Chapter 1240
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes grew hazy with shock as he grasped the meaning behind the old man's words.
'Grandfather... was the new True Demon?'
The Eighteen Radiant Souls—those capable of retrieving the True Demon's divided corpse and wielding its power.
Yet, unexpectedly, a Nineteenth Radiant Soul had been created.
There was no way another fragment of the True Demon's corpse could have emerged.
Did that mean Grandfather had absorbed all of them?
Was that also why he had been able to fully manifest the Chain of Reincarnation?
"Nonsense...," Bu Eun-seol muttered, barely holding onto his wavering sanity.
"If Grandfather absorbed all the fragments, how do you have the True Demon's right arm?"
"Hohoho, you truly know nothing."
The old man's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"In the end, it was the Buddhist Venerable who ruined everything."
"The Buddhist Venerable?"
"Enough of this..."
The old man shook his head, his voice turning icy.
"Let's end this."
Whoosh.
As the old man raised the Blood Sword—
BOOM!
An immense surge of energy erupted from behind Bu Eun-seol, vanishing into the crimson sky in an instant.
When the old man had mentioned the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, it hadn't been an empty boast.
No one could face him alone.
The old man could perfectly control the authority contained within the True Demon's corpse.
And that power was unstoppable by any means.
Hiss—
Pale smoke rose from Bu Eun-seol's left wrist.
As all his strength drained away, a violent reaction erupted from the spot where the True Demon's corpse fragment had once been absorbed into his left wrist.
—Mercy is the strongest and most foolish chain that binds oneself.
—Sever the heart that loves others. Only a heart of ruthless indifference becomes Vajra Indestructibility, impervious to any blade.
—If all living beings are connected as one, then their screams shall become my hymn. Revel in the Laws of Dependent Origination.
The wisdom of the abyss—
A black enlightenment that should neither be understood nor exist—pierced through his mind.
KWAOOOO—!
Behind him, the form of the Demon Buddha, capable of staining the entire world in darkness, began to manifest.
"Haah..."
Bu Eun-seol's pupils darkened.
If he recited those wicked scriptures—
If he embraced that ashen enlightenment—
He would gain not only the authority the old man held but also the power to dominate all forces in this world.
—Do not struggle to escape the wheel of reincarnation.
—Become its master, and trample others beneath you as you rise.
Will you be the pebble crushed beneath the turning wheel?
Or the driver who steers it?
'The wheel of reincarnation...'
For an instant, Bu Eun-seol's vision filled with an image—
The quiet funeral parlor, where his grandfather had respectfully prepared the bodies of the deceased.
Long ago, his grandfather had become the master of that wheel, ascending to the pinnacle of all existence.
Yet, in the end, what he chose was—
To silently tend to the lonely corpses of those who had died without even hearing the voices of their loved ones, praying for their peace.
To live a life of endless regret, drowning in sorrow and remorse.
'How could I possibly repeat the same mistake?'
Grandfather had taught Bu Eun-seol to choose the right path.
To avoid following in his footsteps, to live an ordinary and happy life.
How, then, could he allow himself to be dominated by mere power and authority?
A radiant, multicolored light burst from Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Crack—
He began forcibly suppressing the power surging from his left wrist and the black scriptures burrowing into his mind.
GROOOOWL—!
The radiance emanating from his body took the form of a five-colored dragon, tearing into the Demon Buddha's form hovering in the sky.
—The bitter cold of winter does not freeze the earth to kill life.
—It is the process of tightly compressing the vitality that will spread when spring arrives.
Suddenly, the words his father had spoken while teaching him martial arts in the Saha Manor flashed through his mind.
—But to insects and ants living short lives, it must seem as though death has descended upon the entire world.
Young Baekri Geom-ha nodded, and his father, Baekri Mu-ha, smiled.
—Then what if snow fell for a hundred years? Wouldn't humans, too, think it was divine punishment from an angry god?
Baekri Geom-ha's eyes widened at the unexpected analogy, and Baekri Mu-ha chuckled before continuing.
"...What appears as destruction, annihilation, and decline from humanity's brief, narrow perspective..."
"...From nature's viewpoint, could instead be the moment of conception—a process birthing new life."
"In nature, the very concept of an end doesn't exist."
"Forms merely change. What we call annihilation always remains as blank space for another birth."
"What seems like being born, growing, and disappearing is in truth an endless cycle repeating itself."
"The point we consider an end always touches upon another beginning."
"The moment we call annihilation is already the place where new life breathes."
Shudder.
Bu Eun-seol's body trembled violently as the recollection faded.
He finally understood why the Ink Soul First Form had been incomplete—why it consumed his vitality with each use.
'From a human perspective, it was destruction and annihilation...'
Only now could he complete the true scripture of the perfected Ink Soul First Form.
'...But from nature's viewpoint, it was merely the process of birthing new life.'
Whoooosh.
With this realization—
Like a seed enduring winter finally breaking through the earth, radiant light of life blossomed from Bu Eun-seol's body.
"That bastard—!"
The Old Man, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol wither under the True Demon's power, gasped involuntarily.
The wheezing wretch who should have been draining of life until desiccated...
Was now radiating Soul-Demon Magic Energy equal to his own in all directions!
"But he possesses no Corpse...?"
The True Demon's Corpses resonated with each other.
Once power was unleashed, those possessing Corpses could sense one another.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's body showed no trace of a Corpse.
"What sorcery is this now?"
The bizarre phenomena didn't end there.
Suddenly, a five-colored dragon appeared, tearing into the Soul-Demon Magic Energy's dominion before...
Radiating life energy so dazzling it pained the eyes to behold.
His emaciated body regenerated. The completely extinguished life force refilled entirely.
Everything—
The flesh and vitality desiccated by the True Demon's inescapable power—had been restored.
Whoooosh.
Gradually, the light faded.
Bu Eun-seol's body now stood completely healed.
Marvelous.
Though he'd withdrawn his Supreme Void Realm power, the Domain of World and Realm Annihilation remained intact—his body feeling lighter than ever.
"You..."
The Old Man's expression twisted grotesquely as he stared at Bu Eun-seol.
"Have you truly accumulated... zero Evil Karma?"
"Evil Karma?"
What nonsense was this?
Could the True Demon's Corpse actually steal the Evil Karma people accumulated?
Even if that were true—
Why would it actively absorb something as worthless as discarded trash?
"Die!"
Crimson Blood Lines lashed toward Bu Eun-seol's face.
Though appearing as a physical strike, this was the True Demon's power manifesting.
Sreeeeng!
Then—with a dragon-like sword cry—hundreds, thousands of light points blossomed from Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword.
As the Old Man unleashed his Corpse's maximum power, Bu Eun-seol countered by deploying the perfected Ink Soul First Form.
But something bizarre occurred.
Clang-clang!
The expanding radiance took shape as two thread-like beams that gradually twisted together...
Forming a structure eerily similar to the True Demon's Chain of Reincarnation.
Swish-sh-sh!
Instantly, the crimson Blood Lines extending from the Old Man's right hand became entangled with the chain of light points.
"GYAAAAAH!"
The Old Man screamed unbecomingly.
Long ago, he'd transcended mere physical pain.
But this—this was the torment of eternal damnation, annihilating his very existence.
Like being trapped for centuries in a void devoid of sound, light, or sensation—his memories erased, his ego melting away.
"Ughh..."
A member of the Eighteen Radiant Souls who had touched the martial world's greatest secrets, who had made all kneel beneath him...
"GRAAAAAH!"
...Now rolled on the ground like a newborn infant, howling like a beast.
"Huuuuu..."
Yet the Old Man's mental fortitude was extraordinary.
"HRAAAAAH!"
Even trapped in this psychic prison that would have driven ordinary men insane—
He launched another counterattack.
Whoosh!
Closing the distance instantly, he spread both palms and mustered every ounce of his Internal Power.
Deploying the Heaven-Stealing Life-Returning Art—a technique surpassing all life-draining secret arts scattered across the current martial world.
Koo-koo-koo!
The earth's axis trembled.
Bu Eun-seol's vital essence was being drained into the old man's body.
By nature, the art of essence absorption required—
Special elixirs and profound rituals to fully open both body and mind of the victim.
Yet the Heaven-Stealing Life Reversal Art made it possible to absorb essence with nothing more than spreading one's arms.
"This must be the True Demon's Secret Arts."
Bu Eun-seol wore a bitter expression.
"Or perhaps remnants of knowledge the Baekri Clan stole from the True Demon."
The old man felt something beyond surprise—something eerie.
How could this boy speak while having his essence drained? How could he know the secrets of the Baekri Clan, which even the highest echelons of the martial world remained ignorant of?
"Since you've even mastered the True Demon's Secret Arts, I doubt any method would make you talk."
Bu Eun-seol spoke solemnly.
"Then let's see the conclusion."
"Hrk—!"
Instead of answering, the old man unleashed a Great Roar and activated the Heaven-Stealing Life Reversal Art.
Even if he died, he would cripple Bu Eun-seol's vitality and inflict severe damage.
Zzzzing—
But Bu Eun-seol—
When the old man poured all his strength into absorbing his life force, he offered no resistance, instead continuously releasing his own energy.
Having grasped the essence of the Ink Soul First Form, he could now circulate all the power within his body freely.
"...!"
The old man's mouth fell open.
The reason the Heaven-Stealing Life Reversal Art could so easily absorb another's life force was—
It cunningly utilized the counterforce of the victim's resistance.
But when Bu Eun-seol unhesitatingly pushed all his energy forward, it became an unstoppable torrent that surged violently into the old man's meridians.
"Ugh—!"
Absorbing such an immense force without resistance was like forcing a razor-sharp blade mercilessly into one's own flesh.
Crack—!
His skin split apart.
Pop—!
Blood vessels swelled and burst.
Rip—!
Meridians and organs ruptured under the strain.
Snap—!
Muscles tore apart, and under the terrifying pressure, fine fractures spiderwebbed through every bone in his body.
"Uuuuugh—"
The old man's unfocused gaze stared blankly into the air before—
Gurgle—! Thud!
He coughed up dark blood and collapsed to his knees.
Crumbling—
His right arm began to disintegrate into dust.
The profound circulation principle embedded in the Ink Soul First Form had shattered his right hand.
Sssss—
A black mist seeped from the powdered wrist and began flowing back into Bu Eun-seol's body.
'The same thing again.'
Bu Eun-seol attempted to block the mist with the Ink Soul First Form, but—
Whoosh—!
The black fog was instantly absorbed into his right arm.
'It can't be stopped.'
Just like before, nothing had changed—if anything, his body felt even lighter.
"You—"
The dying old man lifted his fading gaze to Bu Eun-seol.
"Have inherited Bu Jan-yang's legacy."
His eyes flickered like a dying candle.
Realizing time was short, Bu Eun-seol demanded:
"Who killed my grandfather?"
"It doesn't matter—"
The old man's voice was hollow.
"You'll end up just like Bu Jan-yang."
Thud.
With those final words, the old man finally breathed his last.
Rumble—
As he died, the Half-Spirit Beings—servants of the Flower Cloud Trading House—collapsed like withered branches.
Rustle—
Their bodies, long since turned into Half-Spirit Beings, had stopped functioning long ago.
Now, with his death, their souls—unable to leave the Ghost Gate under the power of the Corpse he possessed—were finally released.
"Taoist Heo Ju!"
Bu Eun-seol urgently called out to her.
"Read his mind—now!"
He had deliberately asked the old man—
Who killed my grandfather?
If the old man had known the answer, if he had been thinking of it in his final moments—
Taoist Heo Ju's power could extract it instantly.
"Understood."
Zzzzing—
Taoist Heo Ju widened her eyes, staring at the old man's corpse.
But she did not speak immediately—beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"This old man's spirit and mind are formidable. To erect such barriers even in death..."
"Please."
Bu Eun-seol's expression was desperate.
He had finally found a lead on the Eighteen Radiant Souls, the mystery that had haunted him.
But that wasn't what mattered.
Who had created the Eighteen Radiant Souls?
What forces, what figures lurked within the Martial Alliance, nurturing such beings?
Who they truly were didn't matter.
Only one thing was important.
Who had killed his grandfather.
"Let's try."
Taoist Heo Ju assumed a horse stance and formed a mudra with her hands.
Low incantations spilled endlessly from her lips.
Drip.
Then, the beads of sweat on her forehead began pouring down like rain.
"Among the Eighteen Radiant Souls..."
At last, her lips parted.
"That one... who severed all the spirit veins of the Central Plains."
Drip, drip, drip.
The blood flowing from her mouth grew thicker.
"Though he joined the Eighteen Radiant Souls late... he was born with the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body... and was the strongest among them..."
Thud.
Taoist Heo Ju collapsed where she stood, still holding her mudra.
She had pushed herself past her limits and lost consciousness.
"Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body."
Struck by the revelation, Bu Eun-seol stood frozen like a statue.
Then it all made sense.
The boy he had seen in the memories of the masked fiend who had once belonged to the Eighteen Radiant Souls—the boy Bu Eun-seol had mistaken for Grandfather's son—was the murderer.
"Something's wrong."
Those with the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body develop extraordinary intelligence and insight once they pass the age of twenty.
Someone like that wouldn't fail to distinguish between his real father and an imposter.
"Then... did he blame Grandfather for the appearance of the fake Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?"
The murderer had even blamed his grandfather for the imposter's arrival.
Unable to contain his rage, he had blinded Grandfather and severed his arms—just as had happened when his mother died...
For now, this was the most plausible explanation.
"Ugh..."
At that moment, Taoist Heo Ju groaned and regained consciousness.
Fortunately, she didn't seem too worse for wear—her complexion wasn't terrible, and her eyes were clear.
"Are you all right?"
Bu Eun-seol approached with an apologetic expression, and she nodded.
"Yes. I just overexerted myself for a moment."
She sighed as she looked at him.
"That old man's spiritual barrier was formidable. That was the only thing I couldn't hear. I'm sorry."
"Not at all."
Bu Eun-seol waved a hand dismissively.
"Since entering the martial world, this has been the greatest help I've received."
Thanks to Taoist Heo Ju,
he now knew that the boy who had lost his mother to the fake Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had become one of the Eighteen Radiant Souls—and with that power, he had killed Grandfather.
This was the first time,
since stepping into the martial world,
that he had obtained direct information about Grandfather's murderer.
'There must be more to this story.'
It was hard to believe someone with the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body could be so narrow-minded.
Equally difficult to accept was that he had brutally killed Grandfather simply out of resentment toward an imposter.
If he was truly that twisted and brimming with killing intent,
he should have long ago caused a major upheaval in the martial world—or at least earned widespread infamy as a Great Killing Star.
He wouldn't have lived so quietly.
'In the end, I must uncover the truth of the Martial Alliance.'
If the Martial Alliance was capable of nurturing such masters,
then the figures lurking in its abyss must be a formidable force—or individuals—powerful enough to threaten even the Three Realms, the Baekri Clan, or the True Demon's stronghold.
He had to dig deep into the Martial Alliance's inner workings.
"Are you all right?"
Snapped out of his thoughts by Taoist Heo Ju's voice, Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply in gratitude.
"I was lost in thought for a moment. Thank you for your help."
"There's no need to be so formal."
She smiled awkwardly.
"Truthfully, I sought you out because I have a request of my own."
"Name it."
This wasn't empty courtesy.
Without Taoist Heo Ju's assistance,
it would have taken years to trace the Flower Cloud Trading House from the dumpling shop's clue alone.
Nor would he have heard the story of the one with the Ten Thousand Transformations Sacred Body from the lips of that old man who had wielded the True Demon's Corpse.
"My request... may be difficult to fulfill."
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if he had expected this.
"Naturally."
Then he smiled faintly.
"Immortal."
"Hm?"
"Sim Gyeong-yoseon... isn't it?"
He already knew.
That she wasn't just a skilled Taoist but one of the Ten Great Immortals.
"How did you know?"
When she asked in surprise, Bu Eun-seol's lips curled slightly.
"Being able to read only the memories of the moment of death... in other words, you wield the power of Mind Communion, don't you?"
The stronger the martial artist, the more unbreakable their spiritual barrier—
not just in life, but even in the instant of death.
Yet Taoist Heo Ju claimed she could pierce through a dying person's spirit at the moment of death and read their memories.
More than that—she could see evil.
In all the martial world,
the only one who possessed such power was Sim Gyeong-yoseon, one of the Ten Great Immortals—born with the innate authority of Mind Communion.