Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Residual Image Ghost Blade
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“Th-those are the ones!”
Go Ryong-pung pointed at Hyeok So-jin and the second team members as he shouted.
“They’re the ones who infiltrated Hyeolban Cave, stole the Geummahwan, and picked a fight with the Mount Hua and Jongnam sects.”
“What?”
Jeon Il-hon glared fiercely at Bu Eun-seol.
A young man who looked barely past twenty had led a group to orchestrate such an absurd affair?
“That brat, you mean?”
“Ah, the one who infiltrated our sect is the man next to him. His movement technique is quite fast, and…”
“Kill them.”
Jeon Il-hon cut him off as if annoyed.
Even if those thirty-odd men were talented martial artists of the new generation, they couldn't possibly defeat the hundred peak masters Jeon Il-hon had brought with him.
*Shing.*
As the Maban Sect disciples drew their great sabers, Bu Eun-seol called out in a low voice.
“Now.”
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a searing heat that shook one's very core.
“The time has come to change the disgraceful name of the Mubon Squad.”
In that instant, a fiery passion ignited in the eyes of the Mubon Squad members.
Before coming here, Bu Eun-seol had spoken to his men.
He had promised to give them a chance to change that name.
But he had told them that the power to change it lay not with him, but with them.
“If you win here, you will be called by a new name.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
“Erase them.”
In a flash, the squad members’ eyes blazed like flames.
Mubon Squad.
The opportunity to finally change the shameful name that meant ‘the rootless ones’ had finally arrived.
A hundred peak masters wearing ghost-faced masks.
The killing intent they emitted filled the forest, seeming to suffocate all living things.
But the morale of the Mubon Squad did not waver in the slightest.
Until now, they had been forced to seal their individuality and only do as they were told.
But Bu Eun-seol had acknowledged their individuality and passed down martial arts and secrets suited to their talents.
As a result, in a very short period, their martial prowess had risen so dramatically it was as if they had been reborn.
*Shing!*
Just then, the ring of a sword, like a death knell from a grim reaper, echoed out.
*Chwa-ra-ra-rak!*
Creating hundreds of points of light, Bu Eun-seol charged toward the hundred Maban Sect disciples.
*Woooong!*
The ink-black energy blooming from the Muk-geom sliced through the air, spreading in all directions.
With each movement came a chilling sound of slicing, followed by splatters of blood and limbs flying into the air.
*Pitter-patter.*
The falling blood rained down, drenching his entire body.
Bu Eun-seol.
To further boost his squad’s morale, he had taken the lead and was displaying his overwhelming martial might.
“Follow the Lord!”
—Waaaaah!
The Mubon Squad members let out a ferocious roar unlike any before and charged after Bu Eun-seol.
An extreme battle, where no one could predict the victor, had finally begun.
*Paaat! Chwaak!*
The first team, led by Won Se-mun, took the vanguard.
What they had focused on learning was a powerful sword art, disguised as the Maban Sect’s saber art, that Bu Eun-seol had taught them.
Subtle sword techniques and moves that could unleash immense power with every strike without expending much true energy…
The squad members called it the Nameless Sword Art.
Not only could it be used as a saber art, but Bu Eun-seol had passed it on without even giving it a name.
*Waaaah!*
As the first team members deployed the Nameless Sword Art, the Maban Sect’s formation crumbled in an instant.
Simultaneously, the members of the second team behind them spread out to the left and right, unleashing a torrent of sharp hidden weapons.
The members of the second team, who were fast on their feet, had been taught a method by Bu Eun-seol to instantly augment their movement speed.
And along with the fundamentals of internal energy, they were taught the art of throwing daggers.
*Swish!*
Every time they spread their arms, sharp hidden weapons shot out, disrupting the Maban Sect's battle line.
“Don't worry, just break off to the sides! We'll clean up the small fry in the center!”
Jo Nam-cheon, the leader of the third team, shouted to the members of the second team.
The members of the third team had been taught a sharp sword technique modeled after the essence of the Jongnam Sect's sword arts.
*Shwaaaek!*
Every time they extended their swords, the blades would spin, sending out a sharp aura.
It resembled the forms of Jongnam's Pyo-pung Sword and Chwi-u Sword, but the actual moves, befitting a demonic sword art, consisted of sharp, killing strikes.
“Uaaargh!”
The hundred Maban Sect disciples displayed excellent saber skills, but they could not block the attacks of the Mubon Squad, who moved as a single entity.
As the Maban Sect's formation was instantly thrown into disarray, Bu Eun-seol seized the opportunity and rapidly approached Jeon Il-hon.
Spotting the approaching Bu Eun-seol, Go Ryong-pung blocked his path and shouted gallantly.
“I will take care of him!”
“You can play with me!”
Just then, Hyeok So-jin, who had been following behind Bu Eun-seol, blocked Go Ryong-pung like a bolt of lightning.
*Chwaaaa!*
As Hyeok So-jin extended his hand, dozens of thin strands of light, accompanied by a violet spark, shot toward Go Ryong-pung's body.
“Whoa.”
Wary of the faint gleam, Go Ryong-pung hastily dodged.
*Whoosh!*
A sharp gust of wind followed, and the sharp steel wires, unspooling like thread, sliced off a chunk of the dodging Go Ryong-pung’s hair.
He had unleashed the Gang-sak-hyeol-sa, obtained from the Hall of Eight Demons, along with his Divine Fever Demonic Energy.
*Whoosh!*
Flicking his wrist to retract the Gang-sak-hyeol-sa, Hyeok So-jin grinned and said.
“Your dodging is as graceful as a swallow skimming water.”
“You bastard! I'll kill you first!”
As a furious Go Ryong-pung lunged at Hyeok So-jin…
*Clink.*
Bu Eun-seol, having sheathed his Muk-geom again, spoke to Jeon Il-hon.
“For the crime of committing atrocities in Shaanxi for so long under the name of the Demonic Path, and for ignoring the authority of this Lord, the sky of the Demonic Path.”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at him with a solemn gaze, a red, bloody light glowing in his eyes.
“I, Bu Eun-seol, a disciple of Nang-ya-gak, shall deliver that punishment on behalf of the Demonic Emperor. Accept it willingly.”
“A disciple of Nang-ya-gak, you say.”
Upon learning Bu Eun-seol’s identity, Jeon Il-hon’s lips curled into a relaxed smile.
“What an impressive brat we have here.”
No matter if Bu Eun-seol was a disciple of Nang-ya-gak, he himself was a transcendent master who had once been one of the Ten Great Saber Demons.
A brat who looked barely past twenty was challenging him alone? From his perspective, it was so absurd he couldn’t help but find it laughable.
“I should clean this up quickly and be on my way.”
*Shing.*
Jeon Il-hon drew the great saber at his waist.
A blade that looked as if it were made of multiple layers of bone was revealed.
It was none other than Jeon Il-hon's unique weapon, the legendary ancient saber said to have been forged through the Corpse Refining Art—the Yuhon Saber.
“Die!”
As he swung the saber, a foul smell accompanied a sharp glint of light that shot toward the space between Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
*Flash!*
Drawing his Muk-geom, Bu Eun-seol unleashed a sword strike as fast as lightning to cut down the incoming flash.
*Whoosh!*
But the flash of light did not vanish upon contact with the Muk-geom and continued to bore into the space between Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
‘…!’
Spinning his body like a bolt of lightning, Bu Eun-seol barely dodged the flash.
If not for his unnaturally fast reflexes, that single strike would have left a large hole between his eyes.
‘A sword strike that cannot be cut.’
The more skilled the enemy, the more Bu Eun-seol’s heart raced. Because as his enemy grew stronger, so could he.
*Tzzt-tzzt.*
Unleashing the Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, Bu Eun-seol circled around Jeon Il-hon.
He wanted to ascertain what kind of sword art he was using.
*Whoosh!*
In that moment, a chillingly sharp glint of light grazed past Bu Eun-seol’s spine.
Jeon Il-hon's Yuhon Saber was not only formless like the Jongnam Sect's Yu-un Sword, but it also seemed capable of splitting its sword energy into multiple streams, like a Scattered Sword.
This was not the saber art he had taught the Maban Sect, but his own unique style, the Residual Image Ghost Blade.
*Chwa-rak!*
In that time, the saber wind created by the Yuhon Saber grazed Bu Eun-seol’s temple.
‘It’s not just the power of the saber art.’
Despite executing a perfect evasion, the sharp saber wind followed him like a ghost.
Not only that, but every time the sword wind gusted, something foul seemed to brush past his nose.
‘Let’s observe one more time.’
Bu Eun-seol had a habit of fully grasping his opponent's martial arts before finding a weakness and attacking.
It could be of great help in elevating his martial realm, but it was also an incredibly risky method of fighting.
*Whoosh.*
Once again, the sharp saber wind swept past his spine.
‘No, analysis later!’
Allowing such attacks to land consecutively could completely rob him of his momentum, leading to an irreversible situation.
*Flash!*
Flipping his body in mid-air to dodge the sword energy pouring from behind, Bu Eun-seol once again deployed the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu.
*Fwoosh!*
The sword energy slicing through the air exploded like fireworks, enveloping Jeon Il-hon's body.
He had used both Chasing the Meteor and Toying with the Misty Clouds simultaneously to spread sharp sword strikes around his body.
*Pat!*
In that instant, the sharp sword energy of the Muk-geom grazed past Jeon Il-hon, slightly disrupting his stance.
It was a minuscule opening, but Bu Eun-seol did not miss it.
*Chik-chik!*
As he thrust his sword with all his might, thirteen streaks of light erupted from the Muk-geom; seven enveloped the upper body, while the rest instantly wrapped around the unstable lower body.
It was the unfolding of the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu’s Seventh Form, Turning God, Extinguishing Earth, which created countless variations to pierce the enemy's defense.
“Haaap!”
At that moment, Jeon Il-hon let out a great roar and swung his Yuhon Saber.
*Kwa-aaaaang!*
The Yuhon Saber, spinning like a pinwheel, continuously struck Bu Eun-seol's sword energy.
But in that instant, the thirteen streaks of light transformed into ninety-nine sword strikes. And just as they were about to finally envelop Jeon Il-hon’s entire body…
*Stumble!*
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's movements, as he unleashed the sword strikes, became strangely sluggish.
*Paaat!*
Not missing the opportunity, Jeon Il-hon quickly used his movement technique to escape the sword formation of Turning God, Extinguishing Earth.
“……”
Bu Eun-seol’s gaze turned cold.
This attack had been launched after properly identifying an opening.
He had expected to inflict at least some injury, if not a fatal one… but for him to dodge so lightly?
At that moment, the foul scent once again reached his nose.
‘I see.’
Bu Eun-seol finally realized.
That Jeon Il-hon's ancient saber, the Yuhon Saber, was laced with a paralyzing poison.
However, Bu Eun-seol had reached the fifth stage of the Ban-geuk Divine Art, and his meridians were overflowing with Ban-geuk True Energy.
In other words, his powerful internal energy had prevented any signs of poisoning, but it had slightly slowed his reflexes.
‘My body ignores most poisons, so it took me longer to even detect it.’
*Hwiiing.*
A strange light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, and the blood vessels throughout his body suddenly began to expand.
Internal energy reflects the will of the spirit.
Upon sensing the faint signs of poisoning, the Ban-geuk Divine Art circulating within his body immediately reacted, burning away the paralyzing toxin.
‘That brat?’
Seeing Bu Eun-seol burn away the poison with his internal energy in the middle of a fierce battle, Jeon Il-hon couldn't hide his surprise.
‘His internal energy, at least, is off the charts.’
But that was all.
A life-and-death battle is not decided by internal energy alone.
He had clashed with countless opponents with superior internal energy until now, and he had always emerged victorious.
“Take this, too!”
The Yuhon Saber slicing through the air blurred, and soon, even his body began to grow indistinct.
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol's internal energy was superior to his, he intended to overpower him with the subtlety of his saber art and techniques.
*Jiiing. Jiiing.*
As the Residual Image Ghost Blade was fully unleashed, not only the Yuhon Saber but also his body repeatedly vanished and reappeared like mist.
Residual Image Ghost Blade.
The saber art that had elevated him to the rank of one of the Ten Great Demonic Saber Masters was, as its name suggested, supernaturally elusive.
It didn't attack relentlessly; rather, it consisted of single, abrupt strikes, making it impossible to use the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom.
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*
Meanwhile, the Yuhon Saber, raging like a storm, left countless shadows in the air, pressing down on Bu Eun-seol like an unpredictable ghost.
*Paaat! Sschk!*
As time passed, Bu Eun-seol was becoming a man of blood.
Was a habit ingrained for so long so hard to break?
Despite being in a perilous situation, he did not counterattack with the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu, instead remaining on the defensive, still observing Jeon Il-hon's saber art.
*Sschk! Paaat!*
Every time the sharp Yuhon Saber grazed his body, blood would invariably spurt out.
“Hahaha! I can see your death!”
Bu Eun-seol’s entire body was engulfed in the flashes of light created by the Yuhon Saber.
Even with the Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, he could not perfectly evade this bizarre saber art that scattered and reappeared.
At this rate, only defeat awaited Bu Eun-seol.
‘Afterimages, sound, the saber art…’
But Bu Eun-seol’s mind itself was filled with tranquility.
Empty Mind, Spiritually Connected.
He was not observing the martial art, but rather fully awakening the ultimate senses of the Yasudo’s highest realm.
Time seemed to stand still as he calculated the trajectory of the passing Yuhon Saber, focusing on the momentary insight.
‘There is no need to obsess over the invisible saber strikes.’
Jeon Il-hon’s Residual Image Ghost Blade surpassed the Scattered Sword; it was peerlessly elusive, enough to be called a Ghost Sword.
But upon facing this ultimate technique, a question had arisen in Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
Was there truly a need to find the Yuhon Saber's invisible trajectory?
After all, the Yuhon Saber's final destination would be one of my own vital points, where it could inflict a fatal wound.
*Sschk!*
In that moment, the Yuhon Saber deeply slashed across Bu Eun-seol's left forearm.
To receive such a deep wound during a fierce battle meant that the outcome was, for all intents and purposes, decided.
“Acting all high and mighty, was that all the skill you had!”
A triumphant smile spread across Jeon Il-hon's face.
“Now, just die.”
As Jeon Il-hon, deploying his saber art, let out a confident shout…
‘So that’s what it was.’
As he finally grasped the secret to shattering the Residual Image Ghost Blade in a single stroke, a brilliant light burst from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Simultaneously, following the will of his spirit, the Ban-geuk True Energy circulating through his meridians spread out in all directions.
*Hwoooong!*
At the same time, a vibration like the roar of a mythical beast echoed out.
Bu Eun-seol’s body began to glow, and a haze of his true energy became visible to the naked eye.
*Jiiing!*
As if responding to that sound, hundreds of rays of light shot up from the Muk-geom, beginning to form a distinct shape in the air.
Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.
In the midst of this extreme battle, he had finally unleashed the new martial secret he had learned on the second floor of the Man-ma-yu-jin-gak.