Chapter 181
Chapter 181
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: The Soul Flame Brigade
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Soul Flame Brigade.
One of the Six Great Brigades of the Evil Spirit Gate, it was composed of first-rate masters who had mastered the Evil Spirit Azure Blood Spear to at least the fifth level.
Originally, they roamed the martial world, independently dealing with those who threatened the Evil Spirit Gate's power...
But having been assigned to escort the heir of the Evil Spirit Gate on his journey through the Jianghu, they had become his personal brigade.
*Whoosh.*
A dry wind swept past the assembled Soul Flame Brigade.
Three hundred members of the brigade, clad in blood-red robes, stood in a solemn triangular formation, their spears held upright as they faced the entrance to the Muha Suyujeong.
The sight resembled a colossal, blood-red spearhead.
Just then, Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin appeared at the entrance.
*Thud.*
At their appearance, the brigade members moved with disciplined precision, parting to the left and right to open a path.
At the same time, a middle-aged man with a long spear separated into two parts and slung across his back walked forward.
He was well over six feet tall but slender, with long, narrow eyes. From a distance, he looked like a scarecrow dressed in red.
It was Yo Bul-beom, the Lord of the Soul Flame Brigade.
His title was the Chaotic Shadow of Blood Flowers.
Wherever he passed, the chaotic shadows of blood-soaked flowers bloomed. In other words, any place Yo Bul-beom appeared would be stained with blood.
“The successor of Nang-ya-gak, Bu Eun-seol.”
If a hissing viper could speak, it would sound like this.
Yo Bul-beom's voice was so low, hoarse, and sinister that it sent a chill down the listener's spine.
“That's right.”
But Bu Eun-seol met Yo Bul-beom's gaze with a calm face, showing not a hint of agitation.
“Did you come here to capture me?”
“Huhuhu. Capture you?”
Yo Bul-beom spoke as if the idea was ridiculous.
“Even if you are the heir of Nang-ya-gak, in my eyes, you're just a greenhorn who's still wet behind the ears.”
Yo Bul-beom raised the thin corners of his lips and lowered his voice.
“Give up on gaining the Muha Suyujeong as an ally.”
“Give up?”
“From the beginning, the Pavilion Lord promised to help our gate in exchange for the Geuk-hwa-gwi-yeom-dan.”
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
“But thanks to your sudden interference, you've ruined everything.”
Jong Wol-hon, the heir of the Evil Spirit Gate, had left after a satisfactory negotiation with Geuk Hye-ryeong.
However, the meticulous Yo Bul-beom had not left Gyerim, instead staying behind to observe the situation.
And just as he'd expected, Geuk Hye-ryeong had suddenly invested funds in Nang-ya-gak and Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
Upon hearing the news, he had immediately led the Soul Flame forces here.
“There's no need for the Muha Suyujeong to suffer because of you.”
Yo Bul-beom stared intently at Bu Eun-seol with his narrow eyes.
“Give up on the Muha Suyujeong. If you make that promise, this brigade will quietly withdraw.”
It was Geuk Hye-ryeong who broke the promise in the first place.
Moreover, Yo Bul-beom wasn't asking for her to support the Evil Spirit Gate again, but simply to remain neutral.
At first glance, his proposal seemed reasonable and not overly demanding.
“How amusing.”
But Bu Eun-seol let out a low snort.
“To set up camp in front of someone's house and demand they remain neutral.”
He gave a cold smile and looked down at Yo Bul-beom.
“If I accept this threat, the Muha Suyujeong will have no choice but to support the Evil Spirit Gate, no matter who comes. You'll stay here and block any other factions from entering.”
“…”
“In the end, what you're doing is no different from holding a sword aloft and threatening someone, even if you haven't put it to their throat.”
“Hahaha.”
Yo Bul-beom let out a bizarre laugh and spoke.
“So.”
He paused, a sinister light glinting in his eyes.
“So what does the successor of Nang-ya-gak intend to do?”
Then, he glanced at the assembled brigade members and continued.
“Are the two of you planning to fight us? Oh, of course not. You must be counting on the Pavilion Lord to help.”
He chuckled and pointed toward the entrance of the Muha Suyujeong.
“But the Pavilion Lord will never join the fight. The Muha Suyujeong has always disliked shedding blood…”
“Is it because you use a spear?”
Bu Eun-seol sighed softly, a bored expression on his face.
“You really do run your mouth.”
*Throb.*
In that instant, a thick vein bulged on Yo Bul-beom's forehead. Glaring at Bu Eun-seol as if he wanted to kill him, he stretched his arms forward.
*Clack!*
At that moment, the brigade members combined the spear shafts they carried in two parts on their backs.
The discipline they showed, combining their spears simultaneously without a single beat of delay, was enough to reveal the fearsome might of the Soul Flame Brigade.
“So you wish to die.”
A murderous, cold glint surged in Yo Bul-beom's eyes, the vein on his forehead still throbbing.
“No more words are needed. Kill!”
With that short cry, the three hundred brigade members surrounded Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
*Fwoosh!*
Indeed, no more words were needed.
The first wave, some thirty members, swung their spears wildly toward Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
*Shing, clang!*
Simultaneously, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword and Hyeok So-jin's precious sword were drawn.
The downpour of spear shadows was so dense that not a single ray of light could pass through.
The surrounding ten zhang were filled with the shadows of spear shafts, seeming to erase even the figures of Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
*Cl-cl-cl-clang!*
But Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin precisely struck down the pouring spear shadows, defending without a single gap.
*Whoosh! Shhhlick!*
Not only that, but as if by agreement, they moved left and right in turn, unleashing sword techniques that covered each other's openings.
Even when they faced each other and attacked, their strikes didn't tangle, instead pouring out as if they were a single entity.
“The heirs of the Ten Demonic Sects have trained in joint attack techniques?”
A look of bewilderment appeared in Yo Bul-beom's eyes as he watched.
Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin. The two were achieving perfect harmony in offense and defense, as if they had truly become one.
When a spear tip lunged, Hyeok So-jin's Divine Fever Demonic Ki would pour out, scattering the formation and its power.
At that moment, as if waiting, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword would unleash sharp, killing moves.
They brushed past each other so closely their shoulders nearly touched, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes, palm forces, and fist techniques, yet they moved without any hesitation, as if they were a single body.
How could two different, profound, high-level martial arts from separate schools harmonize and pour forth like this, and not some simple, common techniques?
It was as if they had anticipated this very situation and trained in joint combat techniques.
“Aaargh!”
Endless screams erupted from the mouths of the Soul Flame Brigade's first wave as they charged at Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
Moreover, Bu Eun-seol, just like Hyeok So-jin, was skillfully using the demonic arts of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.
Sometimes they used different techniques, and at other times, as if by agreement, they unleashed the exact same demonic art, causing Yo Bul-beom's eyes to widen.
‘That Nang-ya-gak bastard is using the demonic arts of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji?’
*Crash!*
In that time, the first wave's formation completely collapsed, revealing the blood-soaked figures of Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
“Is this all the Evil Spirit Gate's brigade has to offer?”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at the faltering members of the Soul Flame Brigade.
His blood-soaked figure exuded the majesty of a war god dominating the battlefield.
“Hmph, don't make a fuss just because you broke our first wave.”
But Yo Bul-beom didn't panic, instead wearing a malicious smile.
No matter how formidable Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin's martial arts were, there were three hundred members in the Soul Flame Brigade.
There was no way the two of them could win, not in a million years.
*Shhk! Shhk!*
Finally, the second and third waves of the Soul Flame Brigade were deployed simultaneously.
The brigade members moved chaotically, adjusting their distance as if drawing two overlapping circles, pressing in on Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
*Fwoosh! Cl-cl-clang!*
The sound of weapons clashing chaotically echoed one after another.
After about half a quarter-hour, even the members of the second and third waves were half-defeated.
However, wounds gradually began to appear on Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin's bodies as well.
The Evil Spirit Azure Blood Spear. As elite masters who had learned this wondrous and supreme demonic spear art continuously attacked, the two finally began to be overwhelmed.
Outnumbered and outmatched.
Just as Yo Bul-beom had boasted, two people alone could never defeat the three hundred members of the Soul Flame Brigade.
“Hngh.”
Hyeok So-jin, who had been unleashing his Divine Fever Demonic Ki, gritted his teeth.
No matter how many he cut down, the enemies kept pouring in endlessly.
In the past, he would have already been looking for an escape route or preparing to withdraw.
‘But…’
Bu Eun-seol, standing beside him, was facing the enemy without retreating a single step.
More and more wounds, large and small, appeared on his body, and his breathing grew ragged.
But the more soaked in blood he became, the longer the fight continued…
Bu Eun-seol's eyes burned with a fierce heat, and his entire body seemed to blaze with a red fighting spirit.
This was the way of the Jianghu.
This was the fight of a martial artist.
A duel to the death was not a simple ranking based on martial skill. It was a clash of life against life, of will against will.
Watching Bu Eun-seol, Hyeok So-jin felt something hot well up in his chest.
‘Winning or losing doesn't matter anymore!’
A martial artist has fights from which they cannot retreat. They might die at the hands of the enemy.
What matters is *how* they fought.
If you cower to survive, there will be no growth even if you live.
But if you pour out everything with all your heart and soul, and if you survive that…
Your martial arts will surely advance to the next level.
*Fwoosh.*
In that instant, the same fiery blaze that enveloped Bu Eun-seol erupted from Hyeok So-jin's body.
He had finally entered the true battle of a martial artist.
*KABOOM!*
As he unleashed his Divine Fever Demonic Ki, an unprecedented explosion erupted.
It was not merely internal energy; it was a form combined with his strength and burning will.
‘I don't care if I die!’
Hyeok So-jin unleashed his Divine Fever Demonic Ki with all his might.
And he hoped that everything he possessed would be burned away without a trace in this fight.
“Th-that's…”
The masters of the Soul Flame Brigade were overwhelmed by Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin's aura and took another step back.
The more they fought, the more intense the energy they radiated.
Their movements were slowing slightly, but their spirit and mettle were growing ever sharper.
This was a fight they were supposed to win, a fight they couldn't possibly lose…
And yet, it was the members of the Soul Flame Brigade who were slowly retreating.
Just then,
“Ah, what a fiery sight.”
A man with a fine build and a fan tucked into his belt slowly appeared at the entrance of the Muha Suyujeong.
“I don't know how long it's been since I've seen a fight like that.”
And behind the man stood a dozen or so martial artists, each carrying a different weapon.
It was Jeong Rip, the Line-Breaking Divine Bow, and the other resident warriors staying at the Muha Suyujeong.
“This is the kind of work we freeloaders are meant for.”
At Jeong Rip's words, the warriors standing behind him drew their weapons and chuckled softly.
“Well said.”
“Should we earn our keep and stay at the Muha Suyujeong a little longer?”
“Sounds good. Then let's begin!”
As Jeong Rip drew the bow he held,
*THWUUUUM!*
An arrow flew with a tremendous roar, piercing through the bodies of two members of the Soul Flame Brigade.
At the same time,
—*Waaaaah!*
With a great battle cry, the resident warriors of the Muha Suyujeong joined the fray.
“The vermin-like resident warriors of the Muha Suyujeong.”
But Yo Bul-beom remained unfazed by the sight.
No matter how skilled those dozen masters were, they could never help Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin, who were surrounded in the center.
“The martial world is full of fools drawn to the flame.”
Just as Yo Bul-beom, a sneer on his face, turned to assess the battle again,
“We will help too!”
another group of some thirty women rushed out from the entrance.
They were the Baek-hwa-nang-rang, who had been taught martial arts by Hyeok So-jin.
*Clang!*
The Baek-hwa-nang-rang drew their swords and immediately charged the members of the Soul Flame Brigade.
Lacking any real combat experience, they couldn't be considered a significant force.
But as they attacked the brigade members with all their might, the encirclement around Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin in the center loosened slightly.
“What is this?”
Even Yo Bul-beom, who had been relaxed until now, finally let out a bewildered cry.
“The disciples of the Muha Suyujeong are joining this chaotic battle?”
The Muha Suyujeong had almost no history of using martial arts to defeat its enemies.
Hadn't the report from his spy inside confirmed as much?
He had been assured that they had almost no forces to join a brawl, and even if they did, Geuk Hye-ryeong would never allow it.
Not the resident warriors, but the actual disciples of the Muha Suyujeong were jumping into the battlefield?
Yo Bul-beom rubbed his eyes.
“That old hag who loves to calculate profit and loss sent her disciples into someone else's succession fight…”
There were at least eight thousand disciples in the Muha Suyujeong.
If Geuk Hye-ryeong decided to join the fight in earnest, the Soul Flame Brigade would have no choice but to retreat immediately.
“I can't let that happen.”
Yo Bul-beom clenched his fists.
Even if the tide of battle turned against him, there was something he had to take care of.
That pale-faced bastard, the successor of Nang-ya-gak, had to be eliminated.