Chapter 348
"She intends to drink her blood."
Watching that scene unfold, Yu Cheong-rim bit his lip and slipped a hand into his robes.
No matter how hard he tried to steady his mind, a thick fog seemed to cloud his vision, and his body felt sluggish, as though he were trapped in a dream.
"This will have to do."
What he pulled from his robes was a small tube—the very same Firecracker Demon Flame Pellet he had used earlier to escape Baek Un-saeng and the Martial Alliance warriors' encirclement.
"Please!"
Just as he desperately twisted the tube's tip with his fingers—
"Pointless effort."
A bizarre voice whispered in his ear, and before he knew it, the Black-White Witch was right in front of his nose.
"She wasn't even looking this way. How...?"
The moment Yu Cheong-rim's eyes widened in shock, the Black-White Witch slowly reached out and grasped his fingers.
Sssss—!
The instant her fingertips touched him, flames erupted from all five of his fingers.
At the same time, an excruciating pain seared through him—as if his bones and blood vessels were melting away.
"Ugh...!"
As Yu Cheong-rim writhed in agony—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar split the air, and an overwhelming fist energy began descending from the heavens.
"Hmph."
The sight was like a massive meteor hurtling toward the earth.
The Black-White Witch, sneering at the torrent of fist energy raining down, instantly retreated more than a hundred feet away.
KWAANG!
The ground where she had stood moments before was obliterated, sending dust billowing in all directions.
THUD.
Simultaneously, a colossal shadow landed in front of Yu Cheong-rim—
It was So-ok.
"Hey, you—!"
Striding forward, she raised a fist toward him.
"You ungrateful bastard. I went through the trouble of securing an escape route and waiting for you, and you just couldn't resist running off on your own?"
"So... So-ok, you—"
"Why are your eyes so wide open? Scared of getting hit? They're practically closing on their own."
Unaware of Yu Cheong-rim's disoriented state, she jabbed her fist threateningly a few times before finally lowering it with a sigh.
"Forget it. We'll settle this later."
Cracking her knuckles, So-ok turned her attention to the Black-White Witch.
"Just how many times are you going to toy with us?"
"Ugh, that messy hair of yours—what even is that? Tidy up a bit. Let me see your face."
The Black-White Witch stared intently at So-ok before slowly curling the corner of her lips upward.
In that instant, the world seemed to darken, and a strange energy began forcing its way into So-ok's mind, crowding her thoughts.
"What are you staring at? This..."
So-ok's expression twisted as she raised a hand to step forward.
Her head spun violently, and something nauseating churned in her stomach, surging relentlessly up her throat.
"You really pull out all the tricks, huh? Now you're resorting to poison?"
Though the Black-White Witch hadn't moved an inch, she had secretly released a potent Bewitching Poison, throwing So-ok's mind into chaos.
Sssss—!
So-ok immediately activated Qi Poison Gathering, expelling the toxin in a single breath before clenching her fists.
"You ready to drop?"
Then, in one swift motion, she launched a punch straight at the Black-White Witch.
"Take this!"
Just as So-ok was about to unleash her Fist Techniques—
Bu Eun-seol was already darting toward the southeastern forest where Yu Cheong-rim and So-ok were, his Movement Technique propelling him forward.
"Let's go separately, with a time gap."
Earlier, Bu Eun-seol had made an unusual suggestion to So-ok.
Something had clicked in his mind.
"Fine, whatever."
Seeing the look in his eyes, she had nodded, understanding that he had some kind of plan.
Then, following Yu Cheong-rim's trail, she had activated her Movement Technique and left ahead of him.
"Something's off."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze darkened as he observed the direction So-ok had gone.
An inexplicable sense of dissonance filled his mind.
"There's no way the Black-White Witch used a Clone Technique."
The first flicker of unease had struck when he and So-ok first gave chase.
As the two of them pursued at breakneck speed, the Black-White Witch had suddenly split into two and vanished.
Dividing one's body was absolutely impossible.
However, the martial world was home to countless bizarre hand techniques and Arts of Spells, some of which could be called Sorcery.
At first, he had left open the possibility that she had simply employed some unique method.
But when he briefly clashed with her, that dissonance became impossible to ignore.
The way her severed hair had been reabsorbed into her body.
The way even his heightened senses from the Way of the Beast couldn't track her impossibly swift movements.
And most of all—how she had slipped away right before his and So Ok-rim's eyes.
That level of Martial Prowess was something that shouldn't exist even within the boundaries of the Extreme Heaven Realm.
"If the Black-White Witch's prowess had truly surpassed the Extreme Heaven Realm, she wouldn't have needed to flee—she could've cut both me and So Ok-rim down in an instant."
"What if the Black-White Witch had reached the Martial Extreme Realm?"
Had she truly been a peerless master who attained the Martial Extreme Realm, she wouldn't have needed to flee like this—she could have annihilated both Bu Eun-seol and So Ok-rim with just the flick of a finger.
But the Black-White Witch, despite displaying overwhelming martial prowess capable of toying with them, had still chosen to escape.
That could only mean one thing: her actual martial power was far inferior to what she had appeared to wield.
'An illusion, then.'
Bu Eun-seol briefly considered the possibility before shaking his head.
What if everything the Black-White Witch had shown them so far was an illusion—one so vivid it surpassed reality itself?
What if she had cast a powerful Mind-Seizing Art merely by locking eyes with them?
'No, that can't be.'
In all of Murim, only one person had ever reached such heights in Mind Control Knowledge.
And wasn't that person a man, not a woman?
Everything else aside, the Black-White Witch's body—her movements fluid as if dancing mid-air, her Internal Power surging like a raging tide—was undeniably that of a woman.
'I'll find out when I clash with her.'
After roughly seven or eight minutes had passed, Bu Eun-seol soared back into the air.
Then, in an instant, he shot toward the southeast—where So Ok-rim had vanished.
"Damn it!"
So Ok-rim wiped the thick sweat from her forehead, her expression twisted in frustration.
"You're telling me this witch's martial arts surpass mine?"
She unleashed another devastating Fist Technique, her roar like thunder.
"That's absurd!"
KWAANG!
Her Fist Energy expanded across hundreds of feet, surrounding the Black-White Witch's body without leaving a single gap.
Yet once again, her power passed harmlessly through the witch's form.
"Fine!"
Crack.
A fierce light gathered in her clenched fists.
She was preparing to unleash the Star Emperor's ultimate technique—Galaxy Severance, a strike capable of obliterating anything in its path.
"If you can block this, I'll admit defeat!"
But as she channeled her Internal Power to its limit, a sudden realization flashed through her mind.
'There's no scent?'
She had been born with an extraordinarily keen sense of smell.
Moreover, when activating Galaxy Severance, the surrounding air within roughly 120 feet would surge into her palms.
This meant she could always detect the faintest trace of an opponent's body scent whenever she used this technique.
Yet despite the Black-White Witch standing right before her, she detected nothing.
'So that's it!'
Finally, So Ok-rim understood—everything she was seeing was an illusion.
Though the witch appeared to be standing right in front of her, the faint traces of her scent came from somewhere else entirely.
Meaning the figure before her was a phantom, while the real Black-White Witch was observing her from another location.
'An illusion so perfect I couldn't even perceive it...'
She bit her lip.
There was only one way to break such terrifying Mind Control.
"Alright!"
With a resolute shout, she made up her mind.
Then—
WHAM!
She punched herself in the face with full force.
A brutal impact echoed as her cheek swelled grotesquely.
"Pfft."
Spitting out blood, her blurred vision cleared, and a radiant light flickered back into her eyes.
At the same time, she finally saw the real Black-White Witch—standing roughly 120 feet away, watching her.
"Impressive martial arts."
The witch's voice was eerie, neither distinctly male nor female.
"Not only did you detect my illusion, but you even resorted to self-harm to break free. How... brutish."
A note of admiration laced that bizarre voice.
The witch also referred to herself as "this old one", implying she was far older than she appeared—and thus, her Internal Power was profoundly deep.
"Countless opponents have died trapped in my illusions. But never before have I seen someone break free by punching themselves."
The Black-White Witch openly admitted her technique was indeed an illusion.
Which meant one of two things:
Either she was so confident that So Ok-rim would never escape the illusion—
Or even if she did, the witch was certain she could still kill her.
"So it really was that."
At that moment, a low voice resonated from a distant Great Tree.
Whoosh—
With the Sound of Breaking Air, a gray shadow descended before the Black-White Witch.
Bu Eun-seol.
"I had my suspicions, but I never imagined you'd truly be the Black-White Witch."
"What do you mean?"
"The Illusion King."
His voice was icy.
"One of the Four Gods and Seven Kings—why would someone of your stature resort to such bizarre theatrics?"
Illusion King Sa Ok-cheong.
He was the last of the Four Gods and Seven Kings to earn his title.
In terms of seniority, he was on par with Gu Hong-cheong, the Beggar King, and should have been counted among the Ten Demonic Paragons.
But he rarely revealed himself in Murim, and since he primarily relied on Mind Control Knowledge, he had never received proper recognition.
That is, until twenty years ago—
When, at the Flying Sky Bridge, he used his Mind-Seizing Art to drive an entire gathering of Righteous Faction heroes to self-destruction.
"At the same time, he single-handedly slew the Sword King, Danmok Cheon-seung, who had been present there, finally ascending to become one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings."
'If it's the Illusion King, he's a troublesome opponent indeed.'
So-ok, who had been listening to Bu Eun-seol and the Illusion King's exchange, furrowed her brows.
The Illusion King's mastery of Mind Control Knowledge had reached an unprecedented level.
It wasn't just about showing simple illusions—even after awakening, one couldn't distinguish reality from fantasy... Moreover, it was said he could manipulate the spirit and mind, weakening even Internal Power and physical abilities.
"You're saying this old woman is the Illusion King?"
The Black-White Witch, her voice shifting back to that eerie feminine tone, scoffed.
"Wasn't he supposed to be a proper man?"
"He is a man, but he could also be a woman."
Bu Eun-seol regarded the Black-White Witch with a leisurely expression.
"You—you're an androgynous person, aren't you?"
An androgynous person.
One who possesses both male and female energies in equal measure, also called half-yin, half-yang.
Androgynous individuals not only have both male and female reproductive organs but also possess a distinct outward appearance as either a man or a woman.
Because of this, unless they undress or reveal it themselves, no one can tell they are androgynous.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
The Black-White Witch's voice thinned like that of a young girl.
At the same time, the coquettish aura radiating from her entire body grew even more seductive, and her silhouette reflected in the moonlight became even more voluptuous.
"Are you saying I look like an androgynous person?"
"Androgynous individuals possess all the qualities of both sexes."
Bu Eun-seol smiled confidently.
"At first, I thought you were simply a woman who had once been a courtesan. The kind of coquetry unique to courtesan isn't something that can be imitated in an instant."
Then, in a low voice, he added:
"But a former courtesan who became a Master periodically turned the martial world upside down, and despite countless Masters pursuing her, neither her identity, name, nor martial arts were ever revealed? No matter how skilled one is, that would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol paused, and a torch-like gleam flickered in his pupils.
"From the very beginning, you deliberately maintained such bizarre attire—enough to be called a witch—to emphasize your femininity. If you changed your gender entirely, tracking you would become impossible."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You probably lived as a child courtesan for a time, spending a certain period as a woman. Then, realizing you were androgynous, you began freely switching between genders, didn't you?"
A brief silence followed.
"You're clever, but in another sense, quite foolish."
Finally, the Black-White Witch—no, the Illusion King, Sa Ok-cheong—nodded in acknowledgment.
"If you knew I was the Illusion King, you should have fled immediately. Why stand there staring at me with those wide-open eyes?"
In an instant, his eyes burned crimson, and a dark, mist-like haze rose around him.
But Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"Just because my eyes are open doesn't mean I'm looking at you."
Shhhhk!
Drawing the Ink Sword, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Shooting Star Chasing the Moon technique, thrusting swiftly toward his throat.
Sa Ok-cheong flinched slightly and retreated.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes were unfocused, as if staring at nothing. Noticing this, Sa Ok-cheong nodded.
"I see. You've sealed the Tear-Receiving pressure point to temporarily blind yourself."
Bu Eun-seol had trained in the Way of the Beast while sealing the Tear-Receiving point, and now he had reached its highest stage—Empty Mind Spirit Perception.
Because of this, even if his eyes were blind, he could move without any discomfort.
In truth, he couldn't see a thing, yet he moved even more naturally than if his eyes were open.
"Heh heh heh. Hahahaha!"
Sa Ok-cheong burst into laughter with a voice neither male nor female, nodding approvingly.
"Quite resourceful. But you've picked the wrong opponent."
Smirking, he spoke nonchalantly.
"If sealing your eyes was enough to evade the Mind-Seizing Art, why would I have been called the Illusion King?"
The moment his words ended, Bu Eun-seol caught a whiff of a sour fragrance.
At the same time, a strange resonance pulsed in his skull, as if shaking his very brain.
"Right now, your Internal Power is slowly draining away."
As he spoke, the energy stored in Bu Eun-seol's dantian began vanishing as if dissipating into nothingness.
Spirit Summoning Secret Voice.
The highest level of the Mind-Seizing Art—a technique that could manipulate the spirit and mind through voice alone—had been unleashed.
Moreover, having discerned the depth of Bu Eun-seol's internal energy and martial prowess, Sa Ok-cheong simultaneously deployed Fragrance Poison—a scent that induced intense hallucinations upon inhalation—along with Double Illusion Fragrance, layering powerful suggestions upon him.
"Your legs are shackled with heavy chains. That's why you can't move nimbly."
Thud.
As Sa Ok-cheong's voice echoed, Bu Eun-seol's ankles grew stiff.
At the same time, he felt as if unbearably heavy shackles had been clamped around his legs, making movement nearly impossible.
Though such a thing had never actually occurred, Bu Eun-seol's body was convinced it had.
Clank.
Yet Bu Eun-seol merely gripped the Ink Sword with an indifferent expression.
"Is that all you've got?"
His voice was calm as he raised the blade slightly.
"If you've finished setting up your illusions, come at me quickly. I'm growing bored of waiting."
"Heh... kehkeh. Hahahaha!"
Sa Ok-cheong burst into mad laughter, his face twisting in disbelief.
Snap.
The laughter cut off abruptly as he spoke in a venomous voice.
"You're truly desperate to die, aren't you?"
Swish—!
Raising his razor-sharp nails, Sa Ok-cheong split into hundreds of shadow clones, encircling Bu Eun-seol completely.
Even if Bu Eun-seol hadn't been deprived of his vision, distinguishing the real from the illusions would have been impossible.
And the moment one of those shadowy Shadow Strikes curved in from an unseen angle to pierce Bu Eun-seol's throat—
Clang!
The Ink Sword flashed, deflecting the attack in a single motion.
"Pathetic. Is this the level of one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings?"
For an instant, Sa Ok-cheong's expression flickered with surprise.
Bu Eun-seol couldn't see. His Internal Power had been suppressed to less than eighty percent.
On top of that, the suggestion that heavy shackles weighed down his legs should have crippled his movement.
So how had he shattered the first strike of Shadow Breaking Dye Body in one move?
'Don't tell me... this bastard's Internal Power exceeds five cycles?'
Using Spirit Summoning Secret Voice to suppress the mind and lower Internal Power could reduce it by eighty percent at most.
Any further, and the body would detect the discrepancy, instantly breaking the hypnosis.
Yet the Internal Power resonating from Bu Eun-seol's blade felt like it surpassed a full sixty-year cycle!
As the sheer scale of Bu Eun-seol's Internal Power and Martial Prowess defied all expectations, a strange light flickered in Sa Ok-cheong's eyes.
Suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind—a man who had claimed a Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings at barely twenty years of age, the unrivaled prodigy of the demonic path's younger generation.
"You're Bu Eun-seol!"
The Heir of the Demon Hall, Bu Eun-seol.
The moment he realized the young man before him was that very grandmaster of the new era, Sa Ok-cheong's lips twisted into a delighted grin.
"Perfect! Perfect!"
His eerie laughter echoed as he nodded repeatedly.
"If I bring them your head, they will surely take me back!"
A glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
The Illusion King had rarely shown himself in the murim until now. Yet his words suggested he had long been affiliated with some hidden force.
"Die!"
Sa Ok-cheong's voice brimmed with ecstasy as he unleashed Finger Wind at Bu Eun-seol.
Aside from the Mind Seizing Secret Art, his True Void consisted of two techniques:
The Blood Spirit Wandering Soul Finger, capable of piercing even a Great Tree in an instant from long range—its power rivaling the Bullet King's Internal Energy Pellet Technique.
And the Shadow Dew Binding Hand, a close-quarters technique on par with Shaolin's Dragon Claw Hand.
Even without the Mind-Seizing Art, Sa Ok-cheong's Martial Prowess was more than worthy of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Swish-swish-swish!
Dozens of razor-thin lines shot toward Bu Eun-seol's vital points.
The Wandering Soul Finger was too swift, its force as fine as a strand of hair—impossible to block.
Hiss! Hiss!
At that moment, two sharp streams of energy erupted from Bu Eun-seol's body, clashing against the incoming strikes.
The Martial Emperor's ultimate secret art—Thirteenfold Qi Induction—had been unleashed.
Clatter-clatter-clack!
Unlike the Willful True Binding, the Thirteenfold Qi Induction didn't require overwhelming Internal Power.
Instead, it embodied the profound essence of Orthodox Martial Arts in every motion.
Bu Eun-seol predicted every trajectory of the Wandering Soul Finger, deflecting even its steel-piercing force with precise, angled counters.
"Magnificent!"
Sa Ok-cheong let out an admiring cry as he closed the distance.
He had assumed Bu Eun-seol was merely a master of the sword.
But to wield such profound Martial Arts—!
"Still, this is where it ends."
Sa Ok-cheong's lips curled.
Only those who had reached the Transcendence Realm could overwhelm an opponent with sheer martial profundity alone.
At that level, even without Internal Power, the subtlety of technique could defeat any foe.
But the Extreme Heaven Realm was different.
Masters of that realm wielded Martial Prowess that transcended mere technique—raw, overwhelming power.
Without comparable Internal Power, no amount of skill could bridge the gap.
"The difference in power can never be overcome."
As Sa Ok-cheong raised a hand, a Shockwave massive enough to blot out the sun flared in the air.
The moment Bu Eun-seol tried to compensate for the disparity with martial finesse, Sa Ok-cheong sought to crush him outright with sheer force.
"Perish."
Time seemed to freeze—then, in the next instant, a colossal sphere of energy came crashing down toward Bu Eun-seol.
It was a sudden, overwhelming strike exploiting the gap in their Internal Power, too fast to evade.
The moment the radiant sphere engulfed Bu Eun-seol—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, flames of True Qi spreading hundreds of feet outward and soaring into the sky.
As the dust storm cleared, a towering shadow emerged amidst the devastation.
"Guh..."
A strained groan escaped—and there, standing before Bu Eun-seol with arms outstretched, was a massive figure.
So Ok-rim.