Chapter 479
"Even when death comes, you cannot close your eyes..."
Those words seemed to speak directly to the old man's current predicament.
The old man's body, having forcibly expelled his internal energy outward, was in such a state that it wouldn't have been strange if he had breathed his last long ago.
Yet, as if burdened by some unresolved grievance... his soul could not rest in peace, stubbornly clinging to his physical form.
KWAANG!
With a thunderous explosion, a dark blade energy—no, an aura of death—erupted from the old man's stone knife and scattered in all directions.
'I, too, will use the Bloody Tears Seven Forms...'
As Bu Eun-seol watched the spreading blade energy and prepared to thrust his own stone knife forward—
PA-PA-PA-PAK!
The expanding blade energy passed through the old man's body, then through Bu Eun-seol's, and then... through everything that existed in this world.
GRRRRUMBLE—
At the same time, massive boulders began crashing down from the ceiling.
GRRRRUMBLE—
And in the end, the stone chamber collapsed entirely.
"Ugh..."
As the dust settled, a small pocket of space untouched by the falling debris became visible within the ruined chamber.
ZZZIIING—
And there stood Bu Eun-seol, arms outstretched, holding his ground.
He had deployed the Willful True Binding to block the cascade of boulders.
Since the chamber was carved into the side of a cave, the falling rocks weren't particularly large, nor were they overwhelmingly heavy.
Still, to ensure the old man remained unharmed, Bu Eun-seol had expanded the Willful True Binding wide enough to shield them both.
"Are you unharmed?"
Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze toward the old man, who stood weakly in the corner of the chamber.
The old man's already emaciated body now resembled nothing more than a skeleton.
Not only had he absorbed the Reverse Polarity True Qi from Bu Eun-seol, but he had also poured out every last drop of his life force to unleash his saber technique.
DRIP-DRIP—
But the one in need of concern wasn't just the old man.
Bu Eun-seol's body was riddled with wounds, and from the holes pierced through him, blood trickled steadily.
When the Death Without Closing the Eyes technique had erupted outward, Bu Eun-seol had also unleashed the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Yet, unable to fully block the old man's blade energy, his entire body had been engulfed by it.
Even so, to protect the old man from the falling debris, he had immediately deployed the Willful True Binding.
Had Bu Eun-seol not executed the Seeking Life Amidst Death technique at that moment—
Had the Reverse Polarity True Qi stored within the old man's body not been severed midway—
Bu Eun-seol would have been torn apart, meeting his end.
'This is the might of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.'
As the fifth form, Death Without Closing the Eyes, surged forth, bringing with it a moment of absolute peril—
Bu Eun-seol, in that instant, comprehended the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, and at the same time, the second form, Seeking Life Amidst Death, flashed through his mind.
Seeking Life Amidst Death.
A technique that, upon enduring a fatal strike, counterattacks as if erasing the very space where the enemy stands—the second form of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
And this blade technique, true to its name, was one that could find a single thread of survival even in a situation where death seemed inevitable.
A technique that could also serve as a Life-Saving Ultimate Move.
KWAOOO—!
The moment the fifth form, Death Without Closing the Eyes, unleashed by the old man, coiled around Bu Eun-seol's entire body—
He used Seeking Life Amidst Death to generate a Blade Ring, protecting his vital acupoints.
And thus, even amidst the storm of blade energy, he managed to cling to life.
"Khh..."
Carefully pushing aside the fallen rocks, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Until now, the Bloody Tears Seven Forms he had executed had been nothing more than a superficial imitation.
The true power of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms transcended the realm of the Saber Dao, manifesting a force closer to a phenomenon.
Had this old man's internal energy been intact? The entire Repentance Cave would have collapsed, not just this stone chamber.
Every demonkin imprisoned here would have perished, their souls wandering the underworld.
"Who... are you?"
At that moment, the old man, as if regaining a sliver of clarity despite his exhausted life force, fixed his gaze intently on Bu Eun-seol.
"The variation of Seeking Life Amidst Death you executed... one cannot perform it without comprehending the entirety of its Blade Essence."
"I am Bu Eun-seol, a disciple of Langya Pavilion."
Seeing the old man's eyes clear, Bu Eun-seol swiftly revealed his identity.
"By chance, I obtained the legacy of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, left behind on Ghost Island."
At those words, a faint light flickered in the old man's eyes.
His expression seemed to be deeply contemplating whether the words were true—or perhaps his mind was slipping back into delirium.
"Are you... the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, venerable elder?"
"..."
"I am not a spy of the Three Realms."
Bu Eun-seol spoke urgently.
"I am the grandson of an undertaker under the Hwangju Prefecture Constabulary. But my grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was brutally murdered by a vicious master who wielded the Demonic Sword Arts."
"..."
"I entered the martial world to avenge my grandfather. But the more I investigated to find the murderer... the more I began to suspect that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang and my grandfather might be the same person."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with an expression of utmost sincerity.
"All this time, I've tried speaking to you, but your mind was never clear enough for us to have a proper conversation. If you doubt my identity, I can recite all the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms for you."
The old man only breathed raggedly, his gaze still clouded, remaining silent.
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol once again channeled Reverse Polarity True Qi into the old man's body.
Then, he began reciting the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Yet, there was still no reaction.
'He might think the Three Realms could have easily obtained the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.'
Desperate, Bu Eun-seol searched for another method.
How could he prove his grandfather's identity—and his own?
"Grandfather was..."
Suddenly realizing where they were, Bu Eun-seol quickly spoke again.
"...likely once a disciple of Shaolin. That's why he passed down the Tendon Transformation Sutra to me."
And he began reciting the ancient maxims of the Sinew Reforging Classic.
Then—
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade..."
The old man's hollow gaze drifted into empty space.
Whether his mind was still wandering or his life was flickering out... his expression looked as if he were dreaming.
And then, he muttered something unexpected.
"The entire martial world owes him a debt. It was because of his sacrifice that we survived until now."
A flash surged in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Those words meant, ultimately, that this old man was not the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade himself.
"Then, honored elder..."
Bu Eun-seol had been about to ask, 'What is your relationship to the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?'—but he closed his mouth.
Because the old man's gaze was fixed not on him, but on the void.
"But at the climax, he realized everything had gone wrong. So he sought to atone for it all through death."
"..."
"Yet we couldn't let that happen. Because he had already lost far too much."
'We all?'
Were there really so many who had aided the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang?
Bu Eun-seol wanted to interrupt, to press the old man with questions.
But the old man's murmurs were growing quieter, as if his energy was nearly spent.
If he stopped him now, the old man might draw his last breath at any moment.
"Yet deceiving the eyes of the Three Realms was no easy task. One by one, the countless people who had become his shadows died... and as a last resort, I crippled my own internal energy and entered the Repentance Cave of my own will."
The old man smiled faintly.
"This place is beyond the reach of the Three Realms' power. Here, I could surely die under the name of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol was stunned.
If his grandfather had been the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, why had he never discarded that name?
How had he avoided being caught by an intelligence network as vast as the Three Realms?
Because in the martial world, there had only ever been one man who bore the name Bu Jan-yang—the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
But astonishingly...
There had been those who aided the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade.
And this nameless (Mu-myeong) old man...
Had willingly imprisoned himself in the Repentance Cave, taking on the role of the real Seven Fingers Demonic Blade to protect him.
"...So you, honored elder... became the real Seven Fingers Demonic Blade... and endured this suffering in his place?"
It was less a question and more a stunned murmur, spoken in shock at what he had just heard.
But the old man smiled faintly, as if he had understood Bu Eun-seol's words.
"This was the only way to free him from that blood-soaked martial world..."
"..."
"In the end, he faked his death through an elaborate plan... and successfully vanished. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the one he trusted most would betray him..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
Though the words were rambling, he could piece together the general situation.
There had been many who secretly aided the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, and this old man was one of them.
And though the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had staged his death and left the martial world through a meticulous plan...
Someone had betrayed him, putting the entire scheme at risk of exposure.
So this old man—
For the sake of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang's safety—
Had willingly imprisoned himself in the Repentance Cave, sacrificing himself without hesitation.
"Who was the one you trusted? Who was the betrayer?"
The old man did not answer Bu Eun-seol's question. Instead, he continued with another story.
"But in the end... this old man made a fatal mistake."
His pained gaze fixed on Bu Eun-seol.
"The Three Realms eventually tracked this old man down in the Repentance Cave. And deceived by a vile schemer, I ended up teaching five forms of the Blood-Tear Seven Forms..."
The old man bit his lip as if reliving the memory.
"When there was nothing left to extract from me, they brought someone who wielded the Spirit Summoning Secret Voice to shatter my mind..."
Bu Eun-seol pieced together the full picture.
In the end, the Three Realms had discovered that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade was hiding here.
And through him, they had confirmed that the real Bu Jan-yang was still alive.
Once they had drained him of the Blood-Tear Seven Forms and he was no longer useful—
They sent a master of the Mind-Seizing Art like Hyeokryeon Eung to utterly destroy the old man's spirit and mind.
The Mind Seizing Great Art was so vicious that even in death, the old man's clarity never returned.
"He always wished to atone for the innocent lives he had brutally taken."
The old man stared at Bu Eun-seol with exhausted eyes.
"Please... he must be safe..."
At that desperate, pleading voice, Bu Eun-seol clenched his eyes shut.
The old man had sacrificed his entire life for the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade.
And even in his final breath, his only concern was Bu Jan-yang's well-being.
"He is likely safe."
Bu Eun-seol spoke carefully.
"You no longer need to pretend to be the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade. I will take responsibility and return you to your family's embrace."
For decades, he had been the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's shadow, sacrificing himself for the man's survival.
So in the end, he deserved to return to his family.
"No."
As if understanding Bu Eun-seol's words, the old man shook his head.
"There's still a chance he might be alive... I must die under the name of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
"Elder."
"Bu Jan-yang."
The old man suddenly fixed Bu Eun-seol with a piercing gaze, then smiled faintly and nodded.
"I hope... he leaves the Murim safely and lives happily."
With a soft exhale—
The old man breathed his last.
Bu Eun-seol lowered his head, his expression twisted in anguish.
Then he clasped the old man's hands tightly.
"Elder..."
His voice trembled with grief and pain.
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang must have been his grandfather.
And his grandfather had taken up the work of an undertaker as an act of atonement.
But that had only been possible because of the nameless old man's sacrifice before him.
For the sake of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade—
He had willingly chosen a life of unending suffering.
And even in his final moment, he had prayed only for Bu Jan-yang's happiness.
"Grandfather..."
Suppressing the emotions threatening to burst forth, Bu Eun-seol held the nameless old man's hands and spoke softly.
"He lived... a long and happy life with me."
At those words, the faintest smile lingered on the dead man's lips.
As if he had heard that Bu Jan-yang had lived happily.
That smile was peaceful, free of regret.
Stepping out of the collapsed stone chamber, Bu Eun-seol turned back and bowed deeply toward where the nameless old man now rested.
In the end, the old man's true name and identity remained unknown.
But even if his mind had been clear, he would never have revealed them.
Only for the sake of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
For the slim chance that Bu Jan-yang might still be alive and at peace.
"I will ensure Shaolin honors your remains, Elder."
The nameless old man had wished to die as the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade.
Knowing that, Bu Eun-seol could not claim his body.
The shadow of Bu Jan-yang, who had once made the Murim tremble in fear—
Had died alone in the Repentance Cave, where not a single ray of light reached.
Rising from his bow, Bu Eun-seol lowered his head once more toward the stone chamber.
The old man had not only saved Bu Jan-yang—he had saved Bu Eun-seol's life as well.
Without his sacrifice—
Bu Jan-yang could never have become an undertaker, and Bu Eun-seol, freezing to death, would never have met him.
And this man, who had given his entire life for another's happiness—
A man with such selfless devotion... deserved the reverence of all under heaven.
'At the very least, I must demand answers from Shaolin.'
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to meet the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade—whether the real one or his shadow—
And then quietly leave Shaolin.
But after meeting the nameless old man, his mind had changed.
He had to question Shaolin, at the very least, to learn what they knew.
Bu Eun-seol was certain of one thing.
That his grandfather was the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade who once plunged the entire martial world into terror.
In truth, he had sacrificed himself for the martial world, and to atone for those who had died by his hand...
He had spent his days washing and tending to the corpses of the dead.
Gulp.
Bu Eun-seol closed the iron gate and turned away.
Since the Repentance Cave was still part of Shaolin,
if they learned of his death, the high monks of Shaolin would personally retrieve his remains and offer prayers for him.
"In the end, the Repentance Cave is managed by Blood Shaolin. That means I must meet the abbot of Blood Shaolin."
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
In his heart, he wanted to tear through Shaolin's grounds right then and demand answers.
But he couldn't.
Whether Grandfather Bu Jan-yang was truly the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade or not, one thing was certain—he was connected to Shaolin.
After all, he had passed down to Bu Eun-seol the Life Nourishing Secret from the Tendon Transformation Sutra—a technique only a Shaolin disciple could master.
If Grandfather had been a disciple of Shaolin, then Bu Eun-seol couldn't recklessly act against Shaolin either.
'I still can't fathom what kind of harmony this is.'
But how could Grandfather, who had once been a Shaolin disciple,
have mastered the Heavenly Robe Mind Art—a secret technique of Shin Do-mu-bi, the foremost master of the Righteous Path?
How could he have become the Invincible Saber Master who terrorized the Demonic Path Murim, rising to the position of Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall?
It was utterly incomprehensible.
'I'll find Dam-jeung.'
The current abbot of Shaolin had been ambushed, and the atmosphere was tense.
That meant Bu Eun-seol would have to seek out the abbot of Blood Shaolin—Dam-jeung—to demand answers.
"Hurry, we have to clear this!"
Just then, the clamor of voices echoed from outside.
When Bu Eun-seol stepped out, he saw the old men rushing toward the collapsed cave entrance, struggling to move the fallen rocks.
But with so much debris and no internal power to aid them, they could only groan as they strained against the weight.
"What are you doing?"
The moment Bu Eun-seol emerged, effortlessly pushing aside boulders weighing hundreds of pounds without even touching them,
"..."
The old men froze mid-motion, their eyes widening.
"He was alive."
"See? I told you he'd be fine—his internal energy was intact."
"Tch, wasted our strength for nothing because of this one guy."
The old men shot a sharp glare at that one guy—Tak Il-hon—before grumbling and turning back toward the cave.
From the looks of it, Tak Il-hon had persuaded them to help dig Bu Eun-seol out.
"Sigh."
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep exhale.
These were the Great Demons who had once made the martial world tremble in fear.
Far more wicked and formidable than the old men of Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.
Yet here they were, straining to lift rocks one by one to save him...
An indescribable, complicated emotion surged within him.
Could he still call these old men demons?
Who, in the end, had the right to define righteousness and evil?
'Was Grandfather like this too?'
Grandfather had once preached that the concepts of the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path—or good and evil—were nothing more than constructs of human convenience.
And Bu Eun-seol, too...
The longer he wandered the martial world,
the more the boundaries between the Demonic Path, the Righteous Faction, good and evil, blurred in his heart.
"Wait. Stay where you are."
Bu Eun-seol called out to the old men as they turned to leave.
"Why?"
As they halted and turned their heads in unison,
Zzziiing!
Over a hundred ethereal hands materialized behind Bu Eun-seol.
He had unleashed the Willful True Binding.
In the past, such a feat would have been impossible, but after refining the Inner Alchemy Secret and condensing his internal energy,
he could now wield the immense power within him with far greater precision.
Crrrrack!
As the hands of true qi passed through the old men,
Vvvrrrmm!
A powerful vibration surged as Reverse Polarity True Qi began coursing through their meridians.
Though their dantians had been shattered and they could no longer accumulate internal energy, this single act—reopening their meridians—
would ensure that every old man in the Repentance Cave could live out their days in health, free from pain.
"Tch, what a pointless waste."
Despite Bu Eun-seol instantly clearing their meridians, the old men didn't seem particularly pleased.
"Kid's got nothing but brute internal energy, pulling stunts like this."
"Exactly. If you've got this much power, why waste it here? Go use it outside."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly at their grumbling.
"Once I've settled all my affairs, I'll return here."
He clasped his hands together.
"At that time, I'll escort all of you out of this place."
"No need."
"We're more comfortable here."
"If we go out, our descendants will only suffer for it."
The Great Demons of this place waved him off dismissively.
They had already attained the Way of No-Mind, free from all worldly attachments.
Even the thought of returning to the martial world was nothing but a nuisance to them.
Bu Eun-seol smiled and pressed his palms together.
"Then."
With that, he turned toward the entrance of the Repentance Cave to leave.
The height was immeasurable, the walls so smooth that even the Gecko Wall-Swimming Art would be useless.
But to Bu Eun-seol, it was no obstacle at all.
"Wait!"
Just then, a figure came stumbling toward him in a hurry.
It was Tak Il-hon.