Chapter 1175
"Guhhhh...... UAAAAAAH!"
In an instant, a scream that seemed to tear through the heavens erupted.
As the transparent chain pierced through Bu Eun-seol's hand, chest, flesh, bones, and meridians, linking them all together—
His nerves burned, his blood surged backward, and an agony as though his soul were being torn to shreds spread through him.
This was Bu Eun-seol—no, a pain that no mortal being could possibly endure. A suffering that far surpassed the limits of humanity.
But at that very moment—
Flash!
A blinding, pure-white radiance burst forth from his chest.
A sacred and majestic light began erupting from the chain that stretched from his left hand to his chest.
When Bu Eun-seol opened his eyes again—
Countless indescribable lights swirled violently before—
Whoosh.
All the light vanished, and even the form of the chain disappeared.
Thud.
With a dull sound, Bu Eun-seol dropped to one knee.
Soul and Qi Fusion, Spirit and Flesh as One.
Through this dharma method, which completely merged the enemy's energy, consciousness, and even their very existence—
The chain that had been embedded in Jeong Cheon-je's chest had transferred into Bu Eun-seol's body, and the two chains had become one.
Zzzzziiing.
In that instant, a divine light spilled from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
When the chain had first embedded itself in his body—
He had lost consciousness amid excruciating pain.
And when he wielded the chain, he suffered near-irreparable internal injuries along with a loss of strength.
But now, as the chain that Jeong Cheon-je had possessed fused with his own, an entirely different phenomenon unfolded.
Not only was his life force, which had been exhausted by the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art, instantly restored—even his Primordial Essence True Qi had recovered in an instant.
Countless points of light scattered outward, and suddenly, the world appeared different to his eyes.
Everything he had once perceived with his eyes, ears, and skin now manifested as interconnected threads of causality.
Mountains, rivers, grass, trees, the flowing wind—the lives of all living things were connected by delicate threads.
Even the spaces between spaces, and the time bridging past and present... the entire world was a vast tapestry of interwoven lines.
Overwhelmed by the wonder of it, Bu Eun-seol unknowingly reached out and touched one of the threads connected to a distant mountain range.
......!
Then, something unbelievable happened.
The moment he touched that thread—the mountain range far in the distance vanished in an instant.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
Zzzzziiing.
At that moment, all the threads before his eyes disappeared. Simultaneously, an unbearable pain surged through him.
It was an agony as though his soul were being split apart and his body shattered into pieces.
Crack, crack, crack.
The moment he touched that thread, the merged chain did not remain docile—instead, it raged wildly, thrashing and tearing through his flesh as if possessed.
If he couldn't quickly suppress the rampaging chain, his body would eventually be torn to shreds or his meridians would burst.
Drip, drip.
Finally, a trail of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Unable to control the force spreading through him as the chain moved, his body was on the verge of collapse.
"The power that just transferred into your body..."
A pale yellow light flickered in Ak Mu-ryeong's pupils as he noticed the distant mountain range vanishing in an instant.
"That must be the Chain of Reincarnation."
When Bu Eun-seol had entrusted Ak Mu-ryeong with Jeong Cheon-je's affairs while holding the Wolf Token—
He had not only relayed everything that had happened at the Martial Alliance but also mentioned the possibility that Jeong Cheon-je might possess the Chain of Reincarnation.
To subdue Jeong Cheon-je, not a single variable could be overlooked.
However, the Thousand Autumns Golden Needle Art—chosen as the means to ensure Jeong Cheon-je's defeat—
Was a technique that completely merged an enemy's energy, consciousness, and existence.
He had never anticipated that Jeong Cheon-je's chain would transfer into his own body—nor that it would merge with his existing chain.
"That's correct."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been continuously coughing up blood, barely managed to respond.
"And this... is something no ordinary human should ever dare to touch."
"Fool."
Ak Mu-ryeong, sensing the immense surge of power raging violently within Bu Eun-seol's bleeding body, coldly snapped.
"If the enemy's power brings harm, then you must seek its origin and control it—by the enemy's own methods!"
'Ah... I see.'
Enlightened by those words—
Zzzzziiing.
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, Jeong Cheon-je's secret technique.
A strange resonance rippled through him.
He could now sense why the chain writhed like a living creature—why it thrashed with such frenzied madness.
'It wants the remaining pieces.'
The chain was like a desperate parent searching for lost children—it yearned for the other fragments.
"I will restore you to your complete form."
As Bu Eun-seol conveyed his vow with solemn determination—
Clang!
A clear metallic resonance rang out, and the chain that had coiled around his chest and arm dissolved into golden threads, slowly seeping into his body.
The Heavenly Outer Absolute Art—Jeong Cheon-je's secret technique, which allowed one to perceive an enemy's True Qi Circulation without physical contact upon reaching the Great Origin Realm—
Had been the key to controlling the chain's flow.
"Grrrrr—!"
Then, Jeong Cheon-je clutched his head and let out an agonized scream.
Crack—!
The ground beneath him split apart as a terrifying demonic energy—unseen until now—erupted from his entire body.
With the chain removed... it was as though the last remaining fragment of his soul had vanished.
He had become pure demon.
Crrrrk—!
His body abruptly swelled to three times its original size, and scorching light, as intense as the sun, surged across his skin.
The uncontrollable demonic energy that had lain dormant within him was now spreading without limit.
Fwoosh! Ping!
One by one, the Thousand Autumn Gathering Gold Needles embedded in his acupoints began to dislodge.
If Jeong Cheon-je, now completely maddened, were to rampage with such power—
Thousands, tens of thousands, could die.
"Shin Do-mu-bi. This is your end."
Ak Mu-ryeong muttered darkly, raising a hand toward the sky. Once again, two colossal spheres slowly formed in the heavens.
Jeong Cheon-je's power continued to rise.
Before all the gold needles fell out—
Ak Mu-ryeong intended to annihilate him with another Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere.
"Pavilion Lord."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol—who had barely managed to control the chain's power through the Heavenly Robe Mind Art—opened his eyes and spoke.
"Deploy Phantom Restoration. It should work now."
Bu Eun-seol had fully recovered his depleted vitality and Primordial Essence True Qi.
Moreover, with the chain gone—
Jeong Cheon-je was writhing in agony, his emotions laid bare.
In this state, the cracks in his once-unshakable Spirit and Mind would allow Phantom Restoration to take hold.
He intended to proceed with the original plan—using the Ink Soul First Form to restore Jeong Cheon-je's Spirit and Mind to wholeness.
Rumble—!
But Ak Mu-ryeong was gathering even fiercer energy, completing the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere.
Rather than pinning hopes on the uncertain Ink Soul First Form, he sought to obliterate Jeong Cheon-je immediately—eliminating any future threat.
"Pavilion Lord!"
Just as Bu Eun-seol prepared to plead again—
Tap.
A figure clad in white descended from the sky.
Mu-gyeol.
He had been part of this plan from the beginning, leaving the Martial Alliance immediately to arrive at the designated forest.
However, his Lightness Art was not as swift as Bu Eun-seol's, so despite departing earlier, he arrived much later.
Still, he had entered the Life-and-Death Combat Formation through the Life Gate Bu Eun-seol had opened—
But the battle had erupted too violently, the shockwaves too overwhelming for him to approach.
"Enough."
Mu-gyeol had already seen Bu Eun-seol risking his life to keep their promise.
With a face of serene acceptance, he spoke.
"If you stop now... you've done your best. There's no need to be bound by our promise any longer."
"Brother Muk."
"It's alright. Truly."
He offered a faint smile, then approached Jeong Cheon-je—still immobilized by the gold needles—and knelt.
"Disciple... can no longer bear to see Master suffer and disgrace himself like this."
Rising, he stepped closer to Jeong Cheon-je.
"If I cannot serve you in this life... then I will serve you in the next."
For a moment, the needles embedded in Jeong Cheon-je's body flickered faintly—but he did not notice.
"Thank you... for everything."
Turning his head, Mu-gyeol smiled at Bu Eun-seol.
Then he nodded at Ak Mu-ryeong, standing in the distance.
Realizing there was no other way, he had resolved to die alongside his master.
Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes flashed.
Rooooar—!
From the heart of the pitch-black storm swallowing the sky, the light-devouring obsidian sphere—
The Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere—erupted with crimson light.
Fwoom!
Without a shred of mercy, it surged toward Jeong Cheon-je and Mu-gyeol.
"GOOOO—!"
With a deafening roar, as though space itself screamed, the sun of destruction—forcibly held in the sky—finally plummeted toward the earth.
The apocalyptic flames, as though compressed from the world's end, scorched the surrounding air and warped space itself.
Mu-gyeol gazed up at the spectacle with serene composure.
The agony of his flesh burning beneath the blistering heat paled before the torment of facing his master's lifeless body.
He studied his master's face—utterly devoid of vitality.
Wrinkled eyelids, tightly sealed lips. No trace remained of the supreme ruler who once commanded the martial world.
Only the deep marks of prolonged suffering lingered.
"You endured so much, Master."
Now even this pain would end.
If he could guard his master's side until the final moment, that alone would suffice.
Just as the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere cast its melting shadow over their heads—
Kuuuooong—!
The deafening roar that had shaken the world ceased as though lying.
The sun of destruction halted above the single palm outstretched by the Heavenly Emperor.
In the silence of frozen time, Mu-gyeol's eyes widened in disbelief.
The golden needles that had half-pierced his master's body were crumbling into fine dust.
"Gyeol-a."
Simultaneously, a voice—gentle and benevolent as though resonating directly in his mind—reached his ears.
"Why seek death at such a tender age?"
For an instant, the Heavenly Emperor turned to Mu-gyeol with a white smile.
It was the tranquil smile of one who had transcended all things, brimming with boundless compassion and affection for his disciple.
"This master of yours... has failed you. Forgive me."
Flash!
Before the words fully faded, the Heavenly Emperor hurled himself toward the sun of destruction.
The Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere—capable of annihilating all existence—was sucked into his body like a raging torrent.
Sacrificing himself to nullify the sphere's destructive power.
Paaat!
With a brief flash—
Kwaaaaang!
An indescribable radiance exploded, scattering the Heavenly Emperor's form into motes of light upon the wind.
Only warmth lingered faintly where he had stood.
"MASTER————!"
Mu-gyeol collapsed, wailing.
A lion's roar of anguish echoed across the desolate earth.
"Master."
He fell to his knees.
To protect him, his master had miraculously—if temporarily—restored his shattered Spirit and Mind.
And thrown himself into the sphere that destroyed all things.
"I was a fool."
Mu-gyeol lashed himself with guilt.
The realization that his foolish choice had driven his master to death flooded his entire being with emptiness and self-reproach.
"I shall serve you again in the afterlife. Master."
He drew a dagger from his robes.
As he prepared to pierce his heart in one stroke and follow his master—
Taaang!
A sharp snapping sound—the blade in his hand shattered in two.
Turning toward the icy aura,
He found Ak Mu-ryeong gazing down at him with contemptuous eyes.
"To think the Heavenly Emperor's disciple would be reduced to this. Pathetic beyond measure."
"Do not profane my master!"
"He isn't dead."
Those three words froze Mu-gyeol's thoughts.
"What... nonsense—"
"Unworthy of discipleship indeed."
Ak Mu-ryeong turned away without hiding his disdain, vanishing in an instant.
Mu-gyeol stood dumbfounded.
What could the Great Demon possibly mean?
Then Bu Eun-seol approached, explaining in measured tones:
"Though the Pavilion Lord is known to the world for his cruelty, in truth, none are more deliberate than he."
Bu Eun-seol extended a finger toward the sky.
"The Pavilion Lord believed the Divine Path Alliance Leader would regain his senses for his disciple's sake in the final moment. Hence he launched only one Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere."
Following that finger, Mu-gyeol looked up—and horror dawned in his eyes.
Where Ak Mu-ryeong had departed, didn't one more black sun still remain?
Ak Mu-ryeong, intuiting his own inadequacy before the Twin Heaven Emperors' realm,
Had devised the Illusory Self Combat Body secret art to create a second self.
Thus the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere required two simultaneous impacts to unleash its true devastation.
Yet Ak Mu-ryeong had trusted this:
That the towering tree called the Heavenly Emperor would sooner uproot himself than let his fragile branch be broken.
Intuiting the master would sacrifice himself to save his disciple at death's door, he had launched only one sphere.
"But Master is gone."
"The Divine Path Alliance Leader's final act... was something you could not have witnessed, Mu-gyeol."
Mu-Gyeol could only perceive the scene at about five times the normal speed of an ordinary martial artist, as he had not yet achieved Limitless Equal Enlightenment.
But Ak Mu-ryeong had long since entered the Martial Extreme Realm.
And though Bu Eun-seol had not reached that realm, he was walking a new path comparable to it.
Thus, both of them were able to perceive every fleeting movement and word exchanged in that brief moment created by Jeong Cheon-je.
"What exactly did the Master say?"
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained.
After leaving a short farewell for Mu-Gyeol, Jeong Cheon-je had spoken to Ak Mu-ryeong.
—To buy time to save the world, I sacrificed this body without hesitation... yet the outcome was far from ideal.
Jeong Cheon-je had destroyed and broken himself to buy time—to save the world.
And in doing so, he had become a fragment of the Heavenly Mechanism, unable to leave behind any words of his own.
—Thanks to Brother Ak and Brother Ak's disciple, I have cast off my shackles and wish to linger for a while in the realm of death.
Then, Jeong Cheon-je left a final Voice Transmission for Ak Mu-ryeong alone.
As he listened, Ak Mu-ryeong's expression shifted repeatedly, but in the end, he did not relay those words to Bu Eun-seol.
And then, after absorbing the explosion of the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere, Jeong Cheon-je vanished in an instant, grievously wounded.
"Master."
Having heard everything, Mu-Gyeol collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
The most righteous man in the world had ultimately sacrificed himself to protect the martial world.
Because of that, he had been assimilated into the flow of the Heavenly Mechanism, unable to convey any words.
And after enduring countless hardships, he had regained his clarity of mind to save his disciple—
Only to throw himself into the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Sphere once more, vanishing into a state indistinguishable from death, all to save the world again.
"But... why didn't the Pavilion Lord take this chance to strike the Master down?"
Even children knew that Ak Mu-ryeong's lifelong wish was to defeat the Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteous and Demonic.
Had he not let this opportunity slip and unleashed both Heaven and Earth Annihilation Spheres, he could have fulfilled his lifelong ambition and claimed the glory of defeating Jeong Cheon-je.
So why had he let such a chance pass?
"What the Pavilion Lord desires is not victory, but the fight itself—against a true opponent."
Bu Eun-seol smiled with pride.
"Had he struck down a weakened enemy in cowardice, he would have discarded the title of 'Human Demon' long ago."
"I suppose that makes sense."
Mu-Gyeol nodded, his gaze briefly empty as he stared into the void.
Then, after a long silence, he spoke again.
"Then... what should I do now?"
Until now, he had lived solely for the sake of avenging his master.
And now, through these events, the Martial Venerable's vile nature had been exposed to the world.
His master had finally regained his senses—only to suffer fatal injuries and vanish once more, his fate unknown.
Neither success nor failure... just a hollow void where his purpose had once been.
"A righteous man like the Divine Alliance Leader will surely be watched over by the heavens."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was quiet but firm.
"Since he has merged with the Heavenly Mechanism, he must be recovering his strength somewhere, preparing to return."
Meeting Mu-Gyeol's eyes, he continued calmly.
"What you must do now is prepare—to welcome your master when he returns."
"Prepare..."
Mu-Gyeol nodded, but suddenly, his right hand felt strangely empty, and a stinging heat spread across his chest.
The dagger that had been shattered by Ak Mu-ryeong had turned to dust, scattering in the wind—and with it, the True Qi that had secretly enveloped his Heart Meridian dissipated.
It was both a testament to Ak Mu-ryeong's terrifying Internal Power and an act of consideration—ensuring that his master's sacrifice would not be in vain.
Not only had he shattered the blade, but he had reduced even the hilt to dust, leaving no room for dark thoughts.
And with ghostly precision, he had infused True Qi into Mu-Gyeol's Heart Meridian, preventing him from severing it himself.
'It's true.'
Something hot welled up in Mu-Gyeol's chest as he lifted his head, gazing toward where Ak Mu-ryeong had disappeared.
Just as Bu Eun-seol had said—
The Human Demon was nothing like the rumors that spread through the martial world.
'I envy you.'
Mu-Gyeol had been raised by Jeong Cheon-je since childhood, but as an adult, his master's grand ambitions had left them little time together.
Yet Bu Eun-seol, despite facing countless trials, had a master like Ak Mu-ryeong standing firmly as his pillar.
It was impossible not to feel envy.
"You're right."
Mu-Gyeol straightened his slumped shoulders.
No longer was his face clouded by despair.
"The Master will return. Without fail."
He believed it.
That Jeong Cheon-je would return, his mind clear once more.
As Bu Eun-seol said, all he had to do was believe and wait.
But how could he have known?
That the chaos in the martial world was only beginning.
That to bury the shame of the Martial Venerable's deception, the Martial Alliance was already weaving an even greater conspiracy.