Bu Eunseol asked with an expression of incomprehension.
“Why did they order you to make those?”
“This old man does not know either.”
“Then… did you at least make some of them?”
“To a certain extent.” The Demonic Sword Master shook his head. “But their demands never ended. And one of the conditions for crafting any demonic weapon was that not even a single trace of human sentiment could be involved.”
Bloody tears welled up in the elder’s eyes.
“In the end, that man killed my entire family. I tried desperately to escape that devil, yet… he turned everyone around me into puppets and kept me under constant watch.”
Bu Eunseol let out a long sigh.
Only now did the full picture become clear.
“Lord Hyeok Ryeon-eung. So it was he who threatened you.”
“How did you know?” The elder’s mouth fell open in shock.
Bu Eunseol shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I have been a victim of that man myself.”
“Victim? But are you not the Martial Soul Command Lord?”
He had lived in hiding for ten years and had heard no news of the martial world.
Bu Eunseol gave a deep sigh and briefly explained his own circumstances: how Hyeok Ryeon-eung, once his identity was exposed, had vanished from both Majeon and the Wei Royal Palace, and how a bounty of a million taels of silver had been placed on his head.
“So that is what happened…” The Demonic Sword Master exhaled heavily.
“To think someone so young could overcome that man’s Soul-Seizing Spirit Words… Truly worthy of being Majeon’s successor.”
A strange thought occurred to Bu Eunseol.
“But why did he need to threaten you at all?”
Hyeok Ryeon-eung had mastered the Soul-Seizing Spirit Words to its pinnacle; he could seize a person’s spirit in an instant. If he wanted to control the elder, he could simply have turned him into a puppet—there was no need for threats.
“Moreover, you do not seem to have trained in martial arts.”
“That man told me himself,” the elder answered with a pained smile. “Because I have spent my entire life resisting the demonic aura that burrows into the soul while forging demonic swords and blades, his Soul-Seizing Spirit Words has no effect on me.”
The temptation that leaks from a demonic sword is comparable to the most vicious soul-seizing technique. Having withstood it for decades while crafting demonic weapons, he was naturally immune to Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s art.
“I see.” Bu Eunseol took a deep breath. “It seems even the Martial Alliance’s protection is no longer safe for you. Will you leave with me?”
The elder’s face twisted in agony.
He had fled Majeon only to come here, yet the Alliance still did not trust him. They had kept him at their training grounds under the pretext of protection, but it was nothing more than surveillance. The moment a demonic figure appeared, they had tried to kill him.
“Are you telling this old man to return to Majeon? If Hyeok Ryeon-eung was an agent of the Three Realms, there will be others.”
Bu Eunseol understood the elder’s feelings perfectly.
Having suffered at the hands of both the Three Realms’ agents and Hyeok Ryeon-eung, Majeon must feel like a den of devils to him. Even if Hyeok Ryeon-eung were gone, the elder would forever fear that another like him lurked in the shadows.
“I would rather you killed me than take me back to Majeon.” The elder spoke with iron resolve. “Even if it costs me my life, I will never return there.”
“Very well.” Bu Eunseol nodded reluctantly.
The Chief Instructor had wanted only the whereabouts of the Demonic Sword Master; he had never ordered him to bring the man back by force. Thus, his task was complete.
“Farewell, then. Live well.”
“You would simply leave?”
“Yes.”
The elder looked baffled.
The Martial Soul Command Lord should, for Majeon’s benefit if nothing else, drag him back—yet he was walking away without the slightest interest.
“Why?” The elder asked instead. “Who will maintain the demonic weapons in Majeon? I have tended to them all my life.”
“What can be done about it?” Bu Eunseol replied nonchalantly. “They must be tired of that wretched place by now. I cannot force them.”
The elder stared blankly.
The successor of Majeon was calling Majeon a wretched place.
Something was terribly, terribly wrong here.
“I hope you spend your remaining years in peace.”
Bu Eunseol turned away from the elder.
He truly seemed about to leave.
The Demonic Sword Master took a deep breath and gazed at the sharp dagger lying in the forge.
He hated Majeon.
But now that the Martial Heaven Corps warriors who had been watching him were dead… the Martial Alliance would surely brand him a Majeon spy.
In the end, though the world was vast, there was no longer any place for him to lay his head.
“So the long, painful journey of this life ends here in Yeonwol Valley.”
It had been a long and weary existence.
With a deep exhale, he grasped the keen dagger.
“All I ever wanted was to be a great smith…”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol sensed something amiss and spun around.
He realized what the elder intended.
‘I have been too callous.’
With both great factions of the martial world hunting him, the Demonic Sword Master had nowhere left to go—he was a man with no place in the world.
Thwack!
Bu Eunseol instantly sent a burst of inner energy that knocked the dagger far away.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“Come with me instead, Elder. To the Nangyang Pavilion.”
“The Nangyang Pavilion?”
“Let us go to the Nangyang Pavilion.” Bu Eunseol spoke with deadly seriousness. “If you come to the Nangyang Pavilion, no one will disturb you, and you may live in perfect comfort.”
“Hmph. So in the end you want me to forge weapons for the Nangyang Pavilion.” The elder snatched up the fallen dagger and spoke coldly. “You are no different—you would use this old man…”
“There is no one in the Nangyang Pavilion who wields divine treasures or demonic weapons.” Bu Eunseol cut him off.
“To truly master our practical combat arts, sharp weapons only get in the way.”
The elder froze.
Come to think of it, almost none of the Nangyang masters used famous blades. Even the pavilion lord, the Human Demon Ak Muryeong, scorned weapons as tools for the weak and walked the martial world bare-handed.
“If you come there, you will never have to lift a hammer again for the rest of your life.”
“You mean I need not forge weapons at all?”
“Exactly. You have made enough to last lifetimes. Is it not time to rest?” Bu Eunseol continued calmly. “Put down the hammer. Spending your days drinking with the old men of the pavilion would not be a bad life.”
The elder wore a dazed expression.
In all the years he had lived, no one—not once—had ever told him to put down the hammer.
Weapon. Weapon. Weapon. Weapon.
Everyone who knew him had only ever begged him to make more weapons until he was sick of it.
Yet this man was telling him to stop forging altogether.
“Why make such an offer to this old man?”
“My grandfather once said…” Bu Eunseol gazed at the distant sky. “Those who walk a single path without ever looking aside deserve peaceful rest in their later years.”
Turning back, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to the elder.
“As the successor of Majeon, I sincerely apologize for the suffering you endured because I failed to root out demonic seeds like Hyeok Ryeon-eung and the agents of Majeon.”
This young man had no reason to feel responsible or apologize for failing to stop Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s evil. Yet this blunt successor of Majeon was genuinely worried that the elder might take his own life or abandon hope.
“Heh heh heh…” For the first time since meeting Bu Eunseol, the Demonic Sword Master smiled freely.
“To put down the hammer…”
He had never once considered it.
Yet now… it did not seem so bad.
At that moment the elder pointed at Bu Eunseol’s sword.
“But do you still intend to keep using that demonic sword?”
“For the time being, yes.”
The elder gave a faint smile.
“Then I must craft a proper scabbard for it. A good scabbard will prevent the demonic qi from leaking and keep it from harming its master.”
“A demonic sword can harm its master?”
“Did you not know? In the end, a demonic sword devours even its owner’s fate. That is why it is called demonic.”
“I see.” After a moment of thought, Bu Eunseol extended the Demon-Killer Sword toward the elder. “Then, aside from you, Elder, could any other smith make a scabbard for this blade?”
Because it possessed such strange abilities, a demonic sword would reject any scabbard not originally made for it.
Especially this Demon-Killer Sword—though it held the power to destroy any demonic blade, its exterior was forged from a metal with a unique sheen that could be mistaken for ordinary iron.
“Making a scabbard is far easier than forging a demonic sword. One need only use the same material.”
The elder examined the Demon-Killer Sword closely and blinked.
Only now did he realize Bu Eunseol’s demonic sword was no ordinary one.
“Wait… what in the world is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This is no simple demonic sword. It is as though a divine sword and a demonic sword were fused together.” Frowning, the elder asked, “Where on earth did you obtain such a blade?”
‘There is no need to explain everything that happened at the Sword Tomb.’
Bu Eunseol answered vaguely.
“I acquired it by chance while wandering the martial world. It turned out to be a Demon-Killer Sword that devours demonic blades.”
“Devours demonic blades? You mean it destroys them?”
“Yes. The only thing this sword ever demands is other demonic blades.”
As he spoke, Bu Eunseol poured Thunder Spirit Energy into the Demon-Killer Sword.
Vmmm.
Mysterious patterns appeared along the blade, and golden and dark-crimson light flowed forth.
“When I infuse it with energy, these patterns and lights emerge.”
The elder knew nothing of martial arts, so he would not understand Thunder Spirit Energy.
Bu Eunseol simply called it “energy” for clarity.
“This is…”
“So it truly is a demonic sword?” The elder muttered with a strange expression, and Bu Eunseol tilted his head. “It seems to be revealing some hidden function… I do not understand how such a thing is possible.”
“Revealing a function?”
The elder sighed deeply and shook his head. “That is not a function being revealed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those patterns appear because its power has been sealed to prevent it from manifesting.”
“Sealed? You are saying the sword’s abilities were sealed?”
The elder nodded, eyes gleaming, and spoke in the lowest possible voice.
“That sword is a Black Divine Artifact.”
“A Black Divine Artifact?”
Bu Eunseol had begun his martial world journey with the Nine Deaths Squad and had learned metallurgy from Iron Master Wang Geol; few knew weapons better than he.
“I have studied extensively and can recognize many ancient weapons…” He frowned. “But I have never once heard the term ‘Black Divine Artifact.’”
“No wonder you have not.” The elder drew a deep breath. “In the current martial world, this old man is the only one who has read the Weapon Register of the Jungson Clan.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
“You mean the Jungson Clan—one of the legendary Three Clans?”
“Exactly.”
Jungson, Yangseol, and Baekri.
All three were mysterious clans that had astonished the world with their extraordinary abilities. Yet they had appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly, leaving almost no trace of their deeds.
Most martial artists believed the tales about them were greatly exaggerated.
Yet the Demonic Sword Master claimed to have seen the Jungson Clan’s Weapon Register?
“According to the register, besides the Three Clans there were many other hidden clans. The term Black Divine Artifact appeared in the description of those.”
“What exactly is a Black Divine Artifact?”
“It refers to divine artifacts that possess the very highest level of power among all divine artifacts.”
Bu Eunseol asked, still puzzled. “If it possesses the highest power among divine artifacts… why is the word ‘black’ attached?”
“Because it is so powerful that it can summon darkness.” The elder’s voice turned eerie. “It holds power so immense that it can bring calamity not only upon its owner but upon countless others. That is why it was named Black Divine Artifact—to warn of that danger.”
“To think such weapons exist…” Bu Eunseol asked urgently, “Then where is that Weapon Register now? May I read it?”
“When I was still in Majeon, the Three Realms took it away.”
After a moment of thought, Bu Eunseol stroked his chin. “Then we cannot even be certain the book you saw was truly the Jongsun Clan’s, nor verify its authenticity.”
“…”
“Books of unknown origin are often filled with wild fabrications, are they not?”
“Black Divine Artifacts do exist.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I did not merely read about them.” The Demonic Sword Master looked at Bu Eunseol with utmost gravity.
“I have seen one with my own eyes—wielded by a man.”
“Who?”
“Baek-Li Muha.”
The elder’s eyes blazed like burning charcoal.
“The one called the Greatest Secret of the Martial World used exactly such a Black Divine Artifact.”
Bu Eunseol’s gaze shook violently.
A mysterious master who had appeared as if fallen from the heavens and instantly defeated orthodox and demonic experts alike. Was his overwhelming might due to wielding a Black Divine Artifact?
“He swung his sword once to stop a flood, altering both the direction and depth of a raging river.” The elder drew a deep breath. “That is something no human power could ever achieve.”
To change the very course and depth of a river with a single stroke—if true, Baek-Li Muha was no human, but a god.
‘No, that cannot be.’
Bu Eunseol shook his head. He recalled that reaching the Limitless Realm could produce phenomena beyond human capability.
“It may not have been a Black Divine Artifact.” Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. “You never trained in martial arts, Elder. You may have mistaken the power displayed by a supreme master wielding a divine sword for a Black Divine Artifact.”
“The weapon he used was definitely a Black Divine Artifact.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Because I heard him refer to it as such myself and watched him seal it.” The elder’s eyes clouded as he recalled the memory.
“After redirecting the river, he looked at his sword and muttered, ‘This Black Divine Artifact is far too powerful.’”
“…”
“He raised two fingers, poured white light into the blade, etched patterns onto it, then fed it his own blood.”
A strange thought struck Bu Eunseol.
He had heard Baek-Li Muha was a peerless martial artist, yet from the elder’s description he behaved like a sorcerer wielding esoteric arts.
“Then was he a sorcerer?”
“I do not know. However, since ancient times, engraving patterns on the blade or feeding it blood has been a common method to suppress the power of demonic weapons—nothing particularly unusual.” The elder drew another deep breath and continued. “Then he turned his head, smiled at me where I hid watching, and vanished in an instant.”
Bu Eunseol inhaled deeply.
If everything the elder said was true, then Baek-Li Muha, the Greatest Secret of the Martial World, was either an absolute master who had reached the Realm of Infinite Scriptures… or a forgotten sorcerer who wielded profound and mysterious arts.
“Then are you saying this sword is the same Black Divine Artifact Baek-Li Muha used?”
“I cannot be certain. It was raining heavily, so all I clearly saw were the mysterious patterns etched on the blade.”
Bu Eunseol took another deep breath.
If this Demon-Killer Sword truly was a Black Divine Artifact, should he discard it?
Possessing such a weapon might hinder the growth of his own martial arts.
‘Foolish pride.’
He soon shook his head.
There was only one reason Bu Eunseol sought to advance his martial prowess: revenge.
If a sword possessed tremendous power, he should welcome it with open arms—there was no reason to fear it.
“Do not worry.” Yet the elder’s next words rendered his resolve meaningless. “Only its original caster can unseal it.”
“Not even you, Elder?”
“Regrettably, the Jungson Clan’s Weapon Register contained no method for sealing or unsealing Black Divine Artifacts.”
Seeing Bu Eunseol’s blank expression, the elder chuckled. “Disappointing, is it not?”
“Not at all.” Bu Eunseol shook his head. “I chose this sword only because of a small debt it is owed and because it can destroy demonic blades.”
“A debt?”
“When my meridians were blocked, it once cleared them for me.”
“I see. Granting power to its wielder is common among divine and demonic blades.” The elder examined the Demon-Killer Sword closely and drew a deep breath. “In any case, if you intend to keep using it, I should at least make a proper scabbard. All divine and demonic blades grow stronger in spirituality when they have their rightful sheath.”
Bu Eunseol hesitated.
If this truly was a Black Divine Artifact, then in the present martial world only the Demonic Sword Master could craft its scabbard.
He had just urged the elder to lay down his hammer forever, and the elder had accepted.
To now ask him to forge a scabbard would make Bu Eunseol no different from all those who had tormented the old man.
“Then I suppose I must touch the hammer one last time.”
The elder smiled faintly.
“No one else can make that scabbard.”
“Elder…”
“You are far too honest for a successor of Majeon.” The elder smiled again. “You thought it wrong to ask a favor of me, did you not?”
“…”
“But seeing you suffer in silence… this old man cannot simply turn away coldly.”
“I was not suffering.”
“Well, that is how it looked to these old eyes.”
Having realized that beneath his rough exterior Bu Eunseol possessed an upright and pure heart, the Demonic Sword Master decided to pick up his hammer once more and craft the scabbard.
“I am truly grateful for your kindness.” Bu Eunseol clasped his hands and bowed deeply. “And I apologize for causing you to reverse your decision.”
“The successor of Majeon bowing his head for a mere scabbard—heh heh heh.” The elder grinned, showing yellowed teeth. “However, crafting the scabbard will not break the seal. At best, it will strengthen the sword’s spirituality and perfectly contain the demonic qi.”
“That is more than enough.” Bu Eunseol’s face lit with joy.
When the elder recognized the Demon-Killer Sword as demonic, he had thought he could no longer wield it under the identity of Seon Woojin. But if a scabbard could fully suppress its demonic qi, he would have a magnificent weapon he could carry anywhere without worry.
Especially since, as Seon Woojin of the orthodox faction, he would often face demons and villains—the identity of Seon Woojin needed this Demon-Killer Sword far more than Bu Eunseol of Majeon did.
“Then I leave it in your hands.”
The Demonic Sword Master smiled warmly and nodded.
“This shall be this old man’s final work.”
