Chapter 955
'Father...'
Bu Eun-seol wore a dazed expression before finally realizing.
'He was trying to help.'
His father, Baekri Mu-ha, was a Divine Being who had reached the Martial God Realm—a man who could reverse the flow of a river with a single sword stroke.
Yet the Saint remained unharmed.
Ultimately, it meant he hadn't truly intended to kill him. It must have been an effort, however desperate, to somehow restore the Saint's mind.
"Even so, he couldn't break free from the True Demon's restraints."
Just as Bu Eun-seol sank deep into thought, the Saint continued with eyes brimming with boundless loneliness.
"I couldn't take my own life, nor could I find anyone capable of killing me."
"But there are countless powerful experts in the Murim, are there not?"
Now that Bu Eun-seol knew the Saint's true identity—a member of the Baekri Clan who had been corrupted by the True Demon through a Demon-Sealing Fragment—his tone and demeanor became respectful.
He was a descendant of the Baekri Clan.
And the Saint before him was an elder of his family.
At Bu Eun-seol's question, the Saint shook his head.
"The strong of the Murim cannot kill me. They could never shatter Manifestation Art Energy or Soul-Demon Magic Energy."
'The Murim's experts can't break that power?'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't agree with that.
No matter how formidable Manifestation Art Energy or Soul-Demon Magic Energy might be—what of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor? The Righteous Heavenly Emperor?
What of the Pavilion Lord? The Profound Demon? The Buddhist Venerable?
It didn't seem impossible for them to oppose such power.
"Even if such individuals exist, I could never meet them."
"Why is that?"
"Because that is the True Demon's will."
Though the words were cryptic, Bu Eun-seol faintly grasped their meaning.
Most of the superlative martial experts couldn't touch the Saint due to the Covenant.
And even those unbound by the Covenant would be barred from encountering him outright—likely to maintain the secrecy of their missions.
But above all, the decisive factor was this:
The Servants of the True Demon were beings incapable of acting against the True Demon's will.
"But somehow, In Bi-in learned I had regained some of my memories. He came to me with a proposal."
"..."
"He said he would send someone who could definitely kill me—if I would grant them a tenth of the power I possessed."
'So that's what it was.'
Only now did Bu Eun-seol understand why In Bi-in had fed him information about the Saint.
Even if he was just a puppet—
In Bi-in must have believed that Bu Eun-seol, who had destroyed his Fake Body, could kill the Saint.
And the Saint, too, must have judged that if someone could shatter the Demon-Sealing Fragments he had implanted in the commoners—
They could also break his Soul-Demon Magic Energy and surely end him. That was why he had shared everything.
'As expected, In Bi-in is no loyal servant of the True Demon...'
In Bi-in had referred to the True Demon as merely 'him.'
If he were truly a loyal follower who obeyed the True Demon's will without question—
He would never have revealed the Saint's whereabouts to Bu Eun-seol, risking exposure of the True Demon's secrets.
Nor would he have needed to demand the Saint's power.
'He must have some hidden purpose—or another identity.'
Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
That In Bi-in had another role.
That he was weaving some conspiracy of his own.
"I still can't fathom what In Bi-in truly is."
"Neither do I. Only that he..."
The Saint's eyes narrowed.
"...said he merely rolls the dice."
The same phrase again.
To dare claim he 'rolls the dice' meant In Bi-in, too, knew of the hidden Laws or truths concealed within the Murim.
Perhaps, like the Heavenly Mechanism Star or other Abyssal Forces, he had broken free from the True Demon's restraints—
And was now scheming something independently.
"I see."
"How strange."
Only then did the Saint tilt his head in puzzlement.
"Why have you suddenly grown so polite?"
Bu Eun-seol wanted to lay bare his origins right then.
But since the Saint hadn't completely freed himself from the True Demon's control, he hesitated to speak openly.
"Didn't you willingly answer all my questions?"
Flustered, Bu Eun-seol deflected, and the Saint let out a soft snort.
"Aren't you the one who will grant my long-held wish?"
Then, with a lonely yet serene smile, he added,
"Besides, you'll need the full story to kill me properly."
"Then, Elder, have you ever seen the True Demon?"
"Elder?"
"You are older than me, aren't you?"
The Saint furrowed his brow repeatedly.
No matter how much he pondered, he couldn't fathom why Bu Eun-seol's attitude had shifted.
Regardless, Bu Eun-seol chose his next words carefully.
"I simply can't imagine what it must feel like—to have one's soul eroded by a Demon-Sealing Fragment."
"I don't know. I have no such memories."
The Saint's gaze, fixed on the distant sky, was filled with anguish.
"I've merely continued living for a long time. Like a puppet."
"Do you not remember anything from the past at all?"
When Bu Eun-seol observed the Saint pouring tea, he instinctively sensed that this man was even older than the Buddhist Venerable.
"Hard to say. I might be someone from a hundred, perhaps even two hundred years ago."
The Saint sighed as if murmuring to himself while staring at the far horizon.
Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to Bu Eun-seol.
Perhaps the Saint before him was someone very close to his father.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so far as to fight him just to restore his memories.
"You know Baekri Mu-ha."
The Saint, noticing the shift in Bu Eun-seol's expression, asked.
"Don't you?"
"Since you fought him personally, you must know him well, no?"
"It was only after fighting him that fragments of my memories returned."
"Then how did you come to know that the man you fought back then was Baekri Mu-ha?"
"Neither-Human-Nor-Beast told me. He said the one I fought was Baekri Mu-ha, hailed as the Murim's First Beauty, and that it was because of him that some of my memories resurfaced."
Upon hearing the Saint's words, Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
'So he's lost all memories from when he was part of the Baekri Clan.'
Because of that, he didn't even remember that Baekri Mu-ha was a descendant of the legendary Baekri Clan.
"Earlier, you mentioned you couldn't free yourself from the True Demon's restraint—does that mean everything I say is being relayed to the True Demon?"
"That, I cannot know."
The Saint spoke calmly.
"All I know is that I cannot take my own life, and whenever a command comes, I must heal the sick commoners while implanting those seeds within them."
"So you simply cannot refuse the orders passed down to you."
Bu Eun-seol nodded slowly, as if finally understanding.
"If you were entirely unable to defy the True Demon's will... then revealing its secrets to me like this would have been impossible in the first place."
"That is merely conjecture. I cannot say for certain."
"But I can be sure. That none of what we've discussed has reached the True Demon."
"Why does that matter so much?"
"It matters to me."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and spoke firmly.
"Because it means I can be completely honest with you."
"About what?"
"The Murim's First Beauty, Baekri Mu-ha—the man you once fought—was my father."
The Saint's expression flickered with surprise.
"And my father... was of the same bloodline as you. The Baekri Clan."
The Saint's face went blank.
"Baekri Mu-ha was of the Baekri bloodline?"
Just as Bu Eun-seol had expected, the Saint hadn't even known that Baekri Mu-ha was descended from the Baekri Clan.
"So that's why you addressed me so respectfully."
"Yes."
"But what I can remember is severely limited."
The Saint's expression twisted in pain.
"For far too long... I've lived shrouded in fog, knowing nothing."
"I'm much the same."
Bu Eun-seol gestured to his own Brain Gate Acupoint.
"I, too, have been placed under a Restrictive Seal and remember nothing."
"A Restrictive Seal?"
"When I was a child, someone attacked our manor. My father helped me escape but erased my memories in the process."
Bu Eun-seol ventured carefully.
"Since you are an elder of the clan... I wondered if you might know a way to fully restore my memories."
"My apologies."
The Saint shook his head.
"My own circumstances were only explained to me by Neither-Human-Nor-Beast. I remember almost nothing."
Then, with a pained expression, he added:
"Worse still, I cannot even end my own life. If someone threatens me, I lose consciousness, and the Soul-Demon Magic Energy activates on its own."
"I see."
"But... if you are truly of the Baekri bloodline, then Neither-Human-Nor-Beast would never have revealed my location to you."
"He doesn't know my true identity."
"Is that so?"
The Saint spoke flatly.
"We've talked far too long. I doubt any of this was useful to you."
"Not at all. It was more than enough."
The Saint gazed at the distant sky with a desolate expression.
"Most likely, there are many others in the martial world who are called Saints besides me."
He turned his eyes back to Bu Eun-seol and continued.
"If it's you... you'll be able to free them, won't you?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Since he was largely unaffected by the powers of the Baekri Clan and the True Demon—
He would absolutely be able to liberate them.
"Well, if what you say is true..."
The Saint looked at Bu Eun-seol with a faint smile.
"That would make me your elder, wouldn't it?"
Then, with a gentle expression, he said:
"Originally, I intended to fight you with everything I had and find peace in death... but it seems there's no need for that now."
"Elder."
"From this moment, I will suppress the Soul-Demon Magic Energy as much as I can. So while I do... I ask that you behead me in one swift strike."
"Though I cannot remember..."
The Saint, as an elder of the Baekri Clan...
Wished not to harm Bu Eun-seol, but only to attain eternal rest.
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol nodded with a sorrowful expression.
To have been chosen by the True Demon, this person must have been an extraordinary talent even among the Baekri Clan.
For such a figure to have endured those endless years without memories or sense of self...
The sheer weight of that excruciating pain and regret was something Bu Eun-seol could scarcely imagine.
"I will give it my all."
Zzziiing.
Mysterious emblems began to shimmer upon the scabbard of the Ink Soul Sword.
He drew forth the Harmonization of the Heaven-Shattering Form, channeling all his combat power.
Whoooosh.
As he unleashed the condensed luminous energy from the sword's blade at full strength—
Flash!
A radiance as if hundreds of millions of stars had exploded simultaneously engulfed the Saint's body, dazzling and overwhelming.
In that instant, the sky turned gold, and the earth trembled and split apart.
The flood of light surged like a tidal wave, poised to sweep everything away—
"..."
Yet the Saint stood motionless at the epicenter.
Though bearing that colossal power with his entire body, not a single speck of dust stirred beneath his feet.
Harmonization had no effect.
"Ughh..."
If anything, the Harmonization seemed to agitate the Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Suddenly, his pupils rolled back, turning white as pitch-black energy gushed forth.
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol layered Harmonization upon Harmonization, unleashing his full power once more.
Sssssss.
But the result was the same.
The Saint's body—as both a blood kin of the Baekri Clan and a vessel of Soul-Demon Magic Energy—could not be shattered even by the Power of Harmony.
"Grrrrr..."
Even amidst this, the Saint struggled to suppress his power.
Still believing Bu Eun-seol would deliver his death, he strained with all his might to restrain the Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
'I must find another way.'
Harmonization was not so much the profundity of martial arts...
As it was merely a method to maximize the output of one's internal energy.
Hadn't even the Old Man of the Sacred Realm withstood his Harmonization in the past?
"Kkkhhh..."
Meanwhile, black smoke billowed from the Saint's body, and the ground cracked apart beneath him.
As he exerted his power, the world seemed on the verge of Final Extinction—the sky darkened, and gales howled.
Though his hands now held a force potent enough to annihilate the entire world...
Shudder.
The Saint still resisted.
'This will be my final attack.'
Bu Eun-seol's mind spun like lightning.
If this attack failed too?
Rather than fulfilling the Saint's wish, it would be his own life that ended.
'What if I infuse martial arts into Harmonization?'
In the past, through the Bloody Tears Seven Forms...
Bu Eun-seol had refined the Demon-Sealing Fragment possessed by his enemy into True Qi, storing it in his arm.
With it, he had defeated Yuk Jang-cheon, who wielded the power of the Baekri Clan.
What if he now infused Harmonization into the Bloody Tears Seven Forms? The thought struck him.
'That would be the closest to my ultimate potential.'
Zzzzziiing.
Having resolved himself, Bu Eun-seol channeled Harmonization while executing the Blade Essence of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Then, like a suit of black armor, it began to envelop his entire body, manifesting the form of Limitless Astral Energy.
Zzziiing.
Soon, it transformed into a white armor shimmering with iridescent hues.
The Power of Harmony and the Bloody Tears Seven Forms were merging.
Crackle.
Perhaps because he was attempting something reckless, unfit for real combat...
Within the armor of Limitless Astral Energy, Bu Eun-seol's skin split horrifically.
As he began blending Harmonization into the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, his meridians reversed, and his True Qi surged backward.
'I must endure.'
Compared to the suffering the Saint had borne, his current agony was less than a tenth.
After having his soul eroded by the True Demon for so long...
The pain of living as a puppet was beyond comprehension.
Crackle, crackle.
Finally, overcoming that death-like torment, a mysterious light coalesced upon the Ink Soul Sword.
'Now!'
—"Though I wish to die, I cannot find a place to perish."
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the fourth form of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms:
Desire Death, No Place to Die.
Originally a blade pattern that scattered Blade Rings to control an enemy's movements...
Now, it became a single point of light, aimed solely at annihilating the Saint's body.
Streaking forth like a meteor.
Ooooom.
That point of light soon transformed into an infinite wave of True Qi, spreading along the edge of the Ink Soul Sword—
Sssshhhhk!
Tearing through time, tearing through space, it finally pierced the Saint's body.
Clinggg.
At that moment, with the sound of something shattering, a devastating shockwave rippled outward—
Kwaaaaboooom!
The Saint's body dissolved into countless swirling points of radiance.
The Saint, now a form of light, revealed a faint smile.
[At the brink of death, a single useful memory has surfaced.]
Using Wisdom-Light Mind Speech, the Saint left one final message in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
[Go to the Absolute Boundary in Nashik City of India. There, you will uncover one of the True Demon's secrets.]
"The True Demon's secret..."
[Once my death becomes known, everything will change... If you do not hurry, that secret will be lost forever.]
Whoosh—!
At the same moment, the Saint crumbled into dust, vanishing into the distant sky.
At last, he had escaped the True Demon's grasp and found eternal rest.
"Elder."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply toward the spot where the Saint had stood.
Though he had never even learned the man's name...
He had carried himself with unwavering dignity as a figure of the Baekri Clan, facing his end with calm resolve.
That alone was worthy of respect.
"Nashik City."
Bu Eun-seol muttered the name under his breath.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor's remaining deadline was now six days.
Even if he pushed his Lightness Skill to its absolute limit, reaching Nashik City in India within six days—let alone finding the Absolute Boundary there—was nearly impossible.
"If I return now, I can avoid the Life and Death Palm Decree's punishment."
He had fully uncovered the Saint's identity within a month... He could rightfully evade the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's penalty.
—Unfortunately, you will still receive the Life and Death Palm Decree.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor's words suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
—I stake everything on this declaration.
Could he have known this would happen? Could he have made such a declaration with foresight?
'Impossible.'
Even if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had known the Saint's true identity...
Unless he were a god...
He couldn't have predicted that the Saint, in his final moments, would speak these words to Bu Eun-seol.
"What if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor doesn't know the Saint's identity?"
If he truly didn't...
This would be the first time Bu Eun-seol held an informational advantage over him.
Clench.
Bu Eun-seol tightened his fist.
A decision had to be made.
The Saint had said that if he didn't go now, the secret would be lost forever.
Meaning he had to either depart for India immediately...
Or return swiftly to the Demon Hall to avoid the Life and Death Palm Decree.
Under normal circumstances, Bu Eun-seol would have returned to the Demon Hall, fulfilled the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's command, and then gone to India.
But the Saint's final words weighed on him.
If he didn't go now, he had a sinking feeling that he would never uncover that secret of the True Demon.
"Then..."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"I go to India."
Even if it meant facing the Life and Death Palm Decree.
His priority was reaching India.
The northern region of Nashik City, Mahāsumati, was a vast grassland,
at the center of which lay the ruins of an ancient royal palace, frequented by countless tourists.
Around the remnants of ancient structures, a large marketplace had formed, lined with numerous shops.
Along the bustling thoroughfares, countless stalls sprawled amidst the crowds,
and the ceaseless clamor of unintelligible India speech filled the air.
'And the Absolute Boundary is supposedly here?'
Having rushed straight to Mahāsumati, the heart of Nashik City, Bu Eun-seol wore a dazed expression.
No matter how the Absolute Boundary could sever space from space...
There was no way it could be openly displayed in such a crowded place.
'I'll have to find a lead here.'
After surveying the lively surroundings, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
'Nashik City is under the Iron Elephant King's domain.'
In the past, India had been ruled by four great tribes known as the Four Sacred Tribes.
But two hundred years ago, the Four Sacred Tribes declined and vanished without a trace,
and now, eight superlative martial experts—the Eight Overlords of India—each governed one of the eight divided cities.
And Nashik City was ruled by Sang Do-gang-cheon, known as the Iron Elephant King.
'First, I'll disguise myself.'
Rustle—
Drawing upon the energy within his body,
Bu Eun-seol swiftly transformed into the appearance of Seol-so and began navigating Chengdu.
The sky was clear, and wildflowers bloomed everywhere.
Though the weather was somewhat muggy, the bustling crowds brimmed with vitality.
The uniquely India architecture formed a breathtaking sight,
and as he wandered aimlessly, he almost felt like a tourist himself.
'Should I spread Wind & Cloud Divine Qi?'
So far, every time he had searched for the Absolute Boundary, he had used Wind & Cloud Divine Qi—and it had mostly led him true.
Whoosh—
As he released the energy, a pleasant breeze radiated outward from his body in all directions.
Though the city was crowded, Wind & Cloud Divine Qi carried the attribute of wind, so it shouldn't cause any issues.
But something was strange.
The moment Bu Eun-seol activated the energy...
Swish—
Several people bustling through Chengdu abruptly turned their heads, staring straight at him.
And not just staring—
As if they could see the shape of the energy spreading outward,
their gazes darted between Bu Eun-seol and the invisible currents of wind extending in all directions.
Their wide eyes didn't even blink.
Only their pupils rolled wildly, tracking the unseen flow of energy.
The sight—twisted, almost entranced—
was not only eerie to witness...
but also carried an unsettling aura of madness.