Chapter 842
According to the knowledge So Ok-rim had inherited, the Baekri Clan's Secret Vaults were scattered throughout the Central Plains.
So it wasn't entirely strange for one to be near the Wind God Palace.
"Instructor So. By any chance, was the secret vault you visited before also at the site of a sect that once existed?"
"Correct."
The sacred land So Ok-rim had discovered was once the site of the Northern Ascension Gate, a mysterious sect that had been annihilated long ago.
"If that's the case, then the Baekri Clan... might have deliberately built their secret vaults near sects that were extremely reclusive in their martial activities..."
"Hmm."
Hae-yeon, who had been lost in deep thought for a while, snorted.
"However, calling that place our palace's secret vault is a bit of a stretch—it has some rather peculiar restrictions."
"Peculiar restrictions...?"
When Bu Eun-seol asked, she gazed into the empty air as if recalling old memories and replied,
"Not only is it surrounded by a special force, but it was said that the place would never open unless it was the time of our palace's destruction."
"So you're saying it's a place that can only be entered when the Wind God Palace is on the verge of collapse?"
"Exactly. But as you can see, our palace is currently thriving—there's no sign of ruin, is there?"
She laughed playfully.
However, Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim's expressions hardened simultaneously.
From their perspective... they couldn't shake the feeling that the current martial world was already in decline.
If the Human Heavens had appeared, then soon the Divine Heavens and the Three Attendants—servants of the True Demon—would emerge as well.
"What's with those faces?"
Hae-yeon looked at them incredulously.
"Don't tell me you actually think our palace is going to fall."
"Not necessarily, but given the state of the current martial world, it's hard to be optimistic."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems like the martial world is already showing signs of ruin."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained the True Demon and his servants.
Surprisingly, Hae-yeon was quite knowledgeable about the True Demon and wasn't particularly shocked by his explanation.
"I see. If the True Demon's servants have emerged in the martial world, then it's definitely not a good omen."
"Palace Lord."
Bu Eun-seol spoke earnestly.
"Is there any chance we could take a look inside that place?"
"Well, you could go in. Aren't we practically family?"
Hae-yeon glanced sideways at So Ok-rim.
"But outsiders are not allowed."
Naturally, a sect's secret grounds were strictly off-limits to outsiders.
That was an unspoken rule of the martial world.
"Instructor So. It seems I'll have to go alone—"
Just as Bu Eun-seol began to speak,
"Uuuuuuhhh..."
So Ok-rim let out an extremely low, guttural groan.
"Neeeeeeiiii..."
Bu Eun-seol and Hae-yeon frowned at the strange noise and turned to look at her.
Then, So Ok-rim suddenly shouted in a booming voice,
"Uuuuuuuuuhn!"
Before glaring at Hae-yeon and muttering ominously,
"Neeeeeeiiii..."
"..."
"Uuuuuhhhhn... neeeeeiiii."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened in realization.
He finally understood what So Ok-rim was trying to say.
"Palace Lord. I think Instructor So just accepted your earlier proposal."
"What do you mean?"
"Listen carefully."
So Ok-rim, her face flushed with frustration, now gripped Hae-yeon's shoulder and bared her teeth.
"Uuuuuhhnneeeeeiiii."
"Uuuhn-nei?"
Hae-yeon thought for a moment before her eyes widened in shock.
"Older sister?"
Right now, So Ok-rim was trying to say older sister (older sister).
—Call me older sister from now on. If you ever face hardship, I'll help you.
Hae-yeon had clearly said those words before.
But So Ok-rim, too proud to say "older sister" outright, was dragging out the syllables and mumbling incoherently.
"Uuuuuhhh..."
As So Ok-rim opened her mouth again with that eerie expression,
"Fine."
Hae-yeon sighed and shook her head.
"At my age, gaining a little sister isn't easy."
Then, as if resigned, she nodded.
"Alright, I'll allow it—just this once."
The moment she said that, So Ok-rim immediately shut her mouth.
Hae-yeon chuckled at the sight.
So Ok-rim seemed so childlike.
Because of that, this behavior didn't come across as annoying—if anything, it made her seem endearingly pure.
"Shall we head to the palace's secret grounds, then?"
At Hae-yeon's words, Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim nodded.
If their assumptions were correct...
That place would undoubtedly be another one of the Baekri Clan's secret vaults.
The journey to Haba Snow Mountain was remarkably short.
It was no exaggeration to say Bu Eun-seol's Light Body Technique had reached the pinnacle of mastery.
So Ok-rim, who had been studying the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars and restoring the Star Emperor's power, moved like a streaking meteor.
Meanwhile, Hae-yeon, the current Wind God, traversed the skies with her Movement Technique as freely as an immortal soaring through the heavens.
'Something's gone terribly wrong with the current martial world.'
Hae-yeon sighed as she watched Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim racing ahead of her.
A hundred years ago, when she was still the Young Palace Lord, martial artists capable of such Movement Techniques were exceedingly rare.
But in that time, the martial world's techniques had advanced brilliantly.
Now, any warrior with a certain level of internal energy and Movement Technique could cover a thousand li in a single day—provided they put in the effort.
And behind this astonishing progress in martial arts lay the influence of forces like the Baekri Clan, the True Demon, or the Three Realms—who sought the origins of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
Kwaaaa—!
When they finally arrived at Haba Snow Mountain,
Hae-yeon took the lead and guided them to the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground.
It was located in a ravine quite a distance from the Wind God Palace, and strangely, the place only became visible when the wind blew in a specific direction.
"Follow me."
A transparent bridge stretched across the ravine to the opposite cliff, but a powerful gust was blowing against them.
Hae-yeon adjusted her position midair with each blast of wind as she walked forward.
At times, the bridge would suddenly vanish, and the fierce winds threatened to push them back.
Every time, Hae-yeon swiftly adjusted her bearings in midair.
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim's exceptional memory,
they meticulously mimicked Hae-yeon's unpredictable movements and slowly advanced forward.
Finally, after crossing the transparent bridge, they saw a gate enveloped in a mysterious light.
That was the entrance to the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground.
"It's exactly the same as back then."
Hae-yeon murmured under her breath.
A century ago, she had been led here by the hand of the palace lord.
And because she had slept on the Jade Ice Bed, she remembered the events of a hundred years ago as vividly as if they had happened yesterday.
"This is as far as we can go. Beyond this, we cannot enter."
"That can't be."
So Ok-rim tilted her head and tried to step inside the gate.
But a mysterious force surged forth and instantly pushed her back.
"Didn't I tell you? It will never open unless it's the time of our palace's destruction."
"This is... fascinating."
Ignoring Hae-yeon's words, So Ok-rim pointed at the light-encased gate with an intrigued expression.
"It's like trying to enter the home of the Wind God and being denied permission—like we're being pushed away."
"Permission..."
Hearing that, Bu Eun-seol's expression shifted subtly, as if he had realized something.
Without hesitation, he slowly walked toward the radiant gate.
The gate, which had been unleashing winds strong enough to repel anyone who approached,
showed no reaction as he drew near—wasn't that strange?
Knock knock.
Bu Eun-seol reached out and lightly rapped on the gate of light.
Creeeak—
To their astonishment, the gate swung wide open, as if someone inside had answered.
"What? How did you do that?"
When So Ok-rim asked in shock, Bu Eun-seol replied in a low voice,
"I didn't try to open it."
"What do you mean?"
"If I had to explain... I suppose I asked it to open."
Bu Eun-seol shrugged.
"The light flowing from this gate also felt like a subtle wind. So I simply surrendered to its flow."
Upon hearing So Ok-rim's words, Bu Eun-seol had suddenly sensed that the light emanating from the gate also carried the attribute of wind.
And when he freed himself from the compulsion to force the gate open—when he approached with a mind as empty and free as the wind—
the gate did not push him away.
And when he tested whether he could enter through the wind, the gate naturally opened.
"Ah, I see."
Hae-yeon nodded in understanding at Bu Eun-seol's words.
"Nothing obstructs the power of wind. Only those who break free from fixed notions and deeply understand the nature of the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi—those with unbound freedom—could enter this gate."
Then she sighed and added,
"How shameful. Even if I haven't ascended to the Wind God Pavilion, I had forgotten the very foundation of our palace's martial principles."
"What's the Wind God Pavilion?"
When So Ok-rim asked, Hae-yeon shook her head.
"It's where the insights and legacies of our palace's past lords are kept. Due to various circumstances, I haven't yet held my formal inauguration ceremony, so I haven't been able to enter."
Her expression grew complicated as she gazed at the wide-open gate.
"But it seems I must hold the ceremony as soon as possible."
If the prophecy of the Founder of the Wind God Palace was correct—
now that the gate to the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground had opened, the Wind God Palace would inevitably face annihilation in this era.
Then Bu Eun-seol, who had been examining the gate, spoke.
"Let's go inside first."
Bu Eun-seol and the others slowly stepped through the gate.
A blinding white light unfolded before their eyes, and the sensation of winds rushing past their ears filled the air.
When the light faded, they found themselves standing before a vast forest.
The Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground.
They had finally arrived at the hidden sanctuary of the Wind God Palace.
But Bu Eun-seol had made one critical mistake.
He had focused solely on opening the gate—not on closing it afterward.
Sssssss—
At that moment, the ground around the entrance to the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground began to darken.
A shadow, as if alive, was slowly creeping toward it.
Sssssk—
With every movement of the shadow, the grass beneath withered instantly, and the soil blackened—
but Bu Eun-seol and the others, already inside, remained completely unaware.
The interior of the forest was like a landscape where day and night coexisted.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves dyed the ground like faint moonlight.
The air was transparent yet carried a faint, trembling sensation,
and whenever a gentle breeze brushed past the grass and branches, it almost sounded like the whispers of spirits.
Following the winding, naturally formed path, they walked without pause until finally, a translucent fortress came into view.
"Ah—"
Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim gasped simultaneously.
The distant silhouette of the fortress
bore a striking resemblance to the mysterious structure they had encountered during their confrontation with Jeong Cheon-je.
Shhh—
Moreover, whenever the wind blew, its surface rippled like silk fluttering in the breeze,
as if they were looking at a living, colossal being.
"Something feels off."
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
It was as if some presence
had already slipped past them and entered that palace.
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
At Hae-yeon's words, So Ok-rim blinked at Bu Eun-seol.
"Felt what?"
"It seems someone has already entered that fortress ahead of us."
When Bu Eun-seol answered, So Ok-rim closed her eyes and spread her extrasensory perception.
Detecting nothing unusual,
she crouched and examined the direction of the trampled grass, occasionally pressing her fingers against the trees and soil—even licking them.
"There's nothing here."
So Ok-rim shook her head.
She possessed tracking and observational skills nearly on par with Bu Eun-seol's Empty Mind Spirit Perception.
Yet she couldn't find a single trace of anyone who might have entered this place.
"That's why I said it was just a feeling," Bu Eun-seol muttered in a low voice.
"Perhaps they possess Wind & Cloud Divine Qi."
"If that's the case... surely it can't be him again?"
So Ok-rim's expression hardened as she recalled the grotesque figure they had encountered before—Jeong Cheon-je.
If he had entered that fortress... they absolutely must not follow.
The same stroke of luck they'd had last time wouldn't come twice.
"I don't think it's him."
"How can you be sure?"
"The sensation is different from when he appears. It might be a Master sent by the Three Realms... or perhaps one of the Abyssal Forces, like the Three Clans."
Bu Eun-seol spoke as if it were obvious.
"As long as the Baekri Clan Secret Vault exists, there will always be those searching for it."
So Ok-rim nodded.
Now that she thought about it, it made sense.
If the Three Pure Realms knew about the vault, then of course the Abyssal Forces, including the Three Realms, would know as well.
They, too, must have been searching relentlessly for the vault.
Crack.
Bu Eun-seol activated the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art, transforming into his alias, Seol-so.
"Why?"
At So Ok-rim's question, Bu Eun-seol gave a bitter smile.
"I have many enemies. And this is the Wind God Palace."
If he encountered foes in the palace's secret grounds while bearing the title of Martial Soul Lord, it would only lead to unnecessary complications.
Creak.
Once his disguise was complete, he turned to Hae-yeon.
"Palace Master... There may be enemies inside beyond our ability to handle—"
"This is my palace's sacred ground."
Hae-yeon cut him off with a firm shake of her head.
"If an intruder has entered, it is my duty as Palace Master to expel them—not yours."
"Fine."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and nodded.
"Then let's go in."
The fortress entrance was crafted in a style utterly foreign to the Central Plains.
The gate's material was neither metal nor wood but a strange, viscous substance with an eerie sheen.
Screeeech.
Inside, the walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of the same smooth, mirror-like material.
Strangely, their reflections were all subtly distorted.
"It seems deliberately designed as a maze-like boundary formation."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, So Ok-rim gathered her Internal Power.
"Then we'll just smash through."
"No."
Hae-yeon swiftly stopped her.
"This place is a sacred ground passed down through generations of our palace. Not a single hair's breadth of it may be damaged."
"But if we leave it as is, we won't be able to properly search inside—we'll just be misled by the mirrors."
"Do not worry. With Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, any maze can be easily navigated."
If an exit existed, wind would flow through it.
And with the divine energy, they could find that exit no matter how complex the labyrinth.
Shuffle, shuffle.
Hae-yeon took the lead, weaving through the mirror maze.
'Does Divine Energy also require proficiency?'
Bu Eun-seol also possessed Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, but to locate an exit, he would need to spread it widely.
Yet Hae-yeon didn't even need to actively channel it—she instantly detected the exit just by sensing the wind's flow.
'Moreover...'
His gaze sharpened.
'Why would they build this fortress with mirror-like walls and floors in the first place?'
With Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, one could slip through even the narrowest spaces and bypass any trap or maze effortlessly.
So why install mechanisms that disorient the mind and induce hallucinations?
Of course, it might be to deter outsiders.
But hadn't the light-forged gate already filtered out anyone who hadn't mastered the divine energy?
Step, step.
From the rear, Bu Eun-seol's eyes grew strange as he followed Hae-yeon and So Ok-rim.
Both women were Masters with exceptional control over their physical bodies.
Their strides should have been as precise as if measured by a ruler, their pace perfectly steady.
Yet at some point, their steps and speed had begun to subtly desynchronize.
'This is...'
A flash crossed his eyes.
Upon closer observation, it wasn't their strides that had changed—it was the flow of time around them.
Moreover, the smooth walls and floor were shifting like living creatures, their movements so minute that even Extrasensory Perception could barely detect them.
As a result, the space between the three of them was gradually, imperceptibly stretching apart.
"Something's wrong..."
Just then, So Ok-rim and Hae-yeon halted as well.
They, too, had sensed the faint movements of the floor and walls.
Bu Eun-seol stopped completely.
Though the three appeared close, they were actually quite far apart.
And with their reflections endlessly overlapping in the mirrors, a dizzying disorientation set in.
—Heh heh heh...
Then, at some point, a low laughter arose.
Their reflections in the mirrors began to warp—eyes burning crimson, mouths splitting wide to their ears.
This wasn't an illusion or fantasy.
The mirrors were actually reflecting their grotesque forms.
Huuuuum.
A sudden vibration reverberated—
CRASH!
Amidst the sound of shattering, the two women began separating from Bu Eun-seol, pulled into another space.
"So Ok-rim!"
Eun-seol Bu shouted swiftly, but the two women realized it too late.
Whoom.
With a low vibration, the two were swallowed into another space in an instant.
And where Eun-seol Bu had been standing—
The area once covered in smooth copper mirrors had now transformed into an empty Great Hall shrouded in darkness.
After standing silently for a long moment, deep in thought, he nodded slightly and spoke.
"So, it was the Art of Spells."
Flick!
Then, he unleashed the Sword Control by Mind toward the darkness-enveloped space.
Thud.
The swiftly flying Ink Soul Sword abruptly halted midair.
At the same time, the outline of a transparent figure—as if the sword had been embedded in it—materialized in the void.
He had detected the presence of someone hiding in the darkness and instantly deployed the Sword Manipulation Art.
[Impressive.]
Tap.
The transparent shadow impaled by the Ink Soul Sword suddenly vanished,
Squelch, squelch.
and soon, black liquid-like substances began gathering before Eun-seol Bu.
Ssshhhk.
From the black liquid emerged a Masked Man, draped head to toe in black cloth.
However, from his waist to his back, mysterious characters were densely inscribed, giving him the aura of a sinister spellcaster rather than a martial artist.
[To detect this old man...]
Though the Masked Man appeared quite young, he referred to himself as "this old man."
[If the martial arts of the Murim have progressed to this extent... Then inevitably, Heaven must appear.]
Only then did Eun-seol Bu recognize the Masked Man's identity.
"One of the Eight Heavenly Servants?"
[You know quite a bit.]
The Masked Man let out an impressed sigh and nodded.
[The Lord of Heaven is the Deathly One. The one who delivers death...]
The Deathly One.
Another of the Eight Heavenly Servants had appeared before Eun-seol Bu.
"Why have you come to the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault?"
At Eun-seol Bu's question,
[The Baekri Clan's Secret Vault?]
The Deathly One's eyes flashed beneath his mask before he let out a low chuckle.
[Heh heh heh. I thought you knew something, but it seems you barged in without understanding anything.]
Then, he delivered an utterly shocking statement.
[What you people call the Baekri Clan's Secret Vaults... Most of them are merely facilities designed to maintain the Absolute Boundaries scattered throughout the Martial World...]
The Masked Man spoke in a hushed voice.
[...And to erase their Heavenly Punishment while simultaneously creating Blood Kin through research.]
Eun-seol Bu's expression twisted as if he had been struck in the back of the head by the unexpected answer.
'Then...'
Suddenly, the image of the enormous tree he had encountered earlier with Jeong Cheon-je flashed in his mind.
A tree brimming with divine vitality, as if bestowed by the heavens, bearing fruit of unfathomable mystery.
'Could it be that it was created for the sole purpose of curing the Baekri Clan's Heavenly Punishment?'
He had thought it strange.
Even if the vaults left behind by the Eight Emperors and Three Stars for the sake of the One Hundred and Eight Stars were one thing—
The idea that the Baekri Clan had left traces of their power scattered throughout the Murim never made sense to begin with.
He had assumed there must be another reason, but...
'And creating Blood Kin...?'
According to the message left by the Bakyeon Legacy Site—
The Baekri Clan's power was the Manifestation Art Energy, while the True Demon's was the Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
However, ordinary humans could not wield the Baekri Clan's power,
so it was divided into eleven martial lineages for transmission.
'Does that mean the Baekri Clan has reached a level where they can instantly bestow their power upon those who are not Blood Kin?'
If the Deathly One's words were true—
Then "most" of the so-called Baekri Clan Secret Vaults were
merely research facilities for their purposes.
'Jeong Cheon-je.'
Could it be that Jeong Cheon-je's transformation into a monstrous black figure was the activation of the Baekri Clan's Heavenly Punishment?
And that he had instinctively wandered, seeking vaults to find a way to heal himself?
'No, that can't be.'
If Jeong Cheon-je were of the Baekri Clan—or one of their Familiars—
they would never leave him to roam mindlessly.
'A test subject.'
A flash crossed Eun-seol Bu's eyes.
For now, the most plausible deduction was that Jeong Cheon-je had lost his mind
because something went wrong while attempting to receive the power of the Baekri Clan's Blood Kin.
And as a result, he was instinctively destroying research facilities.
"So, the Baekri Clan has been afflicted by a hereditary curse?"
Suppressing the flood of thoughts, Eun-seol Bu asked.
[Ask the King of Hell about the rest.]
The Deathly One snorted.
But Eun-seol Bu ignored him and continued.
"Whether they're research facilities or not, from the True Demon's perspective, the vaults must be destroyed."
Eun-seol Bu's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"That way, the Baekri Clan's power will weaken, and we can locate their headquarters hidden within the Absolute Boundaries to eliminate them."
"Nonsense."
The Deathly One curled his lips.
[The Baekri Clan is already spread throughout the Martial World.]
"What?"
The Deathly One's words were nothing short of shocking.
The Baekri Clan, said to have vanished three hundred years ago, was already scattered across the Martial World?
[You fool, do you think the True Demon would merely...]
The Deathly One abruptly cut himself off, narrowing his eyes as if sensing something.
[Now that I think about it... This is strange.]
Then, he uttered something unexpected.
[How does someone unbound by the Covenant know so much?]
Previous members of the Eight Heavenly Servants had never cared whether Eun-seol Bu was a Covenant-bound individual.
They had neither questioned it nor spoken of it.
Yet the Deathly One recognized it instantly.
[I said something unnecessary—to someone who'll die anyway.]
Swish.
The Deathly One raised his emaciated hand.
Ssshhhk—
From the darkness, a figure wrapped in chains slithered forward.
A young man clad in black robes, floating an inch above the ground.
His eyes and mouth were cruelly stitched shut, and his face was covered in wounds.
His lips twitched faintly, and with each movement, dark evil spirits seemed to seep out and coil around him.
[They call him the Enemy Annihilator. An invincible being who cannot die a second time—because he has already died once.]
Sssssssss—
Suddenly, the Deathly One's body began to sink into the darkness as if submerged in flowing ink, dissolving bit by bit.
When at last he vanished without a trace, only the baleful resonance of the Ill-Omen Star echoed ominously within the chamber.
[Even if you possess the Baekri Clan's arcane arts... today, you will die.]