“I don’t understand.”
Chu So, who had been staring into empty space, slightly furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“Out of nowhere, the disciple of the Bullet King, Seolso, has appeared.”
He had been unable to predict the movements of the successor of Majeon, Bu Eunseol, and the new generation orthodox master, Seon Woojin.
It had been bewildering, but he could let it slide because there had been sufficient reason. At that time, the two of them had been stirring up the martial world side by side, piling up tremendous martial achievements.
A carriage running at full speed down a steep downhill slope is not easily stopped. Predicting the actions and future of people whose timing and fortune align perfectly and who continue to rise without pause is difficult. Because the fate of those who achieve such success is entangled with the momentum and flow of heavenly energy, it inherently contains uncertainty about when and how it might shift.
Yet a mercenary who had not built any significant fame or achievements and had been secretly roaming the martial world—
How could he ignore the flow of heavenly energy?
By what means could he detect and destroy his own secret organization?
“I investigated thoroughly, but that person’s movements are inconsistent.”
Bang Il spoke cautiously.
“It seems like a double identity created by someone.”
Even if traces had been carefully erased, if one diligently mobilized an information organization,
it was usually possible to glimpse at least the past movements.
However, no matter how much they investigated the individual called Seolso, they could not find any past traces.
In other words, either a powerful information organization was perfectly concealing his tracks, or there was a high probability that he was someone with a tremendous background living under a double identity.
“If we hadn’t arbitrarily attacked the Martial Soul Command Lord back then… we could have used Yangseol Rin to investigate the background of the person called Seolso.”
Yangseol Rin, born with heavenly talent, possessed a mysterious ability.
Everyone who encountered her was fated to eventually reveal their true selves before her.
Moreover, because she could freely roam the martial world after escaping the prohibition of the Yangseol family, she had played a very useful role when deep investigations were needed.
However, Bang Il had arbitrarily proceeded with the eradication of the Martial Soul Command Lord, which Chu So had previously halted.
Because of that, the Martial Soul Command Lord seemed to have sensed something and gave Yangseol Rin a bead that allowed her to escape all mind-manipulating techniques.
In the end, she was able to break free from the Mind-Seizing art that Chu So had cast.
“Can we not subdue her again?”
At Bang Il’s words, Chu So shook his head.
“Once the Mind-Seizing art is broken, it is like a shattered porcelain vase. Reassembling it into its original perfect state is extremely difficult.”
His voice was relaxed, but his gaze was endlessly sharp.
The Yangseol family operated an outstanding information organization to track the Hundred and Eight Stars, and Yangseol Rin had been the central figure driving that organization.
Yet because of Bang Il’s arbitrary misjudgment, Chu So had lost an extremely useful chess piece.
“I am truly sorry!”
Bang Il prostrated himself and lowered his head.
“I will risk my life to find someone who can fill her vacancy.”
“It’s fine.” Chu So softened his fierce gaze once more and waved his hand as if it were nothing. “I was just saying it because I felt regretful.”
Then he smiled at Bang Il.
“Regretting what has already passed yields nothing. Simply take the mistake as a mirror and make sure not to repeat it.”
Chu So viewed everyone around him as chess pieces. Nevertheless, he always treated his subordinates with a gentle and indirect attitude.
At least toward subordinates who still held useful value.
The reason he was treating Bang Il so leniently now was not out of trust, but because he was still a highly useful individual.
“I will keep it in mind.”
Unaware of this truth, Bang Il was deeply moved by Chu So’s generous attitude and repeatedly bowed his head.
Chu So, having waved his hand, stroked his chin and murmured, “Anyway, there is definitely something there. No matter how much he is the disciple of the Bullet King, it makes no sense for a mere mercenary to have such untraceable movements.”
So far, the two individuals he had failed to predict both possessed exceptional information organizations.
The Martial Soul Command Lord Bu Eunseol had the outstanding Death Spirit Corps, and Captain Seon Woojin had the small but elite special information unit called the Supreme Corps. Because of this, he had once even wondered whether Bu Eunseol and Seon Woojin were the same person.
However, after the Dark King Yeop Hyocheon proposed a spar between the two and personally witnessed it, he received information confirming they were not the same person and withdrew that suspicion.
A person like the Dark King would never fail to properly discern the unique human characteristics contained in absolute martial arts.
And now… one more unpredictable young individual had been added.
“For this matter, I suppose we have no choice but to borrow someone else’s hand.”
Chu So spoke in a low voice.
“If an obstructing individual has been identified, it is best to deal with them quickly to avoid future trouble… and this is also a good opportunity to check how strong the connections I have built so far truly are.”
“Should we not investigate him further?”
At Bang Il’s question, Chu So replied in a humming tone,
“There is no such thing as a sudden appearance… we will find out soon enough.”
In the world he observed, there were no coincidences.
Even things that appeared coincidental were, in reality, inevitable occurrences, and Chu So would uncover the invisible causes and causal relationships behind them.
Once he did so, he could even predict the future events that would unfold.
***
In a deep mountain untouched by human footsteps, there was a valley covered in darkness that seemed to reject the entry of light.
And there, a supreme expert crouched, emitting an aura that alone was enough to constrict a human heart.
The place where he resided was a point where the energies of heaven and earth clashed, distorting space itself.
It was an absolute forbidden zone that humans could not enter.
Yet a certain shadow was entering deep into that valley.
Because of the distorted space, his body repeatedly stretched and shrank, but he paid it no mind and walked forward calmly. Finally, as he reached the deepest part of the valley, a massive gate came into view.
The gate was made of small stones. Upon closer inspection, each stone embedded in the structure was covered with ancient sorcery and bizarre patterns. The shadow stood dazed before the gate like a statue.
How much time had passed?
The patterns on the stones of the gate began to glow with a faint red light, distorting the surrounding space.
Thick fog rose around them.
Creak.
When the gate finally opened, the shadow entered once more.
The dense fog caused one to lose all sense of direction the moment they stepped inside.
From somewhere, a wind carrying whispers like those of demons brushed past his ears. However, the shadow moved through the fog with seemingly indifferent motions, easily parting it.
Once he passed through the fog, a vast space submerged in pitch-black darkness appeared.
There was a large pond, and around it stood numerous stone statues.
Upon closer look at the human-shaped statues, each face bore an expression of despair and terror. Passing through that area and going deeper, a building resembling a half-collapsed temple came into view.
Inside the building, where the interior was clearly visible, there was an area arranged like an altar.
Upon it sat a throne wrapped in black silk.
A gigantic shadow wearing black armor sat there in a slanted posture, resting his chin on his hand.
It was the Dark God Heavenly Lord.
[What brings you here?]
The Dark God Heavenly Lord snorted upon spotting the shadow standing tall below the altar.
[The busy Inbiin Lord himself.]
Inbiin.
The black shadow was the leader of the Eight Human Heavens who had continuously conducted human experiments for the True Demon, and the one who had raised beings like his own avatars—the Inbiin Lord—and thrown the martial world into chaos.
“Heavenly Lord.”
Inbiin maintained his shadow-like form and respectfully paid his respects.
His movements and appearance were so shrouded in mystery that even his fellow kin knew little about them.
Above all, he enjoyed the True Demon’s deep trust.
The reason the True Demon had been able to secretly dominate the martial world through repeated reincarnations across generations was largely due to Inbiin’s contributions.
Moreover, he was currently conducting extremely important experiments under the True Demon’s orders, so his current power and position were comparable to those of the Four Gods Heavenly.
“I heard that you missed one youngster.”
Although Inbiin’s voice clearly flowed out as a physical sound, it was mixed with a gurgling noise as if speaking underwater.
[It wasn’t that I missed him. It was because the prohibition prevented me from exerting my power.]
“May I capture him?”
Inbiin continued in a flat, emotionless voice.
“If the Heavenly Lord permits it, I intend to find him personally.”
His voice was extremely polite, yet mixed with the sound of bursting water droplets, making it profoundly sinister and bizarre.
[It seems you’ve developed a taste for the game of collecting other people’s power one by one.]
“Isn’t everything for that person’s sake?”
Inbiin’s voice seemed to contain even more of the gurgling sound of bursting water droplets.
However, the Dark God Heavenly Lord showed no particular reaction.
“If you refuse, then there is nothing I can do.”
Just as he slowly turned his body,
Whoosh.
At that moment, black-tinged flames began to flicker across Inbiin’s body.
The Dark God Heavenly Lord had infused some kind of power into him.
“Thank you for granting permission.”
[Is it enjoyable?]
The Dark God Heavenly Lord spoke with deeply meaningful words.
[Distorting providence and twisting the melody of fate.]
When Inbiin did not answer, a strange light flickered in the Dark God Heavenly Lord’s eyes.
[You had better be careful. Previously, I discovered a fake using the power of the Baekri family and intended to hand it over to you…]
“……”
[That thing was using the Six Paths Absolute Shadow spell.]
“It is the Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
Inbiin nodded.
“He must still be struggling to obtain the power of the Sacred Domain that uses spiritual energy.”
[It doesn’t matter what he does.]
The Dark God Heavenly Lord snorted.
[From now on, it would be best to refrain from revealing yourself in the martial world. The three elders seem to be in a rather displeased mood.]
“Understood.”
Inbiin lightly paid his respects.
“Then.”
As he turned and took each step, the form of his body gradually blurred.
After taking five steps,
Shlurp.
Inbiin’s figure completely vanished before the Dark God Heavenly Lord’s eyes.
***
After perfectly concluding the matter of the Graceful Benevolence Institute, Bu Eunseol returned to Majeon once again under the identity of the Martial Soul Command Lord.
The highest priority task now was to uncover exactly what the power branded like a fire mark on his palm was.
If it was a power that the Heavenly Mechanism Star so desperately craved… it would surely possess immense utility.
He remembered the patterns similar to those engraved on the scabbard of the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and recorded them on a canvas.
Afterward, he searched not only through Majeon but also through countless ancient books scattered across the martial world. However, he found no results at all. Even the highly knowledgeable Medicine King Hall Lord knew nothing about the origin of the patterns on his shoulder, let alone any stories about the Ancient Sword Forest.
‘The Manbak Hall Lord would not tell me even if he knew.’
Baek Jeoncheon, known as someone who knew everything, would certainly know about the Ancient Sword Forest. But unless it helped him achieve his goal of establishing demonic path supremacy, he would never assist Bu Eunseol.
‘In any case, this matter concerns only me…’
The boy who had once been the small forest lord of the Hyungsan Ancient Sword Forest had said that clues would gradually appear over time.
‘Let’s not think about obtaining clues through anyone’s help.’
However, he needed to clearly understand the source of the power passed down by the Ancient Sword Forest Lord and the power suppressing his Baihui acupoint.
Therefore, Bu Eunseol shut himself in his office and began researching the patterns and the power alone.
‘Normally, no matter what I do, it does not appear.’
The pattern on his palm did not show itself under normal circumstances.
He also could not understand by what principle or logic such power manifested in his right eye, nor what kind of effect it produced.
‘Moreover, this power is not meant for killing enemies.’
According to the founding ancestor of the Ancient Sword Forest, this power was not for defeating enemies, but for ‘enabling one to find something.’
‘If that is the case, could it be a power capable of finding the True Demon?’
The True Demon repeated reincarnation and definitely existed in the present world, yet no one could find his whereabouts or traces.
‘The successors of the Ancient Sword Forest have carried on the mission of controlling the True Demon across generations under the founding ancestor’s command… so there is a possibility.’
The problem was that the power transmitted through the Ancient Sword Forest Lord’s message had clashed with the power of the Baihui acupoint the moment it was injected. Now, it had merged with the flow of the power sealing the Baihui acupoint, as if joining with his own true energy.
‘Is it a matter of my soul?’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew dim.
He possessed another personality—Baekri Geomha.
He held memories that Bu Eunseol himself could not recover, and even possessed an unknown power of unknown origin that Bu Eunseol could not use.
Perhaps his existence was not unrelated to the energy continuously sealing the Baihui acupoint.
‘If that power is connected to my soul…’
If the energy suppressing the Baihui acupoint was not merely a physical issue but connected to the soul?
If that was why it was sealed?
By contemplating his inner self, he might be able to grasp some clues.
Growl.
After finishing his thoughts, Bu Eunseol entered the secret chamber connected to his office.
He sat in a lotus position and unfolded the Inner Observation technique to closely examine his own soul.
Because his internal energy was deep and his soul cultivation profound, he entered a state of profound meditation in an instant.
Gurgle.
His consciousness descended endlessly into a dark and deeper place.
Since ancient times, great masters of martial arts had constantly reflected upon their own souls and wished to control them freely.
However, the human mind is like nature itself.
Even when warm sunlight and gentle breezes blow, storms can arise and thunder and lightning can strike.
It is impossible for a human to perfectly control a soul that so closely resembles great nature.
And if one were to delve deep into the abyss with their consciousness in order to do so… it would mean going against the laws of nature.
In the end, that would lead to the destruction of both body and soul.
For this reason, outstanding philosophers and great masters since ancient times created dharma methods to move a portion of the mind so that it could be controlled and moved according to will, like the muscles of the human body.
Through such methods, they controlled the soul and body.
These various branches eventually gave rise to internal energy techniques and mind-manipulating secret arts.
‘It is endlessly deep.’
Forgetting this truth, Bu Eunseol sent his consciousness endlessly into the deep abyss.
As he dug deeper and deeper, a mysterious light appeared far in the distance.
It was a light with the exact same pattern as the one that had appeared on Bu Eunseol’s palm.
‘As expected, it was the soul.’
The power injected by the Ancient Sword Forest Lord was sealed not in the body, but in the soul.
Bubble, bubble.
The light seemed close, yet the distance still remained considerable.
To reach that place, he needed to go even deeper.
His consciousness descended endlessly toward the place emitting light identical to the pattern on his shoulder.
Finally, when he reached the bottom, a strange resonance spread throughout his entire being.
It felt as if something alien yet resembling a powerful supernatural force was being engraved into his body.
The mysterious power that had allowed him to escape when his body had been covered by the black god summoned by the Dark God Heavenly Lord…
That was precisely the power contained in this pattern… and it had been sealed deep within his consciousness.
‘In the end, it is close to an innate sorcery, like that of the Hundred and Eight Stars.’
A bitter thought suddenly came to mind.
Until now, he had only trained in martial arts and had always defeated his enemies with that power.
He had never thought he possessed a sorcery, nor had he wanted one.
Because a power that could not be grasped in one’s hands was instead a power that could ruin oneself.
―Prohibit any power that cannot be controlled by oneself!
The reason sorcerers and sorcery were rejected in the martial world was simple.
It was because those who possessed such power often could not control it.
With martial arts, one could clearly understand how it manifested and how it functioned.
In fact, training in martial arts could also be described as the process of learning to control and master it.
However, sorcery could not be treated the same way.
One could not even know why they possessed it innately, and because it was directly connected to an incomplete soul, it could escape the user’s control at any moment.
And losing control meant that innocent, unspecified people could be harmed because of it.
That was why martial artists tabooed or rejected sorcerers and sorcery.
‘If this is a sorcery, there is no need to even research it.’
Sorcery could blur the essence of martial arts.
If one grew accustomed to easily manifested power, it would even hinder the development of martial arts. Wasn’t the reason the Hundred and Eight Stars, who had always possessed mysterious powers, were defeated by him ultimately because they themselves could not escape the restrictions of their power or fully control it?
‘Let’s go back.’
The moment Bu Eunseol tried to end his meditation,
[It’s been a while.]
At that moment, a strange resonance began to spread inside his head.
At the same time, from the entrance of the pattern within the abyss, a beautiful boy dressed in white slowly passed through the light and gradually revealed himself.
The personality who called himself Baekri Geomha—the one who had been sucked into the large hole in his soul—had appeared once again.
“This place is…”
[My soul.]
Baekri Geomha cut in coldly.
[That is why I can appear like this again.]
He appeared slightly more grown while trapped in the abyss.
His voice was still sharp and his appearance that of a boy, but unlike before, he now had rather mature eyes and seemed slightly taller.
“You seem to have grown a little.”
When Bu Eunseol spoke calmly, Baekri Geomha distorted his face.
[It’s not that I grew. It’s because I was buried under your pathetic and miserable memories!]
After his grandfather was brutally killed by the culprit, a large hole had formed in Bu Eunseol’s heart.
He had confined Baekri Geomha’s personality inside that hole… and it seemed he had encountered Bu Eunseol’s memories there.
[If you want revenge so badly, stop acting pathetic and take my hand.]
Baekri Geomha said irritably.
[With your power, it’s impossible anyway.]
Bu Eunseol smiled.
Originally, given Baekri Geomha’s personality, he would have mocked Bu Eunseol for clinging to revenge for his grandfather.
But perhaps because he had somewhat assimilated with Bu Eunseol’s memories, he was instead offering to take revenge on his behalf.
“You cannot.”
[Why?]
“Because if you take revenge for grandfather, you will end up hurting the people around us.”
Baekri Geomha possessed all the characteristics of a great demon—unable to distinguish joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, and completely disregarding the emotions of others.
If left to him, he might achieve revenge for grandfather, but all the people around them would end up hurt or driven away.
[Then you go inside.]
Baekri Geomha slowly approached Bu Eunseol and spoke with sharp, fierce eyes.
[That way it will be fair.]
Bu Eunseol felt a chill run down his spine.
Before he knew it, a deep abyss-like hole had formed behind his own back as well.
It was exactly the same in size and shape as the large hole in his soul created by his grandfather’s death.
‘Then…’
A cold shiver ran down Bu Eunseol’s spine.
If Baekri Geomha also had an equally unfillable large hole in his heart, then there was a high probability that he was not an entirely separate personality, but shared the same fate.
Just like the True Demon… and the Ancient Sword Forest Lord.
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