Chapter 254
Sshhk.
Bu Eun-seol drew the Ink Sword and unfolded his sword techniques.
Chwararak!
Unlike usual, the sword strokes he unleashed were minimal in variation and extremely monotonous.
Yet the sheer speed of those forms left the assassins no room to evade.
Pat! Pat!
Within the range of his unleashed sword energy, the assassins spewed blood from their throats before collapsing like logs.
Swa-swa-swa-swa-swa!
In response, the remaining assassins widened their distance once more and showered Bu Eun-seol with hidden projectiles.
Pwoong!
But this time, before the projectiles could even reach his body, they burst with explosive sounds, spewing white smoke.
Given the foul odor spreading in all directions, it seemed the smoke was laced with Energy-Dispersing Poison Powder, designed to weaken internal power.
"Hmm."
As the smoke spread, it gradually began to obscure even the figures of the assassins.
Uuung!
Bu Eun-seol summoned his internal power, and a torrent of formidable True Qi surged from the Ink Sword.
He was preparing to unleash the seventh form of the Formless Heavenly Flow—Returning God Destroying Earth—using intense Blazing Flame True Qi to incinerate all traces of poison.
'No.'
At that moment, a flash of insight crossed his mind.
'These people have already scrutinized me down to the smallest detail.'
Their tactics—raining hidden projectiles from afar, then resorting to Mutual Destruction techniques at close range—were all devised with the Formless Heavenly Flow in mind.
If so, there was no way they wouldn't know about Returning God Destroying Earth, a technique capable of burning away poison in an instant.
Pwaat!
Bu Eun-seol immediately retreated about sixty meters.
Then, summoning intense Blazing Flame True Qi, he flicked out a Finger Wind.
Pwoong!
With another explosive sound, the smoke that had spread everywhere instantly ignited into flames.
Simultaneously, a molten, wax-like inferno surged outward, radiating heat intense enough to melt iron.
Chiii.
Even after hitting the ground, the flames showed no sign of stopping, roaring fiercely.
It seemed the mist hadn't just contained Energy-Dispersing Poison Powder—it was also mixed with a specially crafted flammable substance.
'Just as I thought.'
What if he hadn't retreated immediately and instead tried to eradicate the poison mist with Returning God Destroying Earth?
Bu Eun-seol would have been caught in the explosion, suffering severe injuries.
'They've grasped every characteristic of the Formless Heavenly Flow...'
Bu Eun-seol had only used Returning God Destroying Earth twice: once during his journey to be recognized as the successor, and later when facing the masters of Hell Blood Citadel.
Which meant these assassins had been meticulously studying him for a long time.
Ssshhhk.
As the smoke cleared, the remaining assassins strode through the blazing flames, once more encircling Bu Eun-seol.
Their eyes showed no trace of fear or hesitation.
Only a single-minded will—to kill him at all costs, as long as they still drew breath.
'Investigating me a hundred times won't help.'
A sharp glint poured from Bu Eun-seol's pupils as he observed the assassins closing in menacingly.
Old intelligence was useless.
Because every single day, without pause, he grew—bit by bit, endlessly evolving.
Chhk.
Abruptly, Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ink Sword again. Then, he summoned his internal power at full strength.
Hwiiing!
A sharp wind began to howl around his entire body.
At the same time, an intense energy began flowing from his arms and legs.
Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
He was invoking the Martial Emperor's ultimate secret technique—one that, when mastered to its limit, could unleash thirteen distinct streams of force.
Swaa-aaak!
Bu Eun-seol's body became a streak of light, flashing past the assassins.
Each time, blood erupted as the assassins collapsed like bundles of straw.
Kwa-rung! U-ru-ru-rung!
Thunder rumbled across the darkened sky, echoing in all directions.
The sound alone was enough to convey the ferocity of the energy and force Bu Eun-seol was unleashing.
The assassins resisted fiercely, hurling hidden projectiles and firearms, but it was futile.
Though Thirteenfold Qi Induction appeared to deploy multiple martial arts simultaneously, it was, in truth, a single cohesive force executing refined techniques.
The moment that razor-sharp force grazed them, the assassins' bodies split apart as if cleaved by a blade.
Moreover, thanks to that same sharp energy, no matter what attacks they launched, none could ever reach Bu Eun-seol's body.
Thud. Thud.
The corpses of the assassins piled up like fallen leaves.
The cold, mechanical glint in their eyes began to waver like rippling water.
They had scrutinized Bu Eun-seol thoroughly—but how could they have ever dreamed of this?
That even while eating and sleeping, he never ceased honing his martial arts—that his Martial Arts True Scripture had long since surpassed the level of those called prodigies.
Moreover, during that time, he had even inherited the legacy of the Martial Emperor—the strongest master of the righteous faction from four hundred years ago.
Thud. Thud.
As the internal power surging from Bu Eun-seol's body transformed into three streaks of lightning flame, the assassins collapsed helplessly once more.
Before he knew it, out of the hundred assassins, fewer than ten remained.
"Huff... Huff..."
Bu Eun-seol gasped for breath.
The Thirteenfold Qi Induction possessed unfathomably immense might, but it required meticulously weaving together multiple orthodox martial arts into a single cohesive force.
The toll it took on his mental power and internal energy was equally extreme.
Then, a few of the remaining assassins stepped forward and drew their swords.
Shiiing!
The blades they unsheathed were not double-edged but rather odd-shaped swords—each with four edges instead of two.
They began unleashing an unorthodox sword technique in response to Bu Eun-seol's Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
Clang! Clash-clang!
Their swordplay, executed like a Combined Attack Art, was unexpectedly formidable.
Not only did they exploit openings with swift and concise movements, but every time Bu Eun-seol's Thirteenfold Qi Induction surged, they formed a broad Sword Curtain to block the incoming force.
Furthermore, they recklessly unleashed bizarre killing moves, sealing off Bu Eun-seol's lightning-fast movements.
'Orthodox martial arts?'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his surprise as he observed the sword techniques grazing past him.
Their swordplay wasn't just slashing horizontally and vertically—it was filled with twisting, stabbing, and abrupt shifts.
At a glance, it resembled the vicious techniques of the Demonic Path or Unorthodox Faction, but that was merely deliberate concealment.
The roots of their swordplay were, in fact, far closer to the martial arts of the righteous faction.
'Had I not mastered the secret manuals of the Martial Emperor's Secret Repository, I wouldn't have been able to discern their origins.'
The Martial Emperor had devised the Thirteenfold Qi Induction based on the core principles of orthodox martial arts.
And Bu Eun-seol, having grasped its essence, could instantly recognize the distinctive traits of orthodox martial techniques.
Snap!
As if to prove it, the sword trajectories that had been raining down like lightning suddenly curved sharply—aiming straight for his death points.
Had these been techniques of the Demonic Path or Unorthodox Faction, they wouldn't have drawn such exaggerated arcs before striking the vital points.
The assassins were using their bizarre odd-shaped swords to disguise the orthodox martial arts' trajectories.
'They've strayed from the original Sword Path, so their power has greatly diminished.'
The assassins had distorted the orthodox Sword Studies into something grotesque and unpredictable, like the swordplay of the Unorthodox Faction.
In other words, because they had altered the original Sword Intent, they could no longer unleash their full might.
Swoosh!
Having identified all their weaknesses, Bu Eun-seol drew his Ink Sword once more.
Then, with a sudden motion, he unleashed a rapid succession of sword techniques toward the sky.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Hundreds of streaks of sword qi shot into the darkened heavens before splitting apart like living creatures—then cascaded down toward the masked men below like twin torrents of water.
This was the Fourth Form of Formless Heavenly Flow—Caged Bird Longing for Clouds—a technique that allowed him to freely manipulate the released sword energy.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The assassins swung their swords with all their might.
But there was no way they could block Bu Eun-seol's sword qi after he had already pinpointed every flaw in their defenses.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The razor-sharp sword energy swept past them like living dragons of teachings, leaving no room for error.
Thud.
The assassins collapsed to the ground simultaneously, not a single inch of deviation in their fall.
Step. Step.
Bu Eun-seol slowly approached and removed the masks from the fallen assassins.
At the same time, his pupils slightly dilated.
"..."
The assassins' faces had been completely flayed, leaving only raw flesh caked with blood and pus.
They had peeled off their own skin to conceal their identities.
An ordinary martial artist would have grimaced at the gruesome sight, but Bu Eun-seol calmly examined their bodies.
'They've ingested a specialized poison.'
As if they had been consuming toxins for a long time, their teeth had corroded like rusted iron.
Crouching down, he meticulously inspected their clothing, weapons, and shoes.
But there were no clues that could hint at their identities.
"Wicked Incense has ties to the righteous faction..."
It wasn't a complete dead end.
All the assassins had used modified martial arts derived from orthodox techniques.
That meant the connection to Wicked Incense was closer to the righteous faction than the Demonic Path.
"I have to climb higher."
In his current position, he could not yet investigate every sect of the Demonic Path, much less the righteous faction.
Creak.
A bloody light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
In the end, his fate was to ascend further.
Bu Eun-seol returned to the Demon Hall.
"Capturing Wicked Incense's trail in one go is impossible at this stage."
"Moreover, if they truly have ties to the Righteous Faction, we absolutely must not act rashly."
For now, he remained merely a Successor Candidate of the Demon Hall.
Though called the Sacred Land of Ten Thousand Demons, this was not a place that offered unconditional support and encouragement to mere candidates.
'First, I must conceal my movements.'
The first thing Bu Eun-seol executed was disrupting all information networks to ensure no intelligence organization could easily track his whereabouts.
He was now a figure capable of influencing the martial world's affairs.
Naturally, countless intelligence networks would have their antennas raised, monitoring his every move.
Using the Fleeting Moment Boat's information network, he continuously fed false intelligence into the martial world to obscure his tracks.
Knock knock.
Someone rapped on his office door.
"Great Lord. It's Jo Nam-cheon."
"Enter."
The sliding door opened, and in walked Jo Nam-cheon, his scraggly beard bristling as he shuffled forward.
With his unkempt beard and deep wrinkles, he looked to be in his forties—yet in truth, he hadn't even reached thirty.
"What is it?"
"Well, you see..."
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Jo Nam-cheon scratched his head and rummaged through his robes.
"Truth is, I used to be affiliated with the Twelve Branches in the past."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed with interest.
This perpetually amiable Jo Nam-cheon—formerly a shadowy fixer who handled the Upper Realm's dirtiest tasks?
"Go on."
"This arrived for you, Great Lord."
Jo Nam-cheon carefully withdrew an assignment slip from his robes and placed it on the desk.
"Someone sent you an official letter through the Twelve Branches' intelligence network."
"A letter?"
"Indeed. And the sender... is the Twelve Branches' Supreme Leader."
"Supreme Leader?"
Originally, the Twelve Branches had no single leader—its structure was closer to a chaotic, decentralized cell organization, with even its intelligence and command systems in disarray.
Yet now, a Supreme Leader had appeared out of nowhere?
"Apparently, they recently underwent a reorganization and established a Supreme Leader."
Jo Nam-cheon scratched his head as he spoke.
"Given their focus on underworld affairs, they've appointed a supreme commander to oversee the entire Twelve Branches—hence the title."
His gaze lingered on the letter atop the desk.
"Moreover, the fact that they deliberately routed it through me suggests this isn't some prank."
Bu Eun-seol picked up the slip.
Just then, a clamor rose outside—likely the unit members returning to the Death Shadow Pavilion after training.
BANG!
The door burst open, and a rough-looking man hurried in—Won Se-mun.
"Great Lord!"
"Won Se-mun. What's with the commotion this time?"
Jo Nam-cheon scolded him.
"Did you have another meaningless dream and come running to the Great Lord?"
"Shut it!"
Won Se-mun shot Jo Nam-cheon a glare before addressing Bu Eun-seol.
"Something terrible has happened, Great Lord!"
"What is it?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Won Se-mun's lips rounded in shock.
"The Ultimate Assassin Pavilion's Successor has been assassinated!"
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol doubted his own ears.
"What did you say?"
"The Ultimate Assassin Pavilion's Successor—Yong Jeok-bi. He's been killed."
Silence fell over the office.
Yong Jeok-bi, the Successor of the Ultimate Assassin Pavilion—why would a prodigy chosen by that sect of elite assassins suddenly be dead?
"The Ultimate Assassin Pavilion's Successor was reportedly tasked with eliminating the Twelve Branches alone this time."
Won Se-mun met Bu Eun-seol's gaze.
"But... instead, they got to him first. Worse, the Twelve Branches used an Escort Bureau to deliver Yong Jeok-bi's head to the Ultimate Assassin Pavilion. Because of that, the entire sect is in an uproar."
—The Twelve Branches?
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol and Jo Nam-cheon exchanged glances.
As if synchronized, their eyes dropped to the envelope on the desk.
Rip.
Even after tearing it open, the envelope was empty.
"Huh?"
Jo Nam-cheon stared at it in bewilderment.
"That's strange. This clearly bears the Supreme Leader's official seal..."
As Won Se-mun questioned the flustered Jo Nam-cheon—
"Who's this Supreme Leader?"
"Well, you see..."
While Jo Nam-cheon began explaining the situation to Won Se-mun—
"..."
A flash ignited in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
A subtle sensation had traveled to his fingertips from the envelope.
It was a trace so faint that only someone trained in the Way of the Beast could detect it.
Rip.
Tearing open the inner lining, he found a single needle—thinner than a strand of hair—hidden within the paper.
Its elasticity allowed it to spring back into shape even when bent, and its surface bore fine, textured ridges.
Flash!
In that instant, a heat capable of melting iron surged from Bu Eun-seol's pupils. Simultaneously, his heart pounded uncontrollably.
This uniquely crafted needle—rarely seen in the martial world—
Was this not one of Wicked Incense's hidden weapons?