Chapter 984
Territories are, by nature, sometimes formed naturally and sometimes created artificially.
Naturally formed territories arise in places where the energy of heaven and earth coalesces—mountain summits, deep valleys where water pools, underground caves brimming with intense vitality.
Volcanic zones, or snow-capped peaks where eternal frost lingers.
Or in lands overgrown with poisonous herbs, places that demand survival in extreme environments.
On the other hand, artificially created territories are made by utilizing the energy of places saturated with Corpse Qi, such as graveyards, or where Yokai Energy surges wildly.
By deploying a Great Art to alter the land's energy, or by scattering human blood or Essence Blood to artificially imbue the land with vitality.
Great Wind Gorge.
A place where sheer cliffs stretch endlessly, where thousands of limestone peaks and deep ravines stand.
Its treacherous terrain, difficult for human feet to tread, is filled with deep caves and dense forests.
In the past, ancient Murim sects once established their strongholds here, and until a thousand years ago, it was a place where secret martial arts manuals were occasionally discovered.
And in the present era, it has been revealed that this land is where Spiritual Herbs, long vanished from the martial world, have begun to grow once more.
Whoooosh.
A frigid wind howled.
Had the wind blowing from the heavens gazed down upon the Great Wind Gorge.
It would have seen a ravine of unfathomable depth, its maw gaping toward the sky like a primordial god had cleaved the earth with a sword.
Swoooosh.
At the entrance of the gorge, flanked by towering rock formations like a folding screen, a group of troops stood stationed.
They all wore armor engraved with a unique emblem on their shoulders and carried white Treasured Swords at their waists.
They were none other than the Heaven's Will Unit—a special task force assembled by the Martial Alliance following the discovery of the Spiritual Herbs.
Composed of martial artists far surpassing the average warriors of the Martial Alliance, they were a formidable force.
Like iron-cast dolls, they stood in solemn formation without so much as blinking.
They had received intelligence that the Demon Palace's forces would soon attack this place.
The Golden Jade Divine Grass was a Spiritual Herb said to condense the essence of heaven and earth's energy, its efficacy rumored to rival even the Golden Spirit Immortal Fruit.
Unlike the Golden Spirit Immortal Fruit, which bore just one fruit after a minimum of two hundred years—sometimes even a thousand—the Golden Jade Divine Grass took only sixty years to mature despite having similar potency.
To seize this mysterious Spiritual Herb and the territory secured by the Martial Alliance.
The Heir of the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Lord, and his Death Shadow War Unit warriors had immediately set out on a campaign, according to the intelligence.
Thus, the Heaven's Will Unit had taken position here, ready to defend the territory.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Then, the thunderous sound of warhorses' hooves shook heaven and earth, reverberating through the gorge.
A cavalry of roughly three hundred riders charged toward the entrance of the Great Wind Gorge.
Clad in black robes that seemed to swallow the darkness, their shoulders and chests were armored with overlapping, scale-like plates.
Moreover, each wore a crimson Wind-breaking Robe, making them appear from afar like a surging tide of blood.
The horses they rode were Sweat-Blood Horses, said to gallop a thousand li in a single day.
Their sleek, powerful muscles rippled beneath their hides, tendons bulging with every stride.
Their eyes burned like embers, and with every snort, bloody sweat trickled down.
Their heads were encased in sturdy iron horse armor, emblazoned with the unmistakable seal of the "Martial Soul."
This was the Martial Soul Lord and his Death Shadow War Unit forces, dispatched under the orders of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor to reclaim the territory occupied by the Martial Alliance.
Rumble-rumble!
Kicking up a storm of dust, the three hundred cavalrymen.
Charged ferociously toward the gorge's entrance, where eight thousand troops stood ready.
Kwa-wooo!
A fierce wind howled, whipping up dust, as razor-sharp energy clashed through the air.
"Quite the intimidating momentum."
Jin Baek-hon, leader of the Heaven's Will Unit, scoffed.
Originally the head of the Martial Alliance's covert unit, the Heavenly Brow Pavilion.
He had been appointed to lead the newly formed Heaven's Will Unit for this mission to defend the territory.
"They've come here to die anyway."
Jin Baek-hon also had an inkling of why the Death Shadow War Unit forces was attacking this place.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had assigned the Martial Soul Lord—who had failed his previous mission—another task no different from a death sentence.
A scheme to use his failure as an opportunity to proclaim the Demon Hall's might far and wide.
This was the intelligence he had received from the Martial Alliance's information division, the Ten Thousand Reflections Hall.
"Deploy the formation!"
At Jin Baek-hon's command, the eight thousand troops moved with systematic precision, arranging themselves into a Battle Formation.
But the intelligence from the Ten Thousand Reflections Hall didn't end there.
He had also heard that the Death Shadow War Unit warriors had set out fully armored, riding Sweat-Blood Horses.
'They must be planning to use the Demon Fire Blood Chariot Formation.'
Full armor drastically increased survival against arrows, javelins, and initial blade strikes, but it reduced mobility.
But what if they rode horses as swift as lightning and terrifyingly enduring as Sweat-Blood Horses?
Instead of slow, cumbersome heavy cavalry, they would become an extremely fast yet devastatingly destructive assault force.
And if they employed the Demon Fire Blood Chariot Formation... it would be akin to a living Battering Ram moving at breakneck speed.
'Rather than charging in a dense formation, they'll likely use tactics of constantly shifting their shape to disrupt enemy lines.'
Jin Baek-hon was also a master of military strategy.
He had discerned that the Martial Soul Lord would avoid being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Instead, he would keep his cavalry in constant motion, probing for gaps in the enemy's defenses or striking at their flanks and rear.
'I've already taken measures to ensure they can't break or scatter our formation.'
He smirked confidently.
The Martial Soul Lord would undoubtedly split his three hundred troops into smaller units to attack multiple points simultaneously.
If they attempted to counterattack or form an encirclement, it was obvious they would immediately withdraw using the Sweat-Blood Horses' speed.
That was why Jin Baek-hon had prepared countermeasures in advance—
To prevent the cavalry from penetrating at all.
By utilizing the terrain of the Great Wind Gorge, he had deployed eight thousand troops in a single line, forming an unbreakable defensive formation.
Heehee-hing!
At that moment, accompanied by the neighing of horses, the three hundred cavalrymen came to a simultaneous halt before the entrance of the Great Wind Gorge.
Even atop their mounts, they maintained flawless discipline, their ranks perfectly aligned.
At the forefront stood a man towering over six feet, wearing a veil woven from what appeared to be Heavenly Silkworm Silk.
Between the strands of his loose hair, dragon-like, commanding eyes flashed briefly, and at his waist hung a pitch-black iron sword.
Jin Baek-hon recognized him instantly as the Martial Soul Lord and spoke.
"What brings the Heir of the Demon Hall, surely burdened with pressing matters, to such a humble place?"
The distance between them was a little over three hundred feet.
Yet Jin Baek-hon's voice, infused with internal energy, resonated not only in the ears of the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit but also clearly throughout the entire gorge.
"Surely you haven't come to argue something as childish as claiming the entire Great Wind Gorge belongs to our alliance... have you?"
Jin Baek-hon, a seasoned veteran who had led his organization for years, was skilled not only in martial arts but also in rhetoric.
The Martial Soul Lord remained silent, offering no reply.
Jin Baek-hon's eyes flashed.
"I'll warn you in advance. The moment you step within about a hundred feet of the entrance to the Great Wind Gorge, guarded by our formation—"
BOOM!
He slammed his massive horse-slaying saber into the ground, issuing a threat.
"—the name 'Death Shadow War Unit' will be erased from the history of the Demon Hall!"
It was an outright insult.
Yet the Martial Soul Lord merely stared back at Jin Baek-hon with piercing eyes—
Clop.
—and urged his horse forward by a single step.
Immediately, the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit behind him also advanced their mounts by one step in unison.
"So you wish to fight."
Jin Baek-hon clicked his tongue.
He had devised a battle formation that the Death Shadow War Unit could never break, no matter what they tried.
The Fang-Shaped Force-Breaking Formation.
The Heaven's Will Unit had already assumed a formation as unbreakable as the Impenetrable Golden Wall—once assembled, its cohesion could never be shattered.
Because it bound eight thousand troops together like a single colossal body for defense.
Even if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself were to come, breaking this formation would be difficult.
Of course, it had its weaknesses—it couldn't change direction or move troops swiftly.
But in a confined, narrow space like this,
Where both forces stood in direct confrontation, it was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Even if the Martial Soul Lord's personal martial arts are exceptional enough to escape death, his subordinates won't be spared from annihilation."
But something was strange.
Even though roughly a quarter-hour (fifteen minutes) had passed, the mounted warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit hadn't moved an inch.
"Are they trying to buy time?"
Jin Baek-hon furrowed his brow.
Because the Fang-Shaped Force-Breaking Formation required the eight thousand troops to function as a single entity,
Maintaining the formation demanded extreme tension—like holding a drawn bowstring.
Standing motionless in this state for over a quarter-hour inevitably exhausted the warriors maintaining the formation.
"What's this? Have you lost your nerve?"
Jin Baek-hon, sneering, was just about to issue the order to disband the formation—
But at that very moment,
Clop.
The Martial Soul Lord urged his horse forward another step.
Immediately, the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit also advanced another step.
Gasp!
Not only Jin Baek-hon, who had been about to give the disband order, but even the Heaven's Will Unit warriors maintaining the taut formation stiffened in shock.
"..."
Yet, as if nothing had happened, the Martial Soul Lord and the Death Shadow War Unit stood motionless once more, like stone statues.
Their faces were hidden behind helmets and masks, making their expressions unreadable.
But from afar, their unmoving figures resembled black-and-red stained sculptures.
"These bastards dare to toy with us?!"
Enraged, Jin Baek-hon shouted.
"Heaven's Will Unit—!"
Just as he was about to order a full assault—
"Leader!"
Hwang Il-chung, his adjutant and strategist, urgently cried out.
"You mustn't!"
Jin Baek-hon scowled.
"What nonsense is this?"
"What the Martial Soul Lord wants is precisely for our unit to attack first!"
Jin Baek-hon snorted.
"What does it matter? What can those insignificant fools possibly do?"
"That's not it."
Hwang Il-chung spoke rapidly.
"What did you declare earlier, Leader? That you would attack the moment they stepped within about a hundred feet, correct?"
"So?"
"The Martial Soul Lord is no fool. He knows full well that clashing with our unit means annihilation. That's why he's deliberately provoking us—taking only one step at a time."
For a moment, Jin Baek-hon looked dazed before realization dawned.
"So... you're saying he's deliberately staying outside the hundred-foot limit, provoking us, so that he can later claim we attacked first?"
"The probability is not low."
"Impossible. The Martial Soul Lord wouldn't resort to such petty tricks."
The Martial Soul Lord was known as the undefeated Wise General, a strategist who had led every battle to victory through brilliant tactics.
Such a man wouldn't stoop to such underhanded methods.
"Currently, he's been cornered into a desperate situation by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
Hwang Il-chung wore a meaningful expression.
"He's been forced into what is essentially a suicide mission. So whether it's petty tricks or anything else... if it means surviving, wouldn't he resort to every possible scheme?"
Jin Baek-hon stroked his chin.
No matter how he looked at it, the renowned Martial Soul Lord didn't seem the type to employ such tactics.
But there was some truth to Hwang Il-chung's words.
When a person is cornered,
they can cast aside pride and resort to crude actions, no matter how desperate.
"No matter what tricks he pulls, attack the moment he steps within about a hundred feet."
Hwang Il-chung spoke earnestly.
"No matter how much he blusters or stalls for time, there's absolutely no way our unit will lose."
Jin Baek-hon, who had been lost in thought, finally nodded.
Then he raised his voice in command.
"Maintain formation and prepare for battle!"
No matter how much they taunted or dragged out the confrontation, they couldn't possibly breach the Great Wind Gorge.
Even if the martial artists felt fatigued, it was still better than actual combat.
Whether they continued their bluffing and attacked or retreated in the end... the Heaven's Will Unit wouldn't suffer any losses.
While the Martial Alliance's vanguard and the Death Shadow War Unit warriors remained locked in their standoff—
Shh—
A faint shadow slipped soundlessly into the Great Wind Gorge.
Its concealment was so flawless that not even a master with extraordinary extrasensory perception could detect it.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
'Good. Everything's going smoothly.'
From the start, he had never intended to face the Martial Alliance's eight thousand troops head-on.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor was no fool.
And he was a man who could weave hundreds, even thousands, of meanings into a single command.
Even if he had issued a death mission,
he would never have given such a simple, blunt order like "Go die."
Moreover, the fact that the Martial Alliance had publicly announced their discovery of the spiritual land was suspicious in itself.
Though the Martial Alliance presented itself as a coalition of the righteous factions, in truth, it was a den of hidden forces that had manipulated the murim for generations.
Under the pretense of governing the martial world, they had orchestrated countless secret schemes and conspiracies.
So why would they openly declare the discovery of a spiritual land and mobilize a vanguard force to draw attention?
It made no sense.
As Bu Eun-seol activated his movement technique, he recalled the events from earlier.
Right after concluding the strategy meeting to eliminate the Heaven's Will Unit in the Great Wind Gorge, he had been lost in thought in his office when—
Yu Un-ryong arrived.
"It's Yu Un-ryong."
Click.
The door opened, and Yu Un-ryong stepped inside.
"Now, tell me the real plan."
Yu Un-ryong had already guessed everything.
That there was something hidden within the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's orders, and that Bu Eun-seol must have deciphered it.
"While I can't be certain of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's exact intentions, it's not just about retrieving the Golden Jade Divine Grass..."
Bu Eun-seol laid it out plainly.
"Most likely, he wants us to investigate the Martial Alliance's inexplicable actions and uncover the truth behind them. And not only that—"
"Not just a quiet investigation, but to clash with them and force the truth out, right? While making it look like we're desperately carrying out a suicide mission."
At Yu Un-ryong's words, Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"Correct. So I'll only create the illusion of a life-or-death struggle."
"How?"
"I spent a long time as a spy within the Martial Alliance, didn't I?"
Fortunately, Bu Eun-seol had operated under the alias Seon-u Jin within the Martial Alliance for years.
Thanks to that, he had intimate knowledge of its key figures, organizational structure, and operational methods.
"If the Heaven's Will Unit has been assembled, they must have appointed the leaders of their covert factions as its commanders."
Bu Eun-seol continued leisurely.
"The Great Wind Gorge has a narrow, bottleneck-like entrance. And if our numerically inferior Death Shadow War Unit forces charge in head-on... they'll almost certainly deploy the Fang-Shaped Force-Breaking Formation."
The Fang-Shaped Force-Breaking Formation.
A battle formation designed to annihilate attacking enemies through overwhelming martial and numerical superiority.
Though it was far too ruthless and bloodthirsty for a formation used by the orthodox murim,
the leaders of the Martial Alliance's secret factions wouldn't hesitate to employ it.
"If it's the Fang-Shaped Force-Breaking Formation..."
Yu Un-ryong's lips curled slightly as he listened.
"They'll be compressing explosive power like a drawn bowstring, ready to unleash all eight thousand troops at once."
"Exactly."
Bu Eun-seol smiled as well.
"Until the battle begins, they won't be able to relax for even a moment, coiled like a tightly pressed spring."
Hearing this, Yu Un-ryong smiled again.
He had finally grasped what kind of scheme Bu Eun-seol was planning.
"'Turning strength into weakness'—you intend to twist their greatest advantage into their fatal flaw."
"That's why I recalled Seo Jin-ha."
When Bu Eun-seol nodded, Yu Un-ryong's expression turned puzzled.
"If you're investigating alone, why bother with all this?"
Though Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess was unfathomable, Yu Un-ryong knew well that he had mastered the elusive Hidden Stealth Secret Art.
Even if it were eighty thousand troops instead of eight thousand,
slipping into the Great Wind Gorge undetected wouldn't be difficult for him.
But when Bu Eun-seol answered, Yu Un-ryong doubted his own ears.
"I'm having trouble using Demonic Path Martial Arts."
"What?"
"The Heart-Seal Method I learned as a child resurfaced in my mind... but because it's incomplete, something feels off."
Bu Eun-seol recounted in detail the moment he had been ambushed by the white-robed man and briefly lost consciousness.
At the time, he had lost all memory of it,
but after enduring the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's Life and Death Palm Decree, he recalled every dream he had while unconscious.
"So what you’re saying is..."
Yu Un-ryong took a deep breath.
"That all members of the Baekri Clan are born with split personalities, and your late father taught you a Mind-Training Formula in your childhood that lets you create and interact with new personalities?"
A nod.
When Bu Eun-seol indifferently inclined his head, Yu Un-ryong couldn't close his mouth.
All this time, despite the grandiose talk of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon, he'd never truly grasped how extraordinary they were.
But upon reflection—
Though he hadn't inherited that immortal-like power... this descendant, who bore every ounce of that unbelievable talent and disposition in full—
Was right before his eyes, living and walking the path of legend.
"...Is that even possible?"
"Perhaps. Though it's not a complete formula, which is likely why the personalities ended up clumsily blended."
Bu Eun-seol smiled bitterly.
"That's why I can't properly wield Demonic Path Martial Arts or Mind-Training Formulas anymore."
Only now did Yu Un-ryong realize—
Bu Eun-seol's speech had grown unnaturally gentle, his gaze brimming with Righteous Grandeur.
"So you can't use Demonic Path Martial Arts at all?"
"Not entirely, but... the more I use it, the more its power drastically weakens."
Bu Eun-seol offered an awkward smile.
"And as you can see... neither my preferred speech nor expressions come out right anymore."
Thud.
Yu Un-ryong clutched his forehead like a man possessed.
Had Myo Cheon-u or Wi Cheon-gyeong said something like this, he'd have either burst into laughter or slapped them for spouting nonsense.
"...Right. I see."
"It's the truth."
"Yeah, yeah."
Yu Un-ryong nodded like an enlightened Taoist monk.
"That does sound like you."
He was the only one among Bu Eun-seol's close friends who knew the truth—that Bu Eun-seol was of mixed blood between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon's lineage.
Ever since hearing that story,
He'd completely given up trying to comprehend the limits of Bu Eun-seol's martial arts or physical condition.
"Anyway, that's why I need Seo Jin-ha for this mission."
Bu Eun-seol sighed deeply.
"If he draws attention by commanding the Death Shadow War Unit in my stead... I might just manage to infiltrate Great Wind Gorge."
"Understood."
Regaining his composure, Yu Un-ryong nodded.
"Leave the rest to me."
Having finished his recollection, Bu Eun-seol, shrouded in Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, stealthily activated his Movement Technique and advanced deep into Great Wind Gorge.
And the moment he unleashed Swift Shadowless again—
Bzzzt.
A strange resonance reverberated through his mind.
Simultaneously, his Movement Technique noticeably slowed, and even his internal breathing grew unstable.
'I need to reverse this state quickly.'
Some time ago, after surviving an ambush by a man claiming to be a Familiar of the Baekri Clan, Bu Eun-seol had recovered one of Baekri Geom-ha's memories.
Thanks to that, he'd been able to execute what he'd learned while mimicking his father's personality as a child—
The Ultimate Principle of Righteous Faction Martial Arts.
The Imperial Step—an embodiment of the Way of Nature itself—had allowed him to withstand the Demonic Heavenly Emperor'sLife and Death Palm Decree.
But an unforeseen side effect had emerged.
His heart now overflowed with Righteous Grandeur, while all traces of his innate killing intent had vanished.
'To think a mere fragment of a memory could alter my very nature...'
Transformed into someone who pursued nothing but boundless Righteous Path ideals,
He felt intense guilt every time he used Demonic Path Martial Arts, unconsciously suppressing their execution.
Moreover, his excessively tranquil mindset had eroded even the combat instincts buried deep within him.
'And yet, I can't freely wield the Imperial Step either.'
When the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had unleashed his overwhelming pressure, the Imperial Step had naturally activated in response.
But now, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't consciously manifest it.
'Because the Imperial Step is neither a Footwork Technique nor a Martial Art.'
The Imperial Step was the Way of Nature itself—something only usable by those who'd reached the pinnacle of martial arts... or those capable of wielding perfect Natural Qi.
When he'd first awakened, his father's personality had merged with his own almost flawlessly,
And the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's absolute demonic arts had allowed its subtleties to manifest naturally... but now that he'd regained some clarity, he could no longer replicate it.
'Above all, the way words keep slipping out uncontrollably is frustrating.'
This dissonance between mind and body meant
Not only could he not properly execute Demonic Path Martial Arts, but even his speech had shifted toward righteousness.
His odd manner of speaking back at the Demon Hall had been precisely because of this.
'The Demonic Heavenly Emperor must have seen through everything.'
At the time, the Emperor had shown no reaction—not even a flicker of surprise.
But Bu Eun-seol had sensed it.
That he'd recognized his father's Footwork Technique.
'And then he altered his plans.'
He'd long known the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was using him as a stepping stone for some scheme.
No—the Emperor hadn't even bothered hiding it. At some point, he'd begun flaunting his intentions outright.
The only certainty was—
The moment he'd witnessed his father's Footwork Technique, the Emperor's plans had undeniably changed.
This very mission was proof of that shift.
Only this method
Could let him maintain the Martial Soul Lord's authority and dignity, just as he had before issuing the Life and Death Palm Decree.
'Surely all of this isn't some... arrangement for my sake?'
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened.
Now that he pursued boundless righteousness, even his Spirit and Mind had grown infinitely tranquil—
Leading him to entertain hopeful assumptions about the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, something he'd never have done before.
'I need to fix this quickly.'
Such Righteous Grandeur
Only held meaning when one reached the pinnacle of martial arts, capable of shouldering the entire Murim alone.
Without that level of power, flaunting righteousness was nothing but arrogant tolerance—empty bluster.
'For now, I'll focus on the task at hand.'
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol activated his Movement Technique once more.
Gliding through the gorge like a gust of wind,
He arrived at a secluded valley enclosed by blade-like cliffs, arranged like a folding screen.
Inside, where not even a sliver of sunlight could penetrate, an eerie silence lingered.
It seemed untouched by human footsteps, preserved in its natural state—
Yet this stillness wasn't the serene calm of a vibrant forest, but the suffocating quiet of a predator lying in wait.
'This is...'
As Bu Eun-seol carefully surveyed his surroundings, he swallowed hard.
'Not a spiritual land...'
The valley floor was carpeted in soft moss, but dotted sporadically with dark crimson petals, creating a grotesque contrast.
And blood-red vines, as though they had sucked blood, crept up the rocks, while brilliantly colored poisonous mushrooms blanketed the ground.
'A Toxic Land...'
Astonishingly, the interior of the Secluded Valley in Great Wind Gorge—which the Martial Alliance had declared a spiritual land and mobilized troops to guard—
was in fact a Toxic Land, seething with such virulent poison that even Poison People, who had spent their entire lives mastering Poison Techniques, would not dare approach.