Ten men draped in yellow robes.
They were members of the Peongan Corps, stealthily circling Bu Eunseol, the ones who had delivered news of Baek Yeon.
"Are you alright?" Jang Muhyeok, the leader of the Peongan Corps' fourth squad, sent a telepathic message to Bu Eunseol while looking at him.
'If you head southeast for about thirty li, you'll find a temple. There's a hidden cave dug near it, so take shelter there immediately!' Hearing Jang Muhyeok's telepathic message, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
"I will fight too." Though specialized in gathering information, the Peongan Corps were still elite disciples of Nangyang. Their skills were formidable, capable of taking on a hundred foes each.
However, the terrifying aura emanating from the old man was beyond what the ten members of the Peongan Corps could handle.
An insurmountable wall stood before them.
Bu Eunseol instinctively sensed that the old man’s presence was no less formidable than the mightiest martial artists he had encountered thus far.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of fighting that old monster."
'Old monster?' Jang Muhyeok, seeing the dried blood at the corner of Bu Eunseol's mouth, sent another telepathic message.
"Your internal injuries are severe. Hurry and escape."
"What's this? Who are you lot?" At that moment, the old man swept his gaze over Jang Muhyeok and the Peongan Corps members, his eyes glinting with a fierce, lightning-like intensity.
"Are you here to save that wretch?" Jang Muhyeok stepped forward and spoke loudly.
"Beggar King, you are a respected elder of the righteous sects. Is it proper to act so recklessly?"
'Beggar King?' Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
He finally realized the identity of the mysterious old man.
'That old man is the Beggar King, Gu Hongcheong, one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings!'
The Beggar King, Gu Hongcheong.
As the supreme elder of the Beggars' Sect, he was a master from two generations prior, well over a hundred years old. Despite his lofty status and unparalleled martial prowess, he did not stay at the Beggars' Sect headquarters to receive elder treatment but instead wandered aimlessly like a beggar.
The king of beggars, elusive even to the Beggars' Sect's vast information network.
Contrary to expectations of a frail, hunched old man, the Beggar King astonishingly maintained the appearance of a vigorous, middle-aged man.
"I asked who you are."
"What does our identity matter?" Jang Muhyeok replied calmly. "Even if the laws of the martial world have fallen to ruin, is it right for an elder to interfere in a fight among the young?"
As the leader of the Peongan Corps, Jang Muhyeok carefully avoided provoking the Beggar King while reminding him of his esteemed position.
"If this matter comes to light, even the Beggars' Sect won't escape criticism."
As one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, his status was at the pinnacle of the martial world. If the Beggar King were to personally attack Bu Eunseol? It would be no different from an adult striking a newborn child.
"You speak well, boy. So, are you saying there are no laws in the fights of the young?" The Beggar King, Gu Hongcheong, roared with a hoarse voice, his eyes blazing. "Or are you claiming it's the law of the martial world for two to gang up on one?"
"We didn't attack together."
At that moment, Bu Eunseol stepped forward, and Gu Hongcheong glared at him with axe-like eyes, shouting.
"You dare lie in front of this old man?"
"It's true that I dealt with the masters of the Dog-Slaying Unit before coming here."
"And then?"
"But when I arrived, the Ten Demons Warrior who got here first had already been defeated by Seong Ryun. That's when I stepped in." The old man snorted.
"Then where's the one who came first?"
"He was gravely injured and left immediately."
"Hah hah hah." A fierce glint flashed in Gu Hongcheong's eyes once more. "So, you're saying two of you ganged up on one, and the other fled quickly after getting injured?"
Crack.
As Gu Hongcheong summoned his inner energy, the sound of bones creaking echoed from his body, and a brilliant white light pierced the night sky.
'Materialized inner energy...' Among the Four Gods and Seven Kings, who stood just below the Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteousness and Evil and the Three Demons and Three Saints.
Gu Hongcheong, belonging to that elite group, possessed fearsome skills that lived up to his reputation.
"Hurry and escape. Once he starts moving, you won't be able to get away." Jang Muhyeok's telepathic voice came again. "Your swift escape is the best way to help us."
Bu Eunseol bit his lip. With his severe internal injuries, even fighting alongside the Peongan Corps members would be of little help.
"Hmph. Whispering telepathically like rats, are you? As expected, you're all vermin of the demonic path." True to his reputation as a fearsome master, the Beggar King instantly detected Bu Eunseol and Jang Muhyeok's telepathic exchange.
"Heh heh heh. Perfect. Just perfect." Behind Gu Hongcheong, radiating murderous intent, it felt as if an indescribable monstrous figure loomed.
"Get out of here now!" Jang Muhyeok's urgent telepathic message came again. "Hurry!"
"All the vermin of the Ten Demonic Sects must be eradicated!" With a thunderous roar, the Beggar King unleashed a palm strike like a bolt of lightning.
"Urgh." There was no choice.
With a pained groan, Bu Eunseol immediately employed his lightness skill.
Boom! Crash!
As Bu Eunseol shot forward, earth-shaking explosions erupted behind him.
Even if the entire Peongan Corps had come, stopping the Beggar King was impossible. All they could hope for was to escape with their lives.
Whoosh!
Converting all his extreme stealth into sheer speed, Bu Eunseol's every step resounded with a tremendous sonic boom.
'There it is!' Arriving at the temple in an instant, Bu Eunseol spotted a deep pit dug nearby.
Without hesitation, he leaped into the pit, finding a small space inside.
Scrape.
One of the beggars crouching near the temple covered the pit with earth and vanished immediately. Unable to create a proper hideout in the open terrain of Yeongpung Gorge, they had devised this ingenious refuge.
Whooosh… As Bu Eunseol entered the pit, a piercing sonic boom tore through the sky.
Gu Hongcheong had already arrived.
"Where are you hiding!" Noticing Bu Eunseol's trail ended near the temple, Gu Hongcheong began scouring the area like a hunter tracking prey.
Yet, no matter how thoroughly he searched, he could not sense Bu Eunseol's presence.
"Strange. His trail definitely ends here." Gu Hongcheong's senses were sharp enough to detect a mole over a hundred paces away.
Moreover, a martial artist's accumulated inner energy naturally leaked out in minute amounts. Even if one hid underground, they could not escape Gu Hongcheong's perception.
"You can run, but you can't hide from the Buddha's palm." Unable to find any trace of Bu Eunseol despite his exhaustive search, the Beggar King shouted loudly. "I will find you, no matter what!"
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, Gu Hongcheong employed his movement technique and vanished somewhere.
Hidden in the pit, Bu Eunseol exhaled as the Beggar King departed.
'Reaching the state of Return to Simplicity was a stroke of luck.'
The extraordinary state of Return to Simplicity erased even the physical signs of one's existence. Had he not achieved this state? The natural overflow of his inner energy would have inevitably given him away to Gu Hongcheong.
"Ugh." As the tension eased, Bu Eunseol lay down flat.
His vital energy channels were in disarray, and his organs were displaced, causing blood to trickle from his mouth with the slightest movement.
'With injuries this severe... it might be irreversible.' Bu Eunseol's internal injuries were grave.
His organs had lost their elasticity, constantly shifting out of place, and his inner energy was depleted to the core. Suddenly, Bu Eunseol pulled out a medicine bottle given to him by Yoo Unryong.
"..."
The only people Bu Eunseol truly trusted were the members of Nangyang and his close friends.
Had anyone else given him this medicine, he would never have taken it. But Yoo Unryong, though hot-tempered, was not the type to scheme maliciously. Staring at the bottle, Bu Eunseol swallowed the golden pill inside without hesitation.
"Ugh." As soon as he swallowed the pill, his entire body grew hot, and a surge of warmth rose from his dantian.
Using that energy, Bu Eunseol began to restore his depleted inner energy.
Humm.
Meditating deep underground, he felt a comforting warmth, like a baby in its mother's womb. As his body and mind stabilized, the millions of scattered energy strands began flowing back to his dantian like a river.
Sizzle.
Heat began to emanate from Bu Eunseol's previously cold body. Gradually, the heat rose visibly, soon forming a faint shadow.
His inner energy was starting to take shape.
This phenomenon indicated that Bu Eunseol's Ban-geuk Method had surpassed the fourth stage and entered the early fifth stage.
Hummm.
Unaware of this fact, Bu Eunseol kept his eyes closed, focusing solely on his meditation. How much time had passed?
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of water droplets falling reached Bu Eunseol's ears clearly.
A few drops falling on dry earth. His eyes widened as he recognized the sound.
It was a sound only those who had mastered the Void-Splitting Mind's Eye, capable of extending sensory perception through vibrations and waves, could hear.
'Leader?' Realizing it was a call for him, Bu Eunseol stood up.
Whoosh!
Leaping from the deep pit, his body shot through the earth and soared into the sky.
'What?' Bu Eunseol was inwardly startled.
He had only meant to kick off the ground to escape the pit. Yet, he had broken through the earth and soared over ten yards into the air?
'My power has grown again.' Beyond astonishment, Bu Eunseol felt a sense of eeriness.
His power increasing every time he healed from injuries was something impossible by the principles of martial arts.
'Once this is over, I must seek out Elder Blood Vajra.'
Thud.
As Bu Eunseol landed, a middle-aged man in scholarly attire stood tall before him. The leader of the Peongan Corps, Baek Yeon.
"Leader!" Until now, Bu Eunseol had tightly controlled his emotions.
But seeing Baek Yeon's face, his composure crumbled instantly. The memory of the Peongan Corps members who had sacrificed themselves for him surfaced.
"Are you alright?" Baek Yeon's gentle voice rang in his ears, and Bu Eunseol bit his lip until it bled.
"What about the Peongan Corps members... the ones who helped me?" His eyes, barely suppressing his emotions, were filled with urgency and desperation.
Baek Yeon patted his shoulder, calming him.
"Calm yourself."
"Are they safe?" As Bu Eunseol asked again, Baek Yeon nodded with a profoundly solemn expression.
"Only two members survived." Bu Eunseol's unfocused gaze dropped.
Eight members of the Peongan Corps had perished.
"You don't need to torment yourself. They did their duty as members of the Peongan Corps."
"How can I think that way?" Bu Eunseol had deliberately avoided returning to Nangyang, not wanting to rely on Baek Yeon's help.
But that choice led to an unexpected outcome. Defeating Seong Ryun was fine, but it brought forth an unforeseen powerhouse, Gu Hongcheong. And that crisis led to the sacrifice of the Peongan Corps.
"It's all my fault." Bu Eunseol bit his lip. "Had I returned to Nangyang, had I listened to your advice, Leader... those members would not have died in vain."
"It was not a vain death." Baek Yeon spoke calmly. "You are the future successor of Nangyang. They willingly sacrificed themselves to protect the future of Nangyang."
As Bu Eunseol still couldn't lift his head, Baek Yeon let out a low sigh.
"Do you remember? How I initially tried to stop you from venturing into the martial world?"
"..."
"To be honest, your chances of defeating those great masters were almost nil. That's why I tried to free you from the shackles of the Ten Demons Warrior." Baek Yeon continued with a long sigh. "But your growth surpassed my expectations. You defeated Yeo Hwajin in a one-on-one duel and now took down Seong Ryun."
"Leader."
"You've always exceeded expectations, so I stopped interfering. I only instructed the members to report your movements." At the mention of 'members,' a pained glint passed through Baek Yeon's eyes.
The Peongan Corps members were all talents he had personally nurtured. Even someone as composed as he could not remain indifferent to their life and death.
"The Beggar King's appearance was an unforeseen, uncontrollable event. Had I known, I would have deployed the Changsin Corps or called the deputy leader." Rage blazed in Baek Yeon's eyes.
Anyone who touched a disciple of Nangyang faced annihilation. Even their sect would be erased from the martial world. If the Beggar King had attacked Bu Eunseol without reason? Even with his fearsome status as one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, he would not have been spared.
'But...' That was not possible now.
After all, Bu Eunseol and Yoo Unryong had fought Seong Ryun together. Unless the dead Seong Ryun could testify, they would only be accused of ganging up.
There was no justification to destroy the Beggars' Sect.
"I'm sorry." Understanding Baek Yeon's heart, Bu Eunseol bowed his head.
"It's not something you should apologize for." Baek Yeon, regaining his composure, spoke evenly. "As I said, the Beggar King's appearance was unpredictable. There's no need for guilt or grief."
Meeting Baek Yeon after so long, he was unchanged. In the past, and even now, he still cared for and worried about Bu Eunseol.
"Leader." Bu Eunseol lowered his head.
Until now, he had believed he accomplished everything on his own.
But reality was different. He had been journeying through the martial world under the protection of Nangyang and Baek Yeon's care.
"I understand why you're suffering." Baek Yeon placed a hand on Bu Eunseol's shoulder. "Those who stand at the pinnacle of the martial world all walk the path alone. And I know well that you aim to be such a supreme martial artist."
Baek Yeon let out a soft breath.
"But even they had sects they belonged to, masters, and fellow disciples. They didn't achieve everything alone, like the Buddha." Enlightened by Baek Yeon's words, Bu Eunseol bowed deeply.
"I... was arrogant, Leader." Bu Eunseol had chosen Nangyang and called it his 'home.'
There was no need to feel ashamed for receiving help from family living in the same house.
Rather, he should be proud. Proud of choosing Nangyang, a sect that protected and cherished him even at the cost of their lives.
"If you've realized, that's enough." Baek Yeon spoke with a solemn expression. "From today onward, become stronger. So that you never again leave your fate in the hands of the powerful."
At that moment, a fierce light, like a blazing sun, shone in Bu Eunseol's eyes. He resolved to make the arrogant Beggar King kneel at his feet.
"I will become stronger without fail." As Bu Eunseol's previously dejected gaze burned fiercely, Baek Yeon inwardly sighed in relief.
'Thank goodness.' With his innate sense for battle and relentless determination, Bu Eunseol had consistently achieved ascending martial arts, progressing triumphantly.
But if this incident struck a blow to his spirit, even his accomplished martial arts could fall to a lower realm. Baek Yeon had come down from Nangyang to find Bu Eunseol precisely because he feared this outcome.
"In truth, this matter was never something you could handle alone from the start."
After a moment of contemplation, Baek Yeon slowly spoke.
"I'll be honest. There's something I haven't told you until now."
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