Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: The Man in the Moonlight
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After hearing the whole story, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes grew transparent.
The Bu Jan-yang of martial history was a walking calamity, a man who had mercilessly slain countless masters from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.
A great demonic grandmaster whose skill with the blade had reached the pinnacle of the Dao of the Blade.
But he wasn't a calamity at all—he was a blademaster steeped in emptiness?
‘This is confusing.’
He said the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade used the Heavenly Axis Yoga Art and musk-scented hidden weapons.
And his grandfather had lost his life to someone who used the Heavenly Axis Yoga Art and musk-scented hidden weapons.
For that reason, Bu Eun-seol had assumed they were two different people with the same name, and that they were enemies.
But from what he had just heard, Bu Jan-yang was not the sort of person who would have killed his grandfather, unless he were a mortal enemy.
No, in fact, the probability that the two were the same person was high.
‘The Seven-Fingered Demon Blade… was my grandfather.’
Evidence was nonexistent.
But after hearing everything Zhongli Sixian had to say, Bu Eun-seol had a gut feeling that the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade was his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
On the outside, he wore the face of a cruel demonic arts practitioner, but in reality, he had a calm disposition and a vacant gaze…
The peerless demonic blademaster who had subdued the then-invincible Silent King in just nine moves.
He instinctively knew that this man, the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade Bu Jan-yang, was his grandfather.
‘But…’
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
This was not something he could be sure of based on intuition alone. No, he shouldn't be.
The man known to the world as the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade was not only cruel by nature but also a great murderer who had killed countless masters from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.
And now he was to believe this man was a disciple of Shaolin and the Vice-Lord of the Demonic Cult?
Even if he conceded a hundred times that it was true, only one question remained: ‘But why?’
The Seven-Fingered Demon Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
He was a man who had achieved all the glory a martial artist could. Why would he walk such a path, hidden from the eyes of others?
‘Could it be that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor knew all of this?’
What if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had told him this story when they had met in private before the inauguration ceremony?
Bu Eun-seol would never have believed him.
‘So that’s why he told me to find out for myself…’
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had told him not to seek the truth from the mouths of others.
Did he say that because he knew everything? Or was he simply speaking of a truth of the martial world?
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor. What on earth was he thinking?
‘I don’t know. Not a single thing.’
He felt a wave of nausea.
What was certain was that his grandfather was not an ordinary dyer, but a martial artist.
To get his revenge, he would have to dig up not only the traces his grandfather had left behind… but also unravel every single tangled thread of resentment.
‘None of that matters.’
He had already resolved to cut down not only his grandfather’s killer but everyone involved for the sake of his revenge.
According to the clue given by the Silent King, there had been an unknown conflict between the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade Bu Jan-yang, the White Horse Temple, and the Spirit Command Gate.
And since his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had mastered the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, it was certain he was a disciple of Shaolin.
That left only two options.
He could either investigate the White Horse Temple and the Spirit Command Gate, or he could take his time and investigate Shaolin.
‘I’ll handle them in order.’
Bu Eun-seol made his decision.
He would start by investigating the White Horse Temple and the Spirit Command Gate.
Now that he was the successor to the Demonic Cult, he had to make those two sects support him anyway.
If he didn't secure a majority of support, they could stab him in the back at any time.
—The position of successor is a dangerous one.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor had told him this at the inauguration.
And those were not empty words. What if, as the official successor, he did not possess the corresponding power and authority?
A knife could fly at his back at any moment.
“Thank you.”
Having sorted through the thoughts blooming in his mind, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together.
“You’ve been a great help.”
Those words were not mere pleasantries.
Thanks to Zhongli Sixian, he had learned for the first time of a side of the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade unknown to the martial world.
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Zhongli Sixian spoke with a benevolent smile.
“I have prepared a comfortable place for you to rest. Please, stay and get some rest.”
“No, thank you. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must be on my way.”
“At this hour of the night?”
Bu Eun-seol smiled and clasped his hands.
“The more diligently I move, the sooner the martial world will find its stability, will it not?”
This was a common farewell used by the renowned heroes of the Orthodox Faction, a phrase sometimes imitated by the younger generation.
“Hahaha.”
Zhongli Sixian chuckled and nodded.
“Originally, this old man planned to perform the Primordial Golden Needle Technique on you to lessen my debt to Shaolin. But seeing your internal energy, I see that was a foolish thought.”
He then looked at Bu Eun-seol with a pleased expression.
“Until now, the only young men who have caught this old man’s eye were the Alliance Leader’s youngest disciple and the esteemed disciple of the Sword Sovereign, known as the Heavenly Sword.”
The Orthodox Heavenly Emperor had five disciples, with an age gap of over twenty years between the eldest and the youngest.
Among them, the youngest disciple’s swordsmanship was said to be astonishing enough to startle heaven and earth, and his martial prowess was rumored to rival the Four Divine and Seven Kings.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Sword, the disciple who had inherited the entirety of the Sword Sovereign's sword essence, was rumored to be the second coming of the Sword Sovereign himself.
However, one was the disciple of the Orthodox Heavenly Emperor, and the other, a disciple of the Three Sovereigns.
Because their statuses were so lofty, they were said to conceal their movements and operate secretly within the martial world.
‘So their skills have also broken through to the Transcendent Realm.’
Zhongli Sixian must have gauged the level of Bu Eun-seol's internal energy during their contest.
For him to compare those two to himself…
It was an indirect suggestion that they, too, had broken through to the Transcendent Realm.
“But among them, you, young man, are truly a crane among chickens.”
Zhongli Sixian’s gaze was already that of a man looking at his grandson-in-law.
“Once you’ve finished your business, please visit our family home again soon.”
Placing a hand gently on Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder, he offered a benevolent smile.
“Now that a dragon among men like you has appeared, I must stop Sayu from her perilous journeys in the martial world.”
If he stayed any longer, he would be roped into this whether he liked it or not.
Bu Eun-seol hastily rose and clasped his hands.
“Then, I will take my leave.”
Retracing his steps out of the estate, he saw a path where plum blossoms bloomed in profusion.
And there, a beautiful woman in a white dress with her hair tied up was looking at him.
It was Zhongli Sayu.
“Are you leaving now?”
“I am.”
“Did you finish your conversation with my grandfather?”
“I did.”
A brief silence followed the short exchange.
Zhongli Sayu gazed at the moonlight in the distant sky. Then, with a blush on her face, she turned to Bu Eun-seol and spoke.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Her expression was a spitting image of Yeon So-ha's when she had looked at him at the Divine Maiden Palace.
A chill ran down Bu Eun-seol’s spine, and he shook his head.
“Do not wait for me.”
“Pardon?”
“From now on, I must undertake dangerous work where I cannot guarantee my own life. And it is nine parts out of ten that it will not end well.”
It was a gentle refusal, but it was also a statement filled with Bu Eun-seol's true feelings.
But Zhongli Sayu only smiled and took a step closer.
Reflected in the moonlight, her large, slender eyes seemed to have gathered all the beautiful light in the world.
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Zhongli Sayu's face, his expression tense.
Then she closed her eyes and slightly puckered her light pink lips. She was asking for a kiss.
But Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and clasped his hands.
“I will be going now.”
Opening her eyes, Zhongli Sayu let out a soft laugh.
Though she felt a slight pang of disappointment, she was also quite fond of Bu Eun-seol's righteous and gentlemanly behavior.
“You must come back. If you don’t, I’ll come find you at Shaolin.”
With a sweet threat, Zhongli Sayu whispered, her face flushed.
“Please take care of yourself until we meet again.”
Then she turned and hurried back into the estate.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Bu Eun-seol quickly left the grounds.
The only small relief was that he hadn't revealed his true identity and had used the name Baek Mu-seong…
But as for what repercussions that would cause in the future, even he could not predict.
* * *
Leaving Chim-ju, Bu Eun-seol immediately used his lightness art to head for the Demonic Cult.
The White Horse Temple and the Spirit Command Gate.
According to Zhongli Sixian, they had inflicted a fatal wound on the young Seven-Fingered Demon Blade forty years ago.
Of course, at the time, he had not yet risen to the rank of Vice-Lord of the Demonic Cult, but how could such a fact be completely unknown to the martial world?
It meant that the two sects had kept the fact that they attacked the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade a secret.
Bu Eun-seol decided to find out why.
‘There must be a reason they intentionally hid it.’
At that time, the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade Bu Jan-yang was nothing more than a great murderer with a cruel hand.
He had no clashes, no points of contact with the Ten Demonic Sects.
But now, Zhongli Sixian had revealed that two of those sects, the White Horse Temple and the Spirit Command Gate, had clashed with the Seven-Fingered Demon Blade.
What if this were the Bu Eun-seol of the past? He would have agonized over how to investigate the White Horse Temple and the Spirit Command Gate.
But now, he was the successor of the Demonic Cult and the Master of the Martial Soul Order. He had more than enough authority to investigate such matters.
*Whoosh.*
Unleashing the Extreme Speed Shadowless Art, Bu Eun-seol's figure cut through the sky, passing over mountains and fields.
—Gah!
A faint, single scream reached the ears of Bu Eun-seol as he shot forward.
It was the sound of a dying breath. Moreover, though brief, it was steeped in desperation.
The person was clearly dying in extreme agony.
—Gah, ack!
The screams didn't come just once, but in succession.
However, given that they echoed one after another with a short interval between them, it was clear that a large number of people were dying horribly.
‘That area… is Nangrim Mountain.’
Pausing his technique for a moment, Bu Eun-seol scanned the surrounding area.
The sound came from the deep, deep mountains of Nangrim Mountain, visible in the distance.
There was only one type of group that would gather in such a place in large numbers.
‘Bandits… the Black Wind Fortress.’
On this Nangrim Mountain was a fortress of extremely vicious bandits who couldn't even be dignified with the name of the Green Forest outlaws.
The Black Wind Fortress.
According to rumors, it was a fortress where retired or crippled assassins gathered.
And as if to prove those rumors, their methods were cruel and meticulous, and their tempers were so ferocious and greedy…
It was said they indiscriminately targeted not only passing merchant caravans but also common folk.
The enraged orthodox sects nearby had attempted to subjugate the Black Wind Fortress several times, but the terrain of Nangrim Mountain was exceptionally rugged.
Furthermore, taking advantage of their skills as assassins, they had installed heinous hidden weapon mechanisms along the path leading to the fortress.
And they had built fake fortresses in various places, setting up numerous traps.
As a result, the sects that attempted subjugation suffered great losses instead, failing one after another.
‘But this is strange.’
If masters from the orthodox sects were participating in a large-scale annihilation of the fortress, the screams should all be heard at once.
But weren't the screams he heard coming one after another, as if in an execution?
‘Hmm.’
In the past, he wouldn't have given such a matter the slightest bit of attention.
But now, he was the successor of the Demonic Cult.
He had to carefully observe and understand the movements of the martial world, including not only the Demonic Faction but also the Orthodox and Black Dao Factions.
*Fwoosh!*
Bu Eun-seol immediately changed direction and moved quickly toward the source of the screams.
As he moved, the faint screams grew less frequent, until finally, they ceased altogether.
But Bu Eun-seol's keen senses pinpointed the origin of the sound at once.
Passing through the deep forests of Nangrim Mountain, he arrived at a wide, open valley where sturdy fortresses could be seen scattered about.
*Thud.*
Landing on the ground and surveying his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol let out a low hum.
The scene at the fortress was truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
About five hundred bandits and their families had all become gruesome corpses.
“A greatsword was used.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he examined the wounds on the bodies.
The fatal wound was a stab in the center of the chest. It was made by a freakishly large sword, about the width of a grown man's forearm.
But the wounds had another characteristic.
To inflict excruciating pain until the last breath, the blade had deliberately avoided vital points.
“A pleasure killing?”
A sword strike reflects the wielder's heart.
If this was done out of a deep-seated grudge, to inflict pain? The wounds would not have been so clean.
But despite severing the spine and chest bones with a greatsword, the killer had avoided the vital points that would cause instant death.
That meant the bandits had been killed very calmly and methodically.
“And it was only one person.”
The bodies were all pierced through the chest in the same manner, the technique flawless without a single deviation.
This was not the work of a large force annihilating the Black Wind Fortress, but of a single master with terrifying skill.
“...!”
Just then, as Bu Eun-seol was examining a body, his pupils dilated.
He had only just now sensed that someone had appeared behind him.
‘Incredible.’
His heightened senses could perceive everything within a thousand-foot radius.
No matter how engrossed he was in examining the bodies… to think someone could approach this close without him noticing?
Bu Eun-seol slowly turned around.
There, standing in the darkness untouched by the moonlight, he could see the silhouette of a man.
He was well over seven feet tall, with the shoulders and back of a bear and the waist of a tiger. And he held a greatsword that seemed to weigh over a hundred pounds as lightly as a chopstick.
He wasn't using internal energy; he was using his innate, god-given strength.
*Ssk.*
The shadow glided forward, revealing its form under the moonlight.
In that moment, a strange light flickered in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
Unlike his physique, which was like a great mountain, his features were upright and kind, and a harmless smile graced his lips.
However, his eyes were very large and glittered with an excessive light, hinting at a strange madness.
“Huh? I thought I killed them all.”
As the man took another step closer, a spiderweb-like formless energy spread out and tried to bind Bu Eun-seol's body.
‘So this is how.’
Bu Eun-seol finally understood how a single person had managed to kill hundreds of bandits from the Black Wind Fortress.
He had used this strange, formless energy to render the bandits unable to move, then finished them off one by one.
“Impressive.”
Bu Eun-seol voiced his admiration aloud.
Until now, among the rising generation of his age, he had never met anyone with skills comparable to his own.
But the man before him displayed martial prowess astonishing enough to deceive the senses of Bu Eun-seol, who had entered the Transcendent Heaven Realm.
Where in the world did such a master appear from?