Bu Eunseol had recently secluded himself in the Martial Alliance headquarters, quietly handling administrative duties. During this time, he had appeared in the martial world too frequently and had taken care of far too many matters alone.
‘My subordinates also need to gain a lot of experience and handle many tasks themselves.’
If he continued traveling the martial world alone, experiencing and resolving everything by himself, his subordinates’ vision and insight would eventually become extremely narrow. Their desire to grow stronger and their driving motivation would also fade away.
That was why, lately, he had deliberately assigned various tasks to his subordinates.
He himself remained in the background, only giving directions.
Just as he had entrusted the matters of the Seomun family to the captains of the Death Shadow Corps.
“They need to keep experiencing the storms of the martial world firsthand and handling various affairs themselves going forward.”
There was still infinite room for them to grow. Only by helping everyone grow stronger could he feel at ease entrusting them with more responsibilities.
“My Lord, it is Tae Muryong.”
Just as Bu Eunseol finished all his work and was taking a brief rest, Tae Muryong came to visit.
He discreetly handed over a single intelligence report.
It was a letter sent by Gongsun Dankyung.
“Strange.”
As Bu Eunseol read down the letter, he furrowed his brow.
Most confidential discussions took place inside the secret chamber installed in her office. Yet she had deliberately used a letter to summon him to a mountain villa somewhat distant from the Martial Alliance?
“Can you immediately look into Chief Inspector Gongsun’s current whereabouts?”
“Of course.”
Tae Muryong bowed his head, stepped out briefly, then returned.
“The Chief Inspector reportedly took personal leave a few days ago for private matters.”
“And after that?”
“Nothing. Because the people in the Chief Inspector’s office discreetly erased her tracks, even the experts of the Sacred Guard Corps have been unable to pinpoint her exact location.” Tae Muryong spoke carefully. “I believe she may truly have gone to attend to personal affairs.”
Bu Eunseol fell into deep thought for a moment.
Gongsun Dankyung was someone with many secrets and operated an organization that was never revealed to the outside world.
Therefore, leaving the Alliance for a few days wasn’t particularly unusual.
‘However.’
While on personal leave, the fact that she had secretly summoned him to a secluded mountain villa was far too strange.
“Is something wrong with the Chief Inspector?”
When Tae Muryong asked worriedly, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“No, it’s not like that.”
The letter clearly stated not to inform anyone and to come to the mountain villa.
The handwriting was unmistakably Gongsun Dankyung’s, and there was no trace of hesitation or confusion in the strokes.
She had written it with a clear mind and sent it to him… so he intended to honor her request.
“I was simply curious about news of the Chief Inspector.”
Misunderstanding Bu Eunseol’s excuse, Tae Muryong spoke. “The Chief Inspector has definitely changed. She no longer suspects or tries to investigate you the way she used to.”
He gave a faint smile.
“I hope the two of you can remain on good terms.”
Already within the Martial Alliance, Seon Woojin and Gongsun Dankyung were being treated as an official couple.
Of course, Tae Muryong knew very well that Bu Eunseol had no particular interest in Gongsun Dankyung.
But since she had become favorably disposed toward him…
He hoped that, at the very least, the rumor would turn out to be true and the two would form a lasting bond. It would be even better if it could serve as an opportunity for harmony between the righteous and demonic paths.
“Isn’t it already a good relationship? A certain level of trust has built up between us.” Bu Eunseol changed the subject and said, “You must be busy. Go take care of your duties.”
“Understood.”
After Tae Muryong left, Bu Eunseol organized his work and quietly began preparing to leave the Martial Alliance.
Gongsun Dankyung was a deep schemer and absolutely not the type to speak nonsense.
Since she had asked to meet at the mountain villa, there must surely be a valid reason.
Shinyue Mountain Villa.
In the past, this place had been home to a renowned sword family that shook the entire martial world. But with the passage of time, its prosperity had faded, and now it had become an abandoned ruin overgrown with weeds.
However, when he stepped inside, an astonishing sight greeted him.
The pavilion built on the hillside was neatly maintained, and a banquet table had been prepared inside.
When he climbed up to the pavilion, there sat a woman of such breathtaking beauty that it was difficult to describe with words. Her skin was flawless and smooth like porcelain; her eyes were as black as the night sky and sparkled like stars.
It was none other than the Chief Inspector of the Martial Alliance—Wisdom Star Gongsun Dankyung.
“Chief Inspector.”
Bu Eunseol paused for a moment.
Gongsun Dankyung was wearing violet-tinted clothing that revealed her slender shoulders and long, graceful legs just slightly.
‘Even the Chief Inspector looks quite dazzling when she dresses up.’
Gongsun Dankyung was beautiful, but compared to the famous beauties of the martial world, she usually gave off a rather plain and modest impression.
Yet now, with heavy makeup applied, her normally refined and neat appearance had transformed into something glamorous and enchantingly seductive.
“You’re here.”
She smiled and gestured inside the pavilion.
“Come this way. Let’s sit and talk.”
There was no sign of any presence around the white pavilion, nor any guards.
Bu Eunseol stood with a puzzled expression for a moment before reluctantly sitting across from her.
“We’ve been through so much together, yet we’ve never once shared a drink, have we?”
Gongsun Dankyung personally poured wine for Bu Eunseol.
“I’m fine.”
When Bu Eunseol declined, Gongsun Dankyung shook her head.
“Please have at least one cup. Then we can talk.”
With no choice, Bu Eunseol accepted the cup.
Gongsun Dankyung smiled sweetly and said, “Let’s drink together.”
Bu Eunseol and Gongsun Dankyung drank three cups in quick succession.
“Is that enough?”
When Bu Eunseol spoke, Gongsun Dankyung looked at him with deep, meaningful eyes.
“Yes?”
“I’ve humored you this much. Isn’t it about time we stop?”
Then Bu Eunseol scattered the wine remaining in his cup outward.
With a sizzling sound, white smoke rose up.
All this time, he had calmly drunk the poisoned wine even though he knew it was poisoned.
“Where is the real Chief Inspector?”
“How did you know?”
Gongsun Dankyung tilted her head with a smile.
“It’s a disguise that absolutely cannot be detected.”
“She doesn’t laugh in such a vulgar way.”
Papapapak!
In that instant, Bu Eunseol dodged aside, and countless daggers embedded themselves into the spot where he had been sitting.
They were the Blue Demon Blood Soul Daggers, said to be capable of piercing even the Diamond Indestructible Body.
“Huhuhu. As expected of the young master who stirs up storms in the Martial Alliance.”
As the figure rose, Gongsun Dankyung’s appearance blurred.
With a swirl, after she spun once, her face and build suddenly changed into those of a lean, sharp-featured man.
It was none other than Seon Woojin’s appearance.
“Were you so proud of your disguise technique?”
When Bu Eunseol scoffed, the fake Seon Woojin gave a smirk.
“Huhu, you’ll be in trouble if you think only the face changed.”
Flash!
Suddenly the fake Seon Woojin unleashed lightning-fast sword strikes.
They were precisely variations of the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms that Bu Eunseol frequently used.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol instantly retreated and exited the pavilion.
While the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms were an excellent advanced sword art, in the eyes of true powerhouses, it wasn’t considered particularly remarkable.
Yet this person had separately studied and was now using it?
“There’s no need to rack your brain wondering where the sword art was stolen from.”
The fake Seon Woojin wore a wicked smile.
“Because this isn’t stolen—it is your sword art itself.”
“Then it’s not an illusion…”
Bu Eunseol, looking around, let out a sigh.
“It must be one of the Hundred and Eight Stars again.”
The ability to instantly copy Bu Eunseol’s martial arts without mind-reading or illusion techniques—only the Hundred and Eight Stars possessed such power.
“To go out of your way to attack me using the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars… you must be someone from the Jungson family.”
“You really are sharp, just as they say.”
The fake Seon Woojin nodded with an admiring expression.
“Seon Woojin. You’ve disrupted our family’s operations multiple times.”
“It’s refreshing that you openly admit to being from the Jungson family.” When Bu Eunseol replied slyly, the fake Seon Woojin nodded.
“Affiliated with the Martial Virtue Hall. I am the Earth Prison Star Un Hakbi.”
The member of the Jungson family wearing Seon Woojin’s face boldly revealed both the name of the organization he belonged to and his real name.
Considering that every assassin sent by the Jungson family so far had never once revealed their identity, one could guess just how strong this Un Hakbi’s pride was, how high his position must be, and how certain he was of victory in this fight.
“I don’t particularly have any grudge against the Jungson family.”
“Hmph. Do you think I don’t know you killed one of our family members at Seoryeong Mountain?”
“Wasn’t that because your people were tormenting and trying to kill a frail woman?”
“Hahahaha. That Manwol witch is frail?”
“Witch? Why do you call her a witch?”
Un Hakbi waved his hand, realizing Bu Eunseol was subtly fishing for information.
“There’s no need to drag this out. You’re going to die anyway.”
“Then let me ask just one thing.” Bu Eunseol spoke as if genuinely puzzled. “The Jungson family has so many stars and such great power—why did you come alone instead of bringing people all at once?”
If they had forged Gongsun Dankyung’s handwriting and tracks to lure him here, then nine times out of ten she had either been kidnapped by the Jungson family or tricked and imprisoned somewhere.
In short, for the Jungson family—a force powerful enough to openly target the highest leadership of the Martial Alliance, the Chief Inspector—to send just one person to assassinate the rising star of the new generation, the Sword King Seon Woojin… how could they possibly do that?
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Because you came alone, which means you’ll just end up dying by my hand again… I was wondering whether the people of the Jungson family have no learning ability.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with eyes full of pity.
“Or perhaps there are only one or two Hundred and Eight Stars left in the Jungson family?”
When he deliberately provoked his pride, Un Hakbi’s eyebrow twitched for a moment.
“You’re spouting nonsense without knowing anything.”
“I know enough. Didn’t you just say it yourself? That one of your family’s people was killed by me at Seoryeong Mountain.”
“Don’t get cocky. The one you faced back then wasn’t a pure-blooded Hundred and Eight Star.”
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
‘Even among the Hundred and Eight Stars, there are pure-bloods and mixed-bloods?’
Swallowing his thoughts, Bu Eunseol said nonchalantly, “Pure or mixed, wouldn’t it still be better to bring a lot of them at once if you want to deal with me?”
“Idiot. The power of the Hundred and Eight Stars dominates a fixed domain anyway.” Un Hakbi coldly curled his lip. “Even if a crowd rushed in, they can’t overlap domains, so they can only come one by one…”
His expression froze mid-sentence.
Only then did he realize he had just said something he should never have revealed.
“Huhuhu. Is it because you haven’t appeared in the martial world much? The people of the Jungson family seem surprisingly pure.”
Though he said it jokingly, it was actually true.
Because the people of the Three Families conducted their martial world activities in secrecy, compared to the sly, cunning martial world experts who could extract enemy information from a single word, they appeared somewhat pure and awkward.
Just like Yangseol Rin.
“So, has your curiosity been satisfied?”
Un Hakbi spat the words out.
In the end, he had admitted that the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars involved drawing enemies into a fixed domain to exert mysterious force—meaning numbers were useless.
“No, there’s one more strange thing.”
Bu Eunseol asked again.
“If they weren’t Hundred and Eight Stars but ordinary martial artists, wouldn’t they be able to fight together inside the domain? So why didn’t you call your subordinates?”
“To kill a small fry like you, what would I need subordinates for?”
‘A lie.’
No matter how great the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars was, Seon Woojin—who had risen to the Seven Kings and Four Gods and was equal with the Sword Demon—could never be called a “small fry.”
“Looking at your expression, it seems it’s not that you didn’t bring subordinates, but that you couldn’t bring them.”
Un Hakbi’s complexion changed again.
He realized Bu Eunseol was inferring a great deal not only from his words but also from his expressions.
“Since I’ve already asked, let me ask one more thing.”
“Do you think I’ll answer?”
“You will. Because your pride is on the line.”
Bu Eunseol usually spoke little but once he began talking, he possessed a captivating way with words.
“Why aren’t you using the Chief Inspector to threaten me?”
Even as he spoke, Bu Eunseol hid any sign of impatience or worry as much as possible.
If he showed concern for Gongsun Dankyung, it would be the same as exposing a new weakness.
“Since you boldly summoned me using the Chief Inspector’s handwriting, it seems certain she was kidnapped by the Jungson family. Wouldn’t that be an easier way to kill me?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Un Hakbi now seemed determined not to leak any more information and fell silent.
But from his expression, Bu Eunseol could infer many things.
“You didn’t touch her. From the beginning, the target was me.”
“…”
“To naturally lure out one of the highest leaders of the Martial Alliance like the Chief Inspector… you must have used someone with a familiar face or personal connection.”
As Bu Eunseol calmly deduced countless details as if seeing a thousand li ahead, Un Hakbi abruptly drew a sharp treasured sword from his waist.
“Die already!”
Swoosh!
At the same time, one hundred and eighty sword shadows enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body.
It was the killing move he used when fighting under Seon Woojin’s identity—the Heon Won Bright Sword.
‘The Heon Won Bright Sword?’
Greatly shocked, Bu Eunseol drew his Silent Tiger Soul Sword like lightning and unleashed the exact same Heon Won Bright Sword.
Swoosh!
But when the same martial art is used, the one who strikes first inevitably gains the advantage.
Hundreds of sword energies clashed in midair, and in the end, large and small gashes appeared across Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
‘This is…’
Bu Eunseol wore a stunned expression.
The wounds on his body weren’t caused simply because Un Hakbi had struck first.
It was because his swordsmanship was more exquisite and carried greater power.
Chuk.
Even though he had seized the upper hand, Un Hakbi did not press the attack continuously. Instead, he arrogantly raised his sword with a sneer.
“You talked so big, but you’re not much after all.”
“Hm.”
Bu Eunseol thought for a moment, then extended his index finger.
Whoooong.
Suddenly, it felt as though all the surrounding air was concentrating toward his fingertip; then a faint light shimmered at the end of his finger.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, a terrifying force shot toward Un Hakbi’s forehead.
It was an imitation of the Bullet King’s Inner Energy Bullet.
Boom!
In response, Un Hakbi also unleashed an Inner Energy Bullet.
Kwaaaang!
The colliding forces produced a powerful blast in midair and dust rose as a violent shockwave spread toward Bu Eunseol.
Shockingly, Un Hakbi’s Inner Energy Bullet technique was superior to Bu Eunseol’s.
Swish!
At that moment, Bu Eunseol burst through the dust cloud and unleashed a rapid sword form.
Clang!
But Un Hakbi, as if he had already anticipated it, countered with the exact same rapid sword form.
Chiiiik.
Then something astonishing happened.
When their swords clashed, Bu Eunseol was forced back three full steps.
‘This…’
Seon Woojin’s maximum inner energy was roughly around three hundred and fifty years.
Yet with just a light clash of weapons, he had been pushed back three steps.
Could this man’s inner energy really exceed five hundred years?
‘Is it truly the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars… or the Black Divine Energy?’
In the past, the Earth-Killer Star had instantly copied the supreme Shaolin techniques using the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars.
And Heaven-Piercing Division Commander Yang Daeryang had instantly imitated the enemy’s martial arts using the power of the Black Divine Energy.
But in both cases, they had never been able to display martial arts or power stronger than their opponent’s.
Yet Un Hakbi not only perfectly disguised himself as Seon Woojin, but was also unleashing the same martial arts with even greater power?
Thud.
The moment Bu Eunseol paused, Un Hakbi suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Did you really think I was just copying what you perform? Hahaha.”
After laughing for a long while, a mysterious light flashed in Un Hakbi’s eyes.
“Hoo.”
Then, tilting his head, he brightened as if he had realized something.
“I see. So you were originally a person of the demonic path.”
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
What was this man suddenly talking about?
Swaaa!
Suddenly, hundreds of black true qi surged from Un Hakbi’s body and poured toward Bu Eunseol.
It was none other than the Wishful True Binding—not of Seon Woojin, but of the Martial Soul Command Lord Bu Eunseol.
‘Dangerous.’
His Wishful True Binding carried power equivalent to Bu Eunseol unleashing it at full strength, perfectly covering a space of over thirty jang.
‘I need to get distance.’
Now that his identity had been exposed anyway, there was no need to hide his martial arts.
Bu Eunseol instantly activated Swift Beyond Shadow, attempting to escape the range of Wishful True Binding.
Ziiing.
But the moment he put more than thirty jang between them, a transparent light shimmered across the entire world, and something blocked his body.
‘The Earth Prison Star.’
The character meant to imprison and confine was in its name.
Un Hakbi had called himself the Earth Prison Star, and he had said the Hundred and Eight Stars all used power within a fixed domain.
So the Earth Prison Star likely not only drew upon the power of anyone inside his domain, but could also perfectly imprison enemies within it.
Swaaa!
In the end, blocked by the transparent wall, Bu Eunseol was struck squarely by the relentlessly pursuing Wishful True Binding.
Thud.
As he fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings, Un Hakbi laughed heartily in satisfaction.
Then he looked at the black true qi rising from his own body and nodded.
“Yes, so you really were the Martial Soul Command Lord.”
Un Hakbi spread his arms wide, savoring the power surging within him, and closed his eyes.
“That’s why you were so strong. Hahaha!”
“So the power means you can perfectly receive and use the martial arts or abilities of anyone who enters your domain.”
Bu Eunseol nodded as if he had finally understood everything.
“Since it’s inside your own domain, naturally when the same martial art is used… you can display far greater power.”
The power of the Hundred and Eight Stars was, in essence, the domain itself.
And this place was his domain.
Therefore, even with the same martial art, Un Hakbi was inevitably at an overwhelming advantage.
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