Chapter 1246

Bu Eunseol's eyes widened.

He had long known that the Buddha Venerable was a demonic monk.

But all of this was the Buddha Venerable's fault?

"The True Demon's remains had long been sealed with the power of spiritual lands and spirit veins."

"..."

"Only the pure energy flowing through nature could suppress the demonic power contained within the remains."

The One-Eyed Immortal continued in a calm voice.

"But the demonic energy within those remains surpassed all imagination. As the years passed, the spiritual lands and spirit veins throughout the Central Plains were instead encroached upon by demonic energy... and in the end, the remains awakened once more."

Staring into Bu Eunseol's eyes, she continued.

"That was why my brother pretended to destroy the spiritual lands and spirit veins. He severed the spirit veins corrupted by demonic energy to prevent the remains from growing stronger... while allowing the purified spiritual lands and spirit veins to recover their original power."

"I see."

Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.

One question had always remained unanswered.

Now he finally understood why his grandfather had annihilated every spiritual land and spirit vein, even every spirit creature.

"Then why do you say that all of this was the Buddha Venerable's fault?"

The One-Eyed Immortal answered Bu Eunseol's question in a low voice.

"The Buddha Venerable said that to destroy the True Demon's remains completely, they would ultimately have to be purified until even an ordinary person could absorb their power."

Bu Eunseol felt dizzy.

He could guess what the One-Eyed Immortal meant.

"Then the power within the True Demon's remains was originally something no human could acquire, but..."

"That is right."

The One-Eyed Immortal continued.

"My brother absorbed all of the True Demon's remains into his own body and purified them until even ordinary people could bear them."

In that instant, Bu Eunseol saw his grandfather as he remembered him.

The old man had stared into empty space inside the dark Taepyeong Hall.

Even to Bu Eunseol's young eyes, it had been apparent that certain memories sometimes tormented his grandfather and plunged him into profound grief.

'Was Grandfather so tormented by the past because his own mistaken judgment caused countless people to die?'

It was his grandfather who had caused the True Demon's remains to reappear in the martial world.

It was his grandfather who had placed transcendent powers containing dark methods into the hands of villains.

All of it had happened because of him.

"What happened afterward?"

At Bu Eunseol's quiet question, the One-Eyed Immortal spoke again.

"I heard that the purified remains of the True Demon were divided among those known as the Eighteen Souls of Light and subjected to numerous experiments. But something happened within their ranks, and even the Eighteen Souls of Light ultimately scattered in every direction."

"Then was the Buddha Venerable the one commanding the Eighteen Souls of Light from behind the scenes?"

"I do not know. My brother only said that he had once belonged to the Martial Alliance and committed many wrongs because of it."

Bu Eunseol's expression became extremely dark.

From the Absolute Demonic Blade Project to the Eighteen Souls of Light, the fact that his grandfather had acted as a double agent remained unchanged.

"There is still something I do not understand."

Bu Eunseol asked cautiously.

"From what I discovered, the Buddha Venerable received the True Demon's remains long ago from the former Alliance Leader, Cheol Muhon."

According to the book left behind by Dam Jeung, the abbot of Blood Shaolin, Cheol Muhon had obtained the True Demon's remains by chance and taken them to the Buddha Venerable so they could be destroyed.

Then how could Bu Eunseol's grandfather have been deceived by the Buddha Venerable and made to purify all the remains within the spirit veins and spiritual lands through his own body?

Could the Buddha Venerable have possessed all the remains within those spirit veins and spiritual lands even before Cheol Muhon brought him the remains?

Had he deliberately scattered them among particular people?

"There is something you must understand."

After pausing briefly, the One-Eyed Immortal spoke with an exceptionally grave expression.

"The Buddha Venerable is not a name that refers to a single person."

"I already know. For a long time, he has used his shadows..."

"They are not shadows."

She shook her head, and a trace of fear passed through her eyes.

"No matter how profound his internal energy or how great his Dharma power, do you believe even an eminent monk could remain so vigorous and active for two hundred years?"

A sharp gleam flashed through the One-Eyed Immortal's eyes.

"All that time, my brother ceaselessly pursued and killed the Buddha Venerable, or rather, those who were called the Buddha Venerable. Yet the Buddha Venerable always remained alive and continued his schemes without end."

Some of the martial world's great grandmasters had lived to nearly two hundred, so the Buddha Venerable's age had never seemed especially remarkable.

But when Bu Eunseol thought about it again, no one in the history of the martial world had remained as active as the Buddha Venerable beyond the age of two hundred.

"Are you saying that demonic monk is not merely writing a new page in history... but that several people have inherited the mask of the Buddha Venerable, one generation after another?"

"There must be a Buddha Venerable of the present generation."

The One-Eyed Immortal shook her head.

"But he too must be controlling countless shadows like that old monster while keeping his true body hidden."

'In that case...'

A faint light flowed from Bu Eunseol's eyes.

He remembered the illustrated book Dam Jeung had left behind.

'That book depicted the Buddha Venerable's corruption through knowledge.'

The Buddha Venerable, Hong Hyeon, had been corrupted by the teachings of a monk in the Scripture Pavilion.

'In other words, knowledge has created slaves of the demonic within Shaolin for generations.'

Demonic monks must have been born ceaselessly in Shaolin even before the Buddha Venerable.

'The Scripture Pavilion, and Shaolin's arrogance.'

Shaolin had made an extraordinarily dangerous mistake.

It had done so in the name of being the pillar of the martial world.

It had done so under the pretext of preserving peace and suppressing the demonic.

It had taken pride in being the safest place under heaven, guarded by Arhats.

And so it had stored every demonic arts secret manual that should never have been passed down within the martial world.

Seen from another perspective, Shaolin was no different from a cradle of knowledge capable of giving birth to the most terrible demons.

It would have been stranger if demonic monks who pursued twisted enlightenment, like the Buddha Venerable, had not emerged from it.

'So that was why Master Dam Jeung...'

Only now did Bu Eunseol understand why Dam Jeung had taken his own life without saying a word.

Bukgung Ryeong had left the Martial Alliance after learning that the organization which proclaimed justice was actually a gathering place for the forces of the abyss.

Likewise, if Shaolin, called the sacred ground of Buddhism, was truly a cradle of the demonic, and if a holy monk of Shaolin had killed his fellow disciples of Blood Shaolin...

Dam Jeung could never have continued living within Shaolin's embrace.

"I see."

When Bu Eunseol finished his thoughts and took a deep breath, the One-Eyed Immortal spoke in a firm voice.

"I never intended to tell you any of this."

She stared directly into Bu Eunseol's eyes.

"Because if you learned everything... you would try to shoulder every sin, just as my brother did."

The One-Eyed Immortal looked at him sorrowfully.

"You would blame yourself for my brother's mistakes and failings, even for what the martial world has now become."

'Grandfather's mistakes and failings.'

Bu Eunseol's gaze trembled.

Just as the One-Eyed Immortal had said, he realized that his grandfather could not have regretted the past so bitterly merely because the Buddha Venerable had deceived him into manifesting the True Demon's remains.

'It was not because of mere grudges, but because he did something capable of changing martial history or altering its course.'

What could his grandfather have done that caused him such torment and made him regret the past so deeply?

"The Nineteenth Soul of Light."

Bu Eunseol murmured without realizing it.

According to the old man who had been one of the Eighteen Souls of Light, his grandfather had been called the Nineteenth Soul of Light.

―'With Genesis Sun and Moon and the Nine Heavens Cloud Splendor, those two great treasures... one can experience death without end and obtain transcendent enlightenment without passing through reincarnation.'

Those were the words the old man who called himself one of the Eighteen Souls of Light had spoken before.

―'Because of his unique ability, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Zhanyang, ultimately became the Nineteenth Soul of Light, which had never before existed.'

The Eighteen Souls of Light were people with the abilities needed to recover the True Demon's remains after they had been torn into eighteen fragments.

His grandfather, it was said, had become the Nineteenth Soul of Light because of an unexpected ability.

At the time, Bu Eunseol had therefore believed his grandfather was called the Nineteenth Soul of Light because he had absorbed all of the True Demon's remains.

He had also believed that the force lurking deep within the Martial Alliance behind the Eighteen Souls of Light had discovered the method of creating the True Demon, an absolute being that had ruled the world and brought it harm since primeval times.

"I see."

Only now did Bu Eunseol understand the entire situation clearly.

He also realized what failing of his grandfather the One-Eyed Immortal had meant.

"Grandfather also created shadows of his own while roaming the martial world."

His expression became extremely dark as he murmured.

"Perhaps the existence of the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, the Great Murder Star, was merely a shadow Grandfather created in the light of day."

After thinking for a long while, Bu Eunseol continued in a low voice.

"And perhaps he only made it appear that someone else had commanded him to assume the position of the Nineteenth Soul of Light."

A sharp gleam passed through his eyes as his breath quickened.

"In truth, was Grandfather the one who created the Eighteen Souls of Light himself?"

Bu Eunseol drew a deep breath.

If his deduction was correct, the method of creating the True Demon had ultimately been produced through his grandfather, and the present martial world had become a battleground for all manner of abyssal forces because of him.

"..."

The One-Eyed Immortal said nothing.

Her silence affirmed his words.

"However..."

Bu Eunseol shook his head and spoke calmly.

"Grandfather was not a man who would evade responsibility. If anything had gone wrong, he must have corrected it and lived the rest of his life in atonement."

"Of course."

The One-Eyed Immortal nodded.

"The True Demon's remains scattered in every direction and failed to find their owners. Countless forces that had always concealed their true seats began to stir... yet the present martial world remained so peaceful for decades."

She spoke with certainty.

"My brother must have taken measures to ensure it before he left the martial world."

She believed the martial world had maintained peace for decades entirely because of Bu Zhanyang.

"Take this."

After a brief pause, the One-Eyed Immortal drew a red gem from her robe.

"What... is this?"

"It is the heart I could not give him back then."

Within the center of the fingernail-sized gem, red mist swirled like a vortex, wavering now like the shape of a dragon and now like a flame.

A faint crimson radiance rose around it, slowly brightening and dimming as though it were alive.

Since the woman who presided over all spirit veins under heaven treasured it, it had to be an extraordinary treasure.

"I cannot accept it."

"You have always called me Aunt. How can a nephew refuse his aunt's gift?"

The One-Eyed Immortal pressed the gem firmly into Bu Eunseol's hand.

"Take it."

"Thank you."

With no choice but to accept, Bu Eunseol respectfully received the gem in both hands.

Ziiiing.

Then something strange happened.

The Dragon-Phoenix Ring vibrated softly.

Opposite the back of his hand where the Nine Heavens Cloud Splendor Pearl was stored, the guard changed shape over his palm to create a space for the gem.

Clack.

When he inserted the gem, the Dragon-Phoenix Ring returned to the shape of a metal guard as though nothing had happened.

"However, the force or person who made my brother join the Martial Alliance and create the Eighteen Souls of Light..."

Then the One-Eyed Immortal spoke again.

"...must be someone else entirely."

Her gaze became unfathomably deep.

"Otherwise, my brother would have identified the Buddha Venerable as the source of everything and pursued him to the bitter end."

The One-Eyed Immortal stared at Bu Eunseol.

"But my brother said only that the Buddha Venerable was the one who damaged the spirit veins and made him purify the True Demon's remains."

In other words, everything involving the spirit veins and the True Demon's remains had happened because of the Buddha Venerable.

But the Buddha Venerable was not the true culprit who had condemned his grandfather to a life of remorse.

"The Buddha Venerable may belong to the force, or serve the person, Grandfather believed was truly responsible."

Because the leaders of the orthodox factions knew of the True Demon's existence, they instinctively guarded against the demonic and feared extinction.

The Absolute Demonic Blade Project had exploited that fear, dressing it in the form of a prophecy that extinction would come if the Demonic Path grew too powerful.

And the Buddha Venerable had been deeply involved in that project as well.

"That much cannot be known for certain. However..."

The One-Eyed Immortal addressed Bu Eunseol with a stern expression.

"As I said before, my brother tried to shoulder all those sins alone. Because of that, he destroyed even his own existence and had to live his entire life in remorse and pain."

She spoke as though demanding a firm answer.

"I told you my brother's story... so you would understand that you must never follow the same path."

"Immortal."

"Live your own life."

The One-Eyed Immortal approached Bu Eunseol and pleaded with him.

"That is surely the only thing my brother would want."

Bu Zhanyang had told Bu Eunseol nothing.

He had known his grandson's character all too well.

If Bu Eunseol learned everything, his beloved grandson would try to shoulder even his past wrongs and set them right.

The One-Eyed Immortal understood that perfectly.

"Promise me."

The One-Eyed Immortal spoke firmly.

"No matter what happens in the future, promise that you will not try to take responsibility for your grandfather's mistakes."

She was truly terrified that Bu Eunseol would live the same life as Bu Zhanyang.

"I..."

Bu Eunseol smiled faintly and spoke with composure.

"I am Grandfather's grandson."

"Bu Eunseol."

"If not for Grandfather, I could not even be standing here."

His smile appeared unburdened.

It was as though he had realized the reason for his own existence.

Tears trickled from the One-Eyed Immortal's eyes without her realizing it.

That smile looked exactly like Bu Zhanyang's when he was young.

"Why?"

She seized both of Bu Eunseol's hands as though collapsing.

"Why must grandfather and grandson both try to walk the same path?"

"..."

"Can you not live... for yourself?"

Bu Eunseol clasped the One-Eyed Immortal's hands tightly.

"Aunt, I have already received all the love and care I could ever desire in my life."

Then he smiled brightly.

"That must be why heaven has given me this duty."

Unable to contain her grief, the One-Eyed Immortal burst into tears.

Bu Zhanyang had lived his whole life in pitch-black darkness, in a solitude so bitterly cold that it pierced his bones... his very soul stolen away.

And now his grandson was preparing to walk that same path for the sake of others, a path through lightless darkness where his body would be broken and his heart torn to pieces.

A rending farewell and fleeting sorrow... Who in this vast world beneath heaven could ever comprehend his pain?

* * *

Something crossed the blue expanse of a cloudless midday sky.

It was a shadow so utterly black that even light seemed to hide from it.

Its form was indistinct.

As though leaping across space, it pierced the clouds in an instant and hurtled into the heart of a rugged mountain range.

There, untouched by human feet, lay a deep mountain valley that preserved the mysteries of primeval times.

The shadow descended soundlessly into a mist-filled gorge beneath a sheer cliff.

Ssk.

The instant it touched the ground, the wavering outline of the shadow twisted and gradually assumed a human form.

The scattered darkness gathered into bone and flesh, and before long, an ordinary-looking old man stood there.

He was short and wore a gray robe, but an abyss that seemed capable of swallowing the world lurked in the depths of his eyes.

He was Majeon's Chief Instructor, the man whose name was synonymous with terror among martial artists: the Dark King, Yeop Hyocheon.

"So it truly... was here."

The corners of Yeop Hyocheon's mouth curled into a sinister smile.

His gaze rested upon a moss-covered crevice between the rocks.

Within that barren environment, a single ginseng plant stood proudly alone, radiating crimson light. The surrounding vegetation seemed to bow beneath the pressure of its energy.

It was the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, a legendary spiritual medicine found only in the Imperial Palace Secret Vault.

"With this, I should be able to recover at least some of my dissipated secret art's power."

He bit down hard on his lip, suppressing his surging desire.

"Before long, I will be able to enter the sanctuary again."

He had completed the secret art of darkness, something no one else in the Sacred Domain had ever mastered.

Yet he had ultimately failed to absorb the Heavenly-Mandate Star's power and lost half the strength of his true body in the process.

As a result, he could no longer use Form Shifting as perfectly as before to absorb even another person's energy and memories.

"I cannot remain in hiding forever."

For a man who had never suffered a single setback, it was a profound humiliation.

"I will soon obtain the rest."

He drew an object with a cold texture from inside his robe.

It was the Sacred Heaven Jade, an orb of jade split in half.

It was an extraordinary treasure said to absorb every trait and every trace of internal energy a human possessed.

But with only one half remaining, it could not display its full ability.

To a man who pursued perfection, that incompleteness was an agonizing thirst that sank into his very bones.

Fortunately, now that he had found the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, he could fill part of the void left by his withered secret art.

Afterward, he would find the sanctuary, drain every last trace of their power, and enter the Sacred Domain once more.

"Perhaps it is time to return."

Yeop Hyocheon slowly reached toward the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng. The instant his fingertips were about to touch its crimson fruit...

Booooom!

Like a bolt from a clear sky, the atmosphere shook violently.

Yeop Hyocheon's brow twitched.

Before he could withdraw his hand, a tremendous pressure descended from above and crushed down upon him.

When he raised his head, he saw brilliant five-colored auspicious qi spreading like clouds in the distance.

It was an auspicious energy, yet the murderous intent it contained was incomparably sharp.

Paaat!

A beam of pure white light pierced the five-colored clouds and plunged toward the ground.

Dust rose from the impact of the landing, but not a single speck touched the man who walked out from within it.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in white so dazzling that it made the eyes ache.

Tall and imposing, with handsome features seemingly carved from jade, his mere presence appeared to drive away the surrounding darkness.

He was the Martial Alliance's Star Guard Division Commander, the Sacred Sword, Baekri Mujo.