Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: The Phantom King's Last Words
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“Dammit.”
So Ok-rim's eyes were still hazy, and a faint trickle of blood stained the corner of her mouth.
“Even after slapping myself so hard, I couldn’t… completely break free from the Mind-Captivating Art.”
She had inflicted pain upon herself to regain her senses, but her body was still under the influence of the art.
That was why she couldn't properly exert her internal energy.
“Ptooey.”
So Ok-rim spat out a blood clot the size of a small pebble.
“Get lost.”
Sa Ok-cheong once again unleashed his Yin Dew Condensation Hand.
*Boom! Boom!*
With another series of explosions, So Ok-rim’s body was knocked back six paces.
“You get lost!”
So Ok-rim gathered what little strength she had left and executed the Severing the Milky Way.
“Keuk.”
But her internal energy failed to follow through.
In the end, the technique was cut short, merely unleashing a fierce gust of wind that pushed Sa Ok-cheong dozens of feet away.
*Ssk.*
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol pressed his Seung-eup acupoint again, restoring his vision.
“Why did you interfere?”
He asked, unable to understand.
“It wasn't an attack I couldn't have blocked.”
“You would have blocked it, sure.”
So Ok-rim scoffed.
“But you would have been injured. If that happened, you’d have had to fight that old pervert in a compromised state.”
So Ok-rim had blocked the Yin Dew Condensation Hand so that Bu Eun-seol could fight in perfect condition.
“No need to get too emotional.”
Wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, So Ok-rim grit her teeth.
“I just figured you’d have a better shot at handling that bastard, so I'm letting you have him.”
*Thud.*
Before she could finish, So Ok-rim collapsed to the ground.
“You can… beat that old pervert, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
She then looked at Bu Eun-seol with a gaze of infinite trust.
“I believe in you.”
So Ok-rim, too, had come to believe.
No matter how disadvantageous the situation, no matter the trial, Bu Eun-seol would find a way to shatter it.
And because she believed that, she could let go of her consciousness in peace.
“I’ll have to go into seclusion after this is over. These bastards all know how to shatter one’s spirit…”
As So Ok-rim, muttering under her breath, lost consciousness,
*Woong.*
A faint light emanated from her body, along with a ripple of true energy.
Her body had begun circulating energy on its own to heal her injuries.
The martial arts of the Saintly Emperor.
The heart art, created by the mysterious grandmaster who dominated the martial world four hundred years ago, defied all principles of martial arts.
It possessed the ability to automatically circulate internal energy and perform internal healing techniques, even when unconscious.
“You were lucky to survive.”
Sa Ok-cheong watched Bu Eun-seol, the corners of his lips curling upward.
“Now, how should I kill you next?”
A gleeful smile graced his face.
Bu Eun-seol was already under the influence of his mind-control technique.
He could win in a contest of internal energy, and even in close-quarters combat, Bu Eun-seol would eventually be unable to defend himself.
But Sa Ok-cheong chose a safer method.
He recalled that Bu Eun-seol was one of the Seven Kings of the Demonic Path and had remained undefeated until now.
“Safest is best.”
*Jiiing.*
A round orb of light erupted from each of his palms.
He had condensed the energy of his Yin Dew Condensation Hand, creating spherical Aura Spheres.
“An Aura Sphere made from the Yin Dew Condensation Hand would be completely different from a sword sphere. The moment it touched you, it wouldn't pierce your body—it would make it explode.”
A smile on his lips, Sa Ok-cheong used a cloud-like movement technique to circle around Bu Eun-seol.
He then continuously fired the energy blasts at Bu Eun-seol’s body.
*Chaang! Chaang!*
Using the principles of Yi-cheon-yeok-ryeok, Bu Eun-seol deflected the chaotically flying Aura Spheres of the Yin Dew Condensation Hand with his black sword.
But he couldn't completely block the immense force contained within them.
*Drip.*
Blood trickled down from the corner of Bu Eun-seol’s mouth as he blocked the spheres.
Due to Sa Ok-cheong's Void Spirit Soul-Calling Mantra, his internal energy had been reduced by more than eighty percent. No matter how much he tried to draw upon it, all he had left was about a cycle’s worth of true energy.
*Kwoong! Kwoong!*
Now, every time the black sword and an Aura Sphere clashed, a thunderous explosion erupted.
Even if he hadn't been affected by the mantra, even if his body were in perfect condition… Sa Ok-cheong was an expert who would have been difficult to face.
To be overwhelmed by a barrage of Aura Spheres in such a disadvantageous situation, he was utterly helpless.
“If I cut off your head and take it with me, I won't have to suck blood anymore!”
A strange thing to say.
Where on earth would he take the head that would free him from the need to suck blood?
But Bu Eun-seol was using all his strength to execute his sword techniques, leaving him no time to decipher or ponder its meaning.
*Pat!*
Eventually, an Aura Sphere grazed Bu Eun-seol's neck.
He had defended perfectly, but his sluggish body had executed the sword form half a beat too late.
*Pang!*
The skin near his neck exploded, and blood burst forth.
Fortunately, it wasn't near his carotid artery, but blood flowed out ceaselessly.
*Papak!*
Bu Eun-seol immediately pressed the acupoints on his neck.
But even after sealing the points, the bleeding didn't stop completely.
If the fight continued like this, Bu Eun-seol would eventually bleed to death.
“Hahaha!”
Sa Ok-cheong paused his attack, burst into laughter, and said,
“I can see your death.”
*Drip.*
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes darkened as he watched the blood fall from his neck.
Just as Sa Ok-cheong had said, he had taken another step closer to death.
‘Death.’
The word ‘death’ brought to mind the saber art of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber, Bu Jan-yang: the Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
The saber art that embodied the despair and sorrow of an absolute being who had always survived by the skin of his teeth and, in the end, yearned for death…
*Swish.*
Just then, another Aura Sphere from the Yin Dew Condensation Hand grazed Bu Eun-seol’s cheek.
As the energy, imbued with a cold Yin chill, brushed against his skin, a flash of insight struck Bu Eun-seol.
‘I had forgotten.’
Another weapon he possessed, one he hadn't had until now.
The strongest ice art of the Northern Sea, the Glacial Heavenly Flow Art.
An ice art that balanced offense and defense, capable of not only freezing any enemy in its path… but also of freezing his own body solid.
‘If I use the Glacial Heavenly Flow Art, might I be able to use the second form of the Seven Forms of Blood Tears?’
—The Second Form, Seeking Life in Death.
In a situation where death is certain, a single path to survival has been found…
The Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
It was not a simple saber art; one had to master the corresponding heart art for each situation to achieve its perfect form.
On the verge of death, Bu Eun-seol had finally found a single path to survival, allowing him to grasp the key to unleashing the second form of the Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
‘I only have one chance.’
A cold light flared in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
He instantly charged toward Sa Ok-cheong, who was unleashing hundreds of energy blasts at once.
“Hahaha! Is a suicide attack the best you could come up with?!”
Seeing Bu Eun-seol recklessly charge at him, Sa Ok-cheong smiled coldly.
“Now, die.”
As Bu Eun-seol closed the distance, Sa Ok-cheong raised both his arms.
*Shwaaaaa!*
A net-like web of energy erupted from both sides, enveloping Bu Eun-seol’s body.
Instead of Aura Spheres, he had stretched the energy into thin strands, intending to slice Bu Eun-seol into hundreds of pieces.
*Shiiiik!*
At that moment, an intense cold erupted from Bu Eun-seol’s left hand.
The Glacial Heavenly Flow Art.
The ultimate art of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, said to be capable of freezing the very heavens when mastered, poured toward Sa Ok-cheong's body.
*Stutter.*
Although it was cold energy unleashed with only a cycle's worth of power, the Frigid True Energy momentarily froze Sa Ok-cheong’s movements.
The sharp web of energy that had been wrapping around Bu Eun-seol’s body also paused in mid-air.
The moment was fleeting, a mere instant, but to Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, it felt as long and distant as eternity.
*Flash!*
Simultaneously, a pitch-black light exploded from the sword in Bu Eun-seol's hand, and his body became a single streak of light, engulfing Sa Ok-cheong.
“Not a chance!”
Greatly surprised, Sa Ok-cheong roared and retreated to evade the black light.
But the black light Bu Eun-seol had unleashed had anticipated his retreat, its dark maw already wide open.
The Seven Forms of Blood Tears, Second Form, Seeking Life in Death.
This technique didn't cut the enemy with the saber itself; instead, it exploited an opening at point-blank range as if in a suicide attack.
The moment the enemy retreated to avoid it.
It would unleash tens of millions of sword energies into the space behind them, as if annihilating the space of retreat itself.
“Ugh.”
With a choked groan, the light in Sa Ok-cheong’s eyes faded.
His body appeared unharmed, but dozens of sharp sword energies had already pierced through him.
“A Self-Destructive Saber Art… where the user dies if the enemy doesn't retreat…”
Sa Ok-cheong had instantly seen through the fact that the sword technique Bu Eun-seol had used was actually a saber art, and he grasped its true nature.
He understood that if the enemy didn't retreat, all the saber energies would be unleashed behind the user, making it a ruinous technique that would kill its wielder.
“There's only one saber art this insane in the world.”
He muttered in a hoarse voice.
“You were the disciple of… the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber!”
Astonishingly, Sa Ok-cheong had seen through the saber technique Bu Eun-seol performed with his black sword, recognizing it as the ultimate form of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber.
“Raised by him… no wonder you’re this strong.”
“You know of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber?”
“Do I know him? Huhuhuhu!”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, Sa Ok-cheong let out a laugh and said something completely unrelated.
“I never believed he was dead in the first place. So he was secretly raising a disciple after all!”
A venomous light flowed from Sa Ok-cheong’s eyes as he glared at Bu Eun-seol.
“But no matter how hard he tries, he will never find that child.”
“Child?”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flashed.
“What child are you talking about?”
“Hahahaha!”
Sa Ok-cheong’s sharp voice, laced with blood, echoed through the night sky.
“Because I delivered that child into their hands myself! Hahaha!”
Had he lost his mind at the brink of death?
He laughed like a madman, spouting incomprehensible words.
“You’ll suffer the same fate anyway!”
“Sa Ok-cheong!”
Bu Eun-seol quickly used a movement technique to seal Sa Ok-cheong’s acupoints.
If he died like this, a valuable clue would be lost in an instant.
*Pak! Pak!*
But despite the finger wind striking him, his acupoints were not sealed.
The technique of Seeking Life in Death had severed all the meridians and internal organs in his body.
From the moment he was exposed to the Seven Forms of Blood Tears, his body had been shattered beyond recovery.
*Cheok.*
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol tried to infuse Polar Reversal True Energy into Sa Ok-cheong’s Life Gate acupoint.
But his body was so broken that it couldn't even accept the true energy.
“If I had killed you… I could have gone back… to that place.”
As Sa Ok-cheong muttered softly, Bu Eun-seol asked,
“Where would you have gone back to?”
“Mu…”
With hazy eyes, Sa Ok-cheong reached his right hand toward the distant sky.
“Gung…”
Then, his arm fell, and he breathed his last.
The Phantom King, Sa Ok-cheong, born a hermaphrodite—a fate that could be called a heavenly punishment—had dominated an era with his powerful mind-control arts and martial skills.
That brilliant expert had died in this nameless forest.
“Mu-gung?”
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
Mu-gung. It meant ‘endless.’ Could that be the name of the faction he belonged to?
—But no matter how hard he tries, he will never find that child. Because I delivered that child into their hands myself!
But more than the name Mu-gung, Sa Ok-cheong’s cryptic words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Those words meant that the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber, Bu Jan-yang, definitely had an heir.
‘Wasn't the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber my grandfather?’
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was a disciple of Shaolin. Even if he had returned to secular life, it was impossible for him not to know about his own child.
And hadn't he stated firmly with his own lips that he had never married?
Yet, the existence of an heir meant one of two things.
Either his grandfather had an heir he didn't even know about, or the Seven-Fingered Demonic Saber, Bu Jan-yang, and his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, were two different people.
*Tuk.*
Just then, something half-melted fell from the mouth of the deceased Sa Ok-cheong.
*Chiii.*
It emitted a white smoke and evaporated in an instant.
‘He must have been holding all sorts of poisons in his mouth.’
Bu Eun-seol thought it was a poison the Phantom King had secretly hidden in his mouth.
It would be some time later that he would learn that it was an item that would soon turn the martial world upside down… and the very reason why Sa Ok-cheong, who had long remained hidden, had reappeared in the martial world to kill people himself.
“Ugh. Grandmaster Seol.”
Just then, Yu Cheong-rim let out a groan and called out.
“Please, save me.”
With Sa Ok-cheong’s death, he had been freed from the Void Spirit Soul-Calling Mantra, but he still couldn't control his body, as he hadn't been cured of the fragrant poison, Hwan-hwan-il-chwi.
“This will hurt, but bear with it.”
Bu Eun-seol infused his powerful Polar Reversal True Energy into Yu Cheong-rim's Dae-chu acupoint.
With a hissing sound, the poison of the Hwan-hwan-il-chwi that had been absorbed into his body was instantly neutralized.
“Uggghhh.”
As soon as he was detoxified, Yu Cheong-rim rolled on the ground with a pained expression.
The agony of the Polar Reversal True Energy passing through his meridians was like having his veins burned and bones sawed.
Meanwhile, So Ok-rim seemed to be reaching the end of her energy circulation, as steam was rising from her forehead like a kettle.
“Hoo.”
Finally finishing her circulation, So Ok-rim let out a sharp breath and opened her eyes.
“Dammit. I really almost died.”
Getting to her feet, she looked down at Sa Ok-cheong’s corpse and shook her head.
“I never imagined the Phantom King’s martial arts would be this formidable.”
So Ok-rim had been confident that even if she wasn't invincible, she could escape from any fight unscathed.
But after clashing with the Phantom King, Sa Ok-cheong, she realized how gravely mistaken she had been.
‘I need to master my heart art to its peak.’
To face the powerhouses who dominated the world, the fortitude of one's spirit must come first.
Because the experts who ruled the world could destroy not just the body but also the spirit with an unseen power.
Ultimately, she had to reach a state like Bu Eun-seol's, where she could firmly protect her spirit in any situation.
‘Until now, I thought just improving my martial realm was enough.’
So Ok-rim clenched her fists.
If her goal before was to complete the Severing the Milky Way,
From now on, she had to master the ultimate heart art of the Saintly Emperor to its absolute limit to prevent something like this from ever happening again.
“Bu Eun-seol.”
She said, as if having made a great decision.
“I think I need to leave for a while.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
So Ok-rim’s martial prowess was on par with his, but the level of her heart art was not.
If she were to seek out the descendants of the Eight Desolations and Three Stars in this state? It would surely lead to defeat.
She had realized her own shortcomings and intended to go into seclusion for training.
“Do well.”
Bu Eun-seol said curtly.
But unlike before, his voice carried a faint trace of trust.
Although it was for the sake of victory, So Ok-rim had risked her life to protect him. That act alone was enough for him to consider her a comrade.
There were many skilled experts in the martial world, but finding someone to whom you could entrust your back was difficult.
It was just a shame that her personality was a complete mess.
“Yeah.”
Sniffling, So Ok-rim walked over to the dazed Yu Cheong-rim and patted his shoulder.
“Hey, you went through a lot, too. Thanks to you, we somehow managed to catch him, right?”
For a moment, Yu Cheong-rim almost burst into tears.
A lot? How could everything he’d been through be summed up with just those words?
‘All the hardships I’ve faced in my life until now were nothing.’
Though he was still young, Yu Cheong-rim had prided himself on having tasted all the bitter and sweet flavors of the world.
He’d been beaten to a pulp since he was a child before his bones had even fully grown, dragged to prison, and frequently tortured.
Born an orphan, his life up until he learned to steal had been a series of hardships.
And yet, compared to the time he had spent with So Ok-rim… all his past suffering felt like a mere picnic.
“It was really, really… hard.”
“Yeah, yeah, you did well.”
As Yu Cheong-rim’s tears began to fall, So Ok-rim patted his shoulder and said,
“In return, if you ever need help, come find me anytime. I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Then I have just one favor to ask.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Go on.”
Yu Cheong-rim clasped his hands together and spoke earnestly.
“I hope I never have to see you again, Lady So.”
“Hahaha!”
So Ok-rim grabbed his shoulder again and shook him back and forth, laughing.
“You’re quite the joker.”
“No, that’s not it, I’m being completely serious…”
“Alright, alright. See you again next time.”
Lightly ignoring his words, she turned and instantly vanished into the distant sky.
Yu Cheong-rim watched So Ok-rim depart with a look of despair.
He had a terrible premonition that he really would see her again next time.
‘I really have to quit stealing…’
He’d carelessly used his thieving skills on the street and ended up meeting a ferocious demon like So Ok-rim, suffering to the brink of death.
Yu Cheong-rim resolved never again to engage in thievery, which had brought such disaster upon him.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Just then, Bu Eun-seol handed a small token to Yu Cheong-rim.
“If you are in trouble, show this at the nearest post station. It will be of help.”
Bu Eun-seol was a man who thoroughly settled his debts and grudges.
Although Yu Cheong-rim had been dragged into this by So Ok-rim’s will, he had played the biggest role in catching the Black and White Witch.
That it was Yu Cheong-rim’s contribution was an undeniable fact.
“This is.”
Yu Cheong-rim stared at the token engraved with a red spider for a long time.
It was a command token of the Nine Kills Brigade, a Blood Spider Token that could be used to immediately contact the branch leaders of the Nine Kills Brigade scattered throughout the Central Plains.
But Yu Cheong-rim, unaware of this fact, simply blinked his eyes.
‘Grandmaster Seol must run a personal organization of some sort.’
It wasn't uncommon for top-tier wanderers to operate their own combat units or information networks.
Yu Cheong-rim simply assumed that Bu Eun-seol commanded a rather useful organization and accepted the token.
“Thank you. Ah, but!”
As if just remembering, he pointed to the distant, collapsed figure of A-yeon.
“We have to save her.”
If it hadn't been for A-yeon, he would have had his blood sucked by the Black and White Witch and would already be wandering the netherworld.
Only then did Bu Eun-seol look toward A-yeon, who was lying in the forest far from the clearing, her eyes shut tight as if asleep.
The life-or-death battle had been so fierce that he, too, had completely forgotten she had collapsed.
‘Something is strange.’
Bu Eun-seol felt a sense of unease.
A-yeon was not only skilled with the sword but had also mastered a brilliant energy art.
She had no apparent internal injuries, and the Void Spirit Soul-Calling Mantra had been lifted. So why hadn't she woken up after all this time?
“Wake up…”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened as he examined A-yeon’s condition.
Her cheeks were flushed red, and her forehead was as hot as a furnace.
Cold sweat trickled endlessly down her forehead, and her lips were cracked like a dry desert.
Immediately taking her pulse to assess her condition, Bu Eun-seol’s gaze deepened.
‘This heat feels like it could melt her meridians.’
A-yeon was unconscious, as if in a deep sleep, and a scorching heat of unknown origin was continuously raising her body temperature.
If left alone, A-yeon would die with all her internal organs cooked.
‘There’s no other way.’
There was no method to cure this strange phenomenon, nor could it be stopped immediately.
After much deliberation, Bu Eun-seol immediately drew upon his internal energy and unleashed the Glacial Heavenly Flow Art.
His Polar Reversal True Energy instantly transformed into Frigid True Energy, colder than ice.
*Saaaaa.*
As he infused the Frigid True Energy, a light layer of frost formed around her body.
He had used the Glacial Heavenly Flow Art to lightly freeze her body, preventing her symptoms from worsening.
Drawing upon his Polar Reversal Heart Art again, Bu Eun-seol infused Polar Reversal True Energy into her Dae-chu acupoint.
But her condition did not improve at all.
“Is she badly injured?”
Yu Cheong-rim asked with a worried expression, but Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“An unknown heat is spreading through her body. Most likely… she misused her internal energy while trapped in the illusion.”
“Then shouldn't we get her treatment quickly?”
“This is a problem of internal energy. No matter how renowned a physician we find, they won't be able to treat this.”
“Then is there no way?”
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin.
“However… if there is someone who knows the circulation of her true energy, they might be able to take appropriate measures to alleviate the symptoms.”
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh and said,
“She is a member of the Sword Pavilion… so we must go to the Sword Pavilion.”
“The Sword Pavilion.”
Yu Cheong-rim’s face paled, and his body trembled.
“I’d rather die than go there.”
*Thud.*
Jumping to conclusions, he once again fell to his knees and bowed his head.
“Grandmaster Seol, if a thief like me sets foot in the Sword Pavilion, they'll chop off both my hands on the spot.”
Ever since meeting So Ok-rim, it seemed his knees spent more time on the ground than a cripple's.
“Don’t worry. I have to go myself.”
“Pardon?”
“I have to continuously infuse her with Frigid True Energy, after all.”
As Bu Eun-seol looked toward the distant sky, his eyes were filled with a deep and profound light.
In the end, to save A-yeon, he had to go to the Sword Pavilion himself.
Of course, the journey of thousands of miles would be arduous… but this could also be an opportunity to gain information on the mysterious sect that had long remained hidden.
An opportunity to learn about the Sword Pavilion.