Chapter 1048
Tang Cheong tilted her head diagonally upon spotting Tang Gon and Bu Eun-seol.
Her expression seemed to say, How did you manage to get this far unharmed?
"Cheong-a!"
Tang Gon immediately activated his movement technique and dashed toward her.
Watching him approach, Tang Cheong flicked her finger with a sharp click.
Crack.
In an instant, the cavern vanished, replaced by a honeycomb-like structure of small, alveoli-shaped chambers.
Each time they stepped inside, stifling mist and scorching steam filled the air.
Huff—hiss—
Moreover, rhythmic breathing sounds echoed periodically, and with each breath, gale-force winds surged, altering the internal pressure.
Cough, cough.
Jegal Seo-un, whose internal power was weaker, began coughing uncontrollably.
As if waiting for that very moment—
Hssss—whoooosh—
A massive inhalation split the steam-laden fog before them, and like condensed mist, the vapor gathered into a single form.
Thud, thud.
A figure emerged, its entire body shrouded in a sinister white aura.
An old man with a grotesque physique—his skin replaced by a thin membrane, revealing the veins beneath.
"I'll handle this."
Jegal Seo-un brandished the Judge's Brush.
As he unleashed his initial strike, the mist thickened, and the air inside seemed to drain away.
Whack! Crack-crack-crack!
With precision, Jegal Seo-un swung the Judge's Brush, ruthlessly targeting the old man's pressure points.
His brush, forged from Mysterious Iron, could pierce even a foot-thick steel plate when infused with internal power.
Clang!
Yet, the brush was deflected before it could even touch the old man's body.
"Brother Jegal, fall back."
At those words, Jegal Seo-un hastily retreated.
With Tang Cheong vanishing, Tang Gon grew impatient.
Without hesitation, he activated the Poison-Dispelling Technique with his left hand and the Tang Clan's Pear Blossom Heavenly Star Palm with his right.
Thoom!
But as if an elastic, transparent rubber barrier surrounded the old man—
The attacks merely rebounded, leaving no impact whatsoever.
"......"
Tang Gon's eyes flashed.
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol's help, his internal power had grown significantly, and he had even mastered the Severed Vein Poison Mist.
Though he hadn't yet deployed the Tang Clan's secret techniques, how could his strikes have no effect?
Is it a matter of mastery?
Faced with the old man's terrifying skill, his impatience faded, replaced by icy calm.
Tang Gon had only just restored the Tang Clan's martial arts.
But lacking deep comprehension... he was still far from the level needed to challenge the Murim's top masters.
Cough.
Meanwhile, Jegal Seo-un coughed again.
The mist permeating the area wasn't poisonous.
But it induced strange spasms in the bronchial tubes, making breathing increasingly difficult.
At this rate, simply standing still would suffocate him.
"Fall back."
A low voice cut through the air—
Hiss!
A surge of razor-sharp internal energy erupted, and with a shriek, the eerie old man was forced back eight steps.
Simultaneously, a shadowy figure stepped in front of Tang Gon—Bu Eun-seol.
"A Demonic Monk, employing the techniques of Jeongsim."
Ever since uncovering that the Ghostly Revenant Sect was reviving past masters,
Bu Eun-seol had meticulously studied the martial arts and methods of every legendary figure who had left their mark on the Murim's history.
There was no telling when, where, or from which era a master might appear.
While others believed Bu Eun-seol's rapid rise was due to sheer talent alone,
the truth was, he lived each day preparing—ensuring he could survive even the worst scenarios without a single misstep.
"Cover your ears."
"Huh?"
As Jegal Seo-un's eyes widened at Bu Eun-seol's shout—
Rooooar—
A deep vibration, too low to be human, pulsed from Bu Eun-seol's hands.
The eerie old man, his transparent skin revealing even his veins, froze mid-motion—
Drip, drip—
Before thick fluids suddenly began oozing from his body.
This was one of the Demonic Path Auxiliary Arts inscribed by the demonic practitioners imprisoned in the Blood Shaolin secret cave—
The Heaven-Shattering Tyrant Force, capable of unleashing relentless, devastating vibrations.
Bu Eun-seol had activated it, forcing the old man's body into ceaseless tremors.
Buzz—buzz—
With each wave of vibration—
Bubble, bubble—
Strange substances seeped out from the old man's translucent flesh.
Bu Eun-seol had discerned the truth—
The Demonic Monk Jeongsim's Heart-Snatching Wheel technique resonated with the surrounding air and energy, absorbing, dispersing, and repurposing external martial arts.
By unleashing the Heaven-Shattering Tyrant Force, Bu Eun-seol had forcibly reflected the technique back into the old man's body.
Gag—hack!
The old man finally spewed a bizarre fluid from his mouth.
Shrrrk—
His body shriveled before he exhaled a single round orb—then collapsed, lifeless.
It was the Starfire Pearl, infused with the essence of fire.
"Incredible."
Jegal Seo-un approached, unable to contain his awe.
"That old man was truly formidable... yet you felled him in moments."
"What does strength even mean?"
The icy question left Jegal Seo-un speechless.
"Huh?"
"Insight and observation. Had you properly utilized even one of those, you would've found a way to defeat him."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze seemed to pierce through Jegal Seo-un's thoughts.
"But you grew complacent, drunk on the meager power you gained, stubbornly clinging only to your Judge's Brush techniques."
"......"
"When your attacks were blocked, you hastily concluded he was a master-level opponent. Then at Tang Gon's shout, you retreated without even looking back."
The voice that followed was utterly stern.
"You didn't even consider why the old man coughed, or what the true nature of that bizarre technique might be."
"It wasn't out of fear."
Jegal Seo-un protested as if wronged.
"Wasn't he genuinely strong? I merely judged him to be a master beyond my ability to face."
"Strong?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice turned icy as a frozen river.
"What exactly was strong? The fact your attacks didn't work?"
"......"
"Any martial artist who seeks to master martial arts must first shatter their preconceptions to reach the ultimate realm."
What Bu Eun-seol expounded was an unraveling of the deepest principles of martial arts.
The phenomena before one's eyes, prejudices born from experience, hasty judgments dividing strong from weak—
Only by stripping away all these illusions could one perceive the true nature of things.
"If you cannot do that, then maintain mushin (no-mind)."
"Mushin..."
Jegal Seo-un muttered with a dazed expression.
Possessing the deep insight and mental flexibility to break frameworks of perception and pierce to essence was extremely difficult.
If that proved impossible, then the only path was mushin—the method of breaking perceptual frameworks and piercing to truth through no-mind.
"My gratitude."
Finally enlightened, Jegal Seo-un clasped his hands together.
"For this awakening."
He possessed immense potential for growth.
Only the rigid teachings of the Jegal Family and his lack of experience still kept him trapped within an unbroken shell.
"Hmph."
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol snorted and turned away.
"Let's go."
Then strode forward decisively.
For an instant, Jegal Seo-un saw another figure superimposed on that retreating back.
'Could it be...?'
Only now did he realize—
That master wearing Jwa Ryeok's mask resembled his idol, the one who had reached the ultimate realm with transcendent wisdom and insight.
Clench.
Gripping his fist tightly to suppress his foolishly pounding heart, Jegal Seo-un silently followed Bu Eun-seol.
Thereafter, they encountered countless bizarre organs.
Most had surfaces writhing with tangled blood vessels and sinews.
Some repeatedly showed faint glimpses of absorbed victims' faces or limbs rising and sinking.
Others radiated such powerful shockwaves that approach was impossible, or were filled with heat and pressure intense enough to melt anything that drew near.
Finally, after dealing with the heart area—formed from unidentified fluids and blood—
A structure resembling a towering cluster of giant nerve bundles came into view.
Embedded within it were thousands upon thousands of eyeballs of all sizes, constantly rolling or blinking as if ceaselessly surveilling their surroundings.
Those countless eyes might have been stolen from victims—or perhaps were manifestations of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's will.
"Something about this..."
Jegal Seo-un's face went blank, then he smiled brightly.
"...is a beautifully constructed formation."
From the tower of eyeballs' core flowed an intense pulsation.
Yet the two men smiled as they gazed at it, seemingly unaffected.
"Indeed. Utterly unlike its appearance."
Not only had Tang Gon's martial prowess risen exponentially—
Thanks to Bu Eun-seol, he'd also realized how crucial spiritual fortitude was, reinforcing those defenses to utmost sturdiness.
But the pulsations here didn't attack the spirit and mind—
Rather, they induced extreme comfort and ease... making resistance impossible.
"I believe I can be content stopping here."
Jegal Seo-un nodded while observing the tower.
"I'd never have reached this far with my own abilities anyway."
The tower's pulsations guided their spirits into exquisitely sweet, hopeful states.
As comfort and abundance filled their hearts, their will to breach the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship's gates finally broke.
"At this point, I've sufficiently gained all the experience and insight obtainable here."
At Jegal Seo-un's words, Tang Gon also nodded.
"Cheong-i's a clever girl with outstanding martial talent—she'll find her own way back safely."
Then shaking his head, he laughed.
"I keep treating her like a child. She'll manage fine."
Though the two exchanged hopeful chatter, Bu Eun-seol silently stared at the thousand-eyed tower.
Never had he dreamed of comfortable, abundant living—nor made optimistic predictions.
The world never granted anything easily.
Only through relentless struggle could one obtain anything.
Thus such traps held no power over him.
"......"
He calmly observed the tower.
Its complex, grotesque brain-like folds were studded with eyeballs.
Between them oozed sticky, neurotransmitter-like fluids.
No masked men appeared here—only soul-caressing wavelengths kept washing over them.
'An unavoidable trap.'
Humans instinctively cannot reject wavelengths offering happiness and hope.
Moreover, blaming those ensnared by this bliss would backfire.
Meaning this state couldn't be escaped through external help—only by awakening through one's own power.
"Family Head Tang was toyed with by the Three Realms, yet broke those constraints without regard for his life."
Bu Eun-seol murmured while watching Tang Gon prepare to leave.
"But he failed at raising his child properly."
And he strode forward.
In an instant, Tang Gon's expression hardened.
His father, Tang Pae, had his life toyed with by the Three Realms.
Had he only cared for his own survival, he would have cooperated with the Three Realms and lived out the rest of his days.
But he believed Tang Gon could do better than him, refused their offer, and ended his life without regret.
And if one considered his dying wish—to cherish those around him rather than obsess over the family's revival?
Then abandoning Tang Cheong, trapped here, was absolutely unthinkable.
But.
The waves emanating from that tower made his body refuse to obey.
Thud.
In the end, Tang Gon sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Though he couldn't immediately block the waves, he sought to steady his mind through meditation and break free from their hold.
"Family Head, are you not going?"
At that moment, Jegal Seo-un spoke with unfocused eyes.
"Or shall I go alone...?"
"For two hundred years, the Jegal Clan has not produced a single proper martial artist who truly walked the Martial World."
Bu Eun-seol smirked at Jegal Seo-un.
"I thought, for once, a decent one had finally emerged—but it seems you're no different from the cowards who came before you."
Jegal Seo-un's gaze sharpened instantly.
The Jegal Clan was originally known for mastering both civil and martial arts.
A place that once governed the Martial World not only through brilliant stratagems but also through martial techniques that were modeled on the workings of heaven.
Yet, ironically, their very brilliance became their downfall.
As time passed, the Jegal Clan's members grew obsessed with ruling the world through intellect alone.
They no longer risked their lives to hone their martial skills or walk the Martial World's path.
Instead, they secured key positions within the Martial Alliance, strengthened alliances with other factions, and expanded their influence.
While other great clans trained relentlessly or ventured into the Martial World—
The Jegal Clan merely devoted themselves to elegant scholarship and formation studies, focusing solely on consolidating power.
And as this pattern repeated—
Their prestige waned, and even their reputation in formation studies was eclipsed by the Gongson Clan, which was not even a martial clan.
"Do you even understand the circumstances of our main house before making such remarks?"
Jegal Seo-un flared up in anger.
"Do you think it's easy to overturn centuries of tradition, to shatter the very discipline that has held us together?"
"Who said it was easy?"
Bu Eun-seol curled his lips.
"It's just that every last one of the Jegal Clan chose the easy path."
Then he walked past Jegal Seo-un toward the opposite passage.
Thud.
Even Jegal Seo-un, stung by the insult, eventually came to his senses and dropped into a meditative posture.
Realizing his body wouldn't obey due to the tower's energy, he sought to resist it, just like Tang Gon.
Bu Eun-seol glanced at him briefly before nodding.
If they could withstand those waves? Their spirit and mind would be tempered even further.
By the time he reached the end of the passage, a massive iron gate stood before him.
Creeeak.
When he opened it and stepped inside—
The enormous cavern where he had once seen Tang Cheong came into view.
As Bu Eun-seol lifted his head to survey the surroundings, he couldn't help but hold his breath.
The cavern stretched so high that its ceiling was invisible, and embedded within its walls were Crystal Coffins, swirling in a colossal spiral.
Like a giant staircase stretching from the maw of hell to the heavens themselves.
Each step of that staircase held a martial artist standing with closed eyes.
They didn't move an inch, yet their cheeks bore vivid color, and their robes were immaculate, untouched by a single speck of dust.
Their faces were flushed with vitality, their garments pristine—
They were unmistakably alive.
"You've cleared every gate."
At the heart of the cavern stood an altar, upon which rested a resplendent throne.
And there, reclining lazily on that seat, was a beauty with gleaming violet eyes.
Tang Cheong.
The woman known as Sichuan's Greatest Beauty now sat at the center of the cavern like its undisputed ruler.
"Impressive."
The voice that first reached him sounded pure and lovely, just like Tang Cheong's—
But then it twisted into something else.
Like whispers crawling from a millennia-old tomb.
Like a thousand tongues writhing and murmuring in unison—
A voice of horror.
"Not a single soul has ever entered this place with their mind intact."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
The Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was an anomaly unrecorded in Martial World history—a bizarre Secret Vault.
But judging by Tang Cheong's—no, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's words, it had clearly manifested in the Martial World in other forms, time and time again.
"Hehehe."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor giggled as she sauntered toward Bu Eun-seol.
Her embroidered robes clung to her curvaceous figure, leaving little to the imagination.
The slit in her skirt revealed glimpses of smooth thighs with every step.
A beauty so mesmerizing it could steal one's soul—
Yet that eerie voice made even her allure feel terrifying.
"Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor—is it really you?"
"Indeed."
Violet light flickered incessantly in her pupils.
As if she were calculating, measuring something.
"You're in disguise."
With the strength Jwa Ryeok was known for in the Martial World, he couldn't have reached this place even if he died and came back to life.
Rustle.
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol reverted to his true appearance.
After all, he had already promised the Demonic Heavenly Emperor to bring him the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's head.
"Martial Soul Lord."
Tang Cheong chuckled low.
"They say you're the most handsome man in the world... and indeed, it's true."
"Why are you doing this?"
"'Doing this'...?"
She glided behind Bu Eun-seol and whispered, as if sharing a secret.
"If you knew what this place truly was, you wouldn't ask such a thing."
Grin.
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor spun in a circle, her crescent-moon eyes gleaming as she spoke.
"You should be rejoicing."
"......"
"You've earned the right to stand by my side."
As Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow,
"Ah, my voice must have displeased you."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor beamed brightly, then shifted her tone into something crystalline and melodious.
"How about this? Does this voice satisfy you now?"
'Was she originally a woman?'
Given the name Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor,
he had naturally imagined a towering Great Demon with the visage of a Maitreya Buddha.
Yet the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, now puppeteering Tang Cheong's body,
appeared even more feminine and coquettish than the girl herself.
"The Three Clans may boast of their Boundary Realm and Mindscapes, but none compare to the domain where I reign as a god. No one can ever lay a finger on it."
Frankly, the voice of a thousand writhing tongues had been preferable.
Now, as she manipulated Tang Cheong's body,
her voice dripped with a sweetness so cloying that Bu Eun-seol felt nausea rise in his throat.
'But I need information.'
If he had encountered the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor,
he had expected an immediate battle that would sunder heaven and earth.
Yet, unexpectedly, she was engaging in conversation. For Bu Eun-seol, who needed to extract every scrap of intel, this was hardly a bad situation.
"So you've been feeding off them like nutrients?"
"Not feeding."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor pointed a finger to her temple.
"Everything a human feels is processed here."
When Bu Eun-seol still seemed uncomprehending,
she smiled and spread both palms wide.
Whoooosh—
In an instant, their surroundings warped, transforming into a lavish banquet hall overflowing with delicacies.
Glug, glug.
She poured wine into a golden goblet and offered it to him.
"Drink. You won't be able to tell the difference from reality."
When Bu Eun-seol refused, she brought the cup to her own lips.
As crimson lips met the rim, the rich aroma of wine teased his nostrils.
Her gaze, fixed on him as she sipped,
was far more bewitching than Tang Cheong's had ever been.
"Stay here, and you can possess everything in this world."
Then she tapped her own temple.
"Humans only need this satisfied for everything to be resolved."
'So that's it.'
At last, the secret of the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was revealed.
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor—
she had been using bizarre Arts of Spells to turn martial artists into nutrients, concocting substances that manipulated the brain.
"What happened to your subordinates?"
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor had Nahu, who held the title of Heavenly Scripture, as her subordinate.
If she had created such a position, she must have commanded forces on par with a major alliance.
Had she abandoned them to come here alone?
"Creating a Secret Vault requires materials."
The answer sent a chill down his spine.
She had sacrificed all her subordinates to complete the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship.
The reason its scale kept expanding was likely because greedy martial artists gradually became its sustenance.
"Subordinates can always be replaced."
"Then why suddenly build the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship in the martial world?"
Bu Eun-seol pressed.
"You've never done anything like this before."
"You could say it's because of you."
She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"I am the grandmaster of the Great Art. Unlike you, I never specialized in martial training."
Bu Eun-seol had severed Nahu's arm in an instant after he had wreaked havoc at the White Horse Monastery.
In the end, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor realized how far martial arts had advanced in this era—and thus created the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship.
"Does this elevate your martial prowess?"
"Martial prowess? Heh heh heh."
Her laughter carried the omen of ruin.
"The world is hurtling toward Final Extinction. Why bother elevating something as trivial as martial arts?"
She spread her arms wide.
"This place is a womb for new flesh."
"New flesh?"
"You must have heard from the Demonic Heavenly Emperor. The Chain of Reincarnation held by the True Demon has been severed."
Strange words.
The revelation that the Chain of Reincarnation had been severed was something Bu Eun-seol had uncovered himself—not something the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had told him.
So why was she so certain the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had shared this?
"Do you know why the Chain of Reincarnation was severed?"
"Because he became too powerful, I heard."
"Heh heh. So you've heard he's transcended the vessel of a human body."
Her crescent-moon eyes gleamed.
"But that's a lie."
What followed was the most shocking revelation yet.
"The True Demon cast off the Chain of Reincarnation himself."
A deep furrow carved into Bu Eun-seol's brow.
The True Demon could only exist because he possessed the Chain of Reincarnation—
it was what allowed him to reign above the Laws of this world.
And yet, he had discarded it?
"Why?"
"Who knows?"
She deflected.
"After the True Demon became known to the world, countless people emerged—worshipping him, opposing him... or coveting his power."
"......"
"He wasn't the only one who grew stronger. Certain factions—myself included—devised ways to steal the Chain of Reincarnation from him."
The words were staggering.
Bu Eun-seol had always assumed the Chain of Reincarnation was an innate ability, inextricably bound to the True Demon.
Yet others could take it from him?
"So the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship is a device to steal the True Demon's power?"
Instead of answering, she curled her lips.
The implication was clear.
This moving Secret Vault, the lure of martial artists as sustenance—
all of it was for one purpose: to seize the True Demon's power.
"I will grant you wisdom and truths you could never attain in a lifetime."
A mysterious glimmer flashed through the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's pupils.
"Fate, destiny, divine providence... I will reveal them all to you and sever every chain that binds you."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's voice resonated like a deep echo inside Bu Eun-seol's mind.
"Take my hand. If you do, you will become an eternal observer who witnesses both the beginning and the end simultaneously..."
She extended an offer Bu Eun-seol could not refuse.
"You will gain the chance to correct the regrets and mistakes of the past."