Chapter 477
[Ugh...]
The oddity let out a groan as Bu Eun-seol evaded the finger-sword, then began emitting a bloody light from its eyes.
Swish.
Once more, the oddity extended its index and middle fingers, pointing them at Bu Eun-seol.
The stance resembled the Starting Stance of a peerless swordsman about to execute an exquisite sword technique.
'Flawless.'
Bu Eun-seol was impressed.
The oddity's posture revealed no openings whatsoever, and boundless power was concentrated at the tips of its fingers.
If he showed even the slightest gap, the finger-sword would likely sever his neck in an instant.
'Conversation can wait.'
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had come to speak with the oddity.
But in this state, approaching it—let alone holding a conversation—was impossible.
"I must be discourteous."
Matching the gesture, he pressed his own index and middle fingers together, forming a finger-sword.
Though he didn't channel Internal Power, the moment he settled into stance, a sharp momentum—no less fierce than that of a real blade—radiated from him.
Shhk!
Before he knew it, the finger-sword extending from the oddity's hand was already piercing toward his chest.
Even before the Martial Form fully unfolded, the fabric near his chest had already split apart.
'Fast.'
The oddity moved even before the Sound of Breaking Air could spread.
Not daring to confront the attack head-on, Bu Eun-seol shifted his fingers, deflecting the strike diagonally to the right.
But in that instant, the technique transformed, and suddenly, the finger-sword was stabbing toward his lower abdomen.
Shhk!
The speed at which the technique shifted was like lightning.
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated his Movement Technique to retreat, but the oddity had already closed the distance—
—and was now thrusting toward the Middle Mansion acupoint near his chest.
'Can't dodge.'
Unable to dismantle the technique, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to clash his own fingers against the oddity's finger-sword.
Whoosh!
As their fingers collided, a whirlwind erupted in all directions, scattering the oddity's hair, which had been covering its face.
Only then could Bu Eun-seol clearly see the oddity's features.
Eyes as sharp as blades yet righteous, a prominent nose, and tightly pressed lips—it was an old man.
[Grr.]
The old man, whose gaze dripped with Killing Intent as he glared at Bu Eun-seol, suddenly began emitting a dark madness.
Oooom.
Black energy, like storm clouds, billowed from the old man's entire body, and abruptly, his finger-sword technique changed.
Screeeech!
A deafening, ear-splitting shriek echoed in all directions as pitch-black force instantly flooded the cave.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol felt as if his eardrums were tearing apart.
[Kaaah!]
With the old man's hoarse battle cry—
Spliiit!
A sound like silk being ripped apart accompanied the surge of black force.
That energy soon coalesced into a massive Blade Qi, crashing down toward Bu Eun-seol's head.
'Bloody Tears Seven Forms?'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils dilated in that instant.
The blade technique the old man had unleashed was none other than the Blade Ring manifestation of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, projected as Blade Qi.
'Seven Fingers Demonic Blade!'
Bu Eun-seol's heart pounded.
'I've finally found him.'
Thump-thump.
His heart raced wildly.
Even without Internal Energy, the sheer perfection and terrifying might of this technique—
—could only mean one thing: he had mastered the Bloody Tears Seven Forms completely.
Swish!
While Bu Eun-seol was momentarily distracted, the razor-sharp Blade Qi was already splitting his skull.
'Can't evade.'
The old man's Blade Qi had completely seized control of time and space.
No matter what method Bu Eun-seol employed, dodging was impossible.
Claaang!
As the Blade Qi split his skull, a clear, resonant sound rang out, and Bu Eun-seol was sent flying backward.
Unable to evade the Blade Qi, he had used the Great Spirit Ice Body technique from the Glacier Thousand Streams Art to freeze his skull solid.
'Thanks to the Water Spirit Energy.'
The Water Spirit Energy Gongson Dan-a had infused into him still lingered in his body, allowing him to use the Glacier Thousand Streams Art at full power without issue.
It seemed the Water Spirit Energy of the Divine Water Palace and the Glacier Thousand Streams Art shared a connection, protecting his Qi Vessels.
Swish.
As he walked back toward the old man, Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
'His Internal Energy is completely sealed. So how can he unleash Blade Qi?'
He pondered deeply before nodding in realization.
'I see. He has refined the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to the Realm of Entering Divinity.'
"That black sword energy isn't imbued with Internal Energy.
It was merely the residual traces of the Saber Path that naturally emanated from the first stance of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms."
Throb, throb.
Even though the strike contained no Internal Power whatsoever, Bu Eun-seol's skull ached from the impact.
Had the old man not lost his Internal Power? Even if Bu Eun-seol had deployed the Vajra Indestructible Body instead of the Great Spirit Ice Body technique, his skull would have split clean in two.
Swoosh!
Then, once more, through the swirling mass of black sword energy like dark clouds—
Swish!
It curved like a whip, cleanly slicing toward Bu Eun-seol's waist.
The old man was unleashing sword energy again, still wielding the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
'Still impossible to evade.'
Clang!
Bu Eun-seol blocked the sword energy piercing his flank with another activation of the Great Spirit Ice Body.
Though his pain receptors were numbed by the technique, he could still feel the agony of what seemed like broken ribs.
'So this is the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.'
Even though the old man was repeating the same stance over and over—
It transformed into an unavoidable killing stroke, relentlessly carving into Bu Eun-seol's body.
The Saber Path.
This old man had ascended to a realm of the Saber Path that even Bu Eun-seol dared not follow.
[Uoooh!]
The old man roared with such fury it seemed the Repentance Cave itself might collapse.
The old man was enraged beyond reason that Bu Eun-seol still lived despite repeated strikes from his finger-sword.
'His mind is shattered.'
Seeing the old man's crazed, upturned pupils, Bu Eun-seol could tell his Spirit and Mind had deteriorated beyond repair.
'What should I do?'
Meanwhile, the old man was already forming another finger-sword, preparing to unleash another wave of sword energy.
In this situation, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to draw upon his full Internal Energy to forcibly suppress him.
'At that point, I might as well offer my neck.'
His pride stung.
To be forced to exhaust all his Internal Power just to subdue the strikes of a dying old man?
Whoosh.
Sheathing his finger-sword, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands and spoke.
"Old man!"
At Bu Eun-seol's sudden shout, the old man instinctively halted his attack.
"I can't withstand your strikes right now—let me reflect on them and return for further instruction!"
Conversation could wait.
Bu Eun-seol wanted to analyze and internalize the old man's techniques, then suppress him without relying on Internal Power.
"Wait for me."
As he turned to leave—
Swiish!
Two streaks of black sword energy simultaneously blocked his path forward and his retreat.
A variation of the second stance of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—Seeking Life Amidst Death.
Just as the sword energy was about to pierce his body—
Fzzzt!
Bu Eun-seol's form blurred, and ninety-nine afterimages began materializing in the air.
Sssk!
His body turned translucent, and the sword energy the old man unleashed merely scraped against the cave wall before vanishing.
"I used Internal Power to evade this time... but wait for me."
Muttering in a low voice without even turning his head, Bu Eun-seol calmly strode out of the cave.
The moment his figure completely disappeared—
—Uoooooh!
The old man, bound in iron chains, howled in frustration from within the prison.
When Bu Eun-seol emerged outside, the demonkin who had been resting near the cave rushed out in a clamor.
"What happened?"
At the forefront stood Tak Il-hon, his eyes wide.
"Did you... fight that man?"
"Well, let's just say we had a brief conversation of the body."
"Conversation of the body?"
Just then, a portly old man stepped out from among the demonkin.
"I see. So your Internal Power remains intact."
Perhaps because he had pushed the Ultimate Speed Shadowless to its limits, a faint haze of True Qi shimmered around his body.
Not only that—having repeatedly activated the Great Spirit Ice Body, his form still radiated a pale, icy energy.
"That's correct."
When Bu Eun-seol readily admitted it, the fat old man's eyebrows shot up.
"How?"
"I hid my Internal Power in advance."
"You hid it?"
"Before entering Shaolin, I dispersed about half of my Internal Power into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the minor meridians."
Hearing this, the fat old man and the demonkin exchanged glances.
Distributing Internal Power stored in the dantian evenly among the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the minor meridians was something only theoretically possible.
To achieve such a feat, one would need an unimaginable level of Internal Energy.
"With that level of Internal Energy, you could've suppressed that imprisoned old man in an instant, no?"
At the fat old man's skeptical question, Bu Eun-seol walked past him with a weary expression and muttered.
"Wouldn't that wound your pride?"
"Huh?"
"Does it make sense for a spry young man to overpower an old man with brute strength?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as he bit his lip.
"I won't use my Internal Energy either. I intend to fight properly until I can subdue him."
"What kind of...?"
The old man gaped like a fish.
The elder imprisoned in the stone cell was someone they wouldn't dare face even if their Internal Energy remained intact—
a literal Death God.
A terrifying figure who made even these transcendent demons tremble in fear.
Yet this young man before them wore the frustrated expression of someone who'd merely taken an unlucky hit during sparring.
"Then, I'll take some rest."
Bu Eun-seol wearily shuffled forward.
As he disappeared into the cave, the demonkin exchanged bewildered glances.
Even these demons had once been martial geniuses who shocked the world in their youth.
And in their later years, they became Great Demons who dominated the realm.
Yet none of them had ever imagined reaching Bu Eun-seol's level at his age.
"What... is he?"
At Fatty's muttering, Tak Il-hon replied flatly,
"Just a thief."
"A thief? That kid?"
The old men shook their heads.
"If that brat's a thief, then I'm the Immortal Sage of Eternal Youth."
"He just calls himself that."
Tak Il-hon clicked his tongue, muttering under his breath.
"Hmm."
The elders each let out a thoughtful hum before turning back to their respective caves.
"That brat..."
Tak Il-hon stared blankly at where Bu Eun-seol had vanished.
From the start, he'd known the boy wasn't a thief but a young Grandmaster of martial arts.
But why?
Why was he risking his life to struggle against the one in that prison—the one they called "Death"?
—Wouldn't that wound your pride?
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's stubborn gaze and voice flashed through his mind.
"Heh. Hahahaha!"
Tak Il-hon burst into incredulous laughter.
Thud.
His laughter cut off abruptly.
"That kid... he's a lunatic obsessed with martial arts."
He spat the words out with a grimace before turning away.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, Bu Eun-seol began reviewing the battle.
'He's strong. Overwhelmingly so, even among the masters I've faced so far.'
The imprisoned elder had subdued him instantly without using a shred of Internal Energy.
It was because he had refined the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—an ultimate demonic art—to the realm of Entering Divinity.
'If I could freely alter and unleash the Bloody Tears Seven Forms in any way... I'd truly reach invincibility.'
Mastering the technique to that level would allow him to counter even the "phenomena" unleashed by those in the Martial Extreme Realm.
'But the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade must have reached the Martial Extreme Realm too.'
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had unified the Demonic Path and stood at the pinnacle of the demonic martial world.
Yet his active period in Murim hadn't been long.
Still, martial artists speculated he had at least touched the threshold of the Martial Extreme Realm.
Considering his unparalleled feats and the battles he fought alone... he must have been on par with the Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteous and Demonic.
'But...'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head, stroking his chin.
Watching the elder's Bloody Tears Seven Forms, he had sensed something strange.
'Could it be... that the Bloody Tears Seven Forms were created to fight opponents two or three levels stronger than oneself?'
The technique lacked any defensive moves.
Bu Eun-seol had assumed it was because the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang yearned for his own death.
But the elder's Bloody Tears Seven Forms weren't solely fixated on self-destruction.
It was as if he sought Mutual Destruction with someone far stronger than himself.
The Blade Stance was extremely narrow and inwardly directed, with self-annihilating variations woven into every move—
as if aiming to deliver death to both himself and his enemy simultaneously.
'That can't be.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
The elder's mind wasn't sound.
Perhaps that was why he couldn't execute the Bloody Tears Seven Forms in their true essence.
But the truly odd thing was his appearance.
'His face is too different.'
Bu Eun-seol had once seen a portrait of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang in his middle age, kept in the Secret Shadow Pavilion.
Rather than handsome, his face had exuded an unyielding spirit and rugged wildness.
Yet even twisted in fury, this elder's features were oddly refined—weren't they?
'I can't figure it out.'
Bu Eun-seol lay down on one side of the cave.
At this point, there was nothing he could ascertain.
This was no situation for leisurely conversation—not when a single glance from that terrifying old man would send the Bloody Tears Seven Forms slashing toward him.
The only thing he could do now was hone his martial arts until he could match the old man blow for blow in a battle of forms.
From that day onward, Bu Eun-seol remained in the cave, ceaselessly clashing with the imprisoned old man.
But the old man's Bloody Tears Seven Forms was ever-changing, unpredictable—so much so that even a basic exchange of forms was impossible.
Without Internal Energy, defending against it was utterly out of the question.
'Perhaps it's because, subconsciously, I'm comforted by the knowledge that I can still use my Internal Energy.'
Bu Eun-seol could fight without fear or worry precisely because he could still rely on his Internal Energy.
With five hundred years' worth of monstrously vast energy pooled within his body, there was no way he could die from the old man's strikes.
'But it's precisely because of that safety net that I'm making no progress in these extreme battles.'
His Internal Energy was simply too deep, too vast—and in truly perilous moments, it would activate on its own.
In essence, he could never fight with his life truly on the line.
'Retreating mid-battle is one thing. But if I keep fighting like this, relying on my Internal Energy, even a year won't be enough to defeat him.'
In the end, Bu Eun-seol stopped visiting the prison and holed up in the cave instead.
There, immersed in meditation, he tirelessly researched methods to suppress his Internal Energy to its absolute limit.
All so he could fight the old man on equal footing—without relying on energy, just as the old man wielded the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
But it was no easy feat.
Humans, when pushed to the brink of life and death, instinctively unleash every ounce of their latent power.
And suppressing five centuries' worth of Internal Energy, even temporarily, was practically impossible.
'So it can't be done.'
Frustrated as he reviewed the Internal Energy Method, Bu Eun-seol lightly struck the cave wall in irritation.
Thud.
But his subconscious release of Internal Energy sent vibrations rumbling all the way to the ceiling.
Tock.
At the same time, a single piece of stone broke loose and fell to the floor.
Whether by coincidence or not, it had landed in a perfectly rounded shape—almost like a magic pill.
"—The Five Animal Frolics, attributed to Hua Tuo, revered as the Medical Saint, combined with the secret teachings of the Quanzhen Sect, the former stronghold of Daoism..."
Suddenly, the Taoist Cultivation Secret that Gongson Dan-a had given him in the Underground City beneath Nine-Bend Mountain resurfaced in his mind.
It had been written in minuscule characters—five thousand of them—but out of respect for her sincerity, Bu Eun-seol had memorized the entire text before burning it.
And at the very end of that scripture was a rather absurd method called the Inner Alchemy Secret.
"The dantian, being empty, can be filled. And even if it is full, it can be made as deep and rounded as an abyss.
Refine the raging force, loosen the clinging force, and in time, you may become one with the universe..."
It was a method to condense overflowing Internal Energy and redistribute it—not in the Qi Sea Acupoint, but elsewhere in the body.
'What fool would ever master such a technique?'
At the time, Bu Eun-seol had nearly laughed aloud while memorizing it.
From a martial artist's perspective, deeper and denser Internal Energy was always better.
Who would ever train in a method that deliberately weakened their power by condensing and redistributing it?
'But now, here I am.'
A faint smile crossed his lips as he silently recited the Inner Alchemy Secret.
The first stage of the method was to envision the dantian as two separate spaces and temporarily store Internal Energy in one of them.
Of course, it was impossible to physically divide the dantian into two, and condensing formless Internal Energy was equally unfeasible.
But the Internal Energy Method taught that everything was a function of the mind—and the body merely followed its lead.
Unlike the physical body, the mind had no clear limits—it could expand infinitely or shrink at will.
'It's working.'
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol split his dantian into two spaces, concentrating all his Internal Energy into just one.
'Wait—it's this easy?'
In truth, mastering this Inner Alchemy Secret should have taken at least ten years of training, even for someone with profound Internal Energy.
But Bu Eun-seol had already mastered Yin-Yang Dual Qi, and his Internal Energy was unmatched in this era.
Without realizing it, he had leaped over a decade's worth of training in a single bound.
'This is—'
But something was strange.
As he concentrated his energy into one space, it began to take shape—deep as an abyss, smooth and perfectly rounded.
'It's like incubating an egg.'
Creating a separate space within the body to store condensed energy through mental cultivation...
This was the very method the Grandmaster of Martial Arts had used to fully control his immense Internal Energy—the secret to forming an Internal Core.
But Bu Eun-seol, unaware of any of this, focused solely on his singular resolve:
To face the old man in a fair fight.
And so, in silence, he forged this new space and began steadily accumulating energy within it.