Chapter 233

A brilliant flash erupted from Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he watched the Cold-Blooded Demons charge.

With a high, clear resonance resembling a dragon’s roar, the Dark Sword unleashed a torrent of sharp energy that moved too fast for the naked eye to track. In a single, fluid motion accompanied by a chilling shearing sound, the five demons leading the vanguard were cleaved in two.

…!

A faint light flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.

The sensation transmitted to his fingertips was not the crisp part of flesh, but a dull, heavy resistance. The bodies of these Cold-Blooded Demons were far harder than steel.

“They pickled their bodies in drugs.”

They had evidently tempered their flesh to extreme density to execute suicide attacks at the final moment.

Undeterred, the Cold-Blooded Demons charged at Bu Eunseol again with full force. This time, instead of rushing in blindly, they maintained distance and attacked from multiple vectors. Realizing Bu Eunseol’s swordsmanship was far superior to their expectations, they intended to use their numerical advantage to execute a wheel battle—attacking and retreating in relentless waves.

“A crude method, but a good choice.”

Sneering, Bu Eunseol pushed his internal energy to its limit.

Black mist uncoiled from his pupils as a shimmering, spherical orb of obsidian light manifested in his left hand. He had unleashed the True Knot of Will Manifestation, the ancient secret technique capable of giving physical form to immense internal energy.

He thrust his left palm forward.

The condensed energy exploded outward like a spiderweb, snagging the scattered demons and dragging them into a helpless, chaotic knot. Simultaneously, the Dark Sword unleashed a peerless barrage. Cold sword energy, frigid enough to freeze the sun, swept through the clustered mass, felling over ten demons as easily as straw dolls.

No problems using it once.

Even though he had used the True Knot of Will Manifestation without the Secret Art of Severing Emotions, his blood and qi did not boil over. This stability was a result of the power of the Illusion Upon Illusion, unleashed by the furious Wolf Fang Pavilion Master Ak Mu-ryeong, piercing through his meridians.

However, as if indifferent even to the deaths of their comrades, the remaining demons approached Bu Eunseol without a shred of hesitation.

Bu Eunseol spread the remaining energy in his left hand like a net once more. Again, the Cold-Blooded Demons were clumped together. With a sickening sound of tearing meat, the Dark Sword cleaved through the air, and another ten demons collapsed in a heap.

“That is…”

Watching the scene from the periphery, Hyeok So-jin clenched his fists.

He realized that Bu Eunseol’s method of handling materialized energy mimicked his own Divine-Splitting Demonic Qi.

So the Divine-Splitting Demonic Qi can be used like that.

Hyeok So-jin had used his art primarily for defense or counterattacks. But seeing Bu Eunseol’s technique, he realized it could be utilized for tactical control, such as sealing the enemy’s movements.

Do not be restricted by techniques; transform your martial arts to suit the situation.

It felt as if Bu Eunseol were speaking those words directly to him.

As he used the True Knot of Will Manifestation consecutively, intense heat radiated from Bu Eunseol’s body. Yet unlike before, there was no pain or feeling of falling into Qi Deviation. Instead, as he unfolded the art, the true energy within his body became vigorous, filling his spirit with elation and killing intent.

Bu Eunseol rushed forward, taking the offensive.

In a chaotic melee, stopping meant death. There was no time to catch one’s breath, nor any safe space to retreat. Every time the Dark Sword emitted a faint tearing sound, bone-chilling sword light poured forth. The heads of the Cold-Blooded Demons fell like autumn leaves or soared into the sky like morbid fireworks.

Bu Eunseol’s body had already become one with the Dark Sword.

Every time he executed a sword form, a soul-stealing radiance erupted. With every cut through the air, energy stretched out like the Grim Reaper’s claws in all directions. Whenever the offensive lulled for a moment, white steam invariably rose from Bu Eunseol’s body; he was circulating his energy to recover internal power even amidst the battle.

“This bastard…”

Go Geuk-sin bit his lip.

Bu Eunseol had already cut down over forty Cold-Blooded Demons. At this rate, even if they won, the combat power of the Bloody Ocean, Fiendish Pit would be severely damaged.

“You lot, join in.”

Go Geuk-sin ordered the four Cold-Blooded Demons standing in front of him. They were the Ten-Man Commanders who led the hundred demons. Clasping their hands, the commanders leaped into the battlefield without hesitation.

As the four commanders simultaneously unleashed strange claw techniques and palm force like striking lightning, blood sprayed from the shoulder of Bu Eunseol, who had been focused on the rank-and-file demons.

“Die!”

At the same moment, Go Geuk-sin approached Bu Eunseol’s rear and unleashed the Nocturnal Soul-Seizing Bone Claw. Though his body floated in mid-air, the white bone claw force tore through the atmosphere, digging toward Bu Eunseol’s vital points. As the technique raged, blood spurted from Bu Eunseol’s body once again.

“Do not give him a moment to rest!”

The tide of battle turned instantly as Go Geuk-sin and the Ten-Man Commanders joined the fray. They launched individual attacks, but whenever Bu Eunseol countered, they defended with tight coordination, moving as if they were a single entity.

“Hah!”

With a roar, Go Geuk-sin struck Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword with full force.

With a clear metallic ring, the young master was pushed back about a jang, his swordplay halting for a split second. Seizing the opening, the sharp claws of the Ten-Man Commanders dug in ferociously.

In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword began to thrash like a living fish, pouring out hundreds of strands of light. It was the Mastery Radiance Sword Control, the absolute defensive sword form that reacted to killing intent.

Mastery Radiance Sword Control.

Hyeok So-jin had witnessed Bu Eunseol’s specialty many times, but something was strange. Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword wasn’t just striking down enemy attacks; it was carving through the air like a dragon, cutting down the Ten-Man Commanders simultaneously.

Controlling Sword with Qi? No.

Watching from afar, Hyeok So-jin’s eyes flashed.

He realized that at the exact moment the Dark Sword deflected the incoming attacks, it was countering with the exact same offensive moves. Bu Eunseol had combined the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin, the fifth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, with the Mastery Radiance Sword Control.

As their own attacks were reflected back at them, the Cold-Blooded Demons were forced to retreat helplessly. Even Go Geuk-sin, who had been wildly brandishing his claw shadows, panicked and stepped back.

In that gap, Bu Eunseol cut down the scattered demons like straw once again.

Was he finally tiring? Unlike before, his swordplay lacked precision, and his movements were becoming larger and wilder. As Bu Eunseol exposed an opening, the Ten-Man Commanders approached without hesitation and poured out a fierce assault.

But it was a trap.

The tip of Bu Eunseol’s sword began to shake faintly, and then hundreds of sword energies dug into the vital points of the commanders and demons. He had intentionally exposed a flaw to draw out their full power, then applied the technique of Returning the Spirit to Origin to strike down their acupoints.

Having felled all the attacking demons, Bu Eunseol’s swordplay changed yet again.

Simultaneously, a purple flame was drawn in a zigzag pattern toward the opening of a Ten-Man Commander. It was the Peerless Thunderbolt Form, the killing sword that cut down enemies in any situation. Bright red blood sprayed like a fountain from the squad captain’s carotid artery. It looked like a single strike, but in reality, he had executed the form consecutively, severing four necks at once.

Unable to drink any more blood, the Dark Sword spat gore onto the ground.

“You bastard…”

Meeting the gaze of the blood-drenched Bu Eunseol, Go Geuk-sin trembled.

He finally realized. Bu Eunseol killing the Beggar King had not been due to any helper’s assistance.

One-Man Army.

Bu Eunseol possessed terrifying martial power worthy of being called a one-man army.

“Were you… the Chosen One?”

Historically, the supreme powerhouses who looked down upon the Murim had all completed earth-shattering martial achievements at a young age, writing new history. That was why they were called the Chosen Ones, or Divine Beings.

As Bu Eunseol walked toward him, Go Geuk-sin’s eyes bulged.

It was neither terror nor fear that paralyzed him, but the crushing authority of an Absolute Being. His body froze under the pressure emanating from a strongman who looked down upon the world.

Bu Eunseol walked past the trembling Go Geuk-sin.

“Are you… sparing me?”

As Bu Eunseol passed him by, Go Geuk-sin muttered in disbelief. Then, seeing the blood dripping onto the ground, he smiled hollowly.

“That cannot be.”

Psht.

A thin line of blood appeared on his lower abdomen, and suddenly, a massive amount of blood poured out. Bu Eunseol had destroyed his Danjeon, crippling his martial arts instead of killing him.

“Tell the Master of the Bloody Ocean, Fiendish Pit.”

Without looking back, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.

“If you touch me one more time, the Bloody Ocean, Fiendish Pit will be erased from the Murim.”

Sheathing the Dark Sword with a sharp click, Bu Eunseol added quietly, “That is the reason I left your life intact.”

Go Geuk-sin fell to his knees.

His internal energy was gone, leaving him a cripple, and his muscles were already shriveling. But he was suffering more from the pressure radiating from Bu Eunseol than the loss of his power.

The Pit thought wrong.

In the Murim, there are two types of people one must never touch: Absolute powerhouses who never forgive those who provoke them, and madmen who do not value even their own lives. Bu Eunseol belonged to both categories—a figure like a Grim Reaper who brought disaster upon anything that touched him.

“I understand.”

Go Geuk-sin staggered as he turned his body. Stripped of his internal energy, the middle-aged appearance was gone, replaced by a withered old man. With the sunset at his back, Go Geuk-sin stumbled away from the plains, the image of a loser who had left his past glory behind.

“Phew.”

Once the enemy was gone, Bu Eunseol let out a deep breath.

The martial prowess he had shown was, in truth, not at the level of someone who had just entered the Supreme Heavenly Realm. Because of his powerful internal energy and the mysterious True Knot of Will Manifestation, he was displaying might far beyond the realm he had actually reached.

“Let’s go.”

Bu Eunseol returned to the carriage as if nothing had happened. Only then did Hyeok So-jin snap back to reality and inhale deeply.

“Get in. I will drive the carriage.”

Since the coachman had already fled, Hyeok So-jin climbed onto the driver’s seat.

Brother Bu is rewriting the history of the Murim.

Watching the setting sun, an overwhelmed smile rose on Hyeok So-jin’s lips. He was proud to live in the same era as a man named Bu Eunseol, and to have journeyed through the Gangho with him. Even when his hair turned white in the future, he would consider this fact his greatest pride.

***

Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying, Hall of Mountains and Rivers.

Beyond the window, an old man in blue robes rose from his sickbed to gaze at the flower garden where exotic plants bloomed. Though illness had clearly paled his face, his silver hair was combed back neatly, and purple light occasionally flashed in his eyes.

It was the Area Master of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying: the Illusion Demon, Hyeok Gong-baek.

“So-jin is arriving soon.”

At Hyeok Gong-baek’s murmur, the Mad Teacher Pung Yeo-ryang, standing beside him, spoke softly. “Hearing the news that you collapsed, he is apparently rushing here in a single breath.”

“There was no need for that.”

“You have suffered enough as well. Now that So-jin has grown, you should rest a little.”

Following Hyeok Gong-baek’s gaze to the flower garden, a smile appeared on Pung Yeo-ryang’s lips.

“But you know…”

“…?”

“Your choice was certainly correct. That fellow named Bu Eunseol.” He spoke with a satisfied expression. “He’s a guy who keeps a promise properly. Since he left, young people have been visiting constantly to deliver news of the main sect.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Leaning back on the bed, Hyeok Gong-baek chuckled. “The Murim is in an uproar over that child’s story anyway. Killing the Beggar King wasn’t enough; he single-handedly destroyed a combat corps of the Bloody Ocean, Fiendish Pit.”

The current Murim was boiling with stories of this unprecedented new generation master.

Bu Eunseol had previously been rumored to have killed one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings through cowardly methods. Yet this time, he had single-handedly annihilated a corps composed of Cold-Blooded Demons.

What kind of beings were these demons? Tempered with bizarre drugs and secret prescriptions, they were killing machines who sacrificed their lives without hesitation to eliminate superior masters. Furthermore, a corps made of such demons possessed the power to wipe out a decent-sized small sect without a trace.

And he swept them away alone?

With this incident, Bu Eunseol proved that his martial realm had entered the Supreme Heavenly Realm.

The Beggars’ Sect pulled a dirty trick.

As such rumors spread, martial artists immediately criticized the Beggars’ Sect and began to reconsider the nickname for this young Grandmaster.

However, his actions were mostly revealed only during his time as one of the Ten Demonic Successors. Moreover, most who had experienced Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess were now lonely ghosts under his sword. The successors of Shaolin, Wudang, and the Sword Pavilion had survived, but they kept their mouths shut. Since no martial techniques had been revealed, and no one had seen his prowess directly, the public failed to settle on a proper nickname.

“Rather, thanks to that, So-jin got a nickname too. Something about cutting down enemies with strange silver threads… Blood Thread… something.”

“They call him the Blood Thread Demonic Shadow.”

Hyeok Gong-baek wore a faint smile. Hyeok So-jin, who had constantly helped Bu Eunseol defeat various strong enemies, had unknowingly earned his own title.

“Anyway, it’s going to be a headache from now on.” As if recalling something, Pung Yeo-ryang sighed. “From masters of the previous generation to young Grandmasters. From now on, every bastard who thinks they have some strength will come at him.”

From novices just stepping into the martial world to old veterans with graying hair, what martial artists uniformly desired was the fame that allowed them to reign over others. Bu Eunseol possessed both martial arts and fame. Simply put, killing Bu Eunseol meant easily taking that glory.

“Even if the entire Murim comes at him, given that child’s personality, he won’t ask the Demonic Palace or the Wolf Fang Pavilion for protection…”

Deep wrinkles formed between Pung Yeo-ryang’s brows.

In truth, the Beggar King’s martial prowess was only at the entry level of the Supreme Heavenly Realm, not particularly outstanding compared to the true super-powerhouses of the Murim. Despite that, he could ascend to the seat of the Seven Kings due to his immense influence over the Beggars’ Sect and his high seniority.

But a figure who had just started his journey in the Gangho had struck him dead.

From the perspective of the strong, a fresh and appetizing prey had appeared. From now on, all the powerhouses of the Murim would be eyeing Bu Eunseol hungrily.

“Do not worry.”

Hyeok Gong-baek smiled calmly.

“He awakened So-jin’s masculine spirit and potential, raising him to the level of a Ten Demonic Sects successor in a short time.” Infinite trust resided in his eyes. “He will surely overcome all trials and stand tall at the apex of the Four Gods and Seven Kings…”

Knock, knock.

With the sound of rapping on wood, a young man’s voice rang out quietly.

“Squad Captain of the True Guard Squad, Woon Yeop here.”

“Enter.”

At Hyeok Gong-baek’s calm voice, a man in navy blue martial attire entered carefully. It was Woon Yeop, responsible for the outer security of the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying.

“The young lord has arrived.”

Taking a deep breath, Hyeok Gong-baek nodded. “Understood.”

“But do you really not intend to tell him?” As Woon Yeop bowed and left, Pung Yeo-ryang spoke in a low voice. “That your life is hanging by a thread.”