Chapter 1249
The crowd stirred at Geom Bi's shout.
He wanted the Martial Soul Lord's martial reputation?
In other words, he intended to defeat Bu Eun-seol—
And seize all the glory he had built up until now.
"For a long time, I have admired the Martial Soul Lord's martial reputation, which shines like the sun, and honed my skills accordingly. And I have made it my lifelong wish to cross blades with the Lord just once."
Geom Bi clasped his hands together respectfully once more.
"It was for that very wish that I participated in the Four Gates Battle. Might I humbly request just one opportunity?"
It was a dignified yet courteous plea.
But Yu Un-ryong nearly burst out laughing in disbelief.
'These fools are like newborn pups who don't fear the tiger.'
The skills displayed by the champions in the martial arts tournament were impressive, but they had yet to reach the level of the strongest masters of the current era.
From Yu Un-ryong's perspective—knowing everything Bu Eun-seol had endured and all the mighty warriors he had felled—
This was nothing more than a pack of pups yapping at a tiger, demanding a fight.
"Unacceptable."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head with a troubled expression.
"The Four Gates Battle is a gathering for the unity of the Demonic Path, not a stage for power struggles."
There was another reason he refused so politely.
Compared to Bu Eun-seol, these were mere novices who had just entered the martial world.
What if he failed to hold back properly and crushed them utterly?
Far from invigorating the Demonic Path's rising talents, it would only invite accusations of a veteran bullying the young.
"Fine."
Then, Bu Eun-seol slowly rose from his seat.
"However, all four of you may come at me at once."
—Whaaaaaa!
As this unexpected turn of events unfolded, the gathered warriors erupted in fervent cheers.
The Demonic Path revered strength and upheld the supremacy of the strong.
Since Bu Eun-seol had rarely displayed his skills publicly, even among martial artists, those who had witnessed his battles could be counted on one hand.
And now, in such an open setting, they would get to see his overwhelming martial prowess firsthand?
Not just the spectators—
Even the Demonic Path's seasoned veterans and masters from Beyond the Frontier... Their eyes gleamed with excitement, their expressions alight with anticipation.
"Something's up."
Yu Un-ryong approached Bu Eun-seol and spoke in a low voice.
"The Supreme Cult Commander deliberately skipped this event and left you in charge—this might have been his scheme all along."
"I know."
Bu Eun-seol replied indifferently.
"Since the stage has already been set, I have no choice but to play the puppet and entertain them."
After all, these were the tournament champions.
Moreover, if he refused their challenge—despite their claims of respecting the Martial Soul Lord and desiring a match—
It would only undermine his prestige.
"Go easy on them. Easy."
Yu Un-ryong spoke as if resigned.
"Since you'll just be dancing around anyway... If you break them too brutally, it'll kill the mood."
"Understood."
As Bu Eun-seol nodded,
"Very well!"
Yu Un-ryong reluctantly raised his voice and announced.
"The Lord has granted his permission! All champions, prepare yourselves!"
—Whaaaaaa!
Another roar of excitement erupted.
Thud. Thud.
Without even removing his outer robe, Bu Eun-seol walked slowly toward the center of the martial arts stage.
In that instant, the Demonic Path's veterans and the exceptional masters in the audience all let out gasps of admiration.
His gait was as leisurely as a stroll through a garden.
Yet, his footsteps and the plain aura he exuded... bore an uncanny resemblance to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
—Has the Martial Soul Lord also stepped into the Realm of Invincibility?
The uniquely relaxed air that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor exuded also stemmed from the Realm of Invincibility.
It was because he believed there was not a single person in the world who could defeat him.
This was not mere arrogance—it was a profound principle of martial arts.
Not only had he measured the martial attainments of all the world's strongest warriors—
But he was also certain that none of them had reached his level.
To put it simply, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—
Could see at a glance the pinnacle that martial artists could reach—
And was confident that even the heights they strove for their entire lives lay beneath his feet.
Humans tense up and exude killing intent because of the unknown fear that they might be defeated.
But just as a lion does not tense up before a rabbit, combat no longer posed any threat to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
To him, any battle was akin to a leisurely walk.
The natural ease he radiated was not born of disrespect—
But from the absolute certainty that nothing in this world could shake him.
And now, that same unique tranquility and ease—
Had begun to emanate from Bu Eun-seol as well.
Whoosh.
As Bu Eun-seol took his position at the center, the four champions bowed respectfully toward him.
"Begin!"
At Yu Un-ryong's shout, the martial contest commenced.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Huuuuum.
One might have expected them to unleash their full power the moment the battle began—
Yet instead of showcasing their honed martial arts, they were suddenly pouring out their internal energy—?
—An internal energy clash?
Every martial artist watching furrowed their brows in confusion.
They had prepared this stage specifically because the four champions had requested a martial arts duel.
Yet all they were doing now was pooling their strength to engage in a contest of internal energy?
—What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
By common sense, a many-against-one internal energy battle was nothing short of cowardly.
In a one-versus-many energy clash, power didn't simply multiply with numbers—instead, forces converging from multiple directions combined exponentially.
The more people joined in, the more the internal energy surged in geometric progression.
In fact, the pressure being unleashed upon Bu Eun-seol right now—
wasn't that of four masters, but closer to sixteen striking at once.
—Were they truly trying to defeat the Martial Soul Lord?
Bu Eun-seol was the Heir of the Demon Hall.
If he were to lose to mere champions of the Four Gates Battle—
not only would his accumulated prestige crumble, but his authority as the next leader of the Demon Hall would be severely undermined.
They had assumed these fighters merely wanted to test their skills against the Martial Soul Lord, to prove themselves in the eyes of the Hall's elite.
But this? They were genuinely trying to bring him down with everything they had?
—And they had been concealing their true internal energy levels, no less.
Right now, the intensity of each champion's energy was so immense that tangible, spherical barriers of energy formed around their bodies.
Yet during the actual duels, they had never displayed such power.
Meaning, they had deliberately hidden their strength all along.
—Had these four champions conspired beforehand to topple the Martial Soul Lord?
The spectators couldn't comprehend it.
This was practically open rebellion.
Even if they succeeded, they couldn't leave the Demon Hall safely.
Why would they do something so reckless?
Crack.
At that moment, fissures began spreading across the martial arts stage beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet.
The sheer pressure of the four champions' combined energy was slowly crushing the platform.
—A Combined Force Technique...
The eyes of the observing masters narrowed.
This wasn't just a simple clash of internal energy—they had long trained a specialized technique for this exact scenario.
They weren't just matching his level—they were unleashing a murderous pressure far beyond it.
Crreeeak.
As if to prove it, the Primordial Stone Essence stage—harder than tempered steel—was splitting apart.
"......."
Yet Bu Eun-seol stood motionless, hands clasped behind his back, as if nothing were happening.
He seemed deep in thought—or perhaps slightly irritated.
—Just what was going on?
The pressure from the four champions had grown so overwhelming that even distant spectators struggled to breathe.
Yet the man at the center of it all stood untouched, his robes undisturbed, as if lost in meditation?
Snap. Crrrk.
The strangeness only deepened.
Bone-cracking sounds erupted from the four champions pouring their energy into him—
before spiderweb-like fissures began spreading across their skin.
—Does the Martial Soul Lord's internal energy surpass ten sixty-year cycles?!
The crowd was stunned.
The energy these four were unleashing had already exceeded what was considered humanly possible.
Yet the man at the center of it all remained completely unharmed...
Did that mean his internal energy far surpassed even ten sixty-year cycles?
Huuuum.
Then, with a low vibration, multicolored lights burst forth from Bu Eun-seol's body.
They moved like living creatures, swirling around him before—
FWOOOSH!
—suddenly shooting into the sky like fireworks.
Dazzled by the spectacle,
the crowd, as if on cue, all gaped upward in unison.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion followed.
When the spectators looked back at the stage, the four champions were hurtling dozens of feet backward.
CRASH!
They tumbled past the stage's edge, rolling grotesquely across the ground.
Bu Eun-seol had won the energy clash.
—What in the world just happened?
The audience blinked in bewilderment, too stunned to even cheer.
They had been too busy staring at the lights in the sky—
and missed how Bu Eun-seol had repelled them, or what kind of power he had used.
Cough—HACK!
The four champions lay sprawled, vomiting blood.
Shreds of internal organs splattered out—clear signs of fatal internal injuries.
Bu Eun-seol gazed down at them indifferently before speaking in a voice that resonated across the stage:
"Consider this a valuable lesson."
"Strive harder next time."
—WHOOOOOA!
Only then did the crowd snap out of their daze and erupt into cheers.
—Martial Soul Lord! Martial Soul Lord!
The energy those four had unleashed could have warped even a heavenly god.
Yet he had defeated them all in the blink of an eye?
"The Martial Soul Lord has proven not only his martial prowess, but also that his internal energy approaches the pinnacle of this era."
—Waaaaah!
Amid the unceasing cheers of the crowd, Bu Eun-seol slowly stepped down from the martial arts stage.
After all, the four champions had sustained such severe injuries that they couldn't even rise to their feet.
Naturally, any ceremony to congratulate the winners had to be omitted.
"Huhuhu."
But then—
From the spectator stands, the eyes of a figure draped in a ragged cloak flashed.
Small in stature and wrapped in filthy scraps of cloth, no one had paid them any mind.
"These old eyes cannot be deceived."
A sinister light flickered in the pupils hidden beneath the darkness.
"He was indeed struck by the Heaven-Extinguishing Body-Seizing Great Art and the Chaos Assimilation Technique, disguised as an internal energy clash."
Unbelievable words spilled from the lips of the one muttering under their breath.
The Body-Seizing Great Art.
A forbidden demonic technique once wielded by the Demon King who defied Heaven—
A secret demonic art that annihilates all energy within the body from the inside out.
If so, then the four champions had not truly engaged in an internal energy battle.
They had feigned an energy clash while secretly unleashing the Body-Seizing Great Art.
And whether it had truly struck home—
The unique energies within Bu Eun-seol's body had all vanished.
"The uses of Boundary-Prosperity Jade are varied indeed."
And the reason this had been possible—
Was thanks to the specially crafted Boundary-Prosperity Jade hidden within the robes of the four champions.
"Given his meticulous and exceptional nature, he won't flee... Rather, he will prepare thoroughly."
The single eye beneath the beggar's tattered cloak gleamed sharply.
"He will wait for me, as if daring me to come, won't he?"
Slowly turning, the figure gradually disappeared into the crowd.
Clack, clack.
Having left the Demon Hall, Bu Eun-seol boarded a carriage alone and departed.
His expression was deeply composed, but his complexion was deathly pale.
Every person has their own unique traits, and in Bu Eun-seol's case, multiple coexisted within him simultaneously.
And the reason this was possible—
Was due to the power of the Heavenly Might Star, an identity inherent to Baekri Geom-ha's persona, also known as the Savior Star of a turbulent age.
That overwhelming supernatural power, capable of unifying all forces—
Not only concealed the world-destroying power of the Heavenly Darkness Star but also naturally harmonized what should have been irreconcilable.
However, this power belonged to Baekri Geom-ha, slumbering in depths deeper than the Abyss.
Had Bu Eun-seol lived an ordinary life, it was a power that would never have awakened.
'This is more dangerous than the Heavenly Darkness Star.'
Only recently had he come to realize it.
That the power of the Heavenly Might Star was more perilous than the Heavenly Darkness Star's power, said to annihilate the world.
'Because it absorbs and unifies everything.'
The Heavenly Might Star subsumes all forces.
What if this power were continuously unleashed?
Unknowingly, he would absorb all the scattered energies of the martial world.
And to process them—
His unconscious mind might endlessly manifest countless, infinite personas.
'And if the outside world learns of it?'
Those who desire or recognize such power would emerge. He would become their target, and troublesome incidents would never cease.
Just like now.
After traveling through the forest for a long while, the carriage slowly came to a halt.
Clack.
Bu Eun-seol opened the door and stepped out, and the carriage turned back toward the Demon Hall.
"There's no one within several hundred meters."
He spoke in a low voice.
"You've confirmed enough. Show yourself."
The moment his words ended—
Flash.
A majestic blaze of light spread across the distant sky, and then—
A skeletal old monk, withered like an ancient tree, slowly descended to the ground.
His skin was deeply wrinkled, but his eyes were unnervingly clear.
Pupils devoid of any turbidity gleamed like diamonds, their radiance flickering endlessly, overwhelming all who beheld them.
His breathing was steady and composed.
His posture, not permitting even the slightest carelessness, was condensed with overflowing vitality.
Buddhist Venerable.
The legend of Shaolin and the greatest elder of the Righteous Faction had abruptly appeared.
"Hoh."
The Buddhist Venerable let out an exclamation.
His snow-white hair and emaciated frame were unmistakably that of an aged monk, yet the vigor in his voice was as robust as a child's.
From a body that should have long since entered a coffin, an energy surpassing even youth radiated forth.
Merely facing this figure of stark contrasts evoked an indescribable sense of eeriness.
Crack.
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
The mastermind who had corrupted the spirit veins of the Central Plains, deceived his grandfather, and made people wield the True Demon's Corpse—
Had appeared before him once more.
'Does this mean he's a fake?'
According to the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden,
The entity known as the Buddhist Venerable was an amalgamation of countless Demon Monks, and his True Body never revealed itself.
'But—'
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol sensed an inexplicable strangeness.
There was no way the Buddhist Venerable boldly standing before him now was real.
And yet—
The one standing before him emitted an energy identical in every way to the Buddhist Venerable he had encountered multiple times in the martial world—
A being whose martial depth rivaled even Ak Mu-ryeong, the Human Demon, without the slightest discrepancy.