Bu Eunseol was not particularly surprised.
He was merely raising his internal energy, touching the stones and trees around the inn, calmly preparing something.
Step, step.
At that moment, someone came walking toward the inn from the distant darkness.
In that instant, the wind died down, the birdsong stopped, and even the crying of the insects seemed to vanish.
As if all the sounds of the world had been devoured by something massive, it became a space of complete silence.
Before long, a black shadow approached right beside Bu Eunseol.
He was wearing nothing but a suit of pitch-black martial attire, as if it had been cut straight from the abyss.
There were no patterns or decorations on the clothes, but his mere presence exuded an authority that seemed capable of obliterating everything in the world.
"I have made you wait a long time."
A white jade mask, without a trace of emotion, covered his face.
The pair of eyes visible through the eyeholes of the mask were deeper than darkness.
Just facing him brought about the illusion that one's very soul would be sucked in.
"I am Odeung, Commander of the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry."
If Chiliarch Gwak Un and Vice Commander Jong Daemyeong were a blazing kalpa fire, Commander Odeung was like an ice field that froze all light and heat.
With every step he took, the distance between them smoothly closed.
Rustle, rustle.
At the same time, soldiers dressed in red began to surround the inn.
The rest of the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry had all appeared.
"Even though you can use the sky-treading flight art."
He tilted his head.
"Why did you deliberately stay here and act as bait?"
Odeung had sensed Bu Eunseol using the sky-treading flight art from the distant sky.
And Bu Eunseol also realized that someone had sensed his momentum.
However, even knowing clearly that he would be attacked, he accepted the princess's proposal and deliberately ate at the inn.
"Because there will be nowhere left to return to."
Bu Eunseol's eyes were infinitely lonely.
The Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry was a card the Empress Dowager had confidently played.
They had revealed themselves to the world for this matter, but having failed to capture the princess... their utility was at an end.
In the end, there was no longer any place left for Odeung to return to.
"Sentimental."
Odeung's eyes sank infinitely.
"Was it pity?"
"Not at all."
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
"By continuously clashing with the martial arts used by the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry, I felt I realized something."
"Hoh."
"The Imperial Palace's martial arts contain a certain subtlety that can replace my lacking parts."
In short, it meant he intended to fight Commander Odeung to concretize that vague clue.
Thump.
As Bu Eunseol stomped his foot, the inn was enveloped in a transparent air current.
Touching the stones and trees was to create a formation to protect the princess inside the inn.
"I see."
As Odeung nodded and raised his left hand,
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry members, who had been hiding nearby, swarmed out and surrounded the inn.
"Do not feel wronged by the combined attack."
Odeung spoke proudly, without shame.
"Because this is our last chance."
He was not a martial artist of the martial world who valued pride, but a military commander of the imperial family. He intended to seize even the slimmest chance and definitely return to the Imperial Palace.
'We are lying to each other.'
Bu Eunseol felt a sense of melancholy.
In truth, he did not even need to fight them.
With just a little meditation, he could unravel the realization he felt earlier into a method.
Conversely, it was the same for Odeung.
Even knowing clearly that he was an expert he could not match, he brought all the remaining Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry.
'He was simply looking for a place to die.'
Odeung had already blockaded the surroundings since Bu Eunseol and the princess were eating.
If he had intended to succeed in a surprise attack... he would not have given Bu Eunseol the time to set up a formation.
"You are a figure uncharacteristic of the martial world."
Odeung spoke calmly as he looked at Bu Eunseol's infinitely sunken eyes.
"Then again, wherever people live, it's all the same."
―A spy whose identity has been exposed has nowhere to return to.
Odeung's calm muttering overlapped with someone from the past.
Rather than fading away in vain, they had proudly sought a place to die...
The image of the Twin Demons of Gong.
"Let us begin."
Clack.
When Odeung combined his long spear, a black mist bloomed.
At the same time, sharp spear shadows coiled around Bu Eunseol's body.
While pretending to assemble the spear shaft, he had actually launched an unavoidable surprise attack.
Swish!
However, Bu Eunseol dodged the attack too easily.
Because the martial arts and tactics of the Imperial Palace were uniformly standardized.
"You will have to improvise as much as possible."
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
"Otherwise, it will be far too easy a fight."
Soldiers move according to fixed forms, formations, and tactics, valuing organization and discipline over individual creativity.
Especially since the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry had perfectly mastered the essence of the Imperial Palace's martial arts.
They instead showed movements like taking an exam with the answer sheet revealed.
Moreover, because Bu Eunseol had struck down the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry several times, he could guess what formation the soldiers would deploy and what forms they would use as clearly as if he were looking at his own palm.
He also clearly grasped their weaknesses.
"True, the martial arts of the martial world and the military are somewhat different."
Odeung wore a bitter expression.
In the martial world, countless sects and martial arts exist depending on the branches of the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic paths.
Unlike the standardized martial arts of the Imperial Palace, it was a place where vastly different and unpredictable secret arts and techniques ran rampant.
The Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry was originally an organization formed to strike down the experts of the Imperial Palace.
They could not defeat Bu Eunseol, one of the strongest in the martial world.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As a hundred Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry members moved as one body, the sound of their swinging spear shafts also began to merge into one.
The Heaven-Shifting Defense Formation, a killing and defensive formation that only the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry could deploy, unfolded.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The killing intent blooming from a hundred spear tips intertwined and condensed, turning into round astral energy.
They had created Spear Spheres, which could only be deployed by honing spear techniques to the extreme.
Rumble!
While blocking all of Bu Eunseol's retreat paths and counterattacks, they poured out Spear Spheres from different stances and angles.
A massive net of death was formed.
"……."
Bu Eunseol still did not move.
The moment the countless pouring Spear Spheres reflected in his eyes,
Sring.
He drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and lightly drew a circle in the air.
Paaa.
As the soft energy spreading from the tip of the sword created a round air current in the air,
Craaaack!
The hundred fiercely surging Spear Spheres seemed to be swept into a massive whirlpool and disappeared into the distant sky.
Even their spear shafts began to twist.
"Pfft!"
At the same time, the soldiers who had attacked Bu Eunseol vomited blood and staggered.
Their combined attack was perfect, and they had poured out a mighty strike that no martial arts expert could avoid.
But how could Bu Eunseol instantly crumble their attack just by drawing a circle in the air?
'Connection.'
That was the clue that had been flashing through his mind while continuously fighting the military commanders who used the Imperial Palace's secret arts.
The Dark Death Soul-Destroying Blade could neutralize the enemy's power even without the Four Divine Energies.
The Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry killed their individuality and wove all their energy into one, just as small streams form a massive river.
As a single movement, they crushed the subtlety of the enemy's martial arts.
The reason such things were possible was that they had ultimately unraveled the principle of 'connection' into the subtlety of martial arts.
'Not eliminating the power, but severing the connection.'
Most supreme martial arts involve precise and complex circulation of true energy.
The Dark Death Soul-Destroying Blade, too, did not eliminate the manifested power. At the fundamental stage where the power was only beginning to stir, it interfered with or severed that connection.
Just like snatching away the fuel at the moment the embers were about to ignite.
Crumble.
In the end, the spear shafts the soldiers were holding turned to dust and shattered.
At the same time, the light disappeared from the soldiers' eyes.
Bu Eunseol's strike, containing ten gapja of internal energy, had shattered not only the spear shafts but also the insides of their bodies.
Drip.
Even in death, they did not collapse but stood rigidly upright.
And maintaining their formation, they reached out both hands toward Odeung.
"Strong."
Clack.
Odeung gripped his spear shaft.
"But you could not have known this!"
Baaang!
Suddenly, Odeung's body transformed into a single black meteor and dug into Bu Eunseol's body.
His strike not only condensed the essence of the Imperial Palace's martial arts into a single point; it also carried the true energy of all the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry.
Paaaa!
The space twisted, and the atmosphere tore.
Before he knew it, the pitch-black spear tip dug toward Bu Eunseol's heart.
An absolute strike solely for destruction, eliminating all variables and changes.
It was truly the essence of the Imperial Palace's martial arts, impossible to avoid or block.
In that instant, the Silent Tiger Soul Sword that had been drawing a circle stretched out extremely naturally toward the spear tip.
Swoosh.
All the sounds in the world vanished.
At the point where Odeung's spear tip and the expert's palm met, a light more dazzling than anything burst forth.
For a moment, the night sky brightened like broad daylight,
Paaaaa!
A massive shockwave spread out in all directions, splitting the solid earth like a tortoise shell.
The dust settled, and in the silence that returned, the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry members had all drawn their last breath, their internal organs ruptured in the aftermath of the collision.
Only Commander Odeung stood rigidly upright, his spear planted in the ground.
"Indeed, you are worthy of escorting the princess alone."
"If you have a will, state it."
Although they had met as enemies, Odeung had acted proudly as a military commander leading the imperial family's secret organization, never resorting to trickery.
Even though he was an enemy, he was a figure worthy of respect on his final journey.
"Regrets……."
Odeung looked at Bu Eunseol with faint eyes.
"I have none."
Thump.
And he collapsed as if crumbling.
Bu Eunseol respectfully paid his respects to the remains of Odeung and the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry.
There were no grudges between them.
They were simply swept away by the torrents of the mortal world, and their life and death were divided.
Turning around, Bu Eunseol looked up at the distant sky.
"It seems I will have to enter the Imperial Palace's Martial Armory someday."
Thanks to the enemies using the Imperial Palace's secret arts, he recalled a clue to crushing power.
What if he continued to fail to obtain the Four Divine Energies?
There was only one method left.
He had no choice but to somehow enter the Imperial Palace's Martial Armory and examine the secret arts there.
Creak.
As he withdrew the formation, the door of the inn opened with a creaking sound.
Princess Hwijeong, whose acupoints had been unsealed, immediately came out.
"This."
Coming out of the inn, she opened her mouth.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The area around the inn was entirely covered with the corpses of the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry, forming streams of blood.
One could not even approach Bu Eunseol without stepping on the blood and corpses.
Step.
Princess Hwijeong calmly stepped on the blood and corpses and slowly approached Bu Eunseol.
The Path of Blood.
It seemed to foresee her destiny, where she would have to endlessly cut through a path of blood until she brought down the Empress Dowager.
"I had so desperately wished for the extermination of the Empress Dowager's secret forces."
Approaching Bu Eunseol, Princess Hwijeong wore a bitter expression.
"Now that it has come to this, this ending is not entirely welcome."
In the end, just as she had aimed, she had eliminated the Empress Dowager's secret organization, the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry, along with their Commander, Odeung.
But for some reason, she did not feel glad.
"It is probably because, although they stood on the opposite side, they were proud martial artists."
Bu Eunseol looked at Princess Hwijeong and spoke calmly.
"Please respectfully collect their bodies. Then those who follow the Empress Dowager will also feel something."
"Yes, I suppose so."
Princess Hwijeong nodded with a dry smile.
"I shall do so."
"Then I will be going."
"Wait."
Princess Hwijeong ran up to Bu Eunseol.
"This Princess dislikes owing debts."
She guessed that Bu Eunseol had acted for her sake.
He had not immediately gone to the Imperial Palace, but had uprooted the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry for her.
Because as long as the Heaven-Killer Golden Cavalry existed, the Emperor would have to tremble in anxiety.
That was why he had deliberately come to this place, far from the Imperial Capital, to eat and lure them out.
"Take this."
Princess Hwijeong held out a thin bracelet she had been wearing to Bu Eunseol.
"I cannot say this repays the entire debt."
She smiled calmly and said.
"I will keep in my heart a debt that I must repay someday."
Her towering figure exuded the demeanor fitting of a nation's princess.
Through this journey with Bu Eunseol, she had grown even more.
"I will receive it with gratitude."
Bu Eunseol changed his tone to a respectful one, then knelt on one knee and paid his respects to her for the first time.
The Princess Hwijeong he had first met was a cold-hearted monarch who did not listen to others, insisted only on her own opinions, and treated even her loyal subordinates as chess pieces.
But before he knew it, she had become a person who knew the preciousness of life.
Therefore, Bu Eunseol also showed his full respect.
"It is called the Dragon-Phoenix Ring."
Princess Hwijeong wore a pleased expression.
"Try putting it on."
The bracelet did not fit the circumference of Bu Eunseol's wrist.
However, as Bu Eunseol slid it onto his wrist and applied force,
Click.
Miraculously, it adjusted perfectly to the thickness of his forearm.
"I have an order for you."
"Please speak."
"Reveal your true face."
Princess Hwijeong spoke calmly.
"I have seen the portrait depicting your features, but I still wish to see your actual face."
Bu Eunseol's face was already widely known throughout the Central Plains.
There was no particular need to hide it.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol instantly restored his original appearance with the secret art of darkness.
The princess stared intently at his face and nodded.
"Indeed, you are a figure with a spirit like a dragon."
"You flatter me."
"But."
The princess tilted her head and asked an unexpected question.
"Martial artists can change their appearance so freely, so why do they all maintain such fierce faces?"
It was a naive question that almost brought a burst of laughter.
"While maintaining a disguise art, about a tenth of one's internal energy is continuously consumed. In the circumstances of the martial world, where one cherishes internal energy like one's own life and a single misstep can mean life or death, there is no need to deliberately maintain such a disguise."
"Hmm."
"Moreover, disguise is not omnipotent. It allows for slight adjustments from the existing features, but one cannot deviate beyond the limits of one's innate skeletal structure and muscles."
"Are you saying the body gets ruined in the end?"
"That is correct. If you change your appearance for a long time, your muscles and bones will be ruined. Therefore, outside of spies and thieves, people do not change their appearance."
"I see. I understand well."
Swoosh.
At that moment, with a strange sound of parting air, black shadows filled the distant sky.
Shoooosh.
Wearing blue martial attire, they knelt and bowed as soon as they landed around the princess.
It was the princess's direct royal guard, the Purple Cloud Guard.
"Your humble servant, Commander Byeokho, has received His Majesty's orders to escort Her Highness."
Commander Byeokho of the Purple Cloud Guard respectfully paid his respects.
"From now on, this lowly servant will protect and guide the path you travel with my own body."
Nod.
The princess nodded and boarded the palanquin.
Whoosh.
The Purple Cloud Guard disappeared into the distant sky in an instant, as if flying.
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and shook his head.
There had been many journeys in the martial world more dangerous and difficult than this one.
But there had never been an event so mentally exhausting and difficult.
"I do not wish to be involved with the Imperial Palace ever again."
If the martial world was steeped in grudges, the affairs of the Imperial Palace were steeped in the dirty secret strife of power.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
But then the sound of parting air was heard from the distant sky, and suddenly, martial artists wearing golden clothes began to surround Bu Eunseol.
Another group of Embroidered Uniform Guards had appeared.
"They are different."
Squad Leader Mo Ilchung and his subordinate martial artists, whom he had gone to burn the opium fields with earlier, had possessed decent skills, but only to that extent.
They were not at a level to face the strongmen of the martial world.
However, the Embroidered Uniform Guards before his eyes were trained to the point where they could even defeat the strongmen of the martial world.
As if to prove it, didn't the level of internal energy of each individual exceed three gapja?
'Were they anxious?'
The act of appointing an outstanding martial artist as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard occurred occasionally in history.
They might have thought that due to this incident, the Emperor could appoint him as a general.
There was a probability that the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, judging that his existence could be a threat, had sent assassins.
Step.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards, lined up like blades, parted to both sides in perfect order, and a man who seemed to tear through the pitch-black darkness revealed himself between them.
Step, step.
The middle-aged man looked to have just passed forty. On his official uniform, flowing elegantly from shoulder to ankle, a qilin embroidered in golden thread roared as it trod upon clouds.
'Is he a squad leader?'
Not just his attire, but even his gaze showed an unusual momentum.
Just as Bu Eunseol was about to raise his internal energy,
Drop.
An unexpected situation occurred.
"I am Chiliarch Na Baekhu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Was that middle-aged man who looked like a squad leader, Na Baekhu, kneeling and bowing?
Then the remaining Embroidered Uniform Guards also respectfully paid their respects.
Bu Eunseol narrowed his brow.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard kneeling and paying respects to a mere martial artist?
Did they mistake him for a figure of the imperial family?
But at the words that followed, Bu Eunseol was so surprised his eyes almost popped out.
"We greet the Imperial Son-in-law."
From the mouth of Chiliarch Na Baekhu, incredibly shocking words continued to flow out.
"From now on, we will safely escort you."
"Imperial Son-in-law."
As Bu Eunseol glared with wide eyes, Na Baekhu continued speaking respectfully.
"Has not the Great Lord now become a noble member of the imperial family?"
He bowed his head again with loyal eyes.
"We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will protect the Imperial Son-in-law's precious body for all twelve hours of the day without the slightest negligence!"
"A member of the imperial family? You seem to be mistaken."
Bu Eunseol waved his hand.
"I am but a mere martial artist of the martial world……."
"The Dragon-Phoenix Ring is an imperial token that Her Highness the Princess can only give to one person in her entire life."
Na Baekhu smiled brightly while looking at the bracelet on Bu Eunseol's arm, then bowed loyally once again.
"Imperial Son-in-law!"
In that instant, the focus disappeared from Bu Eunseol's eyes.
He had hastily accepted it thinking it was not a very important bracelet.
To think it was an imperial token given to the future Royal Son-in-Law?
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