Martial artists cultivate True Qi, the Pure Essence of Heaven and Earth, to build their internal power.
However, the blood relatives of the Baekri Family handle a unique power that has been in contact with the source of the world since before the beginning of the universe: the Manifestation Divine Power.
It is a power that understands the principles of creation, movement, and the order of all things in the universe, manifesting them into reality. As such, it possesses the mysterious ability to freely transform the fundamental principles of all martial arts under heaven or to completely ignore the attributes and compatibility relationships of existing forces.
This is why they can stand against and confront even the absolute power known as the Soul Demon Dharma Treasure, which destroys all things.
Kwa-ung!
However, the power by the Martial Soul Society Leader was, as luck would have it, Great Natural Qi, which was barely affected by the Manifestation Divine Power. Furthermore, the fist technique he used transcended the compatibility of existing martial arts systems; it showed infinite changes without being bound by standardized movements or forms.
Consequently, the man in white was unable to find a way to respond for a moment.
Pat!
Ultimately, he leapt into the air to avoid the fist force pouring toward his face.
Kwa-ooo-oo!
As the fist force brushed beneath his feet, he landed lightly on the ground once more.
Tap.
But unlike before, the gaze of the man in white sank low. It was a humiliation that he had to hurl his body into the air just to avoid a single fist technique.
“It seems you knew.”
The individuals of the Baekri Family who appeared in the martial world restricted the use of the Manifestation Divine Power strictly to the mental world.
The man in white believed that Bu Eunseol knew this in advance and intentionally forced him to withdraw the mental world to induce a contest based solely on martial arts.
“But your calculation was wrong.”
“…….”
“No matter what martial arts you display, the martial arts of my family are the source of them all. You can never stand against me.”
Bu Eunseol smiled. That smile was so subtle that the man in white could not help but ask.
“Why are you laughing?”
“In the past, a certain True Demon kin told me that all martial arts under heaven were created by the True Demon. Therefore, he claimed he could break any martial art in an instant.”
Bu Eunseol chuckled.
“And those words became his last.”
The eyes of the man in white grew cold. Was he not saying that he, too, would end up in that state?
“Now, shall we see what kind of martial arts the Baekri Family servants use?”
Originally, when Bu Eunseol fought, he focused with all his heart and soul and remained extremely silent. But now, it was as if So Okrim had possessed his body, as he continuously poured out scathing venom.
“Do I look like a servant to you?”
“If not a servant, then a child of a concubine.”
It was not mere nitpicking or empty insult. The tone and atmosphere of the man in white were impeccably elegant and dignified. However, there was no real need for him to float his body to avoid stepping on the ground or to generate shockwaves so that not a single speck of dust touched him.
Bu Eunseol immediately saw through those excessive behaviors—that they were not his original nature, but a psychological defense mechanism stemming from a low social status or an unstable position.
“I have no idea what nonsense you are talking about.”
“It’s a common thing.”
Bu Eunseol snorted.
“Faking one's speech and actions to be dignified in order to compensate for the anxiety of not being recognized for legitimacy within the family, or being considered lowly.”
He continued bitingly.
“It is a constant attempt to be validated by others, as if to say, ‘I am this noble and dignified, so I am by no means lowly.’”
“Amusing.”
The man in white sneered.
“By your theory, all the cultured and elegant people in the world must be lowly individuals.”
“Of course, if it were only that much, I wouldn't have known.”
“…….”
“But beyond a clean personality, you have an abnormal loathing for dirty things.”
Bu Eunseol said with a smirk.
“It is likely a compulsive behavior to appear clean and avoid even a tiny speck of dust, driven by an unconscious inferiority complex and anxiety that your own origins are ‘dirty.’”
Twitching his lips, Bu Eunseol wore a playful smile.
“If every member of the Baekri Family attempted to control dust using their power as you do now? Three hundred years ago, the Baekri Family would have eventually been destroyed because of mysophobia….”
Kwa-ung!
Suddenly, a pure white brilliance, more dazzling than the sun and more intense than lightning, dyed the world.
Sizzle.
The solid rocks where Bu Eunseol had been standing melted away like taffy. It was not mere light, but a power that annihilated and distorted all existence.
“Oh dear.”
The man in white wore an innocent smile as he looked at Bu Eunseol, who was floating in the air.
“I accidentally used the power of the main family without realizing it.”
He then laughed, baring his white teeth.
“But don't worry. I will be sure to beat you to death with martial arts.”
He winked and said:
“Now that I know you are a disciple of the Demon Emperor.”
Star-Breaker.
The man in white believed that Bu Eunseol had unleashed the ultimate Infinite Reversal Power, which not only penetrates the essence of an enemy's technique with a single glance but also dominates the mental world.
Kwang!
Explosive sounds erupted around Bu Eunseol’s body as he floated in the air. Those explosions created massive waves that struck his soul directly like a Mind Sword. He was interfering to prevent Bu Eunseol from unleashing Star-Breaker.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Naturally, since Bu Eunseol was not using Star-Breaker at all, he was not affected by those waves.
“Take this.”
Fwoosh.
A faint light began to linger on both of Bu Eunseol’s fists. Until now, he had mainly used his left hand for fist techniques and his right hand for the sword. However, to maintain the perfect identity of Seolso, he had created the Seven Heavenly Light Forms by unifying the Seven Fist Demon Forms and the Endless Heavenly Light Art.
—The unification of the Three Divine Energies.
In truth, without obtaining the Fourth Divine Energy, the unification of the others was impossible. However, through a fortuitous encounter in Cheonchuk, Bu Eunseol had unified the three; that was why he could reveal his identity as the Martial Soul Society Leader to the world.
—Because it was a power that even the Three Realms desperately desired.
Why did the Three Realms, who rebelled against the Baekri Family, try to create the Fourth Divine Energies by making Human Flowers or artificial internal elixirs?
—Because they had to stand against the Baekri Family.
What the Three Realms feared most was not the True Demon, but the Baekri Family. They had betrayed them despite being born from their embrace.
—In that case, the power capable of opposing the Manifestation Divine Power... must be Great Natural Qi.
Although the Earth Divine Energy was missing, Bu Eunseol possessed and had unified the powers they so desperately wanted. With such confidence, he had executed the bold plan to lure out not only the True Demon but also the kin of the Baekri Family using the information of the New Bloodline.
And the plan had succeeded.
Even the kin of the Baekri Family, who could oppose the Soul Demon Dharma Treasure that destroys all, could not touch the Great Natural Qi he was emitting.
Kwa-ung!
A streak of light pierced the darkness as a sharp fist force traced a parabola, digging toward the head of the man in white. It was the subtle technique of the first form, Solar Brilliance.
“Hmph.”
The man in white reached out a finger as if he were too bothered to even dodge such a trivial attack. Then, the fist force instantly changed direction and flew off into the distant sky. While he couldn't change the attributes of Great Natural Qi or annihilate it, he had more than enough ‘martial arts’ to deflect it.
Pung!
However, a cloud of dust rose along with an explosive sound. Before anyone knew it, another fist force had dug into his lower abdomen. The reason the Seven Heavenly Light Forms must be performed with both hands is that every fist force maintains the harmony of Yin and Yang. Even if one side's force is blocked, the other force is designed to pierce through that opening.
Grit.
The man in white, who ultimately had to raise his hand to block the force directly, had the corners of his eyes torn upward toward the sky. His pride had been wounded once again.
“The servant's martial arts are quite impressive!”
Regardless, Bu Eunseol continued to grate on his nerves, unleashing the second form of the Seven Heavenly Light Forms: Meteor Falling Through Clouds.
Paaaaa!
Just as the name implied, intense and rapid fist forces poured down incessantly like meteors cutting through the clouds.
Whish!
With a single wave of the white-clad man's sleeve, hundreds of fist shadows exploding like firecrackers vanished in an instant. He had unleashed the ultimate essence of martial arts, Emptiness, with just a sleeve.
Kwarung!
However, the annihilated fist technique soon bloomed again like a flower, and a force combining wind and thunder struck the man in white from behind. It was the Wind and Thunder Shaking the Void. The third form of the Seven Heavenly Light Forms, which generates fist force from around the enemy's body, had been unleashed.
“The servant’s methods are very high-level.”
As Bu Eunseol kept calling him a ‘servant’ at the end of every sentence, the gaze of the man in white, which had been dyed with serenity, gradually became distorted.
“You truly talk too much!”
Chrararak.
The man in white created twelve circular rings. Then, the pouring fist force turned into shadows and scattered in all directions. He had unleashed the subtle technique of the Phantom Shadow of the Ultimate Ring, which could be called the pinnacle of Orthodox Martial Arts.
‘He is struggling to prove that he is superior even in martial arts.’
The man in white was lightly performing subtleties that even a grandmaster of martial arts would find difficult to complete in a lifetime of practice. He was struggling to refute the insults and deductions Bu Eunseol had poured out.
‘The Sword Venerable was the same.’
Even the Sword Venerable, who had polished his sword like a monk for his entire life, could not overcome his competitive spirit at a single word or look from the Demon Emperor. He had materialized his Natural Sword into a formal technique, leading to a regretful defeat.
There was no way this man in white, who had always been revered as a member of the Baekri Family, had ever experienced such high-level psychological warfare that turned him inside out by identifying even his hidden circumstances.
“I must get rid of that mouth first!”
Shoosh!
Meanwhile, as the man in white extended his index and middle fingers simultaneously, Bu Eunseol’s heartbeat faltered, and his blood and qi began to flow backward. He had unleashed the supreme technique of the former Martial Arts Alliance Leader Cheol Muhon: Heaven’s Inverse Heart-Pushing Palm, which can only be performed by perfectly grasping the flow of an enemy’s True Qi.
If blood and qi flow backward, it becomes impossible to speak aloud. However, Bu Eunseol possessed more than just Great Natural Qi.
Woong!
Because various and overflowing powers were mixed within his body, he was able to immediately shake off the pressure of the palm technique.
“Has the Baekri Family servant even stolen the martial arts of the Martial Arts Alliance!”
Crying out loudly once more, Bu Eunseol escaped the palm pressure using the movement technique of the Yellow Dragon Playing with the Pearl.
Kwa-ung!
Then he poured out another intense fist force. The fourth form of the Seven Heavenly Light Forms, Jade Shining on the Moon, was unleashed. Like the moon reflecting on a lake, a fist force imbued with a soft yet deep blue light spread out to cover the man in white’s body.
Flash! Swish!
Becoming a streak of lightning, the man in white tore through the force of the Jade Shining on the Moon and appeared right before Bu Eunseol’s nose. It was a rapid movement technique that was unbelievable even when seen with one's own eyes.
“Truly tiresome!”
With a low murmur, the man in white reached out.
Kwang!
At that moment, with an explosive sound, Bu Eunseol’s body, which had been floating in the air, was slammed into the ground. The ultimate supreme technique of the Celestial Emperor—one of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—known as the Myriad Forest Integration, which destroys an enemy's internal organs by colliding different forces, had been unleashed.
Rumble.
Bu Eunseol, rising from the pile of collapsed stones, flashed his eyes.
‘He truly is an individual outside the mainstream.’
If it were the martial arts of a Baekri Family blood relative, they should naturally be of a different class than existing martial arts or be completely new creations.
Yet, the man in white was using the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars that the masters of the Three Realms had been using all along. Although their power was several times stronger than when used by the masters he had encountered so far, it revealed in an instant that he had not mastered the true secrets of the Baekri Family.
“Try receiving this and see if you can keep that expression.”
Discovering Bu Eunseol’s disappointed face, the man in white slowly extended his palm.
Gooooo.
With a bizarre sound, the air was compressed at his fingertips, and the space around him began to fold. Shaking the Void to Pieces, Palm Sweeping the Universe. He had concentrated the ultimate palm techniques of the Palm King and poured them out like a storm.
Kwa-ooo-oo!
An annihilating force that seemed ready to destroy the entire world poured in a straight line toward Bu Eunseol.
Kukukuku.
In response, a three-colored energy began to swirl around Bu Eunseol’s body. He unleashed the fifth form of the Seven Heavenly Light Forms: Heavenly Star Explosive Shattering, which poured out explosive fist strikes imbued with the power of the Three Divine Energies.
Flash!
The moment the two forces collided, a brilliance that seemed ready to swallow the world exploded. At the center of the collision, a large crack appeared as if space had been twisted and torn, and because of it, time seemed to flow infinitely slow.
Kureureureu.
As the light faded, the bodies of the two men were revealed once more. While Bu Eunseol’s clothes were torn in various places, the man in white was so clean that not a trace of the fierce battle could be found.
However, their expressions were different.
Bu Eunseol remained perfectly calm, but the gaze of the man in white was changing frequently.
Bu Eunseol’s power, in addition to pure Great Natural Qi, was a chaotic tangle of immeasurably bizarre and alien forces. Because of this, he had destroyed the supreme technique of the Palm King in an instant and pushed the violent shockwaves of the collision back toward the man in white.
“I am grateful for this.”
Despite not gaining the upper hand, the man in white laughed brightly instead.
“Since I have received the original power of the Eight Emperors... another power that can be used without deploying the mental world has been unlocked.”
As soon as he finished his sentence,
Ging.
Suddenly, the man's eyes narrowed and swept upward as if toward the heavens. It was just a slight lift at the corners of his eyes as if he were angry, yet he seemed to transform into a different person entirely.
Kwa-ung!
Sensing something strange, Bu Eunseol immediately unleashed the Seven Heavenly Light Forms to pre-emptively block the man's attack. However, the movement was not completed. This was because the space around Bu Eunseol was vibrating incessantly.
‘……?’
Bu Eunseol tried to unleash his fist force again, but each time, the area around his body fluctuated.
Martial arts, by nature, are based on strong internal power, precisely controlling True Qi to send it where it is needed, combined with efficient body movements perfectly harmonized with that flow. However, as the surrounding space trembled at will, he could not deploy a proper movement.
‘Interesting.’
Kwa-ung!
Even though something had happened that would shock an ordinary martial artist to the point of fainting, Bu Eunseol instead wore an expression of intense interest.
His internal power transcended the limits of what a human body could contain, and he had mastered the peerless internal arts of the Muscle-Changing Classic and the Inverse Ultimate Mind Law, the most profound in the martial world. Added to that, he had learned the martial arts of the Nangyang Pavilion, which sought rational movements established through long experience and research for the most efficient delivery of power, defense, and attack in the Demonic Path. In other words, it was no exaggeration to say he was the most adaptable person in the martial world.
Zing, zing.
Suddenly, a low vibration also flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, and he began to unleash his techniques in harmony with the trembling scenery. Then, to the man’s surprise, he began to pour accurate strikes upon the man in white, who was more than dozens of zhang away.
Kwang! Kwang!
Along with explosive sounds, the brilliance of the Seven Heavenly Light Forms began to instantly cover the area around the man in white. He exerted an even more violent energy to vibrate the space around Bu Eunseol’s body.
Zing. Zing.
He should have suffered deep internal injuries rather than performing martial arts, yet as the vibration grew stronger, the power of his fist technique only increased.
‘Is this possible?’
The man in white’s eyes flew open in shock. To think he had created a response technique on the spot that ignored the power he used to crush even the ultimate essence of martial arts!
Ultimately, the man in white withdrew his power, stepped back, and glared at Bu Eunseol in silence. Bu Eunseol also stopped counterattacking and spoke.
“It seems you truly were a servant of the Baekri Family.”
Just as streams gather to form a river, martial arts must eventually follow the flow of their source power. However, the techniques the man in white was displaying were forces and methods that had faced the True Demon since primordial times—powers that could by no means be called the original strength of the Baekri Family.
After a long silence, the man in white suddenly said something unexpected.
“In the main family, there are foolish humans who became buried in power and knelt before the True Demon.”
As he continued, the smile that had been lingering on his lips vanished. His tone, which had been artificially polite and devoid of emotion, changed to suppressed anger and deep despair. Through the anger and despair that erupted from the speech that had seemed like a mask of formal politeness and elegance, his original voice was revealed.
“When that happens, those bastards are ostracized from the family and assigned lowly tasks. Naturally, their power is also restricted.”
‘Holy Ones.’
Bu Eunseol furrowed his brows.
The foolish humans the man spoke of were likely the Holy Ones. In that case, did it mean that the children or blood relatives of the Holy Ones could not become true members of the Baekri Family?
“And they must take on various missions to establish merit while wandering the martial world. Just like the... kin of that hateful True Demon.”
Raising his head, the man in white regained his original voice and expression and smiled broadly.
“You are right. I am... merely a servant of the Baekri Family.”
He was smiling, but it was as if tears of blood were flowing from his eyes.
He was hating, and he was despising the True Demon, the Baekri Family... and even his own situation.
“Do you know why I am telling you this?”
Sss.
The body of the man in white slowly rose into the sky. Though the speed was not that fast, it was so natural and rapid that Bu Eunseol could not block the movement.
[Because I have made up my mind to kill you no matter what.]
Before he knew it, his voice spread out once more like the Transmission of the Six Harmonies, echoing everywhere as it did when he used the power of sorcery in the mental world.
[Whatever price I must pay...!]
Above the head of the man in white, a sphere like a massive sun was slowly forming.
‘That is the power of the Baekri Family.’
Bu Eunseol could sense it instinctively. The man in white was breaking the laws of his family and attempting to use his power by force.
‘In the end, it does not come.’
Bu Eunseol clenched his fists. This fight had been carried out under a thorough plan. Everything had been as expected so far... but one thing had not yet been achieved.
The Sacred Domain.
The absolute neutral force that balances the Baekri Family and the True Demon was not appearing.
Crack.
He hadn't even attacked yet, but the space around where Bu Eunseol stood became distorted, and cracks began to form like broken glass.
Slice.
And those cracks also inflicted deep wounds on Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘It is like Illusion Upon Illusion.’
Bu Eunseol has already entered the ranks of a grandmaster, capable of creating and transforming martial arts himself. However, the power the man in white was unleashing far transcended the level of martial arts. It was an absolute power in itself that could not be defended against or broken in any way.
[You seem to have realized it now.]
The man in white said, curling his lips.
[No matter what martial arts you display, the power of the main family is the source of them all. You can never stand against it.]
At those words, Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
Even if all the original sources of martial arts under heaven belonged to the Baekri Family, there was one martial art that did not belong to them.
‘Seven Blood Tear Forms.’
If it were the Absolute Way of the Sword created by his grandfather, which grants death to all that exists?
It would surely be able to stand against the Manifestation Divine Power.
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