Chapter 468
"Martial Soul Lord."
At that moment, Gongson Dan-a looked at Bu Eun-seol and spoke.
"You're the Heir of the Demon Hall, correct?"
Bu Eun-seol touched his face.
Only then did he realize the cloth mask he'd been wearing had flown off somewhere.
"Who told you they recognized you by your face? I knew from your martial arts."
Gongson Dan-a said with a prim expression.
"What's so great about your status that you need to hide it?"
"Our paths differ—I had no choice but to conceal it."
It was an awkward excuse, unbecoming of the Demon Hall's heir.
As Bu Eun-seol fumbled to tear his sleeve to cover his face, Gongson Dan-a burst into laughter.
"My Lord, you're far too wary of others."
"Haven't you been called the 'Righteous Man within the Demonic Path' for doing what's just? There's no need to be so guarded in advance."
"To say I'm wary in advance—is that based on your own experience?"
"What?"
Gongson Dan-a pursed her lips for a moment before laughing again.
"They say the Heir of the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Lord, has a ruthless personality. But now I see you're quite good at jokes too."
She laughed heartily.
She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this freely.
"How is your body now?"
Bu Eun-seol circulated his internal energy.
Unlike before, the dizzying, tangled sensation in his qi vessels had largely dissipated.
And within his body flowed an unfamiliar yet minuscule energy.
It was the Water Spirit Energy Gongson Dan-a had infused into him.
"This Water Spirit Energy... it doesn't disappear but remains in the body?"
"Humans are mostly made of water, aren't they? Water Spirit Energy naturally blends into the body, so it takes quite a while to be expelled."
In truth, it was a kind lie from Gongson Dan-a, meant to reassure him.
"Thank you."
Unaware of this, Bu Eun-seol calmly pressed his palms together in gratitude.
Gongson Dan-a waved her hand dismissively.
"You saved me too, my Lord. Now we're even."
Though she said so, deep affection shimmered in her eyes.
When Bu Eun-seol had collapsed, bleeding, she had burst into tears.
And when his qi vessels became tangled, she had unhesitatingly infused him with Water Spirit Energy to restore him.
Though she didn't realize it herself, she had developed a strong fondness for him.
Of course, the same was true for Bu Eun-seol.
'She's very different from the women I've met until now.'
Not a single woman had ever failed to blush or gasp upon seeing his face—until her.
Yet even after seeing his features, she hadn't reacted with shock. Instead, she looked at him as comfortably as an old friend.
In other words, Gongson Dan-a, like Bu Eun-seol, was someone who paid little mind to others' beauty or ugliness.
"Oh, and when you leave this place, you must seek guidance from our Palace Lord."
Gongson Dan-a spoke calmly.
"The four energies within your body—you can neither suppress nor expel them on your own."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Most likely... to suppress or harmonize the energies within you, you'll need the full power of the Four Divine Figures."
After taking his pulse, Gongson Dan-a had discerned that the forces mingling in his body were those of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, Demonic, and Buddhist Arts.
And she judged that to suppress them, the power of the Four Divine Figures would be necessary.
"All Four Divine Energies?"
"Yes. The forces infused into your body—each one is far too powerful to harmonize as they are."
Gongson Dan-a shook her head.
"But if you master all four divine energies, it might be possible. At least, that's my estimation."
Then she handed him a sheet of paper inscribed with a scripture.
"What is this?"
"A cultivation secret combining the Five Animal Frolics of Hua Tuo, honored as the Medical Saint, and the strengths of the Quanzhen Sect's Daoist secrets—once the orthodox center of Daoism."
Gongson Dan-a explained composedly.
"Truthfully, since it was devised by a Quanzhen Daoist, it's more accurate to call it a Quanzhen Taoist Cultivation Secret."
"You're giving this to me?"
"It may seem profound, but in practice, it's merely a method to strengthen the body and regulate true qi. To martial artists, it's no extraordinary technique. However..."
Pausing briefly, she whispered:
"If fate allows it, and the Palace Lord infuses you with Water Essence Divine Qi in the future... this secret could help you fully control the energy of Extreme Yin."
Bu Eun-seol was faintly moved.
She had been contemplating the irregularities in his body all along, devising a way to treat them.
"Thank you. I'll take it to heart."
Coming from a physician whose skill rivaled the most famous doctors in Murim, her prescription was undoubtedly trustworthy.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had no intention of obtaining the Water Essence Divine Qi from the Divine Water Palace.
Mastering the martial arts of the Death God was impossible—and he had neither the time nor leisure to attempt it.
"You must visit our palace. The palace lord will surely find a way to help you."
"Understood. I'll stop by when I have the chance."
"Promise me."
Gongson Dan-a furrowed her brows sharply, seeing right through his empty words, and spoke with firmness.
"You must promise to gather the power of the Death God."
Her expression resembled that of a wife scolding her husband.
Was it the sharp intrusion of fate's will? Without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol flinched slightly and nodded.
"Very well. I promise."
Finally emerging from the underground cavern, Bu Eun-seol pushed open the iron gate leading outside.
Creak—
As the rusted gate swung open, both of them widened their eyes simultaneously.
Before them stretched a scene resembling a small village, with square-shaped buildings erected sporadically.
These structures bore no resemblance to the typical architectural styles of the Central Plains—there were no visible windows or even doors to enter.
And at the center stood a vast clearing, where a pitch-black building loomed imposingly.
Judging by its color and size, it not only connected to the passage they had exited but also seemed to conceal some great secret.
Bu Eun-seol and Gongson Dan-a cautiously made their way toward the black building—
Upon stepping inside, their eyes widened once more.
Human Blossoms.
The remnants of scorched Human Blossoms littered the area, along with shattered glass containers scattered everywhere.
Inside them, the by-products of grotesque Soulless Ones burned fiercely.
In some places, only body parts—like arms or legs—were preserved, their sizes unnaturally massive.
'Modifications.'
A flash of insight crossed Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he walked deeper inside.
Judging by the charred remains of the Human Blossoms, they had grown far larger than any he had seen before.
Not only that, but the by-products of the Soulless Ones burning within the glass containers were also significantly larger than any he had encountered.
"A testing ground," Gongson Dan-a deduced immediately.
This was a facility where they cultivated Human Blossoms and modified Soulless Ones.
"It seems so."
"What could their goal possibly be? Why cultivate Human Blossoms and alter the bodies of Soulless Ones...?"
"The organization is called the Three Realms," Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"They've already seized control of the Murim and are carrying out various operations. The Soulless Ones and artificial dantians are just one part of it."
"The Three Realms?"
"Indeed. The palace lord is likely aware of them."
Most of the Murim's high command knew of the Three Realms' existence.
But they either couldn't gauge the extent of their influence or, knowingly or unknowingly, collaborated with them—keeping silent as a result.
And in the Murim, only Bu Eun-seol—
Only he disregarded them entirely, dismantling their factions one by one.
"Compared to you, I feel like a mere novice taking my first steps into the martial world," Gongson Dan-a said with a bitter smile.
In truth, it wasn't an incorrect assessment.
Bu Eun-seol was the Heir of the Demon Hall, and despite his youth, he had already ascended to the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
He was already a powerhouse whose influence shook the Murim, and his martial prowess had reached the level of a Grandmaster.
"They must have retreated in a hurry. Judging by how recently these were destroyed."
"Most likely, they activated the final mechanism before leaving."
"This seems to be the exit."
After passing through the massive testing ground, they finally spotted a wide door that appeared to lead outside.
Beyond it lay a vast, enclosed clearing.
Dried bloodstains and various by-products littered the floor, as if a mass slaughter had taken place here.
Thud. Thud.
Then, a monstrous noise, shaking the very earth, echoed from all directions.
At the same time, a grotesque shadow slowly approached from the opposite side.
A freakish figure, standing over eight feet tall, its body encased not in clothes but in blackened metal plates.
Its skin had turned ashen, like that of a long-dead corpse, and its eyes were filled only with whites.
It looked less like a person and more like a massive weapon forged from flesh and muscle.
"Step back."
A deathly black miasma seeped from the freak's body.
It was likely a deliberate ploy—leaving behind a Soulless One to stall for time or eliminate intruders.
"But you've just recovered. Let's fight together."
Gongson Dan-a wore a worried expression.
Bu Eun-seol's qi vessels had only just returned to normal.
Given that his skin and muscles had ruptured in multiple places, moving must have been excruciating.
"It's fine."
When Bu Eun-seol replied with a gentle yet firm expression, Gongson Dan-a reluctantly nodded.
"Then be careful."
Nodding in acknowledgment, Bu Eun-seol drew the Ice Soul Sword and stepped forward.
Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud!
But the moment he unsheathed his sword, the freak—
The creature's eyes suddenly contorted, and it began charging forward with earth-shaking steps.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol also dashed forward swiftly, unleashing the Meteor Chasing Moon technique.
Pat!
In an instant, he severed the creature's neck and stood firmly in its Death Line.
Tok.
But then, something astonishing happened.
Despite executing Meteor Chasing Moon, only the skin had been cut—not a single drop of blood had spilled.
Moreover, the few droplets that did fall had clotted into solid lumps, as if frozen.
'A Demon-bound Dry Prison Human.'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize—this creature was an improved version of the Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans he had encountered before, in the Underground Castle of Sichuan.
No living being in this world could have blood that clotted like this.
Swoosh.
The creature slowly turned its body, gazing at the blood that had fallen from its severed neck.
Clank.
At the same time, the iron plates wrapped around its body resonated with a metallic hum, and a massive Great Blade emerged from its back.
The creature gripped the blade in one swift motion and cautiously advanced—as if realizing it could not face Bu Eun-seol empty-handed.
'No consciousness, then.'
Not only were the creature's pupils completely white, but it also did not utter a single word.
It felt less like a human and more like a metal weapon programmed to move in predetermined motions.
Pat!
Then, the blade in the creature's hand vanished.
In the next instant, it was already piercing toward Bu Eun-seol's side.
Clang!
Bu Eun-seol stood firm, deflecting the Great Blade with a sharp flick.
The difference in Internal Power was so vast that the hulking creature was instead forced back three steps.
Yet it flipped its body mid-air and came crashing down toward Bu Eun-seol's skull.
The Great Blade trembled violently, splitting into three separate blade paths, each aiming to cleave through his body.
"A saber technique that mimics the principles of Scattered Sword."
Bu Eun-seol remained rooted, slicing through all three blade shadows in one swift, fierce motion.
Just like with Gu Ju-hon in the past, he suspected that the Great Blade contained the Essence Blood necessary to sustain the creature's life.
Schlick.
The tip of the Great Blade was cleanly sheared off by the Ice Soul Sword, infused with razor-sharp Internal Power.
But there was nothing inside.
Swish!
As the blade was cut, the creature altered its technique again, instantly conjuring twelve blade phantoms.
Outwardly, it seemed like an overwhelming display of brute force—but unexpectedly, it was employing profound martial arts principles.
'Interesting.'
Clang!
The violently swung Great Blade clashed against Bu Eun-seol's sword—
Whirr!
—only to be sent spinning back toward the creature with even greater force.
As the creature wielded its intricate saber technique, Bu Eun-seol countered with the subtleties of the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms, instantly reversing the attack.
Crash!
The eight-foot-tall creature was sent flying in a straight line, smashing through a square glass case in an instant.
Rumble.
Amid the shattered glass, the creature slowly rose.
Given the speed and rotational force, its body should have been pulverized—yet it stood up as if nothing had happened.
Thud. Thud.
White energy began seeping from the creature's eyes as it stood once more.
Then, it swung the Great Blade in a wide arc through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Bu Eun-seol moved like lightning, spinning the Ice Soul Sword like a windmill to deflect the storm of sword qi.
Meanwhile, the creature closed the distance in a flash, throwing a punch as fast as lightning.
Bu Eun-seol immediately countered with the Fist Demon Initial Manifestation, meeting the creature's fist head-on.
Boom!
When their fists collided, the world itself seemed to shatter—a shockwave of True Qi rippled outward in all directions.
Screech.
The creature slid back roughly eight steps, yet it showed no signs of injury.
Instead, white smoke curled from its fist—astonishingly, it carried a faint trace of Flame Emperor Power.
'So that's what it was.'
Now, Bu Eun-seol could clearly grasp the nature of the experiments conducted here.
'Let's confirm it one more time.'
Whoosh.
With a light step, Bu Eun-seol activated Ultimate Speed Shadowless, closing the gap between them in an instant.
Swish!
The edge of the Ice Soul Sword condensed abruptly, unleashing a barrage of strikes akin to the Chaos Sword style.
In response, the creature also condensed its Great Blade, releasing an overwhelming surge of sword qi.
But its technique was so overwhelmingly powerful that it had no means of defending against close-quarters attacks.
'The Flying Scattered Blood Death Blade... So it really was that.'
The saber technique the creature wielded was none other than the Flying Scattered Blood Death Blade, the signature art of Yeo Bul-heum, once hailed as the master of the Scattered Blade Form.
He was a swordsman with an abnormally large right arm, using that limb imbued with Innate Divine Strength to overcome the inherent limitation of the Scattered Sword Technique.
Though the technique could perfectly divide and deploy its Sword Strokes, its power was similarly divided—a weakness this man had completely overcome.
'So improvisation is impossible.'
Had this aberration been a normal martial artist?
Even without mastering the Chaotic Sword Technique, he should have naturally condensed his blade and forms to suit close combat.
Yet despite having learned an ultimate saber art like the Flying Scattered Blood Death Blade, the aberration showed no ability to adapt—only mechanically repeating the same Sword Strokes.
'They didn't just strengthen his body for nothing.'
Bu Eun-seol shifted his Sword Stroke once more, employing the Heavy Sword Technique to press down on the aberration's arms gripping the great blade.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the aberration raised a massive crimson footprint, attempting to crush Bu Eun-seol's neck.
It was the Iron Peak Flying Kick, a technique once mastered by Yeon So-geol, a renowned leg technique expert.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Bu Eun-seol lightly unfolded his footwork, weaving through the barrage of kicks embroidering the air.
'Without a doubt, he's only repeating pre-implanted martial arts.'
What the Three Realms had attempted in this secret location—
—was research into engraving the martial arts of exceptional adepts into the bodies of Demon-Binding Jade Men.
Unless decapitated, these beings did not die, and their Internal Power multiplied severalfold beyond normal levels.
In the past, Gu Ju-hon had exploited this trait, employing martial techniques that disregarded life to maximize the advantages of a Demon-Binding Jade Man.
But the current subject—
—was simultaneously utilizing the martial arts of multiple adepts.
Extreme Yang fist techniques like the Flame Emperor's Qi in his left arm. The Flying Scattered Blood Death Blade in his right. The Iron Peak Flying Kick in his legs.
These were ultimate arts that even a prodigious talent couldn't master in a short time.
Undoubtedly, they had been forcibly carved into him, exploiting the nature of a Demon-Binding Jade Man.
TAT.
Bu Eun-seol retreated briefly, putting distance between himself and the aberration, then exhaled sharply.
"Just why... even after dominating Murim, does the Three Realms commit acts like this?"
It made no sense.
The Three Realms were the hidden mastermind controlling the martial world.
What could they possibly lack—what could drive them to repeat such experiments?
[HOO—!]
Unable to kill Bu Eun-seol in a single strike, a blinding white light erupted from the aberration's eyes.
UUUNG.
An immense tremor ran through the great blade as faint shadows flickered around it.
At the highest realm of the Scattered Sword, even the slightest movement could weave endless afterimages in the air.
The aberration was unleashing the supreme form of the Flying Scattered Blood Death Blade—seeking to bisect Bu Eun-seol in one stroke.
CLACK.
Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ice Soul Sword.
This was the Starting Stance of the Killing Sword—a technique meant to end things swiftly, without suffering.
The aberration's abilities were formidable, but they were never on Bu Eun-seol's level to begin with.
Moreover, compared to when he had fought Gu Ju-hon, he had grown incomparably stronger...
Even if this was an enhanced Demon-Binding Jade Man, to him, it was nothing more than a tenacious Soulless One with a stubborn life force.
ROOOOAR!
In that instant, with a sound like a tidal wave, the aberration unleashed hundreds of blade shadows.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been watching indifferently, drew his sword again.
FLASH!
A brilliant light erupted as a violet thunderbolt erased every last one of the saber phantoms.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Simultaneously, the lightning—which had been carving the written character for "of" in midair—curved unnaturally three times.
Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder.
The supreme pinnacle of the Killing Sword doctrine, pioneered by Cheon Un-gwang, unfolded once more through Bu Eun-seol's hand.
SCHLICK. THUD.
Finally, the great blade slipped from the aberration's grip.
Then, like a machine halting mid-motion, it froze completely.
The Ultra Fast Killing Sword had been too swift—no external injuries were visible.
CLACK.
Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ice Soul Sword and turned away.
SLASH.
At the same moment, a crimson Blood Line traced across the aberration's neck before—
THUD.
—it toppled like a felled log.
Gongson Dan-a, who had been watching from afar, blinked.
"It's over?"
"It is."
She tilted her head with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Despite his appearance, he wasn't much, was he?"
Though Gongson Dan-a was a talented woman versed in exceptional Medical Arts, her knowledge and discernment of martial arts remained lacking.
To her eyes, Bu Eun-seol had effortlessly evaded the attacks and finished the fight with a single swift sword stroke—making the aberration's martial arts seem unremarkable.
"Let's go."
Whether she misunderstood or not, Bu Eun-seol moved forward without delay.
Soon, the exit came into view.
"This appears to be the last one."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Yet another vast stone chamber, sealed on all sides, lay before them.
The interior was enormous—spanning over three hundred feet—and as bright as midday.
But the moment they stepped inside, both halted.
Chained to one wall of the chamber was a black-robed man, half-buried in stone.