Four days later.
While Bu Eunseol was handling duties in the Supreme Pavilion office, a secret summons arrived from Gongsun Dankyung.
“It was exactly as Captain Seon said.”
As soon as he entered Silver Moon Pavilion, Gongsun Dankyung immediately recounted what had happened.
“The investigation team I sent was completely wiped out. According to the coded message they left behind, it appears to be a research facility of a secret organization on a massive scale.”
It was just as Bu Eunseol had predicted.
The team Gongsun Dankyung dispatched had been annihilated, managing only to uncover that it was a secret organization’s research facility.
“I see.” Bu Eunseol spoke as though he had made up his mind. “Then I will lead the Supreme Branch and conduct another investigation.”
“That won’t do.” Gongsun Dankyung shook her head firmly. “If that place is truly an Infinite Realm research facility, it will be under considerable security. Captain Seon and the Supreme Branch members alone would be overwhelmed.”
Surprisingly, she seemed to know a fair amount about Infinite Realm facilities.
“Then I will infiltrate it alone.” Bu Eunseol said this deliberately, knowing she would not allow it. “If we lead troops without solid information, the Commander could end up in trouble.”
As Chief Inspector, she could not casually mobilize the entire Martial Alliance divisions.
In the past Heaven-Human Cult Incident as well, Gongsun Dankyung had first sent an investigation team to secure evidence.
Without clear justification, the Martial Alliance divisions could not be moved.
“No. I will not request the divisions.”
Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes gleamed.
“I will assign Captain Seon a secret squad of ten members.”
“Ten… you say.”
As Bu Eunseol made a bewildered expression, Gongsun Dankyung smiled confidently.
“They are experts raised secretly by the alliance—each worth a hundred men. These ten alone could topple an ordinary sect in an instant.” Her eyes narrowed as she continued. “Moreover, they officially do not exist. They are masters trained solely for special missions.”
‘As expected, she has them too.’
The blue-eyed, blond youth who had once tried to assassinate him during his fight with Jo Cheonwang…
He too had no official affiliation with the Martial Alliance and was not even acknowledged to exist.
It seemed the Chief Inspector, Gongsun Dankyung, also had the authority to command such individuals.
‘This might be a good chance to dig into the Martial Alliance’s secret organization.’
As Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed,
“If you’re thinking of uncovering information about them, give it up. It’s pointless.” Gongsun Dankyung spoke firmly, as if she had seen through his intentions. “They obey only combat initiation orders. They will not answer any other questions.”
‘Thorough indeed.’
“Why would I do such a thing?” Bu Eunseol feigned a hurt expression. “It seems the Commander still suspects I might be an external spy.”
“Whether Captain Seon is a spy or not is unimportant.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not everyone on the same ship becomes an ally.”
“You mean sharing the same ship does not guarantee trust.”
“Exactly. Captain Seon surely has his own destination. This Chief Inspector simply moves toward her own goals.”
‘What a terrifying woman.’
Until now, Bu Eunseol had done much for Gongsun Dankyung and successfully completed every mission. Yet she still had no intention of trusting him, merely continuing a cooperative relationship.
‘That’s why she said it doesn’t matter if I’m a spy or not.’
In the past, Gongsun Dankyung had said it did not matter whether he was a spy or not.
He had thought it meant she was confident he could never jump ship even if he wanted to.
But the “same ship” she spoke of was not one of mutual trust and reliance. It was merely boarding the same merchant vessel heading to the same destination by chance.
Her goal was solely the Infinite Realm.
If she could eliminate them…
She would cooperate with anyone and hesitate at nothing.
‘What on earth is her story?’
For the first time, Bu Eunseol grew curious about the past Gongsun Dankyung carried.
Why did she hate the Infinite Realm so much?
“I understand what you mean.”
He deliberately made a face as though swallowing hurt, and Gongsun Dankyung gave a faint smile.
“It’s not just Captain Seon. This Chief Inspector trusts no one in the world.”
“Why is that…?”
“That way, even if someone betrays me, it won’t hurt.”
“You handle everything assuming betrayal.”
“Well…” Gongsun Dankyung said soothingly, “In any case, I meant there’s no need to feel so hurt.”
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eunseol inwardly swallowed a groan.
People often say that by the time a woman turns thirty, she has one or two men she wants to kill.
By that age, most have been betrayed by a man at least once.
But Gongsun Dankyung acted as though she had been betrayed by the entire world, trusting no one.
That meant she harbored tragic memories she could not share with others.
“Understood.” Pushing aside the rising thoughts, Bu Eunseol clasped his hands and spoke politely. “I am not hurt, so I hope the Chief Inspector harbors no misunderstandings.”
“Good.”
Gongsun Dankyung continued in a gentle voice.
“The moment you leave the alliance, they will follow behind Captain Seon.”
A cold glint appeared in her eyes.
“Whatever is there, whatever they are doing… make sure you find out.”
“Understood.” Bu Eunseol clasped his hands.
At that time, he did not yet know.
That this mission would uncover one of the secrets hidden within the Martial Alliance.
***
Gang Okji.
A den of criminals where even the black market thugs of the back alleys shook their heads—a gathering place for those who committed every kind of crime.
Here, a human life was worth less than a single copper coin. Because only the dregs who had already thrown away their lives gathered there.
It was also a place where anything could be obtained for money, a black market that drew endless streams of criminals.
Whoosh.
More than ten martial artists were swiftly using qinggong toward Gang Okji.
In front, a man in white robes.
Behind him, figures wrapped from head to toe in black cloth followed.
It was Bu Eunseol disguised as Seon Woojin, along with the secret agents assigned by Gongsun Dankyung.
‘Was her boast warranted?’
During the two days traveling from the Martial Alliance to Gang Okji, Bu Eunseol had not rested even once, continuously using qinggong.
Yet they followed calmly without the slightest sign of fatigue.
Gongsun Dankyung’s claim that these ten could sweep away an ordinary sect was no exaggeration.
Tap.
Finally arriving at Gang Okji’s entrance, Bu Eunseol landed from the air and surveyed the surroundings.
“This is strange. At dusk, the black market opens, so it should be bustling with people.”
At night, the black market opened in Gang Okji’s center, drawing crowds of criminals.
Yet as the sun set, not even an ant was in sight?
“……”
The agents said nothing in response to Bu Eunseol’s words, merely standing silently.
It seemed true that they obeyed nothing but combat orders.
“Hmm.”
Turning his gaze from them, Bu Eunseol swallowed a bitter smile and entered Gang Okji.
Reaching the center, he saw a crumbling stone hut.
It looked like an ordinary abandoned house seen anywhere.
But having seen the Returning to One Realm’s mechanisms at Cold Moon Island, Bu Eunseol easily recognized it as the entrance to an underground facility.
“This must be it.”
Bu Eunseol moved to enter the stone hut’s doorway.
Rumble.
At that moment, a metallic sound rang out, and the hut’s door opened.
A tall shadow in black robes emerged.
He wore an iron mask completely covering his face and carried a massive greatsword on his back.
The eyes visible through the mask were bloodshot red, as if ready to unleash killing intent at any moment.
Step, step.
The man walked toward Bu Eunseol and suddenly gripped the hilt of the enormous greatsword behind him.
Vrrr.
In that instant, round blade rings rose from the ground into the air, beginning to encircle Bu Eunseol and the agents.
The rings seemed aflame, numbering in the hundreds.
The masked man had unleashed a variation of Seven Blood Tear Forms, first move—Life Lodges, Death Returns.
‘Seven Blood Tear Forms?’
Bu Eunseol could not comprehend the situation.
Who was this masked man?
How could he so naturally apply and amplify the power of Seven Blood Tear Forms—a technique only those whose spirit matched his grandfather Bu Zhanyang could wield?
But Bu Eunseol had no time for deep thought.
“Dodge!”
Slash!
Shouting loudly, Bu Eunseol immediately unleashed Thirteen Iron Sword Forms to deflect the blade rings floating before him.
The secret agents were no ordinary experts either so they scattered instantly, evading the rings.
Flash! Whoooosh!
But the rings soon turned into sharp blade energies spreading in all directions.
In that moment, the entire Gang Okji, bathed in twilight, was instantly enveloped in pitch-black darkness.
Bu Eunseol could perform Life Lodges, Death Returns even with his eyes closed, so he easily evaded the sharp blade energies.
But it was not so easy for the secret agents following him.
Spurt!
One agent who failed to dodge had his neck severed, spraying a fountain of blood as it hit the ground.
Clank.
The masked man sheathed his greatsword again and looked down at Bu Eunseol and the remaining agents.
His demeanor was so solemn…
It was as though the King of Hell had descended to earth, gazing upon foolish mortals.
“……”
Bu Eunseol felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
The eyes within the mask, soaked in killing intent, somehow felt familiar.
Shing!
At that moment, the masked man drew his greatsword again.
Then, a sound like the wailing of ghosts echoed from somewhere.
Invisible sharp blade energies began pouring toward Bu Eunseol and the agents.
It was a variation of Seven Blood Tear Forms, third move—Half-Life, Half-Death.
Papapak!
The agents drew their swords.
They tried desperately to break through the wave of blade energies and counterattack the man.
But the masked man’s blade arts were too swift and profound to evade.
Slash!
In the end, three charging agents were swept away by the energies and torn to pieces.
“Form the Capturing Dragon Heavenly Horn Formation!”
At one agent’s shout, the remaining agents moved chaotically, deploying a formation.
But against the masked man’s Seven Blood Tear Forms, no formation was of any use.
Sizzle!
At that moment, black smoke rose from the agents’ bodies, and they suddenly began emitting tremendous momentum.
Realizing they could not handle the masked man’s blade arts, they unleashed their trump card.
Crack.
The agents’ bodies doubled in size, their inner energy and agility multiplying several times over.
Grrr.
Red light gleamed fiercely in the eyes of the now-gigantic agents.
They looked like wolves transformed into humans.
‘The Martial Alliance uses such a great method?’
While countering with Thirteen Iron Sword Forms, Bu Eunseol was beyond surprised—he was dumbfounded.
No matter that they were not officially affiliated, they were still Martial Alliance martial artists. Yet they practiced a bizarre great method that would make anyone stick out their tongue in shock just by watching?
“What on earth is this…?”
“It is a type of Latent Power Eruption Technique.”
The agent who appeared to be the leader looked down at Bu Eunseol and bared wolf-like long fangs.
“This is a secret, so you must never speak of it.”
Bu Eunseol knew it was a lie but nodded.
“Understood.”
As he drew his Silent Tiger Soul Sword to rejoin the attack, the agent shook his head.
“Captain, stay back.”
Whoosh!
At the same time, the remaining six agents charged at the masked man like streaks of lightning.
Their movements were as fast as lightning, and their sword techniques sharp as a beast’s claws.
From afar, it looked as though black lines were simply being drawn in the air around the masked man.
‘Is this the true face of the Martial Alliance?’
The sight of Martial Alliance martial artists fighting after erupting their latent power was not just brutal—it was grotesque.
Their swordsmanship bordered on cruel demonic techniques, and even when exposed to Seven Blood Tear Forms’ blade energies, they did not collapse immediately, enduring the deadly aura.
They even maintained bizarre formations while attacking the masked man, leaving no opening for Bu Eunseol to intervene.
Tap.
In the end, Bu Eunseol used footwork to temporarily retreat from the combat zone.
‘They are like…’
Watching the fight, Bu Eunseol frowned.
The agents’ methods were not designed to fight martial artists. They seemed like tactics specifically for dealing with those possessing mystical powers, like the Earth-Killing Star.
“Hmph.”
The masked man swung his greatsword like a storm, as if annoyed by the chaotic attacks pouring in.
But before Seven Blood Tear Forms could fully unfold, the agents moved madly, pouring out a unified wave of swordsmanship.
Its power could not be properly exerted.
Buzz.
As the exchange dragged on, the masked man suddenly raised his inner energy greatly, flashing a strange green light in his eyes.
At the same time, green flames began burning like sparks on his greatsword.
Flash!
He immediately swung the greatsword, executing a simple move anyone who learned martial arts would know—Sweeping a Thousand Troops.
The agents snorted at the basic technique and continued their counterattack.
But then something astonishing happened.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out in succession.
Countless blade energies poured from the Sweeping a Thousand Troops move, coiling around the agents’ bodies?
It was not Sweeping a Thousand Troops but a variation of Seven Blood Tear Forms, fifth move—Death Without Closing Eyes.
“Dodge!”
The agents immediately retreated to evade the pouring energies… but it was futile.
The blade energies from the greatsword formed small vortices, trapping the rapidly retreating agents’ bodies in a torrent of death.
Slash!
In the end, three or four agents struck by the energies instantly spewed blood and perished.
Even those not directly hit screamed in agony.
“Argh!”
“Gaaah!”
The screams were spine-chillingly wretched, but the masked man paid no heed and continued unleashing blade arts.
Half-Life, Half-Death would unfold, then Desiring Death, No Place Found.
As he unraveled a variation of Life Lodges, Death Returns, Seeking Life in Death followed.
Every time blade energies grazed them, agents’ heads flew without fail.
In just four moves…
Unable to withstand the lightning-fast vortex of blade energies, all the agents met their deaths.
Thud, thud.
As the energies vanished into the distant sky, headless bodies rolled across the ground.
Whooo.
A dry wind blew past, and a deathly silence filled the area.
The ten outstanding experts who had been boasted to sweep away an entire sect…
In less than half a ke (about 15 minutes), they had been reduced to pitiful masses of blood and flesh.
The masked man’s blade arts were too swift and unpredictable.
Moreover, because the agents maintained a formation encircling him, Bu Eunseol had no chance to intervene.
Swish.
Seeing Bu Eunseol standing alone, the masked man flashed his eyes,
Screech.
And began walking straight toward him, dragging his greatsword on the ground.
Bu Eunseol immediately heightened his Beast Way senses to the maximum.
The masked man’s blade arts had no preparatory movements and were too swift to detect with ordinary senses.
Whoosh!
When had he unleashed it?
Suddenly, black mist spread before Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Once again, a variation of Seven Blood Tear Forms, fourth move—Desiring Death, No Place Found.
‘No choice.’
Sensing the blade energies pouring through the black mist, divine light exploded from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘I am Seon Woojin right now.’
His current identity was Seon Woojin, and this was a Returning to One Realm stronghold.
Even if no one was watching, he absolutely could not use his original martial arts.
‘I’ll decide the outcome with this one move.’
The masked man’s Seven Blood Tear Forms lacked the true flavor of the original blade conclusions but were more powerful than Bu Eunseol’s own.
To block such blade arts as Seon Woojin, there was only one method.
Flash!
Faint light began flowing from Bu Eunseol’s Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
Heon Won Bright Sword.
He was about to unleash the transcendent ultimate art containing all superhuman changes impossible for a human body.
‘No need for perfection.’
Unfortunately, he had not obtained the complete conclusion to unleash Heon Won Bright Sword in one strike. Even so, he was confident he could perfectly block the masked man’s blade moves.
Because Bu Eunseol had mastered all the moves and conclusions of Seven Blood Tear Forms.
No matter how the masked man unleashed Seven Blood Tear Forms, he could perfectly predict the changes and blade paths.
Even an incomplete Heon Won Bright Sword would be enough to block Seven Blood Tear Forms.
Buzz.
Finally, brilliant radiance poured from the tip of Bu Eunseol’s sword.
At the same time, ever-changing sword forms in the air merged into one in an instant and poured toward the masked man.
Unleashing swordsmanship rivaling Seven Blood Tear Forms with full power, its might was beyond words.
“Hmph.” The masked man also swung his greatsword rapidly to counter Heon Won Bright Sword.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The pouring black blade energies collided with white radiance, creating sparks.
As the pinnacle of righteous and demonic sword and blade arts clashed head-on, the world lost its light.
Shockwaves like heaven and earth splitting spread in all directions.
Sizzle.
In the end, Bu Eunseol blocked the masked man’s Seven Blood Tear Forms but was pushed back three steps by the aftermath.
In contrast, the masked man stood tall, gazing at Bu Eunseol.
Crack.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Cracks began forming on the iron mask the man wore.
The sturdy iron mask had split in half from the clash between Heon Won Bright Sword and Seven Blood Tear Forms.
“……!”
Staring at the man’s face revealed through the half-broken mask, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Brother Baek?’
The face visible through the cracked mask…
It was none other than Baek Museong, who had temporarily left the Martial Alliance.
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