As the Flower of Majeon, Jin Seol’s responsibilities were surprisingly numerous.
The sect, vast in scale, had a multitude of events and ceremonies planned. And overseeing them all was entirely her duty.
“Place that over there. This area is the Chief Instructor’s path, so put it here. Station the guards on this side. The noon sunlight will illuminate this spot…”
She managed event schedules, personally arranging all necessary equipment and personnel.
“No, that won’t do. The Great Sea Blade, bestowed upon the new Blood Wind Leader, weighs over fifty pounds, so only first-class guards can carry it.”
It was also her role to set the tone for the event’s dignity or ceremony, as well as to train the people involved.
“Lady Jin Seol.” A young maid approached Jin Seol, who was issuing orders to the warriors, and bowed.
“The Martial Soul Command Lord requests your presence.”
“What did you say?”
“The Martial Soul Command Lord is looking for you.”
Jin Seol frowned.
Why would Bu Eunseol seek her out? Could it be to confront her about what happened a few days ago?
“Escort the Lord to the Hope Blossom Pavilion—no, the Snow Lotus Pavilion. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Understood.” As the maid left, Jin Seol gave a few more instructions to the warriors.
Then she headed to the Snow Lotus Pavilion.
Entering the guest chamber, she found a strikingly handsome man sitting elegantly—Bu Eunseol.
“Jin Seol.”
“Martial Soul Command Lord.” She offered a polite but stiff greeting.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost seriousness. “Shim Wol. Can you not part with him?”
The unexpected question made Jin Seol’s expression harden.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” Bu Eunseol replied gravely. “Can you not break things off with him?”
“Why should I?” Then, words she never could have anticipated flooded her ears.
“He’s colluded with external forces. Moreover, he’s mercilessly slaughtered innocent civilians.”
Jin Seol was so shocked her thoughts froze.
“Slaughtered civilians? Him?”
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol said with a grave expression. “He is the Shadowless Killer.”
The successive shocks made her feel as if someone were strangling her.
She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
“You’re joking,” she said after a long pause, her voice cold and calm. “He couldn’t even kill a fly. The Shadowless Killer?”
She shook her head. “You may be the Martial Soul Command Lord, but I’ve been in the sect longer. And I’ve known him for quite some time.”
“…”
“If he had such a ruthless streak, he wouldn’t be in Manbak Hall. He’d already be the sect’s successor.”
“I acknowledge that,” Bu Eunseol said.
Shim Wol hadn’t earned Jeok Bung’s full approval because he lacked the killing intent essential for a demonic martial artist.
If he had the ruthless killing intent to slaughter civilians, he would have mastered Jeok Bung’s martial arts and risen as a successor candidate long ago.
“But it’s the truth. And he’s consumed an inner core that amplifies power and killing intent.”
‘An inner core that amplifies power and killing intent?’
She’d never even heard of such a thing, even as a jest.
But Bu Eunseol wasn’t one to joke, so it must exist.
A whirlwind of emotions surged within Jin Seol.
“You’re saying there’s evidence?”
“Yes.”
“Then proceed accordingly. Why come to me with this?”
Bu Eunseol gazed into her lake-like eyes. “If his crimes are fully exposed, as his fiancée, you’ll bear the stigma alongside him.”
So, Bu Eunseol was warning her in advance out of concern.
“You’re foolish, Lord,” Jin Seol said coldly. “Didn’t it occur to you that I might tell him about this?”
As fiancés, she could secretly inform Shim Wol.
But Bu Eunseol shook his head firmly. “If so, I’ve misjudged you.”
Jin Seol could no longer maintain her composure and trembled slightly. In that moment, she understood why Shim Wol had become a murderer, why he made such a choice.
The Martial Soul Command Lord, revered and admired by young demonic martial artists.
Standing before this radiant figure, anyone would feel insignificant.
‘I didn’t care about such things.’
Jin Seol bit her lip.
She had no desire to marry a hero worshipped by the masses. Her choice of Shim Wol over Bu Eunseol wasn’t thoughtless.
She believed a kind man who understood her heart so well would surely bring her happiness.
“Can’t you forgive him?” she asked in a desperate, unprecedented tone. “He did it because he loves me too much. That’s why he’s jealous of you…”
Bu Eunseol sighed deeply and shook his head. “If that were the case, I’d never have asked you to leave him.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it was out of pure intent—or even just a desire to grow stronger—I wouldn’t have said a word about parting with him.”
“What are you saying? He…”
But her voice faltered.
Then, like a dagger, Bu Eunseol’s words pierced her heart.
“Based on our investigation, he approached you deliberately on the Elder Sect Leader’s orders.”
In the end, Shim Wol didn’t love her but the conditions she represented.
Jin Seol bit her lip.
‘He speaks as if he knows everything.’
A spark of defiance flared within her.
“Give me a few days.”
“I can give you as much time as you need, but…” Bu Eunseol hesitated before continuing. “Don’t try to decide anything alone from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a brilliant woman, but you’re still naive about the ways of the world. Especially when it comes to Shim Wol…”
“I understand. I’ll do as you say,” Jin Seol cut in coldly. “But give me a few days. And in the meantime, just watch quietly. Can you promise that?”
After a moment’s thought, Bu Eunseol nodded. “Agreed.”
Clasping his hands, he turned and left.
Jin Seol bit her lip as she watched him depart calmly.
‘He’s convinced his judgment is always right. As he always has been.’
She was irritated that Bu Eunseol was judging Shim Wol so arbitrarily. His brilliant intellect sometimes came across as arrogance and self-righteousness.
‘I’ll show you that you can be wrong.’
Even if it was all orchestrated by Jeok Bung, Shim Wol must have genuinely loved her. If his feelings were entirely false, she was confident she’d have seen through them.
With resolve, Jin Seol turned, heading toward a pavilion she had never visited directly, to uncover the truth about Shim Wol.
***
At that moment, in a secret chamber of Manbak Hall.
“As expected, it’s because of him.” Shim Wol trembled with rage.
Having completed his civilian massacre, he felt refreshed, his killing intent nearly dissipated.
He had planned to shower Jin Seol with affection again. But suddenly, she avoided him, claiming illness and refusing to meet.
“Grr…” Now, just thinking of Bu Eunseol sent rage surging through him.
Having nearly fully melded the artificial inner core, his power had more than doubled.
This allowed him to wield Jeok Bung’s martial arts, which he couldn’t before, with ease.
‘With this martial art, I could surely kill him.’
Shim Wol felt a pang of regret.
Despite slaughtering martial artists and civilians, significantly enhancing his skills by melding the inner core, he couldn’t directly kill Bu Eunseol.
‘No choice.’
As his anger reached its peak, killing intent rose again.
With his growing power, burning down a small village felt insufficient.
“I’ll wipe them out. Completely.”
With Baek Jeoncheon away on external affairs, Shim Wol controlled Manbak Hall’s intelligence network.
“The women’s sect. I’ll destroy the women’s sect.”
He wanted to kill martial women.
More precisely, he wanted to brutally kill women resembling Jin Seol.
Step, step.
Entering Manbak Hall’s secret chamber, where all the sect’s intelligence was stored, he searched for a place detailing martial artists’ movements and factions.
‘That’s the one.’
Shim Wol’s gaze settled on the Green Fragrance Sect.
A women’s sect passed down through generations, known for its exceptional swordsmanship and qinggong.
However, lacking outstanding disciples, it was considered a second-rate sect in the martial world.
Located far from Chengdu, it was ideal for a quiet massacre.
‘With Baek Jeoncheon returning soon, I’d better enjoy this while it lasts…’
Shim Wol licked his dry lips with a red tongue.
Once Baek Jeoncheon returned, he couldn’t rampage freely.
He intended to fully indulge in this final opportunity to sate his killing intent.
***
The Green Fragrance Sect was nestled in a deep valley of Daenam Mountain.
Its founder, Moonlit Spirit, was originally a disciple of the Jade Fairy Palace.
But she preferred wandering the martial world as a chivalrous hero over cultivating the Dao. As she aged, she secluded herself on Daenam Mountain.
Settling in Green Fragrance Valley, she created a sword art inspired by its beauty. Young girls passing by became her disciples, inheriting her swordsmanship.
That was the origin of the Green Fragrance Sect.
Sadly, the sect never found a disciple to fully master its exceptional swordsmanship. Though it continued its lineage, it remained a second-rate sect in the martial world.
Whoosh.
A shadow pierced the night, standing tall beneath a cliff overlooking the Green Fragrance Sect. Clad in black night attire and a mask, the figure’s clear eyes were bloodshot, exuding an eerie aura.
It was Shim Wol.
“What a peaceful place.”
Gazing at the sect, his eyes burned with fervent killing intent. Driven by jealousy and rage, he intended to unleash it all and return to his calm facade.
Until he married Jin Seol and obtained the Demon Emperor’s martial art, he had to suppress his true nature and killing intent.
Swish.
Shim Wol’s shadow darted through the night, landing before the sect’s gate.
“Who’s there?” two disciples guarding the gate challenged the sudden intruder.
“At this late hour, what—”
Their words were cut off.
Crack.
As Shim Wol slowly raised his right arm, a red mist rose with the sound of snapping bones.
The two disciples’ bodies crumpled like toys.
Heaven-Breaking Rift Palm.
The unstoppable, undefendable true martial art of Blood Demon Jeok Bung unfurled from his hand.
Crunch.
An invisible, elongated force extended, crushing the disciples’ bodies into paper-thin remnants.
Step, step.
As Shim Wol entered the gate, a disciple spotted him and shouted, “Who’s there?”
Crack.
Instead of answering, Shim Wol extended his hand.
Boom!
A powerful force crushed the disciple’s body, blood spraying as chunks of flesh and bone fell to the ground.
When Jeok Bung acted, enemies vanished, leaving only fountains of blood, like foam. His immense power crushed bodies into mist, leaving little residue.
“I’m still far off,” Shim Wol said, looking at the bloody remains with regret.
If Jeok Bung had acted, only blood fountains would remain, with no bodily fragments.
“Don’t expect too much from the first try.”
He gave a faint smile.
Before consuming the inner core, he couldn’t have dreamed of using this technique. With time, he could refine it further. And with the Demon Emperor’s martial art, he could surpass the foremost demonic master and aim for the world’s greatest.
Clang, clang, clang!
A loud bell rang, followed by a sharp cry: “Intruder!”
Dozens of disciples, swords drawn, poured into the courtyard to confront the intruder.
“Good,” Shim Wol said, a satisfied smile spreading as he saw them.
Humm!
Channeling immense power through both hands, thick streams of energy became visible.
Jeok Bung’s exclusive martial art.
It appeared to simply unleash great force. But in truth, it used subtle principles to generate immense power with minimal effort.
He was using only a third of his power. Yet, it effortlessly turned the charging Green Fragrance Sect disciples into bloody pulp.
Thud, thud.
Turning twenty disciples into mangled flesh took less time than it takes to burn half a stick of incense.
Creak.
A distant pavilion door opened, and an elderly woman in white emerged, followed by dozens of disciples.
Though her hair was white, her eyes brimmed with vigor, and her presence exuded an ethereal aura.
It was Baek Susu, the Green Fragrance Sect’s leader.
“What grudge do you hold against our sect to commit such slaughter?” she roared, glaring at the scattered remains of her disciples.
Shim Wol’s eyes curved into crescents. “What reason is there to kill?”
“What?”
“If there must be one, it’s that you provoked my killing intent.” His eyes blazed red, his voice low and sinister.
Jeok Bung’s martial art was the most brutal and destructive among demonic techniques.
Requiring immense killing intent, like a blood sword, it turned the practitioner’s heart crueler with mastery.
Before reaching the Extreme Demonic Realm, Jeok Bung reportedly couldn’t sleep without seeing blood daily. Having consumed the artificial inner core, which made one ferocious, and melded it, Shim Wol’s cruelty surpassed even Jeok Bung’s prime.
“I am the Shadowless Killer.”
“You’re that demon!” Baek Susu exclaimed.
“Demon?” Shim Wol burst into laughter. “Hahaha!”
He liked the term.
A being of evil and cruelty, capable of destroying anything—that was a demon.
“Shall we begin?”
As Shim Wol prepared to unleash a massacre, a voice interrupted.
“No more.”
Whoosh.
With a gust, a woman in light armor descended beside Baek Susu.
Her cold eyes seemed to whirl with a blizzard, her presence radiating aloof brilliance.
It was Jin Seol.
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