Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: The Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade
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Dark clouds billowed in the sky, and it felt as if the wails of ghosts echoed from all directions.
“How could the master of the Sahyang have learned the Prajna Mahasiddhi?”
Shaolin's ultimate techniques have never been leaked to the outside world.
Moreover, the Prajna Mahasiddhi was a martial art that even ordinary disciples could not learn.
This meant that Mun Dae-seonsaeng was a disciple of considerable rank, and perhaps Shaolin itself was aware of this fact.
“Does this mean Shaolin is behind the Sahyang?”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
There was no chance that Shaolin was the power behind a mysterious assassin sect passed down through generations.
If that were the case, at the very least, Hong Hyeon the Buddha would not have told him to protect the martial world.
—I, too, abandoned my status and returned to the secular world...
However, Mun Dae-seonsaeng had referred to Shaolin as his ‘main temple’ and called himself a disciple of Shaolin.
If this wasn't nonsense, it meant he had deliberately abandoned his identity and devoted himself to the Sahyang.
‘Was Mun Dae-seonsaeng a lay disciple?’
Shaolin accepted more lay disciples than any of the Nine Sects One Gang, and depending on the circumstances, they generously imparted the main temple's ultimate techniques to them.
‘Or perhaps, the Blood Shaolin.’
A separate Shaolin that emerges to overcome calamities when crisis befalls the martial world.
The Blood Shaolin was said to exist.
The warrior monks belonging to the Blood Shaolin all concealed their identities and, with the abbot's permission, secretly honed a destructively modified version of the Seventy-Two Ultimate Arts.
However, few knew of the Blood Shaolin's existence, and Bu Eun-seol himself had only heard of it while on a Grade-A mission for the Nine Kills Squad.
He had only heard the story by chance, like a folktale.
‘But I can't just indiscriminately wipe out Shaolin like I did the Five Poisons Sect or the Four Flowers Union.’
What if Bu Eun-seol's spirit was still in the demonic state as it had been before?
He would have recklessly focused all his forces and intelligence networks on Shaolin immediately.
But now, having regained his originally tranquil spirit, he was calmly analyzing the situation and devising a plan.
‘Investigating Shaolin must not be done rashly.’
Shaolin was a great pillar supporting the Orthodox Faction, and it was home to many high-ranking monks with outstanding martial arts and mysterious abilities.
It was far more perilous than investigating the Martial Alliance, and thus required just as much caution.
‘Though it's likely just a matter of order.’
From the beginning, Bu Eun-seol had intended to thoroughly investigate not only the Martial Alliance but all the Orthodox Factions, including the Nine Sects One Gang.
This was because all the evidence so far suggested the culprit was more likely someone from the Orthodox Faction.
However, Shaolin was not a place to be trifled with…
It couldn't be investigated immediately; it would require the most extensive preparation and a meticulous plan.
“First, let's go back.”
Bu Eun-seol listlessly turned his body.
For now, he had to be content with having dealt with the Sahyang.
The moment he tried to draw upon his internal energy to use a movement technique,
“...!”
His gaze wavered like a ripple.
As he summoned his internal energy, the aura of the Prajna Mahasiddhi dispersed in his meridians clashed minutely with the true qi in his dantian.
The foundation of Bu Eun-seol's power was the Demonic Path's Reversal Heart Art.
However, he had accumulated true qi since childhood through the life-nurturing secrets of the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, and now, even the Prajna Mahasiddhi had been absorbed into his meridians.
In the end, not only his spirit but also what was etched into his body had become stranded between the Demonic and Orthodox Paths.
“Hooo.”
A deep sigh escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips as he grasped the full situation.
If this situation continued…
Whether he wanted to or not, he would have no choice but to continue deeply mastering and developing the martial arts of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths.
Zzzing.
But just then, Bu Eun-seol's extrasensory perception detected a faint sound.
It seemed to originate from deep within the earth, creating a faint vibration that traveled up through his feet.
‘The children?’
Only then did Bu Eun-seol remember that the kidnapped children had always been connected to the Sahyang.
That meant the abducted children must be trapped somewhere in the Sahyang's territory.
Lost in deep thought for a moment, Bu Eun-seol pushed the senses of his Beast Blade to their maximum.
And at the same time, he stomped his foot hard.
Kwoong.
As he vibrated the ground, the tremors spread, and his Void Wave Mind's Eye was activated.
Simultaneously, the range of his extrasensory perception began to extend a hundred zhang into the ground.
‘Underground again?’
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as he analyzed the sensations of the Void Wave Mind's Eye spreading in all directions.
He had discovered a vast space beneath the ground where this Sahyang village was built.
‘I need to find a way down.’
As Bu Eun-seol looked around the village, his eyes suddenly fell upon a well situated right in the center.
The well was dry, and inside, a large bucket big enough for a person to ride in was connected to a rope.
“...”
The well was so deep that even Bu Eun-seol, with his vision that could pierce the darkness, could not see the bottom.
Thwack.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol rode the large bucket down into the well.
The bottom opened into a large, natural cave. And there were continuous tracks indicating many people had passed through.
Torches were mounted on the walls here and there, but none were lit, leaving the interior filled with a mixture of thick darkness and damp air.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
A faint sense of hostility could be felt from all around.
It was like a beast in the darkness stalking its prey.
Swish!
With a sharp sound of something cutting through the air, a sharp object flew toward Bu Eun-seol's temple.
As he lightly tilted his head to dodge it, a shadow holding a sharp piece of metal descended from the ceiling.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eun-seol did not evade, instead watching the shadow holding the metal piece.
But it was a trap.
While his attention was focused on the shadow that appeared before him,
another shadow, crouching low and approaching stealthily, forcefully slashed at both of Bu Eun-seol's ankles with a sharp piece of metal.
Swish!
At the same time, sharp metal pieces dug into his side, back, and chest.
Thwack.
In the end, four sharp pieces of metal were embedded deep in Bu Eun-seol's body.
“An ordinary martial artist would have died here.”
Though metal pieces were stuck all over his body, he stood calmly and smiled faintly.
Clatter.
When he exerted his internal energy, the sharp metal pieces instantly turned to dust and scattered in all directions.
Fwoom!
As Bu Eun-seol released a finger gust imbued with Scorching True Qi, the torches on the walls ignited.
Simultaneously, the shadows crouching in the darkness revealed themselves.
“So they were doing the same things they did on Hell Island.”
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue.
The figures revealed under the torchlight were young boys, their childishness not yet faded.
There were thirty of them.
Their bodies were emaciated as if they hadn't washed or eaten properly in a long time, and they were covered in grime.
But their eyes, reflecting the torchlight, glinted with a blade-like sharpness, showing no trace of fear.
“Did they feed them *Inhwa* again?”
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
These boys had all been forcibly saturated with a heinous drug like *Inhwa*.
As a result, though they had no internal energy, their bodies were as agile as martial arts masters, and their temperaments had become as ferocious as wild beasts.
‘Fortunately, they haven't learned internal arts yet.’
The boys seemed not to have formally learned martial arts yet, as there were no signs of them having cultivated internal energy.
“Then there is a way.”
Whoosh!
As Bu Eun-seol reached out, the boy in the front row floated into the air and was drawn to his palm.
Had any martial artist witnessed this, they would have been utterly astonished.
Pulling a teacup or a weapon through the air with telekinesis was not that difficult.
But to pull the body of a boy standing five or six zhang away with telekinesis was a feat that could only be described as divine.
“Ugh.”
Overwhelmed by Bu Eun-seol's martial might, the boy trembled, unable to even think of resisting.
“There is no need to be afraid.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly as he began to infuse internal energy into the boy's Dazhui acupoint.
Fwoosh!
Then, white steam rose from the boy's entire body, and his dark, sallow skin and yellowed eyes returned to their natural color.
He had injected his powerful Reversal True Qi to expel all the absorbed drugs from the boy's body.
‘His bone structure is good.’
If the boy's bone structure had been poor and his meridians not sturdy, he would not have been able to properly receive Bu Eun-seol's true qi.
But in the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the boy had fully accepted the Reversal True Qi, which permeated all the meridians in his body.
“How do you feel?”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, the boy nodded, his eyes now clear.
“My mind, which was dizzy and hazy, has become clear.”
“Good. The rest of you, come before me, one by one.”
Bu Eun-seol proceeded to inject his Reversal True Qi into the thirty boys, one after another, burning away the drugs in their bodies.
They all possessed excellent physiques, but the first boy Bu Eun-seol had infused with qi was the most outstanding.
“Are you the leader of this group?”
The boy standing at the very front nodded at Bu Eun-seol's question.
“Yes.”
“Your name.”
“Agwi... sir.”
It seemed the boy had been orphaned at such a young age that he was never given a proper name.
Just like Bu Eun-seol in the past.
“Do you have a place to return to?”
“What do you mean…”
“The ones who kidnapped you are all dead. I came here to rescue you.”
At this, the expressions of about half the boys behind Agwi brightened, while the other half's darkened.
“Half of us are orphans. Like me, without even a proper name.”
Half of the kidnapped boys were orphans.
They were simply captured because of their good physiques. There was no one to care for them or even notice they were gone.
“Take this.”
Bu Eun-seol took a money pouch from his robes, along with a black stone engraved with the image of a wolf, and gave them to Agwi.
“Take those with nowhere to go and head to Chengdu. Then, place this stone in front of the inn closest to the post station. Someone will appear to take you in.”
“Where will they take us?”
“Mount Geommi, Nangya Pavilion.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“When you arrive, you will meet Master Cheol. Tell him everything that has happened, and say that I sent you.”
“What is your name, great hero?”
Agwi asked, his eyes bright and intelligent, and Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
“Bu Eun-seol. Just tell him that.”
“Bu Eun-seol…”
Agwi muttered under his breath.
At that time, the boys did not yet know.
That the man standing before them was a great martial arts grandmaster who would one day reach the pinnacle of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths.
And that they themselves would become the ten saviors who would one day rescue Nangya Pavilion from crisis.
The boys all left the Sahyang village via the bucket. This place was a secret location far from Mount Hoedang, connected by a hidden passage.
They would be able to travel to Chengdu quietly, without any connection to the martial world.
“Now, I really should be going.”
Looking at the empty cave, Bu Eun-seol walked back toward the well bucket.
“...”
Bu Eun-seol suddenly stared intently at the bucket. It looked like wood on the outside, but it was actually made of hard metal.
Furthermore, the chain connected to the bucket, despite being metal, was as soft as a rope and as elastic as rubber.
‘Hidden weapons…’
This was the Sahyang, known as the great home of hidden weapons.
In that case, there must be a secret storeroom somewhere that holds exquisitely crafted hidden weapons.
The hidden weapon used to kill his grandfather would be there, too.
‘Let's find it.’
Bu Eun-seol immediately activated his Hollow Mind Transference.
He intended to scan everything from underground to the surface.
“So it was here.”
As he used his Hollow Mind Transference, he saw a white light emanating from the darkness in the distance.
After walking for a while, he saw a wall from which a faint light was leaking.
It looked like a solid rock wall, but it was actually made of iron—a secret door with a hidden mechanism.
Click.
When he placed his hand on the wall, the sound of a mechanism was heard, and a secretly hidden iron door slowly revealed itself.
Entering, he found over thirty different types of unique hidden weapon devices stored on top of metal boxes.
“It's not here?”
The hidden weapon devices hidden here were incredibly intricate, but their size and shape were very small.
“Thirty of them… I see.”
It turned out these thirty devices were likely hidden weapons intended to be equipped on the boys who were to be raised here.
“Hmm.”
As Bu Eun-seol picked up a hidden weapon device shaped like a wrist guard, shook his head, and put it back down,
Click.
a faint mechanical sound was suddenly heard from on top of the metal box.
It was so quiet that even he felt he had only heard it by chance.
Bu Eun-seol carefully examined the metal box, then abruptly summoned his internal energy.
Fwoosh!
As he simultaneously lifted the hidden weapons from the thirty metal boxes into the air,
Zzziiing.
a large metal box began to rise from the floor with a low mechanical hum, stopping at Bu Eun-seol's waist.
Click.
When he opened the box, there was a peculiar glove inside.
It was shaped like a delicate human hand.
From the wrinkles to the pores and hairs, it was so perfect that it looked less like a glove and more like the skin of a human hand that had been peeled off whole.
Ssk.
As if possessed, Bu Eun-seol put the glove on his right hand.
As he did, his middle, ring, and little fingers on his right hand were pressed down by the glove,
making them seem to have vanished completely.
Seven fingers.
Putting on this glove instantly made it look as if Bu Eun-seol had only seven fingers.
“...!”
Bu Eun-seol's eyes were filled with shock.
There were countless wondrous treasures in the martial world, but none that intentionally made a perfectly fine hand appear to have only seven fingers.
And there was only one famous martial artist who had seven fingers.
“The Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade…”
This glove must have belonged to Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade.
He hadn't cut off his fingers to master his blade techniques; he had worn this glove and pretended to have seven fingers.
But why?
Bu Eun-seol couldn't understand it at all.
Why would he pretend to have only seven fingers? And why was his glove stored in the Sahyang's secret storeroom?
“Was Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, an assassin for the Sahyang?”
It was an absurd notion.
Before he disappeared, he was none other than the Vice-Master of the Demonic Palace.
It was impossible that a man holding the second-most revered position in the Demonic Path would act as an assassin.
Even if he had wanted to create a dual identity, there would have been plenty of other ways.
“But…”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
One of the best ways to disguise one's identity is to completely hide one's physical characteristics.
‘He used that.’
Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, had instead exploited the blind spot of an unchangeable physical trait.
He must have deliberately let the world believe he had seven fingers.
And when using his disguised identity, he would have used all ten fingers. By doing so, no one would ever suspect he was Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes lost their focus.
The thought that perhaps Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade, had been his grandfather's identity flashed through his mind.
Drip.
Just then, a drop of blood from Bu Eun-seol's body fell onto the glove.
Where the blood touched it, faint characters were revealed.
But Bu Eun-seol, staring into space, did not see it.
Putting the glove into his robes, a fiery heat rose in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
“I have to find him.”
Something more important than finding the main body of the Sahyang had come up.
Bu Jan-yang, the Seven-Fingered Demonic Blade.
The swordsman with the most outstanding blade techniques in the martial world at that time, a star of slaughter, and the Vice-Master of the Demonic Palace.
But now, he had to find this man who had vanished so completely that not even a trace of his whereabouts could be found.
Bu Jan-yang of the Hwangju Prefecture Constabulary.
The man who had lived a quiet and peaceful life for over thirty years, performing funerary rites for the unclaimed dead who had died away from home.
A gentle and affectionate man, a wise figure who had taught him the beauty of nature and the principles of life.
He had to compare the lives of these two figures to get closer to the truth.