When one reaches the pinnacle of hidden weapon mastery, it is said that not only can one freely control hidden weapons like in a Sword Control Technique, but they can also convert the techniques and principles embedded in already-launched hidden weapons into entirely different ones.
Truly the supreme secret of hidden weapon arts.
That was precisely the Ten Fingers Eternal Return.
Paaah!
The hidden weapons launched by Tang Pae using the Ten Fingers Eternal Return continuously shifted into countless hidden weapon techniques.
Every single one of those techniques had reached the absolute peak of perfection.
‘To think hidden weapon arts can be refined to this level.’
Thud thud thud.
Suppressing his astonishment, Bu Eunseol used the Return to Origin to endlessly deflect the hidden weapons back.
Rather than defeating Tang Pae immediately, his goal was to find a way to awaken him.
But that was a mistake.
Shwaaak! Shuuuuu!
The hidden weapons pouring from midair had at some point transformed into an intangible form that could no longer be repelled.
Bu Eunseol realized, somewhat belatedly, that he had become trapped in an endless prison of cascading hidden weapons.
‘So this is the method.’
The hidden weapons unleashed through Tang Pae’s Ten Fingers Eternal Return were maintaining their form through a principle extremely similar to the Wishful True Binding.
Thus, the instant he tried to strike them down with sword energy—
The qi-formed hidden weapons immediately reverted to an intangible state.
With unbreakable hidden weapons endlessly circulating around his body… It was no different from being plunged into an infinite hell of relentlessly pursuing projectiles.
Shuk shuk shuk!
Before long, the rapidly moving hidden weapons became a razor-sharp storm that caged Bu Eunseol’s body.
Pat pat pat!
Blood constantly sprayed from Bu Eunseol’s form trapped within the storm.
‘This can’t be all of it.’
As the head of the Tang Clan, Tang Pae had once dominated the martial world, and now his personality was split into two. He could wield astonishing hidden weapon techniques with greater stability than anyone else. Moreover, he hadn’t even used any of the famous Eight Great Secret Techniques of the Tang Clan yet.
‘I need to break this technique quickly so he’ll reveal the next one.’
The endless rotation of hidden weapons.
Any ordinary martial artist would have already lost their life to this single move but Bu Eunseol possessed the Beast Way and the martial arts of Nangyang Pavilion.
He had also mastered the highest profound principles from the Martial Emperor, the Demon Emperor, and the supreme arts of both righteous and demonic paths.
The power of the righteous, demonic, and Buddhist schools, along with the Dual Divine Energy, flowed through his body.
No matter how formidable the Ten Fingers Eternal Return was as a hidden weapon art, it posed no great threat to him.
Chwaaaaak!
Black true qi spread behind Bu Eunseol’s back, forming dozens of blades.
Shwaeaek!
At the same moment, those blades began spinning at high speed, striking away the hidden weapons.
Just like Tang Pae’s hidden weapons, they were all blades formed of true qi and they carried the principles of Half Above, Half Below and Shifting Heaven’s Force.
Thanks to this, he could shatter Tang Pae’s qi-formed hidden weapons as though they were ordinary projectiles.
‘I learned something.’
Until now, he had used the Wishful True Binding only for power-against-power confrontations—overwhelming attacks backed by immense internal energy.
But after witnessing Tang Pae’s hidden weapon mastery, he instantly gained inspiration and infused profound martial principles into each individual blade.
‘No.’ Tang Pae, watching this unfold, widened his eyes in shock.
The reason his Ten Fingers Eternal Return had become the apex of hidden weapon arts was precisely because he had embedded distinct martial principles into each and every launched projectile.
Tang Pae had spent over a decade in relentless effort to perfect such a technique.
Yet Bu Eunseol, after merely observing it… was immediately imitating it perfectly?
Chwaak!
With a crisp cutting sound, Bu Eunseol finally completely shattered Tang Pae’s Ten Fingers Eternal Return using the Wishful True Binding.
Clatter clatter.
Metallic fragments scattered in all directions.
They weren’t merely qi materialized into form—he had mixed real hidden weapons into the launch as well.
“Use the Eight Great Secret Techniques.” Bu Eunseol said calmly. “Because with ordinary hidden weapon arts, you can never defeat me.”
For a moment, Tang Pae’s expression twisted strangely.
His face flushed red and then pale, as though he were both angry and struggling to hold back shame.
Only then did Bu Eunseol sense something off and ask again.
“Surely… the technique you just used isn’t one of the Eight Great Secret Techniques?”
Tang Pae bit his lip.
It wasn’t merely one of them.
The Ten Fingers Eternal Return he had displayed was, in fact, the highest supreme art among the Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques—the Heaven-Rotating Universe Secret.
However because Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess had grown so extraordinarily high, even the top-ranked technique among the Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques felt like nothing particularly remarkable to him.
‘The Tang Clan’s martial arts have stagnated.’
Only now did Bu Eunseol truly realize the problem with the Tang Clan.
The current martial world’s arts were constantly evolving and being refined, achieving brilliant progress. Even the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars relentlessly improved their martial arts.
According to So Okrim, a descendant of the Celestial Emperor, none of them were even allowed into the martial world until their refined martial art was perfected, right?
Yet the Tang Clan’s martial arts still had not surpassed those of their ancestor from hundreds of years ago—Tang Cheon-gun.
Crack.
Suddenly, the sound of bones cracking echoed from Tang Pae’s body.
Shrivel.
At the same time, his skin tone changed once more.
The bear-like build of Tang Pae abruptly transformed into a gaunt, skeletal figure.
“Look at that. I told you it wouldn’t work.”
An entirely different voice flowed from Tang Pae’s mouth.
“The Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques are already outdated.”
The transformed Tang Pae shook his head slowly.
“They were only regarded as great arts because, since Tang Cheon-gun, no truly outstanding figure has emerged.”
The face-changed Tang Pae mocked his own clan’s situation.
“They should have been constantly refined all along.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Tang Pae.”
Then, narrowing his eyes calmly, he continued.
“And I am also called Geum Cheon-gun.”
The Poison Shadow Divine Sword, Geum Cheon-gun.
Sharing a name with the Tang Clan’s founder Tang Cheon-gun, he had been a poison master and exceptional swordsman over a hundred years ago.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened in shock.
It was said that the Clear River Realm combined villains and virtuous people to create supremely powerful martial artists.
However, Geum Cheon-gun was not an extreme villain.
So how could they have fused the personalities of Tang Pae and Geum Cheon-gun?
“You are not a villain—why were you captured by the Clear River Realm?”
“Villain?”
“They say the Clear River Realm only performs such great arts to control villains.”
“Hahaha.”
Tang Pae—no, Geum Cheon-gun—laughed heartily.
“You are quite naive.”
“……”
“Do you really think the Clear River Realm would openly broadcast its secrets to others?” Geum Cheon-gun wore a sneer. “Of course, at first there may have been efforts to control villains. But any faction that gains overwhelming power… inevitably becomes corrupt.”
“The Clear River Realm has fallen into corruption?”
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
So the Clear River Realm was originally righteous, only to become corrupt later?
“Most likely.”
Geum Cheon-gun answered readily.
“Anything that stagnates for too long rots. Just like the Martial Alliance.”
From his tone and gaze, it was clear he harbored deep resentment toward the Martial Alliance.
But Bu Eunseol paid little attention to Geum Cheon-gun’s expression.
‘The Three Realms.’
He had thought from the beginning that the Three Realms were not created to disrupt the martial world’s order or to kill and experiment on innocent people.
Yet Geum Cheon-gun simply claimed they had rotted because they had preserved their existence for too long.
“A sect maintaining its lineage for a long time does not automatically mean corruption.”
There must have been a clear reason for the Three Realms to rot. Geum Cheon-gun simply did not know what that reason was.
“Perhaps the Clear River Realm, like the Infinite Realm, is endlessly pursuing power, and that is part of it.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Geum Cheon-gun merely nodded vaguely and avoided a direct answer.
“Who knows.”
What mattered was not Geum Cheon-gun’s reply.
Forget the Infinite Realm—the Returning to One Realm had even stolen his grandfather’s corpse and the Clear River Realm had extended its wicked hands to A-Yeon, Baek Museong, and now even Tang Pae.
Whether the targets were chosen randomly or not, from Bu Eunseol’s perspective they had touched people he cherished.
He could no longer forgive the Clear River Realm.
“I know you are the successor of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.” Geum Cheon-gun stated firmly. “Use the blade techniques of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade. I will shatter them instantly.”
In that moment, Bu Eunseol understood.
The true purpose behind the Clear River Realm suddenly orchestrating all of this.
‘The Seven Blood Tear Forms.’
In the past, the Three Realms had deceived the nameless old man who had taken his grandfather’s identity and stolen five of the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
When he went to destroy a Returning to One Realm base under Seon Woojin’s identity, he had encountered Baek Museong wearing a bizarre mask—and Baek Museong had wielded the Seven Blood Tear Forms even more skillfully than he did.
‘They wanted the remaining two forms.’
Each form of the Seven Blood Tear Forms was a peerless technique in its own right, yet only by mastering all seven in their entirety could one display their true essence.
Knowing that Bu Eunseol had perfectly learned the Seven Blood Tear Forms, they were clearly using this fight with Tang Pae to naturally steal the remaining two forms.
‘Was this Brother Baek’s order? Or the Clear River Realm’s own doing?’
Baek Museong, now risen to the position of Martial Heaven Division Commander, must hold tremendous status even within the Clear River Realm.
To challenge for the position of Alliance Leader, he might have manipulated the Clear River Realm’s members to obtain the remaining Seven Blood Tear Forms.
Or perhaps the Clear River Realm acted voluntarily for the sake of Baek Museong, who had become a Commander.
‘But...’
If they wanted the Seven Blood Tear Forms, there were plenty of other methods.
Why go to the trouble of using Tang Pae specifically?
“I’m not interested.”
“What?”
“Did you think I would obediently display my blade techniques just because you ordered me to?”
Seeing Bu Eunseol’s unexpected response, Geum Cheon-gun let out a helpless sigh.
“Do you know why Tang Pae sent you that challenge in the first place?”
When Bu Eunseol remained silent, he curled his lips upward.
“Defeating the Seven-Finger Demon Blade. That was Tang Pae’s lifelong obsession.”
“What do you mean?”
Geum Cheon-gun narrowed his eyes into crescents as he spoke.
“Thirty years ago, in his youth, Tang Pae encountered the Seven-Finger Demon Blade. He witnessed him facing ten elders of the Martial Alliance.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
The elders of the Martial Alliance were all figures who had once shaken the martial world with fame or accumulated unparalleled achievements—their martial prowess and internal energy had deepened even further beyond their prime.
Yet they had swarmed together to fight his grandfather?
“At that time, Tang Pae was a genius who had shaken the entire martial world, and it was thought that if he became the Tang Family Head, he would dominate the realm.”
The sight of Geum Cheon-gun recounting Tang Pae’s past while wearing Tang Pae’s face was somewhat bizarre.
But Bu Eunseol listened quietly.
“However, when the Seven-Finger Demon Blade severed the heads of all ten elders in a single stroke, he felt both awe and terror at the same time. His life’s goal changed completely.”
***
Chwaak!
Along with the sound of blood spraying in all directions,
The ten elders who had surrounded Bu Zhanyang in a circle instantly became headless corpses and collapsed.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
The peerless blade master who had plunged the martial world into terror had, with a single move, taken the heads of the ten elders representing the righteous path in one stroke.
Tang Pae, who happened to witness this scene, felt his eyes go empty.
Until then, he had believed that perfectly mastering the Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques would allow him to become a master who could dominate the world.
But at last he realized.
Even if he completely mastered the Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques, he could never reach the level of that master.
No—he could not even touch the hem of his garment.
From that day onward, Tang Pae devoted himself to martial arts like a madman.
Even the Tang Clan’s Eight Great Secret Techniques were no longer enough.
All he thought about was how to recreate that single flash of brilliance he had seen—the light with which the Seven-Finger Demon Blade had severed ten heads.
As he researched and trained relentlessly, Tang Pae eventually became a candidate for Family Head.
Finally, he eliminated all his jealous brothers, leaving only those loyal to him—such as Tang Seong—and ascended to the position of head.
Even so, he never stopped researching martial arts.
He vowed to recreate that light before he died.
If he could perfect it, the Tang Clan’s martial arts would advance to a whole new level.
But perhaps because he had immersed himself for far too long?
In the process of fusing the Eight Great Secret Techniques and mastering the Ten Fingers Eternal Return, he contracted an incurable strange disease.
Eventually his internal energy plummeted dramatically.
Later, all the energy in his body was ruined, leaving him unable to move.
‘Is this how I end?’
Then, before the bedridden Tang Pae appeared a Emissary of the Clear River Realm—the Rekindling Merchant.
[There is a way to fulfill your long-cherished desire.]
the Rekindling Merchant knew well how long Tang Pae had researched martial arts.
He offered not only to heal his decayed body and fuse a new personality to cure the illness, but also to dramatically enhance his martial arts in one stroke.
“Rekindle the flame, is it…”
Tang Pae quite liked the name the Rekindling Merchant (復燃—rekindle).
Of course, separate from that, he could not easily accept the Rekindling Merchant’s proposal.
Why would the Clear River Realm show such favor to a complete stranger?
[We are merely curious. Whether the martial art you have perfected can truly surpass the blade techniques of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.]
Only then did Tang Pae realize that the Clear River Realm had not only infiltrated deep within the Tang Clan, but had also secretly stolen and examined all the records of his research.
Yet he had no time for anger.
If he did not rise now, his lifelong research would come to nothing.
Only by rising again and completing his research could the Tang Clan advance.
‘That child was the successor of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.’
Once his martial art was complete, the Clear River Realm revealed one more shocking fact.
Bu Eunseol, the heir of Majeon.
He was the perfect inheritor of the true lineage of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
the Rekindling Merchant ordered him to use the completed martial art against Bu Eunseol.
―In any case, isn’t it also your own desire?
Only then did Tang Pae suddenly realize.
The strange illness that had struck him out of nowhere, the past provocation from the Three Poisons Sect against the Tang Clan… all of it had been part of the Clear River Realm’s scheme.
“What exactly does the Clear River Realm gain from doing all this?”
To Tang Pae’s question, the Rekindling Merchant replied.
[Martial Soul Command Lord Bu Eunseol. He has mastered all of the Seven Blood Tear Forms, yet he deliberately refrains from using them.]
“……”
[Whether he is saving them as a last resort, or because he has learned so many different martial arts, I do not know.]
“In the end, you intend to steal the blade techniques.”
[Not stealing—think of it as an act for the sake of the martial world.]
The Clear River Realm seemed to genuinely believe that the wicked schemes they carried out were all noble endeavors.
[In any case, with little life left, fulfilling the desire you have harbored for so long wouldn’t be a bad thing.]
He had already seen through Tang Pae’s situation completely.
Under normal circumstances, Tang Pae would have chosen suicide rather than become their puppet.
“Fine.”
But Tang Pae had no choice but to accept their proposal.
Not because of the lifelong desire he had harbored.
With little life remaining, there was one thing he absolutely had to do.
***
After hearing the entire story from Geum Cheon-gun, Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
At last he understood why the Clear River Realm had used Tang Pae.
They believed that, in order to fulfill Tang Pae’s long-cherished wish, he would surely use the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
‘But Clear River Realm—your calculations were wrong.’
He knew Tang Pae well.
After witnessing his grandfather—the greatest blade master of the age—perform his art, it was true that Tang Pae had spent endless years trying to create a martial art comparable to it.
But the reason Tang Pae accepted the Rekindling Merchant’s proposal was not out of rivalry toward his grandfather.
It was because of… Tang Gon.
‘Family Head.’
Suppressing the heavy feeling in his heart, Bu Eunseol asked, “Have you completed the martial art?”
“Yes.”
To Bu Eunseol’s question, Geum Cheon-gun answered confidently.
“But he did not use it right away. Tang Pae, that is.”
In short, although Tang Pae had completed the martial art, he had not used it against Bu Eunseol and had relied solely on the Ten Fingers Eternal Return.
“Why?”
“The Tang Clan never forgets a grudge. But we forget kindness even less.” Geum Cheon-gun let out an admiring sigh and shook his head. “That’s why this old man came out instead. Because there is an easier way to draw out the Seven Blood Tear Forms.”
Geum Cheon-gun nodded, then stroked his fist.
Crack.
His skin made another bony sound, and soon a round metallic gleam flashed from his left hand.
The radiance flowing within his body also began gathering in his left hand.
‘Black Divine Artifact.’
In the end, it seemed the Clear River Realm was conducting research similar to Ancient Sword Forest’s—using the human body to turn flesh into weaponry.
‘That means...’
The Clear River Realm had joined hands with shadowy figures presumed to be descendants of the Demon Cult.
Their ultimate goal might be, like Ancient Sword Forest, to complete Black Divine Artifacts by utilizing the physical body.
Flash!
The light condensed in the metal held by Geum Cheon-gun suddenly pierced toward Bu Eunseol’s body.
It was a killing ray that required no preparatory movement whatsoever.
Sizzle.
Though he dodged quickly, the light grazed him slightly.
White smoke immediately rose from the contacted skin, and needle-like sharp energy began burrowing into his meridians.
Oooong.
Bu Eunseol immediately tried to burn away the energy using the Ban-Geuk Method but the energy was so vicious that even with five hundred years of cultivation, it could not be instantly eradicated.
Flash!
In the meantime, another burst of light poured forth.
Bu Eunseol instantly unfolded Swift Beyond Shadow to evade.
Swoosh.
At the same time, he attempted to unleash the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form toward Geum Cheon-gun.
But the killing rays flowing from Geum Cheon-gun’s hand could pour freely in any direction across heaven and earth.
Thus, no matter where or how he attacked, Geum Cheon-gun could respond instantly—and faster than any swift sword.
Flash!
Due to the pouring light, Bu Eunseol could not complete the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form and instead spun once in midair to avoid it.
‘A unique form of Black Divine Artifact.’
Bu Eunseol stared at the gleaming metal in Geum Cheon-gun’s palm.
Black Divine Artifact inherently possessed power that transcended the boundaries of conventional martial arts.
Moreover, by fusing it directly into the body like this, it became almost like a natural part of the physique.
The limitation of being a “weapon” vanished, allowing the power to be unleashed even more swiftly and naturally.
Flash!
In that interval, Geum Cheon-gun fired light again—catching an unavoidable instant.
Ziiing!
Bu Eunseol immediately spread black true qi in all directions to block the light.
It was the Wishful True Binding.
Sizzle!
Yet even with the Wishful True Binding, he could only block the light for the briefest moment.
In an instant, it pierced through the wall of true qi and grazed Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
‘In that case.’
Bu Eunseol raised his Divine Energies and poured it into the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
If it was the artifact-destroying Silent Tiger Soul Sword, then without needing to resort to the Seven Blood Tear Forms, he could instantly shatter the Black Divine Artifact that was unleashing those killing rays.
―Whether he is saving them as a last resort, or because he has learned so many different martial arts, I do not know.
Suddenly, the words the Rekindling Merchant had spoken to Geum Cheon-gun flashed through his mind.
In the end, perhaps the Clear River Realm was using Tang Pae not only to obtain the Seven Blood Tear Forms, but also to confirm exactly what his own supreme profound arts were?
‘They may have installed observation devices here to watch the martial arts purification, or perhaps someone is secretly observing.’
The Clear River Realm had seen through Tang Pae’s research even Tang Gon did not know about.
That meant their influence had permeated every corner of the Tang Clan long ago.
Installing devices to observe this fight in advance—or hiding personnel—was not particularly difficult.
‘Just because an enemy with Black Divine Artifact has appeared, I cannot blindly rely on the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and Divine Energies.’
From Bu Eunseol’s perspective, as long as he had the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, he could destroy any enemy wielding Black Divine Artifact at any time.
But if he became dependent solely on the Silent Tiger Soul Sword’s power? Then if the sword were absent, he might find himself unable to properly counter Black Divine Artifacts.
Humans naturally grow accustomed to repeated situations.
‘Good.’ Light gleamed fiercely from Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he withdrew his Divine Energies. ‘Watch clearly what my ultimate hidden art truly is.’
Ziiing. Hwarrr.
Bu Eunseol’s pupils turned a pale yellow, and then hellish yellowish flames began to blaze within them.
The Nangyang Heart Eye.
Through the supreme secret art of Nangyang Pavilion—which could instantly decipher every martial principle scattered across the world—he intended to deal with Geum Cheon-gun, who was unleashing those killing rays.
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