‘No, that can’t be possible.’
Bu Eunseol immediately shook his head.
No matter how much he thought about it, such a thing could never happen.
Moreover, the monster was covering its body entirely in black with some bizarre evil sorcery-like power, hiding its true identity—perhaps someone whose existence in the martial world was even questionable.
Flash!
In that instant, as the monster instantly extinguished Wishful True Binding, Bu Eunseol swung the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, creating six transformations in midair.
He had unleashed the Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder.
Rustle rustle.
But the monster perfectly grasped the changing supreme moves of the Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder in midair and tore the sword energy apart with its hands.
Then, stiffening its claws, it unleashed claw force sharp enough to rip Bu Eunseol’s throat apart.
‘Tch.’
Unable to evade that single strike no matter what, Bu Eunseol unleashed the Thirteen Guiding Energies at full power, layering razor-sharp energy around his body multiple times, then detonated all those layers at once to repel the attack.
Boom! Rumble rumble!
Yet it inflicted no real damage on the monster. It only forced it back a little.
Thud!
As the two closed the distance again and resumed their exchange, the sky lost its light, and a wind strong enough to blow away the entire world began to howl.
When the gap widened, Bu Eunseol poured out Yeolha Great True Energy to try melting the monster’s body.
Hoooo.
Yeolha Great True Energy unleashed waves that could melt even iron and penetrate internal organs, yet the moment it touched the monster, it vanished instantly.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
But as though he had anticipated it, Bu Eunseol immediately used Crystal Divine Energy to freeze the monster.
Unlike Yeolha Great True Energy, Crystal Divine Energy did not take the form of true energy, so it could not be blocked.
Sssss.
Exposed to extreme yin energy, blue tint spread across the black shadow.
Shiver.
But after trembling briefly, it instantly reverted to its original shadow form?
‘This level of extreme yin energy could freeze an entire lake in one go.’
Cold sweat dripped from Bu Eunseol.
No martial art worked on the monster.
No—not just martial arts; the monster had the ability to instantly dissolve any form of attack.
Pap pap!
As time passed, deep wounds began appearing on Bu Eunseol’s body.
Now only Seven Blood Tear Forms remained.
And Harmony.
Slash!
In that moment, razor-sharp energy pierced toward Bu Eunseol’s heart.
It struck at such an exquisite instant that evasion was impossible.
Without thinking, Bu Eunseol unleashed an Ice Barrier from Crystal Divine Energy.
Clang!
With a loud noise, Bu Eunseol’s body froze solid and was flung back five jang.
Though his heart was not pierced thanks to the Ice Barrier, part of Crystal Divine Energy shattered, and ice fragments clung to his skin.
‘This might work.’
Looking at the ice fragments remaining near his heart, Bu Eunseol suddenly thought of one method.
The extreme yin ice art of the central plains that he had never used until now.
Ice Essence Snow Blossom Qi came to mind.
Saaa! Saaa!
Bu Eunseol swung sword and fist techniques wildly and indiscriminately. Silver currents poured out like arrows, instantly freezing the parts of the monster’s body they touched.
Ice Essence Snow Blossom Qi could unleash transcendent extreme yin energy over long distances in an instant or even fuse it into martial arts.
Swish! Swish!
Each time Bu Eunseol executed sword or fist techniques, silver currents spread, forcing the monster to freeze and thaw repeatedly. Its movements lagged by one beat each time, finally allowing Bu Eunseol to catch his breath.
Or so he thought.
Boom!
The monster’s eyes turned an even deeper red.
Rumble rumble.
Suddenly it raised both hands to the sky and began forming an enormous sphere.
Bu Eunseol continued pouring out Ice Essence Snow Blossom Qi, but it no longer had any effect.
Hummm! Hummm!
The sphere grew fiercer by the moment, its power showing no limit.
If he left it alone? Eventually that massive dark space would swallow him, So Okrim, and the entire vault.
‘Only Harmony remains.’
In the end, Bu Eunseol raised every ounce of power within his body.
Thanks to obtaining Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, unlike before, the forces aligned instantly with just three deep breaths.
But in that time, the enormous sphere above the monster’s head had grown even larger.
‘This won’t be enough.’
Even if he unfolded Harmony, it didn’t seem like it could instantly erase the black sphere created by the monster.
The Three Divine Energies.
Only by harmonizing them together with all the power in his body might he be able to eliminate that even darker sphere.
“We can’t block that!”
At that moment, So Okrim shouted loudly as she stood beside Bu Eunseol and unleashed tremendous fist energy at the monster.
“Even if we attack together, we have to kill it before it finishes!”
Boom! Boom!
But So Okrim’s attacks vanished before they could even reach.
The monster kept its hands raised to the sky, and the sphere continued to grow.
“You monster!”
Each strike she unleashed could shatter mountains.
Though some fist energy struck the monster’s body, it didn’t even flinch—instead, it seemed to be laughing?
“Is that Heavenly Steel Physique?”
So Okrim bit her lip.
“How can someone who has reached Heavenly Steel Physique use that kind of power?”
“What exactly is that sphere?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, So Okrim answered.
“It’s the Black Star’s Extreme Blood Storm.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as though struck on the back of the head.
Then the monster was a descendant of the one called the Emperor of Death among the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—the greatest assassin of all time?
“That’s Extreme Blood Storm? That’s impossible.”
“It’s the original source!”
Bu Eunseol couldn’t help but wear another stunned expression.
Then this monster was a successor created by one of the Essence Three Realms in the central plains?
“We never even attempted to restore the Black Star’s original source!”
So Okrim shouted while pouring out energy.
“Because it was said to be something only Heaven-Dark Star could use—something that would drive the world to total annihilation!”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Heaven-Dark Star.
Then this black monster… was the true person born with Heaven-Dark Star—the one Bu Eunseol had been constantly misunderstood for until now?
“Don’t just stand there dazed—attack quickly! If that thing pours down, we’re finished!”
Shouting loudly, So Okrim began unleashing the Celestial Emperor’s true fist art.
Boom! Boom!
Even as she struck the monster, it kept its hands raised skyward, and the sphere continued expanding.
“Let’s see if this can’t break it!”
Boom!
Brilliant light began radiating from So Okrim’s body.
Whoooosh.
At the same time, countless points of light gathered in both her hands.
Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike.
The supreme ultimate technique of the Celestial Emperor—said to be so powerful it could split not just the sky but the Milky Way itself in two.
‘Thoughts later.’
Wiping away rising thoughts, Bu Eunseol also raised every bit of power within his body at full strength.
Harmony.
To block that Black Star supreme technique—no, the original source of the Baekri Family power—he absolutely had to unfold Harmony.
Ziiiing.
As five-colored radiance burst from Bu Eunseol’s body with a low vibration, the same doubt that had struck him earlier rose once more.
‘Will Harmony be enough?’
The monster’s martial art was the strongest Bu Eunseol had ever witnessed.
An anxious feeling crept in that even the power of Harmony might not be able to handle it.
‘Could I expand the power further through Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?’
Thanks to obtaining Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, he could now unfold Harmony far faster than before and even release it three times in succession.
Then perhaps by using the added Wind-Cloud Divine Qi within his body, he could increase the power or expand the range of Harmony? The thought occurred to him.
‘I’ll try.’
The moment he tried to expand the already aligned Harmony once more through Wind-Cloud Divine Qi,
Pshht.
His skin split and blood spurted out.
In his impatience to defeat the monster in one blow, the attempt to expand Harmony’s power had failed.
“Haaap!”
At that moment, millions of starlights began pouring from both of So Okrim’s hands.
Finally, Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike had been unfolded.
Boom!
Meanwhile, the enormous sphere fell toward Bu Eunseol and So Okrim’s heads.
‘Now is not the time to try other methods!’
With blazing light exploding from his eyes, Bu Eunseol raised every ounce of power within his body once more.
Five-colored radiance began spreading from his entire body.
He had unfolded Harmony in the conventional way.
Flash! Paaaah!
A grand master of the demonic path who had reached the pinnacle of practical martial arts and the successor of the Essence Three Realms who inherited the Baekri Family power—both unleashed their supreme ultimate techniques simultaneously.
Boom.
With a dull sound, the black sphere collided with the martial power poured out by the two and halted in midair.
Hummm. Hummm.
With the enormous sphere at the center, Bu Eunseol and So Okrim, along with the monster, were now in a three-way pushing contest.
Pop pop.
Sounds like tendons snapping echoed from the monster’s black shadow.
Boom.
The black sphere began moving toward Bu Eunseol and So Okrim once more.
“Guh.”
Bu Eunseol and So Okrim let out choked groans.
The power of Extreme Blood Storm, capable of shattering everything in the world, had—through the two’s martial arts—changed its nature into something like a ball that could be repelled.
It had become a situation where both sides were pushing against each other with force.
“Ughhh.”
So Okrim gritted her teeth.
If she lost this contest of strength?
Her body would be swallowed by that black sphere and vanish without a trace.
Hummm. Hummm.
But the monster’s power was infinitely increasing, and at some point it began surpassing the Harmony and Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike that Bu Eunseol and So Okrim were exerting.
“I can’t… hold on any longer.”
So Okrim groaned.
Though her martial art was extraordinary, she had not yet reached ten jia of internal energy like Bu Eunseol, nor perfectly transcended Supreme Heavenly Realm.
No matter how hard she pushed with Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike, the sphere formed by Extreme Blood Storm’s power did not budge, and as she was steadily pushed back, the pressure was destroying her internal organs.
When the black sphere finally drew right up to her nose,
Drip drip.
Red blood flowed from So Okrim’s nose.
Saaa.
At that moment, watching the scene, five-colored radiance bloomed once more from Bu Eunseol’s body.
With So Okrim in mortal danger, even while pouring out power, he began creating Harmony again.
Flash!
When he overlapped and unfolded Harmony once more, astonishingly, the size of the enormous sphere began shrinking by more than half.
Pshht.
But the rebound split his skin again, and blood flowed from the wounds.
Yet Bu Eunseol paid it no mind and poured out Harmony once more.
Flash!
When his body flashed again, the black sphere shrank to the size of a large boulder.
His prowess had increased to an unfathomable level, and thanks to obtaining the Three Divine Energies, he could endure overlapping Harmony without his body exploding.
‘Is this my limit?’
But that was all.
After unfolding Harmony three times in succession, a scorching heat surged from his abdomen, and pain as though his entire skin was tearing spread throughout his body.
“Ughhh.”
Though the sphere’s power had weakened, So Okrim groaned with a pallid face.
She had already reached her limit long ago.
‘If this continues, she will die.’
Dark red blood was now flowing from So Okrim’s mouth as well.
At this rate, her internal organs would burst before she even died from Extreme Blood Storm.
‘I’ll stake everything!’
Bu Eunseol began gathering Harmony once more.
He had originally determined that the limit of consecutive Harmony releases was three.
That was not mere guesswork.
As a grand master with outstanding insight, it was the thoroughly calculated limit of his body.
But to save So Okrim, he would risk his life and attempt to surpass that limit once again.
Riiip.
As he raised Harmony once more, the sound of tearing leather rang out and his clothes were soaked in blood.
His skin had ripped open, and blood burst forth from the wounds.
Yet Bu Eunseol’s expression did not change as he endlessly aligned the power within his body.
Drip drip.
When blood began flowing from his eyes, together with five-colored radiance, brilliant light exploded from Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
Ziiing!
Harmony had been unfolded once again.
Flash! Paaaaa!
Finally, with one more Harmony unleashed, the black sphere completely vanished, and even the monster’s entire body was enveloped.
Thud!
As though greatly flustered, the monster unfolded a swift movement technique to evade the light.
“Now!”
At Bu Eunseol’s shout, So Okrim sensed that the pouring pressure had completely disappeared and snapped back to her senses.
“Haaaap!”
With a thunderous battle cry, the Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike that she had been unable to fully release until the very end was poured toward the monster.
A massive band of light dozens of jang wide enveloped the monster’s body,
Flash! Boom!
An explosion and light that seemed capable of destroying the entire world began painting the sky.
Rumble rumble.
The whole world turned dark for a moment, and the beautiful scenery vanished in an instant.
The ground cracked like a spiderweb and shook as though an earthquake had struck.
When the sky finally regained its color,
Boom.
With a dull sound, a black shadow landed from the sky to the ground.
Exposed to Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike, the monster—once entirely black—now had half its face and upper body revealed in pure white.
“Damn it! That monster!”
So Okrim shouted in despair.
“It didn’t die!”
Even after being struck by Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike, the monster appeared unharmed.
It simply looked down at Bu Eunseol and So Okrim with indifferent eyes.
‘That person…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.
Half the face had been restored to its original color by Dual-Severed Galaxy Strike.
It was not a monster.
Long flowing hair, dignified dragon-like eyes, pupils colored like the blue sky… an incomparably handsome middle-aged man.
“The Heavenly Emperor!”
Bu Eunseol shouted loudly.
The monster covered entirely in black.
It was none other than the Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi—the one known to have died until now?
“The Heavenly Emperor?”
So Okrim blinked her large eyes and asked.
“That person is the Martial Alliance Lord, Shin Domubi?”
“Ughhhh.”
But the monster—no, the Heavenly Emperor—as though only now realizing that half his face had been revealed, suddenly wore a pained expression and hurriedly covered his face.
Crack. Crack crack.
At the same time, his body convulsed, and the exposed original face began turning black again.
“Martial Alliance Lord!”
Even at Bu Eunseol’s shout, the Heavenly Emperor’s gaze was fixed not on Bu Eunseol but on the Silent Tiger Soul Sword he held.
In that instant, the madness hidden within the pitch-black shadow momentarily vanished, and he had an inexplicably human look in his eyes.
“Heavenly Emperor, is that really you?”
“Uuuu!”
Instead of answering, the Heavenly Emperor suddenly let out a long, resounding howl.
The prolonged cry contained not only immense internal energy but also a powerful wave, instantly reducing all trees and grass within dozens of jang to powder.
“Guh.”
As Bu Eunseol and So Okrim winced at the intense wave,
Flash!
With brilliant light, the Heavenly Emperor vanished in an instant.
“Martial Alliance Lord!”
Bu Eunseol leaped into the air and spread Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to its limit.
He intended to track the Heavenly Emperor by following the traces of his movement technique but no matter how far he extended Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, no trace of his movement could be detected.
He had vanished completely, like a ghost.
“Haha.”
Bu Eunseol looked up at the distant sky with a hollow expression.
The Heavenly Emperor, Shin Domubi.
Not only was he alive… but he had achieved a level of prowess surpassing even the Demon Emperor?
What in the world was going on?
“What?”
At that moment, So Okrim approached Bu Eunseol and asked.
“That person was the Heavenly Emperor? Really?”
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense?”
So Okrim opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
“How can the supreme righteous figure use the original source of the Black Star’s martial art?”
The martial art the Heavenly Emperor had unfolded was the supreme ultimate technique of the Black Star among the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—the greatest assassin of all ages—Extreme Blood Storm, converted to its original source power.
And in the Essence Three Realms, the martial arts of the Black Star had never even been stored to begin with.
“If it were anyone else, fine—but the one called the sky of the righteous faction, the Heavenly Emperor, shouldn’t be doing that?”
“I don’t know either.”
Bu Eunseol clutched his forehead and sank heavily to the ground.
No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t understand why such a thing had happened.
“Perhaps he escaped the Martial Venerable’s scheme and was turned into a puppet by the Three Realms.”
Regaining his composure, Bu Eunseol told So Okrim about the Martial Venerable and the Heavenly Emperor.
So Okrim listened silently, then wore an unconvinced expression.
“That can’t be.”
At her words, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath and shook his head.
In truth, he knew as well.
Even if the Heavenly Emperor had lost his internal energy and suffered injuries, there was no way he could have been captured and turned into a puppet by people like the Three Realms.
Even if, by one in ten million chance, the Three Realms had restrained the Heavenly Emperor and made him a puppet… there was no way they would use a master of his caliber in such a manner.
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