Slash!
A ripping sound echoed as blood sprayed through the air, drawing a vivid crimson arc.
The leather whip moved like a living snake, agile and vicious.
It skillfully avoided the bones, instead targeting only the softest flesh and muscle—points where even a graze would force out screams of agony.
Slash!
Each time the whip danced through the air, it unleashed extreme pain strong enough to make even a hardened warrior faint.
Yet the boy tied to the punishment rack, Number Three Hundred, remained indifferent.
Blood flowed down his back like a river, but he only bit his cracked lips, not letting out even the slightest movement.
Instead of groans, only silence returned.
Instead of pain, only indifference.
That straight, unyielding back enraged Overseer Seven who was wielding the whip.
“Number Three Hundred!”
The voice of Overseer Seven, a former government-made assassin, was thick with fury.
“That day, you were the one guarding the secret vault!”
The Seven Overseer despised everything about Number Three Hundred.
His empty eyes that seemed to transcend worldly desires, his demeanor that appeared to have seen through all things like an enlightened monk of Buddhism. That strange, alien atmosphere and temperament disrupted the rigid hierarchy. In this place where one must obey the strong and trample the weak, the children had already split into those who followed Number Three Hundred and those who envied him.
This situation itself was an intolerable humiliation for Overseer Seven.
Crack!
The whip tore through the air once more.
“Speak the name of the one who infiltrated the vault!”
Beneath his mask, Overseer Seven’s eyes flashed.
At those words, Number Three Hundred slowly raised his head.
Blood dripped down his chin, yet his eyes remained as serene as stars shining in pitch-black darkness.
After a long silence, a cracked voice quietly rang across the training ground.
“I don’t know.”
“You insolent bastard!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Overseer Seven roared in rage.
Boom!
The restraints holding Number Three Hundred were shattered by the whip. The force was so immense that the iron-hard restraints, said to be stronger than steel, exploded into pieces that flew in all directions.
“Haa… Haa…”
Breathing heavily, Overseer Seven shouted as if delivering a final verdict.
“Number Three Hundred, you shall receive the ‘Kneeling Head Punishment’ in solitary confinement for three days.”
At that moment, instead of suffocating tension, an icy terror spread across the training ground.
Several boys watching the punishment began to tremble, their faces turning deathly pale.
Kneeling Head Punishment.
A punishment whose name alone could freeze the soul.
It was deceptively simple: forced to kneel with eyes open, forehead pressed to the ground, and forbidden from moving. But anyone who endured it for long would realize just how cruel and merciless it truly was.
In that position, all the blood in the body would rush to the head, which was lower than the heart, creating a crushing pressure that felt as if the brain would burst. Eyes could not be closed, so all one could see was the cold, damp floor of the solitary cell.
Abnormally twisted muscles would harden like stone, and the joints in the knees and ankles would feel as if they were being crushed.
Yet the physical pain was only the beginning.
The real hell was the destruction of the mind.
Trapped in the helplessness of being unable to control even one’s own body, every second felt like an eternity. Even the arrogant and strong Iron Tiger, after receiving just one day of this punishment for breaking the rules, had become a mute wreck for ten days afterward due to the trauma.
And now, three days?
It was practically a death sentence—a command to “go mad and die.”
At that moment, the boys’ gazes turned to Number Three Hundred.
They expected him to cry out desperately, “Please spare me!” or confess everything and beg for his life.
But the answer that came from Number Three Hundred’s mouth froze the entire training ground.
“I will go.”
With a voice completely devoid of fear, Number Three Hundred rose from the broken restraints on his own and walked toward the underground thunder prison without hesitation.
The boys watching his back were filled with shock and awe.
***
In a short flashback, black blood flowed once again from Yi Neungso’s mouth.
Yet a faint smile formed on his lips.
“Number Three Hundred was the light for the weak children. If not for him, more than half of the three hundred children would have died before they even finished their training.”
“Number Three Hundred…”
Bu Eunseol murmured quietly.
The grandfather who was stronger and kinder than anyone else… even in his harsh childhood, he had been called by that name while training at Blood Shaolin.
“I had talent in spear arts. But I got greedy and practiced the Thunder Fierce technique, which ended up severing the nerves in my right hand.”
The Black Heaven Lord looked down at his right hand.
“That’s why I desperately needed the Golden Light Divine Pill and the White Water Spirit.”
He calmly explained.
“They never intended to raise all three hundred children. They wanted only the most vicious, the most cunning, and the strongest one among them.”
“From that perspective, the medicinal herb vault that the children took turns guarding was the perfect testing ground.”
The overseers made the boys guard the vault in rotation.
It was the most perfect and cruel training process.
Those who could not overcome the impulse and temptation and clumsily tried to steal the herbs were the first to be eliminated.
The weak were weeded out.
Children who lacked both the courage to steal and the strength to stop others fell behind in the competition, or were used and sacrificed by other children. Those who tried to trust their comrades and unite were also betrayed and removed.
It was a harsh lesson that trust in the martial world was nothing but a weakness.
“But the true purpose of the medicinal vault was twofold. The first was to maximize distrust and competition, completely preventing any unity.”
If even one herb went missing, the children would suspect each other.
Who stole it? What if someone steals it during my turn and frames me?
This anxiety ensured they could never truly trust one another. Furthermore, if someone ate the herbs and became stronger, it meant their own chance of survival decreased.
Comrades were not fellow warriors who would fight together. They were potential competitors and enemies who would take away one’s opportunities.
“The second purpose was to find the one who could rule over the rules.”
What the Absolute Demonic Blade Project sought was not merely a genius who blindly obeyed orders. They wanted the best individuals who could sometimes break the rules and use the situation to create the best possible outcome.
“Even under heavy surveillance, many children stole the herbs without being noticed. There were plenty skilled in stealth, concealment, and deception. There were also schemers who didn’t steal directly but incited conflict or set traps to obtain the herbs.”
The Black Heaven Lord looked up at the sky.
“Yet amid countless temptations and dangers, only one—Number Three Hundred—continued training in silence.”
Then he looked at his right arm again.
“And when I tried to heal my arm, he turned a blind eye to me stealing the herbs. Because of that, he received a punishment akin to death.”
At that moment, something hot surged up inside Bu Eunseol’s chest.
He had never heard about his grandfather’s childhood before. It felt like he was looking at a picture book.
Even in a time when he had no power…
Even in that harsh life…
His grandfather had been living for others, not for himself.
At that moment, Yi Neungso knelt on one knee.
Saaaah—
At the same time, his fingertips began turning into powder and scattering.
Having used Mixed Magic Demonic Energy, his body was collapsing uncontrollably.
Since Yi Neungso had drawn an even stronger Mixed Magic Demonic Energy, he was turning into nothing but a handful of ash.
“Be proud.”
Even as he could no longer maintain his form, Yi Neungso looked up at Bu Eunseol with a kind smile.
“That you are his grandson.”
Saaaaaah—
With those final words, Yi Neungso’s body turned to powder and scattered in an instant.
Once a comrade who trained with his grandfather in Blood Shaolin, but eventually someone who submitted to the power of the True Demon and walked a different path—Yi Neungso.
Only in his final moment did he finally regain himself.
In the empty space where Yi Neungso had disappeared, Bu Eunseol gazed at the faint glowing particles dancing in the air and smiled proudly.
“I was never not proud.”
Hot tears flowed down his cheeks.
Though his grandfather had passed away, he lived on in the memories of countless people. That good will would be passed on to others and become an undying, brilliant light.
It was something that continued endlessly through reincarnation.
Something even the true demon with an immortal soul could not achieve.
***
A black afterimage split the air.
Bu Eunseol, pushing his movement technique to the extreme, became like a meteor, skimming across the land. His destination was the Stone Gate Town in Zhongshan, where his grandfather and father had clashed.
While his body moved like a storm, his mind was caught in a massive whirlpool of chaos.
The information the Dark God Heavenly Lord—no, Yi Neungso—had given him right before dying completely shattered the common sense and thoughts Bu Eunseol once held. Everything he had believed until now might have been entirely different from the truth.
“It’s too complicated.”
Even while executing his movement technique, Bu Eunseol fell deep into thought.
The True Demon, whom he thought manipulated the world through his subordinates like shadows, had not interfered in the affairs of the martial world at all. Furthermore, some of those subordinates were composed of supreme experts who once stood at the peak of the martial world.
Since their very existence was a source of power, even if the subordinates died, he could create new ones. Some of the subordinates and blood relatives had even betrayed the True Demon or were attempting to surpass him.
And his grandfather had possessed the chains of reincarnation, a power akin to that of a god.
‘If Grandfather truly possessed the chains of reincarnation…’
Bu Eunseol arrived at one conclusion.
‘The True Demon is living as someone in this era.’
The True Demon had cast off the chains of reincarnation himself, and he had allowed the Absolute Demonic Blade Project, which sought to implant divine power into a human body.
In other words, the True Demon was alive in this generation…
And he had intentionally, deliberately passed the chains of reincarnation to his grandfather, or to whoever planned the Project.
Why?
The process of reincarnation was not fully known, but it was said that the True Demon was an immortal existence with no concept of aging and death. If he wished, he could end his life and awaken in a new body at any time.
So why would he agree to research transferring the chains of reincarnation to another human’s body?
Could it be… that after living so long, he grew tired of life and wanted to pass it on to someone else?
That pure demon…?
“What is certain is that it has been proven the chains of reincarnation can be transferred.”
The primordial power that only the True Demon could possess.
It had been proven through his grandfather that it could be passed on to a human.
That meant someone out there right now also held those chains.
***
Before long, two massive cliffs towering into the sky came into view. Advancing a little further, he saw a peaceful village nestled against a grand mountain.
Simple houses were built in layers, and rice fields planted with crops sparkled under the sunlight.
‘Why…’
Bu Eunseol, who had reached Stone Gate Town in one stretch, found it strange. The land looked fertile and good for living, yet it was almost like a ghost village—there were barely any people to be seen.
The buildings didn’t look particularly old either.
It was as if someone had newly rebuilt the village.
‘I’ll find out once I investigate.’
Bu Eunseol did not use a disguise. Instead, he covered his face with a cloth and slightly revealed his sword at his waist so it would be visible. In a remote place like this, openly showing that he was a martial artist was the fastest way to obtain information without wasting time.
As he looked around and walked deeper into the village, he saw a few people.
However, they looked at him with wary and fearful eyes. Several quickly retreated into their houses the moment they saw him.
Something was off.
No matter how remote this mountain village was, their level of wariness toward outsiders was abnormal.
“Excuse me.”
Just then, a skinny old man slowly walked out from inside the village and politely spoke to Bu Eunseol.
“May I ask what business a warrior like yourself has in our village?”
Unlike the other villagers, the old man’s voice and eyes were calm and composed.
‘He’s no ordinary old man.’
His aura was like that of a veteran who had survived countless battlefields. However, his eyesight seemed poor, as he kept squinting, and some discharge flowed from his eyes.
He was likely the village chief.
‘Where should I start…?’
An ordinary mountain village elder would know nothing about the Black Heaven Lord or the True Demon.
But he couldn’t just tell him everything that had happened either.
After thinking for a while, Bu Eunseol asked briefly.
“Many years ago… did anything major happen in this village?”
The old man’s eyes wavered like ripples for a moment, but he soon lowered his head and shook it.
“Our village is a place where herbalists who gather and sell medicinal herbs from the deep mountains gather. What kind of trouble could there be?”
“Then have no martial artists ever come here?”
“There were occasionally warriors who came looking for rare herbs, but nothing particularly eventful happened.”
It was clearly a lie.
‘He’s not the type to speak easily about what he knows.’
Bu Eunseol could tell just from the old man’s expression. He was someone who had endured all kinds of hardships and transcended fear and pain.
Since torture was not an option, there was no way to force him to speak.
‘He told me about this place because he believed I could uncover the secret.’
From the moment Yi Neungso learned that Bu Eunseol was his grandfather’s grandson, he had spoken about Stone Gate Town.
That meant he had to reveal his true identity.
After much deliberation, Bu Eunseol removed his face cloth.
If the old man knew anything about his grandfather or father, he might recognize him.
However, the moment the old man saw Bu Eunseol’s bare face—
“Ah…”
He let out a gasp that sounded almost like a scream.
“You’ve returned, Benefactor!”
Then he immediately prostrated himself.
“Have you finally come back?”
‘He’s mistaking me for Father.’
Except for the eyes, Bu Eunseol looked almost identical to his father, Baekri Muha.
The old man had poor eyesight, and Bu Eunseol’s appearance and aura without the face cloth were extremely similar to his father’s, so he had mistaken him for the exact same person.
“Benefactor, you’ve hardly changed at all.”
“I think you’re mistaken, elder.”
Bu Eunseol spoke honestly.
“Are you perhaps confusing me with my father?”
Only then did the old man bring his face so close that their noses nearly touched, then shouted.
“You are the Benefactor’s son?!”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“While investigating my father’s past activities, I heard that he had been in this village, so I came here.”
He respectfully brought his hands together.
“If you know about my father’s whereabouts, please tell me as well. I beg you.”
The old man narrowed his eyes at Bu Eunseol’s polite yet firm attitude.
In truth, he was not just an herbalist. He was a former military officer who had survived countless battles and had later settled in this village to become its chief. He possessed excellent insight and judgment, and he could read people well.
He sensed that Bu Eunseol carried an aura similar to the benefactor who had once saved the village, and that he was not a bad person.
“I see.”
The old man looked around as if making a decision, then led Bu Eunseol.
“Then please follow me.”
The old man guided Bu Eunseol toward the mountain behind the village.
Although his back was bent and his eyes were old enough to leak discharge, he still had full stamina from years of gathering herbs as an herbalist. He moved quickly along the rough mountain path while constantly looking around, as if retracing old memories.
“It seems like we’re going in circles.”
Bu Eunseol noticed that although the old man was walking briskly through the forest, they were actually looping around the same area, and carefully spoke up.
“If you tell me the direction, I can carry you and go together.”
“We are not going in circles.”
The old man turned to Bu Eunseol with his dim eyes and spoke confidently.
“It may seem that way, but we are actually going the right way.”
Although his eyesight was poor and he kept squinting, the old man’s eyes were clear and did not seem to be lying.
Bu Eunseol nodded and continued following the old man.
“We’re almost there.”
However, something was strange.
After passing through the forest again, a dense bamboo grove that had not been visible earlier suddenly appeared before them.
‘An array? No…’
Bu Eunseol blinked and followed behind the old man once more.
As they entered the bamboo forest, a wide clearing and a large pond came into view. The surroundings were filled with tranquility, and faint mist rose from all directions.
It felt as if they had entered another world through some unknown path.
“This is the place.”
The old man spoke in a low voice.
“As you are the Benefactor’s son, it must feel new to you, but to the people of our village, this is a forbidden place.”
“Forbidden place?”
“Yes.”
The old man continued with a pained expression.
“In the past, our village was attacked by the most vicious and cruel martial artist in the world.”
The old man clenched his fists tightly as he spoke, his voice mixed with grief and pain.
“That demon obsessively killed only the women and children of our village. That is why there is almost no one left here.”
“The most vicious and cruel martial artist in the world…”
Bu Eunseol asked, sensing something.
“By any chance… is he a cold and ruthless martial artist who uses a pitch-black great sword?”
“That’s correct. You knew.”
The old man said firmly.
“That demon was known in the martial world by the title Seven-Finger Demon Blade.”
‘Grandfather…’
Bu Eunseol’s heart sank heavily. He took a deep breath.
The vicious and heinous martial artist who had brutally slaughtered the children and women of this village…
It was none other than his own grandfather.
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