“Martial Soul Society Leader, is it?”
As Bu Eunseol appeared, the man in black immediately recognized him as the leader at a glance and formed a faint smile.
Swoosh.
At the same time, the man in black standing at the center reabsorbed the other seven shadows into his body. Even while watching it happen with his own eyes, it was an eerie, unbelievable technique.
“You’re quite young.”
The man in black scanned Bu Eunseol up and down and tilted his neck slightly.
“I thought you’d be at least in your forties or fifties. To think you founded the Martial Soul Society…”
“Judging by your skill, you’re not one of the Three Attendants searching for the True Demon after scattering, are you?”
Staring straight at the man in black, Bu Eunseol muttered in a low voice, “You’re stronger than the Eight Human Heavens, but weaker than the Four Divine Heavens… is that it?”
In that instant, the man in black’s eyes flashed.
Very few in the martial world knew of the existence of the Four Divine Heavens and the Eight Human Heavens. And the fact that the Three Attendants were searching for the True Demon was an absolute secret among secrets.
Someone who had appeared out of nowhere, as if fallen from the sky, leaving no trace in the martial world… how could he know both the level of the subordinates and the secret of the True Demon?
“I truly can’t tell who you are.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, the man in black narrowed his eyes.
“A lord of the Mysterious Human Heaven…”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol’s eyes curved slightly.
The word ‘mysterious’ usually meant dark, but in the martial world it referred to profound, arcane, and mystical power, like mystical arts or secret techniques.
Wasn’t Weiji Mu-a called the Profound Demon for that very reason?
“So, an Eight Human Heaven who uses sorcery.”
Having defeated Eight Human Heavens Lords before, Bu Eunseol did not find them particularly threatening, aside from the Inbiin Lord.
But at the next words, his eyes flashed.
“…and the one who will become the new master of the God-Slaying Heaven.”
The masked man removed his mask and curled his lips upward.
A sinister-looking middle-aged face was revealed.
“Long ago, with the help of the three elders, I gained power and surpassed the limits of the Human Heaven.”
It was a shocking statement.
The Three Attendants, known as loyal attendants of the True Demon… to think they possessed the power to enhance their subordinates.
‘So he’s a candidate for a Divine Heavenly Lord.’
The Martial God Heavenly Lord had also taken in a successor.
And it seemed the God-Slaying Heaven was undergoing generational change as well.
The power of the Four Divine Heavens Lords surpassed even the limits of martial arts.
This man, a Human Heaven Lord specializing in sorcery and on the verge of promotion, would be incomparable to the Eight Human Heavens encountered before.
“Who are you?”
“Leader of the Martial Soul Society.”
Bu Eunseol answered calmly.
“Seolso.”
“Seolso?”
The man frowned in thought.
There was only one Seolso known in the martial world—a wandering warrior, disciple of the Bullet King.
But the Bullet King had formed the Azure Heaven Alliance and become its leader.
So how could his disciple, a wandering mercenary of the Central Plains, be the leader of the Martial Soul Society?
“You’re speaking nonsense.”
The man glanced around skeptically.
“Are you really Seolso?”
“I am.”
He tilted his head.
“Well, regardless… if you obey this lord, you may yet live.”
“You want me to bring you the New Bloodline.”
Bu Eunseol said casually.
“It is the first successful one, after all.”
The man wasn’t surprised.
Someone who knew the Three Attendants’ secret would naturally know about the New Bloodline.
“It’s a shame, but there are no New Bloodlines here. You’re mistaken.”
“What?”
“You must’ve checked before attacking, right? That it’s not here?”
“If it weren’t, would this Lord have come?”
“You attacked because you couldn’t find it.”
Bu Eunseol shrugged.
“You planned to beat it out of us.”
It was just as he had said.
The man had already infiltrated the Martial Soul Society and investigated thoroughly.
He had received information that the New Bloodline came here, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t sense anyone fitting that description.
‘You’ll never find her.’
Bu Eunseol smiled.
Seong-ah had drunk his blood, awakened from the Soul Reincarnation Spirit ritual, and returned to her original body.
Unless she drank his blood again, she would never become New Bloodline again.
“So you lured me here on purpose.”
The man’s eyes flashed.
“Did you think you could negotiate with me?”
“Not at all.”
Bu Eunseol waved his hand dismissively.
“Stop talking and make your move.”
“You summoned me just to ask to be killed?”
The man stared at him, then tilted his head.
“You didn’t disguise yourself…”
“….”
“How could someone appear out of nowhere like this?”
“….”
“A mere mercenary knows about us and about the New Blood?”
He stroked his chin, muttering as if solving a riddle.
“And what’s this Cheonjo Yuhwa, the Wise Wandering Immortal? What kind of ridiculous immortal is that?”
There were many unknown recluses in the martial world, and people rarely lied about their lineage.
Even unfamiliar names weren’t usually doubted.
But this man was certain no such immortal existed.
Which meant… the True Demon’s subordinates knew even the identities of hidden masters.
“So if you don’t know someone, they don’t exist?”
Bu Eunseol feigned ignorance.
The man scoffed.
“Of course. If someone cultivated to become an immortal, the three elders would have found them.”
‘He means the Three Attendants.’
It sounded casual, but it was valuable information.
The Three Attendants of the True Demon could track hidden masters.
“Aren’t you just like a frog in a well claiming to know everything about the world?”
Unlike usual, Bu Eunseol became quite talkative.
The character Seolso was an established grandmaster with an unpredictable personality who walked the middle path.
Above all, using the other person’s psychological state and characteristics through the pitch of their voice, tone of voice, eye contact, facial expressions, etc., he had to uncover information before the fight began.
“Do you intend to kill all the Martial Soul Society members over a wrong judgment?”
The man’s darkened eyes gleamed.
“Bring me the girl you’ve hidden by your will. If you do, I shall spare half the warriors of the society.”
The man was also very talkative.
“Half? How generous.”
Bu Eunseol sneered.
“When I appear, I normally slaughter everyone. Sparing half is rare. I’m moved to tears.”
“As expected, martial artists never listen.”
The man smiled coldly.
“They always reject the drink and choose the punishment wine instead.”
He raised his hand.
Grrrrr.
The demonic beasts growled.
It seemed he controlled them all by himself.
“To face the Demonic Calamity Beasts I’ve summoned, you’ll need even the chefs and maids of the Martial Soul Society to fight.”
These creatures, with immortal beasts with the eyes of a dragon, skin of a hippopotamus, and claws of a lion, could regenerate endlessly by absorbing fear.
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eunseol glanced back.
The Martial Soul Society warriors had achieved a perfect victory against nearly thirty thousand creatures, but that came with the cost of exhaustion.
If another wave came, fear would spread.
And those beasts would regenerate endlessly from that fear.
“Demonic Calamity Beasts, huh.”
Bu Eunseol laughed.
“A bluff fitting of the Eight Human Heavens.”
“Bluff?”
“What you used earlier was like the Shadowless Grand Expansion Technique. And you’re claiming you created those?”
The man’s face stiffened.
That technique—a fusion of light manipulation, sound techniques, and spatial distortion—created the illusion of countless clones.
“So he fought all of us alone?”
Nae Bihon looked stunned.
“All four corps leaders…”
They had fought one man thinking he was many.
“There must be something more.”
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
Even a candidate for Heavenly Lord couldn’t defeat four masters with mere illusion.
“The Eight Human Heavens’ martial attainment rivals the Limitless Realm,” he said deliberately. “And this man’s power has been enhanced by the Three Attendants. There’s no need to feel ashamed.”
“How interesting.”
The man asked, “How did you know those beasts were fake?”
“If they were real, they wouldn’t appear out of nowhere. If you could drop them here, you’d have destroyed us instantly.”
“….”
“What I wonder is—why send an Eight Human Heavens lackey instead of someone from the Four Divine Heavens?”
If he were truly higher-ranked, he would’ve subdued the four corps leaders and the other warrior without any effort.
“Stalling for time, I see.”
The man scoffed.
“You’re waiting for something.”
“What’s certain is…”
Bu Eunseol smirked.
“These beasts are no different from the trash created by a former Heavenly Lord.”
“How impressive.”
The man laughed.
“Then you must be the one who caused his disappearance… Besides, judging by what you said, you must have fought a Four Divine Heavens Lord.”
“Who knows.”
Bu Eunseol replied coldly.
“If I kill you, the monsters will disappear anyway, so… why not fight me one-on-one instead of this mess?”
“What?”
The man snorted in disbelief.
“You think you’re worthy?”
“What’s so special about the Eight Human Heavens?”
Bu Eunseol said disdainfully.
“Weren’t they the rats who have been hiding in the martial arts world all this time, using the Covenant as an excuse? It’s obvious they’ll get beaten to death if they face us head-on.”
“Hehehehe.”
As if seeing through Bu Eunseol’s true intentions, the man let out a sinister laugh and spoke.
“There is no need to use the stratagem of provocation. Killing you alone is no different from crushing a bug.”
He nodded while looking at Bu Eunseol.
“At this point, no matter how I think about it, it seems obvious that you are just trash created by the Baekri family, isn’t that right?”
At that moment, a radiance flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘He is deliberately blabbering about information regarding the True Demon while he talks, to provoke me.’
That was the most important information.
‘Does the Baekri family also operate in the martial world?’
It was to predict whether they would actually participate in this fight.
‘He called me trash of the Baekri family.’
This meant that the members of the Baekri clan not only engaged in secret activities in the martial world, but also possessed retainers who handled their work on their behalf.
‘In that case, they will surely appear.’
The True Demon’s subordinates realized that the traces of the New Bloodline from Cheonchuk were connected to the Martial Soul Society and immediately sent an Eight Human Heaven Lord. In that case, it was highly likely that the Baekri family would also send their retainers.
‘And the fact that they sent only an Eight Human Heaven for the important task of recovering the New Bloodline…’
With the appearance of the man, Bu Eunseol became certain of what he had previously only guessed.
‘Eight Human Heaven Lords are in charge of the affairs of the martial world.’
From the True Demon’s perspective, the New Bloodline was a precious treasure that he absolutely could not afford to lose. It would have been unsatisfactory even if the Three Attendants had appeared in person; yet instead of the Four Divine Heavens, he sent the Eight Human Heavens.
‘To think you sent only one person, and that person at that?’
Looking back, among the True Demon’s familiars, only the Eight Human Heaven Lords personally appeared in the martial arts world to handle various matters. The Martial God Heaven Lord, who possessed power incomparable to them, did not get involved in the affairs of the martial arts world and did not step forward directly. The Dark God Heavenly Lord also manipulated the Black Gods without revealing his appearance.
‘Even though he wanted to track me down in the martial world, capture me, and kill me, didn’t he go out of his way to entrust that task to the Inbiin Lord?’
In other words, among the demon’s subordinates, those who can directly and publicly reveal themselves in the martial arts world were limited to only Eight Human Heaven Lord.
“This society leader is from the Baekri family, you say?”
Bu Eunseol, having finally obtained all the information he had been trying to dig up, shrugged his shoulders with a satisfied expression.
“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re talking about.”
“It doesn’t matter if you deny it. All I have to do is wipe this place out and dig up the man behind you.”
His eyes flashed as he clasped his hands together to form a seal and recited a low mantra.
—Rumble, roar!
Then, tens of thousands of monsters roared once again and began to charge toward the Martial Soul Society. In the end, he intended to mobilize the monsters to wipe out the Martial Soul Society and kill Bu Eunseol as well.
“Chief Strategist Dam!”
Bu Eunseol let out a lion’s roar.
“Command the corps leaders in my stead and stop those monsters!”
His voice, imbued with internal energy, echoed in all directions. At that moment, as if he had caught onto something, Bu Eunseol’s gaze changed strangely. However, he soon spoke with a solemn expression.
“I will beat this guy to death within fifteen minutes, so you just need to hold out until then!”
Fifteen minutes.
Bu Eunseol declared that he would kill the man—who had gone beyond the limits of the human realm—within a mere fifteen minutes.
“I respectfully obey your command!”
After solemnly paying their respects, Dam Yuyeon and the four great corps leaders immediately led their warriors to deal with the self-proclaimed Demonic Calamity Beasts.
“Let’s move to a different spot.”
Bu Eunseol spread his arms wide.
Boom.
With a vibration that shook the heavens and the earth, the man’s body was suddenly flung to a rocky area about three hundred meters away.
Whish.
The man, having fallen into the rocky area, stood upright again.
Tap.
His gaze completely changed as he looked at Bu Eunseol, who had arrived on the opposite side.
“To think you can use Great Natural Qi…”
If it had been an ordinary attack, the man would have deflected it before it even touched his body. However, because Bu Eunseol unleashed an extremely Great Natural Qi, he was sent flying three hundred meters without any chance to defend himself.
Great Natural Qi.
It is the ultimate power that every martial artist craves. Within it lies the complete principles and cycles of all things, overflowing with unpredictable change and unquenchable vitality.
However, to gain this power, one must be able to utilize natural forces—such as the Four Divine Energies—in the form of True Energy. One has to reach a wondrous state where they can sometimes defy the flow of the universe and sometimes lead it.
Yet, because it is a power connected to the source of life, it is a contradiction to a martial artist who accumulates the karma of killing. Therefore, only eminent Buddhist monks, Taoist sages who have renounced the secular world, or great masters who have realized the Way of all things could barely catch a glimpse of it at the very end of their lives.
‘How can such a young fellow wield such power so nonchalantly?’
“I can’t believe it.”
The man’s face hardened as he finally realized that Bu Eunseol was not his inferior.
“Unless you have undergone a reversal of age, such a thing cannot happen.”
A faint radiance rose from the body of the man as his eyes flashed.
“Go ahead, try unfolding that Great Natural Qi again!”
With a short shout, the forms of the man multiplied into dozens, beginning to follow behind him like the segments of a snake’s body. He did not use his specialty, magic; he simply performed the Shadowless Grand Expansion Technique, which maximized the secrets of shifting forms and positions.
Paa!
As he unleashed his palms, a massive force like a great mountain poured out all at once from dozens of shadows.
‘Has his martial attainment also surpassed the level of this Eight Human Heaven Lord who grew with the help of the Three Attendants?’
The dozens of shadows were not mere illusions; they unleashed a force of the same power as the man himself. Such a technique can only be executed upon reaching the physical body of a Heavenly Golden Immortal.
‘He certainly has the skill to raid the Martial Soul Society alone.’
Most of the Eight Human Heaven Lords valued supernatural abilities more than martial arts. Except for the Fist Man and the Spear-Wielder, who could be called orthodox martial artists, Eight Human Heavens used unique supernatural powers. Ironically, this became a shackle that allowed them to be easily defeated.
‘But to think that a man specializing in magic can display martial arts of this level?’
‘I’ll give you the vacuum you desire.’
Boom!
As he drew up the Endless Heavenly Light Art, a pure white light flowed from Bu Eunseol’s fist. He had constantly pondered whether he could become the Martial Soul Command Lord in his identity as Seolso.
Through the experience of using Seon Woojin’s identity, he realized that if there is a significant difference between one’s actual prowess and their dual identity, they might fail to properly exert their full power in a crisis, leading to fatal danger. The reason he was able to maintain Seon Woojin’s identity to the end was that he rarely had to face powerful opponents in that capacity.
However, the status of the Martial Soul Command Lord was different. As the leader of an alliance, he had to actually fight numerous powerful opponents. He had to possess martial prowess that never fell below his original ability.
—It is impossible.
When he first tried to make Seolso the Martial Soul Command Lord, he thought it was impossible. At that time, his ultimate martial arts were Harmony and the Seven Blood Tears Forms. As Seolso, he could not use those two as his primary martial arts.
As the Martial Soul Command Lord, he had used both martial arts multiple times and might have left traces he was unaware of. Indeed, when facing the Poison King in Cheonchuk, Bu Eunseol had completely overturned the land of the entire plain just to erase the traces of having used the Harmony technique.
One mistake after a thousand thoughts. There must absolutely be no doubt regarding the identity of the Martial Soul Command Lord.
—It is possible with the Endless Heavenly Light Art.
Originally, the union of divine energies was impossible until all Four Divine Energies were obtained. However, thanks to a fortuitous encounter in Cheonchuk, he was able to achieve the union of the Three Divine Energies.
While at the Martial Soul Society, he perfected a manual that allowed the Endless Heavenly Light Art—which had previously been applicable only to movement techniques—to be applied to all martial arts. Finally, he was able to complete an ultimate secret technique comparable to the Heavenly Glacial Secret, the Seven Blood Tears Forms, or Harmony.
It was a secret technique that utilized the completed Seven Fist Demon Styles with both hands, devoid of any orthodox or evil influence, incorporating the power of the Three Divine Energies. It was the Seven Heavenly Light Forms.
Boom!
As Bu Eunseol extended a single punch, a pure white afterimage appeared. Not only was the pressure from the dozens of palm strikes erased, but the man’s shadows were vanished in an instant.
Seven Heavenly Light Forms, First Form.
The “Solar Brilliance” was unleashed—a single beam of light piercing through the darkness.
“…!”
The man’s eyes widened. He realized that he could not escape that radiance in any way.
Whoosh!
The man created dozens of shadows and immediately burrowed into the ground. When unable to avoid an enemy’s attack, he cast the Earth Escape Technique, leaving a shadow on the surface while his main body took refuge underground.
“Gah!”
However, with a brief scream, the man—who was about to vanish underground—was shot up into the sky.
Boom!
Struck by the single blow that had turned into a sharp radiance, his form shattered into dozens of afterimages.
Tap.
The man’s face hardened as he landed back on the ground.
Sizzle.
His hair was singed and curled as if scorched by fire, and white smoke rose from his entire body.
In the end, he could not avoid the strike of Bu Eunseol’s Solar Brilliance and was left in a miserable state.
