"Death is merely returning to the origin."
Whoosh!
Black sword pellets began to pour from Bu Eunseol’s black sword.
"Argh!" With screams, the Sword Pavilion disciples started sustaining heavy wounds from the sword pellets.
This was a power even Bu Eunseol, who intended to unleash the Life Lodges, Death Returns Blade, hadn’t anticipated.
‘This technique is effective against multiple enemies.’
The Life Lodges, Death Returns Blade becomes a technique that courts death when facing a single opponent. But against multiple foes, it transforms into a demonic blade art that brings death to surrounding enemies.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The Flame Flower Corps and Lotus Corps deflected the cascading sword pellets, rapidly closing in on Bu Eunseol. Ordinary disciples wouldn’t have dared to deflect the pellets, but dozens of them unleashed sword energy together, amplifying their power.
‘Martial arts aren’t about power, but intricacy.’
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two sharp streams of energy began to swirl around his body.
As the formation’s power intensified, Bu Eunseol didn’t rely on the Seven Blood Tear Forms but unleashed the Thirteen Guiding Energies with his left hand.
Then, he switched back to the Seven Blood Tear Forms, scattering sword pellets.
Clang! Clang!
As sword pellets, sword energy, force, and sword wind collided in succession, a storm that seemed to swallow the world spread out. At the same time, the energy waves clashing in the air soared to the heavens.
‘That guy!’ Watching the battle, Elder Nengyin’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t the intricate power of the Thirteen Guiding Energies. It was the mysterious wave of sword pellets rising like foam.
‘That guy’s using the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s blade techniques?’
Elder Nengyin had once witnessed a duel between the orthodox hero Iron Essence Flying Blade and the Seven-Finger Demon Blade. And now, she realized that the blade techniques Bu Eunseol was using were strikingly similar to those the Seven-Finger Demon Blade used to sever the Iron Essence Flying Blade’s neck.
"Is that guy the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s successor?"
Elder Nengyin trembled.
The great killer who once plunged the martial world into fear, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, had a successor?
Was that why this young man reached such a level of martial prowess?
"He must be killed!"
The Flame Flower Corps and Lotus Corps, trained for over fifteen years to master the Silent Void Annihilation Formation, were the pavilion’s greatest force.
Even if they couldn’t catch the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, they could surely capture this fledgling.
"Second Formation, Resentment and Suffering Form—destroy his sword techniques!" At Elder Nengyin’s command, the sword techniques of the Flame Flower and Lotus Corps shifted again.
Resentment and Suffering.
It signifies the pain of meeting a hated person.
But in the Silent Void Annihilation Formation, it refers to a technique where combined sword energy clashes with the opponent’s weapon, subduing them with overwhelming power.
Swish! Swish!
The sword energy didn’t target Bu Eunseol’s vital points but chased the black sword he wielded.
Striking a skilled martial artist’s vital points with sword energy is extremely difficult. But targeting their weapon isn’t as hard.
Clang!
As the sword energy burrowed into his black sword like a living creature, Bu Eunseol’s bones ached, and sweet blood welled in his mouth. But the more injured he became, the more his eyes blazed red.
The Seven Blood Tear Forms.
This blade art of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, grew more powerful the closer one was to death.
‘I’ll shatter the formation in one blow with the Seeking Life in Death Form.’
The second technique of the Seven Blood Tear Forms annihilates the retreating space of an enemy delivering a critical strike.
He aimed to collapse the formation with the Seeking Life in Death Form.
Boom! Boom!
Bu Eunseol deliberately clashed against the powerful sword energy, shaking his body. As the formation’s effect took hold, blood trickled from his mouth, and his sword momentum weakened.
The disciples, cheering, rushed to sever his neck.
Humm.
At that moment, a low vibration sounded, and black haze rose from the blade of his black sword. Simultaneously, dark energy flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, enveloping the charging Sword Pavilion disciples.
Following the trajectory of that energy, executing the blade technique would take the lives of all living beings in that space. But to Elder Nengyin, ignorant of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s capabilities, it looked like Bu Eunseol’s desperate struggle before death.
Click.
As Bu Eunseol twisted his grip on the black sword to unleash the technique—
"Stop!" A clear voice rang through the air.
Whoosh!
A massive white sword energy poured between Bu Eunseol and the formation.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, a large gap formed between Bu Eunseol and the Flame Flower and Lotus Corps.
Tap.
A white-robed figure descended from the air. It was A-Yeon.
"Why are you here?" Elder Nengyin asked, shocked, and A-Yeon sighed.
"Elder, how could you do this?"
"It’s all for you."
"Repaying kindness with enmity is for my sake?"
"There’s no other way to break your demonic affliction."
"No way." A-Yeon said firmly. "Don’t you realize this method would shatter my spirit instead?"
"Of course, it’s painful now." Elder Nengyin said resolutely. "But you’ll thank me later."
Looking into Elder Nengyin’s stubborn eyes, A-Yeon realized something. Elder Nengyin, who had witnessed her nurtured heir fall into ruin, also harbored an unshakable demonic affliction.
"No choice, then." As A-Yeon raised her hand, numerous figures emerged from behind.
They were the pavilion’s leaders and disciples opposing Elder Nengyin’s tyranny.
"Are you, the heir meant to lead the pavilion, going to split it with fighting?"
"It’s not about splitting—it’s about doing what’s right."
"Wrong. You’re splitting the pavilion in two to save that demonic man!"
"Elder."
"Let’s see you try!" Elder Nengyin said coldly. "Half the pavilion follows me. Go ahead and split it over that man!"
A-Yeon bit her lip.
In truth, Elder Nengyin loved the Sword Pavilion more than anyone. But her twisted past made her obsess over the pavilion’s power and heirs, becoming increasingly authoritarian.
She couldn’t be wholly blamed.
"Elder." Bu Eunseol stepped forward.
"I heard this formation was meant to eliminate the Seven-Finger Demon Blade."
"Correct." Elder Nengyin smiled coldly. "If A-Yeon hadn’t intervened, your head would already be wandering the netherworld."
"Then let’s make a bet."
"A bet?"
Bu Eunseol glanced at the Flame Flower and Lotus Corps. "What if I break their formation?"
"What?"
"If I, alone, shatter this formation, what will you do?"
"What nonsense."
"You said this could catch the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, but that’s a pipe dream."
"Hahaha." Elder Nengyin scoffed. "You’re the one dreaming."
He had broken the First Formation, but Bu Eunseol’s body was battered. And hadn’t A-Yeon saved his life just before the Second Formation’s critical strike?
"You’re the one dreaming, aren’t you?" Bu Eunseol sneered. "To think you could catch the invincible Seven-Finger Demon Blade with such a formation."
"Such a formation?"
"Yes. Your failure to realize that proves you can’t judge the times correctly."
"Interesting. Fine." Realizing Bu Eunseol’s intent, Elder Nengyin nodded readily. "If you can break the Silent Void Annihilation Formation alone, I’ll step down as Supreme Elder and never interfere in the pavilion’s affairs."
"Good." Bu Eunseol stepped forward calmly.
"Let’s begin."
A-Yeon tried to stop him. "You only faced the First Formation. The true power of the Third Formation can’t be broken with energy or swordsmanship."
She blocked his path.
"This is the pavilion’s issue. You don’t need to risk your life."
A-Yeon knew. Bu Eunseol’s reckless bet was to peacefully resolve the pavilion’s division.
"It’s not just for that."
"What?"
"To open that woman’s twisted eyes."
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade was an invincible swordsman.
‘It doesn’t matter if Grandfather was the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.’
While mastering the Seven Blood Tear Forms, Bu Eunseol realized the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, was a transcendent figure who never suffered defeat. The Seven Blood Tear Forms he created weren’t meant to be broken by a formation.
"Let’s start."
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Elder Nengyin smiled.
"Fine."
Bu Eunseol voluntarily stood at the formation’s center. Elder Nengyin raised her hand.
"Immediately deploy the Third Formation, Separate Transmission Beyond Doctrine."
A tremendous energy wave enveloped Bu Eunseol. His body felt heavy, as if submerged dozens of jang underwater, and time seemed to slow.
‘This formation is entirely different from the others.’
Most martial world formations restrict movement through intricate patterns or amplify power by uniting multiple energies. But this mysterious pavilion formation was designed to seize the enemy’s mind and body, preventing any counterattack.
Humm!
The energy waves from sixty sword tips covered the world.
The disciples vanished, and a vast, round light enveloped Bu Eunseol like a thin veil.
Made of pure sword energy, it seemed capable of melting meridians and shredding flesh and bone upon contact.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol layered the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form, attempting to break the transparent sword energy veil surrounding him.
Swish!
But his sword techniques were absorbed into the round sword energy, vanishing.
‘Impressive.’ Hesitating to unleash more techniques while facing the formation’s unexpected power—
Whoosh!
Seizing the moment, sharp sword energy shot from the round veil, targeting his vital points.
Crackle.
Evading with Swift Beyond Shadow, the massive veil calmly enveloped him again.
The Silent Void Annihilation Formation, Third Formation.
It absorbed attacks, counterattacking when the opponent showed a flaw—a living sword energy veil that trapped the enemy, unbreakable and inescapable.
‘His head will fall soon.’ Seeing Bu Eunseol standing still in the transparent veil, Elder Nengyin cheered.
The pavilion’s heart techniques and swordsmanship could be summed up in one word: stillness.
They used defense as offense, sealing movement through tranquility. The Third Formation maximized this principle, trapping the enemy in an unbreakable sword energy veil, waiting for flaws.
‘He’ll soon rage like a wounded beast.’ Elder Nengyin was certain Bu Eunseol would flail like a caged lion, unable to endure.
But something was off.
Trapped in the veil, Bu Eunseol assumed a strange stance, as if calculating something. His body blurred, seemingly merging with the transparent sword energy veil.
‘Could he be using our pavilion’s Milyeon Heat Technique?’ Elder Nengyin, seeing through his intent, scoffed.
Bu Eunseol had memorized the Milyeon Heat Technique’s essentials and was applying its principles to the formation.
‘Hmph, he doesn’t know our pavilion’s swordsmanship and heart techniques are separate.’
In sects like Mount Hua or Wudang, swordsmanship and inner energy techniques harmonize. Knowing the inner energy technique allows one to deduce the sword intent, and mastering the swordsmanship reveals the heart technique’s operation.
But the Sword Pavilion was different.
Its heart techniques and swordsmanship were distinct, with almost no shared principles.
‘Try all you want.’
Elder Nengyin smiled faintly.
Even if he endured for ten days, he’d never grasp the formation’s secrets.
***
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol wondered.
‘This state could be called Half-Life, Half-Death.’ Contrary to Elder Nengyin’s expectations, he was unraveling the Seven Blood Tear Forms’ mysteries. Surrounded by the transparent sword energy embodying ultimate stillness, entering a prolonged standoff…
He recalled the Third Form of the Seven Blood Tear Forms: Half-Life, Half-Death.
“Third Form, Half-Life, Half-Death. Reaching a state where one neither lives nor dies…”
When he first read the technique, Bu Eunseol thought it was meant for a state of neither living nor dying.
But considering the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s undefeated path, that made no sense. With a single technique, he could cleave the sea. Who could reduce him to a corpse?
‘Perhaps neither living nor dying refers to a stalemate like this.’
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade must have faced enemies who, like now, hid their flaws, waiting like turtles for an opening. And Half-Life, Half-Death was likely an absolute technique to break such defenses and crush the enemy in one blow.
‘If I were the Seven-Finger Demon Blade… I’d first analyze the formation’s capabilities.’
The formation’s round veil dulled Bu Eunseol’s senses and weighed down his limbs.
Behind the unbreakable transparent veil, sixty disciples waited with burning eyes for him to use a technique. Any technique would create a moment of recovery, revealing a subtle flaw.
The formation’s disciples would seize that fleeting moment to counterattack. In other words, no matter what technique Bu Eunseol used, the formation’s counterattack was already in motion.
‘Invisible, yet already unleashed.’
A brilliant light gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
In a life-or-death situation, he was unraveling the Seven Blood Tear Forms’ mysteries, advancing his martial arts.
‘But without fully grasping the enemy’s mind and body’s movements… Half-Life, Half-Death can’t be executed.’
Pop.
Sharp sword energy from the round veil grazed his back.
Not only were they waiting, but they also seized perfect timing when he showed a flaw, launching unavoidable attacks.
Pop!
Blood spurted, and warm blood flowed down his back with the pain.
‘A warm back.’
At that moment, a memory flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
A lesson from his grandfather during a demonic affliction. The Cheonui Heart Secret, which synchronized with an enemy’s energy flow, came to mind.
But it required physical contact to activate.
‘Could the Beast Way make it possible?’
A flash of insight struck him.
The Cheonui Heart Secret required physical contact to discern energy flow. But with the Beast Way’s extreme senses? Perhaps it could be discerned through weapon clashes.
Humm.
Bu Eunseol immediately maximized the Beast Way. He deliberately exposed a flaw near his chest.
Swish!
Sword energy flew at him.
He stood firm, not dodging, but subtly moved his black sword to protect his vital points.
Clang!
Sparks flew as sword energy poured toward his neck.
A strange sensation passed through his mind and body.
‘It’s working.’ The Mind’s Eye technique, sensing even air’s tremors, and the Void Heart Command, discerning traces from a decade ago.
With these abilities at their peak, weapon clashes felt like touching flesh.
This meant… the Cheonui Heart Secret could be activated through weapon clashes alone.
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