Chapter 206
Mok In-cheong actually burst into a smile.
"Hahaha."
Under normal circumstances, would a mere Third-grade Commander like Bu Eun-seol dare give orders to the Hall Leader of the Extinction Palace? Preposterous.
However, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had decreed that candidates for the succession were permitted to carry out their missions independently.
In other words, when it came to matters concerning the heir selection, they held authority equivalent to that of First-grade Commanders.
"As expected, it would come to this."
Mok In-cheong smiled as if he had anticipated this. Then, nodding at the guards, he said:
"If that's truly the case, then so be it. Bring him here."
How much time had passed?
Thud. Thud.
From the path leading up to the pavilion came the sound of heavy, dragging footsteps.
Thud... thud... thud... thud.
The steps were irregular, the center of gravity shifting unsteadily with each movement.
Swish.
Beside the approaching guards emerged a man clad in plain gray martial robes.
As if subjected to extreme torture, all the nails on both his hands had been torn out, and his gray garments were thoroughly soaked in blood.
He was none other than Myo Cheon-u, the Ten Demonic Heir from the Extinction Palace.
"Long... time no see."
Upon spotting Bu Eun-seol, Myo Cheon-u bared his bloodstained teeth in a grin.
"Been well, I hope?"
"Myo Cheon-u."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze turned deathly serious.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Ah, it's nothing much."
Myo Cheon-u spoke with an indifferent expression.
"Just received the Blood-Clothed Corpse Freak Torture, that's all."
The Blood-Clothed Corpse Freak Torture.
One of the most brutal punishments administered by the Extinction Palace, where all the nails of the sinner's fingers were ripped out and long tubes were forcibly inserted into the exposed flesh.
Then, the Sixfold Pain-Intensifying Liquid—a substance that amplified human pain sensitivity to extremes—was poured through those tubes.
The torture inflicted in this heightened state of agony was so unbearable that sinners were said to tear their own clothes and gouge out their flesh in desperation.
In the end, their appearance resembled that of a crimson corpse, earning this horrifying punishment its infamous name.
Despite enduring such cruelty, Myo Cheon-u maintained a composed expression.
'His body is wrecked.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
Though his face remained impassive, Myo Cheon-u's eyes were dim, and his hands and legs trembled incessantly.
There was no doubt—he was still suffering unimaginable pain.
"Why was he tortured?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Mok In-cheong smirked.
"You seem to be under some misconception. Did you think becoming a mere Commander of the Demon Hall meant you ruled the world?"
"..."
"You flaunted your status as a Commander of the Demon Hall, so I showed you the man rotting in the Bottomless Prison. And now you dare interfere with our palace's affairs?"
He wasn't wrong.
Even if Bu Eun-seol were a First-grade Commander of the Demon Hall, he had no authority to meddle in another sect's matters.
In fact, his current actions amounted to overstepping his bounds as a Commander.
"Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and leave."
But Bu Eun-seol only stood firmer.
"So the so-called 'affairs' of the Extinction Palace involve torturing one of your own Ten Demonic Heirs?"
"One of our own?"
As killing intent flashed in Mok In-cheong's eyes, Myo Cheon-u staggered forward.
"Don't bother. I volunteered for this."
"Volunteered?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes sharpened, and Myo Cheon-u responded with a dry smile.
"I decided long ago to cast off the shackles of the Ten Demons and leave the Extinction Palace."
"And?"
"Since I heard you were coming, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."
After the incident at Longsword Mountain Villa, Myo Cheon-u had resolved to break free from the Ten Demons' legacy and follow Bu Eun-seol.
And when he heard that Bu Eun-seol, now a Death Shadow Squad Commander, was visiting the Extinction Palace, he didn't hesitate to declare his intention to leave.
"Then Hall Leader Mok here set a condition. If I wanted to follow you out of the Extinction Palace, I had to endure the Blood-Clothed Corpse Freak Torture."
Bu Eun-seol's brows shot up.
So it turned out Myo Cheon-u had willingly subjected himself to that excruciating punishment—to sever his ties with the Extinction Palace and shed the burden of being a Ten Demonic Heir.
Myo Cheon-u turned and clasped his hands toward Mok In-cheong.
"With that, I'll take my leave now."
When Mok In-cheong gave no reaction, Myo Cheon-u spoke again.
"Didn't I receive the Blood Garment Corpse Torture? You commanded that to leave the Extinction Palace with this friend, I must endure that punishment."
"Of course you may leave the Extinction Palace."
Mok In-cheong's lips curled into a sinister smile as he continued.
"But that is all. When the Main Palace summons you, you must return."
"Are you breaking your promise?"
"Far from it."
Mok In-cheong's smile turned venomous.
"The Main Palace only promised you could leave the Extinction Palace—nothing more."
Thud.
Myo Cheon-u's eyes flew wide open at that moment.
Now he understood—the Extinction Palace had never intended to let him go.
"Hall Leader, how could you deceive me with such cunning wordplay?"
"I didn't deceive you. I merely kept my promise."
"I cannot accept this. I will personally report this matter to the Palace Master."
"Useless. The Palace Master has delegated all authority regarding the Ten Demonic Heirs to me, the Hall Leader."
A shadow of despair flickered across Myo Cheon-u's eyes.
"Why is the Main Palace treating me so cruelly? What have I done wrong?!"
His bitter cry echoed through the air.
He possessed exceptional talent and had given his all as one of the Extinction Palace's Ten Demonic Heirs.
Yet he had always been sidelined simply because he disrupted the predetermined succession plan favoring Sindo Un-hwi.
No faction would support him.
Hadn't they even deliberately exposed his whereabouts in the past, scheming to have him perish against the Great Righteous Experts?
He'd nearly died at Longsword Mountain Manor, surviving only thanks to Bu Eun-seol.
And after that? They assigned him nothing but perilous missions.
After enduring such cruelty to cling to life, he'd finally thought he found an opportunity to shed the shackles of being a Ten Demonic Heir...
Yet the Extinction Palace had betrayed him again.
"If you so desperately wish for my death, why won't you let me go?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Mok In-cheong replied impassively.
"That man is a Successor Candidate of the Demon Hall currently competing with our Palace's heir. Should you aid him, it would create significant complications for us."
Myo Cheon-u blinked weakly.
When he thought about it, it was utterly predictable.
Though Myo Cheon-u was a prodigy of martial arts, from the Extinction Palace's perspective, he could never be considered family—only an outsider.
And now he sought to become a blade wielded by Bu Eun-seol, who competed against their heir Sindo Un-hwi?
From the Palace's standpoint, shattering that blade was the wiser choice.
"I'm sorry."
Myo Cheon-u's body trembled as he hung his head and muttered.
"It seems... I won't be able to help you after all."
Resignation gleamed in his eyes.
Unless the Extinction Palace released him, there was no way to escape the shackles of being a Ten Demonic Heir.
Yet something felt strange.
Despite Myo Cheon-u's fervent friendship, despite witnessing his anguish...
Bu Eun-seol's expression remained utterly unchanged.
As if he had anticipated everything.
"Bu Eun-seol."
Mok In-cheong's voice turned icy then.
"Even as a Great Lord of the Demon Hall, you have no authority to interfere with our Ten Demonic Heir. You should leave now."
After a long silence, Bu Eun-seol's lips finally parted.
"Of course."
A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
For a moment, Mok In-cheong felt an odd premonition.
That smile—it was the triumphant grin of a victor.
'Shouldn't I be the one smiling? Why is that bastard laughing?'
"Let us depart now."
Bu Eun-seol turned to Wi Cheon-gyeong standing behind Hyeok So-jin.
"Tend to Myo Cheon-u's wounds and prepare to leave the Extinction Palace immediately."
"Understood."
Wi Cheon-gyeong nodded, and members of the Second Squad cautiously approached Myo Cheon-u.
"Let me examine your injuries."
"It's useless, Bu Eun-seol."
Myo Cheon-u shook his head with a pained expression.
"Didn't you hear anything I said? Even if I leave with you... the Extinction Palace will inevitably order my return."
"So?"
"'So'? If I refuse, the Palace's hunters will pursue me. No matter what we do, I can never escape being a Ten Demonic Heir!"
A desperate cry once more echoed through the empty air.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently staring at Myo Cheon-u, nodded heavily and spoke in a grave tone.
"Of course. Don't escape it. Never."
"What did you say?"
"You will soon become a strong successor candidate for the Extinction Palace."
"What...? What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze toward Mok In-cheong and smiled faintly.
"I promised that if I became the Heir of the Demon Hall, I would engage in a fair succession competition."
His eyes remained fixed not on Myo Cheon-u, but on Mok In-cheong.
"That's how I gained the support of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and the Fleeting Moment Boat."
Turning his head, he looked at Myo Cheon-u and spoke in a solemn voice.
"And that fair competition won't just include the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and the Fleeting Moment Boat... It will encompass all Demonic Path Ten Gates."
Thud.
At that moment, not only Myo Cheon-u, who had been listening impassively, but even Mok In-cheong standing behind him wore expressions as if they had been struck in the back of the head.
'That bastard...'
Mok In-cheong was flustered.
Truthfully, the Ten Demonic Heirs had always been an awkward existence.
Though they could never become successors, they possessed martial prowess and talent that threatened those above them.
Thus, even if Bu Eun-seol took Myo Cheon-u away, the Extinction Palace would suffer no real loss.
They had only stopped it because they didn't want to give Bu Eun-seol an advantage.
But what if Bu Eun-seol truly became the Heir of the Demon Hall? And if he elevated the Ten Demonic Heirs to the same status as successor candidates?
Then the Extinction Palace would face an even greater backlash for their petty obstinacy.
'Bu Eun-seol. You...'
Myo Cheon-u's pupils were a mix of admiration and shock.
Only now did he truly realize the terror of Bu Eun-seol.
'On Hell Island, everyone feared him... not just because he was strong in martial arts.'
Bu Eun-seol always analyzed situations with cold precision and prepared multiple countermeasures in advance.
As if to prove it, countless prodigies had ambushed him unexpectedly, yet not a single one had succeeded.
And that wasn't solely due to the acute senses of the Way of the Beast.
"If you understand, let's depart now."
"W-Wait!"
A panicked Mok In-cheong raised his voice to stop Bu Eun-seol.
If he let them leave like this, something unmanageable would unfold.
"Myo Cheon-u, you cannot take a single step out of this palace!"
"Are you breaking your promise?"
Bu Eun-seol spoke with a stern expression.
"The promise that if he endured the Blood Garment Corpse Torture, he could leave the Extinction Palace. Even I heard it clearly."
"O-Of course, that is true."
"Good."
As Bu Eun-seol turned to leave, Mok In-cheong shouted again.
"But aren't you a figure who will become this palace's enemy?"
A menacing light flickered in his eyes as he gritted his teeth.
"Aren't you competing with this palace's successor candidate? Now that you're in the heart of our palace... we have no choice but to wipe you all out."
"Hahahaha."
Bu Eun-seol, instead, bared his white teeth and laughed heartily, as if amused.
"That's not a bad choice either."
Bu Eun-seol nodded readily.
"Go ahead. Try it. Immediately."
"What?"
"Don't worry. No matter what tricks our Death Shadow Squad pulls, we won't survive in the heart of the Extinction Palace anyway."
Though his words suggested resignation, Bu Eun-seol's expression was relaxed and brimming with laughter.
Not only that, the Death Shadow Squad members standing in formation showed no trace of fear—instead, they radiated an overwhelming momentum.
"But make sure your encirclement is tight enough to kill me without fail. If you fail..."
A glacial energy, white as eternal ice, seeped from Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"...the Young Palace Lord of the Extinction Palace will lose him footing in the succession competition before even beginning the task assigned by the Chief Doctrine Commander."
Mok In-cheong's eyes widened.
The reason the White Horse Temple, the Hell Blood Citadel, and the Spectral Sect had fallen from even the status of successor candidates—
Wasn't it precisely because they had ganged up on Bu Eun-seol and failed?
"This is..."
Faced with this unexpected turn, Mok In-cheong opened his mouth.
He realized that, by his own judgment, there was no way to resolve this situation.
"Hahaha! Truly remarkable!"
Suddenly, laughter rang out from the empty air.
At the same time, a man clad in extravagant silk robes appeared before Mok In-cheong as if he had erupted from the ground.
It was none other than the Young Palace Lord of the Extinction Palace—Sindo Un-hwi.