Chapter 150
Ten men clad in yellow robes.
They had been covertly circling Bu Eun-seol—members of the Wind and Cloud Corps who had delivered Baek Yeon's message.
"Are you all right?"
Jang Mu-hyeok, leader of the Wind and Cloud Corps' Fourth Squad, sent a telepathic transmission as he stared at Bu Eun-seol.
'About thirty li southeast, there's a Guan Shrine. We've dug a hiding pit nearby—escape there immediately!'
Upon hearing Jang Mu-hyeok's transmission, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"I'll fight too."
Though specialized in intelligence gathering, the Wind and Cloud Corps were still elite disciples of Langya Pavilion. Their skills were easily at the level of one against a hundred.
But the terrifying aura radiating from the old man before them was not something ten Wind and Cloud Corps members could hope to withstand.
An insurmountable wall.
Bu Eun-seol instinctively knew that the old man before him was every bit as formidable as the strongest masters he had encountered in the martial world.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of fighting that old monster."
'Old monster?' Jang Mu-hyeok glanced at Bu Eun-seol's face, where blood had dried at the corners of his mouth, and transmitted again.
"Your internal injuries are severe. You must retreat now."
"What's this? Who are you lot?"
Just then, the old man swept his gaze over Jang Mu-hyeok and the Wind and Cloud Corps members, his eyes crackling with blue lightning.
"Don't tell me you've come to save that bastard?"
Jang Mu-hyeok stepped forward and spoke loudly.
"Beggar King. As a senior of the Righteous Path, do you truly believe you can act so recklessly?"
'Beggar King?' Bu Eun-seol drew a deep breath.
Finally, he realized the identity of the mysterious old man.
'That old man is Gu Hong-cheong, the Beggar King—one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings!'
Gu Hong-cheong, the Beggar King.
The Supreme Elder of the current Beggars' Sect, a master from two generations past whose age far exceeded a hundred years.
Though his standing and martial prowess were unfathomably profound, he did not remain at the Kaifeng Headquarters to receive the treatment of an elder. Instead, he wandered aimlessly like a beggar.
The king of beggars—untraceable even when the Beggars' Sect's intelligence network was mobilized.
Contrary to expectations of a hunched old man, the Beggar King astonishingly maintained the vigorous appearance of a spry elder.
"I asked who you are."
"What does our identity matter?"
Jang Mu-hyeok replied calmly.
"Even if the laws of the martial world have crumbled, should an elder truly intervene in a fight between children?"
True to his role as a squad leader of the Wind and Cloud Corps, he avoided provoking the Beggar King, instead reminding him of his lofty status.
"If this matter comes to light, even the Beggars' Sect won't escape condemnation."
As one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, his standing stood at the very pinnacle of the martial world.
If such a figure as the Beggar King were to personally strike at Bu Eun-seol—wouldn't that be no different from an adult bullying an infant?
"You speak well. Then, are you saying there are no rules in a fight between children?"
The Beggar King, Gu Hong-cheong, glared with wide eyes and roared in a guttural voice.
"Or are you saying it's the martial world's rule for two to gang up on one?"
"They didn't attack together."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward. Gu Hong-cheong's eyes narrowed like axes as he bellowed.
"You dare lie to this old man's face?"
"It's true that I dealt with the masters of the Dog Slaying Squad before arriving here."
"And?"
"But by the time I arrived, the Ten Demonic Heir who came first had already been defeated by Seong-ryun and collapsed. That's why I stepped in."
The old man snorted.
"Then where is the one who came first?"
"He suffered severe internal injuries and left immediately."
"Hohoho."
Blue lightning flickered once more in Gu Hong-cheong's eyes.
"So in the end, two ganged up on one, and one of them got injured and scurried away like a rat."
Crack—
As Gu Hong-cheong channeled his internal power, the sound of bones shifting echoed from his body, and a radiant white light pierced through the night sky.
'Materialized internal energy...'
Beneath the Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteous and Demonic and the Three Demons and Three Venerables stood the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Gu Hong-cheong, who belonged to that rank, possessed strength every bit as fearsome as his reputation suggested.
"Retreat now. Once he starts moving, there'll be no escape."
Jang Mu-hyeok's transmission reached him again.
"The fastest way to help us is for you to flee."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
With his severe internal injuries, even if he fought alongside the Wind and Cloud Corps, he wouldn't be of much use.
"Heh. Whispering telepathically like rats—so you're all spawn of the Demonic Path after all?"
True to his terrifying prowess, the Beggar King instantly discerned that Bu Eun-seol and Jang Mu-hyeok were exchanging transmissions.
"Hehehe. Good. Very good."
As Gu Hong-cheong radiated killing intent, an indescribable specter of an ancient monster seemed to loom behind him.
"Leave now!"
Jang Mu-hyeok's urgent transmission came again.
"Hurry!"
"Every last seed of the Demonic Path Ten Gates must be eradicated!"
With a thunderous roar, the Beggar King unleashed a palm strike like a blazing lightning bolt.
"Ghk—!"
There was no choice.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol let out a bitter groan and immediately activated his Lightness Skill.
Boom—! Kwaaaang—!
As Bu Eun-seol shot away, deafening explosions shook the earth behind him, one after another.
Even if every member of Langya Pavilion's Wind and Cloud Brigade had rushed here together, stopping the Beggar King would have been impossible. All Bu Eun-seol could do was pray to preserve his life and escape.
Whoosh—!
The Ultimate Speed Shadowless technique, which prioritized absolute secrecy, was now entirely converted to pure velocity. With each stride Bu Eun-seol took, an enormous Sound of Breaking Air reverberated around him.
'There!'
In an instant, he arrived at Guan Shrine and spotted a deep pit dug in front of it. Without hesitation, he leaped inside, where a small hollow space awaited.
Shhhk—
As soon as he entered, one of the beggars crouching near the shrine swiftly covered the pit with dirt and vanished without a trace.
Since creating a hiding spot in the wide-open Yeongpung Gorge was impossible, they had devised an ingenious refuge instead.
KWAOOO—!
The moment Bu Eun-seol entered the pit, a sky-rending Sound of Breaking Air echoed above.
Gu Hong-cheong had arrived.
"Where have you hidden?!"
When Bu Eun-seol's trail abruptly ended near Guan Shrine, the Beggar King began combing through the area like a predator hunting prey.
Yet no matter how thoroughly he searched, he couldn't sense Bu Eun-seol's presence.
"Strange. The trail clearly ended here."
Gu Hong-cheong's senses were sharp enough to detect a mole burrowing over three hundred yards away.
Moreover, martial artists unknowingly exuded faint traces of their True Qi—even if one buried themselves underground to conceal their presence, deceiving the Beggar King's senses was impossible.
"You can run, but you can't escape the Buddha's palm."
After failing to find any trace of Bu Eun-seol, the Beggar King declared loudly:
"I will find you!"
BOOM—!
With a thunderous roar, Gu Hong-cheong activated his movement technique and vanished.
Hidden in the pit, Bu Eun-seol finally exhaled.
'Reaching the Return to Plainness realm was sheer fortune.'
Return to Plainness—a state where one's extraordinary power became so refined that even the outward signs of martial prowess faded away.
Had he not attained this realm? The natural overflow of his True Qi would have inevitably given him away.
"Ugh..."
As tension left his body, Bu Eun-seol lay flat.
His qi and blood were thrown into turmoil, his organs displaced—even the slightest movement made blood trickle from the corner of his mouth.
'An internal injury this severe... might be irreversible.'
The damage was critical.
His organs had lost elasticity, slipping out of place repeatedly, and his Internal Energy had bottomed out.
Suddenly, he remembered the medicine bottle Yu Un-ryong had given him and pulled it from his robes.
"..."
The only people Bu Eun-seol trusted were those from Langya Pavilion and his closest friends.
Had anyone else handed him medicine, he would never have taken it.
But Yu Un-ryong, though hot-tempered, wasn't the type to scheme insidiously.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol swallowed the golden pill inside.
"Hngh—!"
The moment it went down, his entire body burned as a surge of Heat Qi erupted from his dantian.
Using that energy, he forced his depleted True Qi to rise once more.
Oooom—
Practicing Inner Training deep underground felt like being a fetus nestled in its mother's womb—warm, snug, and safe.
As his body and mind stabilized, the millions of scattered strands of True Qi began flowing back to his dantian like converging rivers.
Ssshh—
Simultaneously, warmth spread through his chilled body, growing fiercer until it visibly billowed upward, forming a faint shadow.
The True Qi circulating within him was taking shape—a sign that his Counter-Polar Internal Art had surpassed the fourth stage and entered the threshold of the fifth.
Huuuum—
But Bu Eun-seol, unaware of this, simply continued his Inner Training with closed eyes.
How much time had passed?
Plip. Plip. Plip.
The sound of water droplets striking the ground echoed clearly in his ears.
Just a few drops hitting the parched earth.
Bu Eun-seol's pupils dilated.
Only those who had mastered the Resonance Mind Eye—extending the senses of the Way of the Beast through vibrations and ripples—could hear such a sound.
'Brigade Leader?'
Realizing it was a summons, Bu Eun-seol pushed himself up.
CRACK—!
Leaping from the depths of the pit, his body tore through the earth and shot into the sky.
'Wha—?!'
Midair, Bu Eun-seol was inwardly stunned.
He had merely kicked off the ground to escape the pit—yet he had soared over a hundred feet high?
'My Internal Power has increased again.'
Beyond surprise, he felt something eerie.
His Internal Power grew every time he healed from severe injuries—something that defied all martial logic.
'Once this is over, I must seek out Venerable Blood Vajra.'
Tap.
As Bu Eun-seol landed, a middle-aged man in scholar's robes stood waiting.
The Wind and Cloud Brigade's leader—Baek Yeon.
"Brigade Leader!"
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had tightly restrained his emotions.
But the moment he saw Baek Yeon's face, his composure shattered.
The faces of the Brigade members who had died for his sake flooded his mind.
"Are you unharmed?"
As Baek Yeon's caring voice resonated in his ears, Bu Eun-seol bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"What of the Wind Cloud Brigade members... those who came to my aid—what became of them?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes, barely containing his emotions, burned with desperation.
Baek Yeon patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Calm yourself."
"Are they... safe?"
When Bu Eun-seol pressed again, Baek Yeon nodded with solemn gravity.
"Only two survived."
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head, his gaze hollow.
Eight Wind Cloud Brigade members had perished.
"There's no need for anguish. They merely fulfilled their duty as members of the Wind Cloud Brigade."
"How can you say that?"
Bu Eun-seol had deliberately avoided returning to Langya Pavilion, refusing to seek Baek Yeon's aid.
Yet that decision had led to unforeseen consequences.
Killing Seong-ryun had been manageable—but the sudden appearance of the Beggar King, Gu Hong-cheong, a superlative martial expert beyond all expectation, had forced the Wind Cloud Brigade to pay the price.
"This is all my fault."
Bu Eun-seol clenched his teeth.
"If I had returned to Langya Pavilion, if I had heeded your counsel... those lives would not have been wasted."
"Not wasted."
Baek Yeon's voice remained steady.
"You are the heir who will one day lead Langya Pavilion. They gave themselves willingly to protect its future."
When Bu Eun-seol still refused to raise his head, Baek Yeon exhaled softly.
"Do you remember? How I initially opposed your venture into the martial world?"
"..."
"To be blunt, your chances against the Great Righteous Experts were nearly nonexistent. That is why I sought to unshackle you from the burden of being a Ten Demonic Heir."
Baek Yeon sighed deeply before continuing.
"But your growth has far surpassed my expectations. You defeated Yeo Hwan-jin in single combat. And now, you've eliminated Seong-ryun."
"Lord Baek."
"You've always exceeded expectations. That is why I ceased interfering—why I ordered the brigade to report only on your activities."
At the mention of his subordinates, a flicker of anguish passed through Baek Yeon's eyes.
Every member of the Wind Cloud Brigade had been personally nurtured by him.
No matter how composed he appeared, their fates weighed on him.
"The Beggar King's appearance was beyond anyone's foresight—an act of heaven. Had I known, I would have deployed the Innovation Unit or summoned the Deputy Pavilion Lord."
A smoldering fury burned in Baek Yeon's gaze.
Those who dared harm a disciple of Langya Pavilion faced only one fate: extinction. Their very sect would be erased from Murim.
Had the Beggar King attacked Bu Eun-seol without cause? Even if heaven and earth collapsed, the Beggars' Sect would have been annihilated.
Not even the Beggar King—one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings—could have escaped unscathed.
But...
Now, that was impossible.
Bu Eun-seol and Yu Un-ryong had confronted Seong-ryun together.
Unless the dead man returned to testify, the world would only see it as a joint assault.
There was no justification to exterminate the Beggars' Sect.
"I'm sorry."
Understanding Baek Yeon's unspoken thoughts, Bu Eun-seol bowed his head.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
Baek Yeon's expression softened slightly.
"I repeat—no one could have predicted the Beggar King's intervention. Do not burden yourself with guilt."
Even now, after all this time, Baek Yeon remained unchanged.
Just as in the past, he still cared for Bu Eun-seol deeply.
"Lord Baek."
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head further.
Until now, he had believed he could accomplish everything alone.
But reality was different.
His journey through the martial world had always been under Langya Pavilion's protection—under Baek Yeon's watchful care.
"I understand why you suffer."
Baek Yeon placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Those who stand at the pinnacle of Murim walk their paths alone. And I know you, too, aspire to become such a peerless martial expert."
He exhaled slowly.
"But even they belonged to sects. They had masters and fellow disciples. They did not accomplish everything alone, as the Buddha did."
Bu Eun-seol absorbed these words, then bowed deeply.
"I... was arrogant, Lord Baek."
He had chosen Langya Pavilion. He had called it his home.
There was no shame in accepting the help of family.
Rather, he should take pride in it—
In the sect that would protect him, cherish him, even at the cost of their lives.
"Understanding is enough."
Baek Yeon's voice was solemn.
"From this day forth, grow stronger. Ensure you never again leave your fate in the hands of another."
At that moment, a blazing light—like the radiance of the sun—ignited in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
The Beggar King. That arrogant old man would kneel at his feet. He swore it.
"I will become stronger."
As the fire of determination rekindled in Bu Eun-seol's gaze, Baek Yeon inwardly sighed in relief.
Thank heavens.
Bu Eun-seol had always advanced through sheer instinct and tenacity, mastering superior martial arts at a terrifying pace.
But had this ordeal shattered his spirit, even his hard-won skills might have regressed to a lesser realm.
That was why Baek Yeon had descended from Langya Pavilion to find him.
"Truthfully, this matter was never something you could have handled alone."
After a brief pause, Baek Yeon spoke again.
"I will be frank. There is something I've yet to tell you."