Chapter 299
Chapter 299
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 299
Chapter Title: The Scholar's Lair
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hoedangsan Mountain.
An auspicious aura has long graced this place, its magnificent terrain evoking images of a dragon ascending to the heavens and a phoenix dancing in flight.
Here lay the Eunjarim, a place that had produced renowned scholars for generations.
The current Rimju of the Eunjarim was the Great Scholar, Mun-dae-seonsaeng. He once passed the highest state examination to hold a prestigious office but retired in his later years to return to the countryside.
His scholarship was so profound that students from all corners of the land, including the children of high-ranking officials, flocked to him, hoping for his tutelage.
Then one day, a scholar came to the Eunjarim and requested a scholarly debate with Mun-dae-seonsaeng.
At first, he was naturally refused and was meant to be politely turned away.
But the scholar was a master of not only the Hundred Schools of Thought, but also astronomy, geography, medical classics, divination, and a myriad of other subjects.
There was no field he had not mastered.
—The Great Scholar Mun requests your presence.
In the end, upon hearing of this, Mun-dae-seonsaeng requested to see the scholar in person.
Within the Yulim, at the Eunhyeonheon.
There, two figures sat facing each other across a small table.
One was an elderly man in his twilight years, his hair streaked with gray.
Dressed in a blue robe, the old man's eyes were clear and full of life.
He was none other than the Rimju of the Yulim and a former Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet: Mun-dae-seonsaeng.
“Hahaha.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng let out a hearty laugh as he looked at the scholar sitting across from him.
They had only exchanged a few words.
But the scholar's learning was so exceptional it seemed to reach the heavens... and he possessed handsome features and a refined grace.
He was truly the kind of talent who could support the affairs of the nation.
“I cannot understand why a man of your caliber has not taken the state examination and instead remains in the countryside.”
As Mun-dae-seonsaeng stroked his magnificent beard, the scholar smiled and spoke.
“Are you curious?”
“I am.”
“In that case…”
The scholar carefully rose from his seat.
He then scanned the interior of the room where they had been conversing.
“*Huuup*.”
As the scholar took a deep breath, a transparent energy flowed from his body and began to dominate the space within the room.
To his surprise, this young scholar was a martial arts master of profound internal energy, capable of creating a wall of true qi to block out all sound from the outside.
“It is because I am the Muhon Ryeongju of the Majeon.”
“The Majeon?”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng tilted his head in confusion.
“The Majeon… you mean that alliance of demonic path practitioners?”
“Correct.”
“Why has a martial artist of the demonic path come here?”
The scholar, Bu Eun-seol, held a faint smile on his lips.
“Was this Yulim not built by the Imperial family long ago? If I were to lead a large force here and wipe this place out, my Majeon’s position would become rather difficult.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng said, swallowing dryly.
“Why would the Majeon be hostile toward my Yulim?”
“Because you, Great Scholar, are the Hyangju of Sahyang, the most mysterious clan of assassins in the martial world.”
For a long moment, silence filled the Yulim.
“Hahaha.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“If a man like you is so certain… you must have reliable information, I presume?”
“Thankfully, the Geumjeok Merchant Guild left behind many traces. Perhaps they were anxious about their dealings with Sahyang.”
“I see.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng sighed and shook his head.
“From the very beginning, I was against dealing with that miser. But my opinion was not accepted…”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flashed.
Mun-dae-seonsaeng was the head of Sahyang. Did this mean there was someone above him?
*‘Is there someone else behind the scenes? Or…'*
As Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought, Mun-dae-seonsaeng spoke.
“I had heard that the successor of the Majeon has been pursuing my Sahyang for some time.”
After his sigh, his eyes glinted like the edge of a blade.
“Why are you doing this? My Sahyang has no grievance with you, does it?”
“A throwing weapon.”
As Bu Eun-seol continued, his eyes filled with resentment and sorrow.
“Because a throwing weapon capable of firing ninety-eight projectiles in a single motion could only have been crafted by Sahyang.”
“A throwing weapon that fires ninety-eight projectiles?”
“That’s right.”
A brilliant light burst from Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
“I am looking for the one who used that weapon.”
“You’ve relentlessly pursued my Sahyang all this time just to ask something like that?”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng wore an expression of disbelief.
Sahyang had never touched anyone from Nang-ya-gak or the Majeon. Why on earth would Bu Eun-seol be searching for the user of such a weapon?
“I am looking for someone.”
After taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol slowly began to speak.
“He coated a Sahyang weapon with Buyukpaehyeol poison, mastered the Cheonchukyugagong, and cultivated a terrifying demonic sword art.”
“Buyukpaehyeol…”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng’s eyes narrowed.
It seemed he recognized who it was just from hearing the word ‘Buyukpaehyeol’.
“Why are you looking for him?”
Bu Eun-seol breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Mun-dae-seonsaeng clearly knew the culprit. That was why he could refer to the person as ‘him’.
“It is a personal matter. I implore you to tell me.”
Bu Eun-seol’s voice was exceedingly polite.
But his eyes were filled with an ink-black killing intent.
His expression made it clear he would do anything if he didn't get an answer.
“I have no intention of making an enemy of Sahyang.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“I don’t care who is backing Sahyang, nor am I interested in why they are stirring up the martial world.”
He was sincere.
Who were the ones who secretly planted skilled spies throughout the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions? Who were the forces rebuilding exterminated sects or researching strange drugs to sow chaos in the martial world? What did they want?
Honestly, Bu Eun-seol had little interest.
If only he could find the culprit who had brutally harmed his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang…
He couldn't care less what happened to the martial world.
“Hahaha.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng burst into laughter.
From his perspective, he couldn't take Bu Eun-seol's words at face value. And even if he knew, he couldn't say.
“It seems you wouldn’t believe me even if I said I didn’t know.”
“I would prefer that not to be the case.”
Behind Bu Eun-seol, a terrifying energy was rising like a heat haze.
“Because I have no desire to burn the entire Yulim to the ground.”
“Can you handle the consequences?”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng said in a relaxed voice.
“This Yulim was personally built by the former Imperial family. Moreover, the children of high-ranking officials from Beijing are here.”
Smiling faintly, he spoke with a hollow expression.
“And yet you would burn it down? Are you serious?”
“They say your scholarship is outstanding, but you seem completely incapable of reading people.”
The energy rising behind Bu Eun-seol gradually sharpened, forming the shape of a massive black dragon’s head.
It looked as though it would devour Mun-dae-seonsaeng’s head at any moment.
At the same time, a blood-red light, redder than blood itself, surfaced in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
“Do you think I can’t?”
Only then could Mun-dae-seonsaeng get a glimpse into the spirit of the man named Bu Eun-seol.
*‘It seems he is transitioning from the middle path, or the extreme path, to the demonic path.’*
As an outstanding master himself, he could surmise that Bu Eun-seol’s spirit had entered the initial stages of *yudoipma*—being guided into the demonic path.
*‘He is the kind of man who wouldn’t bat an eye at killing tens of thousands to achieve his goal.’*
But he, too, was the head of Sahyang, a renowned assassin family that had hidden its true nature for hundreds of years.
He was not one to yield meekly to Bu Eun-seol’s threats.
“It’s a pity, but I truly know nothing of the matter.”
“Unfortunate.”
Bu Eun-seol wore a genuinely regretful expression.
“In the end, I’ll just have to ask your body.”
“Hahaha. I am aware that you are a formidable master.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng smiled faintly.
“But have you forgotten where you are?”
*Clank.*
In that instant, with the sound of a mechanism, Mun-dae-seonsaeng’s figure vanished.
The floor had swallowed him in a flash.
Bu Eun-seol wasn't particularly surprised.
He had suspected there was a mechanism in the floor from the moment he entered.
“So it was related to that place after all.”
The mechanism installed here was strikingly similar to the mysterious ones he had seen in the past at Yuhwaryeong and the underground city.
Sahyang was not only capable of creating exquisite throwing weapons but was also a gathering of masters in mechanisms and formations...
Perhaps the mechanisms in the underground city had been installed by Sahyang.
*Kwoong.*
When Bu Eun-seol stomped his foot, the mechanism's door opened in an instant with a great tremor.
Entering that pitch-black door would lead to the true base of Sahyang, which had long been disguised within the Yulim.
*Whoosh.*
Gazing down into the passage, Bu Eun-seol leaped into the black hole without hesitation.
“The Muhon Ryeongju. Indeed…”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng, walking swiftly through the dark passage, let out a gasp of admiration.
Bu Eun-seol’s gaze and his aura. He already possessed the bearing of a supreme master who could look down upon the world.
“Can he truly be called a peerless talent comparable to *him*?”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng’s heart pounded.
Since ancient times, the supreme masters who grasped the world under their fist had all achieved earth-shattering martial prowess around their twenties.
And Bu Eun-seol was just such a master.
“They said he killed Geol-wang at a young age. He’s even more impressive than the rumors suggested.”
Recalling Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, frozen like a sheet of ice, sent a chill down his spine.
That ruthless gaze held the aura of a great demon who could kill thousands without batting an eye.
It was enough to make even Mun-dae-seonsaeng shudder.
“He’s definitely a madman.”
No sane person would dare to invade this place alone, knowing it was Sahyang.
He was clearly a lunatic who would let nothing stand in the way of achieving his goal.
“He is someone I cannot face. Someone I *must not* face.”
*Creeak.*
Finally, as he reached the end of the passage, a door swung open with the sound of a mechanism.
A tranquil scene came into view.
There were small buildings, a blacksmith's forge, a pavilion for resting, and a well scattered about.
It looked like a peaceful village on the surface, but in reality, it was the place where the world’s most terrifying throwing weapons were made.
This was the true base of Sahyang.
It was attached to the Yulim—the cradle of scholars, a place with no connection to the martial world—as if they were one body.
This was why no intelligence organization had ever been able to find Sahyang's headquarters.
*‘I must inform the Hyangju quickly.’*
Just as Mun-dae-seonsaeng hurriedly ran toward the heart of Sahyang,
“Too late.”
A man with his arms crossed was leaning against a tree before him. It was Bu Eun-seol.
“How did you get here?”
“I came to the main base of Sahyang, which has remained hidden for hundreds of years. Did you really think I wouldn’t have investigated thoroughly?”
Uncrossing his arms, Bu Eun-seol slowly walked forward.
“I will ask one last time.”
Bu Eun-seol's previously polite tone had turned sharp and menacing, as if it could tear the sky asunder.
“Who is he?”
“Do you think I would tell you?”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng shouted and stomped the ground.
*Thump.*
At that, the people who had been leisurely strolling about inside Sahyang froze,
*Ssk.*
and slowly turned.
The man hammering in the forge. The boy crouching by the roadside. The old men enjoying the breeze in the pavilion.
All of them turned to look at Bu Eun-seol with cold faces.
It was now clear that everyone here was a Sahyang assassin.
*Clank. Whirr.*
Simultaneously, strangely shaped metal tubes emerged from various spots around the village.
They appeared to be projectile devices designed to deal with external enemies.
“You should know this is useless.”
Bu Eun-seol said coldly, looking at the projectile devices arrayed around him.
“These kinds of devices are for when a large force attacks.”
Mun-dae-seonsaeng bit his lip.
Bu Eun-seol was right.
The devices here were all designed to fend off a large-scale force.
They had never imagined someone would dare to invade the great Sahyang alone.
Against a single invader like Bu Eun-seol, they were utterly ineffective.
“Attack.”
But Mun-dae-seonsaeng shouted without hesitation.
Even if the mass projectile devices were ineffective, there were many skilled assassins here.
There was no way Bu Eun-seol could face them all alone.
*Swish!*
Projectiles rained down, but Bu Eun-seol was already gone.
*Flash!*
Having already passed the projectile devices, Bu Eun-seol’s Muk-geom flashed.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
There was no time to even scream.
Each time Bu Eun-seol swung his Muk-geom, blood erupted, and dozens of heads fell to the ground.
*KABOOM!*
Finding Bu Eun-seol’s movement technique too elusive to follow, they detonated explosive charges planted throughout the area.
But Bu Eun-seol’s shadow was already outside the blast radius.
*KABOOM! KABOOM!*
They detonated the charges in succession, accepting friendly casualties, but it was all for naught.
If anything, the smoke spreading in all directions only helped Bu Eun-seol, allowing him to conceal himself and unleash indiscriminate sword strikes.
*Clang!*
Realizing the projectiles and explosives were useless, the assassins drew their swords and began a close-quarters assault.
*‘The sword arts of the Orthodox Faction.’*
A light flared in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes as he watched the sword arts they unleashed.
Just like the assassins who had attacked at the Seongga Ironworks in the past, they were using a modified version of Orthodox sword arts.
“I have nothing to ask of you.”
A black mist rose from Bu Eun-seol’s body as he watched the assassins execute their sword forms.
*Zzzing!*
The black mist condensed, as if being absorbed into Bu Eun-seol’s left fist.
*Chwaak!*
As he violently opened his fist, five streams of sharp energy shot out. It was the materialized true qi of the Yeoui Jingyeol, unleashed like long blades.
*Thwip-thwip-thwip.*
With dull thuds, the five streams of energy skewered dozens of charging assassins like kebabs.
“Now!”
In that opening, assassins who had approached from behind Bu Eun-seol unleashed sharp sword techniques.
But without even looking back, he flicked his left hand again.
*Kwarreung!*
An explosive sound erupted, and the charging assassins were sent flying in the opposite direction, turned to bloody pulp.
He had mimicked the Tan-wang’s Naega-tangi technique.
*Kwoong! Kwoong!*
As massive, materialized gusts of wind erupted one after another, the assassins’ bodies were flung back like toys.
His spirit having once again entered the demonic path, there were no restrictions on his use of the Yeoui Jingyeol.
—Uuuuh….
Faced with such a cruel and powerful attack, devoid of any mercy, the assassins’ assault faltered.
Bu Eun-seol's method of skewering people whole with the Yeoui Jingyeol was enough to strike fear into even the most battle-hardened assassins.
Indeed, some of the younger assassins had frozen, having lost all will to resist.
—He is alone! Do not be afraid! Attack!
At Mun-dae-seonsaeng’s shout, the more experienced and veteran assassins stepped forward.
They once again began to unleash their sharp sword techniques.
*Whirrrr!*
Sahyang had been able to operate while hiding its true base for a hundred years, partly thanks to the development of outstanding projectile devices, but…
more importantly, it was because they had consistently trained exceptional assassins for generations.
*Pyushut! Ping!*
As they charged, ready to die, blood began to spurt from Bu Eun-seol’s body as well.
Their secret assassination techniques, combined with the projectile devices, were especially powerful.
*‘How tedious.’*
But looking at the charging assassins, Bu Eun-seol felt only boredom.
*‘All I need is information on the culprit. Is there really any need to risk my life fighting back?’*
It had become tedious.
Swinging his sword. Moving his body to fight.
He just wanted to stand still and kill these charging gnats.
Bu Eun-seol merely imagined it.
*Wooooong!*
And then, black true qi spread out from his body in all directions.
Simultaneously, the true qi materialized into giant, black, glossy tentacles.
It was as if an unknown monster was hovering behind Bu Eun-seol’s back.
Yeoui Jingyeol.
The essence of the Macheonje's ultimate heart art had finally begun to blossom from Bu Eun-seol’s body.