Tzzzzt.
After unfolding his movement technique without pause for several days, Bu Eunseol finally arrived at the Ajanta Caves.
This place had originally been a famous scenic spot in Napsageukseong, bustling with countless tourists every summer. Inside the caves, glaciers had formed, emitting tremendous cold air. Even in summer, the temperature remained so chilly that one had to wear thick winter clothes to enter.
But now it was late autumn, with a chilly wind blowing, and since the Poison King had taken over, it had become a place no tourists could visit. Not a single trace of human presence could be seen.
Tzzzzt.
The moment he arrived near the Ajanta Caves, he could see warriors wearing clothes embroidered with venomous insects constantly patrolling the area.
‘They might be able to detect the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi as well.’
In the past, he would have recklessly spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, but now things were different.
Among the Four Holy Clans, the people of the Bayura tribe could sense the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi. Moreover, many tribes in the Cheonchuk still used mysterious powers or sorcery.
In case any of the Poison King’s subordinates could detect the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, he had to use the divine energy with great caution.
‘First, I should enter the caves and use the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi discreetly.’
Ever since he had created the Heavenly Light Infinite Art, Bu Eunseol’s movement technique had grown even stronger, reaching an unfathomable level. He no longer needed to use stealth techniques; he could naturally and easily conceal his presence and appearance.
Tzzzzt!
Bu Eunseol unfolded his movement technique at extreme speed and entered the path leading to the heavily guarded Ajanta Caves.
Even as he dashed forward like a beam of light, not the slightest sound of breaking air could be heard.
He slipped through rock crevices so narrow that only a palm could barely fit, passing through them in an instant.
Swish!
In the span of a single breath, he had perfectly evaded the attention of the surrounding warriors and entered the caves. Once inside the caves, unlike the strict security outside, there were no warriors visible at all.
‘There are this many branching paths?’
The interior of the caves was filled with countless forks.
Such branching paths could never occur naturally.
They had clearly been artificially created by mobilizing manpower and enormous financial resources.
Swish.
Bu Eunseol slowly tried to raise the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
‘Do I really need to spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi outward like this?’
Suddenly, the image of Hae Yeon, the Wind God Palace Lord, came to mind.
She had instantly located the maze inside the Wind and Cloud Spirit Ground’s inner fortress without spreading the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi outward at all.
At the time, he had simply thought she could do so because she was deeply versed in the Wind God Palace’s martial arts. But upon deeper reflection, it was not because of the Wind God Palace’s unique martial arts. It was because her method of operating the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi was completely different from his own.
‘The Palace Lord Hae Yeon must have understood characteristics of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi that I do not know.’
A thought suddenly flashed through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Since Hae Yeon had not spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, she must have used a method to expand her supersenses with it. But even if one expanded their supersenses, how could they instantly map out the terrain of a maze with countless branching paths?
‘No, it must be another method.’
Even if one expanded their senses, they would only be able to see the internal structure clearly; they could not instantly solve the maze and find the exit.
Yet Hae Yeon had found the exit without the slightest hesitation, as if she had been there before.
‘Perhaps she turned herself into the wind to sense the exit?’
It occurred to him that she had not spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to grasp the maze’s terrain.
Instead, she might have transformed her very body into wind to detect the exit.
‘Whether it is an exit or an entrance, any place connected to the outside must have slightly different temperature or humidity.’
Warm air and cold air would separate upward and downward, creating faint air currents nearby.
If, instead of spreading the wind, one became the wind oneself?
One would be able to directly sense those currents and easily find the doors leading outside.
Swish.
Having finished his thoughts, Bu Eunseol did not spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi outward. Instead, he gathered it inside his body.
It was as if his entire body was completely transforming into wind.
Ziiing.
At that moment, a new sense he had never experienced before awakened.
He could now perceive not only the flow of air inside the caves but also the subtle differences in humidity and temperature.
‘So this was the method.’
Bu Eunseol smiled brightly like a child.
He never missed even the slightest difference and always dug deep into even trivial questions.
He did not overconfide in himself and constantly sought to learn from others and from nature.
The reason he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s supreme experts at such a young age was precisely because of this endless effort and inquisitive habit.
Tzzzzt!
Having completed a new technique for utilizing the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, Bu Eunseol unfolded his Swift Beyond Shadow movement and instantly navigated through the branching paths.
At the end, he saw a large wall from which a faint air current was flowing.
It was a phenomenon caused by a secretly installed entrance.
Creak.
When he activated the secretly hidden mechanism, the door opened and a large passageway was revealed. He finally reached the end of the passageway, he discovered a transparent membrane that appeared to be an Absolute Boundary.
‘Found it.’
He had finally found it.
After countless hardships… he had located the Absolute Boundary that the Holy One had mentioned, installed within Napsageukseong.
‘So the Poison King was managing this Absolute Boundary.’
Every time he breathed, he felt a pain as if his lungs were burning.
Around the Absolute Boundary, extremely lethal poisons capable of causing instant death simply by approaching were scattered everywhere.
This meant that the Poison King was thoroughly managing this place and had put considerable effort into preventing intruders.
‘The Poison King. What exactly are you hiding here?’
With a sigh, Bu Eunseol approached the Absolute Boundary.
As he slowly drew closer, unique poisons of unknown origin continuously burrowed into his body.
But to him, who had entered the Poison Saint realm, they were completely useless.
Sssss.
With every step he took, acrid smoke and a terrible stench rose.
But something was strange.
As he approached the Absolute Boundary, the Sealed Demon Fragments latent within his body and the power contained in his palm that the Ancient Sword Forest Lord had passed on began to grow hot… and the Absolute Boundary began to release on its own.
It even opened just enough for his body to pass through, as if welcoming his visit.
Step. Step.
As he entered, a scenery unfolded that resembled entering any holy city in the Cheonchuk.
The sky of the city was pitch black, yet mysterious crystals that emitted light even in the darkness sparkled like stars in the night sky.
Below the vast mountains and fields, various buildings had been constructed here and there.
A lake could be seen in the distance, and giant platinum-colored trees with massive roots grew throughout the holy city.
Streams of water flowed into transparent channels, carrying life, and the air was surprisingly clear and fresh.
A melody of unknown origin drifted along the wind.
Interwoven among it were the sounds of thousands of bells, creating a harmony that sounded like a hymn praising the gods.
‘So the True Demon also built an underground holy city like this?’
Until now, he had seen countless underground holy cities built by mysterious forces including the Three Realms. But he had always called them “holy cities” simply because he lacked a better word to describe their enormous scale.
To be precise, those places had been experimental facilities built for specific purposes rather than true holy cities.
But this place… was literally unfolding a landscape like a real holy city where people could live.
‘This size could easily house tens of thousands of people.’
Bu Eunseol walked toward the holy city as if entranced.
Upon entering, the layout perfectly replicated a great holy city—from narrow alleys to wide avenues.
Yet there was not a single human figure to be seen anywhere.
‘It was never a place where people lived in the first place.’
There was no need to raise his Void Heart Command.
The buildings had been perfectly constructed, but there was not the slightest trace of anyone living there.
The buildings of this enormous holy city only looked plausible on the surface. They were not even equipped with basic furnishings such as beds or tables.
“I have no idea what this is all about.”
Bu Eunseol unfolded his movement technique and quickly left the holy city.
Then an endlessly wide plain came into view, and soon he saw what appeared to be a temple on a high hill in the distance.
‘There are traces of people.’
On the path leading to the temple, footprints could be seen.
Bu Eunseol once again unfolded his movement technique at high speed and climbed the hill.
But something was strange.
The interior had constantly resembled a night sky, yet strangely, brilliant daylight poured down on top of the hill.
And as he drew closer to the temple, a mysterious energy swirled in all directions.
It was a power similar to an Absolute Boundary that prevented outsiders from ever entering.
Ziiing.
But the same thing happened as before.
As Bu Eunseol approached, the Absolute Boundary partially released once again, creating a door just large enough for him to enter.
“I really don’t understand what is going on.”
Feeling the strangeness, he had no choice but to go inside.
The ceiling of the temple was dyed in an endless golden hue.
Above it, countless rays of light sparkling like the heavens flowed gently.
Every time he stepped on the white marble floor, faint ripples spread as if walking on a white-dyed sea.
The pillars stretched out like giant divine trees, seemingly alive, and on the walls were murals that had not faded with time.
Scenes depicting heavenly beings and humans mingling together were portrayed.
Between the murals, blue-glowing crystals were embedded, faintly dispelling the darkness of the temple.
“That is…”
Bu Eunseol paused.
In the center of the temple lay a glass tube containing a mysterious radiance.
Placed on a marble altar engraved with a giant lotus flower, the glass tube emitted a soft light like gently rippling cold waves.
Around the glass tube, as if some great law had been set up, numerous treasures were displayed.
Among them, Bu Eunseol spotted a treasure engraved with a mysterious eye and his eyes widened.
‘That is…’
It was the very same mysterious treasure that the old man presumed to be one of the True Demon’s subordinates had displayed in the past.
‘Then…’
But the old man had died and his secret vault had been buried underground.
Yet the exact same thing existed in this faraway Cheonchuk? Then something was clearly being done with that treasure.
“A woman?”
As he looked inside the glass tube, he was greatly shocked.
Inside lay a woman whose face was veiled with a gauze mask, seemingly asleep.
The glass tube was extremely worn, as if it had endured hundreds of years, yet the woman inside looked young, as if she had evaded the flow of time.
Her bright hair, resembling sunlight, flowed down like waves and wrapped around her body.
On her jade-like forehead was an ornament engraved with a mysterious pattern.
Her robes, harmonizing red and white, were spotless, and she wore mysterious ornaments of various shapes all over her body.
At a glance, she was clearly a woman of extraordinary status.
“Why is she here…”
Without realizing it, Bu Eunseol reached out and touched the worn glass tube.
The surface was engraved with patterns of sheep and snakes that changed shape depending on the viewing angle.
“Could she be the True Demon?”
The shapes of the sheep and snakes engraved on the glass tube were not only extremely bizarre but also carried a faintly sinister energy.
The Poison King would not be guarding an underground holy city inside an Absolute Boundary out of boredom.
Perhaps the secret of the True Demon that the Saint had spoken of was this woman inside the glass tube.
Or perhaps it was something she knew.
Click.
As he was stroking the glass tube, his fingertips suddenly stung.
A sharp tongue had shot out from the snake pattern and pricked his finger.
“A mechanism that can deceive even my senses.”
He had not even sensed that there was a mechanism inside the glass tube, let alone the tongue shooting out.
“So the True Demon’s mechanisms are on another level.”
As Bu Eunseol smiled bitterly and looked down at his finger,
Sssssss.
Suddenly, white mist continuously rose from the bottom of the glass tube, followed by a heavy clanking sound.
The moment blood flowed from his pricked finger, the mechanism installed inside activated,
Grrrk.
And finally, the glass tube opened.
Shuuuk.
A white shadow abruptly rose above the tube through the hazy mist.
It was the woman who had been lying inside the glass tube.
Her hair slowly drifted as if floating underwater, and then—
Swish!
She suddenly moved as fast as light and vanished outside the temple.
‘Fast.’
The woman’s movement surpassed the limits of human perception.
If he had not gained the enlightenment that allowed him to expand his supersenses threefold,
Bu Eunseol would not even have detected that she had left.
Tzzzzt!
He immediately followed the trajectory of her movement and saw her standing beneath a large tree planted near the temple.
The woman stood dazed, looking up at the pouring light.
Her white, delicate feet brushed against the moist blades of grass, and her hair gently fluttered even in a single breeze.
The silver-thread-like hair flowing over her shoulders caught a delicate glow under the sunlight, and her eyes were as clear and transparent as the dawn sky.
Even though she had sensed Bu Eunseol’s arrival, she paid no attention to him and gently reached out to touch a drooping leaf.
The tips of her fingers, sparkling in the sunlight, shone like golden waves, and a smile seemed to flow in her eyes.
Whooo.
In the meantime, a breeze blew and the gauze mask the woman had been wearing flew off somewhere.
A face as innocent and pure as a young girl was revealed.
‘She clearly looked like a mature woman earlier.’
Inside the glass tube, she had given off the aura of a somewhat mature woman.
Yet now that the mask was removed, her face was that of a girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old.
‘She doesn’t seem like an evil person.’
Judging from the sinister shape of the glass tube, he had thought she was definitely related to the True Demon. But from the woman’s body as she touched the leaf, an incomparably pure and clean energy was spreading—completely unlike when she had been inside the glass tube.
‘Hmm.’
After pondering for a moment, Bu Eunseol eventually revealed himself cautiously.
Even if she turned out to be an evil person, he was confident he could subdue her easily.
Moreover, he had detected no presence whatsoever in the surroundings.
“Miss.”
When Bu Eunseol called out, the girl slowly turned her head.
Then he felt a strange sensation.
From afar, her eyes had looked pure and kind, but the moment he called her up close, an extremely sharp and keen gaze faintly overlapped with them.
It felt as if a wicked soul had slipped out through her face and created an afterimage.
‘Something feels ominous.’
While lost in thought, he greeted her as the girl stared at him intently.
“Hello.”
He spoke with the utmost polite attitude.
“This one is called Seolso, from the Central Plains. Perhaps…”
Step. Step.
The girl suddenly approached Bu Eunseol. She reached out with both hands and grasped his.
“Miss.”
Bu Eunseol tried to avoid her touch, but a strange light flashed in her eyes.
It looked endlessly pure yet somehow confused.
In the end, he did not reject her hand.
He thought that if words did not work, he might be able to convey his meaning through gestures or actions.
Tap.
When their hands met, the blood still flowing from Bu Eunseol’s finger touched her hand.
“……”
The girl began to look down at the small amount of Bu Eunseol’s blood on her fingertips.
It was as if she were looking at a new treasure she had never seen before.
Ziiing.
Suddenly, a strange wave gathered in her body… and her seemingly pure appearance vanished completely.
Her hair, which had seemed to hold sunlight, turned pitch black and flowed down to her calves.
In an instant, her face changed into that of a mature woman with sharp, keen eyes.
It was as if a fairy who had descended from the heavens had suddenly transformed into a wicked witch.
Floating.
As her body rose into the air, an indescribable energy overflowed from her.
It was something beyond words.
It contained destruction and majesty that defied the laws of heaven and earth and shook the very origin of all things.
At the same time, the surrounding vegetation instantly turned to gray ash and disappeared. The entire world seemed to have reached the end of annihilation.
Formless evil spirits turned into a black wind that howled fiercely.
Countless skeletal hands rose from the ground as if trying to drag the living down.
‘The True Demon?’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
The energy spreading from her body was a calamitous aura he had never felt even once before.
Could she be the pure demon who endlessly retained her memories and endlessly reincarnated—the True Demon herself?
Crack.
At that moment, the ground around Bu Eunseol sank by about half a handspan.
A tremendous pressure suddenly poured down, beginning to crush his body.
Whooo.
A five-colored radiance began to swirl violently across Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
The moment an unknown powerful enemy he had never encountered before appeared, Harmony naturally began to manifest.
A cold smile flowed from the lips of the woman floating in the air.
At the same time, a shape deeper than night and darker than ink wriggled behind her,
Kwaaaaa!
And soon, the forms of giant black dragons rose as if to cover the sky.
Boom!
With a violent explosion, Bu Eunseol was sent flying and slammed into a large rock thirty zhang away.
One of the black dragons floating in the sky had opened its maw wide and crashed into him.
Drip.
Blood flowed from the corner of Bu Eunseol’s mouth as he rose from the collapsed rock.
A single strike had pierced his protective energy and inflicted internal injuries.
“Good.”
Whooo.
Brilliant light burst from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Clang. Clang.
A sound like crystal shards breaking rang through the sky, and red and pure white light points began to gather in both of his hands.
Since she had used her hand, he would repay her with his own.
He began to raise the powers of extreme yin and extreme yang simultaneously while exerting his maximum inner power.
“Let’s see how it goes.”
Rumble.
The ground shook violently, and hundreds of points began to float around Bu Eunseol.
Surpassing the power of ten jia, he opened even the inner energy within his inner core.
Stones lying on the ground and large rock fragments—everything around him began to rise, defying gravity.
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