Chapter 993
Shock rippled through Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Jeong Cheon-je.
A Grandmaster of the righteous faction, renowned as the most just of them all.
A sublime figure who humbled himself to aid the downtrodden and willingly sacrificed himself for others.
Yet now, he had become a deranged madman, a mysterious existence wandering the vast wasteland.
But for him—him—to be the culprit who dared demand the blueprints of Saha Manor?
"At the time, Baekri Mu-ha had many secrets. He was, quite literally, the Martial World's greatest enigma."
Sama Gwang trembled as he continued.
"But Jeong Cheon-je... he was a man of verified identity, one who had upheld the Orthodox Murim for decades by doing what was right."
"So you believed his words?"
Sama Gwang nodded.
"This old man yielded not because of my son and daughter-in-law's threats, but..."
His expression twisted with injustice.
"...because of the name of Jeong Cheon-je—the Absolute Renowned Hero of the righteous faction, who had done righteous deeds for decades."
In a way, it was understandable.
Compared to Baekri Mu-ha, whom he had known only briefly,
how could he not trust the name of Jeong Cheon-je—'Heaven of the Righteous Faction'—who had upheld justice for decades?
No matter how close they had been as sworn brothers,
Baekri Mu-ha's background, his martial arts, none of it had been certain.
"Jeong Cheon-je..."
Bu Eun-seol couldn't regain his composure.
From what he knew so far,
Jeong Cheon-je had suffered severe depletion of Internal Power due to Martial Venerable's actions, reduced to a wandering victim who had lost his mind.
Yet in truth, he was a vile schemer—
one who had threatened Sama Gwang with his children's lives to obtain the Mechanism Formation blueprints of Saha Manor?
Then...
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists.
It had been said that Saha Manor was attacked by martial artists.
And the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had unhesitatingly revealed to him the location of the fake Saha Manor—Ho Family Village.
Meaning the probability was high that Jeong Cheon-je was the enemy who had killed his parents.
"Are you saying... Jeong Cheon-je was the one who attacked my parents and Saha Manor?"
Sama Gwang shook his head.
"That, I cannot know. The moment I handed over the blueprints, the Blood Piercing Dagger was plunged into my back."
The instant Sama Gwang placed the blueprints where Jeong Cheon-je wanted and was about to leave, the dagger struck his back.
To bury his evil deeds in secrecy, he had ordered his subordinates to attempt silencing through murder without hesitation.
—How could anyone be this wicked?!
Sama Gwang howled.
But he didn't even have time to curse Jeong Cheon-je.
Because silencing through murder would never end with just him.
With the Blood Piercing Dagger embedded in his back—a blade that would reduce its victim to a handful of blood the moment it struck—he raced toward the manor in Guilin where his children were.
But what unfolded before his eyes upon arrival was a manor engulfed in roaring flames and the cold corpses of his son and daughter-in-law.
—My son! How could you—!
Clutching his son's lifeless body, Sama Gwang wept tears of blood, consumed by regret.
He should have consulted Baekri Mu-ha about everything.
He should never have fallen for the honeyed words of that demon Jeong Cheon-je, who claimed it was for the sake of Murim.
—Father, you were right.
But then, strange characters were written on his son's palm.
I was right?
Pondering deeply, Sama Gwang suddenly jolted awake.
'The mechanism!'
The manor his son lived in had also been designed by him, and he had installed hidden mechanical devices there as well.
—I'm not even a martial artist. Why would I need such a secret chamber?
At the time, his son had scolded him.
But Sama Gwang had insisted on constructing a hidden chamber just in case.
'He left a message so covert that no one else could decipher it.'
The characters carved into his son's palm had been etched by the son himself.
Deliberately vague, ensuring that even if the murderers saw it, they wouldn't understand.
It was clear he had left a clue to where his granddaughter was.
Thud—
With the Blood Piercing Dagger still lodged in his back, he sprinted toward the pavilion.
Activating the hidden mechanism there, a passageway leading underground opened.
Rumble—
As the chamber door slid open,
there lay a newborn baby, swaddled in blankets, sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.
Just as he exhaled in relief and reached to lift the bundle—
"...!"
Plop.
A letter fell, as if heralding ill omens.
Unfolding it, he found a brief message scrawled in swift strokes:
—Forget everything that has happened. Leave the Martial World. Shouldn't you at least save your granddaughter?
Sama Gwang trembled violently.
The Righteous Heavenly Emperor not only knew that he wouldn't die despite being stabbed by the Blood-Piercing Dagger—
He had also anticipated that someone would come searching for the granddaughter hidden here, and thus left this note behind.
To ensure the Martial World would never learn of his atrocities. To ensure vengeance could never even be dreamed of.
—In the end, revenge is meaningless anyway.
The Righteous Heavenly Emperor was the Number One of the Righteous Path, the leader of the Martial Alliance—the greatest orthodox faction in Murim.
Even if this truth were revealed, no one would believe it.
And even if one wished to expose him, there was no evidence left behind.
—At the very least, I must protect my granddaughter.
Tears of blood streaming down his face, Sama Gwang clutched his granddaughter to his chest.
Su-wol was the only blood relative left behind by his son and daughter-in-law.
Though he could not avenge their deaths, he had to raise this child safely, no matter what.
Having finished his explanation, Sama Gwang spoke again.
"But due to prolonged exposure to the Blood-Piercing Dagger, I lost my Internal Power, and my liver was ruined. I became a man who couldn't live without medicine for the rest of my life."
A thick, bitter fluid trickled from his eyes.
"So I raised Su-wol as an ordinary girl. To ensure she would never be entangled in Murim."
His face, reflecting on his bitter past, was stained with pain and regret.
In the end, he had been deceived by the man wearing the mask of the Celestial Sword Emperor—this demon.
He had harmed his sworn younger brother, Baekri Mu-ha, who could have been a righteous hero, a pillar of the orthodox Murim.
And when news arrived that the Saha Manor had burned to the ground, leaving his entire family as cold corpses—
Sama Gwang drowned in unbearable guilt.
Had it not been for his granddaughter, Su-wol, he would have taken his own life long ago.
"But now, I can't even protect her. Instead, I've become nothing but a burden."
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
It was true—Sama Gwang had committed wrongdoing.
But all he had done was hand over the Saha Manor's mechanical blueprints.
That alone was not a crime grave enough to warrant losing his family, becoming a cripple, and suffering in agony for the rest of his life.
'Though betraying Father is detestable...'
Sama Gwang was enduring a punishment far greater than his crime.
"Now that I'll soon be heading to the Underworld, I'll have to apologize to my brother there."
"That won't be necessary."
"What do you mean?"
Bu Eun-seol slowly reached out and grasped Sama Gwang's Pulse Gate.
"I've been sensing something strange since earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"This isn't an illness or old age. Why has your vitality been so thoroughly drained, with no possibility of recovery?"
"It's because of the poison—"
"Correct."
Shwaaak.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's pupils darkened completely, and a mysterious fog began rising from his entire body.
Sage Among Poisons.
The highest realm of poison mastery—where one could create any poison and detoxify any poison—had been activated.
Shuuuu...
The Extreme Poison of the Blood-Piercing Dagger, which had been gnawing away at Sama Gwang's life force, was instantly drawn into Bu Eun-seol's body.
The Blood-Piercing Dagger was an ancient blade steeped in Extreme Poison.
Even for one who had reached the Sage Among Poisons, detoxifying it was no simple feat.
But Bu Eun-seol's method of detoxification—
Was always to transfer the poison into his own body and purify it.
And precisely because of this method, he was stronger than any other Poison Person and could create even deadlier poisons.
Wooong...
A faint radiance flickered across Bu Eun-seol's body.
The more he absorbed the Extreme Poison, the deeper his Sage Among Poisons realm grew.
Shuu... Shuuuu...
Before long, the poison that had been devouring Sama Gwang's body for decades began to fade.
His complexion brightened rapidly.
"Why...?"
Sama Gwang lowered his head.
"Why are you showing me such mercy?"
His body trembled with guilt as he spoke.
"Because of me, the Saha Manor was annihilated, and my brother and his wife met tragic deaths—so why?"
He had suffered endlessly.
The deaths of his sworn brother Baekri Mu-ha and his wife Sa Ah—it was undeniably because he had leaked the Saha Manor's mechanical engineering blueprints.
"No."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"All you did was leak the manor's mechanical blueprints, didn't you? You need not think beyond that."
"Even so, I betrayed my late father. So why in the world—"
"Father would have done the same."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"He would have forgiven you."
His eyes were filled with an unshakable conviction and Righteous Grandeur, immovable even if the heavens collapsed.
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol didn't think Sama Gwang had done the right thing.
Even if the Celestial Sword Emperor had threatened his family's lives, in the end, he had failed to trust his father.
"After all, it might have been the very reason the Blood Calamity befell the Saha Manor."
"But my father was the most righteous and benevolent person in the world."
"Even if he had known everything, he would never have resented Sama Gwang."
"And he would never have turned his back on a sworn brother dying before his eyes."
"Young man."
Tears streamed down Sama Gwang's face.
Bu Eun-seol's righteous gaze and solemn bearing were so reminiscent of his late sworn brother, Baekri Mu-ha, that it was as if the man had returned from the dead.
"Little brother... This wretched elder brother betrayed you, the one who saved his life..."
Sama Gwang could no longer contain his anguish. He wept bitterly, his shoulders shaking with each sob.
"And now, even your son comes to save this unworthy elder brother's life!"
Bu Eun-seol waited for the man's emotions to settle before circulating his Internal Energy once more.
"Now I will begin restoring your body in earnest. Assume the lotus position and prepare for Qi Circulation."
"Qi Circulation?"
"You must recover your Internal Power if you wish to protect your granddaughter, no?"
"That... is impossible."
Sama Gwang wiped his tears and shook his head.
"My body has long been ruined, my meridians petrified. To forcibly reopen them would require Internal Power equivalent to at least ten Cycles—a realm bordering on the divine—to pierce through the Blood Circuits..."
Huuuuum!
Before he could finish speaking, the blocked Blood Circuits in Sama Gwang's body began to rapidly clear.
Bu Eun-seol had begun unleashing his Internal Energy in full.
"Ghk—!"
Sama Gwang's eyes widened in shock.
How could someone not even thirty years old possess such profound Internal Power?
'He hasn't even begun channeling it into me yet, and my body is already being pushed back?'
The moment Bu Eun-seol exerted his Internal Energy, Sama Gwang—still seated in the lotus position—was forced back by nearly an inch.
'It surpasses... ten Cycles.'
Calculating the Counterforce, the sheer magnitude of the energy pressing against him...
Wasn't this exceeding even the known limits of the human body—beyond the legendary ten Cycles?
"G-Gently...!"
As the immense Internal Energy surged through his Blood Circuits, Sama Gwang felt as though his flesh were being torn apart.
"My body... feels like it's going to burst."
"You must endure."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened like a blade.
"This is your last chance. If we don't break through in one go, your body will never fully recover."
Grk—!
Sama Gwang clenched his teeth and nodded.
Huuuuum!
When Bu Eun-seol channeled another surge of Reverse Polarity True Qi into him—
Crack!
A bone-deep reverberation echoed through Sama Gwang's body, his veins bulging unnaturally.
His physical form was collapsing under the strain of Bu Eun-seol's Internal Energy.
'If I amplify it any further... his body might truly rupture.'
Only the Hundred Meetings Acupoint remained.
But if they stopped now, Sama Gwang would never regain his martial arts.
"Hold on."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was firm.
"If not for yourself, then for your granddaughter."
Sama Gwang's body shuddered violently. Then, a scorching Heat Qi began radiating from his pupils.
Sensing the man's resolve to face death itself, Bu Eun-seol doubled his Internal Energy output.
BOOM!
In that instant, a tremendous vibration erupted from the Hundred Meetings Acupoint—
Whoooosh!
Steam rose from Sama Gwang's head like a boiling cauldron.
At last, even the Hundred Meetings Acupoint had been cleared. Qi Circulation was now possible.
Huuuum...
Sama Gwang immediately began purging the impurities accumulated in his body.
Fwoosh.
Before he realized it, his seated form had risen nearly an inch into the air.
Floating Samadhi.
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol forcibly reopening all his Blood Circuits, he had regained every shred of his former Internal Power.
Huuuuum... Huuuuum...
Watching Sama Gwang sink deeper into the State of Circulatory Meditation, Bu Eun-seol quietly stepped outside to allow him undisturbed focus.
The moment he exited, Su-wol, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed over.
"What in the world happened in there?!"
Bu Eun-seol answered calmly.
"I have purged all the toxins that were consuming his vitality. Within the time it takes to eat a meal, he will recover his martial arts and return to full health."
"Martial arts? Grandfather was a martial artist?"
"Indeed. He was once counted among the greatest Masters in all of Jiangnan."
"Grandfather... was...?"
Su-wol's expression went blank.
All this time, her grandfather had cared for her despite his ailing body, slowly wasting away from an unknown illness.
She had desperately wanted to seek help, but he had refused even the suggestion of a physician.
And now, in a single stroke, his sickness was cured? She could hardly contain her joy.
"Thank you!"
Bu Eun-seol suppressed a somewhat bitter smile.
If only I had such a benefactor back then...
If only there had been someone to protect my grandfather from that assassin...
My life might have been entirely different.
"Then, from now on—"
Just as Su-wol began to speak again—
Swish.
A faint sound reverberated in Bu Eun-seol's ears.
It wasn't truly a sound—it was more like an intuition, something only his extrasensory perception could detect.
Sensing danger, he spoke to Su-wol.
"Go inside. Now."
"Huh?"
"Someone is coming."
Bu Eun-seol's pupils flashed.
The virtuous do not seek me out, and those who seek me are not virtuous.
As he spread his extrasensory perception about three thousand feet outward using the Heavenly Light Endless Art, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Sssk.
In the suffocating silence, where not even a breeze stirred, six shadows seeped into the space before the mountain cabin.
They blended with nature, existing yet not existing—
But to Bu Eun-seol's extrasensory perception, their forms were unmistakable, their yellow robes mingling with the transparent air like extensions of the earth itself.
Even under the sunlight, their figures remained translucent, and their robes did not flutter despite the wind.
'They—'
A glint flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Six Yellow-Robed Agents, harmonized with nature, erasing the boundary between man and the natural world.
Were they not the same masters who had once participated in the Wooden Buddha Succession Battle?
The ones who had swarmed the island where the Wooden Buddha had hidden?
'This is bad.'
They were warriors who had reached the limits of martial prowess—yet carried the aura of nothingness.
[Hmm.]
The Yellow-Robed Agents, realizing Bu Eun-seol had detected them, let out a collective hum.
Gwoong.
Simultaneously, their translucent forms gradually solidified.
Each stood over seven feet tall, faces masked, with bulging eyes and thick, prominent noses.
Their shoulders were broad enough to carry three grown men, and their arms evoked the girth of ancient trees.
With six such figures surrounding him like a blockade, the pressure they exuded was like standing before Mount Tai itself.
[Martial Soul Lord.]
The six Yellow-Robed Agents recognized Bu Eun-seol's face and spoke in unison.
[We have no business with you.]
Their voices overlapped eerily, as if a single monstrous entity were speaking.
"Likewise."
Bu Eun-seol replied flatly.
"This is where I reside. Outsiders are not permitted—leave immediately."
[You belong to the Demonic Path.]
A strange light flickered in their bulging eyes.
[Why involve yourself in this matter?]
'This matter?'
Their tone was sharp and hostile, laced with unmistakable malice.
Bu Eun-seol sensed some unresolved grudge between them and Sama Gwang.
'Is this vengeance from the descendants who lost to Jiangnan's Best Sword in the past?'
After a brief contemplation, he spoke.
"What matter are you referring to?"
[You need not know. We have business with the one inside.]
"I said leave."
His tone brooked no argument.
The Yellow-Robed Agents shook their heads, realizing further negotiation was futile.
[Tch.]
Clicking their tongues in unison, their bodies began fading back into transparency.
[Final warning. Step aside.]
"I return those words to you."
[The Demon Hall will need to choose a new successor.]
'They know me, yet still presume victory...'
A flash passed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
When he had gone to rescue the Wooden Buddha, he had witnessed the Yellow-Robed Agents' strength firsthand.
Like masters who had mastered the Way of Nature, they could perfectly conceal their presence—
And the six moved as one, their coordination flawless.
'And the timing is too convenient.'
Bu Eun-seol always erased his tracks meticulously, and he had been here for less than four hours.
Moreover, Sama Gwang had lived here in seclusion for over twenty years, untraceable by anyone.
So why had the Yellow-Robed Agents suddenly descended upon this place?
BOOM!
The six agents simultaneously unleashed One Fist.
KWA-RUNG!
Their fist energy coalesced like a blazing sun before resonating through the air.
Unlike Shaolin's Heart-Binding Bell, which forced power into its target—
Their technique vibrated the void itself, using the resulting shockwave to shake internal organs.
OOOOOM—!
The force they unleashed was so overwhelming that the world itself seemed to blur.
Yet Bu Eun-seol remained unmoved, hands still behind his back, as if unimpressed by a barking dog.
He had already deployed his Protective Astral Energy, effortlessly neutralizing their destructive waves.
[His internal energy—!]
Though Protective Astral Energy typically manifested as a faint, spherical barrier—
A mere dampener that weakened the force of incoming martial techniques—
Bu Eun-seol's version was different.
His aura was as solid as diamond, tangible and unyielding—
Capable of effortlessly repelling even shockwaves that could topple mountains.