Chapter 775
Seomun Gwang let out a vicious smile.
"Even if you bastards have invaded the main house, you couldn't have brought a large army with you."
The Seomun Clan also possessed a formidable intelligence network.
Had the Demon Hall mobilized a massive force, they would have undoubtedly detected it.
These bastards must have only brought an Information Warfare Unit at best, putting on a bluff.
"Now that it's come to this, I'll take you all as companions on the road to the underworld."
Yu Un-ryong and the other Death Shadow War Unit captains clicked their tongues.
"His Slaughter Frenzy has seeped into his very marrow. There's no hope for redemption."
Crack.
But then, a dull impact sound resonated from Seomun Gyeong's body, who had been standing there dazed.
Astonishingly, he had used his Internal Power to forcibly release the Demon Blood Point that Wi Cheon-gyeong had sealed.
Whoosh.
The moment he freed himself, he snatched a nearby warrior's sword and stood beside Seomun Gwang.
"Hah! After all the torment you've caused, you're siding with your old man in the end!"
Seomun Gwang cackled wildly.
Though Seomun Gyeong had abandoned his sword, the fact remained that he was a Sword Ghost capable of dominating an entire region.
If he truly committed himself to the fight?
He would become the ultimate combat power needed to wipe out those treacherous Death Shadow War Unit bastards.
"Everyone, listen! Now—"
Seomun Gwang, about to order a full assault, was abruptly cut off.
Flash!
Seomun Gyeong, standing beside him, swung his sword like lightning and pierced straight through Seomun Gwang's heart.
"Why... you—"
"Those men are no ordinary Masters."
Contrary to appearances, Seomun Gyeong had already discerned the truth.
He had seen through Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u's overwhelming strength.
He knew that even the Seomun Clan's elite forces wouldn't escape unscathed if they tried to kill those two.
"After all, you were bound to pay for your sins."
His expression was one of utter devastation.
"Isn't it better to die by my hand than to be torn apart by theirs?"
"You...!"
Enraged, Seomun Gwang struck Seomun Gyeong's chest with all his might.
Boom!
Seomun Gyeong didn't evade, taking the full brunt of the Palm Energy.
As he coughed up blood and collapsed, Seomun Gwang tried to speak.
But no voice escaped his lips.
Thud.
And just like that, he died with his eyes wide open.
Wipe.
Seomun Gyeong, still on the ground, wiped the blood from his mouth.
The Palm Energy had shattered all his ribs, making it hard to breathe.
Yet, using the sword as a staff, he forced himself up and staggered toward the ten warriors standing near Seomun Gwang.
Wi Cheon-gyeong had already killed two.
Now, only ten of the Twelve Tyrant Dragons remained.
Flash!
He unleashed another full-powered sword strike toward them.
"What madness is this?!"
The Twelve Tyrant Dragons recoiled in shock, trying to dodge.
Hum—
But Seomun Gyeong's Sword Qi had already descended from the sky like a net, ensnaring them instantly.
Flash! Flash!
Simultaneously, dozens of blinding lights shot upward.
Slash! Thud!
Without so much as a scream, the Twelve Tyrant Dragons fell, their heads severed.
It was a terrifying display of swordplay.
Swish!
Seomun Gyeong didn't stop. He continued his relentless assault.
With every arc he drew in the air, his net-like Sword Qi surged forth, decapitating the Elders standing among the Se Family warriors.
Thud-thud-thud!
In the end, Seomun Gyeong had beheaded his father, Seomun Gwang.
Along with the Twelve Tyrant Dragons, his loyalists, and the Elders—over thirty heads rolled.
Clang.
Dropping the bloodied sword, Seomun Gyeong walked toward Yu Un-ryong.
Then, he dropped heavily to his knees and spoke in a low voice.
"I knew my father's evil deeds were for my sake, so I couldn't bring myself to stop him."
"..."
"And I had planned to take the blame and die if these crimes were ever exposed."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He struck his forehead against the ground three times before speaking again.
"But better late than never—I realized how wrong that was. So I took it upon myself to execute every last person involved in the child abductions."
Blood streaming down his forehead, Seomun Gyeong raised his head and pleaded earnestly.
"If nothing else, consider that a son has punished his own father... Could you spare the innocent warriors of our house?"
Seomun Gyeong had slaughtered his father and his followers to protect the guiltless warriors of the Se Family.
"That's not a decision this captain can make alone."
Yu Un-ryong sighed deeply, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky.
"But your actions may be taken into account. There's a chance the clan might avoid annihilation."
Rumble—
Just then, the sound of a stampeding herd echoed as countless figures lined up before the Seomun Clan's great gate.
Government soldiers had arrived.
As Seomun Gwang had guessed, Yu Un-ryong had only brought Myo Cheon-u and a fraction of the Death Soul Squad's Information Warfare Unit.
He hadn't brought enough troops to exterminate the Seomun Clan.
"That way, we wouldn't be able to escape the notice of the Seomun Clan's intelligence network."
That was why Yu Un-ryong had contacted the Government Office before coming here.
While Wi Cheon-gyeong and the others stirred up chaos,
they would undoubtedly uncover evidence that the Seomun Clan was behind the series of kidnappings that had plagued Kiju Prefecture for years.
Because Bu Eun-seol's Mystic Calculation Strategy...
had never once been wrong.
'That guy's pitiful.'
Wi Cheon-gyeong clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Seomun Gyeong kneeling in the distance, pleading desperately.
'If he hadn't given in to despair and continued honing his martial arts, he might have grown into a peerless swordsman capable of threatening even the Lord.'
Though he seemed indifferent and pessimistic,
Seomun Gyeong undeniably possessed transcendent martial talent.
Even after abandoning the sword for years,
he had been able to unleash such swordplay in an instant, beheading the Seomun Clan's elite warriors.
What if he had never succumbed to despair and kept striving?
He would have undoubtedly broken past his limits and, one day, become a Righteous Faction swordsman capable of threatening Bu Eun-seol.
But that was mere speculation.
In reality, he had committed irreversible atrocities, bringing ruin to his clan and becoming the Young Clan Head of the Vanished Sect.
Rumble.
Just then, children who had been discovered late were being rescued by the Death Soul Squad.
'They're unharmed.'
Among them, Wi Cheon-gyeong spotted the little girl who had once sold him flowers and let out a sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness.'
Though there wasn't a single spot untouched by blood—enough to soak his shoes—
seeing the girl safe and sound
filled Wi Cheon-gyeong with a warm, swelling energy, as if he had taken Spirit Medicine.
'Truly, thank goodness.'
Just as he turned to leave,
"S-Sir."
A trembling voice called out to him.
When he turned his head, the girl was running toward him.
She had seen it.
The way Wi Cheon-gyeong had spotted her from afar and smiled in relief.
And she realized.
That he had risked his life to come here—to save her.
"Thank you... so much."
Sniffle.
The girl clutched the hem of Wi Cheon-gyeong's clothes and sobbed.
Born an orphan, she had lived her entire life enduring the scorn of others.
Yet a warrior she had never met before had staked his life to come here and save her.
It was a warmth she had never known before.
"I just happened to be passing by."
Wi Cheon-gyeong feigned indifference.
"I don't have money on me right now, so come back tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"I still need to collect my payment."
"...Yes!"
The girl wiped her tears and beamed.
Unconsciously, Wi Cheon-gyeong found himself smiling back.
But he quickly turned and strode away.
Tch, tch.
From a distance, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon watched with their arms crossed, smirking.
"Look at that, huh? Tsk, the bastard's copying the Lord."
"See that? He turned his head and smiled. Trying so hard to act like he's not pleased."
As the Government Office soldiers poured in, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon's gossiping voices echoed loudly enough to reach the heavens.
The Three Realms had been created by the Baekri Clan... but in the end, they had fallen into corruption.
The Three Realms, who should have protected the Murim,
had spiraled into irreversible depravity, becoming entities that would bring about the Final Extinction of the world.
So the righteous figures and sages within the Three Realms, to prevent them from committing further evil deeds,
destroyed all the Martial Arts Essence, the Great Art, and the countless research results they had accumulated through generations of dominating the Murim.
Then, they scattered and formed separate organizations—the True Three Realms or the Three Pure Realms—
devoting themselves to restoring the essence of power left behind by the Baekri Clan.
—We will never forgive them!
The remaining members of the Three Realms could not contain their rage.
The only reason they had dared to rebel against the Baekri Clan was because of the numerous Secret Arts they had developed—
both through long domination of the Murim and through their own research and innovations.
But to recklessly destroy them all?
When most of the essences they had created were lost due to the Three Pure Realms, the Three Realms raged and hunted them down to the last.
Yet they couldn't track down all those who had scattered...
And so, the Three Realms became even more obsessed with obtaining greater power.
Meanwhile, the Three Pure Realms, scattered and fragmented, continued researching the power of the Baekri Clan and eventually achieved some success.
But they did not become like the Three Realms.
They did not establish a formidable faction or an intelligence network.
Because they would only fall into corruption again.
Because they would inevitably degenerate into an organization no different from the Three Realms, which worshipped only power.
—Find them!
The Three Realms sought those who had betrayed them, destroyed all the essences they possessed,
Restoring the power of the Baekri Clan.
They scoured every corner with burning eyes, searching for the scattered remnants of the Three Pure Realms.
And though they captured and executed several factions, seizing the power they had created...
They still could not uncover the hidden roots of the Three Pure Realms, who had concealed themselves in the shadows.
—We will restore it, no matter what.
Fortunately, within the Three Realms...
Some remnants of the Baekri Clan's exceptional medical arts, martial techniques, and the Great Art still remained.
And so long as they could obtain power...
They hesitated at nothing—no method was too extreme, no alliance too unthinkable in their pursuit of research.
Thus, time flowed on, and over two hundred more years passed...
—The descendants of the Three Pure Realms must still exist.
The Three Realms did not give up.
Mobilizing vast wealth and manpower...
They ceaselessly pursued the descendants of the Three Pure Realms, who had fled with their essence.
Tibet, Mount Jumulama.
The mountain peak, veiled in pure white clouds, looked like an island floating in the sky.
Its dizzying summit was shrouded in a mysterious fog.
Shuuk.
But suddenly, from that peak, millions of light points bloomed from the ground, soon taking the shape of a human shadow.
Sweuk.
Once fully formed, the shadow surveyed the surroundings of the peak.
Without rest, the shadow wandered for three days and nights.
And finally, beyond the fog, it discovered a small gate.
That gate had never been touched by human hands...
An entrance to a place where a mysterious faction had gathered, its existence unknown to the outside world for centuries.
However, the gate could not be touched by a human body—only those who carried the origin of their power could open it.
Zzzing.
Surprisingly, the shadow opened the gate without hesitation and stepped inside.
The long space, shrouded in darkness, resembled a spiraling passageway.
The further it walked, the narrower the space became, accompanied by a dizzying distortion of space-time and the appearance of illusions.
Finally, upon reaching the end of the passage, a pulsating wave of endless contraction and expansion could be felt...
The soul was forcibly separated from the body, being sucked toward the far end of the passage.
An ordinary person would have been instantly reduced to an idiot.
But the shadow exerted a mysterious force, effortlessly resisting the pull on its soul.
Zzziiing.
At last, passing through the end of the passage...
With an eerie vibration, the gate opened, a flash of white light streaked past, and a new mountainous landscape came into view.
A breathtaking vista unfolded—a winding mountain range that resembled the coiled body of a great dragon.
Entering the mountains, a waterfall cascaded down, its waters so crystal clear that the bottom was visible.
The surroundings were bathed in a blue glow, with moss and wildflowers growing on the cliffs...
Creating a scene like a divine garden of unparalleled beauty.
Thud. Thud.
The shadow passed through naturally.
Then, a dense forest of ancient trees, centuries old, came into view.
Walking along the narrow path between them, before it knew it, small village-like structures appeared.
The roofs were tinted bronze, the walls made of wood.
Moss and vines climbed naturally over them...
Rather than artificial constructs, they seemed to have seamlessly merged with nature itself.
Architecture harmonized with nature, the distant murmur of the waterfall, the sky dyed crimson by the setting sun.
This paradise, where such scenery unfolded at a glance...
Elicited a sense of wonder, as if stepping into another world entirely.
"Rotting away, on the verge of vanishing already."
The shadow shook its head faintly.
"Without a central stronghold, scattered and barely maintaining their lineage... In the end, they've become as archaic as the Mystic Sects."
Kuuung.
Then, with a tremor that shook heaven and earth, the beautiful scenery began to crumble.
With every surge of power flowing from its outstretched hand, the sky darkened, buildings collapsed, and the earth quaked.
The flowing waterfall dried up in an instant, and even the surrounding plants evaporated into nothing.
Sssshhh.
Amid the collapsing structures, hundreds of people emerged.
All of them bore the dignified presence of immortals, their eyes burning like torches, their bodies radiating a mysterious energy.
"How amusing."
A white smile curled on the shadow's lips.
"Huddling together in a place like this—must be quite entertaining."
At that, from among the hundreds of elders, the one standing at the forefront stepped forward.
"You...?"
The elder's eyes widened as he caught sight of the shadow's face, hidden within the darkness.
"How did you enter this place?"
The old man spoke in a trembling voice.
"Even if all the leaders of the Three Realms were to gather, they could never enter this place."
The shadow grinned.
"You've faithfully recreated the origin of the Absolute Boundary... but you're still far from mastering it."
At those words, the old man's complexion changed.
How could a martial artist of such supreme standing speak of the Absolute Boundary's origin as if he knew it firsthand?
"Then you are not of the Demonic Path... but—"
Just as the old man, having finally discerned the shadow's true identity, was about to speak—
Whooom.
Suddenly, the space around the old man distorted, warping further at the shadow's gesture.
The old man attempted to resist the pressure with his own mystical power—but the moment the shadow's hand stilled—
Bang!
His body shattered instantly, fragments scattering in all directions.
"Spare me your nonsense."
"Why commit such cruelty?!"
Another elder standing behind the first shouted.
"On the contrary, us—"
Bang!
He, too, exploded before he could finish.
"Best to wipe them all out before they cause trouble."
As the shadow muttered under his breath, yet another elder stepped forward.
"Has our sect incurred your wrath?"
"Since when has the martial world revolved around mere grudges?"
The shadow replied languidly.
"They arise and vanish according to one's benefit—nothing more."
The elder's face hardened as he cried out,
"Have you no fear of Heaven?!"
"Heaven?"
The shadow's pupils flashed.
Slowly, he raised his right hand.
The sky darkened once more under thick storm clouds, and the earth trembled, splitting apart.
"I am Heaven."
Fwoosh.
As the shadow fully extended his hand—
Time froze. Space twisted.
Black flames poured from the heavens.
Giant pillars of fire erupted from the earth.
In response, the hundreds of elders spread their hands.
Zzziiing—
The world trembled briefly before waves of light surged forth, driving back the darkness.
KABOOOM!
When the two forces collided, the boundary between light and darkness shattered, and the entire space was engulfed in death and destruction.
RUMBLE—
With an ear-splitting explosion, the black light swallowed the world whole.
Whoooosh...
When the darkness receded, the Secluded Valley had vanished—
As if it had never existed.
Only the black shadow remained, standing tall in the empty void.
"As expected... I still can't do it yet."
The shadow withdrew his outstretched hand and gazed at his palm.
It looked almost transparent, as if it might disappear entirely.
"I must enter seclusion again."
His voice was low.
"Still, eradicating a potential threat that could unravel all my plans... is no loss."
After a brief silence, the shadow smirked.
"Among the Three Pure Realms of Tibet, theirs was closest to the origin..."
An endless darkness swirled in the depths of his eyes.
"Which means that bald monk of the Nothingness Sect must be behind it."
Before anyone realized, the sky had cleared, sunlight breaking through once more.
Now fully illuminated, the shadow's form became unmistakable—
An old man with an utterly ordinary face.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"My seclusion may be long... I must prepare thoroughly."
Muttering to himself, his body dissolved into countless points of light, vanishing into the distant sky.
The Three Pure Realms—
A part of the Three Pure Realms, where righteous people had gathered to stop the evil deeds of the Three Realms
and restore the undiminished power passed down by the Baekri Clan—
Had been annihilated by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Three days later.
From the ruins of Mount Jumulama, a single hand burst forth from the earth.
Shhhhk—
A ragged old man in tattered white robes emerged.
"Ugh..."
Staggering, he gazed at the distant sky and muttered weakly.
He was Jeong Cheong-ja, keeper of the Worldly Affairs Pavilion—the archive of Tibet's Three Pure Realms.
"I survived... thanks to the Dharma Sound Dignified Instrument in the Hall of Light."
He had been studying celestial signs in the Hall of Light, where the instrument—capable of influencing all things in the universe—was kept.
It was the only reason he endured the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's apocalyptic strike.
Yet his internal energy was scattered, his body on the verge of crumbling to dust.
"In this state... I must tell that child how to find the legacy we've hidden—and the Secret Cave of the Baekri Clan."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Jeong Cheong-ja pressed his fingers rapidly against his 360 acupoints.
His body convulsed before he coughed up a mass of black blood.
Hiss—
The blood burned through the earth, leaving a deep hole.
"..."
Expression grave, he pressed his index and middle fingers to his throat and sighed deeply.
"Fifteen days at most."
Even with the Soul-Returning Art—a supreme method that could sustain life for a hundred days despite fatal wounds—
He had only half a month left.
"I must reach the Central Plains quickly."
Because there—
Was So Ok-rim, the successor of the Three Pure Realms.
Even if it killed him, he had to pass on their legacy to her.