T/N: Bu Eunseol’s dad’s name is going to be Baekri Muha and not Baek Rimu-ha since the first is more accurate. I fixed it everywhere else so it should be fine now
In the office of Yuk Jangcheon, head of the Ascendant Martial Hall.
“Now? At this hour?”
Bu Eunseol, summoned by Yuk Jangcheon, could not hide his bewilderment.
He had been ordered to lead every member of the Supreme Corps to Mount Yungzhong, where the Northern Great Master, Dang Hee-do, currently resided, and escort him back to the Martial Alliance as an honored guest—for the vacant position of Secret Flower Garden Lord.
“That’s right,” Yuk Jangcheon replied. “The Hall Leaders’ Assembly decided it. They want to invite him to fill the empty seat of Secret Flower Garden Lord.”
When Bu Eunseol’s expression showed clear incomprehension, Yuk Jangcheon smacked his lips and continued.
“The Alliance has been in an uproar over this whole affair, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“Until the investigation is completely finished, they probably want the person at the center of all the rumors—you—to stay outside the Alliance for a while.”
He smacked his lips again.
“If you remain inside and keep moving about, this incident will continue drawing attention.”
‘There’s something behind this.’
This mission did not originate from Yuk Jangcheon himself. Someone in the Hall Leaders’ Assembly had deliberately applied pressure.
“Hall Leader.” Bu Eunseol spoke with careful courtesy. “Vice-Captain Tae is still suffering in the punishment hall. Could another corps be sent on this mission instead?”
“Did you not hear what I just said?”
“I heard you clearly. But this mission… does not sit well with me.”
Until now, Bu Eunseol had carried out every order without complaint, even those that might cost him his life. Yet because he was worried about Tae Muryong, this was the first time he had ever asked Yuk Jangcheon for anything.
“Any corps could handle a mission like this with ease, could they not?”
He brought his hands together once more.
“Hall Leader, I beg you.”
“I would like to grant that request… but timing is everything right now, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Timing?”
“In times like these, this Hall Leader must show he is working diligently. That’s how one leaves a strong impression.”
A smile played at the corners of Yuk Jangcheon’s mouth.
“Especially now, while Dragon Coiling Hall Leader Yong Myeong is mired in scandal.”
Because of the Yeon Jagang affair, Yong Myeong’s integrity was under suspicion.
If, by contrast, Yuk Jangcheon showed fairness by sending even Bu Eunseol—his own man—out on assignment, he could crush a rival without lifting a finger.
‘Yuk Jangcheon!’
For the first time, Bu Eunseol felt raw anger toward the man.
This greedy bastard thought only of his own gain.
“You’ll have to endure a little hardship. The finish line isn’t far now, is it?”
Yuk Jangcheon smiled warmly.
“Instead, I promise you this: your subordinate will be released without further issue.”
In truth, it was not Yuk Jangcheon but Gongsun Dankyung who had ensured Tae Muryong’s innocence and release.
Yuk Jangcheon had done nothing to help, even when asked, all to protect his own position.
Yet here he was, acting as though he were bestowing a favor.
“…Understood.”
Bu Eunseol bowed politely and turned to leave. His eyes had frozen solid as ice.
Originally, even if he surpassed Yuk Jangcheon someday, he had never intended to ruin the man completely.
But now his heart had changed.
A person without blood or tears, who regarded his own subordinates as disposable tools, deserved to pay the proper price.
‘Hall Leader Yuk. Just now, you drove a blade into my back.’
Bu Eunseol made his resolve.
Yuk Jangcheon was swollen with the bright dream of becoming a Commander.
Bu Eunseol would raise him as high as possible—then hurl him down so catastrophically that he would never rise again.
***
Bu Eunseol immediately led the entire Supreme Corps toward Mount Yungzhong.
Even as they left the Alliance, an uneasy feeling clung to him like damp fog.
For the first time, he made an unreasonable request of Soyo.
―While I’m away on this mission, stay near the Martial Alliance and watch Tae Muryong’s situation. If anything happens to him, inform me at once.
No matter how extraordinary Soyo’s abilities, lingering near the Alliance to monitor Tae Muryong was extremely dangerous.
Yet because she understood how dearly Bu Eunseol cherished his men, she simply nodded without hesitation.
―Don’t worry. If anything happens to him, I’ll report it instantly.
―Also, have the Death Spirit Corps deliver a message to Yoo Unryong.
―What message?
―The item we made together with the Medicine Hall Leader some time ago. If it is complete, tell him to bring it to me immediately.
―Got it.
Trusting Soyo completely, Bu Eunseol set off for Mount Yungzhong.
If he had traveled alone, capable of covering a thousand li in half a day, he would have arrived in less than two. But because he had been explicitly ordered to take every member of the Supreme Corps, the journey stretched beyond half a month.
His heart burning with urgency, Bu Eunseol pushed the men relentlessly, employing qinggong almost without pause.
To minimize rest, they avoided cities, sleeping rough and pressing onward toward Mount Yungzhong.
On the third night.
Flap—!
A great beating of wings reached Bu Eunseol as he prepared camp with the men.
It was Soyo’s signal.
[Big trouble.]
As he moved toward the sound, Soyo’s thousand-li voice transmission rang in his ears.
[Tae Muryong… he’s been kidnapped.]
Bu Eunseol shot upright, eyes wide, and fired back a transmission.
[What did you say?]
[They declared him innocent and released him from the punishment hall. The moment he stepped out, he said he was going to rejoin you, left the Alliance grounds—and was abducted.]
“Captain, what’s wrong?” Jeong Jongdo approached, concerned.
[I’ve already sent Death Spirit Corps members in pursuit, but too much time has passed…]
Realizing the dire urgency, Bu Eunseol barked at Jeong Jongdo. “Lead the men and proceed as slowly as possible. This Captain will meet you at Mount Yungzhong.”
BOOM!
With those words and a thunderous blast, Bu Eunseol shot into the sky.
It was the ultimate speed of the Thunder Spirit Energy–enhanced Swift Beyond Shadow.
Jeong Jongdo stood dumbstruck, mouth agape, staring at the heavens.
He had never in his life witnessed such terrifying qinggong from Bu Eunseol.
‘Why… just why?’
Racing back like a madman, Bu Eunseol’s mind churned.
‘Why did you do it, Tae Muryong?’
Tae Muryong was clever enough to deceive even the brilliant Yeon Jagang and always planned several steps ahead.
He knew Yong Myeong was grinding his teeth in rage.
He knew the man was half-mad trying to find the hidden ledger.
So why had he left the safety of the Alliance to try to rejoin his captain?
‘Could it be…’
A sinister possibility flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
BOOM!
To banish the thought, he poured everything into his movement technique.
Ever since creating the Death Spirit Corps’ emergency communication network, Bu Eunseol could locate any of his men no matter where he was.
Finally entering Henan Province, he spotted faint smoke rising in the distance and instantly changed course.
KABOOOM!
Deep in the mountains, a low transmission reached his ears.
[My Lord, this is Yeomgwi of the Death Spirit Corps.]
Yeomgwi took the lead, sending another transmission.
[Follow me.]
Though incomparable to Bu Eunseol, Yeomgwi’s qinggong was on the level of a grandmaster to ordinary martial artists.
After Protector Tak Ilhon took charge of training, every corps member’s movement arts—including Soyo’s—had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Deep inside a secluded valley, Yeomgwi pointed toward a massive tower.
[There. The one who kidnapped him is the infamous torturer known as the Human Butcher—Do Geumung.]
‘The Human Butcher.’
Bu Eunseol bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
A monster who, once he laid hands on someone, could make even assassins trained in the Cold Heart Art scream in agony while peeling every strip of flesh from their living bodies.
And that monster had taken Tae Muryong to… this place?
[I understand. Return to your post. I’ll handle the rest.]
Bu Eunseol instantly flew toward the tower inside the valley.
‘This place…’
Sparks flashed in his eyes as he arrived at the entrance.
Only now did he see the characters carved there.
‘Nine Demons.’
‘Nine Demons Tower.’
In the past, this place had slaughtered martial artists and government officials alike without hesitation.
Rumor claimed it was the cradle of state-sponsored assassins secretly created by the Eastern Division.
When the former Chancellor Gwak Doyang was falsely accused of treason and exiled, assassins from the Nine Demons Tower had attempted to kill him.
The attempt failed, Gwak Doyang’s innocence was proven, and the moment he was reinstated…
The Nine Demons Tower had vanished without a trace.
Yet now the Human Butcher had dragged Tae Muryong here?
Was that butcher himself a product of the Nine Demons Tower?
Rumble.
Bu Eunseol strode straight into the entrance.
He had expected a tower that climbed upward, but inside stretched a long cavern-like passage sloping steadily downward.
The deeper he went, the wider the corridor became—broad enough for dozens to walk abreast.
The moment he stepped inside, a bell rang, and dozens of assassins poured from the opposite direction.
Shockingly, the Nine Demons Tower—believed long destroyed—was operating perfectly.
“Intruder! Kill him!”
The instant they spotted Bu Eunseol, the assassins unleashed a storm of hidden weapons.
Clang-clang-clang!
Bu Eunseol deflected every projectile with the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and cut the assassins down as he advanced. But they formed strange shifting formations that weakened his sword techniques, and their numbers seemed endless—like cockroaches that kept flooding the passage no matter how many he killed.
‘I have no time to waste!’
If he was delayed here, Tae Muryong would die under Do Geumung’s hands.
At this moment… the identity of Seon Woojin no longer mattered to Bu Eunseol.
Crack-crack-crack!
Assassins charging at him instantly froze into blocks of ice.
He had unleashed the Heavenly Glacial Secret, freezing every attacker in the corridor solid.
Crunch. Crash.
They were elite assassins, yet none possessed the inner power to withstand the Heavenly Glacial Secret’s freezing chill.
Turning them into ice statues in an instant, Bu Eunseol raced onward.
Rumble.
Soon the opposite gate opened, and this time black-robed assassins wielding poisoned swords rushed him.
Whoosh! Fwoosh!
But they turned to charcoal before landing a single blow.
Bu Eunseol had released the Yeolha Great True Energy infused with the Thunder Divine Energy in one devastating burst.
“Attack!”
Yet more reinforcements swarmed like cockroaches.
Fwoooosh.
Purple flames ignited in Bu Eunseol’s right hand.
It no longer mattered what sword style they used or how strong they were.
To kill even the ones pouring from the back of the passage in one stroke, he unleashed Yeolha Great True Energy laced with Thunder Spirit Energy.
Fwoooosh.
Scorching heat like the sun itself poured forth and the assassins melted like wax dolls, collapsing.
Rumble.
The iron gate behind them warped and melted like taffy; Bu Eunseol charged deeper.
Bzzzzzt!
This time countless razor-sharp hidden weapons shot out like angry hornets—clearly triggered by intricate mechanisms.
Crack.
But Bu Eunseol did not dodge. He became a single mass of ice and barreled forward.
He had deployed the Great Ice Seal of the Heavenly Glacial Secret, taking the barrage with his body.
Clang-clang-clang!
Enduring an endless hail of projectiles, Bu Eunseol finally reached a massive door.
Click.
Inside, the passage narrowed dramatically, ending in a small gate.
Two old men stood guarding it, waiting as though they had expected him.
One wore blood-red robes, the other ocean-blue.
Their hair was tied in twin childish braids, making them appear insane.
Bu Eunseol halted, face tense.
He recognized them instantly: the legendary orthodox masters turned monsters—the Crimson-and-Azure Twin Freaks.
“Incredible. A mere Alliance commander using both ultimate yin and ultimate yang energy at the same time.”
The Crimson Freak, Yu Baek, muttered softly. The Azure Freak, No Gak, nodded.
“No one in the current martial world can wield ultimate yin and ultimate yang simultaneously, can they?”
The two old men tilted their heads, exchanging baffled glances.
“So in the end, this fellow’s identity is fake?”
“But that makes no sense either. The energy he just unleashed exceeds three hundred years of cultivation. No one can fake that while using reverse cultivation.”
Reverse cultivation normally reduces inner power to a tenth. Yet this youth displayed over three hundred years’ worth?
Did that mean the boy possessed more than four hundred years of cultivation?
Bu Eunseol gathered his power again, ignoring their leisurely chatter.
Time was running out.
And he had no intention of sparing anyone who once belonged to the orthodox factions.
“We don’t know who you are, but abandon any thought of passing this gate.”
Sensing the attack, No Gak smiled faintly and drew a long staff from his belt.
“We were ordered to let no one through.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol extended his right hand.
Fwoooosh!
Yeolha Great True Energy, energy hot enough to melt steel surged toward the Twin Freaks blocking the gate.
“Futile!”
They spun their twin staffs like windmills.
The incoming Yeolha Great True Energy energy vanished without a trace.
Yin-Yang Twin Staffs.
The mysterious weapons possessed the ability to nullify all external force.
Thanks to these peerless weapons, even four hundred years of scorching energy could not burn them.
Whiiiing! Crack-crack!
Now Bu Eunseol unleashed the Heavenly Glacial Secret infused with Crystal Spirit Energy.
A transparent ice dragon roared forth and swallowed the staff-wielding Twin Freaks.
“Now this is impressive. Anyone else would have failed to stop him.”
Yet again, the Yin-Yang Twin Staffs dissipated even the overlapping Crystal Spirit Energy of the Heavenly Glacial Secret.
Pat!
Whenever an opening appeared, the Twin Freaks thrust their staffs, sending sharp bursts of energy.
Shoooo.
Finally Bu Eunseol stopped pouring out yin and yang energy. No Gak chuckled.
“No matter what martial art you use, it’s useless. You will not pass.”
There was no gap in the staffs they spun.
In this narrow passage, blocking the gate, they could deflect any force with their Yin-Yang Twin Staffs while instantly switching from defense to lethal counterattack the moment an opening appeared.
Even if he wanted to unleash the power of “Harmony,” their constant opportunistic strikes prevented it.
‘Very well.’
Bu Eunseol gathered Yeolha Great True Energy once more and unleashed it.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Immense ultimate yang energy flooded forth and the Twin Freaks spun their staffs like windmills again.
“Hmph, I told you it’s useless.”
“Let’s see how long you can keep pouring out such power.”
As Bu Eunseol continued releasing extreme yang energy without pause, mocking smiles appeared on their faces.
Spinning the staffs in endless circles required little effort.
They could keep it up all day if needed.
But no matter how profound one’s inner power, there was a limit to sustaining such ferocious ultimate yang energy.
Whirr-whirr-whirr-whirr!
Then something strange happened.
Less than half an incense stick’s time had passed, yet beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads.
‘Why am I sweating?’
Though aged, each possessed over four cycles (~240 years) of rejuvenation in inner power.
Yet sweat from spinning their staffs for mere moments?
Fwoooosh.
Only then did the uneasy Twin Freaks notice transparent currents flowing from Bu Eunseol’s right hand.
Invisible, imperceptible—yet sending endless vibrations that shook their inner organs.
It was the Thunder Divine Energy contained within Yeolha Great True Energy.
The passage was extremely narrow.
As Yeolha Great True Energy continuously flooded the confined space, the air itself was superheated.
“Ugh…”
By now Bu Eunseol’s body blazed like a crimson sun.
The Twin Freaks spun their staffs while sweating profusely.
Each breath drew scalding air into their lungs and eventually they stopped breathing entirely.
Their Yin-Yang Twin Staffs lost power and slowed.
‘Now!’
Spotting the flaw in their staff technique, Bu Eunseol drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
Shiiing.
Within the crimson sun, brilliant light exploded.
Time seemed to freeze and the Twin Freaks hallucinated crimson claws of death clutching their throats.
The ultimate swift killing sword that slayed with the eyes first—the Meteor Chasing Moon Form—was unleashed.
Pssshht!
Blood fountained from the necks of the staff-wielding pair.
Thus ended the lives of the Crimson-and-Azure Twin Freaks who had once terrorized the martial world with their paired Yin-Yang Staffs.
‘So Yong Myeong is using former orthodox masters as his dogs?’
Questions could wait.
Rumble.
Bu Eunseol kicked open the gate and charged through.
Squelch, squelch.
In the final passage, foul water flowed underfoot.
The last corridor was like a sewer filled with filthy liquid and dimly glowing night pearls embedded sporadically in the ceiling barely pushed back the darkness.
Clang! Tap-tap-tap.
At the far exit, a black shadow slipped away.
Judging by the swift movement and emaciated frame, it was none other than the Human Butcher, Do Geumung.
“Stop!”
Bu Eunseol instantly gave chase.
But to the left of the exit, an open iron-barred cell caught his eye.
Through the bars, a dark silhouette was visible.
Creaaak.
He wrenched the iron gate open and stepped inside.
Torture instruments lay scattered about.
At the far end of the wall, where filthy water lapped, a man knelt with both arms bound.
It was Tae Muryong.
