Further conversation with the Buddha Venerable was meaningless.
He knew nothing about his grandfather’s killer, nor about the full circumstances of his own life. He hadn’t come to impart any new information either.
He had simply arrived with a benevolent expression to say only what he himself wanted to say.
As Bu Eunseol turned to leave, “Then.”
Swoosh.
In an instant, the man who had been carrying the greatsword on his back moved like lightning and blocked Bu Eunseol’s path.
“How dare a mere brat speak so recklessly!”
The man roared.
“Apologize for your rudeness at once.”
“Well trained, I see.” Bu Eunseol let out a snort. “A dog should wag its tail properly for the one holding its leash.”
Boom!
At that moment, an explosive sound erupted and dust billowed in all directions.
The man had drawn his greatsword with lightning speed and struck down toward Bu Eunseol’s head.
Whoosh.
When the dust cleared, an astonishing sight was revealed.
The greatsword had stopped a mere finger’s width above Bu Eunseol’s head.
The explosive sound had come about because the man’s sword technique contained both the subtlety of swift movement and the energy of Thunder Spirit Energy.
“Save your arrogant words until after you’ve received my sword.”
“After I’ve spilled all my guts, you mean?”
Ziiing.
At some point, dozens of blades of true energy had halted around the man’s lower abdomen, each separated by no more than the thickness of a hair.
The moment he had attacked, Bu Eunseol had instantly deployed the Wishful True Binding.
‘This bastard!’
The man’s face hardened like stone.
The technique of manifesting true energy into physical form inevitably had slower emission speed compared to ordinary martial arts.
Yet both attacks had arrived at virtually the same time.
No—Bu Eunseol had stopped his energy blades by a hair’s breadth, while the man had been halted by a finger’s width…
In the end, it proved that Bu Eunseol’s reflexes were several times faster than the man’s swift sword.
“Do not act rashly.”
At that moment the Buddha Venerable spoke.
“Lord Bu is not our enemy.”
Clack.
The man sheathed his greatsword and clasped his hands together.
“This disciple has shown an unsightly appearance.”
“Lord Bu.”
The Buddha Venerable spoke in a low voice.
“The situation in the martial world is changing with great urgency. Please stop turning a blind eye to it any longer.”
Bu Eunseol gave no further reply; he simply offered a courteous salute.
Swish.
Then he immediately unfolded his movement technique and departed from the place.
The Buddha Venerable watched the departing figure from afar and spoke with admiration.
“As expected, this old monk’s eyes were not wrong. He has reached a truly boundless realm.”
“That man, sir?”
The man wore an aggrieved expression.
“I admit his reaction speed is fast, but if we had fought head-on, I absolutely would not have been pushed back.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
The Buddha Venerable gave a faint smile and looked at the greatsword the man was holding.
Crack, crackle.
At the same moment, spiderweb-like cracks began spreading across the greatsword forged of darksteel.
“How…?”
The man’s eyes widened in shock.
When exactly had he struck?
“Have you still not seen Lord Bu’s sword?”
“This disciple…”
When the man bit his lip and could not answer, the Buddha Venerable spoke calmly.
“He used true-energy martial arts only afterward. If you had not stopped your sword strike midway… he would have cut not only the sword, but your neck as well.”
The man’s face flushed red.
He had prided himself that the speed of his swift sword was comparable to lightning.
Yet in that interval Bu Eunseol had drawn his own sword, shattered the greatsword into pieces, and even unfolded true-energy martial arts.
“Do you understand now? In the end, all of you must pass through every remaining gate.”
The man bit his lip.
They all had to pass through ten gates, yet everyone had stopped before the seventh.
Passing six gates already allowed them to claim peerless martial prowess under heaven, and since no one knew how much time it would take to pass all ten no one attempted it. Above all, passing beyond the seventh might mean losing a complete sense of self.
But today he had learned.
At minimum, one had to pass eight gates or more to be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatest masters under heaven.
“That’s why you tracked his movements.”
Only then did the man realize.
By arranging an encounter with Bu Eunseol—the most outstanding talent among the new generation—the Buddha Venerable had made him recognize his own inadequacy and resolve to challenge the gates once again.
Meeting such a master and receiving that stimulus would touch the heart far more deeply than hundreds of words of persuasion.
“How can the affairs of the world be so simple?” The Buddha Venerable spoke with a sorrowful expression. “Raising the level of your martial scripture is but a trivial matter. But he is an absolutely indispensable figure for completing our original plan.”
He sighed deeply and shook his head.
“However… a being who can change fate by his own will, who defies laws and possesses a contradictory essence, has intervened…”
The Buddha Venerable’s low mutter grew so faint that no one could hear it.
“Return.”
Shaking his head, the Buddha Venerable spoke to the man.
“And clearly convey to your comrades everything you witnessed and felt today.”
“Is that really all that’s needed?”
At the man’s words, the Buddha Venerable smiled.
“Yes. That will suffice.”
Leaving those words behind, the Buddha Venerable vanished in an instant.
The man stared blankly in the direction the Buddha Venerable had disappeared.
“Bu Eunseol.”
Then he clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his palm.
“I will definitely surpass you.”
***
After parting with the Buddha Venerable, Bu Eunseol felt stifled.
Merely growing older did not mean one’s character or mind would become as noble and fragrant as his grandfather’s.
On the contrary, the older one grew, the more one might turn into a foul-smelling, decayed monster.
“He has become a wraith.”
Shaolin was indisputably the foremost mountain and northern dipper of the righteous martial world, and the Buddha Venerable had long been a senior monk of Shaolin deeply involved in the affairs of the martial world.
But the grand plan had failed, and as a result even Shaolin’s elite had been annihilated.
Even now they had yet to recover their original strength… so the guilt must be immense.
In the end, to atone for past mistakes, claiming that the calamity of sect annihilation had arrived, or perhaps to compensate for the years gone by… the Buddha Venerable was now advancing a new plan of the Absolute Demonic Blade Project.
“Even an iron-willed man like the Buddha Venerable repeats his errors?”
Foolish humans endlessly repeat past mistakes.
Yet even the Buddha Venerable—the living legend of Shaolin, the divine monk of Buddhism—could not escape that principle…
Boom!
Increasing the speed of his movement technique, he soon entered the vicinity of Gongchang Prefecture.
Suddenly the distant sky darkened.
Grrrrr.
A bizarre roar, like the cry of some monstrous beast, spread outward.
“So it wasn’t only the Buddha Venerable who took the bait.” Feeling the grotesque energies converging from all directions, Bu Eunseol formed a smile.
It seemed that the Buddha Venerable had not been the only one pursuing him for killing the Spear-Wielder.
“Anything is fine.”
Whether it was the Eight Human Heavens or someone else made no difference.
If a hidden expert appeared, he would simply crush them.
Whatever scheme was unfolding, he would simply shatter it.
Bu Eunseol did not evade the energy that blackened the sky; instead he advanced calmly and came to a stop on a wide plain.
Gurgle. Grrrrrr.
Once again, with that eerie sound,
Swoosh.
A black shadow appeared directly in front of Bu Eunseol, then gradually took on various colors until it coalesced into a single form.
Swish.
Finally the form transformed into an old man dressed in blue robes, resembling an immortal.
Bu Eunseol did not yet know, but this was the very blue-robed elder who had clashed head-on twice with the Demon Emperor while fishing by the river.
“Truly remarkable.”
The suddenly appearing blue-robed elder looked into Bu Eunseol’s motionless pupils and nodded.
“Even the Demon Emperor would not have reached your level at your age.”
“Who are you?”
A previously unseen puzzlement filled Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
He realized that the old man before him possessed an even more bizarre and unique power than any expert he had encountered so far.
“Who am I, you ask?”
The blue-robed elder made an enigmatic expression and faintly narrowed his eyes.
“I can’t even remember the last time I received such a question.”
As though feeling deep emotion, the elder gazed at the distant sky and let out a turbid breath.
“If I must put it into words… the existence of this old man right now is best described as a messenger conveying will.”
“Are you a being of the Three Realms?”
“That is not so.”
The blue-robed elder gave an ambiguous answer.
“This old man is different from the sects of the martial world. I simply stand at the boundary of laws.”
“I have no patience for riddles.”
Bu Eunseol frowned.
“If you will not clearly state your identity, it would be best to end the conversation here.”
As he immediately turned to leave, the blue-robed elder moved like a phantom and grasped Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
Then, with an utterly friendly expression, he continued.
“There is no need to bristle so. Today’s conversation will bring you only benefit. There will be no loss whatsoever.”
Bu Eunseol was greatly startled.
Recently his martial prowess had risen sharply, and ever since obtaining the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi he had transcended even beast-like senses, gaining mystical super-perception where even the flow of air felt slow.
Yet someone could so naturally place a hand on his shoulder?
“Hmm, look at this.”
The blue-robed elder was equally astonished.
The moment he placed his hand on Bu Eunseol’s shoulder, a mysterious flash gleamed and he let out an exclamation.
“Sado Muryeong. Now I understand why he tried to prevent your eradication from the Three Realms.”
For an instant Bu Eunseol froze, forgetting even to blink.
The Demon Emperor had blocked his eradication from the Three Realms? What on earth was this man saying?
“It must have been because the calculation showed that keeping you alive was more profitable… Still, it is astonishing.”
The blue-robed elder nodded, unable to hide his admiration.
“In the entire history of the martial world, no one so young has ever reached the realm of Transcending the Mundane and the Mind Empty stage.”
Bu Eunseol was greatly shocked.
The blue-robed elder had clearly grasped and expressed the martial realm and stage that even Bu Eunseol himself had not yet perfectly defined.
Transcending the Mundane: standing aloof from worldly affairs, free and noble, detached from mundane desires and entanglements.
Mind Empty, Realm Silent: the mind vacant, the state tranquil, released from attachment to life and death, entering a peaceful and serene condition.
With these words, the blue-robed elder had perfectly encapsulated the realm Bu Eunseol had reached.
‘A transcendent master beyond the world.’
Bu Eunseol realized not only that this blue-robed elder held a very special status, but that he was an unfathomably terrifying master unknown to the martial world.
“For what business have you sought me out?”
“Now you too have become qualified to form the covenant.”
“Covenant?”
“Hm. To explain it very simply…”
The blue-robed elder continued with utterly shocking words.
“It would be best described as the pact that the strong of the martial world have made generation after generation.”
Bu Eunseol’s brows furrowed.
A pact among the strong that had existed since long ago?
“Otherwise everything would come to an end.”
The blue-robed elder continued his explanation.
“The covenant was established to prevent unnecessary destruction and conflict, and to maintain peace within each one’s domain.”
“Peace, you say.”
Hearing such a word from someone like the blue-robed elder felt somewhat alien.
Peace was a concept unrelated to supreme experts.
“Because battles among the strong cause enormous damage, threatening not only minor sects but even ordinary people with survival itself?”
“That is not it.”
The blue-robed elder gave a faint smile.
“The word ‘peace’ is used merely because the balance would collapse otherwise.”
“Balance?”
“Indeed. If transcendents continue to clash endlessly, all the balance that has been painstakingly built up until now will collapse.”
The word “balance” was commonly used.
Yet when spoken by the blue-robed elder, it carried an entirely different weight.
“Then are all the strong whom you acknowledge already part of this covenant?”
“Well.”
The blue-robed elder evaded the question, but one face rose in Bu Eunseol’s mind.
‘Then does that mean the Martial Venerable has also been part of the covenant for a very long time?’
If he had accepted the covenant, Bu Eunseol could finally find the answer to one persistent question he had held.
Despite holding the position of Alliance Leader of the righteous sects… despite possessing the greatest martial prowess among the current righteous path… the reason he could not deal with the mere Seven Great Commanders and had to bring Bu Eunseol in…
‘Is it that the Martial Venerable too is bound by some restriction due to the covenant?’
Even if the Martial Alliance were the main base of the Three Realms, someone of the Martial Venerable’s caliber could have dealt with them—whether through assassination, using the identity of a divine calculator, or any other means—if he truly wished.
Yet he had taken the risk and brought in an outsider?
Perhaps he had joined the covenant the blue-robed elder spoke of, and was therefore restricted.
“The conversation has strayed.”
The blue-robed elder spoke again.
“You have become a target of the covenant.”
“What does it mean to be a target of the covenant?”
“Let us say, a person who can break through human limitations, or become strong enough to shatter the balance.”
Again the word “balance” appeared.
Bu Eunseol could no longer refrain from asking.
“What exactly is this ‘balance’?”
“You will know once you join the covenant.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Simple.” The blue-robed elder spoke nonchalantly. “You will die. Or, even if you live, you will lead a life far more wretched than death.”
An answer that made one doubt one’s ears.
What was this out-of-nowhere statement?
“Are you saying you will attack me, old man?”
The blue-robed elder certainly possessed the ability and martial power to threaten Bu Eunseol’s life.
But the blue-robed elder shook his head.
“The one who will execute you is someone else.”
And then he spoke words even more incomprehensible.
“The executioner cannot be stopped by any means. Even if you erase or disrupt your trail through intelligence organizations, they appear without fail.”
“…”
“Perhaps you can block them once or twice. But they will continue to appear relentlessly until you die—until your life is destroyed.”
In short, it sounded as though assassins would be sent endlessly until death.
“Isn’t that simply the fate of a martial artist?”
Bu Eunseol gave a wry laugh.
He had long walked a path where an assassin’s ambush at any moment would not be strange.
He had countless enemies regardless of righteous or demonic, and he stood opposed to the Three Realms—the black curtain ruling the martial world.
Thus no matter how formidable an assassin targeted him, it carried no threat or intimidation whatsoever.
“Huhuhu. Is that so?”
The blue-robed elder spoke unexpectedly.
“I will not force you. If you refuse, then depart.”
“You will simply leave?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol felt somewhat uneasy.
At a glance, the blue-robed elder’s aura surpassed that of the Eight Human Heavens. Yet instead of coercing with power, he merely confirmed whether Bu Eunseol would join the covenant?
That made it feel all the more certain that something terrifying would happen if he did not join.
“Can you not explain the covenant precisely?”
“…”
“One should at least know what it entails, no?”
Bu Eunseol subtly changed the subject.
“If I accept the covenant, what changes?”
“Nothing will change. You will simply comply with the laws.”
“Laws, you say.”
The blue-robed elder put on a solemn expression.
“Even without joining the covenant, I can answer a few things. But in that case you must first undergo a test.”
“A test, you say.”
“You must receive this old man’s attack. In effect, it would be tantamount to committing suicide just to hear a few words.”
In short, if he wanted answers, he had to withstand the blue-robed elder’s terrifying strike.
“Very well.”
Yet Bu Eunseol nodded readily.
“I will receive your attack, so give me the answers.”
“Your martial prowess is impressive. But the affairs of the world cannot be solved by martial arts alone.”
In a word, the blue-robed elder was hinting at some means that surpassed the power of martial arts.
“It does not matter.”
At that instant, pity filled the blue-robed elder’s expression.
He seemed to think Bu Eunseol was acting out of bravado.
‘No… so that’s how it is.’
The blue-robed elder smiled.
Seeing the confidence brimming in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, he saw through his true intention.
‘If he realizes he cannot possibly match me, he plans to immediately change his words and agree to join the covenant.’
If he received the attack, then changed his mind and said he would join, he must have thought that, due to the laws of the covenant, the elder would be unable to act against him.
‘Shall I play along a little?’
No matter how strong Bu Eunseol was, in the blue-robed elder’s eyes he was merely a young martial artist with remarkable skill.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Rather, the fact that he refused to be cowed by the elder’s presence and kept thinking of ways to extract information was somewhat admirable.
“Very well.”
Smiling faintly, the blue-robed elder explained.
“Laws are things that must be obeyed. And you will come to follow them.”
“Become a puppet, you mean?”
“Certainly not. It is to accord with the truth.”
The kind of answer that would fit perfectly coming from a follower of an evil cult.
Had the blue-robed elder not possessed tremendous martial power, Bu Eunseol would have thought him brainwashed by some heretical sect.
“Even after joining the covenant, can one refuse those laws?”
“No.”
The blue-robed elder spoke as though giving a warning.
“If a target of the covenant rejects it, they die. Even if they remain alive, they will live a life more miserable than death.”
Words that were utterly incomprehensible.
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment before asking.
“Can you tell who the targets of this covenant are?”
“No.”
Guessing Bu Eunseol’s inner thoughts, the blue-robed elder answered calmly.
“The covenant is not something that ends with a few words. There are things you can only hear after entering it.”
“Regarding the laws?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol subtly shifted the topic again.
“Setting the laws aside… what if one wants to join but needs to know the contents first?”
“You… even after joining the covenant, you think you can defy the laws.”
Looking into Bu Eunseol’s sparkling eyes, the blue-robed elder gave a soft chuckle.
“But once you join the covenant, defying commands becomes impossible from the start—no matter what martial realm you reach, even if you become dozens of times stronger than now.”
That was a very significant clue.
‘The power that enforces the covenant has nothing to do with the level of martial arts.’
“Correct. It does not manipulate martial level or the spirit.” The blue-robed elder spoke as though peering into Bu Eunseol’s mind. “Even if one reached not merely Spiritual Penetration but Six Consciousnesses Transcendent Communication, the result would be the same.”
It was simply astonishing.
Just what was this covenant that it could exert such absolute power?
“Then may I hear at least some of the commands the covenant enforces?”
Bu Eunseol had to draw out as much information as possible.
Although the blue-robed elder saw through his intention, he answered willingly.
Because he had come to quite like Bu Eunseol.
‘He resembles him from his younger days.’
Smiling faintly, the blue-robed elder said, “The covenant is a choice.”
In truth, those words were a decisive clue.
But Bu Eunseol did not understand. They were far too vague.
“Hm.”
Sensing that Bu Eunseol was not yet ready to face the truth, the blue-robed elder sighed and changed the subject.
“For example, its power can only be exerted within your own sphere of influence. If you trespass without permission into another’s sphere or attack it, you will face severe sanctions.”
Hearing that, Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
‘Quite reasonable.’
Currently, masters who had reached the Limitless Realm could, if they wished, single-handedly invade and destroy any sect or faction, inflicting massive damage.
Yet none of them did so. Was that because of the covenant?
‘It wasn’t simply to avoid an all-out righteous-demon war.’
At present the righteous sects held a slight advantage in power over the demonic path.
Yet they refrained from using that advantage to wage war—not to spare the lives of countless martial artists, but perhaps because of the covenant.
“Then how are disputes resolved?”
“Neutral zones have been designated. Discussions are held there.”
“There is an organization for dispute resolution?”
“Of course. However… it is not meant to reduce unnecessary suspicion and hostility between parties and preserve each faction, as you might think.”
The blue-robed elder laughed.
“Rather, it maintains balance precisely through fights to the death.”
Words that were impossible to understand.
When Bu Eunseol’s gaze grew cloudy, the blue-robed elder said, “This is as far as it goes. I have nothing more to say.”
“Thank you.”
“It seems you have already made your decision.”
“Of course.”
“But before that, there is one thing you must know.”
“Please speak.”
“If this old man takes action, changing your words midway will be useless.”
The blue-robed elder smiled, expecting Bu Eunseol—whose true intention had been seen through—to look shocked or flustered.
“That goes without saying.”
Yet Bu Eunseol nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“I refuse your proposal.”
