Chapter 841
"Haa, haa."
At that moment, So Ok-rim plopped down, gasping for breath.
In her excitement, she had momentarily forgotten the severe internal injuries she had sustained and had been jumping around recklessly.
"Haa."
So Ok-rim lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.
"Still, it's a relief."
"What is?"
"I thought I'd finally strengthened my martial arts enough to face the world's strongest, but that guy made us look like complete amateurs, didn't he?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
He was the Righteous Heaven Emperor, the unyielding sky of the Righteous Faction, who had not retreated an inch before the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Even though they had joined forces in a combined attack...
The fact that they had survived unscathed against the Righteous Heaven Emperor, who wielded the Four Emperors' Martial Arts with such mastery—that alone was something to celebrate.
"But he wasn't in his right mind."
Bu Eun-seol wore a bitter expression.
"Had he been at full strength, we wouldn't have lasted ten moves."
"Yeah, he was really strong."
So Ok-rim sighed and stared blankly at the sky.
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the strongest in the world."
Bu Eun-seol silently nodded.
If asked to name the strongest person he had ever seen, he would unhesitatingly say the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
But that had changed now.
The martial prowess the Righteous Heaven Emperor had just displayed was undoubtedly peerless.
He had reached a realm far beyond even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"The fact that someone like him doesn't go around calling himself the strongest in the world... means there must be even greater monsters lurking in Murim, right?"
"I don't know."
Bu Eun-seol muttered in a low voice.
"But I doubt there are many who wield a power as mysterious as his."
Though the Righteous Heaven Emperor had used the Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow, the essence hidden within it was—
Something he had never seen before, never even imagined.
A force both alien and unique.
'Was it because he unleashed the original form of martial arts, modeled after the power of the Baekri Clan?'
If not that...
Then perhaps the Righteous Heaven Emperor had ascended to the Heavenly Will Realm, a height no one else had ever reached.
Or maybe he had momentarily succumbed to madness, unable to overcome his inner demon.
Shaking off his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol turned his head.
"And... I think there's more to his story."
The look in the Righteous Heaven Emperor's eyes at the end still weighed on his mind.
It didn't seem like the madness of an inner demon—more like a loss of reason.
"Perhaps he was..."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been gazing at the distant sky, turned his eyes to So Ok-rim.
The moment he did, he couldn't help but doubt what he was seeing.
"Instructor So."
"What?"
"Did you use the Bone Shrinking Art?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Look."
Bu Eun-seol pointed at her body.
In that short time, her massive frame had shrunk by half.
Her skin had turned as pale as snow, and her face had become far more slender and beautiful.
"Eh? Wait—"
Only then did she notice the change in her own body. Grabbing her cheeks, she sat up abruptly.
Sshhk.
She drew a broad-bladed dagger from her waist and used it to examine her reflection.
"Whoa—"
After staring at her reflection and pondering for a long moment, she suddenly gasped.
"No way...?"
"What do you mean?"
"Does that mean the Righteous Heaven Emperor was from the Baekri Clan?"
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as if sparks had ignited.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm the Heavenly Hero Star, you know."
So Ok-rim pointed at herself with her thumb and shrugged.
"My second grandfather once said that if I ever found the Baekri Clan's origin or was exposed to its influence, my true appearance would be restored!"
"The power of the Baekri Clan?"
"Yeah."
So Ok-rim's expression turned gloomy.
"Actually, I haven't even awakened the Heavenly Hero Star's power yet, but because I learned the Galaxy Severance technique... my body changed."
"So the Star Emperor's martial arts could only be mastered by the Heavenly Hero Star?"
"Yeah, exactly."
So Ok-rim grinned, her large eyes twinkling.
"When I was little, I was way prettier than I am now. Seriously, it's true!"
Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed that as a joke.
But there was no denying it—her skeletal structure had genuinely shrunk, and her features had grown even more refined.
If her frame were to slim down to that of an ordinary woman...
She would undoubtedly transform into a peerless beauty, rivaling even the Three Beauties of the World.
"This is beyond comprehension."
Bu Eun-seol asked,
"How can mere exposure to the Baekri Clan's power alter one's appearance?"
"This is a secret, but..."
So Ok-rim whispered,
"I've heard that all Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars are affected by the Baekri Clan's power."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. My second grandfather just said it like that. Maybe the birth of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars is also deeply connected to the Baekri Clan."
Under Bu Eun-seol's intense stare, So Ok-rim scratched her flushed cheeks awkwardly.
"Quit staring like that. It's embarrassing."
Despite her towering height and muscular build, her face had always been cute.
But now, with her skeletal structure slightly altered, she had transformed into a stunning beauty whose gaze was impossible to look away from.
Though, admittedly, she was still taller and broader than him.
"If Jeong Cheon-je is a member of the Baekri Clan..."
If what So Ok-rim said was true, then Jeong Cheon-je hadn't merely copied the martial arts derived from the Baekri Clan's power—he had wielded the very essence of the Baekri Clan itself. In other words, it was highly probable that he was originally from the Baekri Clan.
Hearing Bu Eun-seol's muttering, So Ok-rim shook her head.
"His surname is different."
"One can always change their surname."
"Even so, it doesn't make sense. Why would a member of the Baekri Clan destroy the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault?"
The moment Bu Eun-seol heard So Ok-rim's grumbling, a flash of insight crossed his eyes.
"A member of the Baekri Clan destroying the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault..."
Under normal circumstances, such an act would be to prevent the clan's secrets or power from leaking out.
But the Jeong Cheon-je they had just witnessed was moving purely on instinct, like a Soulless One who had lost all reason.
"Then even in an incomplete state of mind... he must have had an absolute reason to destroy the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault."
Given how So Ok-rim's appearance had transformed, it was clear that Jeong Cheon-je had indeed wielded the Baekri Clan's power.
Even if he wasn't of their bloodline, he must have had some deep connection to them.
Moreover, hadn't the note Jeong Cheon-je left in the Spring and Autumn Annals mentioned protecting Baekri Mu-ha?
"And when he said Baekri Mu-ha was hope... was it because they were from the same clan?"
As Bu Eun-seol muttered to himself, So Ok-rim stroked her chin.
"One thing's for sure—if we keep searching for the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault like this, we'll definitely run into Jeong Cheon-je again."
She shrugged as she spoke.
"Even in that mindless state, he still came all the way here to destroy it."
"That's true."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Just as she said, he had a strong intuition that Jeong Cheon-je would appear again at another Baekri Clan Secret Vault.
"But we can't tell anyone about this."
So Ok-rim shrugged again.
"Even if we say that Jeong Cheon-je, in a deranged state, turned into a pitch-black oddity and wandered the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault... no one would believe us."
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but agree.
Officially, Jeong Cheon-je was still alive, and the Martial Venerable was fulfilling his role in his stead.
Unless Jeong Cheon-je returned to the Martial Alliance in full possession of his faculties, spreading this information would only invite retaliation from the Martial Venerable.
"From what we've uncovered so far, he was an extremely righteous and principled figure."
Bu Eun-seol sighed deeply.
"I can't fathom why he ended up like this."
"Could he have become one of the Servants of the True Demon?"
So Ok-rim rubbed her chin.
"The only ones who would have a reason to destroy the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault would be the True Demon or its servants, right?"
"I considered that possibility as well... but while he seems to have lost his mind, I don't sense any corruption by evil."
"How can you tell?"
"It's just... intuition."
Bu Eun-seol added,
"Besides, if he were truly a Servant of the True Demon, there's no way your appearance would have changed, Instructor So."
"Hmm. You think so?"
So Ok-rim, who had been tilting her head, suddenly widened her eyes as if struck by a thought.
"This is the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault—couldn't the power of the Baekri Clan be flowing here? Maybe it wasn't Jeong Cheon-je's doing, but the energy of this place that changed my body."
She flared her nostrils and took a deep breath.
For a while, she spread her arms wide and inhaled vigorously, but she felt nothing out of the ordinary.
"I guess it really was Jeong Cheon-je's power that changed me."
"Let's investigate this place thoroughly first."
Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rum scoured the area once more.
"Jeong Cheon-je destroyed this place."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Jeong Cheon-je hadn't burrowed underground—rather, beneath this mysterious tree lay an underground space, and he had entered it, completely wrecked its interior, and emerged.
"Something's off."
So Ok-rim, who had been carefully examining the collapsed area, spoke up.
"It's too vast to be just a Secret Vault holding the Baekri Clan's power."
"I agree."
The underground space beneath the tree was comparable in scale to the numerous underground facilities Bu Eun-seol had encountered during his travels through the martial world—facilities belonging to the Three Realms.
Given that the exterior was already protected by the Absolute Boundary, which could perfectly repel intruders, the sheer size of this place was excessive if it were merely meant to pass down martial arts or power to successors.
"It seems there's nothing more to find here."
"Yeah."
So Ok-rim clicked her tongue.
"Nothing we can do about it."
Bu Eun-seol also wore a bitter expression.
In the end, they hadn't been able to confirm the nature of the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault. They couldn't even verify whether he himself was of Baekri blood.
Still, they had gained something.
The fact that the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gangs were connected to the Baekri Clan.
And that Jeong Cheon-je was still alive...
And that if they continued searching for the Baekri Clan's Secret Vaults, they would encounter him again.
"Let's return."
Bu Eun-seol turned away.
"There must be more than one Baekri Clan Secret Vault. We still have hope."
"Right."
So Ok-rim smiled as she turned as well.
Thanks to her smaller frame, her movements now appeared far more graceful and feminine.
The two immediately returned to the Demon Hall.
The unit chiefs, startled by their haggard appearances, quickly gathered around them.
"Huh?"
But when Won Se-mun saw So Ok-rim, his eyes widened.
"What... Instructor So?"
Won Se-mun's astonished expression made So Ok-rim sweep back her hair and slant her eyes.
"Hehehe. Can you finally see my appearance now?"
"No, that's not it..."
Won Se-mun scratched his head as he spoke.
"It's just that Instructor So, who used to be three servings' worth, now seems like two servings."
"Three servings... two servings?"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Right then and there, Won Se-mun began receiving a brutal beating from So Ok-rim.
The martial artists nearby wanted to intervene, but So Ok-rim's punches were far too vicious, and Won Se-mun's endurance was considerable enough that they figured nothing too serious would happen—so they all quietly slipped away.
Once the meeting began, Bu Eun-seol informed the unit chiefs about the spread of the Baekri Clan's Secret Vaults.
He ordered them to coordinate with So Ok-rim and the Death Soul Squad to investigate whether more such vaults existed.
The true form of the Three Pure Realms had yet to be revealed, and above all, So Ok-rim currently lacked any solid foundation.
Thus, Bu Eun-seol intended for the Death Soul Squad to serve as her eyes and ears.
Just as the long meeting was nearing its end, Mu-gwang, Yu Un-ryong's adjutant, hurriedly entered.
"Lord, a guest has arrived."
"A guest?"
"Well... she claims to be from the Wind God Palace, but she's... a bit strange."
Mu-gwang hesitated before continuing.
"A veiled woman is acting quite arrogantly, as if she's someone of great importance, and is demanding that you be brought to her immediately."
"She's wearing a veil?"
"Yes. But she came alone, without any attendants... Judging by her tone and behavior, she doesn't seem entirely... normal."
'Hae-yeon.'
Bu Eun-seol instantly realized it was Hae-yeon, the Wind God Palace Lord.
Some time ago, he had thwarted the Wind God Palace's conspiracy and saved her.
He had also heard from Elder Hyang, the highest-ranking elder, that the previous palace lord had been killed by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Hae-yeon had once mentioned that she would eventually visit the Demon Hall to verify the truth.
'Is she really here to see the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?'
What if Hae-yeon and the Demonic Heavenly Emperor were to meet?
That reckless woman, who didn't know the vastness of heaven and earth, might even challenge him to a fight.
Even if they merely conversed, the sheer force of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's presence could compel her to blurt out some bizarre information.
"Where is she now?"
"She's currently in the guest hall of the main pavilion, but..."
Before Mu-gwang could finish, Bu Eun-seol dashed out so fast his eyebrows fluttered in the wind.
Click—
The moment he flung the door open, he saw a beautiful woman sipping tea in the guest hall of the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
Her fair skin glowed with a translucent radiance, shimmering like the soft light of the moon.
Her long hair, cascading down to her waist, fluttered gently in the breeze.
It was none other than the current Wind God—Hae-yeon.
"Palace Lord Hae."
"Bu Eun-seol."
Hae-yeon beamed brightly when she saw Bu Eun-seol rushing in.
"Did you miss me that much?"
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to respond—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A heavy series of footsteps followed behind him, and a tall woman—who had shrunk from seven to six feet—strode in.
It was So Ok-rim.
"Oh?"
Hae-yeon tilted her head, eyeing So Ok-rim, who was standing so close to Bu Eun-seol their shoulders nearly touched.
"Who is this child?"
Before Bu Eun-seol could answer, So Ok-rim stepped forward.
"Me?"
When Hae-yeon nodded, So Ok-rim crossed her arms with a confident expression and declared boldly:
"I am the Silver River Goddess."
"Instructor So."
Bu Eun-seol subtly tilted his head and whispered to So Ok-rim.
"This is Palace Lord Hae of the Wind God Palace."
"A palace lord? But—"
"Even if our paths differ, shouldn't we respect seniority and status?"
"Seniority? Status?"
So Ok-rim crossed her arms and said gravely:
"My seniority is pretty high. You'd be shocked if you knew."
At that, Hae-yeon's expression turned intrigued.
"Your seniority is high... you say?"
Hae-yeon was a figure from a hundred years ago.
In terms of seniority, there were almost no figures in the current martial world who outranked her.
"Who is your master?"
"Hehe."
So Ok-rim kept her arms crossed.
"Do you know who my youngest granduncle is? None other than the Taiji Heavenly Lord."
Taiji Heavenly Lord—Go Hak.
Go Hak was Jeong Cheong-ja's secular name.
And Taiji Heavenly Lord was the epithet he earned during his active years in the martial world, by the time he retired, he was already recognized as a legendary master of the orthodox faction.
Of course, within the Three Pure Realms, there were those of even higher seniority, but most either remained inactive or were unknown figures.
So, So Ok-rim had dropped the name of her most famous granduncle.
"Ah, so your seniority truly is high."
Hae-yeon nodded with a smile.
"If you're a disciple of the Taiji Heavenly Lord, then your standing is comparable to the current sect leaders of the martial world."
The Taiji Heavenly Lord had been a master during her own prime, so So Ok-rim's seniority was indeed considerable.
"Hehehe, as long as you understand."
"And how old are you?"
"Hmm, about twenty-three now?"
"Oh-ho."
Hae-yeon smirked shamelessly.
"Then you may call this palace lord 'Big Sister.' Since my seniority is slightly higher."
"What nonsense is that?"
"Since I was slightly acquainted with Senior Go Hak, I'll make an exception just for you."
"What?!"
So Ok-rim's face darkened.
The audacity of this woman, barely past twenty, to casually address her grandfather by his personal name!
But then Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
"Her age is one hundred and twenty."
He quickly relayed the events at the Wind God Palace through Voice Transmission.
After listening for a long while, So Ok-rim snorted with an expression of utter disbelief.
"Ridiculous. I can't even believe poisons like the Heaven-Bestowed Dreamflower Poison or the Ten-Thousand-Year Lifespan Dream exist. A hundred years on a Jade Ice Bed? Might as well claim the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was born as a child!"
Her skepticism was entirely understandable.
Even Bu Eun-seol wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
"Call me 'Big Sister,' and something amazing will happen for you."
Hae-yeon winked playfully at So Ok-rim.
"Becoming my little sister isn't something just anyone gets to do."
"Dream on."
"I was hoping to gain a little sister. What a shame."
Hae-yeon smiled warmly.
"I was going to help you with so much if you called me 'Big Sister.'"
She stepped closer to So Ok-rim.
"Come on, call me 'Big Sister.' I'll help you whenever things get tough."
"No."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been watching their childish back-and-forth, finally spoke up.
"Palace Lord. What brings you here unannounced?"
"I came as promised."
"You mean to see the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?"
"Wouldn't that put you in a difficult position? I came to see you."
Hae-yeon's smile lingered.
"I've heard the Demonic Heavenly Emperor is the unrivaled Number One of the Demonic Path. If what you said is true—that he tried to kill the previous Palace Lord—then he's strong enough not to need assassinations and would leave no traces."
She sighed.
"Still, I wanted to investigate the Demonic Heavenly Emperor just in case, but I couldn't find any records of his movements. Perhaps they anticipated this and deliberately used him as a decoy."
No intelligence organization in the entire martial world could track the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's whereabouts.
Not even the Three Realms—let alone Incheon—could manage such a feat.
So if they were to frame someone with an impossible-to-verify accusation...
Who better than the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?
"Well, I'm relieved you understand."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled in relief.
It seemed she hadn't come for the Demonic Heavenly Emperor after all—she really had come just to see him.
"Did you think I came here to ruin your plans? Worried I'd confront the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?"
Bu Eun-seol floundered awkwardly.
"Anyone would be shocked to learn your true identity, Palace Lord. I was only concerned your reputation might suffer."
Hae-yeon's expression turned melancholic.
"I'm already a dead woman in the Rivers and Lakes. Everyone who knew me is gone... So what does a tarnished name matter?"
Her eyes radiated boundless loneliness.
And why wouldn't they? Poisoned by an extreme toxin, she had lain in a deathlike state on the Jade Ice Bed.
A century later, she returned to the world—but no one remembered her.
Even the Wind God Palace...
Only recalled her as the Young Palace Lord who had died a hundred years ago.
Perhaps Hae-yeon was drowning in unbearable solitude.
Maybe that was why she had come to see Bu Eun-seol again.
And why she had asked So Ok-rim—someone close to her in seniority—to call her "Big Sister."
"Don't say such things."
Bu Eun-seol gestured to So Ok-rim.
"Today, you've met a wonderful new connection, haven't you?"
He understood the pain Hae-yeon felt.
When his grandfather passed, he had felt the same.
No one knew the sorrow of being left alone in this world better than he did.
"True."
Hae-yeon smiled.
"That's why I came—to cherish those connections."
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't you one of those connections too?"
Hae-yeon spoke with the wisdom and eloquence of someone who had truly lived one hundred and twenty years.
She had artfully disguised her longing to see Bu Eun-seol in graceful words.
"I'm flattered you hold me in such high regard."
"Are you mocking me?"
"No, I mean it."
He truly did.
He knew her loneliness was real.
Moreover, the fact that she—the Wind God Palace Lord—had come here without revealing her identity...
Was proof of her deep consideration for him. And for that, he was grateful.
"Well then, how have you been?"
Hae-yeon's voice was gentle and warm.
"Looking at you, it seems you've been troubled by something lately."
Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"The martial artists of Murim seem to have limitless potential. I think I understand now why the Demonic Heavenly Emperor repeatedly went into Closed Door Training."
"What do you mean?"
Unable to speak of the Righteous Heavenly Emperor, Bu Eun-seol dodged the question.
"I encountered an unbelievably powerful expert recently."
"An unbelievably powerful expert?"
Reluctantly, Bu Eun-seol recounted his experience in the Baekri Clan Secret Vault.
Though he omitted the fact that the oddity they met there was none other than the Martial Alliance Leader, the Righteous Heavenly Emperor.
"Oh?"
Hae-yeon's expression shifted to one of deep surprise.
But not because of the oddity.
"A place where the flow of time has stopped, and another space exists within space..."
Her face took on a strangely nostalgic look.
"It sounds just like our palace's Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground."
"What do you mean?"
"Our palace has a similar place, passed down through generations. But it's sealed off by a mysterious force—no one can enter."
Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim exchanged wide-eyed glances.
—Could it be another Baekri Clan Secret Vault?
If their guess was correct, then without even trying...
They had stumbled upon a new Baekri Clan Secret Vault with shocking ease.
Meaning they had just gained an unexpected opportunity to unravel the secrets of the Baekri Clan's hidden vault.