Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: The Lord’s Test
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Thump, thump, thump.
His heart was pounding like crazy.
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists and bit his lip.
The urge to draw his Muk-geom and fight right then and there was overwhelming.
[...]
Gazing into Bu Eun-seol's blazing eyes, Ak Mu-ryeong suddenly broke into a smile.
[So, you've taken your first step into the Extreme Heavenly Realm.]
He was standing right before him,
yet Ak Mu-ryeong's voice still echoed from all directions.
[And I see signs that you've tempered your spirit as well...]
As he smiled, the otherworldly being, the ruler of devils, seemed to suddenly transform into a human.
The terrifying light in his eyes softened like sunlight, and his beast-like, wild aura shifted into one as solemn and imposing as a great mountain.
If anyone were to meet the eyes of the Lord of Nang-ya-gak at this moment, they would never forget it for the rest of their lives.
“Bu Eun-seol, a disciple of Nang-ya-gak…”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed his head to pay his respects,
Rumble.
A low peal of thunder rolled, and the ground began to tremble as if in an earthquake.
[A disciple of Nang-ya-gak?]
“…”
[How can a disciple of Nang-ya-gak become the Great Lord of the Devil's Hall without the Sect Lord's permission!]
His aura shifted once again.
The grandmaster of martial arts, as imposing as a great mountain, had reverted to the great devil king of the dark world.
[Answer me. Why did you demand the position of Great Lord of the Devil's Hall?]
Ak Mu-ryeong's voice was deep, and his gaze was like the sharp edge of a blade.
It was just as Dang Cheong had said.
Not only was Ak Mu-ryeong ill-tempered, but he also seemed furious that Bu Eun-seol had become the Great Lord of the Devil's Hall without permission.
Bu Eun-seol considered his words.
He realized the Lord of Nang-ya-gak was not a man who tolerated dissent.
‘He truly is a devil.’
The Human Devil, Ak Mu-ryeong.
As the Lord of Nang-ya-gak, he was a great devil who cared nothing for the lives of his own disciples.
“I had to become the Great Lord.”
Bu Eun-seol said after deep consideration.
“Because a disciple of this sect knows only victory; we cannot accept defeat.”
To gain the upper hand in the succession for the Devil's Hall, he needed loyal subordinates.
For the sake of victory.
That was what Bu Eun-seol was implying.
Ak Mu-ryeong fixed his mysteriously gleaming eyes on Bu Eun-seol's face.
[You have no intention of stopping, I see.]
Was it a guess based on his resolute expression, or could he, like the Ma-cheon-je, peer into the minds of others?
He had instantly seen through Bu Eun-seol's intentions.
[The succession to the Devil's Hall, that is.]
“That is correct.”
[Do you believe you've gained the upper hand?]
Ak Mu-ryeong looked down at Bu Eun-seol with cold eyes.
[All because you killed some old man who was pathetically weak in martial arts and coasted on an empty reputation?]
Though he held the lowest seat, Geol-wang was a master of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
But he described him as a 'pathetically weak old man.'
[At your current level, you won't be able to handle those who covet the fame of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.]
“I, too, am a disciple of Nang-ya-gak.”
But Bu Eun-seol's reply was just as firm.
“I do not wish to avoid any fight.”
Rumble.
Once again, a voice like thunder shaking a clear sky rang out.
[You are mistaken.]
Ak Mu-ryeong looked at Bu Eun-seol, the corner of his mouth lifting in a scornful smirk.
[Do you think I issued this order because I hold you in high regard?]
“…”
[Sa Do-myeong. He is a man who tries to control everything with the word 'fate'.]
Bu Eun-seol's gaze wavered.
It was a doubt he had briefly felt during his fight with Geol-wang.
The suspicion that perhaps the Ma-cheon-je had intentionally made him learn the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol to render him emotionless and easier to control.
[I am saying that I will no longer permit a disciple of my sect to be his puppet.]
It was an unexpected statement.
Didn't it imply that there was a disciple of Nang-ya-gak whose fate had been twisted by the Ma-cheon-je?
“I…”
Bu Eun-seol started to say something but then closed his mouth.
He remembered the request from the Vice Sect Lord, Dang Cheong.
—Never talk back to the Sect Lord. I will take care of the aftermath.
“…I understand.”
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to bow his head and clasp his hands.
Dang Cheong had said she would take responsibility for the aftermath, and she would surely keep her word.
For now, he had to escape the gaze of the great devil who would not tolerate a single word of defiance.
But something was strange.
Even though he had given the desired answer, he could feel a pair of ice-cold eyes scanning him sharply from head to toe.
A displeased and unpleasant gaze.
[You are not pursuing the Martial Way.]
His eyes once again burning like a demon's, Ak Mu-ryeong stared intently at Bu Eun-seol.
[You merely wish to become strong.]
Bu Eun-seol flinched inwardly.
Like the Ma-cheon-je, the Lord of Nang-ya-gak, Ak Mu-ryeong, seemed to possess the ability to see not just physical prowess but also to pierce through the heart.
“Isn't pursuing the Martial Way also for the sake of becoming stronger?”
To Bu Eun-seol's protest, Ak Mu-ryeong spoke in a solemn voice.
[To pursue the Martial Way is to seek the ultimate essence of martial arts and reach an absolute state.]
He paused for a moment before continuing.
[It is different from simply becoming strong.]
Ak Mu-ryeong's suspicion was correct.
Bu Eun-seol did not wish to see the end of martial arts or reach an absolute state.
His goal was simply to become strong enough to punish the monstrous beast that possessed immense power.
[I hereby command…]
As if sensing something, Ak Mu-ryeong's sharp gaze swept over Bu Eun-seol's body as he spoke.
[You are to undergo five years of secluded training within this sect.]
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's gaze wavered like a ripple on water.
If he accepted this command, even if Dang Cheong managed to smooth things over… he would not be able to return to the Devil's Hall with his head held high.
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath. He sensed that an unavoidable situation had finally arrived.
“I cannot do that.”
Thud.
At that moment, a massive explosion erupted in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
Ak Mu-ryeong had not attacked his physical body, but had delivered a direct blow to his formless spirit.
‘Kugh.’
Just as Bu Eun-seol staggered,
Boom.
another strange explosion echoed in his mind.
‘Ugh.’
Finally, Bu Eun-seol staggered back a step as if he had drunk potent liquor.
[Did I permit you to talk back to me?]
Ak Mu-ryeong's voice, echoing from all directions, became a weight of a thousand pounds of iron, crushing Bu Eun-seol's body.
‘So this is the Sect Lord's power…’
The Human Devil, Ak Mu-ryeong.
He was materializing the formless power of the mind, not ki, to strike Bu Eun-seol's spirit.
And this was possible not simply because of his high level of internal energy, but because his martial arts had reached a mysterious and profound state.
‘An intangible attack that cannot be cut with a sword or blocked with internal energy…’
[Hmph.]
Wielding his mysterious power, Ak Mu-ryeong scoffed when Bu Eun-seol immediately staggered back.
Martial artists are accustomed to physical pain, but surprisingly vulnerable to mental suffering.
This is especially true for peerless geniuses who have advanced their martial realms with ease.
Their superior constitution and talent allowed them to reach high realms easily, without facing setbacks.
But then, a peculiar light appeared in Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes.
The staggering Bu Eun-seol had quickly recovered his clarity of mind and was now standing with a calm expression.
[Not bad.]
‘Kuhk.’
As Ak Mu-ryeong's voice echoed in his ears again, Bu Eun-seol's body trembled.
Just hearing that low, strange voice brought a pain as if his brain was melting away.
‘I have to endure.’
Frowning, Bu Eun-seol focused his mind.
Before long, his expression returned to one of calm indifference.
For a moment, Ak Mu-ryeong's eyebrow twitched.
He had realized that Bu Eun-seol's spirit was incredibly resilient.
[Interesting. Very interesting.]
Ak Mu-ryeong's echoing voice now became a spinning blade, boring into Bu Eun-seol's steel-like spirit.
Fwoosh!
An immense power, indescribable by words, pressed down on Bu Eun-seol's spirit.
An ordinary person would have had their mind shattered by this blow, or been reduced to an imbecile.
But Bu Eun-seol merely frowned for a moment.
He was born with a strong mind.
Not only that, but ever since meeting Bu Jan-yang, he had trained his internal energy by overcoming distracting thoughts and fear while confined in a coffin, a practice he called 'playing dead'.
The resilience of his spirit was comparable to that of a high monk who had practiced Profound Arts for decades.
[Hahaha.]
When Bu Eun-seol calmly resisted his mental attack, Ak Mu-ryeong let out a low laugh.
Then, his eyes flashed, and he began to increase the power he was unleashing several times over.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
In this tranquil place, only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.
A peaceful atmosphere filled Cheoljang Peak, and a warm spring breeze was blowing.
But in reality, a world-shaking battle was taking place.
Ak Mu-ryeong was unleashing an immense, formless power to destroy his mind, while Bu Eun-seol was fortifying his spirit and resisting with all his might.
Drip, drip.
Gradually, thick veins began to bulge on Bu Eun-seol's face.
As Ak Mu-ryeong's immense power continued to eat away at his spirit, his mental fortitude began to reach its limit.
Illusions started to appear before his eyes, and the strength began to drain from his entire body.
It was a despair and emptiness incomparable to physical pain.
Just then, Ak Mu-ryeong's low voice was heard.
[If another quarter of an hour passes, you will either become an imbecile or a cripple.]
Coming from the august Lord of Nang-ya-gak, it was surely not a lie.
But this only fueled Bu Eun-seol's defiance.
“You may be able to break my body, Sect Lord…”
Instead, Bu Eun-seol lifted his head stiffly and looked straight into Ak Mu-ryeong's blazing eyes.
“but you will not be able to destroy my mind.”
[Uahahahaha!]
A mad laugh erupted from Ak Mu-ryeong's mouth.
CRACK!
As the sky-rending laughter poured out, a powerful explosion occurred inside Bu Eun-seol's head.
Splash.
At the same time, he felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless lake, and the focus in his eyes began to fade.
The immense explosive force that spread from his spirit had pushed his consciousness into an inescapable abyss.
[To act so insolently before me.]
Bu Eun-seol, whom everyone in Nang-ya-gak had acknowledged as the rightful successor.
Yet, even as he fell into the abyss, losing his sense of self, there was no hint of regret in Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes.
—If you sharply carve away the sentiment in your heart, what is there to stand in your way?
As he lost consciousness and drifted into the endless abyss, a strange voice suddenly echoed in Bu Eun-seol's ears.
“…?”
When he opened his eyes, he saw black, burning flames. They were all the scriptures of the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol.
‘The Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol…’
By mastering this, he could perfectly master the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.
But Bu Eun-seol, having no desire to erase his sentiments, had intentionally erased the technique from his mind.
However, every time the resilience of his spirit crumbled, the scriptures of that technique were being branded into his mind like a hot iron.
‘If you sharply carve away the sentiment in your heart…’
As he unconsciously recited the scripture of the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, Bu Eun-seol's consciousness, which had been sinking into the abyss, found its place again.
As the illusions vanished and distracting thoughts subsided, his body also began to react.
Simultaneously, the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol activated on its own, and black flames began to flicker from Bu Eun-seol's body.
And wasn't it beginning to push back against the mental attack that Ak Mu-ryeong was unleashing?
[This is…]
Ak Mu-ryeong's eyes widened when he saw the black ki flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Ruuuumble!
At that moment, a heaven-and-earth-shaking vibration emanated from around Bu Eun-seol's body.
Black ki flowed over his entire body, and his eyes were also turning black.
By unleashing the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol in response to Ak Mu-ryeong's attack, the power of the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol was once again deeply engraved into Bu Eun-seol's spirit.
[Sa Do-myeong. This is his doing.]
Ak Mu-ryeong's brow was furrowed.
[He's created another bizarre scripture that deviates from the principles of martial arts.]
Having instantly grasped Bu Eun-seol's condition, a smile appeared on Ak Mu-ryeong's lips.
[Heheheh. Hahahahaha!]
As the thunderous laughter echoed, the black ki flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body grew even darker.
[Sa Do-myeong!]
Having seen through that the essence of the Ma-cheon-je's martial arts was embedded in Bu Eun-seol's spirit, Ak Mu-ryeong roared at the sky.
[Are you proposing another duel, using a disciple of my sect as the battlefield!]
Then, a tremendous energy poured down, crushing Bu Eun-seol's body.
Hwansangbuhwan (Illusion upon Illusion).
The power he unleashed was a peerless martial art that layered illusion upon illusion.
It created a tangible force within the formless, intangible mind.
Woooong!
In response, the black ki enveloping his body spread out like tens of thousands of threads, neutralizing the crushing pressure.
Bu Eun-seol had defended against the formless power with materialized ki.
—This peerless genius, a gem like this…
The voice of the Ma-cheon-je, Sa Do-myeong, seemed to echo in Ak Mu-ryeong's mind.
—…can you bring yourself to ruin him?
Embedded within Bu Eun-seol's body was a Mind Art created by the Ma-cheon-je.
It could not be extracted or separated.
In other words, the Ma-cheon-je was proposing another contest to Ak Mu-ryeong.
Because to eliminate that power, he would have to kill Bu Eun-seol.
—With your own hands, no less.
A normal martial artist would have hesitated, even for a moment, at the thought of killing a disciple of their own school.
[This challenge… I accept!]
But Ak Mu-ryeong, without hesitation, poured the formless power into Bu Eun-seol's meridians.