After leaving the Martial Alliance, Bu Eunseol immediately returned to the Demon Palace.
And without delay, he led the elite forces of the Death Shadow Division toward Mount Cheonsan.
Mount Cheonsan was the place where Gwan Hae-geum, the Southern Heaven Chivalrous Hero, a great hero of the Righteous Faction and disciple of the Nameless Old Man who called himself the shadow of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, was living in seclusion.
And the Monstrous Old Man, a master from the Three Realms who had mastered the arts of the Saber Sovereign, was relentlessly pursuing him.
Gwan Hae-geum, who had encountered Bu Eunseol before, had been attacked by the Monstrous Old Man and had once again left Mount Cheonsan.
But Bu Eunseol knew.
Gwan Hae-geum was still living in seclusion on Mount Cheonsan.
Because it was the perfect place to evade the pursuit of the Three Realms alone.
The strange thing, however, was the Monstrous Old Man.
He considered it his life's regret not being able to fight the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, and was relentlessly pursuing Gwan Hae-geum, who had learned the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
Then why wasn't he chasing or ambushing Bu Eunseol, who had also learned the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears?
For a figure from the Three Realms, such a thing should not be impossible.
‘Does this mean he too is not the leader of the Three Realms?’
The Monstrous Old Man’s saber technique surpassed Bu Eunseol’s and was at a level that could not be countered in an instant.
Yet, if he was not the leader of the Three Realms…
The power of the Three Realms and the masters positioned there would be at a level that was truly impossible to fathom.
‘It was an incredible saber technique.’
Until now, Bu Eunseol had fought against the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars and had claimed victory.
But the Monstrous Old Man was different.
He displayed a martial prowess far beyond any of the masters he had fought before.
‘At the very least, his rank must be higher than an Envoy of the Three Realms.’
Given his incredible martial prowess, even if he wasn't the leader of the Three Realms, he must be a figure close to the core.
If he could be captured, new information about the Three Realms might be obtained.
Rustle.
Just then, Wi Cheon-gyeong, who was leading the members and commanding the scene, approached and spoke.
“We see signs that their forces retreated around the same time we arrived.”
Even though they had come as soon as the Evil Soul Guard obtained the information, there were no Soul-Lost People, nor was there the successor of the Saber Sovereign.
In the end, Bu Eunseol's intelligence network was still no match for the Three Realms.
“This is nothing new.”
Bu Eunseol, after a moment of thought, said calmly.
“Lead the members back to the Demon Palace at once. I will look around a bit more before I go.”
“Understood.”
The elite martial artists of the Death Shadow Division, including Wi Cheon-gyeong, immediately returned to the Demon Palace.
As Bu Eunseol calmly gazed at Mount Cheonsan, Soyo’s low voice was heard.
“You’re trying to find Hero Gwan, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. You figured it out.”
Even though the forces of the Three Realms had withdrawn, Gwan Hae-geum was likely still here.
Bu Eunseol intended to find him and deliver the news about the Nameless Old Man.
“Let’s go now.”
Unfurling his movement technique, Bu Eunseol swiftly ran up Mount Cheonsan without hesitation.
Mount Cheonsan was so vast that finding a single person was impossible.
However, Bu Eunseol knew how Gwan Hae-geum chose his hiding places, so he could easily find his tracks.
Terrain that a large force could not enter, and a location with several escape routes.
And a place where formations or various traps could be set up to prepare for an attack by the successor of the Saber Sovereign.
Bu Eunseol was searching such places thoroughly.
“There he is.”
Bu Eunseol smiled as he looked at a cave at the edge of a cliff on Mount Cheonsan.
There were no signs of human presence, but to Bu Eunseol's eyes, enhanced by the Empty Heart Spirit Sense, countless traces of someone using traceless steps were visible.
“Hero Gwan.”
Bu Eunseol intentionally made his presence known as he approached the front of the cave.
“……!”
In that moment, he felt a strong sense of foreboding.
From inside the cave, he felt a faint breath, as if it would stop at any moment.
“Hero Gwan!”
Shouting loudly, Bu Eunseol immediately entered the cave.
After running for about thirty jang, the narrow passage widened, revealing a large open space with jagged stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
And in one corner of the open space, a figure could be seen, panting heavily with a saber stuck in the ground.
It was the Southern Heaven Chivalrous Hero, Gwan Hae-geum.
“Hero Gwan!”
“You’ve come.”
Gwan Hae-geum was clutching his blood-soaked belly.
A sharp saber had mangled his stomach, causing his internal organs to spill out.
“So, is my benefactor doing well?”
Gwan Hae-geum spoke calmly, clutching his stomach.
Even as his own life hung by a thread, he was worried about the well-being of the benefactor he hadn't seen in a long time.
“The Elder……”
Bu Eunseol couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
To the dying Gwan Hae-geum… he couldn't bring himself to speak of the Nameless Old Man's situation, trapped in a wretched state in the Hall of Repentance at the Blood Shaolin.
“I see.”
Gwan Hae-geum, understanding the entire situation from Bu Eunseol’s expression, wore a calm smile.
“Was his end… peaceful?”
“Yes, it was.”
Bu Eunseol said with a heavy expression.
“And until the very end, he wished to die as the shadow of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.”
“He did. That, too, must have been my benefactor’s choice.”
Gwan Hae-geum’s eyes grew dim.
His life was finally coming to an end.
“Did the successor of the Saber Sovereign come again?”
“No, I picked the fight.”
Gwan Hae-geum’s eyes blurred.
“Now that I’ve found a successor who has mastered the complete saber verses of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade… I thought it would be alright to let go of this harsh life.”
“Elder.”
A blood-red gleam appeared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“I will surely avenge you, Elder.”
He never intended to live under the same sky as the Three Realms anyway.
Moreover, they had cruelly killed Gwan Hae-geum, the benefactor who helped him find his grandfather’s trail… He intended to get that revenge.
“You must not.”
Gwan Hae-geum shook his head.
“You must not fight him yet.”
“Elder.”
“The saber technique he uses is outside the bounds of what can be called martial arts… it is the saber technique of a demon.”
“I have the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears.”
“That is why you must not.”
Gwan Hae-geum said in a low voice.
“He has also mastered the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears. Perfectly.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened at the shocking answer.
And he remembered what the Nameless Old Man had said before he died.
—Tricked by a wicked person, I taught him five forms of the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears…….
‘Does that mean he was the culprit who stole the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears?’
“Are you saying he used the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears?”
“That’s right. Although it was only the second form, he used it more perfectly than I… who have practiced it my entire life.”
“It is probably limited to the fifth form.”
Bu Eunseol relayed what the Nameless Old Man had said to Gwan Hae-geum.
“Then you must not use the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears all the more.”
Gwan Hae-geum continued speaking with difficulty.
“He is a successor of the Saber Sovereign who has refined his saber technique to a divine level. The moment you display the remaining two forms, he might obtain the complete saber verses of the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears.”
Gwan Hae-geum spoke with faint eyes.
“Until you can perfectly master the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears and cut him down in a single blow… you must not fight him. Do you understand what I mean?”
Bu Eunseol bit his lip.
The Nameless Old Man.
And Gwan Hae-geum.
Master and disciple were so alike.
Even as they were dying, they were worried about others.
“I understand.”
Bu Eunseol held Gwan Hae-geum’s hands and nodded.
This was the only answer he could give right now.
“Life in the Martial World is covered in debts of gratitude and resentment from the start. So… there is no need to feel anger or pity for my death.”
Gwan Hae-geum smiled faintly.
“Forget it all, if possible. Even the memories of me.”
If he held onto memories of him, he would try to take revenge on the Monstrous Old Man.
Even in his last moments, Gwan Hae-geum was worried about Bu Eunseol’s safety.
“I hope you achieve what you set out to do.”
With those words, his eyes slowly closed.
He had finally passed away.
“Elder.”
Bu Eunseol lowered his head.
Even in this desolate Martial World, there are people who live for others.
They willingly dedicate their entire lives to helping others, and even in death, they leave without a single regret.
Why on earth…
Gwan Hae-geum, and the Nameless Old Man.
Why did they choose such a life?
If he wandered the Martial World a little longer, would he be able to find the reason?
Bowing respectfully to Gwan Hae-geum's body, Bu Eunseol quietly turned around.
He had spent his entire life being chased by the Three Realms, making this vast Mount Cheonsan his home.
In that case, all of Mount Cheonsan was Gwan Hae-geum's house, so he surely would not want a stuffy grave.
Step, step.
As Bu Eunseol emerged from the cave, a brilliance like a blood-soaked sun poured from his eyes.
He had promised not to fight until he had completed the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
But what if the Monstrous Old Man came looking for him to kill him? He couldn't just sit and die, so it wouldn't be breaking his promise.
“Soyo.”
Bu Eunseol said in a cold voice.
“Tell the Evil Soul Guard immediately. Tell them to stop concealing my movements from now on.”
“Are you trying to lure him out?”
“That’s right.”
Bu Eunseol said, looking at the distant sky.
“He has always longed to fight with Bu Janyang, who mastered the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears.”
A blood-red gleam flared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“Since he knows I have mastered the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears, he will surely seek me out.”
“I understand.”
Soyo did not try to stop him.
She knew Bu Eunseol’s personality better than anyone.
When he had made a complete decision in his heart, he always looked at the distant sky.
A decision made like that could never be reversed, no matter who tried to stop him.
After that, Bu Eunseol wandered the Martial World alone, without concealing his movements.
He believed that the Monstrous Old Man, the successor of the Saber Sovereign, would surely come to find him.
However, no matter how much time passed, no pursuit followed, and no trace of the Monstrous Old Man was found.
Instead, trouble erupted from an unexpected place.
“The Lightning God?”
A flash sparked in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he received Soyo’s report.
The Lightning God, Noebihon, who had pursued the Envoy of the Three Realms from the warehouse at Lake So.
Shocking news arrived that he had suddenly suffered an irrecoverable, fatal injury and was on the run.
‘Is he saying the Envoy defeated the Lightning God?’
The Envoy of the Three Realms he saw at the warehouse in Lake So.
That person possessed skills that surprised Bu Eunseol and used a unique martial art.
‘No, that can’t be.’
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
The Lightning God was the Lightning God.
No matter how great the Envoy’s skills were, he could not defeat him.
Something must have happened while he was pursuing the Envoy.
‘This is all my fault.’
Noebihon had lost his family to the Three Realms and had become a madman wandering the Martial World.
Although they shared a common enemy in the Three Realms, Bu Eunseol had used Noebihon twice to protect his identity as Seon Woo-jin.
Moreover, since he was on the run after being seriously injured because of him… he had to help him.
Crack.
Just in case, Bu Eunseol used the Face-Changing Bone-Shifting Technique to change into the appearance of Seolso.
“Where is he.”
The place Soyo led him to was a deep forest on Mount Great Red.
The forest, which should have been dense with trees, had completely vanished, leaving only scorched black rocks.
It seemed Noebihon had engaged in a fierce battle here.
But as he went deeper into the mountain, the burnt traces disappeared, and only withered, dead trees with no life force were visible.
“The trail ends here.”
Soyo pointed to the ruined surroundings.
The ground was filled with traces of the Heavenly Lightning Annihilation that Noebihon had unleashed.
“It seems he unleashed an all-out attack here and then quickly fled.”
Bu Eunseol, who was carefully examining the surroundings, shook his head.
“No, he is in this vicinity.”
“Huh?”
“He intentionally left a trail to avoid pursuit. With Heavenly Lightning Annihilation, he can leave traces of his escape as much as he wants.”
Bu Eunseol’s gaze deepened as he examined the withered trees.
“But this martial art that withers trees like this…”
Tap.
Bu Eunseol, who was quickly surveying his surroundings, unfurled his movement technique.
And he began to quickly scan the forest.
‘Over there.’
The place where Bu Eunseol stopped his movement technique was a small valley with a waterfall about three jang high.
Quickly scanning the area, Bu Eunseol lifted a large rock not far from the valley.
Rumble.
When he lifted the rock, there was a deep depression in the ground, and a man was lying there with his eyes wide open.
He was over seven feet tall with very long limbs, and his body was covered in so many wounds there wasn't a single unharmed spot.
And his eyes.
His pupils were tinged with gray, and they lacked focus.
Even a corpse wouldn't have pupils this devoid of life.
It was the Lightning God, Noebihon.
“Brother Noe.”
Bu Eunseol immediately pulled him out.
But he lay there dazedly, as if he hadn't heard anything.
‘Don’t tell me.’
Even when he got close to Noebihon, he couldn't feel any Lightning Spirit Qi at all.
Feeling something was wrong, Bu Eunseol began to examine his wounds thoroughly.
‘These wounds.’
All over Noebihon’s body, wounds made by a sharp saber energy spread like a spiderweb.
They were not wounds made by an ordinary sword, but cuts from a sharp, materialized true energy.
They were clearly the marks of the Dark Blood Demon Saber used by the Monstrous Old Man who killed Gwan Hae-geum.
‘It was him.’
Bu Eunseol bit his lip.
The successor of the Saber Sovereign.
The one who fought Noebihon was not an Envoy of the Three Realms, but the Monstrous Old Man, the successor of the Saber Sovereign.
He had not only left Noebihon in a near-death state, but had also completely annihilated the Lightning Spirit Qi within his body.
“That's why the trees.”
The trees that the Saber Sovereign’s technique had grazed had lost all their life force and had become withered.
And Noebihon, too, was losing his life force like a withered tree.
‘It’s similar to the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears, but different.’
What the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears contained was ‘death’.
But the saber energy unleashed by the Monstrous Old Man contained a destructive aura that continuously annihilated life force.
‘Besides… it makes no sense to annihilate Lightning Spirit Qi with an ordinary saber technique.’
The Lightning God, Noebihon, could not only use the destructive Heavenly Lightning Annihilation indefinitely, but could also use the power of the Lightning Spirit Qi to instantly heal internal and external injuries.
But to have the powerful Lightning Spirit Qi in his body annihilated by a saber technique?
‘Does that mean he applied the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears to the Saber Sovereign’s technique?’
The Lightning Spirit Qi is a power that resides in the Body of the Lightning Spirit.
It could be temporarily suppressed, but to annihilate it was an impossible task.
But what if it was the True Seven Forms of Blood Tears, which brought death to all it touched? What if it was combined with the Saber Sovereign's secret art, which possessed a destructive aura…
Such a thing might be possible.
“Brother Noe. I will check your pulse for a moment.”
Bu Eunseol thoroughly checked the pulse of Noebihon, who was lying as if dead.
But no Lightning Spirit Qi could be felt.
The problem was that the vicious saber energy still remained in his body… eating away at his life force.
‘He’ll die at this rate.’
His body, with its Lightning Spirit Qi gone, felt limp as if his bones had disappeared.
If this demonic saber energy could not be annihilated, he would soon die.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take him to a doctor?”
Bu Eunseol shook his head at Soyo’s words.
“His body cannot be treated by ordinary doctors. Besides… if we don’t do something quickly, he will soon lose his life.”
After examining Noebihon’s body again, Bu Eunseol injected Reverse Extreme Energy into his Mingmen Point.
But he could not expel the vicious energy that had permeated his body.
To revive his dying body, a powerful spark had to be created to awaken his life force.
‘A spark.’
Bu Eunseol's eyes flashed as he recalled his first fierce battle with Noebihon.
‘Wouldn’t it be possible with Blazing Great True Vital Energy?’
The reason he was able to win余裕を持って against Noebihon, who used the destructive Lightning Spirit Qi.
It was thanks to the Blazing Great True Vital Energy, which was very similar to the Lightning Spirit Qi.
If an ordinary person were exposed to the Blazing Great True Vital Energy, their meridians would instantly melt and their internal organs would cook, resulting in death.
But for Noebihon, who possessed the Body of the Lightning Spirit capable of containing Lightning Spirit Qi… wouldn't it awaken his body instead? That was his thought.
‘If I’m wrong, Brother Noe’s entire body will melt and he will die.’
He couldn't guarantee that the Blazing Great True Vital Energy would awaken Noebihon’s life force and expel the vicious energy.
But if left alone, Noebihon would die.
In that case, he had no choice but to try this method.
“Soyo, please guard us.”
Fwoosh!
Bu Eunseol immediately drew out the Blazing Great True Vital Energy.
As he did, his meridians twisted and a sweet taste of blood rose in his mouth.
‘Is it still too much to use Extreme Yang Martial Arts?’
After receiving the Water God Qi that Gongson Dan-ah had injected before, Bu Eunseol had no great difficulty in using the Ice River Heavenly Flow Verse.
But when he used the Blazing Great True Vital Energy, his meridians felt like they were twisting, and blood rose in his throat as if he had suffered an internal injury.
‘It doesn’t matter!’
Woong.
Bu Eunseol immediately began to inject the power of the Blazing Great True Vital Energy into Noebihon’s body.
Chiiii!
As he did, white smoke rose from Noebihon’s body, and his body began to turn fiery red.
If this judgment was wrong.
Noebihon’s body would instantly become a fireball and start to burn.
Woooong!
But Noebihon’s body only turned red; it did not burn or melt.
His body was accepting the energy of the Blazing Great True Vital Energy.
Woooong!
Noebihon’s body turned red.
And it began to flash on and off like a star in the night sky.
The more Blazing Great True Vital Energy was injected, the more intense the light flowing from his body became, and an endless heat poured out from him.
‘Ugh.’
Thick veins stood out on Bu Eunseol's body as he continuously poured out the Blazing Great True Vital Energy.
As he exerted the Extreme Yang force, the mixed energies in his body began to cry out in protest.
The more he used the Blazing Great True Vital Energy, the more the mixed forces began to clash, and eventually, he felt a pain as if his entire body was being torn apart like paper.
But Bu Eunseol paid no heed and continued to pour out the Blazing Great True Vital Energy.
Since Noebihon was in a near-death state because of him, he had to save him, even if it meant risking his own life.
Flash!
Just then, a hot brilliance shot up from Noebihon’s body toward the sky, and then,
Fwoooosh!
Black smoke flowed out and scattered in all directions.
The demonic saber energy that had been annihilating his life force was finally expelled from his body.
“Ughh.”
Noebihon, who had been writhing in pain, shouted loudly with the whites of his eyes showing.
“You’re the one who killed my son!”
Foam rose to his lips, and only the whites of his eyes were visible.
“Because you had a hidden identity like a rat bastard, I couldn’t find you until now!”
Noebihon shouted, as if vomiting blood.
“To think that you… you were the successor of the Saber Sovereign!”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Noebihon had said that the enemy who had harmed his son and wife was an Envoy of the Three Realms.
But the Monstrous Old Man, the successor of the Saber Sovereign, was that fiend?
Moreover, ‘such an identity’ meant that the successor of the Saber Sovereign also had another identity, didn’t it?