Chapter 1141
In the past, he wouldn't have even considered breaking through the Absolute Boundary to confront Jeong Cheon-je.
Even after joining forces with So Ok-rim, he had nearly died failing to block even a single one of his strikes.
But now, his martial prowess had risen to an incomparable degree.
And above all, the madness that had once shrouded Jeong Cheon-je seemed to have faded somewhat.
Perhaps this time—
A faint hope sprouted within him that they might speak rather than fight.
But then—
Drip.
Suddenly, a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips, and the Power of Harmony he had painstakingly gathered began to dissipate.
Quadruple Overlay was still uncharted territory.
To unleash it at full strength—
Not only did the forces need to be layered, but his Mental Power had to be unified into one.
'I must discard all distractions.'
Grip.
Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes and tightened his hold on the Ink Soul Sword.
Then, he began overlaying Harmony once more.
As his focus sharpened, all sound in the world evaporated in an instant.
Within the absolute silence, a violent storm raged inside his body.
From the Internal Energy he had cultivated over a lifetime to the Three Divine Powers drawn from nature itself—
These incompatible forces, which should have repelled and collided until they tore his body apart—
Through the profound principles of martial arts—
Were spinning wildly around his dantian, gradually aligning.
Crack.
His veins bulged like serpents writhing beneath his skin, and the gruesome sound of bones shifting echoed.
His muscles seemed to shred and forcibly knit themselves back together over and over.
His body trembled uncontrollably from the unbearable agony. At this rate, his body would shatter before he could even unleash Harmony.
But there was no other way.
Not until he obtained all Four Divine Powers.
Like throwing scrap metal into a furnace to forcibly melt it down, he had to expel all his power in a chaotic, blended state.
One, two, three... Finally, as the fourth layer of power overlapped—
Zzzzing.
The Prajna Great Power condensed all the chaos into a single point.
Flash!
When his eyes snapped open—
The Ink Soul Sword in his hand trembled faintly, now imbued with a radiant, multicolored light.
Quadruple Overlay Harmony.
He was ready to unleash an unknown power he had never before attempted.
"Haaahp!"
With a shout, a single beam of light erupted from the Ink Soul Sword.
A light that erased all existence.
A force that even stripped the Laws of the world of their power for a fleeting moment.
The Heaven-Shattering Form—an absolute command to return all things to nothingness—poured forth.
Clang!
As Harmony spread, cracks began forming in the Absolute Boundary.
But it wasn't completely shattered—only faint fissures, barely visible to the eye.
Gurgle.
Bu Eun-seol spat another mouthful of blood.
By expelling all the harmonized forces within him in an instant to execute the Quadruple Overlay, a void of power formed, inflicting severe internal injuries.
'Even Quadruple Overlay isn't enough?'
But then—
Creak, creak.
As the Absolute Boundary cracked, the entire Secret Vault trembled, emitting a translucent glow.
It was as though the pillars supporting the vault had collapsed, sounding an alarm.
Rumble—
Soon, the interior shook like an earthquake, the violent tremors unrelenting.
How much time had passed?
Whoosh.
Suddenly, figures clad in pristine white robes from head to toe appeared before Bu Eun-seol.
They hadn't walked in from anywhere—they seemed to tear through space like paper, manifesting in an instant.
"......."
Their flawless skin seemed to emit a faint luminescence, not even a trace of veins visible beneath.
Their long, flowing hair was whiter than snow—as if woven from strands of silver—gleaming with an ethereal luster under the ambient light.
Their pupils were vertical slits, golden like a dragon's.
They resembled statues carved from some alien white metal rather than living humans.
The moment they appeared—
The world itself seemed to freeze, an inexplicable awe spreading like a chilling illusion.
They did not walk but glided smoothly, as if skating across water, approaching Bu Eun-seol.
'Are the Baekri even human?'
He could sense it.
These were not the people of Byeolli Byeolga he had encountered before.
These were the true people of the Baekri Clan.
Crack.
But suddenly, a bone-chilling sound echoed from behind Bu Eun-seol's neck.
At the same time, a desperate scream erupted from the depths of his Spirit and Mind.
[Those bastards.]
It was none other than Baekri Geom-ha's voice.
[Traitors!]
He roared with unprecedented fury, hammering against Bu Eun-seol's consciousness.
[We have to kill them!]
Thud, thud.
[Now!]
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening shockwaves, like slabs of iron slamming against his eardrums, relentlessly assaulted him.
Baekri Geom-ha was raging from the deepest abyss of his mind.
[Are you deaf?! What are you waiting for?!]
'Calm down!'
He tried to subdue him using the Phantom Restoration's mantra, but Baekri Geom-ha ignored it, rampaging like a mad beast.
[If you won't kill them, I will!]
Crunch.
Something astonishing happened.
Baekri Geom-ha's consciousness, which should have remained dormant in the abyss, was forcibly seizing control of Bu Eun-seol's body.
Screech—
A dark light surged from Bu Eun-seol's body—Baekri Geom-ha was forcibly manifesting his power.
Flicker, flicker.
Then, another unexpected turn of events unfolded.
As Baekri Geom-ha's power activated—
The cracks in the Absolute Boundary imprisoning Jeong Cheon-je deepened further, until—
Wasn't the energy Baekri Geom-ha was unleashing being sucked into it?
"......!"
Witnessing this, the white-robed man figures stretched out their arms in shock. Immediately, light surged forth, reconstructing the Absolute Boundary.
[You dare...!]
Baekri Geom-ha's energy intensified even more violently.
As the uncontrollable black energy spread relentlessly—
Flash!
the white-robed figures unleashed a blinding light toward Bu Eun-seol.
BOOM!
The moment the black energy radiating from Bu Eun-seol clashed with theirs—
KWA—AAAAANG!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted, followed by a storm of True Qi.
"Ugh... GAAAAH!"
As if only now recognizing the black radiance of Baekri Geom-ha—
The Death Emperor let out a roar that seemed to tear the heavens apart, his gaze locked onto Bu Eun-seol.
His demeanor was that of a beast robbed of something, as though demanding the return of what was his.
"......!"
Sensing something had gone terribly wrong, the white-robed figures exchanged grim glances.
This time, instead of targeting Bu Eun-seol—
They began channeling a bizarre force toward the Death Emperor.
"Huuuuu..."
At this, the Death Emperor—who had until now displayed invincible might while slaughtering the dragons—began trembling violently.
Weren't the flickering traces of madness in his pupils gradually fading?
"Huuu... GRAAAAH!"
Yet, the Death Emperor erupted with madness once more—
"GRAAAAH!"
—and with a monstrous howl, he began smashing against the transparent Absolute Boundary.
BANG! BANG-BANG!
As the Absolute Boundary teetered on the verge of shattering—
Baekri Geom-ha, too, from within the Abyss, unleashed his black energy with renewed intensity.
the white-robed figures, detecting this—
Reached out toward Bu Eun-seol—no, Baekri Geom-ha—once more.
KWAANG!
Baekri Geom-ha, attempting to gather his power, was blasted dozens of yards away.
The force was so overwhelming—
That the supposedly indestructible floor of the Secret Vault caved in deeply, embedding his body firmly into the crater.
Drip.
Bu Eun-seol, blood trickling from his lips, slowly rose from the pit.
The impact must have been severe—Baekri Geom-ha's voice, which had been raging wildly within his Spirit and Mind, had fallen silent.
"Why attack me?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, the white-robed figures abruptly stretched out their hands again.
BANG!
Sent flying another dozens of yards, Bu Eun-seol—
Rumble—
—rose from the rubble, crimson light flashing in his eyes.
"I don't understand what's happening, but—"
PA—AAAAANG!
A multicolored radiance and shockwave of True Qi erupted from his body, spreading across dozens of yards.
"I won't endure this any longer."
Heavenly Light Endless Art, infused with transcendent Internal Energy and the Three Divine Powers. The might of the Saint Among Poisons, the Prajna Great Power, and more—
He summoned every ounce of power within him.
Whoooosh—
Drawing Ink Soul Sword, a violent energy surged outward.
Previously, even alongside So Ok-rim, he had been instantly defeated by the Demon Heavenly Emperor wielding the Four Emperors' Martial Arts.
But now, Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had advanced dazzlingly—to the point where he could stand unyielding even against the Abyss' strongest.
And then—
His grandfather's blade philosophy. The Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
A technique that, upon execution, thrusts even its wielder into the realm of Death, delivering oblivion to all living things—
The Heaven-Shattering Form.
He fused all his power, preparing to unleash it upon the white-robed man.
But then—the unexpected happened.
CRACK! RUMMMMBLE!
The Demon Heavenly Emperor finally shattered the Absolute Boundary—and lunged at the white-robed figures.
Caught off guard, the white-robed man panicked, the light shrouding their bodies flickering away.
SCREEEECH!
In desperation, they conjured a transparent barrier to withstand the Death Emperor's assault.
This turn of events left Bu Eun-seol in an awkward position.
Attacking the white-robed man alongside the Demon Heavenly Emperor felt dishonorable—
Yet standing idle meant wasting a golden opportunity.
[Now!]
At that moment, Baekri Geom-ha—crouched within his Spirit and Mind—began thrashing again.
[Kill them now!]
Bu Eun-seol's anger flared.
'Who are they? Why must they die?'
[There's no time for explanations!]
CRUNCH.
Baekri Geom-ha forcibly seized control of Bu Eun-seol's body, swinging Ink Soul Sword.
SCREEEEE—!
With an eerie shriek, the Bloody Tears Seven Forms activated.
But lacking full control, Baekri Geom-ha failed to properly execute the Blade Essence.
[Damn it! Move!]
SCREEEEE—!
As Baekri Geom-ha flailed like a madman, the technique was finally unleashed—
But this proved his fatal mistake.
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms required perfect alignment with the Blade Essence conceptualized by Bu Jan-yang.
Yet Baekri Geom-ha, consumed by rage beyond reason, recklessly poured out the technique's foundation—
Not only did the Counterforce inflict severe internal injuries on Bu Eun-seol—
But the technique that unfolded was a distorted, destructive deviation from the true Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
KWA—UUUURRR! PAAAAA!
The frenzied blade energy lashed out indiscriminately—striking both the white-robed figures and the Demon Heavenly Emperor.
Then—something unexpected happened.
Unlike the white-robed figures, wasn't the Demon Heavenly Emperor absorbing the energy violently?
RUMBLE—
Like a dragon devouring a river, every shred of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms' energy was siphoned into the Demon Heavenly Emperor—
And the Demonic Energy saturating his body began amplifying uncontrollably.
'Did the Demon Heavenly Emperor also master the Bloody Tears Seven Forms?'
Though distorted by Baekri Geom-ha's interference, the technique was still the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Unless one fully grasped its Blade Essence or wielded his grandfather's sword, Journey—
This shouldn't have been possible.
He couldn't absorb that power of death into his body.
Yet he had just swallowed the sword energy of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—now transformed into a technique of madness and destruction—in a single gulp?
KRA-BOOM!
the white-robed figures, sensing the situation spiraling toward catastrophe, swiftly formed hand seals like monks.
Then, white lightning crackled down from their bodies, and their forms began to warp and expand monstrously.
Dragon Transformation Manifestation.
The authority of the Primordial Dragon, which enforces the principles of the world—the power of the Baekri Clan, capable of severing cause and effect.
"Keheheh. Hahaha!"
But the Demon Heavenly Emperor, having absorbed the sword energy of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, suddenly—
"KAAAAAAAH——!"
—let out a roar so deafening it seemed impossible for a human throat to produce.
Crk-crk.
Simultaneously, his muscles swelled grotesquely, black veins and golden sinews writhing like serpents across his skin, carving out eerie patterns.
It was as if an uncontrollable torrent of power was rampaging through his body, reforging him from within.
'That's—'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
'Not martial arts.'
What the Demon Heavenly Emperor was unleashing wasn't just an attack.
He instinctively knew—it was a transcendent authority, one that would annihilate not just this Secret Vault, but everything in its entirety.
[I'm sorry. I ruined everything.]
At that moment, having grasped the full situation—
Baekri Geom-ha, his sanity returned, spoke in a low voice.
[This is my fault.......]
Zzziiing—
Suddenly, a violent surge of energy erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body as a black sphere began enveloping him.
Baekri Geom-ha had mustered every last ounce of his strength to generate a Protective Astral Energy infused with his Supernatural Power.
[......I'll take responsibility.]
Baekri Geom-ha's voice faded away.
From the moment he tried to seize control of Bu Eun-seol's body, his strength had already been exhausted.
And now, having expended even the last remnants of his energy to protect him, there was no way left for him to sustain his existence.
FLASH!
At the same time, a colossal sun bloomed within the Secret Vault.
BOOOOOOM—!
For an instant, all sound vanished from the world—then came the cataclysmic explosion.
Space itself screamed as the ground crumpled like paper, twisting violently.
The pillar of fire erupting from the epicenter, now a tangled mass of crimson and gold—
—utterly obliterated the entire Secret Vault.
A mountaintop, where few had ever set foot,
vanished in an instant.
Tssssss—
On the opposite peak's summit,
a figure lay collapsed, wisps of white smoke rising from their body.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
Though his body bore no external wounds, white smoke continuously seeped from his pores.
The Demon Heavenly Emperor's unleashed power had erased the Secret Vault whole,
and the shockwave had hurled Bu Eun-seol clear to the opposite mountain.
Had Bu Eun-seol not possessed the combined power of two great clans within him—
Had Baekri Geom-ha's last-ditch Protective Astral Energy not shielded him—
he wouldn't have been flung to the opposite peak.
His body would have melted away entirely.
"Baekri Geom-ha."
Bu Eun-seol forced his eyes open and whispered hoarsely.
Baekri Geom-ha.
The personality that should have been slumbering within his Spirit and Mind—was gone.
"Why... did you do this?"
He couldn't understand.
Why had Baekri Geom-ha called the white-robed man—presumably members of the Baekri Clan—traitors?
And why did it feel as though his personality had been completely erased by this explosion?
Rumble...
Rising from the rubble, Bu Eun-seol's body was drenched in blood.
Ghk—
A thick, black clot of blood burst from his lips unbidden.
This explosion had dealt him... an irreparable, fatal internal injury.
"Baekri Geom-ha."
He called again, but there was no answer.
Bu Eun-seol descended into the deepest Abyss of his Spirit and Mind using the principles of Phantom Restoration.
"Why did you call the white-robed man traitors?"
Still, no answer.
Even in the deepest Abyss, Baekri Geom-ha's presence was nowhere to be found.
As if he had been wiped clean from existence.
"BAEK-RI GEOM-HA!"
Bu Eun-seol screamed.
"ANSWER ME!"
Even if he was just a fabricated personality, one that shouldered all of Bu Eun-seol's darkness—
He was still the child who had grown up loved in Saha Manor.
His childhood self.
For him to disappear like this—
It was as if all his happiest memories, all the truths he had kept hidden—
Had vanished alongside him.
Drip... drip...
As his heart crumbled, his internal injuries flared violently, his qi and blood tangling chaotically.
His vision blurred, the world spinning wildly around him.
Finally, the energy within him surged backward—
Snap. Snap.
With sounds like thick ropes snapping, Bu Eun-seol collapsed, unconscious.
How much time had passed?
The world was shrouded in stillness.
Only the faint breaths of the unconscious Bu Eun-seol stirred the air.
Just as the moonlight bathed the ground where he lay in a quiet silver glow—
—the flow of the moon's light warped momentarily, and like a feather defying gravity,
a small meteor silently descended, parting the night's veil as it touched the earth.
The shadow that landed gradually took form—
A woman, her long hair cascading past her waist.
Backlit by the moon, she was cloaked entirely in darkness, yet her presence alone overwhelmed the space around her.
The pale curve of her neck and jaw, glimpsed through the inky strands of hair fluttering in the wind, was as flawless as porcelain.
Step. Step.
She approached the fallen Bu Eun-seol.
And gazed down at him with an expression so hollow it seemed all emotion had evaporated from the world.
Pa Sun—no, Dal-ri.
The one called the closest of the Three Attendants to the True Demon had appeared once more.
Gulp.
Her empty eyes suddenly turned as cold as glacial ice—then, just as swiftly, warmed like sunlight reflected on a river's surface.
In those fleeting moments, her emotions shifted endlessly.
"Why have you still not left the Martial World... Why do you continue to wander this storm-tossed world?"
Her eyes, lowered and heavy, lingered on Bu Eun-seol, who had lost consciousness.
Fwoosh.
With a surge of Internal Energy, she lifted him effortlessly into the air.
And in the blink of an eye, they soared high into the distant sky.