Chapter 1017
However, Ak Mu-ryeong had also misjudged one thing.
Bu Eun-seol had already clashed with the Return-to-One Realm Lord in a life-or-death battle, matching his strength.
And with the aid of the Land of the Ultimate Void, he had reached a level where he could instantly defeat even a terrifying superlative martial expert like Myeong-myeol.
If he truly willed it, he could sever Jong Baek's arm within thirty moves.
'No, the Pavilion Lord couldn't possibly be unaware of my strength.'
The Pavilion Lord's eyes had widened sharply upon seeing him.
There was no way he wouldn't recognize the surge in Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess.
'He means to enlighten Jong Baek—and me as well.'
A sudden surge in martial prowess inevitably breeds arrogance.
Ak Mu-ryeong was a Great Demon who had walked the path of dominating the world, but alongside the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, he possessed terrifying wisdom and insight.
Undoubtedly, he had sensed not just Bu Eun-seol's increased martial prowess but also some flaw within it.
This battle was clearly meant to be an opportunity—to refine his spirit and mind once more while also uncovering that flaw.
'I must prolong this exchange as much as possible, until I grasp the thread of insight.'
Flash!
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol unleashed over a dozen sword strokes.
They were imbued not only with the forces of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang but also with each of the Three Divine Powers.
This was a completely new technique, one he had never attempted before.
To catch up to Jong Baek's ghostly movements, he had devised and executed a novel application of martial principles.
Whoosh.
Yet Jong Baek deflected the sword strokes as effortlessly as a specter,
Shiiiing!
and in an instant, obliterated entire clusters of the energies swirling around Bu Eun-seol's body.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Once more, Bu Eun-seol condensed multiple sword strokes into a single mass, slashing at Jong Baek's body or striking with sheer authority—
But even when the attacks landed, Jong Baek didn't so much as flinch.
His body was enveloped in a protective astral energy so destructive it could nullify and shatter all forces in this world—
Not just the power of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang, but even the Four Divine Powers meant nothing before it.
"You revere martial arts, don't you? No doubt you scorn these powers as mere sorcery."
An endlessly dark energy radiated from Jong Baek's eyes.
"But the truth is the opposite. These powers have existed since the dawn of time. Martial arts and great arts came far later."
The Baekri Clan and the True Demon had existed since the beginning, wielding mystical forces like spellcraft and ritual energy.
According to the True Demon's servants, even martial arts and the Art of Spells were their creations.
From their perspective, it must seem laughable—
That insignificant beings, who once could wield no power at all, now worship martial arts while dismissing spellcraft and supernatural power as heresy.
'Even if they did create martial arts...'
Bu Eun-seol could say with certainty—
Even if the True Demon or the Baekri Clan had devised martial arts, they could never perfect it.
Martial arts begins in imperfection and strives for perfection.
Only those who were once utterly powerless, ordinary people, could ever complete it.
Kwaaauu!
At that moment, a storm of grayish energy surged toward Bu Eun-seol.
At a glance, it resembled mist, but in truth, it was an attack that transcended time itself.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Within the gray currents, countless intangible blades of qi burst forth like living predators—
Front, back, left, right, above, below.
Some even erupted from within the gray energy itself.
An inescapable, unblockable force enveloped Bu Eun-seol like a tightly woven net.
Shhhhk—!
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's figure flickered into the air, splitting into dozens of afterimages.
He deployed Swift Shadowless, capable of shifting positions ninety-nine times in a single breath, evading the onslaught.
Kwaauuu! Whoosh! Thud!
As Bu Eun-seol landed, the surging energy vanished instantly, and even the gray mist gradually dissipated.
Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood stained the parched earth.
Despite executing Swift Shadowless, he hadn't escaped unscathed—his entire body was now covered in wounds, large and small.
"Hmph."
Jong Baek smirked, looking down at him with arrogance.
"You survived. That was truly difficult to evade."
Everywhere Bu Eun-seol bled was a vital acupoint, each wound densely clustered.
Jong Baek hadn't just unleashed his supernatural power indiscriminately—he had precisely targeted those points, carving into them ruthlessly.
Had Bu Eun-seol not executed Swift Shadowless to its Grand Perfection?
His body would have been riddled with hundreds of holes, leaving him dead on the spot.
"Shall we try again?"
Jong Baek leisurely extended his hand.
The same attack unfolded once more.
Kwaang! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Bu Eun-seol activated Swift Shadowless, now augmented with Thunder Essence Divine Qi, and dozens of afterimages flickered around him.
Thud.
When the energy finally dispersed, his body was even more drenched in blood than before.
Even with Thunder Essence Divine Qi enhancing his full-powered Swift Shadowless, he had failed to block even a single move from Jong Baek.
"Even if you unleashed Limitless Power, you couldn't evade it. Over five hundred attacks pour down in a single breath."
Bu Eun-seol's eyebrows shot up.
The Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan style, hailed as the swordsmanship of an immortal, displayed a mere three hundred and eighty variations.
Yet Jong Baek, who had unlocked his latent potential through Soul-Demon Magic Energy, could unleash over five hundred attacks in a single strike.
"Does it make you happy to break through your limits so easily?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy.
"Effortlessly executing techniques that should be impossible through martial arts alone."
"And is that not obsession as well?"
Jong Baek snorted.
"Is martial arts the only righteous path, while supernatural power is wrong? To the eyes of common folk who know no martial arts, even martial techniques would seem like supernatural abilities."
"I believe you know better than anyone that is not what I meant."
Bu Eun-seol planted the Ink Soul Sword firmly before him.
"Power you cannot control will only become your greatest weakness in the end."
Supernatural power was like handing a sharp blade to a child.
Because it could not be perfectly controlled, it could wound the wielder at any moment.
But martial arts were different.
It was not about being handed a sharp blade—it was about tempering oneself until one could wield it.
Through training the body and refining the spirit and mind, one grew stronger. The path was arduous and difficult, yes.
But through effort, the power gained could be mastered completely.
"Foolish."
Jong Baek shook his head as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
"In the martial world, the strong are always right. Was that not also the teaching of Langya Pavilion? That one must do whatever it takes to grow stronger."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
Truthfully, until now, he had been matching Jong Baek's level out of courtesy.
Defeating Jong Baek was trivial.
What he had yet to find was what he himself needed to realize.
But hearing Jong Baek's words, he was beginning to grasp faint traces of it.
'Now I understand why every member of our pavilion spoke those words.'
From Dan Cheong to Blood Vajra, Master Cheol, So-jeon, Baek Yeon...
The family of Langya Pavilion had ceaselessly imparted not just martial arts but also wisdom about the mindset one must cultivate.
—Do not misunderstand. Our pavilion's teachings are not about doing anything to grow stronger.
—What will you do with that strength?
They had asked how he would wield it.
—Pursue power, but do not be ruled by it. Cultivate the strength of mind to master it.
—Obsessing over mere strength is to forsake the very foundation of true power.
And before Ak Mu-ryeong departed the polar regions, he had said:
—Question yourself endlessly, and walk the path of righteousness.
Each lesson had become Bu Eun-seol's conviction, his purpose.
Though he had taken up martial arts for revenge, through Langya Pavilion's teachings...
Unknowingly, he had begun walking the true path of a martial artist.
"What have you trained to wield that supernatural power?"
Bu Eun-seol asked then.
"Have you studied where it comes from, the principles behind its function?"
And he pressed further.
"Have you ever attempted precise control or application? Have you strived to eliminate unpredictability—instances where the power fluctuates or fails to manifest due to emotional states or external factors?"
His gaze was stern.
"Do you know that before wielding it?"
Martial arts was a systematic discipline built upon millennia of accumulated experience and wisdom.
It began with fundamental physical training—
Internal Energy Methods, footwork, Lightness Art, leg techniques, finger techniques, Seizing and Grasping Technique...
Each field was mastered step by step, refining specialized skills.
Talent and a master's guidance were necessary, but through effort alone, through relentless dedication, one could grow stronger.
In other words, the process and outcome of martial arts were predictable, with limitless potential to surpass one's limits and reach higher realms.
Moreover, it was not merely about physical prowess—it included mastering one's inner qi through internal energy cultivation and strengthening the spirit.
A martial artist became unshakable in any situation by harmonizing a robust body with a clear, indomitable mind.
In this way, martial arts encompassed the principles of power, the laws of nature, and even philosophical contemplation of humanity and the world.
Supernatural power, in contrast, lacked all of this.
"Idiot. You don't even consider that my martial arts surpass yours as well."
Jong Baek scoffed. Even in unpredictable situations, martial arts allowed one to find the optimal move—and he wielded supernatural power based on wisdom and adaptability.
"'Surpass'... Is that what a disciple of Langya Pavilion should say?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice was cold.
"The so-called 'realms' of martial arts are merely convenient classifications. True martial artists do not settle—they ceaselessly train, polish themselves, and pursue greater heights."
Uncharacteristically, Bu Eun-seol spoke at length about martial arts.
The evolution of martial arts was not merely the pursuit of strength—it was a path of self-perfection, a journey of enlightenment as a human being.
Sometimes through training.
Sometimes—
Like now—
Through discourse with an opponent, one could reaffirm themselves and grow stronger.
'Truthfully, even I had not realized it until now.'
Through this exchange with Jong Baek, Bu Eun-seol was belatedly awakening.
Until now, he had been solely focused on learning and mastering martial arts—
He had overlooked the process of interpreting and embodying it in a way that suited his own temperament.
"So this brat... is using me as a mirror to reflect upon himself."
Only then did Jong Baek realize—Bu Eun-seol wasn't merely asking him questions.
He was speaking to engage in introspection about the Martial Way. The realization made Jong Baek marvel.
"Do you truly believe you have the right to discuss martial arts with me?"
"Lacking confidence?"
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"Or is it shame? The shame of having clung to something so desperately that you let go of the Martial Way's thread?"
Jong Baek had been ambitious. But before he could solidify his spirit and mind, he had learned the truth of the martial world far too quickly.
Because of that, he abandoned the path of the Martial Way and became obsessed with the power of supernatural abilities.
"Did you ever try to reshape the martial arts you painstakingly built, molding them to fit who you are? Did you ever forge an unbreakable resilience, one that wouldn't falter no matter the trial?"
"Save those words for after you've defeated me."
Jong Baek's eyes flashed, and this time, he unleashed an entirely different kind of power.
It wasn't a direct attack—it was the sheer pressure radiating from his body.
"With presence alone, one can kill."
The aura surging from him was overwhelming, as if it could uproot mountains and smother the world.
Whoooosh—
At the same time, the gray energy currents coiled around Bu Eun-seol once more.
But this was no mere medium for attack. It was a technique of the mindscape, a supernatural power that assaulted the spirit and mind directly.
"The moment you're ensnared by these currents, you won't feel the pain of the flesh first—your soul will be torn apart!"
Crack.
As if to prove his words, Bu Eun-seol's senses twisted under the currents.
His consciousness fragmented, and a crushing pressure bore down on his entire being, as if his very existence was being denied.
"Truly, you've done nothing but serve in another's household."
Yet, Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Is this all you've got?"
Having endured countless spiritual assaults and even reached a level where he could prevent even the collapse of a mindscape—
An attack of this caliber was barely enough to make him yawn.
'Even the Phantom Restoration of the Pavilion Lord was far more refined.'
The mindscape ability Jong Baek wielded was no different from what Bu Eun-seol had seen from the Eight Heavenly Servants before.
He had no idea just how brilliantly martial arts had evolved.
How the martial world's strongest had gritted their teeth and ascended to staggering heights.
'A discard.'
The True Demon had left behind countless bloodlines, with servants ranging from the Three Attendants to the Four Divine Heavens and the Eight Heavenly Servants.
Though they had once wielded power that transcended martial arts and looked down on the martial world—
By this era, they could no longer keep up with the dazzling evolution of martial arts and the rise of the superlative martial experts.
'He's deliberately letting his servants fall behind.'
According to the elder of the Sacred Realm, the True Demon took pleasure in watching his servants fight. Even when they died, he never sought revenge or mobilized them en masse.
'Even after the Secret Vault was raided.'
Even when the most meticulously hidden Secret Vault had been plundered, he had only sent Jong Baek alone in pursuit.
'They're nothing more than pawns on a pyramid.'
In other words, every incident had been neatly wrapped up.
And Jong Baek, as the one responsible for the Secret Vault, had been deliberately driven to the brink to be disposed of.
"Now, I'll show you just how pitiful the opponents you've faced so far truly were."
A ghostly light had already begun to shimmer in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Mind Mirror Reversal. Soul-Shaking Strike.
Before leaving, Ak Mu-ryeong had imparted a brief but profound martial formula to Bu Eun-seol.
It was none other than—
A fragment of the Phantom Restoration's mind-training formula, one he had never taught before.
When an enemy's spiritual attack struck—
It revealed the abyss hidden deep within one's heart, only to reflect it back and inflict even greater damage upon the foe.
A technique that inverted the mirror of the mind—
Returning the abyss's darkness to the enemy and shaking their very soul.
Kiiiiii—!
The moment Bu Eun-seol unleashed the formula, a ghastly shriek echoed in all directions.
It was a scream of agony, reverberating from the deepest recesses of his soul.
Huuuuuu—!
Before long, the shriek twisted into the mournful lament of the dead.
For an instant, Jong Baek felt as though he had locked eyes with a demon crouching in the dark.
Even though he had deployed the mindscape, even though he had unleashed the technique meant to shatter his enemy's spirit—
Instead, his own energy and internal power were being drained helplessly, as if the very source of his life was drying up in agony.
Having grasped a fragment of the Phantom Restoration's mysteries through Ak Mu-ryeong's teachings—
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed the abyssal darkness within his own heart like a razor-sharp blade upon Jong Baek.
"Guh—!"
Jong Baek let out an involuntary groan of pain.
A grandmaster like him would never utter a sound of suffering—not even if his arm were severed or he were thrown alive into flames.
But the torment he felt now was neither physical nor spiritual.
It was an unspeakable regret.
A terror beyond words.
"Even a hero who once commanded the world met a futile death in the end, becoming nothing more than a resentful ghost."
Jong Baek, assimilated into Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind, suddenly let out a sigh that resembled a sob.
Even Bu Jan-yang, who was practically the strongest under heaven,
had met an unfathomable death, his corpse never to be found.
What then of his own life, sustained only by borrowing the power of the True Demon's minions?
Wouldn't he, too, soon face a true master and perish without even putting up a proper fight?
Wouldn't he, after encountering someone who far surpassed his own strength, be left with nothing but incomprehensible terror—
only to end up a cold corpse, his life snuffed out without a trace?
"Ugh..."
Tremble, tremble.
Jong Baek clutched his head.
The supernatural power that had enveloped his body—the gray energy currents—slowly dissipated,
as if he had merely dreamed a futile dream.
Crack.
Finally, the mindscape shattered, and Jong Baek found himself facing Bu Eun-seol, who stood perfectly unharmed.
"To think someone who hasn't even properly tempered their spirit and mind dared to look down on the world."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Jong Baek lowered his head.
Only now did he recall the words his junior martial brother, Sanggwan So-hong, had always repeated to him:
—Isn't the power gained through tempering oneself to the extreme the only true strength?
Power not earned through one's own efforts is meaningless.
Jong Baek should have roamed the martial world, clashing with countless experts, honing himself through battle.
But instead, he had unlocked his latent potential through the Soul-Demon Magic Energy, wielding supernatural power to effortlessly dispose of strong opponents.
He had believed himself to have reached an unrivaled level of strength,
but in truth, he had only built a sandcastle that would crumble the moment a true master appeared.
"Had you tempered yourself and grown stronger through your own efforts, your spiritual fortitude would have naturally thickened. You would have attained an unshakable, immovable heart."
Bu Eun-seol's words made Jong Baek reflect on his past self.
—If I obtain the Soul-Demon Magic Energy, I'll never lose to any martial artist!
That had always been his mindset.
That he was something entirely different.
That because he possessed the Soul-Demon Magic Energy, he could never be defeated by martial artists.
But looking back, he realized he was no special existence.
He was merely one of countless martial artists—
one who had simply gotten his hands on a special power.
Behind the Soul-Demon Magic Energy, his essence was no different from any other martial artist.
"Fine. I admit it."
Jong Baek nodded.
"But I foresaw this. I knew that by obtaining the Soul-Demon Magic Energy and skipping the process of tempering... I might develop weaknesses."
Crack.
In an instant, his body began to darken.
"So I prepared a means to shatter all limitations and flaws."
Sssss—
The black True Qi flowing from Jong Baek's body grew even denser.
"Not the latent supernatural power, but the pure Soul-Demon Magic Energy—now, I can wield it freely."
At the same time, his hair lengthened, and his pupils darkened into pitch black.
"Haa..."
Black smoke curled from the corners of Jong Baek's lips as he exhaled.
If the Baekri Clan's appearance had once changed like a spirit blooming in the snow,
then now, as he transformed his body using the Soul-Demon Magic Energy,
he became something grotesque—long, ink-black hair, wreathed in dark flames.
Even a rotting corpse has its pride.
Compared to the current martial world's top experts, Jong Baek's martial skills and instincts were somewhat lacking.
But he had anticipated this.
By becoming the True Demon's subordinate and gaining formidable supernatural power,
he had prepared a way to instantly compensate for those shortcomings.
This is dangerous.
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Formless Heavenly Flow, sending out a relentless barrage of sword energy.
Exposed to such overwhelming force,
even if not directly struck, one's flesh would be stripped away, leaving nothing but bones.
But instead of blood, a thick, black, viscous liquid oozed from Jong Baek's wounds.
The liquid rose like smoke, grotesquely sealing his injuries.
Though he winced slightly in pain, it only seemed to fuel his rage and strength—his lips curling into a cruel smile.
Rumble, rumble—
The ground trembled as thick veins bulged from his skin.
Gurgle—
The veins pulsed like molten steel in a furnace, glowing crimson and writhing violently.
At the same time, his skin darkened into a scorched iron-red, thin wisps of smoke rising as a sinister heat enveloped the surroundings.
His eyes burned with golden flames, pupils narrowing into bestial slits—
radiating an eerie, oppressive aura just by existing.
Jong Baek's body was no longer living flesh.
It had become a vessel for the True Demon's will—a cursed monstrosity.
"DIE!"
Jong Baek thrust out his hand.
The air compressed and distorted, space itself seeming to warp under the force unleashed.
A power capable of shattering heaven and earth condensed in his palm, striking Bu Eun-seol at an unavoidable speed.
BOOM!
Dark sparks exploded in all directions, shaking the world.
Any ordinary martial artist would have been obliterated without a trace.
But then—
Crack, shatter!
A clear, crystalline sound rang out as something shattered into pieces.
Sssss—
Bu Eun-seol's entire body turned cold as ice, his skin beginning to bleach white as snow.
As the powerful, turbid Soul-Demon Magic Energy invaded his flesh,
his hair and skin transformed into pure, blinding white.