Chapter 971
Bu Eun-seol's internal energy was unimaginably deep and pure, with various powers coexisting within his body.
When the poison first invaded him,
he mobilized the principles of martial arts to absorb the poison and convert it into true qi.
Through the process of teetering between life and death, he directly experienced and comprehended the fundamental principles and essence of poison itself.
In short, unlike poison art practitioners who merely learned how to wield poison,
he fundamentally understood and grasped the very mechanics of poison—its creation, destruction, and transformation.
Because of this, even without formally training in poison arts,
he attained the abilities of a Sage Among Poisons, capable of intervening in every aspect of poison—its birth, annihilation, and metamorphosis.
KWAOOOONG—! PAAAH—!
Bu Eun-seol, who had been unleashing sword techniques imbued with poison energy within the State of No-Self,
suddenly—
halted his movements.
Hell Island.
Only now did he belatedly realize that the area within about eight hundred feet had transformed into a literal painting of hell.
'The poison within me... is this terrifying?'
Having absorbed and assimilated not only the Three Great Poisons of the World but also the Poison Qi of the Poison Sovereign, he had even formed Poison Essence within his body.
Thus, once he began wielding poison, an unknown extreme poison—one even he could not predict—would spread uncontrollably.
'From now on... I must never use poison again.'
Currently, he had surpassed the Sage Among Poisons—
and now stood at the threshold of the ultimate realm: the Greatest Poison Saint of All Time.
However, not only did he feel a sense of rejection toward the destructive and brutal might of his poison energy,
but he also had never formally trained in poison arts and thus did not fully understand its processes or stages...
It would be some time before he fully grasped this truth.
[That bastard...!]
The Poison Sovereign's eyes bulged.
Until now, he had effortlessly defeated countless masters—even those hailed as grandmasters of martial arts—without so much as lifting a finger.
No matter how high their martial prowess, none could withstand the poison he had devised.
But for the first time, not only had his methods failed—
a Sage Among Poisons, one who surpassed his own mastery, had appeared before him.
'Where the hell did this monstrous bastard come from?!'
The Eight Overlords of India each maintained firm control over their own territories, never encroaching upon one another.
This was not out of mutual respect, but because their military forces and influence were evenly matched.
Among them, the Poison Sovereign commanded the smallest army—
but because his forces consisted entirely of Poison People, he maintained comparable strength.
'All because of that one bastard!'
The Poison Sovereign gnashed his teeth.
Because of that one bastard,
He could not let the army of Poison People he had painstakingly nurtured over decades collapse in an instant.
Military power was synonymous with influence.
Moreover, Poison People, despite their formidable strength, were exceedingly difficult to cultivate.
Even if he killed that bastard,
losing his army would mean he could never reclaim his former dominance.
[Enough! Cease this fight!]
Finally grasping the situation, the Poison Sovereign roared.
[Fine. Let us negotiate now.]
"You try to kill people, and now you want to negotiate?"
Bu Eun-seol scoffed.
WHOOM—
Instead of responding, the Poison Sovereign made a black vortex flash with light.
Then, a transparent coffin—one Bu Eun-seol had been unable to retrieve, blocked by the massive boundary formation—soared into the air.
It was the coffin containing the body of Hye Myo-eum, Seong-a's birth mother.
[Did you not want her corpse?]
The Poison Sovereign spoke in a cruel voice.
[If you insist on opposing me, fine. I'll start by smashing her corpse to pieces.]
CRACK—
As the Poison Sovereign exerted his power, fissures spread across the coffin.
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol froze.
Hye Myo-eum had suffered a lifetime of brutal torture and lived a wretched existence—
all because her body was deemed suitable for bearing the New Bloodline.
He could not allow even her corpse to be desecrated.
[I acknowledge your martial prowess is extraordinary. But you will never be able to seize her corpse intact from my grasp.]
The Poison Sovereign gnashed his teeth.
[Move even a single finger, and I will destroy her corpse!]
"What about Seong-a?"
[You even know her name?]
The Poison Sovereign's eyes flashed—as if he now believed Bu Eun-seol had been deliberately sent in by some faction.
[You absolutely cannot take the New Bloodline away.]
Seong-a was the first successful New Bloodline—
a vessel capable of perfectly conceiving the True Demon in physical form, and potentially the origin of a new humanity.
Moreover, there was no telling when the Three Attendants might seek the True Demon—or when he might regain his memories and demand the child.
There was no way he could surrender her.
[Well? Do you accept?]
Dokjon smiled ominously.
Even if Bu Eun-seol's martial arts were dozens of times stronger than they were now, there was absolutely no way he would let her corpse be snatched from his grasp.
'Then.'
Bu Eun-seol's mind began spinning rapidly.
And once he had formulated a plan to resolve this situation, he spoke coldly.
"Negotiations have broken down, it seems."
[Good. Keep slaughtering my subordinates.]
CRACK.
Dokjon shattered the coffin and levitated her corpse in midair.
[I will tear her limbs off one by one and hurl them before your eyes.]
It was an utterly vile threat.
"Wait."
Finally, Bu Eun-seol made a reluctant expression and spoke.
"Then wake Seong-a. At least let her say her final farewell."
RUMBLE—
Then, with all the internal energy of ten sixty-year measure cycles, he unleashed a Lion's Roar.
"Otherwise, even if I must abandon her corpse, I will slaughter every last soldier gathered here!"
His voice shook the entire plain in an instant.
Dokjon fell silent.
Just from the shockwave of that spreading internal energy, it was clear this was no empty boast.
If his forces were truly annihilated—not only would he lose his position as one of the Eight Overlords of India, but he might even be forced to bow his head to the other overlords.
[Why go to such lengths for a New Bloodline? Who sent you?]
"Just make your decision."
Bu Eun-seol spoke decisively.
"Return Lady Hye's corpse intact, and wake Seong-a to give her time to say goodbye. Then I will leave without hesitation."
Dokjon, who had been thinking for a long while, studied the light in Bu Eun-seol's eyes before nodding.
[I see what you're thinking.]
Dokjon scoffed.
[But that child's power is completely sealed. And no matter what you try, you won't break it.]
"I told you to make your decision."
As Bu Eun-seol raised his Ink Soul Sword, Dokjon smiled faintly.
[Fine.]
"..."
[Don't even think of trying anything foolish.]
Since Dokjon was the one responsible for Seong-a's experiments,
he naturally knew the secrets and methods to control her power.
Moreover, he had reinforced the seal with an ancient Soul Return Summoning,
a secret art passed down by the True Demon's attendants.
There was absolutely no way it could be broken.
"Understood."
When Bu Eun-seol nodded, Dokjon sent a Thousand-Li Voice Transmission to his subordinates.
At his command, they retrieved Seong-a from the glass tube.
She seemed to have lost all her strength, waking with pure but powerless eyes.
Then, upon seeing Hye Myo-eum's floating corpse, she let out a wail—"Aah!"
"Seong-a."
Bu Eun-seol spoke to her.
"Your mother has passed."
"Aah!"
"You must bid her farewell now."
Even as he said this,
「That pig hiding in the black vortex killed her.」
he sent a Telepathic Transmission while glaring at the Tara Wheel Form where Dokjon concealed himself.
「So you must drain every last drop of his energy.」
"Uuugh..."
Seong-a, trembling with rage, tried to unleash the energy within her body.
But due to the Restrictive Seal Dokjon had implanted, she couldn't exert any power.
Flick.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol secretly fired an Invisible, Soundless Finger Wind.
He drew blood from his finger and smeared it on Seong-a's crimson lips.
Instantly, she touched the droplet of blood with her tongue.
Then, without hesitation, she swallowed the blood staining her lips.
Gulp.
The moment she did—
A light like the Solar Radiance burst from her eyes,
Crackle—
Her hair grew rapidly,
and she began transforming into the form of a Witch—
with endlessly cruel and sinister eyes.
'Just as I expected.'
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to use Harmonization or the Bloody Tears Seven Forms to shatter the Tara Wheel Form.
But he couldn't guarantee that would be enough.
If he failed, Hye Myo-eum's corpse would be destroyed.
So he had devised another plan.
The last time Seong-a drank his blood, she had unleashed tremendous power and drained his energy.
If that power manifested again—
he believed she could force Dokjon's true form out of that black vortex.
And just as predicted—
Seong-a was already absorbing Dokjon's energy in an instant.
[H-How?!]
Just as Dokjon let out a cry of shock—
"AAAAAH!"
Seong-a spread her arms and unleashed an overwhelming suction force.
Then Poison Sovereign Garama's concealed whirlwind form began to ripple violently—
KWAOOOOO!
Like fruit being peeled, the black fog started spreading outward in spirals under the suction force.
[Impossible!]
From within the black whirlwind, Garama unleashed Alaya Consciousness—a Life-Saving Ultimate Technique and the offensive form of Black Whirlwind Shadow.
SHUUUU!
An eight-eyed spider manifestation emerged above the black whirlwind.
Tsk.
With its back to the Black Whirlwind Shadow Garama had created, the spider opened its massive maw and spewed forth an endless stream of poison.
Alaya Consciousness was originally a Formless Poison, but Garama's Poison Art was so overwhelmingly potent that its form had become visible.
Tscht.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol—now a blazing crimson inferno—stepped in front of Seong-a.
WHOOSH.
All poisons under heaven are inherently weak against fire.
Bu Eun-seol unfurled a colossal curtain of flames with his full-powered Hot River Great Essence True Qi, annihilating every drop of Alaya Consciousness pouring toward her.
SCREEEEE!
As the Hot River Great Essence True Qi and Alaya Consciousness clashed amidst acrid smoke—
[Grrrr—]
A pained groan began to seep from the black whirlwind.
Seong-a's suction was breaking apart Black Whirlwind Shadow.
CRACK.
Finally, from within the dissipating vortex, Garama emerged—his massive form resembling a towering Maitreya statue.
[I'll crush that bitch's corpse in one strike!]
Just as the enraged Garama roared like thunder—
SRIIING.
A Sword Resonance—like the tolling bell of the Grim Reaper heralding the world's end—resounded.
A crimson flash erupted from the half-drawn Ink Soul Sword, its blade radiating lethal light.
Bu Eun-seol had seized the perfect instant of death—
And unleashed Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form, an Extreme-Speed Killing Form that severed enemies across space and distance.
SHIIIING!
Just as the crimson flash was about to cleave Garama's neck—
The unexpected happened.
THUD.
The sagging flesh of Garama's neck clamped onto the Ink Soul Sword, refusing to let go.
Though the martial world boasted countless Martial Arts,
A technique that used fat to block weapons had never been conceived before.
"You dare mock this sovereign?"
Garama's voice—no longer an eerie echo but a physical roar—grated through clenched teeth.
"I'll kill you all at once!"
BOOOOM.
His body had already begun swelling like a monstrous balloon.
With his power drained by Seong-a and his neck moments from being severed by Bu Eun-seol,
He chose to detonate decades of accumulated poison—erasing the entire area in an instant.
"See you in hell!"
With Garama's battle cry, his body expanded hundreds of times over.
His Self-Destruction Divine Art, Great Black Offering Annihilation Array, surpassed even the might of Dragon-Subduing Soul-Expelling Blast by dozens of times.
"Go to hell alone."
HUM.
Then, from Bu Eun-seol's sword still lodged in Garama's neck, a prismatic radiance spilled forth.
"What is this—?"
Garama's expression twisted.
As the light surged,
The energy of Great Black Offering Annihilation Array—capable of turning this land into a wasteland—vanished in an instant.
[Wait—]
Realizing the situation, Garama's eyes bulged as he screamed like thunder.
[NOOOOO—!]
And those became his final words.
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
Blinding light—enough to drown the world—erupted three times in succession.
Bu Eun-seol, who had anticipated Garama's suicidal explosion,
Had accumulated and alignedHarmonization to unleash this consecutive strike.
SHUUUU.
All that remained where Garama once stood was a charred black stain.
The Grandmaster of India—revered as a Sage Among Poisons, his strength rivaling the Three Demons—
Poison Sovereign Garama had vanished without even leaving a corpse.
Had he fought at full strength, his end wouldn't have been so pitiful.
But with his power drained by Seong-a,
His ultimate defense, Black Whirlwind Shadow, had shattered.
And thus, beneath the sword of Bu Eun-seol—a Grandmaster of the Central Plains—
He met death without even putting up a proper fight.
"AAAAH!"
But Seong-a, still enraged, turned her suction upon Garama's remaining forces.
—UAAAAH!
The surviving warriors on the plains screamed as they fled in terror.
Under the suction force exerted by Seong-a,
the Poison Arts they had cultivated their entire lives were gradually crumbling.
—My body won't move!
The troops at the rear were fleeing in disarray, but her suction power spread across several li.
In the end, they couldn't even scream—they could only tremble helplessly.
Whoosh.
As their Poison Arts collapsed, their bodies withered like deflated leather sacks.
They brought this upon themselves.
Poison Sovereign and his subordinates had committed unforgivable atrocities.
Under normal circumstances, I would have beheaded them one by one.
But for Poison People, losing their Poison Arts was worse than losing their lives.
In a way, they had received a fitting punishment.
Whoosh.
Before long, the remaining Poison People had all lost their venomous energy, reduced to ordinary bodies.
The True Demon's creation—
a new generation of humans, the New Bloodline.
Her body harbored power beyond imagination.
Thud.
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol caught Hye Myo-eum's coffin as it fell through the air.
Her corpse, toyed with by Poison Sovereign until the very end, looked utterly exhausted.
If we bury her like this, someone will disturb her corpse again.
Seong-a, who had taken on the form of a witch and annihilated the entire army,
let out a heart-wrenching wail upon seeing her mother's peaceful, closed-eyed face.
"Aaaah!"
If this continues, she'll succumb to her Inner Demon.
Splat.
Bu Eun-seol let his blood drip into Seong-a's mouth.
Then, to calm her mind, he infused her with the Heavenly Light Endless Art.
Gradually, her sharp eyes regained clarity, and her crimson-stained lips returned to their natural hue.
Just by feeding her his blood—
he had shattered the True Demon's forbidden Soul Return Summoning, restoring her to the pure girl she once was.
No, not shattered.
Had the secret art truly been destroyed, she shouldn't have been able to transform back into the witch's form with his blood.
In the end, the True Demon's secret art hadn't been completely broken.
"Seong-a."
Bu Eun-seol spoke to her.
"Tell your mother what you wish to say."
"Ahh..."
"If we leave her body here, those vile creatures will exploit her for the rest of eternity."
Drip, drip.
Seong-a seemed to understand his meaning—tears began to fall.
Then she tightly embraced her mother's cold, lifeless form.
The gestures of those bidding farewell to their loved ones are always the same, aren't they?
Just as Bu Eun-seol had once done with his grandfather,
she closed her eyes and buried her face against Hye Myo-eum's chest, rubbing her cheek against it.
That moment felt both endless and fleeting.
Once she had said her goodbyes, Seong-a rose and wiped her tears.
Bu Eun-seol, too, paid his final respects to Hye Myo-eum's remains.
"Now, let us send your mother off."
After placing her back in the coffin, he unleashed the full might of the Hot River Great Essence True Qi.
Whoooosh!
Instantly, the coffin was engulfed in flames as radiant as the sun.
Normally, cremating a body required temperatures high enough to melt bronze for at least four hours.
But the Hot River Great Essence True Qi at the Extreme Realm could reduce flesh to ashes in just a quarter of an hour.
Huum.
Bu Eun-seol channeled his Internal Energy, lifting her ashes into the sky—
Fwoooosh!
—then unleashed the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, scattering them far and wide.
"Now, your mother will wander freely across the world... and be reborn in a better place."
Hye Myo-eum, who had spent her life imprisoned in an underground temple, subjected to cruel experiments before her death.
For a time, her remains would ride the winds, soaring freely across the lands of India,
until they slowly merged with nature.
Side by side, Bu Eun-seol and Seong-a gazed upward, watching Hye Myo-eum depart from the Saha World.
Several days later.
A young but meticulous and lovely girl joined the Muhonhoe as a worker.
Her name was Hye Seong-a.
After learning the basics,
she became the personal attendant of Yu Seol, the Residence Steward of the Muhonhoe's Storehouse Bureau.
Originally, Yu Seol had been a clerk in the Scripture Instruction Hall, calculating wages for wandering warriors.
But her exceptional abilities had earned her a promotion to Residence Steward.
Seong-a took charge of all cleaning and laundry in Yu Seol's quarters.
Though her speech and work were still clumsy, she labored diligently, always wearing a bright smile.
Because of this, everyone in the Muhonhoe, including Yu Seol, grew fond of her.
This is only the beginning.
From a distance, Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
Before returning to the Demon Hall, I'll lure the True Demon's and the Baekri Clan's followers here.
A brilliant light flashed in his eyes.
Let's see if the Murim truly belongs to them!
Bringing Seong-a into the Muhonhoe—
it was both fulfilling Hye Myo-eum's final wish
and seizing the tails of the True Demon and the Baekri Clan, who had long lurked in the Abyss.