Chapter 1153
Shaanxi, Grand Martial Training Ground of the Demon-Soul Society
Clang! Clash!
The shouts of the wanderers and the clashing of weapons filled the training grounds.
Though their origins, the martial arts they practiced, and their goals all differed, they stood united—staking everything on the edge of a single blade.
Sweat dripped as they honed their skills.
"......."
Yet, on the opposite side of the training grounds, a group of boys and girls huddled together like small birds caught in a storm.
Their expressions were restless, uneasy.
These were children raised in isolation from the world, molded into expendable tools meant only to heal the wounded.
The clay dolls crafted by the Demon Palace.
To their eyes, the vibrant freedom of the Demon-Soul Society was nothing but incomprehensible chaos.
Fear alone filled their pupils.
Having known nothing of the world beyond the medical arts and the infusion of Soul-Demon Magic Energy, they could only shrink further into themselves, convinced this was no place for them.
—This is troubling.
Bu Eun-seol fell into thought.
Until now, those who had joined or been brought into the Demon-Soul Society had quickly adapted to its freedom and warmth.
But the clay dolls had been subjected to extreme brainwashing since childhood, and they were still young.
No matter how kindly the members of the Demon-Soul Society treated them, they could only feel awkward and uncomfortable.
Then, like a savior, a man approached.
—Leave this matter to me!
It was Dae Gu-hwi, leader of the Beast Division.
With a smile as warm as sunlight, he appeared before the clay dolls, carrying a large steamer basket from which fragrant steam billowed.
"How about we start with food? A full stomach gives you the strength to think about anything."
Dae Gu-hwi, too, had spent his life in the Southern Barbarian Region before coming alone to the Central Plains following Bu Eun-seol.
Having endured the struggles of unfamiliar language, foreign food, and incomprehensible people on his own, he understood the alienation and fear these boys and girls felt better than anyone.
"When I first arrived here, I had a very hard time too."
As he handed out steaming dumplings one by one, he shared his own story.
"Everyone seemed to look at me strangely, and I didn't know what to do."
Dae Gu-hwi laughed heartily.
"When that happens, you don't need to force yourself to do anything. Just quietly observe."
His white teeth flashed as he grinned.
"Watch the people, take in the scenery. Eventually, something will catch your heart. That's what you should seek."
Encouraged by his words, the clay dolls—no, the boys and girls—lifted their heads and began to look around the Demon-Soul Society.
The once-deafening noise gradually transformed into the lively energy of people. The faces of the martial artists, once frightening, now showed sweat and passion.
And the place their gazes lingered longest was the Hall of Healing Souls, where the faint scent of medicinal herbs drifted.
Having spent their lives learning only healing and growing familiar with herbs, this place felt like the only warm home they had ever known.
Not missing this, Dae Gu-hwi immediately helped them find their place in the Hall of Healing Souls.
Starting with small tasks like organizing medicinal ingredients, he gradually gave them opportunities to practice their medical arts.
He reported the matter to Bu Eun-seol. A small space was then set aside for the children and named the Spring Wind Unit—a wish for them to heal wounds and breathe new life like the spring breeze.
There, the boys and girls began to rely on one another, delving deeper into the study of medicine and pharmacology.
Watching this, a satisfied smile bloomed on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"Well done."
Before long, the Spring Wind Unit would become a steadfast pillar of the Demon-Soul Society, filling the chronic shortage of skilled physicians.
"A relief."
Though he couldn't feel it now...
Baekri Geom-ha was surely watching this scene—and rejoicing.
—When the power of the Heavenly Might Star and the Heavenly Darkness Star becomes one within me, I will find you again.
With those words, Baekri Mu-ha had departed.
'So, in the end, I was both the Heavenly Darkness Star and the Heavenly Might Star.'
Though he had never realized it before, he carried within him the power of both stars.
'That explains it.'
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had often been mistaken for either the Heavenly Darkness Star or the Heavenly Might Star.
They had all been right.
They simply hadn't known that these two powers coexisted within him—belonging to Baekri Geom-ha, the personality slumbering in the Abyss.
'With that power, I would be invincible.'
Yet he could sense it.
That it would still take time before that power fully awakened.
And that power was not meant to defeat the martial world's formidable foes—
but to confront the colossal enemy and unknown calamity that would soon reveal itself.
'It doesn't matter what it's for.'
After all, that power belonged to Baekri Geom-ha.
Just as he had done until now, he would simply walk his own path.
'Even if I don't merge them, he'll return, won't he?'
When the time came that he needed that power—
Baekri Geom-ha would return.
And before long, the day would come when the two personas became one.
And so, Bu Eun-seol—
still unaware that these twin forces were one of the martial world's greatest secrets, and that the Heavenly Might Star's power had once belonged to his grandfather—
sent Seo Jin-ha to the Demon Hall and began his duties as the Martial Soul Society Leader.
"Let us begin the meeting."
Once the Spring Wind Unit had successfully adapted, Bu Eun-seol gathered his core members to discuss future plans.
The meeting lasted about an hour before gradually drawing to a close.
"Ah, Society Leader."
Just then, Dae Gu-hwi approached Bu Eun-seol, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"It seems I'll need to return to the main palace for a while."
"So suddenly?"
Noe Bi-hon was the first to react in surprise.
"Well, it seems my brothers are growing uneasy because of me."
From the start, Dae Gu-hwi had made it clear that he neither wanted nor was capable of inheriting the Beast Palace Lord's position, which was why he had come to the Central Plains.
But circumstances had not gone as he wished.
As he gained renown in the Central Plains as the Beast Division's leader—
rumors began spreading among his brothers that the current Beast Palace Lord, Dae Gon, had secretly marked Dae Gu-hwi as his successor.
That he had deliberately sent him to the Central Plains to train as heir.
Moreover, Dae Gon's health had reportedly declined, and he had secluded himself in the Myriad Beasts Hall.
When the elders urged him to hasten the selection of a successor, Dae Gon declared firmly:
"On the day Gu-hwi returns, I will choose the next master of the Beast Palace."
Wasn't that tantamount to declaring that nothing could begin until Dae Gu-hwi returned?
Jealousy and suspicion flared like wildfire in his brothers' hearts.
Eventually, the Beast Palace fractured into factions, and bloody power struggles erupted.
When word reached them from the Southern Barbarian Region that the palace had descended into utter chaos, Dae Gu-hwi could hesitate no longer.
Now, he had no choice but to return and restore order.
"I need to make it absolutely clear—once and for all—that I have not the slightest interest in the Beast Lord's seat."
Dae Gu-hwi scratched his head again.
"And while I'm there, I should witness the formal selection of the Young Palace Lord with my own eyes. That should put my brothers at ease."
The prevailing belief was that the successor had not yet been chosen because of Dae Gu-hwi—
and that had become the seed of discord within the Beast Palace.
He intended to use this opportunity to dispel all misunderstandings and stabilize the situation.
"Very well. Understood."
Bu Eun-seol nodded quietly.
Though he cherished Dae Gu-hwi like a younger brother—
the affairs of the Beast Palace were their family's own.
A domain he could not recklessly interfere in.
"Then let it be so."
He then turned to the assembled elders and nodded.
"This concludes the meeting."
"Gu-hwi, travel safely."
"Stay strong."
"Take care and return unharmed."
The division leaders and elders patted Dae Gu-hwi's shoulders in farewell before swiftly exiting the meeting hall.
Left alone in the empty room, Dae Gu-hwi stood there with a dazed expression.
'This isn't how it was supposed to go.'
Truthfully, Dae Gu-hwi had imagined—
"Our great division leader is returning in glory—how can the Society simply send him off without fanfare? We must prepare a proper send-off!"
Noe Bi-hon and all the other division leaders would nod vigorously, clapping their hands.
"It's time to fling open the Society's storerooms at last!"
"No, that won't do."
At which point, Dae Gu-hwi would wave both hands in refusal.
"If I return with such a spectacle, my brothers will only grow more uneasy and resentful."
And then he would declare firmly:
"I'm not going back to flaunt my strength—I'm going to clear up misunderstandings."
"Hmm."
"If that's the great division leader's wish, we can't help it."
—something like that.
Because that was how it had always been.
Even though they held the same rank as division leaders, they had always treated him like the youngest brother, warmly and affectionately.
"Well, everyone's been busy with training lately, I suppose."
After the Blood Cult incident, rumors spread that the martial prowess of the Death Shadow War Unit's warriors was now considered the greatest in martial history—
and that had ignited the competitive spirits of the Martial Soul Society's division leaders.
"Are the Society's Four Great Divisions just for show?"
From that day on, unprecedented training regimens were established across all divisions, leaving them with barely a moment to breathe.
At dawn the next day—
instead of a grand procession, Dae Gu-hwi set out for the Southern Barbarian Region alone, with nothing but a worn-out travel bag slung over his back.
"Not a single one of them came to see me off."
No matter how he looked at it, he had thought at least someone would bid him farewell.
But the moment he announced his departure, the leaders of the Martial Soul Society had all vanished into their training without a second thought.
"Well, what can you do?"
Dae Gu-hwi swallowed his disappointment as he gazed at the breaking dawn, then disappeared into the dim light of morning.
The thick scent of damp earth and the humid air of the dense Southern Barbarian jungle stabbed at his lungs, and before he realized it, he took a deep breath.
It was nothing like the dry, crisp air of the Central Plains—this was the smell of home, imprinted in his bones from birth.
With every step along the familiar path toward the Beast Palace, forgotten memories rose like bitter-sweet blossoms.
He was the son born to the third wife of Beast Palace Lord Dae Gon.
And once, he had been the future of the Beast Palace.
From childhood, he had been a prodigy unlike any of his siblings, born with an overwhelming Beast Force that set him apart.
Wild beasts bowed their heads before him, and his father's love had been his alone.
But that monopolized affection soon turned to poison.
Blinded by envy, the first wife had secretly laced his food with venom.
That day, it was his mother who had eaten the poisoned meal in his stead.
The horrific sight of her coughing up blood as she collapsed had left an indelible scar on young Dae Gu-hwi's soul.
And in that moment of shock, the surging Beast Force within him withered away like a lie.
A genius reduced to trash overnight.
Amid the open contempt of his brothers and the cold indifference of his father, Dae Gon, he was slowly forgotten.
But back then, he hadn't known.
That his father's indifference was, in truth, his last remaining act of care.
Dae Gon had believed his son's talent wasn't truly gone.
But he feared that if he showed continued concern, the persecution from his other sons would only grow fiercer.
So he deliberately turned away.
Living as a lonely shadow, Dae Gu-hwi had then met Bu Eun-seol as if by fate.
And the journey through the martial world that followed had completely upended his life.
The forgotten trash of the Beast Palace had now returned—a young master who commanded respect across the Central Plains.
Thud.
At last, he stood before the towering gates of the Beast Palace.
But his emotions only grew more tangled.
Starting with the eyes of the guards at the gates.
Every gaze that met his was laced with sharp wariness and icy hostility.
As if they were looking at an outsider—or a traitor.
It wasn't hard to guess what kind of malicious rumors his brothers had spread in his absence.
"Something about abandoning the Beast Palace to become a dog of the Central Plains, no doubt."
Dae Gu-hwi walked forward calmly.
He had already steeled himself for this.
His steps toward the Grand Hall of the Beast Palace, where his father Dae Gon resided, held no hesitation.
The primitive hall, adorned with massive bones and hides, housed a man who sat upon the throne like a Great Evil incarnate.
Beast Palace Lord—Dae Gon.
His eyes burned like a beast's, piercing through Dae Gu-hwi as if to skewer him.
In the past, he wouldn't have been able to lift his head under that overwhelming pressure.
But now was different.
Noe Bi-hon, Bing Han-pung, Do Cheon-rin—
He had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatest masters of the era, sharing meals and honing his martial arts alongside them.
To Dae Gu-hwi, who had breathed the same air as those peerless grandmasters, Dae Gon's oppressive aura no longer held any power over him.
Meeting the lord's gaze evenly, he knelt and bowed deeply.
"Lord, I have returned."
Then he continued, his voice earnest.
"I heard you are holding a competition to decide the next successor."
A pause.
"As I mentioned in my previous letter, I have already immersed myself deeply in the martial world of the Central Plains, and it is there I wish to lay my bones to rest. The future of the Beast Palace should be led by my far more capable elder brothers."
Dae Gon said nothing, only giving a slow, heavy nod.
He was a father Dae Gu-hwi respected beyond measure.
But his thoughts remained unreadable.
That evening, a grand banquet was held.
The Beast Palace's feasts were not bound by formalities—just a massive bonfire in the open air.
Yet Dae Gon did not attend, remaining secluded in the Myriad Beasts Hall.
Most of the attendees were the palace's core members and young disciples.
And their sharp gazes made it clear this was no welcoming celebration for Dae Gu-hwi's return.
Or was it?
"Must've been nice, wearing silks and eating rich food in the Central Plains, huh?"
"You must have forgotten the scent of this Southern Barbarian soil where you were born."
"Tsk tsk, I hear the one who supposedly carries Beast Palace blood goes around performing tricks for those Central Plains bastards?"
After several rounds of drinks, his brothers' sharp-tongued barbs flew from all directions.
Amidst their jealousy-filled envy, the only warmth extended came from the third brother, Dae Un-pung.
"It's been a long time, Gu-hwi. You've suffered much."
He alone—
Deeply regretted how he'd foolishly belittled and oppressed his younger brother in the past.
"Don't mind what our brothers say. It all stems from jealousy."
Though Dae Un-pung had come to his senses belatedly,
Unfortunately, his faction was too insignificant to serve as any real shield for Dae Gu-hwi.
"Wasn't I exactly the same in the past?"
His kind words only stung Dae Gu-hwi's heart more sharply.
"Un-pung, how amusing. Now that you've lost your power and fallen behind in the succession race, you're commiserating with him in shared misery, is that it?"
The other brothers were determined to humiliate him thoroughly.
"Losers comforting each other—what a perfect match."
Though the brothers cackled and jeered endlessly, Dae Gu-hwi's reaction defied their expectations.
"Elder brothers. You've all achieved such remarkable accomplishments during my absence."
He spoke with genuine admiration instead.
"I look forward to witnessing our palace's glorious future."
He meant every word.
For excluding Dae Un-pung, his brothers' martial foundations had advanced beyond comparison to their past selves.
They simply hadn't reached Dae Gu-hwi's level yet.
"With elder brothers of such outstanding caliber, this can only be our palace's blessing."
He thoroughly lowered himself, praising their achievements.
All he wanted was to quietly conclude this gathering and leave.
But then the eldest brother, Dae Muk-gang, froze the atmosphere with a sneering remark:
"Even so, could you even keep up with the Martial Soul Society Leader whom you serve? I hear despite your age, you keep women at arm's length..."
He spoke with maximum derision.
"Could it be your master prefers men, and you've been serving in his bed while learning martial arts?"
Instantly, Dae Gu-hwi's gaze transformed.
As his gentle smile vanished, suffocatingly heavy air descended upon the banquet grounds.
"You may insult me as much as you wish..."
From Dae Gu-hwi's pupils flashed a previously unseen radiance—like the gleam in a tiger's eyes.
"But you must never disrespect the Society Leader."
In that instant, invisible shockwaves rippled outward from his body.
Though neither visible nor audible, these waves paralyzed the senses of everyone present.
Unknowingly, he'd begun emanating the natural aura seen only in peerless grandmasters.
'I must endure.'
When his brothers showed startled expressions, Dae Gu-hwi regained his composure and restrained his energy.
"I beg of you."
As Dae Gu-hwi bowed again, Dae Muk-gang—who'd been gaping in shock—
"Ha! Look at this."
Mistaking it for mere murderous intent rather than recognizing the martial aura of young masters,
Only grew angrier and shouted:
"Traitorous to the bone, just as expected."
"......"
"Or do you mean to show perfect manners to your Central Plains master while ignoring your own brothers' words?!"
Ultimately, Dae Gu-hwi sealed his lips.
Further argument would be meaningless anyway.
Having already declared his disinterest in the succession, he could simply leave tomorrow.
But his brothers had no intention of letting him go so easily.
"If you skip the succession tournament like this, rumors will spread that you fled in cowardice."
Dae Muk-gang had been waiting for this chance to say what he'd long wanted.
He seized the moment to proclaim loudly:
"Such rumors would disgrace our palace! Understand?"
Unable to bear it, Dae Gu-hwi asked:
"What would you have me do then?"
"Participate officially! Prove before everyone that your skills are pathetic and get cleanly eliminated!"
Dae Muk-gang declared with solemn severity.
"Only then will all our disciples be convinced."
'How utterly petty.'
Originally, Beast Palace warriors showed mercy to those who prostrated themselves in surrender.
Yet these so-called brothers—
Could they truly be this cruel and wretched toward a younger sibling who'd completely surrendered everything?
"Very well."
Dae Gu-hwi had no choice but to nod.
He'd just have to suffer a crushing defeat.
Hadn't that been his intention in coming here anyway?
"I shall do so."
At this, the brothers laughed uproariously in satisfaction.
Having seen the look in Dae Gu-hwi's eyes, they recognized he'd already relinquished everything.
But they didn't know.
That Beast Palace had already been swallowed by unpredictable whirlpools of conspiracy, plunging toward chaos from which none could escape.