Chapter 1056
'Chu-so.'
Bu Eun-seol gritted his teeth.
Heavenly Mechanism Star, Chu-so.
Just like the Three Realms of the past, he was using desperate people to achieve his goals.
"I... I..."
Baek Mu-seong stammered, trying to say something, but he only drooled and shook his head weakly.
However, the repeated blows from the Discard the Old and Spread the New technique had dealt a severe shock to his head—
Thud.
Finally, Baek Mu-seong's head slumped to the side as if collapsing, his body still lying prone.
Unable to withstand his injuries, he had lost consciousness.
"Ugh..."
Yet even in his unconscious state, his body trembled, and he let out faint groans.
'At this rate, his Internal Power will suffer massive depletion.'
Latent Qi Circulation, Unconscious Flow.
Baek Mu-seong had not yet reached the realm where his energy circulated endlessly without conscious effort.
Thus, if he were to lose consciousness unexpectedly like this, his Internal Power would suffer severe loss, and his body could sustain critical damage.
Tap tap tap.
Bu Eun-seol pressed his fingers against the Thirty-Six Major Acupoints of the fallen Baek Mu-seong.
'The acupoints won't stabilize.'
Whether it was due to his split personality or the effects of the Great Art he had received,
Bu Eun-seol's attempts to regulate the acupoints with his own energy failed—only a vicious, malevolent energy filled Baek Mu-seong's entire body.
Moreover, a high fever had set in, his forehead and cheeks burning like hot coals.
'I must expel that Evil Qi first.'
Baek Mu-seong had lost consciousness from the shock to his head.
Azure Spirit Stone Fluid and Drowsy Spirit Pills, which replenished vitality and restored the body, were useless here.
But the acupoints wouldn't stabilize.
The Evil Qi saturating his body repelled all external energy, making treatment exceedingly difficult.
'Shaolin.'
Bu Eun-seol, staring at the unconscious Baek Mu-seong, suddenly struck his own forehead.
He was a disciple of the Buddhist Venerable and had trained in the Shaolin Secret Arts.
'Prajna Great Power.'
The foremost of Shaolin's secret techniques—a Life-Saving Secret Art capable of rapidly healing another's injuries.
He had forgotten about Prajna Great Power.
Huuuung...
As he summoned the Prajna Great Power,
a majestic Buddhist radiance, akin to the boundless compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva, flowed from his entire body.
Simultaneously, the malevolent energy that had stubbornly refused expulsion began seeping out, bit by bit.
Drip... drip...
Blackened blood trickled from the unconscious Baek Mu-seong's mouth.
The Prajna Great Power was absorbing even the Evil Qi within him, restoring his body.
'It's working.'
Bu Eun-seol wiped the sweat from his brow.
Baek Mu-seong's face, which had been contorted in agony as he teetered on the brink of death, relaxed, and his fever subsided in an instant.
"Why...?"
Then, a low voice sounded from behind Bu Eun-seol.
Turning his head,
he saw Little Phoenix approaching, her body drenched in blood, her expression hollow.
The Scarlet Flame Immortal had long foreseen the Blood Calamity of Phoenix Valley and had made arrangements to ensure Little Phoenix's survival.
She had known that this girl would one day become one of the many fragments capable of halting the Final Extinction.
"Just... why...?"
Little Phoenix strode toward Bu Eun-seol, her eyes wide and unblinking.
"Did you save that villain?"
Snap!
Drawing the dagger from her waist, she lunged at Baek Mu-seong with a gaze brimming with madness.
"The monster who killed my master! Who slaughtered all my sisters!"
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to silently step in her path.
"Move!"
Little Phoenix slashed wildly with her dagger, resisting furiously.
Bu Eun-seol endured every stab, every slash—standing firm as an unyielding rock, silently taking each blow.
Though his entire body was soon drenched in blood, he remained rooted in place, his head lowered.
"I said MOVE!"
"He... cannot be killed."
"Why?!"
When Bu Eun-seol failed to continue, Little Phoenix screamed through her tears.
"Say something, damn you!"
Slash! Slash!
Swinging her dagger like a madwoman,
Thunk.
she finally buried it deep into Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
"Why are you stopping me?!"
"Because... he is merely another victim."
"A victim?"
"Yes."
Bu Eun-seol murmured softly, his head still bowed.
"If you sever his head now, he will wander the underworld without even knowing what sins he bore."
"And you say that NOW—?!"
Unable to contain her boiling rage, Little Phoenix violently seized Bu Eun-seol's collar.
But in that moment, her body stiffened like stone.
The man before her wore no expression at all.
No sorrow, no anger, no despair...
As if every emotion a human could possess had been stripped away, he stood like an exquisitely crafted porcelain doll.
Only his hollow, ash-gray eyes—emptied of all life—gazed indifferently into the void.
Just how much agony must a person swallow whole before they can sink into such deep, desolate silence?
Little Phoenix finally understood.
That when sorrow swells into a river, even tears cannot flow,
and when pain reaches the heavens, even screams cannot escape.
"Ugh—!"
A stifled sob burst from her.
Her body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
It wasn't the villain's fault.
The Blood Calamity that befell Phoenix Valley... was all her own sin.
All because of one foolish greed—the desire to undo the Restrictive Seal and Heavenly Punishment carved into her master's body.
She had persuaded her martial sisters to open the gates of the Secret Vault, the one that should never have been unsealed.
The moment she laid hands on that mysterious treasure,
the strange power that had separated Phoenix Valley from the world scattered like a mirage.
And as if they had been waiting, the villains, scenting blood, invaded.
Within the Absolute Boundary unfurled to ensure no one escaped, her martial sisters...
died without even the chance to scream.
In the end, the beginning of all this tragedy
was none other than herself.
"Take it."
With indifferent fingers, Bu Eun-seol retrieved a single pearl from his robes and held it out to her.
"A treasure stolen from Phoenix Valley."
"...The Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl."
Little Phoenix stared emptily at the pearl.
Though hailed as the greatest treasure of the martial world, to her eyes, it looked like a cursed bead.
Because of this thing, Phoenix Valley had been annihilated, and her master and beloved martial sisters had all perished.
"This... worthless pebble!"
She snatched the pearl from Bu Eun-seol's hand as if seizing it by force.
And in that instant—
the pearl, which had lain dead and silent in her grasp, suddenly erupted with a light so fierce and warm it was blinding.
...So that's how it was.
A flash of realization pierced her mind, carrying with it the cruel truth.
Her master had died by Bu Eun-seol's hand—only then, freed from the shackles of being one of the Ten Great Immortals, had she met true annihilation.
From the colossal karma of the Righteous Faction's origins, from the beautiful prison that was Phoenix Valley—
her master had finally been set free.
And now, the pure power her master had meant to pass on to her,
the power that had been sealed within the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl,
was flowing into Little Phoenix.
Zing, zing.
Her eyes shimmered.
No longer was she merely hearing thoughts in her mind—
now, she could read the very fabric of others' lives, the searing narratives engraved upon their souls.
And now,
her consciousness was being dragged helplessly, without a chance to resist,
into the brutal life of the man called Bu Eun-seol.
The beginning of his memories was the bone-chilling winter wind.
A world without a mother's embrace or a father's face. The biting cold and the scorn of the streets were his only cradle.
Nameless, he rolled in the dirt like a beast, scavenging rotten scraps from filthy gutters to fill his hunger.
To survive, he had to grow venomous. To avoid being hurt, he had to freeze his heart.
Just as his world was fading into ash, a single ray of light seeped in.
An old man who took in the boy freezing to death. The warmth of that grandfather's outstretched hand melted the boy's frozen world for the first time.
From then on, he learned to smile, to understand the warmth of the word family.
Those wrinkled hands were the warmest in the world, that cramped hut the safest fortress.
But happiness, like a mirage, scattered as if sliced apart by a single blade.
The grandfather was brutally murdered, and the boy's world crumbled once more.
His once-warm heart turned to shattered shards of ice, sharp enough to cut anything he touched.
Sorrow became ash, birthing the embers of hatred, and that hatred became the sole purpose of his existence.
Revenge.
Those two characters became the only signpost of his life, the reason for his being.
For revenge, he drank blood and grew strong.
He didn't care if they called him a demon, if they pointed fingers and called him a butcher.
For revenge, he would gladly sell his soul.
But his journey was not solely painted in blood.
Even as he wandered the world seeking vengeance, his steps always led him to injustice, and he saved people.
The sword he honed for revenge became a shield for the weak.
Drifting through the Martial World's storms of blood, he began, bit by bit, to reclaim the fragments of his sealed memories.
Through them, he faced the truth—that he had parents, that he carried noble blood.
And now,
he stood before the one who had once been his savior,
who had lost everything trying to protect him as a child,
who had become a puppet of villains and now lay broken and ruined.
He knew the man's sins demanded payment in blood—
yet he could not bring himself to strike the final blow.
Because that twisted monster...
was, in the end, something he himself had created.
And that terrible guilt gripped his wrist and refused to let go.
"I'm sorry."
Having realized everything, Little Phoenix apologized to Bu Eun-seol.
She, too, had been born an orphan.
But from childhood, the Scarlet Flame Immortal had taken her in with love, and she had grown up wanting for nothing.
She had been taught that the martial world was steeped in evil, but she had never imagined lives could be so cruel and wretched.
She had never even conceived that there could be a man who shouldered everything alone—so much so that merely looking at him brought tears to her eyes.
"Now I understand everything."
Little Phoenix's pupils shimmered with a mysterious radiance, much like the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl.
Bu Eun-seol sensed a profound change in her and nodded.
"I... only have my regrets to offer."
"No."
She shook her head.
In that brief span, she seemed to have transformed from a girl into a mature woman.
"How are your wounds?"
"They're nothing."
But they were far from nothing.
Whether it was due to the sheer intensity of Little Phoenix's vengeful fury—
The slashes burned as if seared by fire, and some cuts ran so deep the bone was exposed.
Bu Eun-seol calmly summoned the Heavenly Light Endless Art.
Slowly, the gashes began to mend.
"Thanks to you, my master has severed the chain of evil karma, and I... have gained the Destiny Heavenly Eye without bearing the burden of past sins. Now I can see the threads of fate."
'The Destiny Heavenly Eye... So that's what it was.'
At last, Bu Eun-seol understood the Scarlet Flame Immortal's power.
Because she could perceive past karma and fate, she had been able to reveal the secrets of the Seven Great Demon Ancestors and the Ten Great Immortals.
Shhhhk—
But then, a strange Sound of Breaking Air echoed from the distant sky.
'The Martial Heaven Unit.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
Under Baek Mu-seong's orders, the Martial Heaven Unit, which had been lying in wait, had begun to move.
"Come with me."
He extended his hand.
"The place I lead is one that neither the Baekri Clan, the True Demon, nor even the Sacred Realm can recklessly invade."
The Martial Soul Society was a gathering of formidable martial artists, a place recognized as the Middle Heaven through the Sacred Realm.
No force could trespass upon it lightly.
"I'll be fine."
Little Phoenix spoke with serene composure.
"You should withdraw. There's nothing to gain from clashing with them."
Her gaze shifted to the fallen Baek Mu-seong as she continued.
"He will recover soon. His subordinates will arrive shortly... Let him go."
"He's under mind control now. I can't release him like this."
Little Phoenix studied him quietly.
Then, as if reading his thoughts, she spoke with firm resolve.
"You, who have yet to reclaim your own memories... intend to restore his and return him to his rightful place?"
Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth to reply, but she shook her head.
"He has already begun overcoming the mind control on his own, finding the path he must walk. Interfering now... would only harm you."
"So you're telling me to leave him like this?"
"He's merely in a temporary stupor from the shock. When he wakes, he won't remember what just happened."
Her voice was calm.
"If you wish to untangle your ties with him, if you truly want to help him... you must first reclaim your own lost memories."
Bu Eun-seol found himself nodding despite himself.
He had not yet reached the level of his father, Baekri Mu-ha, and thus could not recover the memories that had been erased.
Perhaps Baek Mu-seong's memories, too, had been wiped by his father.
If he himself had not yet overcome this, how could he possibly restore Baek Mu-seong's memories?
"Don't you despise him?"
"......"
"To be honest... I'm afraid."
Bu Eun-seol spoke truthfully.
"Afraid that he might kill innocent people again, commit more atrocities like today."
Little Phoenix smiled, but it was a smile of profound loneliness. She offered no answer.
Shuff... shuff...
Then she approached the unconscious Baek Mu-seong and placed the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl into his robes.
"Are you sure you should give that to him?"
"It doesn't matter."
Her voice was steady.
"Things won't go as they expect anyway."
Bu Eun-seol asked,
"The Immortal once said that was the martial world's greatest treasure. What power does it hold?"
Truthfully, even Little Phoenix did not know the full extent of the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl's abilities.
But having gained the Destiny Heavenly Eye through the Scarlet Flame Immortal's arrangements—
Merely holding it had granted her knowledge of the martial world's greatest secret: a pair of treasures.
"The Creation Sun and Moon, the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud. These are the martial world's supreme treasures."
She explained calmly.
"The Creation Sun and Moon is called the 'Preemption of Cause and Effect.' It allows one to take a future outcome and wield it in the present."
After a deep breath, she continued in a low voice.
"The Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud is known as the 'Bloodline's Inheritance.' It is a treasure that allows one to inherit the abilities accumulated within a bloodline."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
Could such miraculous treasures truly exist in this world?
"...To protect it, I abandoned even my child, relinquished my position as successor, stole the Creation Sun and Moon, and had to leave the Sacred Realm. If you see this, please forgive me..."
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol recalled the mysterious inscription carved into the strange mirror left behind in the fake Saha Manor.
'The Demonic Heavenly Emperor!'
It struck him like a blow to the back of his head—sparks of fire leaping from his eyes.
At last, he had pierced through the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's true objective.
What he truly desired wasn't the deaths of the Seven Great Demon Ancestors or the Ten Great Immortals—it was that pair of treasures.
"If such divine artifacts exist in this world," Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed as he asked, "there must surely be conditions for their powers to manifest—"
"Please, if possible, forget about those two treasures for now," Little Phoenix interrupted him with a meaningful expression. "For now."
"For now...?"
"You'll soon come to know everything," she said, cutting him off. "As you recover those sorrowful memories."
It was strange.
Though Little Phoenix possessed no power to see the future, she was speaking words that bordered on prophecy to Bu Eun-seol.
"You are one who has broken free from the flow of heavenly mechanisms—a pioneer forging your own destiny," she said in a voice heavy with lingering emotion. "All who remain by your side will walk the same path."
"Young mistress."
"Having someone like me by your side will only bring greater trials and suffering upon you."
With those parting words, she bid him farewell.
"I'll seek you out again someday."
In an instant, Little Phoenix transformed into a crimson cloud and vanished into the distant sky.
The Movement Technique she displayed closely resembled those once used by the Scarlet Flame Immortal—her mastery no less profound.
"To have gained such power... without shouldering the karma of the orthodox faction's origins..."
Bu Eun-seol slowly lowered his head as he gazed at the sky where she had disappeared.
"Was that... truly necessary?"
The Scarlet Flame Immortal, realizing she could not escape death, had severed the cycle of their inherited burdens to set Little Phoenix free.
In the end, his mother, Wooden Buddha, and even the Scarlet Flame Immortal...
Those who could read heavenly mechanisms or glimpse the future always made their final arrangements by sacrificing themselves.
But for those forced to accept those sacrifices...
Such choices could only be cruel and merciless.
—You will come to know. That even the Ten Great Immortals are those who must die.
At that moment, it was as if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's voice struck his ears.
'...No. Those words are wrong.'
A glacial light erupted in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'Because I will shatter those chains.'
Even if it defied heaven's will and the natural order, he would never accept it.
'So that no one else must lose their life, bound by the shackles of sacrifice.'
Bu Eun-seol made his resolve.
The only ones who deserved death were evildoers who committed atrocities.
For the sake of the future, for the sake of arrangements—he would ensure no one else had to be sacrificed.
Whoosh—
The Sound of Breaking Air suddenly grew closer.
It seemed the Martial Heaven Unit's masters had discovered traces of Baek Mu-seong and were rushing toward them.
"Brother Baek."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip as he looked at Baek Mu-seong, who lay with his eyes tightly shut as if asleep.
Originally, he had intended to restrain him, restore his memories, and prevent him from committing further atrocities.
But since she had asked him to let go, he had no choice but to release him this time.
"Commit no more evil deeds."
Baek Mu-seong, having reverted to his original appearance, lay there with his eyes firmly closed like an innocent child.
Fwoosh— Sssss—
But then, a strange Sound of Breaking Air echoed from the distant sky—
—and a small light descended where Bu Eun-seol stood.
[I've returned.]
The small shadow was none other than So-yo.
Having taken Ja Su-ryeon as her master at Mount Baekdu, she had not only greatly enhanced her Movement Technique but also her martial prowess.
Now, she could not only match Bu Eun-seol's lightning-fast speed—
—but also instantly track traces of his concealment.
Under normal circumstances, upon her rare return,
Bu Eun-seol might have playfully challenged her to a race to test her newfound abilities.
But with his mind weighed down, he only exchanged brief greetings.
[You've worked hard.]
[The Martial Heaven Unit's masters are converging here right now,] So-yo said, looking at the unconscious Baek Mu-seong. [They're probably searching for him.]
Bu Eun-seol nodded and spoke in a low voice.
[Contact the Death Soul Squad and trace Baek Mu-seong's recent movements.]
[He arrived at Phoenix Valley two days ago. If we retrace his steps, we can track his whereabouts over the past few days.]
Tracking the movements of masters under the protection of intelligence networks was extremely difficult.
But once you pinpointed when and where they had arrived at a certain location,
you could clearly trace their steps for about three to four days before and after that period.
[He's being manipulated by a certain faction and has also made deals with Heavenly Secret Star Chu-so.]
[Heavenly Secret Star...]
[Yes. We must uncover his past movements.]
A bloody light rose in Bu Eun-seol's pupils as he gazed at the distant sky.
If he couldn't save Baek Mu-seong immediately...
Then he would trace his past movements and crush those lurking in the shadows first.