However, the reason Bu Eunseol was greatly shocked was something else entirely.
‘A member of the Martial Alliance is using demonic swordsmanship?’
The sword technique the masked figure employed to fend off Soyo was none other than the domineering and powerful Demonic Swordsmanship. That was why.
‘Hmm.’
An old tale surfaced in Bu Eunseol’s mind.
He recalled a story about a mysterious master within the Martial Alliance, one who was not only well-versed in the martial arts of the righteous sects but also in demonic techniques, and even knew how to counter them.
“Get out of the way!” Spotting Bu Eunseol, the masked figure let out a shout laced with urgency, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes to push Soyo back.
It was clear he intended to seize the opportunity to escape. But that was a futile attempt.
Whoosh!
Soyo’s movement technique was like a bolt of lightning.
She anticipated the direction the masked figure was about to take, sticking to him like a specter and blocking his escape routes.
“Ugh.” Finally, a groan escaped the masked figure’s lips as he swung his sword.
He had already been gravely wounded by a deep sword gash near his right shoulder from Bu Eunseol’s single strike.
Moreover, the physical wound was not the only issue.
Due to the immense internal energy infused in Bu Eunseol’s black sword, his vital energy channels had been thrown into disarray, causing severe internal injuries.
As Soyo relentlessly circled around him, his body grew heavier, and his internal injuries worsened.
There was no way for him to escape.
“Drop your sword.”
Shing.
Bu Eunseol, who had been observing silently, swiftly drew his black sword and executed the Meteor Chasing the Moon technique.
“Hmph!” As the swift sword aimed for his throat, the masked figure, as if he still had strength left, scoffed and employed erratic footwork.
Rip!
But when the swift sword, originally aimed at his throat, shifted direction to pierce his left shoulder, he had no choice but to raise his sword to defend.
Clang!
With a clear metallic sound, the masked figure’s sword was knocked into the air.
Unable to withstand the force of the Meteor Chasing the Moon technique, his grip had torn apart.
Pop! Pop!
In that moment, Soyo, moving like lightning, struck with her finger technique, targeting the Yanggu acupoint above the masked figure’s knee.
Thud.
His legs stiffened, and the masked figure collapsed to his knees. Soyo then struck again, hitting the Jianjing acupoint to paralyze both of his arms.
Swish.
With a swift motion, Soyo approached and tore off the mask.
Rip.
The face revealed beneath was that of a strikingly handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes.
His internal energy seemed to have advanced further since the underground city, as a brighter radiance than before lingered in his upper dantian.
However, due to excessive blood loss and severe internal injuries, his pale skin was gradually turning ashen.
“…So you were with the Martial Alliance.” Only then did Bu Eunseol realize who had been sending assassins after him until his confrontation with King Jo. “To ensure I couldn’t pass through cities or villages, you lured me to where you were hiding for this ambush.”
“Hoo.” The blue-eyed man let out a deep sigh, as if acknowledging the truth. “To think you survived the sword of Leader Jo.”
The Seven Commanders of the Martial Alliance.
The leader of the Martial Alliance is chosen from among these seven commanders.
In other words, they are peerless masters who have attained supreme martial arts and earned the title of commander, making them candidates for the position of alliance leader.
However, the selection of the leader prioritizes contributions to the Martial Alliance over fame in the martial world.
Thus, once they become commanders, they avoid actions that might create grudges or entanglements in the martial world.
If they hadn’t confined themselves to leading their respective corps within the Martial Alliance?
They would have wielded immense influence in the martial world or gained tremendous fame by competing with other martial artists…
And the structure of the Seven Kings of the Martial World would have been entirely different.
It is said that, despite their lack of activity in the martial world, the Seven Commanders have long been regarded as on par with the Seven Kings of the Martial World.
Yet, Bu Eunseol, though ranked among the Seven Kings, had only defeated the lowest-ranked King, and his time practicing martial arts was known to be relatively short.
To think he had the skill to face Leader Jo, the Heavenly King, head-on?
“…” The blue-eyed man showed a brief moment of surprise.
After that, he said nothing more, only glaring at Bu Eunseol.
‘Either he infiltrated as a spy like Nobong, or he was bought off by them like Shim Wol.’
Bu Eunseol’s gaze deepened as he looked at the man.
The Martial Alliance would not kill innocent people to create human elixirs. That meant this man was likely part of the shadowy forces that had been disrupting the martial world all along.
“Shall we… interrogate him?” Soyo asked naturally, looking at Bu Eunseol.
As an exceptional assassin, she must have mastered the art of interrogation.
“No need,” Bu Eunseol said calmly, looking down at the blue-eyed man. “The method the shadowy forces have used to control their pawns so far has been to fulfill their long-held desires or ambitions.”
“…”
“Tell me everything you know. Do that, and I’ll spare your life.” Bu Eunseol’s voice was calm.
There was no need for threats or torture.
Young people with much to gain have a strong attachment to life.
With the ability to shake the world, he wouldn’t want to die in vain without seizing that opportunity. The blue-eyed man, with his striking appearance and high martial prowess, would not want to perish meaninglessly in this forest.
“Ugh.”
Sweat dripped from the blue-eyed man’s forehead.
He had mastered the supreme techniques of both righteous and demonic sects, which had long been lost to the martial world. Though his short training period meant he hadn’t fully refined them, given three more years, he could reach the seventh or eighth level of mastery, and someone like the arrogant man before him would be no match.
How could he simply accept death like this?
“Ugh.” After a moment of hesitation, the blue-eyed man, looking up at Bu Eunseol, spoke with a desperate voice. “Will you truly spare me?”
“If you answer honestly.” At Bu Eunseol’s resolute response, the blue-eyed man nodded.
“Then release my acupoints so I can heal. My internal injuries are severe.”
“Your answers come first.”
“You’ll keep your promise, right?” The blue-eyed man, letting out a groan, spoke. “The word of the Martial Soul Command Lord, the heir of Majeon, is renowned in the martial world for its weight.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
Judging by the blue-eyed man’s martial prowess and his demeanor in the underground city, he was no small fry. From his perspective, extracting information about the shadowy forces was more important than killing this man.
“However.” Bu Eunseol’s eyes glinted with a blood-red light as he paused. “If you speak even a hint of nonsense, I’ll end you immediately.”
“Fine.” The blue-eyed man answered readily. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Bu Eunseol remained silent for a moment before asking, “Who ordered you to kill me?”
“The Chief of the Alliance, Tae Sahyeon.”
“Why?”
“He predicted you’d have a showdown with Leader Jo. And he wanted to ensure the outcome of that fight.”
In that moment, Bu Eunseol recalled the warriors who had ambushed him during his time on Hell Island.
‘Back then, Master Baek said they were likely warriors directly under the Chief of the Martial Alliance.’
There was no wavering in the blue-eyed man’s eyes.
Feeling that he was answering honestly, Bu Eunseol asked again, “What is the name of the organization you belong to?”
“The Martial Alliance… I suppose that won’t do?” After a moment of hesitation, the blue-eyed man answered without reservation.
“The First Heaven.”
Bu Eunseol had expected the name “Three Realms” to come up. When an unexpected name emerged, he raised an eyebrow.
‘So they’re not the Three Realms, but another secret organization within the Martial Alliance?’ But the blue-eyed man’s next words softened Bu Eunseol’s stern expression.
“Or it’s also called the Infinite Realm.” Using two names interchangeably is common for secret organizations.
Bu Eunseol nodded and asked again, “Who is the leader?”
“There is no leader. There are only those who deliver orders and those who carry them out.”
“No organization lacks a leader. If there isn’t one, there must be a core group that drives the organization.”
“You’re right.” The blue-eyed man nodded. “From that perspective, I suppose I’m just a pawn.”
With a bitter expression, he continued, “After all, I’m not even officially registered with the Martial Alliance. I knew I could be discarded at any moment, so I struggled to make achievements.”
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
In the underground city of Sichuan, this man seemed to hold a high position, giving orders to those cultivating human elixirs.
Yet he didn’t know the core figures of the Infinite Realm?
“But I’ve spoken honestly,” the blue-eyed man said with a faint smile. “You won’t break your promise, will you?”
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand why the blue-eyed man had confidently agreed to reveal everything.
He was merely a spy without an official position in the Martial Alliance, a disposable pawn handling covert orders.
Even if he spoke everything he knew, the information wouldn’t amount to much.
‘No matter.’ Bu Eunseol had far too little information about the Three Realms or the Infinite Realm.
Even if this man was just a pawn, he could still provide valuable insights.
“Then who is the one giving you orders?”
“The First Emissary.”
“The First Emissary?”
“All orders in our organization are delivered directly by emissaries. The one giving me orders was the First Emissary.”
In that moment, Bu Eunseol recalled the mysterious masked figures he had encountered during his travels in the martial world.
“Do these emissaries wear masks with a strange sheen?”
The blue-eyed man nodded with a slightly surprised expression.
“Yes. It seems you’ve met them.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol feel the scattered pieces in his mind falling into place. The masked figures he had encountered in the martial world.
They were all emissaries of the Infinite Realm.
‘I see.’ Now he understood why those mysterious masked figures he met in the martial world displayed such formidable prowess.
“Why create human elixirs or artificial inner cores?” Bu Eunseol asked with an icy gaze. “With such immense power and wealth, why produce human elixirs or artificial inner cores?”
“Heh heh heh.” The blue-eyed man let out a faint laugh. “You think our organization is trying to disrupt the martial world or satisfy selfish desires.”
“You deliberately spread plagues and created human elixirs. As if that weren’t enough, you made inner cores that turn people into killing machines.”
“Great causes require small sacrifices. It’s unavoidable.” Those were the exact words Nobong, a former spy of the Beggars’ Sect, had once said.
“And don’t misunderstand,” the blue-eyed man continued, his forehead creasing slightly from the worsening internal injuries. “Artificial inner cores were never meant for people like you to concern yourselves with.”
He looked directly at Bu Eunseol and spoke clearly, “They were originally intended for our organization’s use.”
A shocking revelation.
Bu Eunseol had assumed the creation of artificial inner cores was to disrupt or control the martial world.
But to think they were originally made for the Three Realms themselves?
“So the Three Realms need artificial inner cores too?” Bu Eunseol asked.
The blue-eyed man took a deep breath.
“The Three Realms, as the name suggests, is divided into three factions.”
Astonishing information kept pouring out.
So the artificial inner cores were created for the factions within the Three Realms to check or wage war against each other?
“Your words don’t add up,” Bu Eunseol said, frowning after a moment of deep thought. “You’ve been distributing artificial inner cores to people unrelated to the Three Realms. Even to a disciple of our Manbak Hall.”
With a razor-sharp gaze, he continued, “Yet you say they were meant for the Three Realms?”
“I told you,” the blue-eyed man said with a mocking smile. “Our organization is divided into three factions.”
Realizing the meaning behind those words, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
So the Three Realms, true to its name, was split into three factions, and they were in conflict with one another.
‘The forces dominating the martial world are engaged in internal strife?’
It was incomprehensible by common sense.
Shaking his head to clear his complicated thoughts, Bu Eunseol asked, “If you’re the Infinite Realm, what are the names of the other two realms?”
“The deep and empty world is called the Void Realm…”
As he spoke, the blue-eyed man’s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Bu Eunseol.
It was the expression of someone who had made a grave mistake and been caught.
“Urgh.” Suddenly, he clutched his throat and let out a low groan.
Crack!
A sharp bursting sound came from his mouth, and at the same time, his eyes bulged as thick veins began to spread across his body.
Pop. Pop.
His face began to swell like a balloon, gradually turning red.
‘He must not die!’ Bu Eunseol immediately infused pure energy into the blue-eyed man’s Dazhui acupoint.
The pure energy entered his meridians, pushing back the poison, but his face continued to swell.
“Arghhh!” The blue-eyed man let out a piercing scream.
Boom!
His head exploded, sending viscous bodily fluids and debris spraying in all directions.
Splatter.
Soyo, staring at the falling debris, spoke up.
“Heart-Exhausted… Soul-Severing Grand Technique.” She pointed to the black-tinted fragments among the scattered debris. “They fed him the Black Hell Brain Worm, which consumes the brain, completely controlling both body and soul.”
The Heart-Exhausted Soul-Severing Grand Technique.
It was a sinister technique of the long-lost Demon Cult, capable of wiping out an entire sect or rebuilding one. The Demon Cult could have easily restored such a lost technique.
“So that’s how they did it.” Only now did Bu Eunseol understand why the massive organization known as the Three Realms had remained hidden from the martial world for so long.
They had been using such bizarre and cruel techniques to maintain absolute secrecy.
“Their roots are too deep. It’s impossible to know how far they’ve spread or where they reach…” Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
The Three Realms was not a newly emerged power. It had dominated the martial world for generations, keeping its true nature hidden for a long time. But what their purpose was, or why the same forces were fighting among themselves, he could not discern.
However, if he could eliminate their spies scattered throughout the martial world and consolidate the power of the available sects, he might be able to uncover their true nature or even destroy them.
“Hoo.” Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
The blue-eyed man had provided more information than expected. As long as they were extending their reach into the martial world, he would eventually uncover their true identity.
“Let’s go.” Bu Eunseol looked at Soyo and nodded.
Now, he had to go to Myogaso to meet the Divine Sage and unravel the secret behind his grandfather’s death.
***
Myogaso.
Originally, this was a small village of vagrants in Guangdong.
Here, food was shared among all when obtained, so old and sickly vagrants who could barely beg flocked to Myogaso.
As a result, younger vagrants gradually left, leaving only the elderly behind.
Over time, Myogaso became a place where old vagrants, unable to even beg, gathered to await their death.
The graveyard of old vagrants.
Before long, Myogaso earned this grim nickname.
Bu Eunseol and Soyo finally arrived at Myogaso.
As typical of a vagrant village, it was filled with ramshackle huts and crumbling ruins. Around them, frail old vagrants leaned against walls or lay down with lifeless expressions.
Even when Bu Eunseol and Soyo arrived, they showed no reaction. Ordinary vagrants might have begged or cast hopeful glances, but these were so weak and apathetic that they had lost all will to live.
“This is indeed a place where no one would think to look,” Bu Eunseol remarked.
The Divine Sage was truly an extraordinary figure. No matter how skilled an intelligence organization was, they wouldn’t expect the greatest sage of the martial world to be hiding in a vagrant den like this.
Step, step.
Soyo led the way into Myogaso as if she were a guide.
Her eyes frequently scanned the ground. The Divine Sage wouldn’t be an aging vagrant.
Unlike ordinary vagrants, he would leave distinct footprints, and she was following those traces. After walking for a while, they reached a dilapidated hut with a small wooden board in front of the gate.
Scrawled crookedly on the board was the phrase Mansa Mubultongji—‘All Things Known Without Exception.’
It was a phrase commonly used in place of a signboard at fortune-telling stalls.
But knowing the Divine Sage was here, those words carried a profound weight. Staring at the board, Bu Eunseol stepped into the hut without hesitation.
Inside was a small space with another tightly shut wooden door.
Beneath the door was a small hole large enough for a hand to pass through.
“Here for a fortune,” Soyo said.
A hoarse voice came from behind the door.
“Payment upfront.”
Soyo hesitated briefly, then took out a Boeun Coin and slid it through the hole.
The old voice spoke again, “One question per coin.”
Soyo stared at the door and asked in a low voice, “How can the Supreme Yin Severed Meridian be cured?”
According to all known information, there was no cure for the Supreme Yin Severed Meridian.
But a confident answer came from within the hut.
“Gather five masters with over sixty years of internal energy and have them simultaneously infuse their energy to expel the yin energy from the body in one go.”
Drop.
A small piece of paper fell through the hole.
“Read it and burn it.”
Soyo unfolded the paper. It detailed the Six Energies—the three yin energies (Jueyin, Shaoyin, Taiyin) and the three yang energies (Shaoyang, Taiyang, Yangming)—and explained how to infuse internal energy based on the properties of the Five Elements.
“Jueyin Wind Wood, Shaoyin Monarch Fire, Taiyin Damp Earth, Shaoyang Minister Fire, Taiyang Cold Water, Yangming Dry Metal…”
Soyo began memorizing the instructions written on the paper.
Soon after, she nodded and burned the paper with the Three True Flames.
‘He knew in advance.’
The text on the paper was at least a thousand characters long.
To produce such a detailed response immediately after her question meant the Divine Sage had anticipated Soyo’s inquiry about curing the Supreme Yin Severed Meridian and prepared the answer in advance.
‘He knew Soyo was coming and what she would ask.’
Bu Eunseol let out a low hum.
His heightened senses could cover a hundred yards, and with his Mind's Eye, he could discern situations beyond walls even with his eyes closed.
Yet now, he couldn’t see through a single wooden door in this hut.
‘Either exceptional martial arts or a formation.’
This meant the Divine Sage either vastly surpassed Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess or could deploy a remarkable formation to completely block his senses. In other words, whether through martial arts or formations, the Divine Sage possessed abilities far exceeding Bu Eunseol’s.
Swish.
Lost in thought, Bu Eunseol took out a Boeun Coin.
Just as he was about to slide it through the hole, he paused.
He remembered that one coin allowed only one question.
‘What I want is the identity of the murderer who killed my grandfather.’
—Who killed Bu Zhanyang, the coroner of the Huangju Prefecture?
If he asked this and the Divine Sage didn’t know Bu Zhanyang, the coroner of Huangju Prefecture?
His grandfather, no matter how remarkable, had lived in secrecy for decades.
Would even the Divine Sage know of a coroner who buried vagrants in Huangju Prefecture?
Wouldn’t it be better to ask about the Seven-Finger Demon Blade instead?
“You’re not asking?” Soyo prompted.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bu Eunseol moved to insert the coin again.
But another thought struck him.
‘Is the Divine Sage someone who only speaks the truth?’
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