Chapter 970
[You bastard!]
As his hands finally grew numb from the relentless assault, Dokjon puffed out his cheeks like a toad.
Black fog erupted from his back, spreading until the entire world turned dark.
—Ugh... Blegh!
When Dokjon spewed his poison, even the Poison People dozens of yards away began vomiting or trembling in agony.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Yet Bu Eun-seol continued unfolding his sword techniques without pause, utterly unfazed.
[My poison... has no effect on you?]
Dokjon's eyes widened in disbelief.
In truth, he had made a fatal mistake.
When he had used Demonic Flower Chant—one of the Four Deadly Poisons—to momentarily shatter Bu Eun-seol's consciousness, he should have immediately severed his head.
But instead, Dokjon had leisurely waited for Bu Eun-seol to awaken after kidnapping Hye Myo-eum and Seong-a once more, confident he could suppress him at any time.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had already stepped into the threshold of Sage Among Poisons.
Having endured the poison of Demonic Flower Chant once, no poison art could affect him unless it surpassed that level.
[Why isn't he using poison arts?]
A strange question suddenly arose in Dokjon's mind.
If Bu Eun-seol could withstand even Demonic Flower Chant, he must have completed the Poison Saint Body—so why was he only using sword techniques instead of poison arts?
As his confusion deepened, Bu Eun-seol continued cutting down Poison People without pause.
Zzzing, zzzing...
The more of Dokjon's poison energy was absorbed into Bu Eun-seol's body, the more a faint light flickered across his skin, appearing and vanishing in cycles.
At the same time, an overwhelming surge of internal energy began flooding his entire body.
'Since I can't expel the poison energy as poison arts, it keeps converting into True Qi.'
In truth, he had never intended to become a Poison Person.
When he found no way to detoxify the Poison Parasite implanted in the Peak Masters by the Martial Venerable, he had conceived a perilous idea—to absorb all the poison himself and then seek a method to neutralize it.
Applying the principles of Converging Force into Truth and Fusing Energy to Nourish Qi from the Reverse Extreme Inner Method, he began converting the absorbed poison energy into True Qi and accumulating it.
But the poison he had absorbed included the worst of the worst—the so-called Three Poisons of the World, which encompassed the Poison Parasite.
Through the fusion of these unimaginably potent toxins, he had reached the supreme realm of Sage Among Poisons.
In other words, despite never having trained in poison arts or even properly studied them, he had ascended to the rank of Poison Saint.
This was an unprecedented, bizarre event in all of martial arts history.
Flash! Crash! Zzzt!
As Dokjon desperately moved all ten fingers to block Bu Eun-seol's sword techniques, pale smoke gradually began rising from his body.
Every time his body was grazed by a sword strike infused with Thunder Essence Divine Qi, the poison energy concentrated within him scattered chaotically.
[Ugh...]
A venomous glint surfaced in Dokjon's eyes.
Realizing he couldn't handle this young man head-on, he resolved to unleash his trump card.
[Very well!]
The ultimate secret technique—born from fusing the essence of a lifetime's poison arts with the cursed auxiliary studies of Indian esotericism.
A Limitless Power that transcended even the realm of Sage Among Poisons.
Rumble.
Suddenly, Dokjon's massive body seemed to be shrouded in a curtain—
Whoooosh!
—before transforming into a swirling whirlwind.
A pitch-black vortex raged violently, as if ready to devour everything, with only Dokjon's face floating specter-like at its center.
It was as if a nightmare-born monstrosity had descended upon the ruins of collapsed reality.
The sight of a disembodied head floating within an endlessly spinning vortex was grotesque beyond measure.
No matter how courageous one was, the sheer horror and terror of it made even the thought of facing it head-on impossible.
"Poison arts won't work on me."
[Do you think I wield only poison arts?]
Dokjon's bell-like voice boomed from within the spinning vortex, his head the only part protruding.
[Now that I've unleashed Black Whirlwind Shadow, you will never be able to touch my Dharma Body.]
He let out a sinister laugh.
[Go on. Try attacking me.]
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol fired a lightning-fast cross-shaped sword energy into the black whirlwind.
But Black Whirlwind Shadow was no mere toxic wind.
It was a living entity with a will of its own—an absolute defensive spell impervious to any martial art.
Within the endless microscopic spirals of the black current, crimson and violet flashes flickered chaotically.
The moment the cross-shaped sword energy touched its boundary—
A burst of light erupted from the whirlwind, warping the sword energy before—
Swish! Swish-swish-swish!
—it vanished without a trace into the black void in the blink of an eye.
Another one hundred and eighty streaks of Sword Qi poured forth.
It was the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan technique, capable of unleashing numerous sword energies all at once.
Kiiiiing—
In that instant, Poison Sovereign Garama's face vanished from the center of the whirlwind, and a darkness thick as ink clouds surged forth,
beginning to swallow them like living tentacles.
It was as though a transcendent being dwelling at the farthest reaches of the cosmos was devouring the sword energies.
"Limitless Power."
Finally, Bu Eun-seol realized that the Black Whirlwind Shadow was none other than Poison Sovereign Garama's Limitless Power.
"To have reached such an extraordinary level of martial prowess... why would you become a servant of the True Demon?"
[Are you speaking of the Great One?]
As Bu Eun-seol deliberately provoked him with praise, Poison Sovereign replied in a voice brimming with pride.
[This Sovereign is not his subordinate—I merely assisted in some research. Even the Poison Art is, in the end, merely a method of perfecting the physical body through poison.]
In short, he had sought to make his own the vast knowledge accumulated over generations by the Servants of the True Demon—
and even the formidable physical bodies of the New Bloodline.
'How should I dismantle this technique?'
Bu Eun-seol carefully observed Poison Sovereign's form, completely concealed within the black whirlwind of the Black Whirlwind Shadow.
'It doesn't just deflect attacks—multiple forces are swirling violently within.'
The Limitless Power wielded by Poison Sovereign operated on principles entirely different from Central Plains martial arts, making it difficult to find a way to counter.
Noticing Bu Eun-seol's thoughts, Poison Sovereign laughed confidently.
[No matter how hard you stare, it's useless. This Sovereign's Black Whirlwind Shadow is absolutely unbreakable.]
Then he continued.
[In the Central Plains, aside from the Twin Heaven Emperors, there are the Three Demons and Three Venerables, are there not? But had I been there, that name would have changed.]
This was no mere arrogance.
Though he might not surpass the Three Demons and Three Venerables,
it was undeniable that his level was so exceptional that even those at the Extreme Heaven Realm would struggle to contend with him.
[This Sovereign has a question for you as well.]
Poison Sovereign, now a swirling black vortex floating in midair, spoke.
[How did a child transformed into a perfect New Bloodline through the Soul Return Summoning revert to their original state?]
"Soul Return Summoning?"
[There's no need to feign ignorance.]
Poison Sovereign's voice was unhurried.
[This Sovereign is merely curious... how you shattered a secret art that the attendants of the 'Great One' claimed was absolute.]
Soul Return Summoning.
It seemed to be the name of the dharma art that had turned Seong-a into a New Bloodline.
Even Bu Eun-seol, well-versed in grand rituals, had never heard the term before—clearly, it was an ancient forbidden art.
[You know perfectly well. There is no need to pretend otherwise.]
[Is that so?]
Poison Sovereign clicked his tongue in disappointment.
[Perhaps I'll hear an answer once I start plucking off your limbs one by one.]
Snap!
A flicking sound came from the black whirlwind.
Sssssssss—
Simultaneously, a crimson mist began to seep from the whirlwind, swiftly enveloping Bu Eun-seol.
—Huuuuuu...
From within the red mist came sounds like the wailing of the dead.
And with each mournful cry that reached his ears,
the faces of countless martial artists Bu Eun-seol had felled until now rose in his mind.
Karmic Fire Poison Mist.
One of the four original poisons—the Four Deadly Poisons—created by Poison Sovereign, who had reached the pinnacle of the Sage Among Poisons realm.
—Huuuuuu...
The weeping did not cease.
Even immunity to all poisons could not block it,
for it was the Heart Poison—a venom that dredged up every memory of sin committed,
weakening both mind and body in an instant.
Clank.
Meanwhile, the martial artists carrying Seong-a's coffin began moving again.
[No matter how formidable your martial arts, you cannot withstand this Sovereign's poison.]
Poison Sovereign watched Bu Eun-seol, frozen and unable to move a finger, then spoke in a low voice.
[Take him as well.]
"Hmph."
At that moment, with a derisive snort—
Swish!
Ignoring the sorrow-laden wails,
Bu Eun-seol tore through the Karmic Fire Poison Mist and began cutting down the approaching martial artists.
[No.]
Poison Sovereign's mouth fell open as he watched.
[To resist the Karmic Fire Poison Mist... does that mean you have nothing weighing on your conscience?]
The Karmic Fire Poison Mist endlessly dredged up the sins and evil deeds one had committed,
amplifying even the guilt one had felt throughout their life.
For those in the martial world who made slaughter their karma, it was absolutely unbearable.
Only two kinds of people could endure it:
The Great Evils of the World, who felt no remorse despite their atrocities,
and the Great Righteous Heroes of the World, who had never committed a single sin and could face the heavens without shame.
And nothing else.
["Do you mean to say you've never once done anything shameful in your life?"]
"Impossible."
Bu Eun-seol scoffed at Poison Sovereign Garama's words.
There was no human alive who had never committed an act that would bring guilt or shame.
If anything, his lifelong regret was—
Not listening to his grandfather when he told him to use the Bone-Melting Powder.
"All things in this world flow solely by cause and effect."
[Even so, as a martial artist, you must have killed people, no?]
At Garama's shout, Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"Since when has the Martial World been a place of right and wrong?"
Through his travels in the Rivers and Lakes,
Bu Eun-seol had felt—no, understood—his grandfather's teachings to the bone.
Excluding those who were already human scum—bandits, lust demons, killing ghosts—those who committed evil from the start,
the Martial World was not a place where people killed each other over right and wrong.
It was simply that, depending on one's beliefs or goals,
there came situations where one became an enemy, where one had to cut the other down.
That was all.
Every action had a cause, and every cause led to an outcome.
"An act itself is not evil—only the consequences it brings into being."
Hadn't martial artists long called the Martial World heartless?
If he had felt guilt over killing his enemies, Bu Eun-seol would have abandoned revenge long ago.
[How rare. An amusing one has come.]
Even though the Karmic Fire Poison Mist had failed,
Garama's voice was oddly delighted.
[In all my years, I've never seen anyone endure more than two of my Four Deadly Poisons.]
Garama, who had reached the pinnacle of the Sage Among Poisons,
had created four poisons that should not exist in this world... and yet, he had never met a master worthy of facing them all.
[By all means, entertain me.]
As Garama's voice dropped to a whisper, a black lotus bloomed beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet.
Simultaneously, the energy within Bu Eun-seol's body scattered, his skin turning translucent.
Five Aggregates Crystal.
A poison art that corroded the physical body, erased sensation, halted imagination, stopped the workings of the mind—
and in one breath, severed consciousness itself.
[Even if you've stepped into the realm of the Sage Among Poisons, the Five Aggregates Crystal cannot be blocked.]
Garama's triumphant voice echoed.
The Five Aggregates Crystal was poison, yet not poison. Even those who had reached the Sage Among Poisons—
once struck, their bodies would inevitably collapse. It was, in essence, Garama's greatest poison art.
Whoosh—
White smoke rose from Bu Eun-seol's body as his movements froze.
Seizing the moment, Garama's subordinates drew their venomous blades once more, encircling him.
[No need to kill him.]
Garama spoke languidly in the tongue of India.
[He'll soon melt into a puddle of blood any—]
But his words were cut short.
Swish! Splat!
Bu Eun-seol, who had momentarily stilled—
was now, as if nothing had happened, slaughtering the surrounding warriors once again.
Thud.
After felling another wave of the poison-infused army, Bu Eun-seol smirked.
"All you can do is hide in that black whirlwind and spew poison, isn't it?"
Too stunned to reply, Garama could only stare.
He had suspected from the start that Bu Eun-seol had not achieved immunity to all poisons or the Poison Saint Body—
but had stepped into the realm of the Sage Among Poisons.
Otherwise, he would have already melted into a pool of blood from the strange poison diffusing within the Black Whirlwind Shadow.
But the Five Aggregates Crystal was different.
All poison people—those who synthesized, generated, or stored poison within their bodies—
possessed altered organs and metabolic systems unlike ordinary humans.
The Five Aggregates Crystal specifically targeted and destroyed those very mutations.
Even those who had reached the Sage Among Poisons could not possibly endure it.
And yet—how was this man standing there, completely unaffected?
[What are you?]
Garama could not comprehend it.
[Even the Sage Among Poisons cannot resist the Five Aggregates Crystal. Why hasn't your poison art been destroyed?]
"Poison art?"
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
"Why would I bother learning such a circus trick?"
[What?]
Garama, still crouched within the Black Whirlwind Shadow, widened his eyes.
[You... haven't learned poison arts?]
Only then did he realize.
Even though Bu Eun-seol had reached the Sage Among Poisons—even though he could neutralize and create poisons—
he had never once studied poison arts.
[The Sage Among Poisons... hasn't learned poison arts? What kind of nonsense is this?!]
—A Sage Among Poisons who had not mastered poison arts.
Such a thing had never occurred in the history of the Martial World.
Even Garama, a master of poisons, could neither accept nor understand it.
"Seems you've run out of tricks."
Bu Eun-seol spoke leisurely.
"Keep hiding in that swirling fog and spraying your poison, then."
He had already seen through everything.
Just like the Ghost King of Ghost King Valley in the past, Poison Lord was someone who feared injury or adventure in battle to an extreme degree.
And because of that, his Limitless Power, the Black Whirlwind Shadow, had manifested.
"I'll just cut down all the Poison People here instead!"
Flash!
As if deliberately provoking Poison Lord's pride, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a monstrous wave of Sword Qi, slicing through the Poison People.
'They've deployed a Battle Formation.'
But their numbers were overwhelming, and their formation was formidable.
He still couldn't reach the place where Seong-a and Hye Myo-eum were being moved.
But it didn't matter.
It would just take a little more time.
All he had to do was cut down every last one of the tens of thousands of troops on the plains.
[You bastard!]
Meanwhile, Poison Lord continuously unleashed the Five Aggregates Crystal, but it had no effect whatsoever.
[Fine.]
Finally, Poison Lord's eyes, peering out from within the black vortex, turned blood-red.
[Then I'll just have to use King of Hell's Soul-Severing Poison immediately.]
King of Hell's Soul-Severing Poison was the greatest poison Poison Lord had ever created.
It rapidly accelerated the flow of time within the body, swiftly eroding the very essence of one's internal power.
It didn't matter if one had Immunity to All Poisons or the greatest Internal Energy in the world—once exposed, all strength within the flesh would vanish in an instant, leaving the body an empty husk.
Krrrr—
A dark, swirling storm of energy rose around Bu Eun-seol, connecting earth and sky.
Whoosh.
At the same time, black fog forced its way into his nostrils.
Without any chance to evade or defend, the King of Hell's Soul-Severing Poison was forcibly absorbed into his body.
Zing, zing.
Bu Eun-seol's body flickered like a star, over and over.
The poison was rapidly eroding every ounce of power within him.
Rumble—
As Bu Eun-seol momentarily froze, Poison Lord's subordinates seized the opportunity, brandishing their weapons and pressing the attack.
[Hahaha!]
Poison Lord burst into Mad Laughter.
[Leave him be. I'll enjoy watching him wither into a dried-up husk at my leisure.]
His subordinates halted their assault, encircling Bu Eun-seol and observing him intently.
Flash—!Fwoosh!
But then, something unexpected happened.
Bu Eun-seol, who should have been withering away like a hollow shell as his strength vanished—
Was now emitting an even more intense Sword Qi.
Fwoosh—!Shriiik!
Not only that, but his Sword Techniques now carried a bizarre, poison-laced energy unlike before.
The result?
Everything within about eight hundred feet—his nearby attackers, the land itself—was utterly scorched.
Drip, drip.
All vegetation withered instantly, and the rocks turned pitch-black.
The poison infused within his Sword Qi was so vicious that the Poison People within that radius melted into viscous liquid, not even their clothing remaining.
[How?!]
Poison Lord's bewildered cry echoed from within the Black Whirlwind Shadow's vortex.
But whether he was shocked or not didn't matter.
Bu Eun-seol continued cutting down Poison Lord's subordinates indiscriminately.
'Every single one of Poison Lord's Poison Arts was incompatible with me.'
Bu Eun-seol's body contained Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang Qi, the Three Divine Powers, the power of Baekri Geom-ha sealed within the Abyss, the unknown force blocking his Brain Gate Acupoint, the Primordial Chaos Subtle Qi, and even the power bestowed upon him by the Ancient Sword Forest Lord...
In short, the most complex and terrifying energies in the world coexisted within him.
No matter how potent King of Hell's Soul-Severing Poison was—Poison Lord's greatest creation—
In truth, it could only erase five types of energy simultaneously.
And while five might sound like a lot—
No one in Murim possessed five distinct energies within their body to begin with.
So Poison Lord had every reason to believe his poison could annihilate any power.
But Bu Eun-seol's body housed more than five—each one a rare, overwhelming force.
No matter how deeply the poison penetrated, it couldn't extinguish all his strength at once.
Instead, it only injected another form of Poison Qi into him, further deepening his mastery as the Sage Among Poisons.
Shiik!Fwoooosh—!
Unconsciously, Bu Eun-seol fused the King of Hell's Soul-Severing Poison into his Sword Qi, unleashing it outward.
As a result, Poison Lord's nearby forces died without even a scream, their bodies hollowing into empty husks.
They tried to resist with intricate Battle Formations and Poison Arts, but—
Against Bu Eun-seol, who wielded a poison even the Sage Among Poisons couldn't withstand and Sword Techniques that had reached the Summit of Mastery—
They stood no chance.
Thud, thud.
Before anyone realized it, half of Poison Lord's forces stationed on the plains had been—
Either cleaved apart by Sword Qi or melted into bloody sludge.
Those fortunate enough to avoid the initial onslaught now had their skin sloughing off, bones exposed, or—
Were kneeling, vomiting endless streams of black liquid.
By merging the poison within him with his Sword Techniques, the resulting might surpassed all imagination.
Shudder, shudder.
The surviving Poison People trembled in terror, their will to resist utterly broken.
Some, unable to endure the fear, even stabbed their own throats.
Cloaked in crimson Radiance, Bu Eun-seol—who wielded both poison and Sword Qi—
Was no longer human.
He was Death itself, given form.