Dok-go Jin spoke calmly.
“I heard it from the Martial Venerable before. There is an entity lurking in the martial world… one that surpasses the strongest masters of our generation…” He continued calmly, “…and that I possess the potential to confront them.”
Bu Eunseol showed an expression of surprise.
The Martial Venerable had always treated the real Seon Woojin as nothing more than a disposable tool. Yet he had said such words?
“That’s correct. It seems I am not merely a consumable after all. And that realization frightened me even more.”
Dok-go Jin took a deep breath.
“I feared I would be used by him for the rest of my life.”
The biggest reason he had betrayed that terrifying Martial Venerable.
It was partly because Bu Eunseol and Mu Gyeol’s proposal had been tempting but more than that, it was because he realized that if he stayed passive, he would never escape the Martial Venerable’s grasp and would spend his entire life in darkness.
“Within ten years… you can do it, right?”
At Dok-go Jin’s words, Bu Eunseol sank into deep thought with a very serious expression for a long while.
Finally, he nodded.
“Whether he dies or I die, it will be resolved within five years.”
“Five years.”
“Ten years would be too late, wouldn’t it?”
Anyone else would have thought those words were mere bravado but Bu Eunseol’s voice and eyes carried a power that put people at ease and inspired trust.
“Thank you.”
Dok-go Jin smiled as if everything had already been resolved.
He had a premonition that it really would turn out that way.
“Then, in the meantime, I will do my utmost as the temporary General Steward of the Azure Sky Alliance.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. Well then.”
After Dok-go Jin left with a refreshed expression, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
In the end, the Martial Venerable, driven by greed, not only drove the Heavenly Emperor to his death and ruined the plan, but also tried to kill Gongsun Dankyung and even attempted to corner and eliminate Bu Eunseol himself.
Just as Bukgung Ryeong had said, he was a wicked man capable of doing anything to get what he wanted—an evil that could no longer coexist.
“The only regrettable thing is the Heavenly Emperor’s death.”
From all the investigations so far, the Heavenly Emperor had been a true righteous man who had struggled in every way to save the orthodox martial world.
But in the end, due to the Martial Venerable’s vicious scheme, his martial power was greatly diminished, and it seemed he exhausted himself trying to save the martial world until he breathed his last.
‘He said Baekri Muha must be saved.’
The Heavenly Emperor had called Baekri Muha a pillar of the martial world and insisted he absolutely had to be kept alive.
That meant, in the end, Baekri Muha had been killed while trying to save the world.
‘Those who would kill a man surpassing the Heavenly Emperor…’
In the past, he would have unconditionally suspected the highest leadership of the Three Realms.
But now there was the Demon Emperor, who wielded unmatched power.
The Three Demons and Three Venerables, who were breaking free from the boundaries of the Limitless Realm.
The Baekri Family, who had protected the martial world, along with the True Demon and his kin who opposed him.
And even mysterious neutral forces that claimed to uphold the laws…
There were countless entities capable of touching the Heavenly Emperor whose power had been severely weakened.
“My head hurts.”
Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol took another deep breath.
“Anyway, thanks to Steward Dok-go, once the opening ceremony is over, I can have Seo Jinha come here to assist.”
With Dok-go Jin’s help, he could continue maintaining Seon Woojin’s identity so from now on, having Seo Jinha assist Bukgung Ryeong seemed the best option.
It was a situation where every talented person was precious.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knocking sound came, followed by Tae Muryong’s low voice.
“My Lord, we have arrived.”
When the door opened, Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo entered with bright faces and clasped their hands toward Bu Eunseol.
“My Lord.”
“Come in.”
“We have finished preparations so that the existing intelligence network can be operated within the Azure Sky Alliance as well.”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Tae Muryong’s words.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“We have also selected those among the intelligence members who are usable. However, since they are not part of our organization, I have submitted the matter to the Alliance Leader.”
Since the Azure Sky Alliance was a newly formed coalition, its intelligence organization was weak.
To enable the Supreme Corps to quickly operate an intelligence network, Bu Eunseol had used the name “Supreme Corps” as is to create the Azure Sky Alliance’s intelligence division and ordered the cultivation of intelligence operatives on a scale comparable to the Mankyeong Hall of the Martial Alliance.
“There is no need to classify them separately. They will all become part of the Supreme Corps’s intelligence organization.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Jeong Jongdo showed a worried expression.
“Then… are we now becoming the Azure Sky Alliance’s intelligence organization?”
Bu Eunseol had emphasized multiple times:
The Azure Sky Alliance did not belong to him—it belonged to the upright orthodox martial artists.
Therefore, he could not stay here forever, and the position of Supreme Corps Captain was merely a device to maintain Seon Woojin’s identity.
“We only followed the Lord here.”
Even in the Supreme Corps, all notions of “demonic” or “orthodox” had vanished because of Bu Eunseol.
They followed Bu Eunseol—not the Azure Sky Alliance under the Bullet King.
“Do you think we, as orthodox martial artists, must ultimately do what is right as orthodox martial artists?”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Jeong Jongdo’s words.
“In the past, yes, that was what I thought. I wanted to create an honorable identity for you no matter where you operated.”
No matter how free his heart was, Bu Eunseol was ultimately a demonic cultivator. If the Supreme Corps members followed him in his original identity, in the eyes of the martial world they would inevitably become traitors.
“But now it’s fine. Seon Woojin—he gave me Seon Woojin’s identity.”
“He did?”
“Yes. He will become the General Steward of this alliance under the name Dok-go Jin. And I can now operate as Supreme Corps Captain Seon Woojin.”
Bu Eunseol added, “And when the time comes to discard the name Seon Woojin… both you and I will have achieved everything we desire.”
“But why would he simply give his identity to the Lord for no reason?”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Tae Muryong’s sharp question.
“In exchange, I promised to definitely kill that wicked Martial Venerable.”
“The Martial Venerable…”
The two men’s expressions darkened.
Having experienced a rapid rise in their own martial prowess, they knew better than anyone how terrifying the Martial Venerable was. Even Bu Eunseol, whom no one thought could ever be defeated, was still not on the same level.
“Within five years.”
“Five years…”
Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo let out low groans.
Bu Eunseol was increasing his martial power at an unpredictably fast rate.
But could he surpass the Martial Venerable—who had already achieved overwhelming power long ago, enough to replace the former orthodox number one the Heavenly Emperor—within five years?
Perhaps only the heavens knew.
“How is your body?”
When Bu Eunseol changed the subject, Tae Muryong answered.
“It has completely recovered. The help from the Poison Lord was truly great.”
Although Bu Eunseol had extracted all the poison and stored it in his own body, because they had carried it for so long, the members’ bodies had been somewhat damaged.
At just the right time, Tang Gon recommended his younger sister, Tang Cheong, as the Azure Sky Alliance’s Poison Lord.
In any large coalition of numerous martial artists, there needed to be an expert skilled in poisons and hidden weapons.
Upon hearing that the Supreme Corps members were suffering aftereffects from harboring poison, Tang Cheong had used the Tang Clan’s secret techniques to restore their bodies.
“The Tang Clan really lives up to its name.”
“I’m glad.”
In truth, Tang Cheong’s actions were not solely to help the Azure Sky Alliance… but Bu Eunseol did not know that fact yet.
“Then from now on, we have truly become full members of the Azure Sky Alliance.”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Jeong Jongdo’s words.
“Yes.” He spoke calmly. “From now on, the Supreme Corps will become the orthodox faction’s foremost core intelligence organization, surpassing even the Martial Alliance’s Mankyeong Hall.”
Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo showed proud smiles.
It had been the right choice to follow this new lord with their lives, without distinguishing between orthodox and unorthodox.
Now the Supreme Corps had become the premier intelligence organization of the new orthodox coalition, the Azure Sky Alliance. All their future actions would leave great footprints in the martial world… and above all, every mission they carried out would save countless lives.
Then, heavy footsteps thudded closer.
“My Lord, it is Gye Muk.”
“Come in.”
Among the members excluding Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo, Gye Muk was undeniably the one with the most outstanding skill.
“My Lord. She has come.”
Gye Muk said with a bright smile.
“The Chief Inspector.”
Bu Eunseol smiled.
The woman he had been waiting for had finally come to the Azure Sky Alliance.
“Tell her to come in.”
“Then we will take our leave.”
Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo saluted and hurriedly left together with Gye Muk.
Swoosh.
Bu Eunseol stood up from his seat to greet Gongsun Dankyung, who would soon enter.
‘I thought she was dead.’
At first, believing she had died, Bu Eunseol had halted all ongoing plans.
Because avenging her came first.
But she had returned alive from death.
And she created a situation that even the Martial Venerable, possessing the identity of the Divine Mountain Sage, could never have predicted.
Thanks to that, Bu Eunseol had been able to turn the Martial Alliance upside down and leave safely.
Creak.
The door opened, and a beautiful woman in white appeared.
It was Gongsun Dankyung, whom everyone thought had been killed by the Jungson Family.
“Chief Inspector.”
Bu Eunseol greeted her with a delighted face and a respectful salute.
In the past, their relationship had been merely courteous.
Now, he was truly thankful to the heavens that she was alive.
Because of his own plans, she had fallen into the Martial Venerable’s scheme.
Because of him, she had been forced to give up the lifelong revenge she desired and lost all the martial artists she had raised.
Above all, despite knowing his true identity all along, she had continued to place infinite trust in him and waited.
For these three reasons alone, he owed Gongsun Dankyung an unrepayable debt.
‘It was truly a blessing.’
Recalling the moment he reunited with Gongsun Dankyung after she returned alive, Bu Eunseol’s gaze deepened.
And his cheeks flushed red.
***
At that time, Bu Eunseol had been filled with rage and was planning revenge.
Therefore, he had not officially returned to the Martial Alliance; instead, he used secret passages the Martial Venerable had employed, or moved between the Martial Alliance and the martial world under his Supreme Corps identity to handle various matters.
In the midst of that, someone delivered a letter through the Supreme Corps’s intelligence network in an extremely secretive manner.
When Bu Eunseol received and opened the letter, he could hardly believe his eyes.
The handwriting belonged to none other than Gongsun Dankyung.
Stunned, Bu Eunseol rushed to the location written in the letter.
It was an abandoned house untouched by human feet, overlaid with layered mysterious formations.
Bu Eunseol’s heart pounded.
It was the very same formation that Gongsun Dankyung had once set up in the warehouse of the Myriad Goods Store to block enemies.
Swoooosh.
As he swiftly entered the fog-shrouded formation, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Standing in one corner of the abandoned house was a beauty in white.
It was unmistakably Gongsun Dankyung.
“Chief Inspector!”
Bu Eunseol hurriedly ran toward her.
But he stopped right in front of her and began coldly and meticulously examining her vital reactions and face.
Could this be a trap? Could someone have disguised themselves with face-changing art?
With suspicious eyes, he checked and rechecked endlessly.
Fortunately—by an enormous stroke of luck—she was indeed Gongsun Dankyung.
“Thank goodness!”
Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, Bu Eunseol shouted in a voice filled with joy.
“Truly, thank goodness!”
For the first time, he gave thanks to the heavens.
After saving Soyo, and after the death of the former Nine Deaths Squad Leader So Jamyeong—who had willingly died for him with a faint smile—he had sworn never again to let innocent people die because of him.
But that oath had ultimately been broken.
Because Gongsun Dankyung, who had believed in and protected him for so long, had died.
Bu Eunseol could not forgive himself.
After leaving the Martial Alliance while maintaining Seon Woojin’s identity for the sake of the Supreme Corps, he resolved to become neither the Martial Soul Command Lord nor Seon Woojin but an incarnation of destruction.
He planned to completely crush not only the Jungson Family but the entire Martial Alliance including the Martial Venerable, and to bring about his own ruin as well.
If he could not protect those precious to him… then revenge meant nothing.
But she was alive.
To Bu Eunseol, that was a single ray of light, a salvation.
Plip.
Without realizing it, a single tear fell.
Seeing that, clear tears also flowed from Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes.
“You’re acting like a fool.”
Gongsun Dankyung smiled like a child.
“A grown man crying like that…”
Her words trailed off as Bu Eunseol suddenly pulled her into a fierce embrace.
“It’s okay.”
Though momentarily startled, Gongsun Dankyung soon gently stroked his back.
“I didn’t die.”
For some reason, she could see straight into Bu Eunseol’s heart.
—This man, besides his grandfather… must have seen many people sacrifice or die because of him.
—He must have endured that pain for a long time.
—And because of my death, everything was about to fall apart.
—That’s why he is thanking the heavens that I am alive.
However… it was not love.
Someone who had willingly died for him had returned, so he was simply happy.
But even that alone made Gongsun Dankyung feel proud.
That her life… could become happiness for someone.
“I showed an unsightly side.”
Only after a long while did Bu Eunseol finally release Gongsun Dankyung from his tight embrace.
The tip of his nose was red, like a child who had played excitedly in the midwinter cold.
“No, it’s not.”
While still wiping away the tears that continued to flow from Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Gongsun Dankyung showed a sweet smile.
“And I’m glad.”
Bu Eunseol blinked.
What exactly was she glad about?
As he blinked in confusion, he met Gongsun Dankyung’s gentle smiling face and unconsciously looked away.
“What exactly happened?”
Bu Eunseol could not help but ask.
He had clearly confirmed with his own eyes that her breathing had stopped.
Even if she had used some corpse-preserving technique or some other harmony art, there was no way she could have fooled his eyes.
Yet she was perfectly alive, as if an immortal had cast a spell.
“I definitely confirmed your breathing had stopped.”
“It wasn’t death—it was a state of suspended animation.”
“That can’t be. There’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.”
“It wasn’t an ordinary suspended animation.”
Gongsun Dankyung smiled faintly.
“I was in the process of awakening as one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you before. I was kidnapped as a child as a candidate for the Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
Gongsun Dankyung spoke calmly.
“I, too, was one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars. Probably the Heavenly Hero Star.”
“Heavenly Hero Star.”
Instead of answering, Gongsun Dankyung extended her hand.
Kwaaaaa!
A light arrow shot upward into the sky.
Truly at the speed of light—its trajectory impossible to follow with the naked eye.
One of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
In a certain domain, she was capable of creating arrows made of light.
“So the Chief Inspector is truly one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.”
“Yes. Back then, when the Jungson Family called me by the nickname ‘Earthly Calamity Star’… I thought I was merely a shadow star of the Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
“Then those born as One Hundred and Eight Stars are immune to poison?”
“No. It was because the poison created by the power of a One Hundred and Eight Star shattered the great sealing art that had been placed on my body… allowing my power to manifest.”
“The great sealing art?”
“Chu So. He performed a great art on my body to suppress the manifestation.”
She sighed and continued.
“So that I would never again be pursued by the Jungson Family.”
At that time, she had received a mysterious secret technique from Chu So, and her One Hundred Eight Star power had remained suppressed ever since. Because of that, neither the Jungson Family nor anyone capable of detecting One Hundred Eight Star power had discovered her true identity until now.
“Just who is this Chu So?”
“He was the Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
Gongsun Dankyung honestly explained everything that had happened.
That she was not truly Gongsun Dankyung, but So Min.
That she had been able to escape the Jungson Family thanks to the help of the Heavenly Mechanism Star, Chu So.
And that, just as he had prophesied, she met the Gongsun Hwa-uk couple, who looked similar to her and were the same age… and became the fake Gongsun Dankyung.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol unconsciously let out a long sigh.
‘So she was not the real Gongsun Dankyung.’
The life Gongsun Dankyung described was so tragic that even Bu Eunseol—who had endured all kinds of trials and suffering since childhood—could only click his tongue in astonishment.
‘Moreover, if it’s the Heavenly Mechanism Star…’
But an even more shocking truth was slowly coming to light.
The Heavenly Mechanism Star, whom he had always questioned whether he truly existed, had actually existed—and was the very child who had been kidnapped together with Gongsun Dankyung?
Furthermore, according to her words, did he not possess an ability to predict everything as if he were a prophet?
“I have a question.”
“Please ask.”
“How could such an outstanding Heavenly Mechanism Star have been captured by the Jungson Family?”
Gongsun Dankyung nodded.
“I’ve thought about that for a long time, but I never found the reason. Only that he must have allowed himself to be caught on purpose.”
“Then…”
“Yes. He must have had a reason to enter the Jungson Family for some kind of plan.”
Gongsun Dankyung let out a sigh.
“And because he knew I was the only one who could take revenge, he said he saved me.”
Then she smiled sadly.
“But looking back… I think that was a lie.”
“The Heavenly Mechanism Star… can he really predict the future?” Bu Eunseol, mulling over Gongsun Dankyung’s story, asked. “According to what the Chief Inspector said, it seems he could perfectly predict even the future.”
If one were to define prophecy, it is looking ahead at events that will occur.
But could one predict, moment by moment, a future that changes with every action?
Even the great prophet Moryun was said to have ultimately gotten the timing of his prophecy wrong. Yet the ability of the Heavenly Mechanism Star that Gongsun Dankyung described felt as though he could predict even a constantly shifting future.
“Yes. He could.”
Gongsun Dankyung spoke with a convinced expression.
“At that time, Chu So had everyone in the Jungson Family under his control. And the family head…” Shaking her head, she continued. “…he arranged everything so that I could meet my father and mother. All at the age of merely six or seven.”
“Then he is still alive and well.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
“With such an ability, faking his death would be nothing to him.”
“Yes.”
Gongsun Dankyung nodded, hiding her melancholy.
“He is truly alive and has probably been watching over me all this time.”
She continued calmly.
“The letter that once sent me to the place where the Fist Man was—that could only have been written by Chu So.”
Only then did one of Bu Eunseol’s questions resolve.
At the time, Gongsun Dankyung had said the reason she fell into the Fist Man’s trap was because someone who knew her well had set it.
But she never said who—until now, it had been the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
‘Then the real target really was me.’
There was no reason for the Jungson Family to kill again the Gongsun Dankyung they had barely saved after immense effort.
Moreover, he had deliberately drawn the Fist Man in to set the trap?
If so, then as he had suspected at the time—the Heavenly Mechanism Star’s target had been himself.
‘The one controlling the woman from the Chimseon Pavilion in the Martial Alliance was also him.’
Back then, while he was at the Supreme Pavilion under Seon Woojin’s identity, a woman from the Chimseon Pavilion suddenly appeared and lured him into the bamboo grove.
It turned out she had her mind suppressed and was being puppeted by someone.
Through her mouth came a warning not to shake Gongsun Dankyung.
Then sparkling powder was scattered, and soon afterward the Fist Man stormed into the Martial Alliance.
All of it had been orchestrated by the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
“What exactly is his goal?”
“I don’t know. But it seems something changed in the plan. Or perhaps… his heart changed.”
Gongsun Dankyung’s expression was bitter.
The reason she had pursued the Jungson Family until now was partly hatred for those who killed her parents and innocent children, but also to avenge Chu So, who had saved her life.
But to learn that he was alive and had been watching her all along?
It was so empty that it left her dumbfounded.
“Then can One Hundred and Eight Stars enter suspended animation indefinitely?”
“Probably not. But my father once said…” Gongsun Dankyung spoke in a low voice. “…that I was attacked with the power of another One Hundred and Eight Star, and because it happened to be the power of the Poison Calamity Star, it influenced me to awaken.”
“The Gongsun family head knew about the One Hundred and Eight Stars?”
“Yes. He knew everything.”
She said with a lonely expression.
“From the first moment he saw me, he knew it was an intentional meeting… that I was one of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, and that a seal had been placed on me.”
It was unbelievable.
The Gongsun family was not even a martial clan, and the current family head, Gongsun Hwa-uk, had never involved himself in martial world affairs.
Yet if he knew so much about the One Hundred and Eight Stars…
“Do you remember? Our family’s Unique Heavenly Star Section.”
In that instant, a flash passed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
‘Didn’t the Gongsun family head once tell me the location of the Tibetan lama?’
“Yes.”
Gongsun Dankyung spoke calmly, as if she had seen straight into Bu Eunseol’s heart.
“My father obtained knowledge about the One Hundred and Eight Stars from a reclusive master in the western regions.”
“Then it was the Gongsun family head who saved the Chief Inspector?”
“No.”
Recalling the moment she awoke inside the coffin, Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes grew profoundly deep.
