The Natural Sword created by the Sword Venerable was strikingly similar to the very goal Bu Eunseol had been pursuing.
If he were to fight the Demon Emperor right now? He too would likely have employed a principle akin to the Natural Sword.
“Indeed, there is no other way.”
Bu Eunseol had not set his aim at plunging into some supreme, boundless realm.
His goal was to drag down those who wielded godlike martial arts—to pull them back to the ground.
And the Sword Venerable had personally demonstrated that such a thing was not impossible.
He had proven that the mystery of the Natural Sword could serve as the very answer.
“The path is gradually becoming visible.”
The Sword Venerable’s Natural Sword had broken through the realm of the Formless Sword Dao and reached the Way of Heaven and Man.
What he had pursued was not the destruction of any particular form, but the restoration of all things to their natural, original state.
Through the Natural Sword, the road to that destination was finally beginning to appear clearly.
“If everything can be returned to its complete and perfect form…”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
If that were possible, then even the absolute transcendent—the Demon Emperor, who seemed utterly impossible to fell—could surely be brought down.
***
Once even Bu Eunseol had departed, Seungsa Island was enveloped in utter silence.
Even the sounds of nature had faded. The surroundings of the island now resembled a space completely severed from the rest of the world.
Shuuk.
Yet at that moment, a figure appeared amid a flash of crimson radiance.
It was none other than Jeok Bung—the Blood Demon—who had been the first to leave Seungsa.
Ssk.
For a long while he gazed at the collapsed remnants of the rocky mountain.
Then, abruptly, his eyes fixed on the very spot where the Demon Emperor had stood.
Flash!
Brilliant light erupted from his pupils. He had discovered irrefutable proof that confirmed his suspicions.
He walked over to where the Demon Emperor had been and examined the spot once more.
“Heh heh heh.”
Jeok Bung let out a low chuckle, then suddenly burst into wild laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
After laughing uproariously at the sky for some time, he abruptly cut off the sound and spoke coldly.
“So he had not reached a state of flawless perfection after all?”
At the point where his gaze was locked, there remained an extremely faint trace imperceptible to ordinary human eyes—the residual mark left by the Demon Emperor’s movement technique.
“He was injured.”
A cold smile curved Jeok Bung’s lips.
A master who had reached the Transcendent Extreme Realm like the Demon Emperor possessed superhuman balance perception that never faltered.
Yet the footprints left when the Demon Emperor had executed his movement technique and departed showed an ever-so-slight loss of equilibrium.
“That’s why he didn’t deal with the Buddha Venerable.”
Jeok Bung knew a secret about the Demon Emperor that others did not:
The Demon Emperor had long regarded the Buddha Venerable as a thorn in his side and had repeatedly attempted to kill him whenever an opportunity arose.
This time, the Buddha Venerable had come to Seungsa Island alone; he was the only orthodox martial artist present.
It had been a truly once-in-a-lifetime chance to eliminate him.
Yet even after leisurely slaying the Sword Venerable, the Demon Emperor had simply watched as the Buddha Venerable collected the corpse and then departed.
Had he attacked the Buddha Venerable, his injury would have been exposed.
Even though the Three Demons were of the demonic path, any one of them might turn against him at any moment.
‘Moreover, he didn’t even look the Buddha Venerable in the eye.’
If their gazes had met, he might have lost control of his killing intent and struck immediately.
That was why he had deliberately avoided meeting the Buddha Venerable’s eyes.
Having been the first to leave Seungsa, Jeok Bung had later sensed something amiss and returned alone to analyze the Demon Emperor’s traces.
And just as he had suspected, the Demon Emperor had suffered a considerable internal injury.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.”
Jeok Bung’s eyes gleamed as he gazed into the distant sky.
“There may be a possibility after all.” Muttering with satisfaction, he vanished in a flash of blood-red light.
But not long after he departed,
Goooo.
A sound like compressed air came from the distant heavens. With a sharp thud, a faint shadow formed on Seungsa.
It was none other than the Profound Demon, Weiji Mu-a.
Thud, thud.
He too wandered the island for a long time, carefully inspecting every corner.
When he discovered the traces of Jeok Bung’s return, he gave a wry smile.
“As expected—the older the ginger, the spicier.”
Weiji Mu-a had likewise sensed something off after the fact and returned to Seungsa.
While watching the duel between the Demon Emperor and Sword Venerable, he had continuously felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
Astonishingly, even Weiji Mu-a had detected that some unknown, subtle presence had been crouching on the island.
Yet that presence had blended so perfectly into the surrounding environment—like air itself—that he could not pinpoint its exact location.
If even he could sense it, there was no way the Demon Emperor had failed to notice.
He had returned belatedly to confirm exactly how the Demon Emperor had dealt with it.
“How strange. Did Jeok Bung surpass even my senses?”
Weiji Mu-a mistakenly assumed that Jeok Bung, like himself, had come back to the now-empty Seungsa to verify the presence of some undetectable entity.
“Haa.”
But as he followed Jeok Bung’s traces and investigated, Weiji Mu-a let out a deep sigh.
He had discovered the residual mark left by the Demon Emperor’s movement technique.
“So that’s how it was.”
Even Weiji Mu-a had marveled at the transcendent might of the Sword Venerable’s Natural Sword.
Yet the Demon Emperor had seen through every weakness with his terrifying demonic arts and had effortlessly toppled the Sword Venerable by turning the enemy’s spear against his own shield.
That, however, was merely what appeared on the surface. In reality, the Demon Emperor had suffered deep internal injuries from the momentum of the Natural Sword.
“Who will seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”
Weiji Mu-a’s low mutter grew faint.
The Demon Emperor—who had reigned invincible for so long—had sustained serious injury… From here on, the future was utterly unpredictable.
Flash.
Leaving behind a single streak of light, he executed a movement technique and vanished into the distant sky.
***
—The Demon Emperor has defeated the Sword Venerable!
The outcome of the decisive battle between the Demon Emperor and the Sword Venerable finally reached the martial world.
In his later years, having attained sudden enlightenment and achieved an explosive advancement in martial prowess, the Sword Venerable had finally completed his long-cherished Natural Sword.
Full of confidence, he had challenged the Demon Emperor—only to be defeated in the end.
This fact was made known through the Buddha Venerable, who had collected the Sword Venerable’s remains. In an unprecedented gesture, the Sword Venerable’s remains were enshrined at Shaolin Temple, which normally accepted no outsiders.
As the news spread, countless leaders of the orthodox sects lamented the fall of one of the martial world’s brightest stars and journeyed to Shaolin to pay their respects.
—The Demon Emperor. Is he truly an invincible transcendent?
With this battle, the Demon Emperor had once again proven his stature.
Since emerging in the martial world, the great demon was the undefeated supreme of the demonic path, and later the very sky of the demonic faction.
The only one who had ever achieved parity with him—even once—was said to be the sky of the orthodox path, the one who had reached the pinnacle of righteous martial arts:
The Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi.
Conversely, even the foremost figure of the orthodox path, the Heavenly Emperor, had been unable to defeat him, making the Demon Emperor, in effect, an invincible existence.
—Is the long-maintained balance finally beginning to crumble?
As a result of this outcome, orthodox martial artists sank deeper into worry.
While the Heavenly Emperor continued his repeated seclusion training, the Demon Emperor had long since ceased such closed-door cultivation.
This could only mean that the gap between them had widened further, and that the Heavenly Emperor—aware of this fact—was continuing his seclusion in an attempt to close it.
Then, astonishing rumors began to spread one after another.
—In this battle, even the Demon Emperor suffered grave injuries.
Though he had won the duel, it was revealed that he had sustained deep internal damage from the Natural Sword created by the Sword Venerable.
—The Natural Sword mastered by the Sword Venerable possessed the power to return everything to a perfect and natural state. As a result, even the Demon Emperor ultimately suffered severe internal injuries.
Despite the rumors spreading far and wide, most people in the martial world could not bring themselves to believe it.
They found it impossible to accept that the invincible great demon had been wounded.
But when it was confirmed that the source of the rumor was none other than the Buddha Venerable, who had personally witnessed the battle, the martial world erupted.
—Is it possible to kill the supreme of the demonic path right now?
Masters who had reached the utmost pinnacle like the Demon Emperor almost never suffered injuries. Even when they did, they recovered almost immediately.
Having transcended the limitations of the flesh, they possessed recovery abilities that surpassed human limits. Yet having been exposed to the Sword Venerable’s Natural Sword—which returned all things to their natural state—his recovery ability had failed to manifest.
He had been reduced to an ordinary body, just like anyone else.
In other words, right now, it was possible to kill the absolute master known as the sky of the demonic path.
As this rumor spread, the Demon Emperor responded with an unexpected action.
Without a single escort, he began wandering the martial world alone.
People could not comprehend it.
With his injury, he should have secluded himself in quiet cultivation to avoid aggravating the wound, yet here he was, openly roaming the martial world even after it became known that he had suffered deep internal damage from the Natural Sword.
—Could it be a lie?
The martial world fell into confusion.
Was the Demon Emperor putting on an act to conceal his injury?
Or had he laid a trap to draw out those who would dare target him?
—He’s playing a clever game. To keep the Heavenly Emperor from stepping forward.
The Martial Alliance put forward this opinion.
Since he had not refuted the Buddha Venerable’s words, it was tantamount to the Demon Emperor admitting his injury.
If, in this situation, the Heavenly Emperor were to issue a challenge?
He would be offering his own neck.
By publicly announcing the injury, he had ensured the Heavenly Emperor could not possibly challenge him.
—No way.
Yet most of the martial world responded skeptically to the Martial Alliance’s theory.
The Demon Emperor was who he was.
He was a man who held himself in the highest regard.
If he had truly feared a challenge from the Heavenly Emperor because of an injury, he never would have earned the name Demon Emperor in the first place, and he would have been driven out of Majeon long ago.
—What exactly is he planning?
With a single injury, the Demon Emperor had thrown the entire martial world into turmoil.
Just what was he doing? What was he aiming for?
But the people of the world did not know.
They had no idea that an entirely unexpected figure had stepped forward to challenge the Demon Emperor who was now wandering the martial world while bearing deep internal injuries.
***
A cloudless blue sky stretched overhead, warm sunlight poured down, and a gentle mountain breeze blew softly.
As though savoring this pleasant weather, an elderly man walked slowly along the official road.
He had the ordinary appearance one might see at the edge of any village—neither especially tall nor imposing.
His back was perfectly straight, and his eyes were still as a tranquil lake.
Moreover, no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure showed on his face.
Tap, tap.
The old man’s strides were perfectly even, as though measured with a ruler.
Each footfall rang out clearly against the hard surface, as though he were walking on smooth glass.
Even more strangely, though he had walked for quite some time, not a single traveler—not even an ant—was in sight.
For a bustling provincial road near a city to be completely devoid of people was simply impossible.
Any martial artist with keen insight would have immediately guessed that some faction had mobilized men to seal off the road.
Yet the old man paid no mind to the empty scenery and continued walking with an indifferent expression.
With every step, the world grew quieter. In all directions, only the sound of the old man’s footsteps echoed.
Chirp. Chirp.
Before long, the old man reached a dense forest where the calls of insects filled the air.
Green leaves swayed in the breeze, evoking the full atmosphere of spring.
As he gazed at the surrounding landscape, the old man’s eyes suddenly grew profoundly still.
The cool wind, the rustling branches, the fragments of light visible between them…
Every visible scene contained its own laws and truths.
The old man contemplated the nature spread before him, comprehending the principles of transcendent martial arts.
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
He nodded repeatedly, as though sensing something profound.
Thanks to the spreading enlightenment, his mind remained in a state of boundless tranquility, while at the same time an endless stream of thought continued to flow.
“The path to enlightenment is difficult, and the path of putting enlightenment into practice is even more perilous.”
The old man’s name was Muryeong.
It was not his original name, but one he had given himself.
Muryeong signified a state of ignorance—a failure to perceive the truths of the universe.
In other words, a condition in which reality is distorted, the mind is confused, and desires and attachments ceaselessly arise.
And he wished for everyone in the world—everyone except himself—to remain in that state of chaos.
“Even if one awakens to the truth, without casting off desire, one ultimately fails to put it into practice.”
Muttering softly, the old man suddenly halted his steps.
In the blink of an eye, the serene tranquility that had filled the forest vanished.
The surroundings abruptly turned harsh and precarious, as though carved from blades into a landscape of swords and mountains.
Thud, thud.
At the same moment, low footsteps approached from somewhere.
Though not as rigid and measured as the old man’s, they were nonetheless extremely distinct and caused the ground to vibrate.
Ssk.
Finally, before the old man appeared a stalwart middle-aged man clad in white robes embroidered with splendid patterns.
Each time his eyes moved, it was as though lightning flashed within them; his sharp gaze seemed to pierce through all things.
The middle-aged man in white joined his hands in the most respectful manner the moment he faced the old man.
“From the Martial Alliance, Divine Might Corps Commander, Baek Incheong.”
As he raised his eyes, transparent energy like crystal spread from Baek Incheong’s pupils.
“I pay my respects to the Demon Emperor.”
The old man who had been walking so ordinarily was none other than the Demon Emperor, Sado Muryeong himself.
And the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared was Baek Incheong, the Divine Might Corps Commander of the Martial Alliance.
Though the Demon Emperor was merely wandering the martial world alone, the orthodox sects had been utterly toyed with because of it.
Because no one had dared block his path.
—Does the orthodox path truly have no one capable of defeating even an injured Demon Emperor?
As such voices continued to rise throughout the martial world without end, Baek Incheong had finally steeled his resolve and stepped forward to bar the Demon Emperor’s way.
“In the end, you could not cast off desire.”
The Demon Emperor looked at Baek Incheong and gave a faint smile.
In his gaze, Baek In-cheong too was merely another foolish sentient being—one who knew the truth yet could not restrain desire and had ultimately made a foolish choice.
“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“For the past few days you’ve been burning a hole in the back of my head. Have you finally finished your calculations?”
When the Demon Emperor smiled, Baek Incheong’s eyes wavered slightly.
In truth, he had not challenged on impulse. Ever since the Demon Emperor had reappeared in the martial world, Baek Incheong had followed him relentlessly, observing every detail.
And he had finally confirmed that the Demon Emperor had truly suffered serious injury.
A master of that caliber should have maintained perfect equilibrium at all times yet his gait had shown the faintest tremor.
Had he not verified the injury, he never would have dared stand in the Demon Emperor’s path.
“This humble leader…”
Baek Incheong tried somehow to make an excuse.
But the Demon Emperor waved a hand dismissively.
“I accept.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. No need for lengthy words—let us begin immediately.”
Baek In-cheong’s eyebrows twitched.
It was true that he had come to challenge the Demon Emperor yet he had hesitated to speak the words outright… because he had perceived that the Demon Emperor was genuinely injured, and that the injury was extremely severe.
He had therefore assumed the Demon Emperor would employ every possible means to avoid the duel.
But he had accepted without the slightest hesitation?
‘In any case, he can probably only unleash his Limitless Realm power once in his current state.’
Having thoroughly analyzed and calculated the Demon Emperor’s condition over the preceding days, Baek Incheong gave a faint nod.
“Then so be it.”
If he could simply withstand the single burst of Limitless Realm power the Demon Emperor would unleash?
Then he could fell the supreme master of the demonic path who had terrorized the martial world for decades.
Of course, even if he failed to block that Limitless Realm power… he had kept hidden a secret final move that would ensure victory regardless.
Whiiiing.
A fierce wind blew, swirling up white dust.
Srrrng.
Baek Incheong drew the Azure Sky Fan Sword from his waist.
His sword was no ordinary long blade—it spread wide like a fan.
The Azure Sky Fan Sword.
It was not a single weapon, but five ancient treasured swords fused together.
Though it appeared blunt on the outside, once wielded, it became the most fearsome weapon under heaven.
Like a Black Divine Artifact, it was capable of unleashing terrifying power through the weapon itself.
“Be careful!”
With a thunderous shout, Baek Incheong unleashed his sword art without hesitation.
Even though his opponent was the supreme of the demonic path, Baek Incheong himself was one of the very few at the absolute peak of the martial world. Moreover, he had manifested the Infinite Ascendant Angle long ago and was preparing to break through into the Limitless Realm.
Had that not been the case, even if the Demon Emperor had not merely been deeply injured but had lost all four limbs, Baek Incheong would never have dared confront him head-on.
“You do not even know what life is—how then could you possibly savor death?”
With an incomprehensible sigh, the Demon Emperor lightly waved his hand.
In an instant, the sword art pouring toward him vanished like mist.
Hwirik!
Yet as though he had anticipated exactly this, Baek Incheong showed no panic. He swung the Azure Sky Fan Sword at high speed.
In a flash of dazzling light, the colors of heaven and earth turned pure white, and a spear-shaped sword energy pierced straight toward the center of the Demon Emperor’s brow.
It was the mystery of the Heaven-Axe Sword, one of the five ancient treasured swords embedded in the Blue Heaven Sword.
Puk!
Its speed was beyond description—so swift that the moment light burst forth, it had already embedded itself in the Demon Emperor’s brow.
Ziiing.
At that instant, transparent light flowed from the Demon Emperor’s body, and simultaneously the sword energy that had pierced his brow shattered into hundreds of points of light and scattered in all directions.
‘So that is Breaking Nature.’
As befitting one of the Martial Alliance’s Commanders, Baek Incheong knew full well about the Demon Emperor’s signature ability—Breaking Nature: the moment an enemy’s attack was perceived, its nature was instantly altered.
‘I can win.’
A smile played at the corner of Baek Incheong’s mouth.
He had prepared meticulous schemes to defeat the Demon Emperor. If everything went according to plan, he would surely bring him down.
