Crackle. Crackle.
Black lightning struck the ground, sending clouds of dust billowing upward. Soon, the dust coalesced into the silhouette of a person.
It was a man wearing black robes embroidered with the twin dragons contending for the pearl emblem, his long hair whipping in the wind. His eyes were so long and deep that it was impossible to tell where he was looking. A divine, spiritual energy surged throughout his entire body.
It was none other than Bu Eunseol.
“Hello there.”
Bu Eunseol did not even glance at the forces of the Divine Maiden Palace where Yeon Jami stood. Instead, he looked at the Blood Wolf Corps surrounding the palace and smiled calmly.
“You must have had a hard time coming such a long way.”
His smile was incredibly bright and innocent, and his tone was so friendly that it seemed as if he were greeting old friends. The martial artists of the Blood Wolf Corps felt a chill run down their spines at his nonchalant attitude.
Bang!
A sudden explosion rang out. The heads of the martial artists at the front of the Blood Wolf Corps’s first line shot into the sky. The Wishful True Binding, unleashed at extreme speed, had severed their heads in one clean sweep, like a farmer harvesting grain.
Splat. Thud, thud, thud.
The headless bodies, which had been spurting fountains of blood, collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
…
The martial artists of the Blood Wolf Corps could not understand what was happening. They had all received a mysterious great technique that granted them senses and power far beyond human limits. They were supposed to feel no fear at all.
Yet their bodies trembled.
Why were they shaking? Why was it so difficult even to meet that man’s eyes? Why did they feel like creatures far inferior to insects?
They did not yet realize the truth. This was the authority of a transcendent being. Bu Eunseol had not simply killed his enemies with a single move. It was as if he had carved out their hearts with a sharp mind sword. He had branded the authority of the Absolute Sovereign into their very souls like a burning seal, forcing them to submit with no room for resistance.
“I wondered why the formation had broken. So the problem was an enemy from within after all.”
Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue as he looked at Im Seon, who was still holding a dagger to Yeon Soha’s throat.
“Is this the limit of a female sect? Or did she simply hide her twisted heart perfectly?”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Im Seon let out a desperate, screaming cry. She pressed the dagger harder, drawing blood from Yeon Soha’s neck.
“If you take even one more step….”
Crack.
Her words were cut short. The arm holding the dagger twisted in a bizarre angle.
“Aaaargh!”
A horrifying scream echoed across the entire Mount Wu. Unable to endure the pain, Im Seon began writhing and rolling on the ground.
But that was only the beginning.
Whoosh.
Im Seon’s collapsed body floated upward into the air.
“The Blood Cult wouldn’t have chosen only one traitor.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with an utterly cold expression.
“Tell me about everyone who colluded with the Blood Cult.”
“As if I would…… ptoo!”
Even in agony, Im Seon spat at Bu Eunseol.
“Because of you, the Young Palace Master…… Aaaaaargh!”
Another agonized scream rang out across the sky. Her two arms were slowly being pulled apart in opposite directions. Bu Eunseol was using his powerful internal energy to tear her arms left and right.
“My Lord!”
At that moment, Yeon Soha rushed forward.
“Please forgive her!”
She clasped her hands together earnestly.
“She has taken care of me like an older sister since I was a child.”
“Older sister?”
Bu Eunseol wore a look of both absurdity and cold ridicule on his lips.
“What kind of older sister tries to hand her younger sister over to a demonic den like the Blood Cult?”
“That’s……”
When Yeon Soha could not answer, Bu Eunseol snorted.
“That naive mindset is what drove the Divine Maiden Palace into this crisis.”
“Aaaaaargh!”
Meanwhile, Im Seon’s shoulders had dislocated and her arms were stretched to the point of nearly tearing apart.
“The Blood Wolf Corps Leader was planning to use me as bargaining material to negotiate with the Lord!”
Realizing that Bu Eunseol truly intended to tear her apart and kill her, Yeon Soha spoke urgently.
“He must have planned to kidnap me after confirming my safety with the Blood Wolf Corps Leader.”
“…….”
“She is a disciple of our palace. If the Lord punishes her, it will cause problems.”
Yeon Soha pleaded desperately.
“Please consider the face of our palace as well, Lord.”
Perhaps her earnest plea worked.
Thud.
Im Seon, who had been floating in the air, fell straight to the ground. However, the muscles in both her arms were already severely torn. Unless she received a spiritual medicine like Clear Spirit Stone Oil, the chances of her becoming crippled were high.
Swish.
The moment Bu Eunseol’s gaze touched her, Yeon Soha’s blocked acupoints were released in an instant.
“Never show mercy to a traitor again. In the end, doing so is no different from putting a blade to your own throat.”
Leaving those words behind, Bu Eunseol turned around. He looked at the martial artists of the Blood Wolf Corps, who had formed a formation in front of the Divine Maiden Palace, and smiled.
“From now on, only one of you will be allowed to survive.”
Step.
Bu Eunseol took one step forward and spoke.
“I need to leave a messenger to deliver my will to the Blood Cult Leader.”
Step.
He took another step forward.
Ssssh.
Bu Eunseol’s figure was slowly disappearing. Because he had raised the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to its full power, his body had become completely transparent.
Whooooooosh!
At the same time, a violent wind that seemed to tear the sky apart poured down upon the Blood Wolf Corps. It was the power of the Wind God, capable of passing through even the tiniest gap. Using the profound principles of Wind Unblocked and Piercing in an offensive form, he began piercing through their bodies.
Goooooo.
Every time the sharp wind brushed past, the martial artists’ bodies turned into lumps of blood. The human body has seven orifices, and wind can pass through even the smallest gaps. From the perspective of the Wind God, humans were creatures carrying seven fatal weaknesses that could destroy the body in an instant.
Boom! Boom!
There were no screams.
Whenever the wind swept past, bodies as hard as steel were torn and crushed, turning into pools of blood. Although they had all received the Blood Cult’s great technique and possessed bodies as tough as steel, their internal organs were as soft as those of ordinary people. Every time the sharp Wind-Cloud Divine Qi penetrated the gaps in their bodies, only the bizarre sound of bursting skin echoed continuously.
Bu Eunseol was deliberately killing the Blood Wolf Corps in the most painful and cruel way possible, intending to deliver a cold and stern warning to the Blood Cult.
Boom… Boom-boom-boom!
The sound of bursting skin grew faster and faster, until it no longer sounded like explosions but like someone playing a soft instrument.
The Blood Wolf Corps numbered two thousand. Considering their martial prowess and abilities, their combined strength was equivalent to more than eight thousand elite warriors of the martial world. But from Bu Eunseol’s perspective, whether two thousand or eight thousand… it was merely a difference in how many skins he would burst.
Tremble. Tremble.
In the end, among the roughly two thousand troops, the only survivor was a single young martial artist standing at the very end of the formation.
Whooooooosh!
At that moment, the blood that had become a whirlwind shot up all the way to the edge of the sky.
Splaaaaaash!
The blood turned into a rain of blood and began pouring down to the ground. Strangely, all of it poured only onto the lone surviving martial artist.
Tremble. Tremble.
The young martial artist, drenched head to toe in the blood of his comrades, had completely lost his mind. The warriors of the Blood Wolf Corps were originally supposed to have had their emotions removed. But could anyone remain indifferent after bathing in the blood of comrades they had shared life and death with?
The answer was taught by the young martial artist himself. The fear, despair, pain, and sense of loss—emotions he thought had been removed long ago—had all come back to life and were crushing his mind.
“Tell the Blood Cult Leader everything you have seen and felt without missing a single detail.”
Bu Eunseol said as he looked at the surviving martial artist of the Blood Wolf Corps.
“That is the reason I am letting you live.”
The martial artist stared at Bu Eunseol with empty eyes. Then he slowly turned around.
Stagger. Stagger.
The footsteps of the martial artist leaving the Divine Maiden Palace were unsteady, and his fingertips trembled endlessly.
‘He didn’t just warn the Blood Cult Leader. He showed an example to the entire Blood Cult.’
Namgung Sea, the Flower-Dissolving Hall Leader who had been watching from afar, let out a sigh. As a member of the Namgung family, she possessed not only martial prowess but also exceptional wisdom and insight into situations. She had seen through why Bu Eunseol had spared only one member of the Blood Cult.
‘That surviving martial artist will have no choice but to enter the Blood Cult’s main headquarters to meet the Blood Cult Leader.’
If that happened, every warrior in the Blood Cult would witness it—the price of touching the Martial Soul Command Lord, and the way he dealt with his enemies.
‘But it is too cruel.’ Namgung Sea frowned.
The method Bu Eunseol had used was effective enough to engrave unparalleled terror even into the blood-worshipping members of the Blood Cult… yet at the same time, it was inhumanly brutal.
Step. Step.
Regardless, Bu Eunseol walked back toward the main forces of the Divine Maiden Palace and spoke in a low voice.
“A force of this size managed to pass through the Jade Gate Pass and reach Mount Wu without being caught by our intelligence network…”
Bu Eunseol did not even glance at Yeon Jami or Yeon Soha. Instead, he looked at each and every disciple of the Divine Maiden Palace one by one.
“That means a sect that knows the Divine Maiden Palace extremely well, or one that has close ties with it, attempted to cause disruption.”
Step. Step.
Bu Eunseol began examining the faces of the Divine Maiden Palace disciples with eyes that flashed with mysterious light. His pupils glowed red like a pair of demon lanterns. The disciples lowered their heads in fear and dared not meet his gaze.
“My Lord. That is enough now.”
Unable to watch any longer, Namgung Sea stepped forward.
“We will handle the rest ourselves.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
Namgung Sea said gravely.
“It means the Palace Master herself, not this Hall Leader, will handle it.”
“The Palace Master cannot do it either.”
“What are you saying?”
Bu Eunseol answered with a resolute expression.
“How can a phoenix that soars through the heavens possibly pick out those who carry the hearts of jackals?”
It sounded like praise for Yeon Jami’s elegance, but in reality, he was saying she lacked the ability to root out the spies within the Divine Maiden Palace.
“You…”
Just as Namgung Sea opened her mouth—
Swish!
The neck of one female disciple who had been avoiding Bu Eunseol’s gaze flew off.
The three great Corps Leaders—Water Purity, Fortune Spirit, and Purple Wealth—who had been watching, screamed and rushed forward.
“What are you doing right now!”
“She’s a spy, yet she carried all sorts of things.”
Bu Eunseol pointed with his finger at the dead female disciple’s chest.
Whoosh.
A large iron orb painted red, hidden in her bosom, was revealed. From the smell of gunpowder and poison wafting from it, it appeared to be a specially made poison bomb from the Blood Cult.
“This is…”
While the three Corps Leaders stood in a daze—
Swish!
Bu Eunseol once again severed the necks of five more disciples. All of them, despite being disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace, carried vicious hidden weapons or poison bombs belonging to the Blood Cult, or had stolen treasures and sacred artifacts from the palace’s vault and hidden them on their bodies. Even the Extreme Yin Divine Pill that had been dissolved into the well was found on them.
“What a mess.”
As Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue, Yeon Jami, who had been silently enduring, shouted gravely.
“Martial Soul Command Lord. Our sect’s internal affairs will be cleaned up by our own hands.”
“Palace Master, please endure it just a little longer.”
“What did you say?”
“It will be over soon.”
A strange light flowed from Bu Eunseol’s reddened eyes. At that moment, Yeon Jami felt dizzy. The moment his gaze touched her, it felt as though all her internal organs and innermost parts were laid completely bare.
‘Even I, the Palace Master, feel dizzy just from receiving his gaze?’
Although she was not one of the Seven Kings and Four Gods, Yeon Jami was still one of the most renowned female experts in the world. For her to feel a chill down her spine and have the illusion that her inner self had been seen through just by meeting his eyes… Could it be that he had reached the same realm as the Demon Emperor’s Demonic Eye that Pierces the Heart?
“The leader of the traitors is right here.”
Bu Eunseol’s mysteriously flashing eyes stopped at one spot. It was none other than Yang Nan-gyeong, the Dawning Sun Hall Leader, whom Yeon Jami cherished like her own younger sister.
‘He really is looking into people’s souls with nothing but his eyes, just like the Demon Emperor.’
As Yeon Jami nearly fainted from shock—
“Answer me. Which sect colluded with the Blood Cult to attack the Divine Maiden Palace?” Bu Eunseol approached and looked down at her.
Yang Nan-gyeong had originally intended to remain silent, but Bu Eunseol’s voice carried a strange demonic power, and she almost blurted out the answer without realizing it.
“As if I would tell you.”
She immediately tried to sever her own heart veins and commit suicide. Since things had come to this, the entire plan had already gone up in smoke anyway.
Crack.
But instead of her heart veins breaking, her body twisted. Bu Eunseol had already predicted her suicide attempt and applied the Blood Death Extreme Punishment first.
“Gaaaaargh.”
A bizarre scream echoed all the way to the distant sky. Because Bu Eunseol’s Ban-Geuk Method contained both yin and yang energy, when used for torture through internal energy, it inflicted dozens of times more pain than ordinary martial world techniques.
“I will ask again.”
Bu Eunseol said leisurely.
“Which sect colluded with the Blood Cult, disrupted our intelligence network, and planted spies in the Divine Maiden Palace?”
Yang Nan-gyeong wanted to speak but could not. The pain was so excruciating that she could only scream.
“Grrrrrr.”
The agony was so severe that her hair turned pure white in an instant.
“With such a loud voice, it seems she can endure for at least another half hour.”
“Martial Soul Command Lord!”
Unable to watch any longer, Yeon Jami channeled her internal energy and shot out a finger wind.
Papapak.
But the Blood Death Extreme Punishment did not loosen at all. Bu Eunseol’s acupoint sealing skill was too profound and fierce for her to undo.
‘How on earth is this possible…’
“It is done now.”
Only after confirming that Yang Nan-gyeong’s eyes had completely lost focus did Bu Eunseol release the Blood Death Extreme Punishment.
Then Yang Nan-gyeong screamed with all her strength.
“Shattering Gold Palace’s Jeong Johyeok!”
Fearing that Bu Eunseol would apply the punishment again, she quickly continued.
“He said it was to obtain the Young Palace Master!”
Jeong Johyeok. He was the Young Palace Master of Shattering Gold Palace, a lecher who could not control himself around women and lived every day drowning in debauchery.
“Explain it clearly.”
With a dazed face, Yang Nan-gyeong explained rapidly.
“A few years ago, he saw Yeon Soha’s face at a gathering of the Seven Great Palaces and has suffered from lovesickness ever since!”
Although he had sworn to obtain her no matter what, Jeong Johyeok had struggled because he could not break through the Heavenly Barrier Twenty-Four Gates created by the Divine Maiden Palace Master. Then one day, he heard a rumor that an unknown wanderer had passed through them. He was relieved when he heard that the Divine Maiden Palace Master had refused the marriage and the wanderer had left without complaint… but then the rumor spread that she had become engaged to the successor of Majeon, the Martial Soul Command Lord.
Jeong Johyeok could not contain his rage. However, he could not dare touch the successor of Majeon, who was called the new sun of the demonic path. The Blood Cult, aware of this situation, approached Shattering Gold Palace. They promised that if Shattering Gold Palace helped their forces pass through the Divine Maiden Palace, they would help him obtain Yeon Soha.
Jeong Johyeok was overjoyed. He believed that if it was the Blood Cult, they would be more than capable of stopping the Martial Soul Command Lord.
“Even if things went wrong, it could be blamed on the Blood Cult, so Shattering Gold Palace helped them without worry…”
With those final words, Yang Nan-gyeong’s eyes rolled back. Bu Eunseol had already destroyed her dantian, and she fainted from the unbearable pain.
“Jeong Johyeok. He has grown quite bold.”
Red energy swirled in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“How dare he touch what is mine?”
Black Thunder Spirit Energy flashed and swirled around his body. Normally, he never revealed the existence of the Three Divine Energies outwardly, but now he displayed it openly in front of all the disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace.
“My Lord.”
At that moment, Yeon Soha rushed in front of Bu Eunseol. She had guessed from the look in his eyes that he intended to head straight to Shattering Gold Palace.
“What are you going to do?”
“I need to show them that touching what belongs to others means death, so they will never do it again.”
Ever since earlier, Bu Eunseol had been referring to Yeon Soha as “mine.” She noticed that his eyes and tone were different from usual, but she spoke calmly.
“They have already been exposed for colluding with the Blood Cult. They won’t dare touch me again.”
“You don’t understand, Young Palace Master.”
“Huh?”
“Scum like that only learn a proper lesson when they suffer damage themselves. If you let it slide easily, they will never change and will repeat the same actions.”
Yeon Soha was momentarily speechless, but she quickly replied.
“Shattering Gold Palace is a righteous sect. If the Lord touches them…”
She could not finish her sentence. Bu Eunseol’s eyes had frozen over with such coldness that they seemed to emit frigid energy.
“Righteous sect? You mean righteous sect members can touch me and get away with it?”
“That’s not what I meant. I was worried the Lord might face trouble.”
“Are you worried about me? Or are you worried about Shattering Gold Palace?”
Yeon Soha answered honestly.
“Both. You saved me, so I’m fine.”
“No, I am not fine.”
“You… have changed.”
“Whoever touches me gets repaid twofold. That is the law of the demonic path.”
“You’re saying you are a demonic practitioner?”
“Did you think I wasn’t?”
Bu Eunseol laughed coldly.
“If you dislike it, break off the connection with me right now. I don’t care.”
“My Lord.”
“Did you really say you would become my betrothed without even that resolve?”
Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost coldness.
“Did you come to Majeon without even the resolve to become a woman of the demonic path?”
“…My Lord.”
“I will say it clearly once more. This Lord has no intention of forming a connection with a woman who holds thoughts contrary to my own will.”
It was an utterly ruthless statement, yet Yeon Soha replied with a gentle expression.
“Of course I will respect and follow you as my husband. However…”
“However?”
“However… I believe I must say what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. That is the duty of a wife.”
Yeon Soha bit her lip.
“Right now, your actions have justification that no one can stop. But just because there is justification does not mean it is necessarily the right thing to do.”
“So you will not bend your will. Very well.”
Bu Eunseol nodded. Then he spoke in an ice-cold voice.
“Young Palace Master Yeon. From this moment on, I declare our betrothal null and void.”
“What?”
Boom!
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol raised black lightning all the way to the edge of the sky and leaped into the air in an instant. He shot straight toward the northeast—the direction of Shattering Gold Palace.
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