Chapter 1169
The Martial Venerable had learned everything through Wooden Buddha.
That Jeong Cheon-je did not possess the chains directly, but had long ago received and kept an iron coffin containing them.
Yet those fools flailed about blindly, unaware even of this.
Now that I've become the Alliance Chief, perhaps it's time to start searching.
The Martial Alliance, its lineage passed down through generations, was like a massive fortress.
Its secret passages and hidden stone chambers were tangled like a labyrinth, making it nearly impossible to discern their full extent.
Moreover, during his tenure as Alliance Chief, Jeong Cheon-je had repeatedly rearranged the Alliance's internal mechanisms and expanded its interiors.
Undoubtedly, it had all been to conceal the iron coffin in secrecy.
While acting as Chief, the Martial Venerable had checked every place Jeong Cheon-je had altered—
Yet he had found nothing.
Where in the world could he have hidden it?
Even after scouring every corner using the Chief's authority, the whereabouts of the iron coffin remained a mystery.
And so, time slipped away relentlessly.
Meanwhile, in their relentless pursuit to seize Jeong Cheon-je and extract the chains, they continuously unleashed forbidden Great Arts.
They pushed human minds and bodies to their limits, even resorting to perilous secret techniques that detonated one's spirit and mind.
Wooden Buddha must have told me everything, believing I would save my younger brother.
But even Wooden Buddha could not foresee the entirety of the future.
He could only glimpse one event through the flow of heavenly will.
For instance, if someone were to be struck by lightning, Wooden Buddha could accurately see only up to the moment the bolt fell.
What happened afterward belonged to another flow of heavenly will—
Unless the energy of heaven manifested clearly, even he could not know what came next.
...Or perhaps he had already anticipated it.
To maintain his identity as the Divine Calculator, he had always worn a mask of gentleness.
But Wooden Buddha might have seen through his true nature.
Even so, the reason he had relayed the prophecy—
Was likely because it was the lesser evil compared to letting those vile men seize the chains.
In any case, it doesn't concern me.
He had already obtained all the crucial information.
The chains were already fragmented.
And the fact that they were hidden within the Alliance—
Was something only he knew.
—There's been an incident at the Pratyekabuddha Hall!
Then, disaster struck.
Upon receiving the urgent report from his trusted subordinate, the Martial Venerable immediately rushed to the underground level of the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
When he arrived at the stone chamber, the lid of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin lay shattered into pieces.
Three masters from the Martial Alliance's underworld—who had once tried to win him over—were locked in combat with a masked intruder.
Shockingly, the intruder's martial arts surpassed all imagination, effortlessly defending against the three masters, each nearly on par with the Martial Venerable himself.
Clang! Screech—!
Amid the fierce battle, the remnants of their clashes began carving countless marks of martial arts onto the false corpse of Jeong Cheon-je enshrined within.
—Scram!
Once the Martial Venerable joined the fray, the masked man began to falter.
The intruder eventually broke free from the underground chamber and fled stealthily, leaving no trace behind.
—The Heavenly Net Bell!
The Martial Venerable considered sounding the Heavenly Net Bell to stop the intruder—but then shook his head.
Doing so would reveal to the entire world that Jeong Cheon-je's false corpse was hidden here.
—This...
Then, as he abruptly inspected the corpse, his eyes flashed.
The false body within the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin—wasn't it severed cleanly from the Hundred Meetings acupoint downward, leaving only half a corpse?
When he had demanded the Joint Petition from them—
They had already delivered the false corpse of Jeong Cheon-je, enshrined within the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin.
Thus, he hadn't been able to notice this detail before.
—This must be the corpse of someone who entered the Sacred Flower Hidden Residence and failed.
At last, the Martial Venerable instantly discerned the origin of this false corpse.
A place whose location constantly shifted according to heavenly will, just like the Land of the Ultimate Void—
The very place the Three Realms had been desperately searching for...
This was unmistakably the corpse of someone who had attempted to infiltrate the Three Pure Realms' Hidden Estate and failed.
Otherwise, a body that had reached the limits of human capability would never have been severed so cleanly from the Hundred Meetings acupoint.
—Who in the world was that masked man?
He investigated the intruder's identity but, unsurprisingly, found no leads.
He couldn't even determine which martial arts the intruder had used.
—It doesn't concern me.
All that mattered was locating the chains and gaining power through the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault.
Unfazed by whatever they were scheming, the Martial Venerable continued with his own plans.
Later, he received word that Jeong Cheon-je had been completely broken by the repeated Great Arts.
He had become a raving lunatic, muttering incomprehensible words between flashes of madness.
Then, unleashing transcendent power, he escaped his confinement.
For some reason, it was said he had turned into a wandering specter, obsessively searching for the Baekri Clan's lost Secret Vault.
—He'll manage on his own.
The Martial Venerable paid it no mind.
After all, those men could easily handle him—
Even if he were the Demonic Heavenly Emperor rather than Jeong Cheon-je.
There was no evidence anywhere that he had collaborated with them.
All that mattered was finding what he sought as quickly as possible.
Amid the frigid air of the stone chamber, the Martial Venerable returned to the present.
Though he had become the Martial Alliance Leader and stood at the pinnacle of the orthodox martial world, he held nothing in his grasp.
Betraying his sworn younger brother had earned him only an empty throne, a cursed iron coffin, and the lingering shadow of the mad True Heaven Emperor.
The true object of his desire—the Chain of Reincarnation—remained beyond his reach.
With a gaze heavy with regret, he stared at the iron coffin.
All tragedy had begun with that very object, and after all this time, he had gained nothing.
"Bu Eun-seol... Since you've uncovered my true identity, you'll undoubtedly attend this inauguration ceremony."
He knew Bu Eun-seol's nature all too well.
Moreover, since he had to unravel the secret of the True Heaven Emperor's corpse, he would have no choice but to come here.
A cruel smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"But this will be your last desperate struggle."
The Martial Alliance was his domain.
No matter what he plotted, no matter what schemes he devised... he would prepare an inescapable, fatal trap.
Something unprecedented in the history of the Martial Alliance was unfolding.
The Grand Martial Training Ground was hosting a grand inauguration ceremony for the new Alliance Leader.
Traditionally, the Alliance Leader's inauguration was a modest affair, attended only by sect leaders, elders, renowned heroes closely tied to the Alliance, and those with deep personal connections to the Leader.
But this time, the Heavenly Righteous Gate was thrown wide open, welcoming all martial artists regardless of status.
The martial world was skeptical.
They assumed it was mere lip service—that stepping into the Alliance would invite strict suppression from its enforcers.
But their expectations were spectacularly wrong.
Like a noble household opening its gates to village children during a festival, no one was barred entry.
After a simple registration, they were ushered inside.
Within, makeshift dining tents billowed with steam as dozens of chefs tirelessly boiled noodles to sate the visitors' hunger.
Faced with this unexpected hospitality, the martial artists' wariness gradually melted away, their murmurs shifting into anticipation.
By mid-afternoon, a thunderous voice, amplified by qi, reverberated through the Alliance grounds.
"The inauguration ceremony of the new Alliance Leader will soon commence at the stage erected before the Heaven and Earth Pavilion! Distinguished guests, please proceed to the Grand Martial Training Ground!"
At the announcement, the crowds scattered throughout the Alliance turned as one toward the training ground.
Meanwhile, the specially invited guests began ascending the high stage at its center.
Their seats were arranged atop the platform, allowing the gathered masses below to scrutinize each of them with awe.
A hushed exclamation rippled through the crowd.
"—The Martial Soul Lord!"
"—Sword King Seon-u Jin!"
The two men were the undisputed focus of attention.
Two young grandmasters who had walked paths as opposite as justice and evil, light and darkness.
The Martial Soul Lord—a living legend of the Demonic Path.
And Sword King Seon-u Jin, once the Martial Alliance's prodigy, now the Azure Heaven Alliance's Great Leader.
Rarely seen in public, shrouded in endless rumors, they existed more as mythical symbols than men.
When the Sword King walked, an unseen sword energy seemed to slice through the air around him, chilling the atmosphere.
When the Martial Soul Lord moved, shadows as black as pitch unfurled beneath his feet.
Yet the onlookers couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.
"How strange... Why do these two young grandmasters, representing opposing factions, both wear veils?"
Behind the thin silk fluttering in the wind, only faint outlines were visible.
The fact that they couldn't behold the peerless faces of these two heroes who shook the heavens tormented the martial artists.
At that very moment, as preparations for the ceremony were in full swing, a masked figure seeped like a ghost into the underground stone chamber of the Pratyekabuddha Hall, where not even light could penetrate.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
He had sent Seo Jin-ha and the real Seon-u Jin to the ceremony while he himself infiltrated this place like a specter.
As he walked toward the passage leading to the secret facility, the damp, frigid air, the scent of moss clinging to stone, and a piercing chill stabbed through his entire body.
The moment he stepped into the chamber proper, his breath caught.
He had to doubt his own eyes.
'This—'
His pupils trembled uncontrollably.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin—the one that had once held the corpse of the True Heaven Emperor, the foremost master of the orthodox faction, before vanishing without a trace from this very underground chamber—
Now sat perfectly intact, as if it had never left.
A blue glacial energy writhed from the coffin like a living thing.
Unconsciously, he began moving toward it—
Then—
Zzzing.
A sensation crawled up his spine.
The darkness staining the edges of the stone chamber began to ripple as if alive.
Then, like a tangible entity, it coalesced—forming a single, unmistakable shape.
From the swirling, ink-black mist, an icy voice rang out—cold enough to freeze the entire stone chamber in an instant.
"You needn't have bothered with the mask."
The elderly man, his face marred with countless scars, was none other than the Martial Venerable.
"Not when you've already mastered the secret arts of that vaunted Sacred Realm."
"You've been waiting for me all this time?"
"Of course."
The Martial Venerable curled his lips into a bloodless smile.
"I knew the moment you infiltrated the Alliance, you'd come straight to the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Coffin beneath the Pratyekabuddha Hall."
He had anticipated Bu Eun-seol's movements perfectly—waiting here while the entire Martial Alliance was gathered at the Grand Martial Training Ground for the inauguration ceremony.
"You kept me waiting long enough."
Bu Eun-seol responded flatly.
"I was just wondering when I'd finally get a private audience with you."
He, too, had deduced the true reason behind the grand inauguration ceremony—that the Martial Venerable had orchestrated it to draw him out within the Alliance's inner sanctum.
"As expected."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slightly as he examined the traces around the Ice Jade Coffin.
"Martial Venerable, you've allied with a certain faction—and this was the Joint Petition."
"And you—you took the Chain of Reincarnation that Daoist Mok hid away, didn't you?"
"Perhaps."
"No need for false bravado."
The Martial Venerable laughed coldly.
"It won't be as easy as last time."
His smile deepened.
"An incomplete chain—you must have felt your body breaking down every time you used it, no?"
He knew full well that Bu Eun-seol had only obtained a fragment of the chain—and that wielding it inflicted fatal damage upon him.
"The moment you activate it here, your body will shatter, and the surrounding space for dozens of jang will collapse... What a spectacle that would be."
"How petty."
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"You still think I have it on me?"
"We'll see once I peel your skin off."
"So confident in your victory."
"Confident enough to take the chain from you."
Just as Bu Eun-seol had anticipated, the Martial Venerable knew a method to absorb the Chain of Reincarnation.
"You plan to defeat me here, force me to step down from the Alliance Chief's seat—is that it?"
Though slightly outmaneuvered, the Martial Venerable's intellect was no less formidable.
He had already predicted every possible scenario—and no matter what evidence Bu Eun-seol brought, he was prepared to refute it instantly—or even flip the accusations back onto him.
"Try whatever you like."
The Martial Venerable smirked, eyes locked onto Bu Eun-seol.
"Any scheme you've prepared—I'll shatter it in a single breath."
In that instant, a flash like lightning surged across Bu Eun-seol's face before a brilliant golden light enveloped his entire body.
During their exchange, he had been unleashing palm energy reminiscent of the Buddhist Venerable's Limitless Power and Vajra Annihilation Wave—a palm energy eerily reminiscent of the Buddhist Venerable's Vajra Annihilation Wave.
"Still haven't broken that nasty habit of ambushing mid-conversation."
Snap!Screech—!
As if he had been waiting for this, Bu Eun-seol drew his Ink Soul Sword in a flash, unleashing a storm of dazzling sword energy.
Screeeech—!
The two forces clashed, extinguishing the lanterns along the chamber walls and plunging the room into darkness.
Flash!Whoosh—!
In the dark, the relentless exchange between the two masters continued—only the sparks of their clashes and the glint of sword light illuminating the sealed chamber.
Forced into close-quarters combat in the confined space, Bu Eun-seol condensed his blade's edge, raining down razor-sharp sword energy like precision-guided droplets.
"Your swordsmanship has improved."
The Martial Venerable sneered as he swung both hands.
Bu Eun-seol's swordplay was exquisite—flawless in form.
But the Martial Venerable's attacks were as fine as motes of dust—so minute that even without finding an opening, they slipped effortlessly between the gaps of Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In a single breath, Bu Eun-seol and the Martial Venerable clashed thirty-six times.
Though both were grandmasters capable of shaking the martial world, their movements were as quiet as a gentle breeze—soft as dewdrops falling from a blade of grass, even as their battle raged.
Using True Void would risk collapsing not just the chamber but the entire Pratyekabuddha Hall—and with it, exposing their identities.
So they restrained their Internal Power, engaging in a pure contest of martial skill.
The Martial Venerable scattered his palm energy like countless points of light, while Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword deflected every attack without letting a single strike breach his defenses.
'He's strong.'
The Martial Venerable unfolded his palm techniques with the fluid grace of Cloud and Water Movement, while Bu Eun-seol darted like a starving lion—alternating between ferocious assaults and swift retreats.
In terms of sheer martial depth, he still couldn't match the Martial Venerable.
"Enough playing around!"
The Martial Venerable's scattered points of light suddenly multiplied—
—and in the split second Bu Eun-seol's swordplay shifted, he seized the opening and struck.
The mighty who command the world each possess distinct personalities, which inevitably manifest in their martial arts.
The Martial Venerable knew that Bu Eun-seol not only executed his martial techniques with extreme caution but also fundamentally employed Langya Pavilion's strategy—first identifying the enemy's openings and shattering them.
Thus, he deliberately used techniques whose underlying martial principles were impossible to discern, cornering Bu Eun-seol step by step.
Pat, pat, pat.
Before he knew it, wounds both large and small had bloomed across Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
"Still waiting for the decisive moment, are you?"
Even amidst the chaotic flurry of attacks and retreats, the Martial Venerable caught sight of Bu Eun-seol's cold, unshaken eyes—and in response, he merely chuckled leisurely, mocking him.
"You must have realized the gap in our martial prowess by now. It's about time I prepare to sever your head."
In truth, he had been stalling deliberately.
First, he suspected Bu Eun-seol had some scheme prepared and was waiting for it to unfold.
Second, he intended to make Bu Eun-seol acutely feel the overwhelming disparity in their martial mastery—so that after today, he would never dare challenge him again.
Crack!
But suddenly, the shattered remnants of the sword energy the Martial Venerable had been unleashing vanished without a trace.
It was as if fireworks that had filled the sky had been extinguished in an instant.
Drip, drip.
At the same time, crimson blood trickled from the Martial Venerable's wrist.
Not only had Bu Eun-seol halted his sword technique with a single stroke—he had wounded his wrist.
"Hoh."
Outwardly, the Martial Venerable maintained a composed facade, but inwardly, he couldn't suppress his shock and disbelief.
He hadn't even been able to perceive what kind of sword stroke Bu Eun-seol had used to interrupt his technique and wound him.
"Are you telling me your swordsmanship surpasses mine?"
"Impossible."
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"After becoming a Servant of the True Demon, martial arts must have seemed trivial to you. You grew so powerful that you no longer needed to exert your full effort."
The Martial Venerable's eyes flashed.
From the past until now, he had sought out and meticulously honed every martial art and spell scattered across the world.
But after obtaining the heaven-rending power of the Divine Heavens, the need to carefully regulate his internal power—distributing True Qi and strength precisely with each movement, adapting flexibly to his opponent's techniques—must have felt tedious and cumbersome.
"Ah, I see."
The biggest reason the Martial Venerable had prolonged this battle was to crush Bu Eun-seol's spirit and confidence, even if he couldn't kill him today, ensuring he would never dare oppose him again.
Yet this young man possessed wisdom and insight so profound that even he, who had honed his skills through countless battles until his hair turned white, couldn't hope to match it.
Instead, Bu Eun-seol had seen through the flaw born of his overwhelming power and countered with a sword technique bordering on the divine.
"I nearly drowned in arrogance, intoxicated by my own strength."
The Martial Venerable admitted frankly.
"Had this duel not happened today... I would have underestimated the profundity of the martial arts I've spent my life mastering—and committed a grave mistake in the future."
"How refreshing to hear such honesty."
Uncharacteristically, Bu Eun-seol teased him.
"If only you'd reveal all your past misdeeds so openly to the world."
"Don't get cocky."
The Martial Venerable snorted.
"You want me to use my true martial arts, destroy the Pratyekabuddha Hall, and reveal my real self to the world, don't you?"
"If you know that, shouldn't you strike me down before I can enact my scheme?"
"Hahaha. It doesn't matter what tricks you've prepared."
A cold smirk spread across the Martial Venerable's lips.
He stared down at Bu Eun-seol with the arrogant gaze of one looking at an insect crawling beneath his feet.
"I'll simply turn your own scheme against you and crush it."
Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand.
Rumble...
The Pratyekabuddha Hall trembled faintly before gradually beginning to collapse.
"Unless you wish to be buried alive, you'd best step outside."
With a curl of his lips, the Martial Venerable exited the hall first.
When Bu Eun-seol reluctantly followed... a startling sight awaited him.
The Chaotic Heaven Forbidden Gate Sky Chain Formation had already been deployed within the Martial Alliance's grounds.
The Alliance's most elite warriors, radiating refined killing intent, had surrounded the Pratyekabuddha Hall.
And as if that weren't enough—
Had word spread?
Even the numerous guests who had attended the inauguration ceremony had gathered in droves.
"Take off that mask and show us your famed face-changing art."
The Martial Venerable grinned ominously.
"Or try to escape, if you dare."
No matter what Bu Eun-seol attempted, he had ensured two things:
First, revealing his true identity would be impossible.
Second, escaping the Martial Alliance would be utterly out of the question.
Among the crowd that had rushed from the inauguration ceremony stood none other than Seo Jin-ha—who had been acting as the Martial Soul Lord in his stead—and the real Seon-u Jin.
Thus, Bu Eun-seol could neither reveal his original identity nor escape.
If he did, he would be immediately detained for infiltrating the Martial Alliance—and in the worst-case scenario, it could even spark the Great Orthodox-Unorthodox War.