Chapter 739
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
As a barrage of concealed weapons rained down, Bu Eun-seol immediately took cover behind a tree.
In such a densely overgrown forest, concealed weapons were ineffective.
Moreover, with so many places to hide... a forest was ideal terrain for facing large numbers of enemies.
Whoosh!
But the assassins of the Short Life Sect were no fools.
Having heard that Bu Eun-seol was heading into the mountains, they had prepared thoroughly to capture him.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, thick, acrid smoke began billowing around the area where Bu Eun-seol stood.
They had spread Poisonous Smoke, cutting off any chance for him to evade and counterattack while hiding among the trees.
Furthermore, as if they had prearranged a special Boundary Formation, the Poisonous Smoke didn't disperse outward but instead remained densely concentrated within a fifty-jang radius.
Riiing...
Bu Eun-seol, still concealed behind the tree, felt dizzy as soon as he inhaled the smoke.
'At least that's fortunate.'
But he soon steadied himself with a hand on his chest.
The assassins of the Short Life Sect, believing Bu Eun-seol to be a formidable expert, had primarily mixed Qi-Scattering Powder into the Poisonous Smoke.
However, since Bu Eun-seol's Internal Power was already sealed, even if he swallowed an entire bowl of Qi-Scattering Powder, it would do him no real harm.
Fwip-fwip-fwip!
Meanwhile, the barrage of concealed weapons continued relentlessly.
Even as he was surrounded and pelted with projectiles, Bu Eun-seol remained unshaken.
Instead, he moved toward the direction from which the weapons were being launched.
"Guh—!"
"Kgh—!"
Simultaneously, screams erupted from all corners of the forest.
Bu Eun-seol was weaving through the smoke-filled woods, systematically beheading the assassins one by one.
Assassins, whose profession was killing, inevitably trained in techniques to heighten their senses.
Moreover, the Short Life Sect's assassins had deployed an intricate defensive formation, allowing them to clearly perceive the situation within the forest.
Yet, they couldn't detect Bu Eun-seol's Presence at all. Instead, the very Poisonous Smoke meant to blind him became their downfall—
One by one, they were being hunted.
Shlik! Crunch!
No matter how much they sharpened their senses, they couldn't locate Bu Eun-seol. Only the eerie sound of severing flesh echoed through the trees.
"Ghk—!"
"Ugh!"
In stark contrast, Bu Eun-seol moved freely through the smoke, methodically cutting down the assassins.
He had once trained blindfolded under Sa-u, one of the Langya Pavilion's greatest masters, enduring life-threatening strikes from the Hidden Hall Lord's blade to master the Way of the Beast.
Thus, even in complete darkness—let alone mere Poisonous Smoke—he faced not the slightest hindrance.
Shunk!
As the Ink Soul Sword pierced through solid rock, blood gushed forth.
The Short Life Sect's Concealment Art was unique, allowing them to disguise themselves as rocks or trees—
But to Bu Eun-seol, they were merely targets that had changed shape.
"Disperse the Poisonous Smoke!"
Only then did the assassins realize—
Bu Eun-seol possessed Concealment Secret Art and Extrasensory Perception far surpassing their own.
In a panic, they hastily stopped fueling the smoke.
"Damn it."
As the smoke cleared, the lead assassin bit his lip.
In that brief time, over forty assassins had already fallen.
"Scatter and strike him down!"
At the leader's command, the assassins vanished once more.
"Haa... Haa..."
Bu Eun-seol stood motionless in the forest, breathing heavily.
Though the Poisonous Smoke had dissipated completely, the assassins had concealed themselves flawlessly.
And the Killing Intent permeating the forest grew even thicker.
Now, the real battle would begin.
Shwooo!
With an eerie Sound of Breaking Air,
a circular, razor-edged concealed weapon arced toward Bu Eun-seol in a wide curve.
He dodged swiftly.
Clang-clang-clang!
The spot where he had stood erupted in sparks and a deafening Metallic Sound as the weapon embedded itself into a massive boulder.
The concealed weapon resembled a series of interconnected circular saw blades—
Not only did its trajectory defy prediction due to the Sound of Breaking Air,
but it was also designed to tear open grievous wounds upon impact.
Thud! Thud!
Deflecting the saw-blade projectiles, Bu Eun-seol retreated downhill.
Though he lacked Internal Power, his Way of the Beast senses grew even sharper in combat.
And since he couldn't move with full agility now,
he calmly deflected the raining projectiles while slowly repositioning.
"Attack!"
Finally, the assassins realized—
Concealed weapons alone couldn't stop Bu Eun-seol.
Drawing their blades, they charged.
Swish! Shwip!
As befitted legendary assassins of the Killing Sect, their saber arts could rival those of accomplished martial masters in sheer martial skill.
Clang-clang-clang!
Under their relentless assault, Bu Eun-seol was gradually forced downhill.
The assassins formed a tight encirclement, clinging to him like water ghosts.
Moreover, as the pre-laid defensive formations blended with their swift movement techniques, all Bu Eun-seol could see were flashes of pitch-black blades.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
And whenever the distance widened even slightly, the assassins seized the opportunity like specters, hurling hidden weapons once more. It was an unrelenting chain of attacks without a moment's respite.
'Hmm.'
Leaning against a boulder as he dodged the hidden blades, Bu Eun-seol let out a faint groan.
The black blood oozing from his wounds made it clear—the hidden weapons or swords had been coated with Extreme Poison.
Gulp.
He retrieved a Jamma Shindan from his robes and swallowed it.
This Spirit Medicine not only treated external injuries but also possessed exceptional detoxifying properties.
'The Art of Killing of the Short Life Sect is truly unique.'
Internally, Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but admire the sect's Hundred-Kill Secret Techniques.
'Not only is their Concealment Art untraceable, but they've also spread both the Confounding Principle Formation and the Bewildering-Soul Formation across this entire mountain.'
No matter how much he moved, he couldn't escape the forest.
The illusion of an enormous wall blocking his path suggested that the formations had been deliberately layered and overlapped.
Moreover, they attacked with precision, as if observing his position from above like a chessboard.
And in certain areas, hidden weapons rained down even without any assassins present.
Undoubtedly, they had embedded a Killing Formation—complete with hidden weapon devices—within the larger Strange Formation.
Flash!
Sensing something, Bu Eun-seol sprang from the boulder like a ricocheting stone.
Swish!
A pitch-black poisoned blade shot out from the spot where he had just been leaning.
Before he knew it, the assassins had closed in.
Whoosh!
As he twisted away, four sword shadows rained down from above.
Bu Eun-seol swiftly swung his Ink Soul Sword, deflecting the blades and attempting to sever the wrist of one attacker.
'Tch.'
But the wound near his shoulder hindered his movements, making them sluggish.
In the end, he only managed to cut down one assassin's wrist out of the four.
Swish.
Realizing the sheer skill of Bu Eun-seol's sword techniques, the assassins refused to engage directly if their strikes missed, immediately retreating into concealment.
For about half an hour, the forest echoed with the relentless clashing of weapons and hidden blades.
During that time, Bu Eun-seol consumed two more Jamma Shindan pills to stave off the poisoning.
The assassins of the Short Life Sect were even more tenacious than expected, displaying a will to kill him at all costs—even if it meant their own deaths.
'Only one pill left.'
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
His internal injuries had worsened, and only a single Jamma Shindan remained.
The number of assassins was unknown, and with every passing moment, the battle grew more unfavorable.
Yet his eyes remained calm.
From the moment he stepped into Murim, he had erased the boundary between life and death.
What was there to fear? What was there to regret?
Fwip!
Had they exhausted their hidden weapons?
Suddenly, the barrage of projectiles noticeably dwindled.
Clang-clang-clang!
Seizing the opportunity, Bu Eun-seol pivoted and dashed forward.
But strangely—
Instead of breaking through the encirclement, he charged deeper into the forest, toward the assassins' hidden stronghold.
—Has he gone mad?
As Bu Eun-seol plunged into the heart of the woods, the Short Life Sect's assassins, concealed in the shadows, slowly tightened their net around him.
Thunk.
He stabbed the tree beside him—
And an assassin collapsed, a blade piercing clean through his forehead.
Shhk!
But at the same time, dozens of blades erupted from the ground beneath him.
Whisk!
Unable to leap into the air due to his depleted internal energy, Bu Eun-seol resorted to the Lazy Donkey Roll, tumbling across the dirt.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The assassins didn't miss their chance—hidden weapons showered down like rain from above.
Clang-clang-clang!
Even as he rolled, Bu Eun-seol swung his Ink Soul Sword, deflecting the incoming projectiles.
—Persistent bastards...
The assassins muttered in disgust.
No such technique existed in the current Murim.
Bu Eun-seol wasn't merely executing martial arts—he was applying Langya Pavilion's Practical Combat Martial Arts, fighting for survival through sheer instinct.
Tap.
Rising swiftly, he slashed his sword again.
But the assassins no longer closed in, instead sporadically launching the few remaining hidden weapons.
After all, Bu Eun-seol would soon collapse—either from poisoning or exhaustion.
They intended to slowly strangle him, maintaining distance and dragging out the fight.
Drip-drip.
Black blood seeped from the wounds grazed by hidden blades, and Bu Eun-seol's movements gradually slowed.
Agility was no longer possible—he could only roll across the ground in a daze as the weapons rained down.
[I should start wrapping this up now.]
The hidden assassins taunted Bu Eun-seol by employing the Six-Harmony Voice Transmission technique.
His injuries and poisoning were by no means feigned.
In this state, within half an hour—
No, within a quarter of an hour, he would undoubtedly collapse from exhaustion and die.
Swish! Swish!
But then, something bizarre happened.
The moment Bu Eun-seol swung his sword through empty air—
Splurt!
Blood sprayed out, and suddenly, one of the assassins crumpled to the ground.
"What the—?"
As the assassins reeled in confusion—
Fwip! Splurt!
One by one, the assassins still concealed in stealth were inexplicably impaled by Bu Eun-seol's blade.
"Evade him!"
The assassins swiftly repositioned, attempting to dodge the sword that pursued them.
But something was wrong.
No matter how much they moved, it was as if an invisible wall had formed in the forest—there was no escape.
"No!"
Only then did the assassins realize—
The boundary formations they had laid down to trap Bu Eun-seol had been completely altered.
"Impossible."
Their pupils trembled.
Only now did they recall how Bu Eun-seol had been rolling across the ground, wildly swinging his sword like a madman.
They had assumed he was merely flailing to avoid the hidden projectiles.
But in truth, he had been subtly manipulating the boundary formations embedded throughout the forest.
—How could such a thing even be possible?
The assassins, still hidden in stealth, couldn't believe it.
In a situation like this, breaking through the encirclement should have been the only viable option.
Yet Bu Eun-seol, even while teetering on the brink of death, had analyzed every single boundary formation in the forest—
And while swinging his sword like a man possessed, he had quietly altered the pre-existing formations.
Whoosh.
Finally, the lead assassin revealed himself before Bu Eun-seol.
"Just who the hell are you?"
His voice shook.
In a life-or-death battle at the utmost limit—
To not only perceive the formations laid out but also covertly modify them—
Such a genius in martial arts was unheard of, even in jest.
"None of your concern."
Bu Eun-seol's voice carried a hint of irritation.
The assassins felt fear and rage simultaneously.
This man was undoubtedly a master of immense internal energy.
If they failed to kill him today—the Short Life Sect itself might face annihilation.
Shhh.
Finally, all the assassins abandoned stealth and revealed themselves.
Eleven in total.
Each wore the garb of herb gatherers, wielding sickles—
Though these sickles were honed not as farming tools, but as lethal weapons.
They had used these sickles, under the guise of herb gatherers, to—
Relentlessly repeat the act of killing people.
"Deploy the Binding-Kill Formation!"
At the lead assassin's command, the remaining assassins began circling Bu Eun-seol.
Whirr—Thud!
Once the Binding-Kill Formation was complete, their bodies flickered like mist—vanishing and reappearing in rapid succession.
The Binding-Kill Formation of the Short Life Sect was a uniquely potent battle formation—
Even if every member forming it died, it would inevitably unleash a fatal strike upon the enemy.
A Decisive-Kill Formation in every sense.
Clink.
Bu Eun-seol raised Ink Soul Sword to mid-stance.
His pupils showed not the slightest tremor, as if life and death meant nothing to him.
He was ready to exploit any opening the moment it appeared.
Shiver.
Seeing Bu Eun-seol, now one with his sword, the assassins' eyes trembled.
They too were Special-Grade Assassins, who scorned death.
But when they met Bu Eun-seol's transparent gaze, an eerie sensation crawled over them—
A chilling intuition, as if Death itself had clung to their backs.
"He'll die from the poison soon anyway!"
The lead assassin spoke coldly.
"Buy time and tighten the encirclement—don't let him escape!"
As his words ended, an enormous killing intent surged from the assassins.
And just as they were about to strike—
"The road of life is hard..."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the distant sky with endlessly desolate eyes.
"The hardship is hard to describe again."
Instantly, the assassins' eyes wavered violently.
At that very moment, they had been pouring their full focus into—
Analyzing Bu Eun-seol's openings and preparing their attack.
The way he gripped his sword.
The stance he took—these determined the type and timing of his techniques.
Every ounce of their senses was locked onto his next move.
Yet in this hair-trigger moment—
His sudden, mournful recitation of poetry severed the tension like a snapped string.
Slash—Slash!
Seizing that instant of Utmost Void, Ink Soul Sword cleaved through empty air.
In the brief moment their focus wavered, blades reflected in the moonlight pierced the assassins' vital points.
"Evade!"
The assassins snapped back to attention, attempting to block Bu Eun-seol's sword.
But the blade, which had been gliding smoothly like a viper's tongue, suddenly vanished without a trace.
Shhk.
At the same time, a deep gash appeared on one assassin's thigh.
Bu Eun-seol had altered his sword technique mid-motion, abruptly targeting the leg—making it seem as though his sword had disappeared from their sight.
"Ghk—!"
The assassin staggered, groaning from the wound.
Outwardly, it appeared as though only the thigh had been slashed, but in truth, the femoral artery had been deeply pierced.
Splurt.
A thigh wound might seem survivable, but a pierced artery changes everything.
As blood gushed out, the assassin swiftly pressed on the acupoints to stem the bleeding.
"Ugh..."
Yet, strangely, the bleeding refused to stop despite sealing the pressure points.
Bu Eun-seol was an expert in human anatomy.
He hadn't just cut the artery—he had shredded the surrounding vessels and muscle, rendering their attempts to stop the bleeding futile.
Thud.
In the end, the assassin who had taken that single strike to the thigh collapsed, lifeless.
"I wondered why our assassins were dropping like flies to such feeble strikes..."
The leader inhaled sharply as he examined his subordinate's wound.
"So you're a sword Master who specializes in the human body."
What had seemed like casual, effortless strikes were, in truth, lethally precise.
Each stroke carried an intricate, deadly intent.
"But your body isn't in peak condition."
The leader's eyes gleamed as he stared at Bu Eun-seol.
"And you're poisoned... In the end, you'll die too!"
Clang-clang-clang!
Another desperate close-quarters battle erupted.
Before long, deep wounds marred Bu Eun-seol's body as well.
No matter how refined his swordsmanship was,
standing his ground meant he couldn't perfectly block every attack from the assassins.
Worse, with every fatal strike he delivered, he too suffered a slash in return—
a brutal exchange of flesh for bone, repeated endlessly.
Drip-drip.
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol had become a man drenched in blood.
Only three remained now, including the leader.
But Bu Eun-seol, as if drained of all strength, hung his head, blood trickling steadily.
"I'll kill you with an inescapable killing technique."
The leader's eyes flashed as he glared at the exhausted Bu Eun-seol.
The Short Life Sect had never once failed.
Because for a single contract,
they would live ordinary lives for decades—sometimes even half a century.
Yet now, out of nowhere, this nameless Bu Eun-seol had slaughtered comrades they had spent over a decade with.
Their rage was beyond words.
"Assassins have emotions too?"
At Bu Eun-seol's words,
Huuung...
The three assassins responded not with words, but by unleashing a thick, black energy.
Even if they died to Bu Eun-seol's blade, they would ensure mutual destruction—
a vicious killing art, a modified version of the legendary Toad-Joining Art:
the Blood-Heaven Toad-Joining Art.
Grrrroooowl...
Like toads, they crouched low, glaring at Bu Eun-seol.
But then—
"Over there!"
A sharp, clear voice rang out,
Rumble—
as dozens of mercenaries armed with weapons stormed into the forest where Bu Eun-seol stood.
At the forefront was a woman in white robes—Ye Eo-ryeong, daughter of the Dragon Splendor Merchant Guild.
She had realized too late
why Bu Eun-seol had taken the long robe from her.
It was to draw the pursuers away, ensuring her safe escape.
After much deliberation, she had abandoned her journey to the Golden Saber Sect and instead spent an exorbitant sum to hire Special-Grade Mercenaries,
then set out to find Bu Eun-seol.
But as he had ventured deep into the mountain paths, tracking him proved difficult.
Only now, thanks to the day-and-night battle between him and the assassins, had she finally located him.
"Save him!"
At Ye Eo-ryeong's command, the mercenaries charged into the forest.
CRASH!
But a Boundary Formation blocked their entry.
"It's a formation. Find the array markers."
True to their status as Special-Grade Mercenaries, they immediately fanned out, searching for the objects powering the formation.
"Hurry!"
Ye Eo-ryeong's eyes widened as she saw the black energy seeping from the assassins' bodies, now crouched in a triangular formation.
She understood the situation had taken a dire turn.
"Damn it! It won't break easily!"
"Is this an Ancient Formation? We'd need hundreds of pounds of gunpowder to crack this!"
The formations woven through the forest were terrifyingly resilient. The mercenaries floundered, unable to dismantle them.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
At that moment, a drop of blood slid from Bu Eun-seol's forehead, streaking past his eyes—
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, three assassins shot forward like bullets.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol whirled the Ink Soul Sword in a spinning motion, applying the subtle principles of Deflect Flowers and Receive Jade.
Whoosh.
The three men narrowly grazed past him.
Thwack! Thwack!
But they took advantage of the enclosed space created by the battle formation, rebounding instantly and launching themselves back at Bu Eun-seol with the Blood-Heaven Toad Art.
The terrifying aspect of the Toad Art was this:
The more an opponent evaded,
the more their bodies accelerated, hurtling forward with overwhelming force.
"Hurry, hurry!"
As the rogue warriors failed to break the formation, Ye Eo-ryeong cried out in desperation.
"He's going to die!"
In such a confined space, the Blood-Heaven Toad Art was unstoppable.
At worst, they could detonate their own bodies, turning their high-speed fragments into hidden weapons—
an unavoidable strike of Mutual Destruction.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol was left with only one fate: to be trapped here and die.
Crack! Whirr! Whizz!
After deflecting several attacks,
the assassins had already transformed into streaks of black light, carving through the entire forest.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Just grazing against the high-speed bodies of the assassins—empowered by the Blood-Heaven Toad Art—split Bu Eun-seol's skin open.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Soon, all that remained visible were the black streaks (Black Lines), and even the heightened senses of the Beast Path could no longer track their trajectories.
Fwip!
With every pass of the Black Lines, flesh tore and burst, turning Bu Eun-seol into a crimson Blood Person, his gaze gradually dimming.
He had lost too much blood—he couldn't hold on any longer.
Clang!
Then, two assassins seized the opportunity, closing in on Bu Eun-seol from both sides.
Whirrrr.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol spun the Ink Soul Sword like a windmill, generating a swirling current of energy.
Though his hand movements weren't fast, the mysterious flow of his technique created a circular stream of force.
The Taiji Wisdom Sword.
Bu Eun-seol was mimicking Accumulated Goodness Brings Blessings, one of the forms Song-ak had once demonstrated.
Swish! Swish!
Though he couldn't infuse it with Internal Energy to create dozens of circular Sword Flowers,
he perfectly executed the principles of the Taiji Wisdom Sword—Continuous as Though Existing and Use Without Exhaustion.
CRASH!
The two Black Lines collided, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Bu Eun-seol swiftly dodged,
but not before countless shreds of flesh grazed his back and shoulders.
"You bastard—!"
But in that moment, the leader,
seizing an unavoidable instant, shot toward Bu Eun-seol.
Huum!
A sharp Sword Radiance flashed from the Ink Soul Sword—
Gleam!
—and a brilliant rainbow erupted.
Over four days, Bu Eun-seol had slowly recovered his stamina, restoring roughly a decade's worth of Internal Power.
And now, as he channeled his Internal Energy into a full-powered strike... it was no longer mere swordplay—it had become a manifestation of Sword Intent.
The will to live.
And the torment of not even being able to take his own life.
His own existence was worthless,
and death would bring him peace—
yet he couldn't die, not until he had his revenge.
And now, he had to uncover the truth behind his parents' deaths.
How could he possibly die here?
KWA—AAAH!
The energy erupting from the Ink Soul Sword was like a light descending from the heavens.
Unavoidable. Impossible to sense. As inevitable as existence itself.
Shhk.
That light passed straight through the body of the leader, who had been lunging at Bu Eun-seol—
CRACK!
—and the assassin's body was sent flying backward.
Though his Protective Clothing and the Toad Art kept him from being split in two,
a deep crimson Blood Line had been carved from his head down to his torso by Bu Eun-seol's single stroke.
"You... who are you?"
The leader staggered to his feet, demanding an answer.
Though his wound was already fatal,
for a man who had lived by the pride of the Short Life Sect, falling to a nameless figure
was an unbearable disgrace.
"Answer... me!"
His soul refused to leave his body, his teeth grinding in fury.
'Is this, too, the sorrow of those who walk the Martial World?'
Pity flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he looked at the leader.
He could never understand the twisted values of murim warriors,
yet he couldn't help but feel a strange reverence for someone who could endure so much for the sake of pride alone.
"Bu Eun-seol."
"Bu Eun-seol... the Martial Soul Lord?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Finally hearing the answer he had sought,
the leader's eyes brightened infinitely behind his mask.
"Then... it makes sense."
"I wasn't weak."
As if his body had fulfilled its final duty now that all secrets were revealed—
Shlik!
—it split cleanly in two.