Chapter 154
Seok U-haeng bit his lip.
The last competitor he had in mind, Bu Eun-seol, had suddenly appeared here.
"Who are you?"
At that moment, Gwan Seok-cheon stepped forward in front of Bu Eun-seol.
"Judging by the way you unleashed Sword Qi without warning, you must be from the Demonic Path—"
"Langya Pavilion's Ten Demonic Heir."
Bu Eun-seol cut off Gwan Seok-cheon's words, his voice low and cold.
"I formally challenge you."
In an instant, the eyebrows of Gwan Seok-cheon and the other Great Righteous Experts shot up simultaneously.
None of them had expected the sudden arrival to declare a formal challenge right before their eyes.
"How amusing. Is that really what you should be saying in this situation?"
Cheong Cho-hyeon, arms crossed, stared intently at Bu Eun-seol.
"Your comrades infiltrated Longsword Mountain Manor, poisoned the guests, and attempted to assassinate the young lord. And now, you come forward to issue a challenge?"
"I am no comrade of theirs."
Bu Eun-seol's icy gaze swept over Seok U-haeng and Myo Cheon-u.
"They are merely competitors."
Those were the very words Seok U-haeng had said to Myo Cheon-u.
Could it be that Bu Eun-seol had overheard them at the time?
"How entertaining. I expected you to lead your wounded comrades in a desperate escape."
Cheong Cho-hyeon smirked, her expression frigid.
"But no amount of smooth talk will let you slither out of this situation like a snake over a wall."
She gestured toward Gwan Seok-cheon, Han Seong, Du Ak, and Kang Jung-ryang.
"If we wished, we could easily dispose of you all. So why should we accept your challenge?"
"Honor."
"What?"
"I offer you the proper honor of overwhelming the Ten Demonic Heir through martial prowess."
The eyes visible beneath Bu Eun-seol's mask narrowed slightly.
"Crushing us with sheer numbers is hardly something to boast about."
"How amusing."
At that, Gwan Seok-cheon, who had been silently listening, stepped forward.
Truthfully, Gwan Seok-cheon had been inwardly dissatisfied with this entire affair.
Not only did he dislike the idea of relying on numbers to suppress the Ten Demonic Heir, but it also lacked the fairness of a proper duel.
Yet when Bu Eun-seol openly challenged them head-on, his fighting spirit surged.
"Are you so confident you can win in a one-on-one duel?"
"Naturally."
"Then let us cross blades."
He strode forward confidently, positioning himself before Bu Eun-seol.
Gwan Seok-cheon, who had mastered both of the Diancang Sect's supreme arts—the Sun-Shooting Sword Art and the Whirling Wind Flowing Sword Art.
Among the Great Righteous Experts, his skills stood out. Even the Martial Alliance's instructors had not separately taught him a secret technique for countering Demonic Path Martial Arts.
"Brother."
Cheong Cho-hyeon stepped in front of him.
"There's no need to fight him."
"Don't worry."
Gwan Seok-cheon shook his head with a laugh.
"If I were weak enough to lose to a Ten Demonic Heir, I wouldn't have entered the Martial World."
"Brother."
Despite knowing his martial prowess, Cheong Cho-hyeon couldn't shake her unease.
"Let's just subdue him together. There's something dangerous about him."
Bu Eun-seol's masked eyes were cold and sunken, yet deep within them, flames seemed to flicker.
To anyone watching, he exuded the aura of a peerless master.
"Don't worry. He's all presence, nothing more. His skills can't possibly match his demeanor."
Gwan Seok-cheon chuckled lightly.
Bu Eun-seol's qi felt utterly ordinary, and not a ripple of True Qi—typical of true masters—could be sensed from him.
'This is ominous.'
But Cheong Cho-hyeon shook her head.
Someone with eyes like that could never be ordinary. She sensed a monstrous presence coiled within Bu Eun-seol's body.
"Bring all your hands."
Bu Eun-seol pointed indifferently at the guests whose Inner Training was nearing its end.
"If you lack the numbers, you may even call upon them for aid."
"Hahahaha!"
Gwan Seok-cheon threw his head back with a hearty laugh.
"No need for such pointless provocation. Once I've accepted this duel, no one else may interfere."
Then, turning solemnly toward Han Seong and the Taoists of Zhongnan and Kongtong, he declared—
"I shall engage in a formal duel with this man. Under no circumstances should anyone interfere or disrupt us."
Though the Zhongnan and Kongtong Taoists wore expressions brimming with discontent, they nodded helplessly, as if acknowledging there was no other choice.
"I am Gwan Seok-cheon of the Diancang Sect."
Stepping forward boldly before Bu Eun-seol, Gwan Seok-cheon grinned broadly.
"And your name?"
"Langya Pavilion, Bu Eun-seol."
"Bu Eun-seol... Bu Eun-seol."
Gwan Seok-cheon's eyes grew distant.
The only Bu Eun-seol known in Murim thus far was the one who had won the Eastern Drifters, Western Wanderers Martial Tournament and eliminated the Blood Ghost Society's leader from Hell Blood Citadel.
'Could the tournament champion, who had always walked the path of the Righteous Faction, really be the Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion?'
He shook his head.
'The Demonic Path Ten Gates do not encroach upon one another. If he were truly Langya Pavilion's Ten Demonic Heir, he would never have killed the Blood Ghost Society's leader.'
"Very well. Let us begin."
True to the bearing of a Righteous Faction master, Gwan Seok-cheon extended his hand, to which Bu Eun-seol replied indifferently:
"Make your move first."
"You're telling me to take the initiative?"
"That's right."
Bu Eun-seol's cold gaze bore down on Gwan Seok-cheon.
"I do not strike first against the weak."
Crack.
The killing intent that had been simmering beneath Gwan Seok-cheon's perpetually composed smile flared to life.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds."
Shhhhk.
Drawing his treasured sword, Gwan Seok-cheon immediately extended his blade forward.
A whirlwind surged forth, exposing Bu Eun-seol's pressure points—yet no Sword Qi or actual attack followed.
This was the Starting Stance of the Whirling Wind Flowing Sword Art: Dance Flow Opening Battle.
'How arrogant.'
Contempt flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he observed.
Even in a life-or-death battle, he insists on displaying courtesy to his opponent with a Starting Stance?
Of course, from Gwan Seok-cheon's perspective, this was merely the dignified conduct expected of a Righteous Faction warrior.
But to Bu Eun-seol, who had mastered Practical Combat Martial Arts, it was nothing more than reckless gambling with one's life.
Ziiiiing.
At that moment, a low hum resonated from Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword as countless sharp points of light scattered into the air.
At last, the first form of the Formless Heavenly Flow was unleashed—Meteor Chasing Moon.
Flash!
The countless points of light coalesced into a single streak of radiance, piercing straight toward Gwan Seok-cheon's uvula.
"Tch!"
Gasping, Gwan Seok-cheon swiftly deployed his Whirling Wind Flowing Sword Art, shifting to a defensive stance.
But before the Sword Qi of Meteor Chasing Moon could reach him, the technique transformed midair.
The scattered points of light burst like firecrackers, morphing into dozens of cross-shaped sword blossoms.
The third form of the Formless Heavenly Flow—Waning Moon Morning Star.
"Ghk—!"
Swift as lightning, unpredictable as a butterfly's flight.
Unable to withstand the relentless onslaught of the Formless Heavenly Flow's Sword Strokes, blood sprayed from Gwan Seok-cheon's shoulder.
"Ugh—!"
Gritting his teeth, Gwan Seok-cheon staggered back.
The wound itself was superficial—but the Sword Qi carried thirteen distinct streams of Internal Power.
The moment the blade grazed his skin, that overwhelming force surged into his meridians, searing through them like molten fire.
'What an absurd blunder...'
To be wounded in just two moves due to a moment of carelessness?
Forcing his True Qi to repel the invading Internal Power, Gwan Seok-cheon steeled himself and unleashed his sword technique.
Swish! Flash!
Yet Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes continued without pause, flowing in an Unbroken Stream.
Gwan Seok-cheon attempted to counter, but Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword seemed to predict his every move, sealing off all avenues of retaliation.
'This man... surpasses me!'
Only now did Gwan Seok-cheon realize his fatal miscalculation.
He had been far too confident in his own abilities—and had utterly failed to gauge his opponent's true strength.
As a result, he had lost the initiative in the most humiliating way possible, now trapped in an irreversible predicament.
'At this rate, only death awaits.'
If he remained on the defensive, it was as clear as day that within forty moves, that razor-sharp blade would pierce his throat.
Realizing he had no other choice, Gwan Seok-cheon clenched his teeth and raised his Internal Power to its limit.
BANG!
A verdant glow erupted from his body.
Primordial Essence True Qi.
He was drawing upon the fundamental life force that sustained his body in an attempt to suppress Bu Eun-seol.
"Brother, don't!"
Cheong Cho-hyeon's desperate cry fell on deaf ears—Gwan Seok-cheon could not hear her.
Ziiing—
As the emerald radiance pouring from his body transferred to his sword, the blade extended by another foot.
By unleashing his Primordial Essence True Qi, he had materialized tangible Sword Qi.
"Dancing Flow Under Heaven!"
The power of his Circling Wind Without Cause Sword Art, now amplified by his Primordial Essence True Qi, was as immense as Mount Tai.
In a single motion, Gwan Seok-cheon repelled every single one of Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes, then abandoned the Circling Wind Without Cause Sword Art in favor of another technique.
"Hou Yi Shooting the Sun!"
Drawing a perfect circle in the air, his sword unleashed a massive surge of Sword Qi, streaking forth like an arrow.
It was an unavoidable torrent of light, overwhelming in its magnitude.
Whirrrrr—!
Bu Eun-seol, who had been observing the Sword Qi, suddenly spun his Ink Sword like a windmill.
Then, he began dismantling the colossal Sword Qi pressing down on him—piece by piece.
This was his Peerless Defense Form, his Life-Saving Ultimate Technique—a fusion of Fluorescent Sword Control and the Return to Origin Breath from his Formless Heavenly Flow.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang—!
The Ink Sword, spinning with dazzling brilliance, finally extinguished the Sword Qi of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun entirely.
Flash!
At the same time, a fatal Killing Sword Form slashed downward through the air, aiming straight for Gwan Seok-cheon's neck.
"Not a chance!"
In that fleeting moment, Gwan Seok-cheon swung his treasured sword like lightning, conjuring dozens of Sword Flowers around his body.
Sssshhhhk—!
But Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword pierced through the swarm of Sword Flowers like a salmon leaping upstream—then drove deep into Gwan Seok-cheon's side.
This was the brilliance of the Fourth Form of Formless Heavenly Flow, Caged Bird Longing for Clouds—a technique that allowed him to freely manipulate Sword Qi.
Splurt!
As another wound opened, a vicious light flickered in Gwan Seok-cheon's eyes.
'This bastard... I won't just kill this bastard.'
Even as the Sword Qi tore into his side, Gwan Seok-cheon charged straight at Bu Eun-seol.
Was he attempting Mutual Destruction?
"...!"
A strange glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol's pupils as his blade carved through Gwan Seok-cheon's flank.
Tzzzzzt—!
Despite slicing into his side, the sound that followed was not of flesh being cut—but of metal being sheared.
'Protective Clothing?'
Only now did Bu Eun-seol realize—Gwan Seok-cheon had been wearing Protective Clothing woven from Silver Thread beneath his robes.
"Take this!"
Seizing the opportunity, Gwan Seok-cheon feinted a slash toward Bu Eun-seol's shoulder tendons—only to abruptly redirect his blade downward, aiming for his lower abdomen.
He intended to pierce the Lower Dantian and cripple Bu Eun-seol's Martial Arts completely.
But this time, it was Gwan Seok-cheon's eyes that widened in shock.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sword plunging toward Bu Eun-seol's abdomen was yanked toward his Ink Sword—as if pulled by an invisible hand.
Schlick.
At the same time, an eerie slicing sound echoed through the air.
Before he knew it, the pitch-black Ink Sword had already sunk deep into Gwan Seok-cheon's lower abdomen.
Bu Eun-seol had simultaneously executed Sword Pinnacle Stance and Peerless Thunderbolt, reflecting Gwan Seok-cheon's own Sword Stroke back at him.
"Ugh—!"
Thick blood gushed from Gwan Seok-cheon's mouth as his Dantian was pierced.
His body trembled violently, like a leaf in the wind—his vast reserves of Internal Energy, concentrated in his Dantian, were now spilling out uncontrollably.
"Ughhh—! AAAAAHHH!"
A harrowing scream reverberated through Longsword Mountain Manor.
The agony of having one's Internal Power scattered was beyond imagination.
The invisible force that had circulated through his body, reinforcing his flesh, was collapsing—like the bones supporting a human body shattering all at once.
"Huuuuuu..."
Once all his Internal Power had dissipated, Gwan Seok-cheon burst into tears like a child.
His physique had shrunk slightly, and his once-radiant skin had turned ashen.
"Brother!"
Cheong Cho-hyeon rushed to support him, but Gwan Seok-cheon, overwhelmed by pain, had already collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
"You... you fiend! Why did you cripple his Internal Power?!"
"I didn't cripple it."
Bu Eun-seol flicked the blood from his Ink Sword and replied indifferently.
"I merely returned his Sword Technique to him."