Chapter 854
Jeon Baek-seung snorted dismissively.
Handling the Human-Ghost Society alone?
No matter how renowned he was as one of the Demon Hall's Great Lords, this wasn't confidence—it was outright delusion of grandeur.
"And above all, we must demonstrate that this is the true extent of the Death Shadow War Unit's martial prowess..."
Whether Jeon Baek-seung mocked him or not, Yu Un-ryong's expression remained utterly unperturbed, as calm as still water.
"The pathetic Black Path Alliance won't dare act recklessly now."
"Ghk—hahaha!"
As if unable to contain his derision, Jeon Baek-seung burst into a grating laugh.
"Bwahahaha!"
After cackling for a long while, he shook his head.
"Did the Death Shadow War Unit's strategist eat something strange today...?"
The Human-Ghost Society's forces numbered only around two hundred, but each was a warrior worth a hundred men.
Moreover, under the Blood Cult's support, they had mastered both the Divine Descent Art and the Demon-Binding Great Method.
Their combat capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary martial artists.
Additionally, Danri Yu-hwa had only just recovered after having her dantian suppressed for days—in her current state, she was no threat at all.
No matter how much of a prodigious Master Yu Un-ryong was, he couldn't possibly take on the Human-Ghost Society alone.
"And here I thought we'd missed the perfect chance to warn the Blood Cult."
During the incident with Sindo Un-hwi,
Yu Un-ryong had failed to deliver a proper warning to the Red Emperor Cult.
Now was the time to demonstrate the Death Shadow War Unit's true power—
to deliver a warning so severe the Blood Cult would never dare provoke them again.
Click.
As he channeled his internal power, his Ten-Joint Staff, which had been slithering like a serpent, stiffened into a rigid pole.
Fwip!
At the same time,
a Human-Ghost Society martial artist standing about thirty feet away collapsed with a coin-sized hole punched clean through his forehead.
The technique was so swift that no one could even perceive when, how, or what martial form he had used.
"Not bad. Attack him all at once!"
At Jeon Baek-seung's command, the Human-Ghost Society warriors rushed forward with everything they had.
Yu Un-ryong spoke softly to Danri Yu-hwa, who stood beside him.
"Stay close to me."
"What in the world are you thinking?!"
Danri Yu-hwa cried out frantically.
"Every one of them is a Peak Realm Master who's mastered those bizarre Great Methods! How could you possibly—"
Her words were cut short.
The Human-Ghost Society warriors, now transformed into demonic specters, swarmed in like a horde of wasps, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
Thwack!
Yet before they could even reach within about thirty feet of Yu Un-ryong, they were sent flying, reduced to pulped flesh.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Yu Un-ryong swung his Ten-Joint Staff at blinding speed, shaping it into a circular barrier of condensed Gang Qi.
"Tch. Resorting to a technique that won't last half a quarter."
Jeon Baek-seung sneered as he watched.
Creating an impenetrable wall with a weapon was an excellent defensive measure.
But the sheer internal power expenditure meant it was a technique never to be used in one-against-many battles.
Crack! Shatter!
Having formed the circular barrier, Yu Un-ryong began walking forward calmly, shielding Danri Yu-hwa as he advanced.
The Human-Ghost Society warriors threw everything they had to stop him, but none could breach the rotating wall he had created.
"Die, you bastard!"
Then, with a roar that seemed to split heaven and earth,
Sang-gon, the Human-Ghost Society's deputy leader, leapt into the air and executed the Strike Splitting Heaven and Earth.
Against such a blow,
even the barrier of the Ten-Joint Staff would inevitably shatter.
Splat!
Yet before Sang-gon could descend, a geyser of blood erupted from his throat.
Yu Un-ryong had drawn a second Ten-Joint Staff and hurled it like an arrow.
Fwip!
The staff, embedded in the ground about a hundred feet away, slithered back like a living serpent and coiled around his left hand once more.
Thud. Thud-thud.
In less than fifteen minutes, half of the two hundred warriors had been reduced to corpses.
Beyond-Limit Return to Origin.
The supreme realm where no injury could be inflicted unless one stood at the same pinnacle of martial prowess.
Had Yu Un-ryong finally reached it?
"No... that's not the Beyond-Limit Return to Origin."
From a distance, Jeon Baek-seung bit his lip as he observed Yu Un-ryong's staff technique.
"He's mastered the Endless Circular Wheel —the highest realm of staff arts!"
Within staff techniques existed a profound secret:
the Endless Circular Wheel, which allowed infinite rotation of the weapon without consuming internal energy.
Jeon Baek-seung realized Yu Un-ryong was using this principle to create an unbreakable, ever-rotating barrier.
"But... how is that possible?"
Even if one used the Endless Circular Wheel to spin a weapon endlessly, it shouldn't allow infinite repulsion of enemies.
Because every clash with an enemy's weapon or strike against flesh would inevitably expend internal force.
Yet Yu Un-ryong, as if possessing a bottomless well of internal power,
continued pulverizing his assailants in an endless, unbroken cycle.
Squelch.
A rain of blood fell.
The bodies of the Human-Ghost Society warriors, empowered by the Divine Descent Art, were torn asunder and scattered in all directions.
The martial artists unleashing the Demon-Slaying Great Art had their arms severed mid-air.
"That bastard has entered the Extreme Heaven Realm?"
Even as Yu Un-ryong endlessly spun his Ten-Joint Staff at blinding speed—
Even as he withstood the assaults of countless martial artists—
Not a single wound marred his body.
This meant he could perceive and act two or three times faster than ordinary martial artists.
"How the hell is this possible?"
It was common knowledge that the Martial Soul Lord's martial prowess was extraordinary.
But for a mere Second-grade Commander of the Demon Hall to display such power?
"The Martial Soul Lord... That madman has been playing us."
Jeon Baek-seung gritted his teeth.
The Demon Hall, as a coalition of demonic sects, strictly adhered to merit-based promotions.
Yet despite his subordinate possessing such strength—
Despite reaching such heights in martial arts—
The Martial Soul Lord had deliberately withheld his promotion, leaving him at this rank on purpose.
Thud.
In that brief moment, the remaining one-third of the troops blocking Yu Un-ryong's path collapsed.
Only Jeon Baek-seung and the thirty martial artists guarding him remained.
Shudder.
Jeon Baek-seung, leader of the Human-Ghost Society, trembled.
Truthfully, he had never been an exceptional master to begin with.
He had only risen to prominence through the Blood Cult's support and the Great Art, which propelled him into the Transcendent Realm.
Yet he had crossed the Death Line alongside Bu Eun-seol and fought countless battles—
Who had spent every waking moment refining military strategy and the Ten-Section Staff Method, even during meals and sleep—
Who combined innate martial talent with bone-grinding effort—
He was not even fit to stand in the same league as a peerless martial prodigy from the Ten Demonic Heirs.
Step. Step.
Yu Un-ryong walked past Jeon Baek-seung without attacking, his expression indifferent.
Jeon Baek-seung could only tremble in place, not daring to move a muscle.
A single twitch of his finger, and his head would roll.
"Aren't you going to kill him?"
Danri Yu-hwa's question was met with Yu Un-ryong's calm reply.
"He'll be executed by the Blood Cult anyway for failing his mission."
Then he added,
"More importantly, we need someone to report the situation to the Blood Cult."
Keeping him alive ensured a vivid warning would reach them.
And because Jeon Baek-seung knew full well the price of failure was death, Yu Un-ryong had spared him.
"I see..."
Danri Yu-hwa stepped out of the Human-Ghost Society's hideout, her expression dazed.
The battle she had just witnessed felt like a dream.
No—this entire situation felt utterly surreal.
'I thought he was just a frail scholar...'
She had assumed he was nothing more than a bookworm, always buried in texts and coughing weakly.
A rigid, inflexible man with no room for compromise.
But his true martial prowess—
It surpassed even the Blood Rain Hall's leader, whom her own father acknowledged as superior.
Not only that, his wisdom and insight so far exceeded the limits of ordinary men that he appeared unremarkable, even languid.
'I never knew how to judge people.'
Her chest swelled with emotion.
This man, with his peerless intellect and martial might—
Had always concealed his brilliance beneath an unassuming facade, never once flaunting his strength.
Whoosh.
Just then, a black shadow descended from above, landing beside Yu Un-ryong.
A man with long, flowing hair and a razor-sharp silhouette—
Wi Cheon-gyeong, leader of the Soul-Chasing Squad.
"We've freed all the captive women."
He had infiltrated the Human-Ghost Society under Yu Un-ryong's orders, gathering evidence of their atrocities.
"But we couldn't find solid proof. The Blood Cult... those bastards covered their tracks well."
"This much is enough."
Yu Un-ryong's voice remained steady.
"The rescued women themselves will serve as the most damning evidence."
"Understood."
Wi Cheon-gyeong glanced at Danri Yu-hwa, who was trailing Yu Un-ryong like a lost puppy, then clasped his hands.
"I'll take my leave first."
In an instant, he launched himself into mid-air and vanished.
"I should return as well."
Yu Un-ryong turned to Danri Yu-hwa.
"Take care on your way back."
Originally, this operation should have been executed methodically. But to rescue Danri Yu-hwa, he had altered the plan under extreme urgency.
It had been a gamble with their lives—
Freeing the captives with only Wi Cheon-gyeong's aid, ensuring Danri Yu-hwa remained unharmed, while annihilating the Human-Ghost Society.
Yet he showed no sign of strain, treating her with the same detached calm.
"Thank you."
That was all Danri Yu-hwa could say.
"Truly."
"I didn't do it for you."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
"The Human-Ghost Society was the Blood Cult's puppet. The Death Shadow War Unit had been waiting to dismantle them."
Then he added,
"And I needed to test my martial progress."
He had recently completed the Ten-Section Staff Diagram—
Mastering, in theory, the principles of Endless Qi Flow and Endless Qi Transformation, which had long barred his entry into the Extreme Heaven Realm.
"Knowing and acting are vastly different things."
Yu Un-ryong had staked his life on this moment, testing his martial prowess once more, and had finally confirmed his entry into the Extreme Heaven Realm.
Whoosh.
At that very moment, the Sound of Breaking Air echoed as a group of over ten black-clad figures came rushing toward them.
They were none other than the Azure Moon Sect Leader and his subordinates.
To ensure Danri Yu-hwa's safe escort.
Yu Un-ryong had contacted the Azure Moon Sect just as the matter was concluding.
"Then."
Clasping his hands together, Yu Un-ryong immediately activated his Movement Technique and vanished.
"W-Wait, please!"
Danri Yu-hwa, belatedly snapping out of her daze, tried to stop him—but Yu Un-ryong's figure had already disappeared without a trace.
"What in the world happened?"
The Azure Moon Sect Leader hurried over to Danri Yu-hwa, who stood alone, and asked urgently.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Yes."
She gazed wistfully in the direction Yu Un-ryong had disappeared.
'Yu Un-ryong.'
A weary, gaunt face, utterly exhausted, surfaced in her mind.
In the past, she had disliked that sickly appearance—but now, it was the image of a man who lived nobly, concealing his strength.
A true standout among mediocrity.
'I swear...'
Clenching her fists, Danri Yu-hwa muttered under her breath.
'I'll become a woman worthy of you.'
But her voice, trembling with flushed emotion, was far too soft.
No one could hear it.
Deep within the mountains, where even moonlight could not penetrate.
Hidden within a crevice of rock lay a cave, suffused with a mysterious energy as if all the wisdom of the world had condensed within it.
At the cave's entrance stood an iron gate forged of bronze, intricately engraved with ancient script.
Embedded around the gate were violet crystals, emitting a faint glow that lent the place an almost sacred atmosphere.
Thud.
Bang-il stepped inside the cave.
Beyond the passageway lay a spacious stone chamber.
The ceiling was painted with what appeared to be a perfect replica of celestial movements—
And astonishingly, the stars depicted there faintly shimmered, shifting in accordance with the seasons and time.
The floor was paved with black marble, upon which a unique emblem was embroidered in golden thread.
"He's not here."
Bang-il, seated at a table, took a deep breath.
"Why didn't he carry out the plan?"
He couldn't understand.
As Chu-so's right-hand man, he had handled countless matters over the years.
A strategist of extraordinary intellect and insight, capable of steering the world itself.
And under his orders—
He had devised an elaborate scheme to kill the Heir of the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Lord Bu Eun-seol, using Yang Seol-rin as bait.
Though he couldn't compare to the genius intellect of the Heavenly Mechanism Star,
with his assistance, he had prepared a meticulous Borrowed Knife Murder stratagem.
Even if it failed, he had woven a perfect snare to ensure there would be no losses.
"I'm really just going to see him."
That's what Chu-so had said.
But in truth, he had never gone just to see someone.
Not once had he wasted even a Moment of Time meaninglessly.
Bang-il had been certain that Chu-so would return calmly and order the assassination as planned.
So why—why had he suddenly—
Called off the Martial Soul Lord's assassination?
"In the end, meeting him must have changed his mind."
A foreboding premonition crept over Bang-il.
Chu-so wasn't merely a genius in intellect and knowledge—he possessed an insight and intuition that bordered on foreseeing the future.
But even he had a slight weakness.
Namely, his deep fondness for extraordinary individuals like himself.
"The Martial Soul Lord is renowned not just for his martial arts, but also for his exceptional intellect."
Bang-il could sense it.
Chu-so had undoubtedly taken a liking to Bu Eun-seol—and that was why he couldn't bring himself to kill him.
"This won't do."
According to his predictions,
the greatest obstacle to Chu-so's path was none other than Bu Eun-seol himself.
Not only was his martial prowess and intellect extraordinary—
But wasn't he also the inheritor of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, said to have attained the greatest heights of saber arts in centuries?
An enemy who could never be underestimated—nor coexisted with.
"The plan is flawless anyway. There's no chance of failure."
Bang-il made up his mind.
Even if things went awry, he would take responsibility himself.
This time, he would definitely kill Bu Eun-seol—to prevent the calamity that loomed in the future.
Bu Eun-seol had returned to the Demon Hall.
As Man-wol had advised, he took time alone to steady his mind.
And now, he intended to follow her final counsel.
"If something weighs on your heart, settle it first."
He had thought nothing weighed on him.
After all, he had always repaid every debt, no matter how small.
Even if he failed to resolve the matter of the Executioner,
he owed nothing to anyone—so he could leave without regrets.
'...No, there is one.'
Upon reflection,
there was one person to whom he still owed a debt of the heart.
"Lady Yang Seol."
Until now, she had shown Bu Eun-seol countless kindnesses and provided him with invaluable information.
Hadn't he even promised to grant her three requests in return?
And yet, he hadn't even fulfilled the third request.
'Hmm.'
As he pondered how to repay this debt, Gongson Dan-gyeong's words suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
—She was also a child abducted by the Jungson Clan under the name Hwasu.
At the time, Gongson Dan-gyeong had relayed the details of the Jungson Clan's abduction case to Bu Eun-seol.
She had even mentioned that Yang Seol-rin, who remembered nothing of her past, was likely a victim of either the vile Soul-Controlling Secret Art or the Spirit-Sealing Art.
Especially if she had fallen under something as terrifying as the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method—only the caster could undo it.
Hadn't even Bu Eun-seol himself once lost his memories due to such a Great Art unleashed by Hyeokryeon Eung?
And hadn't it only been through an extremely coincidental turn of events—Fatty, who had saved and cared for him, facing mortal danger—that he regained his memories?
'Then... let me settle my debt to her by resolving this.'
He had spent just a single day drinking and organizing his thoughts.
There was still plenty of time.
Bu Eun-seol contacted Yang Seol-rin.
Thanks to her information, he learned that Sindo Un-hwi had undergone bizarre experiments.
He also told her that a person named Chu-so—
just like the Three Realms—manipulated people by exploiting their aspirations.
—I'd like to hear it directly from you.
As expected, Yang Seol-rin responded.
Not with a letter, but with a request to meet in person.
"Lord, a reply has arrived from the Heaven-Severing Earth-Destroying Sanctuary."
At that moment, Wi Cheon-gyeong entered and handed him a letter.
It was none other than a message from Hyeok So-jin.
—Brother Bu, though I couldn't find the exact precious artifact you sought, the Righteousness-Destroying Madman happened to possess a treasure with similar effects.
Things have quieted down lately, so I'll personally deliver it to you.
'Perfect.'
During this time, Bu Eun-seol had begun searching for either martial arts or treasures capable of breaking the Mind-Seizing Art.
But no matter where he looked, he found no leads.
—If there's no martial art that can undo the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method, then perhaps a treasure capable of breaking it exists?
After deep contemplation, Bu Eun-seol found another approach.
—What about the Heaven-Severing Earth-Destroying Sanctuary?
Given that they had access to legendary information like that of the Wind God Palace...
The former Great Demons, who had weathered countless storms,
not only knew hidden secrets and whispered rumors,
but also possessed treasures they had personally uncovered during their travels—or at least knew where such treasures lay.
After much deliberation, Bu Eun-seol contacted Hyeok So-jin and began inquiring whether the former demons had such an artifact.
And incredibly, by sheer luck,
he didn't just find information about a treasure capable of breaking the Soul-Seizing Art—
he found someone who actually possessed it.
Though it couldn't completely undo something as profound as the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method, it would surely have some effect.
"Good."
Tap.
Bu Eun-seol set the letter down and gave a faint nod.
"Then there's no need to delay any further."
He was fortunate.
Hyeok So-jin's reply had arrived just in time, confirming that such a treasure existed in the Heaven-Severing Earth-Destroying Sanctuary.
Now, all that remained was to meet Yang Seol-rin in person.
At the Hour of the Dog, when a cool breeze blew,
Bu Eun-seol headed toward a cliff bathed in the serene glow of moonlight.
Far below the towering precipice, a raging river crashed against rocks, sending up mist.
The rustling of leaves and the rushing of winding currents alternated in the air,
breaking the silence that clung to the cliff.
Finally, upon reaching the summit,
Whoosh—
A refreshing wind swept down from the heavens, casting a crimson shadow upon the cliff.
A woman with a beautiful face—marked by scars on her cheeks and neck that only enhanced her rugged, mysterious allure.
It was Yang Seol-rin.
"My lady."
"It's been a while."
Yang Seol-rin smiled warmly.
In truth, she was a woman largely indifferent to matters of the heart.
Yet the bittersweet, lonely aura around Bu Eun-seol—so palpable she could feel it even with her eyes closed—and his mysteriously gleaming eyes, like sunlight dancing on water...
His cold, inscrutable expression had captivated her at first sight.
And whenever she looked at him,
an unfamiliar fluttering filled her chest, a sensation she had never felt before.
"Of course. Have you been well?"
"Yes, thanks to you."
"That's a relief."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Bu Eun-seol felt something strange.
Yang Seol-rin had grown even more beautiful, and her gaze now brimmed with affection, as if she were looking at a lover.
Though she had always been kind, this was the first time she had been so blatantly expressive with her emotions.
'Strange.'
The moment their eyes met,
an inexplicable chill crept up Bu Eun-seol's spine, sending a peculiar sensation through him.
He couldn't pinpoint what had changed.
But one thing was certain:
In the time they had been apart... Yang Seol-rin had subtly transformed in some way.