Chapter 845
Demon Hall, Hidden Demon Pavilion - Grand Conference Chamber
Bu Eun-seol, who had just returned from the Wind God Palace, was holding a private meeting with Yu Un-ryong.
"It seems the time has come for our Death Shadow War Unit to stake our lives."
Yu Un-ryong spoke with an expression of utmost gravity.
"After all, the Ghost Annihilation Unit and the Blood Shadow Unit—both elite forces—were completely wiped out by those unidentified oddities."
The Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace, a mysterious Tibetan sect subjugated by Bu Eun-seol and the primary supplier of spiritual herbs for the Demon Hall's elixirs (providing eighty percent of the ingredients), had suddenly been invaded by an unknown faction's troops.
Though the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace immediately mobilized a counterattack, they stood no chance. In response, the Demon Hall dispatched two elite units—only for them to be utterly annihilated.
"We've done all we could for now. Since the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace was subjugated by the Martial Soul Lord, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor has issued a decree ordering the successor to resolve this matter."
In the name of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, a command had been handed down:
Eliminate the aberrant forces encroaching upon the Demon Hall's territory.
However, Bu Eun-seol had been occupied with matters at the Wind God Palace and couldn't immediately carry out the order. As a result, Seo Jin-ha had no choice but to take command and lead the Death Shadow War Unit's forces to the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace.
"Even if we consider them elite, the Death Shadow War Unit only has three hundred troops at most."
Yu Un-ryong's voice was heavy with frustration.
"To demand they accomplish what even a unit made up of Sichuan's forces couldn't... is practically ordering them to march to their deaths."
The flow of time within the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground differed from the outside world.
Bu Eun-seol had assumed only a day had passed, but in reality, a considerable amount of time had slipped by.
While he had been unable to contact the Death Soul Squad, this much had unfolded in his absence.
"I'll go immediately."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yu Un-ryong lowered his head.
"Even if you leave now, it'll be the same. Those monsters with their eyes and mouths sewn shut are impossible to deal with."
"Their eyes and mouths... sewn shut?"
"Yes. According to reports, they cannot be killed by any means. In all of Murim, such abominations are..."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Then, calmly, he nodded.
"Contact the Death Soul Squad. Order a full retreat."
"What?"
"There's no need to send scouts either. The Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace will soon send word."
"What are you talking about?"
"They're called the Annihilators. Monsters created by the Lord of the Dead, one of the Eight Heavenly Servants."
Bu Eun-seol explained in composed detail what had transpired in the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground.
"The Lord of the Dead died... just like that?"
Yu Un-ryong blinked in disbelief. Bu Eun-seol shrugged.
"It seems the Deathly One's true power wasn't his martial arts, but his ability to command the Annihilators."
Then, shaking his head, he continued.
"Since I was disguised as Seol-so and accompanied by the Wind God Palace Leader and So Ok-rim... they likely assumed I was merely a figure from the Three Pure Realms and revealed themselves."
What if the Deathly One had never shown himself in the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground, deploying only the Annihilators?
Even if Bu Eun-seol hadn't been defeated, he would have faced an excruciating ordeal.
But the Deathly One had boldly confronted him—only to be killed in a single stroke by the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"Then that means—"
"By now, the Annihilators are likely nothing more than piles of corpses."
"Hahaha."
Yu Un-ryong burst into incredulous laughter.
"They say the lucky ones trip over gold even when they fall."
Who would've thought that merely following So Ok-rim and Hae-yeon into the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground would become the turning point that resolved the Death Shadow War Unit's greatest crisis in one stroke?
"Then it's time to begin."
Bu Eun-seol rose from his seat, a smile laced with killing intent curling on his lips.
"There's no way such an order would come directly from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor would never issue a command to annihilate the entire Death Shadow War Unit.
This had to be the machinations of one of the Demon Hall's highest-ranking elders—someone capable of manipulating the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's decrees.
"On the surface, it was the Chief Doctrine Commander... but in truth, it was the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master."
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Yu Un-ryong pulled a dossier from his robes and handed it over.
"He was the one who extracted the order from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
"The Secret Shadow Pavilion's master?"
"He must've been too ashamed to face the Demonic Heavenly Emperor. He completely lost track of your movements, which he had been monitoring clearly through the Death Soul Squad."
Yu Un-ryong gritted his teeth.
"If the Death Shadow War Unit's commanders were eliminated, there'd be no one left to manage the vast intelligence network of the Death Soul Squad... He must've aimed to exploit that vacuum."
Trusting that Bu Eun-seol would resolve everything, Yu Un-ryong had thoroughly investigated the mastermind behind this incident.
"Well done."
Bu Eun-seol walked out without even glancing at the dossier.
"You're not even going to look at the evidence?"
"Do you think someone of Hwa Jung-cheon's caliber would start this without planning to sacrifice a major scapegoat?"
"Then...?"
"But we must demonstrate that in matters like these, cutting off the tail alone isn't enough."
A sinister yellow light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
No longer did he resemble the young grandmaster of the Demonic Path.
Instead, he looked like the Second Human Demon.
As the sunset dyed the earth crimson in the twilight, an unstoppable, terrifying storm of blood swept through the Demon Hall.
Once, he had been a gentle young grandmaster, nicknamed the Righteous Man within the Demonic Path.
Now, he was the Grim Reaper heralding the end of lives.
Those who resisted died in agony.
Those who begged for mercy died.
Those who stood still died.
Those who fled died.
Every single corpse belonged to a secret operative of the Secret Shadow Pavilion—the Demon Hall's supreme intelligence organization.
The brutal massacre continued unabated when—
KOOOONG— CRRRASH!
The great gates of the Secret Shadow Pavilion burst open as countless troops came pouring in.
These were the elite warriors of the Blood Demon Unit under the Singular Light Pavilion—operated directly by the Supreme Cult Commander Yeop Hyo-cheon, a force rivaling even the Demon Hall's special assault squads.
When news first broke that the Martial Soul Lord had smashed through the Secret Shadow Pavilion's defenses and was slaughtering everyone inside, the Demon Hall's higher-ups had merely scoffed.
But then—
The Heavenly Secret Tower, the very symbol of the Secret Shadow Pavilion's authority—a strategic watchtower that overlooked the entire Demon Hall—collapsed in a thunderous crash.
Only then did the martial artists of the Demon Hall grasp the severity of the situation.
And now, at the request of the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master, Hwa Jung-cheon, Yeop Hyo-cheon's Blood Demon Unit had arrived in force.
SWISH—
The assembled warriors parted ranks, and two figures strode forward side by side—one clad in gray robes, the other in crimson.
None other than the Supreme Cult Commander Yeop Hyo-cheon and the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master, Hwa Jung-cheon.
'This madman!'
Hwa Jung-cheon's eyes blazed with fury as he surveyed the carnage.
The stench of blood and an ominous chill hung thick in the air.
And the corpses strewn about—weren't they all his most capable, most trusted subordinates? The very elite of the Secret Shadow Pavilion?
'How could this happen?!'
He had accounted for every possible move Bu Eun-seol could make. He had even prepared a foolproof way to sever his involvement if the plan failed.
Moreover, the Enemy Annihilator was supposed to be immortal.
No matter how skilled Bu Eun-seol was, he should never have been able to defeat the Enemy Annihilator he had unleashed at the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace.
Since he ultimately failed to carry out the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's decree... even if Bu Eun-seol had uncovered his scheme, the only target for his wrath should have been the scapegoat he had prepared in advance.
Yet somehow, every last Enemy Annihilator at the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace had been slaughtered—
And Bu Eun-seol had marched straight into the Secret Shadow Pavilion, cutting down his most loyal men without hesitation.
"Supreme Cult Commander," Hwa Jung-cheon said, his voice deceptively calm despite the blood boiling in his veins. "This master finds it difficult to comprehend this situation."
He was a battle-hardened veteran, after all. Even in the face of such a catastrophe, he kept his composure.
"Even if he is the successor of the Demon Hall, this is beyond what he should be capable of."
"The Deathly One among the Eight Heavenly Servants," Bu Eun-seol replied curtly.
"If you claim ignorance of that fact—then annihilating two entire battalions of the Demon Hall's forces would still be a crime."
For the briefest moment, Hwa Jung-cheon's gaze wavered.
The Secret Shadow Pavilion was the Demon Hall's foremost intelligence organization.
Pleading ignorance was no excuse.
"And if you did know that the Deathly One among the Eight Heavenly Servants was involved—yet still did this, then that would be treason."
Bu Eun-seol extended his left hand.
SHWICK—!
A severed head flew into his grasp.
The head of the Secret Shadow Pavilion's deputy master—the Ghost Spirit Killing Demon, Go Il-san.
"Choose."
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol tossed the head at Hwa Jung-cheon's feet.
"Was this done under Go Il-san's orders? Or is there another mastermind behind this?"
Instead of answering, Hwa Jung-cheon's fingertips trembled faintly.
A dead end. He had been perfectly cornered.
"Even so, was it necessary to slaughter the Secret Shadow Pavilion's elite warriors so mercilessly?" Yeop Hyo-cheon clicked his tongue as if discussing someone else's affairs.
"I acted in accordance with the Demon Hall's laws," Bu Eun-seol replied flatly.
Hwa Jung-cheon could no longer suppress his rage.
"This pavilion answers only to the Hall Master Sado!" he snapped. "Do you understand what that means?"
"I do."
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod before turning away.
"If you believe this warrants punishment, then petition the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
And with that, he strode out of the ruined Secret Shadow Pavilion.
—Go ahead. Report me to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Those were the only words he left behind.
Shudder. Shudder.
Hwa Jung-cheon trembled like an aspen leaf, unable to contain his fury.
In contrast, Yeop Hyo-cheon merely narrowed his eyes, watching Bu Eun-seol's retreating figure with an unreadable gaze.
"Pavilion Master," he said at last, his tone detached.
"This commander will take his leave as well."
Hwa Jung-cheon could only lower his head in silence.
This entire scheme had been his doing.
And Yeop Hyo-cheon had already distanced himself from it.
Since he couldn't outright execute a high-ranking pillar of the Demon Hall like the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master...
Bu Eun-seol had instead chosen to utterly break Hwa Jung-cheon's authority.
The incident where the Martial Soul Lord had unleashed a brutal massacre within the Demon Hall sent shockwaves throughout the entire Murim.
Even among the demonic factions that pursued the Demonic Hegemony, internal power struggles and factional disputes were commonplace—yet outright executions were rare unless dealing with traitors.
But the Martial Soul Lord had done it anyway.
And his victims? The elite warriors of the Demon Hall's most powerful intelligence organization, the Secret Shadow Pavilion.
—Just what in the world had happened?
The martial world burned with curiosity, but the truth never came to light.
Because the incident involved matters that could never be revealed to ordinary martial artists—secrets concerning the Servants of the True Demon.
Originally, this had been part of Hwa Jung-cheon's scheme to silence Bu Eun-seol...
But now, it was his mouth that had been sealed shut.
Demon Hall, Hidden Demon Pavilion, Grand Conference Chamber
The Death Shadow War Unit's leaders—who had braved death itself to return from the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace—stood in stunned silence.
—The Lord defeated Incheon again?
And this time, his opponent had been the Deathly One—a being who commanded immortal freaks that could never die.
Though the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, an absolute saber art, had displayed wondrous power...
The battles Bu Eun-seol had fought within the Wind and Cloud Spiritual Ground sounded less like martial feats and more like legends of celestial beings.
"I see. That's how it is."
After hearing the entire story, Myo Cheon-u nodded as if it were no big deal.
"You... must have had a hard time."
Before anyone realized it, his eyes had begun to gleam brightly.
Bu Eun-seol's actions and martial prowess had already reached a level that was... simply too far beyond their comprehension.
Now, all they could do was smile faintly and accept it with a resigned, Ah, so that's how it is.
"Lately, the martial world has gotten a bit rough, hasn't it?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong muttered with shining eyes, and Won Se-mun crossed his arms.
"Well, crazies popping up isn't exactly a new thing."
Jo Nam-cheon also nodded in agreement.
"Even if that old bastard True Demon has six arms, it wouldn't be all that surprising."
On the surface, everything seemed peaceful, but the current state of the martial world was nearly impossible to accept with a clear mind.
The Baekri Clan had erected Absolute Boundaries all over the martial world, and the Servants of the True Demon were tearing them down.
Judging by their actions, it was only a matter of time before the True Demon itself made its grand appearance.
Not only that, but mysterious Abyssal Forces—undetectable by intelligence networks—were gradually beginning to stir.
The martial world's history was being rewritten, rendering all previously known knowledge utterly useless.
"Anyway, setting that aside..."
Yu Un-ryong, the only one still thinking clearly, redirected the conversation.
"Whether they know about this situation or not... those damn bastards are taking advantage of the chaos to make their move."
He sighed and brought up the main agenda for today's meeting.
"The Blood Cult bastards."
Amidst all this, an unexpected faction had emerged, provoking Bu Eun-seol and Death Shadow War Unit—
The Blood Cult had broken its promise not to invade the Central Plains.
Once again, they were slowly encroaching on the Demon Hall's sphere of influence, establishing a new branch sect—
The Red Emperor Cult.
Not only had they rapidly expanded their forces with the Blood Cult's immense backing,
But they were also using some bizarre Great Art—a fusion of the Corpse Handling Sect and the Skeleton Cult—to turn disabled individuals into formidable human weapons.
"There's no point making promises with scum like the Blood Cult."
Myo Cheon-u's face twisted with anger.
"Not that I ever trusted that red-eyed bastard Pae Reuk-gyeol in the first place."
In the past, he and Seo Jin-ha had negotiated with the Blood Cult's leader, Pae Reuk-gyeol, on Bu Eun-seol's behalf.
They had secured a promise that the Blood Cult would not invade the Central Plains.
Yet, barely any time had passed before the Blood Cult was once again revealing its ambitions.
"If we don't deal with them, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor might use it as an excuse to interfere. After all, the document sealing the agreement with the Blood Cult bears the Martial Soul Lord's seal."
At Myo Cheon-u's words, Wi Cheon-gyeong added,
"Not to mention, the Hell Blood Citadel is just sitting back, watching the Red Emperor Cult expand its influence with glee."
The Peaceful Moon Prefecture, where the Red Emperor Cult had established its base, technically fell under the Hell Blood Citadel's sphere of influence in Guizhou.
But the Hell Blood Citadel, fully aware of the situation, was deliberately turning a blind eye to their expansion.
"Worse, they've set up camp near Blue Rock Mountain, making it difficult to launch a proper extermination."
Yu Un-ryong nodded in agreement.
"That place is impossible to march a large force into, and since they favor rituals over martial arts... any attempt to wipe them out would cost us dearly."
"Actually, this is perfect."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.
"Let's take this chance to dance with our blades in earnest."
Wi Cheon-gyeong cautiously interjected,
"That won't do. If the Lord keeps handling everything alone—"
"I'm not going."
Bu Eun-seol scanned the room and declared firmly.
"This is a good opportunity to test just how much your martial prowess has improved."
"You mean... us?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"The extermination of the Red Emperor Cult will be handled entirely by you."
Jo Nam-cheon tilted his head in confusion.
"Lord. The Red Emperor Cult's forces number over eight thousand. And they're using those strange rituals too."
No matter how formidable Bu Eun-seol and the battalion leaders were, if they clashed head-on with eight thousand soldiers—
The only one who would survive would be Bu Eun-seol.
"I'm not telling you to slaughter all eight thousand."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"The Red Emperor Cult is just a temporary branch created by the Blood Cult. There's no need to wipe them out completely."
"Then...?"
"Storm the White Goat Palace, where their leader is said to reside, and behead only the core members and the cult leader."
Marching a large force up Blue Rock Mountain would inevitably alert them.
But if a small, elite group moved covertly?
Tracking fewer than ten individuals would be impossible in real time.
Bu Eun-seol was ordering the battalion leaders to assassinate the Red Emperor Cult's leader and its core members.
"Even if we succeed, we'll be rats trapped in a jar."
At Wi Cheon-gyeong's words, Bu Eun-seol smirked.
"You have the means to shatter that jar, don't you?"
As everyone exchanged puzzled looks, Yu Un-ryong, who had been silently listening, answered.
"The Lord is telling us to deploy the Mind's Eye Mirror."
Infiltrating the Red Emperor Cult—boasting eight thousand soldiers—killing their leader and high command, then escaping unscathed?
That was impossible.
If it were just an assassination, it'd be better to handle it alone.
But ordering all the battalion leaders to infiltrate together—
That meant they were to combine their strength, perfectly execute the Mind's Eye Mirror in actual combat, and use it to escape.
"I see."
Wi Cheon-gyeong nodded.
"If we use the Mind's Eye Mirror, escape might actually be possible."
Jo Nam-cheon grinned.
"Even if we fail, the Lord will have a contingency plan."
"There isn't one."
"Huh?"
"If we fail, there is only death."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with absolute seriousness.
"If we're weak enough to die at the hands of the Red Emperor Cult, then the probability of surviving from here on out is effectively zero."
Half of it was genuine.
Powerful enemies were pouring out endlessly.
If they were so weak as to die to the Red Emperor Cult?
Then from this point onward, the odds of survival truly were nonexistent.
"Every day, we must stake our lives."
At Won Se-mun's words, Myo Cheon-u let out a dry laugh.
"Isn't that the fate of those who live by the sword?"
The Unit Members' eyes burned fiercely.
They had always been prepared for death.
But even if they had to die, they refused to fall to worthless nobodies like the Red Emperor Cult—not if their deaths would be utterly meaningless.
"Then when do we begin?"
When Wi Cheon-gyeong asked, Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
"Right now."
Every intelligence organization in Murim—
whether it belonged to a sect whose leadership wielded immense influence over the martial world's affairs,
or one that sought to track the movements of figures of equivalent importance—
remained perpetually on high alert.
In particular, the Red Emperor Cult, which had been established under the backing of the Blood Cult, had prioritized one task above all else:
monitoring the movements of the Demon Hall, which could eliminate them at any moment.
More precisely, they sought to track the actions of Bu Eun-seol, the head of the Death Shadow War Unit.
However, the movements of the Demon Hall’s unit commanders—
who merely carried out orders—
were never their concern.
Because of this, the Death Shadow War Unit's Unit Members could slip past their surveillance with ease.
Whoosh.
One by one, the Unit Members stealthily slipped out of the Demon Hall and began deploying their Movement Techniques at full power.
Even if they covered a thousand li in a single day, the journey should have taken ten days—yet the Unit Members arrived in just three.
The Red Emperor Cult had established its headquarters on Blue Rock Mountain, a place surrounded by extremely narrow ravines with only one accessible path.
Moreover, given its elevated position—
they had erected watchtowers at key points to constantly monitor their surroundings.
It was a fortress so impregnable that bringing a large force here was impossible from the start.
Whoosh.
The Death Shadow War Unit's Unit Members moved covertly toward the Red Emperor Cult's stronghold.
Halt.
But then Myo Cheon-u, who had been leading the charge, suddenly stopped.
An enormous noise had erupted from the direction of the Red Emperor Cult's headquarters.
The other Unit Members exchanged bewildered glances.
Their plan to strike the Red Emperor Cult had been carried out with such secrecy that no organization could have possibly detected it.
Yet the sounds reaching them now—weren't they a chaotic mix of weapons and screams?
—Someone had attacked the Red Emperor Cult head-on, without any attempt at stealth.
Realizing something had gone wrong, Myo Cheon-u abandoned Hidden Stealth Secret Art and instead unleashed his Movement Technique at full speed.
The other Unit Members immediately followed suit, pouring all their strength into their own Movement Techniques to keep up.
'What?'
Myo Cheon-u, the first to arrive at the Red Emperor Cult, could only stare wide-eyed.
The interior was already a Sea of Corpses and Blood, with flames rising in every direction.
And the piled-up corpses—
weren't they all bearing traces of having been killed by the exact same technique?
"Moreover, this technique—"
Myo Cheon-u crouched to examine the wounds on the corpses, then his eyes bulged.
"The Annihilation Palm."
The technique that had massacred the Red Emperor Cult's members was none other than the Annihilation Palm, the signature Palm Technique of the Extinction Palace, where he himself had been selected as one of the Ten Demonic Heirs.
"The Extinction Palace destroyed the Red Emperor Cult?"
Myo Cheon-u muttered with a grave expression.
"Does that mean the Extinction Palace Lord came here?"
It made no sense.
The Red Emperor Cult's sphere of influence overlapped with the Hell Blood Citadel, not the Extinction Palace.
So why would the Extinction Palace Lord do something like this?
"GAAAH!"
Just then, another scream echoed from the distance.
It came from near the White Goat Palace, where the Red Emperor Cult Leader resided.
CRASH!
Myo Cheon-u immediately dashed there using his Movement Technique, only to find hundreds of martial artists clad in bizarre, scale-like green garments.
But they had already finished their tasks and now stood in solemn formation—
while a man drenched in blood fought the Red Emperor Cult Leader alone.
No, "fought" wasn't the right word.
The man was effortlessly toying with the charging Red Emperor Cult Leader.
Whoosh.
Yu Un-ryong, panting heavily, arrived beside him, followed shortly by Wi Cheon-gyeong.
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon, whose Movement Techniques were slower, hadn't caught up yet.
"Unit Leader Myo."
Wi Cheon-gyeong, observing Myo Cheon-u's grim expression, asked:
"What in the world is happening?"
"Shin Do-un-hwi."
At that moment, Yu Un-ryong, standing beside Myo Cheon-u, widened his eyes to the point of tearing.
The man fighting the Red Emperor Cult Leader wasn't the Extinction Palace Lord—
it was the Young Palace Lord, Shin Do-un-hwi.
BANG!
With the sound of tearing flesh, the Red Emperor Cult Leader's body was sent flying about thirty feet into the air before crashing to the ground.
Struck by the Annihilation Palm Technique,
his bones shattered, leaving him unable to rise as he gasped for breath—
Thud.
—before finally going still in death.
"How did he—?"
Myo Cheon-u shook his head in disbelief as he analyzed Shin Do-un-hwi's Palm Technique.
Right now, Shin Do-un-hwi's Annihilation Palm Technique had reached the Great Origin Realm, a level where it could not be blocked by any means—
and even surpassed his own strength by an unfathomable margin.
Swish.
As the Red Emperor Cult Leader fell, Shin Do-un-hwi turned.
Spotting Myo Cheon-u and the others watching him, he chuckled.
"What a pleasant surprise—familiar faces have arrived."
Then, suddenly, he raised his voice toward the empty air.
"Martial Soul Lord."
He smiled warmly, as if greeting an old friend.
"Since you've come all this way, is there really any need to hide and watch?"
Shhhk.
With the faintest Sound of Breaking Air, a translucent shadow moved through empty space—then a figure in gray robes descended to the ground.
It was none other than Bu Eun-seol.