‘No way.’
Bu Eunseol, who had been holding his breath and watching closely, widened his eyes.
Was that fat masked man truly Baekri Mujo?
Thud.
At that moment, the white-clothed man suddenly stopped walking.
‘Oh no.’
Waves in the heart create ripples in true energy that reveal one’s presence.
The man who had halted his steps gazed at a large ancient tree several zhang behind him and spoke in a low voice.
“There was a rat hiding there.”
That was precisely where Bu Eunseol was concealed.
When no answer came, the white-clothed man immediately drew his fine sword.
Kwaaang!
A vibration that seemed to tear eardrums and a strange cry rang out.
Pure white sword energy instantly turned the ancient tree where Bu Eunseol was hiding into powder.
‘The power of internal energy.’
Surprisingly, unlike Bu Eunseol, the masked man was in a state where he could use internal energy.
In other words, he possessed a means to resist the power of the spell spreading across this island.
“Come out.”
Swish!
The masked man, who had closed the distance in an instant, accurately located Bu Eunseol’s hiding spot and thrust his sharp fine sword toward his neck. Bu Eunseol had anticipated the masked man’s first move and used his movement technique to slip away from the sword strike.
However, the masked man pursued him relentlessly, as if determined not to let him escape, following the transparent, ghost-like Bu Eunseol.
‘I can’t avoid a fight.’
Shuuuk.
Bu Eunseol dispelled his concealment technique and revealed himself.
Because he had used disguise techniques, worn a face veil, and even altered his skeletal structure, even those who knew him well would never recognize him.
“Hmm.”
The masked man scanned Bu Eunseol up and down for a moment, then swung his fine sword without another word.
Paaaaah!
At that instant, thread-like thin and sharp sword energy enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body. The sharp sword energy was keen enough to slice through diamond and even possessed a sticky pulling force. It was at a level that could not be avoided with footwork alone.
Shashashasha!
Bu Eunseol drew his Silent Tiger Soul Sword and swung it wildly, like a madman.
Though it appeared to be random swinging, it actually contained the profound essence of martial techniques and when combined with the free-spirited Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, it quickly pushed back the white-clothed man’s sticky, web-like sword energy.
“Huh.”
A gasp escaped the white-clothed man as a brilliant light burst from his eyes.
Bu Eunseol’s sword art was not bound by orthodox or unorthodox factions, and his techniques were extremely natural and boundless, breaking through the limitations and constraints of the sword as a weapon.
“Who are you?”
Bu Eunseol did not answer and continued to unleash his sword art madly.
The white-clothed man’s sword art was extremely high-level, and his movements were as fast as lightning.
If Bu Eunseol showed even the slightest opening, his head would fly off.
“Hmm.”
The white-clothed man let out a short groan, greatly expanded his internal energy, and changed his sword art.
Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, white sword energy formed in the sky and began pouring down as if dozens of people were executing sword arts at once.
‘Profound Rapids Flying Sword.’
It was the exclusive supreme art of the legendary swordsman Yang Hongja—the Profound Rapids Flying Sword.
‘I can’t face this head-on.’
Bu Eunseol, unable to raise his internal energy, used Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to amplify the power of his sword art.
However, the transparent, cicada-wing-like sword energy with lightning properties fell endlessly from the sky. They transformed into hundreds of sword forms and pierced toward his vital points.
Clang clang clang clang!
When an unavoidable lethal technique was unleashed, Radiant Sword Control naturally unfolded on its own.
The white-clothed man showed great surprise upon seeing Radiant Sword Control, then changed his sword art once again.
Pyupyupyupyu!
This time, sharp, awl-like sword energy poured down countless times onto Bu Eunseol’s body.
It was the Illusory Flow Sword Style of the peerless swordsman from three hundred years ago, known as the Wood One Sword Guest—Jeokpae.
‘I must not reveal true void martial arts.’
Bu Eunseol spun his Silent Tiger Soul Sword like a windmill, deflecting the sword energy.
The sword forms he used had no boundary between orthodox and unorthodox, completely disregarding the rules and laws of martial arts.
Yet he was blocking the Illusory Flow Sword Style as if executing an absolute supreme sword art.
“……!”
The white-clothed man, seemingly provoked, changed his sword art once more.
Piing. Pururut. Papapapa!
He unleashed only strictly orthodox sword arts such as the Pure Shadow Sword Art and the Origin Wind First Form, pouring them out endlessly.
‘He’s trying to figure out my origin.’
Bu Eunseol realized that the white-clothed man was continuously using orthodox sword arts to identify the source of his martial arts.
If one constantly faced orthodox sword learning like this, even a practitioner of demonic path martial arts would inevitably, without realizing it, use the unique counter techniques of demonic sword arts.
‘Interesting.’
Upon realizing that the white-clothed man’s sword art surpassed his own and that his knowledge of martial arts was vast, Bu Eunseol’s heart began to race with excitement and his eyes sparkled with life.
‘Then I’ll play along.’
Whiririric!
The Silent Tiger Soul Sword he was holding suddenly shifted to his fingers and rotated freely.
At the same time, the sword art the white-clothed man was executing began to unfold identically from Bu Eunseol’s hand.
It was the fifth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow—Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin.
Although Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin belonged to the Supreme Heavenly Flow, it only used the principles of “imitating force to seize skill” and “duplicating technique to steal essence.” Therefore, it was impossible to determine whether it was orthodox or unorthodox, or even its martial origin or background.
Shashashasha!
Sharp sword winds poured endlessly from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword held between his fingers, pressuring the white-clothed man.
Because the Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin Style instantly copied the opponent’s sword forms, it was performed with fingers rather than the hand.
As a result, the raw power of the sword art was somewhat lacking, but Bu Eunseol compensated for this limitation using the internal energy of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
The white-clothed man frowned as Bu Eunseol’s sword art grew increasingly complex and impossible to trace to any origin.
In contrast, a smile formed on Bu Eunseol’s lips.
Fighting such an absolute swordsman without internal energy had instead allowed him to rediscover the profound mysteries of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, which he had momentarily forgotten.
His fighting spirit surged to its peak.
‘Let’s see who has the superior sword art.’
Because Bu Eunseol’s sword art had also reached the pinnacle, he could conceal his martial background entirely. Even if they exchanged over a thousand moves, his origin and roots would not be discovered.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, a groan escaped the white-clothed man’s lips. Simultaneously—
Flash!
A brilliant radiance suddenly erupted, dyeing the entire world white.
Holy Sword.
It was the absolute sword art that destroyed everything exposed to its sacred light—the exclusive sword art of the Star Guard Division Commander, Baekri Mujo.
Paaaaaaaah!
The light that poured out suddenly flattened not only Bu Eunseol but also the surrounding area of several zhang into flat ground.
Shuuuuu.
Amid the smoke rising in all directions, the white-clothed man slowly walked out.
However, nothing remained where Bu Eunseol had been standing.
“…Fast.”
After scanning the surroundings for a long time, the white-clothed man stopped moving.
Kuuung!
A loud explosion echoed from far away.
After listening carefully for a while, he seemed to make a decision.
Shuuuk.
He vanished into the distant sky in an instant.
Once he left, silence descended upon the empty forest.
Shuuuk.
At that moment, a transparent energy flickered, and soon a gray shadow appeared on the ground.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“Huu, huu.”
Breathing heavily, he gazed in the direction where the white-clothed man had disappeared and let out a deep sigh.
“Baekri Mujo.”
Muttering quietly, he shook his head.
“So it really was him.”
It was strange.
Baekri Mujo had already shown him the fine sword hidden within his greatsword. So why had he brought his exclusive weapon that could reveal his true identity?
Why had he unfolded his exclusive sword art, the Holy Sword, without hesitation, revealing his identity?
‘He deliberately unfolded his exclusive martial art to announce that he had come here.’
After pondering deeply, Bu Eunseol could only reach this conclusion.
Perhaps it was someone’s instruction, or perhaps it was groundwork for executing some plan.
‘Or it could be an action aimed at securing the next Alliance Leader position.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes deepened.
It was not particularly strange for someone holding the powerful military force and intelligence network of the Star Guard Division to appear here.
‘Then, was he sent by the Martial Alliance?’
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
From the beginning, the Martial Alliance was a place where pure martial artists could never survive.
Rather, it was more likely that Baekri Mujo belonged to another faction.
“Huu.”
After letting out a deep sigh, Bu Eunseol raised his Wind-Cloud Divine Qi once more.
The power flowing from the ground was still blocking his internal energy and true qi.
‘It’s fortunate I have Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.’
Because Wind-Cloud Divine Qi left almost no traces when used, it was perfectly suited for the current situation.
‘First, I must fully recover my stamina.’
After checking his surroundings, Bu Eunseol moved deeper into the forest. He rested beneath a large ancient tree.
‘It feels like I’ve come to Hell Island.’
In the past, Bu Eunseol had hidden on Hell Island and single-handedly faced hundreds of enemies.
‘Back then, I at least had information.’
At that time, he had lived together with them for a while, so he could grasp their information and characteristics. However, now, there were overwhelmingly powerful enemies whose number and hiding places he could not even begin to identify.
‘If things continue like this, I will inevitably fail.’
When fighting in such a confined space, the most important factor is information about the enemy. If he wandered aimlessly like this, he would eventually clash with multiple enemies or fall into an ambush, facing mortal danger.
‘Huu….’
As Bu Eunseol, leaning against the ancient tree, shook his head—
“Benefactor.”
At that moment, a soft sensation came from the tree trunk, and a low voice rang in his ear.
“It’s heavy, so how about moving your body a little?”
Bu Eunseol was so startled that he nearly jumped to his feet.
Even though his internal energy had disappeared, his super senses remained. Yet he had failed to detect the person behind him?
Swish!
Greatly shocked, Bu Eunseol immediately turned around and looked at the ancient tree.
Crack.
The sound of a tree branch being stepped on was heard.
It was extremely faint, but to Bu Eunseol’s ears it sounded incredibly loud.
Crack crack crack.
Once again, the sound of tree branches rang out, and soon the opposite ancient tree seemed to sway faintly.
At the same time, a shadow sitting neatly in meditation beneath the tree trunk came into view.
‘The Wood Buddha.’
In that instant, Bu Eunseol unconsciously repeated the name that the Martial Venerable had told him.
The disciple of the Dharma Seeker Moryun and a prophet who could perfectly read the heavenly secrets.
Just as his name suggested, he had the appearance of a wooden Buddha statue.
“Wood Buddha, is it you?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, the Wood Buddha nodded.
Creak.
Then, staggering with difficulty, he walked forward.
His body was truly covered in bark-like skin and was emaciated.
“……!”
After observing him for a long time, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened greatly.
It was not because of the Wood Buddha’s appearance, but because the eyes formed on that bark-like skin felt somehow familiar.
“Great Monk…”
Bu Eunseol bowed deeply with great respect.
“You are the one… who saved me when I had lost my strength back then.”
At that time, Bu Eunseol had been in a crippled state with all his power blocked. Just then, a god-like stranger had appeared with blood-stained bandages and told him that he could recover his body in a place where stars poured down.
He had realized that the Wood Buddha’s eyes perfectly matched those of that stranger.
“Your insight surprises this humble monk.”
Originally, the Wood Buddha had spoken using mind transmission because his lips were almost sealed but now, perhaps because his dharma power had greatly weakened, he barely moved his crushed lips to produce actual sound.
As Bu Eunseol was about to reply, the Wood Buddha looked toward the distant sky and spoke with difficulty.
“Have you been detected by a presence again?”
He looked at Bu Eunseol and said,
“Could you move this humble monk to a quiet place? I can use the Great Natural Qi to hide my form, so just move extremely slowly.”
Bu Eunseol was greatly surprised.
He was called a prophet. To think he could use the Great Natural Qi, which even the Sword Venerable could not master….
Was he perhaps a master of martial arts?
“Of course. Please get on my back.”
Thoughts could wait.
Bu Eunseol quickly carried the Wood Buddha on his back and unfolded Swift Beyond Shadow while holding Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
At that moment, the Wood Buddha spoke with difficulty using mind transmission.
[There is no need to spread Wind-Cloud Divine Qi widely. Think of it as comfortably raising it while lying in water. It will make concealment even easier.]
‘He even knows the method to operate Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.’
Not only did he instantly recognize that Bu Eunseol possessed Wind-Cloud Divine Qi—which no one had detected—but he even gave advice on its operation?
Swallowing his repeated astonishment, Bu Eunseol spread Wind-Cloud Divine Qi exactly as the Wood Buddha advised.
As a result, he could hide his presence even more perfectly.
[There is a small cave behind the waterfall over there.]
Just as the Wood Buddha said, there was a small cave hidden behind the waterfall.
‘Now it’s safe.’
Bu Eunseol felt relieved for a moment.
Information superiority.
By joining with the Wood Buddha, Bu Eunseol had secured information at a completely different level from other enemies. In other words, his chances of victory in this fight had increased to over fifty percent.
“Great Monk.”
Once inside, Bu Eunseol carefully set down the carried Wood Buddha and bowed deeply.
“Why does the benefactor show such great respect?”
“In the end, didn’t you come out to the martial world on purpose to help restore my body, Great Monk?”
The Wood Buddha was a prophet who could lose the heavenly secrets.
That meant he already knew everything about Bu Eunseol’s situation and had deliberately come out to the martial world to tell him the way to restore his body.
“Why did you save me?”
The Wood Buddha gave an enigmatic answer like any other prophet or sage.
“Because that is the natural order.”
Then he quickly changed the subject.
“The Martial Venerable. Did he send you?”
He spoke calmly, as if he already knew everything about the Martial Venerable’s scheme.
“He… is trying to bind this humble monk once again.”
“That is correct.”
Bu Eunseol looked at the Wood Buddha and spoke respectfully.
“If you wish to escape the Martial Venerable’s grasp, I will help you.”
“Thank you for the kind words, but it is fine.”
The Wood Buddha said weakly.
“Rather, right now, that person’s domain is the safest place.”
Bu Eunseol made an ambiguous expression.
He could not tell whether those words were sincere or if the Wood Buddha was saying them out of concern that Bu Eunseol would fall into danger.
“I heard that you, Great Monk, are a prophet who surpasses your master, the Dharma Seeker, and can perfectly read the heavenly secrets.”
Changing the subject, Bu Eunseol made an earnest expression.
“There is something I wish to ask you, Great Monk. Please do not refuse and answer me.”
The Wood Buddha shook his head as if he already knew what Bu Eunseol’s question would be.
“That is something even this humble monk cannot know.”
“Is it because of the heavenly punishment?”
Bu Eunseol had roughly guessed from Han Sangja what the price of reading the heavenly secrets was.
“Not only the heavenly punishment, but the answer is of a nature that I cannot know or speak.”
Bu Eunseol looked at the Wood Buddha’s body. Then he spoke with utmost earnestness.
“If it is because of the heavenly punishment, I will definitely provide corresponding compensation.”
Bu Eunseol took out a wooden box from his bosom.
Inside were not only Clear Spirit Stone Oil but also rare spiritual medicines rarely seen in the world, all gathered together.
“These may not completely cure the heavenly punishment, but they will help treat your body.”
After hearing Han Sangja’s story, Bu Eunseol had guessed that the Wood Buddha would be suffering from heavenly punishment. That was why, before coming here, he had opened the treasury of Majeon and selected the spiritual medicines known as unparalleled treasures.
“Giving you the spiritual medicines is not a condition. If you tell me the culprit, after I finish everything, I will serve by your side for the rest of my life as your faithful servant.”
“Those are words I cannot bear.”
The Wood Buddha shook his head.
“Moreover, in the case of heavenly punishment, a hundred medicines are useless. No matter how great the spiritual medicine, it has no effect.”
“Then I will at least inject true energy to lessen the pain.”
Bu Eunseol placed his hand on the Wood Buddha’s vital acupoint and injected true energy.
It was none other than the Ban-Geuk Method true energy.
As pure true energy was injected, the pain in the Wood Buddha’s eyes eased slightly.
“That is enough. Do not waste precious true energy.”
“It is fine. I have more than enough energy to spare.”
“I know. But I say this because even if you inject energy, my body cannot accept it.”
Then the Wood Buddha returned the Ban-Geuk Method true energy he had received from Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘Is this even possible?’
Once Ban-Geuk Method true energy is released, that is the end. It cannot be taken back or re-injected.
Yet the Wood Buddha was displaying a mysterious power that transcended common martial principles.
“My body was completely ruined long ago. So do not worry about it.”
Speaking itself seemed difficult for him, as he spat out a clump of black blood.
His bark-like skin was actually covered in scabs, and between them, yellow pus flowed endlessly.
Moreover, his voice lacked strength and his eyes were dim.
He truly looked as if he could stop breathing at any moment.
“It is because of the Martial Venerable.”
Having realized something, Bu Eunseol said, “You received so much heavenly punishment because you granted the Martial Venerable’s request. Isn’t that right?”
The Wood Buddha silently affirmed.
‘So it was true.’
The Martial Venerable was indeed a wise and insightful genius, but he fell somewhat short of truly deserving the title of the greatest sage in the martial world.
If he had truly reached the level of the greatest martial world sage, he would not have fallen into the trap he himself had set.
In the end, he had gained that title only with the help of the prophet named the Wood Buddha.
“That too was fate.”
Bu Eunseol clenched both fists tightly and lowered his head.
In truth, he had been prepared to use any means necessary to make the Wood Buddha reveal the culprit who killed his grandfather.
He had already prepared schemes and methods that the Wood Buddha could not possibly refuse.
But… upon realizing how much pain the Wood Buddha was enduring, he could not bring himself to do it.
“Benefactor, your heart is pure.”
The Wood Buddha realized the reason for Bu Eunseol’s gloomy expression and moved his stiff lips to smile faintly.
“In truth, the reason this humble monk does not answer you is not because I value my life or fear heavenly punishment.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are two reasons. The most important one among them is…”
After pausing for a moment, the Wood Buddha spoke solemnly.
“Because the culprit must be found by your own hands.”
After gazing for a long time at Bu Eunseol’s sparkling eyes, the Wood Buddha continued.
“Only when you personally uncover the truth and find the culprit… will you achieve what you desire.”
“Only by personally uncovering the truth will I achieve what I desire…”
Bu Eunseol, repeating the Wood Buddha’s words, wore a dazed expression.
Wasn’t that exactly what the Demon Emperor always used to say?
Then… was he indirectly telling him that the Demon Emperor was the culprit?
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