Chapter 1281
Bu Eun-seol observed the young men and women with a vacant gaze for a long while.
They were plucking herbs from the fields, playing musical instruments, or combing each other's hair—
Yet not a single sound accompanied their movements.
Their smiling lips were exquisitely beautiful, but not a single wrinkle creased the corners of their eyes.
They looked like meticulously crafted dolls, moving without error as if wound by clockwork.
'Another fake body, is it?'
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast also used a fake body.
Their forms, which never shed a drop of sweat nor emitted the slightest rough breath,
resembled not living creatures but preserved artworks, frozen to never age or die.
Thud. Thud.
As Bu Eun-seol stepped into the village,
the Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts sensed his presence and turned their gazes toward him.
Their eyes were more beautiful than any in the world,
yet within those pupils existed neither curiosity toward a stranger nor fear of an intruder.
Only an empty void.
'Not humans, but hollow beings mimicking them.'
"So, you've come all the way here after all?"
Then, amidst them, a voice speaking Han Chinese rang out, and from between the gathered figures of beautiful men and women,
a tall shadow slowly approached.
'Neither-Human-Nor-Beast?'
Bu Eun-seol was deeply startled.
The shape of the body was unmistakably that of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, yet its appearance was entirely different from before.
It no longer feigned blindness, walking forward with golden eyes wide open—
not in the form of a middle-aged man as before,
but as an old man, his face deeply lined with wrinkles as if decades had passed in an instant.
In that short span, he had rapidly aged.
"Deung-gwang—was it that child who sent you?"
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast greeted Bu Eun-seol with eerie calmness, as if already knowing everything.
"At Hall Master Sado's request, sending that child back to the Demon Hall was a mistake, I see."
At those words, something clicked in Bu Eun-seol's mind, and his eyes gleamed sharply.
"Was the Venerable Spirit Lord also a Neither-Human-Nor-Beast?"
"He was. Though not anymore."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast twisted his lips into a strange smile.
"Embedding a woman's soul into a man's body was far too difficult, you see."
An absurd claim.
Did that mean Deung-gwang was a ghost—a woman's soul forced into a man's body?
"Are you saying he was an androgynous person?"
"In the broadest sense, you could call him that."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast chuckled and shook his head.
"But to be precise, it's slightly different. That child was an artificial androgynous person."
Hearing that answer,
Bu Eun-seol could guess why Deung-gwang harbored endless madness and a desire for destruction.
"So, you forcibly made him into an androgynous person."
"Forcibly? There was no need for force."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast spoke in a low voice.
"Hall Master Sado had already severed his male organ, after all."
An incomprehensible statement.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor was not the type to take cruel pleasure in such methods—certainly not to the extent of castrating someone.
Yet he had cut off the genitals of a young Deung-gwang, who posed no threat whatsoever?
"It was the only way to stabilize the Pure Yin energy and allow Deung-gwang to live."
A shocking revelation.
If castration had saved his life—
Did that mean Deung-gwang had been born with the Celestial Yin Severed Pulse, a condition said to afflict only women, where the primordial force of Pure Yin was so overwhelming that the body withered away slowly?
His inability to properly master martial arts had also been due to this Heavenly Punishment.
"If a woman is born with it, she withers to death by adulthood. But if it manifests in a man's body, it clashes endlessly with True Yang, killing him by the age of ten."
'Born with the Celestial Yin Severed Pulse, so they castrated him to make an artificial androgynous person...'
Not only had his manhood been severed by another's hand, but he had been forcibly turned into an androgynous person?
From a man's perspective, death might have been preferable.
Yet from the standpoint of preserving life, it could be seen as an act of mercy.
'But why would the ruthless, merciless Demonic Heavenly Emperor go that far?'
Keeping Deung-gwang alive would only invite complications.
Had he personally intervened to save the life of the previous Hall Master's bloodline?
"What was the purpose?"
"The Hall Master's purpose is none of my concern."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast pointed at himself with a smug expression.
"As for my purpose... it's what you might call salvation. I am, in a sense, a savior."
"By killing the weak?"
"In exchange, I make the strong stronger, filling the world with outstanding individuals. To sustain this world—no, to prove that it deserves to be sustained."
He gestured toward the pure-hearted youths and maidens standing in the distance.
"Look. The more such perfect children there are, the more this world proves its worth, does it not?"
"Are you saying the True Demon seeks to destroy the world?"
"Destroy it? Hahaha."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast spread his arms wide.
"From His perspective, what meaning do life and death even hold?"
If those words were true, then the True Demon had already ascended to the ranks of gods,
and Neither-Human-Nor-Beast sounded like a savior, receiving divine revelation to rescue the world—or one struggling to hold together a collapsing reality.
'Nonsense.'
Bu Eun-seol clearly spotted the flaw in Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's words but feigned ignorance.
"So, if more of these Neither-Human-Nor-Beasts appear, the world will be sustained?"
"Who knows?"
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast tilted his head and gave a cryptic reply.
"It might just be an experiment to create a new world."
"An experiment."
Bu Eun-seol deliberately adopted a relieved expression.
"Then the True Demon is no god."
A god knows all.
If He must test and experiment, then He too is an imperfect being.
"If the Servants of the True Demon can act against His will... doesn't that mean even the True Demon cannot fully control them? That He is but a half-wit?"
Dal-ri had rejected the True Demon's will, descending from the Three Attendants before vanishing without a trace.
"By that alone, the True Demon could never become a god."
"Far from it," said Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, as if he had pierced through Bu Eun-seol's inner thoughts. "All of His servants are bound to follow His will."
"That is why He permits their conflicts—so they may seize each other's power."
Something's off about his eyes.
Bu Eun-seol abruptly sensed something uncanny.
Though they were conversing normally, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's gaze was unfocused, like a man intoxicated by some terrible drug. His pupils refused to settle, drifting as if fixed on some distant, unseen horizon.
Zzzing.
The moment he heightened his senses to the extreme through the Beast Path, something unexpected occurred.
The power of the Ancient Sword Forest activated alongside it.
As the two energies manifested, a mysterious light flashed deep within his pupils. Simultaneously, merely by looking, he could now see through Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's flesh in perfect detail.
And at the crown of the man's head, he detected an indescribable, bizarre sensation.
It's pierced.
There was a minute hole drilled near the top of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's skull.
"Your perception is sharp," the man remarked with an eerie smile, noticing Bu Eun-seol's gaze fixed on his crown. "To observe another's body through sight alone—impressive."
"Did you wish to end your own life?"
"Far from it. I transcended."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's expression was one of rapture.
"Because humans walk on two legs, the blood flow to their brains is lesser than that of beasts. As a result, they cannot fully utilize their latent potential."
He spread his arms wide.
"But ancient humans had softer skulls, and the blood flow to their brains was incomparable to modern man. That is why they could manifest divine abilities."
"......"
"You cannot even imagine the suffering it took to uncover this truth."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why the young men and women here seemed so vacant—why their biological responses were so unnatural.
Their skulls, too, had been drilled with small holes.
"Have you ruined these youths' lives for nothing more than superstitious belief?"
In ancient times, it was said that if an evil spirit possessed the body, one would drill a hole in the skull to release it.
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had done nothing more than repeat this barbarism.
"Not superstition. Ancient knowledge."
The man smiled.
"Piercing near the Hundred Meetings acupoint allows the brain to breathe freely and grants transcendent perception. This is why the martial arts and knowledge of antiquity surpass those of the modern martial world."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had misinterpreted ancient knowledge through his experiments, driving himself half-mad in the process.
"You think me insane."
"Those who are mad cannot diagnose their own condition."
"Then let me prove my words are not false."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast spoke something shocking.
"Why do you think the Empress Dowager sought to seize the Imperial Palace so desperately?"
"What are you saying?"
"The path to the Primordial Dragon—the one your Baekri Clan speaks of—"
He smiled.
"—also lies within the Imperial Palace."
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol's expression was that of a man struck in the back of the head.
—And Neither-Human-Nor-Beast... knows of a secret place the Baekri Clan has absolutely concealed.
Now he understood why Deung-gwang had said those words.
The Primordial Dragon is in the Imperial Palace?
Then had the Empress Dowager sought to control the palace without force—all to claim the Primordial Dragon?
And he had said "also"—meaning it existed elsewhere as well?
"What is the Primordial Dragon? How could it possibly be in the Imperial Palace?"
"If you wish to know, then break through."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast extended a hand, grinning.
"The ancient power I have obtained."
Vwoom.
In that instant, a strange sensation radiated around Bu Eun-seol's body.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast—
Whether he was mad or not, one thing was certain:
He had obtained a power entirely different from the martial arts or supernatural abilities of the existing martial world.
Zzzing.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Domain of World and Realm Annihilation, intending to sever the man's supernatural power at its root.
"Ah, the Void Extreme Realm."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast spoke astonishing words.
"A new martial frontier unseen in the current martial world. Beginning with Baekri Mu-ha's Imperial Step, you slowly regained your memories..."
He spoke leisurely, as if sipping tea in solitude.
"...pursued the Way of Nature in your own way, and through the karma of bloodshed, finally forged a new realm. How fascinating."
Bu Eun-seol was stunned.
Only he and Yu Un-ryong knew the exact process by which he had reached the Void Extreme Realm.
How could this man read it as easily as one reads palm lines?
"Believe me now?"
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast smiled serenely, like a Buddha in nirvana—warm yet profoundly unsettling.
Had he truly drilled into his skull and gained superhuman abilities?
How could he peer so perfectly into another's mind?
"Pitiful boy."
The man gazed at Bu Eun-seol and spoke again.
"You entered the martial world seeking vengeance, playing the role of a funeral director... yet you still haven't found that murderer among the Eighteen Radiant Souls."
As if peering into his heart once more, he began to ramble incessantly.
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol instantly unleashed the Meteor Chasing Moon, aiming to sever Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's head.
He refused to let the man shake his spirit with a few wicked words.
"A splendid strike—but you failed to grasp the precise instant."
Fwip!
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast effortlessly evaded, having predicted even the sword's trajectory and speed.
Mind Reading.
The man truly was reading every thought in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
Is such a thing even possible?
"Of course it is."
As if reading Bu Eun-seol's thoughts once more, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast curled his lips into a smile.
"If you wish, I could drill a hole in your skull as well. That way, you too could gain transcendent abilities like mine."
Bu Eun-seol did not answer, instead raising the Ink Soul Sword to a middle stance.
Then, even to the point where he himself could no longer predict the sword's trajectory, he unleashed a chaotic flurry of Sword Strokes.
"True randomness does not exist. In the end, the body merely follows the shadow of thought."
Astonishingly, the wild and erratic paths of Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes—
Within Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's vision, they were being reconstructed into an inevitable flow.
This is impossible.
If one could perfectly read an enemy's mind—
Then words and actions would become weapons.
A single phrase could shake the opponent's Spirit and Mind.
Beyond that, it would even be possible to implant absolute obedience or powerful suggestions.
Did he truly drill into his skull and gain divine abilities?
Reading minds meant intervening in the thought process before an opponent even decided on an action.
It went beyond predicting the enemy's next move—it was no different from predetermining the outcome of their actions.
For example, the moment Bu Eun-seol resolved in his mind to take two steps to the left—
What if Neither-Human-Nor-Beast voiced that choice first?
In the end, even the future Bu Eun-seol had decided for himself would materialize exactly as Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had declared.
Zzziiing.
Bu Eun-seol pushed the Domain of World and Realm Annihilation to its extreme limits.
He needed to confirm whether Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's power was being exerted from outside the domain.
"Domains are useless."
As if reading his thoughts again, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast murmured lowly.
"Even all the power you possess is but an illusion now."
"Power?"
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's self-assured words inadvertently gave Bu Eun-seol a faint clue.
The Utmost Void pursues the extremes of emptiness and nothingness. Reading thoughts doesn't equate to attaining enlightenment.
The moment he finally grasped the method to shatter Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's power, Bu Eun-seol's body began to blur gradually.
It wasn't that his physical form was disappearing.
From Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's perspective, the very existence he sought to read was fading away.
Nature simply exists.
It cannot be measured by sight, nor contained by comprehension.
It merely is.
Bu Eun-seol was embodying the state of the Utmost Void, merging with nature itself.
Sshhk!
He unleashed a single sword strike.
It was not any particular Sword Form, nor did it express his will.
It simply was.
A strike that derived meaning from its very existence.
A Sword Form that embodied the Utmost Void itself.
Pat!
The Ink Soul Sword grazed Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's neck.
A long wound remained, yet astonishingly, not a single drop of blood spilled.
A Fake Body?
In the past, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had possessed a Fake Body.
And according to Deung-gwang, he was the very creator of such artificial forms—
So it wasn't entirely surprising that he would use one now.
But Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast didn't have a Fake Body.
Just as he had drilled a hole in his skull—
He had immersed himself in an ancient Great Art, altering his own flesh in some unspeakable way.
That was why no blood flowed.
"Magnificent."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast couldn't suppress his admiration.
"I never imagined you'd reach the realm of emptiness so swiftly."
Pat! Pat!
Even as his body was ceaselessly carved apart by Bu Eun-seol's Sword Forms, he smiled with rapturous delight.
"I didn't expect you to use what was meant for Hall Master Sado so soon."
Crrk—crrk—
The moment Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's body, endlessly slashed by the Ink Soul Sword, suddenly scattered in all directions—
Fwoooosh!
The sky was dyed crimson.
Drip—drip—
The scattered fragments took the form of hundreds of human figures, descending upon the earth.
Transparent like rippling water, their insides visible, they resembled humans sculpted from liquid.
Thud.
The moment the translucent figures landed, they charged at Bu Eun-seol with full force.
He immediately slashed through them—
Splaaash! Splat!
But each time his sword struck, they dispersed like water, only to reform and rush at him again.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Bu Eun-seol wove an impenetrable sword barrier, not allowing even a single drop to splash through—
Yet before he knew it, they seeped into the earth, gathering beneath his feet.
Splaaash!
Then, in an instant, they surged upward like liquid pillars, engulfing Bu Eun-seol as if absorbing him.
Squelch.
Their substance was not only viscous but unnervingly pliant.
Bu Eun-seol could no longer swing his sword. No matter how much strength he exerted, his limbs refused to move.
Huuuum.
Then—his body suddenly radiated a dazzling, multicolored brilliance, pulsing like a colossal star.
Kwaaaang!
The light swirled around him like a storm before exploding outward, reaching the ends of the sky.
He had unleashed the Heavenly Light Endless Art at full power, expelling the Three Divine Powers from his body.
Clank.
As Bu Eun-seol watched the transparent liquid rise into the sky—
Flash!
A blinding white light erupted from the Ink Soul Sword, washing over the world.
He had unleashed Harmonization.
Flash! Flash!
With each successive pulse of Harmonization, the floating liquid gradually dimmed before evaporating entirely.
The hundreds of translucent forms that had been Neither-Human-Nor-Beast vanished in an instant.
"Hohoho."
But then, something astonishing happened.
Sluuuurp.
A youth standing far away grinned ominously, his body stretching like taffy before reforming into Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's figure once more.
"Surprised?"
Standing before Bu Eun-seol again, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast smiled.
He had clearly melted away completely—
Yet he had borrowed the youth's body to return unscathed.
"Is that so?"
An ordinary martial artist would have recoiled in terror or given up resistance by now.
Eun-seol let out a deep sigh as he watched the young man transform into the form of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.
He had already discerned the reason why the man had returned unscathed despite being dissolved by Harmonization.
"So that's what it meant to pierce the skull."
Eun-seol raised the Ink Soul Sword vertically before him.
"Just as the Buddhist Venerable used ectoplasm to create countless avatars, you have used Neither-Human-Nor-Beast to create Neither-Human-Nor-Beast."
The countless young men and women dwelling in this place—
They too were all Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.
No—rather, all of them were one Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.