Zing, zing.
As the latent murderous intent erupted, his soul—which had been completely filled with righteousness—returned to the level it was before his duel with the Profound Sound Elder. However, it recovered no further than that.
‘Was it a reversal?’
The more he concentrated, the more his consciousness repeated a cycle of blurring and sharpening.
The harder he tried to clear his mind of stray thoughts, the more numerous illusions and memories flickered through his head.
When he tried to utilize his internal power, a repulsive energy instead burrowed into his meridians.
What was pouring out from this place was not a pre-existing formation, poison, or Great Law; it was a wicked supernatural power that denied the will itself and forced it into reversal.
‘This might be a trap made by Great Master Wood Buddha himself.’
Steeling his heart, Bu Eunseol headed deeper into the cave. With every step, the world shook incessantly.
Memories he did not wish to recall and unpleasant emotions crawled up within him.
‘I must bring my mind to a state of Emptiness.’
As he erased all the stray thoughts burrowing into his head, the energy of reversal instead brought forth a painful memory he hated to even think of: the moment his grandfather breathed his last.
Just recalling that memory felt like sharp, pointed blades constantly clawing at his soul.
‘Is this, too, fate?’
Had his soul not been filled with righteousness, his anger and murderous intent would have exploded.
But because his current spirit was hopeful and righteous, he was able to desperately hold onto his sanity and move forward.
Sizzle.
Before long, a green liquid began to drip from the ceiling of the cave. The moment a single drop hit the earth, it caused the stones on the floor to melt away like water.
Step, step.
Upon reaching the center of the cave, the supernatural poisonous aura vanished, replaced by a gentle fluttering of his sleeves. It was as if an invisible hand were shaking his clothes.
Flutter.
Every time his sleeves shook, his soul wavered violently, and all sorts of illusions shimmered before his eyes.
‘I’d rather fight with a sword.’
If he were to immerse himself in those illusions or lose his grip for even a moment, he would lose his sense of self forever and fall into an abyss from which he could never return. Finally reaching the end of the cave—
“…!”
Bu Eunseol could not hide his surprise and widened his eyes. There stood a large wall depicting a monk walking a path of penance.
There was no longer a path forward.
‘This is…’
Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled as he looked intently at the painting on the wall. Within the mural, all the hallucinations and stray thoughts he had experienced thus far were depicted. And at the very end, there was a monk who seemed to have finally achieved enlightenment.
‘This is undoubtedly a painting drawn by the Great Master himself.’
The style looked somewhat weak yet benevolent.
Though Bu Eunseol could not distinguish between artistic styles, he could intuitively feel that this was the Wood Buddha’s work.
“Penance… Penance, I see.”
Looking at the painting, a strange thought occurred to him.
Because the Wood Buddha can perfectly read the heavenly secrets, every hegemon wished to possess him. Bu Eunseol thought the Martial Venerable had created a place no one could invade for that very reason.
But he finally realized that thought was wrong.
‘There is no space or place in the martial world that no one can invade.’
The Martial Venerable had not provided a perfect place himself; rather, he likely only provided the manpower for the place the Wood Buddha requested. There is no such thing as an uninvadable space in the martial world.
Only the Wood Buddha’s foresight could create such a place.
‘Then why did the Great Master create these traps?’
Recalling the terrifying poisons and traps laid out in the cave, Bu Eunseol let out a hollow laugh long after realizing the truth.
“So that’s how it is. The Great Master is not here.”
He finally understood.
The Wood Buddha was not here.
To be precise, he had been here but had left. Since he could read the heavenly secrets and see the future, it was said that even the Heavens understood him predicting the future to protect his own life.
“The Great Master knew from the beginning that I would come here…”
The Wood Buddha must have known in advance and avoided the spot regardless.
“The Great Master either judged that it was not yet time to meet me…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed infinitely.
“Or, before I arrived, a supreme master who could not be avoided without leaving visited him.”
Even if he wanted to see Bu Eunseol, if a supreme master attempting to pierce this Absolute Boundary appeared before then, the Wood Buddha would have had no choice but to leave.
“No, that can’t be it.”
No matter how great a master appeared, Great Master Wood Buddha, who reads the heavens, wouldn’t flee in a panic.
“Then even the Silver Essence Reishi… was something prepared by Great Master Wood Buddha.”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fists upon realizing something.
“He predicted that the Elder Hall Master would hand them over to me.”
In other words, everything in this Daephunghyeop… was the Wood Buddha’s arrangement to help him in his predicament.
“He surely left a message for me.”
The Wood Buddha was a benevolent person who had a deep connection with his grandfather and, above all, held him in high regard.
There was no way he would so futilely miss an opportunity to meet face-to-face or deliver a story.
Zing.
Unleashing his Void Heart Command, Bu Eunseol began to thoroughly search the interior again, starting from the wall with the mural. However, he could find no clue or trace that appeared to be left by the Wood Buddha anywhere.
‘It must be somewhere…’
Just as he was about to search again, the unpleasant anguish and hallucinations stretching out from the cave flickered through his mind once more. He investigated the cave again, concentrating his spirit. But no matter how many times he looked, there was no trace.
“No, there is.”
The Wood Buddha had left a clear trace.
It was the strange power within the cave that caused the hallucinations.
“The Great Master left what he wanted to say to me right here.”
Among those seeking the Wood Buddha, there would be no one with weaker martial arts or inferior spiritual cultivation than himself.
“In other words… I must fall into that illusion.”
Calming his heart, Bu Eunseol looked at the mural once more.
“If my judgment is wrong, I will fall into a demonic possession.”
Taking a deep breath, he did not resist the pouring power of the illusions but accepted them calmly. The painful and wretched memories—as he accepted them head-on without avoidance, the pouring power and illusions suddenly stopped, and light spread in all directions.
He saw the mural wall again. But there was no longer a painting there; instead, he saw characters that looked as if they had been carved by joining pieces of wood.
Geumsado Island.
“If it’s Geumsado… isn’t that an uninhabited island in Lake Dongting?”
Lake Dongting has severe water level fluctuations; depending on the season, the shape of the island changes or parts of it are submerged. Geumsado was an uninhabited island that partially disappeared in the summer and revealed its full form from autumn to spring.
“He is saying I can reclaim my personality there.”
The Wood Buddha must have grasped the entire situation. By leaving those characters, he had informed him of the place where he could fully reclaim his personality.
Slide.
Just as he was about to turn away, small characters were carved onto the wall once more.
―Your power is immense, yet it takes a long time to extinguish; many will desire that power.
Bu Eunseol stared at the characters for a long time before nodding in admiration.
“You knew.”
The Wood Buddha had already seen through the fact that Bu Eunseol’s goal was not to grow his power, but rather to completely extinguish it. Not only that, but he also knew that someone was trying to steal that power.
“Everything.”
In truth, Bu Eunseol had felt it for a long time—that there were those who coveted the various powers residing deep within his body.
“Thank you, Great Master.”
Bu Eunseol bowed his head politely toward the inscription. The words left by the Wood Buddha appeared simple on the surface, but to Bu Eunseol, they were more reassuring than gaining an army of ten million and a greater fortuitous encounter than obtaining thousands of peerless secret manuals.
It was because such an absolute prophet had acknowledged that Bu Eunseol’s prediction was correct and provided the certainty that the path he was taking and the path he pursued were right.
“And I am not afraid.”
Since what he wanted was not to gain power, but to burn it all away.
“Before long, everything… will return to its natural form.”
Muttering lowly, Bu Eunseol slowly turned around.
***
Rumble, rumble.
The martial artists of the Death Shadow Corps, who had been in an immediate standoff with the Heaven’s Will Corps, quietly left Daephunghyeop. Watching them, Jin Baekhon showed a triumphant smile.
“Huhuhuhuhu…”
To think that the world-renowned Martial Soul Command Lord had charged in with such momentum, only to fail to even enter Daephunghyeop and return after wasting time.
“The rumors were many, but the Martial Soul Command Lord was nothing special.”
Since he had entered confidently leading only three hundred troops against the Heaven’s Will Corps of nearly eight thousand, Jin Baekhon thought he would unfold some great strategy.
To think he merely stalled for time and then tucked his tail and fled?
The young great grandmaster of the Demonic Path, who had boasted an undefeated record until now, had suffered a great blow to his reputation and prestige because of this incident.
Jin Baekhon was fully satisfied—until he heard the rumors spreading through the martial world a few days later.
—The Martial Soul Command Lord is returning after recovering all the Silver Essence Reishi hidden in Daephunghyeop!
Jin Baekhon could not understand it at all.
The Death Shadow Corps was clearly in a standoff with them; how could such a thing happen? Moreover, the Poison Land inside Daephunghyeop emitted a terrible poisonous aura that even Poison Saints could not withstand. Furthermore, the Hall Master of the Elder Hall, who was overseeing the matter, was investigating the interior.
How could this be?
“Confirm the Silver Essence Reishi in the marsh… No, I will go myself!”
He ran toward Daephunghyeop like a madman.
Thud.
In the end, Jin Baekhon fell to his knees. There was not a single one. The Silver Essence Reishi that had been blooming all over the marsh had completely vanished.
“How can this be?”
The fruits of the Silver Essence Reishi growing in the Poison Land displayed effects no less than the Golden Spirit Immortal Fruit.
Furthermore, the quantity was enough to make more than fifty of the Shaolin’s Great Restoration Pills.
To think he had plucked every single one without leaving a grain behind?
“Uuuuugh.”
With his eyes rolling back, Jin Baekhon clutched the back of his neck. He was not a particularly prominent figure in the Martial Alliance; he was a leader of a front in the shadows. He had the ambition to spread his name across the four seas by becoming the Leader of the Heaven’s Will Corps protecting the Poison Land of the Daephunghyeop area.
But because of the Martial Soul Command Lord of the Majeon, he had been utterly humiliated from the very start.
***
Geumsado Island.
It is a mysterious island that reveals its full form only in the bleak winter when the water level of Lake Dongting drops. Its appearance, slowly rising after being hidden under the water for a long time, was as mysterious as a legend forgotten in the dust of time regaining its breath.
Swoosh.
A shadow unfolding a god-like movement technique from the distant sky landed on the bleak island in a single bound. It was Bu Eunseol.
‘I’m glad I have the Endless Heavenly Light Art.’
Under the command of Seo Jinha, the Death Shadow Corps martial artists were slowly returning to the Majeon.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol immediately used qinggong to head to Geumsado. It was because his movement speed had become about three times faster than usual thanks to the Endless Heavenly Light Art.
‘Since Unryong requested the escort of the Blood Mist Squad to match the return, they will get back safely.’
The Death Shadow Corps was such a small force.
Even if they completed the mission, there was a risk of being attacked by Martial Alliance pursuers on the way back. Thus, he had arranged a safe return by moving the Blood Mist Hall in advance.
Therefore, even if the Heaven’s Will Corps sent pursuers to reclaim the Silver Essence Reishi, there was no need to worry.
It would take at least six days for the Death Shadow Corps to return after joining the Blood Mist Squad. During that time, Bu Eunseol intended to investigate Geumsado while completely hiding his tracks.
‘It’s lonely.’
His eyes narrowed as he looked around.
The terrain of the island was rugged yet quiet. Every time the wind passed, the sand swayed gently, and rocks rose here and there, giving a desolate yet tranquil feeling.
Whoosh.
Every time the sharp wind passed, it brushed against the surface of the rocks, creating a low, long resonance. There were almost no plants, and occasionally, a withered tree stood with its roots exposed and bent as if testifying to the weight of time.
‘There are traces of a person.’
Faint footprints were visible on the ground where the winter wind swept through the entire island. Even in such a barren environment, there was someone staying here like a reed.
‘That way.’
Bu Eunseol moved his steps slowly.
At one end of the island, where the faint sound of water was heard like a song, a grass hut stood alone.
It was woven with rough wood and bamboo, and the roof was covered with reeds that could barely block the wind and rain. The door of the hut was open, and inside were only the barest of household items, such as a bed and a table. In the corner of the wall, a stand for a sword had been made, but it was empty.
This meant someone lived here and had gone out with their sword. Given that no presence was detected around the island despite that, they had to be a great master.
‘Who could it be?’
His heart pounded. Surely the person living on this island had reached the level of assimilating with nature or had reached a supreme level of martial prowess sufficient to deceive his senses.
‘Then.’
Lost in thought, Bu Eunseol closed his eyes with his hands behind his back opposite the grass hut.
Because of his shift toward a righteous personality, his Beast Way senses had almost disappeared.
Consequently, he was unintentionally utilizing the subtle principle of Righteous Faction martial arts—operating his Qi to synchronize with the vibrations of the surrounding environment to expand his senses.
‘As expected, they aren’t detected.’
No matter how much he expanded his senses, no presence was felt. But there was no need to feel impatient. As long as they lived on this island, they would return to the hut around sunset.
‘In any case, is it even possible to create a personality?’
Bu Eunseol looked down at his body.
Regardless of his will, his inner self was still filled with righteous aspects.
He was even striking a posture of being lost in thought with his hands behind his back—something he had never done in his life. This didn’t feel “wrong” so much as it felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
His body contained a mix of Righteous and Demonic energies, and his temperament was in a middle state. By maintaining such an infinitely righteous attitude and speech, he not only became unable to use demonic martial arts and mind techniques, but he also became unable to demonstrate the advantages he could use because his various powers and temperaments were mixed.
Before long, the sun was sinking.
Step, step.
At that moment, there was a shadow walking toward the hut with the sunset at its back. It was completely assimilated into the surrounding scenery being dyed red, appearing like a person crafted from light.
“You are…”
Upon confirming the face of the shadow, Bu Eunseol could not hide his surprised expression.
He was none other than Jingak—the instructor of the First Gate of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect installed on Hell Island, and a Hall Leader of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect who had first taught Bu Eunseol swordplay.
“Instructor.”
As Bu Eunseol bowed with utmost politeness, Jingak nodded calmly without much surprise.
“Bu Eunseol, you’ve come.”
“Have you been well all this time?”
When Bu Eunseol greeted him warmly, Jingak looked up at the distant sky and let out a low sigh.
“Is this, too, fate?”
“What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t have come to view the scenery of this quiet uninhabited island.”
As Jingak’s eyes flashed while looking at the Silent Tiger Soul Sword worn by Bu Eunseol—
“No, that’s not it.”
Thinking he was misunderstanding, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“The reason I came here is…”
Since he could not speak of the Wood Buddha, he gave a meager reason.
“I came to handle various matters nearby and stopped by for a moment because I had some business.”
There was no way he could have business on the uninhabited Geumsado. But Jingak did not press the point further and nodded.
“I see.”
He changed the subject, looking around.
“This Geumsado looks barren, but it is beautiful.”
Looking at the setting sky, Jingak said, “The scenery here brings much inspiration.”
Bu Eunseol raised his head following Jingak’s gaze. Under the setting sky, numerous reeds formed golden waves, making the area around the hut look like a mysterious, isolated island landscape disconnected from the world.
“Do you enjoy alcohol?”
Jingak spoke in a low voice, glancing at the hut.
“I have a jar of wine I brewed myself.”
Bu Eunseol replied cheekily, “I’ve been smelling a wonderful scent for a while now; I was just beginning to feel disappointed that you hadn’t offered a single cup.”
“Huhuhuhu.”
At those words, Jingak entered the hut with a laugh. When he came back out, a large gourd was held in his hands.
“Your speech and actions have changed so much. I would believe it if someone said you were a different person.”
Bu Eunseol was startled but replied naturally, “I suppose I naturally learned the actions and speech of the righteous figures while wandering here and there and clashing with them so much.”
“Is that so?”
Pulling the stopper of the gourd, Jingak took a sip himself first and then tossed it to Bu Eunseol. Receiving the gourd, Bu Eunseol pulled the stopper and could smell the fragrant scent of the wine tickling his nose.
“It is good wine.”
Savoring the wine scent spreading in all directions, he did not decline and downed the wine in one go.
Was it because his personality had changed? Or was it because he was drinking while looking at the beautiful scenery of Geumsado?
The wine Jingak gave him felt like the strongest and most fragrant wine he had ever drunk.
“You drink well.”
Jingak muttered lowly as he received the gourd Bu Eunseol tossed back.
“In one’s youth, one usually drinks without savoring the taste of the wine.”
Gulp.
Taking a sip of the wine, he handed the gourd back to Bu Eunseol.
Pop.
As he pulled the stopper again, Bu Eunseol said in a low voice, “Is life not merely painful, and the martial world a heartless place?”
It was a phrase perfectly suited for a rising star of the Righteous Faction to shout heroically while drunk.
Even as he said it, Bu Eunseol wore an embarrassed expression.
He had intended to drink in silence without saying anything… but his mouth had moved of its own accord again.
“You speak exactly like a rising star of the Righteous Faction.”
At Jingak’s words, Bu Eunseol covered his mouth with his fingers while pretending to scratch his cheek. It seemed he would have to shut his mouth even if he had to use force.
Gulp, gulp.
For a long time after that, they drank, giving and receiving. During that time, the two said nothing. They never once looked at each other; they only looked at the scenery with the same gaze. The wine in the large gourd was soon emptied.
“That’s a shame.”
Jingak showed a dry smile as he looked into the empty gourd.
“I was just about to get drunk.”
“Shall I go get more wine?”
With Bu Eunseol’s qinggong, he could get wine from the provincial capital and return within fifteen minutes. But Jingak shook his head.
“Where is there a feast that never ends?”
Then he spoke in a calm voice.
“Grains gradually ripen under the diligent hands of a farmer over several changing seasons while soaking up sunlight and rain.”
“…”
“Brewing wine is the same. Only when waiting and sincerity are piled up is a wine full of fragrance completed…”
Jingak’s eyes grew infinitely dim as he looked at the distant sky.
“To think drinking a full jar of wine happens in an instant.”
His words contained deep profound principles. After looking at the sky for a long time, Jingak asked Bu Eunseol, “Can you fathom this logic?”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
“One polishes oneself for many years to achieve a dream, but the moment of that achievement feels short and fleeting. Are you not speaking of that futility?”
Our lives are a repetition of long periods of labor and short moments of sweetness intersecting.
“Exactly.”
Jingak opened his mouth calmly.
“Martial artists try to find the meaning of existence through achievement… but even that moment is temporary.”
And he continued in a low voice.
“The moment the goal is achieved, it immediately gives birth to new contradictions and deficiencies.”
“But wouldn’t it be better to place value on affirming the eternally repeating process itself?”
Bu Eunseol said with a grin, “The moment of achievement is short… but precisely because it is finite, it can be beautiful.”
Then he spoke with strength, “I believe the meaning of life lies not in the achievement itself, but in the will and the process of moving toward it.”
“The meaning of life is not the achievement, but the will and the process of moving toward it, you say…”
Jingak’s eyes sparkled as if he had gained deep enlightenment from Bu Eunseol’s words.
“I wondered how you reached such an infinitely high realm at a young age, and it turns out you were already in a state of having been passed down and mastered the knowledge of a deceased master.”
“How did you know?”
In fact, the words he had babbled until now were words his grandfather Bu Zhanyang had said to him in the past. Ordinarily, they were words he would not dare utter, but after his personality changed, he had babbled them vibrantly.
“If you had truly reached the level of realizing that the words ‘the moment of achievement is short and fleeting’ are the power that allows a human to constantly grow…”
Infinitely deep agony and pain were contained in Jingak’s eyes as he continued.
“The moment you saw me, you would have immediately deployed a fast sword and cut my throat.”
In an instant, Bu Eunseol’s expression turned extremely dark. Because he realized in what sense Jingak had said those words.
“Why is that?”
“An order was given.”
Jingak said calmly, “Including Instructor Cheon, who passed the Unmatched Thunderbolt Form to you, me—who taught you swordplay—and Dan Cheonyang. Even Hall Master Dan…”
He gazed at the distant sky as if avoiding Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“An order… not to return to the Hwa Wu Sword Sect if we do not kill you.”
