Chapter 828
Dokgo Jin spoke calmly.
"I heard it from the Martial Venerable some time ago. That there exists a being in the Murim who surpasses even the strongest of this era, lying in wait..."
Seon-u Jin replied evenly,
"And that Lord possesses the potential to face them."
Bu Eun-seol's expression showed surprise.
The Martial Venerable had always treated the real Seon-u Jin as nothing more than a disposable tool.
Yet he had said such things?
"Correct. It seems I wasn't merely a consumable item. And that frightened me all the more."
Dokgo Jin took a deep breath.
"The thought of being used by him for the rest of my life."
The primary reason he had betrayed the terrifying Martial Venerable—
while Bu Eun-seol and Mu-gyeol's proposal had certainly been tempting—
was the realization that if he remained passive, he'd never escape the Martial Venerable's grasp.
That he'd spend his life shrouded in darkness.
"Within ten years... you'll handle it, won't you?"
At Dokgo Jin's words, Bu Eun-seol wore a deeply serious expression, lost in thought for a long while.
Finally, he nodded.
"Whether he dies or I do, it'll be resolved within five years."
"Five years."
"Ten would be too late, don't you think?"
Anyone else would have dismissed those words as bravado.
But there was something in Bu Eun-seol's voice and gaze—a quiet assurance that compelled belief.
"Thank you."
Dokgo Jin smiled as if everything had already been settled.
He truly felt it would be so.
"Then, as the Chief Steward of the Azure Heaven Alliance, I'll devote myself fully to my duties in the meantime."
"My gratitude."
"Think nothing of it. Until then."
As Dokgo Jin departed with noticeably lighter steps, Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply.
The Martial Venerable, driven by greed, hadn't just driven Jeong Cheon-je to his death and ruined their plans—
he had attempted to kill Gongson Dan-gyeong and had even cornered Bu Eun-seol himself, seeking to eliminate him.
As Bukgung Ryeong had said:
He was a wicked figure who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
An evil beyond coexistence.
"The only regret is Jeong Cheon-je's death."
From what Bu Eun-seol had uncovered, Jeong Cheon-je had been a true righteous man.
He had strived desperately to salvage the orthodox Murim.
Yet in the end, the Martial Venerable's schemes had drastically depleted his Internal Power.
It seemed he had breathed his last while struggling to save the Murim.
'He said Baekri Mu-ha must be saved.'
Jeong Cheon-je had claimed Baekri Mu-ha was the Murim's foundation, that his survival was imperative.
Which meant Baekri Mu-ha had been killed while trying to save the world.
'Those capable of killing someone surpassing Jeong Cheon-je...'
In the past, Bu Eun-seol would have immediately suspected the Three Realms' highest echelons.
But now, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, reigning invincible—
the Three Demons and Three Venerables, transcending the boundaries of the Martial Extreme Realm—
the Baekri Clan, who had guarded the Murim, and their adversaries: the True Demon and its Familiars—
even those enigmatic forces claiming neutrality while upholding the Laws...
Countless beings could have struck at Jeong Cheon-je in his weakened state.
"My head aches."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head and took another deep breath.
"At any rate, thanks to Chief Steward Dokgo, once the sect-opening ceremony concludes, I can have Seo Jin-ha assist here."
With Dokgo Jin's help,
he could maintain Seon-u Jin's identity indefinitely.
Deploying Seo Jin-ha to support Bukgung Ryeong seemed the optimal move now.
Every capable hand was precious in these times.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a rapping at the door accompanied Tae Mu-ryong's low voice.
"Peak Leader, we've arrived."
The door opened to reveal Tae Mu-ryong and Jeong Jong-do, their faces bright as they clasped their hands respectfully.
"Peak Leader."
"Welcome."
"We've prepared to integrate our existing information network into the Azure Heaven Alliance's operations."
Bu Eun-seol nodded at Tae Mu-ryong's report.
"You've worked hard."
"We've also identified candidates for intelligence operatives. However, since they're not originally part of our organization, we've submitted a proposal to the Alliance Leader."
As a newly formed coalition, the Azure Heaven Alliance's intelligence apparatus was still weak.
Bu Eun-seol had directed the Peak Realm Members to rapidly establish an operational intelligence unit—
retaining the "Peak Realm" designation to create the Alliance's intelligence wing.
He had ordered the training of operatives on par with the Martial Alliance's Ten Thousand Reflections Hall in scale.
"No need to separate them organizationally. They'll all operate under the Peak Realm's intelligence division."
At this, Jeong Jong-do looked uneasy.
"Does this mean we're now the Azure Heaven Alliance's intelligence arm?"
Bu Eun-seol had emphasized repeatedly:
The Azure Heaven Alliance belonged not to him, but to the upright orthodox factions.
Thus, he could never remain here permanently—
the title of Peak Leader existed solely to preserve Seon-u Jin's identity.
"We followed you here, Peak Leader."
The Peak Realm Members, too, had shed all notions of Demonic Path or Orthodox Path distinctions under Bu Eun-seol's influence.
They followed him, not the Azure Heaven Alliance under the Bullet King's banner.
"Do you believe that because we're orthodox practitioners, we must ultimately do what's right as orthodox practitioners?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded at Jeong Jong-do's question.
"I once thought so. I wanted to secure you all honorable standing, no matter where you operated."
No matter how free his spirit, Bu Eun-seol remained a Demonic Path practitioner at core.
If the Peak Realm Members followed his true self?
In the eyes of the Murim, they could only ever be seen as traitors.
"But now it's fine. Seon-u Jin. He gave me the identity of Seon-u Jin."
"He did?"
"Yes. He will become the Chief Steward of our alliance under the name Dokgo Jin. And I will be able to operate as Peak Leader Seon-u Jin."
Bu Eun-seol added,
"And when the time comes to discard the name Seon-u Jin... both you and I will have achieved everything we desired."
"But there's no way he would give the Peak Leader his identity without reason, is there?"
At Tae Mu-ryong's sharp question, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"In return, I promised to kill that treacherous Martial Venerable without fail."
"The Martial Venerable."
The expressions of the two darkened.
Due to their own rapidly rising martial prowess, they knew all too well how terrifying a figure the Martial Venerable was.
Even Bu Eun-seol, who seemed like someone who would never lose to anyone, had admitted he couldn't compare to him yet.
"Within five years."
"Five years."
Tae Mu-ryong and Jeong Jong-do fell into thought.
Bu Eun-seol was enhancing his martial prowess at a speed no one could predict.
But surpassing the Martial Venerable, who had long ago achieved power enough to stand in for Jeong Cheon-je, the Number One of the Righteous Path... within five years?
Perhaps only the gods knew the answer.
"How is your body?"
As Bu Eun-seol changed the subject, Tae Mu-ryong replied,
"Fully recovered. The Poison and Toxin Hall Leader's help was truly invaluable."
Though Bu Eun-seol had extracted all the Poison Parasites and stored them within himself, having carried them for so long,
The unit members' bodies were somewhat damaged.
But just then, Tang Gon had recommended his younger sister, Tang Cheong, as the Poison and Toxin Hall Leader to the Azure Heaven Alliance.
After all, any large coalition of martial artists needed a master proficient in poisons and concealed weapons.
And upon hearing that the Peak Realm Members were suffering from aftereffects of harboring poison,
Tang Cheong had used the Tang Clan's Secret Arts to restore their bodies.
"Now I see why the Tang Clan is the Tang Clan."
"That's fortunate."
In truth, Tang Cheong's actions weren't solely to help the Azure Heaven Alliance... but Bu Eun-seol didn't know that yet.
"So from now on, we're fully part of the Azure Heaven Alliance."
At Jeong Jong-do's words, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"That's right."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly,
"From now on, the Peak Realm Unit will become the Righteous Faction's premier intelligence organization, surpassing even the Martial Alliance's Ten Thousand Reflections Hall."
Tae Mu-ryong and Jeong Jong-do showed proud smiles.
Regardless of factions, they had made the right choice in following this Divine Being with their lives.
Now the Peak Realm Unit had become the foremost intelligence organization of the new Righteous Faction coalition, the Azure Heaven Alliance.
All their future actions would leave deep footprints across the martial world...
And above all, every mission they undertook would save countless lives.
Then came the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
"Peak Leader, it's Gye Muk."
"Come in."
Among the unit members, Gye Muk was undoubtedly the most outstanding after Tae Mu-ryong and Jeong Jong-do.
"Peak Leader. She's here."
Gye Muk said with a bright smile.
"The Chief Strategist."
Bu Eun-seol's lips curved slightly.
The woman he'd been waiting for had finally come to the Azure Heaven Alliance.
"Show her in."
"Then we'll take our leave."
Tae Mu-ryong and Jeong Jong-do bowed and hurried out with Gye Muk.
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol rose to greet Gongson Dan-gyeong, who would soon enter.
'He thought she was dead.'
At first, Bu Eun-seol had halted all ongoing plans, believing her dead.
He had to avenge her first, after all.
But she had returned from death.
And created a situation even the Martial Venerable, with his identity as the Divine Calculator, could never have anticipated.
Thanks to that, Bu Eun-seol had been able to stir up the Martial Alliance and leave safely.
Creak.
The door opened, revealing a beautiful woman in white garments.
Gongson Dan-gyeong, whom everyone had thought dead by the Jungson Clan's hands.
"Chief Strategist."
Bu Eun-seol greeted her with a pleased expression.
Though their relationship had once been indifferent,
Now he was grateful to the gods that she was alive.
Because of his plans, she had fallen into the Martial Venerable's scheme.
Because of him, she had to abandon her lifelong wish for revenge and lost all the warriors she had trained.
Because despite knowing his true identity, she had shown him boundless trust and waited.
Just these three reasons alone meant
He owed Gongson Dan-gyeong an immeasurable debt.
'It was a miracle.'
Bu Eun-seol's gaze deepened as he recalled their reunion after her return from death.
And his cheeks flushed red.
At that time, Bu Eun-seol had been consumed with rage, planning revenge.
Thus, instead of officially returning to the Martial Alliance, he used the secret passage the Martial Venerable had exploited,
Or moved between the Martial Alliance and the martial world as a Peak Realm Member, handling various matters.
Amid this, someone delivered a letter through the Peak Realm Unit's information network via an extremely covert method.
When Bu Eun-seol took the letter, he could hardly believe his eyes.
The handwriting was unmistakably Gongson Dan-gyeong's.
Startled, Bu Eun-seol rushed to the location written in the letter.
It was an abandoned house where no human footsteps reached, layered with mysterious boundary formations.
Bu Eun-seol's heart pounded.
They were the same formations Gongson Dan-gyeong had once set up in the Ten Thousand Blossoms Store's warehouse to block approaching enemies.
It was that very Boundary Formation.
Ssssshhh—
Bu Eun-seol swiftly stepped into the fog-layered formation, his eyes widening.
There, standing in a corner of the abandoned house—a woman clad in white.
Was she not Gongson Dan-gyeong herself?
"Chief Strategist!"
He rushed toward her in a frenzy.
But then, stopping just short of her, he scrutinized her with icy precision—her vital signs, her face, every minute detail.
Could this be a trap?
Was someone using a disguise to impersonate her?
His suspicious gaze flickered relentlessly, verifying again and again.
Mercifully, it was her. Undeniably Gongson Dan-gyeong.
"Thank heavens!"
No longer restraining himself, Bu Eun-seol cried out in elation.
"Truly, thank heavens!"
For the first time, he felt gratitude toward the gods.
After saving So-yo.
After the death of So Ja-myeong, the leader of the Kill-Seeking Unit, who had willingly died for him with nothing but a faint smile.
He had sworn—never again would innocent lives be lost because of him.
Yet that oath had ultimately been broken.
And Gongson Dan-gyeong, who had believed in and protected him for so long, had died.
Bu Eun-seol could never forgive himself.
After maintaining Seon-u Jin's identity to slip out of the Martial Alliance for the sake of the Peak Realm Members—
He had resolved to become neither the Martial Soul Lord nor Seon-u Jin, but an incarnation of destruction itself.
He had planned to annihilate not just the Jungson Clan, but the entire Martial Alliance—including the Martial Venerable—with everything he had. To raze it all to the ground, even if it meant his own ruin.
If I cannot protect those precious to me... then revenge means nothing.
But she was alive.
To him, that was a single ray of light—salvation itself.
Plip.
A tear slipped free before he even realized it.
And as Gongson Dan-gyeong watched him, clear droplets spilled from her own eyes.
"How foolish you look."
She laughed like a child.
"A grown man crying like that—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Because Bu Eun-seol had yanked her into a crushing embrace.
"It's alright."
Though startled at first, she soon began gently stroking his back.
"I didn't die."
Somehow, she could see right through him.
—This man... must have seen more than just his grandfather die because of him.
—He must have endured it, suffering in silence for so long.
—And my death... must have pushed him to the brink of collapse.
—That's why he's thanking the heavens... that I'm alive.
But... it wasn't love.
Someone who had once died for him had returned—of course he would be overjoyed.
Yet Gongson Dan-gyeong found that enough.
That her life... could bring someone happiness.
"I showed you an unsightly side of myself."
Only after a long while did Bu Eun-seol finally release her. His nose was flushed red, like a child who had been playing out in the depths of winter.
"Not at all."
Still wiping his tears, she smiled sweetly.
"And I'm happy."
Bu Eun-seol blinked.
What could she possibly be happy about?
As he stared, bewildered, Gongson Dan-gyeong's gentle smile made him avert his gaze without thinking.
"How did this happen?"
He couldn't not ask.
He had seen her die with his own eyes.
Even if she had used the Turtle Breath Grand Art or some form of Harmonization, there was no way she could have deceived him.
And yet, here she stood—alive and well, as if some immortal had performed a miracle.
"I saw your breath stop."
"I didn't die—I was in a deathlike trance."
"Impossible. I would have noticed."
"It wasn't an ordinary trance."
Gongson Dan-gyeong smirked.
"I was awakening as one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars."
"What are you saying?"
"I told you before. As a child, I was abducted as a candidate for the Heavenly Mechanism Star."
Her voice was calm.
"I was one of the Stars. Most likely... the Heavenly Hero Star."
"The Heavenly Hero Star."
Instead of answering, she raised her hand.
KWAOOO—!
A blazing arrow of light shot into the sky.
At lightspeed—so fast that even his eyes couldn't track its trajectory.
The One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Within a certain domain, she could manifest arrows of pure light.
"So the Chief Strategist truly is one of the Stars."
"Yes. The Jungson Clan referred to me as the 'Star of Great Wisdom' back then... so I assumed I was merely a shadow star to the Heavenly Mechanism."
"Then... are those born as Stars immune to poison?"
"No. The poison was made from the power of the Stars. It shattered the Great Art that had been suppressing my abilities... and allowed my true power to manifest."
"A Great Art?"
"Chu-so. He was the one who cast the ritual upon me to suppress my awakening."
She sighed before continuing.
"So that the Jungson Clan could never track me again."
Back then, Chu-so had imparted a mysterious technique to her—one that had kept her Star power dormant all this time.
Because of it, neither the Jungson Clan...
Nor anyone capable of sensing the power of the Stars had ever discovered her true nature.
"Who was Chu-so?"
"He was the Heavenly Mechanism Star."
Gongson Dan-gyeong recounted everything—frankly, without omission.
The realization that she was not Gongson Dan-gyeong but So-min.
That the reason she had been able to escape the Jungson Clan was thanks to the help of the Heavenly Secret Star, Chu-so.
And that, just as he had prophesied, she had met the Gongson couple and become the fake Gongson Dan-gyeong—someone who looked similar to her and was the same age...
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol let out an involuntary sigh.
'So she wasn't the real Gongson Dan-gyeong after all.'
The life Gongson Dan-gyeong had recounted was so tragic that even Bu Eun-seol, who had endured countless trials and hardships since childhood, couldn't help but click his tongue in disbelief.
'And if it's the Heavenly Secret Star we're talking about...'
But an even more shocking truth was slowly unfolding before his eyes.
The Heavenly Secret Star, whose existence he had long questioned, was real—and had been one of the children abducted alongside Gongson Dan-gyeong?
Moreover, according to her words...
Didn't he possess an ability akin to prophecy, capable of predicting everything?
"There's something I'm curious about."
"Go ahead."
"How did that supposedly brilliant Heavenly Secret Star end up captured by the Jungson Clan?"
Gongson Dan-gyeong nodded.
"I've thought about that for a long time too, but I could never figure out the reason. The only explanation is that he let himself be caught on purpose."
"Then that means...?"
"Yes. He must have had a compelling reason to infiltrate the Jungson Clan for some kind of plan."
Gongson Dan-gyeong exhaled deeply.
"And he told me he saved me because he knew I was the only one who could take revenge for him."
Then she smiled bitterly.
"But looking back, I think that was a lie."
"The Heavenly Secret Star—can he truly predict the future?" Bu Eun-seol asked, mulling over her words.
"According to the Chief Strategist, his foresight is so precise it borders on perfection."
If one were to strictly define prophecy, it would be the act of glimpsing events before they occur.
But could anyone predict a future that changes moment by moment based on actions taken?
Even the great prophet Mo-ryun the Dharma Seeker had miscalculated the timing of his prophecy, hadn't he?
Yet the abilities of the Heavenly Secret Star, as described by Gongson Dan-gyeong, made it seem as though he could foresee even the ever-shifting future.
"Yes. He can."
Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke with absolute certainty.
"At the time, Chu-so had every single person in the Jungson Clan under his control. And the Family Head..."
She shook her head.
"He orchestrated everything so that I could meet my adoptive parents. And he was only six or seven years old at the time."
"Then that means he's still alive."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
"With abilities like that, faking his death would be trivial."
"Yes."
Gongson Dan-gyeong nodded, unable to hide her melancholy.
"He must truly be alive, watching over me all this time."
Then she continued calmly.
"The letter that led me to Fist Adept's trap—it contained details no one but Chu-so could have known."
Only then did a piece of the puzzle click into place for Bu Eun-seol.
Back then, Gongson Dan-gyeong had said she fell into Fist Adept's trap because someone who knew her well had set it up—but she hadn't revealed who.
Now it was clear: it had been the Heavenly Secret Star.
'Then was I truly his target?'
There was no reason for him to kill Gongson Dan-gyeong, whom he had gone through hell to save from the Jungson Clan.
In fact, he had deliberately drawn Fist Adept into the scheme, hadn't he?
If so, then just as he had suspected back then—
The Heavenly Secret Star's true target had been him.
'And he was the one controlling the woman from the Needle Immortal Pavilion too.'
Back when he had been posing as Seon-u Jin at the Supreme Peak Pavilion, a woman from the Needle Immortal Pavilion had suddenly appeared, luring him to the Bamboo Forest.
As it turned out, her spirit and mind had been suppressed, and she was being manipulated like a puppet by someone.
Through her, a warning had been delivered: Do not shake Gongson Dan-gyeong.
Then she had scattered a shimmering powder, and shortly after, Fist Adept had stormed the Martial Alliance.
All of it had been the Heavenly Secret Star's doing.
"What exactly is his goal?"
"I don't know. But it seems like something in his plans changed. Or perhaps... his heart did."
Gongson Dan-gyeong's expression was bitter.
Up until now, her pursuit of the Jungson Clan had been driven by hatred—for the deaths of her parents and the innocent children—but also by the desire to avenge Chu-so, who had saved her life.
But if he was alive, and had been watching over her all this time?
It was beyond disheartening—it was infuriating.
"Then does that mean a member of the One Hundred and Eight Stars can remain comatose indefinitely?"
"No, I don't think so. But as my father said..."
Gongson Dan-gyeong lowered her voice.
"I was attacked by the power of another Heavenly Star, and by sheer coincidence, it was the Venomous Fire Star's energy that allowed me to wake up."
"The Gongson Family Head knows about the One Hundred and Eight Stars?"
"Yes. He knew everything."
Her expression was desolate.
"From the moment he first saw me, he knew our meeting was intentional... and that I was one of the Stars, and that a Restrictive Seal had been placed on me."
It was unbelievable.
The Gongson Clan wasn't even a Martial Clan, and the current Family Head, Gongson Hwa-uk, had never involved himself in the affairs of the Murim.
Yet if he knew the secrets of the One Hundred and Eight Stars in such detail...
"Do you remember? The Heaven-Round Earth of our main estate."
A flash of insight struck Bu Eun-seol.
'Didn't the Gongson Family Head direct me to where the Tibetan Lama Monk was?'
"Yes."
As if reading his thoughts, Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke calmly.
"My father learned about the One Hundred and Eight Stars from a Tibetan mystic."
"Then was it the Gongson Family Head who saved the Chief Strategist?"
"No."
Her eyes darkened as she recalled the moment she awoke inside the coffin.