Chapter 759
"You have excellent ambition."
Baek Jeon-cheon gazed at Bu Eun-seol with eyes that seemed to hold a trace of nostalgia.
In truth, this was the very image of what it meant to be a true practitioner of the Demonic Path.
The Hegemony of the Demonic Path.
Casting aside trivialities like benevolence and righteousness.
Moving solely by the logic of strength, toppling those stronger than oneself who stand in the way—that was the way.
"Very good."
Baek Jeon-cheon nodded.
"Though it may be presumptuous to say we're joining hands, I shall eliminate any obstacles in your path, in recognition of your ambition, Lord."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
At last, his heart had been swayed.
"Is that truly possible?"
Now that Baek Jeon-cheon had agreed, Bu Eun-seol found himself overtaken by concern.
Though he had spoken of "obstacles," in truth, it meant interference from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself.
"Of course."
The reply came smoothly.
In other words, Baek Jeon-cheon was boldly declaring that he would diminish—or outright remove—the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's authority to interfere with Bu Eun-seol.
"Laws and decrees are, after all, created by people. When scrutinized closely, they reveal numerous loopholes. Though it is also our duty at the Myriad Learning Society to patch such gaps."
Baek Jeon-cheon spoke in a low voice.
"No matter how high one ascends to the supreme position of Hall Master, to govern a coalition of intertwined factions, one must maintain authority through laws rather than brute force. Just like the Martial Alliance."
"But the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's word supersedes even those laws, does it not?"
No matter how much the Demon Hall's power stemmed from the absolute support of the Demonic Path Ten Gates and its followers, there existed an unshakable foundation—the authority of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor wielded an authority far greater than that of the Demon Hall's Hall Master.
As the Number One of the Demonic Path and the Sky of the Demonic Path, his authority was overwhelming.
Thus, a single word from him held more weight than all the laws of the Demon Hall combined.
"Correct. That is precisely why Yu Baek, who was continuing her assassin's work in Hainan, could become a candidate for the Blood Secret Command Lord."
Baek Jeon-cheon's eyes gleamed sharply.
"Officially, it was the Supreme Cult Commander who summoned her, but there isn't a soul in the Demon Hall who doesn't know it was the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's doing."
He continued his explanation.
"Yet in the end, she lost her life to a prominent figure of the Martial Alliance and failed her mission. What if her identity had been exposed?"
"..."
"Naturally, our hall would have faced dire circumstances, possibly even forced to pay massive reparations to the Martial Alliance."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol grasp the meaning behind Baek Jeon-cheon's words.
"I understand what you're implying."
He shook his head slightly before speaking again.
"But even if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor made such a mistake, who would dare call him to account?"
"No one would. However, our hall would request amendments to the laws to ensure such incidents never occur again."
Baek Jeon-cheon continued.
"In truth, the leaders of the Demonic Path Ten Gates would leap at the chance to bring this up in the Demonic Governance Council. It's a golden opportunity to curb the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's unilateral decisions."
Bu Eun-seol's expression turned somewhat puzzled.
In the end, wasn't this about convening the Demonic Governance Council to exploit the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's mistake and further diminish his authority?
"Of course, such matters won't be the central focus of this council."
Baek Jeon-cheon maintained a leisurely expression as he went on.
"Some time ago, the Elders' Hall proposed a resolution that all missions involving lord-level personnel must be processed through the Demonic Governance Council—and it passed. Do you recall?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
That had been the result of negotiations with the Elders' Hall Master, Jeok Bung, to prevent the Demonic Heavenly Emperor from assigning reckless missions to the Death Shadow War Unit's subordinates and causing unnecessary harm.
"According to our hall's laws, the Martial Soul Lord has the authority to reject even the Hall Master's direct orders when necessary and carry out independent missions."
A profound light flickered in Baek Jeon-cheon's eyes.
"And the Elders' Hall Master, with great wisdom, pushed the resolution through under the reasoning that such a provision could, by the laws of the Demonic Path, negate the Hall Master's authority."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening silently, stroked his chin and nodded.
"In short, you're saying that the Hall Master also intends to block any direct or indirect orders from reaching me under the pretext of reinforcing the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's authority."
As Bu Eun-seol immediately grasped the crux of the matter, Baek Jeon-cheon smiled.
"Precisely. Due to the previous law, the Hall Master can no longer issue direct orders to you, Lord. That's why this time, he used the Supreme Cult Commander to issue an indirect command."
He continued.
"Ultimately, to pass a resolution blocking the Hall Master's circumventing orders... paradoxically, we must employ a method that strengthens his authority."
"By reinforcing the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's authority, we render his orders impossible to delegate."
"Exactly. The Supreme Cult Commander's appointment of the Blood Secret Command Lord was, in fact, beyond his jurisdiction. From now on, neither the Supreme Cult Commander nor anyone else should dare to act as a proxy for the Hall Master's inherent authority."
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled faintly.
"At that time, I will have the Martial Soul Lord's original authority—that is, the right to reject any orders except those from the Hall Master himself—officially reinstated."
Pausing briefly, he spoke again in a low but firm voice.
"Since the laws and the outcome of the Demonic Governance Council are in conflict, the Hall Master will have no choice but to step in. Moreover, since it was Hall Master Sado himself who directly appointed you, Lord..."
"He will have no choice but to recognize the Martial Soul Lord's authority, at least formally."
"Exactly so."
Baek Jeon-cheon replied with a composed smile.
"If he makes a decision that denies the Martial Soul Lord's authority, he will ultimately find his own authority as Hall Master undermined in turn."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor, as the Hall Master of the Demon Hall, held all personnel authority over lords who enjoyed special power and status.
And in accordance with this, he had demanded reconfirmation of the laws regarding the Martial Soul Lord's independence. But what if those laws were denied?
Naturally, the authority he held as the Hall Master of the Demon Hall would also be denied.
"In that case, the Hall Master Sado will no longer be able to manipulate the Lord through the Supreme Cult Commander. Trying to personally issue orders just to spite a single Lord... would be an act that undermines his own divine authority. He wouldn't do something so foolish."
'As expected.'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but marvel.
Baek Jeon-cheon—he was the Hall Leader of the Myriad Learning Society, a strategist so brilliant that calling him the brain of the Demon Hall was no exaggeration.
Wasn't he the one praised with the saying, "If he doesn't know, even the heavens don't know"?
He was exploiting the loopholes in the Demon Hall's laws and regulations—
And inversely using the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's obsession with authority and prestige—
To ensnare the very ruler who sought to manipulate and dominate the situation.
"Thank you."
Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together.
"Then I'll entrust that matter to you with full confidence."
Now that he had boarded the same ship as a strategist like Baek Jeon-cheon, he could rest easy within the Demon Hall for the time being.
No matter what trap the Demonic Heavenly Emperor laid, Baek Jeon-cheon would ensure he escaped unscathed.
A desolate wind swept endlessly across the barren Reed Field.
This was the place where, once upon a time, a young Grandmaster of the Martial Alliance and a peerless assassin had staked their lives in a decisive battle.
KRRRUMBLE—
Suddenly, thunder roared across the clear sky.
KRRRUMBLE— KWAARRRGH!
The distant thunderclaps grew deafening, and soon, a blinding white bolt of lightning split the heavens, striking the earth.
CRACK!
The lightning, as if cleaving the world in two, coalesced into a sphere of light upon the ground.
ZZZZT—
Amidst crackling blue flames, a massive shadow began to take form.
Whoosh.
Finally, the shadow solidified into the towering figure of a seven-foot-tall man and surveyed the Reed Field.
Then, spotting a particular spot, he stretched out his hand.
GRRRRRL—
The earth caved inward. The shadow continued moving his hand tirelessly across the field for a long while.
Martial Soul Society, Martial Soul Pavilion, the Grand Conference Chamber.
Inside the empty hall, Bu Eun-seol and Noe Bi-hon sat facing each other.
"What became of her?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Noe Bi-hon crossed his arms and shook his head.
"Just as you said, the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method was in effect. If I had recklessly used the Life-Saving Method without knowing..."
His eyes narrowed as he trailed off.
"Who knows? But your secret identity would've been completely exposed."
Noe Bi-hon shrugged and shook his head again.
"After all, she was from that damned Heartless Blood."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
The truth was—he hadn't killed Yu Baek.
No, he had never intended to kill her in the first place.
Her death would have left a subtle fracture in his spirit and mind.
But deceiving the eyes of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, or any faction related to the Demon Hall, was no easy feat.
—Grandfather could have done it flawlessly.
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was the Greatest Saber-Wielder Under Heaven and the Greatest Embalmer Under Heaven.
And wasn't he himself the successor who had inherited every last drop of his grandfather's wisdom and skill?
He had spent countless hours—
Realigning bones jutting through torn flesh.
Restoring dislocated joints to their proper places.
Mending shredded skin until it looked as lively as that of a living person.
With just the sensitivity of his fingertips—
By tracing the patterns of wounds, he could deduce the martial techniques used to inflict them.
By observing developed muscles and calluses, he could discern what martial arts a person had trained in.
By examining the scars left on a body... he could retrace the life and history of a person.
—Then I can do it too.
Regaining his confidence, Bu Eun-seol began devising a plan, pouring all his skill and wisdom into it.
First, he procured a corpse with a physique identical to Yu Baek's, then meticulously altered its features beyond recognition.
He replicated the exact wounds that would be inflicted by the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, the technique he would use against her.
Then, he secretly buried it in the Reed Field, where their battle was destined to take place.
But the truly crucial part came next.
Amidst the fierce battle across the vast Reed Field—
He had to ensure that, at the exact predetermined spot—
He shattered Yu Baek's body with the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, matching the wounds on the corpse without a single deviation.
And he had to subtly infuse the strikes with traces of Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy, making the injuries appear deeper than they were.
However, accomplishing this while fighting Yu Baek—who had mastered the Emotion Severing Secret Art—at full strength...
Was nearly impossible.
But Bu Eun-seol refused to give up.
He practiced relentlessly, ensuring his power distribution was flawless, that his strikes matched the wounds on the corpse with zero margin of error.
Finally, through superhuman effort, he succeeded—
In the heat of battle, he carved the Thirteenfold Qi Induction into Yu Baek's body, perfectly mirroring the wounds on the prepared corpse.
And the greatest reason this entire plan succeeded was—
At the final moment, Yu Baek willingly gave up her life for Bu Eun-seol.
Because of that, the battle concluded cleanly with the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, and he was able to fell her precisely where the corpse was buried.
There could be not even a hair's breadth of error—
Because he knew the Heartless Blood and the Demon Hall's covert operatives would be watching, and they would undoubtedly verify her death.
The ten Peak Realm Members rushing to the Reed Field—his order to bury Yu Baek—
All of it was to secretly swap her with the prepared corpse.
"Now that I think about it, it's quite remarkable."
Noe Bi-hon crossed his arms and asked,
"No matter how well you controlled your strength... how did you manage to make her appear unharmed after taking the Martial Emperor's supreme technique at close range?"
Bu Eun-seol answered,
"Because I deliberately infused the Thirteenfold Qi Induction with Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy, it looked as though her bones and flesh were severely mangled—but in truth, only her skin was torn and split."
Then he continued speaking.
"However, the fake corpse we prepared in advance is gruesomely mutilated. Even if envoys from the Ghostly Underworld Bureau inspect it, they'll never be able to distinguish its authenticity."
"I see."
Noe Bi-hon wore an expression of incomprehension.
"But how did you know the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method was in effect? Heartless Blood assassins are still direct-line killers of the Demon Hall, after all."
The reason Bu Eun-seol had asked Noe Bi-hon to deploy the Life-Saving Method was simple—he had already guessed that Yu Baek's body was sealed with a cruel Restrictive Seal like the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method.
Though Bu Eun-seol also possessed Thunder Essence Divine Qi, due to its fusion with the other energies mixed within his body, what he emitted was not pure Thunder Essence Divine Qi but a violet-hued variant.
And while this version was more powerful than Noe Bi-hon's, its impurity meant it couldn't shatter an extreme secret art like the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method.
In the end, that was why Bu Eun-seol had asked Noe Bi-hon in advance to use the Life-Saving Method.
"The Demonic Heavenly Emperor must also have connections with factions that remain hidden from the martial world. As the Number One of the Demonic Path, who divides the realm in two... it's only natural, I suppose."
A flash of light flickered through Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"In the past, Hyeokryeon Eung was a Special Divine Rank of the Three Realms and a master of Mind-Seizing Secret Arts so skilled he could freely wield the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method."
He took a deep breath.
"And the Demonic Heavenly Emperor possesses abilities in manipulating and dominating the human Spirit and Mind that far surpass even Hyeokryeon Eung's. There's no way he wouldn't know such secret arts."
"So you're saying the secret assassination organization employed by the Number One of the Demonic Path is also highly likely to use techniques that have reached the pinnacle of Mind-Seizing Secret Arts, like the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method?"
"Correct."
"That's somewhat unexpected. To think even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor is entangled with other factions..."
Noe Bi-hon swallowed a sigh.
"In the end, even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Number One of the Demonic Path, doesn't stand unrivaled under heaven."
"Or perhaps it just shows how chaotic the current martial world has become."
After a brief silence, Noe Bi-hon spoke apologetically.
"Still, because of me, that pretty girl lost all her memories. I can't help but feel ashamed."
"No. It's for the best."
Unlike himself, raised by his grandfather, Yu Baek had lived as an assassin—she likely had almost no pleasant childhood memories to begin with.
For her, forgetting her miserable past was a mercy.
"How is her vocal cord?"
"It's somewhat restored. But since the wound was so old, it couldn't be completely repaired."
"Can she speak?"
"Of course. She just struggles to raise her voice loudly."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly and nodded.
"Being able to speak at all is enough. No one will recognize her now."
In the current martial world, the only person who possessed Jade Phoenix Honey—capable of restoring damaged vocal cords—was Bu Eun-seol, who had opened the Martial Emperor Secret Repository.
If Yu Baek, who had been mute due to her ruined vocal cords, were now seen speaking normally?
No one would ever suspect her true identity.
"You went through a lot because of me."
"What do you mean, 'a lot'?"
Noe Bi-hon grinned at Bu Eun-seol's words.
"Well, the Red Sky Curtain Branch gaining an excellent attendant isn't a bad thing."
* * *
Muhonhoe, Scripture Instruction Hall.
This was the place where wandering martial artists directly received jobs and payments, and as such, it was always bustling with activity.
Because of this, the interior of the Scripture Instruction Hall was not only vast but also equipped with six counters to handle the flood of wanderers.
Bustle, clamor.
Even today, the inside of the Scripture Instruction Hall was so packed with wandering martial artists that there was barely room to stand.
But something was odd.
Why was there only one long line at a single counter?
Despite the other counters being completely empty, the wanderers were queued up only at the very last counter in the corner.
Click. Clatter.
And at that counter, a somewhat clumsy but exquisitely pure-looking young woman was diligently flicking her abacus beads.
She was a newly assigned attendant of the Scripture Instruction Hall.
Her voice was soft, and she was terribly slow at counting money.
—Ahh...
Yet, the wandering martial artists watched her sweat as she struggled with the calculations, their faces filled with warmth.
Perfect purity.
Her cheeks were as plump as a child's, and she radiated an innocence untouched by the grime of the world.
—Doesn't it feel like your soul is being cleansed?
—I feel refreshed, as if I've bathed for an hour straight.
—I think my eyesight just got better.
The wanderers had lined up here—ignoring the empty counters—just to see her.
"What in the world...?"
Dam Yu-yeon, who had just entered the Scripture Instruction Hall, blinked in disbelief.
With so many counters sitting empty, why were all these wanderers crowding into the far corner?
With a baffled expression, she called out to them.
"This side is completely open! Come over here!"
The wanderer who met her gaze lowered his head and muttered.
"No, I'm not in a hurry."
She turned to the next wanderer.
When their eyes met, the man cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem. Why isn't the braised pork I ate for lunch digesting? I should stand and wait a bit longer."
Dam Yu-yeon gaped at the wanderers spouting nonsense.
But despite her glare, they stubbornly held their ground in line.
No matter what anyone said.
They wanted to receive their money—counted with great effort by Yu Baek—
No, by Yu Seol, the Scripture Instruction Hall's new attendant.
'Good.'
From a distance, Bu Eun-seol watched with a faint smile.
Originally, he should have been disheartened by Yu Baek's death or experienced a shift in his Spirit and Mind.
But by anticipating the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's intentions and saving Yu Baek—
By saving her life, he had protected his own state of mind and found even greater balance.
And somehow—
It felt as though he had taken one step closer to his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
Grandfather must have... saved numerous people too while wandering the martial world.
'Please.'
Bu Eun-seol murmured quietly.
Wishing that she could forget the past.
'Be happy.'