Chapter 466
Chapter 466
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 466
Chapter Title: The Talking Flower
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*Thud.*
The unconscious old woman’s head hit the ground.
“Ack!”
The shock promptly jolted her back to her senses, her eyes flying open.
The sight of her fainting, falling, and then popping back up like a tumbler doll after hitting her head was so ridiculous it was hard to stifle a laugh.
“That wasn't a spider, it was a Soulless One.”
“Didn’t it crawl like a spider?”
“Then how did you manage to strike down the other Soulless Ones? They all had grotesque appearances.”
“They walked on two feet.”
The old woman shuddered and shook her head.
“I hate bugs. Especially crawling bugs.”
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol glanced at the empty gourd, then pointed toward the passage.
“You can still go back now. More of these Soulless Ones might appear.”
“Fine.”
Surprisingly, the old woman nodded meekly.
She looked around and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Now that I see it, you’re quite skilled in martial arts.”
She seemed to be recalling Bu Eun-seol’s swordsmanship, which had felled the Soulless Ones and shattered the stone slab in a single breath.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary wanderer. I wonder what you’re really here for.”
Muttering under her breath, she walked to the opposite side and tried to open the iron door.
*Clank.*
But the door was designed to be opened only from the entrance side; it couldn’t be used as an exit.
“Everything has to be a problem.”
The old woman began to draw upon her power again.
The water droplets clinging to her hair and clothes started to rise into the air.
Since her gourd was empty, she intended to use the water on her body to break down the iron door.
“Wait a moment.”
Just then, Bu Eun-seol sensed something was off and approached the door.
“What is it?”
“I hear a strange noise.”
Closing his eyes for a moment, he detected the faint sound of a mechanism near the door and shook his head.
“This won’t do. If we force this door open, another mechanism will activate.”
Bu Eun-seol had experienced all sorts of mechanisms and traps scattered throughout the martial world in the Martial Emperor’s Treasury.
With the addition of his superior senses from the Beast Arts… he was far more skilled than the most famous masters of mechanisms in the martial world.
“I’m not afraid of some mechanism. As long as those bug-like Soulless Ones are gone, I’m fine.”
The old woman reached out a hand with a dismissive expression.
Dozens of water droplets lined up in the air, and then,
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!*
They began to strike the iron door in succession.
As the droplets, heavy as mercury, relentlessly battered the door,
*Rumble!*
The thick iron door finally swung open, falling to either side.
“I’m leaving.”
The old woman passed through the doorway and was about to walk away without hesitation when,
*Clunk.*
The sound of a large piece of metal moving echoed from somewhere.
*Woooooong.*
A bizarre hum resonated throughout the tunnel.
“What is this?”
The old woman, looking around, suddenly widened her eyes at the sight of a black fog approaching from the distance.
It wasn't fog.
It was an enormous swarm of flies heading their way.
“Demonic Bloodflies?”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
They were Demonic Bloodflies, blood-sucking insects found in the southern jungles.
Moreover, whatever they had been feeding on had made them grow to the size of a child’s fist, unlike ordinary ones.
If they were swarmed by that many Demonic Bloodflies, they would be sucked dry and turned into husks in an instant.
“H-How.”
As the old woman trembled, unsure of what to do,
*Swish-swish-swish!*
A brilliant white light flashed, beginning to slice through the descending swarm of Demonic Bloodflies.
Bu Eun-seol had stepped in front of the old woman and unleashed his swordsmanship.
“Ughhh.”
She recoiled as if about to faint at the sight of the pile of dissected Demonic Bloodflies accumulating at Bu Eun-seol’s feet.
But no matter how many he cut down, the pouring swarm of Demonic Bloodflies did not diminish.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
Creating such a wide sword barrier required an immense amount of internal energy and stamina.
Of course, with his stamina and energy, he could last for a long time, but the problem was not knowing what would happen next.
In other words, he needed to deal with them as quickly as possible.
“Old woman, use the technique you used to defeat the Soulless Ones at once and wipe them out!” Bu Eun-seol shouted, continuously executing his sword forms.
The old woman had used the water from her gourd to unleash a tidal wave of force, eliminating over a hundred Soulless Ones.
A similar method would be able to wipe out the descending swarm in one go.
“Th-There’s no more water in the gourd.”
“There may be no water, but there’s something else.”
Bu Eun-seol pointed to the slime and blood of the fallen Soulless Ones scattered around.
“That should work in place of water.”
“Wh-What?”
The old woman stared with trembling eyes at the yellow slime oozing from the mouths of the Soulless Ones and the blood from their necks.
“No.”
As the old woman shook her head, Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
“Do you want to be sucked dry by that swarm of flies?”
“Ugh.”
She had no choice but to gather her power.
*Woooong!*
The yellow slime and pools of blood scattered around began to float above the old woman’s head.
“Ughh.”
An indescribably foul stench emanated from the blood and slime.
But she gritted her teeth and forced herself to execute the ultimate art of the Divine Water Palace, the Heaven-Revolving Sun.
The blood and slime slowly began to swirl like a whirlwind.
*Whooosh.*
But as it did, the foul stench from the slime and blood was sucked directly into the old woman’s nostrils.
“Blech.”
Ultimately unable to bear the stench, she retched, interrupting the technique.
*Splat!*
With the technique broken, the slime and blood that had been floating above… rained down directly onto the old woman’s head.
“Aaargh!”
In that moment, the old woman shook her head like a mad person, jumping up and down and screaming.
Her scream was not the low, grating voice of an old woman she had used until now, but the clear, melodious cry of a young girl.
“Aaaaaah!”
Plunged into a panic, the old woman madly ran to the opposite iron door and began to shake it.
“No! No!”
But no matter how hard she pulled, the door wouldn't open, and she began to stomp her feet in place again.
*Clunk.*
Suddenly, the sound of a mechanism was heard.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
With a single scream, the old woman vanished.
It turned out the iron door was not meant to be opened by force but had a safety feature requiring a special method.
And beneath it, a trap was set to deal with intruders.
As the old woman jumped up and down, shaking the door, the trap was triggered, and she fell through.
“So she wasn’t an old woman.”
Hearing the clear, melodious scream, Bu Eun-seol let out a sigh.
He stared for a long time at the pit she had fallen into, then said,
“It can’t be helped.”
Shaking his head, he extended his left hand again.
*Woong!*
Black true energy flowed from his left hand, spreading out like a giant wall.
He had unleashed the As-You-Will True Arts to create a massive barrier to block the Demonic Bloodflies.
*Tap.*
Having pushed back the swarm, Bu Eun-seol quickly leaped into the pit.
*Whoosh!*
After falling for a while, Bu Eun-seol finally caught a faint glimpse of the bottom and kicked off his own foot once more.
*Twirl.*
Propelled upward by the force, he did a light somersault in the air before landing softly on the ground below.
“Hoo.”
Catching his breath, Bu Eun-seol looked around.
A passage, as if carved from a giant cave, stretched out before him, and the surroundings were pitch black.
However, a faint light seemed to be seeping in from somewhere, just enough to discern objects.
For Bu Eun-seol, who could see in the dark as if it were day, this was no inconvenience.
“Now I see why they put up iron doors everywhere.”
The iron doors above were likely intended not only to guard against external intruders but also to firmly control the various creatures hidden within the mechanisms.
“Ugh.”
Just then, the old woman, who had collapsed in a corner, let out a groan.
She had fallen into the pit in such a panic that she seemed to have failed to land properly.
“Are you all right?”
“Where is this?”
“I don’t know. A pit opened up when you were frantically jumping around in front of the iron door.”
“What? Jumping around?”
The old woman, struggling to her feet, spoke to Bu Eun-seol in an angry voice.
“What did you just say?”
“Are you still trying to pretend to be an old woman?”
“Wh-What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol gestured alternately at the woman’s head and face.
In her fit of shaking her head like a madwoman, her wig had been knocked askew.
And the plaster-like patches on her face had half-fallen to the ground.
The sight was so comical that even the stern-natured Bu Eun-seol wanted to burst out laughing.
“Ah!”
With a gasp of horror, she quickly straightened her wig and began to pick up the fallen patches and stick them back on her face.
“You appear to be a young woman, so why were you pretending to be an old crone?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, the old woman—no, the young woman—turned her head away and said coldly,
“That’s none of your business.”
Even though her identity had been exposed, she still spoke in the raspy voice of an old woman.
However, unlike her previous confidence, she now seemed to be terribly afraid of something.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol stared at her intently, then said calmly,
“You’re injured.”
She was trying to act calm, but one of her legs had no strength, and her complexion was extremely pale.
As Bu Eun-seol tried to approach, she cried out loudly.
“Don’t mind me!”
Her sharp voice was filled with fear and suspicion.
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if he had no choice and said,
“Very well.”
He then surveyed his surroundings and calmly began to walk.
This cave had countless branching paths, and light was seeping in from somewhere.
*Thump!*
Bu Eun-seol, who had been observing his surroundings, stomped on the ground.
He was trying to grasp the internal structure using his Heart’s Eye of Emptiness.
‘It seems like a maze with many forks… but they were actually made to install mechanisms here and there.’
The surrounding forks were not intentionally created to form a maze but were drilled to install mechanisms inside.
‘If they had hollowed it out to make a maze, this place would have collapsed.’
Having understood the internal structure, Bu Eun-seol calmly started walking.
But he felt a hesitant presence behind him.
Turning around, he saw the woman disguised as an old crone limping, struggling to follow him.
It was a mixture of fear from being seriously injured in this dark cave and wariness towards him.
‘Hmm.’
Understanding her anxiety, Bu Eun-seol deliberately avoided looking at her.
*Shing.*
He drew his Ice Soul Sword and infused it with his internal energy.
A pure white light emanated from the sword, illuminating the surroundings.
Bu Eun-seol didn't need the light since he could see through the darkness as if it were day.
But he knew the bright light would help calm her mind, so he deliberately unleashed the sword’s glow.
*Rustle.*
Just then, a strange sound came from the various forks in the cave.
*Halt.*
Bu Eun-seol, who was leading the way, suddenly retracted the sword’s light and stopped walking.
The cave was once again plunged into darkness, and everything became silent.
How much time had passed?
After standing still for a while, Bu Eun-seol reignited the sword’s light and slowly resumed walking.
The woman cautiously followed him from a distance.
*Halt.*
But Bu Eun-seol, leading the way, once again retracted the sword’s glow and stopped at a fork.
He stood there for a long time before moving on again.
The woman following him grew anxious.
A foul smell continuously wafted from somewhere.
And she realized that every time it happened, he would deliberately stop walking before continuing on.
‘It might be better for me to go ahead on a different path.’
Bu Eun-seol’s intentions could change at any moment.
The woman made a big decision and, despite her limp, quickened her pace towards him.
But up ahead, another fork appeared. Bu Eun-seol stopped again.
Thinking this was her chance, the woman quickly walked past him, saying,
“I’m going to the right. Don’t follow…”
Her words trailed off as she stopped walking, a look of shock on her face.
In front of the fork, a cloud of poison mist so thick one couldn't breathe was spreading.
And Bu Eun-seol was using his left hand to perform the Absorption Art, gathering the poison mist and then annihilating it with his formidable power.
‘This man…’
Seeing Bu Eun-seol dissipate the poison mist with his internal energy, the woman realized.
Not only was his internal power unimaginably great, but he was also a master completely unaffected by poison.
That meant he knew her injured self wouldn't be able to withstand the poison… so every time the mist poured out, he stopped and eliminated it for her.
“I’m sorry.”
The woman looked at Bu Eun-seol and clasped her hands together.
She spoke politely, using the voice of a young woman, not an old crone.
“I knew you weren’t a bad person… but I was so scared that I was on my guard.”
Even when she was disguised as a hideous old woman, Bu Eun-seol had been polite and had never been rude.
And even though they were trapped in a dark cave, and he knew she was a young woman…
He had not uttered a single complaint about her wariness and irritation, but had silently protected her.
“Will you forgive my rudeness?”
Bu Eun-seol calmly shook his head.
“There was nothing to be called rude.”
With that one calm phrase, he dismissed all of the woman's actions up to that point.
‘This man… he’s different from ordinary men.’
The woman took a deep breath and said,
“Aren’t you curious why I was disguised like this?”
She seemed to feel bad for having deceived Bu Eun-seol all this time.
But Bu Eun-seol shook his head dismissively.
“I am not curious.”
“Why?”
“There are often people with eccentric hobbies in the martial world.”
The unexpected answer made the woman’s jaw drop.
“What do you mean by that? Do you think I… did this as a hobby?”
“Then was someone forcing you to go around like that?”
“No, that’s not it.”
When the woman couldn't continue, Bu Eun-seol said calmly,
“It’s fine. I have no intention of judging another’s hobbies.”
“That-That’s not it.”
The woman shook her hands with a frustrated expression, but Bu Eun-seol just nodded and turned away.
“So it wasn’t that.”
A normal person would have shown curiosity, asking, "What's the story?" or…
At the very least, they would have shown an expression that said, "There must be a story she can't tell."
But Bu Eun-seol was just accepting it with a look that said, ‘She has a peculiar hobby,’ wasn't he?
“Aren’t you going to ask what my story is?”
In her frustration, the woman finally spoke up first, but,
“I’m not interested.”
Bu Eun-seol cut her off sharply.
And his gaze remained resolute.
—A woman with a unique hobby.
The woman was so angry at Bu Eun-seol’s obvious stare.
“I told you it’s not a hobby!”
“I understand.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what? I’m wearing a mask.”
“You’re speaking with your eyes right now. You’re thinking, ‘That crazy woman has a strange hobby.’”
*Flinch.*
When Bu Eun-seol looked as if she had hit the nail on the head, the woman let out a groan.
“Do I look like that kind of crazy woman to you? Really?”
Bu Eun-seol averted his gaze instead of answering.
It was as if a crazy woman was picking a fight, and he had no choice but to avoid it.
The woman had never been so wronged and frustrated in her entire life.
“I told you, you’re wrong!”
Unable to bear it any longer, the woman’s eyes reddened as she shouted loudly,
“Who in the world would dress up like a beggar for fun?”
Suddenly, she had a fit, throwing off her wig and tearing off the dangling patches.
And with that, a beautiful face that could illuminate the dark cave was revealed.
A small, slender face with a high nose and mysteriously large, beautiful eyes was exposed.
Her features were so fine and beautiful… that even with grime and the yellow grease from the patches stuck to her face, her beauty was not diminished in the slightest.
“Oh.”
Bu Eun-seol let out an involuntary gasp and asked,
“Who in the world are you?”
She possessed a beauty that could greatly startle even Bu Eun-seol, who was usually indifferent to a woman’s appearance.
When Bu Eun-seol, from behind his mask, sent a look of great surprise, she puffed up her chest as if her pride had been restored and said,
“My name is Gongson Dan-a. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me.”
‘One of the Three Beauties Under Heaven…’
The Talking Flower. Gongson Dan-a.
She was one of the three most beautiful women in the martial world, one of the Three Beauties Under Heaven…
Her beauty was so great that she was known not as a person but as ‘The Talking Flower.’
And her reputation had clearly not been exaggerated.