Chapter 224
Bu Eun-seol stared wide-eyed at Gu Hong-cheong, who had breathed his last.
Though endowed with exceptional martial talent, Gu Hong-cheong had devoted his entire life not to honing his martial arts but to seizing dominance over the Beggars' Sect.
Had he dedicated himself to martial arts instead of the Beggars' Sect's power struggles... he would never have lost to Bu Eun-seol in the first place.
"Keugh."
Bu Eun-seol, having risen to his feet, spat out another mouthful of blood.
From the start, neither his body nor his spirit had reached the realm the Beggar King had attained.
He had merely crafted a meticulous plan to thwart Gu Hong-cheong. And through a sudden epiphany and the aid of the Willful True Binding, he had barely scraped a victory.
Thud. Thud.
Then, silhouetted against the setting sun, Hae-pung approached, the Green Gourd hanging at his waist.
The moment he saw Bu Eun-seol standing tall and Gu Hong-cheong slumped lifeless against the rock, his eyes bulged in shock.
"Grand Elder!"
He had never even considered the possibility that Bu Eun-seol might defeat Gu Hong-cheong.
That was why he had accepted Bu Eun-seol's proposal in the first place.
But how could Gu Hong-cheong be dead?
"This can't be! What in the world happened here?"
Bu Eun-seol gave no answer. He simply turned and began to walk away.
"No! How could this...!"
Hae-pung frantically examined Gu Hong-cheong's lifeless body.
The fatal wound was a stab to the chest. There was no sign of outside interference.
No—this Ascension Terrace was surrounded by over a thousand of the Beggars' Sect's masters. Unless someone descended from the heavens like an immortal, intervention would have been impossible.
Panicked, Hae-pung shouted after Bu Eun-seol's retreating figure.
"You've killed our sect's Grand Elder!"
"..."
"The Beggars' Sect will never forget this grudge!"
Bu Eun-seol halted.
"Of course."
His voice was low, yet filled with undeniable force.
"Don't forget. Not until the day you die."
Then he turned his head, curling his lips into a cold smile—just as Gu Hong-cheong had done.
"Those were the Beggar King's last words."
"What are you talking about?"
"'You will never become Sect Chief,' he said... and laughed as he died."
His eyes brimmed with contempt.
Meeting that gaze, Hae-pung finally realized the horrifying truth and bit his lip.
'So that's how it was!'
The Beggars' Sect had long been home to righteous men who could be called true knights.
Though Hae-pung had opposed Gu Hong-cheong, he had never hated him enough to wish for his death.
He had only wanted to curb his lust for power and restore the Beggars' Sect to its rightful state.
—After all, the Grand Elder would never lose to someone like him.
That was why Hae-pung had accepted Bu Eun-seol's offer—the promise of the Green Gourd.
Because he had been certain Gu Hong-cheong would win.
'Ugh...'
But the outcome had defied all expectations.
Because of his deal with Bu Eun-seol, the Grand Elder—a symbol of the Beggars' Sect...
And one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, the Beggar King—was dead.
'Was being denied the position of Sect Chief so unbearable? So infuriating that even in death, you cursed me?'
The fury of Gu Hong-cheong, whose lifelong ambition had crumbled to nothing, was beyond anything Hae-pung could have imagined.
Realizing that this incident would bar Hae-pung from ever becoming Sect Chief, Gu Hong-cheong had been able to laugh even in the face of death.
'Huuu...'
Hae-pung clutched his hair in anguish.
Watching him, Bu Eun-seol smiled coldly.
Even in death, Gu Hong-cheong had never been freed from his lust for power.
And Hae-pung would be no different.
He would spend the rest of his life regretting his choice to make a deal with Bu Eun-seol. And he would resent never becoming Sect Chief.
In the end, just like the Beggar King—who could not abandon his hunger for power even at death's door...
Hae-pung might one day become the second Beggar King.
As Bu Eun-seol descended from the Ascension Terrace, five hundred Beggars' Sect disciples stood in formation, their eyes blazing.
They were not part of the sect's main force but belonged to factions that had independently supported the Beggar King—including Mu Hong, leader of the Brilliant Flower Band.
These men had pledged loyalty to the Beggar King alone.
And though they had yearned for him to become Sect Chief... with his death, all their plans had turned to dust.
—Hae-pung may have promised not to kill him, but we made no such vow!
They had gathered below the Ascension Terrace, lying in wait to avenge the Beggar King they had served.
Thud. Thud.
Even as five hundred masters advanced, Bu Eun-seol showed no surprise.
No—this had been part of the plan from the moment he resolved to strike down Gu Hong-cheong.
The Beggar King had never integrated his followers into the Beggars' Sect, instead maintaining them as an independent force under his command.
Thus, they could not even return to the Beggars' Sect under Hae-pung's leadership.
"You will die here!"
Just as Mu Hong, leader of the Brilliant Flower Band, raised his hand to signal the attack—
Swish!
Dozens among the five hundred suddenly flung off their tattered robes and turned.
They were none other than Heuk-pyo and the Death Shadow Squad.
"You bastards—!"
Mu Hong's eyes bulged.
Only now did he realize that Bu Eun-seol had foreseen even this assault.
"Just as the Young Master predicted."
Heuk-pyo stepped forward, revealing his face as he spoke.
"They planned to fight to the death rather than rejoin the Beggars' Sect."
Heuk-pyo was a master of concealment and infiltration, having once been an information vagabond.
After safely retrieving the Green Gourd, he had begun tracking the movements of the forces under the Beggar King's command, following Bu Eun-seol's orders.
Once he had pinpointed their whereabouts, he infiltrated the Beggar King's faction, timing his arrival to coincide with Bu Eun-seol's approach to the Ascension Terrace.
Then, after eliminating the beggar disciples to match their numbers, he concealed himself and waited.
Putting it into words made it sound simple, but the plan had been unimaginably dangerous and demanded absolute secrecy.
Had it not been for Heuk-pyo—whose movement techniques and strategic intelligence were exceptional, and who had an intimate understanding of the Beggars' Sect's inner workings—success would have been impossible.
And this...
This was precisely why Bu Eun-seol had needed to bring Heuk-pyo along for his plan to deal with the Beggar King.
"Now, the final act begins."
Bu Eun-seol gazed calmly at the distant sky.
Under normal circumstances, victory against nearly five hundred beggar disciples would have been unthinkable.
But the Death Shadow Squad had undergone brutal training that bordered on death itself, all for this day. They had mastered new martial arts—
The First Squad had honed new sword and saber techniques.
The Second Squad had refined their internal energy and movement skills.
The Third Squad had tempered their bodies to be as hard as steel through the Black Poison Demon Art.
Not only that, but by observing Hyeok So-jin and Heuk-pyo's sparring, they had gained experience akin to real combat.
"Bu Eun-seol."
Finally, two more figures appeared, casting off their tattered robes.
Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong.
They were Ten Demonic Heirs—seasoned warriors whose skills were only slightly inferior to Bu Eun-seol's, having reached the Transcendent Peak realm.
With Hyeok So-jin and Heuk-pyo added to their ranks... there was no way the five hundred beggar disciples could stand against them.
Thud. Thud.
Yet the beggar disciples advanced without hesitation, gripping their long staffs, their eyes devoid of any fear of death.
'Because they have nowhere left to return to.'
Bu Eun-seol understood.
Even knowing they would lose, even knowing they would die, they charged forward without hesitation—because they had no home left to go back to.
"HAAAAAH!"
Mu Hong, leader of the Brilliant Flower Band, roared as he surged forward.
And with that, the five hundred beggar disciples charged at full strength.
Clatter. Clatter.
An old carriage rattled along a quiet forest path.
Inside, a man sat with an indifferent expression, staring out the window.
Between the strands of his long hair, the sharp bridge of his nose was visible. His eyes shimmered as if holding the light spilling from the heavens.
In contrast, his dark brows and tightly pressed lips exuded severity.
And within those pupils lay a majesty that could subjugate all—an aura both androgynous and mystifying.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
Clatter. Clatter.
His face remained expressionless as he gazed outside.
After dealing with the Beggar King, he had chosen to return to the Demon Hall by carriage rather than using his lightness skill.
He needed to heal his internal injuries while slowly digesting the insights he had gained from his decisive battle with the Beggar King.
"Young Master."
The elderly coachman, watching the setting sun, suddenly spoke in a loud voice.
"It seems we'll have to camp nearby for the night."
"Very well."
At the reply, the coachman guided the carriage to a wide, flat clearing and prepared to take shelter from the night dew.
Crackle.
A bonfire flickered to life in the quiet clearing.
The coachman, wrapped in thick cloth, had already fallen asleep, while Bu Eun-seol sat before the flames, lost in thought.
'The unit members must have returned safely by now.'
The Death Shadow Squad had achieved an overwhelming victory against the five hundred beggar disciples loyal to the Beggar King.
Of course, more than half of the squad had suffered severe injuries, with some hovering on the brink of death.
So, once the battle ended, Bu Eun-seol had immediately ordered Hyeok So-jin and the others to send the unit members back to the Demon Hall.
—Young Master. I wish to wander alone a little longer.
Amidst it all, Heuk-pyo had made an unexpected proposal.
With the Beggars' Sect's affairs concluded, he intended to return to the Wandering Drifters.
—With my current martial prowess, I'm still unworthy of remaining by your side.
Bu Eun-seol had stepped into the threshold of the Extreme Heaven Realm after his fierce battle with the Beggar King.
In other words, among the new generation of grandmasters in the martial world, he now stood at the very peak.
Heuk-pyo, who had yet to even reach the Transcendent Realm, judged that staying by Bu Eun-seol's side would be of no help.
—I will return only when I've become someone capable of aiding you, Young Master.
Heuk-pyo bowed his head with dignity.
Through this mission, he had gained immense experience.
Sparring with Hyeok So-jin had allowed him to physically internalize numerous demonic techniques and combat methods, and he had learned how to fight against large numbers of enemies.
—And if the opportunity arises in the future... I may gather like-minded individuals and form a mercenary corps of my own.
Above all, what Heuk-pyo had learned most from this campaign was Bu Eun-seol's mercenary tactics.
Facing overwhelming numbers with a small force—it wasn't just about martial arts. It required superior strategy, unity, and coordination among the unit members.
—We'll take our leave as well.
Once everything was over, Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong had also prepared to depart freely.
But they could not.
Because Bu Eun-seol had said to them:
—This is only the beginning.
They had killed one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings. The trials and enemies that would come next...
Would be incomparably stronger than anything they had faced before. And Bu Eun-seol needed their strength.
"Remain registered with the Demon Hall for now. Just until I can securely enter the succession framework."
The two men already knew the truth.
This wasn't Bu Eun-seol holding them back because he needed help.
Though they had abandoned their status as Ten Demonic Heirs, the unresolved grudges with the Demonic Path Ten Gates still lingered.
If they wandered the martial world like this, they could be hunted down at any moment.
Bu Eun-seol was trying to forge a shield for them—so they could travel the martial world unburdened.
And that shield was the Demon Hall, a formidable alliance.
—Well, I suppose I can stay a little longer.
When Myo Cheon-u spoke as if he had no choice, Yu Un-ryong replied coldly:
—Fine. But don't stop me when I decide to leave.
And so, the two returned to the Demon Hall alongside the Death Shadow Squad.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol deliberately took his time returning by carriage.
The battle with the Beggar King.
He needed to immediately digest and internalize the insights gained from that fierce, life-threatening fight.
'Once I return to the Demon Hall, I may not have any idle time. I must absorb these insights as slowly as possible.'
The succession race had now narrowed to four candidates—an intensely volatile situation.
Moreover, no one even knew what missions Do Cheon-rin and Wi Ji-hye-sang were carrying out.
With no way to predict what would unfold upon his return, Bu Eun-seol intended to delay his arrival as much as possible.
'Truthfully, I need the time anyway.'
He had replayed the battle with the Beggar King repeatedly in his mind, yet no matter how many times he revisited it, he couldn't instantly grasp the intricacies of the Nine Flash Hands.
And then there was the perilous Soft Hedgehog Secret.
And the Beggar King's unrelenting lust for power, rage, and greed—clinging to him even in the face of death.
Even now, the vivid memories of that brutal fight and its final moments endlessly looped in his mind.
'Had I faced him with martial prowess alone, I wouldn't be standing here now.'
To defeat the Beggar King, whose martial arts far surpassed his own, Bu Eun-seol had to shatter his unyielding spirit and exploit the slightest crack in his resolve.
That was why he had handed the Green Gourd to Hae-pung right before the Beggar King's eyes—crushing his spirit and dealing a blow to his psyche.
What if he hadn't resorted to such tactics?
Even if he had executed Lament by the River flawlessly, he wouldn't have been able to bring the Beggar King down.
'In the end... must I master the Emotion Severing Secret Art after all?'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed as he recalled the sheer might of the Willful True Binding he had unleashed while consumed by his inner demon.
If he could sustain that technique in battle, he wouldn't have needed to retreat even an inch against the Beggar King.
'The Emotion Severing Secret Art merely strip away emotions. It isn't a technique that leads to the inner demon.'
It was simply a Mind Cultivation Scripture.
The problem was that Bu Eun-seol, without realizing it, harbored a will to protect his emotions.
That internal conflict had clashed with the Emotion Severing Secret Art, ultimately plunging him into the abyss of his inner demon.
'If I can't refine the Willful True Binding, then I have no choice but to master the Emotion Severing Secret Art.'
Stronger enemies awaited him.
If he stubbornly clung to an incomplete version of the technique like this...
He would either succumb to his inner demon again—or suffer an irreversible defeat.
Then, abruptly, the face of Hae-pung, with whom he had made a firm promise, surfaced in his mind.
'The Beggars' Sect will undoubtedly mobilize their intelligence network to spin their own narrative.'
After all, the fact that Bu Eun-seol had killed the Beggar King couldn't be changed.
Which meant the Beggars' Sect, whether to silence the details of their deal for the Green Gourd or to salvage their shattered prestige...
Would deploy their intelligence forces to spread every manner of slander and conspiracy.
The Four Gods and Seven Kings.
That title wasn't merely a ranking of martial prowess—it was a symbolic position.
Even among those who had reached the Extreme Heaven Realm, only those who wielded overwhelming influence in the martial world could ascend to such a standing.
And now, a mere youth like Bu Eun-seol was claiming one of those seats?
They would stop at nothing to prevent that.
'Since no one witnessed the battle... for now, their schemes will likely take hold.'
He probably wouldn't be officially recognized as one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings anytime soon.
But Bu Eun-seol didn't care how the Beggars' Sect twisted the story.
Honor? Authority? None of that mattered to him.
All he had done was complete the task assigned by the Chief Doctrine Commander—
And exact vengeance for the Wind and Cloud Corps members who had died screaming.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Lost in deep contemplation, he hadn't noticed the break of dawn.
As the sun rose, the carriage resumed its journey. After traveling nonstop, they soon entered the Hunan region.
Upon reaching Chengdu, the streets were bustling with merchants setting up stalls, as if it were market day.
The coachman stopped at a nearby guest inn to rest and feed the horses.
The moment Bu Eun-seol stepped out of the carriage, a gaunt man approached him.
"The Pavilion Lord orders you to abandon your return to the Demon Hall and urgently come back to the main pavilion."
The man, a member of the Wind and Cloud Corps, transmitted his message silently.
Then, as he slowly walked past, he sent another transmission:
"I will pay the coachman and send him back."
In the brief instant they brushed past each other, the man's hand moved like lightning, slipping a thin letter into Bu Eun-seol's sleeve.
"The details are written inside."
Without another word, the man walked away, disappearing into the marketplace as if nothing had happened.
Bu Eun-seol stepped into a secluded alley and slowly unfolded the letter.
"..."
His pupils gradually dilated as he read.
—The Pavilion Lord has concluded his closed-door training and returned. Return to the main pavilion at once.