The masked men moved in perfect order, changing their formation. This formation wasn’t created by the headquarters, so you wouldn’t know it! The confident smile of the masked leader froze pale before even half a gak had passed.

It was useless.

No matter what formation they used, Bu Eunseol swung his sword instantly toward the gaps.

“Argh!”

“Ack!”

Every time Bu Eunseol swung his sword, masked men fell like autumn leaves in the wind.

“That bastard… was he a master of formations at that age?”

The man was mistaken. Bu Eunseol had never learned formations and didn’t even know they were using one. However, after learning the Unrestrained Wilderness Solitary Rotational Technique manual, he could combine the Way of the Beast with internal cultivation to expand his senses. Because of this, no matter what formation they unfolded, he could preemptively occupy the position and break the formation.

“Urgh!”

Three masked men clutched their necks and vomited blood at a single sword strike extended by Bu Eunseol. Bu Eunseol had merely swept his sword through an exposed gap, yet the masked men in that direction fell in heaps.

Watching this, the leader shouted urgently.

“Scatter!”

The masked men hurriedly dissolved the formation. But the fifteen companions had already been reduced to ten.

“Is the dance over?”

At Bu Eunseol’s low sneer…

Grind. The masked leader clenched his fists and grit his teeth. “To think this bastard was a master of formations.”

A formation grants individuals the power to surpass their martial prowess. However, when a formation collapses, the resulting damage is compounded. Those who had dismantled the formation in advance to eliminate the formidable enemy known as the Ten Demonic Successor suffered a fatal counterattack due to this oversight.

If we had engaged in a conventional battle, we could have easily defeated him!

But it was already too late.

Swallowing his regret, the leader clenched his teeth.

“Strike!”

Numbers are absolute. Regardless of Bu Eunseol’s strength, he couldn’t contend with ten elite agents.

However, that was the leader’s second mistake.

“Argh!”

Another scream reverberated through the air.

Fighting without the formation, Bu Eunseol’s sword became even more precise and sharp.

In fact, the masked men’s sword arts were highly precise, and their combat experience was extensive. Individually, they were capable of making a name for themselves in the Gangho, but against Bu Eunseol, they couldn’t showcase their skills at all.

How on earth…

Watching his subordinates fall in vain, the leader’s eyes wavered.

He wasn’t employing any extraordinary sword arts or surprising techniques. Yet, every time Bu Eunseol swung his sword, a mist of blood rose without fail.

Thud.

As another masked man fell, the fierce battle momentarily paused.

Did the Demonic Palace deliberately disseminate false information?

The leader shouted at Bu Eunseol.

“They clearly stated that you hadn’t mastered True Martial Sword Arts!”

“It’s not martial arts.”

“What?”

“It’s simply a struggle for survival.”

Until now, Bu Eunseol had always faced formidable opponents who were superior to him. Consequently, he had never considered the probability of survival. He had merely endeavored to fend off the approaching shadow of death.

“Don’t give me that nonsense! How can you fight without using martial arts!”

“One can defeat an enemy without martial arts.”

During the Ten Demonic Successor Tournament, Bu Eunseol, who had never learned any martial arts, defeated the formidable Neung Woon-gang.

“The line between life and death isn’t determined by martial prowess, but by who delivers the fatal blow to their opponent,” Bu Eunseol paused, gazing into the distant sky, before addressing the leader. “Your defeat stems from your overconfidence in your absolute superiority in a match where lives were at stake.”

“You lost because you were confident of absolute superiority in a match where lives were at stake,” Bu Eunseol reiterated.

“What nonsense is this?” the leader exclaimed.

“From the start, you were convinced you could kill me,” Bu Eunseol replied. A north wind seemed to blow around him as he looked at the masked men. “Thinking you would absolutely not die.”

Flick.

Shaking off the blood drops on the rusty iron sword, Bu Eunseol muttered low.

“The moment you raise a sword against an enemy, you must see your own death first.”

Bu Eunseol’s mutter echoed in their ears like the breath of a reaper.

—To kill an enemy, I must be prepared for my own death first.

That was Bu Eunseol’s message.

Were we mistaken?

They all thought of themselves as hunters. The enemy was always prey, and they were confident they could kill it if they caught it.

“Let’s start again,” Bu Eunseol calmly said, scanning the masked men.

Meeting Bu Eunseol’s coldly still eyes, the pupils of some masked men shrank. The fear that they might become the prey was creeping in.

“C-Captain,” one of the terrified masked men approached the leader with careful movements.

“With our current strength, it’s impossible. We must retreat,” the leader said.

“Retreat?”

“Yes. We should withdraw first, report to the Chief Administrator, reinforce our power, and aim for another opportunity…”

Slash!

With a spray of thick blood, the masked man’s head soared into the air. The leader had abruptly cut off his subordinate’s head.

Flick.

Shaking off the blood, the leader shouted at his subordinates with eyes full of rage.

“There’s no retreat for our unit! If you show your back, you’ll carry disgrace even in death!”

“Is honor more important than life?”

At Bu Eunseol’s question, the leader snorted. “For demon heads like you, life might be important. But we’re different.”

“What’s different?”

“We don’t raise our swords for personal glory,” the leader’s eyes filled with blind loyalty. “Even if we fail, we can die honorably.”

“Not at all.”

Click.

Blue lightning flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he twisted his grip on the iron sword.

“There’s no honor in a coffin!”

Peerless Thunderbolt Form.

The killing sword of Cheon Woon-gwang, the wind and cloud of the Flower Rain Sword Sect, was about to unfold from Bu Eunseol’s hand once more.

“Strike!”

Sensing something unusual, the leader shouted to his subordinates.

Pfft!

With the sound of escaping air, the movements of the masked men stopped.

“……”

As if by agreement, they looked at each other, clutching their necks.

Bu Eunseol’s iron sword, extended coldly like a reaper’s claw, had already sliced their carotid arteries like lightning.

Thud. Thud.

With the sound of dull blood dripping, three masked men fell to the floor like logs.

The leader stood right in front of them, but he hadn’t even seen how the sword art was executed.

“Bu Eunseol.” Looking at Bu Eunseol, the leader spoke in a low voice. “You… have already become a Demonic Seed.”

Spurt!

A fountain of blood began to soar from the leader’s neck as well.

“Even as a ghost, I will curse you.”

Glaring at Bu Eunseol with eyes full of grudge, he fell to the floor like a log.

Click.

As the last masked man fell, Bu Eunseol sheathed the rusty sword.

Mountain of corpses, sea of blood.

Looking at the corpses scattered everywhere, Bu Eunseol’s eyes were dyed a color darker than darkness. It was a scenery he had seen constantly on Hell Island, and he thought he would never see such a scene again.

But only now did he realize.

The place he stood was already the middle of a hell where flesh and blood exploded, and he could not escape the yoke of karma.

Clop clop.

At that moment, a carriage came running toward the reed field with the sound of horse hooves.

Neigh.

With a snort, the carriage stopped right in front of Bu Eunseol.

Click.

As the carriage door opened, the figure of a middle-aged man with a face as hard as rock appeared.

It was Baek Yeon, the Captain of the Wind and Cloud Squad.

“You made quite a mess.” Scanning the corpses scattered everywhere, Baek Yeon spoke calmly,”Well, it must have been a good experience.”

“Captain.” Bu Eunseol, bowing lightly, asked, “How did you know when to come?”

“Figuring out the movement of a rascal like you is nothing.” Smirking, he looked down at Bu Eunseol’s appearance and said, ”As expected, you received poor treatment on the way back? That’s just what narrow-minded people do.”

Judging by his tone, he seemed to have expected that Bu Eunseol wouldn’t take the carriage and would be attacked on the way back.

“Who are these people?”

Baek Yeon did not answer but got out of the carriage and examined the masked men closely. He thoroughly examined not only the masked men’s faces but also the weapons they held, their fabric, and even the belongings hidden inside their clothes.

As expected, it was that side.

Having examined all the masked men, Baek Yeon’s eyes flashed.

How troublesome.

“Captain.”

When Bu Eunseol asked again, Baek Yeon waved his hand.

“Let’s talk when we get back.”

And he pointed to the carriage he was riding.

***

Clear Wind Study.

The place where Deputy Manor Master Dan Cheong resided.

Bu Eunseol and Baek Yeon arrived at Wolf Fang Pavilion together and sat side by side at a table set up in the guest hall of the Clear Wind Study.

“Drink,” Dan Cheong, sitting opposite, extended his hand.

Clink.

When he opened the teacup lid, white steam rose, and a clear scent that seemed to cleanse the lungs spread. Looking at the tea water dyed dark brown, Bu Eunseol asked, “Is this Five Dragon Tea?”

“Have you tried it before?” Dan Cheong inquired.

When Dan Cheong made a surprised expression, Bu Eunseol shook his head. “I only heard stories about it.”

“Stories?”

Bu Eunseol recounted the story of meeting Head of the Council of Elders Jeok Bung.

“To think that man-eating old man is still going strong.”. Having heard the entire story, Dan Cheong let out a long sigh. “I wondered why the Flower Rain Sword Sect and White Demon Monastery, who were grumbling so much, readily acknowledged you… so there was such a circumstance.”

“Since he has risen to the Three Demons… he must be an incredible person, right?” Bu Eunseol asked.

At Bu Eunseol’s words, Dan Cheong opened his eyes faintly. “Of course. Would he have been nicknamed ‘Blood Demon’ for nothing? In the past, he was a Demonic Lord who reveled in smashing the heads of those who offended his eyes.”

At those words, Baek Yeon frowned slightly and said, “Seeing that the old man has his eye on this child, it seems he has an ulterior motive as expected.”

Hearing that, Bu Eunseol couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked, “Can the position of Head of the Council of Elders defy the Demonic Palace Master?”

Dan Cheong wore a bitter smile.

Bu Eunseol possessed exceptional martial arts talent, surpassing anyone else. However, he was completely unaware of the intricate political landscape of the Murim or sects.

“In a coalition of the Demonic Palace’s scale, position holds little significance,” Dan Cheong explained in detail to Bu Eunseol.

“The Demonic Palace’s power is divided among the forces of the Demonic Palace Master, the Council of Elders, and the Ten Demonic Sects. Notably, the Council of Elders, where masters of the previous generation reside, wields considerable influence,” he continued, pausing for a moment before adding, “Especially Head of the Council of Elders Jeok Bung is secretly amassing his own power, as if attempting to discreetly pocket another purse while evading the Demonic Palace Master’s gaze.”

“The Demonic Palace is also a complex entity,” Bu Eunseol responded.

Dan Cheong smiled in response to Bu Eunseol’s answer. “It is a chronic ailment of an organization that can be aptly described as a coalition rather than a master-disciple lineage. Since power is fragmented, various schemes and infighting flourish as individuals vie for even a single fragment of it.”

Bu Eunseol nodded, acknowledging the challenges of commanding a place where martial artists from diverse sects converge.

“Actually, from a purely power perspective, sects connected by master-disciple lineage are essentially the same. After all, one needs that much power to command those below.” Dan Cheong then added, “That’s why supreme martial arts are passed down differently, only to the Sect Leader, and then divided into first-generation disciples and second-generation disciples. Because those below will only follow if you hold the power.”

“Is our Pavilion like that too?”

At Bu Eunseol’s bold question, Dan Cheong laughed boisterously. “Hahaha. Of course, we are different. As long as you learn martial arts properly, that’s the best. We are the number one under the heavens for loose discipline.”

Grinning, Dan Cheong asked Bu Eunseol, “So, what happened after you entered the Demonic Palace?”

Bu Eunseol explained in detail about meeting the Hall Master of Ten Thousand Knowledge, visiting the Pavilion of Truth-Preserving of the Ten Thousand Demons, and how he took the test of five moves with Neung Gak and Go Gun-pyeong.

However, he omitted any mention of Hyeok Ryeon-eung or what Baek Jeon-cheon had told him.

Then, when he reached the part about being ambushed by masked men on the way back, flames flashed in Dan Cheong’s eyes.

“Ambush?”

A chilling coldness flowed from Dan Cheong’s voice, which had been nonchalant all along.

“Who dared to launch a surprise attack on a disciple of our Pavilion?”