Chapter 1188
The Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body.
A physique containing the essence of heaven and earth and the principles of all creation—the most mysterious constitution in the martial world.
It was said to appear perhaps once every ten thousand years, with all the energies of the world dwelling within that body.
Moreover, as one grew older,
they would naturally come to comprehend the energies of the world and their flow, mastering the principles of any martial art after witnessing it just once.
Once past the age of twenty, their intellect and senses would transcendently sharpen, allowing them to intuitively grasp all the laws of the world and the patterns of energy.
It was, without question, the supreme flesh a martial artist could be born with—a true sacred body.
Yet this divine physique could only be inherited by the bloodline of the Baekri Clan?
'Does that mean the one who killed Grandfather was a member of the Baekri Clan?'
Bu Eun-seol's head spun.
The Poison Spirit Demon Lord, master of the Poison Hall in the True Demon Palace, had ambushed the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden—so he had assumed this entire situation was part of the True Demon Palace's scheme.
But now, suddenly, the Baekri bloodline?
"Is that true?"
"It is."
"Then why didn't Grandfather inform the Baekri Clan of this fact?"
"At the time, he didn't know that the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body could only be born among the Baekri bloodline. That's why he could never uncover the impostor."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's eyes narrowed to slits.
"He only learned this truth in his later years, through sheer coincidence."
Because the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body was a constitution that manifested exclusively among the Baekri bloodline, Grandfather had ultimately been unable to expose the fake.
A bleak thought settled over Bu Eun-seol.
Then the one who had impersonated his grandfather, who had entangled himself with that pitiable woman and fathered an illegitimate child—
Was none other than a member of the Baekri Clan's bloodline?
"We cannot be certain it was the Baekri Clan's conspiracy."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden spoke in a low voice.
"Didn't your grandfather, who saved countless lives, spend his entire existence branded as a villain?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
The affairs of the martial world were always complex—one could never judge the truth based solely on surface appearances.
Even if the impersonator truly was a member of the Baekri Clan, that didn't necessarily reflect the clan's stance as a whole.
In the end... the truth was something he would have to uncover with his own hands.
"Grandfather lived his entire life under nothing but misunderstanding and resentment."
At Bu Eun-seol's pained murmur, the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden nodded.
"Very few ever saw his true nature."
She gazed at the distant sky as she spoke.
"That the current martial world maintains even this much peace is entirely due to his sacrifices. But those who know this... are few."
Bu Jan-yang had not severed the spirit veins of the Central Plains nor destroyed the spirit lands—rather, he had protected them from the grasp of the True Demon Palace.
The slowly reviving Fire Soul Land was proof of that.
Yet in life, he had been condemned as a great villain.
And in death, he was remembered only as the Great Killing Star of the Demonic Path—one who had forsaken all light and vanished.
A guardian of darkness who had secretly protected the martial world and the people...
All while concealing the truth.
"You truly take after him."
At the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's words, Bu Eun-seol allowed a proud smile to touch his lips.
"I hear that often."
"And on top of that, you've got a silver tongue—something he never had."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden retrieved a worn envelope from her robes and held it out.
"Take it."
"What is this?"
"A special remedy he left behind for Neung-gyeong."
Bu Eun-seol carefully accepted the envelope.
But inside was neither spirit medicine nor spiritual herbs—only a single sheet of aged paper.
A short letter, penned in Grandfather's own hand.
'This...'
As Bu Eun-seol read through the letter, his expression grew dazed.
'So that's how it was.'
Written there were words he had never expected.
'If one must become a villain...'
His gaze deepened as he looked down at the letter.
If someone had to shoulder the karma...
Then it should not be the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden—but himself, the grandson.
"Thank you."
Bu Eun-seol bowed his head in respect to the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden.
Then, calmly, he spoke.
"I think I understand why Grandfather entrusted this remedy to you, Aunt."
"Affection too can be a sickness."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden smiled bitterly.
"Because of his taciturnity and righteous nature... he unwittingly sowed too much affection in the hearts of too many women. It would've been better if he'd been indifferent."
Bu Eun-seol understood those words.
Because he was doing the same.
Creak.
Just then, the door of the cottage opened, and a figure clad in watery-blue robes stepped out slowly.
It was Gongson Dan-a, now changed out of her wedding attire.
"Lady Gongson."
It was astonishing.
She had clearly had her sleeping point pressed.
How could she have awakened so quickly?
"Do not forget who taught you the Taoist Cultivation Secret and the Five Animal Frolics, Lord."
Because she, too, had deeply mastered the Taoist Cultivation Secret, she had been able to counteract the sleeping point's effect almost immediately despite being struck by it.
"Is that the Spirit Medicine left behind by the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, sir?"
Gongson Dan-a looked at the letter Bu Eun-seol was holding.
This is troublesome.
Recalling the contents of the letter, Bu Eun-seol immediately tucked it into his robes and shook his head.
"There was no Spirit Medicine."
"Then what is that?"
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but he spoke calmly.
"A letter left behind by my grandfather. The Immortal Maiden had been keeping it and gave it to me."
"May I see it?"
"It would be better if you did not."
"Why is that?"
"I will be honest with you."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been wearing a troubled expression, spoke in a low voice.
"The truth is, my grandfather and the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden were very close. Close enough to have promised a future together."
That was an indisputable fact.
After all, the wedding items prepared today had all been things she had kept in anticipation of his grandfather's promise.
"But the Divine Beast Palace Lord intervened, driving them apart until they eventually separated."
"What did you say?"
"There was no medicine, my lady."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Gongson Dan-a turned to the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden in disbelief.
"You clearly told me there was medicine. That's why we even held this wedding."
"The truth is, the Immortal Maiden did not force this wedding out of hatred for my grandfather."
"What do you mean?"
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh and lowered his head.
"It was because she despised you, a disciple of the Divine Beast Palace. By doing this, she intended to have you expelled from the palace."
"That can't be."
Struck by shock, Gongson Dan-a recoiled.
"I can't believe this!"
Then she shouted at Bu Eun-seol.
"Then why did the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade leave behind a letter in the palace, claiming there was medicine in the Fire Soul Land to cure the Palace Lord?"
"He hoped the Palace Lord would come here and learn the truth."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with an apologetic expression.
"Only then could the long-buried feelings between them be resolved, and her health might improve."
"That's impossible... I can't believe this."
"Believe it or not, it makes no difference."
Bu Eun-seol's voice turned cold.
"The Immortal Maiden, out of consideration for her past ties with my grandfather and my own standing, has agreed to treat today's events as if they never happened."
"As if they never happened?"
"She has decided to retract the announcement of your marriage. So you may return to the Divine Beast Palace without worry."
"Is this true?"
Gongson Dan-a, still unable to believe it, looked at the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden and asked,
"Is everything the Lord said true?"
"It is."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden spoke coldly.
"Because of that wretched woman, Neung-gyeong, this palace master and the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade were forced apart."
She swept a disdainful gaze over Gongson Dan-a and sneered.
"And yet, a disciple of the Divine Beast Palace dared to come before me... So I arranged this wedding. To humiliate the Divine Beast Palace."
Then she added,
"There is no medicine. But since you brought Bu Jan-yang's grandson here..."
She pulled a small medicine bottle from her robes and tossed it at Gongson Dan-a's feet.
"This is the Fire Soul Elixir of my palace. With luck, the Divine Beast Palace Lord may live until this day next year."
Gongson Dan-a stared at the bottle on the ground, her fists clenched.
As a disciple of the Divine Beast Palace—
She could not stoop to pick up medicine thrown like alms to a beggar.
And she knew all too well that even if the Palace Lord took the elixir, it would not truly improve her condition.
"You may kill a disciple of our palace, but you will not insult us."
Gongson Dan-a declared with unwavering resolve.
"Master of the Fire Soul Land. I challenge you!"
"Challenge?"
"You insulted my master and mocked me. Today, one of us will leave here dead."
"Lady Gongson."
Bu Eun-seol stepped forward then.
"As I said, the Immortal Maiden shares a deep bond with my grandfather."
"And what of it?"
"How can I stand by and watch the two of you fight?"
"Do not think to stop me."
Gongson Dan-a's voice was icy.
"She broke her word and humiliated me. A disciple of our palace would rather die than suffer such disgrace."
"That is not what I meant."
Bu Eun-seol's tone was equally cold.
"I cannot allow you to harm my aunt."
"Your aunt?"
"Since she formed a bond with my grandfather, it stands to reason that I would be her nephew, does it not?"
Bu Eun-seol spoke with icy detachment.
"Aunt cannot personally lower herself to deal with subordinates... So if you intervene, I'll have no choice but to face you myself."
"Lord!"
Gongson Dan-a trembled with betrayal.
"Is that really what you're saying to me right now?"
"What could you possibly gain from fighting Aunt? Let's just return quietly."
"How... how could you do this to me?"
Gongson Dan-a stifled her brimming tears and shouted.
"She promised me Spirit Medicine and then humiliated me! After experiencing such a thing yourself, how can you pretend not to understand?"
"Aunt only intended to humble a disciple of the Divine Beast Palace, and she has already apologized to me separately."
Bu Eun-seol replied with a troubled expression.
"If you fight Aunt, relations between Fire Soul Land and the Divine Beast Palace will deteriorate immediately."
He added in an earnest voice,
"With the Palace Lord in poor health, is there truly any need for this?"
"You...!"
Pearl-like teardrops fell from Gongson Dan-a's eyes.
Just moments ago, he'd been spouting sweet words—vowing to risk his life for the Palace Lord, promising to resolve everything himself...
And now he coldly cuts her off like this?
"The Palace Lord always said,"
Gongson Dan-a wiped her tears and glared at Bu Eun-seol.
"Men are not creatures to be trusted!"
Riiip.
She tore off her sleeve and threw it at Bu Eun-seol's face.
"My ties with you end here!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, she activated her Movement Technique and vanished from Fire Soul Land.
"......"
Bu Eun-seol stood silently, gazing at the spot where Gongson Dan-a had disappeared.
His lowered head bore the weight of
ten thousand iron coffins upon his back.
"Grandfather and grandson—cut from the same cloth."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden let out a deep sigh.
"Willing to bear disgrace if it means protecting others."
She shook her head with a pained expression.
"In my youth, I never understood... why he always wore such lonely eyes."
As she spoke, an unfathomable darkness seemed to spread around her.
"Perhaps that boy too... will understand when he reaches my age. Why you made this choice."
Bu Eun-seol forced a smile and shook his head.
"I only wish for the wounds in her heart to heal quickly."
"Then why insist on playing the villain?"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden clicked her tongue.
"You could have discreetly arranged for someone else to handle it."
Bu Eun-seol offered a dry smile.
"Some knots can only be untied when someone willingly becomes the sinner."
Wasn't it said that salvation always stands upon someone's ruin?
When unbearable things occur,
whether by divine will or otherwise,
humans will always seek someone to blame.
His grandfather endured the world's condemnation and scorn,
yet silently bore it all to walk the righteous path.
And now Bu Eun-seol too
chooses to tread that same road.
"No."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden gripped Bu Eun-seol's shoulders with both hands.
"You must never follow in those footsteps."
Bu Jan-yang sacrificed his life for others and ultimately reaped no bonds in return.
But to let his grandson Bu Eun-seol
walk the same lonely path—that was unthinkable.
"You must build a family of your own. Do you understand?"
Her words echoed Divine Beast Palace Lord Neung-gyeong's earnest plea.
Bu Eun-seol met the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's worried gaze with a faint smile.
"I understand."
He bowed deeply in respect.
"Then I shall take my leave for now."
"Don't come back."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden turned away coldly and strode back into Fire Soul Land.
"It's better this way for both of us."
Bu Eun-seol resembled Bu Jan-yang far too much—
enough to reawaken decades of suppressed longing and resentment.
Without a backward glance,
she disappeared into the heart of Fire Soul Land.
The chilly scent of medicinal herbs weighed heavily upon the stagnant air.
Gongson Dan-a, who had returned to the Divine Beast Palace, immediately headed toward the secluded chamber where the palace lord was said to be in closed-door training.
Creak—
As the hidden mechanism leading into the chamber shifted, a long, dark corridor unfolded before her.
Today, more than ever, the passageway to the palace lord's quarters felt unnervingly long.
"Palace Lord."
After knocking and cautiously stepping inside, she saw Neung-gyeong sitting in meditation, her face deathly pale.
Though she was known to be in secluded training, in truth, she was merely recuperating and gathering her strength.
The Divine Beast Palace Lord, who had collapsed some time ago before regaining consciousness, now looked gaunt and haggard.
None of the imposing dignity that had once made her name resound throughout the Martial World remained—only the frail figure of a woman ravaged by illness.
"This disciple has returned."
As Gongson Dan-a bowed in greeting, the Divine Beast Palace Lord slowly opened her eyes.
Her jewel-like pupils, embedded in a bloodless face, resembled the flickering embers of a dying candle.
"So, you went to Fire Soul Land after all."
Gongson Dan-a had read the secret letter Bu Jan-yang left in the hidden archives.
She had pleaded with the palace lord to let her go to Fire Soul Land, but the woman had firmly refused.
Yet, seeing her disciple's appearance now, she must have guessed that Dan-a had gone alone.
"Yes."
"I see."
Neung-gyeong smiled faintly and asked,
"What did Yang Young say?"
Yang Young was the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's true name.
The two had once been close friends,
but they became rivals when they both fell in love with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
Even so, the Divine Beast Palace Lord still regarded the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden as a dear friend.
"This disciple..."
Biting her lip, Gongson Dan-a recalled Bu Eun-seol's icy demeanor.
There had been no spirit medicine.
All Bu Jan-yang had left behind was a letter mocking the Divine Beast Palace Lord.
"Yes, I thought as much."
Neung-gyeong's lips curled into a faint smile as she observed the sorrow hidden in Dan-a's expression.
"There was no medicine, was there?"
"How did you—?"
"In truth, this palace lord and she were once good friends. And even back then, my health was poor."
Neung-gyeong's gaze grew distant, as if lost in memory.
"He must have felt guilty for driving a wedge between us. That's why he left such a letter in the palace."
She shook her head.
"Likely hoping I would go to Fire Soul Land and reconcile with her."
Gongson Dan-a's eyes widened.
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden and the palace lord had once been close, only to fall apart because of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?
"With time, even long-buried emotions settle."
The Divine Beast Palace Lord shook her head again.
"Perhaps he meant to encourage reconciliation, but it seems Yang Young's heart remains unyielding."
Gongson Dan-a pressed her lips together.
The letter had explicitly stated that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade loved the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden more than the Divine Beast Palace Lord.
She could never bring herself to tell such a cruel truth to her ailing master.
"I understand. She must have treated you harshly."
Neung-gyeong shook her head.
"Yang Young... That child still hasn't forgiven me for stealing his heart."
The Divine Beast Palace Lord was deeply mistaken.
The letter had made it clear that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade loved the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden more—not her.
But Gongson Dan-a merely nodded, keeping the truth hidden.
"That's right. In the end, she refused to let me into Fire Soul Land and drove me away."
She bowed her head and lied.
The truth would be too cruel for a master who had spent her life waiting for one man, wasting away in sickness.
"I see."
Neung-gyeong sighed and closed her eyes again.
A heavy silence followed.
"Palace Lord—"
Just as Gongson Dan-a was about to speak again—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire Divine Beast Palace, followed by screams erupting from outside.
Crackle—
The sound of the palace's protective battle formation shattering echoed in its wake.
"Palace Lord! The palace is under attack!"
Moments later, a disciple burst into the chamber, bloodied and panting.
"Mysterious masked intruders have dismantled our formations and are overwhelming our disciples!"
Neung-gyeong's eyes flew open.
This was something she had never even imagined.
Who would dare launch a direct assault on the Divine Beast Palace, one of the most revered factions in the world?
Gongson Dan-a bit her lip upon hearing the news.
The Palace Lord must not intervene.
If the disciples learned how weakened their leader truly was, morale would plummet, and their defenses could crumble.
She bowed to Neung-gyeong.
"This disciple will handle it."
Then she immediately rushed outside.
The palace entrance was in chaos.
A hundred masked figures, exuding a sinister and eerie aura, were overpowering a thousand Divine Beast Palace disciples.
Every time they left behind black afterimages in the air, another disciple fell grievously wounded, their screams echoing in all directions.
Their movements surpassed human limits—so swift that the eye could barely follow.
Because of this, even the Divine Beast Palace's renowned battle formations, considered peerless in the world, were gradually collapsing.
"The Three Realms?"
Gongson Dan-a clenched her teeth.
Though the Martial World had countless factions,
those who wore such strange masks and wielded martial arts of unknown origin
were most likely the Abyssal Forces—specifically, the Three Realms, who often shared intelligence with the Death Shadow War Unit.
But why?
The Divine Beast Palace had never interfered in the Martial World's affairs and had no grudges with other factions.
So why would they suddenly attack without reason?