Bu Eunseol inwardly hid his surprise and shook his head.
“No, the opposite. It was my martial art that drove his soul toward death.”
That too was half true.
After all, it was through his grandfather’s Seven Blood Tear Forms that he had pushed the Heavenly Deity beyond the abyss, into complete death.
“I see.”
“If I was truly suspected of being the Heaven-Dark Star, shouldn’t you have kept me out of the Martial Alliance altogether?”
Bu Eunseol changed tactics.
He decided not to give the Martial Venerable any answers—and instead bombard him with questions.
“I already told you. It was merely confirmation.” The Martial Venerable replied calmly. “I’ve known for a very long time that you are not the Heaven-Dark Star.”
“For a very long time?”
“Yes.”
“That means you already knew my entire background.”
The Martial Venerable spoke evenly. “This old man has been searching for the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s whereabouts for a very long time.”
“Why?”
“I judged that he stood on a higher path than even Sado Muryeong, who is called the Demon Emperor. No one could stop his martial arts.”
“……”
“Though he vanished, I had a gut feeling he was still alive somewhere. And after a long, long pursuit, when I finally found him…”
The Martial Venerable’s gaze deepened.
“…he was raising that child while tending to a corpse.”
In that instant, a faint gleam flashed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
According to the words of Ak Muryeong, even the Demon Emperor had found his grandfather long ago and learned of his own existence.
And now the Martial Venerable had also found him?
‘So that was it.’
Bu Eunseol wore a dazed expression.
He had thought he was simply living ordinary days with his grandfather.
But in truth, the supreme masters of the martial world had already located his grandfather long ago and had been watching him the entire time.
‘That makes sense.’
The Demon Emperor had known the relationship between grandfather and grandson, yet had simply left.
If so, then the Martial Venerable—the strongest of the Three Demons and Three Venerables, and the greatest sage of the martial world—had also grasped the full situation and simply walked away. That wasn’t particularly strange.
“I observed the Seven-Finger Demon Blade for a long time, making every effort to create an opportunity to fight him. Then, out of nowhere… I learned that the child he was raising was the bloodline of Baekri Muha.”
“How did you find out?”
“Sado Muryeong.” The Martial Venerable spoke indifferently. “He suddenly appeared and said that the child the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was raising was the son of Baekri Muha, who once possessed the greatest skill of his generation.”
Then he dropped a shocking statement.
“And he tried to kill you. But he couldn’t because of Bu Zhanyang.”
“Why would he try to kill me?”
“I don’t know that either. After that, their conversation shifted to transmission, so I couldn’t hear anymore.”
The Martial Venerable spoke in a low voice.
“However, Sado Muryeong thoroughly inspected your body in front of Bu Zhanyang. After exchanging a few more words through transmission, he simply left.”
Bu Eunseol was confused.
The Demon Emperor had tried to kill him? Then why, during their private meeting when he held the position of one of the Ten Demon Warriors, had he not acted?
‘So in the end, the Martial Venerable found grandfather before the Demon Emperor did. He waited a long time for a chance to fight… and then the Demon Emperor suddenly appeared and he learned the truth.’
There were several holes in the story.
But he couldn’t interrogate each one right now. There were more important things to ask.
“The ones who attacked Saha Manor… the ones who killed my parents—who were they?”
“I don’t know that either.” The Martial Venerable gave a faint shake of his head. “Only after I overheard that did I begin investigating Saha Manor and Baekri Muha.”
In other words, the Martial Venerable was saying he knew nothing at all about the truth of Saha Manor or his parents’ deaths.
‘Dam Jeung said that the Heavenly Emperor knows the truth about my father’s death.’
Bu Eunseol immediately wanted to ask about that.
But doing so would instantly reveal that he had met Dam Jeung.
‘I’ll throw out various questions first.’
Having made up his mind, Bu Eunseol spoke again.
“Were you not acquainted with my father or mother at all?”
“Correct. I only knew that Baekri Muha was an enormous figure who wielded immense influence in the martial world, so I tried—albeit belatedly—to uncover his true identity.”
“What was Baekri Muha’s true identity?”
Bu Eunseol asked without much expectation.
He didn’t think the Martial Venerable would answer so readily.
But contrary to expectation, the man spoke without hesitation.
“Baekri Muha was a terrifying figure. His martial arts were so great that he was called the greatest under heaven in his era.”
After a brief pause, the Martial Venerable continued with an expression of incomprehension.
“Above all, he held the staggering identity of being the successor of the Three Realms—the very force that rules the martial world.”
“How could the greatest master under heaven become the successor of the Three Realms?”
“Perhaps it was precisely because he was the successor of the Three Realms that he could become the greatest under heaven. With their power, raising someone to that level would be entirely possible.”
The Martial Venerable’s answers were all mere “speculation.”
Bu Eunseol asked again.
“Then why did he die?”
This too was a question he didn’t expect an answer to, yet once more the Martial Venerable replied readily.
“Probably because he tried to change the centuries-old course and banner of the Three Realms.”
And he added one more sentence.
“Of course, that’s just my guess—not certain.”
In short, the Martial Venerable was saying that Baekri Muha, though successor of the Three Realms, had acted contrary to their banner and thus was killed by them.
‘So Dam Jeung lied?’
Dam Jeung had said that the only person who knew the truth about his father’s death—the one framed as the Heaven-Dark Star—was the Heavenly Emperor.
Yet the Martial Venerable, though not explicitly naming them, was saying the Three Realms were the ones who killed his father.
‘He is the Heavenly Emperor’s sworn brother.’
Of course, there was a chance the Heavenly Emperor had hidden the truth of Saha Manor even from his closest sworn brother.
But would someone as obsessively thorough in uncovering facts as the Martial Venerable really not have questioned the Heavenly Emperor about everything related to Saha Manor?
The probability of that was close to zero.
‘If what Monk Dam Jeung said is true…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
Then most of what the Martial Venerable had said so far was likely false.
“You think there’s another reason.”
Now the Martial Venerable was reading not only Bu Eunseol’s words, but the thoughts behind his eyes as well.
“You’re doubting this old man’s words. And you’re hiding something.”
Having held the dual identity of the greatest sage of the martial world… his martial arts and wisdom had both reached a realm beyond ordinary people’s comprehension.
Moreover, the moment Bu Eunseol relaxed his guard or showed emotion, the man could eerily infer countless facts.
‘If I keep hiding my cards and only ask questions, I won’t get any truth at all.’
If he questioned the Martial Venerable while concealing everything he knew?
He realized he wouldn’t be able to ask anything meaningful.
Even if the man lied, he wouldn’t be able to tell.
Therefore, the best chance of grasping the truth was to throw out at least one card he held and see what the Martial Venerable said in response.
In the end, Bu Eunseol threw down one of his cards.
“Where exactly is the Heavenly Emperor hiding?”
The Martial Venerable frowned.
“Hiding?”
“Monk Dam Jeung said that, until recently, he had seen the Heavenly Emperor.”
Bu Eunseol stared straight at the Martial Venerable.
Right now, all he could do was instinctively sense whether the man was speaking truth or lies.
“And he also said that the Heavenly Emperor was the one who killed Baekri Muha.”
And he deliberately mixed a lie into the truth.
If the Martial Venerable knew something, he would immediately refute it.
“That’s impossible.”
A strange brilliance flowed from the Martial Venerable’s eyes.
Whether it was his natural gaze or the divine light he imitated from the Heavenly Emperor, it was impossible to tell.
“You saw it with your own eyes—why would you say such a thing?”
The Martial Venerable’s gaze turned toward the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin standing behind them.
“You entered this passage and saw my sworn brother’s corpse.”
“Is that really the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I wasn’t able to examine the corpse closely. I only saw it from the outside.”
“So that’s why traces of tampering with the mechanism remained.”
“Yes. Suddenly it turned into a square lump of metal, so I couldn’t examine the body in detail.” Bu Eunseol continued. “To be honest, it’s hard to believe the Heavenly Emperor was killed by anyone at all. And…”
He was about to ask about the sword marks visible on the surface.
But at some point they had vanished—the place where faint sword scars had been engraved was now perfectly smooth.
Bu Eunseol realized the Martial Venerable had erased those sword traces.
‘He’s telling me not to ask about the Sword Elimination Origin Form.’
Having grasped the Martial Venerable’s intention, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“In any case, that’s how it is.”
“Indeed. This old man thought the same.”
The Martial Venerable walked toward the now-square metallic Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
“There is no one in this world capable of killing my sworn brother.”
Clunk.
When he placed his hand on it, faint lines appeared on the solid metal panels.
Then the covering metal plates began sliding downward beneath the jade coffin.
Slowly, the transparent Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin was revealed once more.
“See for yourself. With your own eyes.”
Bu Eunseol approached and examined the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse.
“This is…”
His eyes widened.
He was so shocked he nearly stepped back.
The Heavenly Emperor lay perfectly straight inside the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
Or rather—it only appeared that way.
Upon closer inspection, the corpse had been completely split in half starting from the back of the head.
In other words, from the outside it looked like a peacefully lying body, but in reality, from the skull down through the spine, it had been precisely bisected—the entire back half of the body was missing.
‘I have to stay calm.’
Suppressing his shock, Bu Eunseol examined the corpse once more.
Even the intact front side was far from perfect.
Across the arms, legs, and torso were engraved traces of countless supreme martial arts—including those of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
‘How can so many martial arts be carved into a single human body…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes were filled with astonishment, nearly overflowing.
How could such a thing be possible?
“Is this truly the Heavenly Emperor himself?”
“If it weren’t my sworn brother, how could any man endure receiving so many martial arts strikes and still retain his form?”
Bu Eunseol unconsciously nodded.
The traces engraved on the corpse…
Each and every one was a terrifying supreme martial art capable of shattering mountains.
Unless it was a master of the Heavenly Emperor’s caliber…
No ordinary person could endure being struck by such an array of supreme arts and still remain intact.
‘Was it the Returning to One Realm?’
The Returning to One Realm collects the corpses of previous-generation masters and reproduces their martial arts through mysterious great arts. For them, restoring the martial arts of previous or even earlier generations in this way would not be impossible.
“Returning to One Realm.”
At that moment, as if reading Bu Eunseol’s thoughts, the Martial Venerable nodded.
“They restore the martial arts of previous masters through their physical bodies. And probably…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Even the Martial Venerable judged that the force most likely responsible for killing the Heavenly Emperor was the Returning to One Realm.
“So Monk Dam Jeung lied?”
“That, I cannot know. Perhaps someone was impersonating my sworn brother.” The Martial Venerable spoke with a confused expression. “With my sworn brother’s corpse lying here so clearly.”
In truth, this was a blatant lie.
The Martial Venerable had already discovered the Sacred Star Jade in the Heavenly Emperor’s earlobe and knew there was a chance he was still alive.
But he was deliberately not telling Bu Eunseol that fact.
‘The two sides’ stories are completely different.’
Bu Eunseol was equally confused.
He had thought that meeting the Martial Venerable would tear off his hateful mask, or at least reveal where the living Heavenly Emperor was.
But the Martial Venerable’s attitude showed no sign of anticipating such accusations at all.
‘Even if he’s lying right now, there’s no way for me to find out.’
Swallowing his complicated feelings, Bu Eunseol asked again.
“So… do you plan to take revenge on them?”
“Not me—you must do it.”
At the unexpected words, Bu Eunseol frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“The position of Martial Alliance Leader comes with many restrictions. Moreover, because it places great importance on seniority and status, any action taken as Alliance Leader invites immediate scrutiny and investigation.”
‘I see.’
The Martial Venerable had been manipulating many sects using his identity as the Divine Mountain Sage but that identity could not exert influence over the Martial Alliance—the very gathering of the orthodox martial world.
“The reason I clash with the Three Realms is because they are harming innocent common people.”
But Bu Eunseol had absolutely no intention of clashing with the Three Realms for the Heavenly Emperor’s revenge.
“Nothing has been clearly proven about exactly what they are doing… so I have no intention of blindly charging in.”
“You’re lying.” The Martial Venerable spoke leisurely. “Who do you think took the corpse of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, that you had buried?”
A flash passed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
The Martial Venerable already knew that the ones who stole his grandfather’s corpse were the Returning to One Realm.
‘Was it inevitable?’
Throughout Bu Eunseol’s life, his one and only bone-deep mistake was failing to follow his grandfather’s last words and instead carefully preparing and burying the body in the ground.
The Martial Venerable already knew that Bu Eunseol had entered the martial world to avenge his grandfather—and that the desire burned deep within him.
Having even staked the position of successor to infiltrate the Martial Alliance as a spy, there was no way he would leave the Returning to One Realm—who had touched his grandfather’s corpse—alone.
Then the Martial Venerable dropped another shocking statement.
“My sworn brother breathed his last within the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. In other words… the force secretly rooted within the Martial Alliance has a very high probability of being the Returning to One Realm.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
He had known from the moment he entered the Martial Alliance that high-ranking members of the Three Realms had deeply infiltrated it.
But to think it was the Returning to One Realm…
That meant there could be someone inside the Martial Alliance who had stolen his grandfather’s corpse.
“In any case, you were destined to destroy the Three Realms.” The Martial Venerable’s eyes were filled with conviction. “Though this is only my speculation, Baekri Muha’s long-cherished wish was surely to bring down the Three Realms. In the end, he was framed as the Heaven-Dark Star and unjustly killed.”
He spoke calmly.
“Isn’t it only natural for a son to fulfill the unfinished wish of his father?”
As the Martial Venerable said, Bu Eunseol destroying the Three Realms felt almost like fate.
But he remained silent.
A strange feeling had come over him.
—The truth is not found through the mouths of others, but must be sought by oneself.
Wasn’t that the truth the Demon Emperor had taught him? Perhaps he had foreseen that Bu Eunseol would one day meet the Martial Venerable.
Perhaps it was to prevent him from being deceived by the man’s words and becoming a puppet?
Because… he had to become his own puppet.
‘Am I being too suspicious?’
“You’re still doubting.”
Hearing the Martial Venerable’s murmur, Bu Eunseol honestly nodded.
“Of course. Until now, I have never once let go of my suspicion toward you.”
“Naturally, you cannot trust anyone.” The Martial Venerable spoke calmly. “But the same goes for me. I cannot trust anyone in this Alliance. At any moment, anyone could be absorbed by the Three Realms.”
And he added one more line.
“Like Baek Museong.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been looking at the Martial Venerable, took a deep breath.
He too had already suspected that Baek Museong had thrown himself into the Three Realms.
“Only you and Chief Gongsun. The two of you harbor such deep, burning hatred toward the Three Realms… that you will not fall for their temptations.”
He spoke with a lonely tone.
“In truth, there aren’t many people around me worth trusting.”
Bu Eunseol did not believe those words.
If he truly trusted Gongsun Dankyung that much—if he trusted that brilliant woman—he would not be hiding his movements and secretly scheming like this; he would have discussed everything with her.
‘Despite that righteous, heroic face, this man has at least ten serpents coiled in his belly.’
A gleam flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Otherwise, he could never have maintained the dual identity of the greatest sage of the martial world.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. I don’t fully trust you either.”
The Martial Venerable added, “In fact, when I first heard you were searching for the Boeun Coin, I had no intention of meeting you. Demonic practitioner or not, the question of the Heaven-Dark Star aside.”
“……”
“But after learning you possessed virtuous roots, I changed my mind.” The Martial Venerable let out a deep sigh. “All I want is to eradicate the shadow of the Three Realms that has taken root in the Martial Alliance.”
His eyes looked utterly sincere.
As though he would do anything to shake off the shadow that had turned the Martial Alliance into a den of devils.
Even knowing he was being suspected by Bu Eunseol, he showed not the slightest wavering.
“In the end, don’t we share the same goal?” The Martial Venerable spoke persuasively. “I don’t ask for trust. I simply hope that, as you continue to shake up the Alliance like you have been—just like with the Infinite Realm—eventually all the ones rooted in the shadows will be dragged into the light.”
Bu Eunseol remained silent.
He could not trust the Martial Venerable.
But regardless, they clearly shared a common objective, so there was no need to break the alliance for now.
“That aside.”
Bu Eunseol calmly asked the next thing he was curious about.
“How exactly did the Three Realms frame my father as the Heaven-Dark Star? For someone as outstanding as him, it couldn’t have been easy to drive him into a corner without evidence.”
According to the fake Takma, the Heavenly Emperor had framed Baekri Muha as the Heaven-Dark Star, and since no one would doubt the words of the greatest master of the righteous sects, that was how it happened.
But looking back, that didn’t make sense. That was the point Bu Eunseol pressed the Martial Venerable on again.
“It must have been power.”
The Martial Venerable gazed into the distant sky and shook his head.
“From what I know, Baekri Muha possessed an ability that far transcended human limits. It was a power so mighty that it could not be expressed through martial arts or sorcery… That alone would have inevitably led to suspicion of him being the Heaven-Dark Star.”
‘Different again.’
Once more, the Martial Venerable’s opinion differed.
And he kept using phrases like “from what I know” or “it’s my guess,” subtly revealing that he did not know the exact facts about Baekri Muha or the Saha Manor incident.
In the end, both Takma and the Martial Venerable were most likely far from the truth.
“Ability?”
Bu Eunseol, mulling over the Martial Venerable’s words, furrowed his brow.
“Just because he had an ability superior to others—that alone was enough to make it possible?”
“Just…?” The Martial Venerable stared into empty space with an expression full of contempt. “For generation after generation, martial people have envied and killed countless divine beings simply because they were different—simply because they possessed great power.”
He continued.
“Merely for being different. Merely for being superior. And that is the endlessly repeating history of the martial world.”
Bu Eunseol sensed a slight anger mixed into the Martial Venerable’s voice and felt puzzled.
‘Was the Martial Venerable ever persecuted by martial people?’
Most orthodox masters are revered by all and rise to high positions.
Of course, the Martial Venerable revered the martial path and wandered alone, so he had little interaction with the leaders of various sects, but orthodox martial artists generally viewed him favorably.
So why would he feel anger at such a story?
“Even if such a history repeated itself, I cannot agree that the people of the martial world are foolish and ignorant.”
“Whether you agree or not doesn’t matter. Even now, they endlessly crave weapons that will lead the world to destruction.” The Martial Venerable spoke another unexpected sentence. “In fact, the probability is high that Baekri Muha was framed as the Heaven-Dark Star precisely because he used that weapon. They say there is no limit to human ability, but the flesh-and-blood body has clear limits.”
“Are you talking about the Black Divine Artifact?”
“So you already know about the Black Divine Artifact.”
“Yes.”
When Bu Eunseol readily admitted it, the Martial Venerable continued.
“Since you dealt with the Black Divine Artifact used by the Mount Hua elder, you should know well the power it holds—how extraordinary the Black Divine Artifact’s ability is.”
“You sent it on purpose.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize.
“You wanted me to learn about the Black Divine Artifact.”
“Of course, that was part of it. But above all, it was to develop your martial arts.”
The Martial Venerable said something astonishing.
“The more you grow within this Alliance, the weaker the Three Realms’ grip—coiled like a snake within it—becomes. And naturally, they will not leave you alone.”
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
“That was also the reason I sent you to the Snow Blossom Sect.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you learned the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace. If you also master the Snow Blossom Sect’s Ice Crystal Snow Flower Qi, your extreme yin arts will soon reach the utmost realm.”
Bu Eunseol blinked.
The Martial Venerable had deliberately given him a difficult mission to develop his martial arts?
It was a situation he could hardly comprehend.
“Didn’t I tell you? It’s because of our shared goal—the Three Realms. So there’s no need to be so moved.”
“You’re not afraid of my growth?”
At that question, the Martial Venerable lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Even if you train for a hundred years, you will not surpass me.”
“Quite the confidence.”
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to admit it.
Regardless of what the Martial Venerable’s true intentions were, he had indeed revealed truths unknown to the martial world—like the Black Divine Artifact—while simultaneously trying to advance Bu Eunseol’s martial arts.
“Then why did you accept Baek Museong and summon Mu Gyeol?” Bu Eunseol asked, unable to understand. “Doesn’t that increase the chance that I won’t be able to become the Commander?”
“That is precisely why I wanted to meet you in person—because of that issue.” The Martial Venerable spoke gravely. “Originally, I summoned him in order to raise you to the position of Commander. But you must absolutely never become the Martial Heaven Commander.”
It was something he had already anticipated.
Even if the Martial Venerable offered him the position, he would have had to refuse.
Still, he deliberately raised his voice with a stern expression.
“Are you going back on your word in the end?”
“Not at all. On the contrary—I’m trying to keep it.”
Shaking his head, the Martial Venerable took a deep breath.
“You must know this already: the position of Commander does not come with only immense power. For someone like you who must move freely through the martial world, it could instead become a huge restriction.”
“……”
“If you become Commander, most of your time will have to be spent within the Alliance. With more subordinates and power come more things to manage.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
He had already realized long ago that the position of Commander was not merely a seat of great power.
In a way, he even felt grateful that the Martial Venerable had opened this path for him.
“You constantly travel back and forth between Majeon and the Martial Alliance… Even if you have an excellent shadow, no matter how perfectly you erase your tracks, a long tail will eventually be stepped on.”
The Martial Venerable’s eyes flashed as he asked,
“Even so, do you still want the position of Commander?”
Becoming Commander would grant immense power and authority.
But behind it lay heavy responsibility and constant surveillance.
“I’ll say it again: what you want and what I want are the same. So think carefully before you answer.”
The annihilation of the Returning to One Realm.
That was the only thing the Martial Venerable desired.
“Very well.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Then give me a different position.”
“Looking at your expression… you already expected this.”
The Martial Venerable narrowed his eyes.
“You foresaw and prepared for a situation like this.”
“I had a feeling it might come to this.”
Bu Eunseol did not beat around the bush.
“Looking at the way Majeon operates, it was obvious.”
Great power comes with great responsibility.
In Majeon, Bu Eunseol had divided power into three parts to protect himself and the Death Shadow Corps from the Demon Emperor.
The Martial Alliance would be no different.
Even if he became Commander, unless he divided the Alliance’s power structure the way he had in Majeon, he could be swayed by whoever held the greatest authority at any moment.
To prevent that in advance, Bu Eunseol must not ascend to the position of Martial Heaven Commander.
“What position do you want?”
At the Martial Venerable’s question, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Ever since realizing he must not become Martial Heaven Commander, he had been thinking constantly.
Was there a position that carried authority comparable to Commander, yet came with far fewer restrictions and greater freedom?
And in the end, the answer had already been decided.
“Give me the position of head of the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division.”
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