Chapter 1127
In that moment, Princess Hui-jeong realized.
She had just witnessed the most beautiful dance in the world and had engraved the name of a man she would never forget in her heart.
'What am I thinking?'
As she shook her head—
Clank!
The Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry, their long spears shattered, swiftly combined the secondary spears strapped to their backs.
Swish, swish, swish!
Meanwhile, the Ink Soul Sword began to carve through the air—soft as the flutter of a butterfly's wings, elegant like the pluck of a zither string.
Then, the warriors' hands trembled, and the spears they gripped started shaking uncontrollably.
"He's deploying sorcery!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Believing Bu Eun-seol was using sorcery, the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry activated the Breaking Arts and Severing Techniques from the Imperial Palace Martial Repository.
Shwoooom!
Whether it worked or not, dozens of spear tips finally pierced through the domain of emptiness and surged toward Bu Eun-seol and Princess Hui-jeong.
Clang!
As the sword lightly traced the air once more, one spear aimed straight for the princess's heart suddenly lost all force and plummeted to the ground.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
When Bu Eun-seol gently pushed his sword forward, six or seven spears simultaneously staggered back as if repelled by a massive gust of wind.
The deathly spear techniques of thirty desperate Forbidden Cavalrymen—
With each subtle motion of Bu Eun-seol's hand, they lost their way, clashing against each other or deflecting wildly off course.
'The destructive force is weak.'
With no strength left in his body, all Bu Eun-seol could do was push the spears aside or divert their spear auras.
'Then—'
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As if gathering their full power, the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry spun their spear shafts, channeling their energy for a decisive strike.
But then—
BOOM!
A sudden explosive sound erupted, followed by—
"Aaaagh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the air.
As Bu Eun-seol extended the Ink Soul Sword, the steel spear shafts they had been brandishing suddenly bent like taffy before shattering into pieces.
He had expanded the domain of emptiness—
Forcing their full-powered spear strikes to collide violently against each other.
"Ughhh..."
The fragments embedded themselves around their eyes.
Though they survived, the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry screamed in agony, now blinded.
Fwoosh!
At that moment, accompanied by the Sound of Breaking Air, a crimson shadow landed on the ground.
Clad in scarlet armor from head to toe, with a blood-red cape fluttering behind him—he looked like a human embodiment of calamitous flames.
The Thousand Commander of the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry—
The Crimson Ghost, Gwak Woon.
The massive Black Cloud Spear in his hand, measuring one jang and two cheok, was stained red as if soaked in blood.
A strange force swirled around it, swallowing the surrounding light.
"Indeed, you possess the skill to escort the princess alone."
He showed little surprise even though Bu Eun-seol had single-handedly defeated a hundred Forbidden Cavalrymen.
"Princess."
Gwak Woon bowed slightly as he spoke.
"It's time to return."
Clank.
Bu Eun-seol stood beside Princess Hui-jeong, the Ink Soul Sword held vertically in front of him.
Gwak Woon's eyes flashed.
"If you interfere further, you die."
"Try me."
As Bu Eun-seol leisurely lowered his sword to the ground—
KWA-BOOOOOM!
With a sound like the earth splitting, a crimson meteor charged toward him.
In just a single step, he had closed a distance of over ten jang.
KWAANG!
From the Black Cloud Spear erupted a torrential storm of death.
Each spear tip struck at fatal pressure points—heart, throat, brow—from different angles.
An ordinary master would have been paralyzed by the overwhelming barrage—
Or, even if they dodged, they would have lost their balance and surely been overwhelmed.
But Bu Eun-seol maintained the posture of movement within stillness, his gaze serene.
Just before the spear tip pierced his throat—
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol twisted his upper body halfway, blood splattering from his side.
The true strike among the twelve spear attacks had been aimed at his heart.
Flick!
The spear that grazed his side carved through the air, then arced in a half-circle before thrusting toward his brow.
But as Bu Eun-seol sidestepped half a pace, the attack missed harmlessly.
His movements were like flowing water, as unpredictable as leaves scattered by the wind.
Though he lacked Gwak Woon's explosive speed, his motions were flawlessly efficient—not a single inch wasted.
"Who the hell are you?"
Behind his helmet, Gwak Woon's eyebrows shot up.
Never before had the Black Cloud Spear's deadly barrage been dismantled so effortlessly.
"Reveal yourself."
"No need."
At the cold reply, Gwak Woon's fury surged. He retracted his spear, drawing a massive half-circle in the air—
A devastating horizontal slash meant to cleave him in two at the waist.
At the moment the spear reached the peak of its trajectory, gathering maximum force—
Shwoop!
Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword smoothly slipped toward Gwak Woon's throat.
No lightning-fast dash, no dazzling swordplay—
Just a single step forward and an extended sword.
Yet in that instant, it transformed into a fatal strike—one that made Gwak Woon glimpse death itself.
KAAANG!
A metallic screech tore through the battlefield.
Bu Eun-seol's sword tip—
Instead of Gwak Woon's neck, it struck the spear shaft mid-arc.
"Guh—!"
Gwak Woon desperately clenched his spear.
His face stiffened at the numbing shock traveling through his palm and forearm.
This impact wasn't raw strength or internal energy—
It was a masterful strike, exploiting the spear's centrifugal force and center of gravity.
In a single clash, Gwak Woon's expression—once solemn as death's herald—turned ashen, like a defeated man.
Whoosh.
There was no time to be astonished.
Before he knew it, the silent blade had already pressed against his throat once more.
"Ghk—!"
Gwak Woon desperately tried to defend himself, but the hand gripping his spear abruptly sank downward.
Reversal Force of Half Ascent and Half Descent.
Bu Eun-seol had redirected the flow of internal energy within the Black Cloud Spear downward, using the Sword Sovereign's sword technique.
Schlick.
At the same time, the razor-sharp tip of the sword traced a crimson line across his neck.
Bu Eun-seol had severed his head—with neither internal energy nor sword energy, but with pure sword technique alone.
Only then did Gwak Woon realize.
The master before him was an existence entirely beyond any martial expert he had ever faced.
"Such swordsmanship..."
And with that—
It became his final thought in this life.
Thud.
Gwak Woon's severed head rolled grotesquely across the ground.
"Are you alright?"
Princess Hui-jeong approached, her voice laced with concern.
Though victorious, Bu Eun-seol's body was in tatters.
He had been forced to fight while protecting her, unable to move freely.
Yet, he had single-handedly defeated the Thousand Kill Forbidden Cavalry unit, said to be able to face thousands of troops, and Gwak Woon, a thousand-household commander who could easily defeat martial masters of the martial world.
"I'm fine."
Bu Eun-seol waved her off.
"We must leave immediately."
Their location had been exposed. Reinforcements would soon swarm the area.
Without even tending to his wounds, Bu Eun-seol swiftly guided the princess away.
Fortunately, thanks to the Beast Force, he could still maintain the speed of an average martial artist's Lightness Art.
Yet, instead of heading toward the capital, he led her deep into the mountains.
At the base of a waterfall, where herb gatherers and hunters often rested, he lit a fire and settled down.
Princess Hui-jeong, unable to comprehend his decision, finally spoke up.
"Shouldn't we flee before they encircle us?"
"After this battle, they now know your escort is a formidable master."
"So?"
"Meaning, they won't waste time with a sloppy encirclement. They'll send only the strongest pursuers."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply, gazing at the distant sky.
"Rather than exhausting ourselves in a reckless escape, we should rest, recover, and prepare to shake them off."
"I see."
The princess's expression darkened as she took in the wounds covering Bu Eun-seol's body.
"How are your injuries?"
When he turned his head, she flinched and snapped—
"You're my bodyguard, aren't you? I'm not asking because I care!"
"Did I say you did?"
Caught in her own lie, she waved her hands dismissively.
"Well, you're invincible anyway, so why worry?"
"Not quite."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"The Empress Dowager once sent a master who had reached the Martial Extreme Realm. If such an opponent appears... in this state, I cannot win."
"Then there's no choice."
The princess grinned, flashing pearly teeth.
"We'll just have to call in reinforcements, won't we?"
Bu Eun-seol nearly let out a dry laugh.
"Still clinging to that futile hope?"
"Of course."
She answered shamelessly.
"This princess is certain—if you side with His Majesty, you could crush the Empress Dowager's faction entirely."
When she had first decided to recruit him, it had been purely to exploit his status as the Heir of the Demon Hall, backed by the absolute might of the Demonic Path.
But upon realizing he was not only a brilliant strategist but also one of the era's superlative martial experts—
She became convinced he was the one who could topple the Empress Dowager.
"Apologies, but I have no intention of involving myself in imperial strife."
"Why? Afraid of meddling in royal affairs?"
"No."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes darkened, heavy with unspoken resolve.
"There's something I must do."
"Unification of the martial world?"
"Unification?"
"Sado Mu-myeong. Isn't that what he desires?"
"How did you know?"
When Bu Eun-seol's expression flickered with surprise, she smirked.
"We've long been aware of his schemes for unification."
The imperial court didn't just monitor the martial world's movements—
They had scrutinized every trace of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's actions.
"The Shadow-Severing Soul-Ender was created to counter him."
At last, Bu Eun-seol understood.
The reason the imperial court had expended vast resources and spirit medicines to create a monstrosity like the Shadow-Severing Soul-Ender—
It was likely because they perceived figures like the Demonic Heavenly Emperor as existential threats.
"And their attempt to recruit you isn't just about the Empress Dowager's faction... but to secure another piece to control a force like the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
"This conversation is growing unsettling."
Princess Hui-jeong shook her head.
"They say Hall Master Sado can read people's hearts. Have you trained in such a skill?"
"Ever considered that your face just gives everything away?"
"Was it that obvious?"
She admitted it outright.
"True. Rumor has it that while you walk the same path as Hall Master Sado, you're actually preparing to oppose him."
A flash of realization crossed Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'Un-ryong would never relay such information to Lady Yu.'
With that single sentence—
He now knew exactly who the informant linking the Demon Hall and the imperial court was.
"The Head of the Myriad Learning Society."
Aside from his own subordinates and the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—
Only one man in the world knew that Bu Eun-seol and the Demonic Heavenly Emperor were locked in a life-and-death struggle.
"You're connected to Baek Jeon-cheon."
"Who knows?"
The princess laughed.
"Look closely, and you'll see the martial world is a tangled mess. A knot no one can unravel."
Grrrrowl.
Perhaps from the release of tension, a loud rumble echoed from her stomach.
Bu Eun-seol had originally ordered provisions at the inn, but the sudden battle had prevented him from retrieving them.
"Wait a moment."
After scanning their surroundings, he caught a snake, roasted it, and offered it to her.
He would have eaten it plain, but
considering this was food for a princess, he gathered edible wild greens to serve alongside it.
"You expect me to eat snake?"
"For those who've fled into the mountains to evade pursuit, there's no better sustenance."
After a brief hesitation, she took a decisive bite of the snake meat.
"It's... acceptable."
Princess Hui-jeong's eyes widened.
"Better than I expected. Tastes almost like chicken."
She devoured the entire snake in moments.
Truly, she's different.
Had she been the spoiled princess of rumor,
she would never have mastered the Imperial Palace Secret Arts, nor risked her life as the Empress Dowager's bait.
"You've suffered much because of me."
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's piercing gaze, she nodded.
"I'll reward you handsomely when we return."
"Forget me. That would be the greatest reward you could give."
Perhaps the Empress Dowager already suspected he was the princess's escort.
But without definitive proof, she couldn't act recklessly.
What if the Emperor rewarded Bu Eun-seol for his service?
That moment would expose his role to the world—and make him the Empress Dowager's sworn enemy.
"Couldn't it be done discreetly?"
Seeing right through the princess's dark intentions, Bu Eun-seol replied firmly,
"If you attempt such a thing, I'll defect to the Empress Dowager's side."
"You'd truly join that vile woman?"
"Do you think morality exists in the imperial court's power struggles?"
Bu Eun-seol's expression was grave.
"I have matters I must attend to. Don't drag me into your schemes like a drowning ghost."
The princess slumped at his unyielding tone.
"Fine. I understand."
But she added stubbornly,
"This princess doesn't know the meaning of surrender."
Suppressing a throbbing headache, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Do as you please."
Once sufficiently recovered, they resumed their journey.
The Empress Dowager sent relentless waves of skilled trackers, leading to countless skirmishes.
Her forces included brilliant strategists, masters of the Tracking Art, and formidable soldiers.
They also sought to uncover Bu Eun-seol's identity—
studying the scars of those he'd defeated for clues.
But his swordsmanship transcended the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths,
reaching a realm where even his martial forms were perfectly concealed.
Their efforts were futile.
Then, on the fifteenth day—
Huum...
A mysterious radiance began emanating from Bu Eun-seol's body.
The meridians blocked by the Dark Annihilation Soul Seal had reopened—his strength restored.
"Time to return."
With a chuckle, he lifted Princess Hui-jeong into the air.
Now that his internal power had fully recovered, they could depart for the imperial capital at once.
"Chengdu!"
Soaring through the skies with Bu Eun-seol, the princess cheered at the sight of the distant imperial city.
Their arduous journey had finally brought them back.
"You've endured much."
"Must we go straight there?"
Encased in his Astral Energy Barrier, the princess gazed at Bu Eun-seol as they flew like immortals.
"After all we've suffered, shouldn't we at least have a proper meal?"
He had subsisted on nothing but water and pine needles, giving her every edible fruit and scrap of meat.
"Look. It's safe now."
Night had fallen, and the streets teemed with people.
Unlike ordinary cities, the imperial capital brimmed with high-ranking officials and nobility.
"Still, we can't let our guard down."
"Relax. Even the Empress Dowager wouldn't dare strike at me here."
The princess winked.
"Besides, we can't just fly straight into the Imperial Palace, can we?"
Even approaching the capital by air would provoke the imperial guards.
They'd have to proceed on foot from here.
"Is sharing one meal really so stingy a request?"
Zing.
At that moment, an eerie sensation prickled Bu Eun-seol's mind.
His extrasensory perception wasn't just heightened—
it was the instinct honed from facing countless superlative martial experts.
"Very well."
As if reaching a decision, his eyes gleamed as he nodded.
"But I choose where we dine."
"You're not planning another shabby inn with noodles and stir-fried vegetables, are you?"
At her adorable pout, Bu Eun-seol smiled despite himself.
"Don't worry. This time, I'll treat you properly."
He led her to a private room in an inn just outside the city.
Ordering over a dozen dishes at once, he even requested a bottle of the famously expensive Snowbloom Wine.
Though famished, the princess merely sampled each dish before setting down her chopsticks.
"They say hunger is the best spice, but..."
Princess Hui-jeong smiled faintly.
"This is worse than the noodles we ate last time."
Laughter bloomed between them.
That humble meal in the rundown inn—
the cold, soggy noodles and stir-fried greens—was a taste they'd never forget.
"Maybe it's the relief..."
Her eyelids drooped heavily.
For all her courage, this journey had been grueling for a twenty-year-old princess raised in luxury.
Soon, she drifted into slumber.
But the true reason she slept was Bu Eun-seol's Finger Wind—
a silent, invisible touch that gently pressed her acupoints.
"Rest well."
He murmured something cryptic.
"This is the last kindness I can offer."
After gazing at Princess Hui-jeong's sleeping face, Bu Eun-seol quietly stepped outside.
The inn was completely empty—not a single attendant in sight, not even an ant crawling about.
No—more than that, all traces of human presence in the vicinity had utterly vanished.
Someone had sealed off this place perfectly.