Chapter 1280
Amara Fortress in India was a geographically isolated land, surrounded by low inland mountain ranges and arid plateaus.
Scattered tribes inhabited the region, and with unclear boundaries over grazing lands and water sources, minor conflicts were frequent.
Large-scale agriculture was difficult, forcing reliance on drought-resistant crops like millet and barley, as well as livestock farming centered around goats and sheep.
The only means of limited trade came from medicinal plants harvested in the mountains and small-scale mineral deposits.
Yet even that meager trade network—
Was maintained solely through the violence and terror enforced by Amara Fortress' ruler, Nan Seong-wang.
And so, perched atop this unstable equilibrium of isolation, Amara Fortress suddenly faced a drastic upheaval.
Nan Seong-wang, who had indulged in every form of tyranny and extravagance, was slain by the hands of Bu Eun-seol and Seok U-haeng.
Afterward, under the leadership of Bu Eun-seol and the warriors of the Martial Soul Society, Amara Fortress was incorporated into the domain of Nashik City's ruler—
The Iron Elephant King, Sang Do-gang-cheon.
The Iron Elephant King respected tribal customs while clearly demarcating grazing lands and water sources, restoring trade routes and public order.
By prohibiting excessive taxation and stabilizing levies, he brought security to the people's lives.
His rule did not suddenly make Amara Fortress wealthy—
But it undeniably brought change, at the very least reducing hunger and unrest.
"The Iron Elephant King."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been soaring over Amara Fortress with the Land-Flying Technique, surveying the land below, sank into deep thought.
"He understands the principle—that to gain something, one must pay its price."
Unlike Nan Seong-wang, who had tried to wring water from dried fish—
The Iron Elephant King chose to solidify the bare minimum of stability and recover his dues over the long term.
Of course, this wasn't because he was inherently benevolent—
But because he knew full well that to reap anything, one must first pay its rightful price.
And thanks to Bu Eun-seol, he now had the leeway to do so, having secured control over three of India's eight fortress domains.
Whatever the reason, the people of Amara Fortress were overjoyed by the Iron Elephant King's wise governance.
"I should meet with him to find out where Neither-Human-Nor-Beast is hiding."
KRRRUMBLE!
With a thunderous roar, Bu Eun-seol's figure split the distant sky in an instant.
Though he had scoured every corner of Amara Fortress, he had yet to find the location where Neither-Human-Nor-Beast was said to reside, as Deng Guang had mentioned.
To uncover that place—and to assess the situation in Nashik City, where the Four Sacred Tribes were based—
He headed for the Iron Elephant Sect, where the Iron Elephant King resided.
In the rugged mountain ranges northwest of Nashik City, the walls of the Iron Elephant Sect stood as firm as an iron fortress.
The buildings within—
Seemed to reflect the Iron Elephant King's character—arrogant yet meticulous—imposing yet orderly in their arrangement.
Even in the darkness beneath the night sky, watchtowers with lit torches stood vigilant, eyes wide as they guarded every direction.
At the heart of the Iron Elephant Sect, atop its highest point, the main hall's office was brightly illuminated by candlelight.
"...Then we shall take our leave."
Subordinates who had just concluded a meeting bowed respectfully before withdrawing.
As the Iron Elephant King nodded, the heavy doors shut with a thud, plunging the room back into silence.
Immediately, he picked up the thick stack of books on his desk and began reviewing his duties.
Reports from various regions, ledgers, and an endless stream of documents requiring his approval—all had to pass through his hands.
Only after night had long fallen did he finally close the last book and rise from his seat, heading to the training room.
No matter how busy he was, skipping even a single day of training was against his ironclad rule.
And the reason was singular—
To defeat the one who had humiliated him: the Martial Soul Society Leader.
"The Martial Soul Society Leader..."
At the center of the training room, just as he was about to cross his legs and enter meditation, a hollow laugh escaped the Iron Elephant King's lips.
"Who would've thought that because of him, I'd end up like this?"
Though the Martial Soul Society Leader was undeniably his enemy and adversary—
Because of him, the Iron Elephant King had unintentionally risen to the foremost seat among the Eight Overlords of India and seized control of three fortresses.
Not only that—in exchange for protecting the Four Stars Trading Company, which monopolized the supply of White Sandalwood, he now held its staggering profits in his hands.
As his wealth accumulated beyond measure—
He found himself unable to even spend all the money he had... an absurd phenomenon.
Yet the Martial Soul Society Leader remained a target he had to crush, an enemy; in this situation, he could neither laugh nor get angry.
"I wouldn't be able to defeat him?"
Suddenly, the affairs of the Four Stars Trading Company flashed through the Iron Elephant King's mind.
The face of A-wan, the chief overseer of the Four Stars Trading Company who periodically visited him, overlapped in his memory.
As if flaunting the immense wealth and vast influence under his command, he had once said to her:
—With this wealth and power, this king could attack the Central Plains or even kill the Martial Soul Society Leader.
And then he had asked:
—Aren't you afraid?
Even under the Iron Elephant King's piercing gaze, thick with menace, A-wan had not retreated in the slightest.
Instead, she had merely shaken her head with a faint smile.
—That won't be possible.
—Why not?
—Because Your Majesty is already the Society Leader's loyal subordinate.
—What?!
The unexpected answer had twisted the Iron Elephant King's face in fury.
As his rage surged and he gathered his internal power—
Kukukuku.
The earth trembled violently, shaking the entire Grand Hall as if it might collapse.
Pillars quivered, and the very air split apart—yet the look in A-wan's eyes, standing right in the center of it all, did not change in the slightest.
There was neither fear nor hesitation in those eyes.
Only certainty.
Faith.
It wasn't because she was particularly bold or courageous.
It was an attitude made possible only by her absolute, almost religious trust in the Martial Soul Society Leader.
In the end, the Iron Elephant King could not lay a hand on her and had no choice but to let her leave unharmed.
Truthfully, he had already sensed it deep in his heart.
The Martial Soul Society Leader.
He was not just one of the strongest in the Central Plains, where monsters lurked in every shadow.
He was a man who wielded an irresistible, almost demonic power—one that could bend people to his will and make even their souls submit.
No matter how much one honed their martial arts through grueling training...
It was impossible to defy him.
Thud. Thud.
Just then, footsteps echoed toward the front of the training chamber where he sat in meditation.
Swish.
A man clad in lustrous black robes emerged, parting the darkness as he walked forward unhurriedly.
And who else could it be—
But the very person who had been ceaselessly complicating his thoughts?
None other than the Martial Soul Society Leader himself.
"Have you been well?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, the Martial Soul Society Leader—Bu Eun-seol—nodded slightly as he observed the meditating Iron Elephant King.
"Even after amassing such wealth, you haven't indulged in extravagance. Instead, you've strengthened your foundations and rigorously trained your subordinates."
Smiling faintly, he stepped forward without hesitation and spoke.
"You've worked hard all this time."
For a moment, the Iron Elephant King's ears burned with fury.
Bu Eun-seol's words and demeanor were nothing short of praising a subordinate who had endured hardship for too long!
"I did not act to earn your praise!"
"What does it matter?"
Bu Eun-seol replied leisurely, still with his hands behind his back.
"If there's something praiseworthy, it should be praised. If there's something deserving of reprimand, then reprimand it."
"Have you come here to insult me?"
"Did you not hear what I just said? This Society Leader praised you. You've done well."
Grrr—
The Iron Elephant King rose to his feet, summoning his internal power.
Immediately, not just the training chamber but the entire palace began to shake as if struck by an earthquake.
"I've been eagerly awaiting your visit."
Whoosh.
The Iron Elephant King flung off his blood-wind robe.
Through relentless, bone-grinding effort, he had reached the Great Origin stage of the Eight Elephant Art—
And had even glimpsed the threshold to surpass its limits.
Even if the Martial Soul Society Leader stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Extreme Realm, he was confident he could at least put up a fight.
"Impressive."
Bu Eun-seol let out a genuinely admiring sigh.
"Not only have you reached the peak of the Eight Elephant Art, but you've even glimpsed the stage beyond its limits."
The Iron Elephant King flinched.
They hadn't even crossed hands yet—
And yet, in a single glance, this man had discerned the full extent of his martial prowess?
"You trained without taking a single day off. That's how you were able to advance your True Martial Scripture so swiftly."
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but be sincerely impressed.
The Iron Elephant King had always been cruel and greedy, traits that had slowed his martial progress.
Yet now, he had transformed into a martial artist wholly devoted to the Martial Way.
'His obsession has turned into a Martial Soul.'
Soon, Bu Eun-seol understood the reason.
Back when the Iron Elephant King had lost to him—
He hadn't feared death. Instead, he had lamented not reaching the Great Origin stage of the Eight Elephant Art.
That obsession with mastering the Eight Elephant Art—
That desire for vengeance against him—
Had remade him into a martial artist who pursued the Martial Way with true sincerity.
"If you lose to this Society Leader now—"
A pained expression crossed Bu Eun-seol's face as a thought occurred to him.
"You won't even get to savor the realm beyond the Eight Elephant Art. I wonder if that's truly alright with you."
The Iron Elephant King's body flinched mid-charge.
He couldn't deny it.
If he were to taste the transcendent realm beyond the Eight Elephant Art—only to lose to this bastard here and now? He'd die with his eyes wide open in regret.
'How does that infuriating brat always show up precisely when I'm on the verge of breaking through to a new realm?!'
As the Iron Elephant King gnashed his teeth in hesitation—
"Hmm. If you focus on training for just one or two more years, you might even create a supreme divine art surpassing the Eight Elephant Art."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue and provocatively extended his hand.
"Well? Shall we test it now? Or should I wait for you again?"
Crack.
The Iron Elephant King's fists clenched, his eyes white with fury.
Death held no fear for him.
But to gamble now, when the completion of his divine art was within reach? Unthinkable.
"Wait. One more year."
In the end, the Iron Elephant King abandoned the fight to the death, his voice icy.
"Once I perfect my divine art, I will kill you."
"I'd welcome that."
Bu Eun-seol's pupils flickered amber as he paused.
"But is that how one asks for a postponement of a life-and-death duel?"
The Iron Elephant King had no retort.
If he fought now, burdened by frustration and reluctance?
There'd be no need for a decisive battle—the Martial Soul Society Leader would claim victory by default.
"Grant me one year."
The Iron Elephant King bowed his head with uncharacteristic deference.
"Let us settle this a year from now."
"Fine. But on one condition."
Bu Eun-seol nodded, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"In the meantime, stop exploiting your people. Rule your territory with virtue."
The Iron Elephant King, unable to stomach being spoken to like an underling, exploded.
"Who rules with virtue?!"
"You've been managing three fortresses without much greed, haven't you?"
"Not without greed—because I can't afford to be greedy!"
The Iron Elephant King swept his arm around the Grand Hall, snarling in irritation.
"The tribute from the Four Stars Trading Company alone overflows beyond what we can spend! What greed could I possibly indulge in?!"
Bu Eun-seol's lips curled faintly.
A man given to luxury would never have enough, even with mountains of gold.
But ever since the Iron Elephant King had set his sights on defeating Bu Eun-seol, he had devoted himself wholly to the Martial Way.
The deeper his martial prowess grew, the more his brutality faded, replaced by cautious deliberation.
And through this very process—
The once-ruthless tyrant had unwittingly transformed into a grandmaster revered across India.
'He doesn't even realize it himself.'
Though laughter threatened to spill out, Bu Eun-seol maintained a solemn expression and nodded.
"I see. Then I'll make a different request."
"Speak."
"I need to find a hidden place in Amara Fortress. Did Nan Seong-wang preserve something with extreme secrecy—or perhaps a forbidden place even he dared not approach?"
"A forbidden place even Nan Seong-wang couldn't access...?"
Unbeknownst to them, Bu Eun-seol had slipped into informal speech, while the Iron Elephant King responded with deference.
Yet neither noticed as their conversation continued.
"There's only one such place."
After a long pause, the Iron Elephant King took a deep breath and spoke.
"Go to the Mani Forest in Taramala. You'll find something there."
"Mani Forest."
"Yes. An undisclosed site, but he treated it like a sacred relic. There must be something."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Understood."
Then he grinned and waved.
"See you in a year."
Creak.
As he watched Bu Eun-seol's radiant smile, the Iron Elephant King felt an ominous premonition.
That even when they met again in a year—
He might still end up bowing his head to this man.
Deep within the Taramala region, the Mani Forest existed as a space severed from the world.
Encircled by low mountain ranges like a folding screen, the arid plateau winds lost their force at the forest's edge—and beyond that boundary, the very air changed.
"There's definitely something here."
Bu Eun-seol discerned an inexplicable order woven into the dense foliage.
The spacing of trees, the direction of roots, even the growth patterns of moss—all seemed deliberately arranged.
The entire forest thrummed with artificial harmonization.
"Not so easy, is it?"
Yet no matter how thoroughly he searched, he couldn't locate In Bi-in's hideout.
So Bu Eun-seol began his investigation anew, meticulously this time.
He tracked discrepancies in shadows as the sun shifted angles, and by night, calculated where starlight vanished above the canopy.
"There it is."
At last, he had found the anomaly.
There were places where the trembling of leaves was inconsistent whenever the wind blew, and areas that birds and beasts deliberately avoided.
"A single flow."
When he pieced all the clues together, he uncovered a startling truth.
"The forest itself is a living being."
The forest itself was a living entity.
It recognized and distinguished outsiders, never revealing its true form to them.
"Is this something human power can achieve?"
No matter how boundless human capability might be—
To twist the ley lines of such a vast forest,
To design a living, large-scale illusion formation—
Such a feat was comparable to the Absolute Domain established within the Martial Soul Society.
"To break through this..."
Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes.
To shatter the illusion formation of this living, colossal forest—
Wisdom, insight, and Formation Study.
These three conditions had to be perfectly met.
'The human body.'
After a long moment of contemplation,
Bu Eun-seol picked up a branch and began drawing complex equations on the ground.
Then, he mapped the structure of the human body's bloodlines onto the forest's terrain.
'If this is Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's work, then it must be so.'
Surely, the one who had created this forest—
Had envisioned the forest itself as a massive human body, manipulating the flow of qi through its meridians
To weave an illusion formation that barred outsiders.
"Then the answer is the Gate of Death."
Unlike ordinary battle formations that followed the Five Elements and the cycles of creation and destruction,
This illusion formation clearly mimicked the human cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death—yet followed an eerie, reversed flow.
"Death."
Stepping into the boundary between worlds within the formation—the Gate of Death—
The texture beneath his feet changed, and the density of the air shifted.
Looking back, he had clearly been at the forest's edge, but ahead, an entirely different landscape unfolded.
With each step, the arrangement of trees, the flow of light, and the resonance of sound became increasingly ordered.
Crreeaak.
As he ventured deeper, the forest writhed, shifting its terrain endlessly to repel the intruder.
The ground split open, and branches surged like spears.
"An ordinary master would have resisted by now."
Having already grasped the nature of the illusion formation, Bu Eun-seol remained unshaken, slowly closing his eyes.
Ssshhhk!
In that moment, sharp branches pierced his body, attempting to flay his flesh.
But cutting off his senses,
Focusing solely on the disrupted flow of qi through his mind's eye—
Bu Eun-seol walked forward without hesitation, step after step, toward the exit secretly hidden within the Gate of Death.
Crreeaak.
The moment he precisely located the exit,
The forest convulsed violently, twisting even space itself, relentlessly distorting his senses.
Yet by then, he had nearly reached the exit.
Halt.
But he could go no further.
The place where the exit should have been was completely blocked.
"This is easy."
Fwoosh.
Instead of drawing his sword,
Bu Eun-seol condensed his inner energy at his fingertip.
Then, toward the darkest, most ominous point in the blackened space—where the most sinister energy gathered—
He flicked out a Finger Wind.
Crack!
Where the Finger Wind struck, a sound like shattering glass erupted, and the darkness collapsed in a cascade.
Simultaneously, the eerie violet mist dissipated, and the air, once thick with the stench of decay, instantly transformed into a sweet fragrance.
A gateway, flowing with pure white light, began to appear.
Before Bu Eun-seol, who had pierced through the labyrinth of death,
The hidden stronghold of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast finally revealed itself.
"So this is..."
Passing through the exit, Bu Eun-seol let out a gasp.
As if the laws of the outside world did not apply here—
In the sky, instead of the sun, hung an artificial light source, glowing with a faint jade-green radiance.
Nestled within sheer cliffs like an eagle's aerie,
The village was lined not with tiles or bricks, but with houses built from multicolored crystal gems and enormous petals.
Instead of clear water, fragrant sap flowed through the waterways,
Above which swarms of butterflies with transparent wings flitted about as if dancing.
And the people blended into this scenery were shockingly beautiful.
They were all young men and women—
Their forms flawless, as if every possible human imperfection had been erased.
The men possessed the perfect proportions and musculature of ancient divine statues,
While the women dazzled like celestial nymphs descended from the heavens.
Their skin was smooth as porcelain, their pupils shimmering like inlaid gemstones.
Bu Eun-seol couldn't conceal his astonishment.
'They are not ordinary people.'
Their movements made no sound, and their gazes held no unnecessary emotion.
'They communicate without speaking.'
They conversed instantly, mind to mind—
As if through Wisdom-Light Mind Speech—without even the need for words.