Chapter 929
Flames flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Mother?
Did that mean this boy knew something about his mother?
"Don't ask now."
Before Bu Eun-seol could voice his question, the boy answered first.
"You'll learn everything as each trial passes. If you hear it all in advance, it will only disrupt the Grand Design..."
The words bore a striking resemblance to what Wooden Buddha had once told him.
The boy gasped for breath, as if struggling to continue speaking.
Bu Eun-seol reached out again, ready to infuse him with Internal Energy.
"Don't waste your precious power."
Shaking his head, the boy tightly grasped Bu Eun-seol's hand and smiled.
"Your hands are warm... just like hers."
Hers. Realizing he meant his mother's hands, Bu Eun-seol spoke earnestly.
"My mother—"
"She was the most wonderful and kindest person."
The boy's voice was filled with sincerity.
"Please... save the Great Forest Lord."
Whoosh.
With those final words, the boy slowly leaned back against the wall. Then, with a peaceful smile, he breathed his last.
"..."
Expression solemn, Bu Eun-seol carefully took the orb clutched in the boy's hand.
'Mother had ties to the Ancient Sword Forest.'
Moreover, this Forest Lord—who had taken the form of a boy—must have met her.
That connection alone was enough. Bu Eun-seol couldn't turn away from his request.
"Though I don't yet know the full circumstances, I will do everything in my power to save the Ancient Sword Forest's Lord."
As if hearing his words, the faintest smile lingered on the boy's lips.
Bu Eun-seol paid his respects to the boy's remains with a deep bow before leaving the ruins.
Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo walked side by side, making their way out of the devastated Ancient Sword Forest.
"...So that's what happened."
As they headed back toward Mount Heng, Bu Eun-seol recounted the boy's story to Heuk-pyo.
"If that's the case, then it seems your honored mother had a deep connection with the Ancient Sword Forest's Lord."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
If that weren't true, even if the boy could see the future, he wouldn't have mentioned his mother.
"Then those oddities I fought must have been Omnipotent Beings created by the Ancient Sword Forest."
Heuk-pyo shook his head with a guilty expression.
"Perhaps I intruded into the Ancient Sword Forest's Domain, and the Omnipotent Beings were only trying to protect it from outsiders like me."
"It wasn't your fault."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"The Same Heart Society has been indiscriminately attacking the Ancient Sword Forest, stealing their power."
"..."
"The fact that you could enter means their Absolute Boundary must have already collapsed under assault."
"Then... will Mount Heng be safe?"
Heuk-pyo glanced toward the demonic ridge with concern.
"What if they come here next and attack the Mount Heng Sect?"
He had taken a strong liking to Myeong-un—bright and clever beyond his years—and feared something terrible might befall him.
"Though young, he is the rightful leader of his sect. Even in hardship, he must learn to stand on his own."
"But—"
"And don't worry. With the Forest Lord dead, the Ancient Sword Forest will soon collapse."
Rumble...
As if to confirm his words, the earth trembled faintly, and the cliffs where the Ancient Sword Forest had stood began to vanish.
These demonic ridge cliffs had existed long before the Mount Heng Sect settled here.
Meaning the Ancient Sword Forest had been here even earlier, researching Black Divine Artifacts before the sect's founding.
And now that the Ancient Sword Forest had completely crumbled... no other faction would come for Mount Heng.
"Still, it's a shame. The Mount Heng Sect's sword techniques emphasize speed, but there's no one left to teach him the Subtle Principle of Extreme Speed."
Bu Eun-seol sighed as he gazed at the distant Mount Heng Sect.
"With proper guidance, he could grow rapidly. Unfortunately, I have no one suitable to send."
At that, Heuk-pyo's eyes gleamed.
"Then... what if I stayed at Mount Heng for a while and taught the sect leader?"
"What about the Wanderer Unit?"
"They'll manage fine without me. I've gone on solo missions for a month or two before."
Bu Eun-seol smiled.
'This will be an opportunity for both of them to grow.'
Teaching another was the best way to review what one had learned—to systematically organize knowledge and experience.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Heuk-pyo grinned brightly in response.
"Understood."
Now, not only Myeong-un but Heuk-pyo too would advance further.
Especially since the Mount Heng Sect's razor-sharp sword techniques shared similarities with Heuk-pyo's dagger arts—his skills would undoubtedly improve as well.
"Then I'll take my leave."
"Will you search for the Ancient Sword Forest Lord immediately?"
"I'll handle some overdue work first."
Bu Eun-seol took out the orb the Shaolin Lord had given him and held it up to the moonlight.
"After all, I need to unravel the secrets hidden within this first."
Just then, as the orb's reflected light touched the space between his brows—
KWAOOOOO—!
A blinding radiance erupted into the heavens.
Like a meteor streaking from earth to sky, the dark night was instantly bathed in dazzling light.
"Didn't you think reflecting moonlight might trigger some function?"
At Heuk-pyo's words, Bu Eun-seol nodded and once again reflected moonlight onto the orb.
But no more light emerged.
Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo tried various methods—handling the orb differently, even infusing it with a trace of internal power.
Yet there was no further reaction.
"Perhaps there's another way."
"Right. I should return to the main hall and conduct some research."
Bu Eun-seol tucked the orb back into his robes and prepared to take his leave.
"I'll go ahead first."
If he announced his departure, Myeong-un would grow sullen again, and the sect members would gather to see him off.
So he chose to slip away lightly.
"Very well. Take care, Lord."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
Then, in a single motion, he soared into the distant sky and vanished.
At that very moment, within the Singular Light Pavilion of the Demon Hall.
Seated in his office, Yeop Hyo-cheon felt a faint vibration emanating from the Sacred Heaven Jade in his possession.
'Could it be...?'
He turned his body to gaze out the window.
At that instant, a single star suddenly blazed with dazzling radiance in the distant sky, gradually revealing itself.
Simultaneously, he sensed it—the predetermined flow of Heaven's Will shifting, a change perceptible only to those who possessed a Sacred Heaven Jade.
Flash!
The star that had illuminated the night sky slowly faded back into darkness.
'It's done!'
Yeop Hyo-cheon clenched his fist tightly in exhilaration.
At last, Heaven's Will had moved perfectly.
Which meant the time had come to wield this half of the Sacred Heaven Jade.
"Bu Eun-seol."
Yeop Hyo-cheon took a deep breath.
"You inherited Bu Jan-yang's power—the very power that even the Baekri Clan and the True Demon couldn't touch."
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
Not only had he mastered the supreme demonic arts of the world, but he had also possessed the ability to reject even the forces of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
Because he wielded the power to defy Heaven's Will itself, to transcend the path of fate—
Infinite Heavens-Annihilation, Transcendent Fate Path-Severing. The power of the Heavenly Might Star.
And Yeop Hyo-cheon had coveted that power for so long.
The past several decades of his life had been nothing but a process to obtain it.
And now, at last—
The long-awaited moment had arrived. The moment to absorb Bu Jan-yang's power.
Whoosh.
A black fog suddenly rose from his body.
Thud.
At the same time, his figure was instantly sucked into the floor of his office.
Using the Absolute Boundary employed by the Three Clans—
A forbidden art of Dark Shadow, mastered to Grand Perfection—one that only he could traverse...
A space so profoundly mysterious that not even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, let alone a god, could pass through—he had prepared it beneath his office long ago.
Clank.
As he descended, the metal doors surrounding him began to open one by one.
Creak. Creak.
With each door that opened, the sight of corpses lying within coffins became visible.
Yet the grotesque truth was—
These were not intact corpses.
Only their faces and skins remained, stretched over frames inside the coffins.
"This one will do nicely."
Yeop Hyo-cheon surveyed the countless human skins lining the chamber before settling his gaze on the sinister visage of a middle-aged man, a faint smile curling his lips.
"The one who wielded the Blood Shadow Dark Flute... His epithet was the Black Shadow Dark Emperor, Hwa Mu-gi, wasn't it?"
As he studied the middle-aged man's face, Yeop Hyo-cheon's smile deepened.
"Truly a formidable opponent to kill."
The Black Shadow Dark Emperor, Hwa Mu-gi.
A terrifyingly powerful master who wielded the Myeong-myeol lineage of martial arts, infused with the power of darkness and Yin Qi, as well as the Blood-Sound Shattering Darkness, a sound-based martial art channeled through his flute.
But it was strange.
He had vanished without a trace over thirty years ago, with no record of ever being defeated.
So how had his flayed skin ended up here, displayed in such a wretched state?
"Perfect."
Drip.
At the same time, Yeop Hyo-cheon's body liquefied from head to toe,
before gradually reshaping into the form of Hwa Mu-gi lying in the coffin.
Squelch. Squelch.
Not just his skin—his bones, his organs, everything melted and reformed,
until—
Shhh.
He had perfectly assumed Hwa Mu-gi's appearance.
This was no mere disguise. His skeletal structure, the placement of his organs—everything had been flawlessly replicated.
"Perhaps I haven't used this in too long."
Now fully transformed into Hwa Mu-gi, Yeop Hyo-cheon examined his body and sighed deeply.
"It feels... unnervingly unfamiliar."
His gaze darkened as he stared at the coffin where he had just been standing.
Inside lay Yeop Hyo-cheon's own skin, clad in black robes, completely dissected.
Every wrinkle around the lips, every vein on the back of the hands—preserved in perfect detail.
Each strip of dried flesh seemed imbued with nerves, as if it might twitch to life at any moment.
The face retained its exact likeness—except for the eyes.
In their place were hollow pits, staring back at him with empty, sightless gaze.
"Soon, all fate will change."
Yeop Hyo-cheon—no, Hwa Mu-gi—gazed up at the transparent ceiling.
His eyes flickered like distant stars, pulsing with an eerie light.
"Heh heh heh..."
Hwa Mu-gi laughed.
The fact that this grotesque figure had until recently been the second-in-command overseeing all martial warriors of the Demon Hall—the Chief Doctrine Commander—was beyond belief.
"It has been far too long."
And then he closed his eyes.
Unconsciously, his mind drifted back to the days long past.
Like a storm splitting the heavens, thunder roared, and lightning flashed through the black clouds.
Soon after, torrential rain lashed against the earth, shrouding the plains in a dense mist of water.
Within it, thousands of corpses lay tangled together.
The stench of blood mingled with the rainwater as it flowed, staining the earth a vivid crimson that darkened into a deep, bloody black.
Though the rain fell without pause, neither the bloodstains nor the ghastly scene were washed away.
Boom.
As the agonized screams of thunder grew more frequent, and the scent of blood gradually faded beneath the pouring rain—
Squelch.
A portion of the corpse pile squirmed as if something alive were stirring within it.
Rustle.
Slowly, a man rose to his feet.
His rain-soaked hair clung to his face, obscuring his features—but every time lightning split the sky,
a glint of light flashed through the tangled strands of his hair.
His eyes, glowing in the darkness, were not those of a man—but of a demon risen from hell, brimming with killing intent and deep-seated resentment.
Drip. Drip.
As he took a step forward, blood seeped from the torn fabric of his clothes.
"..."
Raising his head, he gazed at the pouring rain, and an unfathomable light flickered in his eyes.
Once, he had been called the greatest prodigy—the one destined to complete the Absolute Demon Saber Project.
But when he realized he would not be the final survivor, and a series of incidents unfolded...
After mercilessly slaughtering several instructors and fleeing that place—the price of his escape was brutal.
The instructors of the Absolute Demon Saber Project were all masters of transcendent status and skill.
Killing them and escaping meant being pursued relentlessly by trackers with unfathomable martial prowess, assassins specialized in hunting and killing...
In the end, to evade pursuit, he had no choice but to wander the Murim, drifting endlessly.
He had taken refuge with the Righteous Path, the Demonic Path, the Unorthodox Path, even the Black Path... or served as a rogue bodyguard for merchant groups Beyond the Frontier.
At times, he even extorted merchants or became a thug leeching off the gangs of the pleasure districts.
But the trackers never gave up.
No matter how much time passed, they always found his trail, determined to hunt him down.
—I can't die like this.
Even as he was ceaselessly pursued, he honed his martial arts and refined his internal power.
Among the three hundred prodigies who had participated in the Absolute Demon Saber Project, he had been called the undisputed best—possessing unparalleled endurance, stamina, and enlightenment.
He had the innate talent to perfectly replicate any martial art after seeing it just once.
Moreover, thanks to the diverse martial techniques and 108 Techniques he had mastered through the project, he could either shake off his pursuers or eliminate them outright.
The more his life was threatened, the more perilous his battles became—and the stronger he grew.
Then, as he wandered aimlessly, evading pursuit, he encountered an immense stroke of fortune.
He crossed paths with a master from the Sanctuary—the most mysterious faction in the Murim, said to maintain the balance between the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
—You possess the qualifications to enter our realm.
The master instantly recognized that this young man, who had shaken off his pursuers time and again, had the potential to learn the Sanctuary's martial arts.
—Your past does not matter. Once you go there, you will forget everything and be reborn as a new person.
Then, he handed him a tattered scrap of cloth.
—Tie this around your waist. On the night of the full moon, stand before the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Jiaxing Prefecture, Zhejiang. Someone will come to take you.
With the Sanctuary master's grimy cloth tied around his waist, he stood before the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
And thus, he was granted the fortune of entering the Sanctuary—the most enigmatic sect in the Murim, renowned for wielding the most profound secret arts.
—To enter our Sanctuary, you must first purify your body and mind.
The moment he stepped inside, they performed the Furnace Purification Technique—a method to eradicate wicked thoughts and cultivate a virtuous Dao Heart.
But it had no effect on him.
He was born with an innate resistance to grand rituals and spell arts.
And the very first thing the Absolute Demon Saber Project had drilled into him was the Soul Refining Unbreakable Secret—a technique that rendered his spirit and mind impervious to any external force.
Because of this, even after undergoing the Furnace Purification Technique, he retained his original nature.
—Now, it's done!
Once he realized what kind of place the Sanctuary truly was, he was overjoyed.
No longer would he be hunted by anyone—and he could learn the most divine martial arts and secret arts in the world.
After entering the Sanctuary, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to mastering its martial techniques and secret arts.
If time had continued like this—
He would have obtained the status of an Executioner, mastering the Sanctuary's supreme skill of infiltrating others' minds and controlling their bodies.
He would have acquired the Darkness Secret Arts.
For a long time, he diligently tempered his martial arts while carefully catering to the whims of the Sanctuary's masters—but then, the unexpected happened.
—You cannot learn the Darkness Secret Arts.
When he finally entered the trial to inherit the Darkness Secret Arts, the masters of the Sanctuary discerned—
Despite having undergone the Furnace Purification Technique—
That his Spirit and Mind were dangerously extreme.
"This Sanctuary operates under the rule ofNo Retreat After Entryand thePath of No Return—we will not expel you, but from now on, you shall only cultivate the methods to refine your Dao Heart."
It was an exceedingly lenient judgment.
Yet—
"You exploited me like a slave all this time, and now you dare spout such nonsense?"
He could no longer suppress his fury.
"If you refuse to teach me, I will learn it myself."
In the end, he sought out the Darkness Secret Arts hidden within the Sanctuary and began mastering them in secret.
This was only possible because even the Sanctuary's masters had failed to grasp his true capabilities.
Through the Absolute Demon Saber Project,
He had already mastered peerless martial arts, the Hidden Stealth Secret Art rivaling elite assassins, military strategy and tactics capable of overturning entire sects, weapon mastery—
The 108 Techniques granting survival skills for any situation, tracking methods, and even formidable Mind Spirit Secret Arts.
"This makes no sense."
As he secretly mastered the Darkness Secret Arts, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Why would such a divine power be used only on those who defy the Covenant?"
The Darkness Secret Arts not only allowed control over another's Spirit and Mind and physical body—
But by swapping forms, one could even absorb the martial arts embedded within that body.
If he used this art to continuously slaughter masters—
He would gain power surpassing even the Baekri Clan or the True Demon.
So why were they hiding such ability and strength, living like cowering rats in this secluded realm?
"Mastering the Darkness Secret Arts is too arduous. Better to hunt down the Martial World's evildoers and steal their power instead."
To wield the Darkness Secret Arts properly, one needed at least thirty years of relentless training.
And so, whenever an opportunity arose, he slipped out of the Sanctuary, slaughtering wicked martial artists and seizing their techniques.
But as they say—the longer the tail, the easier it is to catch.
"A disciple of this Sanctuary, who should possess a pure Dao Heart, not only secretly learned the Darkness Secret Arts—
But also manipulated martial artists and stole their techniques?"
He felt wronged.
"I only targeted those beyond redemption—evil to the core. Is that still a crime?"
"Evil or good—who gave you the right to take lives as you please?"
Seeing no remorse, the Sanctuary's masters flew into a rage.
They severed his meridians, stripped him of his Internal Power, and condemned him.
But having anticipated this, he immediately escaped.
Through countless battles, slaying martial masters and stealing their techniques—
He barely managed to shake off his pursuers.
Yet the Sanctuary's masters were no fools.
They predicted his escape route and finally cornered him.
In the end, on this very plain, he fought his pursuers—but overpowered by the Sanctuary's might, he drew his last breath.
"So this is how it ends."
The Sanctuary's masters incinerated his corpse completely.
Having mastered the Darkness Secret Arts, there was a risk his remains could be misused.
But he survived.
Having foreseen the Sanctuary's plans, he used the Darkness Secret Arts—
Creating a puppet to play his role while he disguised himself as one of the Sanctuary's fallen masters.
Once again, he cheated death.
Flash!
A blinding radiance erupted from the heavens—
Thud.
Piercing his torso in an instant.
"Ghk—!"
Blood gushed from his mouth as his body convulsed—
Crash.
He collapsed forward, lifeless.
Simultaneously—
Whoosh.
Ten figures clad in radiant white robes materialized around the fallen man.
The Sanctuary's masters.
"Had he tempered the demon in his heart through training... he could have become a pillar of this Sanctuary."
They clicked their tongues, staring at the corpse impaled through the heart.
"And to think he hid within a corpse until the very end. Truly, a master assassin in his own right."
Fsssh—
One of them extended a hand.
Plink.
A single drop of liquid fell onto the body, dissolving it with a sizzle—
Bone-Melting Powder.
"Given this one's penchant for feigning death, we must dispose of him thoroughly."
"Unavoidable."
The Sanctuary's masters turned away with regret.
"I will venture into the Martial World to see whether anyone was connected to him."
The others nodded.
Whoosh.
Nine shadows vanished like light.
The lone remaining master stared vacantly at the puddle of blood that was once a man.
Had he hesitated because he had personally executed a once-promising disciple of the Sanctuary?
Smirk.
Suddenly, a pale smile curled on his lips.
It was Chil-ho (Seven), the very instigator who had stolen the Darkness Secret Arts and rebelled against the Sanctuary.
Using the art, he had manipulated another's Spirit and Mind—creating a second version of himself.
A trap within a trap.
Only a scheme this meticulous could deceive the Sanctuary's elites.