“Now, the Sacred Domain no longer holds any business for me.”
But eventually, as time passed, the experts of the Sacred Domain would realize they had been deceived.
And just like in the past, he would once again be chased by pursuers.
“Of course, it will be different from before.”
He no longer needed to live in constant anxiety as he had in the past.
He had mastered the Black Secret art, which allowed him to easily evade their pursuit.
The greatest secret art of the Sacred Domain was truly perfect—no one in the world could detect his disguise.
“Let us depart.”
Number Seven left the Sacred Domain and headed into the martial world to begin a new life.
From that day onward, he killed numerous martial world experts, seized their martial arts, and lived under new identities.
Sometimes the pursuers from the Absolute Demonic Blade Project led by the Buddha Venerable and the United Heart Society behind it, and at other times the pursuers from the Sacred Domain followed him… but it did not matter.
He could continue living by constantly taking over other people’s bodies.
“It is getting rather tiresome.”
Living by stealing others’ lives was convenient, but it also had a fatal flaw.
If he kept changing lives like this, he would eventually lose his sense of self.
―In the end, to finish everything… I must steal Bu Zhanyang’s power.
During the time when he had competed with Number Three Hundred in the Absolute Demonic Blade Project—no, during his final competition with Bu Zhanyang.
By pure coincidence, the two of them had been in the underground of the Blood Shaolin.
They had discovered a mysterious archive containing the origin and secrets of the power that had created the martial world.
He had ambushed Bu Zhanyang in order to claim it all for himself.
Yet he had lost, and found himself on the verge of falling into flowing lava.
―I will not kill you.
Because Bu Zhanyang’s heart was endlessly merciful, he had tried to save Number Seven, who had ambushed him.
―Who is killing whom!
Number Seven had instead used that mercy to push Bu Zhanyang into the lava and monopolized the secret manuals inside the archive. However, the secret manuals in the archive only contained methods to read heavenly energy in order to assist an absolute being.
The true power of the archive—the power capable of changing the world and destroying fate—had been inside the lava, and it was Bu Zhanyang who had survived and obtained it.
―Does that mean my fate is to assist him!
All the training he had risked his life for, all the competitors he had crushed and trampled to reach the top—
Had it all merely been a process to cultivate the ability to assist someone who would become an absolute being?
―I cannot accept this!
Rejecting fate, he incited a rebellion using the surviving comrades.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he murdered instructors and escaped, but ended up being pursued simultaneously by both the Sacred Domain and the leadership of the righteous martial world.
In the end, to finish everything… he absolutely had to steal the power of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang.
―Is it truly impossible?
In the meantime, Bu Zhanyang had been completing absolute martial prowess.
He had perfectly executed the Absolute Demonic Blade Project, became the Vice Lord of Majeon, and turned into a figure no one could touch.
But the heavens had not abandoned him.
By chance, he had discovered the Dark King, Yeop Hyocheon, who had come out into the martial world.
―Found him.
The Dark King, Yeop Hyocheon.
He was the Lord of the Nightless Heavenly Lord who enjoyed the trust of the Demon Emperor and would soon become the third-in-command of Majeon.
If he could obtain that identity?
He might be able to make contact with Bu Zhanyang, who had become the Vice Lord of Majeon, and gain the opportunity to steal his power.
From that day onward, he killed Yeop Hyocheon’s trusted subordinates one by one and gathered all of Yeop Hyocheon’s actions and information.
―The terror of the Demon Emperor lies in his terrifying powers of observation and insight.
The Demon Emperor had mastered mysterious martial arts and wielded a fearsome formless power.
In order to never be detected by the Demon Heavenly Emperor and to become a perfect Yeop Hyocheon, he gathered information and investigated the surrounding subordinates.
After three years of meticulous preparation, he finally ambushed Yeop Hyocheon and took his identity.
But in the meantime, Bu Zhanyang had disappeared, and his whereabouts had become unknown.
―I will definitely find him!
Having become Yeop Hyocheon, he relentlessly tracked Bu Zhanyang’s movements.
Bu Zhanyang was the one who defied fate—the Heavenly-Mandate Star.
With the power of supreme severance of destiny, he was truly unrivaled under the heavens. There was no way to touch him.
Yet he did not give up.
With an obsession strong enough to melt iron, he continued to target Bu Zhanyang.
Perhaps the heavens took pity on such devotion.
Bu Zhanyang suddenly stole the Sacred Heaven Jade from the Ancient Sword Forest, only to encounter a terrifyingly strong enemy and suffer severe injuries.
As a result, half of the Sacred Heaven Jade he possessed had split apart.
And Yeop Hyocheon, who had been obsessively tracking Bu Zhanyang’s movements, had obtained that half.
―This will do!
He had let out a cry of ecstasy.
With the power of the Sacred Heaven Jade, which absorbed the fate and power of whoever touched it, he could steal Bu Zhanyang’s power without needing to defeat him directly.
―Everything is ready, but Bu Zhanyang has vanished.
However, the injured Bu Zhanyang had completely disappeared after that day.
Even when reading heavenly energy, the result was the same.
The star that symbolized him never rose again.
But he did not despair.
Bu Zhanyang was an immortal god.
There was no way he could be killed by anyone.
―He died?
Surprisingly, he really had died.
The Heavenly-Mandate Star, who could have reached the pinnacle of all ages, had truly drawn his last breath.
But that was not the end.
When the grandson Bu Zhanyang had raised stepped into the martial world, the heavenly energy changed once again.
―So that was it!
There was no way Bu Zhanyang would simply die.
He must have passed all his power to his grandson. Otherwise, the heavenly energy would not have shifted the moment he appeared.
―It was worth waiting all those long years.
Now, when that child who had inherited Bu Zhanyang’s power shone perfectly.
When he overcame all trials and realized the fate of the Heavenly-Mandate Star, he would steal that power with the Sacred Heaven Jade and rule the entire world.
***
Having awakened from his recollection, Yeop Hyocheon looked at the corpse of the Black Shadow Dark Emperor and muttered softly.
“Now, shall I become the perfect Black Shadow Dark Emperor?”
It was a strange statement.
He had already transformed into the body of the Black Shadow Dark Emperor, Hwa Mugi. So how could he become him again?
Shuuuu.
As he exhaled calmly, thick darkness poured down over his entire body.
At the same time, the corpse of Hwa Mugi began breathing roughly, exhaling breaths as hot as a furnace.
Shuuuu.
Each time, the thick darkness was absorbed into Yeop Hyocheon’s skin.
Conversely, on Hwa Mugi’s body, faint light appeared along with ancient patterns that repeatedly formed and disappeared.
How much time had passed?
The shell of the Black Shadow Dark Emperor slowly began to melt, turning into watery blood.
Slither.
And that blood soon moved toward Yeop Hyocheon’s feet.
Splash.
Suddenly the blood covered Yeop Hyocheon’s body and was absorbed into his entire being.
Flash!
When Yeop Hyocheon opened his eyes again, a cold chill like starlight spread from his pupils.
Each time he shifted his gaze, mysterious light radiated.
Crack.
His eyes—and even his soul—had completely become those of the Black Shadow Dark Emperor, Hwa Mugi.
The Black Secret art.
It was a secret technique that not only allowed control over another’s spirit, but also absorbed their memories and habits by using their physical shell.
“Now, shall we begin?”
In the eyes of Yeop Hyocheon, who had become Hwa Mugi, flames capable of burning away fate spread outward.
***
Majeon, Suppressed Demon Pavilion. Bu Eunseol’s office.
He was constantly pondering and researching in order to unlock the secret of the orb he had obtained from the Forest Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest, who had been secretly stationed in the Hyungsan Sect.
‘Come to think of it, the treasures of the abyssal forces are all orbs.’
The Boundary Prosperity Jade used by the Three Families, which could contain the power of the one hundred and eight stars.
The eye-shaped treasure that the old man from the True Demon had possessed, which had once revealed the secret of his fate and divine energy to him and Manwol.
And the treasure the Forest Lord of the Ancient Sword Forest had given him, saying it could help find the Great Forest Lord…
All of them were in the shape of orbs.
‘This cannot possibly be a coincidence.’
There are no coincidences in this world.
It was a truth one realized the longer one operated in the martial world.
‘But I still cannot figure it out.’
No matter how much he researched, he could not unlock the secret of the Ancient Sword Forest orb.
Feeling his mind grow hazy, Bu Eunseol stepped outside for a moment.
As soon as he went out, the moving maids and warriors noticed him and bowed respectfully.
Although the scale of the Death Shadow Corps had tripled compared to the past, in reality only the number of warriors active outside or constantly handling information had increased.
The number of warriors and maids actually residing in the Suppressed Demon Pavilion had hardly changed.
After walking through the Suppressed Demon Pavilion and clearing his mind, he returned to his office.
However, a small envelope was now lying on the desk.
No matter how close he was with the great leaders, no one would dare enter an empty office and leave an envelope behind.
‘Except for Baek Jeoncheon, the Lord of the Manbak Hall, there is no one who would dare do such a thing.’
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Bu Eunseol opened the envelope on the desk.
Inside was a single letter.
Shockingly… it was densely filled with the sword principles of the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
“This makes no sense.”
Bu Eunseol could not hide his astonishment as he carefully examined the principles written on the letter.
The principles recorded here were not the perfect and complete versions completed by his grandfather.
‘Early-stage principles.’
These were undoubtedly the foundational principles of the Seven Blood Tear Forms, created after the experts who had carried out the Absolute Demonic Blade Project had gathered their strength and pondered deeply.
‘How extremely cruel and merciless.’
As he read the principles written on the letter, Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
‘So this is what the Absolute Demonic Blade Project was.’
Reading the principles here, Bu Eunseol could clearly grasp the intention behind the Absolute Demonic Blade Project.
‘A supreme expert of the demonic path created by the righteous faction.’
If the ruler of the demonic path turned out to be a spy of the righteous faction?
From the perspective of the righteous faction, they could easily seize and control the entire martial world.
‘Even using the fight between the Baekri Family and the True Demon as an excuse, this cannot be tolerated.’
The Wood Buddha had said that the reason he started the Absolute Demonic Blade Project was to end the conflict between the Baekri Family and the True Demon. But looking back, that was merely the banner of the United Heart Society. This plan had nothing to do with the fight between the two great forces.
―Hongsa Gorge.
At the end of the letter was written the name of a gorge located in the western region.
Hongsa Gorge.
It was a notorious dangerous land where the entire gorge was made of red sandstone, and those who entered would go mad for no reason.
‘Clearly, one of the high-ranking figures of the main headquarters sent this letter.’
Bu Eunseol had left his office for less than half an hour.
In that short time, someone had noticed his absence, left the letter without a single trace, and disappeared?
This was something an outsider could never do.
It had to be the work of one of the high-ranking figures who could closely monitor the situation inside Majeon.
‘Moreover, the fact that they left the letter the moment I left the office, without leaving any trace…’
A flash crossed Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘They are deliberately revealing that they are a high-ranking figure of Majeon.’
After the Shadow Pavilion Lord, Hwa Jungcheon.
He had thought that the only ones who could touch him were the Demon Emperor and the Chief Inspector.
Yet another figure had appeared.
‘No, it could also be the Chief Inspector.’
Since the Demon Emperor would not stoop to bothering him again in such a petty way… there was a possibility that this letter had been sent by the Chief Inspector or a force that had recruited him.
‘Whatever the case, this is not something I didn’t expect from the beginning.’
The Martial Alliance was not a single united body of the righteous faction, but rather an endless darkness where the abyssal forces of the martial world gathered.
And the same was true for Majeon.
Previously, when his consciousness had been stolen by Baekri Geomha and he had organized the Blood Heaven Order and become its leader...
When he had led the demons of the Blood-Stained Ebony Sect and the Dark Crimson Demon Sect to root out and kill the spies of the Martial Soul Society and the Changcheon Alliance.
Only then had he realized it.
That what was visible in Majeon was not everything.
The fact that such demons were hiding meant that an immeasurably terrifying force lurked in the abyss of Majeon.
“Moreover, they understand the person known as me perfectly.”
Everything related to his grandfather.
For Bu Eunseol, it was the highest priority to resolve.
The one who sent this letter knew that fact all too well, and had therefore presented the foundational principles of the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
“In the end, what the enemy wants is this body.”
After burning the letter in an instant, an abyssal depth of resolve burned in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Since they have touched me using my grandfather, they must be prepared.”
***
Having received the letter from the mysterious figure, Bu Eunseol rushed straight from Majeon to Hongsa Gorge in a single stretch.
The majestic scenery of Hongsa Gorge, bathed in the red sunset, simultaneously evoked both fear and awe in his heart.
The moment he stepped inside the gorge, a deep red light spread from all directions.
For an instant, he even felt as if he had stepped into a world drenched in blood.
The walls were made of rough sandstone layers, with unique patterns created over long years tangled together chaotically.
Those patterns sometimes looked like faces screaming in agony.
At other times, they appeared to be traces of unknown ancient characters.
“So they prepared in advance.”
In the middle of the gorge was a deep, dark crevice.
A door was secretly hidden there, looking like an ordinary gap between rocks.
But as the sun began to set.
Sunlight struck at a specific angle, and it faintly glowed, revealing a shape like a great gate.
“I was lucky.”
Rumble
As he entered the crevice, the door opened by itself as if waiting for him.
A long red staircase descending endlessly underground stretched out like the tongue of a monster.
Step. Step.
The stairs, dark red like cooled lava, had unique carved patterns faintly engraved on them.
The deeper he went down, the more the cold, damp air pressed against his lungs, as if warning him not to enter.
“This is…”
The underground interior he finally reached was on an enormous scale that reminded one of a temple where ancient giants lived.
The dizzyingly high ceiling, about thirty meters tall, was covered with strange murals.
Huge pillars like a giant’s staff supported the interior.
In the center was a massive altar, on which treasures embedded with dazzling jewels were displayed.
From the red jar in the center of the altar, smoke rose, and in its middle was a deeply recessed fitting shaped for a hemispherical object.
This place was clearly used for conducting some kind of ritual for generations, and it seemed to have been used until recently.
“A treasure vault?”
Around the altar, golden doors embedded with brilliant jewels stood in various places.
Large keyholes and faint metallic scraping sounds suggested that sophisticated mechanical devices were installed.
“This is easy.”
Standing in front of the nearest door, Bu Eunseol placed his finger on the keyhole.
In an instant, a solid ice key was created.
Clack.
When he turned his finger, the door opened.
Countless gold, silver, and rare jewels unfolded before his eyes.
When he opened another room, this time sharp divine weapons were on display.
“This is not the place.”
If they had wanted to deliver a treasure to him, there would have been no need to present the sword principles of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
This was not the location the sender of the letter desired.
Clang.
After coming back out, Bu Eunseol opened the door to another place.
Clack.
Finally, when he opened the door at the very end,
“This is…”
A wide grand hall unfolded, covered with a massive mural.
The mural depicted hundreds of children undergoing harsh training.
As he followed the mural drawn toward the right side.
Scenes of children dying—caught in traps, drinking poison, or falling from cliffs—were vividly illustrated.
“Absolute Demonic Blade Project.”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
The pictures in this mural clearly depicted the training scenes from the time when his grandfather had participated in the Absolute Demonic Blade Project.
Because one of the places drawn here vividly depicted the interior of the Blood Shaolin.
“Besides the Buddha Venerable, several leaders of the righteous faction must have carried out the Absolute Demonic Blade Project.”
Perhaps the person who had drawn these pictures here was someone who had planned the Absolute Demonic Blade Project together with the Buddha Venerable, regretted the past events, and had called him here.
[If you called someone, shouldn’t you greet them?]
Bu Eunseol’s shout, infused with inner energy, echoed loudly through the hall.
But no answer came, and no one appeared.
“Can’t be helped.”
As Bu Eunseol continued walking while gazing at the mural, when he reached the center, a massive grand hall appeared, and he discovered a large hemispherical orb placed in the middle.
“This is…”
The moment Bu Eunseol saw the hemispherical orb, a flash sparked in his eyes.
It perfectly matched the hole in the treasure plaque that had been in the center of the first hall he had seen.
“So I am supposed to insert this orb into that plaque over there.”
The distance between the hall he had seen in the center and this place was not very far.
Then why was the orb that should be stored in the center being kept separately here?
‘Could it be.’
Sensing something, Bu Eunseol tried to grasp the orb with Void Capture.
Uuuung.
But no matter how much inner energy he raised, the orb did not budge.
Bang!
Golden light surged from Bu Eunseol’s body.
He had poured the full power of ten jia of inner energy into the empty-hand capture.
Giiiing.
Even though he exerted a force capable of moving tens of thousands of pounds of rock, the orb did not move at all.
It was not because it was heavy.
It seemed the orb itself possessed a power that repelled external forces such as inner energy.
After pondering for a moment, Bu Eunseol reached out and touched the orb with his hand.
Hiss.
Smoke rose from his hand as if he had grabbed a ball of fire, and he felt a pain as if all the blood vessels in his body were melting.
“So I am supposed to endure this pain and move it.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
It was a challenge close to provocation that no proud martial artist could possibly refuse.
But he was not a martial artist in the ordinary sense.
Nor was he someone who would recklessly uphold his pride.
“On the other hand, it could also be a well-crafted trap.”
His grandfather’s sword principles, the mural that seemed to show the training from the Absolute Demonic Blade Project, and an orb that would not move even with ten jia of inner energy…
All of these conditions were perfectly set so that Bu Eunseol could not help but react.
And all these plans were ultimately meant to make him do one thing.
‘Exert superhuman endurance and move that orb to the altar in the grand hall.’
After sinking into deep thought for a while, Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
Since he had come this far, he could not possibly refuse such a provocation or this seemingly well-crafted test.
‘In that case.’
After closing his eyes for a moment and thinking, he slowly reached out and grasped the orb again.
Hiss.
In an instant, an abyssal pain strong enough to make one lose consciousness spread throughout his entire body.
Yet Bu Eunseol walked forward slowly with an expressionless face.
The orb was as heavy as tens of millions of pounds of rock and emitted a strange power, preventing him from moving quickly with light footwork.
Step. Step.
Even amid the pain as if his entire body was burning, he walked slowly.
The distance that would take half an hour at a brisk pace felt like ten years with each single step.
When he finally reached the altar, Bu Eunseol’s face was covered in cold sweat, and the hair around his temples had already turned white.
The pain had been so extreme that his hair at the temples had temporarily turned white.
Click.
The moment he placed the orb into the treasure plaque on the altar,
Whoosh!
All the light from the ritual devices installed on the altar spread out and suddenly began to envelop Bu Eunseol’s body in light.
Uuuuung!
The light grew increasingly intense and bright.
Finally, when the spreading light had swallowed all the surrounding scenery,
Uuuu.
The hemispherical orb began to slowly absorb all the light once again.
The more light it absorbed, the more the orb filled with countless glowing points, as if millions of stars had been scattered across it.
When finally all the light had been sucked into the orb,
Thud. Boom.
Bu Eunseol, who had been standing tall on the altar, suddenly collapsed on the spot.
Considering his level of martial arts, he would not lose consciousness no matter what happened, and losing awareness instantly was simply impossible.
Yet how had such a thing occurred?
Rumble.
At that moment, a square shape formed behind the altar and soon became a large door that opened to both sides.
Step. Step.
The person who walked out from the black door was a masked figure with pitch-black energy flowing throughout his body.
His age could not be determined, but the area beneath his eyes was dyed black, and an eerie aura spread from his entire body.
The masked figure looked down at the collapsed Bu Eunseol on the altar with indifferent eyes.
“…”
Then he turned his gaze to the orb at the center of the altar, which was holding the light.
Vrrr.
His body trembled faintly.
He had discovered that the surface of the orb was shining like an infinite universe.
As he slowly reached out his hand, a deathly silence as if time had stopped spread.
Finally, when the masked figure’s hand touched the orb that contained countless flows of light,
Drip.
From the orb, which had been like a faint thread, came the sound of a water droplet, followed by an increasingly powerful vortex of light that spread outward…
Flash!
Brilliant light began to spread in all directions.
Rumble!
As the light mixed with gold and silver spread, the massive grand hall shook.
Scorching heat and freezing cold alternately swept through the space.
And at the center, the masked figure’s body radiated red light like a burning sun.
Shuuuu.
How much time had passed?
Finally the light slowly subsided, and the form of the masked figure, which had become light itself, was revealed once again.
“At last.”
The masked figure let out a sigh of admiration.
The hemispherical orb, which had been swirling with mysterious radiance, had become transparent again.
And within his body, a power as if it contained the entire universe was raging.
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