Chapter 471
'An extraordinary master.'
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
No matter that they were inside a cave dozens of yards away—how could he have failed to detect their presence?
"I want to die! Aaah!"
With another thunderous scream, the Soulless Ones shot out like arrows once more.
Swish.
At the same time, an enormous figure emerged from the cave.
Clad in a thick fur coat made of bear hide, the figure stood over seven feet tall.
Had Bu Eun-seol not seen the long hair fluttering behind that fur coat... he might have mistaken it for a massive bear stepping out of the cave.
Thud. Thud.
The figure draped in bear hide strode toward Bu Eun-seol and So-yo with heavy steps.
Finally, their features became visible under the sunlight.
A woman with large eyes and slightly plump cheeks—a beauty. It was So Ok-rim.
Unlike before, she seemed to have lost some weight, her face now even cuter, and her robust physique slightly more slender.
"Like a bear cub," So-yo muttered under her breath.
Around the same time—
"Why the hell did you dump these mindless lumps in my cave?! You ruined my meditation!"
Still fuming, So Ok-rim jabbed a finger at the fallen Soulless Ones and barked.
"Huh?"
Only then did she finally notice Bu Eun-seol's face and widened her eyes.
"What brings you here?"
Her plump cheeks puffing out, she approached him with a bright smile.
"What, did you miss me? How'd you even know I was here?"
"No. I came for business."
"Business? Ah, these lumps of meat scattered around Tianshan?"
So Ok-rim snorted as if she'd pieced it together.
"Why bother coming all the way here for that? You could've just sent some underlings."
She stepped closer, resting a hand on Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
"It's not like they're any threat, just wandering around near Tianshan anyway. It's not like they'd walk thousands of miles to the Demon Hall, right?"
"I didn't come for the Soulless Ones."
Bu Eun-seol pushed her arm off his shoulder, his eyes filled with suspicion.
The fact that the Man in Black—who had taught Jeong Cheon the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—was hiding in Tianshan was a secret among secrets.
So when So Ok-rim appeared here as if she'd been waiting, suspicion was inevitable.
"What's with that look?"
"What were you doing here?"
"What do you mean? Training."
So Ok-rim frowned as if the question was absurd.
"I told you. I'd train and come back."
"You chose this place for training?"
"You think I came to this desolate wasteland for sightseeing?"
Seeing the doubt still etched on Bu Eun-seol's face, she scowled.
"There's no better place to temper your spirit and mind, right? Freezing cold, no people. Even with the scenery like this, there's plenty of game to hunt, and frozen ponds and lakes everywhere."
Despite her explanation, Bu Eun-seol's suspicion didn't fade.
"You've been training here the entire time since we parted?"
"Yeah."
As Bu Eun-seol pressed further, So Ok-rim's expression soured.
"What, are you doubting me now?"
"It's too much of a coincidence."
"What coincidence?"
Her cheeks puffing out in irritation, Bu Eun-seol pointed toward the cave.
"Can I see inside?"
"Where?"
"The cave."
So Ok-rim clicked her tongue, understanding his intent.
"Fine, that'll settle it faster than a hundred words. Take a good look!"
Grumbling, she marched into the cave.
Bu Eun-seol followed, scanning the interior where she had stayed.
She must have lived here for a while—there were wooden utensils carved from trees, a makeshift bed in one corner, and what looked like rope made from braided bark.
Zzzing.
Still, Bu Eun-seol immediately invoked the Empty Mind Spirit Perception, meticulously examining every inch of the cave.
He needed to confirm when these items had been made, how long she had been here.
'Definitely old.'
Judging by the wear on the utensils, she had clearly been staying here for at least a year.
'So she really was training here.'
Enduring the cold while honing the Mind-Training Formula sharpens focus, much like invoking the Cold Heart Art.
It seemed she had come here to master the Mind-Training Formula, aiming to drastically shorten her training time.
'That day's events must have truly shaken her.'
So Ok-rim hadn't begun her training because her martial arts were lacking.
She had been deeply rattled by the sheer might of the Illusion King Sa Ok-cheong's Spirit Summoning Secret Voice.
More than that, she had realized that unless she tempered her spirit and mind into unbreakable steel, she wouldn't stand a chance against the torrent of formidable enemies yet to come.
And her choice had been the right one.
After all, not long after, a master of the Mind-Seizing Art as formidable as Hyeokryeon Eung had emerged—and even Bu Eun-seol had nearly died failing to break free from its grip.
"Satisfied? Any more doubts left?"
When So Ok-rim huffed indignantly, as if wronged, Bu Eun-seol sighed and shook his head.
"No, nothing."
"What do you mean, nothing?"
"I've run out of reasons to doubt you."
As Bu Eun-seol conceded readily, So Ok-rim clicked her tongue.
"You're fine in every other way, but you're just too damn suspicious."
Then, sniffling, she asked,
"Alright, then. So, what's the matter now?"
Bu Eun-seol, who had been deep in thought, fixed his gaze on her and spoke.
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade? That guy's still alive?"
So Ok-rim's expression suggested she knew nothing about him.
"Not necessarily. But it seems someone who learned his saber techniques is here."
"What do you mean, his saber techniques?"
After a brief pause, Bu Eun-seol recounted everything he had heard from Jeong Cheon.
Not because he trusted her implicitly, but because the information wouldn't matter even if revealed.
More than anything, he was curious about her reaction.
"So you're saying they had a close connection with the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
So Ok-rim stroked her chin with a grave expression.
"That explains why those meat puppets were wandering around Tianshan."
She didn't seem to think much of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's involvement.
Bu Eun-seol, staring intently at her, asked,
"How long have the Soulless Ones been here?"
"Since before I arrived."
So Ok-rim grimaced slightly as she spoke.
"I figured those Eight Emperors and Three Stars bastards mass-produced those things, then dumped them here because they didn't know what else to do with them."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
So Ok-rim still believed—based on the Divine Calculator's words—that the faction manipulating the Orthodox and Unorthodox sects was the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars.
"If what you're saying is true, then tracking down that Man in Black would be nearly impossible, no? He must've chosen Tianshan because he was absolutely confident he wouldn't be found."
"Most likely."
Bu Eun-seol nodded indifferently before turning away.
"Then I'll leave you to your training."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
Then he added,
"Given the presence of the Soulless Ones, there may be Masters from the Three Realms somewhere in these mountains. Be careful."
"The Three Realms?"
Since dealing with the Illusion King, So Ok-rim had remained here, completely unaware of any developments regarding the Three Realms.
Reluctantly, Bu Eun-seol shared everything he had uncovered about them so far.
"Hmm... the Three Realms. The Three Realms."
Her expression turned cryptic, as if faintly recalling something from the depths of memory.
"They don't act openly, but their envoys are different. Not only do they issue direct orders, their martial arts are formidable—so you must stay vigilant."
So Ok-rim's background remained unclear.
But after weathering countless trials together, Bu Eun-seol considered her, at the very least, a comrade.
"Why worry about that? If they cross my path, they'll be reduced to pulp."
So Ok-rim flexed her muscular arms with a grin.
"So, we're hunting that Man in Black together?"
"Yes. The Masked Old Man is undoubtedly one of the Three Realms' agents. We must find him before they do."
"Hmm."
So Ok-rim stroked her chin, then nodded firmly.
"Fine. I'm in."
"Focus on your training."
Bu Eun-seol refused flatly.
This was for her sake as well.
If she interrupted her spirit and mind training now, all her efforts would be for nothing.
"Heh. What nonsense. I finished tempering my spirit and mind ages ago. I've been working on something else."
"You're done?"
"Yep. Here, look."
So Ok-rim pointed toward the deepest part of the cave.
The walls there were covered in chaotic arrays of lines and geometric shapes.
And in another section, constellations were carved in continuous rings within circular patterns.
"Ugh."
So-yo, who had been staring at it, furrowed her brow and sharply turned her head away.
Just looking at it made her head spin and her stomach churn with nausea.
As expected.
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
Once again, he was struck by the realization that So Ok-rim was truly a descendant of the Star Emperor.
To think that mere chaotic lines and geometric shapes could produce an effect capable of striking one's Spirit and Mind—
The Martial Arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars all possessed power and abilities that transcended ordinary martial realms...
And So Ok-rim was no exception.
"I'll help you. That way, we'll find it faster, right?"
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol stroked his chin.
So Ok-rim's personality was insufferable, but her wisdom was exceptional, and she excelled in pursuit.
Hadn't they resolved the Black-White Witch incident much faster than expected precisely because they had worked together?
"Fine. Then let's go together."
"But—"
Only then did So Ok-rim turn her gaze to So-yo, who stood quietly beside Bu Eun-seol.
"Who's this little one?"
Her eyes widened as she asked again.
"Your little sister?"
With snow-white skin and silver-tinted pupils so large they took up half her face, So-yo possessed an ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty.
Not only that, but she also carried an air of quiet melancholy that perfectly mirrored Bu Eun-seol's own subdued demeanor.
"Vice Chief So."
"Little Vice Chief? So there's a big Vice Chief too?"
"No, she's my adjutant when I venture into the Martial World."
The name So-yo ("Little Demon") was merely an assassin's alias given to her by the White Rank Assassination Sect—not her real name.
But after being placed under Bu Eun-seol's command, the leaders of the Death Shadow War Unit, who weren't particularly well-read, heard her name and—
Decided it must be a proper name: So as the family name, Yo as the given name. And so, her assassin's alias had effectively become her real name.
Unaware of this, So Ok-rim had interpreted it not as "Vice Chief of the So family" but as "Little Vice Chief."
"Even if you're short on people, this is too much! You're dragging a child into the Martial World?"
Tsk-tsking, she beamed at So-yo.
"Little girl, what's your name? Which sect are you from?"
"I'm older than you."
So-yo's icy retort only made So Ok-rim burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! This adorable little girl even cracks jokes!"
As if even So-yo's frosty demeanor was cute to her, she cackled and reached out with a hand the size of a pot lid to pinch So-yo's cheek.
So-yo tilted her head slightly to avoid it.
Shiver.
But the hand trembled erratically—and before she knew it, So Ok-rim's fingers were already squeezing her small, pale cheek.
"Oh dear, so cute! When I marry my Destined Partner... I hope I have a daughter as adorable as you. Ho-ho-ho!"
Judging by So Ok-rim's bone structure and features, the odds of her bearing a delicate girl like So-yo were slim.
But after glancing at Bu Eun-seol's slender frame, she nodded firmly.
"Hmm, it's entirely possible."
So-yo coldly swatted away So Ok-rim's hand and asked:
"How old are you?"
"Me? Hmm... Twenty-one? Or maybe twenty-two?"
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol was speechless.
He had assumed she was at least his age, if not older.
But she had only just passed twenty? That meant when he first met Seo Jin-ha, she hadn't even reached twenty yet?
"You're young."
"Huh?"
"I'm thirty."
So Ok-rim's eyes flickered.
It was the exact same reaction Bu Eun-seol had when he first met So-yo.
"Hahahah!"
But So Ok-rim was no ordinary person.
Blinking her big eyes, she pursed her lips and pinched So-yo's cheek again.
"Oh really? Did our little girl here want to be a thirty-year-old grown-up?"
"Stop pinching my cheek."
"Ah, okay, okay."
Laughing, she ruffled So-yo's hair instead.
"But you shouldn't tease adults."
"Stop touching my hair."
"Ah, okay, okay."
From then on, So-yo's protests came in an endless stream—
"Don't pat my head."
"Don't pull my earlobe."
"Don't smack my butt."
Yet despite the scolding, So Ok-rim, for some inexplicable reason, seemed delighted. She only stopped after thoroughly fussing over So-yo for a long while.
They get along better than I expected.
Bu Eun-seol had assumed that if So Ok-rim and So-yo clashed, chaos would ensue.
If So-yo was the North Wind howling through midwinter, then So Ok-rim was the blazing Solar Radiance of midsummer, drenching people in sweat.
But contrary to expectations, So-Yo didn't lose her temper, and So Ok-rim didn't throw a fit either.
Being polar opposites, their dynamic somehow complemented each other quite well.
"Then let's get going."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, So Ok-rim flashed a bright smile, revealing her white teeth.
"Sure."
Even with one more person added to their group, combing through every corner of this vast Tianshan was no easy task.
The search party consisted of only three people, including Bu Eun-seol. Realistically, finding a single Master hiding somewhere in these mountains was nearly impossible.
But Bu Eun-seol had a unique method to swiftly scour Tianshan.
Because the Three Realms had already poured in considerable manpower to search.
Meaning, they would have thoroughly checked all terrains suitable for long-term hiding.
Therefore, Bu Eun-seol quickly bypassed areas that had already been searched and focused on places that hadn't been combed through yet.
"It's a good method, but it's still not enough."
As the sun began to set, So Ok-rim shook her head while following Bu Eun-seol's instructions.
"Even with this method, it'd take at least several months to cover all of Tianshan. By then, he might've already changed hideouts."
She continued without pause.
"If he's evaded the pursuit of such formidable factions, he must have some special concealment techniques. Who knows—he might even be hiding again in a place that's already been searched."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"An accurate analysis. Realistically, it's impossible for three people to find someone who's avoided the Three Realms' pursuit here for so long."
"Oh? So you already have another plan in mind?"
"I do. I just wanted to try finding him myself first."
"Then what now?"
Bu Eun-seol calmly surveyed their surroundings before speaking.
"If we can't find him, we'll have to draw him out."
"Oh-ho."
"Fortunately, I possess something that would catch the Man in Black's interest—and make the Three Realms' forces salivate as well."
Bu Eun-seol currently held the complete Blade Essence of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
And the Man in Black had only taught Jeong Cheon the first and fourth forms of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
Not the first and second forms, but the first and fourth.
This suggested that the Man in Black himself likely hadn't mastered the all the forms of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms.
"What's the bait?"
At So Ok-rim's question, Bu Eun-seol fell silent for a moment.
He trusted her to some extent—but not completely.
"The Bloody Tears Seven Forms he passed down to me."
Bu Eun-seol mixed a lie into his answer.
"Jeong Cheon—he left me the Blade Essence as he was dying. Since the Man in Black was the one who taught him the saber technique... if I leave traces of that technique everywhere, he'll inevitably come looking for me."
In other words, the plan was to impersonate Jeong Cheon by using the saber technique he had learned, thereby luring out the Man in Black.
"Hmm. That makes sense."
So Ok-rim grasped his plan immediately.
"In that case, to ensure the hidden one can find you without interference, we'll need to disrupt the Three Realms' pursuit."
If Bu Eun-seol wandered alone, leaving traces of the saber technique behind?
Not only the Man in Black, but the Three Realms forces hiding in Tianshan would also chase after him.
So, to prevent them from easily tracking Bu Eun-seol, So Ok-rim and So-Yo would have to divert their attention.
"Exactly."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
So Ok-rim's strategic mind was sharp—there was no need for further explanation.
"Well, it's not exactly a thrilling plan since we won't be fighting head-on. But I did promise to help, so I'll deal with it."
So Ok-rim clicked her tongue and glanced at So-Yo.
"Does she have to go separately too?"
"Yes. The more scattered the traces, the better."
"Ugh."
Uncharacteristically concerned for the doll-like, frail So-Yo, So Ok-rim spoke with unusual gentleness.
"Take care of yourself. Don't get hurt."
"You too."
"Hahaha. Still so curt, huh? You little brat."
As So Ok-rim reached out to poke her cheek—
Pat!
So-Yo activated her Movement Technique and vanished in an instant.
"Oh-ho, she's quite skilled with that Movement Technique. No need to worry, then."
So Ok-rim nodded as she watched the direction So-Yo had disappeared in.
"Shall we get started now?"
"No need to stir up too much trouble. Just enough disruption will suffice."
"'Just enough'? What's the point of that?"
So Ok-rim bared her fangs at Bu Eun-seol.
"If we're doing this, we might as well smash them to pieces."
Boom!
In one leap, she soared into mid-air and unleashed her Movement Technique in the opposite direction So-Yo had gone.
Kwaaaa!
Unlike usual, So Ok-rim charged forward with a deafening Sound of Breaking Air.
This way, the Soulless Ones scattered across Tianshan would hear the noise and come running.
While So Ok-rim and So-Yo diverted attention, Bu Eun-seol would leave traces of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms everywhere—
All in the hope that the Man in Black would come looking for him.