instant, a fountain of blood erupted from the throat of the middle-aged man seated at the opposite table.
Bu Eun-seol had instantly decapitated the tracker who had revealed his position.
"We should move."
Bu Eun-seol mounted the Ironwind Black Steed tied outside the inn, and the princess hastily followed.
Gallop, gallop, gallop—
They swiftly left Chengdu behind.
"Must we really flee from such amateur assassins?"
Truthfully, the assassins weren't particularly skilled—Princess Hui-jeong, who had mastered the Imperial Court Martial Arts, could have handled them alone.
"Most of the people in that inn were commoners who'd never learned martial arts."
Only then did the princess let out a small "Ah."
While she had been focused on eating,
Bu Eun-seol had been carefully observing everyone in the inn from the moment they entered.
Swish, swish, swish—
Meanwhile, the assassins gave chase using the Lightness Art.
Pfft—
Rather than engage them, Bu Eun-seol scattered powder from his sleeve.
"Hmph."
The assassins, having taken antidote pills to neutralize poison,
paid no heed to whatever he had thrown.
"Ghk—!"
But suddenly, their faces twisted in pain as their eyes burned.
What Bu Eun-seol had scattered wasn't poison—
but a mix of spicy chili and pepper powder, commonly used by petty thieves of the Hao Clan to escape pursuit.
"These assassins are utterly pathetic!"
As the princess laughed triumphantly from horseback, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"They were likely just messengers, like carrier pigeons. Only tempted by the high bounty to take a reckless shot."
"No need to explain every little thing!"
The princess let out a hearty Hahaha! before yanking the reins and galloping away like the wind.
After three days and nights of riding, they finally reached the borders of Sichuan.
Bu Eun-seol immediately abandoned the exhausted horse and returned to Chengdu to purchase a small donkey-drawn cart.
This time, he bought lavish robes to disguise the princess as a young courtesan, while he transformed into a grim-faced middle-aged man.
Though pursuers tailed them several more times,
none could have imagined that the haughty princess would cling to a shabby middle-aged man while dressed as a courtesan.
They ultimately lost track of them.
"Quite resourceful, aren't you?"
Princess Hui-jeong watched in admiration as Bu Eun-seol effortlessly shook off their pursuers each time with cunning tactics and disguises.
"At this rate, we'll arrive safely."
"I hope so, but..."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky and spoke.
"By now, they must have guessed that the princess and I are constantly changing disguises while moving."
"Then they will..."
"Undoubtedly mobilize troops to block the major checkpoints."
Bu Eun-seol predicted the future with eerie precision, as if laying out a mat before sitting.
True to his expectations, at every major checkpoint, Empress Dowager's forces—including the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry—stood guard, inspecting anyone suspicious.
"There's no other way now."
Princess Hui-jeong secretly hoped Bu Eun-seol would call for his subordinates.
"Your men must be spread across the Central Plains too, no?"
"You still hold onto that expectation?"
"A person only has one life, don't they?"
The princess spoke in a hushed voice.
"Why stubbornly resist? Wouldn't it be better to change your mind even now?"
"Wake up from your delusions."
"Then what do we do?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
"There's no choice. We'll have to force our way through."
"Force our way?"
"That's right."
His voice lowered.
"Fortunately, because they've stationed troops at every checkpoint, their forces are spread thin."
"Hmm."
"Our best option is to subdue them in one swift strike and escape before they realize the checkpoint has been breached."
Before long, it was Bu Eun-seol and Princess Hui-jeong's turn.
The guards, their dark eyes sharp, scrutinized Bu Eun-seol before their gazes locked onto the princess's face.
"Come here for a moment."
The Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry gestured toward her.
Though not in full disguise, she had smeared various medicinal substances on her face for concealment.
There was no way highly skilled Masters with keen perception wouldn't notice.
Swish—slash!
Blood spurted from their throats.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed his lightning-fast Quick Sword Form, beheading the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalrymen in an instant.
"Aaaaah!"
Nearby civilians screamed and fled at the sight.
"We need to put as much distance between us as possible."
Bu Eun-seol and Princess Hui-jeong sprinted at full speed.
But before long, about a hundred assassins began encircling them.
The Empress Dowager, anticipating such a scenario, had spent a fortune to station additional assassins at every checkpoint, supplementing her scattered forces.
Whizz—whizz—whizz!
They rained down bizarre hidden weapons, tightening the encirclement around the two.
Just from the way they threw their concealed weapons, it was clear these were no ordinary assassins—they were elite Special-Grade Assassins.
"Stay within three feet of me."
For Bu Eun-seol, whose sword aura couldn't extend far, three feet was the maximum range where his blade could still exert lethal force.
"This princess will assist as well."
Princess Hui-jeong drew her dagger and fought alongside Bu Eun-seol against the assassins.
Slash—slash—slash!
Bu Eun-seol's swordsmanship, though seemingly simple, was exquisitely precise—each strike pierced the vital points of a dozen assassins at once.
In contrast, Princess Hui-jeong's Phoenix Sword Dance unleashed dazzling flashes of sword aura, yet...
She barely managed to take down one or two assassins at a time.
Imperial Court Martial Arts insisted on grandiose and flamboyant stances,
resulting in excessive movements—the more techniques she unleashed, the weaker their impact became.
"Retreat!"
The surviving assassins, seeing their comrades fall in droves,
realized Bu Eun-seol was a Master they couldn't contend with and fled without looking back.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
But in that moment,
mounted Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalrymen surged toward Bu Eun-seol once more.
'Our trail has been exposed.'
A flash of light crossed Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
There was no way they could have stationed this many troops at every checkpoint.
The Empress Dowager's side must have predicted their route to some extent.
'They have an exceptional strategist.'
The reason the Empress Dowager had managed to hold her own against the Emperor in their prolonged conflict wasn't just due to overwhelming power and military might—
but also because she had a brilliant strategist by her side.
"Fall back."
In the end, Bu Eun-seol halted his retreat and drew his sword again.
The Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalrymen's attacks embodied the Grand Perfection of all Imperial Court Martial Arts. If careless, Princess Hui-jeong could be in grave danger.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
The moment they surrounded Bu Eun-seol, the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalrymen channeled a strange force and relentlessly swung their spear shafts.
Under normal circumstances, Bu Eun-seol would have unleashed his Beast Force, tearing through the battlefield and defeating them one by one.
But to protect Princess Hui-jeong,
he stood his ground, forced to parry each of their attacks head-on.
Hiss—hiss—hiss—hiss!
With a sound like swarming insects pouring forth.
The Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry leveraged their mobility to continuously encircle him in widening rings, launching long-range attacks—
Thunk!
Yet each time their strikes met the sword-flash conjured by the Ink Soul Sword, a wet pfft erupted from their mouths as fountains of blood sprayed upward.
Bu Eun-seol unfurled the profound mysteries of Sword Studies without cease, deflecting their assaults while inflicting internal injuries.
—Widen the distance!
As if recognizing that Bu Eun-seol could not unleash his Internal Power, the cavalry expanded their formation, pouring forth overwhelming Internal Energy.
Oooom—
With dozens of them channeling their power simultaneously, the very space around Bu Eun-seol began to compress under the pressure.
It wasn't just his movements that were suppressed—even the razor-sharp Sword Strokes he deployed were being disrupted.
KRRRUM! FWOOOSH!
The spear shafts of the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry, embodying the pinnacle of Imperial Court Martial Arts, carried force enough to split mountains.
And yet—
Strangely, the more fiercely they attacked, the more refined Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes became.
Within the State of Selflessness, facing formidable opponents with nothing but the essence of martial arts itself—
Subtle realizations and Insights flickered incessantly through his mind.
'What I seek isn't to gain, but to shed.'
The realm he had always pursued was one where—
The power of the martial world's Superlative Experts was reduced to nothing, forcing combat with pure physical skill alone.
And the Imperial Court Martial Arts, rather than devising techniques of overwhelming force—
Had chosen to specialize in nullifying the Internal Power and Supernatural Powers of martial artists.
In other words, it aligned perfectly with his own path.
Now, locked in fierce combat against the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry—who had mastered the purified essence of Imperial Court Martial Arts in a state where all power was stripped away—
He absorbed the intricacies of their spear techniques effortlessly.
His movements grew more concise. His swordplay, more profound.
'Perhaps, within the Imperial Palace Secret Repository... there lies a Secret Art capable of replacing the Heaven and Earth Divine Artifact.'
The Imperial Palace Secret Repository, said to house an incalculable trove of esoteric manuals and Spirit Medicines—
Was accessible only to military officers granted permission by the Emperor himself.
Countless Divine Thieves had salivated over its treasures, yet none had ever succeeded in breaching its defenses—guarded as it was by mechanisms that mysteriously neutralized all martial power.
Moreover, getting caught meant forfeiting any hope of survival in the Central Plains. One had to be prepared to throw their life away just to attempt entry.
Fwooosh! Shhk-shhk-shhk!
By now, Bu Eun-seol's movements had shifted into something fluid and supple, like a dance—
And in the wake of his Sword Strokes lingered razor-edged energy, lingering in the air.
Fssshhht! Thud-thud-thud—
Of the hundred-strong cavalry, barely thirty remained.
"Target the Princess!"
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol was rooted in place—unable to move from his position guarding Princess Hui-jeong as he deployed his Sword Strokes—
They widened their formation and unleashed a venomous assault upon her.
KWA—AAAAAH!
As if pouring everything into a single strike, thirty pitch-black spear shafts pivoted as one—
And a deluge of Spear Aura cascaded toward the princess.
An attack of transcendent force, akin to Limitless Power itself—unstoppable.
"Ah—"
Though trained in the essence of Imperial Court Martial Arts, Princess Hui-jeong had no real combat experience—and this was the Grand Perfection of the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry's techniques.
For an instant, she froze, paralyzed.
"Nothing... Emptiness."
Then—
Bu Eun-seol's murmur was low, his pupils unfocusing.
Standing motionless beside the princess, immovable as a mountain, he began tracing endless circles in the air.
And at his center, the space within a ten-foot radius warped faintly—
As the thirty spears charging toward them—
Slowed visibly, as if swimming through a river of viscous mercury.
The Domain of Emptiness.
Because his body held no power at all—
He paradoxically forged a space where the enemy's force was effortlessly shattered.
FWOOOOSH!
But he couldn't hold back time forever.
The surging Spear Aura, though slowed, still advanced—inexorably—toward the princess.
Death had only been delayed, not averted.
Shiiiik—
Then—
Bu Eun-seol moved.
Without straying even half a step from the princess, he enveloped her entirely within his shadow—
And as though performing a sword dance—
Began circling her in a spinning orbit.
Fwoorl—
The Ink Soul Sword conjured a soft current, bending the trajectory of the Spear Aura drastically.
Ting!
The sound of spear-light meeting sword-tip rang clear, like plucked gold.
To Princess Hui-jeong, watching, time itself seemed to halt.
Amid enemies thirsting for her death—
A man wielding a sword like faded ink stood beside her, his blade flashing.
Tightly pressed lips.
Movements so precise they brooked no error.
A straight nose. Fleeting glimpses of crimson light through his wind-tossed black hair.
He wove around her a boundary—relentless, desperate.
Tiiing!
Finally, as the last spear grazed his fingertips, spent, and clattered to the ground—
Time, frozen until now, began to flow once more.