The White Horse Temple Lord, Kang Yangcheon, had demanded that Bu Eunseol form an alliance with an outer sect for absurd reasons.
Ultimately, Bu Eunseol complied, heading to the North Sea Ice Palace with a sharp blade pointed at Kang Yangcheon.
“I’ll have to start auditing the factions undermining our sect’s influence. Too many are causing pointless trouble.”
Kang Yangcheon was able to laugh off Bu Eunseol’s talk of auditing. He had already investigated the North Sea Ice Palace’s situation and was certain Bu Eunseol could never form an alliance with them.
But his expectations were shattered.
Bu Eunseol didn’t just form an alliance with the North Sea Ice Palace; he returned having formed a sworn brotherhood with the palace lord.
As a result, Kang Yangcheon, who had cornered Bu Eunseol during the Demonic Assembly, and the White Horse Temple, were now trapped in a checkmate.
“I’ll begin the audit.”
Upon returning to Majeon, Bu Eunseol kept his promise.
Leading his deputy, Myo Cheonwoo, Yoo Unryong, and the entire Death Shadow Corps, he began auditing the White Horse Temple.
The scale of the audit, mobilizing the entire Death Shadow Corps, was unprecedented.
Unable to contain his rage, Kang Yangcheon retreated to his training chamber.
“I’d rather die than endure this!” As Bu Eunseol led the entire Death Shadow Corps into the temple, Kang Yangcheon, unable to bear the sight, went into seclusion.
“Whether the temple lord is in seclusion or not, it doesn’t matter. Tear everything apart.” With Bu Eunseol’s stern command, the Death Shadow Corps demonstrated what an audit truly meant.
From every paper document in the White Horse Temple to the number of chopsticks in the dining hall, they turned everything upside down and investigated.
They even scrutinized individuals invited by the temple and anyone related, leaving no stone unturned.
“This is too much!”
All the temple’s members protested loudly.
Even a traitor’s household wouldn’t be ransacked like this.
But heedless of their complaints, the Death Shadow Corps was turning the White Horse Temple into a wasteland. Unable to endure the humiliation, the temple’s leaders went directly to Bu Eunseol to protest.
“We are one of the Ten Demonic Sects. How can you treat us like this?”
It was a grave mistake.
“Good. I was tired of summoning you one by one. From now on, all temple leaders will meet with me privately.” As if waiting for this, Bu Eunseol brought the protesting leaders before him one by one, questioning them on various matters.
“This is just interrogation!”
The temple leaders who met with Bu Eunseol trembled with rage and humiliation.
These so-called private meetings were akin to intense interrogations, lacking only physical torture.
“I’ve found evidence of significant corruption in the White Horse Temple. I’m summoning you to uncover it, so cooperate.”
The leaders realized their mistake too late.
They should have submitted to this madman. Their feeble resistance had only tightened the noose around their necks.
But the situation was like spilled water.
Like dogs at a funeral, they were dragged before Bu Eunseol, tears in their eyes. Moreover, he kept questioning until he got the answers he wanted, causing those with weaker internal energy to collapse, vomiting.
But that was just the beginning…
“Why did you attack the Seven-Finger Demon Blade forty years ago?” Bu Eunseol asked the leaders a shocking question.
He began inquiring about events from forty years ago involving the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, memories so old they were barely recalled.
Only those nearing old age remembered such events.
Younger leaders had to dredge up rumors they’d heard somewhere.
“I can’t take it anymore!” Unable to endure Bu Eunseol’s tyranny, the deputy temple lord, Yeok Jungmaeng, finally snapped.
Stomp, stomp.
Yeok Jungmaeng stormed into the Victory Pavilion, where Bu Eunseol was temporarily staying, interrogating the temple leaders.
“Isn’t this going too far?” Yeok Jungmaeng demanded as he burst in.
Bu Eunseol, engrossed in examining documents, didn’t even glance at him.
‘This guy…’ Seeing Bu Eunseol ignore him and focus on the documents, thick veins bulged on Yeok Jungmaeng’s forehead.
“Martial Soul Command Lord!” he shouted.
Only then did Bu Eunseol look up.
“Deputy Lord Yeok. Welcome.”
“What kind of audit is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you asking the temple leaders strange questions unrelated to the audit?”
“Strange questions?”
Yeok Jungmaeng gritted his teeth and shouted, “You’re auditing our temple’s corruption, so why dig up old matters from forty years ago?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes turned icy.
“Is it strange to ask about the affairs of our sect’s deputy leader?”
“The Seven-Finger Demon Blade has been missing for decades. Why ask our temple leaders about his whereabouts?”
“Curious,” Bu Eunseol said, eyes fixed on the documents. “No matter how long ago he vanished, he was the deputy leader of our sect. Yet all your temple’s disciples call him the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.”
Yeok Jungmaeng flinched but bit his teeth and said, “The deputy leader’s disappearance is something even the Demon Emperor and our sect’s leaders hush up. Why ask us about it?”
Bu Eunseol looked up, a leisurely smile on his face.
“Because I heard information linking the deputy leader’s disappearance to the White Horse Temple.”
“Nonsense. Just baseless rumors.”
“Baseless rumors?” Bu Eunseol’s sharp gaze met Yeok Jungmaeng’s eyes.
“Forty years ago, before he became our sect’s deputy leader, didn’t the White Horse Temple attack him?”
For a brief moment, Yeok Jungmaeng’s eyes wavered. But he quickly adopted a nonchalant expression.
“What are you talking about? Us attacking him?”
“…”
“Do you have proof? Proof that our temple attacked him forty years ago?”
“Do you think I’d ask such things without evidence?” Bu Eunseol’s eyes seemed to slice Yeok Jungmaeng’s throat with icy blades.
“If you have proof, proceed with it,” Yeok Jungmaeng said, sneering and avoiding Bu Eunseol’s cold gaze. “No need to ask us, is there?”
At fifty, Yeok Jungmaeng had become the deputy temple lord with exceptional martial arts and cunning in all matters.
If Bu Eunseol had concrete evidence of the attack on the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, he wouldn’t be resorting to such shoddy interrogations.
“It’s not that I lack evidence. I was merely deliberating,” Bu Eunseol said with a cold smile.
“After all, the White Horse Temple is one of the Ten Demonic Sects.”
“Deliberating?” Yeok Jungmaeng barely suppressed his rage. “Deliberating what?”
“The Death Command Sect,” Bu Eunseol said, staring directly at Yeok Jungmaeng’s face. “I was deliberating whether to bring down the White Horse Temple or the Death Command Sect.”
Yeok Jungmaeng’s face turned ashen.
‘Does he really know that our temple and the Death Command Sect attacked the Seven-Finger Demon Blade?’
“Of course, you don’t have to say anything,” Bu Eunseol said with a meaningful smile. “But since the temple lord is in seclusion, you, as deputy lord, will bear all responsibility.”
Standing up, Bu Eunseol slowly approached Yeok Jungmaeng.
“If you choose to stay silent, so be it. But…” he said, smiling at Yeok Jungmaeng’s profile, “you’ll bear the consequences of everything that happens after you leave this room.”
“Wait, what consequences?” Yeok Jungmaeng stammered.
“It’s simple,” Bu Eunseol said with a smirk.
“If I spread a rumor within the White Horse Temple that I got this information from you… wouldn’t that lead to interesting results?”
‘This bastard!’ Yeok Jungmaeng clenched his fists tightly.
If Bu Eunseol spread such a rumor within the temple, no amount of explanation would convince anyone.
And if it reached Kang Yangcheon, whose temper was like a thunderstorm, the consequences would be unimaginable.
‘He tormented the temple leaders to provoke me into coming here!’ Yeok Jungmaeng’s spine chilled.
Questioning clueless leaders about the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was a trap to lure him, the deputy lord, to Bu Eunseol.
‘If I refuse, this madman will pin everything on me.’ Yeok Jungmaeng bit his lip.
It was a checkmate.
No matter how powerful the Martial Soul Command Lord was, he couldn’t interrogate Kang Yangcheon, the head of one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
Bu Eunseol’s goal was to corner Yeok Jungmaeng and blackmail him.
“You’re taking too long to think,” Bu Eunseol said, yawning. “Make a quick decision so I can act accordingly.”
“Wait a moment,” Yeok Jungmaeng said, grinding his teeth.
He knew the abyss before him was a trap, but he had no choice but to step into it.
“Will you keep it secret if I talk?”
“Of course. I don’t want this to escalate either,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Yeok Jungmaeng took a deep breath.
To avoid being scapegoated and to escape Kang Yangcheon’s harsh reprimands and punishment, he had no choice but to answer Bu Eunseol’s questions.
“Our temple had a slight grudge with the Seven-Finger Demon Blade,” he said, hesitating briefly before continuing.
“At the time, Kang Muhak, the temple lord’s son and our successor, was killed by the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.” The unexpected revelation made Bu Eunseol’s eyes widen.
“The deputy leader killed the temple lord’s son?”
“Yes. Back then, the Seven-Blade… I mean, the deputy leader wasn’t part of our sect.”
Bu Eunseol couldn’t comprehend it.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade killed the White Horse Temple lord’s only son? That meant an irreconcilable grudge existed between them.
“Then why didn’t you kill him? With Majeon’s full force, you could have.”
Before joining Majeon, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was a lone figure dominating the martial world. Not being part of the sect, the White Horse Temple lord would have had countless opportunities to kill him.
So why didn’t he?
“I don’t know. But at some point, the temple lord gave up on revenge.”
“…”
“By the time he became the deputy leader, he was untouchable.”
Though Bu Eunseol got answers, his mind only grew more clouded.
“That’s all I know,” Yeok Jungmaeng said.
Bu Eunseol bit his lip, sensing that Yeok Jungmaeng wasn’t lying.
‘So this is all the information I can get from the White Horse Temple.’
The temple lord, Kang Yangcheon, was untouchable for interrogation, and even with a blade to his throat, he wouldn’t talk.
‘The temple lord’s closed-off, authoritarian management actually helped.’
Kang Yangcheon should have faced Bu Eunseol himself, even if it wounded his pride.
But the White Horse Temple was structured so the lord made all decisions, and disciples obeyed absolutely. This applied to the deputy lord, Yeok Jungmaeng, as well, which is why Bu Eunseol’s blackmail worked.
“Good,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Is that it? All of it?” Yeok Jungmaeng asked.
“Of course. This is where it ends,” Bu Eunseol replied with a gentle smile.
True to his word, Bu Eunseol left the White Horse Temple with the Death Shadow Corps immediately after the meeting with Yeok Jungmaeng.
“I heard the deputy lord negotiated with the Martial Soul Command Lord, so they’re leaving quietly.”
“Good thing. Without the deputy lord, our temple would have been squeezed dry.”
Bu Eunseol didn’t forget to preserve Yeok Jungmaeng’s reputation as he left.
This way, he could continue extracting information from the White Horse Temple through him.
Once the initial barrier was broken, people instinctively submit to someone who alternates between irresistible threats and sweet rewards.
‘Temple Lord, you made the worst choice.’
A smile played on Bu Eunseol’s lips as he thought of Kang Yangcheon.
When Bu Eunseol came to audit, Kang Yangcheon chose seclusion to avoid the unsightly situation.
But that was not the action of a leader responsible for a faction. As a result, the White Horse Temple faced the worst audit possible.
‘And he doesn’t even know how to use people properly.’
Moreover, Kang Yangcheon demanded only obedience from his subordinates.
While this could quickly unite a large organization, it made members refuse to take even the slightest responsibility for their actions. Ultimately, Kang Yangcheon made poor choices and failed to manage his people.
This allowed Bu Eunseol to freely disrupt one of the Ten Demonic Sects, the White Horse Temple.
***
The meeting room in the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
Having completed the White Horse Temple audit and returned to Majeon, Bu Eunseol sat alone in the empty meeting room, deep in thought.
He had uncovered more of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s mysterious actions at the White Horse Temple. And he was devising ways to resolve these mysteries more quickly.
‘The martial world has various perspectives on the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s disappearance.’
“Majeon’s intelligence is pathetic. They couldn’t find their missing deputy leader for decades.”
Others said, “They couldn’t have failed to find him. They’re deliberately not looking because it’s troublesome.”
“Or… maybe Majeon killed him, so they’re not looking.”
‘All plausible theories.’
Having killed countless righteous and neutral masters, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade made many enemies in the martial world.
This had caused Majeon trouble multiple times.
If he hadn’t vanished suddenly, rumors suggested he might have waged a full-scale war against the Martial Alliance.
‘But the North Sea Ice Palace lord described him as a gentle figure.’
Those who knew of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s actions were consistently high-ranking figures from righteous or neutral factions.
This suggested he had deliberately contacted them.
‘Could his actions have been discovered, leading to his quiet elimination?’ Deep in thought, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
If Majeon had banded together to kill him, they wouldn’t have left his position vacant.
‘Perhaps the Martial Alliance?’ Bu Eunseol shook his head again.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s actions were those of a true hero. If the Martial Alliance had agreed to eliminate him, a righteous leader like the Sword Venerable wouldn’t have spared Bu Eunseol just because he was the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s successor.
‘Then why does our sect keep the deputy leader’s position vacant?’
Even the Demon Emperor couldn’t unilaterally decide to keep the position open.
There was no justification for it.
‘So the Ten Demonic Sects are also allowing the position to remain vacant.’
A flash of realization sparked in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
His thoughts turned to the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s beloved dagger, Journey, kept in his possession.
‘If I use Journey… could I get closer to the truth?’
If he presented it before the Demon Emperor and the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects, including the highest echelons of Majeon?
Using Journey as bait, Bu Eunseol could uncover the information the sect’s leaders were hiding about the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
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