The Martial Venerable once again left the Martial Alliance, citing closed-door training as his reason.
Such a decision would inevitably erode the support of the martial artists within the Martial Alliance and drive public opinion to the absolute worst extreme.
But the Martial Venerable was a man who acted strategically and saw straight through the shallow psychology of the masses.
He knew full well that if the person at the center of controversy remained constantly in the alliance, the spark of discontent would only grow larger. Even if it meant enduring curses for a while, temporarily entering seclusion was the wiser choice.
Of course, it wasn’t solely to quell the chaos.
In a situation like this, he wanted to observe how the forces lurking within the Martial Alliance would react in his absence and to identify exactly who truly followed him and who harbored genuine hostility.
“Huu.”
Gazing at the distant sky, the Martial Venerable let out a deep sigh.
Having sent even his closest confidants away, he was now alone in a remote mountain valley, trying to calm his mind.
His once-straight back was now hunched as though bearing a heavy burden, and the eyes staring into empty air were utterly vacant. Crouched like a wounded beast, he could no longer endure the suffocating feeling and lightly unfolded his movement technique to ascend the mountain.
Before long he reached a cliff deep in the mountains, where he sat leaning against a rock under the moonlight.
“Has even my mind begun to rust?”
The fact that Seon Woojin, Gongsun Dankyung, and Bukgung Ryeong had all left the Martial Alliance—and that they had created the Azure Sky Alliance—was something he had never anticipated.
“Why does the heavens refuse to understand my heart?”
Because of this incident, the grand plan he had built up until now had completely collapsed, and he had lost all dignity as Alliance Leader.
But what pained him even more was that there was not a single person to whom he could bare his true feelings.
‘It was never merely for my personal greed.’
Betraying the Heavenly Emperor he valued more than his own life, persuading and manipulating countless people—
It had all been for the greater cause, not for his own advancement.
Because ordinary methods would never suffice.
He knew far too well about the ‘laws’ that ordinary people remained ignorant of.
‘And to think Mu Gyeol was his disciple.’
The betrayal of his beloved disciple Mu Gyeol was equally shocking.
Despite having numerous trusted aides, he had always been suspicious and distrustful of others.
Yet toward Mu Gyeol, he had secretly opened his heart.
Otherwise, he would never have entrusted him with the many secretive operations he was conducting.
But Mu Gyeol had been the disciple of the Heavenly Emperor and he would never forgive the Martial Venerable.
Swoosh.
As the Martial Venerable rose to his feet, hollow sighs poured from his eyes.
“Has this body… somehow become the greatest villain under heaven?”
He wanted to summon Mu Gyeol and ask him.
—Do you truly believe I coveted the martial arts and inner energy of the Heavenly Emperor and stole them for myself?
But he could not.
After the incident with Seon Woojin and Gongsun Dankyung, Mu Gyeol had secretly slipped out of the Martial Alliance and had since completely vanished. Since Mu Gyeol knew everything about the intelligence network he operated, unless Mu Gyeol himself wished to be found, he would never be located.
Ziiing.
But suddenly, faint lights began to gather in the space behind the Martial Venerable.
At first they appeared as tiny specks, but they gradually expanded, constantly shifting in shape and color.
As the light grew increasingly brilliant, a form slowly began to take shape at its center.
The form became clearer and clearer until, as though rising from underwater, it fully coalesced into the shape of a person.
The Martial Venerable could not help but widen his eyes.
Even if his own spirit was not intact, how could someone approach so closely without him sensing it at all? How was that possible?
‘The Demon Emperor?’
In the current martial world, the only master capable of fooling his senses was the Demon Emperor.
‘No… that’s not it.’
The shadow before him emanated an alien energy wave that could not exist in this world.
And that energy wave was freezing the surrounding air and pushing every existence into darkness.
[Martial Venerable, Dan Mok-gi.]
But the figure wrapped in radiance spoke unexpected words.
[Will you become the Heavenly Lord of the Martial God Heaven?]
The Martial Venerable’s pupils rippled like water.
Martial God Heaven.
It was one of the Four Divine Heavens—the domain of the True Demon’s kin, transcending human heaven and overwhelming even the pinnacle masters of the martial world.
‘Has one of the Four Divine Heavens appeared in the martial world?’
For three hundred years, the Four Divine Heavens had not manifested in the martial world. Yet now they had suddenly appeared and chosen him as their successor?
“So the reason you did not appear until now was not because of a seal like that of human heaven, but because you were searching for a successor?”
At the Martial Venerable’s words, the shadow let out a sneer.
[You know quite a lot.]
Then, with an indifferent tone, it nodded.
[From the perspective of this Heaven, that can be considered correct.]
The Martial Venerable’s eyes flashed.
Judging from the tone, this shadow was not the Martial God Heaven Lord itself, but merely a subordinate delivering the message.
“The Martial God Heaven Lord has designated me as successor?”
[Something like that. You will inherit the power of this Heaven.]
The Martial Venerable took a deep breath.
Even the human heaven alone consisted of terrifyingly powerful beings that the martial world could not contend with. For one of the Four Divine Heavens—far beyond comparison—to choose him as successor?
“I cannot fathom on what basis you would elevate me to Martial God Heaven Lord. Have you been watching me all this time?”
[Dan Mok-gi.]
The shadow spoke irritably.
[Just give a yes or no answer.]
‘Martial God Heaven…’
If he obtained the power of the Martial God Heaven Lord, he could instantly reorganize all the plans that had collapsed until now. He could also crush in one stroke the arrogant old monsters of the Elder Council who had been acting so smug.
‘But I do not know how much they truly know about me.’
“I refuse.”
Contrary to his inner thoughts, the Martial Venerable spoke coldly.
“What do I lack that I would become a kin of the True Demon?”
Publicly, he was acknowledged as versed in all martial arts, and with the Heavenly Emperor gone, he was now the foremost of the orthodox path. Becoming a kin of the True Demon—who sought to destroy the world—was utterly unthinkable.
[Is that so? Then why did someone who lacks nothing search so frantically for the secret vault of the Baekri Family?]
The shadow uttered words that made even the Martial Venerable flinch in shock.
[You were madly searching for the key that could break the ultimate technique of the Baekri Family.]
‘Fortunately, it seems my role as the Heavenly Emperor has not been exposed.’
Under the identity of the Divine Mountain Sage, the Martial Venerable had relentlessly sought the Baekri Family’s secret vault. Since the True Demon had long been wary of the Baekri Family, he must have been searching for it far earlier. Thus, it was not particularly surprising that the True Demon’s kin had noticed his search for the vault.
‘I need power right now.’
The Martial Venerable clenched his fist tightly.
After coming this far… after betraying even the Heavenly Emperor that had saved his life and driving it into the abyss of death… he could not end like this.
“How curious.”
Suppressing the complicated thoughts rising in his mind, the Martial Venerable narrowed his eyes with a relaxed expression.
“To offer the power of the True Demon to someone who seeks the power of the Baekri Family? Is the heart of the Martial God Heaven Lord so magnanimous?”
[You really do talk too much.]
The shadow spoke coldly.
[I know exactly why you are scheming. But in any case, the Heavenly Lord will come to know everything.]
‘Not that he already knows—but that he will come to know…’
As the Martial Venerable’s mind spun like lightning,
[It is only because you unhesitatingly sacrificed those around you and endured to the very end of the covenant that such fortune has come to you…]
The shadow turned away with an attitude that showed not the slightest regret.
[Since there is no answer, I will take it as refusal.]
‘That means I am not the sole candidate for successor.’
The Martial Venerable clenched his fist even tighter.
Compared to obtaining the unknown location of the Baekri Family’s secret vault, becoming one of the Four Divine Heavens was—after thinking it over a hundred or a thousand times—by far the superior choice.
‘But becoming a kin of the True Demon means…’
The martial world did not know.
They did not understand what it truly meant to become a kin of the True Demon.
But the Martial Venerable knew.
He knew exactly what it meant to become a kin beyond even human heaven—and what consequences would follow.
‘No… I can overcome it.’
Finally having made his decision, the Martial Venerable spoke calmly.
“I will do it.”
He shouted once more toward the shadow.
“Take me to the Martial God Heaven.”
[It is not that we take you—you must go yourself.]
“Where is that place?”
The shadow spoke in a low voice.
[Ghost Island.]
Ghost Island.
That was the place where, in the past, the Ten Cosmic Weapons had used themselves as bait, leading the Bullet King and the renowned heroes into a brutal slaughter… and where Bu Eunseol had secretly obtained Journey, the precious sword once belonging to Bu Zhanyang and the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
[Do you have the courage to go?]
The Martial Venerable nodded.
“Of course.”
For now, this was the best path.
All his previous plans had collapsed.
If he became the Martial God Heaven Lord, he could make up for everything in one stroke.
***
Azure Sky Alliance, grand conference room.
There sat a middle-aged beauty dressed in snow-white robes like drifting blossoms, her eyes sharp and piercing.
It was none other than So Yeonghwa, Sect Leader of the Snow Blossom Sect.
As soon as the Azure Sky Alliance’s opening grand ceremony began, she had come—as though she had been waiting—to seek out Seon Woojin, who had become the Supreme Corps Captain.
“Sect Leader.”
When Bu Eunseol—disguised as Seon Woojin—greeted her warmly, So Yeonghwa spoke.
“Have you been well all this time?”
She still could not fully gauge Seon Woojin’s aura, yet seeing the unmistakable air of a great master about him, she nodded with satisfaction.
“Fine, and you? Have you been well?”
“I have.”
“The reason this Sect Leader has come to see you is to speak of the lifelong matter at last.”
So Yeonghwa spoke with utmost solemnity.
“I ignored the Divine Mountain Sage’s advice to never sever cooperation with the Martial Alliance and joined the Azure Sky Alliance… all because of Hyang-ah. She insisted that she must follow her husband.”
Gazing at Bu Eunseol disguised as Seon Woojin, she continued in an extremely calm voice.
“Now that our sect—having just broken the seal and begun to stretch its wings—has staked its survival by joining this newborn coalition, shouldn’t you also give a firm answer?”
Bu Eunseol had never once contacted the Snow Blossom Sect to urge them to join the Azure Sky Alliance. Yet the moment she heard the rumor that Seon Woojin had joined the Azure Sky Alliance, she immediately brought the Snow Blossom Sect in as well—and now she was pressing him.
“Sect Leader, I—”
“Ah, look at me. I am not asking you to give me a definite answer.”
When So Yeonghwa cut him off, Bu Eunseol once again recalled the situation from back then.
The people of the Snow Blossom Sect never listened to anyone speak more than one or two sentences.
“Hyang-ah will soon come here. Just give her a clear answer.”
So Yeonghwa showed a wry expression.
“That is the very reason this Sect Leader has come here.”
It seemed that even the fiery-tempered So Yeonghwa could not control her daughter’s stubbornness.
‘This is trouble.’
So Eunhyang was blindly devoted in love and had an even more explosive temperament than the great demonic cultivators whose emotions were impossible to predict. In the past, simply because he had not given her a definite answer, she had threatened to slaughter all the elders of the Martial Alliance and then tried to slit her own throat with a blade.
That had not been mere bluff.
She was truly the kind of person capable of carrying out such words.
“This time, it would be best to give her a firm decision one way or the other. Even this mother cannot rein in that child’s personality.”
So Yeonghwa rose from her seat.
“Oh, and our sect intends to attend the opening ceremony as well.”
“Sect Leader, I—”
“I must go see Alliance Leader Bukgung now. Speak with her properly.”
Before he could even reply, she spun around and vanished.
‘Hm.’
Bu Eunseol sank into deep contemplation.
He had never given up or despaired in the face of any trial, and no matter how difficult the matter, he had always unraveled it with ingenious schemes.
But matters of women were different.
‘I do not understand.’
From the incident with Gongsun Dankyung, Bu Eunseol had painfully realized that he was incapable of comprehending or predicting a woman’s heart.
‘Grandfather.’
The face of Bu Zhanyang naturally came to mind.
Even his grandfather—who had understood and predicted everything—had never given him any teaching when it came to women in particular.
‘Perhaps Grandfather, too, suffered from the same problem…’
And then he had a ridiculous thought.
‘Perhaps even into his twilight years he never found the answer.’
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knocking sound came from the conference room door.
Bu Eunseol instinctively sensed that So Eunhyang had arrived.
“Who is—”
Bang.
Before Bu Eunseol could even ask who it was, the door flew open and a beautiful woman in soft pink palace attire strode in.
She had long, glossy black hair that reached her waist, skin as clear as white jade, and distinct black-and-white eyes.
Especially when the light touched them, her eyes sparkled with various colors, giving off a mystical feeling as though starlight had been scattered across a deep lake.
It was none other than So Eunhyang, the Young Sect Leader of the Snow Blossom Sect.
“Husband.”
The moment she entered, So Eunhyang rushed straight to Bu Eunseol and threw herself into his arms.
As her soft arms wrapped around him, a cloud-like gentle touch and a fresh fruity fragrance brushed against the tip of his nose.
“I missed you so much.”
When So Eunhyang buried her face deep into his chest and rubbed against him, Bu Eunseol froze like a stone statue.
“Husband?”
Only then did Bu Eunseol come to his senses. He gently pushed her away and bowed politely.
“Have you been well, Young Sect Leader?”
“What is this? Such formal greetings.”
So Eunhyang glared at Bu Eunseol with eyes full of disappointment.
“If someone saw, they’d think you were greeting a complete stranger.”
“I’m sorry. I…”
“I know very well that my husband lacks boldness. But it seems it’s time for you to change a little.”
“No, I don’t particularly plan to change…”
“No. I will. I’m going to be a bit more proactive.”
Cutting off Bu Eunseol’s words, So Eunhyang smiled, revealing her white teeth.
In that instant, the dim conference room seemed to brighten as though illuminated.
But in contrast, Bu Eunseol’s complexion visibly darkened.
Because her relentless, shocking statements continued without pause.
“We’re going to be husband and wife soon, after all.”
Perhaps a little embarrassed, So Eunhyang lowered her head and twirled her hair around her finger.
‘I must pull myself together.’
Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost calm.
“The Azure Sky Alliance has just held its opening ceremony, Young Sect Leader.”
“That’s exactly why we need to hurry up and get married.”
Cutting off Bu Eunseol’s words once again, she continued.
“During the unstable period right after opening, packs of jackal-like sects might come rushing in, trying to take a bite for themselves.”
“It’s fine. To begin with, Alliance Leader Bukgung is a man of great virtue, and he has formed close alliances with many sects and families, so…”
“It’s not just because of the Azure Sky Alliance.”
So Eunhyang cut in again.
“Even though our sect has joined the Azure Sky Alliance, I still lack a proper justification to stay here for a long time. So the only way is to hold the ceremony quickly.”
“Young Sect Leader.”
“Are you going to refuse?”
“It’s not that…”
“I’m joking.”
So Eunhyang winked with her large eyes.
“You told me to wait until everything is finished, didn’t you?”
“…”
“I’ll wait—even until I become a hunched old grandmother.”
Bu Eunseol felt as though his mind would shatter.
She would push him into a pit of fire, then pull him out again, coaxing and soothing him. Her skill at stealing a person’s soul was comparable to that of the Demon Emperor.
“What’s with that face? You haven’t forgotten the promise, have you?”
Bu Eunseol had certainly said those words. And he had never once failed to keep a promise he had spoken.
Though he had said it at the time to protect Seon Woojin’s identity, having spoken the words, he was bound to keep the promise.
‘Will I ever be able to finish my revenge and live an ordinary life?’
There were many women who looked at him with affection.
But he had never once responded to any of their feelings.
It wasn’t simply a matter of like or dislike—it was because he could not guarantee his own life.
If one looked at the grand scheme with utmost coldness, the probability of death far outweighed the probability of success.
‘Above all, am I not someone unqualified to be happy?’
He had walked the path of an asura, drenched in blood, all for the sake of revenge.
Could he leave behind the tangled web of grudges in the martial world, build a family, and live happily?
Bu Eunseol could say with certainty:
Such a thing would never be possible.
“Has your heart changed?”
When Bu Eunseol’s gaze grew endlessly dark, So Eunhyang stepped closer.
She was quite tall, so even though Bu Eunseol stood well over six feet, the difference in eye level was only about a handspan.
And in those large eyes was an abundance of purity and affection.
No matter how wild and reckless she was, no matter how extreme her personality, her feelings toward him were genuine.
—Do not follow in your grandfather’s footsteps.
Suddenly, the words of the former Divine Water Palace Lord Neung Kyung came to mind—the words she had spoken while shedding tears like pearls as she thought of his grandfather, entrusting him with her wish.
—You must live a life different from his.
It had been an earnest plea to meet someone he loved and build a happy family.
At the time, Bu Eunseol had answered that he would.
But only now did he finally realize:
He was not qualified to be happy.
Yet the reason he had said it back then… was because deep in a corner of his heart, there had always been a longing to build a happy family.
“Young Sect Leader. I will speak honestly.”
Having organized his thoughts, Bu Eunseol spoke not as Seon Woojin, but with his original gaze and tone.
“Only now have I realized that I, too, have a desire to build a family.”
“Then just do it.”
“I cannot. Because I am not qualified.”
Cutting off her words firmly, Bu Eunseol opened his mouth with an utterly serious gaze.
“The idea of building a happy family is something I cannot even dare to imagine.”
His voice and eyes were endlessly forlorn, like a child crying alone in a landscape where everything in the world had vanished.
Even the normally reckless So Eunhyang could not easily speak when she saw the change in his aura and gaze.
That endlessly sunken look and solitary atmosphere… showed just what kind of bloody battlefields he had survived through until now, and how he had lived while swallowing bitter self-reproach and agony.
“In truth, I don’t want to interfere with what Husband is doing.”
After a long silence, So Eunhyang spoke with an extremely serious gaze and voice.
“Just being able to confirm it like this from time to time… is enough to make me happy.”
When Bu Eunseol opened his mouth to say something, she shook her head and whispered in a low voice.
“I only came because I wanted to hear you say again that you will keep that promise. That’s all.”
“Young Sect Leader.”
“Is that not allowed?”
So Eunhyang’s eyes sparkled like shattered jewels.
“It must seem strange. That I would like and cling to Husband just because he saved me. Right?”
Bu Eunseol unconsciously nodded.
So Eunhyang had never seen his true appearance, nor witnessed any great martial prowess or background.
In truth, she had simply fallen for a mere captain of the Martial Alliance.
“Women sometimes feel fate. And we believe in it.”
“…”
“I am convinced that Husband is my fate. And I believe that the end of this waiting will surely come.”
‘To like someone so deeply after seeing them only once…’
Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
So Eunhyang had not blindly liked him—she had developed a deep affection in her own way.
And the same must have been true for all the other women who had given him their feelings until now.
They had all believed their connection with him was fate. That was why they could be so bold.
“But I cannot force that belief on someone else.”
At that moment So Eunhyang spoke.
“I understand. Let’s call off the engagement.”
Though her personality was a mix of wickedness and purity, So Eunhyang was certainly a good woman. She had read the darkness hidden in Bu Eunseol’s heart and decided not to force her affection on him any longer.
“Thank you.”
Bu Eunseol expressed his gratitude sincerely.
“For understanding my circumstances.”
“But since I’ve come all this way, may I see it?”
So Eunhyang opened her large eyes wide as she spoke.
“You promised, didn’t you? That next time we met, you would show me your true appearance.”
—Next time we meet, please show me your true face.
When she had left the Snow Blossom Sect, So Eunhyang had indeed said those words.
But he had never actually agreed.
Because right after saying it, So Eunhyang had left first.
“Young Sect Leader.”
“Since you are still maintaining the same appearance even in the Azure Sky Alliance, that means you plan to keep this identity, right?”
Bu Eunseol could not hide his dumbfounded expression.
“Now that we’ve called off the engagement, there is no need to see my face…”
“I just want to see it. Is that not allowed?”
“If my true identity becomes known to the outside world, great chaos could arise.”
“Do you think I would go around spreading it if I saw your true face?”
So Eunhyang turned her head as though hurt.
“I’m really disappointed. To think you saw me as that kind of woman.”
Knock knock.
At that moment, another knock came from outside, followed by Jeong Jongdo’s voice.
"My Lord, the Lord of the Yeolha Holy Palace requests an audience.”
The Lord of the Yeolha Holy Palace, Jeok Mumi.
Back when he had been a third-grade great lord in the Martial Alliance, he had been invited to the Yeolha Holy Palace, obtained the remaining true energy of the Yeolha Holy Saint, and acquired the Yeolha Great True Energy.
He had then assisted the young palace lord Jeok Mumi and saved the Yeolha Holy Palace from being taken over by the Three Realms.
Thanks to that, he had brought the Yeolha Holy Palace into the Martial Alliance, and for that achievement he had continued to rise rapidly through the ranks.
—In the future… if you ever need the power of our palace, do not hesitate to ask for help.
On the day he left the Yeolha Holy Palace, Jeok Mumi had said those words to Bu Eunseol.
—That is the condition for forming an alliance with the Martial Alliance.
Even though she knew Bu Eunseol was not truly a member of the Martial Alliance—and even though she knew he had another identity—she had shown deep loyalty, and Bu Eunseol had been deeply moved and left.
And now that he had transferred to the Azure Sky Alliance under Seon Woojin’s identity, she had come in person?
“Escort her in politely.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, the door opened and a beauty dressed in dazzling clothes that burned like red flames entered.
It was none other than the Lord of the Yeolha Holy Palace, Jeok Mumi.
But Bu Eunseol did not yet realize— the moment Jeok Mumi appeared, the corners of So Eunhyang’s eyes, standing behind him… had shot up toward the ends of the sky.
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