"A debt, you say."
Bu Eunseol's eyes, which had been blazing like the sun was embedded within them, gradually cooled down.
The Returning to One Realm Lord had informed him of the location of the Land of the Limitless, greatly enhancing his martial arts.
Furthermore, had he not gone there, he would not have been able to pass down the essence of Ultimate Transcendence to Seo Jinha and the others.
He could not deny that he owed a certain amount of debt.
"And if I refuse?"
"It is your freedom. But you will not be able to refuse."
The envoy said something shocking.
"Because the Heavenly Emperor is there."
The Heavenly Emperor (正天帝).
Still concealing numerous secrets.
To think the Returning to One Realm had detected the location of the righteous faction's number one figure, who had now become a madman wandering the martial world?
"What is it that you want?"
"You will know once you go."
The eyes of the envoy beneath the mask narrowed.
The intention was clear.
The Returning to One Realm Lord.
He desired the death of the Heavenly Emperor.
"Why."
At Bu Eunseol's question, the envoy turned around without answering.
They were certain of it.
That in the end, the two of them had no choice but to clash.
"Grudge calls upon grudge... does this cycle have no end?"
A deep shadow of agony was cast upon Bu Eunseol's face.
In the martial world built upon the karma of gratitude and grudges, no one could be free from the chains of cause and effect.
For that reason, one had to doubt even a fleeting moment of warmth, and remain vigilant even against a passing goodwill.
A small grace received today might become the shackles of a debt tightening one's neck tomorrow...
Gratitude and grudges were like a destiny that could not be severed, no matter how strong one's will to cut them off might be.
* * *
The location informed by the envoy of the Returning to One Realm was.
A mountain peak where human footsteps rarely reached, near the summit where the eternal snow never melted.
It was said that every year on a certain night in early spring, a moment arrived when the Big Dipper aligned in a straight line above the peak.
Tonight was such a night.
As the seven stars aligned in a single row and pointed at the peak, a black space hidden at the summit opened.
Ziiiing.
As a space with an unfathomable depth, like a black lake, was created, Bu Eunseol immediately entered inside.
The wavering interior did not feel like something physical, but rather as if space itself had been distorted and created.
'It was said one must discard distracting thoughts.'
To pass through this door, a state of no-mind (無念無想) was more important than the strength of one's martial arts.
When one empties out all desires and distracting thoughts and maintains only a pure spirit.
The wavering vortex of space would subside, and it would accept the one trying to enter.
As he walked with an emptied mind.
The distorting black space regained its stability, and Bu Eunseol was able to enter inside.
Then, a mysterious scenery unfolded.
Beneath his feet was an endless abyss, and above his head unfolded an infinite space resembling the cosmos.
Indigo and purple nebulas gently floated through the space, and in the distance, massive stars were burning, emitting light.
Seeing shooting stars with golden tails occasionally cross the space without a sound gave him a strange feeling.
"So this is the secret vault of the Baekri Family."
The secret vault of the Baekri Family he had seen before had a scenery like an ancient forest, and buildings of unique architecture were erected there.
However, this place was closer to a mysterious space like the Land of the Limitless, rather than a secret vault (祕庫).
"It is silent, yet noisy."
Because no sound could be heard inside.
His heartbeat, the sound of his blood flowing, and every single breath felt as loud as thunder.
But in the vast space, stones were seen floating and drifting in the empty air.
The stones moving here and there were drawing sparkling trajectories, as if silver powder had been sprinkled.
"Was it destroyed?"
Bu Eunseol could guess that this beautiful interior was actually not intact, and
that the state of the floating stones was not how they were originally meant to be, but because a part of this place had been destroyed or broken.
As he took another step, a faint afterimage spread out in front of him.
It was the image of those who had passed through this place with the exact same stride and direction as Bu Eunseol.
'Fascinating.'
As he focused on the afterimage, the shadows became clearer. As he continued to concentrate his mental power, the afterimages began to vividly move like a picture book.
'Is it lingering thoughts?'
The afterimages seemed to be the condensed lingering thoughts (殘念) that had permeated into the footsteps of those who had passed through the secret vault.
Rumble.
At that moment, a vibration that shook heaven and earth spread out from afar.
As he immediately deployed his movement technique toward where the sound came from.
Swoosh.
Instead of his body moving forward, the surrounding scenery began to be pushed backward.
It felt as though the target destination was being pulled right before his eyes.
Rumble. Rumble!
After the scenery flowed by for a long while.
At some point, in the distance, a figure cloaked in pitch-black, ink-like currents could be seen floating in the air.
He was a middle-aged man whose features were like fine jade, but with thick veins bulging all over his body, and the shape of an evil spirit spreading like a haze behind his back.
The Heavenly Emperor.
The madman who had stood at the pinnacle of the righteous faction martial world, but ultimately lost his reason and wandered the martial world.
He was finally encountered in the secret vault of the Baekri Family.
Rumble! Rrrumble.
But surrounding the Heavenly Emperor, dozens of massive dragons were forming a vortex, besieging him.
Their scales shone like brilliant pearls, and their golden eyes were filled with killing intent and fury.
'Is it a barrier?'
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate.
The place where the Heavenly Emperor and the massive dragons were was completely separated in space from where Bu Eunseol was.
A barrier had been deployed.
Crash!
With the sound of thunder, the massive dragons began to rush in to tear and devour the Heavenly Emperor.
As the one taking the lead opened its massive mouth.
Vwooong.
Inside its maw, a holy light that seemed to purify the world was condensing as if it were about to explode.
"Kahat!"
Roaring like a beast, the Heavenly Emperor soon grabbed the dragon's jaw that harbored the light, and tore it apart in a single breath.
―'Keuhung!'
The moment the massive dragon twisted its body while letting out a painful groan, he struck the dragon's lower jaw with his left hand.
Crunch!
Along with a terrible rupturing sound of bones being crushed, the massive dragon turned into divine light (神光) and scattered in all directions.
Swish!
With a sound cutting through the atmosphere, another massive dragon's tail struck the Heavenly Emperor.
Kwaaang!
His body bounced off like a cannonball and crashed into the ground.
Rumble!
Judging that they had seized the victory, the massive dragons descended in unison toward the fallen Heavenly Emperor.
Kwaaang!
In that moment, the Heavenly Emperor, who had brought down the debris, turned into a black flash and soared into the sky once more.
Before anyone knew it, he was covered in an energy where demonic qi and madness were mixed together.
And a black energy was spreading out like a haze from both his hands.
Swoosh!
Disregarding defense, he smashed and tore apart the rushing massive dragons.
Dragons' heads burst open, and their spines were snapped by his kicks.
The massive dragons fiercely counterattacked as well, biting and scratching his entire body and scattering blood.
While one dragon dealt with the Heavenly Emperor, two or three others rushed in and tore off his flesh.
The fight reached a climax and their movements became as fast as light.
Before anyone knew it, their figures were becoming a shape where various radiances were tangled together.
Boom. Boooom.
At that moment, a low vibration and a bizarre sound rang out, and a transparent vortex began to swirl above Bu Eunseol's head.
Crash!
At the same time, a dragon's head was slowly descending from within that vortex.
'Dangerous!'
Bu Eunseol unleashed Swift Beyond Shadow in an attempt to close the distance in a single breath, but.
Rumble!
Before he knew it, the massive dragon was wrapping around Bu Eunseol's surroundings.
It was as if it recognized him as an intruder of the secret vault.
'It can't be helped.'
Shiiing.
Drawing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, he swung with all his might at the massive dragon, but with a fizzing sound, only sparks flew.
He couldn't even leave a scratch on the thick scales.
Krrrrk!
In the meantime, the massive dragon opened its massive mouth, trying to devour him.
Bzzzt!
Bu Eunseol continuously retreated backward while emitting sword-qi.
'It won't be cut.'
Were the scales thick?
Or was it because of the mysterious energy flowing from the massive dragon's body?
No matter how much he attacked, he could not inflict a blow.
'Fine.'
Flash!
In an instant, a brilliant light dyed all directions white, and soon the light flowing from the massive dragon's body disappeared in a flash.
By unleashing the Heaven-Breaking Desolation Harmony, he had annihilated the mysterious radiance surrounding its scales.
'Now!'
Flash!
Catching the opportunity, Bu Eunseol unleashed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing the Moon stance.
Ziiiing.
A red line that sliced the whole world in half shot forward, severing the massive dragon's neck in a single breath.
Paaat!
As its neck was cut, the massive dragon scattered into tens of thousands of brilliant dots of light.
And in its place, a sparkling stone floated into the empty air and began to drift.
It was extremely similar in shape to the stone fragments he had seen before entering this place.
However, unlike what he saw at the entrance.
The stone created just now was emitting a radiance like the sun.
Bu Eunseol unknowingly snatched the stone by unleashing Telekinesis.
Snatch.
As he grabbed the stone, a strange thing happened.
A flash sparked from his hands, and suddenly he felt as if his body was sinking endlessly downward?
"This place is."
Bu Eunseol widened his eyes.
Before he knew it, he had moved to a space with thousands of doors engraved with bizarre patterns.
And the stone he was holding in his hand.
Had turned into a bead the size of a human head, floating before his eyes.
The bead was like a living heart.
It was pulsating at a weak but regular interval, and light was flowing from its inside.
Also, complex patterns like capillaries were engraved on its surface, making it look as if bright red blood had flowed inside it.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol unknowingly placed his hand on the floating bead.
The bead he had thought would be cold was hot like a living creature.
At that moment, as if parched earth was sucking in water, he felt blood draining from his palm.
In that instant, the world flipped upside down.
'Keuk.'
Along with a severe pain as if the blood in his body was flowing backward, a flood of information assaulted his mind.
It was not organized knowledge.
They were fragments of sensations, memories, and enlightenments that a single existence named Baekri Family had experienced throughout its entire life.
'So the secret vault of the Baekri Family is...'
Accepting the massive amount of information entering his head, Bu Eunseol finally realized.
'Was it a place to transmit their knowledge?'
Hearing it called the secret vault of the Baekri Family.
He had always thought it was a treasure storehouse where some treasure or secret manual was hidden.
But in reality, it was a place intended to transmit the knowledge they left behind.
'So that was why.'
In the martial world, there were several places known as the secret vault of the Baekri Family.
But according to the Dark God Heavenly Lord's words, most of them were devices meant to maintain dragon pulses or barriers.
The true secret vault was a place where beads transmitting knowledge were gathered, like this one.
'Come to think of it, during combat, the figures of the Baekri Family all transformed into the shape of a White Dragon.'
A strange curiosity arose.
Why do the blood relatives of the Baekri Family always take on a form like a White Dragon when they use their power?
Then, knowledge began to pour into his head.
―'Our main family, to stop the existence that tries to devour all laws and life.'
To judge the demon (魔) that human strength can absolutely not stop.
The judge in the shape of a dragon.
We volunteered to become sacrifices to the primeval existence that is causality and law itself.
As a result, we could form the contract of Life Dedication with the Primeval Dragon.
'A dragon.'
It was a somewhat absurd story.
But in the families or sects of the martial world.
Legends of being descendants of dragons, or descendants of gods, were often passed down.
Was there not a legend passed down that the founder of the Divine Maiden Palace was Yohee, the daughter of Shennong?
Since a dragon traditionally means a divine existence.
Rather than making a contract with a real dragon.
It would be more correct to view it as making a contract with some powerful ancient existence.
'But Life Dedication? Don't tell me they sacrificed their lives?'
Flash!
At that moment, the space where thousands of doors were spread out disappeared.
Bu Eunseol woke up again in the secret vault in reality.
'Could it be.'
He suddenly realized something.
'With each stone created every time I deal with those massive dragons... does it mean I can obtain one answer to a question?'
Vwooong.
At that moment, another massive dragon was thrusting its head from the swirling currents.
Was it fortunate or unfortunate?
Unlike the Heavenly Emperor inside the barrier, dragons appeared one by one for Bu Eunseol.
Paaat!
Bu Eunseol, without even having time to think, poured out Harmony once again.
As he cut off the massive dragon's head once more,
Paaat! Float.
A flash spread out, and another mysterious stone began to be created.
Snatch.
As he touched the sparkling stone again, his consciousness was sucked into the space spread with thousands of doors.
And the large bead he had seen before was created before his eyes.
'What is the contract of Life Dedication?'
As he placed his hand on the bead and asked the question once more, an answer was heard again.
―'If one sacrifices their life every time, they cannot judge the demon (魔)...'
Excluding the Life Dedicator who tries to maintain the primeval contract through rituals.
All the blood relatives of the Baekri Family sacrifice their personality as the price for using their power.
'Personality.'
Only then did Bu Eunseol.
Able to understand why the figures of the Baekri Family had no choice but to be born with split personalities.
They were sacrificing a personality, which is like their very soul, and in return, they were bringing down a primeval existence possessing divinity (神格).
'The split personality is the condition to use the power of the Baekri Family.'
Perhaps the people of the Baekri Family.
Were not born with split personalities by nature, but artificially induced it.
Because if they did not create a personality to be the sacrifice, they would become monsters who lost all their humanity.
'But the power of the Baekri Family I've seen so far didn't look that strong.'
Although they were known to oppose the True Demon.
The blood relatives of the Baekri Family he had met so far.
Although they were figures of the Branch Family, of course.
Other than transforming into a White Dragon, they didn't seem to possess such great power.
Even the massive dragon guarding the secret vault did not easily fall to the power of Harmony, did it?
Swoosh.
As he returned to reality once more, fortunately, another massive dragon appeared.
And in the same way, he endlessly threw questions.
―'Because the figures of the branch family do not sacrifice a personality.'
They merely imitate the technique of Dragon Transformation Manifestation to eliminate the enemy, without anger, without sorrow, without joy.
'Then is the power of the people of the main family different from that of the branch family?'
Every time he obtained a stone, the answers to his questions began to enter his head.
―'The Profound Divine Technique Qi is an authority that executes the principles of the world.'
If one unleashes Dragon Transformation Manifestation taking the shape of the Primeval Dragon, that power far exceeds the human level.
The dragon's eyes can see causality, and the dragon's teeth can sever the connection between cause and effect.
Bu Eunseol was inwardly greatly surprised.
For example, even if an enemy trained hard for decades to unleash a power to oppose the power of the main family.
Through the Profound Divine Technique Qi, what if one severed the cause of him having trained for decades? Wouldn't it render the defense itself meaningless?
Also, the moment Dragon Transformation Manifestation is generated.
Every single scale covering the body contains an independent time and space, a barrier, so they cannot be attacked by the enemy through any method.
But there was a price.
The more they used the power.
The separated personality would slowly disappear, and even the original personality would faintly fade away.
'So that was it.'
Having received the knowledge, Bu Eunseol could finally realize the true nature of the Baekri Family.
The blood relatives of the Baekri Family, who were called the number one family under heaven, sacrificed themselves to oppose the True Demon.
Every time they used that power, even their very existence as themselves slowly became lost.
Vwooong.
Returning to reality once again, Bu Eunseol's eyes sparkled.
Since he knew the true nature of the Baekri Family.
It was time to ask the one question he had desired the most so far.
Where is the main base of the Baekri Family?
If he could find that main base.
Along with the inner details regarding his father, he could find out the situation of the family opposing the True Demon.
However, in the meantime, the swirling white currents disappeared, and the massive dragons no longer appeared.
'Is the number predetermined?'
If this is how it ends.
He wouldn't be able to resolve the curiosities about the overall Baekri Family, such as where the figures of the Baekri Family are, or what they have been doing until now.
However, there was no need to feel regret...
Before long, through his connection with the Ten Thousand Dragons Cave, Bu Eunseol would learn how to enter the Baekri Family.
'To think it would turn out like this of all things.'
Of course, because the interior of the secret vault was collapsed and ruined.
He was expecting that the remaining information would be very limited, or that the function of the secret vault might stop.
But the reason he had felt relieved was.
Because massive dragons were endlessly attacking the Heavenly Emperor inside the barrier.
As if to prove it, massive dragons were still attacking the Heavenly Emperor.
To think dragons would no longer appear for him?
Rumble.
In the meantime, the Heavenly Emperor annihilated several more massive dragons.
Every time he did, the madness spreading from the Heavenly Emperor's eyes noticeably decreased.
'Besides, they look like a slightly different type of dragon.'
Unlike the massive dragons that attacked Bu Eunseol.
The dragons processed by the Heavenly Emperor did not create sparkling stones.
However, every time the massive dragons scattered into dots of light and disappeared, those lights seemed to be partially absorbed into the Heavenly Emperor's body.
'Why does he not look at me.'
The distance from the Heavenly Emperor was roughly thirty jang.
Moreover, this place was wide open, so from the perspective of experts with super-senses, it was no different from being right under his nose.
Even though there was a barrier.
It only separated the space, not the vision.
But the Heavenly Emperor had not discovered him all along and was just continuing to fight the massive dragons?
'If it's not visible.'
Clack.
As he erected the Silent Tiger Soul Sword to the middle level, dark blue ripples created from the tip of the sword spread out in concentric circles.
'I will break it.'
However, the barrier installed inside this secret vault would be on a different level from those he had encountered so far.
Because the boundary of the separated space was heavily distorted and twisted unlike the barriers until now.
'With a power that surpasses the Triple Overlap.'
Ziiiing, ziiiing.
Before he knew it, the number of ripples rising from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword went beyond one, two, three... and was finally reaching four.
Creak, creak, creak.
A vibration as if the blade of the sword was twisting was transmitted through the Silent Tiger Soul Sword to his grasp.
Until now, the maximum Harmony his physical body could handle was three consecutive strikes, Triple Overlap.
Now that his martial prowess had reached an even higher level.
To break that limit, he was trying to pour out a Harmony that transcended the Triple Overlap.
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