Chapter 959
Even as A-wan watched in shock,
Bu Eun-seol was already locked in fierce combat.
The moment his Internal Energy began to wane, he immediately abandoned his Protective Astral Energy
and instead channeled his remaining strength to erect a barrier of True Qi above his head.
Drip, drip-drop.
Then, the water pillar—sharp as a spear's edge—seemed to shift form once more,
only to abruptly change direction, now aiming straight for A-wan's throat.
"Ah—!"
Just as A-wan gasped in shock,
Thunk.
A jagged spike of water buried itself deep into Bu Eun-seol's shoulder as he intercepted it.
His body had been drained of all strength,
and with no Internal Energy left to wield, he had thrown himself in its path.
"Young Master!"
"Run first, A-wan."
"I—I can't... My body won't move."
Bu Eun-seol noticed the faint glow emanating from A-wan's body.
'The sealed energy within her is surging, paralyzing her instead.'
It was the same principle as the Soul-Dulling Drug used by the Flower-Plucking Lechers—
when Yin Qi surged violently within a woman's body, it rendered her limbs immobile.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, the water split into another razor-sharp form, once again homing in on A-wan's throat.
Shhk!
Bu Eun-seol's left hand shot out, seizing the translucent current barehanded.
Crrrack!
The solidified water thrashed violently, as if demanding release.
Rrrip!
Flesh tore instantly, his palm reduced to a bloody ruin—yet he refused to let go.
"Young Master, strike my neck!"
A-wan cried out, realizing the water was targeting only her.
"The gods are enraged because I, a cursed descendant, have trespassed onto sacred ground."
Her voice was desperate.
"If I die, you'll be able to pass through the gate unharmed."
This was holy land, and she—a descendant of the Yona Tribe, cursed for hiding the sacred artifacts of other clans—had defiled it.
She believed the strange force was fixated on her for that sin.
"Don't be absurd."
"Please believe me," A-wan pleaded.
"If you offer me as a sacrifice, the god will forgive you and let you pass."
"If you can't move, then stop wasting breath and stay quiet."
"Young Master—"
"Focus your mind. Don't speak another—"
Thunk!
Mid-sentence, the jagged spike embedded in Bu Eun-seol's shoulder suddenly pierced through his back.
His Body Protection True Qi still held, preventing full penetration,
but the pain was so immense his spine stiffened reflexively.
"Young Master..."
Biting her lip, A-wan forced her limp arm to move, fumbling for a dagger.
She meant to slit her own throat if it would save him.
"Foolish girl."
Shhk!
Wrenching the solidified spike from his back with a grunt, Bu Eun-seol barked at her.
"A god who demands a child's sacrifice just because other clans cursed her—"
Crackle...
His eyes, now fully crimson, blazed with heat intense enough to melt steel.
"—is no god worth sparing. I'll erase them myself!"
Zzzzt!
Mobilizing every last shred of energy within him,
violet lightning erupted outward, annihilating the embedded water spikes completely.
Bubble, bubble, bubble...
The moment he unleashed his Thunder Essence Divine Qi,
the surface of Fantasy Pond began boiling like molten lava,
Shoom!
and instead of two spikes, hundreds of spear-like water formations now hovered in the air.
—Will you still refuse to yield?
It was as if the pond itself was speaking to him.
The suction force radiating from it had sealed all his energy,
and after expending his last reserves to destroy the previous two spikes,
there was no way he could block hundreds now.
"Young Master... The gods are giving you one last chance. Please, retreat."
A-wan's plea was met with the faintest curl of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Shing.
Drawing the Ink Soul Sword, he glared at the pond and spat coldly:
"Try me."
The pond's suction wasn't just suppressing his Three Divine Powers and Internal Energy—
it was draining even his Beast Force, leaving his raw physical strength utterly depleted.
Worse, the ground itself exerted a fierce pull, slowing him further.
But it didn't matter.
Even without a shred of power left,
even if that pond held some unfathomable might—
if a wicked god lurked there, demanding a girl's sacrifice,
he would tear it down himself.
Because he was absolutely certain he could cut it down.
Kukukuku.
As Bu Eun-seol drew his sword, Fantasy Pond seemed to mock him, generating a massive tremor before—
Shoooaaah!
—stretching upward in the form of thousands of wave-like tendrils.
The sight was akin to the emergence of a primordial monstrosity, something no human strength could ever hope to withstand.
Whoosh!Swooosh!
The towering waves surged into the sky before cascading down upon Bu Eun-seol like a torrential rain.
'If it has form, that's even better.'
As long as what emerged from Fantasy Pond had a tangible shape, he could cut through anything.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Bu Eun-seol advanced step by step, forming a circular Sword Curtain to shield A-wan from harm.
Splatter! Splatter! Splatter!
The waves continued their relentless assault, as if mocking the notion that a mere sword could stop them.
But within the Ink Soul Sword lay the principles of Neither Above Nor Below and Move Heaven Exchange Force—
—and with them, he altered the very nature of the raging tides.
Though he lacked even the strength to lift his sword,
by manifesting the mysteries of Gathering Wind and Purifying Qi and Wind Gathering and Purification,
he wielded the force of the waves themselves to swing his blade.
Fwoosh! Fwish!
The waves shattered endlessly against the Sword Curtain, unable to breach it.
Whether it was the Art of Spells, Supernatural Power, or any other force, he had faced and overcome countless such threats before—
—and so, he could pierce their attributes and counter them with the profundity of Martial Arts.
'Tch.'
But even he couldn't sustain such techniques indefinitely.
As his strength finally began to wane,
Hssssss...
Bu Eun-seol unleashed Scattered Sword, weaving a translucent Sword Membrane to protect A-wan.
'I need to get closer to that Fantasy Pond.'
Without hesitation, he gripped the fallen A-wan's hand and trudged forward, step by laborious step.
With the suction force from the ground rendering agile movement impossible,
his only choice was to advance—to reach the source of that bizarre power lurking within Fantasy Pond—
—and cut it down in a single stroke.
Hssssss!
Struggling, Bu Eun-seol pressed on, step by step.
To create a Sword Membrane so dense not even a drop of water could penetrate, he had to execute Eighty-One Sword Strokes in a single instant.
Even with his Internal Energy and physical strength drained,
he repurposed the cascading force to unleash Scattered Sword repeatedly—but eventually, his Stamina and Mental Power reached their limit.
Drip.
A clear trail of Bloodstained crimson trickled from the corner of his lips.
Not from an Internal Injury,
but from biting his lips bloody to endure the agony of arms threatening to shatter.
"Please cut me down even now, Young Master."
Despite A-wan's plea, Bu Eun-seol pressed forward in silence.
His body was like steel.
Even martial artists who could wield Internal Energy couldn't maintain a Sword Curtain for more than Half a Quarter—
—yet here he was, creating one after another with nothing but his bare flesh.
"Young Master."
"If we die, we die together."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was low.
"Don't speak anymore. It breaks my focus."
At that, A-wan pressed her lips together, swallowing her tears.
Judging by his ability to soar through the skies, by his mystically noble features—
—he must have held an exalted status in the Central Plains.
Yet here he was, staking his life to save someone like her—
—a guide from the most despised Tribe in India, a people looked down upon by all.
'It's not out of a sense of justice.'
A-wan could feel it.
Bu Eun-seol was not trying to save her out of a sense of justice.
It was simply his conviction.
'He must have lived without ever bending it or compromising, not even once.'
Perhaps it was because they were risking their lives together as they made their way toward the Fantasy Pond.
In this brief time, A-wan was naturally coming to understand what kind of person Bu Eun-seol was.
Stagger. Stagger.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol had advanced nearly a hundred feet.
Just a few more steps, and he would be able to look into the Fantasy Pond that was sending out those waves.
Crack. Clatter.
At last, the sword barrier was breaking apart.
He had exerted every ounce of his strength, but there was a limit to forming a sword barrier with physical strength alone.
Just as hundreds of pointed shapes were about to pierce his body—
"Young Master!"
As A-wan cried out,
he stopped abruptly.
Having finally reached the Fantasy Pond, Bu Eun-seol stared at its surface.
The wave-like, razor-sharp energy halted just before it pierced his skin.
The moment he looked at the pond's surface, he discerned the source of the force creating the waves and neutralized the attack at once.
"So this was it."
The Fantasy Pond reflected Bu Eun-seol's own image.
But unlike his real self, his reflection trembled with fear and anxiety.
"It was showing me the worst circumstances and trials I could face right now."
In the end, the Fantasy Pond's power made real the worst fear that anyone entering this place could imagine.
What Bu Eun-seol feared most was a desperate situation in which he could use neither the Three Divine Powers, nor his internal energy, nor the Beast Force, while those around him faced mortal danger.
And the Fantasy Pond had precisely recreated that nightmare.
"Had I unknowingly become obsessed with power?"
Staring at his reflection in the pond, Bu Eun-seol felt a hollow emptiness.
The realm he sought to achieve was one where he could render even the mightiest in Murim ordinary.
Yet paradoxically, his body was a crucible for some of the most formidable energies in the world.
Those very forces had been the wellspring of his victories in battle—so much so that, without realizing it, he had grown dependent on them.
"A-wan's immobilized body... that, too, was born of my fear."
From the moment he first stepped into Murim,
his path had been shadowed by the grudges of fallen foes and the bloody karmic retribution he had accumulated.
Still, he had vowed to protect those around him.
But now, in this hopeless state—bereft of all power—even A-wan's body had been frozen.
This was the worst fear his desperate desire to protect had paradoxically birthed:
the terror of failing to protect, made manifest.
'I can't save everyone.'
He had known this for a long time.
As he cut down enemy after enemy,
he understood he might lose those he held dear as well.
Yet even so, he could not stop—not his journey through the martial world, nor his path of vengeance.
From the Gong Twin Demons... to the Kill-Seeking Unit's leader,
countless had willingly laid down their lives in his stead.
They had met their ends without regret, with quiet acceptance.
How could he turn back now, after all their sacrifices?
'All I can do is my best. As I always have.'
After a brief reflection, Bu Eun-seol gazed back into the Fantasy Pond.
This time, it no longer showed him trembling in fear of failing to protect.
Instead, it reflected his true self—one who had overcome even that terror.
Thud!
But then, something unexpected happened.
Despite having shattered all the pond's energies,
a sudden surge of liquid force pierced his body.
"Kh—!"
A groan escaped him before he could stop it.
Fortunately, remnants of his Body Protection True Qi prevented it from fully impaling him—
but the razor-sharp currents had still sunk deep.
Sshhk!
Swinging the Ink Soul Sword, he severed the invading tendrils—
only to slump forward, gasping, the blade planted in the ground for support.
"Hah... hah..."
With all his powers sealed by the Fantasy Pond, he had sustained a Sword Curtain for nearly a quarter hour—relying solely on martial artistry.
It was akin to sprinting at full speed for three days without food—
pushing his body to the absolute limit.
And now, his flesh was riddled with wounds as if pierced by hundreds of spears... He could endure no more.
'I need to regain focus.'
As his vision blurred, Bu Eun-seol instinctively tried to circulate his qi.
But the energies absorbed by the Fantasy Pond had yet to return,
and the blood loss was dragging his consciousness into an endless abyss.
"Young Master."
Then, A-wan—barely managing to rise—approached slowly to support him.
Thud.
But her strength gave out again, and she collapsed against his back, unconscious.
Hmmmm...
At that moment, a low hum resonated as a blue light began to spill from the Fantasy Pond.
Simultaneously, the blood gushing from his wounds slowed... then stopped.
And then—was it his imagination, or was his back growing warm?
'A-wan?'
Turning his head, he saw it—
A radiant blue glow spreading from A-wan's body, draped over his own.
Vrrrm...
The light swiftly enveloped him entirely, pouring a ceaseless stream of warmth into his battered form.
"A-wan."
He called her name, but she didn't stir.
Lost in deep slumber, her body shimmered with light, yet the energy flowing from her never ceased—
flooding into Bu Eun-seol without pause.
'This is...'
His muscles were torn, his blood nearly spent—his entire body burned as if set aflame.
Yet the energy channeled through her arms soothed the agony, reviving his vitality.
'The Fantasy Pond and A-wan's body are resonating.'
Both glowed with identical light, as if synchronized.
Moreover, the energy she channeled into him didn't just replenish his fluids like Water Essence Divine Qi—
it caressed his wounds like gentle hands, mending them with tender care.
'Water Essence Divine Qi? No.'
This power was similar, yet purer—
as if the very essence of a water spirit had taken form.
Shoooooo.
The energy that had flowed into his body continued circulating through his Conception and Governor Vessels before gradually seeping back out.
It was as if clear water had purified his body from within before draining away.
Thud.
Once his flesh was completely purified, A-wan, who had clung to his back like a magnet, slid off limply.
Crackle.
At the same time, his joints realigned, and his skin regenerated anew.
This wasn't Metamorphosis and Bone Renewal.
Rather, it was because the chaotic energies that had been jumbled within his body had been completely cleansed away by the Fantasy Pond's suction force, leaving only his pure physical form behind.
Feeling a weightless comfort, as if floating on clouds, Bu Eun-seol instinctively closed his eyes and began circulating his qi.
Huuuuum.
In response, tens of thousands of luminous specks coalesced into a single current, wrapping around his body.
Though the Fantasy Pond had drained all his energy,
a new force was already beginning to bloom within him.
Most notably, his Water Essence Divine Qi was regenerating in a completely different form than before.
'This... is the true Water Essence Divine Qi.'
The Water Essence Divine Qi he had absorbed from Sa Cheong-ha's body had been somewhat tainted,
so he had only used it for limited purposes—breaking spells with its Evil-Breaking power or healing his body.
Unlike his Wind & Cloud Divine Qi or Thunder Essence Divine Qi, he had unconsciously restrained himself from fully utilizing it.
But what now surged within him was a pure Water Essence Divine Qi, infused with Natural Qi.
'The new Water Essence Divine Qi is embracing the other two energies.'
The Three Divine Powers were originally forces belonging to nature.
Thus, rather than storing them within his body, they were meant to be borrowed from the vast natural world at any time.
Thanks to the Fantasy Pond's suction force, his internal energies had been completely emptied, allowing the Water Essence Divine Qi to generously accommodate the other two energies.
Because of this, he could now wield the Three Divine Powers by directly drawing strength from nature itself.
Kuhuhuhuhu.
A shockwave that shook heaven and earth radiated from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Purify the void, unite with the Dao. Abandon all, attain flawlessness.
Natural Qi achieved unity through emptiness.
And it reached completion only when everything was relinquished.
Thanks to the Fantasy Pond's suction force and the power of the Yona Tribe that A-wan possessed,
Bu Eun-seol had finally regained the Three Divine Powers in their perfect form.
—All things return to their original state in stillness, and harmony is achieved through emptiness.
Suddenly, the words his grandfather had spoken while gazing at nature resurfaced in his mind.
'Through stillness and emptiness, perfection is attained.'
Lost in the State of No-Self, Bu Eun-seol naturally devised a mantra to unify the Three Divine Powers from his grandfather's teachings.
'Because it is empty, it can be fulfilled.'
Fwoosh.
Having finally grasped the Unity Divine Art of the Three Divine Powers, Bu Eun-seol's body slowly began to float into the air.
A divine radiance, like that of an immortal, bloomed from his ascending form.
Flash!
When he opened his eyes, a dazzling spectrum of light flared—
Shoooooo.
—and the Fantasy Pond, which had been greedily absorbing the power of the Three Divine Powers from his body, gradually withdrew its force.
"You think I'll forgive you just because you're withdrawing your power now?"
As Bu Eun-seol extended his left hand,
Kuhuhuhuhu.
light, as if condensed from all the power in the world, gathered—
Flash!
—and in an instant, it illuminated the pond.
Shooooooo.
Then, all the water in the pond began to evaporate.
In truth, the vast Fantasy Pond contained almost no real water.
It had been filled only with the power of a Supernatural Ability that could manifest transparent ripples.
But when Bu Eun-seol annihilated that power entirely, it appeared as though the pond's water was boiling away.
'An entrance... inside the pond?'
Surprisingly, once both the water and energy of the Fantasy Pond had evaporated,
a polished metal door, gleaming brilliantly, became visible inside.
Within the Fantasy Pond,
a secret passage leading to another space had been hidden all along.
"Hm."
Bu Eun-seol recalled the clusters of light gathered in his left hand.
They were the condensed essence of the Three Divine Powers.
Because he had completed the mantra to wield them as a Divine Art,
he could now freely manipulate the unified Three Divine Powers like internal energy—
and even use that power to shatter spells or Supernatural Abilities.
"...Emptiness, Stillness, Nature."
As Bu Eun-seol uttered the final mantra, his pupils flashed.
The Four Divine Powers had always been a force that required abandoning everything to attain truth.
And the essence of this Divine Art mantra, which allowed him to freely command the Three Divine Powers,
lay in awakening the principles of nature through boundless stillness and emptiness.
"Since this Divine Art is as endless as the light of heaven... I shall name it the Heavenly Light Endless Art."
Thus, Bu Eun-seol christened this Divine Art mantra the Heavenly Light Endless Art.
Thud.
But then, the sound of A-wan collapsing came from below.
"A-wan."
Lost in the State of No-Self while creating his new mantra, he had forgotten about her entirely.
Descending swiftly, Bu Eun-seol held his breath.
A-wan had vanished without a trace.
In her place...
...lay a woman of peerless beauty, as if a celestial maiden had descended, fallen into a deep slumber.