He was confused.
To think that his mother was the reincarnation of the woman who had existed alongside the True Demon at the very beginning.
Drip, drip.
Before he knew it, a black liquid that had risen like water tightened around Bu Eunseol's entire body.
'At this rate, I will die.'
The place where he was currently trapped was none other than within Nariya's mind. Because time flowed slowly in the mental world, he still had some leeway, but in reality, her heart meridian was already tearing apart.
What if Nariya's breath ceased completely? Even if he could exert a power dozens of times stronger, a power that transcended even the strength of Harmony, he would end up perishing along with her mind.
Gurgle.
In the meantime, the black liquid became a sticky prison from which he could not move an inch, binding him tightly.
Because she was dying amidst despair, pain, regret, and agony, even the very shape and nature of her mind were becoming twisted.
'If it is the Martial Emperor's Tranquil Awakening...'
If it was a mind secret that amplified martial prowess by using the most intense and beautiful memories among numerous human emotions as fuel, it might be able to soothe, even if just a little, the heart of the woman dying in despair and pain.
Flash.
As he spread the mind secret, a faint light surged before Bu Eunseol's eyes. At the same time, the scenery of a small sect, nestled within a quiet mountain, came into view.
Since she was born as the shrine maiden of the True Demon Family, her destiny was to face the filth of the chaotic world and the cruelty of humans. Because of that, she had to live bearing darkness deep within her soul.
Yet even for Nariya, there was a bright and clean time when she was untainted by the world.
While training in Cheonchuk, she came to know that she had received only about one-tenth of the power of the Star God. When she turned ten years old, she was placed in a sanctuary for a short time. This was done to manifest even a little more of the power of the Star God.
—Do not fear. Even if you do not possess the power of the Star God, you have the power to illuminate your position.
The master she met there was a Buddhist nun who had entered the priesthood despite being of the True Demon bloodline. Her vocal cords had been greatly damaged, and conversations could only be shared through written words.
Training that began with the crowing of the rooster at dawn, a hermitage filled with tranquility, a simple meal shared with her master; a small peace came upon her barren heart.
Although that time was brief, for her, who had accumulated the power of the Star God by harming others throughout her entire life, it was her only happy memory.
The despairing black liquids wrapping around Bu Eunseol's body were gradually withdrawn, and the exit, which had felt infinitely distant, slowly revealed itself.
As he escaped from Nariya's collapsing mind, Bu Eunseol finally opened his eyes in reality.
Before him, the figure of the woman in black—Nariya—who was slowly bleeding and dying, came into view.
"It is strange," tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
What she had always craved was a grand ambition to place the world beneath her feet and seize eternal life. However, what she truly desired deep within her heart was none other than a modest and small happiness.
Bu Eunseol looked at her with a serene expression.
When he escaped from her mind using the Martial Emperor's Tranquil Awakening, he too had been able to taste the memories of her childhood days. It was just that her destiny as the shrine maiden of the True Demon bloodline had twisted her life; originally, she was merely a girl who dreamed of ordinary happiness.
Dropping a single tear, she tilted her head and drew her last breath.
"Is it only upon reaching the face of death that you regret your past life?"
However, Bu Eunseol's gaze was calm and cold.
"Choosing such a life was done by yourself."
Although born with the same destiny of a shrine maiden, Manwol had lived dedicating herself to others, while Nariya was consumed by desire and chose the path of harming others.
Even if what she truly desired was a modest happiness, it was already too late.
Bu Eunseol quietly closed both eyes and prayed for her soul. He had been taught that it was a natural duty for the living to show respect to the dead.
"Chu So, that man will try to recover the corpse."
Even upon becoming a corpse, Nariya would have wished to meet her loved one once again. However, if her remains were passed to him, she would not be able to enjoy rest until the end of her life.
"Please," Bu Eunseol placed his hands together. "Forgive me."
As he deployed the Yeolha Great True Energy, Nariya's remains began to burn. As she departed the mortal world, she seemed to hold lingering attachments; the form of a woman dancing with deep resentment within the flames was etched in the air for a while.
"The True Demon..."
Bu Eunseol, who was lost in thought, muttered to himself.
"He gave up everything because of a wager with my mother?"
As he pondered over the memories infused from Nariya's head, he let out a sigh.
The True Demon, in order to eternally meet the lover who remembered him, gave up even the chain of reincarnation and accepted an absurd wager?
Furthermore, the one who erased his memories and the one who took the chain of reincarnation was his mother.
"If so, through what path did Grandfather obtain the chain of reincarnation?"
Under the assumption that his mother's age was similar to his father's, such a thing could not happen. This was because the period when his grandfather and his mother were active during their lifetimes differed by more than several decades.
'The conclusion is twofold.'
Contrary to her appearance, his mother might actually have lived through the same generation as his grandfather. Or, the chain of reincarnation possessed by his grandfather might have been obtained not from his mother, but from the True Demon himself, who had tried to test the chain of reincarnation, or from an entirely different person.
"Whatever the case, Mother clearly foresaw the future."
It was said that the chain of reincarnation could absolutely never be possessed by an ordinary human. Why else would even his mother, who could see the future, have waited through endless reincarnations just to be born with a primordial body?
If so, was the chain of reincarnation broken? Or was it stolen by someone? If not that, is it perhaps destroyed now and failing to function properly?
"What is certain is that if there is a person who was entrusted with its whereabouts or possesses it, they will absolutely never reveal their identity."
The current abyssal forces are all pursuing the True Demon—more precisely, the chain of reincarnation. However, since no one knows that the chain has been stolen into someone's hands, unless a person who holds it or knows its whereabouts appears, the secret can only be unlocked if the True Demon appears.
"Then, it is highly probable that the person holding the whereabouts of the chain is the very enemy of my parents."
Thanks to Nariya's trap, he had conversely obtained a clue regarding the enemy who harmed his parents.
* * *
A feast was prepared at the top of a beautiful three-story pavilion.
Inside, which was decorated as if a married couple were lighting the wedding candles, sat a beautiful woman.
Gongsun Dankyung.
As the Chief Inspector of the Azure Heaven Alliance, she sat demurely, dressed in exceedingly beautiful clothing. And on the opposite side sat a young man with eyes that resembled the ocean and a flawlessly clear smile.
It was none other than the Heavenly Mechanism Star, Chu So.
"It will be hard to understand. Right?"
Chu So, tilting his filled wine cup, shook his head.
"In truth, there is a secret I have not told you. When we first met at the Jungson Family home, the children, including you, were only about six or seven years old. However, at that time, my age had already long passed twenty."
Setting down the wine cup, Chu So shook his head.
"Because of the experiments performed on my body by the phantoms of the Sage Forest, aging barely progresses at all."
Chu So pointed to his head with his finger.
"They said that only by maintaining a young and fresh body can one smoothly absorb knowledge and display sparkling wisdom."
Gongsun Dankyung still said nothing and kept her head lowered.
"But that process was not easy. Because there, I was merely a tool."
Chu So burst into laughter like a young boy.
"They thought that if they could complete and control the King of Sages, everything would be resolved. Hahaha."
The laughter cut off as if severed by a knife. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
"Do you know how ridiculous that process was as well? In order to birth just me, numerous talented women were used like livestock, and merciless experiments were performed on them. My mother was the same, and like pigs in a slaughterhouse, they were experimented on alive by them. Sometimes alongside the young me."
Although a smile hung on his lips, Chu So's two eyes were not smiling at all.
"Even so, they brainwashed me into believing I was the key to protecting the world. Every time I went through cruel experiences, they erased my memories."
Raising his head, he stared straight into Gongsun Dankyung's eyes.
"But they failed. The memories were not erased; rather, I remember them clearly and vividly to this day."
After a silence, Gongsun Dankyung spoke carefully.
"The sages of the Sage Forest erased your memories, but because it did not work, you became like this." She spoke with a trembling voice, "And that is why you want to take revenge on the world, including the Sage Forest."
"Revenge? No, it is not." Chu So shook his head.
"The sages of the Sage Forest manipulated the destinies of others at their whim. Just like gods."
Holding both of his own cheeks, Chu So's pupils became dyed with ecstasy.
"That looked so wonderful. I want to become a god just like them. I wanted to manipulate people's destinies just like them."
Joy filled his expression.
Heavenly Mechanism Star Chu So.
What he desired was to manipulate the destinies of all humans, just like a god.
"Then, an opportunity to escape from the Sage Forest finally came."
Staring into the empty air, Chu So moistened his lips.
"A swordsman named the Seven-Finger Demon Blade struck the Sage Forest."
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade, who was the greatest bladesman of the current generation, had completely devastated the strongholds of the martial arts world and ultimately found and annihilated even the Sage Forest. Because of that, Chu So, who had been locked in the depths of the Sage Forest, was able to escape from the palms of the sages.
"But if my existence were known, wouldn't I just end up being utilized by the overlords of the martial world? So, after deep deliberation, I fully displayed the aura of the Heavenly Mechanism Star."
Chu So laughed, revealing his white teeth.
"They had been searching for the Heavenly Mechanism Star for a long time, so they took the bait at once."
There was only one way to grasp a powerful force within a short period of time: seizing the forces of others in a single breath. In order to protect himself, Chu So resolved to swallow the Jungson Family, which possessed the greatest number of masters born under the One Hundred and Eight Stars among numerous forces.
"Taking control of the Jungson Family was an all too easy matter. They merely regarded me as a young child and had prepared no defense whatsoever against the ancient heart-capturing secret arts."
Hiding his identity, Chu So deliberately allowed himself to be captured by the Jungson Family and swallowed them from the inside.
"Then I saw you. The one who looks exactly like my mother."
Chu So revealed his white teeth.
"And I realized the moment I saw you."
He flashed an exceedingly innocent smile.
"That you are my destiny."
As Gongsun Dankyung quietly lowered her head, Chu So added, "In fact, I examined the heavenly secrets. Your star is the Solitary Star, destined to live a lonely life without ever forming a connection with anyone."
He carefully reached out his hand and wrapped it around Gongsun Dankyung's hand.
"That is why I spared you. Because from the very beginning, we were a connection destined to be joined together."
The expression of Chu So, who had been smiling continuously, suddenly turned sinister.
"That is also why I leave you alone even if you like another fellow."
Strength began to enter Chu So's hand, which was holding Gongsun Dankyung's hand. Gongsun Dankyung, unable to bear the pain, knitted her brows. At that, Chu So's expression turned exceedingly cold.
"She does not knit her face over trivial pain."
Grab.
He gripped Gongsun Dankyung's face with both hands. As strength increasingly entered his fingers, his fingers soon dug into the inner side of her skin.
"Let me go," Gongsun Dankyung said as she shed a few tears from the distress. "Please..."
In that instant, a brilliance mixed with anger and disappointment flashed within Chu So's pupils.
"Even if she were to die, she would not beg another person."
Rip.
As Chu So's fingernails dug into her face, a human skin mask as thin as a sheet of paper was torn away. She was not the real Gongsun Dankyung, but a woman wearing an extremely sophisticated disguise.
"Nor does she shed things like tears."
Drip.
However, because he had torn it away so violently, he had ripped even her actual skin inside the human skin mask, causing blood to flow.
As she shed tears from the agonizing pain, Chu So let out an 'ah' and then a chuckling sound.
"Do not worry. Because I will change all the laws."
And he spoke gently to her as she trembled violently, "Once that happens, this kind of wound will be nothing."
As the woman shrank back in terror, Chu So's gaze turned bizarre.
A gaze trembling in fear and begging; wasn't that the gaze of his mother, which he had seen countless times during his childhood?
Chu So, who had driven his hand into the red sandalwood table as if it were tofu, lowered his head. Holding his forehead, he trembled for a long time before raising his head again. Then, his eyes had changed to clear and sharp pupils, unlike before when they were dyed with madness.
"As expected, it is difficult," he muttered lowly with his hand on his forehead, and then spoke with a gentle expression to the trembling woman, "Hurry and go outside."
The woman mimicking Gongsun Dankyung hurriedly went outside.
Chu So stared into the empty air with a vacant gaze, then stared at the bronze mirror set upon the table on the opposite side. In that bronze mirror, Chu So's face bearing a cruel smile was visible.
"Loving someone like destiny..."
He shook his head while looking at the mirror.
"They say the True Demon poured a sky-breaking love into a single woman and reached the origin realm through an obsession that will never happen again in the world."
Chu So assumed a pained expression.
"I do not know why this is such a difficult matter for me."
The reason he displayed deep love and obsession toward Gongsun Dankyung was that he intended to achieve boundless advancement by following the footsteps of the True Demon, who had reached the realm of a human god.
"It is Eung Bi."
At that moment, a low voice was heard from outside the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a young man with eyes and a nose as sharp as a hawk's stepped inside. It was Chu So's confidant, the Heaven-Killer Star Eung Bi.
"We have found one more location of the Baekri Branch Family," Eung Bi said carefully. "However, because they have closed most of their secret treasuries, there seems to be no further practical benefit even if we strike the figures of the branch family."
"It is merely a bait."
Chu So, withdrawing his gaze from the mirror, smiled.
"Using the Demon Eye Bead that was lost a while ago, there is a figure tenaciously pursuing you in response to its reaction."
Eung Bi let out an 'ah' exclamation. He recalled the young strategist who, along with the Martial Soul Command Lord, had ruined the affairs of Extinction Palace.
Chu So said in a low voice while staring into the empty air, "That person's divine calculations and wondrous strategies seem likely to be quite a headache in the future, so it would be best to confirm his identity and silence him at this opportunity."
"The Baekri Branch Family will make an excellent bait."
Looking at the mirror again, Chu So smiled thinly, "Because if you draw out the time, weeds end up growing thick."
"This time, I will handle it without mistake."
"There is no need for you to go."
"If so, do you intend to send the Soul Chaser who was just completed?"
"Fufu, how could that be?"
Chu So creased his two eyes into half-moons.
"The Twelve Guests are too precious to waste, but for this kind of matter, Blood Wave will be more certain."
"Blood Wave... I see," Eung Bi nodded his head.
No matter what kind of figure appeared, they could not defeat Chu So in the end. Even if numerous individuals gathered their wisdom, they could not cross the wall of the Heavenly Mechanism Star in the end.
* * *
It was to perceive and eliminate in advance signs or dangerous elements that could become a threat to the common people.
Therefore, regarding the suspicious murder case that occurred this time, a report was sent up to the Death Spirit Corps.
—There is a killing ghost who slays only shamans or diviners.
When this information was reported to Wi Cheongyeong, he carefully refined this information and reported it again to Yoo Unryong.
—He obsessively kills only fortune-tellers and shamans.
The Death Spirit Corps, which had constructed a surveillance network as tight as a spiderweb, thoroughly collected not only the trends of the martial arts world but also the minor rumors spreading among the common people. Examining the book in which the information organized by Wi Cheon-gyeong was written in detail, Yoo Unryong's eyes narrowed. He too was feeling an extreme strangeness regarding this matter.
"It makes me ponder."
Rising from his seat and looking down at the book, he hesitated for a moment.
—Contact the Four Star Merchant Group of the Nabsa Geuk Province and have them thoroughly investigate the traces of a young woman who was called a shrine maiden in Cheonchuk, or a woman bearing the name Nariya. Also, examine once more the deeds from the time Grandfather roamed the martial world, and look into what kind of figures he met and what kind of unique events he experienced, without leaving out a single one.
Bu Eunseol, who had returned after rescuing Seo Jinha and the Crystal Guard from the attack of the Faceless Guests sent by Nariya and Chu So, had delivered an understanding-defying command to the Death Spirit Corps with an expression that looked as if his soul had departed.
Yoo Unryong felt a sense of doubt.
Currently, the grand plans designed from a long time ago were in the process of being carried out. If they commanded such an investigation, other plans would inevitably be delayed. There was no way he did not know that fact, so for what reason was he giving such a directive?
"But it is certainly strange."
Swish.
Ultimately, Yoo Unryong rose from his seat. He intended to go to the office where Bu Eunseol was located.
"It is strange."
Looking into the book presented by Yoo Unryong, Bu Eunseol's eyes narrowed. Pondering over the pieces of knowledge obtained from Nariya's mind, he was tracing the whereabouts of the chain of reincarnation possessed by his grandfather and mother. Because that was a task more important than any other matter.
However, the information brought by Yoo Unryong was so bizarre that it caught the attention of Bu Eunseol, who was absorbed in the chain of reincarnation, in a single breath.
"Even the method of killing..."
The mere fact that he killed shamans and diviners was a sufficiently strange matter, but what was more bizarre was the method of killing. It was severe and vicious, as if intending to inflict all the pain a human could experience. It was a method that a deranged killing ghost or a madman could absolutely never mimic.
"The members made quite an effort to find the killing ghost who committed this incident, but it remains in a fog-like state."
The Death Spirit Corps had allocated a lot of time to uncover the full story of this incident, but far from finding the culprit, they could not even find the reason why such a thing was taking place.
"It is definitely the handiwork of someone equipped with an information organization comparable to the Death Spirit Corps. Otherwise, there is no way their tail would not be caught despite leaving such distinct traces."
"Good."
Bu Eunseol thought for a long time and then said lowly, "I will investigate it directly myself."
The mysterious incidents that could not be solved even by the investigation of the Death Spirit Corps were all resolved once he stepped forward directly.
"You must not do so under the identity of the Martial Soul Command Lord."
At that moment, Yoo Unryong spoke with a firm expression, "If possible, it would be best to investigate under the identity of the Martial Soul Society Leader."
In truth, Yoo Unryong had already guessed who might be behind the bizarre murder case.
"This kind of precise torture is possible only for someone with excellent martial arts as well as medical skills and knowledge of the human body. Furthermore, being able to design and execute the most efficient and painful torture without being swayed by emotions means their intelligence is extremely high."
This incident was the handiwork of someone cold-headed, possessing extreme sophistication, high intelligence, and knowledge, rather than a madman.
A person equipped with such erudite knowledge across various fields in the world.
The only one who satisfied all the conditions was the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
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