Chapter 510
Chapter 510
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 510
Chapter Title: The Mind's Mirror
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‘What is this?’
As Bu Eun-seol's sword forms poured out so fast they looked like a single mass, Paeng Ryun, greatly flustered, swung his Black Blood Demonic Saber frantically.
But Bu Eun-seol's sword forms surpassed the speed of Paeng Ryun's Gale Swift Saber Form.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
His pride wounded, Paeng Ryun did not evade Bu Eun-seol's frenzied assault, instead countering with the ultimate speed of his Gale Swift Saber Form.
But Bu Eun-seol's sword, wreathed in violet Lightning Spirit Ki, was even faster.
*Swish!*
The wildly swung sword eventually grazed Paeng Ryun’s cheek, leaving a small cut.
“You brat!”
*Rumble!*
Enraged, Paeng Ryun doubled his internal energy and began to unleash the essence of the Dark Blood Saber Arts.
*Whoooosh!*
With a sound like a waterfall crashing down, a colossal saber energy rained down upon Bu Eun-seol’s head.
The range of this saber aura was three or four times wider than that of the Blood Tear Seven Forms that the Southern Sky Great Hero, Gwan Hae-geum, had once carved into a frozen lake.
‘To widen the range, the energy of Water should be effective.’
As the inspiration struck Bu Eun-seol, the Ice Soul Sword once again turned blue.
He had combined the Glacial River Flow Art with the Crystal Spirit Ki.
*Swoosh!*
Simultaneously, he executed the Sixth Form of the Peerless Heavenly Flow, Water Form Unseen, which defended against intangible energies like poison arts.
*Pat-pat-pat-pat!*
Hundreds of ice crystals naturally poured forth from the sword form Bu Eun-seol extended.
The Glacial River Flow Art, combined with the Crystal Spirit Ki, had enhanced the Water Form Unseen technique into something entirely different.
*Crash! Crash!*
But then, something strange happened.
Instead of annihilating the ice crystals with his Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki, Paeng Ryun was shattering them directly with his Black Blood Demonic Saber.
‘Normally, true ki martial arts like the Crystal Spirit Ki or the Glacial River Flow Art should be instantly nullified upon contact with the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki.’
A peculiar thought flashed through Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
‘So that was it.’
He realized that the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki could only nullify one attribute of power at a time.
When he had conceded the first three moves, he had used only one type of power at a time, so it had been easily nullified.
But now that he had layered and combined two energies—the ultimate yin martial art and the Crystal Spirit Ki—it could not be nullified all at once.
‘The Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki isn't invincible after all. In that case…’
*Fwoosh!*
This time, Bu Eun-seol combined the Scorching River Grand Pure True Ki with the Lightning Spirit Ki.
In an instant, the Ice Soul Sword was wreathed in violet lightning and flames.
“Hah!”
With a clear shout, Bu Eun-seol executed the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
*Rumble! Sizzle!*
But instead of a shower of sharp points of light, sword ki accompanied by lightning and flames shot out like bullets.
“Hmph! You seem thrilled that the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki is ineffective.”
Paeng Ryun snorted and immediately deflected the sword ki of the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Then, something bizarre occurred.
As the Black Blood Demonic Saber touched the sword ki, a massive explosion erupted.
*Booooom!*
When the white smoke cleared, Paeng Ryun’s hair was curled and steaming.
Though he had nullified the sword ki with his Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki and his saber arts, he hadn't been able to block the spreading flames.
“What kind of sword art is this?”
When Paeng Ryun opened his mouth, the white smoke generated by the Lightning Spirit Ki billowed out from his lips as well.
Seeing this, Bu Eun-seol found it hard to suppress his laughter.
“Is breathing smoke from your mouth also part of the Saber Emperor's martial arts?”
“Do you… truly wish to die?”
Until now, he had only been trying to corner Bu Eun-seol into using the Blood Tear Seven Forms.
But now he realized.
The young brat had been using that to buy time, constantly developing and modifying his martial arts.
“If you don't use the Blood Tear Seven Forms, I will kill you right now.”
“Very well. If you can breathe white smoke from your mouth three more times just like that, I will impart the entire Blood Tear Seven Forms to you.”
Paeng Ryun’s white eyebrows twitched.
Was that not a demand to be struck three more times by the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form, accompanied by Lightning Spirit Ki?
“Nonsense!”
*Rumble!*
As the enraged Paeng Ryun gathered his internal energy, a tremendous aura spread out with a deafening roar.
“Die!”
At that moment, the high ceiling of the great hall collapsed. No, it was a delusion to think the ceiling had collapsed.
An innumerable number of black saber auras rained down on Bu Eun-seol like stars.
But Bu Eun-seol did not retreat. He frantically and repeatedly unleashed the forms of the Peerless Heavenly Flow.
He infused the Meteor Chasing the Moon and Fading Moon Morning Star forms with Lightning Spirit Ki and Scorching River Grand Pure True Ki, and the Weaving Mist with Flying Birds and Water Form Unseen forms with the Glacial River Flow Art and Crystal Spirit Ki.
*Crack! Fwoosh! Rumble! Craaash!*
The Fourth and Fifth Forms of the Dark Blood Saber Arts that had blackened the ceiling, Dark Fragrance Bloodless and Dark Radiance Projection, were annihilated in a single breath.
‘S-such a sword art.’
For the first time in his eighty years, Paeng Ryun could not hide his bewilderment.
Even without the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki, the Dark Blood Saber Arts were an invincible saber discipline.
They could not be countered or broken in any way.
But the brat before him was alternately layering powers he had never seen or heard of.
Wasn't he unleashing them like a madman, nullifying the saber ki of the Black Blood Demonic Saber?
‘I must not panic.’
Paeng Ryun was a veteran who had faced countless powerful foes.
He knew well that to achieve victory, one must never show signs of panic or lose momentum.
“What a hodgepodge of techniques!”
Despite Paeng Ryun’s sneer, Bu Eun-seol paid him no mind and continued to unleash forms that resembled a spider’s web.
“Hmph!”
Paeng Ryun snorted and slashed at the As-You-Will True Art.
After all, the Black Blood Demonic Saber, imbued with the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki, could nullify all true ki martial arts.
*Screech! Sccreeeech!*
But despite unleashing his saber ki, there was only a grating sound and a shower of sparks. The As-You-Will True Art was not nullified.
He had infused the As-You-Will True Art with the sticky Crystal Spirit Ki, further increasing its strength.
“You brat!”
Paeng Ryun had no choice but to double his internal energy to barely sever the net of the As-You-Will True Art.
But Bu Eun-seol repeatedly unleashed the art, covering him in a net of true ki.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Originally, the As-You-Will True Art was more of a single-use technique for Bu Eun-seol.
Unleashing it repeatedly would have strained his body, no matter how deep his internal energy was.
But after gaining nearly five hundred years of internal energy, and on top of that, the Body Transference Ki…
He could now unleash the As-You-Will True Art consecutively without any strain.
Sometimes he cast it like a net, other times he unleashed it in the shape of hundreds of hidden weapons.
At other times, he shaped it like a long sword to clash with the saber ki.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Paeng Ryun, who had been swinging the Black Blood Demonic Saber frantically, was finally breathing heavily.
Until now, he had never had to use his immense internal energy in battle.
He had easily nullified all true ki martial arts with his Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki, diminishing his opponent's fighting spirit and internal energy.
Victory had always come easily.
But because Bu Eun-seol had suddenly started layering and pouring out powerful energies, he had no choice but to expend a great deal of his own internal energy to face him.
“Fine!”
Black true ki began to ooze from the enraged Paeng Ryun's body.
*Gurgle. Vmmmmm.*
Simultaneously, a Black Blood Demonic Saber extended from his left hand as well.
Since he had two arms, he could create two Black Blood Demonic Sabers.
*Swoosh!*
As he swung the two sabers, the As-You-Will True Art, which had been so difficult to cut, dissipated like mist.
He had not simply increased the number of Black Blood Demonic Sabers to two; like Bu Eun-seol, he had layered the power of the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki.
“You didn't think you were the only one who could use the technique of layering power, did you?”
The Saber Emperor.
The great grandmaster from four hundred years ago, realizing the weakness that his Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki could only nullify one power at a time, had devised a secret method to compensate for it by layering his own power.
“According to martial principles, it is impossible to layer three powers… so your tricks end here.”
It was true.
Bu Eun-seol’s Reverse Extremes Heart Law dealt with yin and yang ki, allowing him to naturally layer two powers into his sword art without any special secret technique.
But that was the limit.
Unleashing more than two different powers simultaneously was closer to an act of ‘harmony,’ aligning and pouring out all of the body’s strength.
“From now on, I will truly cut you down!”
Paeng Ryun, his eyes bloodshot, glared at Bu Eun-seol and unleashed the Dark Blood Saber Arts.
*Fwoong!*
Saber forms incomparably more powerful than anything he had shown before poured forth.
Martial arts, while appearing diverse and original, often share common categories and do not deviate from fundamental principles when viewed from the broader perspective of martial studies.
But the martial arts of the Eight Desolations Three Sages were different.
Their arts possessed power and abilities that transcended the known limits of martial arts.
Their forms were bizarre, peculiar, and vicious.
Furthermore, Paeng Ryun had systematically learned the saber arts from a young age and was a master who had perfected the Five Tigers Single Gate Saber, an ultimate art of the orthodox faction.
Added to that were decades of combat experience from roaming the martial world.
Ordinarily, he was at a level Bu Eun-seol could not dare to match.
*Sizzle! Rumble! Whoosh!*
As the two masters clashed head-on, the great hall trembled with thunderous roars, and waves of true ki spread in all directions.
“Kuh.”
Bu Eun-seol let out a groan.
Even though he had increased the power of his arts with the Body Transference Ki and the ultimate arts of yin and yang, in terms of pure martial studies, the Peerless Heavenly Flow was no match for the Dark Blood Saber Arts.
In particular, the Peerless Heavenly Flow was a sword art meant to develop by fighting strong enemies, an amalgamation of the Wild Plains Pavilion's swordsmanship.
It could not stand against the already perfected Dark Blood Saber Arts.
*Shnk! Swoosh!*
Wounds began to multiply all over Bu Eun-seol's body.
Paeng Ryun had given up on obtaining the Blood Tear Seven Forms.
Bu Eun-seol was developing and growing his martial arts at a frightening pace during their short battle.
If he dragged this out any longer, he couldn't guarantee what might happen.
“I will kill you immediately!”
Paeng Ryun’s state of mind was reflected in the saber arts he unleashed.
‘I’m starting to see it.’
Impatience, fear.
As Bu Eun-seol, drenched in blood, swung the Ice Soul Sword, a brilliant light radiated from his eyes.
He could feel a flaw in Paeng Ryun’s saber arts.
‘Has it finally broken?’
Until now, Paeng Ryun had displayed a flawless, perfect saber art.
This was not only because his saber arts were outstanding, but because his spirit was as solid and firm as a rock.
But Bu Eun-seol had developed his martial arts terrifyingly during the fight.
Upon seeing his unfathomable potential and outstanding martial talent…
Fear and impatience had begun to sprout in the depths of Paeng Ryun’s heart.
As his spirit wavered, his once-perfect saber arts began to falter as well.
And finally.
The flaws in the saber arts Paeng Ryun unleashed began to appear in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
*Clang! Shnk! Screeeech.*
Bu Eun-seol and Paeng Ryun continued their exchange of techniques at extremely close range.
In truth, even with the power of the Peerless Heavenly Flow enhanced in such a short time, it was no match for the Dark Blood Saber Arts.
But with the flaw in Paeng Ryun’s spirit, Bu Eun-seol was able to fight on equal footing.
*Boom!*
Just then, the Thirtieth Form of the Dark Blood Saber Arts that Paeng Ryun unleashed, Concealing Light, Nurturing Obscurity, struck Bu Eun-seol’s side.
It was a bizarre technique that mixed saber and footwork.
Bu Eun-seol barely defended, but he was grazed by the footwork and sent flying back five paces with a loud bang.
*Screee.*
Barely stopping himself, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
‘I’m not losing yet. Is that it?’
He took a moment to catch his breath and analyze the situation.
While fighting Paeng Ryun, he had examined his martial arts and learned how to layer the Body Transference Ki to increase his power.
This had created a flaw in Paeng Ryun’s spirit, allowing him to continue the exchange of blows…
But he still hadn't found a way to completely break that powerful and mysterious saber art and achieve victory.
‘All that’s left are the Blood Tear Seven Forms and the Thirteen Nocturnal Ki.’
But there was a problem with both martial arts.
He had only ever used up to the fourth form of the Blood Tear Seven Forms in actual combat.
He had never once used the final three forms.
His reluctance to use the Blood Tear Seven Forms until now was partly to avoid giving Paeng Ryun any insights, but also because launching a clumsy attack against a master like Paeng Ryun could get his head cut off instantly.
The same was true for the Thirteen Nocturnal Ki.
Of all the martial arts Bu Eun-seol had learned, he had used it the least, and his proficiency was not high.
Using an unskilled martial art against a formidable enemy like Paeng Ryun was tantamount to suicide.
As Bu Eun-seol hesitated,
“Got you!”
Paeng Ryun, spotting an opening, cried out in triumph and unleashed his saber art with all his might.
*Swoooooosh!*
With a strange sound like a torrential downpour, Bu Eun-seol’s vision turned black.
Dark saber ki was rushing in from all directions.
It was the ultimate technique of the Dark Blood Saber Arts, the Thirty-first Form, Black Wind White Rain.
‘I can’t avoid it.’
While facing his worst enemy, Paeng Ryun, he had been thinking about and researching too many things.
It was an attempt to develop his martial arts mid-battle, but at the same time, it meant his focus was divided.
In this moment of life and death, time seemed to stop, and faint memories surfaced in Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
***
“I don't think I can do it.”
A young Bu Eun-seol puffed out his cheeks, his head bowed in a gloomy expression.
He had read the numerous medical texts his grandfather brought him until they were worn out, and he had heard and learned how to determine the cause of death countless times.
But Bu Eun-seol still sometimes damaged or marred the bodies of the deceased when cleaning them or restoring them to their usual appearance.
He could manage with corpses where the damage was visible or relatively intact, but those that were decayed or severely damaged would easily break, no matter how careful he was.
“Eun-seol, my boy. You have a tendency to hold too much in and try to figure everything out with your head.”
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, stroked his beloved grandson’s head and spoke gently.
“That is a trait of intelligent people, but some things can never be understood or figured out with the head.”
The young Bu Eun-seol pouted and grumbled.
“Then how am I supposed to learn those things?”
“There is no need to learn them. Because you already know, you already see, and you are already doing it.”
Bu Jan-yang looked at Bu Eun-seol with eyes full of wisdom.
“Everyone lives by breathing, feeling, thinking, and moving. But we do not count each of these natural actions with our heads.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Bu Jan-yang explained calmly.
“If you wish to explore or improve upon things that the mind cannot grasp, you need only wipe the dust from the mirror of your heart.”
Bu Jan-yang smiled, revealing his white teeth.
“Because dust settles on a person’s heart all the time.”
And he advised Bu Eun-seol.
He told him to just naturally observe the act of cleaning the corpses, without judging or analyzing it in his head.
He told him only to feel what came and went in his heart.
The young Bu Eun-seol didn't understand at all, but he did as Bu Jan-yang said.
He simply watched, listened, and observed naturally, without trying to figure it out in his head.
Then, something amazing happened.
The things he couldn't do no matter how hard he tried, the bodies of the dead that had crumbled and broken no matter how careful he was…
He could not only clean them perfectly but also restore them completely to how they looked in life.
As his grandfather had said, Bu Eun-seol already knew.
He had already mastered all of Bu Jan-yang’s knowledge and skilled hands.
But because he kept trying to figure it out and research it in his head… he had been unable to do it.
***
A brilliant light flowed from Bu Eun-seol’s body as he awoke from his reminiscence.
The saber ki unleashed by Paeng Ryun was already right in front of him, and there was no way to dodge it.
“Because dust settles on a person’s heart all the time.”
His grandfather’s voice once again shook his mind.
Bu Eun-seol had perfectly memorized the saber principles of the Blood Tear Seven Forms, which could be called the greatest saber art in the martial world.
He had observed up close as Gwan Hae-geum and the nameless old man practiced the Blood Tear Seven Forms throughout their lives.
And he had inherited Bu Jan-yang’s disposition, character, wisdom, and insight.
Bu Eun-seol was like an extension of Bu Jan-yang himself, capable of unleashing the perfect Blood Tear Seven Forms.
‘I already know.’
The focus was gone from Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
Having gained a profound enlightenment from the memory of his grandfather, he had instead fallen into a state of no-mind.
*Swooooooosh!*
At that moment, the saber technique unleashed by Paeng Ryun engulfed Bu Eun-seol’s body.
Simultaneously, a storm of black saber ki swirled chaotically, as if to strip the flesh from his bones.
*Flash!*
Just then, a single streak of crimson light shot straight up.
*Tuk, tuk.*
At the same time, the sound of dripping water echoed through the hall, and a crimson mist spread out, nullifying the saber ki of the Black Wind White Rain.
*Ssssss.*
Slowly, the figure of Bu Eun-seol, his head bowed as he emitted a crimson aura, was revealed.
“How?”
Paeng Ryun’s eyes widened.
How could the man who had clearly been engulfed by the saber ki of Black Wind White Rain be standing there unharmed?
Moreover, the technique he had just used… wasn’t it the first form of the Blood Tear Seven Forms, Life and Death’s Return, a technique he knew well?
*Crack.*
But then, a crack spread across the Black Blood Demonic Saber in Paeng Ryun’s hand.
*Ssssss.*
It vanished like a wisp of mist.
Death.
Due to the power of the Blood Tear Seven Forms, which commanded the absolute realm of death, the Black Blood Demonic Saber had been completely annihilated.
“How…”
Paeng Ryun’s eyes widened.
This was not the saber art of the Seven Branches Demonic Saber that he knew.
It was an ability that could not possibly be displayed with the saber principles of the Seven Branches Demonic Saber he knew.
“Then is that Blood Tear Seven Forms a fake?”
As far as he knew, the form of Life and Death’s Return did not possess such power.
If so, it meant that Bu Eun-seol had learned the true Blood Tear Seven Forms, which he did not know.
‘Grandfather.’
Awakening from his state of no-mind, Bu Eun-seol saw not Paeng Ryun, but the image of his grandfather.
Bu Jan-yang.
The saber master who became a legend of the demonic path, created by the plan of the Absolute Demonic Path, had imparted countless pieces of knowledge and enlightenment to Bu Eun-seol.
And as Bu Eun-seol realized he was an extension of his grandfather…
He finally understood the true first form of the *True* Blood Tear Seven Forms, Life and Death’s Return.
And he had been able to execute it instantly.
‘So that’s why you did it.’
The reason Bu Jan-yang had unsparingly imparted the Blood Tear Seven Forms, which could lead to the state of the Peerless Demonic Path, to so many people…
It was because those saber principles were merely a means to enlightenment.
Only Bu Jan-yang himself could unleash the true Blood Tear Seven Forms.
“You mean to say you’ve learned a different Blood Tear Seven Forms?”
*Click.*
Bu Eun-seol did not answer Paeng Ryun’s shout, instead sheathing the Ice Soul Sword.
“Let’s end this now.”
“Hehehe. Hahahaha!”
Paeng Ryun suddenly laughed heartily.
“Yes, that’s right. Now I can finally face the Seven Branches Demonic Saber.”
Paeng Ryun had poured out all his saber arts, and all that remained was the Thirty-second Form, Saber's Heart, Demonic Zenith.
And it was not a technique that could be described as a single form; it contained the entire essence of the Saber Emperor’s saber arts.
What if Bu Eun-seol had completed the Blood Tear Seven Forms?
Then he would finally be able to truly face the Seven Branches Demonic Saber, his long-cherished desire.
*Shing.*
Paeng Ryun drew the sword he wore at his waist.
The swords used by the warriors of the Paeng family were typically straight-backed sabers, three feet long and over a foot wide.
But the sword he used was a scimitar, curved like the moon.
After mastering the Saber Emperor’s arts, he had abandoned even the sword of the Paeng family.
“I will make sure you have no regrets.”
As Paeng Ryun drew upon his internal energy with all his might, the great hall began to tremble.
His form, as he channeled the Dark Blood Saber Emperor Ki throughout his body to execute Saber's Heart, Demonic Zenith, was truly like the second coming of the Saber Emperor from four hundred years ago.
‘I already know.’
Bu Eun-seol had already clashed with thirty-one of the thirty-two forms of the Dark Blood Saber Arts.
Therefore, he could somewhat anticipate the final form Paeng Ryun would unleash.
The Mind's Eye of the Wild Plains.
The ultimate mind's eye that was said to open only upon reaching the highest state of the Wild Plains Pavilion’s martial techniques, capable of absorbing another’s martial arts at a glance or predicting the next move.
It was finally showing signs of awakening within Bu Eun-seol.