Chapter 272
Rumble...
An enormous vibration, like a herd of cattle stampeding, reverberated through the area in front of the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
"What in the world is that?"
A guard from the Guard Unit stationed at the entrance of the pavilion rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Countless armed troops had surrounded the Hidden Demon Pavilion, hadn't they?
Sensing something amiss, the guard signaled to his comrade with a meaningful glance.
"Quickly, inform Squad Leader Jo."
The leader of the Guard Unit at the pavilion was none other than Jo Nam-cheon. As his comrade nodded and turned to rush toward Jo Nam-cheon's quarters,
"No need."
The doors swung open, revealing Bu Eun-seol clad in casual attire, his expression utterly composed.
He had detected the presence of the encroaching troops and stepped out immediately.
Whoosh.
The formation of warriors standing before him parted to either side, and a middle-aged man in resplendent robes strode forward with an imposing air.
It was Dan Wol-hon.
"You've arrived."
Bu Eun-seol offered a relaxed smile and clasped his hands together.
"My apologies for summoning you so abruptly."
"What is this about?"
"Please, come inside. I've prepared tea."
"I asked what this is about."
Dan Wol-hon fixed Bu Eun-seol with a terrifying glare.
"If you've called this deputy leader here for some trivial reason..."
His pupils blazed like an erupting volcano.
"...then you'll be relocating your residence as of today."
Dan Wol-hon meant every word.
If Bu Eun-seol had summoned him merely to flaunt his authority as the successor?
Dan Wol-hon was fully prepared to order the Myriad Demons Faction's forces to demolish the Hidden Demon Pavilion on the spot.
As the head of the Demons-Control Department, he possessed both the standing and the power to do so.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol frowned slightly and turned.
"Un-ryong."
At his call, the doors of the hall opened, and Yu Un-ryong emerged in scholarly attire, carrying a wooden box.
"Present that to the deputy leader."
"And what might that be?"
"It would be difficult to explain here."
"Are you toying with this deputy leader now?"
As Bu Eun-seol spoke, a murderous glint flashed in Dan Wol-hon's eyes.
"Such matters should be delegated to underlings—"
"It is the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit."
The moment Bu Eun-seol's telepathic transmission reached his ears, Dan Wol-hon let out an involuntary gasp of astonishment.
"Gah—!"
"I thought it best to avoid word spreading and causing you unnecessary trouble."
Among the Demon Hall's high command and their families, many suffered from severed meridians.
If news spread that Dan Wol-hon had obtained the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit? He would be hounded relentlessly.
"Word has reached us that the deputy leader has been overworked and in poor health of late."
Yu Un-ryong spoke in a clear voice, as if following prearranged instructions.
"It is ginseng from Haedong. Exceptionally effective for restoring vitality."
Dan Wol-hon accepted the wooden box with a dazed expression.
Though tightly sealed, an indescribably fresh and invigorating fragrance permeated the air.
There was no doubt—what lay inside wasn't just any treasure, but the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit itself.
"This is...!"
Dan Wol-hon's eyes grew moist.
He had brought the entire Myriad Demons Faction to suppress the successor's growing influence, yet...
Here was Bu Eun-seol, freely gifting him the very medicine that could save his daughter's life?
Even though consuming it himself could grant him 120 years' worth of internal energy—a peerless treasure by any measure.
"You... you."
Dan Wol-hon stepped forward and clasped Bu Eun-seol's hands as though prostrating in gratitude.
"Thank you."
Suppressing overwhelming emotion, his voice trembled as he spoke.
"This deputy leader pledges loyalty to you until death. No—even if my flesh were to rot and turn to ashes, my oath stands!"
At Dan Wol-hon's impassioned cry, the masters of the Myriad Demons Faction behind him wore expressions of utter shock.
They had been prepared to demolish the Hidden Demon Pavilion without hesitation upon command.
Yet now their leader was loudly swearing fealty to Bu Eun-seol?
"There's no need for that."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm merely repaying a debt owed to Lord Dan."
"A debt? What debt?"
Bu Eun-seol produced a necklace from which hung a transparent stone.
"Thanks to this Azure Blossom Soft Jade, I overcame a grave crisis."
Dan Wol-hon blinked in confusion.
Why was this priceless necklace—which should have been around his daughter's neck—dangling from this brat's neck?
"So-ok... gave this to you?"
Moreover, it was a memento left to his daughter by her late mother.
And she had secretly handed it to Bu Eun-seol without consulting him?
"Just how did you come by this?"
In response to Dan Wol-hon's question, Bu Eun-seol calmly explained.
As he was preparing to leave the Demon Hall, Dan So-ok had given it to him for his visit to the Fleeting Moment Boat...
And how it had been used to save the life of Hyeok Gong-baek, the master of the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary.
"Damn it all!"
Upon hearing the full account, Dan Wol-hon flung his clasped hands aside and roared in frustration.
"Erase everything you just said from your memory!"
Dan Wol-hon was furious to the tips of his hair.
It wasn't because he begrudged the loss of the Blue Flower Flame Jade.
That necklace was a betrothal gift Dan So-ok had chosen for her future spouse. Yet she'd casually given it to Bu Eun-seol without even a single word of discussion with her own father?
"This can't be. This simply can't..."
Dan Wol-hon trembled with rage.
While the would-be giver hadn't even considered the implications...
Dan Wol-hon himself wasn't mentally prepared to accept Bu Eun-seol as his son-in-law yet.
"I cannot permit this! Absolutely not!"
With that explosive shout, he whirled around and stormed out of the Demon Gathering Bureau.
Several days later, Dan Wol-hon departed the Demon Hall with Dan So-ok.
The official reason was that Dan So-ok's health hadn't fully recovered, so they were going to Hangzhou for recuperation.
But Bu Eun-seol, who knew the inside story, allowed a smile to play at the corners of his mouth.
'So he means to do it properly.'
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
The Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit's medicinal effects were as potent as its extraordinary properties. If the efficacy wasn't gradually diffused through the body, it could instead cause physical damage.
Moreover, with an unprecedented surge of internal energy now present in her body...
It seemed Dan Wol-hon intended to first restore Dan So-ok's health in seclusion, prevent rumors about obtaining the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit from spreading, and simultaneously pass on martial arts training.
Thud. Thud.
Just then, soft footsteps approached from outside the office, followed by Yu Un-ryong's voice.
"It's Yu Un-ryong."
"Enter."
As the door opened, Yu Un-ryong placed a small wooden case on Bu Eun-seol's desk.
"And what's this?"
"They say it contains a Command Plaque granting access to the third floor of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive."
The third floor of the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive.
That was where the martial arts left behind by successive rulers of the Demon Hall were preserved.
Having become the Demon Hall's legitimate successor, Bu Eun-seol now had the right to learn one of those martial arts.
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the wooden case, then shook his head.
'Not yet.'
He hadn't even properly mastered the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art and Thirteenfold Qi Induction yet.
Moreover, there was fundamental conflict between the Emotion Severing Secret Art—the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's orthodox mind technique—and his current path.
In this state, learning another martial art might actually cause his skills to regress to a Lesser Vehicle Realm—this intuition struck him with certainty.
"I'll visit there later."
Placing the wooden case back on the desk, Bu Eun-seol shook his head again.
"I have much to do as it is."
"Much to do?"
At Yu Un-ryong's question, Bu Eun-seol replied in a low voice:
"I must visit the Secret Shadow Pavilion's Lord."
The Secret Shadow Pavilion.
That institution controlled all intelligence flowing into the Demon Hall.
In other words, since it gripped the Demon Hall's information networks, the Secret Shadow Pavilion Lord could be considered a true power behind the scenes.
As proof, hadn't two of the Ten Demonic Heirs been selected from the Secret Shadow Pavilion?
That alone demonstrated how revered the Pavilion's position was within the Demon Hall.
"What business does the Martial Soul Lord have?"
The Secret Shadow Pavilion Lord, Hwa Jung-cheon.
He rarely revealed himself in the martial world, and even his origins remained unknown—one of the Demonic Path's great mysteries.
Not even how he became Pavilion Lord or whether Hwa Jung-cheon was his real name had ever been disclosed.
Only three people had seen his true face: the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Supreme Cult Commander, and the Elders' Hall Master Jeok Bung. Even Hall Master-leveled figures never had occasion to meet him.
But as the Demon Hall's successor, Bu Eun-seol could enter the Secret Shadow Pavilion and meet him directly.
'He's using a disguise.'
The area beneath Hwa Jung-cheon's eyes was darkened, giving the eerie impression of a sinister raven.
With one glance, Bu Eun-seol discerned that Hwa Jung-cheon's face was altered.
"I have something to inquire about."
"Ask away."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and spoke.
If anyone could identify the assassin's true nature, it would be the man who penetrated all the Demon Hall's intelligence.
"Someone who has mastered ruthless Demonic Sword Arts, can use Indian Yoga Art, and favors applying Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay Poison to hidden weapons..."
After listening, Hwa Jung-cheon replied in a low voice:
"To this Pavilion Lord's knowledge, only one such person exists in the martial world."
"Who might that be?"
"The Demon Path's Foremost Bladesman, Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang."
Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed slightly.
The Secret Shadow Pavilion Lord had given the same account as the Empty-Handed Divine Thief.
Yet the Martial World Directory at the Fleeting Moment Boat contained no records of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade ever using hidden weapons or poison.
"There are no records of Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang employing poison or hidden weapons."
"Extremely few in the martial world know those facts. This Pavilion Lord happens to be one of them."
"So you're saying he did use poison and hidden weapons?"
When Hwa Jung-cheon nodded, Bu Eun-seol pressed further:
"Where is he now?"
"As you know, he vanished without trace thirty years ago. Nothing has been heard of him since."
Bu Eun-seol fell into brief contemplation.
Given how confidently Hwa Jung-cheon stated this, it seemed certain that Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang had indeed used poison and hidden weapons.
'Could there be a grudge between the Demon Path's Foremost Bladesman and Grandfather?'
It wasn't an entirely improbable deduction.
Grandfather was no ordinary undertaker.
Given that he had passed down the Tendon Transformation Sutra to Bu Eun-seol, he must have been a disciple of Shaolin—and one of considerable status at that.
It was entirely possible he had reason to hold a grudge against the infamous Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
'But their names are identical.'
Could it be that Grandfather was actually the Demon Path's Foremost Bladesman, Bu Jan-yang, who had changed his identity?
The moment this thought struck him, Bu Eun-seol urgently asked:
"Is it true that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang had exactly seven fingers?"
"Indeed."
"Have you seen it with your own eyes?"
Hwa Jung-cheon nodded firmly.
"I have."
'Then the shared name must be a coincidence.'
Bu Jan-yang, the undertaker of Hwangju Prefecture Constabulary.
Bu Jan-yang, the Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall.
Though their names were the same, their statuses were as far apart as heaven and earth. Moreover, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade was said to have had seven fingers.
But Grandfather had undeniably possessed ten warm, living fingers.
One could lose fingers, but there was no method to regrow missing ones.
'Then that means—'
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol recalled a crucial fact.
Hwa Jung-cheon had held the position of Pavilion Lord of the Secret Shadow Pavilion for over thirty years. Naturally, he would know the portrait of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
"Do you have any records regarding the portrait of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang?"
"Hmm."
The Pavilion Lord of the Secret Shadow Pavilion fell silent for a moment before ordering a subordinate to bring forth a certain book.
When opened, it revealed the portrait of a middle-aged martial artist with a fierce and indomitable spirit.
"This is Bu Jan-yang's portrait."
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at the book before shaking his head.
'No.'
Even accounting for the difference in age, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang bore no resemblance to the kind-faced Grandfather Bu Jan-yang.
'But...'
Martial artists could all alter their appearance.
There was no guarantee that this was Bu Jan-yang's true face.
'Hm?'
As Bu Eun-seol scrutinized the book, he couldn't suppress a flicker of doubt.
At the bottom of the page depicting the portrait, the words "Execution Target No. 1" were clearly inscribed.
"How could the former Deputy Hall Lord of the Main Hall have been an execution target?"
"That was before he joined the Main Hall."
Hwa Jung-cheon explained calmly.
"He was originally a rogue assassin who wandered the martial world. In fact, he had even slain several masters of the Main Hall."
"Hmm."
"But in the end, he was persuaded to join, and after numerous achievements, he rose to the position of Deputy Hall Lord."
Bu Eun-seol gave a faint nod.
Everything the Pavilion Lord had recounted was part of the martial world's hidden history—unknown to most.
"Have your questions been answered now?"
As the Pavilion Lord rose to his feet, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"There is more I wish to ask."
"Speak."
"I want to know the location of Wicked Incense."
Hwa Jung-cheon shook his head.
"The whereabouts of Wicked Incense have never been precisely uncovered."
"This Lord wishes to know."
In other words, he was demanding that Hwa Jung-cheon find out.
The Pavilion Lord, who had been staring intently at Bu Eun-seol, suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"Hohoho. It seems you've misunderstood something."
Then, his voice turned cold.
"The reason I answered your questions so readily was merely a courtesy extended to you as the newly appointed successor."
Standing up, he spoke in a low voice.
"However, the only person with unrestricted access to the Secret Shadow Pavilion's intelligence is the Hall Master Sado. Do you understand?"
'The Palace Master...'
Bu Eun-seol was reminded once again of the Pavilion Lord's authority and standing.
Apart from Elder Jeok Bung of the Elders' Hall and Baek Jeon-cheon of the Myriad Erudition Hall, Hwa Jung-cheon was the first within the Demon Hall to address the Demonic Heavenly Emperor as "Hall Master."
'He must be far older than he appears.'
Just then, Hwa Jung-cheon spoke again.
"If it concerns the affairs of the Main Hall, you may obtain any information you desire. But if it pertains to your personal matters, that is impossible. Do you comprehend?"
—Even as the successor, I cannot provide intelligence for your personal affairs.
That was what Hwa Jung-cheon was implying.
'Hmm.'
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
This reaction was within his expectations.
As the successor, he did not yet have unrestricted access to all of the Demon Hall's secrets.
Hadn't even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor told him to find the answers himself?
"So, as long as it isn't a personal matter, I can obtain any information?"
"Correct."
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened.
"And what is the standard for that judgment?"
Simultaneously, killing intent began seeping from his body.
"On what grounds did you decide that the questions I've asked so far were personal matters?"
The killing intent radiating from Bu Eun-seol was no bluff.
Hwa Jung-cheon's eyes flickered in response.
"Are you threatening this Pavilion Lord now?"
He, too, was a master of the Extreme Heaven Realm.
Though he knew Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had reached that level, he showed no trace of fear.
"Just answer the question."
Bu Eun-seol's voice dripped with icy killing intent.
"Why were my inquiries deemed personal? What criteria did you use to judge them?"