As Bu Eunseol’s expression hardened and his complexion changed like being bitten by a snake, the Wood Buddha shook his head.
“It seems I caused you to misunderstand.”
Then he spoke directly.
“If I could speak indirectly, I would have answered anything.”
In short, because heavenly punishment was absolute, he could not give even the slightest clue—whether indirect or direct.
The words he had spoken earlier were clearly not referring to the culprit.
‘So that’s how it is.’
If he could have revealed anything even indirectly, a supreme monk who reads the heavenly secrets would not have been suffering from such a terrible heavenly punishment. In the end, any talk about his grandfather and the culprit was something he should never even think of hearing.
“The words you spoke, Great Monk…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled as he realized something.
“You were teaching me that unless I thoroughly investigate the circumstances myself, I cannot achieve proper revenge.”
A thread-like smile appeared on the Wood Buddha’s stiff lips.
“Words are just words. How they are interpreted depends on the listener’s heart.”
He continued.
“A good teacher and an excellent scripture can point out the direction. But the path of enlightenment must be found by oneself.”
Those words carried profound mystery.
“Thank you for the lesson.”
When Bu Eunseol bowed in respect, the Wood Buddha’s expression became infinitely compassionate.
“To one who stands firm against the waves of fate, heaven pours endless rain of trials…”
Then he continued in a gentle voice.
“Benefactor, you will surely reach the end.”
The Wood Buddha nodded.
“Because you grew up under the strongest and wisest person in the world and possess an indomitable will that turns even trials into stepping stones for advancement.”
—You will surely reach the end.
The Wood Buddha’s words eased the heavy burden that had weighed on Bu Eunseol’s heart for so long.
He had always felt anxious.
He was constantly doing his best, but he wondered if this was the right path, if he was moving forward properly, and if he could reach the end…
But the Wood Buddha had stated it clearly.
That he was doing well.
That even if slowly, he was definitely moving forward.
“Do you perhaps know my grandfather?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, the Wood Buddha replied calmly.
“Where in the world is there anyone who does not know the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang?”
It was not a clear answer, but it seemed to reveal that he had some familiarity with his grandfather.
“Is even my grandfather’s past story part of the heavenly secrets?”
Bu Eunseol showed a bitter smile.
“Even if I ask, you won’t tell me, will you?”
Then he lowered his head.
“In truth, I still don’t really know what my real grandfather looked like.”
“He too was just an ordinary martial world person.”
The Wood Buddha spoke in a low voice.
“Living with his life on the edge of the blade, caught up in countless grudges and favors… an extremely common one.”
“An ordinary martial world person.”
Bu Eunseol muttered quietly.
He had never once thought of his grandfather that way.
His grandfather was the supreme master of absolute martial arts who had reached peerless invincibility and left behind immortal achievements, as well as the great killer of the martial world.
Yet the prophet who saw through everything called such a grandfather nothing more than an ordinary martial world person.
‘He is right.’
What meaning do titles like great killer or peerless under heaven truly have?
His grandfather was simply his grandfather.
Moreover, even his grandfather had regretted his past days and was nothing more than a mere martial warrior unable to escape the yoke of grudges and favors.
All Bu Eunseol needed to remember was that fact.
“Thank you.”
Having gained enlightenment, Bu Eunseol bowed with utmost respect.
“Thanks to the teaching you have given me, Great Monk, I have been able to let go of several worries that I could not wash away until now.”
“No need for such words. I only regret that this humble monk cannot tell you many things.”
Noticing the deep concern on the Wood Buddha’s face, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“The Martial Venerable was able to send me here because he knew you would not answer my questions…”
The Wood Buddha did not deny it.
“The Martial Venerable is a man of great ambition and deep schemes. Moreover… he knows not only the Demon Emperor but also your grandfather well.”
Plop.
At that moment, a piece of flesh from the Wood Buddha’s ear melted like taffy and fell off.
Surprisingly, even the statement that his grandfather and the Martial Venerable knew each other well was a leakage of heavenly secrets.
As a result, punishment had been inflicted immediately.
‘A person upon whom punishment descends instantly.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
According to Han Sangja’s words, a person upon whom heavenly punishment descends instantly is someone who has truly communed with the will of heaven.
“Great Monk, please say no more.”
Bu Eunseol made a pained expression.
“I no longer have anything I am curious about or wish to know.”
For a moment, the Wood Buddha showed a dry yet infinitely warm smile.
Even though there were things he wanted to know more than his own life, and even though he had such a longed-for goal, Bu Eunseol had told him not to speak any further out of concern for his body.
Bu Eunseol was the second person to do so.
And the first person had been…
None other than the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang.
“With such a kind heart, heaven will not be indifferent to you.”
The Wood Buddha looked at Bu Eunseol with compassionate eyes.
His appearance was like that of the merciful Buddha guiding sentient beings trapped in suffering.
“Great Monk…”
Ziiing.
But then a strange sensation brushed past the Wood Buddha’s ear.
He paused for a moment, then quickly pointed to a tree three zhang ahead.
“After unfolding Earth Concealment Art beneath that tree, execute the Qi Concealment Great Method.”
“Not Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, but the Qi Concealment Great Method?”
The Wood Buddha’s eyes were solemn.
“There is no time.”
No approaching presence could be felt but Bu Eunseol did as instructed, unfolding Earth Concealment Art beneath the tree and then executing the Qi Concealment Great Method.
The Wood Buddha was already perfectly assimilated with nature from the beginning, so merely leaning against a rock allowed him to achieve perfect concealment.
Pururut.
At that moment, numerous presences passed by the location of Bu Eunseol and the Wood Buddha.
Their auras were all extraordinary, and there were many of them.
A while later, another shadow stopped near where Bu Eunseol was.
Bu Eunseol, executing Earth Concealment Art from underground, held his breath.
‘Commander Baekri.’
Bu Eunseol instinctively realized that the person standing above ground was Baekri Mujo, the one he had fought earlier.
What was surprising was that his aura now, while secretly searching for something, was even more terrifying than when he had fought Bu Eunseol.
‘So that wasn’t his full strength earlier?’
Bu Eunseol once again recalled that he served as another supreme being of the Three Realms. Perhaps his tremendous martial prowess was possible because he had thrown himself into the Three Realms or had originally been a central figure there.
“…….”
Baekri Mujo scanned the area where Bu Eunseol and the Wood Buddha had been for a long time.
‘So that’s why.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand why the Wood Buddha had told him to use the Qi Concealment Great Method instead of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
‘Baekri Mujo had sensed to some extent the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi flowing from my body during our fight.’
Just as Bu Eunseol expected, during the battle, Baekri Mujo had sensed the faint power of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body.
And as he passed through this area, he felt a very similar energy.
That was why he was thoroughly searching the surroundings.
After wandering around for a long time, he ultimately found nothing.
“Hmm.”
Letting out a short groan, Baekri Mujo unfolded his movement technique and vanished into the distant sky in an instant.
Once Baekri Mujo left, the Wood Buddha said calmly.
“You may come out now.”
As Bu Eunseol emerged from the Earth Concealment Art, cold sweat ran down his forehead.
If he had continued using the mysteries of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to perform concealment without the Wood Buddha’s advice?
He would have been immediately discovered by Baekri Mujo.
“How did you know he could sense Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?”
“Although Wind-Cloud Divine Qi is all-powerful, if you repeatedly expose it, even outstanding experts like him will become instinctively familiar with it.”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“If not only him but everyone else gains such a sense, escaping this place will truly not be easy.”
“We will have to try.”
The Wood Buddha said.
“You are strong in martial arts, and I am quite good at observing my surroundings, so somehow it should be possible.”
“Won’t that also bring heavenly punishment?”
“It is only to save this humble monk’s life, so heaven will understand.”
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment before speaking.
“But if we leave this place, we will once again be unable to escape the Martial Venerable’s grasp.”
“It cannot be helped. Better than falling into their hands. Besides, he will not… for the time being…”
Muttering quietly, the Wood Buddha shook his head and changed the subject.
“Let us go now. Can you carry me and move about ten li to the northeast?”
“Of course.”
Bu Eunseol carried the Wood Buddha on his back and unfolded his movement technique with extreme stealth.
After moving about ten li, a large rock came into view.
“I will sit here, so you too should hide your form using Wind-Cloud Divine Qi and stay here. However, you must never open your eyes and must protect your Indang acupoint* with the Crystal Divine Energy.”
*Indang acupoint is at the spot between your eyebrows on your forehead
It was an incomprehensible statement.
But Bu Eunseol obeyed without question.
He sat neatly on the large rock, closed his eyes, and circulated Wind-Cloud Divine Qi with full power.
Shururu.
His form became completely transparent and assimilated with the rock.
He also formed the Crystal Divine Energy into a round shape around his Indang acupoint.
After about half a gak had passed,
Kwarung! Kwaaaang!
Suddenly, a sound as if the sky was tearing apart rang out, and a group of over a dozen martial artists descended from the sky.
Flash!
At the same time, an unbroken transparent movement could be felt.
Extremely powerful experts were fighting in groups.
An intense storm invisible to the eye continued to rage, and every collision sent shockwaves that shook the entire island like waves.
‘I must create energy naturally.’
With his eyes closed, Bu Eunseol continuously circulated Wind-Cloud Divine Qi within his body.
Kwarung!
Even amid this, vibrations like endless lightning strikes spread.
The sound of invisible blades and spears clashing and shattering rang out.
The entire massive island shook and collapsed like a thin sheet of paper fluttering in the wind.
Although his eyes were closed, Bu Eunseol could clearly feel their fight.
‘Six against two.’
The six were probably the yellow-robed men he had seen for the first time on the island.
He did not know who the two were, but judging from how they instantly coordinated, they did not seem to be from the same sect or faction.
Kuurung!
As time passed, the fight grew increasingly fierce.
The ground shook, the sky contracted, and it felt as if the world was collapsing.
Flash!
Finally, as if delivering the final blow, powerful forces erupted from both sides.
At that moment, a flash of light exploded and swallowed the world.
Kuurur.
The sky twisted, the earth crumbled, and from the center of the collision, shockwaves accompanied by storms blew in all directions.
He did not know how the match had ended.
The surroundings had simply been flattened and were melting away.
Shuuuk.
Once the battle ended, the transparent shadows vanished in an instant.
Yet the only place that had not collapsed was the single large rock where Bu Eunseol and the Wood Buddha were hiding.
Plop.
As the spreading storm disappeared, a single sharp piece of metal, floating in the air and glowing red-hot, fell to the ground.
At the same time, Bu Eunseol’s form, which had been hidden with Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, slowly revealed itself.
The metal floating in the air was a fragment that had been stopped by the Crystal Divine Energy Bu Eunseol had created.
‘Indeed, that’s how it is.’
The red-hot metal was probably a fragment of a weapon that had shattered and bounced away due to the aftermath of the collision during the fight.
If he had tried to dodge such a metal fragment flying toward his Indang acupoint at tremendous speed?
That movement might have revealed his presence to them.
But because he had only spread undetectable Crystal Divine Energy, he had remained undiscovered.
“Let us go now.”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol carried the Wood Buddha on his back again and moved in the direction he indicated.
Afterward, tremendous experts continued to appear, but thanks to the Wood Buddha’s foresight, they were able to avoid them easily.
‘At this level, he might have been able to avoid them alone.’
The Wood Buddha was predicting almost every situation.
He could assimilate with nature even more perfectly than Bu Eunseol, who possessed Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
Then why, knowing that powerful experts were coming to track him, had he stayed hidden here without trying to escape?
“Although the world is wide, there are not many places this humble monk can go.”
At that moment, the Wood Buddha spoke as if he had seen through Bu Eunseol’s heart.
“Each of them possesses tremendous power in the martial world. Since my body is not agile, I might evade them once or twice, but I cannot evade their pursuit for a lifetime.”
“I see.”
It was said that the Martial Venerable was not only strong in martial arts but had also absorbed all the existing forces created by the Heavenly Emperor. If it was him, he would probably be able to provide a safe place that no faction could find no matter how hard they tried.
“We are almost there now.”
The Wood Buddha pointed to a faint sphere visible in the distance.
“If we pass through there…”
The Wood Buddha paused for a moment, then shook his head.
“No, we must stop for a while.”
“We will arrive soon.”
“No, that won’t do.”
When the Wood Buddha spoke firmly,
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to stop his movement technique and descend into a wide forest.
The Wood Buddha scanned the surroundings and spoke in a low voice.
“You can unfold the Life-and-Death Battle Array of the Nangyang Pavilion, correct?”
“Of course.”
Sensing the situation, Bu Eunseol quickly completed the Life-and-Death Battle Array.
Then the Wood Buddha spoke in a low voice.
“Place the Zhen trigram in the east and leave the Life Gate open. On the west side opposite the Life Gate, place Metal; in the north, Kan; in the south, Li…”
The Wood Buddha was modifying the Life-and-Death Battle Array in a unique way.
If someone entered the array once and then left?
After that, the position of the Life Gate would change… and it would transform into a unique formation that only the creator of the array could comprehend.
In simple terms, aside from the first intruder who entered, additional intruders could enter the array, but without Bu Eunseol’s permission, they would be unable to exit.
“…Reflect the changes to maintain the balance of yin and yang, and make the Wood energy naturally serve the role of the Life Gate. Then…”
The Wood Buddha’s explanation was esoteric and complex.
However, Bu Eunseol, who had become thoroughly familiar with arrays through Gongsun Dankyung, quickly modified the array exactly as instructed.
“You have worked hard.”
After examining the array, the Wood Buddha nodded.
Then he slowly walked to an open space with a large rock, lowered his body, and stroked the ground for a long time.
Ziiing.
When he stroked the ground with his wooden-log-like hand, light emanated from that spot and the surrounding stones transformed into jewel-like objects glowing with five colors.
“I will do it.”
“No, it is done.”
When the Wood Buddha stroked his hand once more, the light rising from the ground disappeared, leaving only a few sparkling stones.
With a grunt, the Wood Buddha stood up again and gazed at the distant sky as he said calmly.
“Now only the final hurdle remains.”
“What is happening?”
“There is a person who has already foreseen this humble monk’s escape route.”
The Wood Buddha spoke calmly.
“He is the most fearsome person among the experts who have come to this island. I set up the array here to shake off his pursuit first.”
“You mean someone can read your mind, Great Monk?”
When the Wood Buddha did not answer, Bu Eunseol felt an ominous premonition.
A person who could predict the movement path of the Wood Buddha, who could read the heavenly secrets?
Just who could possess such an ability?
‘Heavenly Mechanism Star.’
The answer came easily.
A genius with intelligence and insight beyond imagination, capable of analyzing current flows and even predicting the future.
Only he could predict the actions of a prophet like the Wood Buddha.
“Remember two things.”
At that moment, the Wood Buddha spoke seriously.
“First, you must never use your exclusive martial arts or any martial arts that could reveal your identity here.”
“I understand.”
“Second, if this humble monk gives instructions via sound transmission, follow them immediately.”
Before Bu Eunseol could say anything, the Wood Buddha continued.
“Lastly, no matter what, even if this humble monk is in danger here, you must never step forward.”
“What do you-”
“Remember it well.”
Srrrk.
With those final words, the Wood Buddha slowly approached the ancient tree. Then his form perfectly assimilated with the tree.
Bu Eunseol could not understand it, but he earnestly committed the Wood Buddha’s words to memory.
But at that moment,
Ziiing.
Along with a low vibration, a shadow slowly entered the Life-and-Death Battle Array, heading toward the open Life Gate.
The figure wore black clothes and a mask, with dark red energy rising from his entire body.
Although he wore a mask, it only covered up to below the nose, so his general appearance was visible.
He was a young man with a face and atmosphere reminiscent of an eagle.
“Strange.”
The young man looked around and spoke to Bu Eunseol.
“Why are you here instead of the Wood Buddha?”
Bu Eunseol was wearing a face cloth made of heavenly silkworm thread that even excellent eyesight could not see through.
He had also changed both his eyes and physique, and in accordance with the Martial Venerable’s arrangement, he carried a new crystalline jade on his body.
Therefore, the young man did not recognize who Bu Eunseol was at all.
“Interesting.”
Tilting his head, the young man looked at Bu Eunseol and said.
“To think the Wood Buddha would entrust his life to someone like you.”
After looking at the strangely changed Life-and-Death Battle Array, the young man spoke as if he had made a tremendous decision.
“If you tell me where the Wood Buddha is, I will kill you without pain.”
“You are showing tremendous mercy. I am truly honored.”
When Bu Eunseol sneered, the young man’s eyes flashed.
“So kind words won’t work after all.”
Crack.
The young man twisted his neck strangely.
Then his pupils sank coldly like ice, and suddenly a black liquid seemed to rise from his toes all the way to his head.
“Hundred and Eight Stars.”
When the young man displayed an inhuman ability, Bu Eunseol realized he was one of the Hundred and Eight Stars.
Kkududuk.
In the meantime, the liquid surrounding the young man’s body turned into black armor that covered him.
It was very similar to how Bu Eunseol would envelop himself in the Blood Tears Seven Forms in the form of strong energy polarity.
However, rather than making his body look bulky, it turned him into a single sharp black sword.
“Not Hundred and Eight Stars… I am the Heaven-Killer Star.”
Swish!
It was an extremely brief instant.
Something sharp pierced toward Bu Eunseol’s Indang acupoint at the speed of light.
It was a transcendental speed that human senses could never detect.
