Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: A New Reputation
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“What in the world is that?”
Jeon Il-hon, who had been waiting for an opportunity to deliver the final blow to Bu Eun-seol, raised an eyebrow.
To manifest his internal energy through a sword and shape it into a new form?
*This one's going to be a real problem.*
The only saving grace was that despite manifesting his energy, Bu Eun-seol's eyes were vacant, as if his soul had departed. He wasn't even looking at him.
*I have to kill him now.*
A sense of urgency washed over Jeon Il-hon.
If he didn't end this man's life right now... he had a feeling that immense energy would pierce right through him.
*Swoosh!*
In an instant, his body vanished from Bu Eun-seol's sight.
He had unleashed the ultimate secret art of the Phantom Shadow Blade: the Final Crimson Void.
*Slash!*
Jeon Il-hon, who had vanished, suddenly shot up from below, right in front of Bu Eun-seol.
The Final Crimson Void. It was a vicious technique where one feigned disappearance, approached by skimming the ground, and then pierced the opponent's vital points with a flurry of lightning-fast strikes.
“Die!”
Just as the Soul Drifter Blade, now a cascade of dozens of light points, was about to pierce Bu Eun-seol's body,
It stopped dead.
The Soul Drifter Blade abruptly stopped, not even half an inch from Bu Eun-seol's brow.
The tangible energy flowing from his body and sword had wrapped around the Soul Drifter Blade like a spiderweb.
“Impossible.”
Jeon Il-hon's eyes widened in disbelief.
Masters who had reached the Transcendent Realm could manifest their internal energy.
But even then, manifestation was limited to simple shapes like weapons or sharp edges. Freely creating any desired form was impossible.
*Hiss.*
But then, with a soft hiss, the manifested energy wrapped around the Soul Drifter Blade dissipated into thin air.
*Thrust!*
At the same moment, the Ink Sword slid smoothly into Jeon Il-hon's chest, like the sweet tongue of a demon.
*Thud.*
With a look of utter emptiness, Jeon Il-hon slowly sank to his knees.
Outwardly, it seemed as if only the very tip of the blade had lightly pierced the skin of his chest.
But the terrifying Reverse Polarity Ki imbued in the Ink Sword had crushed his meridians with unimaginable pressure, causing them to burst.
“You've surpassed the Transcendent Realm.”
Jeon Il-hon said, his face a mask of despair.
The ability to freely manifest energy, and the immense internal power to rupture meridians in a single blow.
Such techniques were far beyond what could be considered the level of the Transcendent Realm.
*Sssss.*
White steam rose from Bu Eun-seol's body as he unleashed the Ruyi True Art.
Unleashing the Ruyi True Art without the aid of the Sakjeong Secret Art had caused his qi and blood to boil over instantly.
“I haven't.”
Bu Eun-seol calmly shook his head.
“Not yet...”
It was a secret of the Ruyi True Art, derived from the Sky Demon Emperor's Sakjeong Secret Art, that allowed him to freely manifest his internal energy for but a moment.
The manifestation lasted only for a fleeting moment, its effects fading in less than an instant.
“I can only maintain it for a very short time.”
But Jeon Il-hon had already drawn his last breath, never hearing those words.
Perhaps believing he had been slain by a master of the Supreme Heaven Realm, his face, even in death, seemed free of regret.
“Aaargh!”
In the midst of this, another desperate scream pierced the air.
Go Ryong-pung's head had been severed by the Steel-Cord Blood Serpent that Hyeok So-jin had unleashed.
With both their leader, Jeon Il-hon, and their second-in-command, Go Ryong-pung, dead, any further resistance was futile.
Furthermore, when Hyeok So-jin finished off Go Ryong-pung, the morale of the Maban Sect disciples, who had been fighting with all their strength, plummeted.
As long as masters of this caliber stood against them, victory was impossible.
*Fwoosh! Psh-psh-psh!*
As their movements faltered, the hidden weapons of the Second Squad, led by Wi Cheon-gyeong, found their marks with even greater ease.
They shattered the Maban Sect's movements and attack formations, allowing the other corps members to cut them down in an instant.
“We surrender!”
A few Maban Sect disciples dropped their weapons and gave up the fight, but the attacks of the Mubon Corps did not cease.
Bu Eun-seol had ordered them to be wiped out. And the corps members were carrying out that order to the letter.
*Clang.*
Finally, the weapon of the last resisting Maban Sect disciple clattered to the ground.
The fierce battle was finally over.
“Hah, hah.”
Though the battle was over, the members of the Mubon Corps still radiated a fierce fighting spirit, clutching their weapons as they gasped for breath.
Not a single one of them was unscathed.
Their injuries ranged from minor cuts to severed fingers and gashes so deep that bone was exposed.
Yet, there were no fatalities. Every single one of them had survived.
One hundred against thirty.
In this impossible battle, they had achieved a great victory. A victory against their enemies, and a victory against themselves.
“It's over.”
A low voice snapped them back to their senses.
They turned to see two figures standing shoulder to shoulder, watching them.
Though drenched in blood, they exuded an inviolable dignity, like gods of war descended from the heavens.
It was Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
*Shudder.*
The corps members all trembled.
For the first time in their lives, they had poured out every last ounce of their being. Their blood boiled, and it felt as though their very souls had burned to white ash.
And in its wake... the ecstasy of victory.
“Uwooooaaah!”
The members of the Mubon Corps let out a great roar, like savage beasts.
The heavens shook and the earth trembled.
It was the cry of warriors who, for the first time, had utterly burned away both body and soul in the crucible of battle.
***
—The Mount Hua and Jongnam Sects have driven the Maban Sect out of Shaanxi!
The Maban Sect had fearlessly slaughtered disciples and destroyed training halls within the territories of the Mount Hua and Jongnam Sects.
In the end, they met a gruesome fate: the complete annihilation of their sect.
But soon after, a strange rumor began to circulate.
—But the ones who dealt with the Maban Sect Leader and his core members were masters dispatched from the Demonic Cult!
While the Mount Hua and Jongnam Sects were wiping out the Maban Sect's stronghold, the sect leader, Jeon Il-hon, and about a hundred of his trusted followers were fleeing north.
Masters from Jongnam and Mount Hua gave chase, but it was too late. The fugitives were soon discovered as gruesome corpses before a cave in some nameless mountain.
And the wounds, it was said, were all inflicted by the exquisite swordplay and hidden weapon arts of the demonic path.
—When in the world did the Demonic Cult dispatch these masters?
The martial world was stunned, unable to hide their shock and amazement.
To track the escape route of a hundred elite masters, including the Maban Sect Leader himself, and to eliminate them so perfectly would have required at least two or three hundred experts.
But no such force had ever been seen entering Shaanxi.
—Was this all part of the Demonic Cult's plan?
That couldn't be.
If the Demonic Cult had dispatched a force large enough to wipe out a Transcendent Realm master like Jeon Il-hon and over a hundred first-rate warriors,
even if other intelligence organizations missed it, there was no way Mount Hua and Jongnam would have been unaware.
—Does the Demonic Cult possess a combat unit in Shaanxi capable of evading the intelligence networks of both Mount Hua and Jongnam?
Various rumors swirled, but the Demonic Cult remained silent, offering no response.
It was Mount Hua and Jongnam that ended up looking foolish.
They had formed a punitive expedition to annihilate the Maban Sect and take Jeon Il-hon's head, intending to display their might to the world, but...
the sudden appearance of the Demonic Cult's masters had left them empty-handed.
However, on the surface, there was no proof that the Demonic Cult's masters had acted directly. All they had done was deal with the fleeing elite forces of the Maban Sect.
It had, in effect, become a situation where they had helped Mount Hua and Jongnam, leaving the two sects with no grounds to complain.
***
Dawn was breaking in the eastern sky.
The Silver Copper Winery.
It was a small distillery nestled in a remote mountain valley in Deok-an Prefecture.
A beautiful forest stretched out around it, dotted with large stone warehouses.
In front of them stood an old manor with a plaque that read "Hidden Star Manor." This was where the owners and servants of the Silver Copper Winery resided.
Now, however, the Hidden Star Manor was filled with grim, black-clad warriors.
Most were either being treated by a physician for their severe injuries or were recuperating in bed.
These were the members of the Mubon Corps, returning after dealing with the Maban Sect.
Bu Eun-seol stood in the courtyard, silently watching his men receive treatment.
“What in the world did you do to get injured this badly?”
An old man in fine robes approached Bu Eun-seol's side and asked the question.
He was Jin Yu-hwa, master of the Hidden Star Manor and head of the Gusaldai's Deok-an branch.
Since his men's injuries were too severe for an immediate return to the Demonic Cult, Bu Eun-seol had sought out the nearest secret Gusaldai branch, the Silver Copper Winery.
In response, the branch head, Jin Yu-hwa, had invited the Mubon Corps into his own manor to have their wounds treated.
“We merely fought a hundred or so masters.”
“A hundred?”
Jin Yu-hwa stared at the distant sky, blinked a few times, then practically jumped as he spoke.
“Don't tell me these are the Demonic Cult masters who recently wiped out the Maban Sect Leader and his elite guard?”
Bu Eun-seol simply maintained his impassive expression, offering no reply.
But Jin Yu-hwa, unable to contain his curiosity, spoke again.
“Where on earth are you from? Could you be from the Cheonsaldae, the Heavenly Slaughter Corps?”
The corps members who overheard this all broke into proud smiles.
The Cheonsaldae. Of the Demonic Cult's three great combat corps, they were known for being the most ruthless and powerful.
To think that the Mubon Corps, known as a den of misfits, was now being mistaken for the Cheonsaldae...
“The Mubon Corps.”
“The Mubon Corps?”
Jin Yu-hwa asked, his expression one of utter confusion.
“The Mubon Corps... you mean the one filled with all those misfits?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol offered a faint smile.
*No need to spread rumors myself, then.*
By revealing this to the Gusaldai, an intelligence organization, the Mubon Corps' reputation would soon spread beyond Shaanxi and throughout the martial world.
*Their name will soon change.*
The Mubon Corps, who wiped out the Maban Sect Leader and his core forces with only thirty men.
They would no longer be known simply as the Mubon Corps.
As Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought, Jin Yu-hwa's eyes blinked as if he'd just remembered something.
“Wait, if you're not with the Gusaldai, then...”
“Bu Eun-seol of the Nang-ya-gak. I am now the commander of the Mubon Corps.”
“Ah.”
Jin Yu-hwa failed to maintain his composure, his eyes widening in shock.
He had shown a token only known to the branch heads of the Gusaldai, so Jin Yu-hwa had assumed he was merely his counterpart from another branch...
But to think he was one of the Sip-ma-jeon-in of the Nang-ya-gak, a successor candidate who had thrown the once-quiet Demonic Cult into turmoil?
“I heard the candidates were each given a mission and sent out into the world... Was your mission to take the Maban Sect Leader's head?”
As Jin Yu-hwa began to ramble, Bu Eun-seol turned away coolly.
“We have rested and been treated well, thanks to you. I will report on the Deok-an branch's cooperation and ensure you are amply rewarded.”
“Th-thank you.”
Bu Eun-seol might only be a Sip-ma-jeon-in.
But he was also the legitimate heir to the Nang-ya-gak, a candidate for succession so prominent that even the Ten Demonic Sects and the Council of Elders were wary of him.
A single good word from him to the Demonic Cult would change Jin Yu-hwa's fortunes forever.
“Commander, you and the vice-commander should go on ahead.”
Won Se-mun, his shoulder bandaged, approached Bu Eun-seol.
“There's no need for you to return with us, is there? You just need to report the situation to the Sky Demon Emperor.”
The other members receiving treatment chimed in, agreeing with him.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol crossed his arms, lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“We'll return together.”
“But why?”
Bu Eun-seol swept his gaze over them before answering curtly.
“Because I am the commander of the Mubon Corps.”
A heavy silence fell over them.
The corps members stared at Bu Eun-seol, clenching their jaws or twitching at the corners of their eyes.
*Because I am the commander of the Mubon Corps.*
That single phrase filled the last lingering void in the hearts of the corps members.
A sense of belonging.
He had once called them mere "lumps of flesh to carry out orders."
But contrary to his words, Bu Eun-seol was acknowledging them as his own subordinates.
Even now, after the mission was complete...
“Damn it.”
The corner of Won Se-mun's eye twitched as he spun around abruptly.
“Hmph, you sure don't waste words.”
Though his words were tinged with annoyance, he kept wiping at his eyes and nose.
Those few words were enough to wash away all their past sorrows.
The Mubon Corps, a collection of strong-willed individuals, was no more.
From now on, they were all Bu Eun-seol's trusted men, members who truly belonged under his command.
***
*Splash.*
Steaming hot water filled a large wooden tub.
*Rustle.*
Gazing at the wooden tub, Bu Eun-seol began to undress.
His naked body was lean yet packed with muscle, his skin a dense tapestry of scars.
The hundreds of scars, layered over a body honed to its physical peak, were not gruesome. Instead, they looked like intricate patterns etched onto a beautiful sculpture.
“Mmm.”
As he lowered himself into the tub of warm water, a faint trace of blood seeped out.
Wounds that had yet to heal wept drops of blood with his every movement.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
A knock sounded at the door, followed by a woman's low voice.
“Excuse me, my lord.”
“What is it?”
“I've come to attend to your bath.”
The sweet, soft voice seemed to melt into his ears.
With his eyes still closed, Bu Eun-seol spoke quietly.
“That won't be necessary. You may leave.”
“My lord.”
Hearing the unexpectedly cold reply, the woman outside the door spoke in a trembling voice.
“The manor lord said that if I fail to attend to you... I am to leave the manor immediately.”
Once Jin Yu-hwa, the master of the Hidden Star Manor and head of the Gusaldai branch, learned Bu Eun-seol's identity, he had immediately moved him to a new residence.
The Pavilion of Refined Taste.
This pavilion, reserved for only the most distinguished guests, came with attendant handmaidens.
And the name "Pavilion of Refined Taste" was not for show.
The moment Bu Eun-seol went to bathe, a beautiful handmaiden was sent, as if she had been waiting, to attend to him.