Chapter 637
The Murim world was in shock.
Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove—known for generations as a sanctuary that treated the poor and aided young patients—had not only been creating Human Blossoms and Soulless Ones within the martial world, but had also been conducting cruel experiments on its patients.
Worse still, they had taken those very patients hostage, manipulating the martial world, the commercial world factions, and even the Government Office from the shadows, orchestrating chaos across the land.
—Countless children had been abducted by Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove and subjected to horrific experiments.
—The grove was also the birthplace of the first Human Blossoms, cultivating them en masse and raising countless Soulless Ones within the martial world.
—They had taken hostage not only the descendants of the Martial Aristocratic Families but also those of the commercial world and the Government Office.
And with these hostages, they had secretly pulled the strings of the martial world.
As these truths came to light, the people were plunged into profound disbelief.
Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove—funded by the wealth of the rich to treat the poor free of charge, a place that had provided relief to countless impoverished souls—had actually been abducting children, holding patients hostage, and manipulating not just the martial world but even the commercial world and the Imperial Household?
How could such a thing be possible?
—The Martial Soul Lord was right.
Amid the scorn of the world, the Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol, had set out to strike down Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove.
As it turned out, he had long since uncovered their atrocities and had marched forth to stop them.
Yet, due to interference from the Martial Alliance, he had ultimately been unable to bring them to justice himself.
Unable to endure the public outcry, the Martial Alliance had quietly offered the Martial Soul Lord an apology.
—"We regret that the Divine Guard Unit Commander's poor judgment inadvertently hindered the Martial Soul Lord's efforts."
But this was no formal apology, nor did it include any mention of reparations.
Though Baek In-cheong, the Divine Guard Unit Commander, had been stricken by conscience and confessed everything in detail, the Martial Alliance was still evading responsibility.
—"Had the Martial Soul Lord possessed definitive evidence, there would have been no need for conflict. Yet he recklessly mobilized troops without proof."
—"In the end, the Martial Soul Lord bears some responsibility for this clash as well."
Though there had been no major casualties, the question of accountability was clear.
If reparations were to be demanded, the sum could reach astronomical figures depending on negotiations—so they refused to admit fault outright.
—"In truth, the Martial Soul Lord only had suspicions. Wasn't it the Righteous Faction that ultimately delivered the results?"
The Martial Alliance held its head high.
After all, it was the masters of the Righteous Faction who had meticulously uncovered the evidence of Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove's atrocities.
—"They have a point. In the end, the Martial Soul Lord only bought time through battle."
The public somewhat accepted the Martial Alliance's stance.
Ultimately, the decisive evidence against Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove had been secured by the Righteous Faction.
And behind the Righteous Faction's success, there had been unsung heroes—
The Wudang Sect and the Beggars' Sect.
—"Like the Martial Soul Lord, the Wudang Sect had also been suspicious of Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove."
—"Thanks to the Wudang Sect's support in rallying the scattered masters of the Beggars' Sect, they were able to thoroughly uncover the evidence of the grove's crimes."
With the Wudang Sect's aid, the Beggars' Sect's masters had reunited and pooled their strength.
They had unearthed every last piece of evidence that the Martial Alliance's investigation team had failed to find.
—"It would have been a shame for the Beggars' Sect to collapse under the weight of its leadership's sins."
Namgung Un, once the youngest son of the Namgung Clan, had infiltrated the Beggars' Sect and exposed the misdeeds of its leader, No Bong.
As a result, the Beggars' Sect—founded on integrity and chivalrous righteousness—had been sealed away when it was revealed that, behind the scenes, they had committed atrocities even the Demonic Path would not dare.
But all these crimes had been orchestrated by No Bong and his deputy, Hae-pung. Most of the sect's disciples had been entirely unaware.
Now, the Beggars' Sect had been given a chance to wash away its disgrace and rise once more.
—"The Beggars' Sect has broken its seal."
With the Wudang Sect's full support, the Beggars' Sect had finally lifted its seal and resumed its activities as a martial school.
Though No Bong's crimes had cast a shadow over them, the Beggars' Sect still housed many outstanding individuals of noble spirit and righteous bone.
Regretting this waste, the Wudang Sect had spared no effort in supporting them, and at last, the seal was broken.
—"The Beggars' Sect deserves this."
The martial artists of the Righteous Faction nodded in approval.
The Beggars' Sect had always been a force for good.
If its many members strictly upheld their principles and continued their virtuous deeds, it would not be long before they reclaimed their former glory as the "Greatest Sect Under Heaven."
But no sooner had the Beggars' Sect broken its seal than it made a series of shocking revelations to the martial world.
—"Our sect, under the Wudang Sect's support, merely uncovered the evidence of their crimes. But the one who truly brought down Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove was none other than the Martial Soul Lord."
It had been widely believed that the Beggars' Sect had rescued the hostages, exposed the hidden facilities, and uncovered the evidence of the grove's atrocities.
But now they claimed that all these achievements were owed to the Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol?
"—The ones who uncovered the secret facility inside and rescued the hostages were none other than Geuk Hye-bin, the successor of the Fleeting Moment Boat, and the young masters of the Langya Pavilion under her command."
The Beggars' Sect made it clear that their ability to infiltrate the Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove and conduct covert investigations had only been possible thanks to the young masters secretly embedded by the Langya Pavilion.
"—The reason the full-scale war between the Martial Alliance and the Demon Hall did not escalate into massive bloodshed was due to the ghostly military tactics of Hyeok So-jin, the successor of the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary."
Not only did the Beggars' Sect honestly reveal the previously unknown contributions of the Demon Hall's heroes—
"—And the reason the Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove collapsed in an instant was all thanks to the Martial Soul Lord."
Not only had he discreetly eliminated the Forest Lord, but he had also rescued the hostages held captive.
The martial artists were stunned.
The one who had commanded the Blood Mist Corps of the Demon Hall, avoiding bloodshed with the Martial Alliance and leading prolonged battles, was none other than Hyeok So-jin, the successor of the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary.
And in the meantime, Bu Eun-seol had treated the hostages and dealt with the Forest Lord of the Heavenly Grace Medicine Grove—the Dreaming One?
The hidden merits of Bu Eun-seol and the successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates were astonishing enough, but even more shocking was the Beggars' Sect's boldness in revealing them without hesitation.
"—The Beggars' Sect has changed."
In the past, they would have never disclosed such truths for the sake of the orthodox faction's dignity. But now, they spoke without reservation.
"—Now, the hierarchy of the Demonic Path Ten Gates will shift."
The martial artists now realized that the rankings among the Ten Gates had changed.
The Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary had been mocked as a place where dying old men were cared for while stealing secret manuals.
The Fleeting Moment Boat had been ridiculed for maintaining its position within the Ten Gates solely through generations of accumulated wealth.
But after this incident—
Not only had they risen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Fire Rain Sword Sect and the Bloodflame Blade Family, but unlike other Demonic Path Ten Gates that had failed to produce outstanding successors, they had nurtured exceptional heirs—a fact now known to the entire world.
"—Why is this old man's contribution being left out?"
Then, an unexpected figure stepped forward.
The Needle King, Jongri Sa-hyeon, suddenly insisted that the reason the hostages poisoned by the Human Blossoms had been cured was because of the Needle King Pills he had created.
"—I gave the Martial Soul Lord my Needle King Pills! That's how they were treated!"
The Needle King spat as he spread this rumor.
Only then did the martial artists finally solve the last lingering mystery they hadn't understood—
How had so many people poisoned by the Human Blossoms recovered unscathed?
The Martial Soul Lord had foreseen everything.
While manipulating the grand scheme, he had also executed a plan to save the hostages.
"—This Alliance will formally apologize. And we will proceed with reparations for the damages suffered by the Demon Hall."
The Martial Alliance, which had been desperate to cover up its mistakes, could no longer endure the public's condemnation and scorn.
In the end, they issued an official apology to the Demon Hall and the Martial Soul Lord.
They announced that they would send Gongson Dan-gyeong to the Demon Hall to negotiate reparations.
"—He is undeniably a grandmaster of the Demonic Path Murim and the future lord of the Demon Hall."
Because of his youth,
The Martial Soul Lord Bu Eun-seol had long been counted among the Rising Talents of the Younger Generation.
Only now did the world realize—he was one of the grandmasters shaping the current martial world, and every move he made had a profound impact on the entire Murim.
Martial Alliance, Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
The Martial Alliance Chief, the Divine Heaven Emperor Shin Do-mu-bi, always conducted his closed-door cultivation in a hidden location.
Because of this, the office in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion was usually empty, with only the occasional attendant coming in during the day to clean.
Krrrr—
But late at night,
A low vibration echoed from the study inside the office, and a hidden door silently formed.
Click.
As the door opened, a hunched old man in blue robes slowly revealed himself.
His face was obscured by the darkness, but his eyes gleamed as clear as the azure sky, flashing white even in the shadows.
He was the Divine Calculator, known as the Foremost Sage of the Murim.
"Nothing but talk of that brat everywhere."
The Divine Calculator, having entered the office, wore a faint smile.
It had been a long time.
He had known Bu Eun-seol for years and had planned to use him to overturn the Martial Alliance and drive a blade into the Three Realms.
Of course, that wasn't the entirety of it—the most crucial plan still remained...
Clank.
Through a hidden mechanism in the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, he descended into the secret chamber beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
Creak.
As he entered the secret mechanism, his hunched posture straightened, transforming into that of a towering elderly man with a dignified presence.
His prominent nose and eyes burned like torches.
His seemingly frail body was packed with dense muscle, resembling a finely forged blade from a distance.
Countless scars covered him from head to toe.
The Martial Venerable, Danmok Gi.
The foremost of the Three Venerables, sworn brother to the Divine Heaven Emperor Shin Do-mu-bi.
The man who had been acting as the Martial Alliance Chief in secret—all to conceal the death of his younger brother, Shin Do-mu-bi, from the orthodox Murim.
He had released the disguise and returned to his original form.
"A rather troublesome development."
The Martial Venerable let out a sigh as he gazed at the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin, now transformed into a rectangular metal block.
"To think he was already capable of entering this place..."
He had already known that Bu Eun-seol, posing as Seon-u Jin, had infiltrated the underground of the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
But the reason he had concealed the True Heavenly Emperor's corpse here was precisely because he had designed the gate to bar entry from anyone but himself—a gate that embodied the culmination of the True Heavenly Emperor's martial refinement and enlightenment.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had entered.
This meant his progress far exceeded what the Martial Venerable had anticipated.
"Then I'll have to adjust my plans somewhat."
Shaking his head, the Martial Venerable ran his hand over the metallic surface of the coffin.
The sword marks engraved upon it vanished without a trace.
Hummm.
Then, as he channeled his Internal Power, a low vibration resonated, accompanied by the metallic clinking of shifting mechanisms.
Chwarak!
In an instant, the coffin reverted to its original form—a transparent, crystalline structure encased in ice jade.
"My brother..."
The Martial Venerable stared deeply at Shin Do-mu-bi's face within the coffin and exhaled a heavy sigh.
Shin Do-mu-bi. Before he was the Number One of the Righteous Path, he had been the benefactor who had saved the Martial Venerable's life countless times.
The man who had pulled him out of despair and defeat time and again, guiding him back to the righteous path.
And yet, he had died at the hands of an unknown assailant.
For the Martial Venerable, it was as if the heavens had collapsed—an unbearable injustice.
"Now, the end is finally coming into view."
All this time, while impersonating the True Heavenly Emperor, he had never known a moment of peace.
Having wandered the martial world his entire life, he had found it impossible to trust anyone within the Martial Alliance.
The most talented figures had already been recruited by external factions, and those who remained were either lacking in strength or possessed untrustworthy dispositions.
Yet he couldn't afford to openly shake the foundations of the orthodox and unorthodox martial world while acting as the Martial Alliance Chief.
For beyond the Three Realms, there were countless hidden powers lurking in the shadows.
After much deliberation, he had attempted to groom disciples to stand against them—but in the end, he had failed.
Those he had raised were all exceptional in martial arts, but that was all.
To oppose the hidden forces, mere martial prowess was not enough.
They needed unyielding persistence.
And the cunning intellect to survive any situation—adaptability that bordered on genius.
In the end, despite his advanced age, the Martial Venerable had chosen his late-received disciple, Mu-gyeol, and prepared to enact his long-devised plan—using the identity of Seon-u Jin to overturn the Martial Alliance from within.
But then, the son of Baekri Mu-ha had appeared.
"The sole survivor of Saha Manor."
The moment he recalled Bu Eun-seol, old memories surged unbidden into his mind.
His sworn brother, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor Shin Do-mu-bi, alongside and certain factions, had raided Saha Manor.
But afterward, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's movements had grown suspicious.
He had mobilized a secret organization to conduct relentless investigations around Saha Manor.
Sensing something amiss, the Martial Venerable had begun his own inquiries—and eventually discovered the existence of a mysterious mechanism within Saha Manor, one that even the Twin Celestial Emperors of Righteousness and Demon could not detect.
"A mechanism so profound that even the Twin Celestial Emperors couldn't sense it..."
Realizing that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor must have detected something, the Martial Venerable had kept a close watch on his movements.
And years later, he had uncovered a shocking truth.
As if fate itself were playing a cruel joke—
The bloodline of Baekri Mu-ha was being raised in secret by none other than the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang, who had been living in seclusion under a hidden identity.
And the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had found them.
But in the meantime, the True Heavenly Emperor had been assassinated by an unknown assailant.
Forced to maintain the balance of the martial world, the Martial Venerable had no choice but to assume the True Heavenly Emperor's identity.
During his time as the Martial Alliance Chief, he had encountered the Demonic Heavenly Emperor multiple times—and through these meetings, he had learned the full truth.
That Bu Jan-yang was a product of the Absolute Demon Saber Project.
That Baekri Mu-ha was a descendant of the legendary Baekri Clan, one of the Three Clans.
But several years later—
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade was brutally murdered.
And the child he had raised threw himself into the Demonic Path, seeking vengeance for Bu Jan-yang.
That child was Bu Eun-seol.
He had participated in the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament.
And the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, as if waiting for this very moment, had pitted him against the successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates—until at last, he became the Heir of the Demon Hall.
Bu Eun-seol was an exceptional blade.
Just as the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had intended, he rampaged through the martial world like a madman, hunting down the murderer who had slain Bu Jan-yang.
But then, the unexpected happened.
While investigating the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's death, Bu Eun-seol had eventually sought out the Martial Venerable—and presented him with a Gratitude Coin.
"This boy..."
The prodigy he had scoured the entire martial world for, wearing out iron shoes in his search—was standing right before him.
"Having him under my wing would be even better."
He had already planned to approach Bu Eun-seol when the time was right.
After all, he possessed what the Martial Venerable had longed for in his dreams.
But for him to come willingly into his grasp?
For the Martial Venerable, this was an opportunity beyond compare.
And so, without hesitation, he had bestowed upon Bu Eun-seol the identity of Seon-u Jin.
This boy...
Will accomplish far more than Mu-gyeol ever could.
And that gamble had succeeded.
Bu Eun-seol had perfectly embodied the persona of Seon-u Jin, steadily climbing the ranks of the Martial Alliance's upper echelons—
Not only that, but he had also willingly joined forces with Gongson Dan-gyeong, who knew his secret.
And now, he had even uncovered the stronghold of the Infinite Realm.
That terrifying master—the Heavenly Venerable—had been shattered single-handedly.
If things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before all factions turned their blades toward Bu Eun-seol.
In that case, he would have to accelerate the various tasks at hand and draw out the latent power within that child as soon as possible.
Only then... would he be able to reach the final destination of all the plans he had laid.
"It won't be long now, little brother."
The Martial Venerable's eyes flashed as he gazed down at the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
"Just wait a little longer, and I'll announce your death to the world... and let you rest in peace."
With a deep sigh, he turned away—but then halted mid-step.
The orb resting atop the corpse's head.
The color of the Ice Core Jade, which maintained the coffin's frigid energy, had subtly changed.
"This one needs replacing too, it seems."
The Ice Core Jade was said to never alter in nature, even after millennia.
But in reality, that didn't seem to be the case.
Clack. Shu-woo.
The Martial Venerable opened the coffin lid and examined the Ice Core Jade intently.
"There's still time."
He nodded slightly and muttered in a low voice.
"The Ice Core Jade is still there, after all... I'll have him take care of a few more things before sending him over."
Just as he was about to close the coffin again—
"...!"
A bizarre sensation prickled at the back of his mind.
For some reason, his little brother's sleeping face seemed... different.
"That can't be."
To confirm the cause of death,
he had inspected the corpse hundreds of times already, searching for even the faintest trace of foul play.
Yet he had never detected anything unusual.
Was it because of the Ice Core Jade's discoloration? Why was he suddenly sensing something unfamiliar now?
'There's something here.'
The Martial Venerable's eyes sharpened.
Then, with extreme caution, he examined the corpse again.
Because despite its peaceful appearance,
Shin Do-mu-bi's remains were, in truth, in an unspeakably gruesome state.
"..."
The Martial Venerable poured all his focus into scrutinizing the body.
But no matter how hard he looked, nothing seemed amiss.
Yet the longer he stared,
the more the atmosphere around it felt... uncannily altered.
"I must be losing my mind."
He pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head.
"Since when do corpses have an atmosphere?"
He must have grown too sensitive from handling so many affairs lately.
"Just because the Ice Core Jade's color changed..."
As he muttered in frustration, his eyes suddenly flashed.
"The Ice Core Jade's color... changed."
A strange thought flickered through his mind.
The Ice Core Jade, radiating cold energy, had changed color.
Then... could it be that something inside his brother's corpse had also changed, causing the Ice Core Jade to shift in response?
"If that 'something' is so minute that it's nearly undetectable..."
The only way to know for sure was dissection.
But he couldn't bring himself to disturb his brother's already incomplete remains.
For a long while, the Martial Venerable stared blankly at the Ice Core Jade preserving the coffin's chill.
Then, as he watched, a pale mist began to rise faintly from it—and his eyes lit up.
"Ah, that's it. There's another way."
Drawing upon his Internal Power once more, his pupils turned transparent.
At the same time, an ethereal current of energy flowed from his body, gently enveloping Shin Do-mu-bi's remains.
This was the pinnacle of mastery—the ability to synchronize with another's Qi Circulation without physical contact.
The secret art of Jeong Cheon-je, the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.
'With this, I'll definitely find something unusual.'
With a slight modification, the Heavenly Robe Mind Art could scan not just Qi Circulation, but the very flesh itself.
If it could detect even intangible True Qi, then sensing the interior of a physical body should be child's play.
Whirr-whirr-whirr...
The transparent energy emanating from the Martial Venerable grew denser.
At the same time, streams of information began flooding into his mind.
'What is this?'
No matter how many methods he had used before, he had never sensed this.
But now, with the Heavenly Robe Mind Art amplified, he could perceive something he hadn't before—
A minuscule presence, faintly pulsing within Shin Do-mu-bi's earlobe.
"Forgive me, little brother."
Channeling his Internal Power, the Martial Venerable pressed his fingers against the earlobe.
The flesh split open, and from within, a tiny bead—no larger than a grain of rice—sprang out.
"A bead."
The gleaming bead was tinged with a yellowish hue, as if it too had discolored like the Ice Core Jade.
"What in the world is this?"
When he tore his gaze from the bead, he was stunned once more.
With the bead removed, the corpse's entire atmosphere had shifted completely.
It was an indescribable sensation—one only the Martial Venerable, who had seen Jeong Cheon-je alive, could recognize.
"A corpse shouldn't have an atmosphere. And yet..."
The Martial Venerable was a man of unparalleled knowledge in the martial world.
Yet he had never heard of a bead like this.
In moments like these, he needed to be not the Martial Venerable—but the Foremost Sage of the Murim, the Divine Calculator.
"Then I'll have to seek out the real sage."
The Martial Venerable took a deep breath.
The one who had helped him become the Divine Calculator in the first place—
The disciple of Mo-ryun the Dharma Seeker... and the true Foremost Sage of the Murim.