Chapter 244
But even after a long while, he couldn't unleash his sword techniques.
Yeop Hyo-cheon's mere standing posture alone seemed to hold up the heavens and press down the earth.
Complete Defensive Stance.
It was a flawless posture backed by overwhelming momentum, capable of perfectly countering any opening move.
If Bu Eun-seol moved even slightly to execute a technique, he would only expose his own vulnerabilities in an instant.
His breath caught in his throat.
Every time he tried to perform a sword technique, a phantom sensation of his neck being severed bloomed in his mind.
'If this continues, I'll suffer internal injuries and be forced to admit defeat before I can even draw my blade.'
No matter how deeply he inhaled, no air seemed to reach his lungs.
The sheer pressure radiating from Yeop Hyo-cheon's body felt as though it had turned the surrounding space into a vacuum.
Srrrk—
In the end, Bu Eun-seol drew his sword. And the moment he attempted to unfold his Formless Heavenly Flow—
"..."
A strange sense of déjà vu struck him.
If he unleashed his sword technique now, it felt as though an invisible blade wind would carve a crescent through his throat.
Not only that—he could vividly sense a crushing palm energy about to slam into his chest, shattering his ribs.
'An illusion? No.'
Though his thoughts were lengthy, his reaction was swift as lightning.
Bu Eun-seol aborted his sword technique mid-execution and instead unleashed the Extreme Thunder Blend, a form in the Seven Forms of the Fist Demon, sending five concentrated bursts of fist energy surging forward.
At the same time, he propelled himself into mid-air and unleashed ninety sword strokes simultaneously.
He hadn't ignored the premonition—he had countered it with his own techniques.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Bu Eun-seol's fist energy and sword strokes merged into a single storm, engulfing the entire training platform where Yeop Hyo-cheon stood.
"Hoh."
A short exclamation escaped Yeop Hyo-cheon—
Pah!
—and in the next instant, his figure vanished from the platform without a trace.
The Great Hall was bathed in bright sunlight, with nowhere to hide.
Thud.
The moment Bu Eun-seol landed back on the platform, he pushed the senses of the Way of the Beast to their utmost limit.
'Gone.'
Yeop Hyo-cheon was nowhere to be seen on the platform. It was as if he had evaporated without leaving a single trace.
'Not in the shadows... Even under broad daylight, I can't find him.'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't suppress his shock.
Yeop Hyo-cheon's epithet was the King Who Rules the Darkness—meaning his martial arts only revealed their true power under the cover of night.
Yet, even with Bu Eun-seol's abilities, he couldn't detect so much as a whisper of presence beneath the blazing solar radiance of noon.
Swish.
Before he knew it, Yeop Hyo-cheon reappeared right before Bu Eun-seol's eyes, standing tall in the exact same posture as before.
His stance and position were identical—so much so that one could believe he had never moved at all.
"Hmm... So you've truly stepped into the threshold of the Extreme Heaven Realm."
The man let out a thoughtful hum, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
"You anticipated my opening move and countered it with martial arts of your own."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's expression stiffened as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
Did that mean Yeop Hyo-cheon had genuinely intended to slit his throat and crush his chest with palm energy?
"You've broken free from the constraints of traditional techniques and pursue only the most extreme efficiency."
Ignoring Bu Eun-seol's expression, Yeop Hyo-cheon tilted his head slightly.
"But you're still not at a level where you can face Bukgung Ryeong."
It seemed he had already gauged the extent of Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess from that single exchange.
"No... Let's draw out a little more."
Pah!
The moment his words ended, Yeop Hyo-cheon vanished again.
Simultaneously, Bu Eun-seol felt the illusion of his body being split in two.
A razor-sharp energy, compressed like the edge of a blade, had already pierced toward the bridge of his nose.
Ultra-high-speed movement.
Yeop Hyo-cheon had moved faster than the eye could follow, completely concealing his presence while releasing a lethal burst of piercing force.
'The Bullet King's Inner Energy Bullet Art?'
Bu Eun-seol was stunned.
Yeop Hyo-cheon had perfectly replicated Bukgung Ryeong's technique.
Tsu-tsu-tsu—
Bu Eun-seol pushed Swift Shadowless to its limits, his body blurring like mist.
At the same time, a force sharp enough to cleave iron grazed past his left glabella.
Pah!
Yet even though he had dodged perfectly, his skin split open, splattering blood.
"Indeed. With movement techniques of this level, you should be able to evade at least one strike from Bukgung Ryeong."
Swish.
Yeop Hyo-cheon reappeared, grinning.
He had mimicked Bukgung Ryeong's Inner Energy Bullet Art just to observe how Bu Eun-seol would evade it.
"In that case, it's time to seriously examine the trump card you used against the Beggar King."
For an instant, a blazing light erupted from Yeop Hyo-cheon's eyes.
At the same time, his arms whipped through the air chaotically, unleashing an endless torrent of palm energy—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The vast training ground was filled to the brim with suspended palm energy, leaving no gaps—as though transparent paint had been splashed in every direction. Even the Beggar King's secret technique, the Nine Flower Flash Hands, had been perfectly replicated.
'Has he mastered every martial art technique?'
Yeop Hyo-cheon, the King Who Rules the Darkness, was astonishingly mimicking the martial arts of Bukgung Ryeong and the Beggar King with near-perfect precision.
'Or has he fought them before?'
Just as Bu Eun-seol's thoughts flickered—
KWA-A-AH!
The suspended palm energy in the air surged like a colossal tidal wave, crashing down as if to swallow him whole.
The speed wasn't overwhelming, but it was far more intricate than Gu Hong-cheong's Nine Flower Flash Hands, and the sheer volume of palm energy being unleashed was incomparable.
'I can't dodge.'
Zzzing!
A brilliant light flared in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
At the same time, his true qi, materialized into an ink-black form, clashed violently against the razor-sharp energy, sending out intense shockwaves.
With no other way to evade, he had resorted to the Willful True Binding.
GRRROOOOAR!
The collision between his solidified true qi and the sharp palm energy birthed a storm, sending a massive shockwave rippling outward in all directions.
Whoooosh...
As the whirlwind settled, Bu Eun-seol and Yeop Hyo-cheon stood facing each other in the now-calm training ground.
Sssss...
White steam billowed from Bu Eun-seol's entire body like a boiling cauldron—a side effect of activating the Willful True Binding.
Ever since Ak Mu-ryeong's Phantom Restoration had pierced his meridians, the boiling sensation in his qi vessels had greatly diminished.
But Yeop Hyo-cheon's palm energy was so overwhelming that even a single use of the Willful True Binding violently shook his qi vessels.
"So that's how it was."
Yeop Hyo-cheon nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on Bu Eun-seol.
He had finally grasped the trump card Bu Eun-seol had used against the Beggar King.
"The secret technique passed down by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor became your decisive move. But..."
An unreadable glint flickered in Yeop Hyo-cheon's eyes.
"This can't be all..."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol frowned in confusion.
Because the aura radiating from Yeop Hyo-cheon was now laced with a faint but unmistakable killing intent.
The friendly smile and warm gaze that had seemed habitual were now completely gone, as if washed away.
Tap!
With a short leap, Yeop Hyo-cheon vanished—only for blood to splatter near Bu Eun-seol's neck the next instant.
Had he not reflexively jerked his head aside, his carotid artery would have been severed.
"At this rate..."
Yeop Hyo-cheon's eyes, now back in his original position, gleamed with a bone-white killing intent.
"It'd be better if you died now."
His voice was deep and low, like the whisper of a Death God.
'He's serious.'
Bu Eun-seol could feel it.
This wasn't just a display of hostility—Yeop Hyo-cheon was genuinely pouring out killing intent toward him.
Pat!
There was no sound of breaking air, no trace of presence. Blood sprayed once more—this time from Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
This was no longer a spar.
Yeop Hyo-cheon was targeting vital points—one wrong move, and Bu Eun-seol would lose his life.
In other words, he was now using killing moves with the genuine intent to kill.
Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!
This time, invisible flashes rained down in rapid succession—each strike coming at speeds and angles Bu Eun-seol couldn't possibly evade.
Bzzzt...
At the brink of life and death, the Ink Sword trembled faintly before a circular wave of sword qi erupted around Bu Eun-seol's body.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The unseen forces were deflected one after another by the tip of his blade.
The moment Yeop Hyo-cheon unleashed his lethal techniques in earnest, the Rhomboid Sword Control Form activated on its own.
"This isn't Langya Pavilion's martial arts."
Yeop Hyo-cheon's voice echoed lowly from somewhere unseen.
"It doesn't react to forms—it reacts to momentum."
To be precise, the Rhomboid Sword Control Form responded to killing intent.
Regardless, Yeop Hyo-cheon had discerned even the faintest essence of this technique in a single glance.
"Interesting."
With that low murmur, Yeop Hyo-cheon reappeared.
Swish!
He closed the distance at an overwhelming speed, finally materializing his formless techniques into tangible strikes.
'If I retreat, I die!'
If he failed to block these physicalized attacks, death would be instantaneous.
Bu Eun-seol didn't retreat. Instead, he clashed head-on against Yeop Hyo-cheon's blindingly fast assaults.
Sssk! Thwak!
Two streaks of light collided and separated repeatedly.
But Bu Eun-seol couldn't fully defend against Yeop Hyo-cheon's rapid strikes—wounds continued to accumulate on his body.
Splat! Slash!
Every time something razor-sharp grazed his skin, blood sprayed into the air.
Yeop Hyo-cheon closed or widened the distance with such speed that he became nearly invisible, relentlessly probing for gaps in Bu Eun-seol's defenses.
Because of this, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to deploy his own movement technique, maintaining just the right distance to counterattack.
But executing martial arts while simultaneously maneuvering was a tactic typically reserved for one-against-many battles.
Unfamiliar with this style, Bu Eun-seol's forms gradually grew disordered—whereas Yeop Hyo-cheon's movements only grew more refined.
He wielded power as if multiple fighters were striking at once, seamlessly blending movement techniques and martial arts as though he alone were an entire force.
Piiing!
A sharp force shot from somewhere, driving straight toward Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
There was no room to evade.
Oooong!
A golden current surged across Bu Eun-seol's face, forming a mask-like barrier that deflected the incoming assault.
With no other option, he had once again resorted to the Willful True Binding.
'Kh—!'
The abrupt activation of the technique sent his qi vessels boiling, and a storm-like energy spread through his mind.
'I can't rely on the Willful True Binding.'
He bit his lip.
Without the Emotion Severing Secret Art to stabilize it, the technique damaged his qi vessels and risked corroding his spirit and mind—potentially plunging him into an inner demon.
It was an extraordinary method, yes, but still incomplete, still dangerous.
Tsk-tsk-tsk!
The moment hesitation seeped into his spirit, Swift Shadowless slowed ever so slightly.
Piiing! Piiing!
Yeop Hyo-cheon didn't miss the opening. Another flurry of high-speed strikes rained down.
This wasn't a spar.
If Bu Eun-seol blocked one attack, Yeop Hyo-cheon unleashed a higher-level form. If he blocked that, yet another, even deadlier technique followed.
'I have to sense it!'
As danger loomed again, Bu Eun-seol poured everything into elevating the Way of the Beast.
Then—faintly—he could perceive the otherwise invisible assaults.
Instinctively, he prepared to unleash Meteor Chasing Moon, his most familiar sword form.
'Meteor Chasing Moon won't work.'
There was no choice.
Reluctantly, Bu Eun-seol activated the Willful True Binding once more, materializing his true qi.
'At this rate, I might as well—'
At that very moment, the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art flashed through his mind.
Thud!
The hesitation caused both mental disciplines to surface simultaneously—and something strange happened.
An unknown force erupted from the Ink Sword, hurling the rapidly approaching Yeop Hyo-cheon backward.
'What just—?'
The sword was still wreathed in the qi shaped by the Willful True Binding. Yet it had unleashed an overwhelming force.
'I see.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed like sunlight as he grasped the revelation.
That split-second hesitation had merged the two techniques—the Willful True Binding and the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art.
'Then I don't need to erase emotions... nor do I have to become some kind-hearted fool.'
Human nature was rarely one-dimensional.
Even the coldest, most detached person might occasionally extend kindness to a stranger.
Conversely, the gentlest soul could sometimes turn icy or scornful.
In other words—the human heart wasn't fixed. It was ever-changing, as fluid as running water.
The Emotion Severing Secret Art.
The Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art.
Both were profound mental disciplines created by peerless grandmasters of the Righteous and Demonic Paths.
But for someone like Bu Eun-seol—with a spirit too complex—they were ill-fitting.
Shwa-ra-rak!
Shaking off the turmoil, his thoughts accelerated, and the senses of the Way of the Beast sharpened.
Sha-aaak!
And then—what was once imperceptible became clear.
Yeop Hyo-cheon's presence, his movements—Bu Eun-seol could feel them now.
Even the faintest traces. This was the pinnacle of the Way of the Beast—Empty Mind Spirit Perception—unleashed in full.
'This...?'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils dilated as he deciphered Yeop Hyo-cheon's movements.
To his shock, the man was executing different martial arts with each limb.
His left leg deployed a movement technique, while his right leg executed the Blood Jade Roc Sky Leg Method.
His left hand wielded the Thunderbolt Heaven Shaking Hand Art, while his right hand performed the Martial Soul Palm Method.
This method—
Wasn't it nearly identical to the Martial Emperor's secret ultimate art, the Thirteenfold Qi Induction?
Bu Eun-seol's mind reeled again.
Had Yeop Hyo-cheon also entered the Martial Emperor Secret Vault?
Or had he, like the Martial Emperor, attained the same enlightenment and devised this technique independently?
If neither—had he simply mastered complete domination over his physical body, allowing him to freely unleash multiple ultimate arts?
"So this is your limit, it seems."
Yeop Hyo-cheon's icy voice cut through the chaos.
Seeing the confusion in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, he assumed despair had taken hold.
"A pity."
His tone carried not just regret—but a palpable, murderous killing intent.
He was truly preparing to deliver the final killing move.