"Ugh!"
The daggers, expected to fly toward Eum Wi, instead struck the foreheads of the two subordinates flanking him.
"Attack that bastard now!" Eum Wi shouted.
At his command, the Dark Jade Hall assassins surrounding Bu Eunseol began wielding their White Horse Whips.
Slash!
With eerie whooshing sounds, dozens of White Horse Whips slithered like living snakes, targeting Bu Eunseol’s body.
"Hmph," Bu Eunseol snorted, effortlessly dodging the whips.
In that moment, the Dark Jade Hall assassins reorganized into a two-layered encirclement. Those advancing forward shortened their whips into sword or spear-like forms for close-range attacks, while those hidden in the rear launched long-range whip strikes.
Swish! Slash!
At close range, the whips morphed into swords and spears, while from a distance, the fully extended whips aimed for Bu Eunseol’s vital points.
‘Start with the closest enemies, one by one,’ he thought. The tactic seemed chaotic, but the strategy was simple: deal with the nearest attackers methodically.
A red glow began to emanate from Bu Eunseol’s left fist. As he fiercely channeled his inner energy to execute his fist technique, the Ban-geuk Radiance gathered not only in his eyes but also in his fist.
Boom!
Five streaks of lightning-like energy erupted from his left hand—the ultimate technique of the Seven Fist Demon Forms, Extreme War Roar.
"Scatter!" the Dark Jade Hall assassins cried, realizing the invisible force was too powerful to block with their whips. They dispersed in all directions.
Clang!
As if waiting for their retreat, a black radiance burst from Bu Eunseol’s ink-black sword.
Flash!
Each time the black light tore through the air, retreating assassins fell like logs.
"Argh!"
"Ack!" Those grazed or struck by the sword let out agonizing screams. The thirteen streams of immense power within the ink-black sword burned through their meridians like wildfire.
"That bastard!" Eum Wi shouted, stunned as Bu Eunseol disrupted their formation in an instant.
He knew Bu Eunseol, who had defeated righteous masters in succession, was a master of the supreme realm. That’s why he had sent the Dark Jade Hall’s most lethal assassins, yet they were collapsing so quickly?
‘Is this guy a master of formation-breaking techniques, able to shatter our formation in one go?’ Eum Wi thought.
In truth, this was Eum Wi’s mistake. Since entering the martial world, Bu Eunseol had repeatedly faced groups using formations in one-against-many battles, making him an expert at dismantling such tactics.
"Agh!"
"Urk!"
Screams echoed one after another. No one could withstand a single strike from Bu Eunseol’s sword. No matter the formation or technique used, he countered and swept through them effortlessly.
"Not bad," Eum Wi muttered, biting his lip. "Deploy the White Horse Five Poisons Formation!"
The White Horse Five Poisons Formation alternated poisoned hidden weapons with the White Horse Whips—a deadly formation.
But this was Eum Wi’s second mistake.
‘Sloppy,’ Bu Eunseol thought.
Having faced the entire Blood Demon Hall of Hell's Blood Fortress, he could freely control his breathing to resist poison and wield martial arts naturally while executing poison-countering techniques. The poisoned hidden weapons of the White Horse Five Poisons Formation posed no threat to him.
Slice. Slice.
Each time Bu Eunseol’s ink-black sword danced, Dark Jade Hall assassins fell like straw.
From his right hand, the Supreme Heavenly Flow flowed, while his left unleashed the Seven Fist Demon Forms. For those attacking from a distance, daggers flew without fail, drawn from the Hidden Blade Treasury techniques.
‘The essence of the Hidden Blade Treasury shines in moments like this,’ he thought.
The Hidden Blade Treasury, taught by Tang Pae, wasn’t just about throwing daggers to kill. It detailed tactical uses, creating opportunities or halting enemy movements with precise throws.
"Agh!"
"Argh!"
Screams rang out from the rear as well. Turning, Bu Eunseol saw A-Yeon wielding her white sword, cutting down Dark Jade Hall assassins. Though her strikes weren’t razor-sharp, those hit by her blade ceased moving.
"That woman… a disciple of the Sword Pavilion?" Eum Wi snorted, recognizing her swordsmanship. "Hmph, a mere Sword Pavilion disciple…"
But he was unaware that A-Yeon wasn’t an ordinary disciple but the designated successor, the future Sword Empress.
"Aaagh!"
"Ugh!" The screams from the rear continued, and the formation began to collapse.
"How can this be?" Eum Wi’s expression hardened.
No matter how formidable Bu Eunseol’s martial arts were, Eum Wi had brought a hundred Dark Jade Hall assassins. Given time, he believed they could overwhelm him. Yet this woman, whom he dismissed as a mere Sword Pavilion disciple, was unleashing attacks on par with Bu Eunseol, causing the formation to crumble uncontrollably.
"This… this…" Eum Wi stammered, his mouth agape.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the hundred Dark Jade Hall assassins were reduced to half.
Crunch.
Clenching his teeth, Eum Wi shouted with a pained expression, "Retreat!"
As Eum Wi and the surviving assassins withdrew, the pouring rain began to subside.
Drip, drip, drip.
Bu Eunseol’s body was drenched in blood, mostly from the Dark Jade Hall assassins, though he bore several small wounds himself.
"I don’t understand," A-Yeon said, sheathing her sword and approaching him. "The Ten Demon Sects are supposed to avoid conflict with each other. Why is the White Horse Temple attacking you?"
Bu Eunseol replied nonchalantly, "Because I killed the White Horse Temple Leader’s grandson."
"What?" A-Yeon’s eyes widened.
How could a Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion have killed the White Horse Temple Leader’s grandson?
"If that happened, why hasn’t it been known in the martial world?" she asked.
"The affairs of the martial world aren’t as simple as you think," Bu Eunseol said. "No need to make a fuss over something trivial," he added.
Though he spoke lightly, A-Yeon’s expression stiffened. Killing the White Horse Temple Leader’s grandson was no small matter—it meant forging a blood feud with one of the Ten Demon Sects.
‘Not only is he ruthless, but his martial arts are exceptional,’ A-Yeon thought, frowning as she looked at the bodies of the Dark Jade Hall assassins around Bu Eunseol. In the time it took her to defeat fifteen assassins, Bu Eunseol had cut down thirty-eight. Yet, even after the battle, Bu Eunseol didn’t leave. He crouched down, examining the corpses with intense focus, as if studying a masterpiece.
"About an inch too shallow," he muttered. "That’s why they could swing their whips twice even after being struck…"
He was analyzing the wounds on the bodies, reviewing his techniques.
‘Is this man in his right mind?’ A-Yeon thought, her brow furrowing deeply. To inspect the flaws in his swordsmanship, he was studying the wounds on freshly killed corpses, his face inches from them.
"…I see," Bu Eunseol said, continuing his examination without concern.
When he finally turned to the wounds on the bodies A-Yeon had defeated, she said coldly, "You’re doing something pointless."
"Pointless?" Bu Eunseol replied, his eyes still fixed on the corpses. "Are you worried I’ll decipher your sword techniques from the wounds?"
"Hardly," A-Yeon said confidently. "Predicting technique variations changes nothing."
Swordsmanship varied greatly depending on the wielder. For example, the Horizontal Sweep Thousand Armies technique performed by a third-rate martial artist couldn’t compare to that of the world’s greatest swordsman.
"If wounds held secrets, there’d be groups in the martial world dedicated to studying corpses," she added.
A-Yeon spoke with assurance, unaware that Bu Eunseol had reached the supreme realm of Beast Way Insight, allowing him to perceive and sense things beyond ordinary human capability.
"Hmm," Bu Eunseol said, nodding after examining all the wounds. ‘The sword has no end.’
A-Yeon’s Sword Pavilion techniques, though restrained in killing intent, were intricate and ever-changing. By joining the battle, she had unwittingly broadened Bu Eunseol’s understanding.
Swish.
Standing, he began walking, his wet body moving through the rain-soaked forest.
A-Yeon followed, unwilling to let him slip away.
As they emerged from the dense forest, an old, dilapidated temple appeared at the foot of the mountain. Without hesitation, Bu Eunseol passed through its gate, revealing a crumbling main hall in the courtyard.
Crackle.
Gathering branches to start a fire, Bu Eunseol sat beneath a corner of the platform.
Sizzle.
Steam rose from A-Yeon’s body as she followed. Using her inner power, she dried her body and clothes instantly.
‘Why isn’t he drying himself?’ she wondered. Any martial artist could heat their body or dry their clothes with inner power, yet Bu Eunseol sat by the fire, still soaked, unmoving.
‘This man is truly strange,’ she thought. She had assumed he was a ruthless demonic swordsman slaughtering reclusive righteous masters. Yet Bu Eunseol’s demeanor was like that of an ascetic monk—restrained, disciplined, and solemn.
Staring at him by the firelight, A-Yeon suddenly frowned, realizing something. She was developing a deep interest in Bu Eunseol.
‘Me, interested in him?’ she thought.
He was merely a Ten Demon Warrior of the demonic path, someone she was supposed to cut down. Yet since meeting him, her calm, lake-like spirit had begun to ripple. His unique aura, powerful yet deadly martial arts, and striking appearance seemed to embody qualities that would captivate anyone.
‘This won’t do,’ she thought. The Sword Pavilion’s swordsmanship could be summed up in one word: stillness. Without maintaining the serenity of a monk practicing Zen, her swordsmanship would fall to a lesser realm.
Hum.
Taking a deep breath, she activated her Mysterious Art, clearing her mind and dispelling her chaotic emotions.
Clang.
Bu Eunseol stood, drawing the sword from his back.
"What’s happening?" A-Yeon asked.
"An enemy approaches," he replied.
"An enemy?" A-Yeon blinked.
What enemy could be approaching this quiet, abandoned temple? ‘Oh!’ she thought, as her senses suddenly alerted her to the presence of a large group drawing near.
‘He noticed before me?’ she thought. Her heightened senses, honed by the Sword Pavilion’s Mysterious Art, were on par with the greatest masters. Yet, even lost in thought, Bu Eunseol had detected the enemy first?
Step, step.
Bu Eunseol walked out of the main hall.
A-Yeon, watching him go without hesitation, realized something. ‘There was no need to stop him.’ His path would be drenched in blood regardless. That’s why he hadn’t bothered drying his soaked body.
Click.
A-Yeon, about to draw her sword and follow, shook her head. "He’s not my enemy, is he?"
She had been caught up in his affairs before, but this time was different. Instead of following, she used her movement technique to leap onto the broken roof, intending to observe Bu Eunseol’s fight from above.
***
The courtyard of the main hall was filled with over a hundred martial artists in red robes and masks, their eyes entirely black, devoid of whites. These grotesque figures, with their red robes and black eyes, looked like demons crawling from the depths of hell to feast on human flesh.
"The Poison Furnace Hall?" Bu Eunseol said.
From among the martial artists, an unmasked elderly man emerged, his skin blackened as if coated with charcoal. When he opened his mouth, his white teeth gleamed like the fangs of a beast.
It was Jin Jamyeong, the Hall Leader of the Poison Furnace Hall of Hell's Blood Fortress.
"You’re well-informed," Jin Jamyeong said, his eyes narrowing sharply. "The Blood Hand Hall got caught up fighting those Wudang brats and perished."
"You recognized me, so you must know the terror of the Blood Death Ghosts," he added.
Blood Death Ghosts—poison masters created by infusing the body with five extreme poisons through a device called the Poison Furnace. Impervious to pain or fear, they moved like machines, existing solely to kill, closer to demonic creatures than humans.
"I’m honored," Bu Eunseol said. "First the Blood Demon Hall, then the Blood Hand Hall, and now the Poison Furnace Hall crawls out."
"Hmph, you were never destined to end well with our fortress," Jin Jamyeong said, a deathly black mist rising in his eyes. "You’ll never reach Majeon."
"Always chattering every time we meet… Annoying," Bu Eunseol said.
"What?" Jin Jamyeong snapped.
Raising his ink-black sword, a red mist began to swirl around Bu Eunseol’s body, his immense inner power manifesting visibly as energy waves.
"I have a long road ahead," Bu Eunseol said, his eyes blazing with a sun-like radiance within the red mist. "Clear the way!"
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