Chapter 967
Beneath the Clear Sky of the Underground Castle.
The auras unleashed by Bu Eun-seol and the woman floating in midair collided, producing thunderous roars without lightning.
The earth, as if anticipating the colossal clash of these two forces, writhed in ceaseless tremors.
The air had evaporated, leaving only the tempest of pressure swirling violently around the two figures, threatening to devour everything in its path.
It felt as though the apocalyptic moment had arrived—when all would be reduced to ruin.
'Let's see just how strong you are.'
At the very instant their full-powered forces were about to collide—
Click.
Suddenly, the woman extended her left arm.
Whoooosh—
A bizarre suction force began radiating from her arms, and—
'Ghk—!'
The vast reserves of Internal Energy circulating through Bu Eun-seol's body were forcibly siphoned toward her outstretched hand.
He immediately countered by deploying the Qi Absorption Art, attempting to resist the pull—
But the backlash left his body completely paralyzed, unable to muster even the slightest resistance.
Without so much as a twitch, the woman had bound Bu Eun-seol's terrifying Internal Energy with nothing more than the strength of her left hand.
'Not even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor could achieve something like this.'
The suction was so overwhelming that even with his immense Internal Energy, all he could do was barely resist being drained dry.
His muscles were utterly locked—he couldn't so much as twitch a finger.
"Hahaha."
The girl burst into laughter.
The voice of an angelic girl—
And the voice of a woman, sensual yet sinister—blended together as if overlapping.
'Good.'
Bu Eun-seol summoned the Three Divine Powers within his body.
Whoosh—
In response, the woman stretched out her right hand.
Another surge of overwhelming suction erupted from her palm, and this time, it voraciously began absorbing the Three Divine Powers within him.
Unlike his Internal Energy, the Three Divine Powers couldn't even properly resist her pull—
Helplessly, they were siphoned straight into her right arm.
Glug—
With each absorption of the Three Divine Powers, the woman's appearance matured further.
Her eyes, once sharp and cold like fractured obsidian, now gleamed with an even more piercing intensity.
Her previously parched lips had, before he knew it, taken on a seductive rose-pink hue, as if stained with blood.
The more her beauty transformed, the more she exuded a terrifying, almost sinister allure.
Whoooosh—
Meanwhile, more than half of the Three Divine Powers flowing through Bu Eun-seol's body had already vanished.
"Hehehe."
Then, the woman moistened her crimson lips with her tongue—
Whoooosh—
And now, she was even extracting the energy sealed within his palm and the power of the Sage Among Poisons dwelling in his body.
'Is this, too, the arrangement of fate?'
Even as the very essence of his strength was being siphoned away, Bu Eun-seol maintained his composure.
And for good reason.
Not only had he already experienced something similar through the mystical power of Fantasy Pond,
But he had also completely purified and regenerated the Three Divine Powers—even creating the Heavenly Light Endless Art to perfectly harmonize them.
Because of this, even if all the Three Divine Powers within him were exhausted, he could replenish them endlessly at any time.
'It's almost as if this was prepared in advance to counter her power.'
Hummm—
Even now, as the woman voraciously absorbed the Three Divine Powers—
He could continuously generate new ones.
'Having diverse powers is useful in moments like these.'
From the perspective of Martial Arts, which pursues completeness and perfection, possessing multiple conflicting energies could be considered a fatal flaw.
But precisely because these diverse powers were interwoven within his body—
A method that siphoned them sequentially, rather than all at once, was utterly ineffective.
'Shall I start replenishing them now?'
Ziiing—
As he invoked the Heavenly Light Endless Art—
Even while the Three Divine Powers were being drained, new ones manifested.
Ooom—
And in that instant, the Internal Energy that had been suppressed by her suction force surged back to life.
'They've merged.'
Then, something akin to a stroke of fortune occurred.
In the process of replenishing the Three Divine Powers, the Heavenly Light Endless Art had fused with his Internal Energy.
'Excellent.'
Srrrrk—
Merging the Heavenly Light Endless Art with his Internal Energy, he unleashed the Sword-Flight Art—
KWA-BOOM!
Ink Soul Sword shot straight into the heavens.
Finally stopping thousands of feet above, the sword hovered—directly aimed at the crown of the woman's head.
If he were to pour the full might of the Heavenly Light Endless Art and his Internal Energy into a strike from this height—
Even if she had attained the legendary Heavenly Dipper Body, it would pierce clean through her from skull to toe in a single blow.
KRUMBLE!
With a spine-chilling sound as though space itself were being torn apart—
Ink Soul Sword descended vertically.
The speed had already surpassed what the eye could follow, and in the sword's wake, a scorching black radiance stretched out like a trail.
KWA-BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, Ink Soul Sword struck precisely at the crown of the woman's head.
A blinding light, as if it could swallow all the colors of the world, erupted and dyed the surroundings white—
KWAANG!
The woman, who had been floating in midair, plummeted to the ground in an instant.
RUMBLE—
At last, the storm of light subsided.
As the dust settled, Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed at the sight before him.
That place should have been left with nothing but a gruesomely pierced corpse—no, not even a corpse, just scattered dust.
Yet, though the surrounding earth had been scorched bare...
The woman stood firm, unshaken, like an immovable mountain in the midst of a tempest.
And the Ink Soul Sword, now glowing red-hot...
Hovered in the air just above her crown, as if blocked by an invisible, unbreakable wall.
Only a few strands of her hair had been singed by the intense heat radiating from the sword's tip, curling into wisps of heat haze.
Not a single wound had been inflicted.
"Strong, but ignorant of martial arts."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"Surely, she didn't think that was just a single strike?"
SHWIIISH—
Suddenly, the Ink Soul Sword floating in the air multiplied into dozens, encircling the woman.
Formless Heavenly Flow, Seventh Form: Ash Body Extinguished Mind.
A supreme sword technique that manipulated the Sword-Flight Art, altering the flow of countless sword styles to pierce through any defense.
FWOOOSH!
In that instant, dozens of Mokhon Swords simultaneously plunged toward her body.
The afterimages of the sword, forged from Reverse Polarity True Qi, carried the exact same destructive force as the real one...
Even if she possessed a Vajra Indestructible Body, every vital point would be skewered, leaving her no choice but to perish.
CLANG!
Yet—the sword energy failed to penetrate her flesh.
SSSZZZ—
Where the sword energy touched her skin, a three-colored smoke began to spread.
She had just used the power of the Three Divine Powers, which she had absorbed from Bu Eun-seol, to completely block the sword energy of Ash Body Extinguished Mind.
FWOOM!
As she unleashed the Three Divine Powers once more, fused with the Heavenly Light Endless Art, the sword energy of Ash Body Extinguished Mind instantly dissipated.
But the Ink Soul Sword had already returned to Bu Eun-seol's grip, and in sync with her defensive movement, it swung again—this time aiming for her neck.
He had seized an opening and executed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
GOOOO—
As if time had frozen, the surroundings fell silent, and the Ink Soul Sword in Bu Eun-seol's hand burned with a crimson glow.
He had captured that fleeting moment—the instant where death was inevitable.
"[Spare...]"
But then, the woman's lips moved slightly.
"[...me.]"
Fragile, like a breath that could shatter at the slightest touch, her appearance was as precarious as a withered petal.
Yet what truly captured Bu Eun-seol's gaze, even as he executed his sword technique—
Were her eyes.
Deep, hollow, as if carrying the weight of all the sorrow in the world.
A gaze so faint and fleeting, it seemed it would scatter like smoke if he reached out.
Strangely, that fragile, sorrowful look wasn't unfamiliar.
As if, in the distant recesses of memory, he had once encountered it in the haze of a long-forgotten dream...
KWAANG!
With a thunderous roar, Bu Eun-seol brushed past her—and the opposite wall collapsed.
He had halted the Meteor Chasing Moon Form mid-execution, redirecting its Counterforce into the stone wall behind him.
THUD.
Then, the woman crumpled to the ground.
CLACK.
Sheathing the searing Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol immediately approached her fallen form.
"The True Demon..."
Though her entire being now seemed dyed in an endlessly sinister and wicked light, those eyes—deep within the abyss of her pupils—had held something pure and untainted.
"...wasn't it?"
Bu Eun-seol examined the unconscious woman closely.
"A body capable of absorbing all Three Divine Powers at once."
His own body was an amalgamation of various conflicting energies, allowing him to withstand the Three Divine Powers without bursting apart.
But how could an ordinary woman, devoid of any power, naturally accept them?
'And she knows nothing of martial arts.'
The Sword-Flight Art he had initially unleashed was a fusion of his internal energy and the Heavenly Light Endless Art.
In terms of sheer destructive force, it rivaled even the Harmonization or the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, matching the might of the Heaven-Shattering Form.
Yet, it had been executed in a straightforward, downward thrust.
Any martial artist with even the slightest understanding of martial principles would have anticipated a follow-up attack and evaded the sword's range.
But she had stubbornly taken it head-on, leaving herself completely exposed to the Ash Body Extinguished Mind.
"Just what are you?"
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at her.
Unlike her initially innocent face, her changed eyes and entire body now exuded a strangely sinister energy.
"Sinister, yet not outright malicious..."
If she had been filled with malice—if she had truly intended to kill him and drain all his energy—
Then the first thing she would have taken would have been his True Qi and Blood Essence.
But what she absorbed was merely the power flowing through his body.
Just like the Three Divine Powers.
The poison in his body, having reached the threshold of the Sage Among Poisons, could be generated endlessly if he willed it.
Even the power sealed in his palm wasn't something stored—
It was a force drawn from the depths of the Abyss within his Spirit and Mind, something that could never be exhausted.
'But the fact remains—she wielded a wicked power.'
The suction force she exerted was undeniably malevolent.
Perhaps it was even connected to the True Demon.
Even if he didn't kill her, he had to cripple her Martial Arts, ensuring she could never harm others again.
'I thought it was Internal Energy...'
He had tried to seal her Internal Energy, but there was no trace of Internal Power in her dantian.
What she had used wasn't Internal Energy—it was the power of a Supernatural Ability.
In that case, the only way to stop her rampage was to sever the meridians in her limbs.
Snap.
Bu Eun-seol pressed sharply on her acupoints, striking her Demon Blood Point.
Now that he knew her true strength fell far short of his, and that her power was a Supernatural Ability,
Subduing her again wouldn't be difficult. His priority now was uncovering her true identity.
"Ah—"
But then, the woman twisted in agony, her face contorting as a pained moan escaped her lips.
As if trying to strangle herself, she clawed at her own throat with both hands.
"Aaaah—!"
Her desperate cries were a grotesque mix—a clear, girlish voice overlapping with the hoarse tones of a woman.
Her pupils trembled uncontrollably, consumed by unfathomable chaos.
'What the hell is this?'
Bu Eun-seol activated the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, attempting to analyze her condition.
But he found nothing.
Her body was completely empty.
And yet, it felt infinitely vast, as if capable of containing all things.
'I've never seen a body like this before.'
What kind of existence could have forged such a physical form?
"Ugh—!"
Her veins bulged violently, threatening to burst. At this rate, she wouldn't last much longer.
—"Blood will be the key. He worships blood."
The Iron Elephant King's final words suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
'Blood.'
Now that he thought about it, she had changed the moment their hands touched.
When the blood from his wounded finger had brushed against her skin, her eyes had gleamed—like a child beholding a treasure for the first time.
'She drank my blood.'
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol reopened the wound on his finger and pressed it to her lips.
Ziiing—
Then, something astonishing happened.
The woman, who had taken on a sinister form, began reverting—
Back into the innocent girl she had once been.
Huuuuum...
Her features softened, her face growing younger, the malevolent energy around her gradually dissipating.
Fwoosh.
Before he knew it, she was floating midair, eyes closed, her entire body radiating an ethereal light.
Flicker.
When her eyes opened again, she drifted toward Bu Eun-seol as if swimming through the air, face-first.
Dazed, he instinctively reached out—
KWAOOOOO—!
A blinding light erupted from her body, shooting straight into the heavens.
The woman, who had been exuding a bewitching, razor-sharp aura of wickedness,
Had now fully transformed back into a beautiful girl with wide, innocent eyes.
"Ah?"
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's gaze, she opened her eyes wide—her eyes as clear as a tranquil lake.
"Aah."
Then, she smiled, crescent-moon eyes crinkling.
Like a child who knew nothing of the world.
"Just what in the—"
Bu Eun-seol gripped his own hair in frustration.
Despite his brilliant mind, he couldn't even begin to fathom the reason behind any of this.
Wuuuung...
Then, a low vibration echoed from the distant temple.
There must have been another hidden mechanism—one he hadn't detected earlier.
Murmur, murmur...
But then, an unexpected development unfolded.
The sound of countless voices rose from the temple.
Judging by the chaotic, sharp tones overlapping all at once—
They must have discovered the opened glass chamber where the girl had been sleeping.
—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Suddenly, the deafening toll of a bell reverberated through the temple grounds.
They had sounded the Bell Striking—an alarm.
RUMBLE—
Within moments, dozens of martial artists stormed into the temple, flooding through the same passage Bu Eun-seol had entered from.
Their black robes were uniformly embroidered with poisonous insects, and their sinister gazes left no doubt—
These were undoubtedly the subordinates of Dokjon, guardians of the Absolute Boundary.
"Tatta atti!"
Having emerged from the temple once more, they spotted the girl standing atop the hill and immediately charged toward her.
By the time they closed within about thirty feet, they belatedly noticed Bu Eun-seol standing motionless beside the girl and let out a sharp cry.
"Tbam kahashi!"
Their eyes raked over Bu Eun-seol's disheveled appearance and attire before they barked another incomprehensible phrase.
"Tam grihna!"
Zzzing—
As they stretched out their hands, an inky fog began to rise around Bu Eun-seol.
At the same time, an indescribably foul and fishy stench invaded his nostrils, and eerie patterns began etching themselves across his skin.
"Haha."
The martial artists smirked triumphantly, folding their arms.
They seemed convinced he had already been poisoned.
"A fascinating Poison Art."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled in amazement as he observed the mottled symbols staining his arm.
The Poison Art of India diverged entirely from that of the Central Plains, infused with a sorcerous power of its own.
Drip. Drip-drip.
From the grotesque markings on his skin, snakes and insects began to wriggle free—a bizarre symptom of the poisoning process.
"Heheh."
Confident that Bu Eun-seol was immobilized by the toxins, they strode forward casually.
They didn't doubt for a second that he would soon be reduced to a puddle of blood.
Sssss—
But then, pale smoke began seeping from Bu Eun-seol's body, and every last sigil on his skin vanished without a trace.
As the Poison Qi was absorbed into his system, his Poison Saint Body instinctively neutralized it—
Then converted it back into stored True Qi.
'With this new Indian poison assimilated, my Poison Art has improved further.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head and spoke.
"I don't know what this place is, nor what evils you've committed, so I won't kill you."
Then, he raised a finger toward the Poison People.
Fwap-fwap-fwap!
A razor-sharp wind lashed out, and their bodies stiffened instantly.
He had unleashed his Finger Wind, subduing their Demon Blood Points in an instant.
Thud. Thud-thud.
As the Poison People toppled like logs, Bu Eun-seol folded his arms.
"Is there anyone here who speaks Han?"
At his words, their eyes bulged, and they burst into even louder, more frantic chatter.
It seemed they genuinely couldn't understand a single word.
'They're not pretending.'
Judging by their physiological reactions, they truly had no comprehension of Han speech.
"Hmm."
He swallowed a sigh.
Under normal circumstances, he would have interrogated them to uncover the purpose of this place and the girl's identity.
But with no means of communication... there was nothing he could do.
Swish!
Then, something astonishing happened.
Those whose Demon Blood Points had been sealed suddenly erupted into black streaks, charging at Bu Eun-seol.
'Their Blood Circuits weren't suppressed.'
Poison People not only wielded toxins freely—their bodies were largely Impervious to Blades.
These Indian Poison People had clearly reached that same Realm, rendering their Blood Circuits unsealable.
Slash!
Their techniques were unorthodox enough to leave shallow scratches on Bu Eun-seol's forearm.
It wasn't a weapon that had struck him—they had ruptured his skin using some bizarre Poison Art.
But his steel-like flesh yielded only a single drop of blood.
'No choice, then.'
These Indian Poison People knew no fear and harbored Poison Hearts.
No method would ever make them submit.
Hwoong—
Bu Eun-seol gathered his Internal Energy, preparing to unleash his Inner Energy Bullet Art.
Though they had launched a surprise attack, their movements seemed unbearably sluggish to his eyes.
Thwip.
But before they could even unleash their assault, their bodies suddenly trembled like sheets of paper—
Then collapsed in an instant.
When he turned his head, the girl—who had reverted to an innocent appearance—now bore the sultry gaze of a mature woman once more.
"Ah."
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's eyes, she flashed a radiant smile, baring pearly teeth.
Her expression seemed to demand praise, as if she had just saved him.
'Blood.'
To his shock, she had once again lapped up the minuscule drop of blood he had shed.
Fortunately, the amount was less than a single droplet, so her entire body didn't transform this time.
"You mustn't."
Without thinking, Bu Eun-seol scolded her in a stern voice.
"You must not stain your hands with blood so carelessly."
Even though he knew nothing about her—
Some instinct told him that she should never let blood touch her hands.
"Will you spend your life wielding a blade as a warrior of the Martial World?"
Bu Eun-seol's solemn voice resonated in the girl's mind like the Spirit-Sealing Heart-Seal Method itself.
The girl, who had been gazing into his grave yet profound eyes, nodded slowly.
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open. She let out a shriek and leaped back as if startled, her expression one of sudden recollection.
Thud-thud-thud!
In a flash, she dashed back into the temple. Bu Eun-seol hastily activated his Movement Technique and pursued her.
"Where are you going?"
Ignoring his question, the girl rushed inside and began frantically searching around the Crystal Coffin where she had been sleeping.
"Ah... ah..."
But when she found nothing, a glint of rage flickered in her pupils. Had her body not fully recovered yet? As she clenched her fists tightly—
Rumble—
The entire temple began to shake violently. In an instant, the surrounding walls crumbled apart.
'Several hundred yards? No—this spans dozens of miles.'
The shockwaves of her unleashed power weren't just shaking the temple—they were rippling through the entire Underground Castle.
'Is this truly the strength of a human?'
In the past, Yang Seol-rin had once triggered a minor earthquake on a deserted island using the Heavenly Favor Star's power. But this Underground Castle was vast enough to house tens of thousands of people. And yet, just the mere exertion of her strength was enough to shake the entire structure?
With each tremor, a mysterious light welled up from the ground, coiling around her body like a living thing.
'So that's it.'
The energy flowing through this land was connected to the girl's power.
'Human... is still human, after all.'
If she could cause earthquakes across dozens of miles just by releasing her power, then calling her anything less than a god would be an understatement.
Crrrrrack—!
As the earth trembled, one of the walls opposite the glass coffin slowly descended, revealing a massive passageway. The intricate emblems and arcane patterns carved around it suggested this wasn't just a mechanical contraption—it was a place where the Art of Spells and sorcery converged.
Huuuu—
Then, her sharpened gaze softened, and she reverted to her innocent, childlike appearance. The effects of the blood she had consumed had finally worn off.
Groooan—
A deep vibration pulsed from the newly revealed passage. Without hesitation, the girl sprinted inside. Bu Eun-seol followed closely behind, only to find himself in a long, damp, and oppressive corridor. The thick humidity and sludgy water underfoot made it clear this wasn't a place meant for living beings.
At the far end stood a massive iron gate.
Creeeak—
When the gate swung open, an unbelievable sight unfolded before them.
A water prison.
It was a dungeon submerged in filthy, stagnant water.
Splash!
Without hesitation, the girl waded inside. At the very end, a shadowy figure was bound by iron chains piercing through both collarbones. The figure hung their head low, muttering something under their breath—like an incantation or True Words.
Bu Eun-seol stepped in after her. The murky water, thick enough to reach his shins, reeked of rot and decay. But as he tried to follow her further—
Huuuum—
A deep vibration pulsed through the prison, as if something within had awakened. A sinister energy writhed beneath the water's surface, and an invisible force—like a transparent wave—barred his path.
He summoned his Internal Energy to shatter the barrier, but his power dissipated uselessly, as if trapped in a quagmire. He attempted to twist space itself with the various forces within him, but it was as though an unseen Spike had been driven in, immobilizing him completely.
'Just like the Fantasy Pond.'
At this point, it was beyond absurd.
The energy flowing from this water prison was nearly identical to the wave-like force he had encountered in the Fantasy Pond.
'Then... did the Divine Maiden create this place?'
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
'The one who made this shares the same essence of power.'
For a moment, he stared into the filthy water below. It almost looked as though some monstrous maw was gaping hungrily beneath the surface, waiting to devour.
'Blood again, is it?'
Realizing something, Bu Eun-seol let another drop of blood fall onto the water's surface.
Hiss—
The moment it touched, the blood ignited, and the violent, thrashing force of the waves began to subside.
Like a key fitting into a lock, the prison was responding to his blood.
Finally able to step forward, he saw the face of the shadow bound by chains.
A woman with disheveled gray hair, sunken eyes, and a prominent nose.
"Ah—!"
As the girl cried out upon entering, the woman—who had been muttering softly—lifted her head and opened her eyes wide.
"Seong-a...?"
The woman spoke in Mandarin, staring at the girl in disbelief.
"How... how are you here?"
"Ah—!"
The girl beamed and threw her arms around the woman in a tight embrace.
'Her mother.'
Bu Eun-seol understood immediately.
The woman bound in chains was the girl's mother.