Chapter 378
Namgung Poong couldn't believe his own eyes.
How could anyone survive such an explosion unscathed with human capabilities?
"That bastard—"
Bu Eun-seol, who had formed a black sphere like Repelling Elastic True Energy, was no longer wearing his disguise.
Having exhausted his internal energy to block the Heaven-Crashing Explosive Pellet's blast, the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art had unraveled.
"So it was you!"
As Bu Eun-seol's true appearance emerged, Namgung Poong's eyes widened in recognition.
The young Kill-Seeking Unit operative who had once blocked his path during the assassination mission to eliminate Dan So-ok.
And now, that very operative had risen to become the successor destined to rule the Demon Hall.
The Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol.
A grandmaster of the new generation shaking the martial world.
To think he was the wandering warrior known as Seol-so all along.
"You've been stirring up the martial world under the guise of a wandering swordsman until now!"
At Namgung Poong's words, Bu Eun-seol nodded without hesitation.
There was no need to keep secrets from a man about to die.
"Tell the King of Hell as much when you meet him."
Whoosh.
The moment his gaze met Bu Eun-seol's crimson-flaring pupils, Namgung Poong instinctively took a step back without realizing it.
'Hmph.'
The young Kill-Seeking Unit operative he had once been able to crush underfoot was no more.
The man before him was now a peerless grandmaster, a match for himself.
"An unavoidable duel, then."
Namgung Poong acknowledged Bu Eun-seol's strength—but he remained unshaken.
Because he possessed a trump card capable of annihilating even masters who stood above him in a single stroke.
Snap.
He slipped something from his sleeve into his mouth.
Invisible currents of true qi spiraled around his entire body, and his hair shot upward as if defying gravity.
The Demon Seed.
Not only did it multiply his internal power, but it also allowed the creation of an artificial inner elixir within his body.
"You ingested the Demon Seed."
"Heh heh heh. You're well-informed."
Namgung Poong closed his eyes briefly, savoring the euphoric surge coursing through his veins.
Consuming the Demon Seed caused one's physical abilities and internal energy to skyrocket instantaneously.
He had long lingered at the threshold of the Transcendence Realm.
Now, with the Demon Seed, he had vaulted straight into the Extreme Heaven Realm.
"A useful drug for those who've reached Transcendence, indeed."
At Bu Eun-seol's remark, Namgung Poong smirked coldly.
"Don't get cocky!"
BOOM!
In an instant, he unleashed the Emperor Sword Form.
An overwhelming, invisible pressure cascaded like a waterfall, flooding the space around Bu Eun-seol.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol shattered the pressure with a single motion, simultaneously deploying Shark Fist and Trident Thirteen Kicks.
Without even drawing his sword, he executed the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
Hiss! Hiss!
Five razor-sharp streams of internal power whirled around his body, gradually neutralizing the Emperor Sword Form's pressure.
BOOM!
Namgung Poong altered his sword trajectory, redirecting the Emperor Sword Form's crushing force toward the path Bu Eun-seol was moving—not the man himself.
This was one of the Emperor Sword Form's most profound techniques: predicting the enemy's movement and crushing them with the weight of a heavy sword to inflict internal injuries.
"Well-trained."
Bu Eun-seol continued wielding the Thirteenfold Qi Induction without drawing his blade.
Hiss! Hiss!
Each time the sharp currents coiled around him, the cascading pressure melted away like snow.
The Thirteenfold Qi Induction, embodying the profound principles of martial arts, endlessly circled his body, canceling out the Emperor Sword Form's oppressive force.
'Is this sorcery?!'
Namgung Poong was stunned.
How could mere currents of internal power effortlessly negate the Emperor Sword Form's pressure?
'I see. This bastard is mimicking the Sword Sovereign.'
Only then did Namgung Poong realize that Bu Eun-seol was altering the nature of his energy's attributes—just like the Sword Sovereign's Myriad Forms One Style—while unleashing his own power.
'A monster in the making.'
Namgung Poong bit his lip.
He couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
In that instant, a strange light emanated from his broken Golden Needle Sword.
He was preparing to unleash not a Namgung Family technique, but the Cutting Sword Secret Strike—taught to him by Elder Poong.
'No—that won't work.'
His instincts screamed a warning.
The moment he executed the Cutting Sword Secret Strike, Bu Eun-seol's energy would likely sever his neck.
'No choice.'
Namgung Poong clenched his teeth.
He resorted to the forbidden Demonic Sword Arts—a technique he had sworn never to use until mastering it completely.
Hiss!
As Namgung Poong swung his Golden Needle Sword, it whistled through the air.
Simultaneously, hundreds of low, razor-sharp sword qi streaks shot toward Bu Eun-seol's lower body.
Startled, Bu Eun-seol moved to block the countless sword qi.
Swish!
But the hundreds of sword qi vanished as abruptly as they appeared—only for two streaks of living light to erupt from the ground beneath him.
'This is—!'
Bu Eun-seol's mind roared in recognition.
The sword strokes Namgung Poong had just unleashed—
Weren't they eerily similar to the bizarre demonic sword techniques etched into his grandfather Bu Jan-yang's body?
With lightning reflexes, Bu Eun-seol drew the Ink Sword and raised it to shield his eyes.
Clang!
A clear metallic resonance rang through the skies.
The two streaks of sword qi were so overwhelmingly powerful that the Ink Sword's blade trembled violently long after the impact.
Bu Eun-seol stared down at the finely quivering sword.
Had he not seen the traces of those sword strokes carved into Bu Jan-yang's body—
He would have been blinded in that single exchange.
Namgung Poong's sword strokes were as intricate as the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—yet unpredictably, lethally swift.
"He blocked it?!"
Namgung Poong was so shocked he nearly fainted.
Even before consuming the Demon Seed, he had been confident that this sword stroke could blind the eyes of a Master who had reached the Extreme Heaven Realm.
Namgung Poong had spent three full years mastering this single sword stroke.
Even Elder Poong had assured him that while he hadn't perfected it completely, no Master of the Extreme Heaven Realm could possibly block this technique.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had effortlessly deflected it?
'I can't win this.'
A flash of fear shot through Namgung Poong.
'I must escape this place and regroup.'
Namgung Poong hurled the Golden Needle Sword in his hand like a dagger toward Bu Eun-seol's throat.
This was the Namgung Family's Life-Saving Ultimate Technique—an attack that forced any opponent within thirty feet to either evade or retreat.
Clang!
The moment Bu Eun-seol parried the Golden Needle Sword, Namgung Poong seized the opportunity to unleash his movement technique at full power.
Swish!
But Bu Eun-seol's mastery of movement techniques far exceeded Namgung Poong's expectations.
By the time Namgung Poong turned to flee, Bu Eun-seol was already standing in his path, blocking the escape route.
"Who taught you that sword stroke just now?!"
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy, yet laced with urgency.
Namgung Poong detected this and smirked.
"Let me leave, and I'll tell you everything."
Outside, the Soulless Ones awaited, and there would be opportunities to escape.
Namgung Poong absolutely had to get out.
"Make your choice. Decide now."
Bu Eun-seol turned and walked toward the end of the passage.
Namgung Poong let out a triumphant cry and followed him deeper inside.
When the exit finally came into view, Bu Eun-seol turned around.
"Move aside."
Though Namgung Poong spoke, Bu Eun-seol simply stared down at him in silence.
The blood-red light swirling in Bu Eun-seol's pupils made Namgung Poong tremble, unable to meet his gaze. His voice shook as he spoke.
"If you kill me... you'll never find out what you want to know."
Crack.
But as the sound of bones breaking echoed, Namgung Poong felt his body growing heavier.
At the same time, his vision blurred, and suddenly Bu Eun-seol seemed to tower over him.
'W-what is this...?'
Only then did Namgung Poong realize he had fallen to his knees, blood streaming from his eyes.
The blood flowing from Namgung Poong's eyes intensified, and a searing pain wracked his entire body.
The world turned crimson, and he felt as though he had been thrown into a pit of hellfire.
Bu Eun-seol was unleashing his overwhelming internal energy, crushing him like an insect beneath his heel.
"E-Elder Poong... he was the one who taught me this sword technique."
Crunch.
Namgung Poong's vision had narrowed so much that all he could see now was Bu Eun-seol's knees.
"Truly... that's all I know..."
His words were likely true.
The terror in Namgung Poong's dying eyes held not even a shred of deceit.
"Elder Poong, you say."
Bu Eun-seol repeated the name coldly before channeling his full internal energy.
Squelch.
With the sound of bones shattering, Namgung Poong's vision plunged into darkness.
As death loomed near, the events of his life flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
And though Namgung Jeong had not been his birth father, Namgung Poong finally understood just how much the man had loved and cherished him.
"Please... tell the Family Head... I'm sorry..."
Crunch.
That was the end of Namgung Poong—the traitor who had conspired with outside forces and betrayed Namgung Jeong and the Namgung Clan, the very people who had loved him.
By the time Bu Eun-seol emerged from the passage with Namgung Poong's body, Namgung Jeong had regained his senses.
'As expected... his martial arts are extraordinary.'
Namgung Poong, having consumed the Demon Seed, had displayed combat prowess befitting one of the Murim's superlative martial experts.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had countered him effortlessly. The martial arts of the Demon Hall's successor, whose name had shaken the Murim multiple times, far surpassed what was publicly known.
"Family Head."
Namgung Un called out softly to Namgung Jeong.
He was still holding onto him protectively.
"Hmph."
Namgung Jeong cleared his throat and straightened.
He tried to stand immediately, but the dagger still embedded in his Body Pillar Acupoint made movement difficult.
"Please endure a little longer."
Namgung Un carefully pressed the acupoint on his back.
Then he gripped the hilt of the embedded dagger.
'It's too deep.'
If he pulled it out carelessly, Namgung Jeong's life could be in danger.
As Namgung Un hesitated, a low voice reached him.
"Pull it out. This father's Mystic Gate Protective Qi won't collapse from something like this."
"Understood."
He gripped the dagger again, but a foreboding dread surged within him.
A thought crossed his mind—what if pulling this dagger out killed Namgung Jeong?
"Family Head."
Fear gripped him, and a single thought flashed through his mind.
If not now, he might never get the chance to voice what had weighed on his heart.
"Speak."
"If you truly cared for me... why were you always so... harsh?"
Namgung Jeong's body stiffened momentarily.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have answered such a question.
But now, facing the possibility of his own demise...
After a brief silence, Namgung Jeong spoke.
"You are the last gift left to me by the wife I loved. I could never raise you as an ordinary child."
"You inherited the talents of both your mother and me. Because of that, you possess not only exceptional martial aptitude but also profound sensitivity... You were more than qualified to become the next Family Head."
Namgung Jeong spoke in a low voice.
"Yet your temperament was far too free-spirited and unrestrained. That was not the disposition of one destined to become Family Head."
"So... you treated me so harshly all this time... to mold me into a Family Head?"
"That's right."
"You're lying."
Namgung Un bit his lip.
"You expect me to believe that all those cold, merciless lessons were just to raise me as a Family Head?"
"You once punished me for three days just because I broke a single porcelain vase in the study. And when that wasn't enough, you had the Discipline Hall Master lock me in the Prison. Do you not remember?"
"I know. That was the day you began resenting your father. And so, you acted out even more recklessly."
Namgung Jeong replied calmly.
"But I thought... if you ever grew up, you would come to understand this father's heart."
"How could a ten-year-old child possibly understand a father who punished him so severely just for breaking a vase?"
After a brief hesitation, Namgung Jeong spoke with a pained and lonely expression.
"That vase... was something your mother left behind."
Namgung Un's body trembled slightly.
As a child, when he had sneaked into the Family Head's quarters and shattered a vase... he had seen his father's fury for the first time.
That had been preferable to the cold, indifferent father he knew.
And so, in his youth, under the pretense of mischief, he had entered Namgung Jeong's quarters and broken the vases one by one.
But to think... they had been mementos left behind by his mother...
"Why would you say that—"
Namgung Un swallowed his tears and bit his lip again.
"I didn't know... I broke them just to hurt you..."
"I know."
"Why didn't you tell me? That they were Mother's?"
Namgung Jeong smiled faintly.
"If you had known they were your mother's belongings... wouldn't your heart have ached even more?"
At that moment, the scalding tears Namgung Un had been holding back finally fell.
All this time, the vases he had shattered had been the last remnants of his departed mother.
Yet Namgung Jeong, even as he punished him severely, had never revealed the truth.
Because he feared his beloved son would suffer even more. Better to let him resent and hate him instead.
"Your mother, too, was mischievous and lively in her youth. You take after her greatly."
"Then those vases..."
"Don't worry. I painstakingly pieced every single one back together."
Namgung Un covered his face.
Every time he had broken a vase, Namgung Jeong had locked himself in his office and refused to come out.
He had been carefully, lovingly restoring each shattered piece.
While reminiscing about his beloved wife.
"When I sent your mother off... I made a vow. That I would raise you into an exceptional man, no matter what."
"But to keep that promise... to make you the Family Head in my lifetime... I raised you with even greater harshness and coldness... and now, I regret it."
"Father."
For the first time, Namgung Un called him not as the Family Head, but as his father.
And those words were drenched in bitter tears.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!"
Namgung Un, still sobbing, suddenly widened his eyes.
Namgung Jeong's face had already turned deathly pale.
He had lost too much blood—and now, he had collapsed.
"Father! Father!"
Weeping, Namgung Un poured his Internal Energy into him.
But his pulse was too weak. At this rate, his breath would cease at any moment.
"F-Father!"
Tears cascaded from Namgung Un's eyes like a waterfall.
He couldn't lose his father now. There were still too many words left unspoken—he absolutely could not let him go like this.
"Brother—Bu!"
KRRRACK!
At that moment, amidst the sound of thunder, a gray shadow streaked with blood reappeared in the stone chamber.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
His expression was grave and dark.
After hearing the culprit's name from Namgung Poong, Bu Eun-seol had immediately rushed to the Namgung Estate to find Elder Poong.
But then, he had heard Namgung Un's desperate scream.
—Father!
It was the heart-wrenching cry of a child about to lose his parent.
Namgung Jeong's life was clearly hanging by a thread.
Bu Eun-seol gritted his teeth.
If he wasted time saving Namgung Jeong now, Elder Poong might vanish without a trace.
No—by now, he might have already realized everything had gone awry and was frantically fleeing.
—Father... Father! Brother Bu!
Namgung Un's desperate plea echoed once more.
In this life-or-death moment, he was calling out to Bu Eun-seol, begging for help.
How could I let him lose his father?
His own grandfather was already gone.
And he could not bear to pass that same sorrow onto Namgung Un.
KWAANG!
There was no more time to hesitate.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol abandoned his pursuit of Elder Poong and unleashed his Movement Technique, returning to Namgung Un's side.
"Brother Bu! Brother Bu!"
The moment Namgung Un saw him, he wailed.
"Save my father! Please, save my father!"
Namgung Jeong's complexion had turned ashen, like a corpse.
The dagger embedded in his Body Pillar Acupoint—if it wasn't treated immediately, he would die on the spot.
PA-PA-PAK!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed a rapid barrage of Finger Wind, striking Namgung Jeong's Ridge Spring Acupoint, then the Water Separation Acupoint above his navel in a single breath.
Then, he retrieved a Violet Essence Pill from his robes and placed it in Namgung Jeong's mouth.
Huuuk.
Bu Eun-seol stretched out both hands, pressing them simultaneously against the Great Vertebra Acupoint and the Life Gate Acupoint on Namgung Jeong's back, channeling Reverse Polarity True Qi into him.
Was it due to Namgung Un's desperate prayers?
Or was it Bu Eun-seol's own unyielding will to save Namgung Jeong no matter what?
Hweeeeng...
Suddenly, a golden ripple of True Qi began surging from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Alongside the Reverse Polarity True Qi, which harmonized both Yin and Yang energies... the Internal Power of the Prajna Great Power naturally manifested as well.
Then, Namgung Jeong's fading life force began to gradually revive.
"Ugh..."
Color slowly returned to Namgung Jeong's complexion, and he let out a low groan.
"Father! Father!"
Namgung Un, tears streaming down his face in joy, grasped his father's hand.
At that, Namgung Jeong weakly opened his eyes and spoke in a quiet voice.
"You're noisy."
"Yes, yes."
"And that child... what became of him?"
The moment he regained his senses, Namgung Jeong asked Bu Eun-seol.
That child undoubtedly referred to Namgung Poong.
"He has paid the price for his sins."
"I see."
Namgung Jeong closed his eyes.
Though he was his elder brother's son, he had never once failed to think of him as his own.
He had believed the boy had grown up bright and cheerful... yet he had fallen prey to the schemes of wicked men and committed an unforgivable act.
"You were right."
Only now did Namgung Jeong feel regret.
Simply bearing children was not enough. He should have watched over them carefully, spoken with them... and allowed them to voice the thoughts in their hearts.
Had he done so, Namgung Poong might not have met such an end.
"Truly, I regret..."
Namgung Jeong tried to continue, but the warm flow of qi from behind his back kept weighing his eyelids down.
Before he knew it, his body felt as if it were floating on clouds, and soon, he drifted into sleep.
The hidden forces lurking within the Namgung Clan had been thoroughly purged.
From the start, their intentions and movements had been discerned. Upon learning that Namgung Poong had died and their uprising had failed, they all severed their heart meridians and took their own lives.
The Namgung Clan mobilized all their intelligence networks to investigate, but they could uncover neither the origins of these individuals nor their true motives.
Moreover, Elder Poong—who had secretly orchestrated everything, including Namgung Poong's actions—had vanished without a trace.
The Namgung Clan was shaken.
To think that an elder who had served the clan loyally for generations had been a puppet of an external force.
Namgung Jeong informed various intelligence organizations and the Murim Top Gang of this fact, ordering them to track Elder Poong's whereabouts.
And as for Namgung Poong, it was officially declared that he had died valiantly fighting against the forces that had attacked the Namgung Clan.
This was not for the sake of the clan's honor, but out of Namgung Jeong's consideration—for he had always regarded the boy as his own son.
"So, in the end, even the Namgung Clan doesn't know his true identity."
After hearing the full story from Namgung Un, Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
Elder Poong, who had been Namgung Poong's master, had originally entered the Namgung Clan as a guest warrior during the era of the previous Family Head, Namgung Seong.
He had rendered great service in the clan's battles against the Blood Sky Demonic Palace and eventually rose to the rank of elder.
Originally a master of the Fast Sword, he had learned the Namgung Clan's Advanced Sword Studies and achieved astonishing martial prowess, becoming the teacher who trained Namgung Poong.
However, whether Elder Poong was a figure of the Demonic Path, a descendant of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, or—like No Bong—a spy planted from the start to manipulate the Namgung Clan, remained unknown.
'The Sword Form Namgung Poong used in his final moments resembled the Demonic Path's Sword Form that killed my grandfather.'
This meant Elder Poong had either killed his grandfather himself or was a fellow disciple of the one who had.
At last, Bu Eun-seol had caught the tail of his grandfather's killer... but in order to save Namgung Jeong, he had been unable to pursue him immediately.
'Is this, too, the will of heaven?'
What if he had listened to Namgung Poong's words and rushed straight to the Namgung Clan?
Could he have captured Elder Poong?
That was something only the heavens knew.
'No use regretting the past.'
Even if he had gone immediately, there was a chance Elder Poong would have already fled.
Bu Eun-seol did not dwell on regrets. He had saved Namgung Jeong and witnessed the Namgung Clan restored to harmony.
What more could he ask for?
"Take care."
After a brief farewell with Namgung Un, Bu Eun-seol quietly departed.
Instead of answering, Namgung Un pulled him into a tight embrace.
'I will become someone capable of standing by Brother Bu's side.'
Namgung Un made a firm resolution in his heart.
If he could not remain by that towering figure's side as a follower, then he would become the Family Head of the Namgung Clan—someone who could offer even the slightest aid in his endeavors.
"Please take care of yourself."
Namgung Un bowed deeply in reverence.
That solemn and dignified bearing was no longer that of the frivolous and carefree Namgung Un, but of a steadfast Young Clan Head ready to shoulder the future of the Namgung Clan.
Having left the Namgung Clan, Bu Eun-seol walked slowly.
For some reason, he neither took a carriage nor employed his Lightness Skill.
After walking for a long while, Bu Eun-seol finally turned onto a small path—
Swish.
—and from the trees opposite, a refined middle-aged man stepped into view.
It was Namgung Jeong.
"Our clan has walked the Righteous Path since ancient times and does not associate with the Demonic Path."
"Though this Family Head cannot walk the same path as you, know that I will never turn my back on you in times of hardship."
He knew.
That Namgung Un's rapid growth was entirely due to Bu Eun-seol. And that he had selflessly thrown himself into preventing the Namgung Clan's impending tragedy.
Thud.
Namgung Jeong bent at the waist, offering Bu Eun-seol a deep and respectful bow.
"May fortune favor your path."
It was a gesture of awe and admiration—transcending faction and alignment—for a Grandmaster of the Demonic Path who had forged his own way forward.
But Bu Eun-seol walked past as if he had seen nothing.
Quickly—so as not to witness the sight of Namgung Jeong bowing to him.
So as not to see the head of one of the Eight Great Clans, the Family Head of the Namgung Clan, lowering himself before him.
It was an act of respect—passing swiftly to spare Namgung Jeong's dignity.
'The road ahead is long.'
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky.
He had obtained the Gratitude Coin—now he must seek out the Divine Calculator. And he had to uncover the agents of the Hidden Mastermind forces lurking within the Righteous and Demonic Factions, crushing their conspiracies.
"Then."
Bu Eun-seol turned his head.
Only now did he remember—the place he had momentarily forgotten, yet which remained his greatest source of strength.
Langya Pavilion.
Bu Eun-seol intended to return to Langya Pavilion.