Excited, Hyeok Sojin began chattering away, practically spitting as he spoke.
“So you’ve finally decided to settle down in one place, huh?”
Spreading both hands wide, he shook his head.
“To be honest, for a long time now I’ve been slightly worried... wondering if maybe Brother Bu doesn’t actually like women.”
“....”
“But now I can finally breathe easy. Honestly, in the Demonic Path, having three wives and four concubines is....”
Continuing his tirade, Hyeok Sojin spread all ten fingers wide.
Staring intently at his own fingers, he made a face as though something was lacking and shook his head again.
“A thousand consorts and ten thousand concubines—wouldn’t that be flawless?”
“Am I Shi Hu or something?”
Shi Hu was the emperor of Later Zhao, who indiscriminately filled his rear palace with stunningly beautiful court ladies—reportedly as many as forty thousand.
“What’s so great about Shi Hu? Brother Bu is going to become the emperor of the martial world, isn’t he?”
Hyeok Sojin began spouting endless nonsense.
“The Yangseol family is one of the Three Great Families of the martial world, so they must have amassed enormous wealth, plus they have solid connections with various factions. It’ll be a tremendous help to you, Brother Bu.”
He spread both arms wide and beamed.
“Besides, she seems to have a kind heart and her appearance is as beautiful as a flower—truly a match made in heaven for you.”
Hyeok Sojin’s lips never stopped moving. If left alone, he looked ready to ramble on for three full days and nights.
Knowing his personality all too well, Bu Eunseol put on a serious expression and changed the subject.
“Anyway... looking at the current situation, it seems the martial world is finally reaching the point where a decisive moment is coming.”
Then, in an utterly grave voice, he continued.
“All three legendary great families have appeared, and even the Buddha Venerable—the divine monk of Buddhism—is raising such bizarre individuals.”
Bizarre individuals.
The word was more than sufficient to describe people like Seop Jeongwoong.
They possessed a blazing martial spirit, yet they were excessively destructive, self-centered, and obsessed solely with power.
Most likely, that came from the Buddha Venerable’s influence—having gone berserk under the grand cause of “protecting the martial world,” no longer distinguishing between means and ends.
“What do you mean? All Three Families have appeared?”
Although Hyeok Sojin also received information through the Death Spirit Corps’ network, everything he knew was still only the most basic outline.
With no choice, Bu Eunseol told him everything.
From his encounter with the Heavenly Emperor, who had become a lost soul, to all the events that had transpired since.
He deliberately omitted any mention of the Executioner.
That was a problem he had to resolve on his own.
“I’m going crazy.” Hyeok Sojin pressed a hand to his forehead. “Even just the things that have happened so far are already too much to handle....”
A long silence followed.
In truth, until now, no matter what happened, Hyeok Sojin had firmly believed that Bu Eunseol could handle everything. But the current state of the martial world... even if it were the Demon Emperor himself, no one could possibly manage it.
“I’m sorry, Brother Bu.”
Hyeok Sojin bowed his head with an embarrassed expression.
“I’ve been too thoughtless.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“It’s not your fault. You already have your hands full just helping the sect leader run the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.”
“Right now, running the sect doesn’t seem to be the important thing.”
Hyeok Sojin’s feelings were understandable.
Nothing in the present martial world was normal anymore. Predicting what would come next was simply impossible.
“That’s why you need to get stronger.”
In the end, that was all Bu Eunseol could say.
More and more powerhouses would emerge from now on. Before long, the time would come when Hyeok Sojin too would have to risk his life in battle.
“That is what you must do now.”
“Yes.”
Understanding Bu Eunseol’s meaning, Hyeok Sojin took a deep breath.
“I’ll keep training relentlessly, so call me again whenever you need me.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll head back first.”
When Bu Eunseol nodded, Hyeok Sojin gave a respectful salute and leaped away in a single bound.
His heart must be complicated too.
Originally, he had no grand ambitions for the martial world and had been content simply protecting the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
But the current atmosphere hanging over the martial world was one of thick, oppressive darkness.
What had to be done now was to become even stronger, build an overwhelming force, and prepare to deal with the endless stream of powerful enemies that would soon pour forth.
After Hyeok Sojin left, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
“Now everything is finished.”
He had done as Manwol instructed—taken time alone and resolved the matters that had weighed on his heart.
What remained now... was to head to Diecai Mountain, obtain information about the Executioner, and put an end to it.
***
Before going to Diecai Mountain, Bu Eunseol headed toward Nangyang Pavilion.
If he failed to deal with the Executioner, he might never return to Nangyang Pavilion again.
Just in case, he wanted to meet his martial brothers and sisters of Nangyang Pavilion one more time.
“The Pavilion Lord has entered secluded training again?”
He had come to Nangyang Pavilion, but Dan Cheong informed him that Ak Muryeong had secretly gone into seclusion in an unknown location.
“Yes. Since he went to a place no one knows about so that no one could disturb him... it seems he is preparing once again to shake the martial world.”
Ak Muryeong frequently entered seclusion.
Whenever he returned from retreating in a secret place unknown to anyone, he would invariably cause an event that stunned the entire world.
“Or perhaps it’s so he can fight you properly.”
Dan Cheong gave a subtle smile.
He had guessed that Bu Eunseol’s rapid progress and martial prowess had once again lit a fire in Ak Muryeong’s heart.
“But what brings you here?”
Noticing the complicated look in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Dan Cheong asked.
“If there’s something you want to ask, go ahead.”
“No, it’s nothing. I just came to see the Pavilion Lord and the family of this pavilion.”
“You can’t fool a ghost.” Dan Cheong snorted and said, “It’s still too early for you to be worrying about this pavilion.”
Then, with a proud expression, he continued.
“Until now, this pavilion has maintained its position among the Ten Demonic Sects despite our small numbers. No enemy has ever brought us down, and no matter what happened, we have steadfastly carried on our lineage.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
Nangyang Pavilion was Nangyang Pavilion.
It was not something he should worry about—it was the place he could always rely on.
‘But no.’
His heart wavered for a moment, but he quickly steadied himself.
‘Even if the experts of this pavilion can hold their ground, aren’t there many young disciples here?’
Ak Muryeong was a supreme powerhouse who had not only peered into the abyss of the martial world but had fought against those beings.
Dan Cheong lived leisurely in Nangyang Pavilion, yet he concealed terrifying power.
And others like Sojeon, Baek Yeon, and the rest, the experts of Nangyang Pavilion would never lose to anyone and possessed martial arts that would allow them to survive any ordeal.
But Nangyang Pavilion was no longer just a den of wolves burning with martial spirit.
Now, like any other sect, it housed numerous young disciples and systematically taught them martial arts.
If he spoke carelessly about the Covenant or the Executioner, it could bring disaster upon the entire pavilion.
“No, it’s fine.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“I’ll come back again once the Pavilion Lord finishes his seclusion.”
“Don’t try to handle everything alone.”
Seeing through Bu Eunseol’s heart, Dan Cheong spoke firmly.
“It’s true that this pavilion rarely involves itself in the affairs of the martial world. But when it comes to the successor, the story changes. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Thank you.”
After giving a respectful salute, Bu Eunseol immediately left Nangyang Pavilion and headed toward Majeon.
He had remembered one more person who might be able to give him an answer.
Baek Jeoncheon.
The Demonic Path’s strategist, said to know everything under heaven—surely he would know something about the Covenant as well.
“I’m sorry, but I have nothing to say about that matter.”
In the office of Manbak Hall, Baek Jeoncheon spoke decisively.
“If you are the one destined to unify the Demonic Path, then that is something you must resolve with your own hands.”
Bu Eunseol could only nod.
The reason Baek Jeoncheon cooperated was not because he liked him personally, but because he had promised to defeat even the Demon Emperor and restore the pure Demonic Path.
“You are right.”
There was no choice but to admit it.
If he could not deal with the Executioner, how could he possibly defeat the Demon Emperor and unify the Demonic martial world?
“Then.”
After giving a salute, Bu Eunseol left Manbak Hall.
‘Now I’ve done everything that needed doing.’
He could not discuss the Executioner with his subordinates.
It was not something that could be solved with wisdom or brute force—only by his own strength could it be ended.
He would go to Diecai Mountain and overcome this trial.
‘Now there is nothing left weighing on my heart.’
Just as he resolved himself,
[The Death Spirit Corps sent a message.]
At that moment Soyo delivered strange news.
[It seems you’ll have to go there yourself.]
***
The forest, shrouded in thick darkness, was completely cut off from the world—no one could set foot inside.
The trees grew so densely that no sunlight could penetrate, and the branches twisted in eerie, cursed shapes.
In the very center of the forest stood a wretched little thatched hut—so small that barely one person could squeeze inside—crudely woven from stone and tree roots.
On a tiny chair inside sat a beautiful woman dressed in red, staring into empty space.
Her black eyes, like the night sky itself, sparkled with countless stars.
Yet a deep, shadowy darkness veiled her gaze, as though she carried every secret of the world.
It was Manwol.
—Kkigiiik.
On the table before her rested a mysterious treasure tablet inlaid with crystal, obsidian, and various other gems. At its center was embedded a bead resembling an eye, within which multicolored flames flickered.
—Gigigik.
The strange, eerie sound that had been echoing for a while came from that very bead.
“He needs to know now.”
Staring into the eye of the treasure tablet, Manwol spoke in a low voice.
“But I cannot tell him.”
Even though she wanted to tell Bu Eunseol everything she knew, she could not.
Heaven would never tolerate humans arbitrarily revealing secrets that must absolutely remain hidden.
“Hmm.”
After gazing into the treasure tablet for a long time, Manwol’s eyes sparkled.
“In the end, this is the only way.”
She reached out toward the tablet.
Paaah!
A burst of light shot up from the tablet, piercing through the roof of the hut and soaring into the distant sky.
“This will slowly begin to untangle things, one by one.”
Looking into the future, she was sacrificing this treasure—dear as her own life— to create the spark for Bu Eunseol to gradually uncover the truth.
***
The main headquarters of the Affectionate Blossom Sect had been invaded countless times by outsiders throughout the generations.
The enormous funds flowing in from branches across the Central Plains, and an intelligence network of courtesans rivaling even that of the Beggars’ Sect—these were the very first things any martial artist aiming to dominate the world would want to seize.
Endlessly plagued by such invasions, the Affectionate Blossom Sect had developed its martial arts and expanded its power as a female sect, yet they still felt it was not enough to fend off truly formidable forces or powerhouses. In the end, rather than relying solely on martial prowess, they built broad relationships and connections with experts to deter invasions.
To block those who came directly, they installed a special gateway using mechanical traps and demonic constructs:
The Repelling Stone Field.
And the Repelling Stone Field employed a mysterious liquid known as Immeasurable Heavenly King Water—or simply Heavy Water.
Using this uncanny substance—one drop of which weighed more than a massive lump of iron—they created an absolutely impenetrable gateway.
However, in the past, when Bu Eunseol came to be approved as successor, Du Yakrang had arbitrarily activated the mechanisms.
As a result, a catastrophe occurred: Bu Eunseol destroyed the entire Repelling Stone Field.
But that disaster turned into a blessing in disguise.
Through Bu Eunseol and Hyeok Sojin, the Affectionate Blossom Sect received transmissions of supreme Demonic arts, and thanks to ongoing exchanges with Nangyang Pavilion, powerful forces were now permanently stationed there for defense.
Thus, the Repelling Stone Field was no longer needed.
Yet now hidden forces and powerhouses were emerging one after another across the martial world.
If they could obtain Heavy Water again? If the Repelling Stone Field could be restored... it would provide the most solid defense imaginable.
—Heavy Water has been discovered.
Just then, the Death Spirit Corps reported that they had located precious information.
They had found a mysterious cave containing a pond where Heavy Water—the rare treasure no longer found in the martial world—was pooled.
—An auspicious qi rose into the distant sky; upon investigating the area, we discovered such a place.
The Death Spirit Corps leader, Mu Heon, was overjoyed and personally went to the site.
But when he returned with a team of great completion experts, a mysterious barrier had been erected, preventing entry.
—It appears to be a special barrier.
The Death Spirit Corps tried every method to break the cave’s barrier, but to no avail.
Even the auspicious qi that had been leaking out had vanished.
If the team had not personally confirmed the interior of the cave... they would have thought they had seen an illusion.
‘An Absolute Boundary?’
Bu Eunseol intuited it immediately.
The same cave, yet the scenery was different, and entry was blocked beyond a certain point.
That was precisely the method the Three Families always used for their Absolute Boundaries.
—I’ll go take a look.
No one could predict what would happen in the martial world from now on.
Moreover, certain forces were already watching him closely.
For the sake of the Affectionate Blossom Sect—which supported him—he intended to break the barrier over the cave.
***
Located on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountain Range, Mount Xiao’ao was a rugged peak—steep terrain, sharp jutting rocks, and precipitous slopes made it so treacherous that even herb gatherers rarely climbed it.
Tsz tsz tsz.
A shadow swiftly ascended the mountain path with light bursts of air.
It was Bu Eunseol.
‘Around here, right?’
He headed toward the coordinates the Death Spirit Corps members had given him.
Yet now even the cave itself was nowhere to be seen.
Only an endless vista stretched below the sheer cliff.
Ziiing.
Upon arriving, Bu Eunseol immediately spread his Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to scan for traces of an Absolute Boundary.
But he sensed no unusual aura, nor anything resembling an Absolute Boundary.
Only an eerie silence hung over the place—quieter even than an ordinary mountain.
“Strange.”
In truth, Wind-Cloud Divine Qi was not a power designed to detect Absolute Boundaries.
Yet until now, he had luckily been able to sense the energy of Absolute Boundaries through it, which was why he had come relying on that.
‘Does that mean it’s not an Absolute Boundary, but some other energy?’
Ziiing.
Then something astonishing happened.
When he expanded his super-senses, a very familiar aura reached him from far away.
“Lady Manwol?”
The faint aura was unmistakably Manwol’s—detectable even from dozens of li away.
“Why is she here?”
Bu Eunseol quickly dashed toward the direction of the aura.
Yet something felt off.
The closer he got, the less it seemed purely like Manwol’s energy.
It felt similar to hers, yet mixed with something distinctly alien.
“It’s gone.”
While rushing toward the source, the sensation that had been so clear suddenly vanished in an instant.
But then something bizarre occurred.
Flash!
A flame-like energy shot up into the distant sky, and far off, the massive entrance of a giant cave appeared.
It was as though a concealment formation had been cast over the place, making it seem as if the cave had collapsed due to a natural disaster and intermittently appeared and disappeared.
‘There’s something here.’
Bu Eunseol hurriedly entered the cave.
The interior was extremely deep and wide, with faint light leaking from far ahead.
‘This is sorcery.’
An Absolute Boundary possessed the miraculous ability to divide space while still retaining the properties of a formation. But inside this cave was a strange power—as though the place did not exist in the real world.
It felt less like a natural cave and more like an artificial space overlaid onto an actual cave.
As proof, faint light leaked from high up on the cavern ceiling, as though someone had captured midday sunlight somewhere and was slowly releasing it.
“What incredible sorcery.”
Moreover, hundreds of branching paths spread throughout, and a disorienting force permeated the area.
Yet because of the trace of Manwol’s aura he could faintly sense, Bu Eunseol had no trouble finding his way.
After passing through the maze-like paths, he reached a long, wide corridor bathed in bright light.
Lining both sides were staffs embedded with jewels, crystal orbs that alternated between flashes of light and darkness, and various strange magical implements and treasure tablets engraved with bizarre characters.
Each time Bu Eunseol passed by, they emitted mystical light and ripples.
“To line up treasures like this in a corridor....”
He had entered countless secret vaults during his journeys through the martial world, but never before had he seen such priceless treasures simply displayed along a passageway.
Finally reaching the end of the corridor, he saw a massive door that seemed to conceal some great secret.
Click.
Though the door appeared firmly shut, the moment he drew near, it automatically opened with the sound of mechanisms.
Inside was a bizarre space.
The wide stone chamber was entirely covered in a material resembling black marble.
Dense rows of jet-black magical implements that seemed to devour darkness filled the interior.
Judging by their shapes and forms, these treasures appeared to hold value far beyond anything displayed in the corridor outside.
After walking for a while among the rows of magical implements, a single large chest caught his eye.
Its surface was engraved with strange patterns and indecipherable characters.
Looking inside, he saw an image of floating specters carved into the interior.
“This is....”
Observing the chest, Bu Eunseol suddenly realized something and widened his eyes.
This enormous chest…
Was it not the very magical implement he had seen inside Saha Manor in his mindscape?
The one that, until now, he had seen with his mother—the middle-aged beauty who had transferred her power to an infant...
Wasn’t this exactly that artifact?
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