Chapter 939
Sssss—
As the moisture in his body evaporated, Bu Eun-seol's skin turned as dry as wood in an instant.
Yet he didn't stop, relentlessly pouring Water Essence Divine Qi into her.
Zzzziiing—
At that moment, the solemn Buddhist radiance flowing from his body transformed into a sacred and noble golden wave.
Prajna Great Power.
This supreme Buddhist technique of Shaolin could only be mastered by those who had learned the Tendon Transformation Sutra—
And only by those who possessed the Great Compassionate and Merciful heart of Buddhism could it unleash its full might.
Bu Eun-seol had learned the Tendon Transformation Sutra through his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, and during a fierce battle with Wicked Incense, a former disciple of Shaolin, he had been implanted with this supreme ability of the Buddhist Order.
Thus, he had come to possess the powers of the Orthodox Path, the Unorthodox Path, the Demonic Path, and Buddhism—
But until now, he had never been able to fully wield the Buddhist Power, using it only to align his energies before deploying Harmonization.
However, moved by pity for the White-clad Woman and exerting his strength solely to save her—
At last, the mystical efficacy of Shaolin's supreme Secret Art was displayed without reservation.
Zzzziiing—
As the Prajna Great Power, fused with Water Essence Divine Qi, was infused into her, a mysterious radiance spread out—
And immediately, vitality began to surge through the woman's body.
Prajna Great Power.
Though known as the supreme Martial Art of the Buddhist School—
In truth, it was a Life-Saving Divine Art, capable of instantly healing the wounds of others.
"To save many people... This is the power Grandfather bestowed upon me."
Bu Jan-yang's teachings and compassion—
Had allowed him to master a Divine Art that could save countless lives in the future.
"But I still can't heal my own body."
He still couldn't perfectly control the power of the Buddhist School, and above all, it required a heart that pitied others—
Which was why he couldn't heal himself.
Tap.
Bu Eun-seol withdrew his hand from her Life Gate Acupoint, panting heavily.
It had been a situation where the slightest misstep could have killed them both, but fortunately, they had survived.
Huuung—
Standing upright, Bu Eun-seol began Qi Circulation, gradually drawing up his Internal Power, which had plummeted to the depths.
As he did, the Water Essence Divine Qi also slowly returned.
By nature, it sought to maintain its original level, so unless completely exhausted, it could always recover to its former state.
"If it had been completely depleted, it wouldn't have been able to restore itself."
"Ugh..."
At that moment, the White-clad Woman slowly began to open her eyes.
"Are you awake?"
For a moment, she wore a dazed expression.
But soon, she realized that Bu Eun-seol had infused her with his Internal Power and a mysterious energy, and her brow furrowed.
"Why did you save me?"
Bu Eun-seol wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied calmly.
"Anyone would naturally help someone in need."
"Naturally...?"
For a moment, she looked blank, then her brow creased sharply as she spoke in a pointed voice.
"If that were natural in this world, would I have ended up like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Forget it."
The White-clad Woman rose to her feet and turned away coldly.
"Let's leave it at this."
She shook her head.
"Since you saved me, I won't attack you anymore."
Her attitude was unbearably haughty, as if she were granting him some great favor.
But Bu Eun-seol paid it no mind and asked instead:
"Why did you enter the Ancient Sword Forest and destroy it?"
By all accounts, slapping her across the face wouldn't have been enough to vent his frustration.
Because of her destruction of the interior, he hadn't been able to hear the Ancient Sword Forest Lord's story, and all his plans had collapsed.
But whether it was due to having wielded Buddhist Power—
Or because there was still much he needed to hear from her—
His Spirit and Mind were now filled with vast patience and tranquility.
"I've been searching for that place for a long time. But I couldn't find it."
The White-clad Woman answered readily.
"Then suddenly, a gate appeared in the ravine, so I entered. But soon, a strange power blocked me, so I destroyed its source."
As it turned out, she had been searching for the Ancient Sword Forest for a long time—
And it seemed she had only been able to enter because Bu Eun-seol had opened its gate.
But when an uninvited guest entered, the mechanisms activated, and in the end, she had forcibly destroyed them.
"So the Black Divine Heavenly Lord had the same reason."
"Probably, yes."
The moment she saw Bu Eun-seol, she had tried to kill him without hesitation—
Because she sensed the Demon-Sealing Fragment in his body, which resonated with her Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
But now, there was no more hostility in her gaze.
"Do you trust me now?"
"Trust or not, it doesn't matter."
The White-clad Woman spoke coldly.
"If you were one of the Servants of the True Demon... There's no way you'd possess something like Water Essence Divine Qi."
She had sensed Bu Eun-seol infusing her with Water Essence Divine Qi and realized he had no connection to the True Demon.
"So the Servants of the True Demon cannot possess the Four Divine Energies?"
Bu Eun-seol's question was a strategic move to extract more information from her.
When someone is asked something so obvious, they instinctively answer—that was human nature.
"I answered only because I owed you for saving me."
She spoke coldly, as if seeing through his intentions.
"Now, no more..."
And she immediately turned to leave.
But seeing Bu Eun-seol's haggard face, drenched in sweat, she couldn't bring herself to walk away so heartlessly.
'He seems to have exhausted himself to save me... Answering a few more questions wouldn't hurt.'
Having made up her mind, the woman spoke.
"Of course. Soul-Demon Magic Energy is the most impure force in this world... That should suffice as an answer, no?"
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol had countless questions he wished to ask her.
How had she obtained the power of the fake Baekri Clan?
Just who was she affiliated with, and what had she intended to do by seeking out the Ancient Sword Forest in the Demon-Suppressing Tower?
And above all—information regarding the Baekri Clan itself.
"Now we owe each other nothing."
At that, she turned away coldly once more, as if her business here was concluded.
Thud.
But she hadn't taken more than a few steps before collapsing to the floor.
She had fainted outright.
"Miss."
Bu Eun-seol checked her pulse again, his fingers pressing against her wrist.
"You overexerted yourself by absorbing too much Water Essence Divine Qi at once."
Though her injuries had been thoroughly healed by the Prajna Great Power, another issue remained.
Her appearance might have seemed youthful, but internally, her body had aged severely.
Because of this, she couldn't withstand the sudden influx of such a massive amount of Water Essence Divine Qi, and in the end, her Yin Qi had surged out of control.
"There was another energy lurking within her as well."
Moreover, the moment she collapsed, a sinister, venomous energy began seeping from her body.
When the Water Essence Divine Qi and Prajna Great Power had been infused into her, the inky, liquid-like energy the Black Divine Heavenly Lord had unleashed—
Like a living creature, it had burrowed into her hidden acupoints and lain dormant.
But the moment she lost consciousness, it re-emerged and began attacking her meridians.
Hiss—
Drawing upon his Reverse Polarity True Qi, Bu Eun-seol burned away the malevolent energy once more before shaking his head and muttering under his breath.
"Black Divine Heavenly Lord..."
Just what kind of martial arts had the Four Divine Heavenly Lords cultivated to amass such unfathomable power?
What process had they undergone to wield such monstrous strength?
"...A mountain I must inevitably cross."
The strongest figures of the orthodox martial world had transcended all limits through their mastery of Limitless Power.
But whether martial arts alone could contend against the might of the Eight Heavenly Servants and the Four Divine Heavenly Lords remained an unknown.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Meanwhile, the woman's body had curled in on itself, her muscles twisting unnaturally.
"There's no other choice."
With a sigh, Bu Eun-seol this time channeled the pure, orthodox True Qi of the Reverse Extremity Heart Method throughout her entire body.
This was not the kind of True Qi martial artists typically used when extending goodwill to others.
Rather, it bore a texture similar to Primordial Essence True Qi—
A pure, foundational energy he had accumulated since childhood through the Life Nourishing Secret.
—Why go to such lengths?
Any ordinary martial artist would have found Bu Eun-seol's actions utterly incomprehensible.
Why would he do this for a woman who had not only tried to kill him but hadn't even properly thanked him?
But from the very beginning until now, Bu Eun-seol's stance had remained unchanged.
If someone before him was in need of help? Then without hesitation, he would extend his hand—just as his grandfather had done.
And above all else...
This was the first person he had met who had a connection to the Baekri Clan.
Whether she was a fake or a variant, if she knew about the Four Divine Heavenly Lords, then she must also know about the Baekri Clan.
'I must hear what she knows about my clan—about the Baekri Clan.'
Huuuung—
As the pure Reverse Polarity True Qi, akin to Primordial Essence True Qi, was infused into her, the rampaging Yin Qi within her body stabilized.
Seizing the opportunity, Bu Eun-seol went a step further, untangling the chaotic energies roiling inside her.
Pshhh—
After a long while, the white-clad woman opened her eyes as though waking from a deep slumber.
She immediately sensed the incredibly warm yet overwhelmingly powerful True Qi that had been channeled into her from outside—
And upon seeing Bu Eun-seol's face, now even more haggard than before, she grasped the entire situation at once.
"What in the world were you thinking?"
Her voice was icy as she stared at Bu Eun-seol, whose forehead was once again beaded with sweat.
"Did you do all this just to hear me say 'thank you'?"
"If something is given, should there not also be something returned?"
For an instant, her eyes widened, trembling violently.
Her expression was like that of a cat facing a rabid dog—filled with nothing but fear.
"I meant only that a mere 'thank you' would be far too meager a repayment."
Seeing her feigning indifference to mask her guilt, Bu Eun-seol had attempted a joke to lighten the mood.
But her complexion shifted dramatically, and she began straightening her collar—
"Men are always the same."
The white-clad woman bit her lip.
"It's always like this."
Pretending to be dignified, pretending to be generous and kind...
Yet the one thing that always fills their minds is the same, without exception.
In the end, life is nothing more than the endless repetition of a dark, stagnant past.
'I see.'
The moment Bu Eun-seol saw the look in her eyes, he could guess at once the wretched scars of her past.
During his days as a vagrant, he had seen countless adult women with that same hollow gaze.
"You think just because you helped me a little, you can—!"
She clenched her fists, gathering her Internal Power as if to attack—then abruptly stopped.
Far from being clouded by lust, Bu Eun-seol's face was deathly pale, his forehead slick with cold sweat.
"You..."
For a moment, she had forgotten.
This man had suffered grievous wounds from the Black Divine Heavenly Lord while trying to save her.
And despite that, he had disregarded his own injuries, exhausting himself to heal her.
Right now...
It would be stranger if he didn't collapse at any moment.
The white-clad woman wore an expression of utter incomprehension.
If his goal had simply been to extract information from her—
He could have just infused enough True Qi to allow her to speak.
There had been no need to push himself to the brink of collapse, risking his life to pour his energy into her like this.
"Just what do you want from me?"
Bu Eun-seol wore an expression of resignation.
He couldn't possibly detain the woman, who was terrified of being alone with a man, and interrogate her about the Baekri Clan's movements or her affiliations.
"I want nothing. Let's each go our own way now."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he spoke indifferently.
"I hope you return safely without falling into the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's grasp."
As he finished speaking, white steam began rising from his body.
Having lost a massive amount of Water Essence Divine Qi and True Qi, he could no longer hold on—
And so, he began a Circulation Healing Session while still standing.
But his injuries were severe.
While trying to protect her, he had failed to fully block the force unleashed by the Black Divine Heavenly Lord, allowing that vile energy to burrow deep into his meridians.
Chiii—
The pain must have been unbearable.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's expression remained unchanged as he silently circulated his energy.
But since that force could neither be expelled nor destroyed, the more he circulated his qi, the more cold sweat poured from him instead.
"You—"
The woman bit her lip.
No matter how cold-blooded she was,
She couldn't turn away from someone who disregarded their own injuries to help another.
"That's the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's Soul-Severing Qi."
She spoke upon noticing the black veins rising along Bu Eun-seol's neck.
"It can't be healed through circulation. You must expel it with Dharma Arts."
"I'm not a Taoist priest."
"You don't know Dharma Arts?"
The woman looked at him strangely.
"Then you fought the Black Divine Heavenly Lord with martial arts alone?"
When Bu Eun-seol nodded, her lips parted slightly.
She had assumed he must have mastered some formidable Dharma or Esoteric Ritual Arts to escape the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's grasp safely—
But he had resisted with martial arts alone? How was such a thing even possible?
"Don't worry about me and go. I'll recover soon enough."
Instead of answering, the woman stepped closer to Bu Eun-seol. Then, she reached out toward his Life Gate Acupoint.
Flinch.
But having never voluntarily touched a man's body before, she hesitated several times.
Tap.
Finally gathering her courage, she placed her hand on Bu Eun-seol's Life Gate Acupoint.
Instantly, his body twitched.
Though her touch had been light, excruciating pain surged through him.
"Don't exaggerate just because I touched your back once."
The white-clad woman snorted and began channeling a mysterious energy into him.
But this power only worked at full strength when directly applied to bare skin.
Pulling her hand away, she wiped the sweat from her brow after a long moment of hesitation.
"Take off your clothes. This power must touch bare skin."
Understanding the immense courage it took for her to say that, Bu Eun-seol unhesitatingly stripped off his upper garment.
Though he had seemed endlessly gaunt at first glance,
Once his clothes were removed, his torso was revealed—carved like marble, firm and sharply defined.
His back, bared beneath the sunlight, rose like a majestic mountain range.
His shoulders spread wide like an eagle's wings, beneath which rugged muscles lay like a suit of armor.
His spine stretched taut, its contours shifting with even the slightest movement, writhing like a living creature.
"You..."
Flustered, the white-clad woman muttered something absurd.
"Your bones are thick, so you'll recover quickly."
Then she channeled her energy once more.
Zzziiing—
As she did, the vicious traces of palm energy branded into Bu Eun-seol's back became starkly visible.
"Don't tell me the Black Divine Heavenly Lord struck you from behind?"
"It just happened that way."
"Someone of your martial prowess—why would you expose your back...?"
She cut herself off, lips pressing together.
She had realized why Bu Eun-seol had been struck from behind.
Because he had been carrying her as he ran—unable to evade the attack.
"I don't understand. Dressed like a rogue, yet acting like a disciple of the Buddhist Order."
She grumbled, but—
Upon realizing Bu Eun-seol had suffered such severe wounds because of her,
She began pouring her energy into him with extreme care, her touch gentle.
Zzziiing—
In an instant, the black veins rising along Bu Eun-seol's body began to fade.
The energy she was channeling was neither internal True Qi nor the power of Dharma Arts or a supernatural ability.
'So this is the power they say mimics the Baekri Clan's strength.'
Bu Eun-seol could feel it—
The energy she was infusing into him was precisely
The same power the Black Divine Heavenly Lord had claimed was an imitation of the Baekri Clan's might.
Huuuk.
With her aid, Bu Eun-seol was finally able to purge some of the vile energy corroding his meridians.
"That's enough. This will do. Thank you."
"Why did you do this?"
The woman asked, as though she couldn't comprehend it.
"Self-satisfaction? Or do you expect something more from me?"
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"I was merely taught this way."
"Taught what?"
"My grandfather showed kindness and goodwill even to strangers in death. How could I leave someone dying before my eyes?"
Bu Jan-yang had never turned away from those in need.
And he had never hesitated to extend a helping hand to them.
Because his grandfather had lived that way—because he had respected and followed such a man without fail—
Bu Eun-seol, too, did not hesitate to help this woman, even though she had once sought his life.
He had already become an existence akin to Bu Jan-yang's very shadow.
"This is strange."
The woman realized that Bu Eun-seol's words were entirely sincere and found it genuinely perplexing.
"Just who are you? You don't seem like an ordinary wanderer."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Though he couldn't discern the woman's background or affiliation, he sensed that her true nature wasn't malicious.
"I go by Seol-so. A drifter in the murim, barely scraping by."
"The Bullet King's disciple?"
The white-clad woman's eyes widened.
Bukgung Ryeong—a renowned hero whose name was etched upon the Martial Alliance's Hero Stele, now the leader of the Azure Heaven Alliance, a sovereign of the orthodox path.
His sole known disciple, a Special-Grade Wanderer who roamed the murim in secrecy.
And Seol-so was that very person?
'If she knows Seol-so's identity, she must belong to a faction with an extensive intelligence network.'
Just as Bu Eun-seol sank into thought—
"A wanderer? That makes it even stranger."
She snorted coldly.
"Aren't wanderers the kind of cold-blooded bastards who wouldn't share a single drop of water unless they're paid?"
"Not all wanderers are misers. Many are generous souls."
"Nonsense."
Though she spoke harshly, her expression gradually softened.
Humans are creatures of emotion.
Though the man before her wore an ordinary face—a disguise—his entire being exuded an unshakable dignity.
A rare gentleman in the murim, unafraid of death.
A self-sacrificing altruism that compelled him to help others.
In short, he possessed qualities that would inevitably draw the favor of any woman.
KRRRRL!
At that moment, a sound like lightning splitting the sky echoed from the distance, and dozens of shadows began converging upon the thatched cottage.
The Black Divine Heavenly Lord's subordinates had tracked Bu Eun-seol down.
The white-clad woman's eyes flashed as she spotted the masked figures wearing raven-beak masks.
"The Black Wave Army?"
"What is that?"
Her face twisted with fear.
"They're minions the Black Divine Heavenly Lord created by splitting his own power into hundreds, thousands of fragments. Once they find their prey, they'll chase them even into hell."
Then, urgently, she added:
"You have to kill them all at once. Otherwise, the Black Divine Heavenly Lord will just send more."
SHH SHH SHH SHH!
The hovering Black Wave soldiers abruptly spread their arms wide.
Black feather-shaped hidden weapons rained down like a storm—
SHWAK!
—before coalescing into a massive curtain that descended upon the cottage.
"HAAAP!"
The white-clad woman flung her hands outward, unleashing a surge of white energy.
"I'll hold this off. Kill every last one of them."
She seemed intimately familiar with the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's martial arts and their functions.
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol immediately drew Ink Soul Sword and soared into the air.
FLASH!
In an instant, he unleashed the Waning Moon Morning Star technique, and the wings of the Black Wave soldiers began falling one by one.
WHOOSH!
Realizing the terrifying skill behind Bu Eun-seol's swordsmanship, the Black Wave soldiers scattered—
FWIP FWIP FWIP FWIP!
—and fired razor-sharp metal feathers from their black wings.
CLANG!
Each time the feather projectiles struck Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol's body shuddered violently.
The feathers, thin and sharp like Willow Leaf Flying Blades, were all imbued with profound martial principles.
Even Bu Eun-seol, a master of martial arts, couldn't immediately grasp the underlying principles woven into them.
No matter how he tried to evade—
One in ten still grazed his body, and no immediate countermeasure came to mind.
'To imbue such lightweight hidden weapons with such crushing force...'
Just as the woman had said, these weren't mere subordinates.
They were more like clones, each bearing a fragment of the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's power.
Even if that power was divided into hundreds, thousands of pieces—
Considering the sheer might of the Black Divine Heavenly Lord, they were formidable foes.
'If I can't block or dodge, I'll shatter them head-on.'
ZZZING!
As he concentrated his internal energy, a blade of azure sword aura surged from Ink Soul Sword.
Bu Eun-seol spun the sword at blinding speed, weaving a massive Sword Curtain as he charged forward.
SWISH!
With a deafening Sound of Breaking Air, Bu Eun-seol—now a whirling orb of light—began tearing through the Black Wave soldiers in midair.
CRACKLE CRACKLE!
As he moved at high speed, employing a strategy of Defeat in Detail, a dark mist began seeping from the soldiers' bodies—
SHK SHK SHK!
—before they realigned in a bizarre formation.
Then, the sky darkened in an instant.
One, two...
Soon, thousands—tens of thousands—of ravens swarmed like an endless tide, swallowing the sun whole.
As the black curtain unfurled, the world sank into pitch-black darkness, and the sound of fluttering wings—like tearing fabric—ripped through the air.
Bu Eun-seol realized this darkness wasn't mere shadow. A chilling sensation crawled up his spine.
SCREEE!
Cracks slowly formed in the curtain, and from the gaps, eyes as red as blood emerged.
These were no ordinary eyes.
Burning resentment, formless malice, the endless gaze of beings neither beast nor human.
The sinister pupils flickered wildly, radiating a cold madness—as if they sought to tear through flesh and pierce straight to the bone.
These eyes weren't mere organs.
They were condensed terror itself.
There was nowhere to run.
The moment those gazes locked onto him, it felt as though even his soul would be dragged into the abyss.
"Black Blood Dark Curtain."
The white-clad woman's face twisted in despair.
Before their eyes, the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's Soul-Demon Magic Energy had manifested an Absolute Killing Formation.