Chapter 1291
KWA-WOONG!
A sound of breaking air—so destructive and terrifying it was hard to believe it came from a weapon—ruthlessly tore through the atmosphere.
Even before the blade made contact, his breath was cut off, and his entire body felt as though his bones were being twisted.
The great saber's shadow, pitch-black and completely obscuring his vision,
gaped open like the maw of a beast, impossible to evade or block, and surged violently toward Bu Eun-seol's neck.
CLANG.
Even as his consciousness blurred, Bu Eun-seol gripped the Ink Soul Sword in a reverse grip.
And the moment he gathered all his strength to counterattack—
WHOOSH!
A fierce wind erupted, and suddenly, the extreme poison energy that had been burning through his body vanished in an instant.
Just as his grandfather had once purged the Poison Spirit Demon Lord's venom,
the Return to Unity Realm Lord, with a single stroke, invoked the mysteries of circulation and expelled the Rotting Flesh Decaying Blood poison that had been seeping into Bu Eun-seol's body.
[Look into the Abyss. Deeper.]
SHWOO—
The Return to Unity Realm Lord pointed his massive saber
toward the well connected to the underground cavern where the Metal Monsters had been created.
[You can die afterward.]
With those final words,
KWA-WOONG!
He vanished in an instant, becoming a single black streak that shot into the sky.
Given that even Bu Eun-seol's extrasensory perception couldn't track him,
it seemed the Return to Unity Realm Lord, like the Buddhist Venerable before him, had used a technique to split space and move through it.
"Return to Unity Realm Lord..."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip as he recalled the man wielding the mysteries of circulation with even greater mastery than himself.
His intuition had been right.
That man was undoubtedly his grandfather's flesh and blood.
"What kind of past do you carry?"
His other premonition had also been correct.
The man cared nothing for his own life, burning through his vitality as he pursued a scheme leading to annihilation.
Frustrated, Bu Eun-seol looked up at the sky.
Unaware that, in the near future, he would uncover the secrets of the Return to Unity Realm Lord's birth.
"Deeper..."
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's gaze darkened infinitely as he stared at the village well the Return to Unity Realm Lord had pointed to.
"Look into the Abyss?"
What existed in that underground secret cave
was nothing but the True Demon's knowledge and the Baekri Clan's use of exiled criminals' Manifestation Art Energy to create Metal Monsters—moving constructs that far surpassed the martial world's current technology.
Of course, possessing such technology alone was already remarkable, but it wasn't some grand secret worthy of being called the martial world's Abyss.
Yet he was being told to look deeper into the Abyss from there?
"All they're doing is mass-producing Metal Monsters..."
Muttering quietly, Bu Eun-seol's eyes suddenly widened.
Mass-producing.
The side families had no Metal Monsters stationed among them.
Which meant either there were others who wanted them—or that those who would reclaim them were coming.
"If I track them..."
He could peer into the Abyss that the Baekri Side Family—or perhaps the Baekri Clan itself—had been secretly hiding.
"But."
Bu Eun-seol looked down at the Scar on his palm, now completely faded.
Because of his battle with the Return to Unity Realm Lord—
To be precise, because he had absorbed and purified the Rotting Flesh Decaying Blood poison—
the Scar had vanished entirely in that time.
"The Baekri Clan distinguishes everything by this Scar."
No matter how exceptional his movement technique and stealth arts were,
could he really deceive the senses of the Baekri Clan's masters and secretly track those who would take the Metal Monsters?
That was impossible from the start.
"No... unless..."
A thought struck him, and Bu Eun-seol re-entered the underground secret cave.
The workshop had been destroyed by the Return to Unity Realm Lord,
but near the final production stage, there were still intact Metal Monsters remaining.
"Instead of a Soulless One... what if I went inside?"
The process of creating Metal Monsters was meticulously designed.
First, a form-fitting metal armor was crafted and attached to the bodies of Soulless Ones, who had been soaked in drugs.
Then, a special Great Art was infused, turning them into beasts that obeyed only their master's commands.
"If this were perfected, it would function even without a Soulless One."
Judging by the various self-moving mechanisms, their ultimate goal was to operate without needing a living person inside.
"But for now, a living human still has to enter."
Bu Eun-seol examined the hollow armor.
Fortunately, among the Soulless Ones, there was one whose height and build were similar.
With a little adjustment using the Bone Shrinking Art, he could fit inside without issue.
"Luckily, the weight is similar too."
The Soulless Ones placed inside Metal Monsters were emaciated, with barely any flesh left on their bodies,
but the intricate and complex devices packed inside made their weight nearly identical to Bu Eun-seol's.
"Even if I fail, there's nothing to lose."
Having made up his mind, Bu Eun-seol began attaching the human-shaped metal frame to his body.
The joints had natural grooves, and there were mechanisms to tighten them securely from the outside.
HUMMM.
Once the metal frame was fully attached, he used his internal energy to tighten the joints himself.
WHOOSH.
Then, he employed the Hot River Great Essence True Qi to perfectly seal any gaps.
'Carrying weapons shouldn't be a problem, right?'
All the Metal Monsters here were equipped with swords or short spears.
Since the Ink Soul Sword was also a common weapon, carrying it wouldn't raise suspicions.
CLANK.
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol had become a bizarre, gleaming Metal Monster.
CLANK. CLANK.
He moved toward where the completed Metal Monsters stood.
'Running into those Metal Monsters at Mount Hyeong was sheer luck.'
In the past, he had fought exhaustively against the Metal Monsters alongside Heuk-pyo in the Ancient Sword Forest of Hyungsan.
Because of that experience, he knew full well that while these creatures could mimic natural movements during combat,
their walking gait was extremely sluggish and carried a subtle awkwardness unlike that of ordinary people.
Clank, clank.
Recalling those memories, he perfectly replicated the distinctive walk of the Metal Monsters.
'They'll come soon.'
Moving to where the piled-up Metal Monsters lay, Bu Eun-seol lay down among them and took deep breaths, erasing his presence.
His martial prowess had long since reached Tranquil Stillness, allowing him to conceal his aura without even using the Turtle Breath Grand Art.
And after attaining the Void Extreme Realm, he had become like a Taoist pursuing Wu Wei Zi Ran (Non-Action in Accordance with Nature), blending seamlessly with his surroundings.
'Ah—'
After a long moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol abruptly sat back up.
He had forgotten the most crucial detail.
'Demonic Energy.'
Back then, the Metal Monsters had been emitting an eerie glow from their eyes.
'They amplified the Soulless Ones' Demonic Energy by injecting drugs into the Soulless Ones and performing a Great Art.'
Taking another deep breath, he steadied his Spirit and Mind and gradually let anger seep through.
Fortunately, he had been born with an inherently powerful reservoir of Demonic Energy,
so he could radiate it without relying on drugs or external techniques.
'Once they issue their commands, I must immediately emit Demonic Energy from my eyes as well.'
Having finished practicing the circulation of Demonic Energy within his body,
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol lay back down among the seemingly intact Metal Monsters.
How much time had passed?
Groooan—
A strange Sound of Breaking Air echoed from the distant sky, followed by a deep, rumbling tremor that shook the ground.
Ssshh—
Simultaneously, translucent shadows began forming within the underground Secret Cave where Bu Eun-seol hid.
Flash, flash!
The shadows pulsed with shifting colors before solidifying into figures clad in bizarrely shimmering robes.
'Messengers?'
Still disguised as a Metal Monster, Bu Eun-seol was so shocked his eyes nearly bulged out.
They were none other than—
Messengers wearing the exact same robes and masks once used by the Infinite Realm's operatives.
'Does the Infinite Realm still exist?'
The Cheonhye Yakrim, the Infinite Realm's former stronghold, had been destroyed alongside the Heavenly Venerable, and the Supreme Emperor had vanished without a trace.
Yet the Infinite Realm Lord had never stepped forward.
Afterward, the Death Soul Squad had conducted endless investigations, but they couldn't even confirm whether the suspected Realm Lord still existed—let alone locate him.
And yet, in this underground cavern beneath the Byeolga estate—
Figures clad in the Infinite Realm's messenger attire had appeared, wielding such transcendent Movement Techniques?
Could it be that the Infinite Realm's true headquarters had been elsewhere all along?
'No, that can't be.'
Given the Heavenly Venerable's attitude, the Cheonhye Yakrim had undoubtedly been their main base.
Just what was going on?
[The Return to Unity Realm Lord—him again.]
At that moment, the messengers investigating the estate let out a sigh.
[At this rate, we won't have enough Forbidden Evil Gods left to guard the Primordial Ley Lines.]
Due to the peculiar masks they wore,
their voices emerged distorted, eerie—like the Return to Unity Realm Lord's own, rising from the earth itself.
'Primordial Ley Lines?'
Bu Eun-seol's heart pounded.
Since when did the Infinite Realm's messengers speak of the Primordial?
'Had the Return to Unity Realm Lord not mentioned it, I might have missed another truth.'
Despite stumbling upon unexpected information, Bu Eun-seol's gaze darkened.
The Return to Unity Realm Lord had called him nothing more than a detonator meant to bring about total destruction.
If that statement held even a grain of truth—
then he still hadn't even begun to properly grasp the full scope of the Baekri Clan or the Primordial Gate.
'If this incident allows me to peer into the Abyss once more...'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist inwardly.
The Return to Unity Realm Lord had not only gazed into the murim's deepest Abyss but also grasped the grand scheme perfectly—
meaning he, too, must reach that abyss.
[There are still usable ones here.]
The messengers had now approached the pile of relatively intact Metal Monsters where Bu Eun-seol lay.
[The Spirit Vein's energy is running wild, destabilizing the Key. They'll be swarming in soon—we need to deploy these quickly.]
[Agreed. The Forbidden Evil Gods aren't considered human... so we can deploy as many as we need.]
'So they call these Metal Monsters the Forbidden Evil Gods.'
Bu Eun-seol, holding his breath, furrowed his brow.
'But what is this Key they're referring to?'
Clank.
One of the messengers began murmuring something in a low, continuous chant.
Clatter, clatter.
A Metallic Sound resonated from the scattered Forbidden Evil Gods as—
Zzzing.
Their eyes began emitting Demonic Energy, and one by one, they rose to their feet.
It seemed some kind of Great Art had been employed to activate them.
Clank.
Assessing the situation, Bu Eun-seol—
forced power into his eyes, released Demonic Energy, and perfectly mimicked their movements, standing rigidly upright.
Luckily, the Forbidden Evil Gods' appearances concealed everything but their eyes, so the messengers noticed nothing amiss.
[This one hasn't been fully saturated yet. Its condition is pitiful.]
But then, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.
The messengers scrutinized the Metal Monsters before them and remarked—
[We'll station these defective ones to guard the outer perimeter.]
[This one, however, is fit to guard the interior.]
"Are they evaluating each one's capabilities one by one?"
'They're judging based on the demonic energy flowing from the eyes.'
Bu Eun-seol quickly discerned that the envoys were detecting the demonic energy emanating from the pupils visible within the metallic shells.
Widening his eyes, he began drawing up the dormant demonic energy within his body with all his might.
'It's not working.'
But in this state of mental turmoil,
forcibly unleashing the demonic energy buried deep within his spirit and mind was anything but easy.
[This one too...]
Disappointment flickered in the eyes of the envoy who had been observing Bu Eun-seol's now-exposed pupils.
'I need to be recognized as the strongest entity to find out what they're up to.'
In desperation, Bu Eun-seol summoned every ounce of his rage.
Buzz—
The attached metal plates trembled, and an overwhelming surge of demonic energy began radiating outward.
'Too much...'
Bu Eun-seol inwardly cursed.
In his haste, he had failed to finely control his spirit and mind, releasing far too much killing intent and demonic energy.
[This...]
The envoys immediately closed in on him.
[This must be that newly improved Forbidden Evil God we heard about. The demonic energy is truly extraordinary.]
They nodded in relief, exhaling in satisfaction.
[Even if there's only one, this level should buy us enough time.]
Fortunately, they didn't suspect Bu Eun-seol's overwhelming demonic energy—instead, they mistakenly believed a new Forbidden Evil God had been perfected.
[Let's head to Mount Hua immediately.]
Mount Hua.
The destination for these Metal Monsters was none other than the domain of the Mount Hua Sect.
Mount Hua stood among the Five Great Mountains, renowned for its perilous cliffs and breathtaking beauty.
Granite peaks rose like blades into the sky, wreathed in perpetual mist and clouds, evoking the image of an Immortal Realm.
The region where the Mount Hua Sect resided was a landscape of jagged cliffs and deep ravines.
At sunrise, the setting sun's glow seeped into the peaks, setting the rocky faces ablaze like molten iron, while ancient pines clung stubbornly to the precipices, their gnarled roots gripping the stone in silent defiance.
Whoosh—
Near a waterfall that cascaded like a shimmering silver thread down the cliffs, faint shadows sliced through the air at incredible speed.
Like phantoms drifting through the void, they soared straight toward Jade Maiden Peak, a place where Mount Hua disciples practiced secluded meditation.
Jade Maiden Peak lay beyond the main ridges, accessible only by navigating a naturally split fissure in the cliffs.
On days when the mist grew thick, its very existence was concealed.
And since reaching it required traversing a sheer drop, none without exceptional lightness techniques could even approach.
Tap.
The shadows finally landed on Jade Maiden Peak.
A small, flat platform was enclosed by sheer rock faces on all sides like a folding screen.
The edges dropped straight into an abyss, leaving no visible exit except the path they had taken.
Swoosh—
As the shadows extended their hands—
Screeeech—
A faint silver light spread, forming a transparent metallic gate.
When the massive door within the fissure swung open, an astonishing sight unfolded.
The rugged aura of the rocky mountain had vanished entirely, replaced by a primeval forest blanketing the earth.
Towering trees, their pale silver leaves shimmering with an ethereal glow, stretched toward the heavens as if piercing the sky.
Between their colossal roots, vine-covered, moss-laden houses stood as if they were part of nature itself, breathing with the land.
Here and there, mushroom-like dwellings clung to the towering trees, and at the center, a translucent white pagoda glowed like jade, radiating an otherworldly majesty.
It was a sight straight out of another realm.
Ancient Sword Forest.
Just like the Mount Heng Sect of the past,
even here, on Mount Hua, a hidden Ancient Sword Forest existed.
Ssshh—
As the shadows entered the forest, their forms gradually became clear.
Two Men in Black, their faces concealed behind glossy black masks, led the way, followed by over twenty Metal Monsters clad in tattered garments.
These were the envoys of the Infinite Realm, who had arrived too late to save the Baekri Side Family from the devastation wrought by the Return to Unity Realm Lord—and the Forbidden Evil Gods they had brought with them.
[Guard this place.]
The Infinite Realm envoys assigned duties to the Forbidden Evil Gods based on the intensity of their demonic energy.
Those with weaker demonic energy were stationed as sentries at the entrance, while the stronger ones were gradually positioned deeper inside.
[You, follow me.]
Now, only one remained—the Forbidden Evil God with the strongest demonic energy.
No, the one pretending to be a Forbidden Evil God: Bu Eun-seol.
The envoy led him toward the central pagoda.
After ascending a semicircular staircase to the top floor, a metallic door came into view.
[Forest Lord, the Forbidden Evil God with amplified demonic energy has been completed.]
Rumble—
At those words, the metal door swung open on its own.
Inside the small, dim chamber, a low ceiling and thick stone walls pressed down as if stifling breath.
Ancient texts and bamboo scrolls, collected from all corners of the martial world, were stacked in layers along the walls.
At the center, a beautiful middle-aged woman sat motionless under the faint glow of a lantern.
Before her lay fragments of black metal arranged like an altar, their surfaces pulsating with a living, flickering light.
It was a Black Divine Artifact.
And within the chamber, multicolored medicinal concoctions were stored—
She began slowly pouring a viscous, mysterious liquid from a jade vial onto the metal piece.
Oooooong.
The moment the liquid made contact, the Black Divine Artifact emitted a low moan, casting a faint glow in the darkness.
She paid no attention to the envoy from the Infinite Realm or the Forbidden Evil God that had entered, continuing her experiments without pause.
[Forest Lord.]
The envoy bowed in greeting, but the woman abruptly stood and moved toward the bookshelves lining the wall.
She carefully examined a tome filled with diagrams mapping the arrangement of meridians and qi-blood pathways, then began calculating something incessantly.
It was as if she were contemplating metal and the human body as one entity, studying and reinterpreting them.
A considerable amount of time had passed, yet—
Rather than exhaustion, a fervent heat burned in the eyes of the middle-aged woman, who otherwise appeared somewhat weary.
[We will station the remaining Forbidden Evil Gods here.]
Unable to bear the silence any longer, the envoy spoke again.
[Though they have lost their intellect, they still understand commands. They can serve as attendants.]
"Useless, either way."
[Due to the instability of the Key, the energy of the Spirit Veins has grown erratic, and the power of the Absolute Boundary has weakened intermittently.]
The envoy spoke cautiously.
[They will not miss this opportunity. They will surely select those with the strength to extract the Key and infiltrate this place... We must buy time until the masters of our realm are alerted and deployed.]
He continued.
[Fortunately, the Byeol family has been continuously refining the Forbidden Evil Gods, and significant progress has been made... A fortunate turn of events.]
She did not even respond, instead returning her gaze to the book.
[Your efforts are appreciated. I shall return soon.]
As if accustomed to her demeanor, the envoy bowed once more before exiting.
"......"
Bu Eun-seol, standing motionless within the body of the Forbidden Evil God, watched silently.
Unconcerned with his presence, she continued reading, pouring substances onto the Black Divine Artifact, or occasionally striking it with a hammer.
The master of the Three Realms he had encountered at Hyungsan had, in fact, oppressed the Ancient Sword Forest.
So why was the Infinite Realm aiding the Ancient Sword Forest and guarding this place?
'Could it be that the ones who betrayed their cause were not the Infinite Realm, but the Azure River Realm and the Ghost Sun Realm?'
The masters of the Infinite Realm had always proclaimed themselves the final bastions protecting the martial world.
And when Bu Eun-seol confronted them directly, they had threatened him as if he were committing an irreversible mistake.
Could it be that they had been telling the truth?
'Impossible.'
Just as he sank deeper into thought—
Clank, oooong.
Beside where the Black Divine Artifact lay,
a mysterious piece of metal that had been flickering intermittently had now lost its luster, turning into a dull, blackened stone.
'Fascinating.'
Then, after a while, it shifted shape like a living creature before glowing once more.
'Are all of these materials for forging Black Divine Artifacts?'
Bu Eun-seol watched the woman's movements as if entranced.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of metal being struck, the suffocating silence that seemed to still even the air.
The tranquil atmosphere of the secret chamber at the pinnacle of the tower was so still it felt as though time had frozen, dreamlike.
Watching and listening to the slow repetition of her actions and the metallic resonance,
he even felt a serene drowsiness, as if waking from a long nap on a warm afternoon.
'Strangely, she resembles her.'
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had stumbled upon the Ancient Sword Forest by chance.
There, he had received great kindness from Bi-yeon, the Forest Lord at the time, and had even been taught profound martial insights.
And Bi-yeon, who had lived so long she could mistake the white-bearded Fist King for a child, had become one with the Ancient Sword Forest over the centuries.
Weary of a life so long her memories had blurred, Bi-yeon had begged Bu Eun-seol to end her existence—and in the end, she perished alongside the collapsing Ancient Sword Forest, her wish fulfilled.
'Then how long has this woman lived?'
Though Bi-yeon had lived an extraordinarily long life,
she had maintained the appearance of a woman barely twenty, having assimilated with the energy flowing through the Ancient Sword Forest.
This place, too, preserved the scenery of another realm, with mysterious energy seeping from the earth—
Surely, it allowed one to retain youth for an extended period.
And yet, this woman appeared to be at least forty or fifty... Just how long had she lived?
"I must complete it soon."
The woman muttered under her breath.
"A living Black Divine Artifact."
Just like Bi-yeon in the past,
she had become a lingering ghost, enduring an endless life for the sake of creating a living Black Divine Artifact—one that could merge with a human.
'Why does she seek to create a living Black Divine Artifact?'
Bi-yeon's goal had also been to forge a Black Divine Artifact in human form.
'The Founder of the Ancient Sword Forest was said to be the twin star of the True Demon.'
Like the Baekri Clan, the Ancient Sword Forest had originally been tasked with dealing with the endlessly reincarnating True Demon.
So why had they forgotten their Founder's decree and become a sect obsessed with fusing humans and Black Divine Artifacts?
'I am, in a way, a descendant of the Ancient Sword Forest.'
Moreover, he had inherited the Founder's will, gaining eyes capable of perceiving the truth.
But why, then, did the current Forest Lords lack this ability?
"I am weary."
The woman stared blankly into the air before shaking her head.
After a moment of vacant gazing, she finally opened the chamber door and stepped out slowly.
It seemed she intended to rest for a while.
'Good.'
No matter how deep one's martial arts, even the greatest warriors needed a few hours of sleep.
And this woman did not seem particularly robust—she would likely fall into a deep slumber.
'I must uncover the secrets of the Ancient Sword Forest.'
The fact that the Forbidden Evil Gods—forged by wringing the criminals of the Byeol family dry and imbuing them with Manifestation Art Energy—
existed solely to protect this place was proof enough that there were hidden truths within.
Just what was the relationship between the Ancient Sword Forest and the Baekri Clan?
"Why does the Baekri Clan place such importance on the Ancient Sword Forest? Why are they so obsessed with creating living Black Divine Artifacts...?"
"I must uncover the truth about the Abyss—whatever the Return to Unity Realm Lord spoke of."