Chapter 307
Chapter 307
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: A Faked Death
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ah, I guess not.”
As Bu Eun-seol calmly withstood the formless energy he had unleashed, the man spoke, his expression deflated.
“You’re not one of the Black Wind Fortress bandits. What are you doing here?”
When Bu Eun-seol didn’t respond, the man tilted his head again.
“Did you come because you heard the noise?”
“…”
“Your aura surpasses the Transcendent Realm… yet I can feel neither demonic nor righteous energy? This is a state of true indecision.”
Bu Eun-seol was inwardly amazed.
*Ban-do-bul-jeong*.
It meant to be halfway down a path, yet undecided.
This simple-faced man had read Bu Eun-seol’s aura and instantly perceived that his spirit was neither of the Demonic Path nor the Righteous Way… but caught somewhere in between.
*A man of the Orthodox Faction. And a high-ranking one at that.*
Bu Eun-seol, too, analyzed the aura emanating from the man.
He soon surmised that the man practiced the orthodox martial arts of the Righteous Faction, which focused on the cultivation of Ki.
“Aha, you’re here to take care of the Black Wind Fortress too, aren’t you?”
Moreover, judging by his naturally imperious tone and bearing, it was clear that, despite his guileless appearance, he was a man of considerable standing.
“Are you mute?”
At the man’s question, Bu Eun-seol slowly parted his lips.
“Do you hold a grudge against the Black Wind Fortress?”
“Hm?”
“You could have killed them without pain. Yet you deliberately avoided their vital points to make them die in agony.”
“Nope, I don’t have any grudge against them.”
The man answered with an innocent expression.
“If they committed evil deeds, they should suffer for them, shouldn’t they? Don’t tell me you think I should have let these bastards live unharmed?”
The man wagged his finger and spoke earnestly.
“You might not know, but these guys kidnapped women and murdered common folk. They aren’t your typical bandits.”
“…”
“Are you one of those who believes in that old-fashioned nonsense about a butcher becoming a Buddha just by laying down his knife? It’s because the old folks in Buddhism and Taoism preach that stuff all day that the number of these bad guys keeps increasing.”
The eyes of the man, who chattered on relentlessly, were not only clear and bright but also filled with unwavering conviction.
He was undoubtedly confident that everything he did was right.
*This is none of my business.*
Bu Eun-seol had no intention of arguing about the man’s beliefs.
“I will be leaving.”
As Bu Eun-seol turned, the man tilted his head and leaned in.
“What, you’re not even curious who I am?”
When Bu Eun-seol still didn’t answer, he grinned and tapped the greatsword on his back.
“Wanna go a round? You seem to have some skill.”
The Bu Eun-seol of the past would have gladly clashed with this man.
But now, he was a figure responsible for the state of the Demonic Martial World, and his every action represented the Demonic Cult.
Furthermore, he had to uncover the identity of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Dao and eliminate those who had disturbed his grandfather’s eternal rest as quickly as possible.
There was no need to cross swords with a man from the Orthodox Faction, especially one of considerable status.
“Perhaps next time.”
Having made up his mind, Bu Eun-seol turned without delay and launched himself into the air.
“Is that so? A shame.”
Placing both hands behind his head, Cheon-geom watched Bu Eun-seol disappear before turning away.
But how could they have known?
That the meeting of these two peerless talents would lead to a fateful rivalry, one where they could not exist under the same sky.
* * *
Upon entering Chengdu, Bu Eun-seol made his way through the bustling marketplace and into a tavern.
His criteria for choosing a tavern were not luxury or splendor.
Bu Eun-seol always sought out places that were large, reasonably priced, and frequented by a diverse clientele, not just martial artists.
For only in such establishments could one overhear news of the Jianghu, along with all manner of circulating rumors.
“Welcome!”
Guided by a waiter to a window seat on the third floor, he ordered a simple dish and a bottle of wine.
*Should I look for another way?*
Gazing out the window, Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought.
His original plan had been to return to the Demonic Cult immediately, lead the inspection unit as the Lord of the Soul Command, and investigate the White Horse Temple and the Soul Command Gate.
But upon deeper reflection, it was unlikely that the White Horse Temple and the Soul Command Gate would kindly provide him with information from forty years ago.
*Could I force their mouths open under the pretext of an inspection?*
But that presented another problem.
There was no guarantee they would speak only the truth, as Jong-ri Sa-hyeon had.
If they gave him false information, he would only fall into greater confusion.
He had to approach this matter with more caution.
*Gulp.*
Just as Bu Eun-seol, having drained his cup, was about to refill it, a faint mental message reached his ears.
「My Lord. This is Mu-heun.」
Mu-heun was the member of the Nine Kill Squad who specialized in erasing Bu Eun-seol's tracks and delivering intelligence.
He was also an agent with both the skill and experience to undertake missions of the highest classification.
「I have an urgent matter to report.」
「Proceed.」
Bu Eun-seol sent the mental message and nonchalantly filled his empty cup. Just as he was slowly bringing it to his lips…
「We've found a survivor of the Ten Demonic Practitioners.」
Bu Eun-seol’s hand, raising the cup to his mouth, froze.
It was widely known that aside from Yu Un-ryong, Myo Cheon-u, and Seo Jin-ha, all the Ten Demonic Practitioners had lost their lives.
But Bu Eun-seol had always believed.
He believed that the supreme talents who had survived the Isle of Hell would never have fallen so easily to the grandmasters of the righteous.
That was why, long ago, he had posted a mission to track down survivors of the Ten Demonic Practitioners on the Nine Kill Squad’s top-tier mission board, offering an enormous reward.
All to find any potential survivors.
For those who lived miserably in hiding, unable to escape the shackles of being one of the Ten Demonic Practitioners.
And now, finally, a survivor had been found.
「Where is this place?」
「Near Seven Sword Ridge. I will escort you.」
Bu Eun-seol left the tavern without hesitation.
He instantly unleashed his movement arts, leaving the town behind.
Just then, a man in black martial attire was waiting stealthily near a reed field on the outskirts.
It was Mu-heun of the Nine Kill Squad.
*Rustle.*
Upon spotting Bu Eun-seol, he immediately launched into motion.
Bu Eun-seol silently followed behind the speeding Mu-heun.
Mu-heun's shadow raced endlessly northward.
He had long legs for his height and a nimble build.
Though not on par with Bu Eun-seol's Extreme Speed Shadowless Art, he employed a swift and stealthy movement technique that would make a name for itself in the Jianghu.
*The Nine Kill Squad is full of talent.*
Though their names and very existences were erased, their skills were comparable to those of the special forces.
However, for various reasons, they sought to earn large sums of money, erasing their own names and identities…
Wandering the martial world in secret, undertaking perilous missions.
*I wonder which sect Mu-heun was a disciple of.*
The moment one joined the Nine Kill Squad, even their sect affiliation was erased.
Unless an agent revealed their identity themselves, no one could ever know their background.
「With skills like yours, why not try the mercenary market?」
Bu Eun-seol subtly steered his curiosity about Mu-heun in a different direction.
「You could earn a great deal of money without having to risk your life.」
If it was just about earning money, the mercenary market was an option.
With Mu-heun’s skill, he could have become a top-tier mercenary by his early thirties.
There, he wouldn't have to erase his identity, nor would he have to carry out such dangerous missions.
So why did he choose the perilous Nine Kill Squad?
Just then, Mu-heun sent a short mental message.
「Because I have no desire for comrades.」
Only then did Bu Eun-seol give a faint nod.
Jobs from the mercenary market rarely involved solo missions; they usually required forming a group.
The Nine Kill Squad, however, allowed one to choose missions suited to their abilities, and most could be carried out alone.
From another perspective, joining the Nine Kill Squad was the best option for a martial artist to earn the most money by themselves.
*Everyone has their reasons.*
Bu Eun-seol said no more and continued following Mu-heun.
After running for some time, Mu-heun finally stopped at Seven Sword Ridge.
Without delay, he headed toward the rightmost of the seven sharp peaks.
As they approached the area, a small, crudely built hut came into view in a clearing.
It was a hut barely large enough for one person to lie down in, and various medicinal herbs were laid out to dry in the yard.
Anyone would assume it was the hut of an herb gatherer who lived in the mountains, collecting and selling herbs.
「That's the place.」
At Mu-heun's message, Bu Eun-seol stared intently at the hut.
*Creeak.*
Just then, the hut’s door opened, and a tall man walked out feebly, limping.
His clothes were shabby, and his body was gaunt.
If not for his cold, still eyes, Bu Eun-seol would have mistaken him for a truly ordinary herb gatherer.
*Yeong Mun-ho.*
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes glinted as he looked at the man’s face.
The shabby man limping out was none other than Yeong Mun-ho, one of the Ten Demonic Practitioners from the Soul Command Gate… and the one said to have been killed by a grandmaster of the Mount Hua Sect.
Mu-heun, who had been observing Yeong Mun-ho carefully, sent a cautious mental message.
「Should I confirm his identity one more time?」
「That's not necessary.」
Bu Eun-seol sent a message back to Mu-heun.
「From here on, I will handle it. You may return.」
The reward Bu Eun-seol had offered for finding one of the Ten Demonic Practitioners was a staggering five hundred thousand nyang.
Now that Mu-heun had accomplished this task, he would come into a fortune so vast he could spend it like water and never run out.
And having earned so much money, Mu-heun would surely retire.
Bu Eun-seol offered a calm farewell.
「You've worked hard.」
But Mu-heun replied in an awkward tone.
「I have a large family to support, and there are still many expenses.」
Grasping the meaning behind his words, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
「I see. Upon your return, have your codename deleted and collect your reward.」
「Thank you. Well then.」
Mu-heun departed quietly.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been watching from a distance, slowly walked out from the forest.
However, Yeong Mun-ho did not sense Bu Eun-seol's presence and was crouched down, chopping the dried herbs.
A long scar ran from his left cheek to under his chin, and a deep wound, as if from a sharp object, marked his neck.
His skin had even turned a purplish hue, hinting at how severe his injuries had been.
“Yeong Mun-ho.”
At Bu Eun-seol's low voice, Yeong Mun-ho, who was chopping herbs, froze.
But he didn't raise his head to look at Bu Eun-seol.
He continued as before, slowly chopping the dried herbs with a cutter.
“What brings you here?”
His gaze was on the herbs, but a quiet smile bloomed on his lips.
“The successor of the Demonic Cult, in this humble place.”
“You knew.”
When Bu Eun-seol showed a surprised expression, Yeong Mun-ho shook his head.
“Hehehe. Everywhere I go, it’s all talk about you. How could I not hear?”
“If you heard the news, why didn’t you come?”
Bu Eun-seol had always considered the Ten Demonic Practitioners his kin.
And to free them from the shackles they bore, he had brought Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong into the Demonic Cult and made them his adjutants.
If Yeong Mun-ho had heard the rumors, he must have also heard that Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong were achieving great things with Bu Eun-seol.
So why hadn't Yeong Mun-ho returned to the Demonic Cult?
“I couldn't go back.”
Yeong Mun-ho wore a dry smile.
“I’ve lost about seventy percent of my internal energy.”
“Did you actually fight the grandmaster from the Mount Hua Sect?”
“Of course. How else could I have escaped the pursuit of the Myeol-hon-dae?”
He turned his head and glanced at Bu Eun-seol.
“The Mount Hua sword arts are exquisite, but the Zixia Divine Art was truly legendary. The moment its sword-tip touched my skin, a stream of internal energy that felt like it could melt my meridians pierced through.”
As if recalling that time, Yeong Mun-ho's eyes were stained with a dark pain.
“I intended to take a moderately fatal wound… but this is what became of me.”
“You prepared your escape in advance.”
“That’s right.”
Yeong Mun-ho crouched down again and chopped the dried herbs with the cutter.
“At the time, I hadn't yet grasped the ultimate principles of the Soul Command Spear Arts. I knew well that fighting a grandmaster in that state was suicide.”
*Chop, chop.*
Each time the cutter’s blade met the dried herbs, a crisp sound echoed.
“But if I did nothing, I’d be killed by the Myeol-hon-dae… so in the end, I came up with a plan. I would kill myself, in a manner of speaking, and vanish completely from the martial world.”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
“You procured a corpse beforehand and then fought the Mount Hua grandmaster.”
“Correct.”
As Bu Eun-seol instantly deduced his method, Yeong Mun-ho let out a sound of admiration.
“Come to think of it, you were always smart. You survived because you foresaw things others couldn't.”
Bu Eun-seol was not only exceptionally talented but always anticipated and prepared for situations.
Otherwise, he, who had never formed a group, would not have survived until the final stages alongside Seo Jin-ha.
“As soon as I left the Demonic Cult under the Chong-gyo-ryeong’s orders, I secretly infiltrated the area near the Mount Hua Sect’s main branch.”
Yeong Mun-ho stopped chopping, dusted off his hands, and stood up.
“And there, I secretly learned Cheong-hyang-am-song, the ultimate technique of the Am-hyang-so-yeong-geom.”
“So you could leave a proper wound on the corpse.”
“Exactly.”
A smile on his lips, Yeong Mun-ho looked at Bu Eun-seol.
“I hid a corpse bearing the sword marks of the Am-hyang-so-yeong in advance near the Blue Stone Pavilion. And I set up various traps and formations along the path.”
“Hm.”
“A few days later, I ambushed the Mount Hua grandmaster, Cheon-hwa-in, while he was practicing his martial arts in a mask.”
As the memory of that tense moment surfaced, Yeong Mun-ho’s breathing grew ragged.
“Cheon-hwa-in. His swordsmanship was truly incredible. Even with the ordinary Mount Hua sword arts, he easily blocked the techniques of my Soul Command Spear.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“As the initial exchange dragged on, he seemed to make a decision and unleashed the Am-hyang-so-yeong-geom. After about ten moves, he finally used the Cheong-hyang-am-song technique.”
“…”
“I intentionally exposed a weakness and took the attack. Then, feigning a mortal wound, I desperately fled toward the Blue Stone Pavilion.”
Listening to the story, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Cheon-hwa-in was a grandmaster of the Mount Hua Sect.
Whether he used a technique learned from the Martial Alliance or a hidden sword art… he would first try to defeat his opponent with the supreme sword art of the Mount Hua Sect.
Yeong Mun-ho had used this fact to his advantage, secretly learning Cheong-hyang-am-song, one of the ultimate techniques of the Am-hyang-so-yeong-geom, Mount Hua’s supreme sword art.
And when that technique was used, he intentionally took the hit and fled.
“Cheon-hwa-in pursued me with terrifyingly fast movement, but thanks to the traps and formations I had set up, he couldn't close the distance.”
Cheon-hwa-in broke through all the traps and finally reached the Blue Stone Pavilion, only to find a corpse killed by the Cheong-hyang-am-song technique.
It was the body Yeong Mun-ho had prepared in advance.
Overjoyed, he immediately reported this fact to the Mount Hua Sect.
“Cheon-hwa-in must have been ecstatic, being the first to kill one of the Ten Demonic Practitioners.”
Yeong Mun-ho smiled faintly and said calmly.
“And since the sword wound on the body was definitive… the Mount Hua Sect didn’t investigate too deeply and had an escort agency send the body to the Soul Command Gate.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
In the past, Yeong Mun-ho was known to be the first of the Ten Demonic Practitioners to be killed.
But in reality, he had ingeniously faked his own death and was the first to escape the shackles of that title.
“Is that when you lost your internal energy?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Yeong Mun-ho smiled bitterly.
“Yes. I took the blow intentionally, and Cheon-hwa-in’s internal energy was too profound. The single strike from Cheong-hyang-am-song severely damaged my meridians, and I lost about seventy percent of my internal energy.”
Shaking his head, he smiled at Bu Eun-seol.
“Well, that’s what happened.”
“You need not worry. You can return now.”
“Return?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke with a powerful voice.
“Do not worry. I will restore your internal energy as well.”
“Hehehe.”
Yeong Mun-ho chuckled.
“Hearing the successor of the Demonic Cult say that, it seems I really could recover my energy and go back.”
He gazed at the distant sky for a moment, and a slight tremor ran across his face.
Quickly hiding the flicker of pain in his eyes, Yeong Mun-ho spoke in a firm voice.
“But I will not return.”