Chapter 1207
Ziiing.
No sooner had Bu Eun-seol's words ended than all the power within both their bodies vanished, leaving behind only the internal energy equivalent to about 120 years of cultivation.
If one were to reach the perfected state of the Void Extreme Realm?
The range of World and Realm Annihilation, which had been limited to about twenty zhang, would expand beyond imagination.
Not just internal energy—every last trace of power would disappear completely.
"......."
The middle-aged man, having calculated the remaining level of internal energy, could not suppress his shock. His eyes widened, and sweat trickled down his forehead.
Soul-Demon Magic Energy was impervious to any force except Manifestation Art Energy.
Yet in an instant, all power had vanished? Just what kind of phenomenon was this?
"What is this?"
Forgetting all decorum, the middle-aged man barked out the question.
"What the hell did you just do?!"
His voice was a mix of fury and bewilderment, like a child throwing a tantrum.
Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort.
"Even if I asked nicely, you wouldn't answer willingly."
Then, raising Ink Soul Sword, he spoke coldly.
"Let's subdue you first and talk later."
Pah-pah-pah-pah!
The moment his words ended, a downpour of light-points scattered toward the middle-aged man.
"This is—"
As Bu Eun-seol unleashed his sword energy through his sword technique, the previously tense middle-aged man his complexion returned to normal and wore an expression of disbelief.
He had realized that not just his own power, but Bu Eun-seol's as well, had disappeared.
"What kind of absurd trickery is this?!"
Regaining his composure, the middle-aged man swiftly swung his dagger, precisely striking the cascading light-points.
Tak-tak-tak!
The sword energy, sharp as light itself, dissipated in an instant.
Not only could he wield Soul-Demon Magic Energy—he was also a master who had reached extraordinary martial prowess.
Clang-clang! Clash-clash!
Their weapons tangled and clashed, filling the air with endless metallic sounds as fragments of light crumbled into the void.
As their exchange grew fiercer, their figures became obscured within dazzling flashes of light.
Swoosh!Fwah!
Then, seizing an opening, the middle-aged man lunged into the storm of sword energy Bu Eun-seol was unleashing.
With rapid dagger strikes, he preemptively countered the sword strokes of Bu Eun-seol's Formless Heavenly Flow technique.
'Nothing special after all.'
The middle-aged man inwardly cheered.
No matter how bizarre the method Bu Eun-seol had used to suppress his supernatural power, human ability had its limits.
In contrast, the middle-aged man had transcended even the physical limitations of ordinary martial artists.
No matter how impressive Bu Eun-seol's sword techniques were, before senses and speed that surpassed human limits, debating martial superiority was meaningless.
"You dare face this Dharma Lord head-on just because you nullified my power?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyebrows rose.
He had assumed the man was a master of the Demon Palace since he wielded Soul-Demon Magic Energy—but a Dharma Lord?
'A figure from the Sacred Realm?'
Were positions like Heavenly Secrets Decree or Heavenly Secret Dharma Lord not exclusive to the Sacred Realm?
'Or perhaps the Demon Palace has its own Dharma Lords.'
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's gaze deepened.
He was intently analyzing and assessing the middle-aged man's physiological responses.
Swish!
The instant his mental power wavered slightly, the middle-aged man's razor-sharp dagger grazed past Bu Eun-seol's chin.
Like a master of palm techniques, the man unleashed an unending stream of dazzling sword strokes at close range.
But then—
The middle-aged man abruptly halted.
Despite clearly holding the advantage, despite dominating the initial exchange...
Why did he feel an inexplicable, crushing sense of defeat?
"Wait."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's indifferent posture and gaze, the middle-aged man realized what he was doing.
"You were practicing martial arts against this Dharma Lord?"
Bu Eun-seol had long recognized that the Formless Heavenly Flow technique he had created was unable to break past its own limits in profundity.
Thus, he had added a layer of transcendent insight to enhance its power beyond those limits—
But against masters of the Martial Extreme Realm, or those wielding formidable supernatural powers and Soul-Demon Magic Energy, it had become nothing more than a conventional attack, losing much of its effectiveness.
However, now that he had reached the Void Extreme Realm and could engage in pure martial combat, he was attempting something new—
Not increasing raw power, but refining the very essence of his sword studies.
"How dare you?!"
Enraged, the middle-aged man unleashed another fierce sword technique.
Whirr!
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol spun Ink Soul Sword in a full arc midair and swiftly countered the dagger aiming for his vital points—
Adapting a technique once used by the Return to Unity Realm Lord.
Clang!
As their weapons collided in midair, intense sparks erupted.
Ping!
But then—one of those countless sparks suddenly shot out, streaking straight for the middle-aged man's throat.
"Guh—?!"
Caught off guard by this unexpected martial form, the man jerked his body backward in shock.
At first glance, there wasn't the slightest hint of speed.
Yet that single sharp ember shot forward with such blistering velocity that it could pierce through a throat in the blink of an eye.
Crash!
In the end, the middle-aged man flung himself to the ground, rolling head over heels no less than six times.
A high-ranking enforcer of the Great True Demon Palace...
Had just barely preserved his life by resorting to the Lazy Donkey Roll—a technique only third-rate martial artists would stoop to using?
But Bu Eun-seol...
Made no move to attack the tumbling man, instead leisurely observing the spectacle.
Tremble, tremble.
The middle-aged man, barely managing to rise, shuddered with humiliation, his lips parting in a snarl.
"You... bastard...!"
The current state of martial arts had stagnated before the absolute barrier of the Martial Extreme Realm, its very flow controlled by the Baekri Clan and the True Demon Palace.
Yet in this era...
Monstrous masters beyond prediction—like the Three Demons and Three Venerables—had begun emerging one by one.
And now, this young man before him...
He instinctively knew—this one was no different.
"Just because I missed a single moment to thin the herd... this happens?"
As the middle-aged man muttered under his breath—
"Enough."
Clap.
Bu Eun-seol suddenly struck his hands together, his expression bored.
"You've talked enough. Show me a new martial technique."
The middle-aged man was so dumbfounded he nearly burst into laughter.
Him—a man who had once commanded the entire martial world—
Was now being snapped back to attention like a child at the sound of clapping?
And worse, this brat was looking at him with encouraging eyes, as if he were a martial instructor praising a disciple?
"Fine..."
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.
He couldn't afford to lose his composure.
Regaining his calm, he swiftly swung his dagger, slashing and thrusting with relentless precision.
But Bu Eun-seol paid no heed to his mutterings, instead studying his swordplay from within the State of Selflessness.
'Should I just subdue him quickly?'
If he subdued this man now...
He could swiftly extract information about the Empress Dowager—previously unknown—and gain an advantage in the battles to come.
'But his swordplay is so unique... I want to keep watching.'
He was still only at the beginning stages of the Martial Extreme Realm.
Facing the masters of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon Palace in the future, observing this man's techniques a little longer wouldn't be a bad idea.
Fwip!
Deliberately, Bu Eun-seol pressed his cheek against the sword qi.
The instant the razor-sharp sword qi grazed his skin, sending a spray of blood, the man's Sword Stroke faltered slightly.
'His skill is high, but he hasn't faced many martial arts styles.'
Martial artists with little combat experience...
The moment even a single one of their strikes lands, their confidence swells in an instant.
Bu Eun-seol had purposely wounded his own cheek to confirm this.
Such an attempt was something only legendary immortals in myths would dare—
But for him, who had survived countless life-and-death battles, it was nothing.
"Die!"
Believing he had found an opening, the middle-aged man closed the distance with all his might, aiming for Bu Eun-seol's lower abdomen.
Sshhk!
At that moment—
A sword qi neither strong nor gentle suddenly cascaded toward his face.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed the Caged Bird Longing for Clouds, targeting the vital points on the man's chest and brow.
"Ghk—!"
He immediately countered to disperse the Sword Stroke—but it was a feint.
Sshhk.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol formed a circular sword qi, enveloping the man's wrist.
Zzzing.
The middle-aged man felt an irresistible Internal Power surge through the blade, penetrating straight into the Meridians of his forearm.
"Impossible...!"
He tried to retaliate—
But the energy injected into him had already begun spreading through his entire body's Meridians.
"Ghk—!"
His eyes widened in shock.
He had merely brushed against the force imbued in the Sword Stroke—
Yet he felt as though he were trapped in a suffocatingly narrow well, his shoulders nearly touching its walls.
"Haaah!"
Forcing out a shout, the middle-aged man gathered his Internal Power into his chest.
He would protect his Heart Meridian first, then look for another chance to counterattack.
"Good! Open your eyes wide and watch closely! I'll show you what true swordplay is!"
Zzzwoom.
A Sword Aura over three feet long erupted from his dagger—then suddenly bent like a whip.
Whiiirr!
He unleashed the Secret Arts of the True Demon Palace, techniques that far surpassed the scattered martial arts of the martial world.
"No matter how great your martial arts, you'll never block this!"
Roaring, the middle-aged man swung his dagger like a madman.
After a dozen or so moves, wounds began accumulating on Bu Eun-seol's body.
The Sword Aura he had created...
Though pure in Internal Power, carried a sinister energy within.
His movements were so finely segmented that they perfectly intercepted every one of Bu Eun-seol's actions.
Fssht!
Finally, the middle-aged man deeply slashed Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
Shhk.
But the moment he succeeded—
A chilling sensation ran down his spine.
'Oh no—'
When the middle-aged man glanced at his own shoulder,
he realized the wound perfectly matched the spot he had struck on Bu Eun-seol.
'This bastard has already stolen the essence of my sword technique.'
The Practical Combat Martial Arts of Langya Pavilion, which had begun seven hundred years ago,
was not some martial secret devised by the two great factions.
Rather, it was a uniquely creative martial art that emerged independently, because it did not hinder the development of martial arts.
Moreover, this relentless and bizarre Practical Combat Martial Arts—one that even risked death to steal an enemy's martial secrets—
meant that if the opponent wasn't instantly killed, they would inevitably grow stronger from the encounter.
"You thieving bastard!"
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol had deliberately taken a defensive stance to steal the intricacies of his sword studies,
the middle-aged man closed the distance once more and unleashed a frenzied barrage of Chaotic Sword strikes.
But Bu Eun-seol, having already anticipated such an attack, blocked the sword trajectories with a sweeping kick from the side.
Hwack!
At the same time, a sharp hidden weapon shot toward the man's brow.
Just as he was about to counter with a leg technique,
Bu Eun-seol had secretly swept the ground and flicked a pebble straight at his forehead.
'Damn it!'
The pebble, launched the instant his sword trajectory was blocked,
flew at an unavoidable angle—with not the slightest hint of warning.
How was he supposed to dodge this?
He hastily withdrew his attack and twisted his body violently, spinning like a top.
Whirrr!
Fortunately, the pebble missed his forehead—
but in that opening, Bu Eun-seol had already pinpointed his weakness and stabbed precisely into his ribs mid-spin.
Clang!
A resonant metallic clang reverberated.
Realizing he couldn't evade this strike, the middle-aged man activated the Soul-Demon Tempered Shell Body Art,
a technique that granted an effect similar to Vajra Indestructibility.
Boom!
He was sent flying like a severed kite string, crashing into a massive tree on the opposite side.
Thud.
He immediately rose and regained his stance, but a thin trail of blood trickled from his lips.
Even the Soul-Demon Tempered Shell Body Art hadn't fully negated the force—he had suffered internal injuries.
"You..."
The middle-aged man muttered in disbelief.
"Are you saying you're stronger than Ak Mu-ryeong?"
Bu Eun-seol frowned slightly before responding.
"You've fought the Pavilion Lord?"
"Fought? There was no fighting. At the time, he hadn't even stepped into the Martial Extreme Realm."
Though his appearance was that of a middle-aged man, his true age far exceeded a hundred years.
He had seen the Human Demon in his youth and had judged that, at best, Ak Mu-ryeong would only reach the Martial Extreme Realm.
"So it's been a long time since you last saw him."
Ak Mu-ryeong had long since transcended the boundaries of the Martial Extreme Realm and had now even pioneered a new Limitless Power.
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"Had it been the Pavilion Lord, he would have severed your head within three moves."
"Nonsense."
The middle-aged man was about to sneer—
but when he met Bu Eun-seol's eyes, clear and still as a well reflecting the autumn sky, he fell silent.
He instinctively knew those words were true.
Tremble.
The corners of his eyes twitched.
How could martial arts have progressed this far in such a short time?
Splat!
Suddenly, blood splashed across the middle-aged man's cheek, a crimson Blood Line etched into his skin.
Bu Eun-seol had already unleashed a Sword Stroke as radiant as a beam of light.
"Enough idle chatter."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"From now on, I'll fight seriously. Show me the essence of the True Demon Palace's martial arts."
Only then did the middle-aged man realize—
Bu Eun-seol, the Martial Soul Lord,
was an Absolute Master comparable to the Three Demons and Three Venerables,
the greatest obstacle to the Empress Dowager's Grand Design.
If left alive, he would bring endless repercussions.
"Heh heh heh... Fine."
The middle-aged man suddenly burst into a crazed laugh and began wildly unleashing Sword Strokes.
Slash! Slash!
He absorbed Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes with his body, closing the distance between them.
Hiss...
White smoke began to rise from his body as if he were burning from within.
"I'll admit it. I admit it. You're stronger than me."
He muttered like a madman.
"But strength doesn't guarantee victory."
The martial world was filled with techniques of Mutual Destruction, such as the Dragon-Subduing Soul-Expelling Blast,
and their roots lay in the True Demon Palace's Extinction Demon Arts.
Most Mutual Destruction techniques either ignited one's life force to unleash several times the power before self-destructing,
or detonated the body to inflict fatal wounds—
but the True Demon Palace's method was entirely different.
To ensure the enemy's death, it collapsed space itself—the very boundary of existence.
It wasn't merely dying together.
It dragged both the enemy and oneself into the same space of annihilation, erasing their very existence.
Shhhiiik—
Suddenly, the middle-aged man's body began clinging to Bu Eun-seol like a magnet.
Bu Eun-seol slashed at him with the Ink Soul Sword.
The sharp sword energy pierced the man's shoulder, tearing flesh and sending blood gushing like a fountain—
The middle-aged man seemed to feel no pain.
No—it was more that he felt it yet paid it no heed whatsoever as he continued advancing.
"Heh heh heh!"
As the man burst into a maddened laugh, Bu Eun-seol shifted his sword stroke and carved deep into his abdomen.
It was a fatal wound severe enough to spill his entrails, yet the man's body did not stop.
Instead, he clung to Bu Eun-seol even faster, even more tenaciously.
Crackle! Sizzle!
A strange energy surged from the man's body as a light—black and red entwined—writhed like a living creature, slowly encircling Bu Eun-seol.
He tried to slash through it with the Ink Soul Sword, but it was as futile as cutting through empty air.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man rapidly closed the distance.
Three zhang, two zhang, one zhang...
At the moment their noses nearly touched—
KWA-BOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth.
The world turned white, all color and sound vanished, and form itself disappeared.
Rumble...
A massive tremor rocked the ground as the shockwave radiating from the blast's epicenter swallowed everything in its path.
Trees were uprooted and flung away, rocks crumbled into dust, and the earth itself was gouged and scraped bare.
Nothing remained.
A perfectly circular clearing, spanning a hundred zhang in diameter, now stood devoid of trees, stones, even a single blade of grass—as if a giant's hand had pressed the land flat.
Whoosh...
Dust swirled in the wind before slowly settling.
And when it finally cleared—
Crackle! Hiss!
A dazzling explosion of multicolored flames erupted.
Gold, silver, crimson, azure, black.
Five distinct energies tangled chaotically, distorting space itself.
At the heart of the flames, something resembling a spherical Astral Energy Barrier became visible.
Inside that translucent membrane, the silhouette of a man gradually took shape.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
"I had no choice."
His expression was that of defeat as he lowered his head.
In the end, he had failed to counter the middle-aged man's Mutual Destruction technique and was forced to release Void Extreme Realm.
He had poured everything into forming a Protective Qi Membrane to shield himself from the explosion.
—Couldn't he just release Void Extreme Realm when absolutely necessary?
Some might think that way.
But martial realms are a path—a conviction, a will unto themselves.
Bu Eun-seol had chosen Void Extreme Realm and fought his enemies with it.
Yet he had failed to fully suppress the martial arts of the True Demon Palace and ultimately had to release it...
This incident made him keenly aware once more that his Void Extreme Realm was still incomplete.
—What kind of lunatic...
Had a master from the Baekri Clan, the True Demon Palace, or any faction of comparable strength witnessed this scene—
They would have cursed in sheer disbelief.
To effortlessly crush a True Demon Palace master like a child, yet still berate himself for imperfection?
'It's fine.'
Bu Eun-seol steadied his thoughts.
This was merely the beginning.
He would face countless formidable foes ahead, and with each battle, Void Extreme Realm would grow closer to completion.
And when it did—
Perhaps he could reach the legendary, unfathomable realm no one in history had ever attained—the Heavenly Will Realm.
Thud.
Just then, something round fell from the sky and struck the ground.
It was the middle-aged man who had unleashed Mutual Destruction.
"That power..."
Shockingly, the man—now reduced to just a head—opened his eyes and glared at Bu Eun-seol.
"You... are Baekri Mu-ha."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
"What are you saying?"
Could it be—his father, Baekri Mu-ha, was still alive?
"But it's already too late."
The man's lips curled into a smirk.
"You will never form a contract with the Primordial Dragon."
Crack. Crrrack.
Suddenly, spiderweb-like fissures spread across the man's face before—
FWOOOOSH!
A mysterious radiance surged toward Bu Eun-seol.
The True Demon Palace'sMutual Destruction technique was unfathomably bizarre—
Even in death, it accounted for the possibility of the enemy surviving and left behind a final secret technique.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol executed Qi-Piercing Ascent, leaping dozens of zhang into the air in an instant.
He had anticipated that underestimating that small head could be fatal.
BOOM!
With the sound of the explosion, a violet mist spread where he had stood.
Not only was it a terrifying blast—
But it also dispersed a poison that melted flesh instantly, empowered by Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Huuuu...
Bu Eun-seol's gaze darkened endlessly as he looked down at the violet mist swirling in the air.
"He mistook me for my father."
The man's eyes had been unfocused, his mind clearly not intact.
Moreover, the Primordial Dragon's contract was something his father had attempted since he first entered the martial world as a child.
In the throes of death, his fading consciousness might have confused Bu Eun-seol for his father.
"What is certain is that the Empress Dowager is connected to the True Demon Palace."
Whoosh...
Bu Eun-seol's eyes deepened as he descended back to the ground.
He had caught the distant Sound of Breaking Air.
Rustle.
From the darkened plains, a figure gradually emerged before him.
Clad in an obsidian official's uniform—likely custom-made for covert missions—
A man with a demeanor as sharp and fluid as a finely honed dagger.
'Him?'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
It was none other than—
The Embroidered Uniform Guard'sThousand-household Commander, Na Baek-hu, who had boldly declared he would serve as his escort as the Royal Son-in-law's Guard!