Finally, the secrets surrounding the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship were revealed, and the investigation by the Death Spirit Corps began to gain rapid momentum.
The next generation of rising stars.
The greedy or avaricious leaders of the unorthodox Faction.
Geniuses who had achieved mastery in a particular field.
The Vajra Demon Sect had been luring these individuals through ancient formations.
And the one who could uncover all of this was Bu Eunseol.
Having long foreseen that the martial world would enter an era of information warfare, he had poured enormous resources into building his intelligence organization for a very long time.
“Even if we select people who fall into those three categories from our side, it seems impossible to destroy the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship.”
But there was another problem here.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship was likely the main base where the Vajra Demon Sect resided. Even if they sent in large numbers of people from the three categories, they would still be no match for the Vajra Demon Sect of the world, and the probability of losing outstanding elites would be very high.
“Not only that, but inside the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship… it seems the Vajra Demon Sect possesses the ability to discern a person’s original aura and characteristics. No matter how much effort one puts into disguise or transformation, if one is not exactly the type the Treasure Ship desires, entry is ultimately impossible.”
“Do not worry about that issue.”
He had not told the captains of the Death Shadow Corps yet, but he possessed the Black Secret Arts. With the power of this sanctuary, it would be possible to deceive even the eyes of the Vajra Demon Sect.
Entering the treasure vault will be nothing.
***
Himdang Mountain was a rugged mountain in the western part of Sichuan with a strange terrain, inhabited by many ethnic minorities. A shadow was swiftly climbing its steep slopes.
It was Bu Eunseol, who had completely altered his appearance, aura, and even the flow of his internal energy and vital points using the Black Secret Arts.
‘He must be from the foreign tribes.’
The person he had transformed into was a leader of the unorthodox Faction who had long been a public enemy of the martial world—Jwa Ryeok, also known as the Gold Blood Hand. Jwa Ryeok had quietly met his end long ago in an unknown valley. During his time as Number 18 of the Nine Deaths Squad, Bu Eunseol had secretly eliminated him. It was not an official mission of the Nine Deaths Squad, but a personal execution of Jwa Ryeok for tormenting civilians and committing evil deeds. No one except Bu Eunseol himself knew of his death.
‘If it is Jwa Ryeok, the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship will definitely appear before me.’
Unlike most greedy leaders of the Demonic Path, Jwa Ryeok was a genius proficient in art and pharmacology, and had also achieved mastery in feng shui, calligraphy, and painting. He was someone who lived in seclusion and only revealed his ferocious side when money was needed. He perfectly fit two of the conditions required by the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship, making him an ideal candidate.
Bu Eunseol had personally killed Jwa Ryeok and secretly disposed of his body, which allowed him to perfectly imitate Jwa Ryeok’s aura, physical features, and even his unique martial art, the Soul-Stealing Bloodless Claw. He had deliberately left traces of evil deeds while wandering the martial world.
If his prediction was correct, the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship would have no choice but to appear before him in some form.
‘Even the Vajra Demon Sect cannot monitor the entire Central Plains.’
No matter how transcendent their abilities, it would be extremely inefficient—practically impossible—for the Demon Sect to watch over the entire Central Plains and select desired individuals. Therefore, the Treasure Ship was likely acting like a lighthouse in a dark sea, emitting specific signals or resonances to lure the desired people into its detection range.
His prediction proved accurate.
Bu Eunseol had felt a strange resonance at Mount Pyeongdang and was now climbing toward it.
What concerned him was the unclear extent of their abilities.
The Seven Great Demon Sects were known as the founders of the Demonic Path and possessed transcendent powers. If the legends were true, they could wipe out countless sects in an instant without needing to waste time.
So why were they orchestrating such strange events?
‘Did they create the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship to hide their true abilities and cause maximum chaos and destruction with minimal risk?’
Bu Eunseol soon shook his head.
Drawing the attention of both the orthodox and unorthodox factions in such a conspicuous way would only bring greater danger. Moreover, if destruction and chaos were the goal, there would be no need to carefully select and lure specific people.
What was certain was that their warnings had been true. From the Jeok Bung to Weiji Mu-a, they had warned that properly provoking the Ten Great Demonic Sects would lead to catastrophic events—and that had indeed come to pass. The Seven Great Demon Ancestors had appeared, and the martial world had fallen into unprecedented chaos.
‘The goal of the Vajra Demon Sect is certainly not mere chaos. If they only sought chaos, they would not have limited themselves to attracting only those three categories of people.’
Mount Pyeongdang bordered the western plateaus and was always shrouded in mysterious mist.
‘There it is.’
Bu Eunseol, using his supreme movement technique, gripped his fist tightly. Above the mountain peak, overlapping shadows formed the shape of a massive ship.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship—the mysterious treasure vault that randomly appeared within the territory of the Demonic Path—had finally revealed itself before Bu Eunseol.
He slowly walked toward where the ship was floating.
Strangely, a faint glow shimmered at the bow. It was a distant, dreamlike light that seemed capable of stealing a person’s soul.
Bu Eunseol instinctively realized it.
He had already been exposed to the pinnacle of illusion arts many times and had even mastered the highest level of the Illusion Upon Illusion. Thus, he immediately sensed that the light flowing from the bow possessed the power to penetrate the spirit.
He concentrated on the images Jwa Ryeok would have desired.
Then, in the air before the bow, the illusion of a treasure vault filled with enough treasures to satisfy even Jwa Ryeok appeared.
The moment he held his breath at the magnificent sight, a transparent door opened before his eyes. It was likely the actual entrance formed by a formation leading into the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship.
Bu Eunseol walked through it as if drawn by a spell. Along with a vibration that felt like the ground was collapsing, an illusion of the entire world shaking unfolded.
In front of him appeared the image of a massive mountain that had been invisible until now. It looked as if the giant god Pangu had carved it with a huge axe. The peak pierced the sky, wrapped in clouds like a belt. The entire mountain was covered not in soil or rock, but in smooth, glossy obsidian or basalt-like material. Some surfaces emitted a faint rainbow luster under the sunlight, while others reflected the surrounding scenery like mirrors, captivating the viewer.
‘This is the mountain Protector Tak spoke of.’
It was far too sharp and artificial to be the work of nature. The perfectly straight ridges looked as if they had been carved with a blade, and there were bizarre rocks resembling crouching giant beasts. The summit rose sharply toward the heavens like a sword offered to the gods.
“Just this mountain alone would be worth a fortune,” Bu Eunseol said deliberately, licking his lips with a greedy tone.
He quickly passed through the forest. After walking deep inside for a while, all traces of life disappeared. There were no trees, only black rocks and strange energy pervading the area. The silence rejected all living things and induced fear.
The ground gradually became muddy.
Normally he would not have cared, but since he was currently disguised as Jwa Ryeok—a miserly violent man who would sell even his parents for money—he used his internal energy to lightly pass over the mud without dirtying himself.
Finally, a large entrance appeared.
The door was made of cold, hard metal. As he entered, the door opened by itself, revealing a wide path covered in plants. Among them were some useful spiritual herbs, though not extraordinary. They were mid-level items effective for those with only twenty to thirty years of internal energy. He would not have glanced at them normally, but Bu Eunseol deliberately swallowed his saliva and plucked the spiritual herbs one by one as he moved forward.
Throughout the passage were doors that could only be opened by pushing, or iron weights. They were quite heavy and required at least one jia of internal energy to move.
Upon entering the large grand hall, a scene resembling a living forest unfolded. Transparent moss like crystal emitted light regularly, and the bark of massive ancient trees shone with a metallic luster.
Then, before his eyes, a corpse appeared—with a short sword embedded deep in its back, its hilt adorned with diamonds. Bu Eunseol naturally pulled out the dagger, stored it, and began searching the body.
He found a glass bottle containing blood-stained wealth and spiritual pills. He discarded the worthless decayed items and stored the spiritual pills.
At that moment, another door opened far away.
“It was a test.”
The corpse had been a test to confirm whether he was truly a greedy person.
‘Clever.’
The interior resembled a divine temple seen from the heavens. Massive stone pillars moved slowly as if alive, and unknown ancient characters were engraved on their surfaces.
Clang! Clash!
Inside, around a hundred people were engaged in a bloody battle. There were treasure chests in the grand hall containing famous items or inner pills that granted over one jia of internal energy, or secret manuals that could make one famous in the martial world.
The strange thing was that the sizes and shapes of the spiritual medicine boxes and treasure chests were very unique. Some were over one zhang wide, others over one zhang tall. A few were light enough to carry, but most had irregular dimensions in all directions.
The people fighting here were not only young rising stars, but also men in their thirties and forties, and even middle-aged elders.
‘The three categories are mixed together.’
They were all next-generation talents, greedy leaders, and geniuses.
‘They are being sorted from the entrance itself.’
The treasures and spiritual herbs placed from the entrance were devices to select greedy individuals. The muddy ground deep enough to leave footprints was likely a way to measure internal energy levels. Those with strong internal energy could float lightly and avoid dirtying their shoes.
Even if they walked normally, the heavy stone and iron doors could measure their power.
This treasure vault was classifying people with very simple mechanisms.
‘Using gates to judge people means there are no dedicated monitors here.’
If they wanted to thoroughly classify entrants, they would not have created such gates.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Bu Eunseol’s Black Secret Arts did not merely disguise him—they transformed him into that person entirely.
Moreover, he possessed the greatest internal energy in the world and was the only one in the martial world capable of perfectly hiding and suppressing his power with inner pills.
Even if the Demon Emperor came, he would not be able to discern his identity.
Suddenly, dozens of hidden weapons poured toward him. The Thousand Demonic Ghosts that had spotted Bu Eunseol descended from the air and launched a surprise attack.
Bu Eunseol unfolded the Soul-Stealing Bloodless Claw, extracting their meridians one by one. Though it looked like he had merely struck with sword energy, the floating Thousand Demonic Ghosts fell to the ground as if paralyzed.
They writhed in pain like people who knew no martial arts, rolling on the floor. It appeared to be the Soul-Stealing Bloodless Claw, but in reality, he had applied the secret Flying Sword Style from a lost manual to instantly shatter their dantians and sever their meridians.
‘These bastards don’t even deserve a quick death.’
The Thousand Demonic Ghosts had committed endless evil deeds and slaughtered countless women.
Swish!
A sharp long sword suddenly dug into Bu Eunseol’s lower abdomen. A woman hiding in a tree had unleashed sword energy at him.
‘There is no way the Ami Sect would have such a vicious technique.’
Although he had used her, she could not fool Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘It’s the Smiling Killer Hag.’
The witch of the unorthodox Faction who killed people with a smile had murdered an Ami Sect woman and was wearing her sword.
With a sigh, he lightly flicked his finger. The long sword vanished into dust, and the woman hiding in the tree was instantly driven into the ground.
“We must join forces here!”
At that moment, a man in colorful clothes stepped into the center of the battlefield. “At this rate, no one will be able to take the treasures!”
He was Yeon Jung-gwang, a descendant of the Jinju Yeon Clan, once famous for his fist techniques and defensive arts.
However, the moment he stood in the center, hundreds of hidden weapons rained down on him. He was pierced by dozens of them and cold energy, turning into a hedgehog.
Jumping defenselessly into the center amid martial world people driven mad by treasures and spiritual herbs was no different from begging to be killed. Especially since Yeon Jung-gwang, being highly skilled in fist techniques, had always been viewed with caution by others. When he stood in the center with both hands raised, the unorthodox faction members attacked him.
“You bastards!”
The orthodox faction’s rising stars, seeing this, attacked in anger. But their fury was less about justice and more about the loss of a powerful ally.
Bu Eunseol, watching this, hid his body among the dust using his ghost-like movement technique. Although there were no monitoring eyes here, he deliberately used only unorthodox faction movement arts just in case.
Then the eight closed doors opened. Those holding spiritual medicine boxes or secret manual boxes quickly escaped through them. Because the height and width of each entrance differed, those with boxes had no choice but to exit through the matching ones.
The grand hall fell into complete silence.
While hidden and observing, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
‘This is not a slaughter battle meant to cut off the lineage of rising stars. At first I thought luring the rising stars was for mutual destruction, but this place’s structure keeps classifying people. Otherwise, there would be no need to deliberately adjust the height and width of the exits to match the treasure boxes.’
At that moment, someone who had been hiding in the grand hall’s structure revealed themselves. Wearing colorful clothes and a veil made of heavenly silk, it was someone Bu Eunseol recognized at a glance—his close friend and head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Tang Gon.
“Come out.”
Tang Gon turned his head and spoke calmly.
Had he grown so much that he could detect Bu Eunseol’s concealment?
Swish.
Mysterious light flowed from the ground, revealing a man in blue clothes holding a fan. It was none other than the young master of the Zhuge Clan, Zhuge Seoun.
“How did you know?” Zhuge Seoun asked in surprise. “I unfolded the Zhuge Clan’s Hidden Form Following Steps. It should be impossible to detect…”
“I didn’t know,” Tang Gon said indifferently. “It’s just that the plum blossom scent coming from Brother Zhuge’s body is too strong.”
The Zhuge Clan was full of plum trees, and their women made perfume from the bright, clean plum blossoms of early spring. Naturally, Zhuge Seoun, who lived among them, carried a faint plum blossom fragrance on his body, just like how women of the Tang Clan naturally carried the scent of turmeric.
“I heard the foundation of the Tang Clan lies in poison and fragrance. It seems the Tang Clan Leader’s nose cannot be fooled.”
Zhuge Seoun smiled comfortably.
Originally, the Sichuan Tang Clan and Zhuge Clan did not have a good relationship. The Zhuge Clan disliked how the Tang Clan, despite being orthodox, mainly used poison and hidden weapons and acted coldly. The Tang Clan viewed the Zhuge Clan as bureaucrats who abandoned martial pride and expanded power through political alliances.
However, after meeting Bu Eunseol, both men had transcended the frameworks of their sects and the orthodox-unorthodox divide. They no longer cared about old grudges.
“There is nothing that can compare to the Zhuge Clan’s divine calculation and wondrous medicine,” Tang Gon also smiled.
Both realized the other was far wiser and more broad-minded than rumored, and felt a momentary goodwill toward each other.
“Even the young master of the Zhuge Clan wouldn’t find the items in this insignificant treasure vault very satisfying. What brings you here?”
Zhuge Seoun smiled shyly as Tang Gon praised him and carefully asked the question. “My hands get itchy whenever I see mysterious formations. I can’t stand it.”
“Formations?”
“Yes. A massive moving treasure vault appeared, changing locations. How could I not come to check it yesterday?”
Upon hearing that a moving treasure vault had appeared in the martial world, Zhuge Seoun guessed it was created using ancient formation techniques. It was not that the real vault was moving, but rather that they had unfolded the secret art of connecting formations—Illusionary Formation Studies or similar.
Ancient formation techniques utilized feng shui and heavenly principles, allowing the maintenance of connections between formations even across great distances. No matter how bizarre events occurred, a treasure vault capable of moving hundreds of li while evading the hands of experts could not exist without such methods.
“If I don’t step forward in such matters, the heroes of the world will laugh and say the Zhuge Clan has declined.”
The Gongson Clan were great masters of breaking and obstructing formations, while the Zhuge Clan were the supreme experts in transforming and combining formations.
Zhuge Seoun immediately located where the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship had appeared. As expected, traces of formations remained. Delighted, he secretly transformed the installed formations into various types.
Although he could not break them quickly, transforming them was possible.
While searching the area where the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship had appeared, he felt a strange resonance and began climbing the distant mountain. At the peak, he saw the magnificent form of a ship. As he unraveled the formation, the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship appeared right before his eyes.
“So that’s how it was.”
After hearing all of Zhuge Seoun’s explanation, Tang Gon stroked his chin. “I too realized that the moving treasure vault was created using ancient formation techniques.”
Tang Gon had also discerned that the moving vault was made with ancient methods and was throwing many people into chaos.
“So the Tang Clan was also researching formation techniques.”
At Zhuge Seoun’s words, Tang Gon smiled bitterly. “Actually, I came to find my missing younger sister.”
Even though a treasure vault that was turning the martial world upside down had appeared, the Tang Clan’s warriors remained calm and held their positions. However, the incident had broken out in an unexpected place.
A secret message had reached Jang Wi, the vice-leader of the Poison Hall.
—Tang Cheong, the young lady, has gone missing.
Tang Gon was greatly shocked. The sister he thought was doing well had disappeared?
—She went to find the treasure vault.
Upon hearing rumors of the moving treasure vault, Tang Cheong had secretly gone out to search for it and soon went missing.
“Why on earth would that child enter the treasure vault?”
Tang Gon could not understand. As a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, Tang Cheong could obtain any spiritual herb or excellent secret manual she wanted. So why had she tried to enter that vault?
—The young lady learned that among the treasures that maintain one’s appearance in eternal youth, the rarest Heavenly Yin Immortal Fruit is inside the vault, and went to find it.
Tang Gon was dumbfounded.
Although Tang Cheong had a somewhat reckless personality, her beauty was so outstanding that she was called one of the top beauties of the Sichuan region. Why would she suddenly seek the Heavenly Yin Immortal Fruit to maintain her youthful appearance?
Then Tang Gon soon realized why she had made such a decision.
His only close friend, the greatest genius under heaven, Bu Eunseol.
He was engaged to Yeon Soha, called the Thousand-Gold Glance, and Dan So-ok, called the Silver Scale Jewel. He was also connected to the granddaughter of the Needle King, Jongri Sayu.
And that was not all.
Tang Gon knew Bu Eunseol’s other identity as Seon Woojin. Because of that, he was also connected to Flower of Eloquence Gongsun Dana, one of the Three Great Beauties, and her sister Gongsun Dankyung, whose beauty rivaled hers and who was called the Wisdom Star.
Beyond that, there were countless peerless beauties of national beauty—such as the young mistress of the Snow Blossom Sect, the successor of the Sword Pavilion, and more—who were eagerly waiting for him.
Honestly, Tang Cheong’s competitiveness was somewhat lower compared to them. So she had gone to obtain the Heavenly Yin Immortal Fruit to make herself even more beautiful, searched for the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship, and eventually went missing.
—No, that’s not it.
But Tang Gon soon realized the truth.
Tang Cheong was a capable woman with profound wisdom, enough to have once manipulated him to control the Tang Clan.
After Bu Eunseol sealed the Hwa Wu Sword Gate, he had become someone the Demonic Path turned away from. Accordingly, the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship only appeared within the Demonic Path’s territory and was plunging the martial world into great chaos.
—For that friend.
Tang Cheong’s specialty, along with fragrance poison, was an intuition that could detect any mechanism.
She had used that special ability to uncover the secrets of the Ten-Thousand-Li Treasure Ship that no one else had discovered, and had tried to deliver that information to Bu Eunseol.
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