Chapter 311
Yeop Hyo-cheon discerned the Heavenly Sword's true intentions and smiled faintly.
'He's worried I might actually agree to the peace pact, isn't he?'
He could see right through the Heavenly Sword's thoughts.
The reason he had come here wasn't for the alliance—it was to provoke Bu Eun-seol.
"Unfortunately, this Cult Leader is not one of the Ten Demonic Heirs."
"..."
"Such matters are best settled between the parties involved."
Rising from his seat, Yeop Hyo-cheon extended his hand and spoke.
"You must already know that the leader of the Ten Demonic Heirs is this Hall's successor... Go and meet the Martial Soul Lord."
"Very well."
"Then I shall summon him for you."
"No need. I'll go to the Hidden Demon Pavilion myself."
Yeop Hyo-cheon stared intently at his beaming face before nodding.
"As you wish."
The guest hall of the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
On the table, two teacups steamed with rising heat.
And there, Bu Eun-seol and the Heavenly Sword sat facing each other.
Surrounding the guest hall were five figures radiating killing intent—Myo Cheon-u, Yu Un-ryong, Wi Cheon-gyeong, Won Se-mun, and Jo Nam-cheon.
They had already been briefed by Yu Un-ryong and knew the Heavenly Sword was the one who had killed Bu Eun-seol's close friend.
Yet here he was, strolling into the tiger's den alone, grinning? They itched to draw their weapons and sever his head on the spot.
"Long time no see."
The Heavenly Sword greeted Bu Eun-seol with a smile.
He looked as if he were happily reuniting with a dear friend.
But his eyes flickered with killing intent and madness, making him appear even more sinister than if he were brandishing a blade.
"..."
Bu Eun-seol simply watched him with cold eyes, indifferent.
"Aren't you supposed to be an envoy of the Martial Alliance? Is there a need to be so hostile?"
After a long silence, Bu Eun-seol finally spoke.
"Are you afraid? That without the Martial Alliance's backing, you'll be cut down where you stand?"
"Heh heh heh. Hardly. It's just..."
The Heavenly Sword's eyes gleamed with a stark, white madness.
"I wanted to see the look on your face when you're furious. Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, the Heavenly Sword burst into hearty laughter.
"I've grown tired of slaughtering villains weaker than me. But the way you lost your temper last time—it was exhilarating."
Even as he spoke, excitement seemed to overtake him, and he panted heavily.
"You want to tear me apart right now, don't you? But you can't, because you'd lose your position as the Demon Hall's successor. That's why you're holding back, isn't it?"
His expression was like that of a mischievous child reveling in breaking a toy.
—Is this guy completely insane?
The squad leaders standing in the guest hall all wore identical expressions of disbelief.
A man who supposedly held the rank of Sword Captain in the Martial Alliance—panting and taunting the Martial Soul Lord like this?
"My Lord. Are we really going to let this lunatic walk free?"
Unable to hold back, Won Se-mun scowled and gripped the twin swords on his back.
"Let me just kill him and bury the body. If the Martial Alliance demands accountability, I'll offer my head. Isn't that simple enough?"
Reckless as he was, Won Se-mun wasn't a fool.
As Bu Eun-seol's subordinate, he was expertly deflecting the provocations of the Heavenly Sword, who was feigning madness.
"That sounds fine by me."
But the Heavenly Sword wasn't fazed in the slightest. Instead, his voice took on a strange heat as he prodded Bu Eun-seol again.
"Go ahead and do it. Just give the order, and hundreds of masters will tear me to pieces."
Bu Eun-seol nodded calmly.
"That wouldn't be so bad either."
"Heh heh heh. I knew it at a glance. You and I are the same kind."
The Heavenly Sword's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"Right now, you're wearing clothes that don't fit you, sitting in a seat you never wanted. That's why you can't act freely."
"Quite the creative insult. Did you practice on the way here?"
"Heh heh heh. Deny it all you want, but deep down, you know it's true."
The Heavenly Sword grinned widely and whispered.
"Tear those robes off right now. Then swing your sword at me like a madman."
His eyes bloodshot, he panted heavily.
"That look suits you far better."
Bu Eun-seol yawned as he watched the Heavenly Sword ramble.
"Did you come all this way just to spout nonsense?"
"You've heard everything by now, haven't you?"
"That ridiculous story, you mean?"
Bu Eun-seol stared straight into the Heavenly Sword's eyes, his expression dripping with disdain.
"If you've got nothing worthwhile to say, get lost. I can't kill you right now, but I can still kick you out like a stray dog."
"Heh heh heh. Hahahaha!"
The moment Bu Eun-seol showed emotion, the Heavenly Sword's face lit up with delight.
"That's it—that's the face I love seeing the most when the killing intent comes out. Good, very good."
He stood up briskly.
"Well, I suppose the peace between the Great Righteous Experts and the Ten Demonic Heir is off."
Then he stepped right up to Bu Eun-seol, who remained seated.
—Shing!
Instantly, the squad leaders waiting in the guest hall drew their weapons.
But the Heavenly Sword ignored them completely, leaning in close to whisper to Bu Eun-seol.
"By the way, did you know? I've been promoted to First-Class Sword Unit Commander of the Martial Alliance. How exactly do you plan to kill me now? As the Demon Hall's successor, you can't lay a finger on me, can you?"
He drew even closer, his voice low.
"Let me make you an offer."
"..."
"Drop the successor title right now. Then I'll throw away my Sword Commander position too, and we can fight."
The reason the Heavenly Sword had come to the Demon Hall as a Sword Commander—
It was to force Bu Eun-seol to abandon his position as successor and face him in battle.
"Think about it."
The Heavenly Sword smirked.
"Stuffy titles like those don't suit madmen like us."
Without hesitation, he turned and sauntered out of the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
"That guy's truly insane, isn't he?"
Myo Cheon-u spat out a curse as he watched the retreating back of the Heavenly Sword.
"To step down from the heir position just to kill one bastard? What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Just then, Yu Un-ryong stepped forward with a grave expression.
"You wouldn't actually do it, would you?"
Bu Eun-seol had no lust for power or glory, nor was he attached to the heir position.
Yu Un-ryong was worried that, for the sake of revenge, he might abandon his position without hesitation.
"There's no need to rise to his provocation. That bastard is simply afraid of you. That's why he's making such absurd demands."
"Huhuhu."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol rose from his seat and let out a low chuckle.
"Hahahaha!"
Though his smile was as bright as a child's, his pupils flickered with a profound light—a radiance so intense it seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart.
When it came to madness, Bu Eun-seol was no lesser figure.
Hadn't the world itself dubbed him the "Mad Sword" when even the Four Gods and Seven Kings couldn't settle on an epithet for him?
"Don't worry."
Bu Eun-seol, his laughter fading, curled the corner of his lips.
"I won't do something so foolish."
At that, the unit leaders inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
They, too, had long since stopped clinging to rank or status.
But what if Bu Eun-seol reverted to being a rogue? Would he abandon them and leave without a second thought? The fear lingered.
"Yu Un-ryong."
Bu Eun-seol spoke then, his expression indifferent.
"There's no need to pursue his movements any further."
"Hm?"
Yu Un-ryong looked slightly startled.
Could it be that Bu Eun-seol was giving up on avenging Yeong Mun-ho for their sake?
"Instead, consult with the Kill-Seeking Unit Commander and observe his every move. Record everything. From the smallest gesture to the largest action."
"Observe? That madman?"
"Correct. Take your time—slowly, meticulously."
Bu Eun-seol continued,
"Until his future actions become predictable. His personality, habits, problem-solving methods... gather every piece of information you can uncover."
"What exactly are you planning?"
When Yu Un-ryong asked, Bu Eun-seol smiled coldly.
"That bastard has made himself untouchable in status... So I'll have to make him killable again."
"Then..."
A bloody light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"I will annihilate him. Along with every shred of his honor and position."
His voice was solemn, heavy with finality.
"And I will expose that madman's true face to the world, ensuring everyone despises him."
In that instant, Yu Un-ryong and the others swallowed hard, as if they had all made the same silent vow.
Bu Eun-seol, his demeanor icy once more, smiled faintly.
"Then, when I kill him, there will be no repercussions."
Right now, Bu Eun-seol had just declared his intent to utterly destroy the reputation of the Heavenly Sword—the first-class Sword Unit Commander of the Martial Alliance and disciple of the Sword Sovereign—before felling him.
—That madman picked the wrong opponent.
The same thought flashed through the minds of the unit leaders.
If the Mad Sword was a man consumed by madness...
Then Bu Eun-seol was a man consumed by madness—who also happened to be frighteningly intelligent.
"There's no need to rush. Gather the information slowly, meticulously."
Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze over the assembled unit leaders before slowly turning away.
"Only then can we bring him down."
And with that, he leisurely exited the hall.
Killing a person was easy. All it took was a single thrust of a blade.
But destroying a person's honor? That was far harder. It required a scheme so intricate that neither manpower nor wealth could escape its grasp.
Slowly. But perfectly.
Bu Eun-seol had begun his plan to kill the Heavenly Sword.
A few days later.
Bu Eun-seol quietly slipped out of the Demon Hall.
His plan to kill the Heavenly Sword was already perfectly laid out.
Now, all that remained was to develop martial arts powerful enough to crush him completely.
Bu Eun-seol sought the Realm of Emptiness—to completely forget the Two Great Dharma Methods, discarding both secrets while ascending to a new state of mastery.
But there was one problem.
Bu Eun-seol's foundation lay in Langya Pavilion's martial arts.
That is, he had honed his skills primarily through extreme real combat, evolving his techniques in the crucible of life-and-death battles.
There was a limit to how far he could progress through mere mental cultivation.
'In the end, there's only one way.'
Bu Eun-seol had always advanced by fighting opponents stronger than himself.
Once again, he needed a battle against a supreme master—a fight to the death—to transcend his limits and fortify the collapse of his spirit and mind.
'I must fight someone who surpasses me.'
Originally, his destination had been Langya Pavilion.
Even if Deputy Pavilion Master Dan Cheong was out of reach, he could still have a good bout with Innovation Unit Leader So-jeon.
But by the time he neared Sword Brow Mountain, he realized that was a miscalculation.
—Fighting the masters of our own sect won't break my limits.
Langya Pavilion's masters employed the same combat methods and techniques as he did. More importantly, they cherished him too much.
No matter how fierce their sparring, he could never engage in a true life-or-death battle with them.
'Is there no other way?'
The martial world had many masters, but few who could truly rival Bu Eun-seol.
Moreover, given his status, he couldn't recklessly challenge just any master. Especially not those of the Righteous Path—doing so would invite unnecessary complications.
As he hesitated, halting his ascent up Sword Brow Mountain—
BOOM!CRACKLE—
Dark clouds suddenly gathered, and rain began to pour.
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol took shelter beneath a large tree.
KABOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck the tree, splitting it cleanly in two in an instant.
Witnessing the lightning that split the great tree in a single breath, a single figure surfaced in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
Someone who walked a higher path than himself—a master capable of toppling Mount Tai with a single strike as swift and devastating as lightning.
The face of a terrifyingly powerful martial artist.
'Then it's possible.'
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
At last, he had found a master who stood above him—one he could challenge immediately without complications, a battle at the limits of his strength.
The Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
The only times Bukgung Ryeong had revealed his true skill were when he had mistaken Bu Eun-seol for the Color Demon and when he had unleashed a few techniques of the Inner Energy Bullet Art to break through the Martial Emperor Secret Vault.
But Bu Eun-seol knew full well just how astonishing Bukgung Ryeong's true strength was—and how many variations the Inner Energy Bullet Art could manifest.
'I've mimicked his bullet techniques many times.'
Bu Eun-seol had repeatedly attempted to replicate Bukgung Ryeong's methods.
The more he tried, the more he realized the sheer brilliance of the Bullet King's martial arts—just how overwhelmingly destructive his Inner Energy Bullet Art truly was.
'Then he won't refuse a duel.'
Though they had nearly become mortal enemies, their shared experience in the Martial Emperor Secret Vault had left them on decent enough terms.
Bukgung Ryeong wouldn't avoid a fight with him—and he certainly wouldn't hold back.
Whoosh—
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol returned to Chengdu and sought out the Kill-Seeking Unit's branch.
The Bullet King wandered the murim alone, pursuing a mysterious faction.
Because of this, his movements were the hardest to track among the Four Gods and Seven Kings—no one could predict where he would appear next.
'I can use the Beggars' Sect's intelligence network.'
Bu Eun-seol knew that while Bukgung Ryeong didn't maintain his own forces or intelligence organization, he instead erased his own trail using the Beggars' Sect's vast information network.
'I'll need to issue a First-class Secret Order.'
The Kill-Seeking Unit's First-class Secret Order.
It was a mission directive reserved only for the highest-ranking operatives spread across the Central Plains, with an enormous reward upon success.
Wasn't there a saying that with enough money, even ghosts could be made to dance?
The Kill-Seeking Unit's First-class Secret Orders had accomplished what was once deemed impossible—many times over.
'It's not that difficult a task, so this should suffice.'
Bu Eun-seol immediately submitted a First-class Secret Order through the branch.
The reward? A staggering 150,000 taels.
In truth, tracking the Beggars' Sect's network wasn't particularly challenging, so 50,000 taels would have been enough.
But Bu Eun-seol had tripled the reward to locate the Bullet King as quickly as possible.
The power of a First-class Secret Order and money was formidable indeed.
In less than half a month, Bu Eun-seol received a reply from the Hwado branch of the Kill-Seeking Unit.
The Bullet King was near Jangdeok Mountain in Hwado.
Without delay, Bu Eun-seol left the Demon Hall and headed straight for Hwado.
The moment he entered Chengdu, he sought out a bustling daru (teahouse) in the marketplace.
"Is anyone there?"
Normally, Kill-Seeking Unit safehouses were discreet—located in slightly secluded shops or manors on the outskirts.
But the Hwado branch had ingeniously set up their nest in a teahouse right in the heart of the marketplace, where no one would think to look.
"Please, come in."
A waiter wrapped in an apron guided him to a seat by the window with a pleasant view.
The interior of the daru was immaculately clean and tidy—yet not a single customer was present.
The reason was simple: the Hwado area had many small inns serving fine liquor, so few ever sought out a teahouse.
"One cup of West Lake Longjing."
When he ordered the most expensive tea, the waiter bowed deeply as if performing a full salute.
"I'll bring it right away, sir."
True to his word, the tea arrived promptly.
After gazing out the window and sipping his tea for a while, Bu Eun-seol soon stepped back outside.
"Branch Leader Ho-yeon of the Hwado branch, at your service."
A low voice reached his ears as he walked through the marketplace.
It was a telepathic transmission from a middle-aged man in plain robes walking ahead of him.
"My apologies for making you come all this way. The Bullet King has been concealing his movements, so our operatives could only track him in real time."
"It's fine. Lead the way."
The middle-aged man—Branch Leader Ho-yeon—immediately quickened his pace, exiting Chengdu and unleashing his movement technique toward Jangdeok Mountain.
Whoosh—
As Ho-yeon darted forward at high speed, he periodically halted to check markings or secret codes carved into trees.
The traces were fresh—likely, the operatives were still actively tracking the Bullet King at this very moment.
Clang! Clang!
After a meal's time of pursuit—
They finally reached the depths of a dense forest, where the faint clashing of weapons reached their ears.
KWA-RUNG!
And despite the clear skies, the occasional roar of thunder and lightning rumbled through the air.
Bu Eun-seol instantly recognized that thunder as the sound of the Bullet King unleashing his Inner Energy Bullet Art.
"It's the Bullet King. No need to follow me further."
"Understood. Take care, Lord."
Receiving Bu Eun-seol's transmission, Ho-yeon hastily turned and retreated back to the branch.
He knew all too well that standing near a master like the Bullet King was a death sentence—even with ten lives to spare.
Tsu-tsu-tsu—
Bu Eun-seol activated Swift Shadowless and shot into the forest toward the sounds.
There, in a wide clearing, he saw an elderly man surrounded by over twenty masked figures.
Though slightly gaunt, the old man carried an imposing presence, his eyes brimming with vitality. His refined features gave him an almost immortal aura.
It was none other than the Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
Hssss—
Every time Bukgung Ryeong inhaled, pebbles scattered across the ground floated into the air.
The hovering stones spun in perfect circles before shooting forward one by one.
KWA-BOOM!
With each pebble that split the air, an earth-shaking explosion erupted—as though the heavens were being torn apart and the ground collapsing beneath.
It was a clear display of just how much power had been condensed into those tiny stones.
Yet the masked men moved with astonishing agility, employing peculiar maneuvers.
Even before the Bullet King's projectiles could reach them, they dodged as if pushed aside by an invisible gale.
"Floating Shadow Shifting Form?"
A flash of recognition passed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he watched the battle from atop a Great Tree over thirty meters away.
The Masked Men could lift or shift their bodies with nothing more than the faintest gust of wind.
They had unleashed the Demonic Path's supreme Movement Technique—the Floating Shadow Shifting Form.