Chapter 309
Chapter 309
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Sword, Cheon-geom
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*Whoooosh!*
Bu Eun-seol, shrouded in black light, reached the Seven Swords Ridge in a single breath.
And there, in front of the thatched hut where Yeong Mun-ho had stayed, the same man still stood tall.
“I knew you’d be back.”
As if he had been waiting, the man’s large eyes twinkled, and a smile spread across his face.
“I made sure he wouldn’t survive.”
The smile was so guileless it almost felt pure.
But to Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, it was the grin of a vile monster, its tongue flicking in delight.
“Why…”
Bu Eun-seol swallowed the black fury blazing within him and opened his mouth.
There was something he had to ask before he ground this man to dust.
“Why did you kill him?”
“Shouldn’t you first ask who I am?”
Bu Eun-seol’s blackened eyes wavered.
Could it be that this man and Yeong Mun-ho had some tangled, bitter history? Or perhaps a deep-seated grudge passed down from their ancestors?
Reading Bu Eun-seol’s obvious question, the man’s clear eyes sparkled as he pointed to his own face.
“I am Cheon-geom.”
The Still-Shining Divine Eye, Cheon-geom.
The youngest disciple of Heon-won Dam-cheong, the Sword Sage, one of the Three Demonic Sword Sages.
He was a new-generation grandmaster, hailed as the second coming of the Sword Sage, for he had perfectly inherited the essence of the master’s swordsmanship—a mysterious art renowned as the finest in the Orthodox Path.
This hulking man was Cheon-geom.
“And…”
Cheon-geom revealed his white teeth in a smile.
“I’m also one of the eighteen Great Righteous Masters chosen by the Martial Alliance.”
*Thump.*
Bu Eun-seol’s gaze faltered as if struck by a blow.
It was said that the eighteen Great Righteous Masters were mostly composed of outstanding disciples from the Nine Sects One Union and the Eight Great Families.
But there had always been something strange.
The information provided by the Demonic Cult at the time, and what could be gathered through their intelligence networks, had been extremely limited.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Only now did Bu Eun-seol understand why information on the eighteen Great Righteous Masters had been so scarce.
Why their identities had never been fully revealed.
It was because they included figures of extremely high standing, dragon-like masters who roamed the martial world in secret. Figures like Cheon-geom, the disciple of the Sword Sage.
“You seem to understand now, don’t you?”
The man, Cheon-geom, spoke with a flawlessly bright smile.
“Your Ten Demonic Scions of the Demonic Path also sought out and killed the Great Righteous Masters who were living quietly, didn’t they? Right?”
“…”
“So why can’t we of the Orthodox Path kill the Ten Demonic Scions to avenge them?”
Bu Eun-seol could feel it.
Though the man’s eyes were clear, they were steeped in madness.
He was someone who would do anything to uphold his own beliefs.
“You’re not holding on to some lukewarm hope that I shouldn’t have killed him because he’d left the martial world, are you?”
The man grinned, showing his white teeth.
“Once you step into the martial world, grudges never disappear. Not until you’re dead.”
The Jianghu.
A hell where people, bound by the chains of enmity, were forced to swing their blades at one another.
Once you set foot in this place, there was no way to break the chains and escape.
*Shing.*
In place of an answer, Bu Eun-seol drew the Muk-geom.
He had known such truths for a long time.
From the moment he stepped into this hell, he had resolved to destroy everything.
If the chains of fate tried to bind him, he had decided to press forward, chains and all.
But only now did he realize he had failed to destroy a single thing.
*Woong, woong, woong.*
His dark heart became black true energy, swirling around his entire body.
Cheon-geom, who was taking the full force of Bu Eun-seol’s terrifying presence, nodded with a smile.
“I thought only *those guys* were my equals among our generation… but to think there was another.”
His mention of ‘those guys’ implied that the Orthodox Path had other rising stars with skills comparable to his own.
In other words, there were more prodigies who could stand against Bu Eun-seol.
“I heard there was a seriously crazy bastard in the Demonic Path. So you’re that guy…”
His words were cut short.
Bu Eun-seol, having already become a black cloud, was slashing at his neck.
*Boom!*
Even though sword met sword, the sound was not of clashing metal but of a deafening explosion.
At the same time, Cheon-geom was pushed back a full six steps.
“Did you do nothing but eat and cultivate your internal energy?”
Astonished by the power of the sword strike, Cheon-geom’s eyes widened.
“Over four sixty-year cycles of internal energy. What in the world have you been eating…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
A sharp sword technique, accompanied by a flash of purple lightning, once again stabbed toward his neck.
It was the Peerless Lightning Thunder Form.
“Such immense killing intent.”
Although the attack pierced through an angle and space that seemed impossible to evade, Cheon-geom casually blocked the Peerless Lightning Thunder Form.
As a disciple of the Sword Sage, he was well-versed not only in the swordsmanship of the Orthodox Path but also in that of the Demonic Path.
When Bu Eun-seol unleashed his vicious killing intent, he had anticipated the use of a killing sword and countered with the Dragon’s Saliva Finger Sword, a technique designed to defend against it.
*Bang! Bang!*
Cheon-geom was pushed back repeatedly, but he perfectly defended against the Peerless Lightning Thunder.
He then spoke, as if to provoke Bu Eun-seol.
“A killing sword forged from rage and killing intent is incredibly powerful, but against someone like me who is well-versed in swordsmanship, it’s like revealing your weaknesses!”
The principle of the Dragon’s Saliva Finger Sword was both profound and simple.
When a killing sword was unleashed, the killing intent gathered at the tip of the sword reached the target area first.
The Sword Sage had used this fact to create a profound sword technique to defend against such attacks.
That was why Cheon-geom was able to leisurely block Bu Eun-seol’s Peerless Lightning Thunder Form, a technique that even Dong Yeo-rip, one of the Ten Demonic Experts, had failed to stop.
“Now, try and take my sword art!”
*Ziiiing!*
A low hum resonated from Cheon-geom’s greatsword.
Simultaneously, a blinding white light engulfed the world in all directions.
Though there were countless sword arts under the heavens, they all possessed forms and stances.
But what Cheon-geom unleashed was merely a brilliant light. It had no form, no stance.
*Chaang!*
With a clash of metal, the massive greatsword stopped right in front of Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol had blocked the formless sword, which appeared as nothing more than a brilliant light, while standing his ground.
“To block my Formless Shadowless Sword in a single move. Impressive.”
*Swoooosh!*
Seeing that his Peerless Lightning Thunder Form was ineffective against Cheon-geom, Bu Eun-seol immediately switched to the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu.
In response, Cheon-geom also changed his sword art with a relaxed expression to match him.
*Papapat!*
Each time the light from Cheon-geom’s sword spread out, the Muk-geom seemed to respond, letting out a fierce, resounding roar.
As the sword arts of the two grandmasters, representatives of the new generation of experts, clashed repeatedly, the shockwaves of true energy soared to the heavens.
*Kra-woong!*
The martial energy radiating from their bodies grew stronger, becoming a whirlwind that kicked up dust and tore plants from the ground.
*Swoooosh!*
Cheon-geom’s previously invisible sword art transformed into tangible sword moves.
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol’s sword moves also quickened.
Realizing the excellence of each other’s swordsmanship, they had changed their sword arts simultaneously, as if by agreement.
“Incredible! Amazing! Truly amazing!”
Cheon-geom swung his sword like a madman, shouting in ecstasy.
“You’re the first one to block my sword art so well!”
*Chiing! Chaang!*
The domineering practical swordsmanship of the Demonic Path and the exquisite swordsmanship of the Orthodox Path clashed repeatedly at close range.
There was no difference in the skill of the two peerless prodigies, but there was an enormous gap in their internal energy.
Cheon-geom, born with divine strength, had meridians that were several times thicker and more elastic than those of an ordinary person.
Because of this, he had already reached a level of four sixty-year cycles of internal energy, transcending his age.
However, Bu Eun-seol, who had reached the fifth stage of the Counter-Polarity Divine Art, possessed an internal energy level exceeding five sixty-year cycles.
Therefore, no matter how much power Cheon-geom exerted, he could not overcome Bu Eun-seol’s internal energy.
“Ptui!”
As their weapons locked in the air once more, Cheon-geom spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
“Damn it! I can’t keep up with your internal energy!”
Each time their weapons clashed, Bu Eun-seol’s formidable internal energy invaded his meridians.
But he only spat out a little blood.
He instantly recovered from such a minor internal injury by circulating his energy once.
It was a truly monstrous recovery ability.
“Is internal energy all you’ve got?”
Despite Cheon-geom’s provocation, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes remained dark and sunken.
From the start, he had no intention of determining the superiority of their sword arts or exploiting weaknesses in the other's techniques.
His plan was to damage Cheon-geom’s meridians through a brutal exchange of blows, killing him slowly and painfully.
But seeing Cheon-geom recover from his internal injuries so quickly, he changed his mind.
‘There’s no need for that.’
Bu Eun-seol’s mind was filled with rage and killing intent, once again entering the demonic path.
All he had to do was unleash the As-You-Will True Formula, backed by his limitless internal energy, and sever Cheon-geom’s head in a single blow.
‘All I have to do is cast aside my emotions.’
*Woooong!*
At that moment, hundreds of strands of black true energy shot up from behind his back.
Tenderness only brought anguish and pain. It was useless when facing an enemy he wanted to cut down.
‘I will become a great demon who annihilates all things.’
Bu Eun-seol had finally made his choice.
He chose the demonic path, which gave him the power to instantly reflect his killing intent and will, to shatter the enemy before him, just as he had when he exterminated the Sa-hyang.
He chose the Eradication Art of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
—Do not blame yourself.
But just then, Yeong Mun-ho’s last words echoed in his mind.
—This is the life of a warrior who lives by the sword.
Yeong Mun-ho had been smiling even at the moment of his death.
It was likely because he felt that what came after a quiet death was also peace.
—Eun-seol, this is your grandfather’s last wish.
What his grandfather, dying in agony, had desperately wished for was also for Bu Eun-seol to live a peaceful life.
But what if he chose to become a great demon who annihilated everything that defied him?
Would his grandfather in the nine heavens be able to rest in peace? Would Yeong Mun-ho not blame himself for what had happened?
“Ughhhh.”
As conflicting emotions clashed endlessly, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes turned completely black.
He had finally fallen into a state of qi deviation.
But at that moment,
*Ziiiing.*
A powerful force that had been dispersed throughout his meridians surged up, extinguishing the black true energy flowing within his body.
It was the power of the Prajna Mahasiddhi.
*Wooooong!*
The Prajna Mahasiddhi circulating through his meridians felt like a warm hand caressing his back.
It was like his grandfather’s plea, telling him not to become a great demon who would annihilate the world.
*Hoo.*
In that instant, the inky true energy rising from Bu Eun-seol’s body completely vanished.
Simultaneously, his blackened eyes returned to their clear state.
“What are you doing now?”
Cheon-geom, seeing the fluctuations of true energy in Bu Eun-seol’s body change multiple times, had realized that he had entered a state of qi deviation.
But then, a magnificent golden light suddenly erupted from his entire body, and he instantly broke free from it.
“Not only is your internal energy incredible, but you’re also a little crazy, aren’t you?”
A sneer formed on Cheon-geom’s lips.
“You’re the first person I’ve seen fall into qi deviation in the middle of a fight and then wake up from it.”
Bu Eun-seol raised the Muk-geom instead of replying.
Having escaped his inner demon, he no longer intended to rely on the demonic path, but to calmly display the skills he possessed.
*Flash!*
Bu Eun-seol once again unleashed the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu.
But something was strange.
The sword moves were being executed with far too much honesty.
Not only that, but he wasn't using any of the sword techniques he would normally use against a powerful enemy, such as the Myriad Swords Return to One, the Annihilating Reversion, or the Heavenly Lament.
Seeing Bu Eun-seol’s swordsmanship become increasingly simple and calm, Cheon-geom grinned and said,
“If this is all you’ve got, it’s no fun.”
He once again transformed the Myriad Phenomena One Style, swinging his greatsword up and down, left and right.
Each time, the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu that Bu Eun-seol unleashed was blocked.
The Mu-sang-cheon-ryu was a practical sword art created by refining all the sword techniques of the Nang-ya-gak.
It grew stronger as the enemy grew stronger, capable of creating corresponding sword techniques.
In other words, the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu was incomplete, a sword art that could continuously evolve through real combat.
However, Cheon-geom’s Myriad Phenomena One Style was a sword art created by the Sword Sage in his later years, a nearly perfected art.
In other words, the incomplete Mu-sang-cheon-ryu was not yet able to catch up to the Myriad Phenomena One Style.
“You may want to cut me down like crazy, but you won’t get anywhere with demonic sword arts like that.”
*Click.*
Cheon-geom suddenly gripped the hilt of his greatsword with both hands and pulled it apart.
The greatsword abruptly split into two, one in each of his hands.
The reason his greatsword had been so heavy and thick was that it was two greatswords combined into one.
“We have plenty of time, so let’s have some more fun!”
*Chwarararak!*
As he swung the greatswords with both hands like a madman, cold streaks of light began to encircle the area.
At the same time, the shadows of hundreds of greatswords stabbed toward Bu Eun-seol’s vital points.
*Shwaaak!*
Just then, from Bu Eun-seol’s left hand, materialized true energy in the form of a spiderweb shot out, instantly piercing through the sword shadows and heading for Cheon-geom’s body.
“Not a chance!”
When the materialized true energy came for him, Cheon-geom smiled and changed his sword moves.
*Kwarung!*
A sharp gale blew from the greatswords.
*Chiiing!*
A chilling, moonlight-like sword aura poured out, deflecting the true energy that filled the air one by one back towards Bu Eun-seol.
The true energy created by the As-You-Will True Formula originally possessed destructive power comparable to sword aura.
But Cheon-geom not only deflected that true energy with his greatswords, but he even managed to send it back towards Bu Eun-seol.
“How about that!”
Cheon-geom let out a confident shout.
“This is my school’s sword art, the Myriad Phenomena One Style!”
Myriad Phenomena One Style.
It was a sword technique created by the Sword Sage in his later years, an otherworldly sword art that not only encompassed all the sword techniques of the Orthodox Path…
But its power and the variations of its moves changed completely depending on the user’s enlightenment, internal energy, and the type of weapon.
Even though the materialized true energy returned in a curve, Bu Eun-seol was not particularly surprised and calmly withdrew the As-You-Will True Formula.
*Swaek!*
Cheon-geom did not miss the opportunity and charged toward Bu Eun-seol, kicking up a whirlwind.
*Chaeng. T-t-tududuk!*
It pushed forward like a tide and then receded, poured down fiercely like a storm, and then subsided gently.
The Myriad Phenomena One Style not only contained all the changes of heaven and earth, but each time Bu Eun-seol tried to counterattack, it preemptively seized the direction and space, interrupting his sword moves.
*Shwaaak!*
When his sword moves were blocked, Bu Eun-seol once again unleashed the As-You-Will True Formula.
Unleashed without entering the demonic path, the As-You-Will True Formula was not much of a threat to an expert like Cheon-geom.
But Bu Eun-seol, as if testing something, continued to pressure Cheon-geom by changing the form of the As-You-Will True Formula.
“Hahaha! Is that all you’ve got?”
Each time, Cheon-geom laughed heartily and used the Myriad Phenomena One Style to deflect the materialized true energy back at Bu Eun-seol.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed.
The materialized true energy created by the As-You-Will True Formula was ‘power’ that had temporarily taken form.
It could be destroyed or dissipated, but it was not an object with the property of bending.
But Cheon-geom, using the profound sword principles of the Myriad Phenomena One Style, had changed the nature of the true energy from the As-You-Will True Formula, making it like a bending object.
‘Qi.’
Bu Eun-seol finally understood Cheon-geom’s method.
Unlike the Fire Sage, he couldn’t change the principles of martial arts, but with the abilities of the Myriad Phenomena One Style, he could at least change the properties of the As-You-Will True Formula.
‘Not only does he have monstrous recovery abilities, but he can also defend against the As-You-Will True Formula with his sword technique… I see.’
Having calmly assessed Cheon-geom’s abilities, Bu Eun-seol began to quiet his mind once more.
The Thirteen Nights.
To unleash this ultimate technique of the Orthodox Path, it had to be accompanied by the Martial Emperor's True Enlightenment, which amplified the power of the martial art through extreme emotion.
*Hwiik! Hwiik!*
Just as sharp currents of air began to flow from his body,
*Fwush!*
A tearing sound filled the air as dozens of black shadows descended from the distant sky.
They were the members of the Gu-sal Squad.
“Lord!”
Upon hearing the message from the Henan branch chief of the Gu-sal Squad, they had immediately mobilized all available Gu-sal forces and the experts from the Demonic Cult’s Henan branch and come to the Seven Swords Ridge.
“Tsk, interrupters.”
Seeing the Gu-sal Squad members descending from the sky, Cheon-geom immediately ceased his attack and retreated several dozen feet.
If the Gu-sal Squad members were to intervene now, the balance would be instantly shattered.
“Let’s fight again next time!”
Cheon-geom launched himself into the air in a single bound.
“You’re not getting away.”
Normally, he might have let Cheon-geom go, if only to kill him single-handedly later.
But he could never forgive the man who had brutally murdered Yeong Mun-ho.
If he could, he would have mobilized not only the Gu-sal Squad but all the forces of the Demonic Cult.
*Tzzt!*
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Extreme Speed Shadowless Art and gave chase.
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol was pursuing him, Cheon-geom suddenly doubled his internal energy and began to execute his movement art with all his might.
*Kwarung!*
A sound like a thunderclap echoed as Cheon-geom’s speed, cutting through the air, doubled.
But Bu Eun-seol’s movement art was already at the level of the greatest masters in the Jianghu. There was no way Cheon-geom could shake him.
*Tztztztzt!*
Just as Bu Eun-seol was about to catch up to him,
Cheon-geom suddenly veered sharply to the right and came to a stop in front of a temple deep in the mountains.
*Thud!*
Bu Eun-seol landed in front of him and was about to attack without hesitation when,
“Don’t!”
A desperate shout came from the air as a figure descended to the ground. It was Mu-heun.
“You must leave this place quickly.”
Mu-heun had clearly used all his strength in his movement art; his entire body was drenched in sweat, and even his voice trembled.
“A meeting of the Martial Alliance’s branch lords and the elders of the Nine Great Sects is scheduled to be held at this Gye-deok Temple soon.”
At that, Cheon-geom, who was standing in front of the mountain gate, clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“You have a decent intelligence network, don’t you? I only found out about the meeting here by chance.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes glinted.
At a glance, he seemed to be all brawn and no brain.
But contrary to his appearance, Cheon-geom had a meticulous personality.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known about a place like this in preparation for a possible contingency.
“Hahaha. What are you going to do?”
He continued to speak playfully, completely unaware that Bu Eun-seol had thoroughly grasped not only his martial skill but also his personality.
“Are you going to keep standing here?”
“Is tucking your tail between your legs and running away so meticulously the way of the Sword Sage? Or is it a unique tactic of the Orthodox Path, where you all flock together?”
“Hahaha. Are you trying to say that the Orthodox Path shouldn’t survive by using cowardly methods?”
Despite Bu Eun-seol’s provocation, Cheon-geom smiled.
“I won’t hesitate to use any method, as long as I can survive.”
A madness flowed from Cheon-geom’s eyes, a madness that vowed to annihilate the Demonic Path completely.
“I will survive, and I will continue to survive… and I will completely annihilate not only you but all the seeds of the Demonic Path. Only then can the righteous spirit of the martial world be restored.”
Cheon-geom believed that any method was acceptable if it meant eliminating the Demonic Path, and that only such a method of extermination was right.
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, staring intently at Cheon-geom, began to burn red.
That expression spoke more clearly than any vow or action.
For the sake of avenging Yeong Mun-ho.
He would definitely deal with this man.
“That will not happen.”
“What won’t happen?”
Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth, his expression more solemn than ever.
“Because you will soon die by my hand.”
“I’ll look forward to it,”
Cheon-geom said with a calm smile.
“Today was just a light scouting mission, after all.”
Cheon-geom also knew.
He knew that Bu Eun-seol had not displayed his true abilities.
But what Cheon-geom had shown today was not all he had either.
“…!”
But then, the beaming smile on Cheon-geom’s face stiffened slightly.
The corners of Bu Eun-seol’s mouth, who had been staring intently at him, had turned up slightly.
It was like the smile of a grim reaper pronouncing a death sentence.
“We’re leaving.”
After speaking briefly to Mu-heun, Bu Eun-seol executed his movement art and left the place.