Chapter 147
Bu Eun-seol and U Gang exchanged rapid blows at an alarmingly close distance, their faces nearly colliding with each strike.
Pak! Pak! Pak-pak!
As time passed, U Gang's expression twisted further with each exchange.
Though the Jade-Shattering Fist was an exceptional martial art, compared to the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon—a technique that dominated the martial world—it was nothing more than a messy, unfocused fist technique.
Forced to defend against the freely flowing fist energy of the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon, U Gang's strikes and internal power scattered repeatedly under the pressure.
"Good!"
Suddenly, a faint light flickered around U Gang's fist.
Realizing he couldn't match Bu Eun-seol's technique with skill alone, he sought to suppress his opponent's momentum with sheer internal power.
KOOOONG!
When their fists collided, a shockwave rippled outward in concentric circles.
At the same time, U Gang was forced back three full steps—yet Bu Eun-seol stood firm, unmoved, like a Heavenly General descending from the skies.
"...!"
U Gang's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight.
'His internal power is at this level?'
Since childhood, he had consumed countless spirit medicines—all recommended by the Elders for strengthening the body.
And that wasn't all. Until he reached his forties, he had honed his internal energy without missing a single day of training.
Because of this, he had always prided himself on surpassing his peers in internal power... Yet now, he was being pushed back by a mere greenhorn.
"I admit it—your fist technique and internal power are both a step above mine."
A sharp glint flashed in U Gang's eyes as he stared at Bu Eun-seol.
"Prepare the formation."
Whoosh—
At his command, the Beggars' Sect disciples all drew their long staffs and encircled Bu Eun-seol.
"Draw your sword. You won't be able to face this battle formation with just your fists."
At U Gang's advice, Bu Eun-seol replied with an expressionless face.
"I'll draw it when the time comes."
"Are you also one of the Ten Demonic Heirs?"
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow at the sudden question.
When no answer came after a moment, U Gang continued.
"Our sect has always upheld the Path of Chivalry. Even if you're a spawn of the Demonic Path, we'll still retrieve your corpse with dignity."
His eyes swept over Bu Eun-seol from head to toe before he spoke again.
"Name your sect. We'll send your remains back to them properly."
"No need to concern yourself."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze was unwavering, like frozen steel.
"If I lose, leave my body as it is—let the beasts tear it apart."
Bu Eun-seol held no attachment or lingering sentiment toward life. What happened to his corpse meant nothing to him.
The only thing that mattered was moving forward. That was all he needed to do.
But U Gang stared at him with a strange look.
"You don't believe you'll lose."
"You talk too much."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's disgusted expression, U Gang's thick brows twitched. Without another word, he stepped forward and merged into the formation.
Oooom—
At that moment, a low vibration hummed through the air as an intense energy surged from U Gang and the four other Dog-Slaying Squad members.
It was a momentum and resonance unseen in ordinary formations.
'This isn't the Striking Dog Formation.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
The Beggars' Sect possessed the Striking Dog Formation—a peerless martial skill said to rival Shaolin's White-Haired Arhat Formation.
But that formation required thirty-six members. Since the Dog-Slaying Squad masters before him numbered only five, this had to be another of the sect's formations.
'I'll find out by testing it.'
Bu Eun-seol lightly extended a single fist, unleashing the fist energy of the First Appearance of the Fist Demon.
"HAAAP!"
In response, the four Beggars' Sect disciples encircling him swung their long staffs, effortlessly dispersing the fist energy.
Tak! Tak-tak-tak!
Then, as if employing the Ground-Hugging Blade Art, they dropped into low stances and thrust their staffs, relentlessly targeting Bu Eun-seol's lower body.
'The might of the formation.'
Until now, no opponent had so casually deflected the fist energy of the First Appearance of the Fist Demon and immediately counterattacked.
Bu Eun-seol discerned that each time they stepped into specific positions and executed their staff techniques, a peculiar energy surged forth.
Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!
Activating his footwork technique, Bu Eun-seol evaded the long staffs—then another flash of brilliance erupted from his fist.
Whoosh!
In that instant, five streaks of razor-sharp fist energy poured forth, each striking from a different angle toward U Gang and the Dog-Slaying Squad.
This was the second form of the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon—the Extreme Lightning Confusion, a profound technique.
Tak! Pa-ra-rak!
Faced with unavoidable strikes from all directions, the Dog-Slaying Squad members moved like blossoming petals—gathering and scattering in rhythm—as they swung their staffs in unison.
They had once again neutralized Bu Eun-seol's fist energy using an extremely unique yet flawless Combined Attack Art.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
This time, the Killing Dog Experts launched their counterattack. Swinging their long staffs, they occasionally unleashed fist techniques with one hand.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been closely observing their seamless barrage of attacks, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
'The Beggars' Sect's martial arts are more diverse than I expected.'
Each of them employed different fist techniques, each with their own distinct stances.
Given the countless members of the sect, it seemed their martial arts had developed in a multitude of ways.
Swish! Crack crack crack!
After exchanging around thirty martial forms in a brief span, Bu Eun-seol retreated slightly.
'The battle formation is profound, but those executing it aren't perfect.'
The formation itself was intricate enough that he couldn't break it in such a short time, but the Beggars' Sect members each wielded martial arts with strong individual characteristics.
Because of that, Bu Eun-seol could clearly see the gaps in their techniques.
Just as he leisurely observed their methods and prepared to counter—Shatter! Crack!
From afar, the sharp Sound of Breaking Air and a dull impact rang out simultaneously.
Bu Eun-seol instantly recognized it as the sound of the White Horse Whip striking the ground.
'Yu Un-ryong.'
There was no martial form in the White Horse Whip Art that involved slamming the ground.
Most likely, Yu Un-ryong had struck the ground in vain—meaning the tide of battle was turning increasingly against him.
'So it was impossible after all.'
The martial arts of the Great Righteous Experts had already reached the Transcendent Realm.
To defeat them, one needed not only superior martial technique forms but also a spirit and mind more unshakable than theirs.
"Now!"
The moment Bu Eun-seol's focus wavered, U Gang immediately seized the opportunity and shouted.
"Boiling Sound Startles Dog!"
Crack!
At his command, the Beggars' Sect masters wielding long staffs all leaped into mid-air simultaneously.
Watching this, Bu Eun-seol frowned in disbelief.
'They finally seize a good opportunity... only to use a technique like this?'
Humans couldn't remain suspended in the air like birds—so the moment they descended, a massive opening would appear.
Because of this, jumping mid-air during an intense battle was one of the most forbidden actions in real combat.
Clang!
But then, something unexpected happened.
The airborne Killing Dog Experts suddenly smashed their long staffs against each other with violent force.
Screeeech!
The outer layer of the staffs shattered, revealing a gleaming silver metal beneath.
At the same time, a sharp, piercing metallic sound drilled mercilessly into their ears.
It was a bizarre, needle-like noise that felt as if it were boring straight into their skulls.
'...?'
Having trained in the Way of the Beast, Bu Eun-seol's senses were several times sharper than even those of exceptional Murim Masters.
The moment the metallic sound reached his ears, it felt like daggers had been driven into his eardrums—as if the world itself was bleaching white.
Thud.
Not wasting this chance, the Killing Dog Experts landed and struck Bu Eun-seol's body in rapid succession.
Crack crack crack!
Pummeled repeatedly by the long staffs, Bu Eun-seol was sent skidding backward.
"Heh heh heh."
U Gang smirked triumphantly as he watched Bu Eun-seol's clothes tear into rags from the blows.
"No matter how great a master you are, once caught in the Boiling Sound Startles Dog, this is the result."
"A dog startled by loud noises."
Bu Eun-seol, instead, let out a dry chuckle.
"A fitting technique for beggars."
"Heh heh heh. Do you know a dog's weakness?"
U Gang grinned confidently.
"A dog's weakness is its nose. You can strike it, but pouring vinegar into its nostrils is even more painful. Because they possess such keen senses."
Smirking once more, he continued.
"Most of you Demonic Path bastards use martial arts that amplify your senses. Langya Pavilion is like that, and I hear the Extinction Palace and Ultimate Assassin Pavilion have similar methods too."
"Are you so proud of using such dirty tricks?"
"Heh heh heh. Like you said, we are beggars. It'd be ridiculous if beggars only used clean techniques."
U Gang laughed heartily.
"These methods were made specifically to deal with demonic martial artists like you—so of course they're special."
"A technique for dealing with demonic practitioners, you say."
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol grasped the underlying implication.
"So the 'Sound That Startles Dogs' technique was a countermeasure against demonic path martial arts, passed down to the Beggars' Sect's Great Righteous Experts by the Martial Alliance."
"Oh-ho, you knew about it?"
"Yeo Hwan-jin mentioned it. He said each Great Righteous Expert was taught one specialized method to dismantle demonic path techniques."
"Yeo Hwan-jin?"
U Gang's expression twisted grotesquely in that moment.
"Then that means... you're the Ten Demonic Heir who killed him?"
"Correct."
"Heh heh heh... Hahahaha!"
U Gang threw his head back in raucous laughter, nodding approvingly.
"To think I'd hook such an unexpected prize today!"
His face brimmed with satisfaction as he nodded again.
"With two Ten Demonic Heirs eliminated in one stroke, my junior brother will undoubtedly ascend as the Young Beggars' Sect Leader now."
"Eliminated?"
"Don't pretend to be composed."
When Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed sharply, U Gang responded with a mocking sneer.
"After taking a direct hit from the No-Desire Staff Technique, your heart meridian must be so severely shaken you can't even move your body."
U Gang had poured formidable internal energy into his staff technique earlier.
Having taken the blow helplessly, he was certain Bu Eun-seol had sustained critical internal injuries.
"Then why hesitate to finish me?"
Bu Eun-seol murmured as if soliloquizing, his gaze fixed on U Gang.
"Or are you afraid?"
Observing Bu Eun-seol's eerily tranquil expression, U Gang snorted in disbelief.
"Are you feigning calm? Or have you accepted this as your end?"
He raised his long staff with a triumphant grin.
"You drew the short straw."
U Gang's eyes burned with excitement as he advanced slowly.
Though he'd volunteered to assist Seong-ryun, eliminating a Ten Demonic Heir single-handedly would be a monumental achievement.
"Farewell."
U Gang's No-Desire Staff Technique unfurled once more, its movements weaving through the air like a fluttering butterfly.
He executed his signature move—Self-Purification Without Desire—aiming to crush Bu Eun-seol's skull in one decisive strike.
"...!"
U Gang sensed something amiss.
The pupils of Bu Eun-seol's eyes, tracking the descending staff, shimmered with an unnatural light.
This was no look of someone suffering catastrophic internal injuries.
'Impossible!'
Though realization dawned, his committed technique couldn't be recalled.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a sword resonance that shook heaven and earth erupted.
Simultaneously, an ink-black cloud surged from behind Bu Eun-seol, engulfing U Gang's body like an inescapable force of nature.
Ssskkt!
A hair-thin blood line appeared across U Gang's throat as his staff descended, accompanied by a chilling sound.
The lethal sword technique—Peerless Thunderbolt—had been unleashed.
"How...?"
U Gang's fading eyes brimmed with disbelief.
How could Bu Eun-seol, whose heart meridian should have been shattered by the No-Desire Staff Technique, execute such a flawless fast sword?
"Because I sustained no internal injuries."
Having reached the fourth layer of the Counter-Polar Internal Art, Bu Eun-seol's body overflowed with formidable Body Protection True Qi.
Moreover, it perpetually safeguarded his physique for twelve double-hours.
But U Gang, having never anticipated this, had assumed victory upon landing his staff technique.
Thud.
The severed head tumbled to the ground, its owner's ambitions reduced to nothingness.
"Sect Leader!"
Only then did the four Dog Slaying Squad members regain their senses, charging at Bu Eun-seol with staffs raised.
They became mere prey for the bloodthirsty Ink Sword.
Sssshhhkkk!
Inky sword energy fanned out like a black peony before transforming into cruciform slashes that enveloped the attackers.
The third form of Formless Heavenly Flow—Waning Moon Morning Star—had been deployed.
"Gyaaah!"
The Dog Slaying Squad members flailed their staffs madly against the onslaught of cruciform sword energy, faces twisted in terror.
Their struggle resembled a battle between inky darkness and verdant light vying for dominance over space.
Ultimately, victory would belong to whoever claimed more territory.
And the result... was the Ink Sword's triumph, staining all space black.
Splaaash!
A violet spray of blood misted the air as gore erupted from the squad members' bodies.
Thud.
Having eliminated them all, Bu Eun-seol mustered his remaining strength to vault up into the night sky.
'Yu Un-ryong!'
His destination: the Reed Field where Yu Un-ryong and Seong-ryun were locked in combat.