Chapter 619
"Northern Shaolin, Southern Wudang."
In the north, Shaolin martial arts are revered, while in the south, Wudang's martial arts are held in the highest esteem.
Thus, the orthodox Murim has long been firmly upheld by Wudang alongside Shaolin.
However, in recent times, the Wudang Sect had been maintaining an unusually quiet presence.
They no longer sent disciples out into the martial world, and even Song-ak, who had been active as one of the Great Righteous Masters, was recalled to Wudang Mountain to train in seclusion.
In truth, this was because they recognized the chaotic state of the current martial world and sought to quietly build their strength.
But to outsiders, it simply appeared as though they had withdrawn from Murim affairs, living in leisurely detachment.
Bu Eun-seol, Bukgung Ryeong, and Song-ak, having disembarked from their carriage, were now ascending Wudang Mountain.
Passing through landscapes of winding streams and lush forests, they soon caught sight of pavilions veiled in thin mist.
Wudang Mountain, structured around its main peak, Heavenly Pillar Peak, surrounded by seventy-two subsidiary peaks, was adorned with countless Daoist temples forming architectural clusters.
As they entered, a gray-haired Daoist—likely forewarned by a messenger—emerged to greet Bukgung Ryeong.
It was Daoist Master Yeong-heo, an elder of the Wudang Sect who had once demonstrated unwavering righteousness during Blood Vajra's atonement journey.
"Welcome, Honorary Guardian."
Yeong-heo bowed respectfully to Bukgung Ryeong.
"It is an immeasurable honor to have you grace our sect with your presence."
"I merely joined the Martial Alliance by chance. Call me as you used to—no need for formalities."
Yeong-heo chuckled lightly.
"How could I dare to do so now that you are the Martial Alliance's Honorary Guardian?"
Pausing briefly, he let out a sigh and lowered his head.
"Still, I am ashamed that we must trouble you with such a matter."
Not only within Murim, but even in the upper echelons of the commercial world and government offices, Wudang disciples held numerous key positions.
Thus, the Wudang Sect rarely needed to seek external aid—and even if they did, they could easily summon countless influential figures.
Yet, they had sought Bukgung Ryeong's help for one reason alone.
For decades, he had roamed the martial world alone, forming few close ties with others.
And most crucially—his lips were sealed. He never spoke of what he saw or heard, nor spread rumors.
"Do not worry."
Understanding Yeong-heo's concerns, Bukgung Ryeong nodded.
"Nothing that transpires here will ever leave this mountain."
"But who is this young man?"
Only then did Yeong-heo gesture toward the man standing beside Song-ak—Bu Eun-seol, disguised under the alias Seol-so.
"My disciple."
"Your... disciple?"
Yeong-heo struggled to suppress his bewildered expression.
Bukgung Ryeong was known to have walked the martial world alone, never taking on a disciple.
So why bring one now, of all times—and to such a critical meeting?
"Disciple Seol-so pays his respects to Daoist Master Yeong-heo."
"He has lived as a wandering martial artist for years without revealing his ties to me."
Yeong-heo's displeasure flickered across his face.
Bringing a disciple increased the risk of secrets leaking, did it not?
Reading his thoughts, Bukgung Ryeong swiftly added,
"I swear upon my honor. Whatever circumstances Wudang faces, not a word of it will leave this place."
"But..."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
"For over a decade, I lived as a wanderer without ever revealing my connection to the Honorary Guardian."
Clasping his hands, Bu Eun-seol met Yeong-heo's gaze with solemn sincerity.
"Will you not trust me, if only for that?"
His timely intervention prompted Bukgung Ryeong to chime in,
"This boy has mastered the Inner Energy Bullet Art to the Seventh Star or higher and possesses remarkable intellect. He will be of great help in this matter."
The Bullet King's Inner Energy Bullet Art was a pinnacle technique of True Qi Martial Arts, requiring immense internal energy to wield.
Yet this young man, who appeared no older than thirty, had refined it to the Seventh Star or higher?
Clearly, his talent was extraordinary.
"I see."
Come to think of it, Song-ak bringing him along meant he had already been briefed.
If he was Bukgung Ryeong's disciple and a wanderer, his insights would surpass those of ordinary martial artists.
Reluctantly, Yeong-heo nodded.
"If he can help resolve this, then so be it."
Guided by Yeong-heo, the two entered the Purple Heaven Palace.
Before the main hall, Purple Cloud Hall, they were received by the Wudang Sect Leader, Daoist Master Yeong-cheong.
"Honorary Guardian, you've come in person."
Yeong-cheong welcomed Bukgung Ryeong with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
As sect leader, he must have felt ashamed at being unable to resolve the matter himself.
"Do not trouble yourself, Daoist Master Jang Gyo."
Bearing a confident expression, Bukgung Ryeong replied,
"I will swiftly uncover the cause and settle this affair."
"You have my gratitude."
Yeong-cheong was well aware of Bukgung Ryeong's vast knowledge, honed through years of solitary dominance in the martial world.
Precisely because of this, he had permitted Yeong-heo and Song-ak to summon him.
"Then let us begin at once."
Taking a deep breath, Bukgung Ryeong's eyes gleamed.
"We must resolve this matter quickly."
Bukgung Ryeong and Bu Eun-seol began combing through every corner of the Wudang Sect.
As Song-ak had said, the Wudang elders were taking turns falling victim to sleepwalking.
The problem was that upon waking, none of them remembered their actions.
—Sleepwalking doesn't cycle through people like this.
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eun-seol and Bukgung Ryeong launched a thorough investigation, scouring every inch of Wudang Mountain.
And so they waited through the nights to observe the sleepwalking elders. But for two days, nothing unusual occurred.
Before they knew it, the third night arrived.
Around midnight, Song-ak hurriedly came to the quarters where the two were staying.
"It's begun!"
Bu Eun-seol and Bukgung Ryeong exchanged glances before swiftly stepping outside.
When they arrived in front of the Three Pure Ones Hall, dozens of Daoists were gathered, and among them, an elderly man clad in thin robes staggered unsteadily forward.
It was none other than Wudang's elder, Daoist Master Yeong-jin.
"Does he not wake even if roused?"
At Bukgung Ryeong's question, Song-ak answered in a hushed whisper.
"If forced, he does wake. But the symptoms don't improve. Should we wake him now?"
"Hmm, let's observe a little longer first."
Bukgung Ryeong and Bu Eun-seol quietly followed as Yeong-jin stumbled about in his daze.
'This is...'
After wandering aimlessly for some time, Yeong-jin suddenly began clawing at the ground beneath a tree.
Before long, several large centipedes wriggled into his grasp.
Crunch. Crunch.
Without hesitation, Yeong-jin shoved the centipedes into his mouth and began chewing.
For a while, he dug out every centipede hiding beneath the tree, stuffing them into his mouth one after another.
Yet, as if still unsatisfied, his hollow gaze continued scanning the surroundings.
Rustle.
Then, from the branches above, a large bird suddenly flapped its wings.
An owl, hidden until now, took flight toward the opposite side.
Snap!
But Yeong-jin reacted instantly—his Finger Wind shot out like lightning.
Thud.
The owl, struck mid-air, plummeted to the ground.
Thump. Thump.
Yeong-jin slowly trudged toward the fallen bird.
Though his face remained expressionless, it was clear he intended to tear it apart and devour it the moment he got close.
"We should probably intervene now."
As Song-ak whispered urgently, Bukgung Ryeong was about to nod—
"No. We must see this through to the end."
Bu Eun-seol, disguised as Seol-so, spoke in a low voice.
"Didn't you say all the elders behave exactly like this?"
Song-ak blinked in surprise as Bu Eun-seol continued,
"We need to witness the full sequence to find the answer."
Reluctantly, Song-ak nodded.
Rip. Crunch.
Meanwhile, Yeong-jin had already sunk his teeth into the owl, tearing and chewing ravenously.
After observing for a while, Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
'Not the flesh.'
Though it seemed like he was mindlessly devouring the owl—
In truth, he was only tearing through feathers and skin to gulp down the blood that spilled out.
Plop.
Once he had crushed the owl between his teeth, Yeong-jin staggered back toward the Daoist hall.
"Now would be a good time to wake him and have him cleansed."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Bukgung Ryeong agreed.
"Right. We've seen enough—let's wake him."
Rustle.
At Bukgung Ryeong's signal, the younger disciples rushed to shake Yeong-jin awake.
"No—!"
The moment he regained consciousness, Yeong-jin took one look at the blood smeared around his mouth and the feathers clinging to his robes—and let out a horrified scream.
"So even I've become like this now?"
After a moment of stunned silence, he bolted away to wash himself.
"Have you any idea what's causing this?"
At Yeongheo-ja's question, Bukgung Ryeong swallowed hard.
Despite watching everything unfold, it was nothing but grotesque—he had no leads whatsoever.
「Well? Have you figured anything out?」
Bukgung Ryeong sent a Telepathic Transmission to Bu Eun-seol.
Truthfully, even Bu Eun-seol had never encountered such a case before, and he hadn't spotted anything overtly unusual.
Had he not heard that this was happening repeatedly among the elders?
He would've dismissed it as severe sleepwalking and nothing more.
—Shake.
Bu Eun-seol faintly shook his head.
「We'll need to observe again.」
"It seems we'll need to investigate further."
At Bukgung Ryeong's words, the Wudang disciples nodded grimly.
The next day passed quietly.
But when the following night arrived, this time, it was Elder Yeongsong-ja who succumbed to sleepwalking.
However, acting on Bu Eun-seol's instruction, Bukgung Ryeong immediately woke him.
The moment he was roused, Yeongsong-ja—who had been frantically wandering the mountain—snapped back to his senses and retreated into the hall.
At dawn, Bu Eun-seol sent a covert Telepathic Transmission to Bukgung Ryeong.
"Is that so?"
After listening for a while, Bukgung Ryeong's eyes gleamed as if he, too, had realized something.
"I'll verify it myself."
As Bukgung Ryeong left, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and gazed out the window.
His pupils flickered incessantly, as though his mind were racing through countless thoughts.
'I've roughly deduced why the elders are sleepwalking.'
After observing them for days, Bu Eun-seol had already pieced together the cause.
And he understood—this was no accident. Someone had orchestrated it deliberately.
'But why?'
Yet the fundamental reason—why someone would do this—still eluded him.
Click.
The door opened, revealing a haggard-looking Daoist and an elderly man with ashen hair.
Song-ak and Bukgung Ryeong had returned.
"You were right."
Bukgung Ryeong had gone to examine Yeong-jin's condition, just as Bu Eun-seol had requested.
"His body shows no abnormalities, but the vital essence within him has significantly diminished."
His expression darkened with incomprehension.
"How on earth did you know their essence was being drained?"
Vital essence was the primordial source of all creation—the very energy that sustained life itself.
And every elder afflicted with sleepwalking had been severely depleted of it.
"It's only natural our sect repeatedly examined their physical condition, yet we never detected such severe damage to their essence energy."
Song-ak also inquired with evident curiosity.
"What in the world happened?"
"It's only logical."
Since there were three people in the room, Bu Eun-seol spoke in his usual indifferent tone.
"Most likely, when the elders were first discovered wandering at night and were immediately awakened, no one conducted a thorough pulse diagnosis. They must have assumed it was just ordinary sleepwalking."
"Well, of course."
"But when they started drinking blood or behaving bizarrely, wouldn't they naturally suspect something was wrong and check their pulses?"
"Ah, I see now."
Bukgung Ryeong nodded as if everything had finally clicked into place.
"Since they had already drunk blood, their essence energy must have been partially replenished."
"Exactly."
Bu Eun-seol nodded in agreement.
He had observed that while Daoist Master Yeong-jin caught and consumed centipedes and owls, he wasn't chewing their flesh—only sucking their blood or bodily fluids.
The Wudang Sect didn't strictly prohibit meat consumption,
but elders of their stature typically practiced Taoist cultivation secrets like the Jade Dew True Qi, avoiding meat as much as possible.
As a result, regardless of age, their bodies remained robust, almost as if they had mastered the Virgin Boy Skill.
But this came with a drawback—if they experienced nocturnal emissions due to sexual activity or self-stimulation,
a significant portion of their essence energy would be lost.
And the fastest way to replenish it?
Blood-drinking.
By consuming the blood of other living beings, they could restore some of their essence energy.
"But why?"
Bukgung Ryeong shook his head.
"The elders and commanders of the Spirit Child Division are all deeply trained in Taoist secrets. Surely, at their age, they wouldn't still indulge in self-stimulation or engage with women, would they?"
"How could that be possible?"
Bu Eun-seol replied flatly.
"Someone has been secretly draining the elders' essence energy."
"Drained their essence energy? Are you saying they were possessed by virgin ghosts?"
Aside from self-stimulation or intercourse,
the only known way for a man to lose essence energy was through ghostly possession.
So, were the elders truly haunted by spirits or evil ghosts?
"That does make some sense."
Even though Bu Eun-seol answered almost jokingly, Bukgung Ryeong turned to Song-ak with a serious expression.
"Can the Wudang Sect exorcise demons using talismans and incantations?"
Song-ak's face darkened with disbelief.
"Our sect has no such methods."
"But you're Daoists, aren't you? Surely you know some exorcism mantras to drive out lesser demons."
"That would be the Maoshan Sect's specialty."
As the two bickered over trivialities,
'This is strange.'
Bu Eun-seol fell deep into thought.
'There's another way to absorb a person's essence energy.'
The Infinite Realm extracted essence blood to manufacture Human Blossoms.
But even they only drew blood to harvest essence blood—
draining essence energy from a perfectly healthy person was impossible.
Moreover, the sleepwalkers on Wudang Mountain were all highly skilled elders of the Wudang Sect, weren't they?
'No matter how I think about it, if such a method or tool exists...'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened as he muttered under his breath.
'A tool?'
He recalled the wrist guards worn by Mount Hua Sect's leader, Chae Ju-hong.
'A Black Divine Artifact.'
Bu Eun-seol pressed a hand to his forehead.
The thought was insane—but if a Black Divine Artifact possessed such impossible functions, couldn't it also have the ability to absorb human essence blood?
"Can you bring me my sword now?"
Before entering the Daoist temple, Bu Eun-seol had entrusted the Ink Soul Sword to a reception attendant.
Though the Sword Release Pond, where visitors once left their weapons before ascending Wudang Mountain, no longer existed,
Bu Eun-seol had refrained from carrying his weapon out of respect for the Wudang Sect, leaving it with Song-ak instead.
"Have you found the culprit?"
Song-ak asked eagerly, but Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Not yet. But I'll need my sword to uncover the cause."
"With your sword?"
"Yes."
Bukgung Ryeong and Song-ak blinked in unison.
Could it be that the iron sword Bu Eun-seol always carried emitted some kind of spiritual energy capable of repelling evil spirits?
"Trust me. If my guess is correct... we might just find it."
Bu Eun-seol was not one to speak idly.
Realizing he had a plan, Song-ak nodded.
"I'll retrieve your sword at once."
Song-ak immediately brought the Ink Soul Sword to Bu Eun-seol.
Once armed, Bu Eun-seol began visiting each of the elders' quarters one by one.
'The Ink Soul Sword will react for sure.'
Unlike demonic swords, Black Divine Artifacts didn't resonate just by being near each other.
But through Chae Ju-hong's wrist guards, Bu Eun-seol had confirmed that the Ink Soul Sword wasn't a demon-slaying blade—
it might be a God-Slaying Weapon.
If a Black Divine Artifact existed within Wudang,
and if it was tormenting the elders,
then the Ink Soul Sword would undoubtedly react.
Bu Eun-seol checked every elder's room. Unfortunately, no Black Divine Artifact was detected.
'Was I wrong?'
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol turned to leave the Purple Cloud Palace.
Ziiing.
But then—an extremely faint, almost imperceptible energy brushed against his senses.
It was the softest hum of sword resonance, the Ink Soul Sword vibrating ever so slightly.
Bu Eun-seol followed the sword's guidance.
His destination?
The storage room where the Wudang Sect's robes and ceremonial items were kept.
"Can we check that area?"
At Bu Eun-seol's request, Song-ak nodded.
Inside the storage room, Daoist robes and various ritual implements lay neatly arranged.
Ziiing.
As Bu Eun-seol approached the section where the robes were stored, the Ink Soul Sword emitted a subtle vibration.
'So that's it.'
At last, Bu Eun-seol understood.
The Ink Soul Sword wasn't reacting to just any ordinary Daoist robe—
only to those worn by Daoist Master Yeong-jin or Yeongsong-ja.
This meant they hadn't found the wielder of the Black Divine Artifact, but had instead discovered traces of its energy being used.
Which could only mean...
Just like Elder Chae Ju-hong of the Mount Hua Sect, someone had infiltrated under the guise of a Taoist disciple and had been using the Black Divine Artifact to drain the vital energy of the Elders.