Chapter 1148
With the death of the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Centipede, all the Spirit Beasts that had filled the forest vanished.
The forest had become a sanctuary for the Spirit Beasts because the spiritual energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Centipede, who had shared his fate with Pa Hon, had altered the ley lines.
It had transformed the land into a sacred ground where Spirit Beasts could thrive.
But now that the Black Centipede was dead, the forest had reverted to ordinary land.
—You need not feel guilt.
As Bu Eun-seol gazed up at the distant sky, Pa Hon's words resurfaced in his mind.
—The remaining lifespan was ten years at most, three at the shortest.
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
The fact that Pa Hon's life had been nearing its end did not serve as absolution.
Since entering the martial world, he had grown and survived thanks to the help of countless people.
And Pa Hon, too, had been one of his benefactors—someone who had protected him.
"At first, I thought he was the True Demon."
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol had suspected Pa Hon of being the True Demon the moment he claimed to have created the Forest of Spirit Beasts.
No matter how great a Master one was, it was impossible to turn a place devoid of Spirit Beasts into a sacred ground.
But in the end, he had merely been another victim—
A sacrifice who had lived an unnaturally long life alongside the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Centipede, bound by the True Demon's Secret Arts.
"I must go to Saha Manor."
Miraculously, he had found a way to recover the lost persona of Baekri Geom-ha.
If too much time passed, it might become impossible to retrieve him.
So he had to reach Saha Manor as soon as possible.
A desolate wind seeped through the crumbled walls.
Beneath the ashen sky, the ruins of Saha Manor greeted Bu Eun-seol with an even lonelier air than before.
When he had first set foot here, his chest had been filled with a faint, wistful longing.
But as the hidden fragments of truth gradually revealed themselves—
That longing had sharpened into jagged shards, piercing his heart with agony.
Though this had undoubtedly been the land where he was born and raised—
In his memories, it had become nothing but an empty void.
And now... only the scattered remnants of Baekri Geom-ha's memories remained.
Perhaps it was because he had recovered a fraction of those memories—
But unlike before, the desolate landscape now carried a faint, lingering warmth.
"This is where Baekri Geom-ha received the Imperial Step from his father..."
Guided by the lantern of Baekri Geom-ha's memories,
Bu Eun-seol stepped toward the empty lot behind the Purple Fragrance Pavilion, where the Small Martial Training Ground had once stood.
"Here."
In the memory's landscape, plum blossoms had fluttered luxuriantly in the wind, and a delicate garden had unfolded like a painting.
But now, there was only a chaotic scattering of broken stones and dried dust. As it was, it was difficult to synchronize the past memories with the present state of his spirit and mind.
'If I had sought an easy nostalgia, I would have gone to the fake Saha Manor instead.'
The counterfeit Saha Manor lacked only the hidden mechanisms concealed in each hall—
Otherwise, its exterior was eerily identical, and even the surrounding scenery had been reproduced as if stamped from a mold.
'But I don't want to go there.'
That place had been deliberately crafted by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—or the forces behind him.
He had no desire to reclaim Baekri Geom-ha within that fabricated space.
Whoosh— Crack!
As the internal energy blooming from Bu Eun-seol's fingertips stirred the air, the surrounding debris floated upward.
He intended to reconstruct the skeleton of the old training ground by rearranging the stones according to the landscape in Baekri Geom-ha's memories.
Zzzing—
At the same time, his pupils turned a piercing gold.
He unleashed Phantom Restoration, slowly infusing color into the ashen world.
Rustle—
Before he knew it, from the ruined surroundings—
Pink plum blossom petals bloomed and scattered in the empty air, and over the crumbled foundation stones, the illusion of an elegant pavilion superimposed itself.
—Yes, you're doing well.
For a moment, the affectionate voice of a father seemed to echo in his ears.
As his assimilation with the past memories deepened, the illusions grew as vivid as reality.
Now, before his eyes stood his father, Baekri Mu-ha, with a benevolent smile.
And beside him—young Baekri Geom-ha, sweating as he diligently practiced the Imperial Step under his guidance.
'Back then, he was bright.'
Baekri Geom-ha had been an innocent, radiant child—like sunlight itself.
He had always been full of laughter, his eyes sparkling with curiosity about the world.
But the current Baekri Geom-ha was arrogant, cruel, and immature.
Once more, Bu Eun-seol surrendered himself entirely to the torrent of memories Baekri Geom-ha had entrusted to him, using the dharma gate of Phantom Restoration.
He plunged into an endlessly deep and dark abyss.
Then—instead of the scenery of Saha Manor—
Like a floodgate of tightly sealed memories bursting open, forgotten fragments of the past surged forth like a storm, overwhelming his soul.
—Gahk— Ugh.
Suddenly, the vision of Saha Manor appeared—drenched in blood and buried beneath ashes.
A child was screaming at the top of his lungs amidst the burning ruins of Hell Island.
It was a cry beyond sorrow—a sound like a soul shattering into pieces.
Through the endless wails and chaos of Hell Island, the figure of Baekri Geom-ha came into sharp focus.
"I'll kill them—I swear I'll kill them all!"
With raging flames at his back, only the terrifying blaze of hatred burned in his pupils.
His face, drenched in blood, bore the desperate vow of a curse—that even if it cost him his life, he would tear his enemies apart.
Drip.
Then, the space distorted again, and the scenery shifted.
A momentary darkness swallowed all light before—
"I want power."
Baekri Geom-ha's hollow whisper rose from the ashes.
Helplessness, agonizing despair. Rage, vengeance.
As the negative emotions endlessly amplified,
the sealed power of the Heavenly Darkness Star, buried in the deepest abyss, began to be absorbed, following those emotions, into the depths of his spirit and mind.
'I'm sorry.'
Bu Eun-seol, who had been witnessing the flow of Baekri Geom-ha's memories, wore a pained expression.
Faced with a reality too cruel for even a genius yet innocent child to endure,
to preserve his true self—
all the suffering, grief, burning hatred, and curses upon the world,
the venom of those dark emotions gnawing at his soul—
he had poured them all into another vessel of personality and sealed them away.
To protect his true self.
The Baekri Geom-ha within the abyss had willingly become the sacrificial lamb, bearing the weight of that hell.
'I wasn't born with dual personalities.'
As the storm of memories subsided,
the cruel truth sank in anew.
'The split in my memories... was caused by the Saha Manor Blood Tragedy.'
Bu Eun-seol was wise, composed, and rarely swayed by emotion.
In contrast, Baekri Geom-ha, having lost the brilliance of his childhood, was impulsive, wicked, and behaved like a child.
So that Bu Eun-seol could withstand life’s hardships,
Baekri Geom-ha had passed on his brightest gifts—his wisdom and composure—
as though offering the very nourishment Bu Eun-seol needed to survive.
'All that remained was the hollowness—the loss of everything that had once shone.'
After exhausting himself over the years, his soul had run dry, his mind frozen in childhood.
That was why—
he had desperately screamed, "I am the master!"
And that cry... was a plea to have his existence acknowledged.
'He must have felt wronged.'
Realizing the truth, Bu Eun-seol felt an indescribable guilt and sorrow.
KOOOOM—
Then, the entire Saha Manor trembled.
A deep, resonant vibration, as if a colossal being dwelling in the earth's depths had roared.
Pebbles scattered wildly, and clouds of dust billowed up in hazy swirls.
At the same time, a blinding white light cascaded from the sky like a waterfall.
'No ordinary Master.'
Sensing that someone with transcendent power was approaching, Bu Eun-seol—
Flick.
instantly activated the Darkness Secret Arts, reshaping his face into that of an ordinary man.
Whoooosh—
The torrential light gradually faded,
revealing three figures hovering majestically in the sky.
Their pristine white robes, untouched by dust, fluttered sacredly even in the windless air.
They resembled celestial beings or immortals descending from the heavens,
their emotionless eyes gazing down at Bu Eun-seol as if observing an insignificant creature.
'The Absolute Boundary.'
Not only that, but the space surrounding Saha Manor for hundreds of jang had already been perfectly enclosed by a translucent barrier of light.
"Who are you?"
Feeling the auspicious aura radiating from them, Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
Whether they were from the Baekri Clan was secondary—
despite their serene expressions, their presence carried an oppressive, unmistakably hostile air.
[Tch.]
At Bu Eun-seol's question, the dignified middle-aged man at the forefront of the light-bound group spoke.
[Here we go again.]
His voice was cold as steel, yet solemn like a priest chanting scripture.
[Still not tired of trying to recreate Baekri Geom-ha, are you?]
'Recreate Baekri Geom-ha?'
"I don't know what you're talking about."
[You deliberately came to Saha Manor, forcibly rebuilt the old training platform—do you really expect us to believe you don't know?]
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
If they remembered the existence of the training platform here—
then they must have known Saha Manor's exact structure before its ruin.
Meaning, they had been here during the time his father and mother were still alive.
"Are you from Saha Manor?"
Despite Bu Eun-seol's polite inquiry, the middle-aged man replied in a voice colder than a judge delivering a verdict.
["No need for lengthy words."]
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol's gaze turned infinitely cold.
The virtuous do not come, and those who come are not virtuous.
The unwritten law of the martial world was proving itself true once again.
'They have a Baekri Geom-ha they truly believe in.'
Clang.
Without a word, Bu Eun-seol gripped the Ink Soul Sword.
Originally, he had a mountain of questions to ask if he ever faced the people of the Baekri Clan.
But confronted by their insolent and arrogant demeanor, he realized one thing:
There would be no dialogue with them. Even if he knelt and begged, he would receive no answers.
Even if he revealed his identity, they would still strike him down.
'Hah.'
A hollow laugh escaped him.
'Is my fate written solely with "failed communication" and "bloody battles"?'
He had come here to recover the memories of Baekri Geom-ha from his time in Saha Manor.
Yet his own bloodline, the elders of that very clan—
Without explanation or reason, they sought to kill him on sight?
"No."
Bu Eun-seol suppressed the fury rising within him once more.
They were still his father's people—his own clan's kin.
"At least tell me why."
Under normal circumstances, he would have engaged in battle without a single word. But now, he forced down the grief welling up inside him and asked:
"Why must I die?"
[Because there must be no more imposters pretending to be Baekri Geom-ha.]
"No more?"
[You dare attempt this again without even knowing the state of the main family?]
The shocking reply left Bu Eun-seol standing dumbfounded.
Even the Sacred Realm elder, who held the authority of the Covenant, had said something similar.
As had Pa-myeong, who had taken the form of Wi Cheong-un.
—So a fake is masquerading as the real one.
Now, it was confirmed to be true.
"You're saying there's another Baekri Geom-ha?"
Bu Eun-seol asked again, his expression one of sheer disbelief.
The middle-aged man replied coldly:
[So you admit it now. That you were trying to impersonate Baekri Geom-ha.]
"Not at all."
Bu Eun-seol's face was filled with profound desolation.
"Even if you escorted me away in a priceless jade palanquin... I have no intention of doing so."
[Enough of this pointless conversation.]
As if declaring further words unnecessary, the middle-aged man nodded to the figures standing behind him.
KWAOOOONG!
With a roar that split the heavens, one of the two white-clad figures hovering behind him began transforming—
Into a white dragon, its scales gleaming like pure snow.
Shedding its human form, its body swelled to the size of a mountain range, and its eyes burned like molten lava.
The very air froze where its breath touched, and a single beat of its wings unleashed a storm-like pressure.
Normally, Manifestation Art Energy would have no effect on Bu Eun-seol.
His body, intertwined with both Manifestation Art Energy and Soul-Demon Magic Energy, was inherently fortified.
His Spirit and Mind were further shielded by his other self—Baekri Geom-ha.
Moreover, he carried the aura of the Heavenly Darkness Star, capable of annihilating all things,
Making him largely impervious to the influence of these two opposing forces.
But now, his strongest mental shield—Baekri Geom-ha—was gone.
Though Pa Hon had fully restored his physical body,
The loss of that protective barrier meant
He could no longer repel the Manifestation Art Energy now seeping into his Spirit and Mind.
Crack! Fzzzt!
As his Spirit and Mind shattered under the assault,
Fine fissures spread across his skin like cracks forming in delicate porcelain.
This was no mere physical wound—
It was the agony of his very foundation shaking, as though his soul were being torn apart.
The attack had not even landed, yet his Spirit and Mind were already taking damage.
WHOOSH!
Before he could even register the pain, the colossal white dragon's razor-sharp claws tore through the air.
KWA-RUNG!
With a thunderous roar, a gale-force wind engulfed all of Saha Manor.
'Manifestation Art Energy or Soul-Demon Magic Energy—it doesn't matter.'
He had always walked the Martial Way.
No matter what force came at him, he would meet it head-on.
Bu Eun-seol's body flitted through the tempest like a butterfly.
Pat!
Piercing through the onslaught, he soared into the air,
Closing in on the illusory giant dragon before unleashing a furious barrage of sword strikes.
Clang! Screech!
Yet each time the Ink Soul Sword met the dragon's scales, all that erupted were ear-splitting metallic shrieks and bursts of white sparks—
Leaving not a single scratch on them.
'For the Baekri Clan, this much is only natural.'
Defeating them with ordinary swordplay was impossible from the start.
BOOM!
Drawing upon his Internal Energy, a radiant light erupted from Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
KIIIIIEEEE!
Simultaneously, a ghastly and piercing wail emanated from the Ink Soul Sword.
Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
He unleashed the greatest saber art of all time, one that delivered death to all things in heaven and earth.
Screeeech!
As the black saber aura struck the dragon's body, a faint radiance rippled across its scales.
But no matter how much he unleashed the technique—
The light condensed upon the scales blocked it completely.
[So, it is the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.]
The middle-aged man, who had been silently observing the battle, let out a derisive snort.
[Did the Three Realms create this one?]
Far from being surprised by the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, he was openly mocking it.
This was only natural.
During their previous encounter, the leader of the Same Heart Society had spoken as if there were many in the martial world who had mastered the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Moreover, Bu Eun-seol was currently disguised using the Darkness Secret Arts.
Faced with an unknown figure wielding the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, the middle-aged man had mistaken him for someone from the Three Realms.
"If you can't maintain that form, are you too scared to even fight?"
Whether Bu Eun-seol's words struck a deep nerve—
"......"
the white-robed man, who had taken the form of a dragon, abruptly reverted to human shape.
[You think you can act recklessly just because you know the Bloody Tears Seven Forms?]
Shwoosh.
Returning to human form, the white-robed man descended to the ground, radiating an aura on an entirely different level than before.
[Go on. Show me that technique again.]
He thrust out a single fist.
What the white-robed man unleashed was not a martial art learned and refined through training—
But something older.
A primal force that existed before martial arts themselves took form.
Unbound by shape or technique, transcending even the principles and limitations of martial arts, his fist technique surged forth—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Erasing the saber aura of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, explosions erupted around Bu Eun-seol's body.
The fist technique the white-robed man wielded—
Even Bu Eun-seol, who had felled countless formidable foes, found it impossible to evade, its profundity beyond comprehension.
'I won't dodge. I'll face it head-on.'
CLANG! CRASH!
As the Bloody Tears Seven Forms clashed with the white-robed man's overwhelming authority, earth-shaking collisions resounded endlessly.
Even without transforming into a dragon—
the white-robed man effortlessly blocked the death-laden Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
'I haven't yet reached the realm of death.'
From his previous battle with the leader of the Same Heart Society, Bu Eun-seol had realized something.
The moment the Bloody Tears Seven Forms truly became invincible was when the wielder themselves became living death.
'I can't become the being that slumbers at the end of all life.'
But Bu Eun-seol still teetered on the edge of that boundary, unable to fully grasp death.
'Even so—I am my grandfather's grandson.'
SCREEEEEECH!
A piercing shriek, sharp enough to tear the heavens apart, erupted from Ink Soul Sword.
His grandfather had spent his life burdened by atonement, having taken countless lives—
Yet in the end, his will had been to save even more.
A life riddled with contradictions and paradoxes had dragged his soul into endless solitude.
And that solitude had ultimately elevated the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to an invincible state, bringing him to the threshold of death itself.
Without even fully understanding his own fate—
Bu Eun-seol, who now fought to save a martial world in turmoil and a world in crisis, found himself...
Slowly aligning with the spirit and mind of Bu Jan-yang, who had once shouldered the great saber and sought to save everyone.
[What—what is that?!]
The middle-aged man, watching the battle, let out a startled cry.
[Dodge it!]
But it was too late.
SHWOOOSH!
With the sound of a wave splitting, one of the white-robed man's arms was cleanly severed, soaring into the air.
Staggering, the white-robed man halted his movements, as if unable to endure the pain.
[That bastard—!]
The shocked middle-aged man swiftly extended his hand.
Immediately, the cracks spreading across Bu Eun-seol's body widened, blood seeping out.
[Strike now!]
At the middle-aged man's signal, the remaining the white-robed man—who had stayed out of the fight until now—began to swell unnaturally.
CRACK.
A colossal dragon, vast as a mountain range, descended.
SHWOOOOM.
As its maw gaped open, an illusion took hold—as if all the light in the world was being sucked into it.
GRROOOOOWL!
Bu Eun-seol's vision drowned in darkness.
The white dragon had not opened its mouth to unleash an attack—but to execute a secret art that devoured souls in an instant.
In that moment—
The pain gnawing at his flesh, the despair shaking his soul—all of it vanished.
What struck him instead was an overwhelming spiritual impact unlike anything he had ever experienced.
It felt like falling into an endless abyss.
Within that pitch-black darkness, fragments of long-forgotten memories—faint yet warm, like distant embers—began to surface one by one.
—"Do not step into the martial world. If you learn martial arts, the seal will break."
His father's words.
But there was a contradiction in them.
Hadn't he taught him the Imperial Step in his childhood? Hadn't he passed down various secret arts of the Baekri Clan?
Of course, those couldn't be called martial arts meant for killing others—but they were still undeniably martial arts.
So why—
Had his father spoken as if he had never taught him martial arts at all?
'Baekri Geom-ha, the one who bears the Heavenly Darkness Star.'
The answer came easily.
His father hadn't been warning him—but Baekri Geom-ha.
"Do not learn martial arts."
That plea had never been meant for Bu Eun-seol.