Chapter 384
Sim Wol couldn't hide his shocked expression at Jin Seol's completely unexpected appearance.
"You—"
As Sim Wol's eyes widened, Jin Seol spoke in a composed voice.
"Don't commit any more sins."
"How...?"
Sim Wol's eyes bulged as if struck by disbelief.
"How did you find out?"
"That doesn't matter."
"I see."
Sim Wol spat out his words as if chewing them.
"The Martial Soul Lord—he told you, didn't he? Did you investigate me with him?"
"Is that what you think?"
"You're saying no?"
"Yes."
"Then how did you track me?"
Jin Seol let out a sigh.
"I went to the Secret Shadow Pavilion."
After meeting Bu Eun-seol, the place she had gone to was none other than the Demon Hall's highest intelligence organization—the Secret Shadow Pavilion.
She had personally requested the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master to investigate Sim Wol's movements.
Because she didn't fully trust Bu Eun-seol's words. Because she needed to see the truth about the man who had promised her a future with her own eyes.
"I know you've been taking medicine to enhance your Internal Power and killing intent."
Unlike her usual icy gaze, Jin Seol's eyes were now filled with pity and sorrow.
"That's why you're doing all this."
She did her best to persuade him.
"These facts alone are enough to warrant leniency. I'll help you."
"Ridiculous."
Sim Wol let out a cold laugh instead.
"Even if they show leniency, this isn't something that can be overlooked. Not just you—even if my master were to intervene... At the very least, I'd have to be locked in the Bottomless Prison for ten years."
"I'll wait."
Jin Seol said calmly.
"I'll wait for you until then. So, let's go back together."
Sim Wol's gaze wavered.
Jin Seol wasn't one to express emotions easily, nor was she a woman who spoke idly.
If she said she would wait, whether it was ten years or twenty, she truly would.
"Really?"
"Of course."
With a pleading expression, Jin Seol reached out her hand.
"Let's go back. It's not too late yet."
"Who said you could take him back?"
At that moment, Baek Su-su shouted furiously.
"Without this Sect Leader's permission, that demon will never be allowed to leave here!"
"Sect Leader Baek—"
Jin Seol spoke in a composed voice.
"I'll take responsibility for resolving this matter. And I'll compensate for the deaths of your disciples. So—"
"How do you intend to compensate for lives already lost?!"
As Baek Su-su's voice rose, Jin Seol responded firmly.
"Sect Leader Baek. If you provoke him, not a single disciple of the Clear Fragrance Sect will survive."
"If this sect cowers in fear at such threats, we would have long ceased to exist in the Murim—"
Baek Su-su's words were cut short.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, she and around ten of her disciples floated into the air.
"Truly, you talk too much."
"Sim Wol!"
Panicked, Jin Seol reached out to him.
"Come back. I swear on my life that I'll keep that promise."
For a moment, Sim Wol stared at her outstretched hand.
If he took that soft, warm hand, he could truly win her heart.
Even if he didn't obtain the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's martial arts... he could claim the heart of that beautiful woman for himself.
Sim Wol smiled.
And then, he gave an utterly unexpected answer.
"I refuse."
Crack—
At that moment, the body of one of the ten floating disciples shattered like a reed.
Splat!
Blood gushed from her body and splattered onto the ground in an instant.
Thud.
Sim Wol clicked his tongue as he looked at the disciple's corpse, now a lump of flesh.
"Jin Seol. You've made a grave misunderstanding."
He sneered down at her.
"Just because people flatter you, calling you the Flower Among Demons, do you think every man loves you?"
"Do you really believe I clung to you because I genuinely liked you? What a joke!"
Sim Wol scoffed.
"It was only because you had favorable conditions."
"Sim Wol."
"To win your heart, I practiced until I nearly died all this time."
Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the distant sky with an aggrieved expression.
"Your nursemaid who raised you, the attendants who served you—I won them all over, studied your tastes and personality, and crafted a plan tailored to you..."
Crash!
Sim Wol shattered the blue stone tiles beneath him, his eyes burning with resentment.
"Just like a male prostitute!"
In that instant, a single tear rolled down Jin Seol's cheek.
Though Sim Wol was not the man of her dreams in appearance,
he had been more affectionate than anyone, with a gentle and warm personality. That was why she had intended to make him the foremost person of the Demonic Path and live her life relying on him.
Yet all of it had merely been an act to obtain the martial arts of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?
"I see."
Jin Seol lowered her head.
Bu Eun-seol's words had been entirely correct.
She had been dreaming all this time, completely unaware of the true nature of Sim Wol—this treacherous man.
"Call your reinforcements without hesitation. I'll kill them all at once."
Sim Wol assumed Jin Seol had pursued him, so naturally, she must have brought at least a first-tier squad from the Demon Hall.
But the reply that came was unexpected.
"There are none."
Jin Seol shook her head.
"Had I done so, I wouldn't have even considered trying to persuade you like this."
She had truly believed she could convince Sim Wol and had come alone.
From Sim Wol's perspective, it was rather touching—but instead, he curled his lips into a sinister smile.
"Heh heh heh. Thanks to the naive princess, things just got easier."
Squelch!
As he unleashed his Internal Power, another disciple floating in midair burst into a shower of blood before crashing to the ground.
Tremble.
For an instant, despair flickered in Jin Seol's eyes.
She had risen to the position of Upper Flower, cherished and loved by the Demon Path's leadership.
But her worldly experience was sorely lacking, and she had failed to properly assess people.
In the end, like a foolish child, she had acted impulsively—without even formulating a proper plan—and come to persuade him.
'I should have listened to him from the start.'
Only now did Jin Seol understand why Bu Eun-seol had said those words.
It wasn't out of arrogance or absolute certainty about Sim Wol's nature.
He had spoken that way because he knew she alone wouldn't be able to handle it—because he had been worried for her.
"Now, let me show you in earnest."
Sim Wol spread his arms wide, a smile playing on his lips.
"Just how powerful this body is!"
And without hesitation, he unleashed the killing intent and rage he had suppressed until now.
BOOM!
A crimson light erupted, and an invisible shockwave spiraled outward in a whirlwind.
He was unleashing the True Body Secret Art to its fullest, intending to brutally slaughter both Jin Seol and the Clear Fragrance Sect.
Bu Eun-seol sat in his office, flipping through documents.
While he had been traveling the Rivers and Lakes, Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong had managed the Death Shadow War Unit flawlessly.
And now that he had returned to the Demon Hall, he had taken over their duties once more.
'It's about time I step back.'
Bu Eun-seol nodded as he scanned the documents.
If Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong combined their efforts, there was little difference from how he would manage things himself. That was how well the two had been handling the battalion.
'Especially if even the Soul-Reaping Order is functioning smoothly.'
A satisfied smile touched his lips.
Now, he could finally free himself entirely from the Demon Hall's administrative duties—focus solely on his intelligence network, or roam the martial world as he pleased.
Knock knock.
At that moment, the sound of knocking came, followed by Yu Un-ryong's voice.
"It's Yu Un-ryong."
"Enter."
The door opened, and Yu Un-ryong hesitated the moment he saw Bu Eun-seol.
"About that... Even as your adjutant, this feels like crossing a line. I tried not to pay it any mind, but..."
"What is it?"
"You went to see Upper Flower Jin and told her everything, didn't you?"
Yu Un-ryong hesitated before continuing.
"You were worried that if Sim Wol were suddenly cast into ruin, her position would become difficult."
"That's right."
"I thought so. It seemed like something you'd do."
Yu Un-ryong's expression darkened.
"I've always felt this way, but... You're good at considering everything—except the hearts of women."
"What do you mean?"
"You thought you were being considerate of Jin Seol. But from a woman's perspective, it's different. She likely felt even more humiliated."
"Moreover, women value reputation and face above all else. Sometimes even more than their lives."
A foreboding thought flashed through Bu Eun-seol's mind.
'Don't tell me—'
"Yeah."
Yu Un-ryong's expression was grim.
"Jin Seol left the Demon Hall, tracking Sim Wol's movements."
Snap.
Bu Eun-seol shot to his feet.
Jin Seol was not only brilliant in strategy but also maintained close ties with the Demon Hall's leadership.
That was why he had believed she wouldn't act rashly or do anything reckless.
But there was one thing Bu Eun-seol had overlooked.
Before she was the Demon Hall's Upper Flower—she was an ordinary woman who cared deeply about the eyes and opinions of others.
"Where did she go?"
"I don't know. But—"
Yu Un-ryong took a deep breath before continuing.
"I asked the Death Soul Squad to track her movements, just in case. It was overstepping, but..."
"You did well."
Bu Eun-seol gripped Yu Un-ryong's shoulder.
Tsuut!
In an instant, he unleashed his movement technique, kicked open the door, and dashed out.
'She made the worst possible choice, Jin Seol.'
Soaring into mid-air and clearing the Demon Hall in a single breath, Bu Eun-seol inwardly shouted.
'Please, don't let it be too late!'
"Let me kill you in one go!"
Sim Wol's lips curled back, baring his fangs as he laughed, his figure wreathed in a bloody glow—like the very image of a demon ready to devour a person whole.
Swish!
At that moment, two dazzling streaks of light erupted from Baek Su-su's hands as she hovered mid-air, accompanied by the sound of breaking air.
She had swiftly drawn the hidden daggers from her robes and thrown them while Sim Wol was distracted.
Ping.
But one dagger was deflected weakly, repelled by the shockwaves radiating from Sim Wol's body.
Thud.
The other dagger, however, embedded itself in Jin Seol's shoulder.
Baek Su-su had aimed one at Sim Wol—and the other at Jin Seol.
Drip, drip.
Blood trickled out, but Jin Seol couldn't feel the pain.
Once, he had been her beloved.
But in truth, it had all been an act—he was a demon who slaughtered innocents without remorse.
"Ah. That expression...!"
Seeing Jin Seol's devastated face, flames flickered in Sim Wol's eyes.
"You always made that face when you saw him!"
As his rage and killing intent intensified, a crimson heat haze began rising from his body.
The Clear Fragrance Sect had over three hundred disciples, yet none dared challenge him.
Even their sect leader, Baek Su-su, remained suspended helplessly in the air.
"Kill me first."
Jin Seol stepped forward, her voice steady.
"I came here expecting nothing less."
Sim Wol's gaze wavered slightly.
Facing death, her eyes remained unshaken—clear and noble. Her pristine beauty, her dignified bearing.
It was a loveliness so overwhelming it could crumble even his cruelty-stained heart.
'I was half-sincere, too.'
His claim that he'd only approached her for the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's martial arts had been a lie.
If that were true, he would never have agreed to Jeok Bung's plan.
Jin Seol, whom he'd met time and again in the Demon Hall.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, and he had genuinely cherished her.
If he hadn't consumed the Artificial Inner Elixir, if he could still control his murderous impulses... he would have chosen her without hesitation.
'What if I just left the martial world with her?'
For a fleeting moment, clarity returned to Sim Wol's mind, and he hesitated.
He had slaughtered countless innocents and martial artists—there was no turning back.
But what if he abandoned everything and fled the martial world with Jin Seol? If he gave it all up, wouldn't she follow him sincerely?
'Maybe...'
Sim Wol took a deep breath and approached her.
If she accepted his offer—if she would leave everything behind with him—
He was ready to abandon all his ambitions.
But then, the unimaginable happened.
Thunk!
Just as Sim Wol drew near, Jin Seol—who had seemed resigned—drew her treasured sword with lightning speed and stabbed it through his throat.
The strike was so swift that even with his eyes wide open, he couldn't evade it.
This single move was the Quick Sword Form of the One-Strike Kill technique—Flowing Shadow Piercing Extreme—a skill the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had personally taught her.
"So... this is how it ends."
Sim Wol looked down at the sword embedded in his throat.
"Nothing ever goes my way."
A red mist seeped not just from his body, but even from his pupils.
Crack, crack.
His frame expanded slightly as the sound of bones shifting echoed, and crimson fog billowed from his entire being.
The last shred of reason that had wavered in Jin Seol's presence vanished—and he became a complete Great Demon.
Crunch.
Simultaneously, the blade of the treasured sword lodged in his throat shattered like brittle candy.
"Once you master the Sky Shattering Extreme Wheel, you envelop your body in protective energy—impervious to any attack."
Jin Seol's sword had failed to pierce the Sky Shattering Extreme Wheel's power and was utterly destroyed.
Only the hilt remained, giving the illusion that the entire sword was still lodged in his throat.
"You bitch—I'll kill you last."
Snap.
Sim Wol flicked his fingers, striking Jin Seol's acupoint just below her neck with Finger Wind.
Instantly, everything below her neck went completely numb, leaving her unable to move—only her face remained under her control.
Fwoosh.
At the same time, one of the suspended disciples drifted directly above Jin Seol's head.
And Sim Wol channeled his Internal Power once more.
Crunch—SPLAT!
The disciple's body crumpled like wet paper, and a torrent of blood cascaded down—
—directly onto Jin Seol's paralyzed form.
"I'll pour the blood of all three hundred Clear Fragrance Sect disciples here onto you. Every last drop will soak into your body."
Despite the horrifying words, none of the disciples could so much as twitch a finger.
This place was already hell.
And Sim Wol was the Demon King ruling over it.
SPLASH!
Another wave of his hand, and another disciple's body twisted grotesquely before gushing blood.
Yet Jin Seol's gaze remained unshaken.
"That aloof look in your eyes... Still not broken, hm?"
Squelch—THUD!
Sim Wol slaughtered another disciple above her head.
Jin Seol's hair was drenched in thick, sticky blood, her entire body smeared with bodily fluids and chunks of viscera.
Still, she neither cowered nor trembled in fear—only stared straight at Sim Wol with unyielding defiance.
"Impressive. Ah, right... That's why you're an Upper Blossom, isn't it?"
Any ordinary woman would have long lost her mind in this nightmare.
But Jin Seol stood firm, eyes wide open, unblinking.
"Good. I've thought of something even more fun."
Sim Wol's lips curled into a cruel smile as he met Jin Seol's icy glare.
"If I shake your Brain Meridian with the power of the Sky Shattering Extreme Wheel, you'll turn into a mindless fool."
Step. Step.
"Even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor won't be able to tell why your Brain Meridian was destroyed."
Riiip.
Tearing the fabric at her shoulder, he leaned in with a vicious grin.
"You'll be ravaged by the Shadowless Killing Ghost here, left a drooling idiot from the trauma. And yet—I'll proceed with the marriage as planned."
Shudder.
Jin Seol trembled in fury at his depraved scheme.
He would violate her, shatter her mind into oblivion... and then—
—play the devoted lover, the noble man who stayed by her side despite her ruin.
All so the Demonic Heavenly Emperor would have no choice but to grant him the martial arts manual he coveted.
"I suppose I'll take our First Night right here, then."
Sim Wol smirked, sweeping his gaze over the frozen, terror-stricken Baek Su-su and her disciples.
"After I finish slaughtering every last one of them, of course."
A single, crystalline tear rolled down Jin Seol's cheek.
Fear for what was to come.
Regret for the foolish choices of her past.
And then—
—the face of a man surfaced in her mind.
'Was hiding my heart... my mistake?'
Jin Seol had always been proud.
Especially when it came to the man who would share her life—he had to be worthy of inheriting the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's arts.
So she had believed, without doubt, that Bu Eun-seol would eventually propose to her.
But as time passed, she realized—it had been nothing but delusion.
Bu Eun-seol.
That stubborn man wouldn't spare her a single glance—
—not even if she offered him martial arts that could make him the Greatest of All Time.
Because he would never marry for mere gain.
Like a true seeker of the Path—
—he would walk his own road, striving endlessly, never looking back.
'So I... made another choice.'
Jin Seol had no desire to cling to Bu Eun-seol like Yeon So-ha of the Divine Maiden Palace.
She didn't want to bare her heart, to beg for love like those women.
'I didn't want to force someone who didn't love me... to stay.'
Instead, she tried to forget him.
She tried—by promising her future to Sim Wol, who treated her kindly.
But now, she finally understood.
She had only been afraid of rejection.
Afraid of being honest with her own emotions.
Deep down, she had wanted—
—to confess her heart like Yeon So-ha, like Dan So-ok...
—to wait for him, openly, unashamed.
'But... it's over now.'
Resigned, Jin Seol closed her eyes.
—CRACK!—
But then—
—a thunderous boom split the heavens.
Not lightning—
—but the explosive shockwave of something moving too fast, tearing through compressed air.
—KABOOM!—
Another deafening crash—
—and a streak of gray lightning slammed into the ground directly in front of Sim Wol.
Bzzzt—
The figure that descended was so fast his robes were in tatters, residual Internal Energy crackling around him like a storm.
Yet his eyes blazed with Spiritual Energy, his entire being radiating an awe that forbade approach.
Bu Eun-seol.