Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Third Young Master's Return
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“How pathetic.”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Dang Sa-heon clutching his stomach, his expression one of disappointment.
“You're not skilled with the sword, nor do you use hidden weapons. What exactly have you been training all this time?”
At the insulting words, Dang Sa-heon gripped his sword again, but the light in his eyes was already fading like a dying ember.
He had been struck in the stomach not by a weapon, but by a bare fist.
Realizing the chasm between their skills was as wide as the heavens and the earth, he had completely lost his will to fight.
‘A man this young has reached a higher realm than me?’
No matter how exceptional a rising star was, it was common for them to reach only the initial stage of the Peak Realm in their early twenties.
But Bu Eun-seol's skill had clearly surpassed the Peak Realm, reaching somewhere in the middle of the Transcendent Realm.
“Don’t worry. I cannot kill someone with the Dang surname within the family grounds, so…”
Bu Eun-seol stated calmly, looking at the trembling Dang Sa-heon.
“There’s no need to shake like that.”
“Am I… Am I shaking?”
Dang Sa-heon looked down at his body, which was trembling like a leaf in the wind.
“This is impossible!”
As if in a final, desperate struggle, Dang Sa-heon unleashed his internal energy with all his might. His muscles swelled to twice their size, and a brilliant white light flashed in his eyes.
Primordial True Ki.
He had drawn upon the powerful Primordial True Ki that resided within the human body from birth.
“If you dodge this, I will admit my defeat!”
Having drawn upon his Primordial True Ki, Dang Sa-heon was about to unleash an incredibly swift sword technique that wagered his very life force.
‘I suppose I should test the level I’ve reached with Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.’
In truth, he had intended to block Dang Sa-heon’s swift sword with the Neung-hyeong-eo-geom technique.
But seeing Heuk-pyo watching the battle from afar with blazing eyes, he decided to dodge the attack using Geuk-sok-mu-yeong instead.
*Fwaaat!*
Dang Sa-heon’s swift sword, powered by his Primordial True Ki, was like a flash of light.
It erupted without any sense of a technique being unfurled, without even a preparatory motion.
*Ssssss.*
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol’s entire body blurred.
It was the manifestation of Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, a peerless movement art that, when mastered to its apex, allowed one to traverse ten thousand li in a single day and change direction ninety-nine times while standing still.
“It can’t be.”
The swift sword thrust had stopped just an inch from Bu Eun-seol’s throat.
Before a single breath had passed, Bu Eun-seol had shifted his position eighty-two times, narrowly evading the range of the attack.
“Ugh…”
As his all-out attack missed its mark, Dang Sa-heon began to age rapidly.
By instantly detonating his Primordial True Ki—the very life force embedded in his body—he had completely exhausted even his own internal energy.
“A reckless attempt.”
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue as he looked down at the gasping Dang Sa-heon.
“Internal energy must be used in a state where it can be freely controlled—both released and withdrawn. Using Primordial True Ki to unleash a swift sword technique makes it impossible to recover. Why would you use such a sword art?”
Fundamentally, such a technique went against the principles of swordsmanship.
Dang Sa-heon had used it with the intent of mutual destruction, but now that it had missed and his internal energy was depleted… he could no longer be a martial artist of the Dang family.
“A frog in a well.”
Heaving for breath, he turned his body away, devoid of strength.
With his martial power gone, all that remained was to retire from the martial world.
“You can’t just leave.”
“Are you telling me to leave my head behind?”
Dang Sa-heon asked with a hollow voice. Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“Then why did you call me?”
“You hold a fairly high position, so you should know.”
“Know what?”
Looking down at Dang Sa-heon’s miserably contorted face, Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
“Dang Bi’s next move.”
***
*Crash.*
Dang Bi’s rage was no longer confined to the furniture. He smashed the walls and pillars inside Suun-gak as he roared.
“Send the Annihilation Toxin Squad!”
“We cannot do that, Young Master.”
Dang Sa-un shook his head.
“That unit is your personal guard, meant to protect you. Their strength must never be compromised.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Isn’t that bastard Dang Gon coming tomorrow?!”
Because of this incident, Dang Bi had lost two of his most capable masters.
If he let Bu Eun-seol be, it would mean he had stirred up trouble for nothing, losing his best subordinates in the process.
“What’s done is done! We must kill that man before Dang Gon arrives!”
Dang Bi had a violent temper, but his intuition was exceptionally sharp.
He knew instinctively that if Bu Eun-seol remained by Dang Gon’s side, he could not guarantee what the future would hold.
“Understood.”
Bowing his head, Dang Sa-un bit his lip and spoke.
“But not with the Annihilation Toxin Squad.”
“What do you mean?”
“Things having come to this, we must ensure his death.”
He lifted his head and looked Dang Bi straight in the eye.
“Young Master, you will summon all the warriors of the Outer Court and surround the Blue Sun Villa.”
“Surround it?”
“Yes.”
Biting his lip, Dang Sa-un’s eyes widened with grim determination as he spoke.
“And I will enter with the Annihilation Toxin Squad.”
The next day.
Dang Bi summoned all the masters of the Outer Court under his command and completely surrounded the Blue Sun Villa, including the annex where Bu Eun-seol was staying.
The official reason was, ‘The man Dang Gon brought with him is plotting something unsavory against the main family.’
Had Dang Gon been present, he would have immediately reported it to Dang Pae or raised hell in the Inner Court to stop it.
But Bu Eun-seol merely gazed out the window with a smile, as if watching an amusing opera.
*Whirrr.*
The masters of the Outer Court moved in a flurry, deploying the Great Heavenly Net Formation—said to rival the Shaolin’s One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation—to completely seal off the Blue Sun Villa.
*Creeak.*
Once the encirclement was complete, a blue-robed Dang Sa-un led the Annihilation Toxin Squad forward and spoke with a solemn expression.
“Bu Eun-seol. Come out!”
*Creeak.*
The door to the annex opened, and Bu Eun-seol, the Ink Sword on his back, stepped out alone.
“You brought quite a crowd.”
Even as the members of the Annihilation Toxin Squad, holding venom-laced swords, surrounded him, Bu Eun-seol wore a welcoming smile.
Seeing that smile, Dang Sa-un felt a deeply ominous premonition.
‘This is not good.’
But he had already mounted the tiger. There was no turning back now.
“Bu Eun-seol! According to intelligence recently acquired by our unit, you are…”
“Let’s skip the clumsy theatrics.”
Bu Eun-seol looked at Dang Sa-un with a weary smile.
“This won’t end until blood is spilled anyway, will it?”
“Are you saying you will resist?”
“Of course.”
As Bu Eun-seol continued to respond playfully, Dang Sa-un shouted.
“Fine! Annihilation Toxin Squad, deploy the Dead Soul Poison Net Formation!”
The Dead Soul Poison Net Formation.
It was the ultimate formation of the Annihilation Toxin Squad, one of the Dang family’s most powerful combat units. It was a deadly formation that sealed the movements of enemies within it.
Then, it would completely blanket that space with the Dang family’s prized ultimate poison, the Azure Scale Shadow.
“Aaargh!”
But even before the formation could be fully established, a scream suddenly echoed.
An immense barrage of poisoned caltrops had begun to rain down from the sky.
“On the roof!”
Dang Sa-un shouted.
On the roof stood a boy in black clothes, Heuk-pyo, with a round hidden weapon device strapped to his back.
It was the Dang Clan’s specially made Repeating Needle Launcher, capable of firing a massive number of hidden weapons at once.
“How does he know the weakness of the Dead Soul Poison Net Formation?”
The Dead Soul Poison Net Formation was a deadly trap that used the lay of the land and poison as a medium to subdue enemies.
Because of this, it had a fatal flaw: it was defenseless against attacks from above. As hundreds of projectiles from the Repeating Needle Launcher rained down, the squad members could not maintain their positions.
“Break the formation!”
As Dang Sa-un yelled, Bu Eun-seol let out a smirk.
“You should have done this before you sent Dang Sa-heon.”
In that moment, a realization dawned on Dang Sa-un, and his mouth fell open.
“You mean… the Lord of Yeongpung Hall told you the weakness of the Dead Soul Poison Net Formation?”
“It’s hardly a counter-strategy. For a large number of people to safely handle an ultimate poison like Azure Scale Shadow, they must first secure their positions.”
*Shing.*
Finally drawing the Ink Sword, Bu Eun-seol spoke coldly.
“Now, let’s end this.”
*Whoosh!*
The Ink Sword, radiating a chilling aura, thrust toward the throat of a squad member.
*Fwaaaa!*
The members of the Annihilation Toxin Squad were all elites who had undergone ten years of arduous training.
But not a single one could block Bu Eun-seol’s strike.
*Chaang!*
Dang Sa-un drew the dagger he was holding and blocked the attack aimed at one of his men.
‘Kugh.’
But the force behind the Ink Sword was so immense that he felt as if he were being crushed into the ground.
“A heavy sword?”
“You know your weapons.”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been using a heavy sword technique, suddenly spun the Ink Sword in the air. The trajectory of the hidden weapons pouring down from behind him abruptly changed.
He had used the Heavenly Hegemon's Sword Extremity.
‘This man is a sword demon!’
Within two breaths of Bu Eun-seol joining the fray, two more members of the Annihilation Toxin Squad fell, spraying blood.
At this rate, the entire squad would be wiped out in a matter of minutes.
‘Is there no other choice?’
Dang Sa-un’s eyes glinted.
Had this been outside, they would have been helpless. But this was none other than the grounds of the Sichuan Dang family.
No matter how skilled a master Bu Eun-seol was, there was a way to kill him here.
‘I have no choice.’
Just as Dang Sa-un was about to pull something small from his robes,
*KABOOM!*
“What is the meaning of this—!”
An immense lion’s roar echoed as the main gate was shattered, and a gray-clad figure strode out.
It was none other than Dang Gon, who had been in the secret cavern.
He had mastered the secret art, which was expected to take four days, in just three.
“Dang Sa-un!”
Dang Gon roared in a stern voice.
Until now, he had always treated everyone in the Dang Clan with kindness and had never spoken down to anyone.
But now, he was glaring at Dang Sa-un like a ferocious beast, his killing intent blazing.
“Third Young Master.”
“Silence!”
Dang Gon glared at Dang Sa-un and shouted.
“You call me the Third Young Master, yet you surround and attack my friend who is staying in my residence… without any reason!”
“…”
Dang Sa-un was speechless, as if he had ten mouths but no words.
Dang Gon swept his gaze over Dang Sa-un and the Annihilation Toxin Squad and spoke in a low voice.
“I will report this matter directly to Father!”
Dang Sa-un could not hide his shocked expression.
It wasn’t because he feared punishment, but because Dang Gon had referred to the Family Head as ‘Father.’
‘He has accepted it.’
Until now, shamed by his illegitimate birth, he had always called Dang Pae ‘Family Head.’
But now, having officially returned from the secret cavern, he had completely shed the inferiority complex he had harbored for so long.
“Go. I don’t even want to see your face.”
At Dang Gon’s shout, Dang Sa-un silently bowed his head and retreated with the Annihilation Toxin Squad.
“…”
Dang Gon’s expression had been like that of a blazing lion. A heavy silence fell for a moment before his face returned to its usual gentle demeanor.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Dang Gon sighed with an apologetic look.
“I knew Dang Bi was vicious, but I never imagined he would do something so absurd.”
“Third Master.”
As Heuk-pyo jumped down from the roof, Dang Gon patted his shoulder with a look of approval.
“You’ve worked hard as well.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was nothing.”
Bu Eun-seol sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened.
“And leave Dang Bi be. His faction has been greatly weakened by this incident anyway.”
“Weakened?”
As Dang Gon blinked, Heuk-pyo whispered softly.
“The Second Young Master… sent assassins after my Young Master twice. When that failed, he resorted to this.”
“Twice… you say?”
“That’s right. After failing so spectacularly with this grand scheme today, he has likely lost a great deal of public support.”
It was just as Bu Eun-seol had predicted.
When rumors spread that Dang Bi had sent assassins three times while Dang Gon was away, the factions supporting him dwindled rapidly.
Not only that, but having lost half of the Annihilation Toxin Squad, Dang Bi’s own forces were significantly weakened.
With things having turned out this way, Dang Bi ceased all external activities and confined himself to Suun-gak, refusing to see anyone.
One other thing had changed as well. Factions had begun to emerge in support of Dang Gon.
“Uncle Pyo, what brings you here?”
Across the table from Dang Gon sat an old man with neatly combed white hair.
He was Dang Pyo, an elder of the Dang family and the Lord of the Sumeru Hall.
“I wish to support you as a candidate for Young Family Head.”