Chapter 922
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated his movement technique and fled Chengdu.
As he raced through the quiet outskirts, he came to a stop upon spotting a vast reed field in the distance.
Zzziiing.
Then, he felt an unmistakably blatant gaze fixed upon him from straight ahead.
Whoooosh.
A gust of wind blew, scattering pale dust into the air.
Crunch, crunch.
Parting through the swirling dust, a tall figure clad in white robes slowly emerged.
The man's skin was an eerie, unnatural red, and his hair was dyed crimson like flickering flames.
His eyes were calm, almost indifferent.
Yet the swirling red energy at the corners of his gaze exuded an unsettling, sinister aura.
It was a presence both alien and bizarre—something Bu Eun-seol had never encountered before.
'Did he enhance his martial prowess through an artificial Great Art?'
The man's appearance felt unnatural and grotesque, reminiscent of when Bu Eun-seol had fought Yuk Jang-cheon.
"Martial Soul Lord."
Creeeak.
The man tilted his neck unnaturally, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Even if you've reached the Martial Extreme Realm, today will be the day of your funeral."
"So the Same Heart Society shares the same sentiment."
Bu Eun-seol scoffed, immediately grasping the situation.
"You wanted to test the true extent of my power, is that it?"
Huuuum.
Instead of answering, the man raised his left palm. A distinct flame took shape in his hand.
Flame Emperor.
It was the Extreme Yang Martial Arts once wielded by a master of the Three Realms who had sought to conquer the North Sea Ice Palace—the same martial art Bu Eun-seol had first encountered among the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
Bzzzzzt.
But there was one difference: the man's flames were not red. They were transparent.
Flash!
As the fire in the man's palm grew larger, Bu Eun-seol instantly unleashed the Waning Moon Morning Star form, sending forth a massive cross-shaped sword qi.
Sssss.
The man wrapped the transparent flames around his body like protective astral energy, and the sword qi dissipated the moment it made contact.
BOOM!
This time, Bu Eun-seol used the Heavenly Hand Empty Wave—the most explosive single-strike technique among the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon.
But the result was the same.
The moment it touched the Flame Emperor energy enveloping the man's body, it vanished without a trace.
"Entertaining."
The man, shrouded in transparent flames, clasped his hands behind his back and taunted Bu Eun-seol.
"Show me your strongest attack. I won't dodge a single one."
Swish.
Instead of responding, Bu Eun-seol extended his left hand.
Fwoosh. Rumble...
At once, the scattered rocks and wood fragments around them began floating into the air.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The debris rose skyward, spreading at terrifying speed.
A formation that no one could see through from the outside.
A barrier that would not lift until one of them lay dead—the Life-and-Death Combat Formation.
The Life-and-Death Combat Formation had been deployed.
Zzziiing.
Once completed, a transparent barrier enclosed the area within a three-hundred-foot radius.
In the past, it would have taken him half a quarter-hour to set up, but now, Bu Eun-seol could activate it in a single breath.
"Let's begin."
Whoooosh.
Bu Eun-seol thrust his fist forward, and a crimson flash erupted.
BOOM!
The man staggered from the impact.
A punch faster than sound compressed the air, generating not just a shockwave but extreme pressure and scorching heat.
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol unleashed eighty-one strikes at the man, who still stood with his hands behind his back.
It was the flawless fusion of the Water Flows and Clouds Fill the Sky Form—used by the Fist King, Seok Chi-haeng—and the Forgetting Self and Shattering Together technique.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shockwaves and flashes of light shook heaven and earth, yet the man completely nullified every strike.
This was not the Flame Emperor's martial arts as known in the Martial World.
It was not a martial art that killed with scorching heat—but an absolute martial art that could evaporate all incoming force in an instant.
'Is this the origin of the Baekri Clan's power?'
It was said that the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, who had descended into the Martial World, were divided into eleven manifestations of the Baekri Clan's Manifestation Art Energy.
And the energy this man wielded now seemed to be its very source.
Click.
Bu Eun-seol sheathed Ink Soul Sword back into its scabbard.
Flash!
Spotting an opening in the man's stance, he unleashed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form at extreme speed.
As if the entire world were being sucked into a single point, a crimson streak tore through space.
Screeeech!
But the red-hot Ink Soul Sword merely scraped against the Flame Emperor energy pouring from the man's body.
It failed to sever his neck.
Whirl!
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol spun the blade, altering his sword form. A freezing coldness, sharp as a needle, enveloped the man in a storm of razor-thin sword qi.
He had unleashed the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan technique imbued with Ice Essence Snow Blossom Energy.
Tsk. Tssssk.
Though over a hundred and eighty sword energies—capable of freezing even a lake in an instant—engulfed the man's body in the blink of an eye...
Hiss.
They evaporated without even piercing through the Flame Emperor energy.
Zzzzing.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol halted his movement, the tip of his Ink Soul Sword still extended toward the man's brow.
He intended to use the principles of Heat Flows Unhindered and Flowing Fire Knows No Bounds from the Ultimate Fire Wheel Energy to directly scorch the man's internal organs.
Sizzle.
But flames erupted from the man's body, instantly dissipating even the power of the Ultimate Fire Wheel Energy Bu Eun-seol had unleashed.
From then on, Bu Eun-seol unleashed every martial art he knew, even expelling the Extreme Poison stored within his body—yet in the end, he still failed to breach the Flame Emperor energy.
"A hodgepodge."
As Bu Eun-seol's assault ceased, the man casually threw a single punch.
Hiss.
Each time the man's fist lashed out, Bu Eun-seol's body shuddered violently.
The transparent Flame Emperor energy pierced through all his defenses, searing into his meridians as if to melt them away.
Oom.
Bu Eun-seol shifted tactics, projecting his internal energy outward to envelop the man's body.
Rumble.
The earth trembled, and the man's legs began sinking into the ground as if being buried alive.
He was pouring ten cycles' worth of internal energy into pinning the man's body deep into the earth.
Hiss.
Yet the Flame Emperor energy effortlessly dissolved even the immense internal energy Bu Eun-seol was expending.
'I expected as much.'
Flash!
At that moment, a radiant brilliance erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body.
The ultimate power he could unleash—
Harmonization, unleashed in an instant.
Whoooosh.
Before the man could even react, he was swallowed whole by the luminous aura.
The reason Bu Eun-seol had used his internal energy to pin the man into the earth was simple—
To ensure Harmonization would not miss.
To lock the man's movements in place for the briefest of moments.
Sssss.
As the light faded, the world regained its colors.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened in disbelief.
The man stood perfectly unharmed, exactly where he had been.
'He can even block Harmonization...?'
Until now, Harmonization had been an absolute force.
Hadn't it even obliterated the Death Emperor's supreme technique—the very strike the Heavenly Sovereign had unleashed as his decisive blow when they entered the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault?
Yet this man had withstood it with nothing but Flame Emperor energy?
"Was this your final gamble?"
The man curled his lips into a faint smile, as if sensing the tremor in Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind.
"No martial art you wield will work."
He spread his arms wide with pride.
"Because none of them will ever reach me."
The Flame Emperor energy, having reached the Ultimate Principle—
Possessed the ability to nullify any force.
"Right. Of course."
Yet Bu Eun-seol, in turn, smiled.
The truth was, he had been holding back this entire time—restraining himself from combining his myriad powers.
Because fighting like that would stifle the development of his martial arts.
Because it would make killing his enemies far too easy.
"You're still playing around?"
At the man's scoff, Bu Eun-seol snorted.
"Not playing. I haven't even started yet."
"What?"
"What martial artist in Murim expends all their power in a single burst when unleashing their techniques?"
The man's expression stiffened.
Only now did he realize—every force Bu Eun-seol had unleashed so far had been nothing but straightforward, single-shot attacks.
In other words, the Orthodox Unorthodox Demonic and Buddhist Arts, the forces of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang, and even the Harmonization that had exploded with all his power—
They had all been fired in simple, direct lines, just so the man could block or evade them.
He hadn't even used the Heaven-Shattering Form of Harmonization, where all power was condensed into the Ink Soul Sword, nor had he employed the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"Now, I'll show you."
Click.
Bu Eun-seol raised the Ink Soul Sword to mid-stance.
"The martial arts I have forged."
From this moment on—
He would fuse his power with martial technique.
BOOM!
With an explosive sound, Bu Eun-seol's body transformed into a streak of violet lightning, slashing toward the man's neck.
He had integrated Thunder Essence Divine Qi into his movement technique.
Hiss!
Though the attack was swift as lightning—
The Ink Soul Sword still could not reach the man's throat, blocked by the Flame Emperor Power.
Swish.
Yet in that same instant, dozens of blades formed from true qi coiled around the man's body.
The Willful True Binding had been unleashed.
Whoosh.
As the Flame Emperor Power flared again, the qi blades vanished in an instant.
But Bu Eun-seol had already shifted his sword technique, unleashing a hundred sword energies at point-blank range.
It was an onslaught of Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan-style transformations unleashed from angles impossible to evade.
Ssskkt!
The man swung his fists relentlessly, pouring forth the Flame Emperor Power.
Yet, in that brief moment, translucent hands burst from the ground, digging into his vital points.
Bu Eun-seol had deployed the Thirty-Six Variations of the Thunderbolt Hand using the Water Essence Divine Qi.
Before the man could even defend against the Thunderbolt Hand—
Swish! Swish!
Nine razor-sharp currents of wind pierced his body.
It was the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, infused with Wind & Cloud Divine Qi.
KWAOOOOH!
The Thirteenfold Qi Induction, now fused with Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, had multiplied in power several times over, carrying an energy capable of piercing through anything.
Ssskkt! Ssskkt!
The man activated the Flame Emperor Power to its limit, desperately defending against the barrage.
But the martial arts Bu Eun-seol unleashed were truly inescapable—no path to flee, no means to evade.
They embodied the pinnacle of martial principles, leaving no room for avoidance or retreat.
"At this level, you think—!"
The man tried to shout that he still had strength left, but he abruptly clenched his jaw shut.
Because he had seen the faint smile curling at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
'He's... enjoying this?'
In the blink of an eye, Bu Eun-seol unleashed hundreds of fist shadows, sword energies, and martial techniques.
Within them lay a terrifying might and precision—something impossible to evade with mere dodging or dispel with ordinary martial principles.
To execute such martial arts, one had to pour their entire being into it, their focus honed to a razor's edge.
Yet here he was, carelessly hurling them out while smiling?
KWAH! PAAAAAAH!
The smile on Bu Eun-seol's lips deepened as he continued his relentless assault.
He was genuinely enjoying this.
Every opponent he had faced until now had always been—
Either a step above him, wielding fearsome martial prowess,
Or possessing supernatural abilities that defied martial principles, like the Divine Domains deployed by the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
Because of that, rather than freely unleashing the martial arts he had mastered,
He had to remain hyper-vigilant, observing his enemies, breaking through their openings or exploiting unexpected weaknesses beyond the realm of martial arts.
But this man, who wielded the Flame Emperor's martial arts, was different.
He relied solely on the Flame Emperor Power, capable of annihilating everything—
Using neither supernatural abilities nor Limitless Power, only martial arts.
And so, for the first time,
Bu Eun-seol could pour out every martial technique and principle he had mastered without restraint.
KWAOOOOH!
His attacks had now coalesced into a single, massive storm, engulfing the man's body.
The Flame Emperor Power, derived from the Baekri Clan's origin force, was an absolute power capable of erasing all things.
But even that had its limits.
Ssskkt-sskkt-sskkt!
Under the maddening storm of alternating martial arts, under the ceaseless barrage of attacks—
The Flame Emperor Power was being overwhelmed, exceeding its capacity to annihilate.
"Grrgh—"
Veins bulged across the man's forehead.
Bu Eun-seol's attacks had accelerated to the point of near-invisibility,
And the successive strikes had merged into a single, unrelenting force.
Ssskkt. Ssssshhh—
Finally, as the storm of martial arts—now beyond the Flame Emperor Power's ability to block—began crushing the man's body,
Crack. Crack. Crack.
His flesh began to split.
The sheer volume of martial force, impossible for a human body to endure, was being annihilated continuously.
At last, the Flame Emperor Power had reached its breaking point.
"In the end..."
The man gritted his teeth, sensing his defeat.
"You think this is your victory?"
A cruel smile twisted his lips.
"But you've already lost. I was just the bait."
FWOOOOSH!
His skin split apart, and scorching heat began radiating outward.
The Flame Emperor Power, meant to annihilate all things, was now turning inward—destroying his own body.
"The real attack begins now."
His smile was savage.
"No matter how formidable your martial arts are, you'll never win agai—"
Before he could finish—
SPLAT! PAAAAH!
His body, torn apart by the Flame Emperor Power erupting from within, melted away in an instant.
Drip... drip...
Transparent liquid, like that of Bone-Melting Acid, spilled in all directions.
Zzzzzzzzz—
The Life-and-Death Combat Formation began to dissolve.
The transparent barrier faded, and the surrounding scenery came back into sharp focus.
And as if waiting for the formation to lift—
An old man with cruel eyes was already approaching, step by step, from the front.
"Impressive. To think you'd take down a wielder of the Flame Emperor Power's origin force all by yourself."
At the old man's exclamation, Bu Eun-seol answered with a smile laced with killing intent.
"The Same Heart Society is meticulous indeed. Quite to my liking."
All the factions he'd encountered until now had been utterly confident in their own strength.
That was why they never bothered deploying multiple layers of reinforcements.
They always came alone.
Or, at most, directed the first wave of attacks.
But the Same Heart Society was different.
To ensure the death of their target, they laid out bait to bind his feet—
Then deployed a massive force to encircle him in layers.
"You knew, didn't you?"
The old man tilted his head as he asked.
"If you knew additional forces were being deployed, you would've scurried away like a rat, no? Why stay put?"
Bu Eun-seol curled the corner of his lips.
"Because Grandfather did the same."
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
He had always roamed the martial world alone, and no matter what faction or how many troops came at him—
He always slaughtered them all, single-handedly.
The Unrivaled Wanderer of the Martial World.
His mere existence made him invincible.
No faction, no army, could ever halt his steps.
And Bu Eun-seol, too... intended to follow in his grandfather's footsteps—to begin his own legend as the Unrivaled Wanderer.
"Heh heh heh."
The old man observed the aura radiating from Bu Eun-seol before bursting into mad laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
After cackling for a long while, he abruptly cut off and spoke coldly.
"A young man overestimating his strength and dying young—that's a tale as old as the martial world itself."
Then, he raised his hand.
Whoosh—
In an instant, over a hundred martial artists clad in black robes revealed themselves.
Every single one of them was wreathed in the Flame Emperor's Power, just like the man from before.
This was nothing short of a hopeless situation.
Bu Eun-seol had continuously poured out the Heavenly Outer Absolute Art just to deal with that one man.
Yet now, an entire army of warriors of the same caliber stood before him?
If he were to eliminate them all—
He would have to unleash an attack hundreds of times more powerful than before.
"Even if your martial prowess is extraordinary, you can't possibly withstand a force of this size, can you?"
"How strange."
Bu Eun-seol tilted his head.
"If you could freely command such a massive force... why bother with the Demon Path or the Baekri Clan? You could conquer the martial world in one fell swoop."
His eyes flashed as he asked,
"So why skulk around like rats, plotting in the shadows?"
"You don't need to know."
Swish—
As the old man lowered his hand—
RUMBLE—
The massive army wreathed in the Flame Emperor's Power charged toward Bu Eun-seol.
The Flame Emperor's Power, capable of annihilating all external forces.
Hundreds of warriors wielding it.
In the end, there was no outcome but death by encirclement.
'Which means... there must be some restriction on creating an army wreathed in the Flame Emperor's Power.'
Having reached this conclusion, Bu Eun-seol calmly drew the Silent Mourning Sword.
"You made a mistake."
Szzzt—
A mysterious light erupted from the blade, stretching toward the heavens.
"By sending a wielder of the Flame Emperor's Power first, just to bind my feet."
To prevent his escape and fully encircle him—
They had sent that man first, one whose Flame Emperor's Power could annihilate any force.
And that had been a fatal error.
Because it had given Bu Eun-seol the clue he needed to counter the Flame Emperor's Power.
Chiiii—
A blue flame began to bloom from the Silent Mourning Sword.
He had infused it with the Water Essence Divine Qi.
'The foundation of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars' martial arts lies in emotion.'
Through the knowledge of the Bakyeon Legacy Site and So Ok-rim's stories,
He had learned that the power of the Baekri Clan—the origin of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars—was modeled entirely after human emotions.
And after fighting that man, he realized the Flame Emperor's Power was the emotion of rage, an all-consuming fury that annihilated everything.
In other words, the origin of the Flame Emperor's Power was a raging torrent of fury that incinerated all martial arts and energy.
Then, the counter wasn't to suppress it with martial force—but to oppose it with the Mind-Training Formula.
'Through the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.'
All martial arts could be blended with the Three Divine Powers.
Movement techniques and swordplay harmonized with the Thunder Essence Divine Qi, while True Qi martial arts like the Willful True Binding resonated with the Water Essence Divine Qi.
And the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi could be fused with most martial arts.
But he had never attempted such a fusion with the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Not only was its sheer power overwhelming, but the Blade Essence—which craved only death—
Made it impossible to mix with other energies.
Yet this battle had taught him something.
The Mind-Training Formula.
The power of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars' martial arts stemmed from the heart.
The Flame Emperor's martial art manifested his raging heart as power, and the reason his flames never ceased burning was undoubtedly due to the emotion of fury.
Since the Water Essence Divine Qi contained the energy of stillness, the antithesis of turbulent emotions—
Bu Eun-seol, for the first time, sought to infuse the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms with the Water Essence Divine Qi.
—Even at death's door, you cannot close your eyes.
The fifth stance of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
A deathly Blade Essence, steeped in infinite stillness and desolation—the Death Without Closing the Eyes—spread from the Silent Mourning Sword.
But astonishingly, it wasn't the Blade Essence of death that radiated outward—
Whoooooosh—
Instead, an indescribably bizarre energy, like wildfire across a field, began spreading in an instant.