Chapter 554
'A peculiar demonic sword.'
Bu Eun-seol's pupils deepened.
The demonic sword gripped by Do Cheon-rin—
Its blade, shimmering in shifting hues, was as slender as a willow branch. The curvature of the sword resembled a crescent moon, flowing with elegant grace.
Its appearance was so dazzlingly ornate that, if likened to a person, it would be akin to a beautiful woman clad in resplendent robes.
'Unavoidable, then.'
Bu Eun-seol let out a quiet sigh.
He knew the secret behind the demonic swords sown by the Three Realms.
And now that he had resolved to become a sword of the Three Realms through it—
Even if not today, he and Do Cheon-rin were fated to clash sooner or later.
Srrring.
Bu Eun-seol drew Ink Soul Sword.
Do Cheon-rin, who had been eyeing the dull, blackened blade, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You've completely suppressed its demonic energy."
Then, with a faint nod, he added,
"Or perhaps it's a sword that only releases demonic energy when you will it."
Having sensed the demonic energy just once, Do Cheon-rin had already deduced much about Ink Soul Sword.
"Make the first move."
Do Cheon-rin yielded the initiative.
Bu Eun-seol, having attained Tranquil Stillness,
Would not reveal his martial prowess or energy until he actually unleashed his techniques.
To any observer, he would appear no different from an unremarkable martial artist of mediocre skill.
"Very well."
Bu Eun-seol raised Ink Soul Sword, his gaze fixed on Do Cheon-rin, whose very presence exuded wild, untamed vigor.
'Hmm.'
Yet something felt off.
Do Cheon-rin had treated him relatively well ever since their time on Hell Island.
Though his intentions had been to recruit Bu Eun-seol under his command, there had never been any real animosity between them from start to finish.
"You still haven't awakened it?"
When Bu Eun-seol hesitated to attack, Do Cheon-rin made an unexpected remark.
"Awakened? What do you mean?"
Tilting his head slightly, Bu Eun-seol watched as Do Cheon-rin let out a low sigh.
"You haven't had that sword for long, then."
"That's right."
"The more formidable opponents you slay, the deeper the sword's radiance grows. Only then can you truly wield its full power."
'I see.'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol understand why the Messenger of the Three Realms had asked whether he had awakened it when he had met Wang Cheol in the past.
"I see. I didn't know."
Do Cheon-rin inhaled deeply, observing how Bu Eun-seol had remained courteous throughout their exchange.
"Hmph."
With a snort, Do Cheon-rin shook his head.
He had realized that Bu Eun-seol had no real desire to fight him.
Truth be told, somewhere deep inside, he too felt no excitement for this duel.
Clack.
In the end, Do Cheon-rin sheathed his drawn sword.
"A word of advice."
Exhaling, he pointed at Ink Soul Sword in Bu Eun-seol's grip.
"If you wish to live, throw that sword off a cliff immediately."
Turning away, he spoke in a calm, detached tone.
"You won't survive what's coming otherwise."
Just as he was about to activate his movement technique—
Zzzing!
A strange sensation prickled at the back of Do Cheon-rin's mind.
For a fleeting moment, he sensed an overwhelming surge of demonic energy—powerful enough to belong to a formidable warrior wielding an equally formidable demonic sword.
The source was thousands of feet away.
For such energy to be palpable at this distance, its wielder had to be a master of exceptional skill.
"This could be interesting."
A faint smile curled on Do Cheon-rin's lips as he instantly unleashed Qi-Piercing Ascent.
Kwa-oooh!
Propelling himself into the air, he vanished in a flash, his movement technique as swift as lightning.
As Do Cheon-rin's figure shrank into a distant speck before disappearing entirely, Bu Eun-seol let out an impressed sigh.
"He's grown much stronger."
Just judging by his movement technique alone, his current level was incomparable to the past.
Clearly, he had undergone grueling training during this time, drastically elevating his martial prowess.
'He must have sensed something.'
With the last remnants of Willful True Binding dissipating from Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol could no longer detect the demonic energy of other sword wielders.
But judging by how Do Cheon-rin had flared with fighting spirit before dashing off, he must have detected another demonic sword user nearby.
Tsu-tsu-tsut!
Bu Eun-seol leapt into the air, activating his movement technique in the direction Do Cheon-rin had vanished.
The place where Do Cheon-rin arrived, his movement technique roaring like a gale, was atop a desolate cliff at a mountain's peak.
And there, standing before him, was a man gripping a demonic sword—its blade densely engraved with scale-like ridges.
Thud.
Landing smoothly in front of the man, Do Cheon-rin briefly scanned his surroundings before letting out a derisive snort.
"Quite the schemer, aren't you?"
After sweeping his gaze across the cliff's edge a few times, he muttered under his breath,
"So it wasn't one person unleashing immense demonic energy—but several releasing theirs simultaneously."
Swish.
No sooner had his words faded than—
Two more men slowly emerged from behind Do Cheon-rin.
All three were in league.
They had deliberately unleashed their swords' demonic energy to lure in unsuspecting prey, intending to ambush them all at once and claim victory.
"Heh heh heh..."
The three martial artists smirked sinisterly as their eyes locked onto the demonic sword at Do Cheon-rin's waist.
"That blade seems to possess quite the remarkable power."
"Hand it over if you want to live."
"If this old man here is feeling generous, he might just spare your life."
Do Cheon-rin yawned and shook his head.
"Do you really think collecting multiple demonic swords will make you the victor?"
"Hohoho. You should know better than anyone that each demonic sword has vastly different abilities," sneered the muscular man at the front, his lips curling into a sinister grin.
"The more we have, the more diverse our power becomes."
They had realized that the more demonic swords they gathered, the more versatile their abilities would be—and so they had banded together to collect them.
"Typical survival tactics of the weak."
Do Cheon-rin let out a dry chuckle as he surveyed the men surrounding him.
"But a demonic sword's power is merely supplementary. If you weren't strong to begin with, you wouldn't survive anyway."
Shhhink.
The moment Do Cheon-rin drew his demonic sword, their expressions twisted.
They had fought countless demonic sword wielders before, but none had ever unleashed such an intense radiance and demonic energy.
"This... this level...?"
Only now did they realize they had provoked a Death God.
"W-wait a second—"
The three martial artists raised their hands in surrender.
"There's no need for this kind of fight—"
Clang!
Do Cheon-rin cut them off mid-sentence, raising his sword horizontally to head height—a stance so threatening it seemed poised to pierce their faces in an instant.
'That's not a stance from the Bloodflame Blade Art.'
From a distance, Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed as he observed the scene.
Do Cheon-rin was the young clan head of the Bloodflame Blade Family, having honed their supreme saber technique—one of the highest-tier martial arts of the Demonic Path—for years.
Yet now, he was adopting a stance more akin to the warriors of Japan, wasn't he?
It was a ferocious posture, as if he would lunge forward and impale his opponent in a single strike—so intimidating that it made them hesitate to advance.
"Damn it! Even if he's strong, there are three of us!"
Realizing they couldn't avoid the fight, the three martial artists steeled themselves and attacked.
Zzzzzwing!
As the battle truly began, dazzling light erupted from the demonic swords in their hands.
The abilities of their swords were such that even a basic martial form could unleash power comparable to advanced sword techniques.
And when three such blades unleashed their slashes simultaneously, the force was enough to rend the heavens and shake the earth.
Flash!
Then—Do Cheon-rin's body became a streak of light.
Schlick!
At the same time—
The head of the man standing in the middle soared into the sky.
'That technique—'
Bu Eun-seol, still hidden, couldn't conceal his astonishment.
The sword art Do Cheon-rin had just used—
It wasn't the Bloodflame Blade Art.
It was the true divine sword study of the Illusory Demon Venerable, who had once swept through Murim four hundred years ago.
The Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword.
'Incredible.'
Bu Eun-seol gave a slow nod.
Do Cheon-rin's martial prowess had advanced by leaps and bounds—far surpassing what it had been in the past.
'He's seamlessly blended the Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword with the Bloodflame Blade Art.'
Do Cheon-rin had masterfully fused the two techniques, combining their strengths.
That was why there was such a stark difference in martial prowess between him and those who relied solely on their demonic swords' abilities.
Clang!
With a clear metallic sound, one of the martial artists' swords was sent flying off the cliff.
"Gah—!"
At the same time, the mortally wounded man let out a blood-curdling scream as he plummeted over the edge.
The sheer force behind Do Cheon-rin's slash had been so overwhelming that his organs ruptured before his body was flung off the precipice.
Schlick! Thud.
In less than ten exchanges, the last remaining martial artist's head rolled across the ground.
"If you're done watching, you might as well come out."
Having slain all three, Do Cheon-rin suddenly turned his head and called out loudly.
His gaze was fixed on the tree where Bu Eun-seol was hiding.
'Has he reached the same level as me?'
The moment his position was exposed, Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his shock.
To detect his presence from about sixty meters away—when he had completely concealed his energy?
Did that mean Do Cheon-rin had unexpectedly reached a martial prowess level close to his own?
"Impressive."
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol slowly descended from the tree.
"To detect my presence at this level..."
Do Cheon-rin shook his head.
"It wasn't my martial prowess that sensed you—it was this Illusory Demon Sword."
Then, his expression darkened.
"Your scabbard... It seems to be made of Cloud Spirit Stone, similar to this sword."
"An intriguing ability."
"If it can deceive my senses so completely, you must be a considerable master."
Bu Eun-seol's indifferent response made flames flicker in Do Cheon-rin's eyes.
"Were you planning to toy with me while hiding your true strength?"
"I—"
Bu Eun-seol started to speak but shook his head instead.
There was no avoiding this confrontation now.
Reluctantly, he drew Ink Soul Sword.
Shhhink.
As the pitch-black blade, resembling crude iron, was revealed, a chilling sharpness radiated outward.
Even without infusing it with his Two Spirit Energies, the sword exuded lethality.
It was as if Ink Soul Sword itself—
Had sensed that Do Cheon-rin and the Illusory Demon Sword possessed power of equal magnitude.
Shhhhk!
Without another word, Do Cheon-rin initiated the first strike.
Unlike those of the Righteous Faction, members of the Demonic Path—
Once battle begins, they don't bother with formalities like the Starting Stance or posturing for dignity... Their only goal is victory, to bring down their enemy.
Fwooosh!
Moreover, the defining trait of the Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword was—
Though it appeared sluggish on the surface, in reality, it was faster than even the swiftest sword techniques.
The sword strokes, which had been pouring down as slowly as a butterfly's flight, emitted a sharp shhk—the Sound of Breaking Air—before—
In an instant, the tip of Do Cheon-rin's blade was already touching Bu Eun-seol's chest.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed Swift Shadowless, evading the sword stroke.
But Do Cheon-rin had already anticipated his movement and altered his sword technique.
Then, like a living creature, the tip of the Illusory Demon Sword pursued Bu Eun-seol relentlessly, clinging to him.
BOOM!
When the Ink Soul Sword and the Illusory Demon Sword clashed, a resonant bell-like sound reverberated, sending waves of True Qi rippling outward.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive."
Do Cheon-rin's eyes flashed as he realized Bu Eun-seol was still concealing his true strength.
"But I, too, have yet to unleash the True Void!"
A dazzling iridescent light surged from Do Cheon-rin's demonic blade.
And when it neared Bu Eun-seol's body, it transformed into dozens of sword auras—
Piercing toward his vital points faster than lightning.
He had combined the Bloodflame Blade Art with the Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Bu Eun-seol deployed the Iron Sword Thirteen Forms, instantly deflecting the sword auras.
But the weight behind Do Cheon-rin's sword auras was immense, as if he had hurled a massive block of iron.
Whiiing!
In the end, one strand of sword aura slipped past the Iron Sword Thirteen Forms, grazing Bu Eun-seol's cheek.
Yet he paid no heed to the wound—instead, he flicked the Ink Soul Sword behind his back.
Chaaang!
A clear, metallic ring resounded.
It was astonishing.
As it turned out, all the sword auras Bu Eun-seol had deflected earlier had circled back, aiming for his spine.
It was the Spiraling Secret Formula—a technique as elusive as a ghost.
"Remarkable."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled in admiration.
Though he had fought countless strong opponents before—
He had never even heard of a technique that secretly redirected deflected sword auras.
Chaaang! Claaang!
Moreover, with every clash of their swords, he could feel an overwhelming force in his fingertips.
It was clear that Do Cheon-rin had devoted himself not only to swordsmanship but also to refining his internal energy.
"Haaap!"
When Bu Eun-seol effortlessly blocked the Spiraling Secret Art—
Do Cheon-rin, seemingly startled, let out a sharp cry and shifted his sword technique with lightning speed.
But the more he poured out his attacks, the more his expression twisted.
Wasn't this man casually deflecting the intricacies of both the Dream-Reaching Illusory Demon Sword and the Bloodflame Blade Art, as if randomly thrusting his sword?
Not only that, but there wasn't a trace of tension on his face—as if he wasn't engaged in battle at all, but merely taking a leisurely stroll.
'This man...'
Do Cheon-rin bit his lip.
All this time, he had wandered the Martial World, honing his martial arts with relentless determination, even beginning his Breakthrough.
After obtaining the Illusory Demon Sword, his martial prowess had skyrocketed—so much so that he prided himself on having few peers among the new generation.
Yet here was a master of this caliber, hidden away at the same age as him?
Shhhhk.
Do Cheon-rin halted his assault momentarily and stepped back.
"At your age, those who've reached this level of martial prowess are usually well-known... Yet I don't recognize you at all."
With a tense expression, he raised the Illusory Demon Sword and demanded again:
"You're no nameless novice. Reveal your identity."
"Does it matter who I am?"
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Do Cheon-rin's face hardened.
Because that answer sounded like mockery to him.
"Don't celebrate yet. I haven't even begun to fight seriously."
A chilling aura, like hundreds of arrows being loosed at once, erupted from Do Cheon-rin's entire body.
Simultaneously, a faint glow flickered from the Illusory Demon Sword.
'He's going to unleash the full power of the demonic blade.'
The demonic swords sown by the Three Realms all possessed destructive abilities that defied martial logic.
Until now, Do Cheon-rin had fought straightforwardly with martial arts alone—
But from this moment on, he would amplify his martial might by tapping into the blade's sinister capabilities.
Krrrrr—BOOM!
Do Cheon-rin's body seemed to collapse forward, aligning parallel to the ground—
Then, a deafening explosion erupted.
At the same time, nearly undetectable, ghostly sword auras rained down.
The explosive noise seemed to be a technique to mask the trajectories of those sword auras.
'One from the right, one from above the head.'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed.
'The rest are sweeping in from the left rear—each carrying different speeds and martial principles.'
Hidden within the ear-splitting explosion—
Even a master with razor-sharp extrasensory perception would struggle to detect these sword strokes.
But Bu Eun-seol, who had reached the pinnacle of the Beast Path, could perceive even the unseen and unfelt—clearly tracing the trajectories of the sword auras.
And in an instant, he swung the Ink Soul Sword, obliterating them all in a single breath.
CRACK!
But an unexpected development unfolded.
When Bu Eun-seol struck down the sword energy, the explosive force sent him staggering backward with a thunderous boom.
"Huh."
A soft exhalation escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Now that he saw it clearly, Do Cheon-rin's unleashed sword energy wasn't just imbued with the explosive principles of the Heavy Sword Art—it had also predicted Bu Eun-seol's defensive movements and timing, accelerating the crushing pressure of the heavy sword accordingly.
Such a sword stroke was incredibly difficult to execute successfully, but if pulled off, it could produce an extraordinary effect.
After all, the mere realization that one's movements had been read could cause a sharp drop in fighting spirit.
Unfortunately for Do Cheon-rin, his opponent was Bu Eun-seol.
'He's gotten stronger. Truly.'
Rather than being shaken, Bu Eun-seol's fighting spirit blazed even fiercer at the sight of Do Cheon-rin's astonishing sword technique.
He had already risen to stand as one of the strongest among the younger generation.
Moreover, until now, Bu Eun-seol had fought life-and-death battles against masters older and more skilled than himself—battles where the sheer intensity of combat and the relentless tension threatened to split his skull open.
But now, facing a peer of his own generation in a pure contest of True Void, he couldn't help but find the battle exhilarating.
'I want to fight him a little longer.'
A pang of regret struck him.
Even if he won in the end, he wanted to cross blades with Do Cheon-rin just a little more.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed three consecutive sword strikes to disrupt Do Cheon-rin's technique.
The razor-sharp sword energy coiled through the air like a dragon, piercing toward Do Cheon-rin's vital points.
It was the Dark Heaven Demon Dragon Sword, a technique he had learned from Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.
'Demonic Sword Arts?'
Do Cheon-rin's brows twitched in surprise.
From his speech and demeanor, he had assumed Bu Eun-seol was either a master of the Righteous Faction or a wandering swordsman who walked the line Between the Orthodox and Unorthodox.
But to think he was actually a figure of the Demonic Path?
'Then I'll just break him.'
A smirk curled on Do Cheon-rin's lips—until his expression abruptly shifted.
The Dark Heaven Demon Dragon Sword was one of the pinnacle techniques of the Demonic Sword Arts, but its martial forms were typically somewhat slow to unfold.
Yet the version Bu Eun-seol wielded was not only as swift as lightning but carried enough destructive force to shatter even a demon saber!
CRACKLE! ZAP!
Worse, with every stroke, violet lightning crackled outward in all directions.
It was as if the infamous Thunder God, Noe Bi-hon, had suddenly appeared to unleash the Dark Heaven Demon Dragon Sword himself!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Amid the clear sword resonance, their blades clashed, closing the distance between them until they stood close enough to see each other's faces.
In that instant, Do Cheon-rin saw Bu Eun-seol's eyes—frozen like a glacier, yet deep within, flames as fierce as the solar radiance blazed.
'They're alike.'
Do Cheon-rin knew another with eyes like that.
The most infamous figure in the current Demonic Path, the next-generation grandmaster who would one day lead the Demon Hall.
'But if I fight him again now, I can win!'
SHWING!
Do Cheon-rin twisted the Illusory Demon Sword in his grip. In response, an undetectable, ghostly sword energy erupted from the ground.
The Illusory Demon Sword specialized in close-quarters combat, so Do Cheon-rin combined its ultimate stroke—Accumulated Resentment, Deep Rage—with the Bloodflame Blade Art's Cloud Iridescence and White Rainbow, creating an unstoppable finishing strike.
ZING!
But at that moment, a transparent energy surged from Bu Eun-seol's left hand.
He had predicted Do Cheon-rin's hidden sword stroke erupting from below and countered by unleashing the Willful True Binding, fused with Water Essence Divine Qi, forcibly suppressing the sword energy.
FLASH!
Then, the unexpected happened.
A burst of light exploded from the distant sky, spreading like fireworks before transforming into thousands of sword energies that rained down like a storm.
Worse, those radiant sword energies didn't scatter widely—they converged with terrifying precision on Bu Eun-seol and Do Cheon-rin.
'Damn it.'
Do Cheon-rin inwardly cursed.
Those radiant sword strikes—
They were the Blood-Lightning Thunder Qi of the Blood-Lightning Demon Sword, wielded by the man he had been relentlessly pursuing.
He had assumed the man was still fleeing, avoiding direct confrontation at all costs.
Who would've thought he'd been circling them, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush?
BUZZ!
But then, hundreds of sword flowers bloomed overhead, intercepting and annihilating the raining sword energies.
Bu Eun-seol had swung his blade, blocking every last one of the Blood-Lightning Thunder Qi strikes.
'Impossible.'
Do Cheon-rin's eyes widened.
The timing between his own ultimate stroke and the Blood-Lightning Thunder Qi had been nearly simultaneous.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had blocked both at once.
That meant he could perceive and act within twice the fleeting moments Do Cheon-rin could—wasn't this the mark of a master who transcended the limits of time itself?
CLANG! CLASH! CLANG!
As sword flowers and Blood-Lightning Thunder Qi collided in rapid succession, a sharp metallic sound reverberated through the air.
A single burst of Blood-Lightning Thunder Qi unleashed at least a hundred sword energies.
Blocking them all at once was impossible—it required multiple precise strikes in rapid succession.
FLASH!
In that brief window, a sharp glint flashed in Do Cheon-rin's eyes.
Bu Eun-seol had simultaneously defended against attacks from above and below, leaving a perfect opening exposed.
'Now—I can kill him.'
Users of demon sabers were fated to clash and determine the victor in battle.
Not just because they could obtain another demonic sword's ability—but because the more powerful the foe they slew, the stronger their demon saber became.
GRIP.
Do Cheon-rin tightened his hold on the Illusory Demon Sword's hilt.
The more powerful the enemy, the greater the reward.
If he slew a warrior of this caliber, the Illusory Demon Sword's might could double.
And now, that golden opportunity lay right before him.
For a swordsman wielding a demon saber, this was a temptation impossible to resist.