Chapter 1133
The Same Heart Society, much like the Three Realms, could be considered one of the Abyssal Forces lurking beneath the martial world.
But for its leader to have mastered a variant of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms and learned Shaolin's Tendon Transformation Sutra?
'The Absolute Demon Saber Project?'
If he was someone who, like my grandfather, had participated in the Absolute Demon Saber Project—
Then mastering the Bloody Tears Seven Forms and Shaolin's secret arts wouldn't be all that surprising.
'No, the timeline doesn't match.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head slightly.
Even if he had undergone Return to Youth, the eyes would remain unchanged.
The gaze behind the Same Heart Society leader's mask was definitely not that of an old man.
Zzzing—
Just then, the Beast Path's senses raised an alarm.
A minute movement imperceptible to the naked eye.
The Same Heart Society leader had twisted the hilt of his great saber and tilted his right shoulder slightly—a telltale sign.
'He's shifting into a stance where he can launch a rapid attack at any moment.'
Bu Eun-seol's prediction was spot-on.
CRACK!
In the blink of an eye, the Same Heart Society leader closed the distance between them, rushing right up to Bu Eun-seol's face before—
Flash!
The massive great saber, sheathed at his waist, curved at an unpredictable angle and shot straight for Bu Eun-seol's throat.
It was a martial form as swift as lightning—like a starving beast tearing into its prey's jugular.
Snap!
Even the Beast Path's senses couldn't fully anticipate such a blindingly fast strike, yet Bu Eun-seol remained composed, meeting the great saber head-on with his own blade.
Clang! Kaaang!
A fierce close-quarters exchange erupted.
Where the Same Heart Society leader's great saber drew lines of death, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword erased them with flashes of inky darkness.
Clang-clang!
With every clash of their weapons, sparks and shockwaves burst into the air before vanishing.
'This man—'
A glint flashed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes as the battle raged on.
'He's concealing his True Void.'
Now that the fight had truly begun, the familiar aura he had sensed earlier had completely disappeared.
Undoubtedly, the man had hidden not only his personal quirks but even the habitual traces of his True Void martial arts.
Tap-tap!
The great saber, moving at blinding speed, suddenly melted into the air as if vanishing.
It was being swung so fast that it disappeared from sight entirely.
Gulp.
Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes.
'I'll have to rely on the Beast Path to sense his killing intent.'
Flash!
The moment he detected a cold glint aiming for his Adam's apple—
Ddang!
He channeled 480 years' worth of Internal Power into the Ink Soul Sword and swung with full force.
To infuse a weapon with such an immense amount of Internal Power in an instant—
That was a feat only possible for the one who wielded the greatest Internal Power in the world.
Zzzing—
The great saber, driving forward in a straight line—
Not only revealed itself at last but also caused the masked Same Heart Society leader to freeze momentarily.
He couldn't instantly dissipate the overwhelming counterforce imbued in the Ink Soul Sword.
'Now.'
The moment Bu Eun-seol spotted the opening and prepared to unleash the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form—
"Hmph."
A whirlwind-like saber aura surged toward Bu Eun-seol's face with that derisive snort.
Having sensed the impending lethal strike, the Same Heart Society leader had unleashed saber aura in all directions to preemptively control the sword's trajectory.
Clatter—
In the end, the line of death carved by the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form was caught in the saber aura and sent flying skyward.
Snap!
But as if anticipating the failure of his technique, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a rapid succession of sword strokes.
Sword energy raged like a storm, and the sound of blade winds tearing through space filled the surroundings.
Bu Eun-seol and the Same Heart Society leader clashed over forty times without so much as a breath between them.
Life or death.
Everything was decided in an instant.
Chichichik!
The two silhouettes clashed weapons once more before—
Snap!
Suddenly, as if by mutual agreement, they leaped back.
The Same Heart Society leader retreated five steps, while Bu Eun-seol spun lightly through the air like a bird before landing back in his original position.
The area between them had been utterly devastated.
Half the forest had collapsed, and the ground was carved with razor-sharp blade marks.
"Not bad."
The Same Heart Society leader gripped the hilt of his great saber with a relaxed expression.
"To reach this level without even unveiling your True Void..."
The terrifying exchange up to this point—
Had merely been a probing skirmish to gauge each other's martial prowess.
Thud. Thud.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Another shadow slowly emerged from the forest where the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl Wine was hidden.
A middle-aged man with long, loose hair and clothes that exposed his chest muscles.
His eyes were gloomy, but his entire body radiated a sharp energy capable of splitting steel.
'Im Mu-jeong.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
Wasn't that the Soul-Chasing Asura, Im Mu-jeong?
'The Demonic Heavenly Emperor.'
If Im Mu-jeong was here, then—
It meant the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had also sensed the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena.
Which implied that among his subordinates—
There was someone with abilities akin to Baek Jeon-cheon's, or perhaps a diviner capable of reading the heavens' will.
"Tsk."
At that moment, the Same Heart Society leader clicked his tongue as if recognizing Im Mu-jeong.
"Since he can't intervene in matters of the Sacred Realm, he resorted to underhanded methods."
His voice carried a mocking sneer.
"Sending a disposable blade to cause trouble—how petty."
Astonishingly, he not only saw through the fact that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor couldn't act directly in Sacred Realm affairs—
But also accurately deduced that Im Mu-jeong was nothing more than a sacrificial pawn.
"Some fool of a leader brought a whole army here... Of course they'd be detected."
Im Mu-jeong replied impassively.
"If you can't have it, sabotage it—that's the martial world's age-old tradition."
Near the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena, it wasn't just the Same Heart Society—
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor might have also quietly stationed his own forces.
Even if someone managed to take the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl Wine, another battle was almost inevitable.
"Let us settle this here."
Im Mu-jeong alternated his gaze between Bu Eun-seol and the Same Heart Society Leader before making an unexpected proposal.
"The victor shall take the orb."
"Is that necessary?"
The Same Heart Society Leader scoffed.
"Do you truly believe the Demon Hall's rabble can defeat this Society's masters?"
He had brought the Society's elite—warriors capable of wielding supernatural powers—precisely for this occasion.
If the tide turned against him? There was no need to force a confrontation here.
"How peculiar."
It was then that Bu Eun-seol spoke.
"If you have so many subordinates, you should've stayed holed up in your stronghold, cowering as usual."
He tilted his head with an expression of genuine incomprehension.
"Was there truly a need for Your Excellency to grace us with your presence?"
The Same Heart Society had operated more covertly than even the Three Realms.
Moreover, its leader commanded a force rivaling even the most formidable Abyssal factions, manipulating the martial world from the shadows.
No matter how priceless the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl was, why would he personally come to retrieve it?
Considering his past actions, this made no sense.
"......"
The Same Heart Society Leader did not answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, studying Bu Eun-seol and Im Mu-jeong in turn.
"The two of you are but hounds raised by Hall Master Sado."
He sneered.
"Spare me the theatrics. Attack me together."
"Then it's decided."
Im Mu-jeong clicked his tongue and suddenly reached into his robes.
Krrrrr—
A low vibration soon reverberated from all directions.
He had likely used a device like an Alarm Pearl to signal the warriors he had brought.
The battle between the waiting forces of the Same Heart Society and his own had likely begun.
"Pointless."
The Same Heart Society Leader muttered coldly before—
Srrring—
Finally drawing the great saber.
Journey.
The blade of the Greatest Saber Master of All Time—one who had ascended to the pinnacle of the Saber Path—revealed itself.
Its width spanned two palms, and its thick spine stretched straight and heavy, like a mountain ridge, devoid of elegant curves.
Upon its surface remained the faint hammer marks from its forging and countless scars from endless training and battles—
Layered like the rings of an ancient tree.
Ordinary treasured sabers boasted razor-sharp edges, yet Journey was unassuming and rough-hewn.
'That is Grandfather's saber.'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils trembled.
An overwhelming, inexorable pressure radiated from the massive blade.
It was not a saber—it was a towering mountain that had endured millennia, a vast river that had flowed through eons.
"Come."
The Same Heart Society Leader spoke leisurely.
"I've no desire to strike first against the likes of you."
Merely by drawing the great saber—
He exuded absolute confidence, an aura that could repel any attack and crush any foe.
"I'll face him alone."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol declared firmly to Im Mu-jeong.
"This Lord has reason to sever the Same Heart Society Leader's head."
Retrieving his grandfather's great saber mattered more than obtaining the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl.
"Foolish pride will cost you your life."
The Same Heart Society Leader mocked.
"Your odds of survival would be higher if you attacked together."
"Will you fight with your mouth?"
"Hohohoho."
The leader chuckled lowly before nodding.
"Bold. Come, then."
Bu Eun-seol raised his sword without hesitation—
And unleashed the Turning Child Four Seas of the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms and the Waning Moon Morning Star of the Formless Heavenly Flow in rapid succession.
Heaven and earth. Above and beside.
A flawless crossfire of death, leaving no room to evade or block—
Where faint yet razor-sharp droplets of light shot forth like arrows.
"Hoh."
Admiration flickered in the masked leader's eyes.
"You've fused sword studies."
Combining two sword arts was near-impossible.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's technique had reached Ultimate Transcendence—devoid of any flaw or rupture.
The two forms had merged perfectly.
Zzziiing—
For an instant, everything slowed—
As the leader's wrist twisted at an almost imperceptible angle.
Then, with that minuscule motion, the long, straight great saber bent like a living creature.
Screeeech—!
A sound like aged iron gates shrieking tore through the air—
As Journey, shaped like a massive great saber, coiled like a dragon embracing the heavens, tracing an extreme arc.
Swoooosh—!
Simultaneously, its razor-sharp saber energy severed the precise junction linking Turning Child Four Seas and Waning Moon Morning Star.
KANG—!
A metallic screech tore through eardrums—
And with a CRACK, the ground beneath Bu Eun-seol fractured like spiderwebs.
Not only had the Sword Stroke been shattered—
The overwhelming counterforce unleashed terrifying pressure, crushing the space around him.
GUOONG—
Bu Eun-seol's body trembled faintly.
As if struck by a colossal battering ram, his Five Viscera and Six Bowels convulsed.
Had his Body Protection True Qi not been dense, his body would have crumpled like paper.
Zzziiing—
A sickly yellow light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
The move the leader had just executed was a saber technique that defied all martial logic.
He summoned the Langya Mind's Eye to decipher it.
Whoooosh—
As the dragon-like curve of the great saber straightened—
Another explosive surge of saber energy erupted.
PA-PA-PA-PA—!
The moment Bu Eun-seol activated Swift Shadowless—
The saber energy whirled like a vortex, pursuing him relentlessly.
'This is not Grandfather's saber art.'
The blade technique the Same Heart Society leader was employing was not the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Rather, it was an exquisitely refined technique, akin to a single spark setting an entire Reed Field ablaze.
It possessed the terrifying ability to sever the connective threads of martial arts and relentlessly pursue its target.
'I can't comprehend what kind of blade technique this is.'
No matter how much Bu Eun-seol observed it with the Langya Mind's Eye, no matter how much he unleashed the power of the Ancient Sword Forest—
He couldn't grasp the nature of the blade technique the Same Heart Society leader was deploying.
He couldn't discern how it unfolded, nor could he perceive what profound martial principle lay at its core.
'Is this even possible?'
Bu Eun-seol was as well-versed in the myriad martial arts scattered across the world as the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong himself.
When it came to analyzing and assimilating the martial principles of his opponents, there was no one who could rival him.
Yet now, it was as if a child who had just begun learning martial arts was watching the swordplay of a seasoned master—
He couldn't even begin to understand how the Same Heart Society leader's blade technique functioned.
Whoosh.
Then, the Same Heart Society leader abruptly sheathed his great blade and spoke.
"I'll give you one last chance."
His cold gaze flickered toward Im Mu-jeong, who had been waiting in the rear.
"Attack together. This Society Leader is growing bored."
"You haven't even unleashed your True Void yet."
"Of course not."
Behind his mask, the Society Leader's eyes narrowed into slits.
"But the combat martial arts of Langya Pavilion—the very foundation of your pride—have already been sealed, haven't they?"
Bu Eun-seol had always crushed his enemies by dismantling their martial principles and overwhelming them with sheer technique.
With just this single remark, the Same Heart Society leader shattered Bu Eun-seol's pride, striking a blow deep into his spirit and mind.
"If you don't want to die, unleash that True Void martial art you've been hiding so carefully."
The Society Leader's methods were cunning—by dictating Bu Eun-seol's remaining options himself, he forced him into a position where he had no choice but to comply.
'Fascinating.'
Rather than anger, Bu Eun-seol felt an eerie fascination.
The mysterious technique, the inscrutable demeanor, the words that shook his very spirit—
It all bore an uncanny resemblance to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"You're alike."
The words slipped from Bu Eun-seol's lips before he realized it.
"Hall Master Sado... in every way."
It was nothing more than a murmur of his innermost thoughts.
Yet, for the briefest moment, the Society Leader's oppressive aura flickered—
As if he had been caught off guard by something unexpected.
'Does he have some connection to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?'
"You talk too much."
As if to cut off Bu Eun-seol's thoughts, the Society Leader swung his great blade in a swift arc.
Fwoooosh!
A tremor shook the heavens as a torrent of blade energy, hot enough to scorch the world, surged toward Bu Eun-seol.
Crack! Crack!
Before the saber technique had even begun, blood vessels ruptured across Bu Eun-seol's body, spraying crimson—
Only for the blood to instantly evaporate into a mist of red.
But then—
Fwip!
Bu Eun-seol broke free from the pressure, his form twisting into that of an inky black dragon as he shot forward.
Screeeech!
A deafening howl tore through the air in all directions.
He had unleashed the absolute blade art of death—the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"You still haven't reached the realm of true death."
As the blade energy of death descended upon him, the Society Leader held his great blade at middle guard.
"Too unripe."
BOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted as inky blade energy clashed against crimson, tearing through the world itself—
The resulting flames illuminated the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena in stark clarity.
Whoooosh.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
The inky blade energy Bu Eun-seol had unleashed was being absorbed into the Society Leader's Journey blade.
He wasn't defending against the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
Instead, he was opening himself to it, accepting the full force of death's power.
"The true horror of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms is that it turns the wielder into an embodiment of death."
Flick!
The Society Leader extended his blade energy—
BOOM!
Not only did the accumulated death energy Bu Eun-seol had unleashed surge back, but even the crimson blade energy the Society Leader had generated was hurled at him in a single devastating wave.
Hiiiiisss.
White steam rose from Bu Eun-seol's body as he was sent flying dozens of feet back.
"Life and death are two sides of the same coin—their origin is one and the same..."
The Society Leader gazed down at the fallen Bu Eun-seol with the serene calm of a fisherman watching a flowing river.
With that overwhelming tranquility—devoid of even a shred of wasted motion or emotional disturbance—
He was tearing Bu Eun-seol's pride to shreds.
Twitch.
Bu Eun-seol barely managed to rise, but his body swayed unsteadily.
Between the Society Leader's blade technique and the backlash of his own Bloody Tears Seven Forms, his entire bloodline burned with agony—he had suffered severe internal injuries.
"Even if you've mastered the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, it would take at least half a two-hour period to dispel that blade energy."
The Society Leader rested his great blade casually, his gaze fixed on Bu Eun-seol with leisurely indifference.
"Now, shall we join forces with that fellow over there—"
"As I thought... it's gone."
Bu Eun-seol cut him off with a bitter smile.
"You already took out what was inside the blade."
"What nonsense are you—"
Click.
Before the Society Leader could finish—
A strange metallic sound rang out from Journey.
The locking mechanism connecting the hilt to the blade had come undone.
"...!"
The Society Leader's eyes widened.
Unbeknownst to him, the blade of Journey was now covered—
With dozens, no, hundreds of palm marks and the razor-sharp traces of Finger Wind strikes.
All this time, Bu Eun-seol hadn't been fighting the Society Leader—
He had been working to dismantle the locking mechanism of Journey itself.
'The Martial God Heaven Lord once said the blade's core held the secrets of the martial world.'
Inadvertently, the Martial God Heaven Lord had become the keeper of his grandfather's great saber—
And he had once revealed that secret to Bu Eun-seol.
Just as the hilt of Journey contained the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, its hollow core was said to conceal the martial world's greatest secrets.
But whether the Society Leader had already removed it or not—
The inside was now completely empty.
"You..."
The Same Heart Society Leader's eyes flashed as he reassembled Journey.
Even if he hadn't used True Void—
The fact that he had loosened Journey's coupling mechanism with a method so covert even the Leader couldn't detect it...
That was proof. Proof that Bu Eun-seol had not only reached the Entering Divinity realm in swordplay—but in Fist Technique and hand-to-hand combat as well.