Chapter 669
But Bu Eun-seol did not wait for the Blood Emperor to prepare his attack.
"In the end, you were nothing more than a puppet doll."
With a short sigh, Bu Eun-seol brought his sword down vertically over the Blood Emperor's head in the stance of Mount Tai Pressing the Summit.
"Hmph!"
The Blood Emperor whirled both hands in circles, generating a fierce current of qi energy.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's sword technique transformed once more in that instant.
The overwhelming sword stroke, as if splitting Mount Tai itself, shifted in a flash into a whip-like sword qi just as agile and sharp.
Piercing through the torrent of energy the Blood Emperor had unleashed, it ruthlessly carved into his body.
Unlike before, he had now used True Qi to project sword qi.
Thwack! Thwack!
Unable to defend against the sword qi, the Blood Emperor staggered back 30 feet, flailing his arms wildly.
Whoosh!
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol was now employing his Internal Energy to execute sword techniques, the Blood Emperor once again spread his Blood Emperor Energy, attempting to provoke a clash of True Qi.
But that was his mistake.
"Huh...?"
This time, the sword stroke he unleashed was not one that relied on True Qi to manifest a technique. Instead, it amplified the power of the stroke through the profound principles of Martial Arts.
Flash!
As Bu Eun-seol thrust the Ink Soul Sword forward, a barrage of sword qi erupted like cannon fire.
The Blood Emperor hastily released another wave of Blood Emperor Energy—
But in truth, it was not sword qi at all. It was a Sword Phantom, an illusion created by Bu Eun-seol's rapid execution of sword techniques.
"Grrr—!"
The Blood Emperor roared in fury.
One moment, Bu Eun-seol would imbue his strikes with True Qi; the next, he would wield an ordinary sword stroke.
When the Blood Emperor tried to crush him with Internal Power, Bu Eun-seol would either counter with True Qi or unleash bizarre sword qi.
Swish!
In that same breath, a crescent-shaped blade of sharp sword qi sliced ruthlessly at the Blood Emperor's neck and waist.
It was the Dragon Roar Sword Technique—once the signature style of Je Un, the Vice Chief of the Innovation Unit, renowned for its uniqueness.
Crack!
Unable to discern what technique Bu Eun-seol was employing, the Blood Emperor chose not to face it head-on and instead leaped into the air.
But Bu Eun-seol had been waiting for exactly that.
Swish!
Swinging the Ink Soul Sword, he unleashed a rain of sword qi that poured down like a storm.
The Dragon Roar Sword Technique he had just used—
Had been nothing more than a feint, designed to further confuse the Blood Emperor's judgment and lure him into jumping skyward.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
The sword qi, falling like torrential rain, concentrated on the Blood Emperor's body, leaving countless gashes across his flesh.
"Ugh—!"
Enraged, the Blood Emperor shifted tactics once more.
From this point on, no matter what technique Bu Eun-seol used, he resolved to counter by spreading his Blood Emperor Energy.
After all, no matter how sharp an attack might be without the infusion of Internal Energy, it would never break through the formidable Body-Protecting Profound Energy shielding his body.
"Hahaha!"
Forcing his way through the sword qi Bu Eun-seol had created, the Blood Emperor unleashed a palm strike infused with Blood Emperor Energy.
Whoooosh—
As Bu Eun-seol retreated, the Blood Emperor raised both arms, conjuring a wall of crimson mist around them.
He had deployed Blood Wall of Rosy Clouds at close range, sealing off all escape routes, intending to vaporize Bu Eun-seol's blood in an instant.
But that was his fatal error.
"I expected as much."
A faint smile touched Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Swishhh—!
The Ink Soul Sword began spinning at high speed, unleashing terrifying sword qi.
Astonishingly, even while surrounded by the Blood Wall of Rosy Clouds, he continued to release devastating sword qi—
And began carving into the Blood Emperor's massive frame at close range.
Among the principles of Martial Arts,
There exists a profound method to unleash overwhelming power through sheer mastery of technique alone—without relying on Internal Energy.
However, such profundity can only be executed by Grandmasters who have mastered all Martial Arts, like the Martial Venerable or the Human Demon Ak Mu-ryeong.
Hadn't the Martial Venerable once driven a fragile Wooden Sword deep into a Stone Wall with nothing but a touch?
Of course, Bu Eun-seol had not yet reached such heights.
But in his battle against the Blood Emperor, he had momentarily grasped the profundity of the Langya Mind's Eye—allowing him to unleash power akin to theirs.
Flash! Flash!
Bu Eun-seol's sword techniques flowed without pause.
Though he used no Internal Energy, razor-sharp sword qi manifested, steadily dismantling the Blood Emperor's resilient Body-Protecting Profound Energy.
"Grr—!"
In the end, the Blood Emperor abandoned his strategy of vaporizing Bu Eun-seol's blood with Blood Emperor Energy.
Instead, he switched tactics, employing Blood Emperor Secret Soul Energy to withstand Bu Eun-seol's attacks while focusing on destroying his physical body.
But Bu Eun-seol's techniques had already reached a state of Perfect Freedom.
Through extreme concentration, his Langya Mind's Eye had completely transcended the limitations of a single Long Sword—
Allowing him to wield the subtleties and variations of all weapons as if by sorcery.
No matter how the Blood Emperor altered his combat style, he stood no chance against Bu Eun-seol.
Slash! Slash!
With every sweep of the Ink Soul Sword through the air, the Blood Emperor's massive frame was forced back step by step.
Not because of overwhelming force, but because Bu Eun-seol precisely targeted his vital points in sync with his movements.
Was this the phenomenon of All Streams Return to the Source?
The sword strokes Bu Eun-seol unleashed through the Langya Mind's Eye—
Were strikingly similar in essence to the Third Move of the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, Half-Alive, Half-Dead, which shattered defenses by anticipating the enemy's movements.
In truth, Bu Jan-yang had mastered the profound principles of all martial arts.
That was why he could create the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—a technique that transcended the boundaries of saber arts, no, of martial arts itself, wielding overwhelming power.
And now, with the Langya Mind's Eye activated, Bu Eun-seol was unconsciously utilizing the hidden principles within the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to instantly devise and unleash a terrifying sword art.
"Huuu!"
Skreeeech!
Unable to endure the storm-like barrage of Bu Eun-seol's sword techniques, the Blood Emperor's massive frame was relentlessly forced backward.
The Blood Emperor.
Among the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, he was said to wield the most bizarre martial arts.
He had devised a secret method that surpassed the limits of his own martial art, the Blood Emperor's Art, using it to eliminate countless formidable foes...
Yet in the end, he had become shackled by the Blood Emperor's Art, never reaching the pinnacle of martial mastery.
"So the Blood Emperor was merely the Blood Emperor after all."
No matter how extraordinary or mystical a martial art might be—once it was deciphered and shattered—
It felt as though it were nothing special at all.
"I thought you were on par with the Three Demons and Three Venerables... but it seems you were just a wielder of a blood-sucking Black Divine Artifact."
A glint of golden light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he muttered in disappointment.
Through the Langya Mind's Eye,
He had completely dismantled the Blood Emperor's martial arts from four hundred years ago, laying bare every weakness and limitation.
"Perhaps the Blood Emperor's Art was merely a shortcut—a way to escape the tedious grind of martial training."
As seen through the Langya Mind's Eye, the Blood Emperor's Art felt like...
A convenient method to swiftly eliminate opponents stronger than himself.
"Let's end this now."
Crraaack!
Bu Eun-seol fiercely spun the Ink Soul Sword and unleashed his sword technique.
This was not merely the essence of the Silk-Winding Principle—it was the culmination of Langya Pavilion's Practical Sword Study.
Splat! Splat!
With each pass of the Ink Soul Sword, blood spurted a foot high from the Blood Emperor's body.
Bu Eun-seol had begun severing every tendon and meridian in his limbs, rendering him incapable of even resisting.
Squelch.
Pale tendons burst forth like tree branches from the deep wounds.
Yet Bu Eun-seol did not stop. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips as he continued to unleash sword strokes.
"Huuu...!"
The Blood Emperor let out a pained groan as he stared at the tendons bulging from his body.
Only then did Bu Eun-seol snap back to his senses, a chill running down his spine.
'Have I resorted to such cruel methods...?'
The Langya Mind's Eye.
It was the pinnacle of Langya Pavilion's martial arts—capable of instantly grasping or dismantling the profound principles of any martial art...
But if one became lost in this power,
They risked losing all sense of self, transforming into a Great Demon who destroyed everything.
'The Pavilion Lord truly is extraordinary.'
Bu Eun-seol felt a renewed surge of respect for Ak Mu-ryeong.
The world spoke of the Human Demon as the most ruthless and cruel of all Great Demons.
But in truth, though he was tyrannical, he maintained an extremely meticulous and coldly rational personality.
To reach the highest realm of the Langya Mind's Eye and still retain such a spirit—that was no easy feat.
"Uuuugh..."
The Blood Emperor trembled uncontrollably, unable to move his body.
Though he had obtained the physical form and power of a grandmaster who had transcended time, advancing martial arts four hundred years ago...
In the end, he had failed to inherit the enlightenment of that grandmaster.
He had merely wielded a dead martial art—one that had not progressed an inch.
Against the ever-evolving martial arts of Langya Pavilion—
And against Bu Eun-seol, who had fully embraced their principles—
It was utterly ineffective.
"Even if you are not the true Blood Emperor... you may still be considered his successor."
Click.
With a solemn expression, Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ink Soul Sword.
Now that death was imminent, he would at least grant him the minimal courtesy.
"May you rest in peace."
Huuuum...
At that moment, a crimson heat haze began to rise from Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
Rooooar—
A sword resonance, akin to the roar of a dragon, echoed in all directions, as if time itself had frozen.
Simultaneously, the Ink Soul Sword, now glowing red-hot, emerged from its scabbard.
A killing sword technique—one that seized the perfect moment to sever an enemy's life in a single strike.
The Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form had been unleashed.
Sshhk.
A sharp slicing sound followed as a crimson bloodline was drawn across the Blood Emperor's thick neck.
"..."
The Blood Emperor gazed down at Bu Eun-seol with indifference.
His eyes held not pain or rage—but tranquility.
As if grateful to finally return to eternal slumber.
Thud.
His towering eight-foot frame collapsed to the ground.
And thus, the vengeful spirit of the Blood Emperor, resurrected by the Ghostly Return Array, was laid to rest by Bu Eun-seol's hand.
"KAAAH!"
The boys who had burst from the coffins let out eerie battle cries as they charged toward So Ok-rim.
Normally, those who became Demon-Binding Purgatory Beings would have stiffened joints and lose the capacity for rational thought—
Even if they had once mastered exceptional martial arts, they could no longer wield them properly.
But these children, with their supple bones and joints, had become Demon-Binding Purgatory Beings—and their host, Cheon-ung, commanded them.
Thus, like martial masters in life, the children unleashed their martial arts with terrifying precision.
They could execute their techniques with natural, flawless mastery.
Moreover, their small frames allowed them to move with agility and precision.
Even a master like So Ok-rim couldn't easily predict their movements.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With every martial technique the children unleashed, explosive sounds reverberated, and So Ok-rim's body was forced backward.
Originally, she had resolved to kill them quickly—to free them from this cruel bondage.
But now, facing them directly, she found it impossible.
These were the same children she had cared for like younger siblings for years.
The same pure souls who had once hugged her with outstretched arms, pressed their chubby cheeks against hers, and smiled brightly at her.
To think they had become puppets of the Three Realms.
To think they had been turned into weapons.
How could she possibly shatter those tender hands, those delicate bodies, with her own?
SCREEEECH!
Meanwhile, the children pressed in around her, unleashing bizarre demonic techniques.
Their attacks carried enough force to tear apart even a Vajra Bronze Man in an instant.
So Ok-rim defended herself relentlessly, but the children charged at her without regard for their own lives.
In the end, the only thing that increased was the number of wounds on her body.
"Haa... ha."
From within the coffin, Cheon-ung—the one commanding the children—let out a strange, mirthless laugh.
His humanity seemed utterly erased. Even as So Ok-rim struggled, her face twisted in pain, unable to counterattack—
He simply laughed, as if amused.
Whoooosh.
A faint light had begun to gather in So Ok-rim's hands.
She was preparing to unleash the Heaven-Collapsing Strike, a technique said to bring down the heavens with a single blow.
RUMBLE.
But in the end, she lowered her hands without striking.
'I can't do it.'
Though she might seem like the most reckless, wild woman in the world, So Ok-rim was surprisingly soft-hearted.
Her rough words and aggressive demeanor had always been a shield—hiding the tenderness beneath.
SHIIINK!
In that moment, a sharp force pierced toward her throat.
Wan-wan—the child who had always eaten the most—had seized an opening and struck with the Demon Master Capturing Claw Form.
"Tch!"
Lost in deep thought, So Ok-rim had no time to dodge.
The only way to counter was to summon Fist Aura and strike back with equal force—but that would mean hurting Wan-wan.
"Sister So!"
A thunderous shout erupted as a gray shadow descended in front of her.
CLANG! CLANG!
The shadow—wielding a dagger—blocked the Mara Capturing Claw Form aimed at So Ok-rim's side.
It was Yu Cheong-rim.
"Have you lost your mind, Sister So?!"
CLASH!
Forcing Wan-wan's claws back with his dagger, Yu Cheong-rim raised his voice.
"What the hell are you doing just standing there?!"
"So you want me to kill these adorable children with my own hands?!"
"These kids weren't kidnapped and turned into Soulless Ones!"
Yu Cheong-rim repeated the same words the boy from the Infinite Realm had told her.
"This orphanage itself is a den of evil ghosts they created!"
He had tried subduing the Infinite Realm operatives in the carriage, but they had all escaped.
Left with no choice, he had rushed to evacuate the children from the orphanage.
After ensuring their safety, he had been about to leave—but something about the facility felt off.
Using his skills, he uncovered secret documents hidden inside.
And what he found was this:
The orphanage had been built for one purpose—
To dispose of the children who had been the Infinite Realm's test subjects.
"Even the kids from Seyang Orphanage—the ones you supported—were the same! They were monsters from the start!"
"Shut up!"
"What? Did you already know?!"
As Yu Cheong-rim stared in disbelief, So Ok-rim gritted her teeth.
"I didn't know they were test subjects! But to me, they were like my own siblings!"
"So you're just going to let them rampage through the martial world?!"
THWACK!
In that moment, an arrow-like force shot through her shoulder.
DRIP.
Even then, So Ok-rim only furrowed her brows—she didn't retaliate.
Unable to stand it any longer, Yu Cheong-rim stepped forward again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Daggers in both hands, he desperately blocked the children's relentless attacks.
Blows that could sever a neck in an instant rained down—
But he couldn't blame So Ok-rim for standing there like a fool.
Because he could guess just how much pain she was in.
The face that had always been so fierce now looked like a child holding back tears.
"I know."
So Ok-rim stared blankly at Yu Cheong-rim as he defended her, murmuring softly.
"I already know... that I can't just leave them like this."
So Ok-rim was soft-hearted.
But that didn't mean she lacked intelligence or rationality.
She simply couldn't bring herself to destroy the children she had watched over for so long.
So she hesitated.
And hesitated.
"That's why I was waiting... for Bu Eun-seol."
So Ok-rim wiped away the faint tears welling in her eyes and took a deep breath.
"But now it's fine."
"Lady So!"
Yu Cheong-rim, who had been locked in a desperate struggle, shouted loudly upon seeing that So Ok-rim seemed to have made up her mind.
"If you've come to your senses, help me quickly! I can't hold out any longer!"
"...Since you're here."
"Huh?"
A white flash flickered in So Ok-rim's eyes as she spread her arms.
At the same time, a strange force began surging through Yu Cheong-rim's body as he fought desperately.
"Eh? Ehh?!"
Feeling as if his body might burst, Yu Cheong-rim looked at So Ok-rim in shock.
She hadn't even touched him.
Yet he realized she was injecting an overwhelming surge of Internal Energy into him through a technique akin to the Body-Striking Transmission Art.
Ziiing!
As the monstrous surge of Internal Power rose within him, a terrifying Sword Aura, three feet high, erupted from the dagger in Yu Cheong-rim's grip.
"Ugh! Uuugh!"
But a scream of agony tore from his lips.
The overwhelming Internal Energy flooding his body made it impossible to control his power, and instead, his movements became clumsy.
Thud!
Panicked, Yu Cheong-rim leapt into the air.
Boom!
But what should have been a light jump sent him soaring nearly 200 feet high—only to smash his head against the ceiling.
"Lady So! You poured in too much Internal Power!"
As Yu Cheong-rim yelled, So Ok-rim spread her arms again, as if she had no choice.
"Relax your body."
"Eh?"
"I said relax your body!"
Sssshhk!
At the same moment, dozens of thin steel wires burst from So Ok-rim's hands.
Thuk-thuk-thuk!
The wires embedded themselves into Yu Cheong-rim's major joints.
"Gahhh!"
The pain was so intense it felt like his joints were being ripped apart, and Yu Cheong-rim howled like a beast.
"Lady So! Your aim is off!"
But then, something bizarre happened.
As So Ok-rim moved her fingers, gripping the wires—
Yu Cheong-rim's body began moving against his will, like a marionette.
Living Mirror Wooden Puppet.
One of the Star Emperor's secret techniques.
A forbidden art that used fine threads to control another person's body as if it were a clone.
In the past, the Star Emperor had single-handedly crushed the Vast Heaven Society—
And at that time, he had used this very technique to sweep away eight thousand troops alone.
Now, four hundred years later, So Ok-rim was controlling Yu Cheong-rim's body—not with threads, but with steel wires.
"Lady So! A-Are you listening to me?!"
Whether Yu Cheong-rim screamed or not, So Ok-rim continued manipulating his body to fight the children who had become Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans.
Whoosh! Crash!
As So Ok-rim's fingers danced wildly, Yu Cheong-rim alternated between darting at blinding speeds and halting abruptly.
Had he not been a Master of Lightness Art who had mastered the Great Lightning Shadow, he would have already lost consciousness from the sheer force alone.
"L-Lady So! Lady So!"
Just then, one of the boys caught up to Yu Cheong-rim's ghostly movements and swung to sever his legs.
"Legs! Legs!"
Sssshhk! Shatter!
But So Ok-rim made Yu Cheong-rim leap once more in midair, narrowly evading the attack.
Yet it was too soon to relax.
The other children had already encircled him, relentlessly stabbing at his vital points.
"Lady So! I'm gonna die!"
"I know!"
So Ok-rim frantically moved her hands, unleashing martial arts through Yu Cheong-rim's body—
"Gah! GAAAH!"
But even under the effects of the Living Mirror Wooden Puppet, Yu Cheong-rim thrashed like a madman, screaming.
Because of this, his movements deviated from what So Ok-rim intended, making it impossible to execute the subtleties of her martial techniques.
"Stay still!"
"Save me! Please save me!"
"Shut up! I told you to relax and stay still!"
"How am I supposed to relax when I see that?! Uuugh!"
While Yu Cheong-rim was losing his mind, one of the boys leapt into the air and slashed at his neck.
The strike was so perfectly timed and lightning-fast that no matter how So Ok-rim adjusted—
It was inevitable. Yu Cheong-rim's head would be severed.
"Tch!"
So Ok-rim muttered under her breath—
Shatter!
Then suddenly, she launched Yu Cheong-rim forward at blinding speed.
"Eh?! Ehh?!"
Yu Cheong-rim screamed.
At this rate, wouldn't their bodies collide and self-destruct?
"GAAAH!"
At the same moment, Yu Cheong-rim's body shot forward like an arrow, crashing into the attacking boy's right arm.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
The boy's right arm flew into the air.
Yet Yu Cheong-rim's body remained unharmed.
Thanks to So Ok-rim pouring all her Internal Power into him via the Body-Striking Transmission Art—
His body had momentarily become as indestructible as Vajra.
"Ugh..."
Though he had survived, Yu Cheong-rim retched.
His face was drenched in the fluids and by-products that had splattered from the obliterated arm.
"Right, you specialize in Movement Techniques."
So Ok-rim nodded as if realizing something.
Yu Cheong-rim was a peerless Master of Lightness Art, even within the Murim.
Because of this, when controlling him with the Living Mirror Wooden Puppet, he shot forward with even greater force than if she had acted herself.
What if she used this trait to her advantage in martial arts?
What if she treated Yu Cheong-rim's body itself like a slingshot?
Rather than clumsily executing martial techniques, she could unleash far more devastating power this way.
"L-Lady So?"
In that instant, Yu Cheong-rim's pupils dilated in terror, as if they might tear apart.
He had realized exactly what So Ok-rim was about to do.