Chapter 600
Realizing his mask had shattered, Baek Mu-seong seemed greatly flustered as he frantically touched the half-broken remnants with both hands.
"Brother Baek. What's happened?"
Though Bu Eun-seol attempted to speak to him, the masked man's eyes remained unfocused.
In apparent confusion, he kept touching his mask while glancing around wildly.
"Brother Baek."
As Bu Eun-seol stepped closer—
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, the man swung his great saber, unleashing a storm of saber qi that cascaded toward Bu Eun-seol.
KWAOOO!
Trapped within the whirlwind of raging sword energy, Bu Eun-seol once again deployed the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan technique.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Countless shifting sword patterns erupted into the air, dispersing the world-obliterating sword qi until not a trace remained.
"Brother Baek!"
Breaking free from the sword qi, Bu Eun-seol scanned his surroundings—but the man had already vanished without a trace.
"Brother Baek..."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head in disbelief.
"This can't be."
How could Baek Mu-seong possibly wield the Bloody Tears Seven Forms? Why hadn't he recognized him?
Was this merely someone with a similar face and demeanor, but a different person entirely?
'Or perhaps...'
A terrifying thought flashed through his mind.
'Has Brother Baek been recruited by the Three Realms?'
After a moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol shook his head again.
Certainly, Baek Mu-seong possessed qualities that would make him a prime target for recruitment by the Three Realms.
But why would he?
There was no conceivable reason for him to join them.
With his exceptional talent, striking appearance, profound sensitivity, and generous nature—what possible motive could he have?
'No... there is one.'
The only thing Baek Mu-seong had ever desired was Gongson Dan-gyeong's heart.
But after losing an arm in his battle against the Earthly Killing Star and becoming a cripple, he had left the Martial Alliance in despair.
If, in that state, the Three Realms had promised to restore his body—wouldn't that be reason enough?
'His heart is too tender.'
Baek Mu-seong had always maintained an imposing yet gentle demeanor.
But in truth, that composure stemmed solely from the confidence of possessing martial prowess and status far beyond others.
From the moment he realized Seon-u Jin was stronger than he had anticipated—
He had begun to crumble uncontrollably, even feeling pathetic.
"His arm was definitely restored..."
Though concealed behind that grotesque mask, the arm that had once been immobile was now moving freely.
If the masked man truly was Baek Mu-seong, he must have pledged himself to the Three Realms to heal his arm.
"But why would he emerge from the stone prison?"
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol stepped through the open entrance of the stone prison.
Inside, a long passageway descended underground, littered with gruesomely strewn corpses.
"He killed them all."
The corpses all appeared to have fallen to the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Their skin and eyeballs were drained of vitality, their bodies etched with scars so fine they were nearly invisible.
CRRRUMBLE.
Finally reaching the end of the passage, Bu Eun-seol pushed open a thick iron gate.
His eyes sharpened as he stepped inside.
Astonishingly, the underground space contained—
Not an experimental facility or structure like those of the Infinite Realm,
But an enormous underground prison capable of confining masses of people.
Iron gates lined the walls, behind which martial artists of all kinds lay dead in wretched states.
"Demon swords."
And on their bodies hung only empty scabbards.
Clearly, every demon sword they had wielded had been reclaimed.
"They abandoned their plan."
Likely after the incident on Cold Moon Island,
The Ghostly Unity Faction must have completely halted their scheme to gather the One Hundred and Eight Stars through demon swords.
"They lured all the demon sword users here and executed them, reclaiming every blade."
After thoroughly investigating the prison, Bu Eun-seol confirmed that every single deceased martial artist—
Without exception—had been left with nothing but empty scabbards.
"But this is strange."
Gangok District couldn't have been built as a prison solely to kill demon sword users.
Why had so many of them met their end here?
"Hmm."
After a brief contemplation, Bu Eun-seol lightly tapped his foot.
ZZZING.
A low vibration resonated as the Void-Breaking Mind's Eye activated—yet no hidden spaces or mechanisms were revealed.
'This was the Ghostly Unity Faction.'
Recalling the events on Cold Moon Island, Bu Eun-seol channeled not the Empty Mind Spirit Communion, but the Water Essence Divine Qi.
SWOOSH—
As the energy spread outward, a faint, previously invisible form gradually came into view.
It was the outline of another prison gate—one that had been concealed until now.
"As expected."
Just like Cold Moon Island, Gangok District had been hiding another gate behind a mysterious Great Art.
Creak.
As the new door opened, another prison came into view.
Yet strangely, all the cells here stood completely empty.
The facility appeared ancient, with only traces remaining of past prisoners.
"Did they hastily dispose of the inmates here when abandoning their plans?"
It seemed likely. When the Ghost Eclipse Sect had completely halted their scheme to find the One Hundred and Eight Stars using the Demon Sword, they must have also eliminated all the prisoners held in this place.
In the end, there was no information to be gained here.
Swish.
Just as Bu Eun-seol turned to leave, a peculiar sensation prickled at his senses.
No sound reached his ears—yet from the farthest depths of the prison, he could almost detect the faintest whisper of breath.
"Someone's still here."
Hurriedly, he strode toward the end of the long prison corridor.
There, a disheveled middle-aged man sat slumped, his breathing ragged and labored. Though no external injuries were visible, his faltering breath suggested severe internal damage—likely from the Internal Heavy Hand Technique, which had ravaged his organs or meridians.
Clank.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol unlatched the iron-barred door and stepped inside.
Now, the man's face came into clear view—and it was frighteningly familiar.
"Lord Yong Myeong of the Dragon Coil Hall?"
Unbelievably, the man dying in this cell was none other than Yong Myeong, the former master of the Dragon Coil Hall—whom Bu Eun-seol had personally slain with his own hands.
"Huh?"
Blinking sluggishly, Yong Myeong's bleary eyes met Bu Eun-seol's.
"Who...?"
But something was wrong.
This man, who should have been in his fifties, now spoke with the naive tone and vacant gaze of a child no older than six.
"Lord Yong Myeong."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was tight with shock. Blood trickled from Yong Myeong's lips as he shrank back fearfully.
"You... know me?"
Bu Eun-seol's mind reeled—but he swiftly composed himself, clasping his hands in formal respect.
"I am Seon-u Jin, a Peak Leader."
"Of the recently established Information Warfare Unit."
Yong Myeong exhaled weakly, his lips trembling.
"I don't... know about that. I don't know anything."
His eyes were clouded, his expression vacant—as if his mind had regressed to infancy.
'Severe torture has shattered his sanity.'
Assessing the situation instantly, Bu Eun-seol pressed a palm against Yong Myeong's Life Gate Acupoint, channeling Reverse Polarity True Qi into his ravaged body.
"How do you feel?"
"Hurts... too much."
Yong Myeong's defenses crumbled at Bu Eun-seol's gentle tone. Tears welled as he whimpered:
"Like... my insides are twisting apart."
As Bu Eun-seol infused him with energy, his examination confirmed the worst.
A vivid purple handprint stained Yong Myeong's abdomen—the mark of a poisonous palm strike infused with Extreme Yin Qi, much like the Profound Dark Poison Palm. His internal organs had all been damaged.
'He won't last much longer.'
Still, Bu Eun-seol poured a steady stream of Reverse Polarity True Qi into him, if only to ease his suffering.
"How long have you been imprisoned here, Lord Yong?"
"Don't... know. But long."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol notice the thick beard covering Yong Myeong's face.
Then the Yong Myeong I killed at the Martial Alliance... was truly an outside spy?
A chilling realization struck.
"Were you alone in this cell?"
"No? Many... others. But they're gone now."
Bu Eun-seol's hair stood on end.
It wasn't just about reforging past warriors through corpses—the Ghost Eclipse Sect had replaced the leadership of major orthodox sects with their own puppets.
"How did you end up here?"
"How... I came?"
Yong Myeong's face lit up as a fragmented memory surfaced.
"Fought... over a secret manual at the Pratyekabuddha Hall."
Bu Eun-seol stiffened as if struck.
Then Yong Myeong was one of those who split the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan manual?
"Who did you fight?"
"Can't... remember."
Yong Myeong grinned vacantly—then uttered words that sent ice through Bu Eun-seol's veins:
"But... underground in Pratyekabuddha Hall... the real Alliance Leader was there."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"Alliance Leader... under the pavilion."
'Is the True Heaven Emperor in secluded training there?'
He shook his head. Yong Myeong's mind was broken, his intellect reduced to that of a child. These could be nothing but delusional ramblings.
"You're saying the Alliance Leader resides beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall?"
"Mm."
"Can you tell me more?"
"But it's so pitiful. Isn't it? Truly pitiful."
Yong Myeong's speech and behavior were as disjointed as a three-year-old child's, only saying whatever came to mind.
"Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore."
Before he knew it, Yong Myeong's pupils were growing dim.
"Instead, I'm sleepy."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes darkened with sorrow.
No matter how much Reverse Polarity True Qi he poured in, it couldn't revive a life already flickering out.
"So sleepy..."
Yong Myeong's breathing had shifted to shallow, childlike gasps.
Death.
Before he realized it, that deep, dark presence had already wrapped itself around him.
"Hall Master."
With a grave expression, Bu Eun-seol channeled every ounce of his strength to infuse more Reverse Polarity True Qi.
They had never met before, and there was no debt or grudge between them.
But watching a martial artist who once strode proudly through the Murim world regress into an imbecile and die like a child—
It evoked even greater pity than seeing an actual child pass away.
"Just close your eyes for a while."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with utmost gentleness.
"After a short sleep, the pain will lessen."
For Yong Myeong, who had reverted to a childlike state, death would be nothing more than a deep, distant slumber.
"Thank... you..."
Yong Myeong murmured faintly with glazed eyes.
Then, as if quietly falling asleep, he closed his eyes. Finally, his breath ceased.
"May you rest in peace."
Bu Eun-seol carefully laid Yong Myeong down on the floor.
Yong Ban-Hall Master Yong Myeong, a pillar of the Murim Alliance, had already left this world.
There was no need to announce his death twice.
"So they kidnapped the Murim Alliance's Hall Master and replaced him with another person."
Bu Eun-seol's face had turned pale from the shock.
For the Three Realms, planting spies within the Murim Alliance wouldn't be particularly difficult.
But abducting a key figure like this and replacing him with an imposter—that was absolutely no simple feat.
"Why?"
Even with the Murim already in their grasp—
Why would the Three Realms commit such an act? What in the world were they after?
"The Pratyekabuddha Hall."
Suddenly recalling Yong Myeong's words, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
What if those words were true?
Could the Murim Alliance Leader also have been replaced by a fake?
Or was the real Murim Alliance Leader imprisoned beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall?
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
What he had to do now was return to the Murim Alliance and confirm the truth beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall without fail.
Hidden Moon Hall, Gongson Dan-gyeong's office.
Having returned to the Murim Alliance, Bu Eun-seol sought her out first and gave a detailed account of the events in Gangok District.
However, he didn't mention Baek Mu-seong's involvement.
It wasn't confirmed, and if he told her that the masked man was Baek Mu-seong, it would only complicate her mind further.
"It's unbelievable."
Gongson Dan-gyeong's expression was deeply shadowed.
"That a masked man of unknown origin possesses such extraordinary martial prowess."
She shook her head.
The elite operatives Gongson Dan-gyeong had assigned to Bu Eun-seol were truly worth a hundred men each.
Even if they encountered a formidable enemy, they should have been able to escape with their lives.
Yet not a single one survived, and even Seon-u Jin—who stood out as one of the Murim Alliance's finest—barely managed to return alive?
"Once the investigation team reports back, we'll have answers... but it's likely he's a disciple of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?"
"Yes. The masked man's saber technique closely resembled the legendary Bloody Tears Seven Forms."
Gongson Dan-gyeong's large eyes blinked in surprise.
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms was the signature saber art of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang—a legendary saber-wielder of the Demonic Path and former Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall.
And yet, the masked man had wielded it to cut down all ten operatives in an instant?
"If that's true... then the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang, who was believed to have disappeared, is still alive. And he's trained a disciple."
"That is a possibility."
Gongson Dan-gyeong was a meticulous person.
She would never have dispatched only combat operatives without contingencies.
In fact, she might have already sent an investigation team to scour Gangok District thoroughly before Bu Eun-seol even reported back.
"But that's not the only issue."
Bu Eun-seol went on to report in detail how Yong Ban-jeonju Yong Myeong had been imprisoned there in an imbecilic state.
After all, the investigation in Gangok District hadn't been conducted solely by Bu Eun-seol—it had been initiated under Gongson Dan-gyeong's command.
He reported everything he had discovered there without omission, laying it all out meticulously.
Gongson Dan-gyeong was even more thorough than Bu Eun-seol.
If he hid anything and she found out later, it would be impossible to remain on the same side.
However, he didn't mention the Pratyekabuddha Hall or the Murim Alliance Leader.
That was something Bu Eun-seol had to verify personally—without fail.
"Yong Ban-jeonju was imprisoned there...? I can't believe it."
As Bu Eun-seol carefully observed Gongson Dan-gyeong, a strange thought occurred to him.
Though her expression showed great surprise, her physiological reactions remained utterly calm.
'Does she already know the extent of the Power of the Three Realms?'
The revelation that the leadership of various Murim factions had been kidnapped and replaced—this was a shocking tale that no one could react to normally.
Even Bu Eun-seol had been unable to shake off the impact for a long time after uncovering the truth.
So how could she remain so composed?
"It seems it's about time I had a talk with you as well, Commander Seon-u."
Then, Gongson Dan-gyeong began an unexpected conversation.
"What do you mean?"
"You must have sensed it too by now. Perhaps the forces that have emerged are not the Infinite Realm."
"Then...?"
"Upon investigation, they are divided into three factions. The Infinite Realm was merely one of them."
For the first time, Gongson Dan-gyeong revealed not the existence of the Infinite Realm, but of the Three Realms.
Not because she trusted Bu Eun-seol—but because it was a truth that could no longer be concealed.
"I see."
After listening to her explanation for a while, Bu Eun-seol nodded as if impressed.
"To be honest, I had a vague feeling that there might be other secret organizations in Murim besides the Infinite Realm."
"Within the Alliance, only a handful know of the Three Realms. And among the core members, quite a few have ties to them."
Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke with a grave expression.
"That's why even those who know of their existence dare not speak of it."
"I understand."
Bu Eun-seol wore a look of feigned shock.
In this situation, he had to react this way.
"Then, about the Three Realms—"
Just as Bu Eun-seol, having regained his composure, was about to press for details, Gongson Dan-gyeong raised a hand to stop him.
"Let's discuss this part another time."
"...Understood."
"You've worked hard. You must be exhausted, so rest for a while."
"Thank you. Then, I'll take my leave."
Clasping his hands together, Bu Eun-seol turned and exited the office.
Click.
The moment the door closed, Gongson Dan-gyeong's expression turned icy.
"All ten combat operatives who mastered the Heaven-Revolving Great Demonic Power were killed, yet he returned completely unharmed..."
A blizzard raged in her pupils.
In truth, there was something she hadn't told Seon-u Jin.
The Great Art those ten operatives practiced was no ordinary Latent Power Burst Technique.
What they had mastered was the Heaven-Revolving Great Demonic Power—a technique even the Demonic Path forbade its practitioners from learning.
Unless beheaded, their vitality would never be severed by ordinary martial arts.
And once their latent power was unleashed, they could exhibit near-invincible prowess for a quarter of an hour.
Yet despite these ten operatives becoming casualties, Seon-u Jin returned without a single scratch?
"Then... it must be one of two things."
Her gaze sharpened endlessly as she muttered under her breath.
"Either he's a superlative martial expert at least twice as strong as I estimated—"
She exhaled a turbid breath and spoke softly.
"Or he's a hidden spy of the Three Realms who colluded with the masked man to kill the unit members together."
Her eyes grew colder than the deepest frost.
"Neither scenario is what I wanted."
If Seon-u Jin possessed the martial prowess of a superlative expert who could overlook all of Murim—
Why would he need to board her ship and climb the dangerous steps to become the leader of the Heavenly Martial Brigade?
In that case, the man named Seon-u Jin...
Was far more likely to be a spy of the Three Realms.
Pratyekabuddha Hall
The Martial Alliance's Scripture Archive Pavilion, said to house the finest essence of orthodox martial learning.
The three-story Pratyekabuddha Hall was rumored to hold increasingly powerful and profound secret manuals the higher one ascended.
Bu Eun-seol had investigated the hall through every available channel.
'The Pratyekabuddha Hall has no underground level.'
Yet no matter how much he searched, there was no record of an underground floor in its design.
Which meant either Hall Master Yong Myeong of the Dragon Coil Hall had been babbling nonsense in his final moments—
'Or there's a secret passage installed inside that no one knows about.'
Bu Eun-seol refused to believe Yong Myeong had been raving.
Even reduced to a childlike state, the man had accurately recalled the secret manual contest for Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan.
Before being abducted by the Returning Unity Realm—
He had been in the Pratyekabuddha Hall, and he must have uncovered its hidden secret, unknown to the outside world.
'In the end, the only option is to investigate it myself.'
Bu Eun-seol fell into contemplation.
'But how do I get inside?'
The Pratyekabuddha Hall stood directly opposite the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, where the Martial Alliance Leader resided.
In other words, it was the most heavily guarded location in the Alliance.
Moreover, the interior was rigged with various mechanisms, and a terrifying master known as Daoist Mok frequently came and went.
Attempting to infiltrate recklessly could backfire, leaving him trapped with no way out.
'No choice, then.'
In the end, Bu Eun-seol settled on a slightly easier method.
He resolved to provoke the Hall Master of the Hall of Martial Ascension—Yuk Jang-cheon.