Chapter 557
"It's nothing."
Suppressing her emotions with effort, she spoke calmly.
"I was just lost in thought for a moment. Well then—"
"I have a younger sister."
Just then, Do Cheon-rin abruptly brought up an unrelated topic.
"Because of that, I've learned to understand women's hearts better than most men."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Don't swallow all your suffering alone."
Do Cheon-rin stared straight into Dam Yu-yeon's eyes.
"Sometimes, try letting out and expressing the pain inside your heart. Then... you'll feel a little lighter."
Though his words were ordinary, they carried an undeniable warmth.
For Dam Yu-yeon, who had endured her sorrows alone without a single soul to understand her pain... it resonated all the more.
Dam Yu-yeon turned away without replying.
But as she left through the door, her expression was far softer than it had been when she entered.
* * *
Do Cheon-rin left the Red Sky Curtain Branch alongside Bu Eun-seol, who had returned for him.
His body had fully recovered, and his internal power had grown even stronger.
This was because Dam Yu-yeon had mixed all sorts of spirit medicines into his meals and, under the pretext of treatment, administered various acupuncture techniques to enhance his energy.
—Grow stronger.
As Do Cheon-rin prepared to leave, Dam Yu-yeon spoke to him with quiet composure.
—So that you never bring sorrow to anyone again.
"What's on your mind?"
Seated across from him in the carriage, Bu Eun-seol asked. Do Cheon-rin shook his head.
"No, it's nothing."
Noticing the warmth that had returned to Do Cheon-rin's eyes, Bu Eun-seol roughly pieced together the situation.
'He's taken a liking to her.'
During his twenty-odd days at the Red Sky Curtain Branch, Do Cheon-rin had developed a deep fondness for Dam Yu-yeon.
She was not only beautiful but carried an elegance uncommon among martial artists.
Having grown up with a younger sister who embodied the typical fierce female warrior, Do Cheon-rin had long been accustomed to that temperament.
Perhaps that was why he found himself drawn to Dam Yu-yeon's serene and refined charm—the complete opposite of what he knew.
—Yu-yeon... I practically raised that child myself since she was young.
Seeing the faint smile that appeared on Do Cheon-rin's lips, Bu Eun-seol felt an odd sensation.
His dignified yet languid demeanor was strikingly similar to Jeong Cheon's.
—I leave her in your hands.
Suddenly, the dying Jeong Cheon's request resurfaced in his mind.
Even in his final moments, Jeong Cheon had worried only about Dam Yu-yeon.
And he had likely wished...
...for her to live an ordinary life with someone who wasn't a martial artist constantly teetering on the edge of death.
'Should I stop him?'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head almost immediately.
Dam Yu-yeon must have taken a liking to Do Cheon-rin as well.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have tended to his wounds and fed him spirit medicines every single day.
'There's no interfering in matters between men and women.'
Bonds are like seeds scattered by the wind—they take root naturally.
No outsider should intervene, nor could they even if they tried.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the secret safehouse.
The moment Bu Eun-seol stepped inside, he retrieved the Illusory Demon Sword that had been stored there and handed it over.
"Impressive."
Do Cheon-rin let out an admiring sigh.
The Illusory Demon Sword now rested in a new scabbard crafted by the Demon Swordsmith, one that completely suppressed the leakage of demonic energy.
With this, the risk of a demonic swordsman ambushing them first had been eliminated.
"Let's refine your martial arts a little more here."
Bu Eun-seol once again imparted his insights to Do Cheon-rin.
Fundamentally, Do Cheon-rin was a master who had trained in saber techniques for years.
However, after obtaining the Illusory Demon Sword, he had sealed away his Bloodflame Blade Technique and primarily used the Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword Art instead.
Rather than simply combining the Bloodflame Blade Technique with the demonic sword, Bu Eun-seol wanted him to forge his own original sword style.
Thus, he began another lecture on the profound principles of martial arts.
"Enhancing your martial prowess to achieve a breakthrough is one path, but the martial arts themselves can also be transcended."
Bu Eun-seol started explaining the breakthrough method of his Formless Heavenly Flow.
As he listened, Do Cheon-rin's eyes widened.
'Was I just a frog in a well?'
He had thought himself quite experienced in the martial world.
Yet compared to Bu Eun-seol, he felt like a naive child.
Bu Eun-seol's martial theories presented concepts so shockingly unique that they shattered conventional understanding.
'To think martial arts could be developed this way...'
The more he absorbed Bu Eun-seol's insights, the more Do Cheon-rin looked like a country boy visiting the imperial capital for the first time.
Every martial theory Bu Eun-seol taught was utterly unfamiliar—
—and above all, they completely dismantled the existing framework of martial arts.
If Do Cheon-rin could shed even a fraction of his preconceptions and focus solely on sword techniques...
A terrifying swordsman capable of revolutionizing the martial world would emerge.
"I'm ashamed."
Do Cheon-rin lowered his head.
"All this time, have I just been a rice bucket stuffing my face?"
"There's no need for self-reproach. As the successor of the Demonic Path Ten Gates, you've learned much, inherited much, and achieved considerable growth."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"But to enhance your martial arts, you must sometimes break free from such frameworks. Especially since the Demonic Path Ten Gates tend to be excessively indulgent with their successors compared to the Righteous Sects, which ironically slows their progress."
Bu Eun-seol emphasized once more.
"To grow stronger from now on, you must discard not only those frameworks but all the antiquated concepts you've held onto until now."
With that, all martial discourse came to an end.
Outside the window, dawn had already broken. They had spent half a day conversing without moving an inch.
"From now on, I will grant you access to the intelligence network and operatives of the secret unit I command."
Bu Eun-seol now instructed Do Cheon-rin on how to utilize the Death Soul Squad's information network.
"But why haven't you told your subordinates about this?"
Do Cheon-rin had noticed that Bu Eun-seol was meeting him separately at the Secret Safehouse—keeping his existence hidden from his own men.
"Because it would be troublesome."
Bu Eun-seol answered calmly.
"If those fellows were to learn of such matters... there would be that much more to handle, consider, and worry about."
Do Cheon-rin inhaled deeply before speaking.
"They're more like family than subordinates, aren't they?"
"They are those who would charge through fire and water at my command... So it's only natural I'd be concerned for them."
Bu Eun-seol replied dismissively before continuing his explanation.
"If you use this emergency contact system, Masters capable of aiding you will arrive within two hours. So from now on, if an enemy you cannot overcome appears, flee without hesitation."
"You're telling me to run away?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to grow stronger?"
Bu Eun-seol's expression was solemn.
"To grow stronger, you must survive. Only by surviving can you develop and ascend higher."
In the past, Do Cheon-rin would never have agreed with such thinking.
But after hearing Bu Eun-seol's martial discourse, his mindset had changed.
He wanted to survive by any means necessary—to keep living and growing stronger.
An unshakable, singular goal.
At last, Do Cheon-rin had found his own.
"So from now on, you and I are one body, striving to become the sword of the Three Realms."
"You could phrase it that way."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was utterly frigid.
"But remember this well. If, upon delving deep into the Three Realms, you become their puppet—I will cut you down without hesitation."
"Hoho. That won't happen. As you said, all I desire is to grow stronger."
"Precisely why I say this."
Jeong Cheon had yearned solely for strength, only to ultimately throw himself into the Three Realms and meet a wretched death.
Bu Eun-seol knew all too well how perilous the blind pursuit of power could be.
"I know. You're talking about Jeong Cheon, aren't you?"
Do Cheon-rin, understanding Bu Eun-seol's concern, spoke with a bitter expression.
"Lady Dam told me about him. She said I must never walk the same path he did."
"..."
"The reason he met such a miserable fate wasn't just because he blindly pursued strength... but because he never considered those who worried for him."
Bu Eun-seol gave a faint nod.
If only to avoid making Dam Yu-yeon weep, Do Cheon-rin would never tread that path.
"Then spend the next month here honing your sword techniques and familiarizing yourself with the Death Soul Squad's intelligence network and communication methods."
A solar radiance lingered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"So we may uncover what the Three Realms intends with their demonic swords—and reach the conclusion."
"Fine. But don't forget."
Do Cheon-rin's voice was resolute.
"Once I become the sword of the Three Realms, expose their true nature, and obtain all the information you seek—"
A brilliant light flashed in his eyes.
"The next target is you."
Do Cheon-rin had made defeating Bu Eun-seol his lifelong goal.
And that had not changed.
Only now, through Bu Eun-seol's plan, he intended to grow infinitely stronger—
So that one day, he could surely bring him down.
"Of course."
Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a smile.
It was a smile brimming with childlike innocence, yet at the same time, one that seemed to ensnare the soul.
Seeing it, Do Cheon-rin took a deep breath.
'Perhaps... that day may never come.'
Even if it did—
If by then, he and Bu Eun-seol had become friends—
He wouldn't be able to cut him down.
Demon Hall, Singular Light Pavilion. Office of the Chief Doctrine Commander, Yeop Hyo-cheon.
The desk where he sat was piled high with stacks of documents.
As the one who governed all affairs of the Demon Hall in place of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, he spent most of his time buried in administrative work.
"I can't comprehend this."
Around the third watch of the night, his deep eyes flickered as he read through a letter by lamplight.
"Did I misjudge?"
Yeop Hyo-cheon's gaze sharpened as he scanned the letter once more, written in intricate Secret Language.
Swish.
He rose from his seat and gazed out the window.
The tranquil full moon of the late night hung in the sky—
As though swallowing a great secret, it cast a mysterious and clandestine glow.
[What will you do?]
From the shadows staining the corner of the office, an exceedingly deferential and hushed voice flowed forth.
[If not now, there will never again be an opportunity to confirm whether he is truly 'that one.']
Yeop Hyo-cheon's eyes, fixed upon the full moon, narrowed to slits.
"Are the preparations complete?"
[Of course. Hyeokryeon Eung had hidden it so thoroughly and without the Three Realms' knowledge that tracking it is absolutely impossible.]
"Hmm."
After a moment of deep contemplation, Yeop Hyo-cheon gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"Contact the Infinite Realm and inform them of his return route."
His voice grew even more solemn and low as he continued.
"With Hyeokryeon Eung gone, who handled all affairs great and small... 'He' will undoubtedly make his move."
[Understood.]
Simultaneously, the darkness lingering in one corner of the office vanished.
Only now was it clear—despite the light touching that space, some force had dyed it in absolute blackness.
"Can't be helped. Sometimes, improvisation is necessary to survive."
As Yeop Hyo-cheon turned, a dark, fog-like energy gradually seeped from his pupils.
"If he dies, it won't manifest But if he survives... his true nature will inevitably manifest."
A profoundly sinister smile lingered at the corners of his lips.
"Even the great Demonic Heavenly Emperor must be salivating at the thought. However..."
His gaze, fixed beyond the window, erupted with a black aspiration deeper than the abyss itself.
"Regardless, you are mine. Bu Eun-seol."
Clatter, clatter.
An Eight Horse Carriage, its wheels stained black, raced down the highway.
A black banner fluttered atop the carriage, embroidered with the image of two dragons locked in battle over an orb—the Twin Dragons Vying for the Pearl.
This was the carriage of the Heir of the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Lord.
Having parted ways with Do Cheon-rin, Bu Eun-seol was returning to the Demon Hall.
His encounter with Do Cheon-rin.
That chance meeting had allowed Bu Eun-seol to forge not only a connection with the Martial Alliance but also a hidden thread into the Three Realms, whose true nature remained veiled.
Like a cunning rabbit digging three burrows, he had cast his line into the Demon Hall, the Martial Alliance, and even the Three Realms, which sought its successor by scattering demonic swords.
If they took the bait...
he could uncover the identity of his grandfather's murderer, as well as the truth behind Baekri Mu-ha—the most enigmatic figure in the Murim, and the man he suspected to be his father.
Thud, thud, thud.
The carriage had traveled a fair distance beyond Chengdu when—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted as something burst from beneath the road, shattering the carriage into splinters.
Whoosh—
Bu Eun-seol instantly kicked off into the air, flipping midair before landing gracefully.
Then, black shadows began surging from the ground all around him.
"Soulless Ones."
They were none other than the Soulless Ones created by the Infinite Realm.
Since they emitted no biological reactions unless they moved, even Bu Eun-seol, with his extraordinary senses, had been unable to detect them.
Tap.
Ignoring the Soulless Ones encircling him, Bu Eun-seol turned his attention to the old coachman lying amid the wreckage.
Crunch.
The elderly man had collided head-on with one of the Soulless Ones that erupted from the ground, his body shattered beyond recovery.
With a heavy expression, Bu Eun-seol closed the coachman's wide, unseeing eyes and bowed his head.
"My apologies."
Martial artists were like calamities to common folk.
Battles could erupt anywhere, at any time, and countless innocents perished in their wake.
As an undertaker, Bu Eun-seol knew this better than anyone.
That was why he avoided contact with civilians whenever possible and refrained from entering cities like Chengdu if he anticipated conflict.
But there was one exception—the coachman.
He had been confident that as long as he remained within about thirty feet of him, no one could harm them.
Yet these enemies had buried Soulless Ones along their return route, lying in wait to destroy the carriage.
'My arrogance has harmed an innocent.'
Fury burning within him, Bu Eun-seol turned.
SLASH!
The heads of every Soulless One surrounding the carriage shot skyward simultaneously.
Using the Willful True Binding, he had moved at an imperceptible speed, decapitating them all in an instant.
Zzzzt—
At the same moment, a white radiance flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as his Extrasensory Perception expanded across hundreds of paces.
He sensed them—an uncountable number of troops converging toward him.
"They've surrounded this entire area."
Bu Eun-seol lifted his gaze to the distant sky.
Due to the matter with Do Cheon-rin, he had temporarily loosened the Death Soul Squad's intelligence network.
He had assigned So-yo to Seo Jin-ha and placed Tak Il-hon with Do Cheon-rin.
And now, as if they had been waiting for this moment, they had breached the Death Soul Squad's network to ambush him?
"Seems there was an unknown pawn within the Secret Shadow Pavilion."
His movements had been concealed so perfectly that even the Three Realms shouldn't have been able to detect him.
But there was one exception—
The moment Bu Eun-seol returned to the Demon Hall.
As the Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol was one of the highest-ranking figures in the Demon Hall's High Command.
Thus, whenever he returned to the Hunan region, the Secret Shadow Pavilion meticulously managed every possible route, stationing heavy forces along each path.
In other words, for them to blockade the area and launch an ambush like this...
"That means there's a mole in the Secret Shadow Pavilion—the Demon Hall's highest intelligence organization."
"A trap on an entirely different level, I see."
Even knowing his own temperament well—
Even aware that revealing the source of intelligence as the Secret Shadow Pavilion would expose them—they still dared to execute such a scheme.
That meant they were either utterly confident in killing him,
or certain they could cleanly sever all traces even if discovered.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
At that moment, the towering Soulless Ones, each nearly eight feet tall, came charging from the distance.
Their numbers roughly reached a hundred.
Their skin had already turned ashen like corpses, their limbs stitched together in grotesque configurations.
Rumble—
Simultaneously, the ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake,
and massive pillars, towering enough to pierce the heavens, began rising from all directions.
'They're sealing this entire area?'
Impossible.
Deploying a boundary formation across such a vast plain would be an immense feat, even with tens of thousands of personnel mobilized.
Every rock, stone, and tree across this sprawling terrain would need to be accounted for.
CRACKLE!
Then, hundreds of crimson flashes erupted from the fists of the charging Soulless Ones, streaking into the sky,
before suddenly raining down upon Bu Eun-seol like a storm.
'Overwhelming fist energy.'
The power behind their One Fist strikes—
rivaled even the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon that Bu Eun-seol wielded, carrying the weight of immense mastery.
Not only that, but their method of freely manipulating fist energy bore an uncanny resemblance to his own.
'For Soulless Ones—not even Demon-Binding Jade Men—to wield fist arts at this level...'
BOOOOM!
With a deafening explosion, a massive crater formed where Bu Eun-seol had stood.
But he had already activated Swift Shadowless, evading the range of their attacks.
Soulless Ones do not die even when limbs are severed; they feel neither pain nor fear.
They are weapons—unleashing martial arts until their last breath.
There was no need to risk his life cutting them down.
'No point wasting effort on mere foot soldiers.'
Bu Eun-seol amplified his movement technique to escape the area.
Fwip!
A streak of light, he sliced through mid-air—
THUD!
Only to collide abruptly with something unseen, crashing back to the ground with a dull impact.
"Layered formations?"
The dozens of towering pillars that had risen into the sky had now vanished without a trace.
Likely, they had been part of a multi-layered formation designed to trap him.
"An unrecognizable Ancient Formation..."
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed his sword techniques to pierce through the formation's power.
Zzzt—!
The more force he exerted, the more the sky's hue shifted, strange shockwaves rippling outward.
'This is—?'
The stronger his attacks, the sturdier the formation became—its counterforce intensifying.
It closely resembled the condensed wall of Thunder Essence Divine Qi that had once fallen from the skies of All Swords Land alongside Noe Bi-hon.
'Then—'
Back then, Bu Eun-seol had broken through that wall using Harmonization.
If this formation was of the same caliber—
His only options were to summon Harmonization to dismantle it or locate and destroy the vanished pillars.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
But neither was feasible now.
The hundred Soulless Ones had already closed in, bombarding him with Authority.
"Annoying."
Even the thought of cutting them down one by one with his sword felt tedious.
Fzzzt—
Bu Eun-seol's hair turned silver-white in an instant, azure light flowing from his eyes.
He had elevated the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, fused with Water Essence Divine Qi, to Grand Perfection.
Whoooosh!
As the Glacier Thousand Streams Art empowered by five hundred years of internal energy, infused with Water Essence Divine Qi, surged forth—
Crrrrack!
The charging Soulless Ones froze instantly into blocks of ice.
Clatter—thud-thud-thud.
Their frozen bodies shattered into hundreds of fragments, scattering across the ground.
By blending the freely shape-shifting Water Essence Divine Qi with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art,
he had forged hundreds of sword qi blades from Extreme Yin Qi.
Takt!
With the Soulless Ones eliminated, Bu Eun-seol reactivated his movement technique, scanning his surroundings.
Yet the transparent walls remained, sealing him in, and the massive pillars used to deploy the formation were nowhere in sight.
"Fine."
Bu Eun-seol spread his arms wide.
Five-colored radiance began rising from his body.
Fzzzzt—
As thick veins bulged, the radiant light coalesced into a perfect sphere.
Harmonization—the alignment of every ounce of power within him.
Fwoosh!
The condensed light erupted skyward, scattering into millions of luminous points,
Zzzt—CRACKLE!
Like stars igniting the night sky,
countless specks of light shifted from yellow to blue, then crimson,
before finally transforming into golden sparks that dispersed in all directions.
BOOOOM!
As the light faded, a deafening roar echoed, and a bisected pillar crashed before Bu Eun-seol.
"Only one shattered?"
His eyes widened.
Even after unleashing Harmonization—a power transcending human limits—
only one of the dozens of hidden pillars had been destroyed?
"This..."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened.
Only three factions could mobilize such formations and troops to blockade an area:
The Demon Hall, the Martial Alliance, and the Three Realms.
Which meant one of them—
desperately wanted Bu Eun-seol dead.