Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: The Butcher's Blade
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WHOOSH!
Five streaks of claw shadows shot out, not just for Hyeok So-jin’s face, but in all directions, sealing his escape routes.
“Kuh…”
Hyeok So-jin had no choice but to leap into the air, evading the storm of claw shadows.
But Heuk Musang’s specialty was unpredictable chain attacks at close range.
The moment Hyeok So-jin landed, Heuk Musang raised his sharp claws and unleashed a gale of attacks.
Whoosh! Shhhk!
One moment, his claws aimed for the eyes; the next, he had leaped into the air, striking for the crown of the head.
Then he landed like a lightning bolt, targeting Hyeok So-jin’s groin.
“Good!”
As Heuk Musang gained the upper hand with his chain attacks that flowed seamlessly between the air and the ground, Hyeok So-jin stopped evading and gathered his energy to launch a counterattack.
With his left hand, he used the Dark Sky Demonic Dragon Palm to unravel the Black Mirror Demonic Claw’s power, and with his right, he unleashed the Ten Thousand Thunders Blood Sword, thrusting at Heuk Musang’s neck and lower abdomen.
After a flurry of over forty exchanges in the blink of an eye, a stunned Heuk Musang retreated.
‘This one?’
Heuk Musang’s eyes widened.
As a master from the Blood Gate, he was well-versed in demonic martial arts.
He saw that the techniques Hyeok So-jin was using were not of the Orthodox Faction, but were long-lost demonic arts, and his eyes bulged.
“You’re not from the Orthodox Faction.”
“Let’s dispense with the unnecessary chatter.”
“What did you say?”
Instead of answering, Hyeok So-jin tightened his grip on the treasured sword in his right hand and summoned his Divine Heat Demonic Energy.
A fierce violet aura erupted from his entire body.
“Because in a fight, you have to burn everything away!”
As the battle between Hyeok So-jin and Heuk Musang gradually intensified,
Bu Eun-seol, who had been looking down at the Mad Doctor of Souls, slowly reached a hand behind his back.
Shing.
As the Muk-geom left its sheath, the blade sang, and a frigid chill spread in all directions.
“I’ll take him. You all handle that pale ghost.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, not only Jegal Seo-un but also Moyong Gyeong and the Hwangbo brothers blinked in disbelief.
—What in the world is he saying?
The Mad Doctor of Souls, a deranged murderer who dissected young people while posing as a physician.
Contrary to what was known, his skills were nearing the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm.
He was even stronger than the Black and White Musangs who had appeared afterward. And he intended to face him alone?
“You bastard!”
Just then, with a thunderous shout, Heuk Musang’s Black Mirror Demonic Claw filled the air.
But Hyeok So-jin, wreathed in a violet aura, brazenly unraveled each and every one of the Black Mirror Demonic Claw’s techniques.
A shudder ran through them.
For a moment, Jegal Seo-un and his companions trembled.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Hyeok So-jin. He was a master of the Transcendent Realm, capable of fighting Heuk Musang one-on-one?
—We can win!
Since Hyeok So-jin was displaying such incredible martial prowess, Bu Eun-seol must have also reached a considerable level of skill.
With that thought, courage surged within Jegal Seo-un’s group, and their frozen bodies slowly began to move.
“Hah!”
The first to attack was Hwangbo Cheon-gyeong.
He twisted his fist and thrust it forward, unleashing a force like the heavens crashing down upon Baek Musang’s face.
“How cute, just like you look.”
Baek Musang, easily dodging the punch, licked his lips with a red tongue as he looked at the Hwangbo brothers.
“I’ll give you two special treatment before I kill you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The enraged Hwangbo brothers now unleashed their fist techniques simultaneously.
A mighty force, as if a great mountain were falling from the sky, poured out.
The Hwangbo Clan's Three Fists of the Heavenly King, a technique that dominated the world, had been unleashed.
“We’ll help too!”
Their courage bolstered by the sight, Jegal Seo-un and Moyong Gyeong drew their Six Blossoms Fan and treasured sword, respectively.
“Huhu.”
Even as the four peak masters launched a combined assault, Baek Musang simply smiled leisurely and spun his body.
White shadows spread out in all directions, dazzling their eyes.
One of Baek Musang’s special skills, the Hundred Dances of the Demonic Spectacle, had been performed.
Shhhffff.
With a sound like scattering paper, Baek Musang’s shadow multiplied into dozens of figures.
The multiplied shadows then turned and surrounded the four attacking prodigies.
“Ngh.”
The Hwangbo brothers repeatedly used the Three Fists of the Heavenly King, but they couldn’t even touch the hems of Baek Musang’s multiplied clothes.
“Is he a ghost?!”
At Hwangbo Cheon-gyeong’s cry, Jegal Seo-un’s eyes flashed as he shouted.
“He’s not a ghost! He’s using reverse-directional footwork to leave afterimages, a movement technique like an illusion!”
As a direct descendant of the Jegal Clan, he was not only a master of directional formations but also had a deep understanding of tactical movements.
He had instantly seen through the afterimages of the Hundred Dances, recognizing them as a movement art that incorporated the secrets of tactical positioning.
“If we each attack a different direction—east, west, south, and north—at the same time, the illusions should disappear!”
At Jegal Seo-un’s words, Moyong Gyeong and the Hwangbo brothers immediately unleashed their sword and fist techniques toward their respective directions.
The chaotically moving shadows of Baek Musang faltered, and the afterimages began to vanish one by one.
‘Now!’
Having finally found an opening, Jegal Seo-un unleashed his Six Blossoms Fan Arts with all his might.
Shhhk!
With a sharp sound that cut through the air, the Pung-sa-jae-ha technique grazed past Baek Musang’s face like a flurry of scattering leaves.
Drip. Drip.
Red drops of blood trickled down Baek Musang’s pale cheek, which looked as if it were coated in white powder.
“You little brats.”
As he stared at the blood dripping down his cheek, a ghastly light poured from his eyes.
“As expected of the scions of the Eight Great Clans, you have a few tricks up your sleeves.”
His pale irises began to turn bloodshot.
At the same time, a white smoke started to rise from his body.
Baek Musang’s true ultimate art, which once threw the martial world into terror.
The White Fog Smoke Wave, a monstrous poison art said to melt away skin with the slightest touch, was being unleashed.
“I’ll leave you in a state where you can neither live nor die!”
***
“Let us begin.”
As Bu Eun-seol held the Muk-geom at mid-guard and spoke, Gongson Gureung gave a cold smile.
“Impressive. At such a young age…”
Chik!
Bu Eun-seol had no intention of listening to his chatter.
He immediately thrust his sword, unleashing a flurry of techniques. The black light flared like sparks as it aimed for Gongson Gureung’s neck.
“Hmph.”
Gongson Gureung snorted and immediately executed a bewildering footwork pattern to escape the Muk-geom’s assault.
Bu Eun-seol then doubled his internal energy and twisted the hilt of his sword.
Swoosh!
With a sharp whistle, the Muk-geom moved with the fluid grace of a living creature, once again striking for Gongson Gureung’s neck.
It was a variation of the fourth form of Mu-sang-cheon-ryu, Bird Amidst Smoke and Clouds.
“Hoh.”
Realizing he couldn’t completely evade the pursuing blade, Gongson Gureung reached for his waist.
Ching!
With a clear ring, a bizarrely shaped blade, glowing with a ghastly blue light, appeared in Gongson Gureung’s hand.
It was his unique weapon, the Butcher’s Blade.
“So that’s the Butcher’s Blade.”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Gongson Gureung smiled sinisterly.
“You know it well.”
The Butcher’s Blade was originally a knife used to separate the flesh from the bones of a cow.
But Gongson Gureung’s Butcher’s Blade was crafted not for cows, but to skillfully carve the flesh from humans.
That ghastly blue blade was stained with the blood of the countless people he had brutally murdered while posing as a physician.
“I’ll carve your flesh off painlessly, so just offer up your body.”
Gongson Gureung licked his lips as he gazed at Bu Eun-seol’s disguised face.
“I’d hate to scar that skin, as pure as a newborn’s!”
Swish-swish-swish!
Spinning the Butcher’s Blade in his hand, Gongson Gureung unleashed his blade art.
Gongson Gureung’s unique Bone-Piercing Blade Art, said to have been created after dissecting countless people, was finally revealed.
Tss-tss-tss.
Bu Eun-seol immediately used Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, circling around Gongson Gureung.
Shhhk!
But Gongson Gureung, as if refusing to allow Bu Eun-seol to evade, greatly expanded the range of his Bone-Piercing Blade Art.
Chik-chik-chik!
Sharp rays of light spread wide, becoming round points of brilliance that scattered in all directions, erasing the afterimages Bu Eun-seol created one by one.
The round points of light spreading from the tip of the Butcher’s Blade.
It was Blade Aura, a phenomenon Gongson Gureung naturally produced due to his immense internal energy.
“...”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he used Geuk-sok-mu-yeong to dodge the points of light.
Until now, with the exception of his battle with Yo Bul-beom, he had never bothered to infuse his weapon with so much internal energy as to create a Sword Aura.
The exquisite forms of Mu-sang-cheon-ryu and the sharpness of the Muk-geom alone had been enough to easily defeat countless foes.
But Gongson Gureung not only infused his energy without reservation in every move but also poured out his power with all his might, as if he had an infinite supply of it.
This was a unique fighting style that Bu Eun-seol had never encountered in his previous opponents.
Fwoosh!
As Bu Eun-seol dodged every attack, Gongson Gureung changed his tactics again.
Instead of aiming the Blade Aura at Bu Eun-seol, he was now spreading it in all directions to block his escape routes.
Whoosh!
Having finally eliminated the afterimages created by Bu Eun-seol, Gongson Gureung closed the distance.
At the same time, his sharp Butcher’s Blade aimed for Bu Eun-seol’s head as if splitting firewood.
Shhhk!
As the sharp attack came in, Bu Eun-seol unexpectedly stopped moving, staring intently at the Butcher’s Blade descending upon his head.
Just as the ghastly blue blade was about to split his skull,
CLANG!
With a metallic ring, sword and blade clashed, sending a tremendous shockwave of energy rippling outward.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been standing motionless, had parried the Butcher’s Blade.
Screeeech.
Gongson Gureung was forced back five steps, exhaling a ragged breath.
Despite possessing enough internal energy to create a Blade Aura, he was no match for Bu Eun-seol’s power.
“Heh heh.”
Pushed far back, Gongson Gureung took a deep breath, regulating his internal energy.
He easily shook off Bu Eun-seol’s Ban-geuk True Energy that had traveled through his weapon and into the meridians of his wrist.
“Your internal energy is truly something else.”
Even knowing Bu Eun-seol’s internal energy was on a tremendous level, Gongson Gureung’s spirit didn’t waver in the slightest.
He had fought countless fierce battles, many against opponents with formidable internal energy.
In his experience, a battle had never been decided by internal energy alone.
“Shall we play some more?”
Once again employing his bewildering footwork, Gongson Gureung began to rapidly execute his Bone-Piercing Blade Art.
KABOOM!
The Bone-Piercing Blade Art poured out like a tidal wave, as if dozens of techniques were being unleashed as a single entity.
Flash!
In that instant, the Muk-geom erupted in a brilliant flash of light, breaking the connection between his moves and thrusting forward at incredible speed.
Having found the gap between the blade techniques, Bu Eun-seol had used Meteor Chasing the Moon to strike at Gongson Gureung’s neck.
Fwoosh!
But the Meteor Chasing the Moon merely grazed his neck.
Before the Muk-geom had even flashed, he had seen the movement in Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder and predicted the swift sword strike.
‘He predicted my move by watching my muscles.’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes grew heavy as he read Gongson Gureung’s method.
Gongson Gureung, who had spent his life dissecting human bodies.
Like Bu Eun-seol, he possessed the ability to predict his opponent’s movements by watching their muscles.
Whoooosh.
Just then, a powerful storm of internal energy swirled from Bu Eun-seol’s left fist, suddenly creating five streaks of lightning.
Gwon-ma-chil-sik, Second Form: Soul-Shattering Lightning Flash.
Suppressing his movements as much as possible, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the five powerful streams of fist energy toward Gongson Gureung’s side.
Fwoosh! Thump-roll.
Judging that he couldn’t dodge the fist energy, Gongson Gureung threw himself to the ground.
“Your martial arts…”
Gongson Gureung’s expression, which had been relaxed until now, slowly hardened.
Bu Eun-seol’s arts were not of the Orthodox Faction, but of the Demonic Path.
And he realized they were ultimate arts of the highest caliber.
“You’re not one of those curs from the Eight Great Clans!”
Gongson Gureung sprang back to his feet,
Shhhk!
and threw a handful of dirt, which he’d scooped from the ground, at the approaching Bu Eun-seol.
“Hehehe.”
As Bu Eun-seol lightly dodged the dust and thrust from the side,
“Ptui!”
this time, he suddenly spat a glob of phlegm.
Hidden within the spit was a sharp needle, which shot toward Bu Eun-seol’s eye like a streak of light.
Befitting a deranged killer, he didn’t hesitate to roll on the ground, nor did he shrink from using such dirty hidden weapons.
Whoosh!
Bu Eun-seol easily dodged the hidden weapon, and Gongson Gureung, who had created some distance in the meantime, laughed grimly.
“Demonic or Orthodox, it doesn’t matter. I just need to peel your skin. Hehehe.”
“...”
Bu Eun-seol paused his attack and looked down at Gongson Gureung.
He had fought many powerful enemies before, but none had ever evaded his Mu-sang-cheon-ryu and Gwon-ma-chil-sik so easily.
Furthermore, he was predicting moves by reading muscle movements, making it difficult to land a fatal blow.
Gongson Gureung was a new type of powerful foe, the likes of which Bu Eun-seol had never encountered before.
‘I knew it.’
A smile touched Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
Gongson Gureung’s true martial arts might be a level below his own, but his skill in managing a battle was a step above.
In other words, his skills were comparable to those of the Soul Flame Lord he had fought before.
‘I see the wall I must break to surpass the Transcendent Realm.’
Masters who had long roamed the martial world possessed their own unique experience and battle strategies that could overcome differences in martial levels.
This fight with Gongson Gureung.
Through this life-or-death battle, Bu Eun-seol intended to reaffirm the heights he had yet to climb.