Chapter 820
The Old Master spoke.
"If we leave things as they are, the Martial Alliance's internal factions may begin to collapse from within."
Noticing the Martial Venerable's complicated state of mind, the Old Master wore an expression of regret.
"The timing is merely premature—it was always part of the sequence, was it not?"
Then he added one more remark.
"They will eventually become obstacles threatening even the Alliance Leader's position."
"Hmm."
The Martial Venerable made a swift decision.
After all, only the timing had changed.
As the Old Master said, everything was merely following its natural course.
"Very well."
The Martial Venerable nodded.
"In that case, let us first deal with the Chief Strategist's shadow organization. It has grown far too large."
Instead of answering, the Old Master sipped his tea with a faint smile.
Watching this, the Martial Venerable's pupils momentarily turned icy.
But soon, he resumed a gentle smile and clasped his hands together.
"Then."
Having shown his courtesy, the Martial Venerable turned away.
The smile that had been plastered across his face vanished in an instant, as if evaporated.
'In the end, they're nothing but a rotting ship to me.'
The Martial Venerable had never cared about the authority he could gain from the Martial Alliance.
He, too, was an outsider—someone who would eventually leave. The Martial Alliance was merely a temporary dwelling.
'Do you think I'd be satisfied with the scraps of power you toss my way?'
Had he truly valued the Alliance Leader's authority?
He would never have allowed each faction's leaders to freely choose their own commanders.
From the very beginning, he had no lingering attachments to the Martial Alliance.
'You lot are nothing but dogs to be boiled in a pot. I'll deal with you slowly.'
When dogs take over their master's duties, they soon begin acting as the masters themselves.
The Martial Venerable had made up his mind.
Before long, he would boil those presumptuous dogs in their own pot.
Creak.
As he re-entered the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, a Black Shadow knelt before the Martial Venerable.
This was the leader of his secret organization—a shadow that perpetually lingered by his side.
"It has been decided: the Blood Heaven Blood Fate Corps must be eliminated."
"I will handle it immediately."
As the shadow's killing intent rippled through the darkness, the Martial Venerable shook his head.
"No need for you to intervene. Since ancient times, hasn't there been an excellent method called Borrowed Knife Murder?"
"Then..."
"After all, she has been desperate to strike down the Jungson Clan."
The Martial Venerable's pupils darkened deeper than the abyss itself.
"Now would be the perfect time to grant her that wish. A mutually beneficial arrangement."
"Is it not a waste?"
At that moment, the shadow spoke cautiously.
"We invested considerable effort in elevating her to Chief Strategist."
The truth was, the Martial Venerable had deeply trusted Gongson Dan-gyeong.
She had been exceptionally capable, swiftly resolving countless problems.
Yet all she ever desired was revenge.
But after boarding the same ship as Bu Eun-seol—
She changed.
Once a resentful ghost who doubted everyone, dug into their pasts, and raced forward solely for vengeance—
Before anyone realized it, she had become an ordinary woman with eyes only for one man.
"No matter how capable she is, once her heart changes, her usefulness ends."
The Martial Venerable tossed a letter from his sleeve.
Inside lay a plan capable of annihilating the organization Gongson Dan-gyeong had spent her life building.
"Execute it as written."
Martial Alliance, Clear Radiance Hall.
Though darkness filled the office, no lamps were lit.
Two men sat across from each other at the table, locked in a silent stare.
Clear Radiance Hall's leader, Mu-gyeol, and Bu Eun-seol—currently playing the role of Secret Intelligence Bureau Chief Seon-u Jin.
"This is troublesome. Showing up unannounced like this."
Mu-gyeol made no effort to hide his displeasure at Bu Eun-seol's sudden visit.
"No matter how discreetly you move, this is still the Martial Alliance. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Mu-gyeol, disciple of Jeong Cheon-je.
He had been covertly investigating the Martial Venerable, digging for the truth behind his master's death.
Bu Eun-seol had also once contacted him in extreme secrecy to investigate the Martial Venerable's secret cave.
But problems arose after that day.
After the cave was breached, the Martial Venerable began casting suspicious gazes at all his subordinates—including Bu Eun-seol.
Fortunately, the only traces left behind were signs of an intruder who had never trained in martial arts. The culprit's identity remained a mystery—despite relentless investigations, nothing had been uncovered.
Yet if it became known that Mu-gyeol had been in contact with Bu Eun-seol under these circumstances?
He might draw the Martial Venerable's full suspicion.
"I'm well aware."
"Then leave."
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol retrieved a wooden box from his sleeve.
"What is this?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Frowning, Mu-gyeol opened the box. Inside lay what appeared to be torn pages from a book.
These were fragments of the Spring and Autumn Annals that Bu Eun-seol had retrieved from the secret cave in White Cloud Mountain.
"This..."
As Mu-gyeol slowly read through the papers in the box, his eyes trembled incessantly.
"The Spring and Autumn Annals contained what I had been desperately searching for."
The words written in the handwriting of his late master detailed the truth about the Martial Venerable.
"My suspicions were correct."
Tears streamed down Mu-gyeol's eyes as he read the written passages.
"In the end, my suspicions were right."
Muttering softly, he wiped his tears and turned to Bu Eun-seol.
"How did you obtain this?"
"It was an extremely coincidental matter."
Bu Eun-seol honestly recounted his encounter with the black-clad masked man and the blue-masked man.
"So that's how it happened."
"Were those masked men part of the organization you lead?"
"It's not quite accurate to say I lead them. They're more like... companions who share the same purpose."
Avoiding a direct answer, Mu-gyeol wore an expression of profound loneliness.
"Lord Dong was a righteous man. He was merely repaying a life debt by assisting Danmok Gi."
Having read the contents of the Spring and Autumn Annals, Mu-gyeol seemed to have grasped the true nature of the Martial Venerable—now referring to him outright as Danmok Gi.
With a troubled expression, he continued,
"But he realized the Martial Venerable was walking the wrong path and helped me. And yet, in the end, I was the one who drove him to his death..."
Bu Eun-seol understood the anguish in Mu-gyeol's heart.
He, too, had wandered the Martial World for revenge, meeting countless comrades and subordinates along the way.
But if they had died for his vengeance—could he ever forgive himself?
"Judging by the fact you gave me this letter, I assume you've decided to leave the alliance."
Mu-gyeol nodded, seeing through Bu Eun-seol's intentions.
"Isn't that so?"
"It is."
Bu Eun-seol retrieved an envelope from his sleeve.
"What is this?"
"A plan I've devised."
As Mu-gyeol read the letter, his eyes widened.
Written in detail was Bu Eun-seol's strategy to flawlessly exit the Martial Alliance under the identity of Seon-u Jin—alongside an even more audacious scheme to establish a new coalition, the Azure Heaven Alliance.
"Why are you showing this to me?"
"Because I believe you, too, are a righteous member of the orthodox faction."
Understanding the implication, Mu-gyeol shook his head.
"Absolutely not. I oppose the Martial Venerable solely to avenge my master. I care nothing for the so-called justice of the Martial World."
"I'm not asking you to join immediately."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"If your mind changes, come to me at any time."
"I don't know whether to thank you for your trust or warn you that you're far too naïve in placing it."
How strange.
As Mu-gyeol read the letter Bu Eun-seol had handed him, his gaze—unlike before—now carried unmistakable disdain.
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of sharing a cause with someone as cold-blooded as you."
"What do you mean?"
Mu-gyeol stared directly into Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"You deliberately placed the Chief Strategist in peril to advance this plan, didn't you?"
His voice was frigid.
"After all, that would be the surest way to secure her."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You intentionally endangered her this time."
"She was in danger?"
"Are you feigning ignorance?"
Mu-gyeol's tone was icy.
"To completely destroy the existence known as Seon-u Jin, you must first topple the forces backing him, no?"
"Are you saying they've already moved against the Chief Strategist?"
Bu Eun-seol was well aware that if they sought to eliminate Seon-u Jin, they would first target Gongson Dan-gyeong to undermine her position.
But the Martial Venerable had summoned him to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion to halt the activation of the Clear-Heart Command Token.
Yet now, they were simultaneously ordering an immediate strike against Gongson Dan-gyeong? That made no sense.
"You deliberately avoided investigating the Chief Strategist's faction this time. Wasn't that to divert the arrows meant for you toward her instead?"
Mu-gyeol's lips curled in a sneer.
"You planned to annihilate her organization, trap her in a hopeless situation, and then recruit her—wasn't that your scheme?"
He was mistaken.
He had convinced himself that Bu Eun-seol had orchestrated this entire plot solely to bring Gongson Dan-gyeong under his wing.
"You're no different from Danmok Gi—from that man."
Mu-gyeol's face twisted in disgust.
"You'll stop at nothing to get what you want."
"You're misunderstanding something."
"Misunderstanding?"
Mu-gyeol scoffed.
"Is this what you want to say? That you were trying to save her? That it was all a means to free her from the den of evil that is the Martial Alliance?"
"Hahaha."
Bu Eun-seol let out a hollow laugh.
Then, with a derisive snort, he met Mu-gyeol's gaze.
"No wonder you've been drowning in such gentle delusions—no wonder you've failed to uncover proof that the Martial Venerable harmed Jeong Cheon-je."
"What did you say?"
"Do you think the Chief Strategist is some delicate hothouse flower? A naïve gifted woman who leads her subordinates without understanding anything?"
His expression was utterly cold as he stared at Mu-gyeol.
"Listen well. She is the woman who earned the Martial Venerable's trust and climbed to the position of Chief Strategist—in this cesspool of a Martial Alliance."
And then, with absolute conviction, he declared—
"She is always ready to get her hands dirty. Do you really think a woman like her would fall for their schemes so easily?"
Gongson Dan-gyeong was no ordinary strategist.
She had climbed to the very pinnacle a woman could reach in this hellish Martial Alliance—through her own strength.
She was someone who had earned the trust of the ever-suspicious Martial Venerable.
No matter what situation arose, she would undoubtedly survive.
Bu Eun-seol wasn't the least bit worried about Gongson Dan-gyeong.
But then, Mu-gyeol said something unexpected.
"True. That's how she used to be."
"Used to be?"
"Don't play dumb."
"Explain it in a way I can understand."
"Do you really think someone as sharp as her would deliberately walk into Danmok Gi's trap?"
"You're saying she deliberately walked into his scheme?"
"She's gone to disband the secret faction she's been nurturing for years—of her own volition."
Mu-gyeol dropped an even more shocking revelation.
"For your sake."
A spark of fire flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"The Martial Venerable has been aware of her secret organization for a long time. And at some point, he also saw through the fact that her heart had changed."
Mu-gyeol sighed.
"He summoned the Chief Strategist. Told her that because of your activation of the Clear-Heart Command Token, you'd be killed by the Martial Alliance's shadow operatives."
"..."
"And then he made her an offer—if she wanted to spare your life, she had to dismantle the secret faction she'd built."
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"Of course she refused—"
"She accepted."
At that moment, the ceaseless flickering in Bu Eun-seol's pupils froze.
He had already anticipated that the Martial Venerable might threaten Gongson Dan-gyeong using his safety as leverage.
But he had assumed, without question, that she would refuse.
Yet now, she had accepted the offer and was going to disband her organization?
Impossible.
Her goal was the Jungson Clan—one of the legendary Three Clans.
That secret faction must have been something she had painstakingly nurtured for years, a force of immense capability.
So why would she disband it—for him?
That ruthless, cold-blooded Gongson Dan-gyeong—why would she?
"You must've guessed it by now—it's obviously a death trap."
Mu-gyeol's voice was icy.
"Danmok Gi—he's a descendant of the Danmok Clan, a lineage that only produces geniuses. He's not the type to leave loose ends."
Bu Eun-seol realized something and demanded,
"You're saying he lured the Jungson Clan's forces to eliminate her?"
"Obviously."
Mu-gyeol snorted.
"If there's a clean way to dispose of her without dirtying his own hands, why wouldn't he use it?"
Stars burst in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Had the Martial Venerable acted directly, Gongson Dan-gyeong's life might not have been in danger.
Their goal was only to eliminate the secret factions under the Chief Strategist's command.
But if the Jungson Clan was involved, the situation changed entirely.
Even if they didn't know Gongson Dan-gyeong's true identity, they would never let her live.
Because the Jungson Clan would never spare a faction leader who had raised forces against them.
"Did you really not know?"
Mu-gyeol frowned as he watched Bu Eun-seol's face twist with urgency.
"A clever man like you?"
Bu Eun-seol was clever.
That was an indisputable fact.
But he was particularly dense when it came to understanding a woman's emotions.
And Gongson Dan-gyeong had never once expressed such feelings to him—
So of course he wouldn't have known.
That cold, calculating Gongson Dan-gyeong—
The woman who had clung to vengeance more fiercely than anyone—
Had abandoned her revenge—to save him.
"Where is she?"
"..."
"Tell me where the Martial Venerable lured her. The location."
A bloody light, darker than crimson, surged in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"Now!"
The Jungson Clan
They were uniquely obsessed with the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, collecting and preserving their strength through the Boundary-Prosperity Jade.
For this reason, Gongson Dan-gyeong had long studied how to confront and annihilate them head-on.
The One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Their power only manifested within a certain domain, where they wielded truly absolute supernatural powers.
Ordinary martial arts stood no chance against them.
By martial standards, only those who had reached the Extreme Heaven Realm could even hope to oppose them.
If the martial arts of the Pratyekabuddha Hall and the Gongson Clan's boundary formations were combined... perhaps...
The reason Gongson Dan-gyeong had asked Gongson Hwa-uk to send her to the Martial Alliance—
It wasn't just to build the intelligence and influence needed to oppose the Jungson Clan.
Above all, it was to research a way to counter the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
And by Heaven's grace—
She had stumbled upon a hidden text in the first floor of the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
There, she found records of a new secret art—one that fused martial arts with formation study, creating a mystical Dharma Instrument called the Shadow-Reflection Magic Lantern.
A technique capable of suppressing even the most extraordinary supernatural abilities—something never before seen in the martial world.
The secrets of the Dao Image.
Though it might still fall short against the most superlative martial experts—
Against those of the One Hundred and Eight Stars who wield supernatural powers, it could exhibit truly flawless efficacy.
—But this cannot be deployed alone.
Just like the Mind's Eye Mirror Yu Un-ryong discovered in the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms,
the Dao Image recorded in the secret manual also could not be activated by a single person.
After much deliberation, Gongson Dan-gyeong invested vast wealth and manpower
to raise a specialized combat unit capable of facing the Jungson Clan and the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
The Blood Heaven Blood Fate Corps.
Its name carried the meaning of her grudge—so venomous it could dye the heavens with blood—and her vow to stake her life on revenge.
After long years of training,
the masters of the Blood Fate Corps not only possessed exceptional martial prowess
but had also reached a level where they could be called the foremost practitioners of formation studies.
This was because she had taught them the supreme martial arts stored in the Murim Alliance's Pratyekabuddha Hall,
as well as the Gongson Clan's peerless formation arts.
—Now, the preparations were complete.
Gongson Dan-gyeong was confident.
Though she herself had not mastered supreme martial arts, with the Blood Fate Corps by her side—
she was certain they could defeat the Jungson Clan's masters, even those who wielded the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Mount Azure Cloud, Twin Valleys.
This was where the headquarters of the Blood Fate Corps, nurtured by Gongson Dan-gyeong, stood.
"ARGH!"
"KEUGH!"
Now, agonized screams endlessly echoed through that place.
They were all martial artists of the Blood Fate Corps, who had trained relentlessly under Gongson Dan-gyeong's command.
Among them were retired grandmasters she had begged on her knees to recruit,
as well as fresh-faced youths who had only just reached adulthood.
They were all warriors who had thoroughly mastered the martial manuals and formation arts she imparted—
for the sole purpose of eliminating the Jungson Clan, who had thrown the martial world into chaos by kidnapping and murdering children.
And now, those who had waited only for the day to strike down the Jungson Clan
were bleeding out, dying in utter misery.
'No.'
Tears of blood streamed from Gongson Dan-gyeong's eyes as she watched the battle from afar.
—"If you disband the organization, we will no longer pursue the matter of Seon-u Jin's wrongdoing."
The words the Martial Venerable had spoken to her not long ago reverberated in her mind.
In the end, she had accepted his proposal and come to Twin Valleys to discuss disbanding the Blood Fate Corps.
But the moment she arrived—
as if they had been lying in wait—
the Jungson Clan's forces, who had never once revealed themselves before,
the masters born with the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, whom she had pursued in vain for so long—
had launched a sudden ambush.
"Chief Strategist. You must retreat."
Gwak Seong, the leader of the Blood Fate Corps, gripped Gongson Dan-gyeong's arm.
Once a swordsman who had pacified all of Jiangnan with a single blade, he had long retired to live as a recluse—
but after Gongson Dan-gyeong, who had staked her life on revenge, pleaded and persuaded him, he had taken up the mantle of leadership.
"They destroyed the Shadow-Reflection Magic Lanterns in advance. We cannot deploy the Dao Image."
The Dao Image—the Blood Fate Corps' supreme secret art, a mystical formation capable of annihilating the Jungson Clan—
required each squad leader to possess a Shadow-Reflection Magic Lantern as its core component.
Yet somehow, the Jungson Clan had learned of this.
They had shattered all the lanterns stored in Twin Valleys before revealing themselves,
leaving the Blood Fate Corps helpless against the slaughter.
"No. I can't be the only one to escape."
"Chief Strategist!"
Gwak Seong's voice was a furious roar, his words unyielding.
"If even you die here, who will avenge our warriors?"
"..."
"You gathered us under the name of the Blood Heaven Blood Fate Corps. Shouldn't you take responsibility for its end?"
Gongson Dan-gyeong bit her lip until blood welled at Gwak Seong's rebuke.
He was right.
She had rallied countless martial artists who bore grudges, swearing to exact vengeance.
She had taught them martial and formation arts.
So... she had to shoulder the duty of avenging them.
"Understood."
Her gaze, thick with malice, swept over the Jungson Clan's forces flooding into Twin Valleys.
Then, in a voice choked with bitterness, she cried out:
"I will avenge you."
"The fact that the Jungson forces you targeted found this place so precisely means... the traitor must be close to you, Chief Strategist."
At Gwak Seong's words, a bloody light flickered in Gongson Dan-gyeong's eyes.
Only two people in the world knew of her grudge against the Jungson Clan.
And among them, only one could have sent the Jungson Clan's forces here—
to eliminate the Blood Fate Corps she had raised in secret.
'Martial Venerable!'
Tears of blood spilled from her eyes.
In the end, the Martial Venerable had ties to the Jungson Clan—and had concealed it all along.
He had discerned that she was aligned with Seon-u Jin—no, that she loved him—
and under the pretense of disbanding the Blood Fate Corps, laid a trap.
'I will never forget this grudge!'
KRRR—
She opened the hidden passage she had prepared in advance.
Unable to bear looking at Gwak Seong any longer, she bowed her head and whispered:
"Survive. No matter what."
Gwak Seong smiled faintly.
"Whenever you issue the Gathering Edict... I will be waiting in the safe house you prepared."
Then he added:
"They must have set up a full encirclement around Twin Valleys. Even if you escape through the hidden passage... they will surely pursue you. Be careful."
"I will."
Gongson Dan-gyeong bowed deeply to Gwak Seong.
He returned the gesture with solemn dignity.
Her lips still bleeding from how hard she had bitten them, she turned and dashed into the passage.
Now, she had to carve a path of blood—
and return to the Murim Alliance, no matter what.