Crack.
As the Dead Man completely vanished into the darkness, the Enemy Destroyer suddenly dropped flat to the ground.
Then, twisting his body in a grotesque manner,
Crunch crunch crunch.
He began charging toward Bu Eunseol on all fours like a beast.
The sight was exactly like an evil spirit wearing human skin, bounding forward on four limbs.
Srrrng.
The moment the Enemy Destroyer moved, Bu Eunseol had already prepared the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Goooo.
Time seemed to flow sluggishly as red radiance began spreading from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
Sssss.
The crimson sword energy shot forward at ultra-high speed, scattering sparks and carving through the ground.
The instant the red point of light reached the Enemy Destroyer’s neck,
Shuuk.
The Enemy Destroyer’s body instantly turned transparent, and the sword energy of the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form sliced futilely through empty air.
Bang!
At the same time, chains lashed out and struck Bu Eunseol’s body.
Normally, such an attack could never have touched Bu Eunseol’s body but the Enemy Destroyer had let the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form pass straight through him while simultaneously extending the chains, making it impossible to avoid.
Chiiik.
After retreating three steps, Bu Eunseol’s expression was grave.
Having reached ten jia in internal energy, his body was nearly impervious to blades.
Yet where the whip had struck, excruciating pain surged, and suddenly his internal energy refused to flow properly.
[It’s the Crystal Binding Phosphorus technique.]
The Dead Man’s voice echoed from within the darkness.
[No matter how profound your martial arts or what realm you’ve reached, it makes no difference.]
“…”
[The Crystal Binding Phosphorus lets any attack pass through, and every time you’re hit, your vital energy drains away.]
No matter how much he strained his hearing or spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, he could not even guess where the voice-emitting Dead Man was hiding.
It was as if he were a true corpse—no presence, no biological response whatsoever.
[Did you think you could locate this Heaven Lord just by hearing my voice?]
Sensing Bu Eunseol spreading his supersenses, the Dead Man let out a mocking laugh.
[Heh heh heh. Go ahead and try to find me.]
‘Even if one mastered the Great Natural Qi, perfectly concealing oneself to this degree should be impossible.’
Moreover, the direction from which the voice came was precisely where no presence or movement could be felt at all.
Shuuk. Shuuk.
Meanwhile, the Enemy Destroyer floated in midair like a ghost, moving freely and attacking Bu Eunseol.
Whenever an attack landed, he immediately let it pass through.
Furthermore, the chains carried a bizarre power—even a slight graze drained his vital energy.
‘The enemies keep getting stronger…’
Yet a smile actually formed on Bu Eunseol’s lips.
Although the Eight Human Heavens had imposed the restriction of the Limitless Realm, the current top masters of the martial world had already broken through it.
And that included Bu Eunseol.
Though his martial path had not yet been perfectly established, he possessed power capable of facing any opponent.
“If the ability is to let external force pass straight through,”
A smile played on his lips.
“This will be interesting.”
[Interesting, you say?]
Irritated by Bu Eunseol’s murmur, the Dead Man’s sharp voice rang through the grand hall.
[Then let me make it even more entertaining.]
Srrrrrk.
At the same time, from behind the Enemy Destroyer, dozens more Enemy Destroyers appeared in a swarm.
Even a single Enemy Destroyer had been strong enough to exchange blows with Bu Eunseol.
To think they had mass-produced such beings?
“Truly, the Eight Human Heavens is the Eight Human Heavens.”
Yet far from fear, Bu Eunseol wore a delighted smile as he walked defenselessly toward the horde of Enemy Destroyers.
The more enemies, the better.
Only then could he further advance his martial arts.
Thud thud.
Shuuk.
The forty-odd Enemy Destroyers had already surrounded him in a perfect circle with ghostly movements.
Clang!
At once, sharp chains pierced through Bu Eunseol’s body. Or rather, they should have.
Shuuk.
But Bu Eunseol’s body turned transparent for an instant, and the chains passed straight through.
He had executed the Crystal Binding Phosphorus technique—no, an even more perfect version of it.
“The so-called Crystal Binding Phosphorus is ultimately nothing more than a derivative of the Wind God’s martial arts.”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
The Enemy Destroyers swiftly swung their chains, trying to suck away Bu Eunseol’s vital energy but because the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi was already raging around his body, the chains’ bizarre power could no longer take effect.
Shuuk! Paat!
When their attacks failed, the Enemy Destroyers closed the distance and began lashing out with chains in earnest.
The chain-linked assault performed by forty-odd ghost-like moving Enemy Destroyers came from angles and timings that were utterly unavoidable.
Yet every time an attack came, Bu Eunseol turned his body transparent and let it pass through.
Moreover, no matter how stealthily they moved, they were still displacing air as they advanced.
Even with his eyes closed, through the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, he could perfectly predict their movements.
Chiiik! Chiiik!
The Waning Moon, Dawn Star and the purple lightning of the Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder continuously tore through the Enemy Destroyers’ bodies.
But as the Dead Man had said, they neither died nor fell.
Truly immortal and invincible.
Yet for some reason, Bu Eunseol sheathed his sword with a metallic click.
‘I may as well use this chance to practice the subtle applications of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.’
And so he deliberately refrained from counterattacking, repeatedly turning his body transparent or spreading the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to predict the Enemy Destroyers’ assaults.
After about half a quarter-hour, the evasion maneuvers using the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi had become quite familiar.
[That bastard…?]
Watching from the darkness, the Dead Man let out an incredulous laugh.
Anyone surrounded by Enemy Destroyers would inevitably meet a miserable end.
They let any attack pass through with Crystal Binding Phosphorus and drained the enemy’s life force with the slightest touch of their chains.
Yet this man was leisurely practicing martial arts against the very synonym of terror—the Enemy Destroyers?
“Let’s end this now.”
Kwarung.
Once he had grown accustomed to handling the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, Bu Eunseol raised his internal energy and lightly executed a fist technique.
Kwarung.
A vibration that shook the earth and an explosive sound rang out as a massive storm surged toward the Enemy Destroyers.
Seven Fist Demon Forms, Fifth Technique, Infinite Beginning, Infinite End—endlessly wrapping overwhelming fist power around the enemy—was unleashed.
Ziiing. Ziiing.
Razor-sharp whirlwinds capable of slicing metal poured forth, forcing the Enemy Destroyers to instantly turn transparent and let the fist power pass through.
Kwaaaaa!
But the terrifying aspect of the Infinite Beginning Infinite End Form was that, depending on the caster’s level of internal energy, the duration the razor-sharp fist power could be maintained in the air was virtually limitless.
Ziiing. Ziiing.
As Bu Eunseol’s Infinite Beginning Infinite End Form continuously enveloped their bodies, the Enemy Destroyers had no choice but to keep turning transparent.
But continuously executing such a technique was fundamentally impossible.
Shashashasha!
In the end, the Enemy Destroyers gave up turning transparent, swung their held chains to push back the fist power, and attempted to counterattack.
But in this situation, it was no different from a child from a small martial hall charging at a grandmaster who had mastered the profound mysteries of martial arts.
Enemy Destroyers who could no longer turn transparent and resorted to ordinary attacks were no longer objects of terror or fear—nor could they threaten Bu Eunseol in any way.
Flash!
Amid the movements of the forty-odd Enemy Destroyers, Bu Eunseol seized an opening and unleashed the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form in succession, beginning to sever their necks.
Slice, bang!
Yet even with their necks cut, the Enemy Destroyers paid no heed and simultaneously lashed Bu Eunseol’s body with chains.
[Heh heh heh. I told you, didn’t I? The Enemy Destroyer cannot be killed…]
The Dead Man, murmuring from the darkness, suddenly fell silent.
Not from the attacking Enemy Destroyers, but from his own hidden body in the darkness—dark red blood was flowing.
Drip drip.
As blood flowed, the Dead Man concealing himself in the darkness was forced to reveal his form.
“As expected.”
Seeing the Enemy Destroyers halt the moment he appeared, Bu Eunseol smiled.
“There is no such thing in this world as an existence that cannot die.”
The Dead Man had claimed the Enemy Destroyer could never be killed because it had already died once but an existence that was not even alive could not possibly drain an enemy’s vital energy on its own, use the Crystal Binding Phosphorus sorcery, or move like a ghost.
In other words, there was a separate source giving them power.
Noticing that the Enemy Destroyers had their eyes and mouths sewn shut, Bu Eunseol deduced that the source of that life force was the Dead Man himself.
He had been relentlessly searching for where the Dead Man was hiding and how he was moving.
Because only by killing the one controlling the Enemy Destroyers would this battle end.
[How…?]
“Echoes of the voice.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“The resonance of sound creates minute vibrations in the air.”
He was not merely a user of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi—he was the Wind God himself.
Not only could he read the traces and directions of passing sounds, he could even sense the boundary lines where sound waves collided and met. Once he pinpointed the location, he unleashed the Seven Blood Tear Forms—vertically cleaving the Dead Man’s torso.
“Grrraaah.”
The Dead Man, no longer using the bizarre resonance akin to the Six Harmonies Battle Sound, was now producing sound directly from his mouth.
Due to the effect of the Seven Blood Tear Forms, his so-called life force—death energy—had been drastically reduced.
As a result, he could no longer control the Enemy Destroyers, and pain, agony, and fear rushed over him like a tidal wave, just as they would a normal human.
“You thought controlling the dead made you a true death god, didn’t you?”
As Bu Eunseol’s murmur ended,
Slice.
The Dead Man’s body slowly split in two amid gushing blood.
“This Heaven Lord… so vainly…”
Even as his body split and he died, he poured curses at Bu Eunseol.
“It’s just a matter of the order being slightly different.”
The Dead Man, blood pouring from his mouth, pointed at Bu Eunseol with a trembling finger.
“In the end, you too will soon die…”
“What is the True Demon’s purpose?”
Bu Eunseol cut off the Dead Man’s words and asked.
“Is it the destruction of the martial world? Or the ruin of the world itself?”
He would soon breathe his last.
“What exactly does that monster seek, that he cannot let go of an eternal life?”
“Destruction of the martial world? Shouldn’t you be asking that to the Baekri bastards?”
“What?”
“From the very beginning, it is the Baekri Family who seeks to destroy the martial world.”
Seeing Bu Eunseol’s shocked expression, the Dead Man suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“In the end, you lot know nothing at all. Heh heh heh… Hahahaha!”
Laughing triumphantly,
Splash.
His body finally split completely in half and scattered into black liquid in all directions.
Where the Dead Man had stood remained only limp skin and clumps of dark red blood.
He had likely not been fully alive, but had sustained his life through some mysterious great art, and used its power to control the Enemy Destroyers and eliminate strong foes.
“The Baekri Family is the one trying to destroy the martial world?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Thinking coldly about it, the so-called kin of the True Demon had not actually caused any notable harm to the martial world so far.
Unlike the Three Realms, who slaughtered civilians without reason, or those seeking martial hegemony through large-scale battles and massacres, they had done no such thing.
Then why was the True Demon considered evil?
What exactly did the True Demon’s kin want?
“I don’t know.”
Bu Eunseol clutched his forehead.
No matter how much he thought now, he could find no answer.
The only certainty was that the Baekri Family and the True Demon could not simply be divided into good and evil.
“Divine affinity is a frightening thing.”
Suddenly looking at the Dead Man’s corpse that had turned into black liquid, he took a deep breath.
“To think that just the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi rendered the Dead Man Heaven Lord’s controlled Enemy Destroyers completely useless.”
From the perspective of martial artists, the Dead Man had possessed power close to invincible under heaven. Enemy Destroyers who let any attack pass through, absorbed the enemy’s life force with the slightest touch, and silenced foes, combined with perfect concealment arts that hid all presence…
Yet tragically for him, none of it worked at all against Bu Eunseol, who had obtained the power of the Wind God.
If Bu Eunseol had not acquired the Wind God’s power, the fight would have been considerably difficult.
“Seven Blood Tear Forms.”
Second was the might of the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
“This too was the perfect counter to the Dead Man.”
The absolute dao learning of his grandfather, which he had constantly restrained in order to walk his own path, possessed the power to fell, with a single stroke, a supreme expert wielding the unknown power of death.
If so, it could serve as an effective means against the True Demon’s kin in the future as well.
“Moreover, the fact that the True Demon’s kin are appearing one after another in the martial world means…”
Gazing at what had now become a black liquid-like corpse of the Dead Man, Bu Eunseol let out a sigh.
If the Dead Man’s words were true, the True Demon’s kin were destroying the devices maintaining the Baekri Family’s Absolute Boundaries and the facilities researching cures for Heaven’s Punishment.
Then inevitably… the True Demon himself would appear before long.
“I can no longer say it doesn’t concern me.”
Until now, all Bu Eunseol had wanted was revenge for his grandfather.
In the past, whether the True Demon ruined the martial world or not would have been irrelevant.
But now, in the martial world… there were precious friends and cherished subordinates.
If the being called the True Demon appeared with the intention of destroying all of that, then in the end, he would have no choice but to clash with him.
Kudang.
But at that moment, a thudding sound came from somewhere.
Kurrrng. Kurrrrrrng.
Soon a faint vibration echoed from afar, and the darkness in the grand hall began to slowly dissipate.
At the same time, two doors opened directly in front,
“Bu Eunseol.”
So Okrim and Hae Yeon rushed out simultaneously from there.
They too must have been fighting the Enemy Destroyers sent by the Dead Man—their entire bodies were covered in blood, with marks from being struck or grazed by chains.
“What is this now?”
So Okrim gaped at the black liquid melting beside him.
“It was the Dead Man. One of the Eight Human Heavens—the Dead Heaven Lord.”
“Dead Man?”
“Yes. He was controlling those chain-wielding monsters. Because I killed him, all the monsters stopped moving.”
“I see… No wonder they suddenly collapsed all at once.”
When So Okrim exclaimed, Bu Eunseol continued.
“And according to him, it seems there are no real Baekri Family secret vaults in the martial world.”
“What do you mean, no the Baekri Family secret vaults?”
He explained to So Okrim and Hae Yeon what the Dead Man had said about the Baekri secret vaults.
“…In the end, what are known as the Baekri Family secret vaults are merely devices maintaining the Baekri Family’s Absolute Boundaries scattered across the martial world, as well as research facilities for curing Heaven’s Punishment and studying bloodline power.”
After hearing everything, So Okrim rubbed her forehead as if unable to comprehend.
“Then why did my grandfathers tell us to find the Baekri Family’s secret vaults?”
“He said ‘most.’ So among them, there must be at least one that truly contains the Baekri Family’s power.”
—Most of what you call the Baekri Family secret vaults scattered across the martial world are merely devices to maintain the Absolute Boundaries…
The Dead Man had clearly said “most.”
After sinking into deep thought for a long while, So Okrim furrowed her brows heavily and spoke.
“Then the place we previously found and called a Baekri Family secret vault was actually just one of their research facilities…”
She wore a grotesque expression.
“And the Heavenly Emperor became their test subject and went mad?”
So Okrim had reached the exact same conclusion as Bu Eunseol. There was simply no other way to explain the current situation.
For them, it would be entirely possible to use or experiment on someone like the Heavenly Emperor as a kin or subject.
“I thought the same.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“However, I cannot believe that someone like the Heavenly Emperor went mad because of the Baekri Family.”
All the current circumstances pointed to the Heavenly Emperor having gone wrong because of the Baekri Family.
Yet for some reason, Bu Eunseol’s intuition told him that the Heavenly Emperor was not of the Baekri Family, nor one of the True Demon’s kin.
“The Heavenly Emperor?”
Hae Yeon, who had been listening quietly, blinked.
With no choice, Bu Eunseol explained that the monster they had encountered before was the Heavenly Emperor, and that he was not in his right mind.
“What an unbelievable story.”
Hae Yeon let out deep sighs repeatedly as she listened to the two.
In the martial world, the Three Families were nothing more than a legend passed down by word of mouth.
Yet they truly existed.
And among the Three Families, the Baekri Family had been in constant conflict with the True Demon—an existence that had lived for eons.
In other words, they were no mere legend; they were a family still existing in the martial world today.
“I must ascend to the Wind God Pavilion quickly and examine the knowledge left by our palace.”
And through this incident, she had realized:
The most essential virtue for the leader of a faction was the eye to grasp the state of the martial world and access to information.
She could delay her enthronement no longer.
“From now on, even if you find a Baekri Family secret vault, never enter alone.”
Bu Eunseol cautioned So Okrim.
“The True Demon’s kin or abyssal forces will always be watching for an opportunity.”
Then he added, “If a vault is discovered, contact me through the Death Spirit Corps’ information network.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol said, “Then I will go with you.”
“Thank you.”
So Okrim smiled brightly.
“But it’s unexpected. I thought you wouldn’t enter any more Baekri secret vaults.”
“You’re right. Honestly… I didn’t want to.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“Because my roots no longer matter.”
“Then why?”
“I’m already involved in this fight.”
Bu Eunseol had become a figure who moved the currents of the martial world, and in the martial world there were friends and subordinates he cherished. He could no longer escape the lake of enmity and gratitude that was the martial world… he could only follow its flowing waves.
“Yeah, I understand.”
So Okrim grinned.
“I won’t say thank you.”
At that moment, Hae Yeon also spoke to So Okrim.
“If you ever need help, contact this palace lord anytime.”
Although Wind God Palace did not engage in martial world activities, all its disciples could use the Wind God Energy. Receiving help from Wind God Palace was equivalent to gaining an outstanding intelligence network and combat unit.
“Mm. Thanks.”
So Okrim flashed her white teeth in a wide smile.
“Unni.”
Just earlier, she had been trapped in the mechanism together with Hae Yeon and overcome danger side by side.
She had truly acknowledged that Hae Yeon was qualified to be her older sister.
“Yes.”
Hae Yeon tightly grasped So Okrim’s hand.
She had risked her life entering the Wind God Passage in pursuit of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, only for a hundred years to slip away in vain.
But after awakening again, this was the first connection she had made with her own power and she was truly very happy.
“After I train my martial arts a bit more,” So Okrim also gripped Hae Yeon’s hand tightly. “I’ll come visit Unni’s place.”
After exchanging glances with Bu Eunseol as well,
Kwaaang!
So Okrim vanished into the distant sky in a single leap.
Through this incident, she had once again realized she was falling behind Bu Eunseol.
Unless she reached that same level of martial prowess, unless she could stand shoulder to shoulder with him… she could not survive in the present martial world.
She was probably going off to train again.
“When you said your roots no longer matter earlier… you meant you might be of the Baekri Family blood?”
Hae Yeon had already noticed but had refrained from asking until now.
“Yes. That’s why I was searching for the vaults. But it doesn’t mean much.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“What I must do is avenge my grandfather.”
Taking the opportunity, he told her all his circumstances. After all, she too had now stepped into this affair.
“I see.”
Hae Yeon let out a deep sigh.
She had thought him merely a young grandmaster encompassing the world, yet to learn of the unspeakable tragedy behind him filled her with sorrow.
“Then I too shall take my leave.”
Bu Eunseol clasped his hands and bowed to Hae Yeon.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Hae Yeon drew a single flying dagger from her bosom.
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
“It seems to be an item passed down through our palace from generation to generation.”
She smiled and said, “I found it when we were trapped in that mechanism earlier.”
Bu Eunseol examined the flying dagger.
It was extremely sharp, and at the end of the hilt was embedded a mysterious gem—clearly a treasure of great value.
“I cannot accept this.”
“You can.”
Hae Yeon drew another flying dagger from her bosom.
“They’re a pair. Since you are officially the great duke of our palace, we should share them, shouldn’t we?”
In any case, Bu Eunseol was officially the great duke of Wind God Palace.
After a moment’s hesitation, Bu Eunseol finally accepted the flying dagger.
“Thank you.”
“But.”
Hae Yeon’s face flushed.
“Since I gave you something, shouldn’t you give me something in return?”
Bu Eunseol searched his bosom, but all he had were the Martial Soul Command Lord plaque and some silver scraps.
Because he constantly used disguise or concealed his identity, he deliberately carried nothing that could identify him.
“It doesn’t have to be an object.”
Hae Yeon pointed toward the distant exit of the holy site and said, “I want to walk side by side with you to that place. Can you do that?”
Though he didn’t understand her intention, it was not a difficult request.
“Very well.”
Bu Eunseol slowly walked out of the holy site together with her.
The sunlight was bright, and the strange flowers and grasses sparkled.
The small path was dyed with white blossoms, looking like a white road.
Hae Yeon naturally linked arms with Bu Eunseol.
“Palace Lord.”
“Just until there.”
Hae Yeon, refusing to let go of his arm, said, “It’s only about a hundred paces.”
Her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks were flushed red.
“How could I refuse?”
Her voice was low and calm, yet somewhere within it carried urgency and tenderness.
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to nod.
With permission granted, she walked arm in arm with him.
Though it was only about a hundred paces, strangely it felt endlessly long.
A gentle breeze passed between the trees standing like folding screens, lightly shaking the leaves.
The rustling fallen leaves beneath their feet became a beautiful melody, and above, sunlight scattered like golden dust.
With every step, a golden feast seemed to bless them, enveloping their surroundings.
Sleek.
Finally reaching the exit, Hae Yeon released his arm.
Then, looking at Bu Eunseol beneath the brilliant sunlight, she smiled, revealing white teeth.
“Today will be a memory I can never forget for the rest of my life.”
Knowing she would not see Bu Eunseol for a long time, she had created the greatest memory possible to cherish forever.
“Then.”
Leaving behind a radiant smile, she unfolded her beautiful movement technique and vanished into the distant sky in an instant.
Her graceful figure disappearing like the wind lingered long in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
