Bu Eunseol had, through this incident, completely purged every spy rooted in Majeon—including those connected to the Chief Instructor.
From now on, no faction within Majeon would dare raise a hand against him, nor would any side with the Three Realms.
Yet because of this affair, Bu Eunseol had lost a considerable amount of goodwill among the people of Majeon and the Demonic Path.
It was only natural to deal with those who had ambushed him and to retaliate.
But in the Demonic Path, strength reigns supreme.
To the demonic cultivators, a man of lower martial prowess and rank than the Chief Instructor daring to behead Yeop Hyocheon’s trusted aide right in front of him was an unforgivable act of insubordination.
It earned him the reputation of a madman who used his authority as Majeon’s designated successor to rampage through the organization as he pleased.
“Will this really be alright?”
Yoo Unryong, who had come to Bu Eunseol’s office, asked with worry.
“You may have landed a solid blow on the Chief Instructor, but public opinion has completely turned against you.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“The favorable tide of voices that had always supported you.” Yoo Unryong’s face was grave. “The moment you finally stabilized your position as heir, rumors are spreading that you committed an act of rebellion against the Chief Instructor like some lunatic.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Bu Eunseol leisurely lifted a steaming teacup. “Is this not the Demonic Path? Strength and authority come first anyway.”
In the Orthodox sects, the power of one’s supporting faction is everything for a successor.
The Demonic Path was different.
As long as one possesses strength and authority, supporters will naturally flock.
“That’s exactly why I’m worried,” Yoo Unryong said, frowning deeply. “Right now, the one holding that strength and authority is the Chief Instructor. If he decides from this moment on to treat you as an enemy in earnest, we’ll be in serious trouble.”
Yeop Hyocheon was the second-in-command leading Majeon in place of the Demon Emperor himself.
If a man like that truly set his mind to crushing Bu Eunseol, there would be no way to counter him.
“That will never happen.”
“Never? His trusted aide’s head flew off right before his eyes, and his authority was openly defied—yet you think he’ll just sit still?”
“Of course.” Bu Eunseol answered with absolute confidence. “Because this incident made him realize he has utterly failed to control the greater board.”
“The greater board?”
“Exactly. Everything unfolded in a way completely outside the Chief Instructor’s expectations.”
“Eh?”
“The appearance of the Buddha Venerable.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
“I’ve thought about it hundreds of times. If he had known the Buddha Venerable would appear, the Heavenly Deity would never have shown himself.” Turning his head, he fixed his gaze outside the window. “Just that single point proves the Chief Instructor did not fully grasp or control the situation. That failure must have cracked even the heart of a man who has always pursued perfection.”
Yoo Unryong stroked his chin in thought.
“So he is not part of the Infinite Realm after all?”
“Correct. Judging from his behavior until now, he was actually an outsider.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“There are two reasons.”
Bu Eunseol calmly explained.
“If he had truly intended to bring me down, he would never have played the card named Hyeok Ryeon-eung so clumsily.”
Because Hyeok Ryeon-eung had let Bu Eunseol escape, he was effectively expelled from the Infinite Realm and desperately tried to topple Bu Eunseol on his own. In the end, he fell into Bu Eunseol’s trap, and all the connections they had built inside Majeon vanished like smoke.
Had Yeop Hyocheon truly been part of the Infinite Realm, he would never have needed to bribe sect-leader-level figures through Hyeok Ryeon-eung just to confirm facts, nor would he ever have fallen into Bu Eunseol’s trap.
“And the second reason?”
“If he were part of the Infinite Realm, he could have acted personally.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew deeper.
“I felt it again this time—the Chief Instructor is still stronger than I am. For now.”
“Yes… I see.”
If Yeop Hyocheon were truly of the Infinite Realm and absolutely determined to kill Bu Eunseol, he would not have needed the Heavenly Deity at all; he could have struck with his own hands.
“If he had really intended to kill you this time, even if it meant joining forces with the Heavenly Deity, he would never have let you live.” Only then did Yoo Unryong nod in understanding. “He has probably been silently watching the board the Three Realms laid out all this time, planning to use it for himself. If he had wanted to move against you directly, there were far too many opportunities from the very beginning.”
As Majeon’s second-in-command, Yeop Hyocheon wielded immense power.
Yet he had never directly obstructed Bu Eunseol and instead, whenever something happened, he merely used the situation to manipulate him.
Considering everything together, Yeop Hyocheon could never be part of the Infinite Realm.
“Precisely.” Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice. “For the time being, he will lie low and never step forward. His ties to the Three Realms have been exposed, and at this critical juncture he failed to seize control of the greater situation.”
“Well, that’s a relief, at least.”
Yoo Unryong suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, what exactly were you doing for the past month? Even Deputy Leader Soyo and Protector Tak had no idea of your whereabouts.”
During that time, Bu Eunseol had strengthened Do Cheonlin’s martial arts and turned him into a direct line to the Three Realms.
He had not even told Yoo Unryong about it.
The man worried too much.
If he learned that Bu Eunseol had cooperated with Do Cheonlin, he would investigate and re-investigate until he was satisfied and trusted the situation completely.
“I simply had some personal matters to attend to. Certain memories suddenly resurfaced.”
Instead, Bu Eunseol chose the perfect defense.
Yoo Unryong already knew that he had lost his childhood memories and was searching for his parents.
“Ah, I see.”
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded along with Wi Cheongyeong’s voice.
“My Lord, it is Wi Cheongyeong.”
“Come in.”
Wi Cheongyeong entered the office, scratched his head, and reported to Bu Eunseol.
“I just received news concerning the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai—something felt off, so I came straight to inform you.”
“The Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai?”
When Bu Eunseol tilted his head, Yoo Unryong’s face filled with pride.
“My messenger hawks scattered across the land are finally proving their worth. We can now receive news from Qinghai instantly.”
Bu Eunseol had many mouths to feed.
Not only the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps, but also the Nangyang Pavilion, the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect, and the Affectionate Blossom Sect.
The very first group he had incorporated into Majeon was the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai.
Then came the Azure Cloud Sea Palace and the North Sea Ice Palace.
After So Jamyeong’s death, Yoo Unryong had deeply blamed himself for failing to properly assist the constantly busy Bu Eunseol.
He felt the urgent need to further develop the emergency communication network of the Death Spirit Corps.
After much deliberation, he expanded the branches of the old Nine Deaths Squad across the Central Plains and completely restructured the information relay system, including the use of messenger hawks.
Of course, it had not been easy; Yoo Unryong had gone many sleepless nights to make it happen.
Yet everything was now functioning perfectly.
“An enemy has invaded the Hyeoncheon Sword Sect among the Seven Sword Sects and is reportedly preparing for battle.”
“The Hyeoncheon Sword Sect?”
“Yes. An unidentified masked person publicly declared to Sect Leader Ban Muryeok that if he does not commit suicide within three days, the entire Hyeoncheon Sword Sect will be erased.”
Bu Eunseol and Yoo Unryong exchanged glances.
Though the Hyeoncheon Sect was the weakest of the seven, it was still a renowned sword family in its own right. Yet someone dared to threaten that if the Sect Leader did not take his own life, they would turn the entire gate into a field of ashes?
What kind of madman—or faction—would issue such an absurd ultimatum?
“What a lunatic. Which faction sent that threat?” Yoo Unryong muttered.
Wi Cheongyeong shook his head.
“It was not a faction—just one person.”
“One person?”
“Yes. The intruder wore a mask, so his identity is unknown, but he claimed to be from the Yangseol Clan.”
In that instant, both Bu Eunseol’s and Yoo Unryong’s expressions turned bizarre.
The Yangseol Clan.
Three hundred years ago, they had briefly appeared in the martial world before vanishing again—a legendary hermit family said to rival even the Baekri Clan.
There were many clans that never revealed themselves to the martial world, so that alone was nothing special.
Yet the reason the Yangseol Clan was called legendary stemmed from something the ancient sage and prophet, Dharma Seeker Moryun—who could read the heavens and foretell the future, who understood all principles of the world—had once said:
“My abilities merely came from accidentally reading a book written by the Yangseol Clan.”
If even Moryun’s heaven-defying gifts originated from a single text of the Yangseol Clan that had briefly surfaced in the martial world, it was no wonder countless people had desperately searched for their stronghold ever since.
Yet not a single trace had ever been found.
And now someone claiming to be from the Yangseol Clan suddenly appeared and demanded the suicide of the Hyeoncheon Sect Leader?
“And then?”
“Sect Leader Ban Muryeok flew into a rage and ordered the masked man captured, but the intruder’s martial arts were extraordinary and he escaped the gate unharmed,” Wi Cheongyeong continued calmly.
“Realizing the masked man’s skill was no joke, the Hyeoncheon Sect requested aid from the nearest ally, the North Wind Sword Sect.”
Yoo Unryong tilted his head. “If they didn’t contact headquarters directly, they must plan to handle it themselves?”
Since the Seven Sword Sects had been incorporated into Majeon, they could naturally request troops from headquarters.
“That seems to be the case. The Hyeoncheon Sect Leader apparently judged there was no need to trouble headquarters and contacted only the North Wind Sect.”
“And the North Wind Sect?”
“In response to the request, the North Wind Sect dispatched roughly a hundred elite warriors, including their young lady, to the Hyeoncheon Sect.”
Yoo Unryong, who had been listening silently, looked at Bu Eunseol.
“Whether it’s really someone from the Yangseol Clan or not, it doesn’t seem like something we need to worry about, right?”
Contrary to outward appearances, the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai were extremely solid and tightly knit.
Touching the Hyeoncheon Sect meant taking on all seven sects at once.
No matter how powerful the opponent, they could not possibly face all seven sects that treated Qinghai as their backyard simultaneously.
“I was actually planning to simply observe the situation for now,” Wi Cheongyeong said, sniffing. “But something felt off, so I thought the Lord should know in advance.”
Because Bu Eunseol operated a vast intelligence network, he could not personally review every piece of information that poured in daily. In the past, useless reports were filtered out and only high-quality intelligence was refined and delivered to him.
But ever since Myo Cheonwoo left for treatment, Yoo Unryong of the Death Shadow Corps had taken over most duties, and the task of refining information had largely fallen to Wi Cheongyeong.
“Hmm.” Bu Eunseol stroked his chin.
Originally, he had intended to prepare several things for his link with Do Cheonlin. But after hearing Wi Cheongyeong’s report, it seemed he needed to check the Qinghai situation first.
“You’re really going?” Yoo Unryong asked, reading his expression. “Because someone dared to use the dusty name of the long-forgotten Yangseol Clan? It feels suspicious?”
“No one is unaware that the Seven Sword Sects of Qinghai have been incorporated into Majeon.”
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
“Yet a single person walked in boldly and demanded the Sect Leader’s suicide… There must be something—or someone—behind it.”
“Just send one of the corps leaders.”
“There are only two days left anyway.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Wi Cheongyeong shrugged.
Reaching the Hyeoncheon Sect from Majeon within two days was something only Bu Eunseol, Wi Cheongyeong himself, the Death Shadow captains, Mu Heon or Soyo, or Protector Tak Ilhon could accomplish.
“My Lord, then allow me to escort you to Qinghai.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head. “No need. I only intend to confirm the situation.”
Yoo Unryong nodded reluctantly.
“Still, just in case, I’ll dispatch troops separately.”
“Understood.” Bu Eunseol immediately fastened the Demon-Killer Sword that hung on the wall to his waist and left the office.
“I’ll be back.”
Once outside Majeon, Bu Eunseol unleashed his movement art at full power.
As his speed increased, white streams of qi swirled around his body, accompanied by thunderous booms.
From constantly traveling the martial world, even without deliberate training, his movement technique alone had been honed without cease. Supported by immense inner energy, the speed of his Swift Beyond Shadow was truly like lightning.
‘Can’t I go any faster?’
Even while pushing his qinggong to the limit, he continued researching ways to increase speed. The moment he fell into that thought—
Crackle, crackle!
The Thunder Spirit Energy within his body naturally began merging with his original true qi.
Rumble…
The violet glow rising from his body grew denser, and then—
BOOM!
With a heaven-shaking thunderclap, Bu Eunseol’s figure turned into a streak of lightning that tore across the sky.
He had already surpassed the level of Gowol, the creator of Swift Beyond Shadow.
BOOM! BOOM!
Amid continuous explosions that split the earth, Bu Eunseol finally arrived in Qinghai.
He had shortened the journey by half a day compared to his own estimate.
“Huu.” Bu Eunseol caught his breath and rested briefly.
‘Thunder Spirit Energy is not omnipotent, after all.’
Movement enhanced by Thunder Spirit Energy allowed truly transcendent speed, but it placed tremendous strain not only on the body but also on the mind and spirit.
‘Is it because it was injected from the outside?’
The power of the Four Divine Energies was originally a gift from heaven, usable only by the chosen. Yet Bu Eunseol had received it externally and accommodated it within himself.
Perhaps the divine energy had not yet perfectly fused with his body.
“Huu.”
Once recovered, Bu Eunseol immediately ascended Banwol Mountain where the Hyeoncheon Sword Sect was located.
‘It has already begun.’
Bu Eunseol frowned at the sight of the wide-open main gate.
From the entrance alone, traces of fierce combat were visible. Yet these were not marks of a battle between armies, but of one against many.
In other words, a single overwhelming master had broken through the gate’s defenses alone.
BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment, massive shockwaves echoed continuously from deeper inside the gate.
Bu Eunseol instantly used his movement art and slipped through the gate. Climbing the sloping path, the interior of the Hyeoncheon Sword Sect came into view.
Passing the traces of fierce fighting, he arrived at the great training yard in front of Sinukhyeon, the Sect Leader’s residence.
In the yard stood the assembled warriors of the Hyeoncheon Sword Sect along with reinforcements from the other Qinghai Seven Sword Sects and their successors.
And standing tall before them was a masked figure clad in loose, flowing silk robes.
That masked person was undoubtedly the very one who had demanded the Sect Leader’s suicide and turned the compound into a wasteland.
‘A woman.’
Though the robes were large and baggy, the clear, large eyes visible through the mask made it obvious at a glance that she was a young woman.
“I told you nicely, yet you refuse to kill yourself.”
The masked woman’s voice was muffled, mixed with rough breathing so one had to strain to hear her properly.
“I even gave you a fair chance.”
Step.
At that moment, the ranks parted and a stout middle-aged man stepped forward—Ban Muryeok, Sect Leader of the Hyeoncheon Sword Sect.
“Why exactly do you demand this old man commit suicide?”
When Ban Muryeok roared in fury, the masked woman answered in a low voice, “You should know better than anyone.”
Ban Muryeok merely glared with rage-filled eyes and said nothing. At that moment, his son Ban Cheolseong approached and spoke coldly.
“Father, there is no need to speak with that wicked witch.” He pointed at the disciples collapsed all around. “That witch has mercilessly cut down our sect’s disciples. We must subdue her and restore our gate’s honor.”
Despite Ban Cheolseong’s shout, Ban Muryeok only frowned more deeply.
The masked woman’s martial arts were extraordinary; she had single-handedly felled the thirty disciples guarding the entrance in an instant.
If a real fight broke out, victory was far from certain.
“Right. No need for more words.”
The masked woman stepped forward, breathing heavily.
“I definitely gave you a chance.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the warriors at the front of the formation were flung backward dozens of feet as though struck by something invisible.
The distance between the masked woman and the Hyeoncheon warriors was roughly thirty feet.
Yet no one had seen her move a finger or use any technique.
“Attack!”
As Ban Cheolseong had said, further talk was pointless. Ban Muryeok ordered a full assault on his disciples.
“Form the Wall of Dark Swords!”
Rumble!
The Hyeoncheon warriors scattered and surrounded the masked woman. As the sword formation activated, the warriors vanished from sight, and layers of sharp sword qi surged toward her.
But it was useless.
Rip!
With a sound like silk tearing, the front of the formation was instantly breached.
The warriors who had disappeared reappeared only to be hurled backward as if hammered by an invisible force.
Thud. Thud.
With more than ten men down, the formation collapsed in an instant, and the remaining warriors froze with eyes wide in shock.
“Now even suicide won’t help.”
Step. Step.
As the masked woman advanced, the Hyeoncheon warriors retreated. Faced with this unforeseen situation, Ban Muryeok trembled.
From the beginning, the Hyeoncheon Sect had been confident they could at least hold her off despite her high skill.
After all, this was Qinghai.
They had mobilized every intelligence network of the Seven Sword Sects and detected no large enemy force nearby.
That meant the masked woman had brought at most a single squad or small unit. They could not possibly overcome the sect’s four hundred elite swordsmen.
Yet reality had turned out completely different.
The masked woman was a master of a caliber Ban Muryeok had never encountered before.
She was felling elite warriors like autumn leaves without even lifting a hand. Now only about three hundred remained from the sect itself, plus the hundred reinforcements from the North Wind Sect—four hundred in total.
The problem was that even with these numbers, no one believed they could stop her.
Whoosh!
In that interval, five more Hyeoncheon warriors spat blood and flew backward.
“Ahh.”
The pair of eyes behind the mask curved into crescents.
She looked like a child joyfully playing a game.
“Die!”
Yet the Hyeoncheon Sect was a proud sword sect of Qinghai. They did not cower before her skill and charged again.
BOOM! BOOM!
But the moment anyone approached her vicinity—
Were they not flung outward as though struck by an invisible hammer?
‘That is…?’
Ban Muryeok’s eyes widened as he carefully observed the masked woman’s technique.
‘Could it be the Wind God’s… Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?’
