Chapter 27
Sreuk.
More than twenty people moved as a group, yet there was not even the sound of footsteps or a trace of their presence. Only the occasional flutter of robes could be heard.
The appearances of the masters dispatched from the Demonic Path Ten Gates were highly diverse—there were young men, old men, middle-aged men, and even women of beautiful countenance.
Their expressions were uniformly serene, as if they had merely stepped out for a stroll. Yet every so often, a flash of lightning seemed to glint in their eyes.
"Then we shall proceed in the order decided during the meeting."
No sooner had Baek Jeon-cheon finished speaking than—
Swish.
Among the masters of the Demonic Path Ten Gates, a man as gaunt as a skeleton, carrying a long spear over his shoulder, stepped forward.
"I am Bulsa of the Death Command Gate."
In that instant, the boys' eyes went wide.
That gaunt man was the foremost master of the Death Command Gate—the one whose single spear thrust was said to inevitably claim two lives.
He was Bulsa, the vice sect leader of the Death Command Gate, called the Grim Reaper of the Northern Desert.
Bulsa swept his gaze over the boys and spoke flatly.
"Yeong Mun-ho. Step forward."
At that, one of the standing boys—very tall, with a square-jawed face—strode out.
"Will you become the inheritor of the Death Command Gate?"
"M-Me... you mean?"
The boy, Yeong Mun-ho, wore a bewildered expression.
He was a disciple of the Extreme Saber Sect, and had trained solely in saber techniques up until now. Not only that, but on Hell Island as well, he had trained exclusively in the martial hall of the Bloodflame Blade Family.
"I have only ever trained in saber techniques and have never learned spear techniques. That is why I chose the Bloodflame Blade Family's martial hall..."
"You were born with the conditions to learn the Evil Spirit Spear."
Bulsa looked down at Yeong Mun-ho and spoke in a sinister tone.
"You trained in saber techniques despite possessing a body and talent optimized for the spear. That is why, even with such bone and muscle structure, you never achieved Great Completion."
The masters of the Demonic Path Ten Gates dispatched to Hell Island had already gathered all the intelligence from the instructors and the Killing Ghosts, and had pre-selected suitable inheritors.
"I..."
Bulsa looked down at Yeong Mun-ho, who could not hide his bewilderment, and spoke again.
"You may refuse if you wish."
Yeong Mun-ho took a deep breath, and his eyes flashed.
"I will go to the Death Command Gate."
"Good. Bring that child along."
Bulsa, having spoken quietly to a Killing Ghost, left the Eternal Demon Pavilion without a trace of lingering attachment, as if his business was done.
"Tsk, tsk. What's the rush?"
The one who broke the long silence hanging over the Eternal Demon Pavilion was none other than an old man with a warm, genial impression.
"This old man is Jeok Ya-hon, vice fortress lord of the Hell Blood Citadel."
In that instant, it felt as though a suffocating wave of scorching air poured into the Eternal Demon Pavilion.
The Venerable of Ten Thousand Poisons, Jeok Ya-hon—who with a single wave of his hand could poison and kill every living thing within three hundred feet—was an old man with such a warm, kindly appearance?
"Let me see."
When Jeok Ya-hon extended his index finger, the boys flinched.
With the corners of his mouth turned up, he suddenly pointed at the boy standing next to Bu Eun-seol.
It was Seo Jin-ha.
"Will you become the inheritor of the Hell Blood Citadel?"
At that moment, Seo Jin-ha's eyebrows trembled faintly.
Seo Jin-ha—who had been called a Sword Prodigy ever since he first picked up a sword. When he passed the Third Trial, he had naturally assumed he would become the inheritor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
'Not even the Bloodflame Blade Family, but Hell Blood Citadel, which creates Poison People—me?'
"The most terrifying poison in the world is none other than the Poison Heart."
Jeok Ya-hon, who had been watching Seo Jin-ha's stiffened face, smiled gently.
"Before the Third Trial even began, you attempted to kill all the trainees by using a girl from this fortress's martial hall, did you not?"
Seo Jin-ha's body flinched.
That was something only Eun Seol-ryeong, a disciple from the Five Poisons Sect, knew. How could Jeok Ya-hon possibly know of it?
"And when the plan failed, after the Third Trial began, you killed her first. You committed silencing through murder, fearing your secret would be exposed."
"That is not true."
Seo Jin-ha shook his head.
"That plan was proposed by Eun Seol-ryeong, who approached me first. I merely participated. And when the Third Trial began, she was the one who attacked first."
"Huhuhu. I am not blaming you. Being able to kill others without hesitation for the sake of your purpose is, rather, something commendable. It is a disposition highly suited to learning this fortress's Poison Art."
Jeok Ya-hon wore a satisfied smile.
"The moment you arrived on Hell Island, you assessed the martial arts and characteristics of everyone here in advance. And when you dealt with the spies of the Righteous Faction who had infiltrated, you felt joy."
Seo Jin-ha had merely wanted to kill the despicable spies of the Righteous Faction who had secretly infiltrated to eliminate the trainees.
But from Jeok Ya-hon's mouth, he was being described as a murderer who felt boundless pleasure in slaughter.
"To use poison, one needs a Poison Heart—the ability to kill anyone without hesitation. And an exceptional intellect."
He paused for a moment, then smiled gently again.
"You are the most suitable candidate to become a Poison Person of the Hell Blood Citadel."
"I..."
"You think you have some talent with the sword? With that alone, you cannot look down upon the murim. Those who can chastise the murim with sword and blade are only the chosen ones."
"The chosen ones..."
At that moment, Seo Jin-ha's eyes caught the profile of Bu Eun-seol.
The achievement he had reached through ten years of grueling training—this bastard had reached it in a mere sixty-odd days.
That was something utterly incomprehensible unless one was chosen by heaven itself.
'I cannot reach the pinnacle of the sword?'
The life of a loser did not suit him.
After a long, long deliberation, Seo Jin-ha bit his lip and nodded.
"I will go to Hell Blood Citadel."
"A wise decision."
Jeok Ya-hon bared his fangs in a savage grin.
Then, with a nod to the Killing Ghost, he took Seo Jin-ha and vanished in an instant.
"Now it is our sect's turn."
At that moment, a man with eyes as cold and still as a glacier of the North Sea stepped forward.
"I am Wi Hyeok-gun of the Fire Rain Sword Sect."
Sword Demon Wi Hyeok-gun.
He was the current foremost demonic swordsman and a disciple of Sin Baek-cheong, the former sect leader of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
The moment they laid eyes on a sword master whose name resounded throughout the Central Plains, and the moment the selection for the Fire Rain Sword Sect's successor was about to be announced, the boys trembled lightly.
—Who, indeed, would become the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect?
To be chosen by the Fire Rain Sword Sect was to prove that one possessed the greatest talent here, and at the same time, to become the successor of the foremost sect of the Demonic Path.
"You."
At that moment, Wi Hyeok-gun's finger pointed at the boy who had been standing beside Seo Jin-ha.
It was none other than Bu Eun-seol.
"Bu Eun-seol, was it?"
Wi Hyeok-gun, who had been staring intently at Bu Eun-seol, let the corners of his lips rise slightly.
"Congratulations."
He did not even ask whether Bu Eun-seol would become his successor.
Once chosen, accepting was only natural. To become the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect meant having the highest probability of becoming the foremost master of the Demonic Path.
"Not only Hall Leader Jin, but even Elder Dan praised you highly. And on top of that, you even received the True Body Supreme Art from Hall Leader Cheon?"
"That is correct."
Wi Hyeok-gun looked upon Bu Eun-seol, now his direct successor, with favorable eyes.
"I look forward to your future achievements."
"Thank you."
"The sword studies of our sect are unfathomable in their depth. Train diligently."
With a faint smile, Wi Hyeok-gun turned his body lightly.
But then, suddenly, a low voice rang out from behind him.
"I will not go to the Fire Rain Sword Sect."
At Bu Eun-seol's sudden words, Wi Hyeok-gun's steps, as he was turning away, came to a halt.
"What did you just say?"
Wi Hyeok-gun's voice, which had been gentle all along, turned murderous.
"Did I mishear something?"
"I will not go to the Fire Rain Sword Sect."
As Bu Eun-seol's resolute voice rang out once more, it felt as if a snowstorm was raging inside the Eternal Demon Pavilion.
"You would refuse to become the successor of our sect?"
"From what I heard earlier, I was told that refusal was possible."
Wi Hyeok-gun truly doubted his own ears.
Step.
As Wi Hyeok-gun walked up to Bu Eun-seol, an intangible energy spread from his eyes.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol felt a pain as if his skin were being split into hundreds, thousands of pieces.
Formless Qi.
The momentum said to be exhibited only by peerless grandmasters who looked down upon the murim was being unleashed.
"..."
As this unprecedented situation unfolded, even the eyes of the boys inside the Eternal Demon Pavilion, Baek Jeon-cheon, and the Killing Ghosts were wavering.
After a long silence, Wi Hyeok-gun's mouth opened again.
"Is there somewhere else you wish to go?"
"There is."
"Hahaha..."
Wi Hyeok-gun, who had let out a low laugh, suddenly burst into mad laughter.
"Uahahahaha!"
At his laughter, laden with profound internal energy, all the boys staggered.
Bu Eun-seol was dizzy to the point that his vision blurred, but he endured, keeping his eyes open and standing upright.
Stop.
Wi Hyeok-gun, having ceased his laughter, asked in a voice that seemed coated with thin ice.
"Very well. Where is it you want to go?"
"I..."
After taking a brief deep breath, Bu Eun-seol put strength into his lower abdomen and spoke.
"I will go to Langya Pavilion."
As Bu Eun-seol's voice echoed through the interior of the Eternal Demon Pavilion, a man with disheveled hair and a heavy sword strapped near his hip flashed his eyes.
He was none other than Dan Cheong, the deputy pavilion master of Langya Pavilion.
"You would come to our pavilion?"
At Dan Cheong's question, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"That is correct."
Dan Cheong, who had been standing blankly, wore a peculiar smile.
"Refusing to become the successor of the Fire Rain Sword, called the foremost sect of the Demonic Path, and choosing to come to our pavilion instead..."
Letting out a languid, long breath, Dan Cheong stared intently at Bu Eun-seol's face.
Within those coldly still eyes, a blazing flame seemed to be etched.
'Good eyes.'
They were eyes that could break the composure of even a high monk of the Buddhist School who had trained for a long time.
Merely looking at them had caused a fine crack in Dan Cheong's Immovable Heart.
'Well, if Sa-u, that lazy bastard, praised him this much...'
The sword studies of the Fire Rain Sword Sect could be learned by a prodigy of martial arts chosen by heaven.
But the martial arts of Langya Pavilion could only be learned by one who could survive hundreds, thousands of fights.
"Will you not regret it?"
At Dan Cheong's words, Bu Eun-seol spoke with unwavering eyes.
"I do not even have the time to regret."
It was a fact without a single lie.
Ever since Bu Jan-yang had died so brutally, he had never once allowed himself such a luxury as regret.
"No time to regret, he says..."
In that instant, Dan Cheong's eyes narrowed.
Truly, from one to ten, this was a prodigy who suited his taste perfectly.
"What an audacious brat."
At that moment, a frigid voice that froze the entirety of the Eternal Demon Pavilion rang out. It was the voice of Sword Demon Wi Hyeok-gun.
"I chose you for our sect, and you say you will go to Langya Pavilion?"
At the same time, the Formless Qi rising from his body surged toward Bu Eun-seol like a furious wave.
"Are you trying to insult our sect, you worthless wretch?"
As the faint glow in Wi Hyeok-gun's eyes deepened,
Trickle.
Along with a pain as if his internal organs were being crushed, blood flowed from Bu Eun-seol's mouth.
'So this is... the Foremost Demonic Sword.'
Within the Demonic Path, the epithet "Sword Demon" was bestowed upon the most outstanding swordsman of each generation.
And Wi Hyeok-gun was a fearsome swordsman evaluated as having the greatest skill even among the Sword Demons of history.
Enraged, he had inflicted internal injury upon Bu Eun-seol with his formless momentum alone.
"Brother Wi."
At that moment, with a languid voice, Dan Cheong stepped in front of Bu Eun-seol.