Chapter 1135
The dazzling radiance spread in all directions, bleaching the entire world white.
And when that light finally faded—
Drip.
The crystalline forest began melting away like water.
While Im Mu-jeong had bought them time,
Bu Eun-seol had been concentrating the Harmonization of the Heaven-Shattering Form into his Ink Soul Sword.
Crackle.
Exposed to the Harmonization, not only did the Soul-Crushing Blood Array vanish, but even the mystical energies flowing through the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena disappeared in an instant.
By then, the leader of the Same Heart Society had already fled.
Mistaking Bu Eun-seol's full recovery of strength as fact, he had escaped without hesitation.
Thud.
At that moment, Im Mu-jeong, who had been standing tall, collapsed as if his body had given out.
Struck twice by the full-force techniques of the Same Heart Society's leader,
his body was now so ravaged that not even the Mad Demon Blood Aura could restore him.
"Brother Im."
Bu Eun-seol immediately sealed his thirty-six major pressure points.
Gurgle.
As Im Mu-jeong coughed up black blood, Bu Eun-seol retrieved the Demon-Suppressing Divine Pill and the Azure Spirit Stone Fluid from his robes.
"Enough."
Im Mu-jeong raised a hand.
"It's pointless."
The saber energy unleashed by the Same Heart Society's leader had shattered every bone in his body and destroyed his organs.
Not even the Azure Spirit Stone Fluid could save him—not even if a Great Immortal were to descend.
"Why?"
Bu Eun-seol's face twisted in anguish.
"Why did you go this far?"
He had only asked Im Mu-jeong to hold out for a quarter of an hour.
Yet Im Mu-jeong had thrown himself at the Same Heart Society's leader with reckless desperation, staking his life.
And when Bu Eun-seol had been pushed to the brink, he had sacrificed himself to take the attack with his bare body.
"I didn't want to owe any more debts."
Im Mu-jeong stared emptily into the void, reminiscing about the past.
"A lifetime of life debts—this is what it made me. A tool."
Im Mu-jeong, young master of the Im merchant family, one of Shaanxi's wealthiest clans.
Born with a seething temper and a heart that burned for justice,
he had always yearned for the life of a wandering swordsman, fighting for righteousness, rather than the comfort of a wealthy merchant's son.
His parents, hoping he would take interest in the family trade, often sent him to their shops where silks and spices were piled like mountains.
But every time, Im Mu-jeong would instead linger around blacksmith shops displaying weapons or seek out battlefields where the winds of the Martial World howled.
Eventually, his parents, unable to break his stubbornness, allowed him to attend a martial arts school as he had always wished.
Then one day, after returning from training,
Im Mu-jeong stopped by his usual inn, his body drenched in sweat, to satisfy his hunger.
Amid the clamor of the inn, the greasy scent of food and the stale aroma of alcohol mingling in the air, a particularly sharp laugh pierced his ears.
His gaze landed on three men clad in expensive silks, their gleaming swords at their waists, surrounding a woman.
The woman, seemingly disabled in one leg, struggled to keep her balance as she tried to ignore their taunts.
"Come here, won't you? This lord is offering you a drink—you should be honored!"
"Look at this cripple putting on airs!"
The men's arrogant voices and sneering laughter cut through the noise of the inn.
Something hot surged through Im Mu-jeong's veins. He rose from his seat and approached them.
"What is this disgraceful behavior?"
His voice was low and firm.
When their eyes turned to him, he spoke even more sternly.
"Mocking a woman who can barely stand—have you no shame as swordsmen?"
"Who the hell are you to lecture us?!"
"Anyone has the right to intervene when they see wrongdoing."
"This bastard—"
The man who seemed to be the leader glared and shouted,
"You want to die?"
He drew his sword, but
rather than the disciplined aura of a true martial artist, only arrogance radiated from him.
"First harassing a woman, now threatening to kill a man?"
"You insolent brat!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than three blades shot toward Im Mu-jeong.
Their sword strokes were sharp, but they were closer to flashy dance moves than true technique.
In contrast, Im Mu-jeong's sword moved with the weight and precision of the forms he had learned at his school.
Clang! Clang!
After a few exchanges, confusion flickered across the men's faces.
They had realized this young boy was a step above them.
"You—!"
Cornered, the leader's eyes flashed with Killing Intent.
"I'll kill her first, then you."
And he swung his sword at the trembling woman.
"Stop!"
"Got you."
The man smirked slyly.
Using a cunning trick, he disrupted Im Mu-jeong's sword stroke and aimed for his vital point.
At that moment, Im Mu-jeong's gaze turned icy.
No longer holding back, he deflected the man's Killing Move with ease and carved a sharp arc through the air.
Sschick!
With a scream, crimson blood spurted like a fountain from the man's shoulder.
"Grrr—!"
The leader gritted his teeth and roared.
"I'll repay this grudge! I'll make you weep tears of blood!"
Cursing, they fled like cowards.
Im Mu-jeong could only click his tongue as he watched their retreating backs.
Little did he know
that this day would plant the seed of misfortune that would steal everything from him.
The leader was the spoiled son of Urgh Un-sang, master of the Wind Blade Martial School, which dominated Sichuan.
Furious upon hearing his son had been humiliated by some brat, Urgh Un-sang flew into a rage and, after relentless pursuit, uncovered Im Mu-jeong's identity—and the location of the Im family estate.
A few days later, a storm of blood swept through Im family estate where Im Mu-jeong had lived.
Screams were cut short before they could echo, and the flames that burned through the night reduced the entire estate to ashes.
The price for that small wound on his shoulder had been far too horrifying.
Im Mu-jeong miraculously survived alone and desperately fled.
But Ak Un-sang's pursuit was relentless. After days of starvation and flight, he was finally cornered in the depths of a damp, shadowed forest.
"Got you, you little bastard!"
Ak Un-sang struck Im Mu-jeong's back as he tried to escape.
Crunch!
His lungs twisted, his bones shattered, and he collapsed into the mud with a gasp of agony.
"Hahaha."
Ak Un-sang looked down at Im Mu-jeong, writhing and spitting blood, as if observing a pitiful insect.
"If you beg on your knees now, I'll at least leave your corpse intact."
Whoosh.
But in Im Mu-jeong's eyes, there was no fear—only hatred and resentment so fierce it could burn the world to cinders.
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and roared:
"Even if I have to return as a vengeful ghost, I'll tear you all to pieces!"
"Stubborn brat."
Ak Un-sang nodded to his subordinate.
"Kill me in one stroke! If you can't kill me, you all will die!"
Did his desperate cry reach the heavens?
Rumble—
Suddenly, a streak of crimson-black light pierced the distant sky, illuminating the forest—
Ziiing—
—and with an eerie sound, space itself twisted.
Where the black radiance bloomed,
stood an old man so ordinary that he was extraordinary.
The pinnacle of the Demonic Path—the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
He was no apostle of justice.
He did not save Im Mu-jeong, nor did he rebuke Ak Un-sang.
Like an audience member watching a well-staged Beijing Opera, he merely observed the scene with amused interest.
"Ah, so it was this madness."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor gazed at Im Mu-jeong, collapsed on the ground, seething with venom.
The energy radiating from his body—
was a frenzy and killing intent so extreme that even an Absolute Grandmaster of the Demonic Path, who had weathered all the storms of the Martial World, had never witnessed before.
"Indeed, you're worthy of my attention."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor flicked his finger, sending a mouthful of True Qi into Im Mu-jeong's dying body.
—GAAAAAAH!
Im Mu-jeong felt as if molten lava was surging through his meridians.
His body threatened to burst, his organs convulsing uncontrollably.
Crackle, sizzle—
But instead, his wounds began to heal, and black Demonic Energy dripped from his eyes.
He had absorbed every last drop of the Primordial Spirit True Qi infused by the Number One of the Demonic Path—without wasting a single mote.
It was the moment his innate talent, the Innate Martial Bone, awakened.
"GRRRR—AAAAAH!"
In that instant, explosive power surged through Im Mu-jeong's entire body.
Snatching up a broken sword, he lunged at Ak Un-sang like a rabid beast.
Swish! Swish-swish-swish!
This was no sword technique.
It was a frenzied, desperate struggle fueled purely by vengeance.
Schlick.
Finally, Ak Un-sang's head tumbled into the mud with a wet thud.
As Im Mu-jeong stood there, drenched in blood and gasping for air, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
"Serviceable. That madness."
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor saw it.
The perfect vessel to master the long-lost demonic art—Mad Demon Blood Aura—a forbidden technique that endlessly tempered the body with Demonic Energy and wreathed the user in blood-infused Protective Astral Energy.
"I've gained another fine blade."
And he was certain.
That boy, consumed by vengeance and madness, would become the sharpest of all his blades.
From that day on,
Im Mu-jeong's world existed solely for the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
He devoted his life to him, proving his worth by carrying out missions that danced on the edge of death.
And finally, he ascended to become one of the Twelve Blood Lords—the Night Soul Blood Lord.
At last, he believed he had repaid all his debts to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Then came his final mission—and the unforeseen disaster.
He ambushed the successor of the Sacred Realm,
but the strange power the boy unleashed caused him to lose control of the Mad Demon Blood Aura's Demonic Energy, and he was consumed by madness.
In the end, unable to leave the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's side even then, he was imprisoned on Ghost Capture Island.
—Uuuugh...!
He despaired.
There, he survived on the food and water provided by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's subordinates—meaning he had fallen into his debt yet again.
But then, the unexpected happened.
A sudden visitor arrived at Ghost Capture Island,
erased the madness that should have taken ten years of torment to purge—in an instant—
and, though he could have killed him, spared his life out of mercy.
And so, Im Mu-jeong found himself indebted once more.
Which was why he made his final choice.
To repay all his debts—
by protecting Bu Eun-seol at the cost of his life.
Im Mu-jeong, having finished his reminiscence, spoke in a low voice.
"I've repaid all my debts."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"You're right. Brother Im has repaid everything."
"But it's a shame."
His dim eyes stared blankly into the void.
"In my entire life, I never once failed a mission."
Im Mu-jeong had lived as the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's tool, completing every task given to him.
"I couldn't kill the leader of the Same Heart Society... and I couldn't retrieve the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl here either..."
The fake Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl embedded in the ancient tree had already been shattered.
"In the end, he failed his mission at the final moment... It's only natural his entire life would feel somewhat hollow now."
"No, Brother Im completed his mission."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with unwavering conviction in his eyes.
"The Same Heart Society Lord will surely die, and the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl in his possession will be reclaimed and returned to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
It was a startling declaration.
The Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl was something martial artists coveted more than life itself.
Yet why would he give it to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?
"Why...?"
"Because I still haven't repaid the kindness Brother Im showed me."
Im Mu-jeong wore a dazed expression.
Even though Bu Eun-seol considered the Demonic Heavenly Emperor his sworn enemy...
To preserve his last shred of pride... he was willing to personally deliver that treasure to his mortal foe.
"Hahaha..."
A hollow laugh burst from Im Mu-jeong's lips.
This young, peerless grandmaster—
He didn't care for immediate gain or self-preservation... His heart burned solely with unshakable loyalty.
Just like his younger self once had.
"I had a late-born younger brother. Had he lived, he'd be about your age now."
A faint smile crossed his face as he spoke in a low voice.
"The Demonic Heavenly Emperor suffered a fatal wound long ago. That's why he's been desperately searching for the Creation Sun and Moon and the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl."
"A wound."
"Though whether the injury is real or not... I can no longer say for certain."
Im Mu-jeong continued,
"So there's no need to hand him the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl."
"Brother Im."
"I prolonged my life by force to repay my debts... but all that remains is regret."
His eyes were desolate as he spoke.
"Don't think you owe me anything. Live... your own life."
Thud.
Im Mu-jeong slowly lowered his head.
At last, he had repaid all the grudges and favors that had bound him to the martial world—and departed, unburdened.
"Brother Im."
Bu Eun-seol bowed with a pained expression.
Though their time together had been brief—
Im Mu-jeong's blazing martial soul reminded him of the elder sect brothers he once knew at Langya Pavilion.
"Congratulations."
Bu Eun-seol smiled sadly.
"For breaking free from the chains of debt and vengeance."
Through death, he had escaped all obligations.
That wasn't something to mourn... but to celebrate.
After surveying the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena, Bu Eun-seol quietly left.
This place would soon be sealed anyway.
It would serve well as the final resting place of a passionate warrior who had lived his life repaying blood debts.
The Same Heart Society's forces that had been stationed near the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena had vanished without a trace.
No—even the evidence of their presence had been completely erased.
The Same Heart Society Lord had intended to lure out the Return-to-One Realm Lord and figures from the Sacred Realm, but he failed.
Once Bu Eun-seol shattered the internal trap—
The Society Lord realized facing him would require staking his life... and withdrew without hesitation.
"Same Heart Society Lord."
A bloody killing intent radiated from Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he gazed at the distant sky.
"I will behead you and reclaim the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl."
Through these events, Bu Eun-seol had incurred a debt to Im Mu-jeong... and a vendetta against the Same Heart Society Lord.
In the end, he remained—
Bound by the chains of obligation.
Trapped in the ruthless karma of the unfeeling martial world.
Demon Hall, Secret Chamber of the Myriad Learning Society
Bu Eun-seol recounted the events at the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena to Baek Jeon-cheon.
"...That's what happened."
After listening, Baek Jeon-cheon bowed deeply.
"Thank you. For risking your life to fulfill my request."
At Baek Jeon-cheon's behest—
Bu Eun-seol had entered the Tomb of Myriad Phenomena despite knowing it was a trap... and exposed the Same Heart Society Lord as its architect.
This was a debt Baek Jeon-cheon would owe for life.
"It was merely a transaction."
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled faintly at Bu Eun-seol's deliberate distancing.
"Of course."
Then he asked,
"Do you know about the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, Lord?"
"I've heard it's a treasure that allows one to inherit the achievements of ancestors through blood."
"Then you must also know the most formidable use of its power."
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol replied,
"Obtaining the True Demon's power through his bloodline."
"Correct."
Baek Jeon-cheon nodded.
"If one inherits the True Demon's abilities passed down through generations of his descendants... they might gain power surpassing even the Chain of Reincarnation."
He continued,
"But to absorb the knowledge of a transcendent being like the True Demon, all nine fragments are required. That's why the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearls must never be gathered in one place."
Understanding dawned on Bu Eun-seol.
"So the Society Head seeks the fragments not to use them... but to prevent their misuse."
"Precisely."
'That's why he sought the Return-to-One Realm Lord.'
The Same Heart Society Lord's scheme—
It was likely because the Return-to-One Realm Lord and the Sacred Realm each held a fragment.
"Then why keep them at all?"
Bu Eun-seol asked skeptically.
"Why not just destroy them?"
"Impossible."
Baek Jeon-cheon stated firmly.
"Heavenly law treasures cannot be destroyed by human hands."
Disbelief flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
He couldn't accept that a mere jewel-shaped treasure was indestructible.
"The Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearls contain the principles of heaven—the fundamental laws and power governing the universe's creation, destruction, and cycles."
The principles of nature—
They governed all phenomena: the changing seasons, the rising and setting of sun and moon, the birth and death of life.
Heavenly law treasures were condensed manifestations of these celestial principles.
Since humans could never surpass nature's power, they could never destroy them.
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled at Bu Eun-seol's doubtful expression.
"Would you like to test it?"
Click.
Suddenly, he produced an iron case from his robes.
Opening it revealed a radiant orb—different in shape and hue from the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, yet brimming with auspicious energy.
"Lord, why don't you..."
Baek Jeon-cheon maintained an enigmatic smile as he extended his hand.
"Try cutting it."