Chapter 869
The warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the window.
Peaceful Burial House.
A small funeral home that primarily prepared the bodies of those who had died without family or as travelers, reported by the local constabulary.
Young Bu Eun-seol,
though slight in frame, stood behind the grandfather whose back was broad,
watching as the old man carefully wiped the face of the deceased.
Bu Jan-yang's hands were rough,
yet his touch was infinitely gentle, his movements as meticulous as if he were handling flower petals.
"Why do you clean the bodies so carefully when they're already dead?"
When young Bu Eun-seol blinked his large eyes and asked,
Bu Jan-yang, who had been wiping the deceased's face with a clean cloth, paused for a moment.
"This old man tends to their bodies with such care because it's a way of respecting the stories they left behind."
Bending down to meet the child's eye level,
Bu Jan-yang's gaze was warm, a gentle smile resting at the corners of his lips.
"A person's body carries the traces of the life they lived... and the stories they held."
"Stories...?"
"That's right. This old man listens to the stories they've left behind... and in return, helps them depart cleanly and peacefully."
Young Bu Eun-seol blinked again, mulling over his grandfather's words.
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't quite grasp their meaning.
"Then... will you leave behind stories for me too, Grandfather, after you die?"
"Of course."
At the innocent question, Bu Jan-yang let out a hearty laugh and nodded.
"I'll leave behind all the traces of the times we cried, laughed, loved, and even fought... every single one of them."
His bright smile, creasing his weathered face with deep wrinkles,
reflected in the sunset light spilling through the window,
filling young Bu Eun-seol's pupils entirely.
But then—
The image of his grandfather, laughing so brightly, began to fade.
And the whole world darkened.
When the world brightened again, beneath the moonlight, lay the gruesome corpse of his grandfather.
His kind eyes were nowhere to be found—only empty black holes remained.
The bony arms that had once held him gently and stroked his head were severed below the shoulders.
The dry, broad back that had carried him warmly when he couldn't sleep
was now exposed bone, dozens of hidden weapons embedded like spines on a hedgehog.
"Grandfather."
Bu Eun-seol clung to his grandfather's corpse and wept.
"Why didn't you keep your promise?"
What remained on his grandfather's body were not the happy memories
but only the marks of brutal agony and the ruthless, cold-blooded cruelty of a murderer.
"You said you'd leave behind only the memories we shared...!"
He hugged his grandfather tightly, screaming until his voice cracked,
but all that remained
was an expression—tender yet sorrowful, as if worried and heartbroken to leave his young grandson behind.
"Because of me."
Bu Eun-seol sobbed, his voice breaking.
"You died trying to save me."
If not for me... if someone like me had never been born...
Grandfather would have lived happily.
Weeping through the night, Bu Eun-seol eventually collapsed unconscious in his grandfather's embrace.
—Sword River.
Then, a tender voice whispered in his ear.
The scenery shifted once more—to a small room faintly lit by moonlight,
where a child of about five or six lay cradled in his mother's arms.
His mother held him warmly, while his father gently stroked his head with a large hand.
The scent of apricot blossoms lingered in his mother's hair, and his father's touch was as warm as a bonfire.
—You are the greatest gift the heavens have given us...
His mother whispered in the softest voice.
—Every day you live from now on... will be our pride and joy.
Their love wrapped around the child like a thick blanket.
And in response, a bright, blissful smile spread across the child's lips.
As if to show how precious this moment was, how happy it made him.
As if to say that his very existence... was the greatest blessing and miracle.
Plip.
When he regained his senses, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Unable to contain the overwhelming grief and sorrow, he had fallen into the grip of his inner demon—
Now, the real Bu Eun-seol slowly opened his eyes.
"..."
Emerging from the long dream, he took a deep breath.
The last words of his parents had made him realize everything.
That he was not a being who brought misfortune to those around him.
Rather, he was the one who connected all the lives they had lived, all the things they had loved—
into one.
'I must never lose control of my emotions and collapse like that again.'
Like the grandmaster of martial arts he was, as he steadied his emotions,
he also washed away the remnants of his impulsive feelings—his long-hidden weakness.
'But falling into my inner demon wasn't solely due to the shock to my spirit and mind.'
For someone of his martial prowess, fainting was an impossibility.
Even if it was due to the inner demon, it shouldn't have happened.
'I lost control of my emotions, and suddenly, an unknown power erupted from my Brain Gate Acupoint and fine meridians.'
Bu Eun-seol's expression grew profoundly solemn.
After all, this meant there was an uncontrollable energy within his body.
Zzzzing.
But suddenly, his vision darkened, and a voice hoarse with age echoed in his ears.
—Upon examining the energy within your body, I see multiple forces chaotically intertwined... (omitted)... Even if you were of their bloodline, your fate is to belong nowhere...
The Wisdom-Light Mind Speech left behind by the Old Man of the Sanctuary reverberated in his mind.
—...I will seek you out again before long. Until then, you must survive at all costs.
Having heard everything, Bu Eun-seol wore a dazed expression.
What if the Old Man of the Sanctuary had harbored malicious intent?
He would already be wandering the underworld or opening his eyes before the Yama Hall.
It was clear the old man held genuine goodwill toward him.
'And yet... he said I might not be of their bloodline?'
If he hadn't lost consciousness and dreamed what he just had—
He might have believed those words.
But now, he didn't.
Because it hadn't been a dream.
It was a fragment of memory sealed within the Brain Gate Acupoint... and irrefutable proof that he truly was Baekri Geom-ha.
"Ugh..."
At that moment, Han Sang-ja and the Evil Soul Squad members, who had been collapsed, groaned as they regained consciousness.
"Lord."
Han Sang-ja, his face still groggy from deep sleep, scanned their surroundings and asked,
"What in the world happened?"
"Did you not see the little boy who appeared from the sky?"
"A child?"
Han Sang-ja's eyes widened as realization struck.
"You met them? The ones who oversee the Executioners?"
"Indeed."
"Then—"
Han Sang-ja's mouth fell open as he exclaimed,
"What are they?"
"They were no transcendent beings. They belonged to a mysterious faction called the Sanctuary."
"The... Sanctuary?"
"Have you heard of it?"
Han Sang-ja shook his head with a vague expression.
"Never in my life."
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained everything—
That the Covenant was ultimately a process of choosing between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
And that the Executioners were not godlike beings,
but enforcers acting on behalf of the two factions to maintain balance in their conflict.
"So in the end... all the secret factions of Murim are connected to either the Baekri Clan or the True Demon."
After hearing it all, Han Sang-ja wore a somewhat absurd expression.
Countless secrets of Murim ultimately traced back to these two forces.
Which meant—
It was no exaggeration to say that the keys to unraveling those secrets
lay entirely in their hands.
"Feels like ten years of study just turned into dust."
Bu Eun-seol could somewhat empathize with Han Sang-ja's hollow sigh.
Now that he knew the truth,
everyone in the world seemed like mere chess pieces beneath the Baekri Clan, the True Demon, and the Sanctuary.
"Then... does this mean you've become a member of the Baekri Clan now, Lord?"
Before Bu Eun-seol could answer, Han Sang-ja's eyes gleamed as he fired off questions.
"How does the Covenant even work? How do they bind martial artists like this?"
As it happened, Bu Eun-seol himself had been deeply curious about the parchment's effects.
So he explained everything.
"They imprint a mark on parchment to bind a person..."
Han Sang-ja's face went blank.
"That sounds like something straight out of a demonic folktale."
Bu Eun-seol was surprised.
Given that sages were well-versed in the Great Arts and Secret Arts of Murim, he had expected Han Sang-ja to understand.
But even he reacted as if hearing some bizarre legend?
"Are you saying no such Great Art exists in Murim?"
"Well... technically, they do exist. The problem is, they're all ancient Dharma Arts."
Han Sang-ja's expression turned grave.
"Ancient Dharma Arts and Secret Techniques often grant ordinary humans tremendous power. But in the present era, all such things have been lost."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Hadn't Yu Un-ryong's Essentials of Strange Mechanisms also contained
ancient Formation Studies and the Mind's Eye Mirror—a Secret Art that manifested a Mindscape?
"Even so, the idea that smearing blood on parchment can bind a person is astonishing."
In truth, any normal martial artist wouldn't even believe such a thing.
But somehow,
once the names Baekri Clan and True Demon were involved, nothing felt strange anymore.
'As I thought... something is fundamentally wrong with Murim.'
Until now, Murim's history had been portrayed as a world where martial arts were honed and supremacy contested.
But ever since the Baekri Clan and the True Demon revealed themselves,
the utterly impossible had become mundane.
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol set aside his doubts for now.
There was no need to force himself to understand what defied comprehension.
At the very least, the matter of the Executioners was resolved. There would be no further danger.
—Are you not of the bloodline of Sa Ah, the Saintess of the True Demon Family?
As the words of the Sanctuary's commotion—no, the old man—resurfaced, Bu Eun-seol's mood darkened.
The truth of his lineage had been revealed,
yet he remained an outsider who belonged nowhere.
Moreover, Baekri Mu-ha, the former leader of the Saha Manor, who was once called the First Beauty of the Martial World, was a descendant of the Baekri Clan.
His wife, Sa Ah, was the Saintess of the True Demon Family.
If so, then the Blood Eye incident at Saha Manor wasn't merely a matter of personal vengeance—it must have been a monumental event capable of shifting the very landscape of the Murim.
Throb.
The Brain Gate Acupoint acupoint burned as if being torn apart.
But both his body and mind were far too exhausted to dwell on this now.
'I'll find out soon enough. Just as I always have.'
"Please tell me, Lord."
At that moment, Han Sang-ja pressed urgently, like a child begging for candy.
"Then, since you've become part of the Baekri Clan, has anything changed?"
"I did not become a member of the Baekri Clan."
"Then are you now a Familiar of the True Demon Family?!"
"No, not that either."
Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"The Covenant was annulled for a certain reason."
"A certain reason...?"
"We went through the Covenant, but... it turned out I wasn't the kind of person who could enter the choices they presented."
"If you couldn't enter the choices...?"
"Perhaps it's because my constitution is far more ordinary than they expected."
That was the absolute truth—without a single lie.
At least, if one disregarded the fact that he carried the blood of both the Baekri Clan and the True Demon Family.
"I see."
Han Sang-ja wore a slightly dazed expression, but soon broke into a bright smile.
"Well, regardless, my Lord has broken the Covenant, and I've uncovered a secret that was hidden from the Murim."
His smile was weary, yet brimming with satisfaction.
Though the plan had gone completely awry, in the end, everything had turned out well.
"That's right. All of this is thanks to you, Brother Han."
"Hahaha, no need to go that far! It was just good luck, really."
Han Sang-ja scratched his head sheepishly.
"Then, I'll take my leave now."
He bowed deeply to Bu Eun-seol.
"And... thank you for understanding my deception."
"Don't mention it. You were only risking your life to help me resolve the Covenant."
Bu Eun-seol also pressed his palms together respectfully.
"I will never forget what you've done for me."
A faint smile touched both their lips.
For a brief moment, it was the radiant smile of young heroes who had once staked their lives to protect one another.
"Well then."
Han Sang-ja turned away, still smiling.
Having mastered the Sage Forest's mysterious Concealment Art, he naturally faded from sight as he activated his Movement Technique.
"Ugh..."
Just then, the Evil Soul Squad members, who had been unconscious, began to stir.
They looked around blankly before spotting Bu Eun-seol, their expressions turning sheepish.
After all, they were elite members of the Demonic Path's finest Information Warfare Unit—yet they had lost consciousness without even understanding why.
"It was the Great Art of a Master who surpassed the Martial Extreme Realm. Even I lost consciousness."
Bu Eun-seol nodded at them reassuringly.
"You've endured much. Return at once."
The Unit Members knew full well that Bu Eun-seol had gone to great lengths to save them.
So, with utmost respect, they bowed deeply before vanishing in an instant with their Movement Technique.
"Now, shall we go?"
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol, who was using his Movement Technique, suddenly stopped.
The words of the Old Man of the Sanctuary—when he had taken the form of a little boy—resurfaced in his mind.
—Then I shall grant you a small favor as well. After all, something like this should never happen again.
'Something like this...'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed to slits.
The Old Man of the Sanctuary was meticulous by nature.
Just as Han Sang-ja had predicted—
Before targeting him, the Old Man would first eliminate whoever might obstruct the Executioner's duties in the future.
In that case, someone with the Heavenly Fragrance Constitution—capable of replicating the Heart Scent—would naturally...
The Executioner.
No, she would become a major obstacle to the Sanctuary's operations.
If there existed someone who could copy the Heart Scent?
The Executioner could be thrown into chaos once more.
"Hye-bin!"
CRACK!
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated his Movement Technique, dashing toward where Geuk Hye-bin was.
Whoosh—THUD!
When he finally arrived at her location, a strange, dome-shaped light was emanating from the spot.
This was where Geuk Hye-bin had concealed herself using a Battle Formation.
Unable to break the formation, the attacker must have poured a bizarre energy into it, penetrating even the interior.
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to unleash Harmonization to dispel the energy, he paused.
The dome-shaped light wasn't a malicious force meant to harm—
Instead, it was incredibly gentle, warm, and even carried a faint, soothing aura.
Shuuu...
Then, the dome of light vanished completely.
Bu Eun-seol immediately used the Formation-Breaking Art Han Sang-ja had taught him, slipping inside in an instant.
Crackle—
Blue flames flickered as the interior scenery revealed itself, displaying various treasures arranged around the space.
And in the center, a woman clad in black robes lay collapsed as if in deep slumber.
Geuk Hye-bin.
"Hye-bin!"
Bu Eun-seol rushed to her side, carefully examining her condition.
But then—
"This is..."
His eyes widened, and he furrowed his brow several times in disbelief.
In that brief span, Geuk Hye-bin had grown at least a handspan taller, and—
Her features had transformed—like a blooming flower, radiant and even more beautiful, but something even more exquisite.
"The Life-and-Death Mystic Gate?"
Bu Eun-seol, who had been carefully checking Geuk Hye-bin's pulse, widened his eyes in shock.
To his astonishment, her Life-and-Death Mystic Gate had been forcibly opened.
And the energies of the Spirit Medicine that had lain dormant in her Hidden Acupoints—hadn't they all melted away?
—Then I suppose I shall extend a small favor as well.
"A favor."
Only now did Bu Eun-seol grasp the meaning behind the old man's words.
That so-called "favor" had been the act of forcibly opening Geuk Hye-bin's Life-and-Death Mystic Gate—
Instantly elevating the level of her Internal Energy to the realm of Five Qi Returning to Origin.
"Killing two birds with one stone, it seems."
Having reached Five Qi Returning to Origin, an intense energy now swirled around her body.
Due to the abrupt surge in Internal Energy and the lingering power of the Spirit Medicine within her, her constitution had completely transformed—
And her Heavenly Fragrance Constitution had shattered.
"Incredible."
Simply infusing someone with Internal Energy couldn't alter their physical constitution.
The Old Man of the Sanctuary hadn't just possessed astonishing Internal Power—he had also wielded some unfathomable Great Art to perfectly reshape Geuk Hye-bin's physique.
"This is the power of the Sanctuary."
Not only could they elevate others into beings capable of threatening even the Superlative Martial Experts—
They could also, in an instant, remake another's body as if they were a Master who had spent a lifetime mastering Poison Arts and Medical Arts.
"With such an ability, it's no wonder they can tread between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon under the grandiose name of 'Sanctuary.'"
The Sanctuary played the role of maintaining the balance between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—
And they held parchments that could designate someone as a Familiar of either faction.
Which likely meant—
They also possessed some measure of power from both the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
That was how they could wield such mystical abilities.
"Brother."
At that moment, Geuk Hye-bin, who had been unconscious, opened her eyes.
A translucent energy flowed around her body, and her skin was so clear that her veins were faintly visible.
The energies that had lain dormant within her had all surged outward at once, producing an effect similar to Metamorphosis and Bone Renewal.
"Are you awake?"
"Yes."
Geuk Hye-bin tried to sit up—
And instantly floated about ten feet into the air.
Her Internal Energy had increased so abruptly that she hadn't yet adapted to it.
"What... happened to me?"
Only now did she realize that her body had completely changed.
True Qi surged through her meridians like an overflowing river—
And hadn't she grown so tall that she no longer needed to tilt her head up to look at Bu Eun-seol?
"Your Life-and-Death Mystic Gate was opened, and the energies of the Spirit Medicine in your Hidden Acupoints fully melted away."
"Did... you do this for me, Brother?"
"No. Actually—"
Bu Eun-seol had initially considered lying—telling her that an Unusual Adept passing by had seen her bone and muscle structure, sensed a connection, and opened her Life-and-Death Mystic Gate for her.
But then he shook his head.
Geuk Hye-bin was no longer a child. She was the future leader of the Fleeting Moment Boat.
He couldn't keep treating her like one forever.
"An old man from the Sanctuary... the one who commands the Executioner... changed my constitution?"
"That's right. His original intention was likely to destroy your Heavenly Fragrance Constitution. But in the end, it was still a favor in its own way."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained the Executioner's purpose and role, and why such a thing had happened.
After hearing everything, Geuk Hye-bin wore a dazed expression.
She was especially shocked when Bu Eun-seol mentioned that he could become neither a Familiar of the Baekri Clan nor a Familiar of the True Demon.
"Then... that means you possess some ability—or something else—that sets you apart from the other martial artists the Executioner has encountered?"
"I don't know."
Bu Eun-seol hid the fact that he was of mixed blood between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
No—he had to hide it.
Not only had the old man requested it, but this truth was dangerous knowledge that could endanger those around him once again.
"From his perspective, my survival must be either advantageous or... something he welcomes."
"Unconditional favors are rare in Murim."
Seeing Geuk Hye-bin's doubtful expression, Bu Eun-seol smiled.
"It's fine. What's certain is that the Covenant has been broken, so there won't be any more danger."
Then he swiftly changed the subject.
"At any rate, So-jin will have to be on his toes now."
Bu Eun-seol offered Geuk Hye-bin praise tinged with admiration and congratulations.
"Now you'll be able to come to the Demon Hall, won't you?"
He had thought Hyeok So-jin was all but confirmed as the next Heir of the Demon Hall—but through this sudden fortuitous encounter, Geuk Hye-bin had surpassed that realm.
"Just wait a few more years for me."
Geuk Hye-bin's face flushed slightly as she spoke.
"I'll go to the Demon Hall—where you are. I will make it there."
Bu Eun-seol, taking this as her declaration of Determination to become the Heir of the Demon Hall, smiled brightly and nodded.
"Alright. I'll wait."
"Promise?"
Geuk Hye-bin held out her palm.
When heroes of Murim make an oath, they strike their palms together to seal it.
Seeing her outstretched hand, Bu Eun-seol grinned.
'Her body may have grown, but she's still a child at heart.'
Without understanding the depths of her feelings, he met her palm with his own.
"Of course."
When Bu Eun-seol firmly struck her palm, Geuk Hye-bin smiled—shy, yet brighter than anything.
That smile was so pure, so full of joy...
Without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol bared his neat teeth and smiled back at her—as radiant as sunlight.