‘I don’t have time.’
Bu Eunseol’s heart grew urgent.
Only half a day remained.
Moreover, the Martial Venerable was not the type of person to leisurely spend time attending the council of elders.
There was no telling when he might suddenly barge in here. If things continued like this, he might leave without finding anything at all.
Click.
Bu Eunseol immediately entered the room on the right.
It resembled an office, with a desk, various clothes and garments, and what appeared to be tools used for engraving the symbol of the Boeun Coin.
‘As expected, this was the Divine Mountain Sage’s hideout.’
Bu Eunseol opened the drawer of the desk.
Inside was a square iron box emitting an auspicious aura.
‘No opening.’
The iron box was like one solid lump of metal—there wasn’t the slightest crack or seam, just like the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin he had encountered before.
Ziiing.
Bu Eunseol once again raised the Void Heart Command.
‘A method that requires injecting a specific type of energy to open it.’
It seemed the way to open this iron box was not through physical force, but by infusing it with a very particular kind of qi.
After pondering for a moment, he tried raising the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra, but it had no effect.
‘I don’t have time.’
Bu Eunseol’s impatience grew.
He didn’t know whether this iron box belonged to the Martial Venerable or to the Heavenly Emperor but if it was being kept in such a secret vault, it surely contained something extremely important.
Whoever made it had undoubtedly applied a special method so that no one could open it easily.
No matter how brilliant Bu Eunseol’s wisdom might be, there was simply no way to open, in a short amount of time, an iron box that a supreme expert like the Martial Venerable or the Heavenly Emperor had deliberately secured with a secret mechanism.
‘And I can’t just take it with me either.’
One of the strict warnings Mu Gyeol had repeatedly given him was to never leave any trace that someone had entered this place.
If the Martial Venerable discovered signs of intrusion, he would thoroughly investigate everyone around him.
Mu Gyeol would not be able to escape suspicion.
“It must be related to martial arts.”
—By any chance, did the Heavenly Emperor leave you any particular martial art?
Before coming here, Bu Eunseol had asked Mu Gyeol that very question.
He had wondered whether the Heavenly Emperor might have created a special device or mechanism that only a master–disciple pair could activate.
After all, the Martial Venerable had installed a special mechanism in the basement of the Solitary Enlightenment Hall that could only be opened with knowledge from the martial scriptures.
—The Seventy-Two Supreme Skills of Shaolin.
Upon hearing that answer, Bu Eunseol had said nothing more and simply left.
Among Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Supreme Skills, the one that stood at the very top was the Prajna Great Power and by an incredible stroke of luck, Bu Eunseol also possessed that power.
However, he could not manifest it at will; it only emerged when he raised Harmony to the point where his body was on the verge of collapse.
Crack.
As he drew every ounce of power within him to the limit, the mixed energies pushed his body to the breaking point.
Oooong.
At once, the Prajna Great Power activated on its own. A majestic golden light spread across Bu Eunseol’s body.
The moment he poured that energy into the iron box—
Clack.
With the sound of metal friction, the surface of the square iron box opened, meaning this box most likely belonged not to the Martial Venerable, but to the Heavenly Emperor.
“A key?”
To his surprise, inside the iron box was a single key radiating a dark, subdued gleam, along with a very thin piece of paper that was torn and rolled up like dragonfly wings.
‘Spring and Autumn.’
Bu Eunseol immediately unrolled the thin paper.
He instinctively realized that this fragile missive was probably the will that the Heavenly Emperor had hidden within the Spring and Autumn Annals.
“This is…”
When he opened it fully, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
‘Baekri Muha is the ‘Seeking Star’ of the martial world. Even if I must sacrifice my own body, I will definitely save him.’
As he stared at the characters written on the torn paper, Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
“What does this mean?”
The Heavenly Emperor had tried to save his father?
Did that mean the Heavenly Emperor died while trying to save his father? Or that he had been close to him?
“Moreover…”
The paper was not intact.
It looked as though it had been unable to withstand a tremendous clash of power and had been torn apart; the edges were frayed and burst.
Even the remaining portion was as thin as dragonfly wings.
So did that mean the Martial Venerable had ambushed someone, seized the Spring and Autumn Annals, and obtained only a fragment?
Ziiing.
At that moment, a low vibration emanated from Bu Eunseol’s chest.
Through the Connected Sound Alert Pearls, he sensed an enormous wave of true qi.
‘The Martial Venerable?’
Click.
Bu Eunseol carefully closed the iron box, then he stepped outside and began putting the books on the shelf back exactly in their original order.
‘I don’t have time.’
Once every book was back in place, he quickly exited the cave.
Shuuuk.
Finally, he escaped through the passage connected to Chaeun Valley and descended to the foothills of Daebyeol Mountain.
‘I need to get out of this area immediately.’
Goooo!
Yet along with a faint sound of tearing air, an overwhelming aura was already blanketing the entire region.
‘I was too late.’
Shuuuk.
Bu Eunseol raised his internal energy to the maximum. A deep pit began forming in the ground beneath him.
He had activated the Earth Escape Technique.
Swoosh.
Using the Turtle Breath Great Method, he slipped inside and the hole naturally began to refill itself.
Having reached the realm of Perfect Stillness and emitting no ripple of internal energy whatsoever combined with the Turtle Breath Great Method, even a grandmaster would find it impossible to detect his presence.
‘But the opponent is the Martial Venerable.’
A martial genius who had perfectly mastered all orthodox martial arts, a being whose level approached that of the Heavenly Emperor.
Bu Eunseol could not afford to relax even slightly.
Kuuung.
The clear sky darkened, and at last a gray shadow appeared near the mountain foothills.
The Martial Venerable, Dan Mok-gi.
The current leader of the righteous martial world, and the absolute master of the orthodox sects, had shown himself on Daebyeol Mountain.
“……”
Silently, the Martial Venerable surveyed the surroundings.
The moment he appeared, the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects vanished. Even the blowing wind seemed to hold its breath.
With transparent pupils, he stared into the dense forest.
He appeared to be looking casually, yet with his senses he was meticulously scanning every ant and every grain of sand hidden within the woods.
“A mistake, perhaps.”
Even after opening all his senses, he detected nothing.
Shaking his head, the Martial Venerable turned away.
“But… there’s no need to leave behind this uneasy feeling.”
Whiiiing.
A faint orb began forming in his right hand.
All the air in the forest was drawn toward his palm and the ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
He was about to unleash the Infinite Reverse Power and obliterate the entire forest without leaving a trace.
‘Not just the forest—he could flip the earth itself.’
Hidden underground and maintaining the Turtle Breath Great Method, Bu Eunseol steeled himself.
Senses were not limited to the surface.
Even Bu Eunseol could easily locate a mole buried forty jang underground.
The Martial Venerable’s senses must be far superior.
If, after destroying the forest, the uneasy feeling still lingered?
He would undoubtedly turn the earth upside down next.
‘Can I really hold out against the Martial Venerable?’
He was a super-expert on par with the Demon Emperor.
Bu Eunseol was confident in his movement technique, but the problem was that the Martial Venerable’s true strength was impossible to gauge.
He couldn’t even be sure whether escape was possible.
Kwaaaaa!
Just as a monstrous sound rang out and the Martial Venerable’s hand was about to extend toward the forest—
Goooo!
From somewhere came a bizarre tearing sound.
At the same time, a white shadow flickered in the distant sky,
Kwaung!
A figure clad in white robes, wrapped in an awe-inspiring and sacred light so intense that not even a speck of dust could approach, landed on the ground.
It was the Star Guard Division Commander—the Sacred Sword, Baekri Mujo.
“Hmm.”
Baekri Mujo let out a low hum and scanned the surroundings.
But no one was there.
Shockingly, even the Martial Venerable—who had been standing there just moments ago—had vanished without a trace.
‘Why is he here?’
Having instantly merged with nature and concealed himself, the Martial Venerable was greatly startled.
The secret vault in Chaeun Valley was tied to the identity of the Divine Mountain Sage. It contained numerous secrets unknown to the martial world, as well as the essence of power.
If someone of Baekri Mujo’s caliber discovered it, he would never again be able to use the Divine Mountain Sage’s identity, and countless things hidden in this sanctuary could be plundered.
“Strange.”
As he continued to examine the area, Baekri Mujo slightly furrowed his brow.
Even though the current number-one orthodox master had concealed himself with extreme stealth, he still sensed something off and kept spreading his super-senses without pause.
‘Should I kill him?’
The hidden Martial Venerable inwardly wavered.
Though the Star Guard Division Commander Baekri Mujo was an extraordinary master, if he truly wished, he could kill him.
‘But…’
The Martial Venerable bit his lip.
The Seven Great Commanders must never be touched.
Doing so would bring about consequences even he could not handle.
‘Since he’s here, the Star Guard Division will arrive soon.’
Even if Baekri Mujo had arrived first, he would not be acting alone.
Before long, warriors of the Star Guard Division would follow.
‘Then I wait.’
The Martial Venerable erased his presence as much as possible and watched Baekri Mujo.
And so the standoff continued indefinitely.
***
‘He really came.’
While maintaining the Turtle Breath Great Method underground, Bu Eunseol sensed the confrontation between the Martial Venerable and Baekri Mujo and inwardly smiled.
He had installed the Connected Sound Alert Pearls in preparation for the Martial Venerable returning sooner than expected.
But that was not his only precaution.
No matter how effective the Connected Sound Alert Pearls was, the Martial Venerable’s qinggong was so outstanding that he might block the escape route before Bu Eunseol could get out.
‘That’s why I deliberately leaked information to Commander Baekri.’
He never believed that someone called the Divine Mountain Sage of the world would defend a secret hideout with nothing more than mechanisms and traps.
After careful thought, he suddenly recalled something Gongsun Dankyung had once told him.
—It seems Commander Baekri is searching for the Alliance Leader’s closed-door training location.
If that was true, then there was a high probability that Baekri Mujo already suspected the identity of the current Martial Alliance Leader—the Martial Venerable.
—Is there anyone in the present martial world capable of stopping the Martial Venerable?
Judging by publicly known martial levels, only the Demon Emperor himself could stop him.
Yet Bu Eunseol had long noticed that even though the Martial Venerable found the Seven Commanders uncomfortable, he never laid a hand on them.
—Not all Seven Commanders necessarily possess strength that would make the Martial Venerable wary. In particular, the martial prowess of Martial Heaven Commander Jo Cheonwang and Tongcheon Commander Yang Daeryang was relatively modest. If the Martial Venerable had truly wanted to eliminate them secretly, it would not have been impossible.
‘Then perhaps… there is some pact, or some restriction, that prevents the Martial Venerable from touching the Seven Great Commanders?’
After much deliberation, Bu Eunseol had discreetly leaked information to the Star Guard Division, luring Baekri Mujo here.
Moreover, Baekri Mujo held the terrifying status of the Sacred Sword
‘If the Martial Venerable and Commander Baekri actually fight, it would kill two birds with one stone.’
Should those two supreme experts clash, he would be able to witness the true martial might of both the Martial Venerable and Baekri Mujo.
‘But it doesn’t look like they’ll fight.’
Hidden underground while maintaining the Turtle Breath Great Method, Bu Eunseol felt a twinge of regret.
Given the Martial Venerable’s personality, he would never fight Baekri Mujo inside his own secret hideout.
“……”
Meanwhile, time continued to pass.
Just like the Martial Venerable before him, Baekri Mujo had failed to locate the hidden person, yet the lingering uneasy feeling kept him from leaving.
‘It’s because of me.’
Only now did Bu Eunseol realize why Baekri Mujo refused to depart.
The Martial Venerable had used Infinite Reverse Power to perfectly erase his presence; even a master of Baekri Mujo’s level would not sense anything unusual from him alone.
The reason Baekri Mujo still lingered was almost certainly because of Bu Eunseol himself, who was hiding.
Because of that, even the Martial Venerable was forced to remain concealed and motionless.
Drip, drip.
Even while holding only the thinnest thread of breath and suspending all bodily functions through the Turtle Breath Great Method, cold sweat seemed to run down Bu Eunseol’s back.
Merely being within range of the energy Baekri Mujo was spreading created suffocating pressure.
‘Even my mind must not waver.’
Bu Eunseol calmly steadied his spirit once more and silently maintained only the Turtle Breath Great Method.
Before he knew it, the sun was slowly setting.
At the entrance to Daebyeol Mountain, the Martial Venerable and Bu Eunseol were both holding their breath in concealment, while Baekri Mujo stood with blazing eyes.
Finally, when the sun had completely set—
‘If someone is capable of discreetly leaking information to our main division, that means they possess an exceptionally powerful intelligence network.’
Baekri Mujo’s narrowed eyes grew sharper as he pondered.
‘Something is there… but I cannot pinpoint the source…’
At last, he drew his treasured sword.
Unable to locate the origin of the unease no matter how much he heightened his senses, he prepared to unleash his final measure, just as the Martial Venerable had done earlier.
Goooo.
Pure white light began to converge on Baekri Mujo’s treasured sword.
He was about to deploy his exclusive sword art—the Sacred Sword Art—and completely devastate the entire area.
Kukukuku.
The moment he raised the sword, not only the forest but the very earth trembled.
‘What now?’
In that instant, both the hidden Martial Venerable and Bu Eunseol felt the same dilemma.
If Baekri Mujo’s Sacred Sword were unleashed, there would be no chance of survival by luck alone.
Should his identity be exposed, everything would be over.
Flash!
But at that moment, from the shaking ground below, a tiny light sprang up.
“That is…”
Baekri Mujo’s pupils trembled.
Was that not the legendary spirit creature known as the White Lightning Golden Rat?
Swoosh.
When Baekri Mujo extended his hand, the White Lightning Golden Rat landed on his palm as though recognizing its master.
It was an extremely cute mole with snow-white fur and golden eyes.
“So you were the cause of the unease.”
The White Lightning Golden Rat was called the King of Ten Thousand Beasts.
Though small enough to fit in the palm, it moved with lightning speed and possessed a body as hard as steel—even a house-sized tiger would flee from it in terror.
“Kiii.”
The White Lightning Golden Rat let out a unique cry reminiscent of a hawk’s screech.
“I’ve unexpectedly obtained a treasure.”
With a satisfied smile, Baekri Mujo tucked the White Lightning Golden Rat into his robes and turned away.
Swoosh.
Soon after, he vanished into the distant sky.
After a long while, the hidden Martial Venerable emerged with a low groan.
“If it hadn’t been for the White Lightning Golden Rat, the worst possible situation would have unfolded.”
Taking a deep breath, he gazed into the far sky.
“The Star Guard Division might come back to investigate again.”
Baekri Mujo was an extremely suspicious man.
There was no knowing when he might return, so it was imperative to leave quickly now that he had gone.
Saaa.
Before long, the Martial Venerable’s figure melted away like mist.
Rumble.
Once the Martial Venerable had left, a circular patch of ground in the forest sank, and a single shadow abruptly rose up.
Having released the Turtle Breath Great Method and reactivated the Earth Escape Technique, Bu Eunseol revealed himself.
“If Commander Baekri hadn’t arrived, I would have been discovered.”
Cold sweat drenched Bu Eunseol’s back.
This was the Martial Venerable’s secret hideout, the place where the Heavenly Emperor’s belongings were stored.
If the Martial Venerable had realized someone was hiding here, their cooperative relationship would have shattered instantly, and he would have acted immediately to silence the secret.
“This time it was truly dangerous.”
If he hadn’t discreetly leaked information to the Star Guard Division as a precaution, he might very well have been killed by the Martial Venerable.
“One really shouldn’t carelessly owe favors.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol shook his head and turned away.
Although he hadn’t obtained much useful information, he still intended to return to Mu Gyeol and report what he had learned.
—Reorganize the intelligence network once again.
Before returning to the Martial Alliance, Bu Eunseol had sent an order through Soyo to the entire intelligence group.
—Cease focusing on the movements of the Martial Alliance’s Seven Great Commanders. Instead, integrate with the Martial Soul Society, which holds information on the mercenary market.
Bu Eunseol realized that countless secrets still existed in the martial world that he did not know about.
He felt the need to create an even more powerful intelligence organization.
—Immediate merger with the Martial Soul Society will be difficult. During the organizational inspection required for reorganization, there is a high risk that our information flow could be detected by external intelligence groups.
Despite the negative reply from the Death Spirit Corps Leader Mu Heon, Bu Eunseol remained resolute.
—Take your time and proceed slowly. This isn’t something that can be done right away.
He fully understood that fully integrating three intelligence organizations was, for now, impossible.
Moreover, the process of merging could allow hostile forces to intercept information flows or even the content itself.
But the attempt had to be made.
Only through such efforts could a foundation for future success be laid.
The intelligence network of the Martial Soul Society—which had already grown into a massive coalition—would then be able to completely absorb both the Death Spirit Corps and the Supreme Corps.
Bu Eunseol added one more instruction.
—To prevent detection of information flow, suspend all use of the current network for transmitting news for the time being. The probability of interception is too high.
—Understood.
Having ordered the intelligence reorganization, Bu Eunseol returned to the Martial Alliance.
He immediately went to Cheongmyeong Hall, to Mu Gyeol’s office.
“…That’s what happened.”
Bu Eunseol relayed everything he had discovered in the Chaeun Valley hideout to Mu Gyeol.
There had been a torn piece of paper on which the Heavenly Emperor had written that he regarded Baekri Muha as the “Seeking Star” of the martial world and inside the iron box had been a single key.
“A key…”
Mu Gyeol’s eyes grew dim.
He seemed to take the word “key” far more seriously than the mention of Baekri Muha.
Perhaps he was recalling something the Heavenly Emperor had said while still alive.
“Thank you.”
After listening to the full account, Mu Gyeol expressed gratitude along with a warning.
“But from now on, never use the Seven Commanders of our Alliance like that again.”
Surprisingly, he already knew that Bu Eunseol had leaked information to Baekri Mujo.
“The remaining Commanders are all experts that even my Master acknowledged. Each of them possesses remarkable specialized skills.”
“If you’ve analyzed the capabilities of the Seven Great Commanders so thoroughly, why not just designate the next Alliance Leader?”
“Of course.”
Mu Gyeol gave an unexpected answer.
“From the beginning, Master already chose his successor. Though lacking in martial arts, he is an honest man who truly possesses the spirit of a martial artist.”
A certain person came to Bu Eunseol’s mind.
“Surely you don’t mean… the Martial Heaven Commander?”
“Correct.”
Mu Gyeol nodded.
“Master had already decided long ago that Martial Heaven Commander Jo Cheonwang would be the next Alliance Leader. He believed that even though Jo Cheonwang’s martial arts were weak, with proper guidance they could quickly improve.”
Bu Eunseol’s mouth fell open.
Incredibly, more than ten years ago, the Heavenly Emperor had already selected Jo Cheonwang as his successor.
‘I understand.’
Among the Seven Great Commanders, Jo Cheonwang possessed the weakest martial prowess.
Yet he had never been corrupted by any faction and was a man who understood honor and shame.
If that were not the case, he would never have felt such deep shame over using petty tactics against Bu Eunseol for the sake of avenging his son and stepped down from his Commander position to become a wanderer.
“So that’s how it was.”
For some reason, Bu Eunseol felt a pang of guilt.
There were hardly any upright, decent people left in the Martial Alliance.
But if someone like Martial Heaven Commander Jo Cheonwang—who understood righteousness—became Alliance Leader, the Martial Alliance might have changed once again.
“The regrettable part is that the Martial Venerable has no intention of changing the Martial Alliance.”
Mu Gyeol’s expression darkened.
In truth, while acting in the Heavenly Emperor’s stead, the Martial Venerable possessed more than enough power and ability to improve the Martial Alliance even a little.
Even if he could not touch the deep-rooted factions entrenched within the Alliance, he could reorganize the internal structure and promote the right people.
But he did nothing.
Which meant that the claim that he was only striving for the stability of the orthodox sects—that he was maintaining balance between righteous and demonic for the Heavenly Emperor’s sake—was most likely untrue.
“I have one question.”
Bu Eunseol finally voiced the doubt he had carried until now.
“Is the Martial Alliance the stronghold of the Three Realms?”
A subtle smile appeared on Mu Gyeol’s lips, as though he had known Bu Eunseol would ask exactly that.
“Well.”
He gave a somewhat ambiguous reply.
“That may depend on one’s perspective.”
“What do you mean?”
“I say this because I know how you view the Three Realms.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
“Then are you saying the Three Realms are a good place?”
“Is there really any such thing as good or bad within a martial organization?”
Gazing into empty space, Mu Gyeol’s eyes became transparent.
“In the end, everything simply moves according to each person’s fate.”
“You’re starting to sound like him. Playing twenty questions with riddles.”
“……”
“If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.”
Bu Eunseol coldly turned away.
“In any case, I’ll be going.”
As Bu Eunseol started to leave, Mu Gyeol spoke.
“I have something to tell you.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“Even if the words written in that iron box are not true, I had already more or less guessed that your father was a good man.”
“……”
“And if your father was a good man, then naturally I thought perhaps you were too.”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
When Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow, Mu Gyeol looked at him with eyes as sharp as a blade and delivered the most shocking words imaginable.
“The Baekri family is still intact.”
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