Chapter 1138
At that time, Bu Eun-seol had only been at the level of an opponent who could last only a hundred moves against the Heavenly Venerable.
But since then, he had achieved dazzling progress and accomplishments.
If the Heavenly Venerable were to appear again now? He could confidently declare that he would absolutely not be outmatched.
Yet, after all these long years, the Buddhist Venerable—who had once shaken the Martial World—remained exactly where he was?
Such a thing should have been impossible from the start.
"Now that I think about it."
Bu Eun-seol sneered as he spoke.
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"......"
"Out of the Three Venerables, the Buddhist Venerable is the only one whose martial prowess hasn't been properly evaluated?"
Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort.
"Your Excellency clashed so frequently with the Three Demons—including the former Hall Master of the Elders' Hall."
The Buddhist Venerable had repeatedly crossed paths with the Three Demons, including the Blood Demon.
Beyond that, his actions and records were far too uncertain for someone revered as a Shaolin high monk.
At first, Bu Eun-seol had assumed he was hiding his movements meticulously due to being involved in various schemes.
But if that were truly the case? He should have erased all traces completely.
Yet there was one instance where the Buddhist Venerable had left behind unmistakable evidence of his presence.
Precisely when he had confronted the Three Demons.
Almost as if he were announcing his continued existence to the world.
"In other words, there are multiple Buddhist Venerables—and the only true one is the one who fought the Three Demons and Three Venerables."
"......"
"Perhaps even the abbot who displayed such sinister behavior earlier wasn't the real one either."
The Buddhist Venerable, who had remained silent until now, revealed a faint smile.
"An amusing theory."
Creak.
He tilted his head slightly.
"If this temple could continuously produce masters of the Martial Extreme Realm, rivaling the esteemed one's own strength... would we have needed to go through such pains to protect the Martial World through roundabout means?"
"Doesn't Shaolin house not only bizarre Demonic Path Auxiliary Arts but also every secret manual that has ever circulated through the Martial World?"
Bu Eun-seol let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"You've established connections with all sorts of factions, including the Same Heart Society, and even meddled with the Sacred Artifact... Surely you must have employed some Great Art that trades life force for temporary martial prowess."
Chu-so, too, had used the life force of young martial artists as sacrifices to temporarily wield the power of the Baekri Clan or the True Demon.
Given that Shaolin had preserved the Martial World's secret techniques for generations, there was no way they wouldn't possess such dark arts.
"You couldn't remain the Buddhist Venerable forever, but for a brief moment, you could become him—couldn't you?"
The Buddhist Venerable, who had been silent—
Crack.
—suddenly channeled his Internal Power, causing his face and body to twist slightly. In an instant, the figure of a rather burly middle-aged monk emerged.
He was none other than the Chief Seat of the Arhat Hall... Monk Gong Hye.
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue in pity.
"So the Chief Seat of the Arhat Hall was playing the role of the Buddhist Venerable's shadow."
Alongside Gong Woon, the Scripture Pavilion Master, and Gong Seong, the Discipline Court Master, Monk Gong Hye—one of Shaolin's Three Divine Monks—had been masquerading as the Buddhist Venerable.
"As they say, wisdom surpasses martial arts. Truly, the reputation holds."
"Aren't you ashamed?"
Bu Eun-seol sighed from the depths of his heart.
"Is this what Shaolin truly is?"
Alongside Wudang, Shaolin had been a pillar of the Righteous Faction—a place he believed was led by just and righteous individuals.
But the Shaolin of today was nothing more than a puppet manipulated by the Buddhist Venerable's hand.
"Nothing changes."
Gong Hye, now in his true form, fixed Bu Eun-seol with a piercing gaze.
"After all, the benefactor will die here."
A strange radiance flowed from his body.
The sheer abnormality of that energy alone made it clear—he had mastered a Great Art that traded life force for power, not a martial art of Shaolin.
"Why not call for reinforcements?"
Now that it was revealed he was merely the Buddhist Venerable's shadow,
he could summon the remaining Divine Monks,
or gather the Shaolin monks who had been silently honing their formidable martial arts in seclusion.
Why insist on fighting alone?
"This humble monk alone is enough to deal with you."
"A factional split."
Bu Eun-seol grasped the situation instantly at Gong Hye's words.
"Just as the Buddhist Venerable failed to fully control Blood Shaolin, Shaolin itself is divided between those who follow him and those who don't."
Gong Hye had already discerned that Bu Eun-seol—who withstood his earlier strike—was no opponent he could easily defeat.
Yet he chose to confront him alone in secrecy rather than mobilizing all his disciples...
Ultimately, it was because he hadn't fully consolidated his control over Shaolin.
"So you sought to settle things here in Bodhi Cave."
"The benefactor talks too much."
Gong Hye spread his hands wide.
"Let us begin."
Zzziiing—
In that instant, the interior of Bodhi Cave darkened, and Gong Hye's figure vanished. From the shadows, countless pairs of eyes—hundreds of millions—materialized.
"Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara's Boundless Eyes. If you can withstand this humble monk's Limitless Power, then victory shall be yours."
To my astonishment, Monk Gong Hye too could unleash Limitless Power—a force that transcended even the principles of martial arts.
Gurgle. Gurgle.
Hundreds of millions of emotionless eyes fixed their gaze upon Bu Eun-seol in unison.
"The Eyes of Immeasurable Sight do not grant the enemy a moment to unleash Limitless Power."
As if proving Gong Hye's words, the Three Divine Powers within Bu Eun-seol's body evaporated in an instant.
Shudder.
Yet Bu Eun-seol did not panic. Instead, he ceaselessly swung the Ink Soul Sword—
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
—and in the next moment, hundreds of sword energies, sharp as needles, radiated outward in all directions.
He had adapted the Return to the Original Owner form—capable of deflecting all hidden weapons—to simultaneously pierce every single eyeball.
Whoosh.
But the eyes were not destroyed.
Instead, the moment his blade touched them, a flood of thoughts—so overwhelming they threatened to split his skull—poured into his mind.
What if I had drawn the sword just a fraction faster?
What if I had channeled my True Qi differently?
What if I had twisted my waist just half an inch more?
Could I not have executed a more flawless Sword Stroke?
Thousands, tens of thousands of such thoughts cascaded in an instant, warping even the most perfect of his sword techniques into something flawed.
'It's not attacking my Spirit and Mind—it's accelerating my thoughts?'
The Limitless Power unleashed by Shaolin's Master was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
It did not assault his body or his spirit.
Rather, it accelerated his cognition, forcing him to endlessly correct the flaws in his Martial Forms—plunging him into torment.
Sssk, sssk, sssk!
Once he grasped the function of the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight, Bu Eun-seol severed his thoughts and unleashed the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms.
Having trained under Jin Gak's guidance, he had honed these forms to the state of Ultimate Transcendence—
—so he could wield them freely, without a single thought to stance or weakness.
"Did you truly believe the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight would be so easily overcome?"
The moment Gong Hye spoke—
Whiiirrrrr.
—a strange wind blew in from nowhere, and the Ink Soul Sword in Bu Eun-seol's grip transformed into a calligraphy brush.
"......"
As he lowered the brush, he found himself facing a serene version of himself—a scholar, reciting poetry.
Just as a satisfied smile began to curl at his lips—
Flick.
—the brush in his hand became a plow.
The life of a farmer, sweating as he tilled the fields.
The scent of earth, the laughter of his wife and children. A warmth prickled in his chest.
It was the ordinary life his grandfather had always wished for him.
Zzzziiing.
In that same moment, the Internal Power and all other energies within his body began leaking away like water from a cracked gourd.
Having achieved Spiritual Aperture Breakthrough, Bu Eun-seol should have been immune to any Mind Seizing Secret Art.
But the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight Gong Hye had unleashed did not merely stimulate his spirit to conjure illusions—
—it amplified the latent torment buried deep within the human heart.
'This is not my life.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head, regaining his senses.
Yet despite his will—
—the Ink Soul Sword in his grasp turned once more, this time into a wine cup.
Clink, clink-clunk.
As he drank and listened to the enchanting song of a courtesan, a decadent pleasure—one he had never before experienced—wrapped around his entire body.
"Let us savor fine wine and song, slowly and well. How many such moments does life grant us?"
Drunk on wine, his spirits soaring, Bu Eun-seol rapped the table and sang along.
"By tomorrow, this gathering will scatter—but tonight's song shall linger in my dreams."
All the lives he had never chosen.
The happiness, the peace, the pleasures they offered—spread through him like a dream.
Everything he had abandoned beneath the name of vengeance—
—now shook his heart.
Before he knew it, the immense power that had once coursed through his body had completely drained away, his limbs going slack.
The hand that had gripped a sword, the hand that had clenched a fist—both fell limply.
Like a man who had given up on everything.
"Only a disciple of the Buddhist Order can shatter the torment bestowed by the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight," murmured Gong Hye from the darkness, his voice brimming with confidence as he wielded Limitless Power.
"In the end, man cannot help but yearn for what he does not possess..."
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head.
Had he lost? Had he been defeated by the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight?
No.
From his eyes spilled a light—not of despair, but of longing.
The me who became a scholar.
The me who became a farmer.
The me who became a wastrel.
Bu Eun-seol had not rejected these lives.
He had accepted them honestly, envied them, mourned them.
But here, at the crossroads of countless paths, he had agonized—and ultimately chosen the road of the martial artist, drenched in blood. A life of vengeance.
And this—
—was not meaningful because it was the best path.
It was meaningful because he had chosen it.
Because it is the path I chose.
When Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes again—
—they held a light deeper and more tranquil than the Eyes of Immeasurable Sight.
He no longer assumed any Martial Forms. He simply stepped forward.
And slowly, he swung his sword.
It was neither swift nor powerful—just an utterly ordinary slash.
Yet within that sword stroke lay but a single, unshakable resolve.
'What?'
Monk Gong Hye, bewildered, intensified the power of his Limitless Eyes, tightening their grip around Bu Eun-seol.
'The Limitless Power has been sealed, hasn't it?'
It was widely known that the only sure way to counter Limitless Power was with another Limitless Power of equal magnitude.
And the Limitless Eyes seized control of an opponent's Spirit and Mind, rendering them unable to unleash their Limitless Power.
But Bu Eun-seol—without even needing to manifest Limitless Power—
Was enduring the pressure of the Limitless Eyes and pressing forward with his attack regardless?
"Impossible!"
As Gong Hye pushed the Limitless Eyes to their utmost limit,
Within the Sword Trajectory of the Ink Soul Sword,
Thousands upon thousands of possibilities once more bloomed like a heat haze in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
The illusion of a blissful farmer blocked Bu Eun-seol's path,
But the sword sliced through it without hesitation.
The specter of a great scholar begged him to step aside,
Yet the Ink Soul Sword cut it down all the same.
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had not shattered the Limitless Eyes.
He had simply accepted the torrent of regrets and afflictions with unwavering honesty, taking one step after another—steadfastly, silently—forward.
And when he finally reached the end...
Gigantic pupils loomed before him.
Bu Eun-seol cleaved through them without pause.
Crack—!
A faint, glass-like fracturing sound rippled outward.
Despite the swing, the pupils remained uncut.
Instead, like a single teardrop falling, they began losing their light from the center, slowly closing shut.
Gong Hye's Limitless Power, his Limitless Eyes—which had drowned opponents in endless possibilities and torment—
Had crumbled before Bu Eun-seol's unyielding will.
The darkness lifted, and the world regained its true colors.
Bu Eun-seol stood there, breathing heavily, as a single drop of blood fell from the Ink Soul Sword with a soft plip.
And across from him—
Monk Gong Hye remained standing in his meditative pose, a thin trail of blood quietly streaming from his closed eyelids.
His eyes had been blinded by the Sword Form Bu Eun-seol had executed.
"I wondered how one so young could attain such martial prowess."
Gong Hye, now sightless, murmured in a low voice.
"This monk's Boundless could not withstand your Singular Resolve."
Gong Hye had believed that only endless afflictions and ceaseless asceticism could lead to enlightenment.
But Bu Eun-seol had forged ahead with unwavering conviction.
In the end, a power that encompassed all things—limitless in scope—
Had lost all meaning before a will that had sacrificed everything for a single path.
"Yet you infiltrated Shaolin and slew this monk. That alone is more than enough to brand you a criminal of the martial world."
A strange smile touched Gong Hye's lips.
"Because of you, the Great Orthodox-Unorthodox War will inevitably begin."
Thud.
With those final words, he exhaled his last breath.
No matter the circumstances, Bu Eun-seol had entered Shaolin alone and slain the chief of the Arhat Hall.
This was an act that could never be overlooked—
And in the end, it would become the spark that ignited full-scale conflict between the Demon Hall and Shaolin, and by extension, the Righteous Faction and the Demonic Path.
Rumble...
As Gong Hye died, the sealed doors of the Bodhi Cave swung open on their own.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Simultaneously, as if they had been waiting, the sound of Bell Striking echoed, and Shaolin's Masters began swarming toward the Bodhi Cave.
The disciples loyal to the Buddhist Venerable had already prepared thoroughly—setting a trap to kill Bu Eun-seol regardless of the battle's outcome.
"Martial Soul Lord! Submit peacefully and accept your fate!"
A Lion's Roar thundered from outside the cave.
Rumble—
At the same time, over three hundred disciples encircled the base of the Bodhi Cave, led by a monk whose bulging eyes resembled protruding marbles.
It was Gong-myeong, Shaolin's Guardian of the Dharma.
"If you resist, you will be declared an enemy of the martial world!"
Though Bu Eun-seol wore a mourning veil, he had already visited as the Martial Soul Lord and presented his credentials.
Even if he escaped this place unharmed, there was no erasing the fact that he had killed the chief of the Arhat Hall.
A trap of absolute finality.
The cunning Buddhist Venerable had prepared this fatal snare—
One that ensured Bu Eun-seol's doom regardless of victory or defeat.
"If you have the skill, try breaking free!"
Gong-myeong had already positioned the three hundred disciples not just around the Bodhi Cave but even in the skies above.
Even if Bu Eun-seol employed the Land-Flying Technique, there was no escaping Shaolin without cutting through them.
"What will you do now?"
Gong-myeong wore a triumphant expression.
The thrill of cornering the Martial Soul Lord—the young Great Master hailed as the foremost genius of the Demonic Path—sent a tingling rush through his body.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
But then, something strange happened.
Suddenly, the sound of Bell Striking rang out once more across Shaolin's grounds.
"What—?"
Just as Gong-myeong furrowed his brow—
Whoosh!
A swift-footed monk darted toward the Bodhi Cave like lightning.
"Stop!"
At the monk's shout, Gong-myeong's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
The panting monk bowed before pointing at Bu Eun-seol standing in the distance.
"That man is not the Martial Soul Lord."
"What nonsense is this?"
"The true Martial Soul Lord has arrived at Shaolin leading a great army."
The monk spoke as if he himself couldn't comprehend it.
"He says someone borrowed the Demon Hall branch's palanquin using his identity and infiltrated Shaolin."
"What?!"
After a moment of shock, Gong-myeong shook his head.
"Tell the Abbot Senior Brother this—the one visiting Shaolin now is impersonating the Martial Soul Lord."
He knew full well about Monk Gong Hye's martial arts prowess and the Measureless Eye.
If that man weren't the true Martial Soul Lord, he could never have defeated Gong Hye.
"We've already confirmed it."
The monk lowered his head as he spoke.
"The one leading the great army to our main temple now is undoubtedly the Martial Soul Lord."
Then he added:
"The Abbot personally verified it by channeling his Internal Energy."
No matter how skilled the disguise technique, blocking the flow of Internal Energy would restore the person's original appearance.
When the sudden visitor insisted he was the Martial Soul Lord, the Abbot tested him with Internal Energy—
And confirmed he was the genuine article, not using any disguise.
"How...?"
Gong-myeong stared wide-eyed at Bu Eun-seol standing far away by Bodhi Cave.
How could such a thing be possible?
"And you say he brought a great army?"
Shaolin's intelligence network rivaled even the Martial Alliance's Ten Thousand Reflections Hall.
How could they have failed to detect the Martial Soul Lord leading an army into Henan territory?
Shaking his head, Gong-myeong regained his composure and shouted:
"Capture that man first. We'll interrogate him."
Rumble—
At his command, the disciples tightened their battle formation.
Flash!
Then the world flooded with radiant light as three consecutive bursts erupted.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed Harmonization in rapid succession, shattering the formation surrounding Bodhi Cave.
"Stop him!"
Gong-myeong's urgent shout came too late—Bu Eun-seol had already vanished without a trace.
"Just what is that man?"
The light that had poured forth moments ago was unmistakably Limitless Power, not ordinary martial arts.
How could someone not only impersonate the Martial Soul Lord but perfectly replicate his martial prowess?
Who in the world was he?
"This is troubling."
Gong-myeong shook his head.
It felt like waking from some unpleasant nightmare.
"Regardless, he won't escape."
Shaolin had endured countless invasions across generations, using that experience to establish perfect encirclements and Formation Studies throughout Mount Shaoshi.
From the moment the Martial Soul Lord appeared, Absolute Formations and layered siege networks activated across the mountain—not even an ant could slip through.
Even a celestial being capable of flight would find escape utterly impossible here.
Swoosh—
In the darkness of night, a shadow moved swiftly through Shaolin's grounds.
Though monks stood vigilant guard throughout, the shadow flitted through like a specter, navigating unseen.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
'Fortunately, the timing worked out.'
He hadn't left Shaolin at all.
Rather, he'd used the confusion to infiltrate deeper into the temple.
The new Martial Soul Lord's visit. The chaos.
All part of the plan he'd devised in advance.
'Not even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor could detect traces of this disguise—let alone Shaolin's Abbot.'
Bu Eun-seol allowed himself a knowing smile.
'Hall Leader Baek is also from the Sacred Realm. He'd naturally know the Darkness Secret Arts.'
From the very beginning—
When he first heard rumors of a Sacred Artifact at Shaolin, Bu Eun-seol had anticipated this exact scenario.
'Shaolin's behavior has been far too peculiar for a supposed pillar of the martial world.'
They'd remained passive through every major upheaval.
Their true leader, the Buddhist Venerable, had been cultivating forces in the shadows using bizarre Great Arts like the Abyssal Forces.
Current Shaolin might as well be called a miniature Martial Alliance—transformed into a Demon-Subduing Palace where dragons and tigers crouched.
A careless infiltration would only lead to exposure and backlash.
—I have one more request.
From the moment he heard of Shaolin's Sacred Artifact, Bu Eun-seol had devised a strategy to enter.
To prepare against Shaolin's vicious countermeasures, he'd made one additional request to Baek Jeon-cheon.
—I need you to visit Shaolin leading troops while impersonating me.
If Baek Jeon-cheon committed fully to playing Bu Eun-seol's role? Not even Shaolin's Abbot could see through it.
And Bu Eun-seol had used the chaos of this "visit" to infiltrate deep into Shaolin's heart.
'Shaolin must be furious.'
They'd surely confirmed Bu Eun-seol at Bodhi Cave was genuine and laid their trap accordingly—
Only for the "real" Martial Soul Lord to arrive with an army, openly demanding they produce his impersonator?
'This was the only way to infiltrate Shaolin.'
Currently, Shaolin faced the formidable threat of the Martial Soul Lord leading a great army.
Simultaneously, they hunted the intruder who killed Gong Hye at Bodhi Cave.
Which meant their inner grounds were nearly devoid of powerful Masters.
Thanks to this, Bu Eun-seol could infiltrate deep into Shaolin's most secret places unimpeded.