Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: The Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang
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Wi Cheon-gyeong looked as though he’d been struck on the back of the head. Shaking his head, he opened his mouth.
“But why would they join forces to kill Gonggong Sintu?”
“So that the secrets of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions don't leak out.”
Bu Eun-seol stared at the distant sky and muttered.
“If either side were to monopolize Gonggong Sintu, all the secrets they’ve hidden would be exposed.”
“Then why in the world did you have the main force and even the Jeolmyeong Brigade just laze around?”
As a flustered Myo Cheon-u stammered the question, Bu Eun-seol gave a chilling smile.
“It was the only way to ensure Gonggong Sintu would pass through here.”
Seeing that smile, a chill ran down Myo Cheon-u’s spine.
Only then did he realize what Bu Eun-seol had been aiming for.
“So, since the two forces have joined hands, Gonggong Sintu won’t be able to last long. And all this time, we’ve been neglecting our patrol duties here, holding drinking parties…”
“Correct.”
Bu Eun-seol wore a confident smile.
“He will certainly pass through here.”
Gonggong Sintu must have been observing this entire area in great detail.
If things went south, he would look for the most vulnerable spot to escape. And that would be this area, Gwanmo Peak.
“So that’s why you sent Yu Un-ryong…”
Finally grasping the entirety of Bu Eun-seol’s plan, Myo Cheon-u wore a dumbfounded expression.
The plan was ingenious, but it was also reckless to the point of being dangerous.
What if things hadn't gone according to plan, and the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance hadn't cooperated?
What if their impatience had led to a battle instead?
It could have been the very trigger for a war between the factions.
“Y-you could have at least told me beforehand.”
Myo Cheon-u said, taking a deep breath.
“One wrong step and we would have fallen into the abyss.”
“Had I done that, the information would have leaked. Just like what happened with Gonggong Sintu.”
*Piiiiing!*
Once again, a signal flare shot up into the nearby sky.
Just as Bu Eun-seol had said, that flare wasn't a call for reinforcements, but was surely launched by the pursuit teams that had located Gonggong Sintu.
“It seems the Murim Alliance was the first to get on Gonggong Sintu's tail.”
Just as Myo Cheon-u muttered under his breath,
*Swish!*
a sound like tearing air came from the distant sky, and a single figure streaked across the horizon before disappearing in the opposite direction.
Gonggong Sintu.
That terrifyingly fast shadow was undoubtedly Gonggong Sintu.
*Th-th-thump!*
At the same time, he could feel the footsteps of dozens of people approaching from the distance.
“Myo Cheon-u!”
Bu Eun-seol let out a thunderous shout.
“Command the troops and stop all pursuers coming this way!”
*Boom!*
Then, with a movement technique as fast as lightning, he began to chase the fading shadow of Gonggong Sintu.
“You heard the order!”
At Myo Cheon-u's cry, the members of the Sa-yeong Brigade all let out bestial roars.
“We need to block every last one of these stragglers! Third squad! Take the lead! Second squad…”
Myo Cheon-u commanded his troops with perfect discipline, establishing a defensive line.
*Thudududu!*
Just then, dozens of shadows began pouring in from the distance.
Judging by the white headbands they all wore, they were clearly masters from the Murim Alliance’s Sword Brigade.
“Let's hold them off!”
At Myo Cheon-u’s shout, the Sa-yeong Brigade members, who had formed a line, roared and charged forward.
***
*Swish!*
Two shadows shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow.
The one in the lead was Gonggong Sintu. The one following was Bu Eun-seol.
‘Fast.’
The speed of the figure shooting forward was like a flash of lightning.
Even Bu Eun-seol, using his Extreme Speed Shadowless Art at its maximum, couldn't easily catch up.
‘He's injured.’
From time to time, crimson blood scattered into the air from the fleeing shadow's body.
But despite his fatal injuries, he was moving so fast that Bu Eun-seol found it impossible to catch him.
‘But when it comes to stamina, I'm confident.’
With his profound internal energy, Bu Eun-seol could maintain the Extreme Speed Shadowless Art at top speed for more than half a day.
*Whirrr!*
Realizing Bu Eun-seol was on his tail, Gonggong Sintu’s movement technique became even more complex.
He would suddenly dart into the forest like lightning, then leap over a cliff with a soaring bound, disappearing somewhere once again.
“It's useless.”
But perhaps due to his injuries, Gonggong Sintu couldn't completely suppress his sound or presence.
Therefore, no matter how great the distance between them, he was instantly detected by Bu Eun-seol’s Wave-Shattering Mind's Eye.
*Krrrrng.*
Gonggong Sintu’s lightning-fast movement technique began to slow down.
Finally, he stopped at the bottom of a cliff, leaning against it while gasping for breath.
“Huu, huu.”
*Thud.*
Bu Eun-seol, who arrived soon after, narrowed his eyes at the sight of Gonggong Sintu.
Gonggong Sintu, who had vanished for decades, had the bearing of a celestial immortal and refined features.
However, fresh blood was flowing from his left chest, and the light in his eyes was gradually fading.
He had suffered a fatal injury, and his life was ebbing away.
“You are…”
Gonggong Sintu, gasping for breath, pointed at Bu Eun-seol's face.
“What is your relationship with Go-wol?”
Gonggong Sintu, known as the greatest divine thief under heaven.
He had instantly recognized the movement technique of Go-wol, a man who had once been his peer.
“He was the master who taught me his movement technique.”
“Your movement technique master.”
Gonggong Sintu's eyes narrowed as he gasped for breath.
“I heard he returned to Nang-ya-gak in his later years. Then you must be from Nang-ya-gak as well.”
“That is correct.”
“It's useless.”
Gonggong Sintu said, gritting his teeth.
“No matter what you do, this old man will never speak.”
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
“Don't speak. If you can help it.”
“What?”
“If I were to hear any secrets from you... wouldn't I also be hunted by the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions for the rest of my life?”
“W-what did you say?”
Hearing the unexpected answer, Gonggong Sintu blinked and then furrowed his brow.
“A strange one, you are. If you don't want to know the secrets, why did you chase me?”
“Your appearance has thrown our Cult into chaos. The succession battle turning into a mud-slinging contest is just a bonus.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“It seems I won't have to lift a finger myself. Please die quickly.”
“…Judging by your actions, you're not one of them.”
‘Them?’
As Bu Eun-seol's expression hardened and he narrowed his eyes,
“I'm a dead man anyway…”
Gonggong Sintu let out a deep sigh and gazed at the distant sky.
“I should at least resolve the knot of resentment in my heart before I go.”
Swallowing a hot breath, he spoke in a low voice.
“This old man has never seen any list with the names of spies from the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions. I merely started a rumor that I had.”
“Are you saying you were mad enough to want to be chased by both factions?”
“Hahaha.”
A deep sense of regret was etched in Gonggong Sintu's eyes as he looked at the distant sky.
“It was merely a shield to divert their attention. After all, this old man's movement technique is the best under heaven.”
His words were incomprehensible.
To think he'd spent his whole life as a fugitive just to draw someone's attention?
“Aren't you curious who 'they' are?”
“I'm not interested.”
“Why not?”
“I have no interest in the politics of the martial world. And there are some things in this world that are better left unknown…”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been about to continue speaking with a smile, suddenly frowned.
It was only then that he noticed the peculiar hidden weapons embedded in Gonggong Sintu's back like a porcupine's quills.
*Shwook!*
When Bu Eun-seol extended his hand, all the tiny fragments of hidden weapons embedded in Gonggong Sintu's back were sucked into his palm.
He had used a powerful suction force to extract the weapons in an instant.
“Don't tell me…”
The short needles were covered in minuscule, thorn-like barbs.
In the martial world, the only place that could craft such intricate short needles was Sahyang.
“Sahyang…”
A blood-red light, redder than blood itself, flared in his eyes.
The Sahyang weapon that killed his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
Why was it embedded in Gonggong Sintu's back?
Could it be that the person who killed his grandfather... was also chasing Gonggong Sintu?
“Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay…”
The weapon fragments were extremely thin short needles. And a dark blue liquid coated them.
It was a potent poison of the Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay family.
In that instant, a blood-red light shimmered like a heat haze in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“Who…”
Bu Eun-seol, his eyes emitting a misty, blood-red glow, spoke in a voice like thunder.
“threw this weapon!”
*Chiii.*
As his rage caused his internal energy to erupt uncontrollably, the weapon fragments in Bu Eun-seol's left hand melted in an instant.
“I'm asking who used this weapon!”
“What are you talking about?”
“The weapon from Sahyang…!”
But Gonggong Sintu's eyes were already growing dim.
The poison had already spread throughout his body, and he had lost too much blood.
If not for his profound internal energy, it wouldn't have been strange if he had already become a lonely ghost by the time Bu Eun-seol started chasing him.
“Even if you die, answer me before you do!”
Bu Eun-seol immediately placed his palm on Gonggong Sintu's Gate of Life acupoint and poured in his true energy.
*Crack!*
But just then, the sound of something hard breaking came from Gonggong Sintu's molar.
Like an assassin, he had a false tooth filled with poison implanted in his molar.
*Shudder.*
As the poison spread through his body, Gonggong Sintu's eyes grew faint.
His last remaining life force was slowly extinguishing.
“Speak!”
Suppressing his surging emotions, Bu Eun-seol infused his internal energy.
*Hoo-wook.*
As the pure Reversing Extremes True Energy, containing both yin and yang, spread from the Gate of Life into his meridians, a faint light returned to Gonggong Sintu's eyes.
“The one who coated a Sahyang weapon in Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay poison and shot you with it. Who in the world was it!”
“Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay... a weapon from Sahyang…”
But upon hearing Bu Eun-seol's words, a strange light appeared in Gonggong Sintu's eyes.
“Heavenly Axis Soft Body Art…”
Bu Eun-seol felt as if his chest was so hot it might explode.
How could Gonggong Sintu mention a characteristic of the killer that he himself hadn't spoken of?
“That's right. The one who uses a Sahyang weapon and the Heavenly Axis Soft Body Art, who is he?”
“Seven-Finger…”
Gonggong Sintu, staring at the distant sky with an unfocused gaze, said in a low voice.
“…Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang.”
With those last words, he immediately breathed his last.
Hearing the unexpected answer, the focus vanished from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
The Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
That was the name of the Demonic Cult's Vice-Lord, who had left the Cult long ago and disappeared…
…and the name of a legendary swordsman who shared the exact same name as his grandfather, wasn't it?
Could it be that the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang, was still alive, and that he was the fiend who killed his grandfather?
‘Or could it be that my grandfather was the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang?’
That's impossible.
The breathing method Bu Jan-yang had taught him since childhood was the Yigeun-gyeong, the greatest divine art of the Orthodox Faction.
How could a legendary master of the Demonic Path have learned Shaolin's Yigeun-gyeong, a technique that had never once been leaked to the outside world?
Besides, didn't his grandfather have all ten of his warm, living fingers?
‘But…’
The question still remained.
How could a master who had learned Shaolin's ultimate divine art become a low-ranking constable for the city watch, a position even vagrants would shun?
In the end, even Bu Eun-seol didn't know his grandfather's true identity.
*Swish!*
Just then, a black cloud seemed to soar in the distant sky before falling to the earth.
*Thump!*
The man in the strange, shimmering martial robes was none other than the Lord of the Heavenly Slaughter Brigade.
“Gonggong Sintu!”
The Heavenly Slaughter Brigade Lord looked back and forth between Bu Eun-seol and Gonggong Sintu and shouted.
“What in the world happened?”
“…”
Bu Eun-seol stood with an unfocused gaze, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
At that, the Heavenly Slaughter Brigade Lord roared.
“Can you not hear your Brigade Lord's words?”
At that, Bu Eun-seol slowly turned his head.
“Someone was fleeing toward Gwanmo Peak, so I gave chase.”
He then said, his voice weak.
“But he suddenly stopped his movement technique here and died on the spot.”
“Did you hear anything from him?”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“I heard nothing.”
Wi Mu-yeom stared intently at Bu Eun-seol, as if trying to judge the truth of his words.
A strange power seemed to extend from his eyes, scrutinizing Bu Eun-seol from head to toe.
But Bu Eun-seol remained perfectly still, maintaining his unfocused gaze.
“Hmm.”
After a deathly silence, Wi Mu-yeom grunted and turned his body.
He then carefully examined Gonggong Sintu's body.
‘The stab wound near the heart is the fatal one.’
His eyes narrowed.
The weapon that pierced the heart was a very thin and narrow sword. Judging by its shape, it wasn't a typical sword, but closer to a flexible sword commonly used by masters of the Orthodox Faction.
‘There are no masters in our Cult who use a flexible sword.’
Then he examined the back and frowned.
The flesh, which seemed to have been hit by hidden weapons, was rotting away due to poison.
‘A potent poison from the Flesh-Rotting Blood-Decay family?’
Wi Mu-yeom frowned.
Because the flesh had already begun to decay, he couldn't determine what kind of hidden weapon had been used.
‘Hmm.’
The stab wound had slightly missed the heart, but the bleeding was extremely severe.
It looked as if all the blood in his body had been drained.
‘The key is when they met.’
Wi Mu-yeom calculated the time Gonggong Sintu had been fleeing using his qinggong at full speed.
‘When he arrived here, he wouldn't have died instantly.’
If Bu Eun-seol was there at that moment?
They surely would have exchanged a few words.
‘Hmph.’
Wi Mu-yeom's gaze sharpened.
Since no one actually saw the two of them together... the truth, in the end, cannot be uncovered.
*Kureung!*
Just then, what looked like a bolt of white lightning struck down from the sky, and a man in white martial robes landed on the ground.
It was none other than Lee Se-cheon, the Lord of the Heavenly Sword Brigade, who led all the vanguard units of the Murim Alliance.
“Damn.”
Discovering Gonggong Sintu's cold corpse, Lee Se-cheon's face fell.
*Paat. Tatatak.*
In that time, members of the Heavenly Slaughter and Heavenly Sword Brigades began to arrive one by one, lining up behind Wi Mu-yeom and Lee Se-cheon.
With Gonggong Sintu and Bu Eun-seol in the middle, a situation unfolded where the masters of both sides confronted each other.
A heavy silence fell in an instant, and the atmosphere grew extremely hostile.
“And you are?”
Lee Se-cheon asked, staring fixedly at Bu Eun-seol. But no answer came.
“It seems you were the first to discover Gonggong Sintu.”
Lee Se-cheon, his eyebrow twitching, asked persistently, but Bu Eun-seol remained silent.
There was no need, after all, to kindly explain the situation to a Brigade Lord of the Murim Alliance.
“Hmph.”
Lee Se-cheon grunted and looked at Gonggong Sintu's corpse.
“Lord Wi. Since we promised to pursue him jointly, I trust it will be all right if I examine the body?”
Wi Mu-yeom didn't answer, but he didn't stop him either.
“Hah.”
Slowly approaching and examining the wounds left on Gonggong Sintu's body, Lee Se-cheon was left speechless.
His eyes clouded over as he examined the sharp stab wound that had pierced the area around the heart.
‘This is not a technique of the Demonic Path.’
It seemed as though a vicious technique was used, but the method that pierced the heart was closer to the swordsmanship of the Orthodox Faction.
The swordsmanship of the Demonic Path includes dragging or twisting motions upon withdrawal to increase lethality even slightly.
But the mark left on the wound showed that the heart was pierced in an instant, and the sword was withdrawn cleanly and swiftly.
‘This situation is completely incomprehensible.’
Lee Se-cheon had discovered Gonggong Sintu's trail at almost the same time as Wi Mu-yeom and had quickly given chase.
However, Gonggong Sintu's movement and concealment techniques were so extraordinary that he had lost the trail for a moment.
And when he found Gonggong Sintu again, he was a cold corpse. Without even knowing who killed him, or by what method.
“I can't tell who killed him. To properly investigate the cause of death, our Alliance will retrieve the body.”
At Lee Se-cheon's words, the Heavenly Slaughter Brigade Lord scoffed.
“Nonsense.”
Then he said in a low, firm voice.
“Our Cult will retrieve his body.”
“So... it comes to this.”
A sharp light glinted in Lee Se-cheon's eyes. In the end, a direct confrontation was unavoidable.
But just then,
*Chiiiiii!*
white smoke suddenly began to rise from Gonggong Sintu's body.
At the same time, the skin all over his body began to melt, soon turning into crimson blood that flowed onto the ground