Chapter 440
The next day, inside the conference room of the Star Guard Pavilion.
Seo Muk, the deputy commander of the Star Guard Corps, blinked several times.
The reason was the young commander standing before him.
"I have decided to join the Hall of Ascending Martial."
Naturally, he had assumed the man would belong to the Star Guard Corps.
The Hall of Ascending Martial was a place that handled menial tasks—cleaning up after the Hall of Longevity or dealing with chores not addressed in the general assembly meetings.
And now, this man wanted to become a second-grade commander there?
"The Hall of Ascending Martial was originally a place to train low-grade martial artists of our alliance."
Seo Muk spoke with a composed expression.
"However, the seven corps commanders changed their policy and ordered the commanders under them to personally train all martial artists. Since then, the Hall of Ascending Martial's position has become... ambiguous."
His gaze remained fixed on Bu Eun-seol as he continued.
"Much like how you've ended up belonging neither here nor there."
"Do you know that Baekri Clan Commander holds you in high regard?"
Seo Muk let out a sigh, as if he already knew Bu Eun-seol's innermost thoughts.
"There are many outstanding figures in our corps, but few have truly caught the commander's eye."
Then, in a solemn voice, as if delivering a final notice, he spoke again.
"If you intend to achieve great things, affiliating with our corps would be a far better choice."
He was practically guaranteeing that if Bu Eun-seol had ambition, joining the Star Guard Corps would be the faster path.
"I am deeply honored that both the commander and deputy commander hold me in such high regard. Truly, I don't know how to express my gratitude."
Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands respectfully.
"However, I have already made my decision."
Creak.
At that moment, the door opened, and a massive middle-aged man reminiscent of a small mountain stepped inside.
It was none other than the Hall Master of Ascending Martial—Yuk Jang-cheon.
"Hall Master."
"Deputy Commander."
Yuk Jang-cheon and Seo Muk exchanged brief greetings.
As Yuk Jang-cheon took his seat, Seo Muk spoke.
"What brings the Hall Master here?"
"No matter how informal it may be, how could I not attend the appointment ceremony of a commander joining my hall?"
"You're being far too attentive."
Seo Muk's lips curled slightly as he replied.
"For a mere second-grade commander, no less."
At that, Yuk Jang-cheon allowed a faint smile to surface.
"Commander Seon-u is a talent who, after joining my hall alone, has repeatedly achieved great feats independently, is he not?"
Then, looking directly at Seo Muk, he added firmly:
"When such an outstanding talent chooses to join my hall, how could I not be meticulous in my care?"
"Well, I suppose Hall Master Yuk must be in dire need of exceptional figures under his command."
It was a thinly veiled jab—implying that Yuk Jang-cheon had long lacked outstanding subordinates.
At Seo Muk's blatant discourtesy, the light in Yuk Jang-cheon's eyes shifted.
By rank, Hall Master Yuk Jang-cheon was superior to Deputy Commander Seo Muk.
But in terms of actual authority, the gap between them was insurmountably vast.
So much so that even after such a provocation, Yuk Jang-cheon couldn't immediately retort.
"Commander Seon-u."
Seo Muk, having withdrawn his gaze from Yuk Jang-cheon, turned to Bu Eun-seol and asked coldly:
"Are you certain you won't regret this?"
"I am."
"Good."
Seo Muk, lips still slightly upturned, rose from his seat.
"From this moment onward, you are officially a second-grade commander of the Hall of Ascending Martial."
Then, with nothing more than a slight nod toward Yuk Jang-cheon—and without so much as a perfunctory word of congratulations—he turned and strode out of the conference room.
Once Seo Muk had left, Yuk Jang-cheon clenched his teeth.
To humiliate him so blatantly in front of Bu Eun-seol, who was now his direct subordinate?
"The deputy commander wasn't wrong."
Yuk Jang-cheon took a deep breath, steadying his emotions before speaking in a low voice.
"It's true that joining the Star Guard Corps would have been far more stable than serving under this hall master."
"The day will soon come when Deputy Commander Seo Muk bows his waist in deference to you, Hall Master."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was calm.
"Without fail."
Those words were a guarantee—that Yuk Jang-cheon would rise to the vacant position of Heavenly Martial Brigade Leader.
"I'll trust in those words, then."
Yuk Jang-cheon nodded and clasped Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
"In return, this hall master will spare no effort in supporting you."
"Thank you."
Yuk Jang-cheon was, indeed, a man of his word.
Starting the very next day after Bu Eun-seol's promotion to second-grade commander, he had Yuk Cheong-a deliver new missions to ensure Bu Eun-seol could quickly accumulate merit.
Inside the Supreme Peak Pavilion's conference room,
Bu Eun-seol and his subordinates had all gathered.
And at the table before them, Yuk Cheong-a continued explaining in a quiet voice.
"This is a mission to pursue the Blood-Heat Lust Demon—a criminal our alliance has failed to capture until now."
Despite being a hall leader, she had personally come to the Supreme Peak to assign the mission.
Naturally, this was under Yuk Jang-cheon's orders—to ensure Bu Eun-seol could rapidly build his achievements.
"He's been reported as missing for some time, but in truth, he's been changing identities and continuing his evil deeds all along."
"Are we simply to pursue him?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Yuk Cheong-a narrowed her eyes into crescent moons.
"If that were the case, would I have personally come here instead of just sending an assignment slip?"
With a faint smile playing on her lips, Yuk Cheong-a swept her gaze over Bu Eun-seol and Tae Mu-ryong before continuing.
"The reason the Blood-Heat Lust Demon has evaded the alliance's pursuit until now is because he leads a coalition of so-called 'public enemies of Murim'—numerous Demonkin, I've heard."
In short, this wasn't just about capturing the Blood-Heat Lust Demon himself, but wiping out his entire network of followers in one sweep.
"With Commander Seon-u and the Transcendence Unit, I believe you can achieve even greater merit."
The Blood-Heat Lust Demon was a notorious Demonic Head known to have entered the Transcendence Realm long ago.
But Yuk Jang-cheon and Yuk Cheong-a had thoroughly investigated everything about Seon-u Jin.
They knew Seon-u Jin's martial prowess had reached the Transcendence Realm, and that he had mastered various unorthodox martial arts he'd never revealed before.
That's precisely why they'd brought him this challenging mission—they were confident he could handle it.
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol calmly clasped his hands together.
"I won't disappoint you."
"I'll be expecting results."
As Yuk Cheong-a left the conference room, Tae Mu-ryong let out a peculiar sigh.
"So now we've truly become Hall Leader Yuk's direct unit."
His voice carried thick regret—why hadn't they joined the Star Guard Corps instead?
"You seem disappointed."
At Bu Eun-seol's remark, Tae Mu-ryong scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"It'd be a lie to say otherwise."
Then Jeong Jong-do spoke in a low voice:
"The commander must have his reasons. Isn't that so?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded frankly.
"Even if we joined the Star Guard Corps and quickly earned merit, we'd still just become first-grade commanders at best. No matter how much time passes, we'd remain stuck at hall leader level."
He swept his gaze over his subordinates before speaking firmly.
"But if Hall Leader Deung is appointed to the vacant position of Heavenly Martial Brigade leader... I could potentially rise to deputy brigade leader. As you know, that's an ultra-high-ranking position where you only take orders from the alliance leader or brigade leader himself."
His unit members couldn't help but gape at this.
Given the Martial Alliance's structure, no matter how talented someone was, it was nearly impossible to rise above hall leader level unless a vacancy opened up.
Yet Bu Eun-seol was aiming for the highest position he could possibly reach.
Wasn't he essentially planning to carve out a position where none existed?
—We need to set our sights differently too.
Tae Mu-ryong, Jeong Jong-do, and all the other unit members had thought simply becoming members of a first-grade unit would be more than enough.
But their young commander was aiming for the very pinnacle of what a martial artist could achieve.
Which meant they too needed to change their goals.
—Let's climb where others couldn't!
Before they knew it, a grand ambition had taken root in the hearts of every Transcendence Unit member.
Jade Spirit Mountain.
A renowned peak in Wonju Prefecture, Jiangxi, long known for its abundant spiritual energy that attracted Taoist priests and ritual masters for training.
The mountain's vicinity also boasted clear, pristine waters, leading to numerous distilleries and taverns selling fine liquor.
After leaving the Martial Alliance, Bu Eun-seol combined intelligence from the Ten Thousand Reflections Hall with information gathered by the Death Soul Squad.
Thanks to their promotion to second-tier status, the Transcendence Unit now had access to significantly more intelligence.
When cross-referenced with the Death Soul Squad's intelligence network... they could locate the Blood-Heat Lust Demon—someone even the Martial Alliance had struggled to track—far faster than expected.
'No wonder he was hard to find—a lust demon running a distillery.'
Nodding to himself, Bu Eun-seol moved through the village like any other drinking patron, carefully surveying the area.
Surprisingly, the Blood-Heat Lust Demon had established a rather respectable distillery near Jade Spirit Mountain, posing as its owner to evade pursuit.
But that alone couldn't explain how he'd completely shaken off the Martial Alliance's hunters.
The demon had secretly built a hidden passage connecting his distillery to Jade Spirit Mountain.
And he only used this route when committing his atrocities.
'The Beggars' Sect's absence leaves a huge gap.'
Without question, the Beggars' Sect had been the righteous faction's premier intelligence organization.
But after their forced closure, the entire orthodox faction suffered a massive intelligence gap.
The Martial Alliance had tried compensating by drastically expanding the Ten Thousand Reflections Hall and reorganizing various intelligence networks, yet...
The intelligence vacuum remained.
'Had the Beggars' Sect not been sealed, we'd have found the Blood-Heat Lust Demon's distillery operation easily enough.'
The Central Plains were crawling with beggars.
Though the Martial Alliance had partially modeled its intelligence network after the Beggars' Sect's by recruiting beggars themselves...
They still couldn't maintain the vast intelligence network the Beggars' Sect had demonstrated.
'He'll crawl out soon enough.'
The Blood-Heat Lust Demon, holed up in the distillery, was not just cautious—he never let his guard down for a single moment.
And that meant he was biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to commit his depraved acts.
'Lust demons have no capacity for redemption.'
Lust demons were driven by periodic surges of perverse desire, forcing them to commit atrocities at fixed intervals.
They felt no remorse whatsoever, and their crimes only grew bolder with time.
Even Bu Jan-yang, who rarely frowned at most things, would erupt in fury whenever he saw a corpse of someone raped and murdered by a lust demon.
"Bandits steal from commoners and harm them, but lust demons rob even their victims' souls!"
Because of this, Bu Eun-seol also held an extreme contempt for lust demons. Ever since stepping into the martial world, he had slaughtered every one he laid eyes on.
And now, he was preparing to send another such fiend straight to hell.
Swoosh.
Bu Eun-seol's prediction was correct.
Deep into the night, the Blood-Heat Lust Demon slipped into the secret passage hidden within the distillery.
Finally emerging near Jade Spirit Mountain, he began moving with lightness skill.
But something was odd.
Instead of using the passage to flee to another village, he was lingering around its entrance—was he deliberately patrolling the area?
'Interesting.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
He had realized that the Blood-Heat Lust Demon was intentionally trying to lure him out.
'There's no way he could have detected my surveillance. That means there must have been a flaw in my investigation.'
Curiosity bloomed within him.
Just how had the fiend discovered he was being watched?
"Come out, you brat."
The Blood-Heat Lust Demon suddenly shouted.
"I know everything."
"Impressive."
Responding to the bold challenge, Bu Eun-seol slowly revealed himself.
"How did you know?"
Before the demon could answer, the secret passage door swung open, and dozens of figures emerged.
The distillery owners and servants.
And even most of the merchants who had set up stalls in the marketplace—were they all stepping out from the hidden passage?
"Ah. So that's why there were so many peddlers in such a remote village."
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if genuinely impressed.
As it turned out, most of the merchants in the village marketplace had been in league with the Blood-Heat Lust Demon all along.
"They must have mastered concealment arts like the Art of Rooster Calls and Dog Thieves."
The marketplace merchants had played their roles so perfectly that Bu Eun-seol hadn't sensed the slightest irregularity.
And with this many accomplices surrounding him...
It was no wonder the demon had always managed to detect and evade the Martial Alliance's pursuit.
'Well, it makes sense. This would be the only way.'
Evildoers branded as Public Enemies of the Martial World could never easily shake off massive organizations like the Martial Alliance or the Demon Hall on their own.
So they banded together, pooling their strength to escape pursuit.
"They say the Blood-Heat Lust Demon amassed a fortune from his plundering. So you've united the fleeing demonkin with money."
"Where are you from?"
"The Martial Alliance."
When Bu Eun-seol answered casually, the Blood-Heat Lust Demon frowned.
"This village is compromised now."
"No need to worry about that. Your long flight ends today."
"Hohoho."
The demon shook his head.
"Don't spout nonsense. Did you think I wouldn't realize you came alone to claim the credit?"
The demonkin disguised as merchants had scrutinized Bu Eun-seol closely.
They were certain he had no reinforcements and hadn't contacted anyone outside.
"You've set up quite the system. You can even detect outside communications."
When Bu Eun-seol voiced his admiration, the Blood-Heat Lust Demon nodded.
"Let's kill this bastard quickly and move on."
At the demon's signal, the demonic leaders behind him drew their weapons.
"Kill him!"
Over thirty demonkin rushed at Bu Eun-seol in a chaotic swarm.
'Too bothersome. Might as well freeze them all with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.'
They had gained considerable experience and mastered the Combined Attack Art while evading pursuit all this time.
But to Bu Eun-seol, they looked like sluggish children stumbling toward him.
Not even worth engaging individually, he extended his left arm without hesitation.
Crackle.
In that instant, frost formed on Bu Eun-seol's hair, and a glacial current surged forth.
The Supreme-grade Absolute Art of the Glacier Great Emperor—the Glacier Thousand Streams Art—unleashed its power.
Whoosh!
The dozen or so demonkin charging at the front froze mid-motion, instantly immobilized.
Their internal energy was too shallow to resist the technique, turning them into ice statues in a single breath.
"What the hell is this?!"
The remaining fiends surrounding Bu Eun-seol recoiled in shock, scrambling backward.
They had roamed the Rivers and Lakes, engaging in countless battles, yet they had never even heard of an Ice Art that could freeze people solid in an instant—not even as a joke.
"R-run away!"
The moment they realized Bu Eun-seol was a Master far beyond their ability to handle, they turned tail and fled without looking back.
"If you can escape from my hands, I won't pursue you."
Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Glacier Thousand Streams Art once more.
After all, if they were frozen to death by this technique, no Brand would be left behind... He poured out his Extreme Yin Qi with full force.
But then, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred—a scorching energy, blazing like the sun, suddenly condensed in his dantian.
"Gah—Aaaah!"
The villains struck by the white icy currents weren't freezing solid. Instead, they writhed on the ground, screaming in agony.
"Uuuuugh!"
Their skin melted like syrup, their bodies turning limp and formless as if their bones had vanished.
Why was this happening when he had used the Glacier Thousand Streams Art?
"This is..."
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened as he examined their condition closely.
Though their exteriors had frozen from the technique, the overwhelming Extreme Yang Qi contained within had liquefied their internal organs completely.
Great Stillness Heat River True Qi.
That formidable energy had mixed with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art and erupted outward.
"How is this possible?"
Bu Eun-seol lowered his hands, staring at them.
White and crimson energies flickered alternately, and his internal breathing grew erratic—wasn't this the onset of Qi Deviation?
"..."
The Blood-Heat Lust Demon, who had just witnessed thirty villains die in such a gruesome manner, didn't hesitate.
Without a backward glance, he activated his Movement Technique and fled.
Bu Eun-seol immediately tried to give chase, but a tearing pain surged through his meridians, as if he had misused his Internal Energy.
'I can hunt that bastard down anytime.'
Steadying his mind, he circulated the Counter-Polar Internal Art.
A solemn golden light shimmered around his body, gradually suppressing the chaotic energy within.
In this critical moment, the power of Prajna Great Power had helped stabilize the turmoil inside him.
"Ugh..."
But it wasn't a complete recovery—his stomach churned, and his head spun.
Not only that, but Extreme Yin Qi and Extreme Yang Qi began alternating through his Conception and Governor Vessels.
"So that's how it is."
Only now did Bu Eun-seol realize the problem in his body.
The battle with the Thunder God had reawakened the dormant energies of Rehe Star Energy and Ultimate Fire Wheel Energy within him.
The issue was that these forces were far too powerful—and worse, he also harbored the opposing energy of the Glacier Thousand Streams Art in his body.
"I've gathered too many conflicting Mind-Training Formulas and Martial Arts within a single body."
Fundamentally, Martial Arts emphasized clarity of mind and restraint of desire.
What happened if one tried to master too many disciplines at once?
Like water flowing backward, the energies within the body could reverse, or worse—destroy the practitioner entirely.
Moreover, Orthodox and Unorthodox Martial Arts pursued entirely different paths, making them fundamentally incompatible within a single vessel.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had, over time, mastered the supreme formulas of both Righteous and Demonic Paths, as well as Extreme Yin and Yang Qi, even delving into the Beyond the Frontier's esoteric arts.
Now, with the violent energy of the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi rampaging like a wild stallion amidst this chaotic fusion, all the Martial Arts Inner Formulas and True Qi within him had become hopelessly entangled.
"This won't be easily resolved."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky with a grave expression.
If he didn't find a solution soon—
Not only would his identity as Seon-u Jin be compromised, but he would self-destruct before even facing his formidable enemies.
"There's no other way."
The only place that would understand his mastery of diverse martial arts was the very place that had raised him.
In other words, to solve this problem... Bu Eun-seol had to return to the root of his martial foundation.
To Langya Pavilion.
[So-yo.]
The moment Bu Eun-seol activated Thousand-Li Voice Transmission, a faint shadow arrived at his side in less than a quarter of an hour.
"Are you alright?"
So-yo, still concealed, spoke in a worried tone as she noticed Bu Eun-seol's extremely pale complexion.
"Are you hurt?"
"Not hurt—just a minor internal injury from mishandling my energy."
It was a gentle lie. His voice was low as he continued,
"I must enter Langya Pavilion for a while. Contact Seo Jin-ha and tell him to pursue the fleeing Blood-Heat Lust Demon."
"Okay. Understood."
So-yo remained unseen, her voice calm.
"Come back safely."
A simple phrase, yet laden with deep emotion and concern.
"I will."
Bu Eun-seol shot into mid-air in an instant.
Time was of the essence.
If he didn't quickly assess his condition and treat his body, his Internal Power could deteriorate severely.
'Perhaps this is for the best.'
As the rightful successor of Langya Pavilion, Bu Eun-seol was destined to inherit the position of Pavilion Master after the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong.
His current martial prowess had reached the Extreme Heaven Realm, and his Internal Energy was unrivaled in the present era.
In other words, Bu Eun-seol was now—
Ready to learn the supreme techniques of Ak Mu-ryeong, the strongest of the Three Demons.