Chapter 260
Yu Hwaryeong's pupils brimmed with disbelief.
Though he'd heard countless rumors dismissed as ghost stories in his lifetime, never had he encountered a tale as bizarre as this.
Whoosh!
In his fury, he violently yanked away the large cloth draped over the thirty-foot-tall structure before him.
Beneath lay a transparent container filled to the brim with liquid—and floating within it were corpses.
"Guh—"
The grotesque and horrifying sight made Yu Hwaryeong stumble backward and collapse onto his rear.
"Why would you keep corpses in such a place?"
"Those weren't corpses. They were once living people."
"You mean... they were deliberately drowned to death?"
"Not drowned. It's more like distilling liquor—they extracted every last drop of the humans' vital fluids."
Thud.
Unable to contain his surging rage, Yu Hwaryeong shot to his feet, fists clenched.
First, they used human essence blood to concoct spirit medicine, and now they're draining the vital fluids from living people? What kind of monsters would do this?
"Why commit such an outrageously evil act? What possible reason could there be?"
As she slowly picked up the fallen cloth from the floor, Jongri Sa-yu replied:
"If you look back through the history of the murim, heretical sects and poison clans conducting human experimentation wasn't exactly rare."
Then, leaping lightly into mid-air, she draped the cloth back over the glass container.
"Of course, such atrocities were soon exposed, and they were purged as enemies of the martial world."
"So these people—because they're tied to the court—can do as they please without consequence?"
"More precisely, the military."
Jongri Sa-yu's gaze darkened as she stared into the shadows.
"They've long been researching drugs to modify the human body or enhance strength."
In that instant, a single word flashed through Yu Hwaryeong's mind.
—Eastern Manor.
Probably not the military.
The only ones bold enough to carry out such cruelty without fear were those wielding absolute authority—the Eastern Manor.
Krrr—
Just then, the sound of an iron gate opening echoed, followed by low footsteps.
Exchanging glances, the group hastily concealed themselves in the darkness.
Thud. Thud.
The footsteps grew closer until finally, two figures came into view near the glass containers.
One was an old man—gaunt, hollow-eyed, dressed in the typical garb of a wandering physician.
Beside him stood a masked man draped in an exquisitely embroidered windproof cloak.
Though his face was hidden, his piercing eyes seemed to cut through the darkness like blades.
That man...
From his hiding place, Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened like a honed blade as he studied the masked man.
He had spotted faint marks on the scabbard at the masked man's waist.
They were traces left by Seoksong's technique Seoksong had performed with all his might—the Rhomboid Sword Control Form.
Is he the one who massacred the Thousand Swords Society?
Something felt off.
The massacre of the Ten Seats, including the society's leader, had occurred over twenty years ago.
Even if the perpetrator had been in his twenties then, he'd now be well past forty.
Yet the skin around the mask and the man's eyes suggested someone barely past adolescence.
Just then, the skeletal old man pulled away the cloth covering one of the glass containers and spoke:
"We've completed about seventy percent."
Inspecting the contents with a satisfied smile, he added:
"At this rate, we should reach eighty percent within a month."
"Completion rate doesn't matter. Increase the output."
The voice was cold—undeniably that of a young man.
"They'll be contacting us soon."
"Understood."
After surveying the interior and exchanging a few more words, the two headed for the iron gate.
Just as the old man stepped outside—
Halt.
The masked man stopped abruptly and turned back.
"What is it?" the old man asked.
Nodding, the masked man replied:
"I'll inspect the mechanisms. You go ahead."
"Very well."
As the old man disappeared outside, the masked man re-entered.
Clang. The iron gate sealed shut behind him.
Thud. Thud.
The masked man paced deeper inside, scanning the surroundings before suddenly stopping.
Whoosh—
A faint gust of wind seemed to emanate from his body, rushing toward the darkened interior.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened sharply.
He realized the masked man was expanding his domain of heightened senses to thoroughly scrutinize their surroundings.
"Don't look directly at him."
Bu Eun-seol immediately sent a voice transmission, but it was already too late.
The man's acute senses had already swept over the spot where Yu Hwaryeong and Jongri Sa-yu were hiding.
"Quite sizable rats we have here."
Clank!
Simultaneously, the screech of grinding metal erupted from all directions as—
"Ahhk!"
—with a short scream, the floor beneath Yu Hwaryeong and Jongri Sa-yu split open horizontally, swallowing them into a dark void.
Flash!
In that instant, a streak of light bloomed from the darkness.
Bu Eun-seol, concealed in the shadows, unleashed a sword stroke toward the masked man.
Clang!
When blade met blade midair, an enormous qi wave exploded outward.
Amid the darkness, radiant light flared as their swords locked together.
Screeeech—
The two blades, pressed against each other in a contest of strength, sparked like magnets grinding together.
A faint glow seeped from between the masked man's brows as he strained against the Ink Sword.
Not only that—Bu Eun-seol noticed his pupils were tinged with a dim blue light.
'This isn't an internal energy method from the Central Plains.'
While training under Blood Vajra in the Counter-Polar Internal Art, Bu Eun-seol had also learned in detail about the strengths, weaknesses, and distinguishing traits of various internal energy secrets across the martial world.
—Unlike orthodox Central Plains internal energy methods, those from beyond the frontier primarily cultivate the upper dantian. As a result, the speed of accumulating internal power is slower...
But once one reaches the realms of Three Origins Three Harmonies or even Primordial Spirit Emergence, they can unleash mystical might surpassing human limits.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as Blood Vajra's teachings resurfaced in his mind.
Could this masked man's talent truly be heaven-defying—had he reached the realm of Primordial Spirit Emergence at such a young age?
'No. He's using energy externally supplied to him.'
The masked man's internal energy was formidable, but its duration was extremely brief.
Meaning—he had clearly ingested spirit medicine or some other drug to temporarily elevate his internal energy level.
"Tch."
Eventually, the masked man couldn't withstand the relentless, overwhelming pressure of Bu Eun-seol's deep internal energy and began retreating step by step.
"Urgh—!"
"Gah—!"
But then, pained screams from Yu Hwaryeong and Jongri Sa-yu echoed up from the pit.
Clang! Clink!
Simultaneously, metallic sounds rang out in rapid succession—something was clearly happening below.
'There are enemies beneath the mechanism too?'
As Bu Eun-seol's mental power fractured, disrupting the flow of his internal energy—
Whoosh!
—the masked man seized the opportunity and forcefully disengaged.
"Deactivate the mechanism."
At Bu Eun-seol's stern command, the masked man chuckled darkly.
"Try subduing me first before making demands!"
Crrrk—!
In that instant, a massive gaping hole opened where Bu Eun-seol had been standing.
But he had already retreated thirty feet back.
He had predicted the vibrations and mechanical sounds rising from below.
"Hmph."
The masked man snorted and lightly swept his left foot across the floor.
Crrrk—!
Another hole tore open where Bu Eun-seol had been standing.
'Not the floor—the his shoe.'
It was impossible to install mechanisms across this entire grand hall capable of activating traps everywhere.
The masked man had set up the mechanism's trigger on the his shoe, allowing him to freely activate it at will.
"'Subdue me,' you said."
Bu Eun-seol glanced down at the Ink Sword in his grip and nodded.
"Very well."
Shink!
With a short sound of breaking air, Bu Eun-seol closed the distance to the masked man in an instant.
At the same time, he extended the Ink Sword with deceptive lightness.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a simple, swiftly executed sword stroke.
But the faint glow shimmering along the blade rapidly expanded, transforming in an instant into a myriad of unpredictable sword strokes.
Swish!
A single stroke, swift as light—the Quick Sword Form—shot forward, while above, a massive cruciform sword energy cascaded down.
And to his left and right, eighty-one variations of intricate sword forms erupted simultaneously.
Recognizing the masked man's refined sword techniques, Bu Eun-seol had adapted the Thirteenfold Qi Induction, using his fingers to unleash three distinct sword strokes at once.
"Hah—"
As countless sword strokes enveloped the space in all directions, the masked man sucked in a sharp breath.
A single hand unleashing three sword strokes simultaneously—it was like a storm of blades crashing down.
The sword trajectories and initial movements were unpredictably rapid, their paths ever-shifting and impossible to anticipate.
"Hahk!"
Realizing he couldn't possibly block it, the Masked Man swung his sword with all his might, forming a transparent barrier of sword energy around his entire body.
It was the Life-Saving Ultimate Technique—a last resort to preserve his life in any dire situation.
But then, something strange happened.
Sssshhk!
Like a storm sucking air into an unknown void, the countless sword strokes vanished in an instant, along with the sound.
Clack.
At the same time, the cold edge of the Ink Sword pressed against the Masked Man's throat.
The moment the sword strokes disappeared, Bu Eun-seol had closed the distance in a flash and aimed his blade at the man's neck.
"It was all a feint."
The Masked Man's voice was laced with defeat.
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol wasn't yet skilled enough to fully subdivide and execute the Thirteenfold Qi Induction with just his fingers.
Though he had unleashed three Sword Strokes simultaneously, they were nothing more than sword phantoms—illusions meant to deceive.
Unaware of this, the Masked Man had exhausted himself deploying his Life-Saving Ultimate Technique.
In other words, Bu Eun-seol had feigned an overwhelming assault, lured the man into exposing his weakness, and then seized the opportunity to subdue him in a single decisive move.
"I won't repeat myself."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy.
"Deactivate the mechanism."
If the man resisted even slightly, his head would be severed in an instant.
The Masked Man raised both hands and spoke cautiously.
"Understood. But I'll need to move my foot."
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod, and the man carefully shifted his left foot.
Grrrrr—
A low vibration rumbled through the surroundings, and soon, the entire Great Hall began to tremble.
Thud. Thud.
At the same time, heavy tremors emanated from the pit where Yu Hwaryeong and Jongri Sa-yu had fallen—as if some enormous, unknown creature were taking slow, ponderous steps.
"What in the...?"
Bu Eun-seol turned his head toward the black pit—
Swish.
—only for the Masked Man's body to suddenly sink into the floor.
Then, just as abruptly, he reappeared near the distant entrance.
As it turned out, the mechanism installed here didn't just allow the floor to collapse—it could also freely shift the position of the ground itself.
"Quite meticulous."
Bu Eun-seol let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
Losing sight of the man for a mere moment wasn't surprising—he had moved hundreds of feet in an instant.
But the fact that the floor had collapsed and the mechanism had instantly transported him toward the entrance?
That meant he had trained endlessly for this exact scenario, ensuring he could escape no matter the circumstances.
"Hahahaha!"
The Masked Man, now standing at the exit, let out a triumphant laugh.
"No matter how formidable you are, you'll never defeat him."
Him?
Creeeak—
Suddenly, the floor beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet—spanning hundreds of feet—transformed into a gaping black void.
"What a shame. I won't get to see that entertaining spectacle myself."
Leaving behind those cryptic words, the Masked Man laughed heartily before vanishing completely.
Whoosh—
Meanwhile, Bu Eun-seol was plummeting into the darkness below.
Fwip.
But his body abruptly halted midair.
He had instantly activated Stepping Ascent into Void, suspending himself in midair, then followed with Gecko Wall-Clinging Palm, pressing himself against the wall.
A trap like this was no hindrance to him.
"Hup."
Adjusting his breathing, Bu Eun-seol prepared to surge upward with Qi Ride to the Heavens—
"Aaaagh!"
—when Yu Hwaryeong's desperate scream echoed from below once more.
After a brief, indifferent glance into the abyss, Bu Eun-seol didn't hesitate.
He dove downward.
Capturing the Masked Man could wait. Saving Yu Hwaryeong's life took priority.
After all, what use was revenge if the man was already dead?
Tap.
Landing lightly on the ground, Bu Eun-seol raised an eyebrow.
The surroundings revealed countless branching tunnels, sprawling like a spider's web in every direction.
This was deep beneath the mountain—yet another subterranean labyrinth had been constructed beneath it.
"This isn't a man-made structure."
Most likely, this underground space had existed in this form naturally, and the Government Office had merely overlaid their mechanisms upon it.
Fwoosh.
Expanding his Domain of Heightened Senses, Bu Eun-seol scanned the caverns before darting forward with Lightness Skill toward the source of the scream.
—KOOOOOOOH!
As he reached the far end of the cavern, an enormous figure loomed before him.
It was a monster unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Standing over eight feet tall, its entire body was covered in golden scales, and blade-like claws jutted menacingly from its fingers.
Its enormous eyes gleamed with a glossy black sheen, as if filled with ink.
The creature resembled some grotesque fusion of a giant bipedal mole and a tortoise.
"Haa, haa..."
Yu Hwaryeong and Jongri Sa-yu stood before the monster, bleeding and gasping for breath.
Swoosh.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol drew his sword and slashed at the monster's neck.
Ssskzt!
Sparks flew where the Ink Sword struck, but—astonishingly—the monster's hide was so tough that even the divine blade couldn't cleave through.
"Be careful! That thing's skin is completely impervious to swords!"
At Yu Hwaryeong's warning, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
Whoooosh.
A faint glow had already gathered around his left fist.
With a low hum, the surrounding air began swirling violently into his palm.
"It's useless!"
Jongri Sa-yu cried out, recognizing the technique—an internal heavy hand strike akin to the Mountain-Passing Bull Strike.
"We already tried multiple times, but its hide is just too—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
FWOOOOM!
A blinding crimson radiance, like the fury of the sun, erupted from Bu Eun-seol's left hand.
Fist Demon Seven Forms, Fourth Form: Heavenly Hand Empty Wave.
The pinnacle of annihilation fist arts—a technique that obliterated everything in its path.
"KIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
The monster shrieked as the strike slammed into its abdomen.
Its scream sounded less like an animal's cry and more like a human's—so chilling it made one's hair stand on end.
"GAAAAAAACK!"
Trembling in agony, the creature began vomiting thick, viscous fluid.
Taking a direct hit from the Heavenly Hand Empty Wave—a strike capable of demolishing an entire building—meant that even if its outer shell remained intact, its internal organs had been utterly pulverized.
Gurgle...
Dark red blood soon spilled from the fallen monster's mouth.
"That was... an overwhelmingly powerful fist technique."
Yu Hwaryeong exhaled in awe, his expression a mix of shock and relief as he wiped blood from his lips. Though battered and bruised, he had no fatal injuries.
"Thanks to you, we're alive."
"This monster..."
At Bu Eun-seol's low mutter, Jongri Sa-yu spoke up.
"It seems they artificially created a spirit beast using spiritual herbs and the Human-shaped Golden Rat."
"So they can modify animals too."
"If they use human essence blood, it's not entirely impossible."
Yu Hwaryeong's jaw dropped.
Though he prided himself on broad knowledge, medicine and toxicology were entirely different fields.
Listening to them, Bu Eun-seol recalled the humans preserved in glass containers.
'So not only can they create spiritual herbs from human essence blood—they can forge spirit beasts as well.'
"Still, your fist technique was truly extraordinary."
Jongri Sa-yu stared intently at Bu Eun-seol's masked face.
"I thought you were a swordsman, but you're a fist artist? That was a ferocious technique—on par with the Dragon-Subduing Palm of the Beggars' Sect."
Though skilled in both medicine and martial arts, her expertise in fist techniques was limited.
She could tell Bu Eun-seol's prowess was immense, but she failed to perceive that he had already touched the threshold of the Extreme Heaven Realm.
Moreover, since Langya Pavilion's martial arts left no discernible traces, she couldn't possibly have guessed he was a master of the Demonic Path Faction.
"Is the sword on your back just for show, then...?"
Just as she kept pressing him—
Thud. Clank.
From the depths of the dark passageway came the slow, dragging footsteps of something—accompanied by the metallic clatter of chains.
With each step closer, a suffocating, sinister aura seeped through the darkness.
Thump.
Finally, the figure emerged—a disheveled man in a grime-stained gray martial uniform, his hair wild and unkempt.
His angular face bore sharp eyes, but their pupils were hollow. His movements were sluggish.
At a glance, he didn't seem to be in a normal condition.
The clanking came from the iron chain dragging behind him, connected to a dagger in his hand.
"You—"
Yu Hwaryeong's eyes widened as he stared at the man's face.
The aura he exuded was one thing, but the unique weapon—a sword linked by chains—was wielded by only one man in all of Murim.
"The Blood Chain Sword... Gu Ju-hon?"