Chapter 1051
Tang Cheong wore an embarrassed expression.
Though her soul had been eroded by the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, her consciousness—previously lulled by the Misty Waves of Rivers and Lakes technique—had awakened.
But because he was always so unfeeling,
she had assumed that once he woke, he would simply deal with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor and leave.
Yet here he was, returning to her.
"Lady Tang."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been gazing at Tang Cheong, let out a sigh with an indescribable expression.
Having already overheard the entire conversation between Tang Gon and Tang Cheong while walking through the passage,
he now understood the purity of her heart—and felt an overwhelming guilt because of it.
In a voice both awkward and gentle, he asked,
"Are you unharmed?"
"Thanks to you."
Only then did Tang Cheong regain her composure and extend the wooden box she had been holding.
"Here, this is......"
"I heard everything."
Bu Eun-seol politely declined.
"But I shall only accept your kindness."
Tang Cheong's face stiffened coldly.
This was the Heavenly Yin Immortal Fruit, something she had risked her life to obtain.
His firm refusal felt like a rejection of her very feelings.
"That's not it."
Seeing Tang Cheong's shocked expression, Bu Eun-seol calmly explained.
"In truth, I've already formed an Internal Core within my body, so...... I likely won't age beyond this point."
"An Internal Core?"
Tang Cheong's mouth fell open.
Creating an Internal Core was something only immortals could achieve through the art of alchemy—
divided into external alchemy, which produces elixirs of immortality, and internal alchemy, which refines one's Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
And according to martial theory,
one must surpass the limit of internal energy capacity—ten sexagenary cycles—to form an Internal Core.
No one in history had ever accomplished this through sheer internal energy alone, without cultivating the secrets of the immortal path.
"So you should take it, Lady Tang."
"Huh?"
"If you consume it, you'll retain your beauty for life."
Tang Cheong stared blankly.
It was the first time Bu Eun-seol had ever complimented her, calling her beautiful.
"Very well, Cheong-a. You should keep it for now."
At Tang Gon's words, Tang Cheong had no choice but to tuck the box away.
"Ugh—!"
Just then, Jegal Seo-un—who had been groaning on the ground—suddenly shot upright.
Having been thoroughly beaten by Tang Gon and Bu Eun-seol, his face and body were swollen like steamed buns.
"Has Lady Tang recovered?"
"She has."
When Tang Gon nodded, Jegal Seo-un smiled.
"What a relief."
Ignoring his own injuries, he breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Tang Cheong and Tang Gon standing together affectionately.
That alone proved Jegal Seo-un possessed the qualities of a Great Renowned Hero.
"And the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor?"
"Thanks to Brother Jegal, we were able to resolve it smoothly."
Tang Gon clasped Jegal Seo-un's hand.
"I'm truly grateful."
Had he not braved pain and torture to save Tang Cheong,
this matter would not have ended so easily.
"Don't mention it."
Jegal Seo-un grinned through his puffy face.
"As fellow members of the Eight Great Families, shouldn't we help one another?"
The two clasped hands, exchanging smiles.
Heroes understand each other with just a glance—they had already become sworn brothers in spirit.
"You should return first."
Bu Eun-seol spoke up then.
"With the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor dead, those ensnared by the Illusion Substance will have awakened. Things may grow complicated."
"So you intend to announce only that you destroyed the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship under your own name—without mentioning the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor."
"Yes."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was low.
"That was my deal with Hall Master Sado. It was also my goal."
"If so, not just the Demonic Path—even the Orthodox Path will come to despise you."
After the incidents with the Fire Rain Sword Sect and Extinction Palace, Bu Eun-seol had instantly lost the support of the demonic factions.
Moreover, the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship was rumored to be filled with countless spirit medicines and martial arts manuals.
If word spread that Bu Eun-seol had disposed of it—?
The martial world,
far from thanking him for averting chaos and preventing conflicts between factions,
would accuse him of hoarding its treasures and despise him for it.
"Hall Master Sado is trying to isolate you. To make you hated by both paths of the martial world."
"It doesn't matter."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"He intends to eradicate both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths anyway."
Then he briefly recounted his conversation with the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Tang Gon's expression grew grave as he listened.
Only now did he realize what Bu Eun-seol was truly thinking.
"You......"
Tang Gon couldn't bring himself to finish.
Bu Eun-seol—
was buying time alone,
protecting people from the martial world's abnormal state,
from the rise of monstrous powerhouses and the Abyssal Forces.
"Why?"
Tang Gon's voice choked.
"What has the Demonic Path—what has the martial world ever done for you?"
"There are still good people in this world."
Bu Eun-seol replied flatly.
"They can grow stronger. They can progress."
Then he added,
"Besides, this is also part of my revenge."
The boy who had entered the martial world seeking vengeance......
had unwittingly become a grandmaster bearing the fate of the entire Orthodox and Unorthodox Martial World.
But Tang Gon, who knew all too well the weight that boy had carried from the start, felt only anguish.
"You should go."
Bu Eun-seol offered a dry smile.
He was the Heir of the Demon Hall, and Tang Gon was the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
If their connection became known to the martial world, nothing good would come of it.
"I'll tidy up this place a bit longer before leaving."
Tang Gon understood Bu Eun-seol's true intentions.
If their connection were revealed, unimaginable superlative martial experts and Abyssal Forces might extend their reach.
That was why he wished to keep their friendship secret.
I cannot stand by his side yet.
Tang Gon clenched his fists and swore a silent oath.
When he reached a position where he could stand beside him, he would proclaim it to the world—
That Bu Eun-seol was his most cherished friend.
And Jegal Seo-un felt the same.
"Family Head, let us go."
As Jegal Seo-un took Tang Gon's hand, the latter swallowed his surging emotions and nodded.
"Very well."
Then, he turned to Bu Eun-seol.
"Visit the main family soon."
"I will."
"You must be busy, but..."
Though Tang Gon knew Bu Eun-seol's heart, he could not help but say it.
"Drop by the Azure Heaven Alliance from time to time."
Understanding the implication, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
He had once witnessed Jin Seol, who had loved him unwaveringly even unto death.
And so, he had sworn never to turn away those who cherished him.
"Lady Tang."
Bu Eun-seol met Tang Cheong's gaze.
"I will send word when I visit the Tang Clan."
"Huh?"
"We should raid the pear blossom wine your brother has stored in the cellar."
Tang Cheong's eyes wavered.
Was this not an indirect acknowledgment of her feelings?
"Yes."
Her face flushed as she smiled beautifully.
It was the first radiant smile she had shown since stepping into the martial world.
"Lord."
Then, Jegal Seo-un approached Bu Eun-seol as well.
"Let us share a drink with Hyuk later."
The Jegal Family was still too rigid to openly associate with a figure of the Demonic Path like the Martial Soul Lord.
Thus, he could not invite him to the main family—only offer this much.
"Agreed."
With lighter expressions, Tang Gon and the others departed the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship.
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply and stepped back into the Blood Cave.
With the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's demise, those trapped in the glass coffins had regained their senses and fled in haste.
Most of the spirit medicines and martial arts manuals inside had been mere Illusion Substances.
Surviving martial artists glanced at the hollowed Secret Vault before shaking their heads and leaving.
"......"
Bu Eun-seol gazed up at the Blood Cave, where thousands of empty coffins lay in rows.
As deathly silence flowed through the cavern—
"Come out."
His voice was solemn.
"I know you are not yet dead."
Still, only silence answered.
"Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor."
His tone grew icy.
"You will never escape my grasp."
Drip.
Somewhere, the sound of liquid trickling echoed.
At the same time, a mass of black, viscous fluid pooled before Bu Eun-seol, taking the shape of a woman.
Her features were beautiful, but her skin was blackened, her pupils dyed a sickly yellow—like a demon incarnate.
A Returned Soul.
The true form of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, known to be half-human, half-ghost, was that of a Returned Soul.
"Heavenly Punishment, I see. You recklessly unleashed a forbidden Great Art."
As Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's yellow eyes flashed.
"How did you know?"
"Harmonization operates on a different plane from ordinary martial arts."
When exposed to Harmonization, one of two phenomena occurred:
Either one endured it at the cost of their strength, or their body vanished entirely.
Yet when the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor faced it, she had dissolved into a handful of blood.
Because she did not truly understand Harmonization—
She had calculated only the destructive force of its resonance and deliberately staged that spectacle.
—I will kill you without fail.
In her dying moments, she had let slip those words.
An unconscious utterance, since she had not truly died—but Bu Eun-seol had instantly discerned the nuance.
"To prove your death, you released the captured martial artists."
Shhhk.
Drawing the Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Yet the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship remains intact... meaning you must still linger somewhere."
The ship, forged through the Ten Thousand Souls Flesh Forging Art, was structured like a living body, pulsing with vitality.
Had the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor truly perished, the Secret Vault would have collapsed long ago.
But its persistence meant she was likely still alive, curled up somewhere.
"......"
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor glared at Bu Eun-seol in silence.
Only now did she realize—Bu Eun-seol was not just peerless in martial might, but also possessed transcendent wisdom.
Huum.
Dark radiance rippled along the Ink Soul Sword.
The time of annihilation had come.
"Wait—!"
She screamed, but—
Kreeee!
A screech tore through the air as black light erupted from the blade.
"Tch!"
She instantly split her body into dozens of fragments with an esoteric technique, yet—
Kreeeee!
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms, which delivered death to all things, unerringly sought out the core of her Returned Soul's power.
Crunch.
In the end, to evade the aura of death, she offered her left arm instead of her neck.
Thud.
Because it was the maintained body of an already-dead Returned Soul, no blood spilled when her arm was severed—only clumps of hardened mud fell away.
"Kh."
Yet, whether due to some lingering semblance of sensation or not, a groan escaped her.
But there was no time to dwell on pain.
The blade that had sliced through her left arm in one swift motion arced through the air, reversed its path, and in the next instant, cleaved through her left leg.
"Ugh..."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor suppressed her groan.
Bu Eun-seol had already overwhelmed her in every conceivable way.
No trace of resistance remained in the Demon Ancestor's eyes.
'As expected...'
Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened.
Though the will to fight had left her,
even after losing an arm and a leg, there was not a single hint of despair or resignation in the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor's eyes.
Clank.
Regardless, Bu Eun-seol pressed the edge of the Ink Soul Sword against her throat and narrowed his eyes.
'I must uncover the secret.'
He had deliberately refrained from delivering the killing blow.
The Seven Great Demon Ancestors and the Ten Great Immortals.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had declared that these two forces must be eradicated—meaning there was undoubtedly a monumental secret hidden within them.
By dragging this out, he intended to unravel the truth.
"May you be reborn a better man in your next life."
Screeeech—!
Just as the Ink Soul Sword unleashed the Bloody Tears Seven Forms with a deafening shriek—
"You must not kill the Demon Ancestor."
A serene light bloomed in the air above the Blood Cave, accompanied by a voice as ancient as time itself.
Swish, swish.
The radiance coalesced into an elderly Taoist clad in pristine white robes.
Long, unkempt silver hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his face was gaunt, weathered by time.
Yet his posture was so unnaturally still that he might as well have been a statue suddenly brought to life.
Still, Bu Eun-seol instantly recognized him—this man had mastered orthodox martial arts to an extraordinary degree.
"Who are you?"
The old Taoist answered plainly.
"This humble one is called the Taoist of Emptiness."
'One of the Ten Great Immortals?'
The Ten Great Immortals.
They were said to be the successors of the orthodox martial world's primordial lineage, counterparts to the Seven Great Demon Ancestors.
So why had one of them appeared here, of all places?
"......"
True to his name—Emptiness—
the Taoist's eyes were hollow, his body skeletal.
Every time the tattered hem of his robe fluttered in the wind, it seemed as though there was nothing inside.
Deep wrinkles carved into his face, and his eyes held a lifetime of suffering, enlightenment—
and an emptiness that transcended all.
"You must not kill her."
The Taoist of Emptiness adjusted his sleeve with a light flick before addressing Bu Eun-seol with utmost courtesy.
"For the sake of this old man's dignity, could you not end things here?"
"Dignity?"
Bu Eun-seol nearly laughed in disbelief.
After overcoming countless near-death experiences to finally subdue the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor—
after all the chaos the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor had wrought, the countless martial artists they had abducted and slaughtered—
was one of the legendary Ten Great Immortals, the very paragons of the orthodox path, really standing in his way now?
"Countless lives have already been lost to the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was solemn.
"Are you saying your dignity is worth more than the vengeful spirits of those slain?"
The Taoist of Emptiness shook his head.
"That is an admission that this old one has erred."
Then, with grave sincerity, he added:
"But she must not die."
"That makes no sense."
Bu Eun-seol stared at him as if he were a madman.
Had the Taoist begged for mercy on the demon's behalf—or even demanded the right to execute her himself—
he might have considered it.
But to declare "she must not die" out of nowhere?
"Tell me why she cannot be killed."
Though the situation was infuriating beyond words, Bu Eun-seol kept his tone measured.
Yet the answer he received was even more absurd.
"You are not qualified to know the reason."
Bu Eun-seol's brow twitched.
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"This old Daoist has lived nearly two hundred years."
The Taoist of Emptiness shook his head again.
"How could I possibly stoop to quarreling with a youth like you?"
His words were polite, his demeanor composed—
but the underlying meaning was clear: What reason would I have to argue with a mere child like you?
"Then we have nothing more to discuss."
Further conversation was meaningless.
Gripping the Ink Soul Sword tighter, Bu Eun-seol gave a slow nod.
"Try to stop me if you dare."
Screeeech—
Instead of immediately unleashing the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, he began condensing the sword's energy into the blade.
If this man was truly one of the Ten Great Immortals, his power would rival—if not surpass—that of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor.
Moreover, though their paths differed,
the Taoist had positioned himself as the elder. He would surely yield the first move.
By gathering the full might of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms in advance, Bu Eun-seol intended to crush his arrogance in a single decisive strike.
"My apologies."
Then, the Taoist of Emptiness spoke.
"This Daoist has no desire to fight you."
With a movement swift as lightning, he scooped up the limbless Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor—
and in the next instant, pierced through the ceiling and vanished.
'Damn it.'
Bu Eun-seol cursed under his breath.
The Taoist had calmly watched him gather the true qi of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms. Bu Eun-seol had wondered just how confident the man was.
Yet in the end, the man had simply fled.
Pretending to concede victory, only to suddenly flee while carrying the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor?
KWA-WOONG!
Bu Eun-seol instantly activated his movement technique and began pursuing the direction in which the Taoist of Emptiness had vanished.
KWA-RUNG! FLASH!
Transformed into a streak of light, Bu Eun-seol closed the distance with terrifying speed.
The Taoist of Emptiness, still carrying the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor, was flying through the air.
He was using the Pure Spirit True Energy, so similar to the natural qi of the great wilderness that his form was completely invisible to the naked eye.
But Bu Eun-seol carried within him the very source of that Pure Spirit True Energy—natural qi itself.
Thus, even if the Taoist's figure couldn't be seen, tracking him was no issue at all.
KWA-UUUU!
The Taoist of Emptiness, seeing Bu Eun-seol hot on his heels, was so shocked his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
'He's keeping up with me?'
The Taoist had long since surpassed the limits of Body-Locomotion Martial Art.
Yet this young man was going even further, folding space itself as if using the Art of Spells to rapidly close the gap.
Even if he was a descendant of the Ten Great Immortals, inheritors of the orthodox faction's origins, this speed was impossible to shake off.
'This is troublesome.'
No matter how much he amplified his movement technique, Bu Eun-seol remained unshaken. The Taoist's eyes widened in disbelief.
This was a situation he had never anticipated.
'No choice.'
PAT!
After a quick glance around, the Taoist of Emptiness finally descended to the ground.
Drip... drip...
And immediately unleashed a secret Daoist technique.
His emaciated body rippled like liquid before beginning to seep into the earth.
THUD.
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor he was holding, however, didn't melt—she remained stuck halfway in the ground.
The Mountain Vanishing Form Technique was a secret Daoist art that allowed one's physical form to dissolve into nature itself.
No master, no matter how skilled, could detect it—but with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor in his arms...
Her limbs jutted out awkwardly, making it impossible for them to fully blend into the surroundings.
"No choice."
The Taoist sighed, then formed a sword-finger with his right hand.
"Forgive this humble Daoist, for it is to save a life."
Without hesitation, he severed the remaining arm and leg of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor.
Stopping the bleeding instantly, he tightly embraced the now limbless torso against his chest.
Drip... drip...
In the next moment, the Taoist's form melted away completely, vanishing without a trace.
KWA-UUU! THUD.
At that moment, a gray shooting star that had been cutting through the air landed on the ground.
It was Bu Eun-seol, who had been in relentless pursuit.
"How cruel."
Frowning, Bu Eun-seol stared at the severed limbs of the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor lying on the ground.
No matter the reason for shaking off pursuit, to coldly cut off perfectly intact limbs like this?
"So even the so-called Ten Great Immortals aren't sane."
Perspectives varied, but to a martial artist, limbs were more precious than life itself.
Yet this Daoist figure had callously severed the remaining limbs just to protect himself?
Before debating whether he was righteous or evil, the Taoist of Emptiness simply didn't seem right in the head.
"If there was a necessity to keep the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor alive, he could have explained and negotiated with me."
But the Taoist hadn't offered a single reason—just avoided conflict outright and took her away.
Clearly, there was some hidden secret at play.
'Did the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor know the Taoist of Emptiness would come?'
Even as the Bloody Tears Seven Forms was unleashed, she had refused to believe in her own death.
Not because she thought she could evade the technique or survive it—
But because she must have known the Taoist of Emptiness would come to save her.
—You'll see soon enough. That even the Ten Great Immortals are those who must be killed.
Suddenly recalling the words of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Then he began meticulously analyzing the traces they had left behind.
Having wandered the Martial World and uncovered the secrets of countless factions and individuals,
It was no exaggeration to say he possessed the greatest Tracking Art in the realm.
If they had never left a trace, it would be one thing—
But now that they had, there was no escaping his grasp.
'Good.'
Remembering something, he channeled his internal energy and let out a sharp whistle.
PEEEE!
The clear, piercing sound resonated faintly for dozens of li.
WHOOSH.
How much time had passed?
From the distant sky, a massive hawk began flying toward Bu Eun-seol.
It was the messenger hawk employed by the Death Soul Squad.
RIP.
Tearing a strip of cloth, he swiftly wrote a message before securely tying it to the hawk's leg.
"......."
With a meaningful gaze fixed on the distant sky, Bu Eun-seol gathered his internal energy.
'Now it's my turn to test him.'
Deep within the Secluded Valley, sheer cliffs blocked out the sky, leaving only thick shadows and damp mist swirling in the air.
Before a damp, sunless cave entrance sat the Taoist of Emptiness.
His gaunt face seemed to blend perfectly with the gloomy surroundings.
"Are you alright?"
Where his gaze fell—
On the cold stone floor lay the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor.
Once a figure who had fed on the greed of martial artists, throwing the entire Martial World into chaos—
Now reduced to nothing but a limbless torso.
An ordinary martial artist would have lost the will to live, drowning in agony and despair.
But possessing the body of a Banhonin, she maintained an utterly composed expression.
After all, her true power lay in the Illusion Substance. If she could rebuild the Ten Thousand Li Treasure Ship, she could replace her physical form as many times as she pleased.
Losing her limbs meant nothing.
"To be brought down by a mere greenhorn—how amusing."
The Taoist of Emptiness spoke as casually as if conversing with an old friend.
"Given the atrocities you committed without hesitation, this is only a fitting end."
His gaze swept the surroundings as he continued.
"From now on, you will live out your days clinging to life in this place."
Though it appeared to be an ordinary secluded valley,
he had layered the Starry Heaven Cloud-Transformation Formation over it, ensuring no one could enter recklessly.
"There's plenty of water and spiritual herbs, so you won't starve to death."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor remained silent.
The Taoist of Emptiness took a deep breath and shook his head.
"You're still scheming to create another bizarre secret vault and toy with the martial world, aren't you? Don't even dream of it."
"......"
"The martial world of this era has reached a point where the power of the Demonic Path must not be wielded carelessly."
The Taoist of Emptiness gazed at the distant sky.
"Can't you feel it? The greed you sowed across the Martial World has already begun to fade."
Still, she gave no reply.
"What a cruel twist of fate."
With a deep sigh, the Taoist of Emptiness shook his head again.
"To save the world, I must instead spare evil itself."
He slumped down heavily, crossing his legs in meditation.
"I exhausted too much of my Pure Spirit Immortal Qi just shaking off that boy."
Bu Eun-seol's Lightness Art and Tracking Art were extraordinary.
Even after employing the highest Daoist secret arts of concealment, the Taoist of Emptiness had been unable to lose him completely.
And with the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor in tow, he had poured out every last ounce of his strength—
only managing to shake Bu Eun-seol off after three relentless days of pursuit.
"Truly remarkable. The Demonic Path has produced an exceptional prodigy."
At the Taoist's muttering, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor began to chuckle.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Spent your whole life meditating on the Dao, and now you've lost all sense and perception, haven't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You think you shook him off?"
Limbless and sprawled on the cold ground, the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor stared at the nearly sunless, darkened sky and spoke.
"You didn't even realize he was deliberately stalling for time?"
Instantly, the Taoist of Emptiness's face hardened.
"Deliberately stalling?"
"Martial arts have evolved beyond what we could ever hope to match... We've been left behind."
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor let out a sigh.
"The martial world has progressed relentlessly. But we? We're nothing but frogs in a well, clinging to ancient power handed down since time immemorial."
Then she turned her head to look at the Taoist of Emptiness.
"In the end, everything will end with our generation."
"You're quite the good at speaking ill of others."
The Taoist of Emptiness smiled coldly.
"Do you truly believe someone who spread greed and fed on humans like fertilizer has the right to say such things?"
"Did I choose to be born with the demonic lineage?"
The Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor snorted derisively.
"In the end, both you and I are just playthings of fate."
"Rant all you like."
The Taoist of Emptiness spoke icily.
"You'll miss even this conversation once I'm gone."
KRA-BOOM!
At that moment, a thunderous explosion echoed from the distant sky, and a five-colored cloud streaked across the heavens like a divine sigil.
KWA-UUUUNG!
By the time the cloud reached the secluded valley where the Taoist of Emptiness and the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor were, it had transformed into a blinding white meteor—crashing into the ground in an instant.
KWA-WOONG!
Dust billowed outward, and a man clad in black robes emerged, his crimson eyes flashing.
Bu Eun-seol.
"How did you—?!"
The Taoist of Emptiness's jaw slackened.
He had been certain that, after three days of pursuit, he had completely shaken the boy off.
How had Bu Eun-seol found this valley, shielded by the Starry Heaven Cloud-Transformation Formation, in mere moments?
And how had he breached it so effortlessly?
Crackle, sizzle.
Trailing black flames, Bu Eun-seol advanced slowly, his frigid gaze locked onto the Taoist of Emptiness.
"So this is where you've been cowering?"
"Hah."
The Taoist of Emptiness exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing.
"It seems this humble Daoist must take matters into his own hands after all."
His expression turned utterly cold as he spoke.
"The reason I avoided confronting you wasn't out of fear or weakness... but because I had no desire to harm an innocent child."
A bitter smile crossed his face.
But now that Bu Eun-seol had come this far, there was no choice left but to act.
"Yet now, I have no choice."
As the Taoist of Emptiness summoned his Pure Spirit Immortal Qi, he murmured,
"Don't resent me..."
But then—his head tilted abruptly to the side.
His expression was one of shock, as if he had glimpsed a monster that should not exist in this world—
or as if an invisible demon's hand had seized his throat.
Because from behind Bu Eun-seol, a single point of pitch-black radiance had bloomed.
Flash.
Like the origin point of a void that devoured all light, it distorted space in an instant, swelling like a black sun.
Then, writhing as though alive,
it erupted—scattering darkness in all directions like a curtain being torn apart by a blinding flash.
And from the center of that vortex of black light, a single figure emerged, radiating an overwhelming presence.
An old man of utterly ordinary appearance.
His eyes, however, were unfathomably deep and clear, gleaming with a sharp, intense light—like the morning star piercing the dawn sky.
Thud.
With a single step from the old man, the surrounding air evaporated into nothingness, and even time seemed to halt its flow, leaving only an absolute silence in its wake.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
The ruler of the Demonic Path—revered as the foremost power of the current era—had made his appearance.