Jin Seol was so dumbfounded that a laugh almost burst out of her. To kill her simply because she had crossed paths with that high monk of the Mu Sect?
Staring at Yang Jeong with a blank expression, Jin Seol shook her head.
'No, the Lord is not someone who would give such a petty command.'
To kill someone just because they crossed paths? That was absolutely not the kind of order the Demon Emperor would issue.
"I will report the situation to the Lord myself."
"That is out of the question."
Yang Jeong spoke with a solemn expression. "The execution order has already been issued."
"Sado Muryeong... That man has changed as well."
Along with a low sigh, creeeak, the door of the pavilion opened and Takma slowly walked out.
"Has it reached the point where he resorts to the petty act of silencing even his own subordinates, out of fear that an old monk might have babbled something that shouldn't be said?"
He then spoke to Jin Seol.
"Benefactor, leave this place first. This old monk will hold them back."
Jin Seol shook her head.
She had already been abandoned by the Demon Emperor. The subordinates deployed to the manor were ultimately for surveillance, and for the mere reason that she had run into an old monk, the Demon Emperor had ordered her silencing without hesitation.
Yet Takma, who was seeing her for the very first time in his life, was trying to protect her at the risk of his own life without a moment's hesitation. How could she just leave?
Jin Seol cried out with a determined expression.
"I shall share life and death with you, Great Master!"
Shwek!
She drew a sharp dagger from her bosom.
The Chiljo.
It was a famous blade that formed a pair with the Dangan, which was considered the sharpest short-sword in the martial world. It was a gift given by the Demon Emperor when she turned eighteen, but now, she had to use that very blade to kill his subordinates.
"I am disappointed, Majeon Flower Jin Seol."
Yang Jeong wore a venomous smile. "To think you would immediately defect to the main palace's enemy just because your life is dear to you."
"Not only did he erase my memories, but he ordered for me to die without any rhyme or reason. I cannot accept such a fate."
"Erase your memories?"
Frowning, Yang Jeong shook his head. "Well, whatever the case may be."
He then slowly raised his hand.
Rumble!
The sky darkened, and a pitch-black fog began to rise around the pavilion.
The Ghost Pavilion boasted unmatched assassination skills even among the secret organizations of the Demon Emperor. Furthermore, because they were individuals who had mastered and could unleash forbidden grand arrays, it was no exaggeration to say that the moment an execution order was unleashed upon someone by them, that person was already dead.
"Do you intend to trap this old monk with only this many numbers?"
At Takma's words, Yang Jeong scoffed. "If the old monk's body were perfectly fine, this body of mine would have fled so fast that my feet would be on fire. But your body isn't whole right now, is it?"
He had already perceived that Takma was deeply injured and not in a normal state.
"The elite forces of our main palace have already surrounded the entire West Lake area and sealed off the escape routes. Even if you possessed the ability to fly to the heavens, you would not be able to escape."
No matter how much the information network of the Demon Emperor's secret organization was faster than light, it was impossible to mobilize enough manpower to completely surround the West Lake area in just a single day. However, seeing how confidently Yang Jeong was acting, it seemed certain that a formidable follow-up force was on its way here.
"Though before that, you will die by the hands of the warriors of this pavilion!"
With Yang Jeong's shout, the surroundings of the pavilion were completely dyed in darkness. The grand array of the Ghost Pavilion had been deployed.
The battle did not last very long.
Takma, who could be called the number one expert of the West, displayed superhuman martial arts, rendering all the elites of the Ghost Pavilion incapable of combat.
Moreover, unlike in the past, Jin Seol's martial arts had deepened through internal energy cultivation and meditation while staying in this manor, reaching a level where she could utilize the subtleties of the martial arts passed down to her by the Demon Emperor. Therefore, Jin Seol helped him and struck down the warriors of the Ghost Pavilion in an instant.
Despite achieving a grand victory, the two could not rejoice.
From the start, Takma was in a state of deep internal injury. Furthermore, the grand array of the Ghost Pavilion primarily used a vicious demonic art that poured out ghostly energy into the enemy upon death, injecting a ghost poison into the bodies of the two that could not be easily dispelled.
Chiseee!
White smoke was rising from Jin Seol's body. Unable to suppress the ghost poison, her meridians were beginning to freeze.
"This old monk will assist you." Disregarding his own pain, Takma circulated his internal energy. He then forced out all the ghost poison that had been absorbed into her body.
Thud.
Takma fell weakly to his knees.
To save Jin Seol, he had used up even the last bit of energy required to drive out his own ghost poison.
"Great Master!"
Jin Seol's voice choked up as Takma sacrificed his life to save her until the very end, and tears flowed from her ice-cold eyes. The world she had trusted blindly was a lie, and only this lama of the Mu Sect, a total stranger, was saving her with a true heart.
"Do not feel sorry. Our meeting is a fate ordained by the heavens."
Takma spoke. "benefactor, you have likely been sacrificed in whatever plot Sado Muryeong is hatching."
Seeing that Jin Seol had ultimately not been stained by evil and had fought against the masters of Majeon for his sake, he vaguely guessed the situation she was facing.
"This old monk will hold them back somehow, so slip away secretly. Even if they say a heavy encirclement network has been formed, you will be able to evade pursuit once you escape the West Lake area."
"I shall perish together with you, Great Master."
"There is no need for that. This old monk has no intention of dying just yet." Takma smiled faintly. "The Red Ring Mysterious Energy still remains within this old monk's body. If luck is on our side, I can somehow pierce through the encirclement and survive."
He then muttered as if to himself, looking up at the darkening distant sky.
"This old monk cannot die yet. For only this old monk can undo the seal of the Savior who will save this world."
"A seal...?"
"He forces conflicting powers into a single body. If they undo themselves naturally, a horrifying thing will happen."
Contorting his face, Takma spoke as if in pain. "Therefore, before he consumes himself, this old monk must absolutely undo the seal of the Thunder Tiger."
When Jin Seol wore a blank expression, unable to understand, Takma shook his head.
"Do not stray elsewhere; leave West Lake and immediately vanish without a trace. You must flee through a route they do not expect."
He then showed a benevolent smile. "You must survive."
Flash!
Without waiting for an answer, Takma soared beyond the blackening sky.
"Survive..."
Jin Seol muttered helplessly, staring blankly at the sky where Takma had disappeared. Only after being left alone did she finally realize. Even if the world was this vast, there was not a single place where she could entrust her body. Even if she survived, she had nowhere to go.
The world she knew had completely crumbled down. The foster father she believed had raised her with love had ruthlessly discarded her the moment she lost her utility.
Why was she still alive?
Or rather, was there a reason to survive?
Such empty questions swirled in her head.
'No, there is.'
Suddenly, the face of a gallant man she had long harbored in her heart came to mind. He possessed a cold countenance with almost no expression, but behind it was hidden a warm heart that carefully looked after and cared for others.
Although there was no place for her in his heart, she had once endured agonizing days over the fact that the one she ardently adored did not love her back. But now, regardless of that, a reason to meet him had arisen. Because there was a story she absolutely had to deliver.
I must deliver those words.
In truth, the catalyst for her leaving Majeon was that she had discovered a shocking truth while searching and investigating the Demon Emperor's quarters for his sake. At the time, she could not bring herself to deliver that truth to him due to the grace she owed to the Demon Emperor who had raised her.
But now that everything had collapsed, she could hesitate no longer. Instead of the pure affection she could never convey, she had to place the cruel truth she had been forced to hide into his hands.
Even if there was no way to convey her tender feelings, she had to let him hear that shocking truth.
If she secretly vanished along this path, she might be able to hide her body for about a year. But if she did that, she would not be able to meet Bu Eunseol. Even if she were lucky enough to send information, it would be completely useless unless she met him in person.
"Rather than living miserably, I will see him one last time and leave without regrets."
With a low vow, Jin Seol immediately deployed her movement technique and leaped in the exact opposite direction of Takma. To the place she had to return. The place where the one she intensely yearned for resided.
“To Majeon.”
***
Bu Eunseol was devising all sorts of strategies to handle the Vajra Demonic Sect, which was spreading chaos throughout the martial world. This was because the Vajra Demonic Sect was known to be an existence that completely overthrew the martial logic and common sense of the martial world known so far.
In other words, because they could never be opposed by martial power or tactics alone, he was tirelessly analyzing and listening to information obtained from information organizations, straining to find the optimal method.
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps was heard. Bu Eunseol opened his mouth without even lifting his head. He already knew it was Yoo Unryong just by the sound of the footsteps.
"Come in."
"It’s bad news."
Entering, Yoo Unryong spoke directly to the point with a stiff expression. "I happened to intercept information leaked from the Shadow Pavilion, and something completely unbelievable has occurred."
"What do you mean?"
"Majeon Flower Jin Seol is being attacked by the subordinates of our main sect."
"What?"
"To be precise, by the direct organization of the Demon Emperor."
Bu Eunseol bolted upright from his seat.
Jin Seol was the adopted daughter whom the Demon Emperor cherished so dearly. Even if she had committed treason, the Demon Emperor was someone who would step forward himself; he was by no means a person who would order his subordinates to execute her.
"It must be a mistaken command. There is no way the Demon Emperor would issue such an order."
"The inner details are unknown. The Demon Emperor has entered secluded meditation and has not shown himself, but for some reason, such a command was handed down."
Yoo Unryong spoke with a serious expression. "In this kind of case, wouldn't there be only two possibilities?"
He spoke cautiously, watching Bu Eunseol's reaction.
"Either the command was delivered incorrectly… or she wasn't actually that important of a figure to the Demon Emperor, but merely a pawn left behind for some sort of task."
The possibility of the Demon Emperor's command being delivered incorrectly was scarce. If someone incorrectly executed the Demon Emperor's order, they would suffer a pain worse than death. If so, there was a high probability that Yoo Unryong's second conjecture was correct.
"Meaning the Demon Emperor used Majeon Flower Jin as a card all this time, and discarded her now that her utility has vanished."
At Yoo Unryong's words, a deep furrow formed between Bu Eunseol's eyebrows. In the past, he would have scoffed at such a deduction. Because he had trusted without a doubt that the Demon Emperor was someone who could never change.
But after his recent private audience with the Demon Emperor, that trust could not help but be shaken.
The Demon Emperor had changed.
Instead of a majesty that overwhelmed the audience, he was displaying the madness of a madman running calmly toward ruin. No, perhaps he was originally that kind of person. In short, he could no longer judge or be certain of what kind of existence the Demon Emperor truly was.
"I will go and verify it myself."
"Absolutely not."
At Bu Eunseol's words, Yoo Unryong resolutely shook his head. "The reason I came to deliver this news myself was to prevent you from stepping forward like this."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten? Why did I receive the punishment of the Life-and-Death Single Palm Decree?"
The punishment of the Life-and-Death Single Palm Decree.
It was solely because he had touched the secret organization of the Demon Emperor. Even though Bu Eunseol had revealed his identity, the warriors had lunged at him desperately, so he ultimately had no choice but to handle them.
Yet, for touching the secret organization of the Demon Emperor, he had practically received a lifelong Life-and-Death Single Palm Decree.
But if he clashed with the Demon Emperor's organization once again to save Jin Seol? At that time, there would be no way to evade severe punishment, no matter what measures he took.
Yoo Unryong spoke again. "The fact that the Shadow Pavilion leaked this information in itself might be a meticulous trap targeting your personality."
The Pavilion Master of the Shadow Pavilion, Hwa Jung-cheon, deeply hated Bu Eunseol to the bone for having challenged his authority in the past and heavily humiliating him in front of his subordinates. Moreover, since he clearly saw through Bu Eunseol's personality of striving to protect the people around him, he might be intending to use this information to deliberately cast him into an inescapable abyss.
"That might be so."
Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath. "But even so, I must go."
He spoke resolutely.
"If we turn a blind eye even to this kind of matter, for what on earth have we striven so hard until now?"
While traveling the martial world and constantly clashing with giant forces, one cannot prevent every danger to the people around them. However, Bu Eunseol had done his best and devised methods to ensure such things did not happen. But if he could not save Jin Seol who was in danger? All the efforts he had made until now would become completely futile.
"I would rather ask you." Yoo Unryong asked with an incomparably serious expression. "Does Majeon Flower Jin possess that much value? What does she mean to you?"
It was a cold remark, but it was also a fact.
She was neither Bu Eunseol's subordinate, nor his friend, nor his acquaintance. Strictly speaking, she was closer to a mere bystander. Yet to save her, was there a need for not only Bu Eunseol but also the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps to risk their lives and be prepared to leave Majeon abruptly?
"Because of me, she came to know a cruel truth she did not want to know." Bu Eunseol spoke with a heavy expression. "And that led her to despair, and ultimately ended up offending the Sado Demon Emperor."
Yoo Unryong could understand the meaning of those words. If Bu Eunseol had not delivered the story regarding Jin Seol's identity, she would still be living comfortably in Majeon right now.
"Even so, to go as far as..."
Trying to speak further, Yoo Unryong closed his mouth. "No, it is not that."
If they were people who calculated profit and loss, they would not have saved the bystanders around them until now. They would only need to save the figures who were absolutely necessary and important to them. But Bu Eunseol tried to protect everyone as long as they were someone he could protect.
"I understand well what you mean."
Yoo Unryong drew a deep breath. Inwardly, he had guessed it. That no matter what he said, he could not persuade or stop him.
"I will have the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps prepare. This time, an event where we truly leave Majeon might occur."
"Understood. However, proceed once I return."
Leaving behind those words, a great wind passed through the interior, and the sound of thunder echoed from the distant sky.
He had already left to save Jin Seol.
***
Jin Seol had fallen into a moribund state. To shake off the relentless pursuit, she had fought numerous enemies and shed too much blood. It was truly a journey dyed in blood.
Until now, she had never once held a sword and killed a person. She had always ascended to a high position like a noble flower, looking down upon people. She had lived like a princess inside the castle called Majeon. But in the end, it was merely an empty position. The castle called Majeon was a prison, and she had merely been a convenient pawn to exploit.
"Formidable."
A bamboo forest in a certain mountain of West Lake.
Chugwi, the Lord of the Avici Blood, who was surrounding Jin Seol, shook his head. "It was known that the Majeon Flower's martial arts were extremely unremarkable until now."
In their attempt to hunt down Jin Seol, the warriors of the Void Mirage and the Heavenly Net, among the secret organizations of Majeon, had ultimately been annihilated. Although the warriors of the Avici Blood had barely managed to surround her now, half of them had also lost their lives.
'This is the end.'
Instinctively sensing that it was the end, Jin Seol gripped her dagger, the Chiljo.
'I had intended to absolutely return to Majeon where he is...'
In the end, she could not even escape the West Lake area and suffered deep injuries by her pursuers.
'Dharma Master Takma must have safely escaped the West Lake area.'
Jin Seol had boldly revealed her presence until now. Ultimately, the pursuers realized the fact that she was heading toward Majeon, and they did not leave that path vacant for even a single moment.
Furthermore, because the Demon Emperor was a figure who absolutely never tolerated failure, instead of pursuing the elusive absolute expert of the West, more troops were directed toward her, who could be surely captured.
'Please be safe...'
Takma had saved her several times, consuming his true energy which was as precious as his life. But because Jin Seol had no intention of avoiding pursuit or living as a fugitive, she had boldly headed toward Majeon. Moreover, the energy that had troubled her previously—surging from her dantian from time to time—had conversely become a great strength in battle, becoming the driving force that saved her life multiple times in crisis situations. If not for that power, her head would have fallen or she would have become a cold corpse before even arriving here.
'I wanted to see him one last time.'
In the end, she could not capture the one she so desperately wished to see in her eyes. She no longer had the strength to move her body.
"The Flower of the Demonic Path."
Chugwi twisted the corner of his mouth and spoke. "In the end, it means you were an artificially created flower."
At one time, as the daughter of the number one person of the Demonic Path, she possessed a power and authority that no one dared touch, and true to her moniker as the Flower of the Demonic Path, she had always maintained a beautiful and brilliant appearance. But now, she had become a fugitive pursued by the command of the Demon Emperor, presenting a wretched appearance with dirt and blood tangled together.
"Just commit suicide." Chugwi spoke with a snort. "It is a courtesy for having once been the Majeon Flower."
"If I had that kind of intention, I wouldn't have carved a path of blood at the risk of my life until now." Jin Seol spoke calmly, holding her dagger. "Right now, I am not the Majeon Flower of Majeon but merely a fugitive. Make your move."
"Very well."
Chugwi nodded his head, but instead of stepping forward himself, he commanded his subordinates. "Strike her."
The subordinates gripped their venomous blades, but not a single one stepped forward.
Jin Seol was the Flower of the Demonic Path and the individual whom the Demon Emperor cherished more than anyone.
Fearing a potential turn of events, they did not dare strike first.
Chugwi let out a low groan.
In truth, he was equally uneasy. Offering her the courtesy to commit suicide was not out of true respect for her, but because cutting off the neck of a woman who was once the highest lady of the Demonic Path and the favorite of the Demon Emperor somehow felt uneasy.
"Deploy the Avici Blood-Breaking Formation and attack her all at once."
The warriors of the Avici Blood used a unique hidden weapon called the Striking Cloth. The moment this hidden weapon pierced into the body, dozens of long needles burst out and pierced the vital acupoints. A cruel hidden weapon that, true to its name, deployed thorns within the enemy's body. The formation that fired these hidden weapons all at once was the Avici Blood-Breaking Formation.
If they threw such hidden weapons simultaneously, no one would know who landed the hit, so they could kill her with peace of mind.
"Strike!"
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
According to Chugwi's command, the Striking Clothes poured down like rain.
"Haap!"
Watching that sight, Jin Seol thrust out her palm force along with a battle cry. Her martial arts had all been taught directly by the Demon Emperor. However, knowing well Jin Seol's personality of being unable to kill even a single ant, he had taught her martial arts specialized in defense, purely to protect her own body.
But even so, he had taught her exactly one martial art that possessed an exceptionally cruel power. It was the very art she was deploying right now, one of the ten great palm techniques of the Demonic Path, the Soul-Cutting Mind-Severing Palm.
Boom!
Along with a thunderous sound, the pouring Striking Clothes began to be deflected back.
The subtlety of the Soul-Cutting Mind-Severing Palm was that it could be unleashed with little strength, containing the essence of Exhausting and Receiving Old Force, which allowed her to recover true energy each time she attacked, and the secret technique of Heavy Strike Return, which could turn back all pouring attacks to counterattack.
The Demon Emperor had transmitted this very palm technique so that if Jin Seol ever faced a desperate situation, she could protect her own body.
Along with single screams, the pouring Striking Clothes turned back, turning the warriors of the Avici Blood into porcupines. Because the Avici Blood-Breaking Formation was a method that combined the attacks of members whose internal energy exceeded three cycles to fire the hidden weapons, defense was difficult even for a master possessing formidable martial arts.
Yet Jin Seol was opposing the Avici Blood-Breaking Formation solely by unleashing the Soul-Cutting Mind-Severing Palm, allowing one to guess how profound the palm technique taught by the Demon Emperor truly was.
"This won't do." Chugwi clicked his tongue. "Even a rotting herring is better than fresh dace."
To think that Jin Seol, who was said to have never properly unleashed martial arts until now, would display this level of martial prowess.
"This Blood Lord has no choice but to handle it."
Flash!
Deploying his movement technique, he leaped high above Jin Seol's head, unleashing a technique aimed at her Baihui acupoint to strike her vital spot.
Boom!
However, by the Soul-Cutting Mind-Severing Palm, the claw force he unleashed returned to his face in an instant.
"The palm technique is formidable, but the method of unleashing it is monotonous."
Chugwi immediately perceived that while the palm technique Jin Seol unleashed was profound, she lacked combat experience. Lowering his body, he deployed a movement technique that swept across the ground, evading the pouring palm force and closing the distance into close proximity in an instant.
Rumble!
Jin Seol deployed the palm technique once more, but Chugwi easily evaded it. A palm technique with strong power tended to have a large preparatory stance or unleash intense vibrations first, making it relatively easy to evade at close range.
Flash! Flash!
Chugwi moved rapidly.
However, evading a palm force capable of shattering even bone right in front of one's nose was an impossible feat unless one possessed considerable courage and an excellent movement technique. Although he was not a figure well-known in the martial world, true to his status as the leader of a secret organization, he was pressuring Jin Seol with astonishing martial prowess and tactics.
Along with a heavy sound, Jin Seol was ultimately struck by Chugwi's palm force, which was capable of smashing even iron houses. But the moment the palm force connected, a stream of hot heat surged from her dantian.
It was the Red Ring Mysterious Energy that Takma had injected into her.
Thanks to that, she was able to avoid the disaster of her body being shattered.
"Now!"
However, Chugwi had factored into his calculations the possibility that Jin Seol could withstand his palm force. At that moment, the function of the Avici Blood-Breaking Formation was activated once more, and hundreds of Striking Clothes were unleashed.
Jin Seol deployed her movement and palm techniques to block them somehow, but ultimately, a few Striking Clothes lodged into her vital spots by chance.
"Farewell, Majeon Flower."
Dozens of long needles burst into her body. Struck by the Striking Clothes, she had suffered a fatal injury. Jin Seol ultimately fell weakly to her knees.
The terrifying aspect of the Striking Cloth was that because the sharp long needles spread out from within the body, they not only instantly severed the energies flowing within the body but also destroyed the internal organs.
Blood was flowing from the corners of her eyes as well, and her vision grew blurred. She had avoided an instantly fatal strike, but before long, she would pass away due to the holes and bleeding created inside her body.
'I am an artificial flower.'
Jin Seol looked toward the distant sky with wistful eyes.
It was a blessed life that all demonic martial artists envied, but in reality, it was merely an artificially created life for a brief moment, destined to fade away on the roadside by the weapons of assassins in the end.
Just then, a thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth echoed from the distant sky, and five-colored clouds began to cleave the heavens.
Whirlwind!
Suddenly, a gale blew as if to tear the whole world apart, and a man dressed in black robes descended beside Jin Seol.
It was Bu Eunseol.
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