Rumble!
The man, rushing in like lightning, swung both hands as if to tear Bu Eunseol’s body apart.
Spreading dozens of afterimages, Bu Eunseol instead dug into the man's attack range and struck him with a light palm.
He did not intend to kill him.
He intended to make the man clearly feel the difference in their martial levels. He wanted to break the man's pride, lessen his madness, and then converse with him.
Smack!
As the palm force touched the vicinity of his chest, the man's body trembled violently.
Bu Eunseol had certainly extended it lightly. However, a massive shockwave spread out, instantly paralyzing the man's entire body.
Slash!
At the same time, dozens of blades spread out from behind Bu Eunseol's back and dug into the man's vital points.
He had unleashed the Wishful True Binding.
"Ooooh!"
Seeing the Wishful True Binding, the man let out a roar filled with rage.
Pow!
He broke free from his instantly stiffened body and lunged as if to devour him.
Boom!
As Bu Eunseol threw a palm strike, the man dodged by sweeping the floor. He dug in deep and kicked toward Bu Eunseol's groin.
Tap.
Bu Eunseol took a step back and dodged it.
The man closed the distance further. He began to unleash a chain of attacks with his elbows and knees.
He headbutted, bent his knees, and sprang up to target the face. At times, he opened his sharp teeth wide to bite.
It was the close-quarters combat of the demonic path, aimed solely at killing the opponent.
"To use close-quarters combat against me."
Bu Eunseol snorted. He leaned his upper body back to dodge the headbutt and spun his body using his planted foot as an axis.
The practical martial arts of Nangyang Pavilion originated from close-quarters combat. Bu Eunseol's specialty was also close combat.
"Kaaak!"
As the man thrust out two fingers to claw at his eyes, Bu Eunseol's sleeve spread out like a giant fan and wrapped around his wrist.
At the same time, he slammed the man into the ground.
Craaash!
The floor caved in, and a large cloud of dust billowed up.
For a normal martial artist, it would have been a shock capable of crushing their entire skeleton.
However, before the dust could settle, arms and legs squirmed in the crater. The man sprang up.
Dark red blood flowed from the man's mouth and nose, but the light in his eyes did not fade. Instead, it blazed like an active volcano.
'Is he not going to use the Heaven and Earth Divine Energy?'
He had heard that the disciple of the Heavenly Demon Emperor could use the Heaven and Earth Divine Energy.
However, perhaps he didn't feel threatened enough yet. He had not used his hidden card.
"I will make you feel a bit more danger."
Rumble!
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Seven Fist Demon Forms.
His fist arts had already reached the realm of perfect mastery, leaving no trace of their emission.
Before the enemy could even realize it, the fist force had reached the stage where it touched their body directly.
Pow!
Struck by the Fist Demon Emergence infused with five-tenths of internal energy, the man was smashed into the remains of a pillar over ten zhang away.
Even if he could save his life from this, the bones in his entire body would have been shattered to pieces.
Rumble.
However, the man stood up completely fine.
No, the luster of his skin had deepened. The energy flowing through his entire body had also grown stronger.
"Hoh."
Letting out an exclamation, Bu Eunseol moved again.
Rumble!
This time, he used seven-tenths of his energy.
He unleashed the Heaven Hand Void Break, which displayed the greatest power as a single fist force.
Fwooooosh!
As the fist force in the shape of a giant blood dragon passed through the man's body as if to swallow it, his skin split open and blood began to burst out.
Sizzle.
However, an unbelievable phenomenon soon occurred.
Light flowed out from the places where the skin had split. It then transformed into even more lustrous skin.
"Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy?"
What the man was using was not the Heaven and Earth Divine Energy. It was the exclusive supreme art of the Mad Demon, who was called the absolute best of the demonic path five hundred years ago.
The more damage one took, the more it repeated destruction and ultra-regeneration. It did not merely recover damaged tissues; it was the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy, which could sustain an even stronger physical state than before in the process.
"So that was why."
Bu Eunseol had wondered why the man was imprisoned in chains on a remote island in the middle of nowhere.
Unless one reached the realm of grand completion, they would gradually become a madman due to demonic energy. It was the heavenly demonic art, the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy.
He had eventually failed to control that demonic energy and was becoming a madman.
"Kuaaaah!"
A roar burst from the man's mouth.
Springing forward explosively without any preparatory motion, he charged at Bu Eunseol like a cannonball.
Whoosh! Boom!
Every single attack the man poured out was like a massive battering ram.
Even if blocked, bones would break. If struck directly, the power was enough to tear a body to pieces.
Bu Eunseol did not avoid the attacks. He constantly made microscopic movements to deflect them.
Moving as fluidly as flowing water, Bu Eunseol drove his elbow into the man's side. He then struck the back of the man's neck with the blade of his hand.
Smack, crack.
The sound of bursting muscles and breaking bones could be heard.
Wooooosh.
The man eventually overcame the shock and emitted an even deeper blood light from his entire body.
The Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy was a madman's martial art that could absolutely never be used unless one became a complete madman.
By constantly enduring the pouring attacks, one could enhance their physical abilities.
Before he knew it, the man was creating an astral energy like a red-hot sun.
Wooooosh.
In an instant, Bu Eunseol's eyes turned white.
He had used the power of the Poison Saint to emit poisonous energy.
Sizzle.
However, due to the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy surrounding the man's body, the poison could not invade at all.
Flash!
This time, a yellow light flowed from Bu Eunseol's eyes.
"Kak!"
The man spat out blood with a groan.
Using the profound mysteries of Illusion Upon Illusion, Bu Eunseol mimicked Pamyeong's skill.
He had manifested the Form-Transcending Heart Sword, which inflicted a blow to the spirit.
Wooooosh.
Struck by the Form-Transcending Heart Sword, the man's eyes wavered slightly.
However, he soon calmly assumed an attacking stance.
'Incredible.'
The martial arts of the Mad Demon were originally the martial arts of a madman.
Since he was tainted with madness, dealing a blow to his spirit was impossible in the first place.
Whooosh.
Bu Eunseol once again exerted the power of the Poison Saint. However, as expected, it didn't even touch the man's body because of the blood astral energy.
Tap! Pow pow pow!
In the meantime, the man closed the distance again. He unleashed a frenzied attack without caring about defense.
At a single wave of his hand, the solid earth split like tofu, and the walls helplessly crumbled down.
Clad in the blood astral energy, both his spirit and body were indestructible. He possessed the strength to tear anything apart.
That man was a formidable enemy. Even Bu Eunseol, who had faced countless masters until now, was up against tactics he had never encountered before.
'Externally, he can be called truly invincible.'
He grew curious.
If the man was at a level where he took absolutely no damage from the Heaven Hand Void Break and the Form-Transcending Heart Sword?
Could he also withstand the power of Harmony, which was comparable to the Infinite Reversal Power?
'I shouldn't.'
If he happened to kill this man in one breath, coming all the way here would become a vain effort.
In an instant, the Heavenly Demon Emperor's ordinary yet mysterious aura came to Bu Eunseol's mind.
'What's certain is that even the Heavenly Demon Emperor couldn't control him, so he locked him up here.'
If someone was useful, the Heavenly Demon Emperor would keep them in his embrace, regardless of what thoughts they harbored.
Even so, he had imprisoned a master of this caliber on Gwigeum Island. It was clear that even he couldn't control that demonic energy.
'If so.'
A man that even the Heavenly Demon Emperor couldn't handle.
There was only one way to subdue him without killing him.
It was the sword art of life that transcended the principles of martial arts, the Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse.
The problem was that he had not yet reached perfect harmony with nature. Therefore, his life force was consumed every time he used it.
'It can't be helped.'
The only fortunate point was that, thanks to the life force Unmong Sanin had infused into him in the past, no immediate harm would come for a while.
Wooooong.
As he gripped the Silent Tiger Soul Sword in a reverse grip, a mysterious pattern was engraved on the blade and the scabbard.
'Since there is no other way to cut off the Mad Demon's energy.'
From Bu Eunseol's entire body, a warm and brilliant light spread out, like the newly risen morning sun.
The sword art of life left by his father.
He was about to deploy the Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse.
"Ooooh!"
As if instinctively sensing the threat, the man roared like a beast and charged.
Claaang.
At that moment, the mysterious pattern spread across the earth. The surrounding rocks all shone with a brilliant light in unison.
Fwooooosh!
Finally, as the erupting tsunami of dazzling light swallowed the man.
Thud.
He stopped his movements as if frozen. No, he had no choice but to stop.
An overwhelming and massive life force was being infused into his body.
Craaaack!
A sound like bones twisting echoed out.
As if he couldn't understand, the man tilted his head at an angle and made a bizarre expression.
The demonic art he wielded, the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy, fundamentally absorbed all destructive energy and converted it into his own strength.
However, what was pouring into him now was not destruction, but a pure energy of life he had never experienced before.
He couldn't find a way to cope with it.
Thump.
The man eventually dropped to one knee.
"Ugh... Ooooooh!"
He suddenly let out a roar.
To resist the energy of life seeping into his body, he pushed the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy to its absolute limit.
Crack!
As the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy reached its peak, every last hair and blood vessel became as hard as steel.
Sizzle.
In the meantime, the energy of the Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse endlessly flowed into the man's body.
The Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy could only exert its proper strength by absorbing the strikes and power poured out by the enemy.
This kind of action would ultimately destroy his own body.
Craaaack.
Upon reaching the limit of physical enhancement, his skin began to split open.
As time passed, it felt like even the bones in his entire body would shatter into pieces.
"Ooooooooh!"
In the end, the man wailed and began to roll on the floor.
Whoosh.
Every time he rolled around, the skin that emitted a bizarre luster returned to its original state.
The ferocious energy that had wrapped around his entire body scattered like a lie.
Thump.
After rolling for a long time, the man collapsed helplessly, sprawled out on his back.
Craaaack.
Then, a sight that made one doubt their eyes unfolded.
His firm muscles, which looked like twisted iron, slowly began to melt down. His hair, which was like a lion's mane, calmed down.
It looked as if a giant beast had used Taoist magic to transform into a frail Confucian scholar.
"Ugh."
Letting out a groan, the man flashed his eyes.
He finally returned to a clear gaze and slowly raised his body.
"How can this be."
Looking down at his own body with a surprised expression, he let out an exclamation.
"How could the Mad Demon's demonic energy, which should require ten years of bitter training to rid oneself of, disappear?"
It was due to Bu Eunseol's Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse.
The energy of the Mad Demon, which had encroached not only upon his spirit but also into his bones, had been instantly controlled.
"Phew."
Bu Eunseol looked at the man, who had returned to a complete form, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now we can have a proper conversation."
"Who are you."
At the man's question, Bu Eunseol immediately replied.
"I am the Martial Soul Command Lord."
He then took out the Martial Soul Command Lord medallion.
"I heard you were imprisoned here by the Heavenly Demon Emperor."
Observing the man's expression and eyes closely, Bu Eunseol asked.
"Are you his disciple?"
No figure in the demonic path would refer to the Heavenly Demon Emperor as 'he'.
With this single word, Bu Eunseol subtly revealed that he did not walk the same path as the Heavenly Demon Emperor, and that he stood in opposition to him.
"A disciple?"
Wearing a blank expression, the man shook his head.
"How could this body dare to be his disciple."
Surprisingly, the man also referred to the Heavenly Demon Emperor as 'he'.
This was highly unusual.
If they were figures of Majeon, no matter how high their status, they would hold a few ounces of respect and awe for the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
'I was right.'
Not only did the man look at the Martial Soul Command Lord medallion with indifference, but he also showed emotions of distress and anger when the word Heavenly Demon Emperor came up.
Bu Eunseol had grasped at a glance that he was a person harboring hostility towards the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
"Then who are you?"
"I am a chess piece."
The man spoke with a pained expression.
"Under his orders, I went around slaughtering all sorts of people."
"Slaughtering?"
"I was the Blood Lord of Night Soul Blood."
The man looked up at the distant sky with a despondent expression.
"In the martial world, I am known as the Soul-Chasing Asura."
"Soul-Chasing Asura."
Bu Eunseol made a surprised expression.
Soul-Chasing Asura, Im Mujeong.
Like the Seven-Finger Demon Blade of the past, he was a mysterious figure who roamed the martial world alone and defeated countless strongmen with a single blade.
But to think he was actually the head of a secret organization led by the Heavenly Demon Emperor?
"Then why are you imprisoned here?"
"As you can see, I was encroached upon by the martial arts of the Mad Demon. If I had been left like this, I would have either become a madman or died miserably with twisted meridians."
"So the Heavenly Demon Emperor locked you up?"
Im Mujeong nodded.
"If I ever controlled the Mad Demon's energy, he probably intended to call me back."
He let out a deep sigh.
"Since only I had mastered the lost martial arts of the Mad Demon."
Bu Eunseol grasped the situation.
Im Mujeong had completed the Mad Demon Blood Astral Energy of the Mad Demon, which no one had learned for five hundred years.
However, right before he went completely mad due to failing to control that madness.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor had ultimately locked him up here, waiting until he could control the madness.
If he waited, the man would become a blade that could be used again at any time.
That was why he sent people to Gwigeum Island, giving him food and water periodically.
And then, he was clearly detected by the Imperial Family's intelligence organization.
"I see."
Bu Eunseol could not hide his disappointment, but he asked just in case.
"Do you perhaps know about the Heavenly Demon Emperor's disciple?"
"Disciple?"
Im Mujeong, who looked at the distant sky for a moment, shook his head.
"A figure like him would create tools, but he wouldn't raise a disciple to inherit his true legacy."
Bu Eunseol nodded without realizing it.
An extremely selfish and exclusive figure like the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
There was no way he would pour his heart and soul into cultivating an alter ego to inherit his true martial arts legacy.
It was to the point that even the Heavenly Demon Emperor himself, when he directly mentioned his disciple, referred to him as a tool, a 'blade'.
'Perhaps the disciple of the Heavenly Demon Emperor mentioned by the Holy One is not a true disciple who inherited his legacy, but...'
They were 'tools' to whom the Heavenly Demon Emperor had imparted martial arts for such a special purpose.
And the probability was actually higher that one of them had learned the Heaven and Earth Divine Energy.
"Anyway, I convey my thanks."
Im Mujeong spoke while looking at the collapsed pillar.
"If it were normally the case, I would have had to stay bound to this Heavenly Spirit Golden Lock for ten years without budging."
"Are you saying you are going to return to that Hall?"
Bu Eunseol could intuitively tell.
That Im Mujeong intended to return to the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
"That is right."
Even knowing that he was a tool, he intended to return to the Heavenly Demon Emperor again.
"Why?"
After hesitating for a moment, Im Mujeong spoke.
"Because a blade exists not for the scabbard, but when there is a target to cut."
Having lived his entire life as the Heavenly Demon Emperor's blade, he couldn't even imagine a different life.
'Is that really a life.'
Im Mujeong had only controlled his madness.
He had not found a new purpose in life.
To him, an ordinary life would be like emptiness.
Since he was a blade meant for slaughter, he thought that if that purpose disappeared, he would be nothing but an empty shell.
In the end, returning to the Heavenly Demon Emperor was like a path to confirming his reason for existence. Even if it meant ruin, he was becoming the Heavenly Demon Emperor's blade once again.
'So in the end, it means I gained nothing.'
Watching Im Mujeong leave, Bu Eunseol showed a bitter smile.
He had expected that if he went to Gwigeum Island, even if he could not find the Heavenly Demon Emperor's disciple, he would at least uncover one of his secrets.
As a result, he had ended up saving one of the Heavenly Demon Emperor's confidants.
'However.'
Was it because he liked Im Mujeong's honest personality and solitary atmosphere?
He didn't feel like his efforts were in vain.
And the fact that helping him truly wasn't a vain effort... would soon be revealed.
* * *
Inside the windowless secret room, books were packed tightly.
On a large table, there was a Star Plate made of bronze, used for astronomical observation and calculation.
Tens of thousands of stars were embedded there like silver dust.
Inside, where the smell of old paper, ink, and cold sandalwood settled, a refined middle-aged man sat neatly.
Said to know everything under heaven, he was the wisest scholar in the demonic path, the Manbak Hall Lord, Baek Jeoncheon.
"Mmm."
He had fasted for days and had not taken a single step out of this secret room.
He was only chasing the trajectories of the stars that changed moment by moment on the Star Plate, and the hundreds of millions of variables they drew.
"The Ziwei Star loses its light, the Tanlang Star burns with the color of blood, and beside the star of the Emperor, the demonic star of heaven-defying rises... so it is."
The flow of the future, which had looked like a faint mist until now, finally became a massive river and spread out before his eyes.
An earth dyed with blood, torn screams, and a blackened sky.
The flower of despair blooming upon the graves of heroes.
It harbored absolute chaos where the great cause, the orthodox path, and the demonic path... all became meaningless.
Now, the fate of ruin that would swallow everything was approaching.
And within that ruin, the greatest treasures of the martial world were entangled.
"This is troublesome."
Taking his eyes off the Star Plate, he shook his head and spoke in a low voice.
"Even though there is a nine in ten chance that it's a trap, he made it so I have no choice but to check."
Staring into the empty air for a moment, he shook his head.
"If so, I have no choice but to call him as well."
There were not many figures in the world who could go against the flow of heavenly secrets.
Fortunately, he knew one of them well and was in a cooperative relationship with him.
The Martial Soul Command Lord, Bu Eunseol.
Not only could he go against heavenly secrets, he was the only one who could bring the Nine Heavens Cloud Splendor Pearl, the greatest treasure of the martial world.
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