Martial Alliance, Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
The Martial Venerable sat at the desk in his office with his eyes closed.
—I refuse to become a subordinate of the True Demon.
At the time, the Martial Venerable had said this to the Lord of the Martial God Heaven, who had given him power and allowed him to inherit the position of Martial God Heaven Lord.
“So it has gone awry after all.”
According to the Lord of the Martial God Heaven, no one except the subordinates of the True Demon knew that he had become the Martial God Heaven Lord.
However, it seemed that Mok Do-in had faintly sensed his true identity.
What felt even more unpleasant was the behavior of the Lord of the Martial God Heaven at that time.
When he declared that he would not live as a subordinate, the Lord of the Martial God Heaven had instead smiled with satisfaction and said,
—Nonsense. You are already an excellent subordinate.
The image of the Lord of the Martial God Heaven’s deep, abyss-like throat and his sharp fangs still vividly appeared before his eyes.
‘That sight still lingers in my mind.’
At the time, after transferring nearly ninety percent of the enormous power he possessed, the Lord of the Martial God Heaven had transformed into a frail old man.
Moreover, he had been alone.
Without any soldiers or subordinates, he had lived in solitude for a long time while harboring that overwhelming power.
And in the end, he had revealed nothing.
Not the True Demon’s real purpose, nor the reason he had chosen him as his successor.
‘In that case, I have no choice but to kill you so that no one knows I have become the Martial God Heaven Lord.’
At the time, the Martial Venerable had tried to kill him to seal his mouth forever.
However, the Lord of the Martial God Heaven had looked at him with a satisfied smile, as if he had seen through everything.
At that moment, a feeling of displeasure had crept into his heart.
It was because it seemed as though the man had already foreseen a future that even he himself did not know, and had even predicted his every move.
In the end, the Martial Venerable had left the Lord of the Martial God Heaven alone on that desolate island where he had been.
Now, he felt a slight regret over that choice.
“The bigger problem is… that I can no longer use the Wood Buddha.”
Obtaining the position of Martial God Heaven Lord had not been an entirely blessed event.
The Baekri family and the True Demon were the heavenly secrets themselves, the prophets of the martial world did not even utter their names, nor did they engage in any conversation with them. Speaking with them was akin to pressing one’s lips against the fangs of a venomous snake.
Although he had become the strongest wielder of soul magic weapons, he could no longer borrow the power of the Wood Buddha.
“Then… the only option left is that guy after all.”
The Martial Venerable placed the letter he had written earlier on the desk.
A faint light flickered repeatedly in his eyes.
No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only plan remaining.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, along with the sound of knocking, a masked man wearing gray martial attire entered.
He was Pyo Seung, the great leader of the Yeonbi Corps—one of the Martial Alliance’s secret organizations—and one of the Martial Venerable’s most trusted confidants.
“Alliance Leader.”
Pyo Seung bowed respectfully to the Martial Venerable and spoke in a low voice.
“As expected, it has been exposed.”
“Hmm.”
“Every faction that has been desperately searching for the Wood Buddha has headed there. Fortunately, the Wood Buddha moved to the island and deployed the Heavenly Realm Array, but… it is only a matter of time before he is discovered.”
“Hmm.”
The Martial Venerable smiled bitterly.
He then stared at the letter that had been lying on the desk the entire time.
“Deliver this letter to the Martial Soul Command Lord of Majeon.”
Merely by glancing at it, the letter was already in Pyo Seung’s hand.
“You can send it through the information network of Majeon that he leads.”
“The Martial Soul Command Lord, sir?”
“Yes. There is no one more suitable than him for handling this matter.” With both hands clasped and supporting his chin, the Martial Venerable continued, “To bring back the Wood Buddha and secure his person.”
“Absolutely not.”
Pyo Seung shook his head.
“If he meets the Wood Buddha, the Martial Soul Command Lord will learn everything.”
“Nonsense. The Wood Buddha will never speak.”
The Martial Venerable spoke firmly.
“No, he cannot speak.”
“How…”
“You just need to deliver the letter.”
Pyo Seung looked puzzled but still bowed respectfully.
“Understood.”
Click.
After the masked man left, the Martial Venerable sat with a relaxed expression.
Sssss.
However, something was strange.
White smoke began rising from his forehead, soon followed by a blue energy swirling around it.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, thick black veins bulged across his entire body, and his eyes turned bloodshot red.
Becoming a subordinate of the True Demon did not mean simply gaining power. The moment one accepted his power, the body and soul fused with the True Demon’s mind.
In other words, all subordinates became part of the True Demon and shared his will.
The plan the Martial Venerable was about to execute was something a subordinate of the True Demon must never do. When one acted against the True Demon’s will like this… the soul would suffer the agony of being burned alive.
“I will never yield.”
Before long, blue smoke rose from the Martial Venerable’s forehead.
It felt as though his brain was melting like water and every blood vessel in his body was blazing fiercely.
The expression “the soul is burning” was not enough to describe it.
His eyeballs seemed to melt and flow out, his tendons were being torn, and his bones were being crushed. His internal organs and skin felt as though they were alternately burning in scorching flames.
Sssssss.
Smoke continuously rose from his body, yet
“Haa… haa…”
Even amid the pain, the Martial Venerable wore a smile.
This level of pain was nothing.
He had already abandoned everything—including the emotions that could feel pain.
“How did I come this far…”
Even the sworn brother who had saved his life had betrayed him and driven him into the abyss of death.
He could not possibly submit to something as trivial as the True Demon’s will.
Sssssss.
Even in the pain of his melting brain and the agony of his melting eyeballs, the Martial Venerable endured firmly.
***
Step, step.
Bu Eunseol was walking through thickly hanging fog.
It was as if all the fog in the world had been gathered in one place. The visibility was so blurry that it was difficult to see even a few steps ahead, and the cold yet sticky air made it feel like he was wading through slime.
When he finally passed through the fog, a primeval forest that seemed untouched by human feet unfolded before him. The narrow path between the dense trees was intricately tangled like a maze, and at times towering rocky mountains blocked the way. Because the landscape seemed to change endlessly like a living creature, simply standing still made one feel dizzy.
When he finally passed through the forest as well, a small hermitage appeared in front of a clear pond. The door of the hermitage, built on high stairs, was wide open, and inside sat an elderly man drinking tea in a neat posture.
It was the Martial Venerable, Dan Mok-gi.
The most powerful expert of the righteous path in the current righteous martial world, and a shameless person who had betrayed the Heavenly Emperor.
He was leisurely drinking tea here.
“You chose quite an inconvenient place for a fight.”
Instead of greeting him, Bu Eunseol spat out a sharp remark.
Until this morning, he had been handling the backlog of work at Majeon.
However, a very secretive letter had suddenly been delivered through the information network of the Death Spirit Corps.
It was a letter from the Martial Venerable.
Only the location and time were written on it; nothing else.
That meant the purpose was a duel.
Since he had already decided to kill the Martial Venerable, there was no need to hesitate.
The Martial Venerable, Dan Mok-gi, had tried to kill Gongsun Dankyung and, along with Seon Woojin’s identity, had attempted to erase him.
Moreover, he had made a promise to the real Seon Woojin—the one now living as Dok-go Jin and serving as the General Manager of the Azure Sky Alliance.
To definitely kill the Martial Venerable.
Even though he was not fully prepared for a complete victory, since the Martial Venerable had sent such an open letter…
It meant he wanted to compete without avoiding the confrontation.
“Fight… you say.”
At that moment, the Martial Venerable, who had been drinking tea, rose from his chair.
“Are you serious?”
In that instant, Bu Eunseol felt the illusion that the Martial Venerable’s body was growing large enough to reach the end of the sky.
‘This level…’
Bu Eunseol was genuinely surprised.
Until now, he had constantly tried to grasp the Martial Venerable’s movements and had been continuously calculating the level of his martial prowess, as he never knew when he might clash with him in a life-or-death battle.
But all those calculations had been completely off.
He had achieved a martial level far beyond what Bu Eunseol had expected.
‘It has been recently enhanced.’
During his time in the Martial Alliance, the Martial Venerable had not possessed this level of martial prowess.
Moreover, experts who had reached such high realms could not raise their martial level in an instant.
Furthermore, because he was an ambitious man who avoided risks, he would not have engaged in life-risking sparring unlike in the past, and such rapid growth could not have been expected.
Yet the Martial Venerable had reached a realm beyond imagination in this short time, as if he had been engaging in life-or-death battles against experts equal to himself every day.
‘I must clash with him using full power.’
Even if the opponent was stronger than expected, his defeat was not predetermined.
For the first time, Bu Eunseol slowly began to fuse the inner core that stored his internal energy with the inner core that condensed poison energy.
Whirring.
At that moment, an indescribably intense energy began burning in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Impressive momentum.”
The Martial Venerable, having seen through that Bu Eunseol was quietly gathering power, nodded.
“At that level, you would not fall behind even if you fought against the current top experts of the martial world.”
It was a strange statement.
The Martial Venerable himself was also a supreme expert of the current martial world. However, his words were phrased as if he himself was not one of the current top experts.
In other words, he had already surpassed even that level.
“Shouldn’t we test which is longer and which is shorter?”
“That is also a good idea, but there is no need for that right now.”
The Martial Venerable looked at Bu Eunseol, who was in a combat stance, with a relaxed attitude and spoke calmly.
“I came only to give you information that will benefit you alone.”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
One side was gathering full power and looking for an opportunity, while the other was speaking in the most leisurely manner in the world. Just from this situation alone, he was already losing the battle of momentum to the Martial Venerable.
“Information that benefits me alone.”
Bu Eunseol said flatly.
“Yet you came to find out where your grave will be.”
“Don’t be so sharp. It makes conversation uncomfortable.”
He waved his hand lightly.
Then, the energy that Bu Eunseol had secretly raised disappeared like melting snow.
It was not even sorcery or supernatural power. It was a new martial art that had never existed in the martial world before—one created by overlapping countless profound principles of martial arts that no one had ever mastered.
Like a god who could freely use the logic of all martial arts, the Martial Venerable had instantly made not only the internal energy Bu Eunseol had raised but even the poison within his inner core disappear.
“Let me say it again: this will be a conversation that benefits both of us. First, just listen to what I have to say.”
“Speak.”
The longer he dragged this out, the more advantageous it was for Bu Eunseol.
He could analyze the Martial Venerable’s posture and momentum to unravel the secrets of the martial arts he used.
Flash.
A yellowish light rose in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
He had simultaneously activated the Nangyang Heart Eye and the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra so that he could instantly analyze it the moment the Martial Venerable used his martial arts again.
“There is currently the greatest prophet in the martial world who can perfectly read the heavenly secrets.”
The Martial Venerable spoke leisurely, even while knowing that Bu Eunseol was observing him.
“And he made me the Divine Evaluator.”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol’s concentration wavered.
The title Divine Evaluator represented the greatest sage in the martial world—the Divine Mountain Sage.
But to say that it was borrowed from the power of one prophet, and to honestly reveal such a fact to his great enemy?
In the end, did it not mean he had become so strong that even that title was no longer necessary?
“His name is the Wood Buddha. He is a disciple of the Dharma Seeker Moryun and can be considered the greatest prophet of all time, surpassing even Moryun.”
“Is he also a sage of the Sage Forest?”
When Bu Eunseol reacted, the Martial Venerable chuckled and shook his head.
“The Sage Forest? They are nothing but bookworms who worship only ancient books passed down from old times.”
The Martial Venerable spoke firmly.
“The Wood Buddha is the heavenly secrets themselves. There is nothing in the world he does not know.”
He then showed a meaningful smile.
Bu Eunseol ignored whatever the Martial Venerable said and continued preparing for battle.
However, because of the Martial Venerable’s last words, he ultimately had no choice but to release his combat stance.
“And he can tell you everything you want to know.”
“Nonsense.”
When Bu Eunseol denied it, the Martial Venerable shrugged.
“I can swear on all my honor.”
He then put on a serious expression.
“The Wood Buddha. He knows all the laws and secrets of the world—including the culprit who killed the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes twitched.
No matter how wicked and sinister the Martial Venerable was, he was still one of the greatest masters of martial arts in the world.
A man with such strong pride would never openly tell such a lie.
“What exactly do you want?”
The Martial Venerable was in a hostile relationship with him. Moreover, prophets throughout the generations had been like trophies subordinated to the supreme experts who controlled the martial world.
Especially a person capable of reading heavenly secrets existed in the current martial world.
No—the very existence of a disciple of Dharma Seeker Moryun was already incredibly valuable information that could not be bought with money.
So why was he conveying such facts to him?
“I will tell you honestly.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, the Martial Venerable looked at the distant sky.
“The Wood Buddha has been subordinated to me for a long time.”
“……”
“However, while I was briefly away due to certain matters, the Absolute Array scattered and he disappeared somewhere.”
Bu Eunseol raised his eyebrows.
“Then couldn’t you just deploy your subordinate forces to find him again?”
“I would like to, but I no longer have the qualification to restrain him.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled.
Simply keeping a prophet under control brought immeasurable benefits yet he no longer had the “qualification” to possess him?
“Why is that?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
Bu Eunseol immediately saw through his intention.
“So in the end… you want me to bring this person called the Wood Buddha in your place.”
The Martial Venerable nodded.
“I’m glad you understand without needing further explanation.”
“Do you think I would do something so uninteresting?”
“Of course you will.”
The Martial Venerable stared straight at Bu Eunseol and spoke confidently.
“Because a smart guy like you would never miss the opportunity to meet a sage who knows all the secrets of the world.”
He could not refute it.
Even if this was all a trap, if he could meet the person called the Wood Buddha?
It was worth taking the risk.
“I might be able to possess him myself.”
“If you can, that would be fine too. But that will be absolutely impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because the Wood Buddha will refuse.”
For some reason, the Martial Venerable was certain that Bu Eunseol could not possess the Wood Buddha.
“No matter how much you think about it, you will see it as a proposal with no loss. But in reality, that is not entirely true.”
“So his location has been exposed. The place where this person called the Wood Buddha is hiding.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with a confident voice.
“Since the existence of such a transcendent prophet has been revealed… eventually, all the strongest forces in the martial world will gather.”
“……”
“That is why, even with the status of Alliance Leader or as the Divine Mountain Sage, you absolutely cannot save him.”
“As I always say, talking with you is nice because I don’t need to repeat myself.”
When the Martial Venerable readily admitted it, Bu Eunseol snorted.
“What were you planning to use those secret forces you kept hidden like precious treasures for?”
“It is the same situation. Because if it is revealed that they are my subordinates, I absolutely cannot use them.”
At the time, the Martial Venerable had been extremely anxious that Bu Eunseol would expose his secret organizations while stirring up the Martial Alliance.
Judging from how extremely reluctant he was to be exposed, it was clear that he was plotting something major with the secret forces he had cultivated.
“Martial Venerable. Your intelligence and quick wits should not have fallen behind those of the Heavenly Emperor.”
Bu Eunseol asked with a sigh.
“Exactly what were you trying to do by betraying even the sworn brother who saved your life?”
Originally, Bu Eunseol had thought, as Mu Gyeol had said, that the reason he betrayed the Heavenly Emperor was because he coveted his martial arts.
But only now did he realize.
He had not betrayed the Heavenly Emperor simply to steal his martial arts.
Just what was he trying to achieve by betraying the Heavenly Emperor and becoming a wicked villain?
“You are talking nonsense.”
The Martial Venerable said coldly.
“Everyone has their own circumstances, and no one has the right to pry into them.”
He then turned his body.
“If you don’t want to do it, then don’t. I have a backup plan.”
Considering all conditions, Bu Eunseol had been the best choice.
Naturally, a backup plan had also been prepared.
‘I must judge this coldly right now.’
The Martial Venerable was an enemy he would have to face in a life-or-death battle, and he was well aware of that fact. Nevertheless, making such a proposal meant… that the existence of the prophet called the Wood Buddha was real, and that he possessed that much power.
As he had said, it was definitely worth meeting him.
“Fine.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“I will give it a try.”
“I knew you would.”
The Martial Venerable threw him a letter.
“This is the island where the Wood Buddha is hiding. It is a place no one can enter… but you should be able to.”
He seemed to have guessed that Bu Eunseol was the one who had infiltrated his secret vault. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Mu Gyeol—his right-hand man—to suddenly betray him at the same time that the Spring and Autumn Annals hidden near the secret cave had disappeared.
“However, the array deployed by the Wood Buddha is not easy to break through. It is similar to the Absolute Array yet completely different in nature.”
The Martial Venerable threw a wooden box.
When he opened it, it contained a mysteriously sparkling light.
Upon closer inspection, it was a transparent orb shining with red light.
“Is it alright to give me something like this?”
Understanding Bu Eunseol’s meaning, the Martial Venerable snorted.
“Take it if you want. It has become an item I can no longer use anyway.”
That meant it could only be used this time, or that it could not be used after this matter.
“So it is a kind of key that can only be used once.”
When Bu Eunseol uttered the word “key,” the Martial Venerable’s eyes changed slightly, but he casually changed the subject.
“You will have to risk your life. There will be experts there who surpass you.”
“We’ll see.”
“If you succeed, bring him to the place written in the letter. Then the deal will be complete.”
He added, “You know about the Boundary Prosperity Jade, right? Since you stole nearly half of the items in my secret vault.”
At the time, while recovering his body, Bu Eunseol had absorbed the energy of the Boundary Prosperity Jade in the stone chamber, but nothing special had happened. However, the Martial Venerable seemed to think he had intentionally stolen that power.
“It would be good to take one this time. Your identity must never be discovered.”
After speaking, he slowly turned around.
“I wish you success.”
Without delay, he immediately turned and disappeared.
“Qualification…”
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes as he pondered the words the Martial Venerable had said.
“That means his original status or position has changed, not just that of the Martial Alliance Leader.”
The Martial Venerable had said he no longer had the “qualification” to approach the Wood Buddha.
A man who would unhesitatingly kill even the sworn brother who had saved his life for the sake of his goal would not have said such a thing unless he had truly lost that qualification.
“The only thing that could restrain the Martial Venerable is…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
The only restriction that came to mind capable of binding someone like the Martial Venerable was an oath or something similar.
“What is certain is that he is bound by an oath or a similar prohibition. Nevertheless, the fact that he is trying to find the Wood Buddha means…”
A flash of light sparked in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“He must be confident that he will regain the qualification to possess the Wood Buddha again in the future.”
That point was certain.
Otherwise, a man like the Martial Venerable would never have come to him and revealed the existence of the Wood Buddha.
“And…”
The Martial Venerable was certain… that he would not be able to obtain information from the Wood Buddha. Otherwise, he would not have done a favor for an enemy he would eventually have to face in a life-or-death battle.
“I will do it.”
When he was in the Martial Alliance, it had always been like that.
Whether it was Yuk Jangcheon or the Martial Venerable, if someone plotted something? He just had to break it.
Through this person called the Wood Buddha, Bu Eunseol intended to once again obtain information about the culprit who killed his grandfather.
“It would be even better if I can obtain information about the Martial Venerable as well.”
In the meantime, the Martial Venerable had surpassed the level of a supreme expert and was radiating an extremely alien and chilling energy that he had never felt before.
“He obtained a fortuitous encounter, it seems.”
A man like him would not be unable to control his aura.
That meant he was either intentionally revealing his aura to create confusion about his identity… or he was unable to perfectly control that energy.
“The former is probably more likely.”
The Martial Venerable was a meticulous man.
Whether he had obtained a fortuitous encounter or new martial arts, he would never hand over clues that would allow others to identify its source.
“A fortuitous encounter in the Martial Venerable’s martial prowess…”
The current momentum of the Martial Venerable was powerful enough to rival that of the Demon Emperor.
Nevertheless, he was bound by someone—or something.
In the end, it meant that in the martial world, there were experts crouching who surpassed even him.
“I can become stronger too.”
If there were strong experts on the island where the person called the Wood Buddha was, that would actually be better.
The outcome of a fight is not determined solely by the level of martial arts.
It can also be decided by stamina, combat experience, and concentration, or even by using the terrain according to the situation, or by responding with improvisation to counter the enemy’s attacks.
Furthermore, with excellent observational skills one can find the opponent’s weaknesses, and through psychological tactics as well.
There are countless ways… to bridge the gap in martial prowess.
Bu Eunseol had always used this point to defeat experts stronger than himself.
Once again, he would have to prove that truth there.
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