Chapter 805
Yu Un-ryong smiled bitterly.
To create a Mindscape without reaching the Martial Extreme Realm was, in essence, an act that transcended the very principles of martial arts.
And yet, it was possible.
Because the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms was a secret manual that encompassed the ancient mysteries of Mechanism Study, battle formations, the Art of Concealment, the Art of Spells, and Great Arts.
And because Yu Un-ryong, with his genius intellect, had fused the profound intricacies of modern martial arts with the esoteric depths of formation theory.
But it was still incomplete—riddled with flaws.
After much deliberation, Yu Un-ryong had modified it.
He altered it to draw upon his life force as its foundation. Only then could he deploy the Mind's Eye Mirror on his own.
But even if he succeeded...
The moment he dispelled the Mind's Eye Mirror, the caster's spirit and physical body would inevitably shatter into pieces.
"All I have to do is hold out long enough to force that monster to unleash his Limitless Power."
No matter how great a master one was—
No one could predict that their own killing strike would instantly rebound upon them.
Even if they did foresee it, blocking it would be impossible.
The moment the enemy poured their all into a decisive blow, the technique would trigger an immediate Mutual Destruction.
The real question was—could he even make a Martial Extreme Realm master feel threatened?
Even if Yu Un-ryong fought desperately, what if he posed no real danger?
Then there'd be no reason for the monster to resort to Limitless Power.
"But this is the only way to oppose a Martial Extreme Realm master."
The bodies of those who had entered the Martial Extreme Realm were fundamentally different from ordinary martial artists. Conventional martial arts or strikes couldn't bring them down.
In the end, the only way to kill them in a single stroke was through Limitless Power—or a force equivalent to it.
If the monster refused to unleash it? Then there would be no way to defeat him.
"Hah..."
Having finished all his calculations in his mind, Yu Un-ryong wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead.
The Mind's Eye Mirror—a mysterious domain woven from countless precious artifacts and layered formations.
Just comprehending and calculating its mechanisms alone drained an immense amount of his Mental Power.
"It doesn't matter."
His life was already of no concern to him.
"It's just..."
Yu Un-ryong gazed at the distant sky.
"I feel sorry for them."
There, as if visible before him, were Bu Eun-seol, Myo Cheon-u... the unit commanders of the Death Shadow War Unit, and his comrades.
If they ever learned the truth—
They would rage and resent him for it.
But this was the best he could do.
Bu Eun-seol was a Divine Being who would rewrite the history of the Martial World, but he was no hero who would sacrifice everything for the Greater Righteousness.
Even as he raced toward vengeance, his emotions ran unfathomably deep.
Without his comrades and subordinates, he would never be able to endure alone—like a lonely child.
Yu Un-ryong couldn't let those who supported him be harmed—not for the sake of his personal affairs.
"There's not much time left now."
Yu Un-ryong muttered as he stared at the distant sky.
Soon, his father, Yu Jeong-pung, would arrive.
And that unbending man would welcome the assassin's attack with open arms.
Because it was a death for the Emperor.
Even if this same scenario repeated hundreds of times, he would offer his life without hesitation.
"A state official's loyalty to his nation is no flaw. But..."
Recalling the past, he shook his head.
The resentment he still harbored toward Yu Jeong-pung—
Had not yet been resolved.
"Why is it that humans can never truly forget the past?"
Biting his lip, Yu Un-ryong's mind conjured the image of his mother dying in agony.
Even as she suffered so terribly... the only one she worried about was his father, Yu Jeong-pung.
Though he still couldn't forgive him—
He couldn't let the man his mother had loved so deeply, had worried over so desperately...
Die at the hands of some worthless Reckless Ruffian of the Martial World, a man who clung to the Eastern Depot for wealth and glory.
"Having fun?"
A shadow approached from afar.
A man with short hair, hawk-like sharp eyes, the back of a bear, and the waist of a tiger—a rugged figure.
It was Myo Cheon-u.
"How did you—"
As Yu Un-ryong's face stiffened, Myo Cheon-u smirked.
"You forgot that if you let slip the information you held, you'd naturally become a target of surveillance too?"
"Impossible. I made sure to clean up perfectly."
Anticipating such a possibility, Yu Un-ryong hadn't just erased his tracks flawlessly—
He had taken measures to ensure that no intelligence organization, including the Death Soul Squad, could uncover his movements.
Yet Myo Cheon-u had seen through it all and tracked him down in an instant?
"Just kidding. Who could find you if you were serious about hiding?"
Myo Cheon-u spoke bitterly.
"Mu-gwang told me. The whole situation."
Mu-gwang had been unsettled by the sight of Yu Un-ryong leaving with a smile.
In the end, after much deliberation, he sought out Myo Cheon-u and told him everything.
Because they were inseparable friends.
Because he knew Myo Cheon-u wouldn't leave Yu Un-ryong alone.
"I heard someone from your family came. So I did some digging."
Myo Cheon-u had finally reunited with Jang Gang.
And from him, he had heard the entire story.
"So?"
Yu Un-ryong spoke coldly.
"What difference does it make if you come?"
"Yu Un-ryong."
"Don't misunderstand. Did you come all this way just to ruin everything with some pointless display of friendship?"
Yu Un-ryong's expression was utterly frigid.
"Unlike you, I've prepared for this day... countless times, over and over. Even if I'm gone, no one will ever feel the absence."
He took a deep breath and spoke deliberately.
"And this is my family's matter. It's something I must do—something that must end with me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Myo Cheon-u sighed.
"Yu Un-ryong. Do I look like I came here to help you?"
"What?"
"I came as a unit commander of the Death Shadow War Unit."
Myo Cheon-u's expression was deadly serious.
"From now on, the person Bu Eun-seol and the Death Shadow War Unit need isn't me—it's you, Yu Un-ryong."
"What are you talking about?"
"Right now, all I'm doing is cleaning up after you, aren't I?"
A faint smile touched his lips as he continued.
"But you're different. You have to guide those fools in the Death Shadow War Unit in the right direction. You have to manage the battalion's affairs."
"..."
"And there's the Martial Soul Society too, isn't there? The more they grow, the more they'll need your strength in the future."
Yu Un-ryong was furious.
So furious that he couldn't bear to listen to Myo Cheon-u's words any longer.
"Myo Cheon-u!"
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
Myo Cheon-u let out a quiet laugh.
"Even when I was away for a long time, trying to heal my shattered dantian, the Death Shadow War Unit ran just fine, didn't it? Because you handled it that well. Right?"
"So what? You're going to die in my place?"
"I told you—it's not for you."
Myo Cheon-u's expression turned solemn again.
"It's for Bu Eun-seol. And for the remaining members of the Death Shadow War Unit."
"I refuse."
"Yu Un-ryong. Aren't you the one getting lost in some meaningless friendship game?"
Myo Cheon-u's face was utterly cold.
"The Death Shadow War Unit's strategist—someone like you—would recklessly charge into things without any calculation, without considering the consequences?"
"This is my matter."
"Don't be ridiculous. Do you really think anything here is still just your matter?"
His expression was resolute.
"From the moment we entered the Demon Hall—no, from the moment we swore to spend our lives by that man's side... personal matters ceased to exist for us."
Then he gazed up at the distant sky.
"Think carefully. Why did we dedicate ourselves to the Demon Hall in the first place? What is it we ultimately desire?"
There was no need to think.
Because what Myo Cheon-u was thinking—
Yu Un-ryong had already considered it himself, many times over.
But the reason he still had to do this, regardless, was simple.
Because Myo Cheon-u, too...
was a friend as precious to him as life itself—just like Bu Eun-seol.
"Enough. That's far enough."
As if reading Yu Un-ryong's thoughts, Myo Cheon-u waved his hand dismissively.
Then, looking at Yu Un-ryong, who had lowered his head, he spoke flatly.
"Now, tell me. How can I take your place?"
"..."
"Hurry up. We don't have time."
Instead of answering, Yu Un-ryong pulled out a manual and handed it to him.
It contained detailed instructions on the structure of the Mind's Eye Mirror and how to utilize its mechanisms.
"'The Battle Formations and dharma instruments inside can be controlled with one foot...'"
Rustle.
Myo Cheon-u quickly flipped through the manual while standing in place.
"Impressive. With this technique, even the greatest master wouldn't be able to stop a Mutual Destruction, would they?"
"..."
"The problem is endurance. You'd have to hold out until the Limitless Power manifests."
Though overshadowed by Bu Eun-seol—
Myo Cheon-u was also a prodigy of the martial arts. In an instant, he grasped the essence of the Mind's Eye Mirror that Yu Un-ryong had created.
"I like it. Whether it succeeds or fails, you can leave this world without leaving a single trace behind."
Because it was incomplete—whether it succeeded or failed—it meant the caster's life would end.
Thud.
Closing the book, Myo Cheon-u spoke coldly.
"Your part is done, so leave. Don't linger here and mess things up."
"Myo Cheon-u."
"If you're the Death Shadow War Unit's strategist, shouldn't you be showing your most rational and composed self right now?"
Myo Cheon-u waved his hand again.
"I don't even want to explain anymore. Just go."
Yu Un-ryong bit his lip.
Having shared meals and hardships together, he knew Myo Cheon-u's personality better than anyone.
That pointless meddling of his—
And that burning friendship—because of it, Bu Eun-seol had changed, and in the end, even the unit commanders had formed deep bonds with him.
'But he's right.'
To be coldly objective—
Myo Cheon-u was not an indispensable figure in the Death Shadow War Unit.
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon were true demonic martial artists responsible for training and uniting the Hall's warriors—the battalion's representative military commanders.
Wi Cheon-gyeong was a strategist on par with Yu Un-ryong, and his ability to analyze and refine information even surpassed his own.
Myo Cheon-u knew this himself—which was why he was willing to sacrifice himself in Yu Un-ryong's place.
"Fine, I understand."
Yu Un-ryong's pupils turned icy cold, as if frost itself were seeping from them.
Myo Cheon-u was right.
He was the strategist of Death Shadow War Unit.
He needed to assess the situation with cold rationality and pursue practical gains.
This was where sentimental games of friendship ended.
"I'll go."
"Good decision. I'll handle it thoroughly, so don't worry."
Myo Cheon-u spoke indifferently.
"Return quickly. The Hall will be in chaos the longer you're gone."
"Of course."
Yu Un-ryong turned away immediately.
Myo Cheon-u was rough and tenacious—if anything, he was better suited for this kind of work than Yu Un-ryong himself.
There was nothing left for him to do here.
Yu Jeong-pung had finally arrived at the manor by West Lake.
Though he was escorted by the Eighteen Brocade Guards—a force equivalent to a martial sect—this was no place for reassurance.
This would be the location of his grave.
Yet Yu Jeong-pung remained composed, holed up in the manor reading books as if he were merely on a leisurely excursion.
For the Emperor. For the Crown Prince.
He had already resolved himself to die, so nothing frightened him anymore.
Then, as the sun began to set, dark storm clouds suddenly gathered around the manor.
Kkiiii—
At the same time, mist rose, and a colossal shadow slowly began to approach.
A figure with two crimson spear shafts strapped to its back.
It wore a bamboo hat and a pitch-black cloth covering its face, obscuring its features.
Its skin glistened as if forged from molten metal, and it stood seven feet tall—like a living spear given human form.
Paaat—
The moment the Bamboo Hat Man appeared, fourteen shadows erupted from the ground, encircling him.
Fourteen of the Eighteen Brocade Guards, having sensed his energy, had rushed to intercept.
"An assassin sent by the Eastern Depot?"
Je Myeong-il, the fifth of the Eighteen Imperial Guard Shadows, glared at the Bamboo Hat Man, his eyes flashing.
"From this moment on, take not a single step forward. Turn back now."
An aura capable of splitting the earth itself radiated from Je Myeong-il's body.
"Or I will cut you down immediately."
Yet the Bamboo Hat Man continued forward as if he hadn't heard a word.
"So you won't shed tears until you see your own coffin?"
Je Myeong-il lightly extended his hand.
Zziiing—
A faint glow spread around the Bamboo Hat Man, forming a circular barrier of light.
The pressure within was overwhelming—something no ordinary human body could endure.
Crunch, crunch.
Even as the ground beneath him shattered into dust, the Bamboo Hat Man's steps did not falter.
If anything, the heavier the pressure became, the lighter his strides grew—his bamboo hat remaining completely unscathed.
Despite Je Myeong-il unleashing his full might, he couldn't even break the assassin's hat.
"An extraordinary master."
Je Myeong-il narrowed his eyes.
So this was why the Eastern Depot had sent an assassin so openly, so confidently.
To dispatch a master of this caliber alone...
"I'll handle him."
Then, the eighth guard—Mo Yeong-hwa—stepped forward.
Each of the Eighteen Brocade Guards had mastered one of the Imperial Palace Secret Repository's esoteric martial arts.
Their techniques possessed power and efficacy unmatched by any martial art in the murim.
Je Myeong-il nodded, and Mo Yeong-hwa advanced with a smirk.
He had trained in Shadow-Severing Hidden Path, an Imperial Court Martial Art capable of completely severing the flow of power within an opponent's body.
No matter how formidable the Bamboo Hat Man's martial arts were—
The moment Mo Yeong-hwa unleashed his technique, the assassin would be reduced to an ordinary man, unable to wield any strength.
Zziiing—
As Mo Yeong-hwa channeled his power, a bluish mist rose around the Bamboo Hat Man's body.
The Shadow-Severing Hidden Path was dispersing all the energy within him like dissipating fog.
"Heh heh heh. What will you do now?"
Mo Yeong-hwa tilted his head with a laugh—just as the Bamboo Hat Man slowly reached behind his back.
Clank.
He combined the two crimson spear shafts into a single, massive pike.
The weapon was dyed red, as if soaked in blood.
"What do you plan to do with just one spear?"
Just as Mo Yeong-hwa's sneer formed—
Tuk.
A strange sound echoed, and a geyser of thick blood erupted beneath his feet.
"Huh?"
Sensing something amiss, Mo Yeong-hwa looked down at his chest.
"When did—?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
A hole had already been punched through his heart, blood gushing out in torrents.
Thud.
Without another word, he collapsed, dead.
Mo Yeong-hwa's lifeless eyes remained wide open.
He hadn't even seen the technique that killed him.
"An extraordinary master indeed."
Only now did Je Myeong-il realize—this was no opponent they could face alone. He nodded grimly.
"Attack together!"
At his command, the remaining Brocade Guards unleashed their full Internal Power in unison.
The Imperial Court Martial Arts they had mastered were secret techniques so profound that even the strongest masters of the Murim would find them impossible to counter with ease.
Yet... it was futile.
No matter what attacks they unleashed.
No matter what power they exerted.
None could withstand the strikes of the pike wielded by the Bamboo Hat Man.
Thud, thud.
With terrifying slicing sounds,
small holes were pierced through the necks and chests of the Eighteen Brocade Guards—who had prided themselves on being invincible until now.
—How?
Their eyes, now frozen in death, were all wide open.
Even as they were skewered by the spear, only one question relentlessly echoed in their minds.
How?
Just how is this possible?
How could something like this happen? What kind of technique is he using?
Boom. Boom.
In less than half a quarter of an hour,
fourteen of the Eighteen Brocade Guards—who had boasted of being the empire's finest—had all been reduced to cold corpses.
Crunch, crunch.
As if nothing had happened,
the Bamboo Hat Man trampled the lifeless bodies of the Brocade Guards and continued toward the manor by West Lake.
And finally, in the distance, a picturesque manor came into view.
The very manor where Yu Jeong-pung was staying.
Whoosh.
But then, a shadow clad in plain gray martial robes descended from the sky.
A man with a sturdy build and short hair—none other than Myo Cheon-u.
"Greetings."
He addressed the Bamboo Hat Man with forced cheerfulness.
But the moment their eyes met, cold sweat instinctively drenched his back.
Though the Eighteen Brocade Guards were warriors of the government office,
they were masters of formidable martial prowess, no less than the greatest experts of the Murim, and wielders of the mysterious Imperial Court Martial Arts.
Yet, despite that, he couldn't even discern how the Bamboo Hat Man had killed them—or what technique he had used.
'I expected as much, but... it's real.'
Myo Cheon-u barely suppressed his trembling body.
In the Murim, beyond the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones, there existed masters who had reached the Martial Extreme Realm.
'This... is the Martial Extreme Realm.'
Just by meeting his gaze,
the entire world seemed to plunge into darkness, as if a colossal shadow loomed before him, ready to swallow him whole.
'I must stay focused.'
He had come here to die, so fear was meaningless.
Yet, under the overwhelming pressure of the Bamboo Hat Man's terrifying martial prowess,
even locking eyes with him filled him with an unknown dread.
"Let's begin."
Myo Cheon-u immediately stomped the ground.
That man's spear art was so fast it defied the naked eye.
If he carelessly let his guard down, his head could be severed in an instant.
Boom.
As he stamped the ground, the earth beneath his feet rippled in concentric shockwaves,
and gradually, the color of the ground began to shift.
He had activated the Mind's Eye Mirror—the very technique Yu Un-ryong had spent nine days setting up.
Ssshh—
Then, the space between the Bamboo Hat Man and Myo Cheon-u began to darken.
Crunch, crunch.
Unfazed, the Bamboo Hat Man slowly advanced toward Myo Cheon-u.
Suddenly, a swarm of hidden weapons rained down upon him like a storm.
Each weapon was unique, striking from different angles and with varying force.
Yet the Bamboo Hat Man didn't even dodge—he simply kept walking.
Whoosh.
The weapons passed right through him.
As it turned out, every single one of them was an illusion.
Groooowl—
Meanwhile, a colossal wall rose before the Bamboo Hat Man, and a labyrinth began to form.
And before anyone realized, Myo Cheon-u had vanished inside it.
Assuming the maze's walls were also illusions, the Bamboo Hat Man strode forward without hesitation.
Thud.
But suddenly, an enormous wall blocked his path.
Some of the maze's walls were real.
"..."
The Bamboo Hat Man had no intention of leisurely solving the maze.
With the disinterested gaze of someone swatting a bothersome fly, he gathered his internal power and took another step.
Crunch. Rumble—
With each step he took, the walls of the maze shattered like brittle crackers.
It was an overwhelming display of sheer force.
Rumble. Rumble—
Then, the darkened surroundings gradually regained their original colors.
The moment the Bamboo Hat Man acknowledged that this space wasn't just illusions—that real things existed within it—
the Mind's Eye Mirror, infused with the mysteries of the Art of Concealment, finally activated in full.
Rrrrrrr—
As the scenery returned to its normal hues, massive walls began crashing down like rain.
The Bamboo Hat Man's expression shifted as he watched the boulders plummet.
He had realized—
the space he stood in had become a Mindscape, where the boundary between reality and illusion had vanished.
Ssshh—
Slowly, he raised his crimson spear, twelve feet in length.
Zzzziiing—
And the falling boulders gradually froze in place.
Those who reached the Martial Extreme Realm
could not only wield Limitless Power—they could unleash that same overwhelming strength even within a Mindscape.
'It's done.'
Myo Cheon-u, watching from hiding, inwardly cheered.
'Yu Un-ryong... that bastard really is a genius.'
The moment the Bamboo Hat Man recognized this place as a fusion of illusion and reality and exerted his power,
the Mind's Eye Mirror—once an incomplete Mindscape—was now perfectly constructed.
"Hahaha."
Myo Cheon-u strode confidently toward the Bamboo Hat Man.
This place had become a flawless Mindscape, and he was its ruler.
That terrifying Bamboo Hat Man no longer frightened him.