Chapter 390
Chapter 390
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 390
Chapter Title: The Dragon-Suppressing Sword
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Bu Eun-seol shrugged as he listened to the furious assassin's shout.
“Took you long enough.”
At that, the lead assassin's eyes became bloodshot.
“Hand over the Bowonjeon obediently! Do that, and I'll spare your life!”
Shing.
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol drew the Black Sword.
“Hmph, if you want to die, then so be it…”
The lead assassin, who had been scoffing, suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on the Black Sword.
“The Spirit Serpent Divine Sword?”
There were many remarkable divine swords in the martial world, and their owners had been renowned for generations.
The moment he recognized the Spirit Serpent Divine Sword, a terrifying thought crossed the lead assassin's mind.
Could this arrogant brat before him be the young grandmaster of the Demonic Path, the one they should never cross?
‘It can't be.’
Bu Eun-seol possessed qualities that inevitably led martial artists to misjudge him.
His features were delicate and his build slender, and he lacked the palpable aura of true energy that naturally flowed from a master.
In short, until he revealed his true prowess, he had the appearance and air that even back-alley thugs would scoff at.
“This is something I had to clean up eventually. Let's get it over with.”
At the same time, red specks of light bloomed in his eyes, and a powerful wave of energy erupted from his entire body.
He had decided to annihilate the assassins of the Baekryeol Assassin Guild.
Rumble.
The wave of energy flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body seemed to suddenly darken the sky, and a heavy pressure settled over the area.
It was a formidable presence, unlike anything seen before.
“The successor… of the Demonic Palace.”
The assassin's voice, finally realizing Bu Eun-seol's identity, was filled with astonishment.
“So you were the Lord of the Martial Soul Order.”
Muttering softly, the lead assassin clasped his hands together as if he had no other choice.
Though the Baekryeol Assassin Guild was a formidable organization, their main base was in the Western Regions. There was no need to antagonize the successor to the Demonic Palace, which ruled the Demonic Path of the Central Plains.
“I am Darigon, the Shadowless Kill Master.”
The lead assassin, Darigon, spoke fluent Han.
“…”
As Bu Eun-seol stood silently, Darigon cleared his throat and spoke.
“You have no grudge with our guild. Why do you seek to become our enemy?”
Darigon's expression was polite, but his eyes were like sharp blades.
“Becoming an enemy of our guild will do you no good.”
It was a well-known fact throughout the martial world that Bu Eun-seol had not yet fully secured his position as successor.
He was, after all, still in conflict with several of the Ten Demonic Sects.
“If you make an enemy of our guild, it will adversely affect your ability to maintain your status as successor.”
Darigon's confident expression hardened as Bu Eun-seol's lips began to move.
“I have no intention of sparing degenerates who would kill even children without hesitation for money.”
A blood-red light, as if intending to stain the entire world crimson, poured from his eyes.
“Today, it's you. After this, I will systematically annihilate the Baekryeol Assassin Guild.”
The look in Darigon's eyes changed.
The successor of the Demonic Palace had just declared the annihilation of the Baekryeol Assassin Guild. This meant there was no more room for negotiation.
“A pity.”
Darigon's narrow eyes sharpened like steel needles.
“There's no choice but to kill you all and bury you.”
Flash!
Just then, with a brilliant flash, a silver crossbow bolt shot past Darigon.
“Aargh!”
At the same time, a desperate scream erupted.
The bolt had struck the deputy master who was directing the formation behind Darigon.
Soyo had unleashed the Baekryeol Assassin Guild's secret technique, Dragon's Fang, and pierced the deputy master's forehead in a single shot.
“You bitch!”
Darigon spat out a curse, filled with rage.
“How dare you use our guild's ultimate secret technique to kill your fellow assassins!”
“Assassins have no fellows.”
Soyo said with cold eyes.
“If you can't kill, you die.”
“Grr…”
Darigon clenched his fists and gripped his shortbow.
“I will make sure you…”
But his words were cut short.
Bu Eun-seol, who had soared in like a great roc, began to unleash a flurry of sword strikes in all directions.
Shwaaaak!
The sword strikes, which had seemed slow enough to follow, transformed into a violet radiance accompanied by a sharp, air-ripping sound.
He had unleashed the Peerless Lightning Style.
Thud, thud.
In that instant, the heads of the five assassins standing at the front fell to the ground.
“Dodge!”
Caught in the sudden assault, the assassins quickly retreated, loosing a volley of Baekryeol bolts.
No matter how skilled a master was, they would be helpless against such a massive, simultaneous volley of Baekryeol bolts.
But there was something they had not anticipated…
From the very beginning of his journey in the martial world, Bu Eun-seol had faced large groups of assassins using hidden weapons. He was an expert, more accustomed to one-versus-many battles than anyone else.
Furthermore, with the Beast's Path allowing him to sense any attack in advance… Bu Eun-seol was, to these assassins, a true grim reaper.
Piiing!
Countless Baekryeol bolts rained down, but Bu Eun-seol didn't use any movement techniques, simply standing his ground and calmly dodging them.
He could clearly discern the angle and speed of the bolts just from the flow of the wind and the sound of them cutting through the air.
Ping! Ping!
Meanwhile, the bolts fired by Soyo pierced the assassins' foreheads one by one.
She targeted the Baekryeol Guild's assassins, but also worked to ensure Bu Eun-seol could fight comfortably at close range.
She constantly disrupted the assassins' formation and broke their rhythm.
Bu Eun-seol, in turn, created a wide sword screen, severely limiting the assassins' attacks so she could freely dominate the battlefield.
“Those bastards!”
Darigon bit his lip.
The Baekryeol Guild's assassins used ranged weapons, so their power increased significantly with their numbers.
However, with two exceptional masters launching a perfectly coordinated joint attack as if they were one body, the mysterious hidden weapon known as the Baekryeol bolt was failing to display its true power.
Bu Eun-seol and Soyo.
The two moved as one without exchanging a single word or even a glance.
As if they had practiced coordinated attacks their entire lives, they achieved perfect harmony between offense and defense, at close and long range…
There wasn't an opening for even a drop of water to slip through, let alone a Baekryeol bolt.
“Fine!”
Gritting his teeth, Darigon raised his left hand and spread his palm wide.
It was a hand signal for the assassins.
Shwaaaak!
The assassins, who had been relentlessly firing Baekryeol bolts, widened their distance and suddenly unleashed a volley of dark, grimy bolts at Bu Eun-seol.
Soyo, who had been circling Bu Eun-seol and firing her shortbow, spoke in a low voice.
“Black Bursting Flame. I'll handle it.”
Just from the name, Bu Eun-seol could guess that those bolts were packed with a massive amount of gunpowder.
Click.
Soyo quickly pulled a silver arrow from her robes. It was a Baekryeol bolt from the Baekryeol Assassin Guild, one she hadn't used until now.
Piiing!
A single arrow transformed into over a hundred short needles, colliding with the dozens of incoming Black Bursting Flame bolts.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of explosions, dozens of the Black Bursting Flame bolts detonated in mid-air.
Piiing! Piiing!
Soyo switched back from the Baekryeol bolt to normal arrows and fired again in quick succession.
Shwoook!
The arrows, which had been flying in a straight line, suddenly curved gently and struck the quivers of the assassins carrying the Black Bursting Flame bolts.
KABOOM!
A dozen assassins who were about to fire their Black Bursting Flame bolts were instantly engulfed in the explosion and burst into flames.
Divine Archer,
Soyo's archery skills had truly reached a divine level.
Shing!
As Soyo dealt with the assassins firing the Black Bursting Flame bolts, Bu Eun-seol charged through the flames, unleashing his swordsmanship.
“Get back!”
As Bu Eun-seol closed in to point-blank range, the assassins used a mist-like movement technique to try and escape his attack range.
But it was a futile hope.
“Keuk.”
“Ugh.”
Bu Eun-seol's Formless Celestial Flow had continuously evolved through his countless battles with masters.
In the past, he had increased its power by combining various techniques, but now, he had elevated it by melting various martial principles into it.
Even when he used a simple move, the assassins couldn't block a single strike…
Each move was imbued with immense internal energy, so even a glancing blow left them in an irrecoverable state.
Thud, thud.
Before long, more than half of the eighty or so assassins had fallen.
“Ughh.”
Darigon gritted his teeth.
The combined attack of Bu Eun-seol and Soyo was unleashing the power of a thunderous cataclysm.
If this continued, all the elites of his Blood Veil unit would be wiped out.
“Just you wait! Even if I have to bring all of our guild's elite assassins, I will never let you two get away with this!”
Darigon glared at Bu Eun-seol and Soyo and shouted loudly.
“Retreat!”
Thump.
But then, a massive vibration echoed from somewhere.
The vibration was so low and trembling that the moment they heard it, it felt as if their hearts had dropped to their feet.
Shwaaaaaak!
At the same time, a net of sword energy rained down from the sky, falling upon the assassins who were trying to retreat.
Chwaak!
As the net of sword energy descended, its range expanded to over thirty zhang.
Shred!
Blood splattered from the bodies of the assassins caught in the expanding sword energy.
Thud, thud.
Only about ten assassins, including Darigon, managed to escape the range of the sword energy.
The remaining assassins were rolling on the ground, their bodies sliced into dozens of pieces.
Thud.
At the same time, a massive shadow landed on the ground from the sky.
Swoosh.
As the crouched figure stood up, it seemed to block out the moon in the night sky.
It was not a man, but a colossal being that seemed to have descended to swallow the entire world.
Stomp, stomp.
As the shadow walked forward, the figure of a middle-aged man with a massive build was slowly revealed.
He had the build of a bear, but his waist was long and slender like a tiger's.
His entire body radiated an aura that could overwhelm Mount Tai, and his eyes gleamed like lit torches.
He constantly emitted a presence so powerful it was suffocating, making one's very bones feel like they were shriveling.
“Why are the degenerates of the Western Regions playing around in the Central Plains?”
A voice as low and resonant as the King of Hell's shook the forest.
“You are.”
Darigon's eyes widened as he recognized the middle-aged man's face.
“Jo Cheon-wang.”
Darigon trembled as if he had seen a ghost.
The Dragon-Suppressing Sword, Jo Cheon-wang.
One of the supreme masters of the Orthodox Faction, known as one of the seven pillars supporting the Martial Alliance, had suddenly appeared before him.
“I merely came to the Central Plains to… punish a traitor.”
Darigon's voice trembled.
Although Bu Eun-seol was the next ruler of the Demonic Path, his current authority didn't allow him to command all the forces of the Demonic Palace at will.
Jo Cheon-wang, however, was one of the supreme masters who currently held sway over the Orthodox Faction and a top authority figure who controlled the Mucheon Division, one of the Martial Alliance's Seven Great Divisions.
If they fell out of his favor, the Baekryeol Assassin Guild could face an immediate, full-scale assault from the Martial Alliance.
“I have no intention of creating a grudge with Division Commander Jo.”
Darigon spoke in a subservient tone, despite having lost dozens of his subordinates at the man's hands.
“This humble assassin will take his leave quietly.”
“Hmph.”
Jo Cheon-wang scoffed lowly and said.
“Don't loiter around the Central Plains from now on.”
‘Just you wait. I will definitely show you the power of our guild.’
But that was merely a thought in his mind.
“Understood.”
Darigon bowed obsequiously and immediately departed with his remaining assassins.
“It's been a while.”
After the assassins from the Baekryeol Guild left, Jo Cheon-wang looked down at Bu Eun-seol with a murderous smile.
“Now that you've fattened up nicely, it seems the time has come to devour you.”
In the past, Jo Cheon-wang had declared that he would take his revenge when Bu Eun-seol's fame and martial arts grew to a point where he was worthy of his attention.
And now, he was saying that time had finally come.
“Were those assassins from the Mucheon Division?”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Jo Cheon-wang frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Haven't you been sending assassins from the Martial Alliance? To keep me from entering cities or villages.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Jo Cheon-wang said in a low voice.
“The only order I gave my subordinates was to track your whereabouts and determine the right time for our duel.”
Bu Eun-seol fell into deep thought for a moment.
If that was true, it could only mean that someone in the Martial Alliance was sending assassins after Bu Eun-seol behind Jo Cheon-wang's back.
Even though they knew full well that Jo Cheon-wang intended to duel him.
‘He is a man who values honor and justification so much that he even postponed his own son's revenge. He would never lie.’
Jo Cheon-wang had watched the duel between Bu Eun-seol and the Heavenly Sword, yet judged him to be far inferior.
Not only that, considering their respective seniority, it would be like bullying a child. He was a true man of the Orthodox Faction, one who had delayed his son's revenge for that very reason.
Such a man would never resort to petty tactics like using assassins to observe his martial arts or wear him down.
‘Is the Martial Alliance like that too?’
Bu Eun-seol gave a faint nod.
Come to think of it, that shadowy faction had enough power and influence to turn even the disciples of the Three Demons into puppets.
It was impossible that such people hadn't infiltrated the leadership of the Martial Alliance.
‘The Hwamilwonju was just one of their pawns.’
In the past, Bu Eun-seol had infiltrated the Martial Alliance and, together with Law Enforcement Officer Jong Jeong-yak, eliminated the Hwamilwonju, a spy being controlled by the shadowy faction.
But thinking about it, it was highly unlikely they would have sent only one spy, the Hwamilwonju.
Just like the Demonic Palace, the Martial Alliance must also be riddled with figures from that shadowy faction… It was all too obvious.
“Shall we begin?”
Jo Cheon-wang drew the treasured sword from his waist.
A formidable aura shot up to the heavens, and the air of the entire world seemed to turn as heavy as lead.
“Will that foreigner join in as well?”
At Jo Cheon-wang's words, Bu Eun-seol turned his head to look at Soyo.
“This is my duel. Please step aside.”
Instead of answering, Soyo looked into Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Her gaze held a mixture of emotions he had never seen before.
Among them, what Bu Eun-seol could clearly see was deep ‘concern’.
Taat.
But contrary to her gaze, Soyo instantly used a movement technique to leap into the air and vanish from sight.
Watching her go, Jo Cheon-wang spoke in a low voice.
“I will grant you the first move.”
A thick killing intent seeped from Jo Cheon-wang's low voice.
“If I attack first, it will be a boring duel.”
From his perspective, Bu Eun-seol was the mortal enemy who had killed his beloved only son.
To be able to say such things with a calm expression, just as he was about to begin his long-awaited revenge?
‘This is an attitude I must learn from.’
Maintaining one's composure in front of an enemy you want to tear to shreds is no easy feat.
Even facing a great enemy who threatened his life, Bu Eun-seol was looking for something to learn.
“There's no need.”
Shing.
As Bu Eun-seol drew the Black Sword, the surrounding air seemed to burn hot.
“You attack first.”
A swordsman's battle begins with presence.
Bu Eun-seol was unleashing his own intense aura to break Jo Cheon-wang's overwhelming presence.
Jo Cheon-wang's title was the Dragon-Suppressing Sword.
It was both the name of his favored sword and the name of the swordsmanship he had created.
However, the name 'Dragon-Suppressing Swordsmanship' was not one he had given himself.
It was because the many masters who had faced him had unanimously praised it as a sword style that was like a dragon descending from the heavens.
“Very well.”
Before the words were even finished, Jo Cheon-wang's Dragon-Suppressing Sword was cleaving toward Bu Eun-seol's head.
The distance between them was originally about three zhang.
But in the blink of an eye, Jo Cheon-wang had closed the distance, so close their noses could almost touch.
‘The Beast's Path didn't activate?’
The Beast's Path, which could sense even the flow of air, had always allowed him to easily and preemptively detect an enemy's movements.
Moreover, Bu Eun-seol was staring straight ahead with wide eyes.
And yet, he couldn't even sense how Jo Cheon-wang had gotten right in front of him.
Claang!
With a clear metallic ring, Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed deeply.
The moment the Black Sword and the Dragon-Suppressing Sword clashed, it felt as if all his internal organs had been shaken and his heart had dropped to his feet.
It wasn't a difference in internal energy.
The pressure and vibrations flowing from the Dragon-Suppressing Sword had directly struck his insides.
‘He's using Sword Force.’
Not only was Jo Cheon-wang's swordsmanship incredible, but he was also unleashing a Sword Force imbued with a powerful kinetic energy that no human body could withstand.
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Even if he could somehow block the swordsmanship, he couldn't block that formless sword wind.
In other words, every time their swords clashed, his body would inevitably be shaken.
‘If this continues, I'll end up with severe internal injuries.’
“Impressive. In terms of pure internal energy, you even surpass me.”
As their swords clashed, Jo Cheon-wang's eyes flashed in surprise.
“That should be impossible, even if you ate elixirs like meals.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Jo Cheon-wang closed the distance with Bu Eun-seol again.
There was no time to even use a movement technique.
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to raise the Black Sword to meet the Dragon-Suppressing Sword.
Claang!
As sword met sword, Bu Eun-seol frowned once more.
Although Bu Eun-seol's internal energy was superior, the sword wind from the Dragon-Suppressing Sword and the Sword Force it contained had once again violently shaken his internal organs.
‘A new technique.’
Bu Eun-seol had fought countless strong opponents and experienced a wide variety of sword techniques.
But he had never even heard of a method that used Sword Force like a sword wind to vibrate an enemy's body and inflict internal injuries.
‘He must also be well aware of the Formless Celestial Flow and the Ruyi True Arts.’
Jo Cheon-wang was someone who had watched the duel between Bu Eun-seol and the Heavenly Sword from start to finish.
He would have closely observed Bu Eun-seol's methods with the Formless Celestial Flow and the Ruyi True Arts.
Shwaak!
In that moment, the Dragon-Suppressing Sword swung by Jo Cheon-wang twisted at an exquisite angle.
It was a technique meant to induce a clash and once again pour the sword wind into Bu Eun-seol's body.
Jiiing!
At that moment, a strange vibration emanated from Bu Eun-seol's Black Sword.
Simultaneously, it began to tear through the incoming sword wind as if it were paper.
He was using the principle of Reversing Power from the First Form of All Things to give form to the formless sword wind.
“So you've stolen the Sword Venerable's swordsmanship.”
Jo Cheon-wang wasn't particularly surprised that Bu Eun-seol had used the principles of the First Form of All Things.
“Let's try playing like this, then.”
Jo Cheon-wang's mastery of swordsmanship and his combat tactics, honed over decades of dominating the martial world, were far too seasoned for Bu Eun-seol to match.
When Bu Eun-seol nullified the sword wind using the principle of Reversing Power, Jo Cheon-wang simply changed his swordsmanship again.
Claang!
Once again, the Black Sword and the Dragon-Suppressing Sword began to clash.
This time, even though there was no sword wind, Bu Eun-seol frowned.
‘Is he predicting the changes in my swordsmanship?’
Something unbelievable was happening.
Every time Bu Eun-seol tried to execute a sword move, Jo Cheon-wang predicted every change in the form…
…and was stopping it before the technique could even be fully unleashed.