Chapter 1030
Step. Step.
As Bu Eun-seol entered the deepest recesses of the Inner Court, a massive pavilion came into view.
This place was originally the Demon Sword Pavilion, where the Sect Leaders of the Fire Rain Sword Sect resided.
However, for a long time now, the Fire Rain Sword Sect Leader had not entered there, and instead, the Deputy Sect Leader, Wi Ji-hye-sang, had been staying within.
Creeeak.
As Bu Eun-seol approached, the pavilion doors opened as if they had been waiting for him.
A man with glossy, long hair neatly brushed down emerged, smiling faintly as he walked forward slowly.
His slender, elongated frame exuded an elegant aura, like an orchid in an ink painting.
His sharply defined jawline, high nose bridge, and pale, almost bloodless skin gave an impression of cold indifference at first glance.
Yet lingering at the corners of his lips was a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
This was none other than the Deputy Sect Leader of the Fire Rain Sword Sect—Wi Ji-hye-sang.
"It's been a while."
Originally, Wi Ji-hye-sang's voice had been delicate, almost feminine, and his gaze soft.
But now, his voice was impossibly deep and low.
His dark, profound pupils shone with an intensity like that of a beast—piercing and fierce.
Meeting his eyes felt impossible to evade, as if they were both mesmerizing and chilling enough to pierce straight through one's heart.
"I'm not sure what to call you."
Bu Eun-seol had already sensed it.
The one standing before him was not the Wi Ji-hye-sang he had known until now.
Within that slender frame, like that of a woman, lurked something akin to a lesser dragon—a serpentine creature that had lived and breathed through the storms of the human world for countless years.
What radiated from his body was not the aura of a martial artist.
It was the oppressive presence of an ancient, unknown being that had coiled in the deepest abyss since time immemorial, now awakened after a thousand years.
"Should I call you Deputy Sect Leader?"
"Deputy Sect Leader? Don't be absurd."
Wi Ji-hye-sang waved his hand dismissively.
"This boy was never fit to be a Sect Leader from the start."
He spoke of himself as though he were someone else entirely.
To Bu Eun-seol, this didn't feel strange at all.
After all, he too had a completely separate new personality residing within his own mind.
"Still, I had high hopes for that Mu-a brat. He was the greatest genius our sect had ever seen in its history."
Wi Ji-hye-sang clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"But his temperament was too gentle—that was the problem."
Though his tone was friendly, his pupils had darkened entirely.
Twitch.
Bu Eun-seol's fingers kept itching.
Every time Wi Ji-hye-sang spoke, he felt the urge to draw the Ink Soul Sword and strike with all his might.
"Once he learned the sect's secrets, he fell into despair and began living like a hermit, like some reclusive Taoist."
'He calls Sect Leader Wi Ji by the name Mu-a...'
Listening to Wi Ji-hye-sang's words, Bu Eun-seol found the final piece that could unravel all the mysteries he had encountered so far.
"You are Wi Ji-hon. The former Sect Leader from two generations ago."
This man was not only known for forging the most unique Fire Rain Sword in the sect's history but also for his exceptionally cruel nature.
Once, he had personally hunted down and slaughtered over a hundred members of the orthodox sects who had spoken ill of him or regarded him with disdain.
"How fascinating."
When Bu Eun-seol immediately discerned his true identity, Wi Ji-hye-sang stroked his chin as if impressed.
"So my identity has already been uncovered?"
"Anyone with eyes could see it."
"You've always had an interesting way with words."
Wi Ji-hye-sang—no, Wi Ji-hon—flashed his eyes and spoke.
"Tell me. Why do you think I am Wi Ji-hon?"
"Even the most foolish father knows his own child well."
Bu Eun-seol replied flatly.
"But a grandfather might not know what kind of person his grandson truly is."
"You think I didn't know him?"
"If you did, would you have orchestrated such a foolish scheme?"
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue.
"Sect Leader Wi Ji was not in despair."
"......."
"He knew what would happen if you remained."
He spoke decisively.
"If a lingering ghost who cannot die continues to control the sect, the end can only be ruin."
"Hahahaha!"
Wi Ji-hon burst into bright laughter.
Yet, with just that laughter,
his delicate features seemed to tear apart, revealing the fangs of a wicked demon lurking beneath.
"You have quite the talent for insults."
Wi Ji-hon.
The former Sect Leader of the Fire Rain Sword Sect from two generations ago had taken root within Wi Ji-hye-sang's body as a separate personality.
Had Bu Eun-seol not witnessed the Azure River Realm Great Art before, he would never have believed such an absurd truth.
"Creating an entirely separate personality and living within another's body for centuries—that shouldn't be possible."
Bu Eun-seol asked.
"I don't understand how you could seize the bodies of your descendants."
"Then tell me—what exactly is a soul?"
Wi Ji-hon curled the corner of his lips.
"If someone possessed the same memories, habits, and temperament as you... what would you call that person?"
"So it is the Azure River Realm's Great Art?"
Within the Azure River Realm, there existed a bizarre Great Art that fused the personalities of two living individuals into one.
It required one person to select another as their target—
For a period as short as a year, or as long as over ten years—
Observing, shadowing, and mimicking every aspect of their being.
Until finally, not just their habits and temperament,
But even their very way of thinking was perfectly replicated and made their own.
Then, through a special Art of Spells, they would take the target's life and absorb their entire personality.
Yet a question remained.
How could Wi Ji-hye-sang, now in his twenties,
Have stayed by Wi Ji-hon's side long enough to absorb everything from him, when the latter had died long ago?
"Were you hiding your body somewhere, prolonging your life like the Buddhist Venerable?"
"Hmm."
Wi Ji-hon's crimson eyes flashed.
"Perhaps it's different from the Azure River Realm's Great Art you speak of. That method is far too inefficient."
"Then what is it?"
"Hmm. It's something beyond the grasp of a mind like yours. Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand."
With a sneer, Wi Ji-hon glanced around the empty surroundings, shifting the topic.
"Sending just our sect's ten great swordsmen would have settled this in an instant..."
He seemed reluctant to kill Bu Eun-seol too quickly, deliberately drawing out their conversation.
"That brat Wi Ji-mua forced the entire sect's disciples to withdraw, insisting we settle this one-on-one."
Upon receiving intelligence that Bu Eun-seol was invading alone,
Wi Ji-mua had relocated all the sect's disciples elsewhere, ordering Wi Ji-hon to face him alone.
"Why should you obey the sect leader's words? You could just seize control of the sect as you are now."
"This time, he was unusually firm."
Wi Ji-hon licked his lips.
"He said if I dragged this into a power struggle instead of settling it between the two of us, he would expose all the clan's secrets to the Martial World before killing himself."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's chest burned.
Wi Ji-mua had never intended to fight.
Instead, he had staked his own life—
To ensure Bu Eun-seol and Wi Ji-hon would face each other alone.
"He claimed this was the only way to protect the Fire Rain Sword Sect."
Wi Ji-mua had understood Bu Eun-seol all too perfectly.
Had Wi Ji-hon refused the one-on-one duel?
Bu Eun-seol had indeed prepared to slaughter every last disciple of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
"The sect leader saw right through me."
"You think you can destroy our sect, when even the full might of the Demon Hall couldn't break us?"
Wi Ji-hon snorted.
"A nobody from Langya Pavilion?"
"Why..."
The moment Langya Pavilion's name left his lips, a bloody light ignited in Bu Eun-seol's eyes—calm until now.
"Do you think I can't?"
So far, Bu Eun-seol had accomplished everything deemed impossible.
"Heh heh heh heh."
Wi Ji-hon's lips curled as he burst into mad laughter.
He might not succeed—
But he realized this boy truly intended to shatter the foremost sect of the demonic path.
"HAHAHA!"
With each echoing laugh, the scenery twisted, the sky darkening as if a black sun burned above.
His laughter alone unleashed a powerful wave beyond the principles of martial arts.
"True, you've always done the unthinkable."
Tap.
Wi Ji-hon's laughter ceased, his expression resigned.
"Wi Ji-mua... Since it was his final request, I had no choice but to oblige."
"Don't pretend to care for the sect leader now."
Bu Eun-seol sneered.
"You only agreed because you knew this was the only way to silence me."
His first plan to dismantle the Fire Rain Sword Sect had been exposing the identity of its shadow ruler.
Had Wi Ji-mua not faced him alone?
Bu Eun-seol would have broadcast the sect's secrets to the entire Martial World, dragging its reputation into the abyss before striking.
"Correct."
Wi Ji-hon admitted.
"The clan's secrets must remain hidden."
When Bu Eun-seol first uncovered that the Fire Rain Sword Sect had colluded with external forces,
It made no sense to him.
The Fire Rain Sword Sect was the foremost demonic sect—
And in this era, it had produced Wi Ji-mua, a peerless swordsman.
Even if Wi Ji-hye-sang was an idiot compared to Wi Ji-mua, why would they taint the sect's legitimacy by allying with outsiders?
But he realized too late.
Wi Ji-hon hadn't acted out of greed—
This was simply how the Wi Clan had maintained its three-hundred-year history.
They had been colluding with external forces for a long time.
"Did the Fire Rain Sword Sect absolutely have to remain the foremost among the Demonic Path Ten Gates?"
"You wouldn't understand the reason we had to seize control of the Fire Rain Sword Sect no matter what."
Wi Ji-hon clicked his tongue before continuing.
"Not every generation can produce a once-in-a-millennium prodigy... We had no choice."
Bu Eun-seol let out a sigh.
This old monster's personality—
He had always wished not only for the Fire Rain Sword Sect to stand tall in the Demonic Path Murim but also for it to produce a Sect Leader worthy of that position.
"Is this all the True Demon's bloodline amounts to?"
For an instant, the faint smile that had lingered on Wi Ji-hon's face stiffened slightly.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's obvious."
Bu Eun-seol spoke flatly.
"You appeared twice at the Infinite Realm's stronghold using a Fake Body, yet you were never truly one of them."
"......."
"Moreover, if your goal was simply to overthrow the Jeok Clan and revive the Fire Rain Sword Sect by any means necessary, there would have been no need to form ties with every conceivable faction."
Bu Eun-seol inhaled deeply before sighing again.
"In the end, wasn't the Wi Clan itself a force created by the True Demon's bloodline to infiltrate and consume the Fire Rain Sword Sect?"
In truth, he had sensed this ever since seeing the White Sword Sect's Secret Vault.
If one sought to replace the leadership of every major faction in the martial world—
No matter how much time it took, no matter what sacrifices had to be made... there was one place they absolutely had to secure.
The Fire Rain Sword Sect, hailed as the foremost among the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
Among individual sects, they wielded the most overwhelming influence in the martial world, and their martial prowess rivaled that of entire alliances.
Without controlling this sect, replacing the leadership of others would be meaningless.
"The True Demon's bloodline, you say."
Wi Ji-hon shrugged his shoulders.
"Then could they have formed a cooperative relationship with the Infinite Realm? The Three Realms are the True Demon's enemies."
"Do you still think I'm some greenhorn who'll fall for your guessing games?"
Bu Eun-seol snorted.
"The Three Realms betrayed their cause long ago—their inner circle is fractured, clashing and feuding. Half of them have already defected to the Same Heart Society."
"Oh-ho."
"In the end, whether it's the Baekri Clan, the True Demon, the Three Realms, the Sacred Realm, or the Same Heart Society... they're all tearing each other apart from within. So it doesn't matter whose hand you take."
As he continued, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Moreover, Heavenly Mechanism Star used the backing of the Three Attendants to extend his reach into every sect and maintain cooperative ties. You people likewise exploited him to draw in countless external forces for your own use."
"......."
"Did you really think I wouldn't realize that the Fire Rain Sword Sect and the Abyssal Forces are tangled together like a ball of thread?"
This time, Wi Ji-hon's expression finally showed surprise.
Had Bu Eun-seol truly grasped even that much?
"Impressive."
Wi Ji-hon raised his thumb.
"At your age, there hasn't been a single person who could peer so clearly into the abyss of the martial world."
He clicked his tongue.
"But there's something you don't know."
"The forces behind the Demonic Path Ten Gates?"
"You even know about that?"
Wi Ji-hon exhaled in astonishment.
So this brat knew everything.
No—in fact, that was precisely why he had dared to strike the Fire Rain Sword Sect alone.
"If you people truly are the True Demon's bloodline—"
Bu Eun-seol pressed.
"Shouldn't you dominate those lurking behind the scenes as well?"
"Heh-heh-heh. It seems you still haven't grasped the most crucial point."
"What do you mean?"
Wi Ji-hon deliberately evaded the question, taunting him.
"Heh-heh-heh. Who knows?"
But how could he have known?
Bu Eun-seol would soon uncover the entire truth—rendering this mockery utterly meaningless.
"However, the term 'True Demon's bloodline' is something you should reconsider."
Wi Ji-hon finally spoke again.
"The word 'bloodline' itself holds no meaning."
For the True Demon, who is reborn at random with only the memories of reincarnation—
A bloodline is nothing more than puppets who obey his commands.
"Enough talk. Let's begin."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Wi Ji-hon shook his head as if disappointed.
"Are you truly in such a hurry to die?"
"Don't feign leisure."
"Feign leisure?"
Bu Eun-seol's crimson-flaring eyes locked onto Wi Ji-hon's.
"If not that, then why have you been wearing an expression like something's gone wrong this whole time?"
In that instant, the smile vanished from Wi Ji-hon's face.
For the first time in his life, he felt something eerie and ominous.
Wi Ji-mua had denied his own lineage long ago, relinquishing everything to live a carefree life.
Yet despite wandering nature as his sole companion, his martial arts had inexplicably advanced by leaps and bounds—
Until he reached a level that could no longer be ignored.
From that moment, unease had taken root in Wi Ji-hon's heart.
"Perhaps even the current era's superlative martial experts..."
"Are they, like Wi Ji-mua, repeatedly making leaps that transcend human limitations?"
"And now, as I converse with this boy Bu Eun-seol..."
"That insolent whelp might have already ascended to their ranks." Such ominous premonitions began creeping into his mind.
"Perhaps Mu-a made the correct choice after all."
For the first time, he uttered words acknowledging Wi Ji-mua.
"Enough pointless chatter."
Wi Ji-hon drew the sword from his waist.
"Since I've reached a realm where I cannot possibly lose."
Bu Eun-seol faintly nodded upon seeing Wi Ji-hon's sword-drawing stance.
"Then try striking this old man down."
Even if Wi Ji-hon wasn't the true Wi Ji-hon, but merely a remnant imprinted with the personality of his former self...
The fact that a grandmaster's personality, having reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, had endured for a hundred and fifty years...
From such a Wi Ji-hon's perspective, Bu Eun-seol must appear like nothing more than an insect's desperate thrashing.
"Correct."
Bu Eun-seol readily conceded.
"I still cannot defeat you."
"Knowing that makes this duel rather dull."
"Don't misunderstand. I said I cannot win—not that I would lose."
"Do you still have leisure for wordplay?"
"So you fail to grasp the distinction between being unable to win and not being defeated."
For a moment, a serene smile lingered at the corners of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"What wasted centuries you've lived."
KWA-WOOOONG.
Suddenly, an enormous sword materialized above Wi Ji-hon's head.
It soared into the heavens, piercing through the distant skies to their very limits.
How could human power create a sword capable of piercing through the heavens themselves?
"Deflect this blade first before spouting such insolence."
The moment Bu Eun-seol saw the hovering sword...
His body began staggering against his will.
Like a drunken man losing balance, even as his form seemed split in two...
His limbs moved disjointedly, straining to hold together what threatened to separate.
Mind's Eye Severing Shadow Sword.
The ultimate mental sword technique—one requiring decades of enlightenment even after mastering the Fire Rain Sword to the Great Origin realm.
Only Founder Jeok Hwa-un was said to have fully manifested this sword form.
Yet now, this absolute sword was being unleashed again from Wi Ji-hon's hand.
JJJREOK.
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol's skin began splitting in multiple places.
Before the sword stroke had even fully manifested, its mere pressure sliced his flesh as though razor-edged blades were flaying him.
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK. TSU-TSU-TSU-CHUT!
His very body contorted unnaturally.
As if invisible colossal hands were twisting his form apart.
BANG!
An explosive sound erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body. Channeling ten sixty-year cycle's worth of internal power, he executed Swift Shadowless.
KWA-WOONG!
Escaping the Mind's Eye Sword's range in an instant...
PAT!
...he pivoted midair and charged back at Wi Ji-hon, unfolding his sword techniques.
"Oh?"
Wi Ji-hon, seeing Bu Eun-seol's bold assault...
"Come."
...dropped both arms welcomingly, as if pleased.
SWISH!
Just as Bu Eun-seol—now a crimson blur—aimed for Wi Ji-hon's neck...
KWA-WOOOONG!
Transparent energy currents erupted.
Bu Eun-seol, like an ant facing a typhoon, began being relentlessly pushed back.
KWA-RUNG!
Thunderous sounds emanated from his body.
He was channeling power surpassing even six hundred years’ worth of internal energy to break through the onslaught.
WOOOONG!
In response, Wi Ji-hon's transparent currents intensified further...
WHIIIIIR.
...until the outstretched Ink Soul Sword began bending like taffy.
Fortunately, the mysterious metal's elasticity prevented it from snapping.
And this was before Wi Ji-hon had even fully manifested the Mind's Eye technique?
"Endure all you want—it changes nothing."
FLASH!
Blinding radiance exploded outward as if enveloping the world.
This ultimate light—transcending time and space, sublimating pure will into sword studies—
Was severing not just flesh, but the deepest recesses of spirit and mind.
PWAAAAA!
Sword energy sharper than any divine weapon spread as pure light.
Bu Eun-seol's face began contorting as if crushed within a shrinking space.
"As expected—finished."
Wi Ji-hon smiled at the sight.
The distortion of Bu Eun-seol's face meant—
Having failed to completely block the Mind's Eye Sword, its power had pierced through his spirit and was now ravaging his physical form.
"Hmm."
Wi Ji-hon snorted languidly and turned...
PSSHHT!
A razor-sharp sword energy grazed past him by a hair's breadth.
Feeling the icy touch on his cheek, he reflexively raised a finger.
TOK.
A single vivid blood droplet trembled precariously on his fingertip.
Turning slowly with disbelief...
He saw Bu Eun-seol standing perfectly intact, sword leveled at mid-stance.
"Just now..."
Unable to comprehend the scene, Wi Ji-hon tilted his head diagonally and muttered.
"...what did you do?"