Chapter 429
"I'm slightly late."
Bu Eun-seol, with both hands respectfully clasped together, retrieved a command plaque from his robe.
"I stopped by Langya Pavilion to receive this plaque."
"H-how did you get here...?"
As Gongya Geuk's eyes widened to the point of nearly tearing, Bu Eun-seol replied nonchalantly.
"I walked. Since it was during the Demonic Governance Council."
Then, gazing at Gongya Geuk, he suppressed a faint smile.
Though the smile appeared gentle, to Gongya Geuk's eyes, it resembled the gesture of the King of Hell himself.
"I have come in place of the absent Pavilion Lord of our sect."
Bu Eun-seol produced the Wolf Token, symbolizing the authority of Langya Pavilion's leader.
"I acknowledge it."
As Yeop Hyo-cheon nodded, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands again.
"By the Pavilion Lord's command, I shall only declare our stance on the vote and then take my leave."
Clack.
Placing the command plaque down, Bu Eun-seol spoke impassively.
"We cast our vote in favor."
Thud.
Instantly, the expressions of the Demonic Path Ten Gates' leaders twisted.
Bu Eun-seol was boldly proposing his own dismissal?
Did that mean he possessed absolute confidence that he wouldn't be removed?
—Seeing that he's returned, he must have already restored order in Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and Muha Water Pavilion.
Everyone present understood.
Hyeok Gong-baek and Geuk Hye-ryeong coming here—it was only possible because Bu Eun-seol had already settled everything.
"Then."
Baring his white teeth, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands once more.
And without hesitation, he left the conference hall.
A deathly silence filled the chamber.
Gongya Geuk, in particular, gaped like a strangled corpse, his eyes bulging.
"Opposed."
After a prolonged silence, Wi Ji-hye-sang raised his hand with a beaming smile.
"After all, I came here to cast a dissenting vote."
Then, rising from his seat, he respectfully joined his hands.
"Very well."
As Wi Ji-hye-sang turned to leave, the remaining leaders of the Demonic Path Ten Gates—save Gongya Geuk—hurriedly raised their hands in succession.
Every one of them voted against.
"With the majority opposed, the Martial Soul Lord shall retain his position as successor."
At Yeop Hyo-cheon's words, the attendees impassively stood.
And filed out of the conference hall.
Only Yeop Hyo-cheon and Gongya Geuk remained.
What in the world just happened?
Gongya Geuk, dazed, rubbed the corners of his eyes with his index and middle fingers.
The intelligence from the Three Realms had never once been wrong. So how could this have happened?
"Even the Gongya City Lord's information may occasionally be mistaken."
At that moment, Yeop Hyo-cheon rose from his seat and spoke.
"I shall take my leave first."
"Supreme Cult Commander."
Gongya Geuk stretched his neck taut, his thick jowls folding as his pupils sharpened like upturned blades.
"Did you know about this?"
"Know what?"
When Yeop Hyo-cheon leisurely countered, an acute, volcanic malice erupted from Gongya Geuk's body, spreading in all directions.
But as Yeop Hyo-cheon chuckled and waved his hand, the malice vanished as if washed away.
Simultaneously, the brightly lit conference hall gradually darkened.
With Yeop Hyo-cheon channeling his internal power, the world itself began drowning in shadow.
"...It's nothing."
Clenching his teeth, Gongya Geuk withdrew his malice and slowly stood.
Whoosh.
Passing by Yeop Hyo-cheon, he exited the conference hall.
On a small hill overlooking Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary, dozens of graves had appeared.
These were the resting places of the demonkin from Peach Blossom Paradise who had fought to the last to defend the sanctuary.
And the coffins in which they slept had been painstakingly crafted one by one by the Demon Hall's successor, Bu Eun-seol.
He had personally prepared the bodies of the deceased with meticulous care.
Then, arranging for the Hall's honor guard to transport the remains with solemn ceremony, he ensured every funeral rite was conducted with the highest honors.
However humble their lives in Peach Blossom Paradise might have been, their end was dignified and majestic.
Moreover, with the Demon Hall's foremost successor and all the key figures of Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary seeing them off...
The departed demonkin could have no regrets.
Bu Eun-seol's expression as he gazed upon the graves seemed tranquil.
Yet deep within his chest, a searing energy—like a live volcano—was erupting.
To others, the demonkin who had resided in Peach Blossom Paradise might have been Great Demons who once roamed the martial world.
But in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, they were merely elderly souls who had struggled to survive the ruthless martial world... and barely found peace.
He had no intention of letting those who had shattered their rest go unpunished.
"Even with the Lord's intelligence network, we cannot locate the assassins."
Beside Bu Eun-seol, Hyeok Gong-baek stared at the graves, violet killing intent flaring in his eyes.
"It must be the doing of those Three Realms bastards."
Hyeok Gong-baek, too, had come to understand the power and capabilities of the organization known as the Three Realms through the information Bu Eun-seol had provided.
But... he had never felt it firsthand.
After all, in the entire martial world, Bu Eun-seol was the only one who had ever clashed directly with the Three Realms.
"Originally, I intended to entrust everything to So-jin and retire."
A crushing aura, as if it could tear the heavens apart, surged from Hyeok Gong-baek's body.
"But it seems I'll have to postpone that. I must remain a blade that the Lord can wield whenever he has need of me."
—A sharp blade, ready for the Lord's use.
That declaration not only signified that Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary now stood under Bu Eun-seol's command—but also that Hyeok Gong-baek acknowledged him not merely as the Heir of the Demon Hall, but as its future sovereign.
"I will ensure you do not regret delaying your retirement."
A bloody glint flickered through Bu Eun-seol's pupils as he gazed at the graves.
"Yes, if it's you, Lord, I believe you can."
Sensing the seething rage barely contained within Bu Eun-seol's chest, Hyeok Gong-baek nodded and turned away.
"I shall take my leave first."
Once Hyeok Gong-baek departed, Hyeok So-jin approached and spoke.
"Brother Bu."
Those two short words carried everything Hyeok So-jin wished to convey.
There was no need for lengthy explanations.
True men could communicate their intent through a single glance.
"So-jin."
Bu Eun-seol, too, called his name once.
Then, slowly, he turned.
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to mobilize only the Death Shadow War Unit to crush those who had sent the Soulless Ones.
But he had changed his mind.
Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary was also one of the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
The martial world needed to see—clearly—what happened when this place was provoked, what fury would be unleashed when they were angered.
Hyeokryeon Eung.
Known as the Guardians' Faction Master of the Demon Hall, he had in truth held a dual identity as the Royal Tutor of the Weiwang Court—one of the highest-ranking figures in the Three Realms.
But after his attack on Bu Eun-seol, his existence had vanished completely. As if he had never existed.
Utterly erased.
Yet Hyeokryeon Eung had made one critical mistake.
He had assumed with certainty that Bu Eun-seol, once gone missing, would never return whole.
Bu Eun-seol was not merely a man of sharp intellect—he pursued perfection in all things.
Because of that, the Infinite Realm had been certain his disappearance was no ruse.
A man as brilliant as Bu Eun-seol would never deliberately orchestrate his own vanishing, accepting catastrophic losses in the process.
And that assumption had been precisely correct.
After all, Bu Eun-seol had suffered grave injuries and lost his memories.
Had it not been for the attack on Seong Manor—
He might have lived out the rest of his life as a nameless beggar, never regaining his memories.
But Bu Eun-seol had recovered.
And he had returned to the Demon Hall.
Yet the Three Realms—and Hyeokryeon Eung—
Had grown lax in their security, no longer maintaining the same thorough vigilance as before, now that their brilliant commander was gone.
And that oversight had come back to burn them.
Great Cloud Forest
This was one of the martial world's most renowned medical institutions, specializing particularly in antidotes.
The Flawless Red-Scale Pill, a universal antidote produced by Great Cloud Forest capable of countering a wide range of poisons, was especially favored by wandering warriors who constantly faced the threat of toxins.
Rumble—
Yet now, before the Valley of Flowing Springs, where Great Cloud Forest stood, an army of ten thousand began to gather.
They were the forces led by Bu Eun-seol—the Death Shadow War Unit, Langya Pavilion, Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary, and the Fleeting Moment Boat.
"To think the famed Great Cloud Forest was the place manufacturing the Soulless Ones..."
At the vanguard of the forces surrounding Great Cloud Valley, Yu Un-ryong, riding alongside Bu Eun-seol, muttered in disbelief.
That Great Cloud Forest, renowned for its antidotes, had been under the Three Realms' control all along—and had been producing Soulless Ones this entire time?
Not only that, but nearly half of Hell Blood Citadel's main forces had been secretly stationed there?
"Gongya Geuk—that old monster must have been recruited by the Infinite Realm after all."
At Myo Cheon-u's words, Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
"Medical institutions in the martial world are practically sacred ground. That's why we could never track the Soulless Ones' movements."
The medical forests, where physicians resided, were places not even the Orthodox and Unorthodox Martial World—let alone the Government Office—dared to interfere with lightly.
In the martial world, anything could happen at any time.
If one made enemies of the medical forests, they—or their loved ones—might find themselves without aid when their lives hung in the balance.
And the Three Realms had exploited that, seizing control of one of the most prestigious medical institutions to manufacture Soulless Ones there, evading all suspicion and pursuit.
"Had you not disappeared, this truth might never have come to light."
At Yu Un-ryong's murmur, Myo Cheon-u let out a sigh.
"But this campaign... will be truly difficult."
—Deploy all forces immediately and strike the Great Cloud Forest.
Bu Eun-seol commanded not only the Death Shadow War Unit but also the forces of Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and Fleeting Moment Boat.
And when he ordered the annihilation of the Great Cloud Forest by mobilizing even Langya Pavilion's troops, the entire Murim was thrown into chaos.
The Great Cloud Forest was a renowned medical institution for antidotes, maintaining deep ties with numerous martial factions and even the Government Office.
Yet now, three of the Demonic Path Ten Gates were mobilizing their forces to attack a medical institution?
—We cannot stand idly by and allow the Heir of the Demon Hall to act so recklessly!
As Bu Eun-seol's forces reached the borders of Jiangxi Province, the righteous factions stationed there vehemently protested.
—Withdraw your troops! We must first confirm the facts!
But Bu Eun-seol was resolute.
—From this moment, anyone who obstructs our path will be treated as their accomplices and branded Public Enemies of the Martial World.
Normally, such situations would be resolved through negotiation.
But Bu Eun-seol showed no mercy, pushing his forces forward relentlessly.
And did he just say Public Enemies of the Martial World?
—Do you intend to trigger a Great Righteous-Demonic War?
The leaders of the righteous factions were thrown into disarray.
If they refused to back down and chose Jade Shattering—a fight to the death—what then?
The Martial Alliance would immediately intervene, and a full-scale Righteous-Demonic War would erupt on the spot.
—Attack.
Yet Bu Eun-seol paid no heed and issued the order without hesitation.
As the three demonic battalions surged forward without restraint, the righteous leaders began to panic.
Bu Eun-seol had always been known as the Righteous Man within the Demonic Path, acting with unwavering integrity.
Even those righteous factions blocking his path held at least a sliver of belief that he would not act without irrefutable evidence.
And since he had invoked the term Public Enemies of the Martial World...
Surely, something grave had occurred within the Great Cloud Forest—something that even the righteous factions would have justification to intervene in.
The righteous sects of Jiangxi had not moved to stop Bu Eun-seol out of genuine opposition, but rather to delay his advance, make a name for themselves, and investigate the truth so they, too, could stake a claim in the Great Cloud Forest incident.
But when Bu Eun-seol gave them no room to maneuver and pressed forward ruthlessly, they were left utterly stunned.
—O-Open the way!
To withstand the assault of the Three Great Legions of the Demon Hall, they would need at least two battalions of the Martial Alliance's elite forces.
Yet even if all the righteous factions in Jiangxi combined their strength, they stood no chance.
And what if Bu Eun-seol was right? What if the Great Cloud Forest had truly committed atrocities worthy of being called Public Enemies of the Martial World?
Wouldn't they then be accused of shielding such criminals?
In the end, the righteous factions that had dared to stand in the way recoiled in terror and cleared a path.
Thus, Bu Eun-seol's forces marched into Jiangxi Province unimpeded.
"We have no time to waste."
Murmuring low, Bu Eun-seol then raised his voice in command.
"Annihilate every last trace of the vile scum lurking in the Great Cloud Forest—leave not even a single blade of grass standing!"
Total War.
Bu Eun-seol unleashed a Full-Scale War, deploying every available means and combat power at his disposal.
After all, the key figures of the Three Realms would not be present here.
By eradicating the Great Cloud Forest—the very place that had mass-produced Soulless Ones—he would both demonstrate the might of the Demonic Path Ten Gates and expose their atrocities to the world.
The Murim was thrown into an uproar.
—The Great Cloud Forest had been manufacturing the Soulless Ones that had plagued the martial world!
The reason Bu Eun-seol, the Heir of the Demon Hall, had struck the Great Cloud Forest?
It was because he had obtained proof that they had used their accumulated knowledge to create powerful Soulless Ones.
Furthermore, those Soulless Ones had been produced using Human Blossoms, which had previously thrown the martial world into chaos.
When this truth came to light, the Murim was left reeling in shock.
But before that shock could even fade, an even more unbelievable revelation followed.
—Most of the poisons used to create the Soulless Ones in the Great Cloud Forest had originated from Hell Blood Citadel.
One of the Demonic Path Ten Gates, Hell Blood Citadel, had cooperated in the production of Soulless Ones?
And the one who had uncovered this crime was none other than the Heir of the Demon Hall?
The Demon Hall immediately launched an investigation, and the truth was confirmed.
In response, the lord of Hell Blood Citadel, Gongya Geuk, stepped forward to make a statement.
—"Our citadel has always distributed poisons to profitable parties, regardless of faction. We have absolutely no connection to the Soulless Ones."
Though Gongya Geuk, who had always remained secluded in Hell Blood Citadel, actively defended himself...
Unfortunately, those he needed to convince were not the martial world's people.
—"To hold Hell Blood Citadel accountable, I will convene the Demon Governance Council."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, the Demonic Path was once again thrown into turmoil.
The Heir of the Demon Hall was calling for a Demon Governance Council—a meeting to discuss the punishment of one of the leaders of the Demonic Path Ten Gates?
Of course, it was impossible to evade responsibility for colluding with those who had created the Soulless Ones and plunged the martial world into chaos.
But for the Demon Hall's heir apparent to propose such a council—of all people—was more humiliating to Gongya Geuk than biting down on a blade and dying.
"I'd rather seal our sect's gates!"
Unable to endure this disgrace, Gongya Geuk ultimately declared a Gate Sealing.
Yet Bu Eun-seol did not even permit that.
"If you wish to seal your gates, do so only after every last shred of responsibility has been accounted for. The Demon Governance Council has yet to convene."
Gongya Geuk seethed with unspeakable fury and indignation.
Bu Eun-seol's actions were not the treatment one would expect toward a fellow member of the Demonic Path Ten Gates—it was as if he were interrogating a criminal!
"If you claim injustice, then at the council, disclose every faction you colluded with in detail. If there is room for leniency, you may not even need to seal your gates."
But faced with Bu Eun-seol's terrifyingly frigid response, Gongya Geuk fell silent.
Hell Blood Citadel had always engaged in trade without distinction between the Orthodox and Demonic Paths, so long as it profited them.
And they had long maintained a secret pact with the Infinite Realm.
What if these facts came to light?
Hell Blood Citadel would no longer have a place in the martial world.
Trapped in a dead end, Hell Blood Citadel had no choice but to wait motionless until the council convened—where they would inevitably face punishment.
No, at this rate... far from maintaining their position among the Demonic Path Ten Gates, the entire sect might be wiped out.
"The Martial Soul Lord, leading the Three Great Legions upon his return, has annihilated the Changbai Trading Company and Sword Scale Valley."
The martial world had no time to worry about Hell Blood Citadel.
While pretending to return to the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Lord had mobilized his forces once more, simultaneously attacking both the Changbai Trading Company and Sword Scale Valley.
Dividing his troops, Hyeok Gong-baek of Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and the Fleeting Moment Boat crushed the Changbai Trading Company.
Bu Eun-seol and Langya Pavilion wiped out Sword Scale Valley entirely.
"Have they gone mad?"
The martial world was stunned.
For generations, the Changbai Trading Company had been one of the Ten Great Merchant Houses, possessing not only formidable martial strength but also the protection of the Government Office.
And Sword Scale Valley? It was revered as one of the sacred lands of the Orthodox Murim, so much so that it was called the Sword-Touched Immortal Valley.
Yet Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary, the Fleeting Moment Boat, and Langya Pavilion had obliterated them in an instant?
And then came another shocking revelation—
Bu Eun-seol had faced Sword Scale Valley's master, Hui Mu-jong, alone... and decapitated him in ten moves.
Who was Hui Mu-jong?
A peerless master of the previous generation, said to rival the Four Gods and Seven Kings, and one of the Ten Great Demonic Masters.
After reaching the Extreme Demon Realm, he had experienced a sudden enlightenment... and became the first to defect from the Demonic Path to the Orthodox Path.
By chance, he had joined Sword Scale Valley, mastering not only the Demonic Sword Arts but also the valley's transcendent sword techniques—
Eventually rising to become its master, a legend in his own right.
Moreover, was he not the wielder of Fishgut Sword, one of the most renowned blades in the martial world?
Yet Bu Eun-seol had shattered Fishgut Sword in three moves and beheaded him in ten.
"The Martial Soul Lord's martial prowess is truly at this level?"
"What could possibly embolden him to commit such brutality?"
Just as the martial world reeled in shock—
"Both factions colluded with those who disrupted the martial world, and we possess irrefutable evidence of their attacks on Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and the Fleeting Moment Boat. If you dispute this, come find me."
Bu Eun-seol announced this to the world as if it were nothing remarkable.
"From now on, be cautious. If you engage in secret dealings with vile factions for short-term gain... this will happen again."
Bu Eun-seol now knew the truth.
The highest echelons of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Martial World were all aware of the Three Realms' existence. Some were connected to the Three Realms and turned a blind eye, while others—
Lacked the means to track their movements or the strength to oppose them, forced to remain silent.
But Bu Eun-seol had boldly crushed the Three Realms' exposed tendrils and issued a stern warning to those who aided them:
"Cooperate with the Three Realms, and this will be your fate!"
And despite Bu Eun-seol's open rampage, the Three Realms remained silent.
They would never reveal themselves openly. No matter how much they loathed Bu Eun-seol, they would restrain themselves—for now.
Because their true nature must never be exposed.
"Place a bounty of one million taels on the traitorous Guardians' Faction Master, Hyeokryeon Eung, who betrayed the Demon Hall and fled."
Then Bu Eun-seol made an even more shocking proclamation.
Hyeokryeon Eung—a loyal retainer of the Demon Hall, a pillar of the Demonic Path, and its former Guardians' Faction Master—had vanished without a trace.
And now, a one-million-nyang bounty had been placed on his head.
In the history of the martial world, had there ever been a bounty so exorbitant, even for the most heinous figures?
"Return at once."
Strangely, the response came from the Demon Hall itself.
Supreme Cult Commander Yeop Hyo-cheon, exercising his authority, immediately recalled the Martial Soul Lord.
Bu Eun-seol obeyed without hesitation, returning to the Demon Hall immediately.
Now, it was time for a decisive confrontation with Supreme Cult Commander Yeop Hyo-cheon.