Shin Dowoon-hwi approached Bu Eunseol, the sharp sound of his clapping shattering the heavy silence.
“I knew your martial arts were profound, but I hadn’t realized your intellect was equally formidable.”
“…”
Bu Eunseol offered no words, only a gaze heavy as lead.
Undeterred by the deathly stillness, Shin Dowoon-hwi clapped once more. “Exquisite. Truly exquisite! You intended to leverage your status as a successor candidate—and the precarious political situation of our Palace—to free him from the yoke of a Ten Demonic Successor?”
“It does not matter if you reverse your decision even now.” Bu Eunseol’s lips curled, his eyes dyed a deep, crimson red. He smiled, revealing teeth that gleamed like bone. “Because this is the home ground of the Annihilating Seals Palace.”
At the sight of that smile, the amusement vanished from Shin Dowoon-hwi’s face.
A glistening, abyssal madness churned within Bu Eunseol’s frozen pupils.
This guy is truly insane.
There are those in the world who feign madness to deceive, and then there are those whose minds have truly fractured. The insanity radiating from Bu Eunseol was undeniably authentic. Unbound by worldly morals or laws, he was a calamity waiting to be unleashed—a madman capable of dragging everyone into the abyss of destruction without a shred of hesitation.
“You must have thought the Ten Demonic Successors were toys for the Ten Demonic Sects to play with forever.”
The killing intent spilling from Bu Eunseol was spreading like a contagion. He, too, had been a Ten Demonic Successor; he was genuinely enraged by this cruel prank of fate.
“Well, no need to get so excited. This wasn’t my decision.” Shin Dowoon-hwi cleared his throat, his voice rising in an attempt to dispel the suffocating pressure. “Originally, I suggested letting him go quietly. But the Elders and Hall Masters… they all opposed it.”
Bu Eunseol merely maintained his cold smile.
He speaks nonsense.
If those words were true, Shin Dowoon-hwi wouldn’t have been lurking in the shadows. He had clearly intended to watch Myo Cheon-woo despair, only to be flushed out when Bu Eunseol played his trump card.
“…”
Bu Eunseol stared intently at the man. His gaze was sharper than ever, seemingly scratching against Shin Dowoon-hwi’s skin.
He’s serious.
Shin Dowoon-hwi realized he had to make a decision before Bu Eunseol exploded. He had two choices: mobilize the full force of the Annihilating Seals Palace to execute Bu Eunseol right here, or let him leave with Myo Cheon-woo.
“I can’t just let you go after coming all this way.”
Finally making up his mind, Shin Dowoon-hwi stepped forward, a broad, challenging smile stretching across his face. He extended one hand.
“Show me one move. That way, I’ll have something to say to the Palace Master.”
“As much as you wish.”
Without hesitation, Bu Eunseol thrust his left fist forward.
There was no preparatory movement, no telegraphing of intent. Yet, Shin Dowoon-hwi felt the atmosphere scream as five streams of immense fist power poured toward his face. The energy trembled minutely, oscillating at a frequency that made the point of impact impossible to predict.
“Hah!”
As the formless, massive fist power dug in with a treacherous curve, Shin Dowoon-hwi hurriedly spread both hands. He invoked one of the life-saving supreme techniques of the Annihilating Seals Palace: the Destroying Blade Golden Fortress.
Thrum!
The moment a spherical screen of palm energy unfolded around Shin Dowoon-hwi—
Boom!
An explosion roared like the heavens and earth collapsing together. A storm of force raged, scattering dust and debris in all directions.
Whoosh.
When the dust finally settled, the two men stood tall in their respective spots, poised as if nothing had happened.
“Hmm.”
Shin Dowoon-hwi groaned, his eyes narrowing. He realized instantly that Bu Eunseol’s Fist Art did not lag behind the Annihilating Seals Palace’s Palm Art in the slightest.
Not just sword arts, but even his Fist Art is at this level…
The Wolf Fang Pavilion focused exclusively on the sword and blade; they possessed no renowned Fist Arts. Yet Bu Eunseol had reached the apex not only in weaponry but in unarmed combat as well.
There is no need to take a risk here.
Feeling a chill settle in his chest, Shin Dowoon-hwi forced a polite smile. “Take him,” he said, nodding toward Myo Cheon-woo. “I’ll speak well of this to the Palace Master.”
“Is that so.”
Bu Eunseol smiled coldly and turned his back.
“That is a pity.”
Instantly, goosebumps erupted along Shin Dowoon-hwi’s spine. Bu Eunseol’s voice held an emotion that sounded genuinely regretful.
If I had broken my promise and attacked…
That bastard. He surely prepared another trap for such a situation.
Shin Dowoon-hwi looked around, paranoia seizing him. Had he sent an envoy from the Demonic Palace? Or had he deployed experts from the Wolf Fang Pavilion near the Annihilating Seals Palace?
Wolf Fang Pavilion?
Since the experts of that unit moved in such small numbers, their tracks were impossible to detect, no matter how excellent the intelligence network.
Rip!
At that moment, Myo Cheon-woo tore his sleeve.
Sizzle.
Making his hand into a blade, he sliced off the flesh shaped like a flame on his left shoulder in a single, brutal stroke. It was the Fire Brand, the mark engraved on official disciples of the Annihilating Seals Palace.
Thud.
Myo Cheon-woo gazed down at the blood-clotted chunk of flesh on the ground.
“I am no longer a person of the Annihilating Seals Palace.” With a face pale as paper, he bowed to Shin Dowoon-hwi and Mok In-cheong. “And please inform the Palace Master: I thank him for everything until now.”
Bu Eunseol watched him, then spoke in a low, solemn voice.
“We return.”
Snap.
The Deathly Shadow Squad members turned their bodies with clockwork precision, falling in behind Bu Eunseol. Myo Cheon-woo followed without hesitation, leaving the Annihilating Seals Palace behind.
Shin Dowoon-hwi and Mok In-cheong merely watched their retreating backs with complicated expressions.
***
Emerging from the mountain gate, Bu Eunseol walked with Hyeok So-jin on his left and Myo Cheon-woo on his right.
Myo Cheon-woo’s shoulder was wrapped tightly in bandages, but the trauma went deeper than flesh. He had infused internal energy into his hand blade to shear off the brand, but the Six Unfeeling Liquid—a substance that amplified pain sensitivity several times over—still coursed through his veins.
Simply put, Myo Cheon-woo was currently enduring agony far greater than having a limb severed.
If he were an ordinary man, he would have fainted from the shock. Yet, he walked with a calm expression, acting as if nothing had happened.
—That man possesses terrifying mental strength. —They say he’s from the Ten Demonic Successors, just like the Squad Captain. —Are there only monsters like that around the Squad Captain?
Mental strength like steel and infinite patience. The eyes of the Deathly Shadow Squad members looking at Myo Cheon-woo were uniformly filled with admiration.
“Why did you volunteer to be tortured?” Bu Eunseol asked in a low voice. “The Annihilating Seals Palace would have been distracted by the successor candidate matters anyway. There was no need to rush.”
“No, I had to leave now.”
“Why?”
“Because only then can I help you.” A self-deprecating smile touched Myo Cheon-woo’s lips. “I decided the moment you saved me at Long Sword Manor. That I would definitely leave the Annihilating Seals Palace and help you.”
“Why help me?”
Embarrassed, Myo Cheon-woo wiped his nose with one hand. “It’s a life you saved. I should repay the debt at least once.”
Hearing those words, the squad members finally realized two facts: what kind of person Myo Cheon-woo was, and why Bu Eunseol had risked his life to enter the enemy’s den to save him.
—Indeed, he is qualified to be the Squad Captain’s friend.
A martial artist was not respected solely for martial prowess. Myo Cheon-woo possessed not only resilience but a rare, thick loyalty. If Bu Eunseol made people’s hearts pound with a martial spirit hot enough to melt iron, Myo Cheon-woo ignited fire in the dry hearts of men with burning camaraderie.
“Squad Captain. I have a good medicine that stops pain.”
As cold sweat began to bead on Myo Cheon-woo’s forehead, Wi Cheon-gyeong approached, holding out a small porcelain bottle.
“It is a Bear Gallbladder Pill I received from a friend in the Zhaoyang Divine Cult of the Yellow River long ago. Will you take it?”
“Then did you intend not to give it? Were you planning to hoard it and eat it yourself while your limbs were intact?”
Myo Cheon-woo threw the joke with a deadpan expression. The ambitious jest brought a smile to Wi Cheon-gyeong’s lips, though Bu Eunseol remained stoic.
“He’s not laughing. Even when I said it to be funny.”
Myo Cheon-woo revealed his white teeth and shook his head. Unlike a typical demonic practitioner, he possessed an optimistic and hopeful personality. That disposition would become another pillar of strength for the Deathly Shadow Squad.
“Brother Bu.”
Hyeok So-jin spoke up for the first time. “Then am I kicked out from being Deputy Squad Captain?”
Though phrased as a joke, his eyes were serious. “Brother Bu’s friend has joined as a member, hasn’t he?”
Wondering what nonsense this was, Bu Eunseol frowned. “He is not a friend.”
“What?”
“And I did not bring him as a member. He is only helping temporarily for this matter.”
“But… I cannot stay by Brother Bu’s side forever either.”
Myo Cheon-woo, now free from the burden of the Ten Demonic Successors, possessed martial skills comparable to Bu Eunseol. He was the ideal Deputy Squad Captain, lacking nothing.
“I, too, will not be a Squad Captain of the Demonic Palace forever,” Bu Eunseol replied, his voice low. “After meeting, there is parting. A feast cannot last forever, and every story has an end.”
“I suppose so.”
There was regret in Hyeok So-jin’s voice. In truth, he did not want to become the leader of his sect. He would rather wander the Gangho and adventure by Bu Eunseol’s side.
But I cannot do that.
The Illusion Demon was still vigorous, but he could not live forever. Someday, Hyeok So-jin would have to succeed him.
“Bu Eunseol. You don’t even introduce a person when he’s right next to you.” Speaking as if scolding, Myo Cheon-woo turned to Hyeok So-jin and clasped his hands in greeting. “I am Myo Cheon-woo. I was a Ten Demonic Successor in the past… but as you can see, I am now a free man.”
Hyeok So-jin smiled and returned the gesture. “I am Hyeok So-jin, disciple of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.”
“You are the successor of the Elder Illusion Demon.”
“How did you know?”
“While I was at the Annihilating Seals Palace, I learned the circumstances of the Ten Demonic Sects to some extent.”
At that, Hyeok So-jin smiled broadly. “Since I am Brother Bu’s younger brother, please treat me comfortably, Brother Myo.”
Because Hyeok So-jin was an orthodox successor of the Ten Demonic Sects, his seniority was technically much higher than Myo Cheon-woo’s. Yet, charmed by Myo Cheon-woo’s manly appeal, he volunteered to take the lower position.
“That’s good. Then I will treat you comfortably like a younger brother from now on.”
Myo Cheon-woo did not care about status or seniority; he looked only at the person. That was a trait he shared with Bu Eunseol, Hyeok So-jin, and the Deathly Shadow Squad.
“Hahaha. As expected of Brother Bu’s friend, your personality is refreshing.”
“Not a friend.”
Pretending not to hear Bu Eunseol’s stubborn denial, Hyeok So-jin grew serious. “Since Brother Myo’s wounds are not light, how about treating them in a village first before setting off?”
Myo Cheon-woo shook his head firmly.
“His declaration to kill the Beggar King has already spread throughout the Ten Demonic Sects. If we delay, who knows what other schemes they might hatch.”
“You already knew we are visiting another of the Ten Demonic Sects?”
“I guessed it the moment I heard he would kill the Beggar King.” Myo Cheon-woo spoke quietly, his expression complex. “Someone who belongs to no sect yet possesses the ability to help a master of his level… that can only be a Ten Demonic Successor.”
The Ten Demonic Successors.
Their skills and talents were outstanding enough to threaten the legitimate heirs of the sects. If they could just escape their yoke, powerful martial artists unaffiliated with any faction would be born.
“Bu Eunseol. You intend to go to the Extreme Assassination Pavilion now, right? To meet Seok Woo-haeng.”
“Correct.”
When Bu Eunseol nodded, Myo Cheon-woo sighed. “But he already left the Extreme Assassination Pavilion after Long Sword Manor. His whereabouts remain unknown.”
A bitter smile curled his lips as he recalled that fateful moment. “The Extreme Assassination Pavilion betrayed him, forcing him to self-destruct with the Masters of Great Righteousness.”
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol showed a regretful expression for the first time. Seok Woo-haeng was an assassin excellent in both secret techniques and formation arts, with an outstanding intellect. He would have been a greater asset than anyone.
“Then I must find him.”
“Don’t tell me, you mean Yoo Woon-ryong?” Myo Cheon-woo blinked, then shook his head vigorously. “He has a strong sense of pride and a rebellious streak. He will absolutely not help you.”
It might be different if it were Seok Woo-haeng, who calculated gains and losses to move in a direction advantageous to himself. But Yoo Woon-ryong was different. He had fierce pride and did not trust easily. Above all, he harbored a fierce sense of rivalry toward Bu Eunseol.
“I’ve watched that guy for a long time since Hell Island. He is a character who doesn’t listen to others in the first place.”
“I know.”
“It’s fortunate you know.”
As they descended the mountain, Myo Cheon-woo looked around. “Then where are we going now?”
“Wandering Soul Valley.”
“Wandering Soul Valley? Why there?”
Bu Eunseol wore a subtle smile.
“Yoo Woon-ryong is there.”