Chapter 578
Yong Myeong was greatly startled as he stared at Seon-u Jin's face.
"How did you get here?"
Yong Myeong was a key figure in the Martial Alliance.
In other words, his movements were strictly protected and never exposed to the outside. Moreover, ever since he had left the alliance, he had been under the protection of the Star Guard Corps.
So how had Seon-u Jin managed to evade their watchful eyes and slip into the study where he was staying?
"I told you... not to touch my family."
The eyes of Bu Eun-seol, disguised as Seon-u Jin, burned crimson.
"Did you think my warning was a joke?"
Crack.
In that instant, the sound of bones creaking echoed from Yong Myeong's body.
An overwhelming pressure bore down on him, bending his waist until it nearly broke.
"You dare flaunt your Internal Power in front of this old man?"
Yong Myeong, his voice laced with scorn, also summoned his Internal Power.
He was a Master from the Red-Yellow Gate, renowned for its exceptional Internal Energy Method. His Internal Energy was so formidable that he had earned the epithet Peerless Mastery.
And yet, this fool thought he could suppress him with sheer power?
"Guh—!"
But a groan escaped Yong Myeong's lips.
No matter how much Internal Power he mustered, he couldn't withstand the pressure crushing him. The torrent of energy was so overwhelming that his body went numb—he couldn't even twitch a single finger.
"I thought, as a Hall Leader, you'd have some significant connections. But it seems you're just a pawn being used by a bottom-tier organization of the Three Realms."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yong Myeong's eyes widened.
How did this bastard know about the Three Realms, something even the upper echelons of the major factions barely understood?
"How...?"
Only then did Yong Myeong realize—Seon-u Jin, the Peak Leader, was no ordinary martial artist from the commercial world.
"Don't tell me... you're the one who took care of all of them?"
Bu Eun-seol had slaughtered the assassins of the Nine Demon Tower, the Red and Blue Freaks, Do Geum-ung—all of them, former underlings of the Three Realms.
The Death Soul Squad had erased all traces of their deaths.
And when he pursued the organization connected to Yong Myeong, he found not a branch of the Three Realms lurking within the Martial Alliance—
But the Blue-Salt Poison Sect, controlled by the Fifth Envoy of the Infinite Realm.
"You... You're not Seon-u Jin!"
"You talk too much."
Thud.
As Bu Eun-seol slowly approached and flicked his Finger Wind, striking Yong Myeong's Dumb Point and Demon Blood Point, the man collapsed like a felled log.
Bu Eun-seol looked down at him with icy eyes.
Tremble.
When Yong Myeong, now subdued, widened his eyes in terror, Bu Eun-seol sneered.
"Don't worry. Torturing you would only dirty my hands."
At those words, Yong Myeong, who had been inwardly tense, let out a sigh of relief.
The interrogations of martial artists were different from those of ordinary people.
Having endlessly refined and tempered their bodies and Spirit and Mind, they could endure even extreme pain with relative ease.
Because of this, the martial world had developed numerous interrogation techniques based on the principles of Martial Arts—methods like the Root Muscle Bone Binding Technique.
And those techniques could shatter even the hardened bodies and minds of trained warriors.
"Instead, I'll turn your family into cripples and lock them in sewers where filth flows for the rest of their lives."
Yong Myeong trembled in rage and fear.
He didn't care if he died alone.
But his family was different.
His elderly mother, his beloved wife, his precious children—he couldn't let them die.
—Family must never be touched.
That was a universal principle shared by all martial artists, whether orthodox or unorthodox.
Bu Eun-seol had clearly referred to his subordinates as family and warned Yong Myeong never to lay a hand on them.
But Yong Myeong had ignored him.
So now, Bu Eun-seol had every right to retaliate in kind.
Shudder.
Yong Myeong strained with all his might, his eyes bulging.
—Please. Please. Please.
Desperation burned in his gaze.
Bu Eun-seol calmly released Yong Myeong's Dumb Point.
"I'll kill myself!"
The moment the point was freed, Yong Myeong spoke urgently.
"I'll take my own life. Isn't that enough?"
He screamed as if in a last-ditch effort.
"If I write a suicide note in my own hand and sever my Heart Meridian, won't that achieve what your subordinate wanted?"
Yong Myeong knew.
That Tae Mu-ryong had sacrificed himself for this very scheme—all to ensure Bu Eun-seol could remain in the Martial Alliance.
So if he, in his own handwriting—
Admitted that he was the one behind Yeon Ja-gang's betrayal, that he had ordered Tae Mu-ryong's execution to escape punishment, and then killed himself—
Wouldn't that fulfill the purpose?
"Isn't this why you provoked me? To find proof that this Hall Master gave the order for Silencing Through Murder?"
Yong Myeong pleaded as if begging for mercy.
"Do you really need to ruin what your subordinate risked his life to accomplish?"
—That way... the Chief can remain in the Martial Alliance without ever being suspected again, can't he?
Even as his life faded, Tae Mu-ryong had wished for Bu Eun-seol to stay in the Martial Alliance.
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
He no longer had any attachment to the Martial Alliance.
But he couldn't bring himself to destroy the plan Tae Mu-ryong had staked his life on.
If he toppled even the lord of the Dragon Coil Hall, no one would ever suspect him of being a spy again.
With Bu Eun-seol's wisdom, he could ensure such a thing would never happen again.
Thud.
Suddenly, Yong Myeong's body regained its mobility.
Unbeknownst to him, Bu Eun-seol had already released the Demon Blood Point restraining him.
"Th-thank you."
Yong Myeong quickly sat in a chair and picked up a brush.
Then, his entire body went numb again—only his right arm remained functional.
Bu Eun-seol had deliberately released only the acupoints in his right arm to prevent any foolish resistance.
Scratch, scratch.
Without hesitation, Yong Myeong wrote on the paper:
That he had colluded with external forces.
That Tae Mu-ryong had discovered this and was ordered to be silenced.
And that, fearing exposure by the Disciplinary Hall, he would now take his own life.
In truth, he had exchanged numerous communications with the Three Realms—evidence the Disciplinary Hall would easily uncover.
"Is this satisfactory?"
Yong Myeong set down the brush and looked at Bu Eun-seol.
His handwriting bore strength, with no trace of coercion.
"Check it yourself. No one will suspect a thing."
Just as Bu Eun-seol stepped forward to examine the letter—
Whoosh!
A barrage of silver glints erupted from the bookshelf, hurtling toward his face.
Simultaneously, an imperceptible powder dispersed through the air.
It was Wicked Incense's concealed weapon, the One-Leaf Dagger—said to pierce even a Vajra Indestructible Body—and the Qi-Scattering Powder, which could reduce Internal Power to fragments with a single breath.
Bu Eun-seol casually summoned a gust of wind, deflecting them all.
Thunk.
Yet at that moment, a sharp dagger embedded itself near his heart.
Yong Myeong, no longer restrained by the Demon Blood Point, had moved like lightning.
"Hahaha!"
Yong Myeong laughed triumphantly, nodding.
"Did you truly believe you'd sealed this elder's pressure points?"
He smirked, radiating confidence.
"In Murim, survival demands a hidden trump card. Mine was the Three Essences Flowing White Energy."
The legendary Taoist Energy Art—a technique that rendered one's Internal Energy unsealable under any circumstances.
He had been free all along, feigning suppression while biding his time.
"You brat. Just because your Internal Energy is strong—"
Yong Myeong's expression twisted mid-sentence.
In his exhilaration, he had failed to notice: No blood flowed from Bu Eun-seol's chest.
Clatter.
When Bu Eun-seol pulled out the dagger, only the hilt remained—the blade had already shattered upon impact.
The moment it struck, the blade had disintegrated; only the hilt had lightly grazed the fabric.
"Stay back!"
Yong Myeong roared like thunder, lashing out with a palm strike.
Even if Bu Eun-seol had erected a barrier of True Qi to contain sound within the room—
He gambled that the sound would escape through it, alerting others.
Thud.
But no sound escaped. Instead, his body froze again, collapsing to the floor.
With the Three Essences Flowing White Energy negating acupoint sealing, Bu Eun-seol had instantly flash-frozen him using the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
"Hehehe. Futile."
Yong Myeong giggled through his frozen lips.
"Know why I wrote that suicide note? Because I never intended to die! Hahaha!"
His laughter rang with glee.
"No matter your skill, you can't fake a suicide via severed Heart Meridians without leaving traces of coercion. When I die, you'll fall under suspicion!"
He crowed with delight.
"Even if you resurrect, you'll never remain in the Martial Alliance! Hahaha!"
Faking a martial artist's suicide was notoriously difficult.
Most chose to sever their own Heart Meridians. If an outsider used Internal Energy to do so? Evidence of suppression would linger.
"This elder will merely endure a few disciplinary hearings."
Yong Myeong's smile turned venomous.
"Of course, you can just flee. But that Tae Mu-ryong? I'll mobilize every resource to crush him."
Crackle.
At Tae Mu-ryong's mention, a bloody light ignited in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
That was Yong Myeong's fatal mistake.
Had he complied, Bu Eun-seol would have at least preserved his posthumous honor.
But threatening Tae Mu-ryong again?
Now, he would endure unbearable agony—and his name would be dragged through infamy for eternity.
"Vermin like you don't deserve life."
Bu Eun-seol pressed a hand to Yong Myeong's lower dantian.
Instantly, the man's Internal Energy circulation began synchronizing with Bu Eun-seol's own.
The Heavenly Robe Mind Art—a forbidden technique of the Alliance Leader—had activated.
"Not just the Three Essences Flowing White Energy You've also mastered the Precious Jade Heart Art."
As their energies harmonized, Bu Eun-seol's brow shimmered with jade light.
"H-how?!"
Yong Myeong's eyes bulged.
"How do you know the Alliance Leader's secret arts?!"
Those were his last coherent words.
"Kghhhuuu—"
Yong Myeong suddenly began to howl in agony.
Bu Eun-seol, having perfectly grasped the flow of his True Qi Circulation, had begun reversing the direction of his Internal Power.
Thudthudthudthud.
Yong Myeong couldn't even scream—his eyes rolled back until only the whites showed.
Reversing Internal Power was akin to attacking one's own body with the True Qi flowing within.
Yet since it utilized only the victim's own energy, it left no trace whatsoever.
"Uuuaaagh—"
Yong Myeong trembled violently.
He wanted to scream, but it felt as though an invisible hand had clamped over his mouth.
Though barely seven and a half minutes had passed, his face had aged as though he'd endured a lifetime of torture.
"Hhuuuaaang—"
Finally, he began wailing like a child. And that became the last sound he would ever make in this Mortal Realm.
Whooosh—
With the Precious Jade Divine Art he'd drawn forth, Bu Eun-seol severed Yong Myeong's Heart Meridian in one swift motion.
Thud.
Yong Myeong collapsed face-first onto the desk, breathing his last.
Perhaps because he'd met such a resentful death, his eyes remained wide open as if about to burst from their sockets.
"I won't touch your family."
Bu Eun-seol murmured coldly while staring down at the corpse with indifferent eyes.
"I can't become the same kind of monster you were."
Swoosh—
After seating Yong Myeong's corpse at the office desk, Bu Eun-seol sighed deeply, recalling Tae Mu-ryong's dying face.
"So it ends as the Vice Chief intended after all."
He'd planned to leave the Martial Alliance entirely this time, but ultimately couldn't break Tae Mu-ryong's stubborn resolve.
Since the man had staked his life to complete this plan... Bu Eun-seol decided—just as he'd always done—to become the Alliance's Unit Leader once more.
Moreover, since Yong Myeong had clear ties to the Blue-Salt Poison Sect (a Three Realms subsidiary organization nearly on par with the Four Great Wicked Lands), there was no need to fabricate additional evidence.
"Can't be helped."
Turning away, Bu Eun-seol gazed at the floating Full Moon overhead.
He belonged neither to the Demonic Path nor the Righteous Faction.
And from now on, the Unit Members would no longer be subordinates of the Peak Leader.
They would become Bu Eun-seol's own followers—his dependents.
Just like the quiet handling of the Nectar Bureau Chief's death (exposed as an external spy by former Law Enforcement Commander Jongjeong Yak in the past),
Yong Myeong's "suicide" was discreetly managed.
Had it become public that the former Dragon Coil Hall Lord conspired with external forces to kill an Alliance insider,
Not only would it cause irreversible disgrace, but the very foundation of the Martial Alliance—its claim to uphold justice—would be shaken.
Yet such truths couldn't remain hidden simply by keeping them hushed.
Soon, rumors spread like wildfire: that Yong Myeong had tried to overthrow Yuk Jang-cheon to crush Seon-u Jin, that he'd placed a contract hit on Tae Mu-ryong.
Yong Myeong's loyalists—and even his entire clan—could no longer show their faces in public.
Meanwhile, Yeon Ja-gang ended his life through suicide in prison.
His crime—fabricating evidence out of jealousy toward the Peak Leader—had been far too grave.
Upon hearing of the Dragon Coil Hall Lord's suicide, far from being reinstated as Hall Leader,
He realized he'd bear this filthy stigma forever—and chose to end himself without hesitation.
Yeon Ja-gang, who'd tasted the sweetness of power during his time as Murim Alliance Hall Leader,
Unable to forget that sweetness, had crossed a point of no return in his desperate bid to reclaim authority.
"Hahahahaha!"
Yuk Jang-cheon laughed uproariously, his mouth stretching ear to ear as he walked toward the northern gate forest where the Peak Leader awaited.
That Yong Myeong—his rival competing for the Heavenly Martial Brigade Leader position—had been colluding with external forces?
And that after failing to overthrow him and kill Tae Mu-ryong, the man had taken his own life?
Wasn't this the very definition of victory without lifting a finger?
With Yong Myeong gone, no one remained to compete for the Brigade Leader position.
Given time, he would naturally ascend to that seat.
"Even Baek Mu-seong—that man has disappeared too. No more obstacles remain."
Truthfully, he'd been more wary of Yuk Cheong-a and Baek Mu-seong than Yong Myeong.
Yuk Cheong-a's brilliant stratagems and intimate knowledge of him made her a formidable opponent.
And wasn't Baek Mu-seong a prodigy of the new generation—a Grandmaster surpassing even Seon-u Jin's caliber?
But with the Dragon Coil Hall Lord dead, Yuk Cheong-a would be powerless, and Baek Mu-seong had left the Alliance.
Now, when the right opportunity arose, Yuk Jang-cheon would naturally assume the Brigade Leader's mantle.
"Hall Lord!"
Just then, a figure came stumbling toward Yuk Jang-cheon in panic.
It was Sang Gu-baek, Hall Leader of the Grand Star Hall—effectively the Dragon Coil Hall's chief strategist.
"What is it?"
"Disaster has struck!"
"Disaster?"
"Yuk Cheong-a—Hall Leader Yuk—has been appointed as the Dragon Coil Hall's Deputy Hall Lord!"
"What did you say?"
For a moment, Yuk Jang-cheon doubted his ears.
With the Dragon Coil Hall Lord position vacant, someone naturally had to fill it.
But to completely bypass protocol and appoint Yuk Cheong-a—the youngest of all Hall Leaders—as Deputy Hall Lord?
How could such an absurdity occur?
"What nonsense is this? How could Cheong-a possibly become Deputy Hall Lord?"
"I don't know. But it was confirmed during a meeting convened by the Vice Alliance Leader himself."
"The Vice Alliance Leader? Then why wasn't I summoned?"
"The Vice Alliance Leader convened a meeting attended only by the commanders of the Seven Great Battle Corps, the Chief Strategist, and the Elders' Hall Master."
"The Elders' Hall Master? Surely not."
Yuk Jang-cheon let out a quiet scoff.
Yuk Cheong-a was the sole disciple of the previous Elders' Hall Master, the Divine Nun of the South Sea.
And the Divine Nun of the South Sea was a figure whose name was engraved on the Martial Alliance's Hero Stele.
"Don't tell me they dredged up the matter of the Hero Stele."
The reason for the Divine Nun's sudden death—
It was because she had thrown herself into rescuing a group of artisans who had fallen into the Cold-Ice Pass while attempting repairs, disregarding her own life.
The Divine Nun had saved those people without hesitation, heedless of the toll it took on her Internal Power and lifespan.
For that deed, she was posthumously honored on the Hero Stele.
And the descendants of those enshrined on the Hero Stele could make one request of the Martial Alliance.
But the Divine Nun had been an orphan with no family, and in her twilight years, she had only taken Yuk Cheong-a as her disciple.
Remembering this, Yuk Jang-cheon wondered whether her status as the Divine Nun's successor had been used to demand her appointment as Deputy Hall Lord.
"Surely not. That rule exists only in name. No one has ever made such a demand before."
Sang Gu-baek frowned as he spoke.
"There are also rumors that the late Dragon Coil Hall Master had some kind of prior arrangement with her. This might have been planned all along."
"Or perhaps the Alliance Leader intervened."
Yuk Jang-cheon stroked his chin.
"Just like with Chief Strategist Gongson."
Recently, Shin Do-mu-bi, Righteous Heaven Emperor, had faced criticism from the Martial Alliance's high command—
Accusations that he was undermining the Alliance's structure by appointing young people to key positions.
After all, it was effectively his influence that had pushed through the unprecedented promotion of Gongson Dan-gyeong as Chief Strategist.
Fortunately, Gongson Dan-gyeong had proven herself to be among the most capable Chief Strategists in history—otherwise, there would have been an uproar among the high command.
"I wouldn't know. But until a new Dragon Coil Hall Master is chosen, Hall Leader Yuk will effectively serve as both."
"Hmm."
After a moment of deep thought, Yuk Jang-cheon instead smiled.
"A smooth road is dull—this is just a small hill to climb."
He wore a self-assured smile.
"Her goal was never something as trivial as the Dragon Coil Hall Master."
He knew.
That Yuk Cheong-a aspired to become the first female emperor of the Murim.
And the position of emperor was not one that stood on stage, basking in attention—
It was the role of a shadow ruler, manipulating the grand scheme from behind the scenes.
To achieve her dream, she had devised meticulous plans, pulling the strings of countless people from the shadows.
Step by step, she had executed her designs.
Bringing Yuk Jang-cheon into the fold had been part of that plan.
But the appearance of Seon-u Jin had shattered it entirely.
Rather than becoming Cheong-a's puppet, Yuk Jang-cheon had resolved to carve his own path using Seon-u Jin.
She had chosen Baek Mu-seong as another pawn, but in the end, he had left the Martial Alliance of his own accord.
With no other options left, she had no choice but to step into the forefront herself.
"No need to worry."
Having finished his thoughts, Yuk Jang-cheon smirked.
"If Cheong-a has become the Deputy Hall Lord of the Dragon Coil Hall, it means she's has no room to maneuver."
Tap, tap.
Just then, a shadow approached from the opposite direction.
A woman clad in resplendent robes embroidered with twin phoenixes.
It was Yuk Cheong-a, soon to ascend as the Deputy Hall Lord of the Dragon Coil Hall.
"What a coincidence, running into you here."
Yuk Jang-cheon smiled faintly.
There were no coincidences.
Especially not in the Bamboo Forest north of the gates—a place one would only come to if heading to the Peak Realm Pavilion.
Clearly, Yuk Cheong-a had timed her arrival to intercept him.
"Congratulations."
Yuk Jang-cheon smiled impassively.
"I hear you've been appointed Deputy Hall Lord of the Dragon Coil Hall."
"Thank you. It just happened to work out that way."
"Heh heh heh. That's not something that 'just happens.'"
"Is that so?"
Yuk Cheong-a narrowed her eyes and murmured,
"Now we're in competition, Father."
"Hahahaha."
Yuk Jang-cheon laughed with an expression that said absurd.
"How could a father and daughter ever be in competition?"
There had never been any tender affection between them to begin with.
But Yuk Jang-cheon deliberately provoked her, speaking warmly.
"Why don't you return to your father's embrace instead?"
"Have you forgotten who it was that made you Hall Master of the Ascending Martial Hall?"
"Cheong-a. You're no match for your father."
Yuk Cheong-a smiled faintly.
"First, you emphasized our father-daughter bond, saying we couldn't be competitors. Now you're talking to me like a rival."
"..."
"Since it's come to this, let's have a friendly competition. I look forward to it."
With that, she turned and lightly brushed past him.
As he watched her walk away, Yuk Jang-cheon murmured,
"Indeed. It'll be a good competition."
Beside him, Sang Gu-baek muttered with a baffled expression,
"I truly don't understand. With Chief Strategist Gongson, things are already chaotic enough. Why is the Alliance filling key positions with young people?"
"Perhaps it's for the best."
Yuk Jang-cheon smiled faintly.
"Even as Deputy Hall Lord, the only thing Cheong-a can do is trip me up."
Even if Yuk Cheong-a became Deputy Hall Lord—even if she wielded the authority of a Hall Master over the Dragon Coil Hall—
She had no right to challenge him.
But he didn't know.
That in the competition he thought was between the two of them, an entirely unexpected figure had already inserted himself.