Chapter 609
Bu Eun-seol simply stared coldly at Chae Ju-hong.
—"That man possessed a sword whose power surpassed even that of the Divine Swords and Treasured Sabers."
Suddenly, the contents of the book containing the Secret Language left by the Unit Members flashed through his mind.
Risking their lives, they had discovered that Chae Ju-hong wielded an extraordinarily unique weapon.
Bu Eun-seol was deliberately stalling for time to observe what kind of weapon he would use.
"Well, fine."
Chae Ju-hong's expression hardened as he rolled up his sleeve.
From within the wide sleeve emerged a sharp dagger.
Though it looked exceedingly keen, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
"Let's have some real fun now."
Just as Chae Ju-hong prepared to attack again, Bu Eun-seol tilted his head slightly, as if surprised.
"You won't sound the Bell Striking or call for help from others?"
"Hahaha. There's no need for that."
Masters could roughly gauge an opponent's Martial Prowess with just a single exchange.
Even if this fake Chae Ju-hong had mastered some unique Demonic Arts, he should know he was no match for Bu Eun-seol.
Yet he still intended to fight alone? What kind of confidence was that?
"So it was the Three Realms after all."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy.
"The Unity Realm? Or the Infinite Realm?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
As Chae Ju-hong furrowed his brow, Bu Eun-seol felt a jolt of shock.
'He's not from the Three Realms?'
Members of the Three Realms might conceal their identities, but they never hid their affiliation.
Yet Chae Ju-hong wore an expression of genuine unfamiliarity at the mention of the Three Realms—as if he had never even heard the term before.
Judging by his physiological reactions, this wasn't a feigned lie.
Then the ones replacing the faction leaders... must belong to a hidden force from the Abyss that had yet to reveal itself.
'All I need to do is capture and interrogate him.'
Having made up his mind, Bu Eun-seol pulled out the hairpin holding up his hair.
It was smaller than a dagger, a fragile-looking object.
But the moment it rested in his palm, it became a weapon more terrifying than any Divine Sword or Treasured Saber.
Flash!
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Caged Bird Longing for Clouds technique, sending two streaks of Sword Qi shooting left and right.
The Sword Qi, released with a slight delay,
locked onto angles and moments so subtle that Chae Ju-hong's Martial Prowess couldn't possibly evade them, piercing toward his body.
But something was strange.
Though the Sword Qi of Caged Bird Longing for Clouds should have instantly torn through his flank and throat,
it suddenly slowed to a crawl, as if struggling to penetrate.
It was as though time itself had slowed to a sluggish trickle.
Pat!
But the slowed time seemed to affect only Bu Eun-seol.
Chae Ju-hong moved like lightning, effortlessly dodging the Caged Bird Longing for Clouds technique.
'This really does feel like sorcery.'
Astonishingly, Chae Ju-hong hadn't so much as twitched a finger—yet he had slowed Bu Eun-seol's movements.
"Impressive. I didn't expect you to be this skilled."
Perhaps sensing something ominous in Bu Eun-seol's agility,
Chae Ju-hong retreated again, glancing down at his dagger before muttering,
"This won't do."
At that moment, thick smoke seemed to rise from all directions.
Bu Eun-seol, spotting an opening the instant Chae Ju-hong adjusted his dagger, immediately unleashed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
There was no point in observing the weapon further—things could go wrong if he hesitated.
He intended to end this fight in a single stroke, beheading his opponent without delay.
Swish!
Yet the same phenomenon occurred again.
Chae Ju-hong moved as before, but Bu Eun-seol alone seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Because of this, his Sword Strokes were even slower than when he had used Caged Bird Longing for Clouds.
Shhht!
Thanks to that, Chae Ju-hong only had his sleeve sliced off before evading the Meteor Chasing Moon technique.
"You're quite the monster!"
Even with Bu Eun-seol's movements slowed, the fact that he had still managed to cut his sleeve left Chae Ju-hong wide-eyed in astonishment.
"To move this fast even at the third stage?"
'Stage?'
Bu Eun-seol frowned.
Was this fake Mount Hua Sect Elder truly capable of slowing time itself?
"I can't possibly let you live."
A vicious light flickered in Chae Ju-hong's eyes.
"Then I'll have to jump straight to the fourth stage to avoid any mishaps."
He glanced down at his dagger again.
But his left hand was twisted oddly, turned backward.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol felt a suffocating pressure in his chest—and the air around him changed.
'So that's it.'
Through the distant Copper Mirror, Bu Eun-seol spotted something glinting on Chae Ju-hong's left wrist, hidden behind his back.
'An armguard.'
Strapped to his left wrist was an armguard emitting an eerie radiance.
'That's where the power was coming from.'
The Unit Members had insisted the sword he wielded possessed abnormal power.
But in truth, it wasn't the sword at all.
The power came from the armguard secretly fastened to his left wrist.
'A power like this can only belong to a Black Divine Artifact.'
A Black Divine Artifact.
Not only did it grant transcendent power, but at its climax, it would even consume its wielder. And now, such a Sacred Relic had appeared once more.
"Die!"
Pat!
In that brief moment, a scratch appeared on Bu Eun-seol's cheek.
His body had slowed so drastically that he couldn't fully evade the Sword Strokes Chae Ju-hong unleashed.
"So you gathered the Yin Qi of women to wield that Black Divine Artifact."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Chae Ju-hong's eyes bulged.
"How do you know of the Black Divine Artifact?!"
"I also know you're about to die!"
Crackle!
Violet lightning erupted violently across Bu Eun-seol's body.
With his movements repeatedly slowed, he had drawn upon his Thunder Essence Divine Qi.
"This is—!"
Just as Chae Ju-hong recoiled in shock—
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed his Sword Technique. Chae Ju-hong barely managed to dodge, his face twisting in terror.
"I distinctly slowed you down fourfold, yet you're unleashing sword strokes even faster than before?"
"Are you telling me you're the Thunder God's disciple?"
Chae Ju-hong frantically swung his blade.
Yet the sword qi imbued with Thunder Essence Divine Qi—channeled through the Formless Heavenly Flow style—razored across his body with lethal precision.
"Ghk—!"
Though he avoided a fatal wound, Chae Ju-hong's shoulder was slashed open.
"Impossible!"
But his martial arts were not merely profound—he had also mastered bizarre demonic techniques, making him far harder to kill than an ordinary opponent.
Swish! Flash!
As Bu Eun-seol blocked his escape route and unleashed sword techniques swift as lightning, Chae Ju-hong's limbs grew increasingly uncoordinated.
"Rrgh—!"
With a furious shout, a brilliant light erupted from Chae Ju-hong's left hand, and Bu Eun-seol's movements slowed even further.
"Let's see if you can withstand the fifth stage!"
Flash!
Ignoring the pressure, Bu Eun-seol channeled Thunder Essence Divine Qi into Nine Dragons Flashing Thunder.
The killing sword technique of Extreme Speed, fused with Thunder Essence Divine Qi, shot forth like a bolt of lightning—
—and in an instant, it was already at Chae Ju-hong's throat, poised to sever his head.
"You—!"
Chae Ju-hong couldn't believe it.
He had faced countless masters in his time, including renowned powerhouses of the martial world.
But he could say with absolute certainty—not a single one had ever moved at such speed under the fifth stage's suppression.
"So the Thunder God did take a disciple..."
Panicking, Chae Ju-hong subtly shifted toward the door—
—only for Bu Eun-seol to anticipate him, stepping in front of it to cut off his retreat.
"If you can break through solid steel walls bare-handed, I won't stop you."
At Bu Eun-seol's mocking words, Chae Ju-hong bit his lip.
Until now, this steel-barricaded chamber had been his hunting ground—a sacred realm where none could interfere.
But now that a stronger enemy had entered,
it had become an inescapable trap.
"You think the match is already decided, do you?"
Chae Ju-hong gathered every ounce of his Internal Power,
pouring all of it into the bracer on his left hand.
—Screeeech!
A thick fog billowed outward, accompanied by an eerie, wailing Demon Cry.
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol's vision blurred—the surroundings now moving so sluggishly that even the scenery seemed to crawl.
"Try blocking this!"
Fwip!
Chae Ju-hong vanished.
The Black Divine Artifact's power activated once more, slowing Bu Eun-seol's movements by over fivefold.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Bu Eun-seol unable to react, Chae Ju-hong moved with frenzied speed, unleashing a storm of sword techniques.
The Mount Hua Sect's swordplay was renowned among the Nine Great Sects for its agility and intricacy—every motion infused with the Subtle Principle of Speed.
And now, executed five times faster?
Even with Thunder Essence Divine Qi and Swift Shadowless combined, defending against it was nearly impossible.
Slash! Slash!
Blood began spraying from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Yet his mind grew eerily calm.
'So this is the Black Divine Artifact.'
A Divine Weapon so powerful it could plunge not just its wielder, but the entire world into chaos.
Now he understood why the Demon Swordsmith had warned him to be wary of it.
'And this is just an incomplete version.'
Had it been fully forged, Chae Ju-hong wouldn't have needed to steal the woman's Yin Qi in the first place.
In the end, the Black Divine Artifact itself—
—possessed power and ability surpassing even the Three Realms' coveted Martial Arts Boundary.
"I can see your death!"
Chae Ju-hong swung his sword wildly.
With Bu Eun-seol's movements slowed to a crawl, he could effortlessly dismantle every technique.
No matter how devastating the attack, evading it was trivial.
Worse—he could predict every dodge, ensuring each strike landed with precision.
Shink!
Seizing a flawless opening, Chae Ju-hong's blade thrust toward Bu Eun-seol's throat.
An unavoidable moment—
Zzzzing!
But then, a wall of black True Qi slowly formed before Bu Eun-seol's neck.
He had activated Willful True Binding.
'Even slowed, it's possible.'
Though the technique manifested sluggishly, forming in slow, glowing fragments—
—it was enough to block the razor-sharp blade.
"What is this bizarre martial art?!"
Chae Ju-hong stabbed at the glowing barrier with all his might, but it wouldn't yield.
Panicking, he shifted sword techniques again—
—and just as he prepared to slash Bu Eun-seol's throat once more,
Squelch.
A grotesque sound erupted from his own body.
Thick, worm-like veins of blood began spreading beneath his skin.
"Uuugh—!"
Chae Ju-hong let out a distorted groan, staring down at himself.
From his left hand to his chest, crimson Blood Lines now bulged like writhing serpents.
"So now you feed on me?!"
The bracer, in exchange for greater power, was greedily devouring his blood.
"Ghh—AAAAAGH!"
Screaming, he tried to tear it off—
—but the bracer clung to his wrist, its surface darkening to a deep red as it drank deeply.
"Let go! Let go!"
Frantic, Chae Ju-hong struggled with all his might.
Yet the more he thrashed, the more blood drained into the artifact.
"Fine!"
He made one last desperate gamble.
"Fine! Take my blood! Take my life! But in return—show me greater power!"
Thud.
Bu Eun-seol's vision blackened—
—and suddenly, the very dust in the air froze mid-motion, as if time itself had stopped.
"Die!"
Chae Ju-hong, gripping a dagger, charged forward, his entire body drenched in blood.
With blood gushing from his face, he looked no different from a vengeful ghost.
'I can't move.'
Bu Eun-seol found his body completely paralyzed.
'I should have brought the Silent Tomb Sword.'
The Silent Tomb Sword was also a Black Divine Artifact.
No matter how much of its power was sealed, it would have had enough strength to at least partially resist that bracer's power.
Sshhk!
At that moment, Chae Ju-hong's dagger plunged into Bu Eun-seol's chest.
'Not a chance!'
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol detonated every ounce of power within his body at once.
This was not the Harmonization of forces—it was closer to an outright explosion.
Drip.
The dagger touching Bu Eun-seol's body melted away like water in an instant.
Just as Chae Ju-hong staggered back in shock—
Splat!
With a sound like water being poured from a bucket, Chae Ju-hong vomited a torrent of blood.
Boom!
Simultaneously, his body exploded, leaving behind nothing but grotesque fluids and byproducts that would make anyone retch.
Chae Ju-hong had attempted to wield the Black Divine Artifact's power beyond his limits—and in the end, unable to withstand it, he had burst apart.
Thud.
But amidst the bloody wreckage, something glimmered faintly.
'An orb?'
It was a tiny, translucent sphere.
Bu Eun-seol carefully picked it up.
'What is this?'
The orb appeared to be artificially crafted from carved jade, its surface meticulously engraved with minuscule, intricate ridges.
When he touched it, the texture was bizarre—hard like a gemstone, yet unnervingly smooth, so transparent it seemed ready to emit a mysterious light at any moment.
"Was the Black Divine Artifact's power coming from this orb?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bu Eun-seol tucked it away inside his robes.
He had an instinctive certainty—this orb contained some unfathomable power.
"I'll have to be careful from now on."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled sharply as he stared at the spot where Chae Ju-hong had once stood.
Even if it had been a fake Chae Ju-hong wielding the Black Divine Artifact, he had assumed the mission wouldn't be too difficult.
But the Black Divine Artifact's capabilities had far surpassed his expectations.
"If that bastard hadn't overestimated the Black Divine Artifact's power and had instead called for reinforcements... I might have lost."
Only now did Bu Eun-seol truly understand.
Why the Three Realms were so obsessed with powers that transcended martial arts.
Why countless martial masters in the Murim, including Ak Mu-ryeong, endlessly pursued closed-door cultivation.
The Murim held far more means to surpass martial limits than he had ever imagined.
Huum.
At that moment, the discarded bracer on the floor emitted a sinister glow.
―If you take me, you'll grow exponentially stronger.
It was a temptation no martial artist could resist.
But Bu Eun-seol was different.
"If I rely on such power, there will be no further growth."
Using the Black Divine Artifact might make killing effortless.
But the moment he did, his martial progress would stagnate—he'd either become addicted to its power or obsess over obtaining another.
"It's no different from opium."
Instead of wearing it, Bu Eun-seol stored the bracer in his robes.
Such a demonic object had no place in this world. Once he retrieved the Silent Tomb Sword, he would destroy it.
And if the Silent Tomb Sword could shatter demonic blades like candy?
Even if this was also a Black Divine Artifact, he was certain it could be broken.
"It doesn't just corrupt its wielder—it drags the entire world into darkness..."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head, recalling the Demon Swordsmith's words.
He hadn't fully believed them at the time. But now, he knew for certain.
The legends of the Black Divine Artifacts were not exaggerations in the slightest.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze to Jo Yak-bing, still unconscious from the Soul Acupoint strike.
Was her younger sister still alive somewhere in this place? He could only hope.
"I'll handle this dangerous artifact myself."
Bu Eun-seol picked up the Heaven-Crushing Explosive Pellet resting on the table.
Then, elevating his Empty Mind Spirit Perception, he located the scroll that could deactivate the compound's mechanisms.
Click.
Stepping outside, he was met with a tranquil night sky bathed in moonlight. The manor was eerily silent.
"These bastards don't deserve to live."
Whether they belonged to some faction or were figures from the Mount Hua Sect, he didn't know.
But one thing was certain—they had knowingly aided Chae Ju-hong's atrocities.
"Spare the women. Kill everyone else."
Shh-shhk!
Bu Eun-seol unleashed Swift Shadowless, darting through the manor like a specter.
Slash! Thud!
Like a vengeful wraith, wherever he passed, gaping holes appeared in the foreheads or hearts of the martial artists within.
But the manor was larger than expected, filled with hidden mechanisms.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Relentlessly hunting down those in hiding, Bu Eun-seol soon discovered the emergency bell in the northern wing.
Using Void Object Retrieval, he ripped it from its mountings and shook it without pause.
Rumble.
Instantly, warriors hidden in secret chambers and concealed passages came pouring out.
"What's happening?!"
But those were their last words.
Slash! Splatter!
As martial artists swarmed out like cockroaches at the sound of the bell, black blades of True Qi pierced through them all.
"Who the hell are you?!"
A few skilled fighters, drenched in blood, lunged at Bu Eun-seol.
But their struggles only hastened their descent into hell.
Slash!
Dark True Qi erupted endlessly from Bu Eun-seol's body, spreading in all directions.
The Willful True Binding, now fused with Water Essence Divine Qi, had grown far more potent—its killing range had doubled.
Thud. Thud.
Within the silent manor, blood flowed like a river, and hundreds of corpses piled up like mountains.
In less than fifteen minutes, he had completely swept away all the martial artists hidden within the manor.
Whoosh!
But then, a group of figures clad in black robes came rushing out into the manor grounds.
They were none other than the Masters of the Flying Horse Palace—the very ones who had personally transported the women.