Chapter 1045
"I'm the only one who can save her."
Tang Gon wrestled with his thoughts.
That moving secret vault, the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship—even if the three great alliances of the martial world mobilized their finest talents and forces, they wouldn't be able to locate it.
Even if it were to appear, the moment the superlative martial experts approached, it would vanish in an instant.
And yet... he couldn't send others into such a perilous place either.
"Family matters take precedence above all else."
His father, Tang Pae, had left behind these final words—not about the clan's revival, but about cherishing those around him.
Leading the Tang Clan was important, but he couldn't turn his back on Tang Cheong, who was now in danger.
In the end, despite being the Family Head of the Tang Clan, Tang Gon set aside all other affairs and pursued the traces of the secret vault alone.
And by heaven's grace, he eventually discovered the mountain where the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was floating.
"I see."
After hearing the full explanation, Jegal Seo-un's eyes flashed.
"You must have sensed it as well, Family Head, but it seems only a specific type of person has been allowed into this vault."
Using the Jegal Family's mysterious formation study, he had managed to evade enemies and investigate the interior.
Being called a walking martial world registry, he had identified every individual who had entered.
"It's almost as if it's screening people."
"This Family Head felt the same."
Tang Gon nodded.
"Though it's not certain. I haven't investigated every single person inside."
"That may be so, but... my instincts tell me this Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship itself is someone's scheme."
Tang Gon let out a sigh and nodded again.
"It must be the workings of the Abyssal Forces. They've always operated this way."
"Abyssal Forces?"
Jegal Seo-un's expression shifted in surprise.
The term Abyssal Forces wasn't one commonly used in the martial world.
The only time he had ever heard it was from Bu Eun-seol and his sworn brother, Hyeok So-jin.
Hearing Tang Gon use it now gave him an odd feeling.
"Family Head, if you don't mind, would you accompany me?"
Jegal Seo-un spoke without hesitation.
"With you by my side, I believe we can uncover the secrets of this vault and escape safely."
'He's different from the rumors.'
Jegal Seo-un, the young master of the Jegal Family, was known for his mild temperament.
But it was also said that his reputation was somewhat exaggerated and his martial prowess wasn't particularly outstanding.
Yet, contrary to the rumors—
Jegal Seo-un displayed remarkable spirit, as if he had perfectly inherited the Jegal Family's martial arts and formation study.
His speech and demeanor were also impeccably refined.
Of course, his sudden surge in martial ability was due to the opportunity he and Hyeok So-jin had seized at the Wind God Palace.
But Tang Gon, unaware of this, simply assumed the martial world's rumors had been mistaken.
"Very well."
Tang Gon turned and spoke in a low voice.
"You there—come out as well."
To his surprise, he was addressing the pillar where Bu Eun-seol was hiding.
'He's improved a lot.'
Bu Eun-seol suppressed a bitter smile.
The Darkness Secret Arts didn't just alter one's appearance—it transformed everything from bloodlines to the finest hairs, turning one into a completely different person.
The original Bu Eun-seol maintained a presence so colorless and odorless that he couldn't be detected by anything.
But now, perfectly disguised as the unorthodox master Jwa Ryeok, he exuded the scent of an ordinary middle-aged man.
Yet even that wasn't enough to deceive Tang Gon, whose sense of smell was dozens of times sharper than a bloodhound's.
"Impressive."
Bu Eun-seol revealed himself, mimicking Jwa Ryeok's rough, low voice.
"Ten-Thousand-Gold Blood Hand, Jwa Ryeok?"
Recognizing the disguised Bu Eun-seol's face, Tang Gon clicked his tongue and nodded.
"As expected, you've got an uncanny nose for money."
It would've been stranger if Jwa Ryeok—a notorious figure in the unorthodox faction, known for his obsession with wealth—hadn't come to the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship, rumored to be filled with treasures.
'Should I reveal my identity?'
Bu Eun-seol hesitated briefly.
But he quickly shook his head.
He was here to deal with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor hiding within.
If they found out, they'd risk their lives to help him—so it was better to keep his identity concealed.
"Well, if you stay crouched here, you'll keep your life intact."
Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
"Don't wander around like a fool. Get lost right now."
He had already deciphered the shifting battle formations inside the Grand Hall.
If they stayed still without venturing further in, an exit would appear—he was certain of it.
Nod.
Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un exchanged a strange glance.
After listening to Bu Eun-seol, they carefully observed the surrounding formations and realized he was right.
"Brother Jegal, stay here. If you linger any longer, you'll meet misfortune."
Jegal Seo-un had already been shaken after witnessing the martial artists' brutal bloodshed.
But seeing Tang Gon's dignified aura—that of a grandmaster—he couldn't help but feel admiration and shook his head.
"Isn't life in the martial world all about staking your life anyway?"
"Brother Jegal—"
"Since I'm already here, let me lend a hand."
Perhaps influenced by Hyeok So-jin's bravado back at the Wind God Palace, he thumped his chest and declared boldly:
"With me by your side, we'll surely uncover the secrets of this vault!"
"With your skills, your head will roll before long."
At Bu Eun-seol's jab, Jegal Seo-un snorted.
"Who's worrying about whom here?"
"Hmph."
Bu Eun-seol ignored him and moved to step into the maze.
"Wait."
But Tang Gon called him to a halt.
"Brother Jwa, it seems you possess considerable mastery in battle formations."
Tang Gon clasped his hands together politely as he spoke.
"Would you care to accompany me? If you agree, I can offer you a reward of around a hundred thousand taels."
He had noticed how Bu Eun-seol instantly grasped the hidden intricacies of the Grand Hall's battle formation.
It was clear that Jwa Ryeok—renowned for his exceptional martial prowess—possessed genius-level insight even in the field of formation-breaking.
"A hundred thousand taels?"
Bu Eun-seol deliberately flashed a cruel smile.
"If I sweep up the treasures in this secret vault, a mere hundred thousand taels will be nothing."
Thud, thud.
Then, as if to show he had no interest, he stepped into the maze and issued a warning.
"Don't interfere. If you do, I'll kill every last one of you."
With the martial prowess Jwa Ryeok was publicly known to possess, such words would have been unthinkable to say to Tang Gon, the Tang Family Head.
But by subtly revealing that he wasn't Jwa Ryeok while simultaneously refusing to join him, Bu Eun-seol had made his stance clear.
Tang Gon stared blankly at Bu Eun-seol's retreating figure.
"Family Head."
Jegal Seo-un asked with a concerned expression.
"What's the matter?"
"No, it's nothing."
Tang Gon wore a bitter expression.
"His gait, even the scent of his breath—everything about him is completely different, yet somehow, his aura resembles someone I know."
"Is that so? Who might that be?"
Tang Gon, who had been lost in thought, shook his head and turned toward another path in the maze.
"Let's go this way."
Meanwhile, deep within the labyrinthine maze, a faint smile curled at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
'He's grown stronger in the meantime.'
In the time they hadn't seen each other, Tang Gon had not only overcome his greatest weakness—his indecisive and overly lenient nature—but had also achieved another breakthrough, now fully embodying the bearing of a grandmaster in martial arts.
'But from the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's perspective, he's not even a threat.'
Even if he had entered the Extreme Heaven Realm, by contemporary standards, he still couldn't rank among the era's superlative martial experts.
Ultimately, someone of Tang Gon's level posed no real threat.
The fact that the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship had acknowledged him as a "genius" in one field was telling.
'To think even the young lady of the Tang Family would be here...'
His expression darkened.
Tang Cheong's martial skills and intellect were extraordinary.
Had this been an ordinary secret vault, there would have been nothing to worry about.
But this was the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship—the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's stronghold.
If the sect's subordinates, or worse, its leader were to appear, escaping their grasp would be impossible.
'I must either find and cut down the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor or destroy this vault as quickly as possible.'
The only way to help Tang Gon, who had come searching for Tang Cheong, was to either destroy the ship's central mechanisms or eliminate the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor without delay.
—Aaaargh!
Somewhere in the branching paths, a scream echoed.
The vast interior of this secret vault was structured like a labyrinth, with treasure-filled Grand Halls scattered throughout.
As a result, wherever martial artists gathered or where treasures lay, utter chaos ensued.
Krrrk—
With every step, the faint sound of mechanisms could be heard.
As time passed, the maze seemed to shift as if alive, constantly altering its paths.
It was as if it were deliberately herding martial artists together, forcing them to destroy one another.
Even if one tried to avoid others, the hidden traps and formations made survival nearly impossible.
—Move aside!
—That's mine!
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
In their greed for the spirit medicines and martial arts manuals hidden in the Grand Halls, martial artists ceaselessly swung their blades at one another, turning the place into a bloodbath.
However, those gathered here weren't leaders of the unorthodox factions—they were all young, ambitious talents.
'Disgusting, but...'
This place, steeped in madness and chaos, felt less like a secret vault and more like a massive tomb.
'In a way, it's unavoidable.'
Bu Eun-seol had long witnessed martial artists fighting over treasures firsthand.
In the past, he had felt nothing but contempt.
But as he came to understand the lives of those in the martial world more deeply, he realized these actions weren't driven by mere greed.
For the weak, the martial world was an unforgiving place.
The only way to escape a life at the bottom or break free from oppression was to obtain powerful weapons or martial arts manuals.
With no other options... they discarded morality, willingly becoming beasts.
In the end, the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was the crystallization of their desperate desires—
And at the same time, a trap meticulously laid by the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor to exploit those very desires.
'This wasn't their original plan.'
When they had sent Nahu, the Heavenly Scripture keeper, to the Demon Hall, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor must have been confident they could control it.
But after Nahu returned in disgrace, missing an arm, they reassessed the current martial world's state and undoubtedly altered their plans.
'This chaos must serve to strengthen the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's martial power.'
A cold, white light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
He couldn't simply let these young talents destroy themselves.
But to stop their fighting, he would have to unleash some of his actual martial power to some extent—
First, he needed to confirm whether there were any watching eyes nearby.
'Fortunately, there aren't.'
Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes again and focused his internal energy into his left hand.
Zing, zing.
At that moment, his left finger began to tremble faintly.
"Ugh—!"
Simultaneously, the young men who had been fighting like madmen all dropped to their knees, retching violently.
He had adapted the Shaolin's Heart-Knocking Bell technique.
Though no sound was audible, he had instead unleashed a powerful, pure internal energy—a fierce vibration that could not be heard by the ear.
"Ughhh..."
Some of those with weaker internal energy coughed up blood as their qi and blood reversed flow.
But it was impossible to calibrate the shockwave to match each individual's energy level.
'They won't die.'
THUD!
Then, suddenly, a dull, metallic clang reverberated as if massive iron blocks were shifting—
"......"
—and in the blink of an eye, the fiercely battling youths had vanished.
'This makes no sense.'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils gleamed as he revealed himself and scanned the interior.
'They're truly gone.'
In the span of a single mechanical sound.
To deceive his senses and make people disappear in an instant—
'Come to think of it...'
The clashing of weapons that had echoed through the maze earlier had also vanished without a trace.
'Even the Unorthodox Faction's leaders and the most skilled individuals...'
Excluding the younger Rising Talents.
Those who had filled this place were either geniuses who stood out in their respective fields or leaders of the Unorthodox Faction.
In other words, people with the ability to navigate any danger with wisdom.
'If they've completely disappeared...?'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
They would undoubtedly target Tang Gon, an expert in poisons, and Jegal Seo-un, a master of battle formations.
'They're in danger.'
PAT!
Bu Eun-seol returned to where he had first entered.
But the interior structure had completely shifted, and Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un seemed to have taken a different path—
No trace of them remained.
Bu Eun-seol activated the Unorthodox Faction's movement technique to track their whereabouts.
Fortunately, they were figures from the Eight Great Families, each with their own distinct martial lineage.
Their martial arts and movement techniques carried such unique characteristics that following their trail wasn't difficult.
'They deciphered the formation study embedded in the maze and moved accordingly.'
Instead of wandering blindly, Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un had pierced through the maze's structure and the principles of formations—
Advancing unhesitatingly toward the center.
'Gone.'
Yet, at a certain point, their traces vanished as if they had never existed.
As if sucked into thin air or dissipated like smoke in the middle of a passageway.
'Did they fail midway and end up trapped in a formation?'
Bu Eun-seol immediately shook his head.
Even if they had made a misstep—
For Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un, both masters of formations, to suddenly be ensnared by one was unthinkable.
'In the end, they must have been taken by the same mechanism as before.'
This Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was a place controlled by the will of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor.
Though no presence could be sensed now—
Hidden subordinates or watchful eyes might still be lurking.
'How is this even possible?'
Even if the mechanisms—or even the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's leader himself—had abducted them,
There was no way he wouldn't have detected it.
Yet, for their traces to disappear so flawlessly...
'It's most likely an ancient secret art or formation study I'm unaware of.'
Come to think of it, this secret vault was far too abnormal.
If this were an ordinary treasure vault—
It wouldn't selectively admit certain individuals, nor would it meticulously sort people with such elaborate devices.
'Should I just destroy it?'
Killing intent flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Having infiltrated under Jwa Ryeok's identity, he had already achieved his primary objective.
Whether the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor was here or not—
If he undid the Darkness Secret Arts, returned to his true form, and shattered the interior—
He could obliterate the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship in an instant, eliminating this chaos plaguing the martial world.
'No, I can't.'
If he recklessly destroyed a place whose inner workings he hadn't fully grasped—
Tang Cheong, trapped somewhere inside, might die, and Tang Gon and Jegal Seo-un could also be endangered.
'To find Brother Tang, I must first uncover the source of this mysterious mechanism.'
To install hidden mechanisms in a secret vault of this scale, a complex, nerve-like network of devices and structures would be necessary.
'If the mechanisms are tangled like a spider's web, that might actually be better.'
By examining them one by one, like tracing meridians, he could locate the heart of it all.
Thump.
Bu Eun-seol first leaned his back against the corner of the wall—the widest, flattest surface he could find.
A broad, even surface was more conducive to spreading his extrasensory perception than a curved one.
'The secret of the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, realized in India...'
In the past, Wind God Palace's leader Hae-yeon had become the wind itself, instantly locating the hidden exit of a vast labyrinth.
When Bu Eun-seol had searched for the Absolute Boundary in the Ajanta Caves, once managed by Dokjon—
He had recalled her method.
Instead of externally dispersing the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, he had grasped the doctrine of becoming the wind himself—
And thus found the hidden exit of the Ajanta Caves.
'Time to use it now.'
He would unfold that secret once more—
To locate the heart of the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship.
'It's always like this.'
A strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Looking back, everything felt as if it had been arranged by some predetermined design.
"Even all the realizations and techniques I gained in India... Could it be that they were ultimately preparations to break open this Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's Secret Vault?"
Looking back, not a single thing had been meaningless or wasted.
Everything seemed connected.
As if it were inevitable.
'No time for idle thoughts now.'
Sssss—
As he became one with the wind, a strange sensation spread throughout his entire body.
The surrounding noise and clamor faded into the distance, and his mind grew as still as a mirror without a speck of dust.
'Don't try to see with your eyes—feel it completely.'
Closing his eyes and sharpening all his nerves toward the walls and ground, his extrasensory perception spread like spiderwebs.
Beneath his feet, he detected a faint pulse.
The entire Secret Vault was like a living tree, and the mechanisms controlling it were hidden deep underground like roots.
'Complex.'
The mechanical devices were tangled like the blood vessels of a human body.
And hidden among them, like traps, were false mechanisms.
Had he carelessly probed or detected one of those false mechanisms? The Bell Striking would have surely sounded.
Oooooom—
Bu Eun-seol, as if he had become the Wind God himself, filtered out the traps of the false mechanisms using only his extrasensory perception.
Then, he began expanding his senses endlessly toward where the true mechanisms lay.
'There.'
Finally locating the source of the mechanism, he activated his movement technique.
Whoosh—
Following the pulse he sensed in the wall, he navigated the labyrinth for a long while until, at last, an empty stone chamber appeared.
Upon entering, he felt an alien current, as if something were flowing backward toward the Abyss.
This stone chamber was undoubtedly where the central control mechanism of the Secret Vault was hidden.
'But how do I enter?'
To get inside, he needed a way to activate the hidden mechanism within the stone chamber.
He investigated for a long time but couldn't detect anything.
'Then it must be the shockwave after all.'
A figure of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's caliber would never allow anyone else to enter and manipulate the Secret Vault freely.
Each martial sect had its own unique internal energy technique, producing a distinct shockwave.
Hadn't they even used vibrations to lure people toward the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship?
If even the Empty Mind Spirit Communion couldn't detect it, they must have concealed it using their own unique shockwave.
Whoosh—
Bu Eun-seol drew upon the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi even deeper and more delicately.
Zzzzing—
Finally, he detected a specific vibration.
But the moment he sensed it, as if wary of an intruder—
WHUMMM!
The entire stone chamber resonated violently, like a hammer striking an iron block embedded in the ground.
'It's as if it's alive.'
Bu Eun-seol sharpened his extrasensory perception once more, meticulously analyzing the reverberations.
The overwhelming resonance made it extremely difficult to detect the hidden vibrations.
The vibrations were minute, subtle, and their origin constantly shifted, making them hard to pinpoint.
But Bu Eun-seol refused to give up, continuously refining his extrasensory perception and Wind & Cloud Divine Qi.
Zzzzing. Zzzzing.
At last, he locked onto a clear source.
Deep within the stone chamber.
A vibration that, while continuously emitting shockwaves, had a rhythm slightly out of sync.
'Found it.'
Bu Eun-seol released the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, sending out vibrations identical to the ones he detected.
Yet something felt unnatural—twisted in a way he couldn't quite grasp.
'Let's try the Heavenly Robe Mind Art.'
The Heavenly Robe Mind Art allowed him to perceive even the flow of an opponent's True Qi.
No matter how cunning the shockwave, he should be able to detect it perfectly.
WHUMMM.
Finally, Bu Eun-seol produced a shockwave that perfectly matched the vibration.
SHOOOM—
In an instant, the ground beneath the stone chamber split open like a black maw, and his body was sucked endlessly downward.
GRRRRRL—
A thick, viscous liquid pressed in from all sides. Holding his breath, he descended for a long time.
THUD.
Below, an endless darkness stretched out. The floor squirmed unnaturally, and the walls were slick.
'Strange.'
A foreboding sense of wrongness crept over him.
At first, he thought it was just due to the bizarre structure or a powerful energy.
But the walls of the passage were excessively sticky, and in some places, faint, rhythmic vibrations pulsed like a beating heart.
The ground beneath his feet was firm yet strangely elastic. The air was thick with a nauseating stench—metallic blood, foul rot, and an indescribable fishy reek.
'Disgusting.'
A single breath of the stench was enough to make him feel like he'd lose consciousness instantly.
It was the revolting stench of a beast's breath, the kind one might smell inside a monster's maw.
Adding to the suffocating humidity and faint heat, his lungs burned as if clogged.
SLIIICE—
Drawing the Silent Sword, Bu Eun-seol slashed at the stone wall with all his might.
SPLAT.
What spilled from the severed surface wasn't rock dust.
It was a sticky, dark-red, revoltingly metallic fluid.
Inside the split wall, something like writhing muscle fibers tangled together, and faintly glowing blue vein-like strands pulsed grotesquely.
'The Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship... Was it not inside a mountain?'
A chill ran down his spine.
He had assumed it was merely constructed following the principles of ancient forbidden formations.
But the internal structure, interlocking like massive gears, the lights running along the floor and walls—
Every sense of wrongness he had felt until now...
'It was the flow of a living being's True Qi.'
The moving Secret Vault, the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship—
This was the living body of the Demon Ancestor, infused with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's Blood Formation Art.
A massive trap designed to lure and devour martial artists, to deceive the entire Martial World—
It was a deathly mechanism executing the will of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor.