Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts
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The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts shared not only pain but also emotions, desires... truly everything, as if they were a single body.
Did that mean, then, that the effects on their bodies and minds could also be split three ways?
“Everything is divided by three, which is why you haven't lost your minds despite taking that strange drug.”
“Heheheh. You're a rather clever one.”
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts nodded in unison, a murderous smile gracing their lips.
“That's right. We brothers even share the drug's side effects.”
By splitting the drug's side effects among three people, they were able to maintain their sanity and clear minds.
In other words, the rumor that the minds and bodies of the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts were all connected was true.
“You're called the Mad Sword of the martial world, aren't you?”
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts strode forward and drew their swords in unison.
Their swords were much narrower than ordinary longswords and about six chi longer.
Not only that, but the tips of their swords were split into three prongs, making them look like torn paper.
“We're known as the mad triplets. Shall we see who's truly crazier?”
*Swish!*
What they unleashed was an extremely common technique, the Eight-Directional Wind and Rain.
But something strange happened.
*Schlick.*
He had clearly dodged the sword technique perfectly, yet the blade still grazed Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
*'Did the three of them split a single technique?'*
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts hadn't unleashed the same technique simultaneously.
They had divided a single technique among the three of them.
To put it simply, what Bu Eun-seol had dodged was the Eight-Directional Wind and Rain technique initiated by the first brother.
But midway, the second brother's part of the technique detected Bu Eun-seol's evasion,
and the final part of the technique, unleashed by the third brother, was what ultimately struck him.
It sounded simple, but to be able to divide a single technique into three parts like this...
It meant they could alter the same technique three times, effectively using time three times slower than an ordinary martial artist.
*Schlick! Schlick!*
With sharp whooshes, three streaks of sword light once again aimed for Bu Eun-seol's vital points.
This, too, was an ordinary technique: the Immortal Points the Way.
*Flash!*
But divided into three parts, the Immortal Points the Way was no longer an ordinary sword technique.
A technique that should have been a straight thrust now poured in from different directions at different speeds.
*Shing!*
Bu Eun-seol immediately deployed the Formless Heavenly Flow to neutralize the technique's variations mid-execution.
But the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts reacted faster.
As Bu Eun-seol executed his technique, they altered theirs again, interrupting his Formless Heavenly Flow.
It was like a painter picking up a brush to paint, only for his grandson to run over and shake it.
*'They can even divide their defensive moves into three parts?'*
Every technique was split into three movements, coming from three directions at three different speeds.
This wasn't a joint attack; it was like they were executing an entirely new martial art.
*'Impressive.'*
They split not only their attacks but also their defensive sword forms into three, protecting themselves perfectly.
Furthermore, perhaps due to the drug's power, their internal energy and the might of their swordplay were like a raging tide.
*Fwoosh! Fwoosh!*
Two streams of sword energy grazed Bu Eun-seol's shoulders.
They had already broken through Bu Eun-seol's tight defense and were unleashing sharp techniques.
*Schlick. Schlick.*
In the end, the three streams of sword energy they released drew a line of blood on each of Bu Eun-seol's shoulders and his back.
Yet, as the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts' swords grazed his body, a smile formed on his lips.
*'But is that all?'*
A sharp glint flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he instantly discovered a weakness.
*'It's impossible to perfectly merge individuals with different personalities into one.'*
Having reached this realization, Bu Eun-seol immediately changed his sword technique.
The trembling tip of his sword suddenly erupted in light, creating dozens of strands of sword energy.
“Hah.”
As the startled Mad Heaven Three Ghosts retreated, the sword energy transformed into two fierce blasts of qi, pushing the two brothers, Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, more than ten zhang away.
*Swish!*
Now, Bu Eun-seol unleashed his techniques on the remaining opponent before him.
The youngest, Cheon U-ryang, who was the least skilled of the three brothers.
A technique that seemed to extend limply like a jellyfish suddenly poured out in a dense, net-like formation.
*Clang! Clang-clang-clang!*
The continuous clash of weapons at close range rang out with a metallic sound, sending sparks flying.
Bu Eun-seol was unleashing all his killing moves on the youngest, Cheon U-ryang, as if attacking his mortal enemy.
“Just hold on!”
The two brothers, Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, hurriedly returned to the front line to block Bu Eun-seol's attacks, but...
*Fwoosh!*
The cold points of light pouring from Bu Eun-seol's sword once again transformed into a fierce blast of qi, pushing the two brothers back.
And once more, the Ink Sword traced a strange trajectory, continuously slashing at Cheon U-ryang.
“Keuk.”
Cheon U-ryang was flustered as Bu Eun-seol relentlessly focused his attacks solely on him.
Bu Eun-seol's techniques would thrust like sharp, bursting awls, then suddenly spread out like a net.
As the techniques, impossible to defend against alone, poured down relentlessly, the rhythm of his own swordplay began to crumble.
*'If their three minds were truly one, the distribution of power in their swords should have been identical.'*
Bu Eun-seol had felt it when their sword techniques grazed his skin.
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts might share sensations with one another,
but contrary to what was known, their bodies and minds were not completely unified.
If they were, the depth of the wounds on his shoulders and back should have been uniform.
*Screech!*
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol unleashed three consecutive strikes.
No matter how they counterattacked or what offensive they launched, he persistently aimed only for the youngest, Cheon U-ryang.
“Keuhh.”
A groan finally escaped Cheon U-ryang's lips.
For the first time, it was one person speaking alone, not all three brothers.
*Schlick-schlick-schlick!*
As their perfect unity shattered, their swordplay began to fall apart.
Their outstanding and wondrous swordplay gradually became simple and ordinary.
“U-ryang, get a grip and block his attacks properly!”
Because Cheon U-ryang kept disrupting the rhythm, their swordplay was collapsing.
Unable to watch any longer, the eldest, Cheon U-gang, shouted, and the second, Cheon U-sang, chimed in as if in agreement.
“Because you're not doing it right, I'm getting internally injured too!”
Their minds were not united, but they still shared physical pain.
When one person's mistake caused continuous pain to be shared with the other two, their anger flared.
“Execute the Eight Divisions of the Blowing Leaf separately!”
Cheon U-gang's eyes flashed as if he'd thought of something, and he yelled.
“If he's only attacking U-ryang, then we just need to execute different techniques at the same time!”
At the eldest Cheon U-gang's cry, the second brother, Cheon U-sang, shouted.
“There are still more Soul-Lost Men left, I'll call them!”
Then he took a thin flute from his robes and played it.
From behind, about twenty Soul-Lost Men appeared and charged at Bu Eun-seol again.
But that was their great mistake.
When they stopped splitting the same technique into three and instead unleashed different techniques like in a normal joint attack,
the wondrous nature of their swordplay vanished in an instant.
—*Uwaaaargh!*
Moreover, as the Soul-Lost Men threw themselves forward like a wave, attacking all at once, even their tight defensive formation collapsed with a crash.
*'Now!'*
After cutting down the charging Soul-Lost Men, Bu Eun-seol swiftly used his movement technique to approach the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts.
“Don't even think about it!”
The Mad Heaven Three Ghosts, who immediately realized their response had been wrong,
once again split their technique into three, creating an impenetrable sword membrane.
But Bu Eun-seol's technique was faster.
*Flash!*
As a violet lightning bolt flashed, a sharp stream of sword energy tracing a zigzag pattern enveloped Cheon U-ryang.
The peerless killing sword, the Thunderclap Peerless Style, had been unleashed.
*Chiiing!*
Surprisingly, the Thunderclap Peerless Style missed for the first time.
Knowing full well that Bu Eun-seol had been targeting only Cheon U-ryang, the two brothers had deployed a tight defensive sword formation around his body.
But that was Bu Eun-seol's trap.
The technique aimed at Cheon U-ryang had been a feint from the start.
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had persistently targeted Cheon U-ryang.
Therefore, the two brothers had naturally expected the Thunderclap Peerless Style to be aimed at Cheon U-ryang.
A killing sword is a finishing move.
It is meaningless unless one seizes the perfect moment to end the enemy's life.
*Flash!*
Not a feint, but the true Thunderclap Peerless Style was unleashed.
Its targets were the necks of the two brothers, who had left themselves wide open.
*Spurt!*
As blood gushed from the necks of Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, the eyes of the remaining Cheon U-ryang turned vacant.
Was he also feeling the pain of his throat being cut?
Or was he feeling a sense of liberation as the shared mental and physical sensations with his brothers were severed?
He couldn't move, as if turned to stone.
*'His mind has been destroyed.'*
He had shared the sensation of death that had been inflicted upon his two brothers.
Therefore, Cheon U-ryang's mind had already experienced the pain of death.
But his body was still alive... For the rest of his life, he would be haunted by the pain of death he felt today.
*Plip. Plop.*
The gushing blood began to fall again like rain.
Bu Eun-seol cut down all the Soul-Lost Men, leaving only Cheon U-ryang, who stood there vacantly with unfocused eyes.
“Ughh...”
Cheon U-ryang, who had been trembling at the sight,
“Aaaargh!”
raised his sword and charged at Bu Eun-seol.
Cheon U-ryang, who had always shared his life with his brothers.
But now that his brothers were gone, even the courage to continue living had vanished.
Bu Eun-seol unleashed his sword.
So swiftly that there would be no pain, he cut Cheon U-ryang's neck.
*Thud.*
His head fell to the ground.
Without looking back, Bu Eun-seol walked slowly toward the building in the center of the Blood Carnage Valley.
*Creeak.*
He opened the door to reveal a dark passage leading underground.
There was no need to use the Mind-Reading Art.
He knew intuitively that Seo Jin-ha was trapped here.
After walking down a seemingly endless passage, the interior of a large stone chamber was revealed.
Oil lamps burned here and there on the walls, but the chamber was absurdly vast.
Because of this, long, dark shadows stretched out near the lamps.
Bu Eun-seol spotted a door on the opposite side of the chamber.
It was a massive iron door, about six cheok high and over thirty cheok wide.
It was obvious at a glance that it was made to imprison someone inside.
Seo Jin-ha was surely inside.
As Bu Eun-seol was about to walk forward,
“...”
four figures were suddenly standing around the chamber.
They all wore masks, carried swords of different shapes, and their stances and auras were vastly different.
However, judging by the aura flowing from them, they were undoubtedly swordsmen who had once made a great name for themselves in the martial world.
“What a powerful aura.”
One of the four masked men, who had been observing Bu Eun-seol's stance, approached and spoke.
“We are called the Four Sword Masters.”
“Four Sword Masters?”
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not only had he never heard of anyone with the title of Four Sword Masters in the martial world, but the masked men's eyes all glinted with a sharp light.
Moreover, there was no trace of drugs, and the qi flowing from their bodies was righteous and upright.
These were not cruel demonic practitioners or villains. They were likely renowned heroes of the Orthodox Faction who had once been quite famous.
“Are all of your names the Four Sword Masters?”
“We've abandoned the names we once had as individuals.”
The masked man staring into Bu Eun-seol's eyes said calmly.
“I am merely the First Sword Master.”
They had all abandoned their names, calling themselves the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Sword Masters.
“We all made our names with the sword, and we shared a common desire to create the perfect sword technique.”
The First Sword Master began to tell a story he hadn't been asked for.
“But we realized. That no matter how hard we tried for a lifetime, we could not create a perfect sword technique with our own abilities.”
“...”
“But what if, when executing a sword technique, an exceptional swordsman compensates for my flaws? And what if another swordsman then compensates for his flaws?”
It was a somewhat absurd, yet brilliant idea.
For four genius swordsmen to continuously compensate for the flaws revealed in each other's techniques...
Wouldn't that create a truly flawless sword technique?
“We named this the Heavenly Garment Seamless Style. And to complete it, we dedicated everything. Even our lives.”
This was why they became the Four Sword Masters.
And Bu Eun-seol understood why the First Sword Master was being so talkative.
They had dedicated their lives to reaching the pinnacle of the sword path. And they wanted their opponent, Bu Eun-seol, to understand that.
“Step aside.”
The usual Bu Eun-seol would have cut them down and passed by without a second word.
But he could feel it.
Beyond that iron door, beings with immense killing intent were coiled, waiting.
In that case, he had to avoid any fight he could and conserve his strength.
To ensure he could save Seo Jin-ha.
“I cannot do that.”
The First Sword Master spoke in a low, apologetic tone, as if he had a sliver of conscience.
“This is also a promise.”
“A promise with whom?”
“I cannot tell you that either. However...”
In a low voice, he pointed to the iron door behind him.
“We are only here to stop you from entering that place. If you turn back now, we will not harm you.”
In that moment, Bu Eun-seol felt a sense of unease.
What if the Soul-Lost Men, the Mad Heaven Three Ghosts, and the Four Sword Masters before him...
and the ones inside the iron door had all been sent at once? He would not have been able to break through so easily.
Furthermore, the enemies blocking his path grew stronger with each appearance.
*'Weren't they trying to kill me?'*
Bu Eun-seol now realized.
This trap was a testing ground to accurately gauge the level of his martial arts...
and a device to break his spirit using Seo Jin-ha.
No matter how powerful a faction was, if they personally killed the heir of the Demonic Hall...
they would inevitably leave a trail.
*'It was to break my spirit.'*
The way to break a person's spirit is simpler than one might think.
Just as they overcome pain and trials and finally reach their goal, you shatter that hope right before their eyes.
Like Bu Eun-seol, facing the iron door blocked by the Four Sword Masters.
They had sent a simple threatening note along with one of Seo Jin-ha's ears.
By doing so, they made him cling to the desperate hope that Seo Jin-ha was still alive.
“So you have no intention of turning back.”
Staring intently at Bu Eun-seol's frozen, icy eyes, the First Sword Master drew his sword.
“In that case, show me. Show me your skill.”
Bu Eun-seol gave no further reply and immediately unleashed the Meteor Chase.
This sword style, a combination of swift sword and heavy sword, was a sword art that possessed both speed and immense power.
*Schlick!*
The First Sword Master also thrust his sword with great speed.
He instantly suppressed the speed of the Meteor Chase.
At the same time, the Second Sword Master standing beside him executed a technique, completely blocking the heavy sword power contained within the Meteor Chase.
“Incredible.”
The First Sword Master nodded in admiration.
“To force the Second Sword Master to act with just a single technique.”
He was genuinely praising him, but Bu Eun-seol's pride was slightly wounded.
To think they had blocked the Meteor Chase with the combined strength of just two people.
“Try blocking this.”
Raising his internal energy, Bu Eun-seol consecutively deployed the Formless Heavenly Flow.
As he unleashed not one but three techniques at once, his sword art became a great storm that poured down on the First and Second Sword Masters.
*Shhk! Shhk!*
The First and Second Sword Masters stood side by side, swinging their swords continuously, but they could not block its power and intricacy.
*Claaang!*
Then, with a clear ring of his sword, the Third Sword Master stepped forward.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Countering the sword art that poured out in a large circle, he perfectly blocked the techniques Bu Eun-seol had unleashed.
*Chiiing!*
Bu Eun-seol did not let up his assault and tried to break their joint attack repeatedly.
But with the Second Sword Master compensating for the First's technique, and the Third compensating for the Second's, he could not break through their defense.
Each of these men was an outstanding swordsman who had made a name for himself in the martial world.
Yet, as they calmly compensated for each other's techniques, weren't they actually overwhelming the Formless Heavenly Flow and even managing to counterattack?
The maximum number of techniques Bu Eun-seol could layer with the Formless Heavenly Flow was three. Yet they were blocking it with ease.
As sharp techniques grazed his skin, blood spurted from various places on Bu Eun-seol's body.
Their sword styles, pouring down from extremely close range, repeatedly interrupted Bu Eun-seol's techniques and exploited his openings.
*Drip. Drip. Drip.*
Before long, the blood flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body was soaking the floor.
But he fought a fierce battle with them, executing his swordplay with completely unshaken eyes.
“To make even the Third Sword Master appear. Incredible.”
The First Sword Master, while executing his technique, wore a genuinely impressed expression.
“But if the Fourth Sword Master joins in, it will be over.”
As he leisurely blocked Bu Eun-seol's sword art, he wore a regretful expression.
In all his life, he had never seen a prodigy with such outstanding swordsmanship at such a young age.
So, to kill him with a single stroke felt somehow wasteful.
“But it can't be helped.”
They had already promised to kill Bu Eun-seol.
—Kill just one person for us. When we desire it.
That was the one and only condition demanded by the faction that had helped them materially and spiritually for over a decade to create the Heavenly Garment Seamless Style.
“Shall we start wrapping things up?”
*Chaaeng!*
At last, the Fourth Sword Master drew his sword.
With three of them, they were evenly matched with Bu Eun-seol... If the Fourth Sword Master joined in, only defeat would remain.
“It ends here!”
With a roar, the Fourth Sword Master's sword plunged toward Bu Eun-seol's throat.