Chapter 1016
BOOM.
Like a meteor plunging from the distant heavens, a deafening explosion obliterated the ground where Ak Mu-ryeong and Bu Eun-seol stood, reducing dozens of jang of land to ruins in an instant.
RUMBLE—
At the same time, a shadowy figure, dark as ink and ghostly in appearance, materialized before them.
His hair stood wildly in all directions, as if split apart by thunderclouds. Though it appeared to flutter in the rough wind, each strand moved with a will of its own, like living tendrils.
His eyes were dark yet clear, like the depths of a well in the dead of night, within which flickered faint flames that seemed to have swallowed countless years.
The tattered cloth draped over his shoulders fluttered lightly like mist, while the fabric wrapped around his feet exuded an eerie, weathered aura—like the hem of a wandering spirit treading the boundary between life and death.
"Jong Baek."
In that instant, flames ignited in Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes.
Jong Baek.
The former Senior Martial Brother of the previous Pavilion Lord, Sanggwan So-hong.
The very man who had murdered Ak Mu-ryeong's master had suddenly appeared here.
Though he was nearly ninety years old, his appearance differed little from that of Ak Mu-ryeong, who was only middle-aged.
"You've grown quite a bit."
At Jong Baek's words, a sickly yellow light surged in Ak Mu-ryeong's pupils.
The man who had killed his master and brought unparalleled disgrace upon Langya Pavilion—had he really just shown himself willingly?
At last, the time had come to cleanly settle the long-deferred matter of Langya Pavilion's legacy.
"You've come to the right place to die."
Ak Mu-ryeong's voice was icy.
"Only the Pavilion Lord's dying wish kept me from hunting you down to the ends of the earth."
In truth, even if he had wanted revenge, he couldn't have pursued it.
After that day, Jong Baek had vanished without a trace, leaving no trail to follow.
"You truly are the successor of this Pavilion."
Ak Mu-ryeong took a step forward, a killing intent-laced smile curling his lips.
"To think you'd lure out the traitor I couldn't find in a lifetime—what a fine catch you've made."
"Successor, you say."
Only then did Jong Baek glance briefly at Bu Eun-seol before nodding slowly.
"A pity. Today marks the end of Langya Pavilion's lineage."
When Ak Mu-ryeong and Bu Eun-seol stood together,
even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself could not easily take them lightly.
Yet Jong Baek looked down upon them as if they were mere third-rate martial artists.
"Hmph."
Ak Mu-ryeong snorted derisively, his gaze sweeping over Jong Baek.
"You've lost all sense after becoming someone else's dog."
"When one reaches a realm so unfathomably high, others tend to misunderstand."
Jong Baek chuckled darkly.
"They can't even imagine where I stand, yet they dare think themselves worthy of challenging me."
Ak Mu-ryeong scoffed before speaking to Bu Eun-seol.
"Leave. Now."
Jong Baek had murdered his master and disappeared without a trace.
Now, Ak Mu-ryeong intended to personally strike him down.
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol bowed respectfully and prepared to withdraw, ensuring Ak Mu-ryeong could fight without restraint.
'If he unleashes the Heavenly Light Endless Art, his extrasensory perception will extend three hundred jang. I'll observe the battle from afar.'
But then, Jong Baek spoke.
"You cannot leave."
ZZZING—
At the same time, a dark energy began to spread.
A formation study of absolute severance—Life-and-Death Combat Formation.
A barrier where none could escape until one side lay dead,
where only the enemy's demise could open the Life Gate.
"Ak Mu-ryeong, needless to say—and the successor of Langya Pavilion is also marked in the Book of Death."
Jong Baek's voice was low.
"Both of you must die here."
Ak Mu-ryeong's brow suddenly furrowed.
He scrutinized the Life-and-Death Combat Formation Jong Baek had deployed.
Twitch. Twitch.
Then, abruptly, his eyes narrowed into crescent moons—
"Heh... heh heh heh..."
A laughter that could shatter heaven and earth erupted from him.
"KEHAHAHAHA!"
With each peal of Ak Mu-ryeong's laughter, the air distorted and the heavens trembled.
The earth split as if struck by an earthquake, and trees turned to dust, not a single leaf spared.
His laughter was not merely a mix of ruin and madness—it felt like the claws of a demon, seizing the souls of those who heard it and dragging them into the Bottomless Abyss.
For it carried not only terrifying internal energy but also a force that could shatter the human soul.
—Snap.
When his laughter ceased, Ak Mu-ryeong looked down at Bu Eun-seol with an expression of waning interest.
"Not even worth this Pavilion Lord's personal effort."
Ak Mu-ryeong, who had glimpsed the principles of the martial world from the depths of the Abyss, pursued an endless Martial Way—one whose pinnacle was the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, standing at the zenith of martial arts.
And on that journey,
slaying Jong Baek, the murderer of his master, had long been a cherished desire.
Yet now that he had finally found his nemesis,
the man was nothing more than a pitiful insect, unworthy of his hatred.
So insignificant that the resentment he had nurtured for years scattered like hollow echoes—
not even worth the swing of his blade.
"Bu Eun-seol."
He jerked his chin toward the young man.
"You handle this."
Bu Eun-seol was no longer a disciple clinging to Langya Pavilion's shadow.
Unbeknownst to all, he had already risen as a grandmaster capable of treading the world beneath his feet.
The path Ak Mu-ryeong must now walk—
was to carve away all human emotion.
Sorrow and joy, grief and ecstasy—to excise them without remnant,
and seize the peerless martial arts that none under heaven could rival.
There was no other way.
"You mean me?"
As Bu Eun-seol froze in surprise, Ak Mu-ryeong snorted and uttered cryptic words.
"Mind Mirror Reversal, Soul-Shaking Strike. Remember these phrases."
He let out a derisive sniff.
"Though it'd be dreadfully dull if you realized them too quickly."
'Using the mirror of the mind in reverse to shake the enemy's spirit and collapse their soul?'
Just as Bu Eun-seol was mulling over Ak Mu-ryeong's words—
"Are you afraid, Ak Mu-ryeong?"
Jong Baek spoke.
"As you well know, even your master ended up dying by my hand."
His voice carried a deliberate taunt, laced with mockery.
"Even if you've reached the Martial Extreme Realm by calling yourself the Three Demons, in this old man's eyes, you're still just a brat."
"Truly not worth dirtying my hands over."
Ak Mu-ryeong, instead, heaved a deep sigh.
"To think someone like you was once a disciple of our pavilion."
With a scornful grin, Ak Mu-ryeong bared his fangs at Jong Baek.
"Then again, given what you've become, it makes sense you'd play lapdog to another house, scurrying around to retrieve command plaques."
"What did you say?"
Though he had once been his martial uncle, being treated like an underling by Ak Mu-ryeong made Jong Baek's gaze turn icy.
"Ak Mu-ryeong, your madness hasn't faded a bit."
"Jong Baek, do you still believe our master truly lost to you?"
"What?"
Jong Baek's eyes flashed.
"What nonsense is that?"
Sanggwan So-hong's organs had clearly been shattered by his own power.
He had even confirmed the funeral rites held for him at Langya Pavilion.
So why was Ak Mu-ryeong claiming his master hadn't lost to Jong Baek?
"Well, do your best."
Ak Mu-ryeong tossed the Wolf Token he was holding to Bu Eun-seol.
"If you kill this bastard, you can take the Wolf Token for yourself."
The Wolf Token was a treasure engraved with Langya Pavilion's supreme Concealment Secret Art—something only the Pavilion Lord could master.
Yet here he was, throwing it to his successor and telling him to kill for it?
Thud. Thud.
Whether Jong Baek was shocked or not, Ak Mu-ryeong began indifferently stepping outside the Life-and-Death Combat Formation.
"You think you can just leave?"
Jong Baek sneered.
"This isn't an ordinary Life-and-Death Combat Formation. It's an ancient secret art—"
His words cut off.
Creak. Crack.
The Life-and-Death Combat Formation was supposed to be unbreakable unless the life force within it was extinguished.
Yet Ak Mu-ryeong was pressing his face forward, walking straight through the formation's barrier as if it were nothing?
Squelch. Squelch.
Ak Mu-ryeong's face pushed against the transparent wall of the formation.
The Life-and-Death Combat Formation, impervious to all attacks.
And he was shattering it with the softest, weakest part of the human body—his face.
CRASH!
Finally breaking through with sheer brute force, Ak Mu-ryeong stepped outside without so much as a backward glance.
Jong Baek's eyes bulged at the sight.
He, too, had long since ascended to the Martial Extreme Realm.
After becoming one of the Servants of the True Demon, he had even gained access to latent abilities that transcended martial arts.
Yet what kind of realm had Ak Mu-ryeong reached?
How could he pierce the Life-and-Death Combat Formation with just his face?
And knowing full well Jong Baek's strength, he had just abandoned his successor—the future of Langya Pavilion—to death?
"Seems your Pavilion Lord has truly lost his mind."
Jong Baek shook his head as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
"Throwing his successor into mortal peril while running away alone."
"Not madness—precision."
Bu Eun-seol's expression remained utterly calm.
"Seems you've been playing servant in another's house so long you've lost track of how far the martial world has progressed."
BOOM!
As he unleashed his internal energy, a radiant light erupted from the distant sky.
Releasing over six centuries' worth of cultivation, his True Qi manifested into a tangible shockwave that soared to the heavens.
Jong Baek was slightly taken aback.
How could someone not even thirty years old possess such profound internal energy?
"Seems you understand you won't be receiving any courtesy as a senior of the sect."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze turned glacial.
"Let's skip the chatter and settle this."
"Heh heh heh..."
After a moment of blank silence, Jong Baek threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
"HAHAHAHA!"
After laughing for a long while, he shook his head.
"So you're not even treated as a real successor by Ak Mu-ryeong."
"......"
"You were originally chosen by Sado Mu-myeong as the Ten Demonic Heir, weren't you?"
Jong Baek smirked.
"Ak Mu-ryeong—that bastard worshipped Langya Pavilion since his youth, but he loathed Sado Mu-myeong. There's no way he'd accept someone that man picked as his successor."
"You know nothing."
Bu Eun-seol snorted.
"Are you sure you were ever a true disciple of our pavilion?"
"What?"
"The Pavilion Lord could throw me into mortal peril because he sees me as his true successor."
Ak Mu-ryeong pursued the extreme limits of the Martial Way.
And the reason he acknowledged Bu Eun-seol as his successor wasn't because Langya Pavilion had appointed him—
But because he had proven himself by defeating powerful foes.
And even now, he was demanding the same.
—If you are the successor of this pavilion, survive. And awaken.
If he couldn't survive here—
If he couldn't awaken in this battle—
Then he was unworthy of being called successor.
"You're saying he threw you into death because you're his successor? Against an opponent stronger than you?"
"That's what it means to be Langya Pavilion's successor."
Bu Eun-seol said it as if it were obvious.
"If the enemy were multiple levels above me, I'd have to run like hell—because survival would be impossible."
A composed smile played at his lips as he continued.
"But against someone just one level higher? No matter how dire the circumstances, I must survive and prove my strength."
Bu Eun-seol squared his shoulders and spoke with unwavering confidence.
"If you wish to reclaim the plaque, you'll have to kill me and take it."
"Hahahaha."
Jong Baek shook his head.
"It was that very arrogance of yours that brought Langya Pavilion to ruin."
Bu Eun-seol had intended to strike regardless of what Jong Baek said.
But those words—he could never let them pass.
"You claim Langya Pavilion fell due to our arrogance?"
"How much longer do you think Langya Pavilion can endure in the martial world?"
Jong Baek smiled coldly.
"Once the Baekri Clan and the True Demon make their full appearance, it won't last a single day before collapsing."
"So you fell into corruption because of their power?"
"It wasn't corruption—I simply awakened to the truth."
Jong Baek's eyes grew infinitely deeper.
"If you knew the truth of the martial world, you too would have no choice but to make the same decision as this old man."
There was a time when Jong Baek, too, had loved Langya Pavilion.
But he could never understand why, despite possessing such formidable strength, they refused to engage with the martial world.
Living like reclusive farmers, self-sufficient and solely devoted to the Martial Way—it made no sense to him.
In truth, Langya Pavilion was less a demonic faction and more a gathering of madmen who did nothing but train in martial arts.
—Why doesn't our Pavilion establish a greater sphere of influence in the martial world? With our strength, we could easily dominate it.
Jong Baek had pleaded endlessly with Yong Mun-gyeok, but it was futile.
Despite occupying the exalted position of the Demonic Path Ten Gates, despite the countless martial masters who lay dormant within their ranks—
Why did they live like ascetics, barricaded on Sword Tail Mountain, doing nothing but honing their martial arts? He simply couldn't comprehend it.
—You'll come to understand soon enough.
—Can't you just tell me now?
Yong Mun-gyeok was resolute.
—I cannot. If I reveal the full truth prematurely, it will only ruin your future.
—...Understood.
In the end, Jong Baek gave up trying to persuade Yong Mun-gyeok and his fellow disciples of Langya Pavilion, setting out alone into the martial world.
He wandered in secret, gathering people to forge a powerful faction.
And in the process, he began walking his own path to perfect his Martial Way.
It was strikingly similar to Bu Eun-seol's own journey—
Venturing into the martial world for vengeance, building a vast intelligence network, rallying countless people to his cause.
It couldn't have been any other way.
Though their motives differed, the process of refining martial arts, establishing an intelligence network—
Slowly ascending to become one of the martial world's superlative experts while building influence—it was inevitable that their paths would mirror each other.
—So that's how it was.
And at last, he too awakened to the truth of the martial world.
That the martial world had already been swallowed by terrifying beings like the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—that this entire world was nothing but their playground.
And yet, ignorant of this truth—
He had agonized over something as trivial as Langya Pavilion's lack of influence.
—Make the Covenant.
And finally, the Covenant-maker came for Jong Baek as well.
—If I reveal the full truth prematurely, it will only ruin your future.
Only then did Yong Mun-gyeok's words make sense.
The "full truth" his master had spoken of—
Was that all superlative martial artists were inevitably subjugated by the Baekri Clan or the True Demon.
—You're telling me I must become a servant of the Baekri Clan or the True Demon?
Jong Baek was speechless. No—everything felt hollow.
No matter how much he trained and refined his martial arts, he could never stand against the Baekri bloodline, born with overwhelming power.
Even if he trained for a thousand years from this moment, he could never defeat the True Demon, who had existed since antiquity, cycling through reincarnation.
—They say a wise man knows the times, doesn't he?
Once he realized that no amount of martial training, no faction he built—
Could ever hope to defeat even the True Demon's servants, let alone the True Demon itself—
Everything afterward felt meaningless.
—What would I even do if I built a great faction in the martial world?
He'd rather plunge into their world, gazing down upon mortals from the domain of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
—I refuse to be bound by this forced Covenant!
In the end, Jong Baek rejected the Covenant.
The Covenant meant nothing more than standing on the side of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon, obeying their commands.
It did not mean becoming one of their servants and gaining their power.
—I will compare the supremacy of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—and I myself will become a servant who directly wields their power.
But he couldn't simply evade the Covenant-maker's decree.
Jong Baek struggled to escape the Covenant—until at last, he found a way.
—If one kills the person they truly cherish in their heart, the collapse of their spirit and mind, the ensuing emptiness, can allow them to evade the Covenant-maker's pursuit.
'Sanggwan So-hong.'
Instantly, one person came to mind.
The junior martial brother he had cherished above all others—so much so that he had unhesitatingly passed the title of Pavilion Lord to him.
If he eliminated Sanggwan So-hong—
He could free himself from the Covenant.
—Jong Baek. In your position, infiltrate Langya Pavilion and retrieve their sacred artifact.
By chance, a perfect opportunity arose.
One of the True Demon's servants sought him out.
They had been covertly seizing control of the martial world, replacing sect leaders and powerful martial artists with their own servants.
—No need. I'll bring you the Command Plaque myself.
—What?
—In exchange, grant me the power you wield.
The True Demon's servant scoffed at Jong Baek's proposal.
—A man who can't even break free from the Covenant dares to dream so big.
Then, they made an offer.
—Very well. If you can cast off the Covenant, I will grant you Soul-Demon Magic Energy and unlock your latent potential.
Hearing this, Jong Baek smiled in triumph.
—Excellent. I was already planning to shatter that wretched Covenant anyway.
And so, Jong Baek sought out Sanggwan So-hong.
Was it coincidence?
That day was when Ak Mu-ryeong ascended as Pavilion Lord—and Sanggwan So-hong, unburdened, climbed Iron Palm Peak.
What was strange was that Sanggwan So-hong had already known Jong Baek was coming.
In the end, the fight began, and after defeating Sanggwan So-hong, Jong Baek seized the Wolf Token.
Though he felt enough pain and guilt to kill him, there had been no other choice.
—"I've yielded much to you all this time... Consider this me collecting the compensation."
After fleeing Langya Pavilion once more,
he offered the Wolf Token to the Servants of the True Demon and finally obtained the power he had long dreamed of.
Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
When a martial artist is infused with it,
their latent potential is unleashed, allowing them to awaken innate supernatural powers—like those of the legendary One Hundred and Eight Stars or the figures of the Three Clans.
From that day on, Jong Baek became a subordinate carrying out the True Demon's will, executing their commands while manipulating the martial world's affairs, great and small, as he pleased.
No longer did he need to concern himself with factions or influence.
It was as if he had become a god—able to replace figures and factions at will, or even raise or erase extinct sects.
"You understand nothing."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently listening to Jong Baek's words, shook his head.
"Do you truly believe it possible for someone weaker than yourself to detect your presence?"
Jong Baek narrowed his eyes.
Even he had found it somewhat strange that Sanggwan So-hong had been waiting for him.
But when death approaches,
it is common for mysterious abilities to manifest or for one's senses to sharpen terrifyingly.
Sanggwan So-hong had mastered the Beast Path faster than anyone and possessed a talent for Sensory Martial Arts, so at the time, Jong Baek hadn't thought much of it.
"Does that even matter?"
Jong Baek's voice was icy.
"The fact that you will die remains unchanged."
Oooooong—
At the same time, Jong Baek's body began to darken.
Even the whites of his eyes turned black, and from his entire body, shadowy flames flickered like afterimages.
Whoooosh—
His form no longer resembled a human—instead, he looked like an incarnation of black fire.
Having become one of the Servants of the True Demon,
his latent potential had been unleashed, granting him the power of a supernatural ability.
Though Jong Baek now exuded a terrifying majesty,
"Was betraying your own pavilion worth gaining such a pitiful power?"
Bu Eun-seol, upon seeing this, only let out a deep sigh.
Supernatural abilities allow one to exert overwhelming force effortlessly, easily subduing opponents.
But this is not a power obtainable through training, nor can its underlying principles even be understood.
In other words, its very nature is incomplete—possessing attributes that make perfect control impossible.
"Save your nonsense for Yama Hall!"
Shwaaak—
In an instant, white smoke erupted from the spot where Bu Eun-seol had been standing.
It was a speed so swift that even extrasensory perception couldn't track it.
Pat!
But Bu Eun-seol had already leapt into the air, raining sword energy down upon Jong Baek, who moved like a ghost.
Thanks to his relentless clashes with powerful foes wielding supernatural abilities, he had instinctively sensed the activation of this power.
Pah-pah-pah-pah!
Around a hundred and eighty streaks of sword energy poured down like rain, sealing off Jong Baek's retreat.
As his movements grew elusive,
Bu Eun-seol adapted the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan manual into the Demonic Sword Arts and unleashed it.
Swoooosh—
Jong Baek flitted like a specter, evading the cascading sword energy.
Each time he moved, shadowy afterimages lingered in the air, suggesting
that this was no mere movement technique—it seemed infused with the Art of Spells.
Flash! Pah-pah-pah-pat!
Dozens of sword energies hovered suspended around Bu Eun-seol's body.
He had deployed the Caged Bird Longing for Clouds technique, sending the sword energy streaking after Jong Baek like homing arrows.
Swoooosh—
Yet Jong Baek evaded them effortlessly, unleashing a bizarre force of his own.
Shwaaak—
The moment it grazed Bu Eun-seol's body, white steam erupted, and all the energy circulating within him evaporated in chunks.
The power Jong Baek wielded could neither be sensed nor blocked—
it was erasing his opponent's strength outright.
'No wonder he scorns martial arts.'
It was said that Jong Baek once possessed the qualifications to become the next Pavilion Lord of Langya Pavilion.
Though he had abandoned the pavilion, forsaking the Martial Way for ambitions of ruling the world,
the fact remained that he was a master who had grasped the essence of Langya Pavilion's Practical Combat Martial Arts, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's strongest.
Now, with his latent potential unleashed,
he was displaying a power far beyond any supernatural ability wielder Bu Eun-seol had faced before—a profound and unfathomable force.
'Had he continued honing his martial skills, the history of the martial world might have changed.'
Even while wielding supernatural power, traces of an exalted martial realm could be glimpsed.
Moreover, despite employing this bizarre energy, his stance remained flawless.
'But—'
Bu Eun-seol swallowed a deep sigh.
Only now did he understand what Ak Mu-ryeong had meant to convey.
'He has never fought against the current martial world's strongest.'
Jong Baek had once possessed peerless talent, enough to inherit the position of Langya Pavilion's Pavilion Lord.
But now, he was neither more nor less than an enemy who harmonized supernatural power with martial prowess.
The current era's superlative martial experts had already transcended the boundaries of the Martial Extreme Realm.
And Bu Eun-seol, more than any other martial artist, was accustomed to facing supernatural abilities. Attacks like these posed no threat to him.
'Perhaps the Pavilion Lord intended for me to enlighten him.'
Had Ak Mu-ryeong intervened?
Jong Baek might have woken up in Yama Hall without even realizing what had happened.
But Bu Eun-seol, having fought countless battles against those wielding supernatural power,
could distinguish more clearly than anyone the boundary between martial arts and supernatural abilities—
making him the most suitable person to show Jong Baek the truth.
'In the end, the Pavilion Lord must have intended to pass his position to me.'
Cleansing the pavilion's legacy was the inherent right of the Pavilion Lord, and Jong Baek—having slain the previous Pavilion Lord—was a traitor.
Yet not only had he bestowed the Wolf Token upon him, but he had even commanded him to impart teachings to Jong Baek, a traitor...
"You are the Pavilion Lord now."
In declaring that he would soon formally establish him as the rightful leader of Langya Pavilion, his words carried an implicit decree—that from this moment onward, he was to steer the sect's legacy and its operations solely according to his own will and convictions.