Chapter 769
A sickly yellow gleam spread from Ak Mu-ryeong's pupils.
To boldly suggest a combined attack with Bu Eun-seol, who possessed terrifying potential?
Truly, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
He had once again turned crisis into opportunity.
—Was he treating even his own life as a plaything?
—Or had he completed meticulous calculations ensuring he could defeat them even if they joined forces?
—Was his intention simply to plant despair in their hearts, knowing full well the brat would refuse the joint attack?
Various thoughts rose in Ak Mu-ryeong's mind.
In the end, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's actions had caused a distraction.
'I can no longer be certain of victory.'
From the moment the Demonic Heavenly Emperor proposed the combined attack.
Ak Mu-ryeong had already suffered a blow to his spirit and mind, as if struck by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's mental assault.
In other words, he was entering this fight at a disadvantage.
Swish.
Just then, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
Ak Mu-ryeong's gaze turned terrifyingly cold.
"You dare think yourself worthy of making the first move?"
But Bu Eun-seol shook his head with an utterly guileless expression.
"I won't fight."
"What?"
"Didn't the Pavilion Lord tell me that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor has suffered grave injuries?"
"So?"
"It wouldn't be right."
Bu Eun-seol spoke in the most respectful tone and posture possible.
"If His Majesty were to expend Internal Power in his current state, his wounds might worsen... How could I possibly dare to do such a thing?"
For a moment, both the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and Ak Mu-ryeong wore blank expressions.
A silence as heavy as death settled between them.
"Heh heh heh."
Ak Mu-ryeong pointed a finger at Bu Eun-seol's face, then—
"HAHAHAHA!"
—doubled over, clutching his stomach as peals of mad laughter erupted as if the sky were collapsing.
Though he had pointed at Bu Eun-seol.
The angle of his finger unmistakably included the Demonic Heavenly Emperor as well.
In truth, Ak Mu-ryeong was mocking the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"If I've spoken out of turn, I apologize."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply toward the Demonic Heavenly Emperor with utmost courtesy.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor said nothing, only staring fixedly at Bu Eun-seol.
Whether he had been treated like an invalid or whether Bu Eun-seol had presumptuously stepped forward... on the surface.
He was maintaining the attitude of a devoted successor, one who fretted over the well-being of the Number One of the Demonic Path.
If he were to lose his temper or punish Bu Eun-seol here?
It would only diminish his own authority.
"We shall settle this another day."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor turned away.
Without waiting for a response, he immediately activated his Movement Technique and vanished into the distant sky.
"Phew."
As the Demonic Heavenly Emperor disappeared, Bu Eun-seol wiped away cold sweat.
In truth, both the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and Ak Mu-ryeong had been fully prepared for battle.
Bu Eun-seol, caught between them, had forced himself to maintain a calm expression.
But in reality, he had been enduring excruciating pain, as if his bones were being crushed and his skin torn apart.
"Fortunately, he changed his mind."
Bu Eun-seol smiled at Ak Mu-ryeong.
"If the fight had truly begun... I suppose he realized I would have actually joined forces with you."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had genuinely intended to strike down Ak Mu-ryeong.
And if the battle had commenced?
No matter what insults Ak Mu-ryeong hurled at him.
Bu Eun-seol had resolved to combine his strength with Ak Mu-ryeong to fight the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Whether the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had discerned this or whether his psychological tactics had failed.
He had altered his plans and departed.
"Hmph, did you really think anything would change just because you joined forces?"
Ak Mu-ryeong snorted derisively.
"He panicked for the first time. He thought you had manifested the Great Circle Qi."
To be precise, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Had not been startled by Bu Eun-seol's appearance but had misjudged the level of his martial prowess.
While analyzing the Sword Sovereign's martial arts, Bu Eun-seol had briefly mimicked the Way of Nonaction from the Nature Sword.
In that process, for the briefest moment, he had perfectly harmonized with nature, as if manifesting the Great Circle Qi.
But the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, unaware of this, had mistakenly believed Bu Eun-seol had reached the realm of unifying his physical body with nature.
"Ah, so that's what happened."
As Bu Eun-seol scratched his head, Ak Mu-ryeong asked.
"Your insight?"
"This disciple is dull-witted and could only grasp a fraction of the Nature Sword's subtleties, adding but a single stance to the Pavilion Lord's Sword Studies."
"A Sword Stroke?"
"Yes."
Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes narrowed.
For Bu Eun-seol to add even a single Sword Stroke to his martial prowess was an exceedingly difficult feat.
Click.
When Ak Mu-ryeong flicked his finger, Bu Eun-seol, understanding the unspoken command, drew the Ink Soul Sword.
"I borrowed the subtlety of the Nature Sword's principle, 'The Dao Follows Nature.' That Sword Stroke resembles the scenery of Great Nature, so I tentatively named it 'River Waves Spreading Across the Lake.'"
Just as Ak Mu-ryeong had anticipated.
Bu Eun-seol had not only created martial arts—an actual Sword Stroke—during his meditation.
But had also mastered its Sword Form without lifting a finger.
Swoosh.
Drawing the Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed his Sword Techniques toward Ak Mu-ryeong.
Twitch.
In an instant, Ak Mu-ryeong's thick eyebrows shot upward.
Ak Mu-ryeong had devised counter-techniques that adapted to an opponent's martial arts by borrowing the subtleties of the Nature Sword.
But Bu Eun-seol had gone beyond merely borrowing its principles—he had pierced straight through them, aiming to dismantle the very essence of his foe's martial arts.
Was this not an attempt at a level of Sword Studies that surpassed even the Sword Sovereign's Nature Sword?
'This madman.'
And without a second thought for his own rapidly grown martial prowess, assuming Ak Mu-ryeong could effortlessly block it—
He had poured in his Internal Power and truly unleashed his Sword Stroke.
Tremble.
As the tip of the sword quivered lightly, the surrounding air seemed to evaporate, and the entire world fell silent.
As if responding to Bu Eun-seol's will as he executed his sword technique—
The clouds lingering in the sky split apart on their own, and a sudden, gentle wind swept in, wrapping around Ak Mu-ryeong's body.
Then came the pain—as if his skin were being scorched, as if a wail were rising from deep beneath the earth—
And the sensation of transparent hands reaching out, greedily sucking away every last drop of his Internal Power.
Swish, slash!
Bu Eun-seol, as if lost in the State of Selflessness, danced the Sword Dance with his eyes closed.
The problem was—the black energy condensed within that dark sword had yet to be unleashed.
'I can't let him finish it.'
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly shook heaven and earth.
Because Ak Mu-ryeong had been forced to wield his Internal Power to block Bu Eun-seol's Sword Stroke.
"You dare perform a leisurely dance before your enemy?!"
With a Great Roar, he condensed the energy of heaven and earth into a single fist and slammed it against Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword.
Whoooosh—
A searing mist, hot enough to melt steel, billowed from Ak Mu-ryeong's grasp.
His shoulder blade felt shattered, but his expression remained cold as he scoffed.
"Hmph."
"My apologies."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol regain his senses and halt his Sword Stroke.
"It was my first time executing what I had stored in my mind... I was too careless."
His face had turned pale.
Without invoking the Great Abyssal Qi—
Merely wielding Sword Studies that mirrored the Nature Sword's principles had drained his Internal Power and Mental Power drastically.
"Is this your full strength?"
Bu Eun-seol bowed his head slightly, as if ashamed.
"Now that I've tried it, it seems I've only mastered about thirty percent."
"What?"
"But I will undoubtedly reach the Twelve Stars realm and show you."
Gurgle—
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol spat out a mouthful of blood the size of a pebble.
The energy radiating from his River Waves Spreading Across the Lake technique—
Had not only affected Ak Mu-ryeong but also reduced his own physical body to a state as fragile as a newborn's.
Only then did Ak Mu-ryeong realize—
Just how high and distant the realm Bu Eun-seol aimed for truly was.
And just how absurd that destination was.
"You intend to become an ordinary man and perish together with him?"
He had discerned Bu Eun-seol's goal—
Not just to nullify his enemy's martial arts, but to reduce even his own mastery to nothingness.
A reckless, unprecedented act of madness.
"If we both become ordinary men, wouldn't the younger one have the advantage, even by a single year?"
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"If the Demonic Heavenly Emperor were reduced to a feeble old man wrestling with me, I can think of nothing more amusing."
For a moment, an eerie light flickered in Ak Mu-ryeong's yellowed pupils.
"Hahahahaha!"
He burst into roaring laughter once more.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor—an existence considered invincible—reduced to a frail old man?
Such a thought had never crossed the minds of Ak Mu-ryeong, nor any martial artist in the entire Murim.
"Then again, if you were sane to begin with, you wouldn't have crawled into this den of your own will."
His laughter ceased as he turned away, his voice icy.
"I've long known you're even more of a lunatic than the Pavilion Lord. But don't you dare act recklessly again."
Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes radiated a pressure that could tear mountains apart.
"If you ever step out of line again, I'll shatter both your legs."
The Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong was not one to make empty threats.
If he warned he would break legs, then legs would indeed be broken.
CRAAASH!
With an ear-splitting explosion, Ak Mu-ryeong's massive figure vanished into the distant sky in an instant.
"Pavilion Lord..."
Bu Eun-seol watched his retreating back and murmured softly.
"...As I thought, the main pavilion does not suit the Demonic Path."
His gaze lingered on the spot where he had meditated.
Scattered there were the rocks Ak Mu-ryeong had piled up.
"And the epithet 'Human Demon' does not suit you either, my lord."
Those rocks had been placed by Ak Mu-ryeong—using his Internal Power—to shield him from external disturbances and potential enemies while he meditated.
"When you got angry and told me never to step forward again..."
Bu Eun-seol's lonely eyes stared at the distant sky as he whispered.
"Indeed, it was a warning not to provoke another supreme master like the Demonic Heavenly Emperor again."
He shook his head.
"Though of course, it wasn't because he favors me—it must be for Langya Pavilion's future."
Deputy Pavilion Master Dan Cheong was a grandmaster of peerless martial arts, but his temperament was too relaxed and he cherished the luxury of tea drinking.
This made it somewhat difficult for him to reach the ultimate principle of Langya Pavilion's martial arts.
So-jeon, leader of the Spear God Unit, had mastered the essence of practical combat martial arts, yet he detested analyzing martial arts intellectually.
Baek Yeon possessed a genius intellect, but unlike So-jeon, his practical application of combat martial arts was somewhat lacking.
And though there were countless other prodigious martial artists...
There was only one talent capable of fully comprehending and advancing Langya Pavilion's martial synthesis.
Only Bu Eun-seol.
Ever since realizing this fact,
Ak Mu-ryeong had been watching over his safety—for the sake of Langya Pavilion's future.
"Let's go back."
Through the insight he had gained this time,
Bu Eun-seol had once again found the path he must ascend.
Even if the destination still felt distant now,
steadily walking forward would eventually lead him there. Having experienced many things, he now intended to return to the Demon Hall.
The Martial Alliance was in a state of emergency.
Though they had re-elected the leader of the Martial Heaven Unit and restored it to reestablish the majesty of the Seven Great Battle Groups,
the Divine Guard Unit and its leader had vanished entirely under the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's hand.
Moreover, with Yang Dae-ryang reduced to an imbecile, the Heaven-Piercing Unit was currently being managed by its deputy leader.
Effectively, only five battle groups remained fully intact, and only five candidates for alliance leader were left.
Among them, Baek In-cheong, leader of the Divine Guard Unit, had been a prominent candidate for the next alliance leader, having achieved numerous merits.
Yet now, he and his entire unit had disappeared without a trace, leaving the Martial Alliance so stunned they could barely breathe.
—"We must restore the Seven Great Battle Groups at all costs."
The Martial Alliance's senior officials insisted on reorganizing to rebuild the seven battle groups.
But Jeong Cheon-je—no, the Martial Venerable—
declared that the missing Divine Guard Unit would remain as it was, and the alliance would continue with only six battle groups.
—"Forcing the maintenance of seven battle groups will only worsen our situation."
Mere replenishment of troops wouldn't create a battle group.
Especially since each of the Martial Alliance's Seven Great Battle Groups had its own unique training methods, requiring years of effort to fully manifest their might.
—"So you mean to reduce the Seven Great Battle Groups, the very symbol of our alliance, to six?"
Some officials objected, but in the end, they had no choice but to concede.
A symbol was just a symbol.
If they forcibly created another battle group under these circumstances, it would only result in a useless formation.
Not a single ray of light entered the secret chamber.
Time and space seemed frozen.
The walls were made of rough stone, densely carved with indecipherable emblems.
At the center of the room stood a rust-brown chair, its surface also engraved with intricate patterns.
Upon it lay a tattered set of clothes, standing stiffly upright as if worn by an invisible man.
And across from it, a shadowy figure in a black mask stood impassively.
[Baekri Mu-jo. He has now become a leading candidate for alliance leader.]
Suddenly, a gloomy, low voice emanated from the tattered clothes.
[Given the results so far, the probability that he is Neither-Human-Nor-Beast is extremely high. We cannot leave him be.]
The voice from the clothes grew icy.
[Kill him.]
The masked man across from him shook his head.
"To kill him, we'd need the support of an exceptional intelligence network. We can't touch him within the alliance."
Then he added,
"We still lack the power to kill him. The Dao Studies aren't even a complete true copy yet."
[Do not worry.]
The low voice flowed from the clothes.
Thud.
A thin sheet of paper fell before the masked man.
[This is a dismantling technique crafted from traces of the sword studies he has used until now.]
"A dismantling technique, you say."
His murmur carried deep regret.
As if sensing this, the voice from the clothes softened slightly.
[Do not fret. There are always stages to these things.]
"But how much longer must I remain buried in hiding?"
[Do not worry. You will soon become the alliance leader... and fulfill your wish.]
The voice from the tattered clothes brimmed with conviction.
[Until then, simply follow orders and restrain yourself.]
The masked man clasped his hands together.
He had no choice but to obey their will.
When the time came, he would cut down every last one of those who had used him.
But until he achieved the wish he had longed for... he absolutely could not act recklessly.
[You remain untainted. Still pretending to be tainted.]
As the masked man vanished, a clicking tongue sounded from the tattered clothes.
[But when facing someone like him... a superlative martial expert, you will eventually complete your true persona.]
The voice from the clothes was thick with a deep-laid conspiracy.
[Do you think I don't know you're trying to preserve your original personality?]
With those final words, the tattered garment standing in the darkness collapsed limply back to the floor.
Lotus Orphanage.
This was an orphanage that took in only children with physical disabilities.
Though the facility itself wasn't lavish, a generous benefactor provided ample support every year,
allowing the children to live brightly, smiling despite their imperfect bodies.
Clack, clack.
Around the Sin Period (3-5 PM), a small cart was entering the Lotus Orphanage. It was loaded with rice and various daily necessities.
And walking ahead of it was a middle-aged man with an almost ethereal grace.
"Director."
An elderly man caring for the children at the orphanage spotted the middle-aged man and hurried over, delighted.
He was the very benefactor who had personally established the Lotus Orphanage, donated vast sums yearly to care for the children,
and served as its director.
"The director is here!"
The children rushed over excitedly at the sight of the cart and the middle-aged man.
"Hahaha."
The director of Lotus Orphanage spread his arms wide and embraced the children warmly.
Most of them were missing limbs, and some lacked an eye or an ear.
But the director paid no mind, meeting each child's gaze and hugging them one by one.
"Take these."
He then handed out precious toys and ornamental pendant (traditional pendants) from the cart.
"Wow!"
The children's faces split into radiant smiles as they admired the ornaments.
Every time the director visited like this, the children brimmed with energy, chattering endlessly as they followed him around.
"Director, why have you brought so much again?"
The elderly man gaped at the cart piled high with supplies.
"We still have plenty of the food you sent last time."
"One must never go hungry. I brought a little more so you can eat comfortably."
The director, smiling faintly, noticed a child standing alone in the distance, wearing a prosthetic leg.
Having only recently arrived at the orphanage, the boy still seemed awkward about everything.
"Where did such a bright-looking child come from? What's your name?"
The director knelt before the boy and ruffled his hair.
"My name is So-bo."
When the child limped forward to bow, the director clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, that prosthetic doesn't fit properly."
He then fetched wood and tools and began crafting a new leg himself.
He worked with the skill of a seasoned carpenter, swiftly and precisely shaping the prosthetic.
"Here, try this one now."
The boy's eyes widened as he put on the new leg.
With the properly fitted prosthetic, his previously unbalanced posture straightened, allowing him to stand tall for the first time.
"Th-thank you. It's so much easier to stand now."
"That's a relief."
The director patted his head and said,
"Go play with the others now. Staying alone won't do you any good."
"Yes!"
With a thrilled expression, the boy walked toward the other children, testing his new leg.
The director and the elderly man stood side by side, watching fondly.
Then, the two entered the orphanage to share tea and conversation.
Before they knew it, the day waned, and cheerful shouts from the children echoed outside the window.
Soon, it was the third watch of the night (11 PM-1 AM).
A chilling autumn wind whistled past.
The director and the elderly man, who had been staying in the annex, quietly entered the children's sleeping quarters.
The director studied the slumbering children intently, then pointed at a few.
Nodding, the elderly man noted something on the paper he held.
Flicker.
Suddenly, in the darkness, the director's pupils flashed.
"It seems I must step out for a moment."
The elderly man also nodded as if sensing something.
"Take care on your way back."
Swoosh.
After one last glance at the sleeping children, the director stepped outside.
Slowly, he made his way toward the orphanage's entrance.
His eyes burned like torches in the dark, his expression hardening like a beast baring its killing intent.
Swoosh.
His leisurely steps soon slid forward with ghostly speed—
a movement technique akin to a specter's glide.
"Hmm."
Upon reaching a small forest near the orphanage, he halted his Lightness Skill and scanned his surroundings.
[Your senses are impressive.]
Whoosh!
A grotesque voice echoed as a streak of eerie blue light shot skyward,
and suddenly, a Black Shadow materialized before the director.
Its form was indistinct, like a wisp of smoke, drifting closer like mist.
Gradually, the darkness at its core solidified, taking the shape of a masked figure clad in black.
[To think a man who commits every wicked deed runs an orphanage.]
The Masked Man's gaze raked over the director's face before he let out a dry chuckle.
[Were you trying to atone for your sins?]
The director gave no answer. Only his gleaming eyes in the dark scrutinized the Masked Man's body.
[You could kill a man with that glare alone.]
The Masked Man's eyes curved into crescents.
[Leader of the Star Guard Corps, Baekri Mu-jo.]