Chapter 1081
"Man-wol seems to have hatched another strange scheme."
Despite the unexpected situation, Naria maintained a relaxed expression.
This area had already been sealed off.
Moreover, Heavenly Mechanism Star, who could predict all circumstances, was overseeing this operation.
And wasn't there the grand army of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, capable of crushing any anomaly with sheer force?
"This matter was never about reading something as trivial as heavenly secrets in the first place."
Through the power of the Creation Sun and Moon.
Having witnessed Man-wol's death with her own eyes, Naria couldn't help but feel utterly confident.
Yet there were two critical miscalculations in her reasoning.
First.
Unlike Chu-so, she remained unaware that the future sight granted by the Creation Sun and Moon changed moment by moment...
"Annihilate him with your full strength."
Naria pointed at Bu Eun-seol.
"He seems quite the formidable figure."
Second.
She couldn't have possibly dreamed that the monstrous figure veiled in violet lightning was none other than Bu Eun-seol himself.
Zzziiing.
At Naria's command, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's tightly shut eyes gradually opened, flooding with golden light.
Mindscape.
They were deploying their signature technique—Phase —like the Mind's Eye Mirror.
All of them joining forces to manifest it together.
Craaack.
The sound of air shattering like glass reverberated, followed by an eerie sensation creeping up the spine.
Mindscape techniques had never worked on Bu Eun-seol to begin with.
But the Mindscape unleashed by Neither-Human-Nor-Beast now far surpassed anything he had encountered before.
Hundreds of wills converged as one, warping reality itself.
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol instantly unleashed Harmonization.
He intended to sweep them away in a single strike without wasting time.
Yet something unforeseen occurred.
Kwaaauuu!
The Harmonization that should have blasted toward Neither-Human-Nor-Beast instead obliterated a forest thirty jang behind them.
'They altered the direction of Harmonization?'
Such a technique had only been possible in the past when Ak Mu-ryeong employed Phantom Restoration.
No matter how much they pooled their strength.
To manifest a Mindscape of this caliber...
'Hmm.'
The moment he tried to take a deep breath, air was forcibly sucked into his lungs.
When he attempted to step forward, the ground cratered before his foot even touched down.
As though the natural order of the world was mocking his movements, reversing itself.
'Is this the disparity in False Phase Constants?'
The True Demon and the Three Clans' followers.
Had classified the stages of Mindscape, using the term Phase Integers.
Previously, Wi Ji-hon of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
Had deployed a Phase corresponding to the Fifth Layer, influencing the real world.
Now, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast collectively manifested illusions indistinguishable from reality.
And their repercussions were physically affecting him.
'Neither-Human-Nor-Beast. Truly worthy adversaries.'
Unlike the other Eight Heavenly Servants, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had consistently operated within the Martial World.
Not only comprehending the martial world's currents and trends, but also piercing through the capabilities of the era's superlative martial experts.
They had ceaselessly refined their Mindscape.
Not only devising methods for numerous individuals to jointly manifest it.
But also perfecting techniques to collapse the boundary between reality and illusion through the Mindscape's power.
'In the end, Mindscape is no different from martial arts—constantly evolving.'
A smile naturally spread across Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"This, too, is what I desire."
If his enemies grew stronger, so too could he.
He drew his sword with an expression of delight.
Thud.
Suddenly, the Ink Soul Sword was bent like twisted taffy, its edge so dull it could hardly cut anything.
Attempting to channel energy only caused it to dissipate.
Trying to look left made his head turn right; stepping forward sent him stumbling backward.
A fist aimed at his target sliced through empty air before striking his own chest instead.
If it were simply Reversal, where every movement was inverted, he could have devised a countermeasure.
But with reality warping randomly, devoid of any rules, he was utterly helpless.
His own flesh rebelliously defied his will.
Sssssk!
Seizing the opening, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast drew their swords and surged forward.
Flash!
A razor-sharp sword aura grazed his body.
If this continued, even Bu Eun-seol wouldn't emerge unscathed.
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's head twisted.
His neck bent at a right angle before swaying side to side like a pendulum.
Pop.
With the sound of his left shoulder joint dislocating,
Bam!
The charging Neither-Human-Nor-Beast were sent flying backward.
A movement defying human anatomy—one none could have anticipated.
Whooosh.
As if reversing time, Bu Eun-seol's limbs began an eerie dance as he sprinted backward.
Less a martial technique and more the spasmodic thrashing of a frenzied seizure.
His right foot stepped forward while his torso leaned back, his left hand tracing circles in the air while his right hand arbitrarily struck his own chest.
Though Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's power continuously disrupted his movements, Bu Eun-seol had abandoned control entirely.
Unleashing his joints and muscles like wild beasts set loose.
Crunch! Kaboom!
With every motion, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast were sent flying like cannonballs.
If he couldn't move as he willed? Then he'd embrace Reverse Thinking—channeling all his power into letting his body rampage unchecked.
Ooooom! Krakoom!
As he unleashed his strength in explosive frenzy, the resulting force was nothing short of a storm.
The destructive force, like a raging tsunami, sent the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts' bodies flying apart in all directions.
This was a combat method only Bu Eun-seol could execute—one that completely shattered existing frameworks and preconceptions.
"......"
A flicker of bewilderment and shock passed through the golden-glowing eyes of the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts.
Though their souls had been eroded by the Soul-Shifting Art, leaving no distinct sense of self, they were still undeniably human.
They had twisted the laws of reality to force his body to move chaotically—
Yet now, he had weaponized that very chaos to crush them?
Whoosh.
The Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts exchanged glances—
Then, in unison, they spread both arms wide.
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol's frenzied movements froze as if encased in ice.
With all motion locked—
Not only could he no longer circulate his internal energy, but even True Qi Martial Arts like the Willful True Binding and the Extreme Poison within his body could no longer be unleashed.
"Hm."
Even in this state, unable to move a single finger, Bu Eun-seol gave a composed nod.
Naturally.
If they could force his body to move uncontrollably—
Then of course they could also force it to stop.
Whoosh.
Seizing the opportunity, the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts condensed sword energy sharp enough to split mountains and raised their blades to the sky.
With Bu Eun-seol's feet bound, they intended to sever his life in a single stroke.
SHWIIING—!
Hundreds of swords rose into the air, raining down like a storm.
CRAAASH—!
The swords that had blotted out the heavens suddenly twisted mid-air, their edges gleaming with brutal killing intent as they surged toward his body.
An absolute downpour of blades—one that could rend space, sever time, and could neither be dodged nor blocked.
"......"
Yet Bu Eun-seol did nothing.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Just as the razor-sharp sword light was about to graze his robes—
At the very moment when all seemed lost—
Suddenly, all sound in the world ceased.
The swords, charging with ferocious momentum, froze in mid-air as if colliding with an invisible, colossal wall.
Their overwhelming force evaporated like a lie, and the azure killing intent flickered out like a dying candle.
"Limitless Power... no, a Heart Sword?"
Naria muttered, her expression one of utter confusion.
The Ink Soul Sword remained sheathed, and Bu Eun-seol hadn't so much as twitched a finger.
Yet something unseen was shattering every single blade in the sky.
SHLICK—! SPLATTER—!
One by one, the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts' heads tumbled to the ground. Even those outside the combat zone—far beyond Bu Eun-seol's line of sight—were not spared.
"Annihilation Heart Sword?"
Naria's eyes widened as she finally recognized the technique.
What the man wreathed in violet lightning was unleashing—
Wasn't this the ultimate form of the Heart Sword, said to annihilate everything harboring killing intent?
A technique so formidable that even Wi Ji-hon—who had spent his life honing the Heart Sword and mastering the Mind's Eye Severing Shadow Sword—had never attained it.
But Bu Eun-seol had never cultivated the Heart Sword. It wasn't even part of the Sword Path he pursued.
How could he possibly manifest the Annihilation Heart Sword?
"The Mindscape is, in the end, a double-edged blade."
Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort as he looked down at Naria.
"If you can manipulate the laws of reality... then naturally, those same laws will apply to you as well."
The Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts had bound his flesh by defying nature's order through the power of the Mindscape.
But in a world that wasn't truly real, that power also bound them.
Bu Eun-seol, capable of reconstructing the Mindscape itself, exploited that gap.
And in doing so, he wielded the Phase's power to freely unleash the Annihilation Heart Sword—a technique he had never once practiced in his life.
"Nonsense."
Naria scoffed, but her eyes wavered uncontrollably.
No matter how unshakable one's Spirit and Mind—
Manipulating another's Mindscape through sheer will alone should have been impossible.
SHLICK—! SPLATTER—!
Bu Eun-seol continued cutting down the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts without pause.
'The essence of martial arts is, ultimately, the manifestation of will.'
Using the very power of order and Laws that the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts had created—
He was destroying them with it.
Then, Bu Eun-seol's brow twitched upward.
Hadn't Naria's figure begun to blur?
The true horror of the Mindscape lay not just in warping space—but time itself.
Having realized far too quickly that Bu Eun-seol was a Master she could not contend with—
She had withdrawn from the Mindscape while he was still fighting within it.
'The fact that the Mindscape hasn't collapsed yet means—'
SHINK—SHINK—SHINK—!
This time, the Annihilation Heart Sword aimed not for necks—but for eyes.
The Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts, who hadn't even reached the Martial Extreme Realm—
Could never have manifested a Mindscape of this level on their own. That golden glow in their eyes had to be the source.
SPLURT—! DRIP—!
In that instant, blood gushed from the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts' eyes.
Return to the Original Owner.
By converting the Formless Heavenly Flow technique—which redirected hidden weapons—into a Heart Sword—
He had pierced through every last one of their eyes.
SCREEEEE—
A strange sound and light erupted around Bu Eun-seol—
DRIP—
And the scenery of Solitary Bamboo Pass melted away like wax, revealing the truth beneath.
From the moment the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts appeared—
The surroundings had been nothing but an illusion conjured by the Mindscape.
Now that it had collapsed, the original landscape was finally exposed.
CLANG—! CLASH—!
As he emerged from the Mindscape, he saw So-yo and Jeong-yeong locked in desperate combat against martial artists wielding Grotesque Blades.
Naria, anticipating the Mindscape's destruction, had prepared more than just the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts who had deployed the Phase—
She had another force lying in wait.
["That strange woman went into the cave in the meantime."]
So-yo shouted urgently.
["We can handle things here—go save her!"]
Confirming that So-yo and Jeong-yeong were holding off the martial artists, he swiftly dashed into the cave.
Inside, an endless path stretched downward into the depths.
It was a massive cavern, untouched by human footsteps for centuries.
From the ceiling, stalactites as sharp as dragon's teeth emitted a faint phosphorescence, while stalagmites rising from the floor stood like generals guarding the interior.
The damp air carried a mingled scent of cold water and ancient incense.
At the center of the cavern's widest clearing stood an altar, carved from cold jade.
The floor around it was covered in enormous, intricate patterns drawn in red sand and beast's blood—patterns that writhed with eerie light as though alive.
Krrrrrl.
The interior faintly trembled, like the inside of some vast living creature.
"Lady Man-wol!"
There, atop the altar—
Man-wol, clad in pure white robes, floated in midair.
He tried to approach her, but a bizarre Astral Energy Barrier had formed around the altar.
"My lady!"
Bu Eun-seol was utterly stunned.
A jeweled dagger, ornate and cruel, was embedded in her lower abdomen, and fresh blood soaked the altar beneath her.
BANG!
He struck the barrier with all his might—but it didn't so much as quiver.
Flash!
Aligning the energy within his body, Bu Eun-seol unleashed Harmonization in a single burst.
Yet, as if absorbing the energy to grow stronger, the barrier around the altar only shone brighter.
Screeeech!
He poured everything he had into it—the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, infused with the Heavenly Light Endless Art, even techniques capable of shattering the Absolute Boundary.
Zzzzzzt.
But all he got in return were flickers of light. Useless.
'Then—Ink Soul First Form.'
Huuuuuum.
But at that moment—
From Man-wol's unconscious, floating body, an immaculate radiance and energy began to rise like mist.
Strangely, this energy seeped through the barrier, slipping past even Harmonization's inability to break it.
Kuuuuu.
Then—click—the door behind the altar opened, and a shadow clad in black-purple robes stepped out.
Naria.
Not only had she changed clothes, but she now held an object engraved with an eye-like pattern—
The very same treasure that had lain beside the young Man-wol in the Mindscape.
Sssssk.
Spotting Bu Eun-seol, she smiled coldly.
"How curious. Your face still refuses to show itself."
Her crimson lips glimmered with a sinister light, making her appear all the more wicked.
Clack.
Placing the eye-shaped treasure at the center of the altar, the energy flowing from Man-wol's body intensified.
"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?"
Naria spread her arms, trembling with rapture.
Drip. Drip-drip.
As another mysterious pattern etched itself beneath the altar, the energy radiating from Man-wol began pouring into the treasures.
Kukukuku.
With a smile of ecstasy, Naria spread her arms as if to devour the heavens.
Originally, the Star God's Power had been perfected by the Creation Sun and Moon—but just in case, she was draining every last drop of Man-wol's strength.
"Now, it's complete."
From this moment on, she would know all the world's secrets. She could perfectly foresee even the distant future—
Down to how this world would end.
Krrrrrl.
Seeing Man-wol in peril, Bu Eun-seol activated the Ink Soul First Form.
Brilliant energy surged from his body—
Craaaack.
Spiderweb-like fissures began spreading across the underground cavern.
'Kh—!'
But then, the unexpected happened.
The energy flowing from the altar's treasures suddenly reversed course—pouring into him instead.
Zzzzt. Zzzzt.
The energy sealing his Brain Gate Acupoint began to loosen.
'Ugh—!'
Yet this was no blessing.
An overwhelming force, far beyond what he could withstand, began flooding his entire body.
"Ugh—!"
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol's eyes had turned pure white, his muscles swelling unnaturally.
The power erupting from his Brain Gate Acupoint was so immense it threatened to tear his body apart. No—it would tear him apart, any second now.
"GAAAAH!"
With a scream that was more roar than cry, Bu Eun-seol—without even realizing it—
Screeeech!
Unleashed the Fifth Form of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms: Death Without Closing the Eyes with his left hand, while the Ink Soul First Form raged in tandem.
"UUUURGH—GAAAAAAAAH!"
Unable to contain the eruption of these two forces, he thrust his hand forward—
CRACK-SHZZZT!
And the transparent Astral Energy Barrier surrounding the altar began to fracture.
"You're... resisting the power of the Creation Sun and Moon?"
Naria had stolen all of Man-wol's strength—but in exchange, she had to offer Man-wol herself as a sacrifice.
Meaning the barrier was forged from the power of the Creation Sun and Moon—Seizing Cause and Effect in Advance.
"How?"
Naria's eyes lost focus.
The power of the Creation Sun and Moon had existed since the dawn of time. It was absolute.
And yet—someone was breaking it?
Gzzzt. Gzzzt.
As the barrier cracked, the impossible unfolded.
The energy of the Creation Sun and Moon flowing from Naria's body—along with the Star Energy inherent within her—
It was flowing back into Man-wol's body?
"This can't be happening!"
Naria's eyes flew wide open.
"Was the Future Sight... wrong?"
The Creation Sun and Moon had lent its power in exchange for offering Man-wol as sacrifice.
But now that this situation had arisen—
It had judged that the price could no longer be extracted from Man-wol, and was instead claiming it from Naria.
"Ugh—"
White flames began flickering across Naria's face.
"AAAAAH!"
Her frenzied body became completely engulfed in pale fire.
KWAANG!
Screaming in agony, Naria madly dashed back toward the door installed behind the altar.
But Bu Eun-seol had no attention to spare for her.
KRACK!
Shattering the cracked Astral Energy Barrier in one motion, he—
"Young Lady!"
—caught Man-wol as she collapsed onto the altar.
Drip. Drip.
An alarming amount of blood was pouring from Man-wol's body.
'Critical condition.'
The dagger was buried deep in her lower abdomen.
If pulled out now, there was a high chance the blade's removal would rupture major blood vessels or organs it was currently plugging.
'But it must be done.'
Having long worked as a mortician, Bu Eun-seol was thoroughly versed in human anatomy—more skilled in medicine than most physicians.
Sssss—
Channeling the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, he flash-froze the surrounding abdominal area.
Not only did the numbing cold block nerve signals for anesthesia—
The rapid vasoconstriction reduced blood flow, increasing viscosity to minimize hemorrhage.
Shhk.
Manifesting the Willful True Binding, he carefully made an incision along the abdominal midline centered around the navel.
The cavity was filled with blood pooled from the wound.
Sssshhhhk!
Using Void Object Retrieval to remove the blood, he again employed the Willful True Binding to temporarily seal the abdominal cavity and stanch the bleeding.
'Fortunately, no organ damage.'
As Bu Eun-seol traced the dagger's path to assess which vessels and tissues were injured, a crystalline light spread through his pupils.
'Just need to suture the ruptured vessels.'
"Endure a little longer."
Creating dozens of blade and hand-shaped manifestations with the Willful True Binding, he slowly withdrew the dagger.
Zzzzt. Chiii—
Fashioning sutures finer than hair from concentrated flame threads (with no clean silk available), he began meticulously cauterizing the damaged vessels.
'The slightest excess will burn through entirely.'
The line between sealing and destroying the vessels was paper-thin.
With hyper-focused precision, Bu Eun-seol completed the sutures.
Then, summoning the Hot River Great Essence True Qi once more, he sealed the abdominal wound.
Pop.
Producing the Azure Spirit Stone Fluid from his robes, he immediately administered it to her lips.
White steam instantly rose from her entire body as not only was the lost blood replenished—
But the sutured skin healed without a trace of scarring.
"Young Lady Man-wol."
Bu Eun-seol called to her carefully.
"Regain your senses."
Hearing his voice in her ear, Man-wol slowly opened her eyes as if waking from deep slumber.
"You came."
Unlike her usual tone, her voice held gentle warmth and profound emotion.
Like unyielding ice melting under spring sunlight.
Like a deep fog parting to reveal a tranquil lake, her eyes shimmered with quiet, bottomless warmth.
'Why is her vitality—'
But Bu Eun-seol had no leisure to dwell on this change.
Despite the flawless treatment... her body's vitality was draining away completely.
"I'm alright."
Reading his concern, she shook her head lightly.
"I took in what an ordinary body cannot contain—this outcome was inevitable."
"What it cannot contain?"
Understanding struck him.
Her mother's power had been split between two children because no single vessel could bear it.
Yet now, all that power had flooded into Man-wol alone.
Her body couldn't withstand it—even her lifespan was gradually withering.
"Did you keep safe the Ice Jade Coffin I requested?"
At her calm question, realization struck again.
She had foreseen this outcome entirely—preparing that coffin as her own tomb.
"Why?"
"Because you alone can protect me."
Her voice remained serene.
"I won't die."
"You can survive?"
"Yes. I intend to absorb the Star God's Power while in suspended animation."
She added:
"By crossing death's threshold once, I can truly make this power my own—and then aid you."
Man-wol had already foreseen that Naria would borrow the Creation Sun and Moon's power—and that stopping it was impossible.
Just as she'd foreseen that Bu Eun-seol alone in this world could oppose that power to protect her.
Only the Absolute Domain he created—
Could let her maintain suspended animation without any interference.
"In about three years, I'll fully recover... and then I can tell you everything."
"Everything meaning—"
"All you wish to know. Everything."
Her expression held an unprecedented tenderness and intimacy—like a lover's gaze.
"Understood."
Though unsettled, Bu Eun-seol could say no more.
Cracks were slowly forming across her body as her life force faded.
"I'm sorry. For never speaking openly, always burdening you."
Slump.
With those final words, she lost consciousness.
'Must hurry.'
The cracks spreading across her body were deepening.
Left unchecked, they would ultimately claim her life.
Whoosh.
Levitating her, Bu Eun-seol immediately departed.
He didn't yet realize—
That his connection with Man-wol stretched far back.
All the way to his Peaceful Burial House days.