Chapter 936
The woman in white was shattering the artificial waterfall made of crystal that had been constructed at the entrance with her mysterious power.
With each surge of energy, the light that had permeated every corner of the ravine gradually faded.
It seemed the waterfall had been imbued with some mystical force.
And by using it as a source, this main branch of the Ancient Sword Forest had been able to maintain its form for so long.
'So it was because of her.'
The reason the structure containing the Ancient Sword Forest Lord's message—the one Bu Eun-seol had entered—had been damaged...
Was because the woman in white had recklessly destroyed its interior.
"You."
In the midst of demolishing the waterfall, the woman in white noticed Bu Eun-seol emerging from within and froze in shock, her expression stiffening.
Ooooh—!
Then, she suddenly spread one arm, releasing a radiant white light.
At that moment, the faint emblem on his palm—which had nearly vanished—began to emit a rising black fog.
Kwaaoooh—!
Like a black dragon soaring to the heavens, it split the sky and earth as it surged upward—wasn't it?
Swoosh!
Simultaneously, as the black dragon spread its wings, the once-clear sky darkened in an instant.
"The True Demon?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened as he realized her gaze was fixed on his palm.
Could it be? The energy injected into his shoulder from that circular mechanical device earlier—was that the True Demon's power?
'No, this is a Demon-Sealing Fragment.'
What had surged up like a black dragon were the fragments he had absorbed before—ones he hadn't even been aware still lingered in his body.
The Demon-Sealing Fragments.
But when the woman in white released her white light,
They reacted to that energy, gathering together before swiftly escaping his body through the emblem.
"This is a misunderstanding."
Bu Eun-seol spoke honestly.
"These are Demon-Sealing Fragments. I didn't absorb them willingly."
Right now, he was wearing Seol-so's face, so he had no fear of his identity being exposed.
Moreover, since the woman in white seemed connected to the Baekri Clan, he spoke frankly to avoid further misunderstanding.
"..."
She didn't answer.
Instead, she scrutinized his body—still disguised as Seol-so—from head to toe.
Though it lasted only a brief moment, to Bu Eun-seol, it felt like an eternity.
Whoosh—
Then, in that instant, white flames erupted from the woman in white's body.
Simultaneously, those flames transformed into hundreds of swords.
Kwaaaa—!
With a tremor that shook heaven and earth, they rained down upon Bu Eun-seol without warning.
Boom!
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol activated Qi Ride to the Heavens, leaping high into the sky.
Kwaoooh—!
The ground where he had stood moments earlier collapsed into a massive pit.
From how deep and dark it was—so much so that the bottom couldn't be seen—
It was clear the destructive power of the woman in white's attack surpassed even the limits of martial arts.
Thud.
Landing back on the ground, Bu Eun-seol shouted,
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"The True Demon's servant has quite the mouth."
"I told you—I only absorbed the Demon-Sealing Fragments by accident!"
At that, the woman in white curled the corner of her lips coldly.
"A young man dressed as a wanderer... knows of the True Demon and Demon-Sealing Fragments...?"
"No, that's—!"
Just as Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth to explain, she unleashed another white flash.
The sword-shaped flash wasn't just light—it was an unprecedented force carrying transcendent power.
'No choice.'
Since he was currently disguised as Seol-so, he had no choice but to use Inner Energy Bullet Art instead of his true martial arts.
Kwaang—!
A massive sphere, easily at least ten feet in circumference, collided with the flash she had fired.
His internal energy was so profound that the range of his Inner Energy Bullet Art had expanded to its utmost limit.
Fwoosh—!
But the Inner Energy Bullet Art, capable of destroying all things in this world with the Heaven-Shattering Form,
Couldn't even pierce the white light enveloping her body, dissipating powerlessly.
'She nullified it?'
Swallowing his shock, Bu Eun-seol altered the attribute of his Inner Energy Bullet Art,
Reducing its explosive intensity but spreading its range far wider.
He needed to discern the nature of the energy cloaking her body.
Fwip! Fwoosh—!
Each time his Inner Energy Bullet Art touched the light, the white flames swirling around her rippled like waves,
Effortlessly neutralizing the shockwaves with absurd ease.
'A Supernatural Ability.'
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had fought countless formidable foes.
Most of them wielded Supernatural Abilities—
Powers either innate or of inexplicable origin.
And those Supernatural Abilities...
Were impossible to counter unless one understood their source or essence.
'How tedious.'
Under normal circumstances, Bu Eun-seol would have made an effort to clear up the misunderstanding.
Or, failing that, he would have calmly continued probing,
Determining whether her power belonged to the same realm as the One Hundred and Eight Stars, or if it was a spell-like force rooted in life energy.
But this woman had wantonly destroyed the interior,
Robbing him of the knowledge and information the Ancient Sword Forest's Founder had intended to convey.
And as if that weren't enough,
The sight of her indiscriminately unleashing Killing Moves without even a word of dialogue made an unprecedented irritation surge within him.
'Fine.'
Bu Eun-seol abandoned Seol-so's martial arts and immediately drew Ink Soul Sword, unleashing his true techniques.
Swish!
Gigantic, round sword qi erupted in rapid succession, cutting off the White-clad Woman's escape routes and surrounding her body.
Bu Eun-seol had unleashed the Waning Moon Morning Star, the most devastating and wide-ranging technique of the Formless Heavenly Flow, channeling his immense internal energy in successive bursts.
'It's changing.'
Thanks to his disguise—fueled by the mysterious power he had absorbed—his appearance had altered down to the finest details: his hair, muscle structure, even the flow of his blood.
Because of this, even as he executed the Formless Heavenly Flow, the sword strokes that unfolded were unlike his usual forms—ambiguous, straddling the line between orthodox and unorthodox.
"Hmph."
Despite witnessing the terrifying might of his sword technique, the White-clad Woman merely snorted in disdain and stretched out her hand.
Whoooosh—
A surge of pure white flames spread outward, effortlessly dissolving the massive sword qi of the Waning Moon Morning Star into nothingness.
Swish!
But the true purpose of the Waning Moon Morning Star had been to set up his next move—the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan.
Fwoooosh!
Over a hundred and eighty razor-sharp sword qi blades rained down upon her, any single one capable of tearing a body to shreds.
Normally, these would have descended like a storm of blades, but due to his current Seol-so disguise, the cascading sword qi transformed—spreading like enormous silver wings that enveloped the woman in an instant.
Ssssskreee!
Yet the result was the same.
Even the explosive sword qi of Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan failed to pierce through the white flames surrounding her, scattering uselessly in all directions.
Tap!
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol emerged from the storm of sword qi, Ink Soul Sword in hand.
"What—?"
To launch sword qi and close the distance at the same speed required footwork that defied imagination.
The White-clad Woman had clearly never anticipated his Body-Locomotion Martial Art reaching such heights. Her face twisted in shock as she frantically swung both hands.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
With a sound like crashing waves, hundreds of blue palm shadows spiraled outward, blanketing Bu Eun-seol's body.
This time, she wasn't relying on her supernatural power—she was using martial arts.
Sssssk—!
The palm shadows not only relentlessly pushed him back but also left lingering afterimages in the air.
Each strike's palm energy didn't dissipate immediately—instead, it lingered midair, blocking Bu Eun-seol's follow-up attacks.
Swish! Sssssssk!
But in that brief window, Bu Eun-seol activated the Fourth Form of Formless Heavenly Flow—Caged Bird Longing for Clouds.
The sword qi twisted like living creatures, darting freely before dozens of blades pierced through the palm shadows and slashed toward the woman's body.
Whirrr!
The White-clad Woman spun, effortlessly deflecting the sword qi.
Yet the storm of blades only intensified, and the space to evade gradually vanished.
Tch.
Even as she retreated, a cold smile curled on her lips.
Then—
"...!"
Bu Eun-seol's movements, which had been relentlessly pressuring her with sword qi, suddenly slowed unnaturally.
Every time he clashed with or dispelled one of her palm techniques, a sticky residue clung to the Ink Soul Sword's blade—and his right arm grew heavier and heavier.
"This is the end!"
The woman laughed confidently, shouting as she struck.
But the moment her lips parted—
'She's not much of a fighter.'
Opening one's mouth to declare a finishing move was the same as giving the enemy time to dodge. Worse, for a master of Bu Eun-seol's caliber, it was an opportunity to spot a flaw.
Swish!
He swung the Ink Soul Sword, releasing a single streak of sword qi—
—at a speed impossible to evade, from a blind spot she couldn't perceive.
Yet, absurdly, the blade missed.
The sticky energy clinging to the Ink Soul Sword had warped the sword qi's trajectory.
'So she had a trick up her sleeve.'
Slash! Slash-slash-slash!
Seizing the moment he hesitated, the woman unleashed another barrage of palm shadows.
Each strike left behind more of that clinging sensation on the sword's blade—
—until, at some point, the Ink Soul Sword had grown so heavy that wielding it became cumbersome.
"Thunderfall Palm?"
Finally, Bu Eun-seol recognized the technique.
Thunderfall Palm.
A secret palm art once wielded by Dan Ik, the "Number One Eccentric Under Heaven" and "Dancer of Chaos" two hundred years ago.
It maximized the principle of gravity pressure, disrupting an opponent's internal energy flow with its palm force vibrations—
—while also weighing down their body and weapons. A transcendent palm technique from beyond the heavens.
"So that's it."
Bu Eun-seol let out an impressed exhale—
—then, with a sharp twist of his wrist, flipped the Ink Soul Sword into a reverse grip.
"Futile struggle."
The woman sneered, unleashing another wave of Thunderfall Palm.
Fwoooosh!
As translucent palm shadows surged toward him like a tidal wave—
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol dropped low and unleashed a series of massive cross-shaped sword qi.
"Do you think I'd fall for the same Sword Stroke twice?"
The woman sneered just as—
Zing, zing.
To her astonishment, the Waning Moon Morning Star technique he unleashed this time pierced effortlessly through the crushing pressure waves of her Palm Technique.
In an instant, it shattered her defenses.
"Tch."
With a short exclamation, she flung herself backward with all her might, narrowly evading.
Bam! Bam!
Each time the massive Sword Qi grazed past, her body shuddered violently, and the edges of her robes tore apart.
"Hahp!"
She unleashed another Palm Technique, but the Sword Strokes Bu Eun-seol now wielded no longer yielded to the subtleties of gravitational pressure.
"That's—"
In that moment, amidst the swirling radiance, the woman's eyes widened as she caught sight of Bu Eun-seol's stance—dancing as he swung the Obsidian Soul Sword.
The truth was, her Palm Technique didn't just suppress an opponent's attacks and weigh them down through gravitational pressure alone.
It also carried within its Palm Energy the essence of Reversal, capable of instantly halting any incoming assault.
—An unorthodox technique countered by an even stranger technique.
Bu Eun-seol had instantly discerned the foundation of her Palm Technique's unorthodox nature.
And like a true disciple of Langya Pavilion, he inverted his Sword Strokes—deploying an equally bizarre Martial Form that rendered the Reversal principle useless.
"You can reverse your Sword Strokes in an instant?"
Executing Martial Arts in reverse wasn't impossible.
But in actual combat? On the spot? That bordered on the unthinkable.
Mastering a Sword Technique required repeating its movements thousands of times.
To suddenly reverse it mid-execution would not only produce awkward motions—
But the inherent principles and subtleties embedded in each Sword Stroke would also have to be completely inverted.
Performing such a feat on the fly was practically impossible.
"Did you train to reverse your Sword Techniques?!"
The woman couldn't even fathom that Bu Eun-seol was leveraging his genius intellect and superhuman instincts to instantly invert his usual Sword Strokes.
Instead, she mistakenly assumed he had trained specifically to wield his Sword Techniques in reverse.
Splat! Splat!
Finally, blood began bursting from her body.
'This man—!'
The White-clad Woman bit her lip.
Until now, no matter how strong an opponent appeared, she could nullify all external force with the power of her sorcerous energy.
Any Martial Art could be blocked in a single stroke once she deployed her Palm Technique.
But this man—he continuously layered his techniques, piercing straight through her sorcerous energy.
And now, he was countering her Palm Technique by reversing his Sword Strokes.
Splat!
She finally abandoned her Palm Technique and shifted to pure defense.
But Bu Eun-seol's Sword Techniques were too profound, too elevated—her skill couldn't withstand them.
Shhk.
At last, the Obsidian Soul Sword, having breached all her defenses, came to rest at her throat.
"Will you admit defeat?"
"Fine."
The White-clad Woman glanced down at the razor-sharp blade pressed against her neck—then smiled coldly.
"I acknowledge your strength."
Crackle, crackle.
Suddenly, her hair turned stark white, and her skin paled like snowflakes.
Just as Yuk Jang-cheon had once done—
She transformed into a figure with hair and face bleached white.
'Then... she, too, gained power through an outsider's aid?'
As Bu Eun-seol inwardly reeled—
Fwoosh.
The White-clad Woman's body floated effortlessly, rising about thirty feet into the air.
Hssss—
Then, as she extended her hand, a blinding radiance began to spread.
That light contained an absolute force—one capable of annihilating all things in this world.
Fwoooom!
Wherever the pure white radiance pouring from her body touched the ground, stone and vegetation melted instantly, white smoke billowing upward.
BOOM!
Bu Eun-seol rapidly unleashed the Formless Heavenly Flow, weaving a circular Sword Curtain to block her power.
But the radiance she emitted was unstoppable—everything it touched evaporated into white nothingness.
Hssss—
At last, the blinding light licked at Bu Eun-seol's feet.
If that power struck him directly—
He would vanish without a trace.
'No choice.'
Rumble—
Clenching his teeth, a golden radiance surged violently from Bu Eun-seol's body.
And in the span of three breaths—
Zing.
A brilliant light erupted from the Obsidian Soul Sword.
He was condensing all his power into a single Sword Qi strike—manifesting Harmonization in the form of the Heaven-Shattering Form.
'I stake everything on this one move!'
WHOOSH!
Just as Bu Eun-seol leaped into the air, preparing to unleash Harmonization directly against her white radiance—
SCREEEECH!
From somewhere, the sharp cries of birds echoed, and—
Flutter, flutter.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as hundreds of ravens materialized.
Zing.
The moment the ravens appeared, the white light emanating from the woman's body vanished instantly.
Bu Eun-seol, mid-execution of Harmonization, widened his eyes.
Right now—he could obliterate her in a single stroke.
'But this... would be a coward's victory.'
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol ultimately chose not to unleash Harmonization and descended to the ground.
He had sensed that the woman's power had been cut off by that bizarre flock of ravens.
Flap, flap.
Meanwhile, the ravens began descending, encircling Bu Eun-seol and the white-clad woman in a wide ring.
[If she can be erased by the Black Divine... then she must be a fake.]
A voice like thunder rumbled from the sky, and an ominous aura immediately began encroaching from all directions.
Yet, no human figure could be seen—only the ravens, their solemn gazes fixed upon her.
"Black Divine..."
The white-clad woman's voice trembled as she spoke.
"Black Divine Heavenly Lord?"
The one who had appeared alongside the ravens was none other than the Black Divine Heavenly Lord—one of the Four Divine Heavens.
[I sensed Manifestation Art Energy and thought I'd caught a big fish...]
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord, who still hadn't revealed his form, sighed as he looked down at the woman.
[But you're just a variant created by that rat bastard.]
A variant.
At those words, the woman's body trembled violently.
Zing. Zing.
Simultaneously, white flames erupted across her body once more.
"Black Divine Heavenly Lord!"
She raised her voice, shouting toward the sky.
"Do you have the courage to face me directly?!"
The radiance emanating from her body intensified to a blinding degree.
[How presumptuous. A mere breath from this Heavenly Lord would be enough to snuff out your life.]
"Enough of your nonsense!"
Whoooosh—!
With a sharp cry, the woman thrust out her hand.
A brilliant white light expanded into a radiant dome, spreading hundreds of feet outward.
Caw! Caw!
But suddenly, the ravens let out shrieks like war cries—
Shuuuuu...
—and in an instant, the dazzling light the woman had unleashed vanished without a trace.
The white-clad woman shuddered, her expression hollow.
The power of her technique, capable of melting the entire world... had been extinguished by nothing more than the cries of a flock of ravens.
'This is one of the Four Divine Heavens.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed as he observed the scene.
He had once fought the Martial God Heavenly Lord to the death on Ghost Island.
Whether by misfortune or fortune, the personality calling itself Baekri Geom-ha had erupted forth, allowing him to escape that crisis with its power.
Because of that, the overwhelming majesty of the Black Divine Heavenly Lord—who subdued the white-clad woman effortlessly with just a flock of ravens—did not surprise him as much as it might have.
[That cheap imitation of power was made for one purpose...]
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord scoffed, still not revealing himself.
[To control the martial world, no doubt.]
Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed deeply at those words.
Did this mean the mysterious power the woman wielded was nothing more than a counterfeit, mimicking the Baekri Clan's Manifestation Art Energy?
"Don't mock me!"
The woman's hair turned white once more, and even her irises began bleaching into the same colorless hue.
Swoosh—
In an instant, she soared over a hundred feet into the air, gathering light as if to overturn the world—
BOOM!
—only for an explosive force to strike her down like a bird with broken wings, sending her crashing to the ground.
An invisible, intangible power had felled her mid-air without warning.
Drip, drip...
Blood bubbled from her lips as she convulsed on the ground.
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord's power was akin to the forces of nature itself—impossible to detect in advance, impossible to block.
Those who opposed him would die vomiting blood, never even understanding what had happened.
[That thing that barely qualifies as human would be pleased.]
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord's voice carried a strange amusement.
[He did say variants make excellent materials.]
A sudden realization struck Bu Eun-seol.
The phrase "that thing that barely qualifies as human"—it had to refer to the Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.
'Is the Neither-Human-Nor-Beast still conducting experiments? And are the Four Divine Heavens assisting him?'
Float...
Meanwhile, the white-clad woman's body levitated into the air.
Flap, flap, flap—
The ravens on the ground coalesced into a dark, shifting bier beneath her, preparing to carry her away.
Flash—!
But in that instant, a brilliant light erupted—
Screee—!
—and the ravens scattered in all directions, sending the woman plummeting back to the earth.
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol lifted the fallen woman into his arms, exhaling deeply.
No matter how recklessly she had attacked him earlier...
He couldn't just stand by and watch as the Black Divine Heavenly Lord—a servant of the True Demon—dragged her off to be used as a test subject.
'There's too much I need to uncover.'
Why had he called her a variant? Who was behind her?
What connection did she have with the True Demon's servants or the Neither-Human-Nor-Beast?
If he let her be taken now, those secrets might remain forever unsolved.
'Black Divine Heavenly Lord...'
The only problem was that his opponent was one of the Four Divine Heavenly Lords.
[Ah, there was a little bug here too.]
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord snorted, as if noticing Bu Eun-seol for the first time.
From his perspective...
Bu Eun-seol was no different from a powerless commoner—utterly insignificant.
As if to prove it, he didn't even bother asking who he was.
Instead, in the span of a single breath—
An absolute, transcendent force descended, impossible to evade.
Crash—!
The ground where Bu Eun-seol had stood collapsed instantly, revealing pools of crimson liquid.
Swoosh—
But he had already activated Qi-Piercing Ascent, hovering mid-air with Ink Soul Sword drawn.
His Beast Path instincts had allowed him to sense the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's attack in advance.
Hummm...
The Ink Soul Sword trembled lowly, exhaling a mist of ink-black energy.
Against the Black Divine Heavenly Lord, tricks were meaningless.
From the very first move, he would unleash his full power—executing the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to cut him down.