Chapter 267
"So-ung! Hold the left flank properly against those pouring in!"
At Won Se-mun's shout, Han So-ung—swinging his great blade while clad in bronze plate armor—yelled back.
"You focus on holding your own position, Squad Leader! More are crawling out from your side!"
"Oh-ho? Fatty's gotten pretty useful, and now he's talking back!"
As Han So-ung channeled a surge of internal energy into his great blade, a chilling blue aura radiated from it.
"It's been ages since I lost weight..."
His low mutter was drowned out as over a dozen Black Alliance bandits raised their weapons and charged at him.
"Stop calling me Fatty!"
With a thunderous roar, he swung his great blade.
A crescent of razor-sharp sword qi erupted, and the Black Alliance bandits who had rushed in collapsed like felled trees.
"Haa, haa..."
As Han So-ung gasped for breath, Won Se-mun, standing beside him, spoke quietly.
"Do you really hate being called Fatty that much?"
"Are you going to stop?"
"That depends on the Great Lord."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Won Se-mun then grabbed Han So-ung's shoulder with an utterly serious expression.
"If the Great Lord ever stops calling me 'Twin Swords,' then I'll stop calling you 'Fatty.'"
At this absurd remark, Han So-ung channeled his rising frustration into another burst of sword qi.
"Enough! Shut up already!"
Meanwhile, the Second Squad members led by Wi Cheon-gyeong fanned out left and right, encircling the enemies like a tightening noose.
"Maintain distance! Only use hidden weapons on those trying to slip past the perimeter!"
The hidden weapons unleashed by the Second Squad weren't meant to kill—instead, they disrupted the enemy's momentum, halting their advances and breaking the flow of battle.
The Black Alliance bandits seethed with fury each time, but they couldn't even catch up to those swift-moving figures.
"Make way!"
At the same time, the Third Squad members charged head-on, shattering the enemy formation.
Having trained the Black Poison Demon Art to at least the Seven Stars level, ordinary blades barely left a scratch on them.
Moreover, their sword techniques consisted entirely of lethal killing moves that disregarded defense entirely. At close range, the Black Alliance bandits fell helplessly, unable to counter.
"Impressive."
Bu Eun-seol, observing the battlefield from above, gave a slight nod.
From the start, the three squads he had trained had drilled together for a long time, so this outcome was perhaps only natural.
But what was truly astonishing was the remarkable growth of the Fourth and Fifth Squads.
Sssshhh—!
The Fourth Squad members, taught by Myo Cheon-u, all wielded a unique form of silent, soundless palm energy.
Myo Cheon-u couldn't teach the Extinction Palace's Ten Demonic Heir or its members the supreme secret art.
So instead, he combined his own insights with the strengths of the Extinction Palace's palm techniques to create a new, soft, and distinctive palm art.
"Still rough around the edges... but with a little refinement, it could become an ultimate technique on par with the Extinction Palace's methods."
Myo Cheon-u had only just begun walking his own path.
Though the palm technique he had devised was still unpolished and incomplete...
With time, it would grow stronger. Alongside the members under his command.
Shwaaaak!
At that moment, a sharp, dazzling light flashed through the midst of the Black Alliance bandits swarming in.
It was the Fifth Squad, led by Yu Un-ryong.
Ping! Shwaaak!
Surprisingly, Yu Un-ryong hadn't taught them any shortcuts.
—I cannot reach the pinnacle of the White Horse Whip.
Yu Un-ryong had realized that, with the martial studies of the White Horse Monastery, he could never break through to the Transcendence Realm.
From the moment he devised a technique that utilized two White Horse Whips simultaneously, he had already strayed from the martial principles of the whip art.
Like Bu Eun-seol, Yu Un-ryong had sought a means to grow stronger without being bound by technique limitations—
But in doing so, he had unwittingly crossed from the Righteous Path into the Heretical Path, forever barring himself from the highest realm of the White Horse Whip.
—If I can't reach it with the White Horse Whip, then I'll break through to the Transcendence Realm another way!
Through relentless insight, Yu Un-ryong had devised a new whip technique.
The problem, however, was that from this technique, spear and staff methods had also emerged.
Though whip and spear techniques were entirely different, Yu Un-ryong—having attained a profound realization—fearlessly fused them together.
—Then, is there a weapon that can function as both a spear and a whip?
After much deliberation, he modified the traditional three-section staff into a new weapon—the ten-section staff, capable of splitting into ten segments.
When infused with internal energy, it became rigid like a spear, while in its default state, its ten joints allowed for whip-like flexibility.
Bu Eun-seol could say with certainty:
Once that unique ten-section staff technique was perfected, the martial world would witness the birth of an entirely new odd weapon.
Meanwhile, the successors of the Seven Sword Gates of Qinghai trailed behind the Death Shadow Squad, cutting down Black Alliance bandits attempting to flank them.
Having trained their martial arts diligently, they had grown confident in their abilities.
But witnessing the Death Shadow Squad in battle made them acutely aware of how far they still had to go.
—We still have a long way ahead.
However, they had overlooked one crucial fact.
This wasn't the kind of battle ordinary martial artists fought.
Not only did each member of the Death Shadow Squad display exceptional martial prowess, but they moved as a single, cohesive entity.
This was only possible because they had spent a long time fighting hordes of enemies together—their hearts and minds united as one.
—There was no choice but to try.
Yet they fought with their utmost, refusing to be intimidated.
Though their contribution might be small, this battle would become the catalyst to elevate their martial prowess by another step.
Before they knew it, the same blazing Martial Soul that burned within the Death Shadow Squad had been etched into their own hearts.
'...'
Just then, Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the battlefield.
Mysterious martial artists had abruptly appeared at the rear guard, and the Death Shadow Squad was gradually being pushed back.
'Those people...'
Each of them wielded grotesque swords studded with jagged protrusions, their pupils stained a sickly yellow.
Not only that—they trampled over their own fallen comrades without hesitation, attacking like madmen.
'That drug.'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils flashed.
Their appearance bore an eerie resemblance to the Nine Provinces Souls once imprisoned underground.
'No, they're not Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans.'
Demon-bound Dry Prison Humans could only be killed by decapitation or draining the Essence Blood injected into their bodies.
But these creatures collapsed the moment their hearts or vital points were pierced.
'Yet they feel no pain or fear.'
In a large-scale melee like this, immunity to pain and terror was a formidable weapon. If the unit members let their guard down even slightly, they could lose their lives to these fiends.
Kurung.
Bu Eun-seol unleashed a Movement Technique swift as lightning, darting past his subordinates to take the vanguard.
"Fall back!"
Shing!
With a roar that shook heaven and earth, he drew the Ink Sword and immediately unleashed his Sword Techniques.
Each flash of his blade sent fountains of blood erupting, felling Black Alliance members like withered leaves in autumn and carving massive gaps in their ranks.
Though he cut down a dozen in a single breath, the remaining Black Alliance fighters charged at him without hesitation, drenched in their comrades' crimson blood.
The drug had stripped them of all fear.
'I can't afford to drag this out.'
Dark Sword Aura surged from the Ink Sword as Bu Eun-seol channeled his Internal Energy.
Fourth Form of Formless Heavenly Flow—Waning Moon Morning Star.
The moment he unleashed this, the most devastating single-strike technique of the Formless Heavenly Flow, a vast void tore through the heart of the enemy formation.
Kurururung.
The sheer might of his full-powered Sword Techniques shook the very earth and sky.
Thud-thud-thud.
As the Sword Form descended, a storm of blood and flesh erupted in all directions.
A single strike had felled thirty Black Alliance fighters with those eerie yellow eyes.
The disciples of the Seven Sword Gates of Qinghai, as well as the Death Shadow Squad, gaped in stunned silence.
They had heard rumors of Bu Eun-seol's overwhelming strength, but witnessing it firsthand defied all description.
Click.
As if nothing had happened, Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ink Sword and barked his next order.
"Advance straight into the heart of the Black Alliance!"
Instantly, the eyes of the blood-soaked Death Shadow Squad blazed like beasts.
They would storm the Heuksa Palace, where the Black Alliance leader resided, and take his head.
Strictly speaking, the Black Alliance was not a martial sect but a coalition of bandits.
Thus, they wielded poisons and hidden weapons—methods strictly forbidden in Murim—without hesitation. They even employed brutal tactics that exploited the dead.
But what kind of place was the Demon Hall?
The sacred land of ten thousand demonic blades, an alliance that concentrated the power of a million demonic warriors.
If the Black Alliance resorted to poison and treachery, the Demon Hall would counter with even more ruthless and savage tactics to breach their defenses.
Clang! Clang!
The Blood Mist Corps moved with lightning speed, their advance and retreat seamless. Even against over twenty thousand Black Alliance fighters, they refused to yield, tearing through the battlefield like a storm.
The Black Alliance tried every tactic to halt their charge, but the disparity in individual combat power was overwhelming.
No matter how much martial training they had given their lowliest grunts, the Black Alliance were, at their core, a band of thieves.
They stood no chance against the Demon Hall's elite Masters, who had honed their skills through relentless daily training.
"It'll be over soon."
From a hill overlooking the rear, Jwa Dae-baek's lips curled upward.
For days, the Blood Mist Corps had feinted and retreated, disrupting the Black Alliance' defensive lines.
Now, with their full assault unleashed, the enemy was collapsing beyond recovery.
"As expected, he has indeed given up."
Jwa Dae-baek glanced at the strikingly handsome man standing beside him.
It was Do Cheon-rin, the Young Clan Head of the Bloodflame Blade Family.
"Didn't I guarantee it?"
Jwa Dae-baek smiled at him.
"No matter what methods he employs, that man will never achieve merit."
He had deliberately kept Do Cheon-rin and the Bloodflame Blade Family's experts off the battlefield.
The moment the defensive line broke, they would be deployed straight to the Heuksa Palace to claim the glory of slaying the Black Alliance leader.
Yet Do Cheon-rin's brow remained deeply furrowed.
The Watchers assigned to monitor the Death Shadow Squad had sent him an absurd report.
—We've lost their trail...
While tracking the Death Shadow Squad's movements, their path had abruptly split into seven.
The Watchers scattered to pursue each trail, yet none led to the actual unit.
'In this barren land of Qinghai, there should be nowhere to perfectly hide fifty soldiers.'
Do Cheon-rin was certain of it.
Bu Eun-seol had hatched some scheme.
Ultimately, consumed by unease, he mobilized Jwa Dae-baek to launch an all-out assault on the Black Alliance.
He feared what Bu Eun-seol might do if he suddenly appeared.
"There's no way he would give up so easily."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Do Cheon-rin spoke to Jwa Dae-baek.
"I've also heard rumors that the Death Shadow Squad sought cooperation from a sect near Slicing Sword Ridge."
"Hahaha. That would be absolutely impossible."
Jwa Dae-baek chuckled dryly before replying firmly.
"The Seven Sword Gates of Qinghai at Slicing Sword Ridge are a prideful bunch, clinging to the absurd notion that Qinghai is the birthplace of the Demonic Path. That's why they've never been on good terms with our Demon Hall."
"But—"
"Moreover, according to the Secret Shadow Pavilion's master, they've already formed some kind of covenant with the Black Alliance. Surely you've heard of it."
Do Cheon-rin gave a faint nod, prompting Jwa Dae-baek to continue.
"On a battlefield like this, individual martial prowess—no matter how exceptional—is meaningless. And above all else, absolute obedience to orders is paramount."
Jwa Dae-baek wore a self-assured smile.
"Since they were commanded to strike the Black Alliance from behind, there's no way they can escape the Crime of Disobedience if they fail to carry it out."
Reluctantly, Do Cheon-rin nodded again.
Even if Bu Eun-seol deployed some ingenious stratagem, the Death Shadow Squad alone could never breach the rear of the Black Alliance, which boasted thirty thousand troops.
—"YAHHHH!"
At that moment, with a fierce battle cry, the Blood Mist Corps finally shattered the Black Alliance's defenses and surged into the Heuksa Palace, where the Black Alliance leader resided.
With both forces now clashing at close quarters, tactics became irrelevant.
Only brute strength against brute strength remained—a chaotic melee.
—"ROOOAR!"
Then, the gates of the Heuksa Palace swung open, and with a thunderous roar, three hundred oddities charged out, pushing back the Blood Mist Corps.
CLANG! CRASH!
Not only did these creatures possess monstrous strength, but they also showed no fear even as their limbs were severed, relentlessly driving the Blood Mist Corps back.
"This is..."
Jwa Dae-baek's eyes widened as he watched.
The sudden appearance of these yellow-eyed freaks had abruptly turned the tide of battle.
On a macro level, the Blood Mist Corps still held the advantage.
But these oddities were not only exceptionally skilled in martial prowess—they had also committed fully to a defensive strategy.
If they stubbornly held out like this, the plan to swiftly annihilate the Black Alliance would collapse, dragging the battle into a prolonged war of attrition.
"They were planning to stall from the very beginning."
Despite rumors of the Demon Hall's vanguard breaking through, the Black Alliance had held firm as if mocking them.
From the start, they had cultivated these oddities to block the Demon Hall's forces and drag the battle into a protracted conflict.
The longer the battle dragged on, the greater the losses would be for the Demon Hall, which had launched this expedition.
"We'll handle them."
As Do Cheon-rin nodded, fifty martial artists—each wielding a gleaming silver saber—stepped forward from behind him.
They were the blade guests of the Bloodflame Blade Family, whom Do Cheon-rin had brought with him.
"Can you manage?"
Jwa Dae-baek's expression was filled with concern.
"There's no need to overexert yourselves."
If they pushed too hard and the future heir of the Demon Hall, Do Cheon-rin, were injured, it would only complicate matters.
"With me and the masters of our main house, we can breach their defensive line within an hour."
"Hmm."
Jwa Dae-baek nodded.
Then, Do Cheon-rin and the blade guests of the Bloodflame Blade Family took the lead.
FLASH!
In an instant, Do Cheon-rin unleashed the Bloodflame Blade Art, transforming into a streak of light as he began severing the heads of the oddities.
Until now, he had never once revealed his true martial prowess.
Yet long ago, he had been recognized by the sect leaders of the Demonic Path Ten Gates as the heir to the Demon Hall.
In other words, his talent was acknowledged as the greatest among the successors of the Ten Gates.
Proof of this was his epithet—Perfect Scholar —for not only was he peerless in martial arts, but also in scholarship and wisdom.
And that very talent was now manifesting in his martial techniques.
"Like a machine."
From afar, Jwa Dae-baek let out an admiring sigh.
Do Cheon-rin's saber technique struck the vital points of the oddities with not a single error or wasted motion.
Moreover, he distributed his strength so precisely that not an ounce of spiritual energy was squandered.
SWISH. THUD.
Every time his silver blade waves rippled outward, the heads of the oddities unfailingly parted from their bodies.
No matter how they moved or evaded, Do Cheon-rin's Bloodflame Blade Art spread like sunlight reflected on water, dazzlingly beautiful as it felled them one after another.
"It's done."
Jwa Dae-baek nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, the defensive wall formed by the oddities was gradually crumbling under the assault led by Do Cheon-rin and the blade guests of the Bloodflame Blade Family.
"Not an hour—it'll collapse within a single incense stick's time."
Just as Jwa Dae-baek chuckled and prepared to order the final push—
—"KYYYAAAAAGH!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the front of the Heuksa Palace, where the tight encirclement had been established.
Do Cheon-rin and the blade guests, who had been cutting down the oddities, blinked in surprise.
Before they knew it, fifty martial artists were charging toward the Heuksa Palace—where the Black Alliance leader resided.
It was none other than Bu Eun-seol and the Death Shadow Squad.
'Bu Eun-seol!'
Flames seemed to ignite in Do Cheon-rin's eyes as he watched.
Why was Bu Eun-seol—who should have given up earning merit and gone into hiding—standing there with his unit?