Chapter 1167
'Good.'
A faint smile curled at the corners of Bu Eun-seol's lips as he stared at the wide-eyed Martial Venerable.
From the moment he had heard everything from Yeom Wi, he had anticipated that the masters of the Baekri Clan would track his traces.
Yeom Wi had been a servant of the Baekri Clan, tasked with the critical mission of roaming the Martial World to gather intelligence—verifying the truth behind the information regarding Baekri Geom-ha.
Though he had rendered many services and demonstrated unwavering loyalty, they had only stripped him of his martial arts and exiled him.
But they would never let someone who knew so much roam freely.
It was all too obvious that they would secretly keep him under surveillance, and anyone who made contact with him would undoubtedly be eliminated.
'If it's the Martial Venerable, he should be able to hold them off.'
The Martial Venerable was not only a man who could see through all situations and orchestrate the board—he was also a master who had cultivated transcendent martial arts.
Even if he were to fight the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, he would be capable of preserving his own life...
So even if the masters of the Baekri Clan came charging in, he would surely be able to withstand them.
'It'd be even better if he dies.'
If he were to perish fighting the Baekri Clan's forces, that would be an acceptable outcome in its own way.
"They are members of the Baekri Clan!"
Bu Eun-seol, now wearing the face of a bright-eyed young man, shouted at the Martial Venerable.
"Take what I gave you earlier and leave this place! I'll hold them off!"
The Martial Venerable's face twisted.
Only then did he realize that all of this was an elaborate trap Bu Eun-seol had laid.
"Do you think things will go as you wish?!"
Glaring at Bu Eun-seol with bloodshot eyes, he roared like thunder.
"I'll kill you next time!"
With those words, the Martial Venerable twisted his body, warping space itself.
Zzzt—
At the same time, a black sphere formed behind his back, and his figure vanished into it in an instant.
No—he should have vanished.
Zzzt—
But only black sparks flickered, and the Martial Venerable remained standing there, dumbfounded.
The Baekri Clan pursuers, floating midair and looking down at him, had already unfolded a flawless Absolute Boundary around the space he occupied.
"You think I can't break through some mere Absolute Boundary?!"
With a Great Roar, the Martial Venerable wildly swung his arms.
His hands multiplied like those of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, and his body blurred like an illusion and passed through the boundary.
Clang—
But with the sound of something shattering, his body was flung back.
Because each member of the Baekri Clan could individually erect an Absolute Boundary, the barriers were stacked threefold.
"You bastards!"
Refusing to give up, the Martial Venerable began folding space once more.
Since he, too, could deploy an Absolute Boundary, he believed he could break through even a layered one.
But the Baekri Clan members instantly reconstructed the boundary, and his escape was thwarted again.
Ssshhhk!
The pursuers traced their fingers through the air. In response, razor-sharp beams of light, like living creatures, burrowed into the Martial Venerable's pressure points.
"Be careful. Their skills are truly formidable."
Even if he focused all his energy, it was uncertain whether he could defeat them.
And with Bu Eun-seol clinging to his back like a relentless ghost, the Martial Venerable was on the verge of losing his mind.
"Get off me!"
The Martial Venerable unleashed a burst of palm energy, but—
Tzzzt-tzzzt!
Bu Eun-seol skillfully redirected the force toward the Baekri Clan masters in the air and shouted loudly.
"Their martial arts are ineffective against them! You must show them your true power!"
When it came to movement techniques, Bu Eun-seol was already among the greatest in the world.
Deliberately circling around the Martial Venerable, he not only disoriented him but also provoked the Baekri Clan masters' attacks—using the Martial Venerable's own body as a shield.
'This bastard!'
The Martial Venerable was on the verge of losing his mind.
Wasn't this cunning, snake-like brat deliberately manipulating the battlefield to ensure all attacks were concentrated on him?
'This is trouble.'
Conflict flickered across the Martial Venerable's face.
He knew better than anyone the capabilities of the Baekri Clan assassins.
If they truly unleashed their power? He would have to lay bare all his hidden cards.
Zzziiing—
A pitch-black radiance erupted across the Martial Venerable's body as he made his decision.
Until now, he had trained in various techniques to thoroughly conceal the fact that he wielded the power of Musincheon.
One of them involved blending the pure Golden Cicada True Qi stolen from the Heavenly Emperor with spellcraft from Pasa, obscuring the very nature of his martial path.
FWOOOOSH—
With a flash of light that seemed to dye the world black, a deafening explosion tore through space.
KWA-BOOOM!
Rocks, trees, dust—everything in the vicinity was reduced to a handful of powder and vanished.
Using Soul-Demon Magic Energy—a force that distorted the world's rules and reduced all things to nothingness—as its foundation,
He collided three opposing forces: the pure True Qi of the Central Plains' orthodox martial world, the sacred exorcistic spellcraft,
And triggered a cataclysmic explosion.
Goooooo—
The surrounding energy, heat, light, and sound gradually faded, and even the forms of objects and the vitality of life blurred and crumbled away.
In the end, all that remained was an empty void.
Flash!
At that moment, a white light seeped from the spot where the Baekri Clan's assassins had been floating.
Amid the landscape filled with silence, the white light swirled outward before—
Zzziiing!
—a bizarre vibration and shockwave of light rippled in all directions.
Simultaneously, the Baekri Clan assassins, now enveloped in pure white radiance, gradually revealed themselves.
Blood stained the corners of their lips, their complexions deathly pale, yet their gazes remained as sharp as blades.
But where their eyes fell, there was only emptiness.
The Martial Venerable, who had been at the epicenter of the explosion—
And Bu Eun-seol, who had been circling beside him—had vanished without a trace.
"......."
After coldly scanning their surroundings for a long while—
Whoosh!
—they disappeared into the distant sky in an instant.
Hweeeeng...
Only a desolate wind swept across the ruined wasteland.
Where a fierce battle had once raged, now only dust and debris drifted aimlessly in the wind.
Faint traces of the Shockwave energy unleashed by the Baekri Clan pursuers still lingered in the air.
How much time had passed?
Grrr...
Nearby, a pale mist began to spread.
Like morning fog in a mountain valley, the haze shimmered faintly before gradually dissipating—
Sssk.
—and a faint silhouette slowly emerged from the earth.
The blurred, translucent shadow soon took full form as it rose from the ground.
A man clad in pristine white robes, standing in stark contrast to the devastated landscape.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
'As expected, he resorted to this method.'
Against the Baekri Clan assassins—
He had anticipated that the Martial Venerable would use an explosive burst of power to shake them off.
Not only had he analyzed the man's temperament and combat style during their previous battle,
But he had also discerned his reluctance to reveal his true divine power.
Just before the explosion,
Bu Eun-seol had employed the profound principle of Unity of Self and Nature—something he had grasped while studying the Nature Sword with Ak Mu-ryeong—to conceal himself within the flow of the natural world.
Becoming one with the wind, earth, and air, he melded into nature itself before executing the Earth Escape Art to bury himself deep underground.
'Soul-Demon Magic Energy.'
And through this incident,
Bu Eun-seol finally understood why the Martial Venerable had grown so powerful.
'The man impersonating the Martial Alliance Chief has become a Servant of the True Demon.'
Though the Martial Venerable had perfectly concealed his foundational power amidst the chaotic eruption of multiple energies—
His opponent was none other than Bu Eun-seol, who had fought countless Servants of the True Demon, including the Four Divine Heaven Lords.
Moreover, since Soul-Demon Magic Energy was also embedded within his own body, he could detect the faint traces of that power within the explosion.
'Then that means...'
Among the forces the Martial Venerable had wielded—
There was a particularly vile and potent strain of Soul-Demon Magic Energy, rivaling even that of the Three Attendants.
But he couldn't possibly be one of the Three Attendants.
Tracing the origin of that power, only one name remained in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
'Martial God Heaven Lord.'
The previous Martial God Heaven Lord was dying after his newly appointed successor stole nine-tenths of his power.
The secretly chosen heir—that man was none other than the Martial Venerable.
'So that's how it was.'
As all the pieces fell into place, a glacial light surged in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'No wonder he grew this strong.'
The Martial Venerable was the foremost among the Three Demons and Three Venerables, surpassing even the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong and the Profound Demon Wi Ji-mua.
A master of all manner of Esoteric Ritual Arts, now wielding the authority of the True Demon—it was inevitable that his martial prowess would skyrocket.
'This is enough.'
At any rate, this incident had finally allowed him to seize the Martial Venerable's tail.
'Danmok Gi... At last, I see the wretched end awaiting you.'
Thanks to the trap set to shake off the Baekri Clan assassins—
He had unexpectedly obtained the very leverage needed to completely dismantle the Martial Venerable's foundation.
Now, among the Grand Designs he had long been planning—
The time had come to execute the scheme that would bring the Martial Venerable crashing down from the Martial Alliance.
Demon Hall, Hidden Demon Pavilion - Bu Eun-seol's Office
"The Martial Venerable was the Martial God Heaven Lord."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened as if they might tear.
The Martial God Heaven Lord, who had never once appeared until now—was none other than the Martial Venerable?
"He even abandoned the pride of the Righteous Faction?"
Yu Un-ryong had thought that, no matter what atrocities the Martial Venerable committed or how he betrayed Jeong Cheon-je, he at least upheld the fundamental principles of an orthodox martial artist.
But to think he had become a Servant of the True Demon...?
"Besides, it doesn't make sense."
Yu Un-ryong delivered a sharp analysis.
"I've heard that Servants of the True Demon cannot act against its will. So how could he have become the Martial God Heaven Lord?"
Until now, the Martial Venerable had moved solely for his own advancement, behaving in ways utterly unbefitting of the title.
"It's certain. He was using Soul-Demon Magic Energy."
"Hmm..."
"And if we can prove to the world that he is the Martial God Heaven Lord—"
A flash of light passed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"—we can force him to step down from his position as Martial Alliance Chief."
The Martial Venerable—for too long, he had worn the mask of Jeong Cheon-je and manipulated the Martial Alliance.
Even if they knew he was an imposter, there was no way to prove it.
But what if they could present decisive evidence to the Martial Alliance warriors that he was a Servant of the True Demon?
They could bring him down right in his own stronghold—the place he believed to be safest.
"Perhaps he already suspects his identity might have been exposed because of this incident."
Yu Un-ryong stroked his chin.
"He might be cleaning up loose ends before someone stabs him in the back."
The Martial Venerable was an exceedingly cunning man.
Having clashed with the assassins of the Baekri Clan and secretly used Soul-Demon Magic Energy,
he might have anticipated that his true nature would be exposed and preemptively stepped down from the position of Alliance Chief to avoid the danger.
"Not a chance."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"He will cling to the position of Chief by any means necessary."
"Why?"
"Because he was willing to personally kill a figure from the Sacred Realm just to maintain his authority."
"What are you talking about? He killed someone from the Sacred Realm?"
"I visited the Martial Alliance not long ago."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained to Yu Un-ryong what had happened there.
The likelihood that the Martial Venerable was involved in Daoist Mok's disappearance was extremely high.
Not only had he manipulated the incident to maintain cooperation with the Sacred Realm, but he had also used it to solidify his position as Chief.
"But I still don't understand."
Yu Un-ryong's expression darkened.
"Why would someone like the Martial Venerable betray Jeong Cheon-je? Why did he stubbornly cling to the role of Alliance Chief until the end... and why did he kill Daoist Mok, who managed the Pratyekabuddha Hall?"
Motive.
Why had he caused these incidents? What was his ultimate goal?
Unless they uncovered that,
everything Bu Eun-seol had said would remain mere speculation.
"When untangling a complicated matter, sometimes the simplest approach is best."
After a long silence, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
"He must have needed to become the Alliance Chief—and wanted to keep that power at all costs."
Yu Un-ryong crossed his arms and stroked his chin.
"That just brings us back to the same question. Why would he cling to the position of Alliance Chief? He never cared for power in the first place."
The Martial Venerable had no interest in fame, wealth, or authority—he had spent his entire life wandering and honing his martial arts.
For such a man to obsess over the position of Chief made no sense.
"What if what he desires is within the Martial Alliance, and only as Chief can he obtain it?"
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yu Un-ryong's eyes gleamed with realization.
"So there's something in the Martial Alliance he wants, and he's desperately holding onto the Chief's position to find it..."
Considering the risk of being exposed as a false Chief,
along with the worsening internal dissent and the growing dissatisfaction of the Alliance's senior members,
the Martial Venerable should have abandoned the Martial Alliance long ago.
Yet he stubbornly remained, enduring all that danger.
"That's a plausible theory."
Nodding, Yu Un-ryong brightened.
"Then all we need to do now is figure out what that 'something' is."
"Most likely... the Chain."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"Betraying Jeong Cheon-je, his insatiable thirst for power—his true objective was... the Chain hidden within the Martial Alliance."
His grandfather had once possessed the Chain of Reincarnation before it passed to Jeong Cheon-je.
But what if the Martial Venerable had discovered that Jeong Cheon-je held the Chain,
that it was still secretly stored deep within the Martial Alliance,
and that only someone with the Chief's authority could trace its whereabouts?
Then his obsession with retaining the position of Alliance Chief would make perfect sense.
"The Chain? What chain?"
"The Chain of Reincarnation."
Bu Eun-seol recounted everything he knew about the Chain to Yu Un-ryong.
"Daoist Mok had been keeping the Chain of Reincarnation in his office."
"That figure from the Sacred Realm had the Chain of Reincarnation?"
Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened as if something had just clicked.
"Wait—don't tell me you obtained that Chain?"
"I did."
Clink.
As Bu Eun-seol activated the Emotion Severing Secret Art, a short chain materialized in his left hand.
"This is the Chain of Reincarnation."
Yu Un-ryong's eyes bulged as if he were dizzy.
The information and feats Bu Eun-seol had uncovered thus far were so extraordinary they could be called the hidden myths of the martial world.
No matter how detailed the explanation, it was hard to believe—
and at the pinnacle of it all stood the Chain of Reincarnation.
A thing that had allowed the True Demon, carrying ancient memories, to reincarnate—
something closer to divine authority than a mere object,
an abstract concept so profound it defied proof of existence.
Yet now, that very impossibility
lay before them in the tangible form of a chain.
"This... is really the Chain of Reincarnation?"
"That's my assumption. I nearly died when I accidentally used it."
"You used it? How?"
"It's a long story."
"I'll stay up all night if I have to—tell me everything. Now!"
As Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened to the point of popping out,
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply and recounted everything he had experienced in the Martial Alliance.
The accidental discovery of Daoist Mok's office and obtaining the chain from within the Iron Coffin.
The ensuing battle with the Martial Venerable after being caught, and how, in that desperate moment, he had swung the chain to save his own life—
Only for the backlash to nearly shatter his body into pieces.
He recounted everything—his experiences with Baekri Ye-ha in the Ten Thousand Dragons Cave,
Even the story of the old man Yeom Wi, who had once served as a servant of the Baekri Clan.
"Ah... I see."
Yu Un-ryong stared at him with unfocused eyes before muttering softly.
"I hear this kind of thing all the time... and yet, somehow, I still can't believe it."
Compared to the fantastical legends passed down in the Martial World—
The stories Bu Eun-seol witnessed, heard, and experienced firsthand were always... far more dramatic, grand, and earth-shattering.
"So this is really the Chain of Reincarnation? The one that preserves memories across endless cycles?"
Until now, he had thought the term "Chain of Reincarnation" was just an abstract expression.
But who would have imagined it would take the literal form of a chain?
"Most likely."
Bu Eun-seol began to answer, then shook his head.
"No, to be honest... I don't really know either."
"Hmm."
Yu Un-ryong swallowed a heavy breath and stared at the chain connected to Bu Eun-seol's hand.
"I shouldn't touch it, right?"
"Probably not."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
The reason the Martial Venerable had so desperately sought power might have been precisely to find this chain and make it his own.
Even with his peerless talent, someone still lingering in the Extreme Heaven Realm would be taking a tremendous risk by touching it.
"And yet, I think I have to try."
Yu Un-ryong took a deep breath.
If this was truly the Chain of Reincarnation—
Then he needed to see what would happen if an ordinary person laid hands on it.
Fortunately, they were in the Demon Hall, where the Medicine King Faction Lord Gyo Jung-hak—renowned as the Divine Physician—stood ready, and where peerless spirit beasts were stored in the Secret Vault.
And with Bu Eun-seol right here, he could rest assured that even if something went wrong, he'd be safe.
"If it were the Three Realms, they'd have sent other people to test it first, right?"
Beads of sweat had already formed on Yu Un-ryong's forehead. No matter how casually he spoke, the tension was unavoidable.
"Why not capture some evildoers and test it on them first?"
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
"Ordinary martial artists won't do. At the very least, someone of my level would need to test it to get meaningful results."
If a master like him touched it and something went wrong—
Then it would lend some credence to the theory that the Martial Venerable had sought to enhance his martial prowess to claim this chain.
"Well... here goes."
Yu Un-ryong carefully reached out and lightly touched the chain.
"Ghk—!"
The moment he did, his face twisted in pain as he clutched his left hand.
"Un-ryong."
"I-I'm fine."
Gritting his teeth, he looked down at his hand.
A thin, silver line traced across his skin like the trail of a shooting star, faint starlight flickering at its end.
"So even touching it is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
At least his life wasn't in danger.
Yu Un-ryong tried to circulate his internal power to expel the strange force burrowing into his palm.
"Huh...?"
But the more he pushed, the more his meridians burned with agony.
"Are you alright?"
Sensing something was wrong, Bu Eun-seol grabbed Yu Un-ryong's Pulse Gate and channeled pure Reverse Polarity True Qi into him.
Yet the more True Qi he poured in, the more violently the invasive energy raged through Yu Un-ryong's meridians, turning his face purple.
'The Emotion Severing Secret Art.'
Bu Eun-seol realized it instantly.
The only method capable of controlling that chain was the Emotion Severing Secret Art.
Seizing Yu Un-ryong's Pulse Gate once more, he employed the esoteric methods of Elixir Qi External Forging and Internal Force Manifestation—
Slowly forcing the invasive energy out of his body.
Sssss—
But it wasn't enough.
'The Emotion Severing Secret Art can materialize the chain, but it doesn't grant control over its energy.'
Crack.
Unable to fully expel the energy, Yu Un-ryong's lips dried and cracked.
At this rate, not only would his body suffer severe damage, but his internal power would also deteriorate.
Zzzzzziiing—
Suddenly, a mysterious radiance burst from Bu Eun-seol's right pupil.
In this desperate moment, the power of the Ancient Sword Forest had activated.
'Pure Soul-Demon Magic Energy.'
The energy ravaging Yu Un-ryong's body was an exceptionally refined form of Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
'The only thing capable of countering the True Demon's Soul-Demon Magic Energy... would naturally be Manifestation Art Energy.'
But he had no idea how to summon Manifestation Art Energy at will.
Chiiii—
In the end, Bu Eun-seol began pouring every ounce of energy within his own body into Yu Un-ryong.
Because his body contained multiple conflicting energies, this must never be attempted on an ordinary person.
But since he couldn't freely wield Manifestation Art Energy or Soul-Demon Magic Energy—
And because he trusted Yu Un-ryong's resilient physique—he had no choice but to resort to this last-ditch measure.
Whoooosh—
Fortunately, it worked. Yu Un-ryong's complexion gradually returned to normal.
"Haaah..."
Yu Un-ryong exhaled a turbid breath, shuddering.
"Damn it... I almost died."
His expression was one of sheer disbelief.
"Why not just give this damn thing to the Martial Venerable? No matter how powerful his martial arts are, even he wouldn't be able to dispel this kind of energy—"
Muttering to himself, Yu Un-ryong's eyes suddenly flashed. At the same time, Bu Eun-seol's own eyes widened.
"The power of the Baekri Clan."
"Manifestation Art Energy."
They spoke in unison.
The only thing capable of resisting the chain's invasive energy was the Baekri Clan's Manifestation Art Energy.
At last, they had uncovered the truth—
What the Martial Venerable had been searching for in the Martial Alliance, and the reason he had pursued power so relentlessly.