Chapter 1217
The answer was shocking.
To put it simply, unlike ordinary people, Bu Eun-seol was someone who had never been influenced by celestial fate from the very beginning.
However, as if he had anticipated this, Bu Eun-seol showed no surprise and asked again.
"Before breaking the Covenant, I was there too."
"Precisely."
The old man looked at Bu Eun-seol and spoke in a solemn voice.
"All people live their lives in accordance with the flow of that celestial fate."
As he gestured, all the stars dimmed their light faintly.
Then, what had been unseen until now—
A vast, empty space that belonged nowhere gradually revealed itself within the pitch-black darkness.
Unbound, undefined.
An absolute Emptiness that could become anything or nothing at all.
"But occasionally, within that vast celestial expanse, there exist those who shine alone... unconnected to any star."
The old man paused briefly, then let out a deep sigh before continuing.
"Beings who reject the fate bestowed by heaven and carve out a new path. Or those who, unshackled by destiny... burn solely by their own will."
With just this brief explanation,
the old man made Bu Eun-seol understand in an instant what the Covenant truly meant—
how it operated, and in what manner people became affiliated with the two great families.
"There are only two outcomes. Either they break free from their ordained path, burn brightly, and vanish... or they erase everything that once bound them and become the center of a new universe themselves."
At the mention of "the center of a new universe," Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled the face of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Along with the thought—had he not already severed everything?
"Fortunately, the meaning of the Covenant..."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath, exhaled a sigh, and nodded.
"It doesn't differ much from my expectations."
"What do you mean?"
"I've found a way to resolve this without antagonizing the Sacred Realm."
"How?"
"Give me about a month."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with confidence.
"I will find a way to free myself from the Covenant without disrupting the flow of celestial fate or interfering with the affairs of the Sacred Realm."
"Do you take the matters of this realm lightly?"
"I stake my life on it."
Bu Eun-seol declared firmly.
"If, after about a month, I fail to resolve this and instead disrupt the Covenant or interfere with the Sacred Realm's affairs... I will take my own life."
At this shocking declaration, the old man fell silent.
He knew well that Bu Eun-seol was not one to make empty boasts or idle threats.
But this was something utterly inconceivable.
"Are you serious?"
"I am."
"You should not make such promises lightly."
The old man took a deep breath.
"Since ancient times, the Covenant has never once been broken."
The Covenant, since its creation, had been an absolute Law that had never been violated.
And yet, Bu Eun-seol claimed he would free himself from it within about a month without disrupting celestial fate? It was nothing short of an impossible boast.
"Think carefully. Once decided, there is no turning back."
The old man stared directly into Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he spoke.
"If you make such an oath before me, you must keep that promise unless this realm itself collapses."
"Of course."
Despite the grave warning,
Bu Eun-seol answered without hesitation.
"I will keep my word without fail."
"Very well. I will grant you about a month."
The old man nodded as if resigned.
"But if, by that time, you have not found a way to break the Covenant binding those around you without disturbing the flow of celestial fate..."
Then, like a grim reaper delivering a death sentence, he spoke in a stern voice.
"You will die—and so will everyone you hold dear."
"I will bear that in mind."
When Bu Eun-seol answered again without hesitation, the old man let out a deep sigh.
Slowly shaking his head,
Whoosh—
A mysterious light spread across his entire body,
and in an instant—
Fwoom!
He dissolved into countless points of light and vanished into the void.
"Did he truly bear goodwill toward me?"
Bu Eun-seol exhaled a sigh of relief as he gazed at the spot where the old man had disappeared.
He had repeatedly emphasized that the Covenant was an absolute, unbreakable Law.
Had he been someone who sought only to uphold the authority of the Sacred Realm?
Negotiation itself would have been impossible, and they would have had to wage all-out war against the Sacred Realm immediately.
But the old man had given him a chance.
Not out of some hidden calculation, but out of pure goodwill.
"Though the fact that he could enter the Absolute Domain in the first place already proves he was no enemy of mine."
The Absolute Domain was a place where no one who did not resonate with Bu Eun-seol's Spirit and Mind—or who bore hostility toward him—could possibly enter.
The reason he had waited for the Sacred Realm's envoy in the Absolute Domain, the most secretive space of the Muhan Association,
was precisely because this negotiation absolutely could not fail.
The old man had entered without issue, and the negotiation had concluded successfully.
"In the end, there's no other way but that."
Lost in deep thought,
Bu Eun-seol left the Muhan Association and soared into the distant sky.
Now, within the span of about a month,
he had to shatter the Covenant—something that had never once been broken in the entire history of the martial world.
Not a single moment could be wasted.
The Qianqing Palace was submerged in the quiet depths of night.
Outside the courtyard, only the faint rustling of pagoda tree leaves in the wind could be heard—no trace of human presence remained.
Inside the secret chamber, thick curtains enclosed the space on all sides.
Golden candlelight flickered low, casting rippling shadows along the silk drapes like waves.
A faint incense curled upward from the horn-shaped burner, and the air inside hung heavy and still.
Upon the throne sat the Emperor, the ties of his dragon robe loosened, while below him stood a man dressed in plain martial attire.
The Emperor—and Bu Eun-seol.
"I wish to enter the Imperial Palace Secret Repository."
At Bu Eun-seol's carefully spoken words, delivered with utmost courtesy, the Emperor's expression turned deeply puzzled.
"With your martial prowess, there should be little need for such a thing?"
"It is not the Martial Repository I seek, but the Secret Repository."
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had long been searching for a power to replace the Heaven and Earth Divine Artifact.
He had once sensed that the key lay within the Imperial Court Martial Arts, but after reaching the Void-Shattering Realm, he had dismissed it as insignificant.
And above all, what he needed now was not the advancement of his martial arts.
"You must be in need of a treasure."
"That is correct."
"Hmm."
The Emperor stroked his chin.
There was no precedent in the Martial World's history for a martial warrior to enter the Imperial Palace Secret Repository.
But Bu Eun-seol was—
Though not yet formally registered—technically the commander of the Dragon Scale Guard.
His request to enter the Secret Repository was not an impossible one.
"Personally, I would like to grant you immediate entry."
The Emperor smiled as he spoke.
"But as the old saying goes, one who has rendered no merit should not partake of the spoils."
His expression seemed meant to ease Bu Eun-seol's tension.
Yet the words that followed were no jest.
"The Empress Dowager has many formidable masters under her command. Among them is one who has been ruthlessly slaughtering the agents I secretly dispatched into the Martial World."
The Empress Dowager was presumed to be affiliated with the True Demon Palace.
And beneath her banner stood masters even Bu Eun-seol would struggle to eliminate.
Let alone one capable of cutting down the Emperor's painstakingly trained personal warriors without hesitation—
Such an opponent could never be taken lightly.
"Not only is this individual's martial arts extraordinary, but their movements are so elusive that their trail cannot be grasped."
"Who is this person?"
"Poisonous Hand Demon Sword."
At the unexpected name, Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed.
Poisonous Hand Demon Sword was a rising star who had recently appeared in the Martial World like a comet.
"Every master they have slain while roaming the Martial World was, in truth, a warrior carrying out my orders in secret."
The Poisonous Hand Demon Sword, known only as a lone wanderer who cut down formidable foes across the land—
Was, in reality, a vassal of the Empress Dowager.
And every master they had killed so far had been one of the Imperial Palace's secret elite?
"With your intelligence network, you should be able to find them swiftly, no?"
'This won't be easy.'
To track down an enigmatic master like Poisonous Hand Demon Sword, he would have to mobilize the entire intelligence division of the Death Soul Squad.
And what was most troublesome—
The moment he made a move against them, it would be tantamount to declaring open war against the Empress Dowager.
By not refusing Bu Eun-seol's request, the Emperor was effectively drawing him into the fight against the Empress Dowager.
'There is no choice.'
To resolve the matter of the Sacred Realm, he had to enter the Imperial Palace Secret Repository.
"I shall obey Your Majesty's command."
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply in solemn deference.
Within the month, he would have to locate Poisonous Hand Demon Sword and execute them—only then could the Sacred Realm's affairs be safely concluded.
Tracking Poisonous Hand Demon Sword's movements proved arduous—far from simple.
True to their nature as the Empress Dowager's subordinate, they were meticulous, cunning, and left no traces behind, like a ghost.
Even the Death Soul Squad's elite operatives—superior to any intelligence organization—struggled to uncover their trail.
If they failed to find them?
Not only would the plan to break the Covenant collapse, but he would also be forced to surrender his life to the Old Man of the Sanctuary.
—Mobilize all operatives to track Poisonous Hand Demon Sword's movements. Even the smallest clue will suffice.
If they were the Empress Dowager's trusted agent, they would not be an ordinary master trained in common martial arts.
Rather than attempting to perfectly trace Poisonous Hand Demon Sword's elusive path, Bu Eun-seol ordered his men to focus on finding the traces they had left behind.
Having mastered the Empty Mind Spirit Communion, which allowed him to detect even the oldest traces with extrasensory perception—
Bu Eun-seol was, in other words, the greatest tracker in the world.
Moreover, he could deduce a corpse's appearance, martial arts, and even cause of death from the Scar left upon it...
With time so pressing now—
Rather than having the Death Soul Squad perfectly pin down Poisonous Hand Demon Sword's trail—
He intended to pursue them himself, using the faintest remnants they had left behind.
—The best approach is to find traces of those slain by Poisonous Hand Demon Sword.
To leave no evidence behind, Poisonous Hand Demon Sword had meticulously disposed of even the corpses of those they assassinated.
But they had overlooked one fact—
That every one of their victims had been a secret elite directly under the Emperor's command.
Moreover, since they weren't ordinary martial artists of the Martial World, tracking their movements proved considerably easier.
"Through Thousand-household Commander Na, establish information exchange with the Embroidered Uniform Guard as well."
Utilizing his authority as Dragon Scale Guard Commander, Bu Eun-seol was able to acquire intelligence gathered by the imperial intelligence network through Embroidered Uniform Guard Captain Na Baek-hu.
By cross-referencing their intelligence network, he could finally confirm the movements of the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword.
And at last.
They succeeded in locating one of the corpses she had slain.
"We were fortunate."
The one who discovered the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword's victim was none other than U Gyeong, the top operative of the Death Soul Squad.
"It was sheer luck that the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword used Bone-Melting Powder to dispose of the bodies, just like assassins do."
According to the investigation's findings.
After eliminating one of the Emperor's elite warriors, the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword would always dump the corpse in a remote mountain cave and pour Bone-Melting Powder over it.
But by sheer chance, the cave she had chosen this time was a limestone cavern—the powerful acidity of the Bone-Melting Powder had been neutralized by the limestone.
Moreover, due to the damp and frigid conditions inside the cave.
The corpse had hardened like a wax figure, discovered in a state where it had not fully dissolved.
"You've done well."
After concluding his private meeting with U Gyeong, Bu Eun-seol headed to the limestone cave to examine the dead body.
"A master of the sword, indeed."
Upon closely inspecting the sword wounds inflicted by ordinary martial artists.
One could see fine fractures in the surrounding bones, as if they had been sawed through.
But the corpse here had not only its flesh but even its bones sliced as smoothly as a mirror's surface.
This indicated a single slash—
Faster than sound, maintaining a flawless angle.
"She perfectly sealed her sword strokes, but she couldn't erase the traces left on the blade itself."
As he meticulously examined the corpse.
He discovered smooth bone cross-sections and minuscule iron filings embedded deep within the wounds.
"She's no professional assassin, then."
For assassins and professional killers, the mission doesn't end with merely slaying the target.
To them, the true completion of a kill lies in leaving no trace of the corpse behind.
Because traces lead to clues, and clues lead to the exposure of their identities and their backers.
Thus, assassins consider the complete disposal of the corpse as part of the killing process.
In contrast, the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword had meticulously erased all traces of her martial techniques.
But she had failed to remove the minuscule filings and powders clinging to her blade.
Meaning she was no professional assassin—and hadn't been playing the role of one for long.
"A blade forged from cold iron, dusted with Mysterious Jade Herb powder."
There were far too many places that forged cold-iron blades, making that clue alone insufficient for tracking her movements.
But the fine herbal powder clinging to the sword became the decisive lead.
Because it was none other than—
Fragments of the Mysterious Jade Herb, which blooms only once a year in the cracks of cliffs where eternal snow melts.
"The odds of this rare herb fragment clinging to the blade by mere chance are nearly nonexistent."
In other words, the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword.
Had either established a training ground or hideout where the Mysterious Jade Herb grew.
Or was frequenting such a place regularly.
"Frozen Lotus Valley is the most suspicious, by far."
According to the Death Soul Squad's investigation.
The only place that fit all these conditions was none other than Frozen Lotus Valley.
KWA-WOOOOM!
Deploying the Land-Flying Technique, Bu Eun-seol arrived before the Tian Mountain Range, which stretched like a fortress wall barring the world.
The air was so bitterly cold it seemed to pierce his lungs, his breath dispersing like frost with every exhale.
By the time he reached the rocky cliffs, the landscape had transformed into a winter scene despite it being summer.
Scouring the crevices of the frozen cliffs, he soon discovered—
A faint, luminous blue-white glow emanating from within a narrow fissure.
A herb bathed in a serene, moonlit glow even under the midday sun—the Mysterious Jade Herb.
Zzziiing.
Bu Eun-seol elevated his Empty Mind Spirit Communion, scanning his surroundings.
Then he discerned a subtle difference in the hue of light reflecting off one section of the frozen cliff.
WHOOSH.
Drawing upon the Hot River Great Essence True Qi.
His body transformed into a blazing mass of scorching heat.
SSSSS—
Melting through the ice wall in an instant, an entirely different landscape unfolded before him, as if by illusion.
Encircled by sheer cliffs sharp as blades, perfectly isolated from the outside world.
A vast basin-shaped expanse with a floor of solid bedrock stretched before him.
'Sword marks.'
Countless sword marks were chaotically carved all around.
The ground was sliced apart like tofu, with deep gouges as if violently excavated.
'An extraordinary sword technique.'
Just from these marks alone, one could infer the terrifying level of swordsmanship the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword had cultivated.
Turning his head, he spotted a stone house in the distance.
Inside, he found a hard bed, an old brazier, and a mortar for grinding herbs.
"She's recently refined a new internal power."
Judging by the state of things, she was in the midst of cultivating a new martial art—and likely crafting and consuming her own elixirs.
At a single glance, this was clearly the space of an ascetic who had abandoned the mundane world to pursue nothing but martial arts.
The remnants of materials needed for alchemy scattered throughout only confirmed it.
"As expected, she's not from an assassin's background—she's a true master of orthodox martial arts."
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened as he examined the remaining medicinal ingredients.
"She's cultivating a forbidden secret art—one that transcends human limits, capable of altering both spirit and body."
In the Frozen Lotus Valley, a place severed from the world, where the sky felt closest—
The Poisonous Hand Demon Sword drank from the melted waters of eternal snow, consumed elixirs refined from the Mysterious Jade Herb,
And honed her martial prowess.
"Hmm."
A peculiar scent brushed his nostrils, and Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
The air was thick with a mixture of odors—
The damp scent of stone, the metallic tang of long-dried blood,
The sharp, cool fragrance of medicinal and poisonous herbs intertwined,
And the lingering, viscous resonance of killing intent—suppressed for years, festering within, never allowed to erupt.
"Did she leave to kill again?"
His gaze lingered on the wooden sword stand beside the stone house.
The meticulously crafted wooden stand was empty, but its surface bore marks of wear from repeated contact with a scabbard.
And at its base, faint, irregular scratches remained.
"The way she drew the sword differed each time..."
Some marks suggested a frantic, sweeping grab, others a careful, deliberate lift, and some even bore traces of being snatched midair through Void Object Retrieval.
"Then..."
Bu Eun-seol bent his knee and scrutinized the floor beneath.
There, traces of unleashed sword energy remained—
Some gouged deep in straight lines, others twisted like whirlpools, and a few abruptly severed midway.
"Every time she ventured into the Martial World, her mind was in turmoil."
As if to prove it, embedded in the deepest groove were a few minuscule fragments of metal.
"Meaning... she never truly wished to kill in the first place."
Lost in thought, he approached an old chair at the center of the stone house and leaned back into it.
"Truly a master."
Sitting there, he expanded his Empty Mind Spirit Communion—
And instantly perceived that the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword had sat in this exact spot, in the exact same posture, hundreds, thousands of times without deviation.
A testament to perfect control of body under the dominion of spirit.
Rising, Bu Eun-seol moved toward the bed.
A single thin, coarse sheet covered the aged bedding.
He bent down and reached out.
The texture beneath his fingertips was icy, but something else lingered—
Bringing his nose closer, he detected the faint saltiness of dried sweat and the sharp marks left behind.
"She sat here, subduing her mind."
Not for Qi Circulation or seated meditation—
But to suppress the torment of inner demons and afflictions within her heart.
The faint salt traces were from fallen sweat, the sharp marks from nails dragged across the surface.
"......"
Having gathered every piece of information within the cave,
The image of the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword who once dwelled here slowly took shape in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
She had suffered under immense anguish and inner demons, sweating and clawing at the bed,
Possessed a body so light she could sit effortlessly upon that small chair,
Maintained such heightened vigilance that even in this silent place, her extrasensory perception never ceased radiating,
And carried a scent—unnervingly out of place in this desolation—like fresh wildflowers.
Something feels familiar.
A strange thought flickered through Bu Eun-seol's mind.
How could someone he had never met, conjured only through sensory imagination, feel so unnervingly recognizable?
The Poisonous Hand Demon Sword—who had secretly roamed the Martial World, slaughtering warriors carrying out the Emperor's orders.
Tap. Tap.
Then, slow, deliberate footsteps reached his ears.
At that moment, one of Bu Eun-seol's eyebrows arched.
Even if he had focused all his senses inward to trace the cave's remnants—
How could he have failed to notice someone approaching this closely until now?
Creak.
The door opened, and a figure stepped in—wearing a large bamboo hat, face veiled in coarse cloth.
The visible eyes radiated a glacial chill, and an intangible pressure, sharp as blades, poured from their entire body.
No doubt—a true master.
A swordsman who had reached the pinnacle of Reaching the Summit naturally exuded formless qi.
But formless qi was, in essence, killing intent—
Releasing it indiscriminately like this would only dull its lethality and weaken the sword's power.
Yet the Bamboo Hat Man expelled it as effortlessly as breathing.
Then... he must have mastered a unique Great Art.
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol realized—this man had trained in a specialized technique, allowing him to unleash infinite killing intent.
Shiiing.
The man drew a sword of cold iron and stepped back outside.
The meaning was clear.
"So words are meaningless."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slowly and followed him out.
Having come here under the Emperor's command, his current identity was not the Martial Soul Lord—but the commander of the Dragon Scale Guard.
He had already resolved to stand with the Emperor until the Grand Design was complete, and the Poisonous Hand Demon Sword was the Empress Dowager's blade—an enemy with whom coexistence was impossible.
Now, there was no need for lengthy words.
Only a fight to the death remained.