"The Way of Nature?"
Bu Eunseol let out an exclamation mixed with surprise and bewilderment.
'Has Sect Leader Weiji also grasped a clue to the Natural Sword?'
In the past, during the duel with the Demon Emperor, the Sword Venerable had completed the concept of the Natural Sword—which had previously existed only as an unfinished theory—in his own unique way. With that perfected sword, he had driven the Demon Emperor to the brink of death.
To execute the Natural Sword, one’s mind and spirit had to be in a state of absolute, flawless perfection.
The Sword Venerable, however, possessed a persistent desire for victory and an intense competitive spirit to surpass the Demon Emperor, which created a fatal opening. The Demon Emperor did not miss that gap, piercing through to end the Sword Venerable's life.
Ak Muryeong and Bu Eunseol, who had witnessed that duel, gained a hint of the Way of Nature. Based on that realization, Ak Muryeong created the Art of Dismantling, which pierces and deconstructs all things, while Bu Eunseol created the Martial Mist and Waves Form, which returns all things to their natural providence.
This was possible because both men were warriors who looked past the distinction between Justice and Evil to explore the essence of martial arts.
But to think Weiji Mu-a held the aura of the Way of Nature?
'Has Sect Leader Weiji abandoned the Demonic Sword?'
From the perspective of Demonic martial arts, the Natural Sword is a technique of the Righteous sects that is typically forbidden. Because Bu Eunseol and Ak Muryeong acquired martial arts without discriminating between Righteous and Demonic, they could exert the pure Way of Nature.
Weiji Mu-a was different.
Even if he had learned the Natural Sword from the Sword Venerable’s teachings, the moment the Great Ancestor of the Demonic Path performed it, it should have transformed into a sword of the Demonic Path.
Yet, the momentum he was currently displaying was the exertion of an extremely pure natural energy, just like Bu Eunseol’s.
Creeeak—
The ground, unable to withstand the pressure of the pouring natural energy, screamed as web-like cracks spread out centered around the spot where Bu Eunseol stood. However, acting as if it were nothing, he deployed his protective qi to block the rushing energy and asked nonchalantly:
"Will you not draw your sword?"
Whoosh.
Weiji Mu-a withdrew his momentum.
"I abandoned the sword long ago," he said calmly, looking down at his hands. "At some point, I realized that just because I am performing a sword technique, it doesn't mean I need to hold a sword."
For a moment, Bu Eunseol felt a chilling sensation. Those words revealed that Weiji Mu-a had gone beyond the Unification of Sword and Body, reaching the Realm of the Sword Supreme, where one rules over the sword itself.
'Furthermore...'
A deep sorrow dwelled in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Originally, there was a question he wanted to ask Weiji Mu-a above all else.
Jingak, Cheon Un-gwang, Dan Cheon-yang. They were all men who had awakened the ultimate meanings of the Hwa Wu Sword in their own ways—swordsmen with the souls of true warriors.
Knowing that fact better than anyone, why had he driven them to their deaths?
He was desperately curious.
But the moment he faced Weiji Mu-a’s momentum and gaze, Bu Eunseol realized he didn't need an answer. They were all people of upright character who refused to compromise with injustice. In the already corrupted Hwa Wu Sword Sect, there was no longer a place for them to breathe and live.
'They accepted it.'
If they had been base cowards who knelt to power because they craved life and feared death, they would never have been able to grasp the profound principles of such magnificent swordsmanship in the first place.
"I am well aware that I am no match for the Sect Leader."
Suppressing his grief, Bu Eunseol offered a respectful bow and drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword. "I shall seek punishment for my rudeness."
Shing.
As the black blade revealed itself, Weiji Mu-a’s eyes shifted slightly. Bu Eunseol’s years of training could not compare to his own, and his level was lower. Yet, he could clearly feel a swordsman’s spirit capable of cutting through his own natural energy.
"A smart man like you wouldn't mistake recklessness for courage."
Despite Weiji Mu-a’s high praise, Bu Eunseol showed no reaction. No, from the moment he drew his sword, he had to hold his breath.
Profound Demon, Weiji Mu-a.
Facing the peerless swordsman said to use the most subtle and profound swordsmanship in the world, the suffocating pressure felt as if it would crush both his body and spirit.
Weiji Mu-a possessed a broad mind and great wisdom even among the Three Demons. Since reaching the Limitless Realm, he had lived like a wanderer, never revealing his true strength. Thus, his current true face was unknown to the martial world.
Standing before a battle-ready Weiji Mu-a, Bu Eunseol finally realized the true meaning of the name "Profound Demon." It was because he was deep, subtle, immeasurable, and impossible to predict.
"Do your best. So that no regrets remain."
Weiji Mu-a looked as if he simply had his hands behind his back, but in reality, he had already deployed a sword technique. It was a Mind Sword that would instantly and inescapably strike down any flaw in spirit or posture.
Zing.
Knowing the Mind Sword had been launched, Bu Eunseol shifted his posture once. He mimicked the logic of the perfect "Nothingness" once used by the Inbiin Lord, attempting to defend his mental state.
However, such trickery was insufficient to defend against Weiji Mu-a’s Mind Sword. Due to the massive pressure that grew by the second, Bu Eunseol felt as if he were losing his consciousness.
"Do you plan to stand there like a stone statue for the rest of your life?"
Weiji Mu-a’s voice became a strange magic, shaking Bu Eunseol’s spirit. He could sense it intuitively: though it could not be seen or detected, the Mind Sword Weiji Mu-a had fired was a split second away from piercing his heart.
'This is it.'
Pushing through the extreme pressure, a sharp light exploded from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Vroom!
With a mournful howl that seemed to tear the eardrums, a pitch-black radiance soared from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
He had unleashed the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
Weiji Mu-a’s eyes narrowed.
To an expert of the sword like himself, performing such a desperate, defensive high-level technique was no different from closing one's eyes and swinging blindly. Did he think that a technique bringing death to all things could at least provide a defense against whatever attribute the Mind Sword held?
At that moment, a spine-chilling sound of cutting echoed.
Slash!
A red line was drawn across Bu Eunseol’s neck.
Splotch—
Blood began to pour out like a waterfall. In his attempt to use the Seven Blood Tear Forms, more than half of his neck had been severed by Weiji Mu-a’s single strike.
It was a truly hollow death. A young grandmaster who had been invincible among his generation and walked his own path to reach realms no one else could, had ultimately failed to overcome the great wall of Weiji Mu-a and met his end by a single sword.
A pool of dark red blood formed where his head fell.
Shuaaaa.
Suddenly, the surroundings scattered like mist clearing, revealing the pavilion by the small pond once again. Bu Eunseol was sitting in the pavilion.
"The Sect Leader also deployed a Mind World."
In his hand, he still held the wine glass Weiji Mu-a had given him. From the moment he received the glass, he had been trapped in an illusion created by Weiji Mu-a.
"It was quite an interesting experience."
Bu Eunseol set the glass down and shook his head. "To me, a Mind World is nothing more than a tedious trick."
Because a Mind World exerts an influence no different from reality, an attack there causes actual disaster to the body and spirit, leading to death. However, Bu Eunseol had realized this space was a Mind World.
He intentionally deployed the Seven Blood Tear Forms with an opening to suffer a vivid death identical to reality.
Since he himself possessed the ability to reconstruct a Mind World, he used that "death" to instantly shatter the mysterious function of the world Weiji Mu-a had deployed.
"As expected of Bu Zhanyang’s grandson, to use death in this situation."
Weiji Mu-a let out an exclamation of disbelief. "Furthermore, you didn't just escape the phase; you used the phase another had deployed..."
Once you step into a Mind World, it is like a prison you can never leave without the master’s permission. Even if you recognize everything is a lie, escape is impossible. Yet, within Weiji Mu-a’s world, Bu Eunseol had defied that absolute law.
Though his head had been cut off, there wasn't a single wound on his body or soul; he had casually reattached it. In other words, he had dominated the Demon’s mental world with his own thoughts, turning it into his own domain.
"You’ve faced many phases before; the sturdiness of your spirit is like a diamond’s," Weiji Mu-a remarked with admiration. "But to reconstruct another’s Mind World... that is only possible for those who have reached at least the fifth level of Phase Essence or members of the Baekri family."
Bu Eunseol’s expression darkened. It wasn't because of the mention of the Baekri family, but because Weiji Mu-a used the term "Phase Essence.”
"Is there a technique involving Mind Worlds in the Hwa Wu Sword arts?"
Bu Eunseol’s voice was full of disappointment. Terms like "Phase" and "Phase Essence" were all words used by the kin of the True Demon.
"You are a disciple of Nangyang Pavilion, yet you are caught in prejudice. The roots of the Phase are martial arts, and its development has always come alongside martial arts," Weiji Mu-a said calmly. "Just as many streams of water eventually gather into one great sea, it cannot defy the logic of All Laws Returning to One."
He added, "Do you not also possess a more complex martial lineage than anyone else?"
Though he spoke in a roundabout way, it was no different from admitting that Weiji Mu-a himself had not practiced pure Hwa Wu swordsmanship.
"Both the Sect Leader and I use the sword and have learned sword techniques," Bu Eunseol said calmly, looking down at his Silent Tiger Soul Sword. "How about we settle this with only the sword, without any other tricks?"
Weiji Mu-a’s eyes widened as if he had discovered something new. It was a provocative proposal that made him doubt his own ears.
With the Sword Venerable Heonwon Damcheong gone, Weiji Mu-a was arguably the greatest swordsman of the current era.
In terms of pure sword skill, even the Demon Emperor would have to yield.
To challenge him to a duel of pure swordsmanship?
"Are you intentionally choosing a disadvantage?" Weiji Mu-a clicked his tongue. "Even if you used all the various powers within your body, you would find it difficult to save your life under my sword."
He could see at a glance that Bu Eunseol had mastered various martial arts and that complex forces were mixed within him. To defeat a formidable enemy like Weiji Mu-a, using all of them would still be insufficient.
"The reason I asked for a duel of only the sword..." Bu Eunseol held the Silent Tiger Soul Sword horizontally below his ear and continued. "...is because only by fighting with the sword can I achieve victory against the Sect Leader."
Weiji Mu-a wore a dazed expression. To him, who prided himself as the best in the world with a sword, the boy claimed he could only win by using a sword?
"This is the first time." Weiji Mu-a, having instantly withdrawn the Mind World, spoke with a look of pure joy. "Since I gained the title of Profound Demon, you are the first person to propose we compete only with the sword."
He reached his right hand out. Next to the pavilion, a single straight branch of a noble plum tree snapped with a crack, as if moved by its own will. It was instantly carved and refined in mid-air by an invisible blade of qi, taking the elegant shape of a sword in the blink of an eye.
With a sound of slicing the wind, the tree branch, now a perfect wooden sword, was gripped in his hand as if it had found its master. It looked like a wooden sword that might crumble at any moment, but the instant he gripped it, the lethargy of the worldly wanderer vanished. In its place, the majesty of a Great Ancestor who could view the world through a single sword radiated outward.
As Weiji Mu-a took a stance, the quiet pond trembled.
Roar!
The water suddenly transformed into the shape of a massive dragon and soared into the sky. The water pillar, imbued with sharp energy, became a dragon hiding blades within its scales, rushing toward Bu Eunseol’s heart.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol pointed the hand holding the sword downward. Then, the fierce dragon that seemed ready to swallow him transformed into the shape of a loyal wolf, lowering itself and retreating to its master’s feet.
The domineering sword of the Hwa Wu and the subtle sword of the Nangyang Pavilion clashed, mediated by the power of nature.
"Take the first move," Weiji Mu-a said with a satisfied smile. "I want to see your swordsmanship in detail."
Bu Eunseol did not decline and immediately unleashed his technique. It was the Cloudy Layers of Mist, the most delicate and flawless of the Supreme Heavenly Flow styles, capable of controlling energy in the air.
Whoosh—
Three streaks of energy poured out by Bu Eunseol instantly closed in on Weiji Mu-a’s head and lower body.
"There is no need for such courtesy."
This move was a gesture of respect toward Weiji Mu-a, while simultaneously a defensive measure against his mysterious martial arts.
Flash!
As the Profound Demon thrust the wooden stick forward, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened. An unprecedented force that felt impossible to block was piercing toward the space between his brows.
Bu Eunseol rapidly spun the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, pouring out sharp sword qi all at once. Weiji Mu-a’s strike held enough power to crumble a mountain; if he didn't meet it with equal force, it could never be neutralized.
Boom!
In the air, air currents and energy collided incessantly, like massive waves crashing against each other.
Sizzle.
Even though Bu Eunseol had used the Heon Won Bright Sword to pour out over a hundred and eighty streaks of sword qi, he could not neutralize Weiji Mu-a’s single strike and was pushed back three yards. Simultaneously, a sharp streak of energy pierced toward his neck.
Just as his body was about to be pierced...
Shimmer.
His entire body suddenly turned transparent. He was using the logic of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to let the sword qi pass through him.
'No, I can't.'
The martial arts of the Wind God Palace were not sword techniques. Bu Eunseol ultimately pulled his power to its maximum and used the logic of Half Above, Half Below, Shifting Heaven’s Force.
At that moment, Weiji Mu-a’s sword Qi—which had been like a spring breeze with no tangible form—revealed its true essence. It was a massive energy capable of devastating hundreds of yards.
KABOOM!
The sword qi finally shot toward the distant sky with a vibration that seemed to reshape heaven and earth.
"Half Above, Half Below, Shifting Heaven’s Force, is it?"
Weiji Mu-a, having momentarily withdrawn the branch, asked with a grin. "It seems you’ve fought the Sword Venerable as well."
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. "I merely received a lesson or two."
"The Sword Venerable was excessive."
Weiji Mu-a swung the branch again, thrusting diagonally toward Bu Eunseol’s flank. "Be careful."
No sooner were the words spoken than blood erupted from Bu Eunseol’s side.
'This is different from before.'
If the previous move was a destructive force disguised as an infinitely light sword technique, this was a sword technique that—despite being a simple move—had no way to be blocked.
Slash! Slash!
Every time the sword moved, blood splattered from Bu Eunseol’s body. It was as if the result of "being cut” was created first, and the cause followed.
'I must clash with it.'
Bu Eunseol pulled his internal energy to the limit and deployed the Suction Formula. As the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and the wooden branch collided, a strange metallic sound echoed and a massive shockwave spread in all directions.
A sweet taste of blood rose in Bu Eunseol’s throat.
What Weiji Mu-a held was just a withered tree branch found anywhere. But in terms of martial arts, it was as if he had condensed the profound logic of the world’s swordsmanship—which could be neither dismantled nor neutralized—into the form of a stick.
In that interval, Weiji Mu-a’s wooden stick shifted again in the air. Like a brush soaked in ink drawing the spine of a dragon, a powerful yet flexible energy unfolded in the air, and the silver-white afterimages remained fixed without vanishing.
Performing several sword strikes in rapid succession, Weiji Mu-a thrust toward Bu Eunseol’s face, chest, and lower abdomen simultaneously.
As if mocking Bu Eunseol, he mimicked the Cloudy Layers of Mist Bu Eunseol had used earlier, transforming it into a technique several times more profound and powerful.
Flash!
This time, blood erupted from his shoulder. Flesh wounds didn't matter. But every time the sword qi touched him, a strange force pierced his meridians, gradually causing internal injuries.
"Even now, you should take back your claim of fighting only with the sword," Weiji Mu-a said calmly, momentarily withdrawing the branch. "Your specialty should be the true qi martial arts and various techniques based on your immense internal energy."
Bu Eunseol had mastered various martial arts and held complex forces within his body. To defeat a formidable enemy like Weiji Mu-a, even using all of them would be insufficient.
"The reason I told the Sect Leader I would fight only with the sword..." Bu Eunseol, having lowered the Silent Tiger Soul Sword horizontally below his ear, continued. "...is because only by fighting with the sword can I achieve victory against you."
Weiji Mu-a momentarily wore a dazed expression when he heard that.
He, who prided himself as the best in the world with a sword, could only be defeated by the sword?
Comments