Roooar.
With a bizarre sound as if all the air in the world had vanished, the Supreme Emperor began pouring out intense power once more.
[I merely wished to confirm your desire for vengeance. I had no intention of mocking Bu Zhanyang’s death.]
The Supreme Emperor’s voice lowered somewhat.
Suppressing Bu Eunseol’s strength was no easy task.
[To see if you truly intend to avenge Bu Zhanyang. For your fate will change accordingly.]
Then, in a somewhat earnest tone, he added,
[Right now, our realm is deliberating whether to kill you or not.]
Bu Eunseol’s gaze toward the youthful figure within the Supreme Emperor’s shadow shifted slightly.
He was different from the Heavenly Deity.
His voice had remained gentle throughout, and he was showing considerable goodwill toward Bu Eunseol.
“So you did not come to kill me, but to test me.”
[Indeed.]
“You bastards think you can manipulate my fate and test me at will?”
[Yes—and I felt that should not be the case.]
At those words, the fierce power erupting from Bu Eunseol diminished, and the killing intent in his eyes subsided.
The Supreme Emperor spoke as if relieved.
[Have you regained some reason now?]
“Quickly say what you want to say.”
Killing intent surged once more from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“My patience is not abundant.”
[To conclude: you must not die. On the contrary, you must survive to the very end.]
As Bu Eunseol ceased manifesting Divine Energy, the Supreme Emperor lowered his hand and released the suppressing force.
[And to survive our realm, there is one thing you must do. Since you have toppled the pillar of the Infinite Realm, the backlash… will soon cause the Inbiin to emerge in the martial world.]
“Inbiin… what exactly are they?”
[One of the martial forces that has never revealed itself to the world. Since the Infinite Realm has always dealt with them, almost no one knows of their existence.]
In short, the Inbiin were one of the abyssal forces.
[The purpose of the Inbiin, which the Infinite Realm has blocked, is simple: to kill all the weak.]
Bu Eunseol could not comprehend it.
“Why kill the weak?”
[Because that is salvation.]
The Supreme Emperor said,
[They believe that those born inherently weak, if killed, can be reborn as superior and stronger beings.]
“Impossible.” Bu Eunseol’s long eyes narrowed.
Long, long ago, in the primordial martial world, there existed a sect that accumulated merit and performed good deeds by killing people.
They held incomprehensible, grotesque, and cruel doctrines yet they wielded mysterious and powerful strength, so no one could oppose them.
“The Demon Cult, you mean.”
[They were once called that.]
The Heavenly Demon—the great king of demonic beings.
The vicious sect rooted in his teachings.
They were the Inbiin.
[They shed the name Demon Cult and appeared endlessly in the martial world under various guises.]
“Endlessly…”
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand why the figures of the Three Realms had always prattled about noble sacrifice.
The mysterious sect said to have vanished a thousand years ago still continued its lineage.
Changing names and forms, it had appeared ceaselessly in the martial world.
“So in the end, the remnants of the Demon Cult are the Inbiin.”
[Not remnants of the Demon Cult, but a force that began as the Demon Cult and has continually evolved.]
Sharp eyes formed in the Supreme Emperor’s shadow.
[Perhaps it is now an entirely new sect. They took root in the martial world far earlier than our realm and have transformed without cease.]
“So you’re telling me to stop what even the Three Realms cannot?”
[There is no need to worry. The forces you lead will be more than sufficient to eradicate them.]
The Supreme Emperor spoke in a bitter voice.
[Most of what appears in the martial world are not the Inbiin themselves, but the Ghost Children they control.]
‘Ghost Children.’
It was a term he had vaguely heard in the Ancient Sword Forest.
Come to think of it, the term Inbiin had been mentioned there too. Did that mean the Ancient Sword Forest was connected to the Demon Cult?
‘Then the great method created by the Clear River Realm also originated from them.’
—In the Clear River Realm, they said they allied with the Inbiin for this brainwashing.
A-Yeon, freed from brainwashing, had said this back then. And those who underwent brainwashing could also become Inbiin.
Did that mean undergoing brainwashing was the rite of initiation into the Demon Cult?
[As if conducting experiments, they send the Ghost Children into the martial world little by little…]
The eyes formed in the Supreme Emperor’s shadow grew faint.
[But the Infinite Realm has immediately detected and dealt with them.]
“So using that as an excuse, you conducted cruel experiments and mass-produced puppets.”
[Mock me if you wish. It was the will of the Infinite Realm, and we successfully held the Inbiin at bay.]
The Supreme Emperor continued.
[Soon, signs announcing their emergence will appear. And if you can deal with them…]
A smiling mouth formed again at the Supreme Emperor’s lips.
[The Infinite Realm will never rise again. And the fact that you destroyed it will no longer matter.]
Before Bu Eunseol could speak, he quickly added,
[Survive to the end in this barren martial world. If you do, one day you will meet a person beyond your imagination.]
Though interest filled the Supreme Emperor’s voice, Bu Eunseol coldly cut in.
“If you don’t know the murderer, fine. Tell me the locations of the Three Realms’ strongholds and who the Realm Lords are.”
[There is no need to rush. Even if I told you everything now, you could not defeat them.]
The Supreme Emperor spoke persuasively.
[Focus on growing your power and surviving as you are now. Soon enough, you will learn everything.]
Ruuuumble!
Intense energy surged once more from Bu Eunseol’s body.
He was sick of riddles.
Demon Cult or Inbiin—it mattered not whether the Supreme Emperor bore him goodwill.
All he desired was vengeance.
Bu Eunseol intended to slay the Supreme Emperor and uproot the Three Realms.
[And do not use the Divine Energy until you are certain it can kill.]
The Supreme Emperor extended both hands.
[You must also obtain the remaining Divine Energies.]
Whooosh.
At the same moment, the Supreme Emperor became pure light and vanished.
Ruuuumble!
Bu Eunseol shot forth like lightning, pursuing the disappearing shadow.
At the same time, he unleashed the third form of the Seven Blood Tear Forms—Half-Life, Half-Death—in the shape of sword qi.
If it was the Seven Blood Tear Forms, even a spiritual projection could deliver death to the true body.
Swish!
Yet as Bu Eunseol slashed the shadow, he felt the sword qi’s power did not reach the true body.
The shadow was utterly empty.
“He was escaping while talking.”
The Supreme Emperor had split his shadow in two.
While conversing with Bu Eunseol, he had been slipping away from this place.
“The leaders of the Infinite Realm use sorcery rather than martial arts.”
Both the Heavenly Deity and the Supreme Emperor relied mainly on strange techniques rather than martial prowess.
That was proof that the sorcery arts that had vanished from the martial world were gradually reviving.
Clank.
Sheathing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Bu Eunseol stared blankly at where the Supreme Emperor had vanished.
Seeing the Supreme Emperor, it was clear the leaders of the Three Realms knew his true identity and purpose.
That meant their involvement in the deaths of his grandfather and parents was obvious.
‘But.’
The Supreme Emperor had said he learned how his grandfather died by examining the corpse. Perhaps he did not know who the true murderer was—or perhaps he was not among the highest echelon of the Three Realms.
“Phew.”
His thoughts tangled, Bu Eunseol gazed wearily at the sky.
Then, through the clouds, he seemed to glimpse his grandfather’s gentle smile.
‘Returning to One Realm.’
Recalling the transparent glass tubes containing corpses, his eyes burned hot once more.
The place that took his grandfather’s body was the Returning to One Realm. Their goal was undoubtedly the revival of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
‘Grandfather.’
The Returning to One Realm had long selected individuals with physiques identical to past martial experts.
They researched ways to turn them into masters equal to those of old.
Then, like the corpses of the demonic warriors he had seen on Cold Moon Island…
His grandfather’s remains were likely placed in a transparent glass tube and cruelly dissected.
“I will utterly destroy the Returning to One Realm, no matter what.”
Even if he left the others alone…
The Returning to One Realm, which stole his grandfather’s body, could never be forgiven.
“And I will send everyone involved in seizing Grandfather’s remains straight to hell.”
To do that, he needed to seize the Returning to One Realm’s tail as quickly as possible.
Turning immediately toward Majeon, Bu Eunseol unleashed qinggong swift as a gale.
[Phew.]
Yet right after Bu Eunseol departed, a low sigh sounded, and the white shadow reappeared.
The Supreme Emperor. He had not truly left.
He had concealed his shadow with stealth arts so subtle Bu Eunseol could not detect them.
[It is not far now.]
The Supreme Emperor looked down at his hands.
The hands formed of shadow were fading, losing their white light.
In suppressing the power bursting from Bu Eunseol’s body, his true essence had been severely damaged.
Even part of his original spirit energy had dissipated.
[If I could obtain the Death God Energy, it would be worth facing him.]
The Supreme Emperor smiled.
He had guarded the martial world for endless ages, yet all that remained was a frail body and a shadow that moved like his true self.
[I wish to rest a little now.]
The Supreme Emperor gazed at the distant sky.
Having long mediated the rivalries of the Three Realms and cleaned up after them, he felt it was time to rest.
“I’ll let you rest forever.”
Then a strange voice echoed from the heavens.
At the same moment, white energy surged from the ground around the dozens of zhang where the Supreme Emperor stood.
[Impossible.]
The Supreme Emperor turned his head.
Far in the sky, pure white light exploded and began pouring down upon his body.
[You are…]
But the Supreme Emperor’s words did not continue.
The surging light was slowly dissolving the shadow.
Roooaaar!
The shadow’s dissolution was nothing.
Yet that light was bringing calamity even to the Supreme Emperor’s original body hundreds of li away, just like the Seven Blood Tear Forms of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, which delivered death to everything the sword qi touched.
Whooosh.
Had both shadow and original body perished?
The Supreme Emperor’s shadow completely vanished.
***
Having traversed dozens of li in an instant, Bu Eunseol remained deep in thought even while employing his qinggong.
Originally, he had been certain Yeop Hyocheon had leaked his whereabouts to the Three Realms.
But after meeting the heavyweight known as the Supreme Emperor, he felt that conviction might be mistaken.
‘The Chief Instructor is no fool.’
In the past, because his movements had been exposed to the Infinite Realm, Bu Eunseol had instantly beheaded a loyal retainer who had served Yeop Hyocheon for years—right before his eyes.
Yet not long after that incident, he leaked his whereabouts again?
Unless Yeop Hyocheon intended to leave Majeon or relinquish his position as Chief Instructor, he would never commit such an act.
‘Then…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed as he cleaved through the wind.
Aside from the Chief Instructor, only one person came to mind who could reveal his movements to the outside.
‘The Demon Emperor.’
The master of Majeon, the supreme figure governing the demonic world—the Demon Emperor.
No one else could have leaked his whereabouts to the Three Realms.
Majeon, Solitary Light Pavilion, Yeop Hyocheon’s office.
Having returned to Majeon, Bu Eunseol sat face-to-face with Yeop Hyocheon, drinking tea.
There had once been times when they exchanged friendly gazes.
Though they still nested together in Majeon… unlike the past, between the two men now lay what felt like an uncrossable river.
Yet Bu Eunseol harbored no ill will toward Yeop Hyocheon.
After all, the man merely rode the surrounding circumstances or acted to manipulate things for his own benefit.
Yeop Hyocheon had never directly attacked him or devised vicious schemes.
Having weathered every storm in the Martial Alliance, Bu Eunseol found Yeop Hyocheon almost pure compared to the orthodox sect leaders.
“I heard your whereabouts were exposed again.”
This time, Yeop Hyocheon spoke first.
He knew Bu Eunseol grasped the situation like the lines on his palm and understood why he had come.
“Surely you did not come to confront this Instructor.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol calmly lifted his teacup.
He did not drink at once but deeply inhaled the fragrance, then took a light sip.
“Iron Guan Yin.”
Bu Eunseol widened his eyes anew and gazed at the golden liquid in the cup.
“Its clear, fragrant aroma feels as if it cleanses the body to the marrow.”
“Hoh.” Yeop Hyocheon made a curious expression.
Everyone who was familiar with him was aware that Bu Eunseol did not enjoy tea yet now he was suddenly appraising the variety and taste like a connoisseur.
“I heard the Lord does not enjoy tea. Has your taste changed?”
“Tastes can always change, can they not?”
Bu Eunseol wore a subtle smile.
“In the past, I did not understand why people drank tea.” Setting down his cup, he stared directly at Yeop Hyocheon and said, “Back in my beginning days, I even commented on tea flavors without knowing them.”
“Hmm. There seems to be a barb in your words.”
“It merely troubles me.”
Cold chill flowed from Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he gazed at the cup.
“Whether I should now truly begin drinking tea in earnest.”
Yeop Hyocheon narrowed his eyes.
He was the man who had served the chaotic Demon Emperor for many years and the Demon Emperor never spoke a single idle word—every utterance carried multiple layers of meaning.
Thus, Yeop Hyocheon, long at the Demon Emperor’s side, stood at the pinnacle of the martial world in deciphering the complex intent hidden in a single phrase.
Sip.
Yeop Hyocheon lightly drank and his eyes gleamed.
—From now on, shall I change my banner and disposition like the other great sect leaders who manage the world? What do you think?
That is what Bu Eunseol was saying.
“There is no need to change your taste now.”
Yeop Hyocheon set down his cup and grinned.
“The Lord has earned the absolute support of demonic path members precisely because he holds his own convictions.”
“My convictions alone are insufficient for some matters.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed with a sinister yellow gleam like a vicious spirit’s.
“That is why I came to consult the Chief Instructor on such points.”
Silence fell for a moment.
“So that was it.”
Yeop Hyocheon snorted softly and said,
“Whatever your heart intends, it does not concern this Instructor. However… to govern the world, one must bear corresponding responsibility.”
“You do not oppose it, then.”
“Well.”
Yeop Hyocheon wore a faint smile.
“When have I ever opposed the Lord’s affairs?”
Yeop Hyocheon smiled in a way he never had before.
It held two meanings.
First, acknowledgment.
Until now, Bu Eunseol had been merely a latent dragon, but he now recognized that Bu Eunseol was preparing to soar into the heavens, clutching a wish-fulfilling pearl.
Second, pity.
He realized Bu Eunseol was in the same position as himself.
Though Yeop Hyocheon wielded power akin to a vice-lord, in the end he did not actively govern Majeon—he was merely the Chief Instructor managing subordinates.
And though Bu Eunseol bore the title of successor, he remained beneath the Demon Emperor—who held his life and death—without knowing when he might become true master… a Martial Soul Command Lord.
‘Fellow sufferers.’
Bu Eunseol faintly smiled as he looked at Yeop Hyocheon.
“In truth, I was worried. That the Chief Instructor might not share my feelings.”
No matter how half-hearted his authority, he was still the Chief Instructor.
As long as they remained within Majeon’s fence, he could impose any number of restrictions on Bu Eunseol.
If the Demon Emperor and the Chief Instructor were of one mind, Bu Eunseol would have had to abandon the plans he harbored.
But on this day, in their private meeting, Yeop Hyocheon had clearly declared his stance.
That he did not walk the same path as the Demon Emperor.
“So that was it.”
“The tea was excellent.”
Bu Eunseol rose and clasped his hands.
“Then.”
Emerging from Solitary Light Pavilion, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Gazing at the distant sky, he faintly heard a hawk’s cry somewhere.
‘It begins now.’
Bu Eunseol resolved.
To slowly shatter the cage the Demon Emperor had built and step outside.
To do that, he must first undertake something even the Demon Emperor could not imagine.
‘If what the Supreme Emperor said is true.’
If the Supreme Emperor’s words were correct, everything was inevitable so he must become infinitely stronger and gather infinitely powerful forces.
And Bu Eunseol had long prepared for exactly that.
—Prepare a general captains’ meeting.
Returning to the Suppressed Demon Pavilion, Bu Eunseol summoned all his subordinates and convened a grand assembly.
The captains of the Death Shadow Corps, protector Tak Ilhon, Soyo, the Death Spirit Corps captain Mu Heon, and even Seo Jinha, who was playing the role of Seon Woojin.
He had called every person who could be called his confidant.
Creak.
Yet the place he gathered them was none other than the secret chamber in the Suppressed Demon Pavilion known only to Bu Eunseol and Yoo Unryong.
“Are you finally ready in your heart?”
At Yoo Unryong’s question, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, he said,
“It seems the time has come.”
Now he would reveal everything to those he cherished and shatter even the cage that had long confined him.
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