It seemed like Manwol had come up with another strange plan.
Even in this unexpected situation, Nariya maintained a relaxed expression.
This entire area had already been sealed off. Moreover, the Heavenly Mechanism Star, who could predict every situation, had orchestrated this plan. And was there not a great army of Inbiin capable of crushing all anomalies with sheer force?
“This matter is on a completely different level from something like reading heavenly secrets.”
Having witnessed Manwol’s death through the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon, she had every reason to be confident.
However, there were two major mistakes here.
First.
Unlike Chu So, she did not know that the future vision of the Harmony of Sun and Moon changed moment by moment...
“Erase him with all your strength.”
Nariya pointed at Bu Eunseol.
“He seems like quite a formidable individual.”
Second.
She had not even dreamed that the strange figure wrapped in purple lightning was Bu Eunseol.
Whirr.
At Nariya’s command, the tightly closed eyes of the Inbiin slowly opened, beginning to glow with a golden light. They had combined their power to unleash the Mind World—the Phase that could be called the Inbiin’s specialty—as if using a spiritual eye lens.
The sound of air shattering like glass rang out, followed by a strange sensation crawling up the spine.
Originally, the Mind World had no effect on Bu Eunseol, but the version the Inbiin were deploying now overwhelmed anything he had experienced before. Hundreds of wills had merged into one, twisting reality itself.
‘Hup!’
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Harmony in a single breath. He intended to sweep them away without wasting time.
But an unexpected situation occurred.
Whoosh!
The Harmony that should have shot toward the Inbiin instead blasted the forest thirty zhang behind them.
‘They changed the direction of Harmony?’
Such a technique was only possible at the level of the Illusionary Demonic Ring when it deployed its utmost. Even if they had combined their strength, to be able to unfold a Mind World of this caliber...
The moment he tried to take a deep breath, air was sucked into his lungs. When he tried to take a step, the ground caved in before his foot even touched it. It felt as if the natural order of the world was mocking his movements and reversing them.
‘Is this the difference in Phase Essence?’
The subordinates of the True Demon and the Three Families classified the stages of the Mind World and used the term “Phase Essence.”
Previously, Weiji Hun of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect had deployed a Phase that affected the real world. And now the Inbiin, by combining their power, were showing illusions indistinguishable from reality.
‘Inbiin. They truly are formidable enemies.’
The aftermath was actually affecting his body.
Unlike the other members of the Eight Human Heavens, the Inbiin had been active in the martial world for a long time. They thoroughly understood the currents of the martial world, as well as the capabilities of the current generation’s top experts. They had continuously developed the Mind World, even inventing a method for large numbers of people to combine their strength to manifest it. They had also perfected techniques that could collapse the boundary between reality and illusion using its power.
‘In the end, the Mind World is also like martial arts—it continues to develop endlessly.’
A smile naturally spread across Bu Eunseol’s lips.
“This is also what I desired.”
If the enemy grew stronger, he too could become stronger.
With a rather joyful expression, he drew his sword.
Suddenly, the Silent Tiger Soul Sword was bent like a taffy stick, its edge blunted so that it could not cut anyone. When he tried to operate his energy, it dissipated instead. When he tried to look left, his head turned right. When he tried to move forward, he stepped backward. The fist he thrust toward his target sliced through the air and struck his own chest instead.
If all movements simply acted in reverse, he could have found a countermeasure. But because everything twisted randomly without any rules, he was truly helpless.
His own body was betraying its master’s will at will.
Seizing that opening, the Inbiin drew their swords and charged in. Sharp sword energy brushed past him.
If this situation continued, even Bu Eunseol would not escape unharmed.
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol’s head bent at a right angle, then began swinging left and right like a pendulum. Along with the sound of his left shoulder joint dislocating—
Bang!
The charging group of Inbiin was sent flying backward.
It was a movement no one could have predicted—an action that ignored the structure of the human body.
Whirr.
As if time was reversing, Bu Eunseol’s limbs, while running backward, began drawing bizarre trajectories. It looked less like martial arts and more like the frenzied convulsions of a seizure.
His right foot stepped forward while his upper body leaned backward. His left hand drew a circle in the air while his right hand struck his own chest arbitrarily.
Although the Inbiin’s power constantly disrupted his movements, Bu Eunseol had completely abandoned his own will. He had unleashed all the joints and muscles of his body to rampage like a wild beast.
Crunch! Boom!
Every time he moved, the Inbiin were flung backward like cannonballs.
If he could not move as he wished anyway, then he might as well pour all his power into letting his body run completely wild. It was a completely opposite way of thinking.
Oooong! Boom!
As he exploded with power all at once and rampaged, a truly storm-like force erupted.
With destructive power akin to a natural disaster, the Inbiin’s bodies burst apart in all directions.
This was a tactic completely outside existing frameworks and fixed ideas—one that only Bu Eunseol could execute.
Golden light flashed in the Inbiin’s eyes, and bewilderment and shock crossed their faces. Although they had been eroded by the Mind Soul Great Law and lacked clear egos, they were still human. They had twisted the laws of reality to make him move arbitrarily—yet he had poured full power into that very arbitrariness and was pulverizing them?
Clack.
The Inbiin exchanged glances, then simultaneously spread both arms.
Instantly, Bu Eunseol’s movements, which had been rampaging like a gale, froze as if petrified. All movement stopped. He could not operate his inner energy, nor could he spread techniques like the Wishful True Binding or the extreme poison within his body. Even moving a single finger was impossible.
Yet even in that state, Bu Eunseol calmly nodded.
It was only natural.
If they could make him move arbitrarily, then of course they could also make him stop.
Seizing the opportunity, the Inbiin condensed sword energy powerful enough to split mountains and raised their swords toward the sky. With Bu Eunseol’s feet bound, they intended to cut off his breath in one strike.
Slaaaash!
Hundreds of swords rose into the air and poured down like rain.
Fwooosh!
The points that had covered the sky all turned at once, becoming blades filled with cruel killing intent as they hurtled toward his body. It was an absolute sword downpour that seemed capable of tearing space and slicing time—impossible to dodge or block.
But Bu Eunseol did nothing.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Just as the sharp sword lights were about to touch his clothes, right when everyone thought it was over… All sound in the world vanished.
The fiercely charging swords froze in midair as if they had struck an invisible giant wall. Their momentum evaporated like a lie, and the blue-burning energy died down helplessly like a candle flame.
“Infinite Reversal Power… No, is it a Mind Sword?”
Nariya muttered with a bewildered expression.
The Silent Tiger Soul Sword was still sheathed, and Bu Eunseol had not moved a finger. Yet something invisible was shattering all the swords in the air.
Pshht! Crack!
Meanwhile, the Inbiin began collapsing one by one. Even those far beyond the reach of Bu Eunseol’s gaze.
“Extinction Mind Sword?”
Only then did Nariya’s eyes widen as she finally identified the technique.
The purple lightning-clad man was deploying none other than the ultimate form of the Mind Sword, which destroyed everything harboring killing intent.
In the past, even after endlessly honing the real sword and learning the Mind Clarity Sword, he had not reached this level—a technique that was practically invincible. Yet Bu Eunseol had never trained in the Mind Sword, and it was not the “Nothingness” sword path he pursued.
So how could he deploy the Extinction Mind Sword?
“The Mind World is ultimately a double-edged sword.”
Bu Eunseol snorted as he looked down at Nariya.
“If you can manipulate the laws of reality, then naturally it should affect the manipulator themselves as well.”
The Inbiin had used the power of the Mind World to go against the natural order and bind his body. But since it was not perfect reality, that power also applied to them.
Bu Eunseol, who could reconstruct the Mind World, had exploited that gap. Using the power of the Phase instead, he freely deployed the Extinction Mind Sword—a technique he had never handled before.
“Nonsense.”
Nariya scoffed, but her eyes continued to tremble violently.
No matter how great one’s skill, manipulating another person’s Mind World with pure will alone was impossible.
Pshht! Swish!
Bu Eunseol continued cutting down the Inbiin without pause.
‘The essence of martial arts is ultimately the manifestation of will.’
He was using the laws and power created by the Inbiin themselves to destroy them.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol’s eyes shot upward.
Before he knew it, Nariya’s body had become blurry.
One of the terrifying aspects of the Mind World was its ability to manipulate not just space but time as well. Realizing early on that she could not face him, she had withdrawn her body while he was fighting inside the Mind World.
‘The fact that the Mind World has not yet collapsed means…’
Papapa!
The Extinction Mind Sword, unleashed once more, now aimed at the eyes rather than the throat.
The Inbiin, who had not even reached the Limitless Realm, had been able to unfold such a high-level Mind World thanks to the power of those golden pupils.
Fwooosh! Drip.
At that moment, blood spurted from the Inbiin’s eyes.
Return to Origin.
He had transformed the Supreme Heavenly Flow—which returned flying hidden weapons—into the form of the Mind Sword and pierced through all their eyes.
Whiiiir.
Strange sounds and light burst out around Bu Eunseol.
The scenery of Gukjuk Ridge melted away entirely and changed. From the moment the Inbiin had appeared, the surrounding landscape had all been an illusion created by the Mind World.
Only now, with its collapse, did the original appearance reveal itself.
As he exited the Mind World, he saw Soyo and Jeong Yeong fighting against warriors wielding bizarrely shaped blades.
Nariya had prepared additional combat forces in addition to the Phase-using Inbiin, in case the Mind World was broken.
[That strange woman entered the cave in the meantime!]
Soyo shouted quickly.
[This place is fine, so go after her.]
After confirming that Soyo and Jeong Yeong’s warriors were holding their own, he quickly entered the cave.
Inside, a path continued endlessly underground. It was a massive cave where human footsteps had been absent for at least several hundred years.
Sharp stalactites like dragon claws hung from the ceiling, emitting faint light, while stalagmites rising from the floor stood in formation like generals guarding the interior. The damp air was mixed with the scent of cold water and old incense.
In the widest clearing inside the cave, at its center, stood an altar carved from cold jade. On the floor around the altar were large, complex patterns drawn with red sand and beast blood. They wriggled as if alive, emitting a sacred light. The interior vibrated faintly, like the inside of a giant creature’s body.
“Lady Manwol!”
Floating in the air above the altar was Manwol, dressed in pure white clothes. He tried to approach her, but a strange barrier had formed around the altar.
“Manwol!”
Bu Eunseol was greatly shaken.
A splendid dagger decorated with jewels was embedded deep in her lower abdomen, and flowing blood was soaking the altar.
Bang!
He struck it with full power, but the attack did not land.
Flash!
Bu Eunseol aligned the power within his body and unleashed the Harmony in one go. However, as if absorbing the energy of the Harmony and growing stronger, the barrier around the altar only shone with even more brilliant light.
Kiiiing!
Bu Eunseol poured out every martial art he possessed, including the Seven Blood Tear Forms that contained the Endless Heavenly Light Art capable of shattering barriers.
But only light flashed—there was no effect.
‘Then, Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse…’
Oooong.
But at that moment, pure, immaculate light and energy rose like mist from the unconscious Manwol’s body floating in the air. Strangely, that energy was leaking out, piercing through the barrier that even Harmony could not break.
Then, suddenly, the door behind the altar opened, and a shadow in black-purple clothes slowly walked out.
It was Nariya.
She had changed her clothes and was holding something shaped like an eye in her hand. It was the very treasure that had been placed beside the young Manwol in the past Mind World.
Upon discovering Bu Eunseol, she gave a cold smile.
“How interesting. I still cannot see your face.”
Her red lips glistened with a bewitching light, making her appearance look even more sinister. When she placed the eye-shaped treasure in the center of the altar, the energy flowing from Manwol grew even thicker.
“Do you know how long I have waited for this moment?”
Nariya spread both hands in deep emotion.
The mysterious patterns on the floor beneath the altar were engraved once more.
The energy spreading from Manwol began flowing into the treasure.
With an expression as if she would swallow the world, Nariya spread her arms wide and smiled with ecstasy.
Originally, her Star God power had already been perfected through the Harmony of Sun and Moon, but just in case, she was absorbing all of Manwol’s power once again.
“Now it is perfect.”
From now on, she would know all the secrets of the world and be able to perfectly predict even the distant future. How this world would end—until its very last moment.
As Manwol fell into danger, Bu Eunseol unfolded the Silent Tiger Soul Solar Eclipse.
Brilliant energy spread from his body.
Crack.
Spiderweb-like fissures began spreading across the entire floor of the underground cave.
But an unexpected situation occurred.
The energy flowing from the treasure on the altar suddenly poured toward Bu Eunseol.
Whirr. Whirr.
The energy that had been blocking the Baihui acupoint began to loosen somewhat.
But this was not a good sign.
An overwhelmingly enormous power that he could not possibly handle began spreading throughout his entire body. Before long, Bu Eunseol’s eyes turned pure white, and the muscles of his entire body swelled.
The power bursting from the Baihui acupoint was so strong that it threatened to explode his body. In fact, the moment of explosion was imminent.
“Kraaa!”
With a roar like a scream, Bu Eunseol unconsciously unfolded the Seven Blood Tear Forms’ fourth form alongside the Silent Tiger Soul Solar Eclipse.
Kiiiing!
Unable to endure the eruption of both powers, he thrust his hand forward in one motion.
Crack.
Slowly, cracks began to form in the transparent barrier surrounding the altar.
“You’re overcoming… the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon?”
Because Nariya had already stolen all of Manwol’s power, she had to offer her as a sacrifice to pay the price. In other words, what was placed on the altar was the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon, created through the pre-taking of causality.
“How…?”
Focus disappeared from Nariya’s eyes.
The power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon had existed since ancient times and could never be defied. Yet someone capable of shattering that power existed?
Crack. Whirr.
As cracks formed in the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon, something unbelievable happened.
The energy of the Harmony of Sun and Moon flowing from Nariya’s body, along with the Holy Energy inherent within her, began flowing back into Manwol’s body.
“This can’t be!”
Nariya’s eyes widened.
“The future vision has gone awry.”
The Harmony of Sun and Moon had lent its power in exchange for receiving the price of offering Manwol. But in this situation, it had judged that it could not receive the price from Manwol and was instead trying to take it from Nariya.
White flames began burning across Nariya’s face.
“Aaaahhh!”
Her body, writhing in madness, was covered in white flames.
Screaming in agony, Nariya ran madly toward the door behind the altar.
But Bu Eunseol had no attention to spare for her.
He instantly shattered the cracked barrier and embraced Manwol, who had fallen from the altar.
Drip.
An enormous amount of blood flowed from Manwol’s body.
‘This is dangerous.’
The dagger was embedded deep in her lower abdomen. The moment it was pulled out, there was a high chance of blood erupting from the major blood vessels and organs it had pierced.
Still, he had to do it. Bu Eunseol, who had long studied medicine, was well-versed in human anatomy and more skilled in medical arts than most physicians.
Saaaah.
He raised the Heavenly Glacial Secret and rapidly cooled the area around her abdomen. Not only did this block nerve transmission to create an anesthetic effect, but it also sharply contracted the blood vessels, reducing blood flow and increasing blood viscosity to minimize bleeding.
Swish.
Using the Wishful True Binding, he carefully made an incision in the center of the abdomen around the navel. The area was filled with pooled blood from the wound.
Fwooosh!
After removing the blood using void blades, he once again used the power of the Wishful True Binding to temporarily seal the bleeding area inside the abdominal cavity.
Fortunately, the organs were undamaged.
After checking which blood vessels and organs had been damaged along the dagger’s path, a bright light spread in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘I just need to suture the damaged vessels.’
“Please endure it for a moment.”
Creating dozens of blade-like and hand-shaped forms with the Wishful True Binding, Bu Eunseol slowly pulled out the dagger.
Whirr. Sizzle.
He created threads of flame thinner than a hair to locate and suture the damaged blood vessel areas.
Since he could not find clean silk thread nearby, he concentrated ultra-high heat flames and began precisely cauterizing the vessels.
‘If I go even slightly too far, the entire vessel could burn.’
Suturing and destroying blood vessels were separated by a single sheet of paper.
Bu Eunseol concentrated his mind to the utmost and sutured the vessels. Then he raised the Yeolha Great Power once more to seal the abdominal wound.
He took out Soul-Returning Divine Pellet from within his body and immediately placed them in her mouth.
White steam rose from her entire body. Not only was the lost blood restored, but the scar on the sutured skin disappeared cleanly in an instant.
“Lady Manwol.”
Bu Eunseol called to her carefully.
“Come back to your senses.”
When she heard Bu Eunseol’s voice by her ear, Manwol slowly opened her eyes as if awakening from a long sleep.
“You came…”
Unlike her usual self, Manwol’s voice was gentle and filled with deep emotion. Like thick ice slowly melting under spring sunlight, or like a lake revealed after dense fog cleared, her eyes carried a quiet yet profound warmth.
‘Why is vitality…’
But Bu Eunseol had no time to notice such changes in Manwol. Even though he had perfectly treated her wounds, her life force was rapidly draining from her body.
“I’m fine.”
Understanding his heart, she shook her head.
“I simply took in something that could not be contained in an ordinary vessel, which led to this.”
‘Something that could not be contained?’
Bu Eunseol realized in that instant.
In the past, because one person could not hold his mother’s power, it had been divided between two children. Yet all of that power had been absorbed by Manwol. Her body could not endure it, and her life force was slowly fading.
“Did you keep the Jade Coffin I asked you to safeguard?”
When Manwol asked with a calm expression, Bu Eunseol realized once again. She had already predicted that things would turn out this way and had prepared her own grave there.
“Why on earth…”
“Because only you can protect me.”
Manwol spoke in a calm voice.
“I will not die.”
“You can survive?”
“Yes. I plan to absorb the Star God’s power in a state of suspended animation.”
She added,
“Once I cross the boundary of death, I will make this power my own and be able to help you.”
Manwol had already foreseen that Nariya would borrow the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon and that she would be unable to stop it. She also knew that only Bu Eunseol in the entire world could protect her against the power of the Harmony of Sun and Moon, and that only the Absolute Domain he created would allow her to maintain suspended animation without any interference.
“In about three years, I will fully recover and be able to tell you everything.”
“Everything meaning…”
“Everything you want to know.”
Manwol’s expression was far more friendly and affectionate than before, as if she were facing her beloved.
“I understand.”
Though he felt something strange, Bu Eunseol could say nothing. Cracks were slowly forming across her body as her life force faded.
“I’m sorry. For always burdening you without being able to tell you everything clearly.”
Srrrk.
With those final words, she lost consciousness.
‘I must hurry.’
The cracks forming on her body began to deepen. If time passed like this, she would eventually lose her life.
Floating her body, Bu Eunseol immediately headed outside.
At this moment, he still did not know.
That his connection with Manwol was so long and deep, that it extended all the way back to life in the Pyeongan Funeral Home.
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