Chapter 1232
From the moment the Empress Dowager summoned Bu Eun-seol to the Imperial Palace, she had prepared over forty stratagems.
No matter what kind of person he was.
No matter what unique traits he possessed.
She would ensure he suffered a blow on his return journey.
Now that they had openly revealed mutual hostility... she could no longer summon him at will.
"I shall execute them immediately."
Nodding in satisfaction, the Empress Dowager turned away.
Once a person's reputation is tarnished.
Once a certain perception takes root.
Restoring or changing it becomes nearly impossible.
The Empress Dowager intended to use the same method she had employed against the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade...
To brand his grandson with an inerasable stigma that would last a lifetime.
Click-clack.
Bu Eun-seol was returning to the Demon Hall by carriage.
"The Empress Dowager is an adversary on an entirely different level from any enemy I've faced before."
Gazing out the window, he sank into deep thought.
"So that's why the ranks were divided."
Including the Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.
Those who had wielded the Mindscape until now referred to them as Phases and placed great emphasis on their hierarchical ranks.
But to Bu Eun-seol, who possessed the ability to reconstruct the Mindscape,
None of them posed any real threat—except for the Sixth Layer Phase used by Wi Ji-hon, who had taken over Wi Ji-hye-sang's body.
However, the Mindscape the Empress Dowager had unfolded this time was something entirely new, existing on a completely different plane from anything he had experienced before.
"Moreover, the court maidens' dance movements..."
Bu Eun-seol already understood.
That deploying the Mindscape.
Was ultimately meant to maximize the martial efficacy embedded within the court maidens' dance.
"With every passing moment, it felt as though they were peering into my Abyss."
His eyes narrowed as he pondered.
"Originally, she must have intended to strike me down."
The moment he faced the Empress Dowager alone, he could sense it.
If persuasion failed.
She had resolved to kill him by any means necessary, even if she had to fabricate a reason.
But in the end, she changed her mind at the last moment.
"She must be prioritizing safety."
Those who have planned and accumulated as much as the Empress Dowager never take risks.
Even if they are ninety percent confident, they will never fight if there is even a ten percent element of uncertainty.
"A different kind of caution compared to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
If the Demonic Heavenly Emperor seeks to perceive everything, the Empress Dowager tests everyone.
Like a mirror reflecting all phenomena, or flames distinguishing jade from stone.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor projects reality as it is, like a mirror, while the Empress Dowager burns away falsehoods to reveal the truth, like fire.
"An observer and a mocker of fate, is it?"
One merely watches, while the other twists the threads of destiny.
"I'll soon find out."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
"Attack me to your heart's content."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"By experiencing the methods you deploy, I too will grasp what kind of person you are and what abilities you possess."
Just as she was testing Bu Eun-seol.
He, too, had been testing the Empress Dowager.
Know yourself and know your enemy—victory in every battle.
Once that test concluded, Bu Eun-seol would begin his Grand Design to bring down the Empress Dowager.
How long had they been traveling?
'......!'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed sharply.
Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears from afar.
Recognizing it as the screams of innocent villagers, his gaze turned razor-sharp.
An incident like this the moment they left the Capital?
However coincidental, he couldn't simply stand by.
Creeak.
Throwing open the carriage door mid-journey,
Bang!
He shot into the distant sky, heading straight for the source of the screams.
Upon arrival, he found the village engulfed in flames.
Hundreds of Unorthodox Faction martial artists were swinging their swords, herding the villagers into a single area.
'Disciples of the Red Blade Sect.'
The martial artists harming the villagers.
Were none other than the infamous disciples of the Red Blade Sect, a den of wickedness.
—Don't even think of running!
—Where is the martial arts manual of the Light Severance Sect?!
'A martial arts manual was discovered in this village?'
Occasionally, herb-gathering villages nestled in deep mountain secluded valleys would uncover treasures left behind by martial arts eccentrics.
The problem was that once such rumors spread secretly,
It wasn't uncommon for nearby Unorthodox Faction sects or bandit groups monitoring the village to descend upon it first.
"Hand over the martial arts manual now!"
The Red Blade Sect Leader's roar shook the village.
Tremble tremble.
The villagers huddled together in terror, exchanging fearful glances, none daring to step forward.
Then, a woman clutching a child crawled forward and knelt before the bandits.
"Our village has no such thing."
"None, you say? Heh heh heh."
The Red Blade Sect Leader let out a low, bloodthirsty chuckle.
"Then we'll start plucking the children's heads one by one until the manual appears."
As he reached out to seize the head of the child in the woman's arms—
"Wait!"
A trembling shout echoed from the center of the village.
At the same time, a white-haired old man who appeared to be the village chief staggered forward.
"This old man hid it."
Tears dripped down the wrinkled face of the old man kneeling with his head bowed.
"I have a son who dreams of becoming a military officer. I hid it away, intending to give it to him when he returned."
"You hid it? Explain clearly!"
At the Red Blade Sect Leader's command, the village elder began recounting in detail.
Some time ago, while gathering herbs, he had stumbled upon a split boulder at the edge of a remote cliff.
Beneath that boulder lay a martial arts manual, carefully wrapped in oiled paper.
—The Guangjue Sect?
Realizing it was a manual left behind by a martial arts master, he secretly buried it in a place only he knew—
For his son, who would return after failing the military examination.
But he made one fatal mistake.
He confided in his lifelong friend about obtaining the Guangjue Sect's manual.
Once words escape, they cannot be taken back.
The story spread like wildfire, eventually reaching the ears of a Red Blade Sect disciple.
And so, the Sect Leader mobilized all his disciples to seize the manual—
Arriving here with the intent to wipe out the entire village, leaving no one alive.
"...That's how it came to this."
The moment the old man finished his explanation—
Thud!
A merciless kick sent him sprawling to the ground.
"You wasted my time for nothing!" the Sect Leader snarled in irritation.
"Find out where it's buried."
At his signal, a trusted subordinate nodded and dragged the old man toward the mountain.
Watching them leave, the Sect Leader curled his lips into a sinister smile and ordered his disciples:
"Kill them all now."
The villagers recoiled in horror.
"The village elder hid the manual—why must we die?"
"If I don't kill you, won't word spread that I've obtained the Guangjue Sect's manual?"
The Guangjue Sect's manual was a treasure that would make any martial artist salivate.
Since ancient times, the surest way to keep a secret was complete annihilation.
He planned to slaughter the entire village and pin the blame on bandits—burying the truth forever.
'Hm.'
From the distant sky, Bu Eun-seol observed the scene and shook his head.
Be it the unorthodox sects, orthodox sects, or demonic factions—
He could understand martial artists shedding blood over a coveted manual.
But slaughtering innocent civilians? That was unforgivable.
Tap.
Bu Eun-seol descended from the sky and landed softly on the ground.
"You—!"
Instantly, every martial artist, including the Sect Leader, tensed, their eyes locked onto him.
Just the fact that he had descended from the sky—
They could tell he was a terrifyingly powerful master.
"......"
Yet Bu Eun-seol remained silent, his gaze lingering on the infants cradled in the villagers' arms.
Then, ignoring all their stares, he turned and casually perched himself on a boulder at the village entrance.
"Don't mind me."
When the Sect Leader glared at him, Bu Eun-seol lazily waved a hand.
"I'm just here to watch."
The villagers' eyes bulged in disbelief.
They were about to be massacred, and this man was sitting on a rock to spectate?
"G-Great Warrior!"
A disheveled man rushed forward, pleading.
"Save us! They're trying to kill us for no reason!"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Let's watch first."
"...What?"
"If luck is on your side, you might survive."
The man gaped, baffled.
Wasn't this the kind of situation where—
A righteous master was supposed to spout heroic words and vanquish the villains?
"K-Kill them!"
At the Sect Leader's roar, his disciples drew their swords and swung down—
Clang!
Yet they couldn't bring their swords down.
"Of course you can't."
Bu Eun-seol chuckled dryly as he watched.
"Filling an empty village with sudden 'villagers'—how clumsy."
The Death Soul Squad had mapped out every remote mountain village and secluded valley—
And all that information was stored in his mind.
This herb-gatherer's village had been a ghost town for years.
"But—"
The villagers' expressions flickered.
Just as Bu Eun-seol suspected, they were all assassins from the True Slaughter Sect, staging this elaborate act in an uninhabited village.
"Our disguise was flawless..."
At their muttering, Bu Eun-seol nodded again.
"Yes, it was. Even I, a master of the Cock-Crowing and Dog-Stealing Art, was almost fooled."
Then he pointed at the infants.
"But newborns can't perform the Cock-Crowing and Dog-Stealing Art."
"......"
"No matter how much they cry from hunger—does an infant in its parents' arms sound the same as one in a stranger's grasp?"
The assassins stood frozen, mouths agape.
Long ago, under the Empress Dowager's orders, they had infiltrated this place, posing as villagers.
To perfect their act, they had even stolen mute infants—
For people instinctively trust those holding children.
But that monstrous being—
He had peered into the spirit and mind of infants who could not even speak, who cried only from hunger—
And in doing so, had uncovered their true identities.
Shwuk.
Before they knew it, all the infants held by the assassins had been transferred into Bu Eun-seol's embrace.
He had mimicked the power of spatial control—the very ability displayed by the Fire Rain Sword Sect's leader, the Profound Demon Wi Ji-mua.
"An amusing farce."
As Bu Eun-seol turned to leave, the Red Blade Sect's members and the True Slaughter Sect's assassins rushed forward, surrounding him.
"You're not leaving!"
They glared at him, their voices icy.
"Kill us first, then go!"
Kiiiiing—
At the same time, the sky began to clear unnaturally. They had prepared a strange battle formation to prevent his escape.
"Kill you first?"
Bu Eun-seol's low mutter was accompanied by a violet glow gathering at his ten fingertips.
Fwaaaa—!
As he spread his fingers, hundreds of crimson lightning bolts erupted into the sky, and in an instant, the heavens regained their natural color.
He had shattered the formation in a single stroke using his Thunder Essence Divine Qi.
"No. I refuse."
With those final words—
Tsu-tsu-tsut!
—Bu Eun-seol shot through the air toward Chengdu.
"......"
The Red Blade Sect's members and the True Slaughter Sect's assassins stood frozen, mouths agape, staring blankly after him.
One of the Empress Dowager's long-laid plans had been utterly derailed.
Kurung!
Upon reaching Chengdu, Bu Eun-seol entrusted the stolen infants to a relief shelter operated by the government.
Here, they would at least not starve—even if wet nurses had to be hired—and the authorities could help locate their parents.
Kwarung!
He then turned back toward the Demon Hall.
But after traveling for a meal's time, another bizarre incident unfolded.
A clamor of metallic clangs, agonized screams, and battle cries erupted once more.
'This is the sound of martial artists fighting.'
And not just a few—dozens, perhaps hundreds, were clashing all at once.
—Urgh!
—Ka-ak!
When he arrived, his suspicions were confirmed: martial artists were indeed locked in combat.
'The Heavenly Star Sect and the Azure Dragon Pavilion.'
These two factions had been bitter rivals for generations, vying for dominance in the Gi Hyeon region.
But because their strength had always been evenly matched, they had merely growled at each other—until now.
For some reason, they were now engaged in an all-out war for survival.
'This...'
Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed.
'They're truly fighting to the death.'
The feud between the Heavenly Star Sect and the Azure Dragon Pavilion was no recent development; tensions had been escalating for some time.
So an all-out war wasn't entirely unexpected.
'But the struggles of martial factions are none of my concern.'
He was neither a god nor the Supreme Martial Lord.
There was no reason to interfere in a life-and-death struggle between two long-standing enemies.
Besides, the battle was already nearing its conclusion.
The Heavenly Star Sect had gained the upper hand, overwhelming the Azure Dragon Pavilion's masters.
But their victory had come at a heavy cost—more than half of their own disciples lay fallen.
Still, the Heavenly Star Sect had won.
The Azure Dragon Pavilion would now fade into the annals of martial history.
Urururur—
Yet another unforeseen event unfolded.
Suddenly, hundreds of masked figures of unknown origin swarmed the battlefield—
And launched an assault on the already exhausted Heavenly Star Sect disciples.
—Aaaah!
—Urgh!
Screams echoed once more.
Though victorious against the Azure Dragon Pavilion, the Heavenly Star Sect had been drained by the prolonged battle, with few disciples left unscathed.
Caught off guard by this sudden ambush, they were unable to mount a proper defense—and disciples began falling in droves.
'The Black Kill Sect.'
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue as he observed the situation.
They must have learned of the impending war between the two factions—
And seized the opportunity to expand their influence in the Gi Hyeon region with this ruthless surprise attack.
—Retreat!
The Heavenly Star Sect disciples attempted a desperate withdrawal—
But Black Kill, as if determined to leave no survivors, cut them down with venomous blades.
Pak! Thwack!
Flesh tore, blood sprayed.
Their methods grew increasingly brutal.
This wasn't just killing—
It was slaughter. Limbs were severed, weapons plunged repeatedly into their victims' guts as if they were torturing them.
'Did they have some grudge against the Heavenly Star Sect?'
This was no battle—it was butchery.
No matter how vicious an unorthodox faction was, why go to such lengths to kill them cruelly to provoke anger?
"Stop!"
Bu Eun-seol immediately descended before the Black Kill Sect disciples and shouted.
"I won't tolerate this ambush. If you wish to defeat the Heavenly Star Sect, declare war openly and fight them properly!"
The Black Kill Sect disciples stared at Bu Eun-seol, who had appeared out of thin air, for a long moment—
Then burst into eerie laughter.
"Heh heh heh."
At the same time, something strange happened.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the internal energy within his body vanished in an instant.
As Bu Eun-seol's expression shifted to confusion, the Black Kill Sect disciples grinned sinisterly.
"Caught you, Martial Soul Lord."
It was only then that he realized—
These weren't true disciples of the Black Kill Sect.
They were the Empress Dowager's agents, disguised among them.
"Right. I thought something was off."
Click.
Bu Eun-seol moved only his fingers as he spoke coldly:
"Enough talk. Come at me."
There was no need to use the Three Divine Powers, nor to unleash the might of the Void-Piercing Realm.
Whether these lowly grunts had internal energy or not—
He could slit their throats in a single breath.
"Attack!"
The Empress Dowager's subordinates, disguised as disciples of the Black Killing Sect, surged toward Bu Eun-seol.
Swoosh.
With the roar of a dragon, the Ink Soul Sword revealed itself.
CRACK! SHATTER—!
Hidden weapons shattered the moment they were fired, and poisoned blades crumbled mid-flight.
There was no mercy in Bu Eun-seol's hands.
Not all of the Empress Dowager's subordinates were evil.
But those who had ruthlessly slaughtered the disciples of the Cheon Sung Sect—
Just to lure him out—
Had no right to live.
Whooosh...
As if waiting for the battle to end, a sudden downpour began from the sky.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Amid the sound of rain, droplets of blood fell from Bu Eun-seol's soaked hands.
"Ugh..."
"Blegh—!"
The Cheon Sung Sect disciples, who had been watching in stunned silence, began to tremble and retch.
Though they had been dragged into an all-out war with the Jeong Ryong Sect due to the Empress Dowager's schemes, they were still disciples of the Righteous Faction.
They had never witnessed such a brutal, one-sided slaughter.
"......"
Bu Eun-seol suddenly looked down at his own hands.
Though the blood staining them was slowly washing away, the surrounding ground was piled high with hundreds of corpses like a grotesque tower.
'She's trying to shake my resolve.'
Understanding the Empress Dowager's intent, a sigh of admiration escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips.
To have invested this much gold and manpower into such a meticulously laid trap in such a short time?
"Martial Soul Lord, how can you wield such cruel methods?"
In the end, the Righteous Faction's typical habits surfaced.
They had already forgotten that mere moments ago, Bu Eun-seol had pulled them from the jaws of hell and saved their lives.
Now, they only condemned him for his merciless brutality.
'Grandfather would have simply walked away.'
His grandfather had shouldered false accusations to save others, silently walking his own path.
But Bu Eun-seol had no intention of bearing any such infamy.
"A fair point."
Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands respectfully toward the Cheon Sung Sect Master.
"In truth, there was a hidden force behind the Black Killing Sect targeting me. Had I not dealt with them ruthlessly, instilling terror, I feared they would dare to lay hands on the Cheon Sung Sect again in the future."
He turned slightly and added:
"However, if their backers dare to strike again, I shall heed your words and temper my methods. And I will ensure this newfound wisdom... is attributed to the teachings of the Cheon Sung Sect Master, so that your esteemed reputation may soar."
Instantly, the Sect Master's face stiffened.
With this, a single careless remark would now tie the Cheon Sung Sect's name to the ears of a terrifying power.
"This Sect Master has spoken out of turn."
The Cheon Sung Sect Master bowed deeply in apology.
"Please forget what I just said."
"Nonsense. The Sect Master's teachings are correct. This Lord nearly made a grave mistake."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky and spoke brightly.
"Having acted so viciously, it won't be long before this Lord is branded as the most ruthless demon in the martial world—"
"No, no! I misspoke!"
The Sect Master begged frantically.
"I failed to recognize the Lord's careful consideration and spouted nonsense!"
Clasping his hands and bowing repeatedly, the Sect Master pleaded:
"Please forgive my reckless words."
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol nodded with an air of reluctant concession.
"If the Sect Master insists so earnestly, I suppose I have no choice. Very well, let it be so."
He swept his gaze over the scattered corpses and spoke calmly.
"This Lord will handle the cleanup here. You may return now."
The Sect Master had already been anxious about being entangled with various dark factions after this incident.
And now, the Martial Soul Lord was even offering to clean up the aftermath?
Clasping his hands in repeated gratitude, the Sect Master hastily gathered his disciples and fled.
"She set up meticulously crafted traps to intercept me no matter where I go."
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol activated the Qi-Piercing Ascent, leaping hundreds of feet into the air.
"If I ignore them and return, that should be the end of it."
—AAAHH!
But then, a piercing scream tore through the air.
A woman's scream.
So desperate and agonized that he could guess the situation without even looking.
"Testing me, are you?"
He steeled himself, refusing to react, and immediately activated his movement technique to leave.
Fortunately, no further screams followed.
Yet, because of that, Bu Eun-seol had to halt his steps.
'If this were staged, she should have screamed at least once more.'
The woman's cry had been genuinely urgent, fading as if muffled by someone.
If it were bait, she should have screamed longer—more desperately.
'Empress Dowager. You've grasped me well.'
Even if he faced danger a hundred times—
If there was even a single chance to save someone, he would never hesitate.
The Empress Dowager had calculated this very conviction of his.
'Fine.'
CRACKLE—!
In an instant, bolts of violet lightning hundreds of feet long erupted from Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
'Let's see just how far your reach extends, what tricks you have left... I'll witness them all.'
BOOM.
With thunder that shook heaven and earth, his figure streaked across the sky like a meteor.