Chapter 871
After completing all his duties at the Demon Hall, Bu Eun-seol headed to the Azure Heaven Alliance for the first time in a while.
Azure Heaven Alliance, Peak Realm Conference Hall.
Bu Eun-seol gathered all the Peak Realm Members and convened a meeting.
Generally, all critical information began with discussions at the Death Shadow War Unit before being disseminated through various intelligence networks.
But the events he had recently experienced and the information he had obtained were of utmost importance.
Moreover, the Peak Realm Members were just as precious to Bu Eun-seol as the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit.
That was why, on occasion like this, he would first—
Hold a meeting with the Peak Realm and relay key intelligence directly to them.
Especially since the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit had been somewhat dazed lately due to his affectionate gestures toward them.
Not that he could have spoken to them first even if he wanted to.
"...That's how it came to be."
Bu Eun-seol recounted everything that had transpired in meticulous detail.
After hearing the full account, the members could only sit in stunned silence for a long while.
If all of it were true—
Then the martial world was nothing more than a battleground for the Baekri Clan and the True Demon to wage their war.
And the history of murim had ultimately been under their control all along?
"It feels like we've just heard a rather unpleasant folktale."
Breaking the silence, Tae Mu-ryong let out a sigh.
"Not that I doubt any of it is true."
He exhaled deeply.
"Now the actions of contemporary superlative martial experts like the Demonic Heavenly Emperor make sense."
By all accounts, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had already achieved martial prowess at its absolute limit—there was no higher realm to ascend to.
Among the masters of this era, the prevailing opinion was that no one could rival him.
Yet he continued to undergo closed-door training, further honing his martial prowess.
And it wasn't just him—the same went for the Three Demons and Three Venerables.
Rather than striving to defeat the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, they seemed to be preparing for something else.
They remained hidden from the martial world, ceaselessly strengthening their martial prowess.
And yet, neither the Demonic Path nor the Righteous Faction harbored anyone who sought to challenge the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the undisputed strongest of this era.
The Undisputed Supreme.
The martial world's long and storied history could be encapsulated in those three words.
To become the Undisputed Supreme.
To stand at the apex of humanity with the world beneath one's feet—countless had fought, trained, and strived for it.
But the martial world of today—
As if by some unspoken agreement, no one poured their all into claiming that title anymore.
"It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that murim has always birthed Undisputed Supremes, with endless struggles waged for that very title."
Jeong Jong-do nodded in agreement.
"Yet at some point, the superlative martial experts of this era stopped caring about ascending to that throne. As if such a position held no meaning whatsoever."
At his words, all the members nodded solemnly.
If one were to peer into the abyss lurking beneath the martial world of today—
If one knew of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—
Then the throne of the Undisputed Supreme—
Would feel like nothing more than an unbearably hollow seat.
"It seems we, too, must seek a new path to assist the Grand Commander."
Tae Mu-ryong took a deep breath.
They still couldn't follow Bu Eun-seol directly, and beyond providing intelligence, they were of little help.
Nor could they suddenly enhance their martial prowess overnight.
In that case, they needed to complete secret techniques like the Mind's Eye Mirror—developed at the Death Shadow War Unit—as swiftly as possible.
"There's no need to be so impatient."
Bu Eun-seol's expression remained composed as he spoke.
"After all, only a select few can stand against those beings to begin with."
He then took a deep breath himself.
"This concludes the meeting. Share this information with the Unbreakable Council's intelligence network, but ensure it does not leak under any circumstances. I will personally relay it to the Death Shadow War Unit."
At that moment, Tae Mu-ryong seemed to realize something and spoke in a low voice.
"The Grand Commander is now seeking to protect the entire martial world."
If the true nature of these hidden organizations were revealed to the world—
It would make Bu Eun-seol's tasks far easier to accomplish.
But doing so would endanger countless people.
For the sake of the majority of righteous martial artists—
Bu Eun-seol was willingly shouldering the disadvantage of suppressing such information to keep them safe.
"I merely see no need to share unnecessary intelligence."
At Bu Eun-seol's indifferent reply, Tae Mu-ryong and the other members all offered faint smiles.
Unbeknownst to many, Bu Eun-seol was not only shaping the tides of the martial world but also emerging as a leader who bore the responsibility of safeguarding countless lives.
And they couldn't have been prouder of him.
Han Sang-ja was returning to the Sage Forest in high spirits.
A question that had persisted for generations—
Who were these people, like the Executioner, who enforced the Laws of the martial world?
Why did they do what they did? Such questions had long lingered.
But at last, he had obtained the answers.
'The senior brothers will be shocked.'
Elated, Han Sang-ja sprinted up the slopes of Stacked Brocade Mountain.
But the sight that soon greeted him was beyond belief.
"This can't be."
Upon reaching the entrance, Han Sang-ja collapsed to his knees.
The sole sanctuary of the sages in the martial world—
The haven where he had studied, researched, and passed down knowledge alongside his senior brothers—
Had vanished without a trace.
"How?"
With trembling hands, Han Sang-ja stared at the corpses strewn across the ground.
The corpses were mutilated beyond recognition, with some even scattered like fragments.
To prevent even their funerals from being held. To ensure no one could identify who they were.
Someone had deliberately and brutally desecrated the bodies.
"Why...?"
He collapsed to his knees, trembling.
The pain was so overwhelming that no tears would come.
These were the same senior brothers who always scolded him but gave him the first taste of any delicacy they found.
The same masters who disciplined him harshly when he broke the rules, yet secretly checked on his wounds at night to make sure they didn't fester.
Why? Why slaughter such pure and kind people—and then go so far as to mutilate their corpses beyond recognition?
"WHY?!"
Han Sang-ja clawed at the ground and screamed.
"WHO DID THIS?! WHY?!"
But no matter how madly he shouted, no answer came. Only then did the tears he had been holding back finally spill over.
"WHO WAS IT?!"
As he struck the ground, weeping—
"..."
—his hands suddenly grasped something buried in the dirt.
He lifted it—a chunk of animal flesh.
"No way..."
Wiping his tears, he scanned his surroundings meticulously.
Stones, wooden fragments, animal remains, strange bone shards... Countless remnants were scattered throughout Sage Forest.
"Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man."
Someone had created a combat automaton—a Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man—using inorganic materials as its foundation.
And with it, they had turned Sage Forest into a wasteland.
"A perfected form..."
Sage Forest also preserved knowledge on how to create a Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man.
But those records only described a method of enhancing the physical abilities of living humans—a variation of the Divine Descent Art.
There was no surviving technique for constructing a combat weapon from inorganic matter and animal remains.
Yet someone had managed to create a Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man purely from lifeless materials?
Who could have perfectly restored a technique that had only been passed down as legend?
"...The King of the Sages?"
Han Sang-ja's eyes widened.
Only one being could fully restore the lost technique of the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man—something even Sage Forest had failed to perfectly replicate.
A being who not only possessed genius across all disciplines but could reinterpret existing knowledge to create something entirely new—
"Heavenly Mechanism Star... the King of the Sages."
"Ugh—"
Blood-tears streamed from Han Sang-ja's eyes.
Swaddled in cloth, he had been brought to Sage Forest as an infant—this place was his birthplace, his home.
The sages were his parents. His senior brothers were his siblings.
And now, they had been slaughtered so brutally—without reason? Unforgivable.
"I will find you."
A liquid redder than blood seeped from his eyes.
"I swear—I will hunt you down and have my revenge!"
Demon Hall, Hidden Demon Pavilion — Bu Eun-seol's Office
Having finished his business with the Azure Heaven Alliance, Bu Eun-seol had returned to the Demon Hall.
Then, abruptly, he realized something he had overlooked.
'Grandfather tried to prevent Heavenly Mechanism Star's birth.'
Sage Forest had sought to artificially create Heavenly Mechanism Star, and to stop them—
Grandfather had eradicated the Spirit Pills, Spiritual Herbs, and spiritual grounds across the martial world. He had even attempted to annihilate Sage Forest itself.
'Even until the moment he left the martial world, Grandfather was still interfering in its affairs.'
Long before becoming the Deputy Hall Lord of the Demonic Path—
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's reign of terror, slaughtering countless orthodox and unorthodox martial artists, had already become legend in the martial world.
But the annihilation of Sage Forest...
That had occurred just before Grandfather left the martial world.
'He wouldn't have suddenly decided to leave without reason.'
Bu Jan-yang had meticulously planned his departure, evading pursuit with the help of the Shadows.
And for the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade—a man even beggars scorned—to become an undertaker, washing the corpses of the dead...
No one could have imagined it.
Yet at the very moment he was preparing to vanish without a trace—
Why would he risk such a monumental act, one that would shake the martial world's balance, right before his departure?
'Did he consider stopping Sage Forest part of his duty?'
While executing his plan to confront Han Sang-ja and the Executioner—
Bu Eun-seol had witnessed firsthand the terrifying capabilities of the sages.
And back then, Sage Forest was at its peak—far more formidable than it was now.
Even leading an army wouldn't have been enough to destroy it... which meant Grandfather must have acted personally.
"There must be hidden circumstances no one else knows."
A sense of impatience gnawed at him.
"Grandfather sacrificed his entire life for me... and still cannot rest in peace."
He had pursued revenge all this time, yet he still knew almost nothing about the true mastermind.
Once, he had believed the Divine Calculator's words without question—back when the man had still been the Martial Venerable's double.
But the moment he discovered the man's corruption—
The moment he realized he had been manipulated into joining the Martial Alliance as a mere pawn—
(End of Part 2/4)
He no longer believed the Martial Venerable's claim that the murderer was one of the Seven Great Leaders.
"Even if he had lost all his power, he wouldn't be someone ordinary martial artists could defeat."
Grandfather was the greatest in the world—someone who could defeat even the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong in three moves.
Even if his body couldn't muster a single shred of internal energy...
Not only would the Seven Great Leaders have been incapable of killing him, but even if Jeong Cheon-je himself had ambushed him, it would have been impossible.
And yet, the murderer was supposedly one of the Seven Great Leaders?
Even Baekri Mu-jo, the Sacred Sword and said to be the strongest among the leaders, wouldn't have dared to raise his blade before Grandfather.
"Since no one could trace the movements of the Seven Great Leaders, he must have used that as an excuse."
Even the intelligence network of the Death Soul Squad, now three times larger than before, still couldn't track the past activities of the Martial Alliance's Seven Great Leaders.
The Martial Venerable had likely known this and deliberately brought them up.
"The murderer didn't just kill Grandfather brutally—they also mutilated his corpse beyond recognition. Why...?"
When the Old Man of the Sanctuary had explained the situation, he had been too overwhelmed with grief and despair to think clearly.
He had assumed that Grandfather had given all his power to him and thus lost his life to the murderer.
But now, in a calmer state, he realized she had overlooked two crucial facts.
'Grandfather didn't resist.'
First, Grandfather hadn't died because he lost his power—he hadn't resisted at all.
Of course, it was possible he had begged for him safety in exchange for his life.
But even that didn't make sense.
'Even if he had lost all his power, Grandfather would still have had enough strength to protect me.'
No matter how skilled the murderer was.
Even if hundreds of thousands of troops had surrounded Peaceful Burial House.
Grandfather could have easily taken him and escaped.
If he had truly willed it.
No one could have touched him.
Which meant—Grandfather had chosen to give up his life.
Why would he do that?
And why had the murderer killed him so brutally?
Only now did Bu Eun-seol realize he had completely dismissed one possibility.
'A grudge.'
The murderer hadn't come simply to kill Grandfather—they had harbored an extreme, personal hatred.
That was why they had planned such a cruel and agonizing death.
And why they had brought Wicked Incense's hidden weapons in advance.
If not?
Even after all this time, with the Death Soul Squad investigating so thoroughly—
There was no way they wouldn't have found a single master who favored Wicked Incense's weapons.
"Grandfather..."
Only now did he realize, with painful clarity, how little he truly knew about him.
Even why he hadn't been able to find the murderer yet.
'To find the murderer... I must first understand Grandfather's past.'
What kind of man he had been.
What he had done in his life.
Who he had crossed paths with—and who had held grudges against him.
Only then could he find the murderer.
'They must have known him well.'
That demonic murderer must have been someone Grandfather knew.
Someone who held a deep, personal grudge.
"—Investigate the past activities of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang once more."
Bu Eun-seol ordered the Death Soul Squad to conduct a thorough investigation into Grandfather's past.
Contrary to what was known.
Grandfather hadn't been a figure of the Demonic Path—he had been a master created under the Absolute Demon Saber Project.
That explained why he had killed masters indiscriminately, regardless of whether they belonged to the orthodox or unorthodox factions.
But unlike how he had started.
In the end, he had walked a different path from the Absolute Demon Saber Project.
Which meant.
It was highly likely that Grandfather had realized, belatedly, that the Absolute Demon Saber Project was wrong.
'Why didn't he carry out the Absolute Demon Saber Project?'
Why had he lived quietly as an undertaker, doing what no one else would?
Grandfather, who had seen the world so beautifully...
Why, even before retiring, had he slaughtered so many masters from both orthodox and unorthodox factions?
'I'll keep investigating.'
This wouldn't be resolved quickly.
Bu Eun-seol intended to uncover the truth—
Slowly, but surely.
A few days later.
The sound of knocking came, and Yu Un-ryong entered, carrying a large book.
It was a compilation—
A chronological record of all known activities of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
"You've worked hard."
That they had managed to organize this much about Grandfather, who had left almost no traces in the martial world—
While it spoke to the Death Soul Squad's relentless efforts.
It was also because Yu Un-ryong had painstakingly refined every piece of information.
"But there's one part I don't understand."
Yu Un-ryong spoke as Bu Eun-seol rapidly flipped through the book.
"It's about the Heavenly Moon Water Palm Sect."
The Heavenly Moon Water Palm Sect.
A sect of women, once considered one of the sacred lands of the martial world.
A place that had safeguarded treasures of historical significance, passed down through generations.
And yet, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang—
Had suddenly stormed in alone and wiped them out completely.
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol swallowed dryly as he examined the records written in the book.
A women's sect—no, even a sect so reclusive it was called a Sacred Land of the Murim—had been annihilated by his grandfather?
What's more, the fact that the Heavenly Moon Water Palm Sect had been wiped out by his grandfather wasn't even widely known in the Murim.
'Just like Sage Forest... There must have been a compelling reason.'
"The reason?"
"I haven't uncovered it yet."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
"This incident is too bizarre. Attacking a place revered as a Sacred Land of the Murim... should have provoked retaliation from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths, yet nothing happened."
Annihilating a sect considered a Sacred Land was reason enough to be branded a Public Enemy of the Martial World hundreds of times over.
Yet, strangely, no repercussions followed, and the incident never even became public knowledge.
"According to records preserved in the History Classics Institute, there were rumors that the Twin Celestial Emperors of Righteousness and Demon met unofficially around that time... but whether they truly met or what transpired remains unconfirmed."
Yu Un-ryong continued with a furrowed brow.
"As I kept investigating, I found that the descendants of the Heavenly Moon Water Palm Sect had since rebuilt a new sect."
"Where is it?"
"It's called Jade Scale Hall. Located in a remote Secluded Valley, it takes in women with nowhere else to go, so it's also known as the Saintess Sect."
"The Saintess Sect."
"Correct. In fact, the name Saintess Sect is more commonly used than Jade Scale Hall."
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
Even he, who knew most of the major sects in the Murim, was hearing of this place for the first time.
"It's a small sect, barely a decade old, nestled deep in the Nanfeng region. So modest in scale that calling it a Mountain Temple wouldn't be an exaggeration."
Yu Un-ryong's expression grew grave.
"What's even stranger is that they currently possess no treasures whatsoever... yet they stubbornly maintain their lineage in such a desolate place."
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"Understood. I'll investigate this matter myself."
If the name "Saintess Sect" wasn't self-proclaimed but given by others, then surely they must be a benevolent sect.
Yet his grandfather had utterly annihilated their predecessor, the Heavenly Moon Water Palm Sect?
It made no sense.
Which was precisely why he needed to uncover the truth.
Amidst dense trees and sheer cliffs, a black shadow darted swiftly through the mist-shrouded forest.
Its face was concealed by a cloth mask, and its movements were so fleeting that from afar, it resembled a ghost—barely visible, then gone.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
'This is Jade Scale Hall, known as the Saintess Sect.'
Passing through the deep forest, where even sunlight barely filtered through the trees, he arrived at the entrance of Jade Scale Hall, built like a mountain cabin beneath a star-studded night sky.
Concealed behind massive boulders and vines, the entrance was nearly impossible to find without precise knowledge or exceptional vision.
Shwip.
Slipping silently over the wall, he was surprised to find the interior resembling a proper manor.
'They said it was a small Mountain Temple...'
Less than three days had passed since he obtained information on the Saintess Sect.
Had they constructed new buildings in that short time?
'They do seem freshly built.'
The structures were immaculate, as if newly erected, and women in modest attire moved about quietly.
Their clothing was plain, their expressions devoid of emotion—like nuns deep in ascetic practice.
'Strange.'
Stealthily surveying the interior, he found nothing overtly suspicious.
Rather than resembling the vibrant women's sects of the Murim, the atmosphere was solemn and serene, like a sanctuary of the Mystic Path.
'This could all be a facade.'
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eun-seol concealed himself within Jade Scale Hall and spent an entire day observing them.
'Was I mistaken?'
No matter how closely he watched, Jade Scale Hall maintained a disciplined routine, strict enough to be mistaken for a branch of the Mystic Path.
Except during meals, the disciples recited scriptures like the Clear-Mind Preservation Sutra to purify their thoughts.
A sect once revered as a Sacred Land now lived in quiet seclusion, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs.
'If that's truly the case, then my covert infiltration alone is a grave transgression.'
No matter the necessity, trespassing into a women's sect weighed heavily on Bu Eun-seol's conscience.
'I'll have to investigate Grandfather's affairs elsewhere.'
Just as he prepared to leave, activating his Movement Technique—
—Ah.
A faint moan reached his ears.
So quiet it seemed to rise from beneath the earth—so faint that even Bu Eun-seol, whose hearing could detect the rustle of leaves roughly a thousand feet away, wondered if he had imagined it.
—Ah.
Once he caught the sound, his extrasensory perception adjusted, and he heard it again.
'What kind of absurd noise is this now?'
The moan was bizarre—
It sounded like someone stifling pain, yet also like the ecstatic cries of a woman lost in pleasure.