The Great Ocean Divine Palm spread out like a whirlpool, centered on Buk Ri-seong's palm.
Pouring out dark blue light, it shot toward the Martial Venerable like an angry tidal wave.
"Hmph."
Even though he knew a terrifying palm force was rushing toward his back, the Martial Venerable smiled without even looking back.
Boom!
As his body was struck by the palm force, it soared even faster into the sky.
He had actually taken advantage of the power of the Great Ocean Divine Palm, reaching the boundary of the Primordial Heaven Forbidden Gate Heavenly Lock Formation spread over the Martial Alliance in a single breath.
Vwooong.
At that moment, a transparent light spread from the sky, and the Primordial Heaven Forbidden Gate Heavenly Lock Formation closed in an instant.
Gongsun Dankyung, who had been secretly controlling the formation, had closed it again to prevent the Martial Venerable's escape.
However, an unbelievable thing happened.
When the Martial Venerable's body collided with the Primordial Heaven Forbidden Gate Heavenly Lock Formation.
As if piercing through a transparent water droplet, did he not slip out of the formation in an instant?
'I already took measures.'
The Martial Venerable's resourcefulness and the schemes he set up were not to be taken lightly.
Preparing for even the worst-case scenario.
He had messed with the indestructible Golden Lock Formation Studies beforehand, which had never been broken until now.
He had already tampered with the Primordial Heaven Forbidden Gate Heavenly Lock Formation in advance, preparing so that he could easily slip out at any time.
"Catch that fake! We must never lose him!"
The martial artists of the Martial Alliance roared in unison and began to chase the fleeing Martial Venerable.
However, as long as the Martial Venerable, who had become the Martial God Heavenly Lord, was determined to flee, there was no one in the Martial Alliance who could block him.
Booom!
The Martial Venerable's figure instantly became a point of light and disappeared.
Watching that sight, Bu Eunseol's eyes deepened.
'It went according to plan up to here.'
The Martial Venerable had acted as the Alliance Leader for a long time.
Naturally, he would know a method or trick to neutralize the Primordial Heaven Forbidden Gate Heavenly Lock Formation spread over the Martial Alliance.
He had predicted that if pushed into the worst situation, he would flee without any lingering attachments.
The winner of this fight was Bu Eunseol.
'Martial Venerable, I shall postpone your death for a little while.'
The Martial Alliance was essentially the entire foundation he had built up until now.
Since he had brought it down today.
He had to execute and succeed in the true purpose of this plan.
"Wooooooo!"
At that time, the Heavenly Emperor began to erupt with a Lion's Roar.
As the Martial Venerable disappeared in an instant, he was about to pour out his erupting rage upon the martial artists flocking around him.
―'We are in big trouble!'
The high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance widened their eyes.
What if the rage of the maddened Heavenly Emperor was directed inside the Martial Alliance?
Even if they could suppress him, massive casualties could occur.
Ssssh.
At that moment, amidst the chaotic situation, someone secretly approached Bu Eunseol's side and offered something.
It was none other than Yu Cheong-rim, who had left a portion of the Spring and Autumn Annals at the Martial Venerable's feet under the cover of the chaos and vanished.
Ssk.
From his bosom, Yu Cheong-rim.
Passed the rest of the Spring and Autumn Annals he had received from Mu Gyeol back to Bu Eunseol.
Nod.
As their gazes met, Yu Cheong-rim nodded faintly and instantly disappeared into the crowd again.
'It has almost entirely burned away.'
Most of the Spring and Autumn Annals he received had burned, so after today... he would no longer be able to summon the Heavenly Emperor.
Therefore, this was the last chance.
"Heavenly Emperor! Follow me!"
Bu Eunseol, who deliberately raised his voice.
Paaat!
Unfolding the Land Flight Technique toward the place the Martial Venerable had pierced through, he soared into the sky in a single breath.
―'Woooo!'
Then, along with a long, drawn-out howl of pain, the Heavenly Emperor also suddenly began to follow Bu Eunseol.
It was because as Bu Eunseol unfolded his movement technique, he was burning the rest of the Spring and Autumn Annals he possessed with extreme yang energy.
"All of you, pursue the fake Alliance Leader, the Martial Venerable, who disguised himself as the Heavenly Emperor!"
Bu Eunseol, who shouted to Buk Ri-seong with internal energy.
Rumble!
Became a streak of a meteor and disappeared into the distant sky, and the Heavenly Emperor also quickly began to chase after him.
"The Martial Venerable... to think he was the fake Alliance Leader."
Vice Alliance Leader Buk Ri-seong, the high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance, and the Six Great Corps Leaders lost their minds for a moment.
They could absolutely not accept this suddenly unfolded situation.
"What are you doing!"
At that time, a man wearing luxurious martial attire embroidered with a phoenix appeared.
It was Baek Museong, who would become the next Alliance Leader.
"The Six Great Corps Leaders must immediately pursue the vanished tracks of the Martial Venerable, and the heads of the Five Halls and Eight Pavilions follow that Martial Soul Command Lord and assist him!"
At his shout, the high-ranking officials came to their senses and quickly unfolded their movement techniques to leave.
Vice Alliance Leader Buk Ri-seong also tried to unfold his movement technique in the direction Bu Eunseol had disappeared, but...
The two had already vanished without a trace.
"What should we do?"
Kwak Musu, the Iron Rectitude Pavilion Leader, who was looking at Buk Ri-seong stopped in mid-air, asked.
"The movement techniques of the two are so incredible that it seems we will not be able to pursue them at all."
"We must wait."
Buk Ri-seong, who was looking at the distant sky, wore a distressed expression.
As the Vice Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, he had managed the Alliance on behalf of the Heavenly Emperor, who constantly went in and out of closed-door training, and he knew to some extent about the true nature of the shady Martial Alliance and their atrocities.
The reason he could endure without showing it despite that was.
Because he thought that the Heavenly Emperor, the most righteous and strongest figure under heaven, would someday return to his duties again.
And return the Martial Alliance to a transparent and clean place.
However, only now did he finally realize.
That the Martial Alliance could not be returned to normal.
That from the very beginning, its original appearance was a boundless, pitch-black darkness.
* * *
Two streaks of flashes were endlessly cleaving through the mid-air.
It was Bu Eunseol and the Heavenly Emperor.
Rumble!
The Heavenly Emperor's pupils, dyed with madness, were fixed on the back of Bu Eunseol, who had become a flash.
To tear apart and kill the one holding the object that caused him pain.
He was rushing forward with all his might, like a beast trying to snatch its prey.
Booom!
Before they knew it, they had left Henan and reached the border of Shaanxi.
Bu Eunseol was spinning round and round in large circles, centered on a forest visible in the distance.
He was not shaking off the Heavenly Emperor who had caught up, but deliberately stalling for time.
Tap.
After drawing circles for a long time, Bu Eunseol landed in a wide clearing inside a certain forest.
Following closely, the Heavenly Emperor also descended to the ground with a roaring sound.
The moment he landed.
Ziiiing.
The complex patterns engraved on the trees and the ground around the clearing all emitted light at once.
A massive hemisphere of light poured down, turning the sky inside the forest pure white.
He had prepared a formation here in advance.
"Grrrrrrr."
The Heavenly Emperor, realizing he had fallen into a trap, bared his teeth like a beast.
Booom!
He spread a vibration wave that rang through the inside of the formation.
Sssss.
In the meantime, the Spring and Autumn Annals in Bu Eunseol's bosom were completely burned away.
Crack, crack.
Then, the Heavenly Emperor's somewhat bloated body recovered to its original size.
As the Spring and Autumn Annals were completely burned, the pain of his soul burning stopped immediately.
As his bloated body shrank, the energy swirling all over the Heavenly Emperor's body became even sharper.
The ferocity soaring from his eyes was also maximized.
Rumble, rumble.
The forest shook as if it would collapse just from the vibration wave rising from the Heavenly Emperor's body.
What if he had fought the Martial Venerable in this state?
A single strike of martial arts, rather than the Soul Demon Dharma Energy, would never have succeeded.
"Alliance Leader Sindo."
Even seeing that terrifying majesty of the Heavenly Emperor, Bu Eunseol, far from being afraid, actually wore a faint smile.
"To think you display this level of martial prowess even without a clear mind... You have truly reached a boundless realm."
His eyes contained sincere admiration.
The Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi.
Even in a state where he had lost consciousness, he, who was called the sky of the orthodox path, showed the aspect of a Great Grandmaster looking down on the world.
Facing that majesty like a towering mountain peak, feelings of admiration surged up naturally.
"Alliance Leader Sindo."
Bu Eunseol reached out his hand.
"You should come to your senses now and look at your beloved disciple."
At those words, thick killing intent flowed from the Heavenly Emperor's white-rolled eyes.
"...... I see."
Realizing that conversation was useless, Bu Eunseol lowered his hand.
"It is a pity, but your opponent today is not me."
Thump, thump.
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of heavy footsteps was heard from the forest covered in thick darkness.
The surface of the earth vibrated faintly, with an overwhelming pressure as if a massive mountain were moving.
From the pitch-black darkness, a huge shadow slowly revealed its form.
It was a person, yet it possessed a spirit that could not be called human.
Its entire body was covered in steel-like muscles, and its eyes burned with a madness that solely thirsted for the ultimate extreme of the Martial Dao.
The Human Demon.
The greatest martial arts maniac under heaven, and the only super-strong master capable of matching the rampaging Heavenly Emperor in strength.
Ak Muryeong had appeared.
* * *
Iron Staff Mountain, possessing a ridge as sharp as a blade.
Among it, the steepest Cheoljang Peak was a place no one dared to climb unless they had trained in martial arts.
At the summit, the only living things were a few strange pine trees stubbornly taking root in the crevices of the rocks, and ten-thousand-year snow sat upon it throughout the four seasons.
However, right now, what covered Cheoljang Peak was not the ten-thousand-year snow but a fighting spirit like a frost blade.
Because at the center of that summit, the greatest martial arts maniac under heaven and the current Nangyang Pavilion Master, the Human Demon Ak Muryeong, stood tall.
Even though he was merely standing simply.
As if overwhelming the entire Iron Staff Mountain.
He was emitting an arrogant and tyrannical energy, as if he had placed heaven and earth under his feet.
"Pavilion Master."
Bu Eunseol went before Ak Muryeong.
And suddenly came to find him without any prior notice.
"This disciple, in order to overcome the worst situation, needs the Pavilion Master's help."
Flare.
At that moment, a flame began to burn slowly in Ak Muryeong's crimson pupils.
'This bastard...'
Because he was the only successor anyway.
And because of the merit of finding the Arang Plaque, he had acknowledged him as the next Pavilion Master.
However, since that day.
Did he not often come to find him without notice and ask him to do troublesome things as if ordering an errand boy?
He endured it once, and suppressed it twice.
And when it became about the third time, he had reached the bottom of his rationality.
"Are you saying your swollen liver has now popped out of your belly!"
Ak Muryeong's voice shook Cheoljang Peak.
Crack.
The rocks beneath his feet trembled finely, and a pressure as if the atmosphere were splitting apart crushed Bu Eunseol.
"How long do you think the Arang Plaque will guarantee your life?"
Boooom!
With just a loud shout, a roaring sound erupted that shook Cheoljang Peak.
The crimson astral energy blooming like heat haze behind Ak Muryeong's back dyed the sky, and,
Crunch.
A destructive power that could shake the world with a single strike began to condense in his grasp.
It was only a matter of time before Bu Eunseol's bones and flesh were separated and scattered like dust.
However, even in the storm of killing intent.
Bu Eunseol was as unwavering as a clear mirror and still water.
Rather, as if he had been waiting for the moment.
The instant Ak Muryeong's momentum reached its peak, he quickly stated his business.
"I intend to return the Heavenly Emperor to normal."
Ssss.
Ak Muryeong's momentum, which had been burning fiercely as if to turn the whole world into a fireball, stopped like a lie.
"What did you say?"
"I mean Alliance Leader Sindo."
At that moment, the image of a certain man flashed through Ak Muryeong's mind.
The only rival qualified to discuss the world along with the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
The sky of the orthodox path, and a Great Grandmaster of peerless martial arts who easily blocked his two fists with his bare body.
To suddenly return him to normal?
"Are you saying you will strike him?"
Not only had the Heavenly Emperor become a madman and was poking around the secret vault of the Baekri Family.
But the fact that his fake corpse was at the Martial Alliance was something he had already heard well through the Death Spirit Corps operated by Bu Eunseol.
"About that..."
As Bu Eunseol's explanation continued for a long time, the space between Ak Muryeong's brows wrinkled ferociously.
"You're not fighting, but asking me to heal him?"
He is the greatest battle maniac and martial arts maniac under heaven.
If it were the Heavenly Emperor, who must have become stronger than in the past, and who had even let go of his reason, becoming even more unpredictable?
Even if he risked his life to fight, he would not be able to predict victory or defeat.
Yet not a fight, but healing?
"Rather than healing, it is returning his spirit to an intact state."
Ak Muryeong snorted and spoke firmly.
"Do you think this Pavilion Master would do such a thing?"
"If the Heavenly Emperor regains a clear mind, a worthy opponent capable of enhancing the Pavilion Master's martial prowess will return once again."
The Heavenly Demon Emperor no longer competed with Ak Muryeong, and the other Three Demons and Three Venerables were also continuing their training alone without clashing.
Whenever that detestable brat opened his mouth, he was spouting words that perfectly suited his taste.
"Impossible."
Ak Muryeong had no choice but to inevitably continue the conversation.
"If an expert like him has gone mad, there is no way to return him."
"This disciple has a method."
Bu Eunseol began to explain about the Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse created by his father Baekri Muha.
About how it could dig deep into a human's mind and become a clue to straighten a disordered soul, and about its possibilities.
"Since it is a sword method of life that makes everything intact, if properly landed, it seems it could return Alliance Leader Sindo's spiritual root to its original state."
Ak Muryeong, who had been listening to the explanation for a long time, snorted.
"Impossible."
"Pardon?"
"Such a technique is only useful for blocking energy infiltrating from the outside. It does not work on one whose spirit has collapsed and gone mad."
"I see."
Bu Eunseol nodded as if he knew that would be the case.
"I actually came to find the Pavilion Master because I thought that might be the case as well."
"What?"
"I thought that... with the Pavilion Master's Illusion Upon Illusion, the Silent Tiger Soul Eclipse could succeed."
There was an unwavering faith in Bu Eunseol's voice.
However, Ak Muryeong's eyes sank coldly.
"I am not interested."
"Pavilion Master."
"Get lost."
Ak Muryeong's voice was like a sheet of ice.
"If you make this Pavilion Master's mouth say the same words again, I will pull out your neck bones."
Killing intent covered Cheoljang Peak again.
Ak Muryeong never speaks nonsense. If he said the same words, he would truly pull out Bu Eunseol's neck bones.
Thwack.
At that, Bu Eunseol slowly took out something from his bosom.
It was a pitch-black jade plaque resembling a wolf's fang, the Arang Plaque.
As the Arang Plaque revealed itself, the corners of Ak Muryeong's eyes began to tear upwards toward the sky.
Sure enough.
That bastard had come... to do that act again.
"This disciple did not come to make a request."
Twitch.
Thick veins like snakes popped out tightly on Ak Muryeong's temples.
"Did you truly come because you want to die."
"Is the Pavilion Master not also a disciple of Nangyang Pavilion?"
Bu Eunseol spoke with a brazen expression.
"If you deny that and turn a blind eye to the authority of the Arang Plaque... This disciple has nothing to say even if I die here."
Tremble, tremble.
Ak Muryeong, whose eyes had rolled back white, clenched his fists tightly.
The Arang Plaque.
It was the sole divine object possessed by the Nangyang Pavilion, which had always been extremely poor.
It was the absolute token of succession for the Nangyang Pavilion Master, and a symbol of an undeniable oath.
If one denied the authority of the Arang Plaque, it meant denying the Nangyang Pavilion.
In other words, it meant denying being a disciple of Nangyang Pavilion.
Huff, huff.
A beast-like groan leaked through Ak Muryeong's tightly closed lips.
In his head right now.
The sly face of Dan Cheong, who had brought young Bu Eunseol to Iron Staff Mountain while holding his hand, came to mind.
He should have broken that bastard's two legs back then.
Otherwise, this dog-like situation would not have happened, would it?
"......."
Whether he did or not, Bu Eunseol was silently holding out the Arang Plaque.
An appearance like that.
From Ak Muryeong's perspective, it was a more powerful pressure than any martial arts technique.
Rumble, rumble.
Cheoljang Peak shook, and hot heat flowed from Ak Muryeong's hand.
Sizzle.
At that, hot heat began to rise from the Arang Plaque Bu Eunseol was holding out.
'You are determined to melt the Arang Plaque.'
Previously, Bu Eunseol.
Had visited Nangyang Pavilion regarding the matter of Seulgae, who had been brainwashed by the Jungson Family, and had held out the Arang Plaque to Ak Muryeong.
In the end, Ak Muryeong healed him without a word of complaint.
But according to Dan Cheong's words later on.
Ak Muryeong regretted giving the Arang Plaque to Bu Eunseol for three days and three nights, and.
Because of that, he persecuted and pestered the high-ranking officials of Nangyang Pavilion so much that they could not even breathe comfortably.
Yet when he brought up the Arang Plaque once more,
―'Wouldn't it be over if I just destroyed that thing and made a new Arang Plaque?'
The greatly enraged Ak Muryeong was finally melting the Arang Plaque with his internal energy.
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