Chapter 515
Chapter 515
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 515
Chapter Title: Blood for the Demonic Sword
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“Begin!”
At that moment, the Ghost-Faced Emissary’s voice echoed through the chamber.
Instantly, a murderous glint flashed in the participants’ eyes.
*I must strike first and aim for the heart!*
Ultimately, the only way to survive this trial was to seize the initiative.
To find the one hole among the fourteen that pierced the heart in a single, decisive blow.
Under the Ghost-Faced Emissary’s watch, the fifty-odd participants began to fight in sequence.
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Soon, the air was filled with screams.
The probability of finding the heart among the fourteen holes was extremely low.
But looking at it another way, besides the heart, there were three other holes that could inflict fatal wounds. Those were not low odds at all.
Few died instantly from a pierced heart, but being stabbed through the shoulder or leg was a frequent occurrence.
“Hahahaha!”
Yet, among them, one man claimed victory after victory.
It was Cheon Hwa-in.
He always won the first strike and found the hole leading to the heart every single time.
Of course, Cheon Hwa-in wasn't the only one on a winning streak.
But the others had only managed to avoid fatal wounds, suffering multiple stabs to their shoulders, arms, and thighs.
*Cheon Hwa-in’s consecutive victories must mean he fits whatever criteria they’re looking for.*
This was supposed to be a battle of pure luck.
For Cheon Hwa-in alone to achieve an unbroken winning streak made no sense.
*They’re definitely weeding people out. If so, then…*
After some thought, Bu Eun-seol began to form a vague idea of what they were after.
*They want to unleash our latent killing intent.*
The first trial used various poisons to induce a madness for slaughter, buried deep within the mind.
The second trial provided a justifiable reason—self-preservation—to push opponents from a high place without hesitation.
In other words, the trials so far had been a process of making it feel perfectly natural to harm others, even with a clear mind.
It was a way of drawing out one’s innate murderous aura.
*But what do they plan to do after unleashing it?*
Bu Eun-seol’s mind raced.
The third trial was simply designed to allow participants to kill without a guilty conscience, using holes with unknown exit points.
It didn't seem like it was meant to select for any specific condition.
*The Sword Tomb, the Sword Tomb…*
As he pondered deeply, his eyes suddenly lit up.
*Could it be… they’re searching for someone who can wield a demonic sword of extreme evil?*
What if someone possessed a great thirst for slaughter?
They might instinctively be able to find the hole that pierced their opponent’s heart in one go.
And such a person would be perfectly suited to wield a demonic sword that craved human blood.
*Then the Sword Tomb they spoke of… is a Demonic Sword Tomb.*
The legendary Sword Tomb, a graveyard of swords, wouldn't just contain divine swords and treasured blades.
Naturally, there would also be a Demonic Sword Tomb where demonic swords and sabers, soaked in blood, lay dormant.
*But why?*
Another question remained.
Whether it was a Sword Tomb or a Demonic Sword Tomb, if it was real…
Why would they need to summon martial artists just to hand over the swords to them?
As Bu Eun-seol was lost in deep thought…
“You. Let’s have a go.”
A figure with bloodshot eyes approached him.
It was Cheon Hwa-in.
“I don’t like the look in your eyes. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
As if irretrievably lost to a demonic nature, Cheon Hwa-in’s face bore no resemblance to his former self.
His eyes overflowed with killing intent, and his face was twisted into a grotesque mask.
He had passed the trials designed to awaken the instinct for slaughter with flying colors and had now become a man fully capable of handling a demonic sword.
“I’ll go first.”
Without even deciding who would attack, Cheon Hwa-in immediately thrust the rapier he held into the cylinder Bu Eun-seol wore.
It was aimed directly at the spot that would pierce Bu Eun-seol’s heart.
*I have no choice.*
If he used his internal energy, the resulting ripple of true qi would instantly alert the Ghost-Faced Emissary.
Manipulating the mechanism inside the cylinder was also not an option.
Each time the position of the holes changed, it made a distinct clanking sound.
*This is the only way.*
Bu Eun-seol raised his Crystal Divine Arts, blocking the opening of the passage connected to his heart.
The power of the Death God was a force derived entirely from nature.
Unleashing it produced no ripple of true energy, nor did it project any discernible aura.
*Thud.*
The rapier stopped, unable to advance further, and Cheon Hwa-in’s expression contorted.
“How…”
“Now it’s my turn.”
Bu Eun-seol, rapier in hand, stared intently at Cheon Hwa-in.
*This man doesn't deserve to live.*
He held no grudge against Cheon Hwa-in for what had happened in the past.
He had already settled his accounts and cleared his mind when the man became a cripple.
But the Cheon Hwa-in before him now was different.
He was completely steeped in malice, showing no hesitation in taking another’s life.
If such a man were to obtain a demonic sword, a fiend that the martial world should never see would be born.
*Straight through the heart.*
Using the senses of the Beast’s Path, Bu Eun-seol instantly located the hole connected to the heart.
Without hesitation, he plunged the rapier into it.
*Puchi!*
With a dull thud, Cheon Hwa-in stumbled back, impaled by the rapier.
“Huuuhhh.”
But something strange happened.
Despite having his heart clearly pierced, he didn't die. Instead, he stood firm, gritting his teeth.
*I see.*
The human heart is located slightly to the left of the body’s centerline.
However, a rare few people have their organs completely mirrored.
Cheon Hwa-in’s heart was not on the left, but on the right.
“Heheheh.”
Though writhing in pain, Cheon Hwa-in let out a sinister laugh.
Even if his heart wasn't pierced, a sword through the chest was no minor injury.
But he laughed as if he felt no pain, picking up his rapier once more.
“Now it’s my turn. Hehehe.”
He cackled as he raised the weapon.
“Even if it wasn’t the heart, there are other places that can be fatal.”
Consumed by evil and demonic energy, Cheon Hwa-in instantly found the hole that passed through the collarbone and thrust his blade into it.
*I can’t block this.*
Bu Eun-seol knew instinctively.
The Ghost-Faced Emissary was watching him intently. If he blocked the hole again, his deception would be immediately discovered.
*I have to minimize the damage.*
The rapiers they were given were so sharp they could easily pierce through even a body hardened by the Iron Cloth Shirt technique.
*Puk.*
The moment the sword struck, Bu Eun-seol spread the Crystal Divine Arts throughout his body.
He wasn't trying to block the rapier, but to protect the blood vessels and pleura near his collarbone.
*Puk.*
Since the blade had already pierced his skin, a distinct sound of penetration was heard.
Cheon Hwa-in, feeling the definite impact, let out a sinister laugh.
“Heheheh. How does that feel?”
Bu Eun-seol deliberately grimaced and dropped to one knee.
He had avoided a fatal wound, but he had to feign agony to deceive the Ghost-Faced Emissary.
“Now… it’s my turn.”
As Bu Eun-seol stood up, rapier in hand again, Cheon Hwa-in gritted his teeth.
The wound near his heart was by no means light.
If he were stabbed again in a place like the collarbone, he could die from excessive blood loss.
“You’d better be ready.”
Bu Eun-seol slowly approached, using the senses of the Beast’s Path to find the hole that would pierce the collarbone, and thrust the rapier in.
*Thud.*
Just then, on the other side of the room, someone collapsed, bleeding.
“Stop.”
The Ghost-Faced Emissary raised his hand and shouted.
“The ones who will enter the Sword Tomb have all been decided.”
Looking around, Bu Eun-seol saw that besides himself and Cheon Hwa-in, six other martial artists remained.
As the Ghost-Faced Emissary raised his hand…
With a clank, the metal cylinders attached to the participants’ bodies fell away on their own.
What was revealed were figures drenched in blood.
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
All of them… had wounds where their hearts should have been.
It turned out that all the survivors were people whose hearts were located on the right side of their bodies.
And in a small, empty container inside the metal cylinders, the blood that had flowed from their bodies had been collected.
“Hmph.”
The Ghost-Faced Emissary looked at Bu Eun-seol, whose chest was unharmed, and his eyes curved into crescents.
“A formidable master indeed. To have deceived my ears.”
Bu Eun-seol had initially thought the three trials were designed to find a user for a demonic sword—someone with a sharp, murderous sense, capable of instinctively finding the heart.
But now it seemed they wanted those who could survive having their hearts pierced.
Yet, another question arose.
If they just wanted to know the position of the heart, they didn't need to create such a trial.
A simple physical examination before entering the Sword Tomb would have revealed it easily.
So why make them wear strange cylinders and engage in a bloody battle?
And why collect their blood in those cylinders?
“Sent by the Murim Alliance again, are you?”
Surprisingly, the Ghost-Faced Emissary seemed to have some idea of Bu Eun-seol’s identity.
“The spies from the Murim Alliance were always exceptionally skilled.”
*Step, step.*
The Ghost-Faced Emissary slowly approached Bu Eun-seol.
“Shall we see what you’re made of?”
Bu Eun-seol secretly gathered his internal energy.
It had come to this. He had no choice but to annihilate them all and erase the evidence.
Fortunately, the martial prowess of the man known as Seon Woo-jin was sufficient to face the Ghost-Faced Emissary.
*Shing!*
As he channeled his energy into the rapier, a sharp sword qi erupted from it.
*I’ll use the Thirteen Forms of the Iron Sword.*
Combined with the Grafting Arts, the Thirteen Forms of the Iron Sword should be enough to contend with the Ghost-Faced Emissary.
*Rumble.*
Just then, a group of Cheonin Cultists wearing robes with strange symbols rushed in through the open gate.
But the Ghost-Faced Emissary raised a hand to stop them.
“Treat them and send them to the Sword Tomb. I will deal with this one myself.”
“Understood.”
The cultists who had swarmed in took Cheon Hwa-in and the other survivors—all of whom had survived being stabbed near the heart—and led them away.
“You may strike first.”
The Ghost-Faced Emissary didn't even draw his sword, crossing his arms confidently.
The swordsmanship he had displayed so far was a lightning-fast killing style, with movements too quick for the eye to follow.
Though he stood in a relaxed posture, if Bu Eun-seol revealed an opening…
He would instantly strike with a sword flash as swift as lightning.
*Thump.*
Bu Eun-seol, rapier in hand, lightly stamped his foot.
Vibrations spread out in all directions, and the structure of the chamber was instantly mapped out in his mind.
*No one is watching.*
Bu Eun-seol scanned his surroundings and smiled.
An idea to turn this dire crisis into another opportunity had just occurred to him.
*Swoosh!*
Bu Eun-seol immediately swung the rapier.
The Ghost-Faced Emissary’s face contorted in shock as he instantly retreated.
The attack was similar to his own ultra-fast killing sword, yet it was even faster.
*Flick!*
Despite his swift evasion, he couldn't dodge completely, and a spray of blood flew from his neck.
“What? Who in the world are you…”
The Ghost-Faced Emissary’s words were cut short.
The rapier that had grazed his neck drew a semi-circle in the air and once again shot toward his vital points.
It was the Nine Dragons Flash Lightning, a lightning-fast killing style that could change direction multiple times in mid-air.
Furthermore, Bu Eun-seol had advanced Cheon Un-gwang’s Nine Dragons Flash Lightning even further.
He had incorporated the strengths of various demonic sword arts into it.
*Swish! Swish!*
The Ghost-Faced Emissary desperately employed his footwork and movement techniques, but the sword still sank deep into his shoulder.
Bu Eun-seol could have taken his head with that one move, but he had deliberately held back.
He needed to see the man’s true skills.
“You…!”
*Swoosh!*
But as the sharp rapier embedded in his shoulder grazed his cheek, he could no longer speak.
*Shing!*
The Ghost-Faced Emissary immediately drew his sword.
A crimson sword qi spread out, and in an instant, the entire chamber seemed to ignite in a ball of fire.
A demonic sword.
The Ghost-Faced Emissary had not been using a divine sword, but a demonic sword with strange abilities.
“Die!”
*Whoosh!*
The Ghost-Faced Emissary swung his sword with all his might.
Before the sword form was even fully executed, a searing heat, as if trapped in flames, enveloped the area.
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol felt his movements become sluggish, as if he were underwater.
*So it wasn't an ultra-fast killing sword, but the power of a demonic sword.*
The trajectory had been invisible, making it seem like an ultra-fast style, but in reality, the Ghost-Faced Emissary was using a scattered sword technique full of variations.
*So this was his true skill.*
Having grasped the Ghost-Faced Emissary’s unique swordsmanship, Bu Eun-seol faced the torrent of heat and thrust his rapier forward with all his strength.
An immense radiance burst forth, and it was as if all time had stopped.
*Woooo!*
The rapier seemed to move slowly, like a ball of fire, but the Ghost-Faced Emissary couldn't move his body even as he watched it approach.
It appeared to be moving slowly.
But in reality, it had captured the precise moment to sever his life, so to the victim, it could only appear to be slow.
The Transcendent Meteor Chase Form.
Reborn after breaking its shell during the battle with Paeng Ryun, the swift sword style…
had evolved into an ultra-fast demonic sword style that allowed one to taste the meaning of death before it arrived.
*Thud.*
The slow-moving ball of fire vanished, and with a flash of light, the Ghost-Faced Emissary stood frozen like a statue.
*Drip.*
A faint line of blood had appeared on his neck.
The Transcendent Meteor Chase Form had severed his head.
*Thump.*
He collapsed to the ground like a broken doll.
He was skilled enough to dominate a region of the martial world, but against Bu Eun-seol’s single strike, he had become a lonely ghost.
*Whoosh!*
As the Ghost-Faced Emissary fell, Bu Eun-seol immediately used his object-retrieval skill to grab the ghost-faced mask.
*This man is…*
When he removed the mask, the face of a middle-aged man, so ordinary as to look gentle, was revealed.
“The Benevolent Sword, Yeon Baek-ryang?”
To his astonishment, the Ghost-Faced Emissary’s true identity was…
Yeon Baek-ryang, a rather famous righteous hero in the Orthodox Faction, who went by the title of the Benevolent Sword.
“So he, too, abandoned everything to obtain a sword.”
The Benevolent Sword, Yeon Baek-ryang, was famous not for his exceptional martial arts, but for his kind and gentle nature, as his title suggested.
Though his skills were not top-tier, he had inherited a considerable fortune and had built friendships with many masters of the martial world by treating them generously.
True to his title, he would spend lavishly to help those in need.
But that life did not last long.
For the sake of entertaining his friends and helping the needy…
He had squandered his money endlessly until he had finally exhausted his family’s fortune.
His swordsmanship was unremarkable, and with his only advantage—his wealth—gone, no masters sought him out or maintained their friendship.
Soon after, he vanished from the martial world.
To think that the Benevolent Sword, who had met such a lonely end, would suddenly reappear as a Ghost-Faced Emissary of the Cheonin Cult.
“I suppose it’s possible.”
Like Cheon Hwa-in, Yeon Baek-ryang had once been a prominent figure in the martial world, flaunting his connections with many influential people.
But once he had spent all his wealth to maintain those connections, all that was left for him was a lonely and miserable end.
His only remaining choices were to end his life, or to risk it to obtain powerful martial arts.
It seemed he had ultimately thrown in his lot with the Cheonin Cult, obtained a demonic sword, and become a Ghost-Faced Emissary.
“They used the desperate.”
The Cheonin Cult lured desperate individuals to the Sword Tomb and placed demonic swords in their hands.
But why would they do such a thing? What could they possibly gain from it?
“Now I might find out why.”
Bu Eun-seol changed into Yeon Baek-ryang’s clothes, then donned the red ghost-faced mask and the demonic sword.
Fortunately, their body types were similar, so with a change of face, he became a perfect replica of the Ghost-Faced Emissary.
He then altered Yeon Baek-ryang’s face to be unrecognizable and dressed the corpse in his own clothes.
To thoroughly imitate the Ghost-Faced Emissary, he had deliberately fought him to observe his true sword style.
“Hmph.”
Bu Eun-seol, a master of the Art of Crowing Roosters and Barking Dogs, immediately mimicked Yeon Baek-ryang’s voice.
“Ahem, ahem.”
He then strode majestically toward the exit where the Cheonin Cultists had departed.
*How did they open the door?*
Remembering something, Bu Eun-seol searched the clothes he was wearing.
He found a small, flute-shaped metal key ring.
*This must be it.*
He inserted the flute-like key into the hole, and with a grinding sound, the heavy door opened.
“Emissary.”
A Cheonin Cultist guarding the door bowed his head, and Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
“What of the remaining ones?”
“They have been treated and sent to the Sword Tomb.”
Bu Eun-seol was puzzled.
They hadn't been stabbed through the heart, but they had suffered deep sword wounds to the chest.
How could their wounds have been completely treated in such a short time?
“I see.”
Swallowing his burgeoning questions, Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
“Dispose of that one’s body.”
“Understood.”
The cultists casually carried away Yeon Baek-ryang’s body, which was now dressed in a veiled mask.
*Tap, tap.*
Surveying his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol walked nonchalantly down the long corridor.
When he finally reached the end, he saw a stone staircase leading down to another level.
Without hesitation, he descended the stairs into a damp, humid air thick with the pungent smell of mold.
Looking around, he saw another long passage reminiscent of an underground cave.
As he walked confidently down the passage, a massive iron door soon came into view.
The door, at least thirty feet high, was covered in intricate, unidentifiable patterns.
It looked as if opening it would unleash a horde of imprisoned demons that would instantly destroy the world.
*Is this the entrance to the Sword Tomb?*
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he examined the door.
There was clearly only one door, yet there were six keyholes.
*Hmm.*
Bu Eun-seol pondered for a moment.
The key the Ghost-Faced Emissary had was only for opening the gate to the trial chamber.
This meant Yeon Baek-ryang was not a high-ranking member or leader of the Cheonin Cult.
He was a person without the authority or qualification to enter this place.
*Then this must be a very important place.*
Bu Eun-seol examined the keyholes again.
Upon closer inspection, five of the keyholes showed signs of use, but the bottommost one had no such marks.
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol placed his fingertips over the keyhole.
The Crystal Divine Arts and the Glacial River Arts poured out, filling the space within.
*Crackle.*
When he withdrew his hand, an intricate key made of solid ice had been formed.
*Click.*
As he slowly turned the key, a low vibration echoed.
But the door didn't open. Instead, the six keyholes merged back into one.
*Impressive security.*
Bu Eun-seol once again combined the Crystal Divine Arts and the Glacial River Arts to create another ice key and turned it.
*Rumble.*
The massive door swung open, revealing another staircase leading down.
*If the previous door was the entrance to the Sword Tomb, then this area below must be beneath the Sword Tomb.*
If they built another space beneath the Sword Tomb…
There had to be a reason.
Bu Eun-seol sensed that descending would allow him to unravel the secrets of the Sword Tomb.
*Step, step.*
As he reached the bottom of the dark staircase, an indescribably acrid and nauseating smell filled the air.
*This is…*
The stench was somewhat familiar to Bu Eun-seol.
It was the smell of blood, one he had become all too familiar with during his days as a corpse handler.
And it wasn't the blood of one or two people, but an overwhelming stench, as if dozens, or even hundreds, had bled out at once.
As Bu Eun-seol descended, he could see a wide, dark interior with massive pillars supporting the ceiling.
*Splash.*
The floor was slick with a damp liquid. It was blood.
Looking up, he saw a network of long pipes, like a spider’s web, installed on the forty-foot-high ceiling.
*Drip, drip, drip.*
Blood was constantly dripping from the gaps in the pipes.
The wet floor was due to the blood falling from those gaps.
It was clear that a large quantity of blood was being transported through those pipes to somewhere else.
“So that’s what it was.”
Bu Eun-seol finally understood everything.
He understood why the Cheonin Cult had spread rumors of discovering a Sword Tomb, and why they were constantly recruiting large numbers of people to enter.
“Sacrifices. They needed a massive number of sacrifices.”
The reason the Cheonin Cult had constructed this Sword Tomb and lured martial artists here…
was because they needed blood to awaken the dormant demonic swords.
“And without becoming public enemies of the martial world.”
If they were to slaughter or kill a large number of people, no matter how secretly they acted, they would eventually be discovered.
So they had devised a very clever way to obtain sacrifices for the demonic swords.
“So that’s why.”
The deep grooves on the floor of each trial chamber…
They were there to channel the flowing blood to a single location.
Then the blood collected from the participants in the final trial…
was likely meant to awaken a very special demonic sword.
“Just what kind of demonic sword are they trying to awaken that requires so much blood from people with such specific conditions?”
The more powerful a demonic sword, the more blood it demanded, and sometimes it required the blood of individuals who met specific criteria.
And the blood they had obtained…
was the blood of martial artists whose latent killing intent had not just been unleashed, but who had been completely consumed by it.
“And if it’s the blood of those consumed by a lust for slaughter…”
An ominous thought flashed through his mind.
The name of a legendary demonic sword that was said to appear in the martial world once every hundred years came to him.
The demonic sword, Thousand Men’s Blood.
“Don’t tell me the Cheonin Cult built this Sword Tomb to awaken the Thousand Men’s Blood.”