Chapter 349
"Damn it."
So Ok-rim's pupils were still unfocused, and a faint trail of blood had formed at the corner of her lips.
"Even after slapping my face that hard... I still couldn't completely shatter the Mind Seizing Great Art."
Though she had regained her senses by inflicting pain on herself, her body remained under the lingering influence of the Mind Seizing Great Art.
Because of this, she couldn't properly exert her Internal Power.
Ptui.
So Ok-rim spat out a pebble-sized clot of blood.
"Disappear."
Sa Ok-cheong unleashed the Shadow Dew Binding Hand once more.
BOOM! BOOM!
With another series of explosive sounds, So Ok-rim's body was sent staggering back six full steps.
"You disappear!"
So Ok-rim mustered all her remaining combat power and executed the Galaxy Severance technique.
Ghk—
But her Internal Power failed to sustain it.
In the end, the Galaxy Severance was cut short, though the resulting gale was fierce enough to send Sa Ok-cheong flying hundreds of feet away.
Swish.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol tapped the Tear-Receiving acupoint again, restoring his vision.
"Why did you interfere?"
His voice was cold, as if he couldn't comprehend her actions.
"It wasn't an attack you couldn't block."
"You would've blocked it," So Ok-rim snorted.
"But you would've been injured in the process. If that had happened, you'd have had to fight that old pervert in an incomplete state."
She had taken the Shadow Dew Binding Hand for him—so that Bu Eun-seol could face Sa Ok-cheong with his body intact.
"Don't get too moved."
Wiping the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, So Ok-rim gritted her teeth.
"I only conceded the fight because I figured you'd be better suited to deal with that bastard."
Thud.
Before she could finish speaking, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
"You... can beat that old pervert, right?"
"Of course."
"Good."
Then, she looked at Bu Eun-seol with unwavering trust in her eyes.
"I believe in you."
Somewhere along the way, she had come to believe in him.
No matter how dire the situation, no matter what trials awaited—Bu Eun-seol would smash through them all.
And because she believed that, she could finally let go of her consciousness with peace of mind.
"Once this is over... I should go into seclusion. These bastards keep shattering my spirit and mind..."
As So Ok-rim muttered those last words and lost consciousness—
Huuuung.
A faint glow emanated from her body, accompanied by a ripple of True Qi.
Her body had begun circulating Qi on its own to heal her injuries.
The Martial Arts of the Star Emperor.
The Mind-Training Formula, created by the mysterious grandmaster who had dominated the Murim four hundred years ago, contained an extraordinary ability—
Even when unconscious, it could spontaneously generate Internal Power to activate the Internal Energy Self-Healing Art.
"How fortunate to still be alive."
Sa Ok-cheong, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol, curled the corner of his lips.
"Now, how shall I kill you next?"
A delighted smile played on his face.
Bu Eun-seol was already under the effects of the Mind-Seizing Art.
Even in a contest of Internal Power, he would lose. Even in close combat, he would eventually be overwhelmed.
But Sa Ok-cheong chose an even safer method.
He recalled that Bu Eun-seol was one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings—and that he had remained undefeated until now.
"Safety is best."
Ziiing.
A circular light surged from both of his palms.
He had condensed the Hand Steel formed by the Shadow Dew Binding Hand into a spherical Steel Ring.
"The Steel Rings forged from the Shadow Dew Binding Hand will be entirely different from Sword Rings. The moment they touch you, they won't pierce your body—they'll make it explode."
With that smile still lingering, Sa Ok-cheong unfolded a cloud-like Movement Technique, circling Bu Eun-seol in a dizzying spiral.
Then, he launched a barrage of Hand Steel at Bu Eun-seol in rapid succession.
CLANG! CLANG!
Bu Eun-seol deflected the disorienting Steel Rings of the Shadow Dew Binding Hand with the Ink Sword, utilizing the Move Heaven Exchange Force.
But he couldn't completely neutralize the overwhelming force contained within them.
Drip, drip.
Blood trickled steadily from the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips as he blocked the Steel Rings.
His Internal Energy had already been reduced by eighty percent due to Sa Ok-cheong's Spirit Summoning Secret Voice. No matter how much power he tried to draw upon, only about sixty years' worth of True Qi remained in his body.
BOOM! BOOM!
Now, every clash between the Ink Sword and the Steel Rings erupted with explosive force.
Even if Bu Eun-seol hadn't been afflicted by the Spirit Summoning Secret Voice—even if his body were in peak condition—Sa Ok-cheong would still have been a Master not easily overcome.
And now, in such a disadvantageous situation, being bombarded by Steel Rings and suppressed by sheer Internal Power, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to endure helplessly.
"If I take your head, I won't need to suck blood anymore!"
What nonsense was this?
Where exactly did he plan to take Bu Eun-seol's head that would make bloodsucking unnecessary?
But Bu Eun-seol was too focused on executing his sword techniques to decipher or ponder the meaning behind those words.
Fwip!
Finally, a Steel Ring grazed Bu Eun-seol's neck.
Though he had defended perfectly, his dulled reflexes caused his sword form to unfold a half-beat too late.
POP!
The skin near his neck burst open as if exploding, and blood gushed out.
Fortunately, it wasn't near the carotid artery—but the blood continued to flow relentlessly.
Tap!
Bu Eun-seol immediately pressed the acupoint on his neck.
Yet even after sealing the pressure point, the bleeding didn't stop completely.
If the fight dragged on, Bu Eun-seol would eventually bleed out and die.
"Hahaha!"
Pausing his assault for a moment, Sa Ok-cheong burst into laughter.
"I can see your death now."
Drip, drip.
As Bu Eun-seol stared at the blood dripping from his neck, the light in his eyes darkened.
As Sa Ok-cheong had said, Bu Eun-seol had indeed taken one step closer to death.
Death.
The moment that word surfaced in his mind, the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang's saber technique—the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—rose to the forefront of his thoughts.
A technique steeped in the despair and sorrow of an Absolute One, one who had always clawed his way back from the brink through countless narrow escapes, yet yearned for death at the climax—
Shhk!
At that moment, a Steel Ring formed from the Shadow Dew Binding Hand grazed Bu Eun-seol's cheek once more.
As the Hand Steel, infused with Yin Cold Qi, brushed against his skin, a flash of realization seared through his mind.
I had forgotten.
Another weapon he had neglected until now.
The Glacier Thousand Streams Art, the strongest Ice Art of the North Sea.
Not only could it freeze every enemy standing in his way—it could also encase his own body in unyielding ice, a perfect Harmonization of Attack and Defense.
If I use theGlacier Thousand Streams Art, could I execute the second form of theBloody Tears Seven Forms?
—The Second Form: Seeking Life Amidst Death.
In a situation where death was inevitable, he had found a single thread of survival...
The Bloody Tears Seven Forms was not merely a saber technique—it required mastering the corresponding Mind-Training Formula to achieve its Blade Essence in full.
Now, standing at death's door, Bu Eun-seol had finally grasped the lifeline that would allow him to unleash the second form.
I only have one chance.
A frigid light surged in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
At the same time, he lunged straight toward Sa Ok-cheong, who was unleashing hundreds of strands of Water Steel.
"Hahaha! So the best you could come up with isMutual Destruction?"
Seeing Bu Eun-seol charge recklessly without regard for his own life, Sa Ok-cheong only smiled coldly.
"Now, die."
As Bu Eun-seol closed the distance in an instant, Sa Ok-cheong raised both arms.
Shhhhk—CRACK!
A net of Water Steel poured from both sides, engulfing Bu Eun-seol's body.
Not Steel Rings—this was Water Steel stretched thin, poised to slice him into hundreds of pieces.
Hiss—!
At that moment, an intense surge of cold erupted from Bu Eun-seol's left hand.
Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
The supreme Ultimate Art of the North Sea Ice Palace, said to be capable of freezing even the heavens when mastered to Grand Perfection, cascaded over Sa Ok-cheong's body.
Thud.
Though the cold energy was unleashed with only sixty years of inner force, the Cold Ice True Qi instantly froze Sa Ok-cheong's movements.
The razor-sharp Water Steel coiled around Bu Eun-seol's body also halted midair.
That moment lasted only an infinitesimal fraction of time—yet to Bu Eun-seol, it stretched into an eternity.
Flash—!
At the same time, a dark radiance burst forth from the Ink Sword in his grip, and his body became a streak of light enveloping Sa Ok-cheong.
"You won't!"
Startled, Sa Ok-cheong unleashed a Great Roar and retreated from the black light.
But the dark radiance Bu Eun-seol had unleashed had been waiting for this very retreat—its maw gaping wide.
Bloody Tears Seven Forms, Second Form: Seeking Life Amidst Death.
This Sword Stroke did not slash the enemy with the saber technique—instead, it exploited the enemy's opening at point-blank range, as if committing to Mutual Destruction.
The moment the enemy retreated to evade it—
The space behind them was annihilated as millions of Sword Qi strands poured into their retreating path.
"Ghk—!"
A choked groan escaped Sa Ok-cheong's throat as his vision blurred.
Though his body appeared intact, dozens of razor-sharp Sword Qi had already pierced through him.
"A technique where the caster dies if the enemy doesn't retreat... theSelf-Destructive Saber Art..."
Sa Ok-cheong instantly discerned that the Sword Stroke Bu Eun-seol had unleashed was, in truth, a Saber Technique—and grasped its Ultimate Art in a single breath.
If the enemy did not retreat, the caster—who had poured all their Sword Strokes into the enemy's retreat—would perish. A technique of ruin.
"There's only one madman in this world who would create such a technique."
His voice was a mix of disbelief and grudging admiration as he muttered,
"You... you're theSeven Fingers Demonic Blade'sdisciple!"
Astonishingly, Sa Ok-cheong had seen through it—the Sword Stroke Bu Eun-seol had executed with the Ink Sword was none other than the Absolute Saber Form of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade.
"Of course you'd be this strong... if he raised you."
"You know the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade?"
"Know him? Heh-heh-heh!"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Sa Ok-cheong burst into laughter, his response nonsensical.
"I never believed the rumors of his death! As I thought—he was secretly raising a disciple!"
A vicious light gleamed in Sa Ok-cheong's eyes as he glared at Bu Eun-seol.
"But no matter how hard you search, you'll never find that child."
"Child?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
"What child are you talking about?"
"Hahaha!"
Sa Ok-cheong's broken voice, stained with blood at the corners of his lips, echoed through the night sky.
"Because I handed that child over to them with my own hands! Hahaha!"
Had his mind snapped in the face of death?
He cackled madly, spouting incomprehensible words.
"You'll suffer the same fate sooner or later!"
"Sa Ok-cheong!"
Bu Eun-seol activated his Movement Technique again, attempting to strike Sa Ok-cheong's pressure points.
If he died like this, all crucial clues would vanish in an instant.
Thud-thud!
But even as his Finger Wind made contact, the pressure points remained unsealed.
Every meridian and organ in Sa Ok-cheong's body had been severed by the first strike of Seeking Life Amidst Death.
From the moment he was exposed to the Sword Stroke of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, his physical body had been shattered beyond recovery.
"Tch."
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to channel Reverse Polarity True Qi into Sa Ok-cheong's Life Gate Acupoint.
But his body was already shattered beyond repair—there was no path left for the true qi to flow.
"If I had killed you... I could have... returned... to that place."
As Sa Ok-cheong murmured faintly, Bu Eun-seol asked,
"What place do you mean?"
"Mu..."
Sa Ok-cheong's blurred gaze lifted toward the distant sky as his right hand weakly stretched out—
"Gung..."
—before his arm dropped limply, and he breathed his last.
The Illusion King, Sa Ok-cheong—a being who could be called a Heavenly Punishment, born as an androgynous person, dominating an era with his formidable Mind Seizing Secret Art and martial arts.
And now, this peerless Master had drawn his final breath in this nameless forest.
"Mu-gung?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
Mu-gung—it meant "boundless." Was that the name of the faction he belonged to?
—"No matter how hard you try, you'll never find that child. I handed them over to them myself!"
But more than the name Mu-gung, Sa Ok-cheong's cryptic words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Because those words implied one thing for certain—that the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang had a successor.
'Wasn't the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade my grandfather?'
Grandfather Bu Jan-yang had been a disciple of Shaolin. Even if he had left the monastic life, there was no way he wouldn't have known if he had a child of his own.
And hadn't he himself firmly stated that he had never married?
Yet if there was a successor, it meant one of two things:
Either there was a descendant even Grandfather hadn't known about—
Or the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang and Grandfather Bu Jan-yang were different people entirely.
Plop.
Just then, something half-melted slipped out from between Sa Ok-cheong's lifeless lips.
Sssss—
The moment it touched the air, it emitted a white vapor before vanishing in an instant.
'He must have kept all kinds of poisons hidden in his mouth.'
Bu Eun-seol assumed it was some toxin the Illusion King had concealed within his oral cavity.
But he had no way of knowing yet—that this very thing would soon turn the entire murim upside down...
That it was the true reason Sa Ok-cheong, who had remained hidden for so long, had finally emerged to slaughter people in the martial world.
That realization would come—but only much later.
"Ugh... Great Hero Bu."
At that moment, Yu Cheong-rim groaned and called out weakly.
"Could you... save me too?"
Though he had awakened now that Sa Ok-cheong's death had broken the Spirit Summoning Secret Voice, the effects of the Double Illusion Fragrance poison remained, leaving him unable to control his body properly.
"Endure the pain."
Bu Eun-seol pressed his palm against Yu Cheong-rim's Great Vertebra Acupoint and forced Reverse Polarity True Qi into his meridians.
Sssss—!
With a sharp hiss, the Double Illusion Fragrance toxin that had saturated his body was instantly incinerated.
"Ghh—!"
The moment the poison was purged, Yu Cheong-rim writhed on the ground in agony.
The pain of Reverse Polarity True Qi searing through his meridians was like molten fire scorching his veins and blades slicing through his flesh.
Meanwhile, So Ok-rim had reached the final stages of her Qi Circulation—her forehead steaming like a boiling pot.
"Haaah..."
Finally, she exhaled sharply and opened her eyes.
"Damn it. I really almost died."
Rising to her feet, she stared down at Sa Ok-cheong's corpse and shook her head.
"I never imagined the Illusion King's martial arts would be at this level."
So Ok-rim had always prided herself on being able to escape any battle unscathed, even if she wasn't invincible.
But after facing the Illusion King, Sa Ok-cheong, she realized just how mistaken that belief had been.
'I must refine my Mind-Training Formula to Grand Perfection.'
To stand against the supreme experts who ruled the martial world, she needed—above all else—an unshakable spirit.
Because those who dominated the world could destroy not just the body, but the very mind and soul with unseen power.
In the end, she had to reach a state like Bu Eun-seol—where her spirit remained unbreakable no matter the circumstances.
'Until now, I thought raising my martial arts to the True Realm was enough.'
So Ok-rim clenched her fists.
If her goal until now had been mastering the Galaxy Severance technique—
From this moment on, she would push the Sage Emperor's Supreme Heart Formula to its utmost limits, ensuring nothing like this ever happened again.
"Bu Eun-seol."
Her voice was resolute.
"I think... I need to leave for a while."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
So Ok-rim's martial prowess was on par with his own, but her mastery of mental cultivation was not.
If she were to face the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars in this state? It would be an inevitable defeat.
She had recognized her own shortcomings—and now sought to undergo closed-door cultivation.
"Do well."
His reply was brief.
But unlike before, a faint trace of trust lingered in his voice.
Though it had been for the sake of victory, So Ok-rim had still risked her life to protect him. That alone was enough for him to consider her a comrade.
The murim was filled with exceptional Masters—but finding someone truly trustworthy to guard one's back was rare.
(Though it was a shame her personality was such a mess.)
"Yeah."
Sniffling, So Ok-rim walked over to Yu Cheong-rim, who was still dazed, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, you suffered too. Thanks to you, we somehow caught him. Right?"
For a moment, Yu Cheong-rim nearly burst into tears.
Suffered?! How could she dismiss everything that had happened with just those words?!
'Until now, I thought I'd tasted all the bitterness and sweetness life had to offer.'
Though young, Yu Cheong-rim had prided himself on having endured all the hardships the world could throw at him.
From being beaten half to death as a child, dragged off to prison, or tortured—he had seen it all.
But this?
This was on another level entirely.
From the moment he was born an orphan until he learned to steal, his life had been nothing but an unbroken chain of hardships.
Yet compared to the time he had spent with So Ok-rim... all his past suffering now felt like nothing more than a leisurely picnic.
"It was really, really... exhausting."
"Yeah, yeah, you had it rough."
As Yu Cheong-rim's tears spilled over, So Ok-rim patted his shoulder.
"But if you ever run into trouble again, come find me anytime. I'll help you as much as I can."
"Then, I have just one request."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"Go on."
Yu Cheong-rim clasped his hands together and pleaded earnestly.
"I sincerely hope I never have to see Heroine So ever again."
"Hahaha!"
So Ok-rim grabbed his shoulder again, shaking him back and forth as she laughed.
"You really do have a talent for jokes."
"No, I'm being completely serio—"
"Yeah, yeah. See you next time."
Dismissing his words with a wave, she turned and vanished into the distant sky in an instant.
Yu Cheong-rim watched her disappear with an expression of utter despair.
Because he had a terrible premonition that he really would see her again.
'I should really quit stealing for good...'
All because he had carelessly shown off his Pickpocketing Art on the streets, he had ended up encountering a monster like So Ok-rim and suffered near-death torment.
Yu Cheong-rim resolved never to engage in thievery again—not when it could summon such calamity.
"You had it rough."
Just then, Bu Eun-seol handed Yu Cheong-rim a small token.
"If you ever find yourself in trouble, show this at the nearest courier station. It will bring you aid."
Bu Eun-seol was a man who meticulously settled all debts, whether favors or grudges.
Though Yu Cheong-rim had been dragged into this affair by So Ok-rim's whims, there was no denying that he had played the most crucial role in capturing the Black-White Witch.
"This is..."
Yu Cheong-rim stared at the token engraved with a crimson spider for a long while.
It was the Blood Spider Command Token, a plaque that allowed immediate contact with the branch leaders of the Kill-Seeking Unit scattered across the Central Plains.
But Yu Cheong-rim, unaware of its significance, could only blink in confusion.
'I guess Hero Bu runs his own personal organization too.'
It wasn't uncommon for Special-Grade Mercenaries to privately operate intelligence networks or moneylending organizations.
Assuming Bu Eun-seol simply commanded a useful private force, Yu Cheong-rim accepted the token.
"Thank you. Ah, but—!"
As if suddenly remembering, he pointed toward A-yeon, who lay collapsed in the distance.
"We must save her."
Had it not been for A-yeon, he would have already had his blood drained by the Black-White Witch and perished, his soul wandering the underworld.
Only then did Bu Eun-seol turn his gaze toward A-yeon, lying motionless in the forest far from the clearing, her eyes tightly shut as if in deep slumber.
In the heat of their life-and-death battle, he had completely forgotten about her.
'Something's off.'
A strange suspicion arose in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
A-yeon was not only a master of sword techniques but also skilled in the Mystic Art of the Sword Pavilion.
She had suffered no internal injuries, and the Spirit Summoning Secret Voice had already been dispelled. Yet despite the passage of time, she still hadn't awakened?
"Come to your senses—"
As Bu Eun-seol examined her closely, his eyes widened.
A-yeon's cheeks were flushed crimson, her forehead burning like a furnace.
Cold sweat streamed endlessly down her brow, and her lips were cracked like a parched desert.
The moment he pressed his fingers to her Pulse Gate to assess her condition, his gaze darkened.
'This scorching energy feels like it could melt even her meridians.'
A-yeon remained unconscious, trapped in a deep stupor, while an inexplicable heat surged through her body, relentlessly raising her temperature.
If left unchecked, her internal organs would cook from within, and she would perish.
'There's no other way.'
No method could cure this bizarre phenomenon, nor could it be immediately halted.
After a moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol channeled his internal power and unleashed the Glacier Thousand Streams Art.
Instantly, his Reverse Polarity True Qi transformed into the frigid Cold Ice True Qi, colder than ice itself.
Sssss—
As the Cold Ice True Qi flowed into her, a thin layer of frost formed around her body.
By lightly freezing her with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art, he had slowed the worsening of her symptoms.
He then gathered his Counter-Polar Internal Art and injected Reverse Polarity True Qi into her Great Vertebra Acupoint.
Yet her condition showed no improvement.
"Is she gravely injured?" Yu Cheong-rim asked with concern.
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"An unknown heat has spread through her body. Most likely... she misused her internal energy while trapped in an illusion."
"Then shouldn't we treat her immediately?"
"This is a matter of internal energy. No physician, no matter how skilled, could cure it."
"So there's no solution?"
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin.
"However... if someone familiar with her True Qi Circulation were present, they could intervene and alleviate the symptoms."
He let out a deep sigh.
"Since she's from the Sword Pavilion, taking her there should suffice."
"The Sword Pavilion..."
Yu Cheong-rim's face turned deathly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"I'd rather die than go there."
Thud.
Jumping to conclusions, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
"Hero Bu. If a thief like me steps into the Sword Pavilion, they'll chop off both my hands on the spot."
Ever since meeting So Ok-rim, his knees had hit the ground more often than a beggar's.
"Don't worry. I'll be the one going."
"Huh?"
"I'll need to keep infusing her with Cold Ice True Qi anyway."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes, gazing at the distant sky, were filled with a profound and unfathomable light.
In the end, to save A-yeon, he would have to travel to the Sword Pavilion himself.
Of course, the journey of thousands of li would be arduous... but this might also be an opportunity to uncover the long-hidden Mysterious Sect.
"This could be our opportunity to obtain information about Sword Pavilion."