Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Intervention
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Yu Un-ryong tilted his head, looking at Bu Eun-seol’s grave expression.
“Formidable masters?”
*Chwarararak!*
A strange sound echoed from the distant sky.
And not long after, five shadows descended from the air before Bu Eun-seol.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol’s eyebrows shot up.
The presence he had sensed with his Beast's Path was over a hundred paces away. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they had arrived.
*Thud, thud.*
They approached Bu Eun-seol and Yu Un-ryong without hesitation.
Dressed in black martial arts uniforms with iron masks covering their faces, their appearance was utterly bizarre.
*Shudder.*
But as he watched them, Yu Un-ryong’s body trembled slightly.
“Do you know them?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, Yu Un-ryong sucked in a sharp breath.
“The Myeol-hon… dae.”
*The Myeol-hon-dae.*
They were the masters of the Myeol-hon-dae, pursuing Yu Un-ryong for his failure to eliminate the Dae-ui-go-su.
“You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble, Yu Un-ryong.”
Ak Cheon-bu, the leader of the Myeol-hon-dae’s Third Division, spoke with a voice tinged with emotion.
“To think there was someone who could so tenaciously evade our main force's pursuit.”
Until now, Yu Un-ryong had persistently survived both fights and pursuits.
His tenacity and will to live were enough to astound even the world-renowned masters of the Myeol-hon-dae.
“But this is the end of the line. I trust you’re prepared.”
*Sreureung.*
As he drew the sword from his back and approached Yu Un-ryong,
“Turn back.”
Bu Eun-seol stepped in front of Ak Cheon-bu.
“You have no right to take him.”
“Bu Eun-seol.”
As Yu Un-ryong looked on in surprise, Ak Cheon-bu’s eyes flashed.
“Right?”
From the black pupils behind his mask, a crimson killing intent shimmered like a heat haze.
It was a terrifying, spine-chilling sight, but Bu Eun-seol spoke with a relaxed expression.
“He killed the Dae-ui-go-su.”
“What?”
“That man over there is the Dae-ui-go-su.”
Bu Eun-seol pointed to Seong-ryun, who had collapsed against a tree stump.
Ak Cheon-bu gestured to a subordinate behind him. A Myeol-hon-dae member carefully inspected the fallen Seong-ryun and then nodded.
“It's Seong-ryun, the Dae-ui-go-su from the Beggars' Union.”
Ak Cheon-bu, who had been staring at Bu Eun-seol, now wore a look of disbelief.
“He killed him?”
“That's right.”
“That can't be.”
He had been pursuing Yu Un-ryong for a long time.
Although Yu Un-ryong had been getting stronger while on the run, he knew the young man was still no match for a Dae-ui-go-su.
“Nonsense. With his skills, he couldn't possibly have killed a Dae-ui-go-su.”
Bu Eun-seol crossed his arms and said nonchalantly.
“If you doubt it, check for yourself.”
Ak Cheon-bu, who had been staring intently at him, turned and meticulously examined Seong-ryun’s body.
“Hmm.”
Indeed, all the wounds scattered across Seong-ryun’s body were marks left by the White Horse Whip.
They were injuries inflicted when Yu Un-ryong of the Horse Whip Family had unleashed the ultimate technique of the White Horse Shrine.
“But the fatal wound is the stab wound in his chest…”
A sharp glint shone in Ak Cheon-bu’s eyes.
The decisive cause of Seong-ryun’s death was a sharp stab wound in his chest.
*But the White Horse Whip can replicate the variations of all weapons in the world… so it’s not an impossible wound.*
In truth, this was only possible because of Bu Eun-seol's Mu-sang-cheon-ryu, which left neither trace nor discernible technique, but Ak Cheon-bu had no way of knowing that.
“Hmm.”
Ak Cheon-bu let out a low groan.
The order he had received was to cripple the martial arts of the Sip-ma-jeon-in who failed to eliminate the Dae-ui-go-su.
But just as he was about to do so, his target had killed a Dae-ui-go-su right before his eyes… He was now deliberating whether to punish Yu Un-ryong or not.
“The objective was the Dae-ui-go-su. He has fulfilled his duty.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, a Myeol-hon-dae member standing behind Ak Cheon-bu smirked.
“Ridiculous. This man disobeyed the main force’s orders and fled. That alone is a crime.”
Bu Eun-seol replied coldly.
“He only retreated to fight another day. If you kill him now, you'll be breaking a sharp blade capable of dealing with the Dae-ui-go-su.”
Ak Cheon-bu silently gazed at Seong-ryun’s wounds.
After a moment of thought, he turned his gaze to Bu Eun-seol.
“Which Sip-ma-jeon-in are you?”
“Why do you assume I'm a Sip-ma-jeon-in?”
“Are you saying you're not?”
As Ak Cheon-bu stared him down, Bu Eun-seol spoke as if he had no other choice.
“Nang-ya-gak.”
“Nang-ya-gak… I see.”
Only then did all the lingering questions in Ak Cheon-bu’s mind clear up completely.
*So, even in hell, the friendship between men exists.*
Staring at Bu Eun-seol, Ak Cheon-bu’s lips curved upward.
It was such a faint and subtle smile that no one noticed it.
“We're leaving.”
“Division Leader.”
“He killed him, didn't he? The Dae-ui-go-su.”
Ak Cheon-bu glanced at Yu Un-ryong and said.
“Besides, aren't the Sip-ma-jeon-in destined to fight until all the Dae-ui-go-su are gone?”
Then, he turned his gaze back to Bu Eun-seol and said.
“I'm sure the Heavenly Demon Emperor will understand a slight delay.”
After watching Bu Eun-seol for a while longer, Ak Cheon-bu turned around.
“We’re returning to base.”
*Whoosh.*
They instantly executed their movement techniques and vanished into the night sky.
At that, Yu Un-ryong, who had been silent all this time, pushed himself up.
“Why…”
Biting his lip, he spoke with a look of humiliation.
“Why did a bastard like you step in!”
Yu Un-ryong felt utterly humiliated.
For Bu Eun-seol, the man he had always hated and envied, to step forward and save his life…
It was more disgraceful than gratifying.
“Weren't you begging for it?”
“What?”
Bu Eun-seol said coldly.
“'There's nothing after death. I want to live. Only then will there be another chance.' That's what you said to me.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now? When did I ever say that?”
“You may not have, but your eyes, your very body… they certainly said it to me.”
—*I want to live! If I just had a little more time, I could become stronger!*
Bu Eun-seol could clearly feel it.
The desperate cry that had erupted from Yu Un-ryong’s body and soul the moment the Myeol-hon-dae appeared.
“Thanks to you, I was able to deal with him easily. I was just helping you out to repay the debt.”
The injuries Yu Un-ryong had inflicted on Seong-ryun were limited to the skin and muscle.
In truth, not a single one had been fatal.
In his own way, Bu Eun-seol was being considerate of Yu Un-ryong.
“Don't make me laugh!”
Yu Un-ryong shot up to his feet and yelled.
“Did you think I'd be grateful for that?”
Glaring fiercely at Bu Eun-seol, he suddenly pulled a small bottle from his robes and threw it.
Catching it with a soft thud, Bu Eun-seol saw it was a medicine vial containing a golden pill.
“What is this?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s for internal injuries.”
Biting his lip, Yu Un-ryong shouted.
“Next time, I'll kill a Dae-ui-go-su with my own hands, and then I'll kill you too!”
Then he executed his movement technique and disappeared into the night sky.
Bu Eun-seol watched the direction Yu Un-ryong had flown and murmured softly.
“So dishonest…”
Yu Un-ryong was aggressive and hot-tempered, but he wasn't a man steeped in evil.
He was simply ashamed of his situation, where he had to accept Bu Eun-seol’s help just to survive.
“…Both of them.”
In the Hellscape, treacherous men who would draw a blade with a smile were plentiful. Conversely, he had never seen someone as pure in their simplicity as Yu Un-ryong.
In truth… Bu Eun-seol didn't particularly hate Yu Un-ryong.
“I should get going.”
Wiping the blood from his lips, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
The injuries he'd sustained from Seong-ryun were severe enough to require three full days of meditative healing.
If he hadn't managed to grasp the principles of martial arts during the fight, he would have been the one lying dead.
“Surprisingly well-prepared.”
A bitter smile touched Bu Eun-seol's lips as he looked at the glass bottle in his hand.
*Kwarururung!*
Suddenly, with a sound like thunder, a massive palm force descended from the sky.
“The Dragon-Subduing Palm?”
It was clearly the same first move of the Flying Dragon in the Heavens that Seong-ryun had used earlier.
But its power and range were incomparable to Seong-ryun’s.
Bu Eun-seol didn't dare to face it head-on and quickly retreated.
However, the palm's area of effect was so vast that he couldn't evade it completely.
*Shing.*
In the end, Bu Eun-seol drew his Muk-geom and swung it wide.
“Kuh.”
But because of his internal injuries, his true qi wouldn't flow properly.
Pushed back again by the palm force, Bu Eun-seol stumbled three steps back and coughed up blood.
*Thud.*
In that interval, the shadow that had been hovering in the air landed in front of Bu Eun-seol.
He was an old man with a bristly gray beard. His eyes were piercing, and he had the build of a bear with the waist of a tiger.
He was clearly a master of superior martial arts.
“Hah…”
As the old man looked at Seong-ryun’s corpse, a sharp, cold light shot from his eyes.
“Was this your doing?”
The old man's clothes, illuminated by the moonlight, were ragged and patched.
At a glance, he was clearly a master from the Beggars' Union.
“Answer me!”
It was a roar like a thunderclap.
Moreover, it was imbued with a profound internal energy, deepening Bu Eun-seol's injuries like a Lion's Roar technique.
*He's a master I can't possibly face.*
The old man’s martial prowess far surpassed his own.
He knew instinctively that even if he were in perfect condition, he would be no match for this master.
*Should I run?*
If he answered ‘yes,’ the old man, who appeared to be from the Beggars' Union, would likely strike him down on the spot.
But he had no intention of lying just to beg for his life.
“It was.”
As if he hadn't expected Bu Eun-seol to admit it so readily, the old man’s bulging eyes grew even wider.
“Who are you?”
“Bu Eun-seol.”
“Bu Eun-seol?”
After a moment of bewilderment, the old man laughed hollowly.
“Right. What does your origin or name matter?”
As he finished speaking, an aura as immense as a great mountain erupted from his body, soaring to the very heavens.
“I just have to kill you, after all.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and gripped his Muk-geom.
This time, no matter what he did, he would surely face death.
“Are you with the Beggars' Union?”
“I am.”
The old man answered Bu Eun-seol’s question in a low voice.
“Our Union may call itself righteous, but it’s a den of beggars at its core. And since ancient times, beggars have repaid their grudges with blood.”
He then stared intently at Bu Eun-seol and said.
“It wasn't a fair fight, so you have nothing to say for yourself, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“A while ago, one of the Apricot Blossom children lying by the riverbank was still breathing. He told me a disciple of our Union was being attacked by two Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol understood the situation.
When he saw that Yu Un-ryong was losing to Seong-ryun, he had quickly dealt with the others and rushed over.
The Apricot Blossom disciple who saw this must have thought Bu Eun-seol was joining Yu Un-ryong in a combined attack.
“I don't know what your definition of a fair fight is, but I fought him alone.”
“Ah, I see. It was a fair fight.”
The old man nodded, then his eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light as he spoke.
“And a dying disciple of our Union lied!”
*Woooong.*
An aura powerful enough to rip the sky apart emanated from the old man’s body.
*No matter what I say, he won't believe me.*
Since a dying Apricot Blossom disciple had left those words, the old man would not believe him, even if the enlightened halo of a Buddha appeared on Bu Eun-seol’s forehead.
“Are you prepared?”
At the old man’s words, Bu Eun-seol silently drew upon his internal energy.
He had no intention of dying meekly. As he summoned every last drop of true qi flowing through his body, a faint glow began to emanate from him.
“Quite an impressive aura you have there.”
The old man chuckled and said.
“If you can block one palm strike from this old man, I will let you live!”
Then, his eyes widened as he swiftly threw a palm strike.
The old man's palm technique was neither fast nor intricate.
But Bu Eun-seol couldn't dodge.
It was because a colossal palm seemed to descend from the sky itself. It was a range from which he could never escape, not even with Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.
Just as Bu Eun-seol, gripping his Muk-geom, was about to counter the descending palm strike,
“Puuh.”
Fresh blood trickled from his lips.
His qi flow was disrupted; he couldn't execute a technique.
“Stop!”
With the low voice, numerous shadows descended from the air and stood before Bu Eun-seol.
*Kuuung.*
As they received the Dragon-Subduing Palm, waves of energy spread in all directions, and a storm powerful enough to blow the world away began to rage.
*Whooosh!*
When the swirling winds dissipated, ten men clad in yellow robes stood tall before Bu Eun-seol.
*Those men are…!*
The moment he saw them, Bu Eun-seol couldn't believe his eyes.
The ten men, clad in yellow robes, all wore masks, and their eyes were sharp.
Staring intently at their posture and the look in their eyes, Bu Eun-seol instantly knew who they were.
*The Pung-un-dae?*