Chapter 783
KWAANG! KURRRUNG!
With every strike unleashed by the Fist Adept, gale-force winds howled and the surrounding earth crumbled.
Bu Eun-seol, now drenched in blood, stubbornly blocked each of the Fist Adept's attacks.
'If I can just endure, even for a single martial form... I can steal something from him.'
Even in this life-or-death battle—
Rather than counterattacking, he focused solely on defense, staking his life on it while pushing the Langya Mind's Eye to its limits—all to extract the latter three forms of the Fist Demon Seven Forms from the Fist Adept.
PANG!
Finally struck by a devastating blow, Bu Eun-seol was sent flying dozens of yards away, coughing up a spray of blood like an arrow.
Yet his internal injuries weren't as severe as they seemed.
Each time he took a hit, he channeled his thick internal energy to the point of impact, dispersing the force.
And within his blood circuits, he maintained a single thread of clarity.
This wasn't something he had learned from anyone—it was a subtle principle he had naturally internalized through endless battles against the strong.
SHUUUU—
The relentless, almost eternal offensive finally ceased.
The Fist Adept, halting his assault, spoke with a tone of surprise.
"How peculiar. Just which sect's martial arts have you trained in?"
Not only were Bu Eun-seol's martial arts extraordinary—
But the exact level of his martial prowess was difficult to gauge.
"Judging by how you stretch time to its limits, it seems you've reached the Extreme Heaven Realm..."
"..."
"And yet, you're blocking my fist energy barehanded?"
The Fist Adept let out an impressed sigh as he watched Bu Eun-seol, bleeding and gasping for breath.
"Don't tell me a brat as young as you has already attained the Martial Extreme Realm."
"What's so special about the Martial Extreme Realm?"
"What?"
"I'd rather walk the path I choose."
He meant it.
While the Martial Extreme Realm was a state other martial artists could only dream of—
To Bu Eun-seol, it was merely following a path someone else had paved.
"You're truly insane."
The Fist Adept tilted his head, then began replaying Bu Eun-seol's movements in his mind.
"Now that I think about it, you've been subtly weaving in the essence of Myriad Forms One Style—are you a disciple of the Sword Sovereign?"
Under the guise of Seon-u Jin,
Bu Eun-seol had been circulating his internal energy using the principles of the Nature Sword, a technique of the Sword Sovereign, to withstand the Fist Adept's monstrous attacks.
The Fist Adept had seen through it like a ghost and concluded he was the Sword Sovereign's disciple.
"Well, out of the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones, that man was always the most tenacious and persistent."
Bu Eun-seol's pupils flickered.
The way the Fist Adept spoke—it was as if he had faced all of the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones.
"You've fought all of the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones?"
"Not all of them."
The Fist Adept wore an enigmatic smile.
"I couldn't find that decrepit old bald monk from Shaolin, whose traces had long vanished."
Bald monk from Shaolin—
That could only mean the Buddha Honored One.
"Those bastards were exceptional even in their youth. Every single one of them blocked my One Fist without breaking a sweat."
THUD.
Bu Eun-seol felt as if he had been struck in the back of the head.
'So that's how it was.'
Finally, he understood.
Why peerless grandmasters like Ak Mu-ryeong and the Sword Sovereign—
Those who stood invincible—had been so obsessed with closed-door cultivation since their youth.
Before they ever faced the insurmountable wall known as the Twin Celestial Emperors of Righteousness and Demon—
They had all fought the Fist Adept—or perhaps the Eight Heavenly Servants—and realized there existed a heaven beyond the heavens.
'Then...'
Could it be that even the Twin Celestial Emperors' seclusion wasn't for the sake of killing each other—
But rather to train in order to defeat the Eight Heavenly Servants, or perhaps the Servants of the True Demon above them?
'I always wondered why grandmasters who had reached the Absolute Realm kept retreating into seclusion...'
It was clear now.
The strongest figures of Murim must have discovered—or encountered—the existence of the Servants of the True Demon long ago.
And they had strived endlessly to surpass them.
"Seems you've realized something."
But the Fist Adept—
Misinterpreting the look of revelation on Bu Eun-seol's face in an oddly offbeat way—uttered something utterly shocking.
"The Martial Extreme Realm itself is a restriction—a trap. It ensures you can never advance beyond it."
The Fist Adept chuckled darkly.
"After wielding Limitless Power, no one has ever surpassed it... The Heavenly Will Realm is just a fantasy, they say? Hahaha!"
The shock was so great that stars seemed to dance before Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
If that was true—then the True Demon had established the very concept of the Martial Extreme Realm as a system,
All to ensure martial artists could never surpass it?
"What threat could bugs like you possibly pose even if you grew stronger?"
The Fist Adept saw through Bu Eun-seol's inner thoughts and smirked.
"Those who shackle you... are not us."
The words were cryptic.
Just who was suppressing the progress of Murim's martial artists?
"That can't be."
Regaining his composure, Bu Eun-seol shook his head firmly.
"Even if such a system exists, to say that peerless grandmasters can't break past their limits..."
"What? You don't know?"
Fist Adept tilted his head, studying Bu Eun-seol's expression.
"Don't tell me you suppressed Martial Extremity Equal Enlightenment without even knowing what it was?"
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol understood.
Martial Extremity Equal Enlightenment.
A precursor to reaching the Martial Extreme Realm—a sign that one's body had been perfected enough to wield Limitless Power.
And yet, it was a trap all along.
"Someone established the Martial Extreme Realm as the pinnacle, and the great masters of the past interpreted Martial Extremity Equal Enlightenment as the correct path... So naturally, later generations accepted it as truth. Isn't that right?"
Fist Adept didn't answer. He only smiled.
Martial Extremity Equal Enlightenment.
It was known as the harbinger of entering the Martial Extreme Realm.
But in truth, it was a kind of Inner Demon—one that shackled martial artists to the singular concept of the Martial Extreme Realm and Limitless Power.
"It's been a while since I've chatted like this."
Seeing the dawning realization in Bu Eun-seol's expression, Fist Adept grinned faintly.
"Seeing talented youngsters like you always makes me nostalgic."
His pupils darkened, sinking into an abyss.
"But that's enough. Let's stop playing around and finish this."
At the same time, an inky fog began to rise from all directions.
Thud. Thud.
As Fist Adept clenched his fist, a deep, rhythmic sound—like the beating of a heart—resonated from the earth's depths.
Then, Bu Eun-seol felt something bizarre—as if his skin and bones had cleanly disintegrated.
Step. Step.
Suddenly, Fist Adept began walking toward him, slow and deliberate.
With every footfall, the ground split open, and from the fissures, black flames erupted.
It was as if a Demon God, one that would bring Final Extinction upon all life, had descended upon the mortal world to deliver death to foolish mortals.
'Limitless Power.'
But Bu Eun-seol realized—none of this was truly happening.
It was all an illusion, a manifestation of Fist Adept unleashing his Limitless Power.
And that power would be beyond imagination.
The difference between one who recognized their limits and one shackled by them was as vast as heaven and earth.
'There's only one way.'
To Bu Eun-seol, time stretched endlessly.
But that was only because his martial prowess had broken through the Extreme Heaven Realm, accelerating his mind to an inhuman speed.
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't evade Fist Adept's attack.
It wouldn't come as a single strike.
Instead, it would be like the relentless pursuit of a Grim Reaper—clinging to him until his death.
'But Fist Adept's Limitless Power... It won't manifest as martial arts first. It'll emerge from the Mindscape.'
As one who possesses the source of the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon, the pinnacle of fist techniques, he wouldn't drag out the fight.
He would undoubtedly unleash his Mindscape first.
Having discerned Bu Eun-seol's level of Internal Energy and martial prowess, he would know that Bu Eun-seol could hold out for some time.
And such a drawn-out exchange would wound his pride.
'Then there's only one method.'
As Bu Eun-seol invoked the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art—
Sshhk! Sshhk!
Nine razor-sharp streams of force coiled around his body.
He had unleashed the Martial Emperor's supreme technique—the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
'But if he doesn't deploy his Mindscape and attacks with martial arts first... I'll die instantly.'
This was a gamble.
A gamble for survival.
Fwoosh!
At that moment, a brilliant light flashed before Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Simultaneously, a radiance descended from the heavens, taking the form of swords that rained down, while spears of darkness erupted from the earth.
The Mindscape.
Fist Adept had realized that Bu Eun-seol not only possessed formidable Internal Energy and tenacious vitality—
But also that his body was now wrapped in nine indestructible streams of force—the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
Destroying his physical form wouldn't be easy.
So instead, he would drag him into the Mindscape, shatter his Spirit and Mind first, and then obliterate his body in one strike.
'Good.'
Bu Eun-seol inwardly roared in triumph.
His gamble had worked.
Because even the masters under Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, one of the Eight Heavenly Servants, primarily used Mindscape assaults.
Then Fist Adept, too, would freely wield the Mindscape.
Too lazy for a drawn-out battle, he would undoubtedly strike at the Spirit and Mind before crushing the body.
Crack.
For an instant, Bu Eun-seol felt as if his brain had been split in two.
But then, his mind began flooding with blissful, joyous memories.
At the same time, the bulk of Fist Adept's power, attempting to invade his Spirit and Mind, was repelled before it could even take hold.
The Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art.
It wasn't just a Mind-Training Formula to amplify martial power.
It was an effective defensive measure—one capable of blocking Spirit and Mind assaults from a Master of the Ultra-Extreme Realm like Fist Adept.
"You little—"
Fist Adept's expression twisted in disbelief.
Bu Eun-seol's gaze was unfocused, yet he had erected an impenetrable barrier around his Spirit and Mind—
Effortlessly deflecting his attack.
"So in the end, you force this Heaven's Lord to use his fists."
CRACK!
With an earth-shattering explosion—
Rumble...
A massive crater formed where Bu Eun-seol had been standing.
The Fist Demon had unleashed an overwhelming torrent of fist energy from the heavens, slamming Bu Eun-seol straight into the ground.
"A pity."
The Fist Adept narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed down at the gaping pit, white smoke still rising from it.
"He was a prodigy who could have surpassed even the Three Demons and Three Venerables."
Sword King Seon-u Jin.
He had been an exceptional talent—had he honed his martial arts for another decade, he might have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Fist Adept himself.
But alas, his reckless determination to protect that woman had cost him his life.
Whoosh.
With a faintly melancholic expression, the Fist Adept turned away.
There were few in the martial world who could truly challenge him.
For a long time now, the world had been nothing but a desolate and lonely place.
"If I wait just a little longer, things will get interesting."
His face brimming with anticipation, he looked up at the distant sky.
"A man like the Heavenly Mechanism Star won't stay cowering like a rat forever."
Muttering under his breath, his figure—
Fwoosh!
—vanished into the sky in an instant.
Silence settled over the plains where the Fist Adept had stood.
Rumble...
But then, from the depths of the crater, a low vibration trembled through the earth before a battered shadow rose into the air.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
"Hah... Hah..."
Gasping for breath, he collapsed onto the ground the moment he reached the surface.
"If I hadn't clashed with the Demonic Heavenly Emperor before... I would've died for real."
Against a terrifying master like the Fist Adept, it was impossible to conceal one's vital signs.
But not long ago, he had grasped some Great Derivation Qi from the Nature Sword's principles—allowing him to briefly merge his body with nature itself.
"If his Mindscape had failed, he would've poured out his fist energy in a single, lethal strike."
Bu Eun-seol had predicted that the Fist Adept would deploy his Mindscape—and if that failed?
His wounded pride would demand a single, decisive blow.
Not a flurry of techniques—just one fist.
A strike powerful enough to snuff out his life in an instant.
And so, Bu Eun-seol had prepared for exactly that.
Not for victory—but for survival.
"And that Fist Adept... is mistaken about something."
His gaze turned toward where the Fist Adept had vanished.
"Not just the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—but the Pavilion Lord, and all the other superlative martial experts... They've already begun breaking free from the confines of the Martial Extreme Realm."
The Fist Adept had fought the great masters of his youth, then withdrawn from the martial world.
And he must have found it laughable.
No matter how hard they trained, none could surpass him.
But the current era's supreme experts had already leaped far beyond his expectations—quietly amassing terrifying martial prowess.
So secretly that even the hidden factions of the martial world remained unaware.
"But..."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"If the Eight Heavenly Servants are the lowest-ranked... Just how much stronger are the Four Gods or the Three Attendants?"
An ordinary martial artist would have despaired.
But instead, his heart pounded with excitement—fighting spirit surging within him.
"Now this... is worth fighting for."
For a long time, Bu Eun-seol had sensed something strange about the martial world's power structure.
—The Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteous and Demonic.
—The Three Demons and Three Venerables.
—The Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Even the hidden leaders of the Three Clans or the Three Realms wielded power that far surpassed the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
And beyond them, countless abyssal forces lurked in the shadows.
How had such a hierarchy of power come to be?
—There must be countless masters lying in wait.
And with the Fist Adept's appearance, that speculation had become reality.
The martial world was teeming with hidden powerhouses.
"They must be connected to Grandfather... and my parents."
Both his grandfather and parents had been Divine Beings who stood above the martial world.
And the True Demon—an entity the Baekri Clan had opposed for generations—
In the end, the Eight Heavenly Servants were no different.
Like the Three Realms, they were enemies he would inevitably clash with.
"The Chief Strategist."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol remember Gongson Dan-gyeong, whom he had buried in the ground.
Rumble...
Activating his movement technique, he channeled his internal energy to yank her out in one swift motion.
Thud.
After carefully retrieving the Boundary-Prosperity Jade he had hidden in his robes—
Crack—
He swiftly released the Turtle Breath Grand Art, waking her.
"Commander Seon-u...!"
Gongson Dan-gyeong gasped at the sight of Bu Eun-seol's battered form.
"The Fist Adept—what happened to him?"
"He left, thinking I was dead."
"He... mistook you for dead?"
As her expression twisted in disbelief, Bu Eun-seol lied smoothly.
"I possess a concealment technique even the greatest masters cannot detect. I deliberately took his strike and feigned death."
Gongson Dan-gyeong looked utterly unconvinced.
She knew exactly how formidable the Fist Adept's martial prowess was.
And yet, he had taken that strike on purpose and pretended to die?
If so, Bu Eun-seol's abilities were never at the level of the Extreme Heaven Realm to begin with.
"I see."
Gongson Dan-gyeong took a deep breath.
"Commander Seon-u... you've often done things I thought were impossible."
She didn't press any further.
Because her heart was unbearably tangled.
"Chief Strategist, what exactly happened?"
Bu Eun-seol's question carried multiple layers of meaning.
But Gongson Dan-gyeong dismissed it with a single sentence.
"There's someone I've known for a long time. The Jungson Clan seems to have impersonated him to lure me out and trap Commander Seon-u."
"The Jungson Clan..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
Fist Adept had referred to Gongson Dan-gyeong as "the child who survived the Jungson Clan."
'The Chief Strategist is hiding something.'
He wanted to ask for the full story,
but the pain in her gaze made it impossible to bring himself to do so.
No one had the right to dig up another's painful past.
"I understand. I think I know what you mean."
Though he couldn't grasp the full picture, Bu Eun-seol answered this way.
"But I'd appreciate it if you could tell me about the contents of the Jungson Clan's secret records later."
"Of course. Thank you."
Gongson Dan-gyeong smiled faintly, sensing his consideration.
"The reason I can't tell you about my past isn't because I don't trust you..."
Then, with an apologetic expression, she added:
"It's because doing so would disrupt all the plans I've built up until now."
Bu Eun-seol understood her words.
If someone were to learn his circumstances completely? That plan could collapse in an instant.
"I don't mind."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze softened.
"This place is dangerous. I'll escort you to the Alliance—"
Stagger.
But before he could finish, his body swayed unsteadily.
No matter how much he had reinforced himself with the Great Circle Qi, he had taken that strike from Fist Adept with his bare body to deceive him.
There was no way he could be unharmed.
"It's alright."
Gongson Dan-gyeong steadied him as she spoke.
"There's a secret organization I lead here. But this area was blocked off by a boundary formation, so I couldn't call them."
Piiii—!
When she blew a sharp whistle, the Sound of Breaking Air echoed, followed by the sensation of numerous figures rushing in from somewhere.
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if reassured.
"Then I'll take my leave first."
Whoosh—!Crackle—!
At that moment, pale smoke rose from Bu Eun-seol's body, and a Shockwave of True Qi spread outward.
Fist Adept's Fist Energy.
Like a living creature, it had burrowed into Bu Eun-seol's body and was now attacking his Heart Meridian once more.
Kwa-oooh—!
But in response, Reverse Polarity True Qi instantly surged forth.
With an overwhelming ripple, the sharp Fist Energy melted away like snow.
Stagger.
Yet Bu Eun-seol dropped to one knee as if all his strength had been drained in an instant.
"Commander Seon-u."
Gongson Dan-gyeong hurriedly supported him. At that moment—
Zzzing—!
Her pupils flashed violet.
But Bu Eun-seol, unaware of this, waved her off.
"I'm fine."
Rising calmly, he forced a faint smile.
"Then I'll take my leave."
As he turned to go after a polite bow—
"Commander Seon-u."
Gongson Dan-gyeong caught his hand. Then, in a whisper-soft voice, she said:
"Return safely. We must talk again later."
"Understood."
"And... thank you."
She gripped his hand tightly once more.
"For risking your life to save me."
Then, with another apologetic look, she added:
"I should tell you everything, but if you knew my circumstances, you'd only be dragged into danger."
Gongson Dan-gyeong stared straight into Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."
Her gaze carried the weight of untold sorrow.
Bu Eun-seol understood her words.
Because he was the same.
He, too, never wanted anyone to suffer because of him.
"Truly, it's alright."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with solemn respect.
"Tell me whenever you feel ready."
With another courteous bow, he turned and instantly activated his Movement Technique.
Tzzt-tzzt-tzzt—!Crackle—!
As he unleashed Ultimate Speed Shadowless and even triggered Thunder Essence Divine Qi, a misty band of vapor formed before him—
KWA-RUNG—!
With a thunderclap that split heaven and earth, his figure became a streak of light, cleaving through the sky like a meteor.
'I can no longer hide my identity from the Pavilion Lord... or anyone in Langya Pavilion.'
Suppressing his injuries and pushing his Combat Power to the limit, Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
'And I must hear the full truth.'
From the time of his grandfather and Yeom, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and Martial Venerable had been watching him.
Meaning they had known not only his grandfather's true nature but also his own hidden origins all along.
Then could the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones have been unaware?
Even if the others were, Ak Mu-ryeong must have known.
He had spent his life striving to overthrow the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, and whenever the latter made a move, he always verified it personally.
Not to mention his encounter with Fist Adept...
For the sake of his future as the true successor of Langya Pavilion—
The True Demon and the Baekri Clan would not evade his questions about his past.
And if he refused to answer now?
It would be no different from telling him to leave Langya Pavilion.
'True Demon. Baekri Clan.'
Bu Eun-seol intended to seek out Ak Mu-ryeong immediately.
To hear clearly—
The truth of his origins, caught between two legendary forces.