Chapter 877
Bu Eun-seol climbed the mountain path once more, now wearing Jo Ja-gi's mask and armor.
Unlike before, he could pass effortlessly through the path leading to Ghost King Valley—a route that had previously been blocked by an invisible barrier.
'A truly ingenious method.'
Ghost King Valley employed a clever system to bar outsiders while allowing its own inhabitants to come and go freely.
'To think the mask contains a mechanism that instantly reveals the Formation-Breaking Art's path...'
As it turned out, the iron mask had a special device embedded in its eye sockets.
When worn, it instantly made the path of the Formation-Breaking Art visible.
With such a device, there was no need to manually disable traps or station guards. Outsiders were barred entry, yet movement remained unrestricted for those permitted.
Moreover, since outsiders couldn't know Essence Blood was used...
Unless a villager willingly assisted, stealing the mask alone would be useless.
Had that young man not helped him?
Bu Eun-seol would have struggled considerably to infiltrate Ghost King Valley.
Clop, clop.
After walking along the seemingly endless path, the mountain trail finally came into view.
A while later, as he ascended, a crimson-stained fortress appeared in the distance.
'No guards at all.'
Surprisingly, not a single guard was stationed near the massive fortress entrance.
It seemed they were utterly confident that no outsider could possibly enter this place.
'They must believe they can handle anyone who gets in.'
Even after the signal flare had been fired, only Jo Ja-gi had come to the village.
They were so certain they could kill any intruder instantly that they didn't even bother blocking the entrance—let alone posting guards.
Zzziiing.
Yet as he passed through the fortress gate, another mysterious barrier formed.
But wearing the ghost mask, Bu Eun-seol entered with ease.
"Why did that old man fire the signal flare?"
At that moment, a man dressed identically to Bu Eun-seol approached from straight ahead.
Judging by his tone, he seemed to be one of Jo Ja-gi's subordinates.
"An outsider entered and damaged the treasure."
Using the Art of Rooster Calls and Dog Thieves,
Bu Eun-seol perfectly mimicked Jo Ja-gi's voice as he replied. The masked man nodded.
"Another group after the Boundary-Prosperity Jade, I suppose."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed momentarily.
If they're after the Boundary-Prosperity Jade...
Could it mean Ghost King Valley was storing a large quantity of it?
Clop, clop.
As Bu Eun-seol silently walked toward the heart of the fortress, the man spoke again.
"Where are you headed?"
Halt.
Bu Eun-seol stopped in his tracks.
Since he couldn't unleash his Internal Energy,
he was unable to employ the Void-Breaking Mind's Eye—a technique that would have allowed him to scan the interior by emitting pulses of True Qi.
Instead, he had to physically search for the Ghost King Valley Lord's whereabouts.
Yet this subordinate kept persistently questioning him.
"Must this Hall Leader report his every move to you?"
His voice was icy. The man immediately clasped his hands in deference.
"My apologies. Since an outsider entered the village, I assumed you were heading to report to the Valley Lord first."
'So this isn't the right direction.'
But turning around now would only arouse more suspicion.
"I'll handle it myself," Bu Eun-seol said coldly.
Then he continued walking straight into the fortress's core.
As he ventured deeper, the space gradually widened, revealing numerous branching paths.
This wasn't a maze designed to deter intruders—
the fortress's interior had simply been constructed in such a complex manner that these diverging routes formed naturally.
'Is there really no one here?'
Even as he walked, Bu Eun-seol found it strange.
No matter even if no one could use any power within Ghost King Valley, how could they leave the fortress completely unguarded?
'Hmm.'
Pausing briefly, Bu Eun-seol surveyed his surroundings.
Among the paths ahead, something ominous seemed to emanate from the farthest branch.
Approaching slowly, he found a massive iron gate.
Beyond it lay a stone chamber lined with countless jars.
'This is...'
Opening one revealed a thick, viscous blood filling it to the brim.
'This amount couldn't possibly be extracted from just one village.'
Did that mean Ghost King Valley had established numerous other villages—beyond Ghost King Village—solely for harvesting Essence Blood?
'Not entirely impossible.'
The Central Plains teemed with countless Heretical Sects, most of whom, like the Blood Cult, either worshipped blood or used it in their Art of Spells.
So it wasn't unthinkable that Ghost King Valley had set up Cult Organizations across the Martial World to procure blood.
But the blood here... was unnervingly fresh, as if recently drawn.
If it had been transported from outside, it couldn't possibly remain this clear and pristine.
'Just how did they manage to gather this much blood?'
Swallowing his curiosity, Bu Eun-seol searched for another branching path.
There, he found transparent tubes connected to each other, filled with a dark crimson liquid bubbling inside.
Entering yet another chamber at the end of a different passage, he saw what looked like transparent ice-like crystals on display.
'So they used Extreme Yin Qi to transport the blood while keeping it fresh.'
Stroking his chin, Bu Eun-seol rummaged through yet another room.
Inside, he spotted several pieces of metal and what appeared to be a workbench designed to fuse them together.
'So that's how it is.'
Though he couldn't use Empty Mind Spirit Perception to instantly grasp the answer, his observational and analytical skills were unmatched in Murim.
After thoroughly investigating the stone chambers within the branching paths, he finally unraveled the secret of this fortress.
"This massive stronghold is a workspace divided into numerous processes."
The multiple stone chambers inside this fortress were manufacturing facilities—created for the complex process of extracting and refining essence from the gathered Essence Blood.
'But for what purpose?'
From the beginning, Ghost King Valley had never involved itself in the affairs of Murim.
So why go to such lengths to collect human Essence Blood?
Could they possibly be using blood to enhance their martial arts?
But then, why build such an enormous fortress with countless workspaces?
'If I capture the Ghost King, I'll understand everything.'
Exiting the stone chamber, Bu Eun-seol ventured deeper.
Given the scale of this fortress and the magnitude of their operations, the Ghost King's quarters must be hidden in an extremely secluded location.
He intended to comb through the labyrinthine interior of the fortress until he found where the Ghost King resided.
'Strange.'
Yet no matter how much he searched, such a place remained unseen.
After much deliberation, he returned toward the fortress entrance—but now, even the Ghost King Valley warriors who had been patrolling earlier were nowhere in sight.
'What's going on now?'
The scale of Ghost King Valley was vast enough to house thousands of disciples, and this fortress alone was large enough for hundreds to move about freely.
So how was it possible that not a single martial artist was visible?
'This makes no sense.'
If he could activate Empty Mind Spirit Perception, the reason would be clear in an instant.
But for now, he had to rely solely on his intellect and insight.
After deep contemplation, Bu Eun-seol soon realized the answer.
'Separation.'
Looking back, it was unnatural for a sect that wielded such mysterious Arts of Spells to consist of nothing more than a single fortress, with most of its space dedicated to laboratories.
'Moreover, they're all using Essence Blood to create something.'
Any manufacturing process must have stages.
Therefore, if he followed a certain path, he would inevitably reach the final stage.
'The last workshop isn't here.'
So far, he had only seen separate facilities dedicated to specific tasks—nowhere was there a storage space for completed products.
This meant that what was visible wasn't everything—there had to be a final, connected space hidden elsewhere.
'But why can't I see it?'
Could they have applied their mysterious Arts of Spells inside the fortress as well?
After pondering for a while, Bu Eun-seol soon grasped the answer.
"The mask."
This mask, installed by Ghost King Valley, allowed outsiders to easily pass through restricted spaces.
But inversely—
It could also make perfectly visible things impossible to see.
'They created spaces where the warriors active outside the fortress cannot enter.'
Just like the major sects of Murim, it was common practice to restrict access to certain areas based on rank and role within the sect.
Clank.
Removing the iron mask from his face, the world rippled like waves before a new landscape began to emerge.
And there—where nothing had been visible before—an entrance now appeared.
Step. Step.
Walking inside, instead of endless branching paths, he found a door leading to a passage that naturally extended outside the fortress.
'This must be the method Heavenly Mechanism Star devised.'
With just a single mask, Ghost King Valley not only blocked outsiders—
They also restricted their subordinates' access, granting differential permissions based on rank.
Such an intricate and ingenious system could only have been designed by a master strategist like Heavenly Mechanism Star.
"This way."
Stepping outside the passage, the scenery transformed into that of an ordinary sect.
There, Ghost King Valley warriors and figures who seemed responsible for experiments hurried back and forth.
As expected, none wore masks—all were dressed in plain attire.
He immediately tucked the mask into his robes and discarded the red garment, then stealthily moved toward a pavilion where the Valley Lord was likely to be.
This place—
Bu Eun-seol halted mid-step as he ventured deeper inside.
He had discovered a storage room filled with miscellaneous utensils and countless useless books.
At first glance, it appeared utterly ordinary.
But Bu Eun-seol, who had encountered innumerable secret passages during his travels in the martial world, could see right through it—
There was a hidden mechanism concealed here.
This is similar to the one installed in the Martial Venerable's Treasury.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol approached the bookshelves and began rearranging the books in numerical order based on the first characters of their titles.
Rumble—
Then, one of the bookshelves slid aside, revealing a pitch-black door.
After proceeding inward for some time, a massive Great Hall—easily over a hundred feet in height—came into view.
Inside the hall, supported by sturdy pillars, were multiple entrances.
Bu Eun-seol opened one of the doors and stepped inside—then let out a sharp exhale.
"So that's it."
At last, Bu Eun-seol understood—
Why a figure like the Ghost King could become a subordinate of the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
And why the Heavenly Mechanism Star had needed the Ghost King in the first place.
"Boundary-Prosperity Jade."
All this time, the Ghost King Valley had been extracting Essence Blood from young people—
They had built facilities for countless processes—
All for the purpose of artificially creating the Boundary-Prosperity Jade, a mysterious orb said to contain all the power in the world.
—So, you're another one who came seeking the Boundary-Prosperity Jade.
"They weren't storing the Boundary-Prosperity Jade—they were making it."
As if to prove it, gilded vessels held transparent orbs inside—
Some of them already glowed as if nearly complete,
While others remained unfinished, still submerged in bloody fluids with various materials tangled together.
"So the Ghost King Valley was a facility for producing Boundary-Prosperity Jade."
According to Yang Seol-rin,
Naturally occurring Boundary-Prosperity Jade was far less valuable than artificially crafted ones.
Because they could absorb multiple types of power—and then release them again.
If there was someone in the world capable of creating such a rare treasure—
It could only be the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
"Just what kind of scheme is he plotting?"
Boundary-Prosperity Jade could contain not only human qualities but even the energy of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Mass-producing such a Precious Artifact... undoubtedly meant he was planning something earth-shattering.
Rumble—Clank!
But then, the unexpected happened.
A strange metallic screeching echoed from all directions—
And the entire stone chamber began descending downward!
Crack!
However, Bu Eun-seol had sensed something was wrong the moment he heard the noise.
He immediately flung himself out through the open door.
Rumble—
The stone chamber where the Boundary-Prosperity Jade was nurtured vanished in an instant, sinking into the earth.
Had he been even a second slower, he would have been crushed to death inside that shifting mechanism—or trapped with no way out.
"How fascinating."
Then, a sinister, low voice echoed from behind Bu Eun-seol.
"Not only did you infiltrate this valley alone, but you even discovered the Soul-Gathering Treasure Hall."
Turning around, he saw a towering figure clad in a black ghost mask, crimson mist swirling around his massive frame.
He stood over about eight feet tall, his armored forearms thicker than logs.
The sickly yellow light pouring from behind the mask seemed to paralyze anyone who met its gaze.
"Ghost King, I presume?"
No answer came, but Bu Eun-seol could guess—the colossal figure before him was indeed the Ghost King.
He could feel it—the overwhelming Ghostly Energy radiating from him, unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
Rumble—
Then, suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall burst open—
And an enormous number of troops poured out, enough to fill the vast space.
They wore bronze-colored masks, with razor-sharp blades attached to their elbows.
And their feet hovered a mere inch above the ground, as if they were phantoms.
These were the elite combatants crafted through the Ghost King Valley's secret arts—
The Spectral Warriors.
"He doesn't seem ordinary. Capture him alive."
At the Ghost King's command, over a hundred Spectral Warriors began encircling Bu Eun-seol.
Then, they moved—so fast they became nearly invisible.
Whoosh—!
Unlike typical martial artists, the Spectral Warriors did not maintain formations or coordinated attack patterns.
Instead, they moved chaotically, each striking independently.
Yet despite their erratic movements, they never collided—relentlessly targeting only Bu Eun-seol.
Because, like the Wind God wielding the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi to perfection—
They could pass through each other's bodies.
Thwack! Thwack!
No matter how fiercely Bu Eun-seol swung his sword, it never made contact with their bodies.
At times, his attacks passed straight through them, and in those openings, they retaliated.
'This is ridiculous.'
Seeing the Spectral Warriors' tactics, Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but laugh.
An ordinary murim master would have been flustered by such a fighting style—or worse, left utterly helpless.
But Bu Eun-seol was the Wind God in the truest sense, surpassing even Hae-yeon, the Wind God Palace's leader.
Though the Three Divine Powers within him were suppressed by the Ghost King Valley's energy,
when it came to wielding the mysteries of Floating in Air and Passing Through Things and Riding the Wind and Penetrating Walls, there was no one in the world who could rival him.
Schlick! Shriek!
Bu Eun-seol's swordplay shifted.
One moment, he thrust his blade wildly like a madman; the next, he spun his body in dizzying circles.
Yet with every movement, the heads of the swarming Spectral Warriors tumbled in an instant.
No matter how mysteriously they rendered their bodies intangible,
their techniques were nothing more than strange spells or secret arts—
they weren't truly passing through one another.
But when Bu Eun-seol, a genuine Wind God,
used the Wind God Palace's martial principles to dismantle their methods...
the Spectral Warriors had no choice but to fall helplessly.
Flash! Thud.
With every arc the Ink Soul Sword drew through the air, the Spectral Warriors collapsed like broken toys.
In the end, it took less than a quarter of an hour for all hundred of them to fall.
"Now this is an interesting one."
The Ghost King tilted his head, unshaken even as Bu Eun-seol wiped out his Spectral Warriors in a single breath.
"A man with neither internal energy nor divine power... yet he carved through my warriors like tofu?"
He possessed infinite evil qi.
If he so desired, he could create a thousand—no, ten thousand—Spectral Warriors at any time.
"And he did it using nothing but the mysteries of martial arts..."
"..."
"Given that you even prepared a Human Skin Mask to wear, it seems you investigated my valley beforehand."
His martial arts weren't the only thing extraordinary—his perception was equally formidable.
He had instantly seen through the exquisitely crafted Human Skin Mask made by Han Sang-ja.
"For someone so young to wield such swordplay..."
Moreover, the fact that Bu Eun-seol's techniques reminded him of certain figures meant one thing:
Contrary to rumors of his absence from the martial world, he had clearly been keeping close watch on and involving himself in its affairs.
Zzzing.
The Ghost King activated one of his abilities—the Three-Spirit Ghost Eye.
It was a mysterious ocular art that allowed him to perceive information invisible to ordinary sight.
"An infinite space..."
What the Ghost King now saw was a vast expanse contained within a human body.
Like a boundless, hollow universe capable of swallowing everything.
Such a form was something no ordinary martial artist could ever see.
"Hmm."
Whoosh.
The Ghost King extended his right hand—then abruptly opened his palm.
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol had noticed the minute shift in the Ghost King's shoulder the moment it happened.
Anticipating an attack, he instantly thrust the Ink Soul Sword straight through the Ghost King's palm.
Thunk.
Though he couldn't project sword qi,
Bu Eun-seol had pierced the Ghost King's palm from roughly thirty feet away using nothing but the mysteries of martial arts.
"There's something else here."
Ignoring his pierced hand, the Ghost King stared intently into Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
And within those pupils, he detected something profoundly alien.
"I see."
Suddenly, the Ghost King's eyes behind his mask widened before he burst into a low, grating laugh.
"Heh-heh-heh. Excellent."
As the Ghost King smiled in satisfaction and flexed his palm,
Screech—
Bu Eun-seol, still holding the extended Ink Soul Sword, was forcefully pushed back roughly thirty feet.
"You must have cut down quite a few already. Given that nothing shows on the surface, I mean."
"What are you talking about?"
"No need to play dumb."
The Ghost King delivered a shocking statement in an instant.
"Why don't you two siblings have a proper fight?"
As a sickly yellow light flashed in his pupils,
Rumble...
A hidden mechanism activated, and a black gate materialized on one side of the chamber.
CLANG.
With a heavy metallic groan, the gate swung open, releasing a thick white mist that spread outward.
Boom... Boom...
From within the pale fog, a shadow slowly emerged.
Clad entirely in black armor, with translucent Boundary-Prosperity Jade embedded at each joint.
Its face was concealed behind an iron mask shaped like black flames, giving the impression of a man forged from metal.
If one had to describe this being, Armored Fiend would have been fitting.
"Siblings? What do you mean?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, the Ghost King's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"You'll find out when you die."
SHING!
In that instant, a massive black greatsword embedded itself where Bu Eun-seol had been standing.
The towering Armored Fiend had merely extended its arm—
and unbelievably,
a greatsword formed from thin air before crashing down where Bu Eun-seol had stood a moment ago.