Chapter 209
Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a frosty smile.
"If you can withstand five of my martial forms, I'll give up and leave without hesitation. How does that sound?"
"All I have to do is endure five forms?"
"That's right."
In that instant, Go Gun-pyeong's face brightened.
No matter how much Bu Eun-seol was a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm, Go Gun-pyeong himself was the leader of the Black Dragon Corps, a man who had roamed the martial world for decades.
If both stood at the same Transcendent Realm, the one with more battle experience would prevail.
Even if Bu Eun-seol had reached the middle stages of the Transcendent Realm, Go Gun-pyeong was brimming with absolute confidence in his victory.
"Do you mean it?"
"Of course."
"Good."
Whoosh—
Just then, a gray shadow descended from the sky.
His physique wasn't particularly large, but his body was solid, covered in scars both big and small.
His hair was disheveled and soaked with grime, yet his gaze was as sharp as a volley of arrows.
It was Yu Un-ryong.
"Yu Un-ryong?"
As Go Gun-pyeong's eyes flashed, Yu Un-ryong spoke.
"Let me be the one to test those five martial forms."
"What did you say?"
"If you can withstand my five forms, I'll obediently return to the White Horse Monastery. How about it?"
It seemed Yu Un-ryong had been hiding nearby all along.
And when Bu Eun-seol proposed the wager of five forms, he stepped forward—determined to sever his own ties with the White Horse Monastery without relying on Bu Eun-seol's help.
"Hahaha, fine."
Go Gun-pyeong laughed heartily.
It was already well-known that Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess was the greatest among the Ten Demonic Heirs.
Conversely, there wasn't a soul in the martial world who didn't know that Yu Un-ryong was the weakest of the Ten Demonic Heirs.
"You won't go begging for their help after losing, will you?"
At Go Gun-pyeong's words, Yu Un-ryong sneered and shouted,
"Bu Eun-seol! This is my fight. Don't you dare interfere."
"I refuse."
The unexpected response made Yu Un-ryong's eyes widen.
"What?"
"There's no reason for me to concede."
Speechless, Yu Un-ryong raised his brows.
Gnashing his teeth, he finally roared in frustration.
"This isn't about conceding—it's about undoing what one tied!"
"Then it's even more impossible."
Bu Eun-seol looked down at him and spoke coldly.
"Because I was the one who endured his five forms in the Demon Hall."
Yu Un-ryong was left speechless.
Having also been at the White Horse Monastery, he knew all too well about the farce of the five-form trial that Kang Mu-ryun had forced upon the Demon Hall.
'Damn it.'
Yu Un-ryong clenched his jaw.
If Bu Eun-seol drove Go Gun-pyeong away like this, he would owe him yet another enormous debt.
Just like before—when Bu Eun-seol killed Seong-ryun, the Great Righteous Expert of the Beggars' Sect, yet handed the credit to him, and sent the Soul-Severing Unit back.
"Bu Eun-seol!"
In the end, Yu Un-ryong spat out the words buried deep in his heart.
"I don't want to owe you anything else, you bastard!"
Bu Eun-seol didn't respond.
Fists clenched, Yu Un-ryong shouted again.
"Or are you planning to use this as leverage to ask something of me?"
"Do I seem like that kind of person?"
Bu Eun-seol laughed with unshakable confidence.
"Me?"
A dazzling, unwavering laugh.
Faced with that smile, Yu Un-ryong felt as if he had shrunk into insignificance.
At the same time, he realized one thing.
Bu Eun-seol wasn't the kind of man who exploited others' crises for his own gain.
He had already extended his hand in help—without condition.
"Bu Eun-seol..."
"Fine."
Bu Eun-seol smiled—a radiant expression he had never shown before.
"If you don't want to owe me, then so be it. You handle it."
It was a smile that somehow seemed to enchant those who saw it.
Yu Un-ryong, who had been staring blankly, snapped back to his senses and glared at Bu Eun-seol with venomous eyes.
"Hmph, don't act like you're granting me some grand favor. Bu Eun-seol."
His voice dripped with hostility.
Because if he didn't react like this, his true feelings might be exposed.
But he didn't realize it himself.
The axe-blade sharpness of his glare was softening, bit by bit.
"Have you finished your little negotiation?"
At that moment, Go Gun-pyeong stepped forward, gripping the White Horse Whip with a bloodthirsty grin.
"Come on, struggle all you want, Yu Un-ryong."
The Yu Un-ryong of the past would have fallen for the provocation and attacked immediately.
But now, he remained terrifyingly calm.
After witnessing Bu Eun-seol's battle with Seong-ryun, he had learned a painful lesson.
Losing your composure before a decisive battle was like fighting with both hands tied.
Thud.
Slowly tightening his grip on the White Horse Whip—
Swish!
Yu Un-ryong moved like lightning, coiling the whip around his own body.
White Demon Wraps the Mystic.
The starting stance of the White Horse Whip—a defensive form meant to protect against sudden enemy attacks.
"Heh. At least you haven't forgotten the courtesy due to an elder of the sect—"
But Go Gun-pyeong's words were cut short.
Because the whip, which should have coiled around Yu Un-ryong's body, suddenly lashed toward his throat instead.
"Cheap tricks!"
Enraged, Go Gun-pyeong immediately unfurled his whip, deflecting Yu Un-ryong's strike.
Twang!
But then, something unexpected happened.
Yu Un-ryong's whip moved like a living serpent, twisting with eerie agility—and entangled itself with Go Gun-pyeong's.
"Tangling our whips together? Are you trying to make this a battle of internal energy?"
Go Gun-pyeong burst into laughter as he gathered his internal energy—
Pahng!
Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from Yu Un-ryong's left hand and pierced Go Gun-pyeong's chest.
To his shock, Yu Un-ryong had concealed a second White Horse Whip coiled around his left forearm.
"Such an absurd martial form!"
Having never anticipated that Yu Un-ryong could wield two whips simultaneously, Go Gun-pyeong had no choice but to twist his body backward, forced onto the defensive.
But this was his fatal mistake.
He should have abandoned his pride, released his whip, and retreated.
Sssshwak!
The White Horse Whip from Yu Un-ryong's left hand suddenly split into hundreds of strands.
In an instant, they transformed into countless points of light, blanketing Go Gun-pyeong.
At the same time, the entangled whip in his right hand unraveled and unleashed the same technique.
Divine Technique Creation.
Yu Un-ryong had executed the supreme technique of the White Horse Whip Art—simultaneously with both hands.
Pah-pah-pak!
Millions of light points passed through Go Gun-pyeong's body.
"Guh—!"
The whips had turned into razor-sharp blades, piercing his flesh repeatedly.
Yet, as if deliberately holding back, they avoided all vital points.
"You... can use Divine Technique Creation... with both hands?"
Go Gun-pyeong's pupils lost focus.
Even when executed with full concentration, Divine Technique Creation barely reached its full power—yet Yu Un-ryong had unleashed it with both hands?
This was a feat no master of White Horse Temple had ever conceived, let alone dared attempt.
"This—this bizarre, perverse technique is not part of our orthodox methods!" Go Gun-pyeong roared.
Yu Un-ryong responded with a faint smile.
"If it makes me stronger, shouldn't I try any method available?"
Then, with a pained expression, he gazed at the distant sky.
"Because only then can I survive."
After meeting Bu Eun-seol, Yu Un-ryong had realized something.
To survive in this ruthless, unfeeling martial world, one had to shatter rigid traditions and laws.
And above all—one had to grow stronger.
Shifting his gaze back to Go Gun-pyeong, Yu Un-ryong smirked.
"You always boasted of your vast experience in the martial world, yet you don't know how to handle an unorthodox move?"
"You... you bastard—!"
"Tell your master this: I am no longer a disciple of White Horse Temple."
Go Gun-pyeong bit his lip.
The bizarre technique of dual-wielding whips to execute Divine Technique Creation had caught him off guard—defeating him in just three moves.
Losing to Yu Un-ryong, once considered the weakest of the Ten Demonic Heirs, was the ultimate humiliation.
"Go. I spared your life so you could deliver that message."
Though he had let his guard down, Yu Un-ryong's skills had advanced beyond comparison to his past self.
Had he intended to kill, he would have severed Go Gun-pyeong's neck in a single strike—not merely pierced his body.
Shudder.
Go Gun-pyeong trembled slightly.
But he was no fool. Pride would never spare his life.
Clenching his teeth, he swiftly turned and vanished with his unit members in tow.
"Yu Un-ryong."
At that moment, Myo Cheon-u stepped forward, greeting him with familiarity.
"Your martial arts have improved greatly."
"Hmph."
Yu Un-ryong ignored Myo Cheon-u's greeting and instead addressed Bu Eun-seol.
"Did you recruit Myo Cheon-u as your subordinate too?"
"Not a subordinate. An ally."
Bu Eun-seol offered him a faint smile.
"You will also become my ally."
"Don't make me laugh. Why should I help you?"
"You owe me."
"I already told you—I wouldn't use this as an excuse to ask you for favors."
"Not that debt."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze remained steady.
"The one before that."
His clear eyes held no hesitation—only absolute certainty that Yu Un-ryong would join him.
"...Tch."
Unable to meet those autumn-sky eyes, Yu Un-ryong averted his gaze.
"Fine. On one condition."
"Name it."
"Defeat me."
Gripping his whip, Yu Un-ryong smirked with confidence.
"If you can bring me down, I'll help you."
"Agreed."
As if he had expected this, Bu Eun-seol immediately drew Ink Sword.
Srrrk—
As the dark blade slid free, a chilling energy brushed past Yu Un-ryong's body.
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol's figure blurred—an overwhelming surge of true qi distorting his vision.
'This guy...'
Yu Un-ryong stiffened.
He had personally witnessed Bu Eun-seol's battle against Seong-ryun, the Great Righteous Expert of the Beggars' Sect.
Afterward, he had trained relentlessly in Lost Soul Valley, confident he had surpassed that level.
Yet now, Bu Eun-seol stood before him again—having ascended to an even more unfathomable realm.
'Bu Eun-seol...'
Crack.
His fingers turned white from gripping the whip too tightly.
A wall. Bu Eun-seol was always a wall.
Every time he saw him, that wall stretched higher into the sky—so impossibly vast it made him want to scream in frustration.
"Are you not going to attack?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice snapped him back to reality. A flash of light erupted in Yu Un-ryong's eyes.
"Don't get cocky!"
Pahng!
A whirlwind surged around Yu Un-ryong as he materialized his true qi into a tangible force.
Screeeech!
A sound like a giant bird's cry echoed as white energy erupted from his body.
At full power, hundreds of translucent shadows rose behind him—manifestations of his unleashed internal energy.
The energy pouring forth was dozens of times more powerful than the technique that had felled Go Gun-pyeong.
"If I can break this martial form, I'll become your subordinate!"
Whoooosh—CRACK!
The White Horse Whip, unleashed at full power, soared high into the distant sky—but that was merely an illusion.
The real whip lashed toward Bu Eun-seol in its entirety.
Illusion.
The White Horse Monastery's techniques fundamentally shared the same principles as the mysteries of the Illusion Sword.
That was why, when masters of the White Horse Whip unleashed their techniques, countless victims died beneath the shadows of the whip without ever understanding why.
Shing.
Bu Eun-seol raised the Ink Sword and gazed at the transparent energy cascading from the distant sky.
Yu Un-ryong had revealed his full power in an instant.
It was an intangible force—impossible to evade, only to be met head-on and countered.
BOOOOOOM!
Finally, the transparent light engulfed Bu Eun-seol's body.
It looked as though a meteor shower was ceaselessly raining down upon him from the heavens.
CRRRRUMBLE—
With an earth-shaking explosion, the area where Bu Eun-seol had stood was utterly scorched.
Whoooosh.
As the dust settled, the scene was revealed at last.
All the bamboo within a hundred-foot radius of where Bu Eun-seol had stood had vanished, leaving behind hundreds of gaping holes.
This can't be...
Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened in disbelief.
Because Bu Eun-seol was still standing tall, unmoved.
Tremble.
His fingers shook uncontrollably at the impossible sight.
Yu Un-ryong had created Extinction of the World—a technique that executed the Divine Technique Creation with both hands—just to surpass his own limits.
To wield the pinnacle of illusion with both arms was as impossible as eating with one's feet while fighting with both hands.
"And you blocked it... just standing there...?"
Until now, Yu Un-ryong had risked his life training in the Lost Soul Valley for one reason alone:
To surpass Bu Eun-seol's realm and crush him beneath his feet.
Whenever he had wanted to give up, he had endured by imagining the exhilaration of defeating him—
Yet now, Bu Eun-seol had stood his ground and blocked Extinction of the World without so much as a step?
Hiiiiiss...
Golden waves of light rippled around Bu Eun-seol's motionless figure, fluttering in the wind.
Willful True Binding.
He had materialized every last drop of the immense true qi circulating within his body to block the Divine Technique Creation head-on.
Bu Eun-seol had deliberately displayed the highest level of martial arts he could muster.
So that Yu Un-ryong would no longer see him as an enemy. So that he would never dare challenge him again.
Still burning hot...
Suppressing the searing pain of his boiling qi vessels, Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"Will you continue?"
Then, with utter composure, he spoke.
"If you refuse to concede, you may attack me again."
Tremble.
Yu Un-ryong's fingertips quivered slightly.
Bu Eun-seol had blocked his most desperate strike—one that had drawn upon more than the full measure of his strength—with a single move.
Meaning, even if he fought for three days and nights, he wouldn't so much as graze a single hair on Bu Eun-seol's head.
Thud.
Overwhelmed by the sheer martial prowess before him, Yu Un-ryong's knees buckled without his realizing.
...Was he never a wall to begin with?
His pupils lost focus.
Bu Eun-seol was not a wall he could surpass.
He was an existence like the Ruyi Jingu Bang—soaring endlessly into the heavens, refusing to stand side by side with anyone.
I could never be his equal.
Only now did Yu Un-ryong understand.
Bu Eun-seol was no mere rival one could dare to challenge.
He was a Divine Being—one destined to reign above all under heaven.
"Don't despair too much, Yu Un-ryong."
At that moment, Myo Cheon-u approached amiably and clapped him on the shoulder.
"I thought the same when I first saw him—that I could somehow catch up. But after witnessing his martial arts at Longsword Mountain Manor, I realized something."
He grinned.
"None of the Ten Demonic Heirs could ever hope to be his equal."
Slap.
Yu Un-ryong sharply shoved Myo Cheon-u's arm off his shoulder.
"Get lost."
"What did you say?"
"Don't act so familiar with me, you No. 2 subordinate of Bu Eun-seol."
"What? No. 2? Then who's No. 1? You?"
"No, that bastard."
Yu Un-ryong's finger pointed squarely at Hyeok So-jin.
"Then what does that make you?"
Yu Un-ryong stood calmly and pointed at himself with his thumb.
"I'm the one who'll help him command the rest of you."
"Command me?"
"That's right."
Yu Un-ryong's expression was deadly serious.
Myo Cheon-u, who had been making an incredulous face, widened his eyes.
"You're insane."
"What?"
"You're a raving lunatic who can't even hold a conversation! You lost to Bu Eun-seol in an instant, yet you think you can order me around?"
"Oh? So you think you can defeat him?"
"Well. At the very least, I can defeat you."
"Is that so?"
A chilling killing intent seeped from Yu Un-ryong's eyes.
"Then try it!"
SHIIING—BOOOOM!
As Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u clashed, dust billowed and the earth trembled.
Dozens of whip shadows erupted from Yu Un-ryong's hands, blotting out the sun, while Myo Cheon-u's countless palm phantoms shook the very foundations of the earth.
CRASH—KABOOOM!
The spectacle was breathtaking—two prodigies of martial arts, each unleashing their full power in battle.
The Death Shadow Squad members gasped, watching the fight with rapt attention.
But...
After half an hour passed with no sign of the duel ending, they all averted their gazes and sat back with bored expressions.
Even Hyeok So-jin, unable to bear it any longer, yawned and spoke.
"Brother Bu. How long do you think this will take?"
Their internal power still surged relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping even if they fought all night.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled softly, staring at the two impassively.
"Let's just leave them here."
Then, without hesitation, he turned away.