Chapter 657
Clang!
When blade met blade, a metallic sound rang out as a storm-like shockwave erupted in all directions.
Bu Eun-seol's Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form was a sword technique that could only be unleashed upon perfectly seizing an enemy's opening.
Once executed, even if it didn't deliver a fatal blow, it was an Extreme-Speed Killing Form guaranteed to inflict a critical wound.
He had clearly identified the opening and struck—
Yet how had Yang Dae-ryang—
Not only perfectly discerned the trajectory of the Meteor Chasing Moon Form, but also replicated his secret sword art?
Moreover, despite activating his own sword form later, how had Yang Dae-ryang managed to clash blades simultaneously?
Pat!
Swallowing his shock, Bu Eun-seol immediately retreated three paces.
But Yang Dae-ryang didn't pursue him. Instead, he stood firmly in place, wearing a composed smile.
This exchange had cost Bu Eun-seol his momentum, while Yang Dae-ryang had gained the upper hand—there was no difference.
"Martial Soul Lord, Bu Eun-seol."
Yang Dae-ryang curled the corner of his lips.
"So the Demon Hall's rising grandmaster was masquerading as a rogue."
A flash of light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
'As expected... the Three Realms.'
When Bu Eun-seol first encountered Yang Dae-ryang, he had deliberately posed as a rogue.
Yet he hadn't bothered concealing his true identity, instead deploying his secret sword art—the Formless Heavenly Flow.
Because the Three Realms had been tracking and studying traces of his martial techniques all along.
If Yang Dae-ryang was one of the Three Realms' agents... he would undoubtedly recognize the Formless Heavenly Flow. That would reveal which faction he belonged to.
"You're one of the Three Realms."
Bu Eun-seol's gaze sharpened.
A candidate for the next Martial Alliance Leader, one of the Seven Great Leaders who upheld the Martial Alliance... had just been exposed as a spy planted by the Three Realms.
Which meant, just as he had suspected earlier—
The remaining leaders might also be infiltrators, all sown from the outside.
"Now I understand why you deliberately spread the story of encountering a fortuitous opportunity like a lightning strike."
Bu Eun-seol muttered under his breath.
"You joined the Three Realms early... and trained in martial arts that defy conventional principles."
"Heh heh heh. What changes now that you've realized this?"
Yang Dae-ryang grinned, his tone light and mocking.
"Taking your head would make the position of next Martial Alliance Leader more than just a dream."
"Are you from the Infinite Realm? Or the Return-to-One Realm?"
"Think whatever you like."
Even knowing Bu Eun-seol's true identity, Yang Dae-ryang remained relaxed.
If he was truly from the Three Realms, he couldn't possibly be unaware that Bu Eun-seol had slain the Heavenly Venerable alone.
Did that mean he was stronger than the Heavenly Venerable?
'Or is he truly so confident because of this so-called Absorption Art?'
If Yang Dae-ryang's words were true—
He had mastered an unprecedented internal power, one that allowed him to absorb an opponent's martial techniques wholesale.
'No... such a martial art cannot exist.'
If such a technique had been created, the very concept of secret martial arts would have vanished from Murim long ago.
"Let's try again."
Bu Eun-seol twisted his grip on Ink Soul Sword.
Flash!
In that instant, massive cross-shaped sword energies poured forth in rapid succession, trapping Yang Dae-ryang and sealing off his retreat.
He had deliberately used the Waning Moon Morning Star Form to provoke a clash of sword techniques.
Flash!
Then, something bizarre happened again.
Yang Dae-ryang's flexible sword gleamed—and unleashed the exact same cross-shaped sword energies.
Kwa-oooooh!
As the colossal cross-shaped energies tangled in midair—
A storm capable of annihilating the entire world erupted, and a shockwave of true qi surged to the heavens.
Once again, Yang Dae-ryang had replicated Bu Eun-seol's sword technique perfectly.
Sssss—
With a sound like receding waves, the sword energies vanished in an instant.
"Is this all you've got?"
Just as Yang Dae-ryang smirked—
Screeeech!
A sword resonance like the wail of a vengeful ghost echoed, and black smoke began rising from Bu Eun-seol's body.
A martial philosophy of death that brought calamity to all living things the moment it was unleashed—the Bloody Tears Seven Forms had been activated.
Hssssss—
As if daring him to try copying it again—
Instead of the Life Is Temporary Death Is Return Form, which he was most confident in, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Absolute Saber Form, a technique that transformed endlessly in response to the enemy's movements—
The Half-Alive, Half-Dead Form.
Swoooosh—
Like spilled ink, the saber energy spread outward, shifting boundlessly in sync with Yang Dae-ryang's movements.
Screeeech!
Then, the unbelievable happened.
The same ghostly wail reverberated from Yang Dae-ryang's flexible sword—
Hssssss—
And the Half-Alive, Half-Dead Form that Bu Eun-seol had just unleashed was replicated perfectly.
Sssss—!
As the two endlessly shifting sword energies collided, they vanished like mist in an instant.
Pat!
In that brief moment, Yang Dae-ryang breached Bu Eun-seol's defense and unleashed a lightning-fast Quick Sword Form.
It was the supreme sword art once used by the leader of the Thousand Swords Society—
The Soul-Summoning Single Flash Form.
Swish!
A razor-sharp sword energy pierced Bu Eun-seol's body in an instant.
It struck at the Fixed Moment—a timing so precise that evading was impossible.
Zzzzing!
At that moment, a pitch-black wall materialized before Bu Eun-seol's body.
With no time to dodge, he had immediately activated the Willful True Binding.
Kwaaang!
With a deafening explosion, Bu Eun-seol was sent flying over 100 feet away.
Rustle—
His body crashed into a great tree, sending leaves scattering in all directions.
Thanks to the Willful True Binding, his body wasn't split in two—
But the internal power imbued in Yang Dae-ryang's single strike had shaken his organs, leaving his complexion slightly pale.
"Heh heh heh."
Instead of pressing the attack, Yang Dae-ryang watched Bu Eun-seol's stunned expression with amusement.
"Killing the Heavenly Venerable must have gone to your head."
Crunch. Crunch.
As Bu Eun-seol emerged through the dust, Yang Dae-ryang sneered.
"From this leader's perspective, the Heavenly Venerable was nothing more than a pitiful old man—neither dead nor truly alive."
His confidence was no empty boast.
To instantly replicate the Formless Heavenly Flow Style, the culmination of Langya Pavilion's Practical Sword Study—
And even the Bloody Tears Seven Forms, the absolute pinnacle of the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade's swordsmanship?
His martial prowess was undeniably at a level worthy of being called a Martial God.
"I know you still have plenty of tricks left. Show me more."
Despite Yang Dae-ryang's taunts, Bu Eun-seol remained expressionless, calmly analyzing how his opponent possessed such an ability.
The Formless Heavenly Flow Style was his own creation, refined through continuous improvement.
And the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
Unless one shared the same spiritual temperament and will as his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, it was impossible to unleash even the most basic form of this supreme swordsmanship.
Yet Yang Dae-ryang had replicated it flawlessly in an instant?
'The Earthly Killing Star once displayed a similar ability.'
But that had only been possible because he manipulated the corpses of those he had killed through grotesque sorcery.
Yang Dae-ryang, however, showed no signs of sinister energy or sorcery.
He had genuinely wielded the exact same martial arts as Bu Eun-seol.
How could such a thing happen?
"Let's end this now."
As Yang Dae-ryang raised his flexible sword—
A streak of sword qi shot toward Bu Eun-seol's throat.
A lightning-like sword flash pierced his left and right flanks.
He had simultaneously unleashed the Azure Rain Purple Lightning Sword Form and the Soul-Summoning Single Flash Form.
Whoosh—
Just then, a dark radiance erupted from Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword—
Swish!
In the form of Body-Sword Unity, it shot toward Yang Dae-ryang's body.
For a technique meant to counter the Azure Rain Purple Lightning Sword Form and Soul-Summoning Single Flash Form, it was an oddly forced move.
"Hmph."
As if in desperation, Bu Eun-seol executed a sloppy Body-Sword Unity—
Swish!
Yang Dae-ryang, too, responded with the same technique, as Bu Eun-seol charged forward like a lightning flash.
Flash!
With a brilliant streak of light, the two passed each other.
Since they had executed identical techniques, neither suffered damage—
But in doing so, Yang Dae-ryang had once again proven he could instantly replicate his opponent's martial arts.
"Have you finally run out of tricks, Martial Soul Lord?"
Yang Dae-ryang approached with unwavering confidence.
"You've been running rampant through the martial world all this time."
A fierce light surged from his raised flexible sword.
It was the Great Heaven-Splitting Sword Force, the supreme technique of the Thousand Swords Society—capable of reducing even a Vajra Bronze Man to dust.
Flash!
But Bu Eun-seol launched an unexpected attack.
Suddenly drawing a hidden blade from his sleeve, he hurled it straight at Yang Dae-ryang's forehead.
Swish!
Caught off guard, Yang Dae-ryang snatched the blade with his left hand.
"Was this your last resort?"
As he sneered and prepared to crush the blade—
BOOM!
The dagger exploded in a burst of violet lightning.
Bu Eun-seol hadn't thrown it as a simple projectile—
He had condensed his Thunder Essence Divine Qi within it and unleashed the Explosive Flying Thunder technique.
Crackle—
As the lightning energy dispersed, a strange glint flickered from Yang Dae-ryang's index and middle fingers.
His seemingly intact fingers were not flesh and blood—
They were wearing something meticulously crafted.
"So that was the secret behind your martial absorption."
Bu Eun-seol smirked as he observed the gleaming fingers.
"A Black Divine Artifact."
Yang Dae-ryang's expression froze.
His trump card—the Black Divine Artifact—had allowed him to dominate the martial world, cutting down countless foes without ever being exposed.
How had he been found out?
"You knew beforehand?"
"Not at first."
A flash of insight crossed Bu Eun-seol's sharp eyes.
"But the Three Realms have been pulling too many strange stunts... I wondered if there truly was a method to absorb another's martial arts."
"..."
"But there's no limit to how much you can replicate."
Contempt filled Bu Eun-seol's gaze.
"If you could truly copy any martial art on sight, you should've been able to exploit its flaws immediately."
Only then did Yang Dae-ryang realize his mistake.
"You deliberately used Body-Sword Unity."
He had thought it was a desperate last move—
But in truth, Bu Eun-seol had intentionally executed a flawed version.
"Correct."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled through his nose and shook his head.
"Even though my Body-Sword Unity was full of openings, you didn't exploit them—you just mindlessly copied it. As if some external force compelled you to mimic without thought."
The Body-Sword Unity Bu Eun-seol had displayed was powerful—
But it was also a reckless move, unsuited for the situation, deliberately exposing weaknesses.
If Yang Dae-ryang truly had the genius to instantly grasp and replicate martial arts—
He should have immediately seen through the flaws and struck a fatal blow.
Yet he had merely mirrored Bu Eun-seol's technique, just as he always did.
Meaning—
His prowess wasn't the result of true mastery, but something external.
"You figured it out from just that?"
Yang Dae-ryang tilted his head in disbelief. Bu Eun-seol chuckled.
"You kept boasting about your True Void, yet you never once used that vaunted Spirit Immortal Two-Finger Art of yours."
The Spirit Immortal Two-Finger Art was an overwhelmingly powerful technique capable of blocking any martial art.
Yet when Yang Dae-ryang seriously engaged Bu Eun-seol in battle, he refrained from using it.
Had he properly combined it with his other techniques, he could have executed far more exquisite swordplay.
"Instead, whenever he deployed his martial arts, he guarded those two fingers like priceless treasures."
Moreover, despite possessing such an exclusive secret technique, he rarely utilized it.
This could only mean one thing—he had deliberately harmonized something with those two fingers.
Bu Eun-seol had struck them with the Explosive Flying Thunder technique, flooding them with light and impact, instantly revealing the truth: they were clad in the Black Divine Artifact.
"So you merely borrowed the Black Divine Artifact's power to climb to your position..."
Bu Eun-seol's eyes, gazing down at Yang Dae-ryang, were filled with emptiness.
"Then you weren't the one who killed my grandfather after all."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You don't even have the skill to massacre the Thousand Swords Society, let alone kill my grandfather."
His voice dripped with disappointment as he continued,
"Most likely, the ones who killed Seoksong and Uhak were acting under someone else's orders."
Yang Dae-ryang flinched.
How does this brat know even that?
"If you could wield the Black Divine Artifact alone, you'd be at least a Special Divine Rank within the Three Realms, if not higher... No matter what I ask, I doubt you'd answer."
Yang Dae-ryang bit his lip.
Not only was this bastard looking at him like a caught fish, but now that he had exposed the truth—that his so-called overwhelming martial prowess was merely the artifact's borrowed power—
He was making a face of profound disappointment.
"Stop mocking me!"
Zzzzt—!
As he channeled his Internal Power, an immense light erupted from Yang Dae-ryang's index and middle fingers.
"Try enduring the fully unleashed Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers!"
His two fingers brimmed with a terrifying energy capable of rending heaven and earth.
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol, despite being over twenty years his junior, possessed martial prowess surpassing his own,
Yang Dae-ryang, consumed by rage and shame, unleashed the Black Divine Artifact's power to its absolute limit.
Whoooosh—!
A sound like crashing waves reverberated in all directions as
The radiance pouring from the Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers bleached the entire world white.
In an instant, not only did Bu Eun-seol's vision turn blank, but every sensation in his body vanished entirely.
'The Black Divine Artifact even severs senses...'
Suddenly, the world turned white.
His body became like a wooden log—he couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Die!"
Hidden within the blinding light, Yang Dae-ryang unleashed a killing strike toward Bu Eun-seol.
But with all sensation gone, Bu Eun-seol stood motionless, unable to even hear the attack coming.
Thrummm.
Then, something miraculous happened.
The Ink Soul Sword in his grip thrashed violently, like a freshly caught fish.
Despite all nerves and senses being severed, the Wind and Cloud Creation Formula slumbering within his body detected Yang Dae-ryang's killing intent—
And the Fluorescent Sword Control technique activated on its own.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A relentless metallic clashing echoed around Bu Eun-seol as
The Fluorescent Sword Control perfectly deflected Yang Dae-ryang's attacks within the blinding radiance of the Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers.
"You—!"
Startled, Yang Dae-ryang hastily retreated into the light.
But perhaps because the Fluorescent Sword Control had activated autonomously, Bu Eun-seol's senses returned—if only for the briefest moment.
A fraction of time barely enough to twitch a finger—
Yet for Bu Eun-seol, it was more than enough.
Ziiing.
The moment he mustered all his strength to draw upon the Two Spirit Energies, a mysterious emblem manifested on the Ink Soul Sword's scabbard.
Whoooosh—
As the sword, infused with the Two Spirit Energies, sliced through the air,
The blinding light that had whitened the world began melting away.
And within the dissipating radiance, Yang Dae-ryang's hidden form was revealed.
'Now.'
Seizing the fleeting moment, Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Transcendent Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Ziiing.
The Ink Soul Sword, brimming with the Two Spirit Energies, abruptly shifted course on its own—
Piercing not Yang Dae-ryang's neck, but the Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers attached to his hand.
Craaack!
The Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers, worn on Yang Dae-ryang's two fingers, shattered like glass.
Simultaneously, a crimson light erupted from the Ink Soul Sword, grazing his fingers before shooting into the distant sky.
The Ink Soul Sword—
This God-Slaying Weapon, placed in his hands by his mother's design—
Almost as if it had a will of its own—
Had forcibly altered Bu Eun-seol's attack, deliberately diverting the Meteor Chasing Moon Form.
Thud.
The remnants of the Primordial Yellow Sword Fingers crumbled into dust, scattering in the wind.
Then, another strange phenomenon occurred.
Yang Dae-ryang stood slack-jawed, his expression vacant—like a Soulless One stripped of spirit.
His body stiffened like stone, drool dripping from his mouth.
"Uhh..."
His pupils devoid of focus, Yang Dae-ryang began making bizarre noises.
Watching this, Bu Eun-seol finally understood everything.
'The backlash from unleashing the Black Divine Artifact's power... He couldn't withstand it and became a Crippled Person.'
According to the Demon Swordsmith, the Black Divine Artifact ultimately destroys its wielder before ruining the world.
As if to prove this—
The moment the fully unleashed Black Divine Artifact was destroyed, its owner, Yang Dae-ryang, was reduced to a mindless husk.
"So the Black Divine Artifact is linked to its wielder's spirit and mind..."
Click.
Sheathing the Ink Soul Sword, Bu Eun-seol muttered under his breath,
"Spend the rest of your life repaying your sins."
"Uhh... uhh..."
Drooling, the now-withered Yang Dae-ryang stared blankly with crossed eyes.
Bu Eun-seol gazed at him for a moment before turning his eyes to the distant clouds drifting across the sky.
In that place, he could almost see the figures of Seoksong and Uhak, who had taught him the Fluorescent Sword Control technique.
'Though this man may not be the true mastermind behind the Heavenly Sword Society's downfall... for now, this shall suffice.'
At that thought, the faces of Seoksong and Uhak reflected in the clouds seemed to brighten.
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the sky for a long while before quietly departing from Yeongpa Island.