Chapter 1244
Black miasmic poison rose like fog between the countless pavilions.
Though they appeared withered and twisted,
the spirit trees that had actually been recovering their energy now withered one by one, crumbling away like ash.
The sacred land—the very core of the Central Plains' spiritual territory—was being swallowed by the shadow of death.
The great armies of the True Demon Palace's Poison Spirit Hall were tearing through the Fire Soul Land.
"Fwoosh!"
Wherever the black-purple poison mist sprayed from the fingertips of the Poison Spirit Hall's Poison People passed,
disciples of the Fire Soul Land coughed up blood and collapsed.
Their faces turned dark blue in an instant, and black blood streamed from their seven orifices.
"Hold the formation! Do not break from the battle array!"
Despite the sudden ambush,
the disciples of the Fire Soul Land fought back with cold precision.
The battle formation formed by twenty-four disciples projected a transparent barrier that repelled the poisonous miasma,
"Fwoosh! Fwoosh!"
and with every motion of their hands, pure white sigils spread outward, manifesting spirit beasts woven from pure spiritual energy one after another.
Legends spoke of how the Founder of the Fire Soul Land had received the Art of Spells directly from a celestial immortal.
And the Great Manifestation Art, which materialized accumulated spiritual energy,
possessed power overwhelming enough to crush most martial and esoteric techniques in the martial world.
"Hmph. Still as pitiful as ever."
From afar, Tap Mok-geuk, the Deputy Hall Lord of the True Demon Palace's Poison Spirit Hall, sneered as he observed the battle.
Though the Fire Soul Land's Great Manifestation Art was formidable, its foundation was still spiritual energy—
which, by nature, was fundamentally incompatible with the Four Deadly Poisons.
"Sssss—"
With a flick of his wrist,
the poison erupting from Tap Mok-geuk's fingertips pierced through the astral energy barrier like paper.
"Hssss—"
The disciples struck by the Four Deadly Poisons trembled violently before their bodies melted like boneless sacks of flesh.
"How dare you?!"
A thunderous roar split the air as a figure clad in red robes shot through the sky.
It was the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden, the lord of the Fire Soul Land.
With long hair covering one eye, she had disguised herself as a shriveled, emaciated crone, her skin as gnarled as a thousand-year-old tree.
Yet an intense aura radiated from her body, and the wooden staff in her hand glowed white with spiritual energy.
"A strange disguise indeed."
Tap Mok-geuk recognized her concealment at a glance and stretched out his hand.
"Sssss—"
The overwhelming Four Deadly Poisons pierced through the spiritual energy surrounding the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden, melting away her human skin mask.
Then, a face of mesmerizing beauty—one so enchanting it defied description—was revealed beneath, that of a middle-aged woman.
"Ah, now I remember."
Tap Mok-geuk chuckled darkly and nodded.
"Yang Young, was it? The one who lost an eye while clinging to Bu Jan-yang..."
"You, a mere dog of a defeated general who couldn't even withstand a single strike from my brother and fled—you talk too much."
For an instant, Tap Mok-geuk's pitch-black eyes flickered with killing intent, but then he burst into laughter.
"Hmph. That mighty Bu Jan-yang ended up as a mere corpse handler, didn't he? Couldn't even retrieve his own corpse intact in the end... How dare you compare him to the Hall Lord?"
"Enough of your nonsense!"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden spread her arms and unleashed the Great Manifestation Art.
Two dragons materialized on either side of Tap Mok-geuk and coiled around him in an instant.
"Sssss—"
Yet he stepped out unscathed moments later.
As formidable as the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's Great Manifestation Art was, it was still insufficient to withstand Tap Mok-geuk's Four Deadly Poisons.
"The Hall Lord worried for nothing. There was no need to bring subordinates at all."
But then, something unexpected happened.
"Crk—! Whirr—!"
Faint tree roots sprouted beneath the feet of the Poison People locked in fierce combat with the Fire Soul Land's disciples—
and in an instant, they coiled around their bodies.
"Crunch—!"
The roots pierced through the corrosive poison that could melt steel in moments, wrapping around the Poison People and crushing them to pulp.
"Did you think you could come and go as you pleased just because you wield the Four Deadly Poisons?"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden had already suffered under the Four Deadly Poisons thirty years ago—so much so that she had nearly died.
Since then, she had never forgotten that humiliation and had spent years researching the True Demon Palace's poisons to prepare countermeasures.
"You will all die here!"
CRASH!
With a fierce battle cry, the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden drove her staff into the ground.
The earth trembled, and from the depths beneath Fire Soul Land, thousands of ancient spirit tree roots erupted toward the sky.
RUMBLE—!
Giant roots, thick as the bodies of great pythons, surged from the earth and coiled around the Poison People.
A verdant aura radiated from the roots, purifying the deadly toxins in an instant.
—Guhk!
—What the hell is this?!
The Poison People strained with all their might, but escape was impossible.
CRUNCH.
The roots shattered their bodies—bodies that should have been as unbreakable as Vajra Indestructibility.
These roots were tougher than steel, impervious even to the Four Deadly Poisons, and saturated with spiritual energy from a grand spell.
There was no escape. Their bodies were being crushed without mercy.
"Not bad."
Tap Mok-geuk, who had been muttering under his breath, shook his head.
"But too predictable!"
BOOM!
Poison energy exploded from his entire body in a violent surge.
This was no ordinary poison—not even the True Demon Palace's Four Deadly Poisons.
This was a living poison, one that evolved and adapted like a sentient being.
The Poison Spirit Demon Lord's ultimate creation—the Sapient Venom Spirit.
HISS—!
The moment the Sapient Venom Spirit touched them, the roots began rotting away, their once-pure blue spiritual energy turning black in an instant.
"This—"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's face hardened into ice.
The secret techniques she had prepared—Spirit Forest's Piercing Thorns and Monstrous Roots' Binding Snare—could not easily be broken, even if the Poison Spirit Demon Lord himself had come.
'There was a spy.'
But this method had one fatal flaw.
If the Netherfrost Shackles secretly embedded in the ley lines were destroyed, the entire technique would collapse into uselessness.
And Tap Mok-geuk, as if he had known all along—
Used the Sapient Venom Spirit to manifest physically—
And precisely severed only the hidden Netherfrost Shackles within the earth veins.
"HAAAP!"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden finally unleashed her last resort.
Blue energy and crimson flames erupted from her body simultaneously.
A grand spell that absorbed all remaining spiritual energy in Fire Soul Land to conjure a thousand Divine Beasts—
"Gathering Spirits, Thousand Transformations!"
This technique would drastically shorten her lifespan, but she had no time to hesitate now.
WHOOSH—!
At her gesture, hundreds of Divine Beasts surged into the sky.
These were not mere illusions—they possessed the same power as living Divine Beasts.
ROAR—!
Like a tidal wave of light, the shadows of hundreds of beasts rushed forth to swallow Tap Mok-geuk whole.
"A futile struggle."
SNAP!
With a flick of his finger—
The Sapient Venom Spirit, alive and writhing, coiled around the Divine Beasts like chains.
CRACKLE—
Then, it infiltrated the very core of the grand spell, gnawing away at the life force sustaining the Divine Beasts.
SHATTER—!
Unable to withstand the venom's corruption, the Divine Beasts crumbled into dust, scattering in all directions.
Drip... drip...
At the same time, the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden staggered, coughing up blood.
The failure of Gathering Spirits, Thousand Transformations had drained her vitality—
Not only had she suffered severe internal injuries, but her once-black hair was now streaked with white.
"The Palace Master said everything in Fire Soul Land is mine to take."
Tap Mok-geuk licked his lips as he watched her sway unsteadily.
"It'd be a shame to kill such a beauty outright."
He tilted his head, grinning.
"Until I find and reseal the revived Spirit Vein, you'll be my plaything."
Just as he reached out with a sinister laugh—
RUMBLE—!
The earth quaked, and even the air itself began to tremble incessantly.
As if the entire world were shaking in time with someone's heartbeat.
SHIIING—!
A clear, resonant sound echoed across Fire Soul Land—
And the sky split open.
From the rift stepped a middle-aged woman in azure robes.
Jade-like skin, eyes cold as glacial ice—
The Divine Beast Palace Lord, Neung-gyeong.
CLINK.
The moment she appeared, the entire surrounding area of Fire Soul Land began to freeze over.
Her overwhelming Water Essence Divine Qi crystallized the moisture in the air, sending snowflakes swirling down as frost coated the ground.
"Neung-gyeong...?"
The staggering One-Eyed Immortal Maiden stared in shock at the Divine Beast Palace Lord.
"How did you—?"
Neung-gyeong responded with a composed smile.
"Since you saved me, shouldn't I return the favor?"
Thanks to the sudden assault on the Divine Beast Palace, Neung-gyeong had reignited her will to live and overcome her illness.
While investigating the attackers' identities afterward, she belatedly noticed something strange.
—Why were none of those struck by Water Essence Divine Qi ever found?
Even if all hundred assassins had fled—
Having been hit by her full-powered Water Essence Divine Qi, at least one or two should have died nearby.
Even if they had perfectly suppressed their wounds and escaped,
the Water Essence Divine Qi spreading through their bodies would have crystallized, slowly shattering them.
So inevitably, within hundreds of li, at least one or two fragments of their broken flesh should have been discovered.
Yet they left no trace, as if they had completely expelled the energy from their bodies.
—Ah, I see.
After deep contemplation, Neung-gyeong finally realized the truth.
There was only one person in the world capable of perfectly neutralizing her Water Essence Divine Qi—
the grandson of the man she had loved.
—So the absence of Spirit Medicine in Fire Soul Land was all for my sake.
The letter left behind in the Divine Beast Palace, claiming that Spirit Medicine had been stored in Fire Soul Land—
was all part of Bu Jan-yang's scheme to push her, when her body weakened, to fight off her illness.
—Even if Yang Young had coldly cast Dan-a aside, she must have given her something.
Gongson Dan-a had said the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden heartlessly expelled her.
But Yang Young—though outwardly fierce—was in truth a woman of deep kindness.
If she had truly cast her out, she would have at least placed something beneficial in her disciple's hands.
In the end, every step that led to her shaking off her illness—
was the careful arrangement of the man she had loved all her life,
and the last remnant of his bloodline.
—Fire Soul Land is in danger.
Neung-gyeong understood all too well why Bu Jan-yang had pretended to sever Fire Soul Land's Spirit Vein.
And if his grandson, Bu Eun-seol, had visited there—
then their enemies would surely investigate the land thoroughly, uncovering the truth of the reviving Spirit Vein.
—Now, it's my turn to protect it.
Though Neung-gyeong had been born with a frail body,
her spirit was anything but weak.
Fearing something might happen to Fire Soul Land,
she had discreetly ordered her disciples to monitor the area, keeping constant watch.
And when sudden anomalies were detected—
she rushed here ahead of anyone else, leading her disciples.
"How curious."
Tap Mok-geuk tilted his head in puzzlement.
"The Divine Beast Palace Lord has come to save Fire Soul Land...?"
There wasn't a soul in the martial world who didn't know the Divine Beast Palace Lord and the Fire Soul Land Lord were romantic rivals.
Yet here she was, risking her life to defend it?
Paaht.
Just then, Neung-gyeong descended beside the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden and spoke in a low voice.
"Use the Great Connection. I'll support you."
As she raised her hand, azure light erupted from her palm—
and a torrent of condensed essence, neither water nor ice but the very principle of flow itself, surged forth.
It was a secret technique of the Divine Beast Palace, long unused—
the Water Essence Divine Qi of the Extreme Realm, now unleashed.
Sssshhh—
As the overwhelming energy spread,
the withered Fire Soul Land regained its color, radiant light spilling outward.
The Divine Beast Palace Lord wasn't attacking Tap Mok-geuk.
Instead, she was grinding the ink and unfurling the paper—
so the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden could paint the Great Connection in even bolder strokes.
"Haaahp!"
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden stretched out both hands, deploying Spirit-Gathering Thousand Transformations once more.
Shhhiiik!
The moment Neung-gyeong and the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden combined their power, the impossible happened.
Despite no loss of vitality, not only were a thousand Divine Beasts manifested—
but they were completely unaffected by the Corrosive Poison Spirit!
—KRRRRRUMBLE!
A thousand Divine Beasts filled the skies of Fire Soul Land, roaring.
Shaped by Water Essence Divine Qi and the Great Connection,
each stood over ten zhang tall, their scales shimmering as if alive.
"Strike!"
At the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's command, the Divine Beasts cascaded down upon Tap Mok-geuk and the Poison People.
KWAARRRGH!
Descending from the heavens like Heavenly Generals, the beasts swept through the enemy forces.
The Spiritual Energy radiating from their scales annihilated the poison,
and their razor-sharp claws tore through the Poison People's bodies—harder even than Vajra Indestructibility.
―KRRRAAAGH!
The Poison People scattered with screams, but—
"Hoh."
Tap Mok-geuk, who had been effortlessly evading the Divine Beasts' attacks, finally let a glimmer of interest flicker in his eyes.
The True Demon Palace had long withdrawn from the Martial World, and even the Poison Spirit Demon Lord had secluded himself, ceasing all activity.
As a result, Tap Mok-geuk, too, had been forced into a life of seclusion.
And now, when he had finally been given the mission to dye the Fire Soul Land in blood—
He had been unable to hide his disappointment at what felt like nothing more than crushing insects in a tedious battle.
But now, with the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden and the Divine Beast Palace Lord counterattacking with their trump card, his excitement flared.
"Excellent!"
With an exclamation, Tap Mok-geuk slowly rose into the air.
At the same time, a black energy surged from his entire body.
The writhing poison qi, like a living creature, took shape in the sky—forming the colossal visage of a skull.
"Behold the Internal Power I've honed all these years!"
Crackle—
The heavens split as a towering figure emerged—a lanky giant with blackened skin, exhaling thick plumes of Poisonous Smoke from its mouth.
This was the Poison Spirit Hall's Secret Art, the fusion of Soul-Demon Magic Energy and the Four Poison Spirits—the Ten-Thousand Poison Erosion World Being.
―OOOOOOH!
The Erosion World Being, spewing overwhelming poison, began devouring the Divine Beasts with ravenous hunger.
Crunch, squelch.
The Divine Beasts, formed through the Great Connection, began to warp under the poison's influence.
With every bite from the Erosion World Being, scales shattered and flesh melted away.
Drip, drip.
At the same time, Neung-gyeong's face paled.
The Divine Beasts, given tangible form and power through Spiritual Energy, were fundamentally tied to the Water Essence Divine Qi she had spread.
As the Erosion World Being feasted upon them, the backlash struck her body directly.
Drip, drip.
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden wasn't faring well either.
Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, and her body was hunched low.
Not only was the Erosion World Being draining her life force by endlessly absorbing her Spiritual Energy—
But she was also forcibly drawing all the Four Poison Spirits' venom into her own body, trying to lessen Neung-gyeong's suffering.
"Just go."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden shouted at her.
"Don't involve yourself any further in this place—just leave!"
She knew.
Even if Neung-gyeong stayed—even if every disciple of the Divine Beast Palace rushed in at once—
They still wouldn't be able to stop what was coming.
"I refuse."
"Why?"
"Because I've already decided to share life and death with you."
The One-Eyed Immortal Maiden's eyes wavered.
She had lived alone all these years, guarding the Spirit Vein of the Fire Soul Land.
The only one who had ever held her heart was Bu Jan-yang, whom she had met in the Martial World.
She had loved him all her life, and even after he vanished, she still longed for him.
Suppressing her loneliness, she had silently protected the desolate Fire Soul Land, severed from its Spirit Vein, raising disciples... spending her years in solitude, never forming bonds with anyone.
And now, hearing Neung-gyeong—whom she could have called a rival—declare they would face death together, an indescribable emotion welled up inside her.
"Your brother ignored the scorn of countless people, destroyed the Spirit Vein and Spirit Land tainted by the True Demon's Corpse... and then revived them."
Neung-gyeong's gaze deepened infinitely.
"And you, too, endured everything in silence, protecting the Fire Soul Land."
"He always wanted us to get along."
In this desperate moment, the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden spoke honestly for the first time, her voice low.
"But I hated it. I thought you were always stealing his heart by making him worry over your frail body."
"I felt the same."
Neung-gyeong wiped the blood from her lips and smiled faintly.
"I hated you too. You were too bewitching, too overflowing with charm."
Only now, standing before death—
Did the two finally lay bare their hearts, shedding decades of buried emotions.
"If we meet again in the next life..."
Neung-gyeong wore a faint smile.
"Let's be good friends then."
"No."
Understanding her intent, the One-Eyed Immortal Maiden spoke softly.
"I'll do it."
"You must tell the Martial Soul Lord—that child—the truth about the Spirit Vein."
"What?"
"He is wise. He will come here before long."
Neung-gyeong smiled faintly.
"He is like my older brother. If he learns the truth too late... he will quietly try to shoulder everything alone."
Whoosh.
Neung-gyeong slowly ascended into the sky.
"You must tell him everything."
FWOOOOSH!
At the same moment, a draconic energy erupted from the earth, sending a whirlwind in all directions.
Crackle—
Her skin split open, and within the fissures, a translucent energy surged violently.
If things continued like this, the Fire Soul Land would be doomed.
She was detonating both the Water Essence Divine Qi and the Primordial Essence True Qi within her body—preparing to take Tap Mok-geuk down with her in Mutual Destruction.