“Chief Inspector. Please think about this calmly for a moment.”
Unable to bear watching any longer, Buk Ri-seong spoke in a measured tone.
“If your evidence is true, wouldn’t that clear away all the injustices?”
“Vice-Alliance Leader, please just watch and see.”
Gongsun Dankyung channeled her internal energy and spoke in a loud, clear voice.
“Watch whether those who attacked this Chief Inspector are investigated fairly, and what kind of punishment they receive.”
“Chief Inspector.”
Buk Ri-seong, gazing at the troubled expressions of the senior figures, spoke cautiously.
“The investigation hasn’t even begun yet.”
“Are you still saying that after witnessing this grand council?”
When Buk Ri-seong fell silent, Gongsun Dankyung said coldly, “If there had truly been any fairness in this Alliance from the beginning… a grand council like this would never have been held in public.”
The Martial Venerable, who had been listening silently, finally grasped the full situation at that moment.
Gongsun Dankyung had not suddenly returned to the Martial Alliance.
She had already seen through every plan he had been carrying out.
From the very moment Bu Eunseol returned to the Martial Alliance, she had been waiting alongside him for the perfect opportunity to launch a counterstrike.
‘Neither disguise nor face-altering technique.’
No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times he unfolded the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra to examine her, she was unmistakably Gongsun Dankyung herself.
‘She predicted every single one of my moves.’
In truth, the most satisfying way for Gongsun Dankyung to take revenge would have been to point out the Martial Venerable’s own disguise and expose his true identity.
Yet she never once raised that point.
Because pointing out the disguise would only invite another counterattack.
Which meant…
She had anticipated every possible countermeasure he might take and instead turned the public nature of the grand council against him… delivering a meticulously calculated, decisive blow.
‘Bu Eunseol, together with that bastard!’
Having caught the glint in Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes, the Martial Venerable gritted his teeth hard.
For the first time in his life, he realized that the meticulous, perfectly woven plan he had laid had completely unraveled.
And behind it all… that infuriatingly cunning bastard was surely crouching in wait.
“Then today’s grand council shall…”
Feeling the stinging gazes pouring in from all directions, the Martial Venerable said, “…be concluded here.”
In the end, the Martial Venerable ignored the barrage of stares and hastily adjourned the grand council.
***
A shocking incident rocked the martial world.
Seon Woojin, the grandmaster who had risen through great contributions within the Martial Alliance, had in truth been under constant suspicion of being a demonic spy due to repeated framing by numerous senior figures inside the Alliance.
And this time—because of the Blue Dragon Hall’s erroneous investigation—even the Heavenly Emperor himself had applied the demonic spy accusation against him and convened a grand council.
In the end, it was once again revealed to be nothing but a frame-up.
Even more shocking news followed.
Despite having his identity fully acknowledged in front of the Alliance Leader and every senior figure in the Martial Alliance, he had left the Alliance in a blaze of fury.
But that wasn’t the only piece of shocking news bewildering the martial artists.
The youngest Chief Inspector in Martial Alliance history, Gongsun Dankyung, had also been attacked by secret organizations within the Alliance. Having lost the subordinates she had secretly nurtured, she had barely escaped with her life and returned alive.
“I shall form the Bright Crystal Hall to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into this matter.”
The Alliance Leader and all the senior figures, feeling the full weight of responsibility for the incident, ordered the creation of an independent oversight organization—the Bright Crystal Hall—to investigate the matter fairly.
And the Bright Crystal Hall began its investigation based on the booklet Gongsun Dankyung had submitted.
“The attack on the Chief Inspector was the sole action of a secret organization within the Martial Alliance—the Blue Dragon Hall.”
However, the investigation concluded… that the secret organizations Gongsun Dankyung had accused either no longer existed or had been established long ago.
Most of the information recorded in the booklet was deemed incorrect.
And the direct attack on her organization had ultimately been carried out by the secret organization under the Alliance Leader—the Blue Dragon Hall—that had framed Seon Woojin as a demonic spy.
“I obtained solid intelligence that the Chief Inspector was colluding with external forces to threaten the Martial Alliance, and I investigated her movements on the Alliance Leader’s orders.”
The Blue Dragon Hall Lord admitted his wrongdoing while defending the Alliance Leader, the Heavenly Emperor.
“That information was perfectly fabricated by a mysterious faction—so perfectly that not only the Alliance Leader but anyone would have failed to realize it was false.”
And he submitted the perfectly fabricated information and evidence to the Martial Alliance.
“Based on that evidence, I became convinced that the Chief Inspector was betraying the Martial Alliance.”
Every single piece of evidence he presented had been fabricated so meticulously that even the Heavenly Emperor himself could not help but be deceived.
“The Alliance Leader ordered an investigation into the matter, and I instinctively realized that the secret organization the Chief Inspector had formed would become a grave threat in the future.”
To protect the Martial Alliance and uphold his convictions, he had simply struck at her and her secret organization. There was no other intent.
When the Blue Dragon Hall Lord deliberately took full responsibility with such statements, all the evidence Gongsun Dankyung had submitted became useless.
In any case, the true culprit was the Jungson family. The Martial Venerable had merely been in contact with them… and even Gongsun Dankyung lacked clear evidence.
Thus, there was ultimately no way to refute the Blue Dragon Hall Lord’s testimony.
“I will leave the Martial Alliance.”
Gongsun Dankyung played her ultimate card as well.
“I pleaded so earnestly, yet the Martial Alliance has not changed at all. It remains obsessed only with cutting tails.”
When she declared she would no longer stir up the Martial Alliance and would simply leave, the Martial Venerable and the senior figures actually showed relief. No matter what the truth was, as long as Gongsun Dankyung—who knew every secret—remained in the Alliance, the positions of the Alliance Leader and all senior figures would remain precarious.
Since they could not immediately oust her in the current situation… they were practically at the point of bowing in gratitude that she was leaving of her own accord.
Gongsun Dankyung delivered her final words to all the martial artists.
“I believed this Alliance was a place that upheld justice in the martial world and gathered righteous people. But that was merely my delusion.”
With those brief words, she truly left the Martial Alliance.
And the repercussions were considerable.
“Isn’t something seriously wrong with this Alliance?”
Seon Woojin and Gongsun Dankyung had been nothing short of idols to the younger generation of martial artists.
Neither came from a great martial clan or major sect, yet both had risen to the highest senior positions.
Even after reaching such heights, they never put on airs and quietly fulfilled their duties with integrity.
For such young seniors to ultimately be unable to endure the framing and quietly leave the Martial Alliance?
“Doesn’t this prove that the Alliance has rotted through?”
When righteous Seon Woojin and Gongsun Dankyung left side by side, the younger martial artists were deeply shaken.
Especially the secret organization map left behind by Gongsun Dankyung caused a huge stir among them.
Whether real or not, it proved that what was visible on the surface of the Martial Alliance was far from everything.
Just as public opinion toward the Martial Alliance’s senior figures deteriorated uncontrollably,
“I’m utterly fed up.”
Finally, someone who could no longer stand the situation stepped forward.
The Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
Even he—who held the revered position of Merit Lord and received respect from ten thousand people—could no longer tolerate such events and exploded.
“This Merit Lord shall reinvestigate the matter.”
He had been on good terms with Seon Woojin and had friendly relations with Gongsun Dankyung as well. When both were framed as demonic spies at nearly the same time and nearly killed by forces within the Alliance, he simply could not remain silent.
Up until now, he had never once exercised the formidable authority of Merit Lord.
But when utterly incomprehensible investigation results emerged, he rolled up his sleeves and began the investigation himself once more.
“This is not a matter for the Merit Lord to involve himself in.”
When the widely supported Bukgung Ryeong stepped forward, the Martial Alliance senior figures showed great displeasure.
If Bukgung Ryeong reopened what they had barely managed to patch up?
It would lead to an uncontrollable disaster.
As soon as he began the investigation, countless figures in the Alliance exerted every effort to obstruct him.
If Bukgung Ryeong discovered even the slightest wrongdoing within the Martial Alliance, given his upright and uncompromising nature, he would announce it to everyone without room for negotiation.
“Merit Lord. If you insist on proceeding this way, we cannot simply stand by.”
When signs appeared that an irresolvable situation was brewing within the Martial Alliance, not only the senior figures but even the elders began to dissuade and obstruct his investigation.
They even swiftly convened a grand council to begin reducing the authority held by Bukgung Ryeong.
In the end, Bukgung Ryeong could not even properly begin his investigation; his hands and feet were completely bound.
“So this is what the Martial Alliance truly is?”
Bukgung Ryeong felt profound sorrow.
No matter how filthy the Martial Alliance might be, he had been confident he could purify it. Even if not all at once, he believed he could gradually change it.
But the Martial Alliance was not the place he had imagined.
Its core lay in a pitch-black, abyssal darkness, and it tolerated no one who tried to expose it.
“I accepted the position of Merit Lord because, as a senior figure in the Martial Alliance and as an elder, I believed I could guide countless people onto the righteous path.”
“How can the seniors obstruct things like this?”
Bukgung Ryeong began visiting every single senior figure in the Martial Alliance to persuade them one by one.
But it was futile.
Even those who had long sensed the dark forces crouching in the depths of the Martial Alliance not only lacked any will to purify it—they instead tried to persuade Bukgung Ryeong.
“Throw away your pride and just stay close to power.”
“There has never been anyone in history who kept their convictions and came to a good end.”
Bukgung Ryeong burst into hollow laughter.
It was exactly as Bu Eunseol had predicted.
The Martial Alliance was not merely rotten.
Its very essence was the root of corruption from the beginning.
“This Alliance cannot be salvaged.”
Bukgung Ryeong felt indescribable pain and despair.
He gave up his convictions and finally made his decision.
“This Alliance is not a place that one mere Merit Lord can do anything about.”
And he made an official announcement.
“My abilities are insufficient, so I shall leave the Martial Alliance.”
When even Bukgung Ryeong criticized the Martial Alliance and departed, the senior figures were utterly horrified and desperately tried to dissuade him.
He was a symbol of the righteous path’s famous heroes, a man whose name was engraved on the Martial Alliance’s Hero Monument during his lifetime.
If such a figure criticized the Alliance and left?
It would be impossible to contain the unstoppable deterioration of public opinion within the Alliance.
“Merit Lord. Not everything in the world can be resolved with words, can it?”
“If you have grievances, let us resolve them through dialogue.”
The Martial Alliance exerted every effort to hold him back, but to no avail.
Bukgung Ryeong had finally seen the true face of the Martial Alliance.
It was not that something clean had been stained by filth.
From the very beginning, it had been a gathering of black and sinister things.
“This is truly too much! To drive even the Merit Lord away?”
“What exactly is the Alliance hiding that they blocked even the Merit Lord’s investigation?”
“Who is going to take responsibility for this situation?”
The young martial artists inside the Alliance finally exploded.
Seon Woojin, Gongsun Dankyung…
Even after those outstanding young masters had left, now even Bukgung Ryeong—who had resolved the grievances of the younger generation and guided them as an elder of the martial world—was shaking the dust from his hands and departing?
The younger martial artists felt an indescribable sense of deprivation and rage.
“Come to think of it, the Merit Lord also came to this Alliance alone, without backing—just like Chief Inspector Gongsun or Lord Seon.”
“In the end… this Alliance is a place that cannot tolerate anyone without backing or power.”
“Everyone who stood on the side of those with nothing is leaving the Alliance.”
Disillusioned and empty from the incomprehensible policies and outdated ways of the Martial Alliance…
“Let’s leave too! Follow the Merit Lord.”
The younger generation began voluntarily following Bukgung Ryeong, who had always sided with them.
And when they learned he was temporarily staying at the Sichuan Tang Clan, they pitched camp right in front of the gates.
“Merit Lord! Please take us in too!”
“Is the Martial Alliance the only option? Let’s create the Bullet King Alliance instead!”
At first only a few came, but before long hundreds of martial artists gathered at the Tang Clan’s main gate.
They were all young people whose family troubles had been resolved or whose lives had been saved thanks to Bukgung Ryeong’s help within the Martial Alliance.
Bukgung Ryeong tried to send them away, but seeing their numbers only increase, he shut himself inside the Tang Clan and offered no response.
Sichuan Tang Clan, Heavenly Eye Tower.
One of the four towering watchtowers built high enough to overlook the entire Tang Clan interior at a glance—a strategic fortress.
It served not only defensive purposes but also displayed the dignity of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The exterior of the tower was intricately engraved with the black plum-blossom-and-water-leaf pattern symbolizing the Tang Clan.
From afar, it resembled a single black dragon standing tall.
The lower levels housed armories, gunpowder stores, and hidden passages.
The middle levels were for surveillance, offering panoramic views of the surroundings.
The interior was crafted from finely interlocked wood to minimize sound reverberation, allowing swift transmission of orders even in urgent situations.
The upper levels served as the command center, containing a large meeting hall and an office.
And currently, inside this Heavenly Eye Tower, sat the current Tang Clan Leader, Tang Gon; Bu Eunseol, disguised as Seon Woojin; and Bukgung Ryeong, who had come from the Martial Alliance.
Moreover, the Southern Palace Master Namgung Jeong and Young Palace Master Namgung Un were present.
Also present were Zhuge Family Head Zhuge Yu-baek and Young Family Head Zhuge Seoun.
If any martial artist had witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly shocked.
How could outsiders enter a strategic fortress that only members of the Tang Clan were permitted to access?
“Merit Lord.”
At that moment, Tang Gon, gazing at the sight of young martial artists encamped far outside the Tang Clan gates, turned to Bukgung Ryeong.
“This seems to be the flow of the times.”
Tang Gon spoke in a low voice.
“They will follow wherever you go. In that case, as this friend says…”
“Hmph.”
Bukgung Ryeong glanced sidelong at Bu Eunseol, who was quietly sipping tea, and grumbled irritably.
“What kind of goblin trickery is this? Since when did the Tang Clan Leader become ‘this friend’?”
Without even looking at Bukgung Ryeong, Bu Eunseol replied, “He was the first close friend I made when I entered the martial world. The old man was rather late to the party.”
“What?”
“Why? Do you dislike being called a friend?”
At Bu Eunseol’s sly jest, Bukgung Ryeong glared daggers and deliberately turned his body away.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Merit Lord, he speaks no falsehood.”
At that moment, Southern Palace Master Namgung Jeong sighed and spoke.
“As the Tang Clan Leader says, this is the flow the era demands. Even if the Martial Alliance is not the main base of the Three Realms… it has already rotted beyond redemption.”
Namgung Jeong looked at Bukgung Ryeong and sighed again.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better for the Merit Lord to lead the righteous martial world?”
Bukgung Ryeong let out an exasperated sigh.
He had long known that Bu Eunseol made no distinction between righteous and demonic paths and indiscriminately turned everyone he met into his own people.
But how in the world had he managed to win over the most stubborn of the Eight Great Clans, the Sichuan Tang Clan, the head of the Southern Palace—who stood at the pinnacle of the Eight Great Clans, and even the Zhuge Family Head, who had always extremely restrained his activities in the martial world?
Moreover, hadn’t Wudang and the Beggars’ Sect also dispatched people and were on their way to the Sichuan Tang Clan?
“You… just what the hell…”
Bukgung Ryeong asked Bu Eunseol with an incredulous expression.
“What did you do to win over even the Southern Palace Master and Wudang?”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly, “Fortunately, I befriended an old man with an even worse temper than them first, so everything after that was relatively easy.”
“Wh-what?”
When the outraged Bukgung Ryeong glared with wide eyes,
“Pfft.”
Namgung Un, who had been sipping tea beside Bu Eunseol, spat out his tea.
Seeing his son’s unseemly behavior, Namgung Jeong gave him a stern look.
“Have you still not fixed that frivolous personality?”
But the young Zhuge Family Head, Zhuge Seoun, sitting nearby was also spitting out his tea.
“My apologies, Palace Master.”
“N-no, that wasn’t directed at you.”
Bukgung Ryeong found the atmosphere in this meeting room utterly bewildering.
They had kept urging him to come to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
He had thought that no matter what nonsense about the Azure Sky Alliance or whatever, the man was merely gathering people to establish a small sect in some corner of Sichuan.
But to think he had pulled in not only the Tang Clan and Southern Palace, but even Wudang and the Beggars’ Sect?
What in the world was this absurd situation?
“No matter how I look at it, it’s suspicious.”
“What is it now?”
Bukgung Ryeong said, “That Azure Sky Alliance you mentioned, built on the Sichuan border. Constructing something of that scale would take at least several years.”
He glared sharply at Bu Eunseol.
“Which means you prepared all this in advance. Isn’t that naturally suspicious?”
Bukgung Ryeong had agreed to leave the Martial Alliance because it was rotten—he had not agreed to the founding of the Azure Sky Alliance.
“‘If your heart changes, come to the Sichuan Tang Clan.’”
Bu Eunseol had left him with those words, and since even Southern Palace Master Namgung Jeong had invited him, he had come wondering what on earth was happening.
Only to discover that a massive complex for a grand allied force was already nearly complete near the Sichuan border?
‘Could it be that this entire situation was orchestrated by that bastard?’
Of course he knew it was absurd, but seeing the nearly finished halls and pavilions inevitably triggered his suspicion.
It was also proof of just how untrustworthy the current martial world had become—no one could be fully believed.
“No matter how brilliant your mind is, it’s impossible that you predicted a situation like this and built a complex of that scale in advance.”
It was a perfectly understandable point.
No matter how genius Bu Eunseol might be, he could not have foreseen this exact situation and preemptively constructed the Azure Sky Alliance.
“I can answer that.”
At that moment, Tang Gon stepped forward.
“Bu—Seon Woojin, this friend has long proposed an alliance to our clan, the Sword Pavilion, the Divine Maiden Palace, and other righteous sects located in Sichuan.”
“An alliance?”
“Indeed. The situation in the martial world had grown dire. Our clan and the Sword Pavilion had each suffered an invasion by those terrifying beings known as the Three Realms. The Divine Maiden Palace has historically faced frequent incursions from external forces.”
He continued, “At the time, we did not yet know that the Three Realms would withdraw completely once they pulled back. Therefore, this friend was always worried that the Three Realms would once again attack the sects—including our own—whose plans they had thwarted.”
Tang Gon explained calmly, “Of course, aside from being located in Sichuan, there was no prior connection between our sects. But thanks to this friend’s help, exchanges began, and we decided to unite our wills against the common enemy called the Three Realms.”
It turned out that Bu Eunseol had been concerned for righteous sects like the Tang Clan that he could not directly protect.
He had sought to build a formidable force by uniting the Sichuan sects that trusted him absolutely and could immediately join hands with him—the Tang Clan, the Sword Pavilion, and the Divine Maiden Palace.
“In truth, various intelligence organizations in the martial world have long been aware that the Sichuan sects were uniting and constructing buildings in Dongcheon Province.”
After Tang Gon finished his explanation, Bu Eunseol took over.
“However, the plan changed, and it became the founding of the Azure Sky Alliance instead.”
Bukgung Ryeong’s mouth fell open.
“Then what about the Southern Palace Master? How?”
Other sects might be one thing, but the Southern Palace walked the strict path of righteousness and never interacted with the demonic path.
So how could they have joined the Azure Sky Alliance based solely on trust in Bu Eunseol?
“Our clan also received his help in driving out the forces that had taken root within us.”
Namgung Jeong’s expression grew somewhat somber.
“In the process, we lost one son.”
He was thinking of Namgung Pung, who had been recruited by Elder Pung, chosen the wrong path, and ultimately met a miserable end.
“So… you’re saying you trust him purely because you owe him a debt of gratitude?”
At the Bullet King’s words filled with doubt, Namgung Jeong shook his head with a smile.
“Probably the same feeling as you, Merit Lord… no, Senior Bukgung.”
And he immediately sent a transmission.
[You already know well that he is not someone who distinguishes between demonic and righteous paths.]
Hearing Namgung Jeong’s transmission, Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes widened in shock and incredulity.
“Don’t tell me even the Palace Master… went on a wild rampage through the martial world with him?”
“Of course not. Regrettably, because I was busy handling major and minor family affairs, I could not enjoy the same fortune as Senior Bukgung.” Namgung Jeong smiled. “Lord Seon has long been purging the forces disrupting the martial world together with my son. It was simply through that process that I came to know his true character.”
Through Namgung Un, he had learned that the man called Bu Eunseol was a grandmaster who walked an upright path, unbound by distinctions of righteous or demonic, a free spirit. And when he heard that Bu Eunseol intended to gather good people from the thoroughly rotten Martial Alliance to form a new alliance, he had stepped forward first.
Because he too had long dreamed of a truly righteous allied force.
“Now that you’ve heard roughly everything, it’s time to make up your mind one way or the other.”
Bu Eunseol looked at Bukgung Ryeong and said irritably, “Stop hesitating shyly like a monk debating whether to enter the temple.”
Pfft.
Once again, Namgung Un and Zhuge Seoun spat out their tea, causing Bukgung Ryeong to explode in fury.
“What did you say? A monk? Have you finished speaking?”
“Not yet. Just say it straight. Why is a toothless old man dawdling like he’s received a marriage proposal?”
As Bu Eunseol and Bukgung Ryeong began bickering and squabbling again for a long while,
“Khk.”
Finally, even the dignified Zhuge Yu-baek—who had been quietly sipping tea while watching the scene—spat out his tea in an undignified manner.
In truth, the one most shocked in this room was him.
He had come to the Sichuan Tang Clan only because of Zhuge Seoun’s persuasion.
He had been told that—not the rotten Martial Alliance, but a gathering of clean individuals, a righteous allied force—was about to be formed, and that it was being discussed right here in the Sichuan Tang Clan.
At first, he had dismissed it.
But when Zhuge Seoun—who had stubbornly refused to venture into the martial world—finally returned, not only had he brought the Zhuge Family’s treasured Crane Feather Fan, his martial prowess had risen to a level surpassing even his own, and above all, the mention of a clean righteous alliance had shaken him.
The reason the Zhuge Family had never fully entered the martial world was precisely because they knew that the righteous sects—including the Martial Alliance—were rotten in many places.
Yet now the Sword King Seon Woojin—the legendary figure who had started as a third-grade grandmaster in the Martial Alliance, risen from a merchant background, and reached the position of intelligence elder—a man who wandered the martial world alone without forming close ties with anyone, who even after rising to the seat beside the Four Gods and Seven Kings remained free of arrogance, known for his courtesy and aloof nobility… was in reality on intimate terms with the Sichuan Tang Clan Leader and Southern Palace Master, and was now engaged in a heated, saliva-flying argument with the most solemn and thunderous righteous hero, the Bullet King?
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