Chapter 968
The Woman and Girl Bound in Chains.
Their straight noses and mysterious eyes were so alike that anyone could guess they were mother and daughter.
"Aaah."
After clinging to her mother for a long while, the girl grew furious upon seeing the iron chains piercing the woman's collarbones.
She abruptly stood up, attempting to break them.
But the chains were forged from a blend of mysterious metals, including Precious Kun Jade and Earth-Pole Profound Iron.
No matter how great her brute strength, they couldn't be snapped barehanded.
"Uuuugh."
Finally, the girl's eyes flashed as she unleashed a mysterious power, trying to shatter both the chains and the wall in one go.
Yet, whether due to some Art of Spells or sorcery,
even her power—which could trigger earthquakes across dozens of li—failed to make the chains budge.
"Aah!"
In her fury, the girl grabbed the chains and yanked at them blindly.
"You mustn't pull them out by force."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward to stop her.
"If those chains are removed, she'll die instantly."
Bu Eun-seol had discerned that these weren't mere chains piercing flesh but cruel restraints like Blood-Chain Imprisonment or Purgatory Shackles, meticulously threaded through the body.
Such techniques involved weaving the chains through the body, avoiding the heart, aorta, liver, lungs, and spine with sinister precision.
The moment they were forcibly removed,
the blood vessels would tear, causing the clotted wounds to rupture and bring death.
Swish.
Bu Eun-seol first removed his outer robe and approached the woman.
Her clothes were filthy with grime and torn in many places.
Shudder.
The woman trembled with fear as he drew near.
"Be at ease. I mean no harm."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with an expression devoid of malice.
The woman raised her head and gazed into his eyes.
Staring into his utterly composed, icy pupils, she cautiously parted her lips.
"Who are you? You seem to be from the Central Plains."
"I am a wandering martial artist from the Central Plains, called Seol-so."
"Seol-so..."
Yet her wariness didn't fade.
"I happened to encounter a man called the Saint, who was harming the common folk of the Central Plains."
After a brief hesitation, Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"And before he died, he told me that if I went to a hidden place in Nashik City, I could uncover the True Demon's secret."
Though her appearance was wretched, like a jewel hidden in ashes,
her eyes held an innate nobility and dignity that even suffering couldn't obscure.
"The True Demon's secret..."
"Indeed. Do you know anything of it?"
The woman averted her gaze, shaking her head with an expression of vague unease.
"I know nothing."
Then, holding the girl close, she spoke in a low voice.
"But what... what has happened to Seong-a?"
"Seong-a—you mean her?"
Bu Eun-seol gestured to the girl.
Nod.
As the woman nodded, he calmly explained.
"As I said earlier, I entered this Underground Castle while searching for the True Demon's secret. There, I found a Crystal Coffin..."
He sighed before continuing.
"Merely curious, I touched its surface, and from the serpent emblem, a sharp tongue suddenly lashed out and pierced my hand."
"..."
"Then, white smoke billowed out, the coffin's door opened, and she began to move."
Tremble.
Hearing this, the woman paled before prostrating herself before Bu Eun-seol, clasping her hands.
"O Great One, I beg for your mercy."
Bu Eun-seol's lips parted slightly in shock.
The "Great One" she had just addressed him as, with eyes full of fear—
wasn't that the very term used in India to refer to the True Demon?
"I truly am just a wandering martial artist from the Central Plains. Not the one you think I am."
Though he repeated this with utmost sincerity, the woman only bowed deeper, hands still clasped.
"Please, show mercy. I have spoken nothing."
No matter how much he explained, she wouldn't believe him.
Her terror was too overwhelming; even calm persuasion seemed futile.
'Besides...'
Her gaze was dimming, her life force flickering out.
Left like this, she wouldn't last much longer.
"Ah, ah."
The girl, oblivious to her mother's wretched state, simply beamed with joy at their reunion.
But noticing her mother's fearful eyes fixed on Bu Eun-seol,
"Ah, aah."
She approached her mother, waving her hands as if to say something.
Likely trying to reassure her that Bu Eun-seol was a good man.
Yet the woman shook her head, as though unable to trust even her daughter's words.
'Regardless, restoring her health comes first.'
Bu Eun-seol had countless questions for her.
What was this Underground Castle? Why had a shrine been built here?
Who were these two? What exactly was happening in this place?
But with the woman on the verge of death, his priority was to stabilize her condition.
"Forgive my intrusion."
Bowing slightly to the woman,
Whooosh.
Bu Eun-seol carefully began channeling the Water Essence Divine Qi, spreading it through her body like a gentle infusion.
The Water Essence Divine Qi was a natural force capable of restoring the physical body.
Even an ordinary human could accept it without issue.
Ziiing.
In that instant, the woman's eyes flew open, as if startled.
The moment Bu Eun-seol infused her with the Water Essence Divine Qi, her wary gaze vanished, as though her suspicions had dissolved in an instant.
'The Water Essence Divine Qi won't be enough.'
Her wounds were far too severe—beyond what the Water Essence Divine Qi could heal.
But just then, as their eyes met—
Splash.
The woman flinched, her body jerking slightly, and the iron chain embedded in her collarbone shifted violently.
Shudder.
A wave of excruciating pain seemed to crash over her, and she bit down hard on her lip, her body trembling.
"Ah... ah..."
The girl, Seong-a, wore a sorrowful expression.
In response, the woman deliberately forced a bright smile and shook her head.
"It's been stuck in me for so long, it doesn't hurt at all anymore."
A lie.
A chain embedded in such a manner would only bring greater agony as time passed.
"You must leave this place. You shouldn't be here."
"Aah..."
Seong-a shook her head.
And then she buried herself in her mother's embrace once more.
Watching them, Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened.
Even in the throes of death, suffering...
The image of his grandfather, smiling with such kindness, surfaced in his mind.
Step. Step.
Approaching the woman again, Bu Eun-seol retrieved two small medicine bottles from his robes.
These were the medicines he always carried to save lives: the Demon-Subduing Divine Pill and Azure Spirit Stone Fluid.
Click.
The moment he uncorked the bottles, a fragrant aroma filled the stone prison.
"Take these. They will ease your body."
The woman stared at them, then shook her head.
"Such precious medicine... don't waste it on me."
Her voice was calm.
"I won't live much longer anyway."
"Aah..."
As the girl whimpered, the woman smiled faintly.
"It's alright. Just being able to see you again before I die... I'm already grateful to the heavens."
Despite suffering pain enough to kill her, she moved her arms to embrace her daughter tightly.
Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled as the chains shifted, but she paid it no mind.
'Her life force is fading.'
Just how much torture had she endured?
There wasn't a single unharmed part of her body, and her eyes flickered like a candle on the verge of extinguishing.
Even a Great Luo Immortal wouldn't be able to bring her back.
'I can't leave her like this.'
"Madam."
Bu Eun-seol spoke carefully, meeting her gaze.
"Would you allow me to examine your condition and attempt treatment?"
The woman studied him, taken aback by the sheer sincerity—no, the desperate urgency—in his voice and expression.
"I, too, lost my family at a young age."
Remembering his grandfather, his face darkened with endless loneliness.
"At the very least... shouldn't you live long enough to see your child grow into adulthood?"
No parent would wish to die while their child still needed them.
But she knew her body too well to entertain false hope.
"I beg of you."
When Bu Eun-seol pleaded again, she relented with a faint nod.
Ziiing.
Activating the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, he meticulously assessed her condition—and his expression grew even grimmer.
If he didn't act now, she had at most a meal's time left. If luck was against her, she wouldn't last even a quarter of an hour.
'Even if recovery won't be perfect...'
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol summoned his Internal Energy.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
With a flick of his fingers, he struck thirty-six major acupoints using Finger Wind.
Gurgle—
The moment black blood spilled from her lips, he immediately infused her with Reverse Polarity True Qi.
Huum.
As the pure True Qi coursed through her Blood Circuits, a faint flush returned to her pallid complexion.
Pausing the energy infusion, he first offered her the Jamma Shindan.
"Swallow this in one go."
She no longer resisted and downed the pill.
Whooosh—
As the medicinal effects gradually absorbed into her body...
Her darkened skin turned pale, and her emaciated frame rapidly returned to normal.
Shing.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol drew Ink Soul Sword.
'I must cut without the slightest hesitation.'
Crash—
With a sound like shattering crystal, a radiant light erupted from the blade, and mysterious emblems began etching themselves onto the scabbard.
He had wrapped the sword in Harmonization—the unification of all his inner forces.
Slice.
The mystical alloy chain, which had withstood even the earthquake-inducing power of the girl, was severed cleanly in a single stroke.
"Endure the pain just a little longer."
Schluck!
When he pulled the iron chain from her collarbone, blood vessels burst, spraying crimson.
"From now on, you must not move at all."
Having lost a dangerous amount of blood, the woman's consciousness wavered—she couldn't even respond, only blinking weakly.
Swish.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol unraveled the fabric of his clothing with his Internal Energy, spinning it into thread.
Shwak!
Combining the Willful True Binding with the Water Essence Divine Qi, he manifested precise hands, blades, and various other forms.
Then, he swiftly began stitching the woman's ruptured blood vessels back together.
Even the greatest physician in the world would have been powerless in the face of such massive hemorrhaging.
But Bu Eun-seol, using the Water Essence Divine Qi and the Willful True Binding, was sealing her vessels at a speed impossible for human hands.
Once the suturing was flawlessly completed, he extended a small bottle containing the supreme Azure Spirit Stone Fluid.
"Drink every last drop."
The woman obeyed, downing the elixir in one gulp.
Oooong.
A mystical light shimmered across her body, instantly replenishing the blood she had lost.
The darkness clouding her vision vanished, her consciousness returned, and her gaze sharpened.
"Ahh!"
The girl, who had been watching from a distance, threw herself into her mother's arms in sheer joy, seeing her complexion and vitality restored in an instant.
The woman embraced her warmly before bowing deeply to Bu Eun-seol.
"I am deeply grateful for your grace, Benefactor."
"It was nothing. However..."
Bu Eun-seol spoke politely.
"If you don't mind, could you explain this place—and Seong-a?"
"..."
"I mean no harm. But to determine my next steps, I must understand what this place is... and what it does."
"I know. You are not a great person, Benefactor."
The woman hesitated briefly before carefully opening her mouth.
"Considering the kindness you've shown us, it would only be right to explain everything in detail..."
She bowed deeply, pressing her palms to the floor, and pleaded earnestly.
"But could you... let us go without asking anything?"
"Madam."
"For this child's sake."
The woman looked at Seong-a.
"I wish to forget this place and live the rest of my days quietly, somewhere far removed from all of this."
Bu Eun-seol understood her heart.
If she had been imprisoned in this dungeon for so long, the suffering she endured must have been beyond words.
To recount everything to him would mean dredging up all those painful memories.
"Just a few questions. Is that truly impossible?"
"Forgive me, Benefactor."
The woman lowered her head.
Her expression was utterly exhausted.
Though she had narrowly escaped death, the reprieve was brief—
She had no desire to relive the torment. She only wished to leave this place and live in peace.
"Very well. I apologize."
After enduring countless hardships to reach India,
After defying even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's orders to uncover the secrets of the True Demon within this Absolute Boundary,
After saving her life with a priceless treasure no money could buy—
He abandoned his pursuit of answers without hesitation, for the sake of this mother and daughter's happiness.
"Thank you."
Unaware of what Bu Eun-seol had sacrificed, the woman could only express her gratitude with utmost sincerity.
"There may be Dokjon's subordinates outside."
Not only that, but he offered them further protection.
"I will escort you to safety."
"No, that won't be necessary."
The woman pointed beyond the dungeon.
"There is a secret passage—one only I know of—that leads outside. We'll be safe if we take it."
Though uneasy, Bu Eun-seol nodded when he realized she absolutely refused his company.
"Understood. Then..."
He bowed in farewell. The woman returned the gesture and urged Seong-a to bow as well.
Then, stepping outside the dungeon, she began pressing certain emblems on the wall and writing something on the floor.
Krrrrumble.
The solid wall split apart, revealing a wide secret passage within.
Hastily, she took Seong-a's hand and disappeared inside.
"Is this fate, then?"
Bu Eun-seol sighed.
His quest to uncover the True Demon's secrets—
Had always been for the sake of righteousness.
But if forcing answers from a woman who had suffered torture would make him no better than her tormentors?
Then it was better to walk away.
"Now, all that's left is to face the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's wrath."
He had confirmed that Dokjon was scheming something here, but he couldn't recklessly interrogate him.
And even if he stayed in India to investigate, there was no telling how long it would take.
Worse—he had broken his promised deadline. The Demonic Heavenly Emperor would show no mercy.
Even if he returned to the Central Plains, he would have no choice but to endure the Life and Death Palm Decree.
"Am I to die, then?"
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol turned away.
But at that moment, he had no idea—
That the answers he hadn't heard from the woman,
The secrets of the True Demon hidden in this place—
Would all be revealed to him in less than an hour.
Thud. Thud.
Exiting the dungeon, Bu Eun-seol retraced his steps rather than following the woman's secret passage.
'Still... perhaps there are other clues to be found?'
The temple's structure was exceedingly complex, and even at a glance, it was clear there were numerous hidden passageways undetectable by the naked eye.
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol stamped his foot, spreading the Void-Breaking Mind's Eye.
A low vibration rippled outward, faintly shaking the entire temple.
'No good?'
Despite the vibrations spreading, he couldn't discern the temple's structure at all.
It seemed the interior was shielded by some mysterious force.
'I suppose it can't be helped.'
Someone had used the Ajanta Caves as an entrance, erected an Absolute Boundary to sever it from the world, and then constructed a massive Underground Castle capable of housing tens of thousands.
For a temple housing a space of this scale, it wasn't surprising that something had been installed to block Extrasensory Perception.
'Then I'll have to inspect it manually.'
Surveying his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to rely on his eyes and hands, meticulously examining every inch of the interior.
'A method both complex and simple.'
The ordinary walls throughout the temple bore strange emblems or carvings.
Touching them in a specific pattern would open a Secret Door.
Fortunately, Bu Eun-seol had earlier seen the woman brushing or sweeping the walls and floor, so by mimicking her movements, he could easily find clues.
'In the end, this place is also a laboratory.'
The hidden chambers within the Secret Passages or mechanisms scattered throughout the temple mostly contained stone rooms bearing traces of cruel experiments or storage spaces for tools and medicines needed for such experiments.
This meant that this place, too, was undoubtedly an experimental facility built for a specific purpose—just like the Three Realms' Underground Castle.
'Yet the exterior was designed as if people lived here.'
Only this temple housed secret spaces and specialized experimental facilities.
The countless buildings outside were constructed in such a way that, with just furnishings, people could realistically live in them at any time.
Why?
Did they predict that many people would live here in the future?
Lost in thought, Bu Eun-seol unconsciously opened yet another Secret Passage hidden within a wall.
Having observed the temple so thoroughly, he could now easily discern where hidden mechanisms were installed.
'Wait.'
But in doing so, he belatedly realized one critical fact.
'There is no passage here that only she knows.'
Constructing a temple this vast and mysterious must have required immense manpower and resources.
And this was a place managed by the Poison Sovereign.
Even if that woman oversaw the entire temple or had been its designer...
Even if she had secretly created a passage known only to herself...
There was no way a figure like the Poison Sovereign wouldn't detect such a hidden path.
'She's in danger!'
He immediately turned and sprinted toward the Secret Passage the woman and Seong-a had taken.
Soon, he found the passage near the prison.
Having repeatedly manipulated the temple's hidden mechanisms, he could now instantly determine how to open any door.
Clank.
Brushing his fingers over the surface patterns and gems, Bu Eun-seol immediately stepped inside and dashed forward.
As he raced down the endlessly long corridor, the distant clang of weapons and a low vibration echoed through the air.
BOOM!
Channeling the Heavenly Light Endless Art, he unleashed the Ultimate Speed Shadowless, crossing the passage in an instant.
Surprisingly, the corridor stretched on endlessly—even with his Movement Technique, he couldn't see its end.
Finally, a thick Iron Gate loomed in the distance, but he could tell it wasn't an exit but a barrier meant to block intruders.
'No time.'
Gathering his full strength, he crashed straight into the gate.
CRASH!
The three-foot-thick iron gate tore apart like paper.
Once Bu Eun-seol resolved to convert all his internal energy into Protective Astral Energy, its durability surpassed imagination.
Even if the gate had been made of diamond, he would have shattered it in a single blow.
BANG! BANG!
After smashing through five gates, he finally saw a massive iron door that appeared to be the exit.
He burst through that one as well.
BOOOOM!
With an explosive sound, Bu Eun-seol emerged outside and immediately executed the Qi Ride to the Heavens, leaping high into the sky.
Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now far beyond Lapis Lazuli Star's Ajanta Caves, deep within Nagana City's vast plains.
'There.'
Several dozen li away, hundreds of figures had gathered.
Even with a Hawk's Eye, they would appear as mere black dots—but Bu Eun-seol's vision was sharp enough to make out the poisonous insects embroidered on their robes.
They were warriors under the Poison Sovereign's command.
Whoooosh!
Then, from somewhere, the sound of ceremonial music erupted, followed by eerie True Words reverberating in all directions.
The voices were sticky, tangled, and overlapping, evoking a creeping sense of dread and grotesqueness.
Not only that, but the sound was growing louder, as if the chanting would soon rupture eardrums.
Rumble...
Several li away from the main force, a massive palanquin carried a colossal figure slowly revealed itself.
Its sheer bulk defied human proportions, standing over ten feet tall.
Clad in a peculiar robe resembling a monk's kasaya, it looked almost like Maitreya Bodhisattva manifesting in a Divine Body.
But the moment Bu Eun-seol saw the overwhelming energy shrouding its form and its blade-like, slitted eyes, he instantly recognized its identity.
"Poison Sovereign."
Garama.
One of the Eight Overlords of India, ruler of Nagana City, and Poison Saint of India.
He had finally arrived.