The martial world was plunged into shock.
The Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest, which for generations had treated the poor and helped young patients.
It turned out to be a force that had been producing Human Flowers poison and puppets for the martial world, conducting cruel experiments on patients, and even holding those patients hostage to manipulate the martial world, the merchant world, the court, and other powers from behind the scenes—throwing the entire martial world into chaos.
—Countless children had been abducted by the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest and subjected to horrific experiments.
—The true origin of Human Flowers poison—its creation, cultivation, and the mass production of puppets in the martial world—was none other than the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest.
—They had taken not only the scions of prestigious martial world clans as hostages, but also those from merchant guilds and official families.
Using these hostages, they had secretly controlled the martial world.
As these truths poured out, the people of the world fell into profound shock.
The Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest had earned money from the wealthy to treat the poor for free and had relieved countless impoverished people.
Who could believe that, in reality, it was abducting children, holding patients hostage, and manipulating not only the martial world but also the merchant guilds and even the imperial family?
Was this even possible?
‘The Martial Soul Command Lord was right.’
Amid the condemnation of the world, the Martial Soul Command Lord Bu Eunseol had set out to strike the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest.
As it turned out, he had long ago uncovered their evil deeds and marched solely to stop them.
Yet, due to the Martial Alliance’s interference, he had ultimately been unable to personally execute judgment upon them.
Unable to withstand public criticism, the Martial Alliance quietly sent an apology to the Martial Soul Command Lord.
‘We regret that the Divine Might Corps Leader’s mistaken judgment unintentionally hindered the Martial Soul Command Lord’s efforts.’
However, it was not a formal apology, and there was no mention of compensation.
Though Baek Incheong, the Divine Might Corps Leader, reported everything in detail out of conscience, the Martial Alliance was instead evading responsibility.
‘If the Martial Soul Command Lord had possessed definitive information, there would have been no need to fight. Yet he recklessly moved troops without evidence.’
‘In the end, the Martial Soul Command Lord bears some responsibility for this clash.’
Though there were no major casualties, the blame was clearly divided.
If compensation were to proceed, astronomical sums could be demanded depending on negotiations, so they absolutely refused to admit fault.
‘In truth, the Martial Soul Command Lord only suspected it—weren’t the decisive results obtained by the orthodox side?’
The Martial Alliance felt somewhat justified.
That was because the ones who had thoroughly uncovered the evidence of the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest’s atrocities were orthodox experts.
In particular, there were hidden contributors who enabled the orthodox side to secure that evidence: the Wudang Sect and the Beggars’ Sect.
‘Wudang, like the Martial Soul Command Lord, had also suspected the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest.’
‘Thanks to Wudang’s support for the scattered Beggars’ Sect experts, they were able to uncover every piece of evidence of the atrocities.’
With Wudang’s backing, the Beggars’ Sect experts regrouped and pooled their strength.
They uncovered every detail of the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest’s crimes that the Martial Alliance’s investigation team had failed to find.
‘The Beggars’ Sect is far too valuable to collapse because of the leadership’s misdeeds.’
In the past, Namgung Un, the youngest of the Namgung Family, had infiltrated the Beggars’ Sect and exposed the sect leader Nobong’s evil deeds in full.
As a result, it was revealed that the Beggars’ Sect—which prided itself on integrity and chivalry—had been committing cruel and vicious acts behind the scenes that even Demonic Path practitioners would not stoop to, leading to its closure.
Yet all those crimes had been carried out solely by sect leader Nobong and vice-leader Haepung; the majority of the sect’s disciples had known nothing about them.
Through this incident, the Beggars’ Sect gained the opportunity to wash away its stigma and rise once more.
‘The Beggars’ Sect has lifted its closure.’
With the full support of the Wudang Sect once again, the Beggars’ Sect finally reopened its gates and resumed activities as a proper sect.
Though overshadowed by Nobong’s crimes, the sect still harbored many outstanding figures of righteous spirit and heroic bone.
Wudang, regretting their loss, spared no effort in providing multifaceted support, and at last the sect reopened and resumed operations.
‘The Beggars’ Sect deserves that much.’
The orthodox martial world members nodded in agreement.
The Beggars’ Sect had been a faction that performed good deeds for generations.
If its countless beggars strictly upheld the sect rules and continued doing good works, they would soon reclaim the honor of being the greatest sect under heaven.
Yet as soon as the Beggars’ Sect reopened, it issued a series of shocking announcements to the martial world.
‘Our sect merely uncovered evidence of the atrocities under Wudang’s support. In truth, it was effectively the Martial Soul Command Lord who brought down the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest.’
It was known that the Beggars’ Sect had uncovered evidence of the atrocities, revealed the secret facilities inside, and rescued the hostage patients.
But to say that such merit belonged to Bu Eunseol?
‘The ones who located the internal secret facilities and rescued the hostage patients were Geuk Hyebin, successor to the Affectionate Blossom Sect, and the young experts of Nangyang Pavilion under her command.’
The Beggars’ Sect clearly stated that their ability to infiltrate and conduct covert investigations had been thanks to Nangyang Pavilion and the young experts secretly placed inside.
‘The reason no major bloodshed occurred in the full-scale confrontation between the Martial Alliance and Majeon was due to the ghostly brilliant tactics of Hyeok Sojin, successor to the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.’
Not only did the Beggars’ Sect honestly reveal the previously unknown contributions of Majeon’s heroes,
‘Furthermore, the fact that the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest collapsed in one fell swoop was thanks to the Martial Soul Command Lord. He secretly dealt with the forest leader and rescued the hostage patients.’
The martial world people were dumbfounded.
The one who commanded Majeon’s Blood Martial Corps, avoided bloodshed with the Martial Alliance, and led the prolonged battle was none other than Hyeok Sojin, successor to the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol had treated the hostage patients and eliminated the forest leader, Ilmongja?
Bu Eunseol’s and the Ten Demonic Sects successors’ hidden achievements were astonishing, but the Beggars’ Sect’s attitude in accurately revealing them was even more surprising.
‘The Beggars’ Sect has truly changed.’
In the past, they would never have disclosed this for the sake of orthodox face. Now, they revealed the hidden truth without hesitation.
‘The rankings of the Ten Demonic Sects will surely shift now.’
The martial world people recognized that changes were coming to the hierarchy of the Ten Demonic Sects.
The Heaven and Earth Severing Sect had been mocked for caring for dying old men while seizing their secret manuals.
The Affectionate Blossom Sect had been ridiculed for maintaining its position among the Ten Demonic Sects solely through accumulated wealth passed down generations.
But through this incident, not only had they risen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gates like the Hwa Wu Sword Sect or Blood Flame Blade Sect, it was now known to the world that—unlike the other Ten Demonic Sects that failed to produce outstanding talent—they had nurtured exceptional successors.
‘Why are you all conveniently omitting this old man’s contribution?’
Then an unexpected figure stepped forward.
The Needle King Jongri Sahyeon suddenly began insisting that he had been the one who enabled the treatment of patients poisoned by Human Flowers and held hostage—claiming it was thanks to his Needle King Pellets.
‘I gave the Needle King Pellets to the Martial Soul Command Lord! That’s how they were cured!’
The Needle King spread these rumors with spittle flying.
Only then did the martial world people resolve their final lingering doubt.
How had so many people poisoned by Human Flowers recovered completely?
The Martial Soul Command Lord had foreseen every detail of the situation.
While manipulating the grand scheme, he had executed a plan to save the hostages.
‘We will formally apologize on behalf of the Alliance. We will also proceed with compensation for Majeon’s damages.’
Unable to endure the public condemnation and scorn any longer, the Martial Alliance—which had been desperate to hide its mistakes—finally issued a formal apology to Majeon and the Martial Soul Command Lord.
They announced that Gongsun Dankyung would be sent to Majeon to negotiate compensation.
‘He is, after all, a grand master of the Demonic martial world and the next Lord of Majeon.’
Because of his exceedingly young age, the Martial Soul Command Lord Bu Eunseol had always been counted among the later-generation indices.
Only now did the world realize that he was one of the great masters currently shaping the martial world’s landscape and that his every action profoundly influenced the entire martial world.
***
Martial Alliance, Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
The Alliance Leader, Righteous Heavenly Emperor Shin Domubi, always conducted closed-door training in secret locations. Thus, the office in Heaven and Earth Pavilion was mostly empty; only the maids who came to clean during the day occasionally entered.
Rumble.
Yet late at night, a low vibration echoed from the study inside the office, and a hidden door appeared.
Click.
As the door opened, a stooped elder in cyan robes slowly emerged.
His face was obscured by darkness, but his eyes were as clear as the vast heavens, gleaming white even in the shadows.
He was the Divine Mountain Sage, known as the greatest sage of the martial world.
‘It’s nothing but talk of that fellow everywhere.’
Entering the Heaven and Earth Pavilion office, the Divine Mountain Sage wore a faint smile.
It had been a long time coming.
He had known Bu Eunseol for many years and, through him, had planned to overturn the Martial Alliance and thrust a blade into the Three Realms.
Of course, that was not the whole plan—his most crucial objective still remained…
Click.
Using the hidden mechanism in Heaven and Earth Pavilion, he descended once more into the secret chamber beneath the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
Whirr.
As he entered the secret mechanism of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall, his stooped body straightened, transforming into a tall, imposing elder in his later years.
His prominent nose and eyes blazed with torch-like intensity.
Though thin, his body was filled with solid muscle, resembling from afar a keenly honed blade.
From head to toe, countless scars covered him.
Martial Venerable, Dan Mok-gi.
The foremost of the Three Venerables, and a sworn brother to Shin Domubi.
To prevent the orthodox martial world from learning of his younger brother Shin Domubi’s death, he had been playing the role of Alliance Leader all this time.
Releasing his disguise, he returned to his true appearance.
‘This is getting a bit troublesome.’
The Martial Venerable sighed as he gazed at the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin, now transformed into a square metal form.
‘He’s already reached the point of entering this place.’
He already knew that Bu Eunseol, posing as Seon Woojin, had entered the underground of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall.
Yet the reason Shin Domubi’s body was stored here was that he had created a barrier—concentrating all his martial essence and enlightenment—so that no one but himself could enter.
For Bu Eunseol to have entered meant he had achieved far greater progress than planned.
‘Then I’ll have to adjust the plan slightly.’
Shaking his head, the Martial Venerable gently brushed his hand over the square metal casket.
The sword marks engraved on its surface cleanly vanished.
Hummm.
As he gathered his inner energy, a low vibration sounded, followed by metallic clicks.
Swish.
Soon, it returned to the form of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin with its transparent lid.
‘Younger brother.’
The Martial Venerable gazed at Shin Domubi’s face inside the casket and let out a deep sigh.
Shin Domubi had been more than the foremost orthodox master—he was the benefactor who had saved his life multiple times, the one who had lifted him from despair and frustration time and again, guiding him onto the righteous path.
To not even know whose hand had taken his life…
For the Martial Venerable, it was as if the heavens had collapsed.
‘The end is gradually coming into view.’
While playing the role of Heavenly Emperor, he had never once felt at ease.
Having wandered the martial world his entire life, it was hard to find anyone trustworthy within the Martial Alliance. Outstanding talents had already been recruited by external forces and those not recruited lacked skill or possessed unreliable temperaments.
He could not directly shake up the orthodox martial world while acting as Alliance Leader.
The martial world contained not only the Three Realms but numerous hidden powers as well.
After much deliberation, he had tried raising disciples to oppose them, but ultimately failed.
The people he raised excelled in martial arts, but that was all.
To confront the hidden forces, one needed more than martial prowess.
Unyielding obsession.
And exceptional wisdom and adaptability to survive any situation.
In the end, the Martial Venerable chose his late-accepted disciple Mu Gyeol, who was older in years, and planned to use the long-prepared identity of Seon Woojin to overturn the Martial Alliance.
But then the son of Baekri Muha appeared.
‘The sole survivor of Saha Manor.’
Thinking of Bu Eunseol, old memories suddenly flooded his mind.
His younger brother Shin Domubi, together with the Demon Emperor and certain forces, had attacked Saha Manor.
But afterward, the Demon Emperor’s movements were strange.
He ceaselessly investigated the surroundings of Saha Manor using a secret organization.
Sensing something odd, the Martial Venerable also began investigating and eventually discovered a mysterious mechanism inside Saha Manor that could not be detected.
‘A mysterious mechanism even the abilities of the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors could not sense…’
Realizing the Demon Emperor had detected something, the Martial Venerable constantly monitored his movements.
And several years later, he learned a shocking truth.
Whether it was fate’s prank or not…
The bloodline of Baekri Muha was being raised in hiding by Bu Zhanyang, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, and the Demon Emperor had found it.
But in the meantime, Shin Domubi met death at the hands of an unknown assassin.
To maintain balance in the orthodox martial world, the Martial Venerable had to live as the Heavenly Emperor.
While living as Alliance Leader, he encountered the Demon Emperor several times and learned the full story.
Bu Zhanyang had been created under the Absolute Demonic Blade Project, and Baekri Muha was a member of the legendary Three Families—the Baekri Clan.
But several years after that, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was brutally murdered.
The child he had raised entered the Demonic Path to avenge Bu Zhanyang.
That child was Bu Eunseol.
He participated in the Ten Demon Warriors Plan.
As if waiting for it, the Demon Emperor pitted him against the successors of the Ten Demonic Sects, and in the end he became Majeon’s successor.
Bu Eunseol was an exceedingly fine blade.
As arranged by the Demon Emperor, he raged madly through the martial world to catch the culprit who killed Bu Zhanyang.
But something unexpected occurred.
While investigating the death of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade and traveling the martial world, Bu Eunseol eventually came to him and offered the Boeun Coin.
‘This is the one.’
The extraordinary talent he had searched for across the entire martial world until his sandals wore out was right before his eyes.
‘It would be even better if he were under my wing.’
He had planned to approach Bu Eunseol when the time came anyway for he possessed what the Martial Venerable had longed for even in his dreams.
But for him to come willingly into his fold? It was an opportunity too good to pass up.
Thus, he unhesitatingly gave Bu Eunseol the identity of Seon Woojin.
This fellow would accomplish it far better than Mu Gyeol, whom he had prepared for so long.
And that gamble succeeded.
Bu Eunseol perfectly embodied the persona of Seon Woojin, steadily rising through the upper ranks of the Martial Alliance, and even aligned himself with Gongsun Dankyung, who knew his secret.
Finally, he located the base of the Infinite Realm and single-handedly crushed the fearsome expert known as Heavenly Deity.
If things continued this way, soon all forces would turn their blades toward Bu Eunseol.
Then he would assign various missions to quickly draw out the latent power within the young man and only then could he reach the destination of everything he had planned.
‘It’s not far now, younger brother.’
The Martial Venerable’s eyes flashed as he gazed down at the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
‘Wait just a little longer. I will reveal your death to the world… and let you rest in peace.’
As he turned away with a deep sigh, the Martial Venerable suddenly halted.
He noticed that the color of the Ice Crystal Jade atop the casket—the orb maintaining its chill—had slightly changed.
‘Does this need replacing too?’
The Ice Crystal Jade was said never to alter its properties even after thousands of years.
But it seemed that was not entirely true.
Click. Whoosh.
Opening the casket lid, the Martial Venerable closely examined the Ice Crystal Jade.
‘There’s still time.’
Nodding, he murmured in a low voice, “After all, the Ice Crystal Jade is there… I’ll have him handle a few more matters, then send him.”
Just as he was about to close the casket again,
‘…!’
A very strange sensation brushed past the Martial Venerable’s mind.
For some reason, his sleeping younger brother’s face felt somehow different.
‘It can’t be.’
To identify the cause of death—and in case any trace of the culprit remained—he had observed the body hundreds of times.
Yet he had never found anything unusual.
Was it because of the changed color of the Ice Crystal Jade? Suddenly feeling an unfamiliar strangeness he had never detected before?
‘Something’s there.’
The Martial Venerable’s eyes flashed.
He very carefully examined the corpse.
Because the body of the Heavenly Emperor, which appeared peacefully asleep…
Was in truth indescribably mutilated beneath the surface.
‘…’
The Martial Venerable mobilized all his capabilities to inspect the body.
No matter how he looked, nothing seemed amiss.
Yet the more he gazed, the more the atmosphere felt subtly different from before.
‘I’ve lost my mind.’
Pressing his forehead, the Martial Venerable shook his head.
‘Does even a corpse have an aura?’
He had become overly sensitive from handling so many matters.
‘It’s just because the Ice Crystal Jade’s color changed…’
Muttering in resignation, the Martial Venerable’s eyes suddenly flashed.
‘The color of the Ice Crystal Jade… changed.’
A strange thought suddenly struck him.
The color of the Ice Crystal Jade emitting cold energy had changed.
Then… perhaps something inside his younger brother’s body had changed, causing the Ice Crystal Jade to alter as well?
‘If it’s extremely small, impossible to detect…’
The only way would be dissection.
But he could not touch his younger brother’s already imperfect remains.
The Martial Venerable stared blankly for a long while at the Ice Crystal Jade maintaining the casket’s chill.
Then, noticing a faint white aura rising from it, his eyes sparkled.
‘Yes, there was that method.’
Gathering his energy once more, the Martial Venerable’s eyes became transparent.
At the same time, a clear stream of energy flowing from his body gently poured onto Shin Domubi’s remains.
It was the Heavenly Emperor’s exclusive secret art, Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra—which, at its pinnacle, could synchronize with an opponent’s energy flow without touching the body.
‘With this, I should definitely find something strange.’
By slightly modifying the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra, he could scan the interior of the flesh instead of energy flow. Since it was a technique capable of detecting even formless true energy, sensing inside the body was actually easier.
Whirr.
The transparent stream flowing from the Martial Venerable grew increasingly dense.
At the same time, various pieces of information began flooding instantly into his mind.
‘What is this?’
Despite countless previous examinations yielding nothing, now—observing with the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra—he sensed something very small in Shin Domubi’s earlobe that he had never detected before.
‘Younger brother, forgive me.’
Gathering his energy, the Martial Venerable gently touched the earlobe.
The flesh parted, and a tiny bead popped out.
‘A bead.’
The glistening bead was the size of a grain of rice and carried a yellowish tint.
It seemed discolored, much like the Ice Crystal Jade.
‘What on earth is this?’
Looking away from the bead, the Martial Venerable was startled once more.
With the bead removed from the earlobe, the corpse’s aura had become completely unfamiliar.
It was a sensation only the Martial Venerable—who had seen the living Heavenly Emperor—could recognize.
‘A corpse cannot have an aura. But…’
The Martial Venerable was a man of broader experience than anyone in the martial world.
Yet he had never heard of such a bead.
In times like this, he needed not the Martial Venerable, but the greatest sage of the martial world—the Divine Mountain Sage.
‘Then I must visit the true sage.’
The Martial Venerable took a deep breath.
He intended to seek the true greatest sage of the martial world—the disciple of the old Dharma Seeker Moryun, who had helped him become the Divine Mountain Sage, the greatest sage.
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