Swiik! Swiik!
Sensing that the aura flowing from the Supreme Emperor’s body was anything but ordinary, the Thirteen Guiding Energies circulating around Bu Eunseol’s body and guarding his vital acupoints began to spin even faster.
‘This is the last one.’
Bu Eunseol deliberately drained his internal energy down to the very bottom, exhausting his true force until his physical capabilities hit rock bottom.
The Thirteen Guiding Energies protecting the body were not omnipotent.
He had only barely grasped one of its capabilities through a flash of inspiration, and each time he deployed it, it consumed an enormous amount of internal energy and mental power.
Moreover, he was currently operating under the identity of Seon Woojin.
That was precisely why he had maneuvered the Supreme Emperor into not dragging things out and instead unleashing his true power.
Flash!
At that moment, blindingly brilliant light erupted from the Supreme Emperor’s right hand.
In that split second, Bu Eunseol realized one thing.
Up until now, the Supreme Emperor had continuously fired sword qi accompanied by light.
That light could have been a unique true-qi wave produced by a special internal cultivation method, or perhaps an invisible weapon—something smooth like glass that reflected light.
But now he understood.
From the very beginning, the Supreme Emperor had been capable of unleashing formless, soundless sword qi that severed even the sound of cutting through air—without needing any accompanying light at all.
‘And yet he deliberately kept unleashing sword forms accompanied by light.’
Bu Eunseol’s mind spun rapidly.
‘One reason was to intentionally induce a specific reaction from me. The other was to cut down the enemy at light-like speed.’
Thud.
In that instant, Bu Eunseol halted his evasion movements and activated the Thirteen Guiding Energies at full power.
Tong!
His body shuddered violently—as though struck by an enormous iron weight.
An incredible force-laden beam of light had passed diagonally through him.
Shuuuk!
At the same time, a massive sword qi shot skyward into the distant heavens.
‘Such a sword art…’
A chill ran down Bu Eunseol’s spine.
Just now, the Supreme Emperor had unleashed an annihilation sword form capable of shattering every defensive technique a human could possibly employ.
But because Bu Eunseol had instantly recognized its characteristics and stopped moving, the sword qi did not strike him squarely—it merely grazed his body and soared into the sky.
[…]
The Supreme Emperor halted and stared at Bu Eunseol.
Only now did he realize that this young man, whom he had once dismissed as a mere fly, was an opponent he could never defeat without using his true power.
Yet that very realization allowed him to uncover the truth he had so desperately wanted to know.
[It wasn’t you after all.]
The Supreme Emperor murmured softly.
[There’s no way a place like that could produce a genuine martial artist like you.]
“What do you mean by that?”
When Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow, the Supreme Emperor raised his hand upward instead of answering.
Whirrrrr.
The sword qi that had been spread around them were instantly sucked back into his body.
“Are you giving up?”
[Far from it.]
The Supreme Emperor’s white shadow gently floated upward into the air.
[We’ll meet again next time.]
Leaving behind those cryptic words, the Supreme Emperor soared into the sky in an instant and vanished like mist.
Thump.
Only then did Bu Eunseol, who had maintained a relaxed and calm expression throughout, drop to one knee, gasping for breath.
‘That was dangerous.’
Fortunately, through this battle he had comprehended a new capability of the Thirteen Guiding Energies.
However, the force he spun around his body could not be generated infinitely.
And above all, the Supreme Emperor’s martial scripture had far surpassed his expectations.
Even if Bu Eunseol used every ounce of his original strength, could he really win?
‘Moreover, his internal energy…’
It is said that the limit of internal energy a human body can contain is ten cycles.
And yet the Supreme Emperor had scattered sword qi across a radius of a hundred zhang and held it motionless.
Even for Bu Eunseol, who possessed more than nine cycles of internal energy, that was a feat not easily accomplished.
That meant the Supreme Emperor had almost certainly reached the level of ten cycles.
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
Swish.
Standing tall once more, a flash gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Supreme Emperor.”
Crack.
He clenched his fist tightly.
Through this battle with the Supreme Emperor, he had uncovered one unbelievable truth.
“You… were Commander Baekri?”
As he gazed at the distant sky where the Supreme Emperor had vanished, light flashed once more in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
The Sacred Sword, Baekri Mujo.
He had crossed blades with him as Seon Woojin, and even encountered the Sacred Sword while fleeing in his true identity as Bu Eunseol.
Moreover, when his life had hung in the balance, the Nangyang Heart Eye had risen to the point where it could instantly penetrate the mysteries of the Thirteen Guiding Energies.
Because of that, he had sensed not only that the Supreme Emperor was concealing his true power,
but also that the origin of the terrifying final sword art he unleashed was none other than Baekri Mujo’s Sacred Sword.
“No… even the Nangyang Heart Eye shouldn’t be able to discern something like this.”
The shadow created by the Supreme Emperor was, from the beginning, a spiritual body incapable of revealing any physical attributes.
One could not even sense his temperament or aura.
Yet strangely, Bu Eunseol had detected the Sacred Sword of Baekri Mujo emanating from the Supreme Emperor’s shadow—something he had never felt before.
“Then that too was a deception.”
When he had previously clashed with the Supreme Emperor using Seven Blood Tear Forms, in the final moment he had glimpsed the appearance of a young man within the spiritual body.
Perhaps that had been yet another deception to ensure his true identity would never be exposed.
“If he really is the Supreme Emperor…”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“…then he is not the one who killed Grandfather.”
He recalled the very first time he had encountered the Supreme Emperor.
—Are you seeking revenge for Bu Zhanyang? Your fate will depend on that choice.
—Our realm is debating whether to kill you or not.
—To put it simply, you must not die. In fact, you must survive to the very end.
—If you can deal with them… the Infinite Realm will never rise again.
—Survive to the end. If you do, you will one day meet a person beyond imagination.
—And you must obtain the remaining two Divine Energies.
During their battle, the Supreme Emperor had admitted to examining Grandfather’s corpse and deducing the cause and circumstances of his death.
He had left those words behind.
If Baekri Mujo were the Supreme Emperor, even if he were a spy from the Three Realms embedded in the Martial Alliance, he could never be Grandfather’s murderer.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped Bu Eunseol.
Part of it was the realization that Baekri Mujo—the man he had been certain was the culprit—was someone else entirely.
But more than that, it allowed him to uncover an even more shocking truth.
“The spies from the Three Realms were not planted inside the Martial Alliance…”
Bu Eunseol finally voiced the assumption he had long considered—and stubbornly tried to deny.
“…The Martial Alliance itself… was the Three Realms from the very beginning.”
Drip, drip.
Fresh blood trickled from the corner of Bu Eunseol’s mouth once more, as though his internal injuries from the Supreme Emperor had flared up.
Yet because of the shock, he felt no pain at all.
“The Martial Venerable knew that, and that’s why he brought in external power.”
It felt as though every thread of doubt surrounding the Martial Alliance had finally unraveled.
“Yes… otherwise, how could the foremost orthodox master, comparable to the Demon Emperor, die so quietly inside the Martial Alliance headquarters?”
The one thing Bu Eunseol had never been able to understand was how the Heavenly Emperor, the supreme orthodox figure, could have died silently within the Martial Alliance.
But now he knew the reason clearly.
Because the Martial Alliance itself was the Three Realms.
That was how it had been able to take root and thrive in the martial world for generations.
Stagger.
Bu Eunseol dropped to his knees.
His head spun; nausea surged.
No wonder… even after rising to the high position of Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord Head, even someone as high-ranking as Gongsun Dankyung, fifth in the hierarchy, had never fully grasped the secrets of the Martial Alliance.
No wonder there were so many shadow organizations within it…
Because the Martial Alliance itself was the main headquarters of the Three Realms.
“Of course, this assumption could be wrong. But…”
There was no other explanation that fit so perfectly.
In that case, the reason the Martial Venerable used the dirty tactic of solitude to bind and control him was because he too knew that the Martial Alliance was the Three Realms itself.
“That’s why he said one of the Seven Commanders killed Grandfather.”
In the end, Baekri Mujo was not the culprit—someone else was.
“Was the Martial Alliance destined to be destroyed anyway?”
Bu Eunseol gritted his teeth.
In the end, the leaders of both orthodox and demonic paths must have known, from the moment he first appeared in the martial world, that he was Bu Zhanyang’s grandson, Baekri Muha’s son, Baekri Geomha.
Yet they had pretended ignorance, watching how he grew, just like the Demon Emperor, constantly manipulating him from behind the scenes.
“It will not go according to your plans.”
A fierce light blazed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
This incident had shattered his certainty that one of the Seven Commanders was Grandfather’s killer.
Of course, the possibility could not be completely ruled out, so he would continue investigating… but now he had gained a new goal.
Not only the Seven Commanders—he would rip out the true core hidden inside the shell called the Martial Alliance.
But there was one fact even Bu Eunseol did not know…
The Supreme Emperor he had encountered in the past had been attacked by someone and was currently in a state where his life or death was uncertain.
Because he had provoked Baekri Mujo, he had ironically been forced to remain in the Martial Alliance for an extended period.
***
Bu Eunseol returned to the Martial Alliance.
He came back to the Supreme Pavilion, but the feeling was completely different from before.
This was no place for the Supreme Corps members to stay. It was the jaws of a tiger.
He wanted to get the Supreme Pavilion members out of here as soon as possible.
But he could not.
Because he still had to take revenge.
He had to uncover every hidden organization and faction within the Martial Alliance and find the true enemy who killed Grandfather.
‘I’m sorry.’
Bu Eunseol looked up at the Supreme Pavilion with faint eyes.
‘Just endure a little longer. I will remove your solitude as quickly as possible and get you out of this place.’
He had thought there were no more secrets to hide from the Supreme Pavilion members, yet once again he was forced to conceal the truth.
The Martial Alliance might be the main headquarters of the Three Realms.
Therefore, he had to find the culprit as soon as possible, remove the solitude from the Supreme Pavilion members, and extract them from this hellish place.
“It’s been a while.”
At that moment, a low voice came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw a stalwart man dressed in white smiling at him.
It was Mu Gyeol, disciple of the Martial Venerable.
“What brings you all the way here?”
Bu Eunseol’s feelings were complicated. Now that he knew the truth about the Martial Alliance, he even felt pity for Mu Gyeol, the disciple of the Martial Venerable.
“It seems it’s time for you to repay the debt.” Mu Gyeol smiled faintly.
In the past, to bring down the Sixfold Heaven, Bu Eunseol had made the difficult request of Mu Gyeol to approach Yuk Cheongah.
After much deliberation, Mu Gyeol had agreed.
Because he had subtly shown that he would not walk the same path as the Martial Venerable,
and above all, because Bu Eunseol had promised to grant him any request in return.
“Follow me.”
Mu Gyeol led Bu Eunseol to Cheongmyeong Hall within the Mankyeong Hall.
Inside the office, he touched the inkstone and with a rumbling sound, a secret passage appeared.
‘People really are all the same.’
Mu Gyeol too had created a hidden chamber in his office for confidential conversations.
Once inside, he wasted no time and went straight to the point.
“Everything I say from now on must be known only to you. You must keep it absolutely secret.”
Once they were in the secret room, Mu Gyeol dropped all formality and spoke to him as he would an old friend of the same age.
“Don’t worry.”
“It’s better not to answer so easily. Because…” Mu Gyeol said with a grave expression. “If this secret leaks, not only you, but everyone who knows you—your acquaintances, your subordinates—will die.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes turned sharp.
“I’m getting tired of junior brothers threatening each other’s lives.”
“Is that how you see it?”
Despite Bu Eunseol’s biting sarcasm, Mu Gyeol’s gaze remained earnest—and even sorrowful.
“I’ll say it once more. Everything I tell you from now on must be known only to you. You must guard it with your life.”
Taking a deep breath, Mu Gyeol continued.
“If you don’t have the confidence to keep it, tell me now. I will never force you.”
“Does that mean I don’t have to repay the favor?”
“Of course.”
“Looking at your face, it seems you’re absolutely certain I’ll accept.”
“You’re right.” Bu Eunseol gave a hollow laugh. “You think so highly of my trustworthiness—should I be grateful?”
“It’s not because I believe you’re a trustworthy person.”
“Then why are you so sure I’ll keep the promise?”
A sharp light flowed from Mu Gyeol’s eyes.
“Because you will never pass up the chance to learn the Martial Venerable’s secrets.”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol froze.
“What did you just say?”
“What I’m about to tell you is a secret between me and the Martial Venerable Elder—a secret that no one in the Martial Alliance, no one in the world, knows.”
Mu Gyeol paused briefly, then spoke.
“Will you swear secrecy and repay the debt? Or will you leave now?”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
After learning the true identity of the Supreme Emperor—or rather, Baekri Mujo—he had already vowed to uncover the real entity hidden inside the shell of the Martial Alliance.
If Mu Gyeol was now willingly offering him one of those secrets, there was no way he could refuse.
“Fine.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“I swear that what I hear in this place will remain secret. I will tell no one.”
“Good.”
Mu Gyeol spoke immediately.
“I am, in fact, the disciple of the Martial Alliance Leader.”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol was speechless.
Wasn’t it common knowledge among all martial artists that he was the disciple of the Martial Alliance Leader?
“You don’t mean the Martial Venerable—you mean you’re the disciple of the Heavenly Emperor?”
“Exactly.”
Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed deeply.
Mu Gyeol was known as the late disciple accepted by the Divine Mountain Sage.
Yet he was the disciple of the Heavenly Emperor?
“Are you saying your martial arts surpass even the Martial Venerable’s?”
The Martial Venerable had achieved martial learning comparable to the Heavenly Emperor.
There was no way his subordinate, Mu Gyeol, could deceive the Heavenly Emperor.
“Of course not.” Mu Gyeol replied calmly. “There was never any deception to begin with.”
He looked at Bu Eunseol with a composed expression.
“I destroyed my own internal energy in order to become the disciple of the Martial Venerable Elder.”
Thud.
It was a shocking statement.
The original disciple of the Heavenly Emperor had deliberately destroyed his own cultivation just to disguise his identity and become the disciple of the Martial Venerable?
Why on earth would he do such a thing?
“The Martial Venerable and the Heavenly Emperor are known as sworn brothers. How could he not know his own brother’s disciple?”
“My master intended to use me heavily. That’s why he never revealed to anyone that I was his disciple.” Mu Gyeol spoke confidently. “Even the Martial Venerable Elder could not know my true identity.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
“Why would you go to such lengths?”
“Because otherwise I could not fool the Elder’s eyes.”
“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”
Under Bu Eunseol’s pressing, Mu Gyeol took a deep breath as well.
“I needed to know the truth behind my master’s death.”
“The truth?”
“It is true that my master formed a sworn brotherhood with the Martial Venerable Elder. But he always said the Elder held mistaken beliefs.”
“What do you mean?”
Mu Gyeol took another deep breath.
“To be honest, I suspect that the Martial Venerable Elder may have harmed my master.”
Thud.
Another shocking revelation left Bu Eunseol reeling, his head throbbing.
“Even if the Martial Venerable has sunk to the lowest depths, would he really kill his sworn brother—who sacrificed his own life to save him—out of sheer inhumanity?”
“You must have heard stories about my Master and the Elder from the Chief Strategist.”
“Yes.”
Mu Gyeol drew in a long breath.
“That’s right. My master was like a blood brother to the Elder. Yet he always said the same thing to me.”
With a pained expression, Mu Gyeol continued.
“The Elder always held mistaken beliefs… and was far too greedy.”
Bu Eunseol fell silent for a moment.
Mu Gyeol’s words were so shocking that he needed time to carefully digest and analyze them.
“Just because of words like that, you destroyed your own cultivation to investigate the Martial Venerable?”
“Of course not.”
Taking another deep breath, Mu Gyeol continued.
“My master said that the reason he could govern the world and protect the martial realm was because he possessed the key to meeting a sage who could read the Heavenly Mandate.”
“A sage who reads the Heavenly Mandate.”
Bu Eunseol could not understand.
Wasn’t the greatest sage of the current martial world none other than the Martial Venerable’s other identity, the Divine Mountain Sage?
“Naturally, my master was not referring to the Martial Venerable Elder. He meant there was someone else entirely who could read the Heavenly Mandate.”
“That’s still just a rather vague clue.” Bu Eunseol said. “With just the words that the Martial Venerable is greedy and that there exists another sage who can read the Heavenly Mandate, you destroyed your cultivation and became his disciple?”
“Listen to the rest.”
Mu Gyeol spoke with utmost gravity.
“My master, despite achieving the greatest martial learning of his era, was always prepared for death. And he told me that if something happened to him…”
His pupils dilated as though staring into pitch-black darkness.
“…to open the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’ at the very end of the second floor of the Myriad Goods Store in Kaifeng.”
Mu Gyeol’s face contorted in pain.
“But… when I went there, the Spring and Autumn Annals itself was gone.”
“You’re saying the Martial Venerable took it?”
“Most likely.”
Mu Gyeol said firmly.
“After long investigation, I discovered that the Elder visited the Myriad Goods Store under the identity of the Divine Mountain Sage.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol finally understand why Mu Gyeol suspected the Martial Venerable.
The first person to discover the Heavenly Emperor’s unexplained death had been none other than his sworn brother, the Martial Venerable.
Yet without even determining the cause of death, he had concealed it under the pretext of protecting orthodox martial society, and had continued acting in the name of the Heavenly Emperor ever since.
That alone was enough circumstantial evidence to arouse suspicion.
Moreover, even the book containing his master’s last will had been stolen—and if the Martial Venerable had been there…
from Mu Gyeol’s perspective, it would be stranger not to suspect him.
“But that’s still just suspicion.”
Bu Eunseol, deep in thought, shook his head.
“To speak coldly, even if the Martial Venerable held mistaken beliefs, even if he took the book containing your master’s will—that still isn’t proof he killed the Heavenly Emperor.”
“You’re right. Evidence is the most important thing.”
Mu Gyeol said decisively.
“That’s why I called you here.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Mu Gyeol suddenly said something unexpected.
“I’ve observed you for a long time. I know what kind of person you are.
I know whether you’re someone who can help me.”
“…”
“You are absolutely not the kind of person who would betray others or leak secrets. You don’t crave power or fame either.”
Mu Gyeol gave a faint smile.
“Most importantly, the reason I can trust you… is because you are absolutely not someone who would ever share the same ideals as the Elder.”
His greatest worry had been whether Bu Eunseol might align with the Martial Venerable or walk a similar path.
After all, the Martial Venerable had been obsessed with martial arts in his youth and reached great heights early on.
Moreover, now that both held immense power, the concern was even greater.
For someone who holds power, letting it go is an incredibly difficult thing.
“How do you know that?”
“If that weren’t the case, the Elder would not have used the lives of the Supreme Pavilion members as leverage to put a leash around your neck.”
The Martial Venerable’s other identity was the foremost sage of the martial world.
For such a figure to judge that Bu Eunseol’s weakness was “affection,” Mu Gyeol could trust him as well.
“Even without that, I could believe in you. Every action you’ve taken has been solely for revenge—or to protect those around you.”
“…”
“I’ve said too much.”
Staring straight into Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Mu Gyeol continued.
“I want to retrieve the book my master left behind.”
“Are you asking me to kill the Martial Venerable?”
To demand that he take a book currently held by the foremost orthodox master—was that not, in effect, asking him to kill the man?
