Bu Eunseol had to suppress a burst of hollow laughter.
It was truly a case of a thoughtless child pulling the whiskers of a sleeping lion.
Moreover, since that opponent was none other than the Empress Dowager... the future repercussions were as clear as day.
“Yes, yes.”
Hyega, seemingly aware of the situation, scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
‘However, the fact that the Imperial Palace experts are this strong is an unexpected revelation.’
According to what had been known until now, Imperial Palace martial arts lagged far behind those of the martial world, and as a result, it was said that Imperial Palace martial arts had developed in a direction intended to suppress the internal energy of martial warriors.
Bu Eunseol also thought the reason the mastermind had been conspiring with martial world factions all along was that there were no experts with such powerful martial prowess within the Imperial Palace.
However, looking at the skill of the experts from the Inner Court who attacked Hyega, starting with the yellow-robed men who appeared this time... contrary to what was known, they had reached a formidable level of martial prowess that far exceeded expectations.
‘In the future, the Imperial Palace will become a major variable.’
The fact that the Imperial Palace possessed such powerful military force was currently almost unknown to martial warriors. In other words, this was valuable information that would act as a very important variable in the various matters Bu Eunseol was planning.
Prureut.
At that moment, along with the sound of breaking air, Sama Gwang appeared, wearing his sword. He had likely hidden Suwol in a safe place and returned to help Bu Eunseol.
“Just what happened here?”
Sama Gwang wore a puzzled expression as he looked at Bu Eunseol and Hyega standing beside him.
“They were not targeting you, Elder.”
Pointing at Hyega, he explained the situation thus far. After listening to the story with a blank expression for a long while, Sama Gwang chuckled and nodded his head.
“Well done! You’ve cut off one of that wicked Empress Dowager’s funding sources.”
Having heard that this young novice monk was the very person who saved his granddaughter from the hands of the demonic Blood-Faced Wolf Lord, he was looking at him with very favorable eyes. Then, looking at Hyega’s wounds, he spoke in a worried voice.
“The wounds are deep; it seems further travel in the martial world will be impossible.”
Sama Gwang continued.
“Why don’t you come to this old man’s hideout first to recover your body? Those pursuers from the Imperial Palace won't know when to give up and will chase you tenaciously.”
“Do you have another residence?”
When Bu Eunseol asked, Sama Gwang wore a bitter expression.
“To live while avoiding the hands of that vicious monster, wouldn't one need to dig dozens of burrows?”
As it turned out, this mountain villa was merely one of the dozens of hideouts he had prepared. He had created multiple hideouts and wandered constantly to prepare for potential attacks from the Heavenly Emperor or the mastermind factions.
“No, this monk must go.”
Hyega wore a serious expression.
“It is because the act of stealing the name of my society to lure numerous geniuses and successors of various mysterious sects is happening repeatedly.”
“Your society?”
Sama Gwang tilted his head in confusion.
Bu Eunseol thought that since he had not peered into the depths of the martial world, he wouldn't even know about the ordinary Three Realms, let alone the Essence Three Realms.
“He is in a secret organization that protects the martial world.”
Bu Eunseol gave a vague explanation. Since ancient times, many of the martial world’s sacred grounds had come from Buddhist sects.
“Could it be you are speaking of the Essence Three Realms?”
Unexpected words burst out. Sama Gwang—he knew about the Essence Three Realms?
“Do you know of my society?”
At Hyega’s words, Sama Gwang looked at Bu Eunseol and nodded.
“My sworn brother Baekri told me. He said there is a secret organization called the Three Realms in the martial world, and that before long, he would become the Lord who manages that organization.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
It was shocking news. To think that his father, Baekri Muha, was the man who was to become the Lord of the Three Realms?
“Are you saying my father was the Lord of the Three Realms?”
When Bu Eunseol asked, Sama Gwang nodded.
“To be precise, he said it was like being a successor. That he would become so in the future.”
When Bu Eunseol was left speechless, Sama Gwang was the one who was surprised.
“Did you not know?”
“I did not.”
Bu Eunseol confessed honestly.
“Actually, all my childhood memories were erased, and only recently have I barely managed to recover a few of them.”
Then he spoke urgently.
“Was there nothing else you heard?”
In truth, Bu Eunseol had intended to settle down quietly with Sama Gwang to ask separately about his father and the matters of Saha Manor. However, as such a shocking fact came to light, he could not stop the conversation.
“I don't even know why my father, while being a blood relative of that Baekri Clan, lived separately by building Saha Manor.”
“I see.”
Sama Gwang let out a heavy sigh.
“My brother told me. He said the Baekri Family people who disappeared from the martial world three hundred years ago are the members of the Baekri branch clan who were permitted to be active in the martial world.”
He added.
“And he said he also came out to the martial world to become a member of the Baekri branch clan.”
But then Hyega, who had been listening silently to the story, let out an ‘ah’ and spoke.
“If so, the Command Lord's late father was a blood relative of the Baekri Clan figure who worked hard to integrate the Three Realms and even our Essence Three Realms.”
In an instant, sparks flew in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“What does that mean?”
“My master said so.”
Hyega spoke, blinking his large eyes.
“He said that in the past, the Young Patriarch of the Baekri Clan, Baekri Muha, worked so hard to integrate the Three Realms and our Essence Three Realms.”
Kung.
Bu Eunseol wore an expression as if he had been struck on the back of the head. His father, a blood relative of the Baekri Clan, was scheduled to be the successor of the Three Realms and tried to integrate the Essence Three Realms and the Three Realms?
Huu.
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and tried to find his composure.
Just as much as the foe who killed his grandfather, the tracks of his father and mother were something he absolutely could not find. But to hear such sudden information—and shocking information at that, that his father was the successor of the Three Realms—he could not help but be flustered.
“So, if it is as you say, Elder...”
Bu Eunseol, having taken a deep breath, spoke to Sama Gwang. “It means my late father was originally in the main family of the Baekri Clan and then became part of the Baekri branch clan, who, like the followers of the True Demon, are able to act in the martial world.”
“True Demon?”
However, Sama Gwang furrowed his brow.
“What is the True Demon?”
“Have you not heard of the True Demon?”
“This old man only heard the name of the organization called the Three Realms. Even that, I only heard by chance when my brother and I were designing Saha Manor and had a heart-to-heart conversation.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol grasp the situation.
His father had not spoken about the Baekri Clan that had opposed the True Demon since ancient times; he had merely spoken of them as one of the three families that left a legendary name in the martial world.
Likewise, regarding the Three Realms, he had only given a broad explanation to Sama Gwang during the process of discussing the design of Saha Manor.
“This is truly a strange twist of fate...”
At that moment, Hyega once again brought up a surprising story.
“The reason this monk came out to the martial world was because a god-like man named Baekri Muha had called together people of outstanding talent in the name of the Essence Three Realms...”
Hyega, looking at Bu Eunseol, blinked his large eyes.
“It was because someone was luring people by stealing the name of my society.”
“Luring?”
“That is right. I came out to the martial world under my master’s orders to uncover that evil scheme.”
“Luring geniuses by stealing the name of the Essence Three Realms? Is such a thing even possible?”
Bu Eunseol wore an expression of absurdity.
The Essence Three Realms was a secret organization among secret organizations that even the veterans of the martial world did not know well.
Furthermore, because they were scattered and restoring only the origins of the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, they were effectively in a state where they exerted no influence on the martial world.
And yet, someone was luring warriors specifically using the name of the Essence Three Realms?
It was an incredibly bizarre and strange thing.
“Even if they sell the name of the Essence Three Realms, there wouldn't be a single benefit to be gained.”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Hyega sighed and spoke.
“I do not know either. However, according to my master, there are those who periodically lure young people using the name of our Essence Three Realms.”
“Young people?”
“Yes. He said they are even disciples belonging to mysterious sects that are not well-revealed in the martial world.”
Hyega continued his explanation.
“My master wandered the martial world for a long time to uncover their plot. And finally, he was able to catch their tail.”
According to his explanation, his master, the ancestor of Changbai, had discovered factions that had been borrowing the name of the Essence Three Realms for a long time, using parts of the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars to lure them and hatch unknown plots. After a persistent pursuit, he obtained the location where the young people were lured and a mysterious bead that could lead there.
However, in the process, he suffered a great injury. Furthermore, to infiltrate that mysterious place, a young person who had learned part of the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars was needed.
Thus, he had given the order to his disciple, Hyega, to investigate just what kind of evil scheme they were plotting.
However, Hyega, who did not know the situation of the Central Plains well, burned down all the fields managed by the mastermind on his way there and ended up in this state after being constantly pursued by experts who had mastered Imperial Palace martial arts.
“Can you not ask for help from the other branches of the Essence Three Realms?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Hyega shook his head.
“We are merely scattered and never unite. Because if we unite to form a large force, we will inevitably become corrupt.”
He spoke with a dejected expression.
“Moreover, recently, the branches of the Essence Three Realms in various regions have been under attack by a certain individual. So we had no choice but to hide in even more secret places.”
“A certain individual?”
“Yes. They say a person whose origins and martial history are completely unknown is tracking down the branches of the Essence Three Realms alone and annihilating them.”
‘It is the same as the matter of Instructor So.’
Bu Eunseol’s expression darkened.
Hadn't they said that even the sect of So Okrim, who was the successor of the Essence Three Realms in the western regions, was completely wiped out when a certain individual invaded?
‘The Essence Three Realms is an organization of extreme secrecy that cannot be detected even by the information network of my Death Spirit Corps. And yet, someone is not only tracking them but handling them alone.’
That meant it was a person with martial prowess and an information network that transcended imagination.
“If you know such things are repeating, shouldn't you unite your strength from now on to find that foe and protect the disciples of the Essence Three Realms?”
“My society was created after witnessing how the Three Realms became corrupt. So how could we do the same thing?”
Bu Eunseol could not contain his absurdity.
No matter how much they wanted to prevent corruption, and no matter how much they wanted to protect the justice of the martial world, it was only possible if they remained alive. If someone they could not oppose was constantly annihilating them, the only remaining way was to unite and respond.
However, the Essence Three Realms was being foolishly stubborn about their beliefs.
“I see.”
But Bu Eunseol did not argue.
Martial warriors guard the values and beliefs put forward by their sects like their very lives. If they were to abandon them, their own existence would stand for a denial of themselves.
Weren’t the demonic and righteous paths also unable to be liberated from ancient times until now because they hold these irreconcilable ideas and views on violence?
Furthermore, since the Essence Three Realms had directly witnessed the corruption of the Three Realms, they would never aggregate violence in such a situation.
“This monk must go to the Valley of Immortals in Pyeongnam.”
Hyega looked at his trembling leg muscles and shook his head.
“It's no use like this.”
The wound was too severe for him to perform lightness skills. Even if Bu Eunseol were to take him there, he couldn't even investigate with this leg.
“But is there a place called the Valley of Immortals in Pyeongnam?”
Although Bu Eunseol was well-versed in the geography of the Central Plains, it was the first time he had heard the name of the Valley of Immortals.
“The Valley of Immortals is the name they gave it.”
Hyega took out a bead from his bosom and held it up.
“He said if I have this bead, I can arrive there.”
A strange light flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes at the bead.
That bead emitting a mysterious light—was it not extremely similar to the very bead that the Martial Venerable had used when breaking through the formation on the island where the Wood Buddha was hiding?
‘Could it be that the Wood Buddha is involved with the bead?’
Bu Eunseol shook his head. There was no way the Wood Buddha would use his strength to lure people. If that were the case, it would rather be the Martial Venerable.
‘There is no way the Martial Venerable would plot such an evil scheme.’
The Martial Venerable was still playing the role of the Martial Alliance Leader and was operating in complete secrecy. But just to lure the strength of mysterious sects, he could not commit such an atrocity as to blow away the Fresh Cloud Fortress and the elders until now.
‘What is certain is that they are not an ordinary force, seeing as they use such beads to lure young people and also steal the name of the Essence Three Realms.’
According to Sama Gwang, his father had intended to integrate the Three Realms and the Essence Three Realms.
Perhaps because of that, Saha Manor was exterminated.
Furthermore, if it was a force stealing the name of the Essence Three Realms, they might be those related to his father’s death or the Saha Manor bloodbath.
‘I must check it.’
“Fine, I shall investigate that place in your stead.”
“Pardon?”
“I am saying I will go there and investigate those who stole the name of the Essence Three Realms.”
“The Command Lord will?”
Hyega asked as if it were strange.
“For what reason?”
“Am I not also opposing the Three Realms, so could I not be called a friend of the Essence Three Realms?”
It was a somewhat poor excuse. However, the naive Hyega blinked his large eyes, and soon wore a moved expression.
“The Command Lord is truly a hero of the martial world!”
An ordinary martial world practitioner would have doubted the motive at least once, but Hyega had a personality as pure as a newborn baby, so he was being moved by the thought that Bu Eunseol was risking his life to help him.
‘This friend needs to experience the world of the martial world a bit more.’
Around the time Bu Eunseol suppressed a bitter smile, Hyega immediately held out a bead.
“Thank you.”
“Then I leave it to you. Please go to the Valley of Immortals in Pyeongnam and crush their evil scheme.” Then he explained calmly. “If you inject internal energy into the bead, it will tell you the direction.”
Bu Eunseol, having received the bead from him, injected a small amount of internal energy. A low vibration spread out, and soon light gathered toward one side. It seemed to mean he should go in that direction.
“I will certainly find you again after identifying their identity and evil scheme.”
“You’ll know where to find us?”
Bu Eunseol turned his head and looked at Sama Gwang.
“Did the Elder not say earlier? The pursuit of the Imperial Palace is tenacious, so stay together for the time being.”
Then he spoke firmly. “When everything is finished, I will come find the hideout.”
“Understood.”
Bu Eunseol turned his head and looked at Sama Gwang.
“Before I go, could I perhaps hear the rest of the story?”
Since he had not yet heard all the stories about his father... he intended to talk with him briefly before leaving.
***
Bu Eunseol became a streak of lightning cutting through the sky and raced continuously toward the south. He was wearing a face cloth and had changed his appearance to that of an extremely ordinary-looking, dark-skinned wanderer through the secret technique of Black Dark Arts.
Since he did not know what kind of place the Valley of Immortals was, he had disguised himself as an entirely new person rather than using his previously known identity.
Before leaving, he had talked with Sama Gwang for a long time and was able to obtain several pieces of additional information.
The time he designed the mechanisms of Saha Manor was just before his father and mother held their wedding. And at the time, his father had introduced his mother as an ordinary woman, hiding the fact that she was the Holy Maiden of the True Demon family.
‘What is certain is that the Heavenly Emperor had been watching my father from long ago.’
However, the truly shocking facts came after that.
According to Sama Gwang, his father had wandered the martial world extremely secretly and done good deeds, but his heroic acts were slowly revealed by someone, and because of that, he gained the name of the Greatest Secret of the Martial World. Eventually, the fame of the Greatest Secret of the Martial World shook the martial world in an instant, and once his preferred attire and appearance became known, he unintentionally built friendships with orthodox figures.
In other words, he said that ‘someone’ could inevitably only be the ‘Heavenly Emperor’.
—Surely the Heavenly Emperor must have pulled my brother up to the surface!
According to Sama Gwang, his father originally had no intention of revealing his tracks, and his heroic deeds in the martial world were purely coincidental. It was clear that because the Heavenly Emperor grasped his father’s tracks and made them known to the martial world, he gained the fame of the Greatest Hidden Hero of the martial world.
‘But could the Heavenly Emperor... have tracked my father’s movements at that time?’
But something was strange.
His father, who possessed the power of the Baekri Clan, would likely have been dozens of times stronger than he was now. And yet, the Heavenly Emperor found his father’s tracks and made his good deeds known to the martial world?
‘Then, is it a plot of the True Demon?’
Could the Heavenly Emperor be someone's pawn?
Could even Shin Domubi, the number one person of the orthodox path, feel like a mere child from the perspective of the True Demon?
‘What is certain is that everything is a meticulously planned, evil plot.’
The reason his father maintained extremely good friendships with orthodox martial warriors like Sama Gwang was that someone had planned for his father and the martial warriors to make contact. And doing such a thing could have been for the purpose of using one of those many friendships to lead him into a trap.
But more important information was right here.
‘That the Heavenly Emperor at that time might not have been the real Heavenly Emperor, but the Martial Venerable.’
Sama Gwang delivered a shocking story at the end.
—Shin Domubi, even though he had seen this old man once in Jinan ten years ago, he treated me as if it were our first meeting.
He spoke with resentment.
—Perhaps from then on, he fell into demonic nature, or perhaps his mind was wandering; I cannot say.
Hearing those words, Bu Eunseol could feel it intuitively.
The Heavenly Emperor, from those days, must have been active in the martial world while alternating with the Martial Venerable. Otherwise, a person with a memory as excellent as the Heavenly Emperor could not have forgotten meeting Sama Gwang.
In conclusion, it was impossible to know whether the person who committed the cruel act against Sama Gwang was the Heavenly Emperor himself or the Martial Venerable.
‘Then… it might be resolved surprisingly easily.’
His father’s past tracks were so secret that they were harder to find than even those of his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang. But if he thought about it, his father would surely have friendships with several orthodox figures, just like Sama Gwang.
If he found the orthodox figures who were friends with his father? It could be resolved surprisingly easily.
‘The Martial Venerable will never reveal his tail.’
Currently, the Martial Venerable was known to be secluded in the Martial Alliance, and his movements were so mysterious that there was no way to even confirm if he was truly in the Martial Alliance.
But it does not matter.
Since it had been revealed that the one who struck Saha Manor was either the Heavenly Emperor or the Martial Venerable, as he searched for the figures from various circles who were friends with his father and constantly digged into the past tracks of the Heavenly Emperor and the Martial Venerable, he would surely find the truth.
‘I might be able to obtain something in the Valley of Immortals as well.’
He could not explain it, but he could clearly feel it. This plot of the Valley of Immortals was also not that of a simple martial world force.
He felt he would surely be able to obtain additional information about his grandfather or father here.
Flash.
Following the light pouring from the bead, before the eyes of Bu Eunseol, who was performing lightness skills, the scenery of a high mountain like an entrance to the sky began to appear.
He had finally reached the Valley of Immortals.
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