T/N: Garama is the Poison King among the Eight Cheonchuk Tyrants… Dokjon was his title not name… 😅
Anan Geuk asked Bu Eunseol with a greatly shocked expression.
“You found the legendary Illusion Forest?”
Bu Eunseol glanced once over the tribespeople, nodded, and spoke with firm strength.
“Yes. I have found the location of the legendary Illusion Forest.”
In that instant, exclamations of astonishment erupted all at once from those present.
The Illusion Forest—the place of legend whose very name was distant and faint. Throughout the long history of the Cheonchuk, it had never once revealed its true form.
And now the Wind Cloud Young Master claimed to have found this secret realm that had existed only in records?
Bu Eunseol carefully observed the faces of the astonished tribespeople one by one.
Then he formed a mysterious smile and spoke again in a loud voice.
“Now that I think about it, there is one thing I forgot.”
His voice carried inner power, so not only the key figures gathered around Bu Eunseol but every tribesperson nearby could hear the words clearly.
“It has only been a few days since I retrieved and returned the sacred object. Yet the Elephant Sect sent a large force here immediately, as if they already knew I would bring it back.”
Bu Eunseol’s gaze grew extremely sharp.
“Isn’t that truly strange?”
Jebasa, whose eyes met his, widened his own.
“Are you perhaps suspecting me?”
Instead of answering, a yellowish light spread from Bu Eunseol’s pupils.
His powers of observation and insight were comparable to the Demon Emperor’s abilities. From the moment the key figures had gathered here, he had already identified and weeded out those suspected of being spies. However, without full confidence in his judgment, he continued the conversation while closely observing their physiological reactions.
After all, determining truth through physiological responses and penetrating the soul without clear evidence allowed no room for failure.
“The human body is truly honest in a marvelous way.”
His voice, infused with inner power, resonated loudly throughout Samana Valley.
“When people hear unexpected information, an appropriate physiological reaction occurs. For example, their eyes show curiosity or their faces express doubt.” He continued, “But spies are different. Because they are trained to suppress their emotions and control their physiological responses, they exhibit reactions distinctly different from ordinary people.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
At Jebasa’s words as he averted his gaze, Bu Eunseol smiled.
“Because they have developed the habit of artificially controlling their reactions. The way they respond to information is slightly different from that of normal people.”
Papapak.
At the same time, dozens of light points shot out from Bu Eunseol’s fingertips.
Among the forty or so key figures standing nearby, fifteen of them collapsed like logs.
He had struck the vital points of those confirmed as spies—the ones who had intentionally suppressed or controlled their physiological reactions.
“Are you saying all of them are spies?”
Anan Geuk asked in shock, mouth agape. Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Yes. If we interrogate them, we will be able to uncover everyone who cooperated with the Elephant Sect.”
He then turned his head to look at Jebasa.
“Isn’t that right?”
For a moment, Jebasa’s expression became strange.
It looked as if he wanted to laugh but could not, so his face was twisted instead.
“If they are spies, then that could be possible.”
When Jebasa forced a smile, Bu Eunseol asked,
“But isn’t it strange?”
With a mysterious expression, he pointed at the fifteen collapsed key figures.
“One-third of the key figures are spies? That is simply impossible.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how powerful the Elephant King and his forces may be, how could he possibly turn one-third of the Four Holy Clans’ key figures into spies?”
Under Bu Eunseol’s pointed questioning, Jebasa tried to maintain a calm expression.
But when he looked into those amber-tinted eyes, his heart grew uneasy.
Because the light flowing from those eyes seemed to illuminate the dark, deep abyss in a person’s heart that should never be shown to others.
“It seems you don’t know.”
Bu Eunseol withdrew his gaze from Jebasa, turned his body, and looked at the tribespeople.
“In cases like this…”
Boom!
A sudden explosion rang out, and Bu Eunseol’s body, which had been speaking while facing the key figures, shook violently.
Jebasa, who had been behind him, had unleashed a terrifying palm strike.
It was not the power of the Four Holy Clans, but the Elephant Sect’s ultimate palm technique—Iron Elephant Palm.
Tap tap.
However, Bu Eunseol casually brushed off his clothes and turned to face Jebasa.
“…it was possible to increase the number of spies by recruiting those around him because the leader was working with external forces.”
With a pained expression, Jebasa no longer used polite speech and asked in a cold voice,
“How did you know? This body revealed no openings whatsoever.”
“I didn’t know.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“You controlled your physiological reactions perfectly, and at first I could not detect it.”
For a moment, Jebasa’s face twisted.
He realized that Bu Eunseol truly had not known his identity until now.
“Then how were you able to find those fifteen spies?”
“They were not as skilled as you.”
Jebasa’s body trembled.
He had perfectly deceived Bu Eunseol… yet in the end, he had fallen into the trap.
“The only thing I was curious about was how a spy from the Elephant Sect could become the chief of a tribe.”
At those words, Abadan, a key figure of the Bimara tribe, pointed at Jebasa and said,
“Then were the deaths of Aramban and Anasu, who were once candidates for chief, not the work of the Elephant Sect… but your doing?”
“How could that be?”
Jebasa shouted angrily.
“The Elephant Sect only promised to make me chief without fail. I never expected them to kill the others.”
“You didn’t expect it? How can you call that an excuse?”
The reason Jebasa, who lacked virtue due to his impatient nature, had become chief of the Bimara tribe was because he had eliminated his rivals one by one with the help of the Elephant Sect.
“In any case, the Four Holy Clans cannot escape his grasp!”
Jebasa instead shouted boldly.
“Once the sacred object was found, all that remained was to hand it over. But you fools brought disaster upon yourselves by rebelling in an attempt to gain petty power.”
He looked at Ahwan with resentment and said, “After seeing that child regain her power, everyone in the tribe began to harbor hope that they too could regain their strength.”
“What do you…”
As Ahwan furrowed her brows, Jebasa cried out,
“Even if you use the sacred object, not everyone can gain power from it. Yet you all dreamed without even knowing the truth!”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Then Bharataya, the chief of the Yona tribe who had remained silent until now, spoke with a solemn expression.
“It is not that anyone can obtain it. The sacred object chooses the person. Even after becoming chief of the Bimara tribe, you did not know this fact?”
“What?”
“The sacred object judges whether a person is worthy of possessing that noble power. You simply failed to be chosen because you committed evil deeds.”
Barataya spoke calmly.
“All tribespeople who maintain goodness can obtain the power of the sacred object.”
Jebasa wore a dazed expression.
He had heard endless legends about the sacred object, but he had never heard that the sacred object itself chose the person.
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“Do you think only the Bayura tribe received the prophecy?”
Barataya continued calmly,
“From the beginning, the reason our tribe hid the sacred object was because of the Divine Priestess’s prophecy. Only by hiding the sacred object… could the Four Holy Clans avoid destruction.”
“Hmph!”
Jebasa snorted.
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“Have you not heard either?”
Barataya spoke with an extremely pained expression.
“About what kind of life our Four Holy Clans lived two hundred years ago.”
The Four Holy Clans were certainly a good tribe.
However, intoxicated by the power granted by the sacred object, they had ruled the Cheonchuk and lived extravagantly.
At that time, numerous powerhouses including the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants rapidly grew their forces in the Cheonchuk and joined hands to plot the annihilation of the Four Holy Clans.
If the sacred object had not disappeared?
The Four Holy Clans would not have been able to avoid destruction before their fierce offensive.
But when the sacred object vanished, the Four Holy Clans lost their power and rapidly declined.
Paradoxically, losing the sacred object allowed them to escape the attention of the powerhouses, and as a result, they survived.
Thud.
At that moment, Jebasa collapsed to the ground as if his strength had left him.
Realizing there was no way out, he pulled out a short blade from his clothes and immediately stabbed his own heart.
“……”
When not only was the tribal chief Jebasa revealed to be a spy of the Elephant Sect, but he also took his own life and became a cold corpse, the entire Bimara tribe fell into deep shock, and a silence heavier than death enveloped the surroundings.
The chief they had believed had led the tribe so excellently was actually a spy recruited by the Elephant King.
Faced with this unbelievable truth, the tribespeople stood in utter despair.
“A failed spy has nowhere to return.”
Bu Eunseol wore a lonely expression.
He had known Jebasa would commit suicide, yet he did not stop him.
Just like the Gong Twin Demons… he could not stop someone from choosing their final path.
“In the martial world…”
Since stepping into the martial world, he had encountered countless spies and had even lived as one for a long time himself.
He had been fortunate enough to survive, but the end of a spy was always this lonely and miserable.
―What should we do now?
The key figures of the tribe were greatly flustered by Jebasa’s sudden death.
He had been the most progressive among the chiefs, with wide connections, and the Bimara tribe was the largest and most populous among the Four Holy Clans.
Yet Jebasa had been the Elephant King’s spy, and because of him, countless tribespeople had died?
“Wouldn’t it be better for one chief to lead the entire tribe?”
Bu Eunseol asked Anan Geuk.
He wore a dazed expression for a moment before shaking his head.
“I am grateful for the words, but this old body cannot handle such a burden.”
Anan Geuk was wise and intelligent, but unfortunately he was too old and lacked the vigor needed to lead a tribe transforming into a merchant group.
“In that case.”
When Bu Eunseol looked at Barataya, he too shook his head.
“I am also advanced in age, Young Master.”
He then turned to a middle-aged man among the standing key figures who had a jewel like a red sun embedded in his forehead and said,
“The chief of the Surya tribe, Gampana, would be most suitable.”
Barataya continued, “As the Young Master said, the Four Holy Clans must now be reborn as a merchant guild. In that case, it would be best for a young and sharp-minded person to lead the tribe.”
Then the young chief Gampana shook his head.
“To lead a tribe, a person with great virtue and outstanding wisdom is needed. I am not that person.”
Anan Geuk then spoke, “The fact that you can say such words itself shows outstanding wisdom and intelligence.”
He looked at Bu Eunseol and said, “It seems the great chief who will lead our tribe should be him.”
Gampana was young but wise.
Moreover, the Surya tribe was the second most populous after the Bimara tribe.
“That is not for me to decide.”
Bu Eunseol said while looking at the tribespeople.
“However, if you wish for him to become the great chief, hold a meeting and formally recognize his position. Only then will he receive the support of the tribes and gain proper authority.”
“We will follow the Young Master’s command.”
When Anan Geuk bowed his head, all the tribespeople including Barataya prostrated themselves in respect.
Now, under Bu Eunseol’s guidance, the Four Holy Clans would welcome Gampana as their great chief and attempt a new leap forward.
***
From the beginning, the Four Holy Clans had lived by managing the forest and harvesting sandalwood.
Therefore, transforming into a merchant guild was not particularly difficult.
Under Bu Eunseol’s guidance—he who had long operated various alliances and forces—they quickly began transforming into a merchant organization.
“Do not trade sandalwood in its raw log state as in the past. You must learn how to refine and process it so that its value can increase.”
While learning Central Plains processing techniques, they also began building relationships with the imperial family and nobles following Bu Eunseol’s advice.
“You must form relationships with the nobles and the imperial family if you wish to survive both as a merchant guild and as a tribe.”
“We know that, but we have no such connections.”
It was common knowledge that regularly offering tribute to the imperial family or nobles could build relationships with them.
But the truly important part was having the connections to make that beginning possible.
One could not suddenly visit without any ties and thrust money or gifts at them.
“Supply the highest quality sandalwood products free of charge to the ‘temples’ that the imperial family and nobles frequent.”
The solution Bu Eunseol offered was ingenious.
By placing top-grade sandalwood products in the temples to catch the eyes of nobles, he proposed a plan to make them curious about the source.
Nobles who recognized true value would naturally inquire about its origin.
Once they began investigating the Four Holy Clans’ sandalwood, connections would form naturally.
“However, when trading with the imperial family and nobles, you must not only sell goods. You must definitely return some of the profits to them.”
If they provided the profits gained from the transactions back to them? They would not only be very pleased but would also naturally offer protection.
The forces that received benefits would never tolerate someone suddenly causing those benefits to disappear.
“The intelligence network for trade with the Central Plains, as well as the escort forces needed for trade, will all be provided by the Martial Soul Society.”
Of course, this will begin after I return to the Central Plains.
For a merchant guild to grow on a large scale, pioneering new markets and building trade networks were essential.
Additionally, operating an intelligence organization to grasp trends in various circles was basic.
Because Bu Eunseol had the powerful alliance known as the Martial Soul Society, the Four Holy Clans were able to instantly resolve the issues of the intelligence network and trade network needed for operating as a merchant guild.
Moreover, they could utilize the Martial Soul Society’s abundant rogue cultivator manpower for escorting the merchant guild and transporting goods.
This was beneficial for both sides.
Furthermore, because the Cheonchuk treated mercenaries very generously, many mercenaries affiliated with the Martial Soul Society would likely want to go there.
Bu Eunseol did not miss this point.
He planned to select willing candidates and establish an elite escort unit under the Four Holy Clans, thereby strengthening the merchant guild’s own military power.
“Since I will be in charge of trade with the Central Plains, I won’t have to be separated from the Wind Cloud Young Master anymore.”
Watching the Four Holy Clans transform into a merchant guild, Ahwan smiled brightly.
The Four Holy Clans would soon become the Four Star Merchant Guild and serve as a major pillar responsible for trade in the Cheonchuk.
Of course, those who wished to preserve the tribe’s traditions would remain separately and guard the holy land under the protection of the Four Star Merchant Guild.
In particular, Ahwan had given up her position as saintess and decided to take charge of trade with the Central Plains in connection with the Martial Soul Society.
She would no longer stay confined to the holy land.
She could freely travel anywhere and could go to the Central Plains to see Bu Eunseol whenever she wished…
This somewhat fulfilled her wish of “I will follow you no matter what.”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol nodded calmly.
Ahwan was still young.
As she traveled between the Central Plains and the Cheonchuk, gained much experience, and met many people, she would eventually realize that her feelings toward him were merely a childish crush from her youth.
“Oh, there is something I want to ask.”
Bu Eunseol cleared his throat and said,
“Are your parents still alive?”
Ahwan wore a momentarily dazed expression as if caught off guard.
Asking about her parents’ survival out of nowhere—could he be trying to propose?
“Don’t misunderstand.”
As if reading Ahwan’s inner thoughts, Bu Eunseol calmly continued his explanation.
“There is one of my subordinates in the Central Plains who looks exactly like you.”
“Huh?”
“You resemble her so much that I asked just in case.”
Perhaps because Bu Eunseol’s explanation was too brief, Ahwan still wore a face that showed she did not understand.
“That can’t be. Both of my parents passed away not long ago.”
“I see.”
When a dark shadow fell over Ahwan’s face, Bu Eunseol shook his head lightly with an apologetic expression.
“Forget what I said.”
He quickly changed the subject.
“Then I shall now head to Nagara City.”
Too much time had passed while trying to save the Four Holy Clans.
Even if he could not keep his promise to the Demon Emperor, he needed to find the True Demon’s secret that the Saint had spoken of as quickly as possible.
“Take care on your journey.”
Ahwan’s expression as she bowed was bright.
If the work of the Four Star Merchant Guild went well in the future, she would be able to go to the Central Plains.
Even if Bu Eunseol pushed her away, she had already decided to follow him for the rest of her life.
“Understood.”
Unaware of Ahwan’s feelings, Bu Eunseol unfolded his movement technique and departed.
***
Ajanta Caves.
Originally, it had been a famous site at Napgi Lake, the boundary between Napsageukseong and Nagara City.
But twenty years ago, this place had fallen into the hands of the Poison King, who belonged to the same Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants.
When the Poison King first set foot in the Napgi Lake region, which was within the Elephant King’s sphere of influence, everyone had expected a major clash.
Naturally, because he had invaded the Elephant King’s territory.
But surprisingly, the Elephant King made no response at all.
Twenty years had passed since the Poison King stationed troops in Napgi Lake.
In the end, the Elephant King had recently completely given up the region.
the Poison King had officially incorporated Napgi Lake, including the Ajanta Caves, into the territory of Nagara City.
It seemed like something that could commonly happen between giant forces, yet at the same time, it was something no one could easily understand.
This was because the Elephant King and the Poison King had an extremely bad relationship. Nevertheless, the Elephant King had simply stood by and watched—not only the Poison King’s initial entry but even the complete occupation of the Ajanta Caves.
the Poison King’s behavior was equally strange.
If he had intended to encroach upon the Elephant King’s forces, he should have used the occupied Napgi Lake as a foothold to advance further.
But he had merely been satisfied with stationing troops at the Ajanta Caves and made no attempt at further expansion.
Moreover, the fact that he had only now, after twenty years, officially reorganized his sphere of influence was regarded as an incomprehensible puzzle.
‘All of this was done on the True Demon’s orders.’
However, Bu Eunseol, who had heard the full situation from the Elephant King, already knew that everything had been because of the True Demon’s commands.
And once again, he keenly felt that the True Demon was a being with unfathomable abilities.
‘No matter how enormous the benefits he offered, the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants would not have blindly followed him.’
The True Demon had deliberately sent the Holy Ones to display his power.
To the Holy Ones who mixed the power of the Baekri and the True Demon, no martial arts or sorcery could affect them, and they could unleash transcendent great laws that surpassed common sense.
He had made it clear that refusing his proposal would lead to unimaginable consequences.
‘I naturally thought he would be in the Central Plains martial world… but he was in the Cheonchuk.’
Judging from the time he recruited the Elephant King, he must have been in the Cheonchuk for a long time.
‘Then did he already seize the Cheonchuk before undergoing another reincarnation? Or does he currently possess the body of an old man?’
Since the True Demon’s age was unknown… it was impossible to tell whether he had undergone another reincarnation and now had the appearance of a young man, or whether he was an extremely old monster.
Swish.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol, who was rapidly unfolding his movement technique toward Nagara City, calmly sank his gaze.
‘In the end, if even the Poison King is the True Demon’s subordinate… then I will have no choice but to clash with him.’
The Poison King, Garama.
Known as the great master of poison who had reached the final edge of the Poison Saint realm, the Four Poisons Art he created were said to possess supernatural toxicity that could not be blocked by ordinary martial arts.
Bu Eunseol himself had reached the early stage of the Poison Saint realm.
However, he had never properly trained in poison arts nor honed the secrets of using poison.
Although he was not afraid of poison, he had never fought against a poison user who had reached the Poison Saint realm… so he could not help but feel somewhat uneasy.
Now Bu Eunseol would soon have to fight against a Poison Saint who not only possessed sorcery-like powers beyond the logic of martial arts but also practiced a poison art tinged with mysterious religious colors.
