Chapter 1134
The Same Heart Society Lord's face had hardened into stone.
Not only was Bu Eun-seol, whom he had considered far beneath his own skill, unexpectedly formidable—
But he also seemed to know exactly what was hidden within the great saber.
Skreeee—
At that moment, a pale mist rose once more from Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
A razor-sharp energy spread through his meridians, burning through every corner of his being as if scorching his veins.
"Huhuhu."
The Same Heart Society Lord let out a laugh laced with both relief and contempt.
"You played it too loose and paid dearly for it."
His stiff expression relaxed as he spoke in a voice brimming with confidence.
"Between the counterforce of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms and exposure to this Society Lord's blade essence, you won't be able to use proper martial arts for at least an hour."
Bu Eun-seol silently tightened his grip on the Mourning Soul Sword.
'One ke.'
Even if it wouldn't take an hour—
He had sustained internal injuries that required at least one ke of qi circulation to dispel the blade essence.
'The Bloody Tears Seven Forms... didn't work at all.'
Until now, the Bloody Tears Seven Forms had always worked against any opponent.
But not only had they failed completely against the Same Heart Society Lord, he had instead absorbed and reflected the blade essence back at him.
"Using the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's sword to cheat, I see."
At that moment, Im Mu-jeong, who had been silently observing, clicked his tongue and spoke.
"They say that great saber shares the same nature as the blade essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms."
Hearing this, Bu Eun-seol's expression twisted strangely.
He had assumed the Same Heart Society Lord's blade mastery had reached the Heaven Beyond Heaven realm, completely nullifying his Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
But to think his grandfather's great saber blade had such a property?
"As expected of Sado Mu-myeong's dog, you've seen and heard quite a bit."
The Same Heart Society Lord's gaze fell upon the blade of Journey.
"Correct. Bu Jan-yang unleashed the Bloody Tears Seven Forms with this sword thousands—no, tens of thousands of times."
Clank.
As he sheathed Journey once more, his voice dropped low.
"Thanks to that, this blade is deeply engraved with the aura of death. No—it might as well be the Bloody Tears Seven Forms itself."
The reason he had so effortlessly repelled Bu Eun-seol's Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
Was because Journey inherently carried the same essence as the technique.
Like a mighty river swallowing its tributary, the blade essence had been returned to its origin.
"As long as I wield this blade, your Bloody Tears Seven Forms is nothing."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening silently, furrowed his brow.
"Were you afraid of me?"
"You really are a clueless brat."
The Same Heart Society Lord chuckled darkly.
"There are plenty in the current martial world who've mastered the Bloody Tears Seven Forms. A runt like you couldn't even touch the hem of their robes."
In that instant, an image flashed through Bu Eun-seol's mind—
The Return-to-One Realm Lord, clad in ink-black armor, radiating a crimson murderous aura.
He had refined the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to the Great Origin realm and forged his own unique Blade Essence.
The reason the Same Heart Society Lord coveted the great saber—
Wasn't fear of him, but more likely wariness of the Return-to-One Realm Lord.
"Now then, let's get that head of yours rolling."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been trying to analyze the great saber, was now exposed to the lethal blade essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
In this state, his chances of defeating the Same Heart Society Lord were nonexistent.
"How amusing."
At that moment, Im Mu-jeong stepped forward.
"Now this Blood Lord will give it a try."
The Same Heart Society Lord scoffed in disbelief.
"You're even more pathetic than that brat, and yet you think you can face this Society Lord?"
"Afraid?"
"Attack together. Don't let your petty pride get in the way."
BOOM!
Ignoring his words, Im Mu-jeong leaped into the air, his nails extending like blades.
His five fingers brimmed with savage claw force, capable of shredding space itself—
While his entire body was wreathed in an indestructible crimson aura.
Whoosh!
But the Same Heart Society Lord had already pinpointed his weakness and thrust the great saber toward his throat.
It was an unfathomably precise strike—impossible to evade.
CRASH!
The moment the blade struck, a deafening explosion sent Im Mu-jeong flying more than a hundred feet back.
"GRAHH!"
Im Mu-jeong sprang back to his feet with a bestial roar.
FWOOSH!
Charging again, he unleashed five streaks of claw force sharper than any treasured sword—
Creating a dazzling barrier of blades in midair.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
The crimson-tinged claw force spread like a peacock unfurling its feathers, forming a vast curtain—
And began coiling around the Same Heart Society Lord.
Snap!
But the Same Heart Society Lord's figure had already vanished.
He reappeared behind Im Mu-jeong—then swung the great saber with almost lazy ease.
Whoooosh!
Like stars scattering across an ink-black night sky, countless flashes of blade essence pierced toward Im Mu-jeong's vital points.
Splurt!
The energy within those flashes was so vicious that with every graze, fresh blood erupted from Im Mu-jeong's body.
Crunch.
In that instant, Im Mu-jeong's face contorted—his pupils glowing blood-red as his body swelled slightly.
Snap!
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to the Same Heart Society Lord's face—
Swish-swish-swish!
And began lashing out with claw techniques incomparably faster than before.
Clang-clang-clang!
The Same Heart Society Lord precisely intercepted each strike with the great saber, dismantling his martial forms—
Thunk!
Then drove the blade straight into the center of Im Mu-jeong's chest.
Zzzzing.
But the blade only barely pierced his skin—failing to fully impale him.
The Mad Demon Blood Aura had been unleashed.
Drip.
In an instant, Im Mu-jeong's skin turned ashen, and a strange luster spread across it.
Whoosh!
Im Mu-jeong shot into the air—
—then split into dozens of shadows that descended upon the Same Heart Society Lord like a predator swallowing its prey.
Creak.
Even before the attacks rained down, an overwhelming pressure crushed the space around the Same Heart Society Lord.
Clang.
The Same Heart Society Lord stood firm, raising his great saber high.
With eyes frozen in stillness,
he stared unblinkingly at Im Mu-jeong, who dove toward him like a raptor swooping upon its quarry.
Im Mu-jeong's expression shifted.
In the past, his reason would have evaporated, leaving only pure destructive will—
but thanks to Bu Eun-seol, he could now control the demonic energy.
Despite his beastly appearance, his spirit and mind remained cold and collected.
He sensed the Same Heart Society Lord concentrating his internal power into the great saber, preparing a lethal strike—
Tap!
So he kicked off his own left instep, launching himself back into the air.
The subtle art of Stepping Into the Void.
Swoosh!
Soaring to an unfathomable height near the ceiling, he unleashed another barrage of claw-like qi slashes in bizarre trajectories.
"You've learned to control the demonic energy."
The Same Heart Society Lord let out an impressed exhale.
"Then you are qualified to fight this Society Lord."
Flash!
When the Same Heart Society Lord swung his great saber again, something unbelievable happened.
Im Mu-jeong's body, which had just leapt into the sky, was suddenly plummeting back to the ground like a bullet.
At first glance, it made no sense—
but Im Mu-jeong, who was perceiving time in excruciating slowness, realized it instantly.
The claw-like qi slashes he had unleashed earlier
had been reshaped by the Same Heart Society Lord's hands into something resembling fishing lines—
—then transformed into silken threads that bound Im Mu-jeong's entire body and yanked him down.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
After Im Mu-jeong had fallen to the ground, the razor-sharp great saber began dancing before his eyes.
Crash!
He twisted midair, but the saber pursued him relentlessly.
Zing.
Im Mu-jeong summoned the Mad Demon Blood Aura once more, enduring the strikes with his entire body while attempting a counter—
but the Same Heart Society Lord's great saber moved with eerie fluidity, slipping through gaps and carving into him without pause.
Flash! Flash!
With each strike that landed,
Im Mu-jeong's body flickered like a dying flame—yet each time, his Blood Aura grew denser and harder.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
But the speed of the saber's onslaught outpaced even the Mad Demon Blood Aura's reinforcement.
Thudthudthud.
Before long, Im Mu-jeong was drenched in crimson, a blood-soaked specter.
Tsk.
The Same Heart Society Lord halted his assault and clicked his tongue.
"Just because you can keep your sanity doesn't make the Mad Demon Blood Aura invincible."
His eyes behind the mask narrowed into crescents as he spoke coldly.
"This Society Lord's saber art can destroy any qi technique."
Im Mu-jeong said nothing—
only glared back with burning red eyes, making no move to attack again.
It was then that the Same Heart Society Lord noticed Bu Eun-seol standing motionless in the distance, far from the battlefield, and frowned.
"Why aren't you circulating your qi?"
He had assumed Bu Eun-seol would be using Qi Circulation to recover swiftly while Im Mu-jeong kept him occupied—
yet the man was just standing there, watching.
"If I did that, it would mean we were truly fighting together."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was flat.
"Rank aside, he is also a pillar of the Demon Hall. He wanted to fight you properly, so I let him."
The Same Heart Society Lord stared blankly for a moment—
then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
His shoulders shook as if he found the whole thing absurd.
"You're even crazier than the one using the Mad Demon's martial arts."
His laughter cut off abruptly as he scanned the surroundings, then shook his head in disappointment.
"In the end, only the small fry took the bait."
Rumble—
Suddenly, the entire Tomb of Myriad Phenomena trembled as if struck by an earthquake, and the remnants of the crystal forest began darkening like ink.
Watching this, a forgotten fact flashed through Bu Eun-seol's mind like lightning.
'The Same Heart Society Lord arrived here before me.'
The traces of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms carved into the strange rocks were less than an hour old.
Meaning the Same Heart Society Lord had been here long enough to leave those marks—
yet he had acted as though he'd arrived after them.
"A trap."
Finally, the pieces fell into place.
The Same Heart Society Lord, who had always moved more covertly than even the Three Realms' leaders—
had deliberately led a large force here and revealed himself openly.
His appearance was a signal, broadcasted to lure someone in.
—There's a high probability this is a trap.
—Indeed. But from my position, I had no choice but to confirm it.
Baek Jeon-cheon had warned that the appearance of the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl was likely someone's trap.
But Bu Eun-seol had assumed the mastermind would operate from the shadows—
only revealing themselves at the very end.
That was why he hadn't suspected the Same Heart Society Lord, who had come in person with his forces.
"You were waiting for the Return-to-One Realm Lord."
"Perhaps bringing Journey was meant to guard against the Return-to-One Realm Lord's Bloody Tears Seven Forms."
"You survived an encounter with that madman?" The Same Heart Society Lord spoke with audible surprise. "For someone of your skill to walk away alive from his grasp is impossible... So the rumors of you being his pawn were true after all."
Click.
As he sheathed Journey, Bu Eun-seol admitted plainly,
"Correct. At the very least, I expected the Return-to-One Realm Lord or one or two figures from the Sacred Realm would inevitably come."
Then he added bitterly,
"Because this time, we must capture them."
"Capture them?"
"Whatever. It doesn't matter now. I didn't expect those rats to abandon even the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl."
Turning away, he muttered,
"...Then I'll give it up."
The Same Heart Society Lord tilted his head slightly, his crescent-moon eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"Take the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl here for yourselves, then."
An astonishing declaration.
To so casually relinquish one of the world's greatest treasures and simply leave?
Crunch.
Just as he turned to exit the forest—
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol, forcibly summoning his last reserves of strength, deployed his Movement Technique to block his path.
"You cannot leave."
He was a master of battle formations no less skilled than Gongson Dan-gyeong.
The moment the Same Heart Society Lord tried to retreat, Bu Eun-seol had discerned it—the faint connection between him and the energy flowing through the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena.
"You've laid out the Spirit Blood Annihilation Array."
The trap here was none other than the Vanished Sect's forbidden secret art—the Spirit Blood Annihilation Array. A formation where the caster becomes its core, and the moment they leave, the entire formation collapses.
"Oh?" The Same Heart Society Lord's eyes widened in unconcealed surprise.
"You have some knowledge of formations as well?"
"Brother Im."
Bu Eun-seol turned to Im Mu-jeong.
"Deploy the Mad Demon Blood Aura and bind the Same Heart Society Lord's movements—for just a quarter hour."
Taking a deep breath, he declared,
"I will dismantle the formation here within that time."
If the Same Heart Society Lord left, the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena would vanish in an instant—and they would be reduced to dust along with it.
Im Mu-jeong lacked the ability to dismantle the formation himself... So he had no choice but to follow Bu Eun-seol's instruction and prevent the Society Lord's escape.
BOOM!
Drawing upon his full power, a thick curtain of Demonic Energy—like a mist of blood—spread across the entire forest.
"To have seized the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena first and put in so much effort..."
The Same Heart Society Lord shook his head.
"...Only to end up squashing two worthless rats in the end."
Just as Bu Eun-seol had anticipated—
The current manifestation of the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena had already been under the Same Heart Society's control. The Society Lord had deliberately left traces of his movements to set this trap.
"We already knew."
Im Mu-jeong spoke then.
"The Demonic Heavenly Emperor's foremost command was to uncover the mastermind behind this scheme—and sever their head."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had also seen through the truth—that this emergence of the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena was someone's trap.
And so, he had given Im Mu-jeong four orders:
First, expose the conspirator.
Second, uncover the purpose of the plot.
Third, execute the mastermind.
And if the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl truly existed—recover it.
Two tasks were already complete. Now, all that remained was to cut down the Same Heart Society Lord and retrieve the treasure.
RUMBLE.
Im Mu-jeong unleashed the full might of his Mad Demon Blood Aura—a power he had concealed until now, having reached the Twelve Stars realm.
Hiiiiisssss—
A terrifying crimson vapor erupted from his entire body like an explosion.
His muscles screamed as they swelled, his skin splitting in places as a bloody mist enveloped him.
"You were hiding your strength."
The Same Heart Society Lord nodded, intrigued.
"Come, then."
KAAAH!
As Im Mu-jeong roared like a beast—
WHOOSH!
Hundreds of saber energies burst forth from Journey.
In that instant, Im Mu-jeong felt a pain as though glacial blades were piercing his entire body—
A vicious energy, one that scraped bone and shredded nerves, was embedded within those saber strikes.
Swish!
Amid the compressed air and the sound of splitting wind, a single razor-sharp saber energy shot forth like an arrow.
Bu Eun-seol, rapidly moving through the forest to dismantle the Spirit Blood Annihilation Array, had joined the assault.
Whirr!
Spinning like a top, Bu Eun-seol unleashed five streams of fist force in an instant.
Meanwhile, Im Mu-jeong closed the distance like a viper slithering low across the ground—his hand lashing out as if to shatter the Society Lord's knee.
Having fought fiercely together on Ghost Capture Island, the two knew each other's techniques and quirks intimately.
Though unspoken, their coordination was flawless.
Ziiing—
At that moment, Journey—gripped in the Society Lord's hand—whirled like a staff released from a demon's grasp, conjuring a violent whirlwind.
Whooosh—CRACK!
The crystal shards scattered across the ground were swept up in the storm, forming a massive wall.
BOOM!
Blocking the two masters' attacks, the Same Heart Society Lord closed the distance again—this time aiming to bisect Bu Eun-seol at the waist.
To prevent the formation from being dismantled, he would sever the strategist's breath first.
CRACK!
Im Mu-jeong unleashed his Mad Demon Blood Aura and threw himself between them.
CRASH!
Taking the saber strike meant for Bu Eun-seol, he shattered the crystalline trees and was sent flying over a dozen zhang away.
Drip... drip...
Fortunately, the Mad Demon Blood Aura prevented his torso from being split in two, but blood poured from his wounds without pause.
"Brother Im. Don't intervene."
"It's nothing."
Im Mu-jeong snorted, then leapt back into the air, claws bared.
"Break the formation."
His cold gaze flicked toward Bu Eun-seol.
"I have no desire to be disgraced by turning to dust alongside the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena."
SHWIIING!
With those words, he tore through the air, slashing down as if to split the Same Heart Society Leader's skull.
The Society Leader, spotting the flaw in Im Mu-jeong's opening strike, stabbed upward into his abdomen.
SPURT!
Blood gushed, but the Mad Demon Blood Aura's regenerative power sealed the wound instantly.
Crackle...
Not only that—having endured the strike, his demonic energy grew even thicker.
"Heh heh heh."
Im Mu-jeong let out a low laugh.
"All that talk of destroying my qi channels... and this is all you can do?"
A murderous glint flashed in the Society Leader's eyes behind his mask.
SLASH!
A lightning-fast saber strike grazed Im Mu-jeong's right shoulder.
Hiss...
Im Mu-jeong restored the wound in an instant with the Mad Demon Blood Aura's power.
But the Society Leader moved like a vengeful ghost—
As if he wouldn't be satisfied until he severed the arm entirely, he relentlessly hacked at the same shoulder.
Slice.
Just like before.
The Society Leader's strikes outpaced Im Mu-jeong's regeneration.
Agony enough to blur his mind wracked him, but Im Mu-jeong gritted his teeth.
Bu Eun-seol must break the formation.
If he showed weakness now, the boy's focus would waver.
"RAAH!"
Baring his teeth, he charged the Society Leader again.
Attack was his only defense—his only way to buy time.
SWISH—SWISH—SWISH!
The Society Leader was cunning.
Realizing he couldn't instantly sever Im Mu-jeong's lifeline—
He carved deep wounds one after another, as if intent on draining every last drop of blood from his body.
"This Society Leader doesn't need the formation to kill you all one by one."
RIP! SPLAT!
Now, not just his shoulder—his thigh flesh was flayed away, his back carved with deep gashes.
Blood obscured his vision, but Im Mu-jeong's eyes didn't waver in the slightest.
CRUNCH!
Then came the dull sound of shattering bone.
The Society Leader had pierced through the Mad Demon Blood Aura and crushed his forearm with the great saber technique.
"Heh heh heh."
Instead of screaming, Im Mu-jeong let out a maddened laugh.
He had deliberately left an opening to lure the Society Leader's attack.
"HAAH!"
With a roar, he clenched his muscles around the blade embedded in his arm.
Trapping the Society Leader's movement for just an instant—
BOOM!
He poured the last remnants of his Blood Aura into his left fist and smashed it forward.
For the first time, a flicker of shock crossed the Society Leader's eyes.
KABOOM!
A deafening explosion sent the Society Leader flying back a dozen zhang.
He barely managed to block the strike by wrenching Journey free from Im Mu-jeong's flesh, but the Mad Demon Blood Aura had already seeped into his body, inflicting internal damage.
Crackle...
Though not fatal, the wound struck at his pride—his pupils blazed with white-hot killing intent.
"How dare you?!"
SHWIIING—!
Enraged, the Society Leader unleashed a saber technique unlike anything before—swifter, fiercer, more brutal.
Im Mu-jeong could no longer even attempt to block.
"Ugh..."
His vision blurred. A ringing filled his ears.
Feeling had long left his legs. Only sheer will kept him moving, dodging.
'Wait—?'
Suddenly, the Society Leader felt an icy chill crawl down his spine.
Only then did he realize—he had poured all his focus into Im Mu-jeong.
'That brat—?'
Bu Eun-seol had vanished from sight at some point.
Even for a genius, dismantling the Spirit Blood Annihilation Array should take a full two hours.
'No—?'
His gaze snapped upward—
There, suspended high against the cavernous ceiling, Bu Eun-seol hovered silently, radiating prismatic light from his entire body.
A clear sign of gathering overwhelming power.
"You—!"
The Society Leader surged toward him like a crimson storm.
That young man's true True Martial Scripture rivaled the Three Demons themselves.
If that light were unleashed upon him—? He knew the consequences would be unpredictable.
FLASH!
Then—Im Mu-jeong shot up like lightning, blocking Bu Eun-seol.
"Out of my way!"
KWA—AAAAH!
In his desperation, the Society Leader unleashed his full power—
A saber strike hundreds of feet wide, as if to annihilate the world itself.
"......!"
Conflict flickered in Im Mu-jeong's eyes.
If he dodged—Bu Eun-seol would be bisected instantly.
"HAAAP!"
In the end, he pushed the Mad Demon Blood Aura to its limit and took the strike head-on.
RIIP.
A clean cut split his body—a crimson Blood Line carved into his flesh, organs spilling from the wound.
"MOVE!"
As the Society Leader raised his saber again—
SCREEE—!
The prismatic light radiating from Bu Eun-seol had, without warning, condensed into the Silent Blade.
FLASH!
In that instant—
An unprecedented force, a storm of shattered rainbow light and pitch-black energy, surged toward the Society Leader like a tidal wave.