Chapter 1196
So Ok-rim's eyes flew wide open.
She had feared this might happen—but to think he would actually do it?
Without a shred of hesitation, he boldly leaned in and pulled her into an embrace.
"Eek!"
Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing against the terror threatening to burst from her chest—
Squelch.
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol's body stretched subtly, like taffy, before beginning to undulate like a supple silk ribbon.
Whoosh.
At the same time, his elongated, slender form began wrapping around So Ok-rim's entire body.
Then, the countless energies, breaths, and even the scorching pulses within Bu Eun-seol flowed into her, coursing along her spine.
According to the Sacred Flower Secret Manual's teachings, there were two ways to unleash maximum power:
Either amplify mutual affection through intimate contact or expression—
Or forcibly expand the surface area of skin contact to share a greater flow of energy.
Rather than choosing a method like a kiss to amplify affection,
Bu Eun-seol had opted for the crude, brute-force approach of increasing skin contact to transfer power.
"What the hell are you doing?"
So Ok-rim's eyes bulged as she demanded an answer. Bu Eun-seol, his face now stretched thin, replied:
"The Twelve Flexible Tendons Technique—similar to Indian Yoga Art."
"Do I look like I asked for the name of your martial art?!"
So Ok-rim glared down at Bu Eun-seol, who was coiled around her like a serpent, her gaze filled with horror.
Is this how you waste the opportunity Heaven gave you?!
She had known Bu Eun-seol was somewhat ignorant when it came to relationships or affection between men and women.
But to be this oblivious—this utterly incapable of reading the mood?!
You could've just kissed me!
Huuuuum!
Regardless of So Ok-rim's feelings,
Bu Eun-seol's body continued stretching endlessly, rapidly expanding the contact area.
As it did, an increasingly formidable power began accumulating within So Ok-rim's body.
"Are you insane?!"
At her furious shout,
Bu Eun-seol, his face stretched like rubber, laboriously moved his lips.
"I've... heard that before."
"Don't answer me with your face stretched like taffy!"
So Ok-rim wanted to cry.
First, because of that clueless bastard who made her blood boil—
And second, because as the contact area expanded,
An overwhelming surge of energy poured into her through her skin, filling her with such immense power that her body felt on the verge of shattering.
Thud-thud-thud.
As the power swelled to near-catastrophic levels,
The might of the Heavenly Hero Star manifested once more, and her physique began to grow enormous.
No—unlike before, her clothes tore apart as her height soared to nearly nine feet, surpassing all previous limits.
I feel like I'm going to explode!
"Kahahaha!"
Meanwhile, the monstrosity had completed its colossal blade, hundreds of yards long—a weapon capable of reducing the world to ruin.
"So Ok-rim, now!"
At Bu Eun-seol's shout, a twitch of irritation flashed through So Ok-rim's eyes.
That blockhead didn't even spare a thought for her frustration—
His eyes were bloodshot with nothing but the desire to cut down the enemy.
This stone-headed bastard doesn't have a speck of awareness!
Seething with rage, she channeled her Internal Power.
Then, as if expelling all the resentment pent up in her body, she unleashed the Galaxy Severance once more.
Kwaaaaaaah!
The erupted radiance swiftly morphed into the form of a dazzling five-colored dragon.
The Manifestation Art Energy latent within Bu Eun-seol and the power of the Heavenly Might Star mingled with the Galaxy Severance, amplifying its force.
Shriiiiek!
The five-colored dragon, which had been tearing across the earth, gradually shrank into a sharper, more concentrated form before—
Swoooosh!
Piercing through the black barrier the monstrosity had erected in an instant.
Koooh!
The luminous streak that burst through the barrier writhed like a small dragon, each of its five-colored scales transforming into serrated blades.
Shlik!
It coiled precisely around the monstrosity's wrist—the very source of its power—and began rotating violently.
Kreeeeech!
A horrific grating sound, like flesh being shredded and bones ground apart, tore through the air.
The monstrosity resisted fiercely, but the blade-like strands of light never paused, spinning with relentless ferocity.
Squelch!
With a gruesome severing noise, the wrist was cleanly sliced off, tumbling to the ground.
Strangely, only a single drop of blood fell—and the moment it touched the ground, its color began fading.
From the severed cross-section, not blood, but something resembling black ash scattered like crumbling powder.
Thud. Brrrrr.
The fallen wrist twitched several times, as if squeezing out its remaining strength, before—
Sssss.
Finally stiffening like a lifeless statue, turning cold and grayish-black.
—Kyaaaaaaah!
Suddenly, a spine-chilling shriek—as if hundreds of vengeful spirits had tangled together in agony—ripped through the distant skies.
The monstrosity, too, opened its mouth and—
"Uuuuuh!"
Let out a bizarre scream, one that could never be mistaken for a sound produced by a human throat.
Crackle.
The monstrosity's entire body split like a parched desert, hardening into stone.
Then, an utterly unbelievable scene unfolded.
As the scream faded, tortoise-shell-like fissures spread across the monstrosity's skin before—
From head to toe... wasn't he drying up like a withered tree?
But the truly bizarre phenomenon came next.
Grrrruuuu.
The earth split open as crimson mist billowed forth, and from those fissures, demonic figures began crawling out.
Kee-kee-kee.
With emaciated outstretched hands and eyes glazed red with greed—
They rummaged through the grotesque man's head, reaching toward something hidden within.
The moment the demons' fingertips made contact—
Tzzzzk.
From the split crown of his skull, an intangible thread seemed to be pulled out—a faint luminous shape dragged forth like a wisp of smoke.
Skkreeee!
Amidst shrieks and laughter blending into monstrous cacophony, the demons tore at that light with their teeth, fighting over it like starving beasts before vanishing back into the earth.
Fwooosh.
Simultaneously, faint smoke rose from the Man in Black's corpse, followed by flickering flames.
"Seems it's all over now."
Seeing this, So Ok-rim—her expression more vicious than ever—spoke to Bu Eun-seol, still coiled around her lower abdomen.
"Get off me. Now!"
By then, she had regained her original, delicate appearance.
"Understood."
Faced with her murderous glare, Bu Eun-seol hurriedly unwound himself from her body, releasing the Twelve Flexible Tendons Technique's grip with a swift motion.
"Did you see that just now?"
"See what?"
When So Ok-rim snapped irritably, Bu Eun-seol pointed at the ground where the demonic figures had emerged.
"Those things that crawled out of the earth."
"Crawled out of the earth? What things?"
Unlike him, she had seen nothing—
No fissures, no demons clawing their way out.
'Was it my imagination?'
"What are you talking about?"
When she pressed him, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
Even having witnessed it firsthand, it was too surreal to believe.
"No, it was nothing."
"Ugh..."
Freed from his grasp, So Ok-rim staggered back, gasping for breath.
And this wasn't even her full power.
She had merely channeled a fraction of it, yet her bones felt shattered, muscles on the verge of bursting.
If the grotesque man had held out just a little longer—
Her body would have been torn apart from the inside.
"What the hell did you eat to store that kind of energy in your gut?"
As a Heavenly Hero Star, it was no exaggeration to say she possessed the sturdiest physique in the world.
Yet just by absorbing a fraction of his power, her body had nearly exploded?
"Wandering the Martial World, experiencing all sorts of things... this is the result."
Outwardly, his physique seemed ordinary—unremarkable bones and constitution, nothing special.
Yet within him, energies of disparate origins coexisted, balanced with eerie perfection.
Of course, the foundation had been laid by his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
But the one who forged this miraculous body was Bu Eun-seol himself.
Through endless battles against formidable foes, refining his martial arts.
Through enlightenment of new doctrines, harmonizing the energies within him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Then, something glimmered within the scattering ashes of the disintegrating corpse.
The Man in Black's severed wrist.
The ashen-gray wrist, now engulfed in flames, had transformed into a crystalline, translucent form.
"Huh?"
So Ok-rim's eyes narrowed.
Because multiple energies were radiating from that severed wrist.
Among them—a silvery current, unmistakably the Sacred Flower Secret Manual's power she had unleashed earlier.
"Energy was stored in the wrist?"
Only then did she realize how that monster had wielded such overwhelming strength.
"What kind of wrist doubles as an energy vessel, storing all these different forces...?"
For a long moment, she stared at the translucent wrist.
Zzzziiing.
With a trance-like gaze, she took slow, deliberate steps toward the wrist embedded in the ashes.
'Something's wrong.'
Instinct screamed warnings, yet her body refused to stop.
No—it was being pulled toward it even more fiercely.
Because the energy seeping from that translucent wrist—
It pierced through the deepest void within her, the unspoken hunger she had never revealed to anyone.
―You knew you were lacking, yet you turned away.
The voice drilling directly into her mind unsettled her.
―You know, don't you? Even if you find the one who killed your grandfathers, your strength isn't enough for revenge.
She knew.
Deep down, she knew.
That the butcher who destroyed her grandfathers' sanctuary—
Even after a decade of martial training, she could never hope to match such a monstrous master.
―If you possess me, everything will be within your grasp.
At that moment, a vision bloomed before her eyes.
Breaking through limits, again and again.
Until she finally seized absolute power—and exacted glorious vengeance.
Gulp.
A dry swallow.
Burning thirst and desire flared within her.
The wrist resting atop the ashes—
Like a fire spirit, nourished by flames, radiating its own light.
And from it, an endless whisper:
―Take me.
―Become mine.
With just that—
With just that wrist, she could—
It would quench all her thirst in a single breath.
Before she knew it, reason had vanished into the roaring flames, and a primal desire for possession had completely seized her heart and body.
The moment she claimed that—
Everything would be fulfilled.
The world she had dreamed of would unfold before her.
Whoosh.
As Void Object Retrieval activated, the transparent wrist resting atop the blazing embers silently flew into So Ok-rim's grasp.
"Haa..."
Just as she reached out with a ragged breath to touch the translucent wrist—
"Instructor So."
Bu Eun-seol's voice reached her.
"It would be best not to touch that."
"Why? Do you intend to take it for yourself?"
Instantly, So Ok-rim's gaze turned razor-sharp.
And then, words she herself couldn't comprehend began pouring from her lips.
"You always talk like you know everything."
She glared at Bu Eun-seol with piercing eyes.
"But do you really know anything? You've been commanding the Death Soul Squad all this time, yet you still haven't properly tracked down the bastard who killed your grandfather, have you?"
The words were like daggers stabbing into his heart.
"And you always act so aloof, pretending to subtly care for women. But you know what?"
With eyes as frigid as a blizzard, So Ok-rim shouted at him.
"You seduce women to the point of madness, only to panic when they actually approach you—"
"Instructor So."
"You're just a deranged, cold-blooded bastard who enjoys rejecting people's feelings!"
'It's because of that wrist.'
Bu Eun-seol was certain.
That transparent wrist, left behind after its owner's death, was trying to seize control of So Ok-rim's mind.
If she claimed it for herself—
A great sorceress would be born, wielding power incomparable to that of the previous monstrosity.
'Don't provoke her. I need to take that cursed thing away.'
"You're right."
Having steeled himself, Bu Eun-seol nodded without offering excuses.
"Not a single word you said was wrong, Instructor So."
"Stop calling me that! Why are you still using that outdated title?!"
At her furious, crimson glare,
Bu Eun-seol cautiously took another step forward and spoke.
"My apologies. Miss So."
"My name is Ok-rim!"
"Right. Ok-rim."
Taking yet another step closer, he maintained a gentle expression.
"I've always thought it was a beautiful name."
"What?"
For a brief moment, So Ok-rim's expression wavered—before she gritted her teeth and screamed.
"Don't lie! You don't even like me!"
Then, as if trying to tear the heavens apart, she shouted:
"I knew you'd think like this!"
BOOM!
She unleashed a fist straight at Bu Eun-seol's chest.
The impact was so brutal that a violent shockwave tore through his body and erupted from his back.
Gulp.
Blood surged up his throat, but he forced it back down.
"That hulking woman isn't just built like an ox—she's got a temper to match!"
BOOM!
"Who'd want to get close to her?!"
BOOOOM!
"Like this!"
After mastering the Three Pure Realms' martial arts,
So Ok-rim had lost her once peerless beauty, transforming into a beast-like figure.
She never once showed it outwardly—instead carrying herself with even more brightness and confidence—
But deep inside, her heart had festered with wounds.
Drip.
Blood trickled from Bu Eun-seol's lips after taking three consecutive blows,
"That's... not true."
Yet his voice remained calm and sincere.
"To be honest, I always thought that beneath your rough exterior, you were as pure-hearted as a child."
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
"When I found out you regularly cared for and sponsored orphaned children, I realized your heart was as soft and delicate as silk."
Bu Eun-seol met So Ok-rim's gaze directly.
"And I knew your reckless behavior was just a way to hide the pain in your heart—pain caused by the body you never wanted."
Not a single word was a lie.
And sincerity—
always pierces through deception, reaching deep into the hearts of all living things.
"What the hell do you know?"
"I know because it's me."
Bu Eun-seol took another step forward.
"Haven't we weathered countless crises together, sharing both hardship and joy?"
The reason they had overcome so many trials side by side—
The reason they had trusted each other even in the direst moments—
Was because he had faith in her.
And because, deep down, Bu Eun-seol had genuinely enjoyed being with her.
"I was flustered many times, but I was always happy—when I was with you."
Stagger.
Finally reaching her, Bu Eun-seol swayed unsteadily right before So Ok-rim's face.
Thud.
Then, a pale hand steadied his trembling shoulders.
It was So Ok-rim's.
Hearing his utterly genuine words, she had regained her clarity.
"I'm sorry."
Drip.
"It was hard... but I couldn't show it."
Pearl-like tears began falling from her large eyes.
"Because of this body... the one that changed after I learned those martial arts. I couldn't bear to see the old men feel guilty and suffer for it. I never knew the power of the Heavenly Might Star would manifest like this."
Not even the masters of the Three Pure Realms had anticipated it.
When So Ok-rim's power manifested through the Heavenly Hero Star, no one could have foreseen that her body would change so drastically.
And So Ok-rim—
She couldn't show her suffering.
Because if she appeared sorrowful or in pain, the old masters would only suffer more.
So she deliberately acted cheerful.
She became reckless, wild, and unrestrained—all on purpose.
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol stepped forward until he stood right before So Ok-rim.
"You've endured much."
Then he took the transparent wrist she was holding and tossed it aside before gently embracing her.
"All this time, you couldn't even show a hint of sorrow—just bottled it all up inside."
"Waaah—!"
Cradled in Bu Eun-seol's arms, So Ok-rim wept like a child.
"My life was so hard."
Her tears carried the weight of all the suffering she had suppressed and the regrets she had never been able to voice.
"Let it all out. Every last bit."
But Bu Eun-seol wasn't merely offering words of comfort.
Earlier, when they had performed the Linked Energy Shared Body to activate the Sacred Flower Secret Manual, their connection had extended beyond just their bodies—it had linked their emotions as well.
And through that, he sensed something in So Ok-rim's meridians.
Something rigid, knotted, and suffocating.
Bu Eun-seol realized it was the accumulation of all the resentment she had suppressed—
The anguish she had locked away in the abyss of her heart, never allowing it to surface.
If left unresolved, it could have led to severe illness or even shortened her lifespan.
But when that wrist had drawn out the darkness in her heart—
Bu Eun-seol seized the opportunity.
He used it to expel the pent-up grief and suffering lodged in her Spirit and Mind, unraveling the knots of sorrow.
Phantom Restoration.
As the only successor to have mastered the Mind Spirit Secret Arts of Ak Mu-ryeong, who had reached the pinnacle of the Mind Seizing Secret Art, he was uniquely capable of such a feat.
"The old masters... even while rebuilding their sect in Tibet, they were attacked by intruders over and over. They suffered internal injuries and had to take medicine constantly."
She sobbed bitterly.
"But they never let it show. They always treated me warmly."
"I see."
"And at night, they would all go outside to sleep. Because they didn't want me to wake up to the sound of their groaning. They were afraid I'd find out they were injured."
So Ok-rim burst into another round of wailing.
"So how could I possibly complain just because my body changed a little?"
With her face buried in his chest, she wept uncontrollably.
As Bu Eun-seol watched her, tears welled in his own eyes.
He had guessed she carried a complicated past, but to think it was this heartbreaking?
"You've suffered far too much."
He held her tightly as she cried, her tears showing no sign of stopping.
After a long while—
So Ok-rim finally seemed to calm down. Wiping her tears, she spoke like a child.
"Sorry. I made a fool of myself."
"Not at all. So—"
He had been about to call her "instructor," but he corrected himself.
"So... Miss."
"Miss? Just talk to me like you always do."
So Ok-rim wiped her tears and laughed.
"Calling me 'Miss' feels weird."
Under normal circumstances, her tone would have been playful.
But now that he knew everything—
Even her bright smile seemed to tremble with lingering sorrow.
"Ok-rim."
"Hm?"
"...May I call you that?"
Bu Eun-seol grinned widely, flashing his teeth.
"Aren't we fellow disciples? And am I not your Senior Martial Brother?"
Instantly, So Ok-rim's face turned red.
—Then should I call you 'Senior Martial Brother'? 'Senior Martial Brother, Ok-rim is hungry.'
She thought he was teasing her, referencing the joke she had once made.
"You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?"
She pretended to glare at him.
"Are you trying to seduce me?"
"Seduce? Hardly."
Bu Eun-seol put on an exaggeratedly solemn expression.
"I'm being sincere. Not a single false word."
'Because of what happened with Gongson Chongsa, I swore I would never turn away from a woman's heart again.'
But with So Ok-rim, he had been cautious—
Because she had never openly expressed any genuine affection or interest in him.
Now, however, he understood.
All those playful antics, all the coquettish behavior—it had all been sincere.
Her heart had been deeply wounded all along.
"Who knows how things between men and women will turn out?"
"Between... men and women?"
"That's right."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with utter honesty.
"People part and meet again. Some swear eternal love, only to separate in the end."
He was a man, and she was a woman.
Just like any ordinary young man and woman—
No more restraint, no more hiding. They would face each other as they truly were.
Understanding his meaning, So Ok-rim flashed her white teeth in another radiant smile.
It was the most honest, most beautiful smile she had ever shown him.
"What are you—"
Suddenly—
The corners of So Ok-rim's eyes, which had been curved in laughter, shot upward like slits in the sky. A blinding white gale erupted from her fist.
"Are you the Emperor?!"
THUD.
Her fist sank deep into Bu Eun-seol's lower abdomen.
"Are you in the middle of selecting concubines for your harem?!"
"That's not what I meant—"
"Ugh!"
So Ok-rim drove another fist into him, this one brimming with indignation.
Perhaps it carried the resentment of all women—
Because despite his usual resilience to blows, his body staggered violently this time. His insides twisted in agony.
"I must have phrased it poorly."
Bu Eun-seol hastily raised his hands in surrender.
"Just forget I said anything."
"Hmph."
So Ok-rim crossed her arms and glared down at him.
Though she had regained her original, breathtakingly beautiful appearance—
To Bu Eun-seol's eyes, she still looked like Lord Guan standing tall, her long hair whipping in the wind.