Chapter 97
"Pathetic."
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Tang Sa-heon clutching his stomach with a disappointed expression.
"You're neither skilled with the sword nor do you use hidden weapons. Just what have you been training all this time?"
At the humiliating words, Tang Sa-heon gripped his sword again, but the fire in his eyes had already faded like dying embers.
To be struck in the stomach—not just anywhere, but by a bare fist.
He had realized the gap between their skills was as vast as heaven and earth, and had completely lost his fighting spirit.
'How can someone this young have reached a higher realm than me?'
Even among the most exceptional Rising Talents of the Younger Generation, it was common to barely enter the threshold of the Peak Realm by one's early twenties.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's skill had clearly surpassed the Peak Realm, reaching somewhere near the middle of the Transcendence Realm.
"Don't worry. Since I can't kill anyone bearing the Tang name within the Tang Clan's territory..."
Bu Eun-seol spoke indifferently, watching Tang Sa-heon tremble uncontrollably.
"...there's no need to shake like that."
"Y-you think I'm shaking?"
Tang Sa-heon looked down at his own body, quivering like an aspen leaf.
"This is impossible!"
In a final act of desperation, Tang Sa-heon mustered all his strength and surged his Internal Energy. His muscles swelled to twice their size, and a fierce white light flashed from his eyes.
Primordial Essence True Qi.
He was drawing upon the Primordial Essence True Qi—the immense latent power inherent in the human body since birth.
"If you dodge this, I'll admit defeat!"
Having summoned his Primordial Essence True Qi, Tang Sa-heon was preparing to unleash his Extreme Speed Fast Sword, staking his very life on it.
'Let's test just how far Swift Shadowless has progressed.'
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had intended to deploy the Fluorescent Sword Control to block Tang Sa-heon's Fast Sword.
But noticing Heuk-pyo watching the battle intently from afar with burning eyes, he decided instead to evade the attack using Swift Shadowless.
Fwish!
Tang Sa-heon's Fast Sword, fueled by Primordial Essence True Qi, was like a streak of light.
There was no sense of swordplay unfolding—not even the slightest preparatory movement before it erupted.
Sssss—
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's entire body blurred.
A peerless Movement Technique that, when mastered to Grand Perfection, could traverse ten thousand li in a single day and shift directions ninety-nine times in place—Swift Shadowless had been unleashed.
"Impossible..."
The thrust of the Fast Sword stopped a mere inch from Bu Eun-seol's uvula.
In less than a single breath, Bu Eun-seol had changed directions eighty-two times, narrowly escaping the attack's range.
"Ugh...!"
As his all-out Quick Sword Form missed, Tang Sa-heon began rapidly aging.
Having detonated his Primordial Essence True Qi—the very life force embedded in his body—in a single burst, even his foundational Internal Energy had been completely exhausted.
"A reckless attempt."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue, looking down at Tang Sa-heon as he gasped for breath.
"Internal Energy should only be used when its flow can be freely gathered and released. Once you expend Primordial Essence True Qi to execute a Fast Sword, recovery becomes impossible. Why would you employ such swordplay?"
This kind of sword technique fundamentally violated the principles of proper swordsmanship.
Tang Sa-heon had intended it as a Mutual Destruction gambit, but having missed even that and lost all his Internal Energy... he could no longer remain a martial artist of the Tang Clan.
"A frog in a well."
Wheezing heavily, he turned away weakly.
With all his Internal Power gone, all that remained was retirement from the Murim.
"You can't leave just yet."
"Are you telling me to offer my neck before I go?"
When Tang Sa-heon asked in despair, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Then why did you call me?"
"You hold a fairly high position, so you must know."
"Know what?"
Bu Eun-seol's voice was icy as he stared down at Tang Sa-heon's wretchedly contorted face.
"Tang Bi's next pawn."
Crash!
Now, Tang Bi's rage was no longer confined to mere furnishings. Shattering walls and pillars within the Water Cloud Pavilion, he roared:
"Send the Absolute Poison Corps!"
"That cannot be done, Young Master."
Tang Sa-un shook his head.
"The main force exists solely as the Personal Guard Unit to protect your person. Their combat strength must never be compromised."
"Don't mock me! Tang Gon will be here tomorrow!"
This incident had already cost Tang Bi two of his most capable martial masters.
If he let Bu Eun-seol walk away unscathed, all he would have accomplished was pointlessly sacrificing his finest subordinates.
"What's done is done! Before Tang Gon arrives, that bastard must die—no matter what!"
Though Tang Bi was vicious by nature, his intuition was razor-sharp.
Instinctively, he understood: if Bu Eun-seol remained by Tang Gon's side, the future would become unpredictable.
"Understood."
Tang Sa-un lowered his head, biting his lip before speaking.
"But we cannot use the Absolute Poison Corps."
"What nonsense is this?"
"Given the circumstances, we must ensure his death with absolute certainty."
He raised his head and met Tang Bi's gaze squarely.
"Young Master, summon all the warriors from the Outer Court and surround the Clear Radiance Cottage."
"Surround it?"
"Yes."
Tang Sa-un clenched his teeth, his eyes widening with grim determination.
"And I will enter with the Absolute Poison Corps."
The next day.
Tang Bi gathered every martial master under his command from the Outer Court, encircling both the Clear Radiance Cottage and the detached residence where Bu Eun-seol resided.
The official pretext? "The outsider Tang Gon brought is plotting something disgraceful against the main house."
Had Tang Gon been present, he would have immediately reported this to Tang Pae or even stormed the Inner Court to stop it.
But Bu Eun-seol merely gazed out the window with an amused smile, as if watching an entertaining Beijing Opera performance.
Whoosh—
The Outer Court warriors moved chaotically, deploying the Great Heavenly Net Formation—a battle formation said to rival the Shaolin Hundred Eight Arhat Formation—completely sealing off the Clear Radiance Cottage.
Creak—
Once the encirclement was complete, Tang Sa-un, clad in blue robes, stepped forward with the Absolute Poison Corps, his expression solemn.
"Bu Eun-seol! Come out!"
Creak—
The gate of the detached residence opened, and Bu Eun-seol emerged alone, the Ink Sword strapped to his back.
"You've brought quite the crowd."
Even as the Absolute Poison Corps surrounded him with venom-dripping blades, Bu Eun-seol's lips curled into a welcoming smile.
That smile sent a chill down Tang Sa-un's spine.
'This is bad.'
But he was already riding the tiger—there was no retreating now.
"Bu Eun-seol! According to recent intelligence gathered by our forces, you—"
"Spare me the amateur theatrics."
Bu Eun-seol looked at him with a weary smile.
"We both know this won't end without bloodshed."
"So you intend to resist?"
"Obviously."
Bu Eun-seol's playful tone never wavered. Tang Sa-un bellowed in response:
"Fine! Absolute Poison Corps—deploy the Death Soul Poison Net Formation!"
The Death Soul Poison Net Formation—
One of the Tang Clan's most lethal battle formations, used exclusively by the Absolute Poison Corps. It sealed the movements of any enemy trapped within its bounds, then flooded the enclosed space with the clan's most infamous poison:
Auspicious Scale Blue Shadow.
"Aaaagh—!"
But before the formation could fully activate, screams erupted.
A sudden downpour of Poison Caltrops rained from the sky.
"The rooftops!" Tang Sa-un shouted.
There, perched atop the tiles, was a boy clad in black—Heuk-pyo—strapped with a round hidden weapon device on his back, scattering the deadly projectiles.
It was the Tang Clan's signature Chained Bullet Needle Launcher, capable of firing hundreds of needles in rapid succession.
"How did he find the flaw in the Death Soul Poison Net Formation?!"
The formation relied on ground-based positioning and poison as its medium to suppress enemies.
Its fatal weakness? Helplessness against aerial attacks.
With hundreds of needles raining from above, the warriors had no way to defend themselves.
"Disperse the formation!" Tang Sa-un roared.
Bu Eun-seol chuckled softly.
"You should've done this before sending Tang Sa-heon."
At that moment, realization struck Tang Sa-un. His lips parted in shock.
"Don't tell me... the Yeongpung Hall Master revealed the formation's weakness to you?"
"No need for a Dismantling Technique." Bu Eun-seol's voice turned icy as he drew the Ink Sword.
"When handling a poison like Auspicious Scale Blue Shadow, securing their positions is just common sense."
Shing—
The blade gleamed cold under the sun.
"Let us bring this to an end now."
Whoosh!
The Ink Sword, radiating a chilling aura, pierced straight toward an Absolute Poison Corps member's throat.
Swoosh!
Every member of the Absolute Poison Corps had undergone ten years of grueling training—they were all elite soldiers.
Yet not a single one could block Bu Eun-seol's single stroke.
Clang!
Tang Sa-un drew the dagger he'd been gripping and intercepted an attack meant for one of his unit members.
Guh...
But the reverse force imbued in the Ink Sword was so overwhelming that he felt as though he were being crushed into the ground.
"Heavy Sword Art?"
"You know your techniques well."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been employing the principles of the Heavy Sword Art, suddenly spun the Ink Sword through the air. In that instant, the trajectory of the hidden weapons raining down from behind abruptly shifted.
He had activated the Sky-Shattering Sword Pinnacle Stance.
'This man is the Sword Ghost!'
Within just two breaths of Bu Eun-seol stepping forward, two more Absolute Poison Corps members collapsed, spraying blood.
At this rate, the entire squad would be wiped out within a quarter of an hour.
'There's no other choice.'
Tang Sa-un's eyes flashed.
Had this been outside, he would have been helpless. But this was none other than the inner grounds of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
No matter how exceptional a master Bu Eun-seol was, there was a way to kill him here.
'It can't be helped.'
Just as Tang Sa-un reached into his robes to retrieve something small—
BOOM!
"What is the meaning of this—?!"
A thunderous Lion's Roar shattered the great gate as a gray-clad figure strode through.
It was none other than Tang Gon, who had entered the Secret Cave.
He had mastered the secret technique in just three days—when it had been expected to take four.
"Tang Sa-un!"
Tang Gon's voice was stern, a rare edge to it.
Until now, he had always treated every member of the Tang Clan with kindness, never once speaking down to anyone.
But at this moment, he glared at Tang Sa-un like a savage beast, his killing intent blazing.
"Young Master Third."
"Silence!"
Tang Gon's voice boomed as he fixed Tang Sa-un with a glare.
"You dare call me 'Young Master Third' while surrounding and attacking—without any justification—a close friend staying in my residence?!"
"..."
Tang Sa-un could not have defended himself even with ten mouths.
Tang Gon swept his gaze over Tang Sa-un and the Absolute Poison Corps before speaking in a low, dangerous voice.
"I will report this matter to Father myself!"
Tang Sa-un could not conceal his shock.
Not out of fear of punishment—but because Tang Gon had referred to the Family Head as "Father."
'He has acknowledged it at last.'
Until now, burdened by the shame of being a bastard son, Tang Gon had always addressed Tang Pae as "Family Head."
But now, having officially returned from the Secret Cave, he had cast off even the inferiority complex he had carried for so long.
"Leave. I cannot bear to look at you any longer."
At Tang Gon's command, Tang Sa-un wordlessly bowed his head and withdrew with the Absolute Poison Corps in tow.
"..."
Tang Gon's expression burned like an enraged lion. A heavy silence lingered before, at last, his features softened back into their usual warmth.
"You've been through much."
He sighed, his face tinged with shame.
"I knew Tang Bi was ruthless, but to think he would resort to something this absurd..."
"Young Master Third."
As Heuk-pyo descended from the roof, Tang Gon gave him an approving pat on the shoulder.
"You too have suffered greatly."
"Pay it no mind. It was nothing worth mentioning."
Bu Eun-seol sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened.
"And let Tang Bi be. His faction has already been severely weakened by this incident."
"Weakened, you say?"
Tang Gon blinked in surprise as Heuk-pyo leaned in and whispered,
"Young Master Second... sent assassins after our Young Master twice. When that failed, he resorted to this."
"Twice, you say...?"
"Indeed. And now, having failed so spectacularly today, he must have lost considerable public sentiment."
Just as Bu Eun-seol had predicted.
Rumors spread that Tang Bi had sent assassins three times while Tang Gon was absent, causing his supporters to rapidly dwindle.
Not only that, but having lost half his Absolute Poison Corps, Tang Bi's own forces had been crippled.
With matters having reached this point, Tang Bi had ceased all external activities, shutting himself away in the Water Cloud Pavilion and refusing to emerge.
And there was one more change—factions had begun forming in support of Tang Gon.
"What brings you here, Uncle Pyo?"
Seated across the table from Tang Gon was an elderly man with neatly combed white hair.
It was none other than Tang Pyo, an elder of the Tang Clan and the Hall Master of Sumeru.
"As a candidate for Young Clan Head, I wish to pledge my support to you."