Where is the most suitable place to avoid the eyes of the world?
A secluded peak untouched by human feet? An impregnable fortress filled with every conceivable trap and mechanism?
The answer is none other than the place with the most people.
A place where ordinary folk come and go in endless numbers is never suspected by anyone.
The Infinite Realm, which had secretly taken root in the martial world for so long, also exploited this blind spot.
They established the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest—the largest and most renowned medical institution in the world.
In reality, it was the most vicious human experimentation site under heaven, yet simply because countless people passed through it, treating it as a place that healed patients, they were able to conceal that truth for years.
Even though so many people bustled about, no one had the slightest inkling of the truth.
However, there is one method even more secretive than hiding in a crowded place.
It is to make the entrance and the place one actually enters completely different.
Yet to employ such a method requires a secret art that isolates a certain space from the world.
It also has a drawback.
Since the isolated space is still contained within the original one, large spaces cannot be hidden.
Step, step.
An elder in cyan robes entered the bustling marketplace of Chengdu.
People hurried back and forth. Merchants spread out stalls along the streets, selling their wares.
The elder, wandering through the chaotic market street, eventually leaned for a moment against a large tree some distance into an alley.
Looking around, he seemed to like the shade of the tree and spread out a small mat.
He opened the bamboo box on his back and took out a low folding table and a small sign that read “All-Knowing, All-Seeing Divination.”
Click.
Having set up the table, the elder sat down and began waiting for customers.
But no one came to a fortune-teller sitting in an alley far from the bustling market.
The dozing elder eventually stood up again, passed through the market, and left Chengdu.
Yet what others could never have imagined was that every action the elder had taken—setting out the table, unfurling a canopy, and so on—was merely preparation to enter a place completely cut off from the current space, unseen by the world.
Step, step.
Having left Chengdu, the elder walked into a secluded forest devoid of human presence.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves stretching in all directions, and the air was clear but as he approached a large tree, the chirping of birds and the rustling of branches in the wind gradually faded.
Perfect silence.
The closer he got to the great tree, the more the entire world seemed to hold its breath.
“Wood Buddha.”
The elder—no, the Martial Venerable—spoke to the tree in an exceedingly warm voice.
But there was no response.
“I must ask something important. I have no choice but to disturb your pure cultivation.”
Still no reaction.
Finally, the Martial Venerable took a gleaming bead from his robes.
It was the very bead hidden in the earlobe of Shin Domubi’s corpse.
“This was concealed in my younger brother’s earlobe.”
Yet still no answer came.
As the silence dragged on, he spoke again.
“Would it be acceptable to reveal to the world the way to enter this place?” With a deep sigh, the Martial Venerable took out a wooden box emitting a mysterious glow. “If I simply toss this into the martial world, people will flock to find you in droves.”
He continued, “They would learn that Dharma Seeker Moryun left a disciple—and one with abilities far surpassing his own.”
But still no response.
With no other choice, the Martial Venerable opened the wooden box.
Hiss.
Smoke rose from it, and the surrounding trees began to wither and twist.
Crack.
The bark near the trunk of the great tree before him split open.
Blink.
A human eye with clear whites formed.
Creaak.
Around the newly formed eye, the shape of a massive Buddha statue took form and began protruding forward from the tree.
Wood Buddha.
Literally, a Buddha statue carved from wood had been created whole before the Martial Venerable.
[Martial Venerable, you are truly cruel.]
A low voice echoed from the wooden Buddha statue.
The voice did not reach the ears but pierced directly into the mind, like Wisdom Light Mind Speech.
[How much more suffering must this humble monk endure before you are satisfied?]
In truth, the reason the Martial Venerable could become the greatest sage of the martial world under his other identity, the Divine Mountain Sage, was thanks to Dharma Seeker Moryun’s disciple, the Wood Buddha.
Yet because of the Martial Venerable’s requests, Wood Buddha had repeatedly read and revealed heavenly secrets.
In the end, like his master, he suffered heaven’s punishment—the Heavenly Retribution—and ended up in this state, alive yet encased in a body like a wooden statue.
“But this is an important matter.”
The Martial Venerable bowed his head earnestly.
“Please answer. I will never come again.”
[To maintain your identity as the Divine Mountain Sage, you have repeated such lies countless times.]
At Wood Buddha’s words, the Martial Venerable lowered his head.
Everything had been to protect the martial world, but it was also true that it had worsened Wood Buddha’s Heavenly Retribution.
“This is my last request. Truly the last.”
The Martial Venerable pleaded.
“I swear on everything I have.”
Wood Buddha let out a great sigh.
He knew all too well that the Martial Venerable would not keep his promise.
Yet because the Martial Venerable held the Divine Key that could find him no matter where he hid…
He could never escape his grasp.
“I ask once more. What is this? This bead.”
At the Martial Venerable’s question, Wood Buddha sighed and replied.
[It is a fragment of a star. The Three Families also call it Celestial Star Jade.]
The Martial Venerable blinked.
In all his long life, he had never heard of something called a star fragment.
“You must tell me what it is and what it is used for.”
After a moment of silence, Wood Buddha spoke again.
[I cannot say that.]
“Tell me.”
[Martial Venerable.]
Red blood began flowing from Wood Buddha’s bark-like skin.
[Does my punishment seem trivial to you?]
“To save the world, some sacrifice is inevitable. Why do you not understand that?”
Steel-like conviction blazed in the Martial Venerable’s eyes.
“If I were you, I would have told everything without regard for the pain.”
The Wood Buddha closed his eyes.
People each hold their own convictions, and no one else can change them.
Having given up everything, the Wood Buddha opened his eyes again and said,
[It can alter heavenly fate.]
“Heavenly fate?”
[Yes.]
As he revealed heavenly secrets, red blood flowed from Wood Buddha’s body, and his bark-like skin began turning even blacker.
“It can alter heavenly fate.”
The Martial Venerable’s eyes widened.
“Then does that mean this bead can conceal or disguise one’s innate aura?”
[…]
“Could it be… that my younger brother is alive?”
Wood Buddha, bleeding profusely, gazed at the Martial Venerable with resentful eyes.
But the Martial Venerable paid it no heed and shouted, “Speak!”
[I do not know.]
“Why not?”
[Because the Celestial Star Jade has already been used.]
Wood Buddha spoke with difficulty.
[From the moment it was used, the heavenly fate becomes unreadable. Moreover, if someone knows how to use the Celestial Star Jade, they could certainly conceal their innate aura as well.]
The Martial Venerable gazed blankly at the distant sky.
“I do not know…”
In the end, it was highly likely someone had used the Celestial Star Jade to fake Shin Domubi’s corpse and disguise his death.
That meant there was a very high chance his younger brother was alive.
Spurt.
Meanwhile, blood poured from the Wood Buddha’s body.
Creaak.
His bark-like skin hardened even further.
Even the area around his mouth stiffened, making speech nearly impossible.
[Are you… satisfied?]
“I am sorry.”
Looking at Wood Buddha’s wretched state, the Martial Venerable lowered his head.
“But the martial world needs you and a sage. Do not turn away from a world in peril.”
At the Martial Venerable’s words, the Wood Buddha did not reply and simply sat back beside the great tree.
Crrrk.
His body once again fused with the massive trunk.
Until his life ended, he would endure this death-like Heavenly Retribution.
‘If my younger brother is alive…’
The Martial Venerable recalled his sworn younger brother, Shin Domubi.
In the past, to save him, Shin Domubi had taken a fatal wound in his place and even used Primordial Qi Transfer to restore his inner power.
But afterward, Shin Domubi occasionally suffered a strange affliction where, without warning, his inner energy would drop to a quarter.
Because of that, the Martial Venerable had felt lifelong guilt toward Shin Domubi and helped him in both the martial world and the Martial Alliance.
—Why did you save me?
The Martial Venerable, forever indebted, had asked this.
—Your safety is the safety of the orthodox martial world. Why did you do it?
Each time, Shin Domubi would smile and reply,
—If our positions were reversed, you would have done the same, elder brother.
‘But…’
If this had been the ignorant past, upon hearing there was a chance his younger brother lived, he would have fallen to his knees in gratitude to the heavens.
But now he could not simply rejoice and smile.
He had endured agonizing years filling the void left by his brother, and the time for reaping those fruits was near.
If his brother were alive in this situation…
What should he do?
Could he render all those long years of patient suffering meaningless?
‘If he is alive… there are two possibilities.’
If Shin Domubi lived, he would surely know that the Martial Venerable was acting as Alliance Leader.
Even if gravely wounded, he would have found a way to contact him.
Yet since he had not appeared, only two scenarios were possible.
Either he was deliberately faking death to secretly handle some matter…
Or he was being held captive by some force.
‘Younger brother, wait for me.’
Gazing at the distant sky visible through the branches, the Martial Venerable bit his lip.
‘I will play your role just a little longer.’
To protect the orthodox martial world in Shin Domubi’s stead, the Martial Venerable had lived through hellish times.
Now, the fruits of that labor were about to bloom before his eyes… he could never abandon them.
***
—It is time to select a successor for the Martial Heaven Commander.
The Heavenly Emperor Shin Domubi, who had repeatedly entered closed-door training, suddenly issued an order through Vice Leader Buk Ri-seong to choose candidates for Martial Heaven Commander.
—The Alliance Leader certainly acts decisively when he does.
The Martial Alliance had suffered great humiliation over the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest affair and paid enormous compensation to Majeon.
Thus, the internal atmosphere was subdued, and renewal was needed.
Conducting the process to select a new Martial Heaven Commander at such a time was an exceedingly appropriate choice.
—Under the Vice Leader’s supervision, select candidates and conduct examinations.
With that order issued, the Alliance elders grew tense.
Pushing the matter forward quickly under the Vice Leader meant it was not merely for renewal.
It could be the prelude to selecting the next Alliance Leader.
—Baek Museong, the Golden True Dragon, has returned in glory.
Then another astonishing rumor spread through the Martial Alliance.
The tragic figure who had left the Alliance with his right arm crippled after dealing with the Qinghai Slaughterer, Golden True Dragon Baek Museong, had perfectly recovered his arm and returned to the Martial Alliance.
Moreover, in his hand…
Was the head of Hyeok Ryeon-eung, the demonic warrior who had long terrorized the martial world as Majeon’s Hyeok Clan Leader, whose identity as a spy had been exposed, causing him to vanish in an instant.
—Impossible.
Every warrior in the Alliance could scarcely believe it.
Though Hyeok Ryeon-eung had not been active in the martial world for a long time after becoming one of Majeon’s Hall Leaders, his prowess was said to surpass the Ten Demonic Sect Leaders.
In other words, his current martial skill could rival the top among the Seven Kings.
No matter how renowned Baek Museong was as an outstanding master of the new generation, how could he single-handedly sever such a man’s head?
—I obtained a fateful encounter.
Baek Museong explained the circumstances to the leadership.
While wandering the martial world to heal his arm, he had discovered the legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Turtle Inner Core.
Upon consuming it, not only did his inner power surge dramatically, but he was able to instantly restore the meridians and nerves in his right arm.
—The Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Turtle truly existed.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Turtle was a golden tortoise said to be raised by immortals, known only through myths.
It was a legendary spirit beast that had never once appeared in the mortal world.
Yet Baek Museong had obtained its inner core?
—It turned out to be a secret cave created by the Divine Sword Sect to find a successor.
Only then did the Alliance elders fully accept it.
Divine Sword Sect.
Five hundred years ago, the swordsmanship of the Divine Sword Sect had been the greatest in the martial world, but they suddenly vanished as if evaporated.
A hundred years later, the extraordinary masters known as the Eight Emperors and Three Stars emerged, raising the level of martial world martial arts.
Yet even they were said to fall short of the Divine Sword Sect’s arts.
The swordsmanship of the Divine Sword Sect was regarded as the very origin of orthodox sword arts.
If Baek Museong had obtained the Divine Sword Sect’s legacy, defeating Hyeok Ryeon-eung would not be impossible.
—Truly the embodiment of indomitable spirit.
As the disciple of the Buddha Venerable and a representative next-generation master of the orthodox faction, Baek Museong had once enjoyed boundless glory.
But due to an unfortunate accident, his right arm became crippled, and he left the Alliance in misery.
Yet through a fateful encounter, he fully recovered his body, returning after beheading the demon who had plunged the martial world into terror, and became known as an indomitable warrior.
The indomitable martial soul.
Before long, the Martial Alliance was praising Baek Museong as a man possessing an unyielding martial spirit.
While the Alliance was abuzz with excitement, Bu Eunseol also returned to the Martial Alliance.
It was partly because the sudden order to select Commander candidates had come down, but the greatest reason was hearing that Baek Museong had returned after severing Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s head.
Upon arriving, Bu Eunseol learned that all the rumors about Baek Museong were true and that he would be promoted to hall leader for the merit of taking Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s head.
‘So that’s how it was.’
As Baek Museong’s glorious return and rapid promotion proceeded smoothly, Bu Eunseol felt a heavy melancholy.
It was not jealousy.
Hyeok Ryeon-eung had been struck by Bu Eunseol’s “Harmony” and vanished without a trace.
Even the Infinite Realm had been unable to locate him.
Yet for Baek Museong to boldly return to the Martial Alliance with Hyeok Ryeon-eung’s head… meant he had effectively thrown in his lot with the Three Realms.
‘Without the Three Realms’ approval, such an action would be impossible.’
No matter how much the Infinite Realm had vanished, the Three Realms would never tolerate Baek Museong forging a fake head of Hyeok Ryeon-eung to return to the Alliance.
The fact that he had openly brought a fake head without issue was absolute proof that Baek Museong belonged to the Three Realms.
‘The masked man I encountered in Gang Okji was him after all.’
The trap created by the Returning to One Realm, the masked man freely wielding the Seven Blood Tear Forms in Gang Okji… had been Baek Museong.
‘The one who healed Brother Baek’s hand was not some Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Turtle inner core, but the power of the Three Realms.’
Bu Eunseol had been the first to examine Baek Museong’s injured hand.
Even if Hua Tuo returned, it could not have been healed.
A legendary spirit beast’s inner core could not perfectly restore such a wound.
It must have been healed using the power of the Three Realms, which had conducted grotesque and cruel human experiments all this time.
‘I’ll ask him directly.’
Bu Eunseol immediately went to the pavilion where Baek Museong was staying and requested a private meeting, but was coldly refused.
With the hall leader appointment ceremony approaching, he was endlessly meeting elders and frantically discussing various matters…
It was a perfectly understandable reason.
Yet Bu Eunseol could sense that Baek Museong was avoiding him.
‘We’ll meet soon anyway.’
Baek Museong had likely obtained advance information about selecting Martial Heaven Commander candidates and timed his return accordingly.
If so, his goal was surely the Martial Heaven Commander position.
There was no need to force a meeting now; they would face each other soon enough.
Having sorted his complicated thoughts, Bu Eunseol went to the Supreme Pavilion to handle overdue work.
He also imposed intense training on all members except Tae Muryong.
Though the Supreme Corps had gained much experience alongside Bu Eunseol, aside from Tae Muryong, the individual prowess of the members still fell short of the Death Shadow Corps warriors.
‘Every member must reach the level of a Death Shadow Corps captain.’
All Supreme Corps members knew Bu Eunseol’s true identity and circumstances precisely and remained in the Martial Alliance risking their lives.
Thus, he could not increase their numbers and had no choice but to lead them as a small elite force.
So that all twenty members could survive any crisis without fail, he was systematically training each according to their individual traits and temperament.
“Captain.”
While busy at the Supreme Pavilion, Tae Muryong secretly visited Bu Eunseol’s office.
“I have received troubling information.”
The Supreme Corps already operated its own independent intelligence network and maintained perfect cooperation with the Death Spirit Corps through Soyo.
Thus, whether in Majeon or the Martial Alliance, Bu Eunseol could clearly see the state of both orthodox and demonic paths.
“Fist King Seok Chi-haeng, who vanished long ago, has reappeared in the martial world.”
Fist King Seok Chi-haeng.
He had left the martial world to guard the Ancient Sword Forest where Bu Eunseol had subdued him and left him in a safe place.
“The problem is that since appearing in the martial world, he has been committing ceaseless slaughter.”
“Slaughter?”
“Yes. He has already fallen into bloodlust madness—beyond a mere killer ghost… showing signs of becoming a Great Slaughter Star like the Bloody Massacre three hundred years ago.”
Bu Eunseol could not understand it.
Seok Chi-haeng possessed martial arts far greater than known in the martial world, and the Azure Heaven Seven Forms were flawless orthodox fist arts.
‘Heaven-Dark Star.’
Suddenly, the Heavenly Deity’s words came to mind.
The destroyer who would bring extinction to the martial world.
The ominous star said to dye the entire world in eternal darkness.
The Heaven-Dark Star.
He had claimed to be that very existence.
‘A man like Seok Chi-haeng would never suddenly become a slaughter demon.’
Though blunt and stubborn in character, he was someone who would never succumb to evil.
For such a man to suddenly appear in the martial world committing slaughter… and showing signs of becoming a Great Slaughter Star?
Did fate truly exist…
And was it inescapable?
