Chapter 948
"How is something like this possible?"
An emotion that had never surfaced before now rose within In Bi-in's pupils.
It was the glimmer of fear—something he had never once revealed until this moment.
"Imagine to your heart's content."
Bu Eun-seol curled the corner of his lips upward.
Thanks to Yu Un-ryong, he had managed to grasp one of the formation studies recorded in the ancient secret manual, the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms.
The Mind's Eye Mirror.
A secret art of the ages that could create a Mindscape simply by arranging a formation derived from the workings of celestial mechanisms.
Among the Servants of the True Demon, there were naturally many who were proficient in Mindscapes.
Like Yeon-wol, one of In Bi-in's subordinate familiars, who had often freely unfolded Mindscapes.
Bu Eun-seol had always been wary of those Mindscapes—and to defend against them,
he had installed a formation around the Thatched Cottage, applying the principles of the Mind's Eye Mirror.
However, since In Bi-in had only ever used martial arts until now, he had never deployed it.
But then, not only had In Bi-in abruptly unleashed a Phase on a completely different level from any Mindscape Bu Eun-seol had ever experienced,
but upon realizing that he was using a Fake Body,
Bu Eun-seol activated the Mind's Eye Mirror he had prepared,
transmitting the agony of that Fake Body melting away directly into In Bi-in's Spirit and Mind.
After all, for In Bi-in, whose body had already completely melted away, there would be no strength left to defend against a Mindscape.
Conveying pain indistinguishable from reality within a Mindscape was an easy task.
"A Phase?"
Only then did In Bi-in sense something amiss, his eyes widening.
"That can't be."
He had bestowed upon all his subordinate In Bi-ins the power of the False Phase Constant's Second Layer—
such was his unparalleled mastery in unfolding Mindscapes, surpassing even the Four Divine Heavens.
Yet some mere rogue had not only unfolded a Mindscape, but was transmitting the pain of a Fake Body melting away to him?
Deploying a Mindscape that even he couldn't detect?
Just how was something like this possible?
"...So that's how it is."
In Bi-in was still In Bi-in.
Enduring pain that felt like death itself, he scanned his surroundings—
and only then did he perceive that every single stone and blade of grass around the Thatched Cottage had been arranged according to an intricate and cunning Natural Order.
"Such a setup would be absolutely impossible with the current level of Formation Study in the martial world."
In Bi-in muttered lowly.
"You've deployed an ancient formation."
Swallowing the pain, he wore a peculiar smile.
"You're not alone... There's someone behind you."
The ancient formation installed around this Thatched Cottage
was not only so covert and cunningly arranged that even an expert of Phases like himself couldn't detect it,
but its layout and intricacy were more complex and abstruse than the movements of countless stars in the sky—
so much so that even a genius like him couldn't possibly fathom it.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Bu Eun-seol snorted, maintaining his silence.
"What's installed here is merely a Battle Formation to block attacks from Mindscapes. There's nothing that diverges from reality."
In Bi-in continued in a low voice.
"Since your body is already ruined, you wouldn't have the strength to block such things anyway. Conveying the pain of your body melting away isn't difficult... That's what you were going to say, wasn't it?"
"How composed. Does the destruction of a Fake Body mean nothing to you?"
"Who knows."
As In Bi-in answered leisurely,
a light as intense as the Solar Radiance poured from Bu Eun-seol's pupils as he watched In Bi-in's body melt away.
"You said you've always been the hunter, didn't you?"
From his body emanated the majesty of a Grandmaster capable of splitting heaven and earth.
"From now on, I'll be the one hunting you."
In Bi-in had spent generations defeating powerful warriors and researching their bodies,
but now, all his methods had been dismantled by Bu Eun-seol.
Even if he had brought his True Body,
even if he had unfolded a Mindscape...
Every single one of his methods would have been countered.
"In the future, I'll study the ancient secret arts you all use and identify the places where the Absolute Boundary is laid. If I keep at it, sooner or later... I'll find your True Form and your Headquarters."
In an instant, In Bi-in's expression stiffened.
A premonition struck him—that Bu Eun-seol truly might uncover his True Form and the Headquarters where he resided.
"As expected, you're no mere rogue."
In Bi-in blinked his wrinkled eyelids.
"It's truly strange. For someone so young to spout such words, there's only one possibility—the Martial Soul Lord, the Heir of the Demon Hall."
Even In Bi-in, the foremost expert in the field of physical bodies, who had spent generations researching the bodies of the martial world's strongest—
Bu Eun-seol's mastery of the Darkness Secret Arts remained beyond his comprehension.
"Seol-so. I will capture you without fail and make you my research subject."
Tsk.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast glanced down at his nearly melted body and grinned.
"And I'll take my time uncovering who's pulling your strings. So... make sure you survive."
At his smug remark, Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
"All this research into the physical body—is it for the True Demon's resurrection?"
"Resurrection? Huhu. Why would that be necessary?"
A chilling answer.
Did that mean the True Demon was already walking freely through the Martial World—or had it already completed preparations to achieve its desires?
"Then what are these experiments for?"
"Not experiments."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast curled his lips in a cryptic smile.
"Research to change things."
"What are you talking about?"
"In the end, all I can do is roll the dice."
Roll the dice.
The phrase could be taken as toying with another's fate for amusement—
But to Bu Eun-seol's ears, it sounded like a declaration that he no longer served as the True Demon's loyal subordinate.
"Are you dreaming of rebellion?"
"Rebellion? Kehkehkeh."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast laughed for a long time, as if something were unbearably funny.
Even as his body melted away, even as the Mind's Eye Mirror unfolded by Bu Eun-seol inflicted agony upon him—
His laughter was utterly genuine.
"You seem to know many things, yet remain oblivious to what truly matters."
Amused, he blinked repeatedly.
"I'll postpone making you my test subject for now."
Then, with the solemn air of someone granting a great favor, he said:
"Go to Cheongun Manor in the Western Forest."
"Cheongun Manor?"
"You must have many questions about the True Demon. If so, start gathering clues from there."
Bu Eun-seol's brow arched.
The Servants of the True Demon never uttered the words "True Demon."
So why did Neither-Human-Nor-Beast speak them so freely?
"Why tell me this?"
A sudden realization flickered across his face, and he snorted.
"Setting a trap? Trying to confirm my identity again?"
If he rushed to investigate based on these words—
Wouldn't it only expose his true identity or background?
"If you've considered that much, I needn't worry about you falling into others' traps."
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast curled his half-melted lips into a smirk.
"I told you. I merely roll the dice."
Hearing that, Bu Eun-seol understood.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, who had studied human bodies for so long—
Was no longer the True Demon's faithful servant.
He was simply a being consumed by madness.
A true Madman of the World.
"You'd best go quickly. Tracing the True Demon's footsteps won't be easy."
Drip. Drip.
By now, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's body had completely dissolved.
Though it was a Fake Body, the pain had undoubtedly been real—he wouldn't act recklessly again.
Hiss—
The liquefied flesh bubbled and spread like candle wax, while the clothes smoldered and decayed as if drenched in Bone-Melting Acid.
Then, something grotesque hidden deep within the Fake Body slowly revealed itself.
It resembled a polished obsidian orb, its surface gleaming with a dark luster—
Twisted veins, scar-like, clung to its surface.
Those veins writhed faintly, as if alive,
And within them, black blood seemed to flow sluggishly.
At its center was a vertical slit—like an enormous, unblinking eyelid.
"This... You should see this for yourself."
After staring at the grotesque orb for a long moment, Bu Eun-seol called out.
Thud.
The Thatched Cottage shuddered as though alive—
Creeak—
Then the door opened, and a figure in blue robes stepped out.
Eyes like a still winter lake—clear, deep, shimmering with countless starlights.
Though scars, as if parts of his skin had melted, marred his face—
His smile, like slow-spreading sunlight, and the composed, tranquil air around him
Transformed even those wounds into marks of restrained elegance.
A young man of mystifying presence.
There stood the sole survivor of Sage Forest, Han Sang-ja.
"To think it wasn't Heavenly Mechanism Star who appeared, but a Servant of the True Demon..."
Han Sang-ja shook his head with a regretful expression as he looked at the completely melted corpse of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast.
His purpose had always been Heavenly Mechanism Star—Chu-so—the one who had brutally slaughtered his fellow sages of Sage Forest.
Yet instead, one of the Eight Heavenly Servants, Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, had appeared.
"Truth be told, I also expected Heavenly Mechanism Star to come, but it ended up like this."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue.
Originally, he had deliberately used the alias Seol-so to join wandering martial artists and annihilate fifteen orphanages scattered across the Central Plains—including Grace House—along with all their affiliates.
His goal had been to lure out Chu-so, who had been running orphanages to turn pitiful children into his puppets.
But the Black Divine Heavenly Lord, who harbored a deep grudge against him, had struck first.
Still, just in case, Bu Eun-seol had contacted Han Sang-ja and destroyed an orphanage established by Heavenly Mechanism Star.
He had also relayed the general situation—that the Black Divine Heavenly Lord, who bore resentment toward him, had sent his subordinates to slaughter the wandering martial artists.
"There's a chance Heavenly Mechanism Star might come as well, so we must prepare for all possibilities."
Upon receiving the message, Han Sang-ja immediately sought out Bu Eun-seol and offered him various pieces of advice.
Especially because Heavenly Mechanism Star was someone who had even restored ancient spells long lost to time, completing the Yin-Killing Soul-Transferring Man.
He couldn't be dealt with through martial arts alone, and there was no predicting what methods he might employ.
"I possess a battle formation capable of manifesting a mental world."
"No matter how many formidable enemies come, if we unleash the Harmonization of the Mind's Eye Mirror, we should be able to handle them."
Bu Eun-seol shared the ancient formation studies from the Essentials of Strange Mechanisms—the Mind's Eye Mirror—with Han Sang-ja.
"This... seems to be missing some incantations."
Surprisingly, Han Sang-ja instantly restored the missing incantations of the Mind's Eye Mirror—something even Yu Un-ryong had failed to reconstruct.
"If you permit me, I'd like to modify this slightly and set it up."
"If adjusted properly... whether it's Heavenly Mechanism Star or a Servant of the True Demon, we should be able to trap them in one fell swoop."
Was he not transforming it into a formation far surpassing the original Mind's Eye Mirror, one capable of unleashing power several times greater?
"To install the modified Mind's Eye Mirror, we'll need a base. Since you, Lord, must also train, it would be best to build a new thatched cottage and use it as a trap."
Bu Eun-seol accepted Han Sang-ja's advice and began constructing the cottage.
The newly modified Mind's Eye Mirror required not only calculating the placement of every furnishing inside the cottage but also the positions of stones and even single blades of grass outside, as well as the light of the sun in the sky.
It was so complex that even Bu Eun-seol—who could unravel layered formations in an instant—couldn't fully grasp its principles.
Neither-Human-Nor-Beast, a master of mental worlds, had also been unable to decipher it.
"I'll dig beneath the cottage and employ the Turtle Breath Grand Art. After all, the formation must be maintained."
Moreover, to sustain the newly created Mind's Eye Mirror, a living person had to be placed at the celestial origin point.
"There's no helping it. Understood."
In truth, Bu Eun-seol already knew.
Han Sang-ja had deliberately altered the formation this way—just in case Heavenly Mechanism Star appeared.
If someone like him, who could freely modify ancient formations, was involved... surely there had to be a way to maintain the Mind's Eye Mirror without placing a person at the celestial origin.
Finishing his recollection, Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue again and spoke.
"There's no way Heavenly Mechanism Star wouldn't be keeping tabs on the movements of the True Demon's Servants."
His expression was one of frustration.
"He couldn't possibly be unaware that the Black Divine Heavenly Lord is targeting the wandering martial artist Seol-so... For now, he'll be watching this situation unfold with interest."
"No, that's not it."
Han Sang-ja shook his head.
"This incident isn't unrelated to Heavenly Mechanism Star."
"How so?"
"It was too fast."
He continued.
"Even if the Black Divine Heavenly Lord holds a grudge against you, Lord, and even if Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had a keen interest in the wandering martial artist Seol-so... to orchestrate luring you out using the Killing Ghost would require an enormous amount of information."
"So you're saying Heavenly Mechanism Star, who bore a grudge against the wandering martial artist Seol-so over Grace House, provided them with that information?"
"Precisely. Otherwise, it would mean the Black Divine Heavenly Lord or Neither-Human-Nor-Beast had been keeping close watch on the wandering martial artist Seol-so from the start... and that makes no sense."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Truly, a sage was a sage.
Even in the smallest details that could easily be overlooked, he pierced straight to the heart of the matter and grasped the entire flow of events.
"But what exactly are you telling me to look at?"
"Ah."
Letting out a soft exclamation, Bu Eun-seol pointed at the orb left behind in Neither-Human-Nor-Beast's body.
"There was something like this left in his body. The figures from the Return to Unity Realm who previously used Fake Bodies didn't have anything like this."
Han Sang-ja crouched down beside the partially melted flesh of Neither-Human-Nor-Beast and without hesitation retrieved a black orb buried within, placing it on his palm.
Upon extraction, it became clear this was no smooth sphere—it more closely resembled a freshly extracted heart from a living creature. Delicate blood vessels like fine threads, or in some areas thick veins, densely covered the black mass, giving it an unsettling organic appearance.
"Brother Han."
"It's fine."
Squelch.
The moment he held it, the orb adhered to Han Sang-ja's hand, spreading crimson tendrils like veins across his skin. Simultaneously, a faint energy seeped from the eye-shaped markings on its surface.
Sssk—
But it seemed this object did not react to living flesh. Unable to spread further, it gradually began shrinking in size.
"It appears to be a restored version of an ancient Demon Eye Pearl," Han Sang-ja remarked, glancing at Bu Eun-seol.
"Simply put, it's a medium that connects consciousness and a device that supplies power to execute commands."
He extended the black orb—the Demon Eye Pearl—toward Bu Eun-seol.
"If you embed this inside a Fake Body, it allows precise control over the artificial form, much like how the human brain governs the body through the nervous system."
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Such a demonic artifact would be better kept by you, Brother Han."
Han Sang-ja smirked, as if he had seen right through Bu Eun-seol's thoughts.
"You mean to say I should use it to track down those with Fake Bodies—or perhaps find a means to counter them."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
His wisdom was on par with Heavenly Mechanism Star's.
With this, Han Sang-ja would undoubtedly extract something useful from the Demon Eye Pearl.
"I owe you this time," Bu Eun-seol said, looking at him.
"If you ever need assistance, just say the word. I'll lend you an arm."
Both men were racing toward vengeance, willing to sacrifice everything for it.
Though they shared a deep camaraderie... their unshakable purpose took precedence.
Their agreement to aid each other in perilous matters was strictly one of mutual benefit.
"Thank you."
Han Sang-ja nodded solemnly, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky.
"You intend to head to the place Neither-Human-Nor-Beast mentioned."
"Indeed."
"Be cautious. Those kinds of madmen hesitate at nothing—not even their own destruction."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Undoubtedly, there would be terrifying traps or dangers lying in wait.
But it didn't matter.
He had to uncover the secrets of the True Demon.
"Then."
Han Sang-ja vanished abruptly.
Judging by the instantaneous Movement Technique, it seemed he had refined some extraordinary martial art in the meantime.
"Cheongun Manor..."
Bu Eun-seol stared at the distant horizon.
Why had Neither-Human-Nor-Beast divulged that information?
And charging in blindly based solely on those words was beyond reckless.
But if it meant unraveling the secrets of an entity like the True Demon?
This level of risk was worth enduring.
Besides, hadn't he resolved to investigate the True Demon the moment he decided to search for his grandfather's blood kin?
'I'll go immediately.'
He wouldn't have expected Bu Eun-seol to rush to Cheongun Manor the instant he heard of it.
Even if he had predicted this, even if it was a trap—it didn't matter.
He'd just smash through everything.
Flash—!
Goooooo—
Disguised as Seol-so, Bu Eun-seol immediately set off for Cheongun Manor in Xiling.
Information obtained as Seol-so had to be pursued under that identity.
If he were to switch disguises midway or mobilize his intelligence network?
It'd be no different from spoon-feeding intel to the enemy.
After a day and a half of relentless travel, Bu Eun-seol arrived in Xiling and headed straight for the isolated Cheongun Manor on the outskirts.
'Something's off.'
Though Cheongun Manor was known to be a remote estate far from Chengdu, it was also famed for its vast scale and the gathering of elite Masters as guest warriors.
Yet now, only the sound of barking dogs could be heard—no human voices, no presence.
'Hmm.'
After a brief hesitation, Bu Eun-seol stealthily infiltrated the manor grounds.
What awaited him was a scene so grotesque it defied belief.
"Eeek—eeek—eeek—"
The sounds he had mistaken for dogs barking were, in fact, coming from the manor's inhabitants.
And they were all emaciated like skeletons, hands clasped together as if in prayer.
"Eeek—eeek—"
"Eeek—eeek—eeek—"
The problem was their mouths hung open, endlessly emitting those eeek—eeek— noises.
Scanning the manor, he saw them everywhere—leaning against walls, crouched on the ground, hands pressed together, voices droning.
Their eyes were vacant, their mouths spewing ceaseless, ghastly sounds.
The sight was so horrifying that even Bu Eun-seol could only stare, stunned.