Chapter 331
That place was none other than the Demonic Path.
If he was bound to regret it anyway, if lingering remorse would remain... then he had chosen the fastest path—one that would let him achieve his purpose, that would let him exact his vengeance.
Oooong—!
The moment he did, a powerful shockwave began pouring from the Man in Black's entire body, launching an assault on the white-robed man.
For a while, the white-robed man resisted fiercely, but because Bu Eun-seol had chosen the Demonic Path, its boundless power was now concentrated within the Man in Black.
Eventually, the white-robed man's form began to be drenched in blood.
'Grandfather.'
When the white-robed man's movements revealed a glimmer of agony, the kind face of Bu Jan-yang—who had died in such a wretched state—suddenly rose in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
Bu Jan-yang, who had taught him the principles of the world and the beauty of nature.
He had desperately wished for Bu Eun-seol to melt his cold disposition, to become a warm and affectionate person who would help many.
And to live happily for a long, long time.
He would never have wanted this—for Bu Eun-seol to choose the Demonic Path, to become a Great Demon consumed by vengeance.
"Ugh..."
A groan escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips as he stared at the Wall of the Heart Sect.
The moment suffering crept in, his spirit and mind returned to the Middle Path.
At once, the white-robed man regained strength and began resisting the Man in Black.
Their battle stretched on endlessly, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Drip. Drip.
As the fight raged without pause, Bu Eun-seol's blood vessels expanded violently—and the colors of his left and right irises changed.
His pained expression grew blank once more.
But there was no focus in his gaze.
Unable to properly choose one path over the other, locked in an endless struggle...
In the end, he fell into an Inner Demon so deep there was no turning back.
Creaaak—
Just then, the iron gate opened, and a white shadow slipped inside.
It was Hwa-mi, the palace lord.
She looked down at Bu Eun-seol, hunched over on the ground, and let out a heavy sigh.
"I never imagined his martial arts would be this formidable."
Fear filled the Splendid Beauty Palace Master's eyes.
Through a hidden mechanism, she had confirmed that Bu Eun-seol had maintained a clear mind before the Wall of the Heart Sect for four full days.
What if time continued like this?
Wouldn't he truly shatter the Wall of the Heart Sect?
Unable to wait any longer, she had forcibly opened the gate's barrier.
"This must never come to pass."
A sinister light flickered in the eyes of the palace lord, whose appearance was that of a young girl.
In truth, she never wanted the Wall of the Heart Sect to break. If the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace were to emerge into the world...
She knew all too well that they would meet a tragic fate under foreign invasion.
"Countless spiritual herbs grow around this palace. We, who have consumed them since childhood, maintain these childlike forms because of them."
The secret of the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace.
It wasn't that their deep internal energy allowed them to age like immortals...
But rather, they maintained their youthful appearances because they had consumed the mystical herbs blooming in these lands.
"If this truth were known, our palace would inevitably face annihilation. The Founder was well aware of this."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master gazed down at Bu Eun-seol, who staggered under the grip of his Inner Demon.
"That is why she erected the Wall of the Heart Sect—an unbreakable barrier to suppress the disciples' desire to venture beyond."
Had the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace carried such circumstances?
This was a hidden history, entirely unknown to the martial world.
The palace lord's speech, which had always sounded like that of a young girl, gradually took on the tone of an old man.
"So you must never break this wall."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master took a deep breath, then widened her eyes.
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had already lost his soul to the Inner Demon.
But in her eyes, she saw him standing firm before the Wall of the Heart Sect, reciting ancient maxims.
"Forgive me."
Zzzzing—!
Before she knew it, her fingertips began to darken with a dusky sunset hue.
She had unleashed the Crimson Cloud Finger—the supreme art of the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace.
Flash—!
A bolt of sunset-colored lightning shot from her fingertip, staining the entire world crimson. And in an instant, that lightning should have pierced through Bu Eun-seol's pressure points.
No—it should have pierced through.
Thud!
But the moment her Finger Wind touched his body, Bu Eun-seol's entire form shimmered gold—and repelled the Crimson Cloud Finger.
It was as if he had circulated his qi like the Vajra Indestructibility Body Art of Shaolin.
'Was he still conscious?'
Stunned, the palace lord faltered.
But something was off.
There was no focus in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, and a strange energy undulated around his body.
Upon closer inspection, he wasn't reciting the Mind-Training Formula to resist the Wall of the Heart Sect's energy—it was as if his soul had departed somewhere.
'Has he fallen to an Inner Demon? Impossible.'
Puzzled, she unleashed another Finger Wind.
Flash—!
But once again, Bu Eun-seol's entire body radiated a solemn golden light and repelled the attack.
Her expression twisted as if she were staring at some grotesque monster.
How could someone standing so powerless unconsciously unleash such overwhelming qigong?
Flash! Flash!
She fired the Crimson Cloud Finger in rapid succession.
Yet each time, Bu Eun-seol's body shone gold, deflecting the strikes.
"He didn't repel the Finger Wind."
On her nineteenth strike, the palace lord's eyes widened.
She realized that Bu Eun-seol hadn't repelled the Finger Wind—rather, the radiant glow enveloping his body and the mysterious qi spreading outward had altered the nature of her attack.
Bu Eun-seol, trapped within his Inner Demon, could not move a single finger.
His Spirit and Mind had split into two, each attacking the other. And this battle had escalated to the point where even Bu Eun-seol himself could no longer stop it.
Because he could not clearly choose one over the other.
Neither revenge, nor the warm memories and emotions his grandfather had given him. He could not discard a single one.
In the end, the two divided halves of his Spirit and Mind continued to fight until his very consciousness was on the verge of collapse.
But then, something entirely unexpected happened.
A powerful Finger Wind from the outside pierced into his body.
Oooong!
At that moment, the mysterious qi that had lain dormant in his meridians was stimulated—and began to activate.
It was the essence of Shaolin's Supreme-grade Absolute Art, infused into his meridians during his battle with Master Moon in the past.
The power of the Prajna Great Power.
Zzzzing!
As the Prajna Great Power, capable of freely transforming all energy, spread throughout his body, a miracle occurred.
An incomparably high and pure qi altered its attribute, seeping into Bu Eun-seol's Spirit and Mind... and began to form a bridge—one that could traverse between the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path.
Prajna Great Power.
This supreme and mysterious art of the Buddhist School not only repaired Bu Eun-seol's shattered Spirit and Mind—
But also constructed a sturdy, golden bridge, allowing him to move freely between the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path.
"How is this possible?!"
The flustered Splendid Beauty Palace Master flicked all ten of her fingers in rapid succession, unleashing a barrage of Crimson Cloud Fingers.
But each strike only further stimulated the Prajna Great Power circulating through Bu Eun-seol's meridians, swiftly sealing away his Inner Demon.
Oooong! Oooong! Oooong!
As the Prajna Great Power reached its peak, an overwhelming surge of Internal Power erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Rrrrrrrr—
The stone chamber trembled as if struck by an earthquake, the floor heaving upward.
Crack.
Then, suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's skin split open—and a faint light seeped out from within.
His mind and Internal Energy, which had lingered between the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path, merged with the Prajna Great Power scattered through his meridians—triggering yet another Bone Transformation Rebirth.
Whoooosh—
Millions of points of light rose from beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet, floating into the air.
He had finally broken through the limits of the Fifth Layer of the Counter-Polar Internal Art—a realm even Blood Vajra had never reached.
Oooong...
With a low, resonant hum, the majestic points of light covering his body gradually faded—and Bu Eun-seol slowly opened his eyes.
"..."
The first thing he saw was his own reflection in the glass.
His face, now freed from disguise, had transformed into something even more unnervingly beautiful than before.
And his Spirit and Mind were so tranquil that it felt as though he were gazing down upon the world from an impossibly high place—above the heavens.
The Wall of the Heart Sect, which should have shattered a human's Spirit and Mind, had instead turned misfortune into fortune.
Yet, having just awakened from his Inner Demon, he still felt as though he were dreaming.
He didn't even realize his Internal Power had grown stronger.
'Disguise...?'
Behind him, the Splendid Beauty Palace Master widened her eyes at the sight of Bu Eun-seol's face—now exposed as his Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Art had been undone.
But then—
"Such a demonic thing should not exist."
Bu Eun-seol, staring at the Wall of the Heart Sect, flicked his finger.
Flash!
A whirlwind of True Qi, dyed black and gold, spiraled violently—piercing straight through the Wall of the Heart Sect.
Unconsciously, he had unleashed the combined power of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths.
"No!"
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master threw herself in front of the wall, screaming.
"The Wall of the Heart Sect must not be broken!"
But the True Qi, already a raging whirlwind, had already passed through it.
"..."
Yet, there was no reaction.
Even with that overwhelming power, the Wall of the Heart Sect remained unbroken.
"Th-Thank goodness..."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master slumped forward, clutching her chest in relief—
Rumble—
When, suddenly, the iron doors burst open—and dozens of people began pouring in.
They were Retired Palace Lord A-min, Seo Jin-ha, So Ok-rim, and the countless disciples of Blue Spirit Palace, who had sensed the earth-shaking vibrations and realized something was wrong.
"His face... it's changed?"
Just as So Ok-rim pointed at Bu Eun-seol's now-exposed face—
Crack.
A fissure split across the transparent Wall of the Heart Sect—
CRRRRRASH—
With a deafening roar, it began to crumble.
In the end, the Wall of the Heart Sect had collapsed under the force of that Finger Wind, infused with the power of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths.
For a moment, deathly silence filled the chamber.
"The Wall of the Heart Sect..."
One disciple finally spoke.
"The palace's Restrictive Seal has finally been broken!"
The disciples of Blue Spirit Palace erupted into cheers, throwing their arms wide.
"We can finally step into the outside world!"
"No!"
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master shrieked, her voice sharp with fury.
And then she shouted something utterly incomprehensible.
"Even if the Wall of the Heart Sect has fallen, this palace must never step into the world!"
At her outcry, one disciple stepped forward, clasping his hands.
"But, Palace Master... The Founder said that if the Wall of the Heart Sect were broken, our palace could—"
"That wall was made to keep us from leaving! It was never meant to be broken in the first place!"
As the Splendid Beauty Palace Master screamed, Retired Palace Lord A-min stepped forward with a pained expression.
"Palace Master... The Wall of the Heart Sect is already broken."
"Don't you understand what will happen if this palace steps outside?"
Her voice rang out sharply.
"If this palace becomes known to the world, the spiritual herbs scattered around us—the spirit pills and spirit beasts accumulated over generations—outsiders will plunder them all."
"Palace Master."
"You know how greedy the people of the Central Plains are, don't you? They'll snatch away the secret of our eternal youth in an instant."
"That won't happen. Haven't I always told you?"
A-min spoke with a pained expression.
"No one wants to grow old... but neither do many wish to remain forever in the form of a young boy."
When the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace takes in disciples, they scour the world for exceptional children.
And from an early age, they feed them the spiritual herbs of Gorap Mountain. That is why all the disciples of the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace retain their youthful appearances.
But for the people of the Central Plains to maintain their youth, they would have to consume these herbs from childhood—something impossible.
And even if they could, few would wish to live forever in the half-grown form of a boy.
"Even so, the fact remains that this palace will be invaded."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master spoke with solemnity.
"This palace has never revealed itself to the world. No matter how formidable our martial prowess, we cannot fend off waves of bandits."
At her words, some disciples nodded in reluctant agreement.
In a way, the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace was like a helpless orphan carrying immense treasures.
Even if they were robbed, who would come to the aid of a sect that had long been severed from the world?
"That won't happen."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
"Even if the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace reveals itself to the world, no faction will dare invade."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master stared at him in disbelief.
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because the Heir of the Demon Hall says so."
"...What?"
Her expression darkened instantly.
This refined young man before her, who had concealed his identity—was he truly the legitimate successor of Langya Pavilion, one of the fearsome Demonic Path Ten Gates... and the Martial Soul Lord, chosen as the next master of the Demon Hall?
"You are the successor of the Demon Hall?"
Even the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace, isolated from the world, had heard of the renowned Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol.
"That's correct."
As Bu Eun-seol acknowledged it calmly, the Splendid Beauty Palace Master's brows rose sharply.
"Even if that's true, how exactly do you plan to prevent invasion?"
"Form a alliance with our pavilion."
Bu Eun-seol spoke plainly.
"Right now, our pavilion is flooded with young, rising masters. We are expanding our influence and martial prowess through exchanges with various sects."
The Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary, the Fleeting Moment Boat, and Langya Pavilion.
Were these not the three formerly obscure sects of the Ten Gates now wielding the greatest power among them?
"If you form an alliance with us, no sect would dare covet the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace. And..."
A faint smile touched Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"As long as I am here, you will also have the backing of the Demon Hall."
For a moment, the hearts of every disciple in the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace pounded.
An alliance with Langya Pavilion and a alliance with the Demon Hall.
If Bu Eun-seol's words held true... no sect would ever dare lay a finger on them.
"Such terms are unacceptable."
Yet the Splendid Beauty Palace Master's voice turned icy.
"Langya Pavilion's support and the Demon Hall's backing—to gain them, we would have to surrender everything this palace possesses."
Even small Black Syndicate factions, when joining an alliance, receive protection fees.
How much more would they have to offer to be incorporated into the Demon Hall?
"The Myriad Transformations Dharma Wheel."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Simply pass it down to Seo Jin-ha. That is all."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master was stunned.
"You would do all this... just for our secret inner energy method?"
"Though if you join the Demon Hall, you will need to provide a tenth of the spiritual herbs and pills cultivated here."
"A tenth?"
Her lips parted slightly.
In exchange for the Demon Hall's protection, offering only a tenth of their spiritual herbs was practically charity.
"But what if a tenth becomes a fifth, and then swells like a snowball?"
Bu Eun-seol's expression turned solemn.
"That will never happen. Nor will the Demon Hall—myself included—or anyone from our pavilion would ever covet what belongs to the Blue Spirit Palace."
"How can I trust that?"
"When we formalize the alliance, we will publicly declare in writing that the terms are immutable."
The Splendid Beauty Palace Master's eyes widened in disbelief.
Bu Eun-seol's conditions were so unprecedented that they seemed impossible to believe.
Swoosh.
After a moment of deep contemplation, she suddenly bowed deeply at the waist.
"The Founder prophesied that the one who breaks the Heart Seed Barrier's seal would bring this palace a millennium of prosperity."
Her voice was reverent as she remained bowed.
"Please... safeguard this palace's peace. That is all I ask."
Bu Eun-seol, too, bent at the waist and clasped his hands in respect.
"Do not worry. This promise will be kept without fail."
As Bu Eun-seol returned the bow with equal courtesy, the Splendid Beauty Palace Master was overwhelmed with joy.
Those of the Demonic Path all pursued dominance. And someone of Bu Eun-seol's status would naturally be prideful.
Yet by bowing to her, he had acknowledged her as an equal.
'He will surely bring this palace peace and a millennium of prosperity—just as the prophecy foretold.'
Her heart swelled with emotion.
No longer would the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace have to live in fear, hiding from the outside world.