Chapter 1022
Thud. Thud.
At that moment, Yu Un-ryong stepped forward before Sindo Jang-cheong with a grave expression.
Twitch.
Sindo Jang-cheong's eyebrows shot up as he witnessed the sight.
He had realized that Yu Un-ryong had stepped forward to face him.
"So the former Ten Demonic Heir, now the Great Lord of the Demon Hall, intends to face this Palace Lord."
Sindo Jang-cheong's hands were unusually large and rough compared to his body.
Knuckles thickened with bone, tendons bulging unevenly.
His palm, calloused yellow like aged tree bark, was itself akin to a lethal weapon.
And though he stood there nonchalantly—
There was an unfathomable dread about him, as if he could unleash palm energy like lightning at any moment.
"Won't we know who's stronger only after crossing blades?"
Swiish.
Suddenly, Yu Un-ryong drew a dagger from his robes.
"Do as you please."
As Sindo Jang-cheong lazily extended his hand,
"Good."
Crunch.
Yu Un-ryong embedded the dagger into the artifact fastened to his wrist.
Drip, drip.
Then, the surrounding scenery melted away like black ink, completely altering the backdrop where Sindo Jang-cheong and Yu Un-ryong stood—
And the figures of Bu Eun-seol and the Heaven-Slaying Star, Eung-bi, vanished entirely.
Using the power of an artifact brought from the Divine Maiden Palace, he had unfolded a new Mind's Eye Mirror, creating a space akin to an Absolute Boundary.
Just as a tense atmosphere coiled around them, Yu Un-ryong drew the longsword at his waist and spoke in a low voice.
"Let's begin."
***
The moment Yu Un-ryong unfurled the Mind's Eye Mirror and disappeared into the darkness in an instant, Eung-bi's eyes flashed.
Whoosh!
And in that same instant, he dissolved into the darkness, taking the form of a single blade.
Whoosh!
Then, transcending time and space—
Thud.
His right hand plunged straight into Bu Eun-seol's heart in the blink of an eye.
An attack that could not be dodged or resisted—no matter the enemy's abilities, no matter their martial prowess. A strike that would always land.
This was the power only the Heaven-Slaying Star could unleash.
Eung-bi smiled with satisfaction.
Against a master like him, who had driven his hand in so deep, there was no room for miracles.
"......!"
But then, Eung-bi's eyebrows twitched.
The heart that should have been vividly pulsing beneath his fingertips—he couldn't feel it. There wasn't even the sensation of having pierced flesh.
Squelch.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol seized Eung-bi's wrist—the very hand that had impaled his heart—with his right hand.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
And with deliberate force, he began slowly pulling the arm out.
Eung-bi's expression changed instantly.
How could he overpower the Heaven-Slaying Star's brute strength—strength capable of lifting boulders with a single finger?
"How?"
The Heaven-Slaying Star's power was an absolute supernatural ability.
No matter how formidable one's martial arts or internal energy, it was impossible to resist.
So how could this man, with his heart impaled, lift his entire arm?
Squelch.
Finally, as Eung-bi's hand was fully extracted, a black void began to slowly reveal itself near Bu Eun-seol's heart.
What Eung-bi had pierced was not his heart—but the black void he had prepared there.
"Having fun?"
At that moment, black mist seeped from Bu Eun-seol's pupils, and a faint, sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Who are you?"
Eung-bi found himself asking the question without thinking.
Instinctively, he sensed that the being before him was not the Martial Soul Lord—but someone entirely different.
"Who am I?"
Bu Eun-seol replied in an utterly playful tone.
"Someone who crawled out of the Abyss just to kill you."
"What?"
Reflected in Eung-bi's widened eyes was the image of Bu Eun-seol—smiling brighter than ever.
***
—It would take at least three days to reach him.
—I will enter seclusion for those three days.
The day he handed Yu Un-ryong the dossier containing the strategy to unravel the Extinction Palace's conspiracy—
Bu Eun-seol entered seclusion.
Inside the dimly lit chamber, where faint lanterns struggled to push back the darkness, stood a massive mirror reflecting his entire body.
"The Heavenly Mechanism Star believes he can preside over all affairs under heaven without ever revealing himself."
Bu Eun-seol, hands clasped behind his back, sank deep into thought as he entered the chamber.
Through the Secret Vault of the White Sword Sect—
He had realized that many of Murim's strongest had been replaced by the Servants of the True Demon.
Thus, from the moment the Extinction Palace officially declared its secession from the Demon Hall and openly made excuses—
He had guessed that it was all part of a scheme targeting him.
"And why wouldn't it be?"
Even if he was the heir of the Demon Hall, inheriting the legacy of Langya Pavilion, and commanded numerous factions and intelligence networks—
So far, he had clashed with the Three Realms and the Three Clans.
And with the Baekri Clan and the Servants of the True Demon as well.
In short, he had collided with every force lurking beneath the heavens, and it would be no exaggeration to say he now stood at the very top of their kill lists.
"Even if the Return-to-One Realm Lord had shielded me until now..."
In the past, the Return-to-One Realm Lord had used the power of his realm to erase Bu Eun-seol's traces, acting as if he were protecting him from external forces.
Moreover, regardless of anything else, the title of Martial Soul Lord marked him as the young grandmaster who would represent the next generation of the demonic martial world.
Considering his achievements and martial feats up to this point? Taking into account his renowned intellect and the subordinates under his command...
The probability was far from negligible that any assassination attempt could backfire, leading to a counterattack that might collapse their entire Grand Design.
In other words, no matter how powerful a faction might be, assassinating the Heir of the Demon Hall carried immense risk.
And even if the assassination succeeded—
The backlash from the countless factions supporting him could leave behind consequences beyond their ability to endure.
Which was why the best method would be...
"As always—replacing the fake with the real."
If they secretly replaced the figure known as the Martial Soul Lord?
Not only would they avoid provoking resistance from his supporters...
They could freely manipulate the position of the Martial Soul Lord—the heir of the Demon Hall—to suit their own purposes.
"In that case, they'd need to trap me in a place I could never escape from, somewhere completely cut off from the eyes of intelligence networks."
Unless they executed this plan first—
Even if they could kill him easily, they wouldn't be able to deceive the eyes of the Death Soul Squad, a formidable intelligence organization.
But forcing someone like him into a perfect death was no simple task.
"That's why they mobilized the Extinction Palace—a massive decoy—to corner me in a place with no escape..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
"And lured me into a location where no intelligence network, no matter how capable, could detect the internal situation."
He took a deep breath and muttered under his breath.
"Which means they must have prepared someone capable of killing me without fail."
No matter how high the Extinction Palace Lord's martial prowess might be—reaching even the Martial Extreme Realm—they would know for certain that he couldn't secure an absolute victory over Bu Eun-seol.
Moreover, once one reached the Supreme Origin Realm, numerical superiority in forces became meaningless.
Rather than preparing an overwhelming army—
They must have secured a master capable of guaranteeing his death.
"A supernatural power that transcends martial arts."
Bu Eun-seol was the acknowledged successor of Ak Mu-ryeong, who had been called mad for his devotion to martial arts.
In other words, unless they brought forth one of the Twin Heaven Emperors or the Three Demons and Three Venerables, defeating him through martial arts alone would be no easy feat.
Which meant the simplest method would be to bring in a master wielding a supernatural power that martial arts couldn't oppose.
"Then I, too, will need the power of the supernatural."
Fortunately, he wouldn't have to search far for that power.
Deep within the abyss of his own mind dwelled the persona of Baekri Geom-ha—a being who wielded an overwhelming supernatural force.
"I only need to unleash it once."
In a battle between masters, a single moment of advantage was all it took.
The power of Baekri Geom-ha—
It wasn't merely physical strength but something closer to an indefinable, ambiguous concept.
With that power, he could surely destroy even the supernatural.
"A harmony-like essence that annihilates all things."
The reason Baekri Geom-ha had been able to utterly crush the Martial God Heaven Lord—who wielded the power of Domination over space—
Was because his strength could destroy not just physical objects, but even intangible, indefinable concepts.
For example—destroying the very concept of defense, rendering all attacks unstoppable.
Or annihilating the concept of speed, sealing away movement entirely.
Or even nullifying the very concepts that humans could perceive and feel.
"But to unleash that power—"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
"I'll need a moment of absolute crisis—a life-or-death situation."
Back then, the Martial God Heaven Lord had unleashed an overwhelming, insurmountable force, driving Bu Eun-seol to the brink of death.
Only in that final, desperate moment—
Did the persona of Baekri Geom-ha forcibly emerge to confront him.
"He won't want me to die either."
Though they were conflicting personas inhabiting the same body—
In truth, they were bound by a shared fate.
Which meant negotiation was possible.
If he lost this battle—
Not only would Bu Eun-seol himself perish, but the persona of Baekri Geom-ha within him would also vanish.
"But this... carries far too much risk."
Baekri Geom-ha's persona was impossible to read—ruthless and self-serving.
If he began negotiations, it might only be the beginning.
And above all else—if he ventured into the abyss, he might lose control of his body entirely.
"No—he will take it from me. Without question."
The abyss was his domain.
No matter what method he used, resisting Baekri Geom-ha would be impossible—his body would inevitably be seized.
After a long period of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol suddenly—
The image of Ak Mu-ryeong, the Human Demon, flashed through his mind—the man who walked the earth as a calamity incarnate, reigning supreme over the martial world.
'Mind Mirror Reversal. Soul-Shaking Strike.'
It was one of the teachings of Phantom Restoration he had received.
A method that inverted the mirror of the mind to shake an opponent's spirit and collapse their very soul.
'It wasn't just for the fight against Jong Baek...'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes sharpened as he pondered deeper.
Ak Mu-ryeong had known—not just the state of his body, but the condition of his spirit and mind as well.
"Invert the mirror of the mind."
If he used this teaching, he wouldn't even need to descend into the Abyss.
Not only could he summon Baekri Geom-ha's personality into reality... but he could also devour that persona whole.
Phantom Restoration.
It was the pinnacle of the World Demonic Art—a technique that distorted reality and uprooted the human spirit and mind from its very foundation.
And to master it...
Meant inheriting the totality of Ak Mu-ryeong's understanding of the universe, his perspective on life, and the culmination of the Mind Seizing Secret Art that governed the spirit.
That was why Ak Mu-ryeong had never fully taught it to him.
Because the moment he learned it, Bu Eun-seol would become a second Human Demon.
And so, after much deliberation, Ak Mu-ryeong had extracted only the necessary teachings and passed them down to him.
'Pavilion Lord...'
As the image of Ak Mu-ryeong surfaced in his mind, warmth spread through Bu Eun-seol's chest.
The martial world called him a symbol of slaughter and bloodshed—a Great Demon whose name alone could silence a crying infant, a monster who shook the heavens.
But behind the mask of the Human Demon...
Lay a man whose cold gaze concealed warmth, more human than anyone.
"Let's begin."
Thanks to the teachings Ak Mu-ryeong had imparted,
Bu Eun-seol had realized a way to summon Baekri Geom-ha's personality without entering the Abyss.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind to an extreme degree.
'I am Baekri Geom-ha.'
His speech, his mannerisms, his state of consciousness—
The sensation and flow of qi when he had unleashed Baekri Geom-ha's explosive power—
He began synchronizing his own consciousness with the personality of Baekri Geom-ha, still slumbering in the Abyss.
"Ghk—!"
After a prolonged period of concentration, Bu Eun-seol spat out a mouthful of blood.
No matter how deeply connected they were, no matter that they shared the same body—
Summoning that consciousness into reality was anything but easy.
Leaving his own personality intact while simultaneously calling forth another—
It was harder than splitting a single body into two.
'I must acknowledge his existence now.'
Unless he fully accepted Baekri Geom-ha as a part of himself, he could never summon that personality into reality.
By the time a day or two had passed,
Bu Eun-seol ceased his synchronization and turned his gaze to the mirror.
Drip—
Suddenly, the mirror melted away, revealing an endless, pitch-black void.
Staring into its depths for a long while,
He saw a dark shadow curled up at the very bottom.
It was Baekri Geom-ha.
He was fast asleep.
'Father told me... Unlike the other descendants of the Baekri Clan, I wasn't born with two personalities.'
Which meant there had to be a reason they had split.
Even if he couldn't remember now,
He would have to uncover why Baekri Geom-ha and his own personality had divided.
Shhh—
Bu Eun-seol slowly spread his arms.
And through Phantom Restoration, he carefully attempted to erase the slumbering personality of Baekri Geom-ha.
With this technique, even if imperfectly, he could destroy that persona and draw fragments of its power into himself.
"......"
But hesitation surged within him.
Baekri Geom-ha, taking the form of a sleeping boy, didn't look evil or cruel.
If anything, he was beautiful—overflowing with vitality.
'Was he... also a part of me?'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize.
Though they seemed split in two, he was also another version of himself.
He could never turn away from that persona.
'He isn't an enemy to be destroyed.'
Baekri Geom-ha wasn't some foe trying to steal his body. He was another self, separated for some unknown reason.
'I'll give up.'
In the end, Bu Eun-seol resolved to abandon his pursuit of that power.
'For now... just sleep.'
Gazing at the slumbering Baekri Geom-ha, he murmured softly.
'I will find out... why this happened.'
Just as he took a deep breath and prepared to turn his gaze away from the mirror—
[You weakling.]
From within the black void, the sleeping Baekri Geom-ha muttered in a low voice.
And then—
Slowly, his long, large eyes opened.
It turned out he had been pretending to sleep all along.
[If you spot a chance to kill your enemy, you must sever their lifeline. To abandon it due to shallow pity...]
Slowly rising, Baekri Geom-ha stared intently at Bu Eun-seol beyond the mirror.
[This is what happens when you're reduced to such a state.]
"......"
[Can't be helped.]
He stretched and shook his head.
[Fine, I'll help you.]
His eyes now open, Baekri Geom-ha gazed at Bu Eun-seol with a look of utter disdain.
[If you die, I die too.]
"You heard everything?"
[How could I not?]
Baekri Geom-ha replied irritably.
[You kept muttering to yourself like a rain-soaked bald monk.]
Bu Eun-seol gave a bitter smile.
To resolve the matter with the Extinction Palace, he had been pouring all his mental power into devising a plan.
Likely, those concentrated thoughts had been shared with Baekri Geom-ha in the abyss.
[It was a good choice, though.]
Baekri Geom-ha smirked confidently.
[You just misinterpreted the scripture.]
"What?"
[Mind Mirror Reversal. Soul-Shaking Strike.]
The corner of his lips curled up.
[Using the mirror of the mind in reverse, shaking the enemy's spirit, collapsing their soul... Who's in the advantageous position now?]
"The mirror of the mind."
Bu Eun-seol finally understood.
The one dwelling in the abyss of the spirit was Baekri Geom-ha.
Meaning, if Bu Eun-seol had tried to consume him—
He could have instead shaken his mind, shattered his soul, and stolen his body.
Ak Mu-ryeong had left a warning: attempting a clumsy erasure might backfire, allowing this dual personality to seize his body.
No doubt Bu Eun-seol would have tried to summon that personality into reality without entering the abyss.
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol nodded in acknowledgment.
"But in the end, I would have won."
[Heh heh heh.]
Baekri Geom-ha bared his white teeth in laughter.
[That baseless confidence of yours is the one thing I like.]
After a brief silence, he spoke again.
[Fine, I'll teach you the scripture.]
Suddenly, a mantra of about a thousand characters surfaced in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
It was a fragment of the secret to governing personalities—
One his father, Baek-ri Mu-ha, had imparted to him back in Saha Manor.
Following this method, their personalities could temporarily merge.
[When you call my name, we'll attempt unification.]
Surprisingly, Baekri Geom-ha accepted the proposal without hesitation.
"Unexpected."
Bu Eun-seol remarked.
"I thought you'd impose conditions."
[You're the smarter one anyway.]
He knew all too well that deceit or schemes to steal the body would be futile—
Bu Eun-seol was exceedingly cautious and possessed superior intellect.
[If you die, I die too.]
"Fine."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Let's do it."
[But remember this.]
Baekri Geom-ha bared his fangs in a wicked grin.
[Temporary merging is your idea... but there's no guarantee we'll ever return to how we were.]
"Don't worry about that."
Bu Eun-seol mirrored his smile, revealing white teeth.
"When the time comes, we will separate."
The corners of Bu Eun-seol's lips curled coldly as he finished recalling.
Before Eung-bi's hand pierced his heart, he had unified his personality with Baekri Geom-ha—
Nullifying the Heaven-Slaying Star's supernatural power in the process.
Hiiii—
His body emitted white steam like boiling water.
With their personalities now intertwined, his spirit grew turbid, and the power within his body began to seethe uncontrollably.
If this continued... he might cease to be either Bu Eun-seol or Baekri Geom-ha.
"Where are you looking?"
Thud.
Eung-bi drove another knife-hand strike into Bu Eun-seol's lower abdomen.
Not missing the chance as his vision blurred and strange steam rose from his body.
"Oh? You had supernatural power too?"
Eung-bi's pupils turned violet, his skin whitening like powdered chalk.
"Perfect. I'll erase it all."
The Heavenly Mechanism Star hadn't summoned the Heaven-Slaying Star as mere fodder to kill Bu Eun-seol.
The Heaven-Slaying Star, wielding the full power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars, possessed another authority—
The ability to drag all supernatural power into the abyss and corrode it into oblivion.
Annihilation Shadow Incineration.
Whoooosh—
As Eung-bi activated Annihilation Shadow Incineration—
White mist erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body, and Baekri Geom-ha's power flowing within him vanished instantly.
"......!"
But something was wrong.
Eung-bi had clearly landed the strike—
Yet he was the one staring wide-eyed at his own abdomen, as if a dagger had been plunged into it.
"You—!"
Eung-bi bit his lip and shouted.
"What the hell did you do?"
His eyes trembled faintly.
The moment Annihilation Shadow Incineration erased the supernatural power within Bu Eun-seol's body—
Every ounce of the Heaven-Slaying Star's power within him had been completely extinguished.