Chapter 804
"It's been a long time, Youngest Master."
Jang Gang gazed at Yu Un-ryong with a bright smile.
"To see you grown so splendidly after all this time fills me with deep emotion."
Jang Gang was a former member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—an exceptionally loyal and capable escort. Not only that, but he had secretly cared for and devoted himself to Yu Un-ryong during his childhood, when the boy was treated with contempt.
That Yu Un-ryong had been able to grow up safely was, without exaggeration, largely thanks to Jang Gang's protection.
"I've always heard tales of your exploits, Young Master."
"What brings you here?"
Yu Un-ryong felt an uneasy premonition.
Rain or snow, Jang Gang had never left Yu Jeong-pung's side, guarding him through countless dangers.
For him to suddenly seek Yu Un-ryong out now...
"Has something happened?"
"Well, you see..."
Jang Gang's expression darkened severely.
After hesitating briefly, he spoke.
"I was reluctant to trouble you with this, Young Master."
"Speak freely. What in the world is going on?"
Jang Gang carefully parted his lips.
"His Excellency is in danger."
"My father?"
Yu Un-ryong's eyes flashed.
There was only one person in the world who would dare target the Grand Secretary, the emperor's most trusted advisor.
"The Empress Dowager is making her move."
"Indeed."
Jang Gang let out a heavy sigh.
"The Crown Prince, who left for recuperation... is now the Empress Dowager's target."
The Crown Prince had long suffered from a skin ailment, and his health had been poor.
Taking advantage of the weakened state of the Empress Dowager's faction after the collapse of the Infinite Realm, he had left to recuperate...
Yet, unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager immediately allied with another faction and began targeting the Crown Prince.
If she could seize the Crown Prince, it would be a perfect opportunity to manipulate the emperor at will.
"The Crown Prince's side is aware of the Empress Dowager's intentions and is fighting his way back to the Imperial Palace through the Blood Path... but his survival is uncertain."
"Then—"
"Correct."
Jang Gang bit his lip.
"With the situation growing dire, His Excellency has chosen to act as bait to protect the Crown Prince."
Yu Un-ryong grasped the situation instantly.
The Empress Dowager was pouring all her resources into capturing the Crown Prince this time.
But she couldn't openly mobilize a large force, so she would instead deploy elite masters to seize him.
However, if Yu Jeong-pung—who had always been a thorn in her side with his blunt honesty—suddenly appeared as bait?
Rather than gambling on the uncertain capture of the Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager's faction would surely choose to eliminate the more certain target: Yu Jeong-pung.
"In the end, His Excellency went to the manor at West Lake under the pretext of gauging public sentiment."
Jang Gang spoke with a pained expression.
"Knowing His Excellency's intent to act as bait, His Majesty dispatched the Eighteen Golden-Clad Shadows... but even so, his survival is not guaranteed."
"Has the rift between the emperor and the Empress Dowager grown that deep?"
Truthfully, the power struggle between the emperor and the Empress Dowager was nothing new.
But with the turmoil in the martial world already overwhelming, Yu Un-ryong hadn't paid much attention to the imperial court's affairs.
"The dispute over the appointment of the Grand General Who Guards the Nation seems to have been the breaking point."
Jang Gang wore a bitter expression.
"The emperor firmly rejected the Empress Dowager's insistence on appointing her own candidate, and now she seems determined to exact revenge."
"But hasn't the influence of the Eastern Depot—the Empress Dowager's right hand—greatly diminished? Due to the collapse of the Infinite Realm."
The Empress Dowager controlled the formidable Eastern Depot, which had received immense support from the mighty Infinite Realm.
But since Bu Eun-seol destroyed the Infinite Realm, both the Empress Dowager and the Eastern Depot's power had inevitably waned.
"As soon as the Infinite Realm fell, certain individuals approached the Eastern Depot as if they had been waiting for this moment."
Jang Gang sighed before continuing.
"They possess power and influence surpassing even that of the Infinite Realm... and now, their momentum has surged anew."
"Who are they?"
"Nothing has been confirmed yet, but they are said to be a mysterious faction previously unknown in the martial world."
"A mysterious faction..."
Yu Un-ryong fell into deep thought for a moment.
Then he calmly asked,
"If my father volunteered to act as bait, then dealing with assassins shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
The Eighteen Golden-Clad Shadows were among the most elite masters in the imperial court.
Moreover, since it was clear the assassins targeting Yu Jeong-pung were from the Eastern Depot...
If they could properly track their movements, they might even eliminate the assassins preemptively.
"If the Eastern Depot has allied with martial factions, then detecting and eliminating them beforehand shouldn't be too hard."
"Correct. We thought the same and mobilized our intelligence network. In fact, we located their stronghold with surprising ease."
Yu Un-ryong's eyes flashed.
"The Eastern Depot must have leaked that information deliberately. They'd want to test the strength of their new allies."
"Exactly. We reached the same conclusion. Regardless, we pinpointed their location and dispatched troops."
Jang Gang's voice trembled as he spoke.
"But in the end... they were all slaughtered by a single person."
"A single person?"
Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened.
They would have sent a force capable of wiping out even a major sect in one stroke—to uproot the factions allied with the Eastern Depot.
"But for such masters to be killed by just a single person...?"
"Impossible."
"It seems likely they were a master of the Martial Extreme Realm."
"That can't be."
"It's certain."
Yangtze took a deep breath before continuing.
"Even if one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings had come, our forces should have been able to hold them off. Yet they were all slaughtered by a single individual."
"Who is he?"
"We haven't identified him yet. However... they say he wields a spear stained crimson with blood."
"A spear."
Yu Un-ryong narrowed his eyes.
There were many who used spears in Murim.
But none known to be Martial Extreme Realm masters.
If Yangtze's words were true... then a previously unknown Martial Extreme Realm master had appeared in the martial world.
"If it truly is a Martial Extreme Realm master, then there'd be no need to mobilize large forces—they could handle matters quietly."
Grand Secretary Yu Jeong-pung was a symbol of integrity, enjoying absolute support from the common people.
Moreover, he was currently under the protection of the Eighteen Imperial Guard Shadows, among the most elite military guards in the imperial court.
If they sent a large force to assassinate him, complications would arise.
But a Martial Extreme Realm master?
They wouldn't need to drag along cumbersome troops—they could simply carry out the assassination in silence.
"His Excellency is scheduled to arrive at the manor by West Lake in ten days. Of course, this information hasn't spread yet."
"So we have ten days."
"Yes. Officially, His Excellency is traveling incognito to gauge public sentiment... but in truth, he chose that location specifically to avoid harming anyone."
Yangtze looked at Yu Un-ryong with earnest eyes.
"Now, Young Master, you're our only hope."
A brief silence followed.
Yu Un-ryong wore a grave expression, lost in deep thought.
If a Martial Extreme Realm master came to kill his father, Yu Jeong-pung...
To stop them, they would need another Martial Extreme Realm master.
Currently, within the Demon Hall, only three were known to have reached that realm: the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Chief Doctrine Commander, and Jeok Bung, Master of the Elders' Hall.
Of course, Bu Eun-seol had also reached the Beyond-Limit Return to Origin realm, but there was no guarantee he could decisively defeat a Martial Extreme Realm master.
'If we mobilize the entire Death Shadow War Unit force, we might be able to hold them off.'
If they fought with their lives on the line, throwing in every last soldier of the Death Shadow War Unit...
Even a Martial Extreme Realm master could perhaps be stopped.
But the problem was the casualties.
How many warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit would die trying to stop that assassin? The numbers were impossible to calculate.
"The Demon Hall has many terrifying martial artists, doesn't it?"
Yangtze spoke cautiously.
"Aside from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, there are plenty of formidable masters who could surely stop him."
Yu Un-ryong gave a bitter smile.
Mobilizing a Martial Extreme Realm master for his personal affairs was fundamentally impossible.
'Besides, this isn't even a matter concerning Murim.'
But Yangtze came from the Government Office and didn't fully understand the ways of the Demonic Path.
Or perhaps he did know—yet still came to plead desperately, if only to save Yu Jeong-pung.
After a long silence, Yu Un-ryong nodded as if reaching a decision.
"Very well. I'll handle this matter myself."
"Thank you, Young Master."
"There's no need for you to thank me, Mister Jang."
Though Yangtze was a guardian warrior, to Yu Un-ryong, he was still his father.
No gratitude was necessary.
"I've always waited for the day when you and His Excellency would reconcile. Just recently, after His Excellency met with His Majesty the Emperor—"
As Yangtze began speaking excitedly, Yu Un-ryong cut him off.
"Mister Jang. Time is short—you should return first. I'll make some preparations and then head to the manor by West Lake."
"Yes, yes. Understood."
After Yangtze left, Yu Un-ryong returned to the Demon Hall.
Sitting in his office, he sank deep into thought.
"A Martial Extreme Realm master..."
No matter how much he pondered, there was only one thing he could do.
Swish, swish.
Picking up a brush, he sat down and began writing something at length.
For about half an hour, he wrote without pause before finally setting the brush down.
"Mu-gwang."
In a low voice, he called for his adjutant, Mu-gwang.
Had he anticipated this day might come?
He had trained him diligently—forging another shadow who could shoulder the complex duties and management of the Death Shadow War Unit in his absence.
"You called?"
When Mu-gwang entered, Yu Un-ryong handed him one of the papers he had been writing.
"Take this."
"This is..."
Mu-gwang's eyes widened.
What Yu Un-ryong handed him was an application for Demon Leave.
"I'll be taking my accumulated leave. Handle everything in my stead while I'm gone."
"For a whole month?"
Mu-gwang's eyes grew even wider as he looked over the paper.
Since Yu Un-ryong had never once taken leave before, he could have requested three months if he wanted.
But he had never even considered taking leave.
Because the Death Shadow War Unit couldn't function without him.
"Too long for your liking?"
"It's not that... I'm just worried whether I can manage it properly."
"You can."
Despite Yu Un-ryong's encouragement, Mu-gwang scratched his head.
"It still seems too much for me. I should probably ask the other unit commanders for help in advance."
"Mu-gwang."
Yu Un-ryong stared into Mu-gwang's eyes with an expression of utmost solemnity.
"You must handle this alone."
"Alone, my lord?"
"Yes. That's precisely why I trained you so diligently."
"My lord..."
"Don't worry. You'll do well."
Uncharacteristically, Yu Un-ryong smiled like a spring breeze.
"Believe in your own abilities."
Then, in a gentle voice, he added:
"And don't tell anyone that I've taken Demon Leave. Those bastards will have a field day... They'll mock me relentlessly."
Rising from his seat, Yu Un-ryong gestured to the books piled on the table—
They were the records he had been compiling all this time.
"I wrote these in case you encounter difficulties. They'll help if you study them in your spare time."
He lightly patted Mu-gwang's shoulder.
"And there's something I left in the usual spot where I keep important texts. You must consult Myo Cheon-u to complete it."
"What is it?"
"You'll know when you see it. If even with Myo Cheon-u's help, you still can't finish it, show it to Lord Bu Eun-seol."
When Mu-gwang opened his mouth to ask more, Yu Un-ryong waved his hand dismissively.
"I've already informed the intelligence operatives, but this leave is truly for rest. Do not track my movements."
"Understood. Please return safely."
"Mm."
Yu Un-ryong patted Mu-gwang's shoulder once more, then left behind a single, quiet remark:
"Take care."
With a faint smile lingering on his lips, he slowly stepped out of the office.
Mu-gwang stood there, staring blankly at the empty doorway for a long time.
The bright smile Yu Un-ryong had flashed under the sunlight... somehow pierced his heart.
"I can't afford to waver."
Mu-gwang shook his head.
With Yu Un-ryong gone, the Death Shadow War Unit would soon descend into chaos.
To prevent that, he had to act decisively from now on.
After leaving the Demon Hall, Yu Un-ryong spent an exorbitant sum—
Secretly hiring Special-Grade Wanderers with deep expertise in boundary formations and mechanical traps.
Then, at the sole entrance to the West Lake manor where Yu Jeong-pung would reside, he began covert preparations.
'No method can defeat a master of the Martial Extreme Realm.'
If the assassin truly was a Martial Ultimate master?
Unless he mobilized every warrior in the Death Shadow War Unit and dragged Bu Eun-seol along, victory would be impossible.
'But mutual destruction... That's not out of reach.'
Reaching the Martial Extreme Realm didn't make them gods.
Yu Un-ryong had handled intelligence on countless superlative martial experts.
He had researched deeply into the phenomenon of Limitless Power and the Martial Extreme Realm itself.
And his conclusion aligned with what Bu Eun-seol always said:
You don't need to reach the Martial Extreme Realm to shatter Limitless Power.
Most importantly, within a mental world or similar spatial construct, even they were no different from ordinary humans.
And in truth—
This was the very essence of the Mind's Eye Mirror, the culmination of his research into the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms.
'It's not yet perfected, but...'
The Mind's Eye Mirror remained incomplete, but he had no choice.
'Even unfinished, deploying it requires extensive preparations.'
Yu Un-ryong directed the Special-Grade Wanderers and numerous laborers to ceaselessly set up formations in a secluded forest near the manor.
This was the groundwork for manifesting the Mind's Eye Mirror.
The assassin would pass through here to reach the manor.
His father, Yu Jeong-pung, had likely chosen this single-entry manor precisely to buy time against an attack.
'Just a little more.'
Yu Un-ryong felt neither fear nor regret.
Facing a Martial Ultimate master alone was a fool's dream to begin with.
Only the fortuitous acquisition of the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms had given him the hope of a glorious last stand.
Thus, forgetting even sleep—
He worked tirelessly alongside the wanderers, day and night, refining and installing formations.
Though his face was somewhat recognizable, he disguised himself as an ordinary martial artist when commanding the wanderers.
Five days later.
As Yu Un-ryong crouched in the forest near the manor, scribbling notes, a middle-aged man with a thick beard approached.
He was a renowned expert in mechanical formations and one of the hired Special-Grade Wanderers.
"It's done," the wanderer said, his face weary.
"From the entrance route to this manor, every preparation you requested is complete."
"Well done."
Yu Un-ryong immediately handed over an envelope stuffed with banknotes.
"There's a little extra. Share it with your crew."
The wanderer counted the notes inside, then nodded.
"More generous than expected. My thanks."
Then he left with his companions.
Even after that, Yu Un-ryong summoned specialists from various fields, continuously installing something in the forest.
He spent money like water.
His instructions grew so intricate that he eventually compiled them into manuals for reference.
Three more days passed.
"It's ready."
Yu Un-ryong wiped his sweat and exclaimed.
Though imperfect, he had somehow completed the Mind's Eye Mirror.
His face, having gone without sleep all this time, was haggard and dark circles shadowed his eyes.
Yet his pupils shimmered like never before, gleaming like precious gems.
"Now, all that's left is heaven's will."
Yu Un-ryong lifted his head and gazed at the distant sky.
His father, Yu Jeong-pung, would arrive in two days.
The Eastern Depot's intelligence network sprawled across the Central Plains, so it wouldn't take long after his arrival for the assassination attempt to begin.
The assassin from a faction eager to ally with the Eastern Depot—a Master of the Martial Extreme Realm at that.
"Let me review once more."
Yu Un-ryong inspected the situation inside the Mind's Eye Mirror, which he had constructed along the mountain path leading to the manor.
Mind's Eye Mirror.
It reflected the landscape of Yu Un-ryong's heart.
Separately, he had also created a new space—a mental realm.
Rather than calling it the Mind's Eye Mirror,
the term Mind's Eye Realm seemed more fitting.
"Perfect in its own way."
He surveyed his surroundings and smiled faintly.
"This should be no less than the Divine Maiden Palace's Mindscape."
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had told him
about the mysterious gate left behind by the Divine Maiden Palace's Founder, Yo-hui.
There, a Mindscape unfolded—not reality, but a new reality layered atop it.
Merely lingering there for a moment had caused two days to pass in the outside world.
And now, Yu Un-ryong
had completed his own mystical Mind's Eye Mirror, a space where events, though not real, would become reality.
Including all the devices prepared to fight an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
"If only Mu-gwang and Myo Cheon-u could join forces to perfect it..."
He lamented how Bu Eun-seol, despite being swamped with work,
still took the time to research various battle formations to prevent his subordinates from dying in vain.
And then, by chance, Yu Un-ryong had discovered the Strange Golden Book—
a technique that allowed the overlapping effects of a Mindscape without reaching the Martial Extreme Realm,
a pinnacle of esoteric arts, a fusion of battle formations, arcane studies, and the Art of Concealment.
Yet even after a year of effort, it remained incomplete.
He had left the Mind's Eye Mirror hidden in a secret location for Mu-gwang and Myo Cheon-u to complete in the future...
But whether they would finish it—or pass it to Bu Eun-seol—remained unknown.
"Through this ordeal, it'll come closer to completion."
This wasn't just about saving his father, Yu Jeong-pung.
The Mind's Eye Mirror—
this would become a technique that would reshape the Death Shadow War Unit and the very landscape of Murim.
And to perfect this unfinished art in the future,
he needed to accumulate knowledge and data by fighting—again and again—against a Master of the Martial Extreme Realm in real combat.
He intended to leave behind the foundation for Mu-gwang and Myo Cheon-u to complete the Mind's Eye Mirror, even if it cost him his life.
Yu Un-ryong closed his eyes.
Now, envisioning the interior of the Mind's Eye Mirror he had set up, he conducted one final inspection.
Thud. Thud.
Walking into the pitch-black space,
Whizz! Whizz!
countless hidden weapons would rain down like a storm, only to pass harmlessly through the enemy's body.
Of course, they weren't real—merely devices to signal that this space was an illusion.
Thud. Thud.
Proceeding further, a colossal maze stretched before him, its walls towering to the ceiling.
The enemy would stride right through them,
assuming the maze's walls were just another illusion.
Whoosh.
But deeper inside, there were places where their body could no longer pass.
Meticulously crafted real structures were interspersed throughout.
Some were incredibly sturdy, while others had doors that opened and closed at will.
Yu Un-ryong opened his eyes again, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Naturally, they'll try to smash through everything."
For a Master who had reached the Martial Extreme Realm,
even these massive, reinforced walls would be as flimsy as cornstalks.
They would inevitably attempt to obliterate every obstacle in a single strike.
"That's when the Mind's Eye Mirror will truly activate."
The Master would realize this was a space where illusion and reality intertwined.
But unable to perfectly distinguish them, they would try to demolish it all at once.
And in that moment, the Mind's Eye Mirror would become Yu Un-ryong's dominated Mindscape.
Because the very act of believing that illusion and reality were mixed was the condition for the Mind's Eye Mirror's power to ignite.
"Inside this Mind's Eye Mirror, even a Martial Extreme Realm Master can be fought on equal footing."
Yu Un-ryong closed his eyes once more.
The Mind's Eye Mirror's effect conjured a vision in his mind—a fierce battle against a Martial Extreme Master.
But if the fight dragged on?
Eventually, the Master would realize Yu Un-ryong wasn't truly formidable—
that he was only holding out due to the Mind's Eye Mirror's power.
For a Master of such caliber, that would be unbearably frustrating.
And by then, they would unleash an overwhelming force—Limitless Power—capable of annihilating the Mind's Eye Mirror in an instant.
"That's when it ends."
A brilliant light erupted in Yu Un-ryong's pupils.
The Mind's Eye Mirror's final function—
reflecting the colossal force unleashed by the enemy, striking them down in a single blow.
"Even if I succeed..."
Yu Un-ryong, still gazing at the distant sky, wore a faint smile.
"I'll die regardless."
The Mind's Eye Mirror was incomplete.
Even if he deployed it to slay the assassin, the caster would inevitably perish.