Chapter 538
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
Gok Jeong shouted loudly as he gripped his dagger with both hands and charged toward Bu Eun-seol.
"Weren't you waiting for me for the exact same reason anyway?!"
With bloodshot eyes, his frenzied charge resembled a madman searching for a companion to drag down to the underworld with him.
Unmoving.
Bu Eun-seol calmly watched Gok Jeong's charge before gripping the Extreme Darkness Demonic Sword in a reverse grip.
"Let's end this now."
Thud!
A dull sound rang out simultaneously.
It was the sound of impact, as if a blunt weapon had struck a thick slab of meat.
Swoosh—
In the next moment, the Gok Jeong who had been charging head-on vanished, and suddenly, his figure appeared behind Bu Eun-seol.
Upon closer inspection, the charging Gok Jeong had been nothing more than an illusion conjured by the demon sword and moonlight.
In reality, he had been had unleashed a fatal killing move from behind Bu Eun-seol.
And Bu Eun-seol had instantly detected his true form, driving the hilt of the Extreme Darkness Demonic Sword deep into Gok Jeong's lower abdomen.
"How...?"
Gok Jeong looked down at his abdomen in disbelief.
"You shouldn't have been able to detect this killing move."
"Did you truly believe you could grow stronger relying solely on a demon sword without cultivating martial arts?"
Bu Eun-seol let out a sigh.
"The martial world is full of tricks like this."
The reason Bu Eun-seol had dismantled this move so effortlessly was simple.
He had already defeated the Phantom Shadow Mirage—an illusion technique eerily similar to Gok Jeong's—used by Tak Il-hwang, a master of the Bloodflame Blade Family.
Moreover, because Gok Jeong's technique relied solely on the demon sword's abilities, it lacked the profound intricacy of true martial arts.
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, it was like watching a child charging forward with eyes closed.
"Dodging unseen attacks isn't difficult for seasoned masters with ample experience in the martial world."
His senses, having reached the realm of Empty Mind Spirit Communion, instantly discerned that the figure of Gok Jeong—crafted from light and sword qi—was an illusion, and his true body lurked behind him.
In the end, the demon sword's abilities that Gok Jeong had been so confident in...
Were nothing particularly impressive from Bu Eun-seol's standpoint.
"So that's how it is..."
Drip—drip—
Blood gushed from the corners of Gok Jeong's mouth as his body trembled like an aspen leaf.
At a glance, it might have seemed like a shallow stab to the abdomen with a scabbard, but in truth, his lower dantian had been completely destroyed.
As his internal power slowly dissipated outward, he was wracked with agony, as if death itself had taken hold.
"Even if you possess such heightened senses, unless you've ascended to a realm that transcends time and flow, you wouldn't have been able to counterattack."
"Have you been fighting solely with the demon sword's abilities until now?"
Bu Eun-seol had already pieced together the situation.
The reason Gok Jeong had been able to wield the Dividing Form Sword Technique—and then suddenly switch to another sword technique—was all due to the power of the demon sword.
"If you already knew, why ask?"
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"I didn't know. I realized only after seeing you."
Gok Jeong stared blankly at Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol's pupils brimmed with pure energy, and an indomitable majesty radiated from his entire being.
"Don't tell me... you've ascended to the Extreme Heaven Realm?"
Only then did Gok Jeong comprehend everything, letting out a hollow laugh.
"Hahaha!"
Then, as if finding the situation absurd, he shook his head.
"I see. It wasn't the demon sword's doing—you were simply showing your true strength..."
"..."
"No matter how exceptional a demon sword is, it can't bridge such a gap."
Gok Jeong's martial prowess hadn't even reached the Peak Realm.
But once the demon sword's abilities allowed him to unleash devastating sword techniques in an instant, he had foolishly believed he could defeat anyone.
His laughter faded as he gazed at the distant sky with a tormented expression.
"I thought... with the Dividing Form Sword and the Hell Purple Firmament Sword, I could conquer the martial world..."
His eyes were filled with despair.
With his dantian shattered beyond repair, he could no longer live as a martial artist.
"In the end, I couldn't."
Stab—
Without hesitation, he plunged his dagger into his own heart.
Bu Eun-seol had known he would choose to end his own life but did not stop him.
He was the one who had destroyed Gok Jeong's dantian—he had no right to interfere.
Zing— zing—
A low sword resonance hummed from Bu Eun-seol's waist.
The Ink Soul Sword was crying out, eager to devour the demon swords.
"So, as long as they possess these demon swords, they have no choice but to fight."
Every demon sword wielded by these men possessed unique abilities—just like the Blood of a Thousand People that Cheon Hwa-in had once used.
Some even moved of their own accord, regardless of their wielder's will.
In other words, even if they weren't aware that defeating all demon sword wielders would make one the Supreme Martial Lord...
They had no choice but to fight each other anyway.
Because defeating an opponent with a demon sword would make them stronger.
Because simply obtaining a new demon sword would grant them easy power.
Martial artists who dream of strength—even in their sleep—could never resist such temptation.
Hum—
As Bu Eun-seol channeled his internal power, the two demon swords Gok Jeong had wielded flew into his hands.
But he couldn't sense any reaction or ability from them at all.
"If what the envoy said is true, only those with an Empty-Spirit Body can awaken the demon swords."
Bu Eun-seol pondered deeply before shaking his head.
"Would an organization like the Three Realms really scatter demon swords across the martial world just to make those with Empty-Spirit Bodies kill each other in search of a successor?"
The Three Realms could easily select and nurture outstanding martial talents if they wished.
Moreover, with their vast information network, they could undoubtedly track down anyone possessing the rare Empty-Spirit Body.
There was no reason for them to distribute demon swords—weapons only those with such a constitution could wield—randomly among the martial world's populace.
The very idea of granting such an opportunity to unspecified individuals made no sense.
"Then..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed with realization.
Gok Jeong and Wang Cheol hadn't merely stumbled upon their swords by chance in the martial world.
It was far more likely that the Three Realms had deliberately placed the demon swords in their hands, disguising it as coincidence.
—If you survive to the end, you can become the 'sword' of the Main Realm.
The masked envoy's words suddenly echoed in his ears.
—Hahaha. Think of it as something akin to succession.
The envoy had probably assumed there would be no issue saying such things to Wang Cheol—a man consumed by the desire for power and unaware of the Three Realms.
But Bu Eun-seol was different. His intelligence was beyond imagination, and he was well-versed in numerous secret arts from the Demon Sect Martial Compendium.
More importantly, he knew exactly how terrifying the Three Realms were—and the kind of power they wielded.
"Something akin..."
After a long moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
"They need a vessel for some kind of Great Art."
During his time in Shaolin's Repentance Cave, Bu Eun-seol had idly perused the secret arts left behind by the Great Demons.
Most of the techniques carved into the stone walls were martial arts lost to the martial world.
Among them was the Soul-Chasing, Spirit-Seizing Secret Canon, left by the Ghost Demon Ancestor—a master of Burial Arts and the Art of Spells.
That scripture documented all known Great Arts in the martial world, including not only those that existed in practice but also theoretical ones like the Corpse-Borrowing Soul-Return Great Art.
And most Great Arts that required human participation placed extreme importance on the "vessel"—a body with specific, often rare, conditions.
"Then... is this new faction of the Three Realms researching something akin to a Great Art?"
Until now, the Infinite Realm had focused on modifying human bodies through Human Blossoms and medicinal treatments.
But this new faction might be attempting to alter the human form through Great Arts or some other unique method.
"If so, then the 'sword' they speak of isn't just any Empty-Spirit Body—they're searching for one that fulfills an additional, specific condition."
This new faction of the Three Realms hadn't scattered demon swords randomly across the martial world.
They had deliberately placed them in the hands of those with Empty-Spirit Bodies—and among those, they sought individuals who met yet another hidden criterion to serve as their "sword."
Given the prestige of such a role, the envoy had likely referred to it as "something akin to succession."
"Yet even so, it still doesn't fully make sense."
If the three divided factions of the Three Realms united, no force in the martial world could oppose them.
But the Three Realms were perpetually at odds with one another, and from what had been revealed so far, each clearly pursued different goals.
Bu Eun-seol had assumed that uncovering the new faction's purpose would shed light on the Infinite Realm and the Azure River Realm's objectives as well.
Instead, everything only felt more convoluted.
"The only certainty is that they're trying to create something powerful."
The Infinite Realm had continuously refined Human Blossoms and Soulless Ones—likely in pursuit of creating the ultimate Demon-Binding Jade Men, vessels capable of inheriting the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
The Soulless Ones' ongoing evolution supported this theory.
After all, the Demon-Binding Jade Men that So Ok-rim had destroyed in the Snowy Mountains at the end had wielded a variety of martial techniques.
—You fools are mistaken!
Suddenly, the words of No Bong—former leader of the Beggars' Sect and once a spy for the Infinite Realm—flashed through his mind.
No Bong had justified his actions as sacrificing the few for the Greater Righteousness.
And if that were true?
If the Three Realms, who concealed their true nature, harbored an extremely dangerous objective—
Could these actions be an attempt to control or counterbalance the Three Realms?
"No, if that were the case, there'd be no need for them to be the Three Realms."
And if even that wasn't the answer...
Perhaps the Three Realms shared a singular overarching goal but pursued it through different methods.
'I'll have to see this through to the end.'
Fortunately, after this series of events, he had begun piecing together the secrets of the demon swords and the Three Realms' schemes.
If so, then by participating in this Demon Sword Contest, he might be able to infiltrate the Three Realms and uncover the truth.
Oong!
Just then, the Ink Soul Sword emitted a low Sword Resonance.
It hungered—not just for the two demon swords Gok Jeong had wielded, but for the Extreme Darkness Demonic Sword as well.
Zzzing!
Despite infusing it with his Two Spirit Energies, no new emblems or light manifested on the Ink Soul Sword's blade.
With a soft whoosh,
Bu Eun-seol used Void Object Retrieval to levitate three demon swords—including the Extreme Darkness Demonic Sword—into the air.
Flash! CRACK!
The moment he swung the Ink Soul Sword like lightning, the three demon swords, including the Extreme Darkness Demonic Sword, shattered into countless fragments midair.
The death of the Iron Serpent Unit's rank-and-file member caused no ripple of concern.
Gok Jeong had always lived quietly, unnoticed.
Even if he had suddenly committed suicide in the Reed Field, there was no one who would spare him a second thought.
This was precisely why martial artists strove so desperately for fame.
Because even in death, fairness did not exist.
The Righteous Faction of Murim preached endlessly about how precious life was—how it could never be exchanged for anything.
But that was nothing more than a pitiful delusion, a refusal to face reality.
Life was not equal.
Its weight differed absolutely from person to person.
Hall of Ascending Martial, Yuk Jang-cheon's Office.
Yuk Jang-cheon clapped Bu Eun-seol on the shoulder and beamed.
"You've worked hard."
Bu Eun-seol had successfully completed the flood restoration mission.
Thanks to his skilled and exceptional leadership, his achievements had far surpassed those of every other unit dispatched by the Martial Alliance.
Moreover, the Heavenly Severance Unit had aided only the destitute civilians and vagrants—those whom both the Government Office and the Martial Alliance had turned their backs on.
Word of this had spread through many mouths, earning widespread praise from the common folk.
"You always exceed expectations."
Yuk Jang-cheon was pleased.
Even if Yuk Cheong-a refused to so much as glance his way, Bu Eun-seol handled matters so flawlessly that her absence was hardly noticeable.
"I knew you'd accomplish something great this time as well. Hall Leader Sang mentioned he had another worthwhile mission prepared for you."
At Yuk Jang-cheon's words, Sang Gu-baek, who had been standing respectfully at attention, stiffened.
"What's the matter?"
"Well, you see..."
Sang Gu-baek spoke with an awkward expression.
"The mission to escort Cold-Faced Bian Que has been assigned not to the Heavenly Severance Unit, but to the Golden Upright Divine Dragon's unit."
"What?"
Yuk Jang-cheon's brow furrowed.
Why had the mission, which was clearly meant for the Heavenly Severance Unit, been reassigned?
"Hall Leader Yeon stated that this was the original plan... and granted them discretionary authority over the matter."
"Baek Mu-seong. So they switched units just to pile missions onto him."
"That's correct."
Yuk Jang-cheon's face twisted in displeasure.
Yuk Cheong-a had always been one to plan far ahead.
If things continued like this, she could strip the Hall of Ascending Martial of every major mission it stood to receive.
And if that happened, the Heavenly Severance Unit would be left twiddling their thumbs, powerless to act.
"It's fine."
Bu Eun-seol spoke as if it were no great matter.
"Our unit has been running nonstop until now—a short break wouldn't be so bad. If we push ourselves too hard, it might even reflect poorly on us."
His words were meant to soothe Yuk Jang-cheon's irritation.
But Yuk Jang-cheon was not one to sit idly by.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this matter myself."
This wasn't solely for Bu Eun-seol's sake.
If he failed to continue achieving merits and advancing, his own path to prominence would be affected as well.
At the very least, it was fortunate that the lord of the Dragon Coil Hall had accomplished little beyond recruiting Baek Mu-seong.
"Baek Mu-seong—he and I are quite familiar with each other."
If Yuk Cheong-a was a strategist who excelled at reading the flow of events, Yuk Jang-cheon was a resourceful man who achieved his goals through connections.
Having built a considerable rapport with Baek Mu-seong in the past, he foresaw no major difficulties in resolving this matter.
No matter how sharp her mind is, outcomes are ultimately determined by the relationships between people.
Confident, Yuk Jang-cheon smirked as he rose from his seat.
His destination? The Golden Upright Divine Dragon's unit, where Baek Mu-seong currently resided.
Yeonseong Hall, Yuk Cheong-a's Office.
Across the table from Yuk Cheong-a, who sat with perfect composure, stood a tall and dignified man.
His eyes were clear and unyielding, as if not a single speck of worldly dust could ever taint them.
This was none other than the Golden Upright Divine Dragon, Baek Mu-seong—recently appointed as the commander of the Second-Grade Sword Unit under the Dragon Coil Hall.
"I suppose I didn't seem very reliable."
A flicker of anger burned in Baek Mu-seong's righteous gaze.
"Or perhaps I appeared so lacking in ability that someone felt the need to remove the ladder another should have climbed."
Unfazed, Yuk Cheong-a replied calmly.
"My father—Hall Master Yuk must have paid you a visit."
"He did."
Baek Mu-seong's expression darkened.
"Though he spoke with a smile, most of his words were sharp reprimands directed at me."
"..."
"He asked if I was so desperate that I had to steal another commander's work."
"I see."
Yuk Cheong-a nodded as if she had anticipated everything.
"Let me ask you first, Commander Baek."
"Speak."
"Didn't you say your goal was to become the Heavenly Martial Brigade's leader?"
"I did. But I have no intention of climbing through unjust means."
"Unfair methods, you say..."
Yuk Cheong-a let out a deep sigh.
"Did you truly believe this alliance was a fair place?"
Her voice turned icy as she continued:
"Don't be mistaken. This is where every manner of conspiracy and political maneuvering runs rampant—where connections and backroom deals hold more power than actual skill."
"..."
"If Commander Baek hadn't been the Buddhist Venerable's disciple... If you hadn't built connections throughout the alliance's high command... Do you truly believe you could have become leader of the Heavenly Severance Unit?"
"Of course I wouldn't have qualified as a second-grade commander. However—"
Baek Mu-seong's gaze remained unshaken.
"Even if I'd started as a low-grade warrior, the result would have been the same."
Pointing at himself, he declared with conviction:
"No matter where I began, I would have risen to lead the Heavenly Martial Brigade."
Baek Mu-seong.
He wasn't being arrogant.
Nor was it in his nature to boast.
He genuinely believed—
That with his abilities, even starting from the lowest rank, he would have reached the top.
"Heh. I admire your confidence."
Yuk Cheong-a shook her head with a laugh.
"Though it's precisely that confidence that made this hall leader choose you as a companion."
"Then will you return the mission as originally planned?"
"No, that won't do."
"You still don't trust me?"
"Far from it."
Her reply was firm.
"I recognize both your exceptional abilities and that this isn't mere arrogance. Had I doubted either, this hall leader would never have extended my hand to you first."
"Then why refuse?"
"Seon-u Jin."
Yuk Cheong-a stared directly at Baek Mu-seong as she spoke.
"That mission will go to Commander Seon-u."
"Seon-u Jin. You mean that Peak Leader."
"Correct. Though he hails from the commercial world, he's a prodigy who could rival you, Young Hero Baek."
"Rival me?"
She nodded decisively.
"His strategic insight and martial arts are extraordinary, but more than that—he's proficient in everything. Assign him any task, and he performs as if he'd trained for it his entire life."
"Oh?"
"Moreover, he possesses the understanding and wisdom of an eighty-year-old when it comes to human nature."
Her eyes grew deadly serious as she continued:
"My concern isn't your capability, Commander Baek. It's Seon-u Jin—not knowing what schemes he might unleash, what plans he's brewing."
For a moment, Baek Mu-seong looked stunned.
The only prodigies who could compare to him were the young grandmasters already famous throughout Murim.
Even as a first-grade commander of the Martial Alliance, he'd never imagined someone matching him.
And Yuk Cheong-a was notoriously sparing with praise.
For her to lavish such compliments—
"He must be quite the figure."
"Indeed. Frankly, it's baffling why someone like him remained in the commercial world for so long—"
Yuk Cheong-a's words froze mid-sentence.
Baek Mu-seong wore a peculiar smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing."
"Don't misunderstand. He's—"
"No misunderstanding. Only—"
His teeth flashed white as he grinned.
"This hall leader's praise has made me curious about him, that's all."
Baek Mu-seong clasped his hands together.
"I'll follow your decision regarding this mission. But please refrain from such actions in future."
Turning away, he spoke calmly:
"If you trust me, that is."
"Do you wish to become a unit leader?"
"Naturally. But what value would leadership hold if won through dishonorable means?"
Just as rumored—an upright man with unyielding principles.
Yuk Cheong-a nodded as if conceding.
"Very well."
"Then."
As Baek Mu-seong exited the office, Yuk Cheong-a's eyes gleamed.
"Fortunate."
A strange smile spread across her lips as she stared at the empty space he'd left.
"More honest and straightforward than I anticipated."
Truthfully, her insistence on stealing Seon-u Jin's mission had been a test.
To determine whether Baek Mu-seong could become her puppet—
Or if he, like Seon-u Jin, possessed an uncontrollable scheming mind.
Fortunately, despite his extraordinary abilities, Baek Mu-seong was a pure-hearted man.
Which meant she could manipulate him as needed.
"Still, it's somewhat disappointing."
No trace of malice could be found in Baek Mu-seong's mind.
Positively put—overflowing with hope and passion. Negatively—he viewed the world too naively.
Such a man stood no chance against someone with Seon-u Jin's mental prowess.
"This hall leader will simply have to manipulate him diligently."
From Yuk Cheong-a's perspective, she'd acquired an excellent pawn.
For a man who valued justice and fairness above all, she need only leash him with those very ideals.
And his ignorance of the world's darkness made his formidable skills all the more useful.
"I've no need for figures I can't control."
She'd already discarded not just Seon-u Jin—
But even her own father, Yuk Jang-cheon, beyond her fences.
"I wonder—how long I can continue treating you casually, knowing your abilities, Seon-u Jin?"
A calm yet cruel smile played on her lips.
The moment his pride was wounded, Baek Mu-seong's first destination after leaving—
Was none other than the Peak Pavilion where Seon-u Jin resided.