Chapter 1151
"What the hell is that?"
As Baekri Geom-ha gazed out the window and asked, the girl answered calmly.
"What are you referring to?"
"The sky twisted and then went back to normal."
Only then did the girl seem to understand, replying composedly.
"It means the power of the Absolute Boundary has weakened slightly."
So that's the Absolute Boundary of the True Demon's lineage.
Baekri Geom-ha grasped the situation immediately.
This Earthen Chamber was protected by an Absolute Boundary set up by the True Demon's bloodline.
"I'll begin again."
The girl resumed pouring Soul-Demon Magic Energy into him.
Baekri Geom-ha's body was like an abyss—limitlessly absorbing the torrent of demonic energy she poured into him.
Thick veins bulged across the girl's entire body, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
At this point, it would be stranger if she didn't collapse.
Stagger.
As if struck by dizziness, the girl swayed briefly before bowing her head.
"My apologies. I will resume the infusion."
Watching her, Baekri Geom-ha scoffed and spoke coldly.
"All this effort, and yet no strength returns?"
"I'm sorry."
Truthfully, his external wounds had mostly healed.
But despite the girl infusing him with Soul-Demon Magic Energy daily—
Not a single ounce of his power, including the Heavenly Darkness Star's energy, showed any sign of returning.
Perhaps it was because he wasn't one of the White Annihilation Warriors.
Maybe this kind of treatment—simply pouring demonic energy into him—wasn't effective.
Originally, I planned to slaughter them all.
Once his body fully recovered, he had intended to obliterate this secret Earthen Chamber in an instant.
But seeing this girl withering away day after day to heal him—
Watching the Clay Dolls, burdened with the same fate, exhausting themselves to tend to other wounded until they collapsed—
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Even if I don't lift a finger, they'll all die anyway.
Their fate was to perish, drained of life while treating the injured White Annihilation Warriors.
There was no need to dirty his hands.
Damn it.
Baekri Geom-ha inwardly let out an irritated sigh.
It would've been better not to know.
I have no choice but to leave.
No matter how self-centered or somewhat wicked his nature was—
He wasn't shameless enough to recover his strength by leeching off others' life force.
"Enough."
"Huh?"
"I don't want to see this anymore. Get out."
His voice was merciless.
"If you show your face before me within three days, I'll really kill you this time."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the girl's lips.
He was always like this.
When she fed him, he would complain endlessly—but the moment hot soup splashed onto his face, he never threw another tantrum.
When walking through the mountains, he cursed nonstop—yet matched her pace diligently so he could return and rest sooner.
And now, ordering her to stay away for three days—
He had clearly guessed that was how long his body needed to recover and lashed out accordingly.
"Then, please rest well."
As she gathered her things and opened the door—
"Your name?"
Baekri Geom-ha called out to the girl as she turned away.
"Even if you're not human, you must have a name."
When he had asked before, she had only said she wasn't human.
Hence this question.
"......"
The girl pressed her lips together tightly, blinking her large eyes.
"If you don't tell me, I won't accept any more treatment."
Even as he said it, Baekri Geom-ha smacked his own forehead.
Refusing treatment wasn't much of a threat to her, after all.
But surprisingly, the girl seemed quite conflicted.
"I am......"
Just as she began to speak—
Hiss, hiss, hiss.
A sound shattered the manor's silence.
A grotesque noise, like countless insects scattering in all directions.
"What's that now?"
When Baekri Geom-ha looked outside, he saw numerous Men in Black suddenly flooding into the manor.
From their bodies wafted a nauseating, icy stench of blood, alongside an aura so frigid it seemed capable of freezing all living things.
They were undoubtedly the True Demon's Servants or bloodline.
"What's going on?"
"They are the ones who oversee the Earthen Chambers."
The girl spoke calmly.
"Do not leave this room until they have departed."
With those final words, she turned and left immediately.
"Truly inconsiderate."
Baekri Geom-ha muttered in an irritated voice.
"There's no need to stay here any longer."
Though his strength hadn't returned, his external wounds were mostly healed.
He could leave this place and find another way.
After all, Bu Eun-seol was surrounded by capable subordinates and skilled individuals.
"How peculiar... this Martial World is."
Baekri Geom-ha gazed up at the night sky beyond the window, where moonlight cascaded down.
Having been confined deep within the abyss of his spirit and mind for so long,
he had inherited Bu Eun-seol's memories, knowledge, and countless experiences.
The process of encountering people, clashing with them, gaining enlightenment, and forming bonds of gratitude and resentment—
though it had often plunged Bu Eun-seol into suffering,
it had also been the driving force that continuously changed and matured him.
Yet, for Baekri Geom-ha, who had not lived through these things himself, they held little emotional weight.
But now, experiencing the tangled web of the Martial World firsthand,
he could faintly grasp how Bu Eun-seol's frozen heart had gradually thawed.
'Am I changing as well?'
When Bu Eun-seol first stepped into the Martial World, he had been ruthlessly cold and unfeeling.
But through friendships with men like Heuk-pyo, Yu Hwa-ryeong, Tang Gon, and Namgung Un—figures who carried the bearing of heroes—
and through bonds with women like Dan So-ok, Yeon So-ha, A-yeon, Jin Seol, and Gongson Dan-gyeong—whom he treated with deep affection and sincerity—
he had, before he knew it, come to cherish those around him as much as he sought vengeance.
Though Baekri Geom-ha had witnessed this transformation from the depths of his spirit,
he had felt nothing, as if watching a dull Beijing Opera performance.
Yet now, stepping into the world himself and clashing with people,
even he was slowly changing.
"It seems this Earthen Chamber has reached its time to be sealed."
Just then, a low voice sounded from beyond the window.
"A realm filled with useless things, their magic energy exhausted."
The voice was honed like an icy blade, devoid of even a trace of emotion.
'Sealed?'
Baekri Geom-ha's brow furrowed slightly as he quietly peered outside.
The courtyard lay heavy with oppressive air, where over thirty men in black stood assembled.
Before them, lined up in formation, were the so-called Clay Dolls—boys and girls.
"If too many exhaust their Soul-Demon Magic Energy, the Absolute Boundary covering this Earthen Chamber will be exposed."
It turned out the entire chamber was veiled by an Absolute Boundary—a place where only those imbued with Soul-Demon Magic Energy could conceal themselves.
'I see.'
Baekri Geom-ha swiftly grasped the situation.
If those called Clay Dolls continuously expended their energy in healing,
not only would they drain their life force and die, but their bodies would revert to ordinary flesh—
greatly increasing the risk of outsiders detecting the chamber's Absolute Boundary.
"Now, let us begin the culling."
The apparent leader of the men in black nodded, and his subordinates stepped forward.
Their eyes swept over the assembled figures before singling out one girl.
"You—step forward."
Then came words that defied belief.
"Commit suicide. Leave not even a pinch of ash or a single bone behind."
The moment the command was issued—
Whoosh!
As if she had practiced this countless times, the girl ignited flames upon her own body using the Soul-Demon Magic Energy within her.
Flesh and bone charred in an instant, filling the courtyard with a revolting stench and thick smoke.
The Clay Dolls—so named—had long served as healers for the White Annihilation Warriors, True Demon's elite combatants.
True to their name, like figures molded from clay,
they had no emotions, no will—only obedience.
Not only did they mend the torn flesh and damaged qi-blood of the wounded,
but once their life force was spent and they became useless—
They were ordered to erase even the traces of their existence through suicide,
lest the chamber's location be exposed.
"You. And you."
One by one, as the men in black issued their cruel commands, the children stepped forward and burned themselves alive.
Occasionally, one would tremble in the face of death, hesitating.
Then, without fail, the men in black would step forward and mercilessly behead them before burning their corpses.
'These fiends are worse than demons!'
Watching the massacre unfold beyond the window, Baekri Geom-ha's eyes burned with fury.
Simply because they were born with Soul-Demon Magic Energy,
these children were used as tools—and now, denied even the dignity of leaving a trace of their existence behind?
"You."
Then, the man in black pointed to another girl.
The very one who had been tending to Baekri Geom-ha all this time.
Expression serene, she walked toward the burning corpses.
Pausing briefly at the center of the courtyard, where ashes drifted like snow,
she turned her gaze—
Was it coincidence?
—toward the pavilion where Baekri Geom-ha stood.
For the briefest moment, a ripple stirred in her eyes—eyes that had always been as hollow as a doll's.
Then, as if resigning herself to everything,
she raised her slender palm and summoned a flickering blue flame—like a butterfly—upon it.
That resplendent yet deadly flame was just about to slowly reach her own heart when—
"Stop—!"
A scream tore through the night air.
Simultaneously, the doors of the pavilion burst open, and a shadowy figure dashed out, blocking the girl's path.
It was Baekri Geom-ha.
He seized the slender wrist of the girl who had been summoning the flames, gripping it as if to shatter it.
"Is this what you called fate?"
Turning his body, Baekri Geom-ha shouted toward the black-clad figures, who resembled demons from hell.
"What kind of noble act is it to submit to these devil-spawned bastards wearing human masks?!"
"What is this now?"
The leader of the black-clad figures frowned as he observed the enraged Baekri Geom-ha.
"Another defective product?"
"What?"
"A White Annihilation Warrior who doesn't even have proper Soul-Demon Magic Energy, unable to control his emotions?"
"Shut up and get out now—!"
Just as flames seemed to ignite in Baekri Geom-ha's eyes—
BOOM!
His body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a wall over ten zhang away.
Unnoticed, the black-clad figure had unleashed a formidable burst of palm energy.
"Nothing but a loudmouthed piece of trash."
Baekri Geom-ha's True Void—
It was an innate power, a combination of the Heavenly Darkness Star's strength, the Manifestation Art Energy within his body, and Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Though he could wield martial arts to some extent by sharing Bu Eun-seol's experiences,
He had never truly trained in martial arts, so his mastery was inevitably shallow.
Thud.
Baekri Geom-ha rose from the collapsed wall, clenching his fists.
'Like him—with martial arts!'
Even when all his power had vanished, Bu Eun-seol had fearlessly defeated formidable enemies with nothing but a single sword.
Now, Baekri Geom-ha sought to mimic Bu Eun-seol's martial techniques, intending to face them with swordplay.
Swoosh!
Drawing his sword, Baekri Geom-ha closed the distance in an instant.
The Formless Heavenly Flow style required immense inner energy to unleash its true power.
Thus, he employed the profound principle of Formlessness Defeats Form, swinging his sword wildly like a drunken man.
"Hmm."
The leader's eyes flashed.
Not only were the sword strokes pouring before his eyes indiscernible between orthodox and unorthodox paths,
But they were also completely unlike any sword technique a White Annihilation Warrior should wield.
"Who are you?"
Effortlessly dodging the blade, the leader's eyes sharpened.
Slash! Slash!
But in that moment, Baekri Geom-ha instantly closed the gap, simultaneously targeting the black-clad figure's abdomen and throat.
It was the exquisite execution of Turning Child Four Seas, a move of the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms.
"The Fire Rain Sword? A spy, then."
The leader, now certain Baekri Geom-ha was no White Annihilation Warrior, coldly shouted:
"Take him down!"
In an instant, thirty black-clad figures surrounded Baekri Geom-ha.
Crackle. Tap-tap-tap!
As they exerted their power, True Qi materialized from the ground like tree branches—
Whoosh!
—before transforming into hundreds of bat-like shapes that surged forward.
They sought to suppress Baekri Geom-ha not with martial arts, but with dark sorcery fueled by Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Baekri Geom-ha swiftly cut through the swarm of bats with his sword,
Whoosh! Boom! Boom!
But each time, crimson flames erupted like gunpowder detonating, violently shaking his body.
"Strange fellow."
The leader tilted his head in bewilderment.
"He's enduring attacks with such pitifully weak Soul-Demon Magic Energy?"
Unlike Manifestation Art Energy,
Soul-Demon Magic Energy had a fixed quantity, clearly distinguishing superiors from inferiors based on its amount.
The Baekri Clan wielded Dragon Transformation Manifestation, but the True Demon Family had no such transformative sorcery.
For an ordinary human body to wield that power meant severe physical damage or a shortened lifespan.
Yet Baekri Geom-ha, despite possessing only the faintest traces of Soul-Demon Magic Energy and no physical strength to speak of,
Was enduring the dark sorcery of Black Earth Calamity Flames unleashed by thirty White Annihilation Warriors.
"He's not of the Baekri Clan. Who would create such a useless thing?"
The leader snorted.
"Seems his specialty is a sturdy body. Deploy the Spiral Phantom Demon Barrier."
No sooner had he spoken than the thirty black-clad figures began spinning rapidly—
KWAOOOO!
—transforming into a black storm that engulfed Baekri Geom-ha.
He tried to deflect them with his sword techniques,
But unfortunately, unlike Bu Eun-seol,
He could not execute the highest principles of swordplay—Neither Above Nor Below or Move Heaven Exchange Force.
Screeeech—
In the end, his entire body was torn apart by the glancing touch of the Spiral Phantom Demon Storm, and even the hand gripping the Ink Soul Sword was reduced to tatters.
As Baekri Geom-ha suffered horrific injuries in an instant, the leader who had been watching spoke.
"We need to uncover who's behind this, so leave his neck intact. We'll use Ghost Soul Burn to extract everything inside his skull."
At that command, the black-clad men, who had been spinning like a dark storm,
Whooosh—
reverted to their original forms and extended their palms forward, condensing Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Crackle—
At that moment, Baekri Geom-ha's skin began to split apart bit by bit.
'So this is the Soul-Demon Magic Energy used by the True Demon's bloodline.'
Until now, concepts like Manifestation Art Energy and Soul-Demon Magic Energy had been vague, almost abstract.
But the black-clad men before him now—
were applying Soul-Demon Magic Energy to martial arts,
unleashing spell techniques with transcendent destructive power, ones that did not exist in the current martial world.
Drip, drip—
Before he knew it, blood was streaming from Baekri Geom-ha's body like a river.
From the start, he had acted on nothing but rage and hotheadedness.
To think he could defeat the elite warriors of the True Demon's bloodline while still weakened—it was an absurd, reckless act.
'That guy would've had some kind of plan.'
Bu Eun-seol's intellect was extraordinary. He always remained coldly rational, devising brilliant strategies.
Though he sometimes lost his reason to surging emotions, he never failed to account for the worst-case scenario.
But Baekri Geom-ha—
had rushed out without any plan at all.
Even if this was the reckless, immature personality steeped in negativity—
this was an unforgivably foolish and fatal mistake.
"Cut his throat."
At the leader's command, one of the black-clad men stretched out his hand. A blade of sharp True Qi formed.
Just as the unavoidable attack was about to slice his throat apart—
Thud!
A slender shadow stepped forward without hesitation, shielding him.
It was the girl who had been treating Baekri Geom-ha all this time.
Zzzzing—
She immediately manifested Soul-Demon Magic Energy into a shield, but—
Thunk!
It was pierced with ridiculous ease.
Slash! Thud-thud-thud!
In the end, she had to endure the black-clad man's horrific attack with her entire body.
Drip, drip—
Fortunately, thanks to the Soul-Demon Magic Energy, she wasn't bisected—but her skin was torn all over,
and unable to withstand the force imbued in the blade, crimson blood burst from her mouth.
"Move!"
"......"
In response to the black-clad man's shout, the girl silently spread her arms wider.
Annoyed, the man immediately thrust out his palm, releasing a surge of Palm Energy.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, yet the girl stood firm, unwavering.
She was barely holding on, using the remnants of her Soul-Demon Magic Energy.
Gurgle—
But that was all she could do.
Her internal organs must have been ruptured by the Palm Energy—she spat out a thick glob of blood.
"Why are you protecting me?"
Baekri Geom-ha asked with trembling eyes, unable to comprehend. The girl answered flatly.
"Because your treatment isn't finished yet."
A Clay Doll would heal a White Annihilation Warrior, even at the cost of its own life.
The girl had stepped forward with that same resolve.
"Just for that...?"
"This, too, is my fate."
"Liar."
Baekri Geom-ha shook his head.
Just out of duty? Impossible. In this short time, she must have grown slightly attached to him.
"Tell me the truth!"
Unlike Bu Eun-seol, Baekri Geom-ha was impulsive, driven solely by his emotions.
Even in this life-or-death moment, he was desperate to know what she truly felt—
and he wanted her to speak honestly.
Huff—
Instead of answering, the girl reached out and placed her hand on Baekri Geom-ha's chest.
Then, she poured all of her remaining life force—along with her Soul-Demon Magic Energy—into him.
"Run away."
For the briefest moment, a gentle light flickered in the girl's eyes.
It was the first time she had ever shown emotion to this cold, ruthless White Annihilation Warrior—no, to the boy who only pretended to be one,
but whose true nature was warm.
"Hurry."
Thud.
Having exhausted all her life force, the girl collapsed, her hair now stark white.
Though faint breaths still remained, the flame of her life had already been extinguished—she would die within a quarter of an hour.
"Was the training flawed?"
The leader watched the two with an eerie gaze, as if fascinated.
"A mere Clay Doll acting like this?"
Then he gestured to his subordinates.
Swish—
A razor-sharp Spiral Phantom Demon Storm swept toward Baekri Geom-ha's neck.
Or rather, it should have severed it.
Hiss—
The Spiral Phantom Demon Storm stopped just as it touched his throat.
A dark energy radiating from his entire body prevented the lethal storm from piercing his skin.
"You bastards..."
A black tempest raged around Baekri Geom-ha as he lowered his head.
"...don't deserve to live."
These were the same words Bu Eun-seol had often spat in fury at enemies he would never spare.
And now—Baekri Geom-ha was uttering them exactly the same way.