Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: The Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon
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‘I don't need to play along with his opening move.’
Bu Eun-seol, his concentration at its peak, grasped the martial principle of Dong Ri-jeok's opening move in a single glance.
Black Blood Heaven was an ultimate technique based on movement.
Therefore, Bu Eun-seol would maintain stillness, waiting for the decisive moment.
Papapapa!
The moment the black blood energy enveloped Bu Eun-seol, a small point of light appeared in the air.
Charrrrang!
With a clear ring of the sword, a powerful mass of light erupted from where Bu Eun-seol had stood.
Simultaneously, that mass transformed back into millions of light points, wrapping around Dong Ri-jeok's body.
The Eighth Form of the Peerless Heavenly Flow, a perfect counterattack that calculated all of the enemy's moves.
Heavenly Lament had been unleashed.
Thud. Thud...
As the halo of light faded, the dark throne hall came back into view.
“Impressive.”
And before Bu Eun-seol stood Dong Ri-jeok, clutching his neck.
“So this is the might of the Demonic Hall's successor.”
Dong Ri-jeok, saturated with unknown drugs, did not die instantly despite the line of blood drawn across his neck.
He was desperately holding his neck, trying to stay alive.
“If only I'd had a little more time, I would have become much stronger...”
Dong Ri-jeok's voice was filled with deep regret and anguish.
He had started as a nameless demonic bandit and was now the leader of the Black Lotus, commanding thirty thousand troops.
But what he truly desired was a martial art powerful enough to bring the strongmen of Murim to their knees.
To achieve that ambition, he had endured the agony of his organs melting as he steeped his body in drugs... yet against a master of a peerless martial art, he couldn't even last a hundred moves.
Click.
Bu Eun-seol sheathed his sword and spoke calmly.
“Who is controlling the Black Lotus?”
In the past, the Blood Poison Valley, which had threatened the Sichuan Tang Clan, had also grown rapidly in a decade, just like the Black Lotus.
Such a thing would be impossible without a force pulling the strings from behind.
“Controlling? Hehehe.”
Dong Ri-jeok let out a low laugh, still clutching his neck.
“Every martial artist has a glory they wish to achieve.”
The light was slowly fading from his jaundiced eyes.
“...I have no regrets.”
Pshhh! Thud.
Finally, blood gushed from the line on his neck, and his head separated from his body as he breathed his last.
“...”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Dong Ri-jeok, who was still holding his head.
Even in death, he was in the posture of desperately trying to reattach his head.
It was a testament to how tenaciously he had clung to life.
Superior martial arts, fame, power...
Any martial artist would desperately desire such things.
And there was a power that used such desires to manipulate martial artists.
“Desire became his shackles.”
Bu Eun-seol murmured, looking at the dead Dong Ri-jeok.
Perhaps it was a temptation no martial artist could refuse. But Bu Eun-seol had entered the Jianghu solely for revenge.
Even now, as he strove to become the successor of the Demonic Hall, he paid no mind to anything but that goal.
Creeak.
When he stepped out of the throne hall, Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong were leaning against a wall, panting for breath.
And before them lay the cold corpses of the Black Lotus's five hall masters, known as the Five Killing Gods.
“Did you... finish up in there?”
Myo Cheon-u said, gasping for air as he leaned against the wall.
“I don't know what those crazy bastards ate, but their skills suddenly shot up. I seriously thought I was going to die this time.”
“I see.”
Just then, Yu Un-ryong looked at Bu Eun-seol and asked.
“The Black Lotus Leader?”
“He is inside.”
“Well done.”
“Let's go.”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Myo Cheon-u held out his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“We worked hard. Can't you give me a hand?”
After staring for a moment, Bu Eun-seol reluctantly offered his hand.
Myo Cheon-u grinned, took his hand, and pushed himself up with a groan.
“...”
Leaning against the wall, Yu Un-ryong was also staring intently at Bu Eun-seol.
But before Bu Eun-seol could reach him, Myo Cheon-u quickly stepped in and offered his own hand.
“Here. Take my hand.”
“...”
Looking highly offended, Yu Un-ryong slapped Myo Cheon-u's hand away and got up by himself.
* * *
—Clang! Thwang!
Do Cheon-rin and the masters of the Blood Flame Saber Clan were desperately trying to break through the Black Lotus's defensive line.
The main force of the Blood Dance Corps was also struggling to help them breach the final defensive line before the Black Serpent Palace.
‘Just a little more!’
An unprecedented urgency was etched on Do Cheon-rin's face as he swung his Blood Flame Saber.
This mission to annihilate the Black Lotus was one he had orchestrated with the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects to knock Bu Eun-seol out of the succession race.
A large-scale battle.
Only such a battle could render Bu Eun-seol's astonishing martial prowess and prodigious talent useless.
Do Cheon-rin had convinced the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects early on to move the Demonic Emperor, and had even won over the commander of the Blood Dance Corps.
But for it to turn out like this?
He would rather die than accept this outcome.
‘I can't let it end like this!’
Do Cheon-rin bit his lip.
The Black Lotus's defensive line, clinging as tenaciously as a water ghost, showed no signs of collapsing.
Moreover, perhaps from fighting an enemy ten times their number for so long, the Blood Dance Corps was also growing weary.
‘I have to take a risk.’
Phat!
Channeling his internal energy to the maximum, Do Cheon-rin shot into the air.
As he rose into the air, the Black Lotus members unleashed hundreds of arrows.
Papak!
Wielding his Blood Flame Saber, Do Cheon-rin deflected all the arrows in mid-air, leaped over the Black Lotus members, and reached the front of the Black Serpent Palace.
—Stop him!
As he neared the palace, a hundred Black Lotus members began to attack him.
But he charged forward, ignoring his defense. He intended to enter the Black Serpent Palace, even if it meant taking some injuries.
Paat!
Just as he leaped once more, about to enter the palace gates,
Kiiiiik.
the massive doors of the Black Serpent Palace opened on their own.
And dozens of figures, covered in blood, were slowly walking out.
It was Bu Eun-seol, the Shadow Squad, and the successors of the Qinghai Seven Swords Sect.
“Bu Eun-seol!”
Do Cheon-rin whispered, his eyes wide.
If he and the Shadow Squad had come out unscathed, the result was obvious, wasn't it?
“The Shadow Squad Commander has taken the head of the Black Lotus Leader!”
Won Se-mun shouted again, his voice amplified with internal energy.
—The Shadow Squad Commander has taken the head of the Black Lotus Leader!
The thunderous shout echoed around the Black Serpent Palace, spreading in all directions.
At the cry, the warriors on the battlefield froze, and a hush fell for a moment.
—Waaaaaah!
A roar that shook the heavens and earth erupted.
For the Blood Dance Corps to enter the Black Serpent Palace, they had to break through the Black Lotus's solid defensive line.
But that line was still intact, and if the stalemate continued, the Blood Dance Corps would have suffered heavy losses.
—Thank goodness!
Relief shone in the eyes of the cheering Blood Dance Corps members.
In truth, this mission to annihilate the Black Lotus was little more than a ploy to give credit to Do Cheon-rin.
The commander, Jwa Dae-baek of the Blood Dance Corps, should have studied tactics and strategies to defeat the Black Lotus while minimizing casualties.
But he was only concerned with funneling the glory to Do Cheon-rin.
Hadn't he, following Do Cheon-rin's opinion, launched a reckless all-out assault?
As a result, the Blood Dance Corps was engaged in a head-on battle against an enemy that outnumbered them more than ten to one.
Just as the Blood Dance Corps's exhaustion reached its peak from forcibly breaking through the layered defenses...
Bu Eun-seol had entered the Black Serpent Palace in one fell swoop, taken the Black Lotus Leader's head, and ended the battle.
From the perspective of the Blood Dance Corps members, Bu Eun-seol was truly a ray of light.
“You've worked hard.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded at Do Cheon-rin, who had stopped in front of the Black Serpent Palace.
Unfortunately, he was in a crouched position, ready to leap,
which from a distance, made it look as if he were about to kneel before Bu Eun-seol.
“Bu Eun-seol...”
Looking up at Bu Eun-seol, Do Cheon-rin's expression was contorted as if he had just vomited blood.
“How did you get here?”
“By boat.”
“By boat...”
Despair filled Do Cheon-rin's eyes.
Bu Eun-seol had deceived not only him but also the Black Lotus's watch, breaking through along the No River coast.
‘It's all over.’
The annihilation of the Black Lotus was a golden opportunity created by forcibly using the support of the Ten Demonic Sects' leaders.
But not only had he failed to bring Bu Eun-seol down, he had instead solidified his position as the successor... There were no more chances for Do Cheon-rin.
—Waaaaaah!
To Do Cheon-rin's ears, the continuous roars of the Blood Dance Corps sounded like the howls of demons dragging him into the pits of hell.
Dropping his head, Do Cheon-rin finally closed his eyes.
* * *
The Blood Dance Corps, who with a mere three thousand troops, annihilated the Black Lotus that dominated Qinghai and took the head of their leader, Dong Ri-jeok.
Because of this, the prestige of the Demonic Hall soared to the heavens.
And at the center of it all was the Shadow Squad Commander, Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol, who had left the three thousand troops behind, led the Shadow Squad alone, and breached the Black Serpent Palace where the Black Lotus Leader resided in a single stroke.
This legendary tale was embellished again and again...
until it eventually spread as the ridiculous rumor that Bu Eun-seol had single-handedly charged in, destroyed the Black Lotus, and taken the leader's head.
—The successor has been decided.
At this point, all the factions in the Demonic Hall had no choice but to acknowledge Bu Eun-seol's ascension to the position of successor.
Even the Ten Demonic Sects could not deny it.
All members of the Demonic Path were taking it for granted that Bu Eun-seol would become the Demonic Hall's successor.
Bu Eun-seol, the legitimate successor of Nangya Pavilion and the candidate for the Demonic Hall's succession.
He was supported not just by the Ten Demonic Sects, but by the entire Demonic Path.
But then, something unexpected happened from an unlikely place.
—This house cannot accept it.
Do Mu-jeok, the patriarch of the Blood Flame Saber Clan, refused to accept a fact that the entire Murim acknowledged.
And he went directly to the Demonic Emperor with a proposal.
—Open the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
The Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
These were seven gates established in the Demonic Hall by the Ten Demonic Sects in the past to determine the best among the younger generation of each faction.
Breaking through mechanisms and formations, adaptability, movement techniques, weapon skills, mental fortitude, and finally, wisdom...
They created gates to judge abilities in seven different fields, and the competition was decided by who passed through them the fastest.
—When the candidates for successor were evenly matched, didn't we always settle it with the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon?
Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess is already well-known.
But Do Cheon-rin's prowess has not been proven. And the successor of the Demonic Hall must be proficient in all areas, not just martial arts.
In other words, Do Mu-jeok was insisting that Do Cheon-rin, known as the Perfect Scholar and well-versed in many fields, was a successor superior to Bu Eun-seol.
—Let the Shadow Squad Commander decide.
The Demonic Emperor gave Bu Eun-seol the choice.
And Bu Eun-seol, as if it were obvious, said:
—I will enter the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
At this, everyone in the Demonic Hall nodded in admiration.
—He truly is the successor of the Demonic Hall!
Even the commanders who disliked him, and the hall master-level leaders who had looked down on him for having no foundation...
...realized the great dignity of Bu Eun-seol, who never shied away from any trial or challenge.
The Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon were opened, but they had a premonition that Bu Eun-seol would become the Demonic Hall's successor.
—Begin.
The Demonic Emperor did not waste any time.
As soon as the discussion ended, he immediately had Bu Eun-seol and Do Cheon-rin enter the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
* * *
The Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
They were located near a stone mountain connected to the Demonic Hall's North Gate.
The first gate began with breaking through mechanisms, the second with breaking formations. The third was for adaptability, the fourth measured the excellence of one's movement techniques...
The fifth tested weapon skills, the sixth the strength of one's spirit, and finally, the seventh tested wisdom.
And each gate was installed with deadly traps that would claim the life of anyone who failed to pass.
In short, to pass through this place, one needed outstanding qualities and abilities in all areas—martial arts, wisdom, courage, mental strength, and more.
From that perspective, the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon could be said to be quite advantageous for Do Cheon-rin.
The Perfect Scholar.
He had earned that title by displaying prodigious talent not only in martial arts but also in academics, arts, and all other fields.
Thud, thud.
Bu Eun-seol and Do Cheon-rin stood side by side before a massive stone gate engraved with the emblem of two dragons fighting for a pearl.
Srrrrng.
As the stone gate opened, the two entered without hesitation.
From now on, the winner would be the one who broke through the seven gates and emerged from the exit first.
* * *
The title of Perfect Scholar was not earned in vain.
Do Cheon-rin's abilities were truly prodigious.
He showed exceptional talent not just in martial arts but in every field, a trait that shone brightly in the Seven Gates of the Blood Dragon.
No matter what difficult problems blocked his path, he solved them in an instant and broke through the gates.
‘This time, I can win!’
Rumble.
A confident smile bloomed on Do Cheon-rin's lips as he entered the fourth gate.
He was the successor of the Blood Flame Saber Clan, groomed from the beginning to be the successor of the Demonic Hall.
He had not focused solely on martial arts, but also on economics, politics, religion, and military science...
...continuously cultivating the skills needed to become the leader who could rule over the million members of the Demonic Path.
‘But...’
Suddenly, the image of Bu Eun-seol huddled on the boat to Hell Island flashed through his mind.
‘I thought he was just a strange fellow in a monk's robe.’
When he first saw Bu Eun-seol on the boat, his heart had been greatly shaken.
He clearly had no qualities superior to my own.
But strangely, a sense of curiosity and fear had arisen within him.
—Be my comrade.
After that, Do Cheon-rin had constantly tried to appease and manipulate Bu Eun-seol.
He didn't need much.
Just once. If Bu Eun-seol accepted his offer just once, that would have been enough.
—Once a man tastes the sweetness of help, he can never break away from it.
Do Cheon-rin had been confident.
The moment Bu Eun-seol accepted his offer, he could keep him under his command forever.
But unfortunately, Bu Eun-seol never once accepted his offer.
And he walked the path of thorns without hesitation.
At the time, he couldn't understand such actions, but now he knew for certain.
Bu Eun-seol's choice had been the right one.
The difficult and arduous path he had chosen... was the fastest shortcut to his destination.
“But I will win, no matter what.”
Do Cheon-rin clenched his fists.
The position of the Demonic Hall's successor no longer mattered. If he could win this contest, if he could defeat Bu Eun-seol just once...
...he felt he would have no regrets even if he didn't become the successor.
Do Cheon-rin, the peerless prodigy.
Like Seok Wu-haeng in the past, he too yearned to bring the man named Bu Eun-seol to his knees, if only for a single moment.
Thud, thud.
As he ventured deep into the fourth gate,
Kwaaaarumble!
suddenly, the surroundings began to collapse.
The fourth gate was the gate of movement techniques. One had to pass through it faster than the collapse—as fast as light.
Swish!
Sheathed in a layer of lightning, Do Cheon-rin's shadow shot through the collapsing passage.
‘I will overcome all these trials and surpass you!’
Do Cheon-rin decided he would no longer seek the easy path.
Like Bu Eun-seol, he would take everything he had, clash with all his might, and shatter his obstacles.
He had given it his all, more than ever before in his life. There was no way Bu Eun-seol could have kept up.
The fifth gate, the sixth gate, and finally, the seventh gate...
Giving it his all, Do Cheon-rin finally broke through the seventh gate.
Kurrrung.
The stone door opened, and as he stepped outside, he finally saw the exit.
Trudge, trudge.
Stepping out of the exit, he saw a wide, open space.
‘I won!’
No matter how he looked, there were no signs of anyone having come out before him. He checked dozens of times just in case, but it was the same.
With a look of ecstasy, Do Cheon-rin stepped outside.
“Bu Eun-seol!”
Overcome with joy, Do Cheon-rin clenched his fists and shouted.
“In the end, you couldn't surpass me!”