Chapter 722
The Fifteen Yellow River Swords consisted of exactly fifteen martial forms, but in truth, it could hardly be called a proper sword technique.
Because all fifteen forms were nothing more than basic movements—horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, thrusts—
mixed with the Butterfly Step, a footwork technique only used by street thugs.
Swish, swish.
As Bu Eun-seol slowly and deliberately executed the Fifteen Yellow River Swords, Wi Hyeok-gun, enraged, shouted:
"I won't just be cutting off your head!"
Clang!
Fragments of light scattered in all directions from the Red Carp Sword, and sword qi, sharp as droplets, shot forth, enveloping Bu Eun-seol's body.
Sssk!
Yet, as Bu Eun-seol continued his sluggish performance of the Fifteen Yellow River Swords, the mountainous internal power of the Thirteenfold Qi Induction erupted from his body once more.
Crack!
Another wound split open on Bu Eun-seol's body, but it was not a fatal injury.
In the end, by using the Eight-Flow Sword Art—
he had managed to block the Fire Rain Sword.
—Hahahaha!
Laughter burst out from all directions.
The sight of Bu Eun-seol's crude sword technique blocking Wi Hyeok-gun's peerless swordsmanship was too absurd for the gathered warriors to contain their amusement.
'I never intended to win through swordsmanship in the first place.'
Bu Eun-seol inwardly sneered.
During his time as the Ten Demonic Heir—
he had personally witnessed how his own swordsmanship had reached the Summit of Mastery, rivaling even that of Dan Cheong, the Deputy Pavilion Master of Langya Pavilion.
Thus, unless he used his signature martial art or the Bloody Tears Seven Forms—
he knew all too well that, under the guise of Seon-u Jin, he possessed no sword technique capable of facing the Sword Demon.
'That's why I trained the Thirteenfold Qi Induction to death in a purely defensive form.'
In the end, the only method Seon-u Jin could use to block Wi Hyeok-gun's Fire Rain Sword—
was not the incomplete Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan style—
but the Martial Emperor's Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
'Moreover, you revere the Fire Rain Sword Sect to the point of madness.'
Wi Hyeok-gun worshipped the Fire Rain Sword Sect so fanatically that—
merely because Bu Eun-seol had chosen Langya Pavilion over the Fire Rain Sword Sect—
he had unleashed his Formless Qi in an attempt to sever Bu Eun-seol's heart meridian.
Bu Eun-seol had exploited that very weakness—
devising a scheme to break the Fire Rain Sword Sect's might and shatter Wi Hyeok-gun's unshakable spirit and mind.
'I didn't even need to win.'
It made no sense for Seon-u Jin, who had only just ascended to the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, to achieve an overwhelming victory over the Sword Demon.
All Bu Eun-seol needed to do—
was prove to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and all the martial artists of the world—
that Seon-u Jin possessed martial prowess worthy of the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
'All I had to do was drag that vaunted reputation into the gutter.'
Sssk! Sssk!
This time, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Flower Peak One Clear Sword—
a technique from the third-rate Han Water Sword Sect of Kunlun—
while once again drawing forth the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
For this day—
Bu Eun-seol had relentlessly trained the Martial Emperor's supreme martial art, one he had rarely used before.
Not only to crush the Sword Demon's reputation into the dirt—
but also to secure victory over Wi Hyeok-gun by applying the teachings of Jin Gak, his first sword instructor.
—What do you think it means to compete in swordsmanship?
Back then, when Jin Gak had posed that question, Bu Eun-seol, still ignorant of true swordsmanship, had answered:
—Isn't it about being faster than your opponent, or fighting desperately to win?
Jin Gak had chuckled.
—That might be how the Black Gangs' thugs fight.
Then, with solemn gravity, he had said:
—But the swordsmen of the murim who have mastered Advanced Sword Studies are different.
They elevate their wisdom and willpower to the extreme, then shatter their opponent's spirit and mind to seize victory. Do you know why?
Bu Eun-seol had pondered before shaking his head.
—I don't.
Jin Gak's expression had turned deadly serious.
—Because a swordsman who has reached such heights leaves no openings to exploit.
That's why, when facing a peerless swordsman, you must materialize the immaterial—their spirit and mind.
Bu Eun-seol had never forgotten that lesson.
And so, when preparing for his battle against Wi Hyeok-gun—
he had not trained to break the Fire Rain Sword itself—
but to find a way to shake and shatter Wi Hyeok-gun's spirit and mind.
If he could disrupt the unyielding spirit of such a peerless swordsman like turbulent waves—
then even if Wi Hyeok-gun's Fire Rain Sword had reached the realm of Transcendent Mastery—
he would inevitably find an opening to destroy it.
"Fine!"
In that moment, Wi Hyeok-gun roared in fury.
Zzzzing!
Simultaneously, a crimson sword qi began seething from the Red Carp Sword.
No longer concealing—
the true Fire Rain Sword Technique he had perfected—
he unleashed a technique that severed life from death, aiming to cut Bu Eun-seol's throat in a single stroke.
'Is this the end?'
Realizing Wi Hyeok-gun was about to employ his supreme swordsmanship, Bu Eun-seol drew his internal power to its absolute limit.
Zzzzing.
A radiant light blossomed from the Ink Soul Sword as well.
In truth, the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan style he had first displayed had not been his full strength.
From the very beginning, it had been a feint—as if the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan were his ultimate technique.
He had deliberately shown Wi Hyeok-gun that there was nothing left to exploit, then casually unfolded mediocre sword forms.
And just as Wi Hyeok-gun unleashed his true Fire Rain Sword, pouring forth his decisive strike—
Bu Eun-seol, too, revealed the genuine Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan, thwarting his attack.
With the counterforce of an abruptly halted sword technique, he intended to cripple Wi Hyeok-gun's right arm.
Crrrrack—
A grotesque sound of splintering bone echoed from Wi Hyeok-gun's arm, and the Red Carp Sword he held began to bend like a drawn bow.
As the earth embraces all things—
The tenth stroke of the Fire Rain Sword, Embrace It Like the Earth, contained the essence of the entire art.
Refined and perfected by its creator.
Flash—!
A light that illuminated the world,
and a point of radiance—impossibly swift—shot toward Bu Eun-seol.
For an instant, the minds of the gathered warriors blanked white.
If they were in Bu Eun-seol's place...
How could they possibly evade such a sword stroke?
What martial art could they possibly deploy to survive?
The contempt they had once held for Wi Hyeok-gun vanished.
Their minds filled with nothing but the inescapable emotion of fear.
Hwoom—!
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Soul Sword moved at blinding speed.
Swish! Swish-swish-swish-swish!
A sword stroke accelerated beyond the limits of speed enveloped that light in an instant.
—The Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan!
Someone among the Martial Alliance's elite shouted.
As planned, Bu Eun-seol had unleashed the technique once more—
But this time, it was not aimed at his opponent's body.
Instead, it was drawn to interrupt Wi Hyeok-gun's sword technique midway.
Hwoom—!
An invisible current erupted in the space between them,
and both men shuddered as if struck by lightning.
When the pinnacle of demonic swordsmanship clashed head-on with a legendary orthodox sword technique,
the strokes multiplied into hundreds—no, thousands—of strands, coiling around their bodies.
Clang-clang-clang—!
Within the storm of white sword qi, a battle of life and death raged without an inch of concession.
'Why?'
But then, something unexpected happened.
Just as the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan was about to perfectly sever Wi Hyeok-gun's sword form midway—
The power condensed within the Boundary-Prosperity Jade blocked the innate strength Bu Eun-seol possessed.
'It doesn't conceal one's nature—it outright changes it.'
In an instant, the color drained from Bu Eun-seol's face as he unleashed sword qi, his chest tightening.
The Demon Swordsmith's words resurfaced in his mind:
—They say this can alter everything, from the natural power bestowed by the heavens to all inherent qualities.
The Boundary-Prosperity Jade.
It did not merely conceal the essence of something—
It possessed the ability to completely transform its inherent nature.
In other words, while Bu Eun-seol could mask his traits and characteristics through the jade,
he had, in effect, ceased to be Bu Eun-seol—becoming an entirely different person.
'This was unforeseeable.'
Due to the energy flowing from the jade, the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan—which should have unfolded flawlessly—loosened slightly.
And ultimately, he found himself unable to block the Embrace It Like the Earth that Wi Hyeok-gun had unleashed.
"Kh—!"
Bu Eun-seol's face twisted.
He was not the kind of man to groan in pain or grimace over something like this.
But with his nature completely altered by the jade, a pained gasp escaped him.
Sssk—!
Madly pouring forth sword qi, Bu Eun-seol began to be forced back.
Drip—
Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
In contrast, Wi Hyeok-gun remained composed, not even straining to pour forth his internal power.
Having failed to interrupt the sword technique midway, Bu Eun-seol was now outmatched—
Not just in the perfection of the technique, but in sheer internal energy.
'This won't do.'
As he frantically unleashed the Sword Laughs at Xuanyuan, Bu Eun-seol had to make a choice.
Would he accept defeat at Wi Hyeok-gun's sword?
Or would he draw upon his signature martial art and internal energy to reverse the situation?
—Don't use too much power while holding the Boundary-Prosperity Jade. It's only a temporary infusion of foreign energy.
Yang Seol-rin's warning flashed through his mind.
If he revealed his true self here—
Even if he won, his identity might be exposed.
'No choice.'
Even if his cover was blown, even if he plummeted into an abyss from which there was no return—
Survival came first.
Hwoooom—
Bu Eun-seol began raising his internal energy.
From three hundred years of cultivation—twenty, forty, until finally, three hundred and fifty years' worth surged forth.
Simultaneously, sharp shockwaves began condensing around his entire body.
Willful True Binding.
Hundreds of razor-sharp strands of true qi fanned out like the ribs of a folding screen, aiming to pierce through Wi Hyeok-gun's body.
Crackle—
But then, something bizarre occurred.
As the intense energy radiated from Bu Eun-seol's body, the Boundary-Prosperity Jade's power rebelled against it.
Uuung. Uuung.
The vibrations from the Boundary-Prosperity Jade in his chest grew louder and more intense—
Until, with a sudden, massive tremor, an orange-hued energy began to radiate outward.
That was the energy of the Heavenly Favor Star, Yang Seol-rin, infused within the Boundary-Prosperity Jade.
BOOM!
In that instant, with a deafening roar that shook heaven and earth—
Rumble—
An earthquake struck as if the entire island had been seized by unseen hands.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even amidst the chaos, Bu Eun-seol and Wi Hyeok-gun continued their relentless exchange of blows.
Neither had yet fully unleashed the depths of their sword techniques.
Grrr—
The ground trembled violently, first swaying side to side—
Crack—
Then, before anyone could react, it split apart, the earth crumbling beneath their feet.
—It's an earthquake!
The gathered warriors screamed, scattering in all directions.
If an earthquake struck this small island? The entire landmass could sink.
And unless they could fly, every martial artist here would be doomed to a watery grave.
—Retreat!
Terror-stricken, the crowd stampeded toward the anchored ships like madmen.
But the problem was sheer numbers.
Far too many warriors had gathered on Poseok Island to witness the duel.
And now, as they all fled at once—
Thud—
The once-orderly clearing devolved into pandemonium, trampled underfoot like a herd of panicked beasts.
—Aghh!
Some collided mid-run, sent sprawling. Others tripped and were crushed beneath the stampede.
Some desperately called for comrades, while others shamelessly snatched fallen secret manuals and coins from the ground.
Poseok Island had transformed into a living hellscape.
Clang!
At that moment, the two swordsmen clashed once more—then simultaneously disengaged.
Thud.
Wi Hyeok-gun's Red Carp Sword had finally pierced Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
Splat!
Withdrawing swiftly despite the wound, Bu Eun-seol—
"Hahaha!"
Wi Hyeok-gun didn't pursue. Instead, he burst into triumphant laughter.
With his sword embedded in Bu Eun-seol's shoulder, his right arm was effectively useless.
There was no way this brat had trained in the Left-Hand Sword for long.
Victory was already assured.
"Are you prepared to die?"
Even as Wi Hyeok-gun sneered—
Bu Eun-seol remained expressionless, drawing his scabbard with his left hand.
Rather than clumsily attempting a left-handed stance—
He seemed intent on blocking attacks with both hands, as if wielding dual swords.
"Hmph. What kind of swordsmanship do you think you can pull off with that arm?"
Wi Hyeok-gun's mockery fell on deaf ears.
Bu Eun-seol, calm and deliberate, unleashed his next move—
And in that instant, Wi Hyeok-gun's face twisted in shock.
The technique Bu Eun-seol had just executed was one so disgraceful that most martial artists wouldn't even dare to perform it—
The Three Calamities Sword Technique.
"You insane bastard...!"
Wi Hyeok-gun's rage peaked, his face draining of color, his pupils rolling back until only the whites of his eyes remained.
For Bu Eun-seol to use the Three Calamities Sword Technique now—
Was nothing less than a brazen insult, implying that even the Fire Rain Sword Sect's most lethal strike could be blocked by such a crude method.
"You dare belittle my sect?!"
With a thunderous roar, a storm of formless qi erupted around Wi Hyeok-gun's body.
Dozens of weaker martial artists nearby convulsed as if struck by lightning, collapsing like puppets with their strings cut.
Whoosh—
At the same time, a surge of sword qi, saturated with madness and killing intent, erupted from Wi Hyeok-gun's Red Carp Sword, soaring into the heavens.
Crackle—
The lightning-like energy coalesced into the form of a monstrous beast.
This was an annihilation sword form, capable of cutting down any foe—a unique technique personally devised by Wi Hyeok-gun himself.
Black Flame Heavenly Thunder.
Zzzzt—
As the sword qi fully manifested into its bestial shape, more warriors dropped like flies, their bodies convulsing mid-step.
In truth, revealing his ultimate technique here meant exposing his trump card to the world.
But to kill this insolent brat who had insulted him and the Fire Rain Sword Sect—
Wi Hyeok-gun unleashed it without hesitation.
'Found it!'
In that moment—
Amidst the black storm of sword qi that seemed capable of annihilating the world—
Bu Eun-seol spotted a single, minuscule gap.
A flaw born of Wi Hyeok-gun's rage, his emotions laid bare as he poured every ounce of his sword studies into this strike.
A microscopic fracture in the otherwise flawless Black Flame Heavenly Thunder.
"Not a chance!"
Even as Wi Hyeok-gun sensed Bu Eun-seol's discovery—he completed the technique.
With a shoulder wound like that, there was no way Bu Eun-seol could execute a proper counter.
KWA-BOOM!
The heavens and earth seemed to split apart as the beast-shaped Black Flame Heavenly Thunder swallowed the surrounding space for hundreds of feet.
Dust and debris erupted in all directions, a violent tempest whipping around the two combatants.
But the shape of the storm raging through the dust was peculiar.
It was as if something transparent and crystalline had become the wind itself, scattering through the air.
Whoosh.
Finally, as the storm of sword qi subsided, the figures of the two men slowly came into view.
Wi Hyeok-gun stood exactly as he had been before unleashing the Black Flame Heavenly Thunder, while Bu Eun-seol was letting the Ink Soul Sword drop to the ground.
"That doesn't seem like the Martial Emperor's martial arts."
Wi Hyeok-gun furrowed his brow and muttered under his breath.
"That power of yours."
Despite having his shoulder pierced, Bu Eun-seol had executed his sword technique with his right hand—
By using the Water Essence Divine Qi.
He had formed a transparent hand and overlaid it onto his own right arm.
It had lasted only an infinitesimal moment,
But Wi Hyeok-gun seemed to have noticed it immediately.
"A secret technique I stumbled upon while wandering the martial world."
"Hmph."
Wi Hyeok-gun let out a low hum.
The fury had vanished from his eyes, replaced by the look of someone lost in deep contemplation.
Rumble— Crack!
Meanwhile, the earthquake grew even more violent, the ground splitting apart.
Finally, unable to stand by any longer, a young man from the Fire Rain Sword Sect rushed forward—
Bang Cheon-hoe, Wi Hyeok-gun's youngest disciple.
"Master! You must retreat at once!"
Most of the martial artists who had gathered on Poseok Island had already boarded boats and fled.
Only the forces of the Martial Alliance and the Fire Rain Sword Sect remained, along with a few masters watching the battle from afar.
Crrrrk—
As Poseok Island shook once more,
"Commander Seon-u!"
Not only the Martial Alliance's senior members,
But even Seo Muk, who had been standing by in case of emergency, rushed forward to dissuade Bu Eun-seol.
"The island is about to collapse!"
With both sides urging them to stop,
Wi Hyeok-gun, who had been surveying the surroundings, let out a resigned snort.
"Let us postpone this duel."
Then, he spoke calmly.
"Even if I were to behead you now, it would only be seen as a dishonorable victory seized amidst the chaos."
He had engaged in this decisive battle with Seon-u Jin to demonstrate the might of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
But if he were to behead Bu Eun-seol in this chaotic situation,
Far from showcasing the greatness of the Fire Rain Sword Technique, it would only be remembered as a disgraceful victory.
"What a shame."
Bu Eun-seol shrugged his shoulders.
"That supposedly divine Fire Rain Sword didn't work on me, you see."
"What did you say?"
At those words, a chilling killing intent surged from the eyes of Bang Cheon-hoe, who stood beside Wi Hyeok-gun.
"Is that how you speak?"
To any observer, this duel had clearly ended in Bu Eun-seol's defeat.
His body was covered in wounds, large and small, with no part left unscathed—especially his right shoulder, which bore a deep piercing injury.
No one knew how he had managed to block the Black Flame Heavenly Thunder,
But if the fight had continued?
It was obvious to anyone watching that Bu Eun-seol would have been the one to fall.
"To spout such insolence when the Chief Instructor has shown you mercy!"
Wi Hyeok-gun raised a hand to silence Bang Cheon-hoe, then asked Bu Eun-seol:
"Shall we settle this?"
"Very well."
Click.
Bu Eun-seol sheathed the Ink Soul Sword and said:
"Let's end it here."
'He never intended to win from the start.'
Only now did Wi Hyeok-gun realize—
Despite his grievous injuries, Bu Eun-seol's eyes were as still as a clear lake.
'Was everything part of his plan?'
Though his expression remained composed, he was suppressing the tremors in his body by force of internal energy,
Clamping down on the fury threatening to erupt.
At this moment, his right arm had gone completely numb.
The sword technique that had pierced through the Black Flame Heavenly Thunder was nothing special.
But the transparent energy that followed had suddenly invaded the meridians of his forearm,
And now, all sensation from his elbow to his fingertips had vanished.
'Was he using those second-rate sword techniques all along just for this one move?'
Wi Hyeok-gun clenched his left fist so tightly it might shatter.
Only now did he understand why Bu Eun-seol had relentlessly provoked him with inferior techniques,
Why he had endured so stubbornly—
All for the sake of seizing a single opening.
Just to inject that bizarre, transparent energy into the meridians of his arm.
If he was willing to forfeit victory,
Then a single attack like this was possible.
'This bastard...'
Wi Hyeok-gun wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and sever the head of this treacherous wretch right now.
But the fact that such a scheme had worked meant, ultimately, that Seon-u Jin's martial prowess was on par with his own.
And if he resorted to an ambush? The Fire Rain Sword Sect's reputation would be dragged through the mud.
"You really can't do it, can you?"
As if reading his mind, Bu Eun-seol smirked.
"If it were me, I'd have done it even if it meant crawling through three lifetimes of suffering."
Crrrrk.
Wi Hyeok-gun's vision whitened with barely contained rage,
Click.
But with every ounce of his will, he suppressed his emotions, sheathed the Red Carp Sword, and turned away calmly.
"Let us withdraw."
Without hesitation, he turned his back.
At this, Bang Cheon-hoe glared at Bu Eun-seol, Seo Muk, and the Star Guard Corps behind him, and spat:
"Count yourselves lucky. Next time, it won't end like this."
Bu Eun-seol said nothing, merely staring intently at Wi Hyeok-gun's retreating figure.
'He must be seething with fury.'
In his eyes, embers of flame flickered like burning coals.
'He never expected an outcome like this.'
Unless deliberately unleashed, the Water Essence Divine Qi could not be detected from the outside.
Thus, to any observer, this duel would be judged as one where Wi Hyeok-gun held the advantage.
But in truth...
Wi Hyeok-gun was returning with his right arm crippled.