Chapter 835
"May I assume that I have now fulfilled the conditions you spoke of, Chief Doctrine Commander?"
When Seon-u Jin—no, So Ok-rim—asked again, Yeop Hyo-cheon suppressed the fury threatening to burst forth and forced a smile.
"Of course. Thanks to you, I've had my eyes opened."
Swallowing a bitter laugh, Yeop Hyo-cheon nodded.
"And I will keep my promise."
"Thank you."
So Ok-rim shrugged.
Though she had shrunk her body with the Bone Shrinking Art, an indescribably domineering and imposing aura still lingered about her.
"Then."
After bowing politely, she swiftly turned and immediately descended from the martial arts stage.
"That woman is strong."
It was then that Bu Eun-seol spoke.
"She seems to have grown even stronger than when she fought the Sword Demon in the past."
"You were there as well, Lord?"
"How could I miss that duel? I disguised myself and sneaked in to watch."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and muttered softly.
"From now on, I must train even harder..."
Shaking his head, he smiled at Yeop Hyo-cheon and clasped his hands together.
"Thank you. For arranging such an opportunity."
That smile vividly displayed the joy of a young grandmaster who had encountered a new formidable rival.
"Hearing you say that makes it all worthwhile."
Hiding the bitterness in his heart,
Yeop Hyo-cheon nodded with satisfaction, as if he had orchestrated the duel between Bu Eun-seol and Seon-u Jin for the former's sake.
"I believe the benefits you'll gain from this match will be considerable."
"Thank you. Then."
As Bu Eun-seol also turned to leave,
the smile that had been plastered across Yeop Hyo-cheon's face froze coldly.
"Did those bastards feed me lies?"
The Martial Alliance had secretly sent him a letter.
It claimed that Bu Eun-seol and Seon-u Jin were the same person, and that he would surely come to the Demon Hall seeking an agreement after this incident.
—The fact that they sent this information to me, and not to the Hall Master...
At the time, Yeop Hyo-cheon had been overjoyed.
Because it meant they had not only discerned that he was waiting for an opportunity to surpass the Demonic Heavenly Emperor at any moment,
but also that they knew he desired to have Bu Eun-seol in his grasp.
If the two were the same person? He would immediately have leverage to bind him.
In the end, he trusted the letter and, after much deliberation, arranged the duel between Bu Eun-seol and Seon-u Jin.
But it had been flawless.
Which meant either Bu Eun-seol and Seon-u Jin were absolutely not the same person,
or Bu Eun-seol had a subordinate who had achieved martial prowess equal to his own.
The probability of the latter was nearly nonexistent.
In the end, he had been played like a fool by their scheme.
"So that's why the Hall Master stopped paying attention."
Seon-u Jin no longer operated within the Martial Alliance.
Meaning, whether Bu Eun-seol was Seon-u Jin or truly someone else...
No one could care anymore, and even if he were using a double identity, there was no way to trap him with it.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had likely discerned that,
no matter what crisis Bu Eun-seol faced, he would perfectly prove his identity,
and thus stopped monitoring Seon-u Jin's movements.
Moreover, he had consistently accomplished what was once thought impossible and displayed unpredictable, unfathomable actions.
"No, there's still an opportunity."
Yeop Hyo-cheon recalled something and allowed a faint smile to surface.
"That old monster has begun a new Absolute Demon Saber Project..."
A cruel grin spread across his lips as he chuckled.
"This might actually work out. If that's the case, my own plans will gradually come to fruition."
Twisting the corner of his mouth slightly, he slowly turned away.
Each time the wind blew past the leaves, a soft, whispering sound spread through the air.
Atop a towering mountain peak that seemed to touch the clouds stood a small hermitage.
The aged hermitage bore the marks of time, and its surroundings were enveloped in a silence that seemed to transcend the flow of time itself.
A moss-covered stone path led to the Dharma Hall at the edge of the sheer cliff.
At the top of the stone stairs stood an elderly monk, his face as wrinkled as tree bark.
The monk's expression was serene, his gaze clear and transparent.
Entering the Dharma Hall, he stood before a window overlooking the abyssal cliff and closed his eyes.
Half-lidded as if in meditation, he breathed quietly—
his internal energy so profound that with each inhale, the surrounding air was drawn into the hall.
"What brings you here?"
The monk's lips slowly parted as he meditated.
"For you to seek me out..."
As his words trailed off, the shadow of a man in white robes suddenly appeared before the Dharma Hall.
As if he had always been there, his presence was natural and unassuming,
yet his eyes burned like an active volcano, searing with intensity.
The Golden Upright Divine Dragon—Baek Mu-seong.
He had abruptly arrived at this remote mountain temple.
"Hmm."
Without turning his head,
the monk clicked his tongue while gazing at the vast scenery beyond the open window.
"Your qi has grown turbid in this time. I barely recognize you."
"Master."
Baek Mu-seong addressed the man who was both his master and—
Baek Mu-seong spoke to the Buddhist Venerable, the living legend of the Righteous Faction.
"Was it true that the reason you brought me here was merely a means to buy time?"
That single sentence carried countless layers of implication.
The Buddhist Venerable remained motionless, his back turned in silence.
Clench.
Baek Mu-seong's fists tightened, his pupils burning like hot coals.
If he didn't receive an answer—
He had come fully resolved to force one out.
"You've become a full-fledged assassin," the Buddhist Venerable finally spoke.
"To perfectly synchronize your breath with the intermittent mountain winds."
"Answer me."
"Are you truly so desperate that you've forged a blade in your heart?"
"I asked for an answer."
The Buddhist Venerable exhaled softly, his voice low as if murmuring to himself.
"Yes."
At that calm reply, Baek Mu-seong's gaze flickered faintly, the corners of his eyes trembling.
But he steadied himself and pressed on.
"Why?"
"Because the cycle of suffering must be broken."
The Buddhist Venerable turned slightly, his tone still composed.
"At first, I truly thought you were his bloodline. Back then, you were the only survivor of Saha Manor. You had lost your memories—and still haven't recovered them."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But you weren't."
"So you sent me wandering the martial world? So you wouldn't look for me again?"
"Yes. The greater your fame, the more formidable your martial prowess—the more suspicion they would cast upon you, the more relentlessly they would investigate."
The Buddhist Venerable sighed.
"And in doing so, we would buy enough time."
The truth was, Baek Mu-seong had known for a long time.
That his master, the Buddhist Venerable, had never truly seen him as a disciple.
That he had merely been used as bait, cast into the martial world.
Yet he hadn't cared.
During his travels, he had performed chivalrous deeds, never once disgracing himself as the Buddhist Venerable's disciple—or as a secular disciple of Shaolin.
He had believed that if he proved himself, his master would finally acknowledge him.
That instead of pursuing some Absolute Demon Saber plan, he would devote himself to raising Baek Mu-seong properly.
But that had been a delusion.
The Buddhist Venerable had never cared about what he did. No—he hadn't even spared him a thought.
And so, an inferiority complex and unease had festered in Baek Mu-seong's heart.
That he wasn't the Buddhist Venerable's disciple... but merely a tool to divert attention.
Perhaps it was because of that very inferiority that he had never been able to reveal his true self—
Pretending to be magnanimous, pretending to be a good man, living a life of hypocrisy.
"Was it for the Absolute Demon Saber Project?"
At Baek Mu-seong's direct question, the Buddhist Venerable nodded plainly.
"Yes."
"So you intended to revive a failed plan—and used me as a decoy?"
"You know nothing."
"I do know."
Shhk.
Baek Mu-seong drew the greatsword from his back.
"Because I trained in the same saber techniques as the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
"Hohoho. Is that what they told you? That the Absolute Demon Saber Project was meant to birth an Absolute Master—one who would stop those who bring about Final Extinction?"
"Was it not?"
"Then I shall tell you the full truth."
The Buddhist Venerable, who had kept his gaze fixed outside the window, slowly turned his body.
"The true purpose of the Absolute Demon Saber Project was not to slay the evil that would destroy the world... but to eliminate its cause."
"Its... cause?"
"Indeed. And to do that, we first had to eliminate the One Hundred and Eight Stars."
Baek Mu-seong's eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
"If we eradicated them all, the proxy war between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon would also cease."
"What does that—"
"The Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars have always inherited the will of the Baekri Clan, standing as Challengers against the True Demon. The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends inherited the True Demon's will, acting as his Representatives to plunge the martial world into chaos."
The Buddhist Venerable stood tall in the Dharma Hall, looking down at Baek Mu-seong.
"In other words, the birth of the Absolute Demon Saber was meant to kill the One Hundred and Eight Stars."
A silence as heavy as death lingered.
The Absolute Demon Saber—known as a plan to eliminate the Heavenly Darkness Star, the harbinger of Final Extinction—
Had actually been a scheme to silence the One Hundred and Eight Stars forever?
"What does it matter if their lineage is severed? They'd still be fine either way."
At Baek Mu-seong's question, the Buddhist Venerable shook his head.
"According to Mo-ryun... the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars are bound to the fate of the Baekri Clan, and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends are bound to the True Demon."
His eyes narrowed to near-invisible slits.
"Meaning, if we kill them all, both the Baekri Clan and the True Demon will weaken."
His gaze fell upon the greatsword strapped to Baek Mu-seong's back, and he shook his head again.
"And the key to making that possible... is the Bloody Tears Seven Forms. But its true power can only be unleashed by one person—the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang."
"..."
"However, the complete Blade Essence has been lost. And even if one mastered both the essence and the blade techniques... unless it was him... it would be impossible to wield such power."
The Buddhist Venerable studied Baek Mu-seong.
"Do you know why?"
"No."
"The Bloody Tears Seven Forms require complete comprehension and mastery of death. Like a monk deepening their practice, one must ceaselessly contemplate the koan of death," said the Buddhist Venerable.
"Therefore, unless your spirit aligns with Bu Jan-yang's—who endlessly witnessed the deaths of others and yearned for his own—it is useless."
The Absolute Demon Saber Project.
In the end, it was a plan connected to the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—a scheme to utterly annihilate the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
'They've been subtly manipulating me.'
Baek Mu-seong instinctively sensed that the Buddhist Venerable's words were not the whole truth.
Even if they were true, another layer of truth undoubtedly lay hidden beneath.
'Just like the Three Realms.'
The existence of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon was known only to a select few within the Three Realms.
Even he had only learned of them after becoming the leader of the Heavenly Martial Brigade.
Yet, he had never once heard of the true nature of the Absolute Demon Saber Project or the secrets of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
In other words, the Buddhist Venerable was not giving him information—he was saying this:
—You are merely being used by them.
"Do you think I will change my mind?"
At Baek Mu-seong's question, the Buddhist Venerable smiled faintly.
"Not at all."
"Then why tell me this?"
"Because you are not a child who will blindly obey them."
The Buddhist Venerable already knew Baek Mu-seong had joined the Three Realms—and had guessed that he would not follow them willingly.
'Has he become an old monster?'
Clench.
Baek Mu-seong tightened his fist.
The Buddhist Venerable—he was no longer a saint of the Buddhist Order.
Having lived too long, like a yokai, he had become a specter enslaved by aged desires.
Had it not been so... he would have at least tried to stop him from joining the Three Realms.
At the very least, he would have given him a chance to live as a human.
But as if the fate of his former disciple meant nothing to him—
No, as if he found it amusing—he watched with detached interest.
"So I was just a puppet."
Baek Mu-seong's tone shifted as he lowered his head.
No longer speaking to a man he had once revered, but to an opponent he might meet in the Rivers and Lakes—his voice turned icy and arrogant.
"Very well."
Rip.
He tore his sleeve.
"From today, our master-disciple bond is severed."
Thud.
Tossing the torn fabric at the Buddhist Venerable's feet, he spoke with utmost solemnity.
"You and I have no further ties."
"How pure. You've always been like this."
The Buddhist Venerable sighed deeply.
"In a situation like this, what does a master-disciple bond even matter?"
A cold, ruthless reply.
Baek Mu-seong's body trembled again—not from disappointment or betrayal.
But from emptiness.
He had never truly been a disciple.
Just a consumable—loyal only for the sake of the Buddhist Venerable's plans.
"Thank you."
Baek Mu-seong stared straight at him.
"For cutting away the last lingering attachment I had."
Then he continued.
"And as a final act of gratitude—for once having been your disciple—I came to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Mok Do-in, the Chief of the Forest Pavilion."
Baek Mu-seong spoke calmly.
"The man who oversees the Pratyekabuddha Hall for the Martial Alliance—he is the one who exterminated the Blood Shaolin."
Having joined the Three Realms, he had learned a shocking truth.
Mok Do-in was not just part of the Three Realms—he stood above them.
A messenger for those who maintained the balance of Murim, an enforcer of the Covenant they imposed—
And the very butcher who had slaughtered every last member of the Blood Shaolin.
Because a trace of Baek Mu-seong's former self remained, he had intended to share this truth with the Buddhist Venerable.
"You're still soft-hearted."
The Buddhist Venerable shook his head.
"You must have thought that by telling me this, I might acknowledge you as my disciple once more."
"Is that what you think?"
"Not you—but Baek Mu-seong's true intent."
His gaze, shimmering with an eerie light, fixed on Baek Mu-seong.
"Or perhaps you hoped to pit them against this old monk."
In an instant, the faint smile on Baek Mu-seong's lips vanished completely.
Seeing the Buddhist Venerable's expression, he realized something terrifying.
"You... already knew."
How could the Buddhist Venerable—a living relic of Murim who had lived for two centuries—
Not know the identity of the butcher who destroyed the Blood Shaolin?
"It was the Natural Order. That place was where the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade was raised, after all."
No—the Buddhist Venerable was complicit with the butcher.
He had known the Blood Shaolin would be annihilated—and watched it happen.
"Did you truly believe this old monk would remain ignorant of such things?"
Hearing those words, Baek Mu-seong nearly let out a hollow laugh.
The Buddhist Venerable was no mere old monster.
He had merely worn the mask of a benevolent Buddhist saint—
Beneath it lay a new kind of horror, one Murim had never before witnessed.
"I'll take my leave."
Baek Mu-seong turned away.
"We will never meet again."
But then—
Swish.
Two shadows rose from the ground before him as if sprouting from the earth.
Both wore masks—the left was a muscular man clad in distinctive metal gauntlets, while the right was a young woman carrying twin swords shimmering with an enigmatic glow.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"The new Absolute Demon Saber Project is now nearing completion."
The Buddhist Venerable gestured toward the pair as he spoke.
"To ensure we never repeat the mistakes of the past."
Then, in a low voice, he added:
"Now that you've come this far, show me what you've learned from the Three Realms."
"You wish to gauge the Three Realms' strength through me?"
"Do not worry. I have no intention of killing you."
"Because I was once your disciple?"
"Hardly."
The Buddhist Venerable smiled benevolently.
"Keeping you alive allows me to observe the Three Realms' movements more closely."
Tracking the Three Realms was difficult.
But monitoring the actions of Baek Mu-seong, whom he had raised for so long—that was not.
Even now, still...
The Buddhist Venerable regarded Baek Mu-seong as nothing more than a consumable.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Baek Mu-seong lowered his head—
"HA HA HA HA!"
—then threw it back and roared with laughter toward the sky.
Ever since becoming the Buddhist Venerable's disciple, his entire life had been smothered in lies.
No—there had never been any truth to begin with.
His supposed lineage as a descendant of the Baekri Clan was a fabrication, and even his status as the Buddhist Venerable's disciple was a sham.
Even the martial arts he had learned until now—
Not the Buddhist Venerable's True Body Secret Studies, but a counterfeit, a bastardized imitation of Shaolin's martial techniques.
Crk.
A bone-cracking sound escaped Baek Mu-seong's face.
His skin darkened as if stained by ink, and even the shape of his eyes and the color of his irises began to shift.
Crrk.
Finally, his very physique solidified into something denser.
"Good."
Shhk.
In one fluid motion, he drew the greatsword strapped to his back.
"Then we have nothing left to discuss."
BOOM!
A tremor shook the earth as black fog unfurled in all directions—
—only to be followed by the sound of tearing air as countless forms of sword qi cascaded toward the two figures.
Baek Mu-seong had unleashed his signature Swift Sword Linked-Ring Form.
Clang.
The masked man stepped forward and flicked his metal-gauntleted hand lightly.
In an instant, an imperceptible, formless fist energy erupted outward—its structure and execution eerily reminiscent of Shaolin's Arhat Divine Fist.
KWAANG!
When sword qi and fist energy collided—
A deafening explosion sent razor-sharp shockwaves tearing across the ground, as if lightning had struck from the heavens.
Fwip!
As if by prior agreement, Baek Mu-seong and the man lunged at each other.
Closing the distance, the two engaged in a relentless close-quarters exchange.
Clang clang clang!
Baek Mu-seong's hair bristled like flames as he swung his greatsword, his eyes pouring forth fire hot enough to melt steel.
In contrast, the gauntleted man's gaze was frozen like ice, his movements disciplined to the extreme.
Not a single strand of sword qi escaped his defense—
Each strike was flawlessly parried by his metal-clad hands.
Clang clang clang!
Having blocked the storm of sword qi like rain, the man suddenly splayed his gauntleted fingers.
A sharp gleam shot forth, aimed straight at Baek Mu-seong's chest.
"Hmph."
Baek Mu-seong scoffed and split the light apart.
The chest was the most heavily guarded area for any martial artist—no matter how profound the technique, breaching it was impossible.
BOOM!
Yet in that moment, an explosion sent Baek Mu-seong hurtling backward.
He had clearly defended against the attack—
But suddenly, a piercing pain, as if needles had stabbed into his shoulder blades and ribs, flared through him.
"To move even after exposure to Bone-Piercing True Qi... You've received the Azure River Realm Great Art, I see."
The Buddhist Venerable clicked his tongue, then nodded at the masked woman who had been standing silently.
Immediately, she drew her twin swords.
Shing!
But instead of aiming at Baek Mu-seong, she began slashing wildly at the ground.
Slash! Slash!
With each strike, sharp winds erupted, and blood began seeping from Baek Mu-seong's body.
She wasn't projecting sword qi—
Instead, she was using the earth as a medium to instantly deliver sword qi directly onto her opponent's flesh.
A bizarre technique never before seen in Murim.
Fwsh!
Realizing her method, Baek Mu-seong immediately launched himself into the air.
But the masked man, as if waiting for this, unleashed thirteen consecutive fist strikes like cannonfire.
Even if Baek Mu-seong blocked them, the principles of martial arts dictated he would inevitably suffer losses while midair.
Hssss...
Yet as Baek Mu-seong hovered, a black mist began seeping from his entire body—
SHWAAAA!
—before countless tiny, razor-sharp sword qi rained down like a torrential storm.
The first variation of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms' opening stance—Life Is Temporary Death Is Return.
Shoom.
But then, something strange happened.
The two figures suddenly overlapped, as if merging into a single entity—
FLASH!
—and a light that seemed to erase the world itself burst outward.
When the blinding radiance finally faded—
Thud.
Baek Mu-seong, who had been suspended in the air, crashed to the ground in an instant.
Staggering as he planted his greatsword into the earth, he tried to rise—
Click.
—only for the masked pair to press their weapons against his throat before he could react.
In that moment, the focus in Baek Mu-seong's eyes vanished entirely.
Even after wielding the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—the peerless technique of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang—
...he had been utterly crushed by the two strangers' unfathomable martial arts.