Kuuuu!
As the Five-Colored Dragon swallowed all the pouring energy and soared into the midair at once.
The demon-god idol, as if feeling threatened, twisted all three of its heads simultaneously and roared.
Kwaaaak!
At that moment, the Five-Colored Dragon moved like lightning and bit off one of the demon-god idol's heads entirely.
Paaaaa!
Along with pitch-black blood, a dark light exploded and scattered in all directions.
Kuuuu!
The two remaining heads, wearing expressions of pain, once again spewed out massive darkness.
Then, the Five-Colored Dragon retreated and spread its large wings once.
With just that single movement, the color of the sky changed, and a blinding radiance spread out, tearing through the darkness.
Krrrrr.
As its attack was reduced to nothing, the demon-god idol began to writhe its entire body violently. Then, even the black sun floating in the sky churned and shook greatly.
As if intuiting that it was trying to explode everything, the Five-Colored Dragon crashed its own body toward the demon-god idol.
Kwaaang!
The moment they collided as if being sucked toward each other, the center of the black sun shattered like pieces and spewed out intense light.
There was no explosive sound.
Rather, as if all sounds were swallowed in an instant, only absolute silence flowed.
For a while, half of the sky was distorted with light, and the other half with darkness.
Everything around them, the trees, the rocks, even the sand of the desert, vanished.
At last the sky regained its true color.
Only the creature in black stood there, tall and unmoving.
Black lines were drawn all over his skin, and red blood was flowing from his mouth and eyes.
Crack.
The creature in black squeezed his right hand to recover his body, but the mighty Soul Demon Dharma Energy no longer flowed out.
"Uuuuu!"
As a roar filled with anger shook the heavens,
Ziiiing.
A faint light seeped out from his right hand, which was dyed black and glistening.
That light clearly illuminated the streak of light stretching far into the sky, created by the power of the Profound Divine Technique Qi and the Heavenly-Mandate Star unleashed from Bu Eunseol's body.
"Hehehe."
Letting out a low laugh, the creature in black leaped into the midair.
Then, he began to follow that transparent energy dividing the sky.
* * *
"Damn it."
So Okrim, who was quickly escaping the desert supported by Bu Eunseol, frowned.
"Where on earth do monsters like that keep appearing from?"
Having completed her closed-door training recently, So Okrim took pride in her own martial prowess to some extent.
Since she had mastered all the martial arts of the Seven Extremes Secret Cave by refining them, she thought she would never be pushed back even if she fought against the experts who dominated the current generation.
But the creature in black who had appeared out of nowhere was another matter.
He wielded an absurd power, enough to shatter an entire village with a single finger.
Not to mention, what about Bu Eunseol?
Against the demon-god idol capable of completely obliterating this entire area, he created the form of a massive dragon and destroyed it.
They only avoided the place because he had suffered internal injuries; otherwise, there was no telling how the battle would have ended.
"Let's rest for a moment."
At that time, Bu Eunseol, who had been spreading out his super senses, spoke calmly.
"Because I can no longer feel his presence."
He had unleashed the power of the Heavenly-Mandate Star all at once while already carrying internal injuries.
Those injuries had deepened, and he had fallen abruptly into the state of depletion.
Moreover, he had sensed that even So Okrim was deeply injured within.
So he seized the split-second opening when the Five-Colored Dragon and the demon-god idol collided, scooped her up in his arms, and quickly escaped the area.
After all, fighting the creature in black was not more important than So Okrim's life.
Tap.
The two landed on a cliff of a deserted hill.
"How is your body?"
"I'm fine. And you?"
"I am fine as well."
Before they knew it, his pale skin had regained its color, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
While deploying his movement technique, he had utilized his Prajna Great Power to treat his internal injuries.
"That's a relief... Ugh."
Rather, it was So Okrim who needed worrying.
She had poured out an immense shockwave comparable to the Buddha Venerable's Infinite Reversal Power, but pushed back by the force unleashed by the creature in black, she eventually coughed up blood.
At the time, she pretended to be fine, but she had suffered deep internal injuries.
"You couldn't finish the fight because of me, right?"
So Okrim wore an apologetic expression.
After all, the Five-Colored Dragon created by Bu Eunseol was overwhelming the demon-god idol.
"You avoided the place because of my injuries."
"No."
However, an unexpected answer returned.
"It would have been a difficult battle even if I went all out. To face such a formidable enemy using only sword techniques..."
Bu Eunseol shook his head with a bitter expression.
"...And I was suffering from internal injuries as well."
Even though he sensed that the martial prowess and power of the creature in black were abnormally high, he tried to defeat the opponent using only sword techniques.
It was a natural phenomenon because the path of the martial realm Bu Eunseol would soon reach was set.
But he blamed himself for not doing his best.
"Besides, the dragon I created wasn't my own power."
The fact that the power of the Heavenly-Mandate Star was unleashed in a moment of crisis was proof that the power possessed by Baekri Geomha was also being transmitted to him.
But Bu Eunseol was unaware of this.
He mistakenly believed that Baekri Geomha, who had vanished into the undetectable abyss of the spirit, had lent him his power for a moment.
"Then whose power was it?"
"There's a somewhat complicated story."
"I like listening to complicated stories."
"It's not a story worth telling others."
"Others? Are we strangers?"
At So Okrim's persistent questioning, Bu Eunseol shook his head firmly.
"I just don't want to say."
If he brought up the matter of Baekri Geomha for no reason, knowing So Okrim's personality, she would interrogate him all night long.
"You sure have a lot of secrets."
So Okrim looked at him sideways and spoke unenthusiastically.
"With so many unspeakable stories, who would ever want to marry you..."
Trickle.
At that moment, So Okrim coughed up blood once more. Her internal injuries were by no means light.
"I have a good medicine."
As Bu Eunseol rummaged through his robes, So Okrim reached out her hand.
"Do I look so weak that I need to borrow the power of medicine?"
Smiling confidently, she began circulating her energy while standing.
Shooo.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, not only did she instantly regain her complexion, but her internal energy, which had dropped to rock bottom, was restored in a flash.
"How fascinating."
Bu Eunseol let out an exclamation of admiration.
Although there were various sorceries in the Central Plains as well, secret arts that rapidly recovered internal and external injuries were extremely rare, and even those were mostly the martial arts of the unorthodox faction.
"After all, we are a sect of the Western Regions."
Grasping the meaning behind Bu Eunseol's words, So Okrim showed a self-deprecating smile.
"In the eyes of the Central Plains' martial world, there are many things that could be called sorcery."
Unlike the Central Plains' martial world which valued internal energy, the Western Regions valued external energy more, thus their external martial arts had developed greatly.
So much so that until the Mu Sect's Primordial Chaos Subtle Energy appeared, known as the essence of the Western Esoteric Sect.
The representative martial art of the Western Regions had been the Great Hand Imprint of the Little Thunderclap Temple.
"But just who is that pitch-black bastard? He seemed completely out of his mind."
"I don't know for sure. However, seeing that he uses the Soul Demon Dharma Energy and turned innocent civilians into demonic creatures... I suspect he is one of the True Demon's kin, proficient in the auxiliary arts."
"Civilians into demonic creatures?"
As So Okrim blinked her eyes, Bu Eunseol calmly explained what had happened so far.
From the bizarre rumors flowing out of the desert to the grand method that seemed to turn people into demonic creatures.
"Damn it."
So Okrim, who had been listening silently, clenched her fists and shouted.
"If I had perfectly mastered the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission, I could have smashed not only the miscellaneous pawns of the True Demon but even the True Demon himself in one go if he came."
"Sacred Fire Secret Transmission?"
Bu Eunseol tilted his head.
Although he was well-versed in all kinds of martial arts, it was his first time hearing such a name.
"Yeah, our sect's highest martial art."
So Okrim spoke proudly.
"The reason my grandfather told me to enter the Seven Extremes Secret Cave was also to lay the foundation for practicing this Sacred Fire Secret Transmission."
It was a surprising statement.
To think that the martial arts repository he had desperately urged her to enter even on his deathbed was merely to lay the foundation of martial arts?
"But until reaching a perfected Limitless Realm, it's a martial art that cannot be unleashed alone."
"You mean it's a martial art akin to the Infinite Reversal Power."
"Right."
So Okrim wore a gloomy expression.
"The palm art I unleashed earlier was also a forceful imitation of the profound principles of the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission to amplify its power."
Bu Eunseol nodded.
That unfamiliar martial art, the one in which So Okrim had concentrated a pea-sized point of power between both hands, had called the Buddha Venerable's Vajra Extermination Wave to mind.
It was precisely the incomplete Sacred Fire Secret Transmission.
"However, because I also practiced it alone... it's incomplete and not perfect."
"What do you mean by that?"
Bu Eunseol tilted his head.
Most supreme techniques include mental incantations that calm the mind, so it is a rule to practice them alone. Even among fellow disciples, it is extremely rare to train together.
Yet, she couldn't reach a perfected state because she practiced alone?
"This martial art requires meeting one's destined partner to practice together."
So Okrim said with a grin.
"Otherwise, it becomes a poison that can instead harm the practitioner's body."
"You mean it's a Dual Cultivation Secret Art."
Bu Eunseol finally realized something and nodded.
"So that's why when we first met, you said you were looking for your destined partner."
When he first met So Okrim along with Seo Jinha, she had spouted strange nonsense about looking for her destined partner.
As it turned out, the highest secret art of the Essence Three Realms was a Dual Cultivation Art of a kind.
It was completed only when two people trained together.
And she had been searching for someone to practice it with.
"Since we're on the topic."
So Okrim said with a resolute expression.
"For a long time, I've been thinking that you might be my destined partner to practice the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission with."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Is there a condition to clearly recognize the partner with whom you can practice the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission?"
"Of course."
So Okrim said confidently.
"My destined partner is... a peerlessly handsome man with a relaxed aura, as if a Divine Dragon had manifested as a human."
Bu Eunseol gaped in disbelief.
In the end, that condition... didn't it just mean a handsome person?
"Is that a condition passed down through generations in the Sacred Fire Branch?"
"No? A fortune teller told me?"
Bu Eunseol gaped once more.
"You were looking for a partner to practice your sect's secret transmission through a fortune teller?"
"He wasn't just a simple fortune teller. He already knew that I was looking for my destined partner!"
So Okrim looked up at the distant sky and said with an expression of admiration.
"He's said to be the best diviner in Zhejiang, having mastered astronomy and geography. Rumors are widespread that he's very miraculous."
Bu Eunseol rubbed his forehead.
The reason young maidens visit fortune tellers is, nine times out of ten, because they are curious about their future partners.
Moreover, if one asks what their future partner looks like?
Unless they intend to refuse the reading fee, they obviously have no choice but to say it's an outstanding and wonderful person.
"Anyway, I think it's time to learn the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission now."
So Okrim changed the subject with a serious expression.
"Because with my current martial arts, I can no longer face the formidable enemies pouring out."
Bu Eunseol partially agreed with those words.
Even against the unidentifiable creature in black from just now, they couldn't guarantee a flawless victory.
"Let's go together. To our branch."
So Okrim reached out her hand with a more serious expression than ever before.
"There's no other choice anymore."
Ultimately, So Okrim had been rambling on at length about destined partners and such for a reason.
It was groundwork to bring Bu Eunseol to the Sacred Fire Branch.
"I will decline."
Bu Eunseol waved his hand dismissively.
"How could I dare covet another sect's secret art."
"Why be so particular about such things between us?"
Placing a hand on Bu Eunseol's shoulder, So Okrim said in a low voice.
"We've shared life, death, hardships, and joys for a long time, haven't we?"
It wasn't entirely wrong.
Since meeting during the Black-and-White Witch incident, he and So Okrim had gone through various tribulations and defeated formidable enemies together.
Setting aside male-female relations, it was clear she was a reliable comrade to whom he could entrust his back.
'But.'
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
He hadn't even perfectly mastered the martial arts he had acquired so far. He had no desire to learn another martial art.
"Even if I take you to the branch, it doesn't mean you can definitely learn it."
At that moment, So Okrim said something entirely unexpected.
"To steal our martial arts, the Three Realms sent countless pursuers. But they ultimately failed to achieve that wish."
She continued in a subtle voice.
"Because even if they found the place, they can only enter with the branch's permission."
"You mean the branch selects the person."
"Right."
So Okrim said with a challenging gaze.
"Only a person chosen by the branch can learn the Sacred Fire Secret Transmission."
That single remark was enough to stimulate the curiosity in Bu Eunseol's heart.
'The highest martial art of the Three Realms, untainted by evil.'
The moment Bu Eunseol slowly stroked his chin with a grave expression, So Okrim came close and whispered low.
"I won't force you."
So Okrim knew Bu Eunseol's personality all too well.
Gazing at Bu Eunseol's sparkling eyes, she approached like a cat and said in a subtle voice.
"Just checking whether you're the person the branch chooses or not is fine. Taking a sneak peek at the profound principles of the martial art is fine too."
It was a temptation impossible to shake off, like the whisper of a devil.
Ultimately unable to reject So Okrim's proposal, Bu Eunseol,
"Alright."
Nodded his head without realizing it.
"Let's go take a look."
Bu Eunseol arrived at the Western Regions' Snow-Melt Plateau with So Okrim.
Above the plateau where the altitude was high and even breathing felt heavy, the waterways formed by melting eternal snow were intertwined like silver threads.
The two followed those waterways and headed toward the Red Lotus Gorge, dyed with red soil.
The gorge's entrance was obscured by mist that bloomed all year round.
Clouds settled down as if wrapping around the mountain's waist, creating a stillness that felt disconnected from the outside world, without even a single stream of wind reaching it.
The two pushed through the mist and advanced deeper and deeper.
Not long after, their field of vision suddenly opened up at the edge of the gorge.
A lake as clear and transparent as a mirror, where even time seemed to have stopped still, revealed itself.
"That's the place."
So Okrim pointed to the sacred lake of the plateau where not even the wind could touch, the Spirit-Bright Ice Lake.
"You mean that lake is the branch?"
"Yeah."
So Okrim smacked her lips.
"I thought training martial arts to death in the Seven Extremes Secret Cave was the end, but it turned out those were all just steps to come here."
Muttering low, she slowly steadied her breathing, then formed a circle with both hands and slowly gathered them in front of her dantian.
Ripple.
As a clear air current gradually bloomed from the tips of So Okrim's fingers, the lake began to tremble minutely.
Brrrrr.
Before long, that air current turned into a mysterious light, and the lake's water was being sucked deeply inward.
It looked as if, due to her power, something was awakening from the bottom of the lake.
Swaaaash.
Before long, the water's surface opened smoothly to the left and right like silk, and stairs leading downward were created.
The entrance to the Sacred Fire Branch had been located inside the lake.
'As expected, is it a faction created by the Baekri Family?'
The Three Realms had been established by the Baekri Family in the first place, and was built on martial arts created in imitation of their power.
And the Essence Three Realms seemed to have inherited the origin of that martial art intact.
The energy So Okrim had put out a moment ago, working the mechanism inside the lake, carried a grain extremely close to the Profound Divine Technique Qi.
"How fascinating."
Bu Eunseol let out an exclamation.
"To have built a branch in a lake like this."
It was fitting for a faction that had inherited the power of the Baekri Family, the legend of the martial world.
The location of the branch that hid those martial arts, and even the method of entering it... were truly beyond imagination.
"Follow me."
Taking the lead, So Okrim went down beneath the lake.
Upon reaching the end of the stairs, a space unfolding in all directions looked as if it were filled with the stars of the night sky.
In between them, thousands of thin silver threads were entangled like spider webs.
Looking closely, they were not threads, but pure energy condensed and given form.
As they passed through the long passageway, an even more mysterious landscape was revealed.
The place they stepped on was a floor smooth as jade.
But looking up, instead of a blue sky, a landscape like the Milky Way flowed through a space as deep as the far ocean.
Far away stood trees that had not sprouted from any ground.
Giant trees growing upside down, rooted in the void, could be seen, and flowers holding starlight bloomed from their branches.
As they continued their steps, the landscape changed once again.
A winter snowfield piled high with snow unfolded.
But after walking a little further, didn't a lush summer forest under warm sunlight appear?
'This place is.'
Bu Eunseol's eyes widened.
In the past, when he entered the branch of the Divine Maiden Palace, there had been a similar passageway.
That passageway not only connected to the Mind World, but time flowed in a completely different current from the outside.
He had only stayed there for a short while, but several days had already passed outside.
But here too the seasons were changing at every step he took.
Could this be a space of the same kind as the branch of the Divine Maiden Palace? That thought occurred to him.
'If that's the case, I cannot enter.'
"Instructor So. Could it be that time here flows differently from the outside?"
Bu Eunseol's mind became urgent.
If the flow of time was different from the outside like the branch of the Divine Maiden Palace?
Right now, he absolutely must not enter.
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