Chapter 817
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"I know nothing of the Martial Extreme Realm. Nor do I wish to."
"What did you say?"
"There is only progress."
"Progress? If you've surpassed the Extreme Heaven Realm, isn't the next step naturally the Martial Extreme Realm?"
"Old man."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained to the dazed Bukgung Ryeong.
"The Martial Extreme Realm is but an illusion. That's why the superlative martial experts who once dominated the murim... have long strived with all their might to break through this so-called realm."
Then he added flatly,
"In the end, they succeeded. That's why I chose a different path to follow them."
"W-what?"
Bukgung Ryeong was utterly bewildered.
He couldn't even comprehend half of what Bu Eun-seol had said.
"Then... have they already reached the Heavenly Will Realm?"
"Not quite. If one must name it... it would be more accurate to call it the true Martial Extreme Realm, forged by the martial artists themselves, rather than the Heavenly Will Realm."
"The true Martial Extreme Realm?"
"Indeed. It seems the conventional Martial Extreme Realm was too fixated on a single force—Limitless Power."
Reluctantly, Bu Eun-seol elaborated on the restrictions of the Martial Extreme Realm, as Fist Adept had once explained.
However, he omitted the part about defeating Fist Adept and Spear Master.
There was no need to crush the old man's spirit now when he still had so much room to grow.
"To think that Limitless Equal Enlightenment was akin to an Inner Demon..."
Bukgung Ryeong's eyes widened like a country bumpkin seeing the imperial capital for the first time.
"Then this old man must further elevate his martial prowess..."
Muttering under his breath, he clenched his fist tightly.
The Inner Energy Bullet Art possessed unrivaled might—no one could block it—and over time, he had grown complacent with his own strength.
But hearing Bu Eun-seol's words...
The embers of his long-dormant Warrior Spirit flared to life once more.
Good.
Bu Eun-seol allowed a meaningful smile to grace his lips.
He had deliberately revealed his own aura at the end.
So that Bukgung Ryeong could advance further.
So that he could become the true leader who would govern the orthodox murim.
"That's all for now."
Bu Eun-seol waved his hand dismissively and turned away.
"Let's meet again."
As he prepared to leave, he glanced back and added,
"In the meantime, keep working hard as you have been. Build your support base well."
"Bu Eun-seol."
At that moment, Bukgung Ryeong spoke with unwavering resolve, his expression grave.
"I may not know much else... but I will never leave the Martial Alliance."
"..."
"I made up my mind the moment I stepped foot here. Not for your sake, but to restore the righteous banner that has been passed down through generations."
Taking a deep breath, he declared clearly once more,
"I consider it the final mission of my life—to purify the Martial Alliance."
Bullet King Bukgung Ryeong.
A renowned chivalrous hero of the orthodox faction.
He had not come to the Martial Alliance on a whim, merely to recuperate.
He had resolved to devote the remainder of his life to this place—to make the Martial Alliance clean and transparent.
"A noble resolve."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"That's precisely why I intend to give you the position of alliance leader. Because you are truly capable of accomplishing such a task."
Then, as if channeling a divine prophecy, he spoke with solemnity,
"Soon, you will walk out of the Martial Alliance of your own accord."
"Why would I?"
"You will come to realize that the Martial Alliance is not a clean place tainted by filth... but rather a cesspool of stagnation from the very beginning."
"..."
"And before long, you will make the announcement yourself. The founding of the Azure Heaven Alliance."
Bukgung Ryeong listened blankly before bursting into a dry chuckle.
"Now you sound like a fortune teller."
"Don't believe me?"
Tap.
As Bu Eun-seol's expression turned serious, Bukgung Ryeong's laughter ceased, and he nodded.
"That will never happen. I will absolutely never leave the Martial Alliance."
"Very well."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"But if your mind changes, come to the Sichuan Tang Family."
"Why the Sichuan Tang Family?"
"If you leave the Martial Alliance to establish the Azure Heaven Alliance, won't you need a base?"
"You plan to build it in Sichuan?"
"It's already built. Long ago."
"Built? How?"
Bu Eun-seol offered no answer, leaving only a smile as he turned away.
"You brat, finish what you're saying before you go!"
But he paid no heed, stepping out of the chamber without another word.
Staring blankly at the door, Bukgung Ryeong sighed.
"That kid... Who knows what ghostly scheme he's plotting now."
Then he shook his head.
"But you still don't understand me."
He truly had no intention of leaving the Martial Alliance. From the beginning, he had resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to this place.
No matter how brilliant Bu Eun-seol was, even if his wisdom touched the heavens...
The oath he had sworn—never to leave the Martial Alliance—would never be broken.
Now it begins.
Exiting the Martial Alliance, Bu Eun-seol immediately headed for the safe house in Xi'an Prefecture.
He will make a fine alliance leader.
By nature, Bukgung Ryeong was indifferent to fame and fortune—a man devoid of ambition.
Moreover, having wandered alone for so long, he was unaccustomed to commanding others.
In short, while he could be a renowned hero...
He was never the type to become the head of an organization or a leader capable of guiding countless martial artists.
Fortunately, driven by his determination to purify the Martial Alliance and transform it...
Bukgung Ryeong had been aiding numerous martial artists.
Naturally, his followers multiplied, leaving him no choice but to lead and command them.
Unbeknownst to himself...
He had cultivated the qualities of a true leader, one capable of guiding vast numbers.
And that, too, was a stroke of luck for Bu Eun-seol.
For he could find no other outstanding figure fit to lead a new orthodox coalition—none but Bukgung Ryeong.
"The righteous faction must be led by someone like this old man."
For a long time, Bu Eun-seol had keenly felt the need for a new leader in the orthodox martial world.
Jeong Cheon-je's fate was uncertain, and the Martial Venerable had fallen to corruption.
The current martial world desperately needed a new figure who could raise the banner of righteousness once more.
And the only one fit for such a task—
A man who had spent his entire life doing what was right, stubbornly upholding the Path of Chivalry with unwavering nobility—
Was none other than Bukgung Ryeong.
"This isn't for the sake of the state of the martial world."
In truth, Bu Eun-seol wasn't acting for the sake of the righteous faction or to uphold martial justice.
Revenge.
Even if the murderer who killed his grandfather had acted alone—
In the end, they would either belong to the formidable Shadow Force that manipulated the martial world or have such a force backing them.
Otherwise, they couldn't have erased their tracks so flawlessly and vanished without a trace.
Thus, creating a united front—one untainted by external forces and guided by righteous principles—was ultimately another step toward finding that murderer.
"Though this is merely a contingency plan."
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol hadn't intended to establish the Azure Heaven Alliance so abruptly.
Forming a new righteous coalition had always been nothing more than a backup plan.
But the current state of the martial world was far too dire.
Even the Fire Rain Sword Sect—the strongest among the Demonic Path Ten Gates—had been revealed to be colluding with external forces.
If even they were compromised, then the Demon Hall and the Martial Alliance were no different.
He could no longer leave his Peak Realm Members adrift in this treacherous landscape.
But what if he were to immediately integrate them into the Martial Soul Society?
Then Seon-u Jin's movements would be exposed, and the Peak Realm Members wouldn't be able to live openly with dignity.
To resolve that, he absolutely needed to establish a new righteous coalition.
"However—"
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened slightly as he sank deeper into thought.
"I still haven't obtained the final key to complete this plan."
For Bu Eun-seol—acting as Seon-u Jin—to flawlessly step outside the Martial Alliance's reach,
He needed leverage capable of delivering a fatal counterblow to the Martial Venerable.
And that required one person's absolute trust and assistance.
Though he had boldly declared to Bukgung Ryeong that he would step forward openly as Seon-u Jin,
The truth was—
He still hadn't found the decisive key that would turn someone's heart and complete his plan.
"I must find it."
Just as he was lost in these thoughts while executing his Movement Technique—
Clang! Clang!
A metallic clash and the clamor of battle cries echoed from afar.
The sound was faint, carried from thousands of feet away—so faint that even a typical martial master wouldn't have detected it.
But thanks to the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi flowing through his veins, Bu Eun-seol could hear the distant metallic clangs and shouts riding the wind.
"Hmm."
Pausing his Lightness Skill, Bu Eun-seol pricked up his ears—just as So-yo's Thousand-Li Voice Transmission reached him.
[What is it?]
Even she, whose Divine Steps and extrasensory perception were nearly on par with his own,
Had failed to detect the faint metallic sounds.
The Three Divine Powers.
Merely possessing this natural force had heightened his senses several times over.
[I hear something.]
After replying briefly via voice transmission, Bu Eun-seol was struck by a sudden thought.
The Four Divine Figures each flaunted their own unique powers,
But they couldn't be called supreme martial experts who dominated the martial world or looked down on the world.
Yet when these powers converged—
They unleashed a transcendent, mystical force that surpassed martial arts itself.
"Is this knowledge known only to the Three Realms?"
The Three Realms—akin to the Baekri Clan's familiars—had long understood the significance of the Four Divine Energies.
Hadn't the Infinite Realm, including the Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans,
Strived to artificially recreate the Four Divine Energies using Demon Seeds and Artificial Dantians?
"Then did the Baekri Clan possess powers similar to the Divine Figures?"
The Servants of the True Demon had made monumental contributions to the creation of martial arts—even imposing limits on its highest realms.
And the Baekri Clan opposed that True Demon.
Which meant the Baekri Clan's power—
Was either the naturally occurring force of the Divine Figures or something comparable.
And the Three Realms, well aware of this, had fixated on the Four Divine Energies—or so he speculated.
[Sound?]
So-yo's voice transmission came again.
[What sound?]
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol answered curtly.
[The sound of weapons clashing somewhere.]
This area lay outside any martial faction's territory, with no reason for any factions or figures to be fighting here.
In the past, he might have ignored it—but now, things were different.
"From now on, I must pay even closer attention to the martial world's currents."
He had long been deeply involved in the martial world's affairs, and soon, he would have to establish a new coalition.
Naturally, he needed perfect insight into the movements of both righteous and demonic factions—
And no matter how minor, every martial incident required thorough investigation.
[I'll check what's happening.]
At So-yo's words, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
[No, let's go together.]
Whoosh!
Propelled by the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, Bu Eun-seol soared through mid-air in an instant.
Using this energy for his Lightness Skill not only minimized his internal energy consumption—
But also eliminated the sound of breaking air, while the natural qi concealed his presence,
Allowing him to move as stealthily as if executing a covert movement art.
Clang! Clash!
By the time he reached the source of the noise, the clashing of weapons had grown even more thunderous.
Hidden atop a towering great tree, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
"What are they—?"
In the clearing below—
Ten black-clad masked men were surrounded by forty blue-masked figures,
Engaged in a fierce battle.
What was truly remarkable was that the masked men were displaying a unique martial art that blended orthodox and unorthodox techniques.
It was impossible to discern which sect they belonged to or even identify what kind of martial arts they were using.
And the martial arts of the blue-masked men were even more bizarre.
Aside from the occasional sword techniques that stood out, their movements resembled strange spellcraft more than martial arts.
'Fascinating.'
As Bu Eun-seol intently observed the battle, he suddenly realized one crucial fact.
Though the blue-masked men were employing some unfathomable, grotesque sorcery—
The black-masked men, no matter what, were using orthodox martial arts from the Central Plains.
And their martial arts weren't just a haphazard mix of orthodox and unorthodox techniques—they had achieved near-perfect harmony.
'Could it be...?'
A flash of realization exploded in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
In the current murim, there was only one person capable of perfectly fusing orthodox and unorthodox martial arts.
Only one.
"Ghk—"
Meanwhile, the battle had reached its climax.
The outnumbered black-masked men had been overwhelmed by the blue-masked forces, and now only their leader remained standing.
'Hmm.'
After a brief moment of deep contemplation, Bu Eun-seol thought,
'If it's the old man's identity, I should be able to confirm it for sure.'
Having devised a plan, Bu Eun-seol retrieved a cloth from his sleeve and draped it over his face.
Then, using the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art, he slightly thinned his frame and wrinkled his skin all over.
Whoosh.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he executed an ethereal movement technique.
He dashed swiftly through the area before abruptly changing direction—as if he had just stumbled upon the battle.
"Hoh? Sorcery?"
From a distance, he watched the scene unfold before raising his voice in a hoarse, aged tone.
"Halt!" he bellowed.
"What sect's disciples dare to use forbidden sorcery in the murim?"
The voice Bu Eun-seol was mimicking through the Cock-Crowing and Dog-Stealing Art was none other than that of the Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
The blue-masked men stiffened as they caught sight of Bu Eun-seol's disguised eyes beneath the cloth.
"That man is...!"
The apparent leader of the blue-masked men widened his eyes.
"The Bullet King?"
Then, under his breath, he muttered something unintelligible.
"How... how could an interloper appear during a task assigned by him?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
When Bu Eun-seol demanded an answer, the blue-masked man ignored him, exchanging glances with his comrades instead.
Nod.
After a silent exchange, they simultaneously stretched out their arms.
Huuuum.
Suddenly, an invisible, crushing pressure bore down on Bu Eun-seol's body—
And hundreds of snakes erupted from the ground, coiling around him.
This was no martial art—it was some bizarre form of spellcraft.
"Daring to wield wicked esoteric arts!"
Bu Eun-seol, still impersonating Bukgung Ryeong, roared in indignation.
"In all my years, I have never spared those who practice sorcery!"
BOOM!
As he channeled his internal power, a shockwave of true qi erupted outward—
A violent whirlwind tore through the area, flinging the snakes off his body.
The blue-masked men, witnessing the devastating shockwaves and gales unleashed by Bu Eun-seol,
Realized the sheer magnitude of his internal energy and frantically waved their hands.
Crackle. Rumble—
As they formed strange hand seals in unison, the earth split open, and a crimson light surged toward Bu Eun-seol.
Where the light touched, white smoke rose from his skin, and thick veins bulged like earthworms writhing to the surface.
"Futile."
Bu Eun-seol flicked his finger lightly.
KWA-BOOM!
A compressed blast of air shot toward the blue-masked men like cannon fire.
"Scatter!"
Realizing their spells were ineffective, the blue-masked men panicked and dispersed in all directions.
Their movement techniques were profound, their evasion swift—somehow, they managed to narrowly dodge the barrage of Inner Energy Bullet Arts.
BOOM! BOOM!
But as Bu Eun-seol continued firing relentlessly, evasion became impossible.
BANG! CRACK!
A grazing hit tore off an arm; another strike severed a leg.
Moreover, the speed of the Inner Energy Bullet Arts far surpassed their movement—
Dodging was never an option to begin with.
Zzzzt—
Eventually, the blue-masked men abandoned evasion and formed a defensive formation, conjuring a bluish Astral Energy Barrier.
This barrier, reinforced by sorcery,
Was several times more resilient than ordinary qi barriers.
THOOM!
The Inner Energy Bullet Arts failed to penetrate—instead, a deep, resonant vibration spread like the tolling of a temple bell.
But there was one thing they didn't know.
Bu Eun-seol's internal energy had already reached the human limit—ten cycles of cultivation.
"Guh—!"
Blood arrows sprayed from the blue-masked men's mouths.
Though the barrier blocked the bullets, it couldn't absorb the terrifying shockwaves—
Leaving them with devastating internal injuries.
Tremble, tremble.
The forty-some blue-masked men staggered, barely standing despite their fatal wounds.
"This... makes no sense," one of them muttered, spitting out fragments of shattered organs.
"Never once has it been wrong before... Did Heaven's Will miscalculate?"
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Bu Eun-seol stepped closer to the fallen men.
"Who are you people? Where did you learn such esoteric arts?"
The grievously wounded blue-masked men
Glared at him with desperate eyes before—
Thud. Thud.
One by one, they collapsed like felled logs.
Realizing they couldn't resist Bu Eun-seol's power—nor escape his grasp—
They had severed their own heart meridians, committing suicide on the spot.
"You kill yourselves the moment I ask for your identity?"
Bu Eun-seol let out a hollow sigh as he stared at the fallen men.
"Tools of some vile faction, no doubt. Just where did these people come from?"
Then he turned to the black-masked man who was still panting heavily and asked,
"And what about you?"
The lone surviving black-masked man struggled to his feet and shook his head.
"I cannot reveal my identity."
"I saved you for nothing, then."
"..."
When the masked man remained silent, Bu Eun-seol pressed further.
"Fine, keep your identity hidden. Then tell me—which faction do those blue-masked bastards belong to?"
"I don't know. They attacked us out of nowhere."
"You're lying. Do you really think you can deceive these old eyes?"
As Bu Eun-seol rebuked him with a stern expression, the masked man squared his shoulders defiantly.
"If you're going to kill me, then kill me. Just make it quick."
"What?"
"My comrades will be here soon."
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin, then nodded with an impressed glint in his eyes.
"I see. You've got some backbone, I'll give you that."
Mimicking the Bullet King's posture with his hands clasped behind his back, Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
"I don't know which faction you belong to, but if you're planning any evil deeds, you'd best stop now."
Then, a terrifying righteous light blazed from his eyes.
"Because I will hunt you down and kill you."
The masked man said nothing, merely standing with visible effort.
Bu Eun-seol snorted dismissively and unleashed his Movement Technique in an instant.
BOOM!
A shockwave like an explosion rippled outward, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Gurgle—
The moment Bu Eun-seol left, the masked man, who had been forcing himself to remain composed, spat out a mouthful of blood.
"The Bullet King... To think he'd appear here."
Taking a deep breath, the masked man gazed at the distant sky.
He was already suffering from irreversible internal injuries.
And though the blue-masked men were all dead, more pursuers would soon catch up.
With his injuries this severe, he could only sustain his Lightness Skill for about a quarter of an hour.
There was no way he'd make it to Chengdu, and he had no means left to erase his trail...
He was left with no choice but to wait for death.
"I'll shake off the pursuit somehow."
Muttering under his breath, the masked man clenched his fists.
"I have to survive."
Then, channeling his Internal Energy, he activated his Lightness Skill.
'Just as I thought.'
Bu Eun-seol, who had been observing the masked man while concealed, nodded to himself.
'Even the Bullet King's presence didn't sway him...'
In truth, he had already deduced the black-masked men's identities.
'The Martial Venerable's direct subordinates.'
There were many in the Murim who had mastered both orthodox and unorthodox martial arts.
But only one person possessed the ability to perfectly fuse two entirely different schools of martial arts.
The Martial Venerable—the only man known to have gone mad in his pursuit of martial arts, mastering every technique in the Murim.
Having discerned the black-masked men's allegiance, Bu Eun-seol devised a plan after much deliberation.
He had appeared in the guise of the Bullet King, defeated the blue-masked men, and then spoken to the sole surviving black-masked man.
If he were from the Righteous Faction, even if he didn't trust the Martial Alliance's leader, he would trust the Bullet King.
After all, the Bullet King was renowned as the most incorruptible and selfless figure in the Murim.
Yet, even in a state where he couldn't last even a quarter of an hour, the masked man kept his identity and true intentions hidden, refusing to speak.
'Which means... he's on a mission that must never be discovered by the Murim.'
When an agent on a secret mission encounters an unexpected crisis and faces death,
the first thing they must do is...
ensure that the intelligence they've gathered—or the objects containing it—are passed on to someone.
Deliberately, Bu Eun-seol had disguised himself as the Bullet King, the most trusted figure in the orthodox Murim.
There was no one in the martial world more reliable to entrust with such a task.
And yet, the masked man neither revealed himself nor made any request.
Which meant... the intelligence he carried was something the Murim must never learn.
And the black-masked man would never trust any Murim figure—no matter who.
'I suspected as much.'
Swish—
Bu Eun-seol spun his body in a full rotation.
In an instant, his attire transformed into that of a wandering beggar, tattered and worn.
Thud. Thud.
Burying all his belongings, including the Ink Soul Sword, underground,
Crack—
he activated the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art, altering his appearance into that of an utterly ordinary man.
Fwoosh—
Still unsatisfied, he channeled the Hot River Great Essence True Qi, lightly scorching his clothes to make them appear aged and ragged.
Swish. Swish.
Then he smeared dust all over his face and clothes, even packing his teeth with filthy mud.
In an extremely short time,
Bu Eun-seol had transformed into the likeness of a destitute beggar who hadn't bathed in years.
He picked up a large rock nearby.
Crack—
Shattering it against a boulder, he fashioned one piece into a sharp, blade-like fragment.
Hum—
Infusing it with Internal Energy, the stone took on the keen, polished edge of a well-honed stone knife.
"This should do."
He pressed the stone knife against a nearby tree, carving out a square in the bark and peeling it away.
Once the white inner bark was exposed, he tore it off and began chewing without hesitation.
'A plain beggar will surely get close.'
No matter how wary one was of martial artists, no one would suspect a starving vagrant gnawing on tree bark.
'If he was had received the Martial Venerable's Ultimate Art, he must be a trusted subordinate.'
As he chewed the bark, Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled the martial arts the black-masked man had used.
Why was the Martial Venerable called the Martial Venerable?
From childhood to adulthood,
he had studied the martial arts of every sect in the world, comprehending their principles and reaching new realms.
Thus, the Martial Venerable's martial arts could not only perfectly fuse orthodox and unorthodox techniques,
but no matter how skilled the opponent,
none could discern exactly which school's secrets he was employing in combat.
And the martial arts used by the black-masked men...
It possessed every single characteristic of the Martial Arts employed by the Martial Venerable himself.
Munch, munch.
Still chewing on the tree bark, he began gnawing on the leaves and stems as well.
His molars ground down firmly, drawing out a bitter taste, but he didn't stop—only chewed harder.
Then, he started smearing the remnants all over his clothes.
Rustle.
At that moment, a distant figure struggled to propel themselves forward using Lightness Skill, the sound of displaced air accompanying their approach.
'He's here.'
Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a knowing smile.
The shadow drawing near from afar—
Was none other than the black-masked man he had spared just moments ago.