As Bu Eunseol slowly regained his blocked Divine Energy and internal energy, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
To restore his utterly wrecked meridians and body and to stabilize the enormous power that had suddenly erupted within him, he began circulating his energy.
Whoosh.
As he entered a deep state of meditative circulation, his body gently floated about a foot into the air.
Flash!
At that moment, among the one hundred and eight stars, the single star that had been completely shrouded in darkness began to emit a faint light.
Gradually, the countless stars floating in the darkness started to lose their brilliance.
But Bu Eunseol, eyes closed and immersed in circulation, could not witness the spectacle.
Ziiing.
While circulating his energy, Bu Eunseol felt an unknown power squirming near his Middle Dantian, around the Okdang acupoint.
Though alien, it merged naturally with his innate true qi and circulated smoothly through his body.
Each movement seemed to cleanse every single joint and bone in a purifying wash.
‘This isn’t the Shedding Mortality and Rebirth transformation.’
Flash!
When Bu Eunseol opened his eyes again, golden light surged within his pupils.
Hummm.
As he halted circulation, his body drifted down like a feather to the floor.
“…….”
Bu Eunseol stared blankly down at himself for a moment.
It wasn’t the Shedding Mortality and Rebirth transformation since his internal energy hadn’t increased, nor had his existing powers fused or harmonized.
Yet somehow, he felt that something inside his body had changed.
It was as if his flesh and soul had been shattered into pieces and painstakingly reassembled.
“What in the world…?”
Something felt different.
But without knowing why, the sensation was simply eerie and strange.
“Well, I’ve regained my strength. That’s enough.”
Just as that mysterious high monk had said, the mystical light flowing from the Martial Venerable’s secret vault had healed his body.
That was sufficient.
Click.
The universe-like twinkling darkness vanished, and the interior reverted to an ordinary stone chamber.
At the same time, the transparent Boundary Prosperity Jade that had been embedded somewhere fell back down.
Thud.
Bu Eunseol picked up the fallen Boundary Prosperity Jade and furrowed his brow.
The jade, which had previously shifted between two colors, now held a diverse, radiant brilliance that defied any single description.
Had he not known it was Boundary Prosperity Jade, he might have mistaken it for diamond reflecting light.
“Hmm.”
Swallowing a groan, Bu Eunseol tucked the jade back into his robes—
“Ah!”
He widened his eyes in realization.
Only now did he understand how much time had passed.
‘I need to get out of here quickly.’
Click.
After stepping outside and hastily organizing the books, he hurriedly left the secret vault.
If he delayed even a little longer? He might encounter an enemy he could not yet handle.
He could run into the Martial Venerable or Baekri Mujo.
‘Thank goodness!’
Though another day seemed to have passed and morning had arrived, fortunately he sensed no trace of the Martial Venerable or Baekri Mujo.
Rumble rumble.
As he raised his internal energy to employ qinggong, the ground suddenly began to shake.
‘Something has changed.’
He had only drawn upon about three-tenths of his power, yet the waves of true qi spread out as clearly and powerfully as if he had used seven-tenths or more.
There was no difference in the level of power compared to before his injuries but still… he could not shake the feeling that something had fundamentally changed.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, Bu Eunseol’s body streaked across the sky like a meteor.
And one hour after he departed, an auspicious mist seemed to rise from the forest, and an old monk in gray robes appeared.
Swoooosh.
It was none other than the Martial Venerable, disguised as the Divine Mountain Sage.
“The place that the Star Guard Division had been strictly protecting… suddenly closed off?”
He already knew Baekri Mujo had ordered the Star Guard Division to thoroughly investigate this location but yesterday he received word that all the Star Guard Division’s martial artists had abruptly returned to the Martial Alliance.
The moment he heard the news, the Martial Venerable rushed to the secret vault.
Baekri Mujo was a man who pursued perfection in all things.
He would never halt an investigation until he found something convincing here.
The moment the Star Guard Division completely vacated the area, he decided to seal the vault itself so no one could enter.
“I should confirm it.”
He had already been planning to check why this place had been exposed and whether anyone had intruded.
Ziiing.
The Martial Venerable opened the boundary gate leading into the forest and entered the secret archive.
As he slowly inspected the interior, his eyes widened.
He had expected it, but there really were signs of intrusion.
“A person who was not trained in martial arts?”
Crouching down and meticulously examining the traces left in the archive, he let out an incredulous mutter.
“Impossible.”
Bu Eunseol had entered this place with all his internal power extinguished.
After regaining his strength, he realized how much time had passed and hurriedly left… inevitably leaving traces.
But the Martial Venerable had no way of knowing that truth.
Thus he could only conclude that someone untrained in martial arts had broken in.
“Did I see wrong?”
Ziiing.
Pure white light bloomed in the Martial Venerable’s eyes, similar to the radiance Bu Eunseol emitted when using Void Heart Command.
After examining the lingering traces in the archive for a long while, he tilted his head.
“It’s certain.”
The intruder had stepped with full body weight as if possessing no martial training at all.
There were even signs of someone sweating profusely while handling the books on the shelves.
“No way.”
A foreboding premonition struck the Martial Venerable. He swiftly organized the books and activated the hidden mechanism.
Rumble. Click.
As the archive shifted and two doors appeared, he immediately entered the left one.
Opening the door should have revealed a vast darkness filled with countless stars twinkling in myriad colors but there was no reaction.
Just an ordinary stone chamber.
“Why…?”
Ziiing.
The Martial Venerable poured every ounce of power he had.
The chamber darkened and gradually transformed into the form of a night sky.
It turned out that transparent orbs, invisible to the naked eye, were densely embedded throughout the ceiling.
They alternated emitting various lights to create a single grand vista.
Hummm.
But the light soon faded entirely, and the room reverted to plain stone once more.
“Heh heh heh.”
The Martial Venerable burst into hollow laughter.
“The power of the Boundary Prosperity Jades stored in the Silver River Domain… has all disappeared?”
The twinkling lights in the darkness had all been Boundary Prosperity Jades that condensed the power of the one hundred and eight stars.
“A person with no martial arts intruded here and took them.”
Tremble tremble.
The Martial Venerable shook.
He had recalled a hypothesis he desperately wished to avoid.
“Has he already appeared?”
Because the vault’s location had been exposed, he had long suspected an insider.
But no.
Someone who had mastered that level of martial arts could not possibly leave traces as if possessing zero internal energy—much less possess the ability to absorb the power contained in the Boundary Prosperity Jades.
“If that person came here… our plans up to now must be completely revised.”
Cold sweat drenched the Martial Venerable’s face.
“In that case, there’s no choice but to hurry and stimulate Bu Eunseol.”
The Baekri family’s supreme martial arts compendium, said to be the strongest among the Three Families, and the separate annex rumored to contain mysterious power.
The Martial Venerable had located that annex long ago, but regrettably, only those of Baekri bloodline could enter.
To gain access to the annex he had discovered, he intended to awaken the Baekri power that lay dormant within Bu Eunseol.
* * *
Deep in the night, in a certain pavilion, a shadow gazed up at the pouring starlight of the night sky.
[Hmm.]
Lowering his head to look at the moonlit pond, the shadow let out a low hum and spoke in a quiet voice.
[Has he finally begun to realize his destiny?]
The shadow gave a faint smile and nodded.
[It has been a long time.]
Pleasure lingered in the shadow’s voice as he gazed at the distant sky.
[Become stronger quickly. Only then can I be completed as well…]
After staring at the stars for a long while, the shadow slowly turned away.
* * *
Having fully recovered his body, Bu Eunseol left Henan at once and returned directly to Majeon.
During this time he had crossed several life-or-death crises and regained his power, yet no one knew of it.
And Bu Eunseol had absolutely no intention of informing his subordinates.
They would only grieve.
They would feel guilty for failing to support him.
‘I’ll handle the piled-up matters one by one.’
Even while returning, he issued orders on various issues as if the long absence had never happened.
Majeon, Suppressed Demon Pavilion. Grand conference hall.
The captains entered the meeting room grinning like children given candy.
Because, for the first time in a while, Bu Eunseol himself was attending the meeting. While Seo Jinha was impersonating Bu Eunseol, he himself did not remain in Majeon but wandered the martial world handling affairs.
Thus the captains had not even seen the face of the disguised Seo Jinha in Majeon.
“Let us begin.”
Once all the captains were seated, Bu Eunseol nodded.
Wi Cheongyeong spoke first.
“The rebellion of the Dragon Flower Trading Company that you ordered us to handle has been resolved in one stroke.”
“Hmm.”
“We also beheaded that pig-like Yeo Daegwang and displayed his head.”
The rebel Yeo Daegwang had imprisoned the merchant group leader and his family.
Yeo Ryeong had set out to seek help from the Golden Blade—close to her father—but Yeo Daegwang, already aware of this, had paid a massive sum to place assassination contracts with the Short-Life Gate and Blood Zhao Sect.
―Restore the Dragon Flower Trading Company to normal and make Yeo Daegwang’s crimes known to the world.
On his way back to Majeon, Bu Eunseol had first ordered the assassins to resolve the crisis of Yeo Ryeong, the only daughter of Dragon Flower Trading Company, who was being pursued by killers.
The Death Spirit Corps moved as one under that grave order.
The Death Spirit Corps infiltrated the Dragon Flower Trading Company to grasp the internal situation, while battle units led by three captains of the Death Shadow Corps swiftly suppressed the rebel Yeo Daegwang and his forces.
* * *
―Why… from Majeon…?
Merchant leader Yeo Daeam could not comprehend the situation at all.
Unless one requests help first, martial world people do not mobilize forces for such domestic matters.
Especially in family feuds, justification is crucial.
If one intervenes rashly, the helper can often end up ruined instead.
Yeo Daegwang knew this well.
He had early on fed large bribes to factions friendly with Yeo Daeam, tightly controlled the interior, and then launched his rebellion.
Why had Majeon suddenly—without any prior contact—had quelled an internal rebellion?
Yeo Daegwang could not even resolve his curiosity. He and his rebel subordinates were immediately beheaded and hung at the main gate of the Dragon Flower Trading Company.
“This is a gift from our Command Lord to the Dragon Flower Trading Company.”
Having cleanly settled the internal rebellion, Wi Cheongyeong handed Yeo Daeam a command plaque bearing the Martial Soul Command Lord’s seal.
“You are… giving this to our main family?”
Yeo Daeam gaped as he accepted the plaque.
Once one possesses a Martial Soul Command plaque, within Majeon’s sphere of influence, one can move freely without fearing any sect’s gaze or plunder.
No matter how bold someone might be, no lunatic would dare touch a merchant group backed by the Martial Soul Command Lord of the world.
“It seems thanks to your excellent daughter.”
“Because of Ryeong-ah?”
Yeo Daeam blinked.
When had that tomboy built a connection with one of the young grandmasters of the Demonic Path who shakes the world?
“Indeed.” Wi Cheongyeong grinned and departed.
Yeo Ryeong, who heard the news belatedly, did not continue to Golden Blade but immediately returned to the Dragon Flower Merchant Home.
Yeo Daeam grabbed his returning daughter and asked.
“Ryeong-ah. What exactly happened?”
Yeo Ryeong suppressed her surging emotions.
She had only gone to hire a Mercenary Corps to repay the debt she owed Bu Eunseol.
Yet not only had Bu Eunseol quelled the rebellion in the Dragon Flower Merchant Home, he had even gifted them a command plaque that would save them hundreds of thousands of taels in annual transit fees.
“That person… is my benefactor.”
Bowing her head, Yeo Ryeong quietly recounted everything she had experienced.
Yeo Daeam’s mouth fell open.
He had heard the Demonic Path contained righteous men, but this was someone more chivalrous than even the famed great heroes.
“Ryeong-ah.”
Noticing his daughter’s flushed cheeks, Yeo Daeam realized she harbored feelings and spoke firmly.
“Our family may be called one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups of the Central Plains, but that is merely because we have preserved wealth accumulated over generations. Moreover, he…”
“I know.”
Biting her lip, Yeo Ryeong said,
“I simply… wish to see him once more. He promised to visit our house once as well.”
Yeo Daeam sighed.
He had heard that the appearance of this Demonic Path grandmaster was so peerless that even the Three Great Beauties of the World paled in comparison.
Meeting such a person… it was understandable for her to suffer a brief fever of the heart.
* * *
Wi Cheongyeong spoke again. “Afterward, the Dragon Flower Trading Company promised to voluntarily send one-tenth of their annual profits to the Command Lord every month.”
“Decline the offer. I helped without expecting anything in return.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Wi Cheongyeong scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well… they are extremely stubborn. They said if we refuse, they would rather join Majeon outright…”
The Dragon Flower Trading Company has long maintained deep ties with the righteous sects.
If they suddenly joined Majeon, they would likely face accusations of some scheme.
“They said the righteous sects they were close with were of no help. They seem ready to convert to the Demonic Path for real if we don’t accept.”
“Hmm.”
After a brief hesitation, Wi Cheongyeong suggested, “Since it would come in under the Command Lord’s name anyway, how about secretly redirecting the funds from Dragon Flower Trading Company to the Martial Soul Society?”
“That might create a visible connection between the Martial Soul Society and me.”
“Understood. Then we will simply accept it. Ah, and also…”
Clearing his throat, Wi Cheongyeong continued.
“The young lady of the Dragon Flower Trading Company, Lady Yeo, is requesting an audience with the Command Lord. She mentioned that the Command Lord made a promise.”
“I see. Tell her I will visit whenever possible.”
At that, Won Semun abruptly interjected.
“Command Lord. It would be better not to go.”
“Why?”
“The people from merchant groups are extremely persistent. Once you enter their main house, they will stake their lives on trying to make the Command Lord their son-in-law.”
Bu Eunseol let out a sigh.
Though Won Semun usually spouts nonsense, for some reason this did not sound like nonsense.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Bu Eunseol immediately changed the subject.
“What about the movements of the Seven Great Commanders?”
“As per the Command Lord’s order, excluding the Star Guard Division Leader, the two major intelligence networks are diligently searching. We should soon have a complete picture of another division leader’s movements. However…” Taking a deep breath, Wi Cheongyeong continued. “If locating their movements is this difficult, then as the Command Lord predicted, the probability that all Seven Great Commanders belong to external forces seems very high.”
Wi Cheongyeong’s expression darkened as he spoke.
“It would be faster to investigate whether they colluded with external forces than to confirm whether the Seven Great Commanders stayed in the Pyeongan Prefecture back then.”
In other words, there were already circumstances or evidence suggesting contact between the Seven Great Commanders and outside powers.
Bu Eunseol nodded heavily.
The Martial Alliance was a den of demons surpassing even Majeon—a cradle for hidden forces.
It was highly likely the main body of the Three Realms itself.
Perhaps that was why even Bu Eunseol, who held the intelligence networks of both righteous and demonic paths, found it so difficult to uncover the past movements of the Seven Great Commanders.
“It won’t be easy. Continue operating the intelligence networks.”
With the Dragon Flower Trading Company and Seven Great Commanders matters settled, Yoo Unryong brought up the main topic.
The true purpose of this captains’ meeting.
“Recently, another strange incident has been occurring.”
Yoo Unryong spoke with an extremely grave expression.
“Large numbers of people are dying overnight, and it keeps happening without cease.”
“Overnight?”
“Yes. Not in one place—multiple regions simultaneously.”
“Have the Ghost Children appeared again?”
“That is possible, but the method shows a clear difference from the Ghost Children.” Yoo Unryong furrowed his brow. “First, the execution method is extremely crude. It doesn’t even resemble martial arts proficiency—almost like someone with zero knowledge of it.”
“As if committed by ordinary civilians?”
“Exactly. The murder weapons are always farming tools or kitchen knives—simple, everyday objects readily available nearby.”
“Yet such incidents are occurring on a large scale?”
“Yes. As if people in villages across the regions have all gone mad at once.”
In truth, such cases fell under the jurisdiction of the government offices, not something Majeon or Bu Eunseol needed to concern themselves with. But ever since the Ghost Children’s rampage, Bu Eunseol had realized that the Three Realms was not dealing only with the Ghost Children.
He had been constantly probing and preparing defenses against the possibility of another force.
“Moreover, only evidence that the perpetrator is not a martial artist remains, with no way to identify them… the probability points to the Three Realms or the Abyssal groups.”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Yoo Unryong’s words.
The only ones capable of perfectly erasing all traces of simultaneous incidents across multiple locations in an instant were the Three Realms or the hidden Abyss people.
“Since I must head to the Hwangju Prefecture anyway for the Seven Great Commanders matter.” After taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol nodded. “I will personally look into why such incidents are occurring.”
He had planned to personally verify the movements of the Seven Great Commanders that the Death Spirit Corps had tracked down anyway.
While he was at it, Bu Eunseol decided to investigate this newly emerged peculiar case himself.
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