The masked women, dressed in clothes so sparkling they were almost blinding, carried silver short staffs at their waists that they had not worn before.
Rustle.
They swarmed to Bu Eunseol's side in an instant, drawing out precious treasures embedded with glittering beads.
Rumble.
At that moment, the wind and thunder energy that filled the Nameless Valley began to shake violently, and...
Ziiiing.
a transparent hole opened in the stone wall behind Bu Eunseol.
The entrance to the Land of the Limitless had opened.
―'Young Master.'
The woman leading the group of masked women sent a secret transmission.
―'Go inside.
The gate will open again in three days.'
―'Why on earth are you helping me?'
At Bu Eunseol's question,
―'There is no time, Young Master.'
the masked woman sent a swift transmission.
―'We are going to close the entrance of the Land of the Limitless by force now.'
Bu Eunseol's eyes widened.
Forcing the entrance and exit of a Land of the Limitless shut?
How could such a thing even be possible?
―'For the next year, the Land of the Limitless will not manifest.'
―'It was you all along.'
Hearing those words, Bu Eunseol could guess that the ones who had leaked the location of the Land of the Limitless's manifestation through the Death Shadow Corps' intelligence network were none other than these masked women.
"Stop him!"
At that moment, the masters of the United Heart Society began to charge.
―'Young Master, quickly!'
Urged by them, Bu Eunseol had no choice but to unfurl his movement technique.
―'I will surely repay this debt.'
Boom!
Channeling his Endless Heavenly Light Art, he entered the transparent gate at the speed of light.
"Catch him!"
The masters of the Three Realms and the United Heart Society also rushed rapidly toward the entrance of the Land of the Limitless.
But just then, as the women in silver martial robes clasped hands,
Wuuuung.
waves in the shape of concentric circles, like water droplets falling onto a calm surface, rippled outward.
Chime.
At the same time, mysterious light drifted and vanished repeatedly, and in the spaces between, a scenery of a distant abyss shimmered like an illusion before disappearing.
Roar.
Then, the waves transformed into a massive, round barrier, and...
Swoosh.
the entrance to the Land of the Limitless vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it, open the path!"
With furious shouts, the masters of the United Heart Society brandished their weapons fiercely toward the women.
Clang!
The women simultaneously slammed the silver short staffs they carried into the ground.
The moment the staffs struck the earth,
Boom!
a deafening explosion that shook heaven and earth erupted in a blinding silver flash.
The light expanded as if to swallow everything, warping the surrounding space.
"Ugh!"
The martial artists gathered in the Nameless Valley groaned and backed away all at once.
For just staring at the flash caused a burning pain to spread through their eyes and their entire bodies.
Rumble!
At that moment, a form resembling a giant dragon swallowing its prey rippled outward, and...
Swoosh.
The masked women vanished in an instant without leaving a single trace.
However, all the martial artists in the valley had been temporarily blinded and could not witness it.
"Ugh..."
After a short while, once the pain receded, they struggled to open their eyes, only to freeze in place.
Since they were all masters belonging to secret factions that dominated all under heaven, they had nothing to fear in the world.
Yet, despite their status, they had been completely robbed of the chance to enter the Land of the Limitless without even identifying the silver-clad women who had just appeared.
"..."
They stood with their mouths agape in utter futility, like dogs staring blankly at the roof after the chicken they were chasing had flown away.
* * *
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ziiiing.
Along with a faint light, a black portal formed in a clearing in a forest several hundred li away from the Nameless Valley. (100 li = 39km)
At the same time, a tall figure slowly stepped out from within the black space.
It was Bu Eunseol.
"..."
He was not surprised at all, even though he had emerged in an unexpected location instead of the Nameless Valley.
If they could close the entrance and exit of a Land of the Limitless by force, shifting the exit to another location would not be particularly difficult either.
Step, step.
As he walked out, the look in his eyes was somewhat weary.
'It was grueling.'
These past three days in the Land of the Limitless had been a repetition of cultivation that pushed him to the very brink of death.
'Even though it was my own body, I had no authority to control it.'
Because of the battle with Jeong Myeong, who used the Tathagata true energy, he had realized that he did not possess control over the forces harbored within his own body.
Thus, the very first thing he did upon entering the Land of the Limitless was to let go of the Ban-Geuk Method, which constantly circulated true energy day and night.
For the Ban-Geuk Method contained a secret principle that allowed one to accumulate internal force through ceaseless circulation, regardless of one's conscious will.
While such a secret allowed one to gain a massive amount of internal energy that martial artists could not obtain even through a lifetime of hard training, on the other hand, it also became the root cause that allowed that immense power to escape his will and control.
―'I will let go of all the secrets.'
The moment he completely relinquished control of his body for the first time, the numerous forces, freed from their suppression, began to run wild.
His skin repeatedly turned crimson with heat and then froze pale blue, while golden tears rolled down one eye and black blood flowed from the other.
It was a horrific pain under which it would not have been surprising if his body exploded into dust, but fortunately, he did not die.
For the pressure pouring down in the Land of the Limitless and the force that oppressed the spirit conversely suppressed the rampage.
―'I must find order within chaos.'
Until now, Bu Eunseol had believed that he must embrace the mixed forces as one, and that for this purpose, his body had to become a furnace that melted everything down.
However, as the wildly rampaging forces naturally resisted the pressure of the Land of the Limitless, a sudden realization flashed through his mind.
―'Do they really need to be merged into one?'
They were forces that could never be mixed in the first place.
As he opened his eyes to this new principle, he found a clue to counter the Tathagata true energy.
And after three days of grueling training, Bu Eunseol finally managed to create a new secret art.
Inverse Phase Qi Fusion Art.
Instead of melting or perfectly unifying all the forces in his body to control them, it was a method to maximize their opposition and find a balance within that very collision.
―'In the end, did Grandfather know it would turn out like this?'
In truth, the Inverse Phase Qi Fusion Art was not created out of nothingness.
It was based on reversing the principles of the Muscle-Changing and Marrow-Washing Classic and the Cheonui Heart Secret.
Grandfather had anticipated such a day would come and had given him the answer in advance.
"Phew."
Just as Bu Eunseol took a deep breath, ending his recollection,
Thud.
a heavy shadow landed on the ground near him.
It was the lay disciple of the Buddha Venerable who had caused Bu Eunseol’s mixed energies to clash through Shaolin's Tathagata true energy, pushing him to the brink of death.
It was Jeong Myeong.
"Indeed, you were here."
Jeong Myeong's eyes were filled with anger and contempt.
"Did you end up selling your body to buy your life?"
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hmph.
Do not play innocent."
Jeong Myeong snorted and raised his broadsword.
"You will never escape this time."
Rumble.
Then, a dozen martial artists leaped out and began to surround Bu Eunseol.
Perhaps thinking they had no chance of victory by pouring out the Tathagata true energy with just two companions like before, they had brought far more allies.
"Since you have been to a Land of the Limitless, you must have devised some way to block the Tathagata true energy in your own way, right?"
Jeong Myeong spoke in a freezing tone.
"But if this many people pour out the Tathagata true energy all at once, no matter what grand secret art you have created, you will never be able to block it."
Guessing that Bu Eunseol had found a way to block the Tathagata true energy in the Land of the Limitless, Jeong Myeong had brought numerous companions to amplify the energy, ensuring that any countermeasure would be utterly useless.
"Indeed."
Bu Eunseol nodded.
No matter how clever a tactic was, it was useless in the face of overwhelming power.
Such a method was a highly effective solution under the current circumstances.
"Is it the Buddha Venerable?"
Jeong Myeong lacked such comprehension and wisdom.
Therefore, anticipating the countermeasure created in the Land of the Limitless and preparing a counter-tactic, as well as predicting the shifted location of the Land of the Limitless's exit... must have been done under the Buddha Venerable's direction.
"Seeing that you do not step forward yourself but send worthless subordinates..."
Bu Eunseol sighed.
"There must be some circumstance.
Or perhaps you are testing me."
The Three Demons and Three Venerables had achieved transcendent growth in their martial prowess in the current era.
Furthermore, the Buddha Venerable, whose true martial prowess was not precisely known and who had lived for two hundred years, must have reached an unimaginable realm.
Yet the fact that he did not act himself but sent his lay disciples meant he surely had a scheme.
Hummmm.
As the dozen men began to pour out their Tathagata true energy, Bu Eunseol's body was gradually dyed in a golden light.
As the energy accumulated through the Muscle-Changing and Marrow-Washing Classic and the Prajna Great Power was heavily amplified, conflicts began to erupt once again among the various forces within his body.
Fwoosh.
White flames of true energy flared up from Bu Eunseol's body once more.
"So you could not find any decent solution even in the Land of the Limitless."
Jeong Myeong burst into laughter, watching the scene.
But his laughter froze cold in the next instant.
Crack.
For spiderweb-like cracks were spreading across the blade of the broadsword in Jeong Myeong's hand.
"How..."
His eyes lost focus.
For he could not even detect what technique Bu Eunseol had executed, or how he had moved.
"The Tathagata true energy can never be integrated..."
"I did not integrate it."
The white flames that had been burning Bu Eunseol's body had vanished without a trace.
"I merely directed the chaos itself, making the energies inside my body weaken one another."
The Cheonui Heart Secret not only saw through the energy circulation of others but also allowed one to perfectly control one's own body.
Furthermore, the essence of the Muscle-Changing and Marrow-Washing Classic lay in emptying rather than filling.
Bu Eunseol had reversed the profound principles of these two ancient secret arts.
Instead of merging the forces in his body, he controlled the conflicting energies to check and negate each other, thereby mastering the perilous state of chaos.
"Nonsense!"
Jeong Myeong shouted in disbelief.
"If the energies are clashing, how could you possibly shatter my blade?"
The statement 'using the clash of forces to direct the chaos' was utterly preposterous, defying the common sense of martial arts and being completely impossible.
"Was there not the Tathagata true energy pouring in?"
"..."
"I used it to guide the order within chaos, unleashing a force to crack your broadswords."
Jeong Myeong's eyes widened.
The force that damaged their broadswords was the very Tathagata true energy they had poured out?
In other words, he had manipulated the clash of forces using the Tathagata true energy they had injected, which was beneficial to the body.
"But the conflicting energies in your body will not settle easily."
Jeong Myeong was also a peerless genius who had studied martial arts under the Buddha Venerable.
He immediately identified the flaw in Bu Eunseol's solution.
"For about one gack, you probably will not have any strength, will you?"
"Correct."
Bu Eunseol smiled.
"Just like you all."
"What?"
Crack.
Rumble.
At that moment, spiderweb-like cracks also spread across the broadswords held by his companions.
Not only were their weapons damaged by the Tathagata true energy Bu Eunseol released, but the true energy they had spent their lives cultivating vanished in an instant, returning them to a state before they had ever learned martial arts.
"Are you afraid?"
Looking at their faces drenched in cold sweat, Bu Eunseol snorted.
"Is it because you have never lost your strength before?"
Bu Eunseol had lost all the power in his body before, and even in that state, he had fought life-or-death battles against powerful foes.
Those forces were merely additions; his fighting spirit had never once been broken by their loss.
However, these men were different.
Swoosh, papapapap!
The Silent Tiger Soul Sword sliced through the air, creating dozens of sword blossoms.
Jeong Myeong and the martial artists scrambled in panic.
Now that they had all become ordinary bodies, they could not match Bu Eunseol's superb swordsmanship.
Slice.
Even though no sword aura was released, a red line of blood formed on one martial artist's neck.
He had severed the neck using the subtlety of the Supreme Heavenly Flow Third Form: Caged Bird in Mist and Clouds.
"If you could forcibly inject energy into an enemy's body, you should have also anticipated the situation where that energy flows back out."
Bu Eunseol shook his head, looking at Jeong Myeong and his companions, who stood frozen like stone statues.
They had relied solely on the martial arts the Buddha Venerable taught them, without gaining any realization or training on their own.
When an unexpected situation arose, they could not help but fall into fear and confusion.
"No use!"
With a thunderous roar, Jeong Myeong brandished his broadsword and charged, and his companions gathered their courage to join him.
But to Bu Eunseol's eyes, they looked like moths rushing toward a burning flame.
Flash!
As a red glow flared from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, their movements halted simultaneously as if frozen.
He had executed the detached Form of Meteor Chasing the Moon without any internal force, relying purely on the principles of the swift sword.
Drip.
Bleeding from the corner of his mouth, Jeong Myeong stared straight at Bu Eunseol.
"Since you have no internal force... you will not be able to execute your movement technique quickly, will you?"
Then he pulled out a black bead from his bosom.
"See you in hell."
It was a Heaven-Shattering Explosive Pill, capable of devastating an area of dozens of jang. (1 jang = 3 meters)
But at that moment,
Spurt!
a fountain of blood erupted from Jeong Myeong's neck.
Thud.
In the end, he failed to throw the Heaven-Shattering Explosive Pill and collapsed straight to the ground like a log along with his companions.
"A Heaven-Shattering Explosive Pill."
Bu Eunseol wore a sorrowful expression.
"Buddha Venerable."
Had the Buddha Venerable fallen so far as to hand such a vicious item to his lay disciple?
"You, too, will approach me before long."
The Buddha Venerable did not reveal himself, like a divine dragon, and no intelligence network could detect his tracks.
However, since he had sent his subordinates to trace his steps and launch a sneak attack, he would surely seek him out in person before long.
Bu Eunseol had to prepare for that time.
"I suppose I have crossed one hurdle."
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
Through this training in the Land of the Limitless, he had not only mastered the secret to block attacks that clashed the forces inside his body, but had also found a faint clue (which had seemed distant until now) to return both his and his enemy's strength to normal.
"If instead of using an attacking force, I inject a beneficial force to collapse the balance...
I might be able to return both the enemy and myself to ordinary bodies without even obtaining the Four Divine Energies."
Until now, he had believed that only the Four Divine Energies could unify everything.
But there was another path.
"Just who are they?"
Bu Eunseol's eyes grew deep as he suddenly recalled the masked women dressed in silver.
"I must repay this debt."
Although he had not asked for it, their assistance had allowed him to resolve this crisis easily.
"I do not even know what sect they belong to."
The masked women had employed spells rather than martial arts, and possessed exotic eyes.
They were likely not from a Central Plains sect.
"I have no choice but to mobilize the Death Spirit Corps to track them."
There was no such thing as kindness without a reason.
They surely had some purpose or wanted something from him.
Despite having overcome a major obstacle, Bu Eunseol's heart felt somewhat heavy.
* * *
Inside a blindingly white grand hall.
Vast crystal pillars stood in endless rows like a forest, supporting an elegantly arched ceiling.
Inside those transparent pillars, brilliant light flowed slowly like liquid.
At the end of all that light and space, on a high platform situated in the deepest recesses of the hall, sat a throne carved from diamond.
Upon it sat a woman dressed in pure white, as still as a shadow.
Her spotless, jade-like skin and the pitch-black hair flowing over it formed a stark contrast.
Her transparent eyes, containing not a single speck of emotion, stared blankly at a point in the empty air, and her hands resting on her lap were blindingly white, almost pale.
"So he won that witch's heart... indeed."
It was her low murmur that broke the silence.
Her voice was as cold as ice, yet it carried a strange hint of intrigue at the end.
Leaning against the throne with her head tilted slightly, a cold smile like a sliver of ice bloomed at the corners of her lips.
"Shall I take a look at the face of the luckiest man under heaven?"
The moment the woman slowly rose, an anomaly occurred as if the laws of the world were twisting.
"I will make him a sacrifice."
As if polluting the pure white space, a deep purple energy erupted around her.
The energy soon spread like ink on a massive landscape painting, filling the space inside the hall with a bizarre power.
"While devouring all the memories of the people under heaven."
The Great Demon Ancestor, who possessed the power of the White Hand Blood Shadow (the primary hand technique of the demonic path and the root of the People-Extinguishing Palm) and who could warp the memories of martial artists, was now targeting Bu Eunseol.
And through this, Bu Eunseol would soon... retrieve the time he spent with Dali, which had been sealed deep within Baekri Geomha's memories.
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