Chapter 860
"What do you mean, I am that person's bloodline?"
The Old Man seemed not to hear Bu Eun-seol's words. Staring blankly into the void, he sank deep into thought before murmuring:
"Man-wol..."
Only now did he seem to realize something, letting out a sigh as he whispered to himself.
"So that child shattered her life-bound treasure, exposing her power..."
This time, even Man-wol's name was mentioned.
But Bu Eun-seol couldn't regain his composure—not when the word that person had been uttered.
"Answer me! Surely you don't mean the True Demon?"
When Bu Eun-seol pressed him urgently, the Old Man nodded.
"Indeed. Young Master, you are of that one's bloodline."
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol felt as though he had been struck on the back of the head.
'I'm a descendant of the True Demon?'
There was no way the Old Man would lie, not when he was on the verge of death.
But how could he be the True Demon's descendant?
Hadn't it been said that the True Demon was a transcendent being who remembered every cycle of reincarnation?
If he had been sealed away by the Baekri Clan, how could he have left behind a bloodline?
"This old servant should have stopped it at all costs..."
The Old Man gazed at Bu Eun-seol, his eyes unfocused.
"But he wished for it so desperately... I couldn't bring myself to interfere."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize that not only was the Old Man's mind clouded, but he was also fixated on some memory, deeply traumatized.
'If his thoughts are this fragmented...'
At last, Bu Eun-seol noticed a faint wound near the crown of the Old Man's head—the Hundred Meetings Acupoint.
That acupoint was a crucial node along the Governing Vessel Meridian, closely linked to consciousness, focus, reasoning, and speech.
'Someone deliberately damaged the Old Man's Hundred Meetings Acupoint, leaving his mind incomplete.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
To intentionally injure the Hundred Meetings Acupoint of a terrifying Master like this Old Man...
Only a supremely powerful Master, one capable of dominating the entire martial world, could have done such a thing.
"In the end, it led to betraying our lord... but it was never born of personal greed."
With vacant eyes, the Old Man slowly rose to his feet and bowed deeply.
"The sin of failing to serve even you, Young Master... I shall atone for it in the Underworld."
"Wait—"
Bu Eun-seol called out urgently, but—
Thud.
With those final words, the Old Man abruptly breathed his last.
He had cast a spell at the cost of his life and been struck by the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
That he had managed to speak at all was nothing short of a miracle.
"Old Man! Old Man!"
Bu Eun-seol frantically tried to infuse him with internal energy and the Three Divine Powers, but—
The Old Man had already turned cold, his face frozen in an expression of regret.
A silence as deep as death filled the chamber.
Bu Eun-seol's vision darkened. His stomach twisted, and he felt bile rising in his throat.
"I need to pull myself together."
He took several deep breaths.
As he steadied his mind, an unstoppable flood of questions surged through his thoughts.
"So... does that mean there's a clan of the True Demon, like the Baekri Clan?"
It was possible.
Since the True Demon was born in human form and cycles through the Wheel of Reincarnation...
Then of course he could have established a clan. He could have left descendants.
No—he must have.
Blood kin were the strongest allies one could have.
Especially when his Servants—the Three Attendants, the Four Divine Heavens, and the Eight Heavenly Servants—were all bound by the Baekri Clan's Restrictive Seals.
He would have needed to create a bloodline.
"So that's why you didn't want to fight."
Bu Eun-seol never shied away from battle, whether his opponent was an old man or a child.
He welcomed the challenge of powerful foes.
Yet even as this Old Man attacked indiscriminately, intent on killing him without hesitation...
For some reason, Bu Eun-seol hadn't wanted to kill him.
"Does that mean I'm of the True Demon's bloodline, and that Old Man was a retainer of his clan?"
Muttering to himself, Bu Eun-seol suddenly recalled the Old Man's earlier soliloquy.
—So that child shattered her life-bound treasure, exposing her power...
He had come here searching for Wang Su.
But it was only because of that mysterious light shooting into the sky that he had been able to enter this vault.
And if that light... had ultimately been Man-wol's doing?
"It must be."
If the Old Man's words were true, if his own deductions were correct...
Then all of this had been orchestrated by her.
And likely... it was to indirectly inform him that he was of the True Demon's bloodline.
"But."
Why hadn't she told him directly?
Why did she always hide things from him, never speaking plainly?
"A Restrictive Seal."
All of the True Demon's Servants were bound by seals.
Given that every one of the Eight Heavenly Servants was under such a seal, the same likely applied to the Four Divine Heavens and the Three Attendants.
Perhaps Man-wol, too, was one of the True Demon's Servants—and very likely bound by some kind of seal.
"And she was just a Shadow, too."
According to the memories within the treasure, Man-wol wasn't the real one—just a Shadow. There was someone else designated as the true version.
Meaning that she, too, could one day have everything taken from her and be killed.
"Was this Man-wol Young Lady's message to me?"
To convey the truth of his origins—something no one else could confirm—
She must have used this Old Man, a retainer of the True Demon's clan, to deliver the message.
"But."
Even now, he couldn't discern Man-wol's true intentions.
But the fact that she had inherited mysterious power through a member of the True Demon's clan,
and was now aiding him—that was all he knew.
"Perhaps she was telling me that I, too, am a shadow."
If there existed a secret method capable of containing two abilities within one vessel,
if it were possible to divide a single person's power into two—
then such a thing might have happened to the True Demon as well.
"Does that mean I am the True Demon's shadow?"
In the past, this realization would have shocked him.
But now, whether he was of the Baekri Clan or the True Demon's bloodline no longer mattered.
He had long since resolved to cast aside all curiosity about his origins.
Ever since Ak Mu-ryeong told him that he was a shadow meant to protect the descendants of the Baekri Clan.
Ever since he learned that he had been the one who shattered his grandfather's peace.
Even the faintest trace of longing or sentimentality for his bloodline had been completely discarded.
"I am... simply my grandfather's grandson."
Creeeak.
At that moment, an eerie sound echoed from all directions.
While lost in deep thought,
the interior of the Secret Vault had melted like molten taffy, collapsing in on itself.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently observing the fallen old man, spoke in a low voice.
"Since this place seems like a fine tomb, I'll take my leave."
Rumble.
As he stepped outside, the cave concealed by the Absolute Boundary crumbled away.
With the old man's death, the power sustaining the place had vanished entirely.
Once outside, the shattered remnants of the boundary revealed a tranquil lake.
"Heavy Water."
It was the very pond the Death Soul Squad had reported—a pool formed of Heavy Water.
[So-yo. Contact the Unit Members. Have the Fleeting Moment Boat retrieve the Heavy Water.]
[Understood.]
As he activated the Thousand-Li Voice Transmission, So-yo's quiet voice responded with a soft pat.
She had momentarily left to relay the orders to the Death Soul Squad.
He gazed briefly at the distant sky.
"Already half a month has passed."
A time that could feel both long and short.
Of the two months Man-wol had predicted, only about forty days remained.
If he failed to resolve the matter of the Executioner within this timeframe—
he would no longer be able to align himself with either the Demon Hall or the Azure Heaven Alliance.
"There's no more time to waste."
The illustrated book he had seen in the Ten Thousand Demonic Secret Archive—
it contained records of the Executioners passed down through the ages in the martial world,
along with the hidden location of the sages' refuge.
—The sages dwell in the mountain where the lake reflects...
—Layered and wrapped in silk.
He had dismissed it as mere legend at first.
But through Man-wol's arrangements, he had become certain.
She had known he would come here.
That all these trials had been orchestrated—
that she had urged him to steady his heart and complete his tasks—
all of it had been part of her design for his sake.
Whoosh!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Qi-Piercing Ascent, propelling himself skyward in a single leap.
At last, he set off for Stacked Brocade Mountain in Guilin—
where legend said the sages had hidden themselves away.
Stacked Brocade Mountain.
This famed peak bore a striking resemblance to layers of colorful silk piled atop one another.
Having arrived in a single breath, Bu Eun-seol swiftly began combing through its depths.
Given that the elusive sages had deliberately concealed themselves, finding them would be no easy feat.
But thanks to his relentless experience in uncovering hidden vaults and boundaries—
almost disappointingly easily—
he located their hidden sanctuary without much difficulty.
"Do the sages also use an Absolute Boundary?"
The area where they were presumed to reside was protected by a formation strikingly similar to the Absolute Boundary employed by the Three Clans.
Bu Eun-seol reluctantly prepared to invoke the Three Divine Powers.
But strangely—
Unlike ordinary boundaries, as he drew closer, the structure of the formation became visible.
And astonishingly, lines from the book began manifesting on the ground.
"Does the Formation-Breaking Art have a connection to these verses?"
The phrase "Layered and wrapped in silk "—
"Layered" implied a repeating structure, while "wrapped" signified encirclement.
In other words, the formation itself was built upon layers upon layers.
"Then what if I erase one stroke from the character meaning 'layered'?"
Bu Eun-seol removed one "layer" from the character.
Immediately, the densely stacked boundary seemed to weaken.
So the method to dismantle the formation lay in deciphering the verses.
"Analyzing the character for 'sage' —it consists of 'shell' and 'subject'.
'Subject' depicts one looking downward—indicating the formation's orientation.
'Shell' symbolizes wealth—meaning the core components of the formation."
Bu Eun-seol began deconstructing the characters, rearranging and reassembling their elements.
"'The mountain where the lake reflects ' hints at a symmetrical structure—
the mountain mirrored in the lake—suggesting the formation is built upon symmetry."
Bu Eun-seol flipped the characters as if reflecting them in a mirror.
Then, hidden script began to surface, revealing blank spaces below—
as if demanding something to be filled in.
"This time, it wants the strokes of the characters converted into numerical combinations."
Bu Eun-seol tirelessly calculated—
the structure, arrangement, symmetry,
even the stroke count of each emerging character.
Zzzing—
At last, as the entire formation unraveled, a brilliant light erupted from all sides—
revealing an astonishing sight.
The Sage Forest lived up to its name—
a lush woodland where emerald rivers flowed like unrolled silk,
and verdant foliage thrived in abundance.
Following a narrow path inward, he was met with the fragrance of blooming flowers—
and at the end of the fragrant trail, a secluded village came into view.
The place was lush with greenery, sunlight filtering softly through the leaves, and the air was filled with birdsong.
It was the very image of a Peach Blossom Paradise.
"Huh."
But just then, accompanied by a sigh—
A middle-aged man with piercing, gleaming eyes suddenly appeared before Bu Eun-seol as if from nowhere.
He wore the robes of a Taoist hermit,
his gaze sharp as blades, his entire body radiating an unfathomable, mystical energy.
At a glance, he was clearly no ordinary person—a figure brimming with profound wisdom.
"I—"
"To have so easily unraveled the boundary formation and entered, you must have seen the Scripture of All Methods."
'Scripture of All Methods?'
Bu Eun-seol paused briefly before answering calmly.
"I saw an illustrated book with drawings in it."
"That is the Scripture of All Methods."
But most of the illustrated book had been damaged, leaving no clear method for dismantling the formation.
Had the middle-aged man known that Bu Eun-seol had simply reasoned his way through it—he would have leaped up in shock.
Instead, the man let out a deep sigh.
"So, in the end... the forest's demise has come."
Bu Eun-seol tilted his head slightly.
"By 'the forest,' you mean—"
"You truly know nothing, yet you've entered this place?"
The middle-aged Taoist spoke evenly.
"This is none other than the Sage Forest."
Sage Forest.
A mysterious martial sect passed down through generations of the martial world, where sages gathered.
Yet they had long withdrawn from the world, and for the past thirty years, they had vanished entirely—as if they had never existed.
And this was the Sage Forest?
"Who are you?"
"I am..."
Bu Eun-seol hesitated.
He couldn't decide whether to reveal his true identity.
"I am Seok Gyeong-ja, the gatekeeper of this forest."
The middle-aged man—Seok Gyeong-ja—declared his identity with an indifferent expression.
"And in this forest, one cannot enter without truthfully declaring their identity."
His sharp eyes bore into Bu Eun-seol as he spoke.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
The Scripture of All Methods had been stored in the Myriad Demon Treasury Pavilion.
But judging by Seok Gyeong-ja's demeanor, his gaze, and the very nature of the Sage Forest—this was a sect that walked the path of righteousness.
'They may harbor deep enmity toward the Demonic Path.'
"I am—"
"If you intend to lie, go ahead and try."
Seok Gyeong-ja's voice was calm.
"Sooner or later, the truth will be exposed."
This man was the gatekeeper of the Sage Forest.
As he said, lying was impossible—and even if attempted, it would never hold.
'Then I need only avoid lying, no?'
When he thought about it—titles like Martial Soul Lord or Peak Leader weren't his true identity.
He was simply his grandfather's grandson.
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang, is my grandfather."
After much deliberation, he spoke the truth.
Above all else, his grandfather—contrary to the martial world's perception—had done countless good deeds in secret.
If he had to reveal his identity without deception, then being the grandson of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade was the most honest answer.
"What?"
But contrary to his expectations—
Seok Gyeong-ja's body suddenly trembled, his eyelids twitching violently.
"You—the grandson of that demon?!"
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol realized his mistake.
It was true that his grandfather had secretly roamed the martial world, performing many good deeds.
But to most, his legacy was one thing and one thing only—
The Great Killing Star, a man who had slaughtered countless lives. Nothing more, nothing less.
"What wrong has my grandfather committed?"
"What wrong?!"
Rage surged in Seok Gyeong-ja's eyes.
"Do you not know why this forest was forced into seclusion in such a remote place? Did that demon never tell you?!"
His face twisted in anguish as he shouted.
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade—that man butchered every sage in the martial world, and even that wasn't enough—!"
"..."
"The spirit beasts, the spiritual herbs—even the sacred lands themselves—he obliterated them all!"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened in shock.
Why would his grandfather have eradicated the sages, the herbs, the spirit beasts?
'Was that... Grandfather's doing?'
For decades, the martial world had struggled to find even a trace of spirit beasts—as if their very lineage had dried up.
Creatures like the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Tortoise or the Red-Crowned Divine Crane—
The Thousand-Year Fire Carp, the One-Horned Flower Python, the Three-Eyed Golden Toad—all the rare spirit beasts once found throughout the martial world had vanished as if evaporated overnight.
And Grandfather was responsible for that?
"Surely there's some misunderstanding. My grandfather would never—"
Instead of answering, Seok Gyeong-ja tore open his robes, exposing his chest.
There, a deep, blood-blackened scar remained.
The mark of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"He slaughtered spirit beasts across the martial world, harvesting only their Internal Cores—and when even that wasn't enough, he massacred the sages of this forest without end."
His expression was one of utter devastation.
"I was there—overseeing the forest's scripture archive when it happened. Had I not mastered the Heaven-Restoring Great Rescue Art... I would have long since wandered the Nine Heavens in death."
Bu Eun-seol could say nothing.
During his grandfather's days in the martial world, he had worn two faces.
One—the Great Killing Star of the Demonic Path, who had mercilessly slaughtered the masters of the orthodox and unorthodox factions alike.
The other—the Renowned Chivalrous Hero of the righteous path, who had secretly wandered the martial world, performing countless good deeds.
But who could have imagined that to the people of the Sage Forest—he had shown only the most brutal face of the Killing Star?
"But for his grandson to come seeking the Sage Forest... This must be a chance bestowed by heaven."
Whoosh.
As Seok Gyeong-ja stretched out his hand, a faint light began to flow around Bu Eun-seol's feet.
At the same time, an overwhelming pressure surged forth, so dense it stifled even the act of breathing.
Massive walls began rising from all directions.
It was a mystical formation worthy of the name Sage Forest.
'Hmm.'
Seok Gyeong-ja vanished, and Bu Eun-seol, now trapped in a vast space with no exit, let out a soft sigh.
'But if one understands the intricacies of orthodox martial arts, dismantling this formation isn't impossible.'
Unfortunately, the formations laid here were designed solely to suppress masters of the Demonic Path, saturated with an energy that stifled demonic martial arts.
And Bu Eun-seol was not only versed in demonic martial arts—he had also mastered orthodox techniques.
Moreover, his intellect was so sharp and perceptive that the Sage Forest's formation posed little challenge.
'First, I'll enter and attempt conversation again.'
The moment Bu Eun-seol channeled his internal power—
Shiiik—shiiik!
A razor-sharp surge of energy whirled violently before—
Ssssrak.
Like leaves rustling in the wind, the overlapping layers of the formation unraveled in an instant.
Bu Eun-seol had employed the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, dismantling the formation in a single stroke.
Hwaak.
As the formation dissolved, Seok Gyeong-ja's figure reappeared before him.
"Truly, the grandson of that demon!"
Startled, Seok Gyeong-ja swiftly drew a banner from his robes and swung it wildly, producing a chaotic whoosh-whoosh sound.
In response, grotesque shadows began stepping forward.
'This is—'
Bu Eun-seol was somewhat taken aback.
Wasn't this the same abomination—the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man—that Chu-so had once used to capture Gongson Dan-gyeong?
'But this one is made from a real person.'
Originally, the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man was an artificial combat puppet crafted from the bones of vengeful spirits, animal blood, and other materials through esoteric Taoist arts.
However, that method had long been lost.
Evidently, the Sage Forest had created a new version—one based on living humans, capable of unleashing terrifying power.
'Chu-so... That man surpassed even the sages.'
Chu-so had constructed his Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men from inanimate objects.
That alone proved his wisdom far exceeded even that of the Sage Forest.
Shiririk—
In the blink of an eye, the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man moved at such speed it became nearly invisible, lunging at Bu Eun-seol as if to tear him apart.
'Hmm.'
Yet Bu Eun-seol only sighed in mild exasperation.
The Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man's martial arts and movement techniques were formidable—so much so that even the superlative martial experts of the Murim would struggle to defend against them.
But this, too... was a technique specialized solely to counter demonic martial arts.
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, it was an attack so laughable it could make him yawn.
'Their hatred for the Demonic Path must reach the heavens.'
The Sage Forest had defined only demonic practitioners as their enemies, crafting all their martial arts and formations—
Exclusively to counter the Grand Perfection of demonic techniques.
'No choice.'
Pa-ang!
Bu Eun-seol gathered his internal energy and locked eyes with the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man.
Flash!
A blinding white light erupted continuously from his fingertips.
The Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man's body was harder than steel, and its movements were swift as lightning.
No matter how powerful the martial art used against it, felling such a foe would normally be near impossible.
But this puppet, which wielded only techniques designed to counter demonic martial arts—
To Bu Eun-seol, it looked no more threatening than a child running toward him with arms wide open.
Flash!
Extending his index and middle fingers in rapid succession, he unleashed finger-blades.
Thud-thud.
One by one, the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men collapsed to the ground.
He had employed the Quick Sword Form, blending the principles of Extreme Speed and the Silk-Winding Principle, targeting only their joints.
Crash! Thud-thud!
With every motion of his hand, the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men toppled like stalks of wheat.
Yet even then, Bu Eun-seol refrained from shattering their joints entirely, holding back just enough—
To ensure their lives were spared, leaving them only temporarily immobilized.
"The Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men... defeated so effortlessly?"
Seok Gyeong-ja's eyes bulged.
Had Bu Eun-seol been an aged, imposing Great Demon of the Demonic Path—
He might not have been so shocked to see the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men dispatched with ease.
But for a man not yet thirty—
To swat them aside like bothersome flies, effortlessly felling puppets with Diamond Bodies?
"You claim to be Bu Jan-yang's grandson, yet you wield orthodox martial arts?!"
Seok Gyeong-ja finally realized—Bu Eun-seol had dismantled the formation and defeated the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Men—
Not with demonic martial arts, but with orthodox techniques.
"My grandfather..."
Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth to speak but found no words.
To the outside world, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang was—
A notorious assassin who slaughtered masters of both orthodox and unorthodox paths without reason.
The only reason he had never been branded an Enemy of the Murim was—
The sheer number of demonic martial artists who revered him made him untouchable.
Given that the Sage Forest had been nearly annihilated by his grandfather, their hatred and thirst for vengeance had to pierce the heavens.
Thud-thud.
But then—from behind Seok Gyeong-ja—
An old man emerged, leading dozens of men.
His eyebrows drooped like willow branches, his hair white as bleached roots.
Though his skin was as gnarled as ancient bark, his eyes were deep, clear as a child's.
"Forest Lord."
Seok Gyeong-ja hastily bowed in deference.
This white-haired elder was none other than the Forest Lord of the Sage Forest—Gwi-jin-ja.
"That man is—"
As Seok Gyeong-ja pointed at Bu Eun-seol, Gwi-jin-ja raised a hand to silence him.
"I heard. The grandson of Bu Jan-yang."
"Yes."
Gwi-jin-ja drew a deep breath, then nodded.
"Bring him inside."