Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: The Blood Chain Sword
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Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes were filled with disbelief.
He had heard many rumors in his life, dismissing them as mere ghost stories, but he had never encountered a tale as bizarre as this.
*Fwoosh!*
Enraged, he ripped away the large, three-zhang-high cloth covering the object before him.
Inside was a container filled with a transparent liquid, a corpse floating within.
"Ugh."
At the grotesque and horrifying sight, Yu Hwa-ryeong staggered back and collapsed.
"Why would they keep corpses in a place like that?"
"They weren't corpses. They were living people."
"Living people... You mean they drowned them on purpose?"
"Not drowned. It's as if they were brewing wine, extracting all of the person's vital essence."
*Crack.*
Unable to contain his erupting fury, Yu Hwa-ryeong shot to his feet, his fists clenched.
As if creating elixirs by injecting human blood and essence wasn't enough, they were extracting the very life fluid from living people? Were these the actions of human beings?
"Why would they commit such a heaven-defying atrocity? Why?"
She slowly picked up the fallen cloth from the floor and said.
"If you look back through the history of the martial world, human experimentation by heretical cults or poison sects isn't all that rare."
Then, she leaped lightly into the air and draped the cloth back over the glass container.
"However, such evil deeds were always exposed, and the perpetrators were branded public enemies of the martial world and annihilated."
"Are you saying that because they're part of the imperial court, they can do this freely without getting caught?"
"The military, to be precise."
Jong-ri Sa-yu stared into the darkness, her gaze low and somber.
"They've been researching drugs to modify the human body and enhance strength for a long time."
In that moment, a single word surfaced in Yu Hwa-ryeong's mind.
—The Eastern Depot.
It was probably not the military.
Only the Eastern Depot, with its absolute power, could so boldly carry out such cruel acts.
*Creeak.*
Just then, the sound of an iron door opening was followed by the soft sound of footsteps.
Exchanging glances, the group hastily hid themselves in the shadows.
*Clomp, clomp.*
The footsteps grew closer, and finally, two figures appeared, walking toward the glass container.
One was an old man with hollow eyes and a gaunt frame, the very picture of a physician.
Beside him stood a masked man wearing a windbreaker adorned with ornate embroidery.
Though his features were hidden, his eyes glinted, seeming to pierce straight through the darkness.
*'That man...'*
Watching the masked man from the shadows, Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened like a blade.
He had spotted faint dents on the scabbard of the masked man's sword.
They were the marks left by the Neung-hyeong Sword Style that Seok-song had unleashed with all his might.
*'Is he the one who wiped out the Cheon-geom-hoe?'*
Something was strange.
The incident where the Ten Masters of the Cheon-geom-hoe, including their leader, were annihilated happened over twenty years ago.
Even if he had been in his twenties back then, he would be well over forty now.
But the skin and eyes visible beneath the mask belonged to a young man who looked barely past his coming-of-age.
Just then, the gaunt old man removed the cloth covering the glass container and spoke.
"It is already seventy percent complete."
The old man, smiling with satisfaction as he examined the container's interior, spoke again.
"I should be able to reach eighty percent completion within a month."
"Forget the completion rate. Increase the quantity."
The tone was bleak, but the voice was unmistakably that of a young man.
"They will be contacting us soon."
"Understood."
After talking while looking around, the two men headed for the iron door.
Just as the old man was about to step out of the open door,
*Halt.*
The masked man stopped and suddenly turned around.
"What is it?"
the old man asked. The masked man nodded.
"I'm going to inspect the mechanisms. You go on ahead."
"Very well."
The old man nodded and left, and the masked man stepped back inside.
With a *thud*, the iron door slammed shut again.
*Clomp, clomp.*
The masked man walked back inside, scanned the area, and then stopped.
*Whoosh.*
A faint wind suddenly seemed to emanate from the masked man's entire body, pouring into the dark interior.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
He realized the masked man was expanding his extrasensory perception to scan the entire area.
「Do not look at him.」
Bu Eun-seol quickly sent the telepathic message, but it was too late.
The man's keen senses had already swept over the spot where Yu Hwa-ryeong and Jong-ri Sa-yu were hiding.
"Quite the large rats we have here."
*Clank.*
At the same moment, the loud grinding of metal echoed from all sides.
"Aah!"
With a short scream, the floor beneath Yu Hwa-ryeong and Jong-ri Sa-yu split open, and the two were swallowed by the black space below.
*Flash!*
In that instant, a point of light bloomed in the darkness.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been hiding in the shadows, had unleashed a sword technique at the masked man.
*Clang!*
As sword met sword in mid-air, a tremendous wave of energy spread in all directions.
A radiance blossomed in the darkness as the two swords locked together.
*Sizzzle.*
As they pushed against each other, their blades locked like magnets, sparks flew between the two edges.
A faint light emanated from between the brows of the masked man as he pushed back against the Muk-geom.
Not only that, but Bu Eun-seol also noticed his eyes held a faint blue glow.
*'This isn't an internal art from the Central Plains.'*
When Bu Eun-seol learned the Ban-geuk Heart Art from Hyeol-geum-gang, he had also studied the strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics of the internal arts of every major school.
—Unlike the orthodox internal arts of the Central Plains, the arts from beyond the borders focus on cultivating the Upper Dantian. Because of this, the speed at which one accumulates power is slow, but...
...once one reaches the state of Three Origins and Three Harmonies, the Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body, they can exhibit a mystical power that transcends human limits.
Recalling Hyeol-geum-gang's teachings, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
Could it be that the masked man's talent was so heavenly that he had reached the state of the Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body at such a young age?
*'No, he's using energy injected from an external source.'*
The internal energy the masked man unleashed was powerful, but its duration was very short.
In other words, he had clearly ingested an elixir or some kind of drug to temporarily raise his level of internal energy.
"Kuh."
In the end, the masked man couldn't withstand Bu Eun-seol's dense, continuous flow of internal energy and began to be pushed back, step by step.
"Argh!"
"Ack!"
But just then, the pained screams of Yu Hwa-ryeong and Jong-ri Sa-yu echoed from the pit.
*Clang! Clang!*
A series of metallic clashes rang out simultaneously. Something was clearly happening down below.
*'Are there enemies below the trap mechanism as well?'*
As his concentration wavered, Bu Eun-seol's internal energy faltered.
*Fwoosh!*
The masked man seized the opportunity and forcefully retreated.
"Deactivate the mechanism."
The masked man chuckled at Bu Eun-seol's solemn command.
"You should say that after you've subdued me!"
*Click.*
In that instant, a large hole opened up where Bu Eun-seol was standing.
But he had already retreated three zhang.
He had anticipated the vibrations and the sound of the mechanism from the floor.
"Hmph."
The masked man snorted and lightly swept the floor with his left foot.
Again, with a *click*, a large hole opened where Bu Eun-seol was standing.
*'So it wasn't the floor, but his danghye shoes.'*
It would be impossible to install devices to operate mechanisms throughout this entire vast hall.
The masked man had installed the activation device in his *danghye* shoes, allowing him to trigger the traps freely whenever he wished.
"Subdue you, you say."
Bu Eun-seol glanced down at the Muk-geom in his hand and nodded.
"Very well."
*Swish!*
With a short whoosh, Bu Eun-seol instantly closed the distance to the masked man.
At the same time, he lightly extended the Muk-geom.
At a glance, it looked like a simple, fast thrust.
But the faint light on the blade began to spread, instantly transforming into an unpredictable flurry of sword techniques.
*Shwaaak!*
A swift sword style, like a beam of light, shot forward, while a massive cross-shaped sword aura poured down from above.
And to his left and right, a complex sword style with eighty-one variations was being unleashed.
Realizing the masked man's swordsmanship was exquisite, Bu Eun-seol had applied the method of the Sip-sam-ya-gi to unleash three sword techniques simultaneously with his fingers.
"Hah."
As countless sword techniques surrounded him from all directions, the masked man gasped.
Unleashing three sword techniques with a single hand was like a storm breaking forth.
The paths and moves of the sword were impossibly fast, unpredictably versatile.
"Haaap!"
Realizing he couldn't possibly parry it all, the masked man swung his sword with all his might, creating a transparent sword screen around his body.
He had deployed a life-saving ultimate technique, one that could save him in any situation.
But then, something strange happened.
*Shwoop!*
As if the air had been sucked into a vortex, the rushing sword auras vanished in an instant with a soft whoosh.
*Click.*
At the same time, the Muk-geom was pressed against the masked man's neck.
The moment the sword techniques vanished, Bu Eun-seol had instantly closed the distance and placed his sword at the man's throat.
"It was all a feint."
The masked man's voice was filled with resignation.
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had not yet reached the level where he could execute the Sip-sam-ya-gi with such fine control using only his fingers.
Thus, while he had manifested three techniques simultaneously, they were merely sword shadows.
Unaware of this, the masked man had used his life-saving technique with all his might.
In short, Bu Eun-seol had pretended to unleash a tremendous series of techniques to create an opening, then seized the chance to subdue him in one move.
"I won't say it twice."
Bu Eun-seol said coldly.
"Deactivate the mechanism."
Any foolish move, and his head would be in two pieces.
The masked man raised his hands and spoke cautiously.
"Alright. But I need to move my foot."
Bu Eun-seol nodded, and the masked man carefully moved his left foot.
*Rumble...*
A low vibration echoed all around, and the entire hall began to shake.
*Thud. Thud.*
At the same time, heavy vibrations emanated from the area of the pit where Yu Hwa-ryeong and Jong-ri Sa-yu had fallen.
It sounded as if an unknown creature of immense size was taking a step.
"What is this..."
As Bu Eun-seol turned his head toward the dark pit,
*Shwoop.*
The masked man's body suddenly sank into the floor, only to reappear near the distant entrance.
It turned out the mechanisms installed here could not only make the floor drop but also freely move sections of it.
"Quite thorough."
Bu Eun-seol let out a low exclamation of surprise.
The fact that the masked man had moved dozens of zhang in the instant his attention was diverted wasn't particularly surprising.
But the fact that he had been instantly transported from below the trap to the entrance as the floor gave way...
...meant he must have practiced this scenario countless times to ensure he could escape in any situation.
"Hahaha!"
Standing before the exit, the masked man let out a triumphant laugh.
"No matter how great your skills are, you will never be able to defeat *him*."
*'Him?'*
*Clunk.*
Suddenly, the entire floor for dozens of zhang around Bu Eun-seol turned into a black pit.
"What a shame. To think I won't be able to watch the fun myself."
Leaving behind those cryptic words, the masked man laughed triumphantly and then vanished.
*Whoosh.*
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol was falling into the dark space below.
*Paaht.*
But Bu Eun-seol's body came to a halt in mid-air.
He had immediately used Air-Stepping to levitate in the air, then the Wall-Clinging Art to attach himself to the wall.
In truth, such a trap was no hindrance to Bu Eun-seol.
"Hoo."
Just as Bu Eun-seol regulated his breathing and was about to soar up to the ceiling using his Qi Soaring technique,
"Argh!"
Yu Hwa-ryeong's urgent scream echoed from below again.
After staring impassively at the blackness below for a moment, Bu Eun-seol dove down without hesitation.
Saving Yu Hwa-ryeong's life was more important than catching the masked man.
If he died, even revenge would be meaningless.
*Thud.*
Landing lightly on the floor, Bu Eun-seol raised an eyebrow.
All around him was a network of countless cave passages branching out in every direction like a spider's web.
This was deep underground, inside a mountain. And yet, they had created an even deeper cave system beneath it?
*'This structure couldn't have been made artificially.'*
It seemed this underground space had originally possessed this structure, and the government officials who discovered it had simply added their mechanisms on top.
*Fwoosh.*
Expanding his extrasensory perception to scan the cave's interior, Bu Eun-seol pinpointed the source of the screams and instantly used his movement arts.
—*KROOOOAR!*
As he reached the end of the cave, a colossal figure stood before him.
It was a monster the likes of which he had never seen before.
It was a giant, over eight feet tall, its entire body covered in a golden shell, and its hands sported razor-sharp claws.
Its two large eyes were a glossy black.
It looked like a giant bipedal cross between a mole and a turtle.
"Hah, hah."
And there, in front of the monster, Yu Hwa-ryeong and Jong-ri Sa-yu were bleeding and gasping for breath.
*Shing.*
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol drew his sword and slashed at the monster's neck.
*Screech!*
Sparks flew from the point on its neck struck by the Muk-geom.
Astonishingly, the monster possessed a hide hard enough to block the edge of the Muk-geom, a divine sword.
"Be careful! Swords and sabers are completely useless against it!"
At Yu Hwa-ryeong's shout, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
*Whoom.*
A faint light had already gathered in his left fist.
With a deep hum, the surrounding air began to be drawn into his left fist.
"It's no use."
Jong-ri Sa-yu, realizing Bu Eun-seol was about to use an internal force projection technique like Striking the Cow Through the Mountain, cried out.
"We've tried it several times, but its hide is too thick..."
Her words trailed off.
*FWOOOSH!*
Because a radiant red light, as bright as the sun, erupted from Bu Eun-seol's left hand.
Gwon-ma-chil-sik, Fourth Form: Cheon-su-gong-pa.
The pinnacle of the Fist of Annihilation, which destroyed all in its path, had been unleashed.
—*KIEEEK!*
Struck in the abdomen by the Cheon-su-gong-pa, the monster shrieked.
The sound was closer to a human scream than an animal's cry, enough to make one's hair stand on end.
—*GUEEEGH!*
The monster, writhing in agony, finally began to vomit a thick fluid from its mouth.
Having taken a direct hit to its internal organs from a Cheon-su-gong-pa powerful enough to demolish an entire pavilion... no matter how hard its hide, its insides must have been completely scrambled.
*Thud.*
Red blood began to gush from the mouth of the collapsed monster.
"What an incredibly powerful fist art."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol dispatch the monster in a single blow, the bleeding Yu Hwa-ryeong exclaimed, his face a mixture of astonishment and relief.
"You saved us."
His entire body was soaked in blood and covered in large bruises, but fortunately, his injuries weren't life-threatening.
"This monster is..."
Hearing Bu Eun-seol's low murmur, Jong-ri Sa-yu spoke.
"It seems they artificially created a Spirit Beast using spiritual herbs and a Human-Form Golden Rat."
"They can modify animals, too?"
"It's not entirely impossible if they use human blood and essence."
Yu Hwa-ryeong's mouth fell open.
He had always prided himself on his broad knowledge, but medicine and toxicology were entirely different fields.
Listening to their conversation, Bu Eun-seol recalled the humans submerged in the glass containers.
*'So they can create not only spiritual herbs but also Spirit Beasts using human blood and essence.'*
"By the way, your fist art is truly remarkable."
Jong-ri Sa-yu stared intently at Bu Eun-seol's masked face as she spoke.
"Are you a fist master, not a swordsman? That was a fiercely dominant fist art, no less powerful than the Beggars' Sect's Dragon-Subduing Palm."
Her medical skills were exceptional and her martial arts were formidable, but her knowledge of fist arts was not particularly deep.
Therefore, while she could guess that Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess was extremely high, she couldn't discern that he had reached the initial stage of the Pinnacle Realm.
Furthermore, because the Nang-ya-gak's martial arts lacked any distinct traces or characteristics, she couldn't have dreamed that he was a master of the demonic path.
"Perhaps the sword on your back is just for show..."
Just as she was about to continue speaking to Bu Eun-seol,
*Shuffle, shuffle. Clank.*
From the dark passage ahead, the sound of metal clanking was accompanied by slow footsteps.
As the sound drew closer, a gloomy, heavy aura seemed to pierce the darkness and spread in all directions.
*Thud.*
The figure that finally emerged was a strange man with disheveled hair, wearing a gray martial artist's uniform stained with grime.
He had a chiseled face and sharp eyes, but his pupils were vacant, and his gait was extremely slow.
At a glance, he did not look like a person in their right mind.
The clanking sound came from the iron chain connected to the dagger in the man's hand, dragging on the floor.
"You are..."
Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes widened as he stared at the strange man's face.
It was not just the aura emanating from him; the unique weapon—a chain connected to a sword—was used by only one person in the martial world.
"The Blood Chain Sword. Gu Ju-hon?"