Bu Eunseol stayed at the Affectionate Blossom Sect for a while.
It was to wait for information on Sahyang to come in, and to thoroughly examine all the books in the Yocheon Pavilion.
Yocheon Pavilion.
That place was where the books recording the information collected by the Affectionate Blossom Sect were stored. From rumors and baseless hearsay floating around the martial world to high-level intelligence that greatly influenced sects and factions, everything was listed in chronological order.
Bu Eunseol was meticulously reading through the books to learn about the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang, along with the Martial World Who’s Who.
Rustle rustle.
Bu Eunseol was quickly scanning rumors from over thirty years ago and records of the martial world situation up to the present. He judged that by examining records from the era when the Seven-Finger Demon Blade suddenly vanished until now, he might find some clues.
‘This is strange.’ Bu Eunseol, flipping through the book quickly, shook his head.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang, known as the demonic path’s foremost blade master, had never used hidden weapons or poisons. Naturally, there was no mention of him mastering the Tianzhu Confucian Fist Technique.
‘Did the Heavenly Thief spout nonsense before dying?’
Moreover, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s prowess and fame were unparalleled.
Especially during the time he roamed the martial world, no one could stand against him. There was no need for him to wield Sahyang’s hidden weapons at all.
‘There’s also a time discrepancy….’
The time when the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang suddenly disappeared.
And the time when his grandfather Bu Zhanyang, who was a coroner in the local magistrate’s office, appeared—there was a gap of several years.
Of course, that gap might have been due to preparation time for a complete identity change.
‘Aren’t there professional identity changers in the martial world called Fengma Wuse?’
The Hao Clan or the Myriad Mirror Pavilion, or sects like the Twelve Earths that are closely tied to underworld criminals and black markets.
Or factions like the Private Secret Sect or Blood Dragon Pavilion that specialize solely in identity laundering.
In the martial world, such factions are collectively called Fengma Wuse, meaning ‘places ground by wind and washed by rain.’
Thud.
Bu Eunseol set down the book and shook his head.
In the end, he couldn’t find any connection between the demonic path’s foremost blade master, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang, and his grandfather Bu Zhanyang.
‘If I can’t do it with my current status, then I just need to climb higher.’
Bu Eunseol clenched his fist.
This was just the beginning.
If he climbed higher, if he gained a higher position…. he would surely find various clues.
‘I can’t find information on the fiend either.’
Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol finally left the Yocheon Pavilion.
He had already once tried to find information on the fiend who killed his grandfather using the intelligence network of the Nine Killing Squad in the past.
A person who favored using the poison of the Flesh-Splitting Flame, wielded Sahyang’s hidden weapons along with the Tianzhu Confucian Fist Technique, and possessed outstanding demonic swordsmanship.
Among the experts revealed in the current martial world, not a single one matched those conditions.
‘The information I can access is far too limited.’
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang, who was the foremost blade master of his time.
Normally, uncovering the hidden activities of a famous figure wouldn’t be that difficult. But he had vanished so suddenly, with no traces of his subsequent activities revealed at all.
‘But… I must find him.’ Among them, the one with even a slight chance of having traceable activities was the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang.
Bu Eunseol planned to methodically track down the fiend, starting with him.
“Young Master.” As Bu Eunseol exited the Yocheon Pavilion, a flower-like woman approached him. It was Mira Yeong, the Pavilion Lord of Hyebong Pavilion. “The Pavilion Lord is looking for you.”
“Understood. Where should I go?”
“She said to come to the Pure Gold Pavilion.”
‘They’ve found it.’ Bu Eunseol’s heart raced.
For Geuk Hyeryeong to specifically summon him to the Pure Gold Pavilion meant they had surely uncovered information on Sahyang.
***
If the Beggar Clan gathered information through merchants, inns, or errand boys, the Affectionate Blossom Sect obtained it through the underworld like brothels and gambling dens.
In other words, though the targets differed, the structure of the greatest intelligence networks in both orthodox and demonic paths was remarkably similar. Of course, such a system required a filtering net to refine the flood of information.
And if that filtering net functioned properly….
Even information or activities that would take a year to uncover could be found in a single day.
Pure Gold Pavilion, Geuk Hyeryeong’s office.
Her expression, as she sat at the table, was extremely grim.
Click.
After taking a sip of tea, Geuk Hyeryeong said in a low voice.
“Though we mobilized the full intelligence capabilities of this pavilion, uncovering Sahyang’s base is impossible.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
From the start, pinpointing the headquarters of a mysterious sect rooted in the martial world for hundreds of years in one go was unreasonable.
“But fortunately, we found a place closely connected to Sahyang.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the Seongga Ironworks in Yongcheon, Zhejiang.”
“Seongga Ironworks….” Bu Eunseol wore a puzzled expression.
Yongcheon, famous for producing high-quality iron, was home to many forges.
But he had never heard of a place called Seongga Ironworks.
“It’s a small forge built near Mount Okryu. They’ve been making farming tools for generations.” Geuk Hyeryeong’s voice was very low. “Though it’s an ironworks that makes farming tools, they were acquiring large quantities of tin and bronze.”
“If it’s tin and brass….” Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed. “They’re producing coil springs.”
“Exactly.” The coil springs used in hidden weapon mechanisms are typically made by mixing tin and brass.
A forge making farming tools would never acquire such materials in bulk.
“Our informants who tried to thoroughly investigate the Seongga Ironworks suddenly went missing. Just from that, it’s clear they’re connected to Sahyang.” She sighed and said. “Go to the Seongga Ironworks. If you go there, you’ll surely obtain information on Sahyang.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you leaving immediately?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful.” Geuk Hyeryeong said in a low voice. “Sahyang is an assassin sect that has never shown itself in the martial world for generations. Their roots are deeper than you can imagine.”
Her eyes were filled with worry.
Bu Eunseol was a man of outstanding intellect and martial prowess, but he sometimes undertook reckless endeavors without fear. It was a trait common to exceptional individuals, but dealing with a mysterious sect like Sahyang required utmost caution.
“You take care as well, Pavilion Lord.” Bu Eunseol clasped his hands.
And without delay, he departed from the Affectionate Blossom Sect.
‘I need to hurry.’ If the Affectionate Blossom Sect’s informants had gone missing, they must have realized their trail was exposed.
He had to arrive swiftly before they erased all traces and escaped.
***
Leaving the Affectionate Blossom Sect, Bu Eunseol immediately unleashed his qinggong at full power.
Having reached the perfect realm of the fifth layer of the Ban-geuk Method, Bu Eunseol could maintain his qinggong for four days and nights without tiring. Three days had already passed, but he was still heading toward Yongcheon at full speed without even a sip of water.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol’s Swift Beyond Shadow, unrestrained in its air-cutting sound, was like a meteor slicing through the earth.
Yet the weather was eerie. As he drew closer to Yongcheon, the clear sky darkened, and dark clouds began to gather. As if foretelling some ominous event.
Finally, as Bu Eunseol’s form entered a small village at the foot of Yongcheon’s deep mountains,
“….!” A sharp light flashed in his pupils.
In the distance, thick gray smoke was billowing upward.
Thud.
Landing on the ground, Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
‘Damn.’ Before he knew it, the small mountain village was engulfed in flames. And the forge at its edge was also burning fiercely.
It seemed that Sahyang, realizing their tail had been caught, had burned down the entire village and forge.
Rumble.
Finally, the warehouse of the forge, which had held out until the end, was collapsing. From its state, it was clear the fires had been set less than half a day ago.
‘A mere assassin sect operating an intelligence organization rivaling the Ten Great Demonic Sects?’ Bu Eunseol had mobilized upon receiving the information and arrived here in three days via full-speed qinggong.
Yet for them to cut off their tail this quickly? That in itself proved that Sahyang’s intelligence network rivaled the Affectionate Blossom Sect’s.
‘I can still pursue them now.’ To turn the village into scorched earth and set it ablaze in such a short time would have required a large number of experts. If he acted now, he could surely catch the tails of those escaping this area.
“….” Bu Eunseol, about to swiftly unleash his qinggong, suddenly halted his movement.
He had spotted black shadows emerging like ghosts amid the flames engulfing the village surroundings.
“Thorough, aren’t they.” Bu Eunseol let out an exclamation.
The ones who set the fire had stationed assassins here to deal with Bu Eunseol, who would soon arrive.
“Perfect.” Instead, Bu Eunseol wore a welcoming smile.
Even if these weren’t Sahyang’s assassins, it didn’t matter. There would surely be clients who commissioned them. If he captured them alive and interrogated them, he could definitely grasp their tails.
Swish swish swish.
Finally, the fully revealed assassins numbered over a hundred. From the bulging shoulders and arms, it seemed they were wearing various hidden weapon devices under their assassin garb.
‘Not commissioned, but Sahyang’s assassins themselves.’
Whoosh!
Over a hundred assassins attacked Bu Eunseol without a word.
But their method was a bit unique.
They maintained a very distant range from Bu Eunseol and showered him with hidden weapons.
Pew pew pew pew!
The blue sky was blackened.
The hidden weapons they unleashed were extremely unique ones not commonly seen in the martial world. Not only their shapes but also their launch methods were distinctly different from ordinary hidden weapon devices.
‘Definitely Sahyang’s assassins.’ Their hidden weapon devices included not only coil spring mechanisms but also gunpowder-operated ones.
Some fixed small bows to their forearms and drew strings to shoot, while others mounted large hidden weapon tubes on their backs or shoulders and fired in succession.
Boom boom boom!
With no space to evade, Bu Eunseol began deflecting the hidden weapons back with Return to Origin.
Fwoosh!
But among the showering hidden weapons, some spewed acid powder upon impact, while others burst into flames.
Boom!
In the meantime, a hidden weapon grazed by his Black Blade exploded near Bu Eunseol’s body, scattering fragments.
Rumble.
A large hole formed where Bu Eunseol had stood. If he hadn’t quickly escaped the blast radius, the damage wouldn’t have been light.
‘These are Sahyang’s hidden weapons too.’
In the martial world, there were martial clans that mainly used firearms and fire bombs. But their numbers were practically nil—only places like the Thunderclap Hall, famous for thunderclap bombs, or the Extreme Fury Sect that used Heaven-Shattering Explosive Pills.
Yet for Sahyang to freely produce even firearms and fire bombs?
Boom!
In the interim, the showering hidden weapons engulfed Bu Eunseol’s surroundings with flames. Each time, with a thudding vibration, large holes appeared in the ground where he stood.
‘Even Peak realm masters would find this trap difficult.’ The assault from assassins armed with hidden weapons was on a level that could sweep away an ordinary small sect in an instant.
If Bu Eunseol hadn’t had the Beast Way to sense all incoming hidden weapons.
If he hadn’t mastered the Swift Beyond Shadow, allowing ninety-nine directional changes in a single leap.
If his internal energy, far exceeding four jiazi, hadn’t allowed him to envelop his body in a protective true energy barrier like the Protective Body True Qi?
Bu Eunseol would never have survived this trap.
Boom! Thud!
In the meantime, the number of showering hidden weapons began to noticeably decrease. No matter how many they brought in bulk, the amount they could unleash was limited.
Whish.
A chill wind passed, and amid the swirling dust, a sharp pair of pupils gleamed.
“Now it’s my turn.” Muttering lowly, Bu Eunseol unleashed his qinggong at full speed and plunged into the midst of the assassins.
Whoosh!
Unleashing the Swift Beyond Shadow, a shadow like a bolt of lightning seeped into their ranks, and
Flash!
A brilliant sword light burst forth simultaneously. It looked as if a massive beam of light had spread from the center where the assassins gathered.
The Meteor Chasing the Moon Form, infused with tremendous inner power, had been unleashed.
Clang!
But something astonishing happened.
Ten nearby assassins simultaneously deployed sword techniques, blocking the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Sizzle!
But as if he had anticipated everything, Bu Eunseol closed the distance with the assassins even further. The hidden weapon devices they wore were all for showering large quantities from a distance. At close range, not only did their power diminish, but they became useless immediately to avoid harming allies.
Slash!
With a chilling slicing sound, a line was drawn across one assassin’s neck.
Bu Eunseol, deploying the Unmatched Thunderbolt, had severed an assassin’s neck in one stroke.
Splash!
But at that moment, the remaining nine assassins charged, surrounding Bu Eunseol’s body.
At a glance, it was a life-discarding assault.
The instant Bu Eunseol unhesitatingly unleashed his sword technique to sever their necks,
Boom!
An explosion roared, accompanied by a tremendous blast. As the wind blew and white smoke scattered in all directions, a figure stood tall there.
Crackle, sizzle.
Bu Eunseol stood firm, his entire body enveloped in black true energy flickering like sparks. The moment the explosion occurred, he had used the Wishful True Binding to protect his whole body with materialized true energy.
‘Using their own bodies as hidden weapons.’ Bu Eunseol’s expression, which rarely twitched even in dire situations, hardened.
He hadn’t anticipated that the assassins would discard their lives and charge with explosives strapped to their bodies.
‘They’re drugged.’ The eyes of the surrounding assassins were lifeless like dead fish, with almost no whites visible. Clearly, they had been injected with a special drug to control emotions and manipulate their spirits.
“No need for captures.” Finally, Bu Eunseol realized.
He couldn’t hear any words from their mouths.
There was only one way to obtain information from them: slaughter them all and examine the corpses.
