Chapter 940
Bu Eun-seol stared at the flickering pupils within the shroud that seemed to envelop the entire world and asked:
"What is that?"
"It's a Killing Formation crafted from the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's dharma artifact."
The White-clad Woman answered with a grave expression.
"If exposed to those eyes within the Black Blood Dark Curtain, all your power will be sealed."
Within the black shroud unfurled across the sky, crimson pupils pulsed with dark red veins.
Like a throbbing pulse, they emitted ominous energy and an alien radiance at a steady rhythm.
The moment his gaze met those wide, glaring eyes—
His body grew powerless as if being dragged into an abyss, and his mind felt on the verge of vanishing into darkness.
Sssk—
Then, the Black Wave Army—wearing masks shaped like long, sharp bird beaks—rushed toward Bu Eun-seol.
Their forms resembled a sinister flock of ravens blotting out the night sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They soared through the air, raining down hidden weapons imbued with formidable force.
'My internal power is disappearing.'
Just as she had warned, the moment his gaze met the pupils embedded in the shroud, the energy within his body began fading away.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been about to unleash the Waning Moon Morning Star, had no choice but to relax his entire body and deflect the hidden weapons with the subtle principles of Formlessness Defeats Form.
Swish!
Each time the Ink Soul Sword drew a circle in the air, the hidden weapons—packed with force enough to split Mount Tai—fell powerlessly to the ground.
Due to his already profound martial arts—
Through the subtle principles of Formless as Water and Vacuum Without Support—techniques even ordinary martial artists would struggle to execute at full strength—
He effortlessly shattered the enemy's force.
Boom!
As if sensing the greatness of Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess, the Black Wave Army began darting through the sky, firing sword qi from a distance.
Their movements were not only swift as light but also irregular.
Above all, they wielded the bizarre Hidden Stealth Secret Art, making it difficult to land a counterattack.
The moment they brandished their sword techniques, their forms would vanish in an instant before reappearing.
Their bodies mingled within the darkness before suddenly swooping in from different directions.
Zzzzt—
Then, the White-clad Woman—who had been frantically evading attacks—suddenly stretched out a hand toward Bu Eun-seol and shouted:
"While I pour out my spellcraft, I can block the energy of the Black Blood Dark Curtain!"
As a mysterious light spilled from her palm—
The strange force that had been sealing his internal energy vanished in an instant.
'Does supernatural power require supernatural power to oppose it?'
Until now, the numerous enemies he had faced—
Had all employed secret techniques that restricted the power within his body, including his internal energy.
Even under such adverse conditions—even amid trials—Bu Eun-seol had faced them by unleashing every ounce of his ability.
Yet the moment the White-clad Woman extended her hand, those restrictions shattered in an instant...
Leaving him with no choice but to feel somewhat hollow.
'That said, I have no intention of learning spellcraft now.'
"Then finish them quickly."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol—who had lost all his power—still holding his own against the Black Wave Army using only the subtleties of martial principles—
She had judged it better to leave the task to him rather than expend her own strength.
"Understood."
A brilliant light radiated from Bu Eun-seol's eyes as his power returned.
Boom!
Immediately, he unleashed the Formless Heavenly Flow technique and began cutting through the Black Wave Army.
His swordsmanship had deepened with each passing day—
Reaching a level where he could unleash overwhelming might with nothing but the subtleties of martial arts, not even a wisp of internal energy.
Swish! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Now that his strength had returned, his swordsmanship—having reached the Summit of Mastery—was accompanied by terrifying internal energy.
Even the Black Wave Army, said to be akin to the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's clones, could not dare resist—reduced to dust and vanishing in moments.
Zzzzt—
As the Black Wave Army fell helplessly—
Flash!
A crimson light began seeping from the countless pupils embedded in the Black Blood Dark Curtain.
Then, a dark heat haze rose from the bodies of the Black Wave Army—
Squelch— Stretch—
They folded the wings that had been raining hidden weapons—
And drew forth the Blood Sword, its blade dripping with blood from their palms.
Boom!
Then, in a streak of light, they launched their assault on Bu Eun-seol.
Swish! Boom!
Their agility with drawn swords had multiplied severalfold, and from the Blood Sword, sword qi surged about thirty feet high.
The Black Blood Dark Curtain not only restricted the enemy's power—
But could also amplify the Black Wave Army's abilities several times over.
'Then I must eliminate the source first.'
Sssss—
By now, a white mist had begun rising from Bu Eun-seol's body.
The ninth stance of the Formless Heavenly Flow—Misty Waves of Rivers and Lakes—imbued with Natural Qi, unfolded.
—Kreee!
As sword qi, mist-like in its attempt to restore all things to their natural state, spread in all directions—
The eyes embedded in the Black Blood Dark Curtain began shrieking eerie screams.
'Not all of them, then.'
The moment he unleashed Misty Waves of Rivers and Lakes—
Among the countless pupils embedded in the shroud, one in particular stood out—glittering like a black jewel.
"It seems the eyes embedded there aren't all exerting power—their True Body exists separately."
Flash!
As Bu Eun-seol moved at ultra-high speed and launched Sword Qi at the black eyeball—
Rumble...
Heaven and earth trembled, and the eyeballs within the Black Blood Dark Curtain began vanishing one by one.
"Incredible."
The White-clad Woman, who had been pouring out her strength, let out an exclamation.
To shatter the Black Blood Dark Curtain, a formation created from the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's Soul-Demon Magic Energy, with mere sword techniques?
Moreover, wasn't that mist-like force embodying the essence of Nature Sword—the legendary Sword Studies that orthodox swordsmen could only dream of in their wildest fantasies?
"Just who are you—?"
As she approached Bu Eun-seol—
Clatter-clatter-clack!
The Black Wave Army abruptly began reforming their ranks.
Floating midair, they aligned themselves into a formation that resembled a single colossal giant.
"Is that another Art of Spells?"
Bu Eun-seol faced the Black Wave Army, which was unleashing attacks while maintaining its peculiar formation, and—
—unleashed the Waning Moon Morning Star once more.
BOOM!
But an unexpected development occurred.
As if they had become one body, they blocked the Waning Moon Morning Star while maintaining their formation.
It looked as though a giant had raised an enormous sword to deflect the attack.
BOOM! CRASH!
The Black Wave Army began assaulting Bu Eun-seol.
Maintaining their formation, their sword strikes extended hundreds of feet in range.
And despite their giant-like size—
Far from slowing down, their agility had increased dozens of times over.
BOOM! WHOOSH!
Their destructive power and speed had multiplied to such an extent that they had become nightmare entities impossible to oppose through ordinary Martial Arts.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol, amplifying his Movement Technique further, became a streak of light and began Defeating in Detail the Black Wave Army.
BOOM. RUMBLE. SLASH.
Yet, the moment he attacked, they scattered their formation instantly—
—only to reassemble into their giant-like formation the moment they counterattacked.
The problem was that this formation was modeled after the secrets of ancient formations.
The instant they scattered across heaven and earth, no attack could land on them.
Thus, no matter how swiftly Bu Eun-seol moved or how fiercely he struck, he couldn't cut them down while they were dispersed.
'Then I must strike in the instant they attack—when they reform.'
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Peerless Thunderbolt, the fastest among his Sword Studies—
—and struck the precise moment the Black Wave Army transitioned from fragmented pieces back into their giant form.
Swish-swish!
Moving at ultra-high speed, he created hundreds of sword afterimages until his form vanished—
—leaving only flickering streaks of violet lightning visible.
Rumble. Clatter-clatter-clack.
But in response, the Black Wave Army scattered into fragments again, refusing to maintain their giant formation—
—as if they would not reassemble until Bu Eun-seol's assault ceased.
'They're reading my movements.'
Though the Black Wave Army moved like puppets—
They displayed an astonishing ability to predict even the movements and tactics of a Master like Bu Eun-seol.
"Conventional attacks won't work!" Bu Eun-seol called out loudly.
"Can you temporarily halt the Art of Spells they're using?"
At this, the White-clad Woman spread her arms once more.
Zzziiing!
A white light radiated outward, and the movements of the Black Wave Army slowed slightly—
—before their scattered fragments were forcibly pulled back into formation.
She had neutralized their Soul-Demon Magic Energy with a mysterious Six Paths Severing Shadows, a Dharma Art.
"It'll take about a quarter of an hour to weaken their magic energy enough to break them!"
"That's enough for me to hold out."
Bu Eun-seol answered calmly.
But sensing the shift, the Black Wave Army altered their tactics.
BOOM!
As the White-clad Woman exerted her strange power, they forged a massive sword and swung it down at her head.
Caught mid-casting her spell, the attack was too swift and unexpected—she couldn't evade in time.
CRASH!
With a deafening roar, the colossal blade stopped just a hair's breadth from her scalp.
Bu Eun-seol had already stepped in front of her, blocking the strike.
Crack.
The ground beneath his feet split instantly.
The Black Wave Army's attack, executed while maintaining their giant-like formation, carried transcendent destructive force.
Drip.
A few drops of blood trickled from Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Having only just recovered from the Soul-Severing Technique, his internal injuries weren't fully healed.
Taking the Black Wave Army's strike head-on had worsened them.
SLAM!
The Black Wave Army raised their enormous sword high—
WHOOSH! CRASH!
—and brought it down relentlessly upon the White-clad Woman.
Each strike split the earth, shaking the very foundations of the land. And with every blow Bu Eun-seol intercepted, his body trembled violently.
The movements of the Black Wave Army were unnaturally swift, and with every swing of their swords, a strange energy rippled outward.
Yet the White-clad Woman couldn't move an inch—she had to remain perfectly still as she completed her spell.
Bu Eun-seol stood before her, ceaselessly blocking the onslaught of attacks raining down upon her.
"You should retreat."
The White-clad Woman spoke when it seemed Bu Eun-seol could no longer endure.
"I'll hold them off somehow."
Bu Eun-seol remained rooted in place as he replied.
"Finish the spell. I'll manage."
"But—"
"We're both already injured. Shaking off their pursuit would be impossible anyway."
KA-WHOOM!
Deflecting another sword strike, Bu Eun-seol shouted,
"Didn't you say we couldn't escape the Black Divine Heavenly Lord's pursuit unless we wiped them out in one go?"
The White-clad Woman bit her lip.
"Fine. Hold them for eight minutes."
She closed her eyes entirely, murmuring an incantation in a low voice.
The light flowing from her hands grew even more intense.
Finally, as eight minutes passed—
"Done!"
She thrust her hands forward with all her might.
SHAAAA—!
A blinding white radiance surged forth, and in an instant, spiderweb-like lines etched themselves across the giant's form.
"They won't be able to revert to their fragmented state anymore!"
'Only Harmonization remains.'
As Seol-so, he shouldn't use Harmonization.
But right now, there was no time to consider such things.
ZZZIIING—
At that moment, a dazzling light erupted from Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword.
He had channeled Harmonization—the unification of all his inner forces—into the blade.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Though the Ink Soul Sword, infused with the Heaven-Shattering Form's power, emitted shattering sounds, it stubbornly refused to break.
Moreover, thanks to the Prajna Great Power becoming slightly more refined, an overwhelming force was being concentrated within it in a short time.
DRIP. DRIP.
The one who couldn't endure was Bu Eun-seol himself.
His deep internal injuries prevented his body from properly containing the power that should have been unified.
'I have to hold on.'
CRACKLE. CRACKLE.
Before he knew it, his body began splitting apart like a parched desert.
Having forced himself to endure through multiple injuries, his flesh finally started collapsing under the strain of Harmonization's power.
'I can do this.'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his teeth.
His strength wasn't born from merely mastering exceptional martial arts or possessing genius talent.
He had trained relentlessly, studied martial arts ceaselessly—all for battles that could erupt at any time, anywhere.
To surpass his limits.
To ensure he would never have a single regret, no matter the situation.
And those efforts—
In moments of life-or-death crisis, they became the unshakable foundation that supported him.
CRACK. CRACK. THUD. THUD.
Bu Eun-seol's body swelled to the point of bursting, yet he didn't stop unifying the forces within him.
ZZZIIING—
Finally, a radiant, multicolored light began coalescing around the Ink Soul Sword, and mysterious emblems started etching themselves onto the scabbard.
The Power of Harmony had gathered.
"HAAAP—!"
With a battle cry, the Ink Soul Sword split the air.
Simultaneously, an indescribably intense light exploded outward, engulfing the Black Wave Army.
FWOOOOOSH—!
Crimson fissures spread across their bodies as black liquid gushed endlessly from the cracks.
Exposed to the annihilating light and waves of Harmonization—
The Black Wave Army, maintaining their giant formation, gradually disintegrated until only a small orb remained at the center.
KWA-UUUU—!
The light of Harmonization swept even that away in an instant—
FWAAAA—!
Then surged upward, reaching the black curtain of the sky—embedded with the vanished True Body's eyes—
The Black Blood Dark Curtain vanished without a trace.
SHUUU—!
Leaving behind a lingering resonance, the light dispersed into the distant heavens.
The world, now devoid of radiance, embraced a brief silence.
"Hah... Hah..."
Bu Eun-seol, gasping for breath, staggered.
This victory had been won not just through indomitable will—
But because he had trained every single day, pushing himself without pause.
What if he had stopped even for a single day?
If he had grown complacent, even momentarily, satisfied with his martial prowess and skill—
Then the one defeated would have been Bu Eun-seol.
"Are you hurt?"
Using the Ink Soul Sword as a staff to steady himself, Bu Eun-seol looked at the White-clad Woman.
Though her face was pale with exhaustion from unleashing such a formidable spell, she thankfully bore no visible injuries.
"You're not Seol-so."
The White-clad Woman approached him with a complicated expression.
"The Bullet King's disciple couldn't possibly wield martial arts like this."
Bu Eun-seol had no words to offer.
The Harmonization he had just unleashed was a transcendent power strong enough to shatter even Limitless Power.
No matter how much a student could surpass their master—
No wandering martial artist with such overwhelming strength, surpassing even a renowned master, would roam the martial world in obscurity.
"Martial Soul Lord."
The White-clad Woman let out a sigh.
"Bu Eun-seol."
The most ruthless man in the world.
Yet also known as the Righteous Man within the Demonic Path—a prodigy of the Demonic Path who only did what was just.
Only he could possess such power and such magnanimity.
"I've been found out, it seems."
Bu Eun-seol wiped away cold sweat and forced a smile.
Thanks to the Darkness Secret Arts, his disguise hadn't been broken, but his internal injuries were severe.
Having forcibly unleashed Harmonization, his muscles and bones were twisted, and the balance of his mixed energies had collapsed—his body felt like it might explode at any moment.
Thud.
Finally, he dropped to one knee.
Seeing this, the White-clad Woman bit her lip and helped him up.
"No matter how compassionate or fond of helping others you are, I can't understand it."
Then she shook her head.
"Is it a man's pride? Or is it the belief that women must always be protected?"
"I simply knew that helping you was the only way to repel them."
"Helping the weak is just self-satisfaction in the end."
The woman sighed as she spoke.
"I never asked for help."
"You're right. It might be self-satisfaction, as you say."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky and spoke indifferently.
"But I... merely walk the path I believe to be right."
"The path you believe to be right."
The woman's pupils dilated slightly.
It was not self-satisfaction at all.
Nor was it out of pity or a desire to help her.
He simply walked the path he had chosen.
"...I see. So that's how it is."
For a moment, an indescribable surge of emotion and reflection welled up in the White-clad Woman.
Staring at the distant sky, she unknowingly brought forth a story she had buried deep in her heart.
"I lived a life different from yours. To survive, I stole from others... and killed."
She bit her lip.
"At first, I thought I had no choice. To survive, I had to do those things."
She fell silent for a moment before lowering her head.
"But deep down, I knew. There were ways I could have lived without killing them."
"..."
"I just... chose the easier, surer path. Even though I knew it was wrong."
She took a deep breath.
"That's why I couldn't shake the guilt. Why my days were filled with torment."
Had she truly believed that path was right—
Had it truly been the only path available—
the guilt might have remained, but the suffering would not have.
And seeing Bu Eun-seol now, she realized it clearly.
That she had always chosen the wrong path.
Those with conviction have no regrets.
Those with conviction do not care for the eyes of others, do not doubt themselves—they simply walk the path they believe in, silently and steadfastly.
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze dimmed.
The Power of Harmony was the strongest ability he could wield.
But forcing its use exacted a price more fatal than any other power.
Even the irreversible injury he had suffered while fighting the Gwonin Heavenly Lord in the past—
Hadn't it been because the Power of Harmony had rebounded?
"The pursuit seems to have stopped. You should go ahead."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"I'll rest here a while before leaving."
Though he said that, he was already on the brink of death.
Yet he showed no sign of it, insisting she go first.
Just in case—
In case that relentless and cunning Black Divine Heavenly Lord sent pursuers again.
This man...
Understanding his thoughts, the White-clad Woman felt an overwhelming surge of sorrow and pain rise in her chest.
The men she had encountered in her life had only ever sought to satiate their lust upon women's bodies, to fulfill their greed.
They lived violently, taking what they wanted.
Her world had always been stained with desire and brutality—justice was nothing but empty words.
"And."
Bu Eun-seol took out a single Demon-Subduing Divine Pill pill he hadn't been able to give her earlier and handed it to her.
"Take this on your way. It will help unblock your stagnant qi."
No elixir could heal his injuries now. So he gave even his last remaining Demon-Subduing Divine Pill to the White-clad Woman.
Tap.
The pill bottle she received still held a trace of warmth. At that moment, she felt an unfamiliar emotion seep deep into her chest.
Here was a man without a shred of greed, without an ounce of deceit.
Even with a wounded body, he stood firm to protect others.
Even his bloodstained fingertips existed not to harm, but to shield.
Plip. Plip.
That strange emotion turned to tears, wetting her cheeks.
A man of true sincerity—a noble soul she had never believed could exist—
Was quietly fading before her eyes.
And for the first time—
She did not wish for another's death.
Instead, she felt a piercing desperation.
He must not die.
He was someone who deserved to live.
Someone who had to survive.
Haaah—
Gathering her strength once more, she reached out a trembling hand toward Bu Eun-seol, who stood gasping for breath.
Then, a mysterious radiance swirled, and countless points of light began pouring into his body.
All of her life force.
And though not of the same origin—
The greatest power in the world.
She was infusing him with Manifestation Art Energy.