Chapter 1111
Pa-myeong had been reading every movement of Bu Eun-seol with near-prescient intuition, anticipating them all in advance.
Yet the one now unfolding these sword strokes wasn't Bu Eun-seol—but his other personality, Baekri Geom-ha.
'Even when drawing the same martial forms from the same body, if the personality changes, so too does its essence.'
—Depending on the personality, the will, experience, and emotions.
The method of wielding qi changes, doesn't it?
Depending on which personality holds dominance, even the same martial form—
From the way muscles are engaged to reaction speed and the distribution of force—everything can become entirely different......
Recalling the words Baekri Geom-ha had spoken in his childhood, Bu Eun-seol had grasped the decisive clue to shattering Pa-myeong's power.
The so-called force that destroys fate was, in truth, an extrasensory perception bordering on foresight—
The ability to discern and predict an enemy's movements, the flow of their True Qi, their habits and temperament, then break them.
Though executed through Bu Eun-seol's body, this was unmistakably Baekri Geom-ha's sword.
Pa-myeong had meticulously calculated and prepared for Bu Eun-seol's sword strokes, but since the one wielding the blade was different, all those predictions had become meaningless.
'Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be able to alternate attacks like this, Baekri Geom-ha and I.'
Fearing Bu Eun-seol's Transcendent Unity, Pa-myeong had immediately deployed the Heart-Severing Sword Form to forcibly split Bu Eun-seol's personalities apart.
As a result, even without separately executing Phantom Restoration—
Bu Eun-seol could control the body according to his will and utilize Baekri Geom-ha's personality to unfold the sword strokes.
In the end, what broke Pa-myeong's extrasensory perception was—
Not superiority in strength, but the sheer unpredictability born from the tangled boundary between two personalities.
Swish—!
In that same instant, the Ink Soul Sword danced once more at point-blank range.
It was the Three Forms of Pacifying Heaven—a third-rate sword technique so crude even local martial schools wouldn't teach it.
Slash! Slash!
Astonishingly, Pa-myeong failed to block the strikes, crimson lines splitting open across his entire body.
Until now, through his transcendent senses—
He had grasped every movement of his enemies, turned them against themselves, and seized victory.
But faced with sword strokes carrying a Sword Intent and rhythm entirely unlike anything before—
He could no longer respond properly, his limbs flailing chaotically, all the precision of a master's movements vanishing.
"How?!"
Pa-myeong roared as if unable to comprehend.
The prestige of the Three Attendants had never once been broken in the martial world—defeat was unthinkable.
Even if this wasn't his True Body, even if he wasn't wielding proper Soul-Demon Magic Energy—
How could this greenhorn overwhelm him?
It was a situation he could neither understand nor accept.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In that moment, razor-sharp sword energy grazed past, carving bloody lines across his flank and cheek.
The third stroke of the Three Forms of Pacifying Heaven—Eight Extremes of Peace.
A simple sword form slashing in eight directions, yet it wounded him again.
"Grrr—!"
A fine fissure split open in Pa-myeong's Spirit and Mind. That crack soon warped his extrasensory perception.
"GAAAH—!"
A monstrous howl erupted as his skin split anew, dark radiance surging from every crevice.
Then, once more, a colossal Demon God Statue filled the sky.
He was drawing upon the Soul-Demon Magic Energy slumbering in his primordial spirit—this time, determined to sever Bu Eun-seol's breath for good.
'I've been waiting.'
But this was Pa-myeong's fatal mistake, his cold judgment lost to rage and humiliation.
Perhaps he had acted out of absolute confidence—that once Soul-Demon Magic Energy was unleashed, no counterattack would matter.
Yet against a master like Bu Eun-seol—
Allowing such a long opening should never have been permitted.
"This is the end, Pa-myeong."
Whoosh—
In an instant, a verdant glow began blooming across the earth where Bu Eun-seol stood.
The parched soil absorbed moisture, swelling softly, while fissures slowly closed as if wounds healing.
Ink Soul First Form.
As this supreme secret art—one that harbored Natural Qi, craving life even amidst death—unfolded—
Even the natural landscape began to change.
Whoosh—
Tiny points of light began clinging to Pa-myeong's body.
One, two, ten, a hundred...... Soon, tens of thousands of blue specks enveloped him.
Rustle—
As the light consumed him, green shoots slowly sprouted around the scorched Reed Field where he stood.
The land once dominated by ashen gray and black was instantly dyed in a vivid, eye-piercing emerald.
[UOOOH—!]
A bizarre scream echoed from the Demon God Statue looming in the sky.
[The Soul-Demon Magic Energy I've spent decades accumulating to restore my body—!]
The anguished cry never reached its end.
Whoooosh—
Before anyone realized, the colossal Demon God Statue had vanished without a trace.
Thud.
At the same moment, the towering figure of Pa-myeong—no, Wi Cheong-un—collapsed to the ground as if his body had given way.
The True Demon's Secret Arts that had been corroding his form had vanished in an instant.
Whoosh.
Though one man had fallen,
the Ink Soul First Form did not summon death—it still called forth the breath of life.
Weeds sprouted across the barren wasteland of stone,
and the murky sky, which had not seen a single ray of sunlight, now cleared its clouds and poured down radiant light.
The millions of luminous points created by the Ink Soul First Form scattered like a dazzling silver carpet upon the wind.
"Where... is this?"
Pa-myeong—no, Wi Cheong-un—slowly opened his eyes where he had fallen.
He seemed to have no memory of what had transpired, his gaze darting around in confusion.
"Why am I... here?"
Wi Cheong-un blinked repeatedly for a long moment.
"I was dying... wasn't I?"
Since childhood, he had suffered from a chronic illness.
Fortunately, after rising steadily through the ranks of the Ten Thousand Gold Merchant Group, he had managed to procure spirit medicines intermittently to prolong his life.
But in the end, the medicines had stopped working, and he had been coughing up blood, dying in his quarters.
So how had he suddenly woken up in this desolate wasteland?
"Is this hell?"
As he wiped his cheeks, he noticed his palm was damp and looked down.
"Aaaah!"
He screamed.
Only now did he realize that one of his ears was missing, blood dripping steadily from the wound.
"Ugh..."
Scooping up the severed ear from the ground, he frantically scanned his surroundings before breaking into a sprint.
He must have assumed he had been kidnapped and was now fleeing in a panic.
'As expected, the secret arts only work on those already on the verge of death.'
Meanwhile, suspended high in the empty sky,
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed as he observed Wi Cheong-un muttering to himself.
Unlike Sa-u, he had not regained his memories. Perhaps it was because he had never trained in martial arts.
'No time.'
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed a thunderous Movement Technique.
Now that Pa-myeong had been defeated,
he had to hurry to save the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit from their dire predicament.
The Mind's Eye Mirror had been created to survive the attacks of martial artists who transcended ordinary skill.
But a Mindscape had no limits—depending on the will of its caster, it could manifest any number of mystical abilities.
Which was why, anticipating the worst-case scenario,
Yu Un-ryong had prepared a method to fight to the death within the Mind's Eye Mirror.
The Mind's Eye Four Shadows Formation.
A layered offensive formation with four successive stages, each unleashing its own unique power—
an Extreme Killing Formation capable of annihilating an enemy in an instant.
Its first ability was Lurking Shadows.
Shhhh—
Suddenly, countless mirrors materialized before the Blood Demon Corps.
"......?"
The warriors of the Blood Demon Corps hesitated briefly, but soon found themselves staring, mesmerized, at the mirrors.
Slash!
In that instant, the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit flitted between the mirrors like shadows, severing their enemies' throats in the blink of an eye—
then vanished again like illusions.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
As the warriors' heads fell helplessly,
"Destroy all the mirrors!"
the Twin Drunk Shadows bellowed their command.
Crash!
The warriors of the Blood Demon Corps began shattering the mirrors one after another with bursts of Internal Power.
Amid the cacophony of breaking glass, the figures of the Death Shadow War Unit warriors hidden within the mirrors were revealed.
But then, something even more astonishing happened.
The number of Death Shadow War Unit warriors concealed within the mirrors was not just dozens—but thousands.
Afterimages.
The second ability of the Mind's Eye Four Shadows Formation.
The Afterimages had been unleashed.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Thanks to the effect of the Afterimages,
each warrior of the Death Shadow War Unit projected dozens of phantom duplicates, disorienting their enemies' vision.
Though the Blood Demon Corps still held an overwhelming numerical advantage, they could no longer distinguish which shadows were the real warriors—
and soon found themselves at a disadvantage.
Instead, it was the Death Shadow War Unit warriors who launched a relentless offensive against the Blood Demon Corps.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Even the simplest sword techniques, amplified by the Afterimages, unleashed thousands of razor-sharp sword energies.
Amid the chaos, the warriors of the Blood Demon Corps fell like stalks of wheat.
"They're all illusions!"
"Do not fear—press forward!"
The Twin Drunk Shadows roared.
They had realized that most of the sword energies raining down were mere afterimages.
—Aaaargh!
But that was their fatal miscalculation.
Some of the sword energies they had dismissed as illusions were real.
The Blood Demon Corps warriors were mowed down in an instant.
-Kreeeak!
Every member of the Blood Demon Corps had mastered sinister forbidden arts, always overwhelming their enemies with sheer, relentless assault.
That was precisely why they now floundered helplessly, unable to even react to this kind of attack.
"Stop trying to distinguish the afterimages—charge in with everything you have!"
"Do not fear death—rush forward without hesitation!"
At the Twin Drunk Shadows' imperious command,
the Blood Demon Corps warriors threw themselves into the whirlwind of sword energy, heedless of their own lives.
Pah-pah-pah-pah!
Countless sword strikes rained down,
but since not all of them were real, the damage was far less than expected.
This time, the Twin Drunk Shadows' judgment had struck true.
"Now!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Twin Drunk Shadows pressed their assault against the Death Shadow War Unit.
Sssssss—
But the frenzied charge of the Blood Demon Corps gradually took a bizarre turn.
"Uuuaaagh!"
"Aaaah!"
Some clutched their heads and writhed on the ground, while others slashed their own throats or stabbed their hearts in sudden suicide.
Illusions.
As the world of afterimages shattered,
the third function of the Mind's Eye Four Shadows Formation took effect—invading the enemy's psyche and forcing them to witness their deepest horrors.
The phantom battle formation had been unleashed.
"Save me!"
"I was wrong!"
The Blood Demon Corps disciples were now trapped in visions so vivid they could not distinguish them from reality—
comrades betraying them, loved ones dying before their eyes,
or the endless nightmare of falling into an abyss.
The Twin Drunk Shadows tried to dispel the illusions with the Blood Cult's dark arts, but this was, after all, the Mind's Eye Mirror.
No matter how formidable their sorcery, the power of the Mind's Eye Mirror reigned supreme here.
"You bastards—!"
By the time more than half the Blood Demon Corps had perished, the Twin Drunk Shadows' eyes burned with fury.
Mumble, mumble...
As the two joined hands and wove their spell,
Shuuuuu—
the blood spilling from the fallen warriors began to evaporate, rising as a black mist.
They were using the corpses of the dead to dismantle the illusions.
Crunch. Craaaack.
The limbs of the corpses twisted unnaturally, bones jutting through flesh.
Creak. Snap.
Even as the bodies contorted and broke, the Twin Drunk Shadows paid no heed, continuing their relentless incantations.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Finally, under the force of their sorcery, the illusions shattered.
Crack. Sssssss—
The landscape of the Mind's Eye Mirror slowly fractured,
revealing the true forms of the Death Shadow War Unit warriors who had been hiding in the darkness.
"Now the rats show their true faces."
A pitch-black gleam flickered in the Twin Drunk Shadows' eyes.
"You will not die easily."
The Blood Demon Corps still had fifteen hundred warriors remaining, and above all, the Twin Drunk Shadows themselves were unharmed.
Three hundred Death Shadow War Unit warriors stood no chance of victory.
"Now—!"
Just as Pungjil-seong was about to give the order for the final assault—
Tzzzt-tzzzt-tzzzt.
It happened.
The figures of the Death Shadow War Unit warriors suddenly flickered like a heat haze.
Their bodies blurred like ink dispersing in water, and then—another "self" stepped out from their original forms.
One became two. Two became four.
In the blink of an eye, the mere dozens of warriors swelled into hundreds, as if an army of shadows had unfolded behind them.
The newly manifested warriors were so flawlessly identical—whether real or illusion—that not even the slightest discrepancy could be detected in their stance or the solemnity of their gaze.
Heart Shadows.
The final function of the Mind's Eye Four Shadows Formation—
drawing upon the combined mental strength of every warrior in the Death Shadow War Unit
to unleash yet another Mindscape, shattering the enemy's Spirit and Mind.
"Is everyone ready?!"
At Yu Un-ryong's shout,
THOOM!
the Death Shadow War Unit warriors stomped their feet, assuming their battle stances.
Shhhhk—
Yu Un-ryong unfastened a second Ten-Section Staff from his waist, joining the one already in his grip.
Huuuung.
As he channeled his Internal Power, the two staffs straightened like spear shafts, radiating a dazzling light.
"Annihilation!"
At Yu Un-ryong's command,
RUMBLE— CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!
The Death Shadow War Unit warriors launched their assault.
They had endured brutal training, honing their ability to suppress emotion.
Even in this life-or-death battle,
they maintained flawless formation, their attacks precise and unerring.
"Gahk!"
"Aaack!"
Thanks to the mind-shadow's effects, the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit weren't just creating dozens of afterimages—their martial prowess had reached an unfathomably profound level.
Though the enemy outnumbered them five to one, the Death Shadow War Unit warriors were overwhelming the Blood Demon Corps' cultists.
Crack.
At that moment, Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u, unleashing their movement techniques, blocked the path of the Twin Drunk Shadows.
"You'll be playing with us."
Pungjil-seong smirked as he looked at Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u standing before them.
"Fearless, aren't you? Must be because you serve that Martial Soul Lord."
He glanced coldly at Gubira beside him.
"Even if the Blood Demon Corps falls, there is no force capable of taking me down... In the end, victory belongs to our cult."
This wasn't mere arrogance.
Gwisal Geuk-ryeong, Pungjil-seong.
Bare-Handed Thousand Fiends, Gubira.
The Twin Drunk Shadows, guardians of the Blood Cult, were monstrously powerful masters—so formidable that even if a coalition's vanguard forces charged at them at once, victory wouldn't be guaranteed.
Even if this battle was taking place within the Mind's Eye Mirror, defeating those two with just Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u was nearly impossible.
"It's always been like this."
Yu Un-ryong spoke softly.
"Our hall has never once fought a battle where victory was assured—only brutal, desperate struggles."
Beside him, Myo Cheon-u grinned.
"Right. Every opponent we've ever beaten was stronger than these bastards."
Though they had received Bu Eun-seol's aid in the past, the two had already faced the Spear Master—a Martial Extreme Realm master—within the Mind's Eye Mirror.
And now, their martial arts had ascended to heights incomparable to back then. They were ready to stake everything on this life-or-death battle against the Twin Guardians.
"Not bad. You'll do."
Gubira, flicking her tongue, looked back and forth between Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u.
Both were exceptionally handsome, unyielding in spirit, and brimming with unique charisma.
For a witch who had always toyed with the world's most beautiful men, they were treasures that made her eyes gleam.
"Enough. These aren't playthings for your amusement."
Pungjil-seong clicked his tongue, reading Gubira's thoughts.
"Judging by their aura, even if we join forces, killing them won't be easy."
"Is that so?"
Gubira snorted in disappointment.
A pity, but she'd have to grit her teeth and slaughter them properly.
"Then I'll just have to settle for displaying their pretty skulls as trophies."
Drawing a sharp dagger from her robes, she licked the blade with her tongue.
The Mind's Eye Mirror had shattered completely.
And of the three hundred warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit—
Less than a third remained standing.
They were all drenched in blood, some with bones exposed, fingers or arms severed.
Most were curled up in pools of blood or leaning on their weapons, gasping for breath.
Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u lay sprawled on the ground, their heads buried in the dirt.
"Still... alive?"
At Myo Cheon-u's groaning murmur, Yu Un-ryong barely managed to open his swollen lips.
"I... live."
Though both had suffered grievous wounds, they had survived.
Whether they lay in grotesque positions or were trapped in the Collapse State, unable to move a finger—
None of that mattered.
Live.
What mattered was that they were alive.
In contrast, the Twin Drunk Shadows stood tall and imposing.
Pungjil-seong stood rigid as a statue, eyes wide, without a single wound—
Because his insides had been completely melted by Myo Cheon-u's Silver Flame Palm.
Gubira stood ramrod straight.
A Ten-Section Staff had pierced through her skull and lodged itself in her mouth.
Like a fish skewered on a branch, she had died in agony, mouth gaping.
"Huff... huff..."
Won Se-mun, Wi Cheon-gyeong, Jo Nam-cheon—the commanders of the Death Shadow War Unit warriors—lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies torn to shreds.
They had fought desperately to ensure not a single one of their subordinates was injured.
Pride swelled in their eyes.
They had accomplished what no other martial faction in the Murim could.
With just three hundred warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit—
They had defeated the Twin Guardians of the Blood Cult and one of its main forces, the Blood Demon Corps.
"When the Lord arrives..."
Wi Cheon-gyeong, lying on his back, gazed at the sky and murmured.
"We'll save face."
Won Se-mun and Jo Nam-cheon, their faces swollen, grinned weakly.
"Hope he... praises us."
Their training hadn't been in vain.
Every warrior of the Death Shadow War Unit had surpassed expectations, reaching new heights in martial arts.
The Mind's Eye Mirror had proven itself as the ultimate battle formation—offense and defense in perfect harmony.
The Death Shadow War Unit had proven itself—
Not just in the history of the Demon Hall, but in the entire Murim—
As the most elite force ever assembled.