*Aahana's name is changed to Ahwan since it's closer to the raws
**Bronze Sect/King is now Elephant Sect/King since that is also more accurate
‘Places I thought were famous scenic spots in the near east….’
Even the Pyeongan Funeral Home mortician, who worked so hard that his bones felt crushed, had days off. Whenever that happened, Bu Zhanyang would take his young grandson and set out to find beautiful nature, calling it a ‘famous scenic spot in the near east.’
However, Bu Eunseol had a weak body and could not even ride in a carriage.
He always set out carried on his grandfather’s back.
Whenever he was carried on that warm back, he would inevitably doze off. When he opened his eyes again, he would always find himself in a mysterious and beautiful landscape.
But those places he had seen back then…
In truth, they were not in the near east at all, but landscapes from distant foreign lands?
‘He put me to sleep and traveled not only across the Central Plains but even to the outer regions.’
Even with his own skill, which he prided himself on as the best in the world in qinggong, a round trip from the Central Plains to Cheonchuk would take at least four days. If he used the Land-Flight technique that ignored terrain entirely and flew through the air, he might arrive in three shichen, but…
That was realistically impossible.
There was no way to maintain the speed of the Land-Flight technique at an extreme speed for that long.
‘For Grandfather… it was possible.’
In merely the one or two shichen while he himself was asleep, Grandfather had calmly performed something that transcended human limits.
―This pond is called the ‘Mirror of the Moon.’
And he would always tell the legends and stories that resided there.
―When night falls, moonlight fills the surface of the pond, making it look as if the moon has descended here to gaze into a mirror.
The stories he told were exciting and fun, but… Bu Eunseol simply liked being with his grandfather.
―Grandfather, why do you know so much?
At the adorable grandson’s question, blinking his eyes, Bu Zhanyang let out a hearty laugh and shook his head.
―Because this old man has learned many things from nature.
―Nature?
Bu Zhanyang stroked his grandson’s head and spoke in a low voice.
―Imagine it.
Taking a mere human as your teacher, or taking nature as your teacher…
‘Taking nature as a teacher.’
At the time, he could not understand those words.
But now, he could faintly realize it.
The reason Grandfather had reached an endlessly high realm that no one else could follow was because he had taken the heavens, the earth, and nature itself as his teacher.
‘Lately, without realizing it, I have been focusing only on the realm of martial learning.’
Martial learning, in the end, was also a process of understanding the principles of nature and its phenomena. He had newly realized that one should not forcibly contain anything, but let everything flow naturally.
“There are legends about these trees.”
At that moment, Ahwan’s voice came from behind him.
“They say this is a place where the souls of countless sages who trained here over long years, and pilgrims who came with earnest wishes, ride upon the wind and linger.”
For a moment, in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, the wisdom of the realizations they had left behind, their yearning for peace, their personal anguish and earnest prayers…
It felt as if countless such thoughts were mixing with the wind and floating above the sea of those trees.
At the same time, the Buddhist teachings that had surged in like waves in his mind, repeating in and out, became clearly organized.
Contact with objects opens the eyes, harmony with heaven and earth awakens awareness.
‘Awaken the senses through all things of nature, and broaden the senses within nature’s harmony.’
Hummmm.
Then, the super senses of the Beast Way expanded to a hundred zhang, two hundred zhang… and finally to three hundred zhang.
“Young Master.”
At Ahwan’s pained voice, Bu Eunseol snapped out of his thoughts.
When he looked beside him, her face had turned pale and blood was forming at the corner of her mouth.
Because he had expanded his super senses with his inner energy, massive waves had continuously spread out, and Ahwan, who had an ordinary body, had her meridians violently shaken.
‘Expanding super senses is no different from maximizing the waves of true energy.’
Bu Eunseol’s inner energy surpassed ten jia.
Such immense waves of true energy had vibrated her body, so she could not help but suffer deep internal injuries.
Uuuung.
Bu Eunseol immediately poured the Ban-Geuk Method into her.
‘What is this energy?’
A strange light rose in his eyes as he injected the energy.
She clearly had not learned any martial arts, yet within her body lay an energy resembling the sea?
Moreover, that energy was extremely similar to the Crystal Divine Energy.
‘So this is the power the Yona tribe was born with.’
It was said that the Four Holy Clans, except for the Yona tribe, all manifested their mystical abilities through sacred objects.
Since Ahwan was a descendant of the Yona tribe, she must have been born with such power.
‘It is not a power I can touch.’
Bu Eunseol simply used the Ban-Geuk Method to cleanly open her acupoints and return her displaced internal organs to their original positions.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
Ahwan bowed her head as her body instantly felt refreshed.
“I’m sorry.”
Bu Eunseol waved his hand with an apologetic expression.
“I fell into a state of no-self and momentarily forgot you were beside me.”
“It’s alright, Young Master.”
Once Ahwan’s body had recovered immediately, Bu Eunseol continued his investigation.
But here as well, he could not find any boundary realm or hidden sacred object.
“Now only the Sugapana Mountain remains.”
When Ahwan spoke with a worried expression, deep furrows also formed on Bu Eunseol’s brow.
The only place left was the Sugapana Mountain.
If there was no boundary realm or sacred object there either?
He would have to wander endlessly through the Napsageukseong without any clues.
For an ordinary person, that would be a cause for great despair, but he calmly shook his head.
“It is not a wasted trip.”
“Huh?”
“By visiting beautiful scenic spots one after another, I coincidentally learned a method to expand my senses. That alone was worth sufficient value.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes, having realized the method to expand super senses, had become somehow deeper, and instead of the faintly spreading divine dignity, they had changed into an ordinary and comfortable atmosphere. The deeper his martial learning became, the deeper his realizations became, the more he could embody one by one the great teachings his grandfather had passed down in his childhood. Because of that, while traveling the martial world, he suppressed the various energies he had obtained and instead became more ordinary.
Just like his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
The more ordinary he became… the closer Bu Eunseol drew to perfection.
“I see.”
Perhaps because of Bu Eunseol’s energy, which had become even gentler, Ahwan showed an incomparably comfortable smile.
“Then I will guide you to the Sugapana Mountain!”
Although it was called a ‘mountain,’ the Sugapana Mountain was only a formal name. Once one passed the mountain’s entrance path, from that moment the terrain transformed into one giant labyrinth.
It felt as if someone had intentionally created a massive structure.
“There is a hidden sacred ground in the Sugapana Mountain. It is called the Illusion Pond.”
“Illusion Pond.”
“Yes. The path to the Illusion Pond is said to change according to the direction of the wind, or depending on the weather or time. Therefore, those without affinity cannot enter.”
Ahwan said, her large eyes sparkling.
“For some reason, I feel that if I am with the Wind Cloud Young Master, we will be able to enter that Illusion Pond.”
Bu Eunseol nodded indifferently.
He had heard that the previous two places also had secret sacred grounds, but in the end, none had been found.
“I will take the lead.”
Ahwan passed through valleys and hidden forests several times.
Each time, at the end of the forest there would be a place where the path ended as if it were the end of the world, and when they arrived there, the wind would change direction, and a massive rock would move on its own to create a bridge.
“It’s amazing. This phenomenon doesn’t usually happen.”
Ahwan shouted, her cheeks flushed red with excitement.
“It seems the Illusion Pond is really going to appear.”
“Hmm.”
Sensing something unusual, Bu Eunseol stepped in front of Ahwan.
“I will take the lead from here.”
“No, it’s fine. I…”
As Ahwan waved her hand and stepped forward,
Shuuuk.
Suddenly the scenery before their eyes changed.
A field full of blooming flowers spread out, but when they took one more step, a sea of fog where one could not see even an inch ahead unfolded.
“Young… Young Master!”
When Ahwan turned around in fear, a pitch-black monster with red eyes was already standing behind her with its mouth wide open.
“Ah, aaaah.”
As Ahwan trembled in fear, the black monster slowly approached and reached out its hand toward her.
“Close your eyes. Everything is an illusion.”
The black monster was none other than Bu Eunseol.
This place had an illusion formation laid out that showed illusions to those who entered.
“Just hold my hand and walk slowly.”
Bu Eunseol took Ahwan’s hand and walked forward without hesitation.
But strangely, he could not pass through the formation.
‘It is intricate.’
Not only had he broken various formations scattered across the Central Plains, but having also learned the Gongsun family’s formations from Gongsun Dankyung, he could be considered one of the leading formation-breaking experts in the Central Plains.
Yet he could not grasp the operating principles of this mere illusion formation laid in the forest?
‘It seems to be mixed with something resembling sorcery energy.’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled.
Suddenly, the teachings for expanding super senses came to mind.
If he could not instantly uncover the principles of the formation, what if he solved it through his senses?
Jiiing.
When his super senses expanded using the natural energy felt around him, something astonishing happened.
‘It feels exactly like something alive.’
The illusion formation spread here was not made with fixed formation principles, but was constantly changing its form as if it were alive.
‘I can feel the principles of its operation with my body.’
In the past, if he exerted full power, he could detect even the movement of a single ant within a hundred zhang.
But now, not only had his super senses expanded to a full three hundred zhang, he could directly feel the form and arrangement of the formation, which he had never been able to detect or see before.
‘The method to break formations is a calm state of mind.’
The method to break the formation installed here was rather eccentric. One simply needed to move forward without panic and with a calm mind.
‘The formations of Cheonchuk are quite different from those of the Central Plains.’
To be able to break it according to the entrant’s state of mind?
This method was a unique ability quite different from the formations of the Central Plains.
Step, step.
Finally, after breaking through the illusion formation and moving forward, a large forest revealed itself.
“You can open your eyes now.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Ahwan slowly opened her eyes.
But an even more bizarre landscape unfolded than when they were inside the illusion formation.
This forest had no shadows.
The trees, the stones, Bu Eunseol, and Ahwan had all lost their shadows.
Moreover, sunlight poured down, but it was impossible to tell where the light was coming from.
A bizarre phenomenon was occurring.
“Young Master. There are no shadows.”
Ahwan, frightened, tried to find the shadows.
But whenever she looked around, the forest changed its scenery again.
The more she looked here and there, the more it seemed she would forget even who she was or where she should go.
“Young Master. Is this hell?”
“Not at all.”
Bu Eunseol was utterly calm, as if looking at the scenery of a marketplace.
“It is merely another soul-confusing formation layered within the illusion formation.”
He then extended his hand to Ahwan.
“Hold my hand. I will pass on a teaching to calm the mind.”
As Ahwan took his hand without hesitation, Bu Eunseol once again injected the Ban-Geuk Method while passing on the Mind Clarity Technique, which could calm the mind.
Ahwan’s eyes instantly became clear.
‘She learns quickly.’
The Mind Clarity Technique would show its effect simply by reciting it.
Yet Ahwan had not recited the teaching; after hearing it only once, she had instantly grasped its secret.
‘Her talent is tremendous.’
After pondering for a moment, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“There is a unique energy within your body. If you can learn this formula, you will be able to draw out and use that power like inner energy.”
He then separately interpreted the principles of Emerging Blade and Rushing Energy from the Martial Emperor’s Tranquil Awakening teachings, and passed them on to her in the form of a mental formula so she could easily train them.
Uuuung.
Ahwan immediately recited them without hesitation, and soon mysterious energy manifested from her entire body.
‘She is even better than expected.’
Bu Eunseol could not help but inwardly admire her.
Ahwan had a natural talent for comprehending mental martial learning.
‘And the location was just right.’
The soul-confusing formation spread here had the ability to greatly amplify the fears within a person’s heart.
However, as Bu Eunseol injected his energy and calmly passed on the teachings, it instead became a space that allowed her to quickly comprehend the mental formula teachings.
Moreover, Ahwan had a clear and pure nature along with outstanding martial talent.
Like dry land absorbing rain, she instantly comprehended the mental formula martial learning.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
Having fully comprehended the teachings in an instant, Ahwan knelt and bowed to Bu Eunseol.
“Thanks to the teachings you passed on, Young Master, I have been able to cleanly erase the fear and worries in my heart.”
Bu Eunseol made a nasal sound and said, “With that level, it seems you must hold a very high status in the Yona tribe.”
If Ahwan had been a mere guide?
No matter how easily he had interpreted the teachings, she would not have been able to comprehend the mental formula so quickly.
Bu Eunseol had seen through not only that she possessed a mysterious power in her body, but also that her learning had reached a considerable level.
“In truth, our tribe tried to raise me as a saintess. They said my body was filled with sacred power.”
Ahwan spoke as if embarrassed.
“But no matter how hard I tried, I could not break the curse. In the end, the tribespeople gave up as well.”
Ahwan had been born with immense power even among Yona tribe descendants, yet she could not break the curse. In the end, she had given up becoming a saintess and lived day by day as a guide like this.
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“If you can reach great completion in that mental formula, you may be able to use that power.”
“Yes.”
Ahwan smiled brightly and clasped her hands together like a martial artist of the Central Plains to show respect.
“From now on, I will call you Master.”
“There is no need. I simply passed it on as a momentary whim.”
“But—”
“Let us hurry and go again.”
Waving his hand, Bu Eunseol quickened his steps once more.
Finally, after passing even the forest where the soul-confusing formation was spread, a pond appeared that was quite large to be called a pond, yet somewhat small to be called a lake.
The surface was dyed sky-blue, and transparent light ripples spread out, creating a mysterious allure that seemed to enchant people.
“Illusion Pond?”
Ahwan cried out loudly.
“Young Master! This seems to be the legendary Illusion Pond.”
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol looked around at the scenery.
But aside from the mysterious landscape, there was no particular energy or anything hidden.
“In truth, the Illusion Pond is a mysterious pond that the Divine Priestess personally created in the past to block those who coveted the sacred objects of the Four Holy Clans.”
Ahwan said while looking at the pond.
“When you look into the pond, the past and future unfold endlessly… and it is said that those with desire who gaze upon it will die.”
“I see. So it was about looking into the pond.”
Without any fear, Bu Eunseol walked forward to look inside the pond.
“Young Master.”
“It’s alright. I am just trying to see what is inside.”
With a gentle smile to reassure her, he slowly walked toward the pond.
Splash.
At that moment, a mysterious light rose above the water’s surface.
Jiiing.
A powerful suction force erupted from the entire pond and began to draw in the energy within his body.
‘This…’
Bu Eunseol was inwardly shocked.
The suction force emitted by the pond was on a completely different level from the absorbing techniques used by high-level martial artists.
It was like an enraged great nature.
It mercilessly sucked in everything, as if it would not allow any feeble human resistance.
Jiiing, jiiing.
And that was only the beginning.
The pond, which had been greedily sucking in the Crystal Divine Energy, gradually began to suck in the Thunder Spirit Energy and the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi as well.
‘Did it recognize me as an outsider coveting the sacred object?’
Bu Eunseol gritted his teeth.
He had thought that a pond that looked into desire would be a trial testing one’s spirit, but it had recognized him as an enemy and was absorbing the Three Divine Energies with terrifying pressure?
Drip, drip, drip.
Now, as if even the Three Divine Energies were not enough, it began to endlessly absorb all the energy within his body.
Whiiiiiing.
The light rippling from the pond grew even stronger, and finally it was even drawing in his inner energy true qi.
Thud, thud, thud.
Blood vessels bulged on Bu Eunseol’s body.
He tried to resist the suction force, but it was impossible; instead, his body was growing rigidly stiff.
‘Is it that only those who possess all Four Divine Energies can pass?’
He could faintly feel it.
What the pond desired was the one remaining Divine Energy that Bu Eunseol did not have.
The Divine Priestess of the Four Holy Clans had clearly restricted the condition for those who could pass through this lake to those who possessed the Four Divine Energies.
‘The Four Holy Clans are not the origin of the Four Divine Energies, are they?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind amid the pain.
In any case, Bu Eunseol only had the Three Divine Energies…
The pond was constantly demanding something from within his body and exerting its suction force.
‘This is bad.’
Thud, thud, thud.
The protruding blood vessels had by now turned a dark, murky color.
Sssss.
Moisture began to evaporate from Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘It is trying to extinguish the incomplete Crystal Divine Energy first.’
In truth, the Crystal Divine Energy Bu Eunseol had obtained was not complete.
It was not something he had gained from nature, but rather about half of the Crystal Divine Energy possessed by the Vice Palace Master of the Divine Water Palace, Sa Cheongha, which he had absorbed into his body.
In other words, because he had not accepted the origin itself but had obtained it through the medium of Sa Cheongha, its purity had been diluted.
Unlike the Thunder Spirit Energy and Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, it could not generate its power infinitely.
That was why, when he had previously used the Crystal Divine Energy to treat Seoryeong, who was dying at the hands of the Dark God Heavenly Lord, he himself had been in danger of losing his life.
Ssssssss.
The Crystal Divine Energy was being sucked out of his body even faster, to the point that there was almost no Crystal Divine Energy left to manifest.
“Young Master.”
Ahwan saw Bu Eunseol’s body swelling and his blood vessels protruding, and realizing something was wrong, she approached his side.
“Are you alright?”
Tap.
But when Ahwan, who had approached, reached out her hand, it stuck to Bu Eunseol’s back as if by magnet.
Jiiing.
Then light began to emanate from Ahwan’s body as well.
At the same time, an incomparably transparent energy began to spread from Bu Eunseol’s body.
The Yona tribe.
This tribe, whose name meant “those who gather light,” was born with the power to see through truth and possessed an ability very similar to the Crystal Divine Energy that drove out all that was evil.
However, because the Yona tribe had committed the sin of stealing and hiding the sacred objects, the tribespeople had their powers sealed, a curse was placed upon them, and they were driven out of the sacred grounds.
But Ahwan had been born with the powerful strength of the Yona tribe by nature, and while coming here she had learned the mental formula teachings from Bu Eunseol and had somewhat activated the energy within her body.
When she placed her hand on Bu Eunseol’s body in that state, the suction force of the Illusion Pond penetrated even into her body, and instead broke the seal on the energy within her.
Uuuung.
When Ahwan removed her hand from his back, a mysterious light flowed from her body.
But as the sealed energy surged up, she could not move her body.
Thud.
She collapsed powerlessly right there.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. All the strength has left my body… I cannot move.”
Boom. Boom.
In the meantime, faint mist rose above the pond, and soon a giant, transparent wave floated up into the air.
Whiiiiiing!
It began to spin intensely, then suddenly turned into a sharp spear and pierced toward Ahwan’s crown.
Jiiing!
Bu Eunseol, who had reached out his hand, unfolded his protective strong energy with full power to block the sharp water form.
However, because the suction force pouring from the pond was vigorously absorbing not only the Three Divine Energies but even his inner energy, the protective strong energy gradually weakened, and the sharp wave fiercely dug into the gap.
‘Ugh.’
Bu Eunseol exerted all his strength, but the pond’s suction force showed no mercy.
It was absorbing his inner energy, and even the power that changed his appearance, and the mysterious energy embedded in his palm that he had obtained from the Ancient Sword Forest, were slowly being sucked away.
Gulp.
In the end, the face Bu Eunseol had transformed into with snow camouflage began to twist.
“Ugh.”
Ahwan covered her mouth.
Because the sight resembled the rakshasa from the legends.
Rakshasa, meaning evil spirits that oppose the gods and devour humans, were called nachal in the Central Plains.
However, in the Central Plains, the transformation techniques of nachal were not particularly emphasized.
But in Cheonchuk, they were known as evil spirits that approached after transforming into humans and then caused harm.
Crack.
At that moment, the mysterious power obtained from Yeop Hyocheon, who had used fireless camouflage, and even the dark arts of the Black Arts, disappeared from within Bu Eunseol’s body.
But thanks to that, Ahwan’s misunderstanding was cleared.
“Disguise…”
Cheonchuk was the birthplace of yoga arts, which, along with extreme flexibility, allowed free control of bones and muscles.
When she heard the sound of bones and muscles moving in Bu Eunseol’s rippling face, she realized it was a mysterious disguise technique.
Slash.
At that moment, the hair Bu Eunseol had tied up came undone, and his original appearance, as if crafted by the gods—gentle as moonlight yet beautiful—was revealed in an instant.
A noble bearing and loftiness that seemed unreachable, as if from a high-born bloodline.
Restrained elegance melted into his mysterious features, as they turned beyond handsome.
Comments