Chapter 1076
Sado, who had been staring at the distant sky, left the funeral home with hardened eyes.
Then, he activated his movement technique and swiftly departed from Hwangju Province.
'To think this is now my body...'
His once paper-thin, pallid skin had transformed into a healthy bronze, glowing with vitality.
His shoulders had become as broad and unyielding as Mount Tai, while his waist, though slender, was now as solid as a log.
The dantian that had once been empty now housed an energy akin to the sun.
At his will, it surged forth like a waterfall, radiating immense true qi.
Even his Beast Path senses had heightened to the extreme—he could now hear the sound of a leaf falling from two hundred jang away.
'If this is the case, then perhaps the Extreme Heaven Spirit Water is no longer necessary.'
In preparation for the day his body would recover, he had secured the legendary spirit beast elixir—the Extreme Heaven Spirit Water—capable of purging all impurities from his body and replenishing his depleted internal energy.
Drinking it would have made his body even more formidable... but now, having already surpassed the limits of the human physique, it might have no effect at all.
'It feels wasteful to consume it, yet a shame to leave it unused.'
But as Sado continued running—
"Kgh—"
He suddenly clutched his head.
Black smoke abruptly spilled from his lips, and an endless tide of killing intent surged through his mind.
For his spirit and mind to have been completely dominated meant that someone had pierced a hole in them from the outside.
Though they had been forcibly mended for now—
It wouldn't be long before cracks formed, collapsing the very foundation of his once-unshakable spirit and mind.
In the end, he was fated to become a bloodthirsty demon, repeating the cycle of slaughter once more.
"I cannot allow that."
Huuu...
Taking a deep breath, Sado invoked the Clear Mind Secret of Langya Pavilion to steady his heart.
—If you have sinned, you must live bearing the weight of agony and suffering, repaying your debt until the very end.
Unconsciously, the words the divine being had spoken echoed in his mind. His fists clenched tightly.
"I must atone... and only then may I die."
Having resolved himself, he did not return to Langya Pavilion. Instead, he headed to Mokga Village.
And there, he began rebuilding it from the ground up.
When hunger struck, he would venture into the forest to gather pine needles or seeds to eat before returning to his labor.
The surviving villagers of Mokga could not fathom why this martial artist had suddenly appeared to reconstruct their homes.
—Could he have some connection to the one who massacred this place?
But the depth of despair in Sado's eyes was so profound that none dared to ask.
A day, a month... a year passed.
Seasons changed, years rolled by, yet he remained silently devoted to the reconstruction.
Since he never spoke a word, the villagers assumed he was mute.
Years later, having rebuilt the village, tended to the injured, and taught the children—
Before anyone realized it, Sado had become the village's teacher of letters.
Kuuung...
Then, an unexpected visitor arrived.
It was the Pavilion Lord of Langya Pavilion—the Human Demon, Ak Mu-ryeong.
"Pavilion Lord."
The moment Sado spotted him, he rushed forward and dropped to his knees.
Until now, he had deliberately severed all ties with Langya Pavilion, erasing his traces while living in Mokga Village.
Yet Ak Mu-ryeong had known exactly what Sado had been doing all this time.
Flicker!
Ak Mu-ryeong's piercing golden eyes scrutinized Sado's body.
"You've been forcibly holding back the collapse of your spirit and mind."
Among the current era's superlative martial experts, Ak Mu-ryeong stood unrivaled in the Mind Seizing Secret Art.
He instantly discerned that Sado's spirit and mind had already shattered—
And that he had spent years suppressing their collapse through sheer will.
Kuuung...
In an instant, a killing intent capable of splitting the heavens erupted from Ak Mu-ryeong's entire body.
A disciple of Langya Pavilion remained its disciple for life—and among them, there would be no killing ghost who slaughtered innocents.
Before Sado's spirit and mind fully crumbled, he intended to cleanly dispose of him himself.
"Pavilion Lord... please grant me one more year."
Sado knelt and pleaded desperately.
"I have yet to finish rebuilding the village... or completing my atonement."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He struck his forehead against the ground until blood flowed.
"I beg of you, Pavilion Lord."
A long silence followed.
Tap.
Suddenly, a tattered martial arts manual dropped before Sado's lowered gaze.
It was the Pure Heart Secret Art—a technique that allowed one to bury their body deep within the earth like the Earth Escape Art, absorbing the earth's energy to mend the fractures in their spirit and mind.
"With this, you should last another five years."
Ak Mu-ryeong spoke sternly.
"Sado Mu-myeong is finally holding that Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament he's been blathering about. Each faction must send at least one instructor. You will go."
"Me... as the instructor?"
Though puzzled, Sado could not refuse—not after receiving the mind-cleansing technique from Ak Mu-ryeong.
"I understand."
As Sa-u bowed his head in acknowledgment, Ak Mu-ryeong turned away and spoke in a low voice:
"By the time the village is fully rebuilt..."
"...I will personally take your life."
Having heard the entire story, Bu Eun-seol was stunned.
In the end, Pa-myeong, knowing he could never obtain the Chain of Reincarnation, sought immortality by completing True Demon's Soul Return Art.
But even more shocking was the identity of the dragon-like saviors who had rescued Sa-u.
'Father... saved Hall Master Sa.'
The man in blue who shattered Pa-myeong's Soul Return Art with a single sword stroke—
That had been his father, Baekri Mu-ha.
'...And Grandfather was the one who gave him the will to live.'
The one who saved Sa-u when he tried to take his own life was not a god—it was his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
The power of fate.
Meeting someone was like a flower blooming.
Because Baekri Mu-ha and Bu Jan-yang had pulled Sa-u from the abyss, Bu Eun-seol had been able to learn the Beast Path on Hell Island.
In other words, the reason he stood here now was because all those seed-like causes and conditions had converged... and borne fruit.
"After Hell Island, you immediately left the Martial World, didn't you, Pavilion Lord?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Peaceful Burial House in Hwangju-bu... was run by my grandfather, the man once called the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
Sa-u's eyes widened.
Aside from serving as an instructor at Hell Island, he had never once concerned himself with the affairs of the Martial World.
He had devoted himself solely to rebuilding Mokga Village.
But to think that the very place where he had awakened—Peaceful Burial House—was where the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, had lived in seclusion?
"Then the one who saved me was...?"
Sa-u clutched his forehead, his expression dazed.
The divine voice that had commanded him to live—had it actually belonged to the man who once plunged the world into terror, the Peerless Saber Master?
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang?
"...I didn't know."
Sa-u spoke in a low voice.
"As you said, I only briefly served as an instructor at Hell Island before immediately coming here. I only heard in passing from the Deputy Pavilion Master, just before leaving, that you were the grandson of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
As if recalling that day, he shook his head.
"Hell Island was the optimal place to absorb the earth's energy. From the start, I had no intention of teaching anyone—only to refine the teachings bestowed upon me by the Pavilion Lord."
"I see."
Now it made sense why Sa-u had been buried in the ground back then—
And why he had been so irritated when Bu Eun-seol, the only one from Langya Pavilion to seek him out, had disturbed his training.
"Then... you never visited the main pavilion after that? Even though So-jeon..."
Sa-u cut him off with a desolate gaze.
"After the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament ended, I remained here, rebuilding the village and teaching the children. While waiting for the Pavilion Lord."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why So-jeon had longed to see Sa-u yet never came here.
The village was nearly rebuilt—which meant Sa-u would soon have to die by the Pavilion Lord's hand.
So-jeon couldn't bear to witness that.
"Is there truly no other way?"
Bu Eun-seol pleaded.
"The Martial World is full of miraculous arts. Among those I know, there is even someone capable of wielding ancient forbidden techniques."
Han Sang-ja was a genius on par with the Heavenly Mechanism Star. Perhaps he could find a way to save Sa-u.
"That's impossible."
Sa-u's voice was firm.
"Pa-myeong unleashed the Soul Return Art upon me, and as a result, my spirit and mind were fractured. Even your grandfather, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, could do nothing about it."
He took a deep breath.
"In the end, the void left by those fractures will turn me into a bloodthirsty Killing Ghost."
The emptiness carved into his spirit by the Soul Return Art—
Could only be filled with slaughter and destruction. Nothing else would sate the thirst or ease the pain.
"But you're clearly in control now."
At present, there were no visible signs of spiritual fractures in Sa-u—and even if they existed, they didn't seem severe.
"That's only how it appears. I've already reached my limit."
Sa-u's tone was resolute.
"Complacency in such matters is absolutely forbidden."
What if, clinging to hopeful assumptions and vague expectations, they wasted time—only to miss the critical moment?
An unstoppable Killing Ghost would emerge in the Martial World.
"More importantly, the Pavilion Lord would never permit such an attempt."
A man like the Human Demon, Ak Mu-ryeong, would never tolerate the slightest risk—
Of allowing a Langya Pavilion disciple to become a Killing Ghost and unleash carnage.
"But—"
"Enough."
Sa-u shook his head.
"If this Hall Master becomes a Killing Ghost, can you take responsibility?"
His voice was grave.
"Could you bear the weight of the greatest disgrace in Langya Pavilion's seven-hundred-year history?"
Bu Eun-seol had no answer.
What if Sa-u repeated the Blood Calamity of Mokga Village—and massacred innocent civilians again?
"Then who will bear the weight of that sin?"
"Pavilion Lord."
"It's alright."
Sa-u smiled faintly, his expression serene.
"I've lived my entire life straddling the boundary between life and death."
Countless nightmares had haunted him—visions of his own hands stained with the blood of innocent villagers.
Now that Mokga Village had been partially rebuilt, he could depart without regrets.
"At any rate, this is the entirety of the memories I possess."
Sa-u pointed to his temple with a finger.
"I don't know if any of it was useful to you."
Even after being exposed to the Soul Return Art...
The vessel never retains the caster's memories or knowledge.
But Sa-u had regained his senses through the Sword Form unleashed by Baekri Mu-ha.
And due to the miraculous effects of that mysterious technique...
Fragments of Pa-myeong's knowledge had seeped into his consciousness.
"According to the information I've gathered, the Chain of Reincarnation possessed by the True Demon was first passed down to my grandfather... and then later to Jeong Cheon-je."
Bu Eun-seol carefully continued.
"And now, Jeong Cheon-je has lost his mind and is wandering in search of the Baekri Clan Secret Vault."
After steadying his breath, he spoke again.
"By any chance... do you know anything about that?"
Sa-u remained silent for a long moment before slowly shaking his head.
"I have no such knowledge."
After a long pause, he turned his gaze away.
"Pa-myeong completely abandoned the Chain of Reincarnation. It was never something a human could possess to begin with, but..."
His eyes drifted toward the distant sky.
"He said it was because the Chain had already fulfilled its purpose."
Bu Eun-seol's expression momentarily blanked.
Did that mean the Chain's influence had already manifested in reality?
"Then... has someone become the True Demon's successor—or vessel?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice trembled without his realizing.
"Is that why a new link in the cycle has formed?"
"Who knows."
Sa-u shook his head.
"Perhaps it's not succession... but extinction."
His gaze fixed firmly on Bu Eun-seol.
"With no Chain of Reincarnation left, he may be clinging to the Soul Return Art in desperation."
"I see."
Though he hadn't uncovered Jeong Cheon-je's secrets, he had achieved some of what he came for.
Most of all, he felt a quiet pride—knowing that the connection between his grandfather and father had reached him through Sa-u as its fruit.
"This conversation ends here."
Breaking the silence,
Sa-u offered a dry smile and his final farewell.
"May you achieve what you seek."
Martial artists never knew when or where death might find them, so they often left behind a legacy.
For Bu Eun-seol, the Beast Path he had taught would continue to protect his body in his stead.
This way, Sa-u could face both the underworld and the Founders' Hall of Langya Pavilion with dignity.
"Now, go."
Sa-u's voice was firm.
"The Pavilion Lord will arrive soon."
"Pavilion Lord."
"As a disciple of this sect... I wish to end this with honor."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Sa-u, whose consciousness had been stolen by Pa-myeong, had lived through endless suffering.
Now that he had rebuilt Mokga Village in his own way, he sought to complete his atonement through death.
How could Bu Eun-seol dare interfere with that?
"Understood."
Suppressing the ache in his chest, Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply to Sa-u.
Watching him, Sa-u smiled faintly.
The gaunt boy who had once been filled with nothing but vengeance and the will to survive...
Had now grown into a grandmaster revered by a million Demonic Path practitioners.
There were no regrets left.
"Go now."
Unable to bear looking at Sa-u's face any longer,
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head, turned away, and slowly left the village.
"...Hah."
Watching his retreating figure, Sa-u lifted his gaze to the distant sky.
Soon, Ak Mu-ryeong would arrive.
The sunset had already begun staining the mountain ridges crimson.
Sa-u climbed the hill overlooking the village.
Suddenly, the bloody specter of that day flashed before his eyes—
Burning houses, people screaming in terror, and his own self, laughing as he reveled in destruction.
That horrific memory was branded into his soul like an indelible scar.
—Hahaha.
A laugh echoed from somewhere, snapping him out of his thoughts.
No more bloodshed, no more screams.
Beneath the trees, children played noisily, and a man carrying freshly baked charcoal on his back hummed a tune as he headed home.
The warm chatter by the well rippled gently through the valley.
A scene of perfect peace, as if everything was as it should be.
Then, one of the children playing at the foot of the hill spotted him and waved cheerfully.
No wariness, no fear.
To them, he was just the mute village teacher.
Sa-u couldn't bring himself to wave back.
Instead, something hot streamed silently down his expressionless face.
Those were tears of remorse—yet also, in some small measure, tears of salvation.
Having returned to the thatched cottage, Sa-u purified himself with ritual bathing before donning once more the martial robes he had worn before coming here.
As a disciple of Langya Pavilion.
He had completed his preparations to meet his final moments with dignity.
Bu Eun-seol was swiftly departing Stone Ridge Mountain using his movement technique.
A crushing sense of helplessness tightened around his throat like a noose.
He was no god.
He could not prevent another's death, nor perfectly protect those he loved.
Though he knew this well,
he could not shake the torment in his heart.
'Pavilion Lord Sa... is no different from Grandfather in the end.'
Like Grandfather,
Sa-u had endured a life steeped in long and profound regret and sorrow.
And now, even in his final moments, he sought to conclude things calmly, on his own terms.
Eun-seol wanted to help.
By any means necessary, he wanted to stop this outcome.
'The Soul Return Art...'
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
'In the end, isn't the True Demon's Secret Arts also a manipulation of Soul-Demon Magic Energy?'
Though Pa-myeong had rebelled against the True Demon,
the power and techniques he wielded were still the True Demon's.
If so, could the Ink Soul First Form left behind by his father mend the fractures in one's spirit and mind?
'The reason the bodies of the Yi Neung-so and the Saint exploded was because their flesh was eroded by Soul-Demon Magic Energy.'
When those corrupted by Soul-Demon Magic Energy lose their power, the backlash causes their bodies to collapse.
But Pavilion Lord Sa had already had the chains of Soul-Demon Magic Energy severed by his father, and the fractures in his spirit had been partially restored by Grandfather.
If so, perhaps by unleashing the Ink Soul First Form once more—through that sword technique steeped in life energy—
the cracks in his spirit could be sealed.
'The odds are slim.'
Though the Ink Soul First Form contained life energy, there was no guarantee it could repair spiritual collapse.
No—the likelihood was vanishingly small.
'Let's combine it with the Pavilion Lord's Phantom Restoration.'
Perhaps, together, they could rebuild the fractures in his spirit shattered by the Soul Return Art.
Even if the chance was minuscule—
Bu Eun-seol would never give up.
Whoosh.
Having made his decision, Eun-seol immediately turned back.
But Sa-u was no longer at the study.
Sensing something, Eun-seol headed straight for the bamboo forest near the village.
There, he saw Sa-u kneeling on the ground, clad in white robes.
"Why have you returned?"
Sa-u regarded him with solemnity.
"The Pavilion Lord will come. Leave quickly."
"I won't."
"What?"
"There might still be a way to seal those fractures."
Eun-seol spoke rapidly.
"My father perfected a mysterious sword technique."
"A sword technique?"
"Yes. Because it wields the energy of life itself... it may be able to heal the fractures in your mind."
Sa-u frowned.
Sword techniques existed to kill enemies. A sword that could manipulate life energy?
Even he—second only to Ak Mu-ryeong in martial knowledge within Langya Pavilion—
had never heard of such a concept.
"My father."
Eun-seol finally spoke of what he had kept silent about all this time—
the truth about his father, Baekri Mu-ha.
"The swordsman in blue robes you once saw..."
He took a deep breath.
"He was one of the greatest mystics of the Martial World... and a descendant of the Baekri Clan."
Sa-u had some knowledge of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
But he knew nothing of Eun-seol's origins.
After all, Sa-u had been forcibly dragged into the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament and had remained in Mokga Village ever since.
"What do you intend to do?"
"I will execute the First Form of the sword technique."
Eun-seol drew the Ink Soul Sword.
"Do not suppress the fractures in your spirit. Open them—release your killing intent."
The Ink Soul First Form would not take hold if Sa-u remained stable.
Better to let the fractures in his spirit fully manifest—
to unleash the killing intent and bloodlust he had forcibly restrained all this time—
and then erase them with the Ink Soul First Form.
"I refuse."
Understanding Eun-seol's plan, Sa-u shook his head.
"And if it goes wrong? You would commit an unforgivable sin."
What if the worst happened?
He could become the Killing Ghost—a slaughterer beyond control.
He could not risk innocent lives on such a slim chance.
He would not stain Langya Pavilion's history with such a disgrace.
"I will take responsibility."
"What?"
Instead of answering, Eun-seol gathered his internal power.
Crack—!
Stones and trees around them suddenly levitated before forming a circular barrier spanning thirty zhang.
He had activated the Life-and-Death Combat Formation.
"If the sword technique fails... and you become the Killing Ghost, I'll make sure to put you down."
Szzzt—!
As Eun-seol channeled the Heavenly Light Endless Art, a radiant glow erupted from his body.
For an instant, it felt as though the flow of the world itself had reversed.
The wind stilled. Even the faintest tremors in the air ceased.
The scattered life energy of heaven and earth—those faint, fragile breaths—all converged at once,
sucked into the Ink Soul Sword.
In that moment, soft points of warm light enveloped Eun-seol's body.
His skin turned translucent as jade, and his eyes flashed with an iridescent mix of emerald and gold.
Ink Soul First Form.
As he prepared to unleash this sword technique of life energy, the space suffused by his sword aura began to shimmer with dazzling light.