Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: A Test of Worth
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CRASH!
With a deafening boom, the firmly shut main gate of the Cheonsal-gak was shattered.
At the same time, a figure shrouded in a powerful wave of true energy walked out, step by step.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
As he stepped inside the Cheonsal-gak, he glanced at the guards and beckoned with a finger.
“Bring me the Cheonsal-daeju.”
The guards at the main gate of the Cheonsal-gak stared at Bu Eun-seol, utterly aghast.
Even if he was the successor, the Cheonsal-dae was a unit directly under the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and represented the entire Demonic Cult.
In other words, its leader held a revered position, needing to obey no one's command but the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's.
Yet here someone was, smashing the gate of the hall where the Cheonsal-daeju resided and summoning him with a mere finger?
Step by step.
Just then, a figure in black robes walked toward Bu Eun-seol.
It was the Vice-Commander of the Cheonsal-dae, Jeok-gung.
“Muhon-ryeongju. Have you lost your mind?”
From behind a black mask, Jeok-gung's eyes blazed with an icy killing intent.
“How dare you break the gate of this hall and cause a ruckus. This is something that absolutely cannot be overlooked...”
“I told you to bring the Cheonsal-daeju.”
A dark, murderous aura erupted from Bu Eun-seol's entire body. At the same time, an immense pressure crashed down upon Jeok-gung's head.
*Crack.*
Jeok-gung's back began to bend as if it would snap.
Rage.
Bu Eun-seol's current state, shrouded in fury and killing intent, was just like when he had dealt with Dong Yeo-rip.
—*To heal such external injuries, the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu in the Cheonsal-daeju's possession is required.*
Upon hearing the words of the Medicine King Hall's Head, Gyo Jung-hak, Bu Eun-seol had sent Yu Un-ryong to request the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu from the Cheonsal-daeju.
Very, very politely.
In truth, this wasn't even a matter Bu Eun-seol should have had to ask for.
Seo Jin-ha was the Third Squad Leader of the Cheonsal-dae, a direct subordinate of the Cheonsal-daeju.
—*The Cheonsal-daeju refused flatly.*
*It seems he heard that even if the external wounds heal, there's a high chance he'll be crippled.*
At Yu Un-ryong's words upon his return from meeting the Cheonsal-daeju, Bu Eun-seol's suppressed killing intent had exploded once more.
The killing intent was immeasurably vast.
Because Seo Jin-ha had not died, his spirit had not fully entered the path of the demonic way. But that didn't mean he had returned completely to the middle path either.
But as his fury erupted again, his spirit merged with the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, and a truly infinite amount of martial power surged from his body.
When the Cheonsal-daeju defied his request, he had immediately rushed to the Cheonsal-gak and smashed its gate.
“I won't say it again.”
Bu Eun-seol's entire body was ablaze with a dark killing intent.
“Bring me the Cheonsal-daeju.”
“Words... seem to be useless.”
Circulating his energy, Jeok-gung barely managed to adapt to the crushing pressure and slowly straightened his body.
*Vwooom!*
A fierce true energy began to flow from Jeok-gung's straightened form.
At the same time, the sword at his waist began to tremble.
Realizing Bu Eun-seol's killing intent was genuine, he was about to unleash his sword technique.
Just as Jeok-gung's hand grasped the hilt of his sword,
*Creeak, thud, thud.*
The hall's door opened, and a dark figure slowly walked out. It was the Cheonsal-daeju, Wi Mu-yeom.
“Have you lost your reason simply because a friend was injured?”
Wi Mu-yeom said calmly, his brow furrowed.
“Or do you think becoming the Muhon-ryeongju gives you the right to wreak havoc in my hall?”
“Before being my friend, Seo Jin-ha is your subordinate.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke in a voice as cold as ice.
“Why did you refuse the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu?”
“Did I not say? According to the Head of the Medicine King Hall, he will not recover completely even if he consumes the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu.”
Wi Mu-yeom said with a solemn expression.
“A cripple cannot be a member of this unit. That is the reason.”
It sounded heartless, but from his position as a high-ranking commander of the Demonic Cult, it was a perfectly logical statement.
The Demonic Cult was not a place sustained by sentimental bonds.
Wasting a priceless elixir to save the life of a man who would be crippled was unacceptable.
*Rumble.*
In the meantime, key figures of the Demonic Cult and even the Head of the Medicine King Hall had gathered in front of the Cheonsal-gak.
The rumor that the enraged Muhon-ryeongju was destroying the Cheonsal-gak had spread in an instant.
Wi Mu-yeom spotted Gyo Jung-hak among the crowd and nodded.
“You said there was a high probability he would be crippled, did you not, Head Gyo?”
Meeting Wi Mu-yeom's sharp gaze, Gyo Jung-hak had no choice but to nod.
“That is correct. Even with the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu, the chances of his martial power recovering are slim.”
“Did you hear that, Muhon-ryeongju?”
A cold smile on his lips, Wi Mu-yeom spoke solemnly once more.
“This unit, and indeed the Demonic Path, is not run on sentiment or pity. The men of this unit must prove their existence solely through exceptional ability and strength.”
“Those are righteous words.”
“Then you may leave.”
“I will leave after I've confirmed whether you are qualified to say such things.”
“What do you mean by that?”
A crimson light, redder than blood, flared in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“I am saying that I, the Ryeongju, will test whether you, too, are a useful being.”
*Fzzt!*
Covering a dozen yards in an instant, Bu Eun-seol drew the Muk-geom and swung at the Cheonsal-daeju's neck.
*CLANG!*
The Cheonsal-daeju drew his sword like lightning and blocked the Muk-geom.
*Screeeech.*
Sparks flew from the locked blades.
Feeling the immense internal energy contained within the Muk-geom, Wi Mu-yeom's eyebrow twitched.
“Are you really doing this?”
Bu Eun-seol did not answer.
His eyes were filled with nothing but black killing intent.
*'This madman?'*
A chill ran down Wi Mu-yeom's spine.
He realized that Bu Eun-seol was genuinely trying to kill him.
“Fine!”
With a shout like a thunderclap, Wi Mu-yeom unleashed his energy, pushing Bu Eun-seol three yards back.
*Shiiing!*
At the same time, he swung his sword, extending it toward Bu Eun-seol.
*Shhhk!*
Sharp sword energies blossomed from the ground where Bu Eun-seol stood, like flower buds, and began to envelop his body.
Wi Mu-yeom's unique sword art, the Yo-roe-hwa-geom, had been unleashed.
*Swish!*
Bu Eun-seol swung the Muk-geom lightly, and the surging sword energies instantly receded back into the ground.
At the same time, a sound like thunder erupted from the Muk-geom.
*RUMBLE!*
Dozens of dark sword auras poured out from the Muk-geom and shot toward the sky.
The length of the sword auras was a staggering dozen yards.
Moreover, there were more than thirteen strands. From a distance, it looked as if dozens of black dragons were tangled together in the air.
*FWOOSH!*
At that moment, a brilliant flame erupted from Wi Mu-yeom's longsword.
To face such a sword aura, there was no room for technique, only a clash of power against power.
He was about to unleash the ultimate technique of the Yo-roe-hwa-geom, Hyeol-roe-cheon-chung, to shatter the sword aura in one blow and cut down Bu Eun-seol.
Just as the ultimate techniques of the two masters were about to collide,
“Enough!”
With a thunderous shout, a small figure shot up between Bu Eun-seol and Wi Mu-yeom.
It was the Chong-gyo-ryeong, Yeop Hyo-cheon.
*Vwoooom!*
With a world-shaking vibration, Yeop Hyo-cheon extended both his palms to the sides.
A fierce current of air swirled into a vortex from his palms,
*WHOOOOSH!*
A tremendous wave of energy swallowed the space on both sides, as an immense palm force, as if an entire mountain had been uprooted and thrown, surged outwards.
*KABOOM!*
An earth-shattering explosion sent dust flying in all directions.
At the same time, the sword energies of the two masters that had filled the sky had vanished as if washed away.
—*As expected of the Chong-gyo-ryeong.*
The crowd watching in front of the Cheonsal-gak all gasped in admiration.
The Muhon-ryeongju and the Cheonsal-daeju.
To think he had annihilated the sword aura created by two masters who had reached the Heaven-Shaking Realm with a single palm strike?
*Whoosh!*
As the dust slowly settled, the scene gradually came into view.
*—Ah.*
Another gasp rippled through the crowd.
The Cheonsal-daeju had been pushed back about five steps.
But Bu Eun-seol had only been pushed back three.
*—The Muhon-ryeongju's martial power is unimaginably profound.*
The level of one's martial arts wasn't judged by internal energy alone.
But for the Muhon-ryeongju, who was only in his twenties, to have deeper internal energy than the world-renowned Cheonsal-daeju?
“Muhon-ryeongju.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon looked at Bu Eun-seol and spoke in a low voice.
“The Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu belongs to the Cheonsal-daeju. Are you saying you would destroy the Cheonsal-gak and attack its master just because he won't give it to you?”
“If he had said he couldn't give it to me because it was his, I would have simply left.”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Wi Mu-yeom with an unwavering gaze.
“But he invoked the Demonic Path, saying that the men of this unit must prove their existence through exceptional ability.”
The old Bu Eun-seol would never have dared to argue like this in front of Yeop Hyo-cheon.
But the current Bu Eun-seol, consumed by a rage that had unleashed the Sak-jeong-bi-gyeol, paid no heed to anyone.
“So I, the Ryeongju, decided to test his worth.”
Turning his head to look at Yeop Hyo-cheon, Bu Eun-seol's eyes burned with a crimson killing intent.
“Is the position of Muhon-ryeongju one that cannot even do such a thing?”
Yeop Hyo-cheon stared intently at Bu Eun-seol, who was directing his killing intent at him.
“Huhu...”
And then, he suddenly burst into a wild laugh.
“Hahaha. Mwahahahat!”
This was Yeop Hyo-cheon, a man who always maintained a prudent and quiet demeanor in any situation.
But as he threw his head back and laughed, all the watching warriors wore anxious expressions.
They were worried that a greatly angered Yeop Hyo-cheon might strike Bu Eun-seol down with a devastating blow.
*Stop.*
Yeop Hyo-cheon stopped laughing and reached into his robes.
He then tossed a small glass bottle to Bu Eun-seol.
*Thud.*
Catching the bottle, Bu Eun-seol looked puzzled.
It was none other than the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu.
“It's the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu I have.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon said with a faint smile.
“I have no use for it anyway. You use it.”
Bu Eun-seol's gaze wavered.
To think that Yeop Hyo-cheon, who he expected to strike out in anger, would show such kindness?
Besides, wasn't the Chong-gyo-ryeong the one who had put him in a difficult situation with the fiancée incident before?
“Thank you.”
Right now, he had no time for such thoughts.
Having obtained the Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu to heal Seo Jin-ha, Bu Eun-seol's mind calmed, and his killing intent vanished in an instant.
“There is no need for thanks.”
Yeop Hyo-cheon said calmly.
“Come to my hall later and report everything that has happened. And.”
A faint smile played on his lips as he stared at Bu Eun-seol.
“I will give you work worth the value of that Cheong-ryeong-seok-yu.”
In the past, he would have felt a strange suspicion and anxiety at that smile.
But right now, Bu Eun-seol's mind was filled only with worry for Seo Jin-ha.
“Understood.”
Bu Eun-seol respectfully cupped his hands.
Then he turned and looked down at the Cheonsal-daeju, Wi Mu-yeom, and Jeok-gung.
His gaze was so solemn and full of authority that...
Wi Mu-yeom and Jeok-gung averted their eyes without realizing it.
The onlookers also swallowed hard.
Wi Mu-yeom, the commander of the unit that represented the Demonic Cult, a man who had roamed the martial world for over twenty years.
To think that he, once called a symbol of terror, would lower his gaze to avoid Bu Eun-seol's...
It was well-established that the Muhon-ryeongju's wisdom and martial arts were outstanding,
but no one had known he also possessed such an immense killing intent and a mountain-like dignity.
*—I'll have to be careful. From now on.*
The principle that one must never defy Bu Eun-seol was now seared into the minds of the Demonic Cult's members like a brand.
***
“...And that's what happened.”
Gyo Jung-hak, having recounted the entire situation, smiled.
“In all my eighty years, that was the most spine-chilling spectacle I've ever witnessed. The successor of the Demonic Cult, destroying the Cheonsal-gak and trying to kill the Cheonsal-daeju. Hahaha!”
Hearing the whole story, Seo Jin-ha's jaw dropped.
The Cheonsal-daeju hadn't really done anything wrong.
It might seem heartless, but the Demonic Cult was not a place bound by sentiment.
To be cast aside when one becomes useless was a natural principle in the Demonic Path.
And yet, Bu Eun-seol had tried to destroy the Cheonsal-gak and kill the Cheonsal-daeju to save him?
*'Bu Eun-seol.'*
Seo Jin-ha's hands trembled, and his chest felt so full that he could barely breathe.
Bu Eun-seol, who had always seemed so cold.
He had risked his life to come to the Blood Gorge to save him and had even tried to kill the Cheonsal-daeju.
He had been willing to throw everything away for a friend.
Finally, he too...
had shown his friendship.
*'You foolish idiot.'*
Seo Jin-ha discreetly wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes and spoke.
“Where is the Muhon-ryeongju?”
“He's on his way back from Taeju Prefecture. He should return sometime today.”
“Taeju Prefecture?”
“They say the ones who rebuilt the Blood Gorge were connected to the Sa-hwa-ryeon.”
The Sa-hwa-ryeon was one of the unorthodox faction alliances, similar to the Sib-iji, that handled commercial and financial affairs.
However, its scale couldn't compare to the Sib-iji, its influence stretching beyond Zhejiang to Jiangxi and Hunan.
Gyo Jung-hak shrugged.
“Upon getting that information, the Muhon-ryeongju led the Cheonsal-dae and completely destroyed the Sa-hwa-ryeon.”
“The main unit?”
“Ah, I didn't mention that.”
Gyo Jung-hak grinned.
“The Muhon-ryeongju went to the Cheonsal-daeju and gave an order. To crush the ones who touched this unit's elite forces, down to their very roots.”
Bu Eun-seol had led the Cheonsal-dae on this expedition, not the Sa-yeong-jeon.
*—Show them what happens when you mess with the Cheonsal-dae.*
The Cheonsal-daeju disliked Bu Eun-seol, but he could not disobey the order.
First, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was in seclusion, and second, the Chong-gyo-ryeong had permitted it.
Third, that order was also a way to restore the tarnished honor of the Cheonsal-dae.
*'The Daeju must be seething inside.'*
Seo Jin-ha couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
The Cheonsal-daeju, Wi Mu-yeom, was the most arrogant and self-important person he knew.
Yet, not only had he nearly been killed by Bu Eun-seol, whom he had always considered a thorn in his side, but he was now faithfully following his orders?
He probably wouldn't be able to sleep properly for days.
“I hear that while striking the Sa-hwa-ryeon, they also managed to catch the tail of the ones at the root of it all.”
Gyo Jung-hak continued, looking out the window.
“Perhaps the main forces of our cult might be deployed soon.”
Seo Jin-ha's mouth fell open again.
To think so much had happened while he was lying here.
*Murmur, murmur.*
Just then, the sound of murmuring began to be heard from outside the Medicine King Hall.
A moment later, with the sound of a sliding door, a tall, handsome man wearing a cloak with a roc feather pattern entered.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
“Seo Jin-ha.”
Bu Eun-seol's martial uniform was stained with blood here and there.
It seemed he had heard that Seo Jin-ha had woken up and rushed here immediately upon his return.
“Bu Eun-seol.”
Seeing Bu Eun-seol, Seo Jin-ha felt like he was about to burst into tears. He forced himself to hold them back and smiled brightly.
“I heard everything. You went through a lot because of me.”
“How is your body?”
“I'm fine. Healed up perfectly.”
Smiling widely, Seo Jin-ha quickly got onto the bed and put on a healthy expression.
*Stumble.*
But he couldn't stand straight and swayed.
“Ah, sorry. I just woke up, so I'm a bit dizzy.”
Seo Jin-ha forced a smile and straightened himself, but his complexion was not good.
Sensing something was wrong, Bu Eun-seol carefully examined Seo Jin-ha's left foot.
*'Strange.'*
Even though it was covered by his clothes, Bu Eun-seol's sharp eyes could not be deceived.
Bending down, he reached out and felt Seo Jin-ha's left ankle.
*'The tendon...'*
Bu Eun-seol's eyes wavered as he pulled his hand back.
The heel, which should have been soft, was as hard as diamond.
In this state, no matter how much strength he put into it, he wouldn't be able to move it normally.
“Seo Jin-ha.”
“It's nothing. Really.”
Seo Jin-ha smiled brightly with a nonchalant expression.
Even though he had known since waking up that his body was not normal...
he had been smiling and pretending to be fine all this time.