Chapter 364
Bu Eun-seol frowned at the unexpected name.
"Divine Calculator?"
"Is that not the case?"
Namgung Un scratched his head.
"That's strange. I was certain the Divine Calculator only provided information to the main family."
Bu Eun-seol raised an eyebrow.
"Only to the Namgung Family?"
"Ah, about that."
Namgung Un calmly explained.
According to him, the Divine Calculator had suddenly sent a letter to the Namgung Family, informing them that there was a group artificially creating internal elixirs within the martial world.
Moreover, he promised to grant a single Gratitude Coin if they managed to track down those factions.
Of course, the Namgung Family had no particular greed for the Gratitude Coin.
But knowing of those who sought to disrupt the martial world, they couldn't simply stand by.
They immediately dispatched martial artists to investigate, and it turned out to be true. Once confirmed, the Family Head made an announcement to all the children, including Namgung Un:
—Whoever uproots and resolves this incident will be generously rewarded.
The Namgung Family had a unique method of selecting their Family Head.
Before electing the Family Head, candidates had to achieve various merits, and points were awarded based on those accomplishments.
The one who accumulated the highest total would eventually become the Family Head—a method both unique and fair.
Now that Namgung Un had become a Family Head Candidate, he had ventured into the martial world to earn merits and accumulate points.
"I see."
After hearing the full story, Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
'I'll need to revise my understanding of the Divine Calculator.'
He had assumed the Divine Calculator was merely a wandering sage of the martial world.
But it turned out he was someone who could directly deliver classified intelligence to the Namgung Family—one of the Eight Great Families, no less, and among the highest-ranking at that.
This meant he likely had considerable ties with the Righteous Faction's high command and might have once walked the path of the orthodox faction.
'He might not be just an ordinary figure of the orthodox faction, either.'
But what troubled Bu Eun-seol more seriously was the possibility that the Divine Calculator was also a descendant of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
'The issue of artificial internal elixirs—only our group, who annihilated Wicked Incense and rescued the children, stumbled upon it by chance.'
No matter how exceptional the Divine Calculator was at reading the will of heaven, the idea that he knew about the artificial internal elixirs before Bu Eun-seol was absurd.
Moreover, artificial internal elixirs weren't created overnight.
The Divine Calculator must have had some connection to that faction—or perhaps he was a traitor who had once been part of it before defecting.
'Divine Calculator...'
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Only now did he realize he had been making a grave assumption.
'Even if I meet him, the things he tells me might not be the truth.'
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had always said that truth must be seized with one's own hands.
Even if he found the Divine Calculator and the man answered all his questions, there was no guarantee those answers would be truthful.
Worse, at this point, there was no way to clearly verify the Divine Calculator's identity. What if he was connected to some hidden faction?
He might even be manipulating Bu Eun-seol in secret.
"Definitely not someone I recognize."
At that moment, Namgung Un carefully examined the face and weapon of the subdued Man in Black.
"Must be a newcomer—Killing Star, I suppose."
It was a face he had never seen before, and crucially, even the weapon was unrefined.
That meant this person was likely someone who had never made a name for himself in the martial world.
Bu Eun-seol snapped out of his thoughts at Namgung Un's words.
"They probably experimented with artificial internal elixirs on martial artists who hadn't even made their names known. Easiest way to keep secrets."
Nodding in agreement, Bu Eun-seol scrutinized the Man in Black's clothing and shoes closely—
Whoosh!
Just then, the sound of breaking air echoed incessantly from the sky as over fifty martial artists descended from the heavens.
All wore masks and wielded Grotesque Blades tinged with a dull gleam.
Each exuded an extraordinary presence, and in an instant, they surrounded Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
Swish!
Without a word, they unleashed killing moves.
"What the—?"
Namgung Un immediately drew his sword and countered.
"Reveal yourselves!"
Shhk!
Instead of answering, the masked men coordinated their movements and leveled their Grotesque Blades.
A tremendous surge of internal power poured forth, pressing down on him with overwhelming force.
The masked men were using a bizarre battle formation to concentrate and unleash their energy simultaneously.
"Now this is amusing. Who do you think you're using heavy sword techniques against?"
Namgung Un immediately executed the Emperor Sword Form's First Three Styles, repelling the crushing pressure.
Hiss!
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol was also under attack.
As they thrust their swords forward, pressure rivaling the Emperor Sword Form bore down on him.
'Their internal power is formidable, but their battle formation is clumsy?'
Bu Eun-seol easily evaded the attack range with Swift Shadowless and raised an eyebrow.
The masked men possessed immense internal power, but their techniques were monotonous, and their movements slightly awkward.
In other words, they were individuals with little combat experience who had learned a battle formation.
'Strange.'
Given how they attacked without hesitation, it was clear the masked men had been sent by the faction creating the internal elixirs.
"To think those who possess power enough to annihilate or rebuild entire martial factions in an instant would send such incompetent assassins?"
Whoosh.
Though his thoughts ran deep, his movements were swift.
As Bu Eun-seol drew Ink Sword, a chilling aura radiated outward in all directions.
Shhk!
With a chaotic flourish of his blade, the overwhelming pressure pouring toward him was redirected—now crashing down upon the masked men attacking Namgung Un.
Neither Above Nor Below. Move Heaven Exchange Force.
Using the highest principles of Myriad Forms One Style, honed through his battles with the Heavenly Sword, he transformed the nature of the incoming force into something solid—then instantly altered its trajectory to hurl it back at Namgung Un's assailants.
Whoosh!
The masked men hastily activated their Movement Techniques, scrambling to evade as Bu Eun-seol deflected intangible Internal Power like a physical projectile.
Shhk! Shhk!
The moment they scattered, Bu Eun-seol seized the opening without hesitation, unleashing Meteor Chasing Moon in a single breath—striking their vital points in rapid succession.
Thud. Thud.
Each time Ink Sword carved a sharp gleam through the air, the masked men toppled like felled timber.
Any ordinary martial artist would have retreated upon witnessing Bu Eun-seol's prowess.
Yet these masked men did the opposite—dispersing their Battle Formation and charging at him with their full Combat Power instead.
Screech! Clang!
Dozens of Grotesque Blades clashed against his sword in succession, ringing out with a clear Metallic Sound.
The fact that these weapons only chipped rather than shattered upon impact confirmed they were no ordinary arms—these were Treasured Swords.
'The Righteous Faction?'
But as Bu Eun-seol observed the saber techniques they unleashed, a flash of insight crossed his eyes.
At a glance, their movements appeared savage and grotesque—reminiscent of the Qinghai Demonic Path's Saber Techniques.
Yet no deception could fool Bu Eun-seol, who had mastered the Thirteenfold Qi Induction. These men were using modified Orthodox Martial Arts.
'Then I'll just have to identify which sect they belong to.'
In the past, pinpointing their origin would have been difficult.
But now, wasn't there a Secret Technique embedded in his very body to discern such things?
Zzzing.
As he invoked the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, a faint luminescence enveloped his entire form.
Clang!
The moment Ink Sword clashed with a Grotesque Blade in this state, the masked man's True Qi Circulation replicated itself within Bu Eun-seol's body in an instant.
'This—'
Just as realization struck—
Namgung Un let out a pained groan nearby.
The Heavy Sword Technique of the Namgung Clan was peerless in the world, but Namgung Un had only mastered the first three forms of the Emperor Sword Form.
And because his mastery was still incomplete, he struggled to counter when the masked men retaliated with the same Heavy Sword Technique in a relentless assault.
'So he was their true target from the start.'
Their tactics seemed tailored to exploit Namgung Un's limitations.
The Namgung Clan's Heavy Sword required its wielder to exert even greater force to withstand external pressure—yet Namgung Un, having only learned the first three forms, couldn't fully manifest its profundity.
Worse, the masked men's superior Internal Power flustered him, preventing him from fighting at his best.
'Since we're here, I might as well enlighten him.'
Seeing Namgung Un struggle, Bu Eun-seol gathered his Internal Energy.
Haaa.
Simultaneously, a pale frost began descending over his entire body.
The most effective martial art for facing multiple opponents—the Glacier Thousand Streams Art of the Glacier Great Emperor.
Crackle.
As frost whitened Bu Eun-seol's hair, a swirling vortex of icy qi erupted from his left palm.
Whoooosh!
He thrust his hand forward—and in an instant, a glacial wave engulfed the masked men.
Crsssh.
A layer of Thin Ice encased their bodies, freezing them solid for a split second.
Craaack.
But their Internal Energy was formidable—they shattered the ice almost immediately.
Still, their movements were delayed by a critical beat.
"Take this!"
Seizing the moment, Namgung Un's Golden Needle Sword carved a vast arc through the air.
And with it came a crushing pressure—as if a mountain had been hurled down upon them.
Whoosh!
The startled masked men scrambled to evade the sword's range.
"Guh—!"
Those too slow to escape screamed as blood sprayed from their seven orifices, collapsing on the spot.
Emperor Sword Form.
The supreme swordsmanship that elevated the Namgung Clan to the foremost position among the Eight Great Families had finally begun revealing its true might.
'Now he's fighting properly.'
Until now, Namgung Un had been forcibly executing the first three forms due to the masked men's interference.
But with Bu Eun-seol creating the perfect opening, a single slash had ruptured the organs of five or six foes.
Even with just these three forms, Bu Eun-seol could grasp the profound Realm the Namgung Clan's Heavy Sword Technique had reached.
Shwoooosh!
Bu Eun-seol relentlessly assailed the remaining masked men with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
Truthfully, if he unleashed his full power, he could have frozen them solid in an instant.
But he deliberately spread the Ice Energy widely, only freezing their movements.
He had discerned that Namgung Un wasn't yet fully accustomed to the Emperor Sword Form and had deliberately given him the chance to practice his sword techniques against the masked men.
"Fall back!"
As Bu Eun-seol's interference caused Namgung Un's swordplay to grow uncontrollably fierce, the masked men retreated in an orderly fashion.
But that was nothing more than wishful thinking on their part.
The Glacier Heavenly Flow Art extending from Bu Eun-seol's left hand firmly sealed off their movements.
Crack. Clink!
Each time their bodies froze over, the masked men desperately channeled their Internal Power to barely break free.
But by then, Namgung Un's Golden Needle Sword was already piercing their vital acupoints.
Thud.
In the end, all fifty or so masked men collapsed beneath Namgung Un's blade.
"Huff... huff..."
Having defeated them all, Namgung Un gasped for breath.
He had traveled the martial world alone and faced countless dangers before, but never anything as precarious as this.
What if Bu Eun-seol hadn't arrived?
If the masked men—who had already identified the flaws in his unrefined Emperor Sword Form—had their way, he would have become a Wandering Spirit by now.
"I can't fathom why elite masters from Qinghai suddenly appeared and attacked us."
Namgung Un assumed that the saber techniques and Internal Power used by the masked men all belonged to the Qinghai Demonic Path.
But Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Those weren't Qinghai's masters. They were all members of the Beggars' Sect."
"The Beggars' Sect?!"
Namgung Un shook his head in disbelief.
"But the martial forms they used were all from the Qinghai Demonic Path!"
"A disguise."
Bu Eun-seol spoke flatly.
"Martial forms can be imitated, but mental cultivation methods cannot."
"Mental cultivation methods...?"
"Storing Internal Energy neatly in the dantian despite such chaotic True Qi circulation—that can only be the Beggars' Sect's Minor Suffocation Heart Art."
Namgung Un's eyes widened in shock.
Could it be that Bu Eun-seol had analyzed his enemies' internal cultivation methods mid-battle?
"Are you certain?"
For an instant, a flash of light passed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'As expected... the martial arts of the Righteous Heavenly Emperor aren't common knowledge.'
The Namgung Clan was renowned for its deep study of orthodox martial arts.
Namgung Un had been raised with such teachings since childhood.
If the Heavenly Emperor's martial arts were widely known in the murim, there was no way Namgung Un wouldn't recognize them.
"Brother Bu?"
Seeing Bu Eun-seol lost in thought, Namgung Un blinked.
"How did you know they had mastered the Minor Suffocation Heart Art?"
Snapping back to attention, Bu Eun-seol brushed it off casually.
"I once meticulously studied the Beggars' Sect's Minor Suffocation Heart Art to defeat the Beggar King. During our battle, I thoroughly grasped the way his True Qi circulated."
"Ah, I see."
Namgung Un accepted this without much thought. After all, everyone knew Bu Eun-seol had attacked the Beggar King.
"But the Beggars' Sect... I can hardly believe it."
Namgung Un lowered his head and spoke weakly.
"Isn't the Beggars' Sect the very faction that established rules to uphold the Path of Righteousness?"
His eyes were unfocused.
As the legitimate heir of the Namgung Clan, he had been raised since childhood on the principles of chivalry (xia) and righteousness (yi).
And whenever chivalry and righteousness were discussed, one faction was always mentioned without fail—
The Beggars' Sect, which maintained its integrity despite commanding nearly a hundred thousand disciples and an immense information network.
"Besides... the Beggars' Sect would have no reason to attack me."
"They must have wanted to retrieve the Internal Core."
This Artificial Inner Elixir had maintained its form despite being implanted in Jeong Hyeon's body for a long time.
It would likely take considerable time to dissolve.
In that case, extracting the cores from the dead and reusing them would be the most economical approach.
"Haa... haa..."
Just then, the Man in Black—whose pressure points had been sealed—began to fade.
Caught in the battle between the Beggars' Sect masters and exposed to the sword pressure of Namgung Un's Emperor Sword Form, his organs had ruptured, and he was now dying.
'First, I should extract the Internal Core.'
Approaching the Man in Black, Bu Eun-seol activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art to examine his body.
But something was strange. No matter how much he synchronized his True Qi Circulation, the man's body was filled with nothing but Evil Qi—
There was no trace of the Internal Core.
'Strange. There was definitely Evil Qi flowing from the Artificial Inner Elixir earlier.'
"Take out... the Demon Seed..."
Just then, the Man in Black uttered something bizarre.
'Demon Seed?'
As Bu Eun-seol frowned in confusion—
The Man in Black, who had been breathing raggedly, finally exhaled his last breath.
Zzzzt.
The moment he died, a change rippled through Bu Eun-seol, who had been examining him with the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.
He sensed an overwhelming surge of energy writhing near the Supreme Yang Acupoint.
'Now that he's dead, the energy of the Internal Core is detectable?'
Vrrrm!
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated the Willful True Binding.
Sharpening his qi into a blade-like forceps, he swiftly probed the Supreme Yang Acupoint—and from it emerged a single, crimson-glowing orb.
'Demon Seed... I see.'
Demon Seed—literally, "womb of demons."
A more accurate interpretation would be "a seed of demonic essence implanted within the body."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol finally understand their true objective.
"So this was their real goal."
"What do you mean?"
"The method of creating the Internal Core."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with a grave expression.
"They are completing the cores through death."