Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: The Main Stage
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“So-ung! Properly block the bastards pouring in from the left!”
At Won Se-mun’s shout, Han So-ung, clad in bronze scale mail and swinging a great saber, yelled back.
“You block your own side, Squad Leader! There are more of them crawling out over there!”
“This… you fat bastard! You’ve gotten a bit useful, and now you’re talking back!”
Han So-ung infused his great saber with a tremendous amount of internal energy, causing a vibrant blue aura to flow from it.
“It’s been ages since I lost the weight…”
As he muttered under his breath, a dozen Black Lotus members raised their weapons and charged at him.
“And you keep calling me fat!”
With a thunderous roar, he swung his great saber.
A crescent-shaped wave of sharp saber energy shot out, and the charging Black Lotus members collapsed like leaves in the wind.
“Hah, hah.”
As Han So-ung gasped for breath, Won Se-mun, standing beside him, spoke softly.
“You really hate being called fat that much?”
“Are you going to stop?”
“That depends on the Commander.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Won Se-mun then grabbed Han So-ung’s shoulder with a dead-serious expression.
“If the Commander stops calling me ‘Twin Swords,’ I’ll stop calling you ‘Fatso’.”
At his nonsense, Han So-ung once again unleashed his boiling frustration through his saber.
“Enough! Shut your mouth!”
Meanwhile, the members of Squad Two, led by Wi Cheon-gyeong, spread out to the left and right, encircling the enemy.
“Maintain your distance and use your projectiles only on the enemies breaking off to the flanks!”
The projectiles unleashed by Squad Two’s members were not meant to kill but to momentarily halt the enemy's assault or break their fighting rhythm.
The Black Lotus members grew frustrated each time, but they couldn’t even catch up to the swift-moving warriors.
“Out of the way!”
In the midst of it all, Squad Three charged head-on, shattering the enemy's formation.
Having mastered the Black Venom Demonic Art to the seventh star or higher, ordinary swords and sabers couldn't even scratch them.
Moreover, their swordsmanship consisted entirely of killing techniques that disregarded defense, causing the Black Lotus members at close range to fall helplessly.
“They’re doing well.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded as he looked down upon the battlefield.
The three squads he had trained had been honing their skills and coordination for a long time, so such a result was, in a way, to be expected.
What was surprising, however, was the remarkable growth of Squads Four and Five.
*Shaaaaa!*
The members of Squad Four, taught by Myo Cheon-u, were all using a unique, silent and soundless palm technique.
As a Ten Demonic Sanctum Inheritor of the Myeol-in Palace, Myo Cheon-u couldn't teach its ultimate secret arts to the unit members.
Therefore, he combined his own insights with the strengths of the Myeol-in Palace’s palm arts to create a new, subtle yet distinctive palm technique.
“It’s still rough… but with a little refinement, it could become an ultimate technique on par with the Myeol-in Palace’s own.”
Myo Cheon-u had just begun to walk his own path.
Although the palm technique he had created was still a bit crude and incomplete…
It would grow stronger with time. Along with the members under his command.
*Chwararak!*
Just then, a sharp, piercing glint of light flashed through a group of Black Lotus members charging in unison.
It was the members of Squad Five, led by Yu Un-ryong.
*Ping! Chwararak!*
Unexpectedly, Yu Un-ryong had not taught them an unorthodox method.
—I cannot reach the pinnacle of the White Horse Whip.
Yu Un-ryong had realized he could not break through to the Transcendent Realm with the martial arts of the White Horse Temple.
From the moment he created the technique of using two White Horse Whips, he had already deviated from the martial principles of the White Horse Whip Style.
It was a means to become stronger, unbound by the constraints of technique like Bu Eun-seol…
But this method of his had instead strayed from the righteous path to a heretical one, making it impossible for him to reach the highest realm of the White Horse Whip.
—If I cannot reach it with the White Horse Whip, I will break through to the Transcendent Realm in another way!
Yu Un-ryong had since created a new whip style based on his insights.
The problem, however, was that this whip style continuously gave rise to techniques resembling those of a spear or a staff.
Whip and spear techniques were completely different, yet Yu Un-ryong, having gained a great enlightenment, incorporated them without hesitation.
—In that case, is there no weapon that can be used as both a spear and a whip?
After much contemplation, he modified a three-section staff, which could be separated into three parts, and created a new weapon called the Ten-Section Staff, which could be separated into ten.
When infused with internal energy, it would become rigid and connect firmly, but normally, it was divided into ten joints, allowing for whip-like techniques.
Bu Eun-seol was certain.
Once the technique of that unique Ten-Section Staff was perfected, a new and unusual weapon would be born in the martial world.
Meanwhile, the successors of the Qinghai Seven Swords Sect followed at the rear of the Sa-yeong Unit, dealing with the Black Lotus members who tried to break through the flanks.
Having trained diligently, they had gained a considerable amount of confidence.
But watching the Sa-yeong Unit fight, they were keenly aware of how far they still had to go.
—We still have a long way to go.
However, there was one thing they overlooked.
This was not a fight between martial artists.
The members of the Sa-yeong Unit not only displayed outstanding individual martial prowess but also moved like a single organism.
This was only possible because they had grown accustomed to fighting large numbers of enemies over a long period, their hearts and minds connected as one.
—We can only try!
But they did not lose heart and fought with all their might.
Although they weren't of great help, this battle would be a stepping stone for them to further advance their martial skills.
Unbeknownst to them, the same fiery warrior spirit as the Sa-yeong Unit's members was being engraved into their hearts.
‘…!’
Just then, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the battlefield.
Suddenly, mysterious warriors appeared from the rear, and the Sa-yeong Unit began to be pushed back slightly.
‘Those are…’
They all carried bizarre swords with sharp protrusions, and their eyes were tinged yellow.
Not only that, but they trampled over the corpses of their comrades without a second thought, attacking like madmen.
‘That drug.’
A glint appeared in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
The appearance of these strange beings was roughly similar to that of Gu Hong-cheong, who had been trapped in the underground.
‘No, they’re not Soul-Binding Purgatory Marionettes.’
A Soul-Binding Purgatory Marionette would only die if its head was cut off or the vital blood infused in its body was drained.
But these beings stopped moving immediately when their hearts or vital points were struck.
‘But they feel no pain or fear.’
In a large-scale chaotic battle like this, the inability to feel pain and fear was a significant weapon. A moment of carelessness could cost his unit members their lives.
*Kureung.*
Unleashing a lightning-fast movement technique, Bu Eun-seol passed his unit members and took the lead.
“Fall back!”
*Sreung!*
With a shout that shook the heavens and earth, Bu Eun-seol drew his black sword and immediately unleashed his sword technique.
Every time his sword flashed, blood spurted, and the Black Lotus members fell like autumn leaves, creating a large gap in their ranks.
He had cut down a dozen men in an instant, but the remaining Black Lotus members, drenched in the crimson blood of their comrades, charged at Bu Eun-seol without hesitation.
The drug had completely stripped them of fear.
‘I can’t drag this out.’
As Bu Eun-seol raised his internal energy, a black sword aura erupted from his black sword.
Formless Celestial Flow, Fourth Form: Waning Moon, Morning Star.
As he unleashed the most powerful single strike of the Formless Celestial Flow, a large space was cleared in the middle of the enemy formation.
*Kurururung.*
As he unleashed his sword technique with all his might, its power shook the heavens and the earth.
*Hoodoo-dook.*
As the sword form rained down, a spray of blood spread in all directions, and bones and flesh scattered everywhere.
In a single blow, he had taken down over thirty of the yellow-eyed Black Lotus members.
The members of the Qinghai Seven Swords Sect, as well as the Sa-yeong Unit, watched with their mouths agape.
They had heard rumors of Bu Eun-seol’s incredible power, but seeing it in person was beyond description.
*Cheolkeok.*
Sheathing his black sword as if nothing had happened, Bu Eun-seol shouted loudly.
“We’re breaking through to the heart of the Black Lotus immediately.”
In that instant, the eyes of the blood-soaked Sa-yeong Unit gleamed like beasts.
They were going to charge directly into the Black Lion Palace, where the Black Lotus Lord resided, and take his head.
***
Strictly speaking, the Black Lotus was not a martial arts faction but a coalition of bandits.
Therefore, they freely used poisons and projectiles, which were strictly forbidden in the martial world. They didn't even hesitate to use cruel tactics, such as utilizing the bodies of the dead.
But what kind of place was the Demonic Sanctum?
It was the sacred ground of all demons under heaven, a demonic alliance that gathered the power of a million demonic practitioners.
When the Black Lotus members used poison and projectiles, the Demonic Sanctum responded with ferociously cruel tactics of their own, breaking through the defensive lines.
*Chaeng! Chaaang!*
The advance and retreat of the Blood Dance Troupe were as swift as lightning, and they fought fiercely without being pushed back at all, even when facing over twenty thousand Black Lotus members.
The Black Lotus members tried various tactics to halt their advance, but the difference in martial skill between individual soldiers was too great.
No matter how much they had imparted martial arts to their rank-and-file, the Black Lotus members were, by nature, a band of thieves.
They were no match for the elite masters of the Demonic Sanctum, who had trained and honed their skills every single day.
“It’ll be over soon.”
The corners of Jwa Dae-baek’s mouth curled upwards as he looked down at the battlefield from a hill at the rear.
For several days, the Blood Dance Troupe had repeatedly advanced and retreated, disrupting the Black Lotus’s defensive lines.
And now that they had finally launched an all-out offensive, the enemy was collapsing uncontrollably.
“Indeed, that man has certainly given up.”
Jwa Dae-baek looked at the man with handsome features standing next to him.
It was Do Cheon-rin, the Young Lord of the Blood Flame Saber Clan.
“Did I not guarantee it?”
Jwa Dae-baek smiled as he looked at Do Cheon-rin.
“No matter what method he uses, that man will never be able to claim any credit.”
Jwa Dae-baek hadn't even sent Do Cheon-rin and the masters of the Blood Flame Saber Clan to the battlefield.
His plan was to send them into the Black Lion Palace, where the Black Lotus Lord was, as soon as the defensive line was breached, allowing them to claim the glory.
But Do Cheon-rin’s brow was deeply furrowed.
He had received a bewildering message from the scouts monitoring the Sa-yeong Unit.
—We’ve lost track of them…
While tracking the Sa-yeong Unit’s movements, their trail had suddenly split into seven.
The scouts had quickly split up to pursue them, but the Sa-yeong Unit was nowhere to be found.
‘In this barren land of Qinghai, there can be no place to perfectly hide a force of over fifty men.’
Do Cheon-rin was certain.
Bu Eun-seol was plotting something.
Ultimately, overwhelmed by anxiety, he had prompted Jwa Dae-baek to launch an all-out assault on the Black Lotus.
He was afraid of what Bu Eun-seol might do if he suddenly appeared.
“There’s no way he would give up this easily.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Do Cheon-rin spoke to Jwa Dae-baek.
“I also heard a rumor that the Sa-yeong Unit went to a sect near the Sword Abolishing Ridge to seek their cooperation.”
“Hahaha. That is absolutely impossible.”
Jwa Dae-baek chuckled and said firmly.
“The Qinghai Seven Swords Sect at the Sword Abolishing Ridge are men who hold a strange pride in Qinghai being the birthplace of the demonic path. That’s why they don’t have a good relationship with our Sanctum.”
“But…”
“Besides, according to the Flying Shadow Pavilion Lord, they have some sort of agreement with the Black Lotus. You must have heard about it as well.”
When Do Cheon-rin gave a faint nod, he continued.
“In a battlefield like this, an individual's martial arts, no matter how outstanding, are useless. Besides, what's most important on the battlefield is the chain of command.”
Jwa Dae-baek wore a confident smile.
“He received orders to strike the Black Lotus from the rear. If he fails to follow them, there's no way he can escape the charge of insubordination.”
Do Cheon-rin reluctantly nodded.
Even if Bu Eun-seol came up with a brilliant plan, the Sa-yeong Unit alone could not strike the rear of the Black Lotus, which had a force of thirty thousand.
*Hiiii-yah!*
At that moment, with a battle cry, the forces of the Blood Dance Troupe finally broke through the Black Lotus’s defenses and reached the Black Lion Palace, where the Black Lotus Lord was staying.
With the opposing forces clashing at close range, tactics were useless.
It had become a chaotic battle where only strength clashed against strength.
*Wooooooh!*
Just then, the gates of the Black Lion Palace opened, and with a roar, about three hundred strange beings rushed out, pushing back the Blood Dance Troupe.
*Chaeng! Chaaang!*
They all possessed monstrous strength, and even with their limbs cut off, they pushed forward against the Blood Dance Troupe without fear.
“Well now.”
Jwa Dae-baek’s eyes widened as he watched.
With the appearance of the strange beings with yellowish eyes, the tide of battle had suddenly evened out.
Overall, the Blood Dance Troupe still had the upper hand.
But the martial skill of those strange beings was quite formidable, and they were employing a purely defensive strategy.
If they held out so tenaciously, the plan to annihilate the Black Lotus in one fell swoop would fail, and the battle would turn into a protracted war.
“So their plan was to hold out from the start.”
The Black Lotus had stood their ground defiantly despite the news that the Demonic Sanctum’s vanguard had arrived.
Their intention from the beginning was to cultivate these strange beings to halt the advancing forces of the Demonic Sanctum and drag the battle into a long war.
A prolonged battle would result in massive losses for the Demonic Sanctum, which had sent an expeditionary force.
“My men will handle them.”
As Do Cheon-rin nodded, fifty warriors carrying swords with hilts that shimmered silver stepped forward from behind him.
They were the saber experts of the Blood Flame Saber Clan that Do Cheon-rin had brought with him.
“Can you do it?”
Jwa Dae-baek’s expression was filled with concern.
“There’s no need to overexert yourself.”
After all, if the future heir of the Demonic Sanctum were to be harmed by pushing himself too hard, it would be troublesome for him as well.
“With me and the masters of my clan, we can break through their defensive line within an hour.”
“Hmm.”
Jwa Dae-baek nodded.
Do Cheon-rin and the saber experts of the Blood Flame Saber Clan then began to move to the front.
*Flash!*
Instantly unleashing the Blood Flame Saber Art, Do Cheon-rin became a massive streak of light, reaping the heads of the strange beings.
Until now, he had never once properly revealed his martial prowess.
And yet, he had long been chosen by the lords of the Ten Demonic Sects as the heir to the Demonic Sanctum.
This was an acknowledgment that his talent was the greatest among the heirs of the Ten Demonic Sects.
As if to prove it, his title was the Perfect Scholar. It was because not only his martial aptitude but also his scholarship and strategic mind were unparalleled.
And that quality was also evident in his martial arts.
“He’s like a machine.”
Jwa Dae-baek, watching from a distance, exclaimed in admiration.
Do Cheon-rin’s saber art struck the vital points of the strange beings with not a single inch of error or mistake.
Moreover, he was distributing his strength so precisely that there was absolutely no wasted energy.
*Seogeok. Kuung.*
Every time the silver wave of saber energy rippled out, the heads of the strange beings were invariably separated from their bodies.
No matter what moves they made, no matter how they evaded…
Do Cheon-rin’s Blood Flame Saber Art spread out brilliantly like sunlight reflecting on a river, felling them one by one.
“It is done.”
Jwa Dae-baek nodded as he watched.
Finally, with Do Cheon-rin leading the charge, the defensive wall formed by the strange beings was slowly crumbling under the assault of the Blood Flame Saber Clan’s experts.
“It won’t take an hour, they’ll break through in about thirty minutes.”
As Jwa Dae-baek let out a low laugh and was about to order an all-out assault,
*“Kuaaaack!”*
Suddenly, in front of the tightly surrounded Black Lion Palace, a desperate scream erupted.
Do Cheon-rin and his saber experts, who were cutting down the strange beings, blinked in confusion.
When had over fifty warriors suddenly appeared, now dashing towards the Black Lion Palace where the Black Lotus Lord resided?
It was the Sa-yeong Unit, led by Bu Eun-seol.
‘Bu Eun-seol!’
Sparks flew from Do Cheon-rin’s eyes as he watched.
Why were Bu Eun-seol and the Sa-yeong Unit, who should have given up on claiming any glory and remained in hiding, there of all places?