Chapter 840
'No, that can't be.'
Bu Eun-seol immediately shook his head.
No matter how much he thought about it, such a thing was impossible.
Moreover, there was no way to know if that oddity had even existed in the murim.
Wasn't it just concealing its identity under that pitch-black shroud, using some bizarre sorcery-like power?
Flash!
In that instant, as the oddity extinguished the Willful True Binding in one swift motion,
Bu Eun-seol swung his Ink Soul Sword, creating six transformations in midair.
He unleashed the ultimate variation form of Peerless Thunderbolt—Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder.
Thud.
But the oddity perfectly grasped the variations of the Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder technique midair and tore through the sword qi with its bare hands.
Then, raising its claws rigidly,
it unleashed a claw force that seemed ready to rip through Bu Eun-seol's throat.
'Tch.'
Realizing he couldn't possibly evade that strike,
Swish! Swish!
Bu Eun-seol channeled all his combat power to execute the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, layering razor-sharp energy around his body before—
Kaboom!
—detonating it all at once to send the attack back.
The absolute defense form of the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, capable of countering all martial arts—
Utmost Void Rebound.
Boom! Crackle!
Yet it did no damage to the oddity, merely forcing it to stagger back slightly.
Thud!
As the two closed the distance again and resumed their fierce exchange,
the sky lost its light, and a wind strong enough to sweep the entire world howled between them.
When the distance widened, Bu Eun-seol poured forth the Hot River Great Essence True Qi, attempting to melt the oddity's body.
Whoosh.
The Hot River Great Essence True Qi, capable of melting steel and piercing through internal organs with its shockwaves, dissipated upon contact with the oddity's body without even touching it.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
But as if he had been waiting for this, Bu Eun-seol froze the oddity using the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
Unlike the Hot River Great Essence True Qi, the Glacier Thousand Streams Art didn't manifest as true qi, making it impossible to block.
Sssss.
Exposed to the Extreme Yin Qi, the black shadow flickered with a blue light.
Shudder.
After trembling briefly,
it reverted to its original shadowy form in an instant.
'Even a lake would freeze solid instantly under this level of Extreme Yin Qi...'
Cold sweat dripped down Bu Eun-seol's back.
No martial art he used had any effect on the oddity.
No—it wasn't just martial arts. The oddity possessed the ability to nullify any form of attack in an instant.
Slash! Slash!
As time passed, deep wounds began to accumulate on Bu Eun-seol's body.
Now, the only remaining options were the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
And Harmonization.
Swish!
In that moment, a razor-sharp force pierced toward Bu Eun-seol's heart.
The timing was so impeccable that evasion was impossible.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol executed the Great Spirit Ice Body technique from the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
Clang!
With a deafening sound, his body instantly froze solid before being flung back about sixteen meters.
Though the Great Spirit Ice Body prevented his heart from being pierced, the Glacier Thousand Streams Art partially shattered,
leaving shards of ice embedded in his skin.
'This might work...'
Staring at the ice fragments still clinging to his chest, Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled one last method.
The Central Plains' Extreme Yin Ice Art, which he had refrained from using until now.
He remembered the Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy.
Hiss! Hiss!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed his sword and fist techniques wildly, as if swinging them indiscriminately.
Silver currents shot forth like arrows, and wherever they touched the oddity's body, it froze instantly.
The Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy could either unleash transcendent Extreme Yin Qi over vast distances in an instant or be fused with martial techniques.
Swish! Swish!
With every sword and fist technique Bu Eun-seol unleashed, the silver currents spread, freezing the oddity solid before it broke free—only to freeze again.
This delayed the oddity's movements by a beat, allowing Bu Eun-seol to catch his breath.
Or so he thought.
But that was a mistake.
Kaboom!
The oddity's eyes burned even redder,
Rumble.
before suddenly raising both hands toward the sky, beginning to form a massive sphere.
Bu Eun-seol continued pouring forth the Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy, but it no longer had any effect.
Ooom! Ooom!
The sphere only grew more violent, its power seemingly limitless.
What would happen if he let it be?
Eventually, that colossal void of darkness would swallow him, So Ok-rim, and this entire Secret Vault.
'Harmonization is the only way.'
In the end, Bu Eun-seol drew forth every last ounce of power within his body.
Thanks to having obtained the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi,
unlike before, his energy aligned instantly within just three deep breaths.
But in that time, the massive sphere forming above the oddity's head had grown even larger.
'This won't be enough.'
That black sphere the oddity had created—even if he unleashed Harmonization, it wouldn't vanish in an instant.
The Three Divine Powers.
He would have to unify not just all his strength but also the Three Divine Powers to erase that black sphere.
"We can't stop that!"
At that moment, So Ok-rim shouted as she stood beside Bu Eun-seol, unleashing a torrent of overwhelming authority toward the oddity.
"We have to kill it before it finishes, even if we have to combine our attacks!"
Kaboom! Kaboom!
But So Ok-rim's strikes dissipated before they could even reach it.
The oddity didn't lower its hands, still raised to the sky, and the sphere continued expanding.
"This monster!"
A single strike from her could shatter mountains.
Though several bursts of authority struck its body,
the oddity didn't even flinch—instead, it seemed to be laughing.
"Is this the Heavenly Dipper Body?"
So Ok-rim bit her lip.
"How can someone who's reached the Heavenly Dipper Body wield that kind of power?"
"What is that sphere?" Bu Eun-seol asked.
So Ok-rim answered grimly.
"It's the Death Emperor's Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
"Then does that mean this aberration is a descendant of the Death Emperor—the Greatest Assassin of All Time—who was called one of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars?"
"That's the Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow? That's impossible!"
"The original lineage!"
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but make the expression of someone who'd just been struck in the back of the head again.
So then, was this aberration a successor created by one of the Three Pure Realms in the Central Plains?
"We didn't even attempt to reconstruct the Death Emperor's original lineage!" So Ok-rim shouted as she poured out her power. "They said only only the Heavenly Darkness Star could wield that world-ending technique!"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
Heavenly Darkness Star.
Then did that mean this black aberration...
Was the true bearer of the Heavenly Darkness Star destiny—the very reason he himself had been misunderstood all this time?
"Don't just stand there gaping! Attack now! If that thing fully manifests, we're finished!"
As So Ok-rim shouted, she began unleashing the Star Emperor's True Body Fist Art.
BOOM! BOOM!
Despite being pummeled by So Ok-rim's attacks,
The aberration didn't lower its outstretched hand, and the sphere continued growing larger.
"Let's see if it still won't shatter under this!"
BOOM!
A radiant light began spreading from So Ok-rim's body.
Whoooosh—
Simultaneously, countless points of light gathered in both her palms.
Galaxy Severance.
A technique so overwhelmingly powerful it could split not just the heavens but the very galaxy in two.
She was preparing to unleash the Star Emperor's supreme ultimate art.
'No time for thoughts now.'
Suppressing his rising doubts, Bu Eun-seol also mustered every ounce of his strength at once.
Harmonization.
To counter that Death Emperor's ultimate art—no, to block Baekri, the source of that power—he absolutely had to manifest Harmonization.
Zzzzing—
Just as a five-colored radiance was about to erupt from Bu Eun-seol's body amid a low vibration,
The same suspicion from earlier reared its head once more.
'Will Harmonization be enough?'
The aberration's martial arts were undoubtedly the strongest Bu Eun-seol had ever witnessed.
An uneasy thought struck him—perhaps even the Power of Harmony wouldn't be sufficient.
'Can I expand the power further through Wind and Cloud Divine Energy?'
Thanks to obtaining the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy, he could now manifest Harmonization faster than before, even consecutively three times.
If he utilized the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy now,
Could he amplify Harmonization's power or extend its range? The thought bordered on madness.
'I'll try.'
The moment he attempted to expand his prearranged Harmonization using the Wind and Cloud Divine Energy—
Splurt!
His skin split open, and blood gushed out.
In his impatience to instantly defeat the aberration, his attempt to amplify Harmonization's power had failed.
"HYAAH!"
At that moment, millions of starlight particles began pouring from So Ok-rim's hands.
Galaxy Severance had finally been unleashed.
KOOOOM!
Simultaneously, the massive black sphere descended toward Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim's heads.
'This isn't the time to experiment!'
Eyes blazing with released energy, Bu Eun-seol mustered every last drop of his power once more.
A five-colored radiance erupted from his entire body.
He had manifested Harmonization through his original method.
FLASH! FWOOOOSH!
A Grandmaster of the Demonic Path who'd reached the pinnacle of Practical Combat Martial Arts.
And the successor of the Three Pure Realms who inherited the Baekri Clan's power—both unleashed their supreme ultimate arts simultaneously.
THOOM.
With a dull impact, the black sphere halted midair upon colliding with their martial power.
Oooom... Oooom...
With the colossal sphere at the center,
Bu Eun-seol, So Ok-rim, and the aberration now pushed against each other in a contest of strength.
Twitch-twitch-thump.
A sound like tendons protruding from the aberration's black shadow rang out as—
KOOOOM—
The black sphere began advancing toward Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim again.
"Ghhh—"
Both gritted their teeth.
The Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow's power—capable of annihilating all existence—had transformed under their martial arts into something resembling a rebounding force.
Now both sides poured their energy outward in a desperate shoving match.
"Uuuugh..."
So Ok-rim clenched her jaw.
If they lost this contest?
Her body would be swallowed by that black sphere without a trace.
Oooom... Oooom...
But the aberration's power amplified endlessly, soon surpassing the combined might of Harmonization and Galaxy Severance.
"I can't... hold on... any longer..."
So Ok-rim groaned.
Though her martial arts were extraordinary,
She hadn't yet reached Bu Eun-seol's level of internal energy cultivated over ten sixty-year cycles or fully transcended the Extreme Heaven Realm.
No matter how fiercely she pushed with Galaxy Severance,
The sphere forged from Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow didn't budge. As it pressed closer,
The mounting pressure began rupturing her internal organs.
When the sphere loomed inches from her face—
Drip-drip.
Blood trickled from So Ok-rim's nose.
Fwooosh—
Witnessing this, another five-colored radiance bloomed from Bu Eun-seol's body.
With So Ok-rim facing death,
He began manifesting another Harmonization mid-struggle.
FLASH!
When the layered Harmonization activated, astonishingly, the colossal sphere shrank by more than half.
Splurt!
But the counterforce split Bu Eun-seol's skin anew, blood seeping from the wounds.
Undaunted, he unleashed another Harmonization.
FLASH!
As his body flared again, the sphere dwindled to the size of a large boulder.
His martial prowess had ascended to abyssal levels—thanks to obtaining the Three Divine Powers,
His body could withstand layered Harmonization without bursting.
'Is this my limit?'
But that was all.
After consecutively manifesting Harmonization three times, scalding heat erupted from his core.
Excruciating pain spread as his entire body's skin threatened to tear apart.
"Ugh..."
Even as the sphere's power weakened, So Ok-rim let out a pained groan, her complexion ghastly pale. She had already been pushed past her limits moments ago.
'At this rate, she'll die.'
Dark crimson blood now trickled from So Ok-rim's lips as well. If this continued, her organs would rupture before the Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow could kill her.
'I'll stake everything on this!'
Bu Eun-seol began gathering Harmonization once more. Originally, he had determined that three consecutive activations of Harmonization were his absolute limit. This wasn't mere speculation—it was the calculated physical threshold of a Grandmaster of Martial Arts with extraordinary insight. Yet to save So Ok-rim, he was prepared to gamble his life and surpass that limit again.
Skkkrt!
As he forced another surge of Harmonization, the sound of tearing flesh accompanied his robes becoming drenched in blood. His skin split open, gushing blood from the wounds. Yet Bu Eun-seol's expression remained unshaken as he relentlessly aligned the forces within his body.
Drip... drip...
Just as blood began trickling from the corners of his eyes—
Zzzzzzing!
A radiant five-colored light erupted from his entire body. Harmonization had unfolded once more.
Flash! Whooooosh!
With this final surge of Harmonization, the black sphere completely dissipated, engulfing the oddity's entire form.
Thud!
The oddity, visibly startled, executed the Qi-Piercing Ascent to evade the light.
"Now!" Bu Eun-seol shouted.
So Ok-rim, sensing the crushing pressure vanish completely, snapped back to full awareness.
"HAAAAAP!"
With a thunderous battle cry, she unleashed the Galaxy Severance technique—which she had been unable to fully unleash until now—directly at the oddity.
Flash! KABOOOM!
A massive light aura spanning dozens of yards enveloped the oddity's body, followed by an earth-shattering explosion that painted the sky with apocalyptic brilliance.
Rumble...
For a brief moment, the world plunged into darkness, and the once-beautiful scenery vanished instantly. The ground fractured like spiderwebs, shaking violently as if struck by an earthquake.
When the sky finally regained its color—
Thump.
A dull impact echoed as a black shadow descended from the heavens and landed heavily on the ground. The oddity, previously shrouded in darkness, now had half its face and upper body exposed in stark white from the Galaxy Severance's effects.
"Dammit! That monster!" So Ok-rim cried out in despair. "It's still alive!"
Despite being struck by the Galaxy Severance, the oddity showed no significant injuries. It merely stared down at Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim with indifferent eyes.
'That thing...'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened to their limits.
The half of the face restored to its original color by the Galaxy Severance—it wasn't a monster at all. Long, flowing hair, dragon-like majestic eyes, irises dyed the hue of the Azure Sky... an exceedingly handsome middle-aged man.
"Jeong Cheon-je!" Bu Eun-seol shouted.
The oddity, once cloaked in blackness, was none other than the man believed to be dead—Jeong Cheon-je, Shin Do-mu-bi!
"Jeong Cheon-je?" So Ok-rim blinked rapidly in disbelief. "You're saying that guy is the Martial Alliance Chief, Shin Do-mu-bi?"
"Uuuugh..."
But the oddity—no, Jeong Cheon-je—seemed to only now realize half his face had been exposed. His expression twisted in agony as he swiftly covered it again.
Crack. Thud.
Simultaneously, his body convulsed, and the revealed half of his face began darkening once more.
"Chief Shin Do!"
Even as Bu Eun-seol called out, Jeong Cheon-je's gaze wasn't fixed on him—but on the Moonglow Sword in his grasp. For a fleeting moment, the madness lurking in the shadows of his darkened form faded, replaced by something unmistakably human in his eyes.
"Jeong Cheon-je, is it really you?"
"OOOOH!"
Instead of answering, Jeong Cheon-je suddenly released a deafening roar. The prolonged cry carried not only immense internal energy but also a violent shockwave that instantly pulverized every tree and blade of grass within dozens of yards.
"Guh—!"
As Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim winced from the force—
Flash!
In a burst of blinding light, Jeong Cheon-je vanished without a trace.
"Chief Shin Do!"
Bu Eun-seol leaped into the air, unleashing the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi at full power, attempting to trace the remnants of Jeong Cheon-je's movement technique and pursue him. Yet no matter how far he spread his divine energy, not a single trace of the man's passage could be detected. He had disappeared like a ghost.
"Hah..."
Bu Eun-seol stared emptily at the distant sky. Jeong Cheon-je, Shin Do-mu-bi—not only was he alive, but he had also achieved martial prowess surpassing even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor? Just what kind of absurdity was this?
"What the hell?" So Ok-rim approached him, demanding answers. "That guy was Jeong Cheon-je? Seriously?"
"Yes."
"That makes no sense!" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "How can the Number One of the Righteous Path wield the origin power of the Death Emperor?"
The martial art Jeong Cheon-je had displayed was the supreme technique of the Death Emperor—one of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—the Four Emperors' Boundless Bloodwind Shadow, refined to its primordial essence. Moreover, the Three Pure Realms had never even possessed the Death Emperor's martial arts to begin with.
"Anyone else, fine—but the so-called 'Heaven of the Righteous Path' shouldn't be capable of this!"
"I don't know either." Bu Eun-seol clutched his forehead and slumped to the ground. No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't comprehend why this had happened. "Perhaps... he escaped Martial Venerable's schemes only to become a puppet of the Three Realms."
Regaining his composure, Bu Eun-seol explained to So Ok-rim everything he knew about Martial Venerable and Jeong Cheon-je.
So-okrim, who had been listening silently, wore an expression of disbelief.
"That's impossible."
At her words, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and shook his head.
Truthfully, he knew it too.
Even if the Heavenly Emperor had lost his Internal Power and suffered injuries—
There was no way someone like him could have been captured and turned into a puppet by the likes of the Three Realms.
Even if, by some one-in-ten-million probability,
the Three Realms had managed to restrain the Heavenly Emperor himself and turned him into a puppet...
There was no way they would use a Master of his caliber in such a manner.