Chapter 244
Chapter 244
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: A Trial of Killing Intent
-----------------------------------------------------------------
But even after a long moment, he couldn't execute his sword technique.
Yeop Hyo-cheon's mere stance seemed to support the heavens and press down the earth.
A state of perfect readiness.
It was an impeccable posture and a formidable aura, capable of flawlessly countering any move.
If Bu Eun-seol moved to initiate an attack, he would, in turn, instantly expose an opening of his own.
It was suffocating.
Every time he tried to perform his sword art, a vision of his own neck being severed bloomed in his mind.
‘At this rate, I’ll suffer internal injuries and have to admit defeat before I can even draw my sword.’
Even when he took a deep breath, no air seemed to enter his lungs.
The pressure emanating from Yeop Hyo-cheon was so immense it felt as if it had created a vacuum around Bu Eun-seol.
*Shing.*
Bu Eun-seol finally drew his sword. The moment he was about to unleash Mu-sang-cheon-ryu,
“…”
a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
If he were to perform the sword technique, he felt an invisible blade of wind would arc in a semicircle and slice his throat.
Not only that, but he could vividly feel the sensation of a subsequent palm strike crushing his chest.
‘Is it an illusion? No.’
The thought was long, but his actions were like lightning.
Bu Eun-seol halted the sword technique he was about to unleash, instead executing Geuk-jeon-hon-hyo of the Gwon-ma-chil-sik, launching five streams of fist energy straight ahead.
At the same time, he leaped into the air and unleashed ninety sword forms at once.
He hadn't ignored the sense of foresight; he had launched a countermeasure in response to it.
*Kwakwakwaka!*
Bu Eun-seol's fist energy and sword forms merged into a single torrent, engulfing the entire training platform where Yeop Hyo-cheon stood.
“Hoh.”
Just as Yeop Hyo-cheon’s brief exclamation was heard,
*Pat!*
his figure suddenly vanished from the platform without a trace.
The grand hall was bathed in bright sunlight, with nowhere to hide.
*Thud.*
Landing back on the platform, Bu Eun-seol immediately heightened his Ya-su-do senses to their absolute limit.
‘He’s not here.’
Yeop Hyo-cheon was nowhere to be seen on the training grounds. It was as if he had evaporated without a trace.
‘Not in the dark… but I can’t find him even under the bright sun.’
Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his astonishment.
Yeop Hyo-cheon's title was the ‘King Who Governs the Dark.’ This meant his martial arts were truly at their peak in the darkness of night.
Yet, even with his skills, Bu Eun-seol couldn't detect the slightest hint of his presence under the bright midday sun.
*Ssk.*
Yeop Hyo-cheon suddenly reappeared before Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, standing tall in the same unchanging posture.
His stance and position were so perfectly identical to before that one could believe he had been standing there all along.
“Hmm, so you have indeed stepped into the threshold of the Extreme Heavenly Realm.”
He murmured, a strange smile gracing his lips.
“You anticipated this Chong-gyo-ryeong’s move and responded with a counter technique.”
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol wore a stunned expression, as if he’d been struck on the back of the head.
Did that mean Yeop Hyo-cheon had truly intended to slit his throat and crush his chest with a palm strike?
“You’ve broken free from the confines of traditional techniques to pursue the pinnacle of practicality.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon paid no mind to Bu Eun-seol's expression and tilted his head.
“But you’re still not at a level to face Buk-gung-ryeong.”
It seemed he had grasped the extent of Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess from that single exchange.
“No. Let’s draw out a little more.”
*Pat!*
Before his words even finished, Yeop Hyo-cheon’s figure vanished once more.
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol felt the illusion of his body being split in two.
An energy as sharp as a compressed blade’s tip had already closed in right before his nose.
Ultra-high-speed movement.
Yeop Hyo-cheon had moved so fast he was invisible, all while perfectly concealing his presence and firing a sharp burst of force.
‘The Tan-wang’s Nae-ga-tan-gi?’
Bu Eun-seol was startled.
Yeop Hyo-cheon was perfectly replicating Buk-gung-ryeong's technique.
*Tssss.*
As he unleashed Geuk-sok-mu-yeong with all his might, Bu Eun-seol's body blurred like mist.
Simultaneously, a sharp force, potent enough to easily slice through cast iron, grazed past the left side of Bu Eun-seol’s brow.
*Pah!*
But even though he had dodged it perfectly, his skin split open, and blood splattered.
“Indeed. With movement skills like that, you’re at a level where you can evade one of Buk-gung-ryeong’s moves.”
*Ssk.*
Yeop Hyo-cheon, who had reappeared, was smiling faintly.
He had mimicked Buk-gung-ryeong's Nae-ga-tan-gi to see how Bu Eun-seol would evade it.
“In that case, it’s time to take a proper look at the trump card you used against Geol-wang.”
In that instant, a brilliant light erupted from Yeop Hyo-cheon’s eyes.
As he simultaneously waved his arms in a flurry, a mighty palm energy poured out ceaselessly,
*Shushushushuk!*
filling the vast training grounds in a suspended state, leaving no gaps.
A suspended palm force, as if transparent paint had been splattered in all directions. He was even mimicking Geol-wang’s unique secret art, Gu-hwa-seom-su.
‘Is he a master of all martial arts?’
Yeop Hyo-cheon, known as the King Who Governs the Dark. He was astonishingly mimicking the martial arts of Buk-gung-ryeong and Geol-wang with near-perfect accuracy.
‘Or has he fought them before?’
As the thought crossed Bu Eun-seol's mind,
*Kwaaaaaa!*
the suspended palm force in the air became a great tidal wave, crashing down as if to swallow Bu Eun-seol whole.
Its speed wasn't fast, but it was more refined than the Gu-hwa-seom-su used by Gu Hong-cheong, and it unleashed a much greater amount of palm energy.
‘I can’t dodge it.’
*Jiiiing!*
A brilliant light bloomed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
At the same time, his true energy, manifested as an ink-black light, created intense vibrations as it collided with the sharp aura.
With no way to evade, he had used Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.
*Kurururung!*
As the manifested true energy and the sharp palm force clashed, a storm erupted, and a tremendous shockwave spread in all directions.
*Hwiiiing.*
After the whirlwind subsided, Bu Eun-seol and Yeop Hyo-cheon stood tall on the training grounds, facing each other.
*Chiiii.*
White steam billowed from Bu Eun-seol’s entire body like a steamer after he used Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.
After the power of Nang-ya-gak's Rang-ju, Ak Mu-ryeong's Hwan-sang-bu-hwan, had cleared his meridians, the phenomenon of his blood and qi boiling had greatly diminished.
However, Yeop Hyo-cheon’s palm force was so powerful that using Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol just once had severely agitated his blood and qi.
“So that was it.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon, who was staring at Bu Eun-seol, nodded.
He had finally figured out the trump card used against Geol-wang.
“The secret art passed down by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor must have been your ace in the hole. However…”
An inscrutable light flared in Yeop Hyo-cheon's eyes.
“This can’t be all there is…”
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol looked puzzled.
A faint killing intent was mixed into the aura Yeop Hyo-cheon was emitting.
The familiar smile that was usually on his face and the light in his eyes had vanished as if wiped clean.
*Tak!*
With a short leap, Yeop Hyo-cheon’s figure disappeared, and at the same time, blood spurted from near Bu Eun-seol’s neck.
If he hadn't reflexively moved his head to the side, his carotid artery would have been severed.
“If this is all…”
Yeop Hyo-cheon, who had already returned to his original position, had eyes gleaming with pure white killing intent.
“It would be better for you to die now.”
His voice was as deep and low as that of the grim reaper.
‘He’s serious.’
Bu Eun-seol could feel it.
Yeop Hyo-cheon wasn’t just displaying a murderous stance. He was genuinely unleashing his killing intent upon Bu Eun-seol.
*Pat!*
There was no sound of tearing air, not even a hint of his presence. Blood spurted from Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder again.
This couldn't be called a spar.
Yeop Hyo-cheon was aiming for vital points where a single wrong hit could be fatal.
In other words, he was genuinely using killing moves to murder Bu Eun-seol.
*Patpatpatpat!*
This time, a series of invisible flashes rained down. They came at a speed and angle that Bu Eun-seol could never hope to evade.
*Vrrr.*
At the moment of life and death, the Muk-geom began to tremble faintly, and a circular sword aura rose around Bu Eun-seol’s body.
*Tang tang tang tang!*
He began to deflect the pouring, formless power with the tip of his sword.
As Yeop Hyo-cheon unleashed killing techniques filled with genuine intent, the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom-sik activated on its own.
“This isn’t a martial art from Nang-ya-gak.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon’s low voice came from somewhere nearby.
“It’s not reacting to the technique… it reacted to the aura.”
To be precise, Neung-hyeong-eo-geom-sik reacts to ‘killing intent.’
In any case, Yeop Hyo-cheon had grasped a faint understanding of the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom-sik’s true essence at a single glance.
“Interesting.”
With that low voice, Yeop Hyo-cheon revealed himself again.
*Swaek!*
He closed the distance to Bu Eun-seol at an incredible speed, finally giving form to his formless techniques.
‘If I retreat, I die!’
If he couldn't block the materialized attacks, he would lose his life instantly.
Bu Eun-seol no longer retreated and fought head-on against the ultra-fast-moving Yeop Hyo-cheon.
*Shik! Tak!*
Two streaks of light repeatedly clashed and separated.
However, Bu Eun-seol couldn't block Yeop Hyo-cheon’s rapid attacks, and his body continued to sustain injuries.
*Paat! Chwak!*
Every time something sharp grazed Bu Eun-seol’s skin, blood splattered.
Yeop Hyo-cheon moved at an invisibly fast speed, closing and widening the distance to exploit Bu Eun-seol’s openings.
Because of this, Bu Eun-seol also had to use his movement arts to maintain a proper distance from Yeop Hyo-cheon while launching his own attacks.
But the tactic of unleashing martial arts while using movement techniques was something typically seen in one-versus-many battles.
Due to his unfamiliarity with this tactic, Bu Eun-seol’s techniques gradually lost their form, while Yeop Hyo-cheon’s, on the contrary, grew more refined.
He alone exhibited the power of many, simultaneously employing movement and martial arts as if he were a single person attacking a group.
*Piiing!*
A sharp force shot from somewhere, aimed at Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
There was no room to dodge.
*Woooong!*
A golden current swirled before Bu Eun-seol’s face, forming a mask-like light that deflected the incoming force.
Unable to dodge, he had once again used Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.
‘Kuh.’
Using Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol unconsciously caused his blood and qi to boil, and a dark, cloud-like energy spread through his mind.
‘I can’t rely on Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol.’
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol, without being accompanied by the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, could damage his blood and qi, and even harm his spirit, increasing the risk of falling prey to a heart demon.
It was an outstanding technique, but for now, it was an incomplete art with inherent dangers.
*Tststs!*
As hesitation seeped into Bu Eun-seol’s mind, his Geuk-sok-mu-yeong slowed down subtly.
*Piiing! Piiing!*
Yeop Hyo-cheon didn't miss the opportunity and once again unleashed a barrage of high-speed attacks.
He wasn't sparring.
If Bu Eun-seol parried his attack, he would use a higher-level technique. If that too was parried, he would unleash an even more advanced attack.
‘I have to feel it!’
Sensing another crisis, Bu Eun-seol focused all his might on elevating his Ya-su-do.
Then, he began to faintly sense the formless attacks.
He was about to habitually use the familiar Yu-seong-chu-wol-sik.
‘Yu-seong-chu-wol-sik won’t be enough.’
There was no other choice.
Bu Eun-seol had no option but to use Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol again, materializing his true energy.
‘If it’s come to this, then maybe…’
At that same moment, the heart incantation of Mu-hwang-jeong-gak suddenly flashed through his mind.
*Tuung!*
Due to his hesitation, both heart incantations surfaced in his mind at once, and something strange happened.
An unknown force emanated from the Muk-geom, pushing back the body of the rapidly approaching Yeop Hyo-cheon.
‘What just happened?’
The true energy created by Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol was still wrapped around the Muk-geom. Yet, it had unleashed a powerful force.
‘I see.’
Having found a major clue, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes sparkled like sunlight.
He realized that his momentary hesitation had fused Yeo-ui-jin-gyeol and Mu-hwang-jeong-gak.
‘In that case, is there really a need to eliminate my attachments… or a need to become a compassionate person?’
Human nature is generally expressed in a single way.
But a desolate and unaffectionate person sometimes offers a kind hand or shows affection to a stranger.
Conversely, even a gentle person can sometimes show a cold or cynical side.
In other words, the human heart is not fixed; it is ever-changing, like flowing water, capable of transforming at any moment.
Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol.
Mu-hwang-jeong-gak.
The two heart incantations were created by outstanding grandmasters from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.
But for someone with a complex spirit like Bu Eun-seol, they were unsuitable arts.
*Chwarararak!*
As he cast aside his worldly afflictions, Bu Eun-seol’s mind grew sharper, and his Ya-su-do senses became clearer.
*Swaeaek!*
And he began to sense Yeop Hyo-cheon’s presence and movements, which had been completely undetectable before.
The ability to feel even unseen traces. The highest state of Ya-su-do, Gong-sim-tong-ryeong, was being fully unleashed.
‘This is?’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened as he grasped Yeop Hyo-cheon’s movements.
Astonishingly, he was executing a different martial art with each part of his body.
His left leg performed a movement art, while his right leg executed the Hyeol-ok-bung-cheon-toe-beop.
His left hand unleashed the Byeok-ryeok-jin-cheon-su-gong, and his right hand, the Mu-hon-jang-beop.
This technique of Yeop Hyo-cheon’s.
Wasn’t it almost identical to the Martial Emperor’s unique secret art, the Sip-sam-ya-gi technique?
Bu Eun-seol’s mind was thrown into confusion once more.
Could it be that Yeop Hyo-cheon had also entered the Mu-hwang-bi-go?
Or had he, like the Martial Emperor, achieved the same enlightenment and created this technique himself?
Or was it that he had such perfect control over his body that he could freely execute various secret arts?
“It seems this is the extent of your power.”
Just then, Yeop Hyo-cheon’s cold voice was heard.
Seeing the confusion in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, he thought he had fallen into despair.
“But it’s a pity.”
His voice was laced not only with regret but also with a brutal killing intent.
He was truly about to unleash his final killing move on Bu Eun-seol.