Chapter 124: Rebirth Through Bone Replacement
Chapter 124
Rebirth Through Bone Replacement
Though the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's standing in the current martial world had diminished, no warrior dared to underestimate it.
The reason lay in the figure who had once dealt the greatest blow to the pride of the Central Plains martial artists—second only to the Heavenly Demon.
The Beast Fighting God, Chuk Yeo-un.
A being who bore the outrageous title of "God," one of the few in martial history to ever earn such a distinction.
And astonishingly, this divine epithet had been bestowed not upon a Central Plains native, but a Southern Barbarian.
Yet none could deny it—his legacy was simply too vast to ignore.
During the era when the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Sect had vanished, leaving a power vacuum that plunged the martial world into endless internal strife and war—regardless of orthodoxy or heresy—Chuk Yeo-un had suddenly emerged.
A towering giant whose sheer size forced even seasoned warriors to crane their necks, Chuk Yeo-un had embarked on a martial pilgrimage from the very day he debuted.
But his pilgrimage was unique—his opponents had no right to refuse.
Even if they declined, he would force them to their knees through sheer brute strength.
When enraged factions banded together to attack him, Chuk Yeo-un only laughed and welcomed the battle.
He was a madman, utterly consumed by combat—a beast who lived solely for the fight.
He sought out every notable warrior, orthodox or unorthodox, and eventually toppled them all.
Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, he returned to his homeland.
And thus, the Beast Palace was born.
In a way, it was the Beast Fighting God Chuk Yeo-un who had forced the orthodox and unorthodox factions into a swift truce, establishing the current balance of power.
Chuk Yeo-un's martial arts diverged entirely from those of the Central Plains.
Like the Beast Palace disciples of today, who relied solely on external martial arts, he had ascended to the pinnacle of the martial world without using a single internal energy technique.
So then—what exactly was the nature of the power embedded in these tattoos?
As the ink seared into his flesh, the agony of his body burning alive forced Se-woon to grit his teeth—but his mind remained clear, pondering the mystery.
In his past life, he had learned of divine artifacts through the Blood Sect's intelligence network.
But the detailed history of their power remained unknown.
How could he have known?
"In my past life, Meng Yong's flames reduced it to vapor before anyone could claim it."
Oooom...
Ooom...
Thus, an entirely unknown force—one even Se-woon had never encountered—was now etching itself into his flesh.
The divine droplets that had touched his skin burrowed deeper, merging with his blood.
Sssss—!
The fusion was anything but smooth—two incompatible forces clashing violently.
"......!!"
A horrific pain, as if every inch of his body were being torn apart, surged through him like a tidal wave.
For anyone else, such unbearable torment would have either rendered them unconscious or killed them outright.
But Se-woon slowly closed his eyes and endured.
From his congenital disability to the Divine Poison Energy, and now the Reverse Heaven Energy—
"Pain is like an old friend to me now."
He could bear this level of suffering with a smile.
Steadfastly, Se-woon overcame the trial left behind by the Beast Fighting God.
Sssss—!
At last, the divine droplets fully merged with his blood, circulating through his body in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
And with that flow, his flesh began to transcend its limits—reborn anew.
Crack!
Crunch!
Grotesque sounds of shattering and splintering echoed through the chamber.
The noise came from his bones and muscles.
Astonishingly, he was undergoing Rebirth Through Bone Replacement—a transformation typically reserved for those who had reached the Mystic Realm.
Even Se-woon was stunned.
"Rebirth Through Bone Replacement—before even reaching the Mystic Realm?!"
This process, which optimized a warrior's body for martial arts, was considered proof of attaining the Mystic Realm.
His current realm was the Peak of the Blazing Realm...
Snap!
Boom!
A sudden sound—like something attaching and then exploding—reached his ears.
It was the sound of his newly transformed bones and muscles settling into place, triggering an explosive surge in his martial power.
"No—this is the Extreme of the Blazing Realm."
He had finally reached the threshold just below the Mystic Realm.
A speed incomparable to his past life.
"Huu..."
Se-woon steadied his breathing and slowly opened his eyes.
Then he looked down at his transformed body.
Despite undergoing Rebirth Through Bone Replacement, his muscles remained unchanged in size and shape—deceptively ordinary.
The only visible difference was the intricate, lion's-mane-like tattoos now covering his body from the neck down.
The jet-black ink evoked the ancient practice of tattooing soldiers before battle—marking them as warriors bound for glory.
Sssss—!
Whoosh—!
"This body is absurd."
Se-woon could now fully appreciate the true power left behind by the first Beast Palace Lord, Chuk Yeo-un.
His flesh had transcended mortal limits, as if clad in divine armor—possessing the pinnacle of defensive capability.
He had reached the stage known as "Indestructible Diamond Body"—the ultimate achievement of external martial arts.
Even among Mystic Realm experts, many failed to attain this state due to insufficient enlightenment.
It granted a body as unbreakable as diamond—capable of surviving a fall from a thousand-foot cliff unscathed.
"And that's not all."
As his flesh ascended to a higher plane, an unexpected gift followed.
Oooom...
Ooom...
A vibrant pulse of natural life force surged through his body.
Innate True Energy.
"The quantity of my Innate True Energy has skyrocketed."
This was something he had never imagined possible through external martial arts alone.
The amount had increased exponentially—equivalent to ten years' worth of cultivation.
An achievement even the Shaolin Temple's Great Rebirth Pill couldn't match.
A glint of excitement flashed in Se-woon's eyes.
"If I continue training and exploring this power, I might find a way to compensate for the Golden Arm Technique's fatal flaw—its slow accumulation!"
Though he had discovered a new path to greater strength, the transformation wasn't without its disappointments.
"Hmm... Even after Rebirth Through Bone Replacement, my congenital disability remains."
In his past life, despite reaching the Mystic Realm, he had deliberately avoided this transformation—fearing his wounds would heal and reveal his true strength.
Back then, he had regretted it.
But now, having undergone the process, he realized it had been impossible all along.
His congenital disability was a curse too profound for even Rebirth Through Bone Replacement to overcome.
What exactly is it...?
Yet the only clue he had was a single piece of information:
"The day you realize this disability is not a curse—but a blessing—you will take one step closer to your desire."
The thought of the Blood Demon made his mind churn, but Se-woon quickly steadied himself.
"Well, I'll find out someday."
For now, his focus was on the Beast Palace.
Se-woon slowly rose to his feet.
His body felt astonishingly light—as if he had become featherweight.
Swish.
He glanced around.
The training chamber remained unchanged, its thick stone walls sealing him in.
But to his senses, everything was different.
"I'll win! No one can stop me!"
"I'll defeat the Palace Lord in the Heavenly Battle Ceremony and claim the throne!!"
"......Ugh, he hasn't left the training chamber all day. Should I sneak in and check on him?"
Voices—clear as if spoken right beside him—echoed in his ears.
Unfamiliar Beast Palace disciples training in adjacent chambers.
The mutterings of a hidden figure lurking on the ceiling of the outer hall.
Despite the thick stone barriers between chambers, sounds that would have been inaudible before now amplified in his ears.
Simultaneously, the movements of the disciples beyond the walls materialized in his mind like vivid paintings.
His senses had sharpened to an extreme degree.
But the divine artifact left by Chuk Yeo-un—no, now his artifact—
"Perhaps I'll call it Inkblood."
Se-woon instinctively sensed that its "abnormal abilities" didn't end there.
"Now then, next."
It was time to test its power in actual combat.
Swish!
Se-woon slid one foot back, lowering his stance.
Suppressing all his energy, he activated only the power of Inkblood.
Whoosh!
As if his blood had ignited, a scorching heat surged through his body.
But this wasn't energy—it was pure, unadulterated physical might.
Sssss—!
Simultaneously, the tattoos covering his body began to glow vividly.
Swish!
One hand gripped his wrist.
Crack!
The other clenched into a fist, trembling with power.
Without a single trace of energy—relying solely on external martial arts—he prepared to strike.
Oooom...
His will intensified, his spirit radiating terrifying pressure.
Boom!
Crash—!
Se-woon exploded forward, his fist shooting out in a straight line—no technique, no stance.
Just a simple punch aimed at the cavern wall before him.
"Shatter!"
A single, effortless strike carrying nothing but sheer intent.
Yet the aftermath was catastrophic.
Kwaaaaruuu!
Kwaaaang!
A deafening explosion—as if a mountain had collapsed—shook the entire hall.
"Wh-why isn't he c-coming out?"
The deputy hall master who had escorted Se-woon earlier paced anxiously.
The basket in his hands was piled high with rice balls wrapped in leaves.
A full day had passed, and he had returned to deliver food—but Se-woon still hadn't emerged, even though the agreed-upon time was long past.
"D-did he get hurt during training?"
Should he return to fetch medicine?
Just as he hesitated—
Kwaaaaruuu!
Kwaaaang!
"Gah!"
A thunderous explosion erupted from within the hall.
The deputy hall master yelped and fell flat on his backside.
The noise was overwhelming—like a volcano erupting.
"Wh-what in the world...?"
As he gaped in confusion, the hall's doors burst open, and Beast Palace disciples came scrambling out.
"Aaaah!"
"L-landslide!"
"Run! L-lava's erupting!"
The lower-ranked disciples, terrified out of their wits, fled in panic.
The deputy hall master stared blankly at their retreating figures—
"Oh, you're already here."
"......!"
A familiar voice.
The man he had been waiting for—Se-woon—had finally appeared.
Unlike the fleeing disciples, he exuded utter calm.
"S-Se-woon! A-are you alri—cough!"*
The deputy hall master pinched his nose mid-sentence.
Rude by Beast Palace standards, but unavoidable.
"Wh-what is that stench?!"
An unbearable stench radiated from Se-woon.
When the deputy hall master blinked in shock, Se-woon scratched his head sheepishly.
"I trained a bit too hard."
A lie—the odor was the result of expelled impurities during Rebirth Through Bone Replacement.
"My apologies, Lord Umun Tak."
He addressed the deputy hall master—Umun Tak, the younger brother and favored kin of the Beast Palace Lord, Umun Gol.