Chapter 916
After laughing heartily for a long while, Bu Eun-seol—
Snap.
—cut off his laughter and spoke to Maeng Cheon-rip with eyes as cold as ice.
"If you ever pull a prank like this again, I won't forgive you—no matter who you are."
"What are you talking about, Unit Leader?"
"Still, I'm relieved. It's not that my subordinates are stupid or dull-witted, but rather that they're clever enough to scheme on their own."
"Unit Leader."
Maeng Cheon-rip responded with a flustered expression.
"What in the world are you saying right now?"
"There's something I never told you."
Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort before speaking in a loud voice.
"To properly unleash the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, one must be born with the One Hundred and Eight Stars."
"..."
"Of course, if it were the Abyssal Forces of the Martial Alliance? They might have even succeeded in artificially creating the One Hundred and Eight Stars."
Bu Eun-seol, hands clasped behind his back, watched the pitifully dying warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit and snorted.
"But if they had truly cultivated their troops to that extent... would they have stayed silent like rats, as they are now?"
As his muttering spread,
the Martial Alliance warriors, who had been fighting like madmen on the battlefield, began stealing glances at Bu Eun-seol out of the corners of their eyes.
As if they had heard his voice clearly.
"And you made a second mistake."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Publicly, I declared I would strike the Martial Alliance first, but in truth, I had planned to attack the Martial Soul Society first."
It was a shocking statement.
The leader of the Martial Soul Society was Bu Eun-seol himself.
Yet he had intended to make the Martial Soul Society his first target?
"Aren't you curious?"
Under the weight of Bu Eun-seol's confident gaze, Maeng Cheon-rip lowered his head, unable to respond.
"Enough. Withdraw it."
Bu Eun-seol spoke decisively.
"The Mind's Eye Mirror."
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The moment those words ended, the heavens and earth suddenly began shaking violently.
At the same time, with a squelching sound, the surrounding scenery began melting like strands of taffy.
Finally, as the entire world dissolved,
an entirely different landscape gradually revealed itself in all directions.
The Hidden Demon Pavilion's Grand Martial Training Ground.
Bu Eun-seol was still standing there, and the armed Death Shadow Squad members were also solemnly lined up in formation.
Where Maeng Cheon-rip had stood, Yu Un-ryong now stood.
And at each of the four corners of the training ground, Myo Cheon-u, Wi Cheon-gyeong, Won Se-mun, and Jo Nam-cheon stood tall, each holding a treasure.
Everything up until now had been a mental world within the Mind's Eye Mirror.
In reality, they were still in the Hidden Demon Pavilion's Grand Martial Training Ground, where the troops had gathered to prepare for deployment.
Drip, drip—
The squad members and squad leaders all had pale faces and were drenched in cold sweat.
They had prepared the Mind's Eye Mirror in advance to use against Bu Eun-seol here.
However, if they had deployed it normally, they would have been caught immediately.
So, using mysterious treasures known as Immortal Artifacts, they had sacrificed not only their Internal Power but even their life force—
staking their very lives to unfold the mental world.
But even that had been shattered in an instant when Bu Eun-seol realized it was a mental world.
And as a result of the backlash, they had suffered severe damage to both their physical bodies and their Spirit and Mind.
The only saving grace was that,
thanks to Yu Un-ryong's long research on the Mind's Eye Mirror and his efforts to bring it to a near-complete level,
even though the Mind's Eye Mirror had been abruptly terminated, the squad leaders and members' lives were not in danger.
"Did you have fun?"
Bu Eun-seol looked at Yu Un-ryong standing opposite him and raised the corner of his mouth as he asked.
"Trying to deceive me?"
"I'm sorry."
Yu Un-ryong bowed his head.
"But it was to restore your Spirit and Mind to its proper state."
In truth, gathering the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit in the Grand Martial Training Ground had also been for the sake of deploying the Mind's Eye Mirror.
From the moment Bu Eun-seol had entered the training ground, the Mind's Eye Mirror had already begun, immersing him in the vivid hallucinations of the mental world.
Unlike the Mind-Seizing Secret Art, the mental world directly interfered with one's Spirit and Mind.
So even Bu Eun-seol, who had achieved the Spiritual Aperture Breakthrough, had been unable to resist it until he became aware of it.
"'Restore it to its proper state'... you say."
Bu Eun-seol muttered quietly, his expression solemn.
"This is outright insubordination."
Then, staring straight at Yu Un-ryong, he spoke in a voice as cold as falling ice.
"Because you don't like your commander's personality, you attack his Spirit and Mind?"
Yu Un-ryong had no words to defend himself.
Literally, the commander's personality had changed, and to alter it, they had attacked his Spirit and Mind.
"Yu Un-ryong. Starting now, you and—"
"Wait a moment!"
Just then, a woman in white robes rushed into the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
It was Yeon So-ha, who had been secretly staying there under Yu Un-ryong's arrangements.
"Please understand them."
She bowed her head as if kneeling.
"If you truly gather your forces and wage war, something irreversible will happen in the end!"
"Not at all."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head slightly, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"On the contrary, something incredibly beneficial will come of it."
He looked at Yeon So-ha and spoke.
"This is an opportunity to overturn the murim and gauge the combat power of the numerous factions hidden within the Abyss—including the Martial Alliance."
"But if that happens, innocent people will die, and a great war will break out in the murim, won't it?"
"A war that would have happened eventually, whether I acted or not. By forcing their combat power into the open, we might even prevent a greater war."
Bu Eun-seol spoke resolutely.
"Once their strength is revealed, they'll have no choice but to keep each other in check."
"I know. I know you're not the type to recklessly start fights."
Yeon So-ha spoke with a pained expression.
"But you were always someone who walked silently forward, never avoiding even the most difficult paths."
"..."
"You were never the kind of person who would stake others' lives as collateral and take the easy way out."
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened slightly.
"Why do you get to define what kind of person I am?"
His voice turned razor-sharp.
"And didn't we clearly agree to annul our engagement back then?"
"My Lord."
"Do you think that just because you have a pretty face, you can manipulate me as you please?"
Bu Eun-seol decisively waved his hand.
"You and I are no longer anything to each other. So stop meddling in my affairs."
Stagger.
The impact of his words seemed to physically shake Yeon So-ha, causing her to sway momentarily.
"My Lord!"
Unable to stand by, Won Se-mun, Wi Cheon-gyeong, and Jo Nam-cheon rushed forward, kneeling before him.
"My Lord! Please forgive the Young Palace Lord!"
"It's true. The Young Palace Lord only came all this way because she was worried that something might be wrong with your Spirit and Mind..."
"Indeed. Punish us if you must, but please spare the Young Palace Lord!"
"Ha... hahaha!"
Watching the squad leaders plead so earnestly, Bu Eun-seol let out a hollow laugh.
"So this is the extent of your so-called loyalty."
"My Lord."
"First, you try to manipulate my Spirit and Mind by unfolding the Mind's Eye Mirror just because I didn't suit your tastes..."
"..."
"And now you're whining and siding with a Righteous Faction figure who ruined my plans?"
Unable to stay silent any longer, Myo Cheon-u stepped forward.
"The squad leaders aren't taking her side—they're speaking for your sake."
"For my sake?"
"Yes. If you continue down this tyrannical path, won't everything you've built until now... all your efforts crumble away?"
His expression was deeply troubled.
"What if you regain your true self? Wouldn't you regret proceeding with something like this?... They were only trying to bring your heart back."
"'Regain my true self.'"
Bu Eun-seol's pupils froze over like glaciers of the North Sea.
"And who gave you the right to decide that?"
His icy gaze swept over each squad leader.
"You think I'll regret this? That's nothing but an excuse."
"..."
"In the end, you simply didn't like my temperament and wanted to force me back to how I was before."
The squad leaders bowed their heads like mute men who had tasted honey, unable to speak.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes brimmed with utter contempt as he watched them.
"I gave you an order precisely because I anticipated this. I told you to stay out of this extermination mission... to sit back and enjoy watching the battle-crazed fools of the Demon Hall die."
"..."
"But my consideration meant nothing to you. Just because my temperament displeased you, you shoved me into the Mind's Eye Mirror."
Not a single squad leader could muster a reply.
As the murderous aura thickened, Yu Un-ryong finally spoke.
"That's a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
"If even your current self is truly your real nature, we would have followed you regardless. But this..."
"I made myself clear!"
Bu Eun-seol's rage erupted in a Lion's Roar that shook heaven and earth.
"Whether my temperament is real or fake, who gave you the right to judge that?!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His fury took physical form, lashing out like a razor-edged storm that rattled the training grounds.
"If we were just superior and subordinates—if you were merely our leader and we your underlings—we wouldn't have done this."
Yu Un-ryong spoke urgently.
"We acted so presumptuously because we considered you family!"
It was the heartfelt sentiment of every warrior in the Death Shadow War Unit.
But to Bu Eun-seol, their sincerity seemed to fall on deaf ears. His eyes burned like flames trapped in ice.
"I'm sorry."
Yeon So-ha offered a sorrowful smile.
"For interfering in your affairs like this."
"..."
"But don't take your anger out on your subordinates. Their only crime was believing and following my foolish words."
She forced back her tears and bowed.
"I won't trouble you again from now on."
With that, she turned and left the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
Plink.
A single teardrop fell to the floor in her wake.
"I'm sorry too."
Yu Un-ryong also lowered his head.
"The squad leaders and the Young Palace Lord did nothing wrong. The fault lies with me—I made the wrong call and gathered them to unfold the Mind's Eye Mirror."
"You say that so lightly."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was glacial.
"Wrongdoing demands punishment. If mere apologies sufficed, then who in this world would ever—"
"I'll take responsibility."
Yu Un-ryong's expression was graver than ever.
"As of today, I will leave the Death Shadow War Unit."
It was a shocking declaration.
The squad leaders' faces stiffened at Yu Un-ryong's unexpected words.
Only Bu Eun-seol's expression remained frigid.
"Oh? So now you're threatening me with this because your dissatisfaction has reached its limit?"
Bu Eun-seol laughed hollowly, sweeping his gaze over Yu Un-ryong and the squad leaders.
"Did you think I'd beg you to stay? That I'd fall to my knees and plead?"
His voice was utterly resolute.
"If your loyalty is so flimsy that you'd leave over something like this... then it was never worth anything to begin with."
"Bu Eun-seol."
"Leave."
Bu Eun-seol declared firmly as he stared at Yu Un-ryong.
"If you're willing to take responsibility, I won't stop you. Leave at once."
"...Understood."
Yu Un-ryong nodded.
"Thank you for guiding me despite my shortcomings, and for believing in me all this time."
Then, slowly, he bowed.
It was no longer the bow of a friend.
It was an impeccably formal salute—one given to a superior.
Once the gesture was complete, he turned and walked out of the Death Shadow War Unit.
Yu Un-ryong had truly left.
"My Lord."
Unable to stay silent, Wi Cheon-gyeong spoke up.
"Without Captain Yu, the Death Shadow War Unit will be paralyzed. You must bring him back."
"Paralyzed?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy.
"Do you truly believe this Lord incapable of managing even that much?"
Wi Cheon-gyeong shut his mouth.
With Bu Eun-seol's strategic mind and mercenary arts, of course, he could lead the Death Shadow War Unit flawlessly even without Yu Un-ryong.
But the undeniable truth was that Yu Un-ryong's presence had ensured the hall's smooth operation—and more importantly, the cohesion of its strong-willed captains.
"A strategist like him is common in Murim."
Bu Eun-seol's tone remained frigid.
"Or are you all planning to threaten this Lord with desertion as well?"
"..."
"If anyone else wishes to leave, do so now. I won't stop you."
A deathly silence followed.
How much time passed?
"Sigh."
With a deep sigh, Myo Cheon-u spoke.
"Without Un-ryong, I'll just be a useless figure here, eating up rations for nothing."
He swallowed a bitter smile and shook his head.
"It was only because Un-ryong placed me where I was needed and supported me that I could fulfill my role in the Death Shadow War Unit."
This wasn't humility—it was half the truth.
Even during Myo Cheon-u's absence, Yu Un-ryong had led the hall perfectly.
But Myo Cheon-u had the widest network among the captains and could sway the hearts of all warriors—
Only by working alongside Yu Un-ryong had he been able to accomplish so much.
But without Yu Un-ryong?
In the end, Myo Cheon-u, too, would become utterly worthless.
"Do you mean it?"
"Of course."
Myo Cheon-u wore a self-deprecating smile.
"Without Un-ryong, I'd be the most redundant person here."
"Fine. Go."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Myo Cheon-u also bowed formally.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and left the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
"Anyone else?"
Bu Eun-seol swept his gaze over the captains and warriors gathered in the training grounds.
Their expressions were uniformly grim.
Though none spoke, their faces betrayed deep disappointment at his utterly changed demeanor.
"Ah, I nearly forgot."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue. Then, he said the one thing he should never have said.
"That you all were rootless to begin with—a Rootless Squad with nowhere else to go."
"My Lord."
The captains' expressions darkened beyond measure.
"We know you are furious. We were at fault."
As Wi Cheon-gyeong stepped forward to beg forgiveness, Bu Eun-seol replied coldly,
"Let this be a warning: never interfere with my plans again."
"..."
"And don't flatter yourselves into thinking you're irreplaceable. There are countless others who could take your place."
Bu Eun-seol was seething over Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u's unhesitating departure.
The captains knew this, so they could only lower their heads in silence.
In the end, the Blood Heaven Unit was formally assembled, and Bu Eun-seol left the Demon Hall to begin his campaign.
—The Martial Soul Lord returned victorious.
But contrary to expectations, no fierce battle or Great Orthodox-Unorthodox War erupted.
Leading the Blood Heaven Unit, the Martial Soul Lord had not pushed deep into Henan.
Instead, he merely subdued the Righteous Faction forces along Hubei's border before withdrawing.
And this wasn't for reputation or to avoid war—
Having already experienced the battle he desired within the Mind's Eye Mirror, his fervor had completely cooled.
After all, his calculations couldn't have been wrong.
Just as he predicted, the Martial Alliance would mobilize an enormous force to annihilate the Blood Heaven Unit.
It was like craving a dish for one's birthday—only to end up eating it at someone else's banquet.
There was no need to repeat the same events, and fighting no longer excited him... So he altered his plans entirely,
conducting a light suppression campaign without provoking the Martial Alliance.
Conflicts of this scale were commonplace,
and since the Righteous Faction—which had expected a Sea of Corpses and Blood—found the clash far milder than anticipated,
an atmosphere of reluctant acceptance and understanding took shape.
—As the Demon Hall's heir, he likely had no choice but to carry out this suppression to solidify his standing.
The Righteous Faction even granted legitimacy to the clash—
if only to prevent further meaningless battles.
Thus, Bu Eun-seol's standing rose significantly, but the mood within the Hidden Demon Pavilion was as grim as a funeral.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit had done nothing.
Despite Bu Eun-seol taking them to the battlefield in his fury over their testing him,
he stationed them in the rear without deploying them in combat.
Only then did the Death Shadow War Unit warriors realize one truth with painful clarity:
—Just as our Lord said, we truly are replaceable troops.
Looking back, thinking coldly—
they had grown stronger through Bu Eun-seol's training, and their victories in battle had always been due to his tactics and strategy.
In the end, it was just as he had said.
They were merely replaceable personnel, nothing more.
And for martial artists... once they lose their pride, it's all over.
"We shall take our leave now."
In the end, the Death Shadow War Unit's lords and martial artists sought out Bu Eun-seol and formally announced their resignation.
"We failed to recognize our place until now. But now that we do, we shall live according to our true capabilities."
They had achieved nothing on their own.
They had merely grown stronger by learning the martial arts Bu Eun-seol provided and undergoing his training.
Even their victories in battle had mostly been spoon-fed to them by Bu Eun-seol.
"Do as you wish."
Bu Eun-seol did not oppose them.
In fact, he had been contemplating how to dismiss them himself.
There was no way to salvage martial artists who now saw themselves as incompetent and had lost their pride.
If he left them as they were?
They would only become dead weight, hindering the work he intended to carry out.
Frankly, he was grateful they had chosen to leave on their own.
"Out of consideration for past ties, I will let you go without issue. But do not dare interfere with my affairs from now on."
And so, with Bu Eun-seol's permission,
most of the Death Shadow War Unit's lords and martial artists quietly departed.
Those who remained were either
rookie martial artists who had nowhere else to go without the Demon Hall's stipend,
or attendants assigned by the Demon Hall itself.
"Good. I'll train a new generation of Death Shadow War Unit martial artists within three years—no, within one."
Had his personality changed so drastically?
Even as his subordinates left, Bu Eun-seol felt no sense of loss whatsoever.
The Demon Hall was full of capable prodigies.
True to his word,
Bu Eun-seol selected a new batch of talented individuals and began their training.
Had he been an ordinary man,
he might have been daunted by the prospect of starting over without capable adjutants.
But long ago, he had ordered Yu Un-ryong to document the Death Shadow War Unit's entire system—training included.
If he created a manual that even newcomers could follow precisely,
then even without himself or Yu Un-ryong, the system could continue producing specialized personnel efficiently.
"From now on, Jin-ha, you will oversee the training."
Bu Eun-seol summoned Seo Jin-ha, who had always acted as his shadow, and entrusted him with the overall management of the Death Shadow War Unit.
For training, he assigned So-yo and Tak Il-hon.
Personnel management was handed to No Trace of the Death Soul Squad.
Once the Death Shadow War Unit was reorganized systematically, the vacancies were swiftly and smoothly filled.
And everything proceeded flawlessly.
The previous Death Shadow War Unit martial artists had all been exceptional, but their personalities were too strong.
This newly assembled force, however, moved like the precise components of a mechanical device—
executing Bu Eun-seol's orders flawlessly, without the slightest deviation.
Since most critical decisions were made by Bu Eun-seol anyway,
having subordinates who simply carried out orders wasn't as bad as he had thought.
As time passed, the Death Shadow War Unit regained stability, and Bu Eun-seol no longer needed to micromanage its operations.
It was running so smoothly that he could now return to the martial world without worry.
"It's good not having to hold separate meetings anymore."
In the past, whenever he embarked on something,
he had no choice but to gather opinions through the Lord's Meeting and proceed meticulously according to plan.
But now, that was unnecessary.
All plans existed solely in his mind, and his subordinates merely had to follow his instructions.
"Now then..."
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to step back into the martial world, he paused.
Come to think of it, since he no longer needed to protect the Death Shadow War Unit's subordinates, he wasn't bound by the Demon Hall's affairs either.
"In that case..."
A peculiar smile curled on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
One thing he hadn't been able to do until now was seize control of the Demon Hall's authority.
He couldn't act recklessly yet—not when he still couldn't defeat the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
But if he firmly nurtured his support base within the Demon Hall and the Demonic Path, he could free himself from further interference.
If the Demonic Heavenly Emperor entered closed-door training, there would be no one left in the Demon Hall to restrain him—he could stir up the internal affairs as he pleased.
"No, should I just kill the Demonic Heavenly Emperor outright?"
As if realizing there was an easier path, Bu Eun-seol clutched his forehead and burst into laughter.
"If I unify the Demonic Path first, then gradually take over the Murim, that should do it."
If he unified the Demonic Path?
He wouldn't have to waste time on trivial matters—he could swiftly achieve his grand endeavor.
"I should've done this from the start."
He even felt refreshed.
No longer did he need to worry about human relationships.
There were no more people around him to protect.
Now, he could do whatever he wanted.
"Truly, what I want to do..."
Muttering softly, Bu Eun-seol's expression momentarily turned blank.
What had he wanted again?
Unifying the martial world?
Reaching the pinnacle of the Martial Way and becoming the undisputed strongest, capable of defeating anyone?
"No."
There was only one reason he had entered the martial world in the first place—
Revenge against the murderer who had killed his grandfather.
It was vengeance against the one who had twisted his fate.
"But..."
A sudden doubt arose.
"Why must I take revenge?"
Simply because they harmed his grandfather? Because he was angry? Because they ruined his life?
"No, that's not it..."
After pondering deeply, he finally realized the true reason.
Because he had lost someone whose mere existence had filled his heart—and the entire world—
Someone precious.
"Back then, I was too young and powerless, forced to helplessly watch my only family slip away."
But now, even with power,
he had made the wrong choices and was losing yet another precious person.
"All I ever wanted was to protect those dear to me..."
As he abruptly grasped the true purpose of his life, his head throbbed and his breath grew stifled.
This suffering did not belong to the present Bu Eun-seol.
It was the pain, anguish, and heartache of someone trapped deep within his heart.
["You cannot protect those precious to you."]
At that moment, an infinitely low and desolate voice reached him from somewhere.
It was Bu Eun-seol's original voice.