Bu Eunseol’s gaze and thoughts reached deep into the hearts of the two.
There, countless currents of emotion danced like waves in the form of colors and light.
And even deeper, in the abyss, something hidden seemed to be revealed bit by bit.
“So that’s how it is.”
As though embracing the universe itself, Bu Eunseol’s pupils swirled with vivid starlight patterns within an endlessly expanding black abyss.
“Indeed. If fate allows even an ordinary mortal to obtain an ancient secret manual, there is no reason a force like the United Heart Society could not acquire one.”
“What are you talking about?”
When the woman asked, Bu Eunseol let out a soft scoff.
“Infinite Reversal Power is the highest realm in the current martial world—the ultimate form of martial art possessed only by the strongest masters of today. A power manifested through enlightenment—how could it possibly be obtained in the form of a mere principle or formula?”
“So?”
“Yet you deliberately provoked me to use Infinite Reversal Power… which means you have some ulterior motive.”
Their goal was not simply to steal Bu Eunseol’s martial arts.
They wanted the very essence of it.
“You turned yourselves into experimental subjects and sacrificed your life force to elevate your martial realm.”
“……”
“Then the best research method would surely be to defeat and capture me.”
Sweeping them with a piercing gaze, Bu Eunseol spoke coldly.
“You probably possess some secret art capable of reversing even a trump card like Infinite Reversal Power in order to bring me down… or at least a power equivalent to it.”
Just like how, in the past, Yoo Unryong had attempted to reverse the Buddha Venerable’s Infinite Reversal Power through the Heart Mirror Technique and defeat the Spear-Wielder, these two likely had a method to reverse Infinite Reversal Power at least once, or possessed an equivalent countermeasure.
The only way to defeat a master of the Infinite Realm was with the same Infinite Reversal Power.
They had been goading Bu Eunseol into using his trump card so they could fell him in one stroke.
‘The Heart Mirror Technique was helpful after all.’
Had he never encountered that ancient true learning called the Heart Mirror Technique, Bu Eunseol would never have been able to predict their method.
“So…”
At that moment the woman wore a cold smile.
“What exactly can you do about it?”
Looking up at Bu Eunseol with eyes that emitted a mysterious radiance, she said,
“In any case, we can reverse every attack.”
“Very well.”
Bu Eunseol nodded instead.
“I will show you the highest martial art I possess.”
Click.
Bu Eunseol sheathed his sword.
“This is something I recently created. It contains every insight I have gained so far.”
Then he lowered his stance as though preparing a swift sword form.
“Whether you obtain its principle, replicate it exactly, or reverse it… do as you please.”
“……”
“If you can, then it is your victory.”
For a moment the pair wore stunned expressions, then they sneered, thinking Bu Eunseol was bluffing.
Wooooong.
But when an indescribable aura—powerful yet utterly empty—began to emanate from Bu Eunseol’s body, their faces stiffened. They stood shoulder to shoulder once more and gripped their sword seals tightly.
They realized he truly intended to unfold his supreme martial art.
Ziiing.
When the two merged their auras, a subtle wave of power began to spread like mist across their entire bodies.
That aura and wave were so faint and chaotic that even someone with senses a hundred times sharper than Bu Eunseol’s would never have detected them.
Yet paradoxically, Bu Eunseol perceived them clearly.
Because he had already encountered someone who possessed such an aura—and had even absorbed it into his own body.
“Now I finally understand everything.”
Clicking his tongue as he clearly sensed their aura, Bu Eunseol said,
“If this were some ancient true learning or sorcery technique created with knowledge like the Heart Mirror Technique, there would at least have been some foreign objects installed in the surroundings.
Moreover, even for ancient sorcery, the pair’s ability was excessive.
Even the Hundred and Eight Stars could only exert such power within a certain domain.
To be able to steal or reflect an enemy’s martial principles and formulas just by unfolding a great art or sorcery?
That was completely beyond reason—an utterly overpowered ability.”
“The method of binding your two lives into one using the mystery of the Yin-Yang Great Law must be Mosan Sect sorcery.”
Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue and sighed.
“But even when the two of you combine your power, there is no great art or sorcery that can perfectly recreate an enemy’s power, steal its principles, and reflect them.”
Shaking his head, he spoke with utmost solemnity.
“It was a Sealed Demon Fragment.”
In that instant, the eyes of the man and woman trembled.
A Sealed Demon Fragment.
The shattered soul of the True Demon, the absolute knowledge accumulated through countless cycles of reincarnation.
It was said that an ordinary person who obtained one could wield mysterious power that transcended martial principles.
Bu Eunseol had sensed that the aura the pair had finally unleashed… was eerily similar to the vicious energy once possessed by the Ghost King.
“Martial Soul Command Lord. So you too possessed a Sealed Demon Fragment?”
Instead, the man sneered.
“Yet I sense no such aura from you. Either you obtained it recently, or you cannot properly use it?”
“Who knows.”
“What a shame. Our society thought your strength came from being Bu Zhanyang’s grandson and from having received something special.”
The man clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“So it was because you obtained a Sealed Demon Fragment that you became so strong.”
Believing he had unraveled the secret of Bu Eunseol’s power, the man wore an expression that was both dejected and brimming with confidence.
“Even if you possess a Sealed Demon Fragment, you cannot defeat us.”
At the man’s words, a faint smile appeared on Bu Eunseol’s lips.
“Do I need to defeat you?”
Sring.
As he slowly drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword he had sheathed, a hazy, mist-like aura spread from his entire body.
It was like the mysterious water mist that drifts over a lake at dawn.
In the blink of an eye, it extended dozens of zhang outward.
“If it is a power with form… then it is easier to deal with!”
Believing the power originated from a Sealed Demon Fragment, the pair overlapped their bodies once more and swung their swords.
This was the secret art they used—absorbing the knowledge of the True Demon contained within the Sealed Demon Fragments they had taken into themselves—to absorb and reverse every enemy power.
Flash!
When their bodies merged, brilliant light erupted once again and they tried to return it to Bu Eunseol.
—Huh?
In that moment the man and woman simultaneously looked at each other and blinked.
They should have absorbed all the power poured out along with the brilliant light and comprehended it.
Yet nothing happened.
“This is…”
Only then did they realize that what Bu Eunseol had unfolded was not a supernatural power, but an utterly natural and tranquil principle of martial arts.
A power that returned everything naturally, in its complete and original form.
It contained the Way of Nature.
The tenth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow.
Not artificial or forced.
Preserving innate nature, maintaining things exactly as they are, allowing existence to remain as it should.
The absolute sword art that embodied the mystery of the Natural Sword, Martial Mist and Waves had been unfolded.
Crack.
The skin of the man and woman enveloped by Martial Mist and Waves split open like the cracked bed of a dried-up well.
Having absorbed Sealed Demon Fragments, their bodies contained endlessly foreign yet overwhelmingly powerful energy.
Yet the moment a stable, natural force surged in like a tide, that mysterious energy evaporated like mist.
Crack!
Finally, even the Yin-Yang Harmony great art they had mastered shattered.
Psssh!
Blood fountained from the necks of the man and woman.
Taking advantage of the instant their life-linking great art was severed, Bu Eunseol consecutively unfolded Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Thud.
Without even time to scream, the pair died with eyes wide open.
He had struck so swiftly that only thin lines of blood remained at their throats.
They had perished without even realizing their lives had been cut.
Click.
Sheathing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword once more, Bu Eunseol gazed into the distant sky.
“So this is why martial artists place such importance on experiencing the martial world.”
Looking at the United Heart Society pair who had died with eyes bulging, he let out a deep sigh.
“If I had not properly understood the Hundred and Eight Stars, mental landscapes, and Sealed Demon Fragments… today’s battle would not have been easy.”
Bu Eunseol had always fought against the Hundred and Eight Stars who could wield absolute power within their domains.
He also knew about mental landscapes—Phase—that drew an enemy’s soul into one’s own mental world, making them experience and see things more vividly than reality.
And thanks to Han Sangja, he had grasped the existence of Sealed Demon Fragments—the very soul of the True Demon.
Had he been ignorant of all these concepts, he could never have won so easily against them.
“Because I precisely understood those concepts, I knew I had to use Martial Mist and Waves.”
In the past, Un Hakbi—a master of the Hundred and Eight Stars from the Jungson family—not only instantly absorbed martial arts but unfolded identical techniques.
Likewise, these two who possessed Sealed Demon Fragments had a method to perfectly absorb martial arts, comprehend their principles, and reflect them.
The two methods were nearly identical, except that the United Heart Society experts had no domain limitation.
One might think this was all a mental landscape, but Bu Eunseol sensed that Sealed Demon Fragments resided within their bodies.
Once again unfolding Martial Mist and Waves, he shattered the balance of the power they wielded, seized that instant, and immediately unleashed Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
“Sealed Demon Fragments are no longer a new concept to the abyss forces, are they?”
Sealed Demon Fragments were the True Demon’s knowledge; the more one possessed, the greater the power obtained. Yet for mere young members of the United Heart Society to have absorbed Sealed Demon Fragments and wield them like supernatural abilities?
“Are they not greedy for Sealed Demon Fragments?”
The more fragments one collected, the closer one came to the True Demon’s power.
So why inject such precious fragments into nameless young disciples?
At the moment of death, that priceless power would simply be taken by the enemy.
‘Yin-Soul Killing Men.’
In that instant, a term flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Combat weapons created from inanimate objects.
Their true value lay not in overwhelming power, but in serving as biological repositories capable of arbitrarily storing Sealed Demon Fragments.
Shuuu.
At that moment, black smoke rose from the woman’s body and was instantly absorbed into the ground.
They were likely controlling the Yin-Soul Killing Men from underground to retrieve the Sealed Demon Fragment.
“Is that the extent of it?”
Just as Bu Eunseol sensed something beneath the earth and prepared to unleash sword-throwing technique,
Puk.
Suddenly a long sword plunged deep into his back from behind.
“Heh heh heh.”
The man—whose neck had already been severed and who should have been dead—wore a sinister smile as he drove the sword into Bu Eunseol’s back.
Shuu.
Meanwhile, the Sealed Demon Fragment that had emerged from the woman’s body vanished in an instant.
“One must always be wary of the final move.”
He had used the grotesque sorcery of the Mosan Sect to unfold a secret art that allowed one last strike in the moment of Return of Radiance Reversal.
“Well said.”
When Bu Eunseol murmured lowly,
Sssss.
The long sword embedded in his back instantly melted and flowed to the ground like water.
“How…?”
“Because even though the one who possessed the Sealed Demon Fragment died, it did not flow out.”
Bu Eunseol had already prepared himself when he realized no fragment emerged despite the man’s death.
When the man stabbed him from behind, Bu Eunseol concentrated the Yeolha Great True Energy at the point of impact, instantly melting the sword.
“Terrifying… bastard.”
The man—truly at the end of his life—was slowly transforming into something skull-like.
“Strange. Why could I not sense any Sealed Demon Fragment from you?”
Bu Eunseol lied smoothly.
“Because I don’t have one.”
“You don’t?”
“Correct.”
The man suddenly burst into laughter.
“Heh heh heh. Hahaha! In any case, this is good. My death was not in vain!”
Roaring with mad laughter, he said, “It was only ever a second-best plan, after all.”
“What?”
“Did you think we wouldn’t anticipate the possibility that you would not fall and instead kill us?”
Looking at Bu Eunseol, he cackled.
“Now my Sealed Demon Fragment will lodge in your body… and you will be dragged into this struggle!”
Sealed Demon Fragments.
Once absorbed into the body, they granted immense power—but those who possessed them could sense each other’s fragments during battle.
Even in defeat, the United Heart Society had deliberately injected a portion of a fragment into Bu Eunseol to force him into the struggle.
“Is a Sealed Demon Fragment not precious?”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, the man curled his lip.
“The true fragment was with my junior sister. I was at a level where I could not use any power.”
The man wore a sinister expression.
“From now on, you too will endlessly kill and be killed in pursuit of Sealed Demon Fragments. Heh heh heh.”
After laughing lowly for a long while, he opened his mouth wide and taunted, “Just like the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang…”
Thud.
Finally, as his breath completely ceased, black mist began to rise from the man’s body, and that mist was instantly absorbed into Bu Eunseol’s left arm.
But he had no time to think about Sealed Demon Fragments.
“So my grandfather waged a struggle for Sealed Demon Fragments?”
After pondering deeply, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“No, that cannot be.”
His grandfather had already been the supreme master of his era; Sealed Demon Fragments would have held no meaning for him.
“Absolute Demonic Path?”
A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Could the final stage of the Absolute Demonic Blade Project have involved completing the Absolute Demonic Path through Sealed Demon Fragments—or perhaps perfecting martial arts by killing one another?
“There is a possibility.”
When he had once looked into the mind of Un Jeong—the so-called Holy Maidens’ Sect Leader—he had seen his grandfather tormented, consumed by black energy.
Could that have been because of a Sealed Demon Fragment?
“I must confirm this for certain.”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
Whether or not it was a Sealed Demon Fragment remained unknown.
What was certain was that his grandfather had known the secrets of the martial world—and perhaps had been deeply involved.
If the Absolute Demonic Blade Project was connected to Sealed Demon Fragments, then perhaps even his grandfather had been unable to escape that yoke.
***
The Death Spirit Corps was still relentlessly investigating the past whereabouts of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
Bu Zhanyang’s life remained a legend in the martial world, yet his actual movements were almost entirely unknown.
And for good reason.
Before becoming the Vice Palace Lord of Majeon, he had roamed the martial world alone, slaughtering countless masters.
Even after becoming Vice Palace Lord, he rarely stayed within Majeon.
Moreover, he had many shadows.
His whereabouts were inconsistent, and the traces that did emerge were a mixture of truth and fabrication.
Suppressed Demon Pavilion, Bu Eunseol’s office.
Yoo Unryong was giving him an interim report on the investigation.
“It is said that the Vice Palace Lord’s movements were irregular and his purposes unknowable.”
He continued with a grave expression, “However, judging from the remaining traces, it appears he was targeting individuals from specific factions or organizations.”
“Specific organizations?”
“Yes. The Vice Palace Lord primarily exterminated mysterious sects and families unknown to the martial world.”
Through ceaseless investigation, it had become clear that the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang had not only slaughtered well-known martial masters, but had also completely wiped out numerous hidden sects and families unknown to the martial world.
“The reason these actions remained unknown is that the sects, societies, and families he targeted never revealed themselves to the world in the first place.”
“There would have been no witnesses.”
Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
“In the end, the common thread among those killed by my grandfather is that they belonged to sects or families that remained hidden in the martial world.”
“Correct.”
Perhaps it was fortunate?
Though history recorded his grandfather as slaughtering people indiscriminately, in truth he had systematically eliminated members of hidden sects and families.
In other words, not out of personal emotion, but for a special purpose.
And as a result, the number and scale of people he actually massacred were greatly diminished in the records compared to reality.
According to the investigation so far, no one in martial history had ever slaughtered so many people.
“What was the reason?”
“We do not yet know.”
Yoo Unryong said with a worried expression,
“But I am concerned. If an information organization moves on this scale, it will inevitably reveal to the entire world that you are the grandson of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang.”
The supreme masters of the martial world and members of abyss forces already knew that Bu Eunseol was Bu Zhanyang’s grandson but the vast majority of martial artists and information networks remained completely unaware.
If Bu Eunseol continued this investigation, no matter how covertly the Death Spirit Corps operated, some facts would inevitably leak outward bit by bit.
“As a result, since he slaughtered countless people without distinguishing between righteous and demonic… the descendants harboring deep grudges against the Vice Palace Lord must be innumerable.”
“Hm.”
“If such facts spread…”
“It is fine.”
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
“If there is responsibility to bear, I will bear it. So do not worry and continue the investigation.”
“Understood.”
Yoo Unryong forced a bright expression and changed the subject.
“The fortunate part is that the more we investigate, the clearer it becomes that most of those the Vice Palace Lord eliminated were evildoers.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol gave a bitter smile.
Such a fact held no meaning.
In the end, martial artists fixated only on the fact that his grandfather had killed so many people.
Blood debt.
It could only be repaid in blood.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade Bu Zhanyang.
His name had become synonymous with the greatest butcher in martial history.
“If all of this were known, the Vice Palace Lord would be recorded in martial history as the worst slaughterer of all time.”
Yoo Unryong spoke as though consoling Bu Eunseol.
“Almost to the point that it feels fortunate his actions remained hidden.”
“Perhaps…”
Bu Eunseol murmured lowly.
“…it was for a great cause.”
Could his grandfather have carried out the slaughter for a greater righteousness?
If not… even if he were a murderer who derived infinite pleasure from killing, how could he have committed such endless large-scale slaughter?
“Yes, surely there was some reason worthy of it. But…”
Yoo Unryong took a deep breath.
“Honestly, I do not know. What kind of goal could possibly justify such a war of slaughter?”
Even in front of Bu Eunseol, Yoo Unryong did not blindly defend the Seven-Finger Demon Blade’s actions.
And that was precisely his consideration for Bu Eunseol.
Had he glorified even the slaughter, Bu Eunseol would have suffered even more.
“You have worked hard.”
Bu Eunseol said apologetically.
“There is no need to understand it or dress it up. I am simply trying to find the path my grandfather walked.”
“I know. But…” Yoo Unryong urged once more, “If these facts become known, nothing good will come of it. Would it not be better to stop now?”
“No.”
Bu Eunseol said, “To find my grandfather’s killers, I must know all of his past actions.”
“That is exactly what I mean.”
Yoo Unryong spoke with a pained expression.
“The families and friends of those killed by the Vice Palace Lord must also harbor the same desire for revenge as you.”
“I am my grandfather’s grandson. If he committed wrongs that demand accountability… then it is only right that I bear that burden.”
He did not respect and love his grandfather because he was a perfect transcendent.
He loved him simply because he was his grandfather.
Because he was the family who had illuminated a endlessly dark world with bright light.
If his grandfather was an evildoer, then as his grandson, he had resolved to pay the price for those sins.
“Yes, with such resolve, there is no helping it.”
Yoo Unryong wore a subtle smile.
“You are deliberately setting a trap right now, aren’t you? If they can detect our Death Spirit Corps’ investigation process to this degree… they must possess an information network comparable to ours.”
He was the foremost strategist of the demonic path, who had long assisted Bu Eunseol with his transcendent wisdom and insight. Thus he could already anticipate what plan Bu Eunseol held and what scheme he intended to employ.
“If they bite now, they will surely be people with a backer behind them.”
“Correct.”
Bu Eunseol readily admitted it.
“Because I must find them as quickly as possible.”
Even at the risk of danger, he intended to pursue his grandfather’s whereabouts—the truth hidden behind history—as swiftly as he could.
“Yes.”
Yoo Unryong corrected his dark expression and smiled brightly so that the shadow lingering at the corners of Bu Eunseol’s eyes might recede.
“Then we will continue the investigation.”
Several days passed.
In the end, the situation Yoo Unryong had feared came to pass.
As the Death Spirit Corps investigated Bu Zhanyang’s past, word inevitably reached some descendants of the sects and families that had been exterminated by Bu Zhanyang.
The result became a single letter placed before Bu Eunseol’s desk.
“As expected, it has come to this.”
Receiving the letter from Bu Eunseol, Yoo Unryong gritted his teeth.
According to its contents…
They were descendants of five sects that had been annihilated by Bu Zhanyang in the past.
By chance, they had learned that Bu Eunseol was Bu Zhanyang’s descendant, and wishing to settle the old grudge, they demanded that Bu Eunseol come to a certain location.
If he did not come?
They threatened to spread the information throughout the entire martial world, to all the descendants and scions who harbored bitter hatred toward the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
“They have taken the bait.”
Bu Eunseol smiled.
In the end, they had bitten the hook.
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