Chapter 1271
"Guardian Tak has disappeared."
During the height of the Lord's Meeting,
No Trace, chief of the Death Soul Squad rushed into Bu Eun-seol's office.
"It seems he went to find Heuk-pyo."
Gasping for breath, No Trace hastily reported when Tak Il-hon had returned to the Hidden Demon Pavilion, the route he had taken, and how he had vanished.
"Why would Guardian Tak do this?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, No Trace wore an awkward expression.
"Because the members of the Death Shadow War Unit would never be able to kill Heuk-pyo."
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit cherished Heuk-pyo like a younger brother and took pride in him.
Had it not been so, they would have restrained him the moment they learned he had cut down countless martial artists. There would have been no need for heated debates or shouting matches in the meeting hall.
Swish.
Bu Eun-seol rose from his seat with a grave expression.
Tak Il-hon was a man of absolute loyalty—so much so that he referred to himself as Bu Eun-seol's "old servant." There was no way he would ever kill Heuk-pyo.
If he had left, it was only to turn Heuk-pyo's heart back.
"There was no need for that..."
Muttering under his breath, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
"Where is Guardian Tak now?"
Wiping away the rising memories, Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze to the dagger and the No-Regret Sword embedded in Tak Il-hon's chest.
As someone intimately familiar with human anatomy,
he immediately recognized that the two weapons had precisely pierced the weakest gap between the ribs, blocking the pathways to the heart and lungs.
Though they hadn't completely severed the major blood vessels, that only made the situation more critical.
The blades were pressing against and sealing the vessels, preventing an immediate eruption of blood—but the moment internal energy was disturbed or the swords were forcibly removed, the blocked vessels would burst open, unleashing a fatal hemorrhage.
Especially the dagger lodged right beside the heart—the slightest movement could lead to instant death.
Fwip! Shwak!
As he reached out, the dagger and No-Regret Sword embedded in Tak Il-hon's body shot into the air in an instant.
Yet not a single drop of blood spilled. Instead, a radiant five-colored glow bloomed from his body.
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had once extracted and sutured a dagger without damaging the vessels using the Hot River Great Essence True Qi, Glacier Thousand Streams Art, and Willful True Binding.
Now, his martial prowess had ascended beyond comparison. In the blink of an eye,
he had drawn the sword, sealed the vessels, and restored Tak Il-hon's vitality with the Prajna Great Power.
"Lord."
"Guardian Tak. Please return first."
Bu Eun-seol wore an expression of sorrow and regret.
"This is only temporary treatment. Go to the Medicine King Faction and have your wounds properly tended to."
With just an exchange of glances,
Bu Eun-seol understood Tak Il-hon's heart as clearly as if they had exchanged hundreds of words.
Because Tak Il-hon was no different from the other lords of the Death Shadow War Unit.
Even if it meant sacrificing his own life,
he had risked everything to awaken Heuk-pyo—and Bu Eun-seol knew that all too well.
"I will handle what comes next."
"Understood."
Without another word, Tak Il-hon bowed and departed.
Because he revered Bu Eun-seol like the heavens themselves.
He trusted that Bu Eun-seol would resolve everything.
Zzzing.
While Bu Eun-seol was treating Tak Il-hon,
Smirk.
So-so, who had been faintly smiling, burrowed deeper into Heuk-pyo's embrace.
Her nature was meticulous—she prepared for every possible scenario.
Ssssh.
From the depths of Heuk-pyo's eyes, once as still as a black abyss, a white frost slowly spread.
The bloodshot whites of his eyes constricted the pupils, encroaching like an invading tide.
"Huff... Huff..."
His breathing became ragged, as though caught in his throat, the intervals between breaths growing erratic.
Fwip!
The moment Tak Il-hon vanished in a burst of movement technique, Bu Eun-seol turned and approached Heuk-pyo.
"Heuk-pyo."
"Don't..."
His eyes, now fully white with madness, flared as he roared.
"Don't call my name!"
Heuk-pyo shouted in disgust the moment Bu Eun-seol spoke his name.
"Why must you torment my wife? Does it displease you that she and I are happy?"
"Heuk-pyo."
"Didn't I tell you? To stay out of my affairs!"
His voice trembled with fury.
"And yet, you sent someone to kill me in the end."
"Do you truly believe I ordered this?"
"Isn't it the same?"
Heuk-pyo gnashed his teeth.
"Your loyal underlings will always act on your unspoken will!"
"Then why would I come here myself?"
"Because I refuse to obey you."
Clang.
Heuk-pyo drew the dagger from his waist and shouted again:
"In the end, what you want is just a puppet that dances to your tune, isn't it?"
"Jade Youth."
At that moment, So-so blocked his path.
"You absolutely must not fight him! I can't lose you!"
"Trust me and step back."
"Jade Youth."
So-so declared with resolute determination:
"If you insist on fighting, then I'll fight with you."
"So-so."
"We are one. I'm not afraid of death."
She was utterly ruthless.
Though it appeared she was trying to stop Heuk-pyo,
in truth, she was pushing him toward an inevitable confrontation.
"No—I'd rather die first myself!"
Then So-so drew her dagger and made to charge at Bu Eun-seol.
Thud, slither.
But before she could take a single step, her body went completely numb, and she collapsed into Heuk-pyo's arms.
He had pressed her Demon Blood Point.
"Brother Cho Gwang."
He nodded toward Cho Gwang and the other rogue martial artists.
"Take So-so and retreat to safety."
"Understood."
"Jade Youth! No!"
So-so cried out desperately.
"If you abandon me here, I swear I'll take my own life immediately!"
"So-so."
"I mean it!"
Her voice was raw with desperation.
"I swear to heaven—if you leave me behind, I'll kill myself right here and now!"
Recognizing the steel in her resolve, Heuk-pyo relented with a sigh.
"Fine. But stay here. If you interfere, I won't be able to fight properly."
"Alright."
As So-so nodded, Heuk-pyo turned back to Cho Gwang.
"I leave it to you, Brother."
Cho Gwang's expression darkened with sorrow.
He could sense Heuk-pyo had already accepted death.
Nod.
With a slow nod, he supported So-so and stepped back, clearing the space for Heuk-pyo to fight unimpeded.
Clatter.
Drawing his dagger, Heuk-pyo threw the scabbard at Bu Eun-seol's feet.
A silent declaration—this would be a Fight to the Death.
"......"
Bu Eun-seol said nothing, his gaze fixed on the distant sky.
No more words were needed.
Now, in this place, one of them would surely die.
Deep in the secluded valleys of the mountains, where no trace of human presence could be found,
a dilapidated thatched cottage stood precariously among towering jagged rocks that seemed to pierce the heavens.
Inside the shabby shelter, barely enough to withstand wind and rain,
lived the Grandmaster who once commanded the world of the Demonic Path.
Bu Eun-seol.
He seemed like a man whose soul had fled.
Most of his days were spent sitting motionless, doing nothing.
His unfocused eyes stared blankly at a single point in the air,
while his unkempt beard and tangled hair spoke of his complete detachment from the world.
Rustle.
Just then, a man in embroidered robes slowly entered the cottage.
Myo Cheon-u.
Rumble, pitter-patter.
Outside, a sudden downpour began.
"Snap out of it, Bu Eun-seol."
The cottage was so poorly constructed that his voice was nearly drowned out by the rain.
"How long do you plan to stay like this?"
Even Myo Cheon-u's shouts elicited no response from Bu Eun-seol.
During this time, the Death Shadow War Unit and the Death Soul Squad's core members had all come here, pleading for his return.
Yet he remained unmoving, as if already dead.
"Do as you please."
Myo Cheon-u clenched his fists.
"Today will be the last."
Though he seemed idle, he was the backbone holding the Death Shadow War Unit together.
Under the inscrutable Divine Being Bu Eun-seol and the rigidly principled Yu Un-ryong,
it was only because of Myo Cheon-u—a gentle, mediating presence—that the strong-willed warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit could unite and achieve the impossible.
Moreover, he was a man of deep emotion, and so he understood Bu Eun-seol's heart.
That was why, for months, he had come every day, refusing to give up.
But the result was always the same.
Bu Eun-seol sat there, unresponsive, as if deaf to the world.
No—he had no choice.
Instead of Myo Cheon-u's voice, all he heard was the phantom echo of Heuk-pyo's final breath—the breath he had stolen.
'Heuk-pyo.'
The rogue boy he had met when first stepping into the Martial World.
Together, they had weathered countless trials, and at times, Heuk-pyo had even been his greatest inspiration.
A child so precious he would have gladly given everything for him—like his own flesh and blood.
By the cruel twist of fate, it was his own hand that had cut him down.
As if that horrific sensation had seared itself into his fingertips like an indelible tattoo, Bu Eun-seol occasionally found himself staring blankly at his own hands.
"I know how much you cherished Heuk-pyo."
Myo Cheon-u rose from his seat as he spoke.
"But Heuk-pyo would never have wanted you to be like this."
"......"
Bu Eun-seol remained motionless, his hollow gaze fixed on empty space as though he hadn't heard a word.
"I'm leaving."
In the end, Myo Cheon-u abandoned his attempts at persuasion and left the thatched cottage.
Bu Eun-seol had entered the Martial World for the sake of avenging a loved one.
And yet, it was his own hand that had struck that loved one down—how could such agony ever be washed away?
In the days that followed, countless people came to console and persuade him, but Bu Eun-seol remained utterly unresponsive.
"Lord."
A few days later, No Trace of the Death Soul Squad hurriedly sought him out in the cottage.
"The men assassinated by the Wandering King—they were warriors secretly trained by the late emperor to protect the imperial family. They belonged to the Heavenly Might Secret Army."
Though the revelation was shocking—
Bu Eun-seol sat motionless, as if he had heard nothing at all.
"Then the mastermind behind all this must surely be the Empress Dowager. She clearly used Heuk-pyo to shatter your spirit and further some hidden scheme."
The conclusion was obvious: this had all been the Empress Dowager's machinations, and Heuk-pyo had merely been a pawn.
Yet even this undeniable truth—
Could not pry open Bu Eun-seol's tightly sealed heart.
After all, no matter what anyone did, Heuk-pyo would never return.
His entire life had been sustained by a single purpose—avenging his grandfather.
But now that he himself had destroyed the one he cherished most—he believed he no longer even had the right to seek vengeance.
"Lord."
No Trace spoke with a pained expression.
"If this continues, not only the emperor but even you and all of us will become targets for elimination."
The Empress Dowager would leave no loose ends.
Once she moved to dispose of the emperor, she would surely purge all potential threats—
The ones she had long regarded as thorns in her side:
The commander of the Dragon Scale Guard, the Martial Soul Lord of the Demonic Path, and all his subordinates.
If things remained as they were now—
If Bu Eun-seol lived like a hermit, buried in nature, detached from the world—they would lose the power to resist.
"......"
But still, Bu Eun-seol gave no answer.
The safety of the Death Shadow War Unit, the imperial power struggles—to him, they now seemed as fleeting as fallen leaves.
He simply sat there, staring into the void without a word.
"...Understood."
No Trace bowed and withdrew from the cottage.
He glanced back once more, but Bu Eun-seol remained seated like a Soulless One, his gaze unfocused.
From now on, the man known as the Martial Soul Lord—
Would live like an exiled criminal, buried deep in the Secluded Valley.
In the northwest corner of the Purple Forbidden City, within Cining Palace—
Beneath its opulent halls lay a hidden chamber unknown even to the emperor.
A spiral staircase led deep underground to an inner sanctum, accessible only after a long descent.
As the heavy ebony door opened without a sound, a thick, cloying scent of agarwood assaulted the senses—
Not a fragrance to calm the mind, but a narcotic-like incense meant to cloud the spirit.
The walls of the suffocatingly silent chamber were stained black,
And from the ceiling hung a gilded phoenix sculpture, its eyes embedded with crimson gemstones.
At the center stood a massive rosewood chair, veiled by a translucent silk curtain that blurred the figure seated upon it—
The Empress Dowager's form, obscured into indistinct shadows.
Though her face remained hidden behind the silk drape,
The fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest were unmistakable—adorned with long, ornate guards of gold and jade.
"As expected, he has been completely broken."
A shadow prostrated below the throne spoke deferentially.
A woman clad in Miao attire, her face concealed behind a veil.
She lay prone as though melted into the floor, like a shadow given form.
"They say he remains in seclusion in the valley, refusing food and drink, standing like a Soulless One in a daze. Even after learning that those killed by Heuk-pyo were members of the Heavenly Might Secret Army, he showed no reaction."
As the veiled woman spoke, the Empress Dowager lifted a teacup.
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. We verified it through multiple channels. Even his subordinates have given up. The imperial power struggles no longer even reach his ears."
The woman kneeling on the floor continued calmly,
"After all, it was his own hand that pierced the heart of a child like his own younger brother."
The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea and smiled with satisfaction.
"His weakness was always sentiment."
"Indeed. He entered the Martial World seeking vengeance for a loved one, yet in the end, he was forced to slay someone he cherished with his own hand... There is no way he could endure it."
The Miao woman had already scrutinized Bu Eun-seol's innermost self—through the mental realm of Seven Martial Purgatory and the secret art of Heart-Mirror Insight.
A gentle heart may strengthen a person, but it can also become a fatal poison.
Once she realized this, she began pressuring those around him, laying traps to tarnish his reputation—all to break him.
Yet he shattered every scheme, and instead, people praised him as the Great Demon of Righteousness.
So she changed tactics.
If the fortress walls were unbreachable, she would collapse them from within.
She orchestrated a tragedy—forcing him to be betrayed by someone he trusted, then to execute that person with his own hands.
"So, without even swinging a blade, you've reduced the Martial Soul Lord to a Crippled Person."
Bu Eun-seol had been an impregnable fortress—unbreakable by force or cunning.
But by employing So-so, trained in the highest seduction arts of the True Demon Palace, she wove an intricate trap.
And in the end, it was his own deep affection that drove him to abandon the Martial World.
"Just as the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade once left the Martial World of his own accord."
The Miao woman responded to the Empress Dowager's words.
"Precisely, Your Majesty."
"That whelp of an emperor intended to grant him command of the Dragon Scale Guard—to lead the Heavenly Might Secret Army as a shield against the Nine Nether Demon Army."
A dark miasma seeped from the Empress Dowager's body, visible through the silk curtains.
"Now that he's been reduced to a cripple, the Heavenly Emperor Command will not activate. The shield they relied upon has been utterly shattered."
Backlit by the light, the Empress Dowager loomed like a yaksha crawling forth from hell.
"The Martial Soul Lord—who knows when he might recover his will and return to the Martial World?"
The masked woman pressed her forehead to the floor.
"We must not let this opportunity slip away."
"Very well."
The Empress Dowager's command fell like frost.
"Release the seal on the Nine Nether Demon Army at once—and seize the Imperial Palace."
The air in the chamber thickened, as if storm clouds were gathering in the distant sky.
At last, from the depths of darkness, the demonic legion that would conquer the Imperial Palace had been given its marching orders.
The emperor's sleeping quarters, Qianqing Palace, stood at the heart of the Purple Forbidden City.
Dozens of lanterns illuminated the plaza before the palace, its vermilion walls and golden tiles gleaming. The flickering flames cast restless shadows across the ground.
"Make way! Urgent report!"
A shout echoed from across the plaza.
A warrior clad in black official robes leapt from his horse and sprinted toward Qianqing Palace.
Sweat poured from his brow like rain, his breath ragged.
It was Na Baek-hu.
"Na Baek-hu, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, seeks an audience with His Majesty!"
A strange declaration.
Officially, he held the rank of Thousand-household Commander—as recorded in all court documents and registers.
Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had its own distinct commander. Why, then, did he call himself by that title?
"This is an emergency!"
Desperation bled into his voice.
"His Majesty has already retired for the night."
"I must see him immediately! This concerns the security of the state!"
Thud.
Na Baek-hu produced a gold plaque inscribed with the words: "As Though the Emperor Were Personally Present."
The eunuchs guarding the gate startled at the sight of the Command Plaque and hastily opened the doors.
Na Baek-hu strode past the main hall of Qianqing Palace, down a narrow corridor, and straight through a door carved with two golden dragons entwined.
Normally sealed shut, the doors now stood open—swiftly unlocked upon his display of the plaque.
"Your Majesty! Na Baek-hu, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, brings urgent news!"
The Chief Eunuch's urgent voice echoed through the chambers.
Inside, the room was softly lit by candlelight.
Crimson silk drapes adorned the walls, while the ceiling bore a painting of golden dragons soaring amidst clouds.
From the center, a figure slowly rose from the sandalwood dragon throne.
The emperor.
He descended with a grave expression. Though traces of sleep lingered on his face, his eyes burned sharply.
"What is the matter, Commander Na?"
The emperor's voice was calm, yet laced with tension.
Appointments to the Embroidered Uniform Guard were solely at the emperor's discretion.
Though Na Baek-hu's official rank was Thousand-household Commander, in truth, he was the Embroidered Uniform Guard's true commander, who could meet privately with the emperor—the sole conduit through which all classified reports reached the emperor.
His rank had been deliberately lowered to conceal his identity and lull the Empress Dowager and her faction into complacency.
"Your Majesty, a grave matter has arisen!"
Kneeling inside the chamber, Na Baek-hu hurriedly retrieved a letter from his robes.
"According to intelligence reports, an unidentified force of unknown origin is gathering toward the Imperial Palace!"