Bu Eunseol returned to Majeon with So Okrim.
Seo Jinha, as planned, stayed at the Azure Cloud Sea Palace for a year.
The palace’s spiritual herbs would accelerate the opening of his upper dantian. He would train alongside the young warriors of the Nangyang Pavilion stationed there, honing his martial arts.
After about a year, Seo Jinha would not only fully recover his internal energy and stamina but also ascend to a higher level.
"Bu Eunseol."
As soon as Bu Eunseol entered the Suppressed Demon Pavilion, Yoo Unryong rushed toward him. He seemed to have been waiting at the gate, having heard of Bu Eunseol’s arrival.
"What’s the matter?"
Yoo Unryong’s expression wasn’t good. Clearly, something had happened.
"The Chief Instructor has ordered you to head to the Solitary Light Pavilion immediately."
"I’ll go later."
"No, you need to go now." Yoo Unryong’s face was grave. "An emergency Demonic Assembly has been called at the request of the Ten Demonic Sects."
"A Demonic Assembly?"
A glint appeared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Normally, the Demonic Assembly was a periodic gathering where the Demon Emperor and the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects discussed major issues and the state of the demonic path.
But it wasn’t time for an assembly, and with the Demon Emperor absent, why was one being held?
As if reading his thoughts, Yoo Unryong explained calmly, "The Demonic Assembly can be convened if more than half of the Ten Demonic Sects—five or more—request it."
"Five sects?"
"White Horse Temple, Death Command Sect, Hell's Blood Fortress, Extinction Palace, and Extreme Slaughter Sect."
"Even the reclusive Extreme Slaughter Sect?"
Yoo Unryong said with a bitter expression, "I heard White Horse Temple persuaded them. The other four likely just went along."
"With the Demon Emperor absent, it’s being held temporarily under the Chief Instructor’s oversight."
"Indeed."
"A temporary assembly…" Bu Eunseol nodded, lost in thought. "Understood. I’ll still stop by the Suppressed Demon Pavilion first."
"Why?" Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol gestured behind him.
There stood So Okrim, a towering woman reminiscent of a giant tree.
At the training ground of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
So Okrim stood tall, looking down at the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps. Before heading to the assembly, Bu Eunseol had gathered all the Death Shadow Corps warriors to the training ground.
"From now on, So Okrim, Instructor So, will serve as the temporary martial arts instructor of the Death Shadow Corps." At Bu Eunseol’s words, the captains and members all wore puzzled expressions.
The Death Shadow Corps’s warriors were battle-hardened, with skilled captains leading them. The members underwent rigorous training under their captains’ orders and never neglected their martial arts practice.
So why bring in an outsider as a martial arts instructor?
It would be far better for Bu Eunseol to train them himself.
"I, the Lord, must attend the assembly now. In the meantime, explain the situation of the corps to her and prepare a residence."
With this brief explanation, Bu Eunseol headed to the Solitary Light Pavilion.
Myo Cheonwoo and the other members gathered at the training ground stared blankly at Bu Eunseol’s retreating figure.
‘Who the hell is she?’
All the Death Shadow Corps members widened their eyes.
She stood over seven feet tall, her eyes gleaming with white light. Her shoulders seemed twice as wide as an adult man’s, and her solid muscles strained against her robe.
She looked less like a woman and more like the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King of Buddhist lore.
‘She doesn’t look ordinary at all.’
All the Death Shadow Corps warriors gazed at So Okrim with awkward expressions.
"What’s this? Why’s everyone gathered here?" At that moment, a man with bleary eyes sauntered into the training ground.
It was Won Semun.
Having gotten drunk the previous night, he’d been sneaking a nap all morning. Still half-asleep, he came outside and, noticing the members were missing, wandered to the training ground.
"What the hell are you all doing…" Won Semun pushed through the members and walked to the center of the training ground.
There, he saw a shadow cast by a seven-foot giant standing against the sun.
A massive figure, like a towering mountain, stood solemnly with crossed log-like arms, long hair fluttering.
Blinking his blurry eyes, Won Semun mumbled as he approached the giant, "Guan Yu?"*
*Guan Yu - a historical Chinese general. In the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’, he is described to be over 7 feet tall, with a reddish complexion, broad-shouldered and very muscular. So not a woman.
Thwack.
A fist as thick as a log smashed into Won Semun’s left cheek.
Caught off guard, Won Semun tumbled across the ground.
"Argh!"
"What’s with this lunatic?" So Okrim shouted, pointing at the rolling Won Semun. "Calling this peerless beauty Guan Yu?!"
"Peerless beauty?" At that, Won Semun sprang up and rubbed his eyes.
Only then did he clearly see So Okrim’s face, previously obscured by the sun. Despite her massive frame, her face was cute, with slightly chubby cheeks.
It was an appealing face, but it contrasted oddly with the muscular body visible through her clothes.
"A female Guan Yu?"
Crack.
Another fist smashed into Won Semun’s right cheek.
"You crazy wench!" Rolling across the ground, Won Semun leapt up and threw a punch at So Okrim’s face.
It was the Demon-Destroying Jade Fist, a technique Bu Eunseol had taught the members.
Whoosh!
Though he didn’t infuse it with internal energy, his fist moved swiftly, weaving faint afterimages as it aimed for So Okrim’s face.
"Oh? What’s this now?"
Grab.
So Okrim caught Won Semun’s fist with one hand and bared her large teeth.
"Daring to lay a hand on this exquisite body?"
Crack!
This time, Won Semun was hit square in the stomach and collapsed onto the training ground.
"This… this…" Only then did Won Semun realize the woman before him possessed martial prowess far beyond his ability to challenge.
"Who are you?" No matter how reckless Won Semun was, he could tell the difference between high and low. Realizing So Okrim was no ordinary person, he asked seriously, "Answer properly, or I won’t go easy on you, even if you’re a woman."
"Go easy? Who’s going easy on who?"
"You think I’m joking?"
As Won Semun reached for the twin swords on his back, So Okrim snorted, crossed her arms, and declared confidently, "Ever heard of the Celestial Goddess?"
"Celestial Goddess?"
"That’s right. I, your instructor, am the Celestial Goddess."
"Celestial Goddess…?" Won Semun blinked, then his eyes widened as something clicked.
"Wait, you’re that lunatic who turned the Yanggwang martial world into chaos a few years ago—"
Thwack!
Another fist slammed into Won Semun’s crown.
"Urgh!" Clutching his head, Won Semun collapsed like a turtle retracting its neck.
"I said Celestial Goddess!" So Okrim, in a frenzy, began kicking the fallen Won Semun. "Who’s a lunatic? Wanna die? Huh?"
Her kicks were precise, targeting Won Semun’s vital points with relentless accuracy.
Thud, thud, thud.
With each kick, Won Semun saw visions of a grim reaper cheerfully rowing across the River of Three Crossings.
"Urk, urgh." He wanted to scream, but the pain was so intense he couldn’t even make a sound.
The onlookers, watching Won Semun tremble with rolled-back eyes, were dumbfounded.
Though his personality was simple, his martial arts were not.
Thanks to Bu Eunseol’s training and extensive combat experience, he was a skilled swordsman nearing the pinnacle.
Yet he couldn’t dodge simple punches and kicks?
‘Where the hell did the Lord find this monster?’
The Death Shadow Corps members trembled in fear as they watched So Okrim’s merciless kicks.
***
At the grand meeting hall of the Solitary Light Pavilion.
Near the large table at the center stood five partitions draped with black curtains.
These were the Hidden Demon Partitions, used when the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects wished to conceal their appearances without compromising their dignity during formal gatherings.
‘They call me to an assembly and don’t even show their faces…’
Even if it was a temporary assembly, only the top brass of the demonic path could attend.
Yet they were using Hidden Demon Partitions here.
Wasn’t that a clear sign they didn’t even want to show their faces to Bu Eunseol? Staring at the partitions, Bu Eunseol clasped his hands toward the Chief Instructor.
"Chief Instructor."
"Martial Soul Command Lord." A sharp glint passed through Yeop Hyocheon’s eyes.
Bu Eunseol’s energy was completely absent, as if he hadn’t practiced martial arts at all. Yet, in his calm and serene eyes, a profound brilliance shone, unlike anything from before.
‘His internal energy has grown deeper, yet his presence is more ordinary…’
The martial world was full of inexplicable wonders.
Seeing Bu Eunseol return from his travels with greatly enhanced martial arts, Yeop Hyocheon felt not just wonder but an eerie sense of unease.
‘To ascend to the next level from such internal energy is something one cannot achieve alone.’
Yeop Hyocheon knew Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was formidable, rivaling even the masters of old. To leap to a level where he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the martial world’s greatest?
‘Could a master who reached the Infinite Realm have transferred their essence to him through the Great Soul Transmission?’
Yeop Hyocheon shook his head.
Even if such a technique were used, the human body has limits in accepting another’s energy. Moreover, a master whose internal energy reached sixty years would have their twelve meridians in a state of perfect stillness, making it nearly impossible to absorb external energy.
‘This guy’s going to stir up trouble…’
Yeop Hyocheon wasn’t the only one astonished.
The leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects behind the Hidden Demon Partitions also sensed that Bu Eunseol’s power had grown incomparably since the enthronement ceremony.
‘Human potential may be limitless, but developing it requires order and stages…’ As the murmurs mixed with gasps subsided, Yeop Hyocheon narrowed his long eyes and turned to the partitions.
"Now that the Martial Soul Command Lord is here, let’s begin." After a brief silence, a low voice emerged from the first partition.
"You killed the Sword Venerable’s disciple, Heavenly Sword, before… and now you’ve brought the Azure Cloud Sea Palace under our sect’s influence." As the voice echoed, it felt as if sharp weapons were raining down in the hall.
A master who could emit such sharpness with their voice alone. Bu Eunseol instantly recognized it as Kang Yangcheon, the leader of White Horse Temple.
"Because of that, the foreign sects that were hostile to us are now openly expressing their discontent."
Bu Eunseol, listening silently, spoke calmly, "Discontent? What kind of discontent?"
"Rumors are spreading that our sect is annexing foreign sects one by one because of your actions." Kang Yangcheon’s claim was that Bu Eunseol’s actions had caused unrest among the foreign sects. "And because of these rumors, our sect’s influence is wavering."
White Horse Temple, which controlled the Jade Gate Pass and Lanzhou regions, was highly sensitive to the movements of external forces. In short, Kang Yangcheon was blaming Bu Eunseol for acting without consulting them, causing this situation.
‘Pointless provocation.’
It may be true, but no sect would dare challenge White Horse Temple, one of the Ten Demonic Sects. In the end, Kang Yangcheon was picking a fight with Bu Eunseol for no reason.
"So," Bu Eunseol asked calmly, "what would you have this Lord do?"
In the past, Kang Yangcheon would have rebuked Bu Eunseol’s casual tone and stiff speech with a sharp retort or a loud reprimand. But now, Bu Eunseol had grown enough to calmly withstand the aura emanating from him.
Moreover, by asking, “What should I do?” he was subtly asserting his equal standing.
In this atmosphere, carelessly criticizing his tone or attitude could backfire.
"I’ll be blunt," Kang Yangcheon said, suppressing his anger, his voice like blades of ice scattering in all directions. "We should incorporate foreign sects that aren’t hostile to us into our fold."
"Incorporate?"
"Call it an alliance if you prefer." Kang Yangcheon added coldly, "So that no more complaints arise. Forming an alliance with a major sect like Bodhidharma Palace should suffice."
Bu Eunseol nearly burst out laughing at the absurdity.
They were asking him to accomplish what Majeon had failed to do for years—incorporating foreign sects.
"Should this Lord be the one to do that?" At Bu Eunseol’s words, Kang Yangcheon sneered.
"As the successor of the sect, shouldn’t you be able to predict the consequences of your actions?"
"…"
"Being a successor isn’t just about power; it’s a position of great responsibility. As someone who represents the future of Majeon, you must take responsibility for your actions."
‘Cleverly worded.’ Bu Eunseol nodded faintly.
It wasn’t unreasonable.
As the successor, all of Bu Eunseol’s actions represented Majeon. Especially when it came to alliances or annexations with other sects, he couldn’t act recklessly. A silence fell as if agreeing with Kang Yangcheon’s words.
"It’s premature to pin all this on the Martial Soul Command Lord." A low, eerie voice broke the silence. "Thanks to the spiritual herbs promised by the Azure Cloud Sea Palace, the Medicine Hall can resume producing not only the Subduing Demon Elixir but also the Brahma Healing Pill."
It was the voice of Gong Yageuk, the lord of Hell's Blood Fortress.
"In the end, the Martial Soul Command Lord has brought immense benefits to our sect. Is there a need to view it only negatively?"
Gong Yageuk had promised to support Bu Eunseol. And, believing Bu Eunseol’s influence was still strong, he was faithfully keeping that promise.
"Fortress Lord, aren’t you switching sides a bit too quickly?" Kang Yangcheon said sarcastically. "Maybe we should remove the Hidden Demon Partitions and see who’s talking."
It was a jab at Gong Yageuk, who had always been hostile to Bu Eunseol but was now suddenly on his side.
"Hahaha." Despite Kang Yangcheon’s provocation, Gong Yageuk laughed heartily and responded leisurely, "Let’s call it wisely reading the times."
"The times?"
"In the long run, yes. Expanding our sect’s influence isn’t a bad thing, is it?"
"Well said," Kang Yangcheon sneered, as if waiting for that. "Then we should continue expanding our influence the Martial Soul Command Lord’s way—with extravagant terms like a one-to-one profit split and equal status."
His voice dripped with mockery.
Kang Yangcheon believed Bu Eunseol had secured the Azure Cloud Sea Palace’s cooperation with overly generous terms.
‘They’re in cahoots after all.’ Bu Eunseol gave a cold smile.
Gong Yageuk seemed to be supporting Bu Eunseol, but in reality, he was reinforcing Kang Yangcheon’s argument. He was steering the conversation to make it seem natural that Bu Eunseol should bring a major foreign sect under their influence.
"Fine," Bu Eunseol said in a low voice after deep thought. "As the Temple Leader says, bringing a powerful foreign sect under our influence isn’t a bad idea."
Bu Eunseol spoke with authority.
"However, since I’ve already been to the Western Regions, I won’t go to Bodhidharma Palace." Kang Yangcheon smirked.
He likely thought Bu Eunseol was choosing a foreign sect where he could easily gain support.
"Among the major sects, if not Bodhidharma Palace, somewhere like Gale Temple would do."
Kang Yangcheon emphasized “major.”
Because large foreign sects were more likely to oppose Majeon than form alliances. To join Majeon’s influence, they’d need to offer substantial tributes and reveal their martial arts secrets.
A major sect with nothing to lose had no reason to join a coalition like Majeon.
"The North Sea Ice Palace," Bu Eunseol declared firmly.
"I will work to form an alliance between our sect and the North Sea Ice Palace."
"What?" Kang Yangcheon unwittingly raised his voice.
The North Sea Ice Palace, formed by the union of northern clans, was not only massive in scale and military strength but had never once allowed outsiders to enter.
Moreover, while they practiced Ice Techniques, a demonic martial art, and bore the title of a demonic sect, they didn’t pursue hegemony and publicly declared neutrality between orthodox and demonic paths.
Yet Bu Eunseol was boldly claiming he’d form an alliance with the most reclusive, aloof, and questionably demonic sect in the foreign regions?
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