‘I was the one who was arrogant this time.’
Bu Eunseol had no choice but to admit it.
If he had persisted in learning the fist technique and provoked the opponent into unleashing the Seven Fist Demon Forms repeatedly? He would have been killed instantly by the opening move of the Step Moving Heaven and Earth, or at the very least suffered severe injuries.
By foolishly showing leisure against a master like the Fist King, he had nearly ended up with his body shattered into pieces.
“It wasn’t a fist technique; it was a method of pouring out true energy.”
Seok Chi-haeng observed the airflow emanating from Bu Eunseol’s body and instantly realized that he had unleashed true energy rather than fist power.
“That’s why you were unscathed.”
“Indeed.”
“You survived by luck, but there won’t be a second time.”
With a sneer, Seok Chi-haeng once again unfolded his dual palms.
Just as he prepared to unleash the Step Moving Heaven and Earth once more,
Whiiiing.
A crimson airflow surged from Bu Eunseol’s body.
At the same moment, an immense pressure poured forward from him.
It was strikingly similar to the opening move of Seok Chi-haeng’s Step Moving Heaven and Earth.
“Heh heh heh. This guy is completely insane.” Seok Chi-haeng laughed heartily as he spoke. “If you could imitate the Step Moving Heaven and Earth instantly, this old man would…”
His words did not continue.
From the center of Bu Eunseol’s dual palms, which had assumed the exact same stance as the Step Moving Heaven and Earth, an identical airflow was forming, was it not?
‘He unleashed the Step Moving Heaven and Earth in a single glance?’
Seok Chi-haeng was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out, but soon a vicious smile crept across his face.
‘Hmph, even if he copied it, it’s useless.’
The terrifying aspect of the Step Moving Heaven and Earth lay in its ability to absorb any martial art into the swirling Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang airflow between the arms, then counterattack with the accumulated power.
Even if that brat had copied the Step Moving Heaven and Earth, he could not instantly master the profound principles of Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang.
“I’ll kill you!”
Seok Chi-haeng exerted his full strength and unleashed the Shadow Form Accompaniment.
Kwaaaar!
Blue airflow transformed into dozens of dragons and burrowed into Bu Eunseol’s body.
Shuuuuuu!
Yet something strange occurred.
From Bu Eunseol’s arms, ferocious airflow spread out, repelling the very Shadow Form Accompaniment that Seok Chi-haeng had unleashed.
“Gah!” Greatly startled, Seok Chi-haeng instinctively deployed the Step Moving Heaven and Earth. “I’ll return it to you as well!”
Through the airflow of the Step Moving Heaven and Earth, Seok Chi-haeng absorbed the fist power that Bu Eunseol had repelled, using the profound principles of Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang.
‘Huh?’
But something was wrong.
The fist power, which should have lingered in the swirling Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang airflow between his arms, was gradually approaching his own body.
Boom!
In the end, Seok Chi-haeng’s body was flung more than ten yards away.
‘What on earth happened?’
He could not comprehend the situation.
How had this occurred? Why had the airflow of the Step Moving Heaven and Earth failed to contain that fist power?
“What exactly did you do?” Seok Chi-haeng roared, his eyes bulging. “How did you steal this old man’s fist technique?!”
When Bu Eunseol remained silent, Seok Chi-haeng bellowed and repeatedly unleashed the fourth move’s fist techniques. Yet the more he did so, the more refined and powerful Bu Eunseol’s fist techniques became, did they not?
It was as if a master was demonstrating, and a disciple surpassing his teacher was meticulously reviewing it.
Shuut!
Bu Eunseol instantly closed the distance and poured a continuous barrage of fist techniques onto Seok Chi-haeng.
Paa! Paaaa!
A single fist, yet dozens of shadows poured out in succession around it.
He was employing the profound principle of the Shadow Form Accompaniment from the Azure Heaven Seven Forms.
“No chance!”
Seok Chi-haeng countered with the exact same opening move.
However, the Shadow Form Accompaniment combined with the Seven Fist Demon Forms was different from the Azure Heaven Seven Forms—the shadows carried the same power, and there were no feints at all.
Boom!
Unable to block Bu Eunseol’s fist shadow, Seok Chi-haeng took a direct hit to his lower abdomen and staggered backward.
“How is this possible?”
Seok Chi-haeng could not believe it.
He had lived with the pride of having reached the pinnacle of fist arts. Yet this young brat could instantly steal the Azure Heaven Seven Forms?
Moreover, he was executing them with improvements that surpassed Seok Chi-haeng’s own?
Kwaaaang!
But there was no time for deep thought. Bu Eunseol had unleashed his fist technique once more.
Boom! Boom!
As thunderous fist power poured in, Seok Chi-haeng tried to calm his confused mind and respond continuously with the Azure Heaven Seven Forms.
‘How is this possible? How?’
Yet the shock did not easily subside, and endless questions of “why?” arose in his mind.
As distraction constantly arose in his heart, his moves eventually became unstable, and his hands and feet grew disordered.
Thud.
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s fist, having closed in to point-blank range, buried itself in Seok Chi-haeng’s lower abdomen.
Seok Chi-haeng’s eyes widened in shock.
The renowned Fist King of the world was struck in the abdomen?
Was this not a sight one would only see in fights between third-rate martial artists?
“I simply cannot believe…”
Leaving only those words, Seok Chi-haeng fainted with his eyes still wide open.
Thump.
As he collapsed, Bu Eunseol wiped the sweat from his forehead.
In truth, all of this had been sheer luck.
He had merely applied the Azure Heaven Seven Forms, which shared the same profound principles, to the Seven Fist Demon Forms. In terms of pure fist technique skill, Bu Eunseol could never surpass Seok Chi-haeng, even if he died and came back to life.
Yet from Seok Chi-haeng’s perspective, it was as if a ghost had appeared who could instantly imitate the fist arts he had honed his entire life. Unable to accept the unbelievable events unfolding before him, his mental strength scattered, his moves lost stability, and he ended up taking a blow to the abdomen from Bu Eunseol.
“So he must have seen the same manual after all.”
Bu Eunseol discerned that Seok Chi-haeng’s Azure Heaven Seven Forms were also limited to the fourth move. That meant neither the Seven Fist Demon Forms nor the Azure Heaven Seven Forms were complete seven-move sets.
From the beginning, it was highly likely that only the four moves remained in a manual labeled as “seven forms,” and each had extracted them separately.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol looked down at the unconscious Seok Chi-haeng with an apologetic expression.
If he had fought all-out with a sword, he would not have won so easily.
Yet by using the nearly identical twin-like Seven Fist Demon Forms, he had absorbed and shattered the Fist King’s Azure Heaven Seven Forms.
Unable to maintain a calm mind amid the unbelievable situation unfolding before him, Seok Chi-haeng had collapsed.
In the end, the title of Fist King had been rendered meaningless by such a hollow defeat.
“I don’t know what you were doing here, so rest for now.”
Bu Eunseol sharply sealed Seok Chi-haeng’s pressure points.
At this level, he would not wake for three full days and nights.
“This place should do.”
Scanning the surroundings, Bu Eunseol discovered a small cave visible among the shattered rocks. After stuffing Seok Chi-haeng’s massive body into the narrow cave, he blocked the entrance with a large boulder. This way, he would be safe from wild beasts and endure without harm.
Crack.
Gazing at the fortress entrance, Bu Eunseol once again performed the Face and Bone Shifting Art, transforming his face into Seok Chi-haeng’s.
As the Fist King, he likely held a considerably high position, making it easy to spy on the interior.
‘Perhaps.’
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath as he looked up at the fortress entrance.
According to Yangseol Rin, there were forces in the martial world that operated in the shadows, opposing the Three Realms.
This place might be one of them.
Creak.
Disguised as Seok Chi-haeng, Bu Eunseol entered the massive tower’s entrance.
What unfolded before him was a scene beyond imagination.
‘What on earth is this place?’
Inside the fortress stretched a bizarre and grotesque landscape, as if drawn from a fairy tale.
Upon entering, a vast forest appeared, filled with unique trees and exotic flowers and plants never seen in the Central Plains.
Buildings shaped like enormous mushrooms were integrated with the trees, scattered throughout.
‘The material is unusual.’
Unlike being built from wood, the mushroom-shaped structures had surfaces dyed green, as if made from the shed skin of blue reptiles. From afar, they resembled houses crafted from sections of a giant Imugi*’s torso skin.
*Imugi - A reptile that would one day become a dragon. (from Korean mythology)
In the very center of the forest stood a tower dyed black, its surface gleaming like metal, etched with strange patterns.
‘Fascinating.’
It was astonishing enough that such a vast forest existed inside the fortress. Yet it contained unique flora and structures unseen in the Central Plains.
‘Moreover.’
Upon entering the fortress, the Ban-Geuk Method circulating in Bu Eunseol’s body was gradually weakening. Strange energies rising from the ground were interfering with the circulation of his true energy.
‘If it isn’t sorcery, then it must be imperial palace martial arts.’
Creating a fixed domain to seal inner energy could only be the long-lost sorcery of the martial world or the secret techniques of the imperial palace martial arts.
‘They say the lineage of sorcery was severed.’
On the surface, it was claimed to have been lost long ago, yet the Three Realms had used bizarre great arts and sorcery multiple times.
‘So that’s why they supported the extinct sects.’
The Three Realms had consistently restored long-severed lineages of lost sects.
Perhaps they had done so to recover sorcery and other arts that had vanished from the martial world.
Step, step.
At that moment, a figure in white robes emerged from the opposite side.
The face was covered by an iron mask, hemispherical in shape.
‘Now that I think of it.’
The scattered figures throughout the forest all wore iron masks.
Their shapes varied—square, triangular, and so on.
“Why have you come here?” The man in the hemispherical mask frowned at Bu Eunseol, disguised as Seok Chi-haeng. “This isn’t your scheduled time.”
Bu Eunseol inwardly could not hide his surprise.
He had assumed someone of Seok Chi-haeng’s level, while not the leader, was at least a core member of the organization. Yet from the masked man’s words, he was treated as little more than a gatekeeper.
“I had some business to attend to…”
Though imitating Seok Chi-haeng’s voice, Bu Eunseol let his words trail off.
He could not gauge the masked man’s status or the tone Seok Chi-haeng would use.
“Hmph. You must have come either to drool over her or to drink the Heavenly Peach Bay White Liquid.”
‘So the Fist King is addicted to a woman, or perhaps to a drug?’
As Bu Eunseol inferred various possibilities from the masked man’s words,
“Get lost. Don’t wander around carelessly and end up beaten to death.” With a sneer, the masked man swept a contemptuous gaze over Bu Eunseol’s body before turning to leave.
‘This place…’
Bu Eunseol wore a dazed expression.
Using secret techniques akin to imperial palace martial arts to prohibit the use of inner energy, and employing someone like the Fist King Seok Chi-haeng as a mere gatekeeper?
That could only mean…
‘It must be a force opposing the Three Realms.’
Bu Eunseol intuited it.
This was the underside of the iceberg that Yangseol Rin had once mentioned—the abyss of the martial world.
One of the forces that had never once revealed itself or its organization to the light of day.
‘It’s dangerous.’
If this place was truly what Bu Eunseol suspected, infiltrating it in this manner was unwise. Without thorough investigation and full preparation, his identity could be exposed.
In the worst case, he might become trapped with no way in or out.
Whoosh.
Bu Eunseol immediately turned his body.
Just as he was about to leave,
“Wait.”
The masked man who had turned away earlier now suddenly blocked Bu Eunseol’s path.
His movement was truly ghost-like.
“No matter how I think about it, something’s off. Coming in uninvited at this hour.”
Sharp light glinted in the eyes behind the mask.
He was suspecting Bu Eunseol’s identity.
‘Should I kill him?’
Though he could not sense any energy, the lightning-like movement alone suggested extremely high martial prowess.
If he failed to subdue him in one move, Bu Eunseol would be trapped here immediately. Yet with his inner energy growing ever weaker, Bu Eunseol secretly gathered his Thunder Spirit Energy.
“Speak.”
“…”
“Why did you enter on your own at a time you’re not supposed to?”
“That is…”
As Bu Eunseol lowered his head, the Thunder Spirit Energy gathered in his fist transformed into the Water Cloud Void Form style of the Azure Heaven Seven Forms.
Just as he was about to strike the white-robed man’s heart in a single blow,
“Ah, why are you only coming now?” From afar, a woman in loose clothing and wearing a round iron mask waved her hand. “I told you to come. I have something to try.”
At the woman’s words, the masked man spoke in a flustered voice.
“With that old man again?”
“Whether he’s old or young is my business.”
“What.” The masked man scratched his head vigorously. “It won’t work anyway. No matter what you do, it’ll be useless.”
“I’ll handle it.”
The masked man alternated glances between Bu Eunseol and the woman, sighed, and shook his head.
“Do as you please.”
Then he vanished into the forest in an instant.
‘The masked woman holds high status.’
Though the masked man spoke casually, he avoided displeasing her, and his tone remained gentle.
Clearly, the woman with the round mask held a high position.
“Hmm.”
The woman watched the masked man disappear before speaking to Bu Eunseol.
“Follow me.”
When Bu Eunseol wore a dazed expression, the masked woman said in a low voice, “Make a very pleased face.”
Her eyes and tone seemed to say: I know you’re not Seok Chi-haeng, so if you don’t want to die, come quickly.
As Bu Eunseol blinked, the masked woman turned and began walking without looking back.
‘No choice.’
With no alternative, Bu Eunseol adjusted his expression and followed her.
The woman walked briskly deeper into the forest.
Finally, she stopped at a small house at the very edge of the forest.
Unlike the other houses, it was extremely old and worn, with smoke rising from somewhere.
“Come in.” She opened the door and entered.
Inside were various strange tools, liquids, and metal fragments. If not for the bottles of liquid, it would resemble a blacksmith’s forge.
“Impressive.” The woman looked at the motionless Bu Eunseol and said, “Even in the martial world, he’s someone with a bit of reputation, yet you subdued him? Who exactly are you?”
Bu Eunseol was startled twice over.
She had instantly seen through not only his youth but also that he had not killed Seok Chi-haeng.
“I am a wandering warrior of the martial world.”
Having realized this was an unknown force, Bu Eunseol decided to present himself as Seolso rather than Seon Woojin.
“Ah, a young wandering warrior defeated Seok Chi-haeng?” She let out a soft laugh, as if seeing through the lie.
After all, no young wandering warrior existed in the martial world who could defeat the Fist King Seok Chi-haeng.
“That is…”
As Bu Eunseol tried to respond, the woman waved her hand.
“Fine, forget that. How did you get in here?”
She sat comfortably at the table and removed her mask.
A strikingly beautiful face was revealed, brightening the room. Yet she appeared somewhat haggard, with dark circles under her eyes, resembling an exhausted scholar.
“No need to be nervous.” She smiled lowly at Bu Eunseol. “If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have stepped in at all.”
“What exactly is this place?”
When Bu Eunseol asked, the woman opened her mouth in disbelief.
“You came in without even knowing what this place is?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not from the Infinite Realm either?”
“Infinite Realm?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled, and the woman continued. “If you’re not from the Infinite Realm, how did you break through the Absolute Boundary set outside?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
He recalled what Yangseol Rin had once said to him.
―If I had used the Absolute Boundary, you would never have escaped.
Then were these people from the Yangseol family? Or did they share the same techniques as the Yangseol family?
What was certain was that the method of isolating a space from the world was called the Absolute Boundary.
Bu Eunseol calmly replied,
“A thunderbolt fell from the sky. A large hole appeared there, and out of curiosity, I entered.”
“Hmm.”
There was no flaw in that explanation.
Yet the woman smiled, as if sensing that Bu Eunseol was hiding much.
“Fine. What does it matter? Whatever your affiliation, it’s irrelevant.” She laughed playfully. “Anyway, just destroy this place for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“This place. I want you to destroy it.”
Bu Eunseol felt confusion.
He could not guess where this was, who the woman was, or what her intentions were.
“How can I destroy it when I don’t even know what this place is?”
“You speak quite cleverly.”
She smiled brightly and answered.
“This place is called the Ancient Sword Forest.”
Bu Eunseol blinked.
Though he prided himself on knowing martial world history better than anyone, he had never once heard this name.
“What does the Ancient Sword Forest do?”
To Bu Eunseol’s question, she answered without hesitation.
“It’s the place where Black Divine Artifacts are made.”
Thump.
As if struck by shock, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Divine artifacts that surpassed the capabilities of martial arts.
They were manufacturing Black Divine Artifacts here in the Ancient Sword Forest?
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