Bu Eunseol’s expression hardened as he scanned the letter, the paper crinkling under his tightening grip.
The Pavilion Master has finished his closed-door training?
The timing could not have been worse. Coinciding exactly with Bu Eunseol’s elimination of the Beggar King, the master of the Wolf Fang Pavilion had emerged from his seclusion. Having been briefed on the recent upheavals in the Murim, the Pavilion Master had issued an immediate summons.
The Demonic Human, Ak Mu-ryeong.
One of the Three Demons and Three Venerables, he was an entity of martial prowess so profound it defied imagination, a being capable of standing alone against the Divine Demonic Emperor.
—A bizarre anomaly that can be called neither demon nor human.
This was the phrase the martial world whispered when describing Ak Mu-ryeong. Born with a physique and strength that mocked the limits of biology, his martial arts had long since transcended the boundaries of humanity.
I had looked forward to the day I would meet him… but why now, of all times?
Bu Eunseol had yearned to see the master of the Wolf Fang Pavilion ever since his induction. But the man’s extended seclusion had been so absolute that, for a time, Eunseol had almost forgotten his existence. Now, at this critical juncture—having secured his status as a successor candidate and preparing to return to the Demonic Palace—he was being recalled.
This feels ominous.
Bu Eunseol gazed up at the distant sky. Regardless of his foreboding, there was no alternative. A direct order from the Pavilion Master was absolute.
Leaving the provincial capital behind, Bu Eunseol engaged his movement technique, his figure cutting through the air as he raced toward Mount Geommi. He touched down only when he reached the mountain’s mid-slope, the familiar grounds of his sect.
He had arrived at the Wolf Fang Pavilion.
To the uninitiated, it had always resembled a peaceful, if rustic, village. In truth, it was a den where the most terrifying experts of the Demonic Path gathered.
What is this?
As he approached the entrance, however, Bu Eunseol could not hide his bewilderment.
Where an open path once lay, a towering defensive wall now severed the world, punctuated by a massive iron gate standing three jang high. Judging by appearance alone, it possessed the grandeur and impregnability of the Demonic Palace itself.
“To build such a colossal gate and not even post guards…”
With a hollow, incredulous smile, Bu Eunseol stepped through the iron portal.
His eyes widened further. The scenery of the Wolf Fang Pavilion—once defined by its shabby, countryside charm—had been obliterated. In its place stood flashy, ornate pavilions, and the rugged dirt paths had been paved with stone smooth enough for noble carriages. It looked less like a martial sect and more like a district in the Imperial Capital.
Don’t tell me our Pavilion moved and another sect took over?
The silence was equally jarring. There was not a soul in sight. Even Iron Master Wang Geol and his smithy, usually a fixture of noise and heat near the entrance, were gone.
Just as Bu Eunseol hurried inward, sensing a strange displacement—
“You have come.”
A middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a scholar emerged slowly from a connecting path. It was Baek Yeon, Captain of the Wind and Cloud Squad.
“Squad Captain.”
Bu Eunseol bowed deeply.
When he raised his head, he met a face carved from ice, a visage that suggested not a drop of blood would spill even if pricked. Yet, beneath that frost lay the heart of the man who had cared for Bu Eunseol most meticulously.
“Have you been well all this while?”
“I almost didn’t recognize the place, let alone you.”
Baek Yeon nodded, his icy expression thawing into a smile like spring arriving on a frozen lake. “You have become a complete successor of our Pavilion.”
His gaze upon Bu Eunseol was thick with emotion.
A disciple who had been away for years had returned after killing one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings. Such a trajectory of growth was unprecedented in the history of the martial world.
“You have truly worked hard.”
Baek Yeon grasped Bu Eunseol’s shoulders, shaking them vigorously. The Captain, who always restrained his emotions, was now openly revealing his moved heart.
The Beggar King, Gu Hong-cheong. That monster had brutally slaughtered eight members of the Wind and Cloud Squad—men Baek Yeon had raised with his own hands. A grudge of blood must be repaid with blood, yet the Pavilion had been paralyzed by false accusations, unable to strike.
But Bu Eunseol had done it. He had killed the Beggar King single-handedly, vindicating the fallen and establishing the prestige of the Wolf Fang Pavilion. From Baek Yeon’s perspective, joy was an insufficient word.
“But what on earth happened here?” Bu Eunseol asked, gesturing around.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I had walked into the Imperial Capital by mistake.”
“Hahaha. Is that not all thanks to you?” Baek Yeon burst into hearty laughter. “The Momentless Fleet poured such immense funds into our Pavilion that we couldn’t spend it fast enough.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Thanks to that, our disciples no longer need to worry about their daily bread or engage in menial labor. They can devote themselves entirely to martial arts. Not only that, but as our livelihood became abundant…”
Hiyah!
The spirited yells of young boys erupted from the distance.
As Bu Eunseol tilted his head toward the sound, Baek Yeon beamed. “Countless boys and young men flocked here, desperate to enter our Pavilion.”
Baek Yeon wore a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze. “We installed ten grand training grounds in our Pavilion alone. Our experts are currently frantic, busy teaching the new intake.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize why the familiar figures of the Wolf Fang Pavilion were missing. They were all occupied, molding the raw clay of the new disciples.
“Did you not know the situation of our Pavilion at all?”
“I apologize.” Bu Eunseol bowed his head, looking embarrassed. “I was so consumed by my own affairs… I did not receive any reports on the changes here.”
“You were busy with matters of life and death. There is no need for apologies.”
Baek Yeon’s face then turned serious. “I heard the Pavilion Master finished his closed-door training and returned.”
“Correct. You must go see him now.”
“It seems he did not summon me for a benevolent reason.”
“Hmm.” Baek Yeon groaned, nodding gravely. “As you know, the Pavilion Master feels a considerable sense of rivalry toward the Demonic Palace Master.”
He looked toward the distant peaks. “But you, the number one genius of our Pavilion, are struggling to become the successor of that very rival…”
Bu Eunseol understood immediately. The Pavilion Master, Ak Mu-ryeong, believed the Divine Demonic Emperor had stolen his disciple and was enraged.
“Is it alright to visit him now?”
“No, the Deputy Pavilion Master will arrive shortly. Make sure to go together.”
Baek Yeon’s eyes held a trace of tension. That alone was enough to gauge the terrifying temperament of the Demonic Human Ak Mu-ryeong.
“Where is the Deputy Pavilion Master? I will visit him directly.”
“He is overwhelmed. Too many disciples poured in, and the scale of operations exploded. Moreover, the Momentless Fleet sent special-grade disciples to our Pavilion and the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying this time.”
“From the Momentless Fleet?”
“I don’t know how you managed to wrap Guk Hye-ryeong, that eccentric matriarch, around your little finger… but she is giving us full support.”
Baek Yeon let out a sound that was half-sigh, half-admiration. “She is even sharing the Momentless Fleet’s intelligence organization, not just funds.”
“The intelligence network?”
Bu Eunseol could not hide his shock. An intelligence organization was the lifeblood and top secret of any sect. To share it was equivalent to offering the keys to the kingdom.
“That is correct. The Deputy Pavilion Master sent our disciples to the Momentless Fleet to repay that profound kindness and to foster exchange. In return, they sent their own to us.”
The experts of the Wolf Fang Pavilion were super-human individuals, each worth a thousand men. With such warriors integrating into the Momentless Fleet, the prestige of both sects would skyrocket.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol wore a bewildered expression. Even he had not predicted an alliance of this magnitude. Exchange between sects was different from relationships between people; by opening their gates, they could expand their influence exponentially.
“However, the Pavilion Master disliked this interaction. We were in the middle of persuading him when, hearing news of you, he ordered your immediate return.”
“Bu Eunseol.”
A low, languid voice interrupted them.
A tall middle-aged man revealed himself. Though his expression was as lazy as a summer cat, sharp light flashed intermittently in his eyes. It was Deputy Pavilion Master Dan Cheong.
The Deputy Pavilion Master’s martial prowess has developed yet another step.
Dan Cheong’s spirit had softened, losing its jagged edges, but a stickier, deeper power lurked within his frame.
“Deputy Pavilion Master.”
As Bu Eunseol bowed, Dan Cheong smiled and nodded. “I raised you meticulously, and you returned bearing a kingdom’s worth of treasure.”
Despite the praise, Dan Cheong’s expression was dim. “Thanks to you, the Pavilion has grown so large that disciples flock like clouds. Consequently, none of us have slept for months.”
An ordinary martial artist would be ecstatic. But for Dan Cheong, who found everything in life annoying except martial arts training, the administrative explosion was a nightmare.
Similar.
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly. He realized now that Dan Cheong’s personality was a mirror image of Hyeok So-jin.
Dan Cheong looked at Baek Yeon. “The Pavilion Master is waiting. Will you join us?”
“I absolutely decline.”
“Hmm, have you not briefed him on the Pavilion Master’s mood yet?”
“I have not.”
“Then I will explain on the way. You go about your business; you’re busy selecting Wind and Cloud Squad members again anyway.”
To ensure Bu Eunseol’s survival, eight outstanding members had sacrificed themselves. Baek Yeon was now pouring his soul into finding worthy replacements.
“Understood.” Baek Yeon patted Bu Eunseol’s shoulder one last time. “Bu Eunseol.”
“Yes.”
“The Deputy Pavilion Master will explain, but… never talk back to the Pavilion Master.”
Bu Eunseol did not fully grasp the gravity of the warning but answered politely. “Understood.”
“Right. If it is you, you will do well.”
As Baek Yeon turned to leave, Dan Cheong gestured. “Let us go.”
“Where is the Pavilion Master?”
“Iron Palm Peak.”
Bu Eunseol walked shoulder to shoulder with Dan Cheong through the heart of the transformed sect.
Beyond the expansive new pavilions, disciples sparred in the grand training grounds. In the forests, figures practiced movement techniques and forms. Finally, as the path to Iron Palm Peak emerged, Dan Cheong broke the silence.
“You must know from the rumors, but the Pavilion Master’s temper is… volatile.”
Dan Cheong kept his voice low.
“And he thinks very unfavorably of you becoming the successor of the Demonic Palace.”
“Did he call me solely because of that?”
“If it were only that, I could have talked him down.” Dan Cheong sighed, looking at the sky. “What has truly encircled his anger is that you requested the position of Squad Captain of the Demonic Palace yourself.”
Bu Eunseol let out a sound of realization.
To deal with the Beggar King and survive the succession war, he had needed dozens of outstanding confidants. But to the Pavilion Master, choosing to become an official Squad Captain—an executant of the Palace’s will—was an affront.
“Is a disciple of the Wolf Fang Pavilion forbidden from holding such a rank?”
“Being a Squad Captain is a political position,” Dan Cheong said with a bitter laugh. “Acquiring a title that exercises the Palace’s authority means assuming the duty to preserve the Palace’s power.”
The duty of the Wolf Fang Pavilion was the pursuit of the ultimate martial art. Pure and unadulterated.
By requesting a captaincy, Bu Eunseol appeared to have succumbed to a lust for power, deviating into the realm of politics rather than the Way.
“I…”
“I know. If you craved power, you wouldn’t have chosen our Pavilion in the first place.” Dan Cheong sighed again. “I tried to remonstrate with him, but it was useless.”
They neared the summit of Iron Palm Peak.
Suddenly, a voice like thunder rolled down from the heavens.
[I will have a private audience with that child.]
The voice rang through the sky and rose from the earth simultaneously, utilizing the Six Harmonies Sound Transmission. It carried a strange, vibrating magical power that made Bu Eunseol’s vision swim for a moment.
“Pavilion Master. This child is…”
[I said, I will have a private audience.]
The answer was cold and final. Dan Cheong bit his lip. He looked at Bu Eunseol with a resigned expression. “Bu Eunseol. It seems you must go up alone.”
Then, his voice echoed in Bu Eunseol’s mind via telepathy.
[The Pavilion Master will likely order you to resign as a successor candidate. Never talk back. Just say you understand. I will handle the fallout afterward.]
[Dan Cheong!]
The thunderous voice roared again, cutting through the telepathy as if the Master could hear the silent transmission itself.
“Understood, Pavilion Master.”
Dan Cheong wore a bitter smile and patted Bu Eunseol’s back. “Go.”
Bu Eunseol calmly climbed the final stretch to the summit.
Why is the Pavilion Master waiting at Iron Palm Peak?
This was the sanctuary where Hyeol Geum-gang, who had taught him the Polarity Reversal Cultivation Art, used to stay. It was a place of deep significance. Why leave the splendid new halls to meet here?
Crunch.
Finally, as Bu Eunseol crested the summit, he saw a shadow. A massive figure stood at the edge of the cliff, hands clasped behind his back.
It was a burly back, broad enough to eclipse the sun, with forearms as thick as ancient logs. His hair was tied carelessly with a twig, and he wore worn-out martial clothes that exposed his iron muscles. He looked less like a sect leader and more like a primal force that had just descended from a millennium of mountain training.
[Hmm.]
With a low, tectonic groan, the shadow finally turned.
A middle-aged face revealed itself, possessing the majestic, predatory eyes of a lion and a nose straight as a blade.
Instantly, Bu Eunseol forgot to breathe.
Divine Demonic Emperor Sado Mu-myeong, Blood Demon Jeok Bung, Darkness King Yeop Hyo-cheon…
The super-strong masters who shook the world usually retained the appearance of humans, of flesh and blood. But the existence before his eyes was something else entirely.
It was as if a ruler of demons from another dimension had descended to the mortal plane.
There was no other way to explain the terrifying, disparate pressure that crushed the air around him.
Flash.
The gaze of the Wolf Fang Pavilion Master, Ak Mu-ryeong, locked onto Bu Eunseol.