Bu Eunseol spoke with a bored expression.
"Does one become talkative as they grow old? Or was your mouth just itching because you finally crawled out of that moldy abyss?"
In an instant, a murderous intent capable of freezing blood surged in Weiji Hun’s eyes.
Chak.
Pouring cold light from his frozen pupils, Weiji Hun silently thrust his sword forward.
He had deployed the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword once again.
Flash.
A brilliant radiance flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes. Was he going to activate Harmony and annihilate himself? Or was he going to unfold the Seven Blood Tear Forms and drag that sword qi into the realm of death?
Swiriririk!
Suddenly, a low vibration spread from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
He began to shake the sword minutely as if handling a soft sword. The tip of the blade undulated like a living snake, drawing waves through the air. The explosion of light that had been surrounding his body began to slowly, but surely, vanish.
As if its very existence were being denied, the brilliant sword qi was disappearing.
"What is this?"
Weiji Hun doubted his own eyes.
If one is struck by the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword, which has reached the limits of the mental point, one cannot hope for a fluke. Because it cuts not only the physical body but the spirit as well, it is impossible to parry or evade the technique.
Yet, how could he have defended against the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword just by shaking his blade rapidly?
"Is it Infinite Reversal Power?"
Frowning, Weiji Hun once again unfolded an even more sophisticated Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword. This time, instead of bursting light or thunderous roars, there was only a subtle vibration that could barely be perceived as the mental point developed.
But it was the same. Every time the Silent Tiger Soul Sword trembled frantically, the momentum of the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword vanished, and Bu Eunseol charged toward him.
Swish!
Before long, Bu Eunseol approached within a distance of ten feet and unleashed his sword technique. Faced with the pressure pouring in at close range, Weiji Hun had no choice but to wield the Hwa Wu Sword to resolve the sword moves and continue his counterattack.
"Did you think you could win by fighting with materialized techniques?"
Weiji Hun’s Hwa Wu Sword had been refined over several generations.
Its subtlety and precision were at the extreme, arguably a step above the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style—the exclusive martial art of the Sword Venerable, which was said to be the pinnacle of precision.
Furthermore, because he could seize space and instantly cut the enemy's flesh, even if the late Sword Venerable Hyeonwon Damcheong were to return to life, he would not be able to block it easily.
Yet, was Bu Eunseol not accurately finding the striking points where spaces collided, inducing the clash of weapons? Was he not sticking to him like a ghost, tenaciously aiming for his throat?
"Ho."
Exclaiming in admiration, Weiji Hun discarded standardized moves and alternately unfolded the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword and the Hwa Wu Sword.
However, the Life-Extinguishing Sword ultimately failed to touch Bu Eunseol’s body, and while the Hwa Wu Sword could inflict wounds, it was insufficient to take his head.
Even when he tried to create distance, Bu Eunseol stuck to him like a phantom, persistently maintaining a gap of barely a foot. Furthermore, was he using some sort of sorcery?
Every time he suffered a wound, light would flicker over his skin, and the injury would heal in an instant.
'The Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword does not work.'
A look of seeing an unknown creature appeared in Weiji Hun’s eyes.
No matter how great one's internal energy, no matter how many diverse powers are mixed within the body, and no matter how fearsome the spiritual barriers are, the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword possesses an attribute that can never be blocked unless one has reached the same level of sword cultivation.
Then why did this fellow hold his ground without falling?
Weiji Hun, his eyes flashing sharply, scanned every corner of Bu Eunseol’s body. It was not a simple gaze, but the Mind's Eye Manifestation Method—an ancient secret technique lost to the martial world that allowed one to peer through everything, including the state of the subject's spirit and body.
"So that was it."
Weiji Hun finally found the reason.
It was because Bu Eunseol was creating minute oscillations by shaking the Silent Tiger Soul Sword like a soft sword.
"You accurately grasped the frequency of the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword?"
A frequency is like a unique characteristic, more diverse than human faces, which can never be fully grasped by anyone other than the person themselves. No matter how outstanding one's martial arts, it is impossible to perfectly reproduce that unique frequency emitted by an enemy.
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
"Not long ago, I fought someone who used a similar technique."
Myeong Myeol, the one who killed the Blood God Heavenly Lord by seizing the moment when the unique ability of 'Dominion' weakened—he had poured out attacks through oscillations that could neither be sensed nor blocked.
Bu Eunseol had suffered great injuries for a time because he couldn't block them. Therefore, realizing that the attack pattern of the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword was very similar to Myeong Myeol’s oscillations, he had created a frequency to neutralize it.
"No, even so, it is impossible."
Weiji Hun shook his head.
One cannot block the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword with some clumsy frequency. It is only possible if one perfectly resonates with the flow of the practitioner's spirit.
Zing.
He once again pushed the Mind's Eye Manifestation Method to its full power. At that moment, Weiji Hun’s gaze landed on Bu Eunseol’s right eye.
A mysterious look that seemed to pierce through everything.
Seeing the divine light blooming there, a sense of déjà vu hit him, and a memory buried deep in the abyss surfaced.
Ancient Sword Forest
As a fragment of the forgotten past brushed his mind, Weiji Hun spoke out loud in spite of himself.
"So you were the Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest of this era!"
***
In his youth, Weiji Hun’s exceptional talent and cold personality were recognized by the bloodline of the Weiji family, and he was chosen as the personality to rule the Hwa Wu Sword Sect for generations. It was a quite honorable thing, but Weiji Hun found it bothersome instead.
Even if "I" am maintained, that will not be me.
That Great Method was based on a secret art that flowed out from the Baekri family. It was said it could create a personality that perfectly inherited memories, emotions, ways of thinking, habits, and martial arts. However, Weiji Hun did not consider that to be himself.
Even with the Baekri family's Great Method, the spirit cannot be transferred.
Just as even if a blacksmith copies the shape of a divine sword, the divine power of the original does not follow. Particularly, this Great Method had failed until then, and numerous masters had died. Even if a personality was created, it was difficult to maintain.
At best, it lasted three years; at shortest, it vanished in just one year.
Though they said they had brought the true secret of the Baekri family that could last hundreds of years this time, it was not welcome news to Weiji Hun.
If you absolutely must do it, do it when I die. I have just manifested the Infinite Enlightenment.
However, there was a fatal weakness to this Great Method.
One cannot execute the Great Method past the age of forty. It is best to do it in one's thirties.
The reason young Sect Leaders had died prematurely after the Weiji family took over was because they died while receiving the Great Method.
There is still time, isn't there? If this body masters the secret arts of the Hwa Wu Sword that dominates the martial world and leaves those secrets behind, perhaps the Great Method will no longer be necessary.
He confidently left the Hwa Wu Sword Sect to train. He went to the outer regions rather than the Central Plains, challenging hidden masters there to hone his swordsmanship.
Then one day, in the Western Regions, he experienced a defeat he could never forget.
On a sheer cliff, he witnessed the bizarre sight of an old man clad in rags floating in the air, meditating.
With a single breath from the old man, the earth trembled slightly, and from his right eye, a divine light emanated that seemed to distort space itself.
"So there was such a master in the Western Regions."
Surging with competitive spirit, Weiji Hun requested a duel.
"I ask for a lesson."
But the old man did not react.
Weiji Hun, sensing he was a great master, immediately launched a surprise attack by exerting the Infinite Reversal Power he had obtained through the Infinite Enlightenment, which he was not yet fully accustomed to.
But his Infinite Reversal Power wound through the air in vain.
Without moving a finger, the old man had perfectly pierced the essence of the Infinite Reversal Power and neutralized that power. Even the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword—his killing move that was not yet completed at the time—was perfectly blocked.
Yet the old man did not counterattack; he remained floating in the air.
Weiji Hun, falling into despair, asked: "Why do you not kill me? Do you intend to insult me?"
"Insult, you say."
The old man shook his head.
Then he opened his chest. At that sight, even the bold Weiji Hun gasped in horror. The skin and muscle that should have been there were nowhere to be found; in their place, writhing internal organs were fully exposed.
"How can a person live properly without any skin?"
"I was defeated by the True Demon and became his plaything. I have no power to harm anyone."
The old man was the leader of the Ancient Sword Forest, a mysterious sect tasked with the mission of dealing with the primordial entity, the 'True Demon.'
However, the martial arts of the Ancient Sword Forest no longer worked against the True Demon, and the Sect Leaders of the Ancient Sword Forest were merely living in agony for generations as his playthings.
"You would know well."
The old man showed a dismal smile as if he had detected the energy flowing in Weiji Hun’s body.
"There is no 'True Demon kin'; all individuals are merely puppets."
Weiji Hun—no, the Weiji family—was a member of the True Demon Family, a lineage created by the True Demon who repeats reincarnation.
Thus, he knew a fair amount about the Ancient Sword Forest. Even within the True Demon Family, there were those who offered loyalty to the True Demon, while there were others who felt resentment and tried to resist the True Demon, who used them like chess pieces.
And now, the Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest was speaking clearly.
No one in the world can escape the True Demon’s hand.
In fact, Weiji Hun had always felt a sense of rejection toward the True Demon.
How great can a True Demon who controls the world while hidden be? I will surpass the Limitless Realm and crush him someday.
But seeing the wretched state of the Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest, he realized.
The Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest, who could neutralize his attacks without even touching them and perceive the attributes of all power in the world, was a mere plaything, neither dead nor alive, with all his skin stripped off. If such a man was only a toy for the True Demon, then no matter how much Weiji Hun trained for his entire life, he could not even reach the True Demon's feet.
"In the end, within the shackles of being a bloodline, one cannot avoid the fate of living as a puppet of the True Demon."
Even if he led the greatest sect of the Demon Path.
Even if he were a pillar supporting the Demon Path.
In reality, he was an illusion in the True Demon’s palm, nothing more and nothing less.
"In that case, I would rather become the most perfect illusion."
Weiji Hun made his decision.
He would no longer avoid the Great Method. He would seize the Hwa Wu Sword Sect according to their will. Even in the form of a personality, he would survive and surely surpass the True Demon.
Puk.
Weiji Hun’s sword pierced the back of the crouching Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest.
"No matter how much you grasp the attributes of all power, you won't be able to perceive a simple and meaningless strike from behind, will you?"
Having identified the weakness of the old man, the Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest, Weiji Hun stabbed his back dozens of times and then quietly left the place as if nothing had happened.
***
"Correct," Bu Eunseol readily admitted. "I am the Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest of this era."
Weiji Hun laughed lowly.
"You likely think you can change the world and believe you are grand." He wore a sneer. "But it is useless. The result will not change."
He added:
"On the contrary, it was because our bloodline seized the Hwa Wu Sword Sect that you all were able to live in a peaceful martial world."
"Do not make excuses." Bu Eunseol let out a snort full of contempt. "You simply couldn't overcome your fear and succumbed to the darkness."
"What?"
"You must have concluded that you would lose anyway. So, like a dog on a leash, you accepted the Great Method and ended up in that state."
At Bu Eunseol’s scathing words—
"What do you know to be spouting such nonsense!"
Kwayong!
Weiji Hun unleashed a powerful palm strike with his left hand. Because the distance was too close, and because that palm force was mixed with the subtlety of the Beginning Path Mind Sword, Bu Eunseol could not evade in time and was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing into a rock.
Pat!
However, Bu Eunseol soon broke through the thick dust and charged at Weiji Hun again. Another fierce exchange followed.
Weiji Hun constantly mixed the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword and the Hwa Wu Sword, but each time, Bu Eunseol shook the Silent Tiger Soul Sword to create neutralizing oscillations, and he blocked the Hwa Wu Sword with the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms.
"Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms?" Weiji Hun frowned. "No, that alone is not enough."
Even if one had refined it to the Realm of the Ultimate Pinnacle, it is impossible to perfectly defend against his Hwa Wu Sword.
"This is—"
In the continuous exchange, Weiji Hun realized something and his eyes widened.
"Is this not the Hwa Wu Sword of that Mu-a fellow?"
Only then did he notice that Bu Eunseol had inherited the subtle parts of the Hwa Wu Sword through his encounter with Weiji Mu-a.
As Bu Eunseol silently resolved his sword moves, Weiji Hun’s expression gradually froze.
If he could continue a clash on equal terms just by inheriting a short insight, did that not prove that Weiji Mu-a’s Hwa Wu Sword had reached a realm one—no, several—steps higher than his own?
Guk.
As the anxiety he had briefly felt became reality, Weiji Hun’s spirit, which had been as solid as a diamond, began to shake little by little.
"How long did you think you could keep blocking!"
Frustrated that Bu Eunseol was blocking every Hwa Wu Sword technique he deployed, he felt a sense of urgency and unleashed sword strikes without rest.
Bu Eunseol’s body, swallowed by the relentless storm of sword strikes, was covered in blood in an instant.
The mysterious functions of the Endless Heavenly Light Art did not manifest before Weiji Hun’s Hwa Wu Sword. Despite this, Bu Eunseol did not lose his cold gaze.
'Something is strange.'
As Weiji Hun’s state of mind became disorganized, he felt something was off.
If he could strike out the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword—which had reached the limits of the Heart Sword—this perfectly, he should naturally be able to emit terrifying Infinite Reversal Power continuously.
Why was he only using a mix of the Hwa Wu Sword and the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword?
'That was it.'
Finally, a light of realization spread in Bu Eunseol’s eyes. Simultaneously, a bright yellow light began to flicker in his pupils.
Like the Human Demon... as the exchange grew more intense, Bu Eunseol’s eyes began to be dyed amber.
Extreme Shadow, Extreme Vision.
At that moment, his spirit reached an unknown domain and could grasp everything.
How Weiji Hun’s personality had been inherited by Weiji Hyesang over a hundred and fifty years, and how the martial arts honed by the martial artist Weiji Hun a hundred and fifty years ago had been engraved onto Weiji Hyesang’s body.
Peering through everything, a mysterious light once again spread from Bu Eunseol’s body. That frequency vibrated continuously and began to cover the surroundings.
"You are doing something bizarre," Weiji Hun said with a faint snort, as if bored. "Let us end this now."
In his voice, the authority of an absolute being was carried. In an instant, the hair on Bu Eunseol’s body stood on end.
Though he couldn't see it with his eyes, his senses vividly perceived everything. That within the void surrounding him, hundreds—no, thousands—of Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Swords were already deployed.
"Playing with you until now was merely for amusement," Weiji Hun whispered with an evil smile. "Because I have been bored for a long time."
Even though he could have poured out thousands of Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Swords at once, he had intentionally enjoyed the exchange until now.
Thousands of Heart Swords... that was a capability that only an existence called a Martial God, rather than a human, could wield. Even if Bu Eunseol were to become dozens of times stronger than he is now, he would not be able to block this sword strike.
Zing.
But at that moment, an unbelievable thing happened.
Heart Swords began to slowly form around Bu Eunseol’s body as well. Furthermore, unlike Weiji Hun’s Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Swords, those real swords were revealing their substance in a clear form.
"You—!" Weiji Hun reached out as if he couldn't believe it. "Impossible!"
As he poured out thousands of Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Swords at once, Bu Eunseol also released his Heart Swords to counter them.
Vwoom, vwoom!
As thousands of formless Heart Swords and materialized Heart Swords collided, a bizarre oscillation echoed. Each time, Weiji Hun’s vision blurred and his head spun.
It was merely a collision of Heart Swords, yet was a vibration and impact greater than clashing physical weapons being transmitted to his body?
Why was even his spirit shaking violently and power draining from his body?
"Is… this also the power of the Ancient Sword Forest?"
If it was the power of the Ancient Sword Forest, which had faced the primordial True Demon for a long time, could it be that the weaknesses of the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword were identified so quickly?
Bang! Bang!
As weapons and strikes clashed, vibrations spread continuously, and Weiji Hun began to be pushed back. Despite having maintained a superior position in the exchange until now, the tide of battle had turned in an instant.
"It is not the power of the Ancient Sword Forest." Bu Eunseol shook his head. "Sect Leader Weiji not only escaped the framework of the Limitless Realm but also predicted this situation."
"What do you mean?"
"From the start of the duel, he intentionally deployed a Mind World," Bu Eunseol said in a low voice. "And when he realized the Mind World didn't work on me, he seemed very pleased."
"I suddenly had this thought. Even though a master superior to Sect Leader Weiji is in the Hwa Wu Sword Sect, the reason he couldn't step forward directly…" A flash flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he looked at Weiji Hun. "...Is it perhaps because he cannot unfold proper ultimate arts with that body?"
In fact, it was natural logic.
If one could transfer a personality and perfectly reproduce the martial arts and realm achieved by a figure from a previous generation, there would be no need to set up Weiji Mu-a as the Sect Leader and manipulate the Hwa Wu Sword Sect from behind; he would have easily dominated the martial world in the identity of Weiji Hyesang.
But even after obtaining Weiji Hyesang’s body, Weiji Hun did not step forward and only acted externally through fake bodies. In other words, he sensed that even if the personality exists, there is a major flaw in unfolding the martial arts.
"It is certainly a magnificent Mind World." Bu Eunseol looked around. "One with absolutely no room for external interference."
He had the ability to reconstruct a Mind World. Nevertheless, he hadn't noticed Weiji Hun’s Mind World at all.
"And there were no Heart Swords from the start."
The Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword Weiji Hun was unfolding was not real, but merely Heart Swords being unfolded within the Mind World.
However, because it was inside an Mind World where the difference between illusion and reality could not be distinguished at all, he could deploy the Mind-Eye Life-Extinguishing Sword, which could cause constant fractures in both body and spirit.
"The secret of the Weiji family inheriting personalities for generations…" A mysterious radiance flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes. "...Was manifesting the personality within a transcendental Mind World."
All members of the Baekri bloodline have dual personalities and have completed a dharma that allows independent personalities to interact.
However, because it was impossible for martial artists to split their personalities in that way, they devised a method to construct an independent personality within an Mind World.
"Knowing that doesn't change anything." Even though his method had been exposed, Weiji Hun spoke calmly. "From the sixth level of the Phase Essence, the boundary between illusion and reality vanishes completely. Even if you are aware, you can never escape."
"I am not escaping." Bu Eunseol spoke indifferently. "The reason I continued the exchange and stalled for time even though your real swords were illusions was merely a means to wake Weiji Hyesang’s spirit."
Weiji Hun wore a bizarre expression. "What does that mean?"
"You said it yourself. From the sixth level of the Phase Essence, once it is fixed, it can absolutely never be touched by another person."
"So?"
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. "I tried to wake Weiji Hyesang in my own way."
"What?"
"The reason the power of your Heart Swords and sword techniques gradually dropped was likely because Weiji Hyesang, who is in the abyss, has awakened."
"How?"
"Illusion Upon Illusion."
Bu Eunseol had been taught a part of the Illusion Upon Illusion technique by the Human Demon. Through that, he could summon the Baekri Geomha within himself into reality to have a conversation.
For such a man, it was not a difficult task to summon Weiji Hyesang, who would be crouching within this Mind World.
"I have met him several times, and there were times we fought staking our lives." Bu Eunseol looked at Weiji Hun with a peaceful expression. "Since I know the habits and actions ingrained in Weiji Hyesang’s body, it was not difficult to stimulate him within the abyss."
The frequency Bu Eunseol had been pouring out just now—it was to pull back up Weiji Hyesang’s personality from within the abyss.
Comments