Han Yeong-baek shouted until his voice grew hoarse, but no one stepped forward.

Bu Eunseol had fought a fair and square duel, only to face a combined attack akin to an ambush, which he had then repelled.

“My Lord Han.”

Eventually, Gu Cheong-gak, an expert belonging to the Yangguang Martial Righteous Alliance among the guests, approached and spoke.

“The Masters of the Great Righteousness violated righteousness by launching a combined attack. If we were to slaughter that man all at once now… how would we differ from the heretical factions of the Demonic Path?”

“What are you saying! My son is dead!”

“My Lord Han.”

As Gu Cheong-gak shook his head…

”Hero Gu.”

Yang In-cheong, an elder fist master of the Zhengzhou Fist Sect and a close friend of Han Yeong-baek, supported him.

“Hero Gu’s words have merit. However, did they not first infiltrate Long Sword Manor secretly to launch a sneak attack? Why discuss the principles of chivalry with assassins?”

At this, Gu Cheong-gak shook his head. “Wasn’t even the Golden Basin Hand Washing ceremony a trap for the Ten Demonic Successors? If we use any means necessary to catch them, how are we different from the Demonic factions?”

“Hero Gu.”

“And I am stopping this for Lord Han’s sake.” As Yang In-cheong tried to argue again, Gu Cheong-gak spoke firmly, ”Young Lord Han and Heroine Cheong intruded upon a fair duel to launch a combined attack. If the Orthodox guests all draw their swords to exact revenge for that… the reputation of Long Sword Manor will fall to the ground.”

In that moment, Han Yeong-baek could say nothing.

Long Sword Manor had long established itself as a prestigious sword family in the Murim. Yet, his son had died while executing a cowardly combined attack, not in a fair duel. If they mobilized hundreds of guests to slaughter the opponent for revenge on top of that?

Long Sword Manor would no longer be able to stand proud in the Murim.

“This is…”

Han Yeong-baek gasped for breath. Regardless of the circumstances, his son had committed an act a hero should not have done. It would have been cleaner if the combined attack had succeeded and killed them all, but were they not alive with their eyes wide open?

Ultimately, there was nothing he could do.

But then…

“You didn’t fight our sect’s disciple, Pyeong Seo-woon, fairly. You ambushed him.” Kang Jung-ryang, the leader of the Daoists of the Kongtong Sect, stepped forward and spoke solemnly. “Do you admit it?”

“I do. I ambushed him.”

As Seok Woo-haeng stepped forward to answer, Kang Jung-ryang bit his lip. “We should rightfully eliminate you all at this opportunity, but we won’t. Because we are disciples of the Kongtong Sect.”

Seok Woo-haeng laughed coldly. “Pretending to be righteous all of a sudden? You swarmed in with a mob for a combined attack from the start. You’re retreating now only because a combined attack is awkward in this situation.”

The only remaining method was the Wheel Battle Tactic, wearing down the enemy with superior numbers. However, since Masters of the Great Righteousness had already died during a combined attack, from the Kongtong Sect’s perspective, they couldn’t use such a disgraceful method again.

“An assassin like you could never understand the heart of a Daoist.”

“Is that so.”

“Hmph, how could a sparrow understand the will of a phoenix?”

Leaving those words behind, Kang Jung-ryang glared with contempt and turned away.

Then, Du Ak of the Zhongnan Sect stared intently at Seok Woo-haeng before speaking, ”Are you also the one who killed my sect’s disciple?”

“That was me.”

This time, Bu Eunseol stepped forward.

“I challenged him and fought a fair and square duel.”

Du Ak sighed deeply and shook his head, “The elders of my sect did not believe that fact. But seeing today… I cannot help but admit it.”

Looking at Yeo Hwan-jin’s wounds, the Zhongnan Sect could tell he had fought a Ten Demonic Successor one-on-one. However, most elders insisted that a Ten Demonic Successor could not kill Yeo Hwan-jin in a duel and must have used a cowardly ambush. That was why Zhongnan had sent personnel into the Gangho to ferret out the killer.

“However, the fact that you killed a disciple of my sect does not change.”

Biting his lip, Du Ak spoke again.

“I do not step forward now because my ability is insufficient, but I will challenge you someday.”

“Anytime.”

At the relaxed reply, Du Ak bit his lip and turned away abruptly.

Just saving face.

Bu Eunseol knew, that Du Ak had realized the gap in their skills and would never challenge him. If he truly intended to hone his martial arts and challenge later, he would have at least demanded Bu Eunseol remove his mask.

“Then.”

As Bu Eunseol calmly tried to turn away, Han Yeong-baek and over a hundred guests suddenly surrounded him.

“I absolutely cannot accept this! I don’t know about the others, but I cannot let you leave!”

Han Yeong-baek looked at Bu Eunseol with eyes full of desperate resentment.

“How can I just let the enemy who killed my son go! Even if I have to close the gates of Long Sword Manor from today, I will definitely kill you!”

With that shout, Han Yeong-baek and the hundred-plus experts siding with him drew their weapons.

“Seok Woo-haeng. It seems a chaotic battle is unavoidable.”

Turning his head to speak to Seok Woo-haeng, Myo Cheon-woo’s jaw dropped. Seok Woo-haeng, who had been standing beside him, had vanished without a trace.

“That son of a bitch!”

Seok Woo-haeng had used the confusion to secretly slip out of Long Sword Manor.

“Damn it, I’ll help you, Bu Eunseol.”

Myo Cheon-woo was a man of loyalty. Seeing Bu Eunseol about to face over a hundred Murim warriors alone, he stepped to his side without hesitation.

“We’ll die anyway. But still, we…”

Myo Cheon-woo grinned at Bu Eunseol, but his expression hardened again.

Whoosh.

A fierce wind of true qi blew from Bu Eunseol’s body, and a crimson light began to gather in his hands.

“What are you trying to do right now…”

“Seven Forms of the Demonic Fist…”

Red mist spread from the eyes of Bu Eunseol, who drew a semicircle with both hands.

Boom!

Simultaneously, a terrifying energy rode up his back and spread into the sky. Bu Eunseol had already reached the entry of the fifth stage of the Polarity Reversal Cultivation Art.

As he drew up his internal power with all his might, the terrifying internal energy, which had been secretly hidden in the state of Returning to Simplicity, manifested in a tangible form visible to the eye.

Sensing Bu Eunseol’s unusual momentum, Han Yeong-baek shouted, ”Strike that guy!”

But at that same moment, Bu Eunseol’s twin palms spread straight forward.

“Heavenly Palm of the Empty Wave!”

Fwoosh!

A tremendous gust of true qi swept past the hundred-plus Murim warriors holding weapons.

Crack, crackle.

Simultaneously, cracks began to appear on the walls and pavilion next to them…

Rumble!

With a roar, they shattered and began to collapse.

Rumble, crash.

The pavilion and walls crumbled one after another, like cookies. Han Yeong-baek and the Murim warriors witnessed an unbelievable sight and could not close their gaping mouths or keep their eyes open.

“Is this the power of a fist technique a human can unleash…?”

Bu Eunseol’s extended twin palms aimed slightly to the left, away from them. If he had poured that move onto them, at least dozens would have been severely injured or killed.

Ugh.

Bu Eunseol swallowed the blood rising in his throat. It was reckless, after all. The Heavenly Palm of the Empty Wave was a heaven-breaking fist move that poured out all the internal power inherent in the body in a single strike. Unleashing a move he hadn’t perfectly mastered with such power resulted in significant internal injury.

Despite the ominous signs, Bu Eunseol remained composed, calmly controlling his breathing and addressing Myo Cheon-woo. “Let’s go,” he said, and without a backward glance, he strolled nonchalantly toward the collapsed wall.

Only then did the frozen Myo Cheon-woo snap out of it and follow Bu Eunseol out through the broken wall.

There were countless Murim warriors there, but no one could stop his steps.

***

“What on earth was that fist technique? It resembled my sect’s ultimate palm art, the Extinguishing Seal, Breaking the Wall.”

“…”

“And what was that sword technique you used against Han Seong and Cheong Cho-hyeon? Is that the supreme art of Wolf Fang Pavilion?”

Myo Cheon-woo, following behind Bu Eunseol, incessantly poured out questions. However, Bu Eunseol walked silently, as if completely unaware of his inquiries.

“Seok Woo-haeng. That jackal-like bastard has no loyalty.” Myo Cheon-woo recalled Seok Woo-haeng’s face and clenched his teeth. “That guy. He could have easily fled, but he stubbornly stayed to witness the battle between you and the Masters of the Great Righteousness. And when the situation escalated, he sneaked away alone.”

Bu Eunseol still just moved his feet, mouth shut.

“What the— You suffered internal injury!”

Only now did Myo Cheon-woo realize that Bu Eunseol’s steps were slightly unsteady and a thin trickle of blood flowed from his lips.

“Take my hand.”

Myo Cheon-woo extended his hand urgently.

“We need to use movement techniques quickly to get out of Long Sword Manor’s territory. If they find out you’re injured, they’ll pursue immediately…”

Myo Cheon-woo tried to support Bu Eunseol and quickly deploy movement techniques.

But wasn’t faint smoke rising from the walking Bu Eunseol’s body?

Now that he looked, Bu Eunseol was circulating energy to heal his injuries while walking.

“Circulating energy… while walking?”

Myo Cheon-woo looked as if he were seeing a ghost. He too was a Ten Demonic Successor who had inherited the supreme arts of the Ten Demonic Sects. But Bu Eunseol’s martial arts were something he had never seen before, and their level already exceeded the limits of a Ten Demonic Successor.

Was that it?

Myo Cheon-woo could finally understand Seok Woo-haeng’s feelings a little.

Bu Eunseol was a wall that grew higher and higher.

He had always believed he could conquer that wall someday. But before he could even think about it, the wall had grown so tall that he couldn’t even see the top, even when he craned his neck. From Seok Woo-haeng’s perspective, that distant wall must have seemed like an insurmountable obstacle.

“Go first,” Bu Eunseol said, as if pausing his energy circulation. “Leave this area quickly and tend to your arm. Otherwise, that left arm might become useless.” There was a hint of concern in his indifferent voice.

Seeing Bu Eunseol standing calmly without caring about his own injuries, Myo Cheon-woo’s eyes clouded over.

“Bu Eunseol.”

Myo Cheon-woo spoke as if he couldn’t understand.

“Why on earth did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“This wasn’t your personality originally. You—“

Bu Eunseol, the most indifferent and cold person on Hell Island, remained isolated and detached from others. He chose to live alone in the darkness, determined to survive until the very end.

“Neither Seok Woo-haeng nor I had much contact with you. Why did you save us?” Myo Cheon-woo questioned.

“I didn’t save you,” Bu Eunseol replied.

“Don’t lie,” Myo Cheon-woo insisted. “If you didn’t intend to help us from the beginning, there was no need to wear a mask, right?” Myo Cheon-woo’s expression betrayed disbelief. “Rumors are circulating that the Divine Demonic Emperor is returning after completing his closed-door training. If you hadn’t helped us this time, you could have easily become a candidate for the Demonic Palace successor.”

Bu Eunseol remained silent, prompting Myo Cheon-woo to ask again, “Even on Hell Island, we joined forces to try and kill you and Seo Jin-ha. Do you not hate us?”

“Everyone just did what they had to do,” Bu Eunseol replied with a casual expression. “I just tried to survive too.”

Bu Eunseol’s feelings towards the other Ten Demonic Successors were devoid of hatred, jealousy, or the desire to surpass them. His sole motivation was survival and personal growth.

“Really… you have no feelings toward us?”

When Myo Cheon-woo frowned, Bu Eunseol was silent for a moment. Then, thinking deeply about something, he spoke slowly.

“Not entirely none.”

“What does that mean?”

“We were in the same hell, and we survived there.”

That was his honest feeling.

In the past, Bu Eunseol couldn’t feel any emotions toward others. However, after coming out to the Gangho, experiencing various things, and making like-minded friends, he developed a sense of kinship with the Ten Demonic Successors who shared his fate.

“Was that it?”

Myo Cheon-woo could finally understand Bu Eunseol’s heart.

In the bleak and heartless waves of the Gangho, there were those of the same kind sharing the same fate. That evoked a subtle emotion that couldn’t be expressed in words.

“Actually, I… helped Seok Woo-haeng for the same reason as you,” Myo Cheon-woo spoke frankly. “I knew it was a ploy to use me… but I didn’t hate it that much.”

“…”

“To be honest, I’ve always wanted to be friends with you. You’re a bit gloomy and weird, but somehow you also looked lonely.”

When Bu Eunseol stared at him, Myo Cheon-woo rubbed his nose as if embarrassed.

“Just saying.”

“I see.”

Nodding, Bu Eunseol spoke briefly, perhaps recovered enough to use movement techniques, and flew up.

“Then I’ll be going.”

With a thud sound, Bu Eunseol soared into mid-air in an instant.

“I won’t forget today’s debt!”

Watching Bu Eunseol’s receding back, Myo Cheon-woo shouted as if deciding something.

“Bu Eunseol.”

Staring blankly in the direction Bu Eunseol had disappeared, he muttered low.

“We will meet again soon.”