Bu Eunseol’s eyes had become clear after hearing the entire story.
The Bu Zhanyang remembered by martial world history was a killing star who mercilessly cut down masters of both righteous and demonic paths, a supreme demonic grandmaster whose swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle of the Way of the Blade.
Yet, in reality, he was not a killing star but a wandering swordsman tinged with emptiness?
‘It’s confusing.’
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade was said to use the Heavenly Technique and the hidden weapons of the Sahyang Clan.
And his grandfather had lost his life to someone who used those same techniques and weapons. Thus, Bu Eunseol had thought they were two different people with the same name, harboring enmity toward each other.
But after hearing this story, unless there was an irreconcilable grudge, Bu Zhanyang didn’t seem like someone who would kill his grandfather.
No, it was more likely they were the same person.
‘The Seven-Finger Demon Blade… was my grandfather.’
There was no evidence.
But after hearing Jongri Sahyeon’s story in full, Bu Eunseol instinctively felt that the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang. Outwardly, he wore the face of a brutal demonic figure, but in reality, he had a calm presence and hollow eyes…
A peerless demonic swordsman who subdued the then-invincible Needle King in just nine moves. Bu Eunseol instinctively knew that this Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, was his grandfather.
‘But…’ Bu Eunseol shook his head.
This matter couldn’t be confirmed by instinct alone. No, it shouldn’t be.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade known to the world was not only cruel in nature but also a great killing star who had slain countless masters of both righteous and demonic paths.
Yet, to find out he was a Shaolin disciple and the second-in-command of the Demon Emperor? Even if he conceded a hundred times that it was true, the question of ‘why?’ would remain.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang.
He was a figure who had achieved all the glory a martial artist could attain. Why, then, did he walk such a path, hiding from others’ eyes?
‘Could the Demon Emperor have known all this?’
If the Demon Emperor, whom he met privately before the enthronement, had told him this story? Bu Eunseol would never have believed it.
‘That’s why he told me to find out for myself…’
The Demon Emperor had said not to seek the truth through others’ mouths. Was that because he knew everything? Or was he simply speaking of the martial world’s truth?
The Demon Emperor. What was he thinking?
‘I don’t know. Nothing.’
It felt like nausea was rising.
What was certain was that his grandfather was not an ordinary mortician but a martial artist. To exact revenge, he had to uncover not only the traces his grandfather left behind… but also the tangled web of grudges and debts.
‘It doesn’t matter.’ He had already resolved to cut down not only his grandfather but everyone involved for the sake of revenge.
According to the clues from the Needle King, there had been an unknown conflict between the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, the White Horse Temple, and the Death Command Sect.
And since his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, had mastered the Muscle-changing Sutra, it was certain he was a Shaolin disciple.
That left only two options.
Investigate the White Horse Temple and the Death Command Sect, or take the time to investigate Shaolin.
‘Let’s handle it step by step.’ Bu Eunseol made his decision.
He would start by investigating the White Horse Temple and the Death Command Sect.
As the successor of the Demon Emperor, he needed to make those two sects support him anyway. If he didn’t secure the support of over half, they could stab him in the back at any moment.
—“The position of successor is dangerous.”
The Demon Emperor had said this to Bu Eunseol during the enthronement. And it wasn’t just talk. If he didn’t have the power and authority befitting a formal successor?
A blade could come for his back at any time.
“Thank you.” Having sorted through the thoughts swirling in his mind, Bu Eunseol clasped his hands. “It was very helpful.”
His words were not mere courtesy. Thanks to Jongri Sahyeon, he had learned about the unknown side of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade for the first time.
“I’m glad it was helpful.” Jongri Sahyeon smiled kindly and said, “I’ve prepared a place for you to rest comfortably. Stay and rest.”
“No, I have urgent matters to attend to and must go.”
“At this hour?”
Bu Eunseol smiled and clasped his hands. “If I move a bit faster, won’t the martial world stabilize sooner?”
It was a phrase often used by righteous heroes, sometimes imitated by young martial artists.
“Hahaha.” Jongri Sahyeon laughed heartily and nodded. “Originally, I planned to perform the Primordial Golden Needle technique to repay some of my debt to Shaolin. But seeing your prowess, that was a foolish thought.”
Looking at Bu Eunseol with satisfaction, he continued,
“Until now, the only young people who impressed me were the youngest disciple of the Alliance Leader and the esteemed disciple of the Sword Venerable, known as the Heavenly Sword.”
The Heavenly Alliance Leader had five disciples, with a twenty-year age gap between the eldest and youngest. The youngest disciple’s swordsmanship was said to astonish heaven and earth, with prowess rivaling the Seven Kings.
The Heavenly Sword, who inherited all of the Sword Venerable’s sword techniques, was rumored to be the second Sword Venerable. However, one was a disciple of the Heavenly Alliance Leader, and the other a disciple of one of the Three Venerables.
Their status was so high that they operated discreetly in the martial world, concealing their actions.
‘Their skills must have surpassed the supreme realm as well.’ Jongri Sahyeon likely gauged the level of Bu Eunseol’s internal energy during their contest.
Yet comparing him to those two.
It indirectly suggested that they, too, had surpassed the supreme realm.
“But among them, you seem to stand out as the finest.” Jongri Sahyeon’s eyes already resembled those of a grandfather looking at a prospective grandson-in-law. “Come back to the estate after finishing your business.”
Gently placing a hand on Bu Eunseol’s shoulder, he smiled warmly.
“With a dragon among men like you, I should stop sending Sayu on dangerous martial world journeys.” If he lingered, he might end up ensnared.
Bu Eunseol quickly stood and clasped his hands.
“Then I’ll take my leave.” As he retraced his steps out of the estate, he saw a path lined with blooming plum trees.
There, a beautiful woman in a white palace dress with her hair tied up was looking at him.
It was Jongri Sayu.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yes.”
“Have you finished talking with Grandfather?”
“Yes.” After a brief exchange, silence fell.
Jongri Sayu gazed at the moonlight in the distant sky. Then, with a flushed face, she looked at Bu Eunseol and said, “I’ll wait for you.”
Her expression was strikingly similar to Yeon Soha’s from the Divine Maiden Palace in the past. Feeling a chill in his heart, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“Don’t wait.”
“What?”
“I have dangerous tasks ahead that I can’t guarantee my life for. And in all likelihood, they won’t end well.”
It was a polite rejection, but it also reflected Bu Eunseol’s true feelings.
But Jongri Sayu smiled and took a step closer. Her large, slender eyes, reflecting the moonlight, seemed to hold all the beautiful light in the world.
Bu Eunseol stared intently at her face, tense.
Then she closed her eyes and slightly pursed her rosy lips, signaling a desire for a kiss.
But Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and clasped his hands.
“Then I’ll go.” Opening her eyes, Jongri Sayu chuckled.
Though slightly disappointed, she was charmed by Bu Eunseol’s gentlemanly demeanor.
“Come back. If you don’t, I’ll go to Shaolin to find you.” With a sweet threat, she whispered with a flushed face, “Stay safe until we meet again.”
She turned and quickly slipped back into the estate. Feeling a chill down his spine, Bu Eunseol hurriedly left the estate.
Fortunately, he hadn’t revealed his true identity and used the name Baek Museong…
But he couldn’t predict the ripples this would cause in the future.
***
Leaving Jinju, Bu Eunseol immediately used qinggong to head toward Majeon.
The Death Command Sect and the White Horse Temple.
According to Jongri Sahyeon, forty years ago, they inflicted critical injuries on the young Seven-Finger Demon Blade. Though he hadn’t yet risen to vice-lord of the Demon Emperor, the fact that this was unknown in the martial world?
It meant the two sects had kept their attack on the Seven-Finger Demon Blade a secret.
Bu Eunseol resolved to uncover the reason.
‘There must be a reason they hid it deliberately.’
Back then, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, was merely a great killing star with ruthless hands. He had no conflicts or connections with the Ten Demonic Sects.
But the White Horse Temple and the Death Command Sect. Their clash with the Seven-Finger Demon Blade was revealed by Jongri Sahyeon. If it were the old Bu Eunseol, he would have agonized over how to investigate these two sects.
But now, as the successor of the Demon Emperor and the Lord of the Martial Soul, he had ample authority to investigate such matters.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol’s form, using Swift Beyond Shadow, sliced through the sky, passing mountains and fields.
—“Urk!”
A faint scream reached Bu Eunseol’s ears as he sped forward.
It was the sound of someone’s life ending. Brief but filled with agony. Clearly, someone was dying in extreme pain.
—“Urk, urk!”
The screams weren’t singular but echoed repeatedly. Given the short intervals, it was clear a large number of people were dying horribly.
‘That area… Wolf Forest Mountain.’
Pausing his movement technique, Bu Eunseol scanned the surroundings.
The sound came from deep within Wolf Forest Mountain, far in the distance. In such a place, only one group would gather in large numbers.
‘Bandits… the Black Wind Stronghold?’
Wolf Forest Mountain housed a bandit stronghold too vile to even be called part of the Green Forest.
The Black Wind Stronghold.
Rumors said it was a gathering of retired or crippled assassins. And as if to prove it, their methods were brutal and meticulous, their nature ferocious and greedy…
They targeted not only passing caravans but also innocent civilians indiscriminately.
Angered, nearby righteous sects had attempted to exterminate the Black Wind Stronghold multiple times, but the mountain’s terrain was treacherous. Moreover, leveraging their assassin skills, they set up vicious traps on the paths to the stronghold.
They also built fake strongholds and laid various traps. As a result, the sects attempting extermination suffered heavy losses and failed repeatedly.
‘But something’s off.’ If righteous sect masters were annihilating the stronghold en masse, the screams should have been simultaneous.
But the screams came sequentially, like executions.
‘Hmm.’ In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about such matters.
But now, as the successor of the Demon Emperor, he had to closely monitor and assess the martial world’s movements, whether righteous, demonic, or underworld.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol immediately turned and moved swiftly toward the source of the screams. As he moved, the faint screams subsided and eventually stopped.
But with his keen senses, Bu Eunseol pinpointed the origin instantly. Passing through the deep forest of Wolf Forest Mountain and reaching a wide ravine, he saw sturdy strongholds scattered about.
Tap.
Landing and scanning the area, Bu Eunseol let out a low hum.
The scene at the stronghold was a bloodbath. About five hundred bandits and their families lay dead, their bodies mangled.
“They used a greatsword.” Examining the wounds, Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
The fatal wounds were stabs in the chest, caused by an abnormally large greatsword, about the width of an adult’s forearm.
But there was another distinctive feature.
To inflict excruciating pain before death, the strikes avoided vital points.
“A pleasure killer?”
A sword’s technique reflects the wielder’s intent.
If driven by deep resentment, the wounds wouldn’t be so clean. But despite severing spines and chest bones with a greatsword, the strikes avoided lethal points.
That meant the killings were done calmly and methodically.
“And by a single person.” The bodies were uniformly pierced through the chest with no deviation in technique. It wasn’t a large force annihilating the Black Wind Stronghold but a single master of terrifying skill.
“…!” As Bu Eunseol examined the bodies, his pupils dilated.
He sensed someone appearing behind him.
‘Astounding.’ His heightened senses covered a hundred zhang.
Even if distracted by the bodies… to approach this close without him noticing?
Bu Eunseol slowly turned.
In the darkness untouched by moonlight, he saw the shadow of a man.
Over seven feet tall, with the shoulders and back of a bear and the waist of a tiger. He held a greatsword weighing over a hundred jin as lightly as a chopstick.
It wasn’t internal energy but innate divine strength.
Step.
The shadow glided forward, revealing himself under the moonlight.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
Despite his mountainous build, his appearance was upright and kind, with a harmless smile. But his large eyes sparkled with an unsettling glint of madness.
“Huh? I’m sure I killed them all?” As the man stepped closer, an invisible web-like force spread, ensnaring Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘So that’s how.’ Bu Eunseol realized how hundreds of Black Wind Stronghold bandits were killed by one man. Using this strange invisible force, he immobilized them and dealt with them one by one.
“Impressive.” Bu Eunseol voiced his admiration.
Until now, he had never met a peer among young martial artists with skills comparable to his. But this man, approaching unnoticed despite Bu Eunseol’s supreme realm senses, displayed astonishing prowess.
Where had such a master come from?
“Oh, no?” The man, seeing Bu Eunseol calmly withstand his invisible force, spoke with a puzzled expression. “You’re not a Black Wind Stronghold bandit. Why are you here?”
When Bu Eunseol didn’t respond, the man tilted his head again.
“Did you come because of the noise?”
“…”
“Your aura surpasses the supreme realm… but I sense neither demonic nor righteous qi? Truly a state of half-way indecision.”
Bu Eunseol was inwardly astonished.
Half-way indecision.
This seemingly innocent man had instantly discerned that Bu Eunseol’s spirit was neither fully demonic nor righteous, caught somewhere in between.
‘A righteous sect figure. Quite high-ranking.’ Bu Eunseol analyzed the aura emanating from the man.
He could tell he had trained in orthodox righteous martial arts, focusing heavily on qi.
“Ha, you came to deal with the Black Wind Stronghold too?” Given his naturally imposing tone and demeanor, despite his innocent appearance, he was clearly someone of significant status.
“Are you mute?” At the man’s question, Bu Eunseol slowly spoke.
“Do you have a grudge against the Black Wind Stronghold?”
“Huh?”
“You could have killed them painlessly. Why avoid vital points and make them suffer?”
“No, I don’t have any grudge.” The man answered with an innocent expression. “If they committed evil, shouldn’t they suffer accordingly? You don’t think I should’ve let them live, do you?”
Wagging his finger, he said seriously,
“You don’t know, but these guys kidnapped women and killed civilians. They’re not your typical bandits.”
“…”
“Do you believe in that old saying, ‘Lay down the blade, and even a butcher becomes a Buddha’? Those Buddhist and Taoist geezers keep preaching that, which is why these villains keep multiplying.” His eyes, chattering nonstop, were clear and filled with unwavering conviction.
He clearly believed everything he did was just.
‘It’s not my concern.’ Bu Eunseol had no intention of debating the man’s beliefs.
“I’ll be going.” As Bu Eunseol turned, the man tilted his head and leaned in.
“What, aren’t you curious who I am?” When Bu Eunseol didn’t reply, he grinned and patted the greatsword on his back. “Wanna have a go? You seem pretty skilled.”
Normally, Bu Eunseol would have gladly sparred with him.
But now, as a figure responsible for the demonic martial world’s affairs, his actions represented the Demon Emperor. Moreover, he needed to uncover the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s identity and eliminate those who disturbed his grandfather’s eternal rest.
There was no need to cross blades with a righteous figure, especially one of high status.
“Let’s do it next time.” Finishing his thoughts, Bu Eunseol turned and leaped into the air.
“Alright, pity.” The Heavenly Sword, hands behind his head, watched Bu Eunseol disappear, then turned away.
But how could he know?
This meeting of two peerless prodigies would lead to a fateful enmity, unable to coexist under the same sky.
