The great conference room of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
Due to suddenly transmitted information, all the captains of the Death Shadow Corps hurriedly gathered and began the meeting.
The cause was none other than the Blood Cult’s invasion that was not quite an invasion.
“The Blood Cult bastards used their heads in a truly ingenious way.”
Wi Cheongyeong spoke with an extremely grave expression.
“To secretly erode the Divine Maiden Palace like this.”
Even to the Demonic Path figures who firmly supported Bu Eunseol, the engagement with the Young Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace was something rather difficult to understand and inevitably a source of considerable dissatisfaction.
And the Blood Cult was deliberately provoking the Divine Maiden Palace once again to remind them of that fact.
Wi Cheongyeong continued.
“They probably have absolutely no intention of accepting the Lord being recognized as the successor of Majeon.”
“Divine Maiden Palace.”
Even after hearing that the Divine Maiden Palace, where Yeon Soha was, had been infiltrated by the Blood Cult, Bu Eunseol maintained an extremely relaxed expression.
“Is it certain?”
“Yes.” Wi Cheongyeong said cautiously. “On the surface, the Blood Cult bastards had been refraining from direct attacks because they had formed a marriage alliance with the Lord.”
His eyes burned with rage as he spoke.
“But they were preparing pieces to openly pressure the Lord. Secretly gathering a large army in front of the Divine Maiden Palace was something they could never have done without colluding with the sects of the Central Plains.”
“They probably intend to use this opportunity to figure out what kind of person the successor of Majeon is.”
At that moment, Myo Cheonwoo spoke.
“They need to understand what kind of person the Lord is so they can make calculations for what comes next.”
“What do you mean?”
When Jo Namcheon asked, Myo Cheonwoo replied, “Until now, the Lord maintained the middle path fairly well as long as no one touched him. But with this rumor, they want to confirm his true nature.”
“Because they will have to invade the Central Plains in the future?”
“That’s right. At that time, what kind of person the Lord is will be the most important factor.”
“In the end, the Divine Maiden Palace got caught in unnecessary sparks.”
At Jo Namcheon’s words, the faces of the captains darkened.
Yeon Soha had come to Majeon, treated the captains kindly, and earned their recognition with her calm personality and excellent cooking skills.
The thought that she would now suffer made their hearts ache.
“They’re using the rumor.” Won Semun said. “Right now the Lord has openly declared Demonic Path dominance, so helping the Divine Maiden Palace, which walks the orthodox path, would become a laughable act.”
“Exactly.”
Yoo Unryong nodded.
“In truth, there is justification. She is his fiancée after all. But the mere fact that he rushes over in a panic… is probably their calculation to undermine the prestige of the Majeon successor.”
Bu Eunseol was the one who had mercilessly criticized the senior figures of Majeon and beheaded them without hesitation. If he immediately rushed to save his orthodox fiancée Yeon Soha simply because she was under attack?
Even if there was justification, his prestige as the successor of Majeon would inevitably suffer a great blow.
“Prestige, huh.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol faintly smiled.
“The Blood Cult bastards. It seems they still don’t know my personality.”
His tone was quite different from the strict and cautious manner of speaking he had shown until now.
Seeing the killing intent filling his smile, Yoo Unryong spoke carefully.
“If you plan to help, this time you should send the warriors of the main sect. There’s no need to dance to their tune.”
“That’s right.” Myo Cheonwoo also said, “If you resolve this matter yourself again, the Blood Cult will continue to target people connected to you endlessly. Because they’ll think this kind of tactic works.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol simply kept smiling.
Then Yoo Unryong said, “Then this time, I will command the Death Shadow Corps forces and handle it myself.”
“No, I will go.”
“What?”
“Even if Captain Wi and Protector Tak go, it will take three days. At that point, it would turn into negotiation rather than a fight.”
Bu Eunseol smiled, revealing his white teeth.
“And it would be better to show them clearly at this opportunity.”
That smile was so beautiful it felt bewitching.
“What happens when someone touches my people.”
The faces of the captains stiffened somewhat upon seeing that smile.
It was because the smile was far too artificial and cold.
Regardless, an extremely joyful smile hung on Bu Eunseol’s lips.
“Isn’t this rather a good opportunity?”
At those words, not only Yoo Unryong but all the captains’ eyes widened greatly.
After all, this was a matter involving the lives of the Divine Maiden Palace and Yeon Soha.
Yet he called it an opportunity?
“I will handle this matter myself, so you all should focus on your duties and reports.”
“My Lord. This is…”
When Wi Cheongyeong tried to speak, Bu Eunseol waved his hand.
“Work hard.”
Then he left the conference room without looking back.
Rumble!
Soon after, the sound of thunder echoed from afar.
Bu Eunseol had unleashed his full power in light footwork.
“……”
A heavy silence lingered in the hall for a while.
“The Lord…”
Won Semun stammered.
“Seems to be in a good mood lately. He has become more positive and kinder than before.”
But no one answered those words.
There was no way Bu Eunseol would act like this merely because of his mood.
Everyone instinctively sensed that something about him had changed somewhere.
***
Divine Maiden Palace.
One of the Seven Great Palaces of the Martial World.
It was a sect with a legend that it was founded by Yohee, the third daughter of the Divine Farmer, who oversaw agriculture and medicinal herbs.
In accordance with that legend, the Divine Maiden Palace possessed mysterious spiritual treasures and immortal artifacts said to have been used by immortals.
It was also said to store mountains of rare spiritual herbs and miraculous medicines rarely seen in the mortal world.
Because of this, strong figures aiming to dominate the martial world had always tried to swallow the Divine Maiden Palace.
To hold them in one’s grasp meant obtaining countless spiritual medicines and secret treasures.
It was similar to how the Hwanhee Palace, the predecessor of the Affectionate Blossom Sect, had constantly been harassed by forces coveting its enormous wealth and information network.
Eventually, after repeated endless invasions, the Divine Maiden Palace gradually focused more on formation studies than martial arts.
If they utilized the heavenly blessed geography where the Divine Maiden Palace was located, even a hundred people could easily block tens of thousands of troops if the formations were properly set up.
But the Divine Maiden Palace gradually realized that formations were not the ultimate solution.
Rather, they had unexpected drawbacks.
If they relied solely on formations to defend against external forces, the mere existence of a spy colluding with those external forces would allow the core of the internal formations to be destroyed or their weaknesses to be immediately exposed.
Just like right now.
Crackle.
When the layered formations were all dismantled, lightning flashed in all directions.
Sssrr.
The fog soon lifted, clearly revealing the majestic exterior of the Divine Maiden Palace.
The ritual artifacts installed along the path leading into the Divine Maiden Palace had been destroyed, severing the circulation points of the formation lines.
Saaaa.
Finally, as the appearance of the Divine Maiden Palace was revealed,
Rumble.
Approximately two thousand soldiers dressed in red were rapidly advancing.
They were the Blood Wolf Corps.
Within the Blood Cult, it was a unit composed of warriors skilled in body-enhancing great laws and various sorceries.
Bwooo!
Then, the sound of a horn trumpet echoed from the unit gathered in front of the Divine Maiden Palace.
Fwoo, fwoo, fwoo!
Then, silver steel arrows began pouring down on them.
—Ugh.
Screams rang out, but they paid no heed and charged toward the Divine Maiden Palace.
Even then, the ground shook as sharp hidden weapons and strange formations meant to block their approach activated.
However, the warriors of the Blood Wolf Corps, possessing steel-like bodies, fearlessly ran toward the front of the Divine Maiden Palace.
—Attack!
When they finally drew close, the Divine Maiden Palace also sent out its units and began fighting directly.
But the two thousand Blood Cult warriors completely overwhelmed the disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace.
From the beginning, the warriors belonging to the Blood Wolf Corps were all battle-hardened veterans proficient in great laws. Moreover, because they had received the mission to strike the Martial Soul Command Lord, they were composed of even more carefully selected warriors.
—Hold them back!
The disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace fought with their lives on the line, but their defensive line eventually began to collapse under the persistent assault.
“This is bad.”
From afar, the Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace, Yeon Jami, who was commanding the battle, bit her lip.
The Blood Cult warriors all used bizarre great laws that utilized blood. The longer the battle continued and the more injured appeared… the stronger they became instead.
Moreover, the followers of the Blood Cult considered dying in battle a great honor. They had been brainwashed to believe that if they died fighting under the Cult Leader’s command, they could go to a paradise where they would attain eternal life.
“It seems the Blood Cult has already taken control of the information networks in the Central Plains.”
Namgung Sea, the Flower-Dissolving Hall Leader who was guarding Yeon Jami’s side, bit her lip.
“Otherwise, they couldn’t have entered our palace without us noticing.”
No matter how many mysterious great laws the Blood Cult possessed, it was impossible to completely hide the movement of an army of this scale. Moreover, secretly infiltrating more than two thousand troops into the Central Plains and placing them in front of the Divine Maiden Palace should have been impossible.
In Sichuan, there were not only the Sword Pavilion and the Tang Clan, but also the Azure Heaven Alliance, the orthodox alliance yet astonishingly, the Blood Cult had completely deceived their information network and entered the Divine Maiden Palace.
“It must be because of the Blood Cult’s information organizations scattered throughout the Central Plains.” Yeon Jami said. “Not only that, they must have planted spies inside our palace and used sects familiar with our palace to spread false information.”
As she said, the Blood Cult had not only spread false information using the sects of Sichuan, but had also caused large-scale chaos in the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions.
Black Path and Evil Path factions that had not stood out much had mercilessly massacred civilians. Most information organizations had simply judged it as small-scale clashes between factions, but in reality, it had been a ploy to prevent them from detecting the Blood Cult forces moving toward the Divine Maiden Palace.
—Aaack!
—Ugh!
Meanwhile, the defensive line had completely collapsed.
The disciples’ screams echoed everywhere, and the formations were no longer useful.
Especially because the disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace did not focus primarily on martial arts training, they could not hold their own against the battle-hardened followers of the Blood Cult in close combat.
“Stop!”
In the end, Yeon Jami shouted to the three Hall Leaders leading the Water Purity, Fortune Spirit, and Purple Wealth Corps—the three major units of the Divine Maiden Palace—who were commanding the battle.
“We will cease combat and surrender!”
“Palace Master! You mustn’t!”
The Hall Leaders tried to dissuade her, but she firmly shook her head.
“If we continue fighting, the disciples will only lose their lives in vain. Instead, we will negotiate as they wish.”
In the end, at Yeon Jami’s command, the fighting temporarily stopped.
Step, step.
At the forefront of the Blood Cult forces that had broken through the defensive line was a massive man wearing red armor.
He was Do Napgeuk, the Corps Leader who led the Blood Wolf Corps this time.
“An excellent choice, Palace Master.”
Do Napgeuk nodded as he looked at Yeon Jami, who had stepped forward in front of the disciples.
“A person who understands the times is wise. You are indeed as wise as the rumors say.”
When he spoke those flattering words, Yeon Jami’s complexion grew even colder.
Such behavior was no different from looking down on her.
“What exactly does the Blood Cult want from our palace that you would commit such cruel acts?”
“Didn’t the martial artists of the Central Plains say that possessing treasure is a sin?”
At Do Napgeuk’s words, Yeon Jami’s eyes sharpened.
There was no way someone of the Blood Cult’s caliber would do this simply because they coveted the treasures stored in the Divine Maiden Palace.
“Fine. Speak your desire.”
Yeon Jami said calmly.
“The fact that you sent such forces secretly means you have something else you want, doesn’t it?”
“This Corps Leader desires only one treasure.”
Do Napgeuk smiled, revealing his fangs.
“The Thousand-Gold Glance*.”
*Yeon Soha’s title
“What?”
“Hand over the Young Palace Master, who is counted among the Three Beauties of the World, to us.”
Do Napgeuk laughed lecherously.
“Then we will quietly withdraw.”
“Hahahaha.”
Yeon Jami burst into laughter in disbelief.
“You should have said that from the beginning.”
Killing intent exploded from her eyes like never before.
“If you had, I wouldn’t have proposed peace even if our palace were to be destroyed.”
In her rage, she shouted loudly, “All disciples, listen! From now on, these bastards…”
But her words did not continue.
One by one, the disciples standing at the front line were beginning to collapse.
“What is happening?”
“Shouldn’t you have noticed when the internal formations were broken?”
It turned out that the Blood Cult had planted spies inside the Divine Maiden Palace long ago.
Not only had they neutralized the effectiveness of the formations, but they had also used poison on the disciples.
“How could this happen?”
Yeon Jami’s face was filled with despair.
The Divine Maiden Palace was a sect that rarely revealed itself to the martial world, so its unity was strong.
She had thought they had completely blocked external forces from invading.
But it had all been a delusion?
‘Perhaps we should have joined the Azure Heaven Alliance after all.’
In the past, the Divine Maiden Palace had accepted Bu Eunseol’s proposal for the Sichuan Alliance, but when that plan changed into the Azure Heaven Alliance as a larger alliance, they had firmly refused to join.
Because it would eventually become corrupted.
The Divine Maiden Palace, which had consistently walked the orthodox path, had also declared itself to be in the boundary between righteous and demonic after witnessing how the ugly alliance known as the Martial Alliance had become corrupted.
Although the clean figure known as the Bullet King currently held the position of Alliance Leader, they had refused the proposal because it was obvious that the Azure Heaven Alliance would eventually meet the same end.
—Then, even if you do not join the Alliance, please allow some of the Azure Heaven Alliance’s forces and the intelligence corps to be stationed at the Divine Maiden Palace.
That had been Bu Eunseol’s proposal.
Because the Divine Maiden Palace was located in too remote an area, they could not immediately grasp the situation. Therefore, Bu Eunseol had recommended placing an information organization to detect any abnormalities in the Divine Maiden Palace, but…
Yeon Jami had refused even that.
—Our palace will take care of its own safety.
But in the end, things had unfolded exactly as Bu Eunseol had feared.
Now she was bitterly regretting it.
“Since you refused the wine of respect, you have no choice but to drink the wine of punishment, don’t you?”
At Do Napgeuk’s words, Yeon Jami bit her lip.
“But our palace’s disciples should be immune to poison.”
The disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace regularly consumed spiritual herbs from Musan Mountain, so they had reached a state close to being impervious to all poisons.
Moreover, no matter how vicious the poison, it could not paralyze the body so extremely in such a short time.
“That’s why it works—because it’s not poison.”
Do Napgeuk clicked his tongue as he looked at the collapsed disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace.
“They drank water mixed with the Extreme Yin Divine Pill.”
“Extreme Yin Divine Pill.”
It was a spiritual medicine that supplemented depleted Yin energy.
But when fed to the perfectly healthy disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace… it instead caused their Yin energy to surge, making it impossible for them to move.
Clench.
Yeon Jami tightly clenched her fist.
The Palace Master and senior figures with deep martial arts had not yet shown any reaction, but the ordinary disciples were gradually becoming paralyzed. Even if they continued the battle, what awaited them was complete defeat. Only a miserable loss.
“If you hand over the Young Palace Master even now, nothing bad will happen.”
“Nonsense!”
Step, step.
But at that moment, a shadow walked out from among the fallen disciples.
Her skin had a fine luster like moonlight, and her eyes were as deep and mysterious as a lake frozen for a thousand years.
She was a beauty as if all the beauty of the world had gathered in one person.
It was the Young Palace Master, Yeon Soha, known as the Thousand-Gold Glance.
“Oh ho.”
Do Napgeuk nodded and gave a thumbs-up at Yeon Soha’s words as she stepped forward.
“Indeed, the name was not passed down in vain.” He laughed heartily and said, “Just as the rumors say, a single glance from you is worth a thousand gold.”
“Soha.”
Seeing Yeon Soha walk out boldly, Yeon Jami said firmly,
“Why did you come out instead of staying in the Jaha Secret Cave?”
“How could I stay there when the disciples are fighting with their lives on the line?”
“You foolish child. From the beginning, their target is the Martial Soul Command Lord. Don’t you realize they are aiming for you because of that?”
Yeon Jami had seen through their intentions the moment the Blood Cult began their invasion.
They wanted to undermine the prestige of the Martial Soul Command Lord, Bu Eunseol, and drive him from the successor position.
Because he had received an oath from the Blood Cult Leader, Pae Yukgyeol, that he would not invade the Central Plains.
At that time, Pae Yukgyeol had probably thought that such an oath could be broken anytime. After all, it was merely a promise with the young successor of Majeon, not the Demon Emperor himself.
But before long, Bu Eunseol had become a leader who moved the Demonic Path just like the Demon Emperor.
Since they could not openly break the oath… they had no choice but to reassess their strategy by understanding Bu Eunseol’s temperament.
And for that purpose, they had touched his fiancée, Yeon Soha.
“I know. But I am the Young Palace Master of this palace.”
Yeon Soha said with a dignified expression.
“I do not want my existence to become someone’s weakness or bargaining chip. I would rather fight and die with honor.”
Her spirit soared to the heavens, showing a resolve that transcended life and death.
“Although our palace lacks strength and will disappear from the martial world today, the unyielding spirit and integrity will be remembered by everyone!”
—Waaa!
At Yeon Soha’s shout, the disciples roared with soaring morale.
Even though the Divine Maiden Palace was a female sect and had constantly suffered from foreign invasions, the reason it had been able to maintain its lineage through a blood-stained history was precisely this unyielding conviction that refused to submit to any threat.
“A splendid sight.”
Do Napgeuk nodded.
“But that spirit couldn’t prevent the betrayal of your subordinates.”
“What?”
Thud.
At that moment, a sound came from behind Yeon Soha.
Im Seon, her childhood maid and guard who had been like a real sister to her since childhood, suddenly sealed her acupoints.
Clack.
With a dagger pressed to Yeon Soha’s neck, she quickly slipped through the disciples and moved to Do Napgeuk’s camp.
“Seon-ah, how could you…”
Yeon Jami trembled with a sense of betrayal.
When Yeon Soha had been weak as a child, she had ordered her to stay with Im Seon, who had a meticulous and gentle personality.
She had cherished and cared for Im Seon like her own daughter.
Yet how could she have been bought by the Blood Cult?
“Soha was smart and bold, just like the Palace Master.”
Im Seon looked at Yeon Jami and shouted with fury.
“But after she got to know that man from the Demonic Path, she became a fool. She started neglecting me, who had taken care of her my entire life!”
“You…”
“Moreover, the Palace Master didn’t stop her either. So what could I do?”
Yeon Jami was rendered speechless by Im Seon’s expression.
No matter how close they were like sisters, how could she speak with such rage?
‘I see.’
Im Seon had not treated Yeon Soha like a real younger sister.
She had been harboring a twisted, abnormal possessiveness.
“This is this Palace Master’s fault…”
She had failed to properly understand Im Seon’s psychological state and had let the two live like sisters.
This was entirely Yeon Jami’s mistake.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Do Napgeuk scanned Yeon Soha’s slender body that Im Seon had brought.
Even in the loose clothes of the Divine Maiden Palace, her beautiful curves were clearly visible.
“Indeed! She is a peerless beauty worthy of making the Martial Soul Command Lord fall for her.”
“Hand over the Young Palace Master!”
When Yeon Jami shouted, Do Napgeuk said, “The Young Palace Master is already in my hands. There is no longer any reason to fight.”
He looked around with a relaxed expression.
“Since we have obtained a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Martial Soul Command Lord, this Corps Leader will now withdraw. So don’t do anything foolish.”
If it had been the Yeon Jami of the past, she would have protected the disciples even at the cost of her daughter’s life.
But Yeon Soha had rekindled the spirit of the Divine Maiden Palace.
Even if it meant death, they must not submit to such villains.
“Tsk, what a regrettable choice.”
When Yeon Jami showed a resolute expression, Do Napgeuk realized she had decided to die with honor and wore a sneer.
“Unfortunately, the long lineage of the Divine Maiden Palace passed down through generations will end with this generation due to the Palace Master’s wrong choice…”
His words did not continue.
Shwaaaaaaaa!
A storm-like sonic boom that seemed to tear the world apart rang from the distant sky, and
Flash!
A black lightning bolt descended to the ground.
At the same time,
Thud.
Do Napgeuk’s head suddenly fell to the floor.
“……”
For a moment, a deathly silence flowed between the Divine Maiden Palace and the Blood Wolf Corps.
The situation was so unexpected that everyone completely froze.
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