Chapter 1157
"So that's how it was."
As Bu Eun-seol received reports and investigated the upheaval at the Beast Palace, he finally unraveled one lingering mystery that had eluded his understanding until the very end.
Dae Un-pung.
The Beast Palace's fourth son, who had never stood out until now.
How had he managed to draw in major players like the Divine Dragon Society, the Western Heaven Poison King Palace, and the Moon Worship Sword Group to stage a rebellion?
"Correct."
As if reading Bu Eun-seol's thoughts, Dae Gon let out a deep sigh.
"With this treasure as bait, one could easily lure any warlord in the world."
Shaking his head, he gazed at Dae Un-pung's corpse, already cold and lifeless.
"But all of this stems from my own failure—my greed."
In Dae Gon's eyes, more than anger.
There was profound sorrow and regret.
After Dae Gu-hwi left for the Central Plains, Dae Gon had actually marked Dae Un-pung as his successor.
He had intended to reveal that he had obtained the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl from the belly of the divine beast long ago and pass on the abilities he possessed.
But Dae Un-pung harbored ambitions that surpassed Dae Gon's expectations—no, ambitions the Beast Palace could never accommodate.
—Even with the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, you would use it so insignificantly?
Upon hearing of the pearl, Dae Un-pung didn't rejoice. Instead, he wore an expression of utter disbelief.
—Palace Lord, do you not know the pearl's true power?
With but a single drop of a bloodline's essence, one can inherit the very depths of another's enlightenment.
If gathered in full, no matter who they are, one can inherit everything they have achieved.
Dae Un-pung spoke with fervent sincerity.
—Why not bring Gu-hwi back? Rumors say he didn't become the Thunder God Noe Bi-hon's disciple but obtained the Thunder Essence Divine Qi instead...
Dae Gon saw the dangerous desire gleaming in his son's eyes.
The Thunder God.
Dae Un-pung knew that Dae Gu-hwi had not only become the Thunder God's disciple but had also obtained the Thunder Essence Divine Qi.
And through that power, he too wished to become the Thunder God.
—The Beast Palace's lord becoming the Thunder God? Nonsense!
This treasure can only be used to become the Beast Palace's lord.
This firm and solemn reply became the decisive trigger for Dae Un-pung's act of treachery.
Pretending loyalty to Dae Gon, he secretly made contact with outside forces.
—I will give you the chance to use the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl.
If you use it, you could inherit the power of the strongest figure in your bloodline.
Or, if you wish, I could share with you the Thunder God's power that I will obtain.
He revealed the existence of the pearl to the leaders of the Beyond the Frontier factions and made a covert proposal.
—If you wield the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, you could overturn the current martial world's order and create a new era.
The pearl was the whisper of a demon—an irresistible temptation.
In the end, they accepted Dae Un-pung's proposal, leading to today's horrific Blood Calamity.
As his reminiscence ended, deep anguish flashed across Dae Gon's face.
"All of this is due to this old fool's folly."
Lowering himself to a mere foolish old man, he clenched the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl in his hand as if to crush it.
"I forgot that this palace was built on blood and competition, and sought to appoint a successor easily by relying on a treasure..."
The crystallized power capable of grasping the world had ultimately transformed into a cursed abomination, steeped in the blood of kin and the screams of countless vengeful spirits.
"Will the Society Head keep this safe for me?"
Without hesitation, Dae Gon extended it toward Bu Eun-seol.
"It's something I should have let go of long ago. I don't know why I clung to it so stubbornly."
As the overlord of the Southern Barbarian Region, Dae Gon had reigned for a long time and was fortunate enough to obtain the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, a treasure of the world.
And through it.
He had swelled with anticipation that he could effortlessly produce a successor to bring glory to the Beast Palace... but it had only been the seed of misfortune.
"Palace Lord. Such treasures cannot be obtained without fate. Please reconsider."
Despite Bu Eun-seol's urging, Dae Gon shook his head.
"Such treasures are meant only for Divine Beings. In the hands of an ordinary man, they bring nothing but harm."
"But—"
"Didn't the Society Head save this palace from crisis? Can't this be considered repayment of that debt?"
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to firmly refuse, Noe Bi-hon cautiously stepped forward.
"Society Head. With the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, it will be of great help in our future endeavors."
Then he implored earnestly.
"Our Society's Grand Design is to sweep away all those who seize the world and wreak havoc as they please. Think of this not as obtaining a treasure for selfish desires but as acquiring it to save countless lives—would that not be acceptable?"
Dae Gon nodded, deeply moved by those words.
"If this cursed demonic artifact can become a treasure that saves people... then the blood our palace shed today will not have been in vain."
When even Dae Gon pleaded so earnestly, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to nod in acquiescence.
"Then I shall accept it with gratitude."
He carefully received the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl from Dae Gon's hands.
Hummm.
As if welcoming its new master, a low vibration resonated from the pearl.
Thanks to obtaining this,
Bu Eun-seol would eventually unravel the secrets of the True Demon's remains... but that would come much later.
Dae Gon smiled faintly before turning his gaze to Dae Gu-hwi.
"And I entrust that child to your care."
Originally, he had intended to appoint Dae Gu-hwi—who had mastered Beast Martial Arts to Great Completion on his own—as his successor.
But Dae Gu-hwi had already grown beyond what the Beast Palace could contain.
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol bowed respectfully.
"When the Grand Design is complete, I shall return with Gu-hwi to visit the Beast Palace once more."
Not only had Dae Gon purged the poison from his body, but thanks to the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace's Spirit Medicine, he had achieved Metamorphosis and Bone Renewal.
For the next decade, he would have no trouble governing the Beast Palace.
By the time all was said and done, Dae Gu-hwi would become the new Beast Palace Lord—no, something even greater: the new ruler of the Southern Barbarian Region, surpassing even the current Beast Palace.
The Central Plains martial world remained peaceful.
Though rumors spread that the Beast Palace had been attacked by multiple factions, that was all.
The Southern Barbarian Region was a distant land, largely disconnected from the Central Plains.
The bloody battles that had taken place there might as well have been tales from another world.
However, the Death Soul Squad had already begun investigating the forces that had targeted the Beast Palace.
On the surface, it appeared that Dae Un-pung, the Beast Palace Lord's son, had been blinded by greed and committed treason.
Using the legendary treasure—the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, said to allow the inheritance of bloody legacies—as bait, he had lured forces from Beyond the Frontier.
—Dae Un-pung lacks the capacity for such a scheme.
But this explanation made no logical sense.
Even if he had announced his possession of the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl,
how could someone like Dae Un-pung possibly persuade and gather the leaders of distant factions like the Moonlit Blade Sect and the Divine Dragon Society from lands so far away?
For such an event to unfold,
there must have been assistance from a formidable intelligence network with connections to forces Beyond the Frontier.
Surely, someone had fanned the flames of Dae Un-pung's ambition,
placed blades beyond his reach in his hands, and manipulated everything from the shadows.
—It was the Martial Alliance.
The investigation results were shocking.
The force lurking behind Dae Un-pung was none other than the Martial Alliance itself.
—The Shadowless Division, the secret intelligence unit under the Martial Alliance Chief, aided Dae Un-pung.
Upon hearing this news, Bu Eun-seol could state with certainty:
—Then it must be the Martial Venerable.
Only three individuals could mobilize a secret intelligence organization like the Shadowless Division:
The Martial Alliance Chief, the Martial Venerable;
The next chief, Baek Mu-seong;
And the deputy chief, Bukri Seung.
But Deputy Chief Bukri Seung was an extremely moderate and righteous man.
Moreover, Baek Mu-seong, as the next chief, was currently in the process of taking over the chief's duties—he wouldn't even have the authority to move a secret organization like the Shadowless Division.
In the end, all of this had been orchestrated by the Martial Venerable.
—But why?
If it were the greedy Martial Venerable, he would have simply infiltrated the Beast Palace in secret, killed Dae Gon, and retrieved the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl himself.
Of course, since Dae Gon was a hardened warrior impervious to torture, this elaborate scheme might have been devised to make retrieval easier.
But even so, using Dae Un-pung to reclaim the pearl only to seize it afterward...
was an unnecessarily convoluted plan.
"The time has come."
After hearing all the reports, Bu Eun-seol sat alone in his office, gazing out the window.
The flawless art of disguise.
Ever since obtaining the Darkness Secret Arts, he had gained the power to infiltrate the Martial Alliance undetected and uncover its secrets firsthand.
"It's time to investigate the Martial Alliance once more."
Beneath the Martial Alliance's Pratyekabuddha Hall had lain the corpse of the True Heaven Emperor.
Later, he learned that the Martial Venerable had disposed of it—that it had been an elaborate fake crafted using the Boundary-Prosperity Jade.
But he still hadn't uncovered:
Why such a corpse had been created.
Why it had been enshrined beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
And why the Martial Venerable, knowing of its existence, had left it untouched.
Now, with evidence that the Martial Venerable had mobilized a secret organization to target the Beast Palace...
Along with the long-standing mystery of the Pratyekabuddha Hall, he needed to discern the Martial Venerable's true motives.
He would infiltrate the Martial Alliance and uncover the truth.
"I should seek out the Forest Pavilion's chief, Daoist Mok, first."
Daoist Mok was a long-standing elder managing the Martial Alliance's Pratyekabuddha Hall.
A figure from the Sacred Realm who could help him grasp the Martial Alliance's current situation.
Not only did he know Bu Eun-seol's true identity, but their prior conversation had confirmed their mutual interests aligned.
He likely had some understanding of why the Martial Venerable had targeted the Beast Palace—what schemes he was hiding.
Bu Eun-seol intended to seek him out and meticulously unravel the entire situation.
The Martial Alliance.
In the past, merely hearing those three syllables would fill righteous martial artists with pride.
For generations, it had been the central pillar of orthodox murim, the final bastion defending the Martial World's order.
But now, after numerous incidents, its prestige had faded, and a new orthodox coalition—the Azure Heaven Alliance—had emerged.
Even so, no one could deny that the Martial Alliance was the very history of orthodox murim itself.
Built against the rugged terrain of Sword-Cutting Mountain, with a river serving as its natural boundary, the Martial Alliance resembled a colossal fortress.
At its entrance, the Heavenly Righteous Gate, where countless people came and went—
Unlike other sects or factions, there were no fierce-eyed guards or intimidating gatekeepers in sight.
Under the banner of upholding murim's justice,
the founding Alliance Chief had decreed that anyone should be free to enter and leave.
That decree had been solemnly upheld, unchanged through the ages.
Even now, no guards exuding hostility could be seen at the Heavenly Righteous Gate.
But that didn't mean just anyone could freely come and go.
If someone displayed suspicious behavior or harbored ill intent?
Martial artists would appear like ghosts, seize them, and vanish without a trace.
But to Bu Eun-seol—who had mastered the pinnacle of movement arts, Swift Shadowless, to the Great Origin Realm—the wide-open gate was no different from the door of a teahouse.
'A rare opportunity.'
He didn't bother with disguises or false identities.
Instead, he employed his ghostly concealment techniques to slip inside the Martial Alliance and head straight for the Forest Pavilion, where Daoist Mok resided.
Though no guards were visible at the Heavenly Righteous Gate,
in truth, there were masters meticulously monitoring all who entered, tracking their movements.
If someone familiar with internal affairs—or confident in their disguise—tried to pass themselves off as a merchant or wandering martial artist?
They'd be exposed in an instant.
Knowing this all too well, Bu Eun-seol had opted to slip through the Heavenly Righteous Gate unseen.
'Not here.'
He scanned the Forest Pavilion's surroundings, but Daoist Mok was nowhere to be found.
'Is he at the Pratyekabuddha Hall?'
The Pratyekabuddha Hall housed the Martial Alliance's secret martial archives,
making its security even stricter than the Alliance Chief's residence, the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
'Even with my concealment arts, I can't recklessly enter there.'
After a brief hesitation, Bu Eun-seol released his concealment technique and—
Shhh.
In an instant, he activated the Darkness Secret Arts, transforming into Yi Gwak, one of the Forest Pavilion's martial artists responsible for managing the Pratyekabuddha Hall's second floor.
'By now, it should be time for him to leave the hall.'
During his time posing as Seon-u Jin,
he had memorized the Forest Pavilion's routines—when and how its members moved, their schedules and routes.
Step. Step.
With deliberate confidence, Bu Eun-seol entered the Pratyekabuddha Hall, surveyed the first floor, then ascended to the second.
From the moment he stepped inside until he reached the upper floor, he never once crossed paths with anyone inside.
By leveraging his extrasensory perception, he maneuvered with seemingly pure coincidence, evading all eyes.
And as he walked, he kept tilting his head slightly, maintaining the expression and mannerisms of someone who had forgotten something.
This demeanor made it seem as though he had left earlier and was now returning to retrieve an item—
ensuring no one would find his presence suspicious.
'Even so, there are eyes here.'
Just like at the Heavenly Righteous Gate,
unseen sentinels were perpetually watching inside the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
But since Bu Eun-seol gave off no unusual signals, their gazes soon withdrew.
'He's not here either.'
A strange thought crossed his mind.
Unless something extraordinary had happened, Daoist Mok only stayed in either the Forest Pavilion or the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
Especially around noon—this was always the time he finished his duties at the hall and left.
He had never once deviated from this fixed routine. So why was he missing now?
'Don't tell me—'
A realization flickered in his mind.
Bu Eun-seol exited the Pratyekabuddha Hall and headed toward the northern gate—
where the Dispatch Tower stood, handling travel permits for martial artists on missions or granted Demon Leave.
Crash!
As he stepped inside, the quiet atmosphere revealed only a few scribes seated at desks, writing something down.
Bu Eun-seol (aloud, disguised as Yi Gwak):
"I am Yi Gwak of the Forest Pavilion. I'd like to see the travel records for our division."
Martial artists scheduled their leaves to avoid overlapping with their peers.
Because of this, the scribes handed over the travel log without suspicion.
Bu Eun-seol (thought):
'Just as I thought.'
His eyes widened as he scanned the records.
'He's on an external assignment.'
This was unexpected.
Mok Do-in had been away on external duties for a full fortnight.
'Has something happened in the Sacred Realm?'
From what Bu Eun-seol knew, Mok Do-in, the Forest Pavilion's chief, had not once left the Martial Alliance in thirty years.
Yet suddenly, he was on an extended leave? And for half a month, no less?
'If it's related to the Sacred Realm, I should ask Baek Jeon-cheon of the Myriad Learning Society.'
Even Bu Eun-seol had no way of knowing what transpired in the Sacred Realm.
The only silver lining was that Baek Jeon-cheon, a figure from the Sacred Realm, was currently at the Demon Hall—and he was favorably disposed toward him.
'This is a major incident. I should be able to ask.'
After setting down the log, Bu Eun-seol bowed to the scribe and stepped outside.
BONG! BONG! BONG!
Then, a deep, thunderous toll shattered the silence, shaking the entire Martial Alliance.
'No way—'
The sound of the bell pressed down on his heart, its vibrations sinking into his very bones.
This was no ordinary bell.
It was the Martial Alliance's emergency alarm—the Heavenly Net Alarm.
'The Heavenly Net Alarm?!'
The Heavenly Net Alarm only sounded when an enemy capable of threatening the Martial Alliance's security infiltrated its ranks.
It had not rung even once in decades.
Yet now, of all times, it was blaring?
'Because of me?'
A cold sweat trickled down Bu Eun-seol's spine.
'Did they find out about the Pratyekabuddha Hall?'
The most likely scenario was that his infiltration of the Pratyekabuddha Hall, disguised as Yi Gwak, had been exposed.
Otherwise, there was no reason for the Heavenly Net Alarm to sound.
ZZZIIING—
Suddenly, a low tremor rose from the ground, and the once-clear sky rapidly darkened into an ashen hue.
Like a massive cauldron lid slamming shut, a murky gray veil descended over the distant heavens.
The Myriad Sky Defense Formation and the Heavenly Net Capture Formation had been activated, sealing the Martial Alliance into an impenetrable prison between heaven and earth.
Now, the Alliance was completely cut off—no one could leave, and no one could enter.
Not even a single ant could escape.
RUMBLE—
At the same time, black-clad figures began pouring out from all corners of the once-peaceful Martial Alliance.
These were warriors never seen before within its walls.
Their faces concealed by pitch-black masks, their eyes brimming with a chilling, murderous intent—they were the Alliance's secret operatives.
—A spy!
A booming voice echoed throughout the Martial Alliance.
—Intelligence confirms a spy has infiltrated! All personnel are to halt immediately and submit to identity verification!
The Lion's Roar reverberated across the entire compound.
Simultaneously, the black-clad operatives fanned out, their hawk-like eyes scanning every inch of their surroundings.
One by one, they began cross-checking the faces of every Martial Alliance member.
Bu Eun-seol had disguised himself as Yi Gwak, a Forest Pavilion warrior, using the Darkness Secret Arts.
The problem?
The real Yi Gwak existed somewhere within the Martial Alliance at this very moment.
If they started verifying Forest Pavilion members, exposure was only a matter of time.
'There's no way out.'
The sky was blocked by formations, the earth swarming with their surveillance.
Masters capable of detecting even the slightest shift in bone structure patrolled everywhere, sensing any trace of movement.
Fighting alone in the heart of the sealed Martial Alliance was impossible.
THUD. THUD.
The encirclement tightened, inching closer to Bu Eun-seol's position.
Only a few more people remained before his turn. With no other choice, he subtly shifted toward the western gate.
"You there! Who goes?!"
A black-clad operative near the gate spotted Bu Eun-seol's concealed presence and barked.
"Do not move without orders! Step forward at once!"
His heart climbed into his throat—this was a life-or-death moment.
'No choice.'
Bu Eun-seol made his decision.
—Who called for this old man?
Instead of hiding, he stepped out boldly from the corridor near the western gate.
But he was no longer Yi Gwak of the Forest Pavilion.
His gait was unhurried yet exuded authority, and his eyes no longer held the gaze of an ordinary warrior.
They now carried the depth of an aged master, brimming with wisdom and experience.
He had taken on the appearance of Mok Do-in, Chief of the Forest Pavilion.
Mok Do-in was currently on external assignment, his whereabouts untraceable—not even the Death Soul Squad or any intelligence network could pinpoint his location.
No one in the Martial Alliance knew his exact movements.
Bu Eun-seol exploited this gap in information, playing the perfect card—an abrupt return.