Chapter 730
"That can't be."
Mu-gyeol shook his head.
"The Elder keeps that book stored separately in a specific location."
Mu-gyeol had attended Martial Venerable for a long time.
If there were a book that Martial Venerable always carried in his robes? There was no way he wouldn't have noticed.
"Could it perhaps be in the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin?"
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin? What do you mean?"
Bu Eun-seol found this strange.
Whatever might have happened in the past, currently Mu-gyeol was Martial Venerable's disciple. He faithfully carried out all his instructions.
Yet he didn't know about the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin?
"The underground of the Pratyekabuddha Hall. Have you not been there?"
"You mean the secret passage connected to the storage room?"
"That's right."
"That place is merely a hidden passageway to move discreetly between the Pratyekabuddha Hall and the Heaven and Earth Pavilion."
Bu Eun-seol swallowed his surprise.
Martial Venerable had never shown Jeong Cheon-je's corpse to Mu-gyeol.
"Have you never seen Jeong Cheon-je's remains until now?"
But an unexpected answer came back.
"I have seen them."
"Where did you see them?"
Mu-gyeol looked at Bu Eun-seol with suspicious eyes.
"You're not asking these questions to find out where the Master's remains are being kept, are you?"
At this bizarre response, Bu Eun-seol felt momentarily confused.
'Could it be that Martial Venerable showed me a fake corpse of Jeong Cheon-je?'
He stared intently into Mu-gyeol's eyes.
'Or is Martial Venerable suspicious of Mu-gyeol, so he showed him a different fake corpse of Jeong Cheon-je?'
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol decided to speak honestly.
If Mu-gyeol was truly Jeong Cheon-je's disciple.
Then he absolutely needed to know the truth.
"Actually, I saw the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin in the secret passage beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall. And Jeong Cheon-je's corpse was preserved there."
"That can't be."
Mu-gyeol shook his head as if he couldn't believe it.
"The Martial Alliance is practically the Demon-Subduing Palace itself. There's no way the Elder would keep the Master's corpse here."
"You're saying you saw it somewhere else, then?"
"Of course."
"When did you see it? Was it a long time ago?"
"I can't give you the exact date, but... yes."
Bu Eun-seol swallowed hard.
From what he could surmise, the Martial Alliance was the headquarters of the Three Realms.
As Mu-gyeol said, there was no reason for Martial Venerable.
To keep Jeong Cheon-je's corpse here.
'He doesn't seem to be lying.'
If so, the situation could be narrowed down to three possibilities.
Jeong Cheon-je's remains had originally been stored elsewhere, and Martial Venerable had recently moved them to the Martial Alliance.
Or Martial Venerable had deliberately placed a fake corpse in the Martial Alliance, and that was what Bu Eun-seol had seen.
'Or...'
A flash of insight exploded in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'The corpses are all fakes, and Jeong Cheon-je is still alive.'
Having organized his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol asked again.
"Then are you certain the corpse was the real Jeong Cheon-je?"
"What do you mean?"
"Was it truly your Master?"
Mu-gyeol replied with a sorrowful expression.
"How could a disciple not recognize whether their Master's remains are real or fake?"
Bu Eun-seol felt confused.
If Mu-gyeol's words were true, then there was an even more complicated backstory to this matter.
But there was no need to press Mu-gyeol further. After all, uncovering the truth in their current situation was impossible.
"Well, fine. Tell me exactly what you need me to do."
Mu-gyeol handed him a map.
"This is a place the Elder secretly stays at when he ventures into the Martial World. And since he must attend the Council of Elders soon, he has no choice but to remain at the Martial Alliance for three days."
"He attends meetings even during closed-door training?"
"The Council of Elders is more important than the Grand Assembly."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
The Council of Elders, hosted by the Elders' Hall, held more authority than the Grand Assembly attended by all the Martial Alliance's key figures?
Then Mu-gyeol continued.
"During the meeting, infiltrate this place and investigate thoroughly. See if the Spring and Autumn Annals left by the Master are there."
Bu Eun-seol unfolded the map.
It depicted a diagram for dismantling the boundary formation to enter the interior.
'Could this be the place she mentioned?'
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol recalled what Gongson Dan-gyeong had told him.
—The Baekri Clan Leader once made me a secret proposal. If I told him where Jeong Cheon-je was in closed-door training, we would form a solid cooperative relationship.
But Baekri Mu-jo had failed to keep his promise to Gongson Dan-gyeong to capture Yang Seol-rin alive.
In the end, that proposal had come to nothing.
Could this place be the one Baekri Mu-jo had desperately sought? That was the thought that crossed his mind.
'If so, then unimaginable danger must be lurking there.'
Looking back, the mechanism beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall had reacted to 'Harmonization.'
If this was where Martial Venerable stored his martial arts essence and important documents?
The presence of terrifying traps beyond anything seen before was an utterly obvious assumption.
"Are you certain that Jeong Cheon-je left behind a will in this place?"
"That, I cannot know. But an opportunity like this will never come again... We have no choice but to attempt it."
"If you possess the Formation-Breaking Map, wouldn't it be better for you to enter yourself?"
"I cannot go."
"Why not?"
Mu-gyeol's expression turned bitter.
"The formation created by His Excellency can only be entered by those with a certain level of Martial Prowess and Internal Power. Moreover, my movements are strictly reported to His Excellency—there is absolutely no way for me to enter unnoticed."
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin.
"What if I go there and find nothing?"
The Martial Venerable was a meticulous man.
There was no reason for him to leave behind anything that could pose a future threat to himself in a hidden retreat.
"Then that is simply how it must be. We can only accept it as fate."
"And what if I find Jeong Cheon-je's will hidden there and take it for myself? Have you not considered that possibility?"
Mu-gyeol, rather than looking troubled, smiled faintly.
"Then I will have misjudged you."
Bu Eun-seol let out a dry chuckle.
His roots were, after all, of the Demonic Path—a disciple of Langya Pavilion.
Yet here was Mu-gyeol, the disciple of the Number One of the Righteous Path, placing boundless trust in him... The absurdity of the situation was not lost on him.
"This will be a debt I'll have to repay dearly."
With a sigh, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Very well. I'll do it."
In the end, he resolved to venture into the Secret Vault Mu-gyeol had spoken of.
"I won't thank you. This is merely a transaction, after all."
"Naturally."
Bu Eun-seol picked up the map.
Just as he was about to turn away, a thought struck him, and he asked:
"Did Jeong Cheon-je leave behind any specific martial arts for you?"
"Martial Arts?"
"Did he instruct you to master or inherit any particular techniques?"
"Why would you—Ah, I see."
Mu-gyeol, who had been frowning, now stroked his chin as he grasped Bu Eun-seol's implication.
After a long moment of contemplation, he spoke as if recalling something.
"Now that you mention it, among the Shaolin Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, he strictly ordered me to master the eleven highest-tiered Ultimate Arts."
"The Shaolin Seventy-Two Supreme Arts..."
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if something had clicked in his mind.
"Then I'll take my leave."
The Martial Venerable's hidden retreat was said to be a cave within the depths of Cloud-Colored Valley, a secluded gorge in the Dabie Mountains.
But no place named Cloud-Colored Valley existed in the Dabie Mountains.
Because Cloud-Colored Valley was a phantom gorge that existed nowhere in the Central Plains—completely severed from the world.
According to the Formation-Breaking Map Mu-gyeol had given him, entering required performing a series of seemingly meaningless actions.
Only then would the gate to Cloud-Colored Valley appear.
'As expected, the Martial Venerable is also deeply versed in Esoteric Ritual Arts.'
Why was he called the Martial Venerable?
From childhood, he had wandered the Rivers and Lakes, mastering every martial art scattered across Murim.
Even Ak Mu-ryeong, the lord of Langya Pavilion—who was said to be mad for battle—was considered somewhat lacking in comparison to the Martial Venerable when it came to the breadth of martial knowledge.
Obsessed with the Martial Way, he ceaselessly engaged in duels to reach the Ultimate Principle he envisioned.
It was said he formed no bonds with any sect or martial artist.
Thus, he roamed the martial world his entire life—fighting, creating new techniques, traveling from the Central Plains to the farthest reaches Beyond the Frontier.
Finally, the martial artist who had mastered all martial techniques earned the name Martial Venerable.
Given that, it was only natural that such a man would be capable of wielding Esoteric Ritual Arts and mysterious Great Arts.
Ziiing.
Having ascended the Dabie Mountains, Bu Eun-seol stepped into the location Mu-gyeol had indicated.
Following the Formation-Breaking Art's instructions, he repeated the sequence of meaningless actions—
And finally, a translucent space formed before him, about thirty meters ahead.
The entrance to Cloud-Colored Valley.
'With a method like this, even the greatest master would never be able to enter.'
This space could not be forced open by strength or martial arts. One had to act precisely at the right time, following the exact Laws.
If one did not know the correct method to create the gate?
Even a master of the Martial Extreme Realm would be unable to manifest an entrance into such a space.
Crunch, crunch.
As Bu Eun-seol stepped inside, a massive gate loomed before him.
Just as he was about to enter, a thought struck him, and he turned back, unleashing his Lightness Skill.
Emerging from the Dabie Mountains, he retrieved a wooden box from his robes.
Inside lay a pair of mysterious orbs—the Linked Sound Warning Pearls.
A mystical treasure that could transmit vibrations between them even when separated by dozens of ri.
'With my Lightness Skill, a distance of about seven and a half minutes should suffice.'
The Martial Venerable was a master beyond his capacity to oppose—his movement techniques would be extraordinary.
Just in case he returned, Bu Eun-seol planted the Linked Sound Warning Pearls along the mountain path leading here.
Swish, swish.
After burying the orb, Bu Eun-seol tested his Lightness Skill in the vicinity.
A faint vibration immediately transmitted to the orb hidden in his robes.
'It works.'
Having confirmed the Linked Sound Warning Pearls were functioning, he once again activated his Lightness Skill and entered the passage leading into Cloud-Colored Valley.
A long corridor stretched before him, and at its end stood an ordinary-looking door.
Zzziiing—
But the moment he stepped inside the passageway—
A strange force erupted from all directions, accompanied by a swirling aura of light, and began coiling around Bu Eun-seol's body.
'Ghk—!'
It was an intangible power—sticky yet unyielding, impervious to Internal Energy or any external force.
'So the Formation-Breaking Art wasn't the only defense.'
It was unlikely Mu-gyeol would deliberately set a trap to toy with him.
That meant this was either something Mu-gyeol himself didn't know about—or a hidden mechanism secretly installed by the Martial Venerable.
Crrack.
A sharp sound echoed from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Not only was the bizarre pressure crushing him, but it was also piercing into his acupoints with razor-sharp precision.
Step. Step.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Bu Eun-seol swiftly strode through the luminous haze and reached the door.
But no matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it refused to budge.
'Should I break it?'
He gathered his Internal Power—then immediately lowered his hand.
'No.'
Whoever had crafted such an intricate mechanism had deliberately left behind an ordinary wooden door.
That could only mean one thing:
Even if an intruder managed to enter this place, they would inevitably leave behind evidence of their trespass—precisely because the door was designed to be fragile.
'Hmm...'
Despite the agony, Bu Eun-seol searched for a way to open the door.
But it was made of plain wood—so flimsy that even the slightest use of Internal Energy would shatter it.
'Strange.'
A sense of unease prickled at him.
'Would a mundane wooden door truly exist inside a mechanism capable of isolating an entire realm?'
The Martial Venerable was a Master of the Martial Extreme Realm, well-versed in various Esoteric Ritual Arts.
If so, this might not be an illusion—but rather, something made to appear as a wooden door through some arcane power.
'What if this isn't a door at all?'
Ignoring the pain, Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes and ran his fingers along the door's surface.
Then—he felt it.
A rhythmic pulse, like the flow of blood through living veins.
'No way.'
A realization struck him.
Placing his palm firmly against the door, he immediately activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art and synchronized his own energy with the flow resonating from within.
Zzziiing—
The tightly sealed door quivered—as though it were a living creature—and slowly began to open.
"Hah..."
Finally stepping through, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
Given the name Cloud-Colored Valley, he had expected—
A tranquil, picturesque landscape, like something out of a Peach Blossom Paradise.
But this place...
It looked no different from the desolate woods surrounding the public storage warehouses where goods from the Ten Thousand Blossoms Store in Henan were kept.
'Could they be... connected?'
He shook his head.
No matter how formidable the Martial Venerable's Esoteric Ritual Arts were—
Unless he was an immortal, there was no way he could traverse hundreds of ri in an instant through a mere door.
'Which means... this space was deliberately constructed this way.'
Pondering deeply, Bu Eun-seol shook his head again.
"I'll think about it later."
The Martial Venerable could return at any moment. There was no time to study the mechanisms here.
Moving swiftly, Bu Eun-seol surveyed the Secluded Valley—and soon spotted a massive cave in the distance.
'That must be it.'
Inside the cavern lay an expansive stone chamber, so vast it bordered on cavernous.
Shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls, countless tomes packed tightly together.
Further in were spaces resembling an office and a Training Room.
But nowhere did he see a place where Jeong Cheon-je's corpse might be stored.
'Then... it's still being kept by the Martial Alliance?'
If this was truly the place the Martial Venerable deemed safest—
He would have undoubtedly stored Jeong Cheon-je's body here.
Yet the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin containing the remains was nowhere to be found.
"I see."
But then—his gaze sharpened as he spotted a large copper coin resting in a corner of the office.
"This place... was a base for the Martial Venerable to assume the identity of the Divine Calculator."
The coin was unadorned, its surface blank.
Yet its size matched exactly the Gratitude Coins the Divine Calculator distributed.
Most likely, he had been refining these blank coins into genuine Gratitude Coins—marked in a way only he could recognize.
In other words, this place served the same purpose as the Demon Hall's Safe House in Western Peace Prefecture—
A hidden base where Bu Eun-seol and Seo Jin-ha had frequently swapped identities.
"The Spring and Autumn Annals..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
Two days had already passed since the conference began—leaving only one remaining.
But he moved with urgency, his heart racing.
The Martial Venerable was not the type to waste three whole days on mere discussions.
Which meant—he had to find what Jeong Cheon-je had left behind: the Spring and Autumn Annals.
And he had to do it fast.
Click-clack.
Bu Eun-seol began rapidly scanning the thousands of books lining the shelves.
Yet there was no volume bearing the title Spring and Autumn Annals.
'How idiotic.'
Only then did a realization strike him.
'Even if it contained some hidden content, someone like the Martial Venerable wouldn't have left it plainly visible.'
Zzzing.
A white light spilled from Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
He activated his Extrasensory Perception and Empty Mind Spirit Perception, abilities capable of detecting traces decades old—
—all to uncover whatever the Martial Venerable had secretly concealed.
'There.'
Among the thousands of books, one bore the most signs of handling.
Yet no matter how he examined it, it was nothing more than an unremarkable Medical Classic.
But when he ran his fingers over the spot where the Medical Classic had been placed, a lightning-like thought flashed through his mind.
'So that's how it is.'
Every title on the book covers contained numbers—
—One, Two... Three Hundred Sixty, Eighty-Four Thousand.
'Sequence.'
Finally, Bu Eun-seol understood why this stone chamber housed thousands of books.
This wasn't a library—it was a mechanism designed to conceal something.
"It's not just about arranging them numerically—I must synchronize them with the Heavenly Robe Mind Art."
A glint of light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he traced the books.
With Empty Mind Spirit Perception heightened, the books beneath his fingertips pulsed like living creatures.
Most likely, after arranging them correctly, he had to activate the Heavenly Robe Mind Art the same way he had entered.
'In the end, every mechanism's Formation-Breaking Art resolves to the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.'
Strangely, the Martial Venerable had applied Jeong Cheon-je's Heavenly Robe Mind Art to every hidden mechanism in this hideout.
Perhaps he believed it was Jeong Cheon-je's exclusive martial art—known to no one else.
But reality was different.
His grandfather had mastered it.
He himself had mastered it.
Even Mu-gyeol had mastered it, hadn't he?
Then why—
Why did the Martial Venerable believe he alone had learned Jeong Cheon-je's Heavenly Robe Mind Art?
'No time to ponder now.'
Swish—
With imperceptible movements, Bu Eun-seol began swiftly rearranging the thousands of books.
Finally, after perfectly realigning the shelves using the numerical codes of the secret manuals—
Rumble—
The shelves shifted left and right, revealing a new wall.
'Just as I thought.'
Bu Eun-seol channeled the Heavenly Robe Mind Art once more and pressed his hand against the wall.
A faint tremor later—
—two massive doors materialized on either side.
Their exteriors were identical, but the energy emanating from within was entirely different.
The left door radiated an auspicious aura, while the right gave off no particular sensation.
Clunk.
Pushing open the left door—
Zzziiing—
A brilliant light spilled through the gap, enveloping Bu Eun-seol's body.
The radiance behaved like a living organism, scrutinizing every inch of him.
Clank.
The door shut behind him as he stepped inside, revealing only an empty stone chamber.
The darkness filling the room was thick and peculiar—likely crafted by some Great Art—
—so dense that even Bu Eun-seol, who could pierce through shadows, struggled to discern his surroundings.
"Just an empty space, then?"
As he surveyed the area—
Flash.
Hundreds of dazzling points of light suddenly ignited in the darkness.
They embroidered the entire chamber in brilliance, as though he were gazing upon a breathtaking universe.
'Constellations?'
The lights weren't static—they moved subtly, governed by some Law.
Flicker.
Then, a massive star that had been invisible until now abruptly flared to life.
Though small, it shone brighter than all the other stars combined.
'What is this now?'
In response, a dark star at the opposite end also began flickering.
Watching it, Bu Eun-seol felt light seeping from his own body.
'A celestial divination chamber? Extraordinary.'
He clicked his tongue, observing the glow emanating from himself.
The martial world had many Precious Artifacts with mystical properties—
—but he had never heard of an object capable of conjuring hundreds of lights in darkness.
For a long while, he was so entranced by the beautiful stars that he nearly forgot the passage of time.
A strange euphoria crept over him, as though some mysterious energy was seeping into his body.
Then, he jolted back to his senses.
External energy intrusion was never a good sign.
Click.
Stepping back outside, Bu Eun-seol's Snow Hawk-like eyes trembled slightly.
His mouth was suddenly parched, his stomach tightening.
'Don't tell me—'
His eyes widened as he emerged.
When he had entered the cave, the sun had been high in the sky—yet now, dawn was breaking in the distance.
'Has a full day passed inside?'
This stone chamber wasn't merely a space—
—it was akin to the Mindscape crafted by Yo-hui, the Founder of the Divine Maiden Palace.
'Disaster.'
Now, only half a day remained.