Geum Mungun sighed.
"Our main family only agreed with the thought that the Heavenly Mechanism Star was needed to end all of this."
The sages of the Sage Forest.
In order to break the infinitely repeating cycle of evil karma, a king of sages capable of restoring transcendental wisdom and ancient secret arts.
They strongly argued that the Heavenly Mechanism Star was needed.
―If it is not born, we just have to make it.
They found the hidden figures of the Baekri Branch Family and sought their help.
Agreeing with that, the Baekri Family supported all the necessary things so that the Sage Forest could artificially create the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
"We did not know that the Sage Forest would execute a forbidden grand method and force through a cruel experiment."
In order to artificially birth the Heavenly Mechanism Star, the Sage Forest.
Unhesitatingly committed ruthless and terrible deeds that humans should absolutely never do.
And these facts.
Were only made known after the Sage Forest was destroyed by the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
When the Baekri Family grasped the truth.
The woman who could not endure the cruel experiment had breathed her last, and the figure who had been made into the Heavenly Mechanism Star had also disappeared.
"Our main family only believed in the beliefs and banners of the Sage Forest."
"The figures of the branch family are..."
Chu So clicked his tongue with a pitiful expression.
"Are you saying the Baekri Family found out about that fact belatedly?"
At the excessively confident attitude and words, Geum Mungun flinched for a moment. Could it be that our main family knew of such facts and tolerated them?
"Well, what use is there in quibbling about that to an old fogey of the branch family who knows nothing anyway?"
Chu So shook his head.
"I have never forgotten the affairs from over forty years ago for even a single day."
"Our main family tried hard to find you. But we could not find you."
"Fufufu."
Chu So assumed a disgusted expression.
"Do you really think they searched for me to help me? They just wanted to check if a useful pawn had come out."
"Ultimately."
Geum Mungun sighed.
"Do you resent our main family?"
"Not at all."
Chu So showed a sweet smile.
"I am rather grateful."
Staring at the corpses of the villagers scattered everywhere, Chu So said,
"Thanks to that, didn't I become a sage holding the knowledge of the entire world like this?"
"Then why did you cruelly kill the people of the branch family?"
"Because I needed to."
Chu So creased his two eyes like half-moons.
"The Nine Heavens Cloud Splendor."
A white flash sparkled in Geum Mungun's pupils.
Only then did he realize what Chu So was trying to do.
"This old man has lived long enough."
A spiritual energy flowed out from Geum Mungun's body.
"Now I have no choice but to use my strength to settle past mistakes."
Sizzle.
Before long, the numerous villagers who had been collapsed all around began to turn into white smoke and absorb into his body.
All the villagers, this village itself.
Everything had been illusions created by Geum Mungun's Profound Divine Technique Qi.
"The phase created by the Profound Divine Technique Qi is enough to make one fall over in surprise every time I see it. To newly create something that does not exist."
Chu So spoke while staring into Geum Mungun's pupils, which were surging with white radiance.
"Inside the barrier, it truly exerts a god-like ability."
Geum Mungun did not answer anymore and reached out his hand.
Then, Chu So and those shadows were instantly annihilated.
No, they should have been annihilated.
But wasn't Chu So perfectly fine, watching that and laughing?
"Did you think I didn't know why the figures of the branch family deployed a barrier inside a dragon pulse?"
Chu So raised both of his hands.
The power of the dragon pulse had already entirely entered his grasp.
"Unlike the people of the main family, the people of the branch family can only exert the absolute authority of the Profound Divine Technique Qi within a barrier created in a dragon pulse."
Geum Mungun shut his mouth.
The reason the figures of the Baekri Branch Family did not properly step forward in the affairs of the martial world.
And the reason they deployed barriers in a dragon pulse.
It was because only within a dragon pulse could they properly use the true authority of the Profound Divine Technique Qi.
"Yes, I see."
Geum Mungun slowly raised both of his hands.
"Then I have no choice but to strike you to death myself."
Boom!
Along with a thunderous roar, Geum Mungun instantly narrowed the distance and approached in front of Chu So.
And with all his might, he drove a hand blade into the middle of Chu So's forehead.
At the moment his forehead was about to be pierced without even time to dodge,
Thwack.
Behind Chu So, who was standing calmly.
Before long, a black shadow reached out its hand and grabbed Geum Mungun's hand blade.
The remaining Blood Waves had predicted the attack and caught his hand.
"You must have thought you would win if you unleashed martial arts."
Chu So spoke while looking at Geum Mungun's fingernails, which were about an inch away from his pupils.
"Since the dragon pulse is in my grasp anyway."
Crack, crack, crack.
The sound of bones echoed from Geum Mungun's hand blade, which was caught by the Blood Wave.
Swish!
Then, Geum Mungun kicked the chest like a gale while narrowing the distance. It was a fierce move of the Flood Dragon Emerges from the Abyss.
Boom!
The Blood Wave that took the hit to the chest was pushed back about six steps.
In that meantime, Geum Mungun struck Chu So's neck.
Thwack.
This time, another Blood Wave grabbed his hand.
Geum Mungun tried to kick the Blood Wave once again, but,
Rumble.
Five Blood Waves rushed in and began to attack him.
Swish, pow, pow, pow.
Geum Mungun's fist technique repeatedly sped up and slowed down, blocking the attacks of the Blood Waves.
His fist technique was extremely disciplined.
Its power was as strong as if hundreds of masters were unleashing the same movement, and mysterious afterimages spread out.
Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
Even without the Profound Divine Technique Qi, Geum Mungun's martial arts far surpassed the level of the current martial world.
The airflow spreading across his body.
Firmly protected his body like protective astral energy, preventing the attacks of the Blood Waves from reaching him at all.
And he was endlessly unleashing profound martial arts, driving the Blood Waves into a corner.
"Indeed, in terms of martial arts as well, there is no one who can follow."
Geum Mungun, who was leisurely repelling the rushing Blood Waves, spoke in a low voice.
"I will soon make you pay the proper price."
"It's truly strange."
Chu So, who was watching that sight, wore a cruel smile.
"If a person invades, one should think deeply about the reason why they came."
"..."
"Even though you bear the title of a bloodline of the Baekri Family, look at you just fighting excitedly because your attacks are working."
Chu So clicked his tongue.
"Have you already forgotten the lesson that you must use your brain?"
Boom, boom!
In the meantime, the martial arts of the Blood Waves changed, and piercing through the airflow Geum Mungun had unleashed, their fist techniques began to land hits.
Whish.
Geum Mungun's movements repeatedly sped up and slowed down as he attacked the Blood Waves, but.
He could no longer suppress them.
"Through this old man."
Geum Mungun's eyes bulged.
He finally realized what Chu So's goal was.
"Were you stealing martial arts?"
"That is correct."
Chu So smiled sweetly.
"That is one of the functions of the Blood Waves."
The Twelve Guests.
The terrifying military force Chu So was nurturing was being created by modeling after the super-experts who looked down upon the world.
However, broadly experiencing and recording the martial arts of the strong in the martial world was practically an impossible task.
By utilizing the Blood Waves.
He was flawlessly recording the martial arts and energy flows of the martial world experts, and the fruits of the cultivation they had polished their entire lives.
This time, while ambushing the experts of the Baekri Branch Family, he was studying the transcendent martial arts they unleashed.
By learning their combat methods and martial principles, he was completing the Twelve Guests.
"Because to complete the Twelve Guests, one must systematically gather all sorts of combat situations and variables."
The Heavenly Mechanism Star smiled with satisfaction and said,
"However, engraving martial arts onto the bodies of the Blood Waves is a task I must step forward to do myself."
The reason he had gone out of his way to personally kill these highly dangerous experts of the Baekri Branch Family.
It was because he had to personally command the task of absorbing and recording martial arts using the Blood Waves.
Tremble.
The corners of Geum Mungun's eyes quivered.
The secret art that restricts the Profound Divine Technique Qi by knowing the characteristics of the branch family and utilizing the dragon pulse was astonishing enough.
But to think he had been continuously killing the figures of the Baekri Branch Family, creating monsters that contained all their characteristics?
What was even more terrifying was the fact that every word coming out of his mouth might not be the truth.
"Are you ready to die now?"
Chu So flicked his tongue.
"I will let you broadly taste the pain that exists in the world. You may look forward to it."
Until now, he had tortured the figures of the Baekri Branch Family disguised as diviners.
With boundlessly cruel torture right up until their breaths ceased, before killing them.
"Fufufu."
As if realizing that fact, Geum Mungun burst into laughter.
"Hahaha."
"What is so funny?"
"You are attaching all sorts of reasons one by one, but in the end, it's just one thing."
Geum Mungun chuckled.
"Hating and taking revenge against the bloodlines of our main family who supported the Sage Forest."
"You keep driving me to be a petty person."
Chu So shook his head.
"For this body to be caught up in such trivial emotions..."
"You should admit what needs to be admitted."
Geum Mungun snorted.
"In the end, you too are merely a specter captivated by the curse of our main family."
He could not continue his words.
Thwack.
Before long, Chu So's slender arm had pierced through his chest.
"Despite only having one personality, our main family, our main family... you talk too much."
Chu So spoke as if whispering into Geum Mungun's ear.
"If I tear out your heart right away, you won't be able to feel pain for long, so."
Squish.
As he applied force to the fingers that pierced through the stomach, blood flowed from Geum Mungun's pupils.
He intended to intentionally pop the organs one by one, making him feel desperate pain until the moment of his death.
"You may look forward to the future. I will find every dragon pulse, search out and kill all the figures of the branch family without exception... and next is."
The moment Chu So's red lips announced destruction,
Bzzzt.
A bizarre energy spread out in all directions, and the surrounding scenery slowly began to melt away and disappear.
Geum Mungun, with his arms spread in the empty air.
Was pouring out his last bit of strength to release the barrier.
"Do you really need to?"
Chu So wore a sneer.
"Surely you don't think those villagers will be able to save you?"
"You still have a long way to go as well."
Geum Mungun laughed lowly.
"You're just smart; you didn't directly accumulate proper martial arts yourself."
Rumble!
As the barrier was released, five-colored clouds suddenly rushed toward this place like arrows from the distant sky,
Swish!
Falling to the ground like a meteor, a gray-robed figure slowly revealed himself amidst the dust.
His appearance was extremely ordinary, but a natural dignity was spreading across his entire body.
It was none other than Bu Eunseol disguised as Seolso.
'Oh my.'
Without even glancing at Chu So, Bu Eunseol approached Geum Mungun and examined his wounds.
"Are you alright?"
"I am already done for."
Geum Mungun looked at Bu Eunseol with fading eyes.
Then, looking at his eyes gleaming with essence, he nodded his head.
"...As expected, you possess his power."
Looking into the mysterious radiances resting within Bu Eunseol's pupils, he spoke with a relieved expression.
"I could sense the energy from outside the barrier."
Geum Mungun sent a sound transmission while looking at Bu Eunseol.
[The essence of the Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism, the energy of the Hongmong Primordial Qi.]
Astonishingly, he had detected the energy of the Hongmong Primordial Qi, which even Bu Eunseol himself could not sense.
He wore a faint smile.
[If you can combine that Heavenly Outer Secret Art of the martial sect... with the Four Divine Energies, you will be able to exert an invincible power.]
Blegh.
Vomiting blood, Geum Mungun looked into Bu Eunseol's eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"Please eliminate that wicked villain."
Thud.
And with an expression without any lingering regrets, he breathed his last.
Bu Eunseol's eyes bulged.
How on earth could that old man sense the energy of the Hongmong Primordial Qi?
"A big fish has been caught here."
Paying no mind to Geum Mungun's death, Chu So looked at Bu Eunseol and nodded his head.
"Martial Soul Society Leader, Seolso."
"Heavenly Mechanism Star."
Turning his body, Bu Eunseol shouted without hiding his anger.
"Why does the king of sages, who oversees all the knowledge of the world, disturb the world?"
"The supreme ruler of the martial world has arrived. Since the Martial Soul Society is throwing its weight around quite a bit lately, did you want to meddle in all sorts of affairs?"
Chu So clicked his tongue and said,
"The fact that you sought me out all the way here must mean that the Martial Soul Society is not only grasping the trends of the martial world, but also the trivial matters occurring among the common people?"
True to his title as the Heavenly Mechanism Star, he instantly saw through how Bu Eunseol had managed to come all the way here.
"Are you saying you planted informants across various parts of the Central Plains like the Beggars' Sect... This is an impossible feat even if you possess the information network of the Ronin Market."
Chu So tilted his head in puzzlement and then said,
"As expected, you are someone's double identity?"
"You are spouting nonsense."
"You seem flustered."
"Do you always poke at people like that?"
Bu Eunseol, who had altered his appearance with the secret art of darkness, showed no trace of the Martial Soul Command Lord.
He was displaying the flawless majesty of the head of the Orthodox-Unconventional Alliance.
"For a king of sages, you are somewhat disappointing."
In truth, his appearance here as the Martial Soul Society Leader was, in itself, leaking a considerable amount of information and clues to the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
However, Bu Eunseol had already anticipated even that point.
And he did not worry in the slightest.
Because he had already prepared a situation sufficient to perfectly crumble the Heavenly Mechanism Star's suspicions.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The sound of swarms of insects moving echoed from somewhere, and before long, hundreds of shadows began to form in the sky.
Swish, swish.
They began to land on the ground one by one, and all of them were giants who were extremely pale with even their pupils dyed white.
Things like wood or stones were embedded in their limbs, and even their appearances were completely different.
The Two Hundred Yin-Slayers.
The perfected form of the ancient demonic creatures, capable of creating combat puppets by gathering inanimate objects, a technique lost long ago, had appeared.
Pah!
At that moment, a storm blew in front of the Two Hundred Yin-Slayers, and a young man holding a white jade fan revealed himself.
It was none other than Han Sangja.
"The Two Hundred Yin-Slayers of the Sage Forest, huh."
Only then did Chu So nod his head as if he realized.
"The matter with the Martial Soul Command Lord in the past too. The one who endlessly interfered with my affairs was you."
The fact that the Martial Soul Command Lord had defeated the conspiracy of the Extinction Palace he had woven in the past.
And the fact that the Martial Soul Society Leader was able to pursue him this time.
He saw through that all of it was thanks to the help of the young sage right in front of his eyes.
"It's fascinating. To think a remnant of the ruined Sage Forest would have personal connections capable of encompassing Majeon and the Orthodox-Unconventional command structure?"
"You bastard have connections with all sorts of factions, so did you think I couldn't do it?"
Han Sangja spoke with an expression filled with grief and indignation.
"If I could kill you, I would have joined hands with even the devil!"
"The figures of the Sage Forest... That pathetic state is always consistent."
Staring at Han Sangja and letting out a sigh, Chu So shook his head.
"If you barely managed to save your life, you should have just hidden away playing a village schoolteacher; why did you set foot into this harsh martial world?"
"The ancestors of our forest committed evil deeds, but they have sufficiently received punishment for it through the sect's extermination."
Han Sangja spoke with a mournful expression.
"The reason I pursued you is to avenge my martial brothers!"
"You speak easily."
As if trying to touch Han Sangja's conscience, Chu So spoke in a subtle voice.
"Do you even properly know what kind of evil deeds were committed in the Sage Forest?"
He spoke with an agonized and pained expression.
"They sliced open a mother's belly in front of her child and pulled out the byproducts inside. Not only that, but under the pretext of saving the world, they captured numerous women and children and cruelly killed them."
As if overcome with emotion, Chu So spoke desperately with moist eyes.
"And yet, can you claim to be a descendant of the Sage Forest? I'm asking if you even dare have the right to mention avenging your martial brothers!"
Silence flowed for a while.
Could he avenge his martial brothers along with the ancestors who committed atrocious evil deeds?
"The faults of the predecessors are the faults of the predecessors. If I have sins, I will receive them."
After a long silence, Han Sangja spoke confidently.
"And the Mind-Controlling Secret Art does not work on me."
"Ah, it doesn't work."
Chu So, who seemed ready to pour tears from his two eyes, smacked his lips and showed a playful smile.
"Quite capable. To think even the Demonic Essence Bliss-Smile didn't work."
Chu So had deliberately deployed the Demonic Essence Bliss-Smile, which controls the minds of others by bursting their emotions.
He had tried to dig into Han Sangja's soul and make him despair.
"Well, it doesn't matter."
Chu So shrugged his shoulders and said.
"Since I have finally found out who was targeting me, my goal has been achieved, you see."
"Were you curious?"
"Of course, right?"
Chu So laughed.
"Clues and traces erased so cleanly that no matter how great an information organization is, they couldn't track them."
He scrutinized Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja with sharp eyes.
"Someone who perfectly grasps the deep underpinnings of the martial world, enough to know about the Baekri Family and barriers."
Chu So nodded his head.
"To think that figure was a remnant of the Sage Forest? What precious information this is, right?"
"Did you appear personally because of that?"
At Bu Eunseol's words, Chu So shrugged his shoulders.
"Naturally?"
"If so, you must also know that you will die here."
Despite the murderous assertion, Chu So rather chuckled.
"Martial Soul Society Leader, you should consider yourself incredibly lucky."
"..."
"Because thanks to being with that young sage, you have acquired information that you couldn't get even if you paid ten million gold."
"Information?"
"There are many secrets in the world that have yet to be revealed. And those secrets are like precious information and treasures. You should know this well, shouldn't you?"
Chu So extended both of his hands and showed an exaggerated laugh.
"There is no need to be tense. I'm just saying I will tell you information that you couldn't buy even with money."
Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja's eyes narrowed.
They had already guessed that all of this was a decoy tactic by the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
A figure like the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
Had no need to go out of his way to put aside useful subordinates and reveal himself to command, taking on the burden of danger.
Therefore, even though they had completed all preparations against him, he was offering to give information?
"Even those who know much about the martial world are buried by the massive existences of the Baekri Family and the True Demon..."
Bu Eunseol raised his internal energy.
Originally, he had intended to launch an attack no matter what Chu So said.
Because with that three-inch tongue of his, he could steal a person's heart and soul, and unleash all sorts of ghostly tricks even in a short time.
"...They don't consider the truth about the Jungson Family and the Yangseol Family to be that important."
However, at the ensuing words, he ultimately stopped his movements.
Chu So revealed his white teeth and smiled.
"How about the story of the Jungson Family and the Yangseol Family?"
Hidden even deeper behind the curtain than the Baekri Family.
He was offering to tell them information about the Jungson Family and the Yangseol Family? It was something they absolutely could not afford not to hear.
"How about it? Do you have the intention to listen to the story?"
Han Sangja spoke with flashing eyes.
"If you are thinking of running away, it would be best to give up."
"Run away? Why would I?"
The Heavenly Mechanism Star sneered.
"When even if there were thousands of the Two Hundred Yin-Slayers, they couldn't stop me?"
And he snorted.
"I was just curious about the one pursuing the Heavenly Murder Star with the Demonic Eye Bead."
Chu So approached close to Han Sangja and stuck his face out.
"If you don't want to hear it, let's quit. It's your loss anyway."
A truly detestable behavior.
Han Sangja suppressed the urge to take out the dagger in his bosom and slice off Chu So's neck, and,
"Fine."
Taking a deep breath, he spoke coldly.
"Before that, withdraw those troops."
"I'll return the exact same words."
Swish.
As Han Sangja gathered his index and middle fingers and raised them toward the sky, the Two Hundred Yin-Slayers scattered into the ground in an instant.
Because they are all inanimate objects, they can be summoned from nature at any time.
And they can be scattered anywhere.
"What a good boy."
Chu So let out a nasal sound and nodded his head.
Then, the Blood Waves also scattered into the empty air in an instant.
"Since you seem ready to listen to the story, shall we slowly begin?"
Chu So spoke in a low voice.
"I guarantee, this story will be interesting. Because to bring up the story of the Yangseol Family and the Jungson Family... I have to talk about the True Demon or the Sacred Domain."
Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja's eyes flashed. It was because it was a story they absolutely could not afford not to hear.
"The Baekri Family has fought the True Demon for generations, and it is known that the fight is fierce, but in fact, that is not an accurate statement."
Chu So spoke while alternately looking at Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja.
"Strictly speaking, no matter how much the Baekri Family struggles, they cannot oppose the True Demon, you see."
He smiled faintly.
"So the Baekri Family pondered. How can we stop the power of the True Demon? How can we suppress his power?"
Chu So, who was looking at the distant sky, spoke lowly.
"Ultimately, rather than something that could suppress or stop the power of the True Demon, they chose a living prison."
"Are you talking about the Seven Great Demonic Ancestors and the Ten Great Immortals."
At Han Sangja's words, Chu So let out a nasal sound.
"They did possess some authority as well. But that isn't the true power of the True Demon or the Baekri Family."
Abstract words that could not be understood at once.
As the two furrowed their brows, Chu So opened his mouth again.
"Think about it. How on earth can one stop an existence that has escaped the laws of nature by repeatedly reincarnating?"
He continued his words with a relaxed expression.
"Conversely, the True Demon also came to seek a way to control the annoying power of the Baekri Family at every turn. As a result, a sacred prison containing the powers of both eras was created."
―The Sacred Domain?
The exact same word popped into the heads of Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja simultaneously.
As if guessing that, Chu So smiled and said,
"That's right. The Sacred Domain was born like that."
And he uttered shocking words.
"In that process, the Yangseol Family became the illegitimate child of that sacred prison, and the Jungson Family became an immature child wishing for the fusion of the two powers."
Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja looked at each other with wide eyes.
The Yangseol Family is the illegitimate child of the Sacred Domain.
The Jungson Family became a child wishing to fuse the powers of the Baekri Family and the True Demon?
In other words, the Yangseol Family is a collective of those who fell away from the Sacred Domain.
And the Jungson Family became another specter chasing the power of the Baekri Family and the True Demon.
In an instant, Bu Eunseol's eyes flashed.
'He's stalling for time.'
Bu Eunseol had seen through that Chu So was intentionally using ambiguous expressions and stalling for time.
"Oh my, to think you're rolling your brain while listening to such an important story, how pathetic."
Chu So, who was looking at Bu Eunseol, assumed a disappointed expression.
"Don't you know that when telling an important story, you have to draw it out to raise concentration?"
And he seamlessly continued his words.
"The Yangseol Family, in order to become another Sacred Domain, and the Jungson Family, for a successful fusion, searched out the One Hundred and Eight Stars and experimented..."
Rumble!
Suddenly, fist power containing a pure white hue poured toward Chu So's face.
Bu Eunseol, who had been silently listening to see what information there was, had suddenly struck out like lightning and deployed the Seven Heavenly Light Forms.
Comments