Chapter 81
The Blood Ghosts shouted in shock as the hidden weapons they had thrown came flying back at them with perfect precision.
'What kind of sword technique is that?!'
Yangmyeong's eyes widened in disbelief.
Though he had roamed the martial world for over twenty years, he had never seen a sword technique that could deflect hidden weapons back to their throwers.
"Evade!"
At his command, the Blood Ghosts hidden in the forest swiftly dodged.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The returning hidden weapons embedded themselves into the great trees where they had been hiding.
The fact that the weapons they had thrown were now flying straight back—it was as if their hiding spots were being marked for them.
"So that's where you were."
Bu Eun-seol unfurled Ultimate Speed Shadowless, moving like a ghost as he began cutting down the concealed Blood Ghosts one by one.
"Gah—!"
"Ugh—!"
With every flash of sword light that flickered through the forest, the screams of Blood Ghosts erupted without fail.
Within moments, five of them had crumpled to the ground, prompting Yangmyeong to roar:
"Deploy the formation!"
Whoosh—
At that instant, a fierce wind swept through the trees, the rustling of leaves echoing in all directions. The Blood Ghost Society's famed offensive formation was being unleashed.
"Young Master, be careful!"
Heuk-pyo, hidden in a nearby tree, urgently called out to Bu Eun-seol.
"It's the Black Slaughter Descending Chain Formation—it completely blinds the enemy!"
Hearing this, Bu Eun-seol allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.
An offensive formation was like a group of people painting a single, predetermined picture together.
But each of them had different physiques, strides, even personalities and martial prowess.
Bu Eun-seol, who had mastered the Way of the Beast to its limits, could unfailingly detect even the slightest disharmony in the formation's rhythm.
Sssss—
As the formation took effect, Bu Eun-seol's vision plunged into darkness.
The Black Slaughter Descending Chain Formation's function was to block the sight and senses of those trapped within, neutralizing their ability to counterattack.
"Blocking senses and sight... is it?"
Standing in the darkness, Bu Eun-seol let out a derisive snort before simultaneously activating his Movement Technique and Sword Techniques.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
His movements were erratic, devoid of any formal stances, as if he were wildly swinging his sword without restraint.
"Aaaagh—!"
Screams erupted from all directions once more.
Yangmyeong couldn't hide his shock as Bu Eun-seol, despite his seemingly haphazard swordplay, continued to cut down the Blood Ghosts.
Was his swordsmanship so peerless that even random, reckless swings could unleash devastating power?
"Seems you've never used this against a true master before."
Bu Eun-seol chuckled darkly.
He was, after all, the only one standing within the formation. With enemies surrounding him on all sides, he could swing his sword freely without hesitation.
But the Blood Ghost Society's masters couldn't recklessly throw hidden weapons or slash wildly—they had to coordinate their attacks carefully to avoid cutting down their own allies.
"D-Disperse the formation!"
Only then did Yangmyeong realize the flaw in their strategy and bellowed the order.
'Those trapped in the Black Slaughter Descending Chain Formation usually panic, unable to react... Yet this bastard saw through its weakness in an instant!'
Truthfully, though Yangmyeong was a martial master, he had never commanded the entire Blood Ghost Society in battle before.
Since the Hell Blood Citadel had established its dominance in the martial world, when had they ever needed to deploy Blood Ghosts in large numbers against a single enemy?
For over twenty years, they had roamed the martial world under the prestige of the Demonic Path Ten Gates—they had never once needed such tactics.
"Guh—!"
The screams continued unabated.
"Tch...!"
Finally, as the formation dissolved, the gruesome scene before them was revealed.
The places where the Blood Ghosts had hidden were now slick with blood, their fallen corpses strewn about.
The count was staggering—at least fourteen bodies.
In less than seven or eight minutes, nearly one-third of their forces had been slaughtered.
"You... bastard...!"
Yangmyeong gnashed his teeth and roared.
"Kill him! Tear him apart!"
The remaining Blood Ghosts, eyes blazing, closed in on Bu Eun-seol.
Each of them had been personally trained by Yangmyeong, and all had mastered the Poison Demon Body Art to at least the Third Achievement Level, hardening their bodies like steel.
But this was Yangmyeong's fatal mistake.
He should have ambushed Bu Eun-seol before he had obtained the Ink Sword.
Uuung.
As Reverse Polarity True Qi surged into the Ink Sword, a low Sword Resonance hummed, and a dark radiance shot into the air.
The moment Bu Eun-seol unleashed his sword technique, the blood demons were flung back by an invisible force before the Sword Strokes even touched them.
Chik. Chik.
As the ink-black blade danced through the air, dozens—no, hundreds—of sword qi rained down upon the first wave of blood demons who had recklessly charged forward.
"Gahk!"
When their front-line comrades collapsed like bundles of straw, the remaining demons from the flanks and rear encircled Bu Eun-seol and unleashed their Poison Arts.
Palm Energy laced with Extreme Poison erupted, filling the air with a nauseating stench as a black fog seemed to spread in all directions.
"Got you now, bastard!"
Yangmyeong watched with a triumphant smirk.
No matter how skilled a master might be, once engulfed in poisonous mist, poisoning was inevitable.
Chik. Fwoosh!
Yet Bu Eun-seol's Sword Strokes only grew sharper, his movements as swift and precise as ever.
"Why... isn't he showing any signs of poisoning?"
Hearing Yangmyeong's muttered disbelief, Bu Eun-seol inwardly scoffed.
Even before mastering a proper Internal Energy Method, he had endured the Corpse Game, holding his breath for more than a quarter-hour.
Now, having reached the Third Layer of the Reverse Polarity Heart Method, if he wished, he could wield his sword for the duration of a full meal without taking a single breath.
"So you've cut off your breathing."
Yangmyeong let out a low chuckle as he grasped Bu Eun-seol's state.
"Don't waste your effort. Our Poison Art seeps in through the skin."
At those words, Bu Eun-seol doubled the True Qi flowing into the Ink Sword.
"Hahp!"
Releasing his held breath, he unleashed a single devastating strike, cleaving through every blood demon that lunged at him.
Then, abruptly, he stopped channeling his Internal Energy into the sword—instead, dispersing it through every Qi Vessel in his body.
Pahng!
As his energy turned inward, a violent gale erupted around him, whipping his hair wildly.
Seeing the flash of light in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, Yangmyeong sensed danger and bellowed:
"Fall back!"
Until now, Bu Eun-seol's swordplay had been like a relentless storm of lightning.
With such immense Internal Energy surging, Yangmyeong expected an attack of overwhelming might.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
But from Bu Eun-seol's left hand, black liquid trickled to the ground.
Hearing Yangmyeong's words, he had realized poison had indeed seeped into his skin—and immediately activated Qi Gathering Poison.
"Hall Leader Yang. You'd do well to speak less."
Bu Eun-seol grinned faintly, and Yangmyeong's eyes flared with malice.
"Release the poison mist again!"
At his command, the blood demons unleashed another wave of Poison Arts.
Shwak!
But Bu Eun-seol's sword was faster.
By the time they raised their arms, it was as if he had already brought their hands to the Ink Sword.
"Grahhk!"
Slicing through the arms of the poison-wielding demons, Bu Eun-seol broke through their ranks and swung his sword toward a towering great tree—twice the width of a grown man's torso.
Sshhk.
With the sound of splitting air, the tree was cleaved horizontally—along with the bodies of the blood demons hiding behind it.
Soundless and Voiceless.
The more Bu Eun-seol poured his full strength into his swings, the more the expected Sound of Breaking Air vanished from his blade.
'Indeed... worthy of being called a divine sword.'
Bu Eun-seol marveled inwardly as he executed his swordplay in perfect silence.
Flash!
The Ink Sword was forged from Earth Extreme Mysterious Iron.
Not only could it slice through steel like tofu, but even a Lightly infused True Qi strike could unleash Sword Qi as if he had poured his full power into it.
Chik. Chik.
With the divine sword's razor edge and Bu Eun-seol's exquisite technique, the blood demons were utterly helpless.
Veterans who had roamed the Martial World for years fell like autumn leaves with every swing of his blade.
"Guhk!"
Those who barely managed to block coughed up blood and collapsed, their internal organs injured by the tremendous force carried in Bu Eun-seol's sword.
Thud. Thud.
In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, every blood demon hiding in the forest had become nothing more than corpses.
Only then did Yangmyeong realize his grave mistake.
He had severely underestimated Bu Eun-seol's strength.
'This is different from our duel at the Martial Arts Tournament.'
With his life on the line, Bu Eun-seol unleashed brutal killing moves without hesitation.
Moreover, as he grew accustomed to fighting against Poison Arts and Poison People, his skills surged yet again.
Of course, neither Yangmyeong nor anyone else could have predicted such a sudden surge in Bu Eun-seol’s martial prowess.
"How dare you?!"
As Bu Eun-seol felled the last of the Blood Ghosts, Yangmyeong's eyes burned crimson with fury.
Decades of reputation, status, and even his subordinates—all shattered in an instant.
"I'll tear you apart!"
Bu Eun-seol silently raised the Ink Sword diagonally, watching Yangmyeong charge toward him.
He prepared to unleash a sword technique befitting the final stand of a master from the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
Seeing that unyielding, tyrannical stance, the warrior spirit buried deep within Yangmyeong's mind surged forth.
"I have no need for petty tricks!"
BOOM!
Yangmyeong, pushing his Poison Demon Body Art to its limit, unleashed a torrent of black energy that shot skyward.
"Face me head-on!"
With a battle cry, he leaped forward, unleashing a storm of Finger Wind.
At the same time, his body—now fully transformed by the Poison Demon Body Art—hurtled toward Bu Eun-seol.
This was his final, desperate killing move.
Bu Eun-seol, observing the incoming Finger Wind, slashed the Ink Sword in a full cross.
Supreme Heavenly Flow, Third Form.
Waning Moon Morning Star.
FLASH!
In that moment, Yangmyeong saw countless streaks of light raining down before his eyes.
It was less a sword technique and more like sorrowful, dazzling starlight—fading away at the break of dawn.
"A sword technique too unpredictable..."
Blood trickled from the corner of Yangmyeong's mouth.
"So this was my fate."
At this point, Yangmyeong actually laughed.
Though he had been ruthless by nature, he was still a master who had once dominated an era within the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
As he sensed his final moments approaching, the cruelty faded, revealing a dignified bearing.
"I wasn't wrong about your skill. I simply didn't realize it was a martial talent bestowed by the heavens."
Then, step by step, he walked toward Bu Eun-seol.
Drip. Drip.
Dark red blood spilled from Yangmyeong's mouth.
Though there were no external wounds, the overwhelming pressure from the sword strike had ruptured all his internal organs.
A hollow smile crossed his lips.
"Even if I had abandoned ambition... and devoted myself solely to martial arts, I could never have blocked this technique."
His expression was oddly serene.
"I rampaged through the martial world for decades... and in the end, I was granted the finest sword technique. I have no regrets."
THUD.
With those final words, he collapsed.
Yangmyeong—the Hall Leader of the Blood Ghost Society, who had long reigned as a figure of infamy within Hell Blood Citadel.
Yet even he carried deep regrets in life. His beginnings had been promising, but he had never reached the pinnacle.
And so, he had struggled desperately to climb higher.
That was why he had volunteered for the mission to retrieve the Spiritual Subtlety Divine Sword—only to be slain by Bu Eun-seol.
"Young Master."
WHOOSH.
Heuk-pyo, who had been hiding in the great tree, descended to the ground.
"I'll handle the cleanup."
"No need."
"If we leave them like this, you and Hell Blood Citadel will become sworn enemies."
At those words, Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed.
"Hell Blood Citadel is no third-rate sect. Since they acted out of greed and struck first, they may bear a grudge—but they won't lodge an official protest."
"Are you sure?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Poison People who've mastered Poison Arts can't be buried carelessly anyway."
"I have Fire Essence Stones."
"Since they were sent on a mission, Hell Blood Citadel will be tracking their movements. They'll find the bodies before they're too badly damaged."
CLACK.
Sheathing his sword, Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice.
"If we burn the corpses ourselves, we'd only invite their condemnation."
Heuk-pyo nodded in reluctant agreement, though his expression remained uneasy.
The Lord of the Hell Blood Citadel was a Great Demon notorious for his cruel nature. Heuk-pyo feared that this incident might have created an irreconcilable feud with the Citadel.
"Understood."
Heuk-pyo bowed his head, but Bu Eun-seol remained motionless, standing in place.
Just as Heuk-pyo was about to voice his confusion—
"Come out."
Bu Eun-seol's low voice cut through the air as he gazed into the distant night sky.
"If you keep hiding, I'll consider you an enemy."