Chapter 546
The necks of Hall Leader Yang Gu-eung and several other Hall Master-ranked figures, who had conspired with traitor Hyeokryeon Eung to frame Bu Eun-seol, now hung high above the main gate of the Demon Hall.
They were the ones who had directly met with Hyeokryeon Eung to discuss Bu Eun-seol's downfall. Those who had been indirectly involved managed to keep their lives and positions, but from now on, they had no choice but to pledge absolute loyalty to Bu Eun-seol.
After all, if they didn't, their heads could fly off at any moment.
And because of this incident, Hyeokryeon Eung lost every last one of the forces he had carefully planted.
Not only that, but an atmosphere had been created where anyone who dared cooperate with him from now on would face utter ruin.
Hyeokryeon Eung no longer had any means left to touch Bu Eun-seol.
"Just how...?"
In the Universal Aid Pavilion, Hyeokryeon Eung, having received a full report of the situation, shook his head in disbelief.
He had already known that this entire affair might have been a trap set by Bu Eun-seol.
That was why he had remained hidden while verifying the truth, securing irrefutable evidence that Bu Eun-seol couldn't possibly escape from.
That evidence was traces of martial arts that could not be used by anyone other than the Martial Alliance Leader himself.
And yet, those traces turned out to be the martial techniques of the Human Demon, Ak Mu-ryeong?
"So that was Phantom Restoration?"
Hyeokryeon Eung gritted his teeth.
"Is that why the Mind Seizing Secret Art had no effect on him?"
This was something utterly unpredictable.
Ak Mu-ryeong had once clashed with Shin Do-mu-bi, and through Phantom Restoration, he had developed a secret art capable of producing effects similar to the Heavenly Robe Mind Art?
This wasn't something even Hyeokryeon Eung could have foreseen—no one could have.
"He deliberately laid a snare."
But there was still one thing he couldn't comprehend.
To inherit Ak Mu-ryeong's martial arts, one had to enter the Supreme Demon Path.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind had remained firmly on the Middle Path all this time.
Had he secretly entered the Demonic Path in the meantime?
And how in the world had he managed to identify the Hall Leaders who had been secretly cooperating with Hyeokryeon Eung?
CRASH!
Hyeokryeon Eung shattered the rosewood table before him.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol was accomplishing what Hyeokryeon Eung had repeatedly sworn was impossible.
"No... If he hasn't entered the Supreme Demon Path—if he's still on the Middle Path..."
Hyeokryeon Eung's brow furrowed as a thought struck him.
Then, as if coming to a decision, he picked up a brush and began writing a letter.
Bu Eun-seol had convened a rare full Lord's Meeting in the Death Shadow War Unit, attended by all the commanders.
Even Seo Jin-ha and So-yo, who rarely made appearances, were present.
And standing tall beside Seo Jin-ha was a grizzled old man—
The unforeseen variable and key to their success in this affair, the one Hyeokryeon Eung had failed to account for:
The Flying Demon, Tak Il-hon.
"You've worked hard."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly as he commended Tak Il-hon's efforts.
Not only had Tak Il-hon recovered his internal power and physical condition far faster than expected, but he had also completed his training in record time.
Above all, Tak Il-hon had played a pivotal role in this matter—
He had personally sought out each of the Demon Hall's Hall Leaders, coaxing and intimidating them into revealing every last individual connected to Hyeokryeon Eung, along with the evidence against them.
The Hall Leaders of the Demon Hall were fearless warriors who cared little for their own lives, but in the eyes of Tak Il-hon—once the Great Thief who had shaken the martial world and the Slaughtering Fiend—they were nothing more than half-baked brats.
Moreover, he had distinguished between those who could be loyal to Bu Eun-seol and those who couldn't, carefully adjusting the severity of their punishments to ensure that this purge wouldn't destabilize Bu Eun-seol's position.
"As you may have heard from Un-ryong, Protector Tak will oversee the training of the Death Shadow War Unit's warriors and assist Vice Chief So in carrying out critical missions."
Though the Death Shadow War Unit had no formal position for a Protector, Bu Eun-seol had created the title out of respect for Tak Il-hon's advanced age.
"With Protector joining us, the Death Shadow War Unit feels like a miniature Demon Hall now!"
The commanders accepted Tak Il-hon without reservation.
To them, he was the hero who had cleared Bu Eun-seol—and by extension, themselves—of false accusations.
Moreover, his bold, unyielding personality meshed well with the temperament of the Death Shadow War Unit's commanders, making it natural for them to treat him with the reverence due to an elder.
"Now, all that remains is to root out the sects and hideouts where Hyeokryeon Eung has been funneling vast sums of money."
As the meeting began, Tak Il-hon started relaying the intelligence he had gathered thus far.
He had not only identified those who had conspired with Hyeokryeon Eung but also tracked down all the factions connected to him.
"The Blood Sea Demon Well, where the Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans are gathered, and the ruins of the Universal Aid Pavilion."
Investigating Hyeokryeon Eung now that he was no longer under the protection of the Three Realms was not particularly difficult.
Separate from the power of the Three Realms, Hyeokryeon Eung had personally been cultivating and hiding Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans—
And their base was none other than the Blood Sea Demon Well, one of Murim's Four Great Vicious Places, with which Bu Eun-seol had quite the history of enmity.
'A history of enmity indeed.'
Bu Eun-seol smiled bitterly.
In the past, the Blood Sea Demon Well had repeatedly provoked Bu Eun-seol, only to suffer humiliating defeats each time, leaving their faction's prestige a shadow of what it once was.
And now, having submitted to Hyeokryeon Eung's command to raise an army of Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans—
They were fated to be annihilated by Bu Eun-seol's hand.
"However, unlike common knowledge suggests, the Blood Sea Demon Well's elite forces and their numbers are formidable... It would be wise to send not only the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit but also the allied sects who support the Lord."
At Tak Il-hon's suggestion, the commanders' eyes gleamed.
"It seems we'll finally get to taste blood."
The Death Shadow War Unit's commanders had endured brutal training and were seasoned heroes who had led countless battles to victory. They had no reason to shy away from a fight where blood and flesh would fly.
Yet Bu Eun-seol made an unexpected remark.
"If their forces are truly that vast, then there may be no need for this battalion to dirty its hands."
"Hm?"
As Tak Il-hon blinked in surprise, Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"Didn't the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel attend this disciplinary council of mine?"
He bared his white teeth in a grin.
"If they don't want to be falsely accused of colluding with Hyeokryeon Eung, they'll have no choice but to lend a hand."
"You're sending the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel?"
Yu Un-ryong shook his head in disbelief.
"Impossible. They'd rather die than obey your orders—they've sworn never to follow you."
"They won't obey my orders. But they will obey the Chief Doctrine Commander's."
Bu Eun-seol explained calmly.
"From now on, we will raise suspicions that the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel have close ties to Hyeokryeon Eung."
"..."
"And through an audit, we will request the Chief Doctrine Commander to investigate their connection to the Blood Sea Demon Well."
Yu Un-ryong, who had been listening blankly, burst into laughter.
"So you're making the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel lead the charge against the Blood Sea Demon Well?"
"Exactly. They must have some direct or indirect link to Hyeokryeon Eung."
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so certain I'd fall from grace during this disciplinary council that they came just to watch."
"True enough."
"In the end, they'll have no justification to refuse the audit, and they'll have to desperately deny any ties to Hyeokryeon Eung... So they'll have no choice but to swallow their pride and crush the Blood Sea Demon Well."
"Heh heh heh."
"Hahaha!"
The commanders also erupted in laughter.
"This time, we'll just sit back and enjoy the show!"
"At least we'll get to see just how brave the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel's forces really are!"
They clutched their stomachs, laughing for a long while.
The White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel—guilty of being linked to Hyeokryeon Eung, guilty of opposing Bu Eun-seol—would now have to pay the price.
—The Martial Soul Lord annihilated the Blood Sea Demon Well.
Once again, Bu Eun-seol's name shook the martial world.
Leading the elite forces of the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel, he had wiped out the Blood Sea Demon Well in a single stroke.
—The Blood Sea Demon Well had been secretly creating Soulless Ones. Upon discovering this, the Martial Soul Lord led the elites of the White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel to eradicate them.
The White Horse Monastery and Hell Blood Citadel were furious.
They had only gone to witness the humiliating downfall of that detestable Martial Soul Lord, trusting in Hyeokryeon Eung's information.
Yet instead, their connection to Hyeokryeon Eung had been exposed.
And to prove they were not allies of that traitor creating Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans—
To prove they had no ties to them—
They had no choice but to join Bu Eun-seol in crushing the Blood Sea Demon Well.
—We did all the work, yet that bastard takes all the credit!
What infuriated them even more—
They were the ones who had destroyed the Blood Sea Demon Well. They were the ones who had suffered casualties.
Yet Bu Eun-seol took all the glory and honor, treating them like mere subordinates.
This was more humiliating than anything they had suffered at his hands before.
—It seems the Martial Soul Lord has no intention of walking the path of domination.
Because of this move, the reactions among the Demonic Path split into two.
—The Demonic Path under his rule will remain peaceful. Untouched by turmoil.
Truthfully, those of the Demonic Path—
Whether the Unorthodox Faction or the Black Path created Soulless Ones or refined jiangshi—
They tolerated it as long as it posed no threat to them.
The only ones who opposed such things were the Righteous Faction.
Because of the cruelty of human experimentation and the danger of attacks on random civilians—
They had always opposed such research.
But Bu Eun-seol, unlike a true Demonic Path member, punished those who created Soulless Ones without hesitation.
This meant he would rarely clash with the Righteous Faction, leaving the Demonic Path in a state of peace.
—Was he not the one meant to conquer the Demonic Martial World?
On the other hand, some voiced disappointment.
The foundation of the Demonic Path was the path of domination.
The Number One of the Demonic Path had always seen conquering the Demonic Martial World as his destiny.
But Bu Eun-seol only ever did what was right—
Showing no intention of overwhelming the Righteous Faction or unifying the Demonic Martial World.
In fact, he kept weakening the Demonic Path's forces...
Gradually, resentment toward him grew.
Hidden Demon Pavilion, the Death Shadow War Unit's conference hall.
After Bu Eun-seol returned from annihilating the Blood Sea Demon Well, discussions about the future resumed.
"Hyeokryeon Eung—that moldy old bastard must be trapped now, unable to move forward or retreat."
Yu Un-ryong glanced around the room as he spoke.
"He's probably burrowed into some hole like a rat. We won't find any trace of him for a while."
At his words, Yu Un-ryong and the commanders all nodded.
Bu Eun-seol had severed all of Hyeokryeon Eung's connections and crushed his forces.
With no more pawns left to use against Bu Eun-seol, he would now focus on rebuilding.
"We've endured much hardship until now, and Protector Tak has officially registered under this battalion."
At that moment, Won Se-mun stuck out his lips and said:
"How about we all go to the Pavilion of Complete Joy tonight as a celebratory gesture?"
At his words, all the squad leaders nodded in approval.
Yu Un-ryong shrugged his shoulders while looking at Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol also nodded his head as if there was no helping it.
That night.
The members of the Death Shadow War Unit drank until their noses were crooked alongside Tak Il-hon.
For an ordinary demonic practitioner, sharing drinks with Tak Il-hon—once called the Flying Demon—would have been extremely uncomfortable.
After all, he had been both the Great Thief and the Slaughtering Fiend who terrorized the martial world with his exceptional movement techniques and martial arts.
But the members of the Death Shadow War Unit were reckless ruffians who feared neither heaven nor earth.
No matter what kind of person Tak Bi-hon had been in the past, they now saw him as Bu Eun-seol's subordinate and a comrade who shared their meals.
They treated him casually, without reservation, as if he were just some neighborhood elder.
Tak Il-hon, too, found himself liking the unfiltered attitudes and personalities of the Death Shadow War Unit's squad leaders.
For a long while, he drank and chatted animatedly with the young squad leaders.
Bu Eun-seol silently downed his liquor, watching the rowdy drinking and chatter.
The drinking lasted all night.
In the end, they only returned to the Death Shadow War Unit at daybreak, crawling back with skull-splitting headaches.
Afterward, Seo Jin-ha secretly returned to the Martial Alliance to resume his role as Seon-u Jin.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol remained entrenched in the Demon Hall, handling various duties.
Rustle.
That day was no different from any other.
After finishing a meeting with the Death Shadow War Unit's squad leaders, Bu Eun-seol returned to his office.
But on the desk lay an unfamiliar letter.
A faint glint flickered in his eyes as he stared at it.
'So he's finally made up his mind.'
Even without opening it, Bu Eun-seol could guess who had sent it.
'Hyeokryeon Eung.'
From the beginning, Bu Eun-seol had suspected that Hyeokryeon Eung had fallen from grace within the Infinite Realm.
To regain his position, he had no choice but to kill Bu Eun-seol.
But with his plans failing repeatedly, he likely had no more followers or remaining forces left.
That meant the only card he could play now was one final gamble.
A one-on-one duel.
The only path left was to challenge Bu Eun-seol directly in a decisive battle, claim victory, and then return to the Infinite Realm.
Riiip.
When Bu Eun-seol tore open the envelope, sharp, sword-like calligraphy greeted him.
—On the night of the moonrise, fifteen days from now. Hell Island.
As expected, the letter was Hyeokryeon Eung's challenge to Bu Eun-seol.
After staring at it for a long while, Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort.
There was no need to accept such an invitation.
Moreover, Hyeokryeon Eung was cornered—he wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary.
There was absolutely no reason to dance to the tune of a desperate rat's frantic schemes.
"Heh heh heh."
A low, hollow laugh escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips as he read further.
"Of course. It wouldn't be Hyeokryeon Eung if he didn't come at me like this."
—Even if you avoid this battle, it matters not. This old man will disappear regardless. But in doing so, you will never learn the truth about your origins.
The letter ended with a taunt aimed squarely at Bu Eun-seol.
"My origins, huh."
If this was just a lie to lure him in, there were countless other ways to phrase it.
There was no reason to specifically use the word origins unless...
"That means the Infinite Realm knows something about my past that even I don't."
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin, his eyes narrowing.
"There's no doubt Hell Island will be crawling with traps."
Hyeokryeon Eung's specialty was the Mind Seizing Secret Art—a terrifying technique that even masters of the Extreme Heaven Realm couldn't defend against.
Yet despite knowing it wouldn't work on Bu Eun-seol, he had still sent this challenge...
He must have prepared something far more insidious.
"Do I really have no choice but to go?"
Bu Eun-seol made up his mind to go to Hell Island.
How much longer would he have to wait to uncover the truth about his origins?
But it wasn't just that—he also had to avenge So Ja-myeong.
The squad leader of the Kill-Seeking Unit, who had stepped out of the shadows for his sake.
So Ja-myeong had remained fiercely loyal to Bu Eun-seol, even unto death.
Even when he didn't have to...
Bu Eun-seol's eyes reddened as he recalled So Ja-myeong's final moments.
For the sake of his vengeance—no matter what dangers lurked on Hell Island—he would find Hyeokryeon Eung and personally cut his throat.
"Without telling anyone..."
Of course, every squad leader in the Death Shadow War Unit would oppose a one-on-one duel with Hyeokryeon Eung.
He resolved to slip away quietly, without informing anyone, and return from Hell Island just as discreetly.
Using official business as an excuse, Bu Eun-seol even left So-yo behind at the Demon Hall before setting out into the martial world.
He immediately secured a boat and headed straight for Hell Island.
Standing tall on the deck, the sea wind whipping against him, his emotions were indescribably tangled.
It felt like just yesterday that he had crossed to Hell Island wearing mourning robes.
Yet now, as the heir of the Demon Hall, he was returning to this place—to capture Hyeokryeon Eung, the man who had once overseen the Ten Demonic Heirs Plan.
Thud.
Before long, the boat arrived at Hell Island's shore.
Stepping off, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings.
During the execution of the Ten Demonic Heirs Plan, Hell Island had been filled with countless buildings and martial trial grounds, teeming with the demonic path's prodigies.
But now it had transformed into a desolate, uninhabited island, with no traces of human presence visible anywhere.
"..."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze deepened as he surveyed the devastated landscape.
Hell Island—rough and desolate.
This was a place he would never forget until the day he died.
Here, he had met Sa-u and learned the fundamentals of martial arts and the Way of the Beast.
Here, he had encountered Jin Gak, the instructor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, and mastered the framework of sword techniques.
Here, he had received the Peerless Thunderbolt from Cheon Un-gwang and the theoretical principles of Advanced Sword Studies from Dan Cheon-yang.
And here, too, was where he had first met the close friends he could rely on for life.
And yet—
"Stop!"
A roar like that of a lion seemed to echo in Bu Eun-seol's ears as he reminisced.
At the very end of the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament, Bu Eun-seol had been plunged into a desperate crisis with no escape.
Back then, Hyeokryeon Eung had broken the tournament's rules and cast aside his position just to save him.
Of course, he must regret that decision to death now... but from Bu Eun-seol's perspective, it was a memory he could never forget.
Thud. Thud.
Bu Eun-seol slowly stepped further into Hell Island.
There was no need to spread his extrasensory perception wide—he could instinctively sense where Hyeokryeon Eung was waiting.
The very place where he had been saved.
At the site of the final bloodbath during the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament—that was where he would be waiting.
Finally, when he arrived at the wide clearing beneath Stone Mountain, a massive old man stood imposingly, his lion's mane-like hair swaying in the wind.
Hyeokryeon Eung—
The Hall Master of the Guardians' Faction of the Demon Hall, the Royal Tutor of Prince Wei's Residence.
In truth, a core figure of the Three Realms, bearing the title of Dharma Demon Master.
"You've come."
Hyeokryeon Eung's eyes lacked much of the confidence they once held, and his body seemed oddly diminished.
He had tried to turn Bu Eun-seol into a puppet using his formidable Mind-Seizing Secret Art.
When that failed, he sought to dismantle his intelligence network and strip him of his successor position.
But all those attempts had ended in failure.
Because of that, he was now a man who wielded no power within the Three Realms.
"It's been a while."
Bu Eun-seol greeted him indifferently.
Hyeokryeon Eung's expression twisted strangely in response.
Bu Eun-seol's gaze, his voice—
Contrary to expectations, they held no trace of anger or hostility.
They were exactly the same as when they had first met at Prince Wei's Residence.
"You don't hate me?"
"I do. But that isn't personal resentment."
"How can that be? This old man tried to kill you multiple times."
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly,
"Isn't that just the way of the martial world?"
The way of the martial world.
A phrase meaning something as common as tea mixed with rice—an everyday occurrence.
"If you hadn't killed Commander So Ja-myeong... I wouldn't have even considered cutting your throat."
"What?"
Hyeokryeon Eung's face twisted in disbelief.
"So you're saying the only reason you came here... was to avenge So Ja-myeong?"
"That's right."
"...I see."
Finally, Hyeokryeon Eung understood.
Bu Eun-seol was not bound by honor, status, or authority.
Not only did he not cling to such things—he desired nothing beyond his singular goal.
"You don't concern yourself with anything outside your goal... and simply charge forward, is that it?"
Hyeokryeon Eung exhaled a turbid sigh and shook his head.
"If I had known you were such a man... I would never have saved you on Hell Island."
"Do you regret it?"
Hyeokryeon Eung inhaled deeply and spoke his honest feelings.
"Strangely enough... I don't."
It was a peculiar thing.
Even though Bu Eun-seol was an enemy he had to kill.
Even though, from the Infinite Realm's perspective, he was a great adversary who could never be left alive—Hyeokryeon Eung did not dislike him.
No matter what, he was a master who had once dominated the martial world's Demonic Path.
Even if he spent his entire life searching in iron shoes, he would never find another talent as extraordinary as Bu Eun-seol—and he did not want to kill him.
"Bu Eun-seol."
After a deep sigh, Hyeokryeon Eung spoke in a voice filled with sincerity.
"Come to our realm."
"..."
"You—within ten years, no, within five—could surpass the Supreme Emperor and the Heavenly Venerable."
"Surpass them?"
"You could practically be called the realm leader. Because you would have the power to move everything within the Infinite Realm."
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the end, those words implied—
That above the Supreme Emperor and the Heavenly Venerable...
There existed someone of an even higher status.
"How amusing. Are you telling me to join the Three Realms and kill innocent people?"
"That is your misunderstanding."
Hyeokryeon Eung shook his head firmly.
"The main faction—the Infinite Realm—is doing what is right."
"Extracting people's essence blood to cultivate Human Blossoms, creating Soulless Ones, planting spies in every sect—since when were these right?"
"To achieve a righteous purpose, one cannot always use only righteous means."
Hyeokryeon Eung spoke with unwavering conviction.
"Such words are nothing but idealism."
Then, with the most serious expression yet, he pressed on as if trying to persuade him.
"If sacrificing a hundred innocent civilians is necessary to stop a mass murderer who would kill tens of thousands—can you truly call that an evil deed?"
Bu Eun-seol had no interest in Hyeokryeon Eung's philosophy.
But the true purpose of the Infinite Realm—that he needed to confirm.
"So you're saying... cultivating Human Blossoms and creating Soulless Ones is all to save more people?"
"That's right."
"What is the purpose?"
"Our faction seeks only to preserve the martial world. That is why we do these things."
Preserve.
A strange thought suddenly struck Bu Eun-seol.
The Absolute Demon Saber—
That had been set into motion because Mo-ryun the Dharma Seeker prophesied the martial world's Final Extinction.
But under the pretext of protecting the martial world, they had deceived and abducted innocent children.
Could it be that the Infinite Realm, too, was carrying out a plan like the Absolute Demon Saber—all in the name of protecting the martial world?