Chapter 1174
Muk-gyeol had endured his master's disgrace yet still trusted Bu Eun-seol and followed his plan.
Because of that, Bu Eun-seol, too—
He had vowed that this endeavor would never fail.
Even if it cost him his life, he would see it through to success.
But while seeking out Langya Pavilion and requesting Ak Mu-ryeong to deploy Phantom Restoration on Jeong Cheon-je, he discovered a critical flaw in his plan.
Thus, he sought out Han Sang-ja to discuss and review his strategy.
Though this meant—
The Martial Venerable would only be forced to step down from his position as Martial Alliance Chief without completely killing him—
Jeong Cheon-je absolutely had to regain his lucidity.
And that was something Bu Eun-seol himself desperately needed.
Because his grandfather had given Jeong Cheon-je the chains. Surely, there had been a deep connection between them.
"I possess a unique Sword Form that draws upon life force."
When meeting Han Sang-ja, Bu Eun-seol explained Ink Soul First Form.
"If even the Pavilion Lord's Phantom Restoration fails to restore his Spirit and Mind to its original state... would this Sword Form suffice?"
"Impossible."
Having heard everything, Han Sang-ja responded decisively.
"A Sword Form that utilizes life force may sever external, unnatural energies or innate, inherent qi... but—"
Pausing briefly, Han Sang-ja shook his head.
"It cannot restore a madman whose Spirit and Mind have been shattered."
Han Sang-ja's judgment aligned with Ak Mu-ryeong's.
Ink Soul First Form was a Sword Study of life, capable of severing karma—but it held no power to repair a completely shattered Spirit and Mind.
"Then is there no way to fully subdue a master of his caliber?"
"Based on the information the Lord has provided, Jeong Cheon-je's martial prowess borders on the incomprehensible. There is no secret method to capture a master like him."
Jeong Cheon-je, in his madness, had reached a level that could be described as Heaven Beyond Heaven.
In the current martial world, no master—no matter how skilled—could subdue him without inflicting injury.
"Of course, conventional methods would naturally fall short."
Bu Eun-seol's expression was one of absolute conviction.
"But I believe Brother Han must have one last desperate measure in reserve."
Even when Han Sang-ja had no martial arts to speak of, he had been confident he could find and kill the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
In other words, beyond the principles of martial studies, he possessed secret techniques capable of ensuring an enemy's defeat.
"Is this truly something you must do?"
Han Sang-ja wore a pained expression.
"Jeong Cheon-je was never part of your original plan, was he?"
"I made a promise to his disciple—Brother Mu."
"A promise."
Han Sang-ja took a deep breath.
Many people used the word "promise" lightly.
But when it came from Bu Eun-seol's lips, it carried an entirely different weight.
It was an oath carved into the heavens—one he would uphold as long as he drew breath.
"Even without that promise, there is a reason I must see this through."
"And what is that?"
"It's possible that Jeong Cheon-je..."
Bu Eun-seol voiced the terrifying hypothesis he had long been considering.
"...Indeed, that could very well be the case."
Han Sang-ja nodded heavily.
Bu Eun-seol's intellect was so extraordinary that even Han Sang-ja could only marvel—
He left no possibility unchecked, meticulously calculating every variable, no matter how minute the threat.
"Since ancient times, the Secret Arts of Mutual Destruction have been continuously refined."
With a resigned expression, Han Sang-ja retrieved a brush and a book, then began writing something down.
"The most effective among them utilize life force. No matter how profound one's martial studies, nothing surpasses the power of life itself."
Bu Eun-seol nodded in agreement.
Most methods of Mutual Destruction scattered throughout the martial world—
Relied on Primordial Essence True Qi or weaponizing one's own body.
"But those are not the pinnacle of the art."
"Then—"
"The ultimate form of Mutual Destruction is merging with your opponent and vanishing together. Not mere self-destruction—but fully fusing your qi, consciousness, and existence with your enemy before collapsing into oblivion."
"Becoming one with the opponent."
Murmuring softly, Bu Eun-seol nodded again.
If such a thing were possible, it would guarantee the enemy's defeat.
Clack.
Setting down the brush, Han Sang-ja handed him the book. Inside was a scripture spanning roughly a thousand characters.
The means of Mutual Destruction Han Sang-ja had intended to use against the Heavenly Mechanism Star Chu-so.
An unparalleled, supreme Secret Art of the Golden Needle, devised by sages of antiquity.
The Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art.
"As expected."
As Bu Eun-seol read through the scripture, he let out an admiring sigh.
Han Sang-ja's knowledge was truly on par with the Heavenly Mechanism Star's—presenting a method so astonishing it defied imagination.
"This technique may not restore Jeong Cheon-je's lucidity... but it can draw the power he possesses to our side, allowing us to safely capture a master of his caliber."
Han Sang-ja's expression darkened slightly as he spoke.
"However, executing this technique will not only drain your life force immensely—it may also cause your body to rupture."
"Because I will be stepping into the boundary where my enemy and I become one."
"Precisely."
"It doesn't matter."
"Lord—"
"Someone must do it."
Responding calmly, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands and bowed.
"You've been a great help, Brother Han. I am truly grateful."
If even the Pavilion Lord's Phantom Restoration fails to subdue Jeong Cheon-je or restore his mind...?
No matter what it took, he would keep his promise to Muk-gyeol.
After parting with Han Sang-ja—
He returned to Langya Pavilion to meet Ak Mu-ryeong once more.
There, he informed him in advance that he had obtained a Secret Art from Han Sang-ja capable of subduing Jeong Cheon-je—
And declared that, in the worst-case scenario, he would deploy it.
Ak Mu-ryeong, too—
Though he had guessed it was a self-destructive secret art fueled by life force, Ak Mu-ryeong said nothing further.
If Phantom Restoration doesn't work... then killing him outright will suffice.
"Do not intervene."
Ak Mu-ryeong's voice was solemn.
"No method will work on that beast."
From the moment Phantom Restoration failed,
Ak Mu-ryeong had known.
That no matter what they tried, there was no way to subdue Jeong Cheon-je.
And so, he resolved to kill him.
No matter Jeong Cheon-je's condition—
Langya Pavilion could not afford to lose its future Pavilion Lord.
"Pavilion Lord. This is a promise I must keep, even at the cost of my life."
Bu Eun-seol bowed his head in plea.
"How could a disciple of Langya Pavilion go back on their word?"
A long silence followed.
Finally, Ak Mu-ryeong released the gathered energy in his hands.
Not because he permitted the life-forbidden technique, but because he trusted Bu Eun-seol.
After all, until now, he had accomplished everything deemed impossible.
Whoosh—
With permission granted,
Bu Eun-seol channeled his True Qi once more, thickening the golden ropes binding Jeong Cheon-je.
"KAAAH!"
Jeong Cheon-je struggled violently, but the True Qi ropes coiled around his body only tightened, leaving him with nothing but furious roars.
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had rarely used his full power, nor had he ever fully assimilated the energy of the Internal Core.
Because the foes he faced wielded supernatural abilities or Limitless Power,
he had assumed superiority in Internal Energy was no great advantage.
But that was underestimating himself.
Bu Eun-seol's depth of Internal Energy transcended even the principles of martial arts and supernatural power—beyond measurable limits.
Now, unleashing his full power to execute an ancient secret art,
even an Absolute Master like Jeong Cheon-je
was rendered immobile in an instant.
Zzziiing—
Meanwhile, an eerie light surged from Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Fwoosh—
Simultaneously, razor-sharp golden needles materialized around him, forged from True Qi.
Three hundred and sixty-five in total.
He was deploying the Forbidden Blood-Sealing Heaven technique—
the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art taught to him by Han Sang-ja.
'Only one chance.'
Flick—
As Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed, the hovering golden needles shot toward Jeong Cheon-je's acupoints.
Zzziiing—
A faint golden glow erupted from Jeong Cheon-je's body.
Though immobilized, he could still circulate his Internal Energy—
hardening his skin like Vajra Indestructibility using Golden Cicada True Qi.
Whoooosh—
As Bu Eun-seol's gaze intensified,
the golden needles spun faster, boring relentlessly into his flesh.
"GAH—!"
Sensing danger,
Jeong Cheon-je let out a bestial roar and began advancing toward Bu Eun-seol, needles still embedded in his body.
Crunch— Crunch—
Each step Jeong Cheon-je took shook Bu Eun-seol's body, and the ground beneath Jeong's feet began to crack.
The golden ropes binding Jeong Cheon-je were also formed from Primordial Essence True Qi.
The more Jeong Cheon-je resisted, the more power Bu Eun-seol had to expend—
unconsciously burning through his own life force.
BOOM— BOOM—
With every step Jeong Cheon-je took, shockwaves erupted, reducing nearby trees and walls to rubble.
Whiiirrr—
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol poured every ounce of his strength into the assault.
The Thousand Autumns Golden Needles spun faster, finally piercing Jeong Cheon-je's skin.
BOOM— BOOM—
Amidst earth-shaking tremors, Jeong Cheon-je continued his slow advance.
Creeeak—
Bu Eun-seol relentlessly channeled Primordial Essence True Qi, striving to embed hundreds of needles into his body.
Crunch— Crunch—
As the stalemate dragged on, thick veins bulged across Bu Eun-seol's skin.
'No choice.'
Jeong Cheon-je before him was the very incarnation of power.
The more power he used, and the more he was attacked, the stronger he became.
To subdue him,
there was no option but to expend pure life force—not just Primordial Essence True Qi.
Screeeech—
The moment Bu Eun-seol's skin split, a mystical light poured forth—
and Jeong Cheon-je's slow, relentless steps finally halted.
"GRRRR—!"
A pained groan escaped his lips.
The violently spinning Thousand Autumns Golden Needles had at last pierced his skin, gradually embedding into his acupoints.
Jeong Cheon-je thrashed wildly, but the more he struggled, the deeper the needles burrowed.
Whoooosh—
White smoke began rising from the punctured points.
His three hundred and sixty-five acupoints were slowly being sealed.
If the Thousand Autumns Golden Needles fully embedded—
even an ordinary civilian could subdue him, his power completely sealed.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Whiiine—
A bizarre energy—a fusion of madness and Demonic Energy—erupted from Jeong Cheon-je's body.
The needles, nearly fully embedded, began slowly reversing.
Even with Bu Eun-seol's life force fueling the technique, he could not overpower Jeong Cheon-je's strength.
Ruuuumble—
A new surge of power welled within Jeong Cheon-je.
It was no longer human resistance—it was a calamity of nature itself, unstoppable by mortal means.
'This is impossible.'
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
The reason Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art was considered the pinnacle of Mutual Destruction techniques—
No matter what force the enemy uses to counterattack, the Golden Needle Art could instead absorb that power and reinforce the sealing of acupoints with even greater strength.
If Jeong Cheon-je possessed limitless power,
then the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art should have grown stronger in response—how could it possibly be pushed back?
Sssssk—
At that moment, an eerie sound echoed, and a faint golden thread began to emerge near Jeong Cheon-je's chest.
To an ordinary person's eyes, it would have been too fine to perceive.
But Bu Eun-seol could see it clearly.
'The Chain of Reincarnation.'
Shockingly, Jeong Cheon-je carried the Chain of Reincarnation within his body.
Clink—
The more power he unleashed,
the more distinct the golden thread embedded in his chest became, gradually twisting into the form of a chain.
It was the Chain's absolute authority that allowed him to repel Bu Eun-seol's ancient forbidden technique—one that had cost him both his Primordial Essence True Qi and his very life force.
Crack—
Bu Eun-seol clenched his left fist.
The Chain of Reincarnation was deeply embedded in his own palm as well.
Through the Emotion Severing Secret Art, he could temporarily materialize its form,
but the problem was that the Chain itself was akin to a divine power no mortal should dare wield.
Unless he uncovered a way to control it,
even a single reckless swing would inflict fatal wounds upon him—despite his ability to merge countless energies within himself.
Hadn't even the Martial Venerable himself
once declared that Bu Eun-seol could never hope to wield it freely?
'There's no other choice.'
Sssssk—
Faint golden threads began gathering in Bu Eun-seol's hand as well.
He was attempting to materialize the Chain through the Emotion Severing Secret Art to counter Jeong Cheon-je's power.
'I can only pray this method works.'
"Step aside."
Ak Mu-ryeong, who had been observing the situation, suddenly shouted at Bu Eun-seol.
"If we let that bastard live, the world will be destroyed."
Ak Mu-ryeong possessed neither Manifestation Art Energy nor Soul-Demon Magic Energy, so he couldn't see the Chain of Reincarnation with his own eyes.
Yet he could sense the presence of something catastrophic within Jeong Cheon-je's body—something capable of annihilating the world.
And so, he sought to eliminate the threat by cutting Jeong Cheon-je down immediately.
"You must not, Pavilion Lord."
"Annihilation."
Ak Mu-ryeong's voice was icy.
"If the power within that bastard clashes with the power within you, the entire region of Shaanxi will vanish in an instant."
Astonishingly, Ak Mu-ryeong had deduced the consequences of the two opposing forces colliding—despite being unable to perceive them directly.
Oooooooom—
Two massive spheres had begun forming in the sky.
They bore a striking resemblance to the destructive orbs Jeong Cheon-je had once unleashed upon Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim.
Through his newly devised Limitless Power and the Illusory Self Combat Body,
Ak Mu-ryeong was channeling all his destructive force alongside a duplicate of himself—
unleashing the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere, a power capable of erasing all existence.
"Pavilion Lord, I can do this."
Bu Eun-seol, barely holding on, shouted back.
"Even a god should not kill the Alliance Chief."
Ak Mu-ryeong's retort was thunderous.
"A man who claims to govern the world—bound by some petty oath—would let innocent people die in droves?!"
"Jeong Cheon-je is unaware of the power within him. It only reacted because of his disciple's energy."
What if Jeong Cheon-je had been able to wield the Chain of Reincarnation deliberately?
He wouldn't have needed to fight the Martial Venerable at all—he could have simply drawn the Chain and shattered his skull in an instant.
"I already predicted that Jeong Cheon-je might possess such power."
—Even without that oath, there is a reason this must be done.
—Why do you say that?
—Perhaps Jeong Cheon-je...
At the time, Bu Eun-seol had confided in Han Sang-ja the terrifying hypothesis he had long suspected.
—...might already possess a fragment of the Chain of Reincarnation.
His grandfather had passed the Chain to Jeong Cheon-je.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the Chain hidden within the Iron Coffin in Daoist Mok's Secret Vault had been Jeong Cheon-je's all along.
But since a letter from the Sacred Realm's successor had been left there... the likelihood was slim.
—What is certain is that the Chain was shattered and scattered.
Operating under the assumption that Jeong Cheon-je might indeed hold a piece of the Chain,
Bu Eun-seol had asked Han Sang-ja to devise a way to counter it.
And that method was the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art.
—A typical Mutual Destruction technique kills both the user and the target... but its pinnacle transcends mere death—merging the two into one before total annihilation.
In other words, it is not simple suicide, but a complete fusion of energy, consciousness, and existence with the enemy before mutual collapse.
Recalling Han Sang-ja's words, Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes.
Soul-Energy Fusion. Spirit-Flesh Unification.
Through the esoteric method of merging energy, consciousness, and even existence with the enemy,
he sought to achieve complete unity with Jeong Cheon-je.
Creeeeak—
At that moment, the Chain embedded in Jeong Cheon-je's chest
began slowly transferring into Bu Eun-seol's body through the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle suspended in midair.
Hiiiiisss—
Smoke instantly rose from Bu Eun-seol's chest,
as though the Chain were burning a hole to make space for itself.
"Ghhh—!"
An agonized groan tore from his throat.
When the Chain had first pierced his hand through Daoist Mok's Iron Coffin, the pain had been enough to make him lose consciousness entirely.
But now, in his state with his life force already depleted, enduring its entry was—
like having his soul set aflame and his body shattered into pieces.
Tremble—tremble—
Bu Eun-seol's body shook like a leaf, his pupils turning white.
Yet even amidst this hellish torment,
he refused to lose consciousness, continuously channeling the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art's esoteric method
to draw the Chain deeper into himself.
Clink—clatter—
Finally, the Chain shifted completely, settling into his chest.
Then something utterly unexpected occurred.
Clank.
The chain that had been embedded in Bu Eun-seol's left hand all this time suddenly materialized—then shot outward, attaching itself to the chain now embedded in Jeong Cheon-je like a magnet. In the blink of an eye, the two chains fused into one.