Chapter 478
Reducing the level of internal energy through the Inner Alchemy Secret was an arduous task that demanded considerable time.
Yet the cave had clear underground water flowing through it, and Cold Spirit Herbs—edible and abundant—were scattered everywhere.
Bu Eun-seol took his time, unhurriedly honing the secret technique, and after about nine days, he was able to concentrate over ninety percent of his internal power into a separate space, distinct from his dantian.
Which meant—
Even if he instinctively exerted his internal energy, he could now release only about ten percent of his internal energy.
***
"You're back."
The moment Bu Eun-seol completed the Inner Alchemy Secret, he immediately sought out the Strange Old Man's prison.
As he entered, the old man wasted no words—spreading his index and middle fingers, he launched his attack.
But something was odd.
The old man no longer used the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Had he really considered the possibility that Bu Eun-seol could study and master his saber techniques?
Bu Eun-seol was nearly driven mad with curiosity about the old man's precise level of internal energy.
But he quickly steadied his mind and attacked the old man with his finger-sword, devoid of internal power.
Chik. Chik.
Despite lacking internal energy, the old man continuously formed saber qi with his middle and index fingers, striking at Bu Eun-seol.
'A direct hit would kill me.'
Having suppressed over ninety percent of his internal power, he could no longer employ techniques like the Great Spirit Ice Body.
Bu Eun-seol focused his entire mind, engaging the old man in a battle of pure martial forms.
Chik!
Then, the old man unleashed a form that seemed poised to strike Bu Eun-seol's chest.
Finding not the slightest gap in the motion, Bu Eun-seol thrust his finger-sword toward the old man's throat.
At a glance, it resembled a mutual destruction technique—but this form was imbued with the essential principles of the Demonic Sword Arts.
'If we strike simultaneously, the one pierced in the throat will suffer a fatal wound.'
Nine times out of ten, the old man would retract his form and counter with an unpredictable saber variation.
Bu Eun-seol intended to seize that fleeting moment to overwhelm him in a single breath.
Swish!
But something unexpected happened.
Instead of retreating, the old man initiated eight variations from the Middle Path, rendering Bu Eun-seol's form utterly useless.
'Incredible.'
The old man's technique bore a striking resemblance to Cheon Un-gwang's Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder.
Not only that—while Bu Eun-seol could only manage four variations at this stage, the old man effortlessly executed eight from the Middle Path.
'The disparity in our saber techniques is too vast.'
What if this saber form had been infused with internal energy?
Or if he had unleashed the Bloody Tears Seven Forms?
Even without internal power, saber qi would have poured forth, and Bu Eun-seol would have been torn to shreds before he could even dodge.
But by sheer fortune, the old man's internal energy was completely sealed, and he did not use the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Thus, Bu Eun-seol was able to counterattack again.
Chik. Chik!
As their fingers clashed repeatedly at close range, a dark, gleaming light suddenly flowed from Bu Eun-seol's fingers.
He had transformed a variation of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—favored by the old man—into his own sword technique.
Pat!
But the sequence was ultimately broken.
The old man, having spotted a flaw in Bu Eun-seol's improvised variation, immediately carved a long wound near his throat.
"I've lost."
If he persisted in this state, his head would eventually roll.
Bu Eun-seol immediately conceded defeat and stepped back.
"Let's meet again tomorrow."
Emerging from the prison, Bu Eun-seol was drenched in sweat.
With his internal power suppressed, every single form had become a life-or-death gamble.
The silver lining was that fighting while perfectly restraining his energy had forced him into a state of extreme focus, allowing him to instantly grasp the martial principles behind the old man's saber techniques.
***
"You're finally here."
Tak Il-hon stood with his arms crossed in front of the cave where Bu Eun-seol stayed.
"What's the matter?"
"What in the world are you doing?"
Tak Il-hon spoke as though he couldn't comprehend it.
"If your internal energy is intact, shouldn't you be focusing on escaping this place rather than sparring with that man?"
His eyes brimmed with impatience.
Studying Tak Il-hon's face, Bu Eun-seol realized something.
'He still hasn't let go of his attachments.'
Most of the old men remaining in the Repentance Cave had abandoned their ambitions and their glorious pasts.
Even if they hadn't, nothing would change.
No matter how formidable Bu Eun-seol's internal power was, there was no way to restore a dantian shattered decades ago.
The demonic practitioners knew this well—which was why they neither sought Bu Eun-seol's help nor begged him to free them from the Repentance Cave.
But Tak Il-hon was different.
He had lost his internal power only about fifteen years ago. If given the chance, he wanted to escape the cave and return to the outside world.
"What's the rush?"
Bu Eun-seol replied with a relaxed expression.
"Whether I leave today or tomorrow makes no difference."
Tak Il-hon bit his lip.
If he didn't speak frankly—
This bare-faced brat would likely spend a year, even two, sitting cross-legged and doing nothing but martial practice with that demonic old man.
"This old man has no intention of rotting here."
Tak Il-hon spoke with a solemn expression.
"If you take me out of here, I'll teach you the Ghostly Shadow Moonlit Night Movement and the Profound Ice Finger."
"That's not a very appealing offer."
"Not appealing? This old man has yet to inscribe any martial arts on these stone walls."
"That's not what I meant."
Bu Eun-seol replied impassively.
"Though the old man's movement technique is impressive, if I simultaneously master both the Shadowless Heavenly Ghost's Dream-Inside Hidden Fragrance and the Heaven-Hating Sword Demon's Thunderclap Torrent inscribed over there... it would be no less formidable than your Ghostly Shadow Moonlit Night Movement."
Then he raised a single finger.
Zzzzt—
A white qi current blossomed from his fingertip, suspending an ice crystal in midair.
"And as for Extreme Yin Arts, I've no need to learn more. Frankly, the same goes for movement techniques."
Tak Il-hon's jaw slackened.
He'd known this youth possessed remarkable martial prowess.
But to surpass his own skills so effortlessly?
Ultimately, Tak Il-hon began to plead.
"Then what must this old man do?"
"Frankly, I don't know."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Even if all you elders have genuinely reformed, who's to say what atrocities you might commit once outside?"
"Aren't you from the Demonic Path yourself? Why would you care about such things?"
"Don't you understand, old man?"
"Understand what?"
"That I don't concern myself with labels like Demonic Path or Righteous Path."
As Bu Eun-seol released his aura, it felt as if the cloudless azure sky itself had unfurled before them.
This was the majesty of a Peerless Grandmaster who transcended factional divisions.
Only then did Tak Il-hon realize:
The youth before him was no ordinary man, but a Divine Being bestowed by heaven.
'This is beyond my capabilities.'
"Understood."
Shoulders slumping, Tak Il-hon nodded and turned away.
"This old man needs more time to reconsider."
"As you wish."
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol felt equally restless.
Martial training was well and good, but he couldn't remain in Repentance Cave indefinitely.
Any further delay would plunge the Death Shadow War Unit into chaos again.
'No choice then.'
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol stared into the abyssal darkness.
The Old Man had ceased demonstrating the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, his mental state deteriorating daily.
Moreover, his vitality faded visibly—as if death approached with each passing sunrise.
'I'd hoped to master the Bloody Tears Seven Forms completely...'
But lingering longer would yield nothing... Adventure remained his only path.
Decision made, Bu Eun-seol returned to his cave.
Assuming the lotus position, he immediately began qi circulation.
Huum. Kwaaaoooh!
Sealed power surged from one side of his dantian through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, lifting his body a hand's breadth above ground.
As his formidable internal energy resurged, the phenomenon of Floating Void Samadhi manifested.
Huuuum.
Simultaneously, radiant lights of varying hues erupted magnificently above his head.
These were the unassimilated powers of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, Demonic, and Buddhist Arts still dormant within him.
Huuuum.
Gradually regaining his energy, Bu Eun-seol's body ascended three feet into the air.
While he cultivated in the State of No-Self—
'Th-that brat...!'
Tak Il-hon watched from afar, eyes bulging.
'What in heaven's name is he...?'
He'd once shaken the Martial World with his extraordinary Ghostly Shadow Moonlit Night Movement, renowned for his vast knowledge and experience.
Yet he'd never heard of anyone harboring four conflicting energies while remaining unharmed.
Moreover, Floating Void Samadhi typically produced mere inches of counterforce to levitate the body.
But three feet?
What monstrous training could yield such profound internal power?
'Is this fate's design?'
Tak Il-hon narrowed his eyes.
In his youth, he'd aspired to become the Demonic Path's supreme master, only to realize he lacked the talent for cultivating outstanding martial arts.
Yet his gift for movement techniques bordered on demonic genius—able to master any Body Movement Martial Art in days.
—Then in movement arts, I'll be unmatched!
From that day onward, instead of pursuing other martial arts, he began learning the movement techniques scattered throughout the murim while searching for manuals of lightness arts thought to have been lost.
After five years, he finally obtained the Asura Blood Dragon Flight manual—the legacy of the Blood-Clothed Asura, master of Lightness Body Arts three centuries past.
Refining it into his personal style, he created the Ghostly Shadow Moonlit Night Movement.
Though this earned him the creator of a movement art ranked among the murim's eight best of the murim... that was all he achieved.
Movement arts were still just movement arts.
Even if one could demonstrate the supreme lightness body art of the Number One of the Demonic Path, that alone did not make one the strongest master.
Rather, whenever he faced powerful enemies, the inevitable outcome was always escape—relying on his lightness techniques to flee.
All it left him with was wretchedness and self-loathing.
Then from now on, I will steal the greatest martial arts in the world.
Tak Bi-hon realized that with his Ghostly Shadow Moonlit Night Movement, he could infiltrate anywhere and evade capture by anyone.
To obtain the most powerful martial arts, he became the Great Thief, ransacking the scripture archives of various sects one after another.
As time passed, his thefts became known throughout the murim, leading to countless clashes with masters of both orthodox and unorthodox factions.
Having continuously stolen and mastered various martial arts, Tak Bi-hon had already grown into a formidable master.
He slaughtered every martial artist who pursued him.
And so, before he knew it, he had become the Public Enemy of the Martial World—a man the entire murim sought to execute.
Yet he did not give up.
Driven by his desire for even greater martial techniques, he wandered the murim ceaselessly.
Then, by sheer chance, he stumbled upon astonishing information.
Shaolin has another Scripture Pavilion hidden within it—one that contains peerless demonic arts capable of making one the Number One of the Demonic Path.
Shockingly, he had heard rumors that within Shaolin's secret depths lay martial manuals of demonic techniques long thought lost to the world.
I'll do it.
He infiltrated Shaolin in secret and finally breached the Scripture Pavilion.
But in the end, he failed to find the hidden archive containing the demonic manuals... and was eventually captured by Shaolin's masters. His internal energy was completely destroyed, and he was cast into the Repentance Cave.
"Now, I must make a choice."
Tak Il-hon, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol circulate his qi, took a deep breath.
He had realized the only way to escape this place—and the means to fulfill his dream anew.
The next day.
Having fully recovered his internal energy, Bu Eun-seol carved two small stone knives from a large boulder.
Today would be their final confrontation.
Even if he couldn't restore the old man's internal energy, he wanted to arm him with a sharp weapon so that he could fight without regret.
'I'll subdue him by force if I must, then infuse him with internal energy—even if only briefly—to restore his clarity of mind.'
There was only one method left.
To overwhelm the old man using all of his internal power, then inject him with Reverse Polarity True Qi in the hopes that, even temporarily, his memories might return.
Of course, the probability of his memories resurfacing from such an infusion was vanishingly slim.
'But there's no other choice.'
If the old man had freely demonstrated the martial principles of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, Bu Eun-seol would have stayed here for a year—no, two years if necessary.
Even if another disappearance incident occurred, even if the Death Shadow War Unit were thrown into chaos, even if the Demon Hall itself collapsed—
Obtaining the complete practical methods of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms would be worth it.
But the old man, even in his unstable state, no longer displayed the blade essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
'That means...'
Perhaps there had been such an attempt in the past, and the old man, unconsciously remembering it, was now deliberately avoiding revealing the full extent of the technique.
Skrrrt.
Picking up the stone dagger he had made, Bu Eun-seol strode firmly into the cave.
As if sensing this would be their final battle, the demonkin who had been resting inside also emerged, watching as Bu Eun-seol walked forward.
Creak.
Pushing open the iron gate, Bu Eun-seol stepped into the stone chamber.
Then, he approached the old man bound in iron chains with steady, deliberate steps.
[KAAAH!]
The old man glared at Bu Eun-seol with maddened eyes and roared.
"Stay still."
Bu Eun-seol channeled his internal energy into the stone knife.
Hwoong.
A blade aura—dark yet streaked with white light—erupted from the stone knife, extending nearly three feet.
Shwaaak!
With a single slash, Bu Eun-seol severed the iron chains binding the old man's legs.
Clang!
The chains, which even a treasured sword would have struggled to cut, split cleanly in two and clattered to the ground.
Fwip.
Bu Eun-seol tossed the stone knife in front of the old man.
Tak.
As the old man picked it up,
"There are no other options left. From now on, I will use my internal power. So..."
Bu Eun-seol spoke in a voice both solemn and icy.
"Let us fight without regret."
Until now, he had tried countless times to communicate.
He had attempted to provoke the old man with the blade essence of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade. He had spoken of his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
He had even told stories of the Southern Heaven Great Hero, Gwan Hae-geum, and of the Three Realms.
But the old man had only ever sought to kill him—never once engaging in conversation.
"..."
For the first time, the old man did not fly into a frenzy.
Instead, he silently stared down at the stone knife in his hand.
Though crudely shaped from a large rock, he trembled as if struck by a profound emotion.
Shhhk.
The old man gripped the stone knife and lowered his stance.
Then, an aura sharper and more terrifying than anything Bu Eun-seol had felt before began radiating outward.
All he had given him was a single dagger carved from stone—yet...
The old man revealed the bearing of a supreme bladesman who looked down upon all under heaven.
"Good."
Whoosh—
As Bu Eun-seol raised his Internal Energy, shockwaves of True Qi radiated outward from his body in all directions.
He intended to suppress the old man with his full combat power.
Click! Click!
At that moment, the old man unleashed his saber technique.
The old man's Internal Energy was completely sealed.
Because of this, to suppress Bu Eun-seol—who possessed overwhelming Internal Energy—he had to strike first.
And he instinctively understood that he absolutely could not retreat.
Click! Click!
With a single slash, the old man forced Bu Eun-seol back, then unleashed five consecutive martial forms in rapid succession.
Though it was nothing more than a crude stone knife, every time he executed a form, it was as if thunderbolts were crashing down.
His techniques were divine and ever-changing, leaving no gaps to exploit from start to finish.
'Magnificent.'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but exhale in admiration.
Not only that, even as the old man wielded his saber technique like a madman, he deliberately avoided clashing blades with Bu Eun-seol's stone knife.
Knowing his opponent's Internal Energy was superior, he made his sword trajectories unpredictable, intentionally preventing their weapons from colliding.
The Demon Path's Foremost Bladesman.
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol wondered—perhaps this old man wasn't just a shadow of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, but the real Bu Jan-yang himself.
Swish! Whirrrrr!
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol and the old man had exchanged over forty moves.
Bu Eun-seol poured forth sword strokes infused with Internal Energy, yet the old man instantly identified and dismantled every opening in his techniques.
As a result, Bu Eun-seol couldn't even complete his forms and was forced to retreat repeatedly just to defend himself.
'Even with Internal Energy infused, I can't match him in pure technique.'
Having made up his mind, Bu Eun-seol immediately raised his Internal Energy once more.
Whooooing—
A dense shockwave of True Qi spread outward like fog, and a sharp blade energy erupted from the stone knife in his grip.
Flash!
The stone knife, now infused with overwhelming power, carved a massive cross-shaped saber energy into the air.
The Fourth Form of Formless Heavenly Flow—Waning Moon Morning Star, manifested as a saber technique.
Schlick!
Unable to block it, the old man instantly rolled across the ground to evade the cross-shaped slash.
But even as he rolled, Bu Eun-seol's Meteor Chasing Moon was already descending toward his vital acupoints.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The razor-sharp saber energy tore through the ground like tofu, but the old man sprang back up and launched a counterattack.
But that was as far as he could go.
Whoooom—
True Qi spread outward like spiderwebs, entangling the old man's escape routes.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed the Willful True Binding.
Schlick!
The old man attempted to slash through the web-like True Qi with his stone knife.
But that was his mistake.
Ting!
The moment his blade struck the strands of the Willful True Binding, the stone knife rebounded with a metallic ring.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol didn't miss the opening—he instantly aimed his stone knife at the old man's throat.
"Enough."
There was no need to ask if he admitted defeat.
This was pure, brute suppression.
"Without Internal Power, even if you possess the Number One Saber Art Under Heaven, you cannot defeat me."
The old man's Internal Power was completely sealed, and his physical strength had withered from years of consuming only water and Cold Spirit Herb.
But Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had already reached the Extreme Heaven Realm, and his Internal Energy amounted to five hundred years' worth.
The difference in power was greater than that between a newborn and a full-grown adult.
No matter how profound the old man's saber techniques were, he couldn't bridge that gap.
When the old man remained silent,
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Bu Eun-seol immediately fired a series of Finger Wind strikes, sealing the old man's acupoints.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Because the old man's body was severely weakened, Bu Eun-seol had to concentrate intensely, releasing the Finger Wind with extreme precision to avoid harming him further.
"Are you the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade himself? Or just his shadow?"
The old man said nothing.
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol injected Reverse Polarity True Qi into the old man's Life Gate Acupoint.
"...!"
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
If the old man's dantian had been destroyed, there should have been brutal scarring left behind.
But his dantian was perfectly intact—not a single one of his Eight Extraordinary Meridians was severed.
Which meant...
The old man hadn't had his Internal Power sealed by an external force.
He had expelled it from his own body.
"Why would you... do this?"
For a martial artist, the most excruciating pain imaginable was forcibly expelling one's own Internal Energy.
To a warrior, Internal Energy was like the very bones supporting their body.
To willingly tear it out?
Not only would their Five Viscera and Six Bowels be ruined, but their body would grow weaker than even those who had never trained in martial arts.
"Why would you do something like this?"
[Grrrr...]
A deep vibration resonated from the old man's body.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
As Bu Eun-seol's pure Reverse Polarity True Qi flowed into him, the old man absorbed it completely—
Diverting some into his Eight Extraordinary Meridians while using the rest to forcibly unseal his blocked acupoints.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
With the borrowed Internal Energy, the old man shattered his own seals in an instant—then swung his stone knife, forcing Bu Eun-seol to retreat.
Whoooom—
The old man channeled all the Reverse Polarity True Qi within him into his stone knife.
A faint glow emanated, and a mist of death rose in all directions.
—Unable to close one's eyes even when death arrives...
It was the Fifth Form of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Death Without Closing the Eyes.