“Self-inflicted karma, huh.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes glinted as he watched Wi Hyeok-gun depart.
He had never intended to win from the very beginning.
A man who had only just earned a name among the Four Gods and Seven Kings could not possibly defeat the Sword Demon.
Moreover, in terms of pure swordsmanship, even if Bu Eunseol unleashed True Vacuum, he could never match a demonic-path supreme swordsman who had devoted his entire life to the blade.
That was why he had planned for just one moment, to secretly deploy Crystal Divine Energy and destroy the man’s hand.
He had used Jingak’s teachings for exactly that purpose: to land one solid blow on Wi Hyeok-gun.
‘I will never let him leave here with all four limbs intact.’
That was the vow he had made.
But if they fought a normal duel?
Unless he went all-out to crush him completely, it would be impossible to inflict lasting damage on the body of such a peerless master.
Fortunately, Bu Eunseol understood Wi Hyeok-gun’s personality in excruciating detail.
The man harbored fanatical worship and pride toward the Hwa Wu Sword Sect. That was precisely why—even though he had earned the title Sword Demon, the greatest swordsman of the demonic path—he could never become the true successor of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect.
‘All I need is to create a single opening.’
Bu Eunseol had exploited exactly that trait.
He executed a plan that allowed him to deliver a fatal strike without ever seeking victory. By shattering the prestige of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect—the thing Wi Hyeok-gun valued most—he forced an opening in the man’s sword forms.
Then he used Crystal Divine Energy to damage the meridians in his forearm.
‘Lucky.’
Though the plan had been meticulously crafted, an unforeseen complication arose at the very end due to the power of the Boundary Prosperity Jade.
Yet in the end he seized the opportunity, and thanks to the earthquake that struck Poseok Island, he was able to bring the fight to a smooth halt.
If there had been no earthquake?
Wi Hyeok-gun might have come at him with murderous desperation, forcing Bu Eunseol into a position where he had no choice but to unleash True Vacuum.
‘So… this settles things, more or less.’
Once Wi Hyeok-gun and the Hwa Wu Sword Sect forces had departed, the covert gaze that had been watching since the duel began finally vanished completely.
Whether it belonged to the Demon Emperor himself or one of his subordinates, Bu Eunseol did not know but whoever it was had now left convinced that the person called Seon Woojin was not Bu Eunseol.
‘Since I’ve become so different—even I can barely control it—naturally they wouldn’t recognize me.’
Because of the Boundary Prosperity Jade, Bu Eunseol’s method of circulating internal energy and even the way he executed forms had changed considerably.
No matter how high one’s flying skill might be, no one could possibly identify him as Bu Eunseol now.
“You’ve worked hard.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man of striking appearance—who had been standing behind Bu Eunseol the entire time—approached and greeted him.
It was Seo Muk, Vice Leader of the Star Guard Division.
“Though we couldn’t defeat the Sword Demon due to unforeseen circumstances, because of this, your reputation as Division Lord will rise like the sun.”
Seo Muk’s expression was full of goodwill.
In truth, he had never held Seon Woojin in high regard because Seon Woojin had once rejected Baekri Mujo’s invitation to join the Star Guard Division.
But after witnessing today’s duel, he realized that Bu Eunseol was an extraordinary martial artist who never backed down even in the face of mortal danger, and that his martial prowess surpassed even his own.
His attitude and speech had become markedly respectful.
“You flatter me.” Bu Eunseol clasped his hands together. “A defeated general who barely escaped with his life from the Sword Demon’s hand—what sun are you talking about in the martial world?”
“Hahaha. While displaying Martial Emperor’s learning, didn’t you toy with the Sword Demon using second-rate swordsmanship? The orthodox experts who were present could not stop marveling at the sight.”
The outstanding orthodox masters on Poseok Island had watched Bu Eunseol deliberately unfold Martial Emperor techniques mixed with lowly sword forms, shattering the Sword Demon’s pride. They felt great satisfaction that he had inflicted a humiliation far greater than mere defeat under the sword.
“It was merely a desperate last resort because I couldn’t see any way to win.”
“No, no. The mere fact that you faced the Hwa Wu Sword with such techniques proves that Division Lord Seon Woojin’s swordsmanship has reached the absolute pinnacle.”
Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile.
He had risked his life to face the opponent with inferior sword learning—not only to provoke Wi Hyeok-gun and diminish the power of his blade, but also, as Seo Muk said, to show the entire world that his own swordsmanship had reached a level unbound by form or style, flowing freely.
That way—win or lose—even the Demon Emperor would have no choice but to acknowledge it without complaint.
Rumble.
At that moment Poseok Island shook violently once again.
Seo Muk pointed toward the docked ships.
“It really does look like the island is about to sink. Let’s leave quickly.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and followed behind Seo Muk.
Once the two of them and the Martial Alliance forces had departed Poseok Island,
[So he was one of the Hundred and Eight Stars as well.]
An eerie voice echoed across the now-empty Poseok Island.
It sounded like a demon crouching in the darkness, howling.
[That’s why he was so strong.]
The voice that flowed across the deserted island had not only realized that the earthquake was caused by the energy emanating from Bu Eunseol’s body, but had also understood why Seon Woojin—who had opened Martial Emperor’s secret vault less than a year ago—could fight the Sword Demon on equal footing.
[I need to revise my evaluation of him.]
With those final words, the voice that had shaken Poseok Island faded into silence.
Was this too part of the Demon Emperor’s arrangement?
Just as Bu Eunseol had anticipated, thanks to this duel with the Sword Demon, the countless factions that had been watching him closely would, from this day forward, withdraw their suspicions about Seon Woojin’s true identity.
But there was one person who received a tremendous shock instead.
Gongsun Dankyung, who had secretly observed the entire duel.
Clack, clack.
As she left Poseok Island by carriage, her gaze had turned as cold as ice.
‘So he’s been deceiving me all this time.’
Gongsun Dankyung was in a state of profound shock.
It was simply too unbelievable.
If she hadn’t seen the clear evidence with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
She knew exactly why a sudden earthquake had struck Poseok Island.
Because she had experienced the exact same thing in her childhood.
She knew why such light and quaking had occurred.
‘Heavenly Grace Star.’
In the past, the Jungson family had kidnapped children presumed to be Heavenly Mechanism Stars in an attempt to awaken their power.
When they failed to find the Heavenly Mechanism Star, they forced the children to slaughter one another.
The child who lost to her—Yeon Hwa—was dragged away like a pig to the slaughter.
When Yeon Hwa faced death, she unleashed the latent power of one of the Hundred and Eight Stars and resisted them.
‘Radiance spread in every direction and shook the entire Jungson family.’
If what she had seen was not an illusion, then the power that had emanated from Seon Woojin’s body was unmistakably the energy of Heavenly Grace Star that Yeon Hwa once possessed.
‘Yeon Hwa, who lost her memories, survived and became a member of the Yangseol family… and now that power is being used by Division Lord Seon Woo.’
A chill ran through Gongsun Dankyung’s chest.
‘Then Division Lord Seon… is someone from the Jungson family.’
There was only one reason the Jungson family had gone to such extremes to find the Heavenly Mechanism Star:
They possessed a technique that could steal the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars.
In other words, the fact that Seon Woojin wielded the power of Heavenly Grace Star meant he could very well be from the Jungson family—and might have killed Yangseol Rin to take that power for himself.
‘Yeon Hwa.’
Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes darkened.
In the past she had captured a member of the Yangseol family who had appeared in the martial world, hoping to locate the Jungson family.
But that person turned out to be Yeon Hwa—who had been kidnapped alongside her—and was now living as Yangseol Rin with her memories erased.
‘Could it be that Division Lord Seon killed her and all the Yangseol family escorts?’
In the past she would have deemed such a hypothesis impossible.
But now she knew.
With Seon Woojin’s level of martial learning, he was more than capable of cutting down even the Yangseol family members.
‘He fought the Sword Demon to a draw, after all.’
Seon Woojin possessed strength on par with the demonic path’s greatest swordsman—a figure who had shaken the entire martial world for years.
Killing Yangseol Rin and her escorts would not be beyond him.
‘If he truly is from the Jungson family…’
Murderous resentment swirled in Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes.
She had trusted Seon Woojin, in her own way.
But if he was from the Jungson family, the very people capable of stealing the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars… then he was unforgivable.
‘I will kill him without fail.’
Gongsun Dankyung made up her mind.
She would tear off Seon Woojin’s mask completely and dispose of him quietly.
“The Sword Demon and the Sword King could not settle the match!”
As news of the Poseok Island duel spread rapidly across the martial world, people were greatly shocked.
The rising star, Sword King Seon Woojin, had fought the untouchable Sword Demon to a draw?
“If the earthquake hadn’t interrupted the duel… Seon Woojin would surely have perished beneath the Sword Demon’s blade!”
Outstanding experts from both orthodox and unorthodox paths had witnessed the fight on Poseok Island and evaluated it with cold precision.
Strangely, Wi Hyeok-gun’s reaction was unexpected.
Given his personality—uncompromising, intolerant of mercy, and fanatically protective of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect’s honor—everyone assumed that even if Seon Woojin refused, he would demand rematch after rematch to reestablish his prestige as the demonic path’s greatest swordsman.
Yet he kept his mouth shut and never once mentioned the Poseok Island duel again?
“Is the Hwa Wu Sword Sect busy with other matters?”
“Well, after being beaten that badly, maybe he considers it settled.”
Opinions varied, but when Wi Hyeok-gun showed no further reaction, public interest quickly cooled.
“We’ve arrived.”
Before long, Bu Eunseol returned to the Martial Alliance together with Seo Muk.
Throughout the journey back by ship and carriage, Seo Muk treated Bu Eunseol with great courtesy. He had crossed paths with the Sword Demon several times in the past and suffered crushing defeats.
Now, seeing a young man like Bu Eunseol fight the Sword Demon to a standstill, Seo Muk felt a cathartic sense of vicarious revenge for his own past losses.
“Division Lord, let’s share drinks sometime.”
As Seo Muk headed back toward Sacred Guard Pavilion, he spoke with a reluctant expression. Though there was an age gap, Bu Eunseol was not only the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord but also possessed the Clear Heart Token—making him one of the highest-ranking members, comparable in authority to a Commander.
In Seo Muk’s eyes, he was more than worthy company.
“Call on me anytime.”
“Hahaha. It’s a promise, then.”
Seo Muk laughed heartily and clasped his hands in a friendly farewell.
“Then.”
“Take care.”
Bu Eunseol returned the gesture, and Seo Muk departed in good spirits.
Watching him leave, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and immediately returned to the Supreme Pavilion.
The moment he stepped inside, Tae Muryong and all the other members rushed forward to greet him.
“Division Lord!”
“You’ve worked hard!”
Pride and joy filled their faces.
Because Bu Eunseol had returned slowly by ship and carriage with Seo Muk, by the time he reached the Martial Alliance, news of the Poseok Island duel had already spread throughout the entire martial world.
Up until now, the word “rising star” had always clung to Seon Woojin alongside his sudden fame. But regardless of how the match ended, the fact that he had fought the Sword Demon to a draw was an astonishing feat.
From this point forward, no one in the martial world would dare look down on him.
“Judging by your expression, it went according to plan.”
When Tae Muryong smiled, Bu Eunseol nodded. “I damaged that man’s forearm meridians with Crystal Divine Energy without anyone noticing.”
Then, in an utterly calm tone, he added, “For anywhere from four to five years at the shortest, or up to ten years at the longest… he won’t be thinking about dueling anyone.”
The members’ mouths fell open.
To secretly cripple the forearm meridians of Wi Hyeok-gun—the Sword Demon—in front of countless experts?
Did that not mean he had already reached the same realm as the Three Demons and Three Venerables?
“It was only possible because I targeted his forearm alone. If we had truly competed in swordsmanship, I would have lost.”
Anticipating their thoughts, Bu Eunseol explained calmly.
“Moreover, I’ve long known that the Sword Demon’s personality is extremely narrow-minded. He places immense value on honor and prestige and reveres the Hwa Wu Sword Sect like his own life. In the end, I simply exploited that weakness.”
Even after the explanation, the members could not close their mouths.
Knowing such a weakness was one thing but how many people in the martial world could actually turn the supreme Sword Demon into a cripple?
A brief silence fell over the meeting room.
“Ahem.”
Jeong Jongdo was the first to recover, clearing his throat.
“Ah, right.”
He extended an envelope toward Bu Eunseol.
“A message from the Chief Inspector.”
Then, in a low voice, he added, “She strictly instructed that no one but the Division Lord may open it. It seems to contain confidential information intended only for you.”
Bu Eunseol opened the letter on the spot.
The Supreme Pavilion members were like family—there were no secrets among them.
“Hm.”
The contents were unexpected.
“Is something wrong?”
When Tae Muryong asked, Bu Eunseol handed him the letter.
“She wants to meet me secretly in Mokdan Fortress.”
Mokdan Fortress was an abandoned ancient castle standing alone in the desolate plains dozens of li from Hagok.
Yet in the past it had been the most famous place in the martial world, because it was there that the two strongest masters under heaven, the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors , had clashed.
But though rumors of their battle were abundant, no trace remained, and nowadays no one visited the place anymore.
Yet suddenly she was summoning Bu Eunseol there?
“My gut feeling isn’t good.”
Tae Muryong spoke in a low voice.
“I’ll send members ahead to scout the area and see what’s there.”
“No need.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“I’ve built a certain level of trust with the Chief Inspector through many matters over time. If I move the intelligence network now for something like this and get discovered… that trust will collapse.”
“But calling you to a place like that without any reason…”
Tae Muryong trailed off.
He instinctively sensed that summoning Bu Eunseol alone to such a location could not bode well.
Of course, Bu Eunseol thought the same.
But there was no need to worry his subordinates unnecessarily. He would handle it himself.
“It’s fine.”
Bu Eunseol smiled.
“If anything happens, I’ll withdraw immediately. I’ll also station the Four Souls Battalion nearby, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Understood.”
Hearing him speak so confidently, Tae Muryong bowed without further protest.
Bu Eunseol’s True Vacuum was formidable—when he resolved to escape, few in the world could stop him.
Mokdan Fortress.
It was here, in this desolate ancient castle, that the Heavenly Emperor and Demon Emperor of their generation had once clashed. Yet the battle between the two peak masters of righteous and demonic paths could not be judged superior or inferior.
In the end, no victor was declared.
Afterward, once word spread that Mokdan Fortress was the site of the Twin Emperors’ duel, countless martial artists visited.
It held symbolic meaning as the first place the two absolute beings had ever clashed and they came hoping to find even the slightest remnant of those supreme masters’ martial essence.
But astonishingly, no trace of the battle remained.
Not a single blade of grass, not a single tree—nothing showed the slightest sign of combat, let alone the deployment of profound martial arts.
—Someone must have spread false rumors.
The martial artists who visited left greatly disappointed.
—Well, it’s only natural the duel site of the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors would never be revealed, isn’t it?
But the world did not know about how the absolute masters of the Limitless Realm who secretly visited this place all left in shock.
The Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors had not clashed by moving their bodies or using martial techniques in the physical world.
They had overlapped their mindscapes to create a new space and fought solely with Infinite Power within it.
“Terrifying.”
The high-level experts who witnessed the realm those two had reached reacted in two ways: Some vowed to surpass the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors no matter what.
Others felt the limits of their own potential and left with awe and reverence.
Whoooosh.
Upon arriving at Mokdan Fortress—which belonged to no righteous or demonic faction—Bu Eunseol was greeted only by desolate emptiness, as though the end of the world had come.
He wandered here and there, carefully observing the surroundings.
Originally he had little interest in the Righteous and Demonic Twin Heavenly Emperors, so he had never even considered visiting a place every martial artist supposedly went to at least once.
But now the two absolute masters had become figures who exerted enormous influence over his life and his future revenge.
Any place connected to them deserved his fullest attention.
Flash!
But as he scanned the area, Bu Eunseol’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Expanding his senses, he realized that an intricate energy enveloped the dozens of li around him.
He didn’t need to look closely to immediately recognize it as the aura leaking from multiple layers of ancient formations stacked upon one another.
To sense formation energy from this distance… the overlapping formations might number not in the single digits, but in the dozens.
Swish.
At that moment, a beautiful woman dressed in white palace robes slowly appeared before him.
It was Gongsun Dankyung.
“Impressive formations.” Bu Eunseol looked at Gongsun Dankyung and offered a word of praise. “In all my years wandering the martial world, I’ve never seen formations of this caliber.”
Bu Eunseol possessed ultra-sensitive perception—he could detect an ant moving a hundred jang away.
Yet he had failed to sense Gongsun Dankyung until she stood right in front of him?
The formations laid here possessed a terrifying capability he had never before encountered or even heard of.
“The scary thing about these formations isn’t just that they disrupt perception.”
A sharp glint flashed in Gongsun Dankyung’s large eyes.
“They completely suppress the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars lying dormant within the body.”
When Bu Eunseol merely looked at her calmly, Gongsun Dankyung’s gaze grew even keener.
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
“Should I be?”
“Well… you must have predicted everything. You always do.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Gongsun Dankyung glared at Bu Eunseol with eyes as sharp as a blade.
“Are you still going to deceive this Chief Inspector even in this situation?”
“It seems there’s some misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
Flames seemed to dance in Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes.
“You think your outstanding intellect and silver tongue can persuade anyone, don’t you?”
Her voice grew endlessly chilling.
“But today—no matter what you say—you will not be able to convince me.”
“Are you afraid?”
“What?”
“You’re afraid that you might actually be persuaded by my words.” Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. “Shouldn’t I at least know the reason before I die—so I’ll have something to say to the King of Hell?”
When Bu Eunseol scratched at her pride,
“Fine.”
Gongsun Dankyung instead gave a cold smile.
“Let’s hear your answer.”
In this place, with just a twitch of her finger, she could bury not just Seon Woojin but even the Sword Demon himself deep underground—the traps were already set.
Mad light burst from her eyes.
“How you could possibly possess the Heavenly Grace Star.”
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