Chapter 1150
Baekri Geom-ha's personality was the abyss itself.
Rage, vengeance, hatred, bloodlust......
To shoulder all the remnants of the ugliest, filthiest emotions a human could harbor—
Such depth was necessary.
And so, he had always crouched at the very bottom of his spirit and mind, within the endless abyss.
Forever sleepless, forever plagued by nightmares.
Because the fragments of the Blood Calamity—entwined with blood and screams, writhing with betrayal and despair—gnawed ceaselessly at his psyche.
But this was an unavoidable fate.
Because he was merely a shadow.
For Bu Eun-seol to maintain his flawless, pure spirit and unwavering heart—
He had to embrace all the negative emotions and memories himself.
Yet now, strangely—
He wasn't having a nightmare.
Instead, he was dreaming something unbearably sorrowful.
A natural landscape where warm sunlight shattered through the leaves.
The scent of earth and grass mingled in the air as he conversed with a kind grandfather.
When mealtime came, a bowl of warm noodles appeared, and even warmer was the grandfather's gaze.
At night, they lay side by side beneath a lantern, whispering about the day's events.
The chirping of insects seeped into his ears like a soft lullaby, and he fell into a peaceful slumber, free from all worldly worries.
Drip.
Tears fell.
Even though it was a happy, warm dream—
It brought a stinging ache to his heart.
Because all this happiness was destined—
To eventually turn to ashes and scatter into nothingness.
Plink.
A single tear that had spilled in the dream finally roused Baekri Geom-ha's consciousness in reality.
The cool sensation trickling down his cheek made him slowly lift his eyelids.
As his blurred vision sharpened, an unfamiliar ceiling and a girl's face came into view.
Her attire was too simple for a physician yet too peculiar for a martial artist's garb.
"You must not get up yet."
Though young, her voice was clear and firm.
"What?"
"The Soul-Demon Magic Energy has dissipated, and your Five Viscera and Six Bowels have all shifted from their positions, twisted out of place. Your leg muscles are also severely damaged."
Baekri Geom-ha scanned his surroundings.
The pungent scent of blood, the thick aroma of boiling medicinal decoctions, and the sharp sting of disinfectant—it was unmistakably the interior of a medical facility.
"Where is this?"
Baekri Geom-ha strained to lift his upper body.
Crack—
Instantly, every muscle in his body screamed, and agony as if his flesh were tearing apart surged through him.
"Ugh."
"If you move now, your wounds will reopen, and your organs may rupture."
Despite her concerned tone—
Her voice carried no emotion, and her eyes were hollow, as if her soul had vanished.
"Lie back down."
With that low command, the girl pressed down on Baekri Geom-ha's shoulder.
"Don't touch me."
"You must not move."
As she blocked him again—
Slap!
A sharp crack echoed through the room.
Baekri Geom-ha had struck the girl's cheek without hesitation.
Thud.
Perhaps trained in martial arts, she barely flinched, maintaining her rigid posture.
But a vivid red handprint bloomed across her pale cheek, and a single drop of blood trickled from the corner of her split lip.
Yet her expression and gaze remained unchanged.
"If you move now, you may die."
Ignoring her, Baekri Geom-ha dragged his staggering body outside.
Beyond the door sprawled the expansive scenery of a large estate.
Multiple pavilions lined the grounds, and makeshift clinics of various shapes stood scattered about.
Women dressed identically to the girl from earlier tirelessly treated the injured.
'That is—'
Baekri Geom-ha's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the surroundings.
The injured. It was because of the energy emanating from their bodies.
A sinister, crimson evil qi—rising like heat haze from their wounded forms, refusing to fade.
Wasn't that the True Demon's power, the Soul-Demon Magic Energy?
"You must return."
The girl spoke calmly from behind him.
"If you remain where the Soul-Demon Magic Energy is spreading in your untreated state, your body will not endure, and your wounds will reopen."
Baekri Geom-ha didn't answer, merely narrowing his eyes further.
'Spreading Soul-Demon Magic Energy...'
According to the information Bu Eun-seol had uncovered—
Soul-Demon Magic Energy had a finite quantity, and those of higher rank could bestow power upon their subordinates.
—Did the old man create this as another one of his whims?
Suddenly, the words spoken by the leader who had gazed down at him before he lost consciousness resurfaced in his mind.
'So they mistook me for someone from the True Demon's faction.'
At last, he could make sense of the entire situation.
This massive facility was a hideout where the True Demon's kin and vassals treated their scattered subordinates roaming the martial world.
'Since I killed members of the Baekri Clan, it makes sense.'
They had discovered him—the one who had slaughtered the Baekri Clan's people.
And upon seeing the flow of Soul-Demon Magic Energy within him, they had clearly brought him here to treat his wounds.
'This is actually perfect.'
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Baekri Geom-ha's lips.
If that was the case, all he had to do was recover through their treatment and then annihilate this place.
Thud.
Just then, his stitched wound tore open, and the bandages wrapped around his side were instantly dyed crimson.
Unable to withstand the spreading Soul-Demon Magic Energy, his injury had ruptured once more.
'This is serious.'
Having all his strength sealed away was something even Bu Eun-seol experienced often, so it wasn't particularly shocking.
But the fact that he—
Had remained in control of this body for so long was something that had never happened before.
"Fine."
Wiping away his thoughts, Baekri Geom-ha turned his gaze to the girl.
"I'll go back and receive treatment."
Returning to the pavilion, Baekri Geom-ha lay on the bed and entrusted his body to the girl.
Her medical skills were extraordinarily refined, deftly restitching his reopened wound and applying medicine.
Though the pain would have been enough to make an ordinary person faint, Baekri Geom-ha remained expressionless, his eyes calmly closed.
'This is still strange.'
Why was he still maintaining control of this body?
Why did it feel as though Bu Eun-seol's presence had completely vanished?
'After being caught in the battle between the Heavenly Emperor and the Baekri Clan, my consciousness was extinguished... Then I woke up again in the Slaughter Squad's hideout.'
Baekri Geom-ha carefully reviewed the events of that time.
Back then, inside the Baekri Clan's Secret Vault—
People dressed identically to those who had visited the Slaughter Squad's hideout had appeared, and he had been unable to contain his rage, rampaging like a madman.
But when Bu Eun-seol was placed in danger, he had felt a sense of responsibility—
And with all his might, he had blocked the explosion caused by the clash between the Heavenly Emperor and the Baekri Clan.
After that, his memories had completely vanished—only to abruptly awaken again in the Slaughter Squad's hideout.
This time, however, the situation was the complete opposite of before.
Bu Eun-seol, who had once harbored immense guilt toward him, had suddenly disappeared so thoroughly that not even a trace of his presence remained.
'Just what the hell is happening?'
Vrrrm.
A low vibration hummed through the air, and Baekri Geom-ha's body began to tremble.
The girl, having finished all the treatments, was now pouring Soul-Demon Magic Energy into him.
"What are you doing?"
Baekri Geom-ha furrowed his brow.
Soul-Demon Magic Energy was both life force and Primordial Essence True Qi to the True Demon's kin—no different from their very vitality.
Yet she was injecting it into him without hesitation?
"Why are you reacting this way?"
"Are you insane? If you transfer this, you'll die."
"I won't die immediately."
"What?"
The girl replied impassively.
"Once it's all exhausted, then I'll die."
"Why would you do something like this?"
The girl blinked her large eyes as if puzzled.
"Then what else would Dolls like me be used for?"
"Dolls?"
"Clay Dolls, I mean."
"Clay Dolls? Dolls made of earth?"
As Baekri Geom-ha frowned, the girl blinked again, as if finding him strange.
"You don't know about us?"
Realizing he was under suspicion, Baekri Geom-ha quickly fabricated an excuse.
"My head is still muddled from my previous injuries. My memories before that aren't clear."
"I heard. That you killed the Baekri Clan's commander and two of his subordinates."
"Hah, did I?"
Baekri Geom-ha swiftly redirected the conversation.
"So, what are Clay Dolls?"
The girl spoke in a low voice.
"There are those born with immense Soul-Demon Magic Energy but with bodies that are utterly ordinary. If they use that energy, their bodies cannot endure it."
The Baekri Clan used their power, the Dragon Transformation Manifestation, to prevent their bodies from collapsing and wielded that overwhelming strength freely.
But the True Demon's faction lacked such an ability.
Unless one was born with an extraordinarily powerful physique or was a vassal bestowed with great strength by a higher being—
An ordinary person who tried to use that power would inevitably have their body destroyed.
"So?"
The girl continued with emotionless eyes.
"People like that only have one purpose, don't they?"
Baekri Geom-ha's brow twitched.
"Then these Clay Dolls are...?"
"They are healers, stationed across the Central Plains to treat the Annihilators of Bai when they are wounded."
Annihilators of Bai.
The name meant "Destroyers of Bai," and there was no doubt that "Bai" referred to the Baekri Clan.
The Clay Dolls were tasked with healing these combatants of the True Demon—the Annihilators of Bai.
"Are all the Annihilators of Bai in the Central Plains treated here?"
"Of course not. The Earthen Chambers are also secretly deployed throughout the Central Plains. So that wherever the Annihilators are injured, they can receive treatment at any time."
"The Earthen Chambers..."
Baekri Geom-ha furrowed his brow.
The True Demon's treatment facilities were spread across the entire Central Plains? That meant these Earthen Chambers hadn't been established overnight.
'Has the Restrictive Seal been broken long ago?'
Though the Baekri Clan and the True Demon's bloodline had remained hidden from the martial world...
They had been engaged in covert warfare all along.
'Since when the Three Realms ceased to function properly?'
The Three Realms, which should have opposed the True Demon's bloodline, had long since fallen into corruption, leaving no force to restrain them.
'So this was the effect of the Central Heaven or the Covenant.'
Bu Eun-seol had nearly destroyed the Infinite Realm when they revealed themselves in the martial world, dismantled the Eight Heavenly Servants and the Four Divine Heavens, and cut them down.
Under normal circumstances, these so-called Annihilators of Bai should have pursued and executed Bu Eun-seol.
But because Bu Eun-seol was recognized by the Sacred Realm as someone outside the Covenant, he had been able to stay out of the conflict between the two great families.
"May I continue the treatment?"
At the girl's question, Baekri Geom-ha averted his gaze.
"Do as you please."
The girl then poured Soul-Demon Magic Energy into him without reserve, replenishing his depleted strength.
"I'll stop here for today."
The girl, whose forehead was drenched in sweat, withdrew her hands and spoke in a low voice.
"With the Soul-Demon Magic Energy infused, you'll feel extremely drowsy. Close your eyes."
Indeed, as her energy seeped into him, his eyelids grew heavy and sleepiness washed over him.
"Rest well."
"Your name."
"Huh?"
"I said, your name."
Baekri Geom-ha spoke.
"I've received something as precious as life itself. Shouldn't I know who gave it to me?"
"A person."
The girl looked at him strangely.
"You're a peculiar White Annihilation Warrior."
The White Annihilation Warriors were all emotionless and ruthlessly cold.
And the Clay Dolls were just that—Clay Dolls.
To the White Annihilation Warriors, they were nothing more or less than clay figures.
So why was he asking such a question?
"Is it strange to ask for someone's name?"
"If I've become a Clay Doll, I'm no longer a person."
"What?"
"If I were a person..."
The girl replied with an utterly expressionless face and voice.
"...I wouldn't be pouring my life force into others without hesitation."
She wasn't an unfeeling human.
She had simply been born a clay figure and had long since given up on being human.
'Not my concern, is it?'
Come to think of it, this girl...
Even if it weren't him, she was fated to die treating other martial artists like the White Annihilation Warriors.
Besides, hadn't he already resolved to wipe out everyone here?
There was no need to waste sympathy on mere tools of the True Demon's faction.
"I'm sleepy."
As Baekri Geom-ha flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes, the girl quietly gathered her tools and left.
Several days passed like this.
Baekri Geom-ha's injuries were severe enough to require extensive treatment.
During this time, the nameless girl meticulously tended to his wounds, and with every meal, she fed him medicine to restore his body.
"The White Annihilation Warriors are treated well, it seems."
Having eaten his fill, Baekri Geom-ha sprawled on the bed upon returning to his quarters.
"Probably because they're combatants capable of containing either Manifestation Art Energy or Soul-Demon Magic Energy."
According to Bu Eun-seol's memories...
There already existed a being in the martial world known as the Saint, who could harness both great powers.
Though they weren't complete vessels of those forces, given the effort invested in creating them, they warranted such treatment.
The White Annihilation Warriors likely possessed similar abilities, which was why these Earthen Chambers had been established.
Knock knock.
Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of knocking, and a shadow backlit by light entered the room.
It was the same girl as before.
Stepping inside, she approached Baekri Geom-ha and spoke.
"What now?"
"You must start walking now."
Her voice was quiet but unwavering.
"Come with me."
"Nonsense."
Baekri Geom-ha didn't so much as twitch, staring fixedly at the ceiling as if uninterested.
"Leave. I can't be bothered."
"Your wounds have healed enough that you must begin rehabilitation exercises. If you miss this window, you'll limp for the rest of your life."
"Exercises?"
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Baekri Geom-ha's lips.
"Like hell I will."
"You must."
Baekri Geom-ha's gaze turned sharp as a blade.
Yet the girl's expression remained placid.
Neither resigned nor mocking—just the calm certainty of someone doing what needed to be done.
"If you don't get moving now—"
"Strike me if you must."
"What?"
"Even if you beat me like before, what must be done must still be done."
As Baekri Geom-ha made a disgusted face, the girl extended a walking stick toward him.
"Use this."
Crack!
Baekri Geom-ha immediately flung the stick away.
"You think this body would grovel along with a pathetic wooden stick?!"
"I know your memories aren't intact, but you must control your emotions."
The girl spoke in a low voice.
"The White Annihilation Warriors here never show their emotions. If you continue to display such violent outbursts, you may draw suspicion from others."
Then she picked up the fallen stick. But she didn't offer it again—she simply held it.
With an air of resignation, Baekri Geom-ha forced himself up from the bed.
"Follow me."
The place she led him to was a steep mountain behind the manor's rear gate.
She walked with ease, but Baekri Geom-ha, trailing behind, had to grit his teeth.
'Ghhh...'
With every step, the ruined muscles and nerves in his leg screamed.
Like the creaking of rusted hinges.
It took an eternity for his knee to straighten, and cold sweat poured down his back like rain.
Thud.
In less than an hour,
he lost his balance and collapsed onto the cold ground.
Louder than the agony piercing his shattered joints was the sound of his pride shattering to pieces.
"Use this."
When the girl offered the stick again—
Snap!
Baekri Geom-ha broke it in an instant.
"It doesn't matter."
The girl spoke calmly.
"There are plenty of trees here."
Snap.
She broke off a thick branch, stripped the smaller twigs, and fashioned another walking stick for him.
Baekri Geom-ha glared at her in silence, but in the end, he took the offered stick.
"Once my body fully recovers, I won't let you off easy."
The girl didn't respond.
She simply stood a few steps away, watching him motionlessly.
A silent command to get up and walk again.
Leaning on the stick, Baekri Geom-ha forced himself upright.
He fell again and again as they climbed the mountain.
At times, his groans and curses echoed through the empty peaks, but the girl didn't so much as blink.
Time in the Earthen Chambers flowed endlessly.
The daily ascent was both training and torture.
Every joint in his body shrieked, the pain making his mind grow distant.
Each time, the girl stood silently by his side.
When he wavered, a slender arm would silently reach out to steady him.
When the hellish hike finally ended,
the girl would carefully wipe away the blood and sweat staining his body before bringing in a neatly prepared meal.
At first, he didn't even have the strength to lift his chopsticks.
On those occasions, the girl would scoop food and bring it to his lips.
Each time, Baekri Geom-ha would slap her hand away in irritation.
The girl would silently clean up the scattered food.
Her face remained expressionless—no resentment, no pity.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she would bring another spoonful to his mouth.
Faced with that relentless, indifferent persistence, Baekri Geom-ha eventually gave up resisting.
Grumbling under his breath with a short sigh, opening his mouth was the best compromise he could manage.
After meals came the pungent medicinal brew.
As color returned to his complexion, the girl's face grew as pale and thin as paper.
Because the day always ended
with her carving away at her own life force to infuse him with Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
"Do you enjoy this life?"
Baekri Geom-ha asked as the girl brought the medicine today.
"Do you truly find it satisfying to whittle away your life like a disposable tool until you die?"
The girl didn't answer.
She was as emotionless as ever, never wasting words.
"If you don't answer, I won't drink the medicine from now on."
"It is fate."
"Fate?"
The girl replied impassively.
"I neither consider this duty sacred nor pitiable."
She accepted her fate as naturally as breathing, as drinking water.
Baekri Geom-ha shook his head.
"You're not normal. Neither the martial world nor anything else is."
Thud.
Just then, the girl—her face deathly pale—leaned briefly against the wall after setting down the medicine.
Her cheeks were sunken, and her wrist, illuminated by the lamplight, looked so frail it might snap at any moment.
Skreeee—
But then, a strange noise came from somewhere.
The sound, gnawing through the air, didn't seem to reach his ears—it resonated directly inside his skull.
At the same time, the sky beyond the window began to blur like a watercolor painting soaked in water.
The boundary between sky and clouds melted indistinctly, colors losing their rightful places,
as if an invisible, colossal finger were twisting and wringing the fabric of reality itself, spiraling into distortion—
But that eerie, ominous phenomenon, like two worlds forcibly overlapping,
Whoosh.
vanished in an instant, as if it had never happened... and everything returned to normal.