Flash!
Without a moment's hesitation, Bu Eunseol hurled Harmony forward.
Sizzle.
Only transparent smoke spread outward. The barrier did not budge.
'I shouldn't unfold the Realm of Destruction and Extinction here.'
His previous battle with Baekri Jaha had taught him something.
Layering the power of one realm atop another caused an abnormal phenomenon.
Vwooong.
A sound like all the light in the world being devoured emanated from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, and an unusual pattern spread across its blade.
Rather than release Harmony all at once, he intended to layer it upon the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
'Ngh.'
A low groan escaped his lips.
Layering Harmony was an entirely different matter from simply unleashing the technique several times in succession.
He had to concentrate enough power for three separate attacks inside his body, then release it all in a single explosion.
The resulting burden was great enough to crush even Bu Eunseol's body in an instant.
If he failed while building layer upon layer of that energy over the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, the rampaging power would flow back into him and tear his body apart.
Crunch, crrrunch.
Before long, three layers of Harmony began to overlap.
Cracks spread across the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, and its immense power began transferring into Bu Eunseol's body.
Yet Bu Eunseol endured the pain and continued concentrating Harmony within the sword.
Claaang.
At last, all three layers of Harmony overlapped perfectly.
'Now!'
Bu Eunseol thrust his sword forward with all his might.
Flash!
As the triple-layered Harmony struck the gray sphere, a cracking sound rang out and a small fissure appeared in the barrier.
But the opening was only wide enough to admit a finger.
Even three layers of Harmony had failed to break the barrier.
'I must meet the Covenantor.'
He had no idea when another opportunity to encounter a Covenantor would arise. He could not let this chance escape.
Clench.
Bu Eunseol forced both hands into the fissure.
Then he began wrenching it apart with all his strength.
Crackle, crackle.
Lightning-like sparks sprayed from his body while vortexes of vibration waves raged around him.
Craaackle!
His body swelled to more than twice its normal size, and waves of true energy soared toward the edge of the sky.
Crack.
With a sound like something being crushed, the gap began to widen.
Ordinarily, a barrier could neither be touched nor destroyed.
But Bu Eunseol, who carried many different powers within him, exerted his strength with desperate resolve.
That made the barrier tangible enough to grasp and break like a physical object.
Crrrack.
At last, the opening widened enough for his palm to pass through.
Rumble!
Bu Eunseol used the power of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to slip inside.
Rrrrumble.
The instant he stepped through, a fierce gale greeted him, filling a space vast beyond measure.
What coiled around him from every direction was no ordinary wind.
Every particle of air swirled with a black sheen.
Rather than moving in straight lines, they followed grotesque spirals that made him feel as though he were walking through a dream.
The distinction between above and below had collapsed, while gravity pulled his body in every direction at once.
The darkness-dyed space surged like something neither solid nor liquid.
The boundary surfaces that might have been called walls repeatedly expanded and contracted as though breathing.
Fine motes of light drifted over their surfaces.
'How strange.'
The most alien sensation was that his ability to judge distance had collapsed the instant he entered.
Objects impossibly far away seemed close enough to touch, while those right before his nose appeared eternally beyond reach.
Even his own body was no exception.
His right hand had stretched grotesquely to three cheok, while his left arm had shrunk to the length of an infant's.
His legs bent in curves yet supported his weight without difficulty, and although his neck twisted in a spiral, his gaze still faced forward.
'This isn't an illusion.'
Had it been an illusion or a Mind World, he would have seen through it immediately.
In other words, this phenomenon physically existed. How could such a thing possibly occur?
'Scale.'
After pondering for some time, Bu Eunseol saw through the secret.
His sensory organs had not malfunctioned. The very units composing the space had been distorted.
One cheok was normally the same everywhere.
In this place, however, the definition of one cheok differed from point to point.
One cheok in the space occupied by his fingers had doubled, while the unit surrounding his legs had expanded fivefold.
Even the scale of his perception had been distorted alongside it.
His system of perception had readjusted itself to the warped space.
That was why he accepted his grotesque bodily proportions as normal.
It was like an image drawn upon a sheet of rubber retaining its proportions as the sheet stretched.
'It seems designed to prevent the careless use of martial arts.'
In a space that altered even the scale of perception, martial arts could not possibly be deployed properly.
It was fitting for a place that arrogantly observed the martial world from between the Baekri Family and the True Demon Palace.
The Sacred Domain's sorcery existed on an entirely different level from anything used in the martial world.
'Brother Nae must be invisible because of the distorted scale as well.'
The space had likely forced him to perceive his own body as distorted.
Naturally, it could also divide space itself or make something vanish.
'It can't be helped.'
He had wanted to avoid one particular course of action while inside a barrier.
He had hoped not to unleash the power of the Realm of Destruction and Extinction, but there was no other choice.
'If I end up fighting the Covenantor, I'll have to unfold the Void Extreme Realm anyway.'
Shaaaa.
Bu Eunseol unleashed the power of the Void Extreme Realm.
The raging gale vanished in an instant, and the distorted scale of his perception slowly returned to normal.
'Brother Nae.'
Two figures appeared in the distance.
One was Nae Bihon, dressed in the Swift Thunder Corps Leader's uniform embroidered with white lightning. The other was a bizarre shadow spewing black mist.
It was the Covenantor.
"What is happening?"
Whenever a Covenantor entered the martial world, he employed sorcery that not only concealed his form but also prevented his natural voice from escaping.
But the Void Extreme Realm was now exerting its power.
Most of the black flames enveloping the Covenantor vanished, and his natural voice emerged when he spoke.
If Bu Eunseol had entered a perfect Void Extreme Realm, the result would have been even more dramatic.
Not only would the Covenantor's bare face have been exposed, but he would have been unable to wield any sorcery at all.
Even so, he was so shocked that he stood within the black mist, mouth agape and unable to speak for some time.
"So Covenantors aren't ghosts after all."
At Bu Eunseol's remark, the Covenantor finally reacted.
"What did you just do?"
Realizing that most of the power circulating within him had vanished, the Covenantor shouted with naked hostility in his eyes.
"Do you know what punishment awaits those who interfere with the Covenant?"
Rather than answer, Bu Eunseol spoke to Nae Bihon.
"Brother Nae, would you give us a moment alone?"
After confirming that Bu Eunseol wore the face of Seolso, the Martial Soul Society Leader, Nae Bihon answered respectfully.
"Please be careful, Society Leader."
He immediately left the barrier.
Bu Eunseol had planned for precisely such a situation, so it was only right to entrust the matter to him.
"Martial Soul Society Leader."
The Covenantor seemed to recognize Seolso's face, and his expression turned exceedingly sinister.
"So you intend to make an enemy of me after all."
"I have no such intention."
"I will say it again. Merely interfering with the proceedings of the Covenant has stained you with an unforgivable crime."
"Then tell me where the Sacred Domain is."
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
"If I must be punished, I will go to the Sacred Domain and receive that punishment in person."
"Nonsense."
The Covenantor cut him off firmly.
"You have interfered with my work."
His expression twisted as he issued a threat.
"Everything you have built will collapse, including your position."
"And what is your position? Are you a Law Envoy or a Heavenly Mechanism Law Lord? Or does a Covenantor hold some separate rank called Covenantor?"
"What?"
The Covenantor recoiled in shock.
The Sacred Domain's hierarchy was kept utterly secret from everyone except the bloodlines of the Baekri Family and the True Demon Palace.
How, then, could this man know the ranks of the Law Envoys and Heavenly Mechanism Law Lords?
"I see."
As realization dawned, the Covenantor gave a derisive snort.
"You have crossed paths with members of the Baekri Family or the True Demon Palace."
"I have formed ties with them as well."
Bu Eunseol stared directly into the Covenantor's eyes within the black mist.
"I also learned the truths you were so desperate to conceal."
The Covenantor appeared deeply shaken.
The black flames barely maintaining his form flickered violently.
"What are you talking about?"
"Would you like me to spread the truth about the Baekri Family and the True Demon throughout the martial world?"
The Covenantor faltered briefly, but soon scoffed.
"No matter how loudly you shout such nonsense, who would ever believe you?"
His reaction was understandable.
To people who knew nothing of the Baekri Family or the True Demon, the truth would sound absurd.
No matter how passionately Bu Eunseol proclaimed it, they would hear nothing more than a fanciful legend.
"Perhaps."
Bu Eunseol took a wooden box from his robes.
Click.
When he opened it, a silver piece of metal lay inside.
He removed it and placed it against his left wrist.
Clack, clack.
The silver metal abruptly transformed into the shape of a dark Dragon-Phoenix Ring.
It was such a wondrous sight that one could scarcely believe it even after witnessing it firsthand.
"If I show them this metal created from the True Demon's knowledge, I imagine most people will believe me."
"How did you obtain that?"
"I have only one demand."
Ignoring the question, Bu Eunseol spoke with finality.
"I want the people of my Society released from the Covenant."
"Nonsense."
The Covenantor sneered.
"Do you truly think such a thing is possible?"
"I wasn't speaking to you. A Covenantor is only a Covenantor, nothing more than an errand runner."
Bu Eunseol continued calmly.
"Summon someone from the Sacred Domain who has the authority to discuss this matter."
"Discuss it?"
The Covenantor's eyes blazed within the flames.
Only then did he understand Bu Eunseol's intent.
"Then hand over that divine object. It is not something martial artists should possess."
"If our discussion reaches an impasse, I will surrender it without complaint."
Bu Eunseol's tone remained calm but firm.
"But if you try to reclaim my bargaining piece before the discussion even begins, that would not be a negotiation between equals. It would be submission."
His argument was reasonable while still showing respect toward the Sacred Domain.
"I keep my promises, so you have no reason to doubt me."
The Covenantor continued.
"But if you refuse to hand it over, negotiations cannot proceed. This is a matter of trust."
"That is impossible. I cannot give you this."
"Then we are at an impasse."
The Covenantor spoke coldly.
"Martial Soul Society Leader, from this moment onward you are an enemy of the Sacred Domain. Not only you but everyone around you will be quietly disposed of."
"Do as you please. However..."
Bu Eunseol spoke without agitation.
"Covenantor, be sure to tell the Sacred Domain Lord that because of your arbitrary decision, the object left by the Sacred Domain's successor will never be recovered."
"What?"
The unexpected words made the Covenantor's eyes flash as he whirled around.
"What do you mean?"
"Our negotiations have broken down. You no longer have the right to question this Society Leader."
"I..."
The Covenantor had nothing to say.
Bu Eunseol had asked only for equal negotiations, while the Covenantor had resorted to coercion and threats.
"I am a man who keeps his promises."
Bu Eunseol offered him one final chance in a conciliatory tone.
"If negotiations proceed, I will return the successor's object regardless of their outcome."
The Covenantor fell into a low, brooding silence.
The Martial Soul Society Leader rarely appeared in the martial world, but he was known as a man who always kept his promises and never spoke idly.
If he claimed to possess an object belonging to the Sacred Domain's successor, then he truly possessed it.
And since he had promised to return it regardless of the negotiations' outcome, he would assuredly keep his word.
"Very well."
After lengthy consideration, the Covenantor nodded.
"But you must keep that promise. Otherwise, I will become your enemy."
"Rest assured. I have no desire to become an enemy of the Sacred Domain either."
Ziiiiiing.
Bu Eunseol released the Void Extreme Realm.
The faint flames around the Covenantor's body began blazing fiercely once more.
Rather than leave immediately, he glared at Bu Eunseol for a time.
He wondered whether he had ultimately yielded to Bu Eunseol's silver tongue.
His pride belatedly began to sting.
But the time for preserving his pride had already passed.
After glaring for a long while, the Covenantor finally vanished into the distant sky.
The Sacred Domain conducted its affairs discreetly, but never slowly.
Less than three days after the Covenantor withdrew, someone with the authority to negotiate the matter came to visit.
It was none other than a familiar figure.
The old man of the Sacred Domain had not only freed Bu Eunseol from the Covenant, but had consistently shown him goodwill.
They met in the innermost reaches of the Martial Soul Society.
There was not a single stone pillar or ornament, making the place appear bleak and empty.
In truth, invisible formation arts and mechanisms densely covered the floor and ceiling.
Faintly trembling ripples of light searched for outside presences like living beings.
Ancient knowledge had been combined with the formation arts of the present martial world.
The result was a kind of living formation art in which will and energy had fused.
The formation itself judged who could and could not enter.
The moment anyone whose intentions conflicted with Bu Eunseol's entered, it sealed itself as though the space had never existed.
Absolute Domain.
Within this place called the Absolute Domain, Bu Eunseol faced the old man of the Sacred Domain.
"What in the world were you thinking?"
The old man knew that Bu Eunseol was the true identity behind Seolso, the Martial Soul Society Leader.
He began shouting the instant he arrived.
"Do you have any idea how much effort this old man spent freeing you from the Covenant?"
Still unable to calm his anger, he huffed as he continued.
"And now you want everyone around you freed as well? Are you trying to start an all-out war with us?"
Until now, the old man had shown Bu Eunseol considerable favor and offered him advice without reservation.
Bu Eunseol's sudden attempt to turn the entire Sacred Domain against him therefore felt like a profound betrayal.
"Is what I heard truly correct?"
"It is."
"What?"
"Is it impossible?"
The old man shouted, his face contorted with fury.
"Of course it is! You could not do such a thing even if you became the master of the Sacred Domain."
"You know that neither the Baekri Family nor the True Demon Palace is righteous any longer. Why, then, would you want people to enter their service?"
"Did someone tell you otherwise?"
The old man of the Sacred Domain raised his voice.
"I am only saying that you should save such insolent words until you possess the power to shatter both great factions!"
His fury was only natural.
He wanted Bu Eunseol to build a mighty force.
Yet over such a trivial matter, Bu Eunseol had done the unthinkable.
It was not enough that he had antagonized the Sacred Domain. He had also begun executing a plan that would throw away all the consideration the old man had shown him.
And all merely to free the people around him from the Covenant. The old man could not help feeling bitterly disappointed.
"Discard the small and take the great. If you harbor a great purpose, you must know how to abandon trivial matters and seize what truly matters."
The old man spoke with a frustrated expression.
"Would you risk your entire fate and gamble away everything you have built over something so trivial?"
"You are right. Thank you for worrying about me."
Knowing the old man's concern was sincere, Bu Eunseol answered respectfully.
"But this is neither an impulsive plan nor a matter of wounded pride."
"What do you mean?"
"I have been considering it for a long time. If a Covenantor approached someone close to me, I would resolve the matter."
"Why?"
"Because the Sacred Domain will become the greatest variable in the grand design I have laid out."
Bu Eunseol regarded the old man with a grave expression.
"Mok Do-in, the Sacred Domain figure in the Martial Alliance, clearly told me that he was merely an observer."
He drew a deep breath before continuing.
"But Mok Do-in disappeared and was replaced. His replacement cast the Sacred Domain's sorcery over the Martial Alliance and transformed it into an impregnable fortress that even I cannot infiltrate."
The old man fell silent at Bu Eunseol's words.
The matter Bu Eunseol had raised was treated with extreme sensitivity even within the Sacred Domain.
"That forced me to make my own judgment. Is the Sacred Domain secretly pursuing some objective of its own, or is it truly focused only on maintaining the balance between the two great factions?"
A gleam passed through Bu Eunseol's eyes as he continued.
"Or is it a place where individuals can judge matters as they please and change their minds at any time, regardless of their leader's will?"
The old man sighed.
Only now did he finally understand something.
Bu Eunseol had accounted even for the Sacred Domain's movements.
"Then tell me."
After a silence, the old man spoke.
"What exactly do you intend to do?"
"First, I want to ask why the Covenant must be obeyed."
Bu Eunseol took another wooden box from his robes.
"This letter was kept in the secret archive Mok Do-in built inside his office on the third floor of the Martial Alliance's Solitary Enlightenment Hall."
He kept his promise.
Before negotiations had even begun, and before hearing the old man's answer, he acted.
He handed over the Sacred Domain successor's letter first.
"Hmm."
The old man's eyes narrowed to slits as he accepted the letter from the wooden box. Countless emotions crossed his face.
'Perhaps...'
Watching him, Bu Eunseol brooded inwardly.
He had a feeling that the old man might hold a far higher position than he had anticipated.
"Yes, I see."
The old man tucked the letter into his robes and nodded.
"This letter alone warrants an answer."
The old man's wrinkled hand rose toward the empty air.
His skin seemed to split as mystical radiance poured from within, then gathered again at his fingertips.
Shaaaa.
The gathered light unraveled into threads and intertwined through the air, soon forming an enormous Celestial Chart.
The stars flickered minutely as though alive, while golden and silver nebulae spread into the distance.
Some stars blazed fiercely with red energy, while others trailed blue tails along graceful paths.
They moved somewhat slowly, yet followed a majestic order. The spectacle seemed to offer a glimpse into the realm of the divine.
"These are the heavenly secrets of the present age."
The old man's voice resonated through the Celestial Chart like the deep, solemn tolling of a colossal bell.
"You might call them the flow of fate itself."
When the old man's gaze turned toward one section of the Celestial Chart, the stars there trembled with particular instability.
"That is the star of one who rejected the Covenant. Such stars distort the very movement of the celestial bodies. Watch."
The old man pointed toward the star, and the previously regular, tranquil movement of the heavens suddenly fell into disorder.
Vwoom, vwoom.
The old man used his power, sending light from his fingertips in an attempt to calm the stars.
But their flow had already collapsed. The stars' trajectories shook violently as they sought to forge new paths.
The movement of that single, tiny star had thrown the flow of the heavenly secrets into chaos.
Thrummm.
The stars that had followed fixed trajectories abruptly lost their course and began releasing strange waves.
Thooom, thooom!
Countless stars began colliding.
Although it was only an illusion, the resulting vibration waves carried immense force.
With each collision, the whole world seemed to shake, the waves reaching even Bu Eunseol's skin.
"Do you understand now? Refusing the Covenant is not a simple choice. It twists the fate of the entire world."
'Wait.'
His awe at the breathtaking spectacle lasted only a moment before an odd sense of incongruity surfaced.
'If that depicts the flow of the people currently living in the martial world...'
Should his own fate not be among those tens of thousands of stars?
Yet every star was drawn by an immense gravitational pull and influenced all the others.
As Bu Eunseol watched, however, he could not shake the feeling that something was missing.
"Could it be..."
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize the shocking truth and speak.
"Am I not among those stars?"
The old man nodded as though he had been waiting for the question.
"That is correct."
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