Chapter 292
Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong had finished their long leave and returned, both now busy with their duties.
Bu Eun-seol had heeded Seo Jin-ha's advice and temporarily halted the operations of his intelligence network.
Instead, he had gathered all the external intelligence forces under the Demon Hall's command.
'It wouldn't be bad to solve the problems closest to me first.'
The fact that there were spies within the Demon Hall was no particular secret.
If the head of the Murim Alliance's Nectar Bureau had been a spy planted decades ago, then there were likely high-ranking spies within the Demon Hall as well.
Of course, whether the Demon Hall had spies or not was irrelevant to him. He merely intended to find those among them who might be connected to Wicked Incense.
"Lord."
At that moment, a lively yet mischievous voice called from outside.
"This humble one, Myo Cheon-u, seeks entry."
The door opened, and a sturdy man with bright eyes entered. It was Myo Cheon-u.
"What is it?"
"A letter arrived from the Secret Shadow Pavilion, so I brought it."
As Bu Eun-seol took the envelope Myo Cheon-u handed him, he saw the emblem symbolizing the Celestial Slaughter Corps stamped on the surface.
It was from Seo Jin-ha.
—Traces of Wicked Incense have been found in Blood Death Valley. Will contact again once confirmed.
The handwriting was concise and brief, as if he had hastily relayed the information before returning to Blood Death Valley.
As Bu Eun-seol read the letter, an ominous aura flickered through his mind.
Blood Death Valley.
That place was a Poison Clan located in Shandong, on Mount Podae.
But Mount Podae was a blessed land abundant with spiritual herbs.
And in Blood Death Valley, they had begun using these herbs to create bizarre poisons unlike anything seen before.
That was how the infamous Rotting Corpse Blood Poison came to be.
—We cannot possibly overlook Blood Death Valley!
A terrifying poison that transformed the blood of its victims entirely into venom. The Rotting Corpse Blood Poison.
Once this poison began circulating in the martial world, it harmed not only martial artists but also civilians and livestock.
In the end, the masters of both the orthodox and unorthodox factions could not stand idly by and swiftly annihilated Blood Death Valley.
Thus, Blood Death Valley, which had once dominated an era, vanished into the annals of history. And now, it had been resurrected?
'Undoubtedly, it was rebuilt with the support of a formidable faction like the Five Poisons Sect.'
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened.
The problem was that Seo Jin-ha had uncovered the trail of such a secretly lurking faction all on his own.
It was impossible for Seo Jin-ha, who had merely gone out to investigate during his leave, to stumble upon this through his own intelligence network.
'They must have lured him deliberately.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
Most likely, some faction had intentionally leaked information to Seo Jin-ha and drawn him in.
'I shouldn't have mentioned it.'
A wave of regret washed over him.
The reason he had told Seo Jin-ha about Wicked Incense was because he was the group leader of the Celestial Slaughter Corps, which handled a wide range of intelligence.
He had only hoped to share information gathered during missions...
But he never expected Seo Jin-ha to go out during his leave to track down traces of Wicked Incense.
'If Blood Death Valley was rebuilt long ago, like the Five Poisons Sect, its roots and power would be beyond imagination.'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
This matter was far beyond what Seo Jin-ha could handle.
Moreover, hadn't Wicked Incense always had ties to the Righteous Path?
"Is something wrong?"
Myo Cheon-u asked, watching Bu Eun-seol's grim expression.
"You look terribly upset."
"It's nothing."
As Bu Eun-seol shook his head, Myo Cheon-u's face fell with disappointment.
"Bu Eun-seol. I may not be the only one, but everyone here is your subordinate, isn't that so?"
"I never said otherwise."
"A subordinate is someone who can carry out the tasks their superior intends to do."
After a brief pause, Myo Cheon-u spoke the words he had long held in his heart.
"I don't expect you to suddenly trust or rely on me. But if there's something difficult, can't you share the burden as your subordinate?"
Myo Cheon-u's gaze burned with intensity.
It resembled the fiery look of friendship in Seo Jin-ha's eyes. And that very thought tormented Bu Eun-seol.
Seo Jin-ha, Myo Cheon-u...
These two would not hesitate to lay down their lives for the sake of friendship.
But Bu Eun-seol did not want anyone to be harmed because of him.
That was why he had never intended to share friendship with anyone in his life.
"If such a matter arises, I will speak of it."
Bu Eun-seol avoided Myo Cheon-u's fervent gaze and replied in an emotionless voice.
"As your superior."
"...Understood."
Though disappointment surged within him, Myo Cheon-u swallowed it and turned away.
A few days later.
Bu Eun-seol took a walk around Hwahong Pavilion to clear his troubled mind before returning.
When he entered his office, he found a thin envelope resting on his desk.
In an instant, a flash of light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Swish.
With a cautious expression, he slowly examined the envelope. Something thick seemed to be inside, bulging at one end.
And as he carefully opened it, he instinctively sensed one undeniable fact.
The ominous premonition he had felt days ago had finally become reality.
From the opened envelope, something dull and heavy tumbled onto the table.
It was a freshly severed ear.
At a single glance, Bu Eun-seol recognized it as Seo Jin-ha's.
The same ear that had listened to him just days ago as they drank together on the rooftop.
Now, it lay cruelly severed, stuffed inside the envelope.
"If you wish to save him, come alone to Blood Death Valley."
The accompanying letter bore only that single, terse line.
But something was off.
Bu Eun-seol could easily ignore the letter's demand and send the Demon Hall's forces instead.
Yet the message contained no further threats—just that one line, as if confident he would come alone.
'They know me well.'
Not only had they meticulously analyzed his temperament, but they were also certain that if he sent the Demon Hall's troops, they would cut their losses and vanish without a trace.
'There's no choice.'
Bu Eun-seol's gaze shifted to the Ink Sword hanging on the wall.
Whether to trace Wicked Incense's trail—
Or to save Seo Jin-ha—
He had to go to Blood Death Valley alone, without informing anyone.
Emerging from the Demon Hall, Bu Eun-seol pushed his Lightness Art to its limits, arriving swiftly before Mount Podae, where Blood Death Valley lay.
The Hanzhong region, where Mount Podae stood, was a place where the phrase "layer upon layer of mountains" fit perfectly—a dense cluster of peaks.
But the mountain wasn't named for its shape resembling a cannon belt.
Centuries ago, a True Person who cultivated the Way here had taken the dharma name Podae.
Daoist Master Podae was said to have healed the sick in this region with his exceptional medical arts and Taoist power.
Thus, to honor him, people named this place Mount Podae.
Yet this mountain, once home to a beautiful legend, had become synonymous with terror after the vile Poison Clan, Blood Death Valley, took root here.
Rotting Corpse Blood Poison.
A poison so vile that once infected, the victim's entire blood would turn into venom itself—a forbidden toxin that had turned this land into an uninhabitable wasteland.
Whoosh—
Propelled by his Lightness Art, Bu Eun-seol reached the entrance of Blood Death Valley in an instant, his brow furrowing.
"They're at it again."
The long-ruined Blood Death Valley had been completely rebuilt, as if no time had passed.
But inside, it no longer resembled a martial sect—instead, it looked like a livestock farm, as if breeding cattle.
And there, just as before, stood the massive glass tubes he had seen with Yu Hwaryeong in the underground city beneath the mountains.
'They're different this time.'
Bu Eun-seol's sharpened gaze swept over the tubes.
Unlike the ones in the underground city of Chengdu, which had been filled with crimson liquid, these were brimming with a dark, viscous fluid.
It seemed they had shifted their research—no longer refining elixirs, but rather developing poisons to transform humans.
'This makes no sense.'
They were obsessively researching drugs to enhance physical strength.
If they already possessed the power to instantly restore an annihilated sect, they would effectively be no different from a Supreme Martial Lord ruling over the murim.
Why bother developing such drugs at all?
'Unless...'
Bu Eun-seol's mind raced.
Perhaps they weren't a single unified force.
If their power was fragmented, they might need to strengthen their forces to counterbalance one another.
'Or worse—there's an enemy even they cannot defeat.'
He shook his head.
All of this was conjecture. The truth remained elusive.
Looking back, despite all they had done, almost nothing concrete had been uncovered.
'No need to rush. I'll dismantle them one by one.'
No matter how formidable they were, restoring a vanished sect would require immense financial resources.
If he destroyed them piece by piece, they would eventually be forced to reveal themselves.
—"One wrong step, and you'll follow the same path as the Martial Emperor."
Suddenly, the Bullet King's lament from the Martial Emperor Secret Vault resurfaced in his mind.
Four hundred years ago, the Martial Emperor—wrongfully accused—had left the murim in bitter sorrow.
Even a supreme martial expert like him had been powerless against those who wielded influence across the entire martial world.
To eradicate them, overwhelming force had to be concentrated and unleashed in a single, decisive strike.
Shhh— Shhh—
Then, an eerie sound echoed, and grotesque figures clad in black began emerging.
Their entire bodies—not just their faces—were wrapped in bandages that shimmered with an unnatural sheen.
In their hands, they wielded Grotesque Blades, large sickle-like weapons curved like the mandibles of a stag beetle.
It was as if a swarm of giant, razor-jawed beetles had poured forth.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol drew the Ink Sword without hesitation.
There was no need for words.
All that mattered was cutting them down swiftly and rescuing Seo Jin-ha.
Shatter!
A razor-sharp Sword Stroke carved a wide arc, felling the grotesque figures in front of him instantly.
But the remaining creatures charged forward undeterred, shrieking as they lunged.
Some even used the corpses of their fallen comrades as stepping stones, leaping toward him with frenzied abandon.
It was as if a black wave the size of a house came crashing down from above.
Swishhhh!
As countless grotesque figures swung their Grotesque Blades simultaneously, a spine-chilling Sound of Breaking Air reverberated through the heavens.
Though the sight was terrifying enough to make one's flesh crawl, Bu Eun-seol whirled his Ink Sword like a windmill, cutting down the aberrations again and again.
The scene resembled dark insects being shredded by a high-speed rotating blade.
Slice. Slice.
Yet the number of aberrations pouring forth seemed endless.
Their bodies, as if pickled in drugs, were unnaturally tough, devoid of even fear or terror.
Even when fatally wounded, they clung viciously to their attacks before collapsing much later.
Swish!
As rapid Quick Sword Forms unfolded in succession, arterial blood gushed from the necks of the charging aberrations.
Their blood was murky, unnaturally viscous, and flowed several times slower than that of ordinary humans.
'So mass-producing Demon-Binding Jade Men isn't possible.'
Had these aberrations been like Gu Ju-hon—true Demon-Binding Jade Men who wouldn't die unless beheaded or drained of Essence Blood—Bu Eun-seol could never have held his ground against such numbers.
Conversely, their goal might have been to mass-produce beings like Gu Ju-hon.
If that were feasible, they wouldn't have needed to lure Bu Eun-seol here—they could have simply overrun the Demon Hall with thousands of Demon-Binding Jade Men already.
Thud-thud-thud!
In the time it took to burn a single incense stick, Bu Eun-seol had cut down over a hundred aberrations.
Yet their numbers showed no sign of dwindling.
"Haa..."
Gradually, ragged breaths began escaping Bu Eun-seol's lips.
'They're trying to exhaust my stamina.'
Before he realized it, the aberrations had encircled him, advancing and retreating in a calculated rhythm.
This tactic was designed to drain an opponent's energy before launching an all-out assault when they weakened.
Shhk!
Normally, his Single Stroke Form would have felled dozens, but the tangled battle lines allowed him to inflict fatal wounds on only a handful.
"Haa..."
Adjusting his breathing, Bu Eun-seol channeled his Internal Power once more, unleashing another flurry of sword techniques.
The relentless sound of slicing filled the air as fountains of blood rained down like a storm.
Yet the aberrations surged forward like insects, ceaselessly swinging their Grotesque Blades.
As time passed, a coppery taste began spreading in Bu Eun-seol's mouth.
If their numbers didn't thin soon, he would collapse from sheer exhaustion.
"Fine!"
With a thunderous shout, Bu Eun-seol funneled every ounce of his formidable Internal Power into the Ink Sword.
Huummm!
A low vibration hummed as a jet-black Sword Qi erupted skyward.
Having fully absorbed the Reverse Polarity True Qi, the dark Sword Aura surged to a height of fifty feet.
Huummm! Huummm!
It no longer resembled a Sword Aura—it looked more like a black dragon ascending to heaven with a pearl in its maw.
Splaaash!
As the Formless Heavenly Flow technique, imbued with the Sword Aura, unfolded, a cracking sound rang out as the enemy ranks began to collapse.
Each time the living, writhing Sword Aura split the air, dozens of aberrations collapsed at once.
How much time had passed?
Thud-thud-thud.
The inky shadows that had darkened the world gradually dissipated.
The Flesh Wall of aberrations blocking the entrance had finally crumbled.
Thud-thud-thud.
From above, crimson blood rained down in torrents.
The overwhelming Sword Aura had simultaneously severed the necks of countless aberrations, sending their blood geysering into the sky before cascading back down.
Gush-gush-gush.
The ground became a river of blood, with mountains of corpses piled around it.
Squelch-squelch.
Three figures emerged, wading through the bloody pools.
They were identical—not just in appearance, but in height, attire, even their expressions were indistinguishable.
"Impressive."
All three spoke simultaneously.
"Even if they were mere shells, to eliminate so many Soulless Ones without a single injury... Remarkable."
Bu Eun-seol felt an unpleasant itch, as if insects were crawling in his ears.
Their voices, perfectly synchronized, created an eerie vibration.
"The Cheon Brothers, I presume."
Bu Eun-seol instantly recognized the triplets.
Triplets among martial masters were rare enough—but those who could speak in perfect unison? There was only one such group.
"Correct. We are the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts."
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts—often called the Cheon Brothers—were not only formidable martial artists but possessed a unique ability:
Complete synchronization of body and Spirit and Mind.
If one felt physical pain, the other two experienced it identically.
The same went for emotions—joy, sorrow—everything was shared.
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol nodded faintly, as if realizing something.
"That explains why you're unharmed."