Chapter 1204
Krrrrr—
Before he knew it, an earth-shaking roar erupted as light burst forth from Bu Eun-seol's Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl, threatening to explode at any moment.
Simultaneously, the surrounding air grew as scorching as bubbling lava, and the earth trembled violently, screaming in agony.
Radiance poured from the forests, the trees—everything—as the world crumbled around them.
If he didn't quickly insert the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl into the Dragon-Phoenix Ring, it felt as though he would vanish alongside this collapsing world.
Tak.
Using Void Object Retrieval, he reclaimed the True Demon's wrist—
Click.
—then swiftly opened the Dragon-Phoenix Ring and slotted the pearl inside.
In that instant, a blinding whirlwind of golden and crimson light erupted, sweeping violently across the surroundings.
Whoooosh—
At the heart of the storm of light, Bu Eun-seol's consciousness was sucked into a vast, blank whiteness.
How much time had passed?
The ringing in his ears gradually faded, and the sensation of a dry wind brushing against his cheek returned.
With great effort, he lifted his heavy eyelids, and his blurred vision slowly sharpened.
The first things that came into view were the desolate walls of a cave—and a wrist as transparent as crystal.
Unbeknownst to him, he had been gripping the True Demon's Corpse, now turned crystalline, tightly in his left hand.
'What...?'
Everything was unfamiliar and chaotic.
His body was stiff as stone, making movement difficult, and his mind was clouded, as though shrouded in fog.
"Bu Eun-seol!"
Crash!
At that moment, the sound of a water bucket falling echoed as a small shadow rushed toward him.
It was So Ok-rim.
Her face was covered in gray dust, and her once-neat hair was tangled wildly from the harsh winds.
Her cracked lips and hollow eyes hinted at the hardships she had endured.
"You're awake?"
Bu Eun-seol surveyed the unfamiliar cave surroundings and moved his parched lips.
"Where... is this?"
Instead of answering, So Ok-rim pulled him into an embrace.
"Just what the hell happened?"
Her voice trembled, a mix of relief and worry.
"You—you've been frozen solid for three days and nights since that light exploded!"
Her expression looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment as she continued.
"You were like a statue, barely breathing! No matter how much I shook you or called out, you didn't even twitch!"
Three days.
The words rang hollowly in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
Crinkle.
But at that moment, a faint, dry sound—like a brittle leaf crumbling—reached his ears.
Spiderweb-like cracks began spreading across the True Demon's wrist in his hand.
Fsssh—
Eventually, it turned to dust, scattering in the wind.
Whoooosh—
Yet, as if imbued with life, the transparent particles gathered together before being drawn into Bu Eun-seol's left hand.
An eerie sensation crawled up his skin—like a cold snake slithering into his flesh, climbing through his veins.
"Kgh—!"
Alarmed, he frantically clutched his left wrist.
But the transparent dust had already formed a black vortex, seeping into his palm.
"How is this entering my body...?"
He muttered in confusion and horror.
"Why?"
But So Ok-rim only blinked at him in bewilderment.
From her perspective—
All she had seen was the grotesque True Demon's Corpse in Bu Eun-seol's grip turning to dust and vanishing.
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"You... didn't see it just now?"
"I did. That True Demon's Corpse or whatever—that disgusting wrist—turned to dust and scattered."
"No, not that—"
Seeing the pure concern in So Ok-rim's eyes, Bu Eun-seol fell silent.
Once again, he alone had witnessed this bizarre and ominous phenomenon.
'She'll worry.'
If she knew the power within the True Demon's wrist had entered his arm—
She would undoubtedly panic, desperately searching for a solution.
"No, it's nothing."
Bu Eun-seol forced a reassuring smile and shook his head.
"I must have imagined it for a moment."
Then, looking at her haggard face, he wore an apologetic expression.
"You... watched over me all this time."
"W-well, of course I did."
So Ok-rim sniffled.
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize—not just her, but his own body had also withered somewhat.
Even if he starved for a month, it wouldn't affect him. Yet, after just three days, he had dried out like this...?
The time experienced through the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl was, in essence, nearly tantamount to ascetic penance—proof of that very fact.
"What happened to you?"
So Ok-rim realized that Bu Eun-seol's aura had changed drastically from before in some indefinable way.
Beyond ordinary, it was as if he had become a mere stone in nature.
Even standing right beside him, she couldn't sense his breathing—no, not even his presence.
"The True Demon's remains merged with this treasure, allowing me to glimpse memories of the past."
The words—that he had inherited the bloodline karma of the True Demon, an ancestor of sorts, through the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Wine and attained enlightenment—did not come easily to his lips.
So instead, he merely intended to say that the remains and the treasure had merged, allowing him to experience events from the past in India.
No, So Ok-rim must know as well.
But then, he steeled himself.
Let's hide it no longer.
Hadn't he come to understand the sincerity of her heart through the Sacred Flower Secret Manual?
Resolved, Bu Eun-seol told her everything.
That he was of the True Demon's bloodline.
That through these three treasures, he had not only grasped Pa Hon's life story but also stepped into a new realm of power.
"How extraordinary!"
So Ok-rim gasped in amazement.
She paid no mind to him being of the True Demon's lineage—
Instead, she was staring intently at the Dragon-Phoenix Ring on Bu Eun-seol's wrist, smacking her lips as if savoring something.
"Then what would've happened if I had touched it?"
So Ok-rim narrowed her crescent-moon eyes, teasing.
She's being considerate.
Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
She was deliberately cracking jokes to ease the weight of the difficult truth he had just shared.
"Naturally, it wouldn't have worked. The Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Wine is a treasure that inherits power through blood."
"Then should I go find my own ancestors? Or what about other remains?"
Though he knew she was joking, Bu Eun-seol answered firmly.
"If you ever come across such demonic relics in the future, it would be best not to touch them at all."
He had the Dragon-Phoenix Ring and the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Wine, which shielded him from the True Demon's corrupting influence—
And through the karma of that bloodline, he had advanced his martial prowess.
But if someone unrelated to the True Demon were to touch those remains without such treasures?
They would inevitably become a demonic creature, consumed by evil, just like before.
"I know, I know, it was a joke."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's grave expression, So Ok-rim laughed and let out a sigh of relief.
"Anyway, I'm just glad you're safe."
For three days, her face had been etched with exhaustion, as if she'd tried everything she could.
Traces of various medicines and physicians lingered around the cave.
How much had she agonized, fearing the worst for him?
He could feel anew the depth of her pure, selfless devotion to him.
"Ok-rim."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply, with utmost sincerity.
"Thank you."
"Don't say that."
So Ok-rim shook her head.
"Why would you say 'thank you' between us?"
Then she looked at him with eyes filled with absolute seriousness.
"You're the fated partner our sect chose for me, aren't you?"
She took a step closer, her expression solemn.
"We've shared the Sacred Flower Secret Manual in cultivation—we've become inseparable halves of the same soul. Even the heavens have acknowledged it."
"Ok-rim."
As Bu Eun-seol's face twisted in discomfort,
"Do you dislike it?"
So Ok-rim met his gaze directly, her voice soft yet unwavering, her expression both profound and earnest.
"Say it clearly. If you dislike me, say exactly that."
"......"
"Give me a definite answer. We have to, now, don't we?"
Perhaps it was because her flawless appearance had returned—
In the past, she might have thrown a punch or snapped at him, but now, her voice was nothing but gentle.
I don't dislike her. No, I even have feelings for her. But—
"You must build a family."
That was what the senior spirits bound to his grandfather always said whenever they saw Bu Eun-seol.
They wished for him, the grandson, to attain the happiness his grandfather had been denied.
But Bu Eun-seol could sense it—
The path he walked was one of blood. There could be no peaceful, happy ending.
Just as his grandfather had never formed a family, he, too, was fated to never bear responsibility for another.
"Very well. I'll speak honestly. I..."
Just as Bu Eun-seol steeled himself to answer firmly—
"If you say it clearly, I'll either acknowledge you as the thief who stole the Sacred Flower Secret Manual—or split you in half, got it?"
"What are you saying?"
"An outsider recklessly learned another sect's secret manual—of course, I'd have to take it back."
So Ok-rim stepped even closer, her bright eyes locking onto his with unwavering intensity.
"That's the way of the Martial World, isn't it? Right?"
Bu Eun-seol swallowed dryly.
For a moment, he had forgotten.
No matter how much her appearance had transformed into that of a heavenly beauty—the kind any man would dream of—
So-ok was still So-ok.
A woman who, even when words would suffice, would inevitably resort to her fists—violent and unyielding.
Hadn't Yu Cheong-rim also gotten tangled up with her once, only to end up half-paralyzed for months?
Just because the outer shell had changed didn't mean the core had.
He absolutely must not be fooled by that beautiful face.
"You speak rightly."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been about to speak honestly, smoothly began weaving lies instead.
"As a man, I doubt there's anyone who could refuse you."
"That sounds like an answer that dodges the heart of the matter."
"I was merely stating that I, too, am a man."
"So that's a positive answer, then?"
"If it sounded negative, I apologize."
"Hmm..."
It felt like he was dodging left and right.
So-ok, who had been glaring at him with dagger-like eyes, clenched her fist tightly.
Bu Eun-seol remained tense, half-expecting her to unleash a thunderous punch at any moment.
"Fine, I'll let it go."
So-ok's eyes flashed as she stepped right up to Bu Eun-seol's face.
Then, she spread her arms wide.
'Is she going for the Galaxy Severance technique?'
Assuming that his ambiguous answer had twisted her insides enough to make her strike, he hastily began gathering his internal power—
Squeeze.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"For today... I'll be satisfied with that answer."
Then, whispering close to his ear, she added,
"For someone as wooden as you, this much of a response is already a big improvement."
After clinging to him for a long while, she finally pulled away and said,
"Next time we meet, you'll have improved even more, right?"
And she grinned.
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize.
From the very first moment they met, he had never had any say in the matter.
So-ok never gave up.
He might have been able to shake off the other women he'd encountered before... but her? Never.
Nod.
Without even realizing it, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Good."
Seemingly satisfied, So-ok flashed a bright smile, her white teeth gleaming.
—See you again. I'll train even harder in the Sacred Flower Secret Manual too.
Still smiling, she left.
But not before pulling him into one last hug and delivering a solemn warning.
—Like I told you before, don't increase the number any further. You know what I mean, right?
Her attitude now was as if she were utterly convinced that Bu Eun-seol was already her lover.
"There's no helping it."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
Every master of the Three Pure Realms had been So-ok's grandfathers—her family.
And they had all believed so fervently that he was her destined one, that in the end, he and So-ok had trained together in the secret arts of the Three Pure Realms.
Even just considering that bond, he couldn't possibly pretend not to know her.
"If this is a blessing, then I suppose it is."
So-ok's true appearance, now restored—
Surpassed even that of Gongson Dan-a and Yeon So-ha, of course.
Even the famed beauty of the Snow Blossom Gate's young mistress paled in comparison...
To the point where she could rival the woman Bu Eun-seol had once held in his heart—
The True Demon's attendant, Pa Sun—no, Dal-ri.
And especially when she smiled, baring her teeth in that radiant grin—
It carried a charm so pure and unique, like a child's, that no other beauty in the Central Plains could ever imitate.
"What am I even thinking?"
Unaware that So-ok's beaming face had already been branded into his mind like a Fire Brand,
He shook his head and, in a single leap, soared toward the Central Plains.
Upon returning to the Demon Hall, Bu Eun-seol immediately convened the Lord's Meeting.
He needed to inform them that the strange events in the desert had been caused by the appearance of the True Demon's Corpse—and that it had been dealt with.
The air in the Hidden Demon Pavilion's meeting chamber was heavier than ever before.
Around the massive round table, carved from pitch-black obsidian, the great lords had all gathered.
Their gazes were fixed solely on Bu Eun-seol, seated in the Seat of Honor.
"The bloody incident in the desert was caused by the True Demon's Corpse."
Bu Eun-seol recounted the events in detail—
The grotesque figure bearing the True Demon's wrist, his chance encounter with So-ok, and even the sudden arrival of the Return to Unity Realm Lord.
However, he omitted the sudden surge in martial power granted by the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud's abilities and the Bloodline Karma,
As well as the events of a thousand years ago in India that he had witnessed there.
Even he, who had been involved in—and even personally experienced—countless myths of the martial world,
Found this incident too absurd to believe.
'Besides... didn't I absorb the True Demon's Corpse?'
To be precise, the corpse had vanished into his own body.
What kind of events this would trigger in the future, what consequences it might bring—
Even he couldn't begin to guess.
'Perhaps the True Demon...'
Through this incident with the corpse, Bu Eun-seol could sense one thing clearly:
The True Demon was no mere being who lived and breathed by human emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
'Moreover, the memories I saw inside that woman from the True Demon Palace... the timing doesn't quite match.'
The memories of the True Demon he had glimpsed through Naria, the Saintess of the True Demon Palace—
The claim that the True Demon had lost his memories and gave the Chain of Reincarnation for the woman he had loved since the dawn of time—
That might not have happened in this era at all.
"......That's how it is."
The unit chiefs who had listened to Bu Eun-seol's full account had gone pale, swallowing dryly again and again.
That a mere fragment of a corpse—one that might have died ages ago—could become a treasure that could grant such overwhelming power...
It was proof that the True Demon was an existence that transcends humanity.
"This isn't the end. It's only the beginning."
Bu Eun-seol continued.
"Judging by the Return to Unity Realm Lord's words... from this point onward, the hidden masters of the Baekri Clan or the True Demon Palace will begin emerging one after another."
The Return to Unity Realm Lord was not one to spout nonsense. Soon enough, another storm of blood would sweep through the martial world.
"You plan to discreetly spread word of this incident through the Death Soul Squad."
At No Trace's words, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Correct. Once this meeting concludes, execute it immediately."
He intended to leak information about the desert's anomaly—
Through multiple channels, covertly disseminating it to the intelligence networks of each sect.
Because now, the martial artists needed to know.
The current state of the martial world.
The colossal, horrifying threat looming over them.
Bu Eun-seol and the Death Shadow War Unit couldn't shoulder and resolve everything forever.
Now, they themselves had to sharpen their blades, to cultivate the strength to face the coming storm of blood.
Once the meeting ended, Bu Eun-seol returned to his office and sank into deep contemplation within the darkness.
Only the moonlight from the window spilled coldly over his cheeks, shattering against his skin.
Staring down at his wrist, Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
'This is troubling.'
He was still uneasy about having absorbed the True Demon's corpse.
Not only that, but its power had vanished without a trace, disappearing so completely into his body that he couldn't even sense it.
Had it truly merged with him?
Or was it lying dormant somewhere, waiting to create an unforeseeable disaster?
'If this is absorption...'
The mere thought sent a chill down his spine.
Would that make him the second True Demon?
'Did he leave his corpse behind to create another incarnation?'
The True Demon had been reincarnating endlessly. If he had truly wished it, he could have erased his original corpse in an instant.
'Though his exact motives remain unclear...'
Through the information he had gathered, Bu Eun-seol had caught a faint glimpse of the True Demon's true nature.
That he was never human to begin with.
"Perhaps the True Demon... is something far older, something distorted over tens of thousands—or even more—years, an existence interpreted only through the lens of human understanding."
The more he learned, the more the True Demon felt like a primordial, incomprehensible force.
Just as he was lost in these dark thoughts—
Knock, knock.
A sound broke the silence of the quiet office.
The door opened, and Yu Un-ryong stepped inside.
Today, for some reason, his eyes carried a shadow of resignation deep within them.
"Why the hell would you do that?"
Yu Un-ryong spoke with a look of utter despair.
"Without consulting anyone—why?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You changed the contents of the petition."
Yu Un-ryong's expression twisted with frustration.
"The moment you step into the Imperial Palace, no matter how secretly you meet... you know damn well the Empress Dowager will notice."
Yu Un-ryong pulled out a small scroll, no larger than a palm.
Wrapped in black silk and bound with a red cord, its end bore a jade seal carved in the shape of a cicada.
Unrolling it revealed brushstrokes sprawled across yellow silk.
"The Emperor has summoned you."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why he was making that face.
Originally, he had planned to petition the Emperor—
To return the Dragon-Phoenix Ring Princess Hui-jeong had given him and seek judgment on whether he was qualified.
But Bu Eun-seol had altered the petition.
Because he couldn't return the Dragon-Phoenix Ring.
The problem was, refusing to return it meant accepting the position of Imperial Son-in-Law... so he had instead declared he would personally explain his reasons to the Emperor.
—You want to keep the imperial treasure the princess gave you, but refuse to become her consort?
Naturally, the enraged Emperor had summoned him.
"Do you have any idea what could happen if you go to the palace now?"
At Yu Un-ryong's worried words, Bu Eun-seol only smiled.
"Why... are you smiling?"
"No reason."
No one yet knew he had reached the Realm Beyond Extremes.
No matter what happened—
The one who would suffer wouldn't be Bu Eun-seol.
It would be whoever dared oppose him.