Chapter 261
Chapter 261
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 261
Chapter Title: Blood Chain Sword, Gu Ju-hon
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Blood Chain Sword, Gu Ju-hon.
He was a martial artist well-known for using a unique weapon called the Blood Chain Sword, a blade connected to a chain.
The Blood Chain Sword was a weapon adapted from the kusarigama, which originated from the Eastern Sea.
As such, its wielder primarily employed deceitful and unorthodox techniques.
Gu Ju-hon had roamed the Murim, defeating many powerful foes, but the martial world refused to acknowledge his prowess.
"Isn't that Blood Chain Sword just a cowardly trick that uses bizarre moves to deceive people?"
Despite his many victories, the martial artists of the Murim openly disdained him.
Tormented for a long time, he eventually vanished without a trace over a decade ago.
But to see him appear in such a grotesque underground cave, in such a wretched state?
"Huuuh."
Gu Ju-hon, who had been staring at the sword at Yu Hwa-ryeong's waist, suddenly began to tremble violently.
At the same time, a pure white killing intent began to rise from his eyes like mist.
"Kugh."
He clutched his head and let out a monstrous groan, and then,
*Swish!*
A flash of light, like lightning, shot toward Yu Hwa-ryeong's face.
Gu Ju-hon, holding the Blood Chain Sword, had struck with the speed of lightning.
"Hah!"
Greatly startled, Yu Hwa-ryeong threw himself to the ground.
He had been wary, knowing Gu Ju-hon's condition was strange, but he had never imagined the man would strike so quickly.
*Slice!*
At the same moment, a sharp sword energy split the wall where Yu Hwa-ryeong had been standing.
*Whoosh!*
The Blood Chain Sword, after scraping the wall, abruptly changed direction in mid-air and shot toward the throat of the fallen Yu Hwa-ryeong.
*Papapak!*
As Yu Hwa-ryeong desperately rolled on the ground, the Blood Chain Sword began to pursue him as if it were a living creature.
"Why are you suddenly attacking!"
Leaping to his feet, Yu Hwa-ryeong drew his longsword and struck away the cascading shadows of the Blood Chain Sword in a single motion.
*Clang!*
With a clear metallic ring, Yu Hwa-ryeong let out a grunt and was pushed back.
*Tuk, tuk.*
The immense force contained in the Blood Chain Sword had torn the flesh of his palm.
Not only that, but a needle-sharp internal energy was piercing his meridians through the fingers gripping the hilt of his sword.
*'Just clashing with his weapon did this much... Is his internal energy truly this profound?'*
It was a well-known fact that Gu Ju-hon's Blood Chain Sword style was unpredictably versatile.
However, Gu Ju-hon's level of internal energy was known to be not particularly high.
But clashing with him just once revealed an internal energy so deep one would believe he was a master belonging to the Seven Kings of Death.
Furthermore, his eyes were rolled back so far that the pupils were not visible, giving him a sinister and murderous aura.
"It seems he is steeped in all sorts of drugs."
Jong-ri Sa-yu, as a physician skilled in medicine, instantly grasped Gu Ju-hon's condition.
She then took out a thin golden needle from her robes and launched it toward Gu Ju-hon.
*Papapa!*
The golden needles, pouring down like rain, formed a large circle in the air before scattering fiercely in different directions.
It was the ultimate technique of her grandfather, the Needle King Jong-ri Sa-hyeon's unique art, the Golden Stream Burns the Source.
*Flash!*
A streak of light emanated from the hand of Gu Ju-hon as he watched the pouring needles.
At the same time, the rain of golden needles fell to the floor as if they had hit an invisible wall.
"How can this be."
Watching this, Jong-ri Sa-yu's eyes widened.
The Golden Stream Burns the Source was a technique that shot over a hundred thin golden needles from different angles, and even the greatest masters would typically be hit by one or two.
Yet Gu Ju-hon had deflected the needles coming from all different directions with a single move.
And he had done it so quickly that she couldn't even see what technique he used or how he had deflected them.
*'To think his martial arts were at this level.'*
A look of despair flickered in Jong-ri Sa-yu's eyes.
Gu Ju-hon's prowess was truly beyond imagination.
Even if Bu Eun-seol, with his excellent fist techniques, and Yu Hwa-ryeong were to attack together, they would have no chance of winning.
*Swish!*
After deflecting the golden needles in one go, Gu Ju-hon's Blood Chain Sword was already flying toward the space between Jong-ri Sa-yu's eyebrows.
No one could have predicted that the Blood Chain Sword would be aimed at her, the one farthest away.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, Jong-ri Sa-yu was completely defenseless.
*Flash!*
Just as the Blood Chain Sword was about to embed itself between her eyebrows,
*Clang!*
A tremendous metallic sound rang out, and shockwaves spread in all directions.
Bu Eun-seol had somehow appeared beside her and struck the Blood Chain Sword away.
"How..."
Jong-ri Sa-yu blinked, her mouth agape.
The speed of the Blood Chain Sword was like lightning, so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.
So how could Bu Eun-seol have moved even faster?
"Step back."
Bu Eun-seol stepped in front of Jong-ri Sa-yu, his eyes flashing as he looked down at the Blood Chain Sword.
"You use a unique weapon."
"Eheheh."
At that, a bizarre sound, impossible to tell if it was a cry or a laugh, escaped Gu Ju-hon's lips.
At the same moment, the Blood Chain Sword in his hand vanished.
*Clang!*
It was an attack so fast it was invisible, yet Bu Eun-seol casually parried the Blood Chain Sword.
*Whoosh!*
Sent flying into the air with a shower of sparks, the Blood Chain Sword once again changed direction and stabbed toward Bu Eun-seol's back.
Gu Ju-hon's Blood Chain Sword seemed to defy the limitations of a weapon, dominating the entire space and exploiting every opening.
But Bu Eun-seol remained unfazed, accurately parrying the tip of the Blood Chain Sword as it moved like a beam of light.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
As Bu Eun-seol moved in for close combat, the number of sword shadows cast by the Blood Chain Sword multiplied in an instant.
*'An invisible strike... parried so easily.'*
Watching the scene, Jong-ri Sa-yu rubbed her eyes.
The movements of Bu Eun-seol and Gu Ju-hon were so fast that all she could see were blurry shadows flickering about.
The two, occasionally pausing in a standoff, looked like a celestial god and a demon locked in combat.
*'Is that man really a disciple of the Cheon-geom-hoe?'*
Gu Ju-hon's Blood Chain Sword was not only fast, but it also carried enough power to seemingly slice through a mountain in a single blow.
And yet he parried such attacks with ease, not yielding an inch?
Bu Eun-seol's internal energy, swordsmanship, and composure were all at a level believable for a master of a past generation.
*'Could he have undergone Reversion to Youth?'*
Having practiced medicine for a long time, she could estimate a person's approximate age just by looking at their skin and eyes.
*'No, that can't be it.'*
Judging by Bu Eun-seol's skin and eyes, he was in his mid-twenties at most.
Even if he had undergone Reversion to Youth, her eyes could not be deceived.
"I'll help!"
Just then, Yu Hwa-ryeong bravely drew his sword and tried to join Bu Eun-seol.
*Chwaak!*
But the moment he entered the Blood Chain Sword's range, blood spurted from his body.
"Stay back."
Bu Eun-seol said without looking back.
"At your level of skill, you'll die the moment you step in here."
Realizing Gu Ju-hon's true strength, Yu Hwa-ryeong retreated with a look of terror, as if he had seen a ghost.
*'Gu Ju-hon. To think he possessed this level of skill.'*
Yu Hwa-ryeong finally understood.
With his own prowess, he couldn't even dodge Gu Ju-hon's attacks, let alone help Bu Eun-seol.
*Chaeng!*
Just then, with a shower of sparks, the Muk-geom and the Blood Chain Sword clashed again.
Bu Eun-seol retreated slightly from the recoil.
"His internal energy is impressive, but more than that, he has no fear."
The Blood Chain Sword style requires rotating the chain at high speed, which can easily injure the user.
Therefore, it is typically wielded with delicate and precise movements. But Gu Ju-hon was swinging it with all his might, without a shred of fear or hesitation.
"Is that why he was injected with drugs? To use the Blood Chain Sword without fear?"
"Huuuh."
Hearing those words, a ferocious light gleamed in Gu Ju-hon's eyes.
"Hraaaaaaah!"
With a roar, the Blood Chain Sword in Gu Ju-hon's hand vanished once more.
*Swish! Swish!*
The sound of tearing air echoed around Bu Eun-seol, occasionally accompanied by flashes of light as thin as thread.
The Blood Chain Sword, moving at super-high speed, was repeatedly disappearing and reappearing around his body.
*Tzzt-tzzt-tzzt-tzzt.*
Instead of drawing his sword to respond, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Extreme Speed Shadowless Step.
His form blurred and he changed positions dozens of times, yet,
*Papat!*
Blood began to spray from various parts of his body.
The Blood Chain Sword was gradually starting to catch up to the speed of the Extreme Speed Shadowless Step.
"Heheheh."
As blood began to fly from Bu Eun-seol's body, Gu Ju-hon started to laugh.
*Grrr!*
Along with a guttural breath that sounded like it came from an animal's throat, a sickly yellow light shone from his eyes.
He was finally about to unleash his final blow.
*Hwiiiing!*
A silver radiance began to spread from his body. The fiercely rotating chain had begun to envelop him in a circle.
*Swaaaaaa!*
Simultaneously, four strands of sharp sword energy began to pour down around Bu Eun-seol's body.
Extreme Flash Blood Chain Annihilation Style.
Gu Ju-hon's unique ultimate art, the absolute pinnacle of martial arts that could be performed with the Blood Chain Sword, had been unleashed.
*Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!*
As the four strands of sword energy rained down chaotically, blood once again sprayed from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Unflustered, Bu Eun-seol aimed for the fleeting openings that were revealed each time Gu Ju-hon used his Blood Chain Sword.
But each time, his attacks were blocked by the chain spinning at high speed around Gu Ju-hon's body.
Extreme Flash Blood Chain Annihilation Style.
An ultimate killing technique that protected the body by rotating the chain around it while simultaneously firing off sword energy to persistently sever the enemy's life.
In such a confined space, the Blood Chain Sword was practically invincible.
It displayed a power like thunder, impossible to defy or block.
*Swaaa!*
The invisible Blood Chain Sword tore through space, striking Bu Eun-seol's body repeatedly.
Each time, Bu Eun-seol could spot several openings on Gu Ju-hon's body, but his sword could not reach them.
In the end, to cut him down, he would have to accept taking damage and unleash a powerful blow in extreme close-quarters combat.
*'I see.'*
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as he followed the continuously curving trajectory of the Blood Chain Sword.
*'A move of mutual destruction.'*
Bu Eun-seol had finally seen through the true essence of the Extreme Flash Blood Chain Annihilation Style.
Gu Ju-hon had not been rotating the chain around his body to protect himself.
What if one were to cut through the shadow of the chain and strike Gu Ju-hon's body?
A technique would immediately unfold where the chain would wrap around both of their bodies at the same time.
*'Impossible to win... is it.'*
Bu Eun-seol now understood why the masked man had said it was impossible to win.
Gu Ju-hon, who used a technique of mutual destruction, a move designed to die with the enemy, as his trump card.
The only way to kill him was to end one's own life with him in this gloomy cave.
*'No, there is a way.'*
Bu Eun-seol gripped the hilt of his Muk-geom tightly.
A way to not only end Gu Ju-hon's life in a single blow, but also to stop the tenacious Extreme Flash Blood Chain Annihilation Style.
It was to unleash the Rhombus Sword Control Form, just as he had against Geol-wang, to seal the enemy's move, and then...
...unleash the Lament of the Celestial Heavens to break the technique of mutual destruction.
*Charrrrang.*
Finally, a brilliant light burst forth from Bu Eun-seol's Muk-geom.
At the same time, sword moves too fast for the eye to see began to accurately strike down the raining Blood Chain Sword.
The Rhombus Sword Control Form had been unleashed.
*Tarararang!*
A series of metallic sounds rang out, and sparks flew in the air each time the Muk-geom and the Blood Chain Sword clashed.
But even though his attacks were being repeatedly deflected, Gu Ju-hon closed in on Bu Eun-seol.
As if willingly seeking death.
*'Something is strange.'*
As he unleashed the Rhombus Sword Control Form and prepared the Lament of the Celestial Heavens, Bu Eun-seol's sixth sense sounded an alarm.
He had a gut feeling that something was subtly wrong.
Blood Chain Sword, Gu Ju-hon.
He had become famous only because he used a unique weapon called the Blood Chain Sword, something rarely seen in the Murim.
He was not someone famous for his superior martial arts.
To have transformed such a person into someone this powerful must have required a vast amount of money, elixirs, and manpower.
Yet his final trump card was merely a technique of mutual destruction?
*Swish!*
In that instant, Gu Ju-hon, who had closed the distance to extreme close range, wrapped the spinning chain, not the Blood Chain Sword, around Bu Eun-seol's body.
*Flash!*
A streak of light shot up toward the ceiling.
At the same time, the chain that had been aiming for his neck was flung to the opposite side, and a brilliant light followed, piercing Gu Ju-hon's chest.
Peerless Heavenly Flow, Eighth Form, Lament of the Celestial Heavens.
The ultimate counterattack had been unleashed.
*Puk!*
The Muk-geom accurately pierced Gu Ju-hon's heart.
He had acted to instantly kill Gu Ju-hon, preventing him from attempting the mutual destruction.
But then something strange happened.
With the Muk-geom piercing his heart, Gu Ju-hon should have died instantly.
Yet, he casually gripped his Blood Chain Sword and thrust it toward Bu Eun-seol's heart with the speed of lightning.
"Watch out!"
By the time the startled Yu Hwa-ryeong could shout,
*Swish!*
With the sound of tearing air, the sharp Blood Chain Sword had already pierced through the area of Bu Eun-seol's chest.
*Pat!*
Blood sprayed from Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
The moment the Blood Chain Sword was about to pierce his heart, he had lowered and twisted his body to evade the blow.
*'It's the same situation.'*
Bu Eun-seol had barely managed to predict Gu Ju-hon's move.
It was because everything that had happened so far was strikingly similar to his battle with Geol-wang.
Despite having been hit by the Lament of the Celestial Heavens, Gu Ju-hon had attacked Bu Eun-seol without a care.
Just like Geol-wang, who had learned the Art of False Life and did not fear death.
*'If he had truly intended to use a technique of mutual destruction, he would have tried it secretly, not so openly.'*
Bu Eun-seol had felt a sense of wrongness in Gu Ju-hon's actions, which seemed to be setting up a mutual destruction technique all along.
And he had predicted that the man was so openly displaying the technique because he was confident he would survive.
"Uuuuugh!"
When Bu Eun-seol dodged the blow, Gu Ju-hon let out a furious cry.
The sound was like the roar of a wounded beast.
*Swish!*
He gripped the chain short, not the sword, and swung it madly at Bu Eun-seol.
He was charging with the intent to kill Bu Eun-seol at all costs, completely disregarding defense.
*Pat!*
Dodging his attack, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Meteor Pursuit Form.
A sharp sword energy slit his carotid artery, but only a little blood flowed out.
Gu Ju-hon continued to shout as he pressed Bu Eun-seol.
*'Is he already a corpse?'*
Normally, when the carotid artery is cut, bright red blood should gush out like a fountain.
But from Gu Ju-hon's neck, dark, thick blood was dripping.
It was dead blood, the kind one would only see from a corpse that had already stopped breathing.