Chapter 472
Swish! Crack!
Bu Eun-seol drew the Ice Soul Sword and left traces of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms' fourth stance—Desire Death, No Place to Die—across the frozen landscape.
Though he had fully grasped the complete Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, the time he had spent refining it was exceedingly short.
Moreover, in actual combat, he had only ever executed up to the third stance.
Yet, upon witnessing Jeong Cheon execute the opening strike of Desire Death, No Place to Die, he had been able to intuit its practical application—allowing him to perform a reasonably polished version of the stance himself.
Slash!
After diligently leaving his marks across the ice, Bu Eun-seol activated his Movement Technique once more.
As he neared the summit, the snow-covered expanse of Tianshan unfolded before him, revealing a vast, frozen lake beneath the mountain's majestic scenery.
The world seemed to have frozen over entirely. The moment he laid eyes on that pristine white lake... his footsteps came to a halt without conscious thought.
Grandfather Bu Jan-yang had taught him to appreciate nature's grandeur, its mysteries, and its beauty.
Here, near the summit of this towering mountain, time itself seemed to stand still before the frozen lake.
Bu Eun-seol felt an indescribable awe for nature's majesty, and from it, a profound inspiration welled up within him.
"Though human ability may be limitless, how could it ever compare to nature?"
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol gazed endlessly at the lake stretching below.
...!
But then—his eyes widened as he spotted something on the lake's surface.
Unable to hide his astonishment, he immediately descended onto the frozen expanse.
Bending down, he ran his fingertips over the solid ice.
"How...?"
He didn't even need to activate Empty Mind Spirit Communion.
His fingers traced faint, razor-sharp marks—ones so delicate they were nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
They were the remnants of a Saber Technique.
Someone had... unleashed a blade art upon this massive lake.
"How could a human possibly wield such might?"
Astonishingly, the marks carved into the lake had been left by a single person.
And in just one strike.
They spanned the entire breadth of the frozen expanse.
"So that's how it is."
As Bu Eun-seol followed the sharp traces, the outline of a blade path emerged in his mind.
Desire Death, No Place to Die.
The saber technique etched into the lake was an infinitely expanded version of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms' fourth stance.
"The Man in Black... he came here too."
The Man in Black—the recluse of Tianshan who had passed the secret manual to Jeong Cheon.
He must have passed through this place by chance, just like Bu Eun-seol, and been so captivated by the lake's beauty that he stopped.
Then, swept up by inspiration, he had poured forth the Bloody Tears Seven Forms upon the ice.
After all, this place was perpetually buried in snow and ice—no one would ever see the traces he left behind.
"To achieve this with a single strike... is that possible?"
Bu Eun-seol understood the complete Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
But in actual combat, he had only ever executed up to the third stance. The fourth stance had been something he clumsily replicated after witnessing Jeong Cheon's technique.
He had thought that experience allowed him to grasp the essence of Desire Death, No Place to Die to some degree...
But seeing the blade path carved into the lake, he realized one undeniable truth.
Blade Essence was just that—essence.
What he had performed was nothing more than a baby's first steps.
Depending on the wielder's ability, the power of the blade path could vary immeasurably.
"A Blade Essence bound by the concept of death... can transform into such a free and unrestrained saber technique?"
The blade path etched into the lake...
It did not carry the loneliness and solitude of a wandering swordsman searching for a place to die.
Instead, it resembled the journey of a free-spirited blade traveler, setting out in search of the very meaning of death.
In other words, it demonstrated just how diversely the Bloody Tears Seven Forms could evolve—
All while revolving around a single concept: death.
"I see."
Even when looking at the same painting, people can arrive at different interpretations.
Likewise, though he had comprehended the same Blade Essence, his understanding could diverge entirely.
Bu Eun-seol found himself utterly absorbed in deciphering the lake's inscribed Blade Essence.
How much time had passed?
Jingle.
The faint sound of a bell snapped him back to awareness.
When he glanced around, he realized that the lake's perimeter was now densely surrounded by pitch-black figures—Soulless Ones.
While he had been lost in the State of Selflessness, they had silently closed in.
Their numbers were staggering—ten, twenty... no, over a hundred.
Soulless Ones possessed tenacious vitality that surpassed human limits and knew no fear.
Moreover, enhanced by the Human Blossoms, they wielded formidable Internal Power.
And worst of all—Bu Eun-seol was standing on a slippery, frozen lake.
Without solid footing, his Martial Arts would be severely restricted.
Under normal circumstances, he would have immediately activated his Movement Technique to escape the lake, create distance, and exploit the loosened encirclement to defeat the Soulless Ones.
But now, no such thought crossed his mind.
He forgot about the restriction of not being able to properly execute his Martial Arts. He forgot the countless tactics flashing through his thoughts.
All he wanted was to stand here—not move a single step.
Sshhk.
Bu Eun-seol swiftly drew the Ice Soul Sword.
His cold gaze swept over the Soulless Ones encircling him as he muttered in a low voice,
"Come at me, you lumps of flesh."
Clink-clink-clink!
In response, the sound of bells echoed from all directions. The Soulless Ones began charging at him like madmen.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's eyes were no longer fixed on them—they were turned upward, toward the distant sky.
As he recalled the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, a deep loneliness and desolation welled up in his chest.
So much so that he even felt an eerie impulse—as if he wanted to slit his own throat.
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms, as interpreted by Bu Eun-seol—
Outwardly, it resembled the Saber Technique of a demon... but in truth, it was less about cutting down enemies and more about yearning for one's own death.
It was the desperate struggle of the Invincible Saber Master, infused with sorrow and lamentation.
Yet the one who had unleashed this technique upon the lake had regarded death as a journey.
It even carried the joy of a wanderer setting off toward an unknown destination.
Bu Eun-seol wanted to mimic that emotion.
Fwoosh!
In that instant, hundreds of Sword Qi manifestations erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Despite the countless Sword Qi filling the air, the Soulless Ones still charged recklessly, swinging their Great Blades toward him.
"Those who have lost their souls cannot savor the meaning of death."
Had the Soulless Ones been human, they would have fled in terror at the horrifying sight before them.
But they were Soulless Ones—beings who could no longer distinguish between life and death.
Even as they witnessed Bu Eun-seol's Bloody Tears Seven Forms—a technique born from enlightenment upon the lake's traces—they rushed forward without fear.
Sshhk!
Something miraculous happened.
Though the Soulless Ones clearly dodged the scattered Sword Qi as they charged—
Where they broke through, Bu Eun-seol was no longer there. Only razor-sharp Sword Qi awaited them.
The "Death Without Place" that Bu Eun-seol had interpreted was a Martial Form that turned a hundred jang of space into a realm of death in an instant.
But the "Death Without Place" as interpreted by the Man in Black was not about scattering Sword Qi to attack enemies—
It was about controlling their movements through the scattering of Sword Qi.
In other words, every motion made to evade the Sword Qi would instead expose a fatal opening.
'Now, let's merge it with the original Blade Essence.'
Having grasped the Man in Black's interpretation, Bu Eun-seol elevated the Martial Form to another level.
Closer to the original Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
A Martial Form for those who yearned for death.
Fwshhh—!
The chaotic storm of Sword Qi from "Death Without Place" began transforming into something else—
A supreme blade art that guided every movement of all enemies within a certain space toward death.
A technique that controlled not just their bodies, but even their Spirit and Mind.
Sshhk! Splurt!
Yet the Soulless Ones, unable to comprehend the meaning of death, charged forward with reckless courage.
Thud. Thud.
Chunks of blood scattered in all directions, staining the lake.
Before he knew it, the once-transparent lake had transformed into a horrifying crimson expanse.
And then—silence.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood endlessly dripped from the tip of the Ice Soul Sword, pointed toward the ground.
In less than a quarter hour, Bu Eun-seol had beheaded all hundred Soulless Ones who had rushed at him.
Yet his eyes were filled with desolation.
There was no trace of joy from victory, nor any satisfaction from grasping a new Martial Form.
Instead, he was once again contemplating the desolate heart of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang—the creator of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
'What did he feel when he saw his enemies die? Perhaps... it was his own death?'
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade must have believed that only death could bring peace. That was why he endlessly craved it.
"He must have had no attachment to life at all..."
Bu Eun-seol murmured as he gazed at the distant sky.
"Then why did cutting down his enemies torment him so?"
Click.
Sheathing the Ice Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
Without harmonizing the Blade Essence and Spirit and Mind of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, it would remain nothing more than a Saber Technique with an elegant stance.
That was why even a prodigy like Jeong Cheon had failed to master even a single Martial Form of it, falling into despair akin to ruin.
Had Jeong Cheon been freed from the state where his Spirit and Mind were consumed by the desire to defeat Bu Eun-seol and grow stronger, and by burning obsession—
He too would have mastered another form of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"The Bloody Tears Seven Forms is a saber technique that those with intense desires could never wield in the first place."
The man in black, seeing Jeong Cheon's obsession with strength, must have taught him the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—a technique that could only be mastered by casting aside all restraints.
But Jeong Cheon's obsession ran far deeper than the man in black had imagined.
That was why giving him the manual containing the saber techniques... had instead become the trigger that drove Jeong Cheon to his death.
"Haah..."
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
To master the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, one had to regard life and death as equal.
Only by severing all attachments and achieving complete detachment could one truly wield it.
"Seven Fingers Demonic Blade... Seven Fingers Demonic Blade..."
The more he learned the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, the more his admiration for the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade surged.
Every time he cut down an enemy, he was also confronting his own death.
What he was cutting down was not his opponent—but himself, entangled in countless attachments.
"Bu Jan-yang... were you not a peerless saber master who once vied for supremacy against the greatest experts of the world?"
A sigh escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips unbidden.
"Why would the Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall, the Invincible Saber Master whom all martial artists revered... seek detachment like a Buddhist monk?"
The more he mastered the Bloody Tears Seven Forms,
the more his reverence and awe for the enigmatic figure known as the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade grew.
Step, step.
Having felled all the Soulless Ones, Bu Eun-seol walked forward indifferently.
His spirit, having unleashed Desire Death, No Place to Die, had merged with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade of the past.
Concealing loneliness and anguish, he moved forward like a man forged of steel—
trudging silently, endlessly, through the snow-covered path.
"..."
Then, suddenly, he sensed a presence.
When he lifted his head, he saw a middle-aged man clad in tattered martial robes.
His face was hidden beneath a veil, but his eyes brimmed with desolation.
Yet the qi emanating from his body was unyielding, and at his waist hung a bold and unrestrained Full Moon Saber.
"Who are you?"
A faint hostility flickered in the middle-aged man's gaze.
"How can you wield the Bloody Tears Seven Forms?"
'So he's come.'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol snap back to his senses and study the man.
Having survived alone against the relentless pursuit of the Three Realms for so long,
he undoubtedly possessed not only exceptional martial prowess but also vast experience in the martial world, having crossed the line between life and death countless times.
"I am Bu Eun-seol."
"Bu Eun-seol?"
The middle-aged man's eyes flashed briefly as he scrutinized him.
"Wait."
After surveying the surroundings, the man nodded slightly.
"No... they're just going."
Bu Eun-seol was slightly taken aback.
Though no sound had reached his ears, the man had somehow discerned where the Soulless Ones had been heading.
'Perhaps it's only natural.'
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had been the Invincible Saber Master.
If this man had inherited his saber techniques—
then of course he would possess such skill.
Moreover, considering the passage of time, it was likely that his mastery of saber arts far exceeded Bu Eun-seol's imagination.
"This humble junior of the martial world, Bu Eun-seol, greets you, elder."
Bu Eun-seol respectfully clasped his hands.
Through the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, he had come to hold at least a sliver of respect for the man known as the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
Thus, he felt as though this middle-aged man, who had learned Bu Jan-yang's saber arts, was akin to a senior brother.
"Where did you learn the Bloody Tears Seven Forms?"
The man's voice was solemn and low.
Bu Eun-seol kept his hands clasped as he answered.
"I happened upon a legacy."
"A legacy?"
The man frowned in suspicion.
"Where did you find this legacy?"
Had Bu Eun-seol been an ordinary martial artist, he might have answered truthfully without hesitation.
But he hesitated for a moment.
The man had only recognized the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—he had revealed nothing about himself.
'I must be cautious.'
Bu Eun-seol had never trusted anyone after such a short time.
He had always judged only after long observation and numerous trials.
Because a person's true nature and intentions could never be discerned in mere moments.
"I found it in a cave near Gold King Mountain."
He lied, naming the place where the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade and the Needle King had once crossed paths.
"Gold King Mountain?"
"Yes."
"Hoh."
The man let out a sigh, his eyes flashing.
"So you're one of the Three Realms' spies as well."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"He never left behind any 'legacy.' And he never wished for his martial arts to be passed down to later generations."
A flash ignited in the middle-aged man's eyes.
"The Three Realms have laid countless traps all this time. Pretending to aid me or planting spies through every conceivable method."
Bu Eun-seol could understand such a reaction.
If one had spent years evading the Three Realms' pursuit alone? If one had crushed every scheme they devised?
Just how cautious and distrustful one would have to become—he couldn't even begin to imagine.
At this point, even the most paranoid person would have confessed everything honestly.
Yet despite the middle-aged man's sharp reaction, Bu Eun-seol concealed the truth.
"It doesn't matter if you don't trust me. But I have a question."
"What is it?"
"What is your relationship with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?"
The middle-aged man scoffed.
"Why should I tell you that?"
"Because I am his successor."
"What?"
The man stared at Bu Eun-seol with undisguised disbelief.
"You claim to be the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's successor?"
"Yes."
"You think grasping the Blade Essence makes you worthy of that title?"
"You may interpret it that way if you wish."
As Bu Eun-seol answered cryptically,
"Fine."
The man's eyes flashed coldly.
"Then prove it."
"How?"
"Draw your blade."
The middle-aged man tapped the hilt of his great saber.
"Show me all seven forms. If you can execute them flawlessly, I'll acknowledge you."
His gaze bore into Bu Eun-seol with unyielding intensity.
"If you prove yourself, I'll tell you everything I know."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Proving his claim by demonstrating the saber techniques wasn't an unreasonable demand.
After all, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's Bloody Tears Seven Forms were known only to this man and himself.
It was the most irrefutable evidence possible.
Yet Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"My skill is lacking—I've only mastered three forms."
"Three?"
"Yes. But I've memorized the entire Blade Essence. Would you verify it instead?"
"Hmm."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Very well. Recite it, then. But if you make even a single mistake—"
His voice turned icy as he glanced at his great saber.
"—I'll sever your head on the spot."
"Understood."
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol began reciting the Blade Essence.
"'Absorb the Pure Qi, Assume Death's Guise, Shrink Like a Coiling Dragon...'"
Each word he uttered carried profound and esoteric meaning.
The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed further before closing entirely, as if weighing the accuracy of the ancient maxims.
Bu Eun-seol, meanwhile, subtly surveyed his surroundings before stepping closer with a troubled expression.
"Must I recite all of it?"
"Yes."
With another deep breath, Bu Eun-seol nodded reluctantly.
"Very well."
Then, without hesitation, he drew the Ice Soul Sword in a flash—and slashed at the man's throat.
Shing!
A violet streak of lightning carved a zigzag through the air, aiming to cleave the man's neck.
Thud!
Unbelievably, the Peerless Thunderbolt technique, unleashed at point-blank range, missed.
The moment the Sword Stroke manifested, the middle-aged man twisted his body like lightning.
Yet the blade still left a long gash across his shoulder.
"Hahahaha."
Despite taking the strike, the man merely lowered his head and chuckled darkly.
"How did you know?"
When he raised his gaze again, his eyes had turned pitch-black.
A sinister gleam flickered within them—not from drugs or external influence, but clearly from some unique Internal Power he had cultivated.
"There shouldn't have been any reason for suspicion."
"I nearly fell for it."
Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort.
"Pretending to be distrustful was a masterstroke. And verifying the Blade Essence was indeed a clever way to confirm my identity."
"Then?"
"But if the examiner himself doesn't know the true Blade Essence—wouldn't that be strange?"
Bu Eun-seol's smile was frigid.
"From the start, I mixed in the Langya Pavilion Martial Arts compendium with the Blade Essence. Yet you never once questioned it."
His suspicion had transcended all reason.
He had never fully trusted the middle-aged man—and had deliberately blended the Langya Pavilion's martial principles into the Bloody Tears Seven Forms' essence.
"Langya Pavilion... I see."
The man wore a rueful smile.
The Langya Pavilion Martial Arts and the Bloody Tears Seven Forms were both supreme demonic techniques that had reached the pinnacle of their paths.
Even when arbitrarily mixed, they flowed together seamlessly.
"You're something else. To maintain your distrust without ever revealing your hand."
The man's deep voice had now cracked into the rasp of an old man.
"No wonder you've survived ruining the Main Realm's plans time and again."
Crack.
As if shedding a disguise, his frame shrank, and the sharpness of his eyes shifted subtly.
'Him.'
Bu Eun-seol knew instantly.
The figure before him was the very one who had condemned Jeong Cheon to irreversible ruin.
The masked old man who had lured him into the Three Realms' Underground Castle—and left him a cripple.