Chapter 577
"Vice Chief!"
Bu Eun-seol immediately rushed to Tae Mu-ryong, who was hanging limply.
His skin was torn in multiple places, and the tendons in his arms and legs had been gouged out.
Chaaang!
With his bare hands, Bu Eun-seol tore apart the iron chains made of Mysterious Iron—chains that even a treasured sword would struggle to cut through.
As the chains shattered, Tae Mu-ryong's emaciated head slumped helplessly into the filthy water below.
"Vice Chief."
Bu Eun-seol swiftly supported him and channeled Reverse Polarity True Qi into his back.
But it was useless.
Tae Mu-ryong had completely lost consciousness, and it seemed as though almost all the blood had drained from his body.
Whoooosh.
At that moment, the Two Spirit Energies activated on their own, merging with the Reverse Polarity True Qi.
Gradually, some of the lost moisture in Tae Mu-ryong's body was replenished, and his stilled heart began to beat again.
But that was all.
The torture he had endured had been too cruel—his life's flame was slowly fading once more.
"The Chief... has come."
Tae Mu-ryong weakly opened his eyes and looked at Bu Eun-seol.
His breathing was barely perceptible—he was already little more than a corpse.
"Why... did you do this?"
When Bu Eun-seol asked, Tae Mu-ryong gave a faint smile.
"Because... I had to die... for this plan to be complete."
"Plan?"
"Yeon Ja-gang and the Lord of Dragon Coil Hall... are already convinced that you're a spy. Even without evidence... they would have tormented you to the end."
Tae Mu-ryong struggled to move his parched lips.
"For the Chief... to remain in the Martial Alliance with the unit members... those two had to be brought down."
Tae Mu-ryong had never intended to betray Bu Eun-seol.
Rather, when Yeon Ja-gang approached him, he had deliberately set a trap—sacrificing himself to eliminate all those who doubted Bu Eun-seol in one stroke.
"We must treat you first."
As Bu Eun-seol reached out, Tae Mu-ryong shook his head and weakly pushed his arm away.
"No."
Tae Mu-ryong gazed at Bu Eun-seol with a faint smile.
"If I return alive... wouldn't I have to testify that the Chief is a spy of the Demonic Path?"
"Vice Chief."
"I must die like this. Only if I die... can we implicate the Lord of Dragon Coil Hall as well."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Tae Mu-ryong had known everything—yet he had still risked his life to protect him.
"It doesn't matter."
Bu Eun-seol removed his outer robe and draped it over Tae Mu-ryong.
"Go to the Disciplinary Hall and testify. Tell them I'm a spy of the Demonic Path."
"Chief."
"We'll talk later."
As Bu Eun-seol reached out again, Tae Mu-ryong shook his head.
"There's a question... I must ask now."
His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Why... did you join the Alliance?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes wavered violently.
Tae Mu-ryong was on the verge of death.
But if he didn't answer, Tae Mu-ryong would refuse his aid until the very end.
"The murderer who killed my grandfather... is in the Martial Alliance."
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to answer quickly.
"But beyond a few clues... I don't know exactly who he is or what position he holds. That's why I came—to uncover his identity."
"I thought... as much."
Tae Mu-ryong's lips curled into a faint smile.
His assumption had been correct.
—The Chief would never be the kind of person to spy for personal gain or self-preservation. There must have been... a desperate reason for him to enter the Martial Alliance.
Tae Mu-ryong had held onto that belief.
That was why, even knowing Bu Eun-seol was connected to the Demonic Path, he had kept it hidden.
"But now... it's over. I don't want others to die because of me."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was resolute.
"I will leave the Martial Alliance."
"No."
Tae Mu-ryong shook his head.
"What will happen... to the unit members... if the Chief disappears?"
Gasping for breath, he forced himself to continue.
"I know... what kind of heart the Chief had when joining the Alliance. Otherwise... you wouldn't have worked so hard to train them."
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his face was bright with a radiant smile.
"You were preparing them... so they could survive anywhere... even after you left, weren't you?"
Tae Mu-ryong already knew much about Bu Eun-seol.
Because he understood him so well.
That was why he had been willing to protect him at the cost of his life.
"Vice Chief."
"The Chief... is the Chief. Whether you're from the Demonic Path or the Righteous Faction... it doesn't matter."
Tae Mu-ryong grinned, revealing teeth stained with blood.
"The Lord of Dragon Coil Hall... wasted his efforts. The evidence Yeon Ja-gang gave him... contains no proof of his involvement."
He smiled as if savoring the irony.
"I deliberately spread those rumors myself."
Tae Mu-ryong had never possessed any proof given by the Lord of Dragon Coil Hall.
But he had intentionally spread rumors to provoke the lord into attacking him.
"Only then could we truly drag the Dragon Coil Hall Lord down into the abyss."
"If the Dragon Coil Hall Lord makes a move against me... the Chief will surely seize that evidence and submit it to the Disciplinary Hall."
The light in Tae Mu-ryong's pupils was gradually dimming.
He was slowly dying. Yet a satisfied smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
As if he were happy to die for Bu Eun-seol.
"Why—"
At last, Bu Eun-seol's voice trembled thinly.
Then he spoke in his original tone and manner:
"Why did you do this? What have I ever done to deserve it?"
"This way... the Chief can remain in the Martial Alliance for a long time without ever being doubted again."
Tae Mu-ryong had staked his life—
To ensure Bu Eun-seol would never again be suspected.
To ensure he could remain in the Martial Alliance.
All by toppling Yeon Ja-gang and the Dragon Coil Hall Lord with this very scheme.
"Jeong Jong-do is fiercely loyal. That fellow will serve the Chief well."
Tae Mu-ryong writhed.
Trying to rise and bow in respect.
But with his meridians severed, his body could only crumple awkwardly—unable to complete the gesture.
"It seems this body can no longer even offer one final bow."
Drip.
At last, scalding tears spilled from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
And he pulled Tae Mu-ryong into a crushing embrace.
"Don't worry. I'll heal you. I swear I'll heal you."
Like a child, Bu Eun-seol pleaded desperately through his burning tears.
"Don't give up. I will save you. I swear it."
Tae Mu-ryong smiled faintly and patted Bu Eun-seol's back gently with his limp, meridian-severed arm.
"Chief. Don't grieve."
Then he beamed at Bu Eun-seol and shook his head.
"Though our time together was short... I was happy."
Thud.
Tae Mu-ryong's arm, which had been tenderly stroking Bu Eun-seol's back, went still.
Bu Eun-seol held him tight without a word, tears streaming silently.
"Vice Chief..."
Hot tears fell from his eyes.
Why do all those I love leave me?
Why do all who love me depart?
When Bu Eun-seol finally pulled away, stifling his sobs, Tae Mu-ryong's face came into view—frozen in a blissful smile as he drew his last breath.
There was no regret in his expression.
As if dying for Bu Eun-seol had been his happiness.
Why do they pledge their lives to me? I am but a passing wind.
A transient wanderer, nothing more.
Swish.
Bu Eun-seol carefully wiped the blood and grime from Tae Mu-ryong's face.
Though Tae Mu-ryong's features had weathered countless hardships, Bu Eun-seol's tender cleansing—
Restored them to their former dignified appearance.
Cradling Tae Mu-ryong carefully, Bu Eun-seol stepped out of the passageway.
Outside, sunlight still shone brilliantly, and a refreshing breeze swept in from all directions.
Despite being the lair of the ominous Killing Sect, the area was unexpectedly sunlit and surrounded by pleasant scenery.
"I have no intention of using your death to remain in the Martial Alliance."
He wouldn't exploit Tae Mu-ryong's demise to topple the Dragon Coil Hall Lord and cling to his status as a Peak Leader.
Bu Eun-seol planned to bury Tae Mu-ryong in a sunny spot nearby—then hunt down and slaughter every last one who had harmed him.
BOOM! KWA—AAAAH!
But then, with a thunderous roar, a gray shadow descended from the distant sky.
KWA-RU-RU-RU! CHWEEEK!
The gray shadow landed before Bu Eun-seol as a swirling gust—revealing Tak Il-hon.
The Protector of Death Shadow War Unit.
And the vanguard of the Death Soul Squad.
"Protector Tak."
"The message said it was urgent, so this old man delivered it personally."
In the wooden case Tak Il-hon held out gleamed a golden pill and a small vial of azure liquid.
The Rejuvenating Soul Divine Pill and Azure Spirit Stone Fluid.
After So Ja-myeong's death—
Bu Eun-seol and Yu Un-ryong had tirelessly researched ways to save severely injured unit members.
With the help of Medicine King Faction Lord Gyo Jung-hak, they developed the Rejuvenating Soul Divine Pill—a pill that could instantly ignite vitality without augmenting Internal Power.
And secured a steady supply of the Azure Spirit Stone Fluid—a Spirit Medicine capable of healing any external injury.
"With these two, even a threadbare breath can be saved."
Gyo Jung-hak had shaken his head ruefully after perfecting the pill.
"But their combined value is roughly three hundred thousand taels—so use them judiciously."
"You've done well! Truly well!"
Bu Eun-seol cried out in elation and immediately slipped the Rejuvenating Soul Divine Pill between Tae Mu-ryong's lips.
And as the Azure Spirit Stone Fluid was poured, the Rejuvenating Soul Divine Pill transformed into a golden wave that was sucked into his mouth.
Zzzt.
Bu Eun-seol summoned his Thunder Essence Divine Qi and began stimulating Tae Mu-ryong's motionless heart.
"Vice Chief!"
Zzzt.
"Wake up!"
Zzap!
But there was no response.
"Please!"
Bu Eun-seol bit his lips until they bled.
Just as he was about to draw upon the Thunder Essence Divine Qi again, he suddenly remembered the hand Divine Beast Palace Lord Neung-gyeong had formed using Water Essence Divine Qi.
'Directly!'
Perhaps because his desperation had reached its peak?
The moment the thought crossed his mind—
The Water Essence Divine Qi and Thunder Essence Divine Qi within his body spontaneously merged, forming a translucent hand.
Flash!
The translucent hand shook Tae Mu-ryong's heart as if caressing it.
"Ghk—!"
Then, Tae Mu-ryong took a deep breath and opened his eyes again.
"Vice Chief!"
"What... just happened?"
Like someone waking from sleep, his eyes fluttered open weakly as he glanced around.
Tae Mu-ryong's consciousness had plunged into complete darkness. That had unmistakably been death.
He had closed his eyes peacefully, resolved to die for Bu Eun-seol's sake—so how could he possibly open them again, perfectly unharmed?
"Don't speak. Not now."
Suppressing the surging emotions within him, Bu Eun-seol immediately channeled Reverse Polarity True Qi into Tae Mu-ryong's Life Gate Acupoint.
Huuuuum.
As the warm and profound True Qi flowed in, Tae Mu-ryong felt as if he were floating on clouds, wrapped in comfort, and soon drifted back into slumber.
"Protector Tak."
Bu Eun-seol spoke while gazing at Tae Mu-ryong's peaceful, sleeping face.
"Take this friend to the safe house at the main hall and ensure he receives complete treatment."
"Understood."
Tak Il-hon carefully lifted Tae Mu-ryong in his arms.
"I'll even summon Hall Leader Gyo if I must—we'll heal him thoroughly, so don't worry too much."
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol smiled brightly, like a child.
"And... thank you."
Seeing that smile, Tak Il-hon's chest tightened.
He had already heard Bu Eun-seol's declaration that he would not establish the Demonic Martial World.
When he first arrived at the peaceful Death Shadow War Unit, he had even wondered if following him had been a mistake.
But after meeting his subordinates, after teaching the members of the Death Soul Squad—he realized.
That Bu Eun-seol was accomplishing something even more difficult than establishing the Demonic Martial World.
That pledging his loyalty to Bu Eun-seol had been the best decision of his life.
"Ah, on my way here, I saw a bunch of black-clad bastards fleeing south like rats with their tails on fire."
Crunch.
The image of Do Geum-ung's retreating figure flashed in Bu Eun-seol's mind, and his pupils dyed crimson.
BOOM!
His body shot into the sky in an instant.
He would capture Do Geum-ung—the torturer who had subjected Tae Mu-ryong to agony—and execute him on the spot.
KWA-RUMBLE!
Transformed into a streak of violet lightning, Bu Eun-seol tore through the air. Thousands of feet away, he could already see a group of assassins rapidly deploying their Movement Techniques.
It was Do Geum-ung and his band of killers.
"Th-that bastard!"
Do Geum-ung, spotting the shadow wreathed in violet lightning pursuing him, paled in horror.
He had frantically used his Movement Techniques to put over a hundred ri of distance between them—so how could he have caught up so quickly?
"Don't tell me... that bastard is the Thunder God?!"
He gnashed his teeth.
No matter how much he pushed his Movement Techniques, there was no shaking this monster.
In that case, he had to deploy a formation—now—and kill him before it was too late.
"Deploy the Nine Demons Hundred Ghosts Formation!"
Do Geum-ung roared at the assassins.
By sharing their Internal Power through the formation's circulation, they could fortify their bodies—
And if they trapped their enemy inside the Nine Demons Hundred Ghosts Formation, they could buy time.
Even if that bastard was the Thunder God.
Hiss—hiss—hiss—
Finally, as the formation completed and a vast enclosed space manifested—
CRACKLE!
A violet bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, and a shadow stepped inside the formation.
"Got you."
Just as Do Geum-ung was about to cheer at the sight of the shadow trapped within—
BOOM!
A colossal surge of violet lightning began crashing down upon the formation.
"Dodge! DODGE!"
The assassins inside screamed.
The falling lightning wasn't a one-time strike.
Hundreds of Purple Lightning Energy bolts—rivaling the Divine Thunder Annihilation—rained down like a storm, incinerating the hundred or so assassins.
"Agh—AAAAAGH!"
It was nothing short of a scene from Hell Island.
With a series of explosions, the circular Nine Demons Hundred Ghosts Formation shattered, scattering the mutilated fragments of the assassins' corpses in all directions.
Zzzt.
From within the dust and smoke, a shadow slowly emerged, walking forward.
A purple radiance cascaded from his body, and his eyes had turned completely white.
Shudder.
Do Geum-ung trembled violently.
Throughout his infamous career as a notorious torture expert in the martial world, he had faced and battled countless formidable foes.
He had even briefly crossed hands with the Thunder God Noe Bi-hon—a man rumored to have been utterly deranged.
But not even Noe Bi-hon...
Though he could split and unleash his Thunder Qi through the Divine Thunder Annihilation technique...
To summon actual lightning—enough to incinerate a hundred assassins into charred husks in an instant—
Was something Do Geum-ung had never even imagined possible in a human.
"W-Who are you?"
Bu Eun-seol's figure was entirely obscured by the violet Thunder Qi, leaving only a pair of blazing white pupils visible through the conflagration.
I can't win this.
But he had to survive. He had to return alive.
Thud!
Driven to the brink of terror, Do Geum-ung whirled around, attempting to activate his Movement Technique—
Only to find that, without his notice, the purple radiance had already spread outward, forming towering walls of True Qi around him.
"T-This is—"
The moment Do Geum-ung's lips parted in dread—
Zzzzzt—CRACKLE!
Violet Thunder Qi coiled around his entire body, slowly melting him alive.
"Uuugh—AAAAAAAGH!"
A harrowing scream tore from his throat.
As an expert in torture, he knew better than anyone that the agony of being burned alive was the most excruciating pain imaginable.
And yet—this Thunder Qi wasn't searing his entire body.
It was concentrated solely on his arms and legs.
Squelch.
Eventually, his limbs—now reduced to a viscous, molten slurry—sloughed off and collapsed onto the ground.
Then, the remaining flesh on his torso began liquefying in the same manner.
He was being forced to experience exactly the same torture Tae Mu-ryong had endured.
How much time had passed?
Ssshhhluck...
Do Geum-ung's body finally collapsed into a single puddle of liquid.
Crackle...
Violet Thunder Qi still surged from Bu Eun-seol's body, as though threatening to pierce the heavens.
Killing Do Geum-ung hadn't quelled his rage.
Because the ones truly responsible for all this were still out there.
Yeon Ja-gang.
And Yong Myeong.
There would be no vengeance for Tae Mu-ryong—
Until he devoured those two bastards alive.
Yong Myeong had been humiliated beyond recovery within the Martial Alliance.
His repeated secret meetings with Yeon Ja-gang had been exposed, forcing him to endure constant summons to the Disciplinary Hall.
If only there had been concrete evidence—it might have been better.
But though Tae Mu-ryong's testimony had cast suspicion on him, no definitive proof had emerged... leaving the investigations endless.
And when Tae Mu-ryong—who had been acquitted and allowed to leave the Alliance—suddenly went missing, the Disciplinary Hall intensified its scrutiny.
—Lord Yong. You've suffered greatly these days. Perhaps it would be best if you left the Alliance for a time and rested?
Vice Alliance Leader Bukri Seung, weary of the turmoil Yong Myeong had brought upon the Alliance, had gently suggested he take a leave of absence—
Until the scandal died down.
—Understood.
Yong Myeong accepted without protest.
After all, it was true that he had conspired with Yeon Ja-gang.
Fortunately, no evidence had been uncovered—but for now, he had no choice but to endure the scornful gazes of the martial world.
And so, Yong Myeong departed the Alliance and took refuge at the Seo Family Manor by West Lake—his in-laws' estate.
A deep night under a radiant full moon.
As Yong Myeong strolled through the Plum Grove within the manor grounds, he bit his lip.
"There's still a chance."
Though this incident had tarnished his reputation, the lack of definitive proof meant he had escaped punishment.
And scandals always faded with time. Eventually, people would forget.
Once that happened, he could challenge for leadership of the Heavenly Martial Brigade again.
Finishing his walk, he entered his study and sipped a cup of tea.
"At least that wretched Tae Mu-ryong went missing. A small mercy."
He exhaled deeply after taking a sip.
"'Missing'... but he must have been disposed of properly."
Had this gone wrong—
He wouldn't just have lost his chance at leading the Heavenly Martial Brigade.
He might not even have been able to keep his position as the Dragon Coil Hall's Hall Master.
"That insolent brat. How dare he deceive me?"
Yong Myeong gritted his teeth as Tae Mu-ryong's face surfaced in his mind.
Fortunately, Tae Mu-ryong had never returned to the Alliance after his supposed mission for the assassination squad.
Given that even the Peak Squad's search efforts had turned up nothing, he must have been thoroughly erased.
Had that bastard survived, Yong Myeong wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink.
"Still... it's strange. Why haven't they contacted me?"
The Three Realms had never failed before.
Yet this time, they hadn't delivered the proof—nor even notified him of the mission's completion.
"Once the rumors settle, I'll have to tidy things up again."
Yong Myeong smiled faintly as he gazed out the window.
"A shame I couldn't cut down that 'Seon-u Jin' brat too."
Whoosh.
Then—a cold gust of wind swept in from nowhere.
And in the same instant—
A ghostly figure materialized beside him.
A man with delicate features, clad in somewhat worn White Garments.
Seon-u Jin—
The disguised Bu Eun-seol.