Chapter 248
Swish.
Another shadow emerged from the darkness.
It was Myo Cheon-u.
"Bu Eun-seol. You truly are blessed with good fortune."
Myo Cheon-u, who had been in the barracks, had sensed Bu Eun-seol slipping away unnoticed. Without hesitation, he had followed—because Bu Eun-seol's safety was tied to the well-being of the entire unit.
But when he realized the person Bu Eun-seol had met was Seo Jin-ha, he had hidden himself in the shadows.
"That guy rose through the ranks faster than anyone."
Myo Cheon-u gazed at the sky where Seo Jin-ha had disappeared, his eyes filled with envy.
"To become a group leader of the Celestial Slaughter Corps at that age. In terms of rank, I'd barely reach the soles of his feet."
"You're both group leaders, aren't you?"
"That's a poor joke."
Myo Cheon-u let out a sigh.
"Bu Eun-seol, what exactly are you scheming?"
"What do you mean?"
"This matter won't end easily. Who knows how long this standoff will last?"
Myo Cheon-u furrowed his brow.
"Why did you exclude Yu Un-ryong from such an important task? He may be prickly, but he's a significant asset."
"That's precisely why I excluded him—because it's important."
"What?"
"And this matter will be over soon. There's no need to drag it out."
"What? How?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Myo Cheon-u exhaled deeply.
Bu Eun-seol never revealed the thoughts in his mind to others.
It was a trait common among those with extraordinary mental fortitude, but...
To Myo Cheon-u, who felt genuine friendship toward him, it was deeply disappointing.
"Fine."
He couldn't force an answer—not yet.
Bu Eun-seol still considered friendship a frivolous luxury.
Myo Cheon-u made a silent vow.
Someday, I'll change that mindset.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Go ahead."
Bu Eun-seol stared at the distant sky as he spoke.
"It's quiet and peaceful here. I'll stay a while longer to think."
Myo Cheon-u tilted his head, then nodded.
"Alright. Understood."
With a swift movement, Myo Cheon-u activated his movement technique and vanished, leaving the forest in silence once more.
Bu Eun-seol stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the far-off sky. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.
"You've had your fill of watching. Come out now."
But only stillness filled the forest.
With a faint smirk, Bu Eun-seol continued,
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be with the main unit's members around the clock. If not now, you'll have no chance at all."
Still, the forest remained silent.
Snorting softly, Bu Eun-seol turned his body slightly, facing the deeper woods.
"So this is the extent of the Martial Alliance's assassins."
Ssssshhh—
As his words faded, the bushes rustled, and black shadows emerged one by one.
Though they stood under the bright moonlight, their forms were as indistinct as mist.
An ordinary civilian wouldn't be able to see them even with enhanced vision.
"So that's the Ghost Shadow Stealth Art the Martial Alliance boasts about."
Like the Demon Hall's Kill-Seeking Unit, the Martial Alliance had covert squads tasked with officially unacknowledged missions.
And for them, they had developed and passed down this mysterious concealment technique.
"Impressive."
A low voice resonated from the man standing at the front.
"No one has ever detected our main unit's stealth before."
"You must not have encountered the masters of our pavilion."
The masters of Langya Pavilion trained in the Way of the Beast, the Demonic Path Martial Art that granted the sharpest extrasensory perception.
Having reached the Empty Mind Spirit Communion, Bu Eun-seol's domain of heightened senses naturally extended hundreds of feet around him.
If he fully unleashed his senses, he could scrutinize everything within roughly a thousand feet.
"Then again, Langya Pavilion's Way of the Beast is the natural counter to all stealth techniques scattered throughout the martial world."
Sssssk—
At that moment, the translucent figure of the man gradually regained its color.
He wore a black martial uniform with a strange sheen, and his face bore countless fine scars.
"Judging by that bizarre outfit, you must be from either the Iron Mask Squad or the Star Chasing Squad."
"Oh?"
A glint of interest flashed in the man's eyes as he fully revealed himself.
"To recite the names of our alliance's secret units, unknown to outsiders..."
Then, as if recalling something, he smirked.
"You're from the Demon Hall's Kill-Seeking Unit."
When Bu Eun-seol responded with an affirming smile, the man spoke flatly.
"Leader of the Star Chasing Squad, Jin Baek."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and smiled as he looked at Jin Baek.
"Jo Cheon-wang sent you, didn't he?"
He had killed Jo Bi-un—son of Jo Cheon-wang, the leader of the Martial Alliance's Heavenly Martial Brigade—with a single stroke.
And now, here he was, stepping onto a battlefield where the Demonic Path and the Righteous Faction were clashing directly... From Jo Cheon-wang's perspective, this was an opportunity he absolutely could not miss.
"I don't know if you're just sharp-witted or exceptionally well-informed."
Bu Eun-seol tilted his head slightly at Jin Baek's words.
"But it's strange."
"What is?"
"The fact that our main force was heading to Hainan was top-secret information."
"Hmm."
At that moment, a faint memory flashed through Jin Baek's mind.
He recalled the private meeting he'd had with Brigade Leader Jo Cheon-wang just before coming here.
"What is this?"
Jin Baek alternated his gaze between the assignment slip on the table and Jo Cheon-wang, who sat before him.
Truthfully, it was already unusual for Jo Cheon-wang—a brigade leader—to summon him, the leader of the Ghost Pursuit Corps, a unit specialized in covert assassinations.
And now, an assignment slip out of nowhere?
"Read it."
At Jo Cheon-wang's abrupt gesture, Jin Baek had no choice but to read the slip.
"The Death Shadow Squad Leader?"
Written on it was information that the Death Shadow Squad Leader—who had recently made a name for himself in the Demon Hall—was being dispatched to the Oji Mountains, where rumors about the Empty-Handed Divine Thief were running rampant.
"This is a ridiculous piece of intelligence."
Jin Baek curled the corner of his lips.
Because the source of the information was marked as the Demon Hall itself.
"This brigade leader thought the same at first."
Jo Cheon-wang spoke with a grave expression.
"But upon verification, it turned out to be true. This information undoubtedly leaked from the Demon Hall."
"Then..."
Jin Baek set the slip down and narrowed his eyes.
"This is a Borrowed Knife Murder stratagem."
An organization like the Demon Hall could easily conceal the source of its intelligence.
But if they deliberately let it slip directly to Jo Cheon-wang without hiding it, there was only one reason—someone in the Demon Hall's upper echelons had leaked this information specifically to have Bu Eun-seol killed.
"That must be it. They're exploiting this brigade leader's desire for revenge."
The Death Shadow Squad Leader was the man who had killed Jo Cheon-wang's only son.
And now, that very man was heading straight into a location where the Martial Alliance's Sword Unit was already engaged in a standoff? It was the perfect opportunity for vengeance.
"So that's why you called me."
Jin Baek nodded as if he had grasped the entire situation.
Since Jo Cheon-wang couldn't dispatch a force equivalent to an entire sect to Hainan Island, he intended to send the Ghost Pursuit Corps—the Alliance's finest assassination unit—instead.
"That man is said to be a master said to have killed the Beggar King, one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings. Moreover, he's now leading his own squad into the martial world..."
Jo Cheon-wang trailed off, his eyes narrowing.
What he meant was clear—unless they sent a force strong enough to annihilate a small faction, killing Bu Eun-seol would be impossible.
"But with you and the Ghost Pursuit Corps, we can definitely kill him."
Naturally, the Martial Alliance also had its own assassination units.
They, too, moved to protect their own vested interests and banners.
Jo Cheon-wang looked at Jin Baek and spoke in a low voice.
"Can you take on this task?"
Jin Baek accepted the proposal.
For two reasons.
First, Bu Eun-seol was the most renowned among the new generation of masters.
And second, as payment for the job, Jo Cheon-wang had offered him the position of deputy leader of the Heavenly Martial Brigade.
Every martial artist in the Martial Alliance shared the same dream—to join the Seven Great Battle Corps and become a brigade leader. Jin Baek was no exception.
After completing his research on Bu Eun-seol, he immediately set out for the Oji Mountains with the Ghost Pursuit Corps in tow.
Then, trailing the Death Shadow Squad, he waited for the perfect moment to strike.
This was only possible thanks to the Ghost Shadow Stealth Art, an ancient secret technique of concealment.
As long as he maintained a distance of a hundred paces, even the most skilled master wouldn't be able to detect him.
But as he observed the Death Shadow Squad members, he ran into an unexpected obstacle.
Contrary to his expectations, the squad members' auras were uniformly exceptional.
As a master assassin, Jin Baek could instantly tell that these were warriors who had undergone grueling training and real combat.
While he was still deliberating, Bu Eun-seol emerged from the barracks and began moving somewhere alone.
And when everything was over, Bu Eun-seol had pinpointed his exact location.
—Seems like you've seen enough. Why don't you come out now?
'A trap?'
For a moment, Jin Baek hesitated.
He had his subordinates scout hundreds of paces in every direction, but Bu Eun-seol was the only one in the vicinity.
'Overconfidence. A common flaw in young masters.'
Having confirmed that Bu Eun-seol was alone, Jin Baek stepped forward without hesitation to eliminate him.
"Well, whether it's classified or not, you won't be alive to know anything."
Jin Baek's eyes sharpened again as he finished his recollection.
"After all, you're going to die."
"So, you were one of the people from the main hall."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been studying Jin Baek's confident gaze, nodded slightly as if realizing something.
"One of the people from the main hall leaked the information."
Jin Baek smiled coldly.
"I'd like to praise you for being sharp-witted... but then again, it's an obvious conclusion."
"You're brimming with confidence."
Bu Eun-seol let out a soft chuckle.
"For an assassination squad to reveal themselves means they're absolutely certain they can kill me."
"Assassination squad?"
Jin Baek chuckled low and shook his head.
At that moment, translucent shadows began flickering into existence around Bu Eun-seol.
"You think the main force is just some ordinary assassination squad?"
Jin Baek's lips curled into a faint smile.
"The main force isn't structured by hierarchy. It's a gathering of equals—all of them masters in their own right."
The skill of the Ghost Pursuit Corps' assassins far surpassed that of ordinary killers from the Killing Sect.
Moreover, their True Void techniques were rooted in the Martial Alliance's martial arts, making them formidable even in direct confrontations.
"You were too arrogant."
Jin Baek's smile deepened.
"A common mistake among talented young heroes, but still a mistake."
In the murim, a single misjudgment could cost a life.
Bu Eun-seol had erred—both by flaunting his martial prowess and by being alone.
Pfft.
But then, Bu Eun-seol laughed.
It wasn't the laugh of an arrogant youth showing off.
Jin Baek couldn't comprehend it.
'He's serious. He genuinely believes he won't lose.'
To kill Bu Eun-seol, Jin Baek had personally visited the Beggars' Sect and meticulously analyzed the situation.
He had confirmed that Bu Eun-seol's martial arts had barely touched the Extreme Heaven Realm—yet he had brought overwhelming force, enough to ensure absolute victory.
So why was this man smiling with such unwavering confidence?
"Arrogance, you say?"
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
"I'll return those words to you."
Thud.
Then, with a light flick, he struck the tree beside him.
Instantly, the figure of a Ghost Pursuit Corps member, hidden in the air, became clearly visible—
Splurt!
—before a spray of blood erupted from his throat.
At that moment, Jin Baek's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
Object-Striking Qi Projection.
A technique where one strikes an object to release a burst of qi—nothing extraordinary in itself.
But Bu Eun-seol had refined that intangible force into razor-sharp blades.
Such mastery was impossible for someone who had only just entered the Extreme Heaven Realm.
"Don't tell me... in that short time..."
Jin Baek's gaze wavered like turbulent water.
"You've advanced your martial arts again?"
It had been mere months since he killed the Beggar King.
Advancing another step at such heights was nearly unthinkable.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had broken through yet again—in just a few months.
Through his study of the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art and the insights gained from life-and-death sparring with Yeop Hyo-cheon, he had shattered his limits once more.
"Are you panicking because your calculations were wrong?"
Bu Eun-seol sighed as he looked at Jin Baek.
"Your momentum has weakened by thirty percent since we first met."
Even the greatest masters lose momentum when their spirit is shaken.
Jin Baek had arrived fully confident in his ability to kill Bu Eun-seol. That confidence fueled his momentum, which in turn sharpened his movements.
But now that Bu Eun-seol's strength exceeded expectations, that confidence had crumbled—and with it, his momentum.
'Now I understand why the grandmasters of martial arts placed such importance on secret mental techniques.'
The body is connected to the mind.
No matter how much one refines their physique and martial arts, true control requires an unshakable spirit.
Shhhring.
A low Sword Resonance hummed as the Ink Sword slowly revealed itself.
The motion of Bu Eun-seol drawing his blade was like the black claws of a Grim Reaper emerging from a shroud of dark mist.
"This will be a boring fight."
Bu Eun-seol muttered with disinterest.
Jin Baek's pupils trembled faintly.
He realized—this battle was unwinnable. The Star Chasing Squad would be annihilated.
"If you won't come..."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath, and Body Light radiated from his eyes in brilliant streams.
"Then I'll go to you!"
Swish! Swish!
Simultaneously, razor-sharp forces spiraled violently around him.
The Martial Emperor's supreme technique—most devastating against multiple foes.
Thirteenfold Qi Induction, unleashed.