Un Jeong narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“The moment someone tries to use soul-seizing arts on me, my head will explode. However… there is no restriction against me voluntarily telling you things.”
She took a single step closer to Bu Eunseol.
“None of the people in this sect can be broken by any form of torture.”
Then she extended her index finger and gently stroked the hair behind her ear with utmost softness.
“I would never spill secrets of my own accord… so naturally, I was never placed under such a restriction.”
Indeed, Un Jeong had received the excruciating Reverse Heaven Bestowal Punishment as nothing more than pleasure.
In other words, her body was impervious to any torture technique found in the martial world.
Yet attempting soul-seizing arts would cause her head to burst—so no one in the world could force open her mouth.
Hum.
Bu Eunseol, who had been holding her aloft with Void Grasp, withdrew his internal energy. She gently descended back to the ground.
“Your internal energy really is extraordinary.”
Un Jeong gazed at Bu Eunseol—who had lifted her entire body without moving a finger—and let out an admiring exclamation.
Lifting small objects like wine cups or swords with Void Grasp was not particularly difficult but to hoist an entire person into the air without so much as twitching a hand—that level of power was exceedingly rare in the martial world.
“To accumulate such unimaginable internal energy at such a young age…”
“Tell me what you want.” Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. “If you ask to be spared, I will spare you.”
“That wouldn’t fall under the condition I mentioned, would it?”
“What exactly do you want me to do to please you?”
“Huhuhu. Now we’re finally getting somewhere.”
Un Jeong lightly stroked Bu Eunseol’s chest with her index finger. Then she slowly slid her hand downward.
“I originally had other demands in mind… but I’ve changed my mind.”
Her finger—continuously licking her lips—finally stopped at none other than Bu Eunseol’s dantian.
“Give me your internal energy.”
“My internal energy?”
“Yes. Our sect possesses many treasures, and among them are secret arts engraved that allow one to absorb primordial essence.”
Bu Eunseol’s expression remained impassive.
“If I let you absorb my internal energy, you’ll tell me?”
Grandfather was the benefactor who had given him a new life.
If the only bloodline Grandfather had left behind was being held captive by some sinister force—or living in misery—then no price was too high to pay to rescue him.
Internal energy meant nothing in comparison.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“Fine. I’ll give it to you.”
Bu Eunseol asked, “But answer me first. Where is the child of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade?”
“In that case… I’ll tell you once I’ve taken about half of the internal energy you possess.”
Un Jeong wore a leisurely expression.
“Refuse if you want. I have nothing to lose.”
No fool in the world would accept such a demand yet Bu Eunseol, for whatever reason, calmly extended his hand.
“Take it. And when you’ve absorbed roughly half, answer me precisely.”
A red glint of bloodlust flickered in Bu Eunseol’s pupils.
“If you play any tricks, you die instantly.”
“Huhuhu. Very well.”
Un Jeong grasped Bu Eunseol’s wrist with a relaxed smile.
Immediately, internal energy began leaking from the Outer Pass acupoint—the sunken point between the split bones near his wrist.
To his astonishment, she was employing the Soul-Stealing Blood Technique of the long-lost Dark Spirit Sect—a forbidden art said to have vanished centuries ago, capable of instantly stealing even true energy and soul essence.
She was sucking away Bu Eunseol’s true qi.
“Is this all?”
Un Jeong’s mouth fell open wide as she executed the Soul-Stealing Blood Technique.
Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was like an ocean—its depth was simply impossible to fathom.
“Amazing! At this rate, I can finally complete our sect’s martial arts!”
Letting out exclamations of delight, she greedily tightened her grip on the Outer Pass acupoint. Each time she did, massive quantities of the energy circulating through Bu Eunseol’s body poured out.
At the same time, a faint light began to emanate from Un Jeong’s own body.
Having obtained such vast internal energy, her flesh was slowly transforming.
She absorbed so voraciously that less than a third of Bu Eunseol’s ocean-like internal energy remained.
“Now speak.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Un Jeong curled her lips into a cruel smile.
“At that time, our sect deliberately left traces suggesting we had kidnapped the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s child in order to lure him here.”
She continued in a low voice.
“The child has already fallen into their hands.”
“Who are ‘they’?”
“The Baekri family.”
Un Jeong dropped a bombshell.
“The Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s child was taken by someone from the Baekri family.”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s frozen expression softened.
The Baekri family.
If that legendary clan had taken Grandfather’s child, then there was nothing to worry about, was there?
Perhaps that was why Grandfather had never searched further for his bloodline—because he knew the child was in the hands of the Baekri family and could rest easy in his later years.
Better to grow up in the hands of that great clan than in the blood-soaked hands of Grandfather himself.
‘Thank goodness.’
For a moment, Bu Eunseol felt relief wash over him.
And unconsciously, he let slip a mistake.
“Why would the Baekri family take Grandfather’s child?”
“Grandfather?”
In an instant, Un Jeong’s eyes changed dramatically.
Only now did she realize who this masked man truly was.
“The Martial Soul Command Lord.”
Un Jeong’s eyes widened as though she had discovered a treasure; her mouth fell open.
“You are the Martial Soul Command Lord. Hahaha!”
She burst into ecstatic laughter.
Bu Eunseol was not only the supreme master of the demonic path who encompassed the world—he was also the greatest enemy of the power standing behind her.
To have drained all of such a man’s internal energy and reduced him to a cripple… she had accomplished an unimaginable feat.
Boom!
Suddenly, Un Jeong struck like lightning, sending a palm strike straight into Bu Eunseol’s chest.
With his internal energy depleted, Bu Eunseol flew backward in a straight line with a bang and crashed into the wall.
“If I capture you, they will make me the Empress of the martial world.”
Cackling madly, she approached Bu Eunseol where he lay embedded in the wall.
If she subdued his acupoints now and used his life to negotiate with them, every wish she had ever held could come true.
“‘They’? Who exactly are you referring to?”
“Of course it’s—”
Un Jeong started to answer, then sensed something wrong.
Despite the thunderous crash against the wall, despite her channeling energy into that mad laughter, not a single one of the guards or disciples waiting outside had come rushing in to check on the disturbance.
“No way…”
Looking around, Un Jeong’s eyes widened.
A transparent membrane of rigid qi still enveloped the entire room.
“Not bad awareness for a successor of the Oblivion Sect.”
Tap. Tap.
The fallen Bu Eunseol brushed off his clothes and slowly rose to his feet.
“Did you have sweet dreams?”
Divine light flashed in his pupils; an ethereal aura radiated from his entire body.
This was absolutely not the appearance of a martial artist who had lost all internal energy and become a cripple.
“How…?”
“Neidan.”
Bu Eunseol answered briefly.
“It was overflowing.”
His body had accumulated internal energy so immense that it could no longer be contained. In fact, he had reached the limit of what a human vessel could hold, so he had no choice but to store the vast majority of it in his neidan.
“Then what I absorbed was…”
“The remnants left after converting the previously absorbed poison into true qi.” Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. “The venom of the ancient poison was so vicious that some undetoxifiable residue remained.”
The moment Un Jeong demanded his internal energy, a bold idea had flashed through his mind.
During the process of detoxifying the Supreme Corps members earlier, there had been a portion of the Three Corpse Worm’s extreme poison that he could not fully purge and had been forced to leave in his body.
What if he injected that into himself…?
Though his Poison Body had rendered him immune to the Three Corpse Worm’s venom, the lingering undetoxified extreme poison had always weighed on his mind.
Whether she used an energy-absorbing technique or the Soul-Stealing Blood Technique, the one doing the absorbing could never tell whether the incoming energy had been converted from poison.
In the end, Un Jeong—completely unaware—fell for the ploy.
She had greedily absorbed not only part of his internal energy but also the ancient poison residue he had been unable to detoxify until now.
Hum.
With the complete removal of the lingering ancient poison from his body, Bu Eunseol’s Poison Body reached perfection. The blood that had long been tainted with extreme venom was now fully purified once more. Moreover, he had converted the Three Corpse Worm’s ancient poison into the form of the Ban-Geuk Method and stored it in his neidan.
Though it could not compare to the Obsidian Single-Horn Flood Dragon Core, he had gained one more powerful poison.
Through this incident, he had stepped into the initial stage of becoming the Poison Saint.
‘Now, whenever I wish, I can turn my blood into extreme poison or spread venom to anyone who touches my skin.’
One of the greatest hurdles on the path to becoming the Poison Saint was deliberately storing unabsorbable poison in the body and having someone else extract it. Only a supreme poison master who had reached the Poison Saint realm could extract poison that even a Poison Body could not detoxify.
Even if such a master did extract it, the process often reversed the flow of meridians, drastically reduced cultivation, or turned the victim into a cripple.
Yet thanks to Un Jeong, Bu Eunseol had bypassed that hurdle with astonishing ease.
Tremble…
Un Jeong’s body shook violently.
Pfft—
She spat out a jet of black blood and collapsed.
The ancient poison had spread throughout her body; she was slowly dying.
“So the Three Realms were behind you.”
Bu Eunseol looked down at Un Jeong as she died, black blood flowing from her mouth.
“Only the supreme masters of the martial world—and the Three Realms—know about my relationship with Grandfather.”
“Maybe.”
“It doesn’t matter either way. I’ve already learned the news about Grandfather’s bloodline.”
Now that he knew Grandfather’s child had gone to the Baekri family, there was no longer any need to know who stood behind Un Jeong.
“You look relieved.”
Even as poison claimed her life, Un Jeong let out a sinister chuckle.
“Because you heard that Bu Zhanyang’s bloodline went to the Baekri family.”
“You know well.”
“Hehehehe… Hahahaha!”
Suddenly Un Jeong burst into mad laughter and pointed at Bu Eunseol’s face.
“You shouldn’t be so happy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you the truth.”
Un Jeong cackled viciously.
“The child went to the True Demon’s bloodline.”
“What?”
“I said it went to the Baekri family—but in reality, it went to the True Demon’s blood kin!”
What was this sudden nonsense?
Grandfather’s bloodline had gone to the True Demon?
“What are you saying?”
Bu Eunseol grabbed Un Jeong by the collar and shouted.
“The True Demon’s bloodline? Who exactly is that?”
“Do you want to know?”
“Speak!”
“Bring your ear closer. I no longer have the strength to speak loudly.”
Bu Eunseol leaned his ear toward her.
Un Jeong opened her mouth to continue—then began vomiting blood.
In the end, the fully spread ancient poison had burst all the blood vessels in her body.
“Go to… hell.”
With those final words, Un Jeong breathed her last.
“Grandfather’s bloodline… with the True Demon’s kin?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew hazy.
Had she lied in her final moments just to sow confusion?
Or had she spoken the truth?
“The probability of it being false is high.”
It could be true, but in her dying breath she had been filled with such malice.
In cases like this, falsehood was far more likely.
“But if it really is the True Demon’s side…”
Clenching his fist tightly, bloodlust flowed from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“I must find out as soon as possible.”
If Grandfather’s only blood kin had become a subordinate of the True Demon—or even one of their bloodline and was committing evil deeds…
“Then in the end, we cannot escape the yoke of the Baekri family and the True Demon.”
Bu Eunseol wore a devastated expression.
He had thought it would end with him being entangled yet even Grandfather’s bloodline was in the hands of the Baekri family—or the True Demon’s kin?
“Now is not the time to despair.”
If the child had become one of the True Demon’s kin, they might clash with him before their identity could even be discovered—he might even be forced to kill them.
“I can only hope they did not become the True Demon’s kin.”
Before such a tragedy could occur, he had to find out who Grandfather’s bloodline was.
He had to find them—no matter what.
***
Upon returning to Majeon, Bu Eunseol convened a meeting and calmly recounted everything that had happened.
The captains were no longer surprised.
Ever since hearing about the True Demon and the Baekri family, ever since learning that unfathomable, mysterious forces existed in the martial world beyond explanation—there was nothing left that could shock them.
Even if yet another mythical, legendary existence on par with the Baekri family and the True Demon appeared, it would hardly be surprising anymore.
They were somewhat shocked, however, by the purpose of the covenant: that it existed to maintain the balance between the Baekri family and the True Demon in their fight—by selecting subordinates for both sides.
It was the same emotion Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja had felt at the time.
―In the end, is the martial world nothing more than an arena for the Baekri family and the True Demon to fight over?
That thought could not be shaken.
―Find the true identity of the True Demon and the whereabouts of their kin.
Bu Eunseol issued the command to the captains.
If Grandfather’s bloodline was alive and had perhaps become one of the True Demon’s kin?
If the bloodline of the Supreme Under Heaven had passed to them?
The probability that they would become an extremely powerful subordinate of the True Demon was overwhelmingly high.
―As expected, it won’t be possible to find them in a short time.
Despite the Death Spirit Corps pursuing every possible lead, naturally they could find no trace of the True Demon or their kin.
Until now they had hidden their movements even more perfectly than the Baekri family.
There was no way to suddenly uncover their tracks now.
―It doesn’t matter. Continue the investigation.
He had never expected to find them quickly.
But through their ceaseless, unrelenting efforts up to this point, they had uncovered a considerable number of secrets previously unknown to the martial world.
Even if it took more time, he was determined to find the truth.
‘I will definitely find them.’
Bu Eunseol vowed inwardly.
If Grandfather’s bloodline was truly alive somewhere, he would stake everything to find them.
“My Lord, it is Wi Cheongyeong.”
At that moment, a knock came at the door, followed by Wi Cheongyeong’s voice.
“Enter.”
Wi Cheongyeong stepped into the office with a somewhat bewildered expression.
“A guest has come looking for the Lord.”
“A guest?”
The time Bu Eunseol spent in Majeon was extremely limited, and his movements outside were never revealed.
How could someone time their visit exactly when he was here?
“Who is it?”
“An unknown person. Someone who has never appeared in any intelligence network.”
Wi Cheongyeong scratched his head.
“Moreover, the visit was announced not through the Death Spirit Corps network, but through the direct intelligence line I personally operate. Even we couldn’t predict it… yet they accurately foresaw the exact time the Lord would be in his office.”
“Hm.”
“It seems to be someone from a faction operating an intelligence network on par with the Death Spirit Corps.”
Wi Cheongyeong tilted his head and offered a visiting card.
“And they guaranteed that if this were delivered to the Lord, you would meet them immediately.”
When Bu Eunseol took the card, his stiff expression softened slightly.
Inside was none other than Sage Forest’s treasure—the Immeasurable Light Secret.
‘It’s Han Sangja.’
Placing the Immeasurable Light Secret in his robes, Bu Eunseol rose from his seat.
“Where is he?”
***
Han Sangja was sitting in the guest hall of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion, a cup of hot tea placed before him.
Or more precisely, he had merely set the steaming tea in front of himself and was sitting with his head bowed, wearing a grave expression.
“Brother Han.”
Bu Eunseol approached and greeted him warmly.
“What brings you here so suddenly?”
Han Sangja had risked his own life and placed absolute faith in Bu Eunseol’s abilities to resolve the matter of the Executioners.
For that alone, he was a great benefactor to Bu Eunseol and could become a true friend.
“My Lord.”
When Han Sangja raised his head and bowed respectfully, Bu Eunseol’s expression stiffened slightly.
Something must have happened in the meantime. His face was now covered in grotesque scars, like writhing purple earthworms.
“What happened? Were you injured?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
“Nothing serious? Your flesh has melted away!”
Han Sangja bowed his head like a man who had committed a crime.
“There was… simply a reason for it.”
When he raised his head again, an intense light—hot enough to melt iron—shone from his eyes.
“My Lord, I must take revenge.”
Bu Eunseol immediately guessed that something terrible had happened to Sage Forest.
“What happened to Sage Forest?”
“It burned to ashes. Completely.”
“Who did such a thing?”
“The Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
Han Sangja let out a bitter laugh.
“Laughably, the one called the King of Sages burned our entire sanctuary to the ground.”
‘Chu So.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
‘So he went to Sage Forest for revenge.’
The sages of Sage Forest had worked to artificially create the Heavenly Mechanism Star and had finally succeeded.
“Artificially” meant they had used abnormal, unnatural means.
It was possible that Chu So had taken revenge on the very Sage Forest that had given birth to him.
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
At Han Sangja’s words, Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
“In truth… when I visited Sage Forest, the Forest Lord sent me a transmission and said this to me.”
Bu Eunseol slowly told him the message.
“They artificially created the Heavenly Mechanism Star in our sanctuary?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol wore a bitter expression.
“Because of that, Grandfather attacked Sage Forest. The Forest Lord said his existence would become a calamity.”
“…I see.”
Only now seeming to understand something, Han Sangja wore a pained expression.
“Artificially manifesting the One Hundred and Eight Stars is an utterly heinous act.”
“What do you mean by heinous?”
“To bear the One Hundred and Eight Stars requires a brutal process that ravages both mind and body. And if by one-in-ten-thousand chance such a child is born… then both mother and child must endure yet another round of even more cruel experimentation.”
According to Han Sangja’s words, Sage Forest had ultimately reaped the retribution for their own sins.
“I couldn’t understand why he attacked Sage Forest.”
Han Sangja gave a sorrowful laugh.
“But hearing the Lord’s words… it was the karma of our sanctuary after all.”
“Brother Han.”
“But I cannot simply let it go.”
Blood flowed from Han Sangja’s clenched fist.
He had gripped it so tightly in suppressed rage that his nails had pierced the flesh.
“I must avenge my master and senior brothers.”
Bu Eunseol could say nothing; he only let out a deep sigh.
The sight of Han Sangja—eyes blazing with determination, blood dripping as though vomiting it—overlapped perfectly with his own past self crying out for revenge.
“You are now the sole surviving sage and successor of Sage Forest.”
Bu Eunseol tried to comfort him with gentle words.
“Rather than prioritizing revenge, shouldn’t you pour your strength into reviving Sage Forest?”
“I thought that too. That the most important thing was to continue the lineage of our sanctuary.”
Han Sangja shook his head.
“But the Heavenly Mechanism Star will never allow Sage Forest to flourish again. He will surely trample it once more.”
Bu Eunseol let out yet another deep sigh.
The depth of Chu So’s grudge—enough to burn Sage Forest to ashes in one stroke—must have reached the heavens.
There was no way he would ever permit Han Sangja to rebuild it.
“My Lord.”
Han Sangja stared straight into Bu Eunseol’s eyes and asked,
“You seem to know quite a bit about the Heavenly Mechanism Star.”
“We have had some bad blood.”
Though he trusted Han Sangja, he had not yet built enough trust to reveal his dual identity as Seon Woojin.
So he answered vaguely.
“That person targeted my subordinate and laid various wicked schemes. In the process of stopping him, I learned that his character is far from upright.”
“If you know any information or have any knowledge about him, please tell me.”
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Little did he know that this conversation today would lead him to learn about the greatest secret in the martial world—the True Demon.
