Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: One-Man Army
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A glint of light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he watched the Cold-Blooded Demons charge.
Screech!
With a sword cry like a dragon's roar, a sharp, potent energy erupted from the Muk-geom, moving too fast to be seen.
Slice!
Accompanied by a chilling severing sound, the five charging Cold-Blooded Demons were instantly split in two.
“...!”
A faint light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
The sensation traveling up his fingertips was dull, not clean.
The bodies of the Cold-Blooded Demons, made of flesh and blood, were far harder than steel.
“So they’ve even pickled their bodies with drugs.”
It seemed they had hardened their bodies to launch a final, physical assault.
Just then, the Cold-Blooded Demons charged at Bu Eun-seol with all their might once more.
This time, they didn't charge haphazardly but maintained their distance, approaching from different directions.
Realizing Bu Eun-seol's swordsmanship was far superior to their expectations, they intended to use their numerical advantage to wage a war of attrition, repeatedly attacking and retreating from a distance.
“A crude method, but a good choice!”
A cold smile on his lips, Bu Eun-seol drew upon his internal energy with all his strength.
Zhiing!
A black mist rose from his eyes, and a shimmering, round, black orb formed in his left hand.
He had instantly unleashed the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol, a timeless secret art that allowed one to freely manifest powerful internal energy.
Paaah!
As he extended his left hand as if releasing a palm strike, about half of the manifested energy sphere spread out like a spider's web.
The Cold-Blooded Demons, who had been attacking from all directions, were suddenly pulled together as if they were one mass.
Shwaack!
Simultaneously, Bu Eun-seol's Muk-geom unleashed a series of unparalleled sword forms.
Papapapa!
A chilling sword aura, cold enough to freeze the sun itself, swept through the bodies of the clustered Cold-Blooded Demons in an instant.
Rustle!
At the same time, a dozen Cold-Blooded Demons fell like bundles of straw.
‘Once seems to be fine.’
Even after using the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol without the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, his blood and qi weren't boiling over.
This was a change that had occurred after the power of the enraged Nang-ya-gak Master Ak Mu-ryeong's Phantom Return Illusion had pierced his meridians.
Thud, thud.
But they seemed numb even to their comrades' deaths, approaching Bu Eun-seol without a shred of hesitation.
Whoom!
Bu Eun-seol once again spread the remaining true energy in his left hand like a spider's web.
And once again, the Cold-Blooded Demons were pulled into a single cluster.
Slice!
With another sickening severing sound, the Muk-geom cut through the air, and another dozen Cold-Blooded Demons were instantly split in two, collapsing in a heap.
“That’s...”
Hyeok So-jin, watching the scene, clenched his fists.
He realized that Bu Eun-seol's method of handling manifested energy mimicked his own Sin-yeol-ma-gi.
‘So the Sin-yeol-ma-gi can be used like that.’
Hyeok So-jin had used the Sin-yeol-ma-gi as a means of defense or counterattack.
But seeing Bu Eun-seol's method, he realized it could be used in various ways, such as restricting an enemy's movements.
—Do not be constrained by the technique; adapt your martial arts to the situation.
It was as if Bu Eun-seol was telling him this.
Chiii.
After using the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol consecutively, intense heat radiated from Bu Eun-seol's body.
But unlike before, there was no pain or feeling of succumbing to a demonic trance.
Instead, using the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol seemed to invigorate the true energy within him, filling his spirit with a sense of elation and killing intent.
Taat!
Now, Bu Eun-seol charged forward himself and began to cut down the Cold-Blooded Demons.
In a chaotic battle, to stop moving is to die.
There was no time to catch one's breath, no safe space to retreat to from the enemies.
Chik! Chik!
Each time the Muk-geom let out a faint whoosh, a bone-chillingly cold sword light poured out.
The heads of the Cold-Blooded Demons fell like autumn leaves, while some shot into the sky like fireworks.
Bu Eun-seol's body had already merged with the Muk-geom, becoming one.
Every time he executed a sword form, a soul-stealing radiance flared, and every time he cut through the air, an energy like the Grim Reaper's claws spread in all directions.
Whoom...
Whenever there was a brief lull in the assault, white steam would invariably rise from Bu Eun-seol's body.
He was circulating his internal energy to recover it, even in the midst of battle.
“This bastard...”
Go Geuk-shin bit his lip.
Already, forty Cold-Blooded Demons had fallen to Bu Eun-seol. At this rate, even if they won, the Hyeol-hae-ma-jeong's forces would be severely crippled.
“You four, join the fight.”
Go Geuk-shin ordered the four Cold-Blooded Demons standing before him.
They were the Ten-Unit Commanders who led the one hundred Cold-Blooded Demons.
Cheok.
The Ten-Unit Commanders clasped their hands together and leaped into the fray without hesitation.
Chik! Chik!
As the four Ten-Unit Commanders simultaneously unleashed a bizarre claw technique and palm strike that resembled bolts of lightning,
Paat!
blood spurted from the shoulder of Bu Eun-seol, who had been cutting down the Cold-Blooded Demons.
“Die!”
At the same time, Go Geuk-shin also approached Bu Eun-seol from behind and unleashed the Ya-hon-baek-gol-jo.
His body was hovering in mid-air, but the force of his White Bone Claw had already torn through the air and was digging into Bu Eun-seol's vital points.
Pat! Pat!
As the Ya-hon-baek-gol-jo raged, blood spurted from Bu Eun-seol's body once more.
“Don’t give him a moment’s rest!”
With Go Geuk-shin wielding his Ya-hon-baek-gol-jo and the Ten-Unit Commanders joining the fight all at once, the tide of battle shifted in an instant.
They launched their own attacks, but whenever Bu Eun-seol counterattacked, they defended grimly, as if they were a single person.
“Yeohap!”
Just then, with a roar, Go Geuk-shin struck Bu Eun-seol's Muk-geom with all his might.
Taaang!
With a clear metallic clang, he was pushed back about ten feet, but Bu Eun-seol's sword movements also paused for a moment.
Papapapa!
As if they had been waiting, the sharp claws of the Ten-Unit Commanders fiercely dug in.
Flash! Papapapa!
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's Muk-geom began to thrash like a fish, unleashing hundreds of strands of light.
The absolute defensive sword style that reacts to killing intent, the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom, had been deployed.
‘Neung-hyeong-eo-geom.’
Hyeok So-jin had witnessed Bu Eun-seol's specialty, the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom, several times before.
But something was strange.
Bu Eun-seol's Muk-geom wasn't just deflecting the enemy's attacks; it was also cutting down the Ten-Unit Commanders, slicing through the air like a living flood dragon.
‘Sword Ki Control? No.’
Watching from a distance, Hyeok So-jin's eyes gleamed.
He had discovered that at the exact moment the Muk-geom parried an incoming attack, it was counterattacking with the very same move.
Bu Eun-seol had combined the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu's fifth form, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, with the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom.
Paaaaaaah!
As their own attacks were turned back on them, the Cold-Blooded Demons were forced to retreat helplessly.
Even Go Geuk-shin, who was wildly swinging his claw shadows, was so flustered that he didn't know what to do and fell back.
Flash!
In that opening, Bu Eun-seol once again cut down the scattered Cold-Blooded Demons like bundles of straw.
Was he finally getting tired?
Unlike before, his swordsmanship lacked precision, and his movements became much wider.
Hwiik!
When an opening in Bu Eun-seol's defense was exposed, the Ten-Unit Commanders approached without hesitation and unleashed a fierce assault.
But it was a trap.
Brrrr.
The tip of Bu Eun-seol's sword began to tremble faintly, and hundreds of strands of sword ki pierced the vital points of the Ten-Unit Commanders and the Cold-Blooded Demons.
He had intentionally exposed an opening to make them commit their full strength, then used an application of the Hwan-gwi-bon-ju technique to strike their acupoints.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
After felling all the charging Cold-Blooded Demons, Bu Eun-seol's swordsmanship changed once more.
Simultaneously, a purplish flame slashed in a zigzag pattern toward an opening in the Ten-Unit Commanders' defense.
The killing sword that cuts down the enemy in any situation, the Jeon-roe-mu-ssang-sik, had been unleashed.
Chwaak!
At the same time, crimson blood gushed from the carotid arteries of the Ten-Unit Commanders like a fountain.
It looked like a single strike, but he had actually used the Jeon-roe-mu-ssang-sik in rapid succession to slice all four of their necks at once.
Drip, drip, drip.
The Muk-geom, unable to drink any more blood, spat the fresh gore onto the ground.
“You...”
Go Geuk-shin's body trembled as his eyes met Bu Eun-seol's, who was soaked in blood.
He finally realized.
Bu Eun-seol hadn't killed Geol-wang with some trickery.
A one-man army.
Bu Eun-seol possessed a fearsome martial power worthy of being called a one-man army.
“You... were the chosen one?”
Throughout the generations, the supreme masters who looked down upon the martial world had all perfected their heaven-shaking martial prowess at a young age and written new chapters in history.
That is why they were called the chosen ones, or divine beings.
Thud, thud.
As Bu Eun-seol walked toward him, Go Geuk-shin's eyes widened.
It was neither terror nor fear.
The authority of an absolute being.
His body had frozen due to the aura emanating from a master who looked down upon the world.
Thud, thud...
But Bu Eun-seol walked past the trembling Go Geuk-shin.
“Are you sparing me?”
Go Geuk-shin muttered in disbelief as Bu Eun-seol passed him by.
Drip, drip.
Then, seeing the fresh blood dripping to the ground, he gave a hollow smile.
“Of course not.”
Pshhh!
A thin line of blood appeared on his lower abdomen, and suddenly a large amount of blood poured out.
Instead of killing him, Bu Eun-seol had destroyed his dantian, eradicating his internal energy.
“Tell the master of the Hyeol-hae-ma-jeong.”
Bu Eun-seol said in a low voice without looking back.
“If you mess with me again, the Hyeol-hae-ma-jeong will be erased from the martial world.”
Click.
Sheathing his Muk-geom, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
“That is the only reason your life was spared.”
Thump.
Go Geuk-shin fell to his knees.
With all his internal energy gone, he had become a cripple, and the muscles all over his body were shriveling.
But he was in more pain from the aura flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body than from the loss of his energy.
‘I was wrong.’
In the martial world, there are two types of people you must never provoke.
Supreme masters who never forgive those who cross them. And madmen who do not even value their own lives.
And Bu Eun-seol belonged to both categories...
A figure like the God of Death, who brings disaster upon anything that touches him.
“I understand.”
Go Geuk-shin staggered and turned away.
With all his internal energy gone, his middle-aged appearance had vanished, replaced by that of a withered old man.
With the sunset at his back, Go Geuk-shin staggered off the plains.
It was the back of a loser who had left his past glory behind, now just a cripple.
“Hoo.”
After Go Geuk-shin left, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
The martial prowess he had displayed was not that of someone who had just stepped into the Transcendent Heaven Realm.
Due to his powerful internal energy and the mysterious martial art known as the Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol, he was displaying a level of power far beyond the realm he had actually reached.
“Let's go.”
Bu Eun-seol returned to the carriage as if nothing had happened.
Hyeok So-jin finally came to his senses and took a deep breath.
“Please get in. I will drive the carriage.”
The driver had already fled, so Hyeok So-jin climbed into the driver's seat.
‘Brother Bu is rewriting the history of the martial world.’
As Hyeok So-jin watched the fading sunset, an emotional smile spread across his lips.
He was proud.
To be living in the same era as a man like Bu Eun-seol... and to have traveled the Jianghu with him.
In the future, even when his hair turned white, he would be prouder of this fact than anyone else.
* * *
Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji, San-cheon-jae.
Beyond the window, an old man in blue robes, who had been gazing at the garden of rare and beautiful flowers, sat up in bed.
His face was pale with sickness, but his silver hair was neatly combed back, and a purple light occasionally flashed in his eyes.
He was none other than the lord of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji, the Phantom Demon, Hyeok Gong-baek.
“So-jin will be arriving soon.”
In response to Hyeok Gong-baek's murmur, the man standing beside him, the Mad Master, Pung Yeo-ryang, spoke softly.
“I heard he rushed over as soon as he heard you collapsed.”
“There was no need for that.”
“You’ve suffered enough all this time. So-jin is grown now, so you should rest.”
A smile appeared on Pung Yeo-ryang's lips as he followed Hyeok Gong-baek's gaze to the garden.
“By the way.”
“...?”
“Your choice was definitely the right one. I’m talking about that fellow, Bu Eun-seol.”
He said with a pleased expression.
“He’s a man who keeps his promises. Ever since he left, young people have been constantly visiting to deliver news about our sect.”
“Hahaha.”
Hyeok Gong-baek, leaning against the bed, smiled faintly.
“The martial world is already in an uproar over that boy’s story. I mean, not only did he kill Geol-wang, he single-handedly destroyed one of Hyeol-hae-ma-jeong’s divisions.”
The current martial world was abuzz with stories of an unprecedented new-generation master.
It had long been rumored that Bu Eun-seol had killed the Seven Kings of the Death God through cowardly means.
But this time, he had single-handedly destroyed a division of the Hyeol-hae-ma-jeong composed of Cold-Blooded Demons.
And what kind of beings were the Cold-Blooded Demons?
Weren't they killing machines, trained with strange drugs and secret methods, who would sacrifice their lives without hesitation to eliminate superior masters?
Moreover, a division of Cold-Blooded Demons possessed enough power to annihilate a small-scale sect without a trace.
And he had wiped them out on his own?
With this incident, Bu Eun-seol had proven that his martial arts had entered the Transcendent Heaven Realm.
—The Beggars' Alliance pulled a cheap trick.
As this rumor spread, the martial artists immediately criticized the Beggars' Alliance.
And they once again began to ponder a title for this young grandmaster.
However, he had only revealed his actions during his time as one of the Sip-ma-jeon-in, and even then, only a fraction. Moreover, most of those who had experienced Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess had become lonely spirits under his sword.
The successors of Shaolin, Wudang, and the Sword Pavilion had survived, but they remained completely silent about him.
In the end, since neither his martial techniques nor his prowess had been witnessed by anyone...
Various opinions were exchanged, but they ultimately failed to decide on a proper title for this young, new-generation master.
“Thanks to him, So-jin also got a title. Something about cutting down enemies with a strange silver thread... Blood Thread... something like that.”
“The Blood Thread Demon Shadow, they call him.”
Hyeok Gong-baek wore a faint smile.
Hyeok So-jin, who had consistently aided Bu Eun-seol and defeated many powerful enemies.
He too had been given the title of Blood Thread Demon Shadow.
“Anyway, things are going to get complicated from now on.”
Pung Yeo-ryang sighed as if remembering something.
“From the old masters to the young prodigies. From now on, every bastard who thinks they’re strong will be coming after him.”
From newcomers who have just entered the martial world to old veterans with graying hair...
what martial artists consistently desire are martial skill and honor that allow them to rule over others.
And Bu Eun-seol possessed both.
Simply put, killing Bu Eun-seol was an easy way to claim that honor.
“Even if the entire martial world came at him, with his personality, he would never ask the Ma-jeon or Nang-ya-gak for protection...”
A deep frown creased Pung Yeo-ryang's brow.
In truth, Geol-wang's martial prowess was only at the level of someone who had just entered the Transcendent Heaven Realm, not particularly outstanding compared to the supreme masters of the martial world.
The reason he was able to ascend to the position of one of the Seven Kings of the Death God was his immense influence, which allowed him to control the Beggars' Alliance, the largest information network in the orthodox faction.
And his high seniority.
But now, someone who had just begun his journey in the Jianghu had struck him down...
From the perspective of the powerful, a fresh and tempting prey had appeared.
From now on, all the powerful figures in the martial world would be eyeing Bu Eun-seol covetously.
“Don’t worry.”
Hyeok Gong-baek smiled calmly and spoke.
“He awakened So-jin's spirit and potential, raising him to the level of a successor of the Ten Demonic Sects in a short period.”
His eyes held limitless trust.
“He will surely overcome all trials and stand tall at the pinnacle of the Seven Kings of the Death God...”
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock on the door was followed by a young man's voice, echoing softly.
“Commander Jin-wi, it is Un-yeop.”
“Come in.”
At Hyeok Gong-baek's calm voice, a man in a navy blue martial uniform entered cautiously with a soft rustle.
It was Un-yeop, the Jin-wi Commander in charge of Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji's outer security.
“The Young Lord has arrived.”
Hyeok Gong-baek took a deep breath and nodded.
“I see.”
“But are you really not going to tell him?”
As Un-yeop bowed his head and left, Pung Yeo-ryang spoke in a low voice.
“That your life is hanging by a thread...”