Chapter 1119
Bu Eun-seol, who had received fragments of Saha Manor's memories from Baekri Geom-ha, faced an emotion resonating deep within his chest for the first time in his life.
Until now, he had believed all his happy memories were solely the times spent with his grandfather—that the rest of his life had been a relentless series of hardships and suffering.
Especially now, when he couldn't even avenge his grandfather.
He had thought his mind was filled only with inescapable grief and sorrow.
But he was wrong.
Even before meeting his grandfather, his life had been brimming with happiness.
'There are still so many memories I must recover.'
There was nothing—nothing—he needed to lose.
Whoooosh—
A mysterious wind surged through Bu Eun-seol's entire being, as if reclaiming the very meaning of his existence.
[Only this once.]
Then, Baekri Geom-ha's voice echoed from the depths of his spirit's abyss.
[Using my Insight freely...]
He had willingly lowered the position of his own consciousness, allowing Bu Eun-seol to wield the Imperial Step without restraint.
Flash!
When Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes in reality again, a golden radiance swirled violently within his pupils.
At the same time, he took half a step forward.
The demonic energy enveloping his body—no, the primordial demonic power that had saturated the entirety of Moon-Gazing Island—began to rebound.
"How...?"
The Pale-Handed Demon Empress widened her eyes, her voice trembling.
This was the original authority—the demonic power that could utterly shatter the memories of all martial artists.
The very force that saturated Moon-Gazing Island.
How could a single person overcome it?
"No matter how high one's martial prowess ascends... this should be impossible."
Even if one erected an indestructible barrier of spirit and mind like diamond, the primordial force could never be blocked.
Yet how had he repelled it and regained his senses?
'The Imperial Step was never a technique to repel martial arts.'
The Imperial Step was not merely a martial art.
It was the means to evade all forces existing in this world.
If one reached the same realm as his father, Baekri Mu-ha—the state of Harmony with Nature—then the moment the Imperial Step unfolded, no force could ever touch his body.
"In the end... you couldn't discard the nature of demons."
Bu Eun-seol looked down at the Pale-Handed Demon Empress with a disappointed expression.
For a brief moment, he had genuinely believed.
That perhaps, born with the origin of the Demonic Path against her will...
She might have harmed others unwillingly.
But now, he finally understood.
If one did not possess a malicious nature to begin with—
One could never be born wielding the primordial power of the Demonic Path.
"Do you think repelling the primordial power means you've won?!"
The Pale-Handed Demon Empress shrieked in fury.
Beyond the power to erase memories, she still wielded the origin of the Demonic Path's palm techniques—the Blood Shadow Pale Hands.
Sssshhh—
Her hands, now bleached bone-white, swept through the air.
In an instant, eerie palm energy fluttered toward Bu Eun-seol like butterflies, enveloping his entire body.
Blood Shadow Bare Hand.
The origin of the Demonic Path's palm techniques—a martial art that could be unleashed even without arms.
Swish— Crackle—
True to its nature as the origin of demonic palm arts...
Before Bu Eun-seol could even react, thousands—tens of thousands of spectral palm shadows erupted outward.
Even if he unleashed Limitless Power, handling this overwhelming flood of palm energy would be near impossible.
Fwoom—
Then, Bu Eun-seol took a single, oblique half-step.
Whoooooosh—!
And just like that, the countless palm energies passed harmlessly by him.
"How?!"
The Pale-Handed Demon Empress's eyes widened as if they might tear.
The Blood Shadow Pale Hands was not only the most intricate and unpredictable palm technique in the world...
But the moment a single eerie palm energy was disturbed, all tens of thousands of them would detonate at once.
Moreover, the deck beneath them was forged from Mysterious Iron, and above, an impenetrable battle formation loomed.
Even if one shot into the sky or burrowed into the ground, evading the palm energy without dispelling it was impossible.
Yet he had completely avoided it... with nothing more than a half-step?
'I must express my gratitude.'
Bu Eun-seol murmured inwardly.
'Baekri Geom-ha.'
The Imperial Step was not merely a transcendent Secret Art that only those who fully commanded the essence of nature could wield.
Its complete formula was an esoteric martial art spanning over eight thousand characters.
Thus, even with fragments of Saha Manor's training memories, fully executing it had been impossible.
But now, because Baekri Geom-ha had voluntarily shared even his Insight from that time, Bu Eun-seol could finally unleash the Imperial Step in its entirety.
"May you be reborn as a good person in your next life."
Shhhhk—
As Bu Eun-seol drew Ink Soul Sword,
"W-Wait!"
The Pale-Handed Demon Empress screamed in desperation.
But Bu Eun-seol showed no mercy, unleashing the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
Whoooosh—!
The blade flashed toward her throat—
CLANG—!
A clear metallic sound rang out, shaking the entire ship.
"You—?"
Bu Eun-seol halted his movement.
What had blocked the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form was none other than...
A massive, hunched back.
The hunchbacked old man who had guided them through Moon-Gazing Ship had moved like lightning, intercepting the strike with his own spine.
"Spare her, I beg of you."
The old man's back was akin to Vajra Indestructibility.
Even after being struck by the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form, he showed no sign of pain, calmly turning his body.
"Killing her would bring chaos to the martial world."
Bu Eun-seol stared at the hunchbacked old man for a long moment before sighing.
Because he could guess his identity.
"One of the Ten Great Immortals?"
The hunchbacked old man nodded and said,
"They call me the Cloud-Dream Hermit."
"Cloud-Dream..."
Just the name alone was enough to intuit it.
If the Pale-Handed Demon Empress possessed the power to sever memories—
The Cloud-Dream Hermit was the one who protected people's memories through dreams.
The Seven Great Demon Ancestors and the Ten Great Immortals were bound to one another, after all.
"She has been cutting off the memories of martial artists, causing immense chaos."
"It will only last for a short while anyway."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit spoke in a low voice.
"If she dies, people will lose the gift of forgetfulness and be forced to live with all their painful memories intact."
His expression hardened.
"I have absolutely no intention of committing suicide, you see."
"......"
"Let her live. The chaos won't last long regardless."
"That's impossible."
"Is that so?"
The Cloud-Dream Hermit let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
"Then there's nothing to be done."
A pure white killing intent began to rise from his body.
As one of the Ten Great Immortals, he was now prepared to kill Bu Eun-seol to save the Pale-Handed Demon Empress.
'He isn't ensnared by the Soul-Controlling Secret Art—this is his genuine will.'
Bu Eun-seol sighed deeply.
He had already guessed why the Cloud-Dream Hermit was willing to stake his life for this.
The Cloud-Dream Hermit's eyes, as he gazed at the Pale-Handed Demon Empress, were filled with deep affection and love.
"So a wielder of the orthodox faction's primordial power would commit evil, unable to transcend the gates of love?"
"I have nothing to say in my defense."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit spread his arms.
"If you wish to kill her, you'll have to strike me down first."
"Step aside."
At that moment, the Pale-Handed Demon Empress intervened.
"I don't need your help."
"This is no time for stubbornness."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit spoke firmly.
"His skill is extraordinary. Even if we join forces, victory is far from certain."
Bu Eun-seol could only watch their exchange in disbelief.
A man who bore the title of one of the Ten Great Immortals had willingly reduced himself to a servant at the side of the demonic path—and now, he was joining forces with her to strike him down?
"Even the name 'Ten Great Immortals' is nothing but an empty shell."
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had witnessed the noble sacrifice of the Scarlet Flame Immortal and vowed never to kill one of the Ten Great Immortals.
But the Cloud-Dream Hermit before him now—
Was even more narrow-minded and petty than the Taoist of Emptiness, who had tried to stop him from killing the Golden Vajra Demon Ancestor to prevent his own death.
"You'll understand if you ever love someone deeply."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit spoke in a low voice.
"Even knowing it's foolish, you'll find yourself unable to act otherwise."
"Don't make excuses."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head, his gaze filled with contempt.
"It's nothing more than greed, base desire, and an inability to let go of life—all disguised under the noble name of love. Am I wrong?"
"Think what you will."
Zzzing—
As the Cloud-Dream Hermit gathered his internal power, Bu Eun-seol's mind went blank, and the strength in his body began to drain away.
Standing in opposition to the Pale-Handed Demon Empress, the Cloud-Dream Hermit was an immortal who protected human memories through dreams.
The power he wielded was inherently beneficial to humanity, making it extremely difficult to resist—much like the Tathagata True Qi used by Jeong Myeong, the secular disciple of the Buddhist Venerable who had attacked Bu Eun-seol earlier.
"Die!"
At that moment, the Pale-Handed Demon Empress conjured another pale hand-shadow.
She had finally begun a joint attack with the Cloud-Dream Hermit.
KWA-BOOM!
Their attacks came from both sides.
This was no mere martial technique of an ordinary master—it was a phenomenon akin to Limitless Power, something that could melt Bu Eun-seol's body in an instant.
Tap.
Bu Eun-seol, hands clasped behind his back, took a single unhurried step.
Half a step to the left, then half a step forward.
And just like that, the torrent of destructive force surged past him like a receding tide.
BANG!
A bizarre explosion erupted, forcing both the Pale-Handed Demon Empress and the Cloud-Dream Hermit to retreat a step.
He hadn't merely evaded the attacks of the two masters by deploying the Imperial Step—
He had manipulated the very flow of their power, forcing their attacks to collide with each other.
Drip.
A faint trickle of blood escaped the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
'The Imperial Step is the same as the Ink Soul First Form.'
All of his father's martial arts were founded upon perfect harmony with nature.
No matter how much of Baekri Geom-ha's insight he had inherited—
Without obtaining the perfect Natural Qi—the Four Gods' Qi—he could never fully manifest the Imperial Step.
And worse, it would gnaw away at his very life force.
Shiver.
Unaware of this, the Pale-Handed Demon Empress trembled as she stared at Bu Eun-seol.
The martial world did indeed have profound principles like the Deflect Flowers and Receive Jade technique, which manipulated the flow of force.
But for Bu Eun-seol to make two superlative martial experts, whose power had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, clash against each other—
Without so much as lifting a finger—
It was nothing short of absurd.
"The Imperial Step?"
The Cloud-Dream Hermit's eyes widened in recognition.
"How can the Heir of the Demon Hall wield the martial arts of the First Beauty of the Martial World?"
Shockingly, he had recognized the Imperial Step—the technique of Baekri Mu-ha.
And then he uttered something even more startling.
"Don't tell me—you're the Lord of the Three Realms?"
"The Lord of the Three Realms?"
"Wasn't he the only one capable of manifesting the First Beauty's Imperial Step?"
Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened in incomprehension.
He had long known that his father had once sought to end the conflicts of the martial world by becoming the successor of the Three Realms.
But the Three Realms had betrayed the Baekri Clan, and the three realms themselves remained divided, each upholding different banners while locked in endless strife.
Yet now, there was a separate figure known as the Lord of the Three Realms—one who could wield the Imperial Step?
What in the world did that mean?
"Are you saying there's a separate Lord who unified the Three Realms?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
The Cloud-Dream Hermit replied.
"Otherwise, how could that den of madmen possibly maintain its form?"
"If there truly is a leader, then how could the Three Realms not only remain divided against each other, but even scatter like this—aligning themselves with factions like the Same Heart Society?"
"Well, that much this old man doesn't know."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit rolled his small eyes repeatedly.
"But I do know a little about the Three Realms. If I share that information, will you spare her life?"
Bu Eun-seol nearly burst into laughter at the absurdity.
The Cloud-Dream Hermit was straining every nerve to save the Pale-Handed Demon Empress.
"Even if the heavens collapsed, there is no way she can live."
Not only was the Pale-Handed Demon Empress wicked in nature, but her cunning and schemes were extraordinary.
She had laid unexpected traps within traps, luring Bu Eun-seol in seamlessly.
Had it not been for Baekri Geom-ha's help—
He would have either become a sacrifice for her resurrection or lost all his memories and turned into a mindless fool.
"Is that so? Then there's nothing to be done."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit muttered in resignation, his expression one of utter defeat.
Since Bu Eun-seol had learned the Imperial Step,
he knew full well that no attack could penetrate it.
"Yeon-mae. All my life, I wished to serve as your attendant and protect you. Yet in the end, this is how it must be."
The Cloud-Dream Hermit spoke while gazing at the Pale-Handed Demon Empress.
"Though we were never fated to be together, I am content to die with you on this very day."
His lifelong obsession with her had been, at its core, genuine devotion.
"I too..."
Only in the face of death
did the Pale-Handed Demon Empress see the years the Cloud-Dream Hermit had poured his love into her flash before her eyes like a final vision.
"I'm sorry... for all of it."
From the very beginning, theirs had been a bond
forged across the impassable boundary between the Orthodox and Demonic Paths.
Yet the Cloud-Dream Hermit had loved her deeply,
and when that love went unrequited, he had been content simply to remain by her side.
He had willingly become her servant, preparing her meals and tending to her bedding.
At the time, she hadn't understood its worth.
Only now, at death's door, did she grasp even a fraction of that devotion and feel its gratitude.
Clack.
Seeing the two of them finally connecting emotionally before the threshold of death,
Bu Eun-seol shifted his stance—gripping the Ink Soul Sword in a reverse grip, leaning as far back as possible while stretching his left arm forward.
Nod.
The Cloud-Dream Hermit nodded at the Pale-Handed Demon Empress.
He recognized this as the final stance that would sever their lives and prepared himself for the last strike.
BOOM!
In that instant, a mysterious force surged from Bu Eun-seol's body like a whirlwind,
FWOOSH!
and a radiant light erupted.
It was a power so profound that not even the keenest observer could discern what Sword Stroke he had unleashed.
"HYAAH!"
At last, the two also poured forth their full martial might.
The Pale-Handed Demon Empress's Blood Shadow Pale Hands,
and the Cloud-Dream Hermit's secret art—the Essence Seizing Grasp—which expelled an enemy's life force to deliver a fatal blow.
Just as the two forces collided, something bizarre occurred.
Bu Eun-seol's Sword Form passed harmlessly through their bodies,
CRASH!
while their combined martial techniques struck him full-force.
KABOOM!
The impact was so tremendous
that the Mysterious Iron floor warped, and Bu Eun-seol's body was embedded a full foot deep into the ground.
Crack.
With great effort, he forced himself upright.
But a thin trail of blood trickled from his lips, and his gaze had dimmed.
Ink Soul First Form.
Seeing the Pale-Handed Demon Empress and the Cloud-Dream Hermit share a moment of repentance and affection in their final moments,
he had chosen not to kill them. Instead, he unleashed the Ink Soul First Form, infusing them with a surge of radiant life energy.
Hoping, perhaps, to sever the karmic burden they carried from their origins.
Evil.
In that instant, the hair at Bu Eun-seol's temples turned white.
Though he no longer aged due to the Internal Core within him,
he had expended his life force once more—using the Ink Soul First Form before fully mastering the Death God's power.
"Why go so far as to injure yourself to show us such mercy?"
The Cloud-Dream Hermit, one of the Ten Great Immortals and a master of the life-draining Essence Seizing Grasp,
had discerned that Bu Eun-seol had willingly sacrificed his own vitality to bestow upon them a beneficial energy.
"This Sword Form can shatter the cursed secret arts—the powers and afflictions embedded in the bodies of those from the wicked Demonic Path."
Bu Eun-seol wiped the blood from his lips as he spoke.
"I merely wished to test whether it could also erase the karmic imprints upon one's life."
After the Scarlet Flame Immortal's suicide,
Bu Eun-seol had sworn never to let another of the Ten Great Immortals die if he could prevent it.
And when the Ink Soul First Form had worked on Pa-myeong, he realized it might hold the key to severing their karmic bonds.
He had been prepared to use it at any time.
Shudder.
As his body trembled faintly, Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists until they bled.
When he unleashed the Ink Soul First Form,
it wasn't mere physical pain he felt—but an agony as if the very root of his life force was being gouged out.
"This is...?"
At that moment, the Cloud-Dream Hermit stared at his own palms.
His body felt lighter, as though the primordial power they carried was fading away.
"Can such a thing truly be possible?"
The karmic imprints engraved upon their very beings were burning away, consumed by the life energy radiating from the Ink Soul Sword.
Bu Eun-seol—through the Ink Soul First Form left behind by his father—
had not only severed the primordial force that no one in the martial world could interfere with,
but he had also saved their very souls.
Sizzle.
Then, golden patterns began spreading from the Ink Soul Sword.
By resolving to sacrifice himself to save others through the Ink Soul First Form... one of the blade's seals had shattered.
Huum.
Simultaneously, Bu Eun-seol's Brain Gate Acupoint burned fiercely,
and memories—faint as traces, intangible yet vivid in sensation—
slowly unfolded before his eyes.
'Dal-ri.'
Before the personality of Baekri Geom-ha—slumbering within his own Spirit and Mind—had fully formed.
He was sinking into the Abyss of his Spirit and Mind, where fragments of distant, ancient memories lay scattered.