Chapter 441
Langya Pavilion had already transformed into one of the three most formidable forces among the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
The reason was simple—outstanding prodigies of the Demonic Path were now lining up to join Langya Pavilion.
Bu Eun-seol, the Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion.
Since emerging into the martial world, he had maintained an unbroken streak of victories, eventually ascending to become the Heir of the Demon Hall—a grandmaster of the new generation.
Even after becoming the successor, he continued to crush the various factions wreaking havoc in the murim, repeatedly subduing even the Demonic Path Ten Gates, which were revered as the sacred domain of the Demonic Path.
This was only possible because of the martial arts of Langya Pavilion, which had produced the undisputed strongest of each era.
The extreme Practical Combat Martial Arts, which developed martial prowess through life-and-death battles.
The Way of the Beast, where deaths during training were far from uncommon.
The martial arts once deemed too dangerous to even dare learn—he mastered them all with a blazing Warrior Spirit.
The young warriors of the Demonic Path now sought to follow in Bu Eun-seol's footsteps.
—Wasn't the martial world a place where one staked their life anyway?
—They say the Martial Soul Lord, too, always risked his life to train in martial arts, displaying a demeanor that transcended life and death.
Langya Pavilion's martial arts had once been considered too perilous to attempt.
But now, for the young warriors of the Demonic Path, they had become martial arts symbolizing a burning Warrior Spirit.
Clear Breeze Studio, Office of Deputy Pavilion Lord Dan Cheong.
Dan Cheong, seated across from Bu Eun-seol, took his pulse and nodded slowly.
"So the time has already come."
Without needing to ask further questions, he grasped the state of Bu Eun-seol's body in an instant.
"No matter how masterfully a great artisan paints a magnificent picture, cramming them all onto a single canvas... renders them utterly useless."
Dan Cheong sighed deeply before smiling.
"There's no need to worry too much. Every master who has ever led this pavilion has gone through this at least once."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. After all, the martial arts of this pavilion are ultimately perfected by encountering various martial disciplines and extracting their strengths."
To master Langya Pavilion's martial arts was, in essence, to engage in battle against formidable opponents—
A process of comprehending the principles of combat and integrating them into one's own martial arts.
Thus, the more Langya Pavilion's disciples fought powerful enemies, the stronger they became.
Without strong adversaries, even Langya Pavilion's martial arts could not advance.
Bu Eun-seol had encountered the strongest masters of the current era and indirectly experienced their power.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had seized control of his spirit and mind, peering deep within.
Ak Mu-ryeong had directly assaulted his psyche with nothing but a gaze and a voice.
The Buddhist Venerable had revealed martial prowess so profound it transcended the boundaries of conventional martial arts with just a single lesson.
The Sword Sovereign had unfolded the Myriad Eclipse with a single sword stroke, embodying the mysteries of the Great Nature.
He had also sparred with Yeop Hyo-cheon, the foremost among the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
He had fought bloody battles against the Bullet King, the Illusion King, and even the Thunder God, one of the Four Divine Figures.
Few figures as young as Bu Eun-seol had encountered so many superlative martial experts in such rapid succession.
And as a result, the martial arts he had grasped were incomparably complex.
He had built his internal energy with the life-nurturing secrets of the Tendon Transformation Sutra, a pinnacle orthodox heart method, while simultaneously mastering the Counter-Polar Internal Art, the foremost heart method of the Demonic Path.
He had also trained in the mind-training formulas of both the current Number One of the Demonic Path, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and the Martial Emperor, who had reigned supreme four hundred years ago.
His body harbored the Shaolin-derived power known as the Prajna Great Power, infused by Sa Hyang-ju.
Moreover, he had mastered the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, the essence of Extreme Yin techniques, and even the Blazing Flame Sacred True Qi of the Blazing Flame Holy Venerable, said to incinerate everything—
In short, Bu Eun-seol had learned martial arts that stood at the apex of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, Demonic, and Buddhist disciplines.
The problem was that all these magnificent paintings were crammed onto a single canvas.
Individually, they were masterpieces.
But in their current state, overlapping chaotically—they could hardly be called a coherent work.
"Then what should I do?"
"Wait a moment."
Dan Cheong smiled faintly before sitting at the table and beginning to write a letter.
Then, he called for a disciple waiting outside.
"Deliver this letter to the head of the General Council Hall."
"Understood."
Once the disciple left, Dan Cheong gazed at Bu Eun-seol, who sat motionless, and spoke.
"In my case, this same period didn't come until I was well past forty. But you—you're far too fast."
Dan Cheong shook his head with a chuckle.
"Though I suppose, from your perspective, it doesn't feel fast at all."
Bu Eun-seol refined his martial arts even while eating and studied scriptures even while sleeping.
Not a single day had passed without him relentlessly advancing his skills.
Dan Cheong knew all too well that Bu Eun-seol was the one feeling stifled.
"How can this be resolved?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Dan Cheong took a deep breath.
"To be honest, the abnormal symptoms you're experiencing are beyond my ability to handle."
"Then..."
"Go to the Pavilion Lord."
Dan Cheong took a deep breath as he spoke.
"The only one capable of resolving the conflicting energies in your body is the Pavilion Lord."
Bu Eun-seol wasn't particularly surprised.
He had already expected as much.
"Has the Pavilion Lord completed his closed-door training?"
"Of course not."
Dan Cheong snorted.
"If even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor hasn't emerged yet, how could the Pavilion Lord come out first?"
"Is it acceptable to disturb the Pavilion Lord's seclusion?"
As Bu Eun-seol's lips twitched at the memory of Langya Pavilion's lord, Ak Mu-ryeong, and his terrifying aura, Dan Cheong smiled faintly.
"Of course. The future of our pavilion rests on its rightful successor—if something happens to you, what could possibly be more important?"
Though his words were firm, the deep worry etched between his brows suggested he couldn't guarantee anything.
"Wait a little longer. Baek Yeon—that man has a silver tongue. By now, he must have thoroughly softened up the Pavilion Lord."
Bu Eun-seol nearly let out a dry laugh.
So even Dan Cheong found dealing with Ak Mu-ryeong uncomfortable...
He had outright dumped this critical task onto the head of the Wind and Cloud Corps, Baek Yeon.
Even the usually unflappable Deputy Pavilion Lord fears the Pavilion Lord...
Just as Bu Eun-seol was shaking his head inwardly—
Thud, thud.
Footsteps sounded from outside before a Langya Pavilion disciple entered, bowing deeply.
"The head of the Wind and Cloud Corps relayed a message: The Pavilion Lord is currently at Iron Staff Peak. You are to ascend immediately."
"Good."
Dan Cheong exhaled in relief.
"Go on up."
"Understood."
"In fact, this might be for the best."
Then, Dan Cheong spoke again, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
"You must have been thinking it yourself... Now might be the time for you to finally inherit the Pavilion Lord's martial arts."
Bu Eun-seol immediately ascended Iron Staff Peak.
As the desolate autumn wind swept past, he was abruptly reminded of the first time he had met Langya Pavilion's lord here.
Ak Mu-ryeong.
One of the Three Demons, the Human Demon—a peerless master of the Martial Extreme Realm, a Grandmaster of the Demonic Path whose overwhelming might and aura could shake heaven and earth.
And also the Great Demon who had ruthlessly assaulted Bu Eun-seol's spirit without hesitation.
What if Bu Eun-seol hadn't possessed a spiritual defense far beyond expectations?
Far from becoming the Demon Hall's successor, he would have been reduced to a mindless fool, wandering the martial world, unable to withstand the power of Phantom Restoration.
But that wasn't mere rage.
An ordinary person would never understand such actions, but Bu Eun-seol had faintly grasped Ak Mu-ryeong's intent.
Langya Pavilion—to lead a gathering of the Demonic Path Ten Gates's strongest warriors, martial prowess alone was not enough.
Superior intellect alone was not enough.
One must not be greedy or cunning.
Above all, one needed an indomitable spirit that would not break under any circumstance.
Of course, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had provoked the confrontation through Bu Eun-seol's body...
But from Ak Mu-ryeong's perspective, it was simply time to test his successor.
That was why he had carried out the trial without hesitation, regardless of whether Bu Eun-seol lived or died.
And fortunately, Bu Eun-seol had passed—thereafter being acknowledged as Langya Pavilion's true successor.
Finally reaching the summit of Iron Staff Peak, Bu Eun-seol saw a mountainous silhouette.
"Disciple Bu Eun-seol pays his respects to the Pavilion Lord."
As Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply, Ak Mu-ryeong, who had been standing with his back turned, slowly turned around.
Unlike before, he did not unleash a terrifying aura, nor did he exude the domineering aura that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart.
The only things unchanged were his tattered, vagabond-like martial robes and his colossal muscles.
Ak Mu-ryeong stared at Bu Eun-seol with lion-like eyes, yet the suffocating pressure that had once made it hard to breathe was absent.
Perhaps it was because Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had grown incomparably since their last meeting.
[Come closer.]
But the voice that reverberated through his soul remained just as profound.
"Yes."
As Bu Eun-seol stepped forward, a flash of lightning flickered in Ak Mu-ryeong's pupils.
They resembled the eyes of a roaring beast, yet Bu Eun-seol met that gaze with perfect composure.
[I sent you into the martial world to face diverse martial arts.]
A dreadful energy seeped from Ak Mu-ryeong's body, engulfing Iron Staff Peak.
[Yet you've been stuffing whatever you find into your mouth like a glutton.]
BOOM!
The thunderous rebuke transformed into a sharp force, piercing Bu Eun-seol's chest.
Ugh.
Suppressing a groan, Bu Eun-seol staggered back.
The pain in his chest felt as though he had been branded with a hot iron.
[Show me.]
A mysterious light flickered in Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes.
[What exactly you've been swallowing.]
RUMBLE—
With a tremor that shook the heavens, the razor-sharp force drilled into Bu Eun-seol's body.
I have to evade this.
Bu Eun-seol, who had achieved Great Completion in the Way of the Beast and reached the Extreme Heaven Realm, possessed reflexes dozens of times sharper than those of an ordinary person.
Yet even when moving at full strength—even when shifting his stance with Ultimate Speed Shadowless—
he couldn't evade the internal energy Ak Mu-ryeong unleashed.
Zzziiing!
The moment the fist struck his abdomen, golden ripples shimmered across Bu Eun-seol's body.
As Ak Mu-ryeong's demonic energy-laced force entered his body, the counterforce triggered the Prajna Great Power flowing through his meridians.
[Hmph!]
But with Ak Mu-ryeong's scoff, the Prajna Great Power's defense shattered instantly.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion sent Bu Eun-seol hurtling fifty feet backward.
Screeeech—
Only after crashing into a massive tree stump did he finally manage to halt his momentum.
A mere flick of internal energy—without even twitching a finger—had sent Bu Eun-seol, whose five centuries of cultivation fortified his body, flying fifty feet away?
[Pathetic.]
Contempt dripped from Ak Mu-ryeong's voice as a solar radiance ignited in his eyes.
[Is this the worth of Langya Pavilion's successor?]
KRRRUMBLE!
Once more, an immense and razor-sharp surge of internal energy erupted from Ak Mu-ryeong's body.
Yet, as expected, Bu Eun-seol retaliated with everything he had—unleashing the Fist Demon Initial Manifestation.
BOOM!
Another explosion. Another fifty feet flung backward.
[If you're going to scavenge techniques like a beggar, at least learn to blend them properly!]
At Ak Mu-ryeong's rebuke, a flash ignited in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"Understood."
This time, Bu Eun-seol struck first.
A whirlwind of fist wind, infused with the devastating power of Forgetful Shattering Together, cascaded toward Ak Mu-ryeong's face.
Crackle-crackle!
Simultaneously, the trees and stones surrounding Ak Mu-ryeong frosted over, encased in white rime.
He had merged the Glacier Thousand Streams Art into the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon.
Just as Ak Mu-ryeong had demanded—blending them properly.
[Hmph.]
Despite the bone-chilling cold capable of freezing the heavens themselves, Ak Mu-ryeong remained utterly unaffected.
But Bu Eun-seol's assault didn't end there.
Hiss—
The frost abruptly melted into mist, vanishing in an instant—only for the surrounding trees to wither like ancient deadwood and the stones to crumble like brittle crackers.
He had alternated between the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, capable of freezing all things, and the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi, capable of melting all things.
Zzziiing!
The overwhelming Extreme Yang Force of the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi began piercing through the formidable energy barrier shrouding Ak Mu-ryeong's body.
Hiss—SSSSSSS!
The invasive Extreme Yang Force triggered violent tremors and scorching heat, making Ak Mu-ryeong's organs and qi and blood boil.
[You've harnessed both Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang energies using the Yin-Yang Qi of Reverse Polarity True Qi.]
Ak Mu-ryeong casually flicked his palm.
In an instant, the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi that had infiltrated his meridians dissolved like snow under sunlight.
Whoosh-whoosh!
Before Bu Eun-seol could react, six torrents of internal energy surged violently around him.
The Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
A technique he had never revealed before to masters of the Demonic Path—
A supreme martial art of the Righteous Path, one that no disciple of the Demonic Path could ever wield—now poured forth unabashedly toward Ak Mu-ryeong.
SHWIIIIING!
Six whip-like strands of razor-sharp internal energy carved through the earth, piercing Ak Mu-ryeong's body.
[Even the Righteous Path's Mind-Training Formula...]
THUD.
Ak Mu-ryeong lightly tapped his foot. A spherical shockwave expanded outward, scattering the Thirteenfold Qi Induction like mist.
WHOOSH!
In that same instant, Bu Eun-seol shot skyward, hovering directly above Ak Mu-ryeong.
Simultaneously, a blade of black true qi, towering to the heavens, descended toward Ak Mu-ryeong's Hundred Meetings Acupoint.
The Willful True Binding.
KWA—AAAAA!
The colossal sword of black true qi, reaching the apex of the sky, split Ak Mu-ryeong in two.
No—it should have split him in two.
Zzziiing-zzziiing!
Yet in that same breath, Ak Mu-ryeong extended his index and middle fingers—blocking the Strike Splitting Heaven and Earth manifested through the Willful True Binding.
BOOM!
Bu Eun-seol was blasted fifty feet away once more.
Every ounce of his strength, every technique he had poured forth—had been nothing more than a mundane strike in Ak Mu-ryeong's presence.
"Haa... haa..."
Bu Eun-seol gasped for breath.
Despite exhausting every shred of his internal energy and True Body Special Skills, he hadn't even managed to scratch Ak Mu-ryeong's skin.
For the first time, he felt true helplessness—true despair.
'Is this all I'm capable of...?'
The realms of martial arts were nothing more than arbitrary boundaries devised by martial artists for convenience.
But beyond the Martial Extreme Realm, it was different.
Upon reaching such a state, man and nature harmonized, entering the same boundary.
Thus, one could invoke phenomena impossible for the human body to achieve.
In other words—the gap between the Extreme Heaven Realm and the Martial Extreme Realm was as vast as the heavens from the earth.
'Ugh...!'
Bu Eun-seol gritted his teeth until they creaked.
Yet even after coming this far, the gap refused to narrow—and that fueled his rage.
But such feelings were too hasty.
He wasn't even thirty yet.
It was only natural that he couldn't oppose Ak Mu-ryeong, who had dominated the pinnacle of Murim for decades.
There was no need to feel frustration over something so obvious.
'I must rise. No matter what.'
The frustration lasted only a moment.
Soon, his will burned anew with the blazing Warrior Spirit, and in Bu Eun-seol's pupils lingered a radiance akin to the sun.
Watching this, a glimmer of admiration swirled in Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes.
[And with this level of skill, you dared call yourself this pavilion's successor?]
Yet the words that left his lips were as sharp and merciless as a blade's edge.
[Where in all that you've displayed is the martial art of Langya Pavilion?!]
KWA-RU-RU-RUNG!
At his roar, the cliffs opposite trembled, boulders crumbling and cascading down.
As Ak Mu-ryeong's voice, capable of shaking heaven and earth, reverberated—
"..."
—Bu Eun-seol experienced a realization as if lightning had pierced his entire body.
'So that's it.'
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had mastered martial arts that had reached the pinnacle of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, Demonic, and Buddhist paths.
And he had been using them exactly as they were.
Because they were all Supreme-grade Absolute Arts, perfected to their extremes.
Arts so peerless that none would dare lay a hand on them.
Because they were the martial techniques of unrivaled grandmasters.
But as a disciple of Langya Pavilion, that wasn't enough.
He was meant to absorb the essence of his opponents' martial principles—then refine them into his own ultimate technique.
'This happened because I learned such outstanding martial arts all mixed together.'
Bu Eun-seol bent at the waist and lowered his head.
"This disciple has only now awakened to his folly."
[Hmph.]
From Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes surged a Demonic Energy that seemed ready to tear through the heavens.
[You're not trying to excuse interrupting this Pavilion Lord's closed-door training with some trivial remark, are you?]
Behind Ak Mu-ryeong, an energy capable of splitting the sky erupted.
The Human Demon was the Human Demon. Ak Mu-ryeong was Ak Mu-ryeong.
The most terrifying demonkin in the mortal world was not bound by worldly laws or trivial matters like master-disciple relationships.
"I will show you."
As Bu Eun-seol watched the energy surging from Ak Mu-ryeong's body, a dazzling flash ignited in his eyes.
"That it was worth interrupting the Pavilion Lord's training."
WHOOOOOSH!
From Bu Eun-seol's body flowed a power of five-colored light.
It was neither the Glacier Thousand Streams Art nor the Hot River Great Essence True Qi.
Neither the Counter-Polar Internal Art, the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, nor the Willful True Binding.
Ak Mu-ryeong had shown him one thing, relentlessly—
That overwhelming power could shatter any technique or method in an instant.
It was a force only Ak Mu-ryeong could unleash in this world, a True Body Supreme Technique forged through his mastery of Langya Pavilion's martial arts.
And Bu Eun-seol, too, had to create his own ultimate technique.
'At my current level, I still can't create a technique like the Pavilion Lord's.'
Bu Eun-seol had not yet reached a realm where he could purely invent martial arts.
Even his self-created Formless Heavenly Flow was merely his own interpretation of Dan Cheong's swordsmanship and Langya Pavilion's sword techniques.
'Then—'
Only once had Bu Eun-seol encountered someone in Murim who possessed the greatest Harmonization.
The Sacred Sword, Baekri Mu-jo.
With nothing more than the arrangement of furnishings in a confined space, he had achieved perfect "Harmonization."
Though Bu Eun-seol's ability couldn't yet replicate such mastery—
'But arranging what I've learned in harmony—that much, I can do!'
ZZZIIING! KWA-RU-RU-RUNG!
The five-colored True Qi flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body grew increasingly dense.
SWISH! SWISH!
At the same time, a swirling white storm gathered in his left hand—
WHOOSH!
—while a crimson flame raged in his right.
He unleashed the Thirteenfold Qi Induction with the Extreme Yin Qi of the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, then generated the Willful True Binding through the Hot River Great Essence True Qi.
GGRRKK—!
Immediately, his Qi Vessels twisted violently, and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
What Bu Eun-seol was attempting now was akin to tearing his body in two and splitting his mind into four.
[Who in a real battle would wait for you to gather your strength?]
Ak Mu-ryeong scoffed, watching as Bu Eun-seol struggled to unify the conflicting energies, then unleashed a mountainous wave of force.
If Bu Eun-seol were struck by such power in this state—
His entire body would explode into pieces.
ZZZIIING!
But then, something strange happened.
Just as Ak Mu-ryeong's force sought to obliterate Bu Eun-seol's body, a golden radiance flared—blocking it.
'I was waiting for this.'
Bu Eun-seol had anticipated everything.
That Ak Mu-ryeong would never wait patiently for him to execute his technique.
And that the Prajna Great Power would always activate on its own in moments of crisis.
'Now!'
Until now, the Prajna Great Power had naturally embraced all forms of force.
And as it activated while Bu Eun-seol wielded four different energies, they all aligned in perfect harmony within it.
He didn't know what this power was.
He couldn't define it.
But this single move—this was his utmost effort. His pride in harmonizing the energies within his body.
GOOOOOH—!
The energy current coiled around Ak Mu-ryeong's form—then soared into the distant sky in an instant.