Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was unimaginably deep and pure, and various forces were mixed within his body.
When the poison first entered him, he mobilized every principle of martial learning to absorb the poison and convert it into true energy. In the process of hovering between life and death, he directly experienced and realized the fundamental principles and essence of poison.
In short, unlike poison art practitioners who learned how to use poison, he had fundamentally understood and gained insight into the operating principles of poison itself.
As a result, even without learning any poison arts, he gained the ability of the Poison Body realm—the power to create, extinguish, and transform poison in all its aspects.
Kwaaaaang! Paaaaa!
While unfolding his sword technique in a state of no-self, infusing poisonous energy into it, Bu Eunseol suddenly stopped moving.
Hellscape.
Only then did he belatedly realize that everything within eighty zhang had turned into a literal painting of hell.
‘The poison in my body is this terrifying…’
Having absorbed the Heavenly Three Poisons along with the Poison King’s strange poisons and fused them, he had even created a Poison Essence within his body. Therefore, once he began using poison, an unknown extreme toxin that even he could not predict would spread.
‘I must never use poison again in the future.’
At present, he had already surpassed the Poison Body realm.
The path to reaching the ultimate realm of the Great Poison Sovereign had opened before him. However, he felt a strong aversion to the destructive and cruel power of the poisonous energy, and since he had never learned poison arts nor clearly understood the process or stages…
It would be quite some time before he fully realized this fact.
[That bastard…]
The Poison King’s eyes widened.
Until now, he had effortlessly toppled countless self-proclaimed grandmasters of martial arts without lifting a finger. No matter how high a realm one reached in martial learning, there had never been anyone who could block the poisons he had created.
But for the first time, not only did his poison fail to work, but a Poison Body who surpassed his own realm had appeared right before his eyes.
‘Just where did this ghostly bastard come from?’
The Eight Strongest of Cheonchuk, the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants, each firmly guarded their own territories and never invaded one another. It was not out of mutual respect, but because they possessed roughly equal military power and influence. Among them, the Poison King had the smallest number of troops, but thanks to the advantage of having an army composed of poison users… he was able to maintain a comparable level of power.
‘Because of that one bastard!’
The Poison King ground his teeth.
Because of that single person, he could not allow the poison user army he had painstakingly trained over decades to collapse in an instant.
Troops were power.
Moreover, poison users possessed tremendous strength, making them extremely difficult to cultivate.
Even if he killed that bastard, if he lost his army, he would never be able to regain his former prestige.
[Stop! Cease this fight!]
Only after grasping the situation did the Poison King shout loudly.
[Fine. Let us negotiate now.]
“You try to kill someone and only now suggest negotiation?”
When Bu Eunseol snorted,
Uuuung.
Instead of answering, the Poison King caused light to flash from the black vortex.
Then, one of the transparent coffins that had been blocked by the massive formation and which Bu Eunseol could not retrieve rose into the air.
It was the coffin containing Hye Myo-eum, Seong-ah’s biological mother, who lay asleep inside.
[Didn’t you want her corpse?]
The Poison King spoke in a cruel voice.
[If you intend to continue opposing me, that’s fine. I’ll shatter her corpse first.]
Crack.
Cracks appeared on the coffin as the Poison King exerted his power.
In that instant, Bu Eunseol stopped moving.
Hye Myo-eum had been subjected to cruel torture her entire life and lived a wretched existence simply because she possessed a body suitable for giving birth to a ‘new bloodline.’
He could not allow even her corpse to be desecrated.
[I know your martial prowess is great. But you will never be able to fully seize her corpse from my hands.]
The Poison King gnashed his teeth.
[If you move even one more finger, I will destroy her corpse!]
“What about Seong-ah?”
[You even knew her name?]
The Poison King’s eyes flashed as if he had judged that Bu Eunseol was someone intentionally sent by a certain force.
[I cannot hand over the new bloodline.]
Seong-ah was the first successful new bloodline.
She was the vessel capable of conceiving the True Demon with a perfect body and could become the origin of a new humanity. Moreover, he did not know when the Three Attendants might seek the True Demon again, or when he might regain his memories and desire the child.
He absolutely could not hand her over.
[How about it? Will you accept?]
The Poison King wore a sinister smile.
No matter how many times stronger Bu Eunseol’s martial arts became, he would never be able to take her corpse from his grasp.
‘In that case.’
Bu Eunseol’s mind began spinning rapidly.
Having completed a plan to resolve the situation, he spoke coldly.
“The negotiation is cancelled.”
[Fine. Continue killing my subordinates.]
Crack.
The Poison King shattered the coffin and levitated her corpse into the air.
[I will tear her limbs apart one by one and throw them in front of you.]
It was an utterly vicious statement.
“Wait.”
In the end, Bu Eunseol spoke with a helpless expression.
“Then wake Seong-ah and at least let her say her final goodbye to her mother.”
Rumble.
At the same time, he raised his internal energy to the limit of the Ten Heavenly Stems and unleashed a lion’s roar.
“Otherwise, even if I must abandon her corpse, I will annihilate every last soldier gathered here!”
His voice shook the entire plain in an instant.
The Poison King fell silent.
Just from the spreading waves of internal energy, it was clear he was not bluffing.
If his entire subordinate force were truly annihilated, he would not only be unable to maintain his position among the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants, but might even have to bow his head to the others.
[Why are you going so far for the new bloodline? Just who sent you?]
“Make your decision, yes or no.”
Bu Eunseol said firmly.
“Return Madam Hye’s corpse intact and wake Seong-ah to give her time to bid farewell. Then I will leave without any lingering attachment.”
After thinking for a long time, the Poison King looked into Bu Eunseol’s eyes, which shone with determination, and nodded.
[I see what you’re thinking.]
The Poison King snorted.
[However, all of that child’s power has been sealed. And no matter what method you use, it cannot be undone.]
“I told you to make your decision.”
When Bu Eunseol moved to swing his Silent Tiger Soul Sword, the Poison King smiled faintly.
[Fine.]
“……”
[Do not even think of trying any clumsy tricks.]
Since the Poison King was the one in charge of Seong-ah’s experiments, he naturally knew the secrets and methods to control her power. Moreover, the ancient knowledge and secret arts passed down by the True Demon’s servants had been used once more through the Soul Reincarnation Spirit to suppress her.
It could never be broken.
“Understood.”
When Bu Eunseol nodded, the Poison King sent a thousand-li sound transmission to his subordinates.
They then brought out Seong-ah from the glass coffin.
Having lost all her power, she woke up groggily with pure but powerless eyes.
Upon seeing Hye Myo-eum floating in the air, she let out a cry of “Aaaah!”
“Seong-ah.”
Bu Eunseol said to her.
“Your mother has passed away.”
“Aaaah!”
“You must now say your final goodbye to your mother.”
Even as he spoke, Bu Eunseol sent a sound transmission while glaring at the Star Ring Shadow where the Poison King was hiding.
‘That pig-like bastard hiding in the black vortex is the one who killed her.’
‘Therefore, you must take away all of his energy.’
“Uuuuuh.”
Seong-ah, filled with rage, tried to spread the energy within her body.
But due to the restriction the Poison King had implanted, she could not exert any power.
Shuk.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol secretly shot an invisible, soundless finger wind.
He drew blood from his finger and smeared it on Seong-ah’s red lips.
In that instant, she brought her tongue to the droplet of blood Bu Eunseol had shot out.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the blood on her lips.
Gulp.
At that moment, a light like the sun burst from Seong-ah’s two eyes, and
Crack.
Her hair rapidly lengthened as she began transforming into the form of a witch with endlessly cruel and evil eyes.
‘My prediction was correct.’
Originally, Bu Eunseol had planned to break the Star Ring Shadow using Harmony or the Seven Blood Tear Forms.
However, he could not be certain it would definitely work.
If he failed, Hye Myo-eum’s corpse would be destroyed.
Therefore, he had devised another plan.
Previously, when Seong-ah drank his blood, she had exerted tremendous power and taken away his energy. If that power of hers manifested again, he believed it could force out the true form of the Poison King hidden within the black vortex.
And just as expected, Seong-ah was instantly absorbing even the Poison King’s power.
[H-How?!]
As the Poison King let out a cry of shock,
“Aaaaaah!”
Seong-ah spread both hands and began exerting tremendous suction force.
The vortex form hiding the Poison King’s body began to ripple endlessly.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
As if peeling the skin off a fruit, black mist began spreading out while spinning according to the suction force.
[Not a chance!]
From within the black vortex, the Poison King unfolded his life-saving ultimate move—the attack form of the Star Ring Shadow, the Foundational Consciousness.
Shuuuuuu!
An eight-eyed spider shape appeared above the black vortex.
Hiss.
The spider, with its back to the Star Ring Shadow created by the Poison King, opened its massive mouth and continuously spewed endless poison.
The Foundational Consciousness was originally formless poison, but because the Poison King’s poison arts were so powerful, it took on a visible physical form.
Tsssss.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol, who had turned into a blazing red fireball, stepped in front of Seong-ah.
Hwarrrrr.
All poisons under heaven were opposed by fire.
Using the Yeolha Great True Energy with all his might, Bu Eunseol unfolded a massive curtain of fire, completely annihilating the Foundational Consciousness pouring toward her body.
Chiiiiii!
Amid the acrid smoke as the Yeolha Great True Energy and Foundational Consciousness clashed,
[Ugh…]
A groan began leaking from the black vortex.
The Star Ring Shadow was collapsing under Seong-ah’s suction force.
Crack.
Finally, from the black vortex, the Poison King revealed his form—a massive figure resembling a Maitreya statue.
[I will shatter that bitch’s corpse in one blow!]
The moment the revealed the Poison King, filled with rage, shouted like thunder,
Srrrrng.
A sword cry like the death knell announcing the end of the world rang out across the entire realm.
Red flashes soared in all directions from the half-drawn blade of the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
He had captured the perfect instant of death and unfolded the ultimate swift-killing form that transcended distance and space—the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Shiiiik!
Just as the red flash was about to sever the Poison King’s neck, an unexpected event occurred.
Thud.
The sagging flesh on the Poison King’s neck tightly gripped the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and refused to let go.
There were countless martial arts in the world, but never once had a technique been created that used fat flesh to block a weapon.
“How dare you toy with me.”
The Poison King, now speaking in a real voice with a strange resonance instead of the previous eerie tone, ground his teeth and shouted.
“I will kill all of you at once!”
Kuuuung.
By now, the Poison King’s body had swollen up like a massive balloon.
Having had all his power drained by Seong-ah and facing death by having his neck cut by Bu Eunseol, he intended to detonate all the poison he had painstakingly accumulated over decades, instantly blowing away the entire area.
“See you in hell!”
Along with the Poison King’s battle cry, his massive body expanded hundreds of times over.
It was the Poison King’s self-destructive divine art, far surpassing the power of the Strong Dragon Crushing Demon Soul by dozens of times.
He was about to unfold the Great Black Offering Power Annihilation Array.
“Go to hell alone.”
Uuuung.
At that moment, five-colored radiance flowed from Bu Eunseol’s sword, which was embedded in the Poison King’s sagging neck flesh.
“What is this?”
The Poison King’s expression turned strange.
The moment the radiance flowed from the sword, the energy of the Great Black Offering Power Annihilation Array—which could turn the entire area into a land of death—vanished in an instant.
[Wait…]
Finally realizing the situation, the Poison King’s eyes widened as he let out a thunderous roar.
[N-No—!]
And that was the last will he uttered in his lifetime.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
A brilliant light capable of dyeing the entire world poured out three times in succession.
Bu Eunseol, who had already anticipated the Poison King’s attempt at explosive suicide, had accumulated and arranged the power of Harmony and unfolded it consecutively.
Shuuuuuuu.
The spot where the Poison King had stood was now left with only a blackened scorch mark.
The great master of Cheonchuk who had reached the final edge of the Poison Body realm and whose skill was said to rival that of the Three Demons—the Poison King Garama—had vanished without even leaving a corpse.
Originally, with his true skill, he would not have met such a futile end.
However, after having all his power drained by the recovered Seong-ah, his trump card and absolute defensive technique, the Star Ring Shadow, had been broken.
In the end, beneath the sword of the Central Plains grandmaster Bu Eunseol, he met death without being able to put up a single proper resistance.
“Aaaaaah!”
However, the enraged Seong-ah was still directing her suction force toward the Poison King’s subordinates, more than half of whom remained.
—Uaaaaah.
The martial artists left on the plain all began screaming and fleeing.
Due to the suction force Seong-ah exerted, the poison arts they had trained their entire lives were slowly collapsing.
—My body won’t move!
The troops in the rear were fleeing frantically, but her suction force spread across several li.
In the end, they could only tremble violently without even being able to scream.
Shuuuuu.
As their poison arts gradually collapsed, their bodies began to shrivel up like deflated leather.
‘They brought it upon themselves.’
The Poison King and his subordinates had committed evil deeds that should never have been done.
Originally, he would have cut off their heads one by one, but since they had lost the poison arts they valued more than their lives, it could be said they had received a suitably severe punishment.
Shuuuuu.
Before long, all the remaining poison users had lost their poisonous energy and returned to ordinary bodies.
The new generation of humans created by the True Demon—the new bloodline.
An unimaginable power was inherent in her body.
Floating gently.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol caught the coffin of Hye Myo-eum that was falling from the air.
Her remains, which had been toyed with by the Poison King until the very end, looked utterly exhausted and weary.
‘If I bury her like this, someone else will surely touch her corpse again.’
Seong-ah, who had turned into the form of a witch and dealt with the entire large army, let out a heart-wrenching wail upon seeing her mother’s eyes closed as if in quiet sleep.
“Aaaaaah!”
‘If she continues like this, she will fall into heart demons.’
Thud.
Bu Eunseol placed the blood flowing from Seong-ah’s mouth back in.
He also injected the Endless Heavenly Light Art to calm her mind.
Then, her sharp eyes regained their clarity, and her blood-red lips slowly returned to their original color.
Merely by giving her his blood again, she had broken the secret art of the Soul Reincarnation Spirit created by the True Demon and returned to the form of a pure girl.
‘No, it wasn’t completely broken.’
If the secret art had been perfectly extinguished, she should not have transformed back into the witch form with his blood.
In the end, the True Demon’s secret art had not been fully broken.
“Seong-ah.”
Bu Eunseol said to her.
“Say whatever you want to say to your mother.”
“Aaaah.”
“If we leave your mother’s remains here like this, she will be used by those bad people for the rest of eternity.”
Drip, drip.
Seong-ah seemed to understand the meaning and began shedding tears.
She tightly embraced her mother’s cold body.
The actions of those sending off a loved one were always so consistent.
Just as Bu Eunseol had done with his grandfather in the past, she closed her eyes, buried herself in Hye Myo-eum’s embrace, and rubbed her cheek against her.
That time was both endlessly long and short.
Having finished her farewell, Seong-ah stood up and wiped her tears.
Bu Eunseol also paid his respects to Hye Myo-eum’s remains once more.
“Now, let us send your mother off.”
He placed her back inside the coffin and then began unfolding the Yeolha Great True Energy with all his strength.
Hwarrrrr!
The coffin was instantly engulfed in flames like the sun.
Normally, to cremate a body, one had to burn it for more than two hours at a temperature hot enough to melt bronze.
However, the extreme realm Yeolha Great True Energy unfolded by Bu Eunseol could reduce a body to ashes in just fifteen minutes.
Uuuung.
Bu Eunseol raised his internal energy to levitate her ashes into the sky, and
Hwaaaaaak!
He unfolded the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to scatter them far and wide.
“Your mother will now freely roam the entire world… and be reborn in a better place.”
Hye Myo-eum, who had spent her entire life trapped in an underground temple, subjected to cruel experiments before drawing her last breath.
For a while, her remains would ride the wind, flying freely across all of Cheonchuk, before slowly merging with nature.
Bu Eunseol and Seong-ah stood shoulder to shoulder, looking up for a long time at the sight of Hye Myo-eum departing from the mortal world.
***
A few days later.
A very meticulous and pretty young girl, though still young in age, joined the Martial Soul Society as a worker.
Her name was Hye Seong-ah.
After learning the basic tasks, she became the exclusive maid of Yu Seol, the Preparatory Courtyard Supervisor of the Supply Hall, who was in charge of the Martial Soul Society’s supplies.
Originally, Yu Seol had been a servant in the Water Mirror Hall who calculated the wages of the wanderers, but her outstanding ability had been recognized, and she had quickly risen to the position of Preparatory Courtyard Supervisor.
Seong-ah took full responsibility for cleaning the entire pavilion where Yu Seol stayed and washing the bedding.
Although her speech and work were still clumsy, she worked diligently and always showed a bright smile.
Because of this, everyone in the Martial Soul Society, including Yu Seol, liked her.
‘This is just the beginning.’
Watching the scene from afar, Bu Eunseol clenched his fist tightly.
‘Before returning to Majeon, I will lure the True Demon and the subordinates of the Baekri Clan here in the Martial Soul Society.’
A brilliant light burst from his eyes.
‘Is the martial world… truly theirs to claim!’
Bringing Seong-ah to the Martial Soul Society was both fulfilling Hye Myo-eum’s request and… an attempt to catch the tail of the True Demon and the Baekri Clan, who had been crouching in the abyss all this time.
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