Chapter 896
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
'Is this another attempt to sow chaos?'
What if he—the foremost master of the Demonic Path—had laid a trap based on the Way of Nature?
Those of Murim would never believe it.
In other words, this fake Sa-ha Estate was either created by someone other than the Demonic Heavenly Emperor...
Or it meant the Demonic Heavenly Emperor did not truly pursue the Demonic Path and was capable of wielding the supreme martial principles of the Orthodox Path.
That he was someone who did not walk the path of the Grandmaster of the Demonic Path.
'No, this manor itself is chaos.'
This Ho Family Village was not an ordinary village where Jin Seol had been rescued—it was a place where the Sa-ha Estate had been perfectly reconstructed.
'If it's a problem I can't unravel right now, I shouldn't dig too deeply.'
If it was something he couldn't uncover immediately?
Then he shouldn't endlessly delve into it.
Doing so would only invite confusion, and that confusion... was likely exactly what the Demonic Heavenly Emperor desired most.
"First, let's examine it."
Stepping into the residence he had seen in his dream, Bu Eun-seol ran his hand over a small chair.
This chair, seemingly crafted by an artisan, was just the right size for a child of about four or five.
Without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol gently stroked the tiny chair.
Zzzing—
Suddenly, his head throbbed.
At the same time, strange memories began flooding into his mind.
—...The interior furnishings must be rearranged like this. And if you place something weighing exactly one taels on the inkstone, the hidden door within the wall will open.
In his mind, he saw his father, Baekri Mu-ha, demonstrating the mechanism to a young Baekri Geom-ha.
Even at an age when most children would only seek the comfort of their parents' embrace...
Baekri Geom-ha listened attentively, his bright eyes fixed on his father as he explained each step clearly.
Kwoong—
When they opened the hidden passage and stepped out, the garden came into view again.
And on one side, there was a pond—when they moved a stone placed beside it, the pond split apart, revealing another door.
—But this isn't the real hidden passage.
Baekri Mu-ha continued his explanation calmly.
—Masters possess keen senses and can easily detect hidden passages. That's why we must create multiple types of secret pathways.
Then he gazed at Baekri Geom-ha with affectionate eyes.
—And by preparing various hidden passages like this, there's another advantage. Can you guess what it is?
The young Baekri Geom-ha—whose brilliance was such that even being called a genius felt insufficient—blinked his bright eyes and answered clearly.
...And at the same time, the present Bu Eun-seol also opened his mouth.
"Because you can design a mechanism where the true passage only opens after all the hidden passages are unlocked in sequence...!"
Clench.
Bu Eun-seol tightened his fist.
Even though the energy sealing his Brain Gate Acupoint had not yet dissipated, new memories had surfaced.
Which meant there was still hope—that he could recover his memories bit by bit.
"Perhaps Father anticipated this very moment when he spoke of the ascension of martial prowess?"
The current superlative martial experts of Murim were already stepping beyond the boundaries of the Martial Extreme Realm, and Bu Eun-seol, too, was seeking a new horizon.
From the perspective of his father, Baekri Mu-ha—once called a Divine Being—could it be that he considered this level necessary for one's martial arts to truly ascend?
"Even Grandfather's martial prowess... is something I can't yet fathom."
A sigh escaped him unbidden.
If his father had truly thought that way...
Then to become a peerless master who could stand above all under heaven, he still had a long road ahead.
"One thing is certain—most of what the Pavilion Lord said was wrong."
Perhaps the words Ak Mu-ryeong had heard from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor were part of a scheme in and of themselves.
Zzzing—
Was it because he had regained a fragment of memory?
The area near his Brain Gate Acupoint, which he had thought was stable, grew searing hot, as if it might tear apart.
'Demonic Heavenly Emperor...'
Bu Eun-seol gritted his teeth.
He didn't know why the Sa-ha Estate had been recreated here.
But through this, the message the Demonic Heavenly Emperor intended for him was clear:
—It's time to start reclaiming your memories.
Swish—
Without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol leaned against the wall.
"...?"
At that moment, he felt something cold and round press against his back. Turning, he saw a small copper mirror.
It was adorned with various decorations, as if designed to pique a child's curiosity.
'This...'
Had it been before he met Ja Su-ryeon, he might have simply thought it was a trinket his parents had bought him in his childhood.
But now, he could be certain.
There had never been such a mirror in his room.
Because this mirror...
matched exactly in shape and size the one Ja Su-ryeon had once received from a figure she believed to be from the Sacred Realm—her lover.
After a brief hesitation, Bu Eun-seol stared intently at the mirror. But he sensed nothing unusual—no peculiar energy or hidden mechanisms.
'If this truly is an artifact of the Sacred Realm...'
The Sacred Realm could wield, to some extent, the powers of both the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
And his own blood was a mix of both lineages.
'Then...'
As he placed his hand on the mirror, a pattern of light formed, and characters etched themselves onto its surface.
—...To protect, I abandoned even my child, relinquished my position as successor, and stole the Creation Sun and Moon to flee the Sacred Realm. If you see this... forgive me...
The words inscribed on the mirror's surface were partially damaged or erased.
The phrase "stole the artifact" was Bu Eun-seol's own interpretation of the fragmented text.
'A figure from the Sacred Realm was here.'
Startled, Bu Eun-seol expanded his Empty Mind Spirit Perception to examine the mirror.
This manor dated back twenty-five years.
But this mirror seemed to have been placed here only about twenty years ago.
'A five-year gap means... the one who left this mirror arrived here much later.'
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol's mind whirled like lightning.
What if Jin Seol had truly been here? If the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had indeed found her in this place?
'Then she wasn't just a wanderer—someone from the Sacred Realm must have temporarily placed the young lady here.'
This sealed fake Saha Manor must have been considered the safest place in the world. A place where no one could possibly enter.
But the unexpected had occurred.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor, who had been pursuing his trail, came and took Jin Seol away. If he took the daughter, that person would surely come looking for him.
Yet contrary to expectations, that person never came. And so, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor must have kept Jin Seol by his side.
'It's certain.'
Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
That his deduction was correct.
Because otherwise, this situation made no sense.
'Demonic Heavenly Emperor. Even you make mistakes.'
The corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips curled slightly.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had made a mistake.
He had arranged this fake Saha Manor, but—
He hadn't anticipated that Bu Eun-seol would meet Ja Su-ryeon and uncover the secret left behind by the successor of the Sacred Realm.
'Sooner or later, a blade you could never predict will pierce your heart.'
Though he had been swept along by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's schemes until now, he had finally stepped off the board the man had laid out.
And Bu Eun-seol swore to himself—
That one day, he would create a situation the man could never foresee and strike back without fail.
'But... I haven't even properly uncovered my own past, and now I'm digging into someone else's.'
With a bitter, self-deprecating smile, Bu Eun-seol stepped outside.
Unconsciously, he found himself walking toward the small pond in front of the manor.
Following the memories he had just recovered, he moved the stones there. But the pond did not split open.
This manor was merely a replica in appearance—no actual secret passage from the real Saha Manor had been installed here.
Standing there, his vision blurred once more, and another memory from the past surfaced.
—"Geom-ha."
His father, his face hidden as he stood with his back to the sunlight, led a boy by the hand and brought him forward.
—"You should greet your older brother."
At those words, the boy—whose face was still obscured—smiled brightly and approached the young Baekri Geom-ha.
—"Hello? So you're Geom-ha."
The boy grinned, revealing white teeth.
—"From now on, I'll protect you."
As he drew closer, the tall boy's face gradually came into view.
That face, illuminated by the sunlight—
Wasn't it Baek Mu-seong's?
Thud.
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol had dropped to one knee.
Now it was certain.
Baek Mu-seong... had come to Saha Manor in his childhood.
And he had been the shadow who sought to protect him—to guard him against the Blood Calamity that would come.
'So that's why Baek-Elder Brother was always so affectionate.'
Crack. Crack. Crack.
But then, the sound of bones breaking echoed incessantly in his mind.
At the same time, an excruciating pain surged through him, so intense his vision swam.
Was it because he had recovered so many unexpected memories? Did the heavens not want him to remember?
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Before he realized it, veins bulged across his entire body, and his muscles began to swell.
An unbearable agony burned through him.
—"Ugh—!"
Bu Eun-seol let out a long, guttural cry and instinctively fled the fake Saha Manor.
His brain felt like it was on fire. His vision darkened.
Yet amidst it all, the face of Baek Mu-seong from his childhood remained vivid.
No wonder he felt so familiar.
No wonder his heart ached so much.
To think he had been his shadow since childhood.
'Then that means... he lost his memories too.'
It was certain.
He, too, must have tried to escape death in Saha Manor—
His memories erased, all to save him.
Then, after catching the Buddhist Venerable's eye and becoming his disciple, he must have trained in various places, including the Gongson Clan.
And eventually, he emerged into the Martial World as the Golden Upright Divine Dragon.
But when he realized he had been abandoned as bait—
He must have tried to prove himself by doing good deeds.
Yet in the end, he fell into the Three Realms' sinister plot, and his life was utterly ruined.
'I have to meet him again.'
Even through the pain, Bu Eun-seol refused to lose consciousness and swiftly activated his Movement Technique.
Though both of them had lost their memories—
If they combined their strength, perhaps they could recover them.
And if this memory was true—
Then Baek Mu-seong had sacrificed his life to save him.
So now, it was his turn to save Baek Mu-seong.
Fortunately, the pain soon subsided.
Bu Eun-seol immediately headed for Henan, but Baek Mu-seong was not in the Martial Alliance.
Worse, his traces had been completely erased.
As the leader of the Martial Heaven Unit, his movements had been perfectly concealed by the Ten Thousand Reflections Hall of the Martial Alliance.
And above all—he had submitted to the Three Realms.
There was virtually no way to meet him in secret now.
—"He has completely erased his tracks as of late. It seems he is engaged in something significant."
According to the Death Soul Squad's report, Baek Mu-seong appeared to be hiding his movements to carry out some kind of plan.
'Perhaps... he too came to Saha Manor because faint memories were surfacing.'
Some time ago, Baek Mu-seong had also visited the real Saha Manor and encountered him.
Though he had become a completely different person from the past—
Perhaps he had gone there because some memories were resurfacing.
'And I must have frightened him.'
Of all people, he had suddenly run into the Martial Soul Lord in Saha Manor. He had tried to fight, but when no chance of victory appeared—
He must have summoned the Three Realms' operatives out of ominous premonition.
'If that's the case, there's only one way left to meet Baek-Elder Brother.'
He had no choice but to formally request an audience—using the authority of the Martial Soul Lord.
"Deliver this message to Baek Mu-seong, leader of the Martial Heaven Unit of the Martial Alliance."
He commanded the Death Soul Squad.
"Inform him that I request a meeting to discuss matters of grave importance regarding the Martial World's affairs."
At the border of Sichuan, there was a secret training ground Bu Eun-seol had established.
In the past, Gongson Dan-gyeong had also tried to raise forces in such secrecy, but in the end, the Martial Alliance's elite had detected it.
And there was only one reason they were detected.
Because they kept training in the same location.
No matter how secretive the place, if they stayed in one spot and trained for too long, their true nature would inevitably be exposed.
To counter this, Bu Eun-seol had established training grounds across the Central Plains—places so hidden that neither the Righteous Faction, the Demonic Path, nor any intelligence organization could detect them.
There, he secretly trained his subordinates.
Among them, the training ground in Sichuan was where the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit honed their skills.
Their objectives were twofold:
Beast Force, and the Mind's Eye Mirror.
Beast Force was the secret to amplifying the body's innate strength when executing the Beast Martial Arts of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
Though it was an entirely different secret art from the orthodox martial traditions of the Central Plains,
for the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit—who had already endured long periods of intense training—it wasn't particularly difficult.
The real challenge was
the ancient secret art known as the Mind's Eye Mirror, which could even allow ordinary martial artists to manifest a mental world.
The Mind's Eye Mirror could only unleash its full might—and ensure survival—by merging the spirits and life forces of many, not just one.
But for the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit, each strong-willed and fiercely independent,
the act of unifying their hearts was far from simple.
"I was confident we'd achieved eighty percent completion..."
Yu Un-ryong, who had been directing the warriors, wiped the sweat from his brow.
"But we still can't prevent the phenomenon where they can't move a single finger after deploying it."
Under Yu Un-ryong's guidance, the warriors had achieved Eighth-Star Attainment in completing the Mind's Eye Mirror.
Eighth-Star Attainment meant they could deploy the Mind's Eye Mirror and return alive—intact.
But the problem was that after deploying it, the warriors would suffer such excruciating muscle pain that they couldn't move for half a day.
"Could it be because we failed to complete the core technique missing from the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms?"
The Essentials of Strange Mechanisms, which recorded the secret art of the Mind's Eye Mirror, was missing a crucial method—the key to unifying hearts.
The reason Yu Un-ryong had survived the first time he deployed the Mind's Eye Mirror was
because he had done so alongside Myo Cheon-u, a close friend who could read his innermost thoughts with just a glance.
In other words, their spirits had synchronized perfectly, so there was no issue.
But for the strong-willed warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit, unifying their hearts was fundamentally impossible.
They trusted one another, yes,
but not to the extent of entrusting their lives with just a look, like Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u.
―Hey, you blockhead! If you just stand there like a lump in the Heavenly Origin position, what are we supposed to do?
―And you, why are you dancing around like a puppy that needs to piss while holding the treasure? You're throwing the whole formation into chaos!
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon were throwing punches at each other, trading blame,
―That's just how those bastards are.
Wi Cheon-gyeong, ignoring them entirely, focused solely on maintaining the formation of his subordinates in the Soul-Chasing Squad.
"They're wrong."
Myo Cheon-u, who had been observing the scene, approached Yu Un-ryong and spoke.
"Those bastards are born complainers—blaming others and rationalizing their own failures is second nature to them."
"..."
"On top of that, they're full of pride and steeped in a victim mentality, always convinced they're the ones suffering. They never reflect on their own actions, always looking for problems elsewhere."
Yu Un-ryong already knew that all too well.
"Honestly, the idea of 'unifying hearts' is too abstract... They probably don't even know how to begin."
"Should we just give up and leave it to him?"
Myo Cheon-u sighed as he looked at the drenched squad leaders and warriors.
"If we keep forcing the Mind's Eye Mirror like this, they might survive, but they'll all end up half-crippled."
Calling it muscle pain was an understatement—it was agony so severe that even iron-willed warriors would writhe in torment for half a day.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit had even started joking, "If you want the best torture method, nothing beats the Mind's Eye Mirror!"
"Let's try one more time. I think we can find another way."
―Grrrrrrrgh.
The price of deploying the Mind's Eye Mirror again was devastating.
Most of the warriors were sprawled out, groaning in pain, while a few were foaming at the mouth.
Only the squad leaders, whose martial arts had reached a stable level, were panting as they hung their heads.
"This isn't working."
Wi Cheon-gyeong and the other squad leaders, drenched in sweat, approached Yu Un-ryong and shook their heads.
"We need to perfectly establish the method for unifying hearts before we attempt this again."
"Easier said than done."
Myo Cheon-u shook his head.
"The Mind's Eye Mirror is an ancient secret art created by sages who no longer exist in the martial world today."
Then he looked at Yu Un-ryong.
"No matter how much of a genius this guy is, expecting him to invent a substitute for a lost technique from an ancient secret art is asking too much."
"Then what should we do?"
Jo Nam-cheon scratched his head furiously.
"Even our squad members, tempered by the Black Poison Demon Art and the Poison Demon Body Art, are foaming at the mouth."
The squad leaders crossed their arms, sinking into thought.
If they forced the training to continue like this, the entire Death Shadow War Unit would be bedridden.
"But do we really need to unify our hearts?"
At that moment, Won Se-mun offered an absurd suggestion.
"Squad Leader Yu already thinks of us as rice containers anyway."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"
As Jo Nam-cheon scolded him, Won Se-mun glanced at the collapsed warriors and said,
"What did the Lord say from the beginning? We're all strong-willed bastards who hate rigid structures. Didn't he command us to act as we please under normal circumstances?"
"So?"
"So? So we should just do the same with this Mind's Eye Mirror thing."
Won Se-mun grinned, folding his arms.
"As long as we hold loyalty to the Lord in our hearts."
"Loyalty to our Lord..."
Including Yu Un-ryong, all the Unit Leaders wore dazed expressions, as if they had just been struck over the head.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit were all strong-willed individuals who considered traditions handed down through generations to be rigid and outdated.
Yet the reason they had remained united and overcome every trial until now was singular:
Unlimited respect, reverence, and above all—loyalty—to the man named Bu Eun-seol.
"Well said. That's a brilliant idea."
Yu Un-ryong nodded approvingly.
"Then how about this? Instead of defeating a virtual enemy within the Mind's Eye Mirror, what if we make it about rescuing our Lord from peril?"
"Rescuing our Lord?"
Myo Cheon-u tilted his head in confusion, but Yu Un-ryong nodded firmly.
"Yes. Saving that bastard when he's in danger."
"That actually sounds like a solid plan."
Jo Nam-cheon slapped his knee in agreement.
"Even if nothing else unites us, the thought of saving our Lord would bring us together as one."
Yu Un-ryong nodded vigorously.
"Then let's begin."
The warriors began undergoing mental training under their respective Unit Leaders once more.
However, Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon were not the most articulate, and their overly concise explanations left their subordinates bewildered.
In the end, Yu Un-ryong gathered all the unit members and began the mental conditioning himself.
"Our Lord is our hope, the symbol of this hall, the reason for our existence, and the source of our pride."
His voice boomed across the training grounds.
"And this Mind's Eye Mirror is the embodiment of our Lord's foremost command—to grow endlessly stronger and survive at all costs. It is the most faithful method and tool to fulfill that order."
He spoke in Bu Eun-seol's stead.
As the battalion's long-standing commander and a silver-tongued orator, his words carried weight.
As Yu Un-ryong's impassioned voice echoed through the training grounds, the unit members' eyes gradually began to change.
"Moreover, if our Lord is ever unable to unleash his full martial prowess due to unforeseen circumstances, this will be the only way to save him."
A shudder ran through the warriors at his words.
Bu Eun-seol was an invincible Divine Being.
Yet the possibility of such a situation occurring was all too believable—
Because until now, Bu Eun-seol had been ceaselessly framed by fellow members of the Demonic Path.
Factions like the Three Realms had repeatedly employed sinister schemes and bizarre Great Arts to restrict his martial abilities.
"Imagine our Lord writhing in agony under the cruel grasp of his enemies."
At Yu Un-ryong's words, the warriors' expressions darkened.
Whoosh.
Right on cue, Wi Cheon-gyeong pulled out a golden statuette from his robes.
It depicted Bu Eun-seol, his face solemn, pointing toward the heavens.
"Will you stand there and watch? Or will you draw your blades and fight?!"
At Yu Un-ryong's fiery cry, the warriors who had been slumped on the ground, gasping for breath, sprang to their feet.
Even if they were to die.
Even if they were reduced to ashes in the flames.
They had to save their Lord's life.
"Rise! And stake your lives to save our Lord!"
—WAAAAAH!
As if they had never been exhausted, the warriors leaped up, forming ranks with military precision, and began constructing the Mind's Eye Mirror.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit were strong-willed and despised rigid conventions.
But their desire to grow stronger, their will to survive, and their loyalty to Bu Eun-seol merged into one—
And finally, their hearts became united.
Ziiing.
The Mindscape, the Mind's Eye Mirror's domain, which had previously failed to fully manifest, now unfolded perfectly before them.
"Now, only the final gate remains!"
Yu Un-ryong shouted triumphantly.
The most crucial aspect of deploying the Mind's Eye Mirror was the timing of its withdrawal.
If their hearts were not in perfect harmony at this moment?
Their spirit and mind and even their physical bodies would suffer severe damage upon release.
Whooosh. Uuuung.
But even after dispelling the Mind's Eye Mirror, not a single warrior collapsed.
Instead, their eyes burned even brighter than before.
Through loyalty to Bu Eun-seol alone, the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit had finally succeeded in creating and dispelling the Mind's Eye Mirror's domain.
—Haa, huu.
As the training concluded, all the Unit Leaders and warriors collapsed onto the ground once more, drenched in sweat.
Though their bodies were exhausted from days of relentless conditioning, satisfied smiles curled at the corners of their lips.
"But... is there even an opponent worth using this against?"
Jo Nam-cheon suddenly spoke up.
"Judging by how the Murim is moving these days, it doesn't seem like large-scale battles will happen anymore."
The Unit Leaders nodded faintly in agreement.
The current state of the martial world was such that previously unseen factions were gradually revealing themselves, while Superlative Martial Experts—each possessing the strength of an entire sect—were operating independently and covertly.
Rather than conflicts between factions,
The clashes between powerful individuals had become the greater threat.
"But you know what they say, right?"
Myo Cheon-u chimed in with a grin.
"The moment you get a staff, you're bound to end up limping."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Won Se-mun frowned, but Myo Cheon-u just smirked as he gazed at the blue sky.
"It means that since we've completed the Mind's Eye Mirror, fate's about to throw us into earth-shattering battles against terrifyingly powerful factions."
"..."
After chewing on his words for a long moment, the Unit Leaders shot back with irritated expressions.
"Ugh, what a jinx."
"So if we get stronger, our enemies will too?"
"Sometimes I think Myo's the best at spouting nonsense among us."
They got up and began shuffling out of the training grounds.
"You bastards! Talking big and then sneaking off to drink?!"
Myo Cheon-u yelled after them, but the Unit Leaders only paused briefly before scurrying out like cockroaches.
"Hey, don't just walk away!"
Still shouting, Myo Cheon-u chased after them.
"Honestly..."
Yu Un-ryong, who had been standing blankly, suddenly glared at Myo Cheon-u's retreating back with a dangerous expression.
"That bastard always is best at saying the most ominous things."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head and turned away.
"How ominous..."
Just as Myo Cheon-u had said—in less than a mere month—
without even realizing it, they would find themselves unleashing the Mind's Eye Mirror against overwhelming factions whose power had remained hidden until now.