Chapter 142
Ma Han jumped in shock, utterly flustered by Guyang Cheong-jeong's words.
"You'd risk your life for that bastard?"
"But..."
While Guyang Cheong-jeong hesitated, the leader noticed their attempt to retreat and signaled his subordinates.
"They're trying to escape over the western wall. Stop them!"
Crash!
The warriors immediately brandished their twin palms chaotically, unleashing their palm techniques.
The techniques were simple yet astonishingly swift and powerful. In the end, Guyang Cheong-jeong and Ma Han lost their chance to flee and were cornered once more.
"Young Hero Ma. I'll hold them off—you go first!"
Regaining her composure, she spun her body forcefully, deflecting the barrage of palm energy.
It was none other than the Wind Shot Twelve Fold Slash—the ultimate art that had firmly rooted the Wind-Shooting Sword Sect as one of Qinghai's renowned sword sects.
Heh heh.
But the masters of the Blood Sea Demon Well scoffed, effortlessly evading her sword technique.
Sword techniques, by nature, required harmony between the internal power they demanded and the wielder's sword intent. Without that alignment, they were nothing more than an elegant posture.
Like the other young clan heads of the Seven Sword Gates, Guyang Cheong-jeong lacked real combat experience and sufficient internal energy. She hadn't even fully grasped the sword intent of the technique she had trained in.
Thus, though her form was flawless, she couldn't unleash the appropriate strikes for the situation and was steadily pushed back.
Thud! Thud!
Meanwhile, four of the young clan heads were struck down one after another by palm energy.
Only Guyang Cheong-jeong, Ma Han, and Wi Ji-un remained standing.
"Cheong-mae!"
Realizing they had missed their best chance to escape, Ma Han roared in frustration.
"Dammit! All because of that bastard—!"
"I'm sorry, Young Hero Ma!"
"Forget it! We'll hold out somehow and break through!"
Gritting their teeth, they stubbornly endured.
Though not exceptionally stronger than the others, the three somehow managed to withstand the warriors' onslaught.
Hoh.
Observing this, the leader smirked as if he had realized something.
"So that's how it is."
With a bloodthirsty grin, the leader suddenly advanced and unleashed a palm technique.
The strike was a decisive blow aimed solely at Guyang Cheong-jeong, who stood in the center.
Crack!
As lightning-like palm energy surged forth, Ma Han and Wi Ji-un disregarded their own peril, twisting their bodies to shield her.
But as if anticipating their move, the leader's palm energy arced sharply in a curve, crashing down behind Ma Han and Wi Ji-un.
From the start, his Spiraling Supreme Technique had targeted not Guyang Cheong-jeong but the backs of Ma Han and Wi Ji-un.
Oh no!
Only then did the two realize they had fallen for the leader's trick.
Thud! Thud!
Struck by palm energy on their backs and sides, they collapsed, blood streaming from their wounds.
"Your single-minded determination to protect her created an impromptu combined attack art—how exquisite."
The leader chuckled darkly.
He had discerned that Ma Han and Wi Ji-un had endured this long solely because their sword techniques were fueled by their unwavering resolve to shield Guyang Cheong-jeong.
Slash!
At that moment, Guyang Cheong-jeong swung her sword in front of the two.
Now it was her turn to unleash the Wind Shot Twelve Fold Slash at full strength to protect them.
Hohoho. You clearly don't understand the masters of this sect.
The leader curled his lips into a smirk.
No matter how exceptional her sword technique, she was still a young girl with little experience in the martial world.
In contrast, the demonkin of the Blood Sea Demon Well were trained Killing Ghosts, hardened to fear and pain.
Even if their limbs were slashed, they charged forward relentlessly, utterly unfazed.
Guh!
Before ten or so moves had passed, her shoulder and leg were stabbed, forcing her to her knees.
Heh heh heh.
The leader's gaze roamed over Guyang Cheong-jeong's sweat-drenched body, her clothes clinging tightly, as a perverse smile twisted his lips.
"Impressive."
Licking his lips, he leered.
"Fresh enough that there won't be even a hint of stench when I devour you raw."
"You damned bastard! Don't you dare even dream of laying a finger on Cheong-mae!"
Wi Ji-un, who had been lying collapsed on the ground, shouted. The leader of the Blood Sea Demon Well snorted in amusement.
Then, with heavy, deliberate steps, he walked over, seized Wi Ji-un by the shoulder, and channeled his Internal Power into his fingers.
"GAAAH—!"
As the man's five fingers dug deep into his flesh, Wi Ji-un let out a scream of pure agony.
"In front of the strong, you do not shout. You do not make demands."
The leader watched Wi Ji-un writhe in pain before whispering coldly:
"Have you not learned that yet?"
"Ugh..."
Wi Ji-un swallowed his pain and roared defiantly:
"I am the successor of the Vast Cold Sword Sect!"
In an instant, the leader's eyes turned venomous, like a viper poised to strike.
Wi Ji-un immediately clamped his mouth shut. If he uttered another defiant word, it felt as though his skull would be crushed without hesitation.
"Successor?"
The leader sneered, his gaze sweeping over Wi Ji-un and the other fallen youths with open disdain.
"Bunch of brats. Instead of holding these pointless gatherings, you should've spent your time honing your martial arts."
At those words, the fallen disciples all trembled faintly. It wasn't fear that shook them—it was the bitter sting of regret.
The man was right.
Rather than primping themselves and squandering money for these meetings, they should have trained even a single day more.
The warriors of the Blood Sea Demon Well were strong, but not so overwhelmingly powerful that they couldn't be matched.
Had they trained fiercely, they might have stood a chance.
But laziness and complacency had led them to this outcome.
"Take them away. Now."
"Ugh..."
The successors of the Seven Swords Gate no longer resisted, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
They had realized—no plea, no demand would work against these Fierce God Murderous Kill-like monsters.
The weak had no right to make requests of the strong.
In the murim, dialogue only worked when backed by overwhelming force.
"Wait."
Suddenly, the leader smirked and spoke in an icy tone.
"Sever all their meridians."
The moment those shocking words left his mouth, the Seven Swords Gate successors froze in terror.
"If we take them back unharmed, who knows what they might try."
The leader smiled as he watched the young men tremble in fear.
"But if we cut their meridians, they won't even think of resisting. As long as we bring them back without wounds, that's enough."
The rumors circulating in the murim were not unfounded.
The cruelty and savagery of the Blood Sea Demon Well's demonkin surpassed even the tales—they were akin to Evil Ghosts.
"Oh-ho."
Then, the leader's gaze slid toward Guyang Cheong-jeong, whose body was trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't touch her. I'll handle her myself."
Swallowing his saliva, the man licked his lips and scooped her up in his arms.
"If she pleases me... I might spare her meridians."
"A-ah..."
Paralyzed by sheer terror, Guyang Cheong-jeong could only weep silently.
Just as the leader turned toward the West River Courtyard's chambers—
"Aaaah—hahm."
A languid yawn echoed through the air.
Instantly, all eyes turned toward the source of the sound.
The one stretching lazily was none other than Bu Eun-seol, who had been sitting quietly at the banquet table the entire time—even as the doors had been flung open.
"Mmmph."
Ignoring the sharp glares directed at him, Bu Eun-seol stretched again, slow and unhurried.
'No choice, then.'
Though his outward demeanor was relaxed, his thoughts were slightly complicated.
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had no intention of getting involved in this fight.
Because the martial prowess of the Blood Sea Demon Well warriors was far more pathetic than he'd expected.
More importantly, he had come to Jin-yang to lie low and digest the Insights he'd gained—not to meddle in the favors and grudges of the murim.
'But I can't just turn a blind eye.'
Guyang Cheong-jeong had even abandoned her chance to flee—just to protect him.
Having witnessed that with his own eyes, Bu Eun-seol couldn't bring himself to ignore her plight.
The martial world may be a ruthless place, but it is also one where debts must always be repaid.
"What a lunatic."
The leader stared at Bu Eun-seol, who was yawning, with an expression of utter disbelief.
Thud. Thud.
In that brief moment, Bu Eun-seol had already begun walking straight toward the leader.
As if he were the only person left in this world, Bu Eun-seol advanced in a direct line toward him.
"Get rid of him."
At the leader's command, two subordinates swiftly blocked Bu Eun-seol's path from front and back.
Without a single word, they unleashed twin palm strikes, pouring forth a torrent of Palm Energy.
The attack was too sudden, and with both men positioned to strike from opposite directions, Bu Eun-seol had no room to evade.
KWAANG!
Yet with a deafening explosion, the two martial artists who had unleashed their Palm Energy were sent crashing through the courtyard wall of West River Courtyard, flung outside like ragdolls.
"..."
The completely unexpected turn of events left everyone present frozen in stunned silence.
"So, you're a Master."
The first to regain his composure was the leader.
He nodded in reluctant admiration and spoke.
"That's an impressive Fist Technique you've mastered."
Despite the leader's praise, Bu Eun-seol wore the expression of a man suffering from indigestion—utterly bored by everything.
"Just disappear. I can't be bothered."
It was the first act of mercy Bu Eun-seol had shown since entering the Martial World. A rare kindness toward the weak.
From his perspective, the warriors of the Blood Sea Demon Well were so pitifully beneath him that even lifting a finger against them felt like a waste of effort.
"There are always those who think they're something special."
The leader chuckled darkly as he gathered his Internal Power.
In response, Bu Eun-seol—who had been looking thoroughly disinterested—grinned back at him.
"..."
The leader's mood soured instantly.
The moment he saw Bu Eun-seol's smile, the world around him seemed to darken, as if some unfathomable presence were about to swallow him whole.
"You bastard—"
The leader's words never reached their conclusion.
Because Bu Eun-seol's fist was already hurtling toward his face.
KOO-WOONG.
A sound like something massive crashing down reverberated, followed by an overwhelming pressure slamming into his face.
"Hoh."
The leader barely managed to evade Bu Eun-seol's One Fist, his expression flickering with shock.
But then—just as the crushing pressure should have struck his face—it suddenly split and surged toward both his flanks instead.
What—?!
Horrified, the leader immediately rolled across the ground.
With no other way to escape, he resorted to the Lazy Donkey Roll—a technique so humiliating among martial artists that it was synonymous with utter desperation.
"You little—!"
Scrambling back to his feet, the leader tried to roar in fury—only for his eyes to bulge in realization.
Wait—he can freely redirect his Fist Energy even after releasing it?!
Changing the trajectory of an attack mid-motion wasn't unheard of in the Martial World.
But splitting already-released Fist Energy into multiple directions? That was a Divine Technique beyond anything he had ever encountered.
"You—"
Only now did the leader truly grasp that Bu Eun-seol was no ordinary Master. His expression hardened with grim resolve.
"Not bad. In that case—!"
With a sharp battle cry, he unleashed a Palm Technique that seemed to claw through the very air around them.
"Hm."
Bu Eun-seol watched the dense web of attacks descend before twisting his fist slightly and thrusting forward.
KOO-WOONG!
When Fist Energy and Palm Energy collided, the impact resonated like the tolling of a massive bell.
SCREEE—
Simultaneously, the leader was sent skidding backward, his legs scraping against the ground as he was forced eight full steps back.
"Just what are you?! Who the hell are you?!"
Crumbling.
What happens when a man who has only ever instilled fear in others finally meets a being strong enough to instill fear in him?
A mind once as tranquil as a lake shatters beyond control.
"This can't be happening! How could I be pushed back by some brat?!"
What happens when a man who has always held the lives of others in his grasp finally meets someone who now holds his life in theirs?
Denial. He denies the existence of such a being. He refuses to accept reality.
"Answer me! Who are you to interfere with my righteous cause?!"
"Didn't you learn?"
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the leader and smiled faintly.
"That you don't shout demands at your betters. You don't ask them for anything."