The characters were carved thinly and sharply, as if etched with a sword, their strokes resembling a dragon soaring through the heavens or a phoenix dancing gracefully.
Even more astonishing was that the two characters, which could not be written in succession, were carved in a single stroke.
“The Martial Emperor… Could this be referring to the Eight Emperors and Three Stars from four hundred years ago?” Bu Eunseol muttered.
The Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
Four hundred years ago, the martial world was dominated by eleven supreme masters.
Among them, the Martial Emperor, Seop Muhun, had a particularly unique history.
Originally a staunch righteous martial artist who could not tolerate evil, it was revealed in his later years that he was a double agent, operating between the righteous and demonic factions.
The Martial Emperor, hailed as the next supreme leader of the righteous path, was a spy cunningly relaying information between both sides? This shocking revelation prompted the martial world’s intelligence organizations to investigate him thoroughly.
It was discovered that he had manipulated information from both sides to incite conflicts between righteous and demonic factions. Ultimately, pursued by both factions, he mysteriously vanished, according to legend.
“Then, is this the Martial Emperor’s Hidden Vault?” Bu Eunseol wondered aloud.
—The current state of the martial world is irreversible, so I, the Emperor, have left my insights in this vault… The destined one will surely find it.
In his final days, hunted by both righteous and demonic factions, the Martial Emperor left a message claiming injustice and hid his insights in a secret place.
Then, he threw himself off the Ten Thousand Jang Cliff, ascending to immortality in a fleeting moment. To think that vault was hidden in this obscure, deep mountain valley?
Step, step.
As if entranced, Bu Eunseol approached the iron door.
As if it had been waiting, the door opened on its own.
Boom.
As the door opened, a long, dark passage stretched before him. Without hesitation, Bu Eunseol stepped inside.
Clank.
A faint metallic sound echoed from somewhere, and the darkened interior gradually brightened.
Seven-colored night pearls embedded in the ceiling began to emit a soft glow.
‘There are mechanisms installed.’ Bu Eunseol cautiously advanced step by step.
The passage was made of solid iron plates—not only the floor but also the walls and ceiling. The faint sounds of mechanisms grinding could be heard throughout. From the very entrance, it was clear that the scale of the Martial Emperor’s Hidden Vault was vast beyond imagination.
Step, step.
He walked for a while, but no threatening mechanisms or traps appeared.
‘Strange. Why aren’t the mechanisms activating?’
Every part of the passage he had traversed echoed with the sound of metal grinding. Some iron plates on the floor even had shadow stones embedded, as if forming an array. Yet, despite walking for over a quarter of an hour, not a single mechanism or array had triggered.
‘Or is there another purpose?’ Pushing his doubts aside, he pressed forward.
After about a quarter of an hour, he finally saw a door leading somewhere.
Clang!
As he approached the door, a piercing, ear-splitting noise faintly echoed from behind.
Clang! Clang! Rumble!
Listening closely, it sounded like a powerful force striking a thick metal slab. The noise grew faster, culminating in a low vibration and the sound of a massive metal object collapsing.
‘The Bullet King. He’s here.’
The Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong, must have tracked his trail and was now forcibly breaking through the iron door of the Martial Emperor’s Hidden Vault.
Boom!
A final deafening sound rang out, as if the door had been shattered.
—Where are you hiding?!
Bukgung Ryeong’s shout echoed, accompanied by the sound of air being sliced.
Hum. Hum.
But something was off.
As Bukgung Ryeong broke through the iron door, a series of low vibrations began to emanate from the once-quiet passage.
Zing. Clank.
At the same time, an unsettling mechanical noise started to resound blatantly.
‘Mechanisms.’ Bu Eunseol instinctively realized that the mechanisms in the Martial Emperor’s Hidden Vault had been activated.
‘Did it judge him an intruder?’
Typically, such vaults only allowed entry to the chosen.
Bu Eunseol didn’t know if he was chosen, but the door had opened for him, and he entered without issue. However, when Bukgung Ryeong forcibly broke the door and intruded, the mechanisms were triggered.
Clank, clank, clank.
With the sound of metal grinding, shimmering stones began to protrude from the spaces between the seven-colored night pearls.
Flash!
As the stones emitted light simultaneously, an immense pressure forced Bu Eunseol’s back to bend like a bow.
‘Repulsion Stones?’ Struggling to raise his head, Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his shock.
The transparent stones protruding from the ceiling were Repulsion Stones, like those at the entrance of the Affectionate Blossom Sect.
Boom!
With an explosive burst of energy, a fierce wind surged from Bu Eunseol’s body. He was channeling his inner energy to resist the overwhelming pressure.
‘Ugh.’ But the force of the Repulsion Stones pouring from the ceiling was incomparably stronger than the Immeasurable Heavenly King Water.
‘Is it the number?’ A single Repulsion Stone could contain the Heavenly King Water, said to be heavier than a house-sized iron block. With countless Repulsion Stones densely embedded in the ceiling, the pressure was enough to crush even a Diamond Bronze Statue in an instant.
Hum.
As the light from the Repulsion Stones intensified, Bu Eunseol felt as if the heavens and earth were tearing apart and spinning. Even with his inner energy exceeding sixty years, he couldn’t easily withstand the pressure of the densely packed Repulsion Stones.
“You’re here!” a voice roared.
Boom!
A white shadow appeared at the end of the corridor with a loud explosion.
It was Bukgung Ryeong, who had broken through the iron door and entered the vault.
“You escaped only this far?” he mocked, charging toward Bu Eunseol with lightning-like movement.
Boom.
But as he neared, the immense pressure of the Repulsion Stones forced him to halt his movement and bend forward.
“Urgh!” Bukgung Ryeong exclaimed in shock.
Yet, he quickly summoned his inner energy and straightened his back.
Crunch.
His power seemed to surpass Bu Eunseol’s, as he stood upright in an instant.
But that was all.
Unable to take a single step under the Repulsion Stones’ immense pressure, he stood like a statue.
Hum, hum, hum.
As Bukgung Ryeong entered the passage, the Repulsion Stones, as if waiting, unleashed even greater pressure.
“Repulsion Stones?” Bukgung Ryeong recognized them, gritting his teeth. “To embed so many stones worth millions?”
At a glance, there were over a hundred.
Unless the stones were destroyed or the mechanisms stopped, they would be trapped here, unable to move.
“Fine,” Bukgung Ryeong said.
Crunch.
Raising his right hand overhead with effort, tangible energy surged from his body.
He was channeling his immense inner energy to its fullest.
“Hup!” With a powerful shout, he unleashed his internal bullet energy.
Boom!
The fierce bullet energy pierced through the Repulsion Stones’ pressure like an awl, striking the ceiling.
Ping!
But it only shattered a single Repulsion Stone.
“Just… one?” Bukgung Ryeong muttered, staring at the fragments on the floor before unleashing another bullet.
Ping! Ping, ping!
Each time, he destroyed only one stone, and the pressure barely lessened.
“Ugh,” he groaned after his fourth bullet, a moan escaping his lips.
Piercing the Repulsion Stones’ pressure with bullet energy was an exhausting technique. Even for someone of Bukgung Ryeong’s caliber, using it repeatedly was reckless.
“Hup!” Refusing to give up, he unleashed another bullet.
But again, he shattered only one or two stones.
‘Repulsion Stones exert force when facing each other. Then…’
“Hup!” Thinking quickly, Bukgung Ryeong used his Heavy Hand Technique to direct his bullet energy downward.
Hum!
But only a deep vibration echoed.
‘Nothing’s there.’ His expression changed drastically.
From the sensation in his hand, there was nothing beneath the floor. How could Repulsion Stones, which required opposing pairs to function, exert such pressure from the ceiling alone?
‘Ugh.’ His back ached as the pressure felt even greater after expending so much energy.
“To think I, the Bullet King, would bow to a mere mechanism…” he muttered.
Even he, a master who had dominated the martial world, was helpless against such a bizarre and terrifying trap.
But something was odd.
That insolent young man, crouching leisurely far away, wasn’t he giving up?
‘Has he already resigned himself?’ As Bukgung Ryeong frowned at Bu Eunseol, a tremendous vibration shook the iron floor.
Boom!
Bu Eunseol, with both hands on the ground, had sent a powerful surge of inner energy to shake it.
“What a ridiculous stunt,” Bukgung Ryeong scoffed. “The floor below is solid. Can’t you feel it with your toes?”
If there were a space beneath, even a ten-foot-thick iron slab would have bent under the Repulsion Stones’ pressure.
“Or do you lack the power to strike upward, so you hit the floor instead?” he mocked.
Ignoring him, Bu Eunseol focused and struck the floor again.
Boom!
Then, something miraculous happened.
Ping!
A Repulsion Stone embedded in the ceiling suddenly fell to the floor.
Boom! Ping!
As Bu Eunseol struck again, another stone dropped.
‘I see!’ Watching this, Bukgung Ryeong finally understood Bu Eunseol’s intent.
The passage was entirely made of steel—floor, walls, and ceiling.
The ceiling, originally flat, must have been designed to protrude via mechanisms.
‘It doesn’t matter if there are Repulsion Stones below.’ Unable to strike the ceiling directly, Bu Eunseol was indirectly disrupting the ceiling mechanisms by striking the floor.
“Worth a try,” Bukgung Ryeong said, placing his hands on the floor and channeling his powerful inner energy.
Boom!
A vibration far stronger than Bu Eunseol’s reverberated through the walls to the ceiling. As the Bullet King, his techniques for vibrating or repelling objects with energy were unparalleled.
Ping, ping! Clank.
Several Repulsion Stones fell or retreated into their holes.
“It’s working!” Bukgung Ryeong confirmed as some stones receded, striking the floor again with force.
Boom! Boom!
As he and Bu Eunseol struck in unison, finally—
Clank!
With a loud mechanical sound, most of the Repulsion Stones were sucked back into their holes.
“Huff, huff,” Bukgung Ryeong panted as the pressure vanished.
He had faced countless dangers, but never had he expended so much energy that his core felt torn.
“What is this place?” he demanded.
Bu Eunseol was incredulous. “You broke through the iron door without knowing where you were?”
“Hmph, I only followed your trail,” Bukgung Ryeong retorted.
Despite his sage-like appearance, the Bullet King seemed impulsive and far from cautious.
“Rare indeed,” Bu Eunseol remarked.
“Rare?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“To be so impatient and reckless at an age when your beard is white,” Bu Eunseol said.
“You dare insult me?” Bukgung Ryeong’s killing intent flared.
“Is that why you fired your bullet energy without confirming who was assaulting the woman?” Bu Eunseol shot back coldly.
“That was my mistake,” Bukgung Ryeong admitted.
“If you had died, would you say ‘my mistake’ to your corpse?” Bu Eunseol pressed.
No matter how impulsive, Bukgung Ryeong was a righteous master. Speechless, he gave a loud cough.
“Ahem.” He quickly changed the subject. “I need to recover my energy quickly.”
With such traps at the entrance, who knew what terrifying mechanisms lay deeper in the passage? He needed to gather his inner energy to prepare for other traps.
“Phew,” Bu Eunseol exhaled, standing unsteadily and walking forward.
“Trying to escape because you’re scared of me?” Bukgung Ryeong sneered. “It’s no use. No matter how fast you run, I’ll catch you.”
Bu Eunseol turned, chuckling. “Not only blind and deaf but dim-witted too.”
“What did you say?” Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes blazed.
In decades of roaming the martial world, he had only ever been met with awe from the young. When had a young man ever insulted him to his face?
“Your guts are swollen,” Bukgung Ryeong said darkly, standing to face Bu Eunseol. “Using my mistake as an excuse to keep spouting such nonsense…”
But his words trailed off.
Bu Eunseol had turned and walked out of the passage without looking back.
“You!” Bukgung Ryeong shouted.
Though gentle by nature, he had no mercy for villains. And wasn’t this man the demonic seed who killed his righteous friend, the Beggar King?
“Stop right there!”
As he chased Bu Eunseol—
Clank!
A metallic sound rang out behind him, and the Repulsion Stones’ light began to pour again.
‘That guy…’ Realizing something, Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes widened.
The earlier vibrations had only temporarily disrupted the ceiling mechanisms. But they could reactivate at any moment. Recovering energy was less urgent than escaping this place.
Bu Eunseol smirked at Bukgung Ryeong, who stumbled out of the passage.
His expression seemed to say, ‘No need to thank me.’
“Hmph, don’t be ridiculous. I was about to come out anyway,” Bukgung Ryeong retorted.
Once again, he missed the chance to attack, his killing intent thwarted.
Snorting, he closed in on Bu Eunseol. “Be ready.”
“Quiet,” Bu Eunseol said, stopping abruptly with a serious expression, listening intently.
Deep in thought, he stared at the ceiling, then pressed his ear to the floor and cautiously scanned the surroundings. His movements and gaze were so grave that Bukgung Ryeong could only stand and wait.
“What’s there now?” Bukgung Ryeong asked, immediately regretting it.
Didn’t his question make him seem inferior to this young man?
‘It’s because he’s so calm…’
The Repulsion Stone trap had been so dangerous that even he, a Supreme Heaven Realm master, was helpless.
Yet Bu Eunseol had remained composed and found a way to overcome it. Watching him, Bukgung Ryeong couldn’t help but feel a sense of reliance.
“With the sound of something rolling, it’s splitting left and right,” Bu Eunseol said, his eyes narrowing as he examined the iron floor.
“The path is dividing.”
Rumble.
No sooner had he spoken than the iron floor shook, and far ahead, the passage split into two paths.
