Chapter 1087
At that moment, Seo Jin-ha sent a voice transmission.
[That thing instantly analyzes and mimics martial arts just like a disciple of Langya Pavilion. Don't drag this out—eliminate it now.]
Bu Eun-seol, who had been staring coldly at the Invulnerable Guest,
Shhhhk.
drew the Ink Soul Sword.
Kreeee!
A black sword aura surged forth with a mournful wail. The Bloody Tears Seven Forms had been unleashed.
Fwoooosh!
This Beyond-Heaven Saber Studies, which delivered death to all things,
was impossible to replicate without mastering the Mind-Training Formula—no matter how much one knew of its techniques.
Dodging it might be one thing, but once struck, there was absolutely no hope of survival.
As the saber force of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms poured down from an unavoidable angle,
Thwack!
the Invulnerable Guest crossed its arms and hunched its body.
Ssssss!
Black flames burst from its forearms where the saber force struck, and its massive frame was sent flying back over a hundred feet.
Even the saber force of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms had failed to sever those arms.
Crackle, crackle.
But the aftermath was still considerable.
The Invulnerable Guest's forearms burned crimson, and pale smoke rose from them.
'No matter.'
The terror of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms lay not in its razor-sharp edge, but in the saber force that brought an end to all living things.
Once struck, whether its arms were severed or not, death was inevitable.
Yet the unexpected happened.
BOOM!
The Invulnerable Guest, still hunched over,
shot forward like a cannonball, closing the distance in an instant as it unleashed a terrifying fist technique straight at Bu Eun-seol's face.
This single strike was not only blindingly fast but also exploited an opening, leaving no room to evade.
"......."
But Bu Eun-seol's eyes only grew colder, sinking into an abyss of stillness.
Swish!
Drawing a circle with the Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol simultaneously employed the principles of Neither Above Nor Below, the Move Heaven Exchange Force, and the Deflect Flowers and Receive Jade—
deflecting the overwhelming fist force at an angle.
KWAOOO!
As the storm-like fist force swept past, the uneven ground was flattened in an instant.
It was a terrifying power that could rival the Fist Demon Seven Forms.
'The Bloody Tears Seven Forms didn't work...'
It wasn't particularly surprising that the Invulnerable Guest possessed forearms as hard as the Heavenly Dipper Body.
But the fact that the Bloody Tears Seven Forms had no effect—
meant that thing wasn't truly alive, didn't it?
Of course, if one used Burial Arts or the Art of Concealment,
they could manipulate the dead or create Soulless Ones with bizarre abilities.
But while such beings might possess durable bodies, they could never exhibit true martial prowess.
Thought.
A being without life could not think, and without thought, it was impossible to execute Advanced Martial Arts.
'Interesting.'
Instead, Bu Eun-seol curled his lips into a smile brimming with killing intent.
The stronger the enemy, the stronger he himself could become.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Meanwhile, the Invulnerable Guest charged again, unleashing another fist technique.
KRUUUNG!
With a thunderous roar, circular fist auras surrounded Bu Eun-seol as if to trap him.
It was a masterful move designed to seal off any counterattack.
'A monster without even life—how can it execute the martial arts of the strongest in the martial world?'
Advanced Martial Arts were not mere techniques.
They contained secrets that had to be applied appropriately according to timing and circumstance,
and required exceptional insight and wisdom to wield properly.
Yet this thing, this Soulless One—
could grasp and replicate the mysteries of Advanced Martial Arts? Such a thing had never been recorded in the history of the martial world.
KRUUUNG! FWOOOSH!
The Invulnerable Guest continued its relentless assault.
'This is...'
A barrage of attacks that seemed to condense the essence of martial arts from every major sect in the world.
A body as if forged from twisted steel and an otherworldly regenerative ability.
Movements that tenaciously analyzed and countered the opponent's techniques.
All of it felt as though it had been copied directly from the very person Bu Eun-seol deeply revered.
'The Pavilion Lord...'
That thing must have been modeled after the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong.
'But.'
No matter how many elite masters gathered under Chu-so's command,
it was impossible for them to collect and study the martial arts of a Superlative Martial Expert like the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong, a man who dominates the world.
'Then.'
Bu Eun-seol finally understood.
'Over many years, they must have extracted every trace left behind by all the masters of Langya Pavilion.'
Chu-so must have scoured the martial world for every remnant of martial arts left by Langya Pavilion's past masters,
collected them, analyzed them, and perfected their ultimate techniques.
The completed form of Langya Pavilion's martial arts—
was none other than the Pavilion Lord, the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong himself.
'They've been executing this Grand Design for a long time.'
Tracking down the remnants of martial arts left in the world and researching their ultimate techniques—
would require decades of time and astronomical resources.
In other words, Chu-so had planned this since childhood and finally succeeded in creating such an abomination.
KRUUUNG! BOOM!
Even lost in deep thought, Bu Eun-seol blocked the Invulnerable Guest's attacks and immediately countered.
But it was useless.
With arms harder than even Vajra Indestructibility, the Invulnerable Guest blocked every attack.
'A young Pavilion Lord with unbreakable arms, is it?'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed with excitement.
In the end, the man before him—the Bamboo Hat Man—was none other than the young Ak Mu-ryeong himself.
The one who had once roamed the Martial World alone, felling superlative martial experts with his bare hands, freezing the hearts of heroes across the land.
Shhk!
Bu Eun-seol stepped back and sheathed Ink Soul Sword.
"You use fist techniques."
In that instant, a crimson killing intent rose like a heat haze from his pupils.
"Then let's settle this with fists alone."
Fist Demon Seven Forms.
The pinnacle of transcendent fist arts, once lost in the annals of Langya Pavilion's history, was about to be unleashed without restraint.
KWA—AAANG!
A deafening roar split the air as the ground beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet cracked like a spider's web.
The Invulnerable Guest moved at blinding speed, unleashing a fist pressure so immense it felt as though he had ripped a mountain from its roots and hurled it forward.
It was a killing strike—one that could neither be seen nor heard.
KOOOONG!
Bu Eun-seol did not dodge. He raised his arms and blocked.
Zzzzing—
A jolt of bone-shaking agony surged through his body.
Yet the assault did not relent.
The Invulnerable Guest's palm split the air, releasing razor-sharp blades of vacuum. His heel transformed into a siege hammer, aiming for Bu Eun-seol's lower body.
Every single motion was a lethal strike, capable of ending a life in an instant.
Against this onslaught, Bu Eun-seol stood firm—an unyielding rock against a towering wave—deflecting and redirecting each attack with precision.
If the Invulnerable Guest's assault was a storm,
Bu Eun-seol's defense flowed like water—fluid and unbroken.
Then—
A flash ignited in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he seized an opening.
GOOOO—!
He thrust a fist forward, and a dark crimson killing intent began condensing at its tip.
At the same time, the maw of a hellish demon seemed to open behind him, unleashing a swirling tide of blood-red flame that threatened to devour everything in its path.
Heavenly Hand Empty Wave—the fourth form of the Fist Demon Seven Forms, a technique that concentrated its full destructive power into a single strike.
FWOOOSH—!
The Invulnerable Guest dropped into a stance and extended his palm, releasing an inky-black shockwave.
It was Black Sand Shadow Rain—a long-lost pinnacle fist technique of Langya Pavilion.
When the two supreme martial arts collided in midair—
UUURRRR—!
The earth trembled violently for dozens of li, reducing boulders to dust.
Whoooosh—
As the dust settled, Bu Eun-seol stood tall, one hand resting behind his back.
The Invulnerable Guest remained poised as well, his aura still radiating immense power.
"Impressive."
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to acknowledge it.
This monstrosity had mastered the essence of Langya Pavilion's Practical Combat Martial Arts—and his skill was on par with his own.
Moreover, he still hadn't found a way to break those unbreakable arms.
"Then I'll give you my all."
A blue light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's right eye as his body levitated into the air.
His fist spun violently, unleashing dozens of fist phantoms.
Extreme Lightning Confusion—the third form of the Fist Demon Seven Forms—unfolded.
KWA—UUU!
A whirlwind of fist force descended from the sky like a crimson-black dragon flipping the earth with its tail.
Shhk—!
The Invulnerable Guest leaped upward, as if intending to drag the dragon back to the ground, and struck down with a merciless blow.
RUMBLE—GONG!
The point of impact left a crater like that of a volcanic eruption, leaving both combatants battered and bleeding.
Defense was meaningless now.
The current Bu Eun-seol.
The past Ak Mu-ryeong.
Two masters who had grasped the essence of Langya Pavilion's martial arts clashed head-on, reshaping the very terrain around them.
Bu Eun-seol, having perfected the Fist Demon Seven Forms, unleashed annihilating fist arts with destructive power beyond comparison.
The Invulnerable Guest, while absorbing the Principles of Martial Arts from his opponent, demonstrated the essence of Practical Combat Martial Arts—capable of severing an enemy's breath in the same motion.
BOOM! KRA-BOOM! CRACK!
The air distorted, and the earth wailed.
Under the condensed power of these two masters,
the sky lost its color, and the ground split open like a blackened maw.
As the battle reached its climax, a smile curled at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
An overwhelming exhilaration surged through him—as if he had finally met the rival of a lifetime.
'The Pavilion Lord in his youth...'
Bu Eun-seol crouched low.
The crimson killing intent that had shrouded his body vanished in an instant—absorbed completely within him.
'I will surpass you!'
KWAAANG—!
He detonated the killing intent condensed through Extreme Lightning Confusion.
Five explosive waves of force cascaded toward the Invulnerable Guest.
Thud!
As if confident he could dismantle the fist technique, the Invulnerable Guest instead launched himself into the torrent of power.
After all, though devastating, it was merely a straightforward surge of raw force.
But that was a fatal miscalculation.
'Now.'
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had employed techniques that concentrated all his power into a single explosive strike.
And in the fleeting instant after that strike—
Like the eye of a storm, there existed a microscopic void where all force momentarily dissipated.
The Invulnerable Guest had exploited that gap to shatter Bu Eun-seol's fist technique.
But this time was different.
Thunk!
For an instant, the Invulnerable Guest's body swayed like a leaf tossed upon a raging tide.
Because the Forgetting Self and Shattering Together technique, which seemed like nothing more than a simple, overwhelming strike, contained every variation Bu Eun-seol had refined through the Fist Demon Seven Forms.
Crack!
Though the Invulnerable Guest's body had only wavered for a split second, Bu Eun-seol did not let the opening slip away.
Like a starving lion pouncing on prey, he lunged forward with lightning speed, driving into the Invulnerable Guest's flank.
The Invulnerable Guest tried to retreat hastily—
But Bu Eun-seol clung to him ferociously, like a crimson dragon coiling around its prey and tearing into it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His fists rained down in relentless arcs, hundreds of fist shadows lashing out like a torrential storm against the Invulnerable Guest.
Unable to withstand the tempest of blows, the Invulnerable Guest crossed his arms once more.
Once again, relying on his indestructible forearms.
As if to endure even Bu Eun-seol's fist technique, capable of splitting mountains.
"Haaahp!"
But that was yet another mistake.
The seventh form of the Fist Demon Seven Forms—
Discard the Old and Spread the New—
A colossal surge of power crashed down upon the Invulnerable Guest without mercy.
"......"
For an instant, all sound vanished from the world, and the sky turned entirely crimson.
When the red light faded from the clearing, two figures stood motionless.
Unlike Bu Eun-seol, who remained unscathed—
The Invulnerable Guest's robes were torn, his bamboo hat gone, and thick blood oozed unceasingly from his mouth.
Bu Eun-seol's Fist Demon Seven Forms—
Had overpowered the Invulnerable Guest's martial arts.
'I've caught up, then.'
Bu Eun-seol allowed a satisfied smile to curl his lips.
With just two fists—
He had felled a being who could be called the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong in his youth.
Thud.
But then—
The Invulnerable Guest, who had been hunched over all this time—
Whoosh.
Stretched out his arms, as if declaring his victory instead.
Even the Fist Demon Seven Forms, capable of dominating the world, had failed to break those two arms.
His martial arts had been defeated—
But the Invulnerable Guest himself had not lost.
"Right. The Pavilion Lord didn't have arms like that."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slowly.
"Heavenly Mechanism Star must have accounted for that weakness when forging these invincible arms."
Thud. Thud.
The Invulnerable Guest advanced toward Bu Eun-seol, step by step.
As if to say—
Your fist techniques are useless against me.
Whoosh.
Then—
Bu Eun-seol abruptly extended his left hand.
Twist.
Something astonishing happened.
The Invulnerable Guest, who had withstood every attack without injury, began to stagger.
"Huh?"
Seo Jin-ha and the Peak Realm Members, who had been watching the battle with bated breath, tilted their heads in confusion.
He had merely reached out his hand—
So why was the Invulnerable Guest, with those invincible arms, writhing in agony?
Hiss—
The answer soon became clear.
White smoke billowed from the Invulnerable Guest's entire body, and the fabric around his forearms began to melt away.
Saint Among Poisons.
Though he had mastered the intricacies of Langya Pavilion's martial arts to perfection—
Though he possessed two indestructible arms capable of blocking anything—
He had no means to withstand the poison of the Saint Among Poisons.
The terror of the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong—
Was not merely due to his mastery of all martial arts under heaven.
Nor was it solely because he had perfected the Soul-Controlling Secret Art, Phantom Restoration.
It was the speed at which his martial prowess grew—
A rate of progression that defied comprehension, an unfathomable expansion of power.
"The Pavilion Lord of that time wouldn't have been able to fully resist the poison of the Saint Among Poisons either."
As he clashed fist techniques—
Bu Eun-seol had discerned that the Invulnerable Guest's skill was frozen precisely at the level of Ak Mu-ryeong's martial arts in his youth.
And so, with each exchange of blows, he had injected various poisons.
Finally, by leveraging the power of the Ancient Sword Forest, he had analyzed the Invulnerable Guest's physical traits—
And concocted a poison capable of corroding even those forearms, as hard as the Heavenly Dipper Body.
Hummmmm.
A faint radiance emanated from Bu Eun-seol's body as it expelled toxic energy.
Thud. Thud.
Despite his forearms melting away, the Invulnerable Guest continued advancing, step by step, unfazed.
'Not a mindless Soulless One... but someone whose emotions were forcibly erased through a special Great Art.'
To die fighting against the strong would have left no regrets.
The Invulnerable Guest, modeled after Ak Mu-ryeong, had even inherited his temperament and disposition.
Unable to accept kneeling before the power of the Saint Among Poisons—an authority akin to invincibility—it had approached, seething with resentment.
Thud.
Before anyone realized, the Invulnerable Guest had halted its steps.
As if all its strength had been concentrated in those two unyielding arms, the moment its forearms melted away like soft wax, the power in its entire body drained away with them.
"If one can nurture a warrior who has mastered the ultimate technique of Langya Pavilion Martial Arts..."
Bu Eun-seol muttered under his breath as he observed the Invulnerable Guest.
"...then it won't be long before we can create warriors who reach the level of the Saint Among Poisons."
Chu-so had succeeded in forging a warrior who embodied the pinnacle of Langya Pavilion Martial Arts.
If that was possible, then raising warriors who could ascend to the same realm as the Saint Among Poisons should also be within reach.
"It was wise to include poison research in the Grand Design."
Though he himself had attained the realm of the Saint Among Poisons, his subordinates had not.
Anticipating the emergence of terrifying Poison People in the near future,
Bu Eun-seol had tasked Gyo Jung-hak, Lord of the Medicine King Faction,
with developing an antidote capable of neutralizing any form of Extreme Poison.
—To succeed, we'll need every type of poison scattered across the land.
An impossible task, really.
At Gyo Jung-hak's words, Bu Eun-seol had presented him with over a hundred pre-prepared poisons.
—If that's not enough, just say the word. I'll procure any poison you require.
Gyo Jung-hak's mouth had fallen open.
Only then did he realize that Bu Eun-seol had not only reached the legendary realm of the Saint Among Poisons—but surpassed it.
—Day and night, you labor and agonize for the safety of your subordinates.
The position of Medicine King Faction Lord was both busy and highly esteemed.
Strictly speaking, he had no obligation to obey Bu Eun-seol's orders.
But Gyo Jung-hak, who had favored him since his days as the Ten Demonic Heir, had gladly accepted the request.
Thud.
In the end, the Invulnerable Guest collapsed face-first into the ground, breathing its last.
The Peak Realm Members watching the scene unconsciously swallowed dryly.
They had already known Bu Eun-seol had reached the Saint Among Poisons' realm, but this was the first time they had witnessed him exuding poison energy firsthand.
Seeing the Invulnerable Guest—who had displayed near-invincible might—reduced to a puddle of blood,
they were struck anew by the sheer terror of the power the Saint Among Poisons wielded.
"She escaped."
At that moment, Seo Jin-ha hurried over, urgency in his voice.
"The moment the Bamboo Hat Man fell, she emerged from the dark space and vanished in an instant."
Having witnessed the Invulnerable Guest's death, Naria realized everything had fallen apart and withdrew her Absolute Boundary before fleeing.
"It's fine."
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"She won't last much longer before collapsing."
Seo Jin-ha's eyes widened in realization.
"Don't tell me... you poisoned her too?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Naria had not only allied with Chu-so to swiftly track Seo Jin-ha and the Peak Realm Members' movements—
she had also completely wiped out the nearby intelligence networks.
In short, she was someone who knew the location of Chu-so's base—a person they absolutely could not afford to lose.
From the moment she appeared, Bu Eun-seol had covertly administered a poison whose symptoms were utterly undetectable—
so he would never lose track of her whereabouts.
"It seems our inadequacies have endangered the Lord and the Great Leader."
As Tae Mu-ryong approached with these words, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Not at all. If anything, I was too complacent."
He continued,
"The Demon Path has the Death Soul Squad, the Orthodox Factions have the Peak Realm Members, and there's even the Martial Soul Society, a faction Between the Orthodox and Unorthodox... I assumed simply consolidating our intelligence networks would suffice."
His expression darkened as he looked at Seo Jin-ha and the Peak Realm Members.
"To prevent this from ever happening again, we will restructure the system once more."
Even if their organizational framework and the identities of their operatives and informants were exposed to others,
the fact that they had been wiped out so thoroughly proved there were still fatal flaws in their system.
"What do you mean?"
At Tae Mu-ryong's question, Bu Eun-seol explained the ideas he had been contemplating.
"From now on, we will not rely on a single branch or intelligence network. We will conceal not only the identities of our operatives but also establish a system where their identities can be perfectly distinguished."
Until now, they had maintained secrecy externally through minimal contact and extreme caution to preserve security.
But going forward, even if the entire intelligence framework were exposed,
the system would ensure no impact reached the operatives—
with information encrypted through multiple layers and all traces meticulously erased.
"And bear with me a little longer."
Bu Eun-seol addressed the members.
"Soon, we will leave the Azure Heaven Alliance and establish our own independent Peak Realm Unit."
"No need."
The members spoke up.
"Serving under the Lord and the Great Leader is enough for us."
In the past, they might have felt some dissatisfaction, but not anymore.
With Seo Jin-ha—who solidified their bond with Bu Eun-seol—by their side, they felt a sense of belonging, like family, no matter where they were.
Rumble—
Just then, hundreds of martial artists began rushing toward them.
They were the forces who had responded to Bu Eun-seol's emergency signal.
With reinforcements arriving to safeguard the Peak Realm Members,
"Return with the members."
Leaving those words for Seo Jin-ha, Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed his Lightness Art.
Chu-so.
To track down that vile man's whereabouts, he would capture Naria—alive.