Chapter 1218
As Bu Eun-seol stepped outside,
he saw the Bamboo Hat Man standing impassively, his drawn sword lowered in a relaxed stance.
The mere fact that he could adopt such a tensionless posture before an enemy spoke volumes about the extraordinary level he had reached.
'A woman.'
Though the Bamboo Hat Man wore thick robes that completely concealed his—no, her—bodyline,
Bu Eun-seol instantly discerned the slender frame hidden beneath.
The Poison Hand Sword Demon was a woman.
Flash!
Without hesitation, the Bamboo Hat Woman thrust her sword toward Bu Eun-seol's throat. It was a Quick Sword Form, swift as lightning itself.
Ssskkt—!
As the blade's gleam spread, dozens of shadows scattered in all directions like flung ink.
In perfect sync with the unfolding sword technique, Bu Eun-seol activated Swift Shadowless.
Shiiing!
The sharp sword energy, trailing the path of the Quick Sword, struck a cliff dozens of paces away, sparking flames upon impact.
'Incredible.'
The Quick Sword Form was a technique that maximized the essence of speed—true to its name.
By design, it did not expend sword energy in its execution.
Releasing sword energy would drastically slow the technique's velocity, rendering it no longer worthy of being called a "Quick Sword."
Yet the Bamboo Hat Woman had unleashed a terrifyingly swift sword, accompanied by sword energy, akin to Flashing Thunder.
This was a technique that shattered conventional martial wisdom—utterly unprecedented.
'No need to seal the True Void.'
Shhk—
Drawing Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol immediately deployed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
Even if he killed the Poison Hand Sword Demon through covert means,
the Emperor would discreetly spread word through his intelligence network that the Martial Soul Lord was his blade.
There was no reason to hold back. He would cut down the Poison Hand Sword Demon in a single stroke, wielding his secret arts without restraint.
But then—something unexpected happened.
She had perfectly grasped the trajectory of his Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
With her sword held vertically, she let Ink Soul Sword graze past hers as if brushing it aside.
Ssskkt—!
A hair's breadth between the blades sent sparks flying. Bu Eun-seol, unable to conceal his surprise, retreated a step.
Whoosh!
Though he withdrew, the Bamboo Hat Woman made no move to pursue, merely watching him with detached calm.
Her eyes, visible beneath the veil, were frozen in cold stillness, betraying not a flicker of emotion.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol let out a low hum.
With the Sword Sovereign dead and the Profound Demon departed from the martial world, he could now be called the foremost swordsman under heaven.
Yet the Bamboo Hat Woman had predicted the trajectory of his Meteor Chasing Moon Form in an instant and effortlessly deflected his attack.
The speed and precision of it—
even Bu Eun-seol, who had faced countless formidable masters, had never seen anything like it.
'No... that can't be.'
Had he been an ordinary martial artist,
he might have simply assumed the Bamboo Hat Woman possessed some extraordinary ability to anticipate his moves.
But Bu Eun-seol could say with absolute certainty:
No master under heaven
could predict his sword's trajectory in advance.
'She already knows my Formless Heavenly Flow.'
Without a doubt, this Bamboo Hat Woman had either studied his Formless Heavenly Flow or witnessed it before.
'Let's try another sword technique.'
If he unleashed his supreme secret arts, including the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, he could undoubtedly defeat her without much difficulty.
But Bu Eun-seol was a grandmaster of the sword.
Since she had chosen to face him with swordplay alone, he would respond in kind.
Shhk—
In that moment, the Bamboo Hat Woman struck first.
Her blade split the space between heaven and earth with flawless precision, razor-sharp sword energy coiling around Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
Simultaneously, a surge of immense internal energy poured from her sword's tip, drilling into his meridians.
She had predicted not only his movements but even the flow of his True Qi Circulation—
completely sealing his actions before delivering a decisive strike.
Sssaa—
Ink Soul Sword traced a rippling arc through the air.
At the same time, hundreds of luminous strands erupted from beneath his feet like a geyser,
scattering into countless shattered points of light.
Mystery Upon Mystery.
The supreme defensive stance of the Fire Rain Sword Sect—
and the foundation for layering countless sword principles, unfolding into Myriad Swords.
Claaang!
The Bamboo Hat Woman's treasured sword clashed head-on with Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword.
Utilizing the profound intricacies of Mystery Upon Mystery, he dispersed the force behind her technique—
while deliberately inducing a collision of power by activating the Qi Absorption Art.
Kwaaaa—!
Only after a long moment did the shockwave erupt—
a storm-like Shockwave that surged between them, soaring to the heavens.
Whoooosh—!
The force sent not only the woman's bamboo hat but even her veil fluttering high into the frozen skies above Frozen Lotus Valley.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's expression hardened like ice.
"Miss A-yeon."
The Bamboo Hat Woman—once known as the Poison Hand Sword Demon, now the Empress Dowager's blade—
was none other than the Sword Pavilion's successor, A-yeon.
"How...?"
The corners of Bu Eun-seol's eyes trembled violently.
He could recognize a person not just by their face but by their body's structure and the lines of their muscles.
Yet A-yeon's body now—
was emaciated, as though she had endured decades of ascetic hardship.
Her frame had changed so drastically that he hadn't recognized her at all.
"What in the world happened?"
How could the successor of the Sword Pavilion—revered by generations of the Righteous Faction—
become a loyalist of the Empress Dowager, an assassin who eliminated martial artists under the Emperor's direct command?
But A-yeon, as if she hadn't heard a word, raised her sword once more.
"You truly don't recognize an old acquaintance?"
Bu Eun-seol's face twisted in anguish.
What could have possibly happened?
How could A-yeon—once so pure-hearted—now stand before him, her hands drenched in blood, an assassin serving the wicked Empress Dowager?
KWAANG!
A deafening explosion erupted from A-yeon's body, followed by a blinding white radiance that enveloped her entirely.
SHWIIK!
A Quick Sword Form, moving at an imperceptible speed, shot toward Bu Eun-seol's face without the slightest warning.
TSUCHUT!
He activated Swift Shadowless to evade, but her swordplay was even faster.
PAT!
A crimson line bloomed across his shoulder as the sword's edge grazed him.
It was astonishing.
To surpass the speed of Bu Eun-seol—who was said to possess the fastest movement technique in the world—was no small feat.
'Was this the price for refining such power?'
A furnace-like heat radiated ceaselessly from A-yeon's emaciated frame.
All this time, she had been refining elixirs and cultivating here—not just for strength, but to forge a unique martial art capable of transcendent speed.
'Her body shouldn't be able to endure this.'
Bu Eun-seol could push beyond human limits with Ultra-Extreme Speed only because his Internal Energy and various other powers reinforced his body to withstand the strain.
But A-yeon's body was now so withered and frail that a mere tap could shatter her bones.
How could she possibly move at such speeds?
'Is this a Supernatural Power?'
He shook his head immediately.
'No—this is unmistakably the essence of martial arts.'
One thing was certain: this was no time to ponder the source of her strength.
If this continued, he would be carved to pieces.
In the simplest terms, superiority in swordplay came down to one question: Who was faster?
A-yeon's sword techniques and movement speed had surpassed all limits—so much so that even Bu Eun-seol's Extrasensory Perception couldn't fully track her, nor could he land a single strike.
GIIIIING—
A five-colored light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils, and the surrounding scenery gradually lost its hue.
The Realm of Emptiness.
A new martial frontier no one had ever reached before.
Through the power of World and Realm Annihilation, he unfolded a Domain of nothingness—where all things returned to their natural state.
Whoosh!
Yet, though the Shockwaves of his Internal Energy visibly diminished, A-yeon's speed barely slowed. She continued darting at hypervelocity, her swordplay relentless.
'She's merged a Great Art with martial arts.'
A-yeon wasn't wielding a Supernatural Power—she was enduring the physical toll of her speed through the power of a Great Art.
SHWIIK!
Suddenly, she flipped midair—
PAAAT!
—and in an instant, split into six shadows, all lunging toward Bu Eun-seol.
'They're not illusions.'
Each shadow wielded a different sword technique.
Such a feat was possible only because she had surpassed human limits in speed.
'A body like Vajra Indestructibility, movement like Lightning Flash...'
Then it struck him.
The name of a Forbidden Martial Art no woman should ever practice.
CHANG! CHING-CHING-CHING!
Swords clashed, scattering countless sparks in all directions.
A-yeon's sleeves billowed as if channeling immense qi, and with every swing, sword waves three jang wide surged forth, engulfing Bu Eun-seol.
CHIIIK.
Though he occasionally landed a few strikes, they merely sparked against her like hammered iron—she didn't even flinch.
'It is that martial art.'
FLASH!
Bu Eun-seol gathered his Internal Power and unleashed Waning Moon Morning Star, obliterating all six shadows—
SHWIIK!
—but in that instant, A-yeon pierced toward his lower abdomen.
ZZEENG!
He barely blocked it. The crisp ring of steel echoed as her figure vanished once more.
CLACK.
Bu Eun-seol steadied his stance, inhaling deeply to regulate his Internal Breath.
Now, he could faintly discern A-yeon's movements.
'No doubt about it.'
Her eyes had turned ghostly white, her skin marred with faint cracks.
Her limbs were unnaturally withered, and all emotion had vanished from her gaze.
'Ancient Wood Divine Art.'
A forbidden demonic technique that granted an indestructible body—
—at the cost of hardening not just the flesh, but the heart, turning its practitioner into a stone woman.
She had mastered it.
SHWIIK!
A-yeon split into twelve shadows this time, charging again.
'The number hasn't increased.'
Though it seemed she multiplied through sheer speed, the truth was far more terrifying:
She had sealed off all avenues of Bu Eun-seol's movement, preemptively cutting off any counterattack.
CHANG! DANG-DANG-DANG!
He stood his ground, forced into pure defense.
PAT-PAT!
Wounds accumulated across his body as Ink Soul Sword cleaved the air.
Yet his gaze remained cold as the glaciers of the North Sea.
If he abandoned pure swordplay and unleashed the full Essence of Martial Arts at his disposal...
Even if he used Divine Wood Divine Art instead of Ancient Wood Divine Art—
—he could still shatter her body.
But now that he knew A-yeon was the Poison Hand Sword Demon, simply beheading her would solve nothing.
As Bu Eun-seol defended against her attacks, he continued refining his swordsmanship—
All while relentlessly seeking an opening to unleash a single Secret Art.
Flash.
Then, a streak of light flickered through Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
He had discerned a method to counter A-yeon's ultra-high-speed movements.
Whoosh!
As he soared into the sky with his Aerial Movement Art, the sword aura from the Ink Soul Sword in his grasp began layering upon itself in overlapping waves.
Flash! Flash!
With movements swift as lightning, he unleashed the Waning Moon Morning Star technique in rapid succession—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sword strokes did not strike A-yeon directly but instead cascaded into the space around her.
Rustle—
Then, her form, which had been moving at blinding speed, gradually became visible.
The massive cross-shaped sword aura, layered through the Waning Moon Morning Star,
Had exerted overwhelming pressure on the space she traversed, suppressing her very movement.
Whirl— Whirl—
A-yeon spun like a pinwheel, attempting to deflect the cascading sword strokes,
But in doing so, she inevitably traced a large, circular trajectory.
No matter how fast the movement, if repeated, the pattern would eventually be deciphered.
And Bu Eun-seol had exploited that weakness—
Deliberately fixing her evasion path to precisely capture her movements.
Flash!
The Ink Soul Sword spiraled rapidly in his hand before thrusting toward her throat.
The thirteenth stroke of the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms—the Limitless Infinite—had been unleashed.
Thud!
Realizing she couldn't evade the sword stroke, A-yeon thrust her sword toward Bu Eun-seol's chest instead.
If she was doomed to die, she would take him with her—Mutual Destruction.
But something utterly unexpected happened.
A-yeon's treasured sword pierced Bu Eun-seol's chest—
While his Ink Soul Sword stopped a mere inch from her throat.
Thunk.
The blade forged of cold steel impaled his torso.
Though his Body Protection True Qi was immensely dense, and though the Water Essence Divine Qi activated instantly to shield his pleura—
Shhk!
A-yeon's sword was too sharp, its concentrated Internal Power too overwhelming—he suffered a deep wound.
Zzzzt—
Yet Bu Eun-seol had no time to register the pain.
Regardless of whether A-yeon had mastered the Ancient Wood Divine Art,
He had judged that she was not in her right mind, ensnared by some bizarre Great Art.
Rather than killing her, he had been waiting for the moment to shatter the Mind Seizing Secret Art cast upon her—
Even if it meant sacrificing his own body to unleash Phantom Restoration.
'This...'
While deploying Phantom Restoration, the light in Bu Eun-seol's eyes dimmed.
His assumption had been wrong.
She was not under the influence of the Mind Seizing Secret Art—
No, she was in fact perfectly lucid.
Flash!
In that instant, killing intent surged from A-yeon's eyes.
Bu Eun-seol was now completely defenseless.
If she pushed her sword with all her strength—she could pierce his heart instantly.
Tremble—
Yet the hand gripping the sword refused to move.
Staring into Bu Eun-seol's eyes from such close proximity, long-forgotten emotions resurfaced.
The first time they met at the inn, when she had thought him a vile villain and sought to kill him.
The time at the Demon Hall, when women who loved him had caused a commotion, their auras clashing.
The time he had carried a massive coffin to the Sword Pavilion to save her,
Eliminating the traitors and avenging her master's grudge.
The time she had fallen into the Azure River Realm's scheme, unable to forget him,
Only for him to risk his life to save her again.
Every time she was in danger, Bu Eun-seol had saved her.
And through it all, A-yeon had fallen deeply in love with him.
Yet no matter how much she loved him, she could never voice her heart.
Because there were always too many women around him who loved him just as fiercely.
Each time, she had swallowed her pain and given up.
—If I push the blade just a handspan deeper... I can end this tormenting bond.
Her mind commanded it, but her heart refused.
The moment she pierced his heart, her own would stop forever.
Clang.
In the end, A-yeon could only let the sword drop.
"My lady, what troubles you?"
A voice, seemingly indifferent yet laden with deep concern, lingered in her ears.
When she raised her head, eyes that appeared as cold as ice—yet held warmth—gazed back at her.
A-yeon couldn't bear it.
And she could no longer deny it.
That she still loved him.
At last, a single scalding tear—
Plop.
Fell onto the back of her bloodstained hand.
Simultaneously, a crackling sound resonated through her entire body.
The Secret Art she had cultivated for so long in Frozen Lotus Valley,
The Ancient Wood Divine Art that annihilated all emotion—
Had finally shattered.
"Kill me," A-yeon said, staring at Bu Eun-seol.
"If you don't... you will never find the Secret Vault hidden by the Empress Dowager, the one created by Baekri Mu-ha."
"A Secret Vault... made by Baekri Mu-ha?"
Bu Eun-seol felt dizzy.
At the same time, he recalled the key to the vault he had obtained from Baekri Ja-ha's Prosthetic Arm, kept close to his chest.
As if it were fate's design—
Had the reason he obtained that key been to enter the vault left behind by his father?
'But—'
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
Entering the vault was one thing—but how could he possibly kill A-yeon?
"If you won't kill me—"
Swish.
A-yeon retrieved the fallen sword with Void Object Retrieval, gripping it once more—
"Then you die!"
And thrust it with all her might toward Bu Eun-seol's heart.