As the Blood Lord of the Ten Thousand Bone Sect, Vajra Khan, and the Fortress Lord of the Illusion Dream Fortress, Rahula, stepped onto the altar,
Tap. Tap.
Around thirty terrifyingly powerful experts wearing blood-red robes landed around the altar.
They were the Chaos Star Red Ghosts, assassins personally trained by Vajra Khan himself.
Rumble.
From far away, the ground trembled as if a massive army was approaching.
The great armies of two factions from Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants were arriving at the Crescent Palace.
“Moon Queen.”
At that moment, Vajra Khan spoke to the Moon Queen.
“If you have found the legendary sacred object, shouldn’t it be used for a good cause?”
In truth, they had been eyeing the Crescent Palace’s sacred object for a long time.
The legendary sacred object that could find anything one desired. If they could obtain it, they would be able to find the True Demon that the Three Attendants had been desperately searching for. The reward would be truly enormous.
“We absolutely need that sacred object.”
Rumble.
Even now, the sound of an immense force gathering somewhere could be heard.
“Soon, an army of over fifty thousand will enter the Crescent Palace.”
The Illusion Dream Fortress Lord spoke.
“You are wise, Moon Queen, so I trust you will not sacrifice the people of Ratna Fortress.”
Although the Moon Queen had excellent subordinates, they were not enough to stop them.
Vajra Khan, standing beside him, nodded and continued, “Since a new Moon Queen has appeared, if things go wrong, you can just leave the cleanup to her, can’t you?”
He added, “If you refuse our proposal, every citizen of Ratna Fortress will die.”
The Moon Queen’s eyes turned cold.
Vajra Khan spoke again.
“We simply have something we desperately need to find, so please be understanding, Moon Queen.”
Now that the True Demon had lost his memories and disappeared, the sacred object that could find anything had become the most precious treasure in the world.
“What will you do? It looks like you have lost all your holy power.”
At Vajra Khan’s words, the Moon Queen spoke with a bitter expression.
“This sacred object is meant to end the drought in Ratna Fortress. The rumor that it finds whatever one desires is a misunderstanding.”
“Then let us test it. That way we can determine the truth, can’t we?”
“If we do that, the drought cannot be resolved, and my life will be lost in vain.”
“There is a next Moon Queen anyway.”
Vajra Khan let out a sly laugh.
“If that sacred object cannot find anything, we will withdraw immediately.”
The Moon Queen firmly shook her head.
“I cannot do that.”
She knew that her death would not end this matter.
If they did not get the result they wanted?
‘Then they will say the divine power has been passed to the new Moon Queen and make her try it.’
It was obvious they would respond that way.
“Precious time is slipping away.”
Vajra Khan spoke with a menacing gaze.
“If you waste time like this for no reason…”
Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord smiled darkly as they slowly approached the Moon Queen. Their eyes were filled with mockery and greed.
Just as their filthy hands were about to reach toward her—
“You don’t know your place.”
A voice that was neither loud nor soft rang clearly through the air.
Ziiing.
At the same time, a faint glow rose from the floor of the grand hall.
Instantly, the faces of Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord hardened. The energy rising from beneath their feet had become an invisible massive wall that pushed them back.
Thud.
At that moment, a gray shadow shot up onto the altar in an instant.
It was Bu Eunseol, disguised as the Martial Soul Society Leader, Seolso.
“It is now the Moon Queen’s turn to make her wish, so get lost.”
“You are…”
Vajra Khan recognized Seolso’s face and sneered.
—A grandmaster of the Central Plains, the Leader of the Martial Soul Society, has attended the coronation of the next Moon Queen.
The information that the man who created a new force uniting the righteous and demonic paths, and the actual head of the Four Star Merchant Guild, had attended had already spread across the entire Cheonchuk.
“I heard you secretly attended the coronation alone.”
At that moment, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord spoke.
“This matter has nothing to do with the Central Plains, so do not interfere. If you meddle unnecessarily, you may return as a cold corpse.”
Despite his words, killing intent was already surging in both men’s eyes.
No matter how strong the Martial Soul Society Leader was, he could not face them. Above all, with the terrifying backing of the Three Attendants, they no longer feared anyone.
“Foolish. If this sacred object truly found anything, would the Three Attendants have stayed quiet until now?”
“What?”
Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord looked at each other.
They were already surprised that the Martial Soul Society Leader had seen through their connection to the Three Attendants.
But the meaning behind his words was even more shocking.
If Ratna Fortress’s sacred object could truly find anything?
As he said, the Three Attendants, who were desperately searching for the True Demon, would have turned the Crescent Palace to dust to obtain it.
“It seems you finally realized you were doing something pointless.”
At Bu Eunseol’s sneer, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord snorted.
“Hmph. Our superiors are too busy to bother finding some sacred object. That’s why we have to handle things like this.”
“You’ve seen the Three Attendants?”
When Bu Eunseol showed a curious look, Vajra Khan beside him scoffed.
“They are not someone a mere worm like you can meet. Wake up from your vain dreams.”
‘They haven’t seen them.’
Bu Eunseol’s insight was comparable to that of the Demon Emperor. From Vajra Khan’s eyes and expression alone, he could tell they had never actually met the Three Attendants.
“There is no need to talk with him any longer.”
At that moment, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord spoke.
“Let us kill about half of Ratna Fortress’s people first and then think about it.”
As they raised their arms to give the signal,
“Yu Cheongrim!”
At Bu Eunseol’s call,
Shoooo.
Suddenly, transparent light rose into the sky from all directions, completely isolating the interior of the Crescent Palace from the outside.
“It’s already done!”
With a short shout, a small shadow descended beside Bu Eunseol.
It was Yu Cheongrim.
Bu Eunseol already possessed a powerful intelligence organization called the Four Holy Clans in Cheonchuk. Therefore, from the moment he visited this place, he had thoroughly investigated the movements of Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants.
The moment he confirmed that Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord’s intelligence networks had covered Ratna Fortress, he instinctively realized they were after the sacred object. Even if they obtained the sacred object in time, a collision with them was inevitable. Bu Eunseol had ordered Yu Cheongrim to install an overlapping ancient formation that could isolate only the interior where the coronation was taking place.
“You madman. You actually thought of trapping us with a formation.”
Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord were not afraid at all and instead snorted.
“No matter how great you are, you cannot withstand our combined attack.”
Sinister smiles appeared on both men’s faces.
Unlike the grandmasters of the Central Plains, they felt no shame at all in joining forces to attack one person.
Woong.
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol secretly raised his inner energy.
While the Elephant King had barely entered the Limitless Realm, the Poison Sovereign had reached the peak of the Poison Extreme Realm and could freely use Infinite Reversal Power.
Although there was a difference in skill, all members of Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants had entered the Limitless Realm.
This was the first time Bu Eunseol would face two Limitless Realm experts at once.
[Are you really going to continue pretending to be the Martial Soul Society Leader?]
Yu Cheongrim sent a secret transmission with a worried expression.
[Command Lord, they are terrifying experts.]
Bu Eunseol replied calmly.
[Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.]
[Then I’ll be taking my leave now.]
Yu Cheongrim looked apologetic.
[I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.]
Swish.
After sending the transmission, he quickly used his movement technique.
Swoosh.
Meanwhile, Vajra Khan subtly moved to Bu Eunseol’s right, while the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord naturally surrounded his left side. As the momentum of the two supreme experts intertwined, a suffocating pressure that even distorted the flow of air bore down from the sky.
Swish. Thud.
But then a small shadow fell beside Bu Eunseol from the sky again.
It was Yu Cheongrim, who had just tried to escape the formation.
“Huh?”
He let out a cry full of shock and bewilderment.
Since he was the one who had completed the formation according to Bu Eunseol’s instructions, he knew the internal structure better than anyone. He had definitely exited through the life gate… so how had he come back inside?
‘Don’t tell me…’
Yu Cheongrim suddenly remembered what Bu Eunseol had said.
—It is a formation that needs to trap two or more strong experts from Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants. Normal formations will break quickly, so I need a living formation material that can act as the life gate.
At the time, Yu Cheongrim had asked in great surprise.
—Then does that mean I have to fight with you?
—You have excellent movement skills.
Bu Eunseol had calmly told him.
—Just endure while I fight. I’m counting on you.
—Hmm. I guess there’s no choice. Alright.
He had said that, but he had no intention of actually holding out in a brutal battle.
So the moment the formation was completed, he had immediately fled outside, only to be pulled back inside.
“Did you trick me?”
“I didn’t get the chance to tell you.”
Bu Eunseol said calmly.
“Just in case, I reconstructed the formation with a reverse flow technique.”
He had anticipated that Yu Cheongrim would try to run away immediately and had rebuilt the formation once more with the reverse flow.
Yu Cheongrim stared at the shameless Bu Eunseol and recalled one fact.
‘Come to think of it, the Command Lord is the same.’
He had vaguely felt it ever since the Black-and-White Witch incident.
If So Okrim was a witch who dried out people’s blood with harsh words and fists, then Bu Eunseol was a grim reaper who dragged people into hell with his calm voice and expression.
“That guy is the life gate!”
At that moment, Vajra Khan, who had deep knowledge of formations, shouted after seeing the faint white light floating above Yu Cheongrim’s head.
“Kill him!”
Swish!
The Chaos Star Red Ghosts pulled out blood-red bone-shaped hidden weapons and threw them all at Yu Cheongrim at once.
“Uwaaaaah!”
Yu Cheongrim screamed and unleashed his movement technique.
Swish!
His body seemed to split into dozens of figures as light scattered, instantly dodging all the hidden weapons.
Yu Cheongrim, who landed back on the ground, snorted.
“If I were weak enough to die to small fries like you, I would have already died to that bear-like witch!”
The ‘bear-like witch’ Yu Cheongrim mentioned was, of course, So Okrim.
Perhaps feeling sorry for constantly beating Yu Cheongrim’s body and mind into a pulp whenever they met, she had taken him to a secluded place and taught him a divine movement art that could protect his body in any situation. However, the movement art So Okrim taught was far more complex and difficult than any other in the martial world, and it also required extreme patience.
There was no way Yu Cheongrim, who stole things every day for thrills, could calmly learn such complex techniques that even great scholars would shake their heads at.
In the end, he had been thoroughly beaten by So Okrim for several months and forcibly learned the art.
“Attack again!”
The Chaos Star Red Ghosts launched their hidden weapons once more.
Papapapa! Swish!
Each time, Yu Cheongrim’s body scattered and regrouped, leaving dozens of star-like afterimages.
It was the footwork So Okrim had taught him—the Mystic Star Shadow Movement.
This mysterious movement art, which flowed like stars intertwining in the sky, scattered dozens of star-like afterimages with every movement and lightly deflected external forces that tried to penetrate the body.
Clang!
When their attacks kept failing, the Chaos Star Red Ghosts grew furious, drew their blades, and chased Yu Cheongrim closely.
‘He’ll hold out well.’
Watching the scene, Bu Eunseol nodded.
With that level of skill, he should be able to endure the Chaos Star Red Ghosts for a while. Now all that remained was to cut down Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord.
“Strange.”
Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord looked down at Bu Eunseol with puzzled expressions.
“What is the point of doing this?”
Their intelligence networks covered the entire Cheonchuk. They clearly knew that the Martial Soul Society Leader Seolso had attended the coronation alone and that there were no supporting forces from the Central Plains. Even at this very moment, nearly half of their main army was charging toward the Crescent Palace. Moreover, the Moon Queen had exhausted all her holy power and could not fight.
Yet he was standing alone against them?
“I don’t understand why you’re throwing your life away by getting involved in something that doesn’t concern you.”
In their eyes, Bu Eunseol was already no different from a walking corpse.
Waaaah!
Meanwhile, loud noises erupted from outside the Crescent Palace.
It seemed fighting had broken out as the forces waiting outside could not break through the formation around the coronation site.
“Moon Queen. Please evacuate first.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, the Moon Queen stepped on the floor in a mysterious pattern.
Whoosh.
She vanished instantly as if evaporating. Instead of wasting time saying she would fight together, she wisely retreated immediately.
Watching this, Vajra Khan laughed and said, “You can’t escape anyway, so what’s the use?”
The great armies of the Ten Thousand Bone Sect and the Illusion Dream Fortress Sect had surrounded not only the Crescent Palace but the entire Ratna Fortress. Even if the Moon Queen hid in a secret shelter, it would only be temporary.
There was nowhere to run.
“You two.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol spoke in a solemn voice.
“You will die because of your pointless loyalty to the True Demon.”
“Nonsense.”
Boom!
When Vajra Khan released his power, the entire sky rippled like dark clouds. His physical body dispersed like smoke along with dark blue energy and reconstructed into a giant skull-shaped mist. The skull mist floated up, covering the sky and emitting a sinister aura as if risen from the underworld. Blood-red flashes gleamed terrifyingly from its empty eye sockets.
It looked similar in form and function to the Infinite Reversal Power technique that the Poison Sovereign had once used.
Crack.
At that moment, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord also released his hidden power.
A terrifying green light poured from his eyes like a waterfall, and his body began to change. Soon he was wearing armor gleaming with green light and holding a long, sharp spear.
His appearance was like a ghost that had jumped out of a nightmare.
[I’ll kill you in one strike.]
Kwaaaa.
When Vajra Khan opened his mouth, massive bone-shaped light poured toward Bu Eunseol’s body. Everywhere the bone-shaped light touched turned pitch black and lost its original color.
It seemed to be a mix of martial arts and the extremely vicious sorcery and curses unique to Cheonchuk.
Boom!
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Transcendent Seven Fist Demon Forms, attacking both the falling bones and Vajra Khan simultaneously.
However, even when the power struck, only a brief flash of light appeared on Vajra Khan’s round skull, with no apparent damage, and he continued pouring out far more bone shapes than the giant force Bu Eunseol had unleashed.
Bu Eunseol’s thick black eyebrows shot upward.
The Transcendent Seven Fist Demon Forms.
It was a fist art that completely transformed the completed Seven Fist Demon Forms into a technique of the righteous-demonic path. Its power did not reach the Seven Fist Demon Forms, but its precision and subtlety surpassed it.
Yet it was easily blocked?
[They still use such outdated fist techniques in the Central Plains?]
Vajra Khan, who endlessly poured out bone shapes, laughed loudly.
Boom!
Meanwhile, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord thrust his long spear at Bu Eunseol’s throat.
Unaffected by Vajra Khan’s falling bones, he moved like lightning and poured sharp spear shadows.
However, even though Bu Eunseol used his Swift Beyond Shadow to become dozens of flickering shadows, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord’s spear did not miss and accurately pierced his real body.
Hssss.
The Illusion Dream Spear Technique created hundreds of afterimages like illusions without substance, but the power condensed at the tip of the spear could destroy everything it touched.
The bone-shaped light and mist-like spear shadows filled the air, forming a single net that instantly extinguished Bu Eunseol’s Transcendent Seven Fist Demon Forms.
Perfect harmony.
The combined attack of Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord was flawless.
Both experts possessed cruel and vicious personalities, and because they used martial arts mixed with the mysterious sorcery unique to Cheonchuk, even when they combined forces on the spot, their coordination was as perfect as if they had trained joint techniques for years.
‘Vajra Khan first.’
The Illusion Dream Spear Technique, which attacked like a ghost while scattering, was tricky, but Vajra Khan’s method of dominating space was even more difficult and threatening.
‘In one strike.’
Bu Eunseol used ultra-high-speed movement to escape their attack range, then shot into the air and arrived right in front of the skull-formed Vajra Khan.
Flash!
At the same time, a brilliant ray of light that colored the entire world poured down.
Realizing that he could never block the Illusion Dream Spear Technique unless he eliminated Vajra Khan, who was dropping the bones, he mixed Harmony into the fifth form of the Transcendent Seven Fist Demon Forms, the Heavenly Star Explosion.
Boom!
Exposed to Harmony, Vajra Khan’s form disappeared in an instant.
But soon, thick smoke gathered and formed the skull shape again.
Bang!
In the meantime, the descending Bu Eunseol was struck by the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord’s spear and sent flying more than ten zhang away.
Seeing Bu Eunseol fall, Vajra Khan and the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord burst into loud laughter at the same time.
The two great experts of Cheonchuk were displaying power and flow completely different from Central Plains martial arts, with unexpected and overwhelming might.
Bu Eunseol rose from the collapsed outer wall and slowly walked out through the dust.
His eyes, visible between his dust-covered hair, were as cold as ice.
‘If I use the Seven Blood Tear Forms as a combined technique, it will end quickly.’
No matter what strange power they poured out, they would not be able to block the Seven Blood Tear Forms combined with multiple powers. After all, hadn’t he used it to defeat the Myeong Myeol, who possessed power equal to the Death Gods?
‘But right now I am the Martial Soul Society Leader.’
In the future, he had to defeat strong experts with this identity.
‘Using the sword should be fine.’
The Martial Soul Society Leader always carried a sword. Although his signature art was the Transcendent Seven Fist Demon Forms, using a new sword technique would not matter.
Shing.
When he drew Silent Tiger Soul, a faint light flowed out.
So far, he had defeated countless strong enemies and faced mysterious supernatural powers. His martial arts had also developed endlessly and had now entered a new profound realm.
Bang!
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol deliberately threw himself toward the falling bone shapes.
Although he was protected by his defensive energy, every time he touched the bones, his body shook violently and his internal energy drained away. If he was exposed to these bones a few more times, his body would stop functioning and he would die immediately.
Shuk! Psst!
Meanwhile, the nightmare-like Illusion Dream Spear Technique dug into his vital points.
But he focused entirely on Vajra Khan’s movements and deliberately collided with the bones.
Bang! Rumble.
After being sent flying more than ten zhang and collapsing a stone wall, a blue energy surged in Bu Eunseol’s right eye. The mysterious power that only the current Ancient Sword Forest Lord could wield had been activated.
‘Done.’
Swish.
He formed a sword seal and slowly drew a circle in the air with the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
Then, an energy that was neither sword qi nor strong qi—a clear and transparent energy—spread out in an instant.
Saaaaaah.
As a wave resembling the breath of creation spread out in the form of mist, the death-energy bone shapes of Vajra Khan began to disappear instantly.
“What is this?”
Vajra Khan was greatly shocked.
In exchange for kneeling to the Three Attendants, he had obtained the origin of the Central Plains’ Maoshan Technique that he had dreamed of. In the martial world, Maoshan Technique usually referred to secret arts that summoned the souls of the dead and turned them into servants.
In reality, it was an authentic Daoist secret art encompassing all kinds of techniques that handled natural energy — talismans, incantations, alchemy, and life-nurturing methods. Although sorcery existed in Cheonchuk, it was scattered and used differently in each region without forming a proper system.
But when combined with the Central Plains’ Maoshan Technique, the story changed. Not only ancient mysteries dealing with spiritual energy, but also forbidden knowledge regarding death had come into his hands.
Thanks to this, Vajra Khan had transcended the limits of sorcery and gained the ability to wield the Brilliant Net Blood Bones, which contained the power of death.
The Brilliant Net Blood Bones possessed properties similar to Infinite Power.
They could not be blocked by ordinary martial arts and could only be destroyed by comparable power.
[You think you can block this King’s Brilliant Net Blood Bones just by drawing a round circle?!]
He did not realize that Bu Eunseol had fully understood the properties of the Brilliant Net Blood Bones and was expressing the most profound sword art in the world through natural energy. He simply thought the other man was naively blocking his power by drawing a childish circle.
Paah! Paah!
Strange things continued to happen.
The more the Brilliant Net Blood Bones broke, the more Vajra Khan’s floating body flickered nonstop.
‘Just as I thought.’
A light flashed across Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Anyone in the world would think Vajra Khan’s main body was the floating skull, but the blood bones he poured out were actually his true body.
‘There’s no way it could easily withstand Harmony.’
Even the subordinates of the Baekri Family or the True Demon suffered fatal injuries when struck by Harmony.
There was no way a mere Cheonchuk expert like Vajra Khan could remain fine after being exposed to it.
Bu Eunseol instinctively realized that the bones were the true body and that they were being poured out through a circulation principle. Using the power of the Three Divine Energies from the Endless Heavenly Light Art, he continuously drew out the essence of the Martial Mist and Waves Form.
The moment the Brilliant Net Blood Bones touched the mist, they could not withstand the intense power and exploded with a violent roar.
Crash!
The shattered Brilliant Net Blood Bones began scattering blood-red fragments into the air.
But that was only the beginning.
The moment the Martial Mist and Waves power containing natural principles touched them, the surrounding Brilliant Net Blood Bones instantly turned golden like flames spreading to oil and caused a chain explosion.
Boom!
The second explosion was even bigger.
The explosion spread fiercely toward the surrounding blood bones as if it were a living creature.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
The sky was instantly covered in blood-red flames.
Watching this, Vajra Khan looked down at his own body in terror that surpassed shock.
His life itself—the blood bones—were causing uncontrollable chain explosions regardless of his will. The shockwaves reached even the Vajra Khan floating in the sky, tearing and twisting his form in various places.
[Illusion Fortress Lord!]
Vajra Khan let out a desperate scream as his supposedly indestructible blood bones disappeared one by one at Bu Eunseol’s hands.
[Get that bastard away from me!]
Vajra Khan looked as if his soul had left his body.
The Martial Soul Society Leader, Seolso.
He was a man with no particularly notable achievements other than founding the Martial Soul Society, yet in reality, he was a supreme expert capable of facing two members of Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants at the same time?
[Rahula!]
At Vajra Khan’s near-scream, the Illusion Dream Fortress Lord urgently swung his Illusion Spear.
But Bu Eunseol moved like a ghost, persistently clinging only to Vajra Khan.
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